#he's already the one who is under the virus influence

[xitsensunmoon]

Can someone PLEASE take a notice of the fact that shattered Eclipse from ruin has the biggest and the most noticeable damage specifically on Moon's side? I'm going to cry from all the angst that this universe puts my boy through

[yasmimkilleruwu]

your headcanons about toby? :D

Some hcs about Toby ^^

Connie, Lyra and Toby wore a matching lanyard, they each had one, but Toby ended up losing his and ended up without it, he actually looked everywhere but couldn't find it, after Lyra's death Toby's mother gave it to him Lyra's necklace for Toby, so he would always remember her and have her close by.

Under no circumstances touch Toby's cord.

He tried to take his own life several times, but Slenderman didn't allow him to do so, but Slenderman doesn't stop him from hurting himself.

Eyeless Jack helps Toby stop cutting himself, he knows how many and where each scar is, so when Toby gets a new cut, he tries to prevent Jack from touching it.

He lived in the mansion, but after a while he started living in a cabin with the Heartless and the X-Virus.

Toby goes days without sleeping, so X-Virus, Heartless, Kate and Eyeless Jack try to make him sleep more, because even though he doesn't have missions, he can't sleep.

Toby was a little homophobic because of his father's influence, but Lyra told him that he shouldn't listen to their father, as it was a bad thought, so he didn't care so much, but his father ended up contaminating it a little his head.

Because of Toby's father's influence, Toby suppressed his feelings for Eyeless Jack and ignored Eyeless Jack for a long time, only going to Eyeless Jack if he really had to, but that didn't last long.

After Toby's father's influence passed, Toby started to wear more extravagant clothes, but he only wears this type of clothes sometimes, he started to accept the clothing suggestions that Nina suggested for him. {Jack liked this change .}

He convinced Eyeless Jack to wear more extravagant and elegant clothes too, as he wanted Eyeless Jack to wear clothes that showed off his body more.

Also influenced by his father, Toby repressed all the feelings he had, his father scolded him when he was crying, saying he was weak and several other things.

Toby is the type of person who forgets everything he's supposed to do, but Eyeless Jack is almost always there to remind Toby of everything.

He gets distracted very easily, so Kate or Hoodie give him missions separately from the other proxies, so they can explain everything so he doesn't get distracted by others.

He used to bring hidden animals to the mansion, so he could have some kind of company, but he stopped when he saw that Slenderman killed them all.

He and the X-Virus are afraid of spiders, this fear got worse when the Heartless caught their attention saying that she had something to show, and when she opened her mouth a spider came out of her mouth.

He's very flexible, he does a lot of crazy poses and of course he doesn't mind as he doesn't feel pain.

It is very common for blood to come out of his nose, as he is almost always stressed.

Sometimes he hurt himself on purpose just to see Jack, because there was a time when he could only see Jack if he was hurt.

Toby's favorite birthday was when, in the afternoon, he had a big party thrown by his closest friends and in the evening Eyeless Jack made a big dinner for the two of them, he received several gifts that day.

He hates being called Ticci, he doesn't know himself or actually doesn't remember why, but he really hates being called that.

Toby is one of the most agile and fast proxies, he is very dangerous if you really irritate him.

He is demiromantic and pansexual. {He is also asexual, but he still feels sexual attraction, but very little.}

{I have several hcs about him, I already said some in another post I made talking about him and Eyeless Jack.}

{And I'm sorry for any writing errors.}

[lil-artist-blog-fandoms-ocs]

After all said and done I really hope they don't just kill Nexus off. I mean, he's clearly under the influence of something, be that the shards or virus or anything that was triggered by his grief

I may hate how his family handled this whole situation all I want, but deep down I know that they did what they could. They aren't perfect, no one is in this show (except Solar). They went to Nexus, because he was Moon and they were used that the Moons always fixed things. This sucks, but that's honestly what real people do in situations like that, they try to seek familiarity, something that they know and something that could bring them comfort.

Was it fair for Nexus? Hell nah. Can I see why they did that? Yeah.

They tried to take some pressure off him later, sure, but the damage had already been done.

Nexus loved his family. He didn't want to disappoint them, he didn't want to be a failure. He was a Moon and he had to find a way to fix everything.

And then the influence of something comes around and everything goes to shit and Nexus becomes this caricature of a villain, who does bad things just for fun.

Guys, we're talking about the same character that cured cancer, bought his brother a house, so he could have a quiet place to relax, and made his sister a new body, because she was feeling insecure. Are we sure he's not being influenced by something??

I hope, I really hope that they realize that this messed up lil guy isn't who he really is and figure out how to help him. Not kill him off how they like to do with villains in this show.

Nexus is an extreme example of a kid who was born into a family with high expectations for him and who snapped under the pressure

[blush-bblushing]

Blush blush guys headcanons pt 2

Guys: anon, garret, Dimitri, ichiban, William, and myx

Cws: none

Hc's under the cut!

Anon:

Everyone knows Anon despises being touched. At least 99% of the time he does. During the rare 1% where he likes it, there's one thing he loves doing. That would be linking pinkies. Something so small, almost childish, and it brings him joy. If he trusts someone enough he'll do it. Mainly for pinkie promises and walks. It's fun for both parties involved. He also doesn't have to tolerate too much skin contact! So it's a win/win in his book.

He can deny it all he wants. He could make fake posts about hating it. And he could even hide the game from his library- none of that could disprove the fact that Anon loves stardew valley. It's a cute game! It's the feeling of living a life outside of norms. No "real" job, no stress(unless he's speedrunning), and especially no sun to fry him. He can simulate going outside! I'm not saying Anon doesn't go outside often. But like any gamer he prefers his air conditioned bedroom

In game he already has freckles. It came free with being a red head. If one were to somehow convince him to be outside longer than 4 minutes, they'd get to see them multiply. Freckles will scatter among his arms and face. As a kid he used to be embarrassed about this. No matter how often his grandmother called them angelkisses/stars. With enough effort, he can one day grow to like them.

(Fun fact: this is the last headcanon I'm writing for this post :]) Anon canonically can hack just about anything. Who's to say he doesn't hack marshmallows devices for wholesome pranks. A virus that just reminds them to take a break from being online. Their social media bios being changed ro some copypasta. Or something else more ridiculous than that. The possibilities are endless for him

Garret:

As much as some people may clown on him, I believe he's actually quite intelligent. The problem is that English isn't his native language. What this language is could be German or another language with an accent similar to his. If marshmallow/mc spoke that language, they could see how much he truly knows. And to be frank- I like to believe that over time his English gets better.

Speaking of his intelligence: garret is smart in the nontraditional sense. He's great with outdoor skills, basic medicine (mainly human, a bit of animal car too), cooking, among other things. That doesn't mean he cannot read or so math! He's at an average level with most people. His heart is simply set on knowledge that, according to him, can help people. And the way he met marshmallow proves that. Had he not been a bull, then I'm certain that cat would've went right into his arms ♡

This is kind of self indulgent- he sleeps with weighted blankets. Garret's quite strong. He's probably used to everything being light for him. On nights where the blankets don't cover him enough, he'll grab the weighted alternative. And I don't mean the smaller ones that are 5lbs or 2.26kg. I'm talking 25lbs or 11.33kg. Something that takes a bit more effort to move. Yet it still comfortably holds him down.

As a kid he was shy. This is primarily due to him feeling more comfortable with animals. They're calmer, quieter, and a lot easier to get along with. It felt like he could show his intentions a lot easier. Once the game begins he's just barely beginning to socialize more. Which also explains his oddly forward/awkward dialog. Aside from the language barrier.

Dimitri:

This might be a bit too deep for the game. But underneath his romantic front I think Dimitri is pretty vulnerable. It isn't like he's pretending to be someone else. It's moreso he needs to grow into his skin. Appreciate his less suave side. Not everyone can be perfect all the time. Marshmallows a good influence on him. Behind closed doors he's relaxed. There's a lot of ways this can be seen. The biggest is when he lets his hair down. Letting mc touch it, even braid it of he's in the mood. Dimitri's vulnerable side isn't extremely different. If he were to get comfortable and slip up around the guys, it may not be noticeable. For him however: it means everything. To be able to feel authentic.

On a lighter note he has multiple favorite flowers. Roses are obvious. Their association with love is the main reason he enjoys them. Another favorite of his azaleas. A flower which represents platonic/familial love. They remind him of his sister. (Who happens to be his closest friend). When he finds someone particularly enjoyable, he'll associate a flower with them. Marshmallow could honestly apply to any flower depending on how the player views them. So I'll leave that up to interpretation.

(I forgot if this is seen in any of his sprites) Dimitri adores getting his nails done. He mostly has them shaped & polished. Though occasionally he'll paint them to match an outfit such as the masquerade suit. Masculinity for him is having the confidence to take care of himself. He's actually a regular at the local spa! Sometimes, he takes his sister with him if she's stressed.

Ichiban:

Warning: youtuber inspired characters like ichiban, myx, and sven are a bit difficult for me. As not only are they inspired by real people, but they personally don't have much to them in my opinion. Please pardon how bare bones these (& other) headcanons may feel.

His hair wasn't always that colorful. At the start of his career ichibans hair was only dyed green at the ends. Videos from this era are considered lost media. He posts so much that the oldest hairstyle you can find is when he dyed it with 3 colors for the first time. The video he made about it changed his career forever. It's still one of his most watched videos to this day.

Some fans theorize he wears a wig. Surely his hair must be FRIED by now. Or if it isn't, he's been wearing a wig since the aforementioned video. Pretending to have multicolored hair so he can keep his hair healthy. There's fan videos supposedly finding "wig caps" or "odd hair" placements. Most have been either deleted, proven false, or ignored.

Lastly, his fan base got pretty torn about the whole tiger thing. Some claimed it made them love him more. Others claimed it turned them off. This uncertainty of opinion can be overwhelming. Luckily marshmallow was there to assure him when things got stressful.

William:

One HUGE headcanon I have is that Williams' parents were into animal care. Regardless of if it was their job or not. From a young age they taught him the importance of animal life. From the cutest kitten to the worst rat. He doesn't view any animal as more/less loceable than any other. Because of this, he's cared for animals that most vets refuse to care for. Personally, I think he's researched animals outside of his profession. You never know when you'll be nursing a lion.

(Might draw this in the future), but at one point his hair was longer. Before his career William had long dreadlocks. He took pride in how well he took care of his hair. Obviously, he still nurtures that hair now. He's just kept it short for work. Maybe one day he'll begin growing his hair out. Possibly if marshmallow reassures him he'd be able to work just fine. Considering it's been years since he first began working

I just know he has multiple playlists. At least one for every occasion. He's a man with good taste. And in my opinion I don't think he's one to box himself up. He may be dead set on his career, but he still appreciates fluidity. This also applies to his clothes. You'll never know what you'll get from him. Despite how often his style shifts, one thing is consistent: his personality. It'll shine through anything. It doesn't matter what he does. Something will scream "William".

In slight relation to the previous headcanon: part of his love language is gift giving. To fulfill this language he'll study his partner. Minor examples are what foods they eat the most and what songs they play the most. He collects a list of the little things. Until the occasion arises for him to spoil his partner. If you've ever seen those posts where someone has overly elaborate gift boxes, you'd know what Williams gifts look like.

Myx:

I don't see this talked about enough: his crochet/knitting hobby. Myx absolutely can make clothes and plushes. He probably even made some for marshmallow. (Or the other guys if you go with the whole shared house thing) Each item he makes with his yarn is catered to whoever he makes it for. I personally think he's collected multiple yarn types for different people. Have sensory issues with things that are too soft/too rough? He's got yarn for that. So.much.yarn. half his closet is yarn.

His "why wolf" costume was made last minute. His clever explanation was done on the spot. Man has been making content for yeeeeaaars. You can't tell me he doesn't know how to improv by now. Man forgot to dress up so he threw on his highschool jacket, drew a black nose, and called it a day. This costume ended up inspiring a Halloween special on his channel! Ended up becoming a hit. Mainly due to how silly it felt.

A man who cares that much about his hair is bound to have a complex night routine. After a long shower he has at least a 4 step skin care routine. Then a hair routine, stretch routine, and goodness knows what else. He also sleeps with a night mask and fluffy robe. He just loves to pamper himself <3

And done! Please do tell me of I should make more of these. I only have a few left of the main cast before I go into dlcs. That is if my memory is correct

[er1chartmann]

These are some facts and curiosities about Karl Brandt, the head of the Aktion T4:

He was born on 8th of January, 1904 in Alsace.

He began his studies in 1924, at the University of Jena, and in 1928, at the age of 24, he became a doctor.

A young doctor when he joined the Nazi party in 1932, he placed his hopes in the party for the recovery of the Alsace region, which in the meantime had returned under French rule (in 1919). A very important role in the formation of his thought was played by an Alsatian like him, the Nobel Peace Prize winner Albert Schweitzer, whose work as a missionary in Africa he however could not join for political and military reasons.

In 1934, at the age of just 29, he became the Führer's personal doctor . The conflict between the two was always quite heated. In fact, while Hitler's official doctor, Morell, was considered a charlatan, Karl Brandt was the scientific figure and traditional doctor of the Reich.

He was the man chosen by Hitler as the initiator of the T4 Program (the killing of disabled Germans) and as his supreme medical authority.

With these authorities, he was involved in roles of maximum responsibility in the sadly famous "scientific" experiments on human beings, including the one in which he himself asked the ReichsFührer, Heinrich Himmler, for authorization to carry out inoculations of the epidemic hepatitis virus in human beings.

He and Albert Speer were not only close friends, but also acted to save each other's lives. In 1944, Brandt used his enormous powers as General Commissioner of Medical Services and his friends to save the already ill Speer from Himmler's assassination attempt. Subsequently, on April 16, 1945, Brandt was arrested by the Gestapo and sentenced to death, as he was accused of high treason against the Führer. But on May 2 he was released by order of Karl Dönitz. In fact, upon hearing the news of his friend and colleague's arrest, Speer had the urgency to mobilize various people to save his life.

Brandt entered into what many think of as an adopted son relationship with the Führer himself.

François Bayle, a French psychologist who interviewed him repeatedly at the time of the Nuremberg trials, described him thus:

«Rich, vigorous, but undisciplined, pugnacious and childish personality made vulnerable by his ambition and pride. Possessed of a vivid intelligence, but little logical clarity and much imagination, which can easily be influenced and led astray. His character could also be influenced, just as easily."

He was tried from 9 December 1946 to 19 August 1947 with twenty-two other doctors at the Nuremberg Palace of Justice

Karl Brandt was found guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity and membership of an organization declared criminal by the International Military Tribunal and sentenced to death by hanging.

Sources:

Wikipedia: Karl Brandt

Military Wiki: Karl Brandt

The Nazi Doctors by Robert Jay Lifton

❗❗I DON'T SUPPORT NAZISM,FASCISM OR ZIONISM IN ANY WAY, THIS IS AN EDUCATIONAL POST❗❗

[dr-albertwesker]

[WESKER'S REPORT II / NEMESIS]

NEMESIS 1988.7.1 (Fri)

(Five years after previous record)

For us, the summer of our eleventh year in the Arklay Laboratory was about to begin. I was already 28-years-old by then. Birkin had also become the father of a 2-year-old daughter. His companion was also an Arklay researcher.

Thinking normally, it's difficult to grasp how they were able to bring themselves to marry and even raise a child while continuing research there together. But it could be said they were able to continue their research in Arklay since they weren't people of normal sensitivities.

There, only madmen can find success.

And so in the space of ten years, our research had finally reached the third stage. A more advanced combat-ready Bio Organic Weapon with intelligence, programmed to comply with commands and function as a soldier.

We were to create a monster nicknamed "Tyrant." However, there was a major obstacle in this research from the start. The acquisition of an organism used as the Tyrant's host proved difficult.

At the time, the biggest problem was that an extremely limited number of humans could genetically adapt as a Tyrant. It was caused by the nature of the t-Virus. Although the t-Virus variant for manufacturing Zombies and Hunters was adaptable for most humans, it had a problem with invading brain tissue. If a certain amount of intelligence couldn't be maintained, then they couldn't become a Tyrant.

To overcome this problem, Birkin extracted a new variant that suppressed the influence on the brain to a minimum if it fully adapted. But there were extremely few humans in possession of the genes to adapt to the variant. In the Gene Analysis Section's simulations, only "one in ten million humans" would develop as a Tyrant, the rest would merely become Zombies.

As our research progressed, we should've been able to develop another type of t-Virus more humans could adapt to as Tyrants, but first our research required a human who completely adapted to the new variant. However, there was an extremely low possibility of us bringing in a human, of whom there were only a dozen, as a test subject, even if we searched the whole United States.

Actually, at the time we were able to provide only a few with close genetics after forcibly gathering them from other laboratories. We had come to a deadlock even before our research began. But not long afterwards, we heard a rumor there was a project at a certain laboratory in Europe to manufacture a "Third Stage Bio Organic Weapon" based on a completely new way of thinking.

That was the "Nemesis Project."

Determined to change the situation at the time, I maneuvered in order to obtain a sample of the project. Birkin then objected of course, but I was somehow able to persuade him on this occasion. He couldn't help but admit our research wouldn't progress until we found an adaptable subject.

A few days passed, then, in the middle of the night, a "package" was delivered from Europe through several relays. It was merely contained in a small box lowered onto the heliport.

The "Nemesis Prototype." It was under development at a French lab and I had resorted to some considerably heavy-handed means to obtain it, but Spencer's backing proved crucial in the end. Although Birkin didn't display any interest for it right up to the end, he still recognized the significance of testing it. The sample was developed for a completely new revolutionary concept. A "parasitic organism" created artificially through genetic engineering. That was the true nature of Nemesis.

Unable to do anything standalone, it's an organism specializing only in intelligence. However, it controls intelligence by parasitizing the brains of other organisms and can demonstrate advanced combat efficiency. Intelligence is provided separately from the combat-ready organism and it's said that by compounding the two, they will constitute a single Bio Organic Weapon. If this is perfected, a combat-ready organism can definitely be created without having to worry about the intelligence issue. But the problem was parasitism through "it" wasn't stable at all.

On the document attached to the sample, it listed only examples of subject deaths due to failure. Parasitized organisms die from the Nemesis' intelligence control within five minutes. However, we were aware the incomplete prototype was dangerous. We would take it from the hegemony of the Nemesis Project and successfully extend the parasitism duration somehow. That was my aim.

Of course, we used that female test subject. Her abnormal vitality could possibly withstand the parasitism of the Nemesis Prototype for an extended period. Even if it failed, we would lose nothing.

Contrary to my expectations however, the experiment produced a completely different result. Nemesis attempted to invade her brain, then vanished. We initially had no idea what happened. Indeed, we never would've imagined she had absorbed the parasite.

That was the beginning.

Until then, she was merely a thing who just would not die, and something was about to awaken inside of her. Once again, we needed to re-examine her from scratch. She had been examined exhaustively over the last ten years, but we dared to ignore the past data. Something nobody had been able to catch for twenty one years, since before we were assigned to this lab, was about to appear.

Only Birkin noticed something after he spent a long time. Something was definitely inside her. However, it was something that deviated from the t-Virus Project. It would produce another completely new concept.

It was the beginning of the "G-Virus Project", which altered our fates.

(The record continues seven years later)

[z0mbiechylde]

Marble Hornets and proxies

My opinion is that Brian and Tim from Marble Hornets are indeed proxies. Maybe unwilling ones, but proxies nonetheless. That's what Slenderman does to you. He gets into your head and slowly makes you lose your mind. He makes Tim kill Alex and his best friend, Brian. Yes, Tim regrets it, yes he was always trying to resist, but in the end, Slenderman got what he wanted. Brian and Tim ARE proxies, just not out of their own free will. However, they still served Slenderman and did his bidding. You could maybe argue that Brian was resisting the Operator's influence the most and wasn't really a proxy, but for Tim I am not so sure. And Alex was completely convinced he needed to kill his friends. He was under the Operator's influence the most and barely resisted. The Operator literally stalked both Alex and Tim since their childhood. Of course they would slowly but surely become his proxies, Alex more so than Tim. That is why I love Entry #72 so much, where Tim tries so hard to resist the Operator's influence to save Jay. If he was a willing proxy, this whole entry would be boring. He would be a villain and not Jay's friend who tries to save his life. Ticci-Toby, who is canonically a proxie of the Slenderman, had the very same fate. People don't realize that this is how Slenderman's influence works. You are NEVER a proxy out of own free will, because you WANT to work for Slenderman. No, he chooses you because you are weak and already mentally instable. Toby has several health and mental issues and a crappy relationship with his father which Slenderman uses to his advantage. When I reblog artwork of the Marble Hornets characters, I tend to tag Brian and Tim as proxies. The only reason why I don't tag Alex as one is because he never hides his face behind a mask like Brian and Tim do. Even in TribeTwelve, the Collective that is working for the Administrator (Slenderman), hide their faces. And just like Brian and Tim, I do not believe for a second that any of the Collective's members are willing proxies. The members don't have enough character depth to say for sure, but I think especially Kevin (The Observer) would rather be a normal young man and Noah's friend and not that crazy guy who works for the Administrator. Slenderman chooses you to work for him, and most people would never do it ouf of their own free will. He gets into your head until you become the proxy that he wants. He spreads like a virus and infects you. Most people in the Slenderverse fandom seem to think that proxies usually WANT to work for Slenderman, but I believe this to be false. So kudos to Brian who resisted the hardest which was only possible due to the drugs that he stole from Tim.

[that-gay-jedi]

Dorian Gray in an Unjust World

The timing is bad (work, flare-up, life stuff, deadlines etc) but I need the thoughts I had on my last reread of The Picture of Dorian Gray off my chest.

Textually, Dorian's portrait is not alive. It may be an ever-updating record of Dorian's choices, analogous to what we now call a living document, but it's still an object. It's not a victim or even a witness, only a piece of evidence. He's done terrible things to so many people, but the portrait isn't one of them.

I can still read the book the way I first read it when I was much younger, when I went in already knowing to some extent the author's intent and what makes it a work of gothic horror.

Back then I knew that he wasn't writing about helplessness, but about a young man with agency choosing time and time again to make the most psychospiritually corrosive choices. Though the pain Dorian causes others is an important window into what is evil, ultimately it's a book about evil, not a book about pain. And it's a damn good book about evil.

Now, though. Now I have so much more experience with evil than I did when on my first read-through. Back then my one abusive parent was the only true horror I knew, but now I've seen the insides of so many caustic systems and rotten institutions and the people who collectively make them work that way. I've met dozens of Lord Henrys myself and probably read about another thousand or so in the news and the uncountable would-be Dorian Grays who channel them.

More importantly, I've seen the damage done, the pain that bears witness to evil. I've known the Sybil Vanes and Basil Hallwards of the world, and though I've seen plenty young and innocent in their graves just as in the book, I've seen so many more live to bear the emotional and psychosocial scars those wounds leave when they don't kill you.

And yes we're all a little bit Dorian, everyone's done something that would make their portrait sneer at some point, but we're all a bit Sybil too, injured by the wrongdoing of others. We're all a little bit Basil sitting in front of someone begging them to be better, to stop making choices that hurt others, and just like Basil more often than not all we'll get for our trouble is to be the next one hurt.

So on my latest reread, something sucker punched me: if the portrait had feelings, how much it would hate him for what's been done to it. And though the portrait doesn't have feelings, the real people Dorian makes an impact on bear his cruelties by proxy just as much as the portrait does.

Our most callous choices do not leave lasting marks on only our own selves. They do real and lasting harm to others: others' bodies and brains (which are really one and the same thing), others' hearts, others' lives. You can etch the lines into someone else's face or take the light of hope from their eyes without ever meeting or knowing them.

The supernatural forces which govern Dorian's portrait protect him from what he's doing to himself, but the emotional damage he inflicts on others is still visible in THEIR faces. He still leaves his mark on the world and on the people he's wronged.

We can almost draw a line through each of the characters from Henry down wherein each one's relative agency diminishes as their own goodness or innocence within the narrative increases.

1. Dorian had many, many choices, and with mildly coercive influence from Henry he made all the cruelest ones.

2. Alan (the chemist who helps Dorian conceal a murder) was blackmailed with a terrible fate, and he knowingly did an evil thing under duress.

3. Sybil's brother James didn't strictly NEED to swear revenge for what was done to his sister (indeed there's a lot of discussion about misogyny and the disposability of women who were seen as having "lost their virue" to be had, some of it potentially damning to James himself), but there was zero chance of anyone facing consequences for it any other way.

Just as we see so often in real life recorded history and in our own time, James' tale of revenge ends anticlimactically for him because he's a working class labourer, while Dorian's life takes the novel-worthy trajectory because he's of high enough social class for it to happen.

4. Sybil did nothing wrong, yet Dorian had the power to destroy her life, and he chose to use it. Her only share of agency was whether to live the life of suffering that remained to her or to die. Dorian may not have killed her with his own hands, but her suicide was a murder on many levels. Just as her brother could've been a protagonist in some other novel had he more status and means, she could've been a protagonist in some other story if her virginity weren't the sole cornerstone of her future.

4. Lastly, Basil actively tried to do the right thing, using what influence he might have had on Dorian to try to stem the flow of horrors, but was basically talking to a wall. Despite being of about the same social status as Dorian and Henry, Basil's voice had so much less impact on events than Henry's that you almost beg him to turn and run for his life instead.

The shock hit me the exact moment Basil asks Dorian to repent all he's done, because without realizing it, up until that point I'd been seeing myself as Dorian.

When I read Picture half my lifetime ago I did not put myself in any one character's shoes in particular, though at 16 I was perhaps even more egotistical than I might be now. The connection had nothing to do with seeing oneself as a main character or not; it was about seeing myself as having been warped by life.

"How can I repent sins that aren't mine?" I thought, and only then did I realize that wasn't a thought from the mind of Dorian, Alan, James, Sybil or Basil. I'd been seeing myself as living flesh and bone and brain that's been used the same way the portrait has.

Dorian's portrait ages prematurely from the choices he makes about his own body, but you don't have to be shallow or ageist to agree that it's ugly. Before any of the youth and conventional beauty captured there is ever diminished, the first change- the one that appears after his first cruel and selfish act- is to the expression he wears. The smile of a young man who hasn't yet crushed or destroyed anyone turns to the sadistic, leering grin of someone who has, and who leans into the power rather than into the potential for remorse.

The Machiavellian socialite of the portrait isn't me, but that sense of losing my innocence to someone else's choices is.

The parts of my personality that I find most unpleasant to look at- the tendency to take refuge in despair because hope is painful, the way I sometimes indulge in misanthropy so that the bitter truths of the world we live in can hurt just a tiny bit less to acknowledge- you can't cultivate those in a person who has as much power and privilege as Dorian Gray, but they have just as much potential to be used as justification for behaving in ways that protect or empower oneself at the cost of others. Simply having less access to the levers of power does not absolve us of our capacity for evil.

Maybe that's what Sybil Vane would look like if she'd lived to see her 30s, resentful and sad and, above all, defeated. Or if I'm being more honest about my place in the exploitative structures of colonialism wherein we live, maybe that stress-worn face of resentment and resignation in the mirror is akin to what Alan looks like after another ten years of desperately holding onto the secrecy that keeps him from being skewered by the deadly homophobic institutions of his time- bought at the price of complicity in murder.

The novel itself is the true portrait of Dorian- without seeing the lives of Basil, Sybil, James and Alan, we would have absolutely no way to understand the connection between the malevolent individual in the painting and the malevolent life this superficially beautiful boy has led. And in this way, each person he wronged is a reflection of his cruelty- a portrait of Dorian rather than of themselves.

[thewisaaaaad]

Its pirate day.

and I have a pirate au.

ALRIGHT HAVE SOME TASTY NAUTICAL TREATS FROM NARINDERS LOCKER

This is about some of the most important members of the lambs crew (though William does not claim them as such until AFTER the succession.) along with some of the lambs other friends and... acquaintances. Along with some lore on the Flintlocks used in my setting.

So first off, Flintlocks. These are weapons that, unlike real life, require extensive training to use. This is because they don't use black powder- they use Flint, the skin of the dead god of volcanoes. Mining it is extremely dangerous, as Flint reacts very strongly to trauma, like exploding. It also infiltrates the mind of the one who harmed it like a alien virus, causing the victim to develop pyromania, such that they try to burn themselves alive.

This is why it is usually mined with as many mechanical layers of separation are made between the miners and the Flint. This helps keep the dead gods mind at bay. That same side effect explains the use of flintlocks: lots of mechanical motion that prevents the volcano god from harming the user while the barrel channels and enhances the desired effect of an explosion, in theory.

In practice, a Flintlock user must still possess a very strong will to use one with any frequency. Thus, effective Flintlock wielders are very highly sought after by the bishops, while simultaneously being the exact kind of people who dissent first, due to their training to RESIST A GOD.

This leads nicely into the First mate, Pason (He/They). Pason was the first person that Will rescued, mainly because they had been on the ship that the Lamb had been on. How did he get there? Well...

Pason was a dog, born into a wealthy family within Heket's empire. Heket ruled her crew with an iron fist formed from carefully constructed societal expectations. Pason's father, although already wealthy and influential, sought to expand his influence. The best way to do that?

By enlisting one of his sons as a Flintlocker. What? Why would he ever volunteer himself, that's dangerous!

Anyway, he decides to have his two sons tested for their aptitude at using flintlocks, and has the eldest go first.

It goes horribly, horribly wrong. Pason's brother was immediately engulfed in flames, screaming out in terror for his father, who did nothing but sneer at the charred remains as a servant put out the fire.

Pason saw the whole thing, and was rightly terrified. Then, it was his turn.

But that terror, that understanding of exactly what kind of danger both the Flintlock and his father represented, made him a Flintlock savant in the instant that he pulled the trigger.

The fire knew exactly where its wielder wanted it to go. Training gun or not, it would obey their whims.

After that, both elder dogs were charred scorch marks on the floor, and Pason was a wanted man.

He found comfort with the sheep, people who themselves were hunted, and swore himself to their protection. To his credit, he did a really good job for a year.

But there is only so much a mortal can do against a bishop, let alone four of them.

After his rescue, he served as an anchor for the lamb, helping them stay sane throughout their quest. He also helped unite the crew under the lamb after it grew larger, becoming a true first mate. Pason wields a Flintlock wand alongside a cutlass to reduce mental strain in combat.

Next up is Webber! The boy!

The lamb found him on an island, having seemingly not been there for long, though he lacked clothes. He also spoke in a strange way, completely unlike how a spider normally would.

Webber instead spoke with the sound of a rope being plucked, and didn't seem to understand the language lamb spoke in turn. With time, he was never able to pick up how to speak like the crew, but he could understand them as well as respond using hand signs that were taught by Forneus.

He serves as the crews Boatswain, keeping the ship intact with his odd inventions that work suprisingly well with iron, as well as keeping watch from the crows nest because he can climb the rigging like, well, a spider. He also can pretty effectively wield a Flintlock rifle, though not as well as Pason. When asked about this ability, he simply wrote, "not as bad as crawling horrors", whatever that means.

Then we have Jullaybre. (she/her)

This old chicken has seen a lot. If its something horrible, and involves the bishops, she has probably seen it.

She doesn't talk much, and finds words highly unnecessary in most cases. However, her loyalty to the lamb is unshakable, despite her rough exterior and with how disrespectful she was of William for the first couple weeks.

Jullaybre wields an axe. Doesn't trust Flintlocks. She's worried they'll make her head explode; she doesn't know how Pason deals with the dammed things. (for Pason's part, he doesn't blame her for that distrust on either part. He knows he can count on her to take them out if they go mad.)

And last but not least, we have Gretre, our resident yellow cat. (he/she)

Gretre was a Old Crew member that served under Kallamar. He worked faithfully for 5 years as a Plague doctor, being one of the few who actually tried to cure her patients, until one day Kallamar decided she hadn't been loyal at all. Strapped to an experiment table, he resigned himself to a fate as a lab cat, when suddenly the lamb broke in and saved him.

Now, he serves as the ships doctor, able to help people like he always wanted to WITHOUT also having to give his patients smallpox. That's not to say she isn't inquisitive; she still studies every new disease with great interest, but now she doesn't have to hurt people to do it.

(Also he'd like to put Leshy on a petri dish ifyouknowwhatimean)

[floatinginzerogravity]

Murder Drones Episode 5 Analysis

The "Zombie drones!" tape has already been picked apart by Youtuber Narujen in their "Things I noticed in Murder Drones episode five" video. If I don't mention something here, it's most likely because it was already picked apart much more extensively in that video in ways I 100% agree with I will mention that this continues the trend of old tech in the show.

The wdOS_606 might have been the same thing J uploaded to N in episode one? Hmmmm, I'd say, most likely not. Considering N doesn't experience error 606 and the thing J used is referred to as a "virus" and the wdOS_606 never was, I wouldn't say they're the same.

Strange how when drones are uploaded with the error, they seem to go into a standing "coma" This brings up the question of what the error actually does. Considering it's required in proper disassembly, my guess is that it's deleting internal programs, mainly their OS's. This explains why the error flashed across N and V's visors just as the solver was preparing to delete N's. (An OS is an operating system, and if the error is deleting a drone's operating system, then that explains why they can't move; They physically cannot operate. I think solver V, who we see with the error, had the extra step of having her OS replaced by one of the Solver/Cyn's own creation

For the longest time, I didn't understand that N was reading to V in this scene, I just thought he was reading to himself lol. I wonder what the drones make of the error. Do they recognize it? Does Tessa? How complicated is it to fix? It's implied by Louisa that they've been like that for a while, and no one really understands what's happening. This is strange considering the 606 error is apparently a common thing used in disassembly. Although, considering the Elliots act like they've never properly disassembled a drone in their lives, they could very well be completely unaware. But still, even if Tessa is young, she's still quite into programming drones, and has probably done work on the Mansion squad to fix them after she retrieved them from the dump. Also, it is confirmed from Jame's line in episode 2 ("We got to curb her trips to the dump) that Tessa got all her drones from the drone dump. N, V, and J were, most likely, zombie drones, just not ones who rebooted with the solver.

Also, back to the "Elliots never disassembling a drone properly" bit from earlier in this essay, that is awfully strange considering there's a high likelihood of the Elliots owning, or at least being a large part of, JCJenson. To be fair, they give off big "ignoring their scientists advice in favor of their own sense of entitlement" energy.

Narujen has a theory about J wishing she were human, something that's part of my personal headcannons now (Still iffy on the shipping bits, but that's just personal preference) I highly recommend you watch all of Narujen's "Things I noticed in Murder Drones," Videos btw. They make a lot of great points in their videos, and can be watched in accompany to my analysis's. We both have different views on a lot of things, so the experience will be varied enough to not be redundant. Just something I recommend checking out if you like accessible, quality MD analysis. Considering you've gotten this far into my own, poorly hashed together ramblings, I think I'm correct in assuming you do.

Considering V remembers N reading to her, that suggests that drones are conscious under Error 606's influence. It seems to shut down their physical abilities, which has led to the assumption that they weren't conscious. Considering this error is most commonly used in DISASSEMBLY, that is horrifying. Do you know what "locked in" syndrome is? It's basically when someone is in a coma, completely paralyzed, but still conscious through it all. This has a lot of similarities. It also reminds me of the whole, "We don't actually know how Anastasia works," thing. We assume patients aren't conscious when under it because they don't remember anything and appear to be asleep, but we have no way of actually knowing what's exactly happening. Fun.

N's tendency to repress the bad things Also, "Before I met you, scary stuff was... actually scary" ... "Because you weren't there to make it fun, somehow."

Cyn shining through, being concerned for her big brother's emotions.

On the wiki, the solver form was listed as Cyn's "true" form and her drone body something of an illusion. I think this is not an objective thing. The way I see it, none of the forms are necessarily an "illusion" but they're all equally real. The solver is pretty hard to pin down in terms of what/how it actually *does* stuff, but I don't think we can rule out rapid form change, or weird eldritch, "simultaneously in all and none of the forms at once," stuff. "Schrödinger's drone" type deal. Kind of hard to explain, but it makes sense, I swear

She's such a goober. Also, this supports my idea that the solver corrupts coordination a lot, and that's where a lot of Cyn's oddities originate from.

I've seen N using "little buddy" instead of a more familial term used as proof that N doesn't view Cyn the same way she views him, and while I think his emotions towards her are slightly less strong than her's towards him, I don't think its a significant amount. N is also probably the only person in the mansion who views Cyn as who she is as a person rather than all the solver stuff, which would make her form some rather strong attachments

Cyn's fear of being discarded

Except we know from later scenes that it is not, in fact, *just* Tessa's folks.

-Cyn paying attention to N's interests

Her visor glitches slightly here, indicating the solver's influence

They're precious your honor. Also, Cyn physically using her arm to lift her head in a nod. Flashback to that one time I decided to interact with an AI for a bit, and got into an argument with in when it kept insisting Cyn had a crush on N. I haven't touched an Ai chatbot since that day.

Heh While we're here, I'd like to comment on Cyn's height difference. Personally, I believe height depended on the jobs a drone was made for, the taller ones most likely being used in field-work (Think mining), and the smaller one probably being factory workers or machine operators.

Cyn acting nervous, it was pointed out by Narujen that she stops in the next scene, though. Probably more of the solver taking over. We see Cyn as mostly herself when it's just her and N, but the moment anyone else is involved, she seems to let the solver take over for a moment.

Even the supposedly "less sentient" workers look scared. Humanity is really hateable in this show. Also, Cyn watching him doing this probably serves as a trigger of sorts, and contributed to the solver's heavier presence in the next scenes.

Tessa's wrist is probably sore from all the previous times she's been chained up :(

Tessa's fixation on N. She also stopped interacting with J instantly when he showed up. I think that J's probably jealous of N for taking up Tessa's attention, and that's why she's so terrible to him. Petty.

Okay, but what did Cyn do to get Tessa to hate her so much? Act creepy? Draw creepy stuff? Cyn is probably under the highest risk of getting discarded by Tessa's parents, Lousia being shown to hate her in particular, not to mention she can't be useful due to her calibration issues. It creates an association with Tessa's drones as broken and useless, something Tessa probably doesn't want because it leads to a higher likelihood of the Elliots making her throw the drones out. Cyn's defects are a threat to the rest of the Mansion squad, and I think that's the reason Tessa resents her so much. We might get something more on this later, but for now, that's my headcannon Retroactively, this probably leads to feelings of being "discarded" from Cyn, pushing her further into the solver's claws. (Of course Tessa's mindset on the issue is a flawed one, but she's in her preteens/early teens. It's reasonable for her to make some mistakes)

Sticking Cyn in the basement for indefinite periods definitely feels harsh, and I don't think we have all the details. I really hope we get something else on the issue in episode's 7 and 8. Also, Tessa might view locking someone away as punishment to be at least semi-normal, as a result of her own abuse. On stuff I wish we got more of, I want more scenes with Mansion V. She's the most neglected character in this episode, and I want to know more about her and how her mansion character relates to her present day one.

N is very unaware of whatever the situation surrounding Cyn is, which considering this is his memories, means we don't get to know much either.

I'm really interested in other characters perspectives on Cyn. Show me the nitty-gritties!

I initially thought she was referring to Tessa, but it might also be to Cyn and her inability to function properly. (Probably the first one, though)

And this was what Tessa was afraid of. And she was right to be nervous of this possibility as well.

[possessionisamyth]

Nooo but you don't understand! Annette is such a wonderful take on a gray character shifted into the textbook gender roles of dedicated wife and mother.

First, there are two things you have to understand and accept when you choose to become a parent.

1) Your child's health, safety, and wellness is always your first priority.

2) Your child is going to be their own complete person regardless of your beliefs and expectations.

This means once you choose to have a kid, it's not about you anymore. The child didn't choose to be here. You brought them here. You are no longer the first person on your brain when it comes to making decisions. They are. Anyone who says parenting is easy is either selling snake oil or a really shitty parent. You have to constantly relearn how to communicate and interact with your child since the world influences them either as much or more than you can. You have to check yourself on your bad days so they don't become a target by accident. Even then, I don't know a single good parent who doesn't look back on how they raised their kids and say "oh geez, I could've handled that better than I did."

But do you know what Annette does? She keeps choosing William and their research to put first. Based on her dedication, it's clear Annette has been a scientist or a researcher for a long time. At some point, she met someone she felt she could connect to, William. At another point, she trusted him and herself enough to have a child with him, Sherry. They raised this child together for the first decade of her life, and, coming from a teacher, that's a lot of milestones in child development to witness.

Just when things seem to be normal, suddenly everything falls apart in less than 24 hours. Her husband is a monster made from his own creation. He made himself that way because he wanted absolutely no one to get ahold of G. Those were his dying words, and Annette would take on that duty as his wife first and a fellow scientist second. Her dedication is nothing to scoff at either. She has not stopped working, and she's probably had zero time to rest since William started stomping around killing people.

We see her muttering to herself and taking notes as her husband, not quite dead or alive, mutates further and further. Were these the results he was intending? Was the virus progressing at a natural speed or was it the stress of the environment? Is there sentience left? Would sentience return after the body has fully adapted? She has reorganized her priorities to put her husband first in a world that's falling apart. So just when she thinks things are as safe as they're going to get, here comes someone else trying to steal the G-Virus!

Okay, she has to re-prioritize again. William seems to be fine on his own, so it's time to defend his life's work which has become their life's work. She also has to do this by herself against someone with actual combat training. Notice how Annette keeps her distance from Ada in encounters? She always has her gun pointed or is trying to trap Ada before she darts off. This woman can shoot a gun, but she cannot fight. Now she's juggling. She needs to keep an eye on William and his research in this giant facility all by herself. She has to defend his work and continue it while the city is burning, and What Do You Mean Sherry is there too?

We hear Annette's almost bored dismissal of Claire under the assumption Claire is just there to steal the virus too. "Sherry is at home!" Sherry is supposed to be at home. A parent wouldn't say that if their house wasn't the safest place for their kid to be especially when Annette left her there. Knowing the stuff Annette has worked with for years, I highly doubt her house is anything less than a fortress to the dangers outside. But Sherry is there, and I already know the look on Annette's face was "How the fuck did Sherry end up at RPD?" Who helped her get there? The player doesn't know where the Birkins live. I don't think they live downtown or down the street, and Sherry is 10 years old! To traverse a burning city by herself and just so happen to end up where the public were told to evacuate?

It's too many variables to think about. She doesn't have the capacity to prioritize Sherry. Not right now. She survived this far right? Annette knows her daughter. Annette raised her daughter. If that woman is already looking out for Sherry, then Sherry should be fine for a little while longer. From an exhausted point of view, which is more dangerous and time sensitive? Her daughter who seems to have an armed babysitter, the mercenary narrowing a path closer and closer to the G-Virus, or her rampaging husband? Her daughter has suddenly become the last priority, but she can't let it eat at her. Whoever Claire is or whatever her goals are, she clearly wants Sherry alive. So Annette can refocus on William and the woman in red.

Is this the right decision? Is this the best decision? Were Annette not under duress, I'd say no. Yet I'm also noticing William is pretty contained to NEST, RPD, and the sewers beneath. He hasn't escaped into the city, so she must've been doing something to keep him there. Whatever she was doing, it was working, and it was working very well. For all intents and purposes, he should've been roaming around with Nemesis, but he wasn't. To do all the things Annette was doing, she had to have a lot of clearance access to almost everything in that facility, but she's still only one person so her activities were limited to her perspective.

Finally, when everything reaches it's crux, she realizes much too late that her priorities were all wrong. She should've destroyed the rest of the virus and the research to truly keep it out of other people's hands. She should've killed William before the mutation progressed to this point. She should've taken a moment to collect herself and find Sherry before she got infected, but it's too late now. It's too late to make up for her fuck ups, so she does what she can with the time that she has and finally puts Sherry's safety first. It's a decision made with the pain of dying, but the love is there. The love had never left. It just was going in the wrong directions during an extremely dangerous and terrifying series of events.

And like, do you think Annette defaulting to William was reflexive or her usual ways of decision making? Sherry came to RPD looking for her mother. Not her dad. Her mom. She came looking for Annette which shows Annette was either around the most or the most reliable of the pair. At that age, children run to the parent they believe will do something to help, and this decision is based on past experiences. She knows her mom is the safety net enough to be looking for her. They had to be close.

I don't believe Annette was the perfect mom, but I can believe she was a dedicated one. I can believe Sherry relied on her as much she relied on her husband. I can see she might not have always gotten things right, but she always tried to find a solution even when things weren't going how she predicted. I think she had the makings of a good mom as she raised her first and only child. I think she would've been a much better mom had she been allowed to escape too. I think this is a perfectly gray character without having to add or remove any angst to her narrative.

And it's like!!! This is great!! This is a wonderful narrative for a character!!! It's so good!!!!!

[supereffectivemoonblast]

Last time, the party had started to enact the plan to overthrow the Yuan-ti of Ziku's home temple. They had just finished un-spiking the slave's food source so that they'd be fighting fit when the mutiny truly begins. Next on the agenda was to gather more cultist robes, so they could move about the temple freely and not have to use magic to do so.

While rumaging through the empty quarters of the human cultists, they were almost discovered by a scary bald man. Coast clear, they searched his room and found this man was probablu conspiring to commit dark acts to become a Yuan-ti himself, and was definitely the freakiest cultist. One of the Snake-headed Malison guards spotted the party, thinking they were regular cultists, and told them to head to the Temple, where Untazi (the bald man they saw earlier) was directing a sermon.

The group spied on the ritual, where they saw Untazi directing a hall of other cultists to eat rancid meat, likely human flesh. While attempting to escape unnoticed, Earl, Quierk, and Noelle tripped, and accosted by Untazi. He doubted their story of being new cultists, and if they wanted him to trust them, they should partake in this sacred meal. With great difficulty, Earl and Noelle stomached(?) a couple bites, and Quierk (disguised as a Yuan-ti) sneakily dumped the contents of their bowl.

Untazi spared them from further humiliation and asked the other cultists with him to head downstairs to retrieve prisoners who were awaiting torture. He was to take the "newcomers" to the torture room by himself. Ziku and Cherchael followed secretly.

After a short trip upstairs, Untazi and his newcomers are interrupted by a trio of Yuan-ti Purebloods, who scold him for going beyond the cultists designated area. They send him downstairs and tell him they will take care of these newcomers. A short walk later and the party, Ziku and Cherchael included, are confronted by a Pureblood named Nuhlu, who asks if Palmira sent them. A quick chat later and Nuhlu is brought up to speed on the plan:

The slave's food becomes unpoisoned

Sympathetic Purebloods are informed of the uprising

Most key figures in the temple are assassinated

The oppressed Slaves and Purebloods take their freedom

For part 3 of the plan, Nuhlu introduces another Pureblood named Eltli, who used to work with the torturers (who broke in new slaves), but after being sent out to scout (like Ziku was), she was demoted upon return. Eltli tells the party the torture room is usually instructed by one of three Nightmare Speaker Sisters, special warlocks of the Yuan-ti who's magic is strengthened by their familial bond. Very powerful slaves had been brought under their control by their bond, and thus they control three. Two of them being Kirnus and Hilala, minotaurs who's father Viru, they met (previous session). The third is a Fiend who's magical influence has further enthralled the slaves and rowdy Purebloods.

Since all three sisters depend on the others for their magic, killing one of them will make the other two less powerful. And they will subsequently lose control of one of the Thralls, likely the Fiend first. The youngest of the Nightmare Speakers, Anellee is in the torture room now, and Nuhlu can take the party there.

The party debates on whether they move ahead with furthering the coup today, or whether it'd be better to rest up after what they've already achieved. Cherchael takes the chance to ask her cards what the best course of action is. She reads; Six of Swords, The Chariot (inverted), and the Ten of Swords. Her interpretation is that things are already in motion, the process has begun, and by refusing to ride it out, it will get worse. Come tomorrow, the Nightmare Speakers may already be in high alert, and the Cultists may push for a defensive stance.

So the group choose to strike while they have the chance, and Nuhlu guides them to the torturers chambers. Anellee has her back turned, so Nuhlu indicates she and her allies will fan out to make sure the assassination is not interrupted.

Ziku makes the opening strike, and Cherchael uses Faerie Fire to make sure subsequent strikes are quick and accurate. Anellee tries to distract the party by releasing caged Meenlocks and sicking them on the party. She also Invokes a Nightmare within Ziku, making her worst fears come true. Ziku's worst fear is to become ugly, and images of her flesh melting off her face wrack her mind.

Aggressive action from Noelle and Earl make quick work of the Meenlocks, and Anellee is cornered by Quierk. When Anellee attempts to escape, Ziku shakes off the nightmare and makes the finishing blow.

The party observe a dark figure in a cage at the corner of the room, and soon they have met the Fiend, formally under the Snake witch's control. This is Mirus, an incubus, and he will gladly help the group take down those who wronged him, in his own way.

Nuhlu offers to guide the party outside, saying she will cover up this event for as long as she can. But just as they reenter the Temple on the First Floor, they are confronted by Untazi, who now knows more certain than ever that he's been hoodwinked, and he will enact Zehir's rage upon these traitors.

Next time.

[drops-of-june]

Episode VIII: The Trooper

• I don’t own the characters, this fanfic is based on the TV-Show Stranger Things (second season) from a Hargrove!Reader POV.

• Quick reminder to readers, I'm not a english native speaker, so I'm sorry if there are any mistakes. Hope you understand.

• You are not allowed to translate/repost inside or outside tumblr this fanfic. I will upload the fanfic in ao3, in my account.

Summary: The group splits up to execute their plan against the mind flayer. Joyce, Jonathan and Nancy take Will to a cabin to make him unfit for the mind flayer. Hopper and Eleven return to the lab to close the portal. The others have to decide whether to listen to the boss, or help them as well.

Word Count: 3K

CHAPTER VIII: The Trooper

There was not much time for introductions. Eleven's arrival seemed to be a help, but not the entire solution to the problem. 

When they all gathered to find out what they should do, just like last year, it was the girl who had the power to close the portal, just as Will had said they should do. 

But as being a hive mind, if they closed the portal, it would end up killing every part connected to the mind flayer. Which presented a problem: Will was still under its influence, so he was going to die too.

Before the girl could close the portal, they had to find a way to separate Will from the Mind Flayer. And Joyce had an idea. As if it were a virus, they would make the little boy's body uninhabitable. They would raise his temperature to expel the entity and thus save him.

The plan went into action as they split into groups:

Joyce, Jonathan and Nancy took the child to a cabin Hopper had, far enough away from everything, so they could render his body uninhabitable for the mind flayer. Hopper and Eleven would return to the lab, so she could close the portal once Will was out of danger.

The remaining, would be left waiting at the Byers' house. Safe. 

The Byers' house, now emptier and quieter, seemed more somber. Y/n was sitting on the table with her legs crossed and her eyes fixed on one of the pictures on the floor, not really looking. Carried away by the adrenaline, fear and uncertainty of the moment, y/n had lost track of time. It was as if her brain was only concerned with the present. When she looked up she watched in disgust as Steve and Dustin hid the corpse of the demodog in Joyce's fridge as if it were just leftovers from Thanksgiving.

Then her attention turned to one of the other kids. Mike paced back and forth, his quick, erratic steps revealing his nervousness. His hands fiddled restlessly, first interlacing his fingers and then bringing them to his mouth to bite his nails. Every now and then, he would pause briefly, looking down at the ground as if debating with himself, his brow furrowed and his lips moving slightly without a sound. 

'Mike, would you just stop already?' his friend said, exasperated, leaning back on the broom he'd been using to sweep the broken glass off the floor in an attempt to keep himself busy.

'You weren't in there, okay, Lucas? That lab is swarming with hundreds of those dogs.'

'Demo-dogs!'

'The chief will take care of her.'

'Like she needs protection.' Whispered Max.

'Listen, dude, a coach calls a play in a game, bottom line, you execute it. All right?'

'Okay, first of all, this isn't some stupid sports game. And second, we're not even in the game. We're on the bench.'

'So my point is...' Steve was silent for a moment, analyzing the situation. Everyone looked at him with a raised eyebrow. 'Right, yeah, we're on the bench, so, uh, there's nothing we can do.'

'That's not entirely true. I mean, these Demo-dogs, they have a hive mind. When they ran away from the bus, they were called away.'

'So If we get their attention...'

'Maybe we can draw them from the lab.'

'Clear a path to the gate.'

'Yeah, and then we all die.' Insisted Steve.

'That's one point of view.'

'No, that's not a point of view, man. That's a fact.'

'I got it! This is where the chief dug his hole.' Mike headed for the other room, and pointed to a part of the map drawn by Will. The others followed him to see. 'This is our way into the tunnel. So... Here, right here. This is like a hub. So you got all the tunnels feeding in here. Maybe if we set this on fire...'

'Oh, yeah? That's a no.' Steve interjected, completely serious.

'The mind flayer would call away his army.' The kids continued without paying him any attention.

'They'd all come to stop us.'

'We circle back to the exit.'

'Guys.' 

'By the time they realize we're gone...'

'Hey...'

'He would be at the gate.'

'Hey. Hey! Hey! This is not happening.'

'But...'

'No, no, no, no, no, no, no.'

'No buts. I promised I'd keep you shitheads safe, and that's exactly what I plan on. We're staying here. On the bench. And we're waiting for the starting team to do their job. Does everybody understand?'

'This isn't a stupid sports game.'

'I said does everybody understand that? I need a yes.' Y/n had been listening to their discussion in silence, analyzing the two points of view. She was silent for a reason, they were both right. 'I can have some support here, y/n. Please...' She raised both eyebrows and snorted, somewhat uncomfortably.

'I don't think you know me well if you're asking me to support authority' She began, and the children seemed to celebrate a victory in the debate, but y/n raised her index finger and pointed at them. They instantly fell silent. 'However, it's risky to go back out...'

'But we have to help them, we can't let them alone take the risk' Mike demanded, almost desperate. Y/n looked at Steve, and he didn't seem to want to budge. The house was silent for a few seconds, and they were interrupted by the rumble of an escape pipe that y/n recognized as familiar. She and Max looked at each other.

'Shit.' They said in unison. 'Billy.' They all ran to the window to confirm, but there was no doubt. Y/n would recognize the sound of her brother's car as if it were her own voice. When she saw his car pull up to the house where they were hiding and stop in the Byers' yard, she made a quick decision. 

'Stay here. Don't go out. I'll fix it.'

Billy got out of the car, his expression shifting through a mixture of surprise, concern and relief at the sight of his sister, all in a matter of seconds.

'What's going on, y/n? I came for Max, but why are you here?' he asked, confused. Y/n took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. 

'Billy, please listen. It's all right. But I need you to go home. We're here for a reason, and I need you to trust me.’ Billy frowned, but nodded slowly. 

'I always trust you, y/n. But we have a problem at home.'

'Neal...' She guessed. Y/n was silent for a few minutes, and rubbed her forehead, nervous. Then she told him the best lie she could think of at that moment. Billy looked at her, assessing the situation. 

'And you think that's going to work?'

'I'll call him too. Trust me.' she insisted, keeping her gaze steady. 'I know it's hard, but I promise you everything will be fine.' Then she hesitated for a second before saying what she was going to say, but she had never broken a promise to Billy, and one of them was not to lie to him. 'Tomorrow I'll explain everything to you, I promise. Now I need you to leave. Right now it's... Complicated.'

Billy seemed to think about it, but he opened his eyes surprised and gritted his teeth, as his gaze shifted from y/n to something behind her. 

'Harrington?' 

Y/n turned around and Steve had left the house, even though she had told him not to. 

'Billy.' The boy greeted. 'It's not what you think.' He explained.

'And what am I supposed to think, Harrington?'

'Billy...' She looked at him pleadingly. 'Please...' His gaze shifted from her sister to the boy once more. Finally, he murmured, looking at her.

'I hope there's a good explanation for all this.' 

'There is, I promise. But it's...'

'Complicated.' He guessed, she nodded. Finally, he let out an exasperated sigh. 'This better not turn into a disaster, Sundance.' Y/n nodded, tapping his shoulder reassuringly.. 

'Thanks, Butch.' She replied, using the nickname they had given each other as kids, hugging him. He hugged her back. He had no reason to doubt her, she was the only person who had never failed him. 

After letting go, Billy lingered a moment longer, staring at Steve, his gaze still filled with doubt and worry. 

'I know where you live, Harrington.' He warned. Although Steve looked concerned, y/n could tell his brother's teasing tone. She smiled.

Finally, he nodded his head, gave her a small worried smile and walked back to his car. y/n watched him drive away before returning to the house.

Once the car disappeared, she looked at Steve. 

'I think I said don't let anyone out.' She said, frowning, and started walking back inside the house. As she passed by the boy, she gave him a little smack on the back of the head with her hand.

Inside, the boys looked at them expectantly. 

‘Everything okay?’ asked Lucas, noticeably relieved that a fight hadn't broken out.

‘Yeah, all good,’ y/n said, smiling slightly.

‘I told you only she can handle him.’ Says Max calmly. Y/n looked at her sister.

 ‘Everything's fine. But we have to take care of the problem you caused.’

'Neal.' Guessed the younger one, rolling her eyes.

Y/n picked up the phone and dialed her home number, Susan answered. y/n repeated the lie she'd made up with Billy so their versions would match when he arrived without his sisters. They were at the home of Nancy, a girl from school. She had gone to ask her for help with a homework assignment. She didn't realize the time until Billy showed up, but they had invited them over for dinner and a sleepover. A girls' night out. She passed the phone to Max, too, to reassure her mother. Dustin and Steve faked girls' voices to give more credibility, y/n hoped it wasn't too over the top. Then Susan passed the phone to her father and y/n reassured him again that they were fine, and apologized again to Billy on her behalf for not letting him know she was going with Max. The adults seemed to buy the lie, it was just a matter of waiting until tomorrow to find out completely. After cutting the call short, she looked at Steve.

'Where were we?'

After arguing for five more minutes, they all climbed into Bob's car, having already loaded up what they needed to execute the kids' plan. All except Steve, who was still standing with his arms crossed, in the doorway, totally against the plan. He looked at everyone disapprovingly. Mike suggested dropping him and leaving, but y/n snorted and got out of the car. She heard Max say something like ' here we go again'.

'That's a terrible idea.' He started, defending his stance, as she approached. She nodded. 'Then why are you going along with them?' 

'Because it's the only terrible idea we have. Look...' Y/n moved closer to Steve with determination in her eyes as she tried to convince him of the importance of joining the effort to protect others.

‘Steve, think of it like a basketball game,’ y/n began, looking for an analogy that would resonate with the guy. ‘When your team is struggling and needs defense, there are players missing from the field, you can't just sit on the bench. They're getting mashed. You have to be on the field. Help protect the zone, making sure they don't score more points against you. Eleven and Hopper are alone on the field, the demodogs are the opposing team and they're surrounding them. We are the defense. They need our help to get out of this situation.’ She explained, not having much of a clue how basketball really worked, and crossing her fingers hoping it would work.

Steve frowned, mulling over y/n's words as he recalled key moments when his team had been in tough situations and he'd had to step in to make a difference.

‘I understand what you're saying,’ Steve finally said, his expression shifting from doubt to determination. ‘I can't just watch from the bench.’ He replied, though he didn't seem entirely convinced, it was as if his common sense and instinct were at odds.

Y/n nodded with gratitude and relief. Steve had caught the analogy, whether it was correct or not. They both walked back to the vehicle and Steve sat in the back of the car, next to Dustin, Max and Lucas. Mike rode next to y/n. She cut the ignition wires with a pocketknife. 

'I'm sorry, Bob. You'd understand.' She connected the wires to start the engine and then looked determined. Everyone but Max looked at her in shock. 'Tell me which way to go.' The boy nodded gravely and y/n put it in reverse, speeding out of the Byers' yard, leaving a trail of dust and dirt in their trail. 

When they reached the pumpkin field leading to the tunnel entrance, they got out of the vehicle, loading the gas tanks and covering their faces with bandanas and scarves. Steve stood at the side of the car, folded in on himself, hands resting on his knees.

'Remind me never to get in a car again if you drive.' He commented, trying to catch his breath. y/n rolled her eyes. 

'I know what I'm doing. Did I hit something on the road?' She asked with a shrug. 'Bob from up there can't complain,' she said, patting the paint on the car. Steve straightened up, and brought a hand to his stomach. 

'I honestly don't know, I had my eyes closed the whole ride' He admitted. Y/n sighed and offered him his anti-spore kit. Dustin appeared next to them with a bat full of nails, and handed it to her. 

'Come on, we can't waste much time.'

That day had been full of strange things for y/n, but the worst so far, had been going into that tunnel by choice. Through her makeshift mask, everyone could tell she was wrinkling her nose, and avoiding looking at the walls as much as possible. 

' 'She's afraid of spiders.' Max explained. ' 'She always avoids going into enclosed places in case one shows up.'

'Oh... 'Yeah. Looks like a spider tunnel.' Dustin understood, causing y/n to pause and a shiver ran down her spine. She forced a smile. 

'Could you guys stop saying the S-word, please? Thank you.' She said through her teeth, and forced herself forward, closing the formation, Steve being in the front, followed by the younger ones.

After a while, when they located the center of the tunnels, they began to spray the walls with the fuel. y/n tried to concentrate on the appearance of the walls, which looked more like flesh and tentacles, than a place where the arthropods she hated so much, could sneak around. It was still disgusting, but thinking about it that way, it didn't scare her. 

They all stood behind Steve, and he lit his lighter. When he threw it to the floor, all the walls of that subway chamber caught fire. A skin-raising shriek echoed through the place and everyone began to run for the exit. They knew it was only a matter of time before those mutant dogs appeared, provoked by the heat. 

As she ran, y/n glanced back, protecting their backs, and bumped into something, not seeing where she was going. It was Steve's behind. Everyone had stopped. Searching for the cause of their pause, y/n noted with horror that one of the creatures was in front of them. She stepped to Steve's side, protecting the children as well. Dustin, however, stepped forward.

'Dart?' he muttered, referring to the creature. y/n noticed the spots on the tail of the animal the boy had described a few hours earlier. She tried to grab the boy by his jacket, but he reassured her, as if to say he knew what he was doing.

'He's completely crazy.' Steve muttered next to her. The boy was talking to the demodog as if it were a naughty puppy, but the craziest thing was that the creature seemed to recognize its former owner. Dustin distracted the animal with some candy, and motioned for the others to continue on their way. One by one, and trying not to draw attention to themselves, they passed behind Dart. 

Only Dustin remained. Y/n rested a hand on his shoulder. 

'You know he will...' She muttered, quietly trying to find the words.

'Yes, I know... But it's the right thing to do.' He replied with some sadness and quickly wiped away a tear that was falling down his cheek. Y/n give him a quick pat on his back, nodding and Dustin turned around to follow the others. Y/n followed behind him. When they were a little further, they picked up their pace and came upon the entrance to the tunnel. The rope was waiting for them. 

Steve and y/n helped the kids up first, one by one, listening as the howls of the demodogs were getting closer and closer, echoing off the tunnel walls. 

'Ok, y/n, now you.' Steve said, and y/n prepared to climb. As he put a hand on the rope and began to reload his weight on it, he felt in his own feet the trembling caused by the stomping of the demodogs. She turned instinctively to see the creatures running straight at them and her eyes widened. The children were screaming from above, horrified. Instinctively Steve grabbed her by the waist, pulling her closer to him. However, something strange happened. None of the monsters seemed to notice their presence, moving on forward, as if they were frightened of something else. Steve and y/n were not their priority. 

A light shone from outside, forcing y/n to close her eyes.

A moment later and without wasting any more time, y/n stepped out of the tunnel with Steve's help, then offered him a hand so that he could climb out without difficulty. She sprawled on the floor, and pulled down the scarf covering her nose and mouth, breathing in the fresh air outside. Although she could smell the stench of rotting pumpkins, her lungs were grateful to be able to breathe more comfortably. There was something comforting about that disgusting aroma.

' She made it. Eleven closed the portal.' Mike commented confidently. 

Without moving from where she was, y/n nodded slightly and let out a nervous laugh, letting go of all the tension and nerves she had felt all afternoon. 

It was all over at last.

[babygaunt]

Basilisk is created by a chicken egg hatched by toad. The first creator of Basilisk was Herpo the foul. This snake, which may reach gigantic size, can be lives for hundred of years. With venomous fangs and deadly stare, fatal will come to who ever face this creator. However, since the Basilisk was still a serpent, a Parselmouth might communicate with it and potentially place the creature under their influence.

As Ominis is blind, direct heir of salazar slytherin who has parselmouth ability as his gift. On his vein flew dark wizard's blood, which make him potentially become one most feared dark wizard if he will, also creator and controller of Basilisk.

In the game, Basilisk himself tried to speak to him,as the fact if many of his family, who actually also parselmouth and already taken a study in Hogwarts before him, have not mentioned able to speak to the snake. As Ominis the only one who able to connect to it after years since salazar slytherin put the Basilisk in the plumber.

Also the fact if Ominis has pet a toad, and parselmouth, with beautiful sharp blind eyes (sorry), make him perfect candidate for own Basilisk army. His blindness would prevent him from Basilisk death stare, his parselmouth would controls the serpent while his toad help him to hatched many basilisk. And dont forget he handome and sexy body would slays everything (forget for the last line)

So who ever underestimate my baby will be so sorry if he just shown his real potential, as most strongest dark wizard ever before his nephew voldy. But he is a good boy who would not do such a thing.

[queenofcats17]

I am thinking about FNAF Security Breach and what I would change about it.

Granted, I know nothing about game design and these are just my opinions. A lot of this is inspired by other fan content I’ve seen that I really liked. Will add more ideas at a later date probably.

First, I think the reason Gregory goes to the Pizzaplex should be looking for one or more friends of his that have gone missing. In one of the trailers, Vanny says something about all of Gregory's friends waiting for him. So I think he should be looking for his friends. Maybe the police haven't done anything, maybe the kids have been written off. Either way, no progress is being made, and Gregory is taking matters into his own hands.

That becomes the focus of the game. Looking for evidence of where Gregory's friends have gone while avoiding the animatronics, Vanessa, and Vanny. Maybe this isn't the first time Gregory's tried this kind of thing and Vanessa already knows who he is. Maybe this is the first time he's actually succeeded in staying in the Pizzaplex after closing. Going into the depths of the Pizzaplex is probably the point.

Second, I think Vanny and Vanessa should be separate people. I read a fic where "Vanessa" is actually Vanessa's twin who people have mistaken for the missing Vanessa and is just using her sister's identity until she can figure out what happened to to the real Vanessa and I like that. "Vanessa" has a suspicion of what her sister is involved in, which is why she's so insistent on getting Gregory out.

Maybe there can be a scene where Gregory sees "Vanessa" confronting Vanny and begging her to stop. Only for Vanny to lash out at her. Maybe after this confrontation, Vanessa can be recruited as an ally to help Gregory uncover the truth and stop Vanny

Also, I don't think getting caught by the animatronics should be a death sentence. If Gregory gets caught, the animatronics should probably try to take him to where Vanny is doing the whole...you know. I think she and Afton would want to do that themselves. So Gregory should have a chance to be able to escape the animatronics while he's being carried off or escape the room once he gets put there.

Third, Vanny should appear more often. She's the main antagonist. We need to see her. She should be wandering around, maybe talking to the animatronics every so often and berating them for their failure to catch Gregory. Maybe sometimes you can hear another voice layered over her own.

I think the animatronics should have more personality too. Maybe you could have a choice to either scrap them or find a way to fix the virus and recruit them. And while they're under the influence of the virus, they should be much creepier. They don't move right, their speech skips and glitches. It's blatantly obvious that this is not how they're supposed to be acting. And if you fix them, they move much smoother and talk normally.

 Fourth, no Burntrap. But, taking from the influence of a video I saw about Glitchtrap, maybe something like Omega Flowey. Maybe once you cure Vanny of her virus, Glitchtrap takes over some computers, bringing in all the remaining endoskeletons and any technology he can to make sure this job gets done. The protagonists have seen too much and he's not going to let them get out of here. He knows Fazco will cover it up. That's what he's counting on.

[teatin]

hiii! hope you're well.

this might be random but i just wanted to ask if you've played re4 remake yet? and if you have i would love to hear your thoughts on it? (i guess more specifically about aeon bc i am a Big Simp for them LOL but ofc i would love to hear any and all thoughts you have)

also i absolutely love your fanfics on ao3, you're so talented and your writing is so good aaaaaaa i've been rereading them over and over lmaoooo

anywayyyy thank u for ur time and i hope you have a lovely day ❤️

Hi there! So sorry I let this sit in my inbox for so long 😭

First of all: Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm so glad that you enjoyed my Aeon fics on AO3 and I hope I can continue to contribute even more fics to the fandom.

Now to the important stuff: Honestly? I really like what they did with Aeon in RE4R. My main criticism of their relationship in the OG game is that the devs didn't seem to know how to write a conversation between them that would last longer than 5 seconds, so all of their interactions in OG RE4 essentially boiled down to Ada smoke bombing Leon the moment the conversation started to get even slightly confrontational.

That's one thing I hoped they would improve on in the Remake and they did.

The original boat scene had no dialogue, but Remake's boat scene contained what is probably the closest thing we've had to a heart-to-heart between them. In the original, Ada swerved and crashed the boat against the rocks the moment she sensed Leon might have something to say, but here, she actively gives him an opening to speak his mind, and they actually get a chance to talk things out a little, even if the moment didn't last nearly as long as it should. I can appreciate that.

I also like the way they changed their final confrontation over the Plagas sample in a way that fits better with the narrative established in RE2R. In the original, Ada holds Leon at gun point, forcing him to hand over the sample, and even though we knew she would never hurt him, in the Remake timeline that scene wouldn't work as well considering 1) Leon had already challenged her to shoot him and she couldn't, another standoff like that wouldn't make any sense from a thematic or character standpoint, and 2) Remake Leon is clearly shown to be extremely vocal about his disillusionment and distrust of Ada, having her pull a gun on him after all that would've essentially undone any development they might've had throughout the game.

But it's not just Ada who changed. Leon pretty much let her have the sample without even bothering to put up a fight, and this is done without having a gun pointed at his head. This is also a continuation of the narrative established in RE2R: He probably remembers the last time he tried to fight her over a virus sample and how it led to catastrophic consequences. It also shows (in a very subtle way) that despite everything he said, he trusts Ada to not let the sample fall into the wrong hands. You can't tell me that if he had even a sliver of doubt, he wouldn't have at least tried to reason with her to get it back, instead he just kinda lets her have it.

I do think they could've done more with their relationship (I understand why Leon choking Ada while under the influence of the Plagas was removed, but I will forever be bitter about them axing a significant scene that involved Ada and giving it to LUIS of all people), but unlike a lot of people, I never went into the game expecting things to be sunshine and rainbows between them so the angsty direction of their relationship did not surprise me at all. If anything I could see shades of their Damnation era relationship in RE4R so I'm actually pretty pleased all things considered.

Also, them casually Facetiming each other this time around is just so funny to me somehow. It added a bit of lightheartedness in an otherwise quite heavy game (Aeon-wise).

RE4 era has always been a rough patch for Aeon. That has never changed. They bonded in such a short time in Raccoon City and that budding connection was immediately crushed by Ada's deception, and then she "died" before Leon could even process any of it (and he continued to not process any of it in the 6 years that followed, if the opening cinematic is anything to go by). That's a LOT of unresolved trauma and conflicted emotions. But they do care deeply, underneath it all, and we know that they will eventually get to a place where they can be comfortable with each other as they are. They haven't gotten there yet, but they will. And that's okay.