#//I had no idea what to do I think I went with route B.

[unboundtravels]

𝐷𝑂𝑊𝑁 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝑅𝐴𝐵𝐵𝐼𝑇 𝐻𝑂𝐿𝐸 | @wonderloste

asked: "thankful am i that the path you chose led you to me. wonderland's marshes are... not always so kind, after falling down the rabbit hole. i was worried." / white rabbit @ blue pink for u !! 🙏

Magenta hues fluttered open as The Timelord's head reeled. The voice punching through his subconscious stirs him awake. Where had he been before now? Temporal Dysphoria had set in. When you've been pulled through reality and space simultaneously and also instantaneously. The TARDIS was moving through the Time-Space Vortex, The Doctor heading back to Earth. He had just come back from the TARDIS library with a particular book. He had questions about the ending, so he took his time spaceship back to the book's publication to ask follow-up questions. He was debating whether or not he should travel back through the time stream towards when it was being written. Not to upset the contents, but to understand the storytelling during the process. He was so distracted by his plans for the day, and his ramblings about them— that he hadn't noticed some kind of alarm bell beeping off the console. Not at least, until it was too late. 

He suddenly sat up when he remembered that he had been inside The TARDIS one moment, and now he wasn't. His head was pounding, almost as if his brain was struggling to remember what had happened. When he finally got his eyes trained on the surroundings, he flinched backward at the sight of the white rabbit. 

"Good god, man! Don't sneak up on me like that." 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 exhaled before looking down at his outfit suddenly. "Oh, no. Not again." He mumbled, before inspecting the features of the world and of finally... this rabbit. The Doctor eventually stood and brushed himself off, before taking another long look at his blue exterior. "Well, I certainly bring a whole new definition to the phrase: Turning Blue." He moved to swipe his coattails aside before sliding them into his pockets. "I don't suppose you've ever had your color pallet swapped on you?" He hummed, "No, of course not." Hee exhaled heartily before moving to hold his head. "Must've fallen through a pocket in reality... For some reason, I don't feel as if I've entered through the right door..." He hummed quietly, looking up at the sky and at the wonderland trees and greenery. 

"Did I miss out on cakes and a tiny little potion that says drink me?" He mumbled before finally turning back toward the white rabbit. "Whatever way I came in, though— I know I'm not supposed to be here. I've got to find The TARDIS. It must've fallen around here somewhere." The Doctor grumbled again before turning back toward The White Rabbit. Only now, at full coherence, could he reply to The Rabbit's earlier statement. "Wait just a moment... You said... The path I chose? So I am supposed to be here, after all? Or are you implying I'm being expected? The latter's undertones aren't exactly something I'm privy to." He hummed, rubbing softly at his chin.

"And you called it wonderland. I thought you did." The Doctor's gaze narrowed as he looked at the rest of this domain through the corner of his eye. His hand returned back to his pocket and he let out a heavy sigh. "So I've fallen down the rabbit hole, have I?" The Doctor parroted the end of The Rabbit's sentence, "This whole place..." He stooped, looking outward and exhaling loudly. "It's already doing something to my mind, I can feel it..." He rubbed at his chin again before nodding his head. "I suppose I'll have to play along, for now at least— just until I can find the TARDIS..." The Doctor concluded aloud as if the character he faced wouldn't actively implicate him. As if Wonderland wasn't listening. He wouldn't put it past the realm to eavesdrop, though. He figured as long as he did what they'd want, they'd leave him alone.

"Very well then." The Doctor spoke firmly, "Lead on, Rabbit. I'm in your care."

[in1-nutshell]

Hey!

I don't know if you alredy watched the movie by time I send this so just in case spoiler alert.

Can I please request for Transformers One Bee where before he was sent to floor 50 he use to have a spark make/conjux (Buddy) that was miner but since is been so long Buddy worked hard and got promoted to Elite guard with the mission of finding what they did to Bee only for them to be reunited when she was given the task to protect guard Sentinel when he got capture after the attack, also I like the idea that Sentinel did it on purpose to remain Buddy of who was in power since he is that evil and suspected Buddy was about to strike.

Was thinking on going for a more angsty route... but then I saw B-127's face again and couldn't do it. B must have FLUFF!

Hope you enjoy!

Bot Buddy being B-127's Conjunx and a Guard

SFW, Platonic, Slight Angst, Romance, Cybertronian reader

TF1

B-127 didn’t have a lot of luck going on in his life.

He knew that but tried his best to think optimistically.

Sure, he has been bouncing from job position to job position, but it was thanks to all that bouncing around that he found the love of his life.

B-127 met Buddy under… less likely circumstances…

B-127 walking around looking at his new work environment. B-127: “Not too bad of a place. Maybe a bit of color and some entertainment, but other than that its—” SHRIEK! BANG! CLANK! He was now on the ground groaning in pain. B-127 looked up to see what exactly happened to him. His vision was a bit blurry when a silhouette appeared in front of him. A pretty face…

B-127: “Primus…” Buddy: “Sweet Solus Prime! I didn’t see you there! Let me help you up!” Buddy takes their servos and helps the disoriented bot up. Buddy: “I am SO Sorry! I know the mining carts go fast but I didn’t it would go that fast! And by the time I saw you the breaks were too slow, and I tried getting you attention—and now I’m rambling again…” Buddy vents before putting on a smile and offering him a handshake. Buddy: “I’m Buddy.” B-127 finds a goofy smile creeping onto his faceplate. B-127: “B-127.” Somewhere in the crowd someone calls out Buddy. Buddy: “I’ll catch up later D! Go ahead with Pax!” Buddy turns back to the yellow mech. Buddy: “Sorry about that, my neighbors wanted to show me something, but I’ll do it later.”

It didn’t take long before the two started going out as a couple after a few months into their jobs.

Things got a bit harder when B-127 was moved to another job position a bit farther from Buddy’s.

But that didn’t stop them.

 No, if anything it made Buddy more determined to spend time with him.

It would be a while of courting each other before they finally decided to perform the Conjunx Endura rites.

Sadly, shortly after that, B-127 went ‘missing’.

Buddy was demanding every supervisor they saw any information on their Conjunx.

No one said anything about his whereabouts.

A new goal was set.

Buddy was to rise above the ranks, higher than any miner could even dream of.

Climb the ranks to become one of Sentinel Prime’s Elite Guard.

It sounded insane, but if anyone knew where their Conjunx was, it would have to be Sentinel.

Buddy nearly gave up several times but the soft hums of their spark, of the bond reminded them why they were fighting for.

It took longer than they would have liked it, especially given that they had no T-cog, but they finally managed to become one of the guard.

Sentinel looking over at his newest member of the Guard. Sentinel: “So, you’re the little bot who’s been making all the commotion within my guard.” Sentinel walks around them. Buddy stiffens as he walks and as Arachnid watches silently. Buddy: “My only wish is to serve and protect you Sentinel Prime, sir.” Sentinel stops in front of them, then smiles. Sentinel: “I like you. How about you become one of my personal guard bots? You’ll be by my side almost all the time and you get a room near my quarters.” Buddy’s optics widen a bit but manages to keep their composure. Buddy: “It would be a great honor Sentinel Prime, sir.” Sentinel: “Stop calling me sir and you start your new job tomorrow?” The Prime offers them his servo to shake. Buddy smiles and shakes it. Buddy: “I’m looking forward to it.”

Buddy gained a position even better than what they had hoped for.

B-127 was going to be found even sooner!

…except it didn’t.

Sentinel was a busy bot and always wanted to drag Buddy with him everywhere.

So much so, Sentinel had gotten Buddy some wax and new Guard paintjob.

It felt… wrong.

They didn’t know how to explain it, but the paint, new blasters, and mask felt wrong.

Something was wrong.

Whenever Sentinel wasn’t dragging them around Iacon, he had them guard special levels in the Archieve’s.

Buddy thought for sure that they would find something about B-127’s location there.

Buddy looks at the data chips and slugs in their servos. Buddy: “One of them has to have it…” Suddenly a large frame turned the corner and shown a bright light in their face. Buddy: “ACK! Darkwing its me!” The guard turned off his flashlight and scoffed. Darkwing: “What are you doing here? Sentinel got tired of you?” Buddy: “I’m just doing some research Sentinel asked me to do.” Darkwing scoffed before leaving. Darkwing: “Miners…” Buddy scoffed once he was out of earshot. Buddy: “Miner guards…” Meanwhile… B-127, D-16, Orion Pax and Elita-One walking on the surface. B-127: “My Conjunx would love it up here!” D-16: “B, you don’t need to start talking about your ‘Conjunx’ again.” B-127: “Hey! They’re real!” Orion and Elita: “Sure…”

Nothing.

Buddy felt as if they were going on a wild chase all over Iacon looking for their Conjunx.

…But anything was worth it in the end, for him it was.

It would be a couple of days later that Buddy would receive a message for all guard bots to report to Sentinel.

Buddy was not expecting for cuffed mech’s to enter the room.

Many they recognized from B-127’s rants on the High Guard.

They nearly broke character when they saw a bot that looked suspiciously like B-127 and an old berthmate D-16.

They could not believe what they were hearing when Sentinel started talking about executing them all and for the trade he was doing with the Quintessons.

Buddy is gripping their staff tighter with all Sentinel was confessing. Behind their mask was a scowl and a look of betrayal. Their world came crashing down when they heard the yellow bot speak. B-127: “That is not the truth!” Sentinel got up in B-127’s face and presses his sword against his face. Sentinel: “The truth is what I say!” SHINK! Buddy pulled out their staffs point. Sentinel: “Ah, yes. Do me a favor and terminate the one with the mouth.” Buddy just walked over to the pair before ramming the blunt end into one of Sentinel’s joint, catching him over guard and pushing him back. The High Guard, D-16 and B-127 looked in shock. Buddy stands in front of B-127. Buddy: “You not only have lied to all of us, but you just threatened my Conjunx’s life. And no one, and I mean, NO ONE does that on MY watch!” B-127 stares in disbelief as Buddy takes off their mask and throws it to the ground. B-127 and D-16: “Buddy!?” He turns to D-16. B-127: “I told you I wasn’t making them up!” D-16: “Now is not the time…”

Buddy tries their best to stay in between Sentinel and D-16 once they saw the Prime going to the standing miner.

The Prime easily grabbed them, bent their staff and servo in the process and casted them aside like scrap.

B-127 tried to get up, but Arachnid quickly restrained him.

D-16 looked downright murderous.

Buddy didn’t get up until they saw the engraving Sentinel gave to D-16.

They grabbed their broken staff and tried to stab the Prime.

Sentinel once again grabbed them with one servo while the other held his sword…

Sentinel: “Any last words miner?” Buddy glanced at a panic B-127 and a disbelief D-16. They looked back at the Prime and spat in his face. Buddy: “Rust in the Pits Sentinel.” HONK! HONK! Buddy: “Is that Pax?!”

The train had crashed into the wall throwing Sentinel and Buddy back.

B-127 quickly ran to Buddy’s side and pulled them out of the wreck with D-16 and Orion.

Buddy finally regained their conscious and hugged B-127 tightly.

He only hugged tighter.

Soon blaster fire was exchanged.

B-127 pulled Buddy close and covered them with his now larger frame.

The pair did not want to let go of each other, but Pax needed him.

Buddy just told him to go while they had D-16’s back.

D-16 and Buddy fighting Sentinel. Buddy: “When did you guys get big! And transform!?” D-16 blasting away: “Are you seriously asking that right now?!” Buddy ducking bast a stray blast. Buddy: “Absolutely!” D-16: “Long story short, Dead Prime gave us some T-cog’s, which we had but HE stole them!” Buddy scowls at Sentinel managing to kick him in the chin. Buddy: “You sick son of a—” D-16: “When were you going to tell us you were Conjunxed!?” Buddy: “I told you already!” D-16: “But why B!” Buddy: “He makes me laugh!” Buddy and D-16 look at each other then at Sentinel by the balcony. D-16: “You thinking what I’m thinking?” Buddy: “This is some grade A Pax stunts. Absolutely!”

The three of them stumbled out of the building and into the center arena.

It almost looked like some sort of stage now looking back.

Despite the size difference, Buddy and D-16 fought together like a well-oiled machine.

They both wanted Sentinel to suffer.

All they had worked for was ultimately for nothing.

Everything they worked for was to support this tyrant and his selfish ways.

No more…

No more!

Buddy stopped fighting for a minute when Orion pushed D-16 canon out of the way.

They didn’t know what was happening.

Then Orion was hit.

Buddy and D-16 both dove in grabbed the same servo. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. Buddy: “Orion!” Orion: “Buddy?” D-16: “Why… why did you…?” Buddy remembered the sickening chill that went down their backstruts when they saw D-16’s optics go red. Buddy: “D?” D-16: “I’m done saving you.” D-16 let his grip go of Orion’s servo. Buddy quickly reached with their other servo to Orion’s. Buddy: “Orion hang on! D! D! What are you—” They felt a large servo grabbing their back and yanking them so hard that their grip loosened on Pax’s servos, sending him plummeting to the darkness bellow. Buddy looks at D-16 with tear filled optics. Buddy: “What did you do?!” Last thing they remembered was a fist heading way too fast to their face and screaming before everything went black.

When Buddy woke back up, they were in some sort of medbay.

The doctor gave them a curt nod and called in the visitors.

Buddy vented in relief when they saw Orion, now Optimus Prime, Elita-One and B-127, the last one racing towards them.

He placed their helm on his as he took a shaky vent and held their servo.

For once, he had nothing to say.

B-127 nearly lost the love of his life today and was not keen repeating the feeling again.

Never again.

[celestialalpacaron]

Ayo, someone by the name of Curly-B-Blog is redlining art of yours from 2020 (while pretending that it's actually Sai Scribble's work), and kind of being a dick about it. just thought you should know.

You know, originally I was just gonna brush it off, but then I went back to look at my old SU art from 2020 and did so much self reflection from then till now.

I think this was around the time I was just learning how to do perspective and tried to use the perspective tool on Procreate for the first time? :0 and I remember telling Sai “Sai I have this STUPID idea, I CANT believe it this stupid joke it’s so DUMBBBB, it’s living rent free in my BRAIN I SWEAR THIS IS GONNA BE SO STUPID DCIUWHEFIUWHIRFUIW4F” and being super excited to show her the finished product. People still think Sai created the Cursed Skin Gloves comic and I think it’s hilarious wjhwnuhwijwuiw

The comic was received very well and it made LOTS of people laugh and I’m still proud of this comic to this very day! :D and tbh if it wasn’t for my obsession for Sai’s Switcheroo AU I never would have found my passion in comic work! (love you you stinky hoe @saiscribbles 🩷)

HOWEVER…. I definitely still had lots to learn! I wasn’t very good at perspective at the time I’ll admit, but I was definitely having lots of fun learning :3

And throughout the past 4 years, ALOT has happened.

I graduated from college with TWO fancy pieces of expensive papers in Visual Development in Animation and Illustration learning from Will Kim and Jeff Soto, and as a I was working with the funny voice man Cougar MacDowall as a comic/story artist and reached in total around 7 million views for my fan series FNAF Security Malware Breached (it was even #21 on the trending list around the time of my birthday 🩷 what a lovely gift), had an insane opportunity to work with Mike Geno and with the voice cast from The Amazing Digital Circus for a fan song as a background and character asset artist, Vivienne Medrano liking and sharing my silly Overlord Husk AU comics, currently on my route to getting my certificate from Aaron Blaise’s Character design program and graduating from Marc Brunet Art School, and now I am completing my first year as professional colorist and art assistant for my storyboard and comic mentor Michelle Lam, aka Mewtripled! (Also I’ll be heading out to Lightbox Expo 2024 on October 26 with Michelle and the team so if y’all ever wanna meetup hahahajaj wink wink wink wink wink)

So you can say I learned ALOT and I enjoyed every minute of what I do :D I try to be humble about my accomplishments because blah blah being humble good yes yes but this time I wanna be selfish and say HELL YEAH I DID ALL THIS!!! AND IM SO EXTREMELY PROUD OF MYSELF FIUGEIURGERGGRS

Now here’s my most recent comic page that I posted like 2 days ago without the text.

That’s pretty freakin wild to me, I can’t believe I used to draw Steven Universe art like that back in 2020 LOL LIKE GUYS I DREW THIS!! WITH!!! MY HANDS!!! IS THAT NOT INSANE!!!???

Anyways moral of the story:

Learn from everyone and everything! Yes, even then mean ones too! If you can learn to work with anyone, I promise you’ll get to where you want to be faster. People can be a little mean on the internet, but that shouldn’t stop you from being where you want to be in the future. I’m so EXTREMELY grateful for all the opportunities and to all the kind professionals who were willing to give me a chance. Seriously, I’m so graciously thankful for everything, and I hope everyone here will support me and my silly little comics I will do now and in the future!

And one more thing:

Don’t be a jerk. Be to be nice to everyone :D nothing good comes out when you’re bad to everyone.

[eriochromatic]

I love your Silco takes so I was wondering if you could share yours on Vander and the drowning incident because no matter what angle I look at, it doesn't make sense.

As far as I can tell from what we're shown, the riot was well under way before Silco threw that molotov, and it's confirmed that enforcers killed Felicia. Thing is, it's implicit that Felicia chose to participate in the riot because a.) Why else would she be there, and b.) She was down with Zaun being independent for HER KIDS. Also, anyone who participates in a riot, or even a peaceful protest, knows they're putting their life on the line. So while I understand reacting to loss with intense grief, it's not exactly a surprise? It's something you have to mentally prepare for when you take a stand against an oppressor?

But then, if you go the ideology route with Silco taking it too far and the riot was Silco's idea, that stunt on the bridge was most likely pre-planned, organized resistance. This means a sizable number in their community, including Felicia and Connol, supported it. Even if Vander had doubts, he went along with it. Otherwise, why does the show open with him beating an enforcer on the bridge? Vander had other options: he could have split the resistance group down the middle by sitting it out and/or trying to stop Silco, neither of which he did!

The letter highlights the loss of Felicia as Vander's triggering event, and Vander admits that there's blood on both their hands. To be honest, I kind of like this because it hints that Silco's violence was acceptable to Vander within the context of revolution, and he thought he could handle the sacrifices required. Ironically, when he couldn't handle it, HIS violence pushed Silco towards any-violence-necessary because you can't trust anyone ever anyway!

Anyway, I know this is the fault of flimsy writing in S2 and what feels like internal censorship with challenging political status quo during production, but two drowning attempts (which for Silco came out of nowhere), followed by expulsion from the Lanes (which he helped build), the guilt of Felicia's death, and the total loss of the friends and community he was fighting for ... I mean, at least Silco's villain era makes complete and total sense???

Ugh honestly I try not to think about the drowning incident or even make sense of it anymore because every time I do, it's just so obvious to me that the writers themselves had no idea what they're doing. Timelines are completely off, character motivations make no sense, so why is it up to me to untangle the mess they made?

I have a huge love hate relationship with season 2 because on one hand, I didn't expect as much Silco crumbs we got in the first place and I'm SO HAPPY we got to see him normally in episode 5 and thriving in episode 7. But the retcon… I was so pissed when Act 2 dropped because the whole bridge incident just stopped making sense like you said.

Then when Act 3 happened, it all clicked together, but not in the "ohhh the story makes sense now" way but in the "oh the writers needed to set up smth previously so this would work." and it completely took me out of it. Like. The writers wanted Vander and Silco to make up with each other. But they don't know how to do that. Let's add some underlying sentimentality between Vander and Silco and Vi's mom, then kill Vi off. That'll make them go back together (along with that STUPID LETTER Vander wrote). Sure that's a bandaid solution and on surface level it works, but I don't think the writers really thought we would think about Silco this much so the moment you peel back the layers nothing makes sense anymore. I think they could've crafted a way more interesting story if they ACTUALLY SAT DOWN AND TRIED to have Silco and Vander reconcile without using Felicia as a crutch, but season 2 has an overarching problem of "lets have all the important things happen offscreen and only imply that they happened" which is just… so lazy���. so I'm not surprised that this happened.

It just weakens so, so many parts of the story and raises way more questions than answer them. Why does Silco pull away and distance himself from Felicia's family? Surely Vi should know him from before? Does Silco only take in Powder because he knew she was Felicia's daughter? Why, WHY does Vander go like "there are worse things than enforcers out there" (implying Silco) in s1 while talking to Benzo????????? when he's apparently felt guilty this whole time ??????? what happened to "I've looked everywhere????" etc etc idk man. from s1 I always thought the bridge incident happened way, way earlier from Felicia dying bc Vi looked like she was about 7 years old during the bridge and around 14 during act one, but then if you see Silco during the s2 warwick flashback he looks like he's 25. maybe 30 at the maximum. aint no way he aged that much in 7 years, in act one he and Vander both feel like they're in their mid 40s idk.

This is lowkey why I kind of only want to draw young Silco.. I love old man yaoi but like. If everything I draw is just flashback version of him, I don't need to worry about logistics of the bridge thing bc it hasn't happened yet lmfao. Or the AU version where everything is solved and no one rlly thinks about that time anymore.

Honestly I've tried to write this response several times trying to spell out my version of the timeline but just. nothing makes any fucking sense. I don't like thinking about how badly the writers fucked up on this part. Silco magically gets an eye injury caused by Vander and they had yaoi divorce but it's fine now. That's just how it is for me and if I think about it even a little more in depth my head will explode and I have better things to do with my time like draw zaundads yaoi

[frango-maconheiro]

remembered of this doodle just now after some days and colored the rest of it,,,,, when i was making it, i was thinking of what epic plot i'd make for an EW dating sim (ofc with a Matt route in mind)

epic yapping down ahead with doodles, all about the full concept of my silly idea ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Ok soooo matt's route plot in the first playthrough would go normal. Idk what i'd use for an introduction but it'd probably be like,,, one of those cliche first meetings, or with you just already knowing the whole gang and coming closer to hangout. Both options BEFORE meeting would have that one 'haha, you have like 5 options to go and each one leads eventually to one of the love interests introduction'

The first playthrough would feature a few months of development between you both, and it would end right before the start of the WTFuture eddisode, with the both of you in the beggining of dating.

(silly doodle i made of how a sprite of him would be in a date at a restaurant with you at first playthrough :b)

okay, okay, now hear me out,,,, if you went his route for a second playthrough, shit would be mad different.

At the second playthrough you'd be playing in the dimension in which he becomes the ruler of the world, following the ending of the first one.

You, along with everyone, became matt's loyal worshippers, meaning your relationship with him is now vastly different, creating a whole new dynamic. He'll be the one to approach you, immediatly ask you to be his, and from then on you'll follow along with him while he is still enjoying having the world at his hands.

Some time spent with him and the sparks of pure admiration are already dying down because matt would be insufferable. You'd be starting to question some things and doubt his legitimacy, because there's no way he wouldn't slip up about some shit, like, maybe you asked him about how did he do some grand event and he'd accidently mention the name of the REAL person who had such event occur.

The worse is that matt would think that the whole brainwashing he made across the world would make you unable of questioning him, so he'd be not cautious at all around you, especially because he's subconsciously thinking of you as the you from the first playthrough, but just a bit more praising and super eager to do what he wants.. is what he tells himself at least. you're not really the same as the you from the original timeline and a lot of things about you ended up changing because of how the world developed with him as a leader.

And that is how this idiot eventually slips up in less than a month together, and you discover that all this time, instead of being this powerful imortal being matt portrayed himself as, he was just some loser who time travelled and fucked up the timeline. That information would then break the whole image you had of him, making you distance yourself.

he'd panic and shit, because why the hell is his partner avoiding him and accusing him of being a fraud??? But, that's actually the perfect excuse to go back to the normal timeline!

matt would think he could escape all of this so easily so he'd just find a way of making shit go back to normal. Being on power has you crazy... not like he wasn't before, i mean, it's matt.

sooo anyway, at the same time he'd be finished with his timeline resetter, you'd be searching for him to finally confront him properly and you'd find him right before he restarted all.

You'd try stopping whatever he was doing as you heard him tell you that this was necessary, jumping onto him, but it'd be too late. The world ended up collapsing onto static and soon... you wake up.

(silly doodle of a sprite of him in an average situation of him being praised by you for no apparent reason.)

this part is more focused on your pov after those events, because is it really a good dating sim without you having a brain?

when you wake up, the plot from the first playthrough would be back but now you're conscious. You're confused at the strange memories surfacing in your brain, everything so real and detailed, you could barely began to consider it all a dream. What was all of that about?

And now it's just you now unable to see matt the same way, trying to act casual and after a day you somehow convince yourself it was all a silly dream and tell matt about it, creating an awkward silence in the room.

After that it's simple. The plot would follow another build up, but one in which you, as the normal person, would take the time to comprehend and accept what happened, rethinking your morals, your choices and just everything in general about your relationship with matt. you'd need that time, buddy. trust me. i think waking you after discovering your new partner brainwashed the whole world and had you .

What about matt? well this mf is right now at your doorstep, or the window, he could be even at the backyard if he finds a way there. Genuinely, don't open for him. He had you kissing his shoes in that dead timeline, have some pride, bro.. even if he might be looking like a wet kitten, puffy eyes, crazed look in his eyes, and begging for forgiveness on his knees multiple times.

You're the first one to ever actually want to date him, as much as he'd ever like to act nonchalant, he has NO idea if he'll ever find anybody else as patient. cool, and amazing as you. i mean,,, who else would be willing to do the most random boring shit with him, and still manage to have soi much fun besides you?

anyway,,,, at the end of it, you sort out your thoughts and you're ready to sit down with matt and sort it out.

Maybe you decided that the two of you should go separate ways, maybe you wanted to be just friends, or maybe you're still up for dating. I wouldn't like to force the player to just date him at the end of it.

and for the final treat, you receive this doodle of matt after you gave him a lil' kiss if you chose to stay dating. He wouldn't have guessed that you'd still want his crazy ass so he'd be way beyond surprised.

[bluestar22x]

Strip Poker

Summary: You and Dieter, your new husband, play strip poker

Pairing: Dieter Bravo x F!Reader

Rating: 18+ (Explicit, to be safe)

Warnings: Drunken marriage, card game foreplay, strip tease, fowl language, Dieter can lift reader but no other physical descriptions are made (except she has breasts), reader wears jewelry, also I have no idea how to play poker so bear with me

Word Count: 1,300(ish)

Author’s Note: This has been in the works for months, since before I took a vacay to Vegas in September 2024. Decided to tip my hat to the hotel I stayed at. (No, the trip was not anywhere near as fun as this fic is. The girls trip was tame. It was very relaxing though and I miss vacation.)

xxx

It was sometime after midnight when you and Dieter stumbled down the long white hallway of the Bellagio towards your room, or what you thought would be your room, because when you turned to the door you realized you were on the wrong floor.

"This isn't it, Dee!" you giggled. "The beginning of the number is all wrong!"

"Oops."

He led you back to the row of elevators and you got on, shoulders bumping into each other constantly. You kissed him messily as the elevator you'd chosen went up one more floor and opened back up.

You led the way out, left hand clasp with his right meaty one, and took the route that looked most right, a feat when the halls were mostly barren and the rugs were all identical.

You found the correct door eventually, the walk to it feeling a lot longer than the previous one you'd had leaving the room earlier in the afternoon.

You slid the key card in and went to push through into the room using your body weight but Dieter stopped you, grasping the handle and holding it still to keep the door from opening wide enough to let you inside.

"Allow me, Mrs. Bravo," Dieter said with a grin, arms reaching out to you after he wedged a leather shoed foot in the door gap. "It's tradition."

You shook your head. "You're gonna to break your back, Dee."

"I insist." Dieter made grabby hands at your hips and you barked out a laugh.

You immediately covered your mouth after as he put an index finger to his mouth automatically to shush you.

"Eh, second thought, why bother be quiet now?" he questioned out loud as he shrugged. "After all, they're going to get woken up later anyway when I make you noisy."

He waggled his eyebrows mischievously and you laughed loudly again as he scooped you up and rammed the door open with his shoulder.

He dumped you on the only bed in your suite unceremoniously, only making you shake harder, and started to shrug off his black suit jacket.

"Wait, wait!" you exclaimed. "I don't want to rush this. This being our first time as husband and wife, I want it to be extra fun."

Dieter's face lit up and he smiled. "What did you have in mind, wife?"

"Well, husband," you dragged out as you turned onto you belly on the bed then sat up smoothly, "I was thinking we could do something traditional for Vegas first, ya know? Play some poker, but with a classic twist."

"Strip poker." Dieter hummed.

Lucky guess.

"I like the way you think, Mrs. Bravo. And you're drunk enough you'll lose in no time."

You shoved him a little. "Like you aren't drunk enough for both of us."

You moved past him to the clear glass table in the corner of the room and snatched up the fresh pack of cards that was lying on top of it.

You'd bought it the day before you and Dieter had flown first class to Las Vegas. It was supposed to be a weekend getaway in celebration of your new engagement, but it had turned into an impromptu wedding and honeymoon.

You'd been stressed about the wedding planning and you didn't even like your family, so Dieter had been able to convince you getting married via an Elvis impersonator would be cool. The vodka you'd been sipping on and off all afternoon had helped.

You knew you wouldn't regret it in the morning though. Being married to Dieter was all that mattered to you, not how it all went down.

Besides, Elvis had been cool, even if he hadn't been the real deal.

Dieter splayed out on the couch as you shuffled the deck of cards and planted yourself on the chair across from him, the room's glass coffee table between you.

"Good thing you picked that little white blouse and fancy pants over the traditional fluffy dress," he said with a smirk. "You'll be able to take it off more gracefully."

"If you're lucky," you retorted, winking at him.

"I already am," Dieter told you almost soberly.

Your heart skipped a beat at his honesty and you beamed at him. You never quite got used to him saying things like that to you. "Don't you forget it, Mr. Bravo."

You began dealing out the cards between you and he raised his brows. "No poker chips? Is it even poker without them?"

"I'm too drunk to care," you replied, "Besides, that's sooo not the point."

He grinned. "That's my girl. Okay, get ready to get naked."

You huffed and glanced at your cards. "You first, Dee."

He did end up first, having to take off his suit jacket after your two pair won over his pair. He was also second, when your four of a kind beat his flush despite him trying to cheat when he was handing out the cards.

You giggled at his shocked expression as you laid your hand down. "Remember, you first."

"You're usually never this lucky," he complained. "You'd never even played poker before we met. You barely understand the rules."

"Take it off! Take it off!" you chanted, snickering as you hit the table with your hands.

He unbuttoned his suit shirt and you whistled as he removed it. "Nice. Cutting to the chase I see."

He winked at you devilishly. "I know how much you like the belly."

"I do," you confirmed. "But I want more tonight."

"After we get some clothes off you," he promised.

"Sure..."

Next round Dieter did win, but you had a plan up your sleeve, and reached for the clear jeweled wedding crown on your head.

"No fair!" he called out. "A crown is not clothing."

"I still have to take it off," you said innocently. "We never said clothes only."

"Fuck. Okay, change of rules. No jewelry, you hear?"

"Sure. Though it means you'll be short on items to remove."

"You have more," he said pointedly. "I only have the earring and ring."

"True." You did have two earrings, a few rings, a bracelet, and a necklace on.

You won the turn after, and he removed a sock in defiance, making you snort.

You got him back by also taking off a sock when you followed with a loss.

For a few turns you were neck and neck. Socks gone, your bra gone, his belt gone. Then he won a second time in a row and you had to remove your shirt.

He beamed at the sight of your bare chest, like he'd found the gold at the end of a rainbow. "That's more like it."

"Pig," you snapped jokingly.

"As if you don't like it."

You nodded. "I do." You didn't just like, you loved when he played with your boobs. Especially with his mouth. And though you'd never said it aloud before, there was no doubt the sounds you made had answered that question long ago.

"Down to pants and underwear, who will win?" you inquired like a narrator of a game show. The sexually tense version of one given how low you'd let your voice drop.

"Either way me," Dieter declared. There was a bright glint in his dark eyes.

"And you were saying it wasn't a fair game."

Two high card wins and a full house later Dieter was dropping his boxer briefs while you were still in your lacy peach undies.

"All your fans would be crying knowing they're missing out on this sight," you told him, scanning him up and down, admiring the view.

"How's it feel to be the person they're jealous of?" he asked.

You smiled and got to your feet. "Pretty damn good. And pretty wet."

He moaned loudly as you approached, and you knew before you even glanced down that he was fully hard. "It's not nice to tease the loser, you know." He tilted his head towards your last remaining item of clothing. "Bad enough those are still in my way."

You gave him a sympathetic look then wrapped your arms around his shoulders and stole a quick kiss from him, not letting him deepen it when he attempted to.

Instead you backed off slightly and let your lips hover over his.

"Then why don't you do the winner's bidding and help me remove it?"

xxx

Tagged: @harriedandharassed, @trulybetty

xxx

Main Masterlist

xxx

[theflagscene]

I’m hoping it’s just a mistranslation. Seems like some heavy company interference to basically gut what an entire series premise is about. They should not have introduced the omegaverse concept or made a s2 if they were not planning on delving deeper into the lore. You are satisfying nobody by doing this. Lots of companies have learned the hard way to not piss off fandoms in an effort to appeal to wider audiences. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. If they think anyone cared about the car racing they have rude awakening coming.

According to the author alittlebixtch (dude why did I not know this was her online handle!?!? So appropriate at this point) she actually tried to get the company to removed the A/B/O aspects before the first season aired but they didn’t, so it’s not company interference, it’s actually the author.

She’s taken to Twitter recently to talk about the uproar this announcement has caused, saying that she didn’t realize how problematic the tropes were when she started writing the first novels a couple years ago. Which just proves to me that this was someone who had absolutely no idea what she was writing about, she did like a 50 Shades of Grey level amount of research into what these terms actually meant and what the Omegaverse was. Seems like she just went for it, not actually knowing anything about it and now that she’s been met with a fandom that has expectations based on decades of lore and world building, she’s panicking.

A/B/O is not a new thing, it’s been around since the 1970’s. The omegaverse became a more flushed out and ‘mainstream’ thing in the 20-ish years of Supernatural’s existence when people started using it as a way to explain the biological differences between humans and angels, then with the rise of werewolf popularity thanks to tv shows like Teen Wolf, adding the wolf lore to the omegaverse, you ended up with an extremely rich fantasy world built on a solid foundation of lore and mythology.

Seems like the author dipped her toes into the pond, and then was surprised when she found out exactly how deep that pond was. I appreciated some of the ideas she brought to her work, like how not every person has heightened senses or special powers, and how there was an even rarer subgender—enigmas—but now that she’s realized that she’s been playing in someone else’s sandbox without a bucket, she’s getting angry that there’s sand on her.

If she didn’t want to write in a genre of romantic fantasy that she deems ‘problematic’ then she should’ve gone the sci-fi route and called them mutants or genetically engineered humans, both things have far more wiggle room to create your own world around them because those terms don’t have a step by step fantasy world prebuilt around them.

But it seems like—from what she says—that the second season is not being written by her, she has no control over what the second season of the series will hold, hell her second set of Pit Babe novels aren’t even written yet. So I doubt CHANGE2561 is going to gut their best selling show to date just because the author of the novels they bought the rights from suddenly has cold feet about knocking up Babe.

Pit Babe was CHANGE2561’s first ever BL, and they changed (excuse the pun) the landscape of the industry by taking on an omegaverse story, even if it wasn’t completely within the world and just dabbled on the edge of the well known lore. It was still new and exciting and it made them millions, made their actors superstars and gave them the opportunity to make QLs freely because they know they have a fan base around their actors now. I highly doubt that they are going to change much—if anything—because they own the rights to the series and can make the second season go wherever they want, regardless of what the author wants since she already signed the contract and has no control over what the screenwriters want to do going forward.

In fact, if you look at the screenwriting team that worked on Pit Babe season 1, you’ll find a team that has also worked on Petrichor, The Heart Killers, Dead Friends Forever, This Love Doesn’t Have Long Beans, The Gifted and Be My Favourite.

So I’m actually less concerned now that it seems like the author is just talking out of her arse, until CHANGE2561 comes out with an official statement—which I have a feeling they will be doing soon—I’m going to assume that the omegaverse aspects are still very much alive and well within the Pit Babe universe 👍

[script-a-world]

Submitted via Google Form:

How did ancient people know that they can cross vast oceans and find land and also be able to support themselves with food properly. I can definitely buy that they learn to navigate with stars and things. I mean, we know most about when Europeans went out to sea in the near modern age - they were hit by all kinds of medical problems - scurvy etc... So how did people 100,000 years ago do better at sea? I'm planning on building a more or less primitive world of ancient people just learning to navigate their world and they'll be crossing great oceans and stuff. But I can't help but wonder exactly how they learned all that so long ago or knew they could cross oceans or ever knew if there was anything out there?

Tex: The frequent method to accumulating knowledge as a society and as a culture is to indulge one’s curiosity and deal with the results of finding out what they were looking for. Over time, if something is considered a worthwhile source of amusement or satisfaction, more resources will be pooled together to achieve larger and more significant results. (This is often how science works, as well.)

“Primitive” is a misnomer, as well as a convenient label that early anthropologists liked to apply to cultures that existed before their concept of religion. Because of this, there’s many anthropologists re-examining what we know on the subject and attempting to course correct disproven ideas, methods, and rationales.

A boat is, more or less, still going to be a boat. The issue is not necessarily its seaworthiness, but the seaworthiness of its crew. Will the crew be hungry for the duration of the voyage? Will they suffer from malnutrition? What about injuries, or inclement weather? What about damage to the boat that could sink it? The boat, itself, is irrelevant - once it has been constructed and proven to float, many other details and worries quickly emerge, and typically discovered and solved through trial and error.

Another thing to consider is the need for sailing at all. Curiosity is one thing, sure, but a lot of trade is either done over land or over sea (rather than ocean) - the modern day has moved to either air or cargo ship, but much of it is still by land via train. A lot of this travel is for trade goods, and consequently most people hardly travel such great distances at all if it isn’t done for their employment.

Licorice: In human geography we speak of “pull” and “push” factors driving human migration. As you can tell by the terms used, human beings can be “pushed” out of the place where they were born for all sorts of reasons; persecution, natural disasters, insufficient resources for a growing population, and so on. They can also be “pulled” to migrate by things such as the curiosity Tex mentioned, by a desire to improve their lot in their life, to rejoin family members who migrated earlier, and so on. 

This being the case, if human beings have the means, they will migrate. 

If we think about the Portuguese in the 15th-16th centuries,  we can see that a number of factors 

contributed to their success as long-distance navigators . First of all, Portugal has a long Atlantic coastline; over countless generations of reliance on the sea for food, they acquired an intimate understanding of the ocean and its moods and patterns, and had a tradition as skilful sailors. They knew how to survive long periods out at sea. Secondly, their government pursued a policy of supporting navigation, exploration and trade and set up a college to foster research in these areas. They were constantly improving their ship designs. Thirdly, they progressed in stages, establishing the safest route to Point A before they explored the route from Point A to Point B. 

We shouldn’t forget, of course, the most famous voyage of all - Christopher Columbus, which only happened because he miscalculated the size of the earth and thought “Japan” was much closer to Spain than it really was. His skills as a captain and his crews skills as mariners enabled them to cross the Atlantic, but if an unknown continent hadn’t been in the way they would all have died of starvation before they reached Asia. 

It’s very likely that the successes of the long-distance voyagers of times past stand on the shoulders of similar experiments and miscalculations: expeditions that set off, from Norway or from Papua New Guinea, with plans to follow X star map, and were never heard from again, leading everyone to conclude that the X star map plan was a bad idea; or serendipitous miscalculations, finding land where no land was expected. 

If you look at a map of the history of Polynesian migrations, you’ll see that it took place over thousands of years. This quotation summarising their methods comes from Malaysia’s Institute for Scientific Advancement:

“The islands scattered along the north shore of New Guinea first drew these canoe people eastwards into the ocean. By 1500 B.C., these voyagers began moving east beyond New Guinea, first along the Solomon Island chain, and then to the Banks and Vanuatu Archipelagos. As the gaps between islands grew from tens of miles at the edge of the western Pacific to hundreds of miles along the way to Polynesia, and then to thousands of miles in the case of voyages to the far corners of the Polynesian triangle, these oceanic colonizers developed great double-hulled vessels capable of carrying colonists as well as all their supplies, domesticated animals, and planting materials. As the voyages became longer, they developed a highly sophisticated navigation system based on observations of the stars, the ocean swells, the flight patterns of birds and other natural signs to find their way over the open ocean. And, as they moved farther away from the biotic centers of Southeast Asia and New Guinea, finding the flora and fauna increasingly diminished, they developed a portable agricultural system, whereby the domesticated plants and animals were carried in their canoes for transplantation on the islands they found.”

[etraytin]

Just a note to let all the moots and buddies know that my family and I are safe and well after several days completely incommunicado after Helene. I admit to a certain amount of personal arrogance before the storm; I spent all of Thursday working a Red Cross shelter in Swannanoa (Western North Carolina was flooding even before Helene made landfall) and went home to sleep, confident that I would be largely unaffected there and come back to help the actual damaged areas after the storm. I didn’t even fill our goddamned bathtubs, what the hell, past me?

In any case, the storm hit us like the fist of an angry god, and while I was incredibly lucky that my home was spared, the winds caused a huge amount of damage to the power grid, which in turn wiped out water (all wells in my area!) and communications. We were still better off than other more low-lying places, where they got the wind and the water both, to devastating effect. I picked my way carefully back to Swannanoa on Saturday because my entire Red Cross chain of command was a black hole of no comms and this was the last place I’d seen them, but the shelter had been closed and moved because the damage was too extensive. I had to drive around a huge car shed that had been set down in the middle of the highway and past a sinkhole bigger than my van just to get to the place, so it was understandable. The weird thing is, Swannanoa had cell signal so I sat in the parking lot of a closed and washed-out gas station for about an hour just to call our loved ones and try and figure out what had happened to us.

Living in a communications blackout is very interesting and strange. You’d think it would be like rocketing back into the past, but it is not. People had ways of communicating before the internet that have not survived the internet. Radio stations are so rarely local now, and how many of them are actually good at relaying emergency information anymore? The most infuriating of our local stations would offer bumpers promising news and wither, then directing people to their website which we of course could not access. Nobody has landlines anymore to talk on the phone. Even people with “landlines” have digital phones through their cable service, not real telephone lines. Ham radio operators are rarer than hen’s teeth. When I got back from Swannanoa, I walked up and down the very steep hill that is my street, visiting my neighbors and telling them that I had gone to visit the internet and come back with news!

My trip did provide us with an action plan and a route out of town, at least. Only one major road out of Buncombe County was open, and it was the one furthest from us, but we hoped we could do it. Both cars had a third of a tank of gas left, so we picked the one that got better mileage, packed up and crossed our fingers. The evening before we left, we invited all the neighbors over and grilled all the meat in our freezer, now thawed and on the edge of ruin. They brought stuff too and we had chicken, burgers, brats, hot dogs, salmon and shrimp. It was really nice and didn’t break up until dusk when we all had to go home by flashlight. In the morning, we left as soon as it was light, hoping to avoid traffic, and with no maps and a vague idea of where we were going, headed for Charlotte and the modern world. It took us about four hours to go what would have been ninety miles on the normal route, including time waiting in a very long line for gas, but we got to my sister’s house where we got showers and cold drinks and basically just fell into bed.

So that’s how it stands now. We are safe, we are out, we are going back soon even if the power doesn’t come back. The Red Cross still needs me and our house is going to get very yucky all closed up to mildew in the post-storm humidity. We are taking this time to rest up and stock up on supplies and batteries, then it’s back into the void. Please send good wishes our way, and maybe donate to the Red Cross or other orgs working out here because it’s a huge, huge job.

[buddiebeginz]

https://www.tumblr.com/buddiebeginz/752112763763097600

So do we take this as confirmation that it’s not happening since they once again shut it down.

No, for me this is an even bigger confirmation that Buddie is in the plans we just need to be patient. I firmly believe that they wouldn't have even gone down the route with making Buck bi especially not how his bi awakening happened in 704 if there was never any intention of making Buddie happen. It centered very heavily around Eddie.

Some might argue well maybe Tim wanted to make it happen but then changed his mind and or someone behind the scenes stopped it. I think it's likely that the network didn't want both Buck and Eddie coming out in such a short season. They also probably wanted to wait and see how the ratings went after making a major change to a newly acquired show. I also think it's likely that Tim wanted to wait and tell Eddie's story when he had more episodes to do it in. Buck's coming out was told as a relatively simple and happy story. I don't think Eddie's is going to be the same. We're probably going to see Eddie struggle and it's going to be harder for him to accept who he is than it was for Buck. Telling that kind of story properly does need more time.

Also like I talked about in this post, I think Tim wanted to do his artsy Vertigo story with the whole Kim/Shannon thing. So it wasn't just that the network paused it I think Tim had other ideas for this season and he chose to focus on that.

The other thing you need to remember is that if Buddie was really off the table for good they would have lessened the amount of time they had them on screen together and I'm positive more effort would have been put into B/T. This season was already very crunched for time so there was definitely episodes were they didn't need to include Buddie but they did.

Look at ep 707 with the Buddie and Chris scene (when Eddie drops Chris off so he can go on the date with Kim) where Buck compliments Eddie's cologne. Even all the way into episodes 709 and 710 where they had plenty of time to lessen Buddie and add in more B/T if that's the direction they wanted things to go leading into s8. But they didn't.

In fact in 709 we had Buck apparently ditching T*mmy to go talk to Eddie after seeing Kim at the fire station. There was very little of T*mmy even in that episode and the short scene we got between him and Buck T*mmy was being kind of snippy with him. There was also the shot where when Buck got his award the camera pans to Eddie not T*mmy. This had to be a delebrite choice because even the DP Joaquin Sedillo liked a tweet about it.

Then Buddie were together most of 7x10 and were a real family unit. Both in dealing with everything with Chris and also with sitting by Bobby's bedside together. This is incredibly important with it being the season finale because 911 has always used the final episodes of every season as a preview of where things are likely headed.

We did get that date scene with T*mmy in 7x10 but the message there was what it's been all season and that's T*mmy doesn't really get who Buck is. If T*mmy was being set up to be this important person in Buck's life he would have been at the hospital with Buck or at the least had an emotional conversation with him about all he'd been dealing with. Instead we saw Buck trying to be vulnerable and T*mmy turning it into a joke.

I am more sure now than I've ever been that Buddie is a when not an if. We just can't let that other part of fandom get to us or over think if we see things Tim posts on FB or Lou posts with his cameos.

Not sure if you were around in fandom years ago but Taylor stuck around for two seasons and she's gone now. T*mmy will be soon enough too. The best person for Buck is Eddie and the best person for Eddie is Buck. No matter who else they bring into the show they'll never be able to compete with the chemistry and history that Buddie have. Tim and ABC know this and they also know the popularity that Buddie have. They know the amount of attention and praise they'll get when Buddie finally does happen. They're not going to pass that up.

[sepublic]

            It’s interesting that S1 is the most conventional in terms of kids’ show formats and lessons, especially given the confirmation that it suffered the most executive meddling (not counting Seasons 2 and 3 dealing with the shortening). S1 is primarily where Luz, as well as King, learn the standard, typical Aesops of ‘Be nice and think of others, don’t be selfish’, that sort of thing. It’s where a humbled Luz is most reminded that she’s not the Main Character, and must be mindful of the people around her… A necessary lesson, keep in mind.

         However, there’s still an undercurrent of her asking and sometimes even demanding things, things she wants and needs and deserves, and Luz gets it! Eda enrolls Luz at Hexside because Luz wants to! Bump lets Luz do multi-track learning after she and the others insist! And that comes to fruition in the rest of the show, as the ideal Luz should accept for herself… Even as the events and trauma of S1 leave Luz with the takeaway that, no, she IS a bad person who is selfish and has hurt others in her narrow-minded pursuits, and must actively atone and cease being a burden.

         I think it’s neat; The first season, the ‘safest’ one, as influenced by Disney, is the one that espouses to Luz to ‘Be a good kid’. But the rest of the show afterwards, more true to Dana’s vision, is Luz encountering the downsides of devoting herself too deeply to that idea, with little to no forgiveness for herself; We see and know the merits of that typical lesson, but it also gets a bit deconstructed as TOH argues it’s just as important, if not moreso, for Luz to take care of herself too, give herself some credit, etc.

         This ‘second phase’ of the show is when Luz really begins to face off with Belos, who is an actual, literal puritan motivated by their ideology. And as I’ve discussed in the past, puritan ideology presumes humanity as existing in a natural state of guilt (which coincides with the Guilty until proven Innocent nature of the witch trials), due to the first sin. As a result, just about anything engaging in pleasure or fun is seen as hedonistic and ‘sinful’, and puritans are expected to constantly atone for their existence by devoting themselves to a higher cause, God and the collective.

         It tracks that the puritan mindset has had its legacy in real life, with a lot of conventional kids’ media reminding their audience not to be a brat; Kids are expected to obey rules, trust in the wisdom of their elders, etc. Stories like Pinocchio come to mind, with Guillermo Del Toro even criticizing it for seeking to ‘tame the child’s spirit’, hence his own version of the tale deconstructing the original by being a defiance to conformity.

         So it’s rather meta that TOH starts off with that surface-level quest to be a responsible child for Luz, in its first season (the executive one, the introductory ‘testing the waters’ season where each episode is about an Aesop). But there’s that undercurrent of Luz being rewarded for thinking about herself; So when the show really begins to dig deeper in Season 2 -being more apparent with its more mature storylines and tone, and less bound by corporate mandates to stick to the regular episodic formula- TOH’s true nature begins to reveal itself.

         Dana did explain that S2 was truer to her vision, and especially in light of the shortening, she outright admitted that the crew went for a more “Screw it, let’s just do what we want” route with TOH, and you can really tell. Dare I say, a more disobedient approach, as a contrast to S1 being more corporate, and on the surface about being the Responsible Child. I find it neat how the writers made Disney’s mandates work (such as Hexside for example), giving us the surface of that conventional story about a child learning to behave herself, only to say But there’s much more to her actualization than that.

         The narrative begins peeling back the layers of that supposed story by showing the consequences of the kid protagonist’s adventure, not just in the trauma, but by displaying how its morally righteous takeaways can lead to toxicity and outright evil, such as with someone like Philip Wittebane. TOH is being nuanced by balancing the selfless and selfish ends of the spectrum, but ultimately it’s finishing on the note of Luz learning to fight for herself, at least as much as she does for others.

         After all, there’s definitely a real-life social trend leaning towards being easier and less punishing on kids; Physical punishment is seen as physical abuse, and people are becoming more aware of just how difficult it really is to be a minor, actually. A lot of conservative groups complain that society has become ‘softer’, but the idea of disobedience and rebellion has become more and more attractive as corporate power constricts and demands you work full-time, emphasizing productivity.

        ‘Empowerment’ is a term that’s more discussed, so when we use that word for minorities, it’s inevitable that people will extend it to adolescents as well, hence the meme of Okay Boomer, as a response to Millennials supposedly ruining everything. Dana herself also mentioned she grew up in a catholic school and was even placed into a headlock by a nun as a child once, which given her story’s villain is a puritan…

         I think TOH argues that Yes, some of the ideas behind being a responsible child do have a bit of a place. BUT, it follows this up with the notion that this default sentiment for kids can and has been damaging, just as S2 follows up on S1’s more corporate, lesson-of-the-day format with a freer story that has Luz struggle with her unfair guilt. The show’s very structure and organization on a meta level ends up reflecting how it offers a typical lesson, but then deconstructs it to argue the opposite is good; Just as Luz enters expecting your regular pretty isekai, but finds something grotesque and demonic, only to accept and embrace that too.

        Luz forgiving her desires pairs with TOH saying it’s okay to be selfish and not expect yourself to be a Hero who saves the world, which is a presumption both egotistical but also demanding. This matches with S2 introducing more prevalently the idea that, hey, maybe kids shouldn’t be expected to save the day either, given the trauma it instills, and the expectation to essentially be a responsible, productive child who is successful in life. That defies the puritan mindset to atone, work hard, and devote yourself to something greater, such as the collective and/or God, which is something American society is continuing to unlearn; And The Owl House reflects these trends as the product of various social movements, such as queer rights.

[jokertrap-ran]

BAD MEDICINE ~Infectious teachers~ [PC GAME] Kashu Remu (Chemistry) Route Translations (Part 18)

MC’s name is retained as the original MC name Kawana Hina.

* Words within ' ' are spoken in English – *Spoiler free : Translations under cut!

Prologue / Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 / Part 13 / Part 14 / Part 15 / Part 16 / Part 17 / Part 18

Hina: *Sighs*…

Hina: (He ended up dashing out of the school after that.)

Hina: (Maybe I should have gone after him after all, but…)

Hina: Ahh… I'm at a loss here. This is slightly depressing to think about. 

Hina: (Did he also feel the same way back when I was actively avoiding him?)

Hina: (This feeling of uncertainty when you have no idea what you did to make the other party run off…)

Hina: I…

Hina: …

Hina: (Yeah, I think I should go back to the school to check.)

Hina: (This can’t keep going on. I have to face him properly. He should be in the chemistry preparation room.)

Hina: (Though, I’m not sure what will change between us even if I do face him properly…)

Hina: (Even so…)

———————————————

Hina: Eh…?

Hina: …!

Hina: (I’m going to get run over!!!) 

Hina: (Huh?)

???: …!

Hina: (Someone… grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the way.)

Hina: (But, who would…)

Kashu: That… was close.

Hina: K-Kashu-sensei!?

Hina: Ah!!!

Hina: (The car’s gone! Sensei… he might be hurt!)

Hina: (And… it would be my fault!)

Hina: Um, sensei? A-Are you alright? Are you hurt?

Kashu: …I’m fine.

Hina: I see… That’s a relief. Erm, sensei?

Hina: Thank you for saving me. I would’ve definitely been hit by that car if you hadn’t pulled me out of the way.

Kashu: …I know.

Hina: But… What are you doing here?

Kashu: Because… you were in danger.

Hina: What?

Kashu: You would’ve been run over by the car and flattened onto the pavement if I hadn’t done anything. That’s all.

Kashu: And I wouldn’t want that either. I helped you because I didn’t want you to turn out that way.

Kashu: I don’t want to be doing that sort of experiment now, anyway. Not yet.

Hina: Not going to lie, I’m thankful for that. I’d hate to get flattened by a car.

Kashu: And, you. You’re really reckless, you know. The car would’ve definitely hit you if you hadn’t turned back at the end.

Hina: Well… That’s only because I thought about returning to the school to check…

Kashu: Why?

Hina: I wanted to talk to you again. Properly.

Kashu: With me?

Kashu: …Hm. I guess this works well in both our favors then.

Kashu: That was also why I went after you.

Hina: Y-You did?

Kashu: Yeah.

Kashu: If I can’t sort this through in my head on my own, then I’d have to turn to taking action about it. That was something I finally realized.

Kashu: And so, I went after you. I had to.

Kashu: —Come with me.

Kashu: Follow me.

Hina: W-Where to?

Kashu: Doesn’t matter.

———————————————

Kashu: —I should have done this earlier.

Hina: Sensei…?

Kashu: I’m self-centered. I only know, understand, and care about myself. Because that’s all I know.

Kashu: I cannot understand other people.

Kashu: It’s impossible for me to do so, but I tried to do it anyway. And that’s why things turned out like this.

Kashu: So… We’ll just have to go back to how we were at the start. And then, everything would become a clean slate again.

Hina: S-Sensei…?

Kashu: Fufu. Yeah, I should have done this from the get-go. I just have to return everything to how it once was.

Kashu: Right? I can’t believe it took me so long to realize something so simple.

Kashu: Ahaha. Come on, let’s go. You’ll be free soon.

Hina: Kashu-sensei…?

———————————————

Hina: B-but…

Kashu: It’ll all end soon!

Hina: O-Okay.

———————————————

Kashu: Fufu… I’ve finally found it. It’s been a long… long time.

Hina: S-Sensei?

Kashu: Why was I so troubled about it? It’s all so strange, now that I think of it. It was stupid of me to have mulled over it for so long.

Kashu: I didn’t know what to do at all.

Kashu: I couldn’t understand myself, and I couldn’t understand you either.

Kashu: I thought about it, mulled over it, pondered and pondered… Yet, I turned up empty-handed. Oftentimes, my thoughts landed on the prospect of experimenting to understand it all.

Kashu: But, ahaha… A lightbulb finally went off in my head, you see.

Hina: Huh…?

Hina: (I don’t understand it myself, but he’s scaring me a little. Much more than the time he called me to the Special Guidance room…)

Kashu: It’s a revolutionary method, which I’m sure you’ll agree with.

Kashu: So, come on. Hurry up. I’m finally going to be freed from this irritation that has been niggling at me. Oh, the excitement of it all!

Hina: Irritation…?

Kashu: Yup, just as I said. I never quite knew how to handle this irritation I’ve been feeling.

Kashu: Fufu, but it’s alright now.

Kashu: Because I’ll be free from all of it soon!

Hina: …

Hina: (Yeah, he definitely terrifies me. Absolutely so… but, I can’t shake him off.)

Hina: (I have a really bad feeling about this…)

Kashu: Ahaha… I can’t wait!

———————————————

Hina: (Where are we going? Where’s he taking me?)

Hina: (What’s he planning on doing? What’s he… trying to do?)

[arcriotwrites]

~𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓣𝓻𝓾𝓽𝓱~

Bucky Barnes x Reader

WARNINGS: Angst and discussion of Bucky's/Reader's trauma, descriptions of death, themes of depression, swearing

Tags:

#buckybarnes #thewintersoldier #death #trauma #fanfic #xreader #tangst #revival #first post #love #mypoorbaby:( #Ijustwannahughim

Author’s Note:

This is my first post to this account! I haven’t written this type of stuff in a while so I apologize if I am a bit rusty. I love Bucky so much and wanna hug him so bad so I wrote about doing that to ease my delusions. I hope you enjoy! (Please ignore the grammar errors, it is 11:30pm when I am posting this)

Word Count: 2.1K

Your eyes can't seem to tear away from the security monitor, your gaze specifically on the silver glint you can see from the dim desk light he sits at. You lean back in your chair, letting out a deep sigh, your hand running over your face.

He shouldn't be allowed to do this. To just forget.

Your thoughts seem to drift as you feel frustration rake your body, your mind starting to cloud in anger. He was a criminal, an assassin, a killer and yet Shield just lets him run around like a commoner. Your anger seems to drift into logical thinking as it often did, your memory flipping back to all of the files you read on The Winter Soldier. After the corruption of Shield and the publication of Hydra's files due to The Black Widow during the destruction of Project Insight, you found yourself spending many late nights pouring yourself over the files on The Winter Soldier. Your colleagues didn't like to talk about him whenever you brought him up, almost treating him as if he's Bloody Mary, like saying his name would summon him. Though despite what he has done and the destruction he has caused, he always intrigued you. So much so you became his personal watcher. Security cameras and microphones were put up in his apartment before he relocated himself their permanently, making it so that his every move was watched without his knowledge.

You feel yourself drift back to reality, not knowing when you decided to get up from your desk. You find yourself walking out of the newly built Shield headquarters, turning to look at the building as you exit the doors. After the corruption, they immediately started rebuilding.

Time doesn't stop for them I guess.

The thought passes through your mind as you slide into your car, dropping your computer bag into the bag seat with a soft thud. You let out a deep sigh as you sit there, debating whether you were really going to do this or not. As you turn the key, the car engine roaring to life, you route your GPS to a certain Brooklyn apartment.

Pulling up to the building felt so strange. Sure you had driven by before and watched it nearly 24/7 but parking your car outside seemed like a bad idea. A shiver runs down your spine as anxiety settles in your stomach, feeling as though your heart jumped to your throat. You release a deep breath as you step out of your car, wrapping the jacket you had on around you tighter. As you approach the main entrance, your hands shake when reaching for the brass door handle.

When you enter the building, it was exactly as you expected. Single apartments on either side of you dictated by A and B, a staircase in the middle of the hallway that went up 5 floors, even the mirror hanging above the small table in the main hall seemed to be exactly where you expected it. The familiarity of the building brings a small sense of comfort to you it fully sinks in what you are about to do. Your footsteps seem to echo as you climb the stairs to the 4th floor, knowing he resided in apartment 4B. When you reach the 4th floor, you can feel the anxiety creeping up again, feeling as though you were going to be sick. You quickly take note of your exit routes before walking to the door with the brass plaque on it that read '4B'.

You take a deep breath before knocking against the wooden door, swallowing hard as you try to find what to say.

"Mr.Barnes? I um- I know you don't like visitors especially if it is unannounced but I just- I feel like we need to talk."

You speak, your voice coming out softer than you had wanted it, making you wonder whether he even heard you. You can hear his heavy footsteps approaching the door and stop just as he reaches it. After a few seconds of silence, you clear your throat.

"I'm going to be honest with you. I came here to try and figure out what happened. I have been angry for so long and I'm positive my anger is based in confusion and so I came looking for answers. I have been trying to figure it out on my own but it's never a good enough answer, you are my last resort."

Your voice slowly becomes a whisper as you ramble, not noticing just how much you were saying until it was already said. You hear a deep sigh on the other side of the door. When he speaks his voice comes out gruff and raspy, as though he hadn't spoken in years.

"You with Shield?"

His question has you sighing in defeat, expecting this to be the end of the conversation as you respond.

"I am but they aren’t aware that I am here right now. I came here strictly on my own business and accord."

Your response is hopeful as if trying to prove to him that he isn't your assignment. That he isn't your mission. You hear his footsteps and then the door of the lock squeaking open. The sound of the doorknob turning causes you to swallow hard, understanding that you were about to walk into his domain.

As he opens the door, your eyes fall to him, your lips parting slightly in shock. You had expected to see a man full fo hatred, covered in wounds and bruises. You had expected to see a killer open that door. Yet standing in front of you was a man. His hair was brown and to his shoulders, dark circles rested beneath his crystal blue eyes, a black hat was placed on his head, shadowing his face partially. He looked tired, maybe even burnt out. His appearance made you almost feel bad for him. You notice a glove covering his left hand, that same hand motions for you to come inside and for some reason, you do.

As you step inside, you look around the apartment. Newspaper covers the windows, the floor was worn, a small kitchen to your right and a mattress on the floor to your right, no sheets on it. You would’ve thought Hydra would set up their best soldier better before they got taken down. He stands next to the kitchen counter, examining you. As your gaze falls back to him, a shiver runs down your spine at the look in his eyes. It wasn’t predatory or dangerous, his eyes were full of curiosity and nervousness.

“You wanted to talk?” He asks, clearing his throat as if trying to remind you why you were here. Your attention snaps back to the task at hand.

“Yes. I um- I…” You trail off, feeling words die in your throat. How could you explain this to him without sounding weird?

“I have looked over your files, I know your history.” You notice him tense up as you speak, his jaw clenching and his posture straightening slightly. You continue;

“I’m not here to hurt you or pry too much but there are so many questions I have that I can’t get answers to except from you. I um- I had a brother. His name was Cody. He was the funniest guy you’d ever meet, he would tell stupid dad jokes and make sure everyone had a good time everywhere he went.” A dry laugh escapes your throat as you feel your chest tighten, the words coming to you easier now as you speak about someone so close to you. “He went to towns outside of what was Sokovia to help build hospitals after the Avengers destroyed the country. I went to visit him for the summer, taking time off work to go help him do this amazing service. When I got there, his project advisor said he hadn’t seen him so I went looking for him in the hospital he was working on at the time. I found him in the basement, shot in the chest and once in the back of the head. He was slouched against the wall opposite the door, sitting in his own blood. His eyes were still open…” As you describe the scene you had walked into, the memory floods back like a dam breaking. Tears well up in your eyes as your gaze drops to the floor, not wanting him to see you this emotionally vulnerable. You notice his stance has relaxed, his face dropping as you speak. He knows what’s coming, waiting for you to say it.

“He was assassinated by The Winter Soldier. The shots were so precise, I knew that’s who it had to be. No one would make it two clean shots. I knew how Hydra trained their soldiers. I contacted Shield to find out if my brother was in Hydra’s files and if I could bypass the encryption to see them. I was able to. He was listed as a false suspect.” The words choke out, your voice cracking as a son takes your body, placing a hand on the counter in front of you to hold yourself up.

“He wasn’t even a threat, Hydra misidentified him as their next target. He was killed for no fucking reason. He didn’t deserve that. He was doing such good work, hell he was doing better work than I could ever do at Shield.” You scoff out the last sentence, sniffle and wiping your face with your sleeve. Your gaze rises to the ceiling, as if trying to get the tears to stop. Your lips quiver as you try to calm down, seemingly unable to stop the cries that make your whole body quiver. You don't want to look at him, knowing you would fully breakdown, your knees threatening to give out. You hear him clear his throat, the sound coming out like choking. You blink quickly, bringing your hand up and wiping your eyes with your jacket sleeve. You sniffle, trying desperately to gather yourself before continuing.

"I'm not here to try and condemn you, I simply just want answers..." You hesitate as you speak, your voice coming out broken and soft, your tone shifting to be almost pleading with him. You slowly lift your gaze from the floor, your eyes landing on him. He stands on the opposite side of the counter from you, his hands resting on the wooden top. His head is bowed, his hair falling like a curtain in front of his face. You take a few deep breaths as you try to compose yourself. When you speak, your voice comes out more even;

"I just want to know if you remember him."

You watch as he slowly lifts his head. His voice comes out soft, barely above a whisper.

"I remember them all. It was like I was screaming to get out but I couldn't. It's like I was a witness to my own crimes that I couldn't stop." His voice breaks as he speaks. You notice the tears that fall down his cheeks, his eyes seeming to glaze over in pure grief. In those few sentences, your entire perspective shatters. The man before you wasn't a killer, Hydra made him that way. They scrambled his brain and controlled him like robot. He was nothing but a tool for them. You watch as he breaks down, beginning to pace circles in the small kitchen, trying to control his breathing. Your breathing begins to pick up and without thinking, you walk around to the other side of the counter, now invading his space even further.

"I'm so sorry..." He chokes out, his voice hoarse as he looks at you, his cheeks wet with tears. Almost like an instinct you wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him in to a tight embrace. Sobs rake his body as he practically collapses into you. You had been so stuck in your own grief and anger that you hadn't stopped to think about all that he has dealt with. Sure, his trauma doesn't diminish the loss he caused you as The Winter Soldier, but it gave you a new perspective as to how broken he is about it too. You find yourself running your fingers through his hair trying to soothe him. Tears run down your cheeks as you stand there, holding the shattered man in your arms. You feel his metal arm wrap around the small of your back, his other one wrapping around your shoulders, trying to pull you closer to him. His face is buried into your shoulder as you speak, your voice just above a whisper;

"I forgive you."

[fandomwave]

"No Guys I Swear You Have To Go Out Of Your Way To Find It!" And why I don't love this take

This is about the Ha Ha funny Coffin Game which includes but isn't limited to topics of: Cannibalism, Murder, and the core topic of this little rant, Incest.

feel totally free to skip this if that's a hard pass from you! No shame in knowing what you're about including things you'd rather not engage with.

"I know what I'm about"

Good! So this entire little rant? Vent? Observation? Comes from the recent uptick I've seen of posts in the Tcoaal tag where people come in to defend the game with more or less this argument:

"No no guys the incest is really easy to avoid. You have to go out of your way to find it. The game even WARNS you that this is a bad route. Its nowhere in any part of the game beyond this. Honestly it's just not there actually"

And I get the want to defend the game as being more than 'The funny Incest Game'. I agree that The Coffin Of Andy and Leyley is WAY MORE than just the funny incest game. To reduce the game down to that would be a disservice to the writing that went into this game. Andrew and Ashley deserve way more and Numlie themselves deserves better credit than that.

h o w e v e r

However, I think it's also doing more harm than good to try and sweep their dynamic under the rug as something that is 'easily avoidable' and 'totally optional' I hate to break the news but Andrew's romantic inclinations towards Ashley are pretty obvious in Chapter 1. They certainly aren't as obvious as they are in Chapter 2, I'll give everyone that. But they are there, and to act like they aren't... Not to mention the defense EVERYONE gives so readily is that 'The Game Warns You This Is A Bad Thing To Do' is a lot more complicated than it might appear on first blush. First and foremost the 'narrator' is the one to say: "Somehow it seems like a highly questionable idea to take this route"

which imho is a far cry from "This is the bad end" "This has incest" "you are probably a bad person for taking this ending" that some seem to argue is the 'warning' you get. Secondly we should remember it isn't 'you' the narrator is talking to here. Effectively it's still Ashley first and foremost. When Ashley responds 'I know what I'm about' that is also the game showing us that Ashley knows what this means and still wants it.

Enthusiastic consent if you will

So what's the point to this little post eh?

Well I think it's doing a little more harm than good to both the story but also anyone interested in checking the game out who might actually be genuinely triggered by such topics. Tcoaal has the siblings romantic inclinations laced into the story from point A to B. It's impossible to avoid actually. You can go the entire game ignoring any acts of kindness towards Andrew as Ashley or Ashley as Andrew, and you'll always get the scenes of Andrew playing with Ashley's hair. You will always get the text informing the player that Andrew fakes panic attacks to share a bed with Ashley. You will always get the CG of Andrew's hand in Ashley's belt loops. You will always hear the voicemail 'You think you're better than me because you can fuck him and I can't' from Ashley concerning Andrew. You will always get the hints from Mrs Graves that she knows they are too close but did nothing to curb that behavior.

It is wholly unavoidable no matter what route you take. Burial, Decay, Questionable or not.

I think to argue that it's just a silly little ending you can get does a disservice to people who might genuinely be upset by that, and I think more than anything a game that is at the very least talking about incest rather brazenly deserves the warnings it earns!

I love this game to bits, anyone who's been within ear shot of me has had to deal with me talking their fucking ear off about the Sibling Abuse Simulator. I've gone on in excruciating detail how I think Tcoaal's writing has been done dirty by saying that Andrew and Ashley's romance is just a 'ha ha shock ending', comparing it to the siblings ending in something like Corpse Party (a game where the incest ending is 100% totally avoidable, and the story has exactly nothing to do with incest as a topic, and is only brought up if you trigger that ending. One where I agree with the argument that it's just there for shock value)

Anyways I see where people are coming from, I can understand the want to defend the game as more than the sum of it's parts and I agree that it does suck that this seems to be the thing everyone is hyper-focusing on in terms of it's breach of containment. I get it man, I really do. It deserves so much better than being reduced down the way it has by the greater internet.

But to say it's avoidable.. I dunno it's like taking the dragons out of Game of Thrones. The story as a whole about so much more than the dragons.. However you'd have a fundamentally different story if they weren't there, wouldn't you?

[nabi-unveiled]

I was wondering about Fadel's characterization as well. Fadel not searching for his bf of two years after his disappearance doesn't really match his personality or the gravity of the last scene of ep 10. I actually believed the popular fan theory of his ex bf being paid by Mother to leave or had something to do with his scar on his chest, I was surprised when the show went with the most obvious route -Mother killing him- and not have any twist tbh. Actually nothing that went on in ep10 had any twists or suprises imho. Or maybe it's the fans reading too much into stuff like his necklace thing?

As for Keen, from what we've been so far, it looks like both Mother and Fadel, and to an extension Bison, didn't have a lot of expect from him because he wasn't skilled at assasination and just left him alone? I was kind of feeling bad for Keen, but he also isn't a very nice person judging from the way he was totally fine with killing Style who is a normal citizen. It would be nice if he could also turn against Mother after knowing the truth, so I'm holding out my judgement of him until the finale.

Hey Anon!

Other fans may not, but I definitely do tend to overthink and read too much into things. That's ok. Sometimes, like with the necklace, that can even be a funny surprise.

There weren't many surprises this episode for sure. Kidnapping Keen's boyfriend is probably the closest thing to a narrative surprise we had.

I've read a lot of different arguments about why Fadel would or would not search for his ex. There's solid discourse for why he wouldn't have searched as seen in this post and this post by @bentnotbroken1fanfiction.

I just really want there to be more to it. I massively struggle with Fadel not searching. If the ex had found out that Fadel was a hitman, then the ghosting would make sense. It would also make sense that Fadel wouldn't search in that scenario. But we have no evidence that Fadel told the ex. Maybe it's supposed to be implied that Fadel told him? There could be some linguistic things I'm missing.

If the ex didn't know about the hitman career, then the ghosting makes no sense and Fadel should've searched (given what we know about his personality). While Fadel was most likely holding back in the relationship (there's a lot of evidence for that), it should have triggered a breakup (not a ghosting) if that was the problem. Of course, I struggle with the idea of ghosting in general so that bias could be coming into play. I sure hope that if I don't show up for dinner some day that my husband looks for me.

As for Keen - I'm in the "he's not a nice person" camp with you. That's actually my leading head canon on why Fadel didn't bond with him. Sure, he turned out to be not as skilled and there's so many ways that could lead to resentment. But there were YEARS between when they were adopted and the firearm training scene. Now, I have faith that Lilly was already brainwashing and planting discord from Day 1. She's amazing that way. But it would've taken time unless she kept the boys completely separated. Kids tend to talk to each other - especially when they have a common bond like their parents being murdered. The only reason I can see for Fadel not bonding with Keen at least some in those early years is either A) Fadel was always more guarded or B) Keen has always been a grade A jerk. I'm leaning towards a combination of both.

There's plenty of evidence to show that Keen truly is just a terrible human being and that could have been true even as a kid. Style may want to feel sorry for him, but I certainly don't. He KNEW a hit was put out on Fadel's ex. In fact, he probably did the paperwork. In my weird head canon (with no evidence to back it up), Keen is also the reason the police even know about Fadel/Bison in the first place. I do think he will turn against mother. I'm counting on it.

That's a lot of words to basically say -- I agree with you.

For those interested in the original post that prompted this discussion, it's here.

[thedragonagelesbian]

Let's go most devastating first. The World for Cyrus

how dare you....

Rook Tarot Ask Game

The World: What does happily-ever-after look like for Rook? Is it attainable, or just wishful thinking?

For a lot of the game, Cyrus' happily-ever-after is for everything to Stop long enough for him to build a home with Varric. I think before the ritual went to shit, they always talked about getting a place in D'Meta's Crossing so Cyrus could still be close to Arlathan Forest & Clan Morlyn, with Varric as his very content stay-at-home husband/writer/village bard/local gossip (BioWare keeps putting him in places that Aren't Taverns when he was so clearly meant to sit around a fire with a flagon of beer & a pipe telling tall tales to passerbys & "resting his eyes" from time to time). Even after seeing the terrible devastation wrought there by Ghilan'nain, Cyrus keeps holding on to that fantasy of returning there, burning the blight away, rebuilding the town in a way he never got to with Kirkwall, and getting to live happily ever after with Varric.

And then. Um. All that vanishes in the aftermath of the Blood of Arlathan/the psychic strain of having both Solas & Elgarn'nan in his head.

Cyrus doesn't have a happily-ever-after in mind after that. His sense of self is still so bound up in having another person within whom to find a purpose, and no matter how much the world tried to tear him apart, he always had that in Varric, even at his absolute lowest. Without him...? All he can bear to do is keep moving forward, one step at a time, without knowing what he's moving toward. He just knows that if he stops he'll lose himself and the whole world too.

For a short time, of course, Cyrus has another person and another purpose in Lace, but she falls at Tearstone Island, and Cyrus just has to keep going, and then by some miracle the day is won and the world is saved and he still has no idea what to do afterward.

And quite frankly I'm not sure how his story wraps up from there either. There are a bunch of different directions I could see things going, among the most salient are:

(a) by a miracle of the Stone, Lace actually survived Tearstone Island and became something a little more lyrium wraith/kal-brytol-ish; the two of them reunite, take some time to themselves to cope with everything that's happened, and eventually relocate to ferelden

(b) restless & desperate for direction & unable to settle back into normalcy, cyrus willingly returns to the fade on his own to seek out the fragmented remains of the rest of the evanuris in the black city (at that point, being just sylaise and a reamalgamation of falon'din and dirthamen, abstracted spirits once more). this route would include the potential for cyrus to stay in/assimilate into the fade himself, much like lavellan in the solavellan ending, releasing himself from that pesky weight of being a person with a body in a kind of apotheosis that would've been terrifying to any other iteration of the character but seems peaceful to this one

(c) cyrus disappears suddenly and dramatically after the final fight and doesn't appear again until several years later in the repatriated & recovering dales with merrill. he spends those liminal years wandering from place to place, visiting friends, helping here and there, extending a hand to any who would ask something of him, but mostly learning how to live & be alone. he isn't in the end, of course, he still always has the kirkwall crew and the veilguard, and he finds a new community in the dales, but he needed to take that time to himself to mourn & rebuild his sense of self outside of crisis. seeing thedas recover from this apocalypse gives him hope that he'll recover from it too.