#i used all my design skills and already died

[desceros]

sometimes i think about the future symphony "i should have married you" post you made and it makes me so sad but the other night as i was falling asleep i was struck with absolute agony by the awful idea of "i should have married you" because marrying her would have made her hamato and maybe just maybe then she would have been able to become a hamato spirit. and the brothers most likely would have been able to make contact with the hamato sprits like they do in the series. and because if he married her at least he would have been able to contact her spirit. hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh anyways thought i should share hope your day is going fabulously captain desceros

oh, this is awful. allow me to make it even worse :)

we’ve seen in the series that you dont actually have to have the hamato name to be ‘a hamato’ as april demonstrates. we’ve also seen varying levels of. hm. ninj-oscity? ninpo skills? from the boys. like raph and leo doing a ninja mind meld. just. just mikey.

and we’ve always seen that donnie struggles with ninpo the most.

his ninpo is mechanical. when he uses it at its most conscious level, we see it manifest as blueprints coming together. literal pieces, as if constructed with real material. when he panics or doesn’t go through this process, it’s a vague shape that isn’t as strong or as defined in purpose.

so let’s take this scenario you’ve brought to us.

viola-chan would have, unquestionably, been a hamato. and for that reason, i can definitely see her having a hamato spirit.

…..but i dont think donnie would ever be able to communicate with it.

mikey would be the most likely, since he has the strongest ninpo. but he’d be in high demand since he’s so strong, so i think it would tire him and i dont know how much time and energy he’d have to talk to anyone. not to mention the stress he’d feel when donnie would come to him like Hey Can I Talk To My Dead Girlfriend and mikey’s like…. dude i just got home from 24 hours of straight ass kicking i’m about to pass tf out.

and raph, i imagine, died not too long after viola-chan, so whether he could or not is moot.

leo. well. i dont think leo could communicate with viola-chan either. leo is rather avoidant when he feels guilty or ashamed, and (without going into too much of spoiler territory) he’d feel largely unworthy to talk to you, i think. and since we’ve seen that it takes an open heart to use the technique, it wouldn’t work.

and donnie. god. donnie would try. he would try so, so hard. he would try, hours upon hours, every free moment, banging his fists on his thighs as he’d meditate until he’d collapse. reaching out. seeking. already not as strong at this whole ninpo nonsense. unable to calm himself from the need to see you need to see you please just let me see you one last time please please please that would make it impossible to focus. he’d start thinking about tech that could bridge the gap. that’s how his ninpo works, after all. modeling his blueprint. so if he can design a machine that can talk to you. his ninpo can bring it to life.

but he doesnt exactly have a lot of time to dedicate to a personal project like that, let alone one so fucking insane in scale, so actually impossible to do. and as the time passes he grows more and more obsessed with thinking about it. yet simultaneously more and more sure it’ll never happen. i feel like his last moments, alone, bleeding, staring up at the rust-colored sky, he’d be smiling. because of course he he has some kind of death drone army set to go the moment his ninpo cuts off, and it’s one last middle finger to krang. …but also i think he’d be a little relieved. hoping his spirit will find yours and lavi’s.

(do they? who knows. no more hamato exist in that timeline to find out.)

[foreststepp]

i can’t watch Barbie in my country but i hope these three can

[foone]

You know what I hate about modern mice? how pointlessly anti-repair they are. I have had plenty of mice break over time, and often it's just that some fluff or skin-flakes got wedged in the mouse wheel or under the buttons. You just need to open them up and clean them. Except.. where are the screws?

OH THERE THEY ARE. under the little skid-pads, which cannot be put back on once you take them off, because the adhesive has been ruined! You have to buy replacement pads, if they're available, and maybe cut them down to size, as well as clean off the residue of the previous pads.

You know how this problem could be fixed? JUST DON'T PUT THE PADS ON TOP OF THE SCREWS!

Then you'd have no problem. Easy to disassemble and clean.

But then it'd look 5% uglier because apparently people are scared of seeing screws, and also people might not just throw it out and buy a new one!

It's the terrible sort of weird planned obsolescence that happens as an almost accidental side effect of improving the product. Like, ball mice? They were designed to be disassembled. You didn't even need a screwdriver! Because you had to clean them regularly, or they'd gunk up too fast. Modern optical mice? They still get gunked up, the buttons and wheel still die eventually. They can be cleaned and repaired. But now that it's not required for all of them to be cleaned regularly, that function has been removed. they're designed to be disposable.

The same thing happened with TVs way back when. If you open up a TV from the 50s (or just look at the back, honestly, many of them were designed to be always-open), you'll find a schematic showing where all the tubes are and what models they are. Was this because the 1950s was a golden era of reparability? NO! it's because they burnt out all the time and you had to replace them! As soon as TVs got reliable enough that replacing tubes was no longer needed, the schematics became hidden behind paywalls and for authorized-service-personnel-only.

It would be only a minor change in aesthetics to make your mouse repairable/cleanable. Hell, most of the time when it's not simply fixed by cleaning it, it's because one of these broke:

This is an Omron D2FC-F-7N microswitch, used in a bunch of mice. It's designed to last about a million clicks. With a soldering iron and some solder (like 25$ on amazon) you can trivially replace it. New switches cost between like 10 cents and 2 dollars, depending where you buy it and how many you want. A couple bucks of parts and half an hour's worth of work, you can repair a 40$ mouse that's "died".

But they make it unnecessarily hard with the slide-pads being unreplacable. You have to find ones that match, you have to carefully clean off the old residue with IPA, or the new ones you just bought will fall off. All to make it look SLIGHTLY better (how often are you looking at the aesthetics of the bottom of your mouse, exactly? (no furries are allowed to answer this question!)) and maybe, just maybe, to push it over into "not worth it". You could do all that, but you have to buy new switches, new slide-pads/mouse-feet (SHUT UP FURRIES), and can you remember where your solder even is? you last used it when you were trying to fix that keyboard...

Basically one thing that is maddening to anyone with the very basics of electronic knowledge (seriously: the amount of skill you need for this is the kind you can get in less than an hour from watching a youtube tutorial) that we're surrounded by all this electrical nonsense that will break and have to be thrown out, but is mostly breaking in ways that could be fixed in a very short amount of time with relatively little work.

It's infuriating to go on amazon to buy another damn mouse and it pop up "hey you last bought this in 2021, you fool" and you're like I KNOW, IT SHOULD STILL BE WORKING TODAY!

I have computer parts from the 80s in my room right now that are still working when stuff made in the last 5 years is already dying! There's no reason it should be this way. It's an endless waste of time and money and resources and it's just to make some logitech or whoever executives slightly richer.

It's deeply bullshit. The modern day is going to be identifiable as the geological layer where most of the trash was generated. We're living in the middle of the quisquiliarumferous period: the layer of garbage.

[imsobadatnicknames2]

What's OSR? I've seen you mention it several times in your RPG posts. Is it like a genre of rpg or...?

Hey, sorry I took so long to reply to this lol you probably already just googled it by now.

But like. Anyway.

OSR (Old-School Revival, Old-School Renaissance, and more uncommonly Old-School Rules or Old-School Revolution, no one can really agree on what the R means) is less like a genre and more like a movement or a loosely connected community that seeks to capture the tone, feel and/or playstyle of 70's and 80's fantasy roleplaying games (with a particular emphasis on old-school editions of Dungeons and Dragons, particularly the Basic D&D line but pretty much anything before 3e falls under this umbrella), or at least an idealized version of what people remember those games felt like to play.

There isn't exactly a consensus on what makes a game OSR but here's my personal list of things that I find to be common motifs in OSR game design and GM philosophy. Not every game in the movement features all of these things, but must certainly feature a few of them.

Rulings over rules: most OSR games lack mechanically codified rules for a lot of the actions that in modern D&D (and games influenced by it) would be covered by a skill system. Rather that try to have rules applicable for every situation, these games often have somewhat barebones rules, with the expectation that when a player tries to do something not covered by them the GM will have to make a ruling about it or negotiate a dice roll that feels fair (a common resolution system for this type of situation is d20 roll-under vs a stat that feels relevant, a d6 roll with x-in-6 chance to succeed, or just adjudicating the outcome based on how the player describes their actions)

"The solution is not on your character sheet": Related to the point above, the lack of character skills means that very few problems can be solved by saying "I roll [skill]". E.g. Looking for traps in an OSR game will look less like "I rolled 18 on my perception check" and more like "I poke the flagstones ahead with a stick to check if they're pressure plates" with maybe the GM asking for a roll or a saving throw if you do end up triggering a trap.

High lethality: Characters are squishy, and generally die much more easily. But conversely, character creation is often very quick, so if your character dies you can usually be playing again in minutes as long as there's a decent chance to integrate your new PC into the game.

Lack of emphasis on encounter balance: It's not uncommon for the PCs to find themselves way out of their depth, with encounters where they're almost guaranteed to lose unless they run away or find a creative way to stack the deck in their favor.

Combat as a failure state: Due to the two points above, not every encounter is meant to be fought, as doing so is generally not worth the risk and likely to end up badly. Players a generally better off finding ways to circumvent encounters through sneaking around them, outsmarting them, or out-maneauvering them, fighting only when there's no other option or when they've taken steps to make sure the battle is fought on their terms (e.g. luring enemies into traps or environmental hazards, stuff like that)

Emphasis on inventory and items: As skills, class features and character builds are less significant than in modern D&D (or sometimes outright nonexistent), a large part of the way the players engage with the world instead revolves around what they carry and how they use it. A lot of these games have you randomly roll your starting inventory, and often this will become as much a significant part of your character as your class is, even with seemingly useless clutter items. E.g. a hand mirror can become an invaluable tool for peeping around corners and doorways. This kind of gameplay techncially possible on modern D&D but in OSR games it's often vital.

Gold for XP: somewhat related to the above, in many of these games your XP will be determined by how much treasure you gather, casting players in the role and mindset of trasure hutners, grave robbers, etc.

Situations, not plots: This is more of a GM culture thing than an intrinsic feature of the games, but OSR campaigns will often eschew the long-form GM-authored Epic narrative that has become the norm since the late AD&D 2e era, in favor of a more sandbox-y "here's an initial situation, it's up to you what you do with it" style. This means that you probably won't be getting elaborate scenes plotted out sessions in advance to tie into your backstory and character arc, but it also means increased player agency, casting the GM in the role of less of a plot writer or narrator and more of a referee.

Like I said, these are not universal, and a lot of games that fall under the OSR umbrella will eschew some or most of these (it's very common for a lot of games to drop the gold-for-xp thing in favor of a different reawrd structure), but IMO they're a good baseline for understanding common features of the movement as a whole.

Of course, the OSR movement covers A LOT of different games, which I'd classify in the following categories by how much they deviate from their source of inspiration:

Retroclones are basically recreations of the ruleset of older D&D editions but without the D&D trademark, sometimes with a new coat of paint. E.g. OSRIC and For Gold and Glory are clones of AD&D (1e and 2e respectively); Whitebox and Fantastic Medieval Campaigns are recreations of the original 1974 white box D&D release; Old School Essentials, Basic Fantasy and Labyrinth Lord are clones of the 1981 B/X D&D set. Some of these recreate the original rules as-is, editing the text or reorganizing the information to be clearer but otherwise leaving the meachnics unchanged, while others will make slight rules changes to remove quirks that have come to be considered annoying in hindsight, some of them might mix and match features from different editions, but otherwise they're mostly straight up recreations of old-school D&D releases.

There are games that I would call "old-school compatible", that feature significant enough mechanical changes from old-school D&D to be considered a different game, but try to maintain mechanical compatibility with materials made for it. Games like The Black Hack, Knave, Macchiato Monsters, Dungeon Reavers, Whitehack, etc. play very differently from old-school D&D, and from each other, but you generally can grab any module made for any pre-3e D&D edition and run it with any of them with very little to no effort needed in conversion.

There's a third category that I wouldn't know how to call. Some people call then Nu-OSR or NSR (short for New School revolution) while a small minority of people argue that they aren't really part of the OSR movement but instead their own thing. I've personally taken to calling them "Old School Baroque". These are games that try to replicate different aspects of the tone and feel of old-school fantasy roleplaying games while borrowing few to none mechanics from them and not making any particular attempts to be mechanically compatible. Games like Into the Odd, Mörk Borg, Troika!, a dungeon game, FLEE, DURF, Songbirds, Mausritter, bastards, Cairn, Sledgehammer, and too many more to name. In my opinion this subsection of the OSR space is where it gets interesting, as there's so many different ways people try to recreate that old-school flavor with different mechanics.

(Of course, not everything fits neatly into these, e.g. I would consider stuff like Dungeon Crawl Classics to be somewhere inbetween category 1 and 2, and stuff like GloG or RELIC to be somewhere imbetween categories 2 and 3)

The OSR movement does have its ugly side, as it's to be expected by the fact that a huge part of the driving force behind it is nostalgia. Some people might be in it because it harkens back to a spirit of DIY and player agency that has been lost in traditional fantasy roleplaying games, but it's udneniable that some people are also in it because for them it harkens back to a time before "D&D went woke" when tabletop roleplaying was considered a hobby primarily for and by white men. That being said... generally those types of guys keep to themselves in their own little circlejerk, and it's pretty easy to find OSR spaces that are progressive and have a sinificant number of queer, POC, and marginalized creators.

[onskepa]

Hiiii

Ik you already did human reader x sully kids watching stranger things BUT could we get the same thing with another movie? Or serie?

How about fast & furious??

They being amazed how a hooman (which they know is small, ex: reader, spider, norm) can handle such a machine which is also heavier than a na'vi

Na'vi weigh around 250-300 kg and a car weighs 2 tons

Helloooooooooo! So do not add more to vopey, this request will be its own thing. Also, I havent watched all the movies, I stopped after the 5th movie. HOWEVER! I will use tokyo drift since it is my most favorite movie! So enjoy!

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

Niwin

It was a windy day in the vast Omatikaya forest, perfect day and perfect weather for many to fly their ikrans. And the ikrans take full advantage of the winds to master new skills and enjoy the breeze. The sky was fully of ikrans with their riders! 

It is no surprise that many would race against each other. See who is the fastest, and the ikrans would pride themselves at their speeds and their riders humoring their interest. The adrenaline and rush of fun running through their blood. And the sully kids are no different. Well, more specifically lo’ak and jake. Both love riding their ikrans and would race for the fun of it. Each round either wins. 

Neteyam rides his for the simple joy of being in the sky, same with his mother and sisters. However, at night, many stopped to rest. Their ikrans resting back to their mountain and the na’vi gathering to a well deserved meal after a fun day in the skies. However, there was a small genuine question that the sully kids had in their minds all day. 

“What do humans have that makes them go fast?” Lo’ak asked norm one day at the lab. Him and his siblings were curious to know after discussing more last night. So, being lost in his own work, norm looked at lo’ak in confusion. 

“What are you talking about…?” He asks slowly. Trying to give the kids his full attention. But was also confused by the boy’s wording. 

“We have ikrans and pali’s, but ikrans are faster. So, what is ummm…the same for humans?” Lo’ak re-words his question. Norm finally understood, “oooooh. Can't answer that” he replies flatly. He received a loud collective ‘WHAT!?’ from the kids. Norm sighs a bit annoyingly. “Look, go ask niwin. She knows more about that stuff than I do” he suggests. 

Norm turns to call her out from another room. 

“HEY NIWIN!! THE KIDS ARE INTERESTED IN YOUR STUFF!” 

Using one of the bigger rooms of the lab, Niwin inserted a usb to a computer and brought out some holograms. The sully kids make themselves comfortable with pillows and other cushions as they observe the floating transparent objects being shown. 

“Cars are moving objects that humans have been using for over 200 years. And much like technology, they evolve with time. From cute little honkers” Niwin presents as she shows a 1915 ford car. 

“To today, by today I mean 10 years ago since updates are not frequent. Flying self-driving cars that have no wheels and run on hydro gas” niwin then presents a new sleek car with fancy colors and design. 

The sully kids let out sounds telling they are intrigued. “So, how do humans race with them? It doesn't look like you can get on” Kiri asks. Popping another bubble, Niwin extends the car visuals to see inside. 

“We get in, and seats for the capacity of the usual five. But when you have a big family and where logic does not exist, eeeehhh probably 30 people can fit inside. I seen it happen so don't question it” 

A couple more lessons she taught the kids. Letting her expertise show off and give more insight into what automobiles can do. 

“Starting from the 1950’s to 2050, a hundred years of glorious racing, the empire died. Cars were being designed to be safer, more cautious. Nothing wrong with that but it makes taking risks all the better, and all the more harder. Somewhere in the world, everyone had their own style of racing. Their own skills and culture. Racing is the fuel that gives us the rush, the excitement. And one of my personal favorite styles is drifting” 

Lo’ak was quick to raise his hand. “What is drifting?” he asks. 

“You guys like watching movies?”

“What is prom? What is with the damages? Why do they all look like adults rather than teens?” Kiri asks question after question. Nothing wrong with that since they seem to be valid questions. 

“And why in an area that is clearly forbidden?” Neteyam adds on. 

They were currently in the scene where the teen idiots race against each other on a construction sight with already built roads. 

“Much like lo’ak, they are attracted to anything forbidden and do the exact opposite of what it's being told. Being blind by choice, am I right lo’ak?” Niwin teases. Lo’ak blushes a bit in embarrassment but he doesn't deny nor confirm. Everyone pretty much knew the answer to her question. 

“Anyhow, the good parts will come soon” 

And sooner did it come. From an “American” setting to a Japanese setting. And much like Sean in the movie, the sully kids had a massive culture shock when Japan came into view. The language, how people looked, the style of everything. Now the movie has definitely gotten a lot more interesting for the siblings. And Niwin was happy they go to feel what she felt during the first time. 

“Amazing huh? That is how I felt when I saw the movie for the first time. Best feeling ever-”

“Yeah yeah shush” Lo’ak hushed Niwin as he grabbed a handful of popcorn. Niwin gasped at that but didn't say much. Shoving a handful of popcorn down her throat, Niwin watches silently. 

Showing Sean struggling to fit into a new school, with a new language to learn, and new customs to be aware of. The sully kids can relate to that. Being a place that is unfamiliar to what they know. And oh how they know it deeply well. 

“I am getting some serious deja’blue with this whole…..change” Lo’ak comments. Everyone nodded in agreement. 

“Nothing wrong with change, sometimes it can be a good thing,” Niwin replies. 

Shrugging it off, they watch more until Twinkie shows up in the scene. Offering some stuff to sean until the driving wheel is taken focus. And this only leads to better parts.

The Song began to play, and there the scene opens to a whole world of race cars. Different colors, different glam. Twinkie was showing Sean a new side of what it is like to race cars. Chilling really. What else is there to see or know about? Apparently a lot more. 

Hoods of the cars are being opened to show how the inside mechanics word, all so shiny and complex looking. Yet very eye-catching. Everything was truly captivating for the kids. 

“So those….those are race cars?” Neteyam asks, never leaving the screen. 

Niwin couldn't help but chuckle at his reaction. 

“Those were the glory days” was all she said. 

People were dancing in the center of the giant gathering. Dancing and enjoying the vibes with an odd choice of music. But it looked fun nonetheless. And kiri was starting to get the feeling of the beat. 

“Would you dance with them?” Tuk asks to kiri. The older sister shook her head. “No, good thing I won't,” Kiri replied.

Neela came to view, a pretty girl with a quick tongue. Having a little word play with sean, but quickly the scene changed to show an intimidating guy. 

“And here comes the baddie of the story” Lo’ak says a bit loudly, throwing his hands up in a dramatic way. Kiri rolls her eyes as she throws a pillow at him. “And louder skxawng?”. 

The scene was quick from light to seriousness. 

“Guess he just can't stay quiet,” Kiri adds as Sean challenges DK. 

“One of his best quirks, don't be silenced but roar out like a mindless donkey,” Niwin says. 

 For lo’ak, Sean was someone he saw himself in. Reckless yet won't be held down by others and being told how to behave. To live in the moment, and to live for the thrill. That is something lo’ak can understand. 

The big leader, DK, “Drift King” seemed like an intimidating guy. Reeks of cockyness and too much confidence. Yet is the master of his own craft. So when Sean decides to challenge the drift king, things did not go his way. 

“His smile kind of creeps me out,” Tuk says. 

Sean and DK agreed to do a race. As Han volunteered to lend his car to Sean, everyone was leaning forward to see what would happen next. 

Tiwkie leads Sean to an upper floor to show him where the car is. But as the elevator door opened, in a perfect moment, it showed two cars swerving, tires screeching against the concret. Almost like sliding sideways. The sounds echoing the facility. And much like Sean, the sully kids were locked in focus. No sound coming out of them. 

Who will win, who will lose?

“I predicted he would lose!” Tuk raised her hand as she claimed her ‘future’. Sean lost in a humiliating way. DK was able to avoid walls, people, and other vehicles effortlessly. While Sean damaged literally everything in his path. And damaging a car that was not his. 

“And this begins what is called the training arc” Niwin comments. 

And true to it, Sean began to learn from Han how to drift while also trying to balance his new life in Japan. The two fishermen who speak as they know something is going on during Sean's drift training. And Neela’s past and her connection with DK. 

“Wait, what is a Yakuza?” Tuk asks when the reveal of Takashi’s relationship to the underground crime syndicate. “A very bad guy. I ain't going over that yakuza stuff. Too long and I dont think your parents would like it if I explained it” Niwin replies. Already on her fifth snack. 

“Do you ever just…..not eat?” Kiri asks, slightly annoyed. 

“Nope” 

From Han’s embezzlement of taking the criminals money, to betrayal and to wrecking so many lives. Takashi held a gun to Han's head, things were getting really serious. Tiwnkie made a distraction for everyone to get out. Han, Sean and neela made it to their cars and drove off. Takashi and his little sidekick follow closely. 

From there, it led to so much chaos. Driving through the streets, doing their best to avoid the citizens, there was a lot of drifting. To not hit any car so far was impressive until the short tempered sidekicked crashed into a couple of cars. No one stayed to see the outcome. Not even takashi. While it looked like he looked back to see the wreck, he didn't stop. His need to get after those who are trying to make him look like a fool. 

From those scenes, the sully kids were cheering for the good guys. Hoping they all would live through. Sadly, not all. 

“NO!!! NO WHY HIM!?” tuk and neteyam screamed in shock to see han crashing and flipping his car. And to explode from the gas leaking. Dread was what the siblings felt. Han was a pretty cool character. And his death would never numb away. Niwin frowns at having to see his death over and over again. But of course the frown goes away knowing what happens in the later movies. 

“Oh he is so DEAD!” lo’ak screams, getting more and more pissed of at takashi and how far he was willing to go. 

“Sean better kick his ass or something. Han did not deserve to die. Why do the good guys always die” tuk complains, Crossing her arms. Kiri rubs her shoulder to comfort her. “Soon he will get what he deserves”.

Kiri couldn't be more right. A deal was made, Takashi’s uncle entered the frame again. And all was on the table. Takashi and Sean would race against each other on the mountain that was common to drift on. And to add more stakes, it would be at night. Where vision is more needed It was literally a life or death race. 

Everyone was cheering for sean, lo’ak going at it at the top of his lungs. Hoping to see his favorite character win. To see takashi be humiliated. Everyone outside of the room were wondering what the hell was going on but nobody cared enough. 

The sully gets were getting to amped as the racing scene went on. They felt like they were seeing it first hand. Feeling the adrenaline go through them, the excitement getting a bit carried away. Oh it was thrilling. 

“Come on, come on!! YES!! YES HE WON!!” lo’ak screamed. Releasing happy noises as his tail swishes. Neteyam spun tuk around in happiness. Kiri mostly stood out of the way so as to not get hit, but she was just as happy. 

The movie ended and the end credits rolled up. It was over. 

“Wow…..that was just……AMAZING!!” Lo’ak shouted. Feeling pumped to ride his ikran and see if he can replicate those same moves. Tuk was trying her best to sing along to the drift song but only mumbled words under her breath.  

“That was amazing, though it kinda seems sad that those racing days are over” Neteyam says. The movie made it look fun, racing at high speeds. 

“Hey, who said it was over?” Niwin asks. The kids stopped to look at her. With a playful smirk and a swing of her keychain, she asks “you guys wanna ride?”

Aaaaaaaaaand that is it for this one! Had to re-watch the movie to get down some important parts. But I hope you all liked it, until next time! See ya!

-------

Niwin = fast, quickly, rapidly

[imisskacchan]

Mouse

Summary: You were an assassin sent to kill him. What happens when your cover is blown?

TW: Non-con, Kidnapping, Stockholm syndrome, Mob Boss Karma

Words: 4k

“Can you handle this task Y/N? If not we will find someone more capable” Lovro asked.

That made my blood boil, as if there’s anyone more capable of killing that bastard than me.

“I can handle it” I say, collecting my gear and walking out with only one goal in mind, Kill Karma Akabane.

I’ve been waiting for a chance to get revenge all these years. It’s only fitting he dies by my hand.

Karma and I grew up together, however we were never friends. He was a self assured asshole who used everyone for his own personal gain. I couldn’t stand him. With both of us being in E-class it was hard to avoid him.

Somehow we always got paired up no matter how many times I asked Koro sensei to not assign him as my partner. Our differences were made apparent every single time he put me on my ass. It was like he was showing me that I was nothing compared to him. I couldn’t even begin to compare. With grades or skill. But besides training he always kept his distance from me. Like he was too good to even be in my presence.

I hated him, but only because I didn’t. He was everything I wanted to be, everything I wanted for myself always ended up falling into his lap somehow.

I Just wanted to prove to him, to everyone, that I was just as good as he was. I never was though. I was a ‘little mouse’ and he was the big bad cat. No matter how hard I trained or studied, I could never reach his level. Well until now.

Now nothing’s going to stop me from completing this mission and proving how much better I am. He wasn’t going to leave me in the dust this time, I'm not going to let him. I can’t wait to see the look on his face when I'm the last thing he sees.

I had already gone shopping and chosen the outfits and accessories I needed to ‘play’ his new secretary. It has been so long there’s no way he’ll recognize me.

He’d forget someone as plain and useless as me and that will be his downfall. Like he said he would, he is now the highest ranked politician in Tokyo, however he is also the leader of the Yakuza which puts bounties on his head. Bounties that I'll soon collect.

I text Lovro and let him know everything’s in place for my first day at his office. It’s going to be hard keeping my cool around him but oh so worth it in the end.

He has a hard time keeping assistants because of his sadistic tendencies. I know them all too well from our time in junior high.

His strength will cause his demise. I walk into the building and fight the urge to puke. It’s huge and luxurious, he doesn’t deserve it, he doesn’t deserve anything.

He’s gotten his power from stepping on others and using them as pawns. I’m going to put an end to it.

I keep my head down as I walk to the elevator, there’s no need to cause unnecessary attention to myself. This is a stealth mission, I have to keep a low profile. Once I reached the elevator I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Here goes everything I've ever worked for.

I press the button to the 50th floor and will myself to calm down. For now I'm just another assistant. I won’t make any moves till I collect intel on the target.

I reach my designated floor and head to your desk. The stand in receptionist eyes me with caution till I introduce myself. A look of sadness crosses her face. She gathers her things from my desk and wishes me luck because ‘i’ll need it’ she says.

She has no idea.

I quickly take my seat and set my things where they belong. I pull out my pen that’s equipped with a wire and set it with the other ones so it doesn’t stand out. I have to memorize his schedule and find the perfect opportunity to strike.

Easy enough right?

I take a look at his appointment book and fuck...this is going to take longer than I thought. He doesn’t have a set schedule, he basically does whatever he wants and everyone else works around him. Hah nothing new there. I place the appointment book back in the drawer and sigh. I don’t want to have to be around him for longer than I need to. I’ll just have to make do with what I have though. Right now Karma was in a meeting so I have a few hours to myself.

I walk over to his office door and wiggle the handle but it’s locked. There’s nothing else for me to really do till he gets back. I sit back down at my desk and go over the plan in my head, I tweak any details that have changed and try to stay optimistic. I just have to get close enough to him so he lets his guard down, even if it’s just for a second, and take my shot.

Easier said than done I suppose. It’s about two hours later when Karma arrives back at the office. He passes me without sparing you a glance as he heads into his office. So far so good, staying under the radar like I'm supposed to. I make sure to get my work done on top of planning how to kill Akabane. The last thing I need is to be fired and lose my chance to end him. It's nearing the end of my shift, the sun has already set and mostly everyone else has gone home for the day. I stand up from my desk and stretch before making my way to Karma’s office. I knock twice before letting myself in.

He’s sitting at his desk scrolling through his phone.

“I was going to head home for the day sir I wanted to make sure there was nothing else you needed.” It pains me to act so submissive for him. He doesn’t look up from his device to answer you.

“There’s nothing else, you’re free to leave” he dismisses me and I nod before taking my leave. If only I could’ve killed him right there.

I’ve been working for him for a week now. Everything has been running smoothly but there still hasn’t been an opening. Somehow I have to get closer to him but I doubt that can happen in a few weeks. I feel like I'm going crazy. I wasn’t cut out for desk work, at all.

Most of Karma’s meetings are private so I can’t attend, when I am allowed to accompany him it’s mostly to political conferences. I do my job, take notes and schedule the next meetings, nothing more nothing less. Karma has barely said 3 words to me since I arrived. It’s perplexing because all of his previous assistants I've interviewed said that he becomes a tyrant after the first day. Maybe his work has picked up and he doesn’t have time? All I know is I'm glad to stay out of the limelight.

It’s nearing the end of my shift again. I was just going to go home without notifying Karma like I’ve done the past few days. I trust if he needs something he’ll ask. I’m gathering my things to go home when I hear his office door open.

“Ah Ms. Blake I'm glad I caught you before you left, could we speak for a moment?” He didn’t give me time to answer before walking back into his office and taking a seat at his desk. I place my bag on my chair and figure I'll come back for it later. I walk in after him, closing the door and taking the seat in front of him.

He doesn’t speak, for a moment he just stares at me. It’s me who breaks the silence first.

“There was something you wanted to speak about sir?” I asked softly. A smirk graced his face as he held his chin in his palms.

“I didn’t think you were stupid enough to take the hit on me Y/N.” My breath hitched at the sound of your real name, how did he know? Do I have a rat? That has to be it.

“E-excuse me?” I say feigning confusion. “Drop the act Y/N, I caught you. I was always the better assassin.” He leered.

“Fuck you Akabane” I say standing up and leaping at him over the desk. Fuck... my other weapons are in my bag I left.

I reach for my hidden knife holstered on my thigh but before I can reach it Karma places a cloth over my mouth. I hold my breath till I become dizzy and he flips me over straddling my legs as he watches me lose consciousness. “I missed you, my little mouse,” he whispers as I close my eyes.

I open my eyes and immediately regret it. My head pounds and my mouth is unbelievably dry. How long have I been out? I sit up slowly wincing as I grab my head. That asshole really chloroformed me. I look around and my heart drops. I’m in a fucking cell... A 6 inch thick clear acrylic wall which leads to a hallway which goes to who knows where is the only exit I see.

The room is bare except for the bed, a small bathroom area with a small shower, and a desk with a chair. There’s no doubt there’s a camera in here somewhere. I’m not in my clothes anymore, instead I'm dressed in gray sweatpants and a matching sweatshirt. That psycho changed me while I was asleep. Fuck... fuck... fuck This is bad, this is really bad. I have to get out. And when I do I'm gonna kill that bastard.

I’m snapped out of my thoughts as I hear footsteps. It’s him.

“Ah so you’re finally awake, good I was beginning to think you would let a little chloroform take you out.” He sneered.

“How long have you kept me here you fucking psycho?” I spat, banging on the glass.

“Now, is that any way to talk to your boss?” He said, smiling eerily.

“When I get out of here I'm gonna make you regret this Akabane.”

“Then I suppose I'm just gonna have to keep you locked in there huh? Little mouse.”

I scream as he walks away, leaving me alone again. ‘Ok Y/N don’t panic, I'm gonna get out of here and wipe that smirk off his face’ I thought. I make my way back over the bed and sit with my knees to my chest laying my head on them. I can’t do anything right now. It felt like someone was stepping on my head and I know I haven’t eaten or drank in days. I’ll have to wait till I gather my strength till I can try and escape. But even if I do, where will I go? I have no clue where I am or how to get out. I have to find a way to get him to let me out of this damn cage. I sob gently as I clutch my knees harder. How did things turn out like this?

I must’ve fallen asleep from crying. I open my eyes and sigh. I’m still here in this hellhole. “I take it you had a nice nap?” Karma says from the other side of the glass. I roll my eyes as I sit up.

“I brought you dinner” he continues, gesturing to the bowl of ramen he’s holding.

“Is it poisoned so I can put myself out of my misery?” you deadpanned. His smile drops into something darker.

“I guess you don’t need to eat if you’re going to say something so horrible, princess.” He says turning to walk away. What is his problem? It’s not like I said I wanted to poison him. My stomach grumbles and I swallow my pride. “W-wait... please don’t go.” I call after him and he halts.

He walks back to the glass and glares at me, tapping his foot like he’s waiting for something. I take a deep breath before I speak. “I’m sorry... for what I said. Please let me eat.” I croaked. That must’ve pleased him because his smile returned.

“Sit on the bed Y/N.” He ordered. Afraid of angering him again I did as asked. He moved to the side of the glass and typed in what I assumed was a code. The glass lifted up like a window would. He walked in and it closed behind him. He sets the bowl on the desk and sets a bottle of water next to it. I look at him, silently asking permission to move and he motions for me to come and sit.

I slowly walk over and pull out the chair, sitting down. I break the chopsticks he brought and slowly begin to eat. I flinch when he moves his hand toward my head. It doesn’t stop him from placing it in my hair and softly petting. I ignore him as I continue eating. I savor the taste of the perfectly cooked noodles and rich broth.

He’s standing behind me now with a hand placed on each of my shoulders rubbing soothing circles.

“It’s still your favorite, right?” He asked. My heartbeat increased as his fingers trail across my collarbone. I silently nod, not trusting my voice to not give away how nervous I am. With my strength diminished it would be significantly easier to kill me right now, I probably couldn’t put up much of a fight. He just hums and continues to explore my form with his hands. I set my chopsticks down as I finish and grab the water bottle. I open it and take a couple sips before I cough lightly.

“Slow down princess.” he says, patting my back. Why is he acting so weird?

“I’m fine.” I say trying to get him to take the hint to stop touching me but he doesn’t. I put down the empty water bottle and stand up, I back away from him and sit back on the bed. I feel a little better now that I’ve eaten.

“I want to leave Karma, let me out.” I say in a stern voice.

“And why would I do that mouse?” He comes to stand in front of me and I scoot back till I reach the wall.

“I’m having so much fun with you here.” He answered.

“You can’t just keep me prisoner, someone will come for me when they realize I'm missing.” I remarked.

“Oh? And is this someone you’re referring to, Lovro?” He asks shrewdly. I open my mouth to say something but decide not to.

“You know Y/N, I couldn’t have gotten you here if it wasn’t for him.” He sighs.

“W-what?” I ask shakily.

“You’re so naive, that’s why I have to protect you from the dangerous world outside.” He grabs my hands and when I try to pull them away I can’t. It feels like I can’t move, my body won’t listen to me. He drugged me...

“What did you give me Akabane?” I’m seething and I hope it shows on my face as I glare at him.

“Don’t look so morose darling, I just needed you to be relaxed.” He sits next to me pulling me on his lap bridal style. I’m trying my hardest to punch, kick, do something, anything. It’s no use, whatever he gave me must’ve been a paralytic of some kind.

Ugh i’m so stupid, how could I let this happen? He holds me so my head is resting on his shoulder with an arm over my legs and the other one is behind me holding my waist.

“I’ve been trying to get Lovro to send you to me for a while. He has been on my payroll ever since I took office.” He brings the hand over my legs to rub my thighs softly.

“You were never cut out for this life Y/N, I needed to protect you, so I finally offered him something he couldn’t turn down.” He whispered and kissed my head.

“He sold you out. All for a place at my table with the Yakuza.” I can’t hold in my tears. I actually thought Lovro cared about me, he was the father I never had. This whole mission was rigged. All I can do is cry against my captor.

“Shhh, it’s ok princess he’ll die for that, but you’re safe with me now. No one’s ever going to hurt you again.” For some reason that made me sob harder.

Sure he was a rat but that didn’t mean I wanted Lovro to die. Everyone has a price, I know that but I guess I didn’t expect this. How long had he known Karma was planning this? Why didn’t he say anything to me? I never even stood a chance against the monster before me.

“You’ll stay here until I can trust you enough to join me in our room upstairs.”

Our room…? This man is crazy. His hands get close to my clothed core and I let out a scared whine.

“I was going to wait till you were settled before I indulged in your presence, but I don’t think I can.” He said, setting me down on the bed and getting on top of me.

“All that time learning about weak spots and mine was you all along.”

“Please... d-don’t.” I hiccup trying to fight with my body to move. I feel his hands trail under my sweatshirt, they feel rough against my skin.

“Don’t worry mouse, I'm gonna make you feel real good yeah? Just sit back and look pretty for me.” His hands come to my hips, tugging down my sweatpants and panties discarding them somewhere in the room. No no no… this can’t be happening.

“Karma wait… I- I’m not-“ He cut me off with a kiss. It was rough and hard to keep up with his pace. He swipes his tongue across my bottom lip and bit down hard. I cry out from the pain and he chuckles lightly, lapping at the blood he drew.

He pushes my thighs apart and situates himself on his stomach between them. I close my eyes trying to imagine being literally anywhere else at this moment.

“All that time in junior high and you were so oblivious… I thought staying away from you was necessary… that if I couldn’t control myself around you you’d end up getting hurt. But now… now I understand you need me to protect you, to look out for you.” I want to scream as I feel his fingers slide inside of me.

“Karma please just… just let me out ok? I’m sorry for trying to kill you but please don’t do this.” I plead.

“Oh baby you are not remotely close to being sorry.” He says curling his fingers and finding my g-spot.

“But you will be when I'm finished.” I gasp as I feel his tongue come down on my clit. Me and my lady parts are about to go to WAR. This shouldn’t feel good… I know it’s the biological response or whatever but still.

“That’s it princess, lose yourself for me.” I try to tune him out but nothing’s working. I clench my teeth trying desperately to hold back my moans.

“I hate you Akabane, and I'll never forgive you for this.” I mutter and he stills. He pulls his digits out of me and brings his hand to my throat.

“Take that back Y/N.” He screams. “Say you don’t mean it.” His voice drops to a whisper as his grip tightens. He almost sounds… hurt? I close my eyes trying to focus on getting as much air in my lungs as possible.

“Okay… have it your way then.” He says before releasing my throat and getting off me. He grabs my clothes from the floor and slides them back on me without a word before he turns to the door. I hear the sounds of the keypad buttons as he types them and I wish I knew the code. When the door shuts behind him and I no longer hear his footsteps as he walks away, I finally give in and let more tears fall. He was willing to go that far… No. I have to stop thinking about it or I’m gonna drive myself insane. I’ve always known he was a monster, he just proved it today.

Despite everything though, why do I feel lonely? Why do I want him to come back to hold me again, to tell me everything’s gonna be ok? It has to be some sort of trauma response right? It’s just my hormones going wild because of this whole situation. Or at least that’s what I tell myself.

When Karma comes the next day he doesn’t speak to me. I try to get him to say something, anything but he doesn’t. He just sets the food and water he brought me on the desk and waits for me to finish eating. This goes on for days until I just can’t take it anymore. “Would you just fucking speak to me? You’re literally holding me captive, it's like the least you could do.” I say.

He ignores me. I step closer to him and try again. “You’re lucky I even want you to talk to me, after everything you’ve done I should be giving you the silent treatment.” I spat.

Still nothing.

“Did I hurt your feelings Akabane? What, me saying I hate you ruined your little fantasy?” I push him against the glass with my hands on his shoulders. “Y/N… I’m warning you.” he says slowly through clenched teeth.

“What are you gonna do this time huh? You gonna drug me again? Go ahead, it's not like I have any dignity left after the first time. You took away my choices, my life, and I… hate… you.” I whisper into his ear.

Before I can stop it he flips me around so my back is to the wall and his hand is around my throat. My eyes go wide and I try to push him off of me but he gathers both my hands in one of his and holds them over my head. His knee pushes between my thighs and I will myself to not move.

“You love me Y/N, say it.” He demanded. “You’re delusional Akabane, I’ll never love you.” His hand moves across my face hard. The motherfucker smacked me.

“I’ll make you love me, I have nothing but time, mouse.” He pushes his knee against my clothed core and a needy moan escapes me. Fuck… I didn’t mean to do that.

“You might not want me but your body is honest with its desires.” He places kisses on my neck as he rubs his knee against my clit.

“Fuck… Fuck you.” I say struggling against him, it only adds to the friction against my clit and I bite my lip stifling a moan.

“That’s the plan, princess.” He says sticking his hand down my pants and feeling my arousal I knew was there.

“Fuck baby… so wet for me already.” He growls and my cheeks heat up. I swear me and my pussy are gonna have a heart to heart cuz what… and I can’t stress this enough… the FUCK?

I continue to struggle against him and he must get impatient because he pulls me with him by my hair. He pushes me so I’m bent over the desk and my hands are behind my back held in his. I squirm as I hear him remove his belt before a ‘fwip’ rings in my ears. I cry out as I feel the belt hit my ass.

“Stay. Still.” He says threateningly as he binds my hands together and tugging on them to make sure they’re tight enough. He moves to pull my sweats down and my breath speeds up as I feel the cold air on my wet core.

“Karma wait please… you’re right ok I love you just please stop, you proved your point already.” I pleaded.

“See, I knew you’d come around mouse, now let me reward you.” He said pulling out his length and rubbing it between my folds. All that comes to mind is I hope he pulls out because he’s not using protection. I open my mouth to express my concerns but fail. I gasp as I feel him enter me at an agonizingly slow pace.

“Fuck… so tight… ‘s like your sucking me in.” He slurs as he bottoms out. I bite my bottom lip trying to hold in my moans. Akabane seems too preoccupied to notice as he pulls all the way out of me before slamming back in. One of his hands finds my hips and the other tangles in my hair before he starts pistoning into me.

“K-karm… nngh fuck… please.” I don’t even know what I’m begging for as I feel his cock hit all the right places.

“That’s it baby...shit… so perfect for me.” He groans as he feels me clench around his length. A hand moves in front of me to rub my clit and I see white as my orgasm hits me.

“Yes… fuck, cum all over my cock, such a good girl.” He praises as he chases his own release. I feel his hips stutter and I try to pull off him.

“Wait Karma, not inside.” I beg but it’s useless as he rams into me and I feel him paint my insides white. Tears start to fall again.

“Shh, it’s ok… you’re all mine. I’ll take care of you.” He whispers and I cry harder as I feel his length harden again inside me.

[cryptidclaw]

My new Clangen clan, Kittyclan, a year (12 moons) in! 

I thought it would be fun to draw my clan every 12 moons or so! (though after these first 12 moons I prob wont draw every cat! this took forever...)

The backstory of this clan, is that they were all Kittypets who decided to run away and start their own clan in the woods! 

More info on the clan so far below! v

My first starclan cat, Onetree, used to be a warrior, and then a med cat, in a old clan, but in her old age she was guided by starclan to the Twolegplace nearby. There at the twolegplace she was taken in by two twolegs, and was named Granny Cat. Her Housefolk had another cat, a kitten named Milky, and Granny knew once she met him that he would one day do something great. Milky would take a group of cats into the forest and create his own clan. Granny knew Starclan had guided her here to teach Milky of the clans and the skills of a warrior and so she tried her hardest to do just that, taking Milky in as her own.

After Granny Cat passed away Milky became determined to live in the forest that Granny had once lived in. Not only this, Milky decided he should create his own clan! He convinced several fellow kittypets to join him in his mission and he named their new clan Kittyclan for their kittypet roots. He took them into the woods to find a territory and camp and Starclan guided Milky to a gully in the woods, perfect for a camp, and the new clan knew that this would be their new home. That night after settling Milky received his 9 lives from starclan, and was given his Leader’s name, Milkystar!

Notable things that have happened so far:

Milkystar has already lost two lives?? He lost one to a border skirmish where Onyxpelt also died, and he lost another falling from a tree (tho I suspect he was very distracted that moon due to his mate announcing that he was expecting kits lol)

For some reason Milkystar and Sweetpea have little to no feelings about each other. They slightly like each other and slightly hate each other?? all the other cats og cats have at least a good amount of platonic like towards each other (except for Lint ig)! I guess their Leader and deputy relationship is like an awkward coworkers relationship lol.

Milkystar and Fredheart are mates! they both had the beginnings of romantic feelings for each other and I wanted kits so I got them together! Idk if this was a good decision however because their dislike bars towards eachother are starting to go up :/. Love hate romance. They are going to have kits tho!!

Fredheart and Sweetpea are BFFs for ever, they have such high platinic love bars! its kinda funny since Sweet does not care for Fred’s mate lol. 

Poor Fluttershy lost her leg in a twoleg trap... 

I got three new additions to the clan! Jessicapuddle, Onyxpelt and Splashmoth! Onyx almost immediately died in that border skirmish, but luckily that's the only death so far!

Jessicapuddle came out as a trans man and i think that’s hilarious bec this is one of the only times when i have seemingly got a female kittypet name on a female cat.

Splashmoth’s name kinda sounds like Smashmouth.... also I designed her to look kinda similar to Onetree/Granny bec they have the same personality traits, and spotted pelt pattern... maybe they r related, who knows. (I also like the idea that she eerily reminds Milky of Granny)

Lintheather has no friends??? like at all??? nobody has strong platonic feelings towards him at all!! its so sad... I feel like hes so lonely and kind of regretting joining the clan now :( 

Beanzsong on the other hand is everyone’s favorite omg... he’s also very close with his mentor Sweetpea!

Creatureivy is also very close to her mentor Milkystar and i like to think that Milky treated her as his daughter since she was a kit at the start of the clan!

[jessamine-rose]

꒰ THE SPIDER AND THE FLY - Author’s Note ꒱

Read The Spider and the Fly here ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و

It’s finished…I wrote my Yandere! Miguel O’Hara longfic and lived to tell the tale. Istg not a day has gone by without me cursing Miguel bc of this. To those who’ve already read their story, thank you so much for your lovely tears feedback  (˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ )

With that over, it’s time for another Author’s Note!! This is just me rambling about my writing process, headcanons, and creative details in this fic. I hope y’all enjoy this behind-the-scenes perspective <3

“Since the loss of his family, Miguel O'Hara has avoided every Variant of his wife. Then he meets you, a special exception—a version of her whose salvation lies in his interference.” (AO3 Summary)

꒰ Introduction ꒱

♡ Fun fact, the only reason why I got into Spiderverse was bc my socmeds were flooded with Miguel O’Hara. My brainrot was so bad that the fanfics weren’t enough; and even then, I didn’t expect this idea to reach 7.6k words. It was also my first attempt at dual POV and more detailed spice ( ´•̥̥∇•̥̥` )

♡ One major inspiration for this fic was the popular “Miguel falls for his wife’s Variant” trope, and I hope you all enjoyed my take on that idea!! Giving Variant! Darling her own angsty backstory was a must, given my fondness for twisted happy endings <3

♡ Before I continue, I want to thank the following mutuals for making this fic possible!! @yandere-romanticaa for dragging me into the Miguel O’Hara fandom, @diodellet for being the world’s best beta-reader, and @yanmaresu for helping me with the Spanish translations~

꒰ Characters ꒱

♡ We don’t talk about how much Miguel O’Hara tormented me in my attempts to properly write his character. I headcanon him as a strict, overprotective yandere who is only cruel to his darling if provoked. I find his dynamic with Variant! Darling particularly interesting as it opens up his guilt, trauma, and breeding kink yearning for his lost family.

♡ Variant! Darling is the unhappiest version of Miguel’s wife. She has low self-esteem and impostor syndrome, which gets worse as she learns about her more successful Variants. As a result, she craves external validation but doesn’t believe she deserves it. Despite her inferiority complex, she does has positive traits and skills which her other versions don’t have.

♡ LYLA, my love!! I had a lot of fun writing her scenes. She is simply the best wingman/ voice of reason that ever lived, and one of the few people allowed to interact with Variant! Darling.

꒰ Literary Motifs ꒱

♡ The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt - Cheers to Miguel reminding me of a poem from my childhood. It was the main inspiration for the title, Darling’s character, and other details~

♡ The red thread of fate - referenced at the end of iv. triangle web purely out of self-indulgence. I just rlly love that motif, and it helps that Miguel’s webs are also red xD

♡ Spiderweb varieties - I couldn’t think of anything else for the section dividers, thus I embarked on online research ft. unavoidable spider pics. The webs were picked for the following reasons::

i. spiral orb web - the most basic and common web design

ii. funnel web - hiding place for spider, used for surprise attacks

iii. lace web - I ran out of common web varieties and it sounds pretty

iv. triangle web - not sticky, fuzzy threads used to entangle and smother prey

v. mesh web - similar to cobwebs but found outdoors, used to entangle prey

vi. cobweb - sticky, irregular, tangled, found indoors

vii. sheet web - typically permanent, regularly repaired by the spider

꒰ My Favorite Scenes ꒱

♡ vii. sheet web

Mere words cannot describe how many times I died revising this chapter. It was pretty difficult to write due to my inexperience with smut, my fear of making Miguel OOC, and the transition from noncon to angst to comfort. Ultimately, I think I did a decent job at writing emotional smut and indulging my hornii thoughts for Miguel. What do you guys think?? I’d love to hear your thoughts ^^;

꒰ Miguel x Variant! Darling’s Playlist ꒱

Cue me going “!! :0” when I realized that the first song is a perfect fit for The Spider and the Fly. At least Miguel and Variant! Darling got their twisted happy ending <;/3

♡ Yesterday by Official Hige Dandism

♡ Overdose by natori

♡ Cinderella by DECO*27

♡ Delphinium by Remo

♡ BLUE by LUCKY TAPES ft. kojikoji

♡

That’s all I have to say!! Once again, thank you so much to all of my readers. Your feedback means the world to me, so just know that every comment gave me a serotonin boost. It is my sincere hope that more of you will cry over enjoy this while I recover from the mental turmoil of writing for Miguel O’Hara ꒰｡- ᴗ - ｡꒱

[lustringcharlieau]

Hey, long time no see! Today I bring you the controversy king - Alastor the Radio(?) Demon!

As I already mentioned before, my reading of Overlords is different. They are, mostly, OLD. Alastor is no exception, in fact, he was one of the first successful overlords in Hell, who was once close to Lucifer, Lilith and Eve.

So what's his deal? Alastor's real name is long lost in memory lane. He died around 500 B.C. somewhere in Ancient Greece. He was a shady figure that used miscommunication to indirectly kill people, or watch them suffer. He got away from justice and died while wandering the woods, when a hunter mistook him for a deer and shot in the heart.

Alastor kept using his skills of communication and miscommunication in Hell. He created the first alarming and surveillance systems using his acquired souls as transceivers.

Now speaking of design. Stable parts of his design are deer features and blood stains on hands. In general, I decided that Alastor, when summoned by a mortal, would choose to keep some of his summoners' appearance. He would change it alongside a small part of his personality every once in a century. You know, that's how immortals have fun. His last persona is a radio host serial murderer that summoned Alastor to get rid of evidence in exchange for all the souls of those he killed (except those who went into Heaven) and his own.

Alastor is fascinated by radio and believes that it is the superior communication tool. After he found out it exists, he adopted the nickname "Radio Demon", omitting his previous alias "Miscommunication Demon". He uses his monocle as both a receiver and a mic. So yeah, no one-eyed staffs, everything's pocket-sized.

Ten years prior to the main events, Alastor gets injured during the extermination, and Vox, one of the younger overlords, uses his weakness to take the majority of Alastor's souls and his title as one of the most powerful overlords. Alastor went into hiding for sometime, only to reappear and meet Charlie, Lucifer's previously-hidden daughter...

[withlovewriting]

All I Ever Knew, Only You 10: Billy Blue Balls

Chapter Ten.

I get so distracted by some people's reactions, That I don't see my own faults, For what they are, for what they are, At times, so self-destructive, With no intent or motive, But beyond this emotion, A sensible heart.

Summary: Hawkins was your typical quaint, mid-western town where nothing ever happened. People were born here, lived their entire lives within the town limits, and eventually died here, peacefully in their sleep. But one cold November evening in 1983 would change everything.

Despite a child with psychokinetic abilities and ravenous monsters that lacked faces, stranger things had definitely happened in the small town in Indiana. One of them being your reluctant and slightly imposed friendship with Hawkins High’s own King Bee, Steve Harrington.

Characters: Steve Harrington x Non-descriptive F!Reader (eventual)

Words: 5,852

Chapter Warnings: strong language, child abuse, drug use, steve isn't in this one much, but he shall be back with a vengeance, Eddie is kinda a dick, but it's all good I promise, Billy is a dick which is just expected at this time, reader is also a bit of a dick you ain't getting away with shit either, buddy. Barb is also queer-coded and I do not care to elaborate.

Series Warnings: Strong language, mentions of underage drinking, mentions of drug use, canon-typical violence, mentions of alcohol abuse, mentions of possible mental health disorders, child abuse, slow burn, kinda enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, I like to call it ‘two idiots who begrudgingly befriend each other only to realize… ‘wait a damn minute…’, eventual sexual content, no use of y/n, canon-typical time-period bullshit. 18+. Minors DNI.

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Chapter Ten: Billy Blue Balls

A content sigh fell from your lips as you snuggled deep down into the comforter's warmth, the smell of laundry detergent mixed with bergamot and amber wood lulling you back into a light sleep despite the sound of far-off water running.

For a few sweet moments, you were blissful. Warm and safe as the sun burned against your eyelids, trying its hardest to pull you from your slumber.

But it wasn’t the sun that finally managed to rouse you. Instead, it was the soft shove of your shoulder, the familiar but displaced voice of Steve Harrington that caused your eyes to shoot open, the sudden intrusion of light forcing them back shut as you tried to wiggle under the duvet.

“C’mon, we gotta leave in like, five minutes.”

And he wasn’t joking. Peeling your eyes open, you could’ve throttled the boy as he watched you with amusement as you tried to get a bearing of your surroundings, confused about the boy's appearance until you noticed that you in fact were the displaced one.

“My Dad’s already left for work and my Mom headed out a few minutes ago. I don’t think we’re gonna have time to swing back to yours, so just throw these on,” Steve placed a pile of folded clothes onto the bed next to you as he grabbed his school bag.

“Jesus Christ, your interior decorating skills could use some work,” you grumbled, face pinched as you looked around the plaid-filled room.

Rolling his eyes, Steve grabbed a shirt from his chest of drawers and threw it into his bag, ready for his physical education class, “My Mom designed it, not me.”

“Okay then, your Mom’s interior decorating skills could use some work. I mean, matching curtains? Really? God, It’s making me nauseous.”

A small huff of laughter fell from his lips as he threw his backpack over one shoulder before placing both hands on his hips, much like you’d expect an annoyed mother to as she tried to peel her child from their bed, “Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s the gallon of pure fuel you drank last night. Now get up, seriously. We have to leave.”

Practically herding you into his car, you grumbled the entire ride to school. Originally, you’d told him to just drop you home — even if you didn’t have time to change — and you would happily play hooky today if it meant not having to open your eyes for the remainder of the day, but he wasn’t having it, “You can walk from the school if you’re that desperate.”

“Who even has a party on a Wednesday? God, I hate Tina.”

The boy sent you an amused glance from the corner of his eyes as he shut his car door. As you stepped into the cold November air, you were thankful for the sweater Steve had lent you.

“Somehow, I don’t think you can blame this one on-”

“I mean, sheet-faced? In the middle of the week? It’s like she was trying to set us up.”

Walking through the school hallway with Steve at your side, you were all too aware of the peculiar stares you were receiving, giggles and quiet muttering as you passed made your whole body feel too warm, and if you didn’t think you’d upchuck at any moment, you’d of barreled right back out of the door and ran home.

Steve, however, kept his eyes front and center, either unaware or uncaring of the hushed whispers as you passed. And it wasn’t until the second period that you found out why.

Storming toward the gymnasium, your stomach churned with more than just the remnants of whatever the hell was in that punch bowl last night. You were infuriated, certain that steam was coming out of your ears as you pushed the doors open, unperturbed by their bashing against the wall. Like a mad woman, you were on a mission.

“Hargrove,” You called across the gym, the screeching of sneakers against the floor drowning you out, causing you to repeat yourself, only this time much louder, “Hargrove.”

Billy’s head turned toward you, his frown transforming as he sent you a haughty grin. Throwing the ball to his teammate, the boy made his way toward you slowly, strutting like a damned peacock, and you forced yourself to keep your eyes on his face,

“To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“What the fuck is wrong with you? Seriously, were you dropped on your head as an infant or something?”

His smirk faltered slightly, eyes glinting with a flash of animosity, “Oh, you’ve got a temper when you’re hungover.”

“I’m not joking, Hargrove. What the hell have you been telling people about last night?”

His tongue darted out, licking the corner of his mouth, “Hey, don’t take it out on me just because you can’t handle your drink. I only said what happened. What people saw.”

You could feel some of the student’s eyes on you, much like you had since the minute you stepped out of Harrington’s car that morning, but you pushed on.

“Nothing happened, Billy. People didn’t see shit, because nothing happened.”

A deep laugh fell from his lips, mocking you even as his cerulean eyes leered over your body, “Exactly, sweetheart. Imagine my surprise when it turns out you’re not the little whore I was told about. You’re just a prude who likes giving guys blue balls.”

“I don’t owe you shit-”

“Maybe. Maybe not,” the boy shrugged, causing you to scoff and walk away from him, knowing this conversation was going nowhere. Still, the boy continued, grasping at any straw he could to inflict the same pain and embarrassment on you that his fragile ego was currently suffering, “Or, maybe, it wasn’t me you put out for, huh? I mean, I heard you were seen crawling into King Steve’s car last night.”

His attention turned toward the boy, who was already watching the altercation, “That right, Harrington? Wheeler doesn’t want you, so you thought ‘Hey, why the hell not’-”

In your sober state, hitting Billy didn’t feel as good as it did the night before. Unable to control it, your fist flew toward his nose, cutting his sentence off as a collection of shocked gasps fell from the other students.

Wiping away the trickle of blood from his nostril, Billy’s expression had lost all humor as he stepped into your space, bumping you backward slightly, “That’s twice you’ve done that. Next time, I won’t be so nice about it.”

“Whoa, hey man-”

The coach’s whistle broke the tension and Billy stepped around you, shoulder-checking Steve as he passed him, the latter much closer than you’d realized. His eyes followed Billy as he returned to the court, knocking the basketball from another student's grip, before eventually returning to you a little softer,

“Hey-”

“Forget it, Harrington.”

The boy’s sneakers squeaked along the linoleum as he followed you, uncaring of the coach’s and his teammates' calls for him.

“Hey, hey… Slow down a minute. What’s going on?”

“Like you don’t know,” you scoffed as your feet pounded the floor. Any faster, and you’d be breaking out into a run.

The boy stuttered for a moment, his eyes as wild as his hair as he tried to piece together what had just happened. Pulling the arm of his sweater and effectively stopping you, he kept his voice calm and low as you panted in anger,

“Look, I just had like, the worst fight with Nancy, so the last thing I need right now is for you to be mad at me too. Whatever Billy did, whatever I did... I’m sorry, alright?”

Squeezing your eyes closed, you tried your best to calm yourself. Deep breaths, counting to ten, imagining you’re in a far-off, safe place where nothing and no one could hurt you… All the things Barb had tried to teach you over the years. But your heart still pounded against your chest, blood coursing through your veins as hot as lava,

“I don’t… I don’t think we should hang out anymore.”

Steve’s brows furrowed, trying his best to catch your eyes, “What are you talking about-”

“People think I left Billy at the party and slept with you instead.”

The silence between you was deafening, Steve’s mouth opening a few times before clamping shut as his brain caught up with itself, “But you didn’t. We didn't.”

“Yeah, no shit, Harrington, I’m aware of that. But it hasn’t stopped people gossiping about it all morning,” you narrowed your eyes before folding your arms over your chest, “So I think it’s best, for Nancy’s sake, that we just… Stay away from each other.”

You didn’t give him a moment longer to reply, marching off into the girls' toilets to go and run your throbbing hand under the cold tap.

Laying on your front, you flicked through the pages of the magazine that was spread in front of you, “Do you really read this shit? I mean, ‘Pretty clothes for right now!’ and ‘When your boyfriend forgets your birthday!’ You can’t tell me you actually enjoy these magazines, B.”

Barbara pulled the magazine from you, closed it, and placed it on top of her desk, “I don’t know. I mean, I know they’re dumb but…”

You watched as she shrugged, her eyes never leaving the cover of the Seventeen magazine you’d been mocking.

“I mean, wouldn’t we all buy this shit if Brooke Shields was on the front of every cover?” Your grin widened as you watched Barb’s face flush.

Quickly turning the magazine over, she sent you a sideward glare, “You’re not funny.”

“I bet Brooke Shields is hilarious-”

“Oh my god, shut up!” Barb grumbled, grabbing a small throw pillow from the bottom of her bed and aiming for your head.

Fumbling to catch it, the pillow bounced off the top of your head as you sat up, lightly hitting her with it, “She’s so pretty and so funny and so smart!”

Barb’s giggles blended with your own as she tried to dodge the pillow, eventually throwing herself down onto the bed when her mother’s voice called up the stairs, telling you in the nicest way possible to settle down.

“I’m never telling you anything ever again.” She smirked, turning her head to watch you, a glint in her eyes reassuring you that her words held no weight.

This time, it was your turn to shrug, “Oh, I’m sure. You know I’m an excellent secret keeper.”

“I know,” Barb released a deep sigh, her eyes remaining on you as they glazed over slightly, “You know I trust you with my life, right?”

Rolling your eyes, you turned to lay on your back next to her, “Is that why you ditched me to go see ‘Grease 2’ with Nancy Wheeler last weekend?”

You didn’t want to sound jealous, but the tang of bitterness dripped off your tongue, causing Barb to sit up on her bed, legs crossed in front of her, “We did invite you. You were the one who didn’t want to go.”

“Go and watch you drool all over Michelle Pfeiffer whilst Nancy delicately sighs any time Maxwell Caulfield is on the screen? Yeah, no thanks. I’ll pass.”

Pinching your side, Barb sent you a playful grin, “How about we go to Family Video and see if we can find someone to rent us ‘Halloween II’?”

Interested piqued, you sat up, legs crisscrossed, “But you hate scary movies.”

“But I like you.”

The loud SMACK against your table made you shoot upright, Mr. Mundy’s yardstick only a few inches from where your hand rested on your plain sheet of paper. As he looked at the paper, tutting when he realized not only had you been sleeping during detention, you also hadn’t written any of the lines down that you were meant to,

“It would do you well to remember that corporal punishment is still legal in the state of Indiana.”

Glaring at the back of Mr. Mundy’s head as he passed by, you scrambled for your unused pencil as soon as the bell rang, signaling the end of your detention. Apparently punching another student in plain sight of a teacher resulted in consequences of the writing lines after school kind.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Hawkins High’s own little miss delinquent. Heard a lot about you today.”

The locker next to your own creaked under the boy's weight, and you couldn’t help but note the slight animosity in the boy’s tone.

“Thought you of all people knew not to believe everything you hear in the school hallways, Munson.”

“Yeah, see… normally I wouldn’t give a shit about the vapid scuttlebutt between the kretens of this school, but this one really piqued my interest.”

Slamming your locker shut, Eddie didn’t even flinch, instead his dark eyes watched you carefully.

“Eddie, it’s been a long day, so please just cut the dramatic shit and get to the point.”

“Wow, does that sparkling personality come with a brand new shiny pair of pom-poms?” Eddie’s smirk didn’t meet his eyes as he shook his hands to each side of his head, imitating a half-assed cheer routine, “Or is it only exclusive to us peasants?”

“Eddie-”

“Heard you and King Steve are pretty close, too. Didn’t take you for a traitor.”

You were at your limit, and Eddie loved to toe the line.

“Steve and I are… Not friends but, we went through some really tough shit last year-”

“Don’t even try me with that sob story shit. Last year I saw him drag you down a hallway and now you’re telling me you’re just cool with him? Like he isn’t a total dick-”

“He isn’t, alright? He… He used to be, sure. And he knows that. But things happened last year, and he’s been trying-”

“Heard things happened last night, too.”

Eddie knew it was a hit below the belt. You knew it, too. But sometimes the boy’s mouth moved before his brain had fully caught up.

“Nothing happened, Munson.”

Shrugging, Eddie’s sardonic smirk tugged at his face in an almost unnatural way that didn’t suit his normally soft features, “Not what I heard-”

“I didn’t think someone like you would pay much attention to small-town gossip. Especially after this year.”

His brows scrunched together, his dark eyes watching you closely as his head cocked to the side. You weren’t exactly friends with Eddie, either. But you’d shared enough shifts at the Hideout the previous year to know what had gone down with his family, with his dad.

“And why’s that?”

This time, you were the one suffering with word vomit, “Because we both know why your house got burned down, don’t we? The fact your father ran and left you to deal with his consequences. The fact everyone else in town believes you did it.”

Eddie’s eyebrows dipped, and you watched his Adam’s apple bob as he struggled to swallow down the lump that had crawled its way up his throat whenever he thought of his father and the shit he left him to deal with earlier that year. It was low-hanging fruit, but it was all you had.

Stepping forward and into your space, Eddie let out a forced huff of laughter, peering down at you with eyes that seemed endlessly dark, “And where’s your Dad, huh? Probably got a whole new family.”

Your chest heaved as you bit down on the insides of your cheeks. You would not cry in front of Eddie.

"Fuck you, Munson."

"Yeah, well... fuck you too, sweetheart."

Turning on your heel you rushed down the hallway, the blood pounding so loudly in your ears that you didn’t hear Eddie’s hushed ‘fuck’ as you left, the back of his head hitting the locker he’d been leaning on.

After heading home, you changed into your work uniform and quickly cycled your way toward the woods. Whether you’d admit it or not, you were seeking some form of comfort, and knowing you wouldn’t receive it from your mother you headed towards Hopper’s cabin. Your day had gone from bad to worse, your hand still aching from a punch that probably caused you more damage than Billy, the intrusive eyes of your peers judging you from every side of the hallway, whispered giggles swarming around you like a cloud of — not killer, but very annoying — wasps, their harsh, hushed words clearly about you. And the fight with Eddie? Well, he had started that, but it had shaken you nonetheless.

You just wanted to sit in the presence for a moment of someone who wasn’t mocking, cruel, or nosy, and catch your breath.

You could hear the ruckus as you approached, remembering to step over the trip-wire just in time and you couldn’t help but think that if Hopper was trying to keep this place secluded, he should probably stop shouting so goddamn loudly.

Wrapping your denim jacket tighter over your chest, you picked up your pace as you jogged up the few stairs of the porch, almost as decayed as your own.

Banging on the door a few times, you watched as your breath puffed out in small clouds around you, making you crave a cigarette. The argument had seemingly stopped, the cabin a little too quiet.

“Hop? Let me in, it’s freezing.”

You could hear the man mumble under his breath as he made his way toward the door, the sound of him unlocking several locks before he pulled it open, a deep line between his eyebrows as his glare burned down on you,

“We have a code. The code is there for a reason. It’s not some silly little game we made up for fun. It’s a goddamn code. For a goddamn reason.”

Your eyebrows shot up as you took a step back, his clipped tone causing your heckles to rise. Pushing the door wider, you sent your own glare back, “I forgot, alright? It’s freezing and my brain doesn’t work too well in extreme temperatures.”

“Kid, I swear to god-”

“Who the hell pissed in your coffee this morning?”

You stopped short as you finally saw El, the girl standing in her bedroom seemingly on the verge of hyperventilating in frustration, “Hey, El-”

“Did you know?”

Turning back to Hopper, the glare returned to your face. You weren’t too keen on his tone, “Did I know what?”

Hopper shook his head, a small huff of laughter that held no amusement falling from his lips, “Did you put this in her head? I mean, it's what you said would happen, right? Some shit about caged dogs, and biting and shit?”

“Hop, I literally have no fucking clue what is going on right now, or why the hell you’re mad at me.”

“You’re grounded,” Jim returned his attention toward the younger girl, “You know what that means? It means no more Eggos and no TV for a week.”

You watched with bemusement as Hopper made his way around the small cabin, throwing the frozen waffle box into the trash before making his way past you to grab the TV. Once El reached your side, you noticed the dark drop of blood from her nostril as Jim struggled to move the television set.

“All right, knock it off. Let go.”

El merely shook her head as the blood dripped down her cupid's bow, but Hopper was not in a joking mood, instead almost putting his back out as he shook the damn thing, “Okay. Two weeks. Let go.”

Another shake of the head.

“A month!”

“El, I’d really-”

“No.”

The girl's cool composure, the sheer confidence in her power alone was unnerving, but her unwavering stare had made even you feel uncomfortable.

“Well congratulations,” Hopper puffed, “You just graduated from no TV for a month, to no TV at all.”

“Hopper, c’mon…”

“No!” El screamed out as the man pulled the cable from the back of the TV.

Rushing toward the set, El frantically tried to move the antenna in a vain attempt to turn it back on.

“You have got to understand that there are consequences to your actions.”

“You are like Papa!”

Your back straightened as you watched Hopper struggle to keep what little composure he had left. Rubbing his forehead, you could see the distress pass over his features as he questioned El.

“Wow, alright. You wanna go back to the lab? One phone call and I can make that happen.”

“Jesus Christ,” you mumbled, watching the ongoing tennis match between the two. But it wasn’t until El started hurtling books and moving sofas into Hopper that you forced your way back into the argument, “Hey, how about you both just cool it for a second and-”

Dodging out of the way of the falling bookcase, you backed into the small end table and jolted when the corner of it dug a little too deep into your back. Almost losing your balance, you threw your hand back to try and steady yourself, a loud shattering noise catching your attention as a photo frame fell to the floor.

Turning, you saw the picture of a young girl with bright blonde hair and even brighter blue eyes smiling up at you, a large crack distorting her face as the shards of glass that surrounded her splintered into thousands of pieces.

The scream that fell from Eleven’s lips shook the whole cabin, every window surrounding both yourself and Jim shattering inward, causing the windows to shatter, flying at you from all directions.

Silence fell between you both — the sound of your heartbeat drowning out the sounds of El’s soft sobbing — and you felt your own chest begin to hyperventilate, vision becoming blurry from the tears that now lined your waterline, but it wasn’t until the man turned around and saw what had caught your attention,

“Hop. I’m so sorry, I didn’t… I didn’t see it, and I didn’t mean to... I can fix it-”

You rubbed your sweaty palms over your trousers, forcefully trying to swallow down the familiar lump, unable to tell whether it was a sob or vomit.

Jim’s silence only made you feel worse. Like a deer that was looking down the barrel of a shotgun, a voice in the back of your head screaming at you to run, but your feet felt glued to the floor and despite your scattered thoughts, your mind still tried to dig around for an excuse.

“You should go.”

Hopper’s voice — a little too cool, and much too calm — unsettled you. You’d expected him to shout, to yell, hell… You’d expect the man to cry before this. His stoic, unnerving calm, despite the tornado that had just ripped his cabin apart, the framed and now cracked photograph of his deceased daughter lying on the floor, staring up at you with such familiar eyes, despite never meeting the girl.

“Jim, I’m-”

“Go. Please.”

Your mother’s backhand hurt less.

Work passed by all too quickly, and for once you were glad not to get a moment of silence, the kids rushing between machines and pestering you to at least try and turn Mrs. Pacman back on, despite it breaking a few days ago — the repair man still not coming out to fix it — and a constant barrage of Slushee orders meaning it would be much less time consuming to clean at the end of your shift.

Before you knew it, the last of the straggling kids had been ushered out of the doors, the machines had been wiped clean from sticky fingers and Keith had handled the toilets. Eventually, the boy had locked up and you were unchaining your bike from the bike rack when you heard the slam of a car door.

Spinning around on the spot, your heart no longer threatened to jump out of your chest when you recognized the mop of hair heading toward you, dark eyes akin to a puppy dog who’d chewed up your favorite sneakers and got caught.

“How long have you been waiting out here?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Eddie assumed that you not storming off yet was a good sign, “Thought you closed at 9.”

“You’ve been here for two hours? God, do you have any other friends, Munson?”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” he huffed, the leather of his vest cracking slightly as he folded his arms over his chest, “I spent most of that time trying to get into the restricted section in Family Video.”

Unsure whether or not he was joking — hazarding a guess that he, in fact, was not — a small laugh fell from your mouth, “You’re disgusting.”

“I’m also sorry,” he sighed, smirk dropping as he ducked his head, looking at you through his long, dark lashes, “But… I brought a peace offering.”

You watched with a quirked brow as Eddie pulled something out of his pocket, a perfectly rolled joint offered to you in the palm of his hand.

“You think you can buy me off with Reefer Rick’s shit weed?” Walking toward the boy, you all but snatched the joint from him, a wide smirk pulling at your lips, “You’re damn right, Munson.”

The boy helped load your bike into the back of his van before climbing up to join you on the roof, music from his radio playing quietly for what might’ve been the first time since he’d inherited the thing.

“You know, about this whole Billy thing-”

“Eddie, seriously. I don’t want to talk about it. It’s embarrassing enough.”

“No, I… Look, just, if you ever want me to hot wire his Camero and drive that baby off the quarry, you just gotta ask.”

Sighing, you passed him the joint, watching him carefully as he avoided your gaze, “I think I’m good, but thanks. It's nice to know I have someone in my corner.”

“Yeah. I mean, you bus enough tables together and you’re kinda bonded, right? And, about the whole Harrington thing-”

“Eddie-” you warned, taking the joint from his ringed fingers, but the boy continued,

“I just, I wanna know you’re okay, that’s all.”

Sighing, you took another toke of the joint before continuing, “I’m fine, Munson. Really. Like I said, Steve is… he’s not the same person anymore. I know it’s hard to believe, but he’s a pretty decent guy.”

“I heard he left Nancy at that party, drunk as a skunk in the bathroom. Didn’t think the priss had it in her.”

“He left her?” you huffed, annoyance at the boy who wasn’t here to defend himself.

Shrugging, Eddie leaned back on his palms, hair wild as he stared up at the night sky, “That’s what I heard. They had a big fight right before, or something. Apparently, they broke up.”

Squeezing your eyes closed, you couldn’t help but feel like a total bitch. Steve had told you he’d had an awful fight with Nancy, and yet you’d still abandoned him in the school hallway, telling him that you didn’t want anything to do with him. Despite him making sure you got home safely the night before. Despite following you out of the gymnasium when you were upset. Guilt dragged its way up your throat, cutting it raw like sandpaper. But, right now, you had other, more pressing issues to deal with, so, swallowing the ever-growing lump in your throat, you turned to the boy after taking another toke.

“I’m sorry too, you know.” You sighed, exhaling a large cloud of smoke before passing the joint back to him, “What I said… It wasn’t cool.”

“Yeah, well, looks like we’ve both got some daddy issues to work through, right?”

“I mean it, Eddie. You’re nothing like Al. I mean, Wayne’s practically raised you since…You know… And I think you’re way more like him, only…”

“Only what?”

“Only much louder,” you smirked watching as he turned his head toward you, eyes wide with false offense, as he blew a gust of smoke at you.

“You are such a bitch,” he laughed, passing over the last of the joint.

“Whatever, freak.”

A silence passed over you both, and you were certain this was the longest the boy had ever gone without making some kind of noise. Eventually though, through the high haze that engulfed you both, you finally spoke up,

“Do you ever feel like everything is just… Turning to shit?”

“I’m a second-year senior,” Eddie turned to you, straight-faced and flat-voiced, “What do you think?”

You couldn’t help the long sigh that escaped your lips as you threw the roach to the floor of the parking lot, “Do you think we’re like, predestined to experience the shit we go through in life? Like, no matter what we do, or how we try to change ourselves, our lives were set from the get-go?”

“When the hell did you start getting philosophical when you’re high?” Eddie laughed, quickly settling down when he realized you were serious, “I, uh… He is bound up with the fate of the ring.”

“What the hell are you-”

“My heart tells me that he has some part to play yet, for good or ill, before the end.”

“Eddie, I don’t get your nerd shit, you know that-”

“It’s not nerd shit,” he glared, “It’s Tolkien. Lord Of The Rings. And it was said by Gandalf who’s like, super fucking wise.”

“I still don’t-”

Eddie held a hand up, stopping you mid-sentence, “It’s about choices, right? All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. Choices.”

Noticing your less-than-impressed stare, he sighed, rubbing a hand over his face, “Fate. Destiny. Karma. All that bullshit. Who knows, right? Who knows if things are written in the stars from the moment we’re born or if it's all the just consequences of shitty actions, or if some shitty higher power up there is just being an asshole. We have like, zero ways of knowing, and the only thing we have control over is what we do about it. That’s what matters.”

Watching him for a second, you eventually turned away from his red-rimmed eyes and watched the late night sky, a blanket of stars covering it that seemed to twinkle back at you, “God, you are so high.”

Eddie merely chuckled in agreement.

Eddie drove you home, the music too loud and driving a little erratic, and you were almost shocked that he didn’t get pulled over. But, like you, he had a reputation in this town, and his driving safely and quietly probably would’ve garnered much more suspicion.

You’d thankfully remembered to grab the spare key before you’d left for the cabin considering your set was probably sitting pretty in Jonathan’s car waiting to be spotted, and you were grateful you wouldn’t have to attempt to wake your mother upon arriving home.

Your mother, however, was a woman full of surprises, not all of them good.

Closing the front door and clicking the lock into place, you heard her call your name from the small living room. You could tell from her demeanor that she’d been drinking, but not enough to end up in a state. Sometimes, her being black-out drunk was better. Safer.

“Where the hell have you been?” She asked, releasing the curtain from her grip where she had no doubt been peering out of when she heard the ruckus that was Munson’s van barrelling down the street.

“Work, Mom.”

A scoff fell from her lips eyes trying to remain on you, “Don’t try to bullshit me. It's past 1 am, and I saw that Munson boy’s van pull in outside. He’s trouble-”

“Mom, it’s late. Can the lecture wait until the morning?”

You tried to walk to your room, barely getting to the door when her spindly fingers wrapped around your elbow, long nails digging into the skin, “I can smell the marijuana on you from here. You know what he did, what his father did. I’m not having you bring trouble to this house. Do you want to have to go live in a trailer when they burn our home down, too?”

Glaring at your mother, you didn’t quite have it in you to tell her that despite being a two-bedroom house, it wasn’t much bigger than Munson’s trailer. And it definitely wasn’t a home. Not anymore.

No matter how much you begged and prayed to anyone who would listen for your mother to get well, for her to one day decide she didn’t need the drink anymore and instead become a real parent, your heckles always raised a little when she tried to pull this shit. Because this wasn’t her trying to mother you, it was her trying to take control of the one thing in life that she had left. You.

It began with Barb a few years back. She would question you on your poor decisions whilst swigging from a bottle, asking why you’d entertain someone like Barbara Holland. Who, sure, was smart and nice, but wouldn’t make it further than the head position at the library in life. She wouldn’t find a handsome, rich husband. Instead, she’d settle unhappily, and her life would pass her by boringly. Barbara Holland was not going to be remembered in the town of Hawkins. How wrong your mother was.

But you knew Barb. She might’ve looked like the kind of girl who gets trapped in Hawkins, but she had plans, and she was going places. She wanted to head out to San Francisco, at least that’s what she’d planned as a kid. But anywhere other than Hawkins seemed like a good idea. Barbara Holland was going to get the hell out of Hawkins… And then she was killed. It all seemed too unfair, but your mother was much more concerned with you making better friends.

Friends like Carol Perkins, Vickie Carmichael, or God Forbid, Tammy Thompson who, despite being pretty and popular and relatively kind to mostly everyone, wouldn’t stop singing her own rendition of “Total Eclipse Of The Heart”, and if you had to hear that damn song one more time…

“None of that was Eddie’s fault,” you pulled your arm from her grip.

The anger in her eyes was evident, the line between her brows sharp as she stared at you, “And what if he’d been pulled over? I could hear that god-awful music from halfway down the street. You think people around here wouldn’t call the cops on him? If you were caught with him-”

“Maybe he shouldn’t have driven home like that, sure. But it’s nothing worse than what you’ve done. Do you really think people don’t already talk about us? About how I’m going to end up like you, how you’re already halfway to your mother-”

The back of her hand stopped you, the whooshing sound blocking out whatever pained response she had. Pushing your way into the room, ignoring her calls, you slammed the door in her face and pushed against it, settling on the floor in front.

Despite the tears that welled in your eyes, you were right.

Your mother's backhand hurt a lot less.

[astercontrol]

So…

I just watched Legacy again.

And… I keep coming back to the Ram-Castor theory.

Which first sparked from a paragraph on the Tron wiki, attributed in the footnote to Tron: Evolution…

Disparate accounts of Castor's origin exist. He was reputedly designed and created by Kevin Flynn in TC30 as an interpreter but quickly and naturally exceeded his original directives. Unconfirmed conflicting reports describe his origin as a "low-priority actuarial algorithm illegally co-opted identity of the obsolete protocol. More investigation required for verification."

This blew my mind, because... cryptic as it is, I found it easiest to interpret as:

The program that became Castor/Zuse was originally an interpreter program created by Kevin Flynn.

At some point, another program-- this "low-priority actuarial algorithm" -- took over his identity and took his place.

and… you know where my mind goes when I think of actuarial programs.

As far as I know, only one character ever canonically was described as such.

One who I cannot help but think of in the same category as Zuse (i.e., queer-coded, fun-loving, my favorite character in the damn movie, and died too damn soon.)

But... what would it take, for Ram to become Castor??

My initial impression was:

Ram gets rerezzed on the Grid, before the coup.

Perhaps Flynn sneaks in one of Roy's backups.

(Maybe this backup, unknown to Flynn, has been updated with some hacker code, for purposes of Zack-Attack shenanigans.)

And this Ram 2.0 is the "actuarial algorithm" who eventually assumes the identity of Castor/Zuse.

This was all months and months ago…

But now, having rewatched Legacy just now, the ideas have…

…. expanded.

Into the realm of the… something.

Here goes.

As to how Ram started out on the Grid:

I imagine that Flynn tried to give him something approaching his original purpose. Actuarial math is concerned with calculating probabilities, and this is useful for plenty of things besides setting insurance premiums.

(Ram probably would prefer many of those alternatives over setting insurance premiums, once he learns just how little insurance companies actually help people.)

His actuarial nature might even have him calculating probabilities about Clu, long before Flynn and Tron do… and seeing danger coming miles away.

And you know Flynn wouldn't have listened to his warnings.

Maybe this causes Ram to go into hiding early, before things with Clu go... clearly bad.

Now. Once in hiding, when the Purge starts, of course Ram decides to help the ISOs. He's a helper by nature. And he's lived under oppression and genocide.

Already he'll need to do this in some secrecy.

And this may very well be when he "reinvents" himself for the first time.

So. He hacks his way into the place of this …translation program that wasn't yet doing much of anything.

He takes on the new appearance, and the name Zuse.

Uses his hacking skills further, to control Solar Sailers and the permissions on other programs' discs, all in the name of getting ISOs to safety.

(This is all mentioned in the wiki, as well, attributed again to Evolution.)

(There also seem to be… hints? that Zuse himself is an ISO? but this is not clear on either the wiki, or in Legacy. There may be more data in Evolution? In any case, I'm proceeding on the assumption that he is not an ISO, just a regular program who may have been co-opted or hacked by another one.)

At the point in Legacy where Sam meets Zuse, some pieces fell together rather clearly for me.

When he says:

"Zuse has been around since the earliest days of the gaming grid. By necessity, he has to mind all the percentages, all the angles."

it feels to me that he was clearly talking about his past as Ram, the actuary. Perhaps calculating percentages of probability for gaming purposes-- betting odds and such-- back when the games were just for fun?

But, as he said, it was self-preservation that made him change his identity. With the Purge over, and Clu attaining greater and greater power… he had to reinvent himself again, to stay safe from Clu's wrath against anyone who supported either ISOs or Users. So he gave himself the name Castor, instead, and kept the Zuse identity under wraps.

"Castor" is actually a fairly clever choice of name. If he was going to go the Greek-gods route, "Ares" would have been the obvious code for Ram (the ram being the symbol for Ares/Aries).

(…AND I continue to pray, probably without hope, that Jared Leto keeps his mitts off of Ram completely. But, that's another topic.)

Ares was a son of Zeus.

Unclear whether this was why Ram chose the Zuse name… or whether the program had that name already before Ram took over him. (The wiki suggests that, like many names in Tron lore, it was an allusion to a famous name in computing history. In-universe, Flynn could certainly have named a program with such inspiration.)

In mythology, Castor was… one of the twins born to Leda after Zeus impregnated her. But the pregnancy had two different fathers, and Castor was not the twin fathered by Zeus.

From the perspective of a Ram in hiding, "Castor" could be taken to mean "false disguise for a true son of Zeus."

Not saying that was the sort of thing Ram himself would have come up with.

It's what I would have come up with, in his position.

But I am not an actuarial program. I am a goddamn pattern recognition program. This is obvious.

So, the above is likely all irrelevant.

Moving on!

By this point, Ram/Castor/Zuse might be pretty disillusioned with the Users, honestly.

Flynn's in hiding, doing nothing! He let Tron get corrupted, Yori either disappeared or never got rezzed in, and a tyrant with Flynn's face is in charge of everything!

I would NOT blame him for being unconvinced that changes at the top actually make a difference; that one leader's better than another.

I would not blame him for being earnest in saying, "I believed in Users once before."

And then, of course, the betrayal!

Clu's guards barge in.

Zuse…. stands back and lets everything happen. Gives them free rein to attack Sam. Stands back and watches in glee, as the whole thing goes down.

Watches Sam fighting back. Watches Kevin Flynn and Quorra bursting in to help. Watches the whole fight. Just watches, dancing and firing energy bolts randomly into the whole mess like a madman, as if he has no stake in it one way or another!

It would be easy to interpret this a number of ways.

He has gotten truly vengeful toward the Flynns, to the point of losing his grip on reality.

He has gotten truly vengeful toward EVERYONE, to the point of losing his grip on reality.

Perhaps his personality has even split somewhat-- the Castor and Zuse personas becoming somewhat separate entities?

This would fit with the idea that he started this whole business by co-opting the identity of another program!

Maybe that program's mind was always trapped somewhere within… fighting him.

Maybe it came to the surface more and more often as time went on.. becoming a possessing demon with very different views about everything Ram used to care for.

BUT.

There is one other possibility.

Let's take a look at just what he promised, and to whom, and just how the promises were followed through on.

First, to Sam. He offered Sam "a change of attire," "a forged disc," and "transport to cross the Sea of Simulation."

And then he stood back, and made no attempt to stop either Sam or his helpers or his attackers…

and the fight played out as fate would have it, letting Sam and Kevin and Quorra escape to safety…

as they, most surely, would…

as they could have been predicted to…

from the viewpoint of one whose probability-calculations have always been informed by faith.

One who, deep down, does still believe in the Users.

He might… just possibly… still care.

Also, consider.

Zuse does not allow Clu's guard to take the disc he stole from Kevin. He appropriates it for himself, as a bargaining chip to use with Clu.

For what? "Control of the city. A sizeable request, I know."

Here might be where Zuse finally miscalculates. He was expecting, or at least hoping, that there was a chance Clu would honor his end of the bargain.

If Clu had, indeed, allowed him control of the city, it would have given him an advantage from a large number of "angles"-- no matter how the political side of things played out.

It could have given him leverage to help the Flynns later on, and undo the damage caused by the theft of the disc.

He might, quite possibly, have predicted that Sam and Kevin would both be able to recover from the immediate problem of the disc being lost.

For all we know, that brilliant probability-calculating mind might have already had a plan for that, and for how to help them later.

And even if that plan failed…it could certainly have permitted Zuse to be involved on a much larger scale in the resistance.

(Kevin, deep in his "zen thing," had even said that programs forming a resistance from within could have a better chance of taking Clu down than he himself ever could.)

(Zuse might, at some point, have agreed with him on that, and prepared himself to play a part in it.)

But.

All this seems lost.

Because, instead of honoring the deal, Clu just takes the disc and then blows up the End of Line Club with Zuse and Gem inside it.

However.

We can easily imagine that someone with the previously displayed skills in

hacking

hiding

taking on new identities

calculating probabilities

and playing all angles / planning for all possible outcomes

…might have kept a backup of himself somewhere safer?

In any case.

Whatever was going on in Zuse's mind, in regard to helping or not helping the Users, and preparing or not preparing for Clu's betrayal…

you can't deny two things.

He doesn't give Clu any leads to find the Flynns. He tries to convince him they're already dead.

and, once they do escape…

there just happens to be a Solar Sailer right in reach, waiting for them to sneak on.

A "transport to cross the Sea of Simulation." Just as promised.

Just my thoughts.

[toasted-valentine]

Still Got Adamandi Details I’m Not Normal About, So Here They Are

A lot of these are going to make me sound like a massive fucking nerd lol

•Beatrix slapping Vincent’s hand away when he tries to grab the archive records from the table.

•Beatrix clearly not wanting to be there during the first two interviews, then just relaxing and teasing Vincent during their interview with him since they’re friends. The switch from strict professionalism to being a bit more playful is a good way of establishing that the two already know each other and are comfortable with one another, especially the opening line about Beatrix not knowing Vincent’s middle name. It’s just a simple thing, but gets the point across well.

•All of Portia’s reaction, highlights include the sweet to surprised one during the beginning of A Little More in Love and her “I’m not mad, just disappointed” look during Ghost Writer.

•The little flourish Beatrix does with the pencil during The One Who Pulls The Strings, I’m curious how many times the actor accidentally stabbed themself before they got that down lol

•This is something I notice gets done in both TAOPP and Adamandi, with the same actor too. The actor for Ambrose and Rowan changes the pitch of their voice and how high the notes they hit are depending on how vulnerable the character is being. Higher is more vulnerable and expressive, lower is more closed off. Extra fucked up points for the fact Ambrose’s notes get higher after he fucking dies.

•I’m going to be a massive music nerd for a minute, my music analysis skills are a bit rusty, so forgive me if I’m a bit wrong. The motif I like to call the “Beatrix Does A Bad Thing” motif. It plays whenever Beatrix does something wrong, it’s the skeleton of their three major songs. Starts with The One Who Pulls The Strings, gets a bit more complicated in the reprise, and is at full force in Ghost Writer. It’s like a building monster, first the bones, then the muscle, then the creature itself.

•The actors for The Saints and the other Phaethon nominees are the same people, so Vincent does in fact cut The Saints up lmao

•The glowing under Ambrose’s shirt goes from a visual of his muscles hardening to a show of his slit throat, which is evil and I love it.

•Beatrix covers their eyes and looks away when Quincy stabs Vincent, I can’t tell if it’s the fact they can’t stomach the murder, or if they fucking got blood on their face and that’s why they’re staring at their hand in horror when Portia comes on stage. It’s also a good transition motion to guide the audience’s eyes from the killing blow to them. They couldn’t actually use blood on stage, stage blood has to be minimal since it’s sticky, stains costumes, and is difficult to get rid of for continuity, so reaction shots like that get the point across well.

•Beatrix has a ring on in The Other Side of Failure, might be just a show that time has passed, or it could be that it’s to help them remember stuff but they’re no longer being tugged around on strings by the admin. Or crackpot theory, it’s one of Portia’s rings from earlier in the show, but I can’t tell if it’s the same one since none of the shots I’ve dug through are close enough to get details.

•The little hand motions Beatrix does in the show are mimicking a puppeteer pulling strings.

•The admins red coloration call back to Beatrix’s red string, it’s a visual callback to the fact she’s being strung along by them and manipulated. The Admin have it on their cloak collars too, keeping the collar in their designs.

•In Read All About It, one of the chorus actors fucks up their newspaper and forgets to close it when they’re supposed to with the others. It’s just something that makes me chuckle, cause you can see how fucking stressed they are about it, and that they close it when they pass behind Beatrix’s actor cause they didn’t think the camera would catch it lol

•When The Admin lift their arms in Read All About It Beatrix does the same, and when the music cuts out they’re super confused on what just happened and are staring at the newspapers contemplating what they just did.

•I just realized that the marks on Ambrose’s face in the second act weren’t meant to guide where his chisel was, but was a guide for where Vincent had to cut.

•Ambrose looks flattered when Quincy says their professor led a moment of silence, even in death he has his head up his own ass.

•Ambrose is projecting so fucking hard on Vincent during Sound Body Sound Mind, and it makes me laugh.

•There is a continuity error in Oh, Ms. Reporter! The drawers had red strings in them in the previous scene and during the wide shots, but they aren’t there during the close ups.

•This is just a story note, but it’s clever that they had Portia get a better position in The Daily. It serves a duel purpose in the narrative, it emphasizes the fact Rosswell has implicit bias and that she picks the person whose more white passing instead of the more skilled Latina with seniority, and gives an explanation to how they managed to get the article about Vincent and The Admin published. Beatrix wouldn’t have been able to on her own, but Portia’s position allows them greater access to The Daily’s resources.

•In Me, Myself, and I, I think the actor for Ambrose accidentally made their microphone crackle and you can actually hear a small pop in the recording, dude performed so hard the equipment had a small stroke. You can only hear it in the album tho.

•The is just a music thing, Vincent slowing down for his part to explain why being loved is great in Me, Myself, and I serves the music in giving a brief breath of air so when it comes back it feels like it’s going faster and more frantic. It’s a really common technique to make something feel like it’s going faster when it’s keeping a consistent, just had a short slow down.

•Ambrose grabs Vincent’s face during Student Body, it’s creepy, thanks I hate it. The actor for Ambrose did not have to put that much effort into being unsettling, but they did, and they made Ambrose as likable as he is in the show.

•Everything the actor for Ambrose does when the character dies, they’re jerking around like a corpse that’s gone stiff from decomposing. Give them a medal for managing to be the creepiest mf in that show, and keep them ten feet away from me because it kind of freaks me out.

•The little transition in Oh, Ms. Reporter of the chorus members spelling out Ambrose’s name but Vincent cutting it off to continue his song. It’s a creative lyrical moment and hints to the fact that Vincent cut Ambrose’s life short.

•A couple of the people who Vincent mention’s in Oh, Ms. Reporter are actual some of the people Beatrix was interviewing in the first act, you can hear them saying their names when they’re all yelling over each other.

•The little pieces of advice the main four give Portia during A Word to the Wise are foreshadowing. Ambrose trying to be perfect gets him killed, Quincy’s ambition and academic perfectionism causes them to snap, Vincent deciding to murder people instead of an actual project since there isn’t a use of trying anything else, Beatrix being a bystander and waiting to “do something great” gets people killed.

•Whoever wrote the line “What use is a candle if both ends aren’t burning?” is a menace to society and I want to give them all the money in my wallet, because Quincy burns both their hands later on, and that’s evil.

•The mic on Beatrix’s actor accidentally picks up them tapping the notebook too hard during The One Who Pulled the String, just something I find funky.

•Apollo was the god of young men, being eternally youthful, but was also the god of plagues and disease. Ambrose wants to be the white ideal of an eternally twinkish gay trans guy, but ends up falling victim to Vincent, who compares his actions to a disease killing someone.

•The music used to introduce Beatrix into Me, Myself, and I is the same as the beginning of Read All About It, they’re doubting their actions, and their mind is racing like the music.

•Vincent tries fucking squaring up with the other Ardess students during A Word to The Wise when Quincy is about to jump, dude just is ready to throw hands, it’s great.

•Ambrose tries to defend Vincent from the others, but turns around and betrays him after.

•I like the little spin that Roswell does to Beatrix, she’s getting them confused so she can take advantage.

•Vincent and Quincy aren’t singing during the “And two or three students like you” part, but Beatrix is because she’s internalized the racism of Ardess and is trying to fit in.

•Beatrix just is not having a good time during the interviews, and you can see them get annoyed when the nominees try sucking up to them.

•Fun little thing, they get around the fact Beatrix’s actor can’t spin around like the others when the names are read out during A Word to The Wise by having them stagger and open their arms. It’s a little thing, but gets around that nicely.

•When everyone starts stomping to the beat at the end of A Word to the Wise you can see Portia hesitate to join in, start slowly, then join in fully in the end and begin to sing with the others.

•The poses everyone strike at the end of A Word to the Wise actually have a lot of personality in them, Ambrose is being a dramatic dude bro, Quincy is stiff and nervous, Vincent stands out by having their hand to their chest, Portia is hopeful, and Beatrix just continues to smoke and seem disinterested.

•The “I don’t know, do you have any ideas?” guy is the funniest mf in the room.

•The A papers during Perfect at School form a halo. Again, the people who made this are evil and I love that for them.

•The umbrellas in Where Can I Run harken back to a funeral environment, which is nice foreshadowing that death follows Vincent everywhere for most of the show.

•Vincent wants to go home back to China, wants to go back to his family, to the environment he knows, but he’s stuck at Ardess. Without that degree he’s got nothing, he’d be a complete failure, so they’re stuck at a school they hate surrounded by people who hate them with only two people that like being around them.

•I want to find whoever decided to have Quincy accidentally smack Vincent in the face when he goes to kiss them during the first act as foreshadowing to the fact Quincy later harms Vincent, buy them dinner, and then make them pay for my therapy bills.

•I want to know what god the actor for Beatrix had to kill in order to gender so fucking hard. What kind of sacrilegious actions did they have to commit to win that?

•The newspaper that Beatrix’s actor has in one hand during The One Who Pulls the Strings is a random Princeton one and you can see the university’s name during some of the close ups lol

•During A Little More in Love you can see Ambrose’s actor getting ready for their cue under the bookshelf in a few shots.

•I find it funny that Portia hugs Quincy after A Little More in Love while Beatrix just looks offended and brushes Vincent off. Motherfucking Beatrix, blue hair and pronouns, Campbell tried denying the homosexuality allegations and is failing.

•This maybe speculation, but I think the reason Ambrose’s chest is highlighted in red is because he’s trying to work out enough to make his chest smaller. My friend actually does this, a lot of trans masc gym rats do.

•Vincent “Oh, Ms. Reporter!” Lin denies stalking people.

•Vincent keeps writing in their notebook during Sound Body Sound Mind, you can see them pull it out when they go to hide under the ladders.

•Vincent only calls Ambrose by his name instead of Bassford after killing him.

•I like Ambrose getting annoyed at Preston and Adrian not doing the kick line right lol

•I don’t know what Mandela affect bullshit is going on, but I always thought Ambrose kept the pages from Vincent’s notebook, and I have no clue where I got that idea from.

•I like that Portia starts wit “Hi hi!” when she’s nervous, and that she’s so frazzled trying to interview Beatrix that she can’t find a pencil and Beatrix has to give theirs to her. It’s just a cute little bit of character building. Beatrix actually pulls the pencil out from behind her ear, which is also a nice little bit of characterization.

•As soon as the interview starts Beatrix starts wrapping one of their strings around their fingers to try and not forget what they’re lying about. If you pay attention to what the actor is doing with their hands the entire show you can catch a few little fun character building bits like that.

•In the wide shots of the Beatrix and Portia interview scene you can see Beatrix start to stress smoke when Portia compliments them and says they should’ve gotten nominated. Mf feels the weight of her lies on her back real fast lol

•Beatrix sits like a bisexual, and I find that funny.

•Vincent almost manages to talk Ambrose down, but when Quincy gets brought up he almost starts crying and gets violently angry. So close there bud, so close.

•When Beatrix’s actor starts doing their funky little hand motions in Me, Myself, and I it’s actually on cue with the music, reference to Beatrix pulling the strings. They also move their hands on cue to Ambrose and Quincy singing “me, myself, and I” and on cue for when the singing stops. Nice touch.

•The person who Vincent takes the place of during Me, Myself, and I is who saw him fleeing the gym. Just noticed it, that’s such a cool thing. Was super confused on why a chorus member was there, then I remembered the line in Read All About It.

•Portia is still editing articles in the background while Beatrix is having a crisis of morality in the foreground lol

•The actor for Vincent pulls off the ribbon trick to symbolize Ambrose’s death by grabbing the ribbon from the bag while moving towards the back of the stage, hiding their hand behind their back while they continue to sing, and pulling the ribbon out with his free hand when time comes. The song is so grand in scale that no one in the audience would be being attention to his hands.

•The flour cigarette trick is actually refilled a couple times when time allows it, you can see the actor for Beatrix puffing fake smoke out with it a few times, but can only do it once in a scene due to the limits of the trick.

•It is hilarious how disinterest Beatrix sounds when reading Ambrose’s memorial, they know it’s not true and are bored by it lol

•One of The Saint’s actors, Saint Jude specifically, has the remote for the candles in their hand and are the one controlling it during Litany of Martyrs. You can see them accidentally reveal it during one of the close up and quickly try to hide it in their sleeve.

•Saint Jude’s actor doesn’t actually tie the bandage onto Quincy’s hand right during Litany of Martyrs so the actor for Quincy just uses their thumbs to keep it in place.

•When Beatrix gets their strings caught in the typewriter, the mise en scene us is used to emphasize how small The Prize Section is by having Portia sit on the glorified nightstand Beatrix is using as a desk instead of an actual chair.

•Vincent puts his feet up on the “desk” when he breaks into The Prize Section office, which is apparently a habit of theirs since they also do it when Beatrix is interviewing them.

•Adrian and Preston’s actors aren’t on stage as their characters until Oh, Ms. Reporter! because they’re also chorus members in Read All About it, so needed time to get changed and get their makeup done.

•The Saints are mimicking hellfire during I Hate and I Love, creepy as fuck, but one hell of a visual. They’re still there when Quincy is talking to Portia too, like goddamn, leave them alone you weird religious bongos.

•You can see Beatrix’s actor struggling to keep their glasses on their face the entire show, and it is the funniest thing to me, because I have similar glasses and I know how much of a pain in the ass they are to keep on when trying to move around quick.

•Of course English major Beatrix would correct Portia’s grammar when she’s trying to tell them that Vincent is the killer.

•I find it funny you can see Beatrix mouth “fuck” when Portia goes to raid The Prize Section for information after suggesting they stop Vincent.

•Alright, I think the way they spliced together the audio and video for the YouTube version is with two dress rehearsals and the two nights the show was put on combine. The dress rehearsals are the close ups, but you can tell which one of them came first based on the costume for Beatrix. The earlier one has gloves with the tags still on and the red string in the second act is shorter, plus they used to have a flower pin on the jacket but lost it for the actual show. The audio is from the actual performances from show night asides from a few bits where they needed to cut the audience’s reaction out, but the music on the album is a mix of all of them and just the best takes they had put together. It’s why the mic cracking on Ambrose’s actor can be heard on the album but not on the YouTube version, in the YouTube version the audio tech didn’t turn Vincent’s actor’s mic on in time during his part, so they had to use the cracked audio for the album.

•The Admin are casually homophobic and racist towards Quincy and Vincent during their meeting, actively try to divide them, and I want to kick all of them in the skull. You can see just how manipulative they are, calling Quincy and Vincent’s relationship a friendship, openly insulting Vincent, hinting that Quincy is being held back, they’re so fucking bitchy and I want them to get slapped with a tuna.

•You can see the different mentalities Quincy and Vincent have with how they react to the admin, Quincy is acceptance, and Vincent would definitely kill them all if possible. I love the “bullshit” line so much.

•I love and hate how hurt Vincent gets when Quincy accuses them of not caring. The entire Where Can I Run (Reprise) scene is so good, Quincy shoving Vincent off, the ghosts dragging Vincent’s jacket off them, both their parts being haunted by their respective demons with The Saints and the ghosts of The Marmorius.

•Explanation of the staging trick used to make it look like Beatrix and Portia’s actors are kissing. It’s a really old trick, but a useful one. The actors are both about the same height so it’s possible, they quickly press their foreheads together, turn, and the lights dim. They aren’t actually kissing, but the quick motion of it, the fact you can’t see their faces, and the dark lighting hides it. It’s also why Quincy and Vincent’s actors couldn’t do that, Vincent’s actor stands solidly at chest height with Quincy’s actor, and it would look too awkward to have them kiss like that. Quincy’s actor would have to bend down, and that would look really weird.

•Vincent calling his murders the “smoothest” murders just make me think of him being a smooth criminal lmfao

•The prop for Quincy’s notebook during I Hate and I Love and Vincent’s notebook for The Other Side of Failure are the same notebook, just a basic molskine I think.

•The boots for Beatrix’s costume don’t have laces because those are doc martens, and doc marten laces are a pain in the fucking ass to keep tied, so they just are using zip ups lol

[slocumjoe]

⚠️Request rules⚠️

1; Be specific and unique

For example, the prompt "Sole dies". All characters would be sad, or angry. But the prompt, "Companions travel through a haunted forest and lose each other" has a lot of ways it can go. Vague prompts can be difficult for me to write, as there's often not much to write. Or if there is, it ends up feeling samey, or too short. There's only so much I can write about Sole dying.

Some prompts are answered in canon, and don't need to be answered. For example, Companions react to Sole speaking like the Silver Shroud. You can easily go on a wiki or find a compilation video on YouTube.

Also, I prefer to write about the companions, not Sole. So, requests about the Sole Survivor are likely to sit in the inbox for a while.

2; Be mindful of dark subject matter

Guys. You know miscarriage is a real thing, right? A horrible, traumatic thing that fucks up entire families? And same with rape, or abuse, or anything like that. Use your best judgement asking about heavier topics. These things aren't scenarios to generate angst. They're traumatic events. That real people go through.

I'll never forget following a react blog who was asked to write about miscarriage, only for them to apologize and refuse, as they had suffered multiple miscarriages themselves.

Rule 3; No fetishes or second-hand embarrassment prompts

So, I said be specific and weird...not with your own fetishs, please.

For non fetish stuff, I really do not care for toilet humor. Or anything meant to evoke second-hand embarrassment. This is another 'use best judgement'. I'm very easily grossed out by body fluids/excrement and there's no prompt that I'm willing to do with it.

Rule 4; I don't do Fallout 3 or New Vegas content

Masterlist

Newest first

Reacts V

Freaky Friday Episode

Sole vanishes, oh nooooo

Beach Episode

Companion at the zoo

The Oberland Alien

Sole gets their name tattooed

Sole finds a baby and wants it

Companions play Minecraft

Gage only; Come to the Galactic Zone if you want an asskicking

Companions and a magpie of a person

Sole with bad motor skills

Companions react to a synth of themselves

Companions as Roommates

Modern!Companions and Halloween

Sole just kisses them already

Sole sick but refusing to rest

Sole who cries when yelled at

Sole gets hurt saving their life

Touchy Sole

Overhearing Sole realize they love them

Sole breaks down crying in their arms

Companions work at a grocery store

Companions react to the Scorched Plague

Companions on Social Media

Headcanon posts V

Religion and stuff

Grab bag 4

Drinking habits

Coming out

Who they'd end up with

Losing their virginity

Modern au

Sexuality and ideal partners

Dreams and nightmares part 1

Companions' tells that they love someone

Companions' fursonas

What they'd eat in general

NSFW grab bag 3

Companions and stress

Companions spend time at a settlement

Gage fluffy-shippy-sad headcanons

Interior design

Companion Headcanon Grab‐bag

Gage Catchup Lightning Round

Favorite songs on the radio

NSFW Gage Headcanons

NSFW; Libido/sex drive

NSFW; Intensity in bed

Variety NSFW headcanons 2

Variety NSFW headcanons

Comfort food

How often they bathe

What they do/wear on days off

Danse headcanons

Laughing headcanons

X6-88 Headcanons

Physique headcanons

2 headcanons per companion

1 headcanon per companion

Meta stuff V

Synths as trans allegory for pride month

Polyamory and infidelity in games

Curie's quest is pretty dumb

A bunch of mini-essays on all the companions

Danse and autism

Oc appearance meme

Isadora ramblings and lore drops

Cait breakdown and critique

Minutemen Questline Rehaul

Florence, Isadora, and Gage

Wasteland creatures i want

Gage Name Meaning

The Gage Essay I wrote while baked on leftover lasagna

Thoughts on Piper, Strong, and Codsworth

Strong Character Bingo/Rant

My thoughts on Porter Gage before playing Nuka World

Peer-Reviewing "The Synthetic Truth"

Piper rant 2

I swear I am normal about Piper

Things I love about the companions

Biggest complaints about each companion's writing

Meme stuff V

Getting Hulk smashed by a baby (game clip)

How id compliment them

Sole gets a pet-claw

...hi (game clip)

Bad timing, dude (game clip)

Who smokes weed

Cat X6-88

Shaun gets a pet-claw

Cannibal perk

Companions as video games

War-shta-sure

Four frenchspeakers screamingn in a room

Danse's favorite shirt

Egg

muppets

dickless nickolas

mall cop

Memes 2

Memes 1

What the companions get canceled for

AITA For trying to blow up my crush's blimp?

[atorchzagreusandtris]

I may or may not have made an entire AU surrounding Morro and a resurrection/redemption arc because let's be real Ninjago fans, Morro deserves it. The writers did him so fucking dirty.

I will eventually maybe be writing a fanfiction about this, but if anyone wants the rundown of my AU - most of the events pre-season 5 don't change, just get strung together a little better to make the plot flow more coherently. (Ie, the Ninja feeling creeped out in the Caves of Despair - the place where Morro died initially.)

Resurrection: It is around Day of the Departed when he is resurrected, though the Ninja don't find out he's alive until I want to say season 7. The Ninja think they see him in the distance but brush it off. There's no way, pfft, Morro is dead. The Cursed Realm is gone. Right? WRONG.

Redemption: While trying to figure out stuff about Krux and Acronix, not only do the Ninja find out that Morro has been alive, but that Morro has spent his new life living it the way he would have if Wu had never found him. He has a job and an apartment, he doesn't want to be a ninja. After everything Wu put him through... he just wants to be happy. He wants to live the life he never got to live. He doesn't care about being the Green Ninja anymore.

UNFORTUNATELY, the Ninja need as much help as they can to take down Krux and Acronix and are forced to try and get Morro's help. While there is a very VERY rocky start between the Ninja and Morro, they will eventually grow to trust them (Cole takes the longest surprisingly. It isn't until season 8/9 that he BEGINS to trust Morro)

Bass?: "But Tri where does this bass thing come from?"

Oh yeah either in Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu or VERY early Prime Empire - Jay and Cole accidentally introduce Morro to music and musical instruments. Morro falls in love with playing the bass and by the time of mid-Prime Empire, he's damn well near a pro at it to the point I already have a minigame planned for Morro to show off his skills with.

Souta?: It means "Sudden, sound of the wind" and "thick, big, great". It's a Japanese surname. Morro gave it to himself because he felt weird about the fact that everyone had surnames but himself. (And also he probably needed one for his job.)

Ghost Blade?: He may not be dead anymore, but because he WAS dead for so long, a lot of his energy is still connected to being dead, so bam. He can manifest a PHYSICAL ghost weapon. Might be a little OP, I don't care.

Also explains his gi, there are some changes to it BUT he remains very attached to his dead gi design + all gi designs I come up with for the different seasons will be based on his Possession gi. (the ninjargon letter M where his weird animal brooch used to be (which he wears on his shawl instead) pants/sleeves cutting off halfway down his calves/arms!)

Lloyd: Morro and Lloyd grow to see each other as brothers. Morro, having been in Lloyd's body and mind has a deeper understanding of him than anyone else could. Morro becomes VERY protective over Lloyd and due to this his relationship with Kai is one of the first ones he forms. Morro hates Wu and Misako (and S8+ Garmadon) for the way they've treated this boy. Morro isn't afraid to argue with Wu on certain things regarding Lloyd. Morro becomes the big brother to Lloyd whom he always wanted in his own life.

Islands, Seabound, and Crystallized: Oh boy, this will be fun because technically all three of these COULD have been connected to Morro (Islands and Seabound DEF were and Crystallized SHOULD HAVE BEEN). Anyways, I kill off Morro at some point in either Master of the Mountain (which I would LOVE to do the most because Cole at this point is one of the closest Ninja to Morro and it would HURT HIM SO FUCKING BAD, and be more of a driving force for his character arc), Islands, or Seabound to make it easy on myself plot-wise BUT he gets resurrected by Harumi in Crystallized because this dumb bitch thinks that just because he used to be a villain means she can convince him to become a villain again. Morro becomes a double spy.

Euphrasia?: Her element in the show is white. Morro's is green. She's not the new Elemental Master of Wind, she's the fucking Elemental Master of AIR and I will stick by that. Even canonically, I refuse to acknowledge it. If I get far enough as writing for Dragons Rising, I will definitely give Euphrasia and Morro a sibling dynamic.

Anyways! Yeah! This is but a preview of what my Resdemption-AU has to offer. If anyone wants to hear more about it, I could talk about it for FUCKING hours.

Oh!!! And I want to give credit to @sunfloraas because I took A LOT of inspiration from her Morro design because it's that good!!!

[inkstainedhandswithrings]

TBB S2 EP 11: Metamorphosis

right from the get go already looks like cliché horror film intro (this initially made me dislike the ep, mainly bc we have too many bad horror films playing at the cinema where I work rn, but dw I came around)

the music was actually chillingly different than usually and continued into the scene in which Dr. Hamlock was introduced. I liked that, but in a bad way

the closeup on his hand confirms that the Zillo Beast ate it, no this is not up for discussion, Zillo Beast had himself a treat

I'm kinda coming around on Nala Se, ngl

Also for as uneasy Dr. Hamlock makes me, I feel like we're finally getting a high-quality villain on TBB and I'm here for it

BAD BATCH TELLING CID OFF BAD BATCH TELLING CID OFF BAD BATCH TELLING CID OFF

HUNTER WANTING TO CUT CID OFF HUNTER WANTING TO CUT CID OFF HUNTER WANTING TO CUT CID OFF

Cid, being a huge dick:

Me:🤨🤨🖕🖕🖕

I like watching Wrecker show off how smart he is. He knows all the weapons and how to use 'em. Yes. :D.

"Whatever did this wasn't human." <- I find that an interesting sentence, considering this is Star Wars. If this was a show that took place on earth, somewhere where it was unlikely for an animal to be, that line would've been chilling. In Star Wars? Not so much. Humans are only one of many species in that galaxy and while I do believe that clones = humans, via star wars lore, that doesn't apply. Clones are classified as their own species, meaning technically they aren't human. I'm probably over thinking this but whatever, the line struck me as oddly placed

"By yourself?" "Your concern is not warranted. I will be fine." <- ok, Tech ik you got the whole cool, logical, I-know-what-I'm-doing-vibe going on, but I gotta tell you, the person who says that in horror films dies first.

OFC THE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT IS KAMINOAN FCK

everytime tech checked what's going on in the hallway I yelled "nO" at him. and then he did it anyway. rude.

The second we first saw it I realised it was the Zillo. I've been wondering when/if it would ever come up again, since the Chancellor did order for it to be cloned when the og episodes aired and then we never saw it again, so the arc felt incomplete.

BUT I LOVED THE ZILLO BEAST ARC SO THIS MADE ME V HAPPY AND V SCARED AND I KNOW IT'S NOT CANON BUT CAN THE ZILLO BEAST PLS GO EAT PALPATINE NOW??? IT DESERVES A TREAT!!!!

Hunter grabbing Omega to protect her from the beast 🥺

Tech's slow "Fascinating." followed by his "Take cover."???? sir u already had me, u didn't need to go harder

Wrecker grabbing Omega to protect her from the explosion🥺

Tech casually causing the explosion

"It ate the crew?" MY POOR BABY

"I can help. I know my way around Kaminoan tech." hmmm omega tryna stay out of the fight? she scared? hmmm Tech whatcha do???

Omega being better with Kaminoan tech than Tech and him just going with it and trusting her expertise. Yes. :D

idk where the "Zillo Beast feeds on energy" thing came from bc that wasn't part of the original arc and kinda threw me off, but alright, they needed a reason for it to grow real fast, I'll take it

they're already fighting the beast and then the empire shows up hhhhhhhh whyyyyyyy

omega just casually pulling the plug on tech's research, I love her

Tech grabbing Omega to protect her from the explosion 2.0 🥺

yes, hello, I'd like to inform you all again that I hate the empire, thank you

Tech allowing Hunter to keep flying even though he is the designated pilot and clearly very skilled. Just shows how much he trusts his leader and brother to keep them save. Love that :))

When the Commandos began rounding up the villagers I immediately knew what it meant and GAH HONSLTY WHY ARE THEY LIKE THIS

The Empire only destroyed Kamino to control cloning, not to end it, hm? surprise surprise (these fcking motherfckers i swear)

"Send the data to Echo and Rex. See what they can find out."

....

........

............

YES HUNTER YES SEND THEM THE DATA YES GO WORK WITH ECHO AND REX AND SAVE THE GALAXY YES LET'S GOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

end of the ep confirms yet again that Dr. Hamlock is a bag of dicks :)

Prime Minister said f you and I'm here for it

and then he brought up Omega and I was not here for it anymore

finally the music during the last shot makes me think that this facility is going to come up again and it will likely be very traumatic and horrible and terrible and um ya. sucks man.

gonna tag @jealous-sloth77 and @saturn-sends-hugs bc I'd love to see their thoughts too :))

[ystrike1]

You Are My Devil - By 김빠 (6.5/10)

Wasted potential is always sad. The webtoon adaptation for this is cheap, because the ending is bad. Multiple reviews of the original novel implied that the author rushed the ending, and the spoilers I read are barely sub-par. This isn't enemies to lovers. It's about an unexplained obsession, and two characters who give up on their main goals for no reason.

Heina is princess of Constance. The land of flowers and plenty. Her people are not war folk. They grew complacent, so they were quickly overthrown by the desert empire of Nicke.

Heina watches her fiance die during a duel with the fourth prince of Nicke, Yuri. Yuri takes her as a prize for winning, and her parents are powerless to stop the prince. The Emperor of Nicke is a shrewd general, and Yuri is known as the best solider in the world.

Heina tries to kill herself and she tries to escape seven times. She is tormented by Yuri's odd behavior. He seems obsessed with her

...but he isn't??? He leaves her alone for long periods of time, and the Emperor plans to sacrifice her during the rain ceremony. Which is a ceremony only the Nicke family can perform. Yuri doesn't want to kill her, but he doesn’t actually try to help for a long time. Heina lives as his prisoner knowing her days are numbered.

Yuri threatens to destroy Constance and her family if she kills herself. He doesn't even want her to cut her hair without his permission. His character design is also good.

Prince Yuri sleeps by her side when he isn't busy killing. He kisses her hair. He seems to adore her, but he doesn't care about her feelings. He is feared because a prophecy stated he will end Nicke. I THOUGHT this maybe meant he would abandon his abusive family that branded him a bad omen. To, you know, wed the woman he is obsessed with and rule over Constance with her. After annexing Nicke with his epic army powers....but noooooo.

We get one good scene where Yuri tries to show her how beautiful the desert can be. The problem is he killed her fiance. She actually loved her fiance, Argen. One speech about the moon doesn't win her heart.

Shocker.

But wait...

This is the Emperor of Nicke. He has three sons. Yuri is a fake. An orphan from the desert destined to become a powerful warrior. Emperor Genius here took him in, to use him as a rival figure for his sons. It's actually kind of a good idea. Introduce a brilliant and strong rival...that isn't actually a threat. Yuri can never summon rain for Nicke, so he's a decent punching bag for the real sons to use.

Oops. One true son is blind and he can't rule. Camille is also on Yuri's side, because Yuri is the best potential Emperor. His magical soldier skills are exactly what a violent nation like Nicke needs.

The current true heir, Pecsis, is a wimp. His mommy put him in line for the throne. He plays with poisons and he's crap at fighting. The Emperor is now in a pickle. The best heir isn't his son. The third son is already prime Minister, and unable to do Emperor things.

Shot yourself in the foot there, huh idiot?

The plot twists are shocking...ly bad. Argen is alive. A body double died in the duel. He returns with an army to reclaim his beloved princess. She rejects him by the time he arrives to save her, because she falls for Yuri. No. There is no real reason. Then, Yuri loses against Argen on purpose. He wants Heina to be a happy Empress, and eventually he figures out that he isn't a real prince. Which is why he was always disposable and sent to war. Heina probably falls for him because he saves her from being sacrificed...and because she pities him. That's not love...the ending is just sad. Heina and Yuri choose to live in the desert together. Their daughter returns from the sands alone, to become the true heir of Nicke and Constance.

Um.

You skipped the good parts???? Literally all of the good parts????

Yuri had Heina imprisoned for a year, and none of that is shown. We don't see WHY he is obsessed with her. Why he was willing to throw down his helmet and let her be happy with Argen??? It just doesn't make sense. Heina is an extremely prideful princess too, who LOVES her people. She doesn't commit suicide to protect them from Yuri's wrath. Her...leaving??? To live in a HOLE??? In the desert??? When she loves her homeland and family so much is a joke. Yuri SHOULD HAVE sacrificed his family to bring prosperity to Constance. THAT WOULD HAVE MADE SENSE. Since their gods said he was destined to destroy Nicke ANYWAY???? lame.