#fox umbrella story

[hyakkiyagy0]

;; tag drop uwu

[mika-mp3]

The treasure is all mine

-chapter two-

(Prologe, chapter one, chapter three, chapter four)

Genshin Impact x Creator!reader

warnings: no y/n used, slight yandere behavior, possible spelling errors, rain lol

summary: after leaving the Aranara Village, you seek shelter in a cave nearby, being led by Tighnari from the pouring rain.

characters: you, Tighnari

word count: 1873

wattpad story here

https://pin.it/3FoWk4c1T

With a final look at Mahavanaranapna, you whispered a quiet farewell and stepped into the unknown, ready to uncover the mysteries of Vana and the secrets of your own past.

As you walk through the forest, the sun begins to rise, casting a warm, golden glow over the landscape. The forest awakens with the first light of dawn, and you marvel at the beauty around you. The leaves shimmer with morning dew, and the air is filled with the sweet scent of blooming flowers. Birds sing cheerful melodies, welcoming the new day.

The path winds through towering trees, their branches creating a natural canopy overhead. In the As you walk through the forest, the sun begins to rise, casting a warm, golden glow over the landscape. The forest awakens with the first light of dawn, and you marvel at the beauty around you. The leaves shimmer with morning dew, and the air is filled with the sweet scent of blooming flowers. Birds sing cheerful melodies, welcoming the new day.

The path winds through towering trees, their branches creating a natural canopy overhead. The trunks are covered in lush moss, and vines adorned with vibrant flowers hang like nature's drapery. In the distance, you catch sight of a breathtaking city, its buildings structured upon one gigantic tree. The architecture is both majestic and otherworldly, with intricate designs woven into the very fabric of the enormous tree. The sight fills you with awe and a renewed sense of purpose.

However, as you continue your journey, dark clouds gather overhead, and it begins to rain. You quickly find a large leaf and hold it over your head, trying to shield yourself from the downpour. The leaf helps a bit, but the rain is relentless, soaking through your makeshift umbrella.

To your surprise, the forest itself seems to respond to your plight. Branches bend and leaves stretch out, forming a natural shelter above you, guiding you along the path and keeping you mostly dry. You are amazed by this living, breathing forest that seems to care for you.

Suddenly, you hear a voice in the distance, barely audible over the sound of the rain. "Quickly, this way! The rain is picking up, but I know a cave nearby to stay!"

A mix of curiosity and fear grips you. Who could this be? Why are they helping you? Despite your apprehension, you feel an inexplicable trust in the voice and decide to follow it. The figure ahead moves swiftly through the trees, and you hasten your pace to keep up.

The rain intensifies, but the forest continues to shield you as best it can. The figure leads you through a narrow path, past ancient trees and vibrant undergrowth, until you reach a hidden cave, its entrance partially obscured by hanging vines and moss. The interior is lit by a faint, otherworldly glow from luminescent fungi on the walls, casting a soft light that reveals the cave's surprisingly spacious interior.

"Here," the voice says, now closer and more distinct. "We can stay here until the rain passes."

You step inside the cave, feeling a mix of relief and caution. The figure who guided you here turns to face you, and you see a striking figure with dark green hair, fox-like ears, and a bushy tail. His warm eyes meet yours, and you sense both wisdom and kindness in his gaze.

"Thank you," you say, still trying to make out the details of your rescuer in the dim light.

"You're welcome," he replies with a gentle smile. "My name is Tighnari. I'm a Forest Watcher. What brings you so deep into the forest?"

You hesitate for a moment, still wary but also curious. "I'm searching for answers about who I am and where I come from. The village I stayed in couldn't provide them, so I decided to explore the forest."

Tighnari's expression becomes more focused, his curiosity piqued. "You don't remember anything? Not even your own name? That's quite unusual. Have you experienced any head trauma or other injuries recently?"

You shake your head. "No, nothing like that. It's as if I just woke up one day with no memories."

Tighnari nods thoughtfully. "Memory loss can occur for various reasons, not just physical trauma. Stress, magical interference, or even certain rare plants and fungi can have such effects. Have you noticed any other symptoms? Dizziness, headaches, anything out of the ordinary?"

"Nothing like that," you reply. "I just feel…lost. And a bit frustrated."

Tighnari's eyes soften with understanding. "The forest holds many secrets, some of which might help you on your journey. For now, rest here and regain your strength. Once the rain stops, I can guide you further and perhaps offer some remedies to help clear your mind."

As you sit down on one of the rocks, you notice Tighnari's bow and quiver. He seems well-equipped to protect and navigate this wild landscape. His presence is reassuring, and his calm demeanor puts you at ease. The cave, the rain, and the mysterious Tighnari all seem to be part of the forest's grand design. You realize that this encounter might be a key to unraveling the mysteries that brought you here.

With the rain pouring outside, you settle into the cave, ready to learn whatever Tighnari might reveal and eager to continue your journey toward the magnificent city you glimpsed in the distance.

As you settled into the cave, Tighnari began to share his knowledge with you, a wealth of information that you eagerly absorbed. "This world," he began, "is called Teyvat. It's a place of great diversity, with seven distinct nations, each governed by a different god and embodying a different element and philosophy."

You listen intently as he continues, "We are in Sumeru, the nation of wisdom. It's renowned for its scholars and the pursuit of knowledge. The majestic building you saw earlier is the Akademiya, a grand institution where scholars from all over Teyvat gather to study and share their knowledge. I’ve spent some time there myself, recently they have been trying to get me to work there aswell."

The mention of the Akademiya piques your interest. "You’ve been there? What was it like?"

Tighnari's eyes light up with a mix of fondness and nostalgia. "It's a place of immense learning and discovery. The libraries are filled with ancient texts, and the gardens are a paradise for anyone with a love for nature. But it's also a place where wisdom is sought above all else, sometimes at the expense of other values."

His words paint a vivid picture in your mind, and despite the cold, you feel a warmth of curiosity and excitement. "It sounds incredible. And the other nations? What are they like?"

Tighnari smiles, pleased by your curiosity. "Each nation is unique. Mondstadt is the city of freedom, worshipping the Anemo Archon. Liyue, the nation of contracts, used to be ruled by the Geo Archon. Inazuma, under the Electro Archon, values eternity. Fontaine is the nation of justice, Natlan the nation of war, and Snezhnaya the nation of ice and power. Each has its own culture, traditions, and challenges."

As he speaks, you can't help but shiver, the cold becoming more pronounced. Tighnari notices and nods into your direction. The firelight flickers in his eyes as he adds, "But there is still much for you to learn and discover. For now, focus on getting warm."

You sit, curled up in the blanket you brought, in the small cave Tighnari led you to. The fire he started a while ago crackles softly, casting flickering shadows on the cave walls, but you still shiver. Despite the forest's best efforts to keep you dry, your clothes remain soaked, the cold seeping into your bones. Wrapping your arms around your legs, you try to conserve warmth, but the chill seems relentless. You close your eyes, wishing the cold away.

Suddenly, you feel an unexpected warmth. Opening your eyes, you see Tighnari kneeling in front of you, draping a much thicker and softer blanket over your shoulders. It blocks the biting wind and begins to chase away the chill that had settled deep within you.

"Thank you," you whisper, your voice barely audible.

Tighnari's eyes meet yours with a tenderness that soothes your unease. His voice is soft, almost a whisper itself, as he says, "Do not worry, about nothing at all. I can't put my finger on it, but there is something different about you. You feel different… What are you?"

His question hangs in the air, filled with genuine curiosity and concern. The cave is a sanctuary from the storm outside, its dim light and the warmth of the fire creating a cocoon of safety around you. The steady rhythm of raindrops against the cave's entrance is a soothing backdrop, almost like nature's lullaby.

You take a deep breath, feeling the warmth of the new blanket seeping into your skin. "I wish I knew. I woke up in this forest with no memories, not even my name. The Aranara were kind to me, but I couldn't find any answers there."

Tighnari's eyes widen in surprise. "Aranara? You’ve seen them? They're creatures that most people believe are mere myths. Only those who can dream, like children, are said to see them."

You nod. "Yes, they were real. They took me in, cared for me, but I couldn't remember anything about my past. They said the forest could be dangerous, but I felt like I needed to see more, to understand why I was here."

Tighnari nods slowly, his eyes reflecting the firelight. "Memory loss can be caused by many things, not just physical trauma. It could be stress, magic, or even something in the forest. I will help you as much as I can. The forest has many secrets, and perhaps one of them holds the key to your past."

His words are reassuring, and you feel a glimmer of hope. The cave, despite its simplicity, feels like a haven. The walls are adorned with glowing fungi, casting a gentle light that contrasts with the storm raging outside. The air is filled with the earthy scent of damp moss and wood, mingling with the subtle fragrance of wildflowers that managed to thrive even in the darkest corners.

You glance at Tighnari's bow and quiver, leaning against the cave wall, a testament to his role as a protector and guide in this vast, untamed world. His presence is both calming and inspiring, filling you with a sense of safety and purpose.

"Rest now," Tighnari says softly. "The rain will pass, and when it does, we will continue our journey. There's a village nearby, and perhaps there we will find some answers."

You nod, grateful for his kindness and support. As you settle deeper into the warmth of the blanket, you feel a sense of peace wash over you. Despite the uncertainties and the mysteries surrounding your past, you know you are not alone. With Tighnari's help and the forest's gentle embrace, you feel ready to face whatever lies ahead.

As the fire crackles and the rain continues to fall outside, you close your eyes, allowing yourself to drift into a restful sleep, your heart filled with hope and determination. The journey to uncover your past and discover your true identity has only just begun, and you are ready to embrace it, one step at a time.

https://pin.it/7JQAaaE3o

Thank you so much for reading! Fell free to give me feedback and ideas how to continue this!

Mika

Taglist:

- @wutap - @saternsky

[thestuffedalligator]

The rain was coming down like a giant was pissing on the city.

It was times like this that I wished I was human. Detectives love rain. They want the stuff to wash them away with the scum of the street.

I can’t stand water. Never touched the stuff.

My name is Ginger. Once upon a time I used to be the Gingerbread Man. Now I’m a private dick and I drink enough to be a rum cake.

It’s a hard job if you aren’t a tough cookie. I have all the requirements. I’m sugar and spice and a whole heaping of trouble.

I also got an umbrella I borrowed from the Wicked Witch of the West after a case last month. It helps on days like this.

The city was still sleeping like Snow White when I made my way to the crime scene. I turned into an alley and stepped into the remains of a pillow fight from hell. White feathers were scattered across the alley like a soggy snowfall. Blood mixed with rain and trickled down the cobblestones.

Gretel gave me a nod when I walked up. Gretel’s good people. She’s the only person I know who won’t try to eat me. “Thought you might want to see this, Ginger.”

“You’ve been stuffing pillows tonight, Gretel? It looks like Christmas in here.”

Gretel made a face and pointed a thumb to a lump under a tarp. “Then you just missed the Christmas dinner,” she said.

I took a look. There wasn’t much to see besides a greasy little pile of what you’d get if you ate a whole rotisserie chicken down to the bones.

The vic was Chicken Little. I knew the name. Little was a local nut who started a doomsday cult in the neighbourhood. I thought she’d be the kind of dame who’d get into trouble someday.

This wasn’t what I had in mind. Who’d want to whack a pamphlet thumper who thought the world was going to end anyways?

I picked up a rib. There were tiny scrapes scored across it in a line, like she’d been using it to count the days to oblivion.

I stared. “These are teeth marks, Gretel.”

I looked up. Gretel looked sick. That’s when I knew for sure.

“These are fox teeth, Gretel,” I said. “There’s a fox in the city.”

“Ginger, I think you should leave town.”

I flicked the rib back down into the pile of bones and pulled a stub of a candy cane cigar out of my trench coat pocket. “My brother has a house out in the country,” Gretel was saying. “He hates eating gingerbread as much as me. You’d be safe out there for a few days until we can track this fox down.”

I patted down my pockets for a light. Gretel took pity on me and knelt into the shade of the umbrella to light a match.

I puffed a few clouds of peppermint smoke. For a second it really was like Christmas in that alleyway.

I don’t care much for Christmas. Typically people look at me and think of dessert.

“Gretel, you’re good people,” I said. I didn’t realize that I hadn’t said it before. It felt like it had to be said. “Thanks for letting me know.”

“Jesus Christ, Ginger, you know how your story ends.”

“Yeah, well. We're all trying to run, run, run as fast as we can from who you are.” I took one last drag and turned out of the alley towards the soggy city. For once, I wished the rain could wash me away. “But eventually it catches up to us.”

[robinette-green]

Robin's Spooky AU DCA Romance Fics

These are fics that have creepy critters, spooky settings, monsters and sometimes blood

Spooky Stories from the Daycare: Night of the Fox!: (tag)

Halloween tale full of scares and fluff! Creepy crawlies and candy! Our story is set in Japan in the 80’s! Sun and Moon had decided to have a little adventure out to a cabin for Halloween but they get lost in the woods. Y/N, a kitsune who resides in this forest, is displeased at having trespassers wonder into there territory and will do everything in their power to scare away the two animatronics.

Hellfire to Warm the Heart:

There I was, standing in the rain, my ears still ringing from the door slamming behind me. Everything had gone downhill so fast. First, my job fired me without warning or reason then, unable to find a new job, I was evicted from my apartment due to being unable to pay rent. With my suitcase at my feet, I stared blankety down the street. What was I going to do? I had nowhere to go. My family had cut ties with me years ago, and I didn't have a friend to speak of. Was there a shelter I should go to, or would I be sleeping on the street tonight? "Oh, dear! Are you okay?" I flinched, not expecting anyone to speak to me. Looking around, I saw an expensive black car parked at the curb, and a back window rolled down. As I watched, the back door opened, and a man, preceded by a large black umbrella, exited the car. As he straightened, I took a step back, gazing up at a towering individual standing before me. Dressed in a pale blue suit, this guy had to be almost 7 feet tall, towering over me. His hair was shimmery gold, making him look like a sun. Golden eyes glittered as, with a soft smile, the man asked, "You look to be in a bit of a bind. Would you like some help?"

Stars in the Darkness:

You find yourself living in a cabin in the middle of the woods. After cleaning up the mess from the previous occupant, you find a broken statue that seems to have been living in the forest, covered in moss and lichen. Deciding that it would be wise to put the statue back where it belongs, you fix it up and lug it out through the trees to place it back in its home. This pleases something living in the darkness of the trees, and little gifts start appearing on the porch of the cabin. The creatures in the dark seem to like you. You should be careful not to do anything that would anger them now that you have their attention.

Little Assistant:

MC is the assistant to the CEO of Fazbear Entertainment. As Vanessa kidnaps and kills children while attempting to bring Springtrap back to life, MC is forced to clean up the mess and cover up the disappearances. MC is also tasked with keeping an eye on the Daycare attendants, keeping them in line as they are forced to help kidnapping children. “Did you do it? How do we know if it worked?” “We’ll have to test out some command code on him. Everything uploaded without issue, but they do have minds of their own. He may put up a fight.” I wasn’t paying attention to the conversation, wanting as little to do with this as I could get away with. They had already forced me to help with so much, cleaning up all that mess, all that red, covering up the disappearance. Shuddering, I looked through the glass into the daycare beyond. Deep in the dark, I could see two red eyes glaring out at us, furious. I couldn’t blame him. The virus they had activated in the night mode daycare attendant was going to be used for something horrific.

Two Hunters and a Bloodsucker: (tag)

My life is good for what it is. Except that I’m dead. Well, undead. I’ve been undead for about 15 years now, and I haven’t aged a day. Being a vampire hiding among humans can be difficult at times, mainly dealing with sunlight and avoiding mirrors, but I manage. I’ve been living and working in this little town as the town blacksmith for about 7 years now, and I’ve become a full-fledged member of the little community here. I thought I had been doing a good job hiding my presence among the humans, but one day two of the most well-known vampire hunters came into town. If they find out what I am, they will kill me, but both of them have become intent on becoming my friends and maybe more. How can I keep myself from being discovered when two hunters are trying to romance me?

Stars and Webs (LateNight DayDreams):

Running form those hunting you, you fall into the web of a beast that should be more terrifying than the humans who want to end your life. But the creatures that finds you seems to want to keep you alive rather than eating you for dinner.

Murder's Doll (LateNight DayDreams):

a small child forced to live on the streets is abducted by Eclipse and raised to be sold off as a pawn. the first year of MC's life they live with Eclipse's charges, Sun and Moon and are tutored mercilessly until they are finally sent off to boarding school. after finishing school, MC is married off to an abusive husband but is eventually saved by Sun and Moon.

Colorful Lights (LateNight DayDreams):

You used to be an acrobat, working at a carnival that was a home to you. After a fire and a nasty fall, your home was left to rot. Coming back years later you’re captured by the people who’ve taken over the place. Saved by some old friends, you learn some unsettling truths about them.

Our Feathered Friend (LateNight DayDreams):

Children kept held captive for experimentation Y/N being turned into a harpy Being reunited with lost loves

Living (LateNight DayDreams):

MC is a living doll created by the Mad Scientist Eclipse.

Some of these won't be finished and some are OLD writing of mine. you have been warned. Please don't let that stop you from reading these and enjoying them <3

[clueless-fan-critic]

Deadpool and Wolverine: The Prequel to the Mutant Saga

Here's How the X-Men Could Be Part of the MCU

If you're catching up on comics, the X-Men recently are experiencing one of the worst events in their history as mutants in comic book event Fall of X. Long story short, the "mutants being hated" status quo is in play and pulling the entire Marvel Comics Universe into it. With recent success of Fox's most successful leading mutants in the MCU, the audience is now asking the question... What will this mean for Mutants? In this theory article, I'll explore possible directions that the MCU may take with its cast of incalculable mutants.

X-Men Vs X-Men

What I noticed in X-Men media is that it's basically mutants against mutants. I mean, unless you singularly focus on one goal like the Krakoan Era, there's a chance that a mutant will either defect to another team, fight over leadership, or straight up leave because their feelings were hurt. Seriously, the Umbrella Academy can stay more cohesive than the X-men and those guys are a dysfunctional family. Even with legit reasons for leaving or defecting, it just gets tiresome by the fact they'll probably come back with no hard feelings.

My idea for this issue is that the people will only see the X-Men as the problem rather than mutants themselves. Think of a larger scale Civil War scenario with neutral mutants, like civilians, in the conflict getting hurt because of the X-Men's actions. This can also add themes of security or freedom, profiling, and the abuse of power by the government.

Speaking of themes, let us move on to the overall idea that mutants are always associated with. The exact reasons that were explored in a show with a recent mutant in the MCU.

X-Men and Proud

What might be addressed in the MCU is the prejudice and bigotry of mutants compared to people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and so on. I know that mutants are allegories for minorities, but that's the point. They're allegories. The one thing that I want discussed is whether the hatred is earned by mutants. Because think about it, mutants are called Homo Superiors and considered the next step in human evolution. Those ideas can seriously give you an ego and be generally disliked because of it. They also manifest crazy dangerous superpowers as teenagers, like if Hulk and Thor were emotionally unhinged boys who trashed a city over a taco. That's a more definite reason for people's hatred: constant destruction with no accountability or responsibility. But now we're getting the idea of mutants as a whole being treated as minorities and I feel that wouldn't exactly fit as well if the MCU introduced clearer examples of prejudice and culture.

Another example is the confusion of prejudice for mutants being the same as other kinds like racism and xenophobia. For example, basically Emma Frost, a blonde white mutant, is less likely to experience the same struggles as a black woman or an immigrant from another country. A discussion between her and Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, really exploring what it means to be an outsider and struggling to be accepted would combine both real-world and mutant issues.

But with the Mutant Saga coming, are we going to follow a new cast of X-Men or reintroduce old ones from the past?

The Old and the New

One advantage of the Multiverse is reintroducing old actors from previous Fox X-Men properties into the MCU. You could have The Gifted's Emma Dumont aka Polaris or Legion's Dan Stevens aka Legion. If you bring back characters as cameos, why not use them as much as possible to really build the MCU Multiverse. This would also give some closure to cancelled shows or movie franchises and maybe those characters to the MCU.

False Hope or Idea Generation?

Now, whether these ideas get any light in the upcoming Mutant Saga or just get shoved randomly into projects for no rhyme or reason, I have no clue. I guess it's good to have that kind of expectation with recent X-Men projects like X-Men 97, but I'm not holding my breath.

[purplealmonds]

Extrapolating on my "Karakasa is an abnormally strong mononoke" theory.

Just as a refresher, this was my comment in @sarahwatchesthings's post in the Mononoke community:

I wonder - in the lore video Kusu confirms the existence of other exorcism swords and by extension, more Kusus. Narratively, this newly revealed information should have a payoff. The karakasa is a formidable mononoke - it manifests as a tsunami-like entity and creepy sky vagina. Far more powerful than any mononoke we've encountered. Perhaps we will have an "Avengers Assemble" moment in this movie to, err, shall we say, unfuck the Sky Vagina?

Let's examine the mononoke anime-Kusu previously encountered as a baseline:

The Zashikiwarashi were confined within the brothel-turned-inn and as far as we know, didn't harm anyone except the innkeeper and her assistant. Even Shino's child, who we thought died from miscarriage, was revealed to be alive and well at the end of the story arc.

The Umibozu, while attracting an ocean of Ayakashi, originated from Genkei's soul rather than the sea itself. No casualties here either.

The Nopperabou was bound to Ochou. It's highly implied the murder of her in-laws was a delusion (along with the rest of her daydreams with Fox Mask). The only thing that was metaphorically "killed" was her sense of self but even that is restored in the end.

The Nue probably has the highest body count, but it is all localized in Ruri-Hime's estate.

The Bakeneko is haunting one (1) carriage of a train. Most of the people involved in Setsuko's murder were spared when they showed remorse, and the bystanders were unharmed.

Even the original Bakeneko, as powerful as it was, haunted just the Sakai estate. Although everyone on the premises but Kusu, Kayo, Odajima, and Yoshiyuki were slaughtered, the palanquin drivers just outside the gates were unharmed and none the wiser.

There are a few common threads with these mononoke:

Their influence is constrained to a single location.

Save for the original bakeneko arc, these mononoke did not harm or haunt anyone that was undeserving of their wrath.

They are created from the intense repressed negative emotions of a handful of individuals.

@the-mononoke-facade If any of the Shu novel mononoke support this theory, let me know!

Now let's examine the Karakasa:

In Kusu's words, it is created by the grudge of women- plural. This is not just a few women working in a brothel like in Zashikiwarashi, this encompasses all women's suffering within the ooku. Because each woman's suffering is unique, the form, truth, and reason will be all the more difficult to unravel even if everyone's forthcoming with information.

The Karakasa's manifestations very much resembles the hellish geographical and weather conditions that Japan faces even to this day. The Sky Vagina = typhoons. The rising/exploding water = earthquakes and tsunamis. The Karakasa is not just an entity, it is a forces of nature. And like all forces of nature, it cannot be reigned in, only weathered.

There are massive crowds of civilians in the fourth trailer. Hell, even the faceless women in the ooku can be considered innocent bystanders. If Kusu doesn't solve the mystery quickly enough, the Karakasa will break confinement. The Karakasa is a mass casualty event in the making.

Judging from the second image below of the Karakasa-tsunami expanding beyond the ooku's walls, Kusu failed and people will die because of that failure.

And moments before that disaster, he was at its epicenter taking a bath in the hot tub.

Actually...you could even say that this explosion resembles like that of an atom bomb. And that's a whole other can of worms to unravel.

So, yeah. Although this mononoke originated from a ratty old umbrella, it's abnormally powerful. Too powerful, perhaps, for movie-Kusu and Shingi to best.

It is said that Japanese society is shaped by the forces of nature it must contend with. In order to survive these earthquakes and typhoons and tsunamis, a community must put aside their petty grudges and differences to work as a team. Simultaneously, this tribal mentality is also what makes the ooku a miserable place to live; an outsider who doesn't fall in line is punished no matter how small the infraction.

With these themes in mind, my conclusions/predictions are:

Kusu and Shingi cannot defeat the Karakasa alone. They must put aside their pride and ask for help.

When faced with adversity, the women (and maybe the men too, but they're on thin fuckin ice) in the ooku will band together to assist Kusu in warding off the Karakasa.

To reiterate what I said earlier, Kusu implied the existence of multiple other Kusu's and exorcism sword. Perhaps these other Kusu's will also make an appearance to help him vanquish the Karakasa. Because, you know. The Kun exorcism sword is affiliated with the earth element and Pokemon logic says earth is weak against water.

And as a final bonus observation, given Shingi's more human-like (shall we say down-to-earth? ha-ha earth puns) appearance compared to anime-Hyper, I believe he is not as invincible as one would believe even when the sword is drawn. To supplement this, I'll share a spoiler from the light novel. Putting it below the cut! As a disclaimer, I'm unsure if it is spoilers for the Shu or Oni novel, so look at your own risk!

So, Hyper and by extension all other manifestations of him are not always effortlessly slaying all mononoke nor invulnerable to harm. Like Mani, I'm also rather curious if this will be reflected in Karakasa. The production team's already throwing all sorts of insane lore nuggets at us. This metaphorical curveball of Shingi getting roughed up by the Karakasa is not entirely implausible!!

[vodika-vibes]

**Chapter 1**

Summary: When Commander Wolffe is forced into early retirement after losing an eye in a terrorist attack, he thinks his life is over. However, when his twin brother volunteers him to help a younger cousin adjust to life outside the military, he doesn’t fight as much as he normally would have. Still when his younger cousins, Rex and Gregor, told him that they signed up to play security for Doctors Without Borders, he genuinely thought that it was going to be the easiest job he’s ever had. Right up until the plane falls out of the sky and they end up stranded on an island that doesn’t follow any of the rules as he knows them.

Characters: Commander Wolffe, Captain Rex, Captain Gregor, F!Reader character called Bumblebee or Bee in story

Genre: Adventure, Supernatural, some romance (because I'm me)

Word Count: 2394

Warnings: None, so far

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly

A/N: So I wasn't going to start this story until I finished my event stuff, but apparently I had an idea and needed to get it down.

This is the worst.

The absolute worst.

He should be home, in the barracks, looking after his brothers in the 104th. He should be standing next to his general as they prepare for the next push against the Seppies.

But no. He’s here, miles away from where he should be, waiting for the tiny plane to finish getting loaded for the last stretch of his, and his cousins, journey.

Wolffe can’t even bring himself to enjoy the scenery, why bother, it’s not like he’s going to be here long anyway. He leans against the back of the bench that he’s sitting on, his gaze flickering around the airstrip until he spies Rex and Gregor, talking with a pair of women near the building. 

Good. So long as they’re not getting in trouble.

Not that he really expected them to. But as the oldest, he can’t help but look out for them.

Especially Gregor.

His cousin had healed very nicely from the injury that nearly killed him. He’s still himself, the TBI doing very little to change his personality, but his memory is still spotty.

It’s one of the biggest reasons that he didn’t fight quite as hard as he normally would have when Fox volunteered him for the position. Besides, Doctors Without Borders is a respectable organization.

He could do worse.

Sure that his cousins are safe and aren’t wandering off to get mugged by someone who hates tourists, Wolffe casts his gaze back to the plane. And slowly his eyebrows raise when one of the doors open and a young woman hops out of the cockpit.

She looks familiar.

She looks very familiar.

He knows that jacket. He damn well better, he was the one who bought it in the first place.

He pushes to his feet and approaches the plane, and…there, on the side of her neck, a bumblebee tattoo with a honeycomb behind it.

A grin crosses his face without his permission, “Well now, look who it is. Lieutenant Bumblebee, in the flesh.”

She turns, and a wide grin crosses her face, “Wolffe? What brings you to my corner of paradise?” She walks over to him and bumps her fist against his, “I thought ‘vacations are beneath you’.” She mocks.

“Yeah, yeah. They are. I got a job with Doctors Without Borders, with some of my cousins.” He jabs his thumb over his shoulder, “I heard that you were living in the lap of luxury, though. White sandy beaches and fruity little drinks with umbrellas-”

She laughs, “Does this look like retirement to you, Wolfy-boy?”

“Dunno, you always loved to fly more than anything else.” He folds his arms over his chest, “Seeing you with a plane doesn’t surprise me in the slightest.” Wolffe pauses, “You know, I did hear a rumor-”

Her smile becomes slightly strained, “That I was Dishonorably Discharged and slapped with a court martial? Cause that’s not a rumor.”

“Shit, really?” She doesn’t respond and Wolffe rolls his eyes, “Come on, Bee. It’s me. What happened?”

“Gross Insubordination.” She says with a sigh, “Look, after I was transferred from Koon, I was given to Krell.”

Wolffe inhales sharply.

“Yeah.” Her laugh is slightly bitter, understandably bitter, “Well, I took issue with how he treated the men under his command and I didn’t hesitate to tell him so. So I was grounded and slapped with a court martial. And by the time Krell was removed and arrested for abusing the men under his command, everything had taken a life of its own, so I just took the Dishonorable Discharge.”

“You could have fought it.”

“Could have.” Bee agrees, “Just…the way that some of the people I’ve known for years looked at me.” She sighs and pushes her hand through her hair, “There was no point. Luckily, Plo put in a good word for me here.”

“Good thing the General likes you.”

“Tell me about it. I could do far, far worse than being a pilot for an organization as well respected as this one.” She shrugs and glances at her clipboard, “Not to mention, they’re pretty good about making sure that my prosthetics are up to par-”

“Prosthetics? What prosthetics?” Wolffe asks, his gaze snapping down her body, “Since when do you need prosthetics?”

Bee arches a delicate brow and lifts the leg of her long pants, revealing a matte gray prosthetic leg. “Parting gift from Krell.” She pauses, “Or, well, that’s my guess. I was officially injured in combat. But I’m almost positive that there weren’t any seppies on that planet-”

She pauses and takes a deep breath, dropping the leg of her pants and gestures vaguely with her clipboard, as if to say well, what can you do.

As if Wolffe needed another reason to hate Krell. Life in prison is too good for him.

“Sorry, I didn’t know. No one told me.”

“Yeah, well. It’s not as if I had very many friends left behind after the Court Martial.” She shrugs, “Anyway, what happened to your eye?”

“That blunt, huh?”

“That blunt.”

“Seppies.”

“Isn’t it always?”

Wolffe releases a humorless laugh, “Seems like it.” He leans against a crate, “Officially, I was medically discharged. Technically, I’m on medical leave for the next six months.”

“General Koon favors you.”

“Don’t I know it.” Wolffe’s gaze drags across the crates of medical supplies and other supplies, “So, who all are you transporting.”

“Well, according to my manifest-” Bee flips to a back page, “You, Rex and Gregor-” She pauses, “Is blondie over there, Rex? Shit, last time I saw him he was still in high school.”

Wolffe grins, “He’s a Captain now.”

“Ugh, I feel old.”

“You feel old? How do you think I feel?”

Bee laughs, “That’s what you get for being one of the oldest.” She glances back at her manifest, “Anyway, I’m also transporting a new nurse, her name is Raya Valencia. And a mechanic on loan from the GAR, Maty Wilson. Also, someone from the local government forced his way onto the manifest.”

“Mm, politics.”

“There’s no escaping it, I’m afraid.” Bee sets her manifest aside, “Anyway, someone will have to sit in the cockpit with me with the new addition.”

“Is that an offer, Bee?”

“What, you want a handwritten invitation?”

Wolffe laughs, “Hardly. I’ll be more than happy to sit up front with you. Maker knows we clearly have some catching up to do, LT.”

Bee grins at him, “Hardly my fault you went and got promoted to Commander and stopped associating with us minions.”

“Hey, I’ve always had a soft spot for you minion-y types.”

“Yeah, yeah,” There’s a laugh in her voice, “Beat it, Wolfy-boy. I have work to do. We’ll be lifting off in thirty.”

“I’m going, I’m going.” He tosses his bag over his shoulder and meanders on over to his cousins, as Bee turns to shout at a worker in a language he kind of recognizes.

It’s damned good to see her. Though it is a shame to hear about what happened to her.

“Making friends, Wolffe?” Rex asks with an arched brow.

“Chatting with an old friend,” Wolffe replies, “One that you know. You’ve met Bee before.”

Rex blinks, twice, and then his head snaps towards the plane, “Wait Bee? That Bee? The one we met at your graduation?”

“The one and the same.”

Rex stares in her direction, “Small world-”

“Tell me about it.”

“What happened between you two anyway?” Gregor asks, “If I remember correctly, you two were a thing-”

“Drop it.” Wolffe frowns at them, and then he sighs, “We were never a thing. I chickened out before I could ask her. And then I was promoted and it wouldn’t have worked anyway.”

“Well, she’s not in the military anymore-” Rex prods with a grin.

“Drop. It.”

“Okay, okay.” Rex holds his hands up, “Sorry. There’s no need to get snippy.”

Wolffe opens his mouth to say something, only to pause when Bee jogs over, “Alright Boys, and Girls and both and neither,” She says as she claps her hands, “The Airstrip is needed for an emergency medevac so we’re hauling out of here early. Get your stuff on board and make sure everything is secured.”

“Copy that, LT.” Rex says with a cheerful salute.

“Don’t you sass me, Rexy. I remember you as a pimply high schooler.”

“Yes, but I outgrew that. See, pimple free.” His grin widens, “You, however, are still short.”

“Get!” Bee shouts as she points at the plane, and Rex, laughing, hurries past her. And then she turns her glare on Wolffe, “How is he just as obnoxious now as he was when he was a kid?”

“It’s just his personality. Sorry, Bee.”

Bee scowls at him and then hurries off to go and find the politician, probably.

Wolffe shakes his head and joins his cousins at the plane, where he promptly smacks Rex across the back of the head, “You piss her off and I’m the one who pays for it, how’s that fair?”

Rex, for his part, doesn’t look the least bit apologetic. Which only serves to make Wolffe more annoyed with him. Still, he’s mature enough to let the situation settle as everyone climbs on the plane.

Wolffe stows his bag under some netting, and then climbs into the co-pilot’s seat, while making sure that everyone else is strapped in properly. He’s not so worried about Rex or Gregor, but the two civvies might need some help.

And then Bee is back, with an older man in tow. He’s wearing a nice suit, nicer than anything Wolffe has seen anyone wearing since he arrived here, and he’s holding a cloth over his mouth and nose.

“My dear,” The old man says in a raspy smoker’s voice, and Wolffe doesn’t even have to look at Bee to know that she rolled her eyes at the diminutive pet name, “Surely there’s someplace…private for me to sit?”

“Nope.” Bee replies, “Small transport vessel. No private rooms.” She points to an empty seat across from Gregor, next to the door, “Sit there.”

“Well, I suppose the door is the best seat.” He muses as he sits down and only fastens the belt around his waist.

“You need to fasten the-” Gregor starts.

“Young man, I know what I’m doing.” The older man interrupts with a sniff.

Bee rolls her eyes again and lightly claps Gregor on the shoulder, “Don’t worry about it.” She moves through the aisle, taking a moment to make sure that everything is secured, and then she moves into the cockpit and pulls the door shut behind her.

She tosses Wolffe a lopsided grin, and offers him the spare headset, “I know you don’t fly much anymore, Commander, but surely you can co-pilot for one flight?”

Wolffe chuckles and takes the headset, pulling it on, “Well, I suppose I’d better.” He leans back in his seat and he watches as she effortlessly goes through the pre-flight check.

Less than fifteen minutes later, the plane is in the air, and pulling away from the airfield. And Bee activates her radio, “Alright everyone, as of now, our flight will take three hours, we’re taking a circuitous route to avoid a storm-”

She’s interrupted when the radio from the back crackles to life, “Absolutely not! I refuse to spend more time in this tin can than I have to. Take a shorter route or I’ll have your job!”

Bee glances at Wolffe, and then sighs, “As you wish. Then our flight will take an hour.” She cuts the radio, and glances at Wolffe, “This is going to go horribly.”

“Maybe we’ll get lucky?” Wolffe offers.

Bee just sighs, and turns her gaze out the front window, “We won’t.”

Wolffe wakes with a pained groan. His head is throbbing.

Actually, his everything is throbbing. Including his eyelashes.

His eyes crack open and the sun, high overhead, nearly blinds him.

Wait. Sun?

Wolffe opens his eyes properly. The top of the plane is gone. He’s still strapped to his seat, luckily, and he still seems to be in the cockpit, but the roof is gone.

“Bee?” He, painfully, turns his head to the side, looking towards the pilot’s seat. Bee is still strapped in her seat, her head lolled to her chest, blood dripping from a wound on her temple. “Bee!”

She groans at his voice, “Stop yelling,” Bee’s eyes crack open and she groans, “Ow…”

“What happened?” Wolffe asks, “Do you remember?”

“I was ordered to take a shortcut, and then-”

The storm.

The clouds came from nowhere. One moment there were clear skies, and then it was like flying through a hurricane. Wolffe had been forced to actually co-pilot to help Bee keep the plane under control.

“-the door ripped off,” Wolffe remembers, vague memories of the various consoles flaring to life in front of him as the side door opened.

“Which would have caused a pressure imbalance,” Bee agrees, as she unfastens her harness and falls out of her seat, “Which would lead to-” She gestures to where the roof used to be. “You okay?”

“I think my everything is bruised.” Wolffe says as he pulls his own harness off and reaches for the door separating the cockpit from the rest of the plane.

“Better bruised than dead,” Bee replies logically as she adds her weight to the door. Together, they push the door open.

Rex and Gregor are unconscious, but clearly alive. As are the two civvies, Raya and Maty. The politician is missing.

“We’re missing one,” Wolffe notes as he checks over his cousins.

“Yeah, I don’t think we’ll find him.” Bee says, “he wasn’t wearing his harness.”

Wolffe glances at the ripped seat belt and silently concedes that she’s probably right. “We need to get them off the plane.”

“Yeah. Let’s make a path first, make sure we’re not bringing them into something more dangerous.” Bee says. “We have plenty of equipment, at least.” She adds with a wry smile.

“Small blessings.” Wolffe agrees, “Come on, Bee. Let’s see what we’re working with.”

He walks over to where the door used to be, and he hops out, with Bee hot on his heels. With luck, they’ll find someplace safe nearby. 

With luck, they’ll only be here for a couple of days.

Wolffe isn’t going to hold his breath, though. He’s never been very lucky.

[mlmshipbracket]

Fourth MLM Ship Bracket Propaganda Submissions

Below you will find all of the submitted and approved ships for the Fourth MLM Ship Bracket Tournament along with the form to submit further propaganda at the bottom

This is another opportunity to submit propaganda for your favorite ships. Wether you were unable to submit propaganda for them in the initial form or you spot your favorite ship who has no propaganda submitted. Ships with a strikethrough have propaganda submitted, I will continue to update this post as propaganda is submitted. I will accept further propaganda for ships with already submitted propaganda but please prioritize those with out.

The goal is to have propaganda for all ships but I understand that may not be possible. Therefore I will be leaving the form open for a few weeks to see if we receive propaganda for at least half the ships.

Note: Please reach out to me if you spot any mistakes in character or fandom names, even if it is only formatting or spelling issues.

Monkey D. Luffy/Roronoa Zoro (One Piece)

Kyojuro Rengoku/Akaza (Demon Slayer)

Mikhail”Misha” [Heavy]/Dr. Ludwig [Medic] (Team Fortress 2)

Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas (Homestuck)

Chu Shuzhi/Guo Changcheng (Guardian, 2018)

Oliver Marks/James Farrow (If We Were Villains)

David Starsky/Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson (Starsky & Hutch)

Tinn/Gun (My School President)

Loki Odinson/Mobius M. Mobius (Loki)

Jaime Reyes/Bart Allen (DC Comics)

Levi Schmitt/Nico Kim (Grey's Anatomy)

Ren Amamiya or Akira Kurusu/Goro Akechi (Persona 5)

Wallace Price/ Hugo Freeman (Under the Whispering Door)

Daffy Duck/Bugs Bunny (Looney Toons)

Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan (Guardian, 2018)

Isak Valtersen/Even Bech Næsheim (SKAM)

Henry "Monty" Montague/Percy Newton (Montague Siblings)

Nico di Angelo/Will Solace (Camp Half-Blood Chronicles)

Argos/Mr. Plant (The World of Mr. Plant)

Richard St Vier/Alec Campion (Swordspoint Universe)

Klaus Hargreeves/Dave Katz (The Umbrella Academy)

Woody/Buzz Lightyear (Toy Story)

Victor Lawson/Hap (In the Lives of Puppets

Charlie/Babe (Pit Babe The Series)

Fred/Shaggy (Scooby-Doo)

Simon Snow/Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Grimm-Pitch (Carry On)

Gaius Octavius/Jedediah Smith (Night at the Museum)

Sound/Win (My School President)

Pat/Pran (Bad Buddy)

Mike Wazowski/James "Sulley" P. Sullivan (Monsters, Inc.)

Nicholas “Nick” Bell/ Seth Gray (The Extraordinaries)

Evan 'Buck' Buckley/Edmundo 'Eddie' Diaz (9-1-1)

Sean/White (Not Me: The Series)

Vegas Theerapanyakun/Pete Saengtham (Kinnporsche: The Series)

Runaan/Ethari (The Dragon Prince)

Larry Daley/Ahkmenrah (Night at the Museum)

Tintin/Captain Archibald Haddock (Tintin comics)

Bai Lang/Jin Xun An (My Tooth Your Love)

Napoleon Solo/Illya Kuryakin (The Man from U.N.C.L.E)

Wario/Waluigi (Mario franchise)

Peter Parker/Miguel O'Hará (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse)

Steve Rogers/Anthony "Tony" Stark (Marvel Comics)

Dave Miller/Jack "Old sport" Kennedy (Dayshift at Freddy's)

Boston/Nick (Only Friends)

Kinn Theerapanyakun/Porsche Kittisawasd (Kinnporsche: The Series)

Satoru Gojo/Suguru Geto (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Craig Cuttlefish/Octavio Takowasa (Splatoon)

Tulio/Miguel (The Road to El Dorado)

Sun Wukong/Neptune Vasilias (RWBY)

Zachary Ezra Rawlins/Dorian (The Starless Sea)

Fox Mulder/Alex Krycek (The X-Files)

Thomas/Newt (The Maze Runner)

Fulgrim/Ferrus Manus (Warhammer 40k)

Kim Theerapanyakun/Porchay Kittisawasd (Kinnporsche: The Series)

Alec Lightwood/Magnus Bane (The Mortal Instruments)

Tan/Bun (Manner of Death)

Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi (RWBY)

Rhy Maresh/Alucard Emery (Shades of Magic)

Yashiro Isana/Kuroh Yatogami (K Project)

Jaskier/Geralt of Rivia (The Witcher)

Dustfinger/Mortimer "Mo" Folchart (Inkworld series)

Brandon/Sky (Winx Club)

Phineas Taylor “P. T.” Barnum/Phillip Carlyle (The Greatest Showman)

Alfred Hillinghead/Henry Ashe (Bodies TV Show)

Baal/Inanna (The Wicked + the Divine)

Timothy "Tim" Drake/Bernard Dowd (DC Comics)

Vash the Stampede/Nicholas D. Wolfwood (Trigun Stampede)

Anthony Lockwood/Quill Kipps (Lockwood and Co)

Henry Winter/Francis Abernathy (The Secret History)

Crowley/Aziraphale (Good Omens)

Dainix/Falst (Aurora Comic)

Prince Rupert/Prince Amir (The Two Princes)

Finn/Poe Dameron (Star Wars)

Jean Luc Picard/Q (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

Will Stronghold/Warren Peace (Sky High)

Heart/Li Ming (Moonlight Chicken)

Wallace Wells/Todd Ingram (Scott Pilgrim Takes Off)

Sunai/Veyadi Lut (The Archive Undying)

Linus Baker/Arthur Parnassus (The House in the Cerulean Sea)

Aaron Slaughter/Jace Boucher (House of Slaughter)

Hercule Poirot/Captain Arthur Hastings (Hercule Poirot)

Phaya/Tharn (The Sign)

Hercules/Iolaus (Hercules: The Legendary Journeys)

Todd/Black (Not Me: The Series)

Julio "Rictor" Esteban Richter/Shatterstar (Marvel Comics)

Wen Kexing/Zhou Zishu (Word of Honor)

Siffrin/Isabeau (In Stars and time)

Kendall Knight/Logan Mitchell (Big Time Rush TV Show)

Yuichiro Hiyakuya/Mikaela Hyakuya (Owari no Seraph/Seraph of the End)

Palm/Nuengdiao (Never Let Me Go)

Khatha/Dome (Midnight Museum)

Asterix/Obelix (Asterix Comics)

Bowser/Luigi (Mario Franchise)

Lucien "Luc" O'Donnell/Oliver Blackwood (London Calling)

Kazuki Kurusu/Rei Suwa (Buddy Daddies)

Benjamin “Ben” Tennyson/Kevin Ethan Levin (Ben 10: Alien Force)

Lumière/Cogsworth (Beauty and the Beast)

Damian Wayne/Jon Kent (DC Comics)

Spy/Dell Conagher [Engineer] (Team Fortress 2)

Shanks/Buggy (One Piece)

Jesper Fahey/Wylan Van Ecks (Six of Crows)

Harold Finch/John Reese (Person of Interest)

Ulrich Stern/Odd Della Robbia (Code Lyoko)

Vincent Freeman/Jerome Morrow (Gattaca)

Eustass Kid/Killer (One Piece)

Christopher Hitchcock/Jalil Sherman (Everworld)

Frodo Baggins/Samwise Gamgee (Lord of the Rings)

Edgin Darvis/Xenk Yendar (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves)

[fluorescencefuture]

I'm back and I made a fake phase (Phase X: Shinigami)

- The word on the eye in the "album cover" is shinigami (死神), "death god". It's specifically named after the rakugo story Shinigami, about a doctor who takes advantage of a shinigami's power to scam money out of patients. The shinigami eventually brings karma to the doctor. (related, you should check out the song by Kenshi Yonezu about this story, which has a bit of a Gorillaz vibe)

- King Tama => kintama (金玉), "golden balls", slang for nutsack

- Enma is the king of Hell in Japanese Buddhist mythology. The flower in Lady Enma's hair is a red spider lily, which usually symbolizes death. Her tattoo is of cherry blossoms, which symbolize transience. Her mask is a hannya, a female demon.

- Noodle's wearing a kitsune mask, which are trickster foxes. The yokai in the first image are a gashadokuro (giant skeleton that eats people at 2AM) and tsukumogami (tools like lanterns, sandals, and umbrellas that come to life after 100 years). The one Russel's holding in the bonus doodle is also a tsukumogami.

[mirror-ralsei]

MINI THEORY: Egg-veryman

Look, I'm not the first or only person to believe the man behind the tree might be Everyman. Just from a quick search, here's a theory and depiction preceding mine: 1 (huecycles), 2 (JJayBlaze123).

But as of the Spamton Sweepstakes, I do agree they're our most likely candidate. Here's a breakdown of all the evidence that personally led me to that conclusion.

Let's take a look at details we know about the egg man that might help us identify him:

The room's layout resembles mysteryman and “[redacted]”

He seems to exist in a cat state, just like the eggs he gives.

Noelle's story may imply, if the man is anything like his eggs, that the man is disturbing in some way.

There is graffiti clue of the egg tree in the same color as the ICE-E spraypaint in the alley. (Credit to VGFM for noticing this!)

He can be seen in a car.

While in the car, he is waving at us, and he “might be happy to see” us.

Spamton may know him.

He has never spoken out loud.

Comparing this to Everyman:

Everyman has not appeared in the overworld yet. (Unconfirmed)

We don't know enough about UTDR's cat states or Everyman to confirm or deny this point. (Unconfirmed)

Everyman is disturbing enough to have their first appearance be in the True Lab lmao (Likely)

Graffiti of Everyman is right next to the ICE-E graffiti. (Plausible)

We don't know if Everyman can drive lol (Unconfirmed)

We don't know if Everyman would wave to us or not, since we know little about them, but they are described as “Just a good guy who shows up on occasion,” and “might be happy to see you” seemingly would either be a reference to a cat state (as in “they might be happy, they might not be”), or referring to being uncertain if the egg man is happy (as in “they might be happy, but I could be wrong”) - the latter would make sense, as Everyman has never emoted with their face in any appearance so far, and would thus be difficult to read. (Plausible)

We don't know for sure if Spamton knows Everyman, but we do have this interesting line: “WE DON'T NEED ANY [Man, Woman or Child] [At Half-Price]!” While it's unclear what character, if any, “[At Half-Price!]” is referring to*, every other bracket in these “WE DON'T NEED...”s seems to indicate a character Spamton knows: [Easels] seems to be Swatch, [CRTs] seems related to an upcoming Chapter 3 character from the “cathode crew,” and obviously there's Mike. And I suspect that “[Man, Woman or Child]” may indicate “Everyman.” It includes the “man” part while throwing out a generic umbrella for a lot of people - "every." (Plausible)

Everyman has never spoken out loud. In fact, their silence is such a notable part of their character that their Queen battle cameo has them give a noticably blank dialogue bubble, in stark contrast with all the others. They visibly fall to their knees in agony when overtaken by butterflies, but cannot scream. Even their visual design has them noticably lacking a mouth. (Likely)

As you can see, many of these points range from plausible matches to confirmed ones. And the remaining points are left inconclusive, not deconfirmations.

There's also these additional clues:

The egg given to Noelle was titled ““SPECIAL”” in quotations and without a period. In the first documentation of Everyman's name, Fox replied “”Everyman”” exclusively in quotations and without a period.

Noelle notes that the egg “didn't seem to be doing anything" - in most of Everyman's appearances, they do not move, with the exceptions being after they are attacked and taken over by butterflies, and while they are propelled by a carousel (but still stationary themself).

Everyman is made of round shapes, which could concievably allow them to appear in Cat Petterz.

Subjectively, Everyman resembles a white, embryonic-looking bird, all of which relate to eggs. Spamton even mentions the white color of the egg man's eggs when saying “A WHITE ONE, THAT'S SURELY [another man's treasure].”

Subjectively, I think the Waltz of Seccom Masada, or whatever the egg room theme is called now, suits the Everyman character very well: starts in major key to indicate friendliness, but something is slightly, unnervingly off about it...strange, even. (ba dum tss) Everyman's visual design is similarly made up of round, friendly shapes, yet is very disturbing due to a variety of factors.

“Just a good guy who shows up on occasion” perfectly describes the egg man's appearances behind the trees.

Again, Everyman is also heavily tied to the term “man”: both with “Everyman” and “strangeman.”

Literally clones their head like an egg.

We know little about Everyman, but what we do know seems to line up with the man behind the tree.

*(If I could hazard a guess, I don't actually think [At Half-Price!] is referring to a character, but a property about [Man, Woman, or Child]. Specifically, I think Spamton means that the character has been "cut in half" in some way. Why do I think this? See my theory about division through reflection, a motif that seems to be cropping up a lot.)

[myymi]

hi, have a snippet from my fic ✨

(full story)

i wanna say the whole fic is for wholesome wednesday, but idk if there’s too much angst in it for it to count so obewfoiwebf have a little bit of it that’s just fluff

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

Tails’s eyes narrowed, his namesake twitching behind him.

“Was that a sneeze, Sonic?” He asked slowly, causing the hedgehog to bite his lip, “did I just hear a sneeze come from the high speed hedgehog who never sneezes unless he’s sick?”

“Uhh,” he all but forced the umbrella into the fox’s hands, forcing out a cough, “sorry, bud, you must have me confused wit—“

Another sneeze.

Tails’s eyes narrowed even more.

“Sonic Maurice.”

“See you at home!” Sonic bolted, pretending he didn’t hear his name being shouted after him. He had definitely almost pushed past the sound barrier just to make sure he got away.

After all, Tails was more than capable of catching Sonic at his normal speed.

An angry little brother called for desperate measures.

—

“‘I’ve got a good immune system,’ he says,” Tails grumbled as he searched the bathroom for the thermometer, “‘I’m not gonna get sick,’ he says.”

“I can hear you!” Sonic called from his room, causing the kit to roll his eyes. He opened the mirror, glancing over the shelves.

“Good!” He yelled back, picking up the thermometer from the bottom shelf, along with the bottle of medicine next to it, “maybe it’ll help you hear how stupid you sound!” He closed the door.

The fox shook his head when he heard the other groan as he left the bathroom, quickly entering the hedgehog’s bedroom.

“Here,” he said as he walked up to the cocoon of blankets he had wrapped his big brother in, offering the thermometer, “open up.” He commanded, since the other’s arms were pinned under the covers.

“Tails,” Sonic rolled his eyes, “I’m fin—“

He gagged when the thermometer was shoved into his mouth, cutting off his sentence.

“Deal with it,” Tails placed the medicine on the bedside table and crossed his arms over his chest.

The teen glared up at his brother, “Don’t you think you’re overreacting, bud?” He mumbled, trying to free himself from the blankets.

“You’re not getting out of that,” The kit stated, promptly ignoring the question and sitting on the bed, “so get comfortable.”

Sonic sniffled as the thermometer beeped, indicating it had finished taking the hedgehog’s temperature.

Tails tugged it out much more gently than he had put it in, reading the tiny screen.

101.4

He frowned and stood, setting the thermometer on the table next to the medicine. “How’s your head feeling?”

“Fine,” Sonic responded instantly, “like the rest of me.”

“Headache, then.” Tails mumbled, heading for the door, “I’ll get you some painkillers.” He said before leaving the room, shutting the door gently behind him.

Sonic groaned again, finally deciding to give up on trying to wiggle out of the blankets he was trapped under. Despite his annoyance, he couldn’t help but smile at his brother’s actions.

As insufferable as this was, he did appreciate the fox’s efforts. Even if he was being rougher than was necessary.

[ezzyuhh]

okay so some of you might already know about this but i just happened upon some of the most interesting japanese folklore that i'm so happy to share with anyone and everyone that will listen.

this is a japanese raccoon dog, also known as tanuki. they are pretty much the cutest things ever ever ever and behave like raccoons in the way that they are nocturnal and they eat garbage but they're actually a part of the canidae family which include things like dogs, wolves and foxes whereas raccoons are more closely related to mustelids which include things like badgers, otters and weasels. the animal by itself is very interesting and adorable and fun to learn about, but you know what's better ? you know what's absolutely the best thing about them ? THE FOLKLORE.

bake-danuki is a type of yōkai commonly associated with tanuki. they're known to be mischievous tricksters, and one of their abilities is to shapeshift. there's a saying that goes, "the fox has seven disguises, the tanuki has eight." kitsune are also known to transform and shapeshift, but they're known to shapeshift to tempt people ... tanuki ? they just want to see you look STUPID. like a complete FOOL. their whole deal is just to fuck with you and i think that's hilarious. okay okay but anyway, you wanna hear about the best part ... right ? you wanna hear about the best part right ???

they can shapeshift into people yada yada yada yes that's very cool but their more interesting thing that they're known for ? THEIR GIANT BALLS. they are known to stretch their fucking balls for various reasons.

they've been known to use them as sails for boats, fishing nets, umbrellas, cloaks, etc. it's mostly in art and not talked about in stories as much, but i just think it's the funniest god damn thing. they say that metal workers needed something that could stretch without breaking in order to hammer down gold to make it as thin as possible. apparently, tanuki balls started being sold as wallets and charms, said to stretch your money as it did the gold.

also a fun tidbit that i didn't know was that animal crossing's tom nook is based on tanuki, not a raccoon ! (and tom nook ... tanuki ... ah ...) anyway ! look into tanuki/bake-danuki if you want (i highly suggest it because as funny as it is, it's also just very cool)

forgive me for any misinformation and feel free to correct me !!!

[tex-now]

Can you tell us about the miraculous AU 👁️👁️ because I haven't seen the show in 4 years but thinking about Mafuyu as adrien is. Mhm. I am totally normal about this.

Also I think Mafuyu is the only one who can get behind Plaggs weird cheese addiction (she lacks sense of taste might as well lack smell too)

OH FUCK YEAH!!!!! Okay so I'm still in the early planning phase for it, aka trying to nail down all of the miraculous holders and stuff before I even plan the story lmao.

So for miraculous so far:

Ichika: ladybug obviously

Saki: I have no idea man. She might get either the pig or the fox or the bee. The bee is most likely rn

Shiho: The turtle!! Pretty easy choice but I was also considering the ox at one point. Or the bunny but shh

Honami: undecided but probably the dog or the pig. She's fighting emu for it though

Mafuyu: black cat. She would have gotten the dragon but. I wanted her to be the Adrien of this au

Mizuki: the fox but I REALLY need to come up with a more unique design

Kanade: the peacock. No further elaboration

Ena: the goat. Come on it was made for her

Tsukasa: currently fighting rui for the horse. I'm not sure who I want to give it to.... I have a design for tsukasa but rui would do really well with it. He might get the dragon or the rooster

Rui: probably gonna get the horse....

Nene: the snake because she's not a fighter AND I have an idea for her design

Emu: the pig obviously or surprisingly the monkey! Idk she would be awesome with the monkey I just know it. I also considered giving her the peacock or the butterfly but I need a villain so. Neither of those are available rn

Shizuku: um.. the bunny is the best choice design wise but would shizuku be good with the bunny? Would she really? I'm not sure

Airi: ox. I considered the tiger but there were complications

Minori: rooster or mouse minori im not sure. Probably the mouse. Maybe the dog

Haruka: the dragon probably. She, other than shizuku and mafuyu is a "perfect" girlie, so she's the second choice for the dragon. Maybe. OOO or the bunny

Kohane: ummm... maybe the rooster or the mouse.... idk...

An: the tiger the tiger the tiger i knew from the moment I made this that an was getting the tiger

Oh there are some other things

Leoni break up is still a Thing

Mafuyu and saki are besties

Mafuyu is NOT a sentimonster her mom just sucks ass

A Remixed umbrella scene happens and it's with a different part of the love square

Saki Mizuki and kohane all work together to run this au's Ladyblog

Ichika and Mizuki are seatmates and so are mafuyu and saki

Tsukasa and rui still go to different schools but im not sure if the others do too

Akito and Toya don't get miraculous. Because I said so

Umm that's it so far. Yeagh I'm not far into it at all hsshhash

[the-gay-cousin-666]

Pt. 2 of Neil experiencing things he missed out on growing up

When summer hits, the Foxes pack up and spend a day at the beach. They manage to steal a spot where there's not many children around and spread out towels and umbrellas into a big chill spot

Not that anyone stays there for too long. Matt, Dan and Nicky are in the water immediately and Alison with Renee aren't far behind.

Neil needs a little more time to warm up to the idea. There is a lot of noise (not the good kind of exy-stadium-noise) and it's setting off his flight response, so he clings closer to Andrew than he normally would have.

He keeps his bands and t-shirt on, not really comfortable putting his scars on display.

He joins the water group eventually, after borrowing Renee's sunscreen because he didn't think to get one for himself and Kevin wouldn't stop pestering him.

(here is where I finally think to ask if Neil can swim... Let's say he can for the sake of this post)

They splash around, throw sand at each other and play what's-his-face in the deeper water, and Neil actually genuinely laughs.

It's not too long before Andrew walks into the water. He'd rather stay in the shade but that would mean listening to Kevin blabber about exy. They are on vacation for gods sake.

He stays in the shallow area where the water is only halfway to his knees, a safe distance from the racket of the games, but Neil makes his way to him almost immediately.

They're sporting the same outfit and Dan manages to sneak a picture (parallel to the airport coats eeeeey).

Andrew says he doesn't like getting wet but he agrees to a swim around the buoys when the others leave to buy some food.

It's a quiet peaceful swim, even though Neil might have splashed Andrew on purpose a few times and Andrew might have splashed back but nobody can prove anything.

They come out just in time for early dinner, so they all wind down in the shade and get stuffed with tacos before packing up.

Neil still managed to get sunburn somehow. (so did Kevin even though he left the shade for exactly five minutes)

Oof only managed to fit one thing this time but I'm having a lot of fun with these (pt.3 already in my drafts)

I might use some of these for my "No cats on the counter" series. (Next story will be the Christmas Markets from pt.1 and then we'll see where it goes)

[sweetsmellosuccess]

Deadpool & Wolverine

Dir. Shawn Levy

Early on in Shawn Levy's tumultuous MCU action flick, Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds, as always) starts casually referring to himself as the "Marvel Jesus." Sardonic blasphemes aside, the joke works because, in a sense, it's so achingly true. The MCU has been in a tight, downward death spiral ever since the scintillating crescendo of the early phase films, Avengers: Endgame, flailing around, attempting to reset the audience meter with the next batch of characters, lesser known, and given much less coherent storylines. In true Disney fashion, the MCU has been bleeding itself dry, with a neverending cavalcade of "content," via movies and TV shows, with ever more dwindling results. 

The dismal apex of the second wave of MCU faire came last year, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which was as thoroughly soulless and badly constructed as an outhouse made out of Fritos. Shrill, incoherent, and filled with half-assed CGI effects that felt nearly insulting, the movie got trounced by audiences and critics alike (finally, some agreement!), and left the MCU to hole up and nurse its wounds, especially after the utter failure of last December's The Marvels (a superior film to Quantumania, but with even worse box office results). 

It's no secret the MCU has been in decline, spreading itself far too thin, and producing inferior work in the process. This year, Marvel has sagely decided to back off the endless churn of new releases, instead focusing their efforts on one release in calendar year 2024, which also just so happens to be a) The introduction of Deadpool (formerly a Fox property) into the MCU proper; and b) The first-ever "R" rated film in the MCU pantheon. 

Thus, the "Marvel Jesus," has burst through the building, and is attempting to resurrect a once revered brand, now fallen on callow times. So, no pressure, Mr. Levy, your film just has to meet the sky-high expectations of Deadpool Nation, while also rejuvenating an entire massive entertainment empire on its lonesome. Just how effectively it manages to achieve these lofty goals remains to be seen, but I can report that the film certainly gives it its best shot. 

With a script co-written by Levy, Reynolds, and a host of others, the film takes solid aim at the myriad of mistakes and miscues that has befallen the MCU over the years, incorporating 'Pool's murderously savage derisory jeers to poke righteous (and deserved) fun at the mothership, while retaining the series' gleefully indecorous, hyper-violent tone. 

As for the story, bear with me a minute. Yes, there is, indeed a multi-verse element, which I think by now we can all agree  —  with the notable exception for the Sony Spiderverse films, which remain delightful  — has just become rote and spent: A Get Out of Jail free card for overmatched screenwriters, and a means of re-incorporating extant properties under one mouse-eared umbrella.

That said, we meet Mr. Pool as he’s busy excavating Wolverine’s grave from Logan, James Mangold’s darkly somber (and significantly superior) film from 2017, meant to have been Hugh Jackman’s last time donning the Adamantium claws. As he does so, he’s pushed into laying waste to a bevy of Time Variance Authority enforcers. 

Out of context, we have no real idea why he’s doing what he’s doing, and so, cue the backstory: Because (spoiler alert) Logan has died on this earth, the entire planet’s timestream has become disrupted, and has gotten the ill attention of TVA operative Mr. Paradox (Matthew MacFadyen), itching to try out his unsanctioned doomsday device that would do away with that entire universe to clean up the timeline mess.  Faced with the real possibility of losing everyone he cares about, including former GF Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), former X-Force buddy Peter (Rob Delaney), and Dopinder (Karan Soni), Deadpool takes it upon himself to steal a multiverse transverser and hunt down a Wolverine from a different universe in order to use him to repopulate the missing Wolverine from his planet, thus sparing the universe Mr. Paradox’s planned extinction. 

Things don’t exactly go as planned. Eventually, DP does find a Wolverine, of sorts, but, as he himself puts it, he gets the “worst” one, a Wolverine who managed to let down his entire X-Men team, allowing them to all get slaughtered. Going from bad to worse, the pair of misfit brutes eventually find themselves deposed on a dead, post-apocalyptic desert world, like something out of the Mad Max-verse, running afoul of the local ruler of said wasteland, Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin), a wildly powerful psionic type (and sister to Charles Xavier, founder of the original X-Men). 

Ergo, DP and Wolverine have to somehow make their way off this hostile plane of existence, with the help of a few former Marvel castoffs, get back to DP’s universe in time to stop Mr. Paradox from his diabolical plans, all while avoiding the army of alternate universe Deadpools, gathered together as a tribe of red-clad mercenaries (the cutest of which, without a doubt, Dogpool). 

There are certainly more hits than misses in this go-round, with some of the deprecating take downs ("Pegging isn’t new to me, friendo, but it is to Disney!") coming so rapid fire and from the hip, you have almost no choice but to fall for at least a few of them. True to form, DP is particularly merciless to the so-called hand that feeds him, putting Marvel in the crosshairs for some inspired burns (“Welcome to the MCU,” DP tells Wolverine, “but you’re hitting it at a bit of a low point.’) The film is filled to the brim with an enormous number of similar MCU full-body takedowns, profane quips, and wanton acts of violence, which helps distract from the fact that the story, such as it is, doesn’t really make a ton of sense, and seems to lose what steam it does have by the third act. Previous DP flicks have done the work of reaching a satisfying conclusion amidst all the dick jokes and beheadings, but here, Levy, Reynolds, and the rest of the writing team seem to have exhausted themselves in the first two acts, leaving the film’s climax severely underpowered. 

Still, apart from everything else, the film represents a desperately needed palate cleanser for the MCU from the last few years, a chance to show the world the company can acknowledge their missteps, and laugh at their mistakes. It's the first step of regaining their toehold on pop culture, and a welcome opportunity to reapproach their existing future projects with these painful lessons in mind. 

It's a hopeful idea, though I would be remiss if I didn't point out after this relatively quiet year, 2025 has three more MCU films slated to open. We can only hope they take this brief reprieve and do something extraordinary with it -- though, cynically speaking, I have my doubts. 

[stephsageek]

I am not Dead! Or at least, I'm not not updating my Five x Lila fic, which I have not done since April. But with the momentum of S4 blowing wind into my sails, I managed to finish it up. If you enjoyed the Thing, that was Five x Lila in S4, I invite you to try out this AU, based on the premise of Five and Lila being paired up as partners at the Commission. I started this series all the way back in 2022. This is the 3rd story in the series. Please enjoy!

A preview:

SLAM!

Number Five brushed his hands against each other after roughly shutting the trunk of their original stolen Chevy Impala they had managed to return to.

“Damn—heavier than ya’ look,” he groused to no one in particular. He placed his hands on the small of his back and bowed backward slightly, stretching out the sore muscles.

A physically augmented super-assassin, he may be, but he certainly wasn't getting any younger.

“How we lookin,’ Fuchs?” he asked as he leaned over to check on his partner.

THUNK! THUNK!

Five watched as two comically large masks were thrown over her shoulder and onto the asphalt—an orange-furred fox with a wide grin and lolling tongue; the other, a blue-toned and behatted rabbit smoking a carrot like a cigar. Next came several rounds of ammo, an axe, a machete, a couple of hand grenades, that caused Five to hiss as they hit the ground, a 1962 Armalite AR-15, and an AK-12 Kalashnikov rifle.

“We are looking A-O.K.! Looks like everything is here and accounted for, Hase-luv!”

Lila’s voice was muffled by her position, leaning fully into the backseat, with half of her body inside an oversized duffle bag.

“Well, thank heavens for small mercies,” Five muttered as he glanced down at their briefcase sat at his feet.

Lila crawled backward, bending down to retrieve the oversized rabbit mask, and threw it at her partner like a bowling ball. It crashed into Five’s stomach, knocking the wind out of him with an oomph! He tried to frown at her grinning expression, but he couldn’t help but smile when she winked playfully.