#I created him a timeline for his time in the military and how long he's been in town....

[sweet-cuddlebug]

[adacatlovelace]

Okay I think I finally understand Emesis Blue. Major Spoilers below.

So the first thing you have to understand about Emesis Blue is that, while it seems to change a lot of TF2's lore at first, it simply grounds it in reality to examine how such an wacky insane world could be possible and the ramifications of many things we simply take for granted.

It begins with the CEO of Helix Industries funding a respawn machine to give Redmond and Blutarch bodies for their outrageously long gravel war. It works through the use of time manipulation, bring a person back from death by rewinding their timeline back to when they were alive. This can also be done multiple times to create copies of people. However, their consciousness still dies, leaving them to experience an eternity, driving them insane. This is the "Respawn Gap" the time between death and respawn. This is treated with Diazapam disguised as Valium to make them forget the respawn gap

10 people are found to be respawn compatible, but the nameless DOD solider/10th class was subjected to the respawn gap so much that they'd immediately kill themselves upon respawn. However, soldier became the perfect candidate for all the tests done. He didn't need to take the diazapam because his mind was already broken. (As an aside, I dont think the soldier in Emasis Blue actually served in the military. Hell, soldiers whole thing is thinking that he did because he's an absolute lunatic)

At some point, Archibald stepped down from Helix, leaving the faceless man in black in charge while Archibald took over running Builders League for Blutarch Mann. Still needing someone to do his dirty work, he hires Spy as his right hand man, tasking him with first executing Heavy, Sniper and Scout for "Treason" (Not clear what actually caused it, but those three are important)

Meanwhile, the Conagher Slaughterhouse is converted from a testing site for the respawn machine to a disposal site for the many corpses from both testing and the gravel wars, run the Conagher "brothers" two flawed respawn clones of the engineer.

On top of this, the Man in Black utilized it to continue research the means of true immortality, without the flaws of the respawn machine. To accomplish this, he brings in a Red Medic as well as Sniper and Heavy, previously killed by BLU and now working with the man in Black. Alongside them, he also brings in a respawn clone of Ludwig, the Plague Doctor or M, as well as Pyro, who likely took the job out of their own sadistic nature.

It blurs the line between Ludwig and M becuase the fact of the matter is that they are the same person, M simply being a version of Ludwig that didn't have the madness brought on by the Respawn Gap. Unfortunately for Scout, the respawn machine malfunctions and he's officially fired from BLU. Not wanting to take the hit lying down, he plans on taking legal action against BLU, either risking drawing attention to Helix or simply causing trouble for BLU. As a result, M and Pyro are sent to make him disappear.

However, like the darkness that Ludwig is constantly fighting, theres still a trace of good in M. Like M from the movie, he wanted the death to end so he works to bring Ludwig to Conagher Slaughterhouse, knowing Spy and Soldier to follow them and for them to learn the truth.

At the same time, information about the respawn testing is begins to surface and Archibald needs to disappear for a bit, planning on using the respawn machine at the slaughterhouse to come back when things either clear up or he can make an escape. However, the respawn machine in the slaughterhouse had whatever device was responsible for the time manipulation previously moved somewhere else that needed it and needed to be transported back by Heavy.

So the events of Emesis BLU happen, M locking Archibald in the dungeon to trap him so that he could be found and likely killed by Spy. Various time anomalies happen due to the presence of the briefcase. Everything comes crashing down and Ludwig shoots himself knowing that M is still out there, waiting to enact the final part of his plan. M kills Spy, Soldier kills Blutarch (and inadvertently Redmond) M crashes his ambulance, and Medics fractured soul finally finds peace in the afterlife.

However, like demo says "Our true enemy has yet to reveal himself" referring to the man in black.

[suchine-toki]

About Takasugi's abuse

The other day (totally not months ago) we were talking with @sakukaguxxi about how Takasugi’s relationship with his bio family is overlooked in character analyses. While Sorachi didn’t delve deeply into this aspect, which isn’t inherently bad, I think it’s important for understanding why he turned out the way he did.

We know two canon facts: (1) he comes from a low-class samurai family, and (2) he’s the firstborn. This suggests his family held noble status but struggled to maintain it. As a result, they relied on him to preserve their standing, enrolling him in a military academy and being strict about how he interacted with higher-status classmates.

To enforce this, they employed harsh punishments, such as starving him, tying him to a tree and leaving him in the cold for hours, or physically hitting him with enough force to draw blood when he was just a child (~10 yo?). On top of this, the threat of disownment loomed over him constantly.

These actions indicate they didn’t see him as a person or a child worth protecting but rather as a means to an end (maintaining their status). Consequently, he grew up devaluing himself and lacking the tools to express love in a healthy way. This likely explains why he became so attached to Shouyo and Gintoki.

For Shouyo, he was probably the first and only parental figure to treat Takasugi with genuine respect. While he disciplined him, it was always treated lightly and without causing him any real harm, unlike his bio father. Shouyo provided basic necessities like food, warmth, care, but also a sense of belonging.

Regarding Gintoki, a lot can and has been said. On this topic, he may’ve downplayed or misunderstood the extent of Takasugi’s abuse. This can be inferred from his comments before meeting Sakamoto, where he jokingly implies that Takasugi is still a “daddy’s kid,” even though he knows Takasugi was disowned.

This is interesting because Takasugi mentions being disowned long ago, yet for Gintoki, it doesn’t seem so distant. The timeline is unclear, perhaps Takasugi’s father disowned him during childhood, or maybe he tried to bring him back for years until eventually giving up when Takasugi was a teenager and considered irredeemable.

Moving into non-canon territory, if we consider Takasugi Shinsaku (the historical figure) for inspiration, some gaps can be filled. He was the firstborn, had three sisters, and bore the responsibilities of being the sole male heir. His father reportedly tried to steer him away from radicalism, even arranging a marriage for him to settle down.

This aligns with a seemingly banal joke, that Takasugi owned The Portopia Serial Murder Case and a console to play it (a Famicom?). At first glance, it’s odd that an abusive family would buy him such things. However, abusive individuals aren’t cruel all the time. They can oscillate between being harsh and showing kindness, creating a cycle of manipulation and gaslighting. This could explain why it took Takasugi some time to leave, perhaps he realized they needed him more than he needed them or that they would never truly love him.

The lasting effects on him are evident. Takasugi struggles to express himself in ways that don’t involve violence, and saw himself as disposable, with no strong sense of self. He fought for Shouyo’s freedom, for Gintoki’s tears, and later, for Gintoki’s happiness. While these were his choices, they were never about himself, they were for the people he held close to his heart.

[phoenixfire-thewizardgoddess]

Nice stories with the poly Vees and the tech revolution, I really like the audiobook idea for Alastor.

Could be a separate fic by it's own. Imagine Alastor injured by Adam and in need of more power (to heal) and he decides to expand his reach anonymously beyond just radio.

Alastor launches his own version of Audible (banning AI generated slop) and other services like a free Spotify (cutting into the Vees profit margins by stealing all their audio market monopoly) and the like or military grade communications hardware and software the stuff that doesn't lie and lasts for a long time with no subscription fees. (maybe Alastor was in a war when he was alive, the timeline fits.)

Maybe Alastor had this power all along but the war was traumatising so he decided to ignore all the war orientated facets of his demon form. Or he just fixated on Radio.

Then the Overlord's and the rest of Hell think a new Technology Demon Overlord has arisen and Alastor is a bit too embarrassed to admit to upgrading in any manner no matter the reason. Then there's a fight where Vox reveals the Video, yet it's discovered somehow Alastor is fully healed without angelic aid from a angelic steel wound and proceeds to stomp all three Vees.

Lucifer thinks that's a bit suspicious, Charlie is tearful, The rest are worried and Alastor is still embarrassed.. So without mercy Alastor (because his pride is bigger than his self preservation) throws both caution and Lilith under the bus..

I love the idea of this.

-----

I think Alastor gains power from the reach of his broadcast, to some extent. Like listening in creates an intangible deal that provides a feedback loop... I assumed that Vox has something similar, as well as Velvette.

Like, the more eyes/ears on, the more engagement, the bigger the boost they get. It's not all a constant shill of different commercials and items to the masses (although that funds it) but the constant attention fuels something.

Could be why when Carmilla didn't care he was gone, and Angel Dust (who didn't die that far behind Al but had no idea who he was despite shared decades in hell), pissed him off. That actually felt like a slap to the face, there's a reason the man was constantly seeking attention...

Not to mention FANS, who kind of give a lot of thought and energy and effort to the people they like following/watching/listening to.

----------

I have this very specific headcanon that Alastor can mimic anyone's voice with enough time to listen to them. After all, if he can do that with his own voice, and what is vocalisation but each person having access to a set audible range with regional variants.

He can get the tone, no worries thats just manipulating soundwaves, but the inflection and accent takes time. Anyone can talk in a lower or higher pitch, but it's the listening to how others talk and framing his skill around that that sells it.

[Niffty thinks its hilarious to 'talk to herself' and get an answer that's outside her head, so he indulges her on occasion].

It is limited to languages he knows, however. Unless say, someone like Husk was to translate and provide phonetic supports on occasion. I like to think Al learned partial Spanish just to fuck with the moth, and catch Vox off guard. Spite is a fantastic motivational tool.

[I assume that Vox has the similar ability to recreate like, the physical form of a person (we see him do the thing where he creates multiple copies of himself and interacts on screen, how hard would it be to generate a deepfake like that?) but he also needs a bit of info on them to make it anything more complex than a puppet.

Like, think about a 3d model before they give it a proper walk cycle, it can be the most advanced graphics but it doing the wiggle and slide move makes you go... wtf...

When he can pull up feed on you from across Pride's surveillance network, and gets your movements, your gestures, your voice... your expressions. He could do ANYTHING. And I think once that's pointed out to Charlotte and his mini majesty they might need to put restrictions on that.

I assume at least some of his souls are because he blackmailed the FUCK out of them with created films of them doing something embarrassing, betraying someone, confessing to things... and it looks so real that he's also effectively gaslighting them.

Wonder who he got this tactic from? Hmmm?]

---

Why bring this up?

Well, the thing is... Al's voice is very recognisable, naturally. But if Al was to make an empire on books / podcasts that he needed to do separate from his normal identity, mostly for anonymity and also because it's sending the money-centric vees into a tailspin, then I have a very specific concept.

He takes the voices of those he hears. Oh, there's no book out there with Angel Dust's Voice (though he considered it for some of the more salacious tomes, because AD's image is Vee property at this time and it would annoy them but he also, hmmm, dislikes the idea of puting the spider in the direct line of fire for this.

Nor Niffty nor the Princess nor Husk, no, that would be too easily traced. He does, however, do an entire angsty half-angel half-demon romance thrillogy in Vagatha's voice and she's still hunting for whoever did that. mostly because the edgy teen tone of the story has left the others with some truly devastating comebacks when she's trying to corral them. Eg. "Can you please just stop making eyes at one another and get to art therapy?" / "Of course, oh deep and brooding queen of the night, we shall 'descend unto the madness of therapeutic intervention, though none shall cease the incessant chaos of our intellect.'" / "I am... going to find whoever used my voice and peel them like a banana." / "Whatever you say, Lady D'Eath de Juggsington" / Former angel screaming.

I mean, he lurks in shadows. How hard would it be to trail someone for a bit OR can his poppets act like a teddy ruckskin thing, where they can copy things heard/said? Like, he has them around in crowded places, in the shadows, and if a voice he might like toutilise goes past, they animate and follow discretely.

And once you master that, taking a voice and using it back (which can fall into Not-Deer and Wendigo territory, and a lot of other mythical creatures he's been compared to...

Well, how hard would it be to twist and blend a few voices, a few different inflection styles to make a new one? He'd think it was QUITE the challenge and the frustration and triumph could stave off boredom for a while.

Can you imagine the uncanny valley of downloading a podcast or audiobook and hearing it in YOUR VOICE? Because that's the one he felt matched the story the best? Or that your voice was the one matched to the character? It would be quite the mindfuck, so Al would think it was hilarious]

So, Hell has a complex concept of ownership of course, and copyright is enforced through Mammon in other rings mostly because he's the only one who cares (because Money) and maybe Satan because the guy likes to swing his big old law abiding dongle around.

How do you think he gets the novels?

I think if the source book was produced through Voxtech, he'd just take it and make a free copy (audio) about it. They could try to copyright strike it all they want, but it would keep popping up...

He could have a side deal with Zestial, who is a gossip-loving hound when it comes to having a secret no one else has and thinks the Vees need to be put in their place, that anything his people publish for an author can be utilised under a certain agreement. Because he tends to publish (and I have no idea what he's overlord of but ive given him all written media) stories, news and books that are even from the hellborn that mammon refuses to deal with or publish for anything more than a 0.000000000000000015% royalty per 20million copies sold so...

They tend to be really excited to have their stuff picked up by the ancient overlord's company. And I wonder if Alastor makes a deal with them through Zestial, because he's always been one for the underdog and the hellborn are literally on the backfoot since birth because of what they are and that hits close to home, that they are fiscally compensated for his use of their works.

Money accumulates over time and over thralls and victories. He rarely uses it for anything more than the occasional boost to the hotel, and hatever interests him... his top tier thralls have emergency cards, but Husk's won't let him get anything alcoholic or associated, and Niffty's prevents her from obtaining flamethrowers or whatever the seven rings that giant vibrating thing was from the Lust Store the other day, mostly for safety reasons.

They can use them for almost anything else as long as they're willing to explain it to Al if he asks. And no Voxtech products. Not even pay per view, he taunted Husk once just to see the man grumble and Angel immediately lighted on that. Helped him escape a conversation getting too close to the core of his side gig... Husk was a drunken sot sometimes, but there was a clever man in there and those eyes saw things, that brain (when not pickled) was formidable for making connections.

Either way, between Zestial, books on his shelf (the classics), what he sneaks out of the hotel library / royal library bc lets be real the wards in there are a joke at this point, the things he steals from Voxtech's supplies, the local newspapers (for the news report podcasts) and the absolute dynamite gossip he gets from Rosie, Zestial and all over hell...

There's a lot of avenues.

He also has a fascinating system set up for receiving scripts for potential podcast ideas. Some are more pedestrian that he would ever consider, and others have merit but could use more pizzazz. He was tempted to even make one that might need to utilise Angel Dust for some of the louder scenes because while Al was no stranger to making sound effects, having to moan indecently for a good eight pages of dialogue and make a sound that was rather like spanking a tub of jelly, was not his forte.

The spider would find it second nature, though.

In any case, he did have a means to be contacted via the webpages and through a sending ritual he'd devised. It ran the letter/package through a number of reviews ffor potential bugs or hidden curses before it reached him.

Vox and Vel are constantly sweeping the net for his content and removing it. It's not hard to remove the more blatant pages, they're decoys anyway... but when other independent sites start putting the content up and being banned... it naturally drives people wild for the products being kept from them.

Of course there'd be a deep web, a deeper web and a We've Struck Crude (Oil) web in the pits of Hell. That's just the people down there, though. And the hellborn rings don't just have to be beholden to VoxTech, they have their own versions of the internet, where the podcasts and stories are rife.

The news, gossip, cooking, murder mystery dramas, reporting on real life killers (because the hellborn love it), discussions of human history up to date (because many down there missed out), the fantasy ones with episodes each month that have the net buzzing, the 'deep dives' (those he usually receives requests for and does independent research for), hells, even New To Hell? Tips and Tricks to not get murdered by Plantlife!

All of this, just as the podcast side.

There's a news hour, too. Often sharing information that's being listed on Vox news and sites, but with more detail or correcting the sillier elements.

Because of course, Alastor is powerful and like Vox when he's in his element (the radiowaves) he can split himself across them to do his thing. Theoretically he can produce up to four separate shows / podcasts / audiobooks at once... if feeling well and at a moderate level of power. The current thing hindering him is this damnable wound, though.

It leaves him exhausted and irritable.

However, having soemthing to do while seemingly debilitated helps. He'd go mad otherwise. And the influx of interest feeds him, literally, with the power to circumvent it's poisonous effects.

Could he theoretically get the immediate help and support of the soppy princess and ask for her father to heal it? Technically yes. Would he rather sleep with every Vee, in a televised special, than do so? Also yes. By which he meant, he'd rather die, thank you very much.

He got a little cocky, or perhaps his exhaustion from the wound isn't helping him make decisions very well, because he accidentally reads one of his classical books in his non-filtered voice one day. Vox IMMEDIATELY questions how the fuck-... because he knows Al.

He KNOWS that's Al's voice. How did this new tech overlord get it? Did they have an alliance? Were they FUCKING?! The TV drives himself made with jealousy, as he is known to do... and confronts Al, releasing the video of Adam near bisecting the guy to all of Hell and starting a fight.

"Who is he? She? Them? You got your ass handed to you so bad you'd sell it to save yourself?" Vox snarls, and Al, with no context is like ?????? 'What on earth are you talking about, you silly little picture box?!'

"Your real voice, I heard that other tech fucker use it... I know you have a partnership, and I wanna know why you went to THAT person and not me? What do they have that I don't? What part of you did you sell for that?!"

And Alastor laughed, growing larger, towering over the Vees. "Oh you insipid little fool you were always so blind to the truth even when it's dangled in front of you..." and his voice shifts between different 'hosts' for the podcasts, and different readers for the audiobooks. "Surprise! Turns out I CAN do your job, and manage it far better than all three of you little fools..."

"Hey, I didn't hear any content that challenged mine..." Val points out, drawing his guns.

"Hmmm, perhaps, but I could always contract that work out. Fascinating how many people are more interesting in listening, compared to watching, depravity..."

"...you can't have any of my bitches!"

"I don't need them, I can use their voices if I wish." He wasn't going to, but he needed the moth angry enough to misfire.

Velvette seemed more amused, "How'd you learn to use a computer there, grandpa?"

"Why it's quite easy, I have no idea why everyone assumes that just because I like a certain aesthetic, I'm ignorant of the whole tech thing. I reprogrammed Vox's circuitry more than once, after fights, so he would heal properly... everything else is far less complicated than technobiological surgery."

"...you also did something to you, I can feel it." Vox snarled. "Your tech is singing out, it's not our brand, where the fuck did you get it? Why now? I would have helped you upgrade if you just joined us..."

"And be part you? HAH! You'd turn it off anytime you were mad with me, and I'd rather not live by anyone's whims, picture box. It's nothing drastic, merely some additionally compatible tech to-... ah but that would be telling. Nothing I couldn't do originally. It merely makes it easier."

"Oh fuck off with that, ciervo, you still got humbled by that idiot angel. This is just bluster..." Valentino grinned.

"I believe the phrase is 'Fs in chat' for your overworked braincells, is it not, Miss Velvette?"

The doll snorts out a laugh before she can muffle it. "Not just a tech upgrade, eh? You learned some slang. None of me followers'll believe it."

"Hey, can we focus? Kill the fucker! He's injured and he's fucking with out profits with all this free shit he's handing out."

"Hmmm, about the only kind of fucking I'd do with you, I'm afraid, Vox."

Explosive transformation to overlord forms and kaiju-esque battle that results in a rather damaged shirt that unfortunately for the Vees, shows an undamaged chest save a faint scar. Although the flash of manly fluffy deer chest results in Vox bluescreening and he's down for the count... but not all of him. Which is terrifying when he's the size off a skyscraper.

"Do you... need to take him somewhere to spare his dignity?" Alastor pauses, pointing. Velvette breaks off a swipe, looks at Vox and groans.

"Why the fuck is he like this?!"

"I've been asking myself for decades..." Alastor said, reaching across the airwave to twine his static with Vox, trying not to shudder, and convinces a subroutine to trigger the shrinking back to regular size. He'd done it a few times when they were friends, only worked if Vox was out or open to it. Unfortunately, he'd worked out how to reverse-engineer the process.

You didn't sleep near Vox. For various reasons.

Val has paused, "Are we still fighting...?"

"I mean, I'm game if you are, my good moth bt I suspect you may need to scrape what dignity the picture box has left off the floor and take him back to your eyesore of a tower. You're more than welcome to try again in future... but if we could schedule it in, that's preferred, I have a number of shows coming to their conclusion and the public may kill you if they don't receive the finales."

Vel and Val are willing to defer, Val carrying Vox out of the place because Vel wants Nothing To Do With That Shit. Exhausted with her weird old men.

Alastor may have suggested they change the tv's name to Viagra, given he seems to be consistently having such a response. Val nearly drops the TV as he whirls in shock to grin at the fact Al has dirty jokes now... it's like opening a library book and being slapped with a fish by the nearest librarian. You just didn't see it coming.

Unfortunately, the hotel inhabitants and half of the city saw the fight and are now aware that the Radio Demon was behind the whole podcasts/audiobooks/news thing...

Some feel it makes sense and are kind of delighted to know where to send their scripts. Others have to write frantic letters about how the FUCK he got their voice, and yet more are stunned the old timey radio guy knows what a computer IS...

"What the fuck, bellhop?" The king asks, tactfully, restoring the front 'lawn' area as best he can from the damage there. Several of the shrubs up the driveway have been annihilated and yes he is mad about it, he planted them by hand with Char Char as a bonding activity last month. "Cute little illusion you got going, but if you really did get whacked with Adam's blade, you'll need my help with that."

He is grinning too much for someone offering aid, already thinking of how to force the demon out for a bit of magical first aid.

"No illusion, your Lowness, it healed with enough feedback from souls engaged in my show..." Alastor replied, gesturing at his damaged shirt. "I'd offer for you to touch but I'm too busy to light the offending skin on fire to burn away the recollection of your grubby little hands."

"Are you KIDDING ME?!" Vaggie is launching at Alastor, and only Charlie tackling the woman saves him from being bodychecked into the pavement. "LADY D'EATH JUGGSINTON THE FIFTH?! YOU COULDN'T HAVE CHOSEN ANY OTHER VOICE FOR THAT SHITSHOW?!"

"Hah, NO. She reminded me of your angstier nature, my dear... it's a compliment."

"I'm going to kill you. With my spear."

"Do try, and I will read the seuel series that the author is churning out as we speak, in your voice also. Or perhaps I could do it in the voice of the lieutenant... Lute was it? The new series is from the perspective of her spurned lover..."

"Al, please. NOT HELPING!" Charlie gritted her teeth.

"Well I kinda liked some of the gossip podcasts... and that one about the Fears or whatever that was. Spooky but fun in a fucked way." Angel volunteers, shrugging. "Vags, unclench... it's pretty cool. I'm kinda disappointed you didn't use me for the new demon erotic novel by Chuck Tingle, tho, Al... it's a masterpiece and I'd be perfect!"

"I... had considered it might be taken out on you by the moth if he assumed you were collaborating with another overlord. And the sound effects required seemed unusually salacious... I usually need to record a sound to use it in future, and where would one even find a container of jelly in this place?"

"...what? Oh... OH no I got ya. I've done erotic podcasts. Fuckin' hilarious seeing people standing around blankly whispering things into a microphone, moaning and then slapping wet towels on surfaces. I can get you some more authentic sounds if ya want, deer daddy..."

"...I'm concerned about what that wording means if I say yes, deer boy, so... we shall negotiate in future. Now Valentino knows who is producing the content he can be certain you are not 'actively involved' as it were."

"You a hugger? Wrong answer, it's happening. Look at us being all good with our feelings and shit..." There really wasn't any arguing with six arms squishing you, and f a vvery quiet bleat of surprise escaped, then he would deny it unto his second death.

"So, why didn't you just say you were hurt? What's the point of all this? You HATE tech stuff." Husk gestured, in general, to all of Al.

"...various reasons. And it was far more amusing to undermind Vox and his little crew this way."

"Then why not tell us..." Husk paused, then grinned. "Wait, you didn't want us to know 'cause you were embarrassed you had to turn to new media methods to heal it yourself, aren't you? Stubborn fucking ass. Well now you've gone and done it... there's a whole new generation of demons and hellborn who like your shit, you gonna just stop it now their engagement or however that works fixed it?"

"I am willing to finish the narratives at their end, but yes. The interest has waned now that I am no longer hindered."

"Al, I'm very disappointed in you."

"Whatever for, Charlotte? The matter is dealt with and at an end."

"No, shut up for a second you're not getting out of this that easily. I mean, I'm disappointed that you thought we... that I wouldn't help, with that, from Adam I mean."

"It wasn't anything I couldn't manage for myself." He shrugged, she really didn't understand how overlords worked, did the poor girl?

"But you shouldn't have HAD to, that's my fucking point!" Charlie yelled, briefly losing her temper and sucking her more demonic aspects back in.

"Duckling, he's not worth losing your temper over... the Overlords are suicidal at the best of times. Just let them get at it... you're just too young to have learned not to care yet. Bambi here could have asked for help with that boo boo at any time, but they won't... none of them would. I'm surprised your little angel didn't sense it, it was as irritating as an alarm going off the whole time..." Lucifer soothed, and got a GlareTM.

"...you knew. You knew one of my friends was potentially dying-"

"Not that bad!" Alastor interjected, and then disccussed the pros/cons of biting Angel's hand when one went over his mouth and another petted his hair. ("Shhh, Smiles... the people with some sorta emotional intelligence are talking...") Okay, he was definitely going to bite him.

"...-and you didn't think to tell me? Or help? Dad?" There was a termulous quaver to that tone that forecast tears. The King was immediately panicked.

"Wait, no, no I mean, yes but... I don't like to heal people without their consent, you know? It's not a good look..."

Charlie sniffed. "I mean, I get that... but if you said something, I could have like, sat on him and talked him into it..."

The sound of a record scratch rent the air. "Nhu ank ooo" muffled from behind Angel's hand as the spider laughed.

Lucifer flicked his attention that way. "Well... I suppose my main question for you, Bambi... is why you went to such trouble to avoid our attention. I know you big tough overlords have no sense of self preservation or care for the lives of others... but this seemed excessive."

Oh deer, the ex-archangel seemed to be... thinking.

That couldn't possibly end well.

"In fact, now the angelic taint-..." he pointedly ignored angel's giggling at the wording, "has passed and I'm focused on you... I'm sensing something else we're going to need to talk about."

Al couldn't stop his ears from going flat. Ah.... fuck.

Lucifer reached out a hand towards Alastor, and Angel actually moved them a step back. "Hey, he don't like touch..." said the man who had just about mummified him. "Surprised he hasn't eaten me yet."

Red eyes regarded him, the hand curled, as if grasping something and tugged as a lilac chain appeared in his grasp running back to the collar on Alastor's throat.

"How do you know my wife, Bambi?"

"...fkk"

"You can say that again, Smiles, what the FUCK?!" Angel gapes, dropping his hand.

"Well, your dear wife wanted someone to keep an eye on Charlotte and was willing to kill a LOT of OVerlords before finding one that she liked for the role." he shrugged. "Quite unfortunate."

"Wha-... don't you fucking lie to me, I'm the Devil himself. Lilly would NEVER-..."

"Yes. She would. And you know it. You may have been in the pits of despair in your little palace, but even you must have seen the bodies of sinners being piled about... she wasn't subtle."

"No... those were-... she was healing them, and it didn't work. Angelic steel..."

"Well, I know medicine can't have been that evolved in Eden but playing 'hokey pokey' with angelic steel isn't exactly known for bringing health and vitality to sinners." Alastor deadpanned.

A chorus of 'you put the knife right in and you take the knife back out, you put the knife back in and you twist it all about... you do the hokey pokey and you turn around... that's what it's all about!' played softly.

"Wait... I kinda... think I sort of remember something like that... but it's all mixed up in my head."

"Yes, she sang to you to muddle your memories when you walked in, once. That was about the moment that most realised how far she was willing to go to get her way..."

"No, you're lying."

"Afraid not."

"What was she even testing for, then? In your sick little game, how does this benefit anyone for my WIFE to-... what? Torture sinners? To make a babysitter for Char Char? She had ME. I'm the strongest thing in hell, nothing gets through me to her..."

"And yet, Adam did, because you were stuck in your own head. Oh don't get pissy, you were trapped for various reasons but its the truth. Lillith was concerned that there would come a time when Charlotte needed guidance and support... and she was willing to take the time to find the right person to safeguard it."

"How though? Nothing you said makes any sense..."

"She wanted someone who had no intentions towards her child, who was also rather resistent to angelic steel... and then she meddled to see how that could be fortified. Simple, really. Its fascinating, but the more angelic steel you survive, the harder it is for it to kill you outright."

Charlie looked like she might throw up.

"H-how many died for me?"

"Oh don't worry dear, it was only a handful. there were others she wiped the memories of and returned to their roles... she needed the infrastructure of Pride to remain stable enough to support your endeavours in future."

"But... what about you?"

"Nothing more or less than what others have done." He shrugs. "Do stop your pity party, it won't change the past and the blame is not yours."

"What exactly does she want you to do? The orders on here are obscured, that shouldn't be possible, I'm the Devil!"

"As you keep repeating, yes, indeed you are tiny one. But she merely required that," and here Lillith's voice emanated, taking the King and Princess out at the knees. "You will protect Charlotte, keep her safe and guide her to the best of your abilities, she has her father's ideals and heart, it will get her killed if someone more realistic doesn't step in. You will not divulge the secret of angelic steel to her, or raise arms against Heaven personally. She can't learn of that yet. And you must keep my foolish ex-husband from Charlotte... the two of them together will draw Heaven's attention. Oh, and Alastor... see if you can get Charlotte to make a deal for her soul... I will need that to keep her safe in future. Do not fail me, or I will start killing those important to you..."

"S-Sh-she wanted you to take my soul with our deal?" Charlie sibbed, hearing a side of her mother she couldn't believe was real. "That-s not-..."

"You have a DEAL?!"

"Oh unclench little king, it's for a favour. Technically I fulfilled the requirement for a deal without fulfilling the request for her soul... under the guise of protecting Charlotte."

"Did Mum have anything to do with your... ability to do the new tech things?"

"Yes and no, like Vox I have some technobiology that allows interaction with radiowaves and things along that spectrum... I could have used what I had to do this. However, she apaprently added upgrades I hadn't been aware of until recently, her version of a reward for not raising arms against Adam or some nonsense."

"But... she could have just healed you? She can do that?" Lucifer frowned, not liking the version of his wife being painted here. Ex-wie, apparently... that had stung to hear.

"She could have. Yes. She's quite ticked about not getting Charlotte's soul on her chain, indirectly... and the shield. She felt that was... overextending the bounds of her commands."

"...is there a plan? Is she coming back from...?"

"Heaven? Yes, but not yet. She's in an odd little dimension of her own, being pampered by angels... why would she ever come back here?"

"Ah... shit." Lucifer seemed on the verge of tears.

"Angel, you may need to release me and comfort the king."

"Oh it, Deer Daddy."

"...I will kill the moth myself to free you if you promise not to call me that one more time."

"Don't tease like that, I nearly ruined my shorts...' Angel stuck out his tongue at Al, who roleld his eyes. Vulgarity was par for the course with dear Angel about, unfortunately.

"C'mere, Short King, feel the soft fluff and know comfort..." Angel said, holding the King face first into the fluff. Charlie was having her hair stroked by Vaggie.

"Well, if that's all the theatrics and question and answer sessions for today, I really must be... going somewhere there aren't so many sobbing people." Alastor nods to them all and dissolves into shadow.

Then startles as he's thrown back into physical form as the King snaps his fingers, pointing without even looking at him.

"Oh no you don't..."

"Don't you ever do that again, your lowness, unless you want to know what it feels like to have your own atoms forcefully reassembled..." he snarls.

"If you could be less of an ass for a second, I have more questions..."

"And I have no answers for you. She's likely to gouge out an eye for all I've revealed so far, or just because she'll be in a Mood that we've won. Her little pocket dimension was by the grace of Adam after all..."

"It was WHAT?!"

"Ah... fuck, did I not say such?"

"No you didn't!"

"Well, she also had a deal and-..." the collar goes taut.

"Do stop talking, deer. I feel you've failed in your task quite enough for one day..." said a very cold tone, as they whirl about to find the Queen on the steps of the hotel. In the blink of an eye, she has something shiny buried to the hilt in Alastor's chest. "Be a good boy and hold onto that for me while I greet my daughter...?"

----------

ETC.

[tams-writeblr]

Love in a hopeles Place 22

Synopsis: She was barely grown up, when she stepped into the bar that was the center of Zaun's resistance. The people she met there would forever change her life, and one of them especially. Silco x reader/OC; first-person POV; overall rating: E for Explicit; canon-compliant (though I might make a stretch on the timeline here and there to make things fit my symbolism); age gap! (younger female, older male); 9 chapters; 45k; cis female reader/POV; no beta-reader; completed Chapter ratings/warnings: T for Teen. Strong language, mentions of drugs abuse Wordcount: <1k Author's note: I won't go into detail today. It's the finale of act II so, maybe someone needs a hankie? (Probably not) Comments would be appreciated!

Today's music recommendation: Woodkid - Guns for Hire

<- previous | next ->

Act II

Chapter III

Part 9/9

They say, curiosity killed the cat. And so curiosity also got the worst out of me.

On my day off, I was doing what had to be done around the house, while Silco was out getting something important done (as he called it). I was dusting off all kinds of surfaces. Usually I only touched his desk, when there was really nothing lying around it.

But his books had cluttered the surface for weeks now, and the dark wood started to really look ugly.

Maybe that was just an excuse for me to touch his things. Maybe I wanted to make sure he wasn't doing anything dangerous again.

Cleaning the desk, I "accidentally" dropped his notebook, and it landed, back down, open pages up, on the floor. As I reached for it, my eyes roamed his notes, and I couldn't believe what I read. I plopped onto the desk chair and turned page after page, losing track of time and the danger of being caught completely. In fact, I couldn't wait for Silco to return, so I could confront him.

Finally, the door was locked open, and I instantly got on my feet. The second he saw me at his desk, he knew. His jaw clenched, and he clicked his tongue at me.

"What the fuck is this?", I yelled.

"Are you satisfied now, knowing what I'm up to? I brought your favorite snack. You were tormenting me with how much you wanted it the other day."

I lashed at him and shoved his notebook into his chest. "I asked you what the fuck is this?"

He held my hand against the book and his chest. "This could be the solution to our problems, kid." He took the book away, placed it on the counter, and looked me straight in the eye. "An old... friend of mine has made an interesting discovery recently. A root that greatly increases the life-force of individuals. If we're able to extract the agent, we might be able to create a substance that basically creates a super-solider with one injection. Do you understand what that could mean? We would finally have the military force to make Piltover listen to us. This is the way to a free, independent Zaun!"

"I already got that from your notes. I might not be as book smart as you are, but I'm not dumb either. But you let out an important detail. Your "friend" noticed, that the test subjects needed more and more of that root for the effect to last. Was it deprived of it, his condition quickly worsened. This stuff is highly addictive, Silco. You're not talking about one injection to make a super-solider. You're talking about creating another motherfucking drug. And those streets truly don't need more junkies, as we already have."

He clicked his tongue again. "We're trying to get rid of this. We've just started our research, okay? Despite, one substance more or less, what's the difference? Aren't we all addicted to anything already?"

"I can't tolerate this, Silco. Please drop this project. Do it for me, okay? My mother became a junkie, that's why she left us."

"It's not all about you, kid," Silco pointed his long finger right into my face. "This will change the course of history for Zaun."

I felt my eyes go wet, but I refused to let a single tear out. "I'm sorry, Silco, but this is a path I can't follow you on."

His face smoothed out for a second, before getting darker than before. "Blood on my hands, lying, killing, being disfigured and cast out of our friend group. All that was no dealbreaker for you. But you draw a line on drugs?"

I saw in his eyes, that he already had made his decision. So I slowly nodded. "Yes, I have my principles, as well as you seem to have yours." My lips trembled as his face got emotionless.

He straightened his back, took a deep breath, and nodded. "Fine," he said, blankly. "I wanted a change of scenery anyway. I'll come pick up my stuff tomorrow while you're at work. You can keep the apartment if you want it. I'll find something new."

I couldn't believe he really stayed that calm, dealing me off, like I was some sort of employee to him.

As he turned his back to me and slipped through the door, a single tear fell out of my eye.

[commsroom]

do you have any ideas for what you want for eiffel and hera post-canon?

yes, i do! the answer to that really depends on whether we're talking short term or long term, and what i want vs. what i think will happen is... well, i think they'll be okay. eventually. they'll get there.

i'm firmly in the camp that eiffel gets his memories back (fairly short-term in my mental timeline; given the most likely ways that he could get his memories back, it doesn't make much sense for him to be without them for more than a few months) and that hera gets a body (more complicated, and somewhat more long term), but my reasoning for why i think those things work narratively would be a long post in itself (and i've made multiple posts about those topics already) so i won't get into the why here. just, i think it happens.

the note the finale ends on definitely implies eiffel, hera, and minkowski intend to stick together on earth, and i think minkowski feels a lot of responsibility for them, given everything. so i think they live with her, for the foreseeable future. eiffel's not good at holding down a job, and hera... i think it's important that she gets a chance to try things without fear of failure and to separate her self worth from productivity. eiffel and hera are meant to be minkowski's slacker roommates. hera should be creating unmarketable art.

and the issue of where they live will come up pretty quickly, i think - hera doesn't have any particular attachment to anywhere, except for a desire to see the ocean, but mobility might be a problem. minkowski is a career military woman who's moved around a lot, but her husband worked in DC, so presumably they lived in... probably maryland or virginia? before she accepted the job, and that's a complicating factor if she's choosing who to prioritize. i think eiffel would be pretty adamant about staying in texas so he's at least in the same state as his daughter, even if he can't see her. and as much as i would like for eiffel to be able to be a part of her life again, because i know how much he wants that... i don't think it's very likely. at least not any time soon. and he won't handle that well.

speaking about post-canon wolf 359, i don't tend to get that into potential legal / media circuit stuff because... frankly, i don't think it's that important to what the show is about. i'm sure it will be a scandal, but lots and lots of space-travel-related scandals are going on in that world, and cutter and pryce were very intentionally not the public faces of goddard futuristics. it'll pass. that said, the aspect of that i am interested in is legal personhood - that's going to be a hurdle for hera to be able to live her life, and i think eiffel will worry - even if it isn't totally rational - about whether he'll be able to stay out of prison once no longer legally dead, not knowing exactly what the terms of cutter's arrangement were. being an ex-convict is going to complicate some facets of his life regardless.

there's just a lot of stuff that being on earth is going to bring up for them. and i think they'll be there for each other, obviously - one of the things i like most about their relationship is how much they're able to be a refuge for each other in some objectively horrible situations - but they're both pretty insecure people who feel like everyone is bound to replace them, and earth is going to give hera some serious separation anxiety while she's bound to one location and the others aren't, and those are things they're going to have to work through.

as for what i want for them... well. i think eiffel will give hera a 'promise ring' with a kind of jokey but good natured promise that one day she'll be able to wear it. and she does! but neither of them are sure if that counts as a proposal in retrospect and they dance around it for a while. they get married eventually, and - against her better judgment - minkowski agrees to be both eiffel's best man and hera's maid of honor. and ends up taking on way too much of the wedding planning, even though she said she wouldn't, because they're both super lax about it and it starts stressing her out. she tries to delegate to lovelace, but lovelace just thinks it's all really funny. eiffel gets married in a novelty tuxedo tee and minkowski apologizes to hera, but hera knows the type of guy she's marrying (and isn't concerned about tradition anyway) so it doesn't bother her.

[rascal-xo]

Omg omg omg, I’ve been thinking about this a lot but do you think you can write about Soap and reader like they broke up a long time ago but the problem is he still has feelings for her but she’s in a relationship with someone else…idk it’s your page you can create it how you want it.

Unhealed Wounds | Soap MacTavish x Female Reader |

Chapter Summary: Time heals all wounds except for you and Johnny MacTavish’s very intricate history together…

| Timelines overlap in this fanfic - character(s) from a different campaign |

Warnings: ANGST, fluff, minor smut, violence

Word Count: 987

Taglist: @glitteryeggalmondherring @fiveshelmet @madamemelancholysstuff @myguiltypleasures21 @pukbadger @boniscute

A/N: Thank you sm for the request!! I haven’t written for Soap specifically yet so I’m excited to see how it goes. I hope you enjoy 🩷🩷

“You’re so serious.” You chuckled, running your hand through Keegan’s soft black hair. Lying half on his chest, you felt the warmth of his body against yours. He lay on his back, tracing gentle circles on your bare back with his fingers.

The sheets were tangled around your bodies, a testament to the passion you had just shared moments earlier in the small on base lodgings you shared.

It was true, Keegan was as serious a sniper as they came. It was a rare moment of tranquility in your worlds full of chaos and conflict. For now, the weight of duty and the battles ahead were forgotten, replaced by the peace that enveloped the room.

He stayed quiet, looking up at the ceiling lost in his thoughts. You leaned up on your elbow, and studied his face, searching for a glimpse of vulnerability beneath his stoic exterior. Then it hit you. “You’re leaving again.” You said, the soft smile fading from your lips.

A flicker of emotion passed through Keegan's eyes, a fleeting sadness that he quickly masked. "I don’t have a choice, you know this.” You did know. The constant ebb and flow of deployments, the bittersweet cycle of being reunited and then having to leave once more—it was a reality you had both grown accustomed to, but it didn't make it any easier.

You had met Keegan when you honorably left the 141 and began to work along side his unit in covert combat operations.

Overtime you got to know him more and you two grew closer over the past few years. You both had agreed there would be no strings attached and that it would strictly be a casual thing but neither of you had plans to keep that promise.

After your last relationship years back, you weren’t sure if you could do it again but he had a way with his words and his hands

A silence settled between you, Keegan's fingers ceased their gentle circles, his hand now coming to rest on your lower back.

By the next day you had said your knowing goodbyes and by the next week you too were off to your next assignment. You got off of the transport plane and stepped foot on the familiar base.

Muscle memory brought you to the small briefing room located in the main wing of the large military base. You pushed open the door and were greeted by a group of familiar faces. “Hope you all didn’t start without me.”

“Sergeant!” Gaz called out, happy to see an old friend.

“Glad to have you back, even if it’s for a little while eh?” Captain Price took your hand in a friendly shake.

You smiled, the warmth of their welcome easing the small ache of separation that had lingered since your unexpected departure. It felt good to be back among the familiar camaraderie of the your old team.

“Nice to know you’re alive.” Ghost said, monotonously as you’d remembered him.

“Glad to know you’re still as charming as ever, Simon.” You teased, taking your seat next to him. You suddenly looked over to see Soap walking in, he paused for a split second seeing you in the room.

“Y/N.” His eyes were wide in shock for a moment and then he gave a small nod. “Good to see you again.”

“You too, Johnny.” You smiled, watching him take his seat across from you. Deep down his emotions swirled within—a blend of happiness, regret, and a longing for what once was your relationship.

You and Johnny dated for the last 2 and a half years of the 6 years that you were in the 141. Things had started off amazing; you two had unmatched chemistry. Romance wasn’t hard to come by between the two of you and you were in a good place.

But miscommunication and missed opportunities for connection led to growing resentment and frustration. In the end, you both made the difficult decision to part ways romantically, believing it was for the best.

Johnny had not taken it as well as you had hoped which made things bitter for the both of you and much harder to work together.

The mission demanded your focus, and you both buried your personal history beneath the carpet of professionalism. What had happened was in the past.

The briefing went on and soon enough the mission had came and gone. You all found yourself back at a bar near base for a mini post-mission downtime celebration.

You sat at the bar with the rest of the 141, drinks in hand and laughter filling the air. It was a much-needed respite after the intensity of the mission, a chance to unwind and revel in each other's company.

The atmosphere was calm, the clinking of glasses and conversations from the other patrons blending. You found yourself taking a step outside to get some air, as you were beginning to feel stuffy inside.

You made your way through the crowd and found yourself outside the bar, the cool night air providing a welcome contrast to the warmth inside. You lit a cigarette, the smoke curling upwards as you exhaled, lost in thought.

As you took a drag, you heard the door creak open behind you, and a figure emerged from the dimly lit interior. It was Johnny, his expression a mix of determination and vulnerability.

"Y/N," His voice said, breaking the silence, his voice laced with a hint of longing. "You barely said more than 20 words to me the entire time you’ve been here.”

"It’s not on purpose, Johnny," you replied, your voice steady but tinged with caution.

He stepped closer, his eyes searching yours, his voice filled with a mix of regret and frustration. "I've been thinking a lot about us, about how things ended. It didn't have to be that way, Y/N. We could have fought for what we had."

You took a step back, the smoke from your cigarette swirling around you like a veil of uncertainty. "Johnny, you had 2 years." you said, your voice tinged with a mix of sadness and resignation. "It doesn’t matter now.”

Johnny's frustration gave way to anger, his face contorted with a mix of hurt and resentment. In a moment of recklessness, he closed the distance between you, his hands reaching out to cup your face as he pressed his lips against yours.

Caught off guard, you instinctively pushed him away, the taste of his kiss mingling with the sting of regret. "You’re drunk" you whispered, your voice barely above a breath. "We’re not doing this, Johnny." You took another breath. “I’m with someone now.”

His expression shifted from anger to betrayal, his eyes filled with a mixture of disappointment and anger. "You’re not the person you used to be." he spat, his voice laced with bitterness.

A heaviness settled in your chest as his words hung in the air. “You lost me once already, and you’re about to fuck it up again.” You said, your voice now steady.

Without another word, you turned away, your steps heavy against the rain as you made your way back inside the bar. The revelry continued, the laughter and music filling the space, but within you, a sense of annoyance lingered.

You knew that the wounds of your past relationship with Johnny would take time for him to heal, but in that moment, you resolved to focus on the present, to find some relaxation in the bonds of friendship and the shared purpose that the 141 provided for the time being.

[pencileraser1]

u were keatposting in my asks. now i must do the same in yours since my brain is so obviously filled with him. share ur keating thoughts i know theyre hiding in there!!!!!!!!

i'm just gonna thoughtsdump about this it might not be coherent?but here we go

a lot of my keating thoughts are kind of depressing uh

i think the really tragic thing about this movie (or one of them i guess) is that in the end basically everything that happened likely didn't matter enough in the long term. and one of the biggest losses is that i kind of do think that after keating left, almost none of the students would continue to apply what he taught them. the biggest exceptions to this would be todd and sort of half charlie, i do pretty much agree with the post canon idea that it's likely that todd would end up an english teacher. and i think that he's probably the only person who would genuinely continue to actually apply what keating taught him. charlie i think would continue to be rebellious for a bit longer and then eventually sort of fall in line with what his parents wanted from him in the end, the best outcome is probably that he'd go on to be some sort of artist but i don't think it's super likely that that's what he'd do long term/all the time if that makes sense. for the rest of the poets, i think they'd all go back to how they were before pre-keating. i think you mentioned that neil was really the person who understood keatings lessons the best, which i agree with, and him dying likely prevented the rest of the poets from really getting it before keating left. basically my thought about this is that at the end of the movie, todd and keating are both fundamentally changed, but the rest of the poets aren't, and how much they were able to change is not enough to create a lasting impact.

on a lighter note someone said that possibly the most impressive mark of what keating did was that hopkins stood up on the desk at the end. and while i think that the combination of todd being able to stand up on his desk first, and how keating and neil made it possible to do so is more impressive, i think it maybe comes in in close second for me (i know i just went on a tangent about this not mattering that much but it did matter a little bit and this is still very impressive. like the guy shown to be the Most skeptical stood on the desk that's a lot)

i've seen a theory floating around every once in a while that keating's experience with the first dead poets society might have been similar to what happened with neil, like he had a friend in the society who also committed suicide, and i kind of don't like that theory very much? i guess there are a few elements to it, the biggest being that if someone died the first time, i don't think that keating would even entertain the thought of restarting it. and the second is that i honestly think we could come up with something a lot more interesting.

keating went to welton during ww2, (there's a small possible plothole/timeline issue which is that nolan tells keating he taught english "way before you're time," per the annual, keating begun attending welton in 1941, when nolan was probably about 40 and i suspect not principal since there isn't really any familiarity between the two. my personal theory which i actually really like now that i'm thinking about it is that nolan wasn't at welton from 1941-1944 for some reason, probably ww2 related. not sure Exactly how, nolan's old enough that it's unlikely he would've actually fought unless he had been in the military before, but that could also be interesting, idk there's a lot of possibilities) the us joined ww2 at the end of 1941 so for almost the entire time keating was in school, that would have been going on. and i think that would have put a very unique type of stress on the school and i think it would be really interesting to think about the poet's experience during that time. what i do think happened in lieu of someone dying is probably that they got in some significant amount of trouble at some point, or possibly that they didn't exactly get in trouble but that there was some other issue related to the administration.

other interesting details from the annual: keating was varsity soccer captain and editor of the school annual, likely how he got dps under his name. also btw keating was the soccer coach during the movie if that wasn't clear since the soccer team is. just keatings class minus cameron whose doing fencing. and i only realized this after reading the book (which i do not reccomend if you want to read the book just read the old script it's got all the same stuff and i honestly think the writings better in the script)

anyways i think we should come up with more theories about the original dead poets. bc i think that could be interesting.

i think we were kind of talking about the keating/neil parallels a bit and i'm just gonna talk more about that as well bc i'm a bit insane about it. so like as previously mentioned!!! neil is the one who fundamentally understood keating the most probably (todd and charlie also understood keating but in different ways kind of??? and i think you've spoken about this before too) and there's a lot of like; keating likely starting the original dps/neil starting dps 2.0, both being editors of the school annual (sort of), both encouraging people (todd) to express themselves in ways they might not have thought possible

the way keating and neil's storylines end are also similar. they both set out with a specific goal and while they are successful at first, they are both stopped in ways that are ultimately kind of catastrophic. not fully coherent about this yet but. wanted to add it.

also just wanted to briefly mention keating and mcallister bc i really liked their relationship, all of m thoughts have already been said but i just wanted to add that

keating is in a position where he understands what his students are going through in a way that none of the other teachers do and throughout the movie i honestly think his goal was at least partially just to make their lives just a little bit better. like some of his students would get it and some wouldn't, but for all of them they have one class where the teacher is nice and not as strict or exhausting or gives them ridiculous amounts of homework. and even if keating is just. the one class that's a little bit easier. that still probably helps so much with how the environment at welton was. obviously keatings ultimate goal was probably to teach his students to think for themselves and about what they specifically want but i think the smaller impacts of like. ok here's one class where the teacher isn't a hardass is meaningful too.

[struggle-but-its-all-ocean-floor]

Okay, I Am Still spoilers under the cut. Let's do this.

Oh boy, that was something.

Seeing Jungkook made me so happy and at peace. His bright smile makes me happy. I felt so much love for him, so real and deep that it's surreal I feel that way and that my love for him has grown so much throughout chapter 2 - and that I've loved him for 5 years now... When the first Golden performance was played, I really felt so serene and present. I wanted to close my eyes. My problems felt so far away and I was grateful to be alive and to be alive at the same time as Jungkook. I often think this, but as long as Jungkook is happy, then at least one person I really love is okay, and that makes living a little bit easier. So I often plead to myself for him to be happy and have a happy ever after (as much as possible in a world where sickness and death are guaranteed). So, thank you, Jungkook, for every bit of comfort and happiness you give me, and for filling my heart when I feel that it is so hollow. I'm so proud of you. I was so proud seeing your journey.

I was also so moved at the end of the movie... Magic Shop played, then the black screen thanking Army showed up (tears), followed by Jungkook shaving his hair for the military... His hairstylist cried... It was sweet and sad, I love how much everyone loves Jungkook. He hugged his hairstylist was sweetly and acted bravely. And then Jimin showed up and Jungkook acted silly for him... The doc ended. with Jungkook making a funny face... It felt very Jungkook. It left me feeling happy, sad, grateful, touched, and overwhelmed all at once.

I guess the documentary also made me feel bad for how critical I am of him. It's just my nature. I feel things very deeply or very shallowly...

Now, other thoughts and criticism:

Most of the doc was rather underwhelming. I paid too much to see something that could've been available for free on YT. It had about the same quality as LSRF's docs tbh. They could've hired a really good producer instead.

I get the story they were telling, but it left much to be desired. The timeline was all over the place, and they overall showed very little given the material they must have. They could've dug so much deeper and shown so much more of Jungkook - which is what I believe he probably wanted. They showed so much old footage, like some of his performances and interviews. It was all about showing his success, talent, and perseverance. That's great and all, but it doesn't make the doc insightful or new.

I wanted to really see the process of creating Golden. Not just him recording stuff and traveling the world, but discussing the songs, the MVs. Why did he release the explicit version of Seven - what was that discussion like? Why he decide on collabs? How did he choose the songs? Why did he decide to make an English album after 3D - was it an easy choice or was he unsure about it? Did he give his input on the MVs? The doc doesn't answer these questions or truly show the decision-making process behind Golden, behind Seven, 3D, and SNTY. So it's less about Golden, and more about Jungkook's growth. I guess Golden is only about Jungkook proving something, but they could've done more, dug deeper, showed more of Golden since the doc is marketed as a "making of" Golden.

Still, it did show candid and very Jungkook-like moments and how his confidence in himself grew. It showed what his goals were, and I really relate to what he said about not knowing what the end goal is but that at least he's learning. I also don't know what I want my career to be yet, but I'm learning stuff and hopefully I'll figure it out.

I just expected more substance. Showing him perform and being interviewed was unnecessary. We've already seen all of that. Some performances and interview moments are fine, but there were too many imo. I also didn't like the quotes from some of the producers. Tbh, Jungkook would've made a much better documentary than Hybe. I was still satisfied in the end though.

On another note, I witnessed the Taekook effect for the first time irl. Some fans started yelling when V showed up - they either love V or Taekook, or both. No one really reacted with Jimin or Jikook...

This was my first time seeing BTS on the big screen. I'd never done it previously because I don't want to give Hybe money and because it didn't feel worth it. I was also very afraid of watching it with other Armys. I expected fans to yell when JK appeared shirtless, which they did, and they laughed and cooed a bit too much, but overall fans were quiet. Thankfully. That had been my biggest concern... The Portuguese just can't be bothered with anything.

Speaking of Portuguese, I paid 11 Euros for a movie that was translated into Brazilian Portuguese? I never thought an official movie would be shown in Portuguese from Brazil in Portugal. It is not the same as Portuguese from Portugal. A lot of the translation sounded off.

Anyway... what did you guys think? I have to eat now before I pass out. I'm so weak my arms and legs are tingling. And I bit all my nails during the doc because I was hungry lmao.

Edit: Forgot to add that beginning the doc with baby pictures of Jungkook was too cute. Also, I loved all the moments of Jungkook Jungkooking. Cause of death: Jungkook and his big, pretty eyes, and cute mannerisms, and perfect heart.

[typosandtea]

from the Fallout OC asks: 21, 32, 58, 64 for Murphy, Tango, and Nathan... or just Murphy if that's too much :o)

HELL YEAH DO I WANT TO WRITE ALL OF THEM!!!

@charliesvarietyhour

Bloody hell this got very long.. Thanks for the ask this has been so great to write! :D

Important things of note or some of this may not make any sense:

Murphy and Nathan and on the same timeline / story, my mutant 111 Au where it was a dual experiment in conjunction with west-tek to create super soldiers by gene editing and splicing. everyone survived the experimentation and subsequent stasis, though by the time Murphy hatches? is born? emerges from chrysalis? some have been killed in stasis by an unknown killer (not Kellogg, though Kellogg still has his role basically unchanged)

Tango is on a different Au timeline also centered around 4, though Tango is NOT sole, Sole in this one is evil institute bastard by the name of Thorn, who did fallout 4 selfish route until fort hagen and then convinced Kellogg to take her to the institute (leaving nick in the dust with scathing words and gunshots, poor nick), she also joins Kellogg as partners / romance / killers and they rule the institute together more aggressively than Father ever did, though Father is very proud of her.

In Tango's timeline there is no one sole as such, Thorn does parts of the institute route but worse. Tango does some brotherhood stuff though they nope out consequences be damned after BB (there are actual consequences unlike in game for disappearing), Preston is the general along with Libby and Slick take some of the minuteman quests, Libby is ~100yo ghoul with a love of explosives and shotguns, and slick is a young ex-gunner with a big mouth they 'recruit' after he sees how awful the gunners are when he is treated better as a MM captive than as an active gunner. Tango occasionally helps minuteman, more so after BB. Railroad is Fixer though he has to be a bit more creative without sole's foot in the door.

Both timelines take place over years rather than the few weeks that 4 does.

21. Do they travel alone or with a companion?

MURPHY

Murphy has the -trauma- privilege of being a fallout 4 'sole' survivor so despite being an obvious mutant, she ends up meeting most of the companions at one point or another! she much prefers to travel with friends since she pretty social and her time in various military groups has cemented the idea that 'alone = less people to spot danger'. though this is kind of an antithesis to her very design as a flying night stealth operative, so what companions she actually travels with is far less than the ones she befriends. she has actively traveled with codsworth in the beginning, and now travels with Nick, Preston and Danse. Though she ends up alone a lot more than she would like as Preston is busy being the general (she does work for them as both normal quests but also as the unwillingly elected 111 mutant ambassador, helping with any 111mutant related drama like finding homes, or dissuading/knocking some sense into/fighting the more aggressive ones) , Danse is #1 bos enemy so it is dangerous for both of them after that happens (she remains bos /minutemen aligned, somehow.. she does have 3 int but also can see that there are good people in the bos.. a real 'i can fix them' mentality -she can't-, its a long while before she realizes just how trapped she is) she still travels with nick frequently but he is often on cases so its usually her helping him not the other way around. the only upside to traveling alone for Murphy is that she is much quicker and stealthy on her own (especially compared to traveling with Danse rip). special mention for Piper since they butt heads a lot until Murphy gets piper to see that how she writes her paper is part of the problem, and that its a style that Murphy has seen before prewar, and shes seen how it ends. Piper doesn't take this perceived slight to her and her paper easily and it takes time and some deadly consequences for Piper to realize that her scare tactics may be having unintended consequences.

TANGO

Before they got unwillingly turned into Tango, they were a tech scavver who would scour old factories and military facilities for parts, components or even whole robots to hack and sell. they always preferred working alone believing that others slowed them down or could be a threat. They had no friends by choice and very few people they sold to, so when then disappeared back then very few people even knew they were gone. They remain of this prickly mindset even after becoming Tango, and its not until many years later when they reach the commonwealth looking for the secret scientists that 'make clones of people', that they are befriended by Preston and they realized that he really is that genuine and that maybe not everyone is Out To Get Them All Of The Time. After rescuing Preston and gang (since Thorn didn't) Tango has a bit of a crisis in realizing that people actually do care about others and that maybe all those people they pushed away in suspicion might have being genuine. The feeling bad about it doesn't stick around for long though, as many of the people they meet shortly after are raiders, scammers or just as suspicious about others as Tango is. For actual companions they befriend Preston (mostly Preston trying to recruit this hot mess of power armored person, friends after tango has the temporary 'I am a suspicious ass' crisis), Piper surprisingly with how secretive Tango is, this was inevitable as Piper spots someone in unique power armor entering DC and they don't do any of the normal merc things? that's a story for sure! Tango doesn't.. have a lot of patience for Pipers questions and will just. leave. Hit da bricks if the conversation goes where Tango doesn't want it to go (about them). Piper never gets her story (Tango doesn't trust her enough to keep her trap shut) But they do become friends and Tango even travels with her for other stories! For someone so secretive Tango is a nosy bastard. Nick as Tango hires him to help them find a way into the institute, Nick is still a bit stung from Thorn's abandonment and attempted murder of him, he wisely encourages -beats some sense into- Tango that contacting the institute for whatever secret purpose will end poorly for them. though Nick is briefly tempted to help for revenge opportunities against Thorn. Nick is also one of the very few people that gets to see Tango unarmored after a case goes bad and the armor is badly damaged in a partial building collapse thanks to a raider with a missile launcher. After they are dissuaded from institute contact, they wander aimlessly and run into Danse at Cambridge, they become wary acquaintances after Tango joins the bos (without realizing how badly they fucked up until the prydwen arrives, they though Danse and co was the 'bos'). They drive each other bonkers, Tango struggles to adjust to structure and having other people rely on them and not being able to do their own thing at any moment, which frustrates both immensely. (so many arguments over rosters.. "But why are we on night patrol? I would rather be sleeping wouldn't you?""It doesn't matter what you want to do knight that's what we have been assigned so that's what we are doing" both internally screaming. also "Where have you been knight!? Its been two days!!!" "Oh I wanted to upgrade my armors shielding :)" "You were suppose to be helping Proctor Quinlan!!"). Danse also takes Tangos refusal to never leave the armor in anyone's presence as a sign they Tango doesn't trust him at all, and Danse has many theories to why (Ghoul? Synth? ashamed of being seen for some reason? hiding from someone? bad BO?) It doesn't occur to him that Tango Can't leave the armor. Tango befriends Curie immediately with an unconscious mindset of half "I also want a human body again" solidarity and half wow she really is just that genuine and trusting, better help her. Tango often lowers their guard (eventually) around genuine people.

NATHAN

(is 111mutant timelines Nate) Nathan is a bit of a weird one since he is a 111mutant like Murphy, but got many more negative effects. While Murphy lost some intelligence and gained even more anxiety, Nathan lost nearly his whole self, and the bit that remains is so smothered under all of the mutant parts that he is not the same as he was. He wanders the wastes alone and out of his mind, hunting and killing as his mutations have left him with nothing but conflicting half-thoughts, feelings and instincts. Unfortunately for Murphy his love for her is turned into animalistic obsession that his now mutant brain translates as kill. So no Nathan doesn't have any companions post war. though pre war he and Murphy were nearly inseparable, and they both enjoyed the company of the squad they were put in when Aus joined the US. (they were both soldiers for the Republic of Aus before it got captured by The Reds, and then US forcefully took the territory with aussie help and willingly absorbed any remaining Aussies, as the land was war-torn . (Note: if you saw one previous posts that I have done that the aussies were treated poorly by the americans, I have since changed my mind)

32. What is their go-to weapon or weapon class?

MURPHY

Her excellent eyesight and aerial capabilities make her a prime sniper! though she isn't able to snipe till she gets some advice on how to modify a certain laser rifle to be lighter and long range, she struggles to use normal firearms because of her extra sensitive hearing so she was limited to a silenced pistol she 'found' (was sneakily given by deacon, she doesn't like taking gifts that she doesn't think she has earned) + earplugs until she was gifted a laser rifle out of pity for helping Danse at arcjet. She requires help for modifications since she is 3 int. She is below average strength and has an extremely limited carry capacity for flying so ultralight mods are essential. no heavy guns for you. prewar she was one of the first power armor 'willing' testers that survived (not unscathed) and their squad became one of the first to be power armored. so she got used to being able to wield very big guns with ease. misses it immensely. (wings mean no power armor). Always has a combat knife on her person, was caught defenseless while sleeping once prewar in anchorage and will never let that happen again, she only was saved by her squad noticing the camp intruder before they could kill her.

TANGO

Is not above using the armor itself as a weapon. has done so multiple times in the past with very gory results, doesn't do it often though as they dislike bloodying the armor cause they are a quite vain about it, as its basically their body now. likes the effectiveness of combat shotguns but doesn't use them often cause of the chance of splatter. so often settles for rifles. has a terrible habit of breaking or losing weapons so tend to pick up and horde them. along with ammo. You go into their secret workshop and its just full of weapons in all stages of repair and enough ammo for each to last a lifetime, scavver habits die hard. Doesn't mind heavy guns but finds carrying them around inconvenient enough to rarely use them. Its pretty hard to holster a minigun, even in power armor. Even though they don't have eyes as such anymore still is not great with pistols, prefers the looking down sights of longarms. Despite living in the armor for many a year by this point, they still get their ass handed to them by Danse in power-armored unarmed combat training, is VERY salty about it.

NATHAN

He is the weapon, a very large semi-aquatic stealthy monster. Though prewar he was a mechanic in the same squad as Murphy, and liked pistols as a backup, particularly .44 caliber. Wasn't ever in the thick of it like Murphy and the other PA operators were, though they came close to when one of the camps in anchorage was nearly invaded! Enjoyed time at the range whether it be hanging out with others, letting off some rage, or genuinely practicing

58. Do they believe in luck? Do they have a good luck charm?

MURPHY

If you ask her, she will say she doesn't believe in such nonsense, or perhaps she will crack a joke about her name and Murphy's law, but deep down she is surely becoming convinced that she has been cursed. she keeps surviving situations that she shouldn't have and every time with terrible prices to pay, how long until the price is too great she wonders, does lady luck treat debtors with kindness? she hopes so. Says she doesn't have a good luck charm, but has a chain separate from her bos holotags she wears under her shirt / suit with a growing collection of things from the 'prices shes had to pay': What was left of her Australian dogtags, Nathans wedding ring along with the empty casing of a .44 bullet, A small painted piece of Danse's t60 armor that was removed in repair for preparation of giving it to another paladin after BB, a warped and burnt piece of ornate metal of some kind, and a miniature plastic white chess pawn.

TANGO

Tango is very suspicious by nature, but also quite prideful thus doesn't believe in good luck as that would detract from their abilities. That mr gutsy in near mint condition they stumbled across before becoming Tango years ago? The many fusion cores they they just seem to trip over everywhere? Always having just enough ammo? all a result of their scavver skills not stupid luck! paradoxically they do believe in bad luck, especially that they became Tango. Though they do somewhat subconsciously know that they have lived far longer as tango that they ever would have if they hadn't stumbled into that particular branch of general atomics .. they weren't making many friends as a scavver but they sure had enemies. has conflicting thoughts on the matter. Doesn't have a good luck charm. doesn't really own much of anything at all tbh. other than scrap hoarding that is.

NATHAN

Believed in luck pre war. prime source of 'murphy's law' jokes. Despite believing in luck doesn't carry a charm of any sort, has a sort of relaxed view on the matter. acknowledges that Murphy has bad luck regularly when she trips over or is the only one splashed by a car on the rainy days. attributes a lot of his own small such occurrences to himself rather than luck though, ie he should have known better than to walk so close to the road on a rainy day, or that was stupid wearing a hat on a windy day even when nobody else lost theirs.

64. How / where do they generally sleep?

i should be asleep lol

MURPHY

Murphy sleeps during the day now, daytime is too bright for her sensitive eyes. so she only ventures outside in the day when absolutely necessary. She didn't really get a choice in the matter, the mutations completely rewired her internal clock ready for night combat operations. an incredibly nervous and anxious person by nature even prewar, she has always struggled with sleeping, she needs to feel safe before she can catch more than a fitful nap. the first few weeks in the new commonwealth are a bit blurry in her memory from lack of sleep haha. She only needs to feel safe, not actually be safe, some of the best sleep of her adult life was in active war zones prewar surrounded by her squad, the one day she stayed in the institute was the most nightmarish ordinary sleep shes ever had, outside of trauma nightmares.

TANGO

Tango doesn't really have a body that needs sleep anymore, though they still require some sleep to give their brain recovery and processing time like normal sleep provides. they will find a out of the way corner in friendly territory and will lock the armor in place so they don't inadvertently fall over. They have definitely gotten what constitutes quiet corners wrong though and have put themselves squarely in the way for hours haha. If they are not somewhere safe they will find somewhere defensible and will catnap until they feel awake enough to continue onward. Tango has been alone for so long that it hadn't occurred to them that when traveling with others that they can take turns keeping watch and sleeping! score another point towards Tango's 'oh shit maybe this whole 'friends' isn't so bad after all' tally.

NATHAN

Deep sleeper, snoring machine. 'who tf brought a chainsaw into the barracks???' type zzzzzz. Can and often used to fall asleep in unlikely places. At the pub. On the 'bird to the drop zone. Waiting for sleep deprived Murphy to figure out how to get baby Shaun into the new car seat that one time ("why are there so many buckles???"). Now as a mutant will camouflage in some mud somewhere secluded, or will find a damp hidey-hole somewhere to curl up. Needs so much sleep postwar, spends most of his time sleeping, which is great for everyone else since when he is not sleeping he is hunting at night.

[rukakaru-u]

DGM 252 thoughts/questions

Finally, we met briefly Past Lavi and Allen. I suspected that the Jr was named Lavi since Hoshino said that Lavi will be back just not in a way that we might expect lol So, yay, I'm happy~

So abaut P!Lavi/past Jr:

We still don't know much about him, but P!Lavi has a casual demeanor (and appearance) that is reminiscent of current Lavi. Since "Lavi" is a role and the name of a record, they might act similarly because that's what the persona calls for. "Lavi" has to be a certain way when recording the holy war. But it also seems like that P!Lavi is the way he is, because it is closer to his true nature, or being/playing Lavi is the easiest for him out of all aliases.

Staying on the topic of Bookmen clan customs: If a Jr is chosen/destined to have this role, why choose people who have the potential to get attached? Is this part of their journey? Their final challenge? It is funny that both Lavis got attached to specifically "Allen" (even if for P!Lavi it was Nea first). What is the connection between the two Lavis and how much Bookman knew about the truth/manipulated the outcome?

About Pasta:

So he used to be a soldier... While dying, it looks like he is wearing a typical 19th-century military uniform. Was he fighting against other people? How long was he in the military? (Was it his choice?) Did he kill people? Did he regret it? Allen is against killing, but Red isn't necessary if he is cornered (tormented enough). Pasta is closer to (a healthier) Red personality-wise, but it is hard to tell right now.

Nea's deal:

So Pasta was dying and a supernatural entity appeared out of nowhere, and he made a deal with him. This means that it doesn't matter which body or timeline he is in, if, in a desperate situation, Allen will make a promise or a contract with any version of the Earl (devil). Maybe it is important that it happened 3 times, and it birthed 3 different Allens. (The twist may be that Allen even knew the OG Earl in one of his past lives lol). Why Allen though? Nea doesn't trust easy, he can't allow himself. Did one of their other versions *actually* meet even before that? Did he sense something else in Pasta? Did he want to make a deal with him for a long time and wait until he could corner Pasta? Did Pasta's pain signal him somehow, like the Earl knows who is grieving? Did Nea approach many other people until he found the one? It might be that Pasta's wish was the dealmaker. Probably it was a selfless one, that would be very on-brand for Allen.

Nea considers Pasta his dear friend, despite their (so far) brief history... I like the idea that Nea just gets attached easily to people that he finds sympathetic, or Allen going along impacted him greatly. But I might love it more if it was only a onesided friendship this whole time and he is that delusional about what it meant to Pasta lmao It was a love at first sight for him, but for Pasta it was more transactional. (Probably not though)

Anyway, is Nea making Pasta his host similar to the way the Earl creates Akuma? Souls have names, and something is alive after you name it. It is possible that Pasta's name wasn't Allen, and it is something Nea gave him after the contract.

About Apo

Apo is at it again. Hoshino just uses him to be blamed for every misfortune in Allen's life. It is fun that CC meant to eat Pasta, but now Allen is such a peculiar accomodator. What makes Allen so special, that Apo had a change of heart? Is it because he has 2 entities inside him that are trying to kill him, and he is still standing? It is him having strong emotions that the innocence can feed on?

As usual more questions than answers ❤️

[woodelf68]

LOKI 2.4

I don't see why they can't keep Dox in Holding forever; they had no problem pruning Lokis into the Void for forever. >.>

Dammit, Sylvie, it would have taken OB and Victor five seconds to sign each other's copies of the TVA Guidebook; could you not let them have their brief moment of fanboying joy?

OB's explanation of the Loom is very helpful here; it reminds me of the Doctor on Doctor Who explaining sciencey things to his companions on screen so that the kiddies (and adults, lol) at home could understand what was going on. (Okay, so the TVA as a TARDIS, discuss. Look at all those long corridors its got for running in!) I loved OB's "...the backlog of branches that was created when someone...*looks accusingly at Sylvie* ...killed He Who Remains and released all those branches and ruined my life." (Aw, come on, OB, you're out of the basement now! You're making friends and meeting admirers of your work!)

Loki claiming that the little figure in the model was clearly not him so why did he have to be the one to 'hoof it' and lob the throughput multiplier into the Loom? Well, Loki, you have very long legs and can run fast, also tradition has been established that your character is the one who gets sent to do the hard jobs for others; just be glad you're not being asked to steal Surtur's flame and doom Asgard this time around. (Of course, your decision to abscond with the Tesseract has already caused the TVA to erase the Asgard of your timeline, people and realm both, so...uh, never mind, pretend I never said anything.)

MOBIUS AND HIS PIE AGAIN. I SWEAR TO GOD THAT THE TVA LACES THE PIE WITH DRUGS TO KEEP ITS WORKERS DOCILE AND HAPPY WITH HAVING NO LIFE OUTSIDE OF WORK AND POSSIBLY ACTS AS A CONTINUAL DOSAGE OF SOMETHING THAT KEEPS THEM FROM REGAINING THEIR MEMORIES? MOBIUS CAN'T GO TOO LONG WITHOUT ANOTHER SLICE OF PIE BECAUSE HE'S EXPERIENCING THE WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS OF AN ADDICT. I was so happy to hear Sylvie call him out on his pie-seeking habits and his refusal to try to find out any information about the timeline he was pulled from. Like sure it might hurt to remember a family whom he'd lost, but I'd rather honour the memories of loved ones by remembering them than being too cowardly to do so.

I have to agree with the point I saw raised in another post of 'WHY do they have to fix the Loom? Surely all the multiple timelines managed to exist just fine on their own before it was created?' Also, hoo boy, did Loki's speech about how you can't free a people and then leave them to look after themselves remind anyone else of Asgard's justification of being the ruler of the Nine Realms? Keeping a military presence on those conquered worlds? AND NO, LOKI, YOU'RE NOT A GOD, YOUR DAD TOLD ME SO IN A BIT OF THE SACRED TIMELINE YOU DIDN'T GET TO EXPERIENCE. Although this time at the TVA is Loki's post-Thanos period when he was claiming the same thing in the Sacred Timeline, wanting to be a 'benevolent god'. So...that actually ties in.

Um -- do we all agree that Miss Minutes looked orgasmic watching everyone (except Brad) be crushed in the cube thingie?

(Was Loki pruning himself related back to the time slipping thing? I still don't really understand what the point of that was.)

OB: But if I reboot Miss Minutes, we'll lose the magic dampeners in the TVA!

Loki and Sylvie: THIS IS THE OPPOSITE OF A PROBLEM!

Oh hell yeah, Bradley, prune that bitch! I HOPE YOU END UP IN THE VOID WITH A HUNGRY ALLIGATOR, RAVONNA.

Kudos to Timely for sensibly asking if it's safe before sticking his head inside some alien machinery and not just blindly following instructions.

LIGHT! BEAUTIFUL LIGHT IN THE TVA! I don't care what this means as long as I can properly see what's going on!

Oh. Oh shit. Spaghettification is what's going on, huh. *Salutes Victor Timely* May you get the afterlife you hoped for, sir, you died a noble death. Guys. Guys, stop staring into the blinding radioactive light; I'm sure that's not good for your eyes.

And...what a cliffhanger; it's like FINALLY all the pieces are falling into place and the story is getting to someplace exciting. That was a good episode; I hope it keeps up this pace next week and something good happens if the Loom is going pear-shaped. I gotta try to remember to watch this on Thursday for a change.

@delyth88 -- finally felt inspired to make a long reaction post! (And my stupid computer glitched about 2/3 of the way through and I had to rewatch what I'd already seen to remember what I had been commenting on! I blame the TVA.)

[alterrune]

What If... Laurence Burnway won Operation Prowling Spider?

The following is an alternate timeline where Laurence continued to remain as the Zulu Security CEO for The Trinity of Fate, and had defeated the CSB and GEOGRAM. Without the CSB bringing him back, Laurence continued on his path of darkness ever since Lily died. There would be no turning back now for Laurence.

Laurence is in the elevator leading to Aaron's Office, GEOGRAM was destroyed, and all Laurence how to do now was get rid of his father Aaron.

Aaron Schaffer: "Well done, Laurence. You've done what TRU could not: Destroyed GEOGRAM. I'm upstairs, Laurence. When you're done rifling through my things, please, join me. Let's not prolong this anymore than is necessary. When you're finished, there's something I'd like to show you. No matter how hard I tried, I never could escape the reality of what happened here. That was my downfall." Laurence Burnway: "What the hell is going on?" Aaron Schaffer: "Your eyes are opening for the first time. It hurts, doesn't it? ... Go on. What do you think?" Laurence Burnway: "You did this." Aaron Schaffer: "No, you did. Your orders killed 47 innocent people. Someone has to pay for your crimes, Walker. Who's it going to be?" Laurence Burnway: "Aaron? Is that you?" Aaron Schaffer: "You tell me." Laurence Burnway: "I'm done playing games, Dad." Aaron Schaffer: "I assure you, this is no game." Laurence spins the chair around and sees Aaron dead in full military uniform. Laurence's eyes open as he comes to the realization that Aaron has been dead a long time, having committed suicide with a pistol in his hand out of guilt for what had happened. Laurence picks up the gun, unable to understand what he is seeing. At this point, "Aaron" appears again as a hallucination, as Laurence ends up having another psychotic breakdown. Aaron Schaffer: "It seems that reports of my... survival have been greatly exaggerated." Walker: "This is impossible." Aaron Schaffer: "Oh I assure, it is." Laurence Burnway: "How?" Aaron Schaffer: "Not how. Why. You were never meant to come here." Laurence Burnway: "What happened here was out of my control." Aaron Schaffer: "Was it? None of this would have happened if you just stopped. But on you marched. And for what?" Laurence Burnway: "... I wanted to make you proud." Aaron Schaffer: "You're no savior. Your talents lie elsewhere." Laurence Burnway: "This isn't my fault." Aaron Schaffer: "It takes a strong man to deny what's right in front of him. And if the truth is undeniable, you create your own. The truth Walker is, that you're here because you wanted to feel like something you are not, a hero. I'm here because you can't accept what you did. It broke you. You needed someone to blame. So you cast it on me: a dead man. I know the truth is hard to hear Laurence, but it's time. You're all that's left, and we can't live this lie forever." Aaron points the gun at Laurence. Aaron Schaffer: "I'm going to count to 5, then I'm pulling the trigger." Laurence Burnway: "You're not real, this is all in my head" Aaron Schaffer: "Are you sure? Maybe it's in mine. ONE." Laurence Burnway: "No, everything, all of this, it was your fault!" Aaron Schaffer: "If that's what you believe, then shoot me. TWO." Laurence Burnway: "I-I didn't mean to hurt anybody." Aaron Schaffer: "No one ever does, Walker. THREE." Laurence raises his gun. Aaron Schaffer: "FOUR."

The perspective changes to a Squad of GEOGRAM Soldiers inside the elevator pointing their guns at Laurence.

Aaron Schaffer: "Is this really what you want, Laurence? So be it, FIVE." Laurence, unable to live with himself after all the atrocities and death he had caused, purposely misses the shot, and let's himself get shot dead by the GEOGRAM Soldier's.

Scenario Ends Here

Scenario Title: A Farewell To Arms

Holy shit...

You okay, Laurence?

Well, Kyle...I can't believe how WEAK that was. "Couldn't shoot Aaron"? Bitch, PUH-LEASE! I'd take the shot before he even got to "two". Uh...Laurence? You do know I'm standing right here, right? Dad, I meant if this had actually happened. I'm not actually going to do that to you. Good. We were both worried for a second... And besides. What we all saw here was WEAK. What would've REALLY happened here was I would've let Dad get his little monologue out, shoot him before he had a chance to continue counting, and then kill every other GEOGRAM solider with no remorse at all. If I'm gonna fight, I fight with the intent to kill. No survivors. Uh...Kyle? Are we sure he's still on our side?

Yeah, getting some mixed messages, here...

Relax. If he wasn't, he'd still be in his prison right now. He's redeemed. He's just really, REALLY into fighting.

Yeah. The whole "power of friendship" thing isn't my forte. The "power of firearms", though, THAT'S my kind of style.

There we go! NOW you're speaking some sense, Laurence. Mercy isn't my strong suit, either. Believe me. The big bad guys could probably be redeemed, but their flunkies? FUCKING CANNON FODDER.

[paramounticebound]

~ Character Info Sheet

name: Sibahl Khan Noonien Singh

name meaning: 'Khan', often a surname, is derived from the historic title khan, referring to a military chief or royalty. Ruler, leader, king. / 'Noonien' is of Chinese origin and means "gifted one". The story goes that Gene Roddenberry, in the midst of the Cold War, was attempting to find a friend with this name and hoped seeing it on the big screen would enable them to connect again. / 'Singh' is a Punjabi/Sikh surname, derived from the Sanskrit word सिंह (IAST: siṃha) meaning "lion", and is used in the sense of "hero" or "eminent person". ['Sibahl' is rooted from two different sanskrit words: 'singh' which means lion and 'bal' which means strength.]

tl;dr his name is an amalgamation of different cultural roots, while the general meanings remain consistent.

alias/es: The Augmented Prince, The Augmented Tyrant, John Harrison, Captain, Popsicle, KHAAAAN

ethnicity: indian british now ig thanks section 31 ┐('～`；)┌

one picture you like best of your chara:

and his alternate fc b/c i have no chill:

three h/cs you've never told anyone:

His name, I suppose. Learning that 'Khan Noonien Singh' was not the original name for the character sort of set me off, along with the moment in the comic where he took on a new moniker. Sibahl is the name that Sarina gave him, and sometimes he still tastes it in the back of his throat; yet when he'd realized what he must become to lead his people, he shed it in favor of KHAN.

While he fears failure and loss, Khan does not fear death. Truthfully, he finds the concept comforting in a way that words can barely describe. To return to the earth, to stardust, is so unfathomably beautiful-- to continue the cycle of life until it dissipates in entirety. His body will feed the soil, bacteria and carrion consuming all that he has to offer, and so he will live on and on in a way that the soul cannot. He's absolutely written poetry about it, and you'll never get to read it.

When he was a child, he was gifted a khanda by a close friend of Sarina's-- a historian and antique dealer. While it was originally ornamental in design, Khan sharpened and modified it to become a functional weapon.

While I generally consider him unable to scar, a wound from a previous rp partner yet transcends many of his verses. It's a scar just under his rib cage on the left side, vaguely in the shape of a sunburst.

three things your character likes doing in their free time:

Calligraphy-- he misses paper and ink, how his hands long to create instead of destroy.

Playing chess-- a way to destress while keeping the mind sharp.

Whittling-- he has occasionally been known to gift woodwork he's created. Not as often in his current timeline.

eight people your character likes / loves:

Marla McGivers (@sweetbitterbitten): A mad widower does not a worth leader make. Without her, insanity is the best comfort that can be had. With her-- oh, with her, Persephone to his Hades, he is fit to rule in hell. He is fit to drag it wherever he needs it to be.

Fox Alkaev (@vuulpecula): After writing him for so long, Fox has become interwoven into his story, in some way or another. In every verse, he is somehow connected to her.

Sarina Kaur: Mother is God in the eyes of a child.

Joachim: What is a king without an advisor? This is his right hand man and greatest confidant.

Kati: Much like Joachim, he relies on her wisdom, either as a dampener to his righteous fury, or a kindling when blood must be shed.

Liesel Ivanov (@noblehcart ): Who else can dance only to melody of humming stars and thrumming hearts?

His unnamed child from Wrath of Khan/Ender (@middaysandmidnights): His child, his legacy, his lifeblood. The one whom he hopes will endure despite him.

The rest of his crew: without them, he is nothing, a dead end king, a freedom fighter without a cause.

Multiple muses that have melted his icy heart over the years. I'd make a giant post if you'd let me.

two things your character regrets:

Terran exile, and how long it has taken to regain a rightful throne. He wishes that he hadn't relied on the unknown to save them.

Letting any of his people die. Those that have still haunt him, ghosts ever present, continually chanting, "Our captain has left us behind."

two phobias your character has:

Claustrommetaphobia - fear of suffocation in an enclosed space.

Atychiphobia - an extreme fear of failure.

Tagged by : @ssolessurvivor <333

Tagging: @gcldenratio @asteritm @jundlcndwastes (juni!) @hcxcd @noblehcart (liesel!) @lastsurvivor @sweetbitterbitten (whomever you're feeling the most; or marla!) @vulku / @greatprotector @admiralchristopherpike @godresembled (rey!) @whydotheykeeptakingmine @learnedlucidity @hiislegacy @weavefcrged @primitiveside @dethqveen and YOU!

[sxrrandomfanfics]

I'm confused by the Psychonauts timeline. And I don't mean "Oh doesn't it take place in the 1980s cause of the second game having magazines?" vs "doesn't it take place in the 1800s because Fred validly being the great great great grandson of Napoleon Bonaparte and we can look up Napoleon's lineage and see that said great great great grandchildren lived in that age?" vs "Doesn't it take place in a futuristic 2000s because vibes?"

No no no no no.

I'm talking about what events took place in what order?

Like... Ford and Otto meet and decide to go to some place in the woods to study this thing called Psitanium. Many people think they dropped out of college but they could have also been like... geology majors...

And apparently Otto knew a hydrokinetic woman named Lucy from Grulovia so...

Mark that actually first in the timeline, Otto knew Lucy and knew a war was happening in Grulovia. Sometime after that, Otto and Ford meet and start studying Psitanium. Lucy's husband, Gelsin, dies in the war so she leaves. Leaving her sister behind.

Lucy and Ford start bonding long before other psychics join them, but then we don't know the exact order that people came in.

Compton, Cassie, and Bob are somewhere in the mix with Helmut being last but... which of them came first!? Was it Cassie who struggled to socialize with the others and only bonded with Ford? OR was it Compton because his psychic abilities were having trouble being honed and Ford was like- why don't we try to help? OR was it Bob who had no one else around and was probably aimlessly wandering or drunk? We don't know. Make it up yourself.

Helmut and Bob have a wedding, which... includes... Truman. Wait how old is Truman!? I thought he was younger than Augustus but Augustus is clearly around Raz's age (maybe older) in the memory vaults but now looks older than Truman.

Do we need to put THAT on the timeline, too!? *sigh* just... plot things out...

After that wedding the next point in the timeline is Lucrecia's return to Grulovia because the war eventually breaches its borders, and fearing for her sister's life, Lucrecia heads back. This is now a lot easier to plot out. Lucrecia heads back, turns the tide of war (pun intended), and becomes the War Minister under the Malik Crown. Lucrecia eventually creates mild floods at protests, and gains the moniker "Maligula" from either those of the crown, or the protestors. During this time, her letters start to no longer show up in the mail and Maligula gains a big name for herself (as we see with Psychic Times Magazine). The Deluge happens. Marona and Lazarus are killed and then she is left to succumb to her primal fight instincts that try to protect her from feeling the guilt and aiming her rage at those she blames to be the real cause of her sister's death. Other protestors, or even the crown. The Maliks flee, and after many militaries cannot get to Grulovia, they send in the small group of Psychics that have also probably been published in similar magazines (most likely thanks to Otto). The fight with Maligula happens, Helmut "dies," Ford "kills" Maligula, and he takes Maligula and Helmut's brain to the Heptadome.

Things get messy here again. Because while it may seem that Maligula's, Augustus's, and Ford's rewrites happened back to back in Helmut's memories of the incident, there's implications that it wasn't the case. Ford recalls at the end of "Tomb of the Sharkophogus" that "I had my Lucy back." This implies that he first used it to isolate Maligula. Afterall, it he remarks he had his Lucy. Ford goes on to say "But I knew the world would never forgive her. So I had to hide her somewhere safe."

Perhaps this was him still having her in the astrolaithe, BUT it could also be that he and Lucy came up with the plan of hiding her further from herself. Remember: Lucy accepted the name of Maligula before the Deluge (Cruller's Correspondence). It was even the name they featured her with on the Psychic magazine before the Deluge. But we don't know. This is a hole in our understanding. It's an even bigger hole with Raz saying that Ford was "the greatest leader the Psychonauts had ever seen," back in PN1 (before Maligula was the reason that Ford's mind became fucked up). Meaning that not only should Ford have at least a FEW missions under his belt, it would mean the back-to-back memory wipe makes no sense. But if the back-to-back memory wipe makes no sense then there would be no reason for Otto to have not known the brain in the jar was Helmut Fullbear! ESPECIALLY when Ford is supposedly out of it during Helmut's funeral and when Ford is at the founding of the Motherlobe.

Another hole in our understanding is even where Ford got the idea of the circus. Was it from Lazarus Aquato and his famous national aquatic circus that Augustus tells Raz about? Was it from the fact that the Galochios were supposed to have been a rival circus in the past? We don't get anything with that!

So what are we left with? I suppose it would have had to have been something like this - Ford rescues Lucy, but between all of her friends she believes she killed Helmut, as well as her sister. Possibly unable to deal with the grief, She begs Ford to help her redeem herself by saving Augustus. But Augustus, traumatized by the loss of his mother to his aunt rejects her until they're both locking their memories away. And then Ford... well there's another grey period.

What makes the MOST sense is that he was HAILED as the best leader the Psychonauts had because he was 1. The First, and 2. Took down Maligula. And basically immediately after tried to seal the memories of Lucy away with the Astrolaithe and accidentally broke his own mind by the time they had Helmut's funeral.

THEN we get into the New Leadership of the Psychonauts. Mostly led by Otto, but we also have Truman as the only other leader. Who is clearly old enough to have been at Helmut and Bob's wedding given the figments you can find in Bob's Bottles.

I'm guessing that Ford and Otto had their time as leaders, but when Cassie left, Truman was the one in charge. But that's only guess work. Truman could have just been leading the Psychonauts as the organization we know it since the beginning.

But the most IRRITATING part of the Psychonauts timeline is the current batch of agents. No, not Raz and the Juniors, I'm talking about the Senior Agents. The superstars.

Where did Sasha Nein, Milla Vodello, Hollis Forsythe, and Morceau Oleander come from?

Like... we know their backstories and where they were BEFORE the Psychonauts. But we only see Hollis recruited. And she's able to call the Psychonauts and get Truman to come on a mission to fix her mess.

But like... if the Psychonauts are just a phone call away, they're clearly established for the populous rather than the way they're called in like... the E3 reveal trailer by military. So HOW did she become SECOND HEAD? Who was Truman's second hand before her? Did he have one before her? Was this during a time that like... Otto and Compton were in charge?

Were Morceau, Sasha, and Milla already there? That would make the most sense, considering how popular and available the Psychonauts are. But then again, why would someone who got into the Psychonauts so late become the Second Head??

And it's not even that Hollis was an immediate field agent, as she dropped being a nurse and got a graduate degree in mathematics. So she either took off away from the Psychonauts and got that degree then came in later, or under the Psychonauts got her degree.

We don't have the order of half of the founding members, and we don't have the order of the modern psychonauts being recruited.

All. We have. Are Headcanons. And even then those clash a lot.

Like, I can say: "Oh I think Truman became leader fairly quickly thanks to his age being around 20s or 30s at the latest and Otto and Compton were struggling with trauma" but at the same time it's equally valid to say: "Ford was the leader who lost himself overtime rather than shattering immediately"

And sometimes that's great. But sometimes that can cause people to yell at one another.

What am I trying to get at?

Nothing I'm just neurodivergent about numbers and timelines are something I'm VERY neurodivergent for.

[gear-project]

Do you think it could be possible that A.B.A.’s creator, Paracelsus, is really Asuka? Though it’s stated that A.B.A. was only conscious for 10 years before leaving Frasco, I don’t believe it’s said how long before her birth Paracelsus was taken away, meaning that she possibly could’ve been growing in a test tube for upwards of 150 years before she was fully conscious. The facts that

Both the Gear Project and Homunculus Project were about creating a new form of artificial life,

Both Asuka and Paracelsus were involved in some way with the military, and

In Asuka’s story mode he makes very Homunculus-esque clones of himself and mentions A.B.A. by name

lead me to believe that Paracelsus could’ve been a pseudonym taken by Asuka, and that he created A.B.A. as a sort of proto-prototype to the Gears without anyone else’s knowledge. Do you have any thoughts and/or know any bits of lore I might’ve missed that could help prove/disprove my theory?

Since you brought up the topic, I'll list a couple differences between Asuka and Paracelsus that aren't immediately apparent but it's what the story has revealed so far:

Paracelsus was taken from Frasco to work for the "Government" (non-specific) but is later revealed (by Xrd Library info) to be the Postwar Administration Bureau / The Conclave as part of the Frasco II Laboratory facility.

When A.B.A. speaks with Crow Kuruwaba (who works with them) while she never actually asks Crow about her creator's whereabouts specifically, Crow states he does know a thing or two about alchemy for creating a new body for Flament Nagel, which is why he has her try to capture Dizzy in her side story in exchange for the help (though this never actually pans out). These events take place after the events of Guilty Gear X, so 2181 or so… this was some time after Flament Nagel and A.B.A. fought with Slayer and lost (Night of Knives side story).

Paracelsus recovered Flament Nagel's Axe-body remains AFTER Slayer defeated him during the course of the Crusades, so sometime before Justice was defeated in 2175… in other words, Paracelsus was still conducting research of his own on Flament Nagel at this time in his OWN lab… the reason this is important is because at this time DURING the Crusades, Asuka was actually imprisoned by GEARS in a Gear Plant until I-No rescued him (this happened in an alternate timeline… after this Asuka left the physical world and began researching the Backyard and created the Cube prior to GG2 Overture's events). Flament Nagel never mentions Paracelsus specifically, only that he was locked up in an Armory for a number of years (and he doesn't ever mention Asuka either…), though it is known that Slayer has spoken with Asuka in later GGXX events post-2180, he never mentions encountering Paracelsus during that time.

Historical Note: Frasco is a reference to the "Homunculus in the Flask" story/theory developed by the historical Paracelsus Alchemist (the real person in OUR history)… and according to some stories, he was born in Switzerland but did most of his research in Germany and France, though much of his research spread to Italy during the Rennaisance. Some fictional stories suggested he accessed a "Forbidden Gate of Knowledge" during his lifetime and disappeared as well.

(For reference, most of Asuka's Gear Project took place in America, so it is unlikely that Asuka was involved in any European Research facilities that we're aware of until he was captured and imprisoned by the Gears sometime around 2182 in the other timeline. That's not to say he never WENT to Europe, we just don't have confirmation of him doing so until after Justice was killed in 2180 by Sol Badguy during the Second Sacred Order Tournament.)

4. Given what we know of the Conclave's and the P.W.A.B.'s extensive research, they did learn quite a bit about the Backyard from interacting with Ramlethal and Elphelt Valentine, Faust's Resurrection Spell, and turning the body vessel of Justice in to the Cradle which allowed them to transport themselves INSIDE the Backyard. The Conclave were also responsible for creating the O.P.U.S. Gears commissioned by Ariels, which are an advanced form of Gear that does NOT disobey orders… the Opus Gears are also likely based on Paracelsus' work as well as research on the Valentines… (likely this also impacted the Phalanx Nine Guard soldiers that Ariels tampered with as well).

5. The Conclave themselves run the organization known as the Sanctus Populi and oppose Asuka R. Kreutz in terms of ideology and it was this ideology that prevented the distribution of advanced Magic knowledge to the rest of the world. Given that Asuka was fighting the Conclave, it is unlikely that he encountered Paracelsus at this time or during the events of Revelator (although he did encounter Chronus some time later after being freed from Bedman's Prison). On the subject of their opposing ideologies, it was never Asuka's intent to hide the knowledge of Magic from the rest of the world… in fact his Radio Show intends to share nothing but facts as part of his Accumulation of Good Will. By contrast, most of the research Paracelsus did is a heavily kept secret and unknown to most of the rest of the world.

Xrd's Library also makes a point to make a distinction between Magic Arts and Alchemy… indicating that the latter is lesser known than the former.

6. Hate to correct you but Asuka does NOT refer to A.B.A. by name… only as "that Homunculus Frasco project" when speaking of the Valentines… it's a HINT to A.B.A. but it's not direct, though we do know Asuka was responsible for Jack-O'Valentine's creation and was still working on I-No's Valentine… we can't really say how much progress he actually made on finishing the real Happy Chaos Valentine.

By comparison, Jack-O' is technically a "superior model" to A.B.A. because of her Valentine status as a "replica of Justice", though the method Asuka used to make Jack-O' is different from the methods that Ariels used to make Ramlethal, Valentine, and Elphelt.

In other words, A.B.A. was created using a completely different method… Alchemy compared to using the Magic of the Backyard to manifest a body. Also, it's made clear in A.B.A.'s bio that her blood is reactive liquid Mercury (Quicksilver as it is also known)… so it isn't anything like the Gear Cell based Magic Conduit system that GEARs use to sync up with the Backyard's Magic Energy.

Asuka also states that his Asuka R# Copies are disposable, so they aren't anything like either A.B.A. or the Valentines in construct, even if they're technically inspired by them... meaning they aren't Gears or Homunculi by themselves... meaning the method he used to make them isn't Alchemy either.

It was a nice theory, but there's a lot of info that disproves it at this time... we'll just have to wait and see what happened to Paracelsus later on.