#so sorry if any of this information is wrong

[faggotbeloved]

Three Steps Ahead | Yandere!Albert Wesker x GN!Reader

2: Hazy (~2k words)

Cw: derealization, drugging, shock collar, manipulation, mild suggestiveness, electrocution, dead dove: electrocution, morphine, implied stalking

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You weren't sure how long you'd been there; a few weeks?

You think so. Four? Four sounds right. You could ask Albert for the date, but he'd probably lie.

You knew it was... well, was it June or August? It was... summer, you thought. Summer sounded right, and you thought you remembered the date being the 23rd of... you decided it was August. So was it now September? Had it really been years?

How had you gotten so out of sorts? It was only four weeks. Maybe it was the lack of any sort of communication. Just books and your thoughts. Maybe it was the hissing vents every half hour—carbon monoxide? No, you noticed the sensors the first day. Plus, Albert wouldn't be so uncaring.

Albert brought food at mealtimes and left to do work, coming back only at odd hours of the night to go to sleep in his bed. You elected to sleep on the couch instead. Maybe that was why he wasn't giving you anything nice.

As an experiment, you waited until Albert came by with lunch. "Hey," you greeted, anxiety coursing through your veins. Usually you ignored him. "Could you... stay for lunch?"

You pushed down the relief that overtook you when Albert gazed at you with satisfaction. That was bad, you hated him, you should hate him.

"Of course, darling. Something change your mind?" he asked smoothly as he strolled too close for comfort and sat down on the sofa with you. He took his gloves off to give you a half hug. Well, you suspected it was more the desire to feel your warmth through your shirt.

"Just some questions," you murmured as you opened the lunch and began to eat. "How long have I been here? And what's the date?" You tried, but assumed he'd give you the wrong information.

"You've been here for nine days. I brought you here July 25th, it's now August 3rd. I can show you a digital calendar, if you don't believe me," he answered truthfully.

What? Nine days? It felt like months. But Wesker was being truthful... how had you mixed up nine days with four weeks?

"...oh. No, I believe you. Uh, will I be allowed to go with you when you work on things? Just to get out of this place," you asked hopefully. You felt a twinge of disappointment when Albert laughed.

Albert took his sunglasses off to stare into your eyes. "I'n terribly sorry, sweetheart. You're just too much of a liability. You don't trust me, you want to escape, and you fought tooth and nail every time you saw me until I put that shock collar on... but now you want to be let into top-secret bioweapons discussions?" He cupped your chin patronizingly.

"...ah. I guess I see why l'd be not allowed. Well, could you at least take me out of here some time? I'm getting cabin fever," you bargained awkwardly. You hated getting reminded of that thing around your neck.

"I'll tell you what. If you stop avoiding me altogether, I'll take you out and let you see my office," Albert promised, thumbs tracing your cheekbones. "Does that sound good? When I'm working in there, I can bring you with me and you can amuse yourself however you like."

You nodded quietly and tried to think of what your next move should be. In a stiff fashion, you set your head upon Albert's shoulders.

You heard and felt Albert chuckle, then felt his hands combing through your hair. "I can see what your plan is," he continued, using your name for extra emphasis, "and it won't work. But I do enjoy you becoming clingy once more. Perhaps I'll do what you want, give you personal freedoms for your obedience. However, I'd much rather you learn your place and stay in it of your own volition. Don't worry, dear, I'll hold you through every identity crisis you'll have."

You wanted to push him off; you were sure he could tell you were annoyed with him calling you out, but you didn't move. In fact, you doubled down and placed your hand on top of his. You felt Albert grin. You ignored it and finished your food. Maybe he was right. Maybe it was just easier to... accept him. Chris would come for you, but was it worth it? Returning to the BSAA, fighting battles with people who would never give up, leaving Albert again.

...

No. No! You wouldn't let Albert—no, Wesker, you wouldn't give him the pleasure of familiarity—win. He'd kidnapped you, was isolating you, and probably wouldn't stop manipulating you until you were working alongside him. You resolved then: you'd fight even with the shock collar on. The pain was worth hurting Wesker. You hoped he still loved you, so seeing you in pain hurt him, too.

"Now, now, pet. The silent treatment? Don't you have anything to say to me?" Another beat, and Wesker spoke again. "Well, I do have things to get back to. You play nice, be a good dog and—"

When Wesker stood up, straightening his already-perfect clothes like the megalomaniac he was, you stood up with him and punched him square in the jaw.

You'd half expected Wesker to dodge it with the superhuman accuracy he was known for, but he didn't and you watched with sick pleasure as blood soaked spit dribbled down his lips.

He pressed a hand to his jaw, silently working the pain out of it, then looked at you with a disturbing mixture of excitement and anger.

"That's better. Well, I suppose not for you, but I was afraid I'd snuffed your fire. Hm. Still nothing to say?"

With that, you tackled him.

You pounced on him, bringing him to the floor with ease. He was going easy on you, and you knew it. That only made you angrier.

"I'm not your fucking dog; you're more dog than I am," You growled as you grabbed his throat and straddled his waist. When he grinned at you and canted his hips up, you slapped him across the face. "You're into that? Really?" You snapped, chest heaving angrily.

"The BSAA is gonna find me, Wesker. And I'm going to go back to them."

Uh oh.

That sentence seemed to sour his mood, and suddenly you felt the collar around your throat power on. "Wait—ah, stop!" You protested as Wesker pushed you off almost clinically and moved the coffee table so you had space to seize. All the while, you knew what was coming but scrambled up to beg him to stop.

He put it immediately to 5 mA, but you knew it was only the beginning. The shock hurt like a static shock but all across your body and inescapable. It was going to get worse. "Fuck—I'm sorry," you gritted out, sinking back to the floor.

15 mA now, you felt like you were slowly losing muscle control to near constant unpredictable twitches; you couldn't force down the screams. "Wesker, please!" You choked out, scrabbling desperately at the collar. He stood over you, glaring through his sunglasses, and turned it up.

You counted seven clicks, meaning you were at 50 mA, higher than he'd gone before. Your muscles all tensed into one other before returning to violent spasms, hands clenching around the collar and only hurting more. But he turned it up five more times.

75 mA. Fire flooded through your veins and you felt like passing out from the agony but you couldn't because the shocks kept you awake. You thought you were going to die. Black spots bled through your vision and all you could think of was, if I do die, at least Albert didn't win. Suddenly, the electricity was off, but you were still thrashing and realized you were crying.

"Shh, shh, shh. It's over, darling. You're okay now," Wesker cooed, scooping you up and seeing you down on the couch. "You see it now? You should never mention them again. You should never attack me again... unless I ask you to. And you should never say you'll leave again."

After a moment, Wesker put on a sweet voice. "You behave, and I won't have to hurt you. Your heart is beating just a little fast, I'll stay beside you to make sure the electricity didn't cause any adverse effects. You've got to stop forcing me to do this."

"Fuck you," you weakly sobbed, your muscles aching in pain. Wesker tutted and crouched beside you, cupping your jaw and tilting your head up.

"You'll see soon. You don't yet, but I expected that. Hm, your next dose is soon, I'll be back in a moment," Wesker coldly noticed, dropping your head abruptly and leaving the room. Once the door closed, you heard a dull hissing from the vents above and then you felt yourself floating away. The last thing you heard in the minutes of your waning consciousness was the door opening and Wesker's dark chuckle.

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You slept from lunch to early in the morning and woke up in a bed. Wesker's bed, you knew immediately, since not only did you solely sleep on the couch but it smelled just like him, like you were wrapped up in his trench coat.

Also, Wesker himself was holding you like a body pillow. Maybe that was the first sign. His face was buried in the crook of your neck, he had one arm under you and one arm over you like a hug, and his legs caged you in, to top it off.

You tried to wriggle away, but with his enhanced strength you doubted you'd be able to. You glared over at him and felt a twinge in your heart; the way he slept was the exact same as when you were dating. He wore a black long sleeve and sweatpants, plus socks, but his hands were bare, a rarity now what with his preference for leather gloves. You realized with no small amount of disgust that you were changed into pajamas that matched, underwear included.

You managed to get halfway out of his grip before he woke up and scowled. "Lay back down. I'm still tired, and it's only 5:00," he commanded.

"I'm not sleeping in the same bed as you," you replied angrily, but he reached into the headboard and sent a shock of 2 mA in your body to serve as a warning. "Hey! Fucking—fine, Wesker, I'll lay down," you grumbled as you surrendered to his cuddling.

"Albert," Wesker corrected. "I'm rather tired of hearing it from your lips—my surname, that is. Not nearly intimate enough. Every time you call me Wesker from this point forward, you'll get a shock. 10 mA sounds just fine."

"What? Wes—Albert, you just said it was 5:00AM. Isn't that a bit early to threaten me with electrocution?" You protested.

"Would you like to make it 15?" He replied coldly. "Stop moving. I had a perfect sleeping position."

It wasn't until 7:00, maybe 7:30 that Albert got up. That Wesker got up. You'd have to call him by his first name aloud, but you were still able to call him Wesker in your head. For now.

"Good morning," Wesker hummed, finally taking his arms off of you. A foolish part of you missed his warmth. "I have a surprise. I'd like to make up for yesterday's... punishment. Come to the kitchen, darling—up you go, good job. I can give you some morphine for your muscles, they must be in just agony."

You limped to the kitchen table, set for two, and didn't realize just how in pain you were until you felt a sudden lack of it and glanced over to see Wesker beside you with a needle in your neck. "Oh," you murmured in surprise.

"Excellent. You seem to not be bothered by needles," Wesker noted, to which you replied, "No, I am; I'm just in enough pain that I didn't notice it."

Wesker gave a quiet 'Ah' and turned around. He opened the fridge and you were surprised to see actual food inside it. You curiously stood and opened the pantry, then hummed in approval when you saw food in it, too. Plus, your favorite snacks, which you were surprised and a little creeped out by, since you'd only learned of some of them in recent months.

You sat back down, deciding to help yourself to whatever food you could get when Wesker made his breakfast and left for work. Instead, he made two servings of breakfast and placed the plate in front of you before sitting across from you. You furrowed your brow. "You're sitting to eat? Usually, you don't have time for that," you questioned.

"I took a day off. After yesterday, I'm sure you need help getting around and would like some company."

You bit back a bitter "Not your company," and nodded imperceptibly.

A day with Wesker. Seems fun.

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This could either be an opportunity for awesome hate sex or gentle sex or fluff or insane manipulation !!! Not sure I need thoughts and opinions

Read my other Wesker works?

[missvelvetsstuff]

Misunderstandings & Miscommunications

Bucky Barnes X Reader

Summary: Reader works as an administrator for the Thunderbolts* and quickly falls for the White Wolf. The team is hesitant to trust her and drama ensues.

Note: As usual I'm stuck in a story and starting yet another one. This has been rolling around in my head since we went to see Thunderbolts* so hopefully getting this out will help knock some inspiration for The Situation Room and No Benefits.

I've tried to keep the reader neutral but she is a she and as always taller than average.

Chapter 3

Note: When I used the name Carli for an antagonist, I wasn't even thinking about the Flagsmashers but one of the characters from when I used to watch General Hospital. Just remembered Karli from TFATWS as I was writing this chapter.

Warnings: Swearing, cannabis use, Thunderbolts* spoilers

The morning after they went out without Poppy, she found a coffee on her desk. Fresh, hot and her special order that she only splurged on when she needed a pick me up or to celebrate.

Before she had the chance to wonder who it was from, Bucky showed up "I hope I got it right. I felt bad leaving you alone last nite." he gave her a shy smile.

Poppy smiled back "It's perfect, thank you but you shouldn't feel bad, at least you offered. I get on a roll sometimes and can't tear myself away until the work is done."

"You should treat yourself more often, you work harder than we do."

Poppy sighed "I will once everything is set up, it's a pain getting a new office up and running." The phone started ringing and Poppy smirked at him "Sorry, my public awaits" before picking up the phone. Bucky left to meet Yelena in the gym.

Over the next few weeks Poppy & Bucky became closer, always sitting next to each other at meals, meetings and movie nights. Hands and legs just barely touching but both were nervous about going any further. They often went for coffee on weekend mornings and went to the diner around the corner for lunch a few times.

Poppy knew that Val wouldn't be happy if she got involved with anyone working with the team, too much potential for drama. But she couldn't help herself, Bucky was so handsome and sweet, in a gruff sort of way.

Carli always seemed to be skulking around, pouting and glaring when she saw them together. One evening at dinner, she tried to take Poppys usual seat next to Bucky when Poppy was running late but Bucky stopped her by putting his hand on the seat, without even looking at Carli "That's Poppy's spot."

She snarked back "I didn't know we had assigned seats."

Bucky sighed, still refusing to look at Carli "We don't but Poppy sits with me."

Carli scoffed before moving to take another seat. She gave Yelena a look which Yelena returned with a tight shake of her head before going back to her food.

Bucky noticed their entire interaction and decided to speak to Yelena after dinner.

Poppy was getting snacks and drinks for herself and Bucky to sit and continue watching Schitts Creek while Bucky went to talk to Yelena.

Bucky found her in her room "What are you and Carli up to, Lena? You can't still be trying to prove that Poppy has secrets, like we all do, are you? It's been weeks and you haven't found any scandalous information on her at all. I think it's time to let it go."

Yelena shook her head "There is something wrong with her. I don't know what but I can feel it in my gut."

Bucky sighed "There is something wrong with all of us, that's how we ended up here. You two need to give Poppy a break."

Yelena scoffed "You're too busy thinking with your little head so you don't see that she's a problem."

Bucky blushed "Drop it, Yelena. Unless you come up with some proof then let it go." he insisted.

Yelena just shrugged as she closed her bedroom door on him.

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

One evening when Poppy was cleaning off her desk before heading to dinner Carli walked by with Yelena, both of their voices lowering. Poppy sighed, this was getting ridiculous. Suddenly, Carli was in her office and closing the door.

"We need to talk, puppy" Carli sat on the side of Poppy's desk.

Poppy stared at her coldly "What do you need now, Carli?"

Carli gave her an evil grin "I need you to stay away from my man."

Poppy looked confused "What are you talking about?"

Carli snarled "Don't play dumb with me. I see you staring at Bucky with those heart eyes. It's pathetic. He's not into you, he's mine!"

Poppy glared at her "First, I don't treat him any differently than anyone else and second but more important, it's not wise to threaten the woman who can fire you and make sure you have a rough time finding work. Now get out of my office."

If looks could kill, the one Carli was giving Poppy would have ended her. She spat "This isn't over, Puppy." and stormed off.

Poppy took a breath to calm herself before locking up her office and heading to the dining room for dinner. Jeffrey had made one of her favorites, Beef Stroganoff. She sat in the almost empty dining room and dug into her dinner. As she ate, the team and others wandered in, Ava and Bucky came to sit with Poppy. Carli glared from across the room.

The next night Poppy and Bucky went to the diner for dinner. They ate and talked about everything. They shared a love of science fiction and fantasy, books and movies. Not to mention they were both fascinated with science and all the advances in tech since the battle of New York.

They finished their food and kept talking about Bucky's past, living through the depression, big band music and dancing, the Stark expo, taking care of Steve, his mom and sister.

While they waited for the pie they ordered, someone entered the diner and came stomping over to their table. Carli, who glared at Poppy but smiled sweetly when she faced Bucky. "I was getting worried about you two, you've been gone for hours and Bucky didn't answer his phone."

Bucky pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked at it "Oh, battery's dead. I didn't even realize, sorry. What do you need? Is there an emergency?"

Carli looked down at the floor "No, I was just worried about you."

"I'm a century old super soldier, I can handle myself on the streets for a couple of hours. We'll be back later."

Carli tried to invite herself to join them "I'd love to have some pie and coffee and I-."

Bucky looked at her, annoyed "You can take it to go."

Carli stormed off while Poppy giggled and Bucky winked at her.

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On Friday evening after dinner Poppy and Ava excused themselves for some girl time. Every week when they were at the tower and not off on some mission they always hung out on Friday night.

Bucky went to his room and paced, unsure what he should do. He was really enjoying the time he spent with Poppy. Besides everything they had in common, she made him feel safe, like he could be himself without worrying about being judged. He wondered if Val had rules about employees dating then realized he didn't really care what Val thought and-

A knock on his door, he sighed and opened the door to see Carli standing there in a tiny red dress, very high heels, way too much make up and her hair teased out. His eyes grew wide and he tried not to laugh at how ridiculous she looked.

He caught a laugh and cleared his throat "Uh, hey Carli what's up?"

Carli looked up at him and fluttered her lashes "Some of us are going out dancing and I wanted to see if you want to come with us?"

Bucky froze for a moment trying to think of an excuse because he had been out dancing with Carli and her friends before but had hated it. The music was too loud and all the "dancing" looked like foreplay to him.

He shook his head "No, thanks. I need to catch up on my sleep. I'm still getting used to this place. But thanks for asking, hope you have fun."

Carli pouted and leaned into him so that she was about to spill out of her dress "I can make it worth your while. I've been told I give great head."

Bucky backed up blushing and stammering "Uh, I uh, you know well uh shit, I... ahem, Look Carli, You're a nice person but I, I just don't see you that way."

"Oh" her pout fell and was replaced by an angry glare that she quickly wiped from her face and smiled sadly "Well, that's fine. I was just trying to be nice. I'll see you around." she turned and quickly left.

Bucky stood in his doorway for a few minutes before making a decision, closing the door and stalking down the hall to Yelena's room. He knocked on the door and entered when he heard her call out "Come in".

Yelena was sitting back on her bed, book in hand. "What's up, Barnes?"

Bucky paced before she insisted he sit down "Jesus, Barnes, relax what's going on?"

Bucky sat but his leg kept bouncing.

Yelena laughed "Must be serious if you can't even sit still."

"IthinkIhavefeelingsforPoppy!" he blurted out.

Yelena looked at him, shocked "Really? Even though we know very little about her and she works for Val? Dating her feels like a bad idea. What about Carli? I'm pretty sure she wants you and we know her."

Bucky shook his head "Ugh, no I definitely don't like Carli. She's too aggressive and likes what people today call dancing. No, definitely not Carli. It's Poppy but I don't know how she feels. I don't want to cause a problem with the team or with Val."

Yelena sighed "I don't think it's a good idea to get involved with her but I guess you should talk to her."

Bucky looked at her, wide eyed "But I don't even know how to talk to women anymore. "

"Here, just practice with me. Pretend I'm her" Yelena replied

Bucky was quiet for a minute while he tried to think "I don't know what to say."

"Just, say the truth."

Bucky cleared his throat and words rushed out "I'm not very good at this anymore but I really like you, I mean spending time with you makes me feel human again so I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me?"

Yelena nodded "Perfect, go find your girl but don't blame me when you find out I was right about her."

Bucky went to find Poppy but her door was closed and she didn't answer when he knocked. He decided to tell her in the morning and went to try and get some sleep.

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Poppy and Ava were Ava's room, giving each other facials and pedicures while chatting.

Poppy told Ava about Carli trying to interrupt her and Bucky.

Ava laughed at how Bucky was treating Carli "She's such a pick me, desperate for attention. When Bucky ignores her, she tries to make him jealous by hanging onto John but he's still obsessed with his wife and Bob wants nothing to do with her. You have to come watch training sometime, it's entertaining."

Poppy chuckled "She has a real problem with me and I don't know why. I've never done anything to her."

Ava rolled her eyes "It's because Bucky likes you."

Poppy scoffed but felt the butterflies in her stomach fluttering "As a friend, that's all. We both like science and sci-fi/fantasy, that's all."

"Poppy, I don't believe you can't see it. He totally has a crush on you. He's always watching you when you're in the room and looks so sad when you leave. You should tell him that you like him." Ava insisted.

"You're imagining things, he does not look at me like anything."

"Poppy. Go tell him before he thinks you aren't interested and takes Carli out. Trust me, I see everything and he likes you."

Poppy sighed "Do you really think so? What if he doesn't and I just make things awkward for all of us?"

Ava shook her head "Just go. If he says he isn't interested then I'll tell him I dared you. Go!"

Poppy walked carefully down the hall towards Bucky's room but stopped when she heard his voice coming from Yelena's room "I don't know what to say."

Yelena replied "Just say the truth."

Bucky cleared his throat and words rushed out "I'm not very good at this anymore but I really like you, I mean spending time with you makes me feel human again so I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me?"

Poppy felt her stomach drop and her eyes filled with tears before she quickly turned around and raced back to her room. She just couldn't face Ava and locked her door before throwing herself onto the bed. Of course he wasn't interested in her, not when he was surrounded by beautiful and deadly women like Yelena and Carli. Why on Earth would he want some plain, boring, Amazon sized office manager?

@preeyas-world

[itsdawnforyou]

I only got three more specials before 13's era is over but honestly?? Its really not as bad as everyone said it is. There are some things here and there, like how they crammed 5 storylines into Flux when it really wasnt necessary to have SO MANY characters and storylines and everything going on at once, but other then that I really liked it!

Her first season was fantastic, I wouldve liked a bit more development for the fam aside from like 2 defininng traits, but it was much more then I expected them to have, tbch. I liked how you knew them but not well enough to predict what they would do. When graham went after tzim shaw, I didnt know if he was going to get revenge and shoot him or not, and I wasnt even sure if I was rooting for him to do it! (Well, I mean, I was rooting for him, but to do it on a roundabout way because I think losing the doctor mightve been a bit of a large toll for revenge).

Season 12 had a banger of an opening two parter, but im kind of unsure about the rest of it. I dislike how they connected small details together for a larger story line through the individual episodes, even tho they werent very big at times.

Flux season was definetly my favorite because while, yes, we dont even get a second to breathe, it gives you the same feeling of what the doctor is going through. There are 100 problems, you need to solve them all and oh right by the way the universe is dying around you, good luck!

I think Flux was designed that way purposefully. After the Timeless children everyone probably didnt know what to do with that information. It was probably a huge well of "not my doctor!" And "retcon this!!", so flux is there to show the audience, and the doctor herself, that she is still The Doctor. Who she was before, the parts she doesnt remember? That wont change who she is now. Who she has become. Infact, it might even make her more determined about that the more she learns!

Over these three seasons two things I ABSOLUTELY adored are: 1- my psychic/telepathic exploration of the doctor. I want to see her being an alien, I want to see her companions just going "i dunno" when someone asks them why she's holding her head and having a convo with herself.

2, and its a big one- THE TARDIS. There were so so SO many scenes inside the TARDIS. And we also got the doctor talking to the TARDIS again! Give me more doctor bonding with their oldest companion! I want more tardis beep boops and the doctor starts talking to the ceiling/console and the companions look at them like they have gone MAD.

You know what? Give us a telepathic companion that joins after a different companion. I want them to walk in and go "oh gosh im so sorry I didnt realise- are you sure its okay if I step- oh okay-" and the older companion looks at them all funny for how they are walking like the floor is lava and talking to the air while the doctor frowns because no one usually notices- ohhhh theyre telepathic that makes more sense, type thing. Having to explain to the human/older companion that the ship is SENTIENT and then watching the companions both wince everytime the doctor uses the rubber mallet to do final adjustments.

Anyways- if anyone got any thoughts about 13's era and why im absolutely horribly wrong and it was completely and utterly bad, please let me know! I always like reading other perspectives. Just.. be nice about it? :D

[imadhatt3r]

Am I insane or are Joker and Akechi low-key equivalent to Adam and Eve in the 3rd semester

- Maruki's palace has some heavy "Garden of Eden" themes, with it essentially being a paradise where people live free of suffering and strife but also in a kind of blissful ignorance of themselves. The highest structure is LITERALLY named Eden, with a garden and an apple tree with a snake and everything. Maruki oversees everything as God, one who gave this wonderful place and unburdened lives to people.

- 3rd semester Akechi was born out of Joker's cognition thanks to Maruki, just like how Eve was born out of Adam's rib; There's also the fact that Joker wanted Akechi alive again so that they might try starting their relationship over and due to his regret over how their relationship ended up- which parellels Adam's desire for a companion. Joker and Akechi are the only two people in Maruki's reality who feel that something's not right (at least at first), making them truly uniquely cognicient beings, kind of like how Adam and Eve were uniquely intelligent among all the other life in Eden (given that they could talk and were chosen to be the caretakers of all other creation).

- In the bible, it was Eve who convinced Adam to eat the apple and gain awareness; In the game, it's Akechi who manages to convince Joker about the truth of what's actually going on around them.

- Once Adam eats the apple, he and Eve are banished from Eden by God, forcing them and all the other humans in the future to live on Earth, where they have to suffer from hunger, illness, pain, and all the other things they never felt while in Heaven. Joker and Akechi go after Maruki with all the other phantom thieves- their consciousness allowed them to disobey their "God" and destroy his reality, causing them and all humanity to return to the original world, where they have to suffer from heartache and other emotions they were free of in his "Paradise". Not to mention that they themselves will suffer too- Joker will have to live without Akechi, mourning the relationship they could have, while Akechi will literally stop existing. If they obeyed, they could still both exist together (even if it would be in a way they don't want).

- Adam and Eve are, of course, positioned as a "pair of opposites", given that Abrahamic religions see men and women as opposite "forces". Almost every aspect of Joker and Akechi mirrors eachother, from designs through personalities to places they occupy in their lives. There's also the fact that Adam and Eve were sort of destined for eachother, made for eachother by God, just like how Joker and Akechi were destined by gods to be rivals and opposites.

- "Rebellion" in general is one of the main themes of the game, and Adam and Eve can be seen as humanity's first rebels by going against their creator (or at least that's one possible interpretation). Joker and Akechi are P5's protagonist and deuteragonist, the two main thematic characters of the game; Them being united together AS A DUO (unlike during the Shido situation, where they had the same goal but mostly worked separately) against a shared God-like opponent who is trying to take away their free will is kind of like if God wanted to take Adam and Eve back and wipe their minds, and Adam and Eve fought together like hell to stay free.

- This is really minor, but there is a Mementos dialogue about Akechi eating a single apple for lunch every day... 👀

[angstfactory]

"Oh yeah?" Tripps questioned, keeping his tone light and an easy smile on his face, "well thanks for telling me, I'll keep that in mind. I'll pencil that in to my journal so I don't forget." These words were followed up with a cheeky wink, back to doing his best to keep things unserious.

Winter appeared to be a nice guy, that much was clear. But Tripps wasn't about to let down his guard and let it all hang out. They were still more strangers than not, so how was he to implicitly trust any of this? Winter could say one thing and yet, when push came to shove, might still get turned off for the very reasons Tripps figured he might. He'd seen that kind of stuff happen in real time. Besides, what if he let this information slip out? Accidentally or not, it was a risk, and a high one at that, with the other man's condition. This memory issue didn't seem to have any rules, so even if he asked Winter to keep things between the two of them, he might not remember to do so. Or worse yet, he might write it all down and that post-it note got into the wrong hands somehow. It all might sound like a silly thing to be concerned about, but to Tripps, who had spent half his life as some social fungus, the reputation he had cultivated since meant everything to him.

Quite simply, he would rather Winter see him as the hot musician and he was sticking to it.

"And hey," sitting forward, a smirk at his lips, "don't think you can just say you feel fluttery around me, and think I'll miss that you never answered my questions." Though he wondered if Winter had actually forgotten they were asked at all? Tripps couldn't tell, but he would rather keep their conversation focused on the other man. "Who got you into quilting?" he reminded, "and how'd you get involved in something like beekeeping?" And, honestly, he was curious to know. "Or.." he paused, uncertain once more, "is it because you can't remember?" Maybe that was why Winter hadn't answered.

The hand was rifling through the hair again. "Y'know," he reached out himself this time, to brush fingers gently through the strands of Winter's hair, "I really am getting concerned your hair is going to fall out." Tripps had mentioned it before, and did so now, because it had to be a stress action. Was he stressing him out? "Sorry," his gaze dropped once again, "I didn't mean to imply you can't make your own decisions... I just mean that I feel like a jerk."

It was pretty clear that Tripps had a lot going on in his head right now. It was like Winter could see the wheels turning behind his eyes, and for the first time it struck him that maybe Tripps was working hard to come across a certain way, breezy and light and carefree. Usually that wasn’t easy as people made it look, Winter knew that. It reminded Winter a little of himself actually. He often acted like he wasn’t weighed down by his memory issues, but what he had lost, what might never be found, but so often he was actively working to suppress that and to act like everything was okay. It was exhausting. It was like wearing a costume that didn’t quite fit, one that made him feel hot and sweaty and restricted, like he couldn’t move without the fear of stumbling to the ground. So maybe they were very different people, Winter and Tripps, or maybe they had much more in common with each other than they thought. 

Sitting on Winter’s bed, he continued to observe Tripps, seeing just the tiniest of cracks in his façade. Yeah, he was on to something. “You know,” Winter said, “you don’t need to be perfect for me. You can allergic to bees, or afraid of them or whatever. You don’t have to be the cool, hot guy who makes me feel like…fluttery inside.” Winter paused, laughing as he reasoned, “I’m a guy with pretty severe memory issues who is a beekeeper and quilter. Does it seem like I’m the kind of guy who cares about what’s cool?” He rested his hand on top of Tripps’s, hoping to reassure him. “Even a silly, nerdy version of you is going to make me feel fluttery inside.” Winter knew it was wild that he already had a crush on Tripps - yes, he was ready to just admit it - when they had only just met, but it didn’t feel like they had, and really Winter knew they hadn’t. Even if he couldn’t remember it, Winter and Tripps had a history, so maybe that helped him get past some of the initial uncertainties. He linked fingers with Tripps, giving his hand a squeeze as they kissed. 

But then Winter backed away, releasing Tripps’s hand. Had he totally misread this? Tripps definitely didn’t seem to be as into the kiss as he was. It wasn’t until Tripps explained that Winter understood, and he told the man, “I’m forgetful, but I’m not…I’m not someone who can’t make decisions for himself. I know what I want and what I don’t want.” And what he wanted was the kiss Tripps again. But maybe Tripps didn’t want that anymore, and he was just too nice to say the real reason. Running his fingers through his hair, Winter said softly, “You’re not taking advantage of me, but if you don’t want this, it’s okay.” It wasn’t okay, but it was too. He wouldn’t want Tripps to force this if he wasn’t feeling it. 

[no27-chilis-honda]

okay im glad to see that everyone's getting weird shit in the indyblr and nasblr universe, and here's my hottest take: quite frankly being this entitled to an athlete's personal life and political views is fucking weird

[purgaytorysupremacy]

oh nuts. a life experience has given me a new layer of perspective on Cas's homosexual declaration of love to Dean.

recently I had occasion to tell a person I had feelings for them knowing full well they didn't feel even a twinge of the same thing for me. while the whole thing was a decidedly unpleasant experience, I kept laughing at myself internally bc I didn't want to say "the happiness is just in saying it" like fucking Castiel over here. (we don't need to talk about it, it's fine.) (I am happier having said it and it's kind of bullshit, but I digress.)

because the thing is, the happiness isn't in just saying it, right? the happiness is in the having. I made a whole TikTok "proving" that the Empty didn't come for Cas when he confessed his love, but rather when he realized Dean loved him back. even for Cas, the happiness was in the having, not in the saying, however brief it was.

and I've always been one of those people who rolled their eyes at the whole concept. why would the happiness be in just being, in just saying it, if it's right there in front of you to have. and then it hit me like a tonne of bricks (as I was washing my kitchen counters).

Cas really didn't think he could have Dean.

at all. in any capacity. he really, truly, and honestly felt to the depths of himself that Dean did not have any twinge of similar feelings, that this really was a Hail Mary shot-in-the-dark. and I think me, personally, really didn't understand that about Cas. that his belief in his love being unrequited was that unshakable.

something else I've been pondering is how audiences have so much more empathy for fictional characters who share traits that IRL they find objectionable and unappealing. but the thing is about fictional characters is that we follow them around in their most private, vulnerable moments. we see Dean mourning Cas when he dies, literally killing himself because he can't live without him, but it's so easy to forget that we're the omniscient ones here.

Cas never knew.

Dean's whole thing was pushing him away, keeping him at arm's length, making it seem like whatever heroic thing he does for Cas he'd do for anyone. he downplays how important it is for Dean to share the Deancave with him, to show him his favourite movies, share his favourite songs. he acts like the things Cas does for him don't mean that much to hide how much they do mean. he uses "we" whenever he even gets in the vicinity of expressing a feeling. "We were worried." "We're glad you're back." "We needed a win." "You're our brother." The audience knew the difference. We saw how he'd clench his jaw or swallow hard or make a face that said "God, I'm being such an idiot". Because we saw him in those little moments. We got to see the cracks in the mask.

but Cas never knew.

the self-hating angel of Thursday was never going to think it was all a way for Dean to protect himself. obviously, that's the delicious tragedy of it all, but what I think I realized at the end of all that is Cas confessing his love to a Dean who didn't love him back wouldn't have worked. Because the happiness really is in the having. If happiness was just in saying it, then The Empty would have come before Cas even finished getting the words out of his mouth.

so Cas's plan wouldn't have worked if Dean didn't love him back.

this is just me yapping on about my own nonsense, but I do think it's really interesting. there's contentment in "just saying it". there's freedom and relief and an unburdening. I think one can argue that it makes being happy in the being easier. there is certainly some joy in telling a person you think that highly of them. but true happiness?

nah.

true happiness is always going to only be in the having. Cas didn't understand the difference until he experienced it, and by then, it was too late.

[themyscirah]

Complaining abt Suicide Squad yet again but the fact that they have Waller exposing the alien community to space racist attacks and talking abt how she got to her position through deceit and being a terrible person and stuff is just. Ahsfiwueh JUST SAY YOU DONT KNOW WALLER.

Anyways literally the 3rd mission of the Squad ever (and the first framed as smth Waller picked and not orders from above) was the Squad discrediting and stopping a rogue vigilante who was only arresting POC and funneling white people into white supremacy groups (of which he was the most prominent member) in SUICIDE SQUAD #4. and it's explicitly framed as this mission being personal for Waller that she's hiding from the government bc its illegal like. Guys. Please why are we having her incite (space bc comics) racist attacks now

Also the whole "Amanda got her position through deceit and being a terrible person" NO. she KEPT her position through being shitty and playing complicated political games!!! She wasn't always that way like there is a difference and it is IMPORTANT ppl PLEASEEEE. In Secret Origins #14 we learn Amanda's backstory and she used to be a normal, caring person! Like even after she entered into working in government and politics she wasn't automatically morally bankrupt like please people. She was originally given control of the Squad by Reagan (*sigh* 80s comics...) to distract and get rid of her because she was so successful at pushing progressive social policy in Congress. Acting like she's this static pillar of evil is such a waste of her character and so fucking uninteresting and disrespectful to her arc it drives me MAD.

Like I am NOT saying Waller is all sunshine and rainbows, she fucking SUCKS (said w love <3) but like there's a human being there. It's a progression, she has a character arc like please, DC, please!!! They've fucked up Waller so bad and made her so opaque and uninteresting she can't even be the protagonist of her own story for fucks sake!

Like I don't know how many times I have to scream it until DC hears me or remembers but WALLER IS THE MAIN CHARACTER OF SUICIDE SQUAD. ITS HER BOOK. yet right now she's a cutout to be used as the villain wherever the writers please. Even in her book we get none of her perspective really displayed, no exploration of her thoughts with any kind of understanding of the role she traditionally has played and was made to play in the story.

[spidermanifested]

More in depth dental run theorys from a guy who has not been paying attention to what anybody else is saying about it. #spoilers (for both new dr chapters and ghost trick the game thats been out for 15 years)

i have to give some background information so everyone is on the same page so the game ghost trick (released 2010 for the nintendo ds) is about a disembodied soul who doesnt remember anything about themself except that they apparently just died and their corpse is lying ass up in a junkyard. here are some more facts about ghost trick.

you can interact with the physical world with your soul by possessing objects

you can also travel back in time to undo deaths

eventually the game drops the insane twist that yomiel, the guy whose body you thought was yours, is actually a completely different person, and he too has ghost powers. which hes been using to puppet his OWN CORPSE around. for years

asgore-esque character pictured above is a former cop named jowd. jowd has a dead wife and an alive daughter and a sometimes-dead adopted-daughter/mentee-figure

hes also the one who indirectly got yomiel killed when he was younger during a standoff gone wrong and he fully knows how terrible this was. that did not stop yomiels ghost from doing some ghost tricks and setting up a rube goldberg wife murder machine in jowds house, for revenge, but because a fucking ghost did it, the only 2 possible suspects were jowd and his daughter, so to protect his daughter he turned himself in and now hes on death row

jowd has a very special good friend named cabanela who calls everyone baby. i dont think his role in the plot of ghost trick is as relevant to tjis post as the fact that he looks like that, is close to jowd and has a very specific pet name he calls people. but who knows at this point

So what im not saying is that toby fox is pulling 100% from the plot of ghost trick because that would be boring. but what i AM saying is that between the soul mechanics in chapter 4, and the thing about asgore having been chief of police but something happening that made him quit and become epic divorce man. i would bet most if not all of my money that ghost trick was an influence on this game. and specifically here is what i think as a result of that

i think that kris may be um. Dead? or close to dead. And the soul we are playing as is somebody elses, and we are sharing custody, as it were. of their body.

i do not know How this soul would have gotten into kris' body. i mean gee you might need some kind of secret facility to do something like that. And i imagine considering kris is so reliant on it (they seem fucked up whenever the soul isnt controlling them, constantly described as looking tired and sick, shuffling around like they can barely move) then theyd probably consider themself indebted to whoever saved their life......

you see what im getting at right i am looking at carol i think carol may have put kris in a literal life debt situation. and given that shes apparently been collecting Heart Shaped Objects for years and the holidays and dreemurrs have been close since the kids were really young. i cant Not suspect she was planning to do it the whole time

and, if thats the case, setting asgore up to accidentally hurt kris & then swoop in as a savior would be a pretty smart move i think? and it would Definitely explain the divorce, and why toriel has custody, and why asgore is trying so hard to make up for everything. the only sticking point im having is that this would paint carol in a really unambiguously evil light and thats not how this series has done its characterization so far

but aside from that. the most important remaining question is obviously, "whose the fuck soul is that". because i dont think you find transplantable human souls just lying around. and it really doesnt have any basis in anything like the rest of this does but i think itd be really really funny(/horrifying) if we pulled a reverse undertale and it was frisk. sorry kris the ghost baby in your brain is choosing between your impulses at random they dont know what theyre doing sorry sorry sorry sorry

this is the springboard for like 90% of my mental deltarune theorycrafting right nowand im not even joking that much

[lyxchen]

I feel like I'm digging myself deep into a hole and finding nothing, trying to figure out more about In-ho's family

[pomegranate-vinegarete]

@the-nerds-in-black I am often thinking about your writing just so you know, it lives in my brain now just so you know.

[kissedkyle]

witch/ranma au ~~ Yashiki reference sheet

I'm still working on designs for the other mark bearers [mainly Daimon and Mashita atm] but if you have any ideas or suggestions lmk what to add !!

[autisticburnham]

For those unaware, during the production of TNG, Star Trek bought the rights to a script from David Gerrold called Blood and Fire, which focused on the Enterprise coming across a derelict ship whose crew had been infected with Regulan Blood Worms, a creature so deadly that according to regulations, any place found to contain them should be immediately sterilized and destroyed. This was supposed to be a metaphor for the public's fear of HIV/AIDS, and according to Wikipedia, Gerrold apparently later stated it was supposed to specifically represent the fears surrounding giving or receiving a blood donation, and the episode would have ended with a card with information on how to help the Red Cross. Famously however, the B plot was supposed to include a gay couple on the Enterprise, which would have been Star Trek's first gay couple.

Despite buying the rights to the script, members of the production staff, namely Rick Berman, worried that it would be too controversial and never produced the episode. It would eventually have three adaptations though. The most well known, after UPN's parent company decided they wanted to do an AIDS Awareness week and mandated that all of their shows have a very special episode, the Star Trek Enterprise crew drug up the script and very, very loosely adapted it into 2x14 Stigma. Gerrold would also go on to adapt the story into his original novel series, Star Wolf.

Relevant to this post however, is the fan made series Star Trek: Phase II, later renamed New Voyages, which is supposed to be the later years of Kirk and crew's five year mission. They received permission from Gerrold and adapted it into their fourth and fifth episodes, Blood and Fire Parts 1 & 2. This is by all accounts a much more faithful adaptation of the original script than Stigma. And one half of the gay couple present here is Peter Kirk, Sam's son and one of the survivors from the tos episode Operation: Annihilate!, who has since joined Starfleet and found a position on the Enterprise. Episode is also notable for featuring Denise Crosby playing one of Tasha's ancestors.

You can find both episodes here. Warning, they are extremely cheesy

Begging Star Trek to canonize Kirk's gay nephew

[kowwpow]

I’m gonna be out most of the day bc I’ll be helping my dad with a big shopping trip plus being out after, so I’m going to be super duper exhausted

I don’t do well in crowded or loud places in the slightest, I get woozy and tired and I feel miserable or like I’m gonna pass out, and if the shopping isn’t gonna make me wanna cry, the outing after will bc it’s gonna be packed with lots of noise and people

I don’t say this because I want to complain, I just wanna give a super quick warning that I might not be active tomorrow as well as today bc when I get exhausted, my mental health tends to decline as well ;-;

so- a bit of a warning that I may poof a bit (sorry! 😣)

[santinos-grenade-launcher]

I want to yap about Wolf Quest

I think I downloaded Wolf Quest Anniversary Edition in 2020 idk which month tho. But I've been playing the very first version of it, too, when I was little.

This is the original, the first one. I was playing that on a very old and small mom's laptop when I was younger. That was peak wolf game for me, I was tweaking.

It was released in 2007. Idk when I found it but I was very young.

Then the second one. I was also playing this one on my phone. I loved it so much that I thought it couldn't get better than that. They improved a lot just in this one, I was once again tweaking.

It was released in 2015 (if that's the correct information) but in 2016 on Steam, iOS, Android and Kindle devices.

BUT THEN

They dropped the most realistic and beautiful wolf game. Wolf Quest Anniversary Edition. In 2019, I believe.

Look how beautiful these wolves look. And there's so many more coats and look amazing. The whole game changed, improved, actually. Like, there's so much I can't even list everything.

And they're working on the Saga, which will make the game even more realistic and I'm so excited about that. Like, again improving and changing some stuff but all for the better :]

I learned a lot from the developers on YouTube. They post about the updates and explain everything but also facts about wolves, too. So, they're really great! And the game teaches you a lot about wolves and everything else included in the game :3

[britneyshakespeare]

You know I have a cousin who is a trans woman who is visibly and openly trans online, and because she is my family member and I have known her all my life I think I can say on good authority that she is nothing close to a faultless person. I actually had a lot of problems with her growing up and she still often posts inappropriate and objectionable things online that perhaps make her a bigger target than just the fact that she is trans by itself. And I like know that she's quite an easy target and I see herself put herself online in ways that make me worried and concerned for the kinds of comments she gets. She has people scroll her public Facebook page and on any post, especially if it mentions being trans or queer, whether it is innocuous or not, she'll get all these laugh reacts, because Facebook transphobes are evil. But it also feels like, I just wish she'd stop posting like she does. This is not blaming her, and I know transphobes seek her out whether they at first find her saying something respectable or not. It's not fair at all. But I do very much see that she cannot resist feeding the trolls and it's just hard to fucking watch