#to use it for what?? who knows. but i have a cool funky introduction!!

[blue-orangeade]

finding out keita was the one who made up ‘i love you, i want you, seok matthew!’ AND ‘chen kuan rrrrui’ AND ‘face jjang (best), talent jjang, charisma jjang hao-imnida’ like damn can he do one for me too

[the-cat-and-the-birdie]

MORE Cute Spider Society Headcanons: Extracurriculars and Sports

Another list of headcanons I have about Spider Society and what it's like on campus. This time - Music, Sports, The Society Newspaper, and other fun things to do on campus

Heads-up: There's light mentions of Spidersonas below - including my own lovely Disco-Spider Diane. All creators tagged at the end

[This post has a lot of links in thise - ALL lead to other tumblr posts. Most of them explain callback jokes, additional headcanons, or the information about the Spider-person being named. All the Spider-people mentioned here are free-to-use headcanons, unless otherwise named. Those who are actual Spider-sonas that my Spider-sona knows - their first names maybe used, or their sona introduction will be linked. Basically if their normal name isn't given and/or theres no link, have at it]

LETS GO

The Spider Music Scene goes CRAZZZYY

Thought it was just Hobie?

Of course not! There's MetroSpider too

In fact there's a whole wide range of accompanying 'Spider-*music genre*'

There's Spider-Goth who plays gothic death metal, DiscoSpider who plays funky pop, Spider-Grunge into 90's garage grunge, RrrriotSpiderrr who plays Riot Girl Grunge

There's even SpiderSync

Which is NYSNC. But they're all Spider-people. Like Justin Timberlake as Spider-man. They roam as a group

That's because Metro isn't the only celebrity Spidey either -

There's SpiderB, which is just Beyonce but a Spider-person. Britney Spiders, which is Britney Spears but a Spider-person. Doja-Spider, Doja Cat. You get the gist.

Like imagine being in the Spider Society campus food court and turning around to see BEYONCE

And she's like 'yes.. It's me'

and it's literally just like the normal Beyonce with albums and everything excepts shes also Spiderwoman

And gay. And has a rapper wife named Jane-Z

Every year there's a collaborative album from all the musical Spiders

Called 'The Yearbook'

A lot of the songs are about the direct struggle or experience of being Spider-people

With some really good party songs thrown in for the Spider-raves

Hobie and Gwen's band Wicked Webs appears on the album, along with any Spider who plays an instrument.

If your spidersona can carry a tune, they're on it.

AND IT'S FIRE

You can buy the album at the Commissary.

The first week at campus EVERYbody is playing it. In the common rooms or the food court or training rooms -

They'll just play this album that's by Spider-people for Spider-people

If your spidersona starts singing ANY part of a 'Yearbook' song some without a doubt will respond with the next lyric. everybody knows the words

Spidey people really treat Hobie like a rockstar - and a lot of them go to his concerts

It's kinda a huge unspoken thing on campus that a LOT of people are willing to break rank and head to 136 without permission, just to see Hobie on Saturday nights.

Even people who don't hang with Hobie or don't necessarily know the real him

They still go cause his shows are THE PLACE to be.

Spider-people pour into his tiny venues in London, all out of uniform, and they mingle with the punks in the crowd while Hobie goes Miguel Mode on stage

It's a place where they can all drink (if over 18) and party (any age, Hobie gotchu ur safe with him) and enjoy themselves

And as a result, Hobie is a HIT with people from his universe

They know that Hobie's shows are always lit and full of cool people you'll never see anywhere else

The after-parties are CRAZY (party on all six walls), and it's really common for Spider-friends to link up and head to each others universes after the show - getting into their own shenanigans

There's MANY times Ansi, Asa, Hobie, and Diane have gotten themself into some shit while lit after one of Hobie's shows

And every Monday people are talking about what they get into after the show, the crazy stuff that popped off in the after-parties

MetroSpider, Pavi, Diane, Hobie, & Margo throw the BEST parties

Miguel knows about this, and he lets it slide - for the sake of morale (and not causing a riot if he banned it)

There's an international Spider community on campus

You thought Spiderman India and Spider-UK was it? NO

Spider-Canada and Hobie are other noticeable ones , but there's more!

There's the Peruvian 'IncaSpider' named Moche, a Paris born SpiderFrance, a SpanishSpider, SpiderItaly

A Mahayana Buddhist ThaiSpider, VietSpider, Spiderwoman Brazil. The list goes ON AND ON.

There's a large group of Indigenous Spider-people

Some Spider-people are even born in countries that don't exist in most universes or live in universes that live in countries that USE to exist

My favorite international Spider-person is the Australia Spider-person who is simply named Australian Spider

People constantly joke they're no dangerous than the average Australian Spider

And there's also a Spider Olympics!

And the events are DESIGNED for superhumans

Diving from buildings into swimming pools, Track meets where people are running at like 80mph, Web Gymnastics, Contact Sports

Ice Hockey gets REAL intense - and of course SpiderCanada is a team captain

As does Roller Derby. Wanna see superhumans fucking WRECKING each other? Go watch Spider-Derby, the players have derby names that play off their own Spider-names. So it's like a triple identity.

And once a year, they all throw down - and even if you aren't THE Spider of your nation, you can still participate if you want -

Like Hobie can enter for Britain but he'd rather die than do anything for that country

It's the one place you can compete and fully push your spider powers without danger - plus it's with your friends

They do give out medals. But it's mainly bragging rights.

Pavi earned his first gold medal in the diving portion for India only three months after his bite. Which is a record for The Society

However the Spider-person with the highest number of medals is Lego-Spider-man. I don't know how.

Sports are HUGGGEEEE on campus I cannot stress this enough

Everyone knows The Society LOVES baseball (shoutout @theevoh12)

But they also love football too (European - not American)

The Society also has TWO soccer teams that constantly play against each other

They play 4 wall soccer in which the field extends the length of a room, up the walls, and across the ceiling - leaving two walls for spectators. This is usually just called 4wFootball or 4WF

This is played with extended rules - and a modified ball that can stick and roll along walls

MANY people on Society backs one of the teams.

And before a game there WILL be arguments without a doubt

You DO NOT insult someones 4WF

You can get team jerseys in the Commissary

WebSlinger Patrick O'Hara is Captain on one team. No, the horse does not play

(I want a jersey with Patrick's 4wFootball number)

Imagine being a Spider Society Athlete and seeing other superhumans wearing your jersey and giving you thumbs up - WHOLESOME

Games can be played 'Plain' or 'Full'

A 'plain' game of 4wFootBall uses basic spider abilities such as speed, strength, and reaction time - however special abilities are not allowed

A 'full' game of 4wFootBall uses basic spider abilities as well special abilities and passive tactics. If Mile wants to go invisible in a 'full' game - that's permissible

Miguel's venom is NOT however. Can't be paralyzing other players. Abilities that effect the other players are off limits, so no electro powers

'Plain' games are played out-of-suits, in team uniform

'Full' games are played in-suits, with the team uniform over it

Betting on teams and players is against the rules

But also Lyla runs an underground betting system and fantasy 4wfootball league. Don't tell Miguel.

There's other activities with solo athletes, and like Hobie being a famous rockstar on campus - there are star athletes too

Tennis is a huge one. Volleyball too. With an extra long field.

The serves, spikes, and hits can be genuinely dangerous. They're managing swings and hits that can top out at like 110 mph (just above the world's fastest baseball pitch)

But because everyone are Spider-people, its fairly easy to follow in real-time

Star-Spiders are usually tennis players, gymnasts, weightlifters, and track stars, but there's a couple others too.

Pavi is a star gymnast, swimmer, AND A 4WFOOTBALL PLAYER - he goes REALLY hard at extracurriculars

(And he's surprisingly competitive. Like insanely competitive. Pavi will scream at the top of his lungs cause he scored a goal. He loses a game and as soon as they end the game he wants to practice cause he HAS to win next time)

The boy is a perfectionist.

One thing that's SO annoying is Venom Evaluation Checks

If you come in acting weird, too bold, or uncharacteristically agressive - You get sent to Spider-psyche so they can make sure you don't have venom.

Not my fault. Raimi-Peter (from the Raimi movies) pulled up to HQ one day in all black and started dancing all weird and saying cringy shit like 'Now dig on this'

And Jess was immediately like "Yeah, no. We're not digging on anything, sir."

There's a newspaper you can write for

Spider-Scrawl is the Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Web who is a GREAT boss by the way

And it's a MUCH better gig than working at The Bugle

So if your spidersona has worked for Jonah - submit a resume, you might get a call

Theres things like a Canon Event Advice Column, which Diane writes for

A news section that details the Craziest News across the multiverse

If your Doc Ock pulls some crazy shit and turns into a giant octopus - oh yeah thats going Front Page. Everyone on campus knows and you get to gloat about fighting a giant octopus

There's a Debate Section that updates with hot topics that only exist between Spider-people like:

'Is it okay to genetically replicate another Spider-persons organic webbing so you can recreate it for your mechanical webslingers?'

'Masks: Hair out or No? Spider-man India and DiscoSpider weigh in'

'Is the Go-Home machine ethical?'

'What's Miguel's favorite flavor of empanada?'

As you can imagine, these coversations across campus can get REALLY heated

There's a lot of entertainment

Yes, there's a movie theatre on campus. They play movies from across the Spider-verse, and they're a GREAT way to see versions of films you know - but different.

Watch GhostBusters except it's from WebSlinger's world and everyone is cowboys and they catch the ghosts with lassos

Other hits are shown on the big screen too

Barbie was a HUGE hit on campus. People coming in with pink outfits OVER their suits

And it's really cheap in terms of credits

So people like Gwen who started out living on campus, or who are apart of the Educational Study Program have nice things to do in their off-time

And, The Food Court is THE BEST

You think they only have empanadas - think AGAIN

Every culture, every time period. Even weird ass food that you wouldn't even want but is a staple in other universes.

They even have a FISH N CHIPS SHOP (Malala loves it there)

So Hobie can get his nasty ass beans on toast without leaving HQ

The Food Court is almost as big as the Training Wing, and there are so many places indoor and out to eat lunch

And it doesn't stop there -

There's a store (based on credits not money) and a general kitchen.

(As well as separate kitchens in each dorm wing)

You know how in SpyKids they have those meals that like GROW to full size in the microwave???

Guess what NUEVA YORK HAS THAT MY FRIEND

Missing McDonalds or a specific chain? - Just go to the Grocery in HQ and get a capsulized happy meal.

It grows to fill size in the expanders in the kitchen

Just pick the meal, put it in the expander, dip your ID card, and BOOM

Olive Garden with breadsticks on the side, Waffle House Waffles, McDonalds WITH international food options

Plus the grocery is fully automated by Lyla so you don't have to talk to people if you don't want to

But she will see all the nutter butters and pringles you pick up and she will judge you for it - it's between you and her but she's judging you

Miguel wants members to actually like the place he made

Because he finds no point in having unhappy, unsupported, unstable Spider-people out in the field -

He wants them at their happiest and healthiest so he tries his best

And he hardly partakes in any of this, but to him that's fine. It's not suppose to be for him.

He does enjoy seeing a full food court or walking by the training rooms and hear all the sessions going on

Hearing people talk about the new movie on campus

And sometimes you can even catch him humming a song from 'The Yearbook'

Imagine how smug Hobie was when he went 'bruv - are you tapping out my guitar notes rn?? you thinking about my song?'

Miguel can never live it down

Miguel DOES follow 4WFootball though -

He is actually one of the coaches for 4WFootball - he's a GREAT coach. Hardheaded ass fuck sometime but GOD he loves the Spider's on his team they're his favorites but he tries not to show it

And finally -

Yes there's a nursery and kindergarten on campus, specialized for Spider-kids regardless of if they have powers.

Peter doesn't let MayDay run free (all the time). MayDay attends the Itsy Bitsy Spider Daycare, and so will Jess's child

Sometimes while walking around HQ, you'll see little toddlers in single-file lines, holding lunch boxes as they follow Spider-Teacher on a field trip to another universe - to learn about the wonders of the multiverse

Their favorite trip is to WebSlinger's world, all the kids get to be cowboys and Patrick shows them ponies and lets them feed his horse Widow

There's a breakroom for people the multiple Spider-Teachers, Spider-Professors (Educational Program), Spider-Psyches, Spider-coaches, the list goes on and on

(Though Society Administration like Jess, Ben Reilly, and yes - Hobie (don't ask how hes just that good) have a separate breakroom from the educators and coaches and such )

And those breakrooms are funny as HELL It's like the Office back there.

This is really long :) Here's a photo of Hobie

Bye.

_________________________

ALSO ALSO ALSO : All the people, OCs, and other things I mentioned -

Ansi - by @spidey-bie Asa - by @suchholydebauchery Disco-Spider Diane - by ME @theevoh12's amazing baseball concept Spider-Scrawl by @whaliiwatching

Thanks for making HQ so rad!!

[things-about-cars-in-posts]

In celebration of me just picking up a Toyota Altezza Gita/Lexus IS300 Sportcross what are some of your favourite wagons or shooting brakes

yOOOOOO!!!!

Okay now I have to ask, is it actually an imported Toyota or did you add that just for potential clarification?

I should give context for folx out there (apparently folx is a 'more friendly' spelling to some? oh the wild wonders of language): y'all know how Lexus is a brand Toyota founded to move upmarket? Yeah, they didn't need to do that at home because Japan is much better protected from too-good-for-Toyotas-itis: I mean, if the emperor can drive (well, be driven in) Toyotas I am pretty sure you can afford to be seen in one. As a result, until 2005 Japan got Lexus models but not the Lexus brand, receiving them with Toyota branding instead (and different model names too, since the two letter acronyms were a Lexus thing).

To get to your question, though:

SEDANS I LIKE THE WAGON VERSION OF TOO

Toyota Altezza Gita/Lexus IS300 Sportcross (:D)

Indeed, I love your car! The JZ (for the folx: a six cylinder inline engine series widely regarded to be Toyota's best, capable of truly monstrous power with the right hands fiddling under the hood), the sporty, timeless styling, Toyota reliability and Lexus build quality, how no matter the market they refused to use a normal word for wagon, the chrome taillights so iconic they spawned an entire trend in 2000s car styling (especially aftermarket - hell, they still call them Altezza taillights!)... and that gauge cluster oh my GAWD

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII Wagon

I don't think the street equivalent of one of the most legendary rally cars (and certainly, with the Subaru Impreza WRX STI, part of the most legendary rally war) needs any introduction. I just wanted to make sure you knew that between '05 and '07 the closest thing to a rally car a dealer would sell you also came in wagon form. In Japan only, of course. Because if Japan can't keep a cool thing to themselves, they'll make a cooler version to keep to themselves. Always.

Morris Mini Traveller/Austin Mini Countryman/Mini Clubman Estate

How do Mini fans do it, man

Who doesn't love the Mini? Who doesn't love the wagon's funky rear doors?

And who doesn't hate the time they tried to modernize its front end for the 70s? Me.

Like come on guys. You need to find within yourselves the intellectual honesty to admit that this fucks.

I rest my case. Let's move on.

Citroën DS Break/Familiale/Safari/Estate/Station Wagon

How do Citroën fans do it, man

Yes, the steering wheel had a single spoke - and by the way, that's it straight. It was angled like that so that, in a crash, it would guide your your body to the right - because there weren't seatbelts yet in 1955. Yeah. This is a 1955 design. The French are always been and likely always will be hellbent on being weird - and the Citroën DS is a distillation of the good that can come from that. It had pillarless windows! variable height suspension so effective you could only tell you had a flat by sound - and could change that flat by just having the suspension lift it for you! It had rear fenders held on by one bolt! Hell, in 1967, it got directional lights that turned with the wheels!!!!

IN 1967!!!! Few cars have them right now today!!!

Oh, and also, most interesting to us right now, it has the greatest vibe gap between sedan and wagon I have ever seen. Allow me to illustrate (and slightly exacerbate by cherry picking examples).

You get out of this with suit and tie and a watch you change the time of with felt tweezers.

You get out of this with a lab coat, plane goggles, a propeller tophat and a concoction that violates a semester's worth of laws of physics. And, potentially, seven of the biggest freaks the planet could muster, because yes, this could seat up to eight, thanks to a front bench, a middle bench, and trunk seats. "You mean a third row?" HAHA. NO.

Honorable mentions:

Mazda 6, Subaru Impreza, Toyota Corolla KE70, Audi RS4, BMW E30, Fiat 500 Giardinetta, most '60s yankee landyachts that got a wagon, and all the ones that escape me at this moment

WAGONS I LIKE MORE THAN THE SEDAN VERSION

Audi RS6 (second generation)

Here's what happened (presumably): Audi had bought Lamborghini. Great! Now Lamborghinis could use Audi interior bits, a very welcome change because Lamborghini were not exactly the interior controls GOATs. (To stick to a representative example and not be here all day, when set to Fahrenheit the Diablo's digital climate controls changed the temperature by two degree increments except between 63F and 64F and 72F and 73F. And at the extremes it said LOF and HIF because the F did not go away. So yeah.) But this also gave Audi access to Lamborghini parts - and, a couple years in, one of the engineers told the others "Jo [German for "Yo"], there's gotta be something cool we can do with Lamborghini parts!" And the other was like "Maybe we can make the new RS6 [Audian for Real Sporty version of the A6 executive sedan] with a Lambo V10! That'd be a fast fucking sedan." And the first one replied "And a fast fucking wagon too!" And their eyes locked, lighting up with villainous thrill.

I mean, I could wax lyrical about the all wheel drive and super expensy carbon ceramic brakes and the flared fenders et al but if this garbage 5 second clip does not convince you that this busts ass how could I.

Toyota Corolla E110

Well that's quite the jump. How could I possibly be interested in a car like this? If cars were meals this would be a plate of warm water. There is only one way to possibly get excited about a car this boring: personal significance. And sure enough, my Yaris-pursuing father was instead upsold a Corolla exactly like this, discounted to empty the lot in preparation for its facelift - and one day he used it to drive my momma to a hospital, they got out of it in two, and some tribulations later they got back in it in three - third being a hot-off-the-press me. This, then, was the car that was in the driveway through my stumbling infancy - and never hinted at letting us down. We then traded it for an Opel that gave us loads of trouble, the recipient traded it for an Audi that gave him loads of trouble, and on the Corolla kept getting passed on right to wherever it rests today, never letting anyone down - loyalty likely rewarded by a crusher turning it to mush. And I want another shot at doing this car right.

Okay, actually, there's another way to get excited about such a car: find out about the inevitable sick-ass Japan-only version. In this case Toyota figured they'd fit the Sprinter Carib (because Corolla wasn't near a silly enough name for the Japanese market) with a 20V 4A-GE Blacktop and a 6 speed manual, or in less technical terms "one of the greatest non-turbo powertrains of its size to ever graze a production car". Presumably just for the sake of keeping it Japan-only for the sake of annoying me personally.

Well, joke's on them, because my idea goes even harder: replicating the powertrain the hatchback version competed in World Rally Championship with - 4WD and all.

This but wagon, essentially. And then bin it in a tree in 15 seconds like I always do on the rally sim.

Honorable mentions:

1970 Dodge Coronet SW, Nissan Stagea, Volvo 940/960 wagon (which I talked about in another post!), and again all the others that I forgot.

The shooting brakes are gonna need their separate post because otherwise it hits the image limit :/

Links in blue are posts of mine explaining the words in question - if you liked this post, you might like those!

[gertritude-art]

Progress Report!

As promised, here is another progress report for DemonVN - or, as it will officially be known, Demon Detangled: Horror at the Homecoming Dance (subtitle pending).  You can view the first (rough) six minutes of it up there.  There’s still quite a bit to edit about it, as I’m sure you can tell, and a lot of it is stuff I have already shown, but for once, it’s all up there together.

Anyway, let’s get started!

FIRST...:

DemonVN has an about page on this blog, now.  You can read it here!

MENUS:

The title screen is officially done!  You can see what it looks like up above.  And, yes, the official name is Demon Detangled!  I’ve had the name in mind for months, but was waiting to officially say it in case I wanted to change it (spoilers: I could not think of a better one). The subtitle is still in need a rework, but I’m including one on the off chance that I gather enough willpower to turn this into a series, rather than just a single game.  Gotta make ‘em distinct, somehow...

I still need to customize all the other menus, but I already have drafts of how they should look in the works!  They should be done in the next few weeks.

SPRITES:

Lillie now has a new sprite, as does Catherine!  It is only looking at them now that I realize just how inhuman Lillie looks.  Hm.  Perhaps this is a deep metaphor for how, really, humans are no different than demons... or that she just needs to get out of the church more often.

Anyway, the rest of the cast is also in the progress of being edited a bit, but I don't have anything official to show for them... Please imagine them in your minds.

POINT AND CLICK ASPECTS:

As I have mentioned, DemonVN does have point and click aspects, so as to excite and challenge the average three-year-old who may want to play.  I spent a lot of the past week or so trying to iron out some of those aspects.  Did you know that at one point, you’ll be able to select multiple items to use on someone?  Check this out:

Aside from that, I’ve been slowly fixing and figuring out all the other item interactions in the game!  I almost got that done in time for this update, but I think it’ll take me another few days to get the base of all those implemented.  There have been a lot of if/else statements at play...

THE WRITING:

I’ve been jumping back and forth quite a bit with the writing of this game, but I have made some progress!  The introduction is still getting written (it remains my white whale), but all the interactions you can have with your classmates are close to finished.  That is something I did not realize I had actually done until I wrote it just now - it feels like I’ve been writing them for forever!  Here’s a fun interaction to show you:

Aside from that, a lot of my writing energy has been spent sitting and figuring out how the ending is going to go.  There is a specific, very important emotional section of it (SPOILERS: MORDRED EXPERIENCES AN EMOTION) that I’ve been trying to figure out the tone of for over a year, and I think I finally understand how it needs to be written without it coming across as overwrought or undeserved.  I wish I could show off what I’ve written of it so far, but... it will be good :^) 

THE ART:

Didn’t do much in the art department, recently, but I do have a lot of placeholder assets in place!  Shout out to this funky guy:

I have a really cool CG I drew a few months back that I had to reluctantly cut, and so I could show you that... but I’m not going to #cruelty #hatred

IS THE END IN SIGHT?

Not yet!  Check back next month for another report on how it’s going, though!  I should have some more answers by then.  Hopefully.  

WHY DID YOU WORK ON YOUR TITLE SCREEN SO HARD BEFORE YOU FINISHED THE GAME.  I WAS SO EXCITED THINKING YOU WERE DONE.  EXPLAIN.

1) I needed to do something for the game one day, and I didn’t feel like doing anything else.  2) Doing this helped me learn that buttons can perform multiple functions, which!  I had no idea was possible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Thank you for telling me, Ren’Py!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, that’s all for now.  See you next month with another progress report! :D

[inkblackorchid]

So... about season 3 Aki.

Ok harsh contrast to my previous, excited post, but I did say I had more to yell about episode 75 and I need to get this off my chest anyway. Plus, I remember mentioning in a post that I need to talk about season 3 onward Aki anyhow, so might as well do that now! I am thinking Big Thoughts and I need to Scream.

Long, incoherent, unhinged rant incoming because I have 100 things to say and 100000 screenshots to post, but I am also tired and my brain is mush.

Can we please talk about all the jarringly unfulfilled setup the start of season 3 did for Aki? Because I'm starting to feel an urge to claw at the walls. I'm gonna go through this, piece by piece of damning evidence, because I need to vent my utter confusion and frustration somehow, I guess. Okay. So.

After giving us a bit of time to settle in after the timeskip into the pre-WRGP stretch of things, the itty-bitty portion of the story Aki occupies at this point starts off arguably strong. Yusei gets kidnapped, everyone's in a frenzy about it, but Aki's especially worried.

Then this. Funky new signer powers! Nobody's been able to do this before! I wonder if they're going to do something with that! (Spoiler: They're not.)

Then Aki "no sense of self-preservation" Izayoi gets herself in a bunch of danger trying to rescue Yusei and we get this:

Oh! Wow! Aki can control her powers now! (Which: how. Why did they never show us this. That alone could have made for a whole mini-arc. Why waste that????) That would give the writers so many cool opportunities to let her use them! I wonder if they're going to do something with that! (Spoiler: They're not.)

(Side note: I love this scene. I love it to death. They're both ride-or-die "who cares for my safety when yours is on the line" for each other and I love them.)

Of course, shenanigans then ensue, leading up to Sherry's marvellous introduction.

(Mwah. I blow her a little kiss.)

And it is at this point that Aki Has An Epiphany.

And to top it off, she gets some interesting interactions with Sherry, too!

So Aki resolves that she wants to become a turbo-duellist, too. And the thing is, this isn't a little one-off thing or something they never deliver on. They end up building this up for several episodes, bit by bit. First we get another mention of it at the pre-WRGP press thingy they all attend:

Then it's brought up again when Yusei accepts the first duel against Bruno/Antinomy:

(Also, side note again, but can I just mention that Aki also gets this moment the episode before:)

(Where she literally puts herself directly in harm's way in a public setting to protect people with her powers??? Like, I'm sorry, pinch me or something, but how does that not scream "badass good girl setup"???? HOW?)

So we get at least three episodes worth of buildup where Aki agonizes over becoming a turbo duellist to understand what her friends (but especially Yusei) are feeling when they duel like that, and then they finally deliver on it and episode 75 has her getting her license. And it's fantastic. Seriously. That episode is golden. Not just because it delivers on this promise, not just because it has a really cute moment between Aki and Yusei in it (regardless of how you read their relationship dynamic), and not just because it (as per my last post) showcases how much the rest of Team 5Ds cares about Aki (by literally building a runner for her and accompanying her to her exam and don't even get me started on Jack beating up those jerks trying to make her crash unprompted) but because it gives us just that smidgen more detail about Aki's character, too. Because the thing is, at first, she majorly sucks at driving.

And not only is this realistic to a degree (learning to drive is hard, regardless of what you're learning to drive), it's also great, because you know what Aki's response to it is?

She keeps going. She doesn't let it get her down, she gets back up and tries again. (And from a writing standpoint, this is lovely because that stubbornness is great in situations like this, but you could easily turn it into a weakness in a different scenario if you wanted to.)

And not only does Aki learn driving the hard way here, she also finds herself confronted with jerks who don't want her to succeed,

(Ruka, sweetie, I love you.)

and she makes an absolute rookie mistake during her exam by trying to play a speed spell when she doesn't have the necessary speed counters.

And feel free to disagree, but I think this is also great. Because honestly? While driving a really damned fast motorcycle that I'm not super used to yet, and being expected to make solid tactical judgements in an overcomplicated card game—the rules of which are slightly different when you're playing it on a motorcycle—at the same time, I would likely also mess up like that and accidentally try to make an illegal play. But the thing is, the episode rewards her for sticking it out anyway by letting her pull off a really complicated driving manoeuvre to save herself from her envious turbo-duelling-license colleagues' cheap tricks, and by letting her score a really nice win from a tight spot, much like any of the boys would have in her position.

(Take that, you jerks. Dumbasses only get blurry screenshots.)

So Aki gets her license and is welcomed by the team as a fresh turbo duellist. Hooray!

(I love them all so, so much, help me.)

And we also get this:

Wouldn't you know it! Sherry's been watching Aki get her license with interest! And she seems to be mighty pleased with the result!

So. After all that, I don't think you could blame anyone (it's me, I'm anyone) for getting really excited about what Aki's gonna get up to from this point outward. Aki can control her powers now! And she got her turbo duelling license! And we've got a new, enigmatic side character who seems like she could have super interesting interactions with and play off Aki! I wonder what they're gonna do with all that.

*deep breath*

Sigh.

Seeing as I already know this show like the palm of my hand, I kind of dreaded getting past this episode because I know exactly what happens to Aki from this point out: Nothing. A whole lot of nothing. Okay, well, no. See, I went back and checked all the episodes I have left, just to make sure, just in case I forgot something (very likely when you've already watched the show three times, I know).

From here on out, during the entire pre-WRGP, WRGP, and Ark Cradle arc, Aki gets exactly three things to do:

She uses her shiny new turbo duelling license to fill in for Crow at the Team Unicorn match because he got injured. Which, on paper, is a perfect way to let her have the spotlight for a moment. Except, the only thing she gets that spotlight for is to last a hot four turns in the duel before losing spectacularly to Andre and literally never turbo duelling again for the rest of the show. (Like, yes. The moment where she summons Stardust Dragon is chefs kiss and legendary. But in light of the surrounding circumstances, it feels like a consolation prize to make up for the ensuing character trainwreck.)

Since Crow is technically still injured when they're meant to go up against Team Catastrophe, Aki trains to fill in for him there again. Except! They intentionally make her crash right before the duel, putting her in a short-term coma! And as the icing on the cake, when she wakes up, it also turns out she lost the powers she was only just able to control for absolutely. no. reason. None. They never bother explaining it, they don't even try to hint at why they might have vanished. (I have my own theories for why they had to let her powers vanish and they all start and end with the words "we couldn't be bothered to figure out how to write this character".)

At the very end of the show, the very end, after temporarily fridging Sherry, too, they dig both girls back up in order to let them participate in a three-way final boss duel with Crow. (Which is a fantastic duel, I love it to pieces. Genuinely.) You could argue that they tried to cash in on all the intrigue they set up between Aki and Sherry here, but—come on. At the end of the show? Seriously? Oh, and did I mention that for some reason, Aki's powers mysteriously reappear after this duel? For no reason? Again?

I just. It does not compute. They went as far as doing all this setup, letting Aki get the hang of her powers, letting her get her license, making her part of Team 5Ds, even giving us a new character that seemed like the perfect fit to let her bounce off of—and then, like some sort of kafkaesque reverse-miracle, they somehow managed to take a sharp left into "whoops, don't care about this character" and nearly wasted the entirety of that setup in one fell swoop. If it weren't for that finale saving at least a smidgen of it, I'd be holding a torch and a pitchfork over here. (Hell, I might, even knowing that Aki's final duel in the show is kickass.)

Please tell me if this is just me (15 years after the show released, I know, leave me alone), but this feels like they were literally loading Chekov's gun directly within view of the audience, only to later procede to toss the damned thing into the sea instead of firing it.

Okay. Okay, I think I'm done. For anyone who actually bothered with the whole post, first of all, thank you for your attention, secondly, sorry, but this does, indeed, still bother me ten years after I first found this show, so I had to get it out or it would have eaten at me forever. God damn it.

Anyway, if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to writing fics where Aki actually gets something to do right this second. If anyone's interested in giving a fic series where Aki gets a separate character arc that tries to stay mostly canon-compliant after the defeat of the dark signers a go, you can find my stuff here.

[releasemefromthevoid]

MY ATLA LIVE ACTION S1E3 THOUGHTS

EP2 - EP4

This episode might simultaneously be the most and least conflicting to me. I largely enjoyed watching it, and a lot of my complaints are very nitpicky. That being said, if they move too many plot points around to write things out, they run the risk of the adaptation turning into something else entirely. 

If I, as a fan of the original, am able to understand why things are being changed, and where they’re going with those changes, then it is ultimately fine. So far I’m mostly able to understand the changes and where they might lead. This episode gets a little bit interesting in that aspect for me personally. (And it’s fine if people disagree!!)

The way they condensed the plot in episode two made sense, but I think this episode they were trying to weave a lot together, and I guess I can’t say yet if it worked out or not. To keep this section spoiler free, I won’t go into it, but I’ll def talk about this again once I’ve seen the whole show. 

Meanwhile, I’m still utterly perplexed by Zuko’s character. Like. He’s fine I guess. But they’re doing a few things with him here and there that I personally wouldn’t. I’ll reserve judgment until the end, I hope they can ultimately pull it together. 

In other news, as most of us know, because of her having been announced as being cast before the show was out, Azula is in this season. Her introduction and her involvement in book one is all original to this series, and so far I can’t find any fault with it. This actress is super believable as Azula, and because I’m enjoying her portrayal so much I just have to continue to hope that her insertion into book one’s events won’t interfere with the adaptation’s believability as Avatar the Last Airbender overall.

Spoilers and live reactions under the cut

resistance group in the fire nation? this is a new addition! interesting

“my mother and my brother” i wonder.

i definitely am not unhappy about the introduction of the idea that not all fire nation citizens are complicit in this war. it adds that extra bit of nuance early, so that’s pretty nice.

YOOOO AZULA

wait is that kevin tran supernatural? osric chau?? (not me exposing myself)

oh this azula actress is GOOD

it’ll be interesting to see how they handle integrating azula into season one

i am still liking the deeper connection with sokka and suki. he’s clearly still pining after her, even after leaving

another airbender?? unless they’re gonna pull something weird, that’s gotta be teo and the mechanist, right? weird to do that in omashu, but that would get rid of the northern air temple episode. let’s see how this plays out

okay, this thing about zuko being like “we are fire nation. even out here. especially out here”. that’s Good. i can get behind that.

his cabbages??? what about his cabbages???

who is this random cart guy? banking on haru, jet, or original character for the show.

CABBAGE MAN

IT’S TEO!!!! and the mechanic!! so we’re gonna see the hot air balloons early, and likely not see the northern air temple at all??

this guy looks exactly like how i would imagine the mechanist

will this even out to an early attack on omashu? is the mechanist still working for the fire nation even though he’s conceivably in a safer place??

sorry azula is Perfect

is she practicing with the yuyan archers? could be cool to give her some sort of weapon, if not out of character considering how much conventional weaponry is considered beneath firebenders in the modern fire nations

yayyy machine nerd sokka

okay now THIS is jet. which means that the mechanist could conceivably be innocent of conspiracy with the fire nation

thank god aang is using the glider. looks way too funky without the glider.

okay so jet was right. these are definitely firebenders. 

the freedom fighters!!!! pipsqueak!! smellerbee!!! longshot!!! THE DUKE!!!! 

absolutely wild that we’re doing azula’s introduction, bumi/omashu, the mechanist, and jet at the same time. like these plotlines are going to run into each other in some kinda way, like. far be it from me to say they can’t condense the arcs like this, but it is an odd choice.

so the theme of this episode is “if not us then who”

wait blasting jelly. is JET the one bombing omashu? that. would check out actually

“omashu, the best the earth kingdom has to offer”, no, in universe that would technically be ba sing se. what are you talking about zuko?

okay, jet’s causing the contention in the group that he needed to. that played out fairly well, actually. sokka vs. katara, aang seems somewhat impartial right now. serving the right purpose

oh the duke :( 

that was a quick turnaround. the blowup and reconciliation was a bit too close together i think

“i don’t need fire to defeat this boy”. i believe you zuko, but where are your dao? where are your swords zuko?

NOT THE LADY GOING “how dare you hit that child” AND SMACKING ZUKO ON THE HEAD!!! help me that’s so good!!! def the kind of thing that would happen to zuko. (zuko is very much also a child though, so check yourself lady lmao)

this is an appropriate amount of screentime for cabbage man

zuko and iroh are getting separated?? i feel like this isn’t going to end well for zuko’s character. though maybe because of the white lotus, bumi will let him leave.

oh that’s the end okay

liking: Sets, Azula, Ty Lee, the mechanist's character design

worried about: how they're ultimately gonna get across all the themes of all these different episodes

disliking: how short the jet conflict was between katara and sokka (let them stew on it a little!!)

[canonsunkmyships]

get to know YOU

i’ve seen a bunch of get-to-know-me tag/ask lists on here so i thought i’d try something different. rules are: you pick a question/prompt and then answer it in whoever you reblogged this from’s inbox (or rb with tags, whatever floats your boat). the point? aggressive self-introduction, make yourself a nuisance, tell someone stuff about you that they didn’t ask for. anyway-

1. favourite colour

2. your pet’s name/breed+species/cute personality trait/iconic dumb story™ (bonus points if u include a picture)

3. your old-person hobby

4. the random specific beef you have with someone

5. your star sign + what you think it says about you

6. your favourite band

7. that fun fact that’s been stuck in your head for ages that you haven’t had any reason to tell someone. now you do!!

8. a song that you turns you into the feral karaoke rockstar that you were always meant to be

9. if your life was a tv show: the song you think would be played in the opening scene to hook the viewers in

10. your least favourite ship from your favourite fandom

11. your weird internet nickname + the story behind it 

12. who you voted for in the great tumblr sexyman rematch of 2023 (or who you would have if you missed it. i feel you, brother.)

13. a condiment you would eat a whole tablespoon of (voluntarily or under pressure? i’ll leave that up to you. no one needs to know that you actually like mayonnaise, don’t worry)

14. if you write or draw: your favourite software/medium

15. your favourite artist (like painting and drawing)

16. a song that makes you super mad for no reason

17. your most used app (mobile or desktop, idm)

18. your most visited website

19. what your FBI agent is the most weirded out by

20. the best movie soundtrack/score + the specific song you love from it

21. something funky or interesting from your family tree

22. your Categories (hogwarts house, mtbi type, etc - pick and choose what you like)

23. your favourite random thing (for example, i really love square numbers. they’re just so satisfying.)

24. what you do when you have a bad day

25. what you do to have a good day

26. the fictional character that you relate to the most

27. your favourite teacher from high school

28. your most hated celebrity/elon musk/billionaire

29. your favourite thing about yourself

30. something really cool that you thought of

31. your least favourite vegetable

32. an amusing anecdote from your childhood that you still think about

33. your favourite word

34. something you do in your downtime

35. what you are supposed to be doing right now, and why you’re not doing it

and finally, 36 (the best square number of all):

36. your favourite thing about the person you’re telling all of this to!

if you made it this far i’m sorry congrats!

[mayabunny23]

Hi, I am about to ramble. It will be related to this item you get from defeating the Celestial Champion.

(If I copied and pasted the image, Firefox would fuck up the PNG and add that shitty black background to it)

Alright, allow me to begin with... the moon.

The moon is completely covered in moon glass, this means the Wagstaff quest was completed by the characters in lore, so... Where is the crown?

In the same short which we see the new look of the moon, no one is shown to have the crown on them, but we can easily guess that it could be back at camp.

This one is a bit of an assumption about the WX-78 short, we don't have much clues on if this takes place before the whole lunar storm stuff or after it. But anyway, most of the characters shown also don't have the crown. (Still, take this with a grain of salt.)

Until there is more lore related stuff released (Wilson rework and everything else), we can only guess on who has the crown.

Wortox, Wormwood, Wurt* and Wanda are possible owners of the crown.

*Wurt is shown in the background of WX-78's short, helping Wendy pick up some of the mess the pig raid left behind.

Using the chest board, Webber could also be the owner of the crown (He isn't shown on the board along with the DLC characters.) but they showed up in the Moon Quay update short though, without the crown. (The Moon Quay animation could also be taken with a grain of salt) (The short isn't on the official playlist for some reason along with reap what you sow(?), just wanted to point that out.)

(Wilson made an appearance before the Chest Board Scene.)

So, why is the crown so important? Well... In game, the crown gives you an insane sanity boost and makes Gestalts passive towards you while also allowing you to control your own version of them to attack for you. There is also the dialogue which you can get by examining the item that hints at it allowing the wearer to hear what the Gestalts are saying and allow them to see them.

Most of the characters refer to what they are hearing as whispering and Wendy says the crown makes it harder for her to see Abigail.

Alright, but who do I think has the crown? Well Wornwood, of course.

He hasn't shown up in any of the recent shorts as of late, Wurt and Wortox had made appearances but not Wormwood. Before you point to Reap What You Sow as a counter point, that short came out before the introduction of Wagstaff's quest.

"What about Wanda? She hasn't showed up in any short!", Wanda was introduced on September tenth, 2021 (On the 9th for my non-Australians) and is a more recent addition to the group so she didn't have any chances of showing up yet. (They could also not want her to show up since she is pretty overpowered character*) (*She can time travel and had been in different timelines, this can easily break the flow of things if she does something funky idk)

Okay, so uh... my insane ramblings are over. I could go on about how Wormwood could come in with the crown on and do some cool shit but that is dipping into fan fic territory(?)

if you got thoughts, let me know, but anyway I am done.

[lilacs-stash]

Okay so you know how cool cooking is ????

First of all- bit of an introduction, everyone should know at least a bit of cooking to make it through their life.

Breakfast foods? Dinner goods? Supper lunchies?

If you don't fulfill that nutrition bar you're as good as a washed out worn out clothing piece buddy

So like, let that pan hit and hit that pan!

Cooking is so funky and cool and amazing, yknow why?

On one hand you have spices, on the other a great GREAT community, if you're outdoorsy? RESTAURANTS, if you're an indoorsy pillow? HOMEMADE RECIPES!!!!!

place those bad boy ingredients into a bowl and whisk'em all together! have you ever used music videos as a timer? as a motivator? have you ever whisked to a beat?

then you have suuuuper sharp knifes! they look so cool, and what does look cooler? a person who chop chop chopes them up quickly!

I wanna learn how to do that in all the ways there are! I wanna know what the best way to do that is!

To be honest I've been planning on making a very detailed list of all the breakfast foods and ways to prepare them and just go all out... test every single way then in a Joshua Weilmann motion try to.... be more like him, try to combine the best ones together

also I just have to mention japanese food and korean food those look soooooo yummy .........

I need to try rare meat and well done meat and all em types of meat there are and see which I like best

I need to pinpoint every single restaurant near me and also those which are well known in my country?!! I need a list of funfacts to tell people

I need like, foods which I like. to make, to eat.

comfort foods and displeasing foods and creepy foods for halloween .... and all the best sauce combinations and I need herbs I need spices

also you know how you do like stress baking? I could stress bake, what recipies are the best to stress bake to? there should be like "a lofi video to stress bake to!" I hope there is!!!

I want a wooden thick chopping board

I crave to taste the american pancakes..... as an european ...............

why do people put butter on pancakes of all things? don't they know butter tastes gross!?!?

and maple syrup...... oooohhh my beloved darlin maple syrup

I need to be like a cake maker I need to make those super detailed lovely birthday cakes I need to know what ingredients they use to get like those tasty sugary coating things

"why do people put butter on pancakes of all things? don't they know butter tastes gross!?!?" Anon you are the odd person out the majority of people (me included) love butter.

[oldschoolvpq]

HAPPY TAMAVERSARY! Smart Anniversary Party Set

It's November 23, so you know what that means...new Anniversary Tamagotchi to celebrate the market release date of the original Tamagotchi 26 years ago! Once again we have a Smart set, though it's a bit more lavish and readily available than last years.

To recap, last year the white Tamagotchi Smart was available via lottery on Bandai's exclusive shopping site Premium Bandai and shipped at the very end of August 2022 (close to 3 months before the general release of the coral pink, mint green, and NiziU versions). It includes the 1997 Friends TamaSma Card that lets you raise 4 classic characters (Mametchi, Kuchipatchi, Nyorotchi, Oyajitchi) in their 1996 monochrome pixel stylings along with playing the good old "Left or Right" game. Come to think of it, I wrote a post about the unboxing!

Anyway, this year's theme is Anniversary Party, plus it's available at general retail so more fans will be able to get their hands on it. Let's see how it looks next to last year's package.

IT'S BIG! The added length and depth comes entirely from the character book added as a bonus. (For those who've never opened a Smart, it's a VERY tight fit in there!)

On one side of the package you've got your special artwork...last year's mimicked the original P1 Japanese packaging, while this year's features a big old party with cake, balloons, plus all the Smart adults and the 10 included on the TamaSma Card, including Ginjirotchi who was picked by fans in a poll a few months back! This year's is much more in line with the modern Tamagotchi branding...I personally remain a fan of the classics.

Time to look inside!

Character Special Book? Check. Anniversary Party TamaSma Card? Check. Smart unit and wristband? Check. Instruction booklet and charging cable? Check and check. (Between my Vital Bracelets and my Smarts I'm swimming in these tiny cables!)

Now let's get a look at the actual unit.

Oh that is SPARKLY! A gorgeous glittery gradient makes up the "faceplate", with the new Tamagotchi logo screened in white on the clear cover. Matched with the purple of the unit it's a true visual treat.

Taking a look at the unit without the wristband, it's an opaque cool purple shell. I'd call it closer to periwinkle than lilac if we're going by Crayola crayon colors. The printed buttons around the Home button aren't a perfect color match, having a bit more red to them. It bothers me a bit but honestly I'm so busy staring at the sparkles I doubt I'll care much once this review is gone.

The wristband itself has a jelly-like opacity to it and feels a little firmer than the standard strap. The clasp is a slightly darker purple that matches the unit's Home button, and features no printing.

As for the Special Character Book...?

It's a bit smaller than the books that have been released so far. I thought it would be similar to the character introduction section of January's "Special Book", but it's actually BETTER!

While the Special Book used the blue-outline "modern" art for classic characters up until the Connection series, this book uses the original artwork from "back in the day". Pixels and personality galore! Plus they have full rosters for Angel, Garden, Ocean, Devil, and Yasashii, which were only covered briefly in the special book.

PLUS it's got character descriptions for EVERYONE, even the funky dudes who were exclusive to Data CardDass cards and random town residents who I'm not sure have ever been featured like this before!

All non-collab (NiziU, Sanrio, Molcar, One Piece, Pixar) SmaCard characters are included up to September's Magical Change as well. (The Anniversary Party characters are introduced pretty early on, plus they were all in past versions anyway.)

The inner covers also feature past series art including the original package, 20th anniversary art, and more!

I wasn't expecting so much love and care to go into a such a small volume, but I've gotten a real sense that whoever is in charge of Tamagotchi cares greatly about the history of the brand. Professor Banzo and Mika-Chu even give a send-off on the back cover, thanking us for 25 years and hoping we'll continue to stick with them going forward.

Overall, a great set sure to please even the most nitpicky of fans. Here's to another 25 years!

[katuration]

So I guess this is the beginning of my digital nomad challenge.

That's a bit spontaneous.

Well, I guess I might need to start with the proper introduction. I'm kat, at the time of writing, a 22-year-old Ukrainian who just embarked on some dumb thing decided upon spontaneously a couple of days ago or so.

Basically, the deal is that I switch a social media platform every month. For 12 months, I guess?

I don't know why I decided to do this, but I think this can result in something cool. Plus I'm definitely gonna spruce up my internet habits due to me being more conscious about participating on any given platform of choosing.

Tumblr seems to be more of a fandom-oriented website, so I guess I have to specify what kinda shit I'm obsessed about.

My current obsession is Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, which is a funky anime about two girls romancing in the dystopian world of corporate politicking, I guess. My favorite characters from the show are the main pair of Suletta Mercury and Miorine Rembran, I think their character dynamic is absolutely top notch.

Historically, I was also obsessed with Monogatari Series, which is a bunch of problematic anime that I love to hate, but in spite of all really enjoy for its incredibly written and highly relatable highs. My favorite character from the show is Hanekawa Tsubasa.

I'm also a wrestling fan who spectates AEW and peeps into WWE from time to time. I guess that's all I can say?

I, unfortunately, have to end my introduction with a plea to support us as Ukrainians, as Russia's incredibly brutal invasion affects all of us, no matter where we are. We all want this to end, and one of the most direct ways of helping is donating to our charities supplying everything ranging from humanitarian needs to equipment to our soldiers, many of whom are just common folk who went to stand up for the country. You can check out the donation initiatives here: https://ukrainewar.carrd.co/

Thank you for reading this, and onto discovering the new horizons, I guess!

[existentialmagazine]

Review: Oh Ryan’s zesty new single ‘Tangerine’ offers their staple indie-pop colour and feel-good outlook even when aching through heartbreak

The Dublin-based alt-rock group Oh Ryan have been taking 2024 by storm, delivering an infectiously indie-pop rooted sound that radiates with ease through their every new song. Since their debut ‘I Quit My Job’ last year, and their most recent single ‘Take It Easy’, the four-piece have slowly but surely made a name for themselves that won’t be slowing down in gaining traction anytime soon.

Now with their zesty new single ‘Tangerine’ left to continue hooking audiences left, right and centre, Oh Ryan are ready to really get themselves heard. With an intro of chanted voices singing the catchiest of hooks in the form of ‘da da da’, you know you’re immediately in for a good time, ready to enjoy a sound that’s contagious and playful as much as it is exceptional. The drum beats and guitar strums perfectly time with every word, bringing the energy before the song has even had a chance to get into things. Picked up by this sunny little introduction, the verse dances through steady drums, smooth, groovy bass twangs and guitar plucks, simmering into more of a casual instrumental palette that’s still as funky and fun as ever. The charismatic vocals add a spoken-sung lively touch, running through lines that feel like they’re sung with a smile, capturing wit and ease in one.

The chorus completely shifts, speeding into quick guitar strums, a racing bassline and tumbling drum beats, a change that mirrors the narrative as much as it does an excellent job at keeping you absolutely hooked. From the opening’s cool, calm and collected approach to being stuck in a relationship with someone who can’t quite make up their mind, you’re left believing that despite the turmoil they’re coping quite alright. But Oh Ryan seem to find their racing heart and impatience as the chorus bursts into action, singing ‘I get a little nervous chasing you… oh my god I needed out’, an admission that even when they can be confident on the surface that there’s often more beneath it we don’t see. That isn’t to say that ‘Tangerine’ isn’t for the most part a refreshingly positive take on a breakup, finding pleasure and excitement in the prospect of new beginnings and letting go, but with the choruses twist Oh Ryan keep it real in that even when escaping those that aren’t right for you there will still be some negative emotions you need to process.

This back and forth is present throughout, showcasing a level-headed demonstration of self-love in one of the very first lines: ‘break it off or take it slow, just don’t keep me hanging ‘cause you can’t let go.’ A lot of us perhaps would struggle to be so candid, desperate to be wanted back, but Oh Ryan explore the opposite and in-turn offer their audience a push to value themselves more than they do now. Continuing ‘I’ve been waiting for communication, but everything you say is as equally frustrating’ , the situation seems to become more and more unbearable with time, dealing with constant confusion and a partner that just leaves their heart hurting. As the bridge sings ‘I guess I’ll get my feelings straight’ , there’s a soft admission that they still need some time to process what they’ve been through, and with the entire band singing ‘we’re gonna be okay’ , it’s quite hard to feel anything other than wholeheartedly reassured. Everything about ‘Tangerine’ is a bit untraditional in the best kind of way, giving way for a new kind of post-breakup anthem when you need it most. Just be sure to keep listening for yourself here, it’s worth it.

Written by: Tatiana Whybrow

Photo Credits: Oh Ryan

// This coverage was supported and created via Musosoup, #SustainableCurator.

[lethinhchanhung]

SEEING IS BELIEVING

Well said! 👏 And it's true... in most cases. 

If you are learning a foreign language, you should never believe what you see. 🫣

For Vietnamese people who are learning English (actually, this applies to any language that uses the Latin alphabet), if you BELIEVE what you SEE, your pronunciation will get funky. 🥴 

For instance, "CH" is pronounced in different ways, in Vietnamese, in English and in French. 🤯

Even within a single language, such as English, "TH" is pronounced differently in "breath" and "breathe" 😬. 

So, how are you supposed to deal with these crazy languages? Do you have to find a native speaker and ask them to pronounce every word you encounter?

The answer is simple: NO!

The problem is, the letters LOOK the same, but they ARE NOT the same! 

Linguists realized this fact years ago, and to cope with these tricky-sneaky letters, they invented the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) to truly show you what you can (and should) believe. ✨

You might ask: "Why do I even need to learn the IPA? My neighbor is a native speaker! 😾". 

Uh-huh, pretty cool! Your neighbor can definitely help you with your pronunciation. Nonetheless, if you genuinely want to sound like a native, your first step is mastering the IPA.

Your neighbor, as a native speaker and a nerd, can pronounce words accurately for sure! However, each interaction incurs a problem. Your neighbor (assuming he's super impatient) will get sick of your questions after helping you with 20-30 words. 

And even if he doesn't, your ears (in fact, it's your brain) find it nearly impossible to recognize new sounds by simply listening to them. 🙉

For example, in English and Vietnamese, the letter "G" has different pronunciations, which are represented by different IPA symbols: "g" and "ɣ", respectively. Without the IPA, 96% of people would say they're identical! (I made up the statistics 😅)

Of course! (I know what you're thinking 👽) You don't need perfect pronunciation to get others to understand you (it's freaking hard to achieve that 🐛). Regardless, a near-perfect pronunciation will enhance your credibility in professional settings, such as interviews and business meetings.

That's it! A brief introduction to the IPA. 🤠

To better understand the IPA, google "HELP IPA [LANGUAGE]" and look up IPA tutorial videos on YouTube.

In case you’re learning English, it's up to you to decide whether to learn an American accent or a British accent (or a mix of both). The goal is to communicate your message clearly and avoid misinterpretations.

Good luck on your language-learning journey! 🤞

Bonus:

There are 3 main levels of pronunciation:

1. Newbie 🐣: You speak with a heavy accent (you replace English syllables with those from your mother tongue).

2. Proficient 🐥: You pronounce every single word as it is transcribed in IPA. 

3. Mastered 🦅: You connect, swallow, and replace sounds to smoothen your speech. 

The IPA will (probably) leave you at level 2. Only by practicing and practicing with REAL English can you get to level 3. 🦖

Once again, break a leg!!! 🦝

(I'm not sponsored by Microsoft, though if you want to pay me, you're more than welcomed to do so🥸)

[atopearth]

BUSTAFELLOWS Part 1 - Limbo Fitzgerald Route

Hmmm, I like how the MC is voiced, that's quite rare. Teuta is a funky name. Anyway, it seems like she has the power to go back into the past into someone else's body? Seems limited to just a few minutes or hours before the present though, so I guess we'll see how useful this ability will become. Anyway, when the guys were kinda introduced, I honestly thought Helvetica was the font they were using for the game or something and not his name😂😂😂 My bad lol. Shu looks the most interesting to me. Mozu seems like an eccentric head coroner? Limbo just seems dodgy and up himself lol. Teuta and her childhood friends were so cute in their childhood! It's so nice how she trusts them enough to share her powers with them. The things that Limbo says lolll, really can't imagine a real lawyer saying stuff like that, or even the silly judge we saw for his introduction lol, but I'll try and ignore it🥲 His number being 1-800-NO-GUILT is hilarious🤣🤣 Gotta admit that even though Teuta's power is cool, it's very inconvenient considering she goes back in time to a random person's body and she can't decide how long it goes back either... Quite a risky power, and what happens if she dies in the body she's in? Btw I love the backdrop of the city!! It's so cool how it moves!! Lmao at Teuta, I love how the first thing she says when she sees him (after going back into her body) was that she's so glad he didn't die🤣🤣

Ooh, Shu is a bounty hunter! BAHAHA, I love how Teuta's first impression of Shu was that he felt like a creep🤣🤣🤣 Anyway, Helvetica is very...interesting, definitely rude to rate people to their faces but he's weird so what can we do~ Ooh so Limbo and them are all Fixers, working to protect what they think is right with their own methods. Helvetica pretending to be a woman is pretty cool! It's nice to see what all their roles are in an operation. Lmaooo at Teuta being a pro at understanding her landlady, she just keeps saying "that" and refers to "that", it was so funny how Limbo was utterly confused🤣 As usual, the best way for the heroine to bond with the LIs is of course to destroy her place so she's forced to live with them! Lmao, I guess Scarecrow is like our chuunibyou kinda character🤣 He's so silly to try and act like a cool underworld boss🤣 Lmaoo at how Scarecrow has a jar where everyone has to pay a fine if they trash talk him, so everyone starts paying ahead so they can trash talk him all they want🤣 I'm so glad the money they threw away was actually fake because dang, it would be a waste lol, I was like at least donate it to charity! Valerie (Limbo's sister) is funny🤣 I loved how she asked him to take a case and she then imitates his voice and says yes, then just says thank you to herself lmao.

Scarecrow is like a little kid, he's so cute lmao. Anima really likes to spite him even though she's his AI🤣 Mozu being the mum of the team making food for everyone is cute. I'm so glad Luka is watching out for Teuta since she just randomly moved in with a bunch of guys haha. We know they're "safe" but I would really worry as a friend too lol. Like, I know Mozu is indifferent to most things and sees everything from the perspective of autopsies, but omggg when he tried to take a "spare apron" from his workplace back to their home to cook with. It was funny, but I'm just imagining all the diseases, bacteria and everything, especially since Teuta said there was a bloodstain on it!! Omggggg lol. Lmao when Teuta pretended to hold Scarecrow at gunpoint at the bar, so silly but cute🤣 It was very nice of Shu to try and tell Edie the "weight" you carry for killing someone to dissuade him from doing things he's not prepared for. Teuta was really cool too! I love how she told Edie that just as she doesn't understand the people who live in Black Hawk, he also doesn't understand people "like her" who live in "better places", and that's why they should try to understand each other. No one can know everything, but everyone can have the willingness to learn about the things and people they don't know and talk to them to try and understand them. The moment you give up on trying to understand is when you'll stop learning and that won't help anyone.

Even though Scarecrow can be kindaaa cringe at times, it's really sweet how he's trying to watch out for Teuta, and I think it's really cute how he enjoys eating breakfast with everyone in the morning now, since they used to just come for work and then leave, so Scarecrow was always alone. I'm not really surprised that Shu is a "killer killer" since it kinda suits him to kill hitmen. Hehe, I decided to try doing the personality test myself to see what I would get. It's kinda amusing to be called similar to Helvetica haha😅😅 I guess I would have gone on the Helvetica route if I did my own choices? Anyway, with the second test, it's kinda funny but I chose to not pick an option because I would condemn them all regardless since they're all unforgivable in their own rights imo. Understandable but unforgivable. But yeah, it felt kinda awkward when not picking kinda made it seem like you're indecisive, but I feel like there would be people like me who wouldn't pick not because you can't pick but because you refuse to let go of what each one did. I guess if I really had to pick, I'd probably go for the classmates or the parents, which is what you pick for Limbo?

I know Limbo has a good heart and just wants to help Edie, but he's basically "teaching" and influencing Edie into believing he shot Roscoe to protect himself. I don't deny that it's probably the truth even if his intentions initially were to go there to get revenge on Roscoe for killing his father, but the fact is that Limbo is not really asking Edie questions, they're all rhetorical and made to assure Edie that this is what he did and what he thought without giving him the space to think for himself what exactly happened. I think the biggest problem is that since Edie is young and this is a big shock for him considering Roscoe really ended up dying by his hands (assumed), he's just going to think of what Limbo said "as the truth" and want to believe that it's the truth, which is the wrong way to go about it imo. I'm happy Teuta cares about Edie enough to want to go back to the past and change things to stop Edie from having to carry the burden of having killed a person, and I'm glad that even though Shu is still sceptical about the whole thing, he said that if she can change it, then he wants her to do it too. I think it was good of Shu to actually bother making it more difficult for himself to plan the bulletproof vest and toy gun etc to make sure that Edie can actually experience shooting Roscoe and then realise that this is not what he wants, rather than just outright stopping him from shooting Roscoe. This way, Edie can understand what exactly killing the guy involves and give up on revenge and focus on protecting his family and taking care of them.

Tbh, sometimes with Carmen, I can't help but think that I'm not playing an otome game because she feels so...created for a male audience? Lol, if that makes sense. Like her character, her huge boobs and everything just feels out of place in this game tbh😅😅 Anyway, I'm glad Teuta decided to stay with Mozu after he might have been infected with a virus, and I love how the guys also stayed too, they're all so cute. I hope the doctor Teuta had her consciousness go into is all right...especially the patient she needed to do an operation on... I'm sure she must have wasted a lot of time trying to contact Luka in that timeframe.. but maybe this will show Teuta the consequences of her going back in time, something like the doctor losing her job and a patient dying showing that just as Teuta tries to save someone precious to her, someone precious to another person could die because of the things she changed. Anyway, Adam is such a great big brother character for Teuta, he's so sweet and caring. Aww, kinda obvious Hilda was going to die but I felt bad for him since he wanted to help Scarecrow and them. It's pretty funny seeing Luka being like a slave to Valerie carrying her shopping bags and calling her "nee-sama" lmao. I'm glad the doctor's patient didn't die, and I'm glad the doctor didn't lose her job, but I'm not sure if this result is any better. The patient's leg had to be amputated, and the doctor's banned from the operating room, and who knows if her career will get back on track considering this hit on her reputation and reliability as a doctor for making a call during such a time... Honestly, it's an unfortunate situation all around. Teuta can't control whose body she goes into, but I doubt she'll ever stop using her power if someone important to her dies for whatever reason, but this could change the lives of others in a drastic way, so it's sad. I mean, sure, even if she didn't have powers, her decisions can affect the lives of others without her even noticing, but the difference is that Teuta gets another chance to change things at the expense of others. Yeah, maybe it's not always as drastic of a change as this one, but even with the pickpocket prisoner guy from the beginning of the story, I'm sure the police would be more wary of him because he supposedly seemed to know Limbo, said he would reveal whatever and stuff, and honestly, Teuta never went to check back on him so I actually do wonder what happened to him lol. I guess I'm just glad she's understanding a bit better the consequences of using her powers even if she won't really stop using it.

Aww, I love how Limbo convinced her to open the letter with her results about an award together, and then let go in the last second so she would open the letter herself since it's something so important that she should open it herself. He gave her the push and the courage and I think that's great. When Irina asked what Limbo would want for his last meal in this world, I couldn't help but think about what I would choose. Honestly, I would love to have sushi for my last meal, especially toro and stuff, but I think in the end, I am the typical person, I really would just want to eat my mum's cooking, I think I could die happily after eating her tofu or tomato pork chop hahaha. Sad to realise that Irina is a victim of human trafficking and literally slaved away for a famous fashion brand. Lmao when Teuta wanted to go disguising as a model for Fashion Week, I have to admit that my reaction was the same as Limbo and Helvetica. I was like, I like your spirit girl, but you're definitely too short. Helvetica is definitely the best choice, especially since he can change his voice, and he's used to going undercover. As usual, Helvetica as a woman is beautiful, Shu in a suit just looks awkward to me hahahah. Irina admitting that she actually killed her roommate was expected but sad, I feel sorry for the poor girl who finally found freedom, only to be killed by her good friend who was jealous that she was able to escape the hell she couldn't. Anyway, I completely forgot Limbo was supposed to be a "crooked lawyer", and now that it's explained that people call him that mostly because of his pro bono cases dealing with people like Edie just makes me go chehhhh lol. When this game first started, I wanted to see how they would handle a crooked lawyer but really he's just a kind and wholesome guy helping disadvantaged people, and it's nice but I'm disappointed lol. Oh well.

Adam is so sweet! I love how he took the time to congratulate Teuta with a beautiful bouquet of blue roses and made sure to tell her and thank her for saving Luka. She's been so distraught over the consequences of saving Luka that knowing someone appreciated her efforts despite the consequences would be comforting. OMG, dang, I honestly thought Carmen would wear something like Valerie's swimsuit, didn't expect Valerie to be the super wild one lolll. Needless to say, Valerie definitely looks the best, especially the hair and the earring, she is 10/10 hot. Teuta's way too cute for me haha. I agree with Shu's comment, it's a bit childish hahahah. HAHAHA, Valerie bought the swimsuit for Teuta after asking Limbo what kinda swimsuit he thinks looks good🤣🤣🤣 I guess Limbo likes cute girls🙃 I can't wait to see the different swimsuits Teuta will wear depending on which route I'm on! I need to see Shu's tastes like right nowww. I kinda wish we got a CG with Limbo and Teuta in their swimsuits though, we didn't even get eye candy for any of the guys😭

I apologise if Navid is actually an okay person but I honestly doubt it because he seems like an ass. Not only did he rudely take Teuta's phone to put his phone number in, he purposely didn't let Limbo know she'll be there at their meetup for a bit, talked about stuff Limbo doesn't like to bring up and talks about it all like it's fun or something. He's probably a psycho. Anyway, lol, he pisses me off because he makes excuses like he would be uncomfortable meeting up with Limbo and wanted her to break the ice but seriously, no one is forcing him to catch up with Limbo, he's the one who suggested it and pushed it, so nah he's definitely an ass, he definitely likes seeing Limbo suffer. Lmao at Scarecrow thinking of putting the frozen turkey into the dryer because they forgot to thaw it🤣 I thought it was really sweet how Limbo told Teuta to invite Luka and Adam over for Thanksgiving after their work is done since they're Teuta's family. Teuta might not be able to share this happiness with her brother Zola anymore, but she still has Luka and Adam. It was sweet how Limbo wiped Teuta's tears. I really love Valerie. Seeing how pissed off and worried she was for Limbo after he got arrested was kinda scary especially with her VA, but I was impressed!

It was sad to see everyone want to help Limbo but he couldn't express his thoughts and feelings properly because of what happened in his past. I think it was cute how Limbo hugged Teuta considering how emotionally exhausted he must be. Limbo's story was tough.. Anyway, I feel bad for saying this but I think I can empathise with Navid's emotions more right now lol. Well, Teuta is crying for Limbo so I guess I can sympathise with Navid instead, I mean he's a very calm but crazy guy but yeah.. I do feel terrible for Limbo though because they were good friends, but Navid chose to compromise his morals to protect someone important to him and buy the woman and child he wanted to save knowing how "wrong" it was even though he's been fighting with Limbo against these human traffickers for so many years. So I can understand why Limbo felt "betrayed" and I can understand why he wouldn't compromise his morals for it, I just think it was terrible of the woman to suicide (after her child died) and call Limbo to witness it so he can be guilty forever over her death, which is obviously messed up but she's not in the right state of mind so I guess we can be relieved that she didn't decide to try and take Limbo with her. Anyway, I feel like I can better recognise Navid's hatred towards Limbo. Always thought he was a petty guy because yeah it was Limbo's fault he lost his licence to be a lawyer, but he only did the "right thing" so it's unreasonable, but now I can see that losing his right to being a lawyer wasn't why he hates Limbo. He hates Limbo because his actions made him unable to save the woman and child he wanted to save. Considering how long they've been friends and fighting for their causes for, knowing that Navid still chose to risk his career and discard his morals for her just goes to show how important she and the child were to him, and that breaks my heart. It's not right of him to blame Limbo since he should be blaming the human traffickers, but I can see why he would hate Limbo so much, because if he bought her etc, it must have meant this was the only conceivable way at that moment to save her and Limbo jeopardised it because of his sense of "justice" and stuff like rules and laws that disregard human emotions which Navid prioritises. It's just a sad situation all around tbh.

I want to say I appreciate Helvetica and them intervening, but I think it was super silly for them to try and force Navid out of town without properly checking if he was really leaving or not. They better be pretending to fall for Navid's "trap" because it's ridiculous for them to even think that Navid would just let go of all this and leave. Limbo being naive is kinda understandable since he sincerely wants to make up with Navid, but honestly I don't feel like they've really talked honestly about their feelings together, so I don't blame Navid for continuing to hate him, even though he's crazy. But yeah anyway, I expected more from Shu and them. Considering how crazy and murderous Navid has been, I'm surprised it took until Limbo had to "die once" for him to understand that Navid will continue to torture him and the people around him as long as he lives. Honestly, in a sense, Navid probably thinks of it as Limbo's duty to "bring him to justice" so he can stop being tortured by the past too, it was just either Limbo dies first or he gets arrested first. But yeah, with how much Navid's existence endangered the people around him, Limbo should have done something about him ages ago instead of thinking they could "make up" when the guy was constantly making threats towards killing him and the people around him, that's not something you can just brush off and be friends again after. Honestly, I'm surprised Navid didn't do something like blow up that hotel where he met up with Limbo because if I was him, that's what I would have done. Regardless, it's sad to see things end up like this, especially since Navid never properly told Limbo why he did what he did back then, and Limbo never asked him properly until it was basically too late. Anyway, Teuta and Limbo are cute and it is nice to see them live quite peacefully as Valerie chews them out, I love how quickly Teuta sold out Limbo when he said he wanted to put his sister in her place lmao. The bad endings basically answered my questions of "why didn't Navid do that?" lol and even though it was terrible for Teuta and Limbo, I'm glad we had those endings, I love pain🥲 As for the Side B and extras, I thought it was so cute seeing Teuta and Limbo on a fancy date and then going to eat their favourite chicken wings, it was sweet seeing how much they wanted to make the other happy as they awkwardly did things. I love the Luka and Adam support group helping Teuta pick out her outfit haha.

Overall, I can't say I'm impressed with Limbo's route, I knew it was short so I didn't expect much but I think the way they handled the ending was pretty bad. I absolutely thought the nanomachines thing and Helvetica and them intervening without actually properly solving the problem for Limbo and possibly having made it even more difficult for Limbo in the end killed me, because they never followed up on Navid knowing how crazy he was! Yeah, I was so done by then tbh. Otherwise, I actually really enjoyed how much of a nut Navid was because I felt like I actually could understand his situation and his feelings, his strong emotions and how much he really hated Limbo for ruining everything. As I said before, I feel slack but I do feel like in terms of their characters, I liked Navid more than Limbo because Limbo was just kinda bland to me. He was nice, he was kind and he's good support but he's not very interesting for a LI. I honestly hope Shu is better🥲

[reidsnose]

buggin

overview: reader enlists the help of her neighbor (who shes never met) to get rid of a gnarly bug in her apartment

genre: fluff

a/n: thought of this today after i moved the shower curtain, saw a centipede crawl out, and screamed for my dad to come help me. anywayyyss i thought its be cute so as always lmk what you guys think :)

masterlist

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you walked into your bedroom, fumbling frantically with the buttons on your shirt as you raced to leave your house on time. hair brush hair brush hair brush. where was your hair brush? you knocked over countless items trying to find it but with no luck. bathroom! you quickly made your way to the bathroom, opening the door so fast that wind blew through your hair.

and then you saw it.

a gnarly, long, nasty, creepy crawly centipede.

you let out a loud shriek and promptly shut the door. if you didn't get to the interview one time, it would surely be a bad first impression. but then again so would showing up with a bird's nest of hair on your head. you tried who knows how many times to go back in and kill it or catch it in a cup but each time you saw its countless, spindly legs you backed out. you checked your watch, 10 minutes until you had to leave.

you walked out into the hallway of the apartment building, and in a frenzy, you bumped into a tall, handsome man leaving the apartment across from yours.

he chuckled an apology before looking to meet your eye, breath hitching in his throat as he did. you were arguably the most beautiful woman he had ever seen (despite a very questionable hairdo). and when a surge of desperation ran through your body you rambled an explanation to the stranger, telling him about your job interview and time crunch then promptly begging him to come inside and get rid of the centipede for you.

and something inside him couldn't say no. he wanted to, i mean when an objectively crazy looking person lures you into their home to catch a bug, generally one says no and goes on with their day. however, maybe it was his complete an immediate infatuation with you or maybe his empathy for your situation, he decided to quickly help you and then try and get to work as fast as he can.

he couldn't help but subtly and subconsciously profile you based on your home as soon as he stepped inside. he liked it. your decorations, the small mess that makes it feel lived in, the general 'vibe' as morgan would say was incredible.

you gave him a sheet of paper and a cup, per his request, and led him to the dreaded bug bathroom. you couldn't help but watch in awe as he walked in with no fear, explaining to you in great detail how this was only a house centipede and it only had 15 pairs of legs which kind of counters the name. and how it isn't poisonous to humans and infact eats other bugs. you loved his facts so much and you followed him all the way to the window where he let the bug out, listening intently to what he had to say and swatting away the apology that came after the ramble, insisting that you genuinely enjoyed it.

"thank you so much,.." you trailed off, not knowing his name.

"Spencer." he filled in, offering a tight lipped smile.

"Spencer! wonderful. well again thank you so much and i owe you once I'm back from this job interview!" you smiled as you both walked to the door.

"oh you don't have to-" he began.

"no i insist! just knock on my door when you can and ill take you out." you stated, causing his eyes to widen, " not with a gun! i meant like ill buy you coffee or something!"

"i didn't think you meant with a gun?!" he laughed, handing you the hairbrush this whole ordeal was about. you laughed along as you closed and locked your apartment.

"I'm sorry i'm like completely fazzled right now! i have to go or else i'm never gonna get this job ill just brush my hair in the car! ok bye Spencer!" you called as you jogged down the stairs.

"wait i don't know your name?" he called after you.

"ill tell you when i buy you a coffee!" your giggle echoed through the building followed by the loud shut of the downstairs door.

he smiled to himself, wondering if he should tell the team about his funky morning encounter. he smiled the whole train ride to work, and then the walk from the stop to the building and then the elevator trip up. he just couldn't stop smiling. he thought about you brushing your hair while you drove and even giggled to himself on the train causing a few strangers to toss him some concerned looks.

how could he be living next to such a beautiful stranger?

when he walked into the bullpen, he saw the. whole team huddled around a desk, staring quite obviously at hotch's office. a new curiosity piqued his interest though his thoughts of you continued to be front and center in his mind.

"whats going on?" he asked, joining the group and craning his neck to try and see into the office.

"new agent interview." jj whispered.

"really? since whe-"

"shh!" Garcia shushed.

"you cant even hear them!" Reid defended.

"quiet helps us read their lips." prentiss whispered.

Spencer continued to crane his neck, moving around yet only being able to see hotch, who was throwing his head back in laughter. hotch laughing? wow this new agent must be pretty cool!

"oh my god! i've never seen him laugh like that before!" Garcia squeaked.

"she has to get the job now," morgan added.

"ah we have to wait for the handshake, thats when we see if he really approves," Rossi countered, "if he double hands the shake then its a done deal."

they all watched excitedly, waiting impatiently for the end of the interview. after a few minutes they saw hotch stand up and shake the possible new agent's hand with his right, firmly clasping his left over the handshake.

"was that the double handed handshake?" Garcia asked excitedly.

"yup." Rossi replied, popping the p.

as soon as the door began to open, the team tried ever so gracelessly to disperse, bumping into one another and murmuring fake excuses. a familiar outfit caught Spencer's eye as the new agent left hotch's office and he dared sneak a glance.

no way. his mind raced, thoughts of this morning flooding it a mile a minute. could it really be the girl from this morning? he watched as you excitedly left the building, beaming far to much to notice any other people as you left.

"bug?!" was all he could muster. not even loud enough for you to hear. unfortunately, loud enough for the people around him to.

"theres a bug? where?" morgan asked, looking around.

"no um...bug-she..is bug- um. nothing." he stammered.

"did you nickname the new agent bug?" jj laughed.

"what? no! do not say that in front of her!!" Spencer stammered.

after a couple teasing remarks, to Spencer's relief, they seemed to have let it go. the day was case-less and flew by quickly, the most exciting part was the morning interview and hotch's announcement that there would be a new agent starting tomorrow.

you sat at home, beyond excited about your successful interview, all thanks to handsome neighbor Spencer. you couldn't help but feel extra indebted to him. you feared you may have scared him off when you offered to take him out but it was the best way you could think to say thank you. but your nerves had transferred mainly to the upcoming first day of work.

as he got hone he debated knocking on your door but decided against it, knowing you were probably busy preparing for tomorrow.

when you arrived tomorrow a series of seemingly unfamiliar faces sat in the conference room, awaiting you and hotch.

when you stepped inside your eyes scanned over each of them, all looking very excited to meet you.

and then you saw him.

handsome neighbor Spencer was sitting RIGHT THERE. the stars have aligned and finally life is in your favor. after a brief introduction the meeting began and you took the only seat open which happened to be next to Spencer.

you gave each other polite smiles though both of your cheeks glowing red told a different story than two people who had just met.

"wheels up in 20." hotch concluded.

you all walked out together, the team making sure you felt included.

"so hows the first day feeling, y/n? or should i be like my friend Dr. Reid here and call you bug?" morgan asked slightly amused.

"oh my god you told?!" you laughed, looking wide eyed at Spencer.

after a high pitched denial from Reid and tears of laughter from the team as you told them of the events of that morning, you already felt like you were a part of the team.

as you boarded the jet, you decided to sit next to Spencer.

"you know, i still owe you a coffee," you mentioned nonchalantly as you pulled a book from your go bag, trying as hard as you possibly could to not blush.

he smiled slyly, picking up his own book to hide the rouge that fell upon his cheeks, "and ill hold you to that, bug."

-

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ultra mega super cool taglist:

@mac99martin @imhreid @spencersmagic @hollydaisy23 @raelady1184 @a-broken-pact @padfootswife @star-stuff-in-the-cosmos @hey-there-angels @sonnydoesrandomshit @averyhotchner @laurakirsten0502 @reidyoulikeabook @rem-ariiana @spencerreid9 @vampire-overlord @takeyourleap-of-faith @s1utformgg @violetspoetic @b-a-utiful @aperrywilliams @eevee0722

[hermitcraftheadcanons]

Hermitopia AU Masterpost 1 [COMPLETE]

This is a gathering place for the events of the Hermitopia AU, as well as art and writing resulting from it (art and writing listed at the bottom). Please read the AU introduction and rules here before submitting! Feel free to join the discussions on the HCHC discord server!

(Disclaimer/PSA: All points are asks contributed by the community, the mods take no credit for the ideas within them)

If you would like specific credit in the masterpost, please sign within the text of the ask! (A dash and a signature at the end should do.) Asks not signed will be treated as anonymous.

Summary posts:

Not all elements of plot and character will be summarized, but here are a few basic things you may want to be familiar with before submitting an ask! (Unless you are purposely aiming to create an [ALTERNATE] idea for a Hermit)

1 - Starting positions and each Hermit's powers (based on the submissions from Day 1)

Summary post 2 - Interpersonal connections (based on Day 1 and 2 submissions)

Make sure to check out the second masterpost here for more up to date information, including newer art and writing!

Asks:

- (copied ask) [summarized mod comment]

- Hermitopia | Scar was experimented on by Cub. He gained dangerous powers and wings that resemble a dragon’s, but he keeps both hidden. Unless someone makes him angry. He has no idea who gave him his powers. Eventually he and Cub decided that they wanted to control things beyond their corporation, so Scar ran for mayor. (there are things to fill in but im lazy) [Scar assumes he got the powers in an accident during research. He enjoys having them but has no idea that they were intentional.]

- Hermitopia AU team ZIT is a superpowered crime-fighting trio!

- owing to a very particular set of guidelines he put in place, Joe can now copy powers if he sees them in use and can reverse-engineer how those powers are used. needless to say, this is massively overpowered in the right hands.but it got worse. at some point, there was an... incident... on ConCorp grounds, something to do with a mass amount of entities causing time dilation -- and Joe was caught in the thick of it, unable to be rescued for a while.the problem is, he got out by piecing together how the time dilation worked.needless to say, Joe... has a ridiculous powerset. so he chooses largely not to use his powers anymore unless it's absolutely dire or petty enough to shrug off as a random occurrence. nobody needs to know that one of the most powerful Unaffiliated in the city is standing right in front of them... especially not ConCorp.

- doc was a former high ranking employee of concorp before he volunteered for an experiment and it went horribly wrong. since then, the company has tried to erase any evidence of his existence. doc is now seeking revenge for all that the company did to him and is determined to tear it apart

- HI ok follow up asks will be sent later when my thoughts are coherent but concept: cleo has like super messed up healing powers where she can make healing go Too Far. also i pin her as unbound, considering, like, everything - shovel-shuffle

- So, his power was meant to be super-regen, right? except things don't always quite go to plan. Someone volunteered for the powers surgeries and is arguably dead. Etho is a name shared by the many many clones that developed themselves out of the leftovers. They're not quite individuals, not quite a hivemind. Any one of them has no fear of death because the others will continue, but they all act independently around their overarching goal. (which I won't snitch about) - DragonKay

- Bdubs was a hero. Key word? Was. He climbed the ranks through the government, he was a loyal and dutiful member of society, and he used his plant manipulation powers to subdue evil-doers without hurting them. But he’s always been a friendly guy, and he couldn’t help himself—talking to the Unrestrained, especially those in custody, was interesting! ...but it’s a slippery slope to walk, being friendly with the enemy and not sympathizing to their cause. Nobody knows where he is now, but there are rumours of a vigilante with similar abilities, and his three compatriots, two of whom he helped escape from ConCorp... They call themselves the nHo. - slimetek [Bdubs deserted Concorp while helping Doc escape after his experiment went wrong]

- Concorp managed to make a device that allows animals to speak or translate their thoughts into writing. This means that the good old mayor Scar has a certain cat giving some advice on how to run the city.

- Iskall is an assasin/mercenary against their own volition. An accident they'd rather forget almost killed them, and in exchange for their freedom and free will they got to live as a cyborg. Though its hard to forget with the implant that covers their eye and the limb of cool metal hanging at their side - @ghastly-ghostie [Iskall works for Concorp off-books, bound by the debt owed to them for the life saving experimental modifications]

- so I think grians original powers could be like cloning, but something goes wrong and the clones are different people. as a result of the duplication process, some funky magic rocks are made. the clones decide to take most of the funky rocks and run off, leaving grian with one rock that gives him some new abilities and the clones' rocks give him others. also uhh mechanical wings bc yes. so grians plot is him trying to find them while also causing problems on purpose. infinity stones. update to my grian ask from earlier, I had better ideas: the rocks are old like magic things that grian finds before the cloning and ends up collecting, but his clones snatch them - simplyskipper [some of the alternate Grians are aligned with different factions in Hermitopia, while the locations of others are farther or unknown]

- Hermitopia- Impulse has solid-light powers. He has golden crystals implanted in his hands, which he can reflect light through to solidify it into all sorts of shapes. This can be used to make barriers, projectiles, and much more, though more detailed constructs take more time.- @mleemwyvern

- Hermitopia AU Poultry man is a well-known chaotic neutral leaning towards good, as a one of the unrestrained.

- I think Team ZIT should be a little be wild card-y, that's how they act after all! [they are employed by the government for standard crimefighting, but they don't always take Scar's word at its intended meaning and often play a bit on the chaotic side when given instructions]

- [Hermitopia AU] False is an antihero/vigilante type who's specialty is not defined by powers or the such, but just... the absolute skill of being able to dual wield two (more sci-fi era) short swords. Maybe someone upgrades them to be "enchanted" (electrical, fire, etc. something that tech could do well probably). She's willing to be paid-for-hire, but if you go past her moral line she's also willin' to backstab you. -- @cheshire-vex [she's a free agent who sort of drifts between Concorp, the government, and whoever else will pay her on a job-by-job basis]

- Hermitopia impulse has more connections then one may think. He has ties to people pretty much everywhere, for reasons unknown. There is a 100% someone will come and greet him wherever he goes. [the greetings are usually friendly]

- Hermitopia Au! Keralis is a hero who most people wouldn't expect to be too skilled at fighting. His power is similar to hypnosis so he has no need to get very physical. Yeah, that changed when some bastard villain decided to attack his friends shop. [that incident caused his employer Scar to realize his untapped potential for protecting people and assign him to a few more high-stakes jobs]

- Hermittopia!TFC was one of ConCorp’s first experiments and as such his powers are a bit less...refined then the others. He has geokinetic powers, allowing him to psychically control rocks and other earthen materials. He used to be one of the VEX programs top graduates, but has since parted ways with them for unknown reasons and now operates his own plans of keep crime in Hermitopia under control. -lechairpourriedegrianri [he is considered Unaffiliated and both Concorp and the government largely leave him to his own devices, since he is helping to keep the city together]

-Wels doesn't have powers. He does have a super-suit made of fire and heat resistant carbon fibre (like the material used for the space shuttle) and has a built in hologram projector. One time, he used the hologram projector to project an image of himself, which everyone thought was a clone. He didn't have the heart to tell them otherwise. (AKA everyone thinks Wels has powers but he doesn't) -Silverwolf53 [he got the suit in Project VEX]

- To follow up on the Impulse ask- Team ZIT are a space-themed superhero team. Government-aligned, at least for now.Tango has meteor-like powers, he can shoot fire from his hands and feet and often uses this to propel himself at high speeds. Zed has gravity powers! He can increase or decrease the density of any object, to the point of making small black holes. They all have space-themed costumes, and it was probably Zed's idea. - @mleemwyvern

- TFC was the first participant in project VEX

- Grian was an attempted success. It fixed some problems with Etho's unintended cloning, but at the same time created some problems of its own, seeing as the clones appeared to have a life of their own.It's fine, though. It's probably fine

- I would say Grian is unrestrained, a bit like Etho, Chaotic in his own way. Does not activily Try to hurt people, but does mostly what he wants for fun.-Ciara

- Xisuma is a civilian- he has hero friends, but despite all their teasing he’s never wanted to go through VEX training. But in the night, the unrestrained Void walks the streets [Void is a symbiotic creature made of nothingness that uses Xisuma's body as a substitute physical form]

- Bdubs was such a good man... he could be trusted to look after Doc, couldn’t he? Somebody had to oversee him, somebody who was reliable and would never, ever consider betraying the mayor and ConCorp...They let their guard down, and Bdubs got curious. Bdubs made a friend.And then they lost him.- Slimetek

- The hels hermits are considered evil by default. How do you spot these clones, how could you protect yourself? Well in the past it was a lot easier, just look for their red eyesNowadays contacts exist but that doesn't stop people trying to call the police on tango, calling him a hels. Hes netherian, they have unnatural eye colours and their iris fills the entire eye, hes not evil but if people keep doing this hes gonna be!

- Beef woke up from his brain surgery to receive telepathy powers, took one look into the mind of the overseer, and noped put of there as fast as he could go.He's on very public record. After all, the mind control he may be capable of is a very convenient explanation for anyone who turns against concorp... ~DragonKay

- Hypno can’t control minds.They say he does. It’s why he’s named Hypno, after all.In reality, he can’t control people like that... but he can control what they see.Your best friend might look like your greatest enemy. A pit of lava might look like solid ground. A 100-foot drop might look like a step down.It’s a good thing he’s a hero, and a good thing he keeps his true powers hidden beneath a guise of low-level hypnotism. There’s no telling what he could do if they let him go. [he works for Concorp, helping to protect VEX trainees from people trying to harm them before they get a chance to finish the program, as well as keeping other resources safe]

- The 9th Street Incident [referring to an earlier Impulse comment] was a friendly greeting. That particular version of Etho just thought that drawing weapons would be a friendly greeting for Impulse, but Tango and Zed seem to disagree

- They still don’t trust Bdubs. He was with the government for a long time, and things are hard out there on the run. Besides, they don’t know what he got up to there. ConCorp could have any sort of information on him, something that might scare him back.Bdubs understands this. He doesn’t want to go back. He’d hate to go back....but they think he will, and maybe there’s something he’s not telling them. An ace that ConCorp has yet to play.- Slimetek

- Mumbo works for concorp as an engineer specialising in robotics, most recently taking on the task of maintaining Iskall's cybernetics that somehow they just keep damaging. Iskall assures him they're just.. very clumsy. So far Mumbo hasn't caught on.

- Ren's power is that hes a werewolf, but he only found out when he was in his late teens with his childhood friend Iskall. He still feels guilty about it, he did kill his best friend afterall. Or so he thinks.He's lived off grid ever since, too overwhelmed with grief and guilt to rejoin society. Most assume he's dead too - @ghastly-ghostie [Ren dropped Iskall off to Concorp as a last ditch effort, running away before he could see whether they took his friend in or not. They did, starting Iskall's plotline. Iskall told Concorp about Ren's abilities, triggering a panic in the Concorp ranks at the fact that Ren is a superhuman being created by some force other than their own project]

- Where does Void come from? The same place all powers come from.Little did they know, something survived the crash and has taken a human host. Maybe it's not the only one...No, that place is not Concorp. Concorp's original goal was to develop technology by reverse-engineering from a crashed alien spaceship. These aliens did gene-editing the way some people do nose jobs, so they adapted that technology, too.~DragonKay

- i've already said a bit about it in the discord but i have hermitopia cleo brainrot. joe being there was able to save her by giving her the regen powers along with her puppeteering telekinesis power. anyways cleo is presumed dead, sent by concorp into a mission as fodder basically until zit could arrive. but now there's is one (1) bitter undead vigilante against concorp that is presumed dead

- Stress’s name has a few meanings in relation to her. Whenever she gets too angry or /stressed/, she transforms into the StressMonster, a monster that feeds off of other people’s stress to become more powerful. Luckily, the monster is rarely seen, but does terrible things when she is. She’s one of the most feared creatures in Hermitopia. Stress hates her and tries her best to hide her from her friends, but it can backfire sometimes. - @guster-animations

- to follow-up on Joe being presumed dead: remember the time dilation incident he was stuck in? ConCorp figured it was best to cut their losses and not try to send anyone in to rescue him -- it would be a pointless mission. so they abandoned him, quietly announced that he had died in the line of duty, and put the affected area under high security clearance in order to prevent any future accidents. they figured he was already dead. and Joe figures, given that they up and abandoned him, maybe it's for the best that they continue to figure just that. he changed his last name to "Hills" -- a joke about the biome containing the time anomaly -- and otherwise proceeded to stay under the radar. he still uses the time dilation area as a base of operations, sometimes; it's very useful to have a hideout that people physically cannot get into/out of without his direct assistance. is he nursing a grudge, coming up with some convoluted scheme to get back at the paramilitary group for abandoning him? or does he just want to live a relatively normal life off the grid? who knows. that's the Joe [REDACTED] Hills difference. -@betweenlands

- False has some big scary power that is almost Eldritch she just happens to prefer a sword and doesn’t really care for who she works for as long as they’re paying... (they don’t need to know of the power that had harmed the ones she loves the most)

- Keralis once encountered Void sulking around where Xisuma worked. So fearful for his friend’s safety, he used his power on Void and told him to go away. Apparently the charm is still active, because if Void spots Keralis anywhere, he’ll turn tail and run. No, it’s not because he’s scared. Absolutely not.

- Grumbot serves as a sentient supercomputer created by Mumbo for Grian. Grian is using Grumbot for... various activities, all of which harmless, but a certain evil clone [Helsknight] has reverse engineered the technology. Concorp would like for Mumbo to give them the tech, but mumbo stuck some eyes to the computer, got emotionally attached, and refuses to give up his baby boy.

- When Impulse hears his friend/colleague Bdubs has been "taken over" by the mind-controller [Beef], he wants to go on an off-the-books mission to rescue him! Just giving up like they were told to isn't in his nature.Of course the rest of ZIT are with him. Heroes save people! It's what they do!~DragonKay

- Hermitopia is a mixture of sleek futuristic and cyberpunk in terms of style. It really depends on where you live and work (ik this doesnt include any hermits but whatever) - @ghastly-ghostie

- I wonder if Cleo's overactive healing powers affect herself and if any injuries she receives immediately heal over like wolverine or deadpool

- Ren used to be friends with Cleo too, but then she died. Strangely enough, she died on the same day that Ren killed Iskall. Ren’s lost all his friends. It’s hard living in isolation when there’s no one left that even cares about you. (Unless— no, that’s impossible.)

- I was thinking about Biffa, like you do. And Biffa would totally be some robot that was created by Project VEX in its early stages, however they realised fast that it was easier to use humans and give them powers, maybe its not their strong suit with robots. But Biff went sentient and glitched and was scrapped so hes just out there doing his thing. Hes a wildcard and plays for which side he wants at the time, sometimes he'll help or sometimes hes the one causing trouble. He looks pretty similar to a android like in Detroit:Become human but hes a bit uncanny and eerie, maybe its the eyes or the blood red armour. Powerwise, he's got more strength than a human does, mainly because he isn't limited like others are. try not to get punched by him, it'll hurt! [He's convinced Concorp will destroy him if they find out he's alive and Unaffiliated] -lucodak

- Going off of my thing about hermotopia impulse having friends everywhere....this may include the nho. Okay, they beat him to a pulp on one of his solo patrols once, but theey felt bad n patched him up! He has to keep it a secret. He brings them dinner alot. And checks in on them.

- Beef is the perfect cover-up for Bdubs’ desertion. ConCorp doesn’t want any other employees getting bright ideas, now, do they? Nor do they want employees getting nosy and trying to figure out where Bdubs went. They don’t have to tell people what Beef’s powers are. They just release that he developed powers after brain surgery, and a rumour that he was spotted lurking around before Bdubs suddenly betrayed ConCorp... and people draw their own conclusions. -Slimetek

- xB is pretty sure he’s supposed to be evil.I mean, that’s what sentient AIs usually end up being, according to a quick internet search. And yet he’s... not. Or maybe he’s just on the wrong side. - Slimetek

- Yes impulse is friends with the nho....what he doesn't know? He's....easily susceptible to hypnosis. Very easily.......Of course, after impulse is basically a very tired n warm cuddle bug, so, cuddle piles tend to happen after all information is spilled. He must've fallen asleep at their apartment again! Whoops! But it's okay.....they take good care of him if he does! [Beef is using his mind reading ability on Impulse without his knowledge, to make sure that he hasn't spilled their location and to predict the government's next moves. He feels slightly bad about it but feels that it is necessary for the nHo's survival.]

- So far, Grian has only ever encountered two of his clones, NPC Grian and Robot Grian. Technically three, if one were to count Ariana Griande. Grian doesn't really, but some do. [Ariana Griande is a popular musician in Hermitopia who is building a career using the magical stone of voice enhancement she recieved through the cloning process]

- To handle the two Grumbot issue: the one working with Helsknight can be Jrumbot, a legion of robot drones meant to work as Grumbot’s physical form that ended up being hijacked by Helsknight and turned against ConCorp

- There...aren’t a lot of “normal” animals left in Hermittopia. ConCorp took one look at the animals populating the city and decided that, hey, they could make some improvements. Species after species, they modified their behavior, appearance, internal structure, whatever they could fix, tweak, or add. They were just improving their lives and the lives of the citizens of Hermittopia, after all, but the new animals quickly outcompeted the old for resources and habitats. And if it makes it easier for ConCorp to stick a camera in one or two of them, or set up robotic animals to keep a better eye on the city, no harm, no foul, right?(Bonus: there is one (1) singular cat left in Hermittopia, resulting in a spy movie-style heist where two teams of Hermits attempt to “rescue” the cat simultaneously. The cat keeps wandering away from both teams. Shenanigans ensue)- Adonis [the cat is Jellie, who orchestrated the competition between Team ZIT and Cleo and Joe for her own entertainment, getting away from both parties in the end]

- The Leak:Not all mutations are the result of controlled experiments! If some alien tech got away from the crash site, concorp never would have picked it up. It might have got into nature, not as refined as they made it in the labs but causing little changes here and there. Ren may have become a werewolf from being bitten by a mutant wolf~DragonKay

- Impulse is able to use his powers to create illusions or male things appear invisible! Sort of. After all, light dictates what we see. It takes a lot of focus, though, so it's not that practical. -@rayveewrites

- The one thing Hels wasn't able to steal was the cloning technology, hence his hostility with Concorp -- he needs the cloning device, because how else is the void going to get a body of their own? - SilverWolf53

- *glances at the hermitopia werewolf ask* okay but what if the same mystery people who made ren into a werewolf also created jevin, and maybe Etho? idk if either of them have been given any hermitopia headcanons yet lol. but im sure the same people who made a werewolf could make a sentient slime (or perhaps rescue one) or make... whatever etho is. [Since the "second organization" is an incorrect assumption believed by Concorp, Jevin was created when he came in contact with a waterway contaminated by The Leak. Concorp assumes he was created by an opposing organization and not by accident, and therefore would like to bring him in along with Ren.]

- hermitopia - mumbo and grian were friends back when cloning experiments were still happening (or . as friendly as you can be with someone who's treating you like a lab rat), but after everything went wrong and grian escaped, mumbo has his memories wiped nd thats why he's trusted w iskall's stuff? bc he inherently remembers working on high-level things without knowing where he learnt it - muscle memory, yk?anyway massive angst with grian maybe recognising mumbo, but not the other way round, and trying to rekindle their friendship? and that's where grumbot comes in? -gin [Mumbo's memory was wiped so that he would forget the deadly purpose of Iskall's cybernetics, which he was working on at the same time as the Grian project in the background. Mumbo does not remember creating Grian's mechanical wings or Iskall's arm and eye, and he has no memory of either individual previous to "meeting" Iskall as the person assigned to his repair and upkeep.]

- Etho doesn't so much have powers as he is powers. All the powers the ‘original’ had went into creating him; now he just exists, as whatever sort of being he is. Not a human one, that much is obvious. ~DragonKay [Etho has no powers beyond the hivemind and his training, due to the error in the experiment that caused the clones]

- Mumbo started the button as a joke. A nonsense social expirement to see how much people want worthless signs of status. Unfortunately things got out of hand, and violent too. But hey! It's not his fault that the five special anomalous stones were misplaced into the prize dispenser! It was just chance that they fell into the hands of the clone of the worst gremlin in the city! Don't fire him! [He was not fired, but Cub was Decidedly Unhappy with him for a good long while]

- Void mostly trashes ConCorp facilities- trying to figure out if any of his siblings survived the spaceship crash, but occasionally he’ll pilfer from a bakery, because X is a health nut and Void just wants a gods damned cookie [Void very much dislikes unseasoned chicken]

- If the Stress Monster gets too big, too dangerous, Cleo is sworn under oath to Stress to zap her with her healing powers. Cleo doesn’t like to do it, overhealing a stressed Stress makes her so calm she gets knocked out for a couple of days, but Stress can take a small comfort in the fact that at least one person out there can stop her

- Ooh with the self healing Cleo she'd be able to develop a small amount of super strength, with how the mind keeps from going full throttle because it would destroy the body once she gets over it it's hysterical strength whenever she wants [it is quite painful, but a good backup plan]

- Being a hive mind of disposable clones that can spawn new copies at will, it can sometimes be hard for the Etho Entity to remember that it is indeed a big deal for other people when they get hurt. This can make him come off as callous to those around him, placing him firmly in the "villain" category in most citizen's books, but he really doesn't intend any harm!

- Grian used to be tall, but then the cloning happened. With each clone they stole a little bit of his height making him the short man he is today. He needs to capture those clones and get his height back. [Grian isn't entirely sure how to accomplish this, but he's dead set on trying! He misses being tall!]

- While Grian was perfectly fine with Ariana Griande living her own life, he did insist on one thing.Her "older brother" getting backstage access whenever she was on tour. He's very proud and supportive of her and her music career.

- Mumbo is perfectly content working in tech, watching the other hermits get up to crazy shenanigans. Except of course, there was that one time he was out testing some new gear and accidentally saved a crowd from some villains... and there were all those times after too...But hey! It’s not his fault that people like him, and he certainly isn’t going to get caught by Concorp during his after hours activities. [Mumbo considers himself an accidental hobbyist, not thinking he has the nerve or the skill for proper hero work. Time will tell if he's right about that or not...but unfortunately, he probably is. This should be fun.]

- There’s still some people overseeing VEX, even over Cub. They’re the ones that push Cub to do certain experiments or to scrap one. They’re the ones to give Cub the decision for Iskall’s life debt. Scar was under them too for the longest time, but eventually he wanted out. Cub still wanted in. They were still in the right, right? That’s what they tell him. He’s starting to doubt it. [Cub is way too invested in everything he's built to even think about going rogue now, but he does resent and occasionally question the judgement of his superiors increasingly as his project begins to fail more and more often. He also fears that Scar's shift in career will be seen as a betrayal, rather than as a tactical attempt to gain the company influence in the government.]

- Been thinking about the impulse + nho asks and just,,, what would happen if concorp/the government found out? It cant be good with interrogation/hypnosis on both sides (incase you cant tell,, the brainrot got me as well) (apologies if this is a mess im excited) [Hypno is assigned to set up an illusionary conversation to make Impulse reveal nHo location to Concorp and government agents while thinking that he's actually talking to the nHo in a random encounter]

- The one mind Beef can't read is Etho's. Their hivemind is just too weird for him to comprehend. If he ever tries to listen in, it sounds like just a bunch of static from an old TV.

- for hermitopia au!: Out of most of the heros, the most reckless may be team zit. sure they tell themselves they'll plan out missions but it's hard when they share a braincell and tango just runs in. impulse and zed share a look everytime and have to run after him to make sure he doesn't get too hurt or overwhelmed by the enemy. in their defence its hard to plan ahead against an enemy when you dont know what they are thinking.-lucodak ["You might not have known what they were thinking, Tango, but we'd generally like you to know what you're thinking!"]

- i bet ConCorp really wants to make it out like theres some secret shady organization creating all these people with mutations, rather than their own operatives deserting and their own failure to contain dangerous chemicals... whether its malicious coverups or just ignorance to the fact they messed up, wonder what would happen if that sort of thing came to light...? [If they found out that the unintentional superhumans were a result of the poorly-contained crash site? Cub would lose his job...maybe worse. If Cub found out (and he hasn't, yet) he would do everything in his power to keep that information from his superiors.]

- (paraphrased) Impulse accidentally walks in on heroes and agents breaking down the doors of the nHo's hideout and confronting them. Scar claims that they did so on information Impulse himself provided and thanks him for his service. Impulse, feeling confused and betrayed, resists Hypno's attempts to illusion him back to Scar's side and flees the scene with the nHo, knowing very little other than the fact that he doesn't want to be manipulated by the government any more (and still not knowing that Beef has been reading his mind)

- Impulse may have been labeled a traitor. But do you really think that Impulse, secret rebel, starting to learn how dangerous and corrupted Concorp really is, wouldn't let his best friends know about the danger they might be in? I think Team ZIT is more loyal to each other than to the government. - @mleemwyvern [ Impulse's first stop after escaping with the nHo is to find a place to secretly meet Tango and Zedaph and tell them about the way he was tricked. It takes a lot of explaining and a lot of trust, but they eventually decide to believe his claims and are left with a choice: will they openly go rogue and become a target along with Impulse and the rest of the nHo, or are they better off using their established image and reputation to keep an eye on the government heros' movements from the inside?]

- (two asks combined, paraphrased) Ren runs out of supplies and decides to head back into the city, confident in his ability to stay off the grid after so many years of experience and such a long time away. Once there, he runs into Doc, and they hit it off quite quickly. However, the more Ren talks the more Doc realizes - with his ex-Concorp knowledge - that Ren matches the description of Iskall's main target exactly. He warns Ren, who is then faced with the knowledge that Iskall is alive and assigned to kill him...so many questions and so many tears to follow...

- Why did Hermitopia start needing heroes? When the Unrestrained started to appear, if course. Why did the Unrestrained start to appear? A question asked a little less. When did the VEX program start? When did they start taking more risks? When did they stop caring about certainty and safety and shift towards trying to push boundaries they weren't ready to? People can be so enamoured with the concept of superhuman abilities, something bright and glorious and good- and perhaps they could have that too- they don't ask all the right questions. It's all an elaborate game of damage control, don't let the flashy heroics fool you, they've made mistakes, terrible, terrible mistakes, and now there are villains running loose with powers they fooled ConCorp into giving them. Are they villains? Are they victims? Does it matter? They're causing problems. [Project VEX has developed into a solution to its own problems, a self perpetuating cycle...one that Cub, as a businessman, is very familiar with. It's what keeps the wheels of industry turning. It's what keeps innovation creeping forward. It wasn't intentional, not this time...but if it keeps his project alive, he'll take it.]

- One time, Jevin had narrowly dodged being captured by Concorp. He was laying low in the forest out of town, when he had a run-in with some sort of wolf creature. Thankfully, claws and teeth couldn't exactly hurt him anymore, so he just played dead until it gave up.When the moon set, the wolf-thing slowly transformed into a human being. Ren was horrified at the thought he'd lost control and hurt someone- again- but Jevin assured him he was fine. Jevin got the feeling that the werewolf needed a friend, and Jevin himself needed a place to stay for a while... -RayveeWrites [Ren and Jevin are not currently in the same location, but they each have a means of contacting each other for help if needed]

- Worm Man wasn't a well- known super, but plenty of people have noticed that he seemed to vanish at the same time Team ZIT first started active duty. Those people have also noticed that one of the members has a very similar power set to WM.Officially, that's just a coincidence. Officially.-RayveeWrites [Zedaph was trying to get some unofficial practice while still in training in the VEX program]

- A common misconception is that Bdubs conjures up his vines from nowhere. He can't.Like any plant, his vines grow from seeds. They grow unnaturally fast, when Bdubs wills it, but they have to come from seeds. Where do these seeds come from, you may ask?Well, a long time ago, Bdubs ingested some strange fruits. Somehow, in wild defiance of human biology, the seeds contained in those fruits worked their way into his muscles and germinated. Some of the roots worked their way into his brain and fused into it; the rest spread through his muscles, grew beneath his skin, coiled around his bones. Thanks to the way the vines connected to his brain, Bdubs is able to command the vines, and their magic, at will.The vines produce seeds; some stay in his body to replace the old ones when they die, and most work their way into a pair of 'seed pods' in his wrists. Bdubs provides the nutrients, the energy; the vines provide the seeds, the magic. As an extra bonus: if the vines were to be totally removed from Bdubs' body, he would be at best extremely weak, and at worst dead. The vines have grown into his muscles, to the point where they've essentially replaced them in some areas. It's fortunate that they connected with his mind so early on, otherwise he'd be dead. -RayveeWrites [Concorp developed the fruit, and the fact that Bdubs is evidence of the unlikely success of that experiment makes them all the more angry at his betrayal]

- A lot of excellent xB information (it's too long to copy but please read it it's very good)

- Iskall has exactly one (1) failed assignment. That assignment? The kill or capture of Stress. Stress and Iskall have been, or should it be were now, friends for a very long time, since before Iskall even met Ren. So one can imagine the stress this causes Iskall, to be told to kill his one remaining friend that he knows is alive. Of course, this stress is quite enough to to Stress's Stress Monster into one it's strongest yet seen forms, allowing for Stress to then get away. (1/2)(2/2) Of course, Con Corp doesn't- and can never- know the true reason that Iskall cannot kill or capture Stress. If they knew, if they subjected Stress to the same hell he's in- no, that cannot happen. So Iskall hires False to protect Stress, to interfere whenever they send him on a mission for her. Luckily, False is good at keeping secrets when she wants to, and this one she'll keep. But as far as Con Corp knows, Iskall has severe stress and trauma from being a cyborg, and that's why he fails. [This all adds up to a monumental waste of Concorp's time and money, which also results in False getting payed, so all parties involved are happy except for Concorp >:)]

- Impulse would take a bullet for his teammates, and he knows they might be about to take one for him, keeping him updated on what's going on government side of this... slander. Still, Tango and Zed are great actors, and if he didn't know better, he might be a little worried they would *actually* be hunting him down in the name of justice [Tango and Zed are now being sent on missions to retrieve Impulse, which they must pretend to lose believably. They occasionally overestimate their friend's abilities and give him a few more close calls than he'd like, but overall the ruse is holding up.]

Writing:

- Wels, Hels, TFC, and Grumbot

- Bdubs Concorp promotion and desertion

- Joe Hills in his time dilation hideout

- Etho clones, ZIT, and the nHo

- Keralis and Void

- [ALTERNATE] Reveal of Impulse's situation with the nHo

Art:

- Impulse suit design