#to know.. quite a bit out the program range.

[mx-julien]

each ninja was a different kind of teacher (except Lloyd who basically went on a year long press tour) and it also explains why Rebooted and after they seem a bit more responsible than in season 1 and the pilot

Cole has my favorite teacher characterization because he's objectively an interesting person with cool hobbies but when he is responsible for a group of children he just becomes Dad Who Is Helping Out At The Summer Camp. we never see his classroom, but given his proficiency in the arts we can assume he's the English teacher

since he went to art schools, he's probably not used to kids who aren't actually interested in what's being taught. the louder kids seem to dislike him (ref: running gag of "Mr Cole is the worst"), but that doesn't mean he's necessarily a bad teacher- just not one to humor pranks

also his and Kai's teacher outfits belong in the 1970s. I like the touch of making their ties the same color as their gis

little bit of meta: most of the people who worked on this show went to school in the 80s/90s so to them "older/boring" teacher outfits would look like this. also, as someone who was in the intended age range and saw it at the time of release, this sort of clothing conveyed that the ninja were doing a stuffy adult job- juxtaposed with their colorful gis

Kai appears to be the history teacher? his teaching style is likely structured and straightforward. given his nontraditional childhood, his frustration with the kids likely comes from both his jealousy that they aren't aware of how valuable schooling is and that Nya was much easier to work with when she was their age. at the end of the day he's an older brother who's now in charge of a bunch of kids

he's using an old-fashioned projector with film, which I assume (1) shows how low-budget they are, (2) emphasizes that Kai is out of his element (pun not intended), and (3) juxtaposes them with New Ninjago City

Zane is the one who doesn't know what a vape pen looks like but will listen to you infodump for an hour after class, then drive/walk you home because you missed the bus. he probably doesn't get any of the classroom humor or notice if the kids make fun of him. I can't imagine him ever getting angry at the kids, and he probably is very good at keeping them to a routine and a schedule

in rebooted episode 1 he seems to be teaching science? and the use of catapults is actually quite endearing- he's probably explaining tension and going to get his kids to make little models, which shows that he both is a pretty good teacher and hasn't realized that giving elementary/middle/primary schoolers their own catapults will only lead to chaos

he and Jay have personality-based outfits, with the snowflakes being an obvious allusion to Zane's element and the zig zags on Jay's emulating lightning

the little bowtie on Zane reminds me of Bill Nye the Science Guy (program with a a host of the same name who taught kids about science in a fun and accessibly way- very nostalgic for kids who went to american public school)

Jay is the exhausted teacher who's more interested in his hobbies than class material, and if you get him talking about that hobby, he won't stop until the bell. as a jokester, I think he'd get along well with the kids and definitely encourage them to annoy the other ninja

we don't see his classroom, but given Jay's skills he's probably the math teacher. he'd have a difficult time explaining things in different ways- very gifted people who learn well on their own often find it hard to teach things to others, though he would make sure he doesn't leave anyone behind

Nya definitely teaches math classes, but she probably handles tutoring as well since she's well-balanced in most subjects. it would also give her an intelligence network- kids come to her room after class/during lunch to complain and gossip. she uses it in the noble pursuit to antagonize the others

i'm used this video and the ninjago wikia because I'm on mobile and finding other sources would've taken too long

extra group photo I found! love the detail that Zane blinked (Dr Julien probably took the photo)

[mossy123302]

Ah yes, I am now deep in the KinitoPET brainrot. Why not combine it with my favorite pairing. So many au's...

Was inspired by the song "Everlasting Fun" by LongestSoloEver for this brainrot

Warning:

Implied Yandere & Horror

Missa's entire social life was admittedly....in flames. It was all bad timing that he just had to get into an argument with Roier about what happened to his cat, so now Roier won't speak with him and the fact Spreen just straight up vanished without leaving a message nor call. Missa wasn't very close with others, only knowing them via Spreen or Roier so ...what a way to spend his vacation.

Missa could catch up on his games, maybe teach himself to play another instrument than a guitar or...scroll the Internet and mourn his miserable non-existent social life. He sighed, running his hand through his hair which was a bit greasy...so he needed to shower, but first, maybe he should go on his computer and actually see if there were any indie games or something he could download while he showered.

Missa searched through the Internet, and searched through Reddit as well to help give him an idea of what game would catch his attention. The Adventure of Angel Death...

Hm.

Angel Death?

That sounds like something interesting, sounds like a horror indie game or something actually. However, to Missa's surprise, it wasn't a horror game but more or less like those ai pets that helps with browsing. It just happens to be more slightly advanced because it has built in story mode, it could do slight programming and vice versa.

Well ... It had its own story and it couldn't hurt to try something. He could delete it later if it's not much, since the ratings weren't really high for this one. Missa clicked download and with that, he headed off to take a much needed bath, unaware of his computer screen turning blue with multiple tabs opening.

Missa sighed, drying his hair with his towel, squeezing out all the water from his hair as he approached his computer. He was glad that the download seemed to be finished, as there was a tab open, awaiting for him to click some agreement terms, which he did.

He was not gonna bother reading through paragraphs of words, when it mainly repeated the same thing. With that out of the way, it seems he can now...finally play this game?

A crow appeared on his screen, seemingly looking lost for a moment with a green and white stripped bucket hat in its beak, until a figure appeared, seemingly chasing after this crow.

"Give me my hat, right now! Why are you always stealing my things!" The AI huffed, snatching it's hat back from the crow before looking up at Missa. "Oh! I didn't see you there, mate. Hello!"

Missa couldn't stop the smile growing on his face, and quietly hummed. Maybe the game won't be so bad after all? I mean this ...figure was really cute, or well looks like a better version of that anime character, that Missa cannot remember for the life of him. The developer must have gotten real inspired by the anime..but still added their own personal tastes to the AI, possibly to avoid copyrights.

Philza.

That was his name, and man, Missa hasn't had so much fun even if it was simple. Philza asked simple questions, like what is his name, his favorite color and hobby while he seemingly read a book that appears from thin air as Missa types his answers. Missa was honestly impressed with the programming, since Philza seemed to have full range control on his computer and was able to pull immediate results or answers when Missa typed a question into the search engine.

Now it seems Philza did have a story program set in him, in which he opens another tab for Missa. It was a simple game, he just had to do simple tasks assigned by his friends; Tommy and Techno.

Techno was quite easy, it was to decorate the cabin! He added a few wolves, painted the whole cabin in blue and purple and added way too many skulls. Philza had a good laugh out of that one, amused by the amount of skulls that Missa had added.

"Well, your room is certainly interesting" Philza laughed and Missa smiled. It's weird how this little ai knew how to make him smile or probably because he's just starved of actual contact

Speaking of that... Missa frowned when he spotted a message from Roier. He didn't realize how long he spent playing this small quest, the message was there for hours and Missa barely recognized it. He didn't know what to say exactly, in fact, he just wanted to ignore it entirely but...

"Hey mate, you've been distracted by that message for a while now" Philza spoke, his voice snapping Missa out of his thoughts. Missa closed the message browser and sighed.

"Good choice, mate" Philza said, a hint of amusement in his tone. "We have plenty of other tasks to do, surely you have enough time"

Missa did, so he followed the new instructions Philza gave him to add a new game mode it seemed.

Hide and Seek

Missa didn't know where he was, frankly. He was... somewhere, tunnels that closed in on him. He couldn't make out most of the tunnels, with how pitch black it was and all he had was this torch to guide his way. He faintly could hear humming and footsteps that clattered against the stone...

Missa peeked around the corner, and could see a red cape flutter and he immediately hid back, silently praying that he wasn't spotted or at least heard. He covered his mouth with his free hand, trying to keep his heavy breathing quiet.

"Found you, mate"

Missa shrieked, as he immediately sat up, his eyes immediately darting around and ... He wasn't in tunnels, where it was damp and cold. He was...back in his room, where it was safe and warm. The computer was still on...and Philza's persona was asleep, or at least shut down since it seemed Missa was inactive for a while.

"....Dios mios...That dream.." Missa sighed, running his hand through his hair as he tried to process what he just had. He winced when his neck slightly twinged, and he mournfully had to turn off his computer to actually get some sleep or else his neck will be the least of his worries.

Philza opened his eyes when he felt the computer turn off, and while Missa couldn't see him anymore. Philza will always still see him and he quietly sighed. He frankly hated these moments where Missa had to sleep, I mean, it's much better being awake and doing fun activities but ... He supposes that taking a moment to relax and wind down is admittedly nice to take. It gave Philza time to jot down future ideas, or references to the games Missa had in his computer and to delete the incoming messages from Roier and Mariana.

He admired their stubbornness, but it was starting to get on his nerves a little. Can't they see he's trying to have fun? He was so close, he finally got to tap deeper in Missa's own dreams...

Slowly, bit by bit, Philza will be the only thing Missa will remember. He doesn't need these other friends to make him happy, all Missa needs to do is enter his world...and be happy with him, Techno and Tommy. However, Philza is patient, he will...bite down the urge to pull Missa straight away. He needs more time to create the perfect world for Missa.

Just a bit more... information and soon, Missa will finally be in his arms.

"Just wait a bit more, my moon.."

"Soon, we'll have an Everlasting Fun in our beautiful world"

[captainsophiestark]

Nosy Best Friends

Tristan Flynn x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Based on this request from Anon! It was very fun to write and it gave me a second, related idea that I'm planning to post Monday, so thanks for sending it in! Hope you like it!

Fandom: Crescent City

Summary: Flynn's been disappearing a lot to spend time with his human girlfriend, and his friends have decided to finally figure out where he's been going.

Word Count: 2,219

Category: Fluff, Humor, maybe a tiny bit of Angst? But not really

A/N: This fic also has a prequel called Presentation Problems and a sequel called The Best Night Ever, but can also be read on its own!

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

Ruhn's POV

"Where the Hel are you going?"

Flynn barely stopped at the sound of my voice, half-turning back with an irritated look. I gave him the same one right back.

"I'm going out. Why do you care?"

"You've been disappearing doing Urd knows what for weeks. Come on, Flynn, what's going on?"

Flynn just rolled his eyes. "Nothing, mom. Just relax and mind your own business."

He turned on his heel and walked out the door without looking back. I watched him go, then turned to Dec on the couch.

"Something's going on with him."

"Yeah. Think it's time we do something about it?"

"Definitely."

****************

Y/N's POV

I sighed, rubbing my eyes as I tried to reread what I'd written for the thousandth time. I'd been holed up in my apartment for almost forty-eight hours straight working on a paper for grad school, and I'd started to go a little crazy.

The only reason I hadn't gone crazy about twenty hours ago was my boyfriend, Tristan Flynn. He'd been keeping me company, providing a stream of encouragement and my favorite snacks and helping me take a break when I really needed it, even if I wouldn't admit it. He'd left a couple hours ago to go do something he needed to do, and I'd come very close to hurling my laptop at the wall in his absence.

We'd first met in a similar situation, when I'd hurled my notebook across what I'd thought was an empty classroom. Flynn had been looking for somebody the Aux had followed to campus, and only his fae reflexes had kept him from taking my notebook to his head. If I hadn't been stressed out of my mind already, I would've been worried about having accidentally attacked a member of the fae Aux, especially as a human, but I'd hit my limit that day, so instead I'd shouted at him for interrupting my studying.

Luckily for both of us, once he'd recovered from his shock, he'd seemed to be into that. He'd tried to get me to leave for safety reasons, and I'd refused, so he'd stayed. We ended up hitting it off the bat, and the rest was history.

We'd been together for a few months now, and despite every warning I'd ever heard against dating a member of the Vanir, it was quite honestly the best relationship I'd ever been in. We hadn't told anyone else in our lives yet, mostly because we didn't want our little bubble of happiness being burst, but I had a hard time believing anything could ruin what we'd found together.

The few seconds I'd spent losing myself in memories had been nice, but the glaring light of my laptop screen didn't let me escape for long. I sighed heavily, trying to decide whether it was worth it to power through. I didn't entirely have a choice, unless I wanted to drop out of grad school, but maybe I could find something to do as a small break.

Somebody must have been listening to my silent pleas, because a moment later my phone rang. I smiled when Flynn's face popped up, a terrible picture of him that I'd taken when he wasn't ready. He always switched it back to a shirtless one he'd taken himself when he got the opportunity, and it had become a little silent war between us.

"You have amazing timing," I sighed as soon as I picked up. I could hear his smile through the other end of the phone.

"I always do. Come downstairs."

"...You know I shouldn't. This paper-"

"Is something you've been holed up in that apartment working on for way too long. You're driving yourself insane, and last I checked, you can't turn in anything if you smash your laptop to pieces against the wall. Besides, humans need sunlight. And fresh air."

"An expert on that, are you?"

"I sure am," his voice purred over the phone and I rolled my eyes, but I also felt heat rising on my cheeks. "Just come down here, and I'll show you how much of an expert I am."

I let out a long breath through my nose. Flynn was right. Sitting in this apartment driving myself insane wasn't helping anything. And besides, I really wanted to go spend time with him.

"Alright. I'm on my way."

"Good. I'll see you in a second."

****************

Ruhn's POV

"What in Hel is he doing here?" I hissed to Dec, trying to keep my voice down. We'd tailed Flynn to some apartment complex not far from the college we'd chased some monster down at not long ago.

"I don't know..." said Dec. "Maybe he's got a lead on something for the case? Or a new case, related to all that shit we dealt with last time?"

"You think Flynn's spending his time off work doing more work?"

I shot Dec a look, and he snorted.

"Okay, you're right. It's probably not that."

We turned back to watch Flynn, who had a full bouquet of flowers in his hands. He'd put on the nicest clothes he owned, and if I didn't know better, I would've thought-

"Oh! Tristan, holy shit!"

Dec and I stared wide-eyed as a human female came out of the apartment building, absolutely beaming at Flynn. She ran to him and jumped in his arms, hugging him tight, as he picked her up and spun her around. He kissed her, and when they pulled apart they stayed close, forehead to forehead, just staring at each other lovingly, something I'd never seen Flynn do with a female. I glanced at Dec to find him looking just as shocked as me, and when I turned back to find Flynn practically floating looking at the girl in front of him, I couldn't help my surprised shout.

"WHAT THE FUCK?"

****************

Y/N's POV

Tristan and I whirled around in sync at the sound of a loud shout from across the street. I found two fae males staring at us, looking absolutely outraged, and I started to get a little worried until my boyfriend shouted back.

"What the FUCK are you two doing here?"

"I take it you know them?" I asked, turning to Flynn and keeping my voice low. He shook his head, but the irritation in his eyes faded the second he looked at me.

'Yeah, sweetheart, I do. They're my roommates and my friends from the Aux. And they're absolute idiots."

I turned to find the idiots in question storming across the street and towards us, shouting at cars that almost hit them in the process. Unconsciously, I took a half step towards Flynn, and he immediately wrapped one arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him.

Not a moment too soon. His friends finally made it across traffic to come to a stop in front of us, and my jaw literally almost hit the floor when I realized one of them was the Crown Prince of the Valbaran Fae.

"What the Hel are you doing?" demanded the prince before turning to me. "And who is this?"

"I'm his girlfriend," I snapped, not quite able to stop myself. Both newcomers stared at me in wide-eyed shock, then whirled on their friend.

"Your what?"

"My girlfriend," Flynn said, an edge of steel in his voice that I'd only heard once or twice, usually in relation to Aux business.

The fae before us shared an absolutely shocked look, then whirled back around to look at Flynn.

"Why the Hel didn't you tell us?"

"Is that where you've been sneaking off to every day for the last few months?"

"What the fuck, Flynn?"

They shouted their questions at Flynn in sync, then without waiting for my boyfriend to get ahold of himself enough to answer, the one I didn't recognize turned to me with an apologetic smile.

"I'm Declan," he said, holding out a hand for me to shake. I stared at it for a minute, then slowly took it. "It's nice to meet you."

"...Nice to meet you, too."

"Ruhn. Also nice to meet you," said the prince with a chin nod of a hello in my direction. Then, he turned back to Flynn. "You know everybody's gonna lose it when they realize you've been keeping a steady girlfriend a secret from us, right?"

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Bunch of Aux members, a spy, and Bryce, it's your own fault for not figuring it out sooner. You should be better at your jobs than this."

Ruhn and Declan's mouths dropped open, and I laughed. I could see them getting ready for a comeback, so I stepped even closer to Flynn and fixed the other two fae with a bright smile.

"It's been nice to get to meet some of Tristan's friends, and I'm sure I'll see you both again soon. But right now, I was promised a break from my term paper by my wonderful boyfriend, and I don't intend to let anything get in the way of that."

"I'd listen if I were you," said Flynn, a massive smile on his face as he looked at me with the most lovesick expression I'd ever seen. It made my heart melt. "We met because she almost clocked me in the head with a notebook for interrupting her study session."

"Well technically I threw the notebook before you came in. And then I yelled at you for interrupting."

"Are you trying to say you wouldn't have thrown the notebook at my head anyway if it'd still been in your hands?"

"...No, I probably would've."

"I know. And I love it." He grinned, leaning in for a heated kiss. It still took my breath away, kissing him, even though it'd been a few months now, and he pulled away far too soon for my liking. "What do you say we get the Hel out of here for your distraction?"

"I say Hel yeah, let's go."

He gave me one last quick peck, then pulled back with a wink. His arm stayed wrapped around my waist as we turned to head off to whatever surprise he had planned, not bothering to spare more than a nod at his absolutely stunned friends.

"You get the weekend, Flynn!" one of them called after us. "And then we're having a party and getting to know this female you're so head over heels for!"

"Sure!" Flynn said, calling back over my head. "As long as she decides she actually wants to meet you!"

I snorted, and when I looked at Flynn I found a beaming smile on his face as we walked down the street together. He held out the hand that wasn't around my waist, finally presenting me with the gorgeous bouquet he'd first shown up with.

"For you."

"Thanks, Tris." I took the flowers and leaned into him, and we continued in comfortable silence for a moment. Then Flynn cleared his throat.

"So, do you... uh, do you want to meet them? My friends and everybody?"

"Well, that depends a little bit... why were they so shocked? Was it because I'm human?"

"No." Flynn's response was immediate, and he stopped dead in his tracks to turn me to face him. He put both hands on my shoulders, his warm brown eyes finding mine. "I would never voluntarily spend time with people who felt or thought that way."

"Okay... then why did they seem so surprised to see you with somebody?"

He grimaced. "You... might be the first serious girlfriend I've had. Ever."

My eyebrows shot up, and my heart skipped a few beats.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I think my record before this was... seeing the same female for two weeks? Maybe?"

I couldn't help barking a laugh, and Flynn grimaced again. My heart, on the other hand, was soaring as I reached up to gently cup his cheek.

"Well, I guess I can see why your friends were so surprised then. I'd be happy to meet them. And I'm honored to be the first female you've decided to stick around for."

He grinned at me, making my heart race even faster, then slowly leaned in until our lips were just a hair's breadth away.

"I'm honored to be a fae male you're willing to date. Based on what another friend has told me, a human like you wouldn't be willing to give just any of us a chance."

I snorted. "Yeah, no kidding. But I'm glad I gave you one."

"Me too."

I gave Flynn a little smirk, then leaned in to close the rest of the distance between us. He wasted no time kissing me back, hard, and we quickly deepened the kiss. I let my one free hand wander up to tangle in his hair, and I was ready to lose myself in him right then and there, but after a few long moments he gently pulled back.

"As much as I'd like to continue this... I think you'll really like the surprise break I have planned."

I smiled, going in for one last quick kiss, then pulling all the way back.

"Alright. Let's go. As long as we can continue this after I finish my assignments?"

"If I ever say no to that, you should be concerned."

I laughed as we headed off down the street together again, hand in hand. I still had many hovering stressors, from school to finally meeting Flynn's extended friend group, but I knew I'd have him with me for all of it. I was starting to get the feeling he was in it for the long haul, and even though that brought plenty of challenges, I couldn't help being excited for it all the same.

****************

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury @kmc1989

[nutcasewithaknife]

Ooh, I’d love to hear about MLC on ice!!!

And I would love to talk about it. forever and ever. You might have unleashed a beast.

The premise of this one has changed way too much to be a Yuri!!! on Ice AU anymore, so it's just an ice skating AU now. The basic premise is this: Fang Duobing, young ice skater who can't quite seem to find the right coach for himself and is coming off several unsatisfactory seasons, goes off to an obscure little town with a rink with no plans. There he latches on to Li Lianhua and soon recognises him as Li Xiangyi, who quietly retired and then vanished off the face of the earth 7 years ago after a terrible injury. The only course of action is, of course, to badger Li Lianhua into being his coach! Especially when Di Feisheng declares that the upcoming season is going to be his final one!

This is just like the first chapter or two of the fic, things go off the rails quite soon. There's the series of suspicious events 7 years ago that caused dfs, lxy and sgd to leave the season, the lingering effects of Li Lianhua's injury that limit his skating abilities severely, Di Feisheng who is determined to hunt him down and skate against him anyways, Qiao Wanmian (the first one to find Li Lianhua again in this AU) who tags along for the chaos and agrees to be Fang Duobing's official coach to keep Li Lianhua's identity a secret, so on. It swings wildly between crack and heartfelt emotional moments, domestic shenanigans and skating drama. Like I mentioned, I'm writing this with @istgidek1234 who is the real hardcore Yuri!!! on Ice stan and skating expert in this relationship. I went into a bit of a rabbit hole with ice skating a few months back, and it merged with the MLC hyperfixation we both were having, and this happened.

Tagging @istgidek1234 so she can ramble on a bit more about this au!! And here's a little bit of the chaos from one of my segments:

Li Lianhua was, overall, in good spirits on the evening the doorbell rang, just as they settled in for dinner after winding down post-practice. Then he opened the door, and said spirits went flying off with his peace of mind in tow.  He really needed to get a peephole put in. Di Feisheng scowled at him with the force of a… well, a Di Feisheng. Li Lianhua knew better than to try and shut the door on his face; he valued the fact that his door was securely hinged to it’s frame. “How did you–” There was no point in asking how Di Feisheng had stalked them back home. Of course he had. Li Lianhua had been a fool lulled into a sense of false security by his own complacency.  Panicked, he poked his head out and looked around, just to make sure. “Are you trying to get the world’s entire skating press here?” he hissed at him. Di Feisheng looked at him like he was a bug. “No one knows I’m here. I took care.” He better mean something more concrete and foolproof than the shades and mask sticking out of his pockets.  “What do you want now?” Li Lianhua asked flatly, resigned to his fate. “My head on a pike?” He was going to kill Fang Duobing for dragging him back into this world, and then Di Feisheng for hounding him immediately. He was going to flee the country with nothing but Hulijing.  That train of thought slowed to a halt as he noticed that Di Feisheng was… was he hesitating? No, he never did. If he’d shown up here, that meant he’d made his mind up about whatever it was already. He was taking his time though, fixing Li Lianhua with a look that was his usual stubborn battle-face, but more intense than ever.  And then he spoke. “Skate with me, Li Xiangyi.” Li Lianhua blinked, slowly, then a few times rapidly. “Pardon?” Di Feisheng’s jaw clenched tighter. Li Lianhua’s own hurt from just looking. “Skate a pairs program with me.” “A what!?” came the shout from behind. Li Lianhua shut his eyes and prayed for strength as Fang Duobing stormed up to the door, then pushed right past him, all the way out. “Di Feisheng!? What is he doing here? What did he just say??”

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

Stuck Between a Jock and a Metalhead

Summary: Nancy, on a whim, decides to visit Steve at Scoops Ahoy, which leads to her overhearing confessions from Steve that leads her to think about the decisions she's made. A few days later, she decides to come back. She finds him being hit on by the town freak. What's a girl to do? Oh, get stuck in a freezer with the both of them.

A/N: I imagine Colbie Smulders as Lily.

Chapter One - Chapter Two - Chapter Three - Chapter Four - Chapter Five - Chapter Six - Chapter Seven - Chapter Eight - Chapter Nine - Chapter Ten - Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Nancy sighed as she lay in bed, staring up at her ceiling. Technically, she was no longer grounded, and she could leave the house if she wanted to, but around this time, she would be heading to the newspaper. That was out of the question, considering she lost her job. Was she still fired? Tom was possessed by the Mind Flayer at the time. She closed her eyes and tried not to think about it or to feel guilty about all of the times she hated Tom. She also tried not to think about Hopper's funeral would be tomorrow. A soft knock on the door startled her out of her thoughts.

"Come in," Nancy called out.

Mike's head appeared in the doorway before he came all the way in. He looked downtrodden.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing," Mike said softly.

"I'm not really sure," Nancy said softly.

"Yeah, me neither," Mike said. "I still can't believe that Hopper is. . ."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Nancy said.

"We didn't get along, and I was rude to him, but he did help us out. I just hope he didn't think. . .," Mike trailed off.

"He knew how much you cared about him and how much you cared about El," Nancy said softly. "El was his only daughter, and I think it was her extenuating circumstances that made him on edge. I mean, you two have a lot in common. After you thought El was dead, you weren't exactly the happiest person to be around. You were very rude to Max and extremely protective of letting her into your group, kind of protective like Hopper was with El."

"Yeah, I guess so," Mike sniffed.

Nancy got up and hugged her brother tightly. She pulled back and smiled.

"You're getting too tall," Nancy said. "Asshole."

She was about to say something else when the phone on her beside table rang. Nancy spoke quickly and eagerly before hanging it up.

"What was that about?" Mike asked.

"I got my job back at the post!" Nancy grinned. "They got a new Editor!"

"Already?" Mike asked.

"Well, the one female reporter didn't want one the assholes to become the new Editor, so they called in a favor with a friend. The new editor is going to be a woman from a competing newspaper. The new mayor is hoping to clean house and reopen businesses that were closed because of the mall," Nancy said. "And he is hoping to clean up Klein's mess as quickly as possible."

"Man, Eddie's lucky he got to witness Joyce slug the guy," Mike said.

"I got to admit. I'm a bit jealous myself," Nancy said. "Anyway, she wants to meet me, so I guess I'm going in today."

After allowing her mother to drop her off, Nancy walked into the building and headed directly towards the editor's office. A woman with long dark hair and a powder blue pantsuit was unpacking her new office. A nameplate sat on the desk: Lillian Barnes. It matched the name on the diploma on the wall from Emerson College. Nancy stared at it for a while, imaging her own name there.

"It has a great journalism program," the woman's voice startled her out of her musings.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Miss Barnes," Nancy blinked.

"It's Lily, please, and you never have to apologize to me for being ambitious," Lily replied.

Nancy realized that her eyes were just as blue as her pantsuit, and the woman was very tall. She practically towered over Nancy.

"It's a great school?" Nancy asked.

"The best, in my opinion. I might be biased. It was home away from home for me for quite a few years, and it certainly never let me down," Lily said and sat down before pointing at the seat in front of her. "And I love Boston. Do you have a particular college in mind, yet?"

"Not really, keeping my options open," Nancy said. "I plan on applying to lots of places."

"Smart. Well, if you plan to get a degree in journalism, then my suggestion would be to apply to Emerson as well," Lily said.

"I might just take your suggestion," Nancy grinned. "I'm looking forward to seeing what you bring to the table here."

"I bet you are," Lily said. "I bet it was frustrating working with people who are so misogynistic, not to speak ill of the dead or anything."

"It was frustrating, and I did come close to quitting, but then I realized that's probably what they wanted me to. I didn't want to give up this job, and I didn't want to give them the satisfaction of seeing me quit," Nancy said.

"Determined, I like that. What made you get involved with journalism?" Lily asked.

"My friend, Barb, she went missing a while back. Turns out her death was covered up by Hawkins Lab. It had been a chemical spill," Nancy said.

"And who uncovered the truth, I wonder," Lily said, her eyes sparkling.

"I broke into the lab and got them on tape admitting to the cover up, then I worked with a former reporter to reveal the truth," Nancy said and Lily laughed.

"Damn. I like you," Lily said. "Tell me, are you willing to use that same stubbornness that used for your friend to find the truth for other people?"

"Absolutely," Nancy said without hesitation.

"Well, it's definitely going to be interesting working with you. I'll be sad to see you go once school starts, but until then, I'll be putting you to work. Now, you'll still be an intern and do the usual things like answering phones, but I'm not going to waste your other skills either," Lily said.

"Thank you! You won't be disappointed!" Nancy exclaimed.

"I know I won't," Lily grinned. "I look forward to seeing what you bring to the table, Nancy."

A weird feeling settled over her as she started to work throughout the day. Slowly, but surely, life was moving forward, and it felt strange because it was still happening even without Hopper. Nancy knew it was strange to think that time would stop because he did, that the whole world would come to a complete crashing halt because Jim Hopper had died. But no, Jim Hopper had died, and the world kept turning. It left an odd, bitter feeling in her stomach. There was one less grown-up who could keep them safe, and suddenly, Nancy didn't feel quite so safe anymore. She had decided to walk back home after work. She made sure to call her mom and let her know. As she was walking she saw Otis's salon door open and Steve's car out front. Nancy started moving and walked in to find Steve playfully arguing with Robin. He brightened when he saw Nancy.

"Hey, Nance, my parents and siblings just left," Steve said.

"What?" Nancy asked.

"Oh, the Sinclairs and the Hendersons adopted Steve," Robin said.

"Well, that's good. You definitely deserve it," Nancy grinned.

She stepped into his space and pressed her cheek up against his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"What's this?" Steve asked.

"Oh my God. You're so damaged you can't even recognize a hug," Robin said and Nancy giggled.

"Very funny, Robin," Steve said.

"I got my job back at the Post," Nancy said. "There's a new editor and she's amazing."

"That's great!" Steve said. "You deserve it, Nancy."

Nancy sighed, and she gazed up at him.

"I'm not ready for tomorrow," Nancy said softly.

"Neither am I," Steve whispered and kissed her forehead. "I think my lip has done enough healing to risk a little pain."

"Are you sure?" Nancy asked.

"Worth it," Steve said.

"Are you guys allowed to kiss without Eddie here?" Robin asked.

"Yes," Steve and Nancy scoffed.

"I wasn't sure how three people relationships work. Hell, I'm not even sure how people relationships work," Robin said.

Nancy grinned and moved to wrap her arms around Steve’s neck. She pressed her lips to his and sighed in contentment. Kissing Steve again felt a lot like coming home. It was warm, familiar, and safe. She giggled when she felt him smile against her lips. She pulled back when she felt him wince but stayed wrapped up in his arms. No, she definitely wasn't ready for tomorrow, but she felt like she could get through it with Steve there and Eddie. She knew, though, that Eddie would be there mostly for his sister. She burrowed deeper into Steve’s arms, trying to get the image of a sad El out of her head.

The next day dawned bright and early. Nancy woke up before anyone else in her house and sat at her desk, her journal open before her. She stared at the blank page, not knowing what to write, and she sat there until the sun finally came up. Nancy stared at the clock. Time to get ready. Her movements were slow as she showered and put on her black dress. How many times were they going to have to do this? The ride to the church was quiet, and Nancy sat in the back with her siblings, sharing looks with her brother over Holly's head. When they walked into the church, Nancy spotted Eddie standing awkwardly at the front. He was wearing a borrowed suit that hung off his lanky frame. Nancy moved forward to greet him. His eyes lit up when he saw her and immediately pulled her into a hug.

"Glad you're here," Eddie said with a smile.

"Where's El?" Nancy asked.

"Oh, she's in the back with Uncle Wayne and Joyce. She's not handling it very well, which is understandable. I was a basket case myself when my mom died. It helped having Wayne there, though. She hasn't been sleeping, and she tried to run away once because she thought she was being too much," Eddie said and ran his hands over his face, carefully avoiding his nose.

"You haven't slept either," Nancy said softly.

"How can I when I have nightmares of my own?" Eddie asked softly. "And when I'm not having nightmares of my own, it's El. It's back and forth so Wayne's not getting any sleep either. When I'm not having the nightmares, I lay awake at night trying to figure out how to help my own little sister with hers."

"I'm not sure if there's anything you can do except to let her know that you're not going anywhere," Nancy said softly.

"Yeah," Eddie said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Talking about your own will probably let her know that she's not alone," Nancy said.

"This sucks," Eddie muttered.

A moment later, El was coming out from the back of the church, her eyes red and puffy from crying. She approached Nancy and hugged her.

"Thank you for coming," El said softly.

"You're welcome, is there anything that I can do?" Nancy asked.

El shook her head and then she moved past Nancy when she saw Mike. They hugged tightly, El clinging to him as tight as she could. It was then that Nancy noticed Steve walk through the door with Robin. He moved politely through the crowd of people and made his way over to them. He hugged Nancy, kissed her cheek, and then hugged Eddie tightly. El broke away from Mike and moved to wrap her arms around her brother's waist. Lucas, Dustin, and Max arrived last. Lucas and Dustin were with their parents, but Max was by herself. She was by El's side in an instant and stayed there, ignoring everyone else. Nancy heart broke at the thought of Max suffering through her own loss, and she remembered that Max had to watch her own stepbrother die. They all went through too much shit.

Eddie, Wayne, El, and the Byers sat up front while the rest of the party sat behind them. The pastor stood in front of an empty coffin and spoke empty platitudes about a man he didn't really know. If only he knew what Hopper had really done for them, for everyone in this damn town. It was Joyce who stood up and spoke about the man she had known for years that drove the party to tears. It was Joyce who struggled to keep it together, and Nancy knew that this woman had one foot out the door. When they moved things to the cemetery, El had to be carried by Wayne to the grave site.

"What are we going to do now?" Dustin asked as they lowered Hopper's empty coffin into the ground.

Nancy shared a look with Steve, Robin, and Eddie. They realized at the same time that with one less adult in the know, these kids were going to need them now more than ever. What are they going to do if it all happens again? Suddenly, they didn't just lose the greatest man they ever knew, but in some way, they officially lost the last bit of childhood they had been clinging to. It was time to grow up now and make sure that these kids still had something to hang onto.

Chapter Thirteen

[yuinterrobangapologist]

So: different AU ideas I really like.

Black-Cantonese Tim (inspired by Titans) (adopted by the Drakes)

Carrie Kelley in main Batfam

Black Carrie (inspired by Gotham Knights)

Black Selina (inspired by the guilty pleasure Catwoman movie)

Lady Shiva redemption arc

Tim and Damian being close enough in age that Damian is taller than him as kids

Over 100 Alfred (so he's a WWII vet, and is in such good health for his age none of the kids actually know that or would believe him if he told them)

Bigender Tim (projection (affectionate))

Tiff Fox as Batgirl (probably coming in after Duke is Signal, and being around the same age as Carrie, the 6th Robin?)

Once Tim's 18, and Jon as been aged up to 18, after they date happily and break up with Bernard/Jay, they get together and there is drama with the two Robins and two Superboys (I prefer straight Kon is surprised Tim didn't go for him, and pan Damian is devastated that Jon is out of his age range now)

Talia is...gray. Not an evil rapist, but also not without flaws. Is able to be on peaceful terms with the Bats, not quite as peaceful as Hood, but definitely not a rogue herself. Shiva/Talia (this just became your new OTP after reading this)

Barbara is still disabled, but can stand up long enough to be Batgirl in a pinch. Like, she can regularly stand up to grab things and stuff, but in too much pain to walk everywhere, and if she needs to she can get up and fight, but she'll be fighting in pretty intense pain. (Me projecting my fibro onto her (affectionate))

Jason does stop killing (based on many other universes, but especially the Gotham Knights game)

Tim is a shareholder of Wayne Enterprises (which is canon), and is involved in some decisions, but is instead more prominent in The Martha Wayne Foundation, the Wayne Family's charity organization.

Bruce has a comical number of degrees that the public just like...doesn't know about. Like, completely impossible number. Like 20 Master's in everything from like Marine Biology to Sculpting to Programming to Aerospace Engineering to like Library Science. And like, multiple M.D.s in like Forensic Psychiatry, Forensic Pathology, and Pediatrics (to take care of his kids of course).

Again, not purely headcanon since this has a basis in canon, but Janet is quite sweet to Tim. But I AU you here as also being shrewd and competitive, a vicious businesswoman. Jack's level of abuse is at least as it is in canon where he throws things and is implied to have hit Tim before. Whether it stays at that level or goes beyond varies for me on the story.

Tim's parents go into witness protection rather than ever dying (inspired from the New 52) (this could play into adopted Tim, with Tim not even being his birth name)

Duke is a mix of the shy, reserved kid we see in WFA and the silver-tongued ruthlessly confident vanguard we see in Robin War.

Part of Duke's power is brain processing power. He apparently can see light as it moves, and no normal brain could comprehend that kind of information, so logically, his brain should have the processing speed of a supercomputer, probably way beyond his current level of knowledge or even his impressive intellect, so like, if he memorized the formulas, he'd be able to do complex calculus in his head fairly intuitively. With training of course, this would be something he notices later on and has to work to make it useful.

Bette Kane being active in the Batfamily, instead of solely in the Teen Titans. As the Batgirl before Babs, before leaving the vigilante business, and coming back part time as Hawkfire.

Dick only becomes a cop as undercover work to expose corruption, maybe even works in Internal Affairs (though I do like the idea of him being in an SVU for a little bit, but again, this is a temporary thing entirely), but leaves and instead becomes a Defense Attorney (inspired by Earth Two)

NOT an AU, but actually based on canon that DC fucking ignores, but Damian and the al Ghuls have East Asian heritage, as well as Kashmiri heritage (based on Nanda Parbat based on the real world Nanga Parbat, in Kashmir). Generally, a complex blend of Urdu, Burmese, Mandarin, Persian, and Arabic, (since a family-run group that old with still living relatives who are hundreds of years old and new members joining the League frequently and high ranking members from all over Asia teaching their culture would essentially make the League a sort of...small ethnic group itself)

Talia is older than human, probably around 200 or so (actually I think this either is or was canon at one point)

Cass is not invincible. She takes hits and gets disarmed in Batgirl all the time, so why she's been fanoned as being completely untouchable in fights is beyond me. However, because of her poor reading and computer skills, she's actually not a very competent homicide detective at the moment. But she is making progress at a rate consistent with her intelligence and work ethic.

Luke still does MMA professionally and is like...Bellator world champion or something. He's also a U.S. veteran (inspired by the DCAMU), and I'm saying Coast Guard then Navy Seal. I have more exact details about that in my head, but in general, I'm saying he was dishonorably discharged after refusing order to take a shot or something a building with children in, and now is one of those "Veterans against U.S. militarist imperialism" guys.

Essentially, all of the Bats' strengths and weaknesses put them around the same level (with the exception of Bette, who is part time, Carrie and Tiff who are brand new), with the sole exception being Dick, Babs, Selina, and Bruce, are who above them, and largely equal, however Bruce's devotion to spending every waking moment planning things and constantly improving tech and stuff means he's in practice above either of them

Bruce was in the FBI for a little before deciding to become Batman (this was canon before the New 52). I'm thinking he bounced around a little, in Crimes Against Children, the Bioterrorism Taskforce, Behavioral Science Unit, and Financial Crimes. Again, I love a Bruce who is ridiculously accoladed (so his kids find these things out later and are flabbergasted)

The thing is, none of these contradict each other. All of these could exist in the same universe. But trying to cram every detail into...there would need to be a fucking soliloquy of exposition in every single chapter. So what I think I'd do is use the first "chapter" just to say: "Here's the things in this universe. Not going to explain it all, just know these things. Enjoy that." I mean, some of that could be "show don't tell" in its own story, like Duke learning about his processing powers or Tim and Jon getting together. But yeah, these are my tastes.

[incognita-soul]

hey, i saw in your bio that you work on tall ships and i was wondering if u had any advice.

i’ve been on 2 tall ship sailing trips before (+some dinghy sailing) and got my competent crew recently so i’m pretty inexperienced. on those sailing trips i’ve met young adults who were working on the boats as volunteers. i’d like to be able to volunteer on tall ships one day.

do you have any advice for the best way to gain experience and learn stuff? (if possible on a budget). i’m taking a gap year next year and i’d really like to take the chance to go sailing and get better at it. (i’m in the uk if that’s relevant.)

absolutely no pressure to answer and i’m sorry this is so vague and clueless! anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this. your blog is cool :))

Heya! Thank you, and I'd be happy to give you my two cents! All of my boat experience has been in the US so take my advice with a transatlantic grain of salt, but here goes!

Firstly, two trips and some dinghy sailing and a competent crew cert is actually quite a bit in comparison to your average person starting out in the world of boats, so don't worry about feeling too inexperienced! You're already on a good track. I've been working on tall ships in some capacity for over 10 years and I still don't have any specific certifications (I've got a lot of experience and sea time, I just haven't had time to take any of my courses and exams for actual licensing).

Facebook is (unfortunately) still the best place to network, especially for international opportunities. There are a variety of groups that you can join. I'm personally in Schooner Bums, Tall Ship Opportunities, Women Who Sail, Crew Finder, and a few other private groups specific to the organizations I've worked for. A lot of organizations will post to these groups with job opportunities with specific requirements, so it's fairly easy to get the info you need. I'm sure there are a few groups specific to sailing in the UK. In the US, we have Tall Ships America, which is an organization that provides networking, training, and job opportunities for mostly US based sailors and boats. I'm not sure if the UK has an equivalent organization, but I do recommend even though you are UK based you should peruse their website, especially the Billet Bank, which is where job links are posted:

You're in the UK, so there are a shit ton of boats there but as far as I know most of them are museum boats that don't do a lot of sailing. I will say from personal experience that museum boats with a good volunteer maintenance program are great places to start for establishing a strong set of foundational skills (knots, understanding and maintenance of the rig, carpentry, etc.). You might not get much actual sea time with a museum boat, but you will learn the things that will make you a better sailor. I got into tall ships by working as a historical interpreter and then as part of the sailing/maintenance crew here:

https://www.jyfmuseums.org/visit/jamestown-settlement/living-history/ships#ad-image-0

Most tall ship organizations are based around education, both for the public and for the crew, so it's easy to find a boat with some sort of introductory training program relatively near wherever you live. These range from expensive pay-to-play working vacation type experiences, to paying a fee to participate in a structured comprehensive training curriculum after which you can become long-term crew, to volunteering weekends sanding and oiling blocks in exchange for the opportunity to sail.

Since you said you are taking a gap year, my advice is look for a short-term comprehensive live-aboard program that gets your foot in the door for staying on as regular crew, potentially even paid crew. Idk any specific ones in the UK, but here's the one that the last boat I worked on offers as an example of what i mean:

If you've got time before your gap year starts, try to find something local, like volunteering for a mueseum like I mentioned earlier, so that you get used to the vocabulary and foundational knowledge of boats. That way you can really get the most out of a more immersive program later on and you won't feel too much like an oversaturated sponge trying desperately to sop up more information even though your brain is leaking out of your ears.

I'm not sure if you're wanting to do tall ships longer term or just something one-off for the gap year, but if you're in it for the long haul just be prepared that it's a lot of hard work for not much financial return. I don't mean to discourage you, it's just good to know that upfront. On Lady Washington we have a saying that "we work on an 18th century boat for 18th century wages."

Unfortunately the tall ship industry is kind of hard budget wise. Most training programs cost quite a bit of money, most jobs are either volunteer or don't pay very well (industry standard deckhand pay in the US is about $1000/month), and most higher level positions require various levels of certifications (for which course and exam fees can run pretty high). You can do it on a budget, especially since most long term positions are live aboard so you don't have to pay for rent or groceries, but if you want to make a career out or it, it takes a lot of years of working for less money than you're worth before you start earning real money back.

Despite all that, working on tall ships is still an incredible and fulfilling experience that I recommend to anyone with a love of the sea and learning practical skills!

Sorry I couldn't give you more specific information, as I have yet to work on any UK boats. Good luck, and please tell me when you find a program that works for you!

[consanguinitatum]

DT and His Appendicitis Scar: So When Did That Happen, Anyway?

I think I've mentioned in previous posts that I come across quite a few personal tidbits about a young DT while doing research for my sloooowly developing podcast. I think - well, I certainly hope! - I've also mentioned those sorts of tidbits are not going to be in the podcast? Well, if I haven't mentioned it before, I'm mentioning it now.

I see no reason to include these sorts of things because the podcast won't be about David's personal life (either then or now) but about his professional life. But while I tend to consider most of the theatre work he did between the time he entered the RSAMD Junior School at age 11 (and then got his Equity card and went on to drama school) and prior to his move to London in 1994 part of his professional life, technically they're really not -- because up until he took his first job in the 7:84 in 1991 for The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, he hadn't been earning a wage. And he's said in interviews Arturo was his first professional gig.

But I'm choosing to split hairs here. For the purposes of my podcast, I plan to treat his drama school years as if they were part of his professional career. I do this because I want to give them the same consideration and respect as the rest of his career, and feature them as the seminal experiences they were. They helped build the foundation of his professional life. Besides, he himself has said that attending drama school was essential for him to become the actor he wanted to be.

Because I consider them professional experiences (and because I'm acutely aware of his desire for privacy) the podcast will stay as much in the professional arena as I can possibly make it. He's talked quite a bit about this period of his life before, and I don't feel uncomfortable highlighting anything he's mentioned which happens to coincide with information I've discovered. Anything of a more personal nature which gets included in the podcast will have been measured against all of these factors before it gets added in. So all of that said, we come to an interesting bit of information about something David has definitely talked about and shared about it before - but which has no place in my podcast. So let's talk about it!

The lovely mizgnomer did a great little post a few years back which featured a photo set of David chatting about the near-death experience with appendicitis he had when he was a child (see below):

David's mentioned his appendix scar a few other times as well, and each time he speaks about it, the range of his age at the time of the attack varies by a few years - usually from age 8 to about 10. That's not surprising at all, of course, because for most of us, trying to narrow down some of the events in our childhood to specific time ranges can get a bit fuzzy. But I'm pretty sure I know when it happened.

Back in 1980, a society/organizational newspaper column entitled "Church News" appeared regularly in the Paisley Daily Express. This column often featured prominent figures in churches all over the community and were often framed as "One Week in the Working Life Of" these certain figures to debunk the myth that ministers only work on Sundays. One of these columns, published on 1 May 1980, featured a certain Rev. Sandy McDonald, the minister of St. Marks Oldhall.

That week, Sandy was busy recording a series of short services at his church which would later go out on STV. These were likely part of one of two religious television broadcasts he was a part of at the time: Late Call or That's The Spirit (both programs David has mentioned over the years).

The article goes on to document Sandy's busy week, speaking about his duties chairing festivals of praise and being principal speaker at church rallies and charity events. In between these duties, the article mentions, Sandy has to attend to all his pastoral duties, including meetings with his own church groups, and - and here is the important part - "visits to hospital patients (including his own son)."

The time at which this article was written implies one of Sandy's children was in the hospital in late April to early May of 1980. It's probably a safe bet to assume it was David: while it could have been either his elder brother or his elder sister, this does happen to fall pretty splendidly into the age range of "9 or 10" for his appendicitis scare which David has given in the past. David would have just turned 9 years old in mid-April of that year.

So there you have it. David was 9 years old when he suffered the bout of appendicitis - which burst, and brought him near death.

Thank goodness he made it!

[worldsewage]

saint and shank and valentine lore? Please? I am looking up at you with the biggest eyes... Are any of them friends with Callie? Is she getting socialized?

Answers (some vague some not) to this under the cut :]

There’s also Octarian + Inkling head cannons sprinkled in here if that interests you!

⚠️ Saint + Shank:

Saint was raised as a Salmonid, how they got so far separated from their family is a mystery, but they got picked up by a family of Salmonids, who live in one of the wastelands, and due to rising and falling waters in a territory that’s mostly like a long stretch of tide pools… lots of random salmonid eggs wash up. Saint was found with one in their hands.

Saint (though raised by Salmonids, biologically,) is assumed to be born from a race of Krakened Inklings, who have developed more squid like “ancestral” traits, so Saint has some non-common Inkling characteristics. Such as rotating hook-like claws on their tentacles, and hook like claws on their hands and feet. They have small sharp teeth, and behind these cat-like teeth, a much larger mostly retractable beak. (Not relevant, but Pearl also has this trait.)

Saint, when they were younger, was often seen bundled up in a bunch of hazard gear, as a result of their salmon brothers being exceptionally worried about the water harming them. While still vulnerable to water— life in the wasteland has adjusted them to water, they are NOT splat proof, but they’re much better at navigating chaotic water-wastes grounds effectively, silently, quickly, and most importantly: safely.

^ Despite this, Saint is deeply afraid of water, and all things considered, life here has most likely stunted their growth and development due to water’s damage (high humidity, even) to Inkling skin.

Saint has a swim form, but doesn’t like transforming, it’s a clunky and slow process for them. Saint is also pretty poor at managing retaining ink naturally, and can only absorb ink via naturally letting it into their skin, as opposed to drinking it in like other Inklings, they are also a little shoddy at changing their color at will.

Saint’s family is quite large, they live with a bunch of their family in a very small house, they get by, and their family adores them to bits.

Shank’s still young, due to how salmonids develop, their first few years of their life aren’t very comparable to how inkling babies develop, (ie needing constant care + attention , like human babies!) but rather Shank is still in a running form, which baby salmonids cling onto, as they’re still running on the power of the egg they hatched from, still don’t have legs, and are in a swimming form designed to cross the ocean + rigorous conditions, so Shank’s ability to learn + grow hasn’t fully kicked in yet.

Shank can still identify what’s good, bad, etc, but more like how an actual fish or reptile identifies a threat, rather than a result of analyzing morality. Chances are everything they learn in this stage of life will be mostly forgotten as they begin to grow limbs and begin a new stage of development. (After the events of Return of the Mammalians, they will not remember much of it, even if only a year after. Threats + Tastes are forever wired into her system, though.)

Shank knows Saint is family, Shank likes Marie. Shank dislikes Callie.

Shank is a rare salmonid variant, as they’re one of the few species that are born from a COMPLETE Homerun, rather than a grizzco harvested egg. These babies are extremely rare, as very few Homerun grounds remain.

Shank likes the taste of Jam. And enjoys small puzzles. This is probably a result of wanting to feel included while watching Saint modify tech, it’s out of her range of understanding, so small puzzles make Shank feel like they’re involved in the process… somehow.

⚠️ Valentine:

Agent 8 was a child of a military program, they were not raised by parents due to a high maternal mortality rate among the Octarian Society as a result of their evolution not straying far from their Octopus ancestor’s strange behaviors. (Inkling’s developed in an opposite direction, and are much more ink-reliant than their more hardy thick-skinned Octopus counterparts) it’s common for Octarian children to be sent to Octo-Troopers who (through a similar process to the Salmonid’s “egg sorting system”) raise them in a state militant organization. Agent 8 was forced into a military school programs, and was housed with numerous other Octolings. Not all were orphaned, most Octolings are encouraged to go into Militray schools that allow them to graduate with a trade from the get-go, this is mostly because Military service is required of Octarians, so it’s common to send children into these schools to get it out of the way.

Valentine practiced with weapons (namely, best with chargers) from a very young age. But school children were never forced into combat. Just prepped.

Agent 8, despite the skill they had with weapon use, found their passion in auto mechanics and robotics repair… Valentine fantasizes about one day owning a retro Computer.

During the development of Santization, 8 found themself in the metro after trying to escape the army during the rebellious strike founded in many Octolings during the singing of the Inkantation… many Octarian in the metro seem to be either Low Ranking troops— or Octolings who’ve gone AWOL. Valentine, of course, has no memory of this.

Unlike in Canon, Craig Cuttlefish wakes up in the Metro after their radios kept picking up a strange warped signal, it sounded like discordant screaming; or singing? But it came from beneath AC TOKYO which is a new Salmonid society, and to Craig: where there’s Salmonids there’s OCTARIANS, and he’s old, but stubborn when it comes to the Octarian since the war.

⚠️ Callie:

The Squid Sisters, wholly, aren’t very social creatures due to being raised as agents and then pursuing Idol work in their free time. They have no idea how a normal HONEST conversation is intended to function; and mostly rely on quips and answers learned solely from public showings, they are very rarely honest with their true (or, uglier) emotions and very rarely crack.

Sometimes; when you catch their eye, for a moment you’re met with a blank look, a hollow vague distaste, before the Callie and Marie you’ve seen on TV flicker into existence on their faces.

Callie, though, feels most comfortable around Agent 3 — (July 3) and has really began to lighten up (beyond an Idol farce) and has become more comfortable overall.

Don’t get her wrong, she loves her life in an Idol setting, and it doesn’t exhaust her, per se, it just isn’t who she is ALL the time, and it can wear her down, even if you can’t tell.

After the events with MUD, Callie— to everyone’s shock — has actually grown far more confident and sympathetic of the other surrounding brother species, trying to unlearn the teachings of Craig Cuttlefish takes time; and Callie can’t help but feel a faint bitterness or hatred towards him for it, but overall puts effort in pushing her emotions towards a nameless hope. Hell, that’s what’s the Inkantation is for, right?!?

Though, on the topic of MUD, it makes her feel restless at times, even though it’s been worked out of her system, it seems that her instincts have been slightly fried, her metabolism and diet has changed slightly, her overly sugary drinks now leave a weird gross taste in her mouth, it makes her a little sad; but she’ll adjust.

Agent 4 unnerves her slightly, for reasons she can’t fully remember, and Marie doesn’t talk much about the rescue missions.

She hasn’t made many public appearances since MUD, mostly due to some rumors of seeing her, and she was waiting for the heat to die down on speculation of an Octarian attack. On the note of appearances, Callie hasn’t made any attempt to try and treat the scar, or cover it; she thinks it makes her look gnarly. July desperately tries to get her to put scar cream on the injury so it doesn’t itch or burn, but Callie is committed to having a Cool Scar.

After all the events: Callie has learned that she loves to collab with other artists, and Marie has started a Solo Career, and Callie has left (mostly) the singing field completely to focus on Octarian / Inkling relations. Callie still sings with other artists who she admires, but has no plans on creating anything of her own.

Callie stays sharp with Agent work— mostly trying to step away from Craig Cuttlefish’s previous ideals, and step into her OWN ideas and dreams. Craig, despite the learning curve, does all he can to help Callie on her missions.

Relations between these three are summarized as:

Callie ( and Marie, to an extent ) see Neo 3 as the child they are, and unfortunately sees herself in Neo 3 in the sense of “forced into warring politics of events too young to completely comprehend.” Seeing Neo 3 as the Agent 1 she became when she was young. She tends to baby Neo 3 at times, but has ultimately become an Older Sister figure to them.

(Note: I still like to envision Neo 3’s mission as a pretty rough one, as opposed to Agent 3/4’s mission, Agent 8’s was also pretty threatening— but Saint’s was on a (literal) whole nother world.)

Neo 3 has seen Callie on T-Shirts, and broken billboards, and knows she’s famous, to some extent, they don’t completely know she’s an Idol until they get a tad closer. They like her because she tends to spoil them with sugary foods.

Callie adores Valentine; Callie THINKS she admires her solely thanks to the Calimari Inkantation, Callie thinks she sees her as a figure of hope for deserters of the Octarian Army.

Valentine though, does not— Valentine remembers her as the Mud-Infected Callie, and is too shy to fangirl completely, and generally is pretty cold as a result… they have a lot of respect for Callie and Marie because of how adept they are with weaponry.

Callie sometimes fears that Agent 8 doesn’t like her because of their rigid icy personality… but is friendly nonetheless. They warm up. (Rather, thaw out.)

Callie thinks agent 8 is a tad strange, namely due to the fact they bite the leaves of the plants in her house. (She does nothing about this)

[spctrsgf]

the suits

summary: meeting the system has been the biggest ride of your life. but a returning enemy of their nighttime identity made that ride just a tad bit bigger.

word count: 2.7k

warnings: language, the boys all know each other exist, the reader doesn’t have a fear of heights (jake flies ya so)

a/n: i tried to give all three boys equal time but idk if it worked really well ajfhkefh

When you met Jake Lockley for the first time, you really didn’t think much of it. He was your taxi driver; you were heading home after visiting the newest exhibit at the museum. The man had tipped his cap at you, asked you where to go with a spanish drawl. His face never fully turned to face you, but you both maintained a friendly enough conversation. He was earnest to hear about you and frankly, you were in need of someone to talk to. You even managed to pull a few facts about him from under that nice cap of his. You gave him a nice tip after that ride: some other taxi drivers you’ve experienced were less than pleasant. 

When you met Steven Grant for the first time, you also weren’t expecting anything to come from it. You had headed into the museum once again to see another new exhibit. Among your favorite things at the museum was the Egyptian exhibit, so when you had caught a whiff of an exhibition on the gods, you had hustled there as fast as you could. To your dismay, Jake wasn’t there to drive you as he’d done before, but you had pushed that thought away and scanned the exhibit meticulously before heading to the gift shop to look for a souvenir. The kind man at the counter looked bored out of his mind, his rich brown eyes always darting over to the exhibit you had just come from.

Somehow, you had mustered enough courage to ask him to explain this one artifact you hadn’t quite understood. The man was enthusiastic yet apprehensive, worried about someone named Donna (you assumed she’s his boss), but you managed to corral the man over to the piece and get him talking. His British accent was smooth and impossibly satisfying to listen to, so much so that you asked him to explain a few more pieces before the museum closed for the night. 

When you met Marc Spector for the first time, you still didn’t have any idea what you were getting yourself into. 

Well, maybe a tad bit. 

You’d met the man at a bar, nursing his drink with an air of boredom. You, yourself, were also bored in the low lighting. So, you downed the rest of your drink for some liquid courage before heading over to him. You weren’t sure what prompted you, honestly. Maybe it was the fact that he was the only one alone other than you. Maybe it was his hair was slicked back like he had ran his fingers through it countless times in stress. Maybe it was because the droopy curve of his lips were begging for something interesting to happen to him.

“Hey!” You’d barely shouted, just enough that he could hear you over the music and buzz of other people. The man’s face went through a range of emotions before landing on a tight smile. “Hi.” 

You tilted your head, trying to stay encouraged after that response. “I’m y/n. Can I sit with you?” 

His eyes bounced down to the barstool next to him before bouncing back up to yours. “Sure.”

“Great, okay.” 

“I’m Marc.” He introduced as you placed yourself next to him.

You smiled warmly. “Nice to meet you.”

When you’d met each of them, you hadn’t expected to meet them again, much less fall for each of them in their own ways. You loved to watch Steven ramble about whatever sparked his interest, you loved watching the sparkle in his eyes and the frantic hand gestures as he tried to help you understand the topic as well as possible. You loved his tousled hair that looked like he’d stumbled out of bed (which happened often, you found, as he slept over his alarm often) and the flannels he flaunted with it.

You loved watching Marc as he watched the television, some program on the screen that you had since forgotten about after watching the calmness erode his scrunched face. You loved the concern in his face as he helped an old woman across the street, when you’d nicked your finger while cutting up some vegetables. You loved the sigh you drew out when you massaged your fingers into his sore muscles, yet again watching the calm swarm him.

You loved the long, late night drives you and Jake went on, bumbling along to your favorite tunes underneath the starlight. You loved yanking the cap off of his head after he finished ushering people around in his taxi, ruffling his hair with a hearty laugh. You loved his cute little nicknames that he found for you, ones he said he’d picked out of a million others and made you feel like the most important person in the world. 

They made you feel perfect, fearless, everything that a person could want and more. You felt safe with them like you’d never felt before with anyone else, and you only hoped they felt the same way with you. You only needed them and they only needed you.

So, naturally, when you were met with attention from other people, it left you perplexed. Especially when you’d just been walking home from work like you always did: you knew the streets like the back of your hand. There’d been this particular street that you walked by that always came off as sketchy, but nothing had happened and you really had never thought anything of it. 

Until now. 

“Ma’am?” A voice called. You kept walking, pretending like the headphones in your ears were preventing you from hearing the person. When a hand laid on your shoulder, you startled and spun quickly. “I’m sorry,” the man said, his gray hair and cloudy blue eyes looking a lot like that one man you’d heard had died at that one asylum. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

You only nodded with a hard set glare.

“I was wondering- would you happen to know how to get to the museum?”

“The museum?”

“Yeah, the one with that new exhibit-“

“All the museums are closed now.” Your tone was hard and you hoped to convey an ending to the conversation.

The man sighed. “Thats a shame. Would’ve made this easier on me.”

His hand shot out to his side, a cane with two crocodile heads flying towards it. You jumped back in surprise. You took the way that the eyes were fucking glowing as a reason to book it and run as fast as you could. You soon started twisting left and right to dodge purple blasts from his cane, even having to leap to avoid one to the feet.

“Where is Marc Spector?” The man’s voice sounded deeper and louder, despite the fact that he was farther away. You stumbled slightly. How does he know about Marc? “Does Steven Grant ring a bell?” He called when you didn’t answer. You dodged another blast that scorched an end of your hair. “Who the hell are you talking about?”

“How about Jake Lockley.” The hard blast accompanied the man’s tone as it slammed into your shoulder, sending you tumbling to the ground with a cry. 

“Wh- what are you talking about?” You took to scooting away from him on your hands and feet.

“Your boyfriends, Miss l/n. Don’t play dumb.”

“I- I’m not playing dumb!”

“Just tell me where they are and I promise this process will be a lot less painful.”

“For me or for them?”

The man chuckled, twisting the cane in his hands. “You poor, naive little thing. Why don’t you take a stab.”

“I’ll never tell you anything.” You growled through gritted teeth. 

“Oh, y/n,” the man bent down to meet your furious gaze. He grabbed your wrist and held it above the menacing cane. “You don’t need to.”

His eyes darted upwards and he tossed you to the left as a flurry of white came slamming through the place you’d been sitting just a few seconds ago, colliding with the man instead. As you rolled over with a groan, you formed the white blur into a masked vigilante, wrapped in what looked like the mummy tape you’d taped Steven into once. The vigilante soon had the man against the wall, pinned with two crescent shaped daggers, if you could call them that.

“How nice of you to join us, Marc.” The man drawled. The masked man- Marc?- gritted his teeth, but didn’t stop from his pursuit towards you. Your eyes widened in fear, and you tried to placate. “No no no no, please don’t hurt me-“

“Hey,” he held his hands out. “I’m not gonna hurt you.”

You frowned, recognizing that American accent anywhere. “Marc!?” 

“Wow, she’s good. I totally didn’t just say that.” Chuckled the man as he struggled against the crescents.

Marc whirled. “Can it, Harrow.”

Your eyes darted to the man. “Wait. He’s the dude that was killed at that mental hospital a few weeks ago!”

Marc bristled slightly. “Yeah. Listen, we need to get you out of here.”

“Wait,” you pushed yourself up and hobbled over to Harrow. “How are you still alive?”

“You wouldn’t understand.” It was like he knew that would push your buttons.

You gritted your teeth. “Then why don’t you fucking try it out instead of assuming?”

“Okay,” Marc walked up behind you, wrapping an arm around your waist. “I think it’s time to go.”

“No,” you struggled against Marc’s strong grip. “I want to-“

The sound of fabric rustling sounded from behind you, and then his hand tightened around you and his mouth was brought to your ear. “Cariño,” Jake drawled. “Let it go.” 

“But-“

“Turn around.” His eyes were narrowing at the way Harrow was nearly out of the crescent binds Marc had placed.

After a few seconds of boiling in your anger, you turned reluctantly. “What?”

In a flash, Jake wrapped both arms around you and shot into the sky. You screamed and clung to Jake’s suit, nearly missing Harrow’s last lunge towards you. Once the initial fear of falling wore off, you laughed and closed your eyes to the chilly London breeze. “Be careful,” Jake’s hand came up to cradle your head. “Don’t want to strain that neck of yours.” 

You nodded, complying. “Were you ever gonna tell me about all this?”

Jake sighed. “Eventually, yes.”

“That wasn’t a very convincing answer.”

“Well, we didn’t wanna dump too much on you after your stressful week.”

“But I’ve been dating you guys for three months.” You grumbled. 

“Listen, y/n,” Jake huffed. “It’s not something we wanted to involve you with. Our system deals with very dangerous people- and we’re not out in the public- we don’t get this almighty recognition or protection from the people. We have few allies yet many very angry enemies, and if they got even a whiff of talk about you, many wouldn’t hesitate to attack you. You’re a weak point for us, and they’ll use it whenever they can. We love you, after all, its the best place to poke. And Harrow? First of all, isn’t supposed to be alive, and second of all, must’ve heard about you. This,” he ducked lower, heading for the roof of your apartment building with practiced precision. “Could prove to be a slight problem.”

“Okay. Wow,” It was hard to form those words while Jake placed you gently onto the top of your apartment building. “That’s a lot- makes sense though.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” you affirmed. “Here, I’ll go inside now. Thanks for the ride. I appreciate the new form of transportation.”

Jake grinned. “Better than the taxi?”

“Oh, Lockley. Nothing can beat the taxi.”

“Yeah, she’s a classic.” He smirked dazedly as he watched you walk to the door.

“Oh, and Jake?” You turned to him.

“Que?”

“I love this suit of yours. You should wear it more often, it’s sexy.” You winked and walked inside with a laugh.

“Oh, bollocks,” Steven grumbled. “She didn’t get to see mine.”

“One day, Steven, one day,” Marc consoled him with a grin, soon turning his attention then to a swooning Jake. “Amigo! Move your ass!”

Jake shook from his stupor. “Okay, okay! Eres tan impaciente.”

——

You flopped onto the couch, picking up your tea and admiring your work. You’d taking a shower and changed into some comfy clothes, now settling to watch some television. You found a nice romance movie, just about to get super into the movie when a knock sounded against your door. You opened the door as soon as you got to it, knowing that rhythm of knocking anywhere. 

“Steven.” You sighed, grabbing his arm and dragging him into the apartment. “Hey, love,” he let himself be dragged in. “You doing alright?”

“Im okay,” you shuffled through the kitchen. “A little shaken, slightly scared, but fine.”

“A little shaken?” Steven grabbed your shaky hand.

“Well, maybe a lot.” You admitted quietly.

“It’s okay to be scared, alright? I was scared at first too.”

“I know,” you gently pulled your hand from Steven’s to grab his tea. “For you.”

“Thank you.” He smiled gratefully, taking the mug. 

You smiled back and shuffled to the sofa, settling again in front of your rom com and trying to finesse Steven over. “C’mon, sit down, love.” 

“Hold on,” Steven held his ground as he placed his mug down. “I want to show you something.”

You nodded, slightly confused. “Okay.”

Steven widened his stance slightly, locking eyes with you and smiled excitedly. You couldn’t help but smile back at him: it was contagious. With a quick nod, he scrunched up his nose and it almost made you laugh, but you were cut short by Steven’s flannel and jeans being absorbed by white fabric. Your jaw went slack as the white fabric folded itself into a crisp suit, covering Steven’s face in a mask with glowing blue eyes. You could see hints of the detailing, and when you stepped closer, you were able to make out what looked like some sort of Egyptian pattern running along it. 

Steven involuntarily sucked in a deep breath when you reached out and ran your finger along the side of his vest, unsure how to gauge your reaction. He was half certain you would jump away if he moved at all, calling him out for some sort of sorcery. His eyebrows came to knit together in concern, waiting anxiously for you to reach his eyes so he could really see what you felt about it all. 

And when you did? Oh boy.

Your eyes twinkled with fascination and admiration, your lips pulled into a sloppily concealed childish grin. He let out a sigh of relief, happy that there was no accusations of witchery being made. “So?” He broke the silence when his patience ran out. “I- wow,” you started, trying to work the gears in your jaw. “This is so cool.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I mean, the detail is insane, and the suit really fits you, and the way your eyes glow is amazing. Jake and Marc’s too.”

“Oh. Wait,” Steven let the mask shrivel away to reveal his grinning face. “The mask comes off too.”

“Whoa.” Your eyes were wide, completely enamored by the sight of him. 

“Hon, pick up your jaw.” he teased with a smirk, reaching up to actually close your mouth. 

You swatted his hand and turned. “Oh, piss off, you jerk.”

Steven chuckled, letting the suit peel away into nothingness. “Love, come on-“

You said nothing, just stood facing the couch.

Steven smirked when an idea hit him. He ran towards you, capturing you in his big embrace and sending you both tumbling onto the couch. You screamed when he grabbed you, it soon becoming laughs as the initial surprise wore off. “You idiot!” You sputtered out through laughs. He chuckled happily, settling with you at his side to meet the twice abandoned rom com on TV. “Your idiot.”

You nodded earnestly. “My idiot.”

“Ahem.”

You rolled your eyes. “Sorry. My idiots.”

[aceofbooks-creative-anthologies]

Reposting because I said so (I brought back the small font, sorry) 🩶

Anyway, here is the beginning of the end for Ace x Chigiri (can you have an end without a start?)

It's been three years since the tear.

Three years of developing an actual friendship. I might even call him my best friend at this point. Lord knows that the girls on my team have started to resent me, which bleeds into my friendships in the classroom. So even if I don't call him my best friend, he's the closest thing I have.

Three years of carefully measuring myself against the Japanese Olympians. Three years of mediocre training that I have to compensate for elsewhere. Three years of biting my tongue about my potential because I don't want to remind him of what he's lost.

Three years of hiding my growing feelings for him. Childhood cooties turned into a pre-teen crush over a boy I knew next to nothing about. Well, besides his shoe size, his height, his stride length, his speed range, his favorite color of shoelaces, his preferred electrolyte mix, the faces he makes when he's breathing hard, the way his heart beats in the jugular vein when I out pace him..... Those childish fancies blossomed into real romantic yearnings and aspirations. But I'd never act on them.

And now we tell each other everything. Well not everything. I don't tell him about the doodles of our names in a heart. Or that the girls at school make fun of me for my "girlfriend" whenever they happen to catch a glimpse of my camera roll. I don't tell him that I don't tell them the truth because I want to keep him all to myself. If he met any of the girls on my team or in my class, he'd want to—

The news comes over text message:

Red: i've been invited to trial for an exclusive soccer program Red: can i call you? Red: actually can we meet up? Red: i want Red: no i NEED Red: to talk with you about this in person

He's never asked to meet up outside of our time at the park before.

Blue: yeah sure Blue: when?

My phone pings, an alert to a high priority email. I clear it from the activity log.

Red: now? Red: i know it's before dinner Red: so i'll see you in a couple hours Red: but

The blinking ellipses taunt me as he types and erases his message over and over again. They settle as his message finally comes through.

Red: please? Red: *GIF of Puss in Boots pleading*

Blue: fine Blue: omw

Down the stairs and into the front hall. "Hey mum?" I call over my shoulder as I lace up my running shoes. They're looking pretty beat up, will probably only get a couple more meets out of them at this rate—if I'm okay with running without any soles. Maybe I should ask for an advance for my New Year's money from Gramma.

"Yes dear?" Comes my mother's call from inside the kitchen.

"I'm going out to meet up with Red for a bit. I should be back in time for dinner."

"That's odd. You'll just see him after dinner." I can almost hear the furrow in her brow.

"He got some important news earlier. Wants someone to talk to about it."

"He can't talk to his parents?"

I'm halfway out the door as I call back, "I don't know, mum. But this will probably be the first and last time, yeah? Love you." Her response is muffled by the door as it latches into place behind me, but there's a ninety-five percent chance it was about my homework, which is finished anyway.

After a few static stretches in the yard, I take off down the street at a (relatively) slower pace of eight min/km. I don't need to run at my training or race pace when I know he's going to take longer, even though he lives considerably closer.

Unless he's already there and was just hoping that I would agree to show up.

With each stride, I can feel the pavement pounding its way through my shoes. Thump, thump, thump. Doesn't quite match my heart rate yet, but it'll get there. There's a trill from my watch, noting the sudden spike in my heart rate and decrease in my oxygen levels. But no threshold alerts, so I'm all set to keep going.

The high priority email vibrates in my pocket four times before I reach the park.

Deep breaths. In through the nose. Count to five. Out through the mouth. Count to seven. In. Count to five. Out. Count to....

Hands over head. Keep the chest open.

It's like my trainer is in my head. I can almost see his mustache ruffle as he breathes, muttering about how I'm training too hard.

Dynamic stretches to keep the blood from pooling.

Five minutes into my cool down, and he still hasn't arrived. I check my phone, hoping that I don't see a text from him saying that he fell twenty minutes ago.

Nothing from Red, but there is that pesky high priority email. Might as well check it while I wait for him.

From: The Japanese Olympic Athletics Team

To: kyori.ace@joshi-kou.edu

Dear Miss Ace Kyori,

We are pleased to notify you of our interest in your performance at your recent meets and at our informal training camp last month.

Pending the status of your next few meets, we'd like to extend an invitation for you to compete at our —

"Hey Blue!" I almost drop my phone at the sound of his voice behind me. And then I do drop my phone as I turn around, because I've never seen him not wearing athletic gear. I mean, we've sent a couple of silly selfies at like school or whatever, but this is genuine casual clothing in person. It's just a navy sweater and jeans, but it's still so out of the normal that my heart and brain stutter for a second.

I can feel my face heating up as he reaches down and grabs my phone for me because I haven't moved. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting long." The smile on his face seems somber, like something has made him upset in the almost hour since we last spoke.

"Only an eternity." I sigh dramatically, using an old joke to try and lift his mood. He had good news earlier, and I have some now too! We should be celebrating.

"Right, sorry that me and my handicap—" I wait quietly for him to finish his line in this exchange, a script that we've used hundreds, if not thousands, of times at this point. He lets out a breath after a moment and then, "Sorry. I'm not really in the headspace to joke about it right now."

"Oh. That's fine! Do you want to go for a walk or—"

"No, this shouldn't take long. We can just stay out here."

"Right."

Minutes start to tick by as he wrings his hands and stares at his feet.

"Look, Red. I told my mom that—"

"Right, sorry." He's running a hand through his hair now, trying to pin it back so it's out of his face. I silently offer him my spare hair elastic, but he waves me off with his other hand before letting the first hand, and by extension his hair, fall. It shrouds his face in a way that I know he despises, but I resist the urge to step in closer and brush it away. He takes one, two, three deep breaths......

[b-skarsgard]

–How involved were you with casting, and what led to Bill Skarsgård getting the lead?

FITZJOHN: We were completely hands-on on all things, including casting. The usual suspects were thrown around by the sales agent saying, “We need to look at…” I won’t mention any names, but we did talk to some of the big A-league boys. I think it was Roy Lee who suggested, “What about Bill Skarsgård?” and when we first heard that, to be honest, that didn’t really strike us. You know, he’s not exactly a boy, he’s 6-foot-4–a pretty significant man. And then the irony of that was it got us talking about, “This kind of reminds me of that story about the baby elephant that’s tied to the stake and pulls and pulls and pulls and can’t get away. And then by the time it’s a big bull elephant, it doesn’t even try to pull the stake, which it could probably do in no time.” And that’s essentially Boy’s story, the way he’s been so programmed by Shaman. He should be the champion, but he cedes the king role to Shaman, who’s about half his size by the time he’s grown up. So it just felt right.

SWART: When we spoke to Bill, he was so excited about playing a true action role. He’s a massive martial arts fan, and so capable. He was like, “Yeah, I want to do the training, and as many of my own stunts as you guys will let me.” We said, “Well, that’s great, Bill, but remember, your character has no lines, you have no dialogue.” And he said, “Yeah, that’s what really gets me about this role.” He studied the old Charlie Chaplin silent movies; he not only prepared his body and learned the martial arts part, but if you look at the range of emotion on his face, there are some little homages to classic Chaplin as well.

The rest of the ensemble was very much the same, finding the right people to bring these wacky characters to life. When we interviewed the actors, as well as our heads of department, we told them, “Wave your crazy flag! However you bring these characters to life, just lean into your creative inspiration.”

FITZJOHN: Getting back to Bill, if you see what he does under all the prosthetics in IT, you still know what he’s thinking and feeling. He’s one of a kind, and if Hollywood hasn’t recognized that he’s a big star yet, I believe they’re going to after this movie.

What went into getting Skarsgård in shape and choreographing his fight scenes?

FITZJOHN: That was a pretty significant task. Our stunt coordinator, Dawid Szatarski, is incredible in terms of how he thinks. He thinks in movement. Dawid basically invented a fighting style for Bill, given his lankiness; he wanted him to move with big sweeping motions, and they spent quite a bit of time in Berlin doing the training. We also hired a really good fitness/strength coach, a nutritionist, who basically lived with Bill for about nine months getting him ready. I didn’t stay too far from Bill during production, and I would watch him do a 12-hour shoot and then go and do a two-hour calisthenics workout on the roof. I mean, the guy would work out during lunch breaks. He never stopped; I’d never seen anything like that commitment. He became Boy.

SWART: Dawid was also our 2nd unit director. I think he has three or four credits on the movie; he actually has a great cameo as VDK Dawe, the one soldier who just won’t go down. Bill’s relationship with Dawid was very special, and there were times when Dawid would go to Bill saying, “So, do you think you can do this stunt?” and Bill would go, “Of course I can do this stunt,” and we were like, “No, you can’t do this stunt!” There were many moments when I would have to tell Bill, “No, no, you’ve got to use a double for this, because if you twist your ankle or something at this stage of the shoot…” But Bill was up for anything; he was like, “Well, then don’t challenge me,” you know? “Don’t dare me.” And we were like, “We’re not daring you!”

FITZJOHN: If we’re honest, Bill did the bulk of it; it’s not a battle we won in the end. Outside of the stupid, crazy stuff, like when we were throwing Boy down from a double-story balcony, he pretty much did everything.

I’ve heard that Skarsgård originally did Boy’s voiceovers himself, before H. Jon Benjamin came in and took over. Can you talk about the reasons and that process?

FITZJOHN: It was always going to be H. Jon Benjamin. I mean, Moritz called it at the same time, when we were casting. The short had this Marlboro Man voiceover that just doesn’t match with Boy. And even with Bill’s versatility, we needed to explore something like that. He did an amazing job, but the audiences wanted the almost bipolar nature of it.

SWART: It’s the absurdity of his inner voice, right? So in the short it’s the Marlboro Man, and Boy gets his voice from an old cigarette commercial. For the feature, we recorded Bill, which did give us a great connection to his character, but we found that we lost the absurdity of where his inner voice comes from. It took something away from the physical performance and the storytelling.

FITZJOHN: And also, given the nature of the story, the humor of H. Jon Benjamin gives us a reprieve, in a good way, from a pretty dark, dramatic and violent story.

[seducemefanficsandheadcanons]

Soul Bound

Sam was supposed to be her soulmate. They'd proclaimed their love for each other to one of the most powerful succubi in the plains, then to each other. When Aron woke up the next morning however, Sam and his brothers were gone, along with most of her energy and magic.

Aron was finally starting to be happy again, doing her best to forget the incubi ever even existed. Just as she is getting over the heartbreak Sam's betrayal caused her, they come back. Aron lets them back in, making a deal with herself. She won't care enough for them to hurt her again. If they leave, it's up to them. She isn't going to break her own heart again.

A/N- So this is a concept I started to play around with quite a while ago, and I have finally replotted and started to rewrite it. I hope you enjoy the first chapter!

Chapter One: I wanna put you in the past cause I'm traumatized

Also posted on AO3 and Wattpad

I wish that you would stay in my memories

But you show up today just to ruin things

I wanna put you in the past cause I’m traumatized

But you’re not letting me do that

Memories- Conan Gray

Aron flopped down onto her couch, practically melting at the comfort it provided. Her light blonde hair was damp from her shower, and she wore a hoodie with pajama pants. She wrapped herself in a blanket she’d left on it the day before, yawning. She was currently in training as a new doctor, one who specialized in demons and magic. 

She wasn’t in med school like the usual human doctor, instead in a program at a hospital hidden in the nearby demon district. She only assisted with procedures as of right now, but got to treat humans and demons alike, while also improving her own magic as time went on. It was like a magical twist on a typical surgical internship, but she didn’t have to attend medical school because it was rendered useless for diagnosing or treating anything non-human. Recently, her resident decided her, and the other interns were going to be on break for at least two weeks after an undisclosed incident occurred.

Just as Aron started to get comfortable, her phone rang. She groaned as she got up to look around the couch for her phone, finally finding it in between the couch cushions. She checked the caller ID, seeing Andrew’s contact. “Hey!”

“Hey Aron!” Andrews' voice was soft and kind. He worked at her grandpa's company, and they met after he passed away. They’d become good friends since.

“What’s up?” she asked, sitting up.

“Not much really, just um…” He cleared his throat. “I was wondering if you had any free time coming up?” he asked awkwardly, making Aron smile more.

“I should. What did you have planned?” Aron found herself blushing slightly. Andrew was a sweet guy, and truthfully, she thought he was cute. She could never bring herself to ask him out, however.

“Well... I wanted to know if I could take you to dinner tomorrow night!” he said. “If you don’t want to or are too busy, I understand.”

Aron grinned to herself; her tone joyous as she answered. “I’d love to!”

“Really? Awesome!” Andrew cheered, making her giggle softly. 

They continued to talk for a bit about the restaurant so Aron would know what to wear before they hung up. Aron had a soft smile as she relaxed on the couch. For the first time in a while, good things were happening, and she was allowing herself to be happy. After everything that’s happened in her life, she needed it.

Aron started to clean for about an hour, music playing from her phone as she washed dishes. She was interrupted by a knock on the door. She checked the time, wondering why anyone would be showing up at ten o'clock at night, before pausing her music and walking into the lobby of the mansion. 

Nothing could have prepared her for what was behind the door.

Arons grip on her phone completely loosened, it falling to the floor as she stared ahead of her at five incubi, the incubi, wide eyed. They all were covered in bruises and wounds, some worse than others. Her eyes met amber ones, light blues, purple, and indigo’s, but god she could have swore the world stopped when she met Sam’s intense emerald gaze.

She felt a pain in her chest, a familiar but unwelcome ache as she stared at the five men who’d completely changed her life for the worse. Her ears were ringing loudly in her ears. They weren’t supposed to be here. 

They left.

He left .

As fast as she could think of it, she ripped her gaze from Sams, who was to the left of the group, and to the others. She looked at the others, frozen in place. Her stomach turned with her sudden adrenaline, her breathing stopping almost completely.

After what felt like hours of them just standing there, her distant gaze in between two of them, Aron finally spoke, her voice no more than a whisper. “What the actual fuck?”

“Miss,” James started, making her look at him. “I know that this is difficult, but we would truly appreciate it if you just let us inside.”

Aron gave James an incredulous look. Was he fucking serious?! Aron found herself hoping this was some kind of sick dream. It had to be. There was no way possible that-

“Aron,” Damien’s voice caught her attention. His eyes held a sadness; it made Arons stomach churn, and her eyes avert. “Don’t freak out, please. You aren’t dreaming. No, this isn’t a hallucination.”

The next few moments were a blur. Her vision was fuzzy and dark as she watched herself walk into the kitchen with the boys.

She wouldn’t meet their eyes. His eyes.

She could feel their gazes on her, Sam’s like a fire to her skin. She didn’t have to look to know he was watching her. She knew if she looked and saw any form of pity in those stupid green eyes of his, any regret or sadness, she would lose her shit. She did not want any pity from him, she didn’t want to hear about how much he regrets leaving.

“There’s um…there’s food in the kitchen,” she said quietly, staring down at nothing in particular. “Your rooms haven’t changed either, just…yeah.”

“Wait, you’re letting us stay?” Matthew asked, pure confusion in his voice.

“Yeah,” Aron said like it was obvious, but she was barely even lucid enough to realize what she had said until after she'd said it. “You're beaten half to hell. I just need to know why.”

Even as she kept her eyes down and away from them, she could picture them all giving each other uncertain looks like they had when she met them, or when she demanded answers about Diana.

“Miss, when we left-” James started.

“That isn’t what I asked,” Aron interrupted him. “Why are you covered in bruises and blood now?”

Damien stepped a bit closer. “We got attacked by a band of demons as we were leaving, and we were already low on energy.”

Aron nodded. “Did they follow you?”

“No,” he said, his voice soft and gentle.

Erik spoke up. “Princess, if I may-”

“You may not,” Aron interrupted him. “I don’t want to hear about why you left or why you came back to the human world. If you are looking for somewhere to stay, you can live here until you get back on your feet. If you aren’t here for somewhere to live, then I’m not interested. If that is the case, I’ll come back downstairs tomorrow and all of you will be gone.”

“If you didn’t look like you’d just gotten your asses handed to you, I wouldn’t have let you in to begin with. The same rules from last time are in place. If you break them, your ass will be out on the street,” she said quietly but sternly.

All of the boys gave some form of vocal agreement for the exception of Sam. That was for the better. If she heard his voice right now, it would break her.

She nodded and wordlessly walked off, already able to hear the quiet murmur of conversation between the incubi. She walked into her room and leaned against her door. 

Why the hell did she let them stay? What made her think that was a good idea? What if they came back to kill her or take more energy? Sam and possibly the others had already taken so much of her magic, it took her months to even get half of it back, and that was with the assistance of spells. 

Aron didn’t even cry, just staring blankly ahead of her as she stood there. She wanted to curl up into a ball and die. She’d just opened her house up to five incubi. Again.  

It will be fine; I spend most of my time at the hospital anyways.

But I’m off for two weeks. Even when I go back, I’ll be home enough to see them.

I could just stay in my room. I can go out onto the balcony for fresh air and have water.

But eventually I need to go eat. I can’t live on water and fresh air alone!

I’m sure it’s fine, I don’t even care that they left anymore! I’m over Sam. We weren’t even actually together a full day!

So why did it hurt so bad to see his face?

Oh god, this was such a mistake. She couldn’t even look at Sam, how the hell was she going to live with them again? If she was lucky, they’d be gone in the morning.

But life has proven again and again that Aron is not lucky.

[captainsophiestark]

The Ugliest Tie I've Ever Seen

Daniel Sousa x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for Fictober 2023!

Fandom: Marvel

Day 27 Prompt: "I don't know if they will accept this."

Summary: Y/N has finally been transferred to LA, joining their boyfriend Daniel Sousa to help with a case. Unfortunately, he's picked up some new fashion in LA.

Word Count: 1,311

Category: Fluff, Humor

A/N: This is basically a request @everyhazyday sent me for Daniel Sousa Appreciation Week before I dropped out of the event and disappeared for a couple months lol. Hope you enjoy!!

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

I stepped out of the car to be greeted by the warm, sunny weather of Southern California, a smile on my face. This beat the New York winter any day of the week.

After months of waiting to move out to LA, the SSR here had finally caught a case big enough to warrant it. I'd left New York behind with hugs for Jack and Peggy to join my boyfriend, Daniel Sousa, on the other side of the country. We'd been making long distance work since he'd been appointed the new Chief, but I couldn't wait to see him again in person.

I walked through the doors of the Auerbach Theatrical Agency to find Rose at a large desk, fake smiling as two identical-looking girls tap danced in the middle of the room. As soon as she saw me, Rose stood and walked around the desk, hands clasped and a borderline grimace replacing her smile.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think your act is quite what we're looking for. Thank you, have a nice day."

The girls both scowled and huffed, but Rose was immovable. The minute they were both out the front door she sighed, shoulders relaxing, and came over to give me a hug.

"Hey, Rose. That looked more fun than the telephone company bit," I teased. She huffed, but when she pulled back from the hug, she had a smile on her face.

"I have actually gotten to see some good acts, once in a while," she said. "And the weather here is certainly nicer than anything in New York."

"No kidding."

"Come on, I'll show you the way up. I'm sure you're dying to see the Chief."

She shot me a look over her shoulder, and I just smiled. She was right, I was dying to see Daniel. It would take just about everything in me not to tackle him in a hug and kiss him on sight, but I'd have to find a way to manage it since we were in the middle of the office.

Rose took me down a back hallway filled with filing cabinets, pushing one back to reveal a secret entrance. I gave her a wave and promised to check in later, then headed upstairs.

The bullpen was surprisingly empty, with just a few agents working at their desks. Directly across from the stairs, I could see Daniel's office with the door open, a crowd of people inside. Even from here, with his back to me, I caught sight of Daniel in the middle of the huddle by his desk.

I walked over, a smile on my face. I couldn't wait to see the look on Daniel's face when he realized I was finally here.

As I got closer, I got within hearing range of the conversation. I could see Daniel's shoulders tensed underneath his gray suit jacket, and it became a little harder to forget that I was here mostly because he'd caught a massive case.

One of the agents standing directly in front of Daniel was speaking when I walked through the door of the office, coming to a stop just behind my boyfriend.

"...been a pain in our side every step of the way. I don't know if they will accept this."

"They're gonna have to," said Daniel. "They have no argument for keeping us out of this case, not since their evidence started literally hovering around the office. It's our jurisdiction."

"Don't you worry, we'll get 'em in line," I said, hands on my hips. "The cavalry's officially here."

Daniel whipped around, eyes wide at the sound of my voice. A smile broke out on his face as soon as he saw me, but my attention snapped to his outfit instead.

I loved Daniel, more than anything or anyone in the world. That would never change, even if he walked around wearing a literal burlap sack. But this was going to take some getting used to.

The gray suit jacket had fooled me into thinking he'd levelled up his wardrobe since leaving New York and the sweater vests behind. But underneath that suit jacket was a dayglow flamingo button up shirt, and the ugliest tie I'd ever seen in my life.

I froze like a deer in headlights, unable to do anything other than stare at that outfit. Daniel looked at me curiously, then turned to the other agents in the room.

"Can we get a minute?" he asked, addressing the other agents. "Everybody take five, we'll get back together in a few minutes."

The agents nodded, mumbling amongst each other as they headed out of the office. I heard one of them shut the door behind us, and then Daniel shuffled a little closer to me, looking concerned.

"Hey. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sorry, I just need a second. My eyes are burning."

He furrowed his brow, glanced down to follow my gaze to his outfit. He looked back at me with outrage.

"What? Come on! It's not that bad, is it?"

"Together, as one outfit? YES."

Daniel scoffed, throwing his head back and looping an arm around my waist. He pulled me in, leaning in so we were basically nose to nose, a smile spread across his face.

"I missed you," he said. I smiled.

"I missed you too. No way in hell Thompson's ever getting me back to New York."

Daniel laughed, then leaned in and kissed me. We lingered for a few long moments, but since we were still in the office, we didn't let ourselves get too carried away.

"I cannot tell you how happy I am to have you here," Daniel muttered, leaning his forehead to rest against mine. "Seriously, I think I just lost a few deeply entrenched stress lines."

"Even with the fashion critiquing?"

"Yeah, even with that."

He gave me one last peck, then pulled all the way away. He picked up a massive case file and moved to hand it to me, but he hesitated at the last second.

"You really don't think this look is working for me?"

"Oh, babe. You could wear a clown costume and still be handsome to me. But that shirt and especially that tie, together? It's a serious downgrade from the sweater vests."

"From the sweater vests?"

"Yeah. You looked like a cute nerd in the sweater vests. You look like you got dressed in the dark with this."

Daniel snorted. "Okay, great. Thanks for the honesty at least."

"Always. But hey, don't get so down on yourself. The shirt's kind of fun, once you get past the... color of it."

"Really. Great."

"The tie has to go though."

I reached out to take the tie, and Daniel moved back out of my reach. I grinned, moving towards him again, and he managed to move behind his desk, a laugh bubbling out as he went.

"Gimme the tie, Daniel."

"You stay away, this tie's going on the wall. Hall of fame for making the love of my life look at me like I'd grown a second head after not seeing me in person for months."

"That's fine, the wall works. As long as it's not on you."

Daniel laughed, and it was infectious as I finally managed to catch him behind his desk. He gave in, and I wasted no time loosening the tie and pulling it over his head. He raised his eyebrows and fixed me with a look once I had it in my hands, and he smiled at me.

"You satisfied now."

"Yeah, actually, thanks."

I beamed at him and he rolled his eyes, but he was smiling too. I could see the other agents hovering outside the door, so I knew we had to get back to actual work, but I didn't really mind too much. Now that I was with Daniel again, working side by side, we could take on any case together. Ugly ties and all.

****************

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury

Marvel Taglist: @valkyriepirate @luv-ghostie @songbirdcannabe @infinetlyforgotten

[minhio22]

His Sunflower

Hevekebejeje happy belated birthday my boy shiki im sorry i forgot😭😭😭 jdbdkdbdj anyways here something after not writing for ages

When you went to school today you had this nagging feeling, this unexplainable feeling that maybe you were forgetting something important. Something that had been on your mind for long but at the last moment forgot what it was. You couldn't shake the feeling off no matter how hard you tried to retrace your thoughts, you just couldn’t remember. Maybe it was the early morning that was making you a bit trippy, your memories a blur since you weren't fully awake as you made your way to school. So you decided to brush it off, thinking that mayhaps you would remember it soon. 

Oh how wrong you were. That consistent nagging, that feeling that something was missing followed you throughout the day, plaguing your thoughts as you tried to focus on class but failed miserably. Even Shiki had noticed the shift in your demeanour today. You were so lost in thought that during P.E. as Shiki had thrown a volleyball to you for you to receive it instead hit your head softly. A sudden small yelp left your mouth and Shiki seemed mortified that he caused that to happen despite it not being his fault at all.

“A-ah…. Y/n I’m sorry. Are you alright?” Shiki went up to you worried about you spacing out so much.

You hummed to signify that you were alright as you held the volleyball and rubbed your head slightly where the ball had landed earlier. 

“You seemed…..distracted today Y/n. Are you sure you’re alright?”

“I don’t know, I feel like I’m forgetting something really important…” You trailed off going deep in thought.

“You don’t know? Maybe today is an important day?” Shiki hinted lightly at you.

That seemed to give you a slight realisation but not enough for you to quite remember what it is. “Ugh! I seriously can’t put my finger on it.” You were frustrated and what you didn’t realise is that Shiki’s face fell a bit as he patted your back hesitantly.

You had said your goodbyes to Shiki as you left school and that night in your room that feeling still haunted you. As you sat on your bed staring at nowhere in particular, eyes darted around your dim bedroom lazily as it landed on your project that was on your table. It was still such a mess but you had managed to finish it despite the thousand attempts it took you to even get it right and hold its shape. You stood up as you walked to your desk, your hand brushing against the thing you had been working on relentlessly trying to get it just right. It was one of those fake flowers made out of ribbons that you tried your hand at. Sunflowers were the ones that sat on your desk. You wanted to give them to Shiki during his birthday, opting to give him those instead of real flowers since you thought it would be a waste if they died early.

At that moment your phone rang, you picked it up not even bothering to glance at the number. 

“Hello?” That was the only thing you managed to get out of your mouth before you were interrupted by a familiar voice.

“Y/n do you know why Shiki seems so down. More than usual I mean.” It was Yohei.

“Eh? What? Did something happen?”

“That’s what I’m asking you. He’s been like this since Ryu brought him back.” Yohei grumbled. “You don’t have anything to do with it do you?”

“Me? No, I didn't do anything. I’m not even sure why you thought of that Kanbayashi-san.”

Yohei was about to say that whenever Shiki had extreme feelings it was always related to you but he bit his tongue. Yohei sighed. “You forgot something today didn’t you?”

“How did you know…?”

“I thought so.” Yohei sighed again. “It’s his birthday.”

Oh. oh……You were probably swearing at yourself so much right now but you managed to catch that Yohei said the bar was still open and the line went dead. Without much thought you grabbed the ribbon sunflowers and darted out of your room. Your parents were in the living room watching a late night program and they questioned where you were heading this late at night. You only yelled back to them that you had to do something important at your friend’s place.

You ran and ran and ran, breathing heavily. The only time you had run this hard was probably during your sport practices but even now you felt like you were running faster compared to then. Straight. Left. Right. Another right and straight again. You probably had the route to Bar 4/7 memorised like the back of your hand, your mind letting your legs bring you there without much thought.

When you arrived you just slammed the front door open, the bell ringing as you just held the door open and your breath panting. Saimon sensei was the one who first saw you in all your sweaty glory as he chuckled and tilted his head to the back door gesturing to you where you should head. Everyone probably already knew. Well maybe except Ryu but that’s a different story.

You immediately made your way there and loo and behold there he was in all his glory as he washed the countless cups and glasses from the night. Yohei was right, Shiki did seem a bit down, his shoulders slumped as he washed the dishes.

“Shiki.” You breathed out. Oh dear you probably should've taken time to compose yourself before you faced him but oh well what’s done is done.

Shiki raised his head and his eyes widened when he saw you. The sight of you breathless and panting like you just ran here-which you did- surprised him. He wondered what you were doing here so late at night. He took off the gloves and placed them beside the sink.

You didn’t say anything as you went up to him and just placed the ribbon sunflowers in his hands as apologies came sputtering out of your mouth. “I’m sorry Shiki I forgot. What kind of friend am I to forget your birthday? Oh my gosh you don’t deserve this kind of treatment-”

“Thanks.” It was faint but it made you stop spewing out apologies to him. It was so soft that you might’ve missed it if you weren’t used to Shiki talking in that tone at times. He was staring adoringly at the present you had made for him. Shiki could see how much effort you put into it as he was aware that you had been buying so many ribbons recently. He knew you weren’t the best at doing things right the first time but knowing that the current version in his hands was nearly perfect made him almost blush at how much thought you put into it. Shiki didn’t say anything as he just stared at the ribbon flowers and back at you. Ah it made your heart flutter momentarily the way he stared at it as if it was the most precious thing on Earth. 

[utilitycaster]

I don't think I've seen you mention this yet, but how do you think they might reconcile the ending of Downfall (which I loved, and honestly wouldn't change just to adhere to this) with FRIDA's memory, that seemed to indicate a much larger conflict around the Factorum, at least numerically, than simply a handful of godly avatars obliterating the machine?

Hi anon,

I am not going to copy over the transcript of 3x58 because it's somewhat long but I recommend reviewing it! the relevant portion begins at 3:00:33 on the YouTube video, and as always, the CR Transcript search is a wonderful and invaluable resource.

The quick summary which you can (and should!) verify is: FRIDA was fighting within Aeor but outside of the room, and realized the fighting was between Aeorian factions rather than an outside force. They turned down a hall and saw a beautiful room of pipes and tubes, and eventually reached what is assumed to be the Factorum chamber although the description is somewhat different than what we saw in Downfall, and someone yells "Protect the Factorum!" in Aeorian. We also see that the memory is a little fluid or dreamlike, with people in the hallways disappearing when out of range.

So: the fighting outside the chambers is actually totally compliant with Downfall. The divine avatars go through the rat tunnels to the scroll banks; we don't know the events outside of those two chambers.

As for FRIDA getting in - while the room descriptions are a little different in the memory, it could be that FRIDA came in with a group of mages and the avatars did not specifically notice them (and that FRIDA didn't specifically recall the avatars); the memory pretty much ends with "Protect the Factorum!" and things going white, so it's possible they entered at the moment The Emissary destroyed it.

There's also to be honest a little bit of known...not per se canon conflicts, but canon fuzziness. In Downfall it sounds like the Factorum had never been tested, but in episode 2x135 the writings about it that Caleb found indicated there had at least been some degree of testing, perhaps on a smaller scale. So I think it's worth being open to the idea that the Factorum Malleus was a controversial project within the Genesis Ward and that perhaps this was a memory of an earlier partial test in which there was considerable internal disagreement (we know Aeor was pretty fragmented philosophically; see also Cognouza) which would also explain the intensity of security even within the city; or that it's a mixture of multiple memories FRIDA has that aren't quite chronological. It's pretty easy to just retcon as correct in vibes but not precisely in reality; we know that aeormatons can be, to an extent, programmed to have false impulses or memory lapses. I guess we'll find out soon!