#HEY guess WHAT!!! the people who say they’re in full control of their feelings

[eff-exor]

cursing them (spelling their name out in alphabet potato shapes and eating it)

[howlsofbloodhounds]

hey I was wondering, do you have any thoughts or headcannons about Crescent? (Killer and Nightmare most popular fanchild) I always thought that his existence would be very interesting for the interaction between the two but the fandom kind of completely ignores them when it comes to Crescent, which is really annoying because this has so much potential to traumatize both of them (especially Killer)

Oh man, it’s been awhile since i thought about anything related to shipkids or Crescent. Now I did talk about how I think Stage 2 Killer, the Killer Crescent is most likely to be familiar with, would think of, react to, feel about, and behave around children in general right here.

All is to say, i don’t think Killer would ever want children of his own. Any kids he may potentially have would be on accident or something he was not willingly doing or had a hand in.

I do still think Stage 2’s ways of thinking about people in general—not full “people,” unreal, objects of fascination and study, NPCs running on scripts and predicable, tools or resources, targets, threats, etc—would extend to his own kids.

If it was something he didn’t willingly partake in, he’d avoid confronting his lack of agency or desire for such a thing—and he wouldn’t think of any kids as his. He’d think, “they’re not mine. Just another way this body was used.” Or “the results of someone else’s choices” or in some cases, “a means to an end.”

At most, if the child was an accident and unplanned, he may begin to see the kid(s) as “his.” But not in the way a parent typically thinks about their child; just as a fact. They’re “biologically” or magically, I guess, his. They may even be his in the same way that, say, the phone I’m typing on to respond to this ask is mine.

I wouldn’t want anyone touching it without permission or going through it or breaking it or stealing it from me. I have a password to keep it safe. I have a case on it so its screen doesn’t break when I drop it. It’s a cute case. I make sure to charge it when it needs to be charged, manage its storage, try to avoid giving it any bugs or viruses and try to fix it if it does get any. I make sure not to overcharge and overheat it.

Sometimes I play around in its settings and try to figure out how it works, what it can and can’t do, what I can and can’t change about it. There’s ideas and worries and thoughts floating around that my phone could be used against me, leak my personal information, explode and hurt me, etc.

When it doesn’t work as intended or in a timely manner or does anything that happens to regular phones and are just natural or inconvenient, I get annoyed with it and think about throwing it at wall. I don’t do it—but killer would have a much harder time with a kid in this analogy then I would.

I am not conditioned to respond with violence to certain triggers—it just mildly annoyed me. And he may just have to forcibly remove himself from the situation/kid, if only because he doesn’t want this kid “controlling” him.

If I lost or broke my phone id be annoyed and frustrated, upset about all my data and photos and videos and memories being lost—but would ultimately move on with my life. I would more so be upset that I wasted the money of the person who bought and gifted the phone.

Of course things with Killer and any kids of his in this phone analogy don’t fit perfectly. For one thing he wouldn’t even bother getting a “phone” in this case, and if he ever accidentally ended up with one and he wasn’t able to “share” it with someone (raise the kid alongside the parent as support or have any form of support), he’d find someone else to take it.

If he couldn’t find anyone else to take it, and the phone was capable of being taught to care and look after itself, he might do that if he’s in the environment to do so (aka not with Nightmare), then leave once he’s sure it can. Probably wouldn’t think much of the phone again.

Now back to Crescent specifically. I forgot what his story was so I had to look up a wiki, which may not be reliable, but something in particular stood out to me and kinda made me laugh.

“Killer doesn't care about Crescent. When Nightmare said that they now have a child together, Killer commented on this news with an emotionless "Wow".”

Very silly of him to do. But makes sense, since it’s to my understanding that this kid was not made out of any love between Killer and Nightmare—Crescent was made purely for Nightmare’s plans.

It’s mentioned that Nightmare is the mother, and maybe possibly given birth (?) to him, so at least Killer didn’t have to experience the body horror of unwanted pregnancy. But the way it’s said makes me think he still definitely wasn’t given any choice in this matter.

I remember hearing around that Nightmare actually raised Crescent in his early years due to wanting to raise him “right.” I personally don’t see Nightmare doing any of the child rearing honestly, i think it’d actually be left to Killer.

And I already talked about how I think Killer would fare with having been ordered to care for a child in the linked post, but there’s the added bonus of Crescent being Killer and Nightmare’s kid, Killer’s unwanted kid, the fact that he was likely ordered by the Boss to train and basically indoctrinate Crescent into whatever plans Nightmare has for the kid.

It was mentioned that Crescent is resentful and resistant towards Nightmare and his plans, hiding the full extent of his powers simply to spite Nightmare. And while I do think Killer may be all for spiting Nightmare, there’s the fact that Crescent himself isn’t likely to face the consequences for his disobedience; Killer is.

Hell, in the darkest timeline, Killer may even be the one ordered to dish out any punishment on Crescent himself; encouraged to give in to his conditioning while also having to restrain himself from killing the kid.

But it’s more likely that Killer would face punishment from Nightmare for any disobedience Crescent displays. Which in turn builds Killer’s both resentment and feelings of being powerless, but also leads to deep repression which increases his apathy and indifference.

All in all, i think Killer would both fear and hate that kid deep down. Very deep. But enough that whenever he’s in Stage 1, he’ll stay far away from Crescent; and warn the kid to do the same. He may even arm Crescent with a way to protect himself from Killer, similar to the way he tells Color he has to kill him if he ever goes Stage 3.

Crescent would likely be raised with the knowledge that his father—the one whose been taking care of and raising him all these years, but may have also been the one to have greatly wounded and betrayed him (regardless of choice or not)— is a danger to him, and one day, he may have to kill him—or he’d die instead.

[darcytaylor]

The Importance of Staying Grounded in Speculative Conversations

It’s that time again, where I’m writing what might be a thought-provoking post? Inspirational? Overbearing? I know most of you are probably tired of these by now, but hey, maybe there’s something worth considering in what I’m about to say. Or maybe not. Who’s to say?

So why am I writing this? Is it to convince you to agree with me? No, you don’t have to. Is it to share my personal take on what's going on? Nah, honestly, I don’t think my opinion matters that much. Do I have thoughts on what’s happening? Sure, but it’s not my place to tell anyone how to think or what to believe. But maybe I can offer a perspective on speculation and how people engage with it:

I’ve been reflecting on how people engage with speculation (shocking, I know! haha), especially in fandoms and even in other public spaces. People have this undeniable passion for what they believe to be true, and while that passion can be understandable - and even admirable at times - it can go a little overboard.

When I say, “I don’t actually know what’s going on because I don’t know the people involved,” I tend to get a couple of reactions: Some people see it the same way, some people get defensive, some people try to convince me to see things their way. But here’s the truth: I don’t know the people involved - and neither do you. None of us know the full story or what’s going on behind the scenes.

A lot of people will say, “But look at the evidence! It’s so obvious!” And here’s where I disagree: Without firsthand knowledge, we’re essentially trying to put together a puzzle with most of the pieces missing. And drawing conclusions from that? It’s risky at best - and misleading at worst.

What really gets to me, though, is the need some people have to stir the pot (and I guess this is the main reason I make posts like this). It seems like some people want to rile others up, making it appear like they know more or that their perspective is the only one that matters. Maybe it’s a way to feel validated or in control, but in the end, it doesn’t help anyone. It just adds noise and fuels unnecessary drama, which - can be harmful!!

When people get defensive about their views, I think I could be because they’re seeking reassurance. They want to feel like they’ve figured it out. But the truth is: none of us have all the answers. We’re all just outsiders looking in.

For me, staying grounded means accepting that I don’t have the full picture - and that’s okay. It means being open to the possibility that there could be many explanations for a situation and choosing not to rush to conclusions. This isn’t about being overly cautious or passive - it’s about showing respect. It’s about letting people live their lives without outsiders treating their guesses like hard facts.

I think if more people took this approach, fandom spaces and public discourse would be a lot less toxic. It became so toxic for me that at one point I had to step away, because of he vile anonymous asks I was getting. It’s entirely possible to have thoughtful, respectful conversations without falling into the “I’m right, and you’re wrong” trap. A little humility, and a lot more recognition that things are often more complicated than they seem, could really make a difference.

At the end of the day, none of us have all the answers -and that’s fine. What’s not fine is turning speculation into fact or stirring up drama when it isn’t necessary. So, can we be more mindful, respectful, and take a step back from the impulse to turn every guess into something?

If you see a take that isn't damaging, you don’t need to respond just because you don’t agree with it. You can let people have their own perspectives without degrading others. That said, I have no respect for speculation when it comes to matters that are too personal or just downright mean, especially when people try to act like it isn’t. Some things shouldn't be speculated on, and treating them as public fodder isn’t just disrespectful - it’s harmful.

Life’s complicated enough without us making it harder than it already is.

[aliengoose]

OK GENLOSS THOUGHTS LETS GO

as lots of people are saying I reckon this episode was supposed to give us an idea of how the show is “supposed” to run, and that’s partly why it was so silly and goofy. the eerier bits were all about things that aren’t “supposed” to happen.

in terms of plot it seems ranboo has been kidnapped by showfall and is being mind-controlled by us as sort of “players”. he comments once or twice about not knowing why he’s doing something or not being in full control, and occasionally appears to become more lucid (a few people have pointed out that the mask flashes at these points). basically ranboo is being used as a videogame character to entertain the masses by showfall media.

i cannot figure sneeg out, he’s clearly not being mind controlled seeing he “cheats” with the scissors and also doesn’t have any mask to suggest he’s under control, plus we don’t get to control him at all. I’m thinking perhaps he was an earlier main character test that made showfall realise they need more control over them.

Somethings up with charlie and idk what. if showfall is going “hey lets get these internet personalities to be our unwilling characters in this game” it would make sense for why he’s got the slime motifs and all that. BUT how can they be sure he’s doing what they want him to? perhaps he is affected by slime the same way sneeg was? maybe showfall figured out a way to use slime to control him? much to think about.

there’s also the possibility that it’s just not that deep but i do think it’s supposed to give the impression that the entire thing is happening in our world and isn’t scripted or anything. that’s why i love the choice to act it all out live, it doesn’t just allow for more interaction, it is literally a live broadcast of an game featuring fun “characters”. I really hope there’s some deeper meaning in that, about the treatment of people as entertainment without thought for their own health and wellbeing, and the way entertainers often have to play a caricature of themselves to appease their audience.

i know a lot of people have been talking about a face reveal in genloss and given the mask is linked to controlling ranboo and they literally cannot take it off right now i see it going one of 3 ways;

1. he takes the mask off and we get a face reveal (doubt)

2. he takes the mask off BUT they’re wearing another mask underneath. seems like something they’d do

3. he doesn’t get the mask off. we lost. ranboo is stuck under the control of showfall media with only short periods of lucidity. ranboo said at one point that we should be left with a feeling of dread. maybe there’s no escape. what’s more terrifying than doing everything right and still being doomed?

ok that’s all i can think of for now sorry it’s a long post but idk how to add a read more on mobile ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. i’ll edit this if i think of anything else i guess?

edit: this is blowing up i have genloss art in my pinned and plans to make more 👀

edit 2: @pinkpuffballdude ‘s tags reminded me!!! i had completely forgotten to talk about sneeg being awake and staring with dead eyes through the whole sleep part. THAT was creepy. It made me think of NPCs to be honest, the way he wasn’t able to do anything but being forced to witness everything happening, not being able to sleep without a bed. I don’t know how to explain it right now and i’ll come back here if i figure it out. BUT he also talks about refusing to do the cooking show which is the main thing that got me thinking he was a past mc who’s been locked away. also aligns with his “the taken” name in The Game.

[artist-issues]

Forgive me if you've already discussed it, but what's your opinion of "Brave?"

I want to like it, but somehow (I haven't taken the time to analyze it) it doesn't quite fit together. The story is much more about the mother learning and growing than about Merida. I actually didn't like Merida very much.

No it’s okay, I actually haven’t ever discussed Brave, and I haven’t watched it or analyzed it in a long while. So forgive me, I’ll analyze while I verbalize, so this might be a little all over the place, but your observations give me a starting place!

It definitely isn’t my favorite Pixar movie, but I don’t think it’s a poorly made movie, either.

I will say it’s not true that it’s much more about Queen Elinor learning and growing than Merida does, (but I can see why you’d come away with that.) I think the movie actually does a really intentional job of showing them both, equally, learning and growing toward one another’s points of view. Way better than Turning Red did, anyway.

I mean, for example, they parallel each other’s “hypothetical argument.” They’re both struggling to communicate with the other. The first act is Merida being taught by Elinor, unwillingly. The second act is Elinor being taught (how to fish and survive) in the woods, at first unwillingly. Then she learns to trust Merida knows better and follows Merida’s lead to survive out there. Just like, when she enters the Great Hall and is ready to give up control of her fate for keeping the peace, you see that Merida has finally learned to follow her mom’s lead as a Princess, too. They go back-to-back, and learn almost equally.

I would put it like this: Merida learns that Queen Elinor was right all along—AND she learns more about who Queen Elinor is and how to understand her. On the flip side, Queen Elinor just learns more about who Merida is and how to communicate with her.

So that’s much better than a movie that says, “hey the mom is wrong and should let her daughter do whatever she wants, I guess.”

In general, the story is about a mom who wants her daughter to fulfill her fate, because it’s what’s best for her—but the daughter doesn’t want to follow anybody’s lead, and thinks she needs to get as far away from being traditional as possible.

Here, I’ll try to dive into it.

Queen Elinor knows that tradition is important, because she understands the lessons hidden in those traditions. The Princess sacrifices her own independence as a symbol of unity for the kingdom, by marrying one of the lord’s sons. She’s not just a symbol of unity—she’s a symbol of peace, wherever she goes. Clean, tidy, on time, never ruffled, in a world full of brutish hairy men who’s favorite pastime is killing each other. That’s what Queen Elinor knows is important. For the big picture. For everyone, including Merida.

And she’s right. A Queen’s selflessness saves her people.

But. Trying to force a Princess who doesn’t understand or believe in that lesson to do it anyway is no good either. You can’t force a leader to live by principals they don’t believe in. When you do, you get Mor’du, the demon Prince.

So there’s this balance. Yes, Merida, you’re fated, by birth, to lead and be a shining beacon of hope and peace in a war-torn land. That’s a good thing. But you can only be that leader and beacon when you’ve accepted it.

Queen Elinor doesn’t start out twitch that balance. She’s just trying to force Merida into her fate. Why? It’s the age-old struggle of parenting: you know what’s best for your kid, so you try to get them into that safe-zone as fast as possible. But they don’t get it, so they buck and kick and you decide “I don’t care if you don’t get it, I’m going to force it on you because it’s what’s best.” And you know where that attitude, of “you’ll do it, and I don’t care how you feel about it” comes from?

Fear. Fear that if your kid is given an inch to argue, buck, kick, run away, that they’ll run right out of your control into danger.

And what’s the movie called?

Brave.

And Merida doesn’t want to be a Princess because…”I’m not ready for this.” Fear. What’s Merida afraid of? Her own fate. She’s not fated to be an adventurer, she’s fated to be a Princess. She just has a wrong idea of what that means.

And they both think that they know, not only what’s best, but where the other person is wrong. Just like how Prince Mor’du thought he knew that he could be a better leader on his own than with his family. Both stem from pride. Which “tore the bond” of their love for each other.

Because—and now we’re back to their broken relationship, which is the real story here—

Queen Elinor and Merida can’t communicate with that pride, that false image of who the other person is and what they supposedly want, in the way. So it takes Queen Elinor getting out of her comfort zone and into Merida’s (the wild) to understand that Merida can survive and choose what’s right, on her own, and doesn’t need to do it Queen Elinor’s way. It also took Merida getting out of her comfort zone and into her mother’s (having to stop a fight between warring lords because her mom’s not around to do it, which is a snapshot of her future) to understand what her mother has always been saying.

Basically, the scene where she sees Mor’Du’s story is true is where Merida changes and grows the most as a character. Because that’s her suddenly realizing that her mom was right. And that’s a really good allegory for growing up and parenting. You can tell your kid all the right things and teach them all the right lessons, but at some point, it has to become real to them on their own.

It’s even neat because that scene is shot with Merida down in “the cave of discovery, “ while her mom is where?

Watching from afar. Not in there with her.

So yeah, those are my disheveled thoughts on Brave. It’s a good movie. It does feel like something about the actual events in the movie are a little lackluster—to be honest, the scenes where Merida is teaching her mom in the woods come to mind. I mean, on paper, all she’s really doing is teaching her to fish and do something a little unladylike. And then to calmly wait for the Wisps to appear instead of chasing them down. The events aren’t as��deep or attention grabbing as I think they could’ve been. But that’s okay, because it still gets the point across.

Thanks for asking!

[aesethewitch]

Notes from an Ex-Empath (Full Ver.)

This post is a highly personal account of my time as an empath. It’s a doozy, and I didn’t mean for it to get so long, but as with all things that really matter to me, it got a bit out of hand. I’ve left out the goriest of the details, but still take heed of the content warnings. Thanks for reading. (Placed under a cut for length.)

Content Warnings: Mentions of abuse, mentions of unhealthy home environments, emotional manipulation, cult behavior, mental health struggles, delusions, brief mention of hallucinations and nightmares, self worth issues, compulsive lying, toxic friendships, and teen angst.

Subtle Beginnings

The year is 2011. High school is hard. Like, really hard. Harder than it should be, probably. I’ve just left an abusive relationship to enter a new one which would turn out to be, you guessed it, abusive. Escapism is the norm, and I’m always looking for new ways to feel in control of my life.

I’ve always been a little strange. I saw my first ghost before I knew what death was. I talk to trees and the wind, and I know all the names of the local rivers, right down to the little creek behind the school. But by this point, I’ve learned to not say that. I know it’s weird, and I’m happy to be weird. Weird is cool, at least in my friend circle. Outside of it, not so much, but I’ve learned to Ebony Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way my way through life at this point.

My friend buys a cheap mood ring from a shop in the mall, and that’s how we learn what auras are. She’s into it. I’m into her, even if I don’t know how to articulate that at the time. So I get obsessed, because I don’t know how to be anything else. I read all about auras and color theory and energy and “chakras” on loud, multi-colored websites proclaiming that you (yes, YOU!) can become a master of aura-reading and energy healing in just one month for only $12.99…

I don’t learn about being an empath (or Indigo Child, or Starseed, or whatever we were calling ourselves at the time) from the internet. No, a different friend overhears us talking about auras and mood rings and meaning (because I’d spent hours and hours reading about it and am now eager to display my knowledge; I like being an expert; I like knowing things), and he asks us if we’re empaths. He tells us what they are — people who can feel the emotions of others acutely and are highly sensitive.

And I think about it.

And I think about it some more.

And then, I think, hey… I do feel others’ emotions. I take them on like they’re my own. I carry them on my shoulders and between my ribs and in my bones, and it’s second nature. And I say, yes. Yes, I am an empath.

An Inexperienced Expert

Taking on the title of Empath was like finding the Holy Grail. I finally had a word to explain why I felt so energized in crowds but drained after going home, or why I found other people’s pain so upsetting and visceral, or why I could guess my friends’ emotions even when they were able to hide them from everyone else. I felt like I understood myself at long last.

I wasn’t sensitive. I wasn’t a crybaby. I was an empath. It was a superpower, something that made me special. Because it was a superpower, it was something I could learn to harness and control. My sensitivity would no longer rule me; I could learn how to rule it.

I did a lot of reading. I went to the library and read books with titles I can’t even remember anymore. From firsthand accounts by other empaths to explanations of energies I couldn’t actually understand, I was way out of my depth. But I liked to know things. I liked to be an Expert (tm).

Honestly, I still do. I like knowing what I’m talking about. Being an insecure child who needs to feel in control and enjoys being respected, I could pretend that I understood. I did plenty of that all the time, and it worked out (most of the time). False confidence was something I was finely attuned to already. I could bullshit my way in and out of any situation I wanted easily — from teachers forgiving missing homework to lying about my whereabouts to my controlling parents to pretending I was attracted to my boyfriend at the time, I was an expert in lying to survive.

Surely I could pretend to know what I was talking about. After all, I was an empath, an Indigo Child with a beautiful, healing, pure white aura. I was wise beyond my years, in tune with the Universe and all its creations. The information came from inside me anyways, and all those books said to trust my intuition. The voice in my heart that whispered about how special and different I was for being an empath was right, and I shouldn’t question it. A little improvisation wouldn’t hurt anyone, right?

… Right?

When my friends asked about it, I spoke with confidence. I proclaimed myself an empath to anyone and everyone. No, I couldn’t actually see auras, but I could act like I could. The vibes were there — I could feel them like pinpricks of lightning on my skin and as little nudges at the back of my mind. All I had to do was squint and assign colors to those feelings. Sometimes, I thought I really could see them. I can’t discount it entirely, but I’m likely to attribute it to tricks of light and wishful thinking now, looking back.

I had a reputation for Knowing Things. Weird, niche facts. Being right about obscure topics. Remembering minute details from notes at the end of the teacher’s presentation given three weeks ago. Guessing right answers to questions I’d never heard based on logical reasoning and deductive skills. I had near-perfect grades in the top 3% of the class. I had a side-gig in helping people improve their essay skills.

So, when I talked about being an empath, my friends believed me. They proudly proclaimed the colors of their auras as I painted pictures for them.

And it felt good. I was both the center of attention and had no spotlight on me. I couldn’t see my own aura, so of course, I couldn’t tell them what mine was like. But theirs, oh, theirs? That was easy. I had a gift for telling them exactly what they needed to hear. I solved their problems in a flash, giving the perfect advice and predicting outcomes using nothing more than good old-fashioned vibes.

An empathic gift, of course. Understanding and unselfish love are tenets of the Empath Way. We’re healers, I told my friends, and that’s why people ask me for advice. It’s why I’m so good at it, I said. I never took my own advice about self-love and choosing better relationships — that wouldn’t come until several years later — but that didn’t matter. My issues were trivial; I had The World to worry about.

Despite my newness to the empath scene, I positioned myself as not just an expert but The Expert. It wasn’t really on purpose. I couldn’t help myself. My friends wanted me to be a wise, trusted source of information, so I was one. Or, well, I thought I was one.

The goal was never to fool anyone. I believed with my whole heart that I was an empath, a Starseed, someone born to do noble things and help people. It was my purpose. As an empath, I had a duty to spread good vibes whenever I could. If I couldn’t do that, I was worth nothing.

Sometimes, that meant talking out my ass about concepts I read about at a bleary 1:00 AM before having to wake up at 6:00 to catch the bus to school on time. If I made something up or said something untrue, it was because it “felt right.” And that made it simply right in my mind. Those books and blog posts and articles said it was.

As far as experts go, I definitely was not one. I hesitate even now to call myself an expert in anything whatsoever. But back then, it was a matter of course. My friends wanted advice, so I gave them advice.

My friends wanted me to be an empath, so I was one. Some of those friends felt the same things I did. Others’ emotions, the burden of it all, the weight of responsibility for everyone around us. We were empaths together.

I was never more alone, and I had absolutely no idea.

Downward Spiral

At the time, I wouldn’t have called it a spiral. I wouldn’t have called it a mental health crisis. And I certainly wouldn’t have blamed the whole empath thing for any of it.

No. Of course not.

As I graduated high school, I was entirely adrift. I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with my life. All of my friends were going to be leaving for college elsewhere while I stayed home to go to a local one.

But that summer, I was intent on enjoying every last minute of my life. It was time to take charge of my existence. I still called myself an empath, but it was more like a personality trait than anything else. An explanation, a fun fact. I’m double jointed, I dislike sweets, I’m an empath.

And my friends were empaths, too. Well, most of us. One was a “brick wall” of a guy — a skeptic who found us fascinating and wanted very much to believe in what we were doing and saying. At the same time, one friend was getting into Wicca. And, afraid to look like a fool, I pretended I knew all about it. I knew generally what Wicca was, because of the empath stuff running over into witchcraft circles. It was enough to sound competent, and that was enough!

So, suddenly, I was The Expert on Wicca and witchcraft and magic. A lot of it was stuff I really did do and believe, so it was simple to fill in the gaps with logic. And what I couldn’t make up, I ignored. Or I looked it up later and pretended I knew all along.

Anxiety was my constant companion. I was an imposter in my own life. This was just one more act to put on.

And because of my empath abilities, it was easy! I could determine the right thing to say at the right time. I read the room, felt my friends’ energies, and adapted accordingly. We did rituals and cast spells, and through it all, I relied heavily on my ability to read them clearly.

So when I failed to read one friend and it cost us everything, it was devastating.

I won’t go into details to protect their identity. The entire thing was… ugly. I spent a long time miserable over it. But I knew, even when I was heartbroken over it, that it was my fault. The empath in me was clinging to everything too hard, seeing what I wanted to see instead of what was. I needed to be The Expert, and I was failing at it.

There’s a lot about that time that I don’t remember clearly. What I do remember is a lot of stuff about past lives, reincarnating together, and misguided notions of deities and magic and history. It was a mess. One delusion fed into another, building into a web of intricate, interweaving stories. We were encouraging each other’s theories and beliefs and feelings without criticism, because to challenge one person was to challenge the entire structure.

And we couldn’t do that. Because to do that would mean admitting that we were all lying.

Because it would mean I wasn’t an empath, wasn’t special, wasn’t anything. I was just me, and I’d be back to square one with no clue about what was wrong with me.

That house of cards was years in the making. When that friend split off and stopped talking to us (to me), I thought it was going to come crumbling down. And in many ways, it did.

I dropped out of college barely two weeks into the second semester because I was failing every course but one. I started seeing a therapist, and then another one, and then a psychiatrist. I received words for my anxiety and even ADHD. Things started getting better, little by little.

Lingering Problems

I reconnected with someone from high school by chance. We got very close. I helped raise her new baby. Things were good.

And then, old habits rose. The need to be Right and Expert ate me alive, even though I recognized them as symptoms of anxiety. But with this reconnected friend feeding into my insecurities, echoing those feelings of inadequacy and out-of-place-ness and a need to belong somewhere and to mean something, it was hard to logically sort those thoughts.

Everything was about being an empath. Our shared difficulties, our pains, our burdens — all of it was because we were empaths. We were empaths because of lingering past lives.

I won’t get into those, either, because they’re so incredibly specific, and I don’t want the people involved to see this and Know. Just know that our lives revolved around being empaths — special, sensitive, powerful, and made for infinitely complex purpose.

People who weren’t empaths were simultaneously lucky and pitiable. They would never know what it’s like to walk into a room and Understand everyone there. They would never have to bear the weight of someone else’s grief.

I wouldn’t say we looked down on non-empaths, necessarily. At least, not on purpose or consciously. Their lack of skill wasn’t their fault, after all. They were normal. We were special.

Notably, this is when I stopped using the term “starseed” at all — it was close, but not good enough to describe what we were feeling. It was a woefully human way to understand what we were, you see. A convenient word that didn’t encapsulate us, because we were special, even among the ever-special starseeds. We didn’t have a word for what we were. We didn’t really need one, because we didn’t need to describe ourselves to each other. We just Knew.

When I read my friends’ auras and described their energetic feelings to them (which I was an expert at by that point; my natural empath abilities had been honed to a fine edge), I was as thorough as possible. Mostly, I was accurate. Anytime I wasn’t, it was because of someone’s protective barriers or natural resistance to being read. We went to cemeteries so I could commune with spirits and tell my friends all about their energies. They couldn’t exactly challenge me about it, so they accepted what I said as Truth.

I was their Leader. How could I possibly be fallible?

It was, in the end, the accuracy of it that kept me in the empath mindset. The positive feedback loop I’d created for myself just confirmed my empath feelings. And if those were right, then everything else must’ve been, too — because it all came from the same place.

It just made sense.

I kept a journal off and on during those years. Reading through it now is… well, it’s harrowing. The entries are dated. Much of it is free-writing, a technique I still use today as a warm-up exercise. But almost all of it is a cry for help. It details hallucinations, delusions, nightmares, dissociative episodes, depressive episodes, manic spirals, and more.

If someone were to share this with me today, I would suggest they seek help with their mental state immediately. At the time, I believed myself to be receiving visions of the past. I believed that my empathic abilities were opening me up to a long lineage of lives I could tap into and, perhaps, return to one day.

There is a small, injured part of myself that wishes I could return to those feelings. No matter how unhealthy it really was, it made me feel strong and special and wanted in a time when I knew, deep down, that I was none of those things.

It was a comfortable lie. I knew that the past lives were bullshit. I did. I can admit that now. It was a series of elaborate lies built on lies built on lies.

And yet, I still firmly knew I was an empath. That kernel of truth never wavered. It was the foundation.

I was slowly teaching myself magic during these years. I’d been doing spirit work and tarot for years already, so the craft was almost second nature. It took a back seat to the rest, but it was there.

Even as my relationships grew less and less stable, I had magic and spirits and my empath abilities to fall back on. Surely everything would be alright.

By Tooth and Claw

After the unhealthy friendship I described above dissolved rather spectacularly, I spent a few more years harboring the past life stories. They morphed slowly into fiction, and I gradually lost interest. My remaining friends from that group and I would talk with disdain about the one we’d cut out; she wasn’t good enough. She was lying.

Because our memories were different, you see.

The justifications we crafted were as elaborate as any other lie we told. She really was a manipulative person whose goal was to “own” our friendship — and we acknowledged that. But we still couldn’t shatter the veneer between all of us that the rest was all lies.

So we left it. We didn’t talk about it again. But it lived on in my mind and in that digital journal. It haunted me.

And, as all toxic friendships built on shared lies tend to do, that relationship also imploded.

It left me utterly friendless. I had no one but my partner at the time, and even that relationship wasn’t exactly going well. I was questioning my sexuality all over again, and I’d just started acknowledging the whole Gender thing, and I had no one to talk to about any of it. It was a miserable existence, but I’d still rather have no friends at all than have friends like those.

I abandoned all of it. Without the people who propped up the lies, there was no need for me to keep going. I stopped with the past lives stuff, I stopped all the magic, I stopped my spirit work, and I stopped calling myself an empath.

It was… Well, it was easy. Shockingly so.

Healing from the rest was decidedly not easy. It took a lot of hard work and introspection. I had to own up to the lies I told myself and others, even if I was never going to be able to have the closure-inducing conversations with them.

I decided to start choosing myself. I made new friends. I dumped my boyfriend who I hadn’t been in love with for over a year (or maybe longer). I started dating my current partner. I let myself move on.

I’m now about seven years out of that last friendship, and I finally feel like I’ve moved on.

My laptop died. I saved my necessary files and moved them to my current PC.

I didn’t bring the journal over.

The Draw and the Cost

When you’re a scared, sad, lonely person, you’ll go looking for fulfillment anywhere. You’ll accept whatever others give you if it means they’ll value you for even a single moment.

Positive feedback means everything to someone who has never received it before. When you have to work hard for an ounce of attention or affection at home, you come to expect that you’ll always have to do that everywhere you go.

I remember when Facebook became a thing just as I was starting to become my own person in high school. Liking pages called things like “Getting caught in the rain with your best friend” and “Ultra kawaii girlz do it best!” and “Sorry I read your mind, I’m an empath LOLZ” and “RANDOM TACO MUSTACHE PANDA ATTACK!” was par for the course after school. (Sorry for the psychic damage.)

I also remember the first call-out post I ever saw on Facebook. It was about some girl in my grade who I didn’t know. The girl who posted it was an empath, of course, and accused the other girl of being a fake, cheating liar. I don’t know if it was true. At the time, I took it at face value — after all, the accuser was an empath. Empaths don’t lie. Obviously.

I still struggle with compulsive lying. I suspect I always will. The drive to be an Expert is a part of me that I’ll never be able to get rid of. The need to be accepted and appreciated, too, will never leave me. It’s part of why I love this platform, and all other forms of written communication, over speaking to people verbally. While I can usually catch myself before I tell a reflexive, unnecessary lie these days, I sometimes slip. It’s an embarrassing thing. I try to force myself to admit it and then tell the truth.

Usually, I succeed. It’s a work in progress.

But typing, I can backspace. I can delete shit. I can keep things in my drafts and edit them and adjust wording to my heart’s content. I can remove messages and take things back. It’s easier to say “I was wrong” or “This wasn’t true” to strangers on the internet, after all.

Now, as I near thirty years old, I have better language to describe what I was feeling. The overwhelming emotions from everyone around me, the overload I felt in crowds, the reflex to please everyone, the uncanny ability to read a room’s atmosphere at a glance…

I was an undiagnosed autistic child with serious trauma and unmedicated ADHD. I needed help. I asked for help. Everything I did was a cry for help.

I wanted to feel special. I wanted to feel powerful. I wanted to feel useful and valuable. I wanted to feel different in a way that was manageable.

I wanted language to describe myself that was empowering. “Empath” was empowering and manageable and useful and valuable and powerful and special. It felt good. And because it felt good, it felt right. And because it felt right, it was a solid band-aid on the open wound of my life. “Empath” was an escape from the reality of my situation. It made everything easier to bear.

I’m sad because I’m an empath, and someone in homeroom was crying.

I’m angry because my parents’ fight leaked into every corner of the house, and I couldn’t help but absorb it into myself like a sponge, because I’m an empath.

I’m so happy I can’t contain myself, and I have to flail and jump around, because everyone around me is cheering and singing and dancing, and I feel it all like a growing avalanche that echoes through the walls of my body and rings in my bones as a song I cannot contain. Because I’m an empath.

I’m always being hurt because nasty people are attracted to my empath abilities. It makes me an easy target. That’s just how it is, and that’s how it’ll always be, because I’m an empath.

I’m too sensitive, too soft, too emotional, because I’m an empath.

Every step I take away from the “empath” label is done with the full knowledge that without it, I wouldn’t have survived. I needed something to cling to, and “empath” was enough to keep me afloat. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, I was looking for Meaning.

Besides, “empath” was an easier word to swallow than “traumatized” or “abused” or “mentally ill.” It didn’t taste as bitter. I didn’t choke on it.

There were no resources for me. All I had was what I could fashion myself out of bubble gum and black sharpie and sheer force of will and please God, if you are there, let me live another day. Everything I am, I owe to my own two hands and luck.

I don’t need the “empath” label anymore. I’ve outgrown it. I recognize it for what it is now: a patchwork explanation for other phenomena in my life that are better explained from a psychiatric standpoint — and from a truly philosophical, spiritual one.

To this day, talking about empaths and twin flames and starseeds and past lives and everything that goes with those things remains a trigger. It gets easier and easier to manage, but I still blacklist those tags. I avoid it at all costs. Empaths I can manage, for the most part. Twin flames I won’t abide; soul mates are on thin ice. Starseeds are a crock of shit for a whole bunch of other reasons. Past lives… it’s the only thing I won't really talk about at all.

And I ask you kindly, please, don’t ask.

Where I Stand

I’m still paying the costs of all this. When you spend most of your life under immense stress, having yearly crises of one kind or another, it kind of fucks you right up.

A few years ago, I returned to witchcraft. I started small. I did a little simmer pot to welcome myself to my brand-new apartment. A little protection here, a short meditation there. It felt good. I didn’t feel like I was slipping backwards.

After that, I returned to spirit work and divination. My old allies welcomed me back with open arms. It was a relief to unwrap my tarot cards and find the spirit attached to them still there. I set up a little altar space for them. Things were good.

I returned to the cemeteries. I apologized. The conversations I was having with those spirits were real, but I wasn’t respecting them the way I should’ve. We made a deal to even those scales, and I’ve paid in full. Those relationships are better than ever. Some of those spirits have followed me, per our agreements, and I work with them regularly.

And things are good. I haven’t done any backsliding. Last year, I allowed myself to question the nature of the universe and theories on magic and how it actually works. I made the connection with Lady Fate and drew up a theory on connections in magic. And it was fine. It is fine.

I’m extremely alert to the signs. I remain critical of my experiences. But I’m letting my personal practice be… casual. Natural. It’s just for me, not a performance. It doesn’t need to be spectacular or even produce results. It just has to be gratifying.

I started this blog for myself. I wanted to encourage myself to try new things and get out there again. It’s hard to make friends and connect with people, and I’m wary of IRL groups — for good reasons I’m sure you can guess at.

It’s been extremely cool to get to interact with people here. I get to vet people before I ever talk to someone. I can sweep their blog for signs of things I want to (need to) avoid. Blocking people is good for my health. This is the safest environment I’ve ever had to explore, communicate, get feedback, read criticism, and learn about witchcraft.

I am immensely grateful to my various lovely Tumblr mutuals, to my Discord pals, and to the folks I follow in all my witchy spaces. It’s through great effort that I’m able to talk about this stuff at all. I wouldn’t have realized I could if not for a brief mention in a private Discord server about doing a post about being an ex-empath.

It’s been so long since I’ve thought about it. It all feels so far away now. I know the distance is a testament to my own hard work. The difference between my mental health then and now is staggering. Even on my worst days now, I am nowhere near that level of Bad.

Where do I stand? On my own two damn feet, that’s where.

A Bit of Advice

I will never use the “empath” label again. I don’t think anyone should, though I understand the appeal. Obviously. You’ve read this far, I’d be surprised if you thought I don’t get it.

Instead, explore what you’re actually experiencing. Are you showing signs of a manic-depressive cycle? Are you having symptoms of anxiety, autism, ADHD, or depression? Do you know what depersonalization and dissociation are, and what they feel like? How about synesthesia, such as mirror-touch synesthesia, which can help explain why you feel a touch on someone else’s skin as though it was on your own? What feels bad, and why? Is your home life fraught, or was it? Are you looking for ways to cope with feelings that are too large to contain?

Do a simple search for “empath traits.” Check out any list of qualities empaths have. Make note, in particular, of the traits you identify with. Now take a look at a list of, say, “autism traits” or “PTSD traits.” Check out the overlap between them.

It’s important to consider mundane causes and mundane solutions. My greatest mistake when I picked up the “empath” label was that I believed there were no resources for me. I even said it up above that there were none.

But there were. Trusted teachers, the guidance counselor, the youth council director. Clubs, support groups. There were places I could have gone, but I was so far inside my own mind that I couldn’t see them. And the people around me were so dazzled by my false confidence that they couldn’t see how badly I was struggling. Admitting I needed help was akin to admitting defeat, and I couldn’t do that.

But you can.

“Empath” Alternatives

When I went looking for other accounts of people leaving the “empath” label, I was surprised to find… not a lot of bitterness. Then again, maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised. “Empaths” are often of the “love and light” persuasion, and that sort of philosophy isn’t always so easily let go of. Empathy for our past selves and the community surrounding even the most toxic of concepts is par for the course, don’t you think?

The primary thing most ex-empaths share in common (from what I’ve seen) is that they’ve outgrown the label in some way. Whether they realize why they picked up the label is hit or miss. Some, like myself, drop it almost unthinkingly after years of using it to define ourselves and only realize years later why we used it and what it did to us. Others leave it behind by choice, opting for more up-to-date terminology or paths.

I know this might be a little surprising. After all, I’m a witch. I do magic, and I work with spirits. Surely I believe in empaths as a concept, even if I ended up not being one.

No, I don’t. Not really. Some people really are naturally sensitive to others’ energy and/or feelings, and energy work is a real thing that you can do.

But the “empath” label isn’t helpful. If anything, it’s reductive. Why would you want to reduce the plethora of abilities and skills at your fingertips to a single word? Why submit to a rigid, fantastical definition that encourages self-martyrdom and unhealthy social behaviors when reality is much more interesting?

If you really feel drawn to calling yourself an “empath,” consider why that is. You’re sensitive, you’ve got an interest in the supernatural, you want to dip your toes into magic, or you just Know You’re Different?

Primarily, consider the fact that you’re likely neurodivergent in some way. See the above section about that, and do those trait searches again. Be really honest with yourself.

Secondarily, consider simple energy work instead. Rather than relying on a prescribed set of traits laid out like a cheap newspaper astrology column that’s so vague it could apply to anyone with the right spin because it’s been written by someone who doesn’t know what a Capricorn is, focus on an actual goal.

The first mistake people who pick up the “empath” label make is the assumption that they’re Special and Different. While you are a unique human being, you’re no more special or different than the guy next to you on the bus who’s got the spiritual sense of a lump of clay. You don’t need to be special or different. You just need to be human.

Sensing certain types of energy (like emotional energy) might come naturally to you. That’s great! It’s a real strength that you might have; it’s one that I certainly have, and it helped to confirm my “empath” related delusions described up above. Instead of resting on your laurels about having this talent, put some work into it. Figure out how to manipulate your own energy. See if you can feel plants’ energy or just people’s. Research the various methods of energy visualization and manipulation. Read some theory. Learn how to read auras if you can see them.

(Which, by the way, I can’t. I’m on the more severe side of aphantasia, and I can’t visually imagine jack shit. The whole “reading auras” thing I talk about up above is a big old lie. I can work off of vibes and sensations to give an approximation of an impression of what something might look like, but that’s it. I’m basically blind in that regard. What I lack in sight, I make up for in my other senses, though, so it’s not a huge loss.)

If you’ve got a talent for guessing outcomes to things, you might find success in divination. Pick up some cards, dice, or literally any other method you like and give it a whirl. See what works and be honest with yourself when it doesn’t. At the end of the day, the most important thing is that: Be honest with yourself. It’s fucking hard. I know. Trust me, do I know. [Gestures to the above emphatically.]

Learn discernment skills. If you don’t know what that is or what it means or how to discern, there are a bunch of good guides out there. I’m sure I can scrounge up a couple to reblog in the wake of this post.

You cannot fix someone else’s problems. You cannot be a permanent balm on someone else’s life. Your worth does not lie in the service of others. Your life is not worth less than theirs. You should not be a sacrifice in the name of someone else’s carelessness. You aren’t responsible for the emotional well-being of everyone around you.

You don’t need to be “special” to ask for help. You don’t need a magical label to stand up for yourself and ask for accommodations. You are allowed to have feelings and react to other people’s existence and feel overwhelmed and experience second-hand emotion without putting yourself on the martyr’s pedestal.

Decide what you actually want from being an “empath,” and be honest with yourself. Do you want to use the “empath” label because it makes you feel less alone? Less scared? Less like a freak? Ask why you feel that way in the first place. What’s the thing wearing fear like a shroud? What is its true name?

And honestly, if you can’t subscribe to the “empath” label or do energy work or spirit work or magic or whatever without it risking your mental health… don’t. Just don’t.

Because I can attest, the band-aid doesn’t work. It won’t last forever. You’ll have to face the monster behind the mask sooner or later, and it’s significantly better to do it when you’ve got the choice.

Trust me. I’d know.

(Oh, and by the by: Don’t be mean or try to shame people using the empath label using my experiences. I won’t be a cudgel for you to swing at somebody else. Share this with whoever, but be kind about it.)

Hoo Boy, That Was a Lot, Huh?

Well. Like I said, this whole thing got away from me in a serious way. I’ve got other things I should be working on, but this… well, it took over my brain. Once I started typing, I couldn’t stop. And now here we are.

If you read this whole thing, thanks. No, seriously. It means a lot. I hope you got something out of it.

I mentioned somewhere in this whole thing that I don’t talk about this stuff. For the most part, that’s because I just don’t think about it anymore. It’s all in the past. But if my story can help someone or inform someone out there, well. Here it is. I’m open to questions. Respectful ones, mind you. I won’t be talking about past lives at all at this point, so like I said before, don’t ask. But any of the other stuff… [shrug]. Shoot. Some things I’ll have to omit or leave unanswered for the privacy of my past friends and relationships. And some things I just won’t talk about because it’s frankly none of your business.

But yeah. I’m releasing this into the wild. I almost decided to not publish this at all, but I think it's too important to keep to myself. I’ve given it a cursory look-over for grammar, but… honestly, I think it’s good the way it is. It’s honest.

And these days, that’s all I aim to be.

Shilling

Anyhow, doing words is my living these days. If you like these words or other ones I’ve written up, throw a couple dollars in my bread jar. Thanks again.

[Harmonica fades into the distance]

[fleetsonourgecentral]

Yoo thought of a headcanon scenario, where Scourge somehow dreams about his super form[s] one night. 

His interaction with if it was the good Super form the opportunity to at least make a compromise would be fumbled so hard due to their clashing mindsets. And they’re both stubborn as hell in changing their tune. Shit definitely goes out the window when Super looks at Scourge the same way Prime looked at him when he got tricked into powering down saying something along the lines of, “What fucking goals do you even have, Scourge? At least I want to help people be something bigger and better than just being mean.” You can imagine how well Scourge takes it hearing the all too familiar words. So tragically, nothing really gets solved between them, just strengthened feelings of resentment and the need to fight for control when they can. 

Evil Super would however, strike a deal. 

He finds Scourge and his friends very entertaining. Why ruin that? He’s also seen Super Sonic being contained/in his eyes, become a withered shell of his former self, so it might be partially for his own self-preservation as well. He is chaos but so are they. One frightful dream ass-beating later (wasn’t even pissed at Scourge, who despite tried throwing hands like the green bozo he is, he just did it because he can), he offers his hand the way Scourge did with Prime, promising not to kill them only if… honestly idfk something like this???

“The road goes both ways, y’know. You’re full of untapped potential. To keep things running around on this stupid little planet, how about you acknowledge me as my own person? Don’t you even think getting rid of me. Then everyone can continue to rock on this universe, doing as we please. What do you say?”

Just simple acknowledgement as their own person and leave him as he is i guess.

He takes the deal [?] but….Scourge, how are you going to explain to everyone else that you can’t get rid of this super form like Sonic has done? On top of that, better count your lucky stars that your super form never gets bored one day.

who knows maybe Scourge finds another way to stabilize things before that happens maybe- hey wait a second how about a deal for the fucking ankles—

Scourge and a good super form would throw hands. I mean Scourge is throwing hands either way but he would throw hands even faster, and then proceed to tell everyone about the dream bc that is Not Normal even for chaos energy. I think the idea of a super form gaining sentience without being split from Scourge first would freak Sonic out and he'd make it a priority to try and suppress that chaos energy or get it out of Scourge entirely. Here's to hoping they could get it out of Scourge without it coming to life like Super did, though, or it would probably view Scourge as a villain to be dealt with. And, by extension, would have to fight the rest of the freedom fighters, too

I could see an evil super form trying to make a deal, but I also don't know if Scourge would trust it?? His instinct is to distrust and assume people are lying to him or trying to manipulate him, so even if he did take a deal, I don't think he'd trust his super form to hold up his end of the deal. He probably wouldn't tell the freedom fighters or Sonic about it, and he'd brush off any attempts to get rid of his chaos energy so his super form doesn't have an excuse to try and backstab him, but I think he'd be prepared for betrayal anyway and put back-up plans of his own in place. Scourge doesn't always think things through, but he isn't stupid; he'd be well aware he'd be entirely reliant on his super form's mercy, and he'd hate that. So he'd come up with a plan, even if he didn't tell Sonic about it

Ahjdhjsdjh smh the super forms will never realise all they need to do to get in Scourge's good graces is fix his ankles

[beast-towers]

The sounds of laughter and groans of pain echoed in the halls. Seeing cell doors with tiny bar windows, peeking in to only be greeted with people laughing maniacally and tried to grab one of the teens. Thankfully, they were unsuccessful… but they did succeeded in scaring the life out of the four. “Santa mierda hombre! The actual fuck did they do to these people?!” Tobias yelped, nearly falling down onto his butt.

“Remember the description of what the five stages were? This one is the Inoculator. Happy Jabs if I remember something similar to that…” Thomas did his best to explain, gripping both his guitar and metal pipe. “Dad, hope you are watching and protecting us... because holy shit we need that….” Tom thought to himself, but stopped as he and the others heard one of the Advocates yell out to them.

“Oooh!~ Are you here to JOIN US as well?! Oh please say you do! This place is AMAZING!” One spoke, as the twins immediate reaction is holding their fingers together to shape a cross.

“No señor, no queremos NADA de esa mierda. Gracias.” Said both of the brothers, as they used their bodies to hide Eleanor. Even she herself is very scared from what the Advocate spoke.

“I bloody hate this already… let’s try to find a control room or something so we can print a map and get out of h-h-here…” Eleanor quivered, she was honestly thankful that the brothers shielding her from the smiling advocate.

“Gotcha and I really agree with you Ellie… let’s keep going…” Thomas responded with uneasiness. Guiding them through the eerie halls full of echoing laughter, little did they know… something is now slowly and creepily approaching.

The four were able to find a laboratory, and a door to the Lab unfortunately had a key card reader… “Damn it. If we try to break a window we will be noticed in seconds…” Eleanor huffed as she investigated the lock, that was until Thomas had an idea.

“Wait, let me see if this one works.” Tom spoke as he pulled out a key card he stole. Now slide it to the lock; surprisingly it was accepted. Causing the door to open. ��For once pickpocketing worked…. Toby don’t tell mom about that.”

Toby pouted with disappointment at his brother. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that bro. But hey, I’ll just say you practiced for stuff like this. Anyway…” Tobias entered to see who is in the laboratory… but thankfully for all, it looked like everyone clocked out for tonight. “All good.”

The group entered the lab. Eleanor instantly went over to the documents and information about the advocates; while the brothers began to dig for a map. Yet they found syringes filled with a yellow chemical. Tom felt a chill running down his spine, but as for Toby, he felt his head lightly spinning which caused him to groan in a bit of pain. Shaking his head as he held it.

“Toby? Are you okay bro?” Thomas asked worriedly as he rushed over to Tobias. Instantly snapping Toby out of it.

“Y-Yeah… Yeah! I’m good! Sorry… I guess this place is finally making me sick.” Toby responded, quickly recovering as he smacked his head to focus. “I’m okay, I’m finally good now. Lets keep looking.”

Thomas was worried, but seeing his brother recover putting his head back into the zone gave him peace. “Gotcha bro, and hey, if you are feel sick again don’t hesitate to tell us. Maybe Ellie has something to help or we’ll take a break. Okay?” Thomas gave a soft smiled to his brother.

“Of course! And thanks for looking out for me bro..” this caused Tobias to copy the same goofy smile. Finally heading back to search for a map…

Ein was sniffing around and guarding Ellie while the boys looked around. Soon, his ears perked up along with his fur; growling deeply as something or someone was approaching. Getting Eleanor’s attention very quickly.

“Thomas! Tobias! Someone is coming! Hide!” She quietly yelled out, causing the brothers to stop what they’re doing and take cover. Hiding under the desks as they hear footsteps… and the security key lock beeping… someone is here…

To be continued….

[morphemeta]

gakuto oshiro. cis man. he/him. bisexual. ⇝ hey, isn’t that hirokazu 'kaz' amuro ? i think that the forty-six year old from okinawa, japan works as a city council member & owner of dracula's coffin club, but outside of that people describe them as shelves of leatherbound books, artworks hanging in gilded frames, expensive vintage wines in their rack and not a thing out of place; a dark room illuminated only by the flicker of candlelight; an old photo album, full of snaps from a disposable camera, hidden away in the back of a forgotten closet; crisp suits, expensive jewellery, an image so perfectly designed as to be uncanny; strong posture, total control of the room, a gaze sharp enough to dissuade any arguments . i hear they are manipulative & a control freak, but they are also known to be sentimental & artistic . consider giving them a visit at their home in the winterwood estates and get to know why they’re called the tormented.

IMPORTANT LINKS: will be added when they're ready!

TW: emotional neglect in childhood, disappearance/death of a loved one??

just to make my intentions with this character very clear before we get any further, this guy SUCKS. he's meant to be somewhat antagonistic and just all-round not that great a guy. sure, he probably has his redeeming features & he was a decent person at some point but :) time changes ppl, i guess! i feel like he's probably pretty amicable and decent on the surface but he's also very two-faced so it's like...Be Careful <3 also, i have no particular want to plot any active ships for this character. this isn't because of a lack of interest on his part, it's just because i don't necessarily want to write, or think it's appropriate to rp, what would definitely be a very toxic relationship! also he's definitely still in love with a person who's been missing for twenty years so there's also that. anyway, that's my little note done. read away! also! unlike most of my other muses (except ash), this is a new character i'm writing just for anchorage so please keep in mind a lot of stuff is generally subject to change. i'm going to try and work out the kinks as i go but this intro might not stay 100% totally accurate.

BASICS.

His full name is Hirokazu Amuro (安室洋一) but he started going by Kaz for short once he moved to the States in his late teens. It just kind of stuck. I imagine his nickname growing up would have been 'Hiro'.

Kaz was born in Okinawa City, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan and is of direct Okinawan descent. Kaz may describe himself as Japanese for simplicity's sake but he considers himself Okinawan first & Japanese second. (Okinawans/Ryukyuans are an unrecognised ethnic minority in Japan & are ethnically/culturally distinct from the mainland Japanese majority BUT that's all I'll say on the matter bc this is a topic on which I am not qualified to speak & that presumably requires far more nuance than should be squeezed into an rp intro hehe)

He speaks Japanese (standard & Okinawan dialects) and English fluently, and he knows a little Uchinaaguchi. I imagine he knows some other languages too, I just haven't settled on that. I think he's very interested in cultures and language.

As a council member, he dedicates a lot of his attention to the Arts sector, having taken it upon himself to oversee the relevant funding and the like. He's very invested in the arts and considers it a matter of great personal interest. Kaz is also a known patron/doner of the Hanging Arts Gallery and paid out of his own pocket to financially support certain productions of the Single Carrot Theatre, especially due to his history with the venue. This has given him a reputation for being philanthropic but it largely comes from a place of self-interest and satisfying his own wants and needs.

Similarly, he's donated money to publications such as the Anchorage Daily Diem under the guise of support but the reality is that he has built up a good rapport with news outlets so as to give him more control over how he's portrayed in the media. Money speaks. And money can make sure that you don't speak.

This is a recurring issue, for the record. He very much needs to be in control of things. He's not especially power-hungry, and is quite content to sit back and let things play out without him lifting a finger, but he likes to be the one putting pawns in their places to ensure things go his way. Obviously, his success here will vary but, again, this is just how he likes things to be.

All this to say, he's kind of a known eccentric, hence his ownership of the Coffin Club. What can I say? He likes spooky shit. On top of that, the way he presents himself in public is so particular and perfect and poised that it's a little uncanny. I think he probably comes off a little unsettling.

I imagine he might clash with his fellow council members at times because he prefers to speak directly and he's kind of condescending, especially if he disagrees with you on something. He holds grudges too and is the type to start playing Devil's Advocate just to rile someone up because he happens to dislike them. He also doesn't have much issue just insulting people SO UH....

He likes screwing with people. I really picture him as the type of guy to pour a glass of red wine over someone's head in order to humiliate and belittle them.

Insufferable rich man.

CHILDHOOD

Hirokazu was born, on 13th October 1978, as the second of two children, the only son, of a wealthy family. His father was in business, as his father had been before him, and his mother was a homemaker who had also come from a wealthy background. It was tolerant but largely loveless marriage, the couple having come together at the behest of their respective families (who had been primarily concerned with what the union might do for their collective reputations). It is hard to say that the Amuro children grew up surrounded by much warmth but they were comfortable.

The expectations placed on the two Amuro children were high, particularly for Hirokazu who had been deigned the obvious sucessor to his father's work. They were raised in a strict home where studying well to impress the parents was the be-all-and-end-all. They had strict curfews and were forbidden from the sort of hobbies their parents considered frivolous and a waste of time. If the children weren't working to improve themselves for future job prospects, they were wasting time.

Fortunately for Hirokazu, he was a clever and studious child and never struggled much in this regard. He was also a voracious reader and, to his good luck, this was considered an acceptable hobby. He was known to spend hours at the library down the road from his family home. It was just about the only source of entertainment to which he had easy access.

In his early teen years, he grew irritated with this constrictive lifestyle, of only doing and reading and even thinking this that had been approved of by his family. The first step in breaking free was a very, very small one indeed: he deliberately hunted out the pulpiest, schlockiest book he could find in the entire library, a beaten-up and dog-eared old copy of some horror anthology, and found himself hooked. The entire genre was such a far cry from the world in which he lived, full of freaks and weirdos and people who obeyed none of the rules. This led to him reading more and more horror, and then to him sneaking away to the local arthouse cinema where they'd show strange and splattery flicks imported all the way from places like Italy. Here, he learned that he didn't really want to follow in his father's footsteps. Business bored him but art fascinated him.

In his first year of high school, at the age of sixteen, Hirokazu took it upon himself to form and appoint himself leader of the school's new Horror Literature Club. The membership was small but the attendance was strong. (It should be of note that the small attendance was also what justified his position as leader, despite being a first year.) This was also Hirokazu's very first taste of leadership. He'd never been an outgoing child and was usually left alone by other children but he found that, suddenly, people listened when they believed he was important. This stint lasted until halfway through his second year of high school, at which point his father found out what he'd been doing and forced him to withdraw from the club altogether.

The new opening in his schedule would be filled with more studying. After all, he needed to get into a good uni if he wanted to maintain any respect in this family and his father wasn't just going to pay his children's way. If they couldn't earn their education on their own merits, they were no children of his. And, so, Hirokazu studied and studied until he secured himself a spot at a top university in Tokyo, studying Business (a decision made for him by his family). Because his sister had also gotten into a good women's university in the city a couple years prior, the family left the tropical climate of Okinawa behind and moved to Tokyo.

EARLY ADULT YEARS

Two years into his time at Uni, at the age of nineteen, he was offered the chance to take part in an exchange program that would send him to New York for a year. Eager, if not desperate, to get away from his parents, Hirokazu jumped at the opportunity. His father considered it a good chance for Hirokazu to branch out and network and so he approved it. Along with a good friend from Tokyo, Hirokazu made the move and immediately set to work on forging his own path, living his own for the very first time.

His actual education was of minor concern and Hirokazu immediately threw himself into the nightlife. He found himself at home in more alternative groups and more artistic spaces, even beginning to dabble in poetry himself. He surrounded himself bands and poets and artists, adopted the name Kaz and stayed out all night shoving fuck know what kind of substances into his body. He'd become a free sprit; the idea of rebellion had long since crossed his mind, so far had he come from those repressive beginnings.

And, then, he met them. They were just another member of Kaz's wider circle but, from the moment he laid eyes on them, he was infatuated. They would often break free from the rest of their circle in the wee hours of the morning to steal away private moments. At age twenty, Kaz had fallen in love for the first time and he fallen quite hard.

It was 1999 now and the two had been officially dating for quite some time. Kaz had made the decision to remain in New York and finish out his education there, having graduated that very year. He ignored his father's demands that he move back home and take up a position working alongside him. His partner mentioned wanting to up north somewhere for New Year's Eve, in the hopes of seeing the Northern Lights as the new millenium rolled in and, so, Kaz surprised them with a two week trip up to Anchorage.

During this trip, the two grew very fond of the strange town and decided to take root there, having found themselves feeling otherwise lost in life after graduating. Thanks to Kaz's wealthy background, they were able to buy a home in Delilah's Gated Den without any trouble. Kaz took up a job handling the finances for the Single Carrot theatre, believing it to be the ideal way to pursue his love of the arts while still making good use of his business degree.

In 2004, when Kaz was twenty-five, their partner disappeared. Another statistic in Anchorage's endless list of missing people. The news hit Kaz like a ton of bricks, his reality seeming to chip and crack around him. He was forced to watch, helpless, as those in charge seemed to do nothing, not a finger lifted for any casuality in the town. Unable to let go of his missing loved one and determined to prove that they were still out there, Kaz left his position at the theatre behind after five years of work and moved into local government. He would work his way up the ranks and find the answers he was after.

ADULT YEARS

After years of hard work, such hard work that it had bordered on obsession, Kaz had become a member of the Anchorage City Council. He was on top and he had access to everything he needed. That was when he learned about the Miroir, and that was when he had learned about their miroir. The cracks that had formed all those years ago splintered beyond repair. Shattering. The vague hopes onto which he had clung for so long twisted and contorted into something like rage and resentment. The journey he had taken to get to this point had already changed him for the worse, the years spent following only one trail blinding him to anything that did not serve his own interests, but this would only push him over the edge.

Separately from this, somewhere along the line he took it upon himself to start a small business of his own: Dracula's Coffin Club. Of course, his love of horror was never forgotten and this little shop is a testament to that. He's often too busy to do any work in the shop itself but it's sort of a little passion project for him. He still likes to write poetry in his own time too but that's a very private business. (SORRY THIS IS SUCH A SHIFT IN TONE LMAOO I DIDN'T KNOW WHERE ELSE TO PUT IT </3)

As for his family, they fell out with him during his Single Carrot years but, having caught wind of his successes in local government, they eventually changed their tune. Kaz was understandably not impressed with this but has tried to stay in their good books out of a desire to remain on his father's will. (His belief is that he deserves to be compensated for having this man as a father.) His sister has since taken his place as their father's successor, having proven herself a perfectly capable businesswoman, and has a family of her own whereas his mother has had some success in launching her own jewellery business. Kaz does not take any interest in their affairs.

[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers LOST EDEN ー Carla Ecstasy [Epilogue]

ー The scene starts in the entrance hall of the Vibora Castle

Zweig: People of the Vibora. Listen!

In our midst right now is the Princess who descends from our very own Demon Lord,

as well as the one and only Eve, chosen by none other than Karlheinz-sama himself!

*Clap clap clap*

Yui: It’s a pleasure to meet you...

( ...They’re all looking at me with eyes full of respect. )

( This is Cordelia-san’s doing and not my own though... )

Zweig: Due to her assistance, our Clan has decided to form an alliance with the Founders and the Ghouls!

We have gained an immense amount of power, we might as well be invincible now!

Therefore, I believe we should be the one’s reigning over the Demon World! We shall start by declaring war upon the Vampire Clan!

ー The Vibora rejoice

Zweig: Commence the preparations at once! Victory is within our grasp!

Yui: ( They will fight against the Vampires at lastーー )

( Since I’m also part of this alliance, that includes me as well, right? )

( I knew that but it leaves me feeling conflicted... )

ー The scene shifts to the guest room

Vibora B: Thank you for your hard work. Please rest up here for a while.

Yui: Excuse me...Is there nothing I should do? 

Vibora B: No, not in particular. It is the soldiers’ duty to perform in the war. 

The generals - lead by Zweig-sama - will be in charge of giving out the orders.

Yui: ...

( Which means I’ll just be sitting here...? )

Then I don’t need to be here, do I?

Vibora B: Excuse me?

Yui: Please, would you let me return to Banmaden? 

Vibora B: No, I cannot do that.

Yui: Eh? Why not?

Vibora B: Zweig-sama and you are the leading powers in his alliance. 

It would be trouble if one of you were to disappear. Please, do not leave this room without permission. 

Yui: ...I see.

( I vaguely expected this, but I guess it’s no use after all... )

ー The scene shifts to the outside of Banmaden

Kino: Hey, guys. I’ve got fantastic news to share today.

Male Ghoul B: Eh? What do you mean by fantastic news? Hurry up and tell us, Kino-sama!

Kino: Fufu. Relax, okay? At last, time has come for us to rise to the top!

Male Ghoul C: ...? What do you mean by that?

Kino: Good question. I guess you could say we’re going to flip the hierarchy upside down?

Male Ghoul C: ...?

Kino: You guys know that the Founder King is suffering from a severe illness, right? But you see, his health has reached an all-time low.

Male Ghoul B: As in...?

Kino: In other words, it has reached its terminal stage. He can barely get out of bed still, as he’s basically just waiting for the moment he takes his final breath.

Male Ghoul C: ...It’s that bad?

Kino: Yeah. But that’s ideal to us, isn’t it?

I mean, once we get rid of his younger brother Shin, this Castle will be ours.

ー The Ghouls make a commotion

Kino: Shin worked you guys to the bone, didn’t he?

Male Ghoul A: Exactly. We had to train day in, day out, we were utterly exhausted. 

I mean, that was fine at first. But he kept on expecting more and more of us. To be honest, we simply couldn’t keep up...

We were constantly covered in cuts and bruises. I’d love to get back at that guy one day.

Kino: See!? Don’t you think you’d be much happier without that heartless jerk around?

Male Ghoul A: ...

Male Ghoul C: Well, I guess...

Male Ghoul B: When you put it like that...

Kino: I mean, once he’s out of the way, Banmaden will actually be our very own Paradise?

You’ll have the place all to yourself, without being controlled by anyone. Wouldn’t that be fantastic!? 

Male Ghoul C: ...A Paradise just for us...

Male Ghoul A: That means we’d be able to live freely...without receiving orders from anyone, right?

Kino: Yeah, yeah! Freedom at its finest!

Male Ghoul C: Freedom, huh? ...Sounds great!

Male Ghoul B: That means we won’t have to bow our heads to those Founders anymore, you know?

Male Ghoul A: We always believed that we had to live our lifes being used by others but...I guess that will no longer be necessary then...

Male Ghoul C: That sounds great. I’ve always envied people who could live that way...!

Male Ghoul B: Okay! Hey, guys! Let’s enjoy our lives here together!

Male Ghoul A: Yes, let’s do that! We’ll turn Banmaden into our new homeland!

Kino: Seems like you’re all on the same page now. But before that, there’s one final important task left to do. You don’t mind that, do you?

Male Ghoul A: Yes, of course not!

Male Ghoul C: The future will smile upon us as long as we succesfully complete that duty, right? We’ll try our best!

Male Ghoul B: Yeah, count us in! This is all for the sake of our happiness!

Kino: We’ll put our plan into action tonight, once that guy has gone to bed. I’m counting on you guys, okay?

ー The scene shifts to Shin’s room

Shin: Zz, zz...

Kino: ...Okay. Let’s go, guys!

ー The Ghouls storm into his room

Male Ghoul A: You little!

*THUD*

Shin: Ugh...! Uwahーー!? 

...What’s happening...!? 

Male Ghoul B: To hell with you!!

*THUD*

Shin: Uguh...!!

Male Ghoul C: Yaah!!

*THUD*

Shin: Guah...!!

*Thud* 

Shin: Kuh, the muscles in my right arm are...What has gotten into you guys...!? 

Kino: Yeah; Aiming for your dominant hand first was a great idea.

Shin: ...! Kino, so you’re the one behind this...!!

Kino: Tell me, Shin. Despite being a Founder as well, you aren’t very popular, are you? 

Shin: Excuse me...!?

Kino: You’re finding yourself in this position right now because you were too harsh on everyone, you see?

Do you know what they call take? ‘You reap what you sow’. 

Shin: You little...You really think you’re getting away with that!?

Kino: Come on guys, kill him. This eyepatch bastard can barely fight back at this point. 

Male Ghoul B: Roger!!

Shin: ...!!

*TIMESKIP*

Shin: Haah, haah...

Kino: Ahaha! As to be expected of a Founder. Seems like you’re tougher than I thought.

Shin: ( ...I have to let Nii-san know about this somehow...! )

Male Ghoul A: Die!!

Shin: ( I guess they’re getting lost in the moment, that’s quite the large swing. But it’s okay, I should be able to dodge...! )

*Cling* 

Shin: Ugh...!

Male Ghoul A: Uwah!!

Shin: ( Okay! He lost his balance, so now’s my chance...! ) 

ー Shin runs off

Male Ghoul A: Wait!!

ー The scene shifts to Carla’s room

*Thud* 

Shin: Nii-san...!!

Carla: Ugh...

*Rustle* 

Carla: What’s the matter, Shin...? What happened...?

Shin: The Ghouls are revolting...It’s all Kino’s doing...

ー Kino walks up them

Kino: That’s right, Mr. Founder King. I’m the one who came up with this entire plan.

Shin: ...Kino...!!

Kino: Thanks for explaining the situation on my behalf, Mr. Eyepatch. I have no more use for you.

Fufu. See you!!

*STAB*

*Splatter* 

Shin: Gufuh...!!

Carla: Shin...!!

Kino: ...Just bite the dust alreadyーー!

*STAB*

*Splatter* 

Shin: Uguh...!!

...Nii-sa...

ー Shin collapses

*Thud* 

Carla: ...

Kino: Phew~ He’s a First Blood after all. So I can’t cut corners. 

Although I’m sure even a Founder will die after being stabbed through the heart that many times, no?

*Thud* 

Kino: Aah, seems like it did the trick. I mean look, I can kick him or step on him all I want, he gives zero reaction.

Well, I guess even a Founder is done for once dead. Ahaha, serves you right!

Carla: You fiend...How dare you kill Shin...!

*Rustle* 

Kino: What’s this~? Seems like your body won’t move at all even though you want to get up? What’s wrong?

Carla: Kuh...

Kino: Well then, with the Founder King out of commission, Banmaden is as good as mine. 

Carla: Do not be ridiculous...As if this Castle will ever be yours...!

Kino: Oh dear. What are you saying? You’re going to kick the bucket soon anyway.

Carla: ...Kino...!!

Kino: Haha. I guess you can’t move after all. I guess I can just leave you be then.

Just sit back and enjoy the show, okay? It’d make a fine memory to take with you to the afterlife. Ahahaha...!

Monologue

The Vibora Clan declared war upon the Vampires,

and the war broke out.

The Vampire Clan has stormed the Vibora Castle,

as intense battles continue to be fought.

However, admist all of that,

we were informed that an internal discord had taken place at Banmaden,

which let to the Ghouls occupying the Castle,

with Kino-kun serving as their leaderーー

ー The scene shifts to the entrance hall at the Vibora Castle

Yui: Haah, haah, haah...!

( Is it true that Banmaden has been taken over? )

( Is Carla-san safe? How could this happen when Shin-kun was supposed to be there...!? )

Haah...Either way, I have to get out of here...!!

( I have to go to Banmaden, no matter whatーー ... ! )

ー The scene shifts to the forest

Yui: Where am I...?

( I’m glad I managed to use the fights to my advantage to flee the Castle but I have no idea how to make it back to Banmaden... )

Carla-san...

( If Banmaden has been attacked, then what ifーー )

...No. Now’s not the time to think about that. I have to make it back as soon as possibleーー!

*Flap flap flap*

Yui: ...?

( What’s this sound...!? )

???: Oi, there she is! Over there!

Yui: ( Eh? It’s coming from aboveーー )

???: Okay! Let’s take her to the Sakamaki Castle!

Yui: ( The Sakamaki Castle...? Then these people are Familiars from the Vampire Clan ーー )

*Thud* 

Yui: Kyaah!!

ー Yui is taken away

*Flap flap flap* 

Yui: ( I-I’m up in the air...! )

*TIMESKIP*

ー The scene shifts to the living room of the Sakamaki Castle

Yui: Shuu-san, Reiji-san...

( Right, they said something about Shuu-san being the new heir of the family, right? )

Reiji: Long time no see, but I believe the two of us would be considered enemies under the current circumstances. 

Yui: ...

Shuu: ...I heard you were at Banmaden though.

When did you move to the Vibora Castle? And why are you a leading power in this war?

Yui: Wellーー

ー She explains everything to them

Shuu: ...I see. I guess it makes sense why you’d be used in such a way, considering the person your heart belongs to. 

Reiji: And after you left for the ally’s Castle, a rebellion took place at the other one. I see.

Yui: ( ...Right now I am an ally of the Vibora. )

( It doesn’t make sense to ask the enemy for help. ...But. )

( This is the only option I have...! )

Shuu-san, I’m begging you. Would you please take me to Banmaden...!?

Shuu: ...

Yui: I have to return to Banmaden. If not, Carla-san will...!

Reiji: Komori Yui. Do you have any idea what you are asking of us right now?

Yui: I do...I believe.

Reiji: Hah.If you are aware, then I hope you realize just how imprudent you are.

Yui: ...

( There is nothing I can say to that... )

Shuu: Would we gain anything from taking you to Banmaden?

Yui: Gain...

...You wouldn’t.

Reiji: Haah...Then what makes you think we would agree to your offer?

Yui: ( Right... )

Shuu: ...Heh.

Pfft...Haha...Ahahaha...!

Reiji: Shuu...?

Shuu: Hehe...You really are one silly girl.

Fine. I just gotta take you to Banmaden, correct?

Yui: Eh...? You don’t mind...?

Reiji: Shuu! Are you out of your mind!?

Shuu: Haha, rest assured. I know what I’m doing.

Anyway, I’ll have my Familiars escort you to Banmaden. Pass this message to Carla from me once you get back there.

Yui: ? What should Iーー

Shuu: Tell him to leave me alone, since I’d like to avoid trouble.

Yui: ( Which means they won’t fight as long as Carla-san doesn’t make the first move...!? )

Shuu-san...! Thank you so much...!!

Reiji: Shuu...

You are way nicer of a guy than a thought. Very much so.

Shuu: ...I don’t dislike weirdos. That’s all. 

Reiji: ... It all depends on how you put it. 

ー The scene shifts to the forest

Yui: ( Wait for me, Carla-san. I’m on my way...!! )

ー The scene shifts to the outside of Banmaden

Yui: ( I made it... )

( Banmaden is currently in hands of Kino-kun and his gang. )

( I have to make it to Carla-san without being spotted by them...! )

ー She runs off into the Castle

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

[marithlizard]

Helluva Boss s2e4: thoughts while watching

People who do full actual liveblogging with screenshots have my great respect, this took forever!

The official description for this episode is "Striker exists and things sure do happen".   Amazingly, it does _not_ set a record for vagueness.

- Pfft that restaurant.  "Where the poor pour for you!"   And I'm willing to bet it has never occurred to Stolas that Blitzo is very aware he belongs on the pouring side and has opinions about that.

- OMG the poor tiny imp holding up a coffee pot bigger than he is.  New theory:  the staff at places like this often sell the the juicy tidbits of information they pick up from wealthy demons who think of them as furniture.  Perhaps Stolas' butler does too and that's why he was at Ozzies.  ...Spymaster butler, now that's going in a future fic somewhere.

- "C U next Tuesday"?  Is the subtitle reading off a text message we can't see?  Maybe from Blitzo?  (TY those who told me afterwards it’s an attempt to discreetly subtitle a cut line.)

- DEAL AT OZZIES  we were right! we were all right!

- Bombproof riding down the street.  Coffeepot imp,  you can see him coming, get out of the way.

- "Stop making this harder to bullshit"  I was not expecting to like Andrealphus at all, but I have to appreciate the way he is so obviously done with his sister's lack of impulse control.

- Hey, that lady is part succubus and part shark demon. I think? 

- Stella was not at all concerned that bullet would hit her, even though it came within inches.  Meaning those pistols aren't angelic.

- Nice quick reflexes from Stolas. Goodness, that bullet went through his hat.  

- that lady has an imp in her purse!  Imps have a much wider size range than I thought. Either that or Goetia magically shrink them for convenience. Hell would be an accessibility nightmare for someone that small...

- The barista seems to be a different type of demon, sort of goat-ish?

- Hey, that's a wanted poster of Striker

- Blitzo’s ringtone is now 500% more subtle than it was in Murder Family. He does learn.

- Huh. Loona looks scared and M&M look worried, and it has nothing to do with the incoming phone call. Are the theories about Loona being sick right?

- "I'm sorry it's a bad time yet again Blitzy"   So Blitzo has been avoiding Stolas since Ozzie’s. I wondered, since in Seeing Stars we saw a calendar with a question mark on their meeting day.

- ooohhhhh Loona is terrified of shots.  Interesting that M&M are coming along, given the hostile relationship between Moxxie and Loona.  He’s not mocking her and she’s so scared she doesn’t even care about him witnessing her humiliation.  Blitzo is probably making everyone behave through sheer boss willpower.

- He's in mortal peril and you don't even seem slightly worried and you're not going to come save him?  I think we fans may have been overestimating Blitzo's feelings for Stolas, at least the conscious ones. 

- I mean, not that Stolas’ perky  "I think you should come save me" isn't full of tonedeaf assumptions itself.

- It took 5 years to get an appointment for this?  Okay, that says two things. Hell's healthcare system is as bad as I thought, and Blitzo has been trying to get Loona this shot since the day they met.

- She's been doing a lot of field work? I guess we have seen her on Earth 3 times so far, and there may have been more.

- "Oh shit. Am I in danger right now?"  STOLAS FOR FUCK'S SAKE

- Okay, now Blitzo is properly alarmed. And he starts to ditch the vital health appointment without hesitation.  And he's appropriately concerned for M&M, too.  Good job.

- Moxxie really does sound just like his dad sometimes.

- St Ans. Is the name a play on Satan, even though Satan rules the Wrath ring and this is Sloth?  

- Motel 666 keychain,  horseshoe and a key with a heart.  Blitzo probably does one night stands at that motel.

- Now what are those roundish gray demons?  They don't look like any type we've seen before. (ETA: They’re from Envy, someone said?)

- Notice on bulletin board:  "In search of kidney, I need your help, not a scam, call Chuck".  

- I like the plant with its closed eyes and exaggerated long eyelashes.  A big theme for Sloth, evidently, given the similar eyes decorating the building everywhere.

- Sign on wall:  Soothing sleep, sounds and light - Appointment status FULL - purchase at our gift shop. Wonder what that is.

- No cameras sign, but what's the other one prohibiting? Looks like a vial of potion?  (TY those who said holy water. I’m not sure why anyone would have that in Hell, yikes.)

- AHAHAHA fourth wall acknowledgement that people really hated the slur in the pilot.  (When I was a kid that word was hurled all over the playground right along with “gay” and “faggot” and “slut” and “moron” and others.  It’s always been an insult but I had no idea it was now considered so horrible as to be unspeakable even in the midst of the whole breathtakingly WTF inappropriate profanity of the pilot, while other words are still used or even reclaimed. Attitudes and norms change over time and language is more fluid than people tend to realize.)

- Wow, Blitzo in the process of drawing on the nurse when he realizes there's a witness looking very pointedly at him.

- Oh, poor Loona....all her bristly fuck-you energy is gone. She actually looks slightly reassured by his cosseting!   (I have a feeling it's going to turn out to be a horrible giant painful thing though, no matter what he assures her.)

- Striker has a fan group literally singing his praises who were waiting for him to pass by.  I feel I should not be surprised.

- Wait how literally are we supposed to take this? They know the plan.  Okay no this is some real Monty Python energy and I love it (Sir Robin’s bards, anyone?) and it should make clear to all that some things about this show are in Silly Logic territory. Which has been part of the core concept since the start, but I sometimes forget when the relationships and emotions are so real.

- He has a lair. and a statue of himself.  We knew he was an egotistical git but it makes him seem less cool to know he puts so much deliberate effort into his coolness.

- Ahahaha no it's NOT deliberate, he doesn’t want the fan singers, and that makes it even better.

- And Stolas is a bit intrigued by the theme song, you can't tell me he's not

- ...Welp, time to walk back all those reassurances to reactors that I.M.P doesn't really kill kids and that was just a pilot thing.  Yikes Blitzo. Would he really have pulled the trigger, I wonder?

- "SAME HAT"  why do I feel like this is referencing the tumblr meme

-  They're tiny now!  Maybe size changing magic is a thing some imps can have, sure, let’s go with that. 

- Moxxie taking out three demons more than twice his size in the background, in feral melee style just like his wife.  And matter-of-factly pumping gas while doing it, that’s SO badass.

- That is a Blitzo drawing Millie is showing off, dyslexic R and the distinctive style. Blitzo had a doodle of Striker in the car.  He probably keeps a sketchbook there? I’d love to flip through it, that’d make a great comic/animatic. 

- "Very outlaw aeshetic"

- "Wouldn't a holy bullet have sufficed? Or could you not afford those?"  I knew this would be addressed.

- "Is the giant statue of yourself also a classic, or..."   Salty Stolas is the best. Is it just me, or has he picked up a very Blitzo style of trash talk?

- I mean Striker isn't wrong, here, and in another situation I'd be on his side.

- RESPECT.  Stolas just took just another angelic stab wound without even flinching and handed back snark in equal measure.

-  I wonder if he's telling the truth and their S&M play is that vicious. The bear traps thing suggests Stolas likes serious pain, but I didn't get an angry contemptuous vibe from their interactions in Truth Seekers or Harvest Moon.  Fond, if anything.

- The hut-sized Fortress of Solitude look of Andrealphus' place is kind of silly, but I do really like the icy feathers.

- So Andrealphus wasn't in on the Striker thing. And he doesn't seem at all concerned about Stella losing all her status and wealth.  These two may be close but it's not the genuine family love we see between our protagonists.

- So Stolas does have legions? I still cannot picture him as any kind of war leader, as fierce as he can be when provoked. Must know more.

- "A Goetia's never behaved like this before" - interesting.   Probably not true and past indiscretions have been hushed up, but Andrealphus seems to believe it, which means not many and very well hushed up.

- "Eternity is a a long time"  - so Goetia do live forever?  That's very unfortunate for Stolitz. :(   Don’t like that idea at all. It also means that unless we're handwaving all practical considerations - which we might be -  something is weird about the Goetia. Why does Paimon have so many kids if they won't age and die naturally?  Are there tons of ancient birds cluttering up the place that we haven’t seen?  Or do they get winnowed out somehow? - Am I getting a Folger’s Crystals vibe here?  That wouldn't bother me (seriously, Game of Thrones had that going on and everybody but me was all over that show when it was airing, even the non-geeks, nobody batted an eye)  but it would be a suprising choice when the creators know how hypercritical the fanbase is.

- Ooh, thank goodness for cartoon logic or that van would be totaled.

- Oh my god Striker is tapping his foot to the beat.  He's into this fight. What a relief for him after dealing with Stolas and Stella who both refuse to stay on script.

- And he's so annoyed when the music changes to pop (with similar lyrics - is it the same song?) 

-  Moxxie taking a cue from Angel there. 

- I like the plague doctor masks on the EMTs.

- "He can get hurt?" Oh. Oh, hon.  You never thought he was actually in danger.  Not even after the Harvest Moon festival?  Did you not tell Stolas about that attempt because you downplayed it in your own mind to make yourself feel better?

-  the texts.  the texts.  Oh my GOD.  oh, sweetie, Stolas, oh.  He’s trying so hard and he is SO clueless. “come over and say mean things to me, haha, I always enjoy that...”   Flailing desperately to put a light positive spin on the situation, like he’s been doing his entire life.  But this time he doesn’t know what Blitzo wants to hear and his “lead with joy” style is not suited to the situation.

- This makes me feel better about Seeing Stars. There’s the missing context for their seemingly-effortless pretense that nothing is wrong in that episode. They already did the awkwardness over text.

- The whole ending sequence is heartwrenching, but not unexpected.  Next episode I hope we see the meeting with Ozzie to deal for the crystals, and perhaps some conversation about what it’s like to have a forbidden relationship.  Will Fizzarolli reveal a bit of why he hates Blitzo so, and tell Stolas he’s better off without him?

- Who are the flowers from, I wonder? Not Via’s style.

[creativecuteness]

One of a Kind Vamp Chapter 1: Multi-fandom Madness

Summary: A Rainy day at White Chapel is perfect for a lazy day of watching TV and indulging in hobbies with a good friend. Or Dakota wants to know what other interests Rory has other than Sci-fi.

(I know nothing about Star Wars and Star Trek so that's why this chapter doesn't follow the full prompt.)

“Hey, Rory, what are you into?”

Rory’s focus on the TV was shattered as he turned his attention to his best friend, Dakota Natalie. It was a mundane afternoon, a calming rainy day where Rory didn’t feel like leaving the house; not even Benny or Ethan felt like leaving the comfort of their warm beds. deciding today was a perfect lazy Saturday, and for once, Rory agreed peace and quiet was a rarity in Whitechapel. It was insane that the supernatural was living under their noses this entire time, and now that they got a taste of it, it seems it’s became unable to leave them alone—not that he minded. Becoming a vampire was one of the best things that has ever happened to him; however, that doesn’t mean he’s forgotten what it’s like to be normal like today.

Watching TV mindlessly: Check.

Popcorn and other snacks nearby: Check.

A best friend by his side who loves him more than anything: Check.

Dakota recently moved into town a few weeks ago and has become glued to Rory’s side since day one. He was very well aware of the younger girl’s crush on him, and if he was being honest with himself, he was thrilled to finally capture a girl’s heart with his irresistible personality, even if there was a ton the two didn’t know about each other yet.

“Sorry, I didn’t hear you. What did you say?”

Dakota, who was lying upside down, righted herself and looked at him. “I asked, What are you into?”

“Oh, that’s easy. I’m a huge Star Trek fan, though Star Wars is pretty cool too.”

“Well, that I know, you and Benny debate about it all the time; I rarely hear you talk about anything else. Surely you have other things you’re into.”

Rory smiled; he knew Dakota wasn’t a sci-fi fan or a Marvel or DC Comics fan. (To be fair, she always gave the blond Magical Girl vibes. He had to ask if she’s a fan of that genre.) But the fact she was interested in knowing what he was into made him grin ear to ear. It felt amazing having a friend who generally cared about his interests, even if she didn’t hold the same opinion.

Sure, Ethan and Benny did care; they’re best friends for a reason; however, they’ve known each other for so long that they know the ins and outs about their hobbies, favorite games, favorite shows, and even music tastes. So, it was nice to indulge in his latest obsessions with someone new, plus he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t interested in the things that caught Dakota’s eye.

“Well, you already know some of my top picks. I love sci-fi, superheroes, comic books, and video games. What else do you want to know?”

“What type of video games are you into? Shoot ‘em ups, RPG’s, racing games?”

“All of the above, really.” Rory replied, “Depends on the theme and controls, and I guess an engaging story helps too. But I’m normally cool with anything that catches my eye. What about you?”

“Well, as you know, I am a huge Kingdom Hearts fan, but I also love the classics like Mario, Kirby, and Pokémon. I never really got into Zelda and don’t like shoot-em-ups. However, I guess I’m like you; I like whatever catches my eye, regardless of genre.”

“What about TV shows? Have you ever engaged in any fandoms?” Rory wondered,

Dakota shook her head. “I lurk around at times and have dabbled in the fanfiction side of things, but I’ve never actively engaged in conversation over it. In fact, I tend to stay away from shows that have toxic fanbases. It ruins the show to the point where I can’t even touch it. As for the types of shows I like, it depends, but I prefer comedies. I hate crying in front of people, so I tend to stay away from anything that might be sad. The same goes for movies.”

“I feel you on the toxic fanbase thing; I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten into arguments online over the stupidest things. It’s gotten to the point where I don’t chat on those sites anymore.”

“What about fanfiction?”

Rory tilted his head side to side, “Sort of, I wrote a few self-insert fic’s when I was younger, but I’ve never posted anything. You should see my old stuff; it’s pretty cringe I don’t think I have the skills to write anything better. Plus, all my energy is focused on school right now.” The teenage vampire looked around to make sure his mother wasn’t in earshot and leaned close to whisper, “Not to mention keeping my vampire ninja identity a secret.”

Dakota burst out laughing. She knew how much Rory loved his new quote on quote superpowers; it was fun seeing all the creative ways he could take advantage of them. Not to mention, extremely adorable.

“Hey, do you know what cosplay is?” Rory questioned, forcing Dakota to calm her laughing fit.

“Yeah, I think I’ve heard of it; it’s like dress up but more detailed and expensive; do you do it?”

“No,” he stated simply, “I wish, but money for the material is way too expensive. Plus, with the DIY aspect of it, I could never I can’t even sew.”

“Emily or Cindy could help you with that. Emily’s really good at making clothes, and Cindy’s been known to dabble with it too; she’s great at the finer details, like smaller stitches.”

“Doesn’t Emily hate me?”

“She doesn’t hate you; she just hates the fact I have a crush on you."

“That doesn’t really help, but good to know.”

“Sorry.” She smiled sheepishly.

“Don’t worry about it; hey want to head up to my room and rock out to some music?”

“Sure! Whatchu got?” Dakota sang with a wink,

“Have you heard of the band Single Tear? They’re a heavy metal band I’m super into.”

Dakota grimaced, “Oh, I know them. Emily accidentally blasted one of their songs at three a.m. She was editing her vlog when the headphone wire fell out of the jack. Scared the living daylight out of us. Can’t say I’m a fan.”

And Rory couldn’t blame her in the slightest. “Yeah, their stuff isn’t for everyone. Do you have an artist in mind? I mean, aside from Alvin and the Chipmunks, which I’ll totally listen to if it means I can see more of your dance routines.”

Dakota blushed, feeling touched that Rory was becoming their biggest fan, but there was a different band she had in mind. “There is one band I wouldn’t mind listening to. You ever heard of the band Gorillaz? Emily and I stumbled upon them a while ago, and I’m obsessed. I cannot stop listening to them; they’re so good, man!”

Rory’s eyes lit up. How could he not know them? they were a favorite of his too. “Yeah, I know them; I didn’t think you’d be into that style of music.”

“Honestly, I didn’t either. But they’re so addictive, I can’t stop drumming on my knees whenever I listen to them.”

“Well, what are we doing sitting around here for? Ready to rock?” Rory asked, holding his hand out,

“Am I?! I’m ready to rock roll and lose control, my beloved.” She grinned, taking Rory’s hand, and he led her upstairs.

Sure, the two had different interests and may not have had the most in common, but Dakota never judged him for his geeky hobbies or brushed them off as weird or a waste of time. And for that, Rory was grateful to have such a chill and easy-going bestie.

Not to mention, knowing him better gives Dakota more reasons to add to her ever-growing list as to why she loves him.

[koolcece22]

Enter Venomgirl

Ch.14

Shade’s Pov 

I groaned as I hung up on Miguel, he’s on my Earth taking care of things, and Timothy is with him. I don’t like the fact that Timothy was there at my hideout too. He sneaks in when I’m not there to give me food and games. He knows that I don’t want anyone near me, but he also worries. Ano kusogaki…

I decided to just get some sleep, Kuro is knocked out and it’s night time on this Earth. For once I’m not hungry, not like can eat anyways when there’s hundreds of things on my mind. I took a deep breath to try to clear my mind and turn off feeling anything…until darkness washed over me.

“ Old man…what are we going to do…you don’t want me…to hunt him…down.”

“Patience _-_…we need him still…he has a great deal…with our work…hurt him…I’ll hurt… you…

What is this? I couldn’t tell if this was a dream or something else. I was looking through the eyes of Carnage. Looking down and seeing my body as a gooey red mass. There was someone in front of me sitting down talking to me or more like Carnage. I couldn’t make out their face.

“You promise once…this is over…he’s mine…”

I can hear the other man chuckling. It made me sick just listening to it. Something about it was so off it reminded me of…HER. 

“As long as it doesn’t interfere with business.”

~

I woke up in cold sweat. I couldn’t breath and my claws were out. My tendrils lashed at anything that was near it. I quickly took a few deep breaths to get my body back to normal. After a few minutes, the tendrails went back in and my hands were declawed. I groaned as I turned to Kuro who was laying on my back to see if I was ok. She didn’t say a word, guess that meant I was more worked up than I thought. 

Since I’m now up, I decided to just walk around this place. If I’m going to be stuck here for a while, I might as well try to learn the ins and outs. I got dressed and headed out of the lab, till I overheard someone.

“Hang on Miles, I’m sending help as soon as I can.”

It was Jess’s voice and she sounded distressed. I can hear her baby crying too. I can feel the fear coming from them and it was making my head spin. I walked up to her make sure she was ok.

“Uh Jess? Is something wrong?”

Jess turned to me with a worrying look in her eyes. She tried calming her baby who was crying probably because she didn’t like seeing her mom be stressed out. 

“Miles and Hobie are in trouble. The anomaly they were fighting is a Spot variant and a very dangerous one at that. They’re going to need back up cause he caused a ton of damage and is endangering so many lives.” She then pulled up a screen as we both saw Hobie and Miles struggle against a guy with no face and spouting holes from his body. 

“All the other spiders are busy and I don’t know who to send-”

“I’ll go.”

Jess looked up at me surprised. Before she could say anything, I transformed to my costume and put on my face mask.

“Look, I might not have full control of my powers or be as heroic as you guys, but I can’t let anyone who was nice to me get hurt. I would never let it down.” 

“Fine, I don't have much of a choice do I?” Jess asked without further argument. She got off the platform and opened a portal.

“You have your commuters watch? I’ll send you the location. and hurry to them. Got it?”

I nodded as I jumped in, with all the flashing lights and then before I knew it I landed on an Earth that reminded me of that Kirby game, the one with yarn. I landed on the very soft ground. It really looked like I’m teleported to the game. Then I heard screaming as I saw yarn people in a burning building caused by a yarn-like fire. I quickly rushed to it, seeing the building starting to collapse from the fire. I jumped in through the window to see Hobie keeping the building up while there were six yarn people near him. They were too scared to move. Hobie looked up at me, if it wasn’t for the mask, I could tell he was straining keeping the building up.

“Hey mate, finally someone got their bloody ass here.” He said still having time to joke while he and everyone around him are endangered. I quickly wrapped my tendrail arms around the six yarn people and Hobie and quickly got them out of the building as it collapsed and not a moment too soon. 

I looked around to see if everyone ok, once I knew they were ok, I ran to Hobie to check if he was ok. He was dusting himself off, and then I realized something.

“Hobie, where’s Miles?” I asked now, noticing he wasn’t with Hobie. 

“He’s fighting the Spot. Come on, we can’t leave him hanging.” He said as he swung away to lead me to Miles. I just hope he’s ok. I hoped to follow as fast he can as a black hole opened up in front of us and Miles was throw out of the hole. Hobie was able the catch him before he hit the ground. 

“Miles, mate! You ok?!” Hobie asked. Miles coughed and let out groan.

“I’ve been better man.” he said as got up, looking all beat up. A green spot opened up in front of us, then coming out of it was a guy that was covered in multi color spots all over his body and he had no face, only a pink hole.

“Well well well, and this was the great Spider-Man that took out the other me? Man you’re lame.” He said in a mocking tone.

“Yeah well you’re very colorful Spot, ate too many Skittles?” Miles said as he got in a fighting stance. I did the same as I brought my claws out and my eyes turned red to hyperfocus on my target. If he had a face he probably looked at me up and down.

“Whoo! You’re different! You sure your Spider-Woman?” 

“Who said I was?” 

“You’re not? Cool! I have no hang-ups kicking your ass a bit more!” he said as a red spot opened up and to my surprise flame came out from it. I dodged it but grazed my arm as I hissed in pain.

“Watch out! Each spot has a different element come out of it and he’s immune to glitching!” Miles said as he dodging an black and white hole. Hobie was dodging water from the blue holes. Miles threw something at me. “Catch!” I caught it and saw it was like bracelet similar to the one I wore when I first got dragged into this mess.

“We have get this on him. It’ll disable his spots.” Miles then went invisible, but this Spot guy caught on and summoned a bunch of multicolored spots around us. 

“Not this time you brat!!” he roared as a bunch of spots unleashed things at us. Water, fire,air, ice, lighting, and earth all at once. Hobie grabbed me while I shield myself with the tendrils. 

“The fucking cunt is almost worse then Miles’s Spot.”

“He has his own Spot?” I asked. Hobie just smirked, but I then saw another hole open underneath him and a giant iceberg came out of it. It hit him on the chin and lauched him far.

“Hobie!!” I called to him as watch him get hurt. I can hear the muilticolored Spot guy laugh twistedly.

“Serves him right. Not bringing out that other brat before I-” I didn’t let him finish as I charged at him on all fours and pinned him down to the ground. If he had a face he’d look surprised. I pinned all his limbs to ground, so hard that I could feel his bones cracking, not like care at this point. I saw a yellow hole open in front of my face knowing something about come out from it, but before something could come out,  Miles came out of nowhere and placed the bracelet on the Spot.

“Got you, you knock-off heifer!” Miles said out breath. Guessed he dodged the hole too. He then placed a cage device on the Spot which caused him disappear. I got up then both me and Miles rushed to Hobie to check on him to see if he ok. Hobie was still on the ground trying to get up but couldn’t.

“Hobs, you good man?” 

“Had better days mate. My spider-sense was so off from that guy.”

“Me too.” Miles tried to get Hobie up by putting his arm around his shoulder. I got the other arm as we walked to the portal that one of them made. 

“The clean up crew will be here. Let’s take him back to my place.”

I nodded. Not like I have a choice anyway.

Miguel’s Pov 

“Does your watch have alien games on it?” Timothy asked me his tenth question. I just rolled my eyes. When will this kid stop calling me an alien? Lyla was getting a kick out of this and recording this rare conversation I was having with a child, with me scolding them. I decided to look at the map of the area. From the factory, the Alchemax HQ wasn’t too far from here. The other noteworthy thing was that there was a castle nearby. 

“Hey! That’s the Castel Sant’Angelo! That’s where the Empress lives.”

“You guys have an Empress?” I asked all we knew about this Earth is what horrible things Alchamax and their Spider-Woman had done, but I didn’t want to explore this deep on this Earth. 

“Yea! Wait. there's no alien queen you follow?” Timothy asked as his tentacles grabbed another snack from the bag. 

“No, for the last time, I’m not an alien. Dios mío.”  I said. 

Soon two alerts went off, one from my watch, and the other from Timothy’s phone. We both looked down at our devices. 

“ Alert! Alert! Anomaly located on Earth-2424. Variant: the Vulture”

I groaned, why is it always a shocking Vulture?! He must have come from the use of Earth-2424’s collider, but there was no abnormality. Even Lyla should have picked it up since we were so near the source. Before I could head out I saw Timothy quickly show me his phone to see the news on it.

“Empress has been kidnapped by unknown beings.”

“Meirda.”  

I had no time to look at the rest of the report. I quickly headed to the location of where the two might be. It was near the castle that Timothy was talking about, I made a portal there since it was way faster than swinging to it. Once I got there, I found myself  on one the roofs of the castle seeing the destruction that the Vulture  had caused: turned over cars, people screaming, the Earth’s police trying to secure the scene. I swung around to see where they could be only for a evil laugh to draw my attention.

I looked up to see the Vulture but he looked like a weird fusion of a beetle and a vulture. Probably from a bug Earth. but I don’t dwell on it, more focused on the person held under his arm. They were wrapped in a webbing of some sort, I’m guessing that was the empress.

“Hey, bug creep! How about you come down and talk!?” I yelled at him trying to get his attention as he was flying away. He looked back at me with a glare.

“I’m not in the mood for arachnids. But this one will be a treat!”  he said as he showed me his tongue that looked like a stinger that dripped with some viscous. Without hesitation, I launched my red web at him and got his right foot. With my strength, I was able to bring him down. It must have surprised him because he drops the cocoon, and dropping my webs jump forward to catch the trapped victim. But as I do I see the Vulture couldn’t catch himself, falling into the street below

Delicately, I used the blades on my right forearm to cut the cocoon, to reveal the Empress that was inside. My eyes widened when I saw her. Her long pink and white hair fell over her heart shape face, complimenting her warm brown skin. Her eyes were different than I remembered but I could never forget her face.

“Tempest…?” I said quietly. She looked at me with confusion and fear. Drawing back, Probably from just being kidnapped and not wanting to trust someone right away. Before I could say anything else, I felt someone coming from behind. When I turned around, I saw two people, Arachnidqueen and a scientist-looking guy. He was in an 1800s-century steampunk outfit that reminded me of Spider-lady’s outfit. Standing there, I didn’t know what to do; run or make sure Tempest was safe, but Arachnidqueen didn’t waste any time to cease a new opportunity, projecting in her voice and saying,

“My fair lady, you have found MY newest sidekick: Arachnidman!” she proclaimed. I looked at her as if she was crazy. Scratch that, she is crazy. 

“Oh? He is one of your newest members?”Empress Tempest asks shyly, looking between the two of us, cementing another difference between this one and the Tempest I know. I helped her up and noticed she was tall, almost 6’5. She turns to me with her rainbow eyes.

“Thank you Arachnidman.”

“It's Spider-Man, and I’m not her sidekick,” I stated, not wanting to be a part of this scheme that Arachnidqueen was playing. She didn’t like that as the next thing I knew her webs were wrapping around my arm. They were thin but I could still feel them thanks to my suit, She keep up her fake smile as she turn to the Empress again.

“Oh, he’s quite the joker you see. Dr. Rose will take you to your sister. Penny was very worried about you and sent us as soon as we got here. And don’t worry she took care of that person that tried to kidnap you. All you have to do is tell your people that Tempest of the Divine is safe.” 

Tempest nodded with her head down, almost as if she felt shameful, and start to walk over to Dr.Rose. If she had the same sense of smell I have, she could smell the blood coming off from him. This man reeked of bad news, and as much as I wanted to grab her and take her away from these people, I knew it was a bad idea since I didn’t know how the canon works on this Earth. 

Once Tempest was far away and couldn’t see me or Arachnidqueen, she grabbed me, trying to pin me down.

“Look you…spider demon I don’t know who you are but-”

Swiping up with my claws, I break free of her webbing, attacking back with my own. Once she’s caught in the net trap, struggling but unable to get out, I hope down the other slanted rooftops and battlements to get to the street. But beside the damage he caused the Vulture was nowhere in sight Then I remembered what Archnidqueen said, that this Penny person took care of him.  

“ Shock . ”I hissed, it made worse by the sirens I hear coming my way.

The closer they get the louder Arachnidqueen starts shouting, now yelling at them to get me. Running across the street into the city, I slip into the nearest alleyway and have Lyla change my suit into what counted as regular clothes for this world. Taking the path I walk around trash and through puddles, sometimes hoping gates, until I’m out on the other side of this alley and around other people walking on the streets. They were clearly not bothered by all the action earlier just a few blocks and I use that to blend in with the crowd. As soon as I was far enough away from the scene I was going to get some answers 

~

Third person

The bug Vulture was all bloody and bruised. He lost his food to Spider-Man! he was pissed off, She was the perfect food for him, a bright moth like her. He cursed at this. He tried to fly back up there but he was pulled down by something. He couldn’t see anything but it felt like a bunch of hands grabbing him. The next thing he knew, he was in a vehicle as it moved, Staring down at him was a woman, he couldn’t see her face, only her pink glowing eyes.

“Vulture. Earth- 6465. I was told you would be of great use to us, but now I see you won’t.” the woman says in an ice tone. It put Vulture’s instincts on edge. He was about to attack her until he noticed that his arm wasn’t there. 

His blood ran cold when he saw it on the floor. 

“Mr. Vulture, I don’t like people interfering with my plans. It takes time and effort to formulate a new one. “I asked the others whether you would be of use, and they said there were others we could use instead. You are no longer wanted” 

Vulture was shaking now more than ever. He felt them. The hands again. 

“Wait! Wait! Whatever you need I can get it for you! Or do want someone dead?! I’m your guy just-” but he never finishes his plead as he was cut off and on the flood. 

“Why would I need help from a beetle when I have a spider?”

[sophie-and-lilianne]

SWOON

"I’m such an idiot, why do I keep bothering to wake up for this", I think, absorbed in my morning routine of self-deprecation. I take my pills. "Maybe I’ll feel better after I see my therapist next month".

I sit in my bed, listening to my alarm sing I Don’t Want To Set The World On Fire while I look around the room. It’s been three months and I still don’t have a bed, only a mattress. My art table is so badly set up that I can’t use it for anything, and my shelves are covered in junk and dishes. I guess an outside observer might look at this and say “Aha! It’s clearly a classic case of this and that-” but I just think it’s the depression. This place, and the job that came with it, was supposed to be a fresh start for me. I just have to make it to New Year’s.

My phone dings. I look, wondering who might be messaging me at five in the morning. Someone liked my profile on a dating app. Huh. I press the notification and open the app, looking at her photo. She’s very attractive for sure, but 540KM away… It wouldn’t be the first person to try to talk me into a long distance relationship. I swipe right, for the fun of it.

My phone alarm rings at that moment, telling me it’s time to get up and ready for work. Blue Moon by Frank Sinatra plays pitifully on my AI assisted speaker, also a reminder of the time I spent in bed. The Bioshock-inspired playlist is never shuffled, so I can count the time in songs instead of minutes and hours. It was such a romantic era, I muse. So much for that in my life.

My joints ache as I get up and pad towards the kitchen. I don’t eat breakfast in the morning, only coffee. I start the boiler and pour exactly one teaspoon of instant into my cup. I pour the water in and sit on my too-small couch, facing the TV. "I could call off work today. What do I have to lose anyway? They can’t fire me."

I get back up, every joint groaning at the couch being too low for me to sit comfortably, or get up properly. My phone vibrates, signaling a new message. I’ll look at it in the bus. I strip in the middle of the apartment and open the door of the dryer, still full of clothes from last week, and pull out a shirt and pants. I put them on reluctantly. "If I don’t go to work", I think reproachfully to myself, "I won’t have the money to do anything, or pay rent, which I need. At least, until New Year’s."

The bus ride to work is nightmarish. It saps all energy out of you before you’re even going to begin thinking about working. I grind my teeth, unable to push the inane chatter of the others out of my brain enough to keep calm. I finally decide to check that message. It’s from the girl on SWOON, my preferred dating app. I check her name again: Lilianne.

Hey Sophie! How’s your day going?

I slowly pen a reply, choosing my words.

I’m doing good, just going to work. You?

I’m about to put my phone away, people never reply to these things, when it vibrates in my hand. I check it.

Not doing much, but otherwise okay. Have you met anyone cool on this app so far? I just set mine up.

Honestly, not really. I met someone, and she was… not kind, especially towards the end.

It takes a moment for her to respond to this one.

Oh. I’m sorry you had to experience that.

It’s okay. I’m outta there and living by myself so I’m pretty happy. Alright, I gotta go to work, would you mind if I message you later?

Not at all, I would love to talk to you.

I let myself smile a little. Sometimes people were nice on these things. I get to work and I’m already underwhelmed. I hate my job. I go up to my supervisor and ask, “Where to boss?”

“Just your usual”, he replies, “Quality control.”

I sigh. Of course. I go sit at my station and start pulling out corks from a bag. I inspect each one for imperfections, throwing out those who show them, and putting the rest in a basket. I continue until my basket is full, then hand it to someone else for final inspection before they’re put in a box. Rinse and repeat. For hours. Every two hours there’s a break and I take those blessed moments to go smoke. Each drag from my e-cigarette is pure bliss during those breaks, a moment stolen only for myself.

I work in a facility for people with different mental or physical challenges. For me, it was being out of a job because of a psychotic break and never truly recovering from the anxiety. I still get those intense pangs of fear, but in the past three months since I’ve been here, while I may not have found mental stimulation, I’ve found safety.

After a full day of this routine I go home, the bus ride a different type of hell. My coworkers want to interact with each other and find friendship and someone to talk to, I only want to be left alone. I should bring headphones tomorrow.

I trudge up the stairs and unlock my door. “I’m home”, I say out of habit, but no one is there to hear it. I live alone. My phone dings as I fumble for the lights. I check it.

Are you done with work?

Lilianne again. Encouraging. I reply.

Yeah, finally. My job is not exactly fun.

Oh? What do you do?

Quality control in a factory setting. Nothing to write home about. It pays the bills.

Gotta have one of those sometimes. Do you live by yourself?

Yep. I don’t even have a pet. I’m not allowed according to the rental agreement.

Would it cheer you up to see my cat? She’s very cute.

Absolutely! Send away :)

A few seconds later, a photo appears on the screen. A big, round creature with green eyes and dark fur with small patches of white. This cat looks like the sweetest thing I’ve seen in a long time. She looks like she’d eat right out of my hand.

I write back.

I confirm, she’s very cute. What’s her name?

Susan. I call her Susie. She’s the love of my life.

Awww :) Little Susan.

Haha she’s more than little, though that’s partially my fault.

I try to think of something to reply but my mind comes up empty. I don’t know how to steer a conversation that well. Not to mention, this person actually replies. My phone dings again.

Can I give you my number?

A slight tingling creeps over my face. She wants to take this off SWOON.

Of course! I’ll even give you mine!

[zafirosreverie]

i have an idea wednesday addams meeting reader who has a melanie martinez, maybe fran bow aesthetic, or this tiktok account's aesthetic https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSedsmvSe/ (because pastels), and reader's family also has that type of aesthetic, addams and reader's family meet? i don't know if you take asks or requests but i just had an idea and i wanted to share it with the class

this is what I call a magnificent contribution !! Thanks for sharing it with the class, you have an A +

Also, thank you so much for letting me write for another fandom!! I hope you like this little fic <3

Devil likes pastel color (Platonic Wednesday x Fem!Reader)

“Hallo!” you smiled as you approached the black haired girl next to you. 

In the month you have been there, a lot of classmates have approached you, wanting to be your friends and making you feel welcomed, because a new girl in the school was always a rare but awesome thing, and you were so nice and lovely, the kind of person everyone would want around. 

Everyone, except Wednesday Addams. The girl wasn’t rude to you, she just didn’t talk or even see in your direction, which you respected. You find her fascinating, but after the first attempt to befriend her, where she commented on your “utterly horrible and eye burning clothes”, you stopped trying. You laughed it off, of course, but never bothered her again.

Too bad the teacher didn’t care about Wednesday’s wishes at all and paired you with her for the next project. Well, you could always try to make this a pleasant experience for both of you. Which would be easier if the girl would even look at you.

“How are you?” you tried again

She remained quiet. You started to feel a little awkward, but your parents taught you to be patient with people.

“So...what do you think we should do for our project?” you asked and smiled again. 

“We can see how long it takes a wolf to eat a small human” she finally answered. 

You were making progress!! Good! And this was something you actually knew about, so it was amazing! Too bad you didn’t hear the sarcasm in her voice, nor caught the hint about you being the small human. You totally missed her threat.

“Well, it depends. Wolves usually eat 3.3 pounds of meat per day, 22 if they’re starving. So, I’m guessing between 6 and 43 days, depending how angry is it” you smiled. 

Wednesday frowned and finally looked at you. You had listened about how she could make anyone fear her with only looking at them, but to you, it was a victory. If you were honest, she was the most interesting person you’ve ever met. 

“How much do you weigh?” she asked and raised an eyebrow.

This time, you understood the meaning and couldn’t help but giggle. She was so cute. 

“Enough to feed a growth wolf, that’s for sure” you said “But I doubt Akela would allow any other wolf near me” 

The other girl blinked and her whole posture changed. She even turned so she was fully facing you this time. Second point to you!

“You have a wolf?” she asked

“Oh yes, he’s such a good boy, always protecting us from people who get too close. I think he still has a hand on the basement. Not sure whom it belonged to. But don’t worry, he’s sweet with the people we like” you finished with a huge smile. 

By the way Wednesday’s face changed from annoyed to interested, you knew you had her full attention now.

_________________

“Can I help you?”

You smiled when a lovely tall lady in a black dress greeted you. It had been a month since that project you and Wednesday did and you two became good friends since then. Everyone at school thought it was odd, because you two were total opposites, but for you it only made your friendship even better! Besides, your pastel dresses always looked better with Wednesday’s black ones, you made each other stand out.

Yet, this was the first time you came to her house. At first, she said she’d prefer to work at your place because that way her younger brother wouldn’t bother you (even if the idea of Akela attacking Pugsley was tempting for her), but then it was just that she enjoyed the way you and your family treated her, 

Don’t get it wrong, deep inside she loved her strange family, but being the older (and better) child meant her parents would usually expect too much from her, and you were a single child, which meant you and your parents would give her all your attention. Besides, she discovered your parents were amazing. 

They shared your same pastel aesthetic, but also your creepiness. You weren’t cruel, far from that, in fact, she’d often find your manners and sweet talk too cloying for her taste, but there were times when a darker side of you would come out, usually if you were in trouble or danger, and those, those were her favorite moments. When you’d get all psycho and murder. She found it kind of cute.

There was only so much her parents could teach her, but your parents were still a box of surprises and she loved learning new ways of using knives, chains, poison or raising spiders. But after a month of getting to know you all, she decided it was time for you to meet her family too. 

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Addams” your mother said, with a big smile “We apologize for any inconvenience, we’re just here to leave our little princess”

The woman frowned but before she could say anything, a man with a funny mustache and a cigarette approached her from behind.

“And who are these people with a horrendous sense of fashion, cara mia?” he asked.

Your parents laughed and this time your father presented you all in a better way.

“We’re the Y/L/Ns. Our little princess here was invited to your lovely house” your father said.

“Mother, father” a voice came behind the Addams “I invited her”

You smiled when Wednesday approached you all with a small smirk. She never smiled the way you or your parents did, but her smirk was still a nice touch. It fit her. 

“This is Y/N, and her parents, Y/F/N and Y/M/N” the girl said.

This time, the Addams seemed to understand and opened their eyes in realisation. 

“Oh, so this is the girl you kept telling us about, dear Wednesday” the woman said “Our apologies, we weren’t expecting you to have such...tastes in clothes” she said.

You and Wednesday looked at each other and smirked. You two knew what her parents would think about your family’s aesthetic, it was the same the black-haired girl thought at first, but you had the hope that, just like their daughter, the Addams could see past the pastel color and build a good relationship with them. 

You knew your parents would at least try.

___________________

“I think nuts could cover the amoniac” you casually said “Mom could help us bake some cookies”

Wednesday didn’t look up from her book, but you could see her rolling her eyes and smirking. 

You were right, your parents and the Addams quickly got along despite the initial suspicion from the goth family. And now it was common for you to spend days and nights at the Addams mansion or them visiting your place (although this was less common, since they didn’t like to go out too much). It was like having a second family! But despite getting to know them all now, Wednesday was still yours and your parents’ favorite.

That’s why you were a little mad about the current topic. 

It wasn’t rare for people to call Wednesday a freak or other names, but it never bothered her. She knew who she was and didn’t let anyone unimportant affect her. But you were another story. You hated people who judged others only because of their looks, it didn’t matter if they called you pretty or wanted to be your friends only because you seemed nice, if they dared to disrespect Wednesday, they were automatically on your black list. 

But even then, it was a thing to call other people nasty names (which was still wrong, but you could ignore it), and another too different was to try to punch her (thank god she was strong and stopped their hand before it could hit her face). 

You tried to fight them, but Wednesday just picked you up (again, she was really strong) and pulled you out of there. Needless to say, it surprised everyone at school. Nobody thought that sweet Y/N could be so scary or that creepy Wednesday would be the calmed one. 

If only they knew it was like that 60% of the time. 

“Ok, ok, what about a tea party at my house and I accidentally let Akela out?” you asked and smiled when the wolf under Wednesday’s feet looked at you, ready to follow orders.

“We would have to clean the blood from the carpets” she said “besides, that kind of junk food could give him indigestion” she finished, caresing Akela’s head. 

“Fiiiiiiine” you pouted “but I still think the cookie are a good idea”

The black-haired girl didn’t say anything but the smirk was all you needed. Both of you sat down in silence, enjoying the books on your hands, when something hit your window. It wasn’t a mystery who it could be, especially when other water balloons followed the first one. 

“Hey freak! Come show your face!” someone outside yelled.

You looked at Wednesday, but she only rolled her eyes and shrugged. Akela was alert and you could sense the change in the mood. He knew something was wrong, he could feel your anger. 

“Seems like they fell for the beauty and the beast explanation, uh?” she said and you frowned.

You had heard the rumors about her being some kind of witch who put a spell on you to control you, given that there was no other explanation as to why you would like to be friends with her. It was stupid and made you mad that they think you couldn’t make a choice for yourself or that they seemed to think about you as a fragil doll. Were they really stupid enough to believe it?

“Well, let’s show them who the beast really is” you smirked as you walked out, with Akela following you.

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Hey BPP, I am guessing you know about the big news by now lol.

I wanted to ask you something—since Hybe released a statement earlier this year saying that they hope that the decision for the enlistment is done soon, do you think that BTS was waiting until July before they finalized their decision? The government already extended their final decision announcement twice ? I think. And then when it was postponed, maybe BTS said fuck this shit and started prep for it then they dropped the bomb without alerting the government? If so, this is such a power move on their part. A lot of armys are saying that may be this is why NJ changed his Cypher pt3 lyrics to You can’t control my shit. It would make sense bec he’s done it a lot of times before, esp when he feels like his thoughts or circumstances have changed.

Translation of the kr statement also said that Hybe will be withdrawing Jin’s extension request so he can start his preparations asap. It looks like he wants to go in by EOY. Tbh it makes me respect them, especially Jin more because he showed that the antis are wrong and he won’t be turning back on his duty. It’s been the number one thing hes criticised for in the last few years right ? BTS are so freaking classy !!!

**

Hi Anon,

It’s been… a day. (Other Anons and KPFT, I see your asks, and believe me I’ll get to them before the end of this week, but right now a lot is happening personally and with Bangtan so please be patient.)

I like how you’re thinking through the events of the last few months Anon, and I largely agree with you.

Something I’ve always said is that I believe BTS go on to do their full service, whether or not they get exemption. In fact I wrote my feeling was that the government would give them some sort of reduced term/alternative service, and BTS would decline it, to do the full service anyway. Because BTS has been the only party that never asked for exemption (Big 3 agencies have been using BTS to lobby for their own artists getting exempted since 2018. HYBE/Big Hit was never even present at the early meetings, while every K-pop agency from SM, JYP, YG, baited the government with BTS to argue that their artists were at a similar level and should be exempted); and the boys know that the only people who benefit from them doing an alternate service, is the military - as all monetary gain made during the enlistment period goes to the military/government.

The issue now though, is that the military and government is now trying to find a way to further exploit the boys by forcing them to do performances while they’re in service, knowing that every Won, Dollar, and Cent will be going into military coffers.

*

Loool. Like just sit with that for a bit. Think about it. And imagine how tired the boys must feel after seeing the government do this for 4 years. Like there’s so much about BTS that I cannot help but respect and why I can’t take any of their antis (in all their forms) seriously, because if you fully understood the sort of system they operate within, if you fully grasped the levels of ignorance, contempt, greed and hate that surrounds them on a constant basis, and how they maneuver with grace and intelligence in this system... Like, I’ve talked about domestic hate campaigns (partly funded by government relatives) against smaller artists like Tablo simply because he excelled academically at an American university on this blog before… like I’m not sure how else to express what’s been happening on this particular topic y’all. But there’s a lot here that’s fucked up.

Like there’s a reason the government isn’t asking SuperM or Stray Kids or Taemin, or any of the EXO boys to do any of what they’re now contemplating (in broad daylight on the national evening news) for BTS. Certainly not on the same scale. So basically, expect more BS from this administration for the next little while. Koreans have a saying that very much applies here, but I’m holding my tongue until the full details come out on what the military plan to do. I really hope I never have to say it.

Which brings me back to your comment on BTS changing the lyrics in Cypher Pt 3. The boys are already acting on their own terms, as they always said they would, and they seem to have anticipated further shenanigans from the gov, if I’m reading all this correctly.

- Jin was supposed to enlist end of 2020 after a massive world tour, but stuff happened and because BTS met the criteria for postponement after receiving the highest National award (for merit) in 2018, they pushed back that plan and made ad-hoc preparations given the pandemic and Grammy nominations, among other things. Today, BigHit announced Jin has withdrawn that postponement application (the 1st step to begin his full enlistment), and will be going to the military to do his full service.

- They’ll be going likely one after the other or in units to return by 2025 (my guess is H2 2025), meaning it will be staggered such that there won’t ever be a full OT7 serving at the same time, so in the event the government forces them to do performances, they won’t ever be working with a full slate.

And we get back to OT7 BTS in roughly 2.5 years.

912.5 days

21,900 hours

…

I hope the boys are given a choice on this military performance stunt, because I’m nearly certain they’ll reject it (unless maybe it’s for something like the Grammys Idk).

But in any case, they will be fine. Even with all this said, I’m not worried for them, because ultimately, they will always choose to do what they know is best for them. Just look at how they’ve navigated the last few months:

- Announced a hiatus, travelled and had fun at their own pace

- Focused on their solo music projects

- Accepted an ambassador role put upon the guys last minute

- Paid out of their own pockets to put on the OT7 concert of the decade for their fans, for free

- Announced they will begin their full military service regardless of what the government has been doing for the last 4 years.

*

My guess on how the solo music roll-out will go

Q4 2022 - Jin single/RM release

Q1 2023 - RM release / Suga release

Q2 2023 - JM release

H2 2023 - V release / JK release

Q1 2024 - JK release

*a Release could mean single, EP, full album, etc.

I’m not concerned about the boys, and the fandom seems to be handling the news well enough, but I’m a bit concerned about ARMY ‘overreactions’ to the government’s continued nonsense. By now it should be clear that no matter the facts, no matter how valid it is to be upset about an injustice or wrong action, ARMYs and the boys will likely be vilified by those who have an interest in doing so. So fingers crossed that all 40 million of us don’t go ape shit.

Lol.

I’ll be IA most of the next few days because it’s getting late and I’ve hardly slept this past weekend, and will have to catch a flight early in the morning to return to a busy week of work, as I’m sure is the same for a lot of you.

I’ll be streaming with several instances of Magic Shop, Paradise, Run BTS, Reflection, Best of Me, Dis-ease, Ugh, and What Do You Think, on repeat.

💜