#and it's been too long i really want to get this out before chaos theory comes out

[campbenji]

ok you know what i need the motivation. if this post gets 300 notes before january 31st then i'll be legally obligated to post my bowman brothers fic before febraury ends.

[alltheboysandgirlsiloved]

Chaos Theory review (characters' oriented review)

Since everyone is doing this, I thought I'd share my thoughts too because, to some extent, I feel like I'm in a minority here. In this post I'm going to focus mostly on the characters because there's a lot to say about the show in general and I don't have patience to write everything in one post.

spoilers under the cut

I said it yesterday and I will say it again: I absolutely loved Chaos Theory. It was action-packed, well-paced, dramatic and funny. It was everything I loved in Camp Cretaceous.

I'm especially grateful that they gave us a whole variety of emotions coming from all of characters.

I loved yasammy's conflict because it felt real and natural. Yas' PTSD being openly addressed was everything I hoped for (all of them have PTSD in some capacity but when it comes to Yas the execution was on the next level). And Sammy being fiercely overprotective over her girlfriend to the point it became too much?? That made so much sense because she had always been always protective but after the experiences in camp cretaceous, it is no wonder that this trait started to get out of her control. I don't know, it just made sense. I hope that in season 2 they go in detail about Sammy's family situation, I want her to talk about it with Yas. I'm really curious how it will play out and I can't wait to see Yas being super awesome supportive girlfriend.

I also really liked Darius and Kenji's relationship - I know, I know but hear me out. I actually enjoyed how the conflict(s) in their case seemed to keep piling up; they were growing like a fungus. I adored that little bit when Kenji mentioned that he stayed in touch with Darius' mother, while Darius didn't call her. I think it was incredible; such a small detail but tells you a lot about the years in their life that we didn't get to see.

While we are at it, I have to address the whole Darius and Brooklyn thing which I actually... didn't mind. I really didn't? And I don't mind that it was one-sided either. Maybe because it is the first (*cough*) openly addressed one-sided love story between the campers. I've always loved Darius and Brooklyn friendship, I genuinely believe that it was one of the strongest relationships in CC. It would be cool if they stayed platonic but really, I truly don't mind that one-sided love plotline. I wouldn't even call it a love triangle because to me it seems that Darius, to some extent, always knew that it was an unrequited crush, and I don't feel a sense of a privatization (between Kenji and Darius) either. You know what I actually liked about this situation? The fact that Darius didn't go to meet with Brooklyn because he was basically ashamed, embarrassed, and a little scared of his own feelings, of getting hurt. I feel like, in the long run, this is going to be incredible for his character development. Darius trying to run away from his own feelings to the point where he abandoned someone, where he tried hiding something from others? I genuinely think it added to his character and gave him additional depth. That's just my opinion though. I also think that even without that romantic plotline he would still call Brooklin after her "death". So to me, this really didn't change much other than adding more awkwardness and I had no trouble handling that (I always really liked visually the scene where Kenji and Darius were sitting in the bathtub. There was something pleasing about this)

Moving on to Kenji... Killing Daniel Kon so fast was certainly... a choice but. Kenji's reaction to his death was so well-done. It really highlighted the complex relationship that Kenji had with his father - someone he hated but who he also considered kind of a indestructible. His reaction was so heartbreaking and I was there for it.

And then there's also Ben. I'm gonna be honest - I am biased. I loved him before, I love him still so it feels unfair to write about him from my very biased perspective. Still - they could never make me hate him. I like how his character changed in so many ways but also stayed true to his core – he is adventurous and a little reckless (like a Jungle Boy that he was), and he is also soft and sensitive (that scene when he was crying when he was hiding under the truck broke me). I'm extremely curious about his background story that we barely touched upon - it is obvious that he had been living in that van for a while, which is interesting considering how he used to live on the campus and (let me remind you that) he has a loving mother that would surely support him if he decided to take a break just because he needs a break. From the looks of it, Ben seemed to be living on his own for a while – was his obsession with "being hunted" the only reason? or was there more? many questions. I am also a bit... sceptial about his girlfriend. The first time he mentioned her was not convincing to say at least, not to mention that apparently he had been living without his phone for a while now - were they talking online all this time or what? Idk, if he really has a girlfriend then first of all - the screenwriters are cowards, second of all - the relationship doesn't seem super-convincing for now.

Bonus: Mateo is one of the best characters introduced in the show, for me, he beats even Mae. He was perfect, actually perfect, I loved him. I really hope we will see him again in season 2 (above taking care of Bumpy) because I really liked his agency and his character arc.

Overall: I feel like your final review of CT depends heavily on what you tend to focus on while watching the show, and what you like in shows in general. I don't mind drama as long as it doesn't interfere with characters' personality. And I feel like a lot of choices they made in CT actually makes sense for these characters. I think it is also important to remember that this was - from what I understand - planned as a two-seasons long shows from the beginning which means that a lot of loose ends and decisions may not make sense yet but they will eventually be developed in season 2 (which would be awesome, we love consistent writing)

anyway, I only watched CT once for now, so don't quote me. I'm sure that I will have more thoughts later

[tree-obsession]

2.2 SPOILERS!! PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK

this is a small lore discussion! mostly speculation and theories- i have not seen leaks about 2.3 plot yet, but i have seen a couple about boothill's character stories, so please keep that in mind!

trigger for mentions of suicide(aventurine) and mega corps(the ipc)

we have to talk about the ending cutscene with aventurine and boothill more! i'll start with my fav parts that no one really has brought up yet:

Aventurine intimidating Boothill after mentioning the guards are out- Boothill sounded so offput and hasty while reassuring him they were just knocked out, and we have to talk about aventurine himself just being intimidating more honestly his glare actually did kind of scare me.

Boothill pointing a gun at aventurine was. well. i'm sorry i did actually laugh at that. boothill i think you should research your targets a bit more honestly that guy is NOT afraid of guns. he fully walked into the nihility and pointed at least one gun at himself, and just got out of his own meticulously-planned suicide. threats of death won't work, sorry. also he has good reason to hate oswaldo schneider as well- threats didn't even have to be used, probably! he would kill him too, probably(revenge arc go go go!!)

the convo between aven and jade was. yeah. why he's betting his life again, i don't know (maybe sarcasm? or it was really just banter?) but it does seem like the two of them aren't super close at all, at least from what little i could gather. also if diamond hurts aventurine the entire fandom will kick his ass, emanator or no, so he better be prepared for that too lol. also, it was a pretty common theory aventurine would leave the ipc after exiting nihility, since acheron presumably broke his ties- i wonder why he went back? perhaps he had no plans as to where to go, or he has some ulterior motive?

how did he get out of nihility so unscathed? (for context, i haven't gotten aven's text messages yet, but i'm aware of some of their contents since they've been floating around w/out spoiler tags. the messages are mentioned a bit here if you wanna avoid spoilering!) i know argenti got him out, but 1) why was argenti there, or where did he even find him? and 2) that seems so random- both argenti and jade confirmed it, but plot-wise what's even the point of argenti pulling him out? also argenti said he was in a "woeful state" when he got out, and apparently the stonehearts are willing to give aven a break (which i'm assuming is major, since stonehearts are super important and have a lot of responsibility, plus he just destroyed a cornerstone) so him already being back on his feet when we see the phone call is a bit weird right away. he doesn't even sound sick, and ratio or any other doctor is nowhere in sight! (message spoilers start here) i'm aware the aventurine cornerstone was fully shattered/destroyed while protecting him from nihility- was he really in there for who-knows-how-long without any protection at all? he's apparently having nightmares and the ipc needed to call in a doctor of chaos to treat him, which is concerning considering his mental health and general will to live were extremely low even before walking into the nihility. like he genuinely has some of the worst will to live i've ever seen in a character or human being- walking through the nihility should have utterly destroyed him mentally and physically, but it didn't. 2.3 HAS to give us a whole lotta context, especially with nihility lore (my favorite aeon, i may be biased) and more about the ipc!

anyway, thank you for reading this poorly formatted, stream-of-consciousness word vomit about 2.2's aventurine lore. hope you liked it! drop ur thoughts in replies and reblogs plz they give me life(although i will be very busy next few weeks, so please don't be offended if you want a reply and don't get it, im so sorry!)

2.2 was peak- a bit slow, but the story was some of the best, if not the best stuff hoyo has given us in terms of writing quality. so great! i cried for sure, and that boss battle was just everything- especially the music. robin my lesbian queen if i didn't have to pull for firefly i would get your lightcone for sure...

see you all next time! thx for sticking around (:

[aristaspark]

My Chaos Theory... well, theory.

Who's the villain?

I thought about it hard, and I think I came to a pretty solid conclusion as to who's the villain.

And the best candidate is...

Matteo.

There are so many things not adding up with his character, but I'm going to lay out why I think that.

1: He's way.too.nice. I don't buy his whole naive persona, sorry, I still have PTSD from Tiff and Mitch.

2: The night Brooklynn "died". His story is awfully convenient and can actually seem believable from Darius and Kenji POV, but from an audience standpoint? Hell no. We know Brooklynn is alive. She was saved by someone that night (there was only a puddle of blood so it's certain she was picked up by someone with a car). I don't care how strongly he claims he covered his ears, he would have seen or heard something/movements (her screams because she lost her arm, for starters). The fact that, if he tells the truth, he would have magically waited for Brooklynn to be taken away by someone before coming out of the bushes is ridiculous.

3: His reaction when Kenji and Darius are shocked that she had a secret apartment. I swear, I found the delivery of his line suspicious the first time I heard it. "You didn't know she had a secret appartment? 🥴" It seems like he was saying "Well, how could you not know your friend was the kind of person to have a secret apartment, even I KNOW THAT since she's been after my ass for months before I tried to kill her.

4: I don't remember the line exactly, but when the DPW agents said the boss didn't like when things weren't "done right", basically, which made me sure we had already seen the villain.

5: Sorry it took me so long to give the phone of your dead friend back to you, I just conveniently waited for you to be targeted by a psychopath to do so. Just because.

6: Why did he take the phone in the first place? 😂 Even in the scenario he gave to Darius and Kenji that part isn't explained like dude wanted a new phone??? Like in his scenario he had no reason to hide it, if he was who he claims to be he would have given it to Darius right away.

7: The fact that he was the one at the crime scene is suspiscious enough. If it hadn't been deemed a dinosaur attack, he would have been interrogated by the police right away.

So my theory is that:

Brooklynn discovered that someone was doing some horrible things using the DPW to dinosaurs. She pretty much had all the informations, except for one thing: the identity of the person who was doing these things (aka Matteo). Maybe Matteo's daughter is real, and she is the one who told him Brooklynn was getting closer to him (possible she's the one Ben spoke to on DarkJurassic) (or Matteo's lying about that too and is actually really good at tech). The night Brooklynn died was an ambush and he had planned on killing her, but he wasn't actually there, only his subordinates. Brooklynn was saved by someone though, which is why now he is so hell bent on finishing things. When he arrived, he discovered her phone and took it, in case it could be of some use (and maybe to erase all the things she had on him), and that's when Darius arrived. He decided to leave the campers alone since they didn't suspect anything anyway, but when Ben started questioning the night Brook died on Dark Jurassic, he panicked. For the time being he knows Brooklynn didn't tell anything to her friends and probably doesn't know his identity, but he knows that if the campers start investigating, he's in danger. So I think he has two reasons to target them: So that they don't investigate further but the main reason: to make Brooklynn come out of hiding, and to kill her for good (he now has a personal vendetta kind of thing). Maybe he's the one who put the money in her appartment, I'm not sure about that, he might be willing to put the blame on her so that when she reappears everyone will think whatever he is doing was her doing all along (since poor Brooklynn already appears to be suspicious for faking her own death) and that's why he decided to try and gain the trust of the campers.

I think that's about it.

[milkywayhou]

You've Got Email (König x OC: Medical Student!Snow) PART III

Summary: When the Colonel from some Private Military Corporation group accidentally send KorTac's secret file via email to a random civilian girl and now they develop some weird relationship.

or

Snow now overthinking about how fucked up her situation can be

TWs: Slow burn (not really), Implies stalking behavior. I just wrote this for fun.

Words Count: 1.9k (The email contain 1.3+ words while the rest was Snow's 4Chan post)

----

From: SnowFarron93@medschool.edu

To: Colonel_König@KorTac.mil

05/13/23 at 01:38 am

Subject: A late night conspiracy ramble…

Hey!

Once again it’s a late night and these weary med student brain cells are firing off all kinds of…interesting theories and connections, to say the least.

For example, okay hear me out, but what if Big Pharma is actually run by ancient shape-shifting lizard people from the center of the hollow earth who feed on human adrenal gland fluid harvested during rituals conducted at Bohemian Grove, and they started the pharmaceutical industry just to get us all addicted to medication so we’re docile little cash cows?!

I know, I know, it’s utterly ridiculous…buuuuut it would explain a few things haha! Anyways, somehow my winding thought process led me back to pondering your own doubtless intriguing backstory, oh mysterious Colonel.

You’ve given mysterious snippets here and there, but never a straight history lesson, you sly dog. Care to unravel some of those shadows for this thirsty student? Like how’d you get into this line of work anyway?

Maybe share something to take my mind off lizard people conspiracies before this insomnia kills me. You’ve got me curious now!

Conspiracizing but also bedridden,

Snow

----

From: Colonel_König@KorTac.mil

To: SnowFarron93@medschool.edu

05/13/23 at 02:01 am

Subject: RE: A late night conspiracy ramble…

You’ve a vivid imagination, to be sure. As for my own history…it’s nothing so fanciful, I’m afraid.

I grew up isolated, with only books as company. Social skills proved…challenging. The bullying was constant. All I wanted was to disappear into the quiet of nature, far from the incessant noise inside my head.

By 17 I was desperate to escape, and the military offered just that. I dreamed of being a sniper – controlling chaos from afar through calm precision. But my frame and restlessness didn’t suit remaining still for long. They saw potential elsewhere. They assigned as an insertion specialist instead. It was difficult, but taught discipline. In time I learned to turn noise into focus, chaos into strategy.

Now I protect others as I wished to be protected then. It brings…solace, of a kind. Purpose, where once was only turmoil.

Get some rest, Snow. Sweet dreams.

König

----

From: SnowFarron93@medschool.edu

To: Colonel_König@KorTac.mil

05/13/23 at 02:14 am

Subject: RE: RE: A late night conspiracy ramble…

I see.

Thank you for sharing that with me. I can’t imagine how difficult those experiences must have been, but I’m grateful you found your calling in spite of them. It takes real strength of character to turn trauma into purpose like that.

Also, I should say the bullying says far more about their weakness of spirit than anything about you. Their loss, as it brought you to where you’re meant to be – helping people in your own way. I can’t help but smile thinking of a tiny bookworm König dreaming of sniping lizards in the woods! Well, you may not be in the trees anymore but it seems your aim is truer than ever.

Thinking on childhoods, mine wasn’t all sunshine either as an awkward kid. Let’s just say blending in was…challenging, to put it lightly. Between moving a lot after my parents split and living with various relatives, school was an escape into study. Seemed the safest route to gain some footing and make the family proud, at least. Kept me busy avoiding the realities outside books for a while too, I suppose. Somehow I suspect lonely bookworm me and you may have gotten along splendidly if our paths crossed back then!

Anyways, not sure where I’m going with this aside from reflecting our younger selves may have found solace in one another, strange as that sounds now in these roles. At least we’ve come into our own in the end, in our own ways. Small favors and all that.

Just a light note before sleep – rest well, König!

Your friend,

Snow

----

From: SnowFarron93@medschool.edu

To: Colonel_König@KorTac.mil

05/28/23 at 08:27 pm

Subject: Essay Woes and Cadaver Flashbacks

Ugh,

My apologies for this incoherent word vomit you’re about to endure. I’m approximately 5-7 days into an all-nighter essay crunch and my last two brain cells are DANCING.

This final assignment is killing me dead but at least after it’s over I can finally be done with med school! *insert jubilant celebration emoji* Of course that’s if I don’t starve to death first living off instant ramen. I’m positively wasting away without a decent meal. At this rate they’ll be teaching anatomy lectures using my lifeless body.

Whoever invents a magic food delivery service that beams freshly cooked meals directly to overworked students is getting a freaking Nobel Prize. A girl can dream, right? At this point I’d kill a man for a good pizza. *hideshypotheticalmurderweaponbehindback*

Anyways, in my spiral of delirium my thoughts keep wandering back to that fateful day months ago when I randomly received your classified KorTac email out of nowhere. Still bewildered how you even had my address to begin with…were you watching me, Colonel? *pretends to be frightened but is secretlyflattered*

Getting that file was kinda scary at first, not gonna lie. Reminded me of the first time we received our cadavers – that creepy feeling of being watched even after leaving the lab. Is that what it’s like being you, always paranoid someone has intel on you? :)

Anyways, enough gibbering – just wanted to share my pain and also wonder again how our wacky email friendship began! Stay safe out there in whatever shady places your work takes you. And send help – I mean, good luck with all the classified stuff!

Tired and Hangry,

Snow

----

From: SnowFarron93@medschool.edu

To: Colonel_König@KorTac.mil

05/28/23 at 08:40 pm

Subject: WHAT DID YOU DO

KÖNIG I SWEAR TO GOD

I LITERALLY JUST GOT A DELIVERY AT MY DOOR. IT WAS PIZZA AND IT WAS ALREADY PAID FOR

DUDE TELL ME YOU DIDN’T HACK INTO MY LOCATION OR SOME SHIT. HOW DO YOU KNOW WHERE I LIVE??

I’M FREAKING OUT A LITTLE NOT GONNA LIE. I KNOW YOU HAVE ACCESS TO SHADY TECH BUT PLEASE TELL ME YOU DIDN’T TRACK ME DOWN

I was joking in my last email! Sort of! Please say this was all just a coincidence. I don’t need some extra secret stalker on top of everything else ;____;

Explain yourself soldier man!!! My paranoia can only be quelled with answers.

Sending mildly panicked regards,

Snow

----

From: Colonel_König@KorTac.mil

To: SnowFarron93@medschool.edu

05/28/23 at 09:12 pm

Subject: RE: WHAT DID YOU DO

Snow,

I assure you, any capabilities related to surveillance are reserved strictly for operations.

As for your delivery, consider it a small kindness from one overworked soul to another. Now eat, regain strength, and get back to that essay. You’ve proven quite resourceful in pulling secrets from shadows. But some mysteries deserve to remain.

Worry not and carry on with your studies.

König

----

From: SnowFarron93@medschool.edu

To: Colonel_König@KorTac.mil

05/28/23 at 09:25 pm

Subject: Spill. Everything. Now.

I appreciate the pizza bailout, don’t get me wrong. But my paranoia has now reached DEFCON 1 levels and it WILL NOT stand down until I get some answers. So spill. Just how much do you actually know about me? Do you have my address on file somewhere? Photos? Socials? Pet peeves? Middle name??

I understand need-to-know for operations, but this is need-to-know for my own peace of mind. Please assuage these frazzled med student nerves and assure me you’re not some mysterious stalker Colonel (unless that’s just part of your charm). I’ll even send new Luna's pics in return! Consider it a debriefing – you give, you get. Otherwise the wheels will keep spinning in my head…

Sincerely (and only mildly obsessively),

Snow

----------

>>Anonymous

05/29/23(Mon)22:37:10 No:132926391

Colonel Stalker Dude is freaking me out

Image: [Confused pepe scratching head.jpg 230kb, 400x400]

>Be me, a totally tired out and broke student

>Remember getting those shady files months ago

>Thought Colonel dude was cool and weird pen pal

>Even started to like him after long talks

>But NOW he knows my address???

>WTF how long has he been watching me

>On one hand it’s creepy AF but kinda flattering a high rank dude cares

>Other hand I don't want a secret stalker or to get disappeared

>Free food is nice but feeling stalked is not cash money

>Used to have bit of crush but now I'm skeeved TBH

>What do? Can't go to cops cuz questions. No close friends/fam

>Too broke to move or change info

>Maybe he’s just lonely but also maybe he climbs in my window ;____;

>What if he takes my organs in the night like some human harvester?!

>Only protection is my cat Luna and she's useless in a fight ;_;

>Try to be positive and asking him how much he know

>Currently waiting for his replied while I was writing this post

>Anons pls help, should I keep talking to possible stalker man?

Don’t want my organs harvested but also don’t wanna waste a free food connection

Very conflicted and slightly paranoid this girl is in DIRE need of advice

Anonymous 05/29/23(Mon)22:45:19 No:132926405: >>132926391(OP)#

Sounds like a thriller romance novel lol! He probs just cares in his own intense way. Keep talking but be safe, maybe feel him out more? Could be nnothing ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Anonymous 05/29/23(Mon)23:16:08 No:132926439: >>132926405#

IKR it does sound like a book! But what if it’s a prequel to a snuff film?! I’ll try to subtly find out wtf he knows without pissing him off…

Anonymous 05/29/23(Mon)23:37:12 No:132926502: >>132926391(OP)#

LOL girl chill no one climbin in ur windows. He prolly just admires ur spirit. Keep lines of comms open, set boundaries if needed but relax!

Anonymous 05/29/23(Mon)23:45:01 No:13292623: >>132926502#

You’re right, I do overthink! I’ll calm my farm. Thank u stranger, maybe he’s just a bored soldier man and not a psycho (´。＿。｀)

Anonymous 05/30/23(Tue)00:25:31 No:13292684: >>132926391(OP)#

Change ur info anyway, maybe he won’t go to ur new stuff. And get some locks/alarms jfc. Play it safe.

Anonymous 05/30/23(Tue)00:42:44 No:13292692: >>13292684#

Can’t change anything, I used my student email! And too broke for moves or upgrades, these loans gotta last :’( but self defense is a must, thanks!

Anonymous 05/30/23(Tue)01:28:19 No:132922735: >>132926391(OP)#

Send Luna pics. Also tell col u feel weird, set ground rules like no stalking. Maybe he just wants friendship. Be safe!

Anonymous 05/30/23(Tue)01:46:31 No:132922757: >>132922735#

[sleepy_Luna.jpg 1,3mb 1000x1000] You’re so right, communication is key. I’ll lay it all out clearly and see how it goes. Thx fren <3

Anonymous 05/30/23(Tue)01:59:36 No:132922805: >>132926391(OP)#

Maybe he liiiiikes you ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) whatever happens keep us posted! We’re invested now lol

Anonymous 05/30/23(Tue)02:08:55 No:132922822: >>132922805#

omggg don't say that!! Now I'll be paranoid AND flustered X_X But I definitely will update y'all, this is quite the melodrama unfolding

Anonymous 05/30/23(Tue)02:15:36 No:132922811: >>132926391(OP)#

Girlll tell that stalker if he wants a piece he gonna have to pay your tuition first! Then maybe you’ll reconsider the organ harvesting. Gotta respect your worth sis 💅

Anonymous 05/30/23(Tue)02:23:12 No:132922834: >>132922811#

Omg you genius!!! If he’s really interested he can sponsor my broke ass med student life lol. Alleviate my debt and he gets unlimited Luna pics, win-win!

Anonymous 05/30/23(Tue)03:01:46 No:132922839: >>132926391(OP)#

Lmao girl you been reading too many thrillers! Military guys have ways of finding people, changing email won’t do shit. Just ask him wtf is up like a normal person

Anonymous 05/30/23(Tue)03:39:44 No:132922926: >>132922839#

Ugh you make a good point, confronting is smarter than hiding. But what if he locks me in a dungeon for being nosy?! I have no one to turn to if I disappear ;-;

------

From: Colonel_König@KorTac.mil

To: SnowFarron93@medschool.edu

05/30/24 at 03:45am

Subject: RE: Spill. Everything. Now.

Snow,

Let’s just say I know more than you think. But rest assured, your privacy and safety remain my priority here.

As for debriefs, some questions are best left unanswered, even between…friends. Maintaining mystique has its place too, no?

Focus on your studies. I’ll focus on ensuring no more interruptions are needed.

Now get some rest. You’ve an early lab tomorrow if I’m not mistaken.

Sweet dreams.

König

----

From: SnowFarron93@medschool.edu

To: Colonel_König@KorTac.mil

05/30/23 at 03:47am

Subject: DUDE.

HOW.

----

This one was short because I've been busy with other stuff hahah. It sure took some twisted turn hmmM? or maybe poor Snow just over reacted ;)

Also love, comment and reblogged are really appreciate! 💖

[britt-kageryuu]

Leo is streaming! His model is dressed in a Sonic the Hedgehog jacket, a white shirt with a Trans colored unicorn, black short-shorts, over the knee blue socks, his mask, and white/blue sneakers. He's on his inflatable blue chair. River is sitting in a inflatable ring slowly spinning. He's playing Stardew Valley and currently attempting to see how far he can get in the Skull Caverns.

Leo: So recently, since Dad went on a vacation, me and my bro tried to find anything interesting among his collection of stuff from when he was in the film industry. And you would not believe what we found!!

Chat is excited, and asking for the answer.

Leo: So apparently there was an attempt to make a Lou Jitsu family sitcom!

Chat is a bit confused, but also amazed by this information.

Leo: Yeah, they never made it, but Pops has alot of the pre-production stuff, like the pilot script prototype. So apparently it was a family based sitcom where Lou Jitsu was going to be the Dad who was once a champion martial artist, who would teach his kids life lessons, and how to kick butt, that part was considered too problematic with parents.

Some of the chat said they could see kinda how it would work, but yeah it wouldn't fly with the parents that would be worried about their kids copying everything.

Leo: There was some notes on who the show runners wanted to cast, like apparently they wanted Tang Shen to be the Mom? Don't know how well that would work, but hey the biggest set back would've been casting the kids! They would've had to find like 2 to 3 at least vaguely Asian kids to teens to act as the kids to make it somewhat believable!

Chat is in some confused agreement, some pointing out how hard it was for Aisian actors during that time, let alone finding child actors!

River: Not to mention how they would seriously mess up the trying to represent an average Asian household, or how they believe it would be. Though Lou didn't really seem embrace his heritage much.

Leo: Yeah, many good points, heck we barely know much about how the star actor wanted this to happen, but it's still very funny to think about. Well it would probably work in the current way they make shows, but not as well.

River: Oh yeah, there was a few shows where they had the main characters be martial artists, but they would have to make Lou the Grandpa!

Leo: Wonder whatever happened to the guy? Oh shhhh-oot it's late, I didn't get as far as last time. Back to the farm before I pass out.

The topic was changed, but there was lots of conspiracy theories being tossed around in the chat. Yes, Leo was proud of the slight chaos he caused in the chat, and purposefully left them hanging.

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

Masterpost

I took way to long editing all my posts to add color.

[itsbebebe]

So I got bored and decided to binge rewatch some deltarune theory videos and now I'm writing this i guess. I dont hang out too much in the deltarune tumblr tags so idk how much of this is spewing well agreed ideas already but...

Its interesting to me how susie and noelle have this sort of order v chaos thing in terms of their narrative roles. (This is looking like a long post so ill be kind and add a cut here)

Susie is like the character that drills the "your choices dont matter" concept into you (the player - if im referring to kris in this post ill use their name). Not only is she the first to say it but the main times where you make a choice and it doesnt matter are because theyre stopped by susie. Iirc, the only power you have over susie in her segments in both chapters are in puzzle solving (something that actively aids her in her goal). During both the lancer battle and the ferris wheel scene you cannot change what happens. You just have to sit there and watch. Not only that, but susie also can straight up override your decisions in moments like when you try and decide who to go with at the crossroads in chapter 2. You also cannot stop Susie fighting at the start of chapter 1. Some of the few choices that you do make (how you design the thrash machine in chapter 1, speaking to onion san in chapter 1 in hometown) are specifically done when susie isnt around to stop you.

Susie, intentionally or not, forces some order upon the story. She helps force the beads down their designated path, or whatever that metaphor in the hospital is.

However, in chapter 2, susie, by her own choice, leaves for a while and its our new party member who allows us to make a big choice that will matter. Snowgrave. Ive seen people point out before that the snowgrave route really parallels noelles history with game bugs (shown mainly through the sweepstakes blog posts) as the route feels like a game break. In fact it is a game break, considering you are supposed to not have any meaningful choices and do the normal route. It sort of makes it seem like Noelle herself facillitated the route. Not only that, but Noelle (likely due to insecurities in her relationship with Kris) lets you make a lot of choices when you are with her. (I think it could even been argued noelles presence allows you to override susies tendency to stop you making choices in the cutscene at the start of chapter 2).

So Noelle allows you to make the choices, allows the chaos. Susie keeps you on a set road, enforces the order.

This is a fun frame on their relationship. If you told me there was 2 characters, one of which was a girl who was a known rulebreaker and bully and the others was a girl who was top of her class and the mayors daughter, and asked me to tell you which one was chaos and which one was order, i would get it wrong! (It also seems like a good framework to throw some tragedy upon their relationship but lets not think about that rn)

But now if you are anything like me you will be thinking "where do ralsei and kris (as our other 2 established main characters) fall onto this chaos v order paradigm we have established?"

Lets start with kris, as their position feels more quantifiable. Kris does what you tell them. By our established parameters that should make them more chaos leaning. However, Kris will actively stop you from affecting how each chapter ends. This suggests that they want some sort of order, or control over you but will allow you most of the time to make decisions, and allow chaos.

This suggests Kris is order leaning but chaos permitting.

Ralsei, meanwhile, i dont think sits on the paradigm as we have established it. He wants the prophecy to be fulfilled but he wants us to make changes that lead there. He gets upset when Kris is unable to make choices but firmly believes we must fulfill the prophecy. What ralsei does and doesnt know about Kris or us is vague and unknown, and therefore by extension how he feels about Kris and us is vague and unknown.

So is he more order - forcing us to do specific things and stopping us from having meaningful choices in the story? Not really... But then is he more chaos - allowing us to make big changes? In a sort of apathetic, not really bothered way maybe. All in all, i think Ralsei falls outside of the scale, as he has a very unique relationship with us and Kris.

Generally, choices and chaos and order are all very big themes in deltarune. So i think its interesting to link the two together like this.

[farfromstrange]

Update

Okay, now that I've got your attention. Listen up.

Just kidding. (Not really.) I have some actual updates that you might want to read.

Good news for all of my fellow Michael Kinsella lovers: I finished rewriting and editing the next chapter of Chaos Theory! It has been a while since I watched the show, so I need a bit more time to reread it once more and check how it sounds. I don't want to disappoint. If all goes well, I can post it later tonight. Thank you for being so patient with me!

Also good news for all of my Foreigner's God readers: I have scrapped the first draft of chapter 55, which is a very good thing because that means I have finally identified why I hated it so much in the first place, and I'm currently in the process of writing it again. It's already flowing so much better, so I think I might be able to finish it by the end of tomorrow or, at the latest, Saturday!

Not so good news for my Total Eclipse Of The Heart readers: I have not come around to writing for that series, and I'm still trying to find a way to reign the plot back in before it can run away from me. I'm also trying everything to get some vampire inspiration, so that might take another week, but I promise, I'm rereading and I'm trying to give you what you've been waiting for. This series has turned out to be quite a beast, so I need to figure stuff out a bit more before I can put new chapters out for this one. But I promise, it won't be too long.

And to everyone else following me and my writing, I also have some news: There is an announcement for something I've been working on also coming later tonight! (Hint: It's a Matt Murdock fic). Plus, I have finally managed to agree on a vague idea for a Spencer Reid fic, but that will still take some time to plan. But I do have a plot and I do have a backstory, so that is also (kind of) good news for those of you who are curious about my jump back into Criminal Minds.

For those of you who have sent in requests back when they were still open: I'm trying to finish them. I'm so sorry for the long wait, but life tends to get in the way.

I have also gotten requests long after I closed them, and to those who have sent in requests anyway, I will still try to work through them, but you will have to wait until those who have requested while my inbox was still open have got their fics. It's only fair. I hope you understand.

Anyway, that was all (I think). I love you guys, and take care.

Thanks for reading this. You can scramble now. Bye!

[mama-qwerty]

Hei. Do you think there’s version of Knuckles that’s immortal? In some versions he was possible created by the Master Emerald and is her child/vessel/guardian, so I think the ME keeps him alive infinitely for protection, entertainment (gets boring being alone) and caretaking of Angel island (and occasionally the world).

I am an equal opportunity Knuckles enjoyer! I love all versions of the boy, from cryptid-esque mainline!Knux, to buff himbo Boom!Knux, to different-backstory-but-equally-adorable movie!Knux, to over-the-top almost self-destructive Dread. My beloved.

So, I am very familiar with the headcanon/fan theory that the ME actually created mainline!Knuckles, and he's not quite right. He's not a normal echidna, and holds many (again, fan headcanoned) quirks and abilities that come with being an ME created person.

He is able to sense, and control, the chaos energy that surrounds all things. He himself is just filled to the brim with it, but he never draws on it, as that would make him dangerously OP in battles. But he could, if he really needed to.

His connection to the ME is different from any other guardian before him, because he was created by the ME itself. His tether to it is stronger, as they are, in essence, one in the same. He's her avatar, her connection to the mortal plane, and maybe through him, she can understand mortals a little better than she had before. Time is meaningless for a giant magic rock, but through Knuckles, she can see the ripples created through the actions of a few special souls.

So, as a 'child' of the Master Emerald, is Knuckles immortal? There's a very good chance he is. The incredible amount of chaos within him would keep him healthy, keep him fit, keep him strong and capable of guarding the ME for as long as she deems it. She is immortal, an object without start or end, so it stands to reason that she would make him to be as long-lasting as she is.

Now, that doesn't mean Knuckles has 'always been'. I'm not sure how long ago she created him, but I have a fic theorizing how that went. Maybe she created him hundreds of years ago. Or maybe she created him when she felt the upcoming birth of Sonic. (She can see all of time, and that hedgehog's influence in the time stream must seem like dropping a boulder in a puddle.)

Sonic himself seems to be a force of chaos, the unpredictable wind that behaves however he pleases, so she created Knuckles as the counter to try and temper Sonic's unpredictability. The mountain to Sonic's chaotic influence. She was ignorant in the ways of mortals, after all, and what she saw was a little hog being a big source of disturbance. She needed her avatar to try and reign in the boy in.

Little did she know that Sonic's influence would have an effect on her guardian.

Sonic taught Knuckles how to enjoy life. And that sometimes you have to leave where you're most comfortable to fight the bigger evil.

It's entirely possible that Knuckles is immortal, and he'll watch his friends pass on, one by one. Maybe they'll fall in battle, fighting Eggman or whatever evil threatens their home and other innocents. Maybe they'll pass when they've grown old, surrounded by loved ones, secure in the knowledge they've kept the planet safe for future generations.

But Knuckles will remain.

And maybe he'll want to keep his memories, holding them dear to his heart as he goes on, teaching their children and grandchildren and great grandchildren, passing on the knowledge he'd gained over the years.

And maybe he'll beg the ME to take his memories. Keep them safe, but please, please take them. They hurt him too much, to remember what he's lost. To know that his friends all grew old, and he stayed young and healthy. To watch as their light flickered and went out, as his continued to burn solid and bright.

He has fought countless battles, defeated untold enemies.

But one he can't defeat is grief.

And he can't deal with it. Not now. It hurts. It hurts too much. He doesn't want to feel this, doesn't want to make new friends if this is how it feels when he ultimately outlasts them.

And maybe the ME does take his memories. And things are fine for a while.

But then, one day, a newcomer arrives on Angel Island. Perhaps a descendant of one of his first friends. And they seem familiar to Knuckles, somehow, but he tries to get rid of them. They're stubborn, though. They remain and talk to him, telling him of the stories passed down, of the guardian of the Master Emerald, the one who fought all those years ago, alongside the other heroes of Mobius. Did he know that guardian?

And maybe Knuckles pauses. He didn't want to remember. But they came anyway, as the ME gently replaces just a few at first. Just the ones he needed to remember.

And he nods and says, "I am he. I knew them."

Which starts a new connection with new friends, born of his old.

And life will go on for the immortal guardian. And he will live for those who have moved on.

Because that is all he can do.

But maybe . . . maybe that is what he was truly made for.

[zzcrypticcoyotezz]

Read your Ian Malcom Nonbinary/genderfluid and now I can't get it out of my head. IT'S SUCH A COOL HEADCANNON THAT I SEE HAPPENING. Can you rant more about it, please? give more scenarios of what your take is LITERALLY ANYTHING GO FERAL. That is all thank you. Also Trans Alan?! yoooooooooo. Love the concept of Ian helping him come out more too. Just GRAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

aaaaaa thank you so much!!! AND YES i would be happy to! you're the first person to ever send me a question, i'm so excited my posts are starting to pick up and people like the dumb things i write haha. i've had this rotating in my brain like a microwave for a while so enjoy! doesn't make much sense with my headcanon being that malcolm messes with his gender after the events of JP, but i've been really wanting to reimagine the first scene of them together in the plane and make it extra fruity.

- - - -

"So... Are you a man, or a woman, then?" Alan asks, his eyes studying the mathematician carefully. He'd heard of Dr. Ian Malcolm and his work on chaos theory, sure. But he had no idea who the man himself (person?) was. He had absolutely no idea what to expect when he and Ellie boarded the plane, and he still doesn't know.

Ellie, gentle but still firmly elbowed Grant, giving him a glare. "Alan, you can't ask somebody you just met that question!" She whispered, sounding like a mother upset with her unruly son interrupting Sunday school.

Ian laughed, his sharp features curling into a smirk. He loved toying with the paleontologists, supposed men and women of science yet they couldn't wrap their head around someone defying societal gender norms. He leaned forward, his voice smooth, his long fingers gently pushing down the rim of his dark sunglasses revealing his big brown eyes, the windows to the soul some might say, and the makeup he had done that morning. Just something simple and easy to miss, just like his nails painted black or shoes secretly bought from the women's section, but undeniably himself, his style, his expression. He responded, his voice smooth with a hint of flirtation.

"I'm whatever you want me to be."

Alan sputtered. "I- uh, wh... What? What do you mean? That doesn't make any sense!" And Ellie couldn't help but laugh at his confusion. His voice grew quieter. "Pardon me if my wording isn't right, this isn't my expertise, but are you gay? One of those... Uh... Queers? I have no problem with any of it, I'm just looking for clarification."

Dr. Malcolm laughed. "Uhh... I, Well, uh, you could- you could say that, I suppose." The two still looked bewildered. "Here, uh, how about we look at it this way. Gender is.... Hmm... Something, uh, humans made up. A social construct. It doesn't truly matter what clothes we wear or what we put on our skin or how we style our hair. Life's too short to worry about that kind of thing. I'm just me. I'm not a man, or-or a woman, I'm a human being. And we're living things, we can't be put in- organized into a box. Life will always find a way to defy expectations."

Ellie's brows rose. "I actually think I understand. I've never really thought about any of this before, but it makes sense to me." She looked over at Alan. His face wrinkled in deep concentration, grappling with some kind of debate going on inside his head. After a moment, he finally responded.

"I'm sorry- but I'm still confused. How can you not be a man or a woman? The clothes thing, sure, okay, I get it." Before Dr. Malcolm had a chance to answer, Ellie spoke up.

"Just look at nature, Alan. There are definitely more than two genders or sexes. For fungi, there can be tens of thousands! And many animals can even change their gender or sex by themselves. Humans, we aren't separate from nature, we're a part of it. If Dr. Malcolm doesn't fit with either box then I don't see why they can't go past the binary."

Alan was starting to understand, but was still wrestling with a lot of concepts in his head. Things in his life he'd never told anyone before, things Ellie has no idea of. Alan Grant was not born as Alan Grant. Alan Grant wasn't born a man. He knew from the beginning that he wasn't a woman and he could never feel comfortable as one, and he was now dead to his family as they couldn't accept that. They'd rather have a "normal daughter" over a "transsexual for a son". He would lose his career if this came to light. He hasn't spoken to his parents since the day he left home at 18. They returned every letter he wrote.

Yet here now, in front of him, was someone who completely defied expectations. Someone who didn't care what others think. Someone who actively broke the rules. And this wasn't just anyone, but a world renowned mathematician! If a man, no, person of science can feel so comfortable with this part of themself... Then maybe he wasn't some freak of nature or mentally ill. That this is actually a normal human experience, that he wasn't alone or some kind of outlier. His expression softened.

"You're right, Ellie. I... I think I understand now. I apologize, Dr. Malcolm." His voice had a slight shake. Memories were flooding to his mind, memories he didn't want to remember, memories of his youth, and after he was kicked out of his parents' life. How much he'd fought to become the man he is today. How alone he felt, throughout so much of his life. He took in a deep breath, rubbed his temples and wiped his eyes, then cleared his throat, he held out his hand in a greeting. "I'd like to start over."

Ian smiled warmly, reciprocating the handshake. He felt like they have more in common than Grant would like to admit, and things were going to be alright.

-

[angelosearch]

20 Fic Questions

This seems fun. Thanks to @aleheartilly for tagging me in this one. Tagging some usual suspects and anyone else who wants to give it a go - @gardengalwrites @suleikashideaway @sevlinop @mathiwrites @lenorelovesmax

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 14.

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 109,028.

3. What fandoms do you write for? Mainly FFVIII. I've written one Hazbin Hotel fic. I'd really like to branch out.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The Winner Takes it All (Hazbin Hotel) (75)

Chaos Theory (47)

Silver Anniversary (11)

Balamb Harbor Playhouse (10)

Heavenly Bodies (9)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? I do respond to comments, mostly because I really appreciate what my readers have to say and I want to make sure they know that! Writing is so much better with community around it.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I don't know if I can classify any of my fic endings as angry. Maybe Heavenly Bodies? Shit, I need to stop ending on a hopeful note all the time...

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Most of my fics have happy endings, or if not happy, at least hopeful or heartwarming. The happiest might be the Ballad of Ma Dincht but it's a toss-up.

8. Do you get hate on fics? Back in my youth, writing on FFN, I got hate from time to time, and I got hate in my college writing program, haha. BUT since I returned to writing fanfiction this year, there has only been love and it makes my soul sing.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? The closest I've come to smut is Heavenly Bodies and I am not even sure if that qualifies. I'd like to keep trying at it but I think I'll have to keep things steeped in metaphor. My asexual ass likes the choreography of it but the actual hardware makes me uncomfortable.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written? I haven't yet but I am not opposed. Someday I'd like to write an FFVIII-Star Wars crossover but I am scared of publishing anything Star Wars.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? As far as I know, no.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? No, but I am definitely open to it with the right project and partner!

14. What's your all-time favourite ship? Squinoa forever and for always.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? Don't Be Afraid - if I do finish it I think it needs to become something else.

16. What are your writing strengths? I have been told that I am very good at writing things in-universe and making dialogue sound like something that character would actually say. I think, weirdly enough, I am good at this because I spent so many years working in marketing and comms - I know how to pick up on voice and create something in that tone.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I noticed that I rarely physically describe characters, which isn't a huge deal in fanfiction, but something I need to be mindful of. Then spelling, syntax, grammar, etc. I know I have more flaws as a writer but I am having a day where I cannot focus on my weaknesses too long haha.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? As a reader, if your character speaks another language, it's important that they use it, even if I have to translate it or deal with not understanding the line. As a writer, I don't know any other language well enough to write a line of dialogue in it. I wouldn't want to use Google Translate for something like that so I would only do this if I had another way to verify that the dialogue made sense.

19. First fandom you wrote for? My first published fanfic was for FFVIII when I was 13. But before that, I rewrote the ending of Because of Winn Dixie when I was 11.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written? I think my favorite overall is Silver Anniversary. At this Moment has the best concept behind it. And then I hope you love the flowers as much as I do has the prettiest prose.

[pocket-lad]

Chaos Theory and Candy

Halloween special time! In which Adelaide asks about Halloween, Ian explains, and Adelaide forces them to celebrate. Mostly just Fluff and Little Scenarios I Like (TM).

It was a little after 12:30am when Adelaide found herself sucked into a black and white movie called Night of the Living Dead. One minute she had been borrowing, the next she was on the coffee table, staring at the screen and absently nibbling away at a peanut she meant to save for later.  

Adelaide didn’t really understand what was even going on, but it was just good enough to draw her attention. In fact, most TV was just good enough to draw her attention.  

Living in the walls, Adelaide seldom got to watch TV. The motel she previously lived in had very few channels, and she didn’t like to stay in the rooms longer than necessary. Every once in a while, she peeked through the vents, but it never seemed interesting enough to hold her attention at the time.  

Ever since she met Ian, that had changed. Adelaide suddenly had access to everything she could ever want to watch. She still didn’t make a habit of it though, as it rarely occurred to her that that was a thing she could do.  

When Ian left that afternoon, he happened to leave the TV on, probably by accident. He was usually good about turning everything off before he left, not wanting to waste energy (or drive up his bill).  

Adelaide didn’t mean to get so wrapped up in the movie, and that was clear when the front door swung open at 1:16am and she just about jumped out of her skin. Hoping it was Ian but taking no chances, Adelaide sprinted toward her hook that still hung from the table. She leapt into the air and let herself slide down the thread, burning her hands along the way.  

The light flipped on, temporarily blinding her.  

“Good evening, Della,” Ian said, catching her in her mad dash across the hardwood floor.  

Adelaide stopped in her tracks when she heard his voice, out of breath from sprinting so hard. “Ian,” she breathed.  

“Don’t uh, don’t let me stop you,” he said, shrugging off his leather jacket and hanging it on a hook on the wall. He walked over to the couch, shaking the ground with heavy footsteps that threatened to knock Adelaide over.  

“No, I,” Adelaide panted. “I wasn’t doing anything. I just-” More breathing. “-didn’t know who you were.” She eyed his feet warily as he made his way over, uncomfortable with how close he got.  

As Ian sat down on the couch, he examined the partially eaten peanut she hastily left behind. Then he seemed to notice the TV.  

“How’d you manage that one?” he asked.  

“What do you mean?” Once Ian sat down and stopped moving, Adelaide felt comfortable enough to return to the coffee table, ready to ascend her thread again.  

“The TV.” He peered down at her, resting his elbows on his knees, which made her heart do a small flip. Still, she kept on. “You want a, um, a hand?” 

“No, thanks,” Adelaide said a little too quickly. She scaled the thread fast enough, but she could feel his eyes the whole time, tracking her progress. Adelaide was confident in her skills as a climber, but the scrutiny left her feeling self-conscious.  

When she got to the top, she looked at the TV, which had gone to commercial. “You left it on,” she explained.  

“That doesn’t sound like me.”  

“I know, I was surprised.”  

“So, what are we watching?” Ian leaned back into the couch, propping his feet up on the table. When he saw Adelaide flinch and then back away, he guiltily retracted them.  

Adelaide chose to ignore what just happened for both their sakes. “It’s called N ight of the Living Dead , I think.”  

“Which one?” he asked.  

“There's multiple?”  

“Yeah, there’s a couple, uh, remakes.”  

“Why would you make a movie that already exists?” Another thing on the long list of things Adelaide didn’t understand about Humans.  

“Beats me,” he said.  

“Well, I’m not sure. It’s black and white, and they’re at a farmhouse,” she explained. Now that there was a giant in the room, she’d have to split her attention between him and the TV. Not that she should have gotten so wrapped up in the TV anyway.  

Adelaide did have one pressing question though. She’d heard about this in the motel before, and now she had seen it mentioned a couple times throughout the commercial breaks.  

“Um... what’s Halloween?”  

“Pardon?”  

“The TV keeps mentioning Halloween.... like um... ‘This Halloween, Blockbuster has a treat for the whole family!’ and stuff like that.” She mimicked the voice in the commercial as best she could.  

Ian laughed lightly. “Uh, yeah, it’s a um, it’s a holiday, celebrating all things spooky and kooky and um...scary.... Ghouls, ghosts, goblins.”  

“Oh....why?”  

He laughed again. “I don’t know. Humans have always been obsessed with – with the macabre. Death, and that which comes after, is so unknowable, so – so beyond our um, understanding, so we depict it as best we can in hopes of understanding it as best we can. But death cannot – cannot be measured, cannot be expressed as one thing, and thus we once again return to um.... Chaos, or the theory of Chaos........ And I suppose people like candy.”  

Adelaide blinked at him. That wasn’t an answer, and this wasn’t a question that required a philosophical rant, but she guessed she should have seen that coming. Still, the movie made more sense with this new perspective. She watched it play on the screen as she processed Ian's explanation.  

“So how do we celebrate?” she asked.  

“We as in people, or we as in...,” Ian gestured between himself and Adelaide.  

“We as in us!”  

“Well, Halloween is tomorrow – today if we’re being technical. I don’t have anywhere to - to go, so I uh, didn’t really plan on doing.... anything.”  

“Why not?” Adelaide pushed.  

“What do you want me to do? Dress up to sit on the couch by myself and uh, eat a bunch of - of teeth-rotting blocks of sugar?” Ian didn’t see why Adelaide cared so much. Halloween came and went every year, just like any other holiday. He didn’t go out of his way to celebrate, unless he was invited somewhere. Even then, he wasn’t one for costumes or candy.  

“Not by yourself!” Adelaide blurted. She hesitated, but pushed through the train of thought, albeit much quieter. “....With me.”  

Adelaide never did anything. She grew up with only one goal – survive. That goal took up all of her time, whether it be looking for food, fighting off bugs, or fixing her shit. Something always needed tending to and ‘having fun’ wasn’t even a concept she was aware of.  

Now, Adelaide had freedom. Ever since ‘survival’ became anything other than a number one priority, she acquired a new feeling. Boredom.  

As she grew more and more comfortable around Ian, Adelaide felt herself wanting to try more things. Ian had access to a whole other world and all she had to do was ask. That’s how she found herself watching Night of the Living Dead that night.  

Now, Adelaide still didn’t quite understand the why aspect of Halloween. Fear was a familiar feeling, and it wasn’t one she was fond of. She didn’t get why Humans would purposefully go out of their way to scare themselves, but this wasn’t the first time she didn’t get a Human thing. Regardless, she wanted to be a part of it.  

Something in Ian’s demeanor changed at the suggestion of them doing Halloween together. Adelaide spent her whole life inside of the walls of a motel. How was it fair of him to deny her a small celebration, just between the two of them, because he enjoyed being cynical?  

Ian felt his defenses crumble at the look on her face as he admitted defeat. “I’ll go out tomorrow and I’ll - I’ll see what I can find.... You uh, gonna have a costume?”  

“I don’t know. I didn’t think that far ahead. Does it have to be scary?” Adelaide asked.  

“It can be whatever you want,” Ian said.  

Suddenly, Ian leaned over to his left. He grabbed something and set it heavily on the table, a couple inches away from Adelaide. Adelaide jumped at the sudden appearance of an object right next to her, but she forced herself to relax when she realized it was just the TV remote.  

Ian’s hand remained in the picture, a little too close.  

“I’m off to bed,” he said. “Just uh, hit this button before you - before you leave.” He pointed at a small red button in the corner of the remote.  

Adelaide nodded, which prompted Ian to stand. She watched as his body soared higher and higher, and then he was walking away, and then he was gone. So fast.  

Though she wasn’t really scared of Ian anymore, she couldn’t help but accept the wave of relief that washed over her body. No matter how much she trusted him, Adelaide never truly felt at ease with him in the room. It wasn’t either of their faults. He was a giant. She was a borrower. It was just how it had to be.  

The movie ended around two o’clock and Adelaide stood up, her joints creaking in protest. She stretched a little, not used to the stiff feeling that came with losing yourself in mind-numbing TV land.  

She marched over to the remote and regarded the red button Ian pointed out. Using both hands, she pressed down hard, rocking the remote a little but succeeding in turning the TV off. The room was cast in darkness, though Adelaide’s eyes adjusted quickly, used to life inside of the walls.  

She found herself standing alone on the table in the dark, out in the open. Nothing out of the ordinary, but after watching that movie, Adelaide felt uneasy.  

She knew it wasn’t real. She knew in her head that dead people could not come back to life, and they certainly didn’t eat other people. But the gruesome images wouldn’t leave her mind.  

Adelaide felt the need to get undercover. Now . Unfortunately, she had work to do. Halloween was tomorrow and she had a costume to make.  

Shaking the tension off her body, Adelaide stomped over to her hook, chiding herself for being scared of something that wasn’t real. There were plenty of real things to be scared about. Like bugs.  

She climbed down and made her way to the kitchen, senses on high alert. Ian had something equivalent to a junk drawer, though that was a loose definition. It certainly didn’t contain junk and it was highly organized, which made it a pain to borrow from before he knew of her existence. Luckily, it made her job tonight much easier, because she knew exactly where to find what she needed. The hard part would be getting the drawer open. The harder part would be getting it closed.  

Adelaide's journey across the room and up the counter took longer than usual because she jumped at literally every single noise. Every single creak of the settling house sounded like a zombie trying to break in and eat her. About halfway up, after a sound that nearly startled her off the thread, she sighed, reminiscing on the days when this wasn’t a problem.  

Regardless, Adelaide was eventually able to wedge the drawer open and jump inside. She walked over to a pile of sticky notes and tugged on one as hard as she could, walking backwards. The sticky residue gave way, and it suddenly came loose. Adelaide fell backwards, landing on her butt with a slight ‘oof’. Out of habit, she waited silently, listening for the sign of a Bean that may have heard her. Obviously, nothing happened.  

So, she laid the paper on the ground and walked over to the tin of markers. It wasn’t too hard to pull out and drag over to the sticky note, but getting the cap off was a whole other adventure. Adelaide ended up having to sit on the marker itself and tug/push on the cap. She then had to prop it up against her shoulder and awkwardly drag it back and forth to cover the paper in black ink. By the time she was finished (ish), she was drenched in sweat.  

Adelaide was just in the middle of congratulating herself on her hard work when she realized she still needed to flip the post-it over and color the back. She groaned, but only gave herself a minute break before she got back to work. The smell of the marker was overwhelming, and she felt a headache coming on if she didn’t wrap it up soon.  

Not too much later, the marker was back in place with the cap on and Adelaide was climbing out of the drawer. She considered closing it, but that would take too much time. She was already hot and exhausted, and Ian wouldn��t care. It would be easier for him to close it anyway.  

Now that she was out of the drawer and had more room to work, Adelaide set to cutting the note into six equal strips. She put a hole in the end of each one, then stuffed them back in her bag, along with the scraps, to take back to her home in the walls. The rest would have to be done in the morning when she was ready to put the costume on.  

Adelaide was cautious as she made her way back, which was ridiculous, because even if flesh-eating dead people did exist, they wouldn’t be able to make their way into the walls. Still, there was something about the cobwebs, something about the creak of her footsteps penetrating the otherwise stark silence, something about the way she couldn’t see around the corner...  

By the time Adelaide could see the block of wood that served as her front door, she was sprinting. She shoved the block aside, dove into her home, and shoved it back into place, panting hard. Stupid movie.  

It had to have been five in the morning at that point, so despite the ominous vibes in the air, Adelaide collapsed into her nest and passed out.  

***  

The slam of the front door woke her up. Adelaide considered rolling back over. It wouldn’t be that hard for her to fall back asleep after years of getting used to Ian moving about the house, but once she remembered what day it was, she perked right up. It was Halloween!  

Feeling eager, but not wanting to seem too eager, Adelaide forced herself to get herself together before she sprinted out into the kitchen. She changed her clothes, which she apparently didn’t bother to take off before she went to bed, she washed her face, and she brushed her hair. Feeling presentable enough, she ran out to the kitchen counter.  

Ian was putting away groceries, and Adelaide only faltered a little when he glanced her way.  

“Soooooo,” she prompted with an excited smile, which she only partially tried to hide.  

“’Soooooo’ what?” he responded innocently.  

“What did you get?” Adelaide asked.  

“Oh, nothing much,” Ian said, sounding disappointed. Adelaide’s face fell a little. “Just this,” he finished, producing the biggest bag Adelaide had ever seen. He plopped it on the counter with a loud bang, making Adelaide jump. She approached it hesitantly, unsure what was inside.  

Ian continued putting things away as he talked. “I also uh, got some cider and a - a pumpkin. Hope that’s enough.” When Adelaide didn’t respond, he looked at her for confirmation. She was standing a couple inches away from the mountain-sized bag of candy, jaw on the floor.  

Ian turned his attention fully toward Adelaide and slowly walked closer, crossing his arms and resting his elbows on the counter to look at her on a more even level. He couldn’t help but smile at the shock on her face.  

“Uh....yeah. That’s plenty,” Adelaide said quietly, not looking away. “But um... what is it?”  

“Candy! I didn’t know what kind you liked, so I – I got an... assortment.”  

“I don’t know what kind I like either.” Adelaide finally looked up at Ian, who was closer than she remembered. She took a couple steps back on instinct, but she wasn’t scared.  

“There’s only one way to find out. But um, where’s your costume?”  

“Where’s your costume?” Adelaide shot back.  

“I’m not really a uh, a costume guy.”  

“That’s not fair! I spent all last night making mine. If I can do it, then you certainly can.”  

“Yeah, I – I noticed you left the drawer open.”  

“You are ignoring the point.”  

“Fair enough. I’ll have something by tonight.”  

“Okay....” Adelaide said suspiciously. She wasn’t quite sure if she believed him, but what else was she to do?  

Ian stood up and reached toward her. Startled, Adelaide backed away, but she obviously couldn’t outrun his hand. He ruffled her hair with a fingertip, exactly like he did back when he rescued her from the fruit bowl.  

Adelaide batted at his fingers, hating the pressure it put on her neck but also the embarrassment. “Hey! Don’t do that!” Last time, she didn’t stick up for herself, but she felt a little bolder now. If she didn’t say anything, he wouldn’t know to stop.  

Ian smirked at her and ignored her protest as he stood up. “I’ll meet you back here later, okay?”  

Adelaide crossed her arms stubbornly. “I’m serious. It hurts my neck!”  

A brief flash of guilt appeared across Ian’s face, but quickly vanished. “I’ll um, I’ll be gentler next time.... I promise.”  

“That’s not-”  

“Be back at six?”  

“Sure,” she said, a little harsh. She didn’t like the way he ignored her, but even more, she didn’t like how small his actions made her feel. Just a simple shove from his fingertip could break her neck. Adelaide doubted he would ever be that rough, but it was clear that he didn’t know his own strength, which was a little scary.  

Not wanting to ruin Halloween though, she changed the subject. “I uh... don’t actually know how to tell time.” The admission made her feel dumb, but at least they weren’t talking about how fragile she was. A mild improvement.  

“Oh,” Ian said, a little shocked. He should have known that. What use was telling time to a borrower? Besides maybe to figure out when a human would be home. But he wasn’t a regular human with a regular schedule, so to Adelaide, there was no point in learning that skill. “It’s in about two hours. I’ll just um... knock on the wall...I - I guess.”  

“Yeah, that sounds good.” It didn’t actually sound good. It actually sounded horrible. It sounded like it would startle the pants off her, and she didn’t want him to get the idea that he could do that whenever he wanted. It simply wasn’t worth explaining, though.  

With that, Adelaide returned to the walls. She generally knew about seconds, minutes, and hours, so she knew she had quite some time to get some chores done for the day. She also knew how to count, obviously. When it came down to exact times though, it was hard to measure, since she didn’t know how to read numbers. It never seemed important to know, but once again, she found herself wishing she would’ve listened to her parents.  

***  

True to his promise, Ian knocked on the walls a little after six, and just as she expected, Adelaide jumped out of her skin. It sounded awfully close, but there was no way he knew where her home was... right?  

Dropping what she was doing and hurrying to put her costume on, she changed into black clothes, cut some pieces of thread, and tied the six pieces of paper to her body. They still smelled faintly of marker, but it was nowhere near as bad as it was last night.  

For probably the first time in her life, Adelaide wished she had a mirror. She was suddenly very self-conscious about her homemade costume. She had never done this before! Did she even have the right idea of what a costume was supposed to be? What if she got out there and he laughed at her? In an instant, ‘scary’ no longer meant black and white, flesh-eating dead people. ‘Scary’ now meant Ian making fun of her ridiculous costume after all her hard work and dedication. Adelaide never had reason to feel this self-conscious before. Is this how Humans always felt? It was a stupid feeling.  

That meant there was only one thing to do: Walk out there confidently and defend herself and her costume until her dying breath.  

Though she could have left the walls from the entrance behind the couch, Adelaide was determined to keep that a secret for as long as possible. Just in case. It would have been much faster, but she sucked it up and made the trek to the kitchen.  

Taking a deep breath, Adelaide moved the tiles that loosely concealed the hole in the wall. She broke them awhile back, but she certainly wasn’t able to fix it and Ian didn’t want to. She wasn’t sure why, considering Ian liked everything in his home to be pristine, but that was a question for another day.  

Adelaide hesitantly walked out onto the countertop. This was normal – you could never be too careful – but now she felt silly, which only added to her hesitancy.  

Ian heard the tiles move and made his way over to the kitchen.  

What the hell! Ian wasn’t wearing a costume! He was dressed in his usual black clothes and leather jacket but was now wearing sunglasses and a weird strap across his chest. And by the look on his face, he found her costume hilarious. Awesome.  

Before he could ask what she was, Adelaide asked first.  

“What the hell are you supposed to be?”  

“I’m the uh...terminator,” he said. Adelaide gave him a blank look. “Y’know.... ‘I’ll be back’” Ian said the last words in a funny voice. When Adelaide’s confusion didn't lift, he said, “Yeah, that – that makes sense.... It’s a movie.”  

“Right....Feels like a cop-out to me,” Adelaide said.  

“Maybe, but hey, you look great! You look cute!” Ian changed the subject.  

Adelaide froze in her tracks. Cute?????? Adelaide was plenty of things, but she definitely wasn’t cute. That was just insulting.  

“I am not cute!”  

“You’re a, um, a spider, right?” he asked.  

“Yeah, and spiders aren’t cute! They’re scary! And deadly! You said Halloween was about scary things, and I chose pretty much the scariest thing out there. Besides maybe you,” she teased.  

“Right, yes,” Ian said to appease her, but he continued on. “Well, regardless, I think you’re uh, adorable. AND not to mention, a phenomenal costume, really ingenuitive. I – I never mean to underestimate you, or anybody for – for that matter, but um, it’s.... marvelous.”  

Adelaide didn’t know what to respond to. She didn’t want to admit to the sense of relief she felt when he said he liked her costume, but she should at least say thank you. That’s what people say when they receive compliments. But she was also fuming at being called adorable.  

“Okay, firstly. I am not adorable. I never have been adorable. I never will be adorable. I will stab you with my knife if you call me adorable again-”  

“Please, you’re the itsy-bitsy spider,” he interrupted.  

“Excuse me?”  

“It’s a – a nursey rhyme - a story for children. The itsy-bitsy spider... crawled up the waterspout?”  

“Cool, well that’s just embarrassing for me. But um.... second.... thanks. I’m.... kinda proud of this one.”  

“Great, you should be. Now, would you care to join me?” Ian lowered his hand to the counter with an open palm, waiting for her to step on.  

Adelaide recoiled. She had only ever willingly stepped into his hand once, and that was more of a drunken collapse than a conscious step. She had to admit that it would take far too long to get over to the living room herself, but could she trust him?  

The obvious answer was yes. Ian continuously proved himself, and their trust grew each day. But he also was pretty rough and had a bad habit of not listening. And that bad habit presented itself every time he dismissed her concerns or insinuated that he knew better than her.  

“I have half a mind to make you wait for me to get over there myself. Just for pulling that stunt earlier,” Adelaide joked, referring to when he ruffled her hair.  

Ian heard the honestly valid criticism, noted it, but didn’t acknowledge it. “Then Halloween would be over by the time you got there.”  

Adelaide stared into his face. His eyebrows were raised, but there was only sincerity in his eyes, begging for her trust.  

She hoped she wasn’t setting a precedent as she marched over to his hand and stepped on. Adelaide didn’t want to make a habit of traveling like this, no matter how impatient either of them got. She’d let it go today.  

The spongy surface threatened to send her tumbling, but Adelaide was nothing if not stubborn, and she was determined to show no weakness, so she forced herself to maintain her balance if it was the last thing she did. She could give no ammo for him to tease her with. But no matter how much she wanted to remain standing, to prove herself in some bizarre way, she had to sit down, or else she was sure to plummet off his hand the instant he started moving.  

“Be careful,” Adelaide said. The words were supposed to come out demanding, but they just sounded nervous.  

“Always,” Ian assured her. With that, he lifted his hand off the table and cupped it against his abdomen.  

Adelaide, as expected, swayed with the sudden movement. Since she didn’t have to focus on not throwing up this time, she was able to focus on other things. Like how high she was. And how fast they were moving. And the rough texture of his palm. And the faint breathing she could both feel and hear behind her. It was too much, but just as she was about to yell at Ian for something, (she wasn’t sure exactly what about yet) everything came to a halt.  

Her body rapidly fell, supported only by the thin platform that was Ian’s hand. It usually seemed so big and powerful, but when it was the only thing between her and the floor, it suddenly felt a lot smaller.  

The hand came to a final stop and Adelaide found herself by the coffee table. Disoriented, she looked up at Ian, who only chuckled. After another moment of confusion, she realized he was talking to her.  

“You gonna stay there, or...?” Ian asked awkwardly.  

“Right,” Adelaide blinked. She stood up quickly and hopped off onto the much more solid, much more stable coffee table. She brushed herself off and took a couple steps back. Down on the table, things looked much bigger. A towering glass filled with an orange-ish liquid, stacks of books she could never hope to open, the same TV remote from last night, Ian himself. And the skyscraper-sized pumpkin whose shadow eclipsed half the table. “Sooooo, what now?”  

Ian reached over to nudge a bottlecap in her direction. It was filled with the same orange-ish liquid as the large glass, and it smelled sweet. He then reached to his left to grab a handful of candy from the giant candy bag sitting on the side table, and he let the candy fall into a pile close to Adelaide. All of this happened so fast, Adelaide hardly had time to think.  

“Take your pick,” he said. “I was thinking we’d watch a, uh, another movie.” As he spoke, he reached into the pile and pulled out a big, brown bag, leaning back into the couch as he opened it.  

“Um, I guess I’ll have one of those.” Adelaide pointed to what he was holding. “I don’t think I’ve ever had.... what was it? Candy?”  

“Sure,” Ian said, pulling a blue M&M from the brown bag and biting it in half. He set the other half down on the table for Adelaide, who stood there awkwardly. “You can have your own if you – if you want, but it’s a bit hard to um... break into.”  

“Oh, okay. What are we watching?” Adelaide pulled her knife out and started hacking away at the M&M that came up to almost her knee. Ian was right. The outer shell was really hard, but it cracked easily. Once she was able to get a blue piece and some of the soft brown bit, she put them together and took a bite.  

Her first thought was Ouch. She felt stupid for not realizing that if the shell was hard to cut into, it would be very hard on her delicate teeth.  

But then the flavor hit her. It was good. It was warm and sweet and it melted in her mouth and holy shit was she in love. Adelaide’s eyes widened and she looked up at Ian in awe.  

Ian was fascinated as he watched the whole thing, from her slow approach, to violently hacking away at it with her knife, to the look on her face when she experienced candy for the first time. She would have a really hard time fighting the ‘adorable’ allegations with this one.  

“Don’t look at me like that,” Adelaide said, but she couldn’t be mad. She chewed more, trying to get the sticky residue out of her mouth so she could talk more clearly. “What is this?!”  

“It’s an M&M.”  

“How are you not constantly eating these?”  

“Well, they’re uh, pretty bad for you. Everything is fine in - in moderation, I suppose, but the sugar content is astronomical.”  

“Oh my god, whatever. More for me.” Adeliade rolled her eyes. She couldn’t be bothered to care about ‘sugar content’. As long as it wasn’t going to kill her, she didn’t care. Ian could be a health nut all he wanted, but Adelaide was prepared to drag three of these back into the walls by any means necessary.  

“You can have the whole bag if – if you want. I don’t uh, I don’t think you’ll be able to carry it though.”  

“Watch me.”  

He laughed. “Alrighty.... so as for that movie-”  

“Right!” Adelaide interrupted excitedly. Ian looked at her expectantly, and she realized she sounded like she had an idea. She did not. She did not know movies. “Oh, I don’t know. What about you? Your um.....” She gestured at his costume.  

“The terminator? I mean we – we can. It’s not really a, um, a Halloween movie, though.”  

“No, I want to watch a Halloween movie.”  

Ian grabbed the remote, making Adeliade flinch. “I’ll flip through the channels, see if anything catches your eye. There’s bound to be something on.” 

“Okay,” Adeliade said. She busied herself with hacking more chunks out of the M&M. She trusted Ian to pick a movie a lot more than she trusted herself.  

Despite this, she found herself glancing up at the screen every now and again, and one frame caught her eye before Ian changed the channel.  

“Wait! Wait, go back!” she cried.  

Ian glanced down at Adelaide, a little surprised, but did as she said. When he got to the correct channel, Adelaide told him to stop.  

“Is that not you?” she asked incredulously.  

The man on the screen did look a lot like Ian, and he hadn’t really thought much about it until now. He’d seen The Fly before, but it had been ages.  

“No,” he laughed. “That’s - that’s not me. But is sure looks a lot like me.”  

Adelaide glanced between Ian and the screen multiple times, unable to make herself believe him. After a couple minutes of watching, she still couldn’t tell the difference, except that the one on the screen looked younger. “Yeah, no, you’re right. He’s a lot better looking than you,” she said.  

“Ha-ha.”  

“Is this a Halloween movie?” Adelaide asked.  

“Uh, I don’t think so.... no. It is horror, though, so I guess it could be,” he explained.  

“Good enough for me,” Adelaide conceded. At this point, the sun was almost below the horizon, and the only light in the room came from two lamps.  

She hauled her M&M over to the stack of books, prepared to make herself a seat.  

“Here, come here,” Ian said, holding out his palm again.  

Adelaide eyed him suspiciously.  

“C’mon. You’ll be more comfortable on the couch,” he insisted.  

“No offense, I don’t want to get crushed cause you fall asleep on the couch.”  

“No, on the arm. I’ll move your stuff for you.”  

“Hmmmmm,” Adelaide said, but she gave in.  

Oh. The books.  

Ian almost definitely didn’t want her to sit on them and ruin them. This made Adelaide laugh, and she almost considered staying on the table just to annoy him. She didn’t though, only because the couch had to be more comfortable.  

Same as before, she climbed onto his hand, it was too fast, and then it was over. He also moved her M&M and the bottlecap she had yet to acknowledge. Apple cider, he called it.  

“This isn’t.... this doesn’t have, um, alcohol.... does it?” Adelaide asked.  

“No, it does not. It can, if you – if you want, though.”  

“Noooooo,” she said a little too quickly, which made Ian snort.  

The cider was just as sweet as the candy. Adelaide couldn’t get enough of it, and she couldn’t decide what she liked better. She forced herself to slow down, expecting a massive stomach ache later, but it was hard. She turned her attention toward the TV (and the Ian lookalike) in hopes of distracting herself.  

And so, they sat like that for most of the night. It turned out that the couch was potentially less comfortable than the table, but at least she had a backrest. And also she was glad she was close to Ian, but she’d rather have died than admit that.  

The movie was definitely horror, just as he said. It was nothing like Night of the Living Dead . It felt so much more real, so much more grounded in reality. She felt the psychological impacts on the characters and the amount of blood and guts and gore made her want to throw up. And she disemboweled rats for a living.  

Adelaide was glad she was within arm's reach, even if she’d yell at him for grabbing her. But as the movie wore on, the Ian lookalike’s character became more and more disfigured, and it made Adelaide deeply uncomfortable. She knew it wasn’t Ian, but it looked exactly like him, and she didn’t like what was happening to him. It was as if it was happening to Ian himself.  

From that point on, Adelaide talked through the movie. Ian didn’t seem to mind, and he sensed that the movie made Adelaide uneasy, so they carried out conversations to avoid having to pay too much attention. Occasionally Adelaide would ask what was happening, and Ian’s lengthy explanations counteracted the intensity of the movie itself. By the end, they were hardly paying attention, and Ian was doing his best to joke about what was happening on screen.  

The movie ended, and since it was only 8pm, they just continued with what was on next. That movie was The Fly II, and it was considerably worse than the original, easing Adelaide’s fears. (Not that they paid much attention anyway.)  

Not far into the movie, Ian suggested they carve the pumpkin.  

“Carve it? For what?”  

“People like to carve faces into – into pumpkins for Halloween. They usually display them with lights inside, but we obviously don’t have to do that,” he explained.  

“Cool! Let’s do it.”  

Ian stood up to go grab a knife, and he returned with the biggest one Adelaide had ever seen, along with two bowls. Normally she would just back away out of sheer respect for something so large, but she couldn’t help vocalizing her amazement. “Holy shit.”  

“Oh, yes, uh....” Ian looked between Adelaide and the knife, realizing how big and dangerous it must have looked. He was at a loss for words to comfort her, so instead, he offered his free hand to ferry her to the table, which she warily took.  

“I get it. You’ll be careful. But I am going to stand as far away as physically possible,” Adelaide said as she retreated to the far end of the table.  

“And make me do all the hard work?” Ian quipped. He didn’t expect her to gut the pumpkin, but he also did not enjoy doing it himself.  

Adelaide cautiously watched Ian carve a hole in the top, stick his hand inside, and pull out a gigantic wad of seeds, orange strings, and goop. It was disgusting. “What...” She couldn’t even think of a question that would encompass all of this.  

Ian looked at her and chuckled. “You have to take the insides out so that – so that you don’t see them after carving the um, the face.”  

“Right, yeah, no, of course,” Adelaide said, but she had a hard time believing him. “No, this is totally.... totally normal.”  

Ian finished up; his hands covered in a slimy mess of pumpkin guts. An idea hit him and, smirking, he reached for Adelaide and wiggled his fingers menacingly.  

Adelaide screamed and backed away as much as she could, but any further and she would fall off the table. “Ian, stop! Not funny! Dude!!!!” she cried, holding her hands up to protect her.  

Ian’s hand got incredibly close, and the smell of pumpkin was insanely strong. Adelaide was considering making a leap of faith, but his hand retreated just in time. He was laughing hard, which made her mad.  

“Don’t do that! That’s gross!” she yelled, but even she had started to laugh at that point.  

“Be right back,” he said, and he left to wash his hands. When he returned, he pulled out the knife again. “I carve one side and - and you do the other?.... If you’d like.”  

“Okay.” Adelaide slowly approached the pumpkin. It was big. Like really big. Like so big that she could fit underneath the curve of it. Carving at that angle would for sure hurt her neck, so she looked around for something to stand on. Noticing the books and hoping Ian wouldn’t be mad at her for doing this, she ran over to them. She pushed with all her might, and though it took an unnecessarily long time, Adelaide eventually got them over to the pumpkin.  

Ian had already started carving but kept an eye on her. He thought about offering help, but he knew she’d take it the wrong way.  

Adelaide hauled her body up the books and stood on them, like a mural artist standing on scaffolding.  

The pumpkin shook while Ian carved, but his hand resting on top kept it still enough. Adelaide would just have to be careful and attentive. And with nothing else to do, she started carving.  

Adelaide quickly realized that her knife would not make it all the way through the pumpkin, so she’d have to settle for carving halfway into it. The inside was a different, lighter color than the outer skin, so it should be fine.  

Without a reference, Adelaide did her best approximation of a face, making it as big as she possibly could but knowing it would be miniscule in comparison to Ian’s. First, she did a crooked circle for an eye, then another, somehow more crooked circle for a second eye. She finished off with a lopsided smile. Though it looked pretty bad, she was proud of herself.  

Adelaide backed off and waited for Ian to finish, who didn’t take much longer.  

“Alright, let’s see it,” he said excitedly as he set down the knife. Adelaide eyed it and backed away further to give Ian room. He turned the pumpkin and his eyes lit up at the tiny, misshapen smiley face carved only a few layers into the pumpkin.  

Adelaide meanwhile jumped back at the unexpected sight of a massive, evil, grinning face that took up the whole side of the pumpkin. It too was lopsided, but much, much bigger.  

“I think you beat me,” she said.  

“Well, it’s not a competition.... It looks great, though. I’ll stick it out - outside tomorrow.” Ian picked it up and set it aside, and Adelaide’s heart warmed at the compliment.  

They had finished carving, the movie ended, and Adelaide felt a lot better, though she was pretty tired, despite how early it was.  

After a comfortable silence, she called it. “Ian, this was... this was great.... thank you. I know you don’t like Halloween, so just.... thank you.” Adelaide wasn’t used to having to thank anyone. It made her feel vulnerable, but she really was appreciative.  

“No, no, it was fun. I wouldn’t have done anything else tonight. You uh, you headed in?”  

“Yeah, I think so.”  

Then, Ian seemed to get an idea. “Hold on one second.” Without waiting for an answer, he stood up and disappeared into another room. Adelaide guessed she’d hold on a second. When he returned, he carried a big camera.  

“W- Why do you have that?” Adelaide asked nervously. She was deeply familiar with cameras like this, what with the way they were constantly shoved in her face, back when...  

“It’s a uh, camera. It – it captures images that then-”  

“I know what a camera is. Why do you have it?” Adelaide asked.  

“Oh, I, well, I was going to take a picture of us.” Ian’s brow furrowed, mildly confused.  

“Why?” Adelaide prodded intensely.  

He couldn’t understand why she was getting upset. “I just thought we’d want to remember-”  

“No, that’s okay. I’ve got it all stored up here.” Adelaide pointed at her head. She was suddenly quite jittery, probably because of the sugar, but more so at the memory of her experiences with cameras.  

“Are you... okay?” Ian asked.  

“Yup.”  

Silence.  

Ian took a deep breath. He figured he should just give up and bring it up some other day. Surprisingly, Adelaide elaborated.  

“I’m just not super comfortable with the idea of my image being out there,” she admitted.  

“Oh,” Ian said. When they first met, he always thought she was so unnecessarily nervous about the smallest things, but with each detail he learned about her, he realized why. It was safe to assume at this point that everything made Adelaide nervous, and if something didn’t, it would be a pleasant surprise. “Tell you what. I’ll only take one picture, and um... you can – can have it.” He looked at her intently, waiting for her answer.  

“Okay,” she agreed. Instead of dismissing her, Ian was working with her, and she needed him to know she deeply appreciated it. “Then... what do we do?”  

Ian crossed to the TV and set the camera on top of it. He pressed some buttons, jogged back to the couch, and scooped Adelaide up.  

“Ian!” she called, shocked and dazed at the sudden lack of ground underneath her feet.  

“Sorry,” he apologized distractedly, but it was clear he wasn’t paying attention. Just when she thought he was listening to her......   

When they came to a stop, his other massive hand rushed past her and pointed at the camera. “Look at the big circle and smile,” he said.  

At the very end of his sentence, there was a small flash and a slight shutter sound that made Adelaide jump. Not waiting for her to catch her breath, Ian took her over to the counter and dropped her off. He walked away again, grabbing a couple M&Ms and the photo that was printed from the camera.  

“There’s plenty more where that came from, so don’t - don’t be a stranger,” he said as he sat a green and a red M&M next to her. Adelaide often disappeared for days or even weeks at a time, and Ian had to admit he enjoyed her company. If anything, he loved learning about this whole new way of life, a whole world that existed out of sight for most humans.  

“Thanks!” Adelaid said as she shoved opened her bag. She would have to do some rearranging in her bag to fit both M&Ms, so she got to work emptying the contents. Ian observed silently, trying to make out what he could without leaning in too close. The objects he could see were her hook, spare thread, and a ton of aluminum, but there was plenty more he couldn’t see very well.  

“What’s this?” Ian asked. He nudged at a piece of paper that looked like it had something scribbled on it.  

Adelaide looked up from shoving the second M&M in her bag. It popped back out when she let it go, but she was too distracted by Ian studying her stuff. “My paper!” she said, snatching it away from his giant fingertip.  

“Yes, I see that.... Can you write?”  

“No....” Adelaide admitted, but she pushed on before she could feel stupid. “I can draw, though.”  

“And that’s what this is?”  

“Yeah.”  

“Neat.”  

Adelaide glanced back at her bag. There was no way she was going to fit both pieces of candy in there. Resigned, she set the red one off to the side and started to pack her stuff back into her bag.  

“You know, I can, um... I can take you back to the couch if – if that’d be.... faster,” Ian suggested, full well knowing what information he was giving up. He had to tell her that he knew about that entrance at some point.  

Adelaide stared at him in shock. She curled in on herself a little and backed away, suddenly nervous. Had he been snooping? Had he been trying to find her? Why?  

Reading Adelaide’s face, Ian explained. “You told me back – back when we played Mouse Trap. I swear I wasn’t looking for you.”  

“Why would I tell you?” she asked defensively.  

Ian didn’t take offense to that. “I uh, don’t think you meant to. You obviously weren’t thinking straight.”  

“Obviously..... I guess since you know now, there’s no point in taking the long way.... sure.” Adelaide didn’t like that he knew where she lived, but she was glad he was honest with her, even if it took a while. And she was curious to see if he really knew, or if he only thought he knew.  

Ian held out his hand and she hauled the red M&M onto it before climbing on herself, a little more confidently than before to compensate for the sudden nerves. She squeezed her eyes shut as they moved, ready for the vertigo but not excited for it.  

The trip was short, same as before, but this time, when she was placed on the ground, it was the actual ground. Ian kneeled with one knee, casting Adelaide in darkness with his massive shadow. She slid off onto the ground, and he tilted his hand to let the M&M slide next to her before retracting it. Adelaide stared way, way up at him, and she didn’t like the way he essentially had her cornered against the wall, looking like a cat stalking a mouse. She fidgeted in place, feeling tense and antsy.  

Ian briefly took his attention off Adelaide to look at the picture in his other hand. It was still developing, but it was clear enough to tell how bad it was. “Wow,” he laughed.  

“Let me see!” Adelaide called, hating more and more how far down she was. He set the picture on the ground, and she saw what he meant.  

It was still fuzzy, but Ian’s arm was blurry, halfway back from pointing out the camera lens to her. His mouth hung open as if in the middle of talking, but his eyes bored into the camera. Adelaide on the other hand had her eyes squeezed shut and her face looked like she had just bitten into a lemon.  

“Yeah, wow, that’s awful,” she said, joining in on his laughter. “I love it!”  

“Well, it’s yours,” he said warmly. “It’ll get clearer overnight, so.... You uh, enjoy your first Halloween?”  

“Yeah! Um... thanks again."  

“You’re welcome,” he said. He slapped his hand on his knee and stood up, which made Adelaide stumble back. She absolutely was not going to stand there and look at him from this angle. His bus-sized boots stood only inches from her, and she could barely see his face. Yet something held her back from retreating into the walls.  

Ian waited for her to leave, but when the moment didn’t come, he knelt back down. He could sense how hesitant she was. “You okay?”  

“Mhm,” Adelaide said, but her feet still wouldn’t move.  

“Are you scared?” he asked knowingly, trying to suppress a smile.  

“No,” she lied. Now that she had to return to the cobweb-filled, pitch-black walls, Adelaide felt fear creep up on her again. She knew it was stupid – the walls were literally her home. The inside of the walls meant safety. But here she was, feeling the same feeling from the previous night, only much stronger. Again.  

“Well, I am,” Ian lied right back, hoping to help. “That was a scary movie.”  

“Then you’re a baby,” Adelaide said, but she didn’t really mean it.  

“I guess I am,” he conceded lightheartedly. They both laughed. “Are you sure you’re alright?”  

“I will be.”  

That was the closest she’d come to an admission, so Ian took it. “That’s the spirit,” he said.  

“Happy Halloween, The Terminator.”  

“Happy Halloween, The Itsy-Bitsy Spider.”  

All out of words, Adelaide turned and left, kicking the second M&M along as she went, creating as much noise as possible to distract from the eerie silence of the walls.  

***  

The Night of the Living Dead stayed with Adelaide for a long time, and The Fly even longer. Not only was it a horrifying concept executed in graphic detail, but the character literally had Ian’s face.  

She had to admit it left her a little scared of Ian, even if he did nothing wrong. She also suddenly had a new fear of flies, which was never a thing before, so that was great. And another fear she didn’t know it was possible to have – the fear of embarrassment. Of looking stupid. Obviously, she didn’t like that feeling before, but the more vulnerable she was, the more it was amplified.  

Looking back, Adelaide realized it truly had been a proper Halloween. She dressed up, ate some candy, and watched a scary movie or two. She couldn’t quite say she liked being scared, but with the night she had, Adelaide had to admit these Beans were onto something with Halloween. In fact, she was already planning for next year.  

[curiouselleth]

Of Elured, Elurin, and Gil-Galad

I started writing this intending to share my theories on the matter of Elured, Elurin, and Gil-galad, but it got long and very detailed. This is NOT edited at all, I just wrote most of this in one sitting... but I think it came out really good! (2,218 words?!?!?!?! HOW?!?!)

Most of this is my personal cannon, but it would fit within the story. Some of it has no clear basis in Tolkien, I originally made this theory for a fic I'm working on and needed to invent some things to make other ideas work. Mostly in how Maiar, Valar, and their powers can mess with time. (I am also kinda-maybe-just a little disregarding bit with Gil-galad being sent to the Falas in 455.)

Elured and Elurin survive being abandoned in the woods, and they are led to food and shelter by nightingales, and are eventually led south into the forests of Ossiriand.

While Melian had returned to Valinor after Thingol's death, and despite that the Girdle of Melian fell and she seemingly abandoned them when she left, she actually sent the nightingales to guide Elured and Elurin to safety. Her last act to help those in Middle Earth for a long time. (continued under the cut)

Maiar, Valar, or large concentrations of their powers can do weird things to time and aging. Whether making time pass faster or slower for those in their immediate vicinity, so one year would feel like months, or several years could pass in their vicinity while only one year may seem to pass away from them. With practice and skill their effect on time around them can be minimized, as pretty much all the valar and maiar do. This can cause aging to be faster or slower, or decay to slow down.

Elured and Elurin were too young to be taught of this, so barely more than 4 years after the Second Kinslaying (506), they have aged around 15 years in that time, and are about 21. As Elwing had Elrond and Elros at 22, I am assuming that since she was considered an adult then that they are at that age too.

Over the years they also slowly built up walls, hiding their true identities with magic, eventually so that none could recognize them, so they wouldn't be reminded or found again by the Feanorians. Part of it is that people will see what they expect, and who would expect to the see the twin sons of Dior, believed to be dead?

Now it is year 510, and Gondolin falls that summer. (I would guess it is around the solstice, in late June.)

Gwingloth is the daughter of Lalwen (daughter of Finwe), and was born a few years after Lalwen arrived Gondolin after its completion. She is a little young for a elf but well of age. Tolkien gateway says that is about 100 years old, I don't want to get a headache checking the Nature of Middle Earth right now 😅.

Gwingloth had never been fond of festivals, she often found the noise and the chaos overwhelming, so she had snuck outside the city, thinking to visit the gates, and to check on the guards who she had heard expressing sadness to be missing the festival.

She had been about to leave, but then the attack started. The guards had defended her with their lives, and when she was knocked unconscious they defended her until they fell, and in a strange bit of luck she was hidden in the bodies and presumed dead. When she came to she was once again lucky, and most of the fighting had moved on to the city. She managed to sneak out, and down the Dry River to Sirion. She did not know much of Beleriand, but she knew the south in Ossiriand to be safe, and she made a makeshift boat and sailed down Sirion until she reached the Fens of Sirion, where she left the river and ventured east until she met Elured and Elurin.

Elured and Elurin had been living semi-nomadically in Ossiriand in this time, with some help and guidance from the green elves there. Before they were of age, they lived with a small group of green elves in a hidden village of flets. They were not taken in my one specific family, but the whole village helped in their upbringing. They were taught to survive, fight, and to be able to sneak through the trees and hills with skill no other elves had. Once they were of age they began to live more nomadically, scouting or hunting to help that village.

The year they came of age the green elves gave them a gift that had been found near the River Ascar, the northernmost river in Ossiriand. It was two fine twin swords Thingol had crafted for the twins when he heard of their birth. (there was a small inscription) They had been taken in the sack by the dwarves and almost were cast into the river with the rest of the treasure, but they were found by one of the green elves, and kept. The twins each got a sword, as Thingol had first intended for them, his first great-grandchildren.

Shortly before Gwingloth arrived, the village made the decision to move further south, fearing the growing reports of orcs Elured and Elurin brought. The twins decided to remain while they figured out what they wanted to do. Do they seek out survivors from Doriath or other Sindar? Do they forsake their heritage and remain with the green elves who raised them and taught them?

Gwingloth and Elurin quickly fell in love, but Elured and Elurin found the word of Gondolin's fall to be the last straw in their decision to pursue the rumors they had heard of Elwing in the Havens of Sirion. Elured wished to go alone, as they had been planning to stealthily go to gather information, not to enter the city, so both of them did not need to go, and one of them needed to stay with Gwingloth as she recovered from the shock of Gondolin's fall and the battle, and her long, hungry journey south. Elured also... hinted... to Elurin that perhaps he should be trying to research Noldor and Sindar marriage traditions wink wink.

Elured traveled extremely light, nearly nothing with him but some basics he gathered and supplies and tools he made. He did bring his twin sword, as it was the finest weapon he had and he did not wish to be about without it, but he put a small enchantment on the inscription, hiding it. He first traveled north-west, in the direction of Nargothrond, to see if any survivors of Gondolin passed through the west part of the region. He was hoping inconspicuously to join a group of survivors heading to Sirion, and to tell them the story that he had been living in the wilderness ever since his city fell.

This worked a little too well, and he encountered the main group of survivors from Gondolin sheltering in Taur-en-Faroth, the forests on the west and south sides of Nargothrond. He called himself Ereinion, which had been Beren's nickname for him, as he was descended from Kings of Elves and Men. Perhaps he should've thought his story through more, with him being found outside a fallen city of the Noldor, and having darker hair, like most of the Noldor, with highlights that shone like gold in the sunlight, because rumors begin to fly that he is Finrod's, Orodreth's, or, somehow, Fingon's son. He tried to deflect, saying his appearance took more after his mother. The enchantment that both he and Elurin wove around themselves was still in effect, and made people see what they expected when they were looked upon. So the survivors expected to see the son of a noldor king? Well, that is what they saw.

He thought that quelled the rumors, so he continued travelling with them for some months, because it was safer. When they arrive in the Havens in the late winter (march???) of 511, he hears that it is true, Elwing is alive, but is almost immediately brought to the Isle of Sirion, for they started to believe him to be the rightful king of the Noldor.

It is on the Isle of Balar where he finally has to confront the fact that they think him to be their rightful king. He feared what would happen should the truth come out, and panics (privately), but ends up going along with it, planning to use it just until he can see Elwing, then... well he wasn't sure yet.

It takes months for the opportunity for him to return to the Havens of Sirion, and by then he was crowned as Gil-galad, King of the Noldor... and discovered just how busy that title makes you (karma?). By then it is late summer of 511, almost a year after he left Elurin and Gwingloth on a journey they expected to take only a few months. He had tried to covertly send messenger birds, but most returned with their messages unopened, if they returned at all.

Once he arrives in Sirion, he once again has a stoke of bad luck. Not only is Elwing considered just a little too young* to meet him, the King, he is too busy with politics and meetings to be able to sneak away to see her.

*I also have Elwing aging at an accelerated rate as well, she is almost 18, but is incorrectly considered too immature by a few of the other rulers of the Havens (who have sticks up their buts), so she is kept away.

Elured has to return to Balar, but the next year he is finally allowed to meet Elwing, for she finally set those other rulers straight, and is taking her place as leader of the Havens. The ceremony was small, but in the following days Elured was invited to meet her, not on strictly official business, but so the two of them could simply meet as people and leaders.

Elured is guided to her lovely home in the Havens, and when he knocks, he hears a call to enter, and he steps inside and into the living space. It's well decorated, cozy and lived it, and there's a vase of lily of the valley and cyclamen on a mantel above the hearth.

It had been so, so long since he had seen his little sister. And his breath caught for a moment when he saw her. She's so grown up. Without us. Elured thought, tears starting to form in his eyes.

"Ah you must be King Gil-galad! Suilad! It is so wonderful to finally meet you!"

"Ahm," he cleared his throat, "yes, it is wonderful to, meet you, too. I'm so glad we finally got the chance..." he trailed off.

"How goes matters on the Isle? Good? Well..." she continued talking but Elured was barely listening.

He worked rapidly to drop the enchantment disguising his identity, in denial, No, it must be the enchantment, that must be why she... why she doesn't he thought frantically as it finally came down.

But she didn't react. She kept on speaking about how things were in the Havens, until she notices his lack of response, she pauses, and looks closer at him. "Are... are you part maia as I am?" She haltingly asks.

"I. I am, yes, as you are." Elured hesitantly answers. Is this it? Is she starting to recognize me?

But she takes his hesitant response as him not wishing to speak of it, and says "I'm sorry, I did not mean to pry, and you need not answer. I too understand having a past too painful to speak of."

Elured nods, shocked and despairing. She didn't know him. His sister didn't know him anymore.

Elured is devastated that his sister does not know him, and perhaps it is cowardice, or perhaps he does not wish to bring her more pain by showing up in this life she's worked hard to make for herself and telling her that he is her brother, that both of her brothers were alive... and they shared the same past she called too painful to speak of.

Upon his return to Balar that day, he throws himself into work as High King of the Noldor, just a little longer, he tells himself. Then I'll go home. Just a little longer.

But days turn to months, and months into two years, and it is 514 when he can finally return to Ossiriand, for he did not want to forsake the people who had come to rely on him. He is only able to go back under the guise of seeking a stronger alliance with the green elves, but one night, when he is not so far from his home, he is able to slip away from his guards.

He travels light, only his one twin sword with him, speeding through the treetops until he reaches the edge of the empty village where they had lived. But all is silent.

As he steps into the flet he shared with his brother, there is not a sound, and it is empty. Gwingloth and his brother are gone.

There was no note, no message anywhere in the village, nor the trees. He is so desperate he checks the ground, for when the village was occupied none were allowed to go on the ground under the village to help keep it more hidden, not a trace of them or tracks.

All was silent and empty. His twin is gone. He unsheathes his twin sword, which now truly missing it's partner, it's other half, as he is. He drives it into the ground in the middle of the village, standing alone as a memorial... or as a grave, and he rips off a bit of his robe, with his new sigil of silver stars on a blue field.

Gil-galad turns and walks back to his camp, and his people. Once again devastated.

[dnalt-d2]

NEW 3/4 BAKED QSMP THEORY, DO WITH IT WHAT YOU WILL

Right, so I tried cooking a theory, and I think I'm getting to the right track, but I'm worried I might've gotten some wires crossed. I'm gonna write what I have below, and if you agree or disagree with certain parts, please let me know. I'm a little limited in who I'm able to watch, so this might mean I just straight-up don't have all the information available. If anyone can fill in some holes, that'd be great. A lot of this is just me getting my thoughts in order in a place where other people can contribute.

(And note: This kinda relates to a Theory I already made not too long ago, so check that out real quick if you want to. TL;DR is that I think that alongside the Federation and the Resistance, that there's possibly some other Third Faction. Something that a lot of people seem to also be thinking at this point)

Now, this is all going to be really complicated, but remember how I said there were Three Factions before? The Federation, the Resistance, and some Third Unidentified Group? I think I might have some more ideas on this Third Group. I mostly have two, really. One is that this guy Cellbit was just talking to is a part of this Group. Not only that, but I think that there are some Codes working for them. (Remember how people have been talking about "Good" and "Bad" Codes?) CodeFlippa is likely one of the Codes working for them. This would explain why some of the Codes seem to be working against the members (Attacking Maximus is the main example I can think of, leading directly to his manipulation at the hands of Cucurucho regarding his new infection) While others seem to be working against the Federation and anyone on their side (The Codes attacking the Eggs multiple times, and Cellbit that one time)

Now the second thing I'm thinking is that they've been working from within the Federation, trying to work against them from the inside. This means that they only have the information that the Federation would have, which is why CodeFlippa doesn't seem to know where the eggs are. The Feds don't know, which means this Inside Group doesn't know either. This new guy that Cellbit was just talking to is almost certainly part of this Group. I don't think Walter Bob is, due to the fact that the new Mystery guy seemed surprised that Cellbit has the password for the Main Channel. However, I do ALSO think that Fred is working with them. Remember how it seemed to be Fred who led them to the maze in the first place? (Though that could've easily been some other blue-hat worker, I'll admit) But he also said in his report on Fit, that he could relate to him working for the Federation despite hating them. That means we have three possible people working for this Third Group, as well as possible some Codes.

But what does this mean for the Eggs? Well, I seem to recall that Etoiles said that the picture with Leo might've looked like the Resistance Base he found once. So here's my theory regarding that.

(This last part is the one with the most holes in it, so if anyone has any thoughts regarding it, please reblog or comment. I feel like I'm getting close, but I might have some things backwards. I'll put more details about that at the end though, so if you don't agree with my thory so far, please check that out)

I think the Resistance are the ones responsible for the Eggs disappearance. We've heard that the Eggs ran away on their own, which could possible be true (Though I don't know how Cucurucho would know that. For all we know he was lying, but possibly not? Idk) I think that maybe the Resistance knows how important these eggs are to keeping the islanders in line, and seeing an opportunity to throw things into chaos, decided to take the eggs, either trying to save them from this Big Evil that they're worried about, or simply wanting to screw over the Feds. Either way, they have the kids. But where are they? Well, I still think that the other dimension theory is true. But I also think that the Resistance are IN this other dimension. This all relies on the rest of my theory being true, and that brings in something that might be a problem for me.

I think I started to get some things backwards, and I'm worried that if I keep going, I'll run into some confirmation bias. I realized as I was writing this that some of the stuff I was thinking didn't make a whole lot of sense. Mainly that if the Codes are working for the Third Group and NOT the Resistance, why would the Code lead Etoiles to a Resistance Base? I could just say that "Oh well the Third Group wants strong people to be against the Federation!" But like I said, that would just feel like confirmation bias, like I'm trying to fit everything into a conclusion I've already come to. So unfortunately, I don't know if much or any of my theory is true, but I'm gonna put it here anyway, mostly because I wanna see if anyone else can make sense of this all based on the information I put together here.

Here are the facts we have

--There are at least two Groups: The Federation and the Resistance, but possible a Third Unidentified Group, working from within the Federation

--Fred and CodeFlippa respectively led people to the maze, then guided them the maze to the dice room, which means they could know something about the maze and tickets/where they lead

--According to Cucurucho, the Eggs left because of some Big Bad Threat we don't know about

--The Eggs are most likely in some other dimension

--CodeFlippa is CLAIMING not to know where the eggs are, or about going through the maze

--Etoiles was led to the Resistance Base by information given to him by the Code

--CUCUREVIL/CUCUROJO IS STILL A THING AND DEFINITELY INVOLVED WITH THE MAZE

--This new guy claims to be the one who started Cellbit on that huge manhunt enigma a while back that led to the sword, but look how that ended up

And the final, most important fact

--My mind is an absolute mess of details and anticipation for tomorrow's event, where this will all likely be proven true or false, but regardless, will probably destroy people emotionally, including and ESPECIALLY me.

GOOD LUCK TO US ALL I GUESS I'M CUTTING MY LOSSES AND POSTING THIS, I WILL PROBABLY FIGURE SOMETHING OUT IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS, BECAUSE THAT'S HOW THE UNIVERSE LIKES TO BE. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE ELSE

[b-ritney]

Piece of Your Action, Part 2

@mystargirl-interlude

Oh, I want you, I need you I want you to be mine tonight You need me, you bleed me Use you up, throw you away

You're fire, taking me higher Don't burn me, don't let me down You need me now, I'll teach you how Come on, let's go all the way!

lmao KEEP YOUR ARMS AND LEGS INSIDE THE RIDE AND BUCKLE YOUR MOTHER FLIPPING SEAT BELTS.

SMUT +18

Warnings: Choking, touch denial, light spanking, blow job, spit, oral , hair pulling, light degradation (nothing major), and sarcastic praise, (Bc Billy can't say SHIT genuinely.), size kink, vibrator, I'll work in aftercare... somehow.

Summary: After your altercation with Carol you take Billy up on his offer to show you, "a good time." Who knew he was just as insane as you are.

______________________________________________________________

“What was it you said about showing me a good time?”

Billy had nothing.. he was trying to distract you from the fact he was hard as a rock, by mirroring your devilish smile. Watching you beat the hell out of that bitch made him wanna take you in the middle of the hallway. Although he was honestly a little frightened .. you would feel the same way about him, that you do Carol, if you really knew who he was. Right?

“Hargrove?”

“Uh, yeah,” he adjusted himself making you laugh sarcastically, “I think I could treat you to an evening you won’t forget.”

“You have no shame do you?

“None”

“You think your slick huh? You aren’t any different than the other wanna be tough guy in this town. You just drive a better car.”

“You wanna test that theory?”

“Are you sure you can handle me?”

“Babe, you have no idea how many ways I could handle you.”

“Do you wanna test that theory?” You countered putting your hands on your hips.

“I like ‘um a little spunky, it’s more rewarding by the end when your so exhausted you can’t speak.” He leaned in closer to your ear.

“Brave of you to assume I'll make a sound in the first place, you don’t know what you're getting yourself into.”

“Care to show me what I’m missing?“

You scanned his body on more time, sizing him up. Walking around him to see every angle. “I’ll take you for a test drive, but don’t act like you're doing me a favor.”

Billy let out a menacing laugh dropping his head. “Where to then?”

“I don’t care, I won’t be sticking around either way I’ve got other plans.” You said dusting off your pants.

“You cut deep." He feigned offense. "My house then, my sister will be gone long enough, besides, when you finally break, the neighbors are gonna wish they were gone too."

You raised your eyebrows in slight shock, was this guy for real? "Lead the way then."

________________________________________________

"So tell me, why do you act the way you do?" Billy asked catching your eyes, aviators slid down his nose as you flew through the backroads to his house.

"Like you care."

"Normally I wouldn't but pretty girls like you don't go around creating chaos unless they've been hurt."

"No shame," you repeated again shaking your head and smiling. "I- I figure if you lay it all out on the table, you leave little room for speculation. It saves you time and heartache, if people know the real you, you don't have to work as hard to weed out the ones who don't deserve your time... because they won't even approach you to begin with."

"But you haven't always been this way."

"How would you know? Didn't you just move here this year?"

"I just know and yes I did."

"I know why you followed me out of class."

"Do you?"

"Of course I do, you don't think I know what people say about me?

"Did you really fuck a cop?

"No"

"oh"

"I blew him."

Billy whipped his head around, and you busted out laughing, "Enough with the romance Hargrove, we're both in this for the same thing."

"which is?"

"To see if you can back up your big talk."

_________________________________________________________

Billy opened the front door and let you in, locking it behind you; you didn't even have a chance to get your boots off before he had you pinned against the wall by your throat.

"No romance right?" he said cocking his head to the side.

"---right."

"Take off your jacket." he brought you forward hand still firmly wrapped around your neck, as you slid the jacket down your shoulders. "If you're so confident, I don't wanna hear a sound, understand?"

"No problem." You spat back in his face.

He released his grip and knelt in front of you yanking your pants down to your knees in one move. Your heart began to race, the look on his face was.. hungry. He dove in with no warning, sucking harshly on your clit as you fought against the universe to stay strong. He spread your legs wider holding onto the back of your thighs, he lapped at your pussy like a dehydrated hound. You kept your mouth shut despite the scream just waiting to explode from your throat. He nuzzled his head farther into your mound forcing his tongue past your fluttering entrance. You. grabbed a fist full of his hair as your legs began to shake. Just when you were about to cum he stopped. The pulsing of your cunt and your flushed complexion were the only signs you gave him, "tired already?" you teased, trying to remain equal.

"Cumming already?" he challenged, leaving you speechless for the first time that night. He grabbed your arm and whipped you into the kitchen table lifting you to sit on the edge, and pushing you to lay back on the hard surface. He swiftly took your boots and pants the rest of the way off leaving you in nothing but your white socks, grey tank top, and accessories. "No bra? You little minx." You opened your mouth to say something but he cut in again, "Save your breath doll, you're gonna need it." He slapped your pussy making you fall back against the table. He rubbed it up and down a few times before pushing in his middle and pointer finger, you arched your back of the table as he watched you writhe around beneath him. He's slept with some pretty hard women but not even the toughest ones managed to hold out this long, you're successfully challenging his abilities, and it's aggravating him beyond belief. He pumps them faster and faster adding another finger and rubbing your clit with his thumb, Billy was breathing heavier than you, he was pissed now, leaning down to suck on your clit again, desperate to hear you take even a sharp breath. He continued his brutal pace with his fingers, violently shaking his tongue against you, laughing maniacally as you twisted beneath him running from the overwhelming sensation, but still not making a sound.

"Impressive," he said, his lips and chin glistening with your juices as he admired your fucked out face and dripping pussy.

Your mind was reeling, you had to regain control, you sat upright grabbing him by the collar of his t-shirt, bringing him just shy of meeting your lips, this was your leverage, "I'll work half as hard and you'll be calling my name." he leaned in closer like he was going to kiss you, "No romance right? he looked shocked, you used his moment of vulnerability to shove him down into the chair behind him. He caught his breath and watched as you pried his tight jeans from his legs, hastily removing his boxers. He was like nothing you'd ever seen, absolutely fucking massive. You had to move quickly before he could tease you for staring. Spitting on your hand you viciously pumped it up and down his thick shaft, he covered his face with his hand as his head fell back. Men are so easy, you kitten licked from the base to the tip taking him in your mouth as far as you could go. Just to come all the way up and force yourself back down to take all of him until you gagged. Billy's hips bucked into you, he couldn't even think well enough to hold your hair, he was conceding and you'd barely done anything yet. You dragged your nails down his thighs as you bobbed your head in a steady rhythm Billy tried with everything he had to keep the pleasure inside but he couldn't he erupted with noises so obscene it made your legs tighten together. He was so close but you pulled back getting to your feet, laughing above him victoriously. "I win." you giggled.

"Games not over yet babe."

"Just accept you've met your match."

He pulled you into his lap pushing you down onto his throbbing cock, giving you no time to adjust to his size, you let out a sinful moan as you wrapped tightly around him, wanting so bad in that moment to lace your fingers in his hair and kiss him... but no romance... and you weren't about to lose the rest of your advantage. He laughed beneath you, "see we're even."

You couldn't answer it just hurt so good, you sunk your teeth into his shoulder as tears rolled down your face. He began to fuck up into you but you wouldn't allow him to set the pace, both of you fighting for dominance like fucking lions, moving your hips in sync with his, making you cry out, throwing your head back, you started to bounce on your own, he took the opportunity to lift your tank top above your chest and take your nipples between his teeth and fingers, licking and nibbling each one raw. "Fuck!" you whined your head lulling forward into his shoulder.

He picked you up in his arms his cock still buried deep inside you and carried you to his bed laying you on your back fucking you as fast and deep as he could, taking one of your hands into his and pressing it into your lower stomach and the other for stability next to your head. The sensation in your belly was deliciously wicked, you could feel the presence of his cock moving ferociously inside of you in and out until you sobbed. He pulled a vibrator from under his mattress and clicked the buttons until it was at its highest setting, spitting on it, and pressing it firmly into your clit. This must have been what he meant when he said your neighbors would wish they were gone. you quite literally screamed in rapture. He kept his pace as he wrapped your shaky hands around the handle, "Your gonna hold that there until you come." You couldn't speak, yet your mouth was wide open, you could barely hold your head up let alone hold a toy. "I-I can't" you said whispered.

"You can and you will."

"I-I ahh BILLY!" He somehow drove deeper into you lifting your legs to his hips, your muscles contracting so tightly you crunched forward, "Come on, come on my cock." He said through gritted teeth. You dropped the toy as your metaphysical being flew from your fucking body, you shook uncontrollably, he quickly snatched up the toy and held it against your clit whispering praises into your ear as the aftershocks ripped through you like lightning. He pulled out cumming on your stomach in warm spurts that made you feel so exquisitely dirty. He dropped to his knees and kissed and sucked on your pussy until you begged him to stop, cleaning up the mess you both made.

"Can I kiss you?" He asked

"Please." you whimpered, he kissed you deeply making up for all the things he said before, brushing your hair from your sweaty face. Then in true arrogant, fashion, he ran his fingers through his release making you suck it from his fingers. He walked away for only a few minutes to get you a towel and something to drink but when he came back you were gone, he walked into the kitchen and there you were with your clothes back on fixing your hair like you didn't just get freshly RAILED. He dropped the towel, "You can't be serious?" he said dumbfounded. " I told you babe, I have other plans, better luck next time though, you were decent in the sack, maybe next time you can make me come without mechanical help." You smiled and waved sarcastically before unlocking the door and turning the handle, walking out towards the headlights and blasting speakers waiting for you in the driveway.

"Damn, she's fucking crazy...I love her."

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I prob won't write for a few days bc I'm going on a short vaca for fall break, and I have a journalistic essay to write, but i'll be back enjoy!

[gayemeralds]

not to act like silver on anon but. How do u think sonic would be. 15 years in the future? like one of those future aus—how do u imagine the sonic characters to be?

for my favorite character, amy, i see her being a teacher/mentor! she’s a great leader and leaves huge impacts on ppl (looking at u silver and shadow). that’s my reasoning at least ^^

hm. okay so i do have a future au (my chaos champion timeline) but. sonic is dead by 18 in that future. and that kind of fucks everyone up for a while.

if sonic was alive, i think he wouldn’t be too much different from now. i kind of imagine him still going solo, but he’d probably end up accidentally acquiring a side kick/mentorship. like next generation heroes would tag along and Sonic’s like oh. okay ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ also he would be so op by that point i sort of imagine him as like. one punch man and he'd accidentally get roped into mentoring his own genos

for the chaos champion timeline, the character's futures go like this...

sonic: dead. rip.

tails: REALLY fucked up by sonic's death for a bit. sort of closes himself off from his friends until eggman finally dies. goes on a multi-year long treasure hunting trip with knuckles and amy and eventually settles into his title as a prodigy, studying the mechanics and theories of time travel (and incidentally, becoming the inspiration for silver to time travel) and also developing new technologies. lives a SUPER long time.

amy: probably ends up opening a baking shop with vanilla for a bit before going treasure hunting with knuckles and rouge. the three of them explore the echidna culture left behind across the world and also just want to have some fun adventures.

knuckles: sonic chronicles occurs, and the master emerald (and all chaos emeralds/chaos energy) is destroyed by the end of the chaos champion timeline, so knuckles is free to explore and roam the world as much as he wants. after he sets up a successful echidna colony on angle island (which no longer floats, instead settled on top of the ocean) with shade, he cons rouge into searching for more information on his clan's history, since shade and her people forgot a large chunk due to ix's refusal to acknowledge their messier history. amy joins in after becoming restless with her bakery. they all basically become archeologists.

rouge: joins knuckles and amy on globetrotting adventures. she's learned to trust people a LOT more than where she is now, though she can still be a bit stingy. amy, knuckles, and her grow to be really close friends. rouge doesn't work with g.u.n. anymore and often steals from them just for fun.

the chaotix: not too much different. the agency sticks around for a LONG time. cream eventually joins in, and rounds out their operation with her charm and technical prowess. they get a bazillion offers every year for really big adventures (helping the president, helping soleanna, etc) but always decline. they just want to help the little guy ;)

cream: becomes inspired by tails and sonic and wants to be a real hero. spends some time being tails's apprentice until she grows a bit restless. she joins the chaotix by the time she's a preteen and helps them with hacking. as a cute little girl, she's also super fun to use for disguises. gemerl is often roped into their shenanigans, but spends most of his time with vanilla running a bakery.

omega: probably dead by the time fifteen years roll around. omega hates eggman with a passion, and wants to destroy all of his robots. over time, omega also becomes aware of the fact that there's an animal powering his battery. the flickie gave him the ability to turn away from eggman, so enthralled in hate and malice after being turned into a battery, that omega absorbed part of its rage. after eggman dies and all of his robots have been taken care of, omega eventually deactivates himself to free the flickie inside of him.

shadow: RETIRED. there's not too many world threatening events going on, so he spends most of his days wandering around the world, enjoying the world maria always wanted to visit, and finally coming to terms with the beauty humanity has to offer. occasionally helps out the chaotix, mostly because he can't say no to cream.

eggman: dies not very long after sonic. there's no point in trying to conquer the world when the person who's pushed him to do better, think bigger, go farther, isn't around anymore. it's boring without him. he stages one last grand world takeover which tails, amy, and knuckles defeat as a sort of last hurrah. eggman is taken into custody and executed by g.u.n. is he really gone for good? well, that's another story

metal sonic: was put into stasis before sonic and eggman died, and is accidentally released about three years too late. metal sonic attempts to conquer the world, trying to get sonic to show his face, but when sonic proves to be gone for good, metal sonic becomes so distraught he tries to destroy the world. tails, amy, and knuckles manage to take him down, and metal eventually sacrifices himself to save their lives, annoyed that he only won against sonic by default, and concluded that having a more spectacular end than sonic was the only way for him to win.

blaze: becomes queen of her dimension. tails and her eventually develop a way to stabilize inter-dimensional travel between them, and are working on ways to dive deeper into the multi-verse.

silver: turns out, saving the world and creating a stabilized future erased him from existence. time travel is a bit wonky, however, so silver lives! he enjoys the rest of his days in the future, catching up on all the history he's missed, and taking as many classes as he can. he becomes a physicist.

eggman nega: when it's revealed that sonic destroys the world, and not eggman, nega gives up on being evil and becomes a professor at the university of spagonia. he tries to befriend silver to varying degrees of success.