#more of our silly haha jokes becoming realities.

[puffyducks]

DCRC Week #16

Wiggity what's up my fellow book clubbers, today we're taking a look at the ethics of treating artificially made intelligent lifeforms as second class citizens and what the qualifying factors are to determine a being as truly "sentient" and deserving of basic social rights. And by that I mean we're reading PKNA #12: "Second Draft" which is a comic where nothing bad happens!

This post is LOOONG btw.

okay we're just gonna start off our comic as normal and-

WOAH who's this handsome young devil in his little fancy suit??? What's that? Head of Ducklair Industries?..... yeah sure that makes sense I think.

Everett Ducklair 🤢🤢🤢 get a job stay away from him. Also this is a really nice way of saying you had to stop him from being overtaken by insane homicidal tendencies and putting guns in all his inventions btw

Haha woah what was that. Did the fabric of reality just tear for a second there or did my ADHD meds just kick in. Probably just me.

MASTER Donald???..... I don't even think I can write out the jokes I wanna make here they're too inappropriate for this blog sorry. But also what the fuck.

Uno stop mothering maybe I WANT to get frostbite and lose all my fingers

Not to take a sudden side tangent here but is this supposed to be like, a good thing? Don't the other seasons exist for a reason? I always thought fall and winter were meant to be like a cleansing period, they bring balance to the two other hotter seasons. If it's eternally spring, do some plants just never die? Are animals ALWAYS in the breeding season? Today we're going to overanalyze this one concept in an essay where-

OH MY GOD IT'S ODIN wait nevermind hiii Odin hiiiii. what's lookin good cookin. I mean- shit. fuck. shit.

I'm kind of obsessed with the way Odin is drawn in this comic. His whole body is all wiggly like a bendy straw. His stances go crazy.

gayass

Guys ever since I made that post about Odin's outfits and noticed that he's barefoot here it's been haunting me. Like it might just be a coloring error in this panel but also... why'd he take his shoes off. Also sorry for immediately revealing that it's Odin but um uhh I totally don't know who the OTHER cloaked figure is.

girlll you're giving away the game SHUT YOUR MOUTH

TWO Lylas?!?!?!

I'm loving Donald's shock lmao bro is fucking flabberghasted

This picture is so fucking silly bro. Nooo you can't put Odin in jail, he has such a nice suit on :(

Donald getting offended on Uno's behalf, not knowing that Uno is literally sitting right behind him. SURELY he'll figure it out eventually right.

Omg guys it's Geena!!! Remember Geena? From Portrait of the Young Hero? Anyways she has a gun now

Way to go Donald, you showed her basic empathy for like 2 panels and it gave her an actual sense of self value and NOW she thinks she deserves rights 🙄 she's gonna Detroit Become Human up in this bitch

beaming you with my evil lasers. what if he just fucking fried her brains here I think it would've been funny

Oh that's. probably bad.

ohhhh noooo.....

OOOOHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ok so bad news, Geena fucking exploded and her droid rebellion is presumably over. The GOOD news though is that droids are destined to get their rights anyways, just in a less violent manor than in the timeline Geena had started. So... I guess that's a win?

Disappears in a cloud of beautiful sunset smoke... Goodbye Odin 👋

Donald. Please. DONALD.

Okay so there's a LOT to say about this comic (so much that I kept hitting the image limit and having to make edits to my post to make it more concise) but if I could summarize it into one word: damn. Like I'm just kinda sad now.

The whole concept of "do robots deserve to be treated like human beings" is a common argument to explore, we've seen it in all kinds of media before. The ethics that get touched on in this comic are nothing new, but I can't help but find this comic incredibly interesting to read in the year 2024. Maybe in 1997 the idea of robots integrating into our society seemed like a far-off concept, but in present day the ever-growing integration of AI technology really makes this chapter feel a little more close to home.

I mean, it's easy to be like "yeah, well of course the droids deserve to be treated like people." I mean, Lyla and Odin are droids, and we like Lyla and Odin! Odin is literally so lifelike that people don't even KNOW he's a droid. But I can't help but think about how this all ties back to the current ongoing debates surrounding the usage of AI, and specifically AI-made content. Obviously the AI we currently have is nowhere near the level of the characters in this series (chatGPT fucking WISHES it was Uno) but there's really interesting debates to be made here.

What qualifying factors determine whether or not a living being is deserving of the same rights we humans give to ourselves? Is it being biological? I mean, there are literally millions of types of animals on our planet, but we don't even treat them with the same level of respect we give to ourselves. So, is it intelligence? If we were to create a computer with the intelligence level of a living, breathing human person, would they be entitled to basic "human" rights? HELL IF I KNOW.

I love the way this comic handles exploring this topic. Geena isn't WRONG for wanting more, she's wrong in the way she went about it. Going as far as to literally alter the course of spacetime only further complicated things, for her AND for the other droids. Had Geena instead devoted her energy into droid advocacy in the modern day, things may have gone differently. This story isn't the end of droids getting rights, but it is unfortunately the end of Geena.

We ended on a happy note, but overall this story is a pretty melancholic one. Especially that whole "only machines can be rebuilt" like DAMN.

Anyways that's enough media analysis for today, time to take off my smart thinking hat and go back to being generally kinda stupid. I'm not gonna add anything about Angus Tales here at the end because I already hit the image limit lol. Umm shoutout to Angus Fangus for having like 110 parking tickets. Idiot.

[chowtrolls]

The Job Will Never Get Done

Google Docs Link || Song LinkCowritten with Robin<3<3 Twitch, Hanagi, Abidel, & the Headmistress are @byrdstrolls

The second your feet hit the roof of Mondes Rosado’s hive, you felt regret. That was far louder than you wanted it to be. The poor residents must be scared out of their minds. You glance up to flash your pilot a thumbs up. The lights of your ship flash once to let you know she got your message. 

It was rude not to use the front door. But, in your defense, you had been at work! Your private ship was just a bit too big to land anywhere nearby, especially without prior warning. You didn’t have time to think of sending anyone a warning. You followed your instinct.Your instinct told you to pack a bag of important things, and rush to the Rosado residence at breakneck speeds. 

The garden you landed on was very well kept. You do your best to scuff back the dirt into place with your tail before making your way to the only door you saw. 

You had little hope that anyone would be there. And yet, you knock. 

You hear the sound of footsteps, urgent, darting away from the door. But no answer. The urgency in the sound had you concerned enough to try turning the knob. Your concern and muddled thoughts made it difficult to control your grip, and as such, the doorknob cracks as you twist it too far. Oops. The front door would’ve been much easier.

The knob falls to the ground as you release it. You gently nudge the door open, slowly as to not scare whoever had been on the other side. You weren’t entirely sure who you were expecting. One of the Cheongs, maybe. A pet, perhaps. Mondes surely would’ve answered the door, so it wouldn’t be him. Of everything you would have expected, none were your daughter. 

Curled in on herself, brandishing only a pen as her weapon. Flat against the wall, shaking like a leaf. Her eyes were wild, frenzied, like a cornered animal. There was a growing pile of soda cans, coffee mugs and empty snack bowls that sat beside her, like guarding this spot had been a day-long endeavor. You didn’t catch any hint of recognition in that wild stare, not yet.  

The silence felt thick, but you couldn’t let it linger. You push the shock down deep, replacing it with a warm smile as you duck into the doorway. You kneel down to be on her level. Less threatening. You could hear the sound of footsteps, frantic in their own way, approaching. Ascending the stairs. That was the least of your worries. You let the bag on your shoulder fall to the ground beside you, and hold your hands out. 

“Hello, my bumblebee.”

She stiffens, in recognition but not quite relaxation- simply overtaken by a different kind of fear. 

“You broke Mondes’s door,” She accuses. How small she sounded, tucked in on herself like that.

“I’ll fix it,” You promise, glancing back guilty. 

“I’m sorry,” She says, the words only making it halfway through her throat before she chokes on them, trying to blink back tears springing from deep, dangerous wells in her eyes and heart. “I’m so sorry,” she says, arms clinging tightly to her sides, “I was-” She stumbles, words once again overtaken by sobs, she tries to find the words to explain, “I was so stupid,” 

 Wordlessly, you reach over and pull your daughter into a hug. 

Bee’s eyes widen, and something ancient in her releases. She leans into your embrace, burying herself in your arms as if she could disappear into them. Shakily, you raise a hand to run through her hair. She feels so small in your arms. When did she get so skinny- when did she start to feel so hollow? Had you really been so absent in her life, that you completely missed her disappearing into thin air? 

“I was so stupid,” You reply, trying to keep the waver from your voice. Stupid enough to let her enlist at all, stupid enough to spend so much time away from home. Something passes through her eyes like an unspoken argument, an unwillingness to let you have the blame, but she does not have the strength to voice it. She simply continues to cry. You hold her there for some time, rocking back and forth and muttering the occasional soft reassurance. You wait for her breathing to ease, for some of the tension in her shoulders to release, before you even attempt to speak again. 

“Bee” You say, so gently, leaning back to cup her cheek, wiping a trail of violet tears from her eyes. “Who were you waiting here for?” 

All at once again, she stiffens. The tension that took so long to release came back in an instant. “...What?” She says, quietly. 

“Who were you waiting here for?” You ask, glancing at the dishes. “Looking so scared, wielding a pen at the door.” 

“No one” She says, her voice jumping the octave, suddenly distant. Her crumbling walls bolt up once more. Desperately trying to maintain a long-dead facade. You stare at her, and she avoids your gaze. Knowing you of all people see through her like an open window, but still unwilling to back down on the lie. 

“It’s okay, Bee,” You say. “I can help you, I promise.”

She continues to look away, ever so quietly shaking her head as tears well in her eyes. 

“You know I would move heaven and earth,” you say, “to keep you safe, Bumblebee. Please, my love.” You plead. Trying your hardest to not seem as desperate as you felt. She starts to sob again. 

“You can't,” She says. 

“I’ll find a way.” You say. 

“Don’t go to her,” She begs, and your pan kicks into overdrive, playing the pronoun game, running through every she/her you know.

“She’ll tell you things about me,” She says. “She’ll turn you against me.” 

“Who?” You ask one more time. “What things?” 

“Don’t,” She begs again, eyes darting to the corners of the room as if unsure she’s being watched. 

“Bee,” You say helplessly. “Nobodies watching. Who did this to you?”

“No one” She repeats. “did anything to me. I did it all wrong. You don’t understand.” 

“Help me understand,” You ask softly. 

She is silent, trying to control her breathing for an age. 

“She promised me so much,” She sobs. “She gave me so many things. I was so greedy," she says. 

And your mind runs into overdrive once more, thinking back through the past few sweeps. Desperately connecting dots, remembering her, remembering her coming home from the holidays, with new laptops, fancy fighter vessels, top of the line scientific equipment, lavish gifts for her siblings, you remember having asked her, where it all had came from, asking her how she could afford it all, she had dismissed you with a vague and cheeky, 

“School” she had said. She had gotten it all from school. 

“Peonie,” You guess, naming one of the few teachers you knew. Her head shakes quietly. 

“The headmistress.” You guess, next, and she pales, pulling tight like a barbed wire, the whites of her eyes peeking through the hands that snap up to cover her face. 

“No!” She insists, sharply, angrily. Yes, you think, with a near unfounded certainty. 

“It’s okay” You say, pulling her close as she starts to cry. “You’re safe. It’s gonna be okay” You repeat, hoping the words don’t fall as flat as they feel. They must have some effect, as she goes limper in your arms again, crying quietly. 

Is this how Jodiah felt? This inability to say anything meaningful? This deep, painful ache in your chest, knowing there are better words out there, but being unable to say anything? Bless his poor pusher, and bless your little Bee’s as well. You pull her back into your chest, wrapping your arms around her once more. You press a soft kiss to her hooded head, silently hoping she knew she was safe now. You hold her as if you were afraid she’d disappear once more. Never again, you thought, would you allow this to happen. 

The blankets you had kept for her, and could never bring it upon yourself to discard, get draped over her shoulders. You do your best to bundle her up. Like you had when she was little, and afraid of the dark. The dark couldn’t hurt her when she was bundled up so safe. You wouldn’t allow it. Did she remember those days, you wonder. Did she remember hugging her stuffed shark, almost as tight as she did now? She looked about as little as she had back then. You would smooth her hair back and promise her the dark couldn’t do a thing. Now you were going to ensure that. 

“I’ll be back soon,” you promise her with a soft, almost sad smile. You stood slowly, wanting more than anything to pick her up and take her home. Somewhere she could really heal. Where she could be safe. Where you could hold her close. But you knew that wouldn’t be feasible. Not yet. 

Hanagi Cheong, the brains of the operation it seems, is everything you expected her to be. Jaded, confident, but not at her fullest. You could hardly blame her. So young, and yet she’d seen more than you could imagine. She looks up at you without much outward fear. If you were planning ons staying, you would’ve taken a seat, something to make talking easier. 

You hand a business card to her. It was a typical Fleet issued business card for those higher up fools such as yourself. On the back, however, was a different number. 

“Please, if you and your family need anything- not just in regards to Twitch- reach out.” 

The rust eyes the card suspiciously, and rightfully so. 

“It’s a secure number.” You smile softly, “It was my matesprit’s, before she passed. She smuggled Fleet-issued medications into rebel districts, and to this day has yet to be caught. If anyone has a secure line…it’d be her.” 

You’re not positive Hanagi truly accepts this, but she takes the card with a soft, “Thanks.” 

You keep your smile warm, your hands clasped together in a passive sign of pleasure. You’ve had many centuries to perfect your body language. You could fool just about anyone. 

You check on Twitch one last time before you leave. Mostly ensuring you could leave her. It hurt more than words could describe. But you would be back- you promised her that. 

- - - 

The pilot of your ship gives you a curious look when you tell her your next location. She opens her mouth as if to question you, something you usually were happy to indulge in, but there must’ve been something in your expression to shut her up. Your facade must be slipping. 

It would not take long to get there. Truth be told, using your ship rather than any other local means of transportation could easily be seen as a waste. But your ship is the only place you can hang your coat, the only place where your strife still resided. A large war hammer hung on the wall, happy in its retirement. You had affectionately called it the HammerHead when you were young and still cool. It was more a decoration than anything these days. It would occasionally accompany you for public appearances, where you’d hold it by your side like a true guard. Or some laughable version of a grim reaper. There was hardly a need for such primitive means of a fight these days- being the Head of Security means you had access to just about anything you may need. 

But this mission was personal. It required a more personal means of communication.

You instruct your pilot to enter the Fleet Academy’s airfield, not to wait for permission to land. She seems uneasy, but trusts you. Why shouldn’t she? You didn’t technically need permission if you were doing your administrative rounds. You never warned the caverns of your visits. Why should you warn the Academy? Your administrative rounds came early this sweep, is all.

You rolled your chin down to your chest and back, rolled your tight shoulders up and down. This did little to ease your pilot’s growing nerves. The ship landed on the pad, and she turned around in her chair to finally meet your gaze. 

“Sir?” 

You pause your stretching, raising your brows, “Yes, Bevins?” 

You feel her bronze eyes study you closely. Bevins had been a good pilot, she’d been with you now for many sweeps. She had yet to see you limber up before going on rounds, yet to see you bring your strife along. You fear the silence between you two would last a sweep.

“...Should I make some phone calls?” She finally asks. 

You smile softly, giving her a nod of confirmation, “That would be wise. Let the Ghoulkeeper know I may need him to ensure Merkii gets dinner.” You pause for a moment, pondering your options, “And let Syndicate know I’ll be cashing in that favor.” 

She looks unease, but nods, and finally opens the hatch for you to leave. 

You had been around too long to not know exactly how your actions would play out. This was far from your first rodeo. The Fleet could take your freedom, take the future you so desperately wanted. They took your matesprit, turned your only biological descendants into barely functioning disasters. They can muddle your name, riddle you with scars, take what was left of your autonomy. But you refused to let them take another daughter. What could they do? Add another 300 sweeps to your contract? Hah, that alone was laughable. Let them do what they want with you, but you would not let them hurt her again. 

Anger was not an emotion you pride yourself on, you worked hard to keep it buried deep within your chest. The gravel crunches softly beneath your boots as you make your way in, reflecting on the irony. Had you not scolded the young rockstar for holding his anger deep down? What was it he had said- he kept it there in a glass bottle. At the ready, like a molotov cocktail. You understood now.

Once you are inside the academy, security is sparse. This building was built to keep threats out- it was not prepared for one to walk so easily through the front door, wearing their banner, carrying fleet flight codes. It's early, just past sunset, and the headmistress’s office door is guarded only by her secretary, boredly sorting papers. Abidel nearly spits up their coffee when you enter. 

“Her Beloved Annihilation” They cough, attempting a salute and frantically trying to clean their messy desk, electing instead to just stand in front of it instead. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” 

“Just visiting. Making my rounds,” You respond with a faux smile. Trying to appear unthreatening. It was near impossible to appear such with the anger that boiled inside you. The lime reminded you, momentarily, of Jodiah. Abidel was not the source of your displeasure, you had no reason to treat them with any hostility. 

Their eyes catch your guarded, iron gaze, and trace your arm down to your weapon. Though you tried to appear at ease, you gripped the hilt of your strife tightly.  

“Right,” The limeblood squeaks. They do not dial up the button to alert Nandor when they buzz you in the door. 

“Thank you, little one.” You pat their desk lightly in appreciation, taking a silent note of the various knick-knacks, “While I have you here- I believe an old friend of mine studied here a long time ago. Would you mind fetching me his files from the archives? Hantos Charon would be the name.” 

“Oh. Um, yes…sir.” The lime is frozen for a second, as if uncertain of your request. You wait with the same forced smile until they gain their senses and leave quickly. You might’ve felt guilty sending them on a wild goose chase for records that didn’t exist if it wasn’t done in their best interest. You quietly straighten out one of the little knick-knacks that had gotten knocked over in their haste to clean. 

You take a deep breath and exhale out slowly. You hoist your hammer against your shoulder, steel your jaw, and head into the Headmistress’ office.

[silvergreenseraphim]

The First Soldier: Chapter Six

Japanese highlights + analysis

Hi guys! Okay, let’s look right into this chapter-

Opening with Team Glenn, we learn some small details. The Shinra dig will start soon, and Glenn marvels at how fast everything is moving. Matt credits Shinra power, Glenn credits their hard work as a team, and Lucia credits Sephiroth, who did most of the work. Glenn, being more humble now, admits that he cannot deny it, and remembers that he must tell Sephiroth about the payment.

However, he notes that Sephiroth does not seem interested in money. This is one of the first hints throughout this chapter that Team Glenn still do not fully understand what Sephiroth is to Shinra. It is a subtle but reoccurring pattern, particularly when the notion of “being fired” comes into play later on.

The English in this scene was good. No major changes.

The chief engineer calls the team over and reprimands them for being too relaxed, saying that they need to do their jobs and clear out the monsters near the living quarters. Glenn awkwardly agrees to get back to patrolling, but first he asks,

“Hey, have you seen our squad leader?”

The engineer responds,

“If you mean that kid, isn’t he still out looking through the bodies? It’s disgusting. Please make him stop.“

Glenn is surprised and says, “Sephiroth is rummaging through the corpses?”

Matt notes that Sephiroth does often disappear/go off on his own, and Lucia says to look for him on their patrol.

(Seeing how the other Shinra employees behave and speak helped me see why Sephiroth had no luck asking around about his mother. They are only there to do their jobs, and don’t understand the child SOLDIER at all. It is very much an indifferent workforce).

Next is the scene where we learn about the materia fragments that were shattered over time. This scene adds greater weight to the mako spring discussion in the Nibelheim flashback, where Sephiroth comments that the condensed formation must have taken ages. It takes a very long time for even small bits to form, and even then they can shatter.

There is the silly bit of banter between the team about using diversion pebbles/materia fragments, but I must note again that Glenn seems calmer and less cocky even in his jesting.

Then Lucia becomes visibly concerned and says,

“Looking through corpses…I wonder if he’s really doing that…”

Glenn responds,

“The chief engineer is just joking around right? There’s no way he (Sephiroth) would do something like that.”

Matt agrees that there would be no need for it, and the team moves forward.

(It is very wholesome to see them believe only the best of Sephiroth despite what others think, and they are more perceptive and accurate about him anyway. This story constantly leads the audience to worry that Sephiroth always held darker traits before immediately disproving these concerns or at least showing that his reasons were always understandable. Team Glenn speaks for the more optimistic viewers at this point).

Of course little Sephiroth is caught undeniably searching a body, and Glenn questions him in surprise. Sephiroth is confused at first, but then acknowledges that it does look wrong. Lucia asks him if he is looking for something. Sephiroth says,

“I lost the pendant with my mother's photo in it.. . . . . .I was looking for it. I was checking to see if someone might have picked it up and had it on them…”

(So, a small translation nuance; it is clear in Japanese that Sephiroth dropped it and believed that someone could have picked it up. He is not just looking under bodies, he is going through their pockets and all to see if anyone has it with them.)

Sephiroth chuckles and admits,

“Haha, I suppose I am a corpse-scavenger…“

(This is another case of Sephiroth’s childlike innocence mingling with his very dark reality. He lost his most precious possession like a normal child would, but now has to search for it among the dead that he himself laid to waste).

When the others understand, Glenn says,

“Alright, let’s look for it while we kill monsters.”

And Sephiroth replies,

“Thank you very much…that helps…“

The team moves on to kill monsters and search.

Glenn notes the lesser number of bodies and Sephiroth points out that it was because of the monsters. Glenn shudders to think of dying in the area, but Sephiroth takes the opportunity to beseech them to not let their guard down. He says,

“You all seem to be feeling a little relaxed. You can never be too careful. You must protect yourself. If you don't apply this basic rule...”

Right then a monster swoops in and Sephiroth kills it, stunning the others. He concludes with, “…then even I can’t protect you.”

Glenn asks, “So, you’re protecting us?”

Sephiroth walks up to him and responds,

“It’s because you’re my team.”

They are interrupted by more monsters, but when the fighting ends, Matt repeats what Sephiroth said.

“I’ll protect you because you’re my team…”

Matt glares at Glenn and says,

“I’d like to hear that from a team-leader I know who previously threatened to hit one of his own squad members…”

Lucia chimes in with the comment about that same team-leader making them be near his gross socks.

(They are both referencing the first chapter of the game, where Glenn’s outburst on the helicopter made it appear as though he were going to punch Matt, and when Glenn made a joke about his socks being so bad that they would pull Lucia out of shell-shock).

Sephiroth looks up at Glenn while shaking his head and laughs, saying,

“Ha…that’s the worst.”

Glenn remarks,

“But it’s “memorable,” isn’t it?”

Sephiroth thinks for a moment and says,

“Yes, I see. So, that team-leader fears being forgotten…”

This observation strikes Matt and even Glenn. They appear to rethink Glenn’s leadership style. Glenn does not protest the observation, but he ponders it.

(I found it sweet that Sephiroth did not judge Glenn, but pointed out what is likely a true insecurity of Glenn’s, but in a very mild and childlike way. Part of me even wonders if Sephiroth understood the fear because he too had struggled with it. After all, adult Sephiroth refused to be a memory even post-insanity.)

(Also, it is hard to fully explain, but reading this text in Japanese—it becomes easier to see how it is not just Glenn that influences Sephiroth, but also the other way around. It’s strange but…it feels as though Glenn has become…softer? Even when alone with his team, he is not disrespecting them so much or being so brash. It was his meeting with Rosen that helped him to develop sympathy for the “enemy” and it was Sephiroth that helped Glenn become kinder to his team. Even the way he speaks seems gentler. 

In the last chapter, Glenn was so harsh towards Seph at the beginning, but learned remorse and how to apologize when Sephiroth’s vulnerability was showcased. In this chapter, Sephiroth is the one to understand that Glenn might have been such a brash leader because he feared being forgotten, which was a very perceptive and empathetic observation, causing even Matt to reconsider. It was a very heart-warming scene). 

(The next sequence is devastating and I believe it caused some minor controversy with fans because of how Glenn speaks, but I can affirm that the tone in Japanese seems to aim for sympathetic character development. As I mentioned before, Glenn is different to the character we first met, and his arc is becoming more clear as we move forward.)

As the squad looks through the bodies, Glenn notices that there were not many Rhadoran remnants left, and Matt suspects it was because of their living conditions and the endless battle with monsters. Glenn remarks that it must have been a hard lifestyle. He then says,

“...I don't really understand why Rhadore hated the Mako reactors…I mean, there's no such thing as convenient (as the reactors), right?”

They are swiftly interrupted again by monsters, causing Sephiroth to say that they seem more interested than usual.

“The monsters seem more interested than usual.”

“They’re excited about live bait!” Glenn says.

“If you want to be bait, I won't stop you, but as a SOLDIER, please fight first.” Sephiroth urges.

When they clear out the area again, Matt considers the similarities between the Rhadoran believes and “Planetology” or the “study of the star.”

“When a person dies, their life returns to the planet with their consciousness and heart and intersects with the energy of life circulating around the planet. The idea is that a new life will eventually be born from it. The life around this planet is what they call “qi” (mana). The “qi” going around the planet enriches people and nature and the planet itself. It would be unthinkable for Rhadore to consume such an irreplaceable energy.”

Glenn is still confused, and then Sephiroth interjects with,

“Dr. Hojo talked to me about this…

“No matter how rationally and logically we explain things, there are people we will not be able to share understanding with. That is because they see the world differently.””

Glenn argues that such things won’t matter if someone dies, and that it would just be better to accept an easy life instead of fighting so hard against it. He points out that Rosen is the only one left, and says that if the Rhadoran beliefs are true, what will become of the last Rhadoran boy when he dies? When he is gone, no one will be left, and people will forget Rhadore.

Sephiroth sadly shakes his head and turns away, saying that,

“The planet remembers…I am certain that is what the people of Rhadore believe…”

Glenn receives his epiphany, and understands that the Rhadorans resisted the consumption of mana/mako because it would erase all memories of life. He is suddenly overcome with sadness and turns to kneel and honor the fallen soldiers. The others do the same.

(This scene was, in my opinion, intended to deliver a strong message, but was maybe limited by the story-telling style. Some people were shocked by Glenn’s questioning why the Rhadorans all died for their beliefs when he is with the very company that wiped them out. But I think it does help to remember that this war between Shinra and Wutai was something that soldiers like Glenn and his team only had seen one side of until this point. They were a survey team working for money after all, not the ones directly sent to kill the Rhadorans until Sephiroth arrived, who did most of the work anyway, and even shocked the others with his conditioned ruthlessness in the previous chapter.

Shinra is a propaganda monster, and undoubtedly played off the war as something the Wutaians started and were responsible for, as well as the Rhadorans. It does sound like Glenn is genuinely confused here, especially as someone who was probably used to Shinra being the default government for everything.

“Why would these people willingly die and fight Shinra for trying to make their lives easier?”

But that is the simple darkness of imperialism. Shinra was going to erase something very important to the Rhadorans for the sake of “convenience.”

Glenn only sees this after Sephiroth himself acknowledges the Rhadoran faith. This is where a change of heart occurs. The Rhadorans were fighting for a genuine reason. Of course they were.

I actually felt this was a very meaningful sequence after translating it. Very good attempt at addressing imperialist destruction.)

Afterwards, they keep up the search and Matt asks if Sephiroth is sure he dropped the necklace in the building they are in. He says he had it before the ruins, so he is sure it must have been in the building. Lucia explains that it might be difficult to find if they haven’t already. Sephiroth tiredly shakes his head and says,

“It’s okay. Thanks to everyone for looking together, I think I’m about ready to give it up.”

He is saying that since everyone looked at the same time, he is ready to accept that he has to let the photo go. If they can’t find it together, then it is truly lost. The others become downcast on his behalf, and then Glenn moves over to one of the dead soldiers. He suggests they bury them as a way to say sorry, though he is not sure if that is their custom. Either way, Sephiroth immediately says that he will help, and Glenn is grateful.

The next scene was clearly translated into English. As they bury the bodies, the dig begins and Sephiroth explains that they will need to evacuate to the sky in thirty minutes, thanks to a possible mako eruption or “torrent of qi” caused by Shinra’s explosives. Glenn remembers Rosen’s words, and Sephiroth says they need to hurry.

The following sequence is endearing as Sephiroth makes shortcuts for the team. He reveals a unique power that allows him to create great bursts of energy from simple materia fragments. The others are stunned. Glenn, in particular, cannot believe it even after Sephiroth explains. He says,

“No, it’s impossible! Sephiroth, you’re amazing!!”

In the next scene, Glenn is initially ready to chop down a tree to form a bridge across a river, but Sephiroth steps in and says his way will be quicker. Where before, Glenn would have been eager to lead the way, he kindly steps aside and lets Sephiroth take over. Glenn is once again verbally supportive, and says,

“Ha! As expected.”

Sephiroth says,

“As expected of a modified human (cyborg), right?”

Glenn says wasn’t going to say that, nor was he thinking it. Sephiroth says,

“Really?….I’m a little disappointed…”

Glenn is confused and Sephiroth shakes his head,

“I don’t really understand it myself…”

Bringing his head low and his hand to his heart again, he guesses,

“It’s just…nothing you guys say makes me feel bad, so I want you to be able to say anything…”

(The English got the point across as well, but Seph is sincerely saying that he trusts them because they don’t say things that hurt him, so he doesn’t want them to feel as if they need to hold back their thoughts. He is pointing out that he has grown to feel safe with them because they are not malicious with their words. It feels like he discovers the idea of trust in relationships right here).

Glenn perks up and says,

“Alright then, I’ll tell you what I think!! I’m counting on you, squad-leader! Now, let’s go!”

Sephiroth enthusiastically responds with “Yes!” and they move on.

The waterfall scene is largely the same. Glenn fully goes to Sephiroth to lead this time and hands him the materia fragment. He asks if Sephiroth can use it like before, and in Japanese, Sephiroth endearingly says he doesn’t want to “make things go boom” but that he has an idea. He freezes the waterfall and Glenn voices his praise again.

When they finally draw close, Glenn stops to think of Rosen, but Sephiroth urges him to hurry. When they get to the overlook, it becomes clear that Glenn and the others are struggling with remorse over the Rhadorans and Rosen being in danger. They exchange glances and Glenn almost says something to Sephiroth, but stops himself.

Sephiroth himself is far more concerned about them, his team, and their safety. The divide is obvious, and a choice will have to be made.

They arrive as the last ones to the Shinra helicopter and the engineer is ready for them to evacuate, but Glenn begs the man to delay the dig so that he can go and warn Rosen, thus setting his plans in motion without forewarning Sephiroth. The engineer refuses despite Glenn’s pleas and brings up the amount of money Shinra has put into the program. Glenn shouts,

“This isn’t about the money!”

And punches the engineer, much to Matt and Lucia’s exasperation.

The engineer says,

“I'll report you to headquarters! I can even have you fired.”

Glenn does not care. It is the first time we have seen him willingly dismiss money and fight for something else. He tells the engineer to get on the other helicopter, and Matt tells Lucia to make her decision. She apologizes to Sephiroth and hi-jacks the copter. Sephiroth simply turns his back quietly.

The final Stamp battle occurs afterwards as an interruption, and the team finishes the job, with more remorse from Glenn about messing with Stamp’s island. Then the engineer flies overhead and drops down the ladder, offering one more chance. Lucia says,

“Will Sephiroth also be disposed of?”

Matt reminds her,

“It’s okay, we’re the only ones at fault. There are witness too.”

With this, the team says goodbye to their leader, and Glenn tells him,

”Sephiroth, take care! Don’t overdo it/push yourself too much!”

They run off, leaving Sephiroth to evacuate, but he hesitates. The engineer shouts,

“Hurry up and get on, hero!”

But our hero can’t leave his friends just yet!

He runs up to them and Glenn is surprised. He says,

“You came…….are you sure? If you get on this helicopter, you could get fired, right?”

And the chapter ends with Sephiroth’s simple reply,

“I’m special.”

Glenn just laughs.

—

This appears to be a direct reference to Sephiroth’s future statement about always knowing he was special or different since he was a child.

The word is the same.

“Exceptional, unique, beyond ordinary…”

But this line from Sephiroth is actually more upsetting to me than funny or cocky, because yes, there is indeed a chance he is merely being proud about being able to get away with his current actions due to his status as Shinra’s hero, but…

There is also the chance he knows he cannot be fired or disposed of because Shinra would never let him leave. They have control over him. He is different or special in that sense too. He is a prized possession, unlike the others.

I have yet to see, but I wonder if Sephiroth knows that he is risking severe punishment for his actions by helping his team and will not be met with a simple lay-off, but since this is his last chance to help and be with his team, he is ready to pay the price. If they are fired, he may not see them again. Now is his chance.

His hesitation at the helicopter is sincere. He clasps at his heart and everything. I don’t believe he is being light-hearted when he tells Glenn he is different. In the English, it came off more prideful, as though Seph were daring Shinra to come after him. In Japanese, I get the feeling he is making a sacrifice. 

Sephiroth also believes it is his job to protect his team. If Shinra tries to harm them, he will have to face that. I fear that for now, Sephiroth has not learned that Shinra will not just punish him, but they can also kill people he considers friends.

I also think this chapter was full of foreshadowing.

Even the scenes with Glenn praising Sephiroth and making an effort to do it honestly and constantly felt as though it were meant to be a contrast for what could be shown later if the Shinra higher-ups appear and catch Sephiroth in the act of treason.

I am very proud of him, but I am very concerned for him now.

(I have more thoughts on Sephiroth’s relationship with Team Glenn after this chapter, but I will save it for another post! Hope you guys enjoy this one in the mean time!)

[deathcrawling]

Regarding The Sins, I've been having a hard time deciphering which one is which. I know after all, that many others and I, thought Dallon initially would have been Lust. That is, before more information came to light. So I'm just going to be drafting up some of the information I've thought about both in favor and against certain ideas. Perhaps pooling together information will help everyone eliminate and determine suspects. My two strongest contenders of assigning which sins to which is what Maya posted:

They raised a lot of great points while we were talking and making our theories which I will be going into. My second assignments would be this:

Personally, I agree with Gluttony being assigned to Hat and would honestly love it to be that. I really liked how Maya brought up how thin Hat looks, which is a great detail that I can see being in favor of Gluttony. Tangentially, I would love their cool character design of them having a scary mouth to be canon. Haha. Considering lore precedence I feel like there could be details pointing to Hat maybe being assigned Greed. Which would be odd, but possible. After all in the teasers for What Love we were show the book, King of the Golden River. Which is all about how Greed threatens to destroy the river and kindness brings it back.

https://x.com/iDKHOW/status/1707442738982224209

Notably in the teasers and featured in the music video is this black silhouette with a similar hat! I feel like from a lore/ARG standpoint it would be a bit strange to have 2 seemingly vague but significant characters with a shared design feature. However, it could be argued that the silhouette in What Love does look slightly different. Perhaps there are two silly hat guys, haha. And on a personal note, I feel like it would make most sense for Greed to be the guy who literally looks like a bandit or the *silver* mask. Maya also made a great point for the farthest left sin being Envy, considering how they look judgmental, and as we joked, like a hater. They are also the only one with their face fully exposed, which could lend credence to that! After all they are stuck with their true face while everyone else is able to conceal more of themselves. I initially thought that its possible for the person on the very left to be Sloth. Considering how far away they are standing from the rest of the group. It would also be funny character design wise as they have what looks like a cape or cloak billowing. But them being the only one with a facial expression being conveyed lends higher credence in my opinion to them being Envy.

Second most likely to be Envy would, just in my opinion, be Silver Mask. The mask imagery would work well for Envy. Interpreting it as insecurity as we can see nothing of their actual self. A false face; them wanting and having something silver and perfect to represent them. Them becoming that representation to the point that its uncanny and they aren't anywhere closer to having that visage in reality. Regarding the second assignment I'm very unsure where it leaves us for the Bandit looking character. I know lots of parallels are made between greed and gluttony in discussion of the sins in general, and many representations can treat them similarly. Perhaps Bandit is Gluttony but I am unconfident in this. All of this is hard to say! I can see so many interpretations. I feel pretty confident about which is Wrath but for all I know he could be Sloth, Gluttony, etc! There are 25 possible combinations for The Sins. I'm going to be doing more research but this is what I have so far! Let me know what you think.

hello! i am so sorry im getting to this late- especially after the sins have *technically* been confirmed!

the hat figure and the tall black hole looking figure were my 2 biggest mysteries.

with lust being confirmed as the sunglasses lady, dallon representing pride, i figured out basically all of the other sins on my own.

i figured dead white eyes was wrath due to the possible costume inspo from Zorro (movie), as well as the character motivations that are very much similar to the feelings of wrath.

greed, having a silver (or gold?) mask, which is the only physical form of possible money worthiness we see in this whole picture.

then sloth, being the furthest away from the group. not giving any care to others, being "lazy", not wanting attention.

so then i was left with envy and gluttony, at first i thought gluttony was hat person, and envy was the tall, black hole like figure. which is what i posted at first, but then the more i thought about it, the more it made sense for envy to be the hat person. being envious is wanting what someone else has, its a feeling of jealousy in a way. with the hole (face) looking through a veil has that distorts things around them as better, to be envious of.

which then left the tall looming black figure, and gluttony as my final ones. i didnt really have any rhyme or reason behind it, it was the last ones i had left so thats what i left it as. i posted my guesses + art on instagram and dallon left a comment on the idkhow account, which basically confirmed my guesses. so these are what we have for the sins (pictured below).

i hope this response makes sense haha, please let me know if you want any clarification on anything!

[punkpanda16]

Mistakes and Miracles ch. 16

Yoongi x Reader

Word count: 3.2k+

Summary: We never know what to expect in life . Just like you never expected to be a single mother at a young age, much less come to find the father of said child is no other than you idol Min Yoongi from the worldwide hit sensation BTS. What will happen to your somewhat “normal”  life when he comes in and turns it upside down? Will you be able to raise a child with your extremely attractive bias?

Warnings: use of bad language

Type: Fluff, angst

Your POV

Leaving behind someone you love is not easy. It is even harder when your son spends hours crying because he misses his dad.

Being a parent has taught you life is an internal battle of decision making. A part of you really needed to do this for yourself. No matter how much you loved Yoongi or Little Min, you still wanted to do some things for yourself. To some this may seem selfish but, you knew dating someone or even becoming a mother should not take away from your identity. Your family, your friends, and your life back home are a large part of that.

You loved Yoongi but, from now on things were not going to be simple. You choose your son and Yoongi. And at the same time Yoongi’s life chose you.

No matter how hard it would be with the media, fans, and his career, you did not want this new life to completely destroy you. You had seen many devastating examples of what this life of fame could do to idols or to those around them who were simply rumored to be close them.

When you arrived home and began to settle into your old life, you realized how much you missed it. It was those little things we tend to forget about and take for granted. Things like simply going out to dinner without feeling like you have to be on guard the entire time. Things like seeing your friends or taking Alexander for walks without being covered up or followed by security.

Moments like today. A wave of guilt and sadness hits you as you push Alexander on the swings. His giggles fill the air as you make faces at him every time he swings back to you. You see his little eyes light up as he goes up and down. These beautiful moments you wish you could enjoy more often.

Yoongi did everything in his power to keep those around him happy and safe, especially his son. However, the constant fear of someone hurting Alexander can make it hard for him to enjoy moments like this in peace. This is where the guilt and sadness stems from.

He does everything he can to ensure a bright future for his son but in doing so he gives up doing everyday things with his family and friends.

This brought back a memory of the first time he began to open up to you.

~Flashback~

You sat in the studio lulling Alexander to sleep as you listened to Yoongi work. A soft melody fills the air making you sleepy as well. When your head begin to drop you felt it was best to move Alexander to the crib Yoongi had installed in the studio for him.

He had it custom built to look like a piano with the keys painted on the side as well as, a mobile with hanging music notes. When you turned it on it would play piano versions of their songs like "I Need You" and "Butterfly. " He even moved some of his equipment to fit it right next to his desk.

Sometimes you couldn't help but think how lucky this baby was to have a father like Min Yoongi.

“You can go home and get some rest. I’ll be here a few more hours but I’ll take him home as soon as I am done. That way you won’t have to worry about moving him or him waking you later.” He said softly, making sure he doesn't wake your sleeping baby.

“I’m his mother. Even if he’s sleeping right next to me, I worry. I mean before I had your guys' help I spent every moment I could with him and look at what happened.” You say with a sad smile as you remember all those nights you saw your son in the hospital. How small and vulnerable he looked connected to all those machines. No matter how many months pass it still scared you how close you were to losing him.

There were a few moments of silence before he spoke again. “I am worried and afraid all the time.” He says as he looks longing at his little boy.

“Rapper Man is afraid?” You tease with a smile. The sweet smile he shows you in return makes your heart swoon.

“Yes, I am afraid. I also feel sad and guilty and mad… You know like normal human beings.” He jokes back.

“I know but you always look like you keep it together.” You say softly.

“Well in this world there is nothing else I can do to not break down.” He says sadly.

You sit back down as you face him. You watch his soft features as he keeps his eyes on his sleeping baby.

“You know..” he says as he turns his attention to you. “You are one of luckiest people I know.”

“Really?” You say a surprised. “Well I guess it is not everyday you not only meet your idol, but raise a kid with them. This life of luxury with you guys is what I’m sure many ARMY would kill to experience even if it is just for a day.” You say with a small smile.

“No. T-that’s not what I mean.” He says with a frown. “I’m not talking about the luck of us meeting or the luck of being brought into this “idol life” with me.” He says as he watches you with his catlike eyes. The sadness in them makes your smile drop.

“O-oh I’m sorry I didn’t mean it to sound like I was using you for money or fame or anything. I’m meant as in-" You begin to panic a little.

You never wanted to make him or any of the boys feel used. They were genuinely your family. It never mattered if they were idols or not. You loved them for who they were outside of the spotlight.

“Hey it’s okay I know what you mean.” He reassures you with a smile. “You're not like that. Despite how I treated you when we first met, I know you now. You would never do that to me or the rest of the guys or our son.” Every time he said our son it made butterflies dance in your stomach. It felt like love, adoration, and home all wrapped up in one.

“I mean you are lucky to be you. You, as in a normal person. Some one who doesn’t feel the weight of all this on your shoulders.” He says as he gestures to the things in his room.

“You could leave right now. You could pack up everything including our son and leave. And I couldn’t stop you.” He says sadly.

“Yoongi, please. One, I would never take him from you and two, I know first hand, you would fight anything or anyone who tries to take that sweet little man from you.” You reassured him.

“I would never fight you.” He says as he looks into your eyes.

“Don’t be silly, you know you would do anything for him.” You say with a smile. You try to keep up a happy expression in order to keep the conversation light, but you have a feeling this is going somewhere deeper and emotional.

“That’s why I wouldn’t fight you if you decided to leave me and take him with you.” He says in a serious tone, one you've only ever heard him use with the boys. Mainly, with Jungkook when he gets into trouble.

“What?” Your face is now matching his.

“You heard me. If you left and took him, I would let you. I wouldn’t gather a legal team. I wouldn’t let the boys contact you. I wouldn’t even contact you. I would just make sure you both are financially secure.” He explains.

“Are you- what? Are you okay? Where is this coming from? This isn't like you.” You asked with worry in your voices.

He lets out a small chuckle. “This is totally like me. You said yourself I would do anything for him. And I would do anything for you. If never seeing me again is what keeps both of you safe and happy, then I would do it in a heartbeat. You- you don’t know what it’s like to be here.” He said as he pointed to himself.

“Well I’ve lived with you and the boys for a few months. I think I can get some sort of idea.” You try to reason.

“No. Well yes, maybe you know some of it. But it’s the inner pain and frustration. You had some time to live a somewhat normal life in your teens and early adulthood. Granted being a mother young, especially the way it happened to you, isn’t what many go through. But even then, that time before you met me, you had a life. You had friends you could go to dinner with and you had your family whenever you needed them. You could make mistakes and learn from them without having thousands of eyes watching and judging you.” He stops to take a breath before continuing.

“I want him to have that. I want him to grow up like we did. No flashing lights or interviews or scandals. I want him to have real friends. I want him to feel safe enough to run in a park. I want him to just be a kid.” He says. “I don’t want the world to be on his shoulders too.”

You sit there processing his words for a moment. “You know I am very lucky. I did get to have all of those things. And yes, you have a point, I will never be in your place and feel all the hurt you feel. But, in certain ways I can understand. I mean going out with friends and living a “normal life” was me at one point. Now, I look back and that feels like a whole other lifetime. Ever since that little one came into my life… his whole world has been on my shoulders. No matter how hard I try it never feels like enough.” You say with a frown.

“But, you know what is enough.” You say as you look him in the eyes. “You. Us. This family that we build for him. That kid is going to have the best chance at happiness because you are his dad. And he has uncles that will be there to guide him as well. It’s different and definitially not easy but if anyone can raise him... it’s you. Honestly, you don’t even need me, you're the best dad in the world.” You say with a small laugh.

“Haha. Don’t say that. I... We need you.” He says with a shy smile.

~Present~

You’re brought back to reality by a ding from your phone.

From Yoongi (2:23 pm) : Hey beautiful. I just wanted to check in. I know we talked like an hour ago but I miss you and Little Min. Give him a kiss from me please. I also send you kisses, don’t think I forgot.

From Yoongi (2:25pm) : Also, there’s something we need to talk about. Don't worry too much about it. It’s just something we need to talk about as soon as possible.

You don’t know why but his message made your stomach turn. Yoongi is typically a very direct person. He doesn’t bring important things up through messages like this. He will always just call or say it face to face.

You felt it best to just get home and put Alexander down for a nap before you call him back.

“Alright my little man. Let’s get go-"

Your words die in your throat and the world seems to go into slow motion as you see someone you thought you’d never see again approaching.

If your stomach was upset before you could definitely throw up at this moment.

“Hi. Can we talk?”

Yoongi’s POV

He knew sending that message was going to have you thinking about every possible negative scenario for the rest of the day. He didn’t want to worry you but he also didn’t want to blindside you the next time you talked over the phone.

It all started when you two hung up earlier. You had mentioned that you were taking the baby on a walk after lunch. He felt it was a great idea seeing as his son didn’t get to go out in public as often now that the media knew of his existence.

He had obviously offered to send security with you but you wanted to just be alone with your family. The less attention you drew to yourself the better. That he understood, but he still worried. He trusted you and knew you would never put Alexander at risk on purpose. Plus, if anything were to happen he could always make some calls and get you security right away.

As he went back to work after your call ended he heard a knock on his door.

“Hold on, it's locked. I’ll open it.” He closed the file he was working on and went to open the door.

On the other side he found Namjoon, Jimin, and Teahyung standing there. Their faces held small signs of worry. He didn’t think too much of it. The comebacks always had all of them on edge. They were probably just tired and missing their nephew.

“Come in.” he says as he opens the door for them. They all file in as he goes back to the computer.

“Good thing you guys are here. I have this beat and I just can’t-" he tries to explain until he’s cut off.

“Hyung…. umm we need to talk about something. Look, don't worry we already talked to the mangers and they-" Jimin starts to ramble nervously until Namjoon put his hand on his shoulder to stop him.

“What’s going on?” Yoongi asks as he finally faces them.

“We got some news about Alexander’s birth mom. And we need to talk to you first before we get the team together.” Namjoon says sadly with tears pooling in his eyes. Now that he looks at his friends more clearly he notices Taehyung and Jimin both have red eyes too, a clear indication that they’ve been crying.

“Y-you. What? No! No that’s not possible. She is gone. Why? What does she want?” Yoongi says as he stands. He is practically yelling at his point as his blood beings to boil.

“Is it money? Does she she want fucking money?!! Just give it to her. I don’t care what she asks for, give it to her!” He can feel the fear and anger create a knot in back of his throat.

“Hyung, let’s sit down and talk for a second, okay.” Taehyung suggested. They all move to couch where Yoongi tries to calm his breathing.

This can’t be happening. After everything this can’t be how he loses his son.

“So what does she want? Tell me. I’ll give her anything’s so she can just get out of our fucking lives for good.” He says angrily. The boys all look at each other unsure what to say next.

“The problem is we don’t know.” Namjoon says as he looks away as if he ashamed of his answer.

“Y-you don’t know?!! How could you not know?! This is my son… MY SON, your nephew need I remind you, we are talking about and you don’t even know what that bic- what that woman wants to leave us the fuck alone!” He yells out of frustration.

“Hyung, you need to calm down. She didn’t ask for anything, all she said was she wanted to meet you and Y/N to have a talk. She wants you to bring the baby too.” Jimin explained nervously.

“She must be fucking crazy to think I'd let her anywhere near them.” He responds as he stands up and begins to pace around the room. At this point he just wants to break everything. All the work on controlling his anger seems to be forgotten at this very moment

“You have to.” Namjoon says with anger in his voice. He stands up and walks toward Yoongi.

“I don’t have to do shit. Alexander is my son and Y/N is my girlfriend. I will do what I think is necessary to protect them. And that woman has brought nothing but pain to both of them.” He spits with venom in his voice.

“We don’t have a choice!” Namjoon yells back. They are practically face to face now. Taehyung and Jimin get ready to intervene if necessary.

“What do you mean we don’t have a choice? Of course we do. Tell her to go fuck herself. She gave up the right to see my son the moment she walked out on him.” Yoongi continues to yells but steps away from his friend in order to break some of the tension they were creating.

“She said she’ll sue us and go public if you don’t meet with her.” Namjoon responds. That was enough to shut him up immediately.

The public had come to not only accept Little Min, but absolutely adore him. Obviously, rumors and questions about how he came to be circulated, but the company made sure to keep most of that story private. It was never to lie to fans, rather to keep Alexander safe and away from scandal. If the media were to find out now about everything it would not just be the end of just Yoongi’s career but the end of BTS. A scandal like that they could not recover from.

“I c-can’t do it to my son, but I especially can’t do it to Y/N. I know she has told me not to hate that woman but I know deep down if she saw her again it would hurt her.” He said sadly.

“Hyung, you know we love Y/N like family. But, we have to think about everyone. We would never put either of you or Little Min in a position where you would be hurt. If you say yes to this meeting, we will focus on setting everything up. Everything will be on your terms.” Jimin explained.

“If you say yes, then we will make sure it happens when and where you want it, Hyung.” Taehyung says as he hugs his friend tightly.

“And if I say no?” He asks in a broken voice.

“Then...we have to talk about our options.” Namjoon says seriously.

“Can I have sometime to think about it? It’s not just my decision to make. I need to talk to Y/N.” He says as tears finally roll down his cheeks.

“We can give you a few hours. But we need to act fast. Try talking to Y/N as soon as possible.” Namjoon says as he leads the other boys out the door.

“We love you hyung. No matter what. We are here for you.” Jimin says as they leave.

He wanted to call you right away but you were probably still at the park. He didn’t want to ruin that time you were spending with Alexander so he decided to just message you. He decided it would be best to just call you once he gathered his thoughts.

[cutegirlmayra]

#NotAPrompt saddly:( Anyways hello hope ur having a good! So from an amazing writer to your fellow beginner writer. How do you organize ur ideas or outline it before you start a sonamy story?

Thank you and great question!~

When you start any story, there needs to be a written Outline, or spine, of a story. Loglines also help to organize a clear direction for your story– example: Sonic, a free-spirited and adventurous hedgehog, and his friends must collect all 7 chaos emeralds to stop Eggman and a released, ancient god of destruction from threatening their world. - Logline I made up for Sonic Adventure. A logline is one sentence that clearly establishes a character and conflict.

Once you have some ideas, let’s say maybe you have the middle worked out or the exciting incident, you then create an Outline. Act 1, Act 2, Act 3. Act 2 should be the longest and biggest portion.

In my prompts, I usually hurry through Act 1 to get you to the exciting incident and then smoothly transition through a wrapped up conclusion.

Act 1 should be small, almost equal to Act 3′s plot points. Act 1 is you introducing the normal life before something twists it around, the conflict. The conflict is the starting point to Act 2, where you begin the rising action.

(the most simplest form. There are other arcs, such as ‘Character Obstacles’, ‘Character Tragedy’, and ‘Character Hero Story’. There are a few more too, but those are the ones I write the most of :)b There’s even a romantic one! Look them up and find your favorites in your own stories, comics, or movies ;)b)

For example, in my lastest Sonamy story, the turning point for the characters was when Amy also got sick with Sonic. This changed the normality which was that Sonic was originally sick, and now, the conflict begins of how are they gonna hide from the robots while both being squished together sharing leaves and turning ditzy in their sickness? I then lead that to Act 3, where silliness does ensue but they end up having a memorable, although disgustingly funny, platonic moment together that turned sweeter and even romantic as the conclusion unfolded. (Prompt: x)

Granted, this story is NOT a work of art haha XD I was inspired to make it, but the plot to it was extremely simple, which is why no real ‘action’ takes place and it’s all character emotion that drive the plot forward.

OR

OR

Many ways a character can express or subtly hint at their emotions. Sometimes they’re impulsive and transparent, wearing their hearts on their sleeves. (AMY) Sometimes their shy or subtle, opting to mask their emotions deep below the surface until they can’t help but ‘leak’ their emotions out during the climactic reveal and ‘breaking point’ for their character or plot summary. (Sonic.) Sometimes their so out of it, or not even in tune with their own emotions that they play them off and go cynical with it all. (Sometimes, I see this as Classic Sonic, but not always.), there are many more. Find them all! lol

As for my bigger fanfictions, I do make a summary, which is the full story condensed into a page or so worth of ‘notes’ as I refer to them. It’s not as neat as labeling Act 1-3, but it does give me a basic outline.

For Example, you can’t use your summary outline for your summary to your story. Your summary should have the reader asking questions so they’ll want to engage with the story. Instead, your Summary Outline should look like this:

Sonic and Amy, during a normal fight with Eggman, suddenly mention a tough topic for the both of them that causes some bickering and tension. When the tension accelerates beyond normal teasing, the two end up accidentally losing their tempers and hurting each other. Eggman, deciding drama’s not what he wanted today, sends a fully-armed attack at them while their distracted, thinking it a good opportunity to catch Sonic off-guard. However, though Sonic looks like he’s about to get whammed by the ambush, Amy pushes him out of the way and they survive. Amazed, Sonic rushes over to her, “Amy! W-why… Why did you jump in the way like that? I don’t get it… Weren’t you mad?” He hovers over her as she weakly squints an eye up at him (NOTE: This part is getting more detailed, can you tell? It’s the climax of the story and should have much more detail and notes going on. Even dialogue that can be rewritten or changed. It’s okay to have notes like this for your most dramatic scene, and keep the rest of it generally swift, but try not to go too vague. If you do, you may forget how you wanted to write that part, and that’s NO GOOD! -Sonic reference, lol!) “S-Sonic… Don’t you understand?!” She wobbly gets up to lean up into his face, “No matter how mad you may make me, or how awful our bantering gets, I will still love you no matter what!” (Exciting Incident, Amy’s confession, which will lead to a reaction in not only Sonic but the audience. This is the height of the climax and when things start to go down, but Sonic’s climax is right after this– example: ) Sonic, taken back by her words, suddenly smiles, “I can do no wrong by you… can I?” Amy smiles, and when Sonic realizes she’s not teasing or messing around this time, loses the smile and has his eyes scan her for any sign of humor. When none is found, he embraces her, “…Thank you… Amy.” (This is the point you begin the falling action, which is also the beginning of Act 3, which starts at the ending of the climax and continues towards the resolution, the lasting effect or result of the climax. What has now changed for the characters? What is their new reality? In Drama, there needs to be a few players: Victim, Villian, and Rescuer. Rescuer has to lose every time, then the dynamic will change to Victim as a Villain, and Villian as Victim. This then turns into ‘Creator of the drama’ which is neither victim nor villain, to two supports, ‘Challenger’ Sonic then turns to Eggman, cocky and snarky as usual, but this time, with an arm around Amy’s shoulders. They fight together and beat Eggman, still lightly joking with one another, but not as bad as before. Eggman is confused, defeated, he asks what happened. Amy and Sonic confidently look to each other, and together, wink slyly and say, “Friends fight together!” Before Sonic says, “Doesn’t mean they’ll leave ya if you have different opinions then them.” He smiles to her as she nods and continues his sentence for him, looking to him with love and admiration. “It just means you’re two different people, and that’s just fine by me! Otherwise, the world would be so boring!” (The lesson is usually delivered towards the end of Act 3, maybe not as strongly as this was. Sometimes, the lesson can be subtle and should be too. You don’t want to write ‘on the nose’ unless you’re writing for children very young, but in my opinion, Children are super smart too and pick up on a lot! My advice is to write strongly and powerfully even if it’s just for children audiences. They’re smarter than you think!) “And dull!” Sonic remarks, as the two of them laugh. Unable to comprehend their strange mood swings, Eggman grips his head and ducks down, frowning profusely, “Ahh… Now I have a headache…” (

And by the end, your audience will have understood the climb your characters took to reach that resolution, and they–themselves–reach a conclusion to their emotional relief. (People hate cliffhangers so much because you leave the Audience suspended in their need for closure, but that also addicts them to your story… so Authors can’t help but use it XD But we hate having it used on ourselves!!! Curiosity doesn’t kill your story, only your cat! And the satisfaction of knowing brings it back ;)b)

Was it hard for your characters to reach a conclusion?

Did that help? Lol This plot I made was rather simple, but I hope it taught it some stuff I like to think about when making a story! :D Drama is SO IMPORTANT! Remember to think of their character cores as well, what traits could create conflict in them and in others? What traits could help them learn and cope through that trauma? These are all important, and Romance usually has a ‘revelation’ or ‘impulsive excitement push’ around 10-15 pages/minutes when writing or watching a romance plot. I call it the ‘push’ because you can tell the writer is trying to nudge the two together. In film, you see them get bumped up against each other and then apologize but the girl moves her hair as a distraction and the boy looks away, but both are nervous and awkwardly blushing. That’s another ‘push’ in my book towards the romantic subplot.)

(Then they notice their cute, they keep seeing each other, la-de-dah, even AMY wanted this to happen!)

(Remember, this is Amy’s ‘day-dream’ sequence, it’s interesting how she thinks of Sonic, versus how he actually portrays himself. Useful info for writing Sonamy XD)

Alright! How’d I do? What Sonic and Amy stories will you create, my precious Anon friend? Good luck! And I can’t wait to see the success you find!

[illusionlockarchive]

romeos huge rant on comedy, horror, and how they interlap

ok, so. full disclosure, what got me to make this post was this joke post right here.

so the initial premise is funny, haha okay. yeah. oh youre a kid and your punishment at school is that you have to stay at a room full of wasps. its funny because its absurd. it couldnt happen irl. youd think it wouldnt happen irl. youd hope so.

the thing about comedy and horror though? is that they actually operate on very similar concepts.

and that is, the absurd. the uncanny valley. what youre expecting the least. what youre not seeing and not registering. jumpscares are effective if at least to get you to jump, even if they are cheap. meanwhile, jokes where they completely twist your expectations to get you to laugh do the same thing.

it may be hard for you to believe me, but in the end, the bad ending of tattletail is the other side of the same coin as a joke that goes “i swallowed a tablet with some water. everyone on the apple store was terrified of me.”

i have not read the wasp story, but i can guaranteee you, i CAN imagine it being scary, if the right tones are used and suspense is built up nicely. with the right twists and turns, knowing when to keep things quiet and when to blow things out of proportion.

OR it can end up being unintentionally hilarious, if the characters in it are way too cliche to be real and feel more like caricatures of teachers and students, if things are rushed and details lose their meaning and value, if we are just to focus on being an audience watching a kid get chased around by a swarm of wasps, instead of putting ourselves in their place.

im neglecting to mention something though. horror is not the TRUE other side of the coin to comedy. no, thats tragedy. and im sure many more people have heard of that. the two masks used in theater, one happy, the other sad.

and now we come to two very interesting modifiers. im sure youve heard of the term ‘horror comedy’ to refer to a subgenre of horror that does have jokes and silly things still happening, and may not take itself all that seriously. but why is it a specified subgenre? because MOST horror is tragedy.

this is why, despite liking many horror games or even stories, in the end i still dont consider myself someone who actually likes horror as a general genre. most horror focuses on the seriousness of the faults of humans, on our fragility, on all we can lose or are even bound to lose, on the fear that what we feel so confident about having close to us can be snatched away in a second, that our sense of reality can crumble. most horror? doesnt end well.

comedies in general tend to focus on the absurdity of life, on how many silly, strange, or even uncanny situations can happen that can challenge us, but not in a harsh way, but in a way that, despite so many bad things happening, we still get to point and laugh it off and be okay at the end of the day.

literally, all it takes for a tragedy to become a comedy, and vice versa, is a tonal shift. when i told of my idea to create this post to my boyfriend, he backed me up, and told me “the difference between horror and comedy is in the soundtrack and silly sound effects”. hes right.

of course, there are things that you should have the decency to not laugh at, still. to keep your mouth shut and know when to reject. but good comedy knows how to stray away from that, and good tragedy knows how to handle it respectfully without making it torture porn.

so, as horror hinges on tragedy, on the fear that we all know we must face in our lives, because a scream is as natural as laughter, so horror comedies are born as an interesting paradox.

a year or so ago, i got the opportunity to watch the banana splits syfy movie. i was a huge fan of the banana splits as a kid, and would often watch their reruns. those silly furries meant a lot to me. but im not stupid, i know thats a horror movie, i went in kinda knowing what to expect.

it was a gore fest, and for about two or three nights i had trouble getting to sleep. i wasnt actually scared of my childhood friends in animal costumes, as i knew how absurd and irrational my fear was, but just the images of the massacre being fresh in my mind were enough to send me into a panic if i lingered for too long, which can happen, you know, when youre about to sleep.

(TW FOR DESCRIPTION OF A MANS DEATH AND GORE, IF YOURE SQUEAMISH JUMP TO NEXT PARAGRAPH)

i think a scene that perfectly blurs the lines between comedy and tragedy, as well as just plain horror in it, is the scene where a man gets killed by being put in a magicians box and sliced in half as a ‘magic trick’ by fleegle, the dog. as he pleads for his life, and his soon to be wife watches in horror and pleads for the robot dog to stop (yeah theyre robots in this, weird), fleegle continues to slice him in half and blood spurts out, until he is dead, and fleegle just happily and proudly showcases what he has done, as if he just did a real magic trick.

(END TW FOR DEATH AND GORE DESCRIPTION)

watching that was horrifying, of course it was. but at the same time, it was what i wanted and expected when i thought about “banana splits horror movie”. fleegle just did something completely absurd and entirely uncalled for. and what doubles the uncaniness of it is that it was supposed to be something harmless, a magic trick. think about this if it was in an adult swim cartoon. the same thing could still happen, but be treated as just a weird, gross joke. fleegle could even swear, say ‘heres your fucking magic trick damnit! oh you dont like it, well i quit!’ n then throw his hat on the ground and step on it.

they are essentially the same scene, but the cartoon version of it is presented in a way that shows full on just how absurd and unexpected it is, without any seriousness to it, probably without any moody music to accompany it. meanwhile the movie one focuses on the fear, grief, and horror of putting us in the shoes of a woman who just watched the man she loved be killed, with the shots being extra impactful.

in the end, the banana splits syfy movie is a horror comedy though, because most of the movie is spent finding the most creative, absurd, borderline funny ways for people to be killed off. as you watch it along, you dont know whether to laugh at the weirdness and absurdity of the events or to genuinely feel grief and fear over the bodies piling up.

i could also just go over a million other examples available to me right now. in fact, as of the time im writing this, i have the latest vinesauce corruption stream pulled on youtube. during corruptions, the most bizarre and absurd things happen, and often times, things get scary. we see the video game characters we love be deformed and twisted in ways that you can only imagine hurt, but they still act as if thats normal! so you cant help but laugh.

earlier today, i watched a gameplay video of bonbon. its a short horror game, with a very... different antagonist. i wont spoil much, because, i dont want to deter people from buying it. but i will say, there is a reveal at the end, which slaps you in the face with the realization that you have been played for a fool all along, and the developers would probably laughing at you if they saw you after youve beat the game. its a joke, and the fear that they cultivated so lovingly, is the punchline. your fear becomes a punchline. to me thats one of the highest forms of blurring horror and comedy, and one i prefer to some more gory and harsh attempts.

and i mean, i have to mention fnaf here, dont i? its a great example too, particularly because, if you look at the games by themselves, they generally take themselves pretty seriously as horror stories, minus a few odd cases or references. but they just have enough wiggle room that, if you look at them from afar, as an audience, you can take these characters youre supposed to be afraid of, and have fun with them, because it is pretty damn absurd, and even funny at the end of the day, that youre expected to be afraid of essentially big, robotic childrens toys. and thats when many fun, fan renditions that focus on lighthearted situations pop up. vanny herself is pretty funny even! the idea of a person who dresses up in a full fursuit to do crimes is pretty hilarious.

all in all, i think i just really appreciate how horror and comedy can converse with each other and how that says something about how we, as humans, are easily made impressed, made to be surprised and shocked, to jump or to laugh. and we are always looking for that thrill, it just depends on if youre looking for laughs or screams.

so yeah, maybe ‘wasp room’ can be a pretty good story. is it a horror story or a comedy? we wont know until we read it. (also if you made it to the end reading this holy shit i love you , i fully recognize i talked way too much)

[inforapound]

Two Faced

I wrote this for the writing challenge celebration for @geekandbooknerd​ and @fandomfic-galore​. Congratulations you two. This is some dark Oleg shit. 

Warnings: mentions fo abuse, mother issues, low self-worth

Words - 1,300

My situation could certainly be worse. Where I found myself and with whom was in no way part of my life’s plan. The reality was women like me, hunted since the dawn of time, were rarely given a choice. More days than not, I chose to live from a place of gratefulness. A place of nothing from where I could create who I wanted to be, always appreciating the comforts and security that so many were never granted. At least that is what I told myself when, each evening, who I would become was determined at the whim of a beast of a man.

I relied on the fact that Oleg was unpredictable. Never allowing myself to slip into complacency. I was poised and ready. The ever-stoic witness to his mayhem. To his darkest depravations, I was his enabler, less often a spectator but always his victim.

The note under the door told me how to prepare.

Mother, come to me. I feel unwell.

“Prince Oleg,” I whispered after closing the door from where I stood behind his chair in his private chambre.

The scent of spice and fruit was warm and inviting mixed with the smokiness of cedar burning in the fireplace. The room was lit by candles just enough to see the ornate furniture placed around the room.  For a man so particular on the details of his surroundings; the colours of the drapery, the pattern of stitching on his quilted bedding, cloves not cinnamon in his mulled wine – he seemed blind to it all. Oblivious, always a prisoner of sorts to his own complicated mind.

Oleg was a force. He possessed great wisdom, with a memory like an iron trap with potent stamina for ruthlessness. Ever merciless. On this night, like few before, I could unknot and breath knowing I was his one weakness. Oleg loved his mother.  

“Prince Oleg,” I repeated softly, cautious not to startle him.

Stirring in his chair, I could tell, even from behind that he sighed while staring into the fire.

“Mother, I hate when you refer to my title.” His tone was laced with impatience. “The fire is warm, come closer,” he added in a milder voice.

Walking around to face him, the severity of his features released as if he was surprised to see me standing there. I would never grow tired of that reaction. Always reminding me he was human.

“My dear boy, you look like you are fighting a battle in your mind.”

“I have done terrible things today, Mother.” Closing his eyes, he huffed air out through his nose. His mouth twisting with shame. Slamming his hand down onto the rest of his chair, he looked up. “These foolish men. They bring it upon themselves. Why mother?” he gawked, shaking his head, confused. “Why do they force me to be… unkind. It is terrible what they make me do. You know I hate this. It is all so brutal.”

There were no tears running down his cheeks, but the anguish was clear in his face. He felt victimized.

“No, none of this is fair. It is their doing.” I reassured. “No other man could carry such a burden. Come, my darling.” I held out my steady hand. Not a single tremor or shake to be seen. “Let me tuck you into bed. Tomorrow is a new day, and little cannot be made better with a good night’s sleep.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Guiding him by his hand to his bed, I undressed him, having him raise his arms into the air, as a child might, to slip on his nightclothes. Few people had seen him in this light, not even his dead wife.

With a delicate touch, I guided him to lay back, pulling the gold and rust dappled cover up to his chest. Without being asked, I knew tonight’s requirements. He needed tenderness and quiet and a mother’s love.

“Lie with me mummy,” he whispered in a small voice. His eyes round as if I might return to my room and leave him forgotten.

“Of course,” I whispered rounding the bed and climbing under the covers beside him. Careful to keep my relief from rising.

Within a moment he turned onto his side, pulling me close and wrapping me in his arms. Moving lower, he pushed me flat onto my back, resting his cheek against my bosom, relaxing to the rhythm of my heart and breathing.

“I love you, Mother.” He mumbled, melting closer to sleep as my fingers dragged lightly over his scalp.

“You are such sweet boy,” I hummed softly. “So brave and strong my darling Oleg. Such a good prince and you will be an even greater king. You will forever be my most beloved son. A gift from God, a Prophet, one who will rule over....”

He was asleep.

Thank all that is scared. Tonight was a gift from the spirits world. In these moments I knew it was me who was not forgotten.

Not daring to disrupt this mercy of a night, I waited some time until he was deeper in sleep. I crept out of bed after rolling him onto his side and pressed my lips to his temple, whispering goodnight. I had been doing this for enough years to know that staying in face until the end was utterly critical.

Back in the corridor, I closed my eyes, leaning back against his door and fought the feeling of the floor rising toward me. A rush of cold made me shiver and my hair puffed like it had been hit by a gust of wind. The sensation could not be explained, and I worked quickly to avoid being questioned. The quivering and itch began and the skin on my face melted away, evaporating with a mere sliver of pain.

The transformation was complete, and Yelena was gone, and I stood recast in my own face once again.

Yelena, the prince’s mother was the identify that I was most grateful for. He rarely touched me while I was her with heaviness or anger and less often did it progress to anything considered intimate. Another consolation for me to appreciate.

The nights I was forced to wear the face of his late wife made me think that I would not survive, and it would be the end. It felt like the end. His dramatic weeping and experienced backhand were loaded with disdain, but the punishment of his desire was worse than any treatment or torture. To say that he used his prick to try and kill me would simply trivialize the pain. Once he was satisfied and I could turn the spell, I often needed help by the slaves to get back to my chambre.  

 Witches like me, who can wear any face, were hunted down like demons and I could feel in my bones there were few of us left.  One would think these Christians would celebrate us for our ability to infiltrate their enemies, spy, pose as anyone.

But here I fall again, being ungrateful. I could be dead or barely surviving in the freezing cold forest, starving, selling my body to strangers. Even harder would be facing the future alone. The sheer unknowing.

So tonight, as I tiptoe to my private room, with a four-post bed and meal waiting that I had the luxury of picking at before going to him, I am beholden. Indebted and thankful that as bad as it gets, as much as it hurts, life could always be worse.

Tomorrow will be a new game. Wearing the face of the blue-eyed, raspy-voiced Viking. I will need to put thought into my movements having had a little time to study him in person. The premonition has been there for days, but I will experience soon enough what obscene degradation Oleg has planned for him.

I will, of course, remain positive as someone who, in this world, is worthless. I will earn my keep for enjoying so many advantages. Being whoever Oleg wants me to be, will keep me from burning, reducing to ash as so many witches have who wore two faces.  

*Thank you for reading. Please, please do not stay in a terrible situation because you feel it could be worse.

MASTERLIST

@youbloodymadgenius​ @naaladareia​ @whenimaunicorn​ @lol-haha-joke​ @ceridwenofwales​ @tephi101​ @captstefanbrandt​ @mdredwine​ @ivarsrideordie​ @fields-and-fields-of-poppies​ @flowers-in-your-hayr​ @silly-bullshit-collector​ @readsalot73​ @funmadnessandbadassvikings​ @waiting4inspiration​ @squirrelacorngliterfarts​

[angelaiswriting]

Relics | Steve Rogers x reader

[original picture found on: pinterest]

✏️ Pairings: (post!Infinity War) Steve Rogers x fem!reader

✏️ Requested by @sweetvengeancee :  Allllllright bitches, here I come with a sweet yet smutty 😏😏 Steve Rogers request! How about one.. Where he comes home after the whole Thanos thing all alert and scared bc he doesn’t know if YN made it or not? Then he sees her but she’s all shaking etc bc she just witnessed some people just disappear and she’s confused and he’s trying to calm her down and idk how (🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️) but it ends in a sweet lovemaking session?? ❤️

✏️ A/N: I think there’s close to zero fluff, I’m sorry haha It’s also set quite a while after the whole Thanos thing, I’m sorry, I’m still fighting with myself to get back on track. Hopefully you’ll still enjoy it (I’ll be waiting for you in our chat haha)

✏️ Warnings: angst + smut, so 18+ only (minors, please don’t cheat)

✏️ Word-count: 4,049

Nowadays, everything Steve does is commit her to memory. Ever since losing Bucky and a good part of his friends, this has become his new mission. It’s what drags him out of bed when all he wants to do is drawn into the darkness of his mind, and it’s what gets him going, what pushes him through every hour of every day.

Y/N.

Hers is a name he always repeats. There’s a litany of names in his mind, it’s his morning ritual. And among the names of his lost ones, there’s that of his living girlfriend. It’s a way to remember – or to remind himself – that he could have lost her, that he had been so close to losing the woman he loves.

That’s a constant thought in his mind. It makes him restless, it squeezes his heart in a vice, poisonous grip. It brings up a what if? after the other, in an endless list of things that could have happened – that could still happen.

He doesn’t want to lose her. He doesn’t want to wake up one day and find her gone. Out of his life. He doesn’t want another-

He turns on his side under blankets that weigh like lead, that crash his body under their silky, painful touch.

She’s right there, next to him, and yet, she feels worlds apart. She’s still sleeping, facing him as she always does. After having witnessed the pulverizing of more people than she told him about, she doesn’t want to take her eyes off of him, either. So, she makes sure to fall asleep watching him – just as he falls asleep watching her – and she also makes sure to wake up and make him the first thing she sees. Not the alarm clock with its glowing red numbers on her bedside table, not the rooftops visible outside the window to her right, not the white ceiling of the room, but him.

And Steve does the same. Before the snap, he had never stopped to consider and ponder how much of an importance she held in his life, but now, in this half-empty, half-lived life, he keeps her in the palm of his hand, for she hangs the sun, the moon and all of the stars for him. He wants to fill her life in more ways than he can consciously think of, and, at the same time, he’s scared to lose her. He’s terrified by the idea of this being a mere illusion of his shattered mind.

But he stares at her and he convinces himself that she’s real, that the gentle breath he feels against his skin is not an hallucination. He doesn’t question his luck, he never does. That stubborn question – how was I so lucky to be allowed her survival? – is always there, always nagging him, but his need to live is stronger than the marshy uncertainty of his mind.

She’s there and he’s there with her and that’s all that matters.

Just then, her eyelashes flutter. The first light of day stubbornly seeping in through the light curtains makes her skin glow. Ethereal – that’s what she looks like. Ethereal and ephemeral in the feeble light of the early morning.

Her breath hiccups in the back of her throat, her eyes run back and forth underneath her eyelids. Her right leg moves up higher, her knee bumps against his thigh, her head tilts upward against the pillow. A sob tears from her throat.

It’s Steve’s cue to wake her up. He knows what she’s dreaming about – or, better, what that nightmare is about. It’s what plagues his nights – so similar and yet so different. The fact that the city, once buzzing with life, is now dead-silent even at this hour of the day doesn’t make it easier, doesn’t shoo the past away. The whole world feels like a graveyard, every house - a tombstone, and Steve fears nothing will ever be the same. In the safe nest of his apartment, in the arms of his woman, that’s where he can delude himself into thinking things are – almost – normal, but once he steps out of the door…

There probably is no going back.

Sometimes he thinks there should be no going back. It’s a mad thought and it’s silly, but it’s also what stuffs his muscles with cotton, what turns him into a – partly lifeless – puppet. How could the world ever be the same now? How could it get back up on its feet? Start again? Build life? Live life?

His fingertips dance along the skin of her arm, they wake goosebumps in their wake, and today, skin and heart so thin anything could break them, those goosebumps hurt. They hurt him more than they do her – he doesn’t get goosebumps. His muscles don’t contract to make his hair stand up, his skin doesn’t tense, it doesn’t react.

Restless mind, immobile body, unbreakable skin, shattered heart.

It feels like nature’s cruel joke, to be constantly reminded of anything – anything he’s had and anything he won’t ever be again.

His hand moves down her arm, pushes the blankets down her body, circles her waist to rest on her lower back. He scoots closer, moves her leg to settle his between hers, and she stirs in her sleep, lets out a long sigh.

They sleep naked these days. They need contact with each other’s skin, even if they drift apart during the night. It starts with them embracing each other, holding onto the other for dear life, and it ends with them universes apart, mattress cold between their weirdly warm bodies.

Steve kisses her forehead, her eyelids, then. He breathes her in, tries to commit to memory the way she smells like first thing in the morning, the way her skin feels against his. The way her heart seems to beat right next to his. His hand roams the side of her body – up her back and then back down it, across the curve of her butt, along her thigh, the back of her knee, and then back up and down again, until she comes back to him.

It’s always a slow process, the one that brings her back to reality, but it always feels sudden and painful and unexpected. Almost undeserved. How can they deserve to live? How can they-

“Steve.” It’s a pained whisper, the one she lets out. It tears its way up her throat, it burns her tongue as her lips brush against his, their faces so close it’s almost hard to put each other back into focus.

He whispers nonsense back to her, eyes drifting closed as he breathes her in. He wants to make sure this is the last thing he’ll think about the day he dies – her. The way she feels in his arms, so small and fragile and, at the same time, so immense and invincible. Unattainable. The way her breasts brush against the cool skin of his chest with every breath she takes – that means she’s alive, that he has not lost her yet, that he should live in the present and that he should live her the way she lives him.

“Steve,” she murmurs again and she peppers light kisses across his face the way he has kissed her just a moment ago. Her lips quiver, her breath shivers.

Minds restless, it takes longer for their bodies to wake up, to come back to reality. It’s like a slow, spring-like thawing after the darkness of the night. It starts deep within them, when their hearts skip a beat before they come back to life, rhythm dull and deafening at the same time. It spreads to their lungs and it feels like breathing new air. And they both sigh, cheek-to-cheek, eyes closed, both too focused into making sure the other is really there, that this is not a dream.

It’s not. And it makes them smile, and there’s another sigh – a relieved one, this time.

Their skins tingle, then, and there’s a shiver running down their spines. It’s then that her hands start moving: her fingers hesitate on the nape of his neck, nails lightly scratching the base of his scalp, and then one hand moves down to his shoulder, trails across his bicep, shifts to his chest, stops right above his heart.

Its thumping seems to increase in rhythm and intensity under the palm of her hand and it’s then that Steve opens his eyes, stares right back at her. He attempts to smile, but only one corner of his mouth lifts up like an unyielding soldier. There’s no real spark – not yet, it’s too soon and the nightmarish visions of the night still linger in the air between them.

Their bodies don’t feel each other, not yet. They wake up slowly as they breathe against each other’s skin, as their lips desperately press against each other’s lips in the frenzied attempt to feel each other. It’s only when their tongues meet that a slow humming makes its way throughout their bodies and it’s then that he feels her and she feels him.

Eyes now open, they stare at each other, so close that the side of his nose presses against the side of hers. Their eyes are still a little red – they don’t cry themselves to sleep, but they do weep at night, as they sleep. It’s silent and almost unreal, but they know they both do it, but still, they don’t address the matter. It is and, at the same time, it isn’t a taboo, just like everything else is. It’s an accepted truth – just like the one that dangles above their heads, carrying the names of the ones they’ve lost – but that still doesn’t make it acceptable.

They don’t talk – not in the bedroom, at least, not as they used to. Those four walls only witness murmurs and moans and cries of their names. Now more than ever, that’s a sacred room. It’s where they live – where they let each other live. And love. If that still counts as love.

Sometimes they feel like the snap erased it, erased love. Sometimes it’s hard to feel it, and when they do, it’s hard to recognize it as such. They’re both too distracted to notice, too focused on committing the other to memory to realize that they’re still alive. That they should still live.

It starts when they kiss. This is the shadow of a real kiss, not the desperate touching and pressing of skin against skin of the first minutes after their awakening.

Y/N hums as Steve’s hand moves up her neck until he rests it on the back of her head and pulls her closer to him. So close they can barely breathe, they try to remember how it feels to love – or to make love. The night always clouds their memories and it takes them time to remember.

It all comes back one swipe of tongue against tongue at a time. They take their time to kiss each other, to savor one another – it’s not like they have much to do anyway. He kisses her and she kisses him back, lips molding against lips, tongue brushing against tongue, and in the meanwhile, their eyes never close. It’s an unreasonable fear now that the threat of destruction is gone, but it’s a ghost that still haunts them and they don’t want to risk it, don’t want to risk loneliness, the loss of each other. They’ve spent too long chasing each other when the world was still alive, spent too long courting each other – lingering touches and burning gazes in a world that didn’t feel as cold as it does now. Nowadays, though, they always feel out of time, despite having all the time in the universe – not enough time to getting to know each other, to love each other, to live, to create life, to go on.

Under the weight of the endless dome the sky is, they feel like in a snow globe – just, there’s no snow, only dust. The world is still, time has stopped. There’s no superior being shaking it, shaking life to its chore until it thaws and reawakens again.

And so their eyes stay open and silent tears roll down their cheeks, slip through their lips as they kiss.

A sudden movement and Steve’s morning erection brushes against her. And she swallows his moans as though they were the nectar of the gods, hands and fingertips pressing harder into the muscles of his back, hips slowly grinding back and forth along his thigh.

That’s when she moans.

It’s almost like a secret code and it pushes them into action.

Steve’s hand trails down her side, squeezes her hip before his fingers slip between their bodies and tease her. He cries harder when she moans – long and low and breathless, the sound as fragile as their thinned-out faith in hope.

She rolls on her back and pulls him with her, his tears falling down onto her cheeks, mixing with hers.

They still don’t speak – there’s no need to. There’s nothing they need to tell each other that they already don’t know, that they can’t confess each other through their gestures and touches and kisses. There’s no need to disturb the safe silence of the room with sounds that are not moans or whispers or gasps or sighs.

And as they kiss, as his fingers move again against her clit, they want to be alive for each other. Not simply live, but be alive – real souls in living bodies controlled by living minds. Not relics lost at the mercy of the sea, but living people in a sea of corpses. It always feels impossible at first, but they always succeed – for a couple of hours, at least, before the gnawing feeling of being alone in each other’s arms seeps right through their beings to their souls.

It always happens one kiss at a time, one touch at a time.

His lips trail along her jaw, mark her neck in hickeys. He suckles and tugs at her skin, presses himself down harder against her as his fingers slide through her wettening folds, tease her pussy. It’s slow and drawled-out and when he finally reaches her breasts, she’s panting and squirming, fingers tugging at his already tousled hair.

She comes when he latches onto one of her nipples. And if during the first times it was unexpected, it’s not anymore. It’s easier to come, now – faint love is the only thing that has remained and there’s something in it that tugs on the right cords, that brings them both to their knees. She needs him just as he needs her – and it’s not just about each other’s bodies, but rather the proximity to each other, both physically and spiritually. If they’re there for one another, nothing bad can happen and nothing bad will happen as long as they’re there for one another.

His kisses ease her down from the apex of her orgasm, tongue lavishing the skin of her boobs, teeth gently scraping against her areolas and nipples. He feels her body slowly relax and then slowly tense again as his lips trail down the valley of her breasts, her abdomen and straight to her core.

She’s still watching him when he settles between her legs and there’s the ghost of a smile on her lips, one that’s mirrored by him. And when he’s done settling her legs over his shoulders, he grabs her outstretched hands and holds tight onto them, face inching closer to her labia.

There’s always been something deeper, something that tugged at his heart every time he went down on her, and now, in the silence of the world, it feels even more powerful. It’s always almost as though he has to prove himself to her. There’s no race, no contest, nothing that could push him to feel this way – nothing but the silence and the void in their lives. And so he pours all he has into making love to her, worshipping her like a lost relic of the past.

They’re now more similar than they ever were.

He swipes his tongue right between her folds, tastes her, teases her clit with the tip of his tongue. And then, he repeats the action, feeds off of the feeble sounds she makes, tightens the hold he has on her hands as her thighs start to quiver, the muscles slightly trembling a little more with each swipe of his tongue.

Here’s another thing he commits to memory. The way the tastes, the way she opens up for him as though nothing ever happened. How hot she feels against his tongue and mouth and face. And then, when he looks up at her, he takes a mental picture of her naked body, of her heaving chest, of her peaked nipples, darkened by both pleasure and the cool air of the room. He stares at the tense muscles in her arms, at their hands clasped together. And then, above anything else, he gazes at her parted lips before he looks into her eyes – half-lidded and glossed by pleasure – and he finds himself thanking God for letting him keep her.

He brings her over the edge one more time. It’s almost like a mission and he diligently obliges to the unspoken orders, finds pleasure in making her feel alive. He dives his tongue into her, eats her out like this were his last meal, before he moves the focus of his attention back to her clit. His lips latch onto it and he gives it a gentle suck and suddenly but not unexpectedly, there’s another moan of his name.

Steve.

And then another when he presses harder against her.

Steve.

And then another when he slightly moves his chin, his beard lightly burning the sensitive skin of her core.

Steve.

And then another when she eventually stumbles over the edge and her body tenses and arches off of the mattress and her thighs close in tight around his head.

Steve.

It’s drawled-out and broken and when he looks up at her, she’s crying. Broken sobs spill from her lips, trickle down her cheeks with each and every tear, and her hands hold tighter onto his.

He drags her pleasure out with his tongue, frees one of his hands to caress her trembling thigh. It all makes him groan – the way she moans and whimpers, the way her body spasms under the onslaught of pleasure and bliss, the way she seems to pulse against his mouth – and he thrusts his hips into the mattress. It’s instinctual, an absent-minded but desperate need to cause friction and find even more pleasure than pleasuring her brings him.

Minutes tick by one after the other as she slowly comes back down to earth and her eyes put the ceiling of the bedroom back into focus. Her breathing evens out, her heart slows its race, her chest calms its wild heaving.

“Steve.”

His own name makes him moan against the skin of her inner thigh and it’s his cue to move up her body. Before he can think of anything else, he kisses her – and it’s deep and hard and the taste of her on his tongue makes her whimper into his mouth as her hands wind up into his hair.

He moans her name against her lips, slowly grinds his hips against her and the way his hard dick slides between her dripping folds makes his eyes roll back into his head. He pants, his chest pressing harder against hers – and he can feel her hardened nipples against the even harder muscles of his pecs. It drives him crazy.

“Steve.” It’s a whisper against the skin of his cheek as she licks a stripe up the side of her face before she kisses it. Her hand snakes between their bodies, grabs the base of his erection and squeezes it gently, cutting his breath short.

They don’t close their eyes, not yet, not even when she starts to slowly stroke him with her trembling hand. They kiss – it’s messy and all tongue and teeth and it’s also distracted as both their breathing quicken up.

He feels her now better than he has ever felt her today: she’s angled him against her and the tip of his cock brushes upward through her hot labia and bumps into her clit. She moans, eyes losing their focus on his face, and it’s then that her hand disappears.

His lips peck hers one last time before he sinks into her. He does so slowly, forcing both of them to savor it all – every inch of his painfully hard dick sheathing itself into the slowly-stretching warmth of her pussy. It makes them close their eyes, their mouths hanging open until he bottoms out and they both sob once.

“Y/N,” he moans under his breath and right against her lips before his tongue swipes over them.

She answers him with a whimper, hands moving from his hips and up his back until they’re pressing between his shoulder blades, pushing him down against her until there’s no space between their heaving chests.

Steve rolls his hips back slowly before thrusting back into her and his head falls forward, his forehead pressed against her shoulder.

They keep their eyes shut throughout the whole love-making session. They let their bodies feel the other without the influence of their eyes. They feel the gentle rolling of his hips, feel the tightening of her vagina, feel the way her thighs move along his body until she hooks them around his waist. They feel each other’s breath against each other’s skin.

It’s slow – it often is these days. It’s… passionate, one could say, but they’re not exactly sure they still remember what passion feels like. They make slow and tender love to each other, enjoy the responses of the other’s body.

And then, when the head of his dick brushes against her sweet spot when he bottoms out, she gasps and her back arches, her chest pressing harder against his, and the rhythm picks up slightly. His thrusts become more focused, his movements a little sloppier and a little harsher at the same time, and before they both have the time to realize so, they’re gasping and panting and moaning, their lips clashing in another wild and blind kiss that robs them of their breath.

His hands move down her sides and grab her hips, his weight shifts better on his knees and when the rhythm changes again, it’s almost like the old Steve is back, thrusting hard into the old Y/N.

And it feels like being alive again, like swimming back to the surface of that black lake until the sun kisses the skin of their faces one more time.

He comes deep inside her – none of them cares about condoms anymore and while the thought of bringing a child into this scary new world makes them shiver, the need to fully feel each other is stronger than any other fear.

His orgasm and his grunts trigger her own release: her walls flutter around him wildly as she tries her best to breathe.

His lips find hers again and when they kiss, his hips still sloppily thrusting into her to prolong the blissful sensation of fullness and pleasure, their eyes open again and for a second, it’s like being back in time, when things weren’t as empty as they are these days.

“I love you,” Steve whispers against her lips, out of the blue. His softening dick is still inside her, but none of them seems to care.

She smiles up at him – and it’s a real smile, this time, one that reaches her eyes and re-awakens a spark he hasn’t seen in them in years. Just as it’s been years – real years – since the last time they have professed their love to each other. It makes the illusion of being alive last longer.

“I love you, too.”

*

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[dio-theshitpost-brando]

Deception.

     They say “fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.” So why, if believing you after one lie gets me shamed, should I believe you now? Better yet, why should your deception be blamed on me? That said, I still blame myself for believing you. 

     But that’s not my greatest fear when it comes to this. 

Apologies.

     Empty, probably, like they always have been. Only ever to trick me into becoming comfortable around you again. Why should I believe you now? Because one of the only surviving people I care deeply about believes you? Congratulations on deceiving her, I suppose.

     How did you even manage to convince her to trust you? It’s that silver tongue, isn’t it?

Footsteps.

     Footsteps jerk you from your thoughts. They aren’t terribly close, but definitely audible, especially with the heightened hearing. They aren’t hurried, but they are making no effort to be subtle. You hear shuffling and patting of palms on the floor. It’s one of the zombies, they tend to go for any living thing that manages to get in. From the sounds of it, it’s one of the remains from your last meal, and not one of the three you revived as protection.

     The footsteps cease close to the door, the shuffling corpse draws closer. You wait for a scream, for the hurried sound of feet running down the corridor. You don’t hear it, instead you get a-

Crunch.

     It’s a sickening sound, even now. You are a little less disgusted knowing that it was a zombie that was killed as opposed to a living person. However, that doesn’t calm you. If they were okay killing one monster, they’ll happily kill another, surely. You back away from the door ready to hear a-

Knocking?

     Gentle knocking at your door is the last thing you’d expect. You don’t respond. A few more gentle raps are delivered upon the door before a voice speaks up.

     “Listen I’ll knock one more time before I kick the fucking door in.”

     You cringe. It’s a shame, you think, that such a pretty and polite girl ended up with the wrong man and has the most inappropriate language and behavior now. She knocks on the door again, just as gently as before.

     “Come in…” You manage to mumble out, to which she opens the door and makes her way in. Before she closes it behind her you get a glimpse of the hammer she used to kill your leftovers. You wonder how she manages to lift it.

     “You should probably kill them yourself, you know.” She walks over the nearest seat, plops down, and props her legs up on the coffee table. You don’t respond to her suggestion, but frown a bit about how she’s sitting. Thankfully she probably can’t see your expression in the dark.

     “So why are you here?”

     “Am I not allowed to visit?” She shakes her head. Before you get a chance to reply she continues, “last visit was cut short because someone got cold feet at the door. I wanted to actually talk and get his bag back, he’s been whining about the damn thing.”

     “Oh. It’s uh. Here.” You rummage around in one of the cupboards and pull it out, walking it over and handing it to her. “That should be it, right?”

     “That’s it. Thanks.” She takes the bag and sits it on the floor next to her. While she does this you go light a few candles so it’s not so dark in the room. “You know, leaving half devoured zombies around is all well and good if it’s in here but you really shouldn’t be leaving that shit on the streets. It’s usually only a few at most, but those things can kill others and infect them. You have to be more careful.”

     “Sorry. I don’t actually remember when I do that stuff.” She raises an eyebrow at that, so you decide to clarify. “Uh yeah I. I think I black out when I get super hungry.”

     “So just eat before you get that hungry.”

     “No.”

     She looks at you dumbfounded. “N-no? So you’re just. Going to refuse to eat?” 

     “I have to eat peo-”

     “Yeah people. Big deal. Just eat some crooks and be done with it. Eat someone deplorable that no one will miss.”

     “Like Dio…”

     “No! I’d miss him... unfortunately.”

     There’s an awkward pause. You aren’t sure if she thinks it was a joke or serious. You aren’t even sure if either of you were being serious with those statements. You tense up a little bit thinking about if she actually cares about him or not. Some petty part of you hopes she doesn’t.

     “I think we have to address the elephant in the room here.”

     “I already brought up your disordered eating.”

     “What? No not that.”

    “Then I think we’re seeing different elephants here, JoJo.”

    You hesitate. You regret even vaguely referencing it. You want to just brush it under the rug and just move on without a word but you can tell that at this point she won’t let you do that. She might already know what you’re going to say. You realize you’ve been standing this whole time and decide it’s probably better to sit down if you’re going to continue having a conversation.

    “It’s just. Dio, you know? Given what he did when we were children, I'm surprised that you’re, you know, together.”

Jealousy?

Worry?

    It’s a mix of both really. You’re jealous that he gets to be with your childhood crush. Or would childhood girlfriend be a more accurate term? You aren’t entirely sure. But you are deeply worried that, since he was the one that ruined your relationship by disrespecting her back then, that he’s not great to her now. You think the worrying is greater than the jealousy. The fact she doesn’t have a ring, but they have a child, the fact Dio’s not opposed to using people for his own gain...

    “I’m not in a relationship with him. We just live together.”

    “Oh.” You are jerked back to reality by her answer, and actually thrown off guard by it.  “But what about the baby?”

    “Didn’t I say before? He’s not mine. And it’s frankly kind of hilarious that you really think I’d fuck Dio.” You cringe at her language, and she laughs but stops suddenly and looks at you with a shocked expression. “Wait you. Don’t know?”

    “Know what?”

    “Uh- w- George was found in a cabbage.” Is she serious? Well, you know that’s not true, you are pretty sure babies aren’t found in cabbages but. Does she seriously think you’re going to believe that? Does she take you for some kind of moron? A fool?

    “Erina…” She looks a bit panicked like she said something she shouldn’t have. You really doubt she’s telling the truth about both the relationship and George. You wave it off. “Okay, if you’re going to say silly stuff about it I guess I’ll ask about something else. Like about why you’re living with him anyway. He’s done some. Pretty bad stuff.”

    “Yeah he’s a bitch and I really can’t think of that kiss without wanting to wring his neck, to be honest. But he seems to actually be trying to cut that kind of shit out. Also, about the shit he pulled on you, he told me the most important stuff… and I’m sorry that all happened.” 

    “It’s not like it’s your fault or anything, you don’t have to be sorry.”

    “It’s just that. Well. I feel a little bad for letting him ruin our relationship so long ago. And sorry about the fact that I don’t actually want to be in a relationship with you anymore.”

    You force out a chuckle. “Yeah. I mean I’m. Well. A man eating monster, it’s to be exp-”

    “Shut the fuck up.”

    You stop. You get the feeling you really messed up saying that. Maybe she took it as you trying to guilt her. But, before your brain gets to continue contemplating it you realize she’s got her hand on your shoulder, giving it a pat.

    “Sorry to shut you down like that but listen. I don’t give a rat’s ass about you being a vampire or anything. You’re the same man. And before you start the whole ‘I kill people’ shit, your brother did that and he’s never even been a vampire, so he didn’t have to kill to survive. Besides, didn’t I say earlier that eating people isn’t a big deal if you eat the right people- or maybe I should say the wrong people, huh?” She smiles, and pats your shoulder again. “Don’t be more of a baby than George. Do you really need me to hand feed you a criminal’s internal organs?”

    “What!?” You can’t help but smile slightly, and brush her hand away. “Stop! You don’t need to joke about killing someone just so I eat.”

    “You are severely mistaken if you think I’m not emotionally prepared to commit murder for you.”

    Oh. Oh she’s serious.

    “Oh! N-no! You don’t have to do that what if someone finds out and you get arre-”

    “You’ll have to eat the evidence then.” She says this with a smile and a wink. You want to say you wouldn’t. That there’s no way you would eat anyone willingly but. You couldn’t actually let her go to prison for murder. That and there’s something, almost threatening about that smile. She is definitely saying she’d do things in your favour, but the fact she’s so casual about this… 

    “Uh. Haha… when did you get so ready to kill people, anyway?”

    “Oh let’s see. Approximately the same time someone I loathed with my very being knocked on my door asking for a place to stay for a few weeks. I can tell you, all it would have taken was him disrespecting me once and you’d have absolutely no family left.”

    Well! That certainly makes you a little less worried about her well being!

    “Wow. Were you actually prepared to kill him? Or are you just exaggerating?”

    “I’m not sure. I think it would have depended on the situation. But I would have beat the everloving shit out of him without thinking twice about it. Then here I am a year later and unreasonably attached to the jackass.”

    “Oh, it’s been a year already?”

    “Yeah, just about, I think. The first month or so was the roughest part. But, once he proved to be a major dumbass by fucking up big time I stopped being concerned for myself and more for him.”

    “Wow. Worried for him instead? Just what was it, if it was that bad of a mistake?”

    “Well he got drunk and uh. Wandered off with a fairy and that’s when he made a supernatural contract to care for a cabbage baby.”

    “Erina... I genuinely can’t tell if this is just a joke to mess with me or some kind of bizarre metaphor for something. You really don’t have to hide that you slept with him, it’s okay, I’m not mad about it.” You are a little upset about it, but you won’t burden her with your jealousy.

    Funny how one sentence can have you become, in all ways but physically, a maraca. Luckily for you, your head is attached quite strongly to your body, else it’d have flown off by now, likely crashing into the nearest wall. You think you hear heavy footsteps approaching the room, but you can’t be sure since the both of you are screaming; her in rage, you in panic.

    “Boss, is everything okay?”

    She stops and looks at the zombie now poking his head through the door. Er. Poking in his head and the heads of several snakes.

    “He’s harassing me. He’s plotting to tell lies about me to the world. That’s no way to treat a lady, don’t you think?”

    “No… ma’am…?” The way he says ma’am is... off. If he didn’t have a bag on his head and you could read his face maybe you would understand better, but well. “Would you like me to handle this, boss?”

    “Uhh. No? It’s fine, really. If you’re worried about the corpse out in the hall it’s fine. She was just cleaning up something I’d have gotten anyway.”

    “Boss… You aren’t falling for that, right?” Falling for what? You give him a puzzled look. “Blond hair that’s a bit longer than yours, thinner, a bit shorter than you. Isn’t that the guy you were talking about, just in a dress?”

    “Oh my fucking god! You can tell everyone in this hellhole has a dead brain! First you think I fucked Dio, then your zombie housemate thinks I am Dio! For fuck’s sake!”

    You barely suppress your laughter. You aren’t sure what’s funnier, the fact Doobie really thought Erina was Dio or the fact she’s managed to do some kind of acrobatic dive right off the handle. Though it hits you that she is about Dio’s height, and while her complexion and hair colour is a bit lighter, it’s not like Doobie knows that. Hell, do his eyes even see colour right? He is a walking corpse after all, who knows how well those eyes work. 

    She stops a moment, still looking like she’s boiling over with rage. Doobie backs out and closes the door. The heavy footsteps slowly walk away. When he gets far enough she turns back to you, voice quiet, “I’m actually more pissed that, the more I think about it, the more him thinking that makes sense.”

    “I mean I guess you look a little similar but-”

    “More than just a little. I’ve gotten away with pretending to be him quite a few times.”

    “What!? Then why were you mad about it just now?”

    “Because I’m not actively trying to pass as him currently! I haven’t needed to do that for a few months… back when he was uh. Sick.”

    “Why not just tell people he was sick?”

    “Okay, honestly if you want the serious actual answers for that question you are going to have to ask him about it. Also if you want non-bullshit answers to some of your other questions. But I find it crazy I might know more about Dio than you do despite only living with him for a fraction of the time you did.”

    Oh? You wonder what you don’t know about Dio. “Like, uh? He mentioned something when you were here with him last. That hurts vampires? I don’t know about that other than that it apparently exists.”

    “I probably do know more about hamon than you. It burns the undead so it really is wise to be careful around it. He’s used it on some zombies that you’ve left around and all that was left was dust.” If you weren’t undead you’d probably feel your temperature drop and start sweating. “But it’s not just that that you don’t know about, though. You evidently uh. Weren’t the best at noticing things.”

    “If I was good at noticing things he wouldn’t have gotten the chance to use the mask on me.”

    “Well at least you’re honest about it. But there is a good bit of stuff you don’t know, be it things you somehow never caught on to or recent developments. I can not wait until you get The Talk.”

    “The talk?” That’s unnecessarily eerie. What talk? About what? “What’s that about?”

    “I can’t tell you. Well, I could. But I want you to listen to his crazy sounding shit yourself. I want you to be as baffled and skeptical as I was when this madman came to my door spouting this shit. I’d say it’s nonsensical but it’s all true, actually.” She yawns and stretches. Only then do you remember that yeah, humans sleep at night. You’ve been alone for long enough that you kinda forgot that.

    “God, right. It’s late for you.” Early for you, though. “Do you need me to escort you home?”

    “Considering I left while it was still day, that may take the rest of the night to get back. I could stay here for the night.”

    “Oh, no no. I’m sure there’s more half eaten zombies around and I haven’t cleaned the place up as well as I should. Chances are you’d end up sleeping somewhere covered in dust, then. I could take you home. It’d probably be nice to sleep somewhere less… spooky, I guess? Even if I’m still apprehensive about being around Dio.”

    “You haven’t cleaned up? You probably should do that, at some point, it might help you feel better. But I guess we should head out soon, then. When we get home though, we have to enter as quietly as possible and stack all the moose toys I’ve bought and hidden in the house on Dio’s unconscious body.”

    “The what!?” Oh god you almost forgot! The Moose! Oh this is stellar news. “Okay, I have to tell Doobie, Tarkus, and Blueford where I’m going and then we can head out.”  You get up, and she follows. She also grabs the candle holder. 

    “Maybe while we walk back you can grab something to eat, too.”

    “Do you really want to watch me tear people up, or something? I’m still a messy eater, you know.” You smile awkwardly and open the door to leave and Erina passes you, and grabs her hammer. She grimaces at the remnants of zombie head material and picks it up carrying it hanging low. You guess it’s so she doesn’t dirty her dress. 

    As you walk down the hall to tell your guards where you’ll be going, you wonder about how things will go with Dio. Will he prove to be as terrible as always? Or has he really gotten better? At the very least you hope that he’s still upset by moose and that whether it be due to his son or due to Erina he won’t try to fight with you while you are there. And you’re thankful that, even if her new… quirks will take getting used to, that Erina is seemingly well.

[hislittletortoise]

Before the decade ends...

The decade is ending and imma take this chance to say some words for those who gave me things to remember for life throughout this decade.

To her, one of my first true friends I ever had. A friend who taught me great things about life and love. A friend who brought me closer to god. A friend who would cross the line for me, would cry a river for me.I missed breaking the rules with you, spending the night talking nothings with you, sharing stupid secrets with you. Honestly, I wished we had more time before I lost a friend like you. If I could ever turn back time, I’d do anything to laugh with you again. But we’re just kids back then. Kids do stuff they probably gonna regret later on. That silly mistake was meant to happen. Losing a friend like you actually hurts deeper than losing a lover. It hurts like hell, I even cried for weeks. Pain heals over time and no matter how much regrets I’m holding, I pray that life will always give you the happiness you deserve.

To him, it was silly how we actually end up being friends. We were fixing each other’s heartache. I was grateful I met a friend like you, no matter the circumstances I faced. You’ve helped me a lot and idk how I could’ve pay it back. I lost a friend but you came and made me earn more. People who I never thought I could talk to except for a simple ‘hi’ eventually become a friend who are still there to know how have I been right now. You were there at my lowest, you’ve seen me crying my lungs out, bailing my failures in life. Yet, you’re still supportive and that’s what I love about you. Always been so caring, so gentle, so true, so reserved but still, you’d dump a girl for being too clingy haha. For you, my friend, I wished you’ll find what you’re looking for in life and may god blessed you with all the happiness you deserve. Grow up to be the man your family will be proud of because I know you can.

To her, someone who I thought I could trust, someone who I thought would be a shoulder for me to cry on, who I thought would stand for me when everyone was judging me. All those years, you’ve never left my side but you were never really there. Yes, you stayed when I was down, but you never lift me back up. Our friendship was effortless, one-sided. You’re the reason I never make new friends anymore. You’re the reason I’m doing things on my on and never rely on others. You turned out to be someone who’d drown me, suffocate me and pretending like you saved me when I was actually saving myself. But when I lost you too, I was lost again. I was so used to you being so close to me that when you left me hanging alone, it broke my heart. You’re definition of me losing a friend I never had. I’m glad that we are on our separate ways now because we’re better off alone. I’m also glad that I could watch you grow better, making achievements you deserve, having great circle of friends. I wished they will never leave you crying by yourself like what you did to me. We were kids too back then, and I know we grow up realizing the mistakes we made. I’m sorry that I’m keeping my distance form you, my walls don’t just break like that. Just know that I’ve never hold any grudges on you. May you receive all the wonderful things this life could offer you.

To him, I have a lot to say to you. One of the greatest impact in my life. I wouldn’t say you were my first love, but you’re definitely my first heartbreak. I thought I was just having a typical guy crush back then. But darling, crushes can never break your heart. I can’t tell how, but when you break my heart, I knew I’m not going anywhere to falling in love again. It torn me apart, it hurts so bad that I could actually felt that pain. There was never a day I thought we could have a chance. I was afraid of my own feelings and I wanted to throw it away. I wanted to give up. I was trying. Then suddenly, you gave me that chance. At the moment I decided to crush those childish daydreams, you put my hopes high, higher than ever before. I’d lie if I say I was not happy. It was every girl’s dream to have her crush to like her back. But I guess that’s what people call a love that comes at the wrong time. It was all sweet nothings and we both knew we’re not going anywhere with what we had. It wasn’t toxic but it was bland. We can’t change things just by loving them harder. So on our very first ‘date’, I let you go and I never regret the choice I made. Because after that, I saw the relief in your eyes. You let out the breath you’ve been holding for so long. ‘We’ was never a relationship to you, it was commitment and responsibilities. You thought you were tied down on me. The chance you gave was just a guilt you passed on because you knew how much I kept my feelings to myself back then. But I was glad you’ve given me the chance to feel your love even if it was just for a moment. I’d appreciate that my whole life and I want you to know that, you’re never someone I regret finding in my life. We crossed path for a reason and you’re both a blessing and lesson for me. I hope one day you’ll find someone who will look you into the eyes and know that you’re the person she wants to spend her whole life with. May god guide your way and always be the best person you can be for others.

To them, one of the best things that ever happened in my life. I’m grateful I’m apart of this circle of friends. I remember going home crying just because the job was tough and exhausting but eventually, you guys flipped that. You weren’t just people who come and go in life. You guys were the reason I wanna come to work almost everyday. I’ve worked for 60 hours per week, didn’t sleep for 40 hours and had one meal per day, but those hard work never felt as tiring as it seems. For the first time in my life, I felt accepted for who I was more than I was in school. Of course the job demands a lot too, but I was praised even for the tiniest step that I made. It was an amazing experience. I hope I’d stayed, but for all that worth, I’m gonna leave no matter what. But there will never be a second that I regret joining this great team. I pray all of us will achieve what we desire in life and be tough for it.

To her, the closest family member of mine. When we were kids, we’re inseparable. We’d always do things together our way, we’d share each other’s stories, we’d all spend night daydreaming what a better life we could have. It’s funny how silly we were. We grew up together but it hurts me to see you growing up with your insecurities. I’ve been scrolling over your grief about your physical flaws.I wouldn’t even dare to speak up about this. That’s how sensitive this subject is to you. I wished you knew that your differences had made you who you are now. You’re just beautiful as you are and I hope you’ll realize that. You deserve so much more and I pray that god will give you that at the right time.

To him, the love of my life. Oh god, words aren’t enough to describe how much I love you. You were someone I never thought I could fall head over heels for but we end up in each other’s heart. You’re the man who won’t lend a hand for me when I fall but will stay until I stand up by myself again. You’re the man who won’t bring me nice flowers or pretty gifts but would do anything just make sure I’d never going to bed angry or sad. You’re the man who never make a list of things you wanted to do with me but would get worried every time I sneeze because you know how easily I can get sick. You’re the man who’d give me a piece of his food even if I never asked for it. You’re the man who’d learn to love my sappy music taste so that you can sing it for my lullaby. You’re not my escape from reality, you don’t whisper sweet nothing into my ears, you don’t post selfies with me for the world to see. We fought, we cried, we screamed to each other sometimes. You are opposite of what a perfect boyfriend could ever be but it’s your imperfections that makes you perfect. I love how your hazel eyes staring me when I’d do stupid things, I love your how funny your laugh is when I make silly jokes, I love how peaceful your face is when you’re sleeping. Above all, you had never given up on me no matter how hard it is and how difficult I was to handle. I’m sorry that I hurt you countless times for the reason I couldn’t even remember. I’m sorry for making you feel you’re not good enough for me. I’m sorry sometimes I pushed things too hard and made you held back your anger so bad that it hurts your lungs. I’m sorry that I’ve hurt your pride without realizing. I wanted you to know that, I never regret loving your flaws and who you are because I never deserve the love you gave me. Even there’s a million reasons for me to give up, I will find that one reason to stay with you no matter how hard it could be. You’re the one I want spend my morning waking up next to, the one I want to see when I come home from work, the one I want to grow old with. Please know that you are more enough for me. I love you with all my heart and I love you more than love could ever be. Thank you for staying.

[creativenicocorner]

Could you do Stricklake + 58 for the fic ask meme please? :D

Aayy you got it friend! Sorry that it took so long! 

It’s also based on an idea I’ve been sitting on for quite some time, hope that is okay. I know the transition is about as rocky as Strickler, but here we are haha Hope you like puns!! ;]

58) If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen

It started from an idea. A simple small idea while lounging together. Arms cozily around the other. The living room basking in a mix of moonlight through the window, and the light the tv gave off

The pair of them delightfully binging on The Great British Baking Show. 

Barbara sighed and snuggled closer to the crook of Walter’s arm. A wistful sigh mother’s were known to make when thinking of their children. “Jim would have loved to have been on a show like this. Can you imagine the fun he’d have?”

The changeling, now stuck in troll form, gave an understanding nod. Considering Jim’s new condition, cooking would never be the same again for the teen. 

A passion both Barbara (especially Barbara), Walter, and anyone who so much as spent 30 minutes talking with the teen knew Jim possessed. 

Walter pressed a kiss into Barbara’s hairline. “He’d certainly be spectacular in it.” 

“Right? Like imagine him thinking up molds for a cupcake!”

“Hang on.” An idea started to form in Walter’s mind, it was slow forming, but oh, it was forming. “Hang on.” Walter breathed.

“Or Jim,” Barbara giggle snorted while sitting up, and adjusting her glasses. Not entirely hearing Walter. She made a silly face as she gesticulated with her hands, “Jim welding crystalized sugar and making it look like a hotdog.”

“Hang the futtock on!” Grinned Walter sitting up right as well. 

“What? What’s wrong?”

“He still can!”

Barbara gave a puzzled face, and slowly patted Walter’s knee. “Sweetie we tried glamour masks. I don’t really see how-?”

Walter scooped Barbara’s hands into his. His jagged toothy grin as bright as the changeling’s glowing eyes, “It doesn’t have to be a human version! We could do our own version! Here! In Trollmarket- er, FormerTrollmarket…Whatever it’s being called these day! When they next visit!!” 

Barbara smiled like a child hearing the concept of Christmas in July for the very first time. “That’s- That’s!” Barbara gasped and ran a hand through her hair excitedly. “Genius!! Oh my gosh! Walt!”

“I know, I have my moments.” Walter purred toothily. His head giving a slight shake like a deer does when showing off their antlers. 

“Why didn’t we think of this sooner?! It’s - there’s so many junk yards around! And any remaining trolls and changelings could join in!”

“A clash of food cultures. And with Jim’s own human knowledge he’s sure to add a spice of his own.” Barbara snorted and elbowed Walter joyfully. Her head still dancing with the promise of such an idea. “It’s bound to be a fun learning experience for him either way.” Walter, ever the teacher, pointed out. 

“We could call it THE GREAT TROLL BAKE OFF!” Her hands shook with Walter’s as the two practically bounced on the couch with sheer delight. Walter couldn’t stop wheezing cheerfully. Barbara gave no room for further comment, “You’re right!! You’re so right!! Oh this is beautiful! Jim would love it! Oh my GOOOOSH! Who kneeds dough when there’s the auto zone!”

Walter kissed her very deeply at that. Barbara chuckling on as she cupped his stony cheeks. 

“Who can bake, when there’s the emergency break!” snorted Walter between Barbara’s flutter of kisses. He scooped Barbara into his arms. Barbara squealed and kicked her feet in glee. 

A blush started to form as Walter’s mirth filled breathy kisses on her neck both tickled and elated Barbara. 

She bit her lip, and ran a hand through Walter’s hair. Their laughing slowly transforming to chuckles and breathy giggles. A mischievous twinkle in both of their eyes. 

“Is it just me or is it hot in here?” Barbara grinned, curling one of Walter’s wispy locks.

“You know what they say, love. If you can’t stand the heat..”

“Mmm, get out of the kitchen.” Barbara smirked. 

“Mmm, oh dear. That’s a soggy bottom!” said a show runner from the tv. 

They giggled at that, and gently bumped foreheads together. 

Walter returned Barbara’s feet to the earth with a soft squeeze of her hand. 

“We start organizing first thing tomorrow?” offered Barbara with a luxurious stretch. She winced a little as her side felt a little sore from all the laughing. 

“Sounds like a plan, chef.” Smiled Walter as he searched for the remote to turn the tv off. 

After a few more stretches Barbara soon joined in with the search. Occasionally distracting the other with a bottom pinch or two. When the remote was finally found, between the last two pillow cushions ( “How is it always the last two?!” ). 

Walter switched off the tv, and spun Barbara into a dipped kiss, purring, “Now we’re cooking with gas.”

“You sure that’s not just your soggy bottom.”

“Darling, if you can find anything soggy about my bottom-”

“Wweeeeeell.” said Barbara in a high pitched voice. A blush spreading over the bridge of her nose before she could let her dirty joke be said. She tweaked Walter’s rocky rump cheekily. Her hand slipping between the cheeks made for another point she was making. “I’m sure there are ways.”

“Touché.” Walter blushed, straightening. 

“I believe it’s pronounced,” Barbara gave a chef kiss for effect, “Tushy.”

“You’re so right!” Walter swooned, draping a dramatic arm over his forehead. “I’m a fool! An absolute nincompoop!” 

“Alright nincompoowaaa!” The rest was lost to Barbara’s elated squealing at being picked up and hoisted over Walter’s shoulder. The pair of them giggling while pinching the other’s rump all the way to the bedroom. Where it certainly became hotter than hell’s kitchen. 

The following day Barbara and Walter made it their mission to see the Great Troll Bakeoff become a plausible reality. 

[megamanmodelaaa-fanstories]

Alpharad’s CPUCS - The Novel, Chapter 1: Welcome New Smash Brothers & Sisters! (Part 1)

7th December 2018, long awaited... has finally arrived!

In a Realm far from our reach, a special event called the “Super Smash Bros Games” opens up every few years where the best come together for a series of duels & competitions to reignite relations & create new ones. This particular one is the 5th in the line of many, marking the 19th Anniversary of these games.

Among those games, a particular set of Tournaments are organized to pit the best of the best against each other for supremacy & bragging rights called the “CPU Championships”, fully sponsored by a one “Alpharad”. No one really remembers why they were labelled with the abbreviation “CPU”, but the name stuck out of respect to those old traditions. The first of the CPU Championships (CPUC for short) is about to begin.

The sun rose to a huge crowd converging to see the first of the CPUCs take place. The streets were packed, some conversing, some running stands or shops, others organizing & watching over the festivities. Sometime later, a familiar voices echoes through the speakers to the masses’ ears… it was Mario!

Mario: “Thank you so much everyone for joining us today! We are-a happy to begin these Championships as we have always done for 19 Years! To begin & for a warm welcome, today’s Challengers will be this season’s Returners &-a New Comers! Let’s-a GO!”

The Coliseum Doors open as everyone rushes in to take their seats. While medieval in design, the Smash Coliseum houses the latest in recreational technology, allowing it to emulate almost any Battle Stage with various Hazards & Features. So it begins, the first ever CPUC of this season pits new comers & returning veterans against each other!

CPU Championship No. 1 Rules & Players:-

-Normal Stages

-FSM Allowed

-No Items

-No Hazards

-Tournament Bracket:

With spectators so excited you could hear them cheer thousands of miles away, Mario strikes the Smash Bell signifying the beginning... of the Tournament!

Match No. 1- Pichu vs. Incineroar

The battle started with both Fighters sizing each other up as they tried to fixate their footing on the moving stage “3D Land”, a very odd start for an opening Match. In reality however, one of the Competitors was a little uneasy about the match-up.

Incineroar: “(Is the audience gonna be OK with me pummeling this little guy?)”

Incineroar did his best to keep things even between him & Pichu to avoid any backlash, especially when you consider that most of this fan base are young passionate fans. All this wasn’t helped by the fact that Pichu was doing sloppily at first, and when he opened with a Headbutt Attack, he missed… nearly throwing himself out-of-bounds.

Pichu: “T-That was close… Sorry Mr. Incineroar!”

Incineroar: “Watch your positioning boy! (I need to handle this fight carefully…)”

Incineroar continues to pull his punches on Pichu, literally staging acts like nearly going out-of-bounds himself by falling behind & missing a Lariat Attack on purpose. But much to his surprise as soon as Pichu started landing a few hits, his momentum kept building up & eventually, he started showing acrobatics that are on par with the likes of Sheikh & Zero Samus! Even Incineroar couldn’t keep up with him!

Pichu wasn’t known to be the most capable Fighter many years ago because he never measured up to all the other competitors. But this time, it was clear to Incineroar & everyone else that this is a new Pichu standing before them!

Incineroar: “Have you been training?”

Pichu: “Y-Yes! Every day since I was invited again.”

Incineroar: “Then show me the new fire in you!”

They clashed without hesitation, sparks of fire & thunder flying with every punch, every kick, every grab, showing a passion for competition that is exactly what followers of these tournaments look for! With full vigor, the two unleash their Final Smash Arts, “Max Malicious Moonsault” & “Volt Tackle”! Incineroar tries to hold Pichu with his bare hands, but then Pichu slips right through sending a flurry of electric charges everywhere! Finally, the burning wrestler flies off the stage unable to recover back. The winner is… PICHU!

Incineroar: “N… Nice one boy. *Wheeze* should’ve known you had it in ya all along...”

Pichu: “S-Sorry Mr. Incineroar… & thank you!”

Match No. 2- Ridley vs. Ice Climbers

Nana: “Uuuh Popo, why does this guy look like the Pterodactyl who keeps stealing our vegetables??��

Popo: “Isn’t he the one people have wanted in these games for years? He looks kinda silly up close, haha!”

That last statement… could not be far from the truth; Ridley isn’t just vicious, but also has a troll like demeanor. The battle started out normally with both sides equally exchanging attacks… until.

Ridley suddenly grabs Popo by the face & drags his body on the ground towards the stage boarder… along with himself?! He then makes a hard stop at the last second, walking away from Popo with a wide grin on his face as if holding back laughter…

Nana: “Are you OK Popo?!”

Popo: “I-I-I’m fine… Come on, let’s get this maniac…!”

The two climbers reform & charge on ahead, but it’s becoming clear that Ridley’s earlier act was enough to throw their well-spoken teamwork out the window. Discoordination, miscommunication, losing track of each other, far too often have have they found them selves on opposite sides away from each other, & Ridley was taking full advantage of these missteps to further crush their focus. Even to the point of taunting the duo mid-fight.

Alas, while they were retreating to retrace & regroup, they’ve failed to notice the pit behind them & fell in together… & Ridley laughed & mocked them the whole way through. The winner is… RIDLEY!

Ridley: “RAAAAAHAHAHAHA!!”

Popo: “He played us… the whole TIME!”

Nana: “Calm down Popo, we’ll get another shot next time…”

Both Climbers leave the ring, with Popo clenching his fist in disgrace…

Match No. 3- King K. Rool vs. Solid Snake

Solid Snake: “A giant crocodile?? Is this karma for all the crocodiles Big Boss ate years ago??”

Otacon: “Careful Snake! He may look like a glutton, but he’s strong & also commands an army powerful enough to occupy an entire Island!”

Solid Snake: “OK then… Bring it on Big Croc!”

King K. Rool: “That’s KROC to you, Onesie Man!!”

Snake’s faster & more nimble, so the Espionage Legend had the towering reptile beat in Close-Quarters-Combat “CQC”. However, K. Rool’s body armour was harder than Snake was anticipating. More shockingly, the armour was also flexible enough to deflect & outsight counter attacks.

Solid Snake: “My attacks haven’t even dented that thing?!”

King K. Rool: “*BELLY SLAP!* Do your worst, stick figure! Hehehee!”

Snake slowly escalates towards using firearms & explosives, but could hardly scratch that armour, let alone launch him out of the ground! The Kroc King also started using his own trusty weapon: An unorthodox single barrel rifle that was throws opponents off with its ability to absorb anything into it. In desperation, Snake calls for his biggest gun.

Solid Snake: “Otacon, engage Covering Fire!!”

FIVE Large Missiles come flying in, all hit their giant green target... But fail to send him out. It was all looking futile as King K. Rool sends the Solider off with a single punch, a feat barely tons of Snake’s own were able to achieve. The winner is… KING K. ROOL!

Solid Snake: “Blast… I’m surprised no one calls you ‘Metal Gear Croc’…”

King K. Rool: “For the last time, it’s KROC!!”

Match No. 4- Wolf vs. Isabelle

Isabelle: “It’s a pleasure to meet you Wolf! Let’s keep it Clean!”

Wolf: “Hmph. They paired me with YOU? This must be a joke, I’ll end this quick.”

The match starts with Wolf dashing towards Isabelle as she….. Takes out a Fishing Rod?? Wolf was left confused, what could she be doing? There aren’t any ponds to fish in on this stage. Shrugging it off, Wolf dashes in to steal the opportunity, only for Isabelle to reel in, grab him then swing to the other side nearly flying outside!

Isabelle: “What do you think of this Rod? Bought it myself from my favorite store!”

Wolf: “You insolent little dog! You’ll pay for this!”

While Wolf continued to charge at the innocent looking Isabelle, she kept on playing with her Fishing Rod throwing him off at every turn. Even when he does see though that trick, she whips out something else unusual as a weapon: A Bug Catching Net, a Stop Sign, even some vegetables! It was becoming very hard to read this fragile-looking, yet versatile Fighter.

Wolf: “BOYS, GET IN HERE NOW & FINISH HEEER!!”

Wolf calls his Star Wolf Team to try & put her down the sights, but even that wasn’t working somehow, always missing at the last possible second.

Wolf: “Why. Won’t. You. FALL?!”

Isabelle: “Now now Wolf, anger isn’t good for your blood pressure. Teehee!”

Wolf was not having any more as he switches to a more aggressive approach to cover some lost ground, letting his claws loose as he flies everywhere around the Innocent Secretary. Then suddenly, Isabelle calls Tom Nook & the Nooklings for a plan of attack. But just as they were about to start, Wolf dodges to the other side for a counterattack... That unfortunately will not happen for as soon as he stops, a Gyroid pops out beneath his feet sending the unsuspecting pilot to the sky!

Wolf: “IMPOSSIBLLLLLLLLLLLE!!!”

The winner is… ISABELLE!

Isabelle: “Wish you a safe landing!”

& just like that, the first half of the CPUC’s first round of matches have concluded! How will the others fair? Who will come out on top? Will anyone else face the consequences of underestimating their opponent? Come back next time for Chapter 1-2!

Thank you for reading & have a good day! 👋🏻😄

[manifestoonmoralmanlove]

Gormless Chapter 6 – Tunstell’s mildew breath

A well-meaning friend gave me a book series that is hilariously bad. The first book was Souless and my riffs were entitled brainless. This second book is entitled Changless and these riff are then gormless.

I mean to say I have entitled them gormless! Not that my riffs are dumb, and the effort I spend on them stupid since I’m the only one who enjoys them. HAHA!

The story is SUPPOSED TO be about how a badass lady wearing a rad-looking carriage dress hits baddies with her umbrella and bangs her hot werewolf husband.  In reality it’s mostly poor attempts at being witty, flirty, and superior.

For the last book check out the brainless tag.

If you want the TL;DR version but want to read these new riffs anyway?

This story is set in supernatural Victorian steampunk England.  Alexia is our NOT LIKE OTHER GIRLS protag.  She is a soulless, which means she’s able to negate the abilities of vampires and werewolves by touching them. She’s recently married a big oaf, named Lord Connel Maccon.  He’s the manchild in charge of the supernatural police with a zillion dollars and he’s totes super hot too ok.  Their relationship is mostly arguments about how Maccon can’t tell her fucking anything.  Alexia has also recently become head of ~Soulless affairs~ in Queen Victoria’s government.  She has a dumb friend named Ivy, a gay vampire friend named Akeldama, a family who’s evil because they do the same shit as her but while being blonde, and most importantly Alexia is better than everyone cause…cause.

Last time on Gormless:

There’s some mysterious force that’s turning the Vampires and werewolves into humans. Alexia is in charge of figuring out that deal, and she is doing a bad job at it.  Her husband is in charge of the Supernatrual Police (BUR) so he’s going to Scotland about it.

Alexia is also going north to help her husband with a crew crafted for a comedy. and oh boy I can’ts wait.

Gormless Chapter 6 – Tunstell’s mildew breath

Last we left our hero she was toting around her bff Ivy, her evil blonde sister, Ivy’s crush but not fiancé Tunstell, and her maid Angelique.  As soon as they get on the dirigible, they are met with Madam LeFoux who’s definitely not up to something, and definitely doesn’t have a strained ex-girlfriends relationship with Angelique. NO WAY!

But like Kudos to LeFoux for leaving her shitty son who just nearly leveled a block of inner-city London on a whim with 1 caretaker who is a ghost who, due to being incorporeal, can’t do shit to stop him from doing it again.

As we all know, Felicity has gotta hit that evil quota and flirts shamelessly with Tunstell just to piss off Ivy.  I was about to type, “I’m not sure why Felicity hates Ivy” but then I remembered that Felicity is evil and she doesn’t need a reason har har.  Alexia, at one point catches Angelique and LeFoux talking angrily with each other on this one deck, so Alexia tries to listen in.  It basically boils down to, “Angelique you need to tell her!”  “I know but not right now!” while the both of them romantically touch each other.  

Alexia just thinks that they’re probably both spies. Lesbionage is a’ foot!

 LeFoux flirts with Alexia some more BLAH BLAH BLAH! Later on, Alexia goes back to her quarters to find that someone tried but failed to break the lock on her bag.

LE GASP!

But before she can come up with a half-baked idea about the culprit being a raccoon, aliens, or this was all occurring in an autistic boy’s snow globe…Ivy staggers in emotionally wounded. We learn that Tunstell has kissed her and Ivy has JUST NOW realized there is conflict here.  Alexia advises against Ivy breaking off her engagement in order to be with Tunstell.  Ivy points out that Alexia married for love.  Allow me to paraphrase Alexia’s responds, “Ehhhh I don’t know if I LOVE him. But I did wanna get dicked.”

REALLY!?

I had to suffer through a book of your petty arguments for you to marry a dude, not because you had a great deal of affection for him, but for his quality erections?!

…..damn what a boss.

(Picture of Alexia wearing huge sungalsses with the text, “Dick or GTFO.”)

So Ivy hees and haws about her uncertainty on the matter. Alexia asks her if she liked kissing him. To which Ivy describes her fated kiss with the love of her life with a single poignant adjective.

Damp

DAMP!?

I was half expecting her to go on to say, “..it was damp, musky, crowded, poorly-lit, with spots of mildew. Oh no wait Tunstell was showing me his basement not kissing me. It’s weird how I mix those two up.”

Fucking hell!  I feel like there are way better silly naïve descriptions you can make about kissing.

“It was like I was being fed warm fruit salad….His lips were like honeydew, his tongue like a curious slice of cantaloupe, his teeth unripe blueberries, and his fingers were adventurous spoons.”

If you want to write Ivy without any creativity just maybe, “It was like a hug…but with our faces.”  

But Alexia is half-listening to Ivy this entire time and treats this all like an annoyance that she’s above.  A part of me related to that, because that’s how I feel about this entire book series. However it’s kinda hypocritical cause Ivy was patient and supportive through all of Alexia’s ramblings on her romantic bullshit.  And let’s be frank here, Ivy’s conflict between marrying for love or stability is cliché but it is a complex and serious problem. Last book Alexia was mad that a woman sat next to Maccon at a party, even though Alexia herself purposely moved her seating away from him.  So pardon me if I find Ivy’s conflict more interesting than that, you utter dipshit.

This story has that narcissistic writing pattern of, “When it happens to the protag it’s serious, but it’s a joke if something more serious happens to a side character.”

So Ivy cries a bunch and nothing is resolved. NOW IT’S TIME FOR DINNER!

So the dinner looks gross so Alexia gives it to Tunstell to eat.  She also needs to join in on the catty chorus of all these women snidely fat and slut shaming women who are neither of those things.  LeFoux just kicks back and gays up the place.  

Tunstell suddenly gets sick and staggers out onto the deck.  LeFoux and Alexia go out to see him.  LeFoux makes the shocking discovery…THAT HE HAS BEEN POISONED! DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!

Say something nice Faps:

Ivy’s crush vs. fiancé is finally a problem

This story is getting gayer

There was a line where Felicity is like, “Hurmph you big old man impersonator LeFoux you don’t care at all for a woman’s appearance” and LeFoux is like, “NAH BRO I TOTALLY DO!” And that was genuinely clever and it made me smile.

Alexia admitting she’s not sure if she loves her husband, was something I was not expecting. I mean a part of it is probably ye olde tsundere bullshit.  However I like the idea that Alexia, even after marriage is not SURE.  Love is a process, and things aren’t fixed if you gets hitched. So I like that detail so there.

[comicteaparty]

June 29th-July 5th, 2019 Creator Babble Archive

The archive for the Creator Babble chat that occurred from June 29th, 2019 to July 5th, 2019.  The chat focused on the following question:

Whether intentional or not, what would you say is the central theme of your comic?

snuffysam

The central theme of Super Galaxy Knights Deluxe R http://sgkdr.thecomicseries.com/comics/ is, to put it in a word, acceptance. Accepting that you can't change the past, accepting that you can't control everything that happens in your life, accepting that other people come from different walks of life and experience different hardships from you, accepting that you can't change other people's hearts, and learning to accept yourself even when others don't accept you.

Attila Polyák

The story of Tales of Midgard https://talesofmidgard.com/comic/book-1-cover-page/ does have a central theme, but most of the story mostly follows events that allow the exploration of the world. That said... If you look at it closely you'll notice that the story does involve themes about free will and the results and consequences of an actions taken.

Respheal

Kinda hit me just now that the central theme of Galebound (http://www.galebound.com/) might be "real change comes from a place of love, not hate". Basically, even if you have "good" goals, trying to achieve those goals from a position of hatred will just destroy everything around you, while doing something because of love elevates everything. Also row row fight the power(edited)

Jonny Aleksey

The Undefeatable J-Man ( http://jonnyalekseydrawscomics.com/thelatestpage ) So when I starting writing up the series years ago the idea was always going to be about the relationship between J-Man and his father. J-Man having idolized his officer dad when he was little but growing more distance after he becomes a hero and does his own "cases" (like a kid trying to be grown up). The inclusion of sidekick Sleepy Bear evolved from a fun silly idea into being a sort of little brother to J-Man, forcing him into a guardian role before he's really ready. I guess in short the theme has become maturity and hero worship.(edited)

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

If Leif & Thorn (http://leifandthorn.com/) has a main theme, it's "communication." Partly because the characters don't share a first language -- and even as Thorn gets better at speaking Leif's, there are huge cultural differences that they need to figure out and talk through.

On top of that, if you dig down far enough, a ton of the problem-of-the-week type conflicts can be traced back to miscommunication! Someone hasn't explained themselves, or tried but didn't get it across very well, or explained it clearly but the other person didn't want to listen...

(The other problems are pretty much all about financial exploitation. Something goes wrong, it's either miscommunication or capitalism. Or both!)

But I'm A Cat Person (http://bicatperson.com/) is about broke recent college grads living on their own for the first time, but still making new connections and getting by with help from their friends. Also, immortal shapeshifters who need to be bonded to a human Master and will literally run down like a rusting machine if they don't get regular orders. There was a point when I figured the theme was "independence," but it's really more "interdependence."

...It's very political, but it takes place in 2010-2011, so the in-universe references have to be specific to that era. If they didn't, I'd be saying "stronger together" a lot more.

keii4ii

Heart of Keol (https://heartofkeol.com/) is about being let down by the one person you trusted, when you needed them the most. The feeling of "I'd thought they would care, but I guess that was too much to expect........" It's also about how you change (which hopefully includes healing -- though that isn't the case every time...) after such an experience. How that relationship changes afterward, and how it affects your other relationships.

Mharz

The Angel with Black Wings http://blackwings.mharz.com/ main central theme is "forgiveness" whether it's towards others or towards yourself. We've all been hurt before and sometimes depending on how tough it is, it can sometimes be so hard to forgive anyone even yourself. Some had so many tragedies happened to them that they had formed hatred towards the world that they just want to see it burn. Many of us formed self-loathing because we haven't achieve this kind of status we wanted for ourselves, or maybe we have blamed ourselves for something bad that has happened in the past. Forgiveness or lack thereof can greatly affect someone's mental health... and it doesn't just affect ourselves, but the people around us. CHAMPS http://champs.mharz.com/ aside from the slow-burn lesbian romance that's going on is about which victories are more important? The main characters, being athletes they'd want to win any match they can... but winning doesn't necessarily mean a satisfying victory. Sometimes you need to make a choice.

NeilKapit

What is this theme? Is it, according to that one guy from the Game of Thrones show, something for eighth grade book reports? Everyone knows storytelling is all about random shit happening to keep people in their seats, regardless of why.

Tuyetnhi

ha?

keii4ii

I think NeilKapit was making a joke about themes in general

Tuyetnhi

o

keii4ii

Not sure but my guess is he was sarcastically mimicking those who uh, don't "believe in themes"

Mharz

oh I thought it was pertaining to mine... becos my message was before theirs

I'm like did I say something wrong?

keii4ii

Nah, you're fine

Mharz

Ty keiiii

NeilKapit

It’s a joke based on a quote by David Benoit (sp?), one of the game of thrones showrunners, about how he approaches storytelling

It explains a lot about why the show went south so hard and so fast once they ran out of book material to adapt

Sorry if it sounded like I was dissing you or anyone here, I wasn’t

keii4ii

Thank you for clarifying

Mharz

it's good, bud. : D

NeilKapit

In all seriousness, the theme behind my comic We Are the Wyrecats (wyrecats.com) is coming of age in the worst possible way, with the protagonist having spent ages 18-22 in a coma, and awakening to a world where all the common sense heroism she and her friends tried to do ended up receiving a vicious backlash from the powers that be, where her friends have had to morally compromise in the name of survival, and where she realizes that people only allow you to do good on their terms

And what to make of things upon learning all of that

Nutty (Court of Roses)

In Court of Roses http://courtofroses.thecomicseries.com/ I'm trying to show the love, beauty, and power in self-expression, especially of the artistic kind and how versatile it can truly be. My bards will have a lot of challenges thrown at them to be solved uniquely with their talents!(edited)

Nutty (Court of Roses)

I wanna expand on that once they all start traveling together, as well as showing the importance of being able to seek help and comfort from others when you need it most.

Capitania do Azar

Haha central theme of my comic (www.sarilho.net/en/) is cooperation and this was super intentional because themes are super important and that's is why I spend so much time dealing with characters engaging in battle (edited)

MJ Massey

Not sure if this counts, but Black Ball (http://welcometoblackball.com/) is a deconstruction of the Great Gatsby and other 1920s literature which involves a lot of ironic tragedy. Emily is the common sense friend you wish all those characters had, because she has no time for that nonsense, and inadvertently comes in and makes people face their problems and, through that, become stronger, better people. While this is going on, she doesn't even realize that she's having an impact on people. Emily starts as sort of a passive doormat, being dragged around where her parents or the plot take her, but by the end she will find her own confidence and will become a more assertive person

Tuyetnhi

The main themes for OIYD! (http://oiydcomic.com/) is a combination of Fantasy vs. Reality, Truth and Lies, the scope of love, and the sacrifices or consquences made from those choices. Escapism, fantasies, and delusions often infer how we precieve our reality. And sometimes reality structures how these mindscapes are dictated. I want to explore such things under a romance between a dreamer and her dream, implications of trying to please your family and yourself, and what to do when your dreams can turn into concrete existence.(edited)

kayotics

Okay, so after some thinking, I think one of the main themes in Ingress Adventuring Company (https://ingress-comic.com/) is that healing isn't linear, and it can take a long time. That goes tied with the theme that sometimes there's more to people than what they show you. These aren't, like... SUPER obvious as themes yet, especially because most of the comic right now is a pretty light-hearted adventure story, but I think i'll get around to it.

deo101

Millennium's (http://millennium.thecomicseries.com/) main theme is really all about love, and overcoming great struggle through it. It's about healing and growth and finding your own family!(edited)

Jurinova

In it's core Home is a Distant Wish (https://tapas.io/series/hiadw) is about healing and finding one's own place in the world. It is about home but not just as a physical place but home as a feeling of belonging and safety, and most importantly about the right people. It is in many ways about people disconnected trying to connect again. There are more underlying themes that are a bit darker but I do like to think that the more hopeful themes are the dominant ones.

[randomnameless]

Chapter 10 - Miletos to Chalphy!

Here we are!

Finally, after 20 years, Oifey returns home!

Oldvis reaps what Arvis sown, Julia’s still useless and spooky figures appear.

Palmarch can’t believe it, Oldvis really wants to save the children??

Quick Palmarch! Use a rewarp staff! How’s that you don’t have any??

hm : forgot to screencap a panel - But Oldvis gives something to Palmarch.

However, what does he mean by “you were a confidante to Sigurd”? Palmarch wasn’t a part of our group on Gen 1, was he? Or was he Siggy’s pal from before? Maybe he is the court archbishop of Chalphy?

OMG here it is

OMFG

This, this line holds so many things, i dreamt of it so many times you have no idea. Julia doesn’t care about what happened, rather, “what happened” doesn’t matter, she never hated her dad. Now, what is that “what happened”? Is it the stories about Siggy and how Oldvis murdered everyone? When all of her LA pals were saying they hated Arvis because he killed everyone? Even in her amnesiac state Julia didn’t hate him? Or she didn’t care about her LA pals?

“To me”, is it “imo you’re kind” or “you’ve always been kind to me”?

Aw, Oldvis calls himself a fool was he a fool just like Reptor

I still can’t believe the “powerless to do a thing” angle.

You’re still the Emperor, how is that “i have given the empire to julius”? He is a mere prince, you’re supposed to outrank him. And Arvis calls him the embodiment of Loptyr, does that mean that he thinks Julius had always been Loptyr?

DEEDEE NO :’(

OTOH, Oldvis still sees Deedee as a material possession, “he took the love of my life from me” no he killed her, he didn’t take your toy away... Deedee warped Julia away.

maybe you wouldn’t have been sent in a war without tomes nor staves?

OMG JUGDRAL AU : JUGDRAL’S BEST MOM FOUND JULIA

At this point, Julia still thinks that it was Julius who killed Deedee. Or maybe she thinks it was Julius, but when she sees him afterwards she realises he isn’t her bro anymore.

“you had too many lines, the plot commands you to stay useless”

MANFROY NO JULIUS ASKED YOU TO KILL HER NOT TO BRING HER TO VELTHOMER

So Julia is a bargaining chip!

Just kidding, everyone with half a brain would know that she’s dead when Manfroy finds her, which he did so even if Oldvis managed to kill Seliph, Julia’d still be dead :)

what if Arvis learnt that Julia was with the LA? Would he have thought she was an hostage?

Again, Jugdral AU : The empire knows Julia is with the LA, and the LA knows who Julia is.

What do you have with your “people belong to someone else”? Still, it echoes what Oldvis said, now, the Empire belongs to Julius. But before?

what is the pain beyond the ken of mortal men? Turned into a deadlord à la Reidric? He already lost his wife, his son, his bro and his daughter, i doubt you could break him even more.

he is so evulz! Hee hee hee

HELP ME DAMN IT YOU HAVE THE STATS TO DO SO

LIAR YOU HAVE YOUR HW WITH YOU AND BIG SHIELD AND A STUPID SWORD YOU COULD REKT MANFROY DAMN IT

BECAUSE IT SAVED HER? I DON’T THINK SO

“ssh i can’t tell you but it’s important if you manage to survive long enough to find the hidden vault in Velthomer”

“HE’S GOING TO KILL ME ASAP”

“don’t worry about that”

Hopefully Arvis read the plot in advance!

Julia cries because her dad abandoned her to a certain death.

“you’re leading us to a cliff you know that?”

“in a certain manga someone has been able to swim through the silessian channel, so you can do it too!”

“That’s why you have to swim!” Eyvel drifted from Conote to Fiana, so you can do the same!

“i have faith in the crusader of Vala! Wait...”

Meanwhile, a child is concerned about his liege.

Daw, Alty takes care of this child. It’s so cute.

“Do you want a dragon ride? I’m sorry but we can’t do that in this game.”

OMG Alty’s going to have a res stat in the double digits!

I’d like to learn more about those spells that endanger the caster. Maybe casting without staves is dangerous?

Alty acts as a reponsible adult. She doesn’t want the sweet kid to die to save her.

Daw!

Alty helped him? Maybe when she hanged out with Hannibal or something, I’d like to see a pre FE-4-5 thing regarding Alty’s life. She’s made friends, managed to help a kid, spent quality Father-daughter time, etc... Eons away from the bleak life another manga tried to paint (i think it was LI?)

:’)

It makes it all the more heartbreaking when Cairpre decides to abandon Thracia to inherit his dad’s ancestral seat, if his dad had any. But in this verse Cairpre is Alec’s kid, so...

Safety first !

This was more heartwarming than I thought.

Ready steay go?

i implore of you make it so she doesn’t die to the first mage in the next map!

Seliph finally reaches the old man running away.

all i can to survive and he heads off to a cliff --> yay of course

It makes me think, Seliph most likely never saw the Tyrfing before. Maybe OIfey told him stories about his dad being even more op with Tyrfing?

i smuggled it - nope wrong divine sword!

I”ll finally be useful! Take that Cousin Leif!

Seliph’s surprised at his HW while Palmarch begs of him to end this chapter.

first of all, it’s not a return, because, just like Seliph pointed it earlier, he’s never been in Chalphy before. Secondly, what do you mean by endure?

Wrong Seliph! Julius’ still laughing at your silly sword, despite what the game wanted to do.

But Seliph can rekt Arvis now! Well, rekt is a bit presomptuous but...

Oldvis had been waiting for Seliph to come.

Ohoh, look at that pre-battle quote. Somehow, it feels forced - you called him courageous first, and now you’re calling him a worm? 

Of course Patty’s amazing. She will finally be able to promote in the next chapter!

Lene doesn’t like how this kid is surprised at seeing her here.

DASTARD

Meanwhile, after 20 turns of dodging, BS’ing and missing, Seliph finally kills his step-dad.

“Julia who?”

“lester if it is a prank i’m going to tyrfing you”

Seliph remembers someone he’s seen 17 years ago? Ameldha can’t say the same thing, in 20-ish years she forgot the face of her newborn :’(

“you know Shanan, Oifey and Aidean raised me”

“i don’t give a fig, bless F!Lewyn”

“you forgot Oifey and Shanan mom”

“of course i’m married to one of my friends! hey, praise me, i avenged dad and killed your second husband!”

? Seliph knows that Julius is his half-bro

“JULIA WHO”

“i forgot that you inherited sigurd’s dumbness - Julia doesn’t she look like me a bit? Has the same name as the imperial princess, my own daughter?”

“JULIA WHO”

Ohoh! Ghost!Siggy is here!

He isn’t the one to become arrogant, save for, maybe, killing Arvis. “i know, Shanan and Oifey and Aidean already made my education, you know?”

Arvis gave Palmarch the sword, Ghost!Siggy saw it from Ghost!Jugdral.

OMG Ghost!Siggy is a ghost of wisdom! “your truth is not the reality of all”, if only Siggy listened to this advice before turning into a ghost...

know the pain of the commons? You know, Seliph spent more time with the randoms than you did, Siggy, unless you’re talking about somehting else.

Note how Siggy asks Seliph to learn and to know about things, and how it is a contrast with what F!Lewyn has been doing to him since the beginning. Leif was allowed to learn and understand by August’s side, but when Seliph wanted to know and understand why the war in Thracia was crucial, F!Lewyn told him to return to Tirnanogue if he couldn’t continue to fight.

See you ghost!Deedee! Maybe you’ll appear to Julia one day - haha who am i kidding

stay humble my dad said

:’(

Chalphy has never been your home Seliph, and will never be. You’re supposed to go to Barhara! And I’ll smack you if you call this place your home when you were raised in Tirnanogue.

“ah yeah i nearly forgot my mom”

I HOPE YOU TURN INTO GOO JUST LIKE DUMA 

kill that guy/dragon, seriously, Julia’s been missing for nearly one chapter, he was supposed to be her caretaker, but he treat her like the punchline of Seliph’s romantic partner joke.

Ignoring the fact that, yes, Seliph is already married in this verse.

I really hope this changes in the remake

I WONDER WHY

“enough about julia, she’s starting to be important to the plot”

You feel Empty because vengeance sucks Seliph. Avenging Siggy isn’t the reason why set up on your quest, despite everything pointing in that direction. Seliph wanted to help the people, and wants to stop the child hunts.

The last map!

“I set up everything in advance for this big battle, crusaders vs crusaders. and julia is just a punchline lol”

The truth about dragons and crusaders or the truth about how i saved Jugdral’s messiah only to abandon her afterwards?