#if there is any critique on the background let me know please

[scribblepleb]

I ARISE FROM MY SLUMBER!!!!!! To offer this :]

[ily-fictional-women]

Christmas Blues

Summary: Kate’s feeling down but Y/n is gonna do her best to fix that.

Pairing: Kate Bishop x fem!reader

Warnings: None that I know of but if I should add anything let me know

Word count: 1501

a/n: Just something for the Holiday season! (Reblogs are welcome and critiques/advice are heavily encouraged, but please no translating.)

With it being the Christmas season Kate and Y/n agreed to have a small date night at Kate’s apartment watching a Christmas movie while cozying up together. Although during the movie the two sit beside each other one of Y/n’s hands on the back of Kate’s head playing with her hair. Typical Kate is one to talk throughout a movie this time she’s quiet, too quiet.

Turing just slightly Y/n looks over at Kate, there’s not even a slight grin on her face. Y/n moves her hand from the back of the girl's head down to the back of her neck, “Hey.” Kate snaps her attention at the sudden change, “Yeah?” Biting the inside of her cheek Y/n tries to find the right words for the moment, “Katie, are you okay? Where’s your head at?”

“What do you mean?” Kate shifts in her seat at the question. Y/n pauses the movie putting her full attention on Kate, “Look, I’ve known and loved you for a while. So I’d like to think I know when you’re stuck in your head. You don’t have to tell her anything but if you want to tell me I wanna know.”

Kate shrugs nervously, “I guess it’s just the Christmas season. Ever since the whole Fisk thing and the thing with my mom going away, it feels like the Holiday season is just a reminder of all the bad instead of the good.” Y/n starts lightly drawing shapes into the back of Kate's neck trying to think of any kind of solution, “Is it being in New York that’s a reminder of it or is it just a feeling in general?”

Kate rests a hand on Y/n’s thigh trying to distract herself from how she was feeling, “Probably a mix of both. But I think being her plays a big part in it. Why?” Y/n shakes her head nonchalantly, “Just trying to figure out how you’re feeling.” As the moment settles down and the movie’s unpaused Y/n interrupts again.

“Do you have any hot cocoa powder?” Kate’s brows furrow for a moment, “No. I don’t think so at least did you want some or something?” Y/n quickly gets up putting a coat on, “Yeah I was thinking of having some. I’ll go out and pick up enough for the both of us.” Both Kate and Lucky turn their heads as Y/n goes for the door. “Did you want me to come with you?” Y/n smiles shaking her head at the question, “No don’t worry. I want you to relax.”

Y/n was going out to get hot cocoa mix but there was also another plan. Making it out of the apartment building Y/n pulls out her phone calling the only person she knew could probably help. “Hey, Clint can we talk?”

There’s some murmurs in the background of the call but they slowly get quieter, “Hey, yeah, Y/n what’s up?”

“It’s Kate, Clint, I’m worried about her. She doesn’t seem like herself. She was talking about how all the Fisk stuff and her mom being locked up was getting to her. But she said it mostly tied to being in New York so I was wondering if we could come over for a little. Mostly so I could see if it would cheer her up.”

“I mean yeah that shouldn’t be a problem I’ma just ask Laura first.” For about two minutes Clint is obviously on mute leaving Y/n standing in the New York snow. The sudden loud background noise shocks Y/n from the cold though, “Okay, Laura said it’s alright. Are you guys gonna be here tomorrow or later?”

“Tomorrow works just fine I’ll get her to pack up tonight.” Right before Y/n’s about to hang up there’s some loud murmuring in the background before she hears Clint’s voice again, “Oh uh Lila said to to pack ugly sweaters. We’re having a contest and Nate is judging.”

“Will do Clint.”

//

Getting back to the apartment Y/n quickly brushes off the excess snow on her coat before hanging it up the small bag of hot cocoa powder in hand. Heating some milk Y/n flops on the couch with Kate, “Soooo. You’re gonna need to pack a bag.” Kate raises an eyebrow cracking a nervous grin, “Why do I need to pack a bag exactly?”

“We're going on a trip to get out of here. You’ll like it I promise.” The confidence in Y/n’s demeanor was just enough to convince Kate to go pack a bag. “Oh wait,” Y/n stops her before she can get too far. “You’re gonna need to pack an ugly sweater.”

//

DAY 1 Making it to the Barton home Kate has a tight grip on Lucky’s leash, or that it is until Clint opens the door to the house bolting in to play with the kids. “Hey, Clint.” Kate opens up her arms to a hug from the older man. Clint looks at the two of you up and down noticing the ugly sweaters. “I see you both dressed up for today.” He examines both sweaters closely, “No offense Y/n but Kate is definitely winning the ugly sweater contest today.”

Y/n looks at the man genuinely shocked, “How?! Mine has Shrek and you said Nate was judging.” Clint looks over at both sweaters again, “No yeah Kate definitely wins. The owl’s eyes are so beady it creeps me out.” Kate smirks to herself, “That’s not the worst of it.” Clicking a button on one of the sleeves of the sweater the eyes of the owl begin to light up.

Letting out the most dad laugh possible Clint looks back at Y/n’s sweater, “Y/n I bet $5 Nate will pick Kate's sweater over your's." Y/n puts out her hand shaking Clint's taking the offer, “You’re on old man. It'll be your Christmas gift to me." Ignoring the old man comment Clint invites the two in to begin the ugly sweater contest.

DAY 1 (NIGHT) Y/n scans the dark living room, “Where are the kids and Laura?” Kate readjusts the blanket she has wrapped around herself sitting in front of the fireplace. “They all went to bed, how was the whole wood-chopping thing with Clint?” Y/n tosses a fresh piece of wood into the fireplace, “Surprisingly boring. Did you guys do anything?”

“We mostly just played some small games Laura found online. But what I want right now is for you to sit with me.” Kate stretches out her arms like a kid wanting to be picked up. Sitting down with Kate Y/n admires the fire for a moment turning over to Kate. “Have you had fun so far?”

Kate’s gaze stays on the fire watching it crackle and burn, “Actually, yeah. I have. I still don’t think it’s fair you won the ugly Christmas sweater contest though.” Y/n fake coughs quietly murmuring, “Sore loser.” Kate quickly flops on top of Y/n with a playful smile, “What did you just say?”

Y/n looked around the room pretending to try and find the answer as she moved her hands to Kate’s hips to make sure she didn’t fall off the couch. “Hmm, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t say anything! I swear.” Kate leans in a little closer to Y/n’s face, “Really? Because I could have sworn you called me a sore loser.”

Y/n lets out a loud sarcastic gasp, “Me?! I would never!” Kate looks at her questioningly, “Really now?” Y/n smiles cockily, “Nope never! Now how about you lean in just a little bit closer and kiss me so we can go to bed?” Giggling into a kiss Kate agrees ending a blissful night.

DAY 3 (NIGHT) With yesterday being an almost full day of baking cookies everyone was still fairly tired, especially being tired of taking orders from Laura in the kitchen. Because of this, everyone agreed today would be the Christmas movie marathon. First, it started with some of the classics.

You had The Grinch, Home Alone, A Christmas Carol, and so much more. The best part was probably the kids' commentary though Kate especially found it funny that quote “Captain America looked so much like the boy from A Christmas Story”.

Throughout the night it was obvious Kate was becoming happier and happier, especially compared to how she had been feeling before the trip. It was hard for Y/n to not stare at Kate being happy again. It was like she could see a light through her smiles and laugh. A light she hadn’t seen in a while.

Kate leans over to Y/n still intently watching the movie, “Thank you for this trip. I love it. And I love you.” Y/n smiles softly, “I love you most.” This, this moment. It was the only Christmas gift Y/n needed.

[anna-the-undertaker]

Prides Gift

- Prompt: MC accidentally summons one of the brothers with the strength of their sin. - I read something similar to this a while back from another creator, but I can't remember who it was. All I can remember is that it was about a teen MC who accidentally summoned them. The idea was very entertaining, and I wanted to give my own twist to it. - I'm only going to do one brother for now, and if it does well, I will do the others. If not, I'll let it die lol So let me know how it is. Any critique is appreciated. - MC is in their mid to late teens - I'm sick atm and my meds have made me kind of out of it so I apologize if this didn't turn out all that great or make any sort of sense lmao I'll probably read back through this when I come down from my medicinal cocktail and just think "wtf" - Not proofread - Song recommendation: Product Of My Own Design by Artio

- Edit: I did come back and read through this, and I did say "wtf" but like in a good way.

This work contains topics that some may find unpleasant. If you are sensitive to any of these, please, KEEP SCROLLING

Warnings: Small amount of physical/mental Abuse

Lucifer

The avatar of pride hated being summoned. It was a complete inconvenience. He had far too much work to do and had no time nor desire to deal with some petty humans wants or needs. Rarely ever did a human have something of value to exchange for his influence and even more rare were they even worthy enough to be in his presence.

He had become quite skilled at resisting. Only ever giving in when he truly needed to. But this time it felt odd. Different somehow, in a way he couldn't fully comprehend.

He tried to ignore it, to keep going about his work, hoping it would pass, but it persisted.

With a growl of irritation, he slammed his pen down and shoved his chair back as he stood before teleporting to its originator.

He made sure to keep himself out of sight, hiding away in the shadows, just out of a human's perception.

What he found perplexed him. Before him were two humans staring each other down. The feeling was coming from the younger one. His eyes traveled to the other.

One of their parents he presumed. They shared features with one another. In the background he saw other children.

In their hands was a piece of sheet music.

"It's not good enough!" their parent yelled. "You are a disgrace! What good is it that you're a prodigy if all you can produce is this garbage?!"

A slap echoed through the room.

The parent continued with their cruel words. Going on and on about how worthless their child was.

The young human did not cry or yell, only turned their head back to them with a fury in their eyes. Their spine rigid, chin held high, and fists balled at their sides.

It was obviously not the first time they had endured this treatment.

He felt their pride waver and anger swell within them. The smell of frankincense and amaryllis came off of them in waves and invaded his senses. The flavor of their sin was unique to say the least and it was clear to see that summoning him had not been their intention. He had half a mind to leave but he remained out of morbid curiosity.

He tapped into their thoughts.

"You're wrong. Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! How dare you?! How dare you?! How dare you?! I will be better than you! I am better than you! All you want is to take credit for my accomplishments! My hard work! How dare you act as if I am inferior?! Don't crack. Don't give in. Don't give them the satisfaction of seeing me broken. They must never see me weak."

It was a sentiment he was all too familiar with.

The older human sent them to their room and he followed. He let himself indulge in their sin. Let it feed him.

When their door shut and locked behind them, the humans hands flew to their hair and pulled, a growl rising in their throat. They paced around the room for a while before finally leaning onto their desk, taking deep breaths.

"Just breathe it out," they muttered to themself. "A break down won't help."

They continued this until their emotions settled within them, or rather were locked away again.

The avatar of pride stepped out of the shadows. His wings and horns on full display, arms crossed in front of his chest.

"You shouldn't hold back, human." He said.

The human jumped and whipped around to come face to chest with him before looking up to his piercing red eyes. The slight fear at the sight of him fed his ego.

"Who are you? How did you get in here?" they asked.

His chest puffed up, "Lucifer Morningstar. You summoned me. Who are you?" He demanded.

He saw recognition flash through their eyes at his name only for confusion to overtake them once more before they settled with acceptance, "MC... May I address you as Mr. Morningstar? Or something along those lines? I feel like using your first name is too familiar and a bit disrespectful."

Lucifer was surprised by their manners but didn't let it show as he gave them a slight nod of approval. Another surprise was that the fear had disappeared from them and was replaced by curiosity as they appraised him.

"You are being very polite for a human in the presence of demon," he commented.

MC scoffed in exasperation, "It is in my best interest not to earn your ire. Besides, you haven't done anything to me personally to justify rudeness."

"You aren't going to call upon god to save your soul? I can feel his influence here. Pieces of it are scattered throughout your home." The low timber of his voice vibrated through the room with an air of ridicule.

"My parents beliefs are not mine. I do not care for their god. And what good would there be in calling upon him now? He has done nothing for me and I owe him nothing. I do not need nor want his intervention."

MC walked to their bed and sat down before gesturing to their desk chair, "Have a seat if you want to, Mr. Morningstar."

His respect for the human grew just a little bit so he accepted.

"You mentioned before that I summoned you," MC began again. "How? I don't remember doing anything of the sort."

He sighed, "Simply put, my sin in you was strong enough to pull me here."

"Oh, so what now?"

He thought on it for a moment. He felt an unusual connection with the human, though he would not know why for a while yet. He couldn't help but notice the open minded air about them and their maturity and intelligence. They had the potential to be successful. A willingness to learn and persevere, to push forward and work harder were qualities he admired.

They had one immediate obstacle and that was domineering and controlling parental figures.

An obstacle he knew intimately.

"Normally, this is when you humans start stating what you desire from me, but if you are amenable, I am willing to offer you a deal."

MC watched him cautiously, "What would this deal cost me? My soul?"

"I am not some lesser demon who requires souls to gain power," He replied with a snappish tone. "I do not require yours."

"I meant no offense, Mr. Morningstar. I simply have no knowledge of demons or how deals with demons work outside the churches influence. To be honest I didn't truly believe any of it existed. What exactly are you offering and how would it work? I do not want to blindly incur debts."

He was not going to make a pact with them. They were far too young to offer immediate results or benefit him in any way, but his instincts told him that assisting this human would be in his best interest.

"It is an exchange. By giving me that which you are most proud of, I will offer you a small piece of myself that is of equal value. The power from that will make you succeed in your endeavors, but it will still require work. You must earn it."

"Aside from aiding my success, how else would this affect me personally?"

He smirked. They were perceptive as well. Good. "It will increase your pride in yourself and your work. Effectively raising your confidence and make you work even harder."

It was similar to the effects of his pact, but not nearly as potent.

"And of course, you lose any chance of going to heaven. You would be making a deal with a demon, after all." He added.

"What do you gain from this?"

"Some of the pride that you accumulate through your accomplishments will be syphoned to me."

It was an extremely simple exchange. It didn't required MC to do anything but pursue their strengths and he wouldn't have to come to human realm as often as before to meet his sins needs. It was a win-win.

The human appeared lost in thought as if having an internal debate. Then something sparked in their eyes and they stood. He watched them walk to a bookshelf in the corner of the room and pull out a binder before coming to stand in front of him.

"This is a collection of the most complex musical compositions I have written. Each of them have earned me first place in competitions all over the country. I have them all committed to memory so I have no need of a physical copy. Is this sufficient?" They asked while keeping eye contact with him.

He could see and feel the unwavering certainty in their eyes.

Without a word, Lucifer reached down and plucked a single feather from one of his wings. It settled in the center of his palm and he cast a transfiguration spell on it making it change into a pendant in the shape of his sigil.

While simple in design it was still quite large. His pride demanding that it be seen.

They exchanged items carefully.

"You must not lose that, ever," Lucifer stared them down as he stood to leave. "If you do, I will know. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good, I'm leaving. I have been here far too long and I have a lot of work to finish, and no doubt more on the way from the damage my brothers have caused in my absence."

MC looked down at the pendant in their hands and back up, "Farewell, Mr. Morningstar, and thank you."

He said nothing and disappeared back into the shadows.

But before he returned to the Devildom, he had one last thing to take care of to ensure this transaction bore fruit.

He made his way through the house until he found MCs parent.

Lucifer let his presence slip into their senses. Exuding an intoxicating aura of power and arrogance and terror that preyed on the darkest recesses of human vanity.

Then he manifested before them, his true form imposing, standing tall and lean. His entire being seemed to ripple with suppressed energy, ready to unleash his dominion on any who dared to challenge him. As he stalked his way to them, he radiated an ethereal essence, swirling hues of crimson, gold, and violet dancing and intertwining like a mesmerizing kaleidoscope of color.

But it was his eyes that captured the attention of the human before him. They burned with an intense, otherworldly fire, shining like twin suns and within their depths was a potent mix of confidence, ambition, and superiority that captivated any who dared to meet his gaze. Those who did found their own doubts and insecurities exposed, their sense of self shaken to its very core.

Even the air seemed to bend and quiver in his presence. The atmosphere crackled with palpable energy, an invisible forcefield pulsating around him and with his every step, a symphony of whispers and murmurs that danced on the very edges of the psyche followed. A chorus of both awe and trepidation that only continued to grow louder.

In seconds the human found themselves trapped as he closed in on them and the air turned suffocating. They were frozen in place, limbs trembling.

"MC and I have come to an agreement," His demonic voice slithered through the air, a chilling tone that resonated with primal malevolence. Its timbre was a haunting blend of gravelly growls and seductive hisses, capable of both commanding obedience and instilling paralyzing fear. As it echoed, the words seemed to claw their way into the human's mind, leaving a lingering sense of unease and bore the unmistakable mark of the infernal, a haunting reminder of the abyss from which it emerged.

"So if you so much as lay another finger on them or harm them in any way, I will not hesitate to come back here and tear you limb from limb, understood?"

The human nodded weakly, unable to speak.

Then he was gone.

A decade had passed since then and Lucifer had nearly forgotten about it, barely even remembering their name. Being swamped in a literal mountains of work on the daily will do that to people.

This day was an important one. He was in a rush to get things in order for the arrival of the new exchange student. Doing double checks on everything. He had already had to deal with his brothers antics: Mammon disappearing, Satan trying to sabotage him with yet another prank, having to drag levi from his room, Beel having cleared the fridge again, Asmo constant inappropriate questions about the exchange student, worrying of belphie in the attic, and the list goes on. He couldn't handle another setback, otherwise he was liable to explode.

There was one document he just couldn't find and it was driving him mad. He ripped open the draws in his desk and started pilfering through his files only for eyes to fall to a binder buried underneath.

Suddenly his DDD went off and his eyes shot to its screen to see that is was a message from Diavolo stating he had the document in question and to meet him in the student council room.

Before long he and his brothers were watching as the exchange student was summoned.

They were disoriented at first and glanced around in confusion until their eyes locked with his, and a soft smile graced their face.

His own fell to the pendant around their neck.

"It is a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Morningstar."

Part 2

[elisaintime]

The post-episode 3 shift

FRESH POST!

So we were talking about how AMC's Interview with the Vampire Season 1 handles their choice of making Louis a black man in the early 1900s. This is a really cool change the show made in its AU version of IWTV, and it brought in a whole lot of subjects to explore that didn't exist in the books, making the TV show a very different work of art. But all the initial ideas for this show came from a cishet white man, and while he down the line had assistance from poc collaborators, I still think the show had areas where it could have done better with regards to some of the story beats, character arcs, and plot progression. The other thread got unwieldy with multiple reblog trees, but it's here for reference: https://www.tumblr.com/elisaintime/748738811357462528/woah-i-must-have-missed-something-why-are-people You can see everyone else's discussion in the notes.

I love discussions like this! Please talk to me about vampire chronicles! I live for it! I'm posting this now because I am disappointed that a few people seem to not be understanding several things I said. Maybe I said it unclearly, or maybe they're projecting and jumping to conclusions.

Kind of like how this poster does:

I deleted/banned every single comment on my videos that talked negatively about the show making Louis and Claudia black or deriding it for trying to be woke (and there were a bunch!). I delete block and ban all forms of hate speech. My channel is absolutely not a safe space for racists or bigots of any kind.

As you can see in the screencap, there is nothing in these comments that is about the race changes. These comments are talking about other changes the show made from the books and don't touch on race at all. The poster who screencapped them is jumping to the conclusion that these commenters liking the books better than the show automatically makes them racist, and that these are racist comments. And this screencap is specifically what I was referencing at the beginning of the other thread. Several people have said this now, that my YT comments section makes a safe space for racists. But these are not racist comments, and there is no evidence that the commenters are racist. This is projection and assumption. If you DO ever notice a racist comment on any of my videos, that I somehow missed, please bring it to my attention so that I can immediately delete and ban the user from ever commenting on my channel again.

But back to the show itself and my critique of it. I'm always here for talking about vampire-related writing! Let's go!

I still stand by what I said in my videos about the few issues I had with the show's scripts. If you watched my videos or follow all I've said about the show here on tumblr or elsewhere, you'll know how excited about this show I've been from the very beginning, how obsessively into it I am, following every aspect of production and behind the scenes news. You may even be in one of the multiple discord servers with me where we talk about the show constantly. There was much I really enjoyed about season 1, which I was outspoken about in my videos, and people keep seeming to forget. My videos had a greater percentage of positivity in them than negativity. But yes, I did have critiques as well, just like I do with every single piece of vampire media I discuss on my channel--it's the entire point of my channel!--and those mostly had to do with inconsistency in the writing.

What I've said is that the DRIVING FORCE of the plot wasn’t about Louis's struggles with chafing against society as a black man after episode 3, not that there was no more racism. I said he was obviously still immersed in systemic racism all around him, which the show showed us with visual details in the background, despite no one talking about them. This is fine, we don't need it spelled out for us. TV is a visual medium, and that's what the images are there for. But my discussion is about his character MOTIVATIONS on a writing level. His want vs need. His goal vs obstacle. If you're unversed on the techniques of story writing and plot structure, I recommend Blake Snyder's book Save the Cat as a crash course. In ep 1-3, for Louis, it was about being respected as a man equal to others among his society, the citizens of New Orleans, his colleagues and business rivals. Fighting for social opportunities that were limited to him because he is black. That story ends with episode 3 and a new story begins. I’m not saying this is a bad thing. I just said I NOTICED it.

After it all burns down, Louis stops focusing on society respecting him as a human being (which was ironic to begin with, because he’s not human anymore) and his driving plot becomes about making and keeping a family and such. Obviously race is still an element of that in a mixed marriage, but it’s not about his business or social standing anymore, these parts of his life that were SO IMPORTANT to him in the first three episodes. In the books, vampires stop caring about that kind of stuff the second they are made, but the show changed it to take Louis a few years to get there instead of it happening instantly.

Obviously racism doesn't magically disappear or stop mattering once he accepts his vampire nature (which Lestat kind of promises him it will), but it does shift to being a background element for what we see on screen. He is not focused on it anymore, when it used to be the primary driving force of his plot. We hardly even get to see Louis interact with (racist) society again til the finale (and I made this observation on episode 5, which the end-of-episode credits told us was written by a white person). For example, the police that come to their door are bigoted to him and Lestat because they’re gay, but meanwhile, they act completely colorblind. At this point, Louis’s character motivations are about fear of them being caught for murder, and his emotions regarding how Claudia is struggling with her eternal child body and lashing out--about keeping his family together. Not about his racial struggles as a businessman and citizen in outward society.

Yes, we all know there were non-white people in the writer’s room (thank god! Can you imagine?? If there weren’t any, we’d all have been raging from the very beginning! Did you read RJ’s episode 1 script draft before it got revised with the input of black/queer/female editors? OOF), but the choice to completely shift Louis’s driving character motivations away from his impassioned societal race struggle to something different after 3 episodes was part of the original season outline made by white people before any poc were brought on to the team. 

And again, I didn’t say it was a bad thing, it was just something I NOTICED, and the way the show executed it felt very abrupt and clunky. Did I want the cops to not be colorblind and get in some racial digs and microaggressions while they were at Louis’s house? Ew no. But I did NOTICE that they didn’t do that, and how it was so different from the way Louis was spoken to by white people in the first 3 episodes. Did the white writer of this episode perhaps feel uncomfortable going there?

The season told two different stories for Louis, with an abrupt turn in the arc after episode 3. It didn’t feel like an arc at all, but a sharp angle. Starting with Claudia, Louis’s primary drives and character motivations completely change. He no longer wants to be an important businessman respected in society, he becomes “the housewife,” and never once seems to miss his desperately-fought-for social status at all. This comes back to what I said about the show being weakened by trying to shove in too much book stuff. Ep1-3 were all these cool new original ideas from the show with Louis having entirely new character motivations based on the show's changes to his background. They were naturally driven by what him being black in 1910 now meant. But after that story was done, it abruptly shifts back to more of how he in in the books, and trying to suddenly pull him back to his book personality/motivations/goals after giving us this whole new organically-evolved self in 1-3 was notable. I noticed it.

All in all, I think it probably would have worked much better on a writing level if it was treated as two separate mini seasons instead of presenting itself as an attempt at one coherent whole.  

[a-roguish-gambit]

How's Evan in your au?

Doing ok for the most part. Could be better but he's not feeling god aweful. New York was still fairly racist in 1912 but a far cry from the Jim Crow South.

According to the Tuskegee institute, there's only one reported lynching of a black person from the 1880s-1960s. (That's not to say that racial violence of other sorts didn't happen or that unreported lynchings didn't happen, just shows how compared to the South, where people literally had little festivals around lynchings at times and sent postcards about it, hate crimes were generally looked down upon and well...considered crimes) and he has the added benefit of being from a wealthy family that didn't come from an enslaved background. Because Ororo is a recent expat from egypt canonically, so is his family. They run an import/export transport business to the United States which is why they are living there at all. Granted that makes the racism he sees very very obvious to him compared to how he used to live, but the status helps avoid some of the worst of it by avoiding a lot of the financial barriers that prevented black people from escaping poverty and segregation. Segregation in New York, while there, was more financial barrier focused. A lot of places up north had laws against segregation in schools after the civil war, but segregation was often enforced via redlining and such. Cost of living, job prospects, school funding, etc, ect ect. Jim Crow laws didn't start reaching the north in a big way until after wwI.

So cause he comes from money he's able to attend the same school as his friends. He...is not too fond of the kids there and does not fully trust them. They are harmlessly ignorant at the best of times and he doesn't want to get to know them enough to see them at the worst of times. They have a nasty habit of talking down to him and certainly don't act like he's their equal, despite the fact that he is more well traveled and can speak more languages than any of them. (Evan knows French, Arabic, Swahili ,and English in this AU) So he mostly sticks with the institute kids...who absolutely adore him and will not let anyone give him shit. They will avoid places that do segregate to the best of their abilities (you can only avoid public restrooms so much in an emergency), step up to anyone saying something they don't like to him, and generally have his back no matter what, particularly rogue and gambit, who know exactly how bad treatment of black people can get in America at the time. Rouge has basically adopted him as a second little brother at this point, despite him being only a few months younger than her, and as a result, Kurt has also practically physically attached himself to evan. Gambit and Scott both have a no questions asked ride pass for Evan if he needs to go anywhere, Kitty and Evan have bonded over their own shared struggles, and the teachers especially storm have his back no matter what.

He does have some friends outside the institute he plays baseball and basketball at the YMCA and goes on bike riding trips and has made some friends that way. Life isn't easy but he's finding ways to make the best of it.

Also despite their rivalry, or maybe because of it, as of late he's been seeing Pietro a little bit in private to....have chats with him. Friendly ones. Alone. .... I am a sucker for Rivals to lovers okay.

Just to make sure we're all clear I don't want to try and whitewash history, this was not the average experience for black people, even in New york. They experienced a lot of awful shit. I just really like Evan as a character and know how shitty this time could be for black people so I'm giving him the best opportunities I can given in the period. Because Evan deserves the best and he doesn't get enough love in this fandom as is. If anyone has better historical knowledge and would like to critique me on this, particularly black life in New York state at the time, please feel free to I am open to listening because this is not a subject that I am the most knowledgeable on.

[altraviolet]

Just wanted to say I'm SO thankful for your writing critique posts. Genuinely, they've been more helpful than my entire BA in creative writing that I'm in debt for 😭 it's been so bizarrely hard to find good writing advice because so many people seem to only give the most rudimentary advice (literally my final writing classes had the revolutionary advice of: "your story... should have conflict 😌"). Even at workshops, teachers have either completely missed the genre of my shorts (and ik it's not a me issue because my classmates will get it completely) or just give a vague "👍 looks good". It's completely screwed me over for things where we get marked externally because I haven't received any advice or actual mentoring.

Sorry this was kinda venty, I just wanted to really impress how much I absolutely value your writing critiques and I hope you keep making more! And I really hope to see your book on shelves one day ❤️

oh!! thank you so much!! :u ! <3

I'm glad the posts are helping you! I'm sorry you're not getting the kind of info you need from your college program. If your classmates get your writing, you could maybe ask them if they want to be critique partners (outside of class- or if you're all done with classes, are you still in touch with anyone?), or form some kind of writing club, or something like that. If you're super shy like me, maybe that kind of thing would be intimidating to start, but since they seem to be on your wavelength... you could give it a shot :D

If you ever have questions about critique or writing, please feel free to drop it in my ask box! I wasn't sure if people were enjoying the critique posts I was making, but this message indicates a strong Yes, so thank you :)

if I hadn't already given back that copy of Gothikana, I would pick another page or so to dissect xD

but! maybe some demonstrations of strong writing would be good, too?

hmm! :)

also, just to be transparent, I don't have a writing degree or a background in literature. I took as many creative writing courses as I could in college, but my degree is in Science. the knowledge I have is from reading a lot in my childhood, practicing a lot, and listening to people talk about what works

but yeah, if there's anything specific I can help you with, let me know :) and best of luck with your work! 💎❣️

[chromaclopse]

[Image Description: Digital fan art of Prince Sidon from Legend of Zelda. His eyes are locked with the viewer's, and he's grinning widely with excitement and determination. He's nude, and flexing his muscular left arm over his chest, cutting off the rest of his body so that only his arm, chest, and face are visible. A tiny set of sparkles radiate off his face. He's illuminated from above and to the right by off-screen sunlight, and set against a splotchy, sparkly blue and yellow background. The artist's signature, CLOPSE in all caps, is printed above his head. / end Image Description]

so im back on my zelda bullshit and uhh sorry everyone this is a sidon fanblog now

also im very new at writing image descriptions so please feel free to critique, im not sure what the right balance is between straightforward description and artistic flair

i tend towards over-indulgence when it comes to writing so let me know if thats whats happening or if i was too restrained or any other issue please and thank u <3

[baalzebubuu]

So. Why exactly do you think the head of HR would chastise and insult one of her bosses for doing something that, while risky, was the only thing that could be done at the time to keep Kronos locked away AND reawaken the Underworld? And WHY would they then treat said boss like a fool for being freaked out over her powers seemingly inverting when, 1.) her powers were working as they usually do up until spring, and 2.) there were few known precedents over what Erebos would do to those that make deals with them (i.e. as far as we can see, Hades didn't get his pre-king powers "inverted")? I understand that you have your gripes with LO (some I can even agree with), but damn, at least be fair with your critiques, and also maybe don't mock these characters for having certain bodily features that are often the focus of negative attention IRL...

(P.S. No Greek god/goddess would accept a nymph insulting them to their face like that - they've done far worse for lesser, and even indirect insults, and a nymph being the "Head of HR" in the Underworld OR Olympus realistically wouldn't save them from that wrath, ESPECIALLY if it's coming from the queens themselves; yes, I also saw your Hera post - Hera may be leery of Demeter at times, but she's far from being genuinely terrified of her (ep. 188 clearly shows this), and please remember that Persephone was in danger due to MINTHE'S jealousy over a damn tabloid photo, not Hera's (you know, the GODDESS OF MARRIAGE, who's allowed to play matchmaker if she sees chemistry between people since THAT'S ONE OF HER JOBS, and who also likely wanted to give Persephone experiences outside of the latter's sheltered life) decision to have Persephone intern in the Underworld.)

All good points! These comics are meant to be mostly skits just what the fans always wanted to say to the characters themselves so I don’t really take them seriously in terms of plot or any of that nature

Also I’m not really much for posting here on tumblr

But DW I’ll answer the best I can with some background lore I have currently in store

Originally Gunnarr was a Humble devoted loyal Mage Serving under Freya the most powerful revered goddess in the Norse Pantheon and they were sent Away under Mysterious Circumstances

And they’re placed in high regard by many connections with Justice goddesses due to their good behavior and devotion to them Which somewhat explains why they’ve gotten away with the BadMouthing certain scenes and if any god ever really does anything to HR Freya definitely won’t be too happy about it and would cause a whole dispute between pantheon

As for Getting away with badmouthing with Hades and Keeping him on his Toes HR and Hades have a very long history working for him for up to thousand or so years

HR and Hades Essentially had a relationship just like Bojack Horseman and Princess Carolyn

And HR essentially is completely done with his Foolishness and 99% of The Olympus Family

To the point of calling them out at with whatever legal problems the gods will cause as even if they DIE being called out HR gonna die knowing he was right and essentially their point proved

they don’t really care if they Die by Their hands

( till they eventually became nicer Because of their poly relationship)

As for the part about Persephone reaching That Tower because of Minthe

I was Planning on making a comic about it soon where HR talks to Minthe and gives her consequences but I never really had that much planning how to execute it right

As for how i usually draw Persephone I was mostly following along to how other creators were doing things, not much thought put into it

However that I will apologize for since i do admit they are in bad taste

Let me know if I’m missing a part that I forgot to explain

Edit: Also i am very sorry this post was poorly written I suck at explanations

And it’s the morning by the time I made this post and I’m heading to work atm

I very much apologize for this lackluster explanation

[rileyslibrary]

I got you, don’t worry. I cropped everything out and covered the character’s name and other details in case anyone pins it back to you. I wanted to reply publicly since this might help someone in the same position as you. Also, please know that I deleted the ask so there’s no trace of you in my ask box, in case you feel uncomfortable. I hope you see this.

FYI, I’m returning after I wrote this just to let you know that this is probably one of the longest replies I’ve given. I think refraining from writing is making me compose chapter-length responses. Also, I had a beer while writing this, so please accept my sincere apologies if it’s too “chattery.”

You’re not asking for my assistance, although your message feels like a desperate plea for help. I think I can do that for you. You don’t want to? Too bad.

So, let's start with the writing part and then move on to the hate (eek!)

If you read/watched/studied the material and generally did your homework, as you say, then maybe you can go back to studying and see if you missed something. I, personally, won’t critique your work since I’m nothing but an apprentice myself. I won’t act as a know-it-all.

Something I personally like to do as I write, though, is to keep the campaign or cutscenes from Ghost playing in the background. Or, I try to be conscious, and ask myself questions like “Why am I making him do that thing? Is it something he would naturally do, based on what I studied? Or is it something I would do, and I’m projecting it on him instead? Am I making him do/say that just to progress the story, and I’m not thinking clearly?”

Also, don’t study only what the characters say. Observe their facial expressions. Their posture. Even if they are somewhere in the background, just standing. And, he doesn’t have to be perfect, mind you. I mean, what are you gonna do? Plagiarise the freaking canon?! No; Close enough is good enough.

I already replied to a request regarding writing, by the way. You can find it under the writing tag in this blog.

Now, if we’re talking about anons/readers who act as self-proclaimed undisputed authorities with biases and strong opinions, I’m afraid there’s nothing you can do here. I mean it’s not the game developers who creep into your inbox/comments. Or the character himself.

It’s just… a hater. *dun, dun, duuuuun*

Like, it’s one thing not to like a person’s writing/story/content and another to criticise and spew hate while forcing your own personal opinions as if they are the bible.

The first one is normal, reasonable and reversible, believe it or not since you can move on and forget that that fic ever existed.

The second is *shivers* tacky.

Listen, though: if you have already made up your mind (stopping writing altogether), I 100% support you. You shouldn’t feel pressured to do so just because there’s a new game coming up. (I think that’s what you meant?)

But if you want to start writing again and decide to revisit the source material and apply the things suggested above, it’d be better to reform your relationship with this kind of feedback because me telling you that these people don’t matter won’t do you any good. It’s not a reasonable explanation. Sometimes, we want other people’s feedback; that’s why we share what we do.

The reality is that there are people out there who are deeply troubled. They have issues with their families, their jobs, themselves, and god knows what else. They are in pain, and they don’t know how (or don’t have the means) to help themselves. Sometimes, this pain is beyond them, so instead of doing something to solve their problems actively, they displace it onto others.

Seriously, babe, it’s a thing. Here, look:

Displacement is a defence mechanism that involves an individual transferring negative feelings from one person or thing to another.

Example: “My father screams at me, but i can’t scream back at him because he is an ‘authority’. I’m in pain, so, as a result, I choose to scream at this less-threatening person who happens to be a stranger online.”

Mind you, this is beyond their comprehension, NOT because they are stupid, but because they never learned that this is an unhealthy way to cope.

So next time this happens, don’t get angry or upset. Empathise with them.

Hurt people, hurt people.

And if all else fails, just do what I do and block them; that’s what I do 🤷🏻‍♀️. Just don’t attack back and don’t reply; let it end there.

[writerighthere]

I NEED YOUR HELP!! PLEASE

As a new hobby, I’ve decided to teach myself about digital art… AND IT IS NOT AS EASY AS IT LOOKS.

I’ve been playing around with my poems, creating different size pictures, social media posts, etc. using different fonts… it’s a challenge finding a font and font color to use in the poem that will show up in front of a background… there may be a rule or formula for that… please let me know if there is.

If you have any experience creating digital art, please glance over a couple of my posts and let me know if there’s anything I could have done differently (or if you think I did okay) 😃.

I welcome good and not so good critiques.

Thank you!!!

[breaking-circles]

[Image Description: Marian Churchland's Dragon Age OC template filled out with Isiik Lavellan, a dalish warrior Inquisitor. Isiik is shown from the waist up, looking warily to the side and crouching slightly. In his right hand, he holds his sword angled up and ready to attack. His left hand is braced out in front of him, the mark glowing a bright green. He is wearing a purple scarf draped over a dark purple jacket with puffy sleeves that end just past his elbows. The jacket tucks into high-waisted brown pants. Under the jacket he is wearing a pale yellow shirt. He has a shield on his back, the strap of which crosses his chest. He is wearing a glove missing its pointer and thumb fingers on his right hand. His dark reddish-brown hair is pulled back in a short ponytail except for two strands that hand on either side of his face. He has Dirthamen's vallaslin, which has smooth, flowing lines on his forehead, cheeks, chin, and along the length of his nose. He is frowning slightly and his brow is furrowed. His long elfin ears are nearly perpendicular to his head, causing him to appear slightly nervous or on edge. He has a pale scar that goes across his lips, reaching from the bottom of his chin to nearly reaching his nose and bisecting some of the vallaslin on his chin. He has heavy bags under his eyes. In the background, faint green lightning fans out from the mark. Next to his head are the words "wow this place is a freakshow. i dont respect literally any of you people." Below the quote is an attribution to "-Neopets User, 2017". Below the drawing, several traits are listed with a line between them to mark where the character falls between the two. Between cautious and reckless, Isiik is very cautious; between selfless and self-serving, he is more self-serving; between emotion-driven and logic-driven, he is more logic-driven; between forthright and dissembling, he is more dissembling; between friendly and unfriendly, he is more unfriendly; between devout and questioning he is extremely devout; and between trusting and suspicious he is very suspicious. Below the traits is a list of his main party: Cole, The Iron Bull, and Vivienne or Solas. Below that, there are a series of symbols that indicate which choices he made throughout the game. The first three indicate he is a sword-and-shield-wielding warrior, who chose the Champion specialization, and romanced no-one. The next row of five indicates he sided with free mages, left Hawke in the fade, preserved the Gray Warden order, gave the Orlesian throne to Gaspard with blackmail to benefit Briala, and drank from the Well himself. End of Image Description]

Ok! Last but not least here's Isiik (pronounced iz-ick), my Inquisitor! He has probably had the MOST change since my first playthrough. He is now an extremely jaded guy who is very much here against his will and refuses to let anyone forget that. His number one goal is getting shit fixed so he can go home and be left alone. The only person he gets along with is Cole and, at times, The Iron Bull. Nearly everyone else has said something to upset him and he holds grudges like a true champion. Basically, I'm living out my 'let me be a hater' feelings through him.

Currently, I'm designing him to be Intersex and Hard of Hearing. I am not part of either of these communities myself so I'm doing my best to research and portray these parts of him as best as possible since I really want to get this right. If anyone has any good suggestions for designing a character with these traits, please know advice, feedback, and critiques are always appreciated :]

Flat versions under the cut, since this post is already too long~

[Image Description: The same drawing as in the first image, though this time without the background or shading, making the colors easier to pick out. In the first of the two drawings, the glowing green mark remains, in addition to a glare on his sword. In the second image, both of those are removed, though a white gash remains where the mark is located. End Description.]

As always, relevant stuff will be in the replies. Thank you for the kind words and such, folks :]

[superloves4]

I still taste the past - Chapter 3

Relationships: Curufin/Finrod, Celegorm/Aredhel (background) Summary: Finrod wanted to see Curufin, get his closure after all they had gone through, end things once and for all. What he gets is a journey through the memory of where they've been and the choice of where they will go. TW: none for this chapter A/N: Enjoy!

Also on AO3

It became their ritual for many years, they would leave friends and family to meet somewhere, play chess while talking about philosophy. It was something Finrod had grown exceedingly fond of.

People didn't often credited Atarinkë's intellect, focusing rather on his skills and similitude to his father, in fact, Fëanor was what most would talk about when discussing Atarinkë, with the occasional mention to Maitimo or Makalaurë, or lately, Tyelkormo. But with their conversations, Finrod could now see a rather different mind from the rest of the family.

Apart from Carnistir, who enjoyed his own company better than that of others, his older cousins were easy to spot in any crowd, dazzling their companions and garnering their approval, not Atarinkë, however. He'd stand behind and observe, listening more than he talked, it was something Finrod had noticed in his aunt Nerdanel as well, the ability to read others from the shadows and letting others take center stage.

Finrod was fascinated.

He knew his parents were hoping for him to find a bride, now that he'd reached his maturity many hoped he'd follow his parents and marry young, the first of the family to do so when Maitimo and Findekàno failed to provide a new generation. He had seen how Turukàno looked at Elenwë of the Vanya and he knew his brother had been sneaking away somewhere in the night, no, Finrod was not worried, he much rather study Atarinkë than please his family instead.

And there was much to study, like the way he furrowed his brow whenever he was thinking on his next move, the way he couldn't help but bite his lower lip whenever he knew he was about to lose, the way he'd glare at Finrod when he couldn't deny any more.

"Checkmate" Finrod smiled, Atarinkë's king stuck in between his bishop and his horse.

The other scoffed and leant back on his chair "I'm bored."

Finrod smiled "Oh, is it Maquetindo's crushing defeat at the last symposium or your own, that is making you so grumpy?" It wasn't so much that Finrod disliked the philosopher, but Atarinkë liked him, and Finrod liked to ruffle Atarinkë.

"No," the other said, holding his head higher "You're simply uninteresting, Ingoldo."

Finrod laughed, that happened every couple of years, Atarinkë would proclaim he wanted nothing to do with Finrod, only to show up to their agreed meeting point anyway. Finrod enjoyed his look of defeat whenever he returned.

He knew that dance, Atarinkë would get up, dust his clothes as if Finrod's mere presence had dirtied them and then leave with some scathing critique of his ability to entertain. Finrod grabbed his wrist as he got up.

"What do you say then, to something different?"

Atarinkë shifted, unsure at what to do with their broken routine "I'm expected."

Finrod smiled "I'm sure aunt and uncle will make peace with not having you for one night."

He saw Atarinkë's breath catch in his throat, his pretty eyes looking around searching for an answer so he gave him one, taking him away from the safety of the library. He wasn't sure where he was going either, Finrod just wanted to keep Atarinkë by his side a little longer.

He had studied the plans of the castle several times and let his memory guide them up a staircase by the side, difficult to find if you didn't already know about it, it lead to the roof where they could more easily see the mingling. For once, Atarinkë had nothing to scoff at, simply looking in awe to the vision of Tirion under their feet.

"You know, if you wanted me gone you cold have just let me leave," he joked, and Finrod felt him tremble a little.

Finrod smiled "If you're worried you can always hold onto me."

Atarinkë blushed to the top of his ears, as red as the hair his family was known for, 

Finrod brought him closer, holding Atarinkë by the waist now.

"Good enough for you now?"

The other laughed, looking out at the scenery again "It's certainly more interesting than chess, how did you know about this?"

"I'm interested in more things than just philosophy I'll let you know," he faux pouted, earning him a roll of eyes.

"It's very beautiful," Atarinkë smiled, it was the most relaxed Finrod had ever seen him "I think it would look good as a necklace, silver and gold, with jewels of topazes and carnelians, I believe it would fit even a peacock such as you, Ingoldo."

"If you made me a necklace I'd fear for my neck," he laughed.

Atarinkë's smile, however, dampened and Finrod even thought he'd said something wrong, the casual jabs at each other were almost second nature at this point, it didn't fit Atarinkë's pained sigh.

"Why did you bring me here, Ingoldo?" he asked and stared at Finrod with such a sincere fear it truly surprised him.

Finrod gulped, mouth dry, he floundered to find words "I think you know why," he finally said, ready to lay his heart in front of the other boy.

Atarinkë tried to push him away but Finrod held onto him "Ingoldo, you know as well as I do how terrible of an idea this is, we can't, our families would never approve and besides we are too different as people, it can never work."

"I disagree," Finrod said firmly, not ready to give up now "Our families will make peace with our decisions, it is not their choice to make, you are too pessimistic, we are not so different, you know we aren't, proud, stubborn, ambitious, we are of the same stone, tell me you can feel it too."

"It would solve everything!" he continued, letting his forehead rest on Atarinkë's "If the issue is our families, we could solve it all, a marriage between us could bring our families together for the first time. Everyone would be happy."

"See, this is what I'm speaking about, Ingoldo, you're too optimistic, we'll destroy each other in a century," Atarinkë answered, his words were cutting but his mouth brushed Finrod's and their effect were lessened.

"I love you, Atarinkë."

Finrod felt the other shiver and continued "If you don't love me, tell me now and I shall never bother you again, but if none of your fears are from a lack of feeling, I can wait until you see what I see."

"You're a fool and I can prove you're a fool." Atarinkë scoffed.

There, on the roof of Tirion upon Tùna, they kissed, young and insecure, mouths that just learned to open, it was imperfect but it was theirs.

Finrod cursed himself.

[carabet-kin-help]

🥂 Welcome to Carabet Kin Help 🍾

>I'm Omori and I go by he/it. I'll keep this intro post short and sweet so please read my DNI and DNR before requesting!

>Here, I'll mainly fulfill requests for fictionkin folks, fictives and IRLs. I assume all asks are for fictionkin folks that are okay with doubles unless stated otherwise- please let me know if you’d like different tags on your request!

What you can request (DMs are open for a longer requests):

>music playlists (Adding a favorite genre, artist or mood can help me a lot!)

>letters (Please state pronouns, receiver/sender and their relationship, topic and any special preferences)

>edits for phone backgrounds/pfps/etc (Adding a particular aesthetic/mood/theme can help me a lot!)

>stimboards/moodboards (Adding a particular aesthetic/mood/theme can help me a lot!) 

>art requests (Will mainly be sketches!)

>kincalls

Media (These are just what I'm most familiar with, you can request anything! I'll do my research!):

Omori, Danganronpa, Yume Nikki, Alien Nine, Vocaloid/UTAU, DC, Sanrio, Splatoon, Kaiba, Yugioh, DDLC, Yakuza (most familiar with 0), Inuyashiki, Kingdom Hearts, Resident Evil, Yowamushi Pedal, Animal Crossing, TWEWY (and more! please ask away!)

DNI:

-Basic DNI criteria (transphobes/t3rfs/racists/fascists/homophobes/pedos etc) -If you critique good faith identities, no matter how “complicated” or “contradictory” they are -KFF (for comfort's sake, this blog isn't about or for KFF folks, sorry! other-hearted welcome!)

DNR (do not request):

-Sunflower (Omori ship) -Marvel / Fight Club / American Psycho / any “male manipulator” media -Anything incestuous, pedophilic, sexual or bigoted

>I hope to be able to assist you!

>PREVIOUSLY OMORI KIN HELP -> CARABET KIN HELP

[kazemi-archive]

hcs for u and tendo

U constantly share small facts or stories w each other throughout the day

Like if he sees something pretty cool he’ll text u. Or if he found a new technique or hack with his chocolates he’ll be boasting ab it for daysss.

Yall def cook together. But not at the same time. Like, many ppl like having the kitchen to themselves. I hc tendo to be one of those. So one person would cook lunch/dinner while the other will clean up after. Then the other will make desert and the one will clean after that. So its a small cycle. Yall def watch each other cook and talk ab yalls day during it tho

Its considered betrayal and breakup-worthy if u watch a new episode or read a new chapter of a manga w/o the otger. At least if your schedules dont line up you guys would defo talk ab it over phone as u do ur thing in the background.

I swear to you, i see tendo fangirling over characters w u. Like. Ex. Jjk. Both of yall will be BEGGING and SCREAMING ab nanami or smthn and saying sh like “ass up legs spread lmfao”. Definitely a joking competition of who claims which character first.

Any hobby u have whether it be cooking, baking,!writing, dancing etc. he’ll review and critique to the best of his abilities.

Other than that. Everything is chaotic in a good way :D

Send me headcannons about me and one of my selfships!!

please. i. am. sobbing. lets discuss...

i have such a sweet tooth too! i'd encourage his rants about new techniques or new ideas for his chocolates and convince him to show me at home so i can look at him so in love while he works and then get to taste it after too! and i'm such a *shares a random picture* "saw this and thought of you" person and i feel like me and him both would just get and send a million of those texts a day when we're too busy to hold a solid conversation.

i'm definitely sitting on the kitchen island watching him cook and just chatting about my day, he always lets me go first because he knows i get excited about being able to share with him.

PLEASE the betrayal of watching an episode without the other-also breakup worthy if either of us discuss it with someone else before we discuss it with each other-like "how dare you discuss your initial thoughts with someone other than me." AND YES PLS IT WOULD BE LIKE "Tori, love, I would leave you for the chance to fuck Nanami in less than a second." and he's just like nodding like "yes, understood. i would let you leave me for him. but only if i don't seduce him first." then the show is paused and we're debating who would seduce him first.

I CAN JUST IMAGINE HIM READING MY FANFICS OF OTHER ANIME CHARACTERS LIKE *shocked face* MY LOVE HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO Y/N!!! OR TO OUR BOY!!?

the chaos would be unmatched

[prolaterian]

1 - Night 4 | Absurdist Phone Guy Stuffed in a Suit

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/49318093

Background

If you just want to get into the story, and don’t really care about the philosophy, you can skip this part. Otherwise, read onward!

The goal of this story is to explore Phone Guy after Night 4, as well as absurdism. You don’t need to know anything about absurdism – or philosophy, for that matter – to understand and enjoy this story, but I’d still recommend reading the Wikipedia article on it if you have some time to kill. It’s a good read.

The idea behind absurdism is basically that we, as humans, want to find order in everything around us, but the universe we live in is absurd. There are important questions – “Why is there something rather than nothing?”, “What creates consciousness?” – that can’t really be answered without running into some pretty major roadblocks. Try coming up with an answer – if you dig deep enough, every conclusion leads to there being something very wrong – absurd – with not just our universe, but any universe we could conceivably live in.

And our universe is absurd, mind you. GPS (the thing your phone uses to figure out where you are) wouldn’t work if the people who made it didn’t account for TIME TRAVEL! This one’s worth reading about as well, but the gist of it is that time moves slightly differently for people on Earth than for satellites in orbit. Wild! And that’s one of the things we actually understand about the universe.

What most people do is look away from the absurdity. They don’t dig deep enough to reach it. But as soon as you do, it will haunt you. You will try, over and over again, to reconcile with the universe, and it will not work. You will never find an answer that doesn’t just lead to more questions.

There are ways to cope with this. One is to keep trying – after all, if no one sought answers, we wouldn’t be where we are today, in terms of technology. But unless you’re willing to dedicate your life to these questions, seeking them out will simply serve as a reminder that the universe doesn’t work the way you think it should.

Another way is absurdism, the idea that instead of trying to force an absurd universe to have order, we should allow ourselves to forgo order and embrace absurdity. Normally it’s used for what I described, but it also works nicely with someone facing the impossibility (absurdity :P) of living as an animatronic.

Okay, textbook mode is over, and will stay off for the rest of the story. I know I just did a big info dump, but I promise that the story will be a story and won’t just force-feed you philosophy.

Also, please keep in mind that I’ve done almost no writing in the last few years, so this is bound to be rough. Especially for the first chapters.

Oh, and if you notice any mistakes, please let me know! Don’t be afraid to leave comments or critiques – the worse that can happen is me thinking “Holy shit! A comment!”

……

Fritz Smith

Fritz did not want to be a night guard. Sure, the pay was decent (well, half-decent, seeing as it was Freddy’s), and he was well aware of the danger, but the gravity of it only really dawns on you after you actually work the job, y’know? Especially after the 4th night.

He supposed there was nothing inherently wrong with the role. It was a job, just like any other, and he’d seen his fair share of horrors during his years at the company. It was the stress. It would be the death of him. Hah, if he didn’t get stuff in a suit first, that was. It wasn’t the robots that scared him. Freddy’s had made damn sure of that, seeing as his first day on the job had him calling an ambulance after that poor kid had his head chomped in half. No, it was the anticipation. The waiting. Haha, the power being limited didn’t help one bit either!

The power. His power was at 32%. It was 3:37 AM. He wouldn’t make it, couldn’t make it. He knew that. It didn’t matter. As if that shitshow of a company would do anything for him. He’d spent his whole life here, and for what? Even if somehow made it through, he’d just end up right back here again. He wouldn’t even be acknowledged if he stared the CEO right in his eyes. With his eyes. Hanging out of the suit. Hah.

The minutes drudged by, his power seemingly moving faster. He wouldn’t make it. He knew that. Hah, no one would be there to fill tomorrow’s shift. They had someone for next week though. His power was at 15%. He picked up the phone.

“Hello, hello! Hey! Hey wow, day four... I knew you could do it”.

Gulping, he said his goodbye. “Uh, hey, listen... I may not be around to send you a message tomorrow”.

Something banged at his door. It was on the right side. Chica. 13%.

“It’s, it’s been a bad night here. For me. Umm... I-I’m kinda glad that I recorded my messages for you”. He felt tears streaming down his face. He had to stay strong. “uh, when I did”.

10%. He wouldn’t make it. He knew that. “Uh hey, do me a favor: Uh, maybe sometime, uh, you could check inside those suits? Uh, in the back room? Uh, I'm gonna try to hold out... until someone... checks”.

5%. He was frantic now. They would be here soon. Bonnie was at his blind spot. He checked the cameras, only keeping them powered for a split second. Hallucinations were dancing across his vision, the faces of the animatronics that had tormented him for the past 3 nights. He saw them in his room. Haha, that wouldn’t be a hallucination soon.

“Maybe it won’t be so bad. I-I-I-I always wondered what was in all those empty heads... back there-”

He checked on Bonnie. He was gone, but there was a strange poster left behind in his wake. It was a Freddy head, golden instead of brown.

He looked down from his camera. The face was still there. It was in his office. “Oh no”.

It jumped at him, screeching and tearing at his face. Despite its rough handling of him, Fritz was unharmed. That would change shortly.

The power went out. Fritz let out a whimper, tears barreling down his face. He was being moved. He shut his eyes tight. He knew where he was going anyway. The trip over was paralyzing. He knew what would happen. He fought, but the animatronic’s grip was too strong. He was trapped. Haha, he’d be free soon enough though.

Warning: Gore

They were in the room. He never liked that room, the walls decorated with empty heads and animatronic bits. Not empty for long. It started with the legs. The legs weren’t so bad. He felt the metal bits tearing deep gashes into them, letting out a scream in the process. It felt like jagged claws were running down the entirety of his legs, digging through skin and muscle, barely stopping at bone. Suddenly, he felt a mounting pressure. He didn’t fit. Oh no.

The darkness around him became red as his ankles simultaneously shattered. His tibia was next, the bone fragments embedding themselves into the already torn muscle, some finding their escape from his body. If only he was as lucky as them. He wouldn’t escape. He knew that.

Content with the results, the animatronics put on his new arms. Just like a sweater, hah. The arms were worse. Unlike his legs, the wrist posed no issue. The fingers were another story. They broke. All of them, compressed backwards by the walls of the suit and turning his hand into a bloody mess. His hands cracked as well, the appendages appearing more like round clubs than the tools he so dexterously used to keep the animatronics out. Haha, fuck all that helped.

The torso was simple. It came apart into two pieces. If only the other parts were the same. Oh well. The torso was simple. He felt the metal prongs digging in to his own torso, shattering ribs and embedding inside his skin as his plastic coffin was forced onto him. Click. The torso was attached.

Fritz thought he knew pain. Half of his bones were shattered, his hands a bloody mess and his feet facing vertically. He was wrong. The head (Freddy, he realized) was forced onto him. The opening was too small. Either the Freddy head had to change, or his own skull did. Crack. The mascot head was intact. His own was not. Bits of metal raked down his face as the head was pushed downwards. His sight was swiftly taken, as was his nose, the latter flattening. The skin along his skull and face was slowly peeled off, muscle and all. Click. He felt a fiery pain in his now-useless eyes. Suddenly, the pain ceased, and he felt jagged metal where his eyes once lay.

The job was done. The animatronics left, their heavy stomps the only indication without any eyes or ears to tell. He had survived. He wished he hadn’t. Maybe the new night guard would find him, hah. The pain slowly faded, his own thoughts disappearing as well. His wish was granted.

Gore Over

Fritz was awake. The pain had vanished. He could see again. He could hear again. The nightmare was over; he had reached the afterlife. Or… no, this was wrong. As his eyes slowly adjusted to the light, what he saw was definitely not his body. It was an animatronic’s. Heh, maybe that night guard found him after all.

Fritz could see. He could hear. What he could not do, was move. His muscles were definitely way too torn up for that, or maybe the doctors paralyzed him to prevent further damage. Hell, maybe his spine snapped while the torso was being put on. The suit. He shuddered at that thought, the agony of last night burning bright into his mind.

He took in his surroundings. This was not a hospital, nor was it an ambulance. He was in a car, a van of some sorts. He could hear the sounds of traffic around him and see the roof of the car above him. He could feel the movement under him. Shit. He shouldn’t be here. He should be in a hospital. Then, it hit him. He’d said it himself: “Upon discovery of damage or if death has occurred, a missing person’s report will be filed within ninety days or as soon as property and premises have been thoroughly cleaned and bleached and the carpets have been replaced”. He tried to yell. He tried to scream. Nothing came out. He was trapped, and everyone surely thought he was dead.

The minutes should have been agonizing, but all he felt was relief at being taken away from those animatronics. He was glad the pain was over. It made no sense though, why had it vanished completely? Shock? Regardless, he prayed that it wouldn’t return.

The van stopped, and he heard two people exit. When the door opened, it dawned on him that it was nighttime. Had he really been unconscious for that long? How the hell was he still alive? Unable to voice his concerns, he watched as he was moved from the van to a dolly, then slowly moved into a warehouse. What the hell?

The warehouse was small and, for the most part, empty. He saw a few animatronic parts laying around, but that was it. He was moved onto the floor, then the two people left. Fritz was alone.

……

No one returned. It was night again. The warehouse had windows. It had been roughly 24 hours since he was left here, maybe even more. How the hell was he still alive?

……

Fritz was sure weeks had passed. He couldn’t tell anymore. There was nothing. Nothing to do. Nothing to eat. Nothing to drink. He realized he wasn’t hungry anymore days back. Wasn’t thirsty anymore. Didn’t need to breathe anymore. Something was wrong.

……

It had been months, maybe? Fritz didn’t know. He didn’t think anymore, just stared at the ceiling tiles. He couldn’t even look around, his body still paralyzed. Why was he still alive? Why couldn’t he just die?

……

Notes

Whew! Looks like Phone Guy finally figured out what was inside those suits. On a serious – “serious” – note, I’ve always been a tad disappointed that Phone Guy’s story was over even before the first game ended. I’m glad he made an appearance in the later games, but it’s still a little sad that he’s basically a disembodied voice.

The plot will kick off in a few chapters, just know that, while I’ve tried to keep things as lore accurate as possible, it’s difficult. There isn’t a super good name for Phone Guy, so Fritz is gonna have to suffice. Canonically, Fritz is meant to have enough knowledge to tamper with the animatronics (I think), but Phone Guy definitely isn’t a technician, and knows next to nothing about how animatronics work.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy! Please leave a comment if you can – I love knowing there’s real people reading what I write :P

Next Chapter

[alexjcrowley]

I have unadulterated beef, as an aspiring cinema critic, towards specific critiques of musical movies.

Now, to be clear, my point is not "you should like musical" nor "you should know EVERYTHING about musicals before talking about them" not even "MUSICALS are a SACRED genre RESPECT them or ELSE".

No that's not what I am going at, but please, hear me out, as someone who is really into cinema, has been writing reviews for movie for a couple of years for, albeit small, online papers, and knows a couple of things about musicals, accept a friendly advice. I am not trying to convert you in theatre kids, I am just tired of always reading the same reviews.

Musical are a genre in cinema, this is not something you can escape and, although now they aren't that popular (not as they were decades ago, at least) you may still find yourself reviewing one.

1) Know Some Background

Let's start with one thing about musical in cinema: musicals used to be HUGE in the movie industry between 1930 and 1950. Think what's happening nowdays with superhero movies. A lot of them were proudced by MGM at the time. I say this because I have found that a lot of older people or people who are into old movies, basically from the 1970 going back, have a grudge against musicals because of how they flooded the industry a many years ago. God knows I'll still hold grudges towards superhero movies when I am 50 being bombarded with Marvel's products now.

I make this preface just to make a couple of things clear: cinema seems to have now reignated its passion for musicals, but this isn't new at all. And if some people still have a problem with musical films for how they invaded the industry ages ago I cannot blame them.

Am I saying you're ONLY allow to hate musicals if you know the history of musical films from 90 to 60 years ago?

No, you can hate musical regardless, BUT if you have to review a musical, please, I beg you, do not start (because I have seen this) with "now EVERYBODY is making musicals out of NOTHING, don't they understand NOBODY likes musicals?".

People used to like them a lot, and then got tired of it, like Marvel movies. And then it took some time and a new audience and musicals came back. I fear Marvel movies will do that too.

You shouldn't know the history of all the musicals, but also check your information. It's just some history of cinema, after all, and you cannot ignore the role musical movies had in it just because you don't like them. Also, I'd invite any hater of the genre to talk about why they think musicals are making a comeback in cinema, it's an interesting phenomenon (I have some idea, but this is not the time or place).

2) Know When Your Bias Is Useful

There are occasions in which hating something about a movie you need to review is actually a good thing. For example, I know a guy who wrote a review in which he said he hated musical, but he really liked Joe Wright's Cyrano, that is a musical version of the original theatrical work. Exposing his bias against musicals was useful in the review, because it's like he said to a potential reader "even though you hate the genre, give this movie a chance".

Does that mean that you should ONLY use your bias against musicals when you like them, so to say "even if I hate musicals, I like this one"? Absolutely not. Declaring your hatred for a genre can also be useful when you didn't like the movie, I'll make a couple of examples:

a) Stating you don't like musicals when reviewing one can be useful to a potential reader. Basically, if you make a very bad review of a musical movie mainly because it is a musical movie, a reader might go "Oh, it's a very bad musical movie then, I won't waste my time with it". But if you specify that you're not fond of the genre, you are recognising this movie wasn't for you, therefore you are saying something that is very important: this movie could be for someone else. People should enjoy movie, the point of a review doesn't have to be "this movie is good/bad", it can also be "this is the movie. It will be good for these people and bad for other people". A lot of movies are just mediocre, but we still watch them because they resonate with us. Maybe this movie wasn't the right mediocre for you, but it could be for someone else. And it's not like who doesn't share your opinion is automatically wrong.

b) Your bias against musicals can be a very powerful instrument in a movie review. You see, I like musicals a lot and, if you make me watch a musical movie, the first things I'd want to talk about would be the musical numbers and the structure of musical. I would focus on the musical part and, distracted by it, I could put less emphasis the movie part. You hatred for the genre can be a very solid ally if you end up, bored by the musical numbers, concentrating of the more "technical" aspects of the movie: cinematography, acting performance outside of songs, sets, customs, everything that's not a song. I am not saying that if I like musicals I will automatically write a non professional review of it because I am blinded by the music. I am just saying that because you, person who hate musicals, do not focus that much on musical performances, you can write a review with a very different and original angle from a lot of reviewers who'll think of the musical movies as more of a musical and less than a movie. Have your strength in concentrating on the movie part, which is sometimes brushed off because people think the core of the product is the musical and filming is just a way of releasing it to the public. UNLESS it is a stage filming, you cannot brush over the cinematic aspect of the product. Don't criticise the musical part if you don't feel confident or knowledgeable enough about it, find something else to say, something other people might not notice!

3) Wild Affirmations For The Sake Of Comedy

If I had a nickel for everytime I have heard some reviewers make very dumb claims about musicals just to elicit a joke I'd have my own car.

Let's start with the "oh but people just BURST into singing it doesn't make any sense!"

My brother in Christ that's the point of a musical. It's called suspeion of disbelief, you can also also find it in acyion movie when they do absurd stunts that should kill the characters but hey, they don't, because it's a movie. It's like someone badly reviewed a fantasy because wizards or elves or trolls are not real. Grow up.

(I am not even saying that you cannot quote this as the reason you don't like musicals, but stop making it an actual "reletable" joke, it's just annoying and overused).

Also, generally, every kind of "musicals as a genre suck" jokes are not very professional. As I said at the beginning of this post, I have written reviews for an editorial staff and let me tell you two things:

a) when you're working on a word count, you have to think twice before sacrificing part of actual review for a joke, especially if it's not that good

b) when you work for an editorial staff, your opinion is THEIR opinion. And I don't mean it as a "they'll tell you what to write", but as a "since this comes out as the opinion of the page/paper/website, your opinion needs to be supported and justified by evidence, or we cannot publish it". Guess what, personal hatred towards a genre doesn't count as evidence.

So you might say "but I don't work for an editorial staff, I have a YouTube Channel/ Tumblr Page/ Instagram Account/ TikTok Account/My Own Website in which I cam say just everything that crosses my mind".

And to that I say good for you! But I am informing how professionals work, at least in my experience. And it's not like of you're a professional you work inherently better that someone who isn't, but also the contrary isn't true.

And by the way, even of you don't have editors to watch over your work, the things I've said are basically: recognise what are important and the usleess parts of your review and support you opinion with evidence.

If you believe in having an opinion supported by actual evidences, maybe do not claim yourself a critic. Of anything, not just movies.

And another point to this paragraph, that ties in with the first paragraph, PLEASE. INFORM. YOURSELF. BEFORE. MAKING. NONSENSE. CLAIMS.

I am not asking for you to read the history of musical, I am asking you to go on Wikipedia for 5 minutes.

I shit you not, I heard a guy saying that a musical "cheated" because it "stole" real songs.

I opened my browser, I typed in "musicals with real songs" and in less than a minute "Jukebox musicals" appeared on my screen. Less than a minute. Just so that people stop making this same mistake, here's the Wikipedia definition:

"A jukebox musical is a stage musical or musical film in which a majority of the songs are well-known popular music songs, rather than original music."

They're not stealing shit, it's a type of musical. God, it's like when you have the horror genre, and then you have all the subgenre, like the psychological, the supernatural, the possession horror, the home invasion, etc.

Musicals can be very diverse, and it's fine if you don't want to know about this diversity because you aren't interested in them, but when you make critiques of them all the same at least check what you're saying it's true. Quick browser research, less than a minute.

4) Musicals Can Still Be Bad

There's this thing, that often people who hate musicals think people who love musicals love all musicals. Which is simply unrealistic.

It's like if sombody said they liked movies and you assumed they liked a the movies in the world. That's not how it works.

And this aspect is important to debunk in movie reviews because I've had a lot of movies critics assume that musical fans will like any musical movie because it's a musical and everything the critics didn't like in the musical movie is actually a pivotal aspect of the genre and the reason they don't like it is always because it's a musical movie and not because that something is actually bad.

I'll make it easier. It's like if someone didn't like superhero movies and then watched Spiderman 3 by Raimi and thought the only reason they didn't like it was because it was a superhero movie and thought everyone else loved it and called it a masterpiece.

Why is it important that we debunk this misconception? Because only then we can have fair reviews of musical movies!

I watched a guy talk shit about Amazon Cinderella musical (you know, the one with Camila Cabello) and, I am sorry if you liked this musical, but I didn't! Pretty bad one, if you ask me. I didn't like a lot of things and, listening to this guy, I realised we thought the same of a lot of things. And then he was like "but well I don't like musicals, so it makes sense to all you, but not to me".

DUDE, NO. You wouldn't think you have to like every horror movie if you like horror as a genre, nor that you have to completely love or hate a movie, but you can like and dislike different aspects. Exactly like I can like something and dislike another is a musical movie, stop treating them like a monolith.

No, not everything that happens in a musical is a fundamental aspect of it. I can say "I liked this song and the cinematography, but that other song sucked and the costums were meh".

And you, critic who's reviewing a musical movie, can say "I don't like musicals in general, and especially in this one I thought the camera movements were off/there were bad costums/the plot was stupid".

You can criticise the plot of a musical if it doesn't make sense to you! Some of the way in which the plot is told are pivotal to the musical genre, I won't lie, but not everything you see in a musical could not have been changed or improved.

I challenge people who hate musical movies to find interesting criticism to move to a particular movie rather to generally scoff at the genre they usually don't know that well.

I am a person always willing to change my mind, alright? Give me the right arguments, I will listen to you, I will change what I think if I think you're right, I will thank you if you helped me see something I hadn't before.

So if you move forward a valid criticism, I will hear you out. I do wish more people had this sort of attitude. I do wish musical movie reviews I happened to read weren't all the same and I think this issue stems from the fact that people do love to hate on something just because.

I hope this post can be useful to someone and, for who made it to this point, that you did not feel like you wasted your time.