#Which I stole from Genesys

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Sandra Newman’s “Julia”

The first chapter of Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four has a fantastic joke that nearly everyone misses: when Julia, Winston Smith's love interest, is introduced, she has oily hands and a giant wrench, which she uses in her "mechanical job on one of the novel-writing machines":

https://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks01/0100021.txt

That line just kills me every time I re-read the book – Orwell, a novelist, writing a dystopian future in which novels are written by giant, clanking mechanisms. Later on, when Winston and Julia begin their illicit affair, we get more detail:

She could describe the whole process of composing a novel, from the general directive issued by the Planning Committee down to the final touching-up by the Rewrite Squad. But she was not interested in the finished product. She 'didn't much care for reading,' she said. Books were just a commodity that had to be produced, like jam or bootlaces.

I always assumed Orwell was subtweeting his publishers and editors here, and you can only imagine that the editor who asked Orwell to tweak the 1984 manuscript must have felt an uncomfortable parallel between their requests and the notional Planning Committee and Rewrite Squad at the Ministry of Truth.

I first read 1984 in the early winter of, well, 1984, when I was thirteen years old. I was on a family trip that included as visit to my relatives in Leningrad, and the novel made a significant impact on me. I immediately connected it to the canon of dystopian science fiction that I was already avidly consuming, and to the geopolitics of a world that seemed on the brink of nuclear devastation. I also connected it to my own hopes for the nascent field of personal computing, which I'd gotten an early start on, when my father – then a computer science student – started bringing home dumb terminals and acoustic couplers from his university in the mid-1970s. Orwell crystallized my nascent horror at the oppressive uses of technology (such as the automated Mutually Assured Destruction nuclear systems that haunted my nightmares) and my dreams of the better worlds we could have with computers.

It's not an overstatement to say that the rest of my life has been about this tension. It's no coincidence that I wrote a series of "Little Brother" novels whose protagonist calls himself w1n5t0n:

https://craphound.com/littlebrother/Cory_Doctorow_-_Little_Brother.htm

I didn't stop with Orwell, of course. I wrote a whole series of widely read, award-winning stories with the same titles as famous sf tales, starting with "Anda's Game" ("Ender's Game"):

https://www.salon.com/2004/11/15/andas_game/

And "I, Robot":

https://craphound.com/overclocked/Cory_Doctorow_-_Overclocked_-_I_Robot.html

"The Martian Chronicles":

https://escapepod.org/2019/10/03/escape-pod-700-martian-chronicles-part-1/

"True Names":

https://archive.org/details/TrueNames

"The Man Who Sold the Moon":

https://memex.craphound.com/2015/05/22/the-man-who-sold-the-moon/

and "The Brave Little Toaster":

https://archive.org/details/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_212

Writing stories about other stories that you hate or love or just can't get out of your head is a very old and important literary tradition. As EL Doctorow (no relation) writes in his essay "Genesis," the Hebrews stole their Genesis story from the Babylonians, rewriting it to their specifications:

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/41520/creationists-by-e-l-doctorow/

As my "famous title" stories and Little Brother books show, this work needn't be confined to antiquity. Modern copyright may be draconian, but it contains exceptions ("fair use" in the US, "fair dealing" in many other places) that allow for this kind of creative reworking. One of the most important fair use cases concerns The Wind Done Gone, Alice Randall's 2001 retelling of Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind from the perspective of the enslaved characters, which was judged to be fair use after Mitchell's heirs tried to censor the book:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suntrust_Bank_v._Houghton_Mifflin_Co.

In ruling for Randall, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals emphasized that she had "fully employed those conscripted elements from Gone With the Wind to make war against it." Randall used several of Mitchell's most famous lines, "but vest[ed] them with a completely new significance":

https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/268/1257/608446/

The Wind Done Gone is an excellent book, and both its text and its legal controversy kept springing to mind as I read Sandra Newman's wonderful novel Julia, which retells 1984 from the perspective of Julia, she of the oily hands the novel-writing machine:

https://www.harpercollins.com/products/julia-sandra-newman?variant=41467936636962

Julia is the kind of fanfic that I love, in the tradition of both Wind Done gone and Rosenkrantz and Gildenstern Are Dead, in which a follow-on author takes on the original author's throwaway world-building with deadly seriousness, elucidating the weird implications and buried subtexts of all the stuff and people moving around in the wings and background of the original.

For Newman, the starting point here is Julia, an enigmatic lover who comes to Winston with all kinds of rebellious secrets – tradecraft for planning and executing dirty little assignations and acquiring black market goods. Julia embodies a common contradiction in the depiction of young women (she is some twenty years younger than Winston): on the one hand, she is a "native" of the world, while Winston is a late arrival, carrying around all his "oldthink" baggage that leaves him perennially baffled, terrified and angry; on the other hand, she's a naive "girl," who "doesn't much care for reading," and lacks the intellectual curiosity that propels Winston through the text.

This contradiction is the cleavage line that Newman drives her chisel into, fracturing Orwell's world in useful, fascinating, engrossing ways. For Winston, the world of 1984 is totalitarian: the Party knows all, controls all and misses nothing. To merely think a disloyal thought is to be doomed, because the omnipotent, omniscient, and omnicompetent Party will sense the thought and mark you for torture and "vaporization."

Orwell's readers experience all of 1984 through Winston's eyes and are encouraged to trust his assessment of his situation. But Newman brings in a second point of view, that of Julia, who is indeed far more worldly than Winston. But that's not because she's younger than him – it's because she's more provincial. Julia, we learn, grew up outside of the Home Counties, where the revolution was incomplete and where dissidents – like her parents – were sent into exile. Julia has experienced the periphery of the Party's power, the places where it is frayed and incomplete. For Julia, the Party may be ruthless and powerful, but it's hardly omnicompetent. Indeed, it's rather fumbling.

Which makes sense. After all, if we take Winston at his word and assume that every disloyal citizen of Oceania is arrested, tortured and murdered, where would that leave Oceania? Even Kim Jong Un can't murder everyone who hates him, or he'd get awfully lonely, and then awfully hungry.

Through Julia's eyes, we experience Oceania as a paranoid autocracy, corrupt and twitchy. We witness the obvious corollary of a culture of denunciation and arrest: the ruling Party of such an institution must be riddled with internecine struggle and backstabbing, to the point of paralyzed dysfunction. The Orwellian trick of switching from being at war with Eastasia to Eurasia and back again is actually driven by real military setbacks – not just faked battles designed to stir up patriotic fervor. The Party doesn't merely claim to be under assault from internal and external enemies – it actually is.

Julia is also perfectly positioned to uncover the vast blank spots in Winston's supposed intellectual curiosity, all the questions he doesn't ask – about her, about the Party, and about the world. I love this trope and used it myself, in Attack Surface, the third "Little Brother" book, which is told from the point of view of Marcus's frenemy Masha:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250757531/attacksurface

Through Julia, we come to understand the seemingly omniscient, omnipotent Party as fumbling sadists. The Thought Police are like MI5, an Island of Misfit Toys where the paranoid, the stupid, the vicious and the thuggish come together to ruin the lives of thousands, in such a chaotic and pointless manner that their victims find themselves spinning devastatingly clever explanations for their behavior:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/adamcurtis/entries/3662a707-0af9-3149-963f-47bea720b460

And, as with Nineteen Eighty-Four, Julia is a first-rate novel, expertly plotted, with fantastic, nail-biting suspense and many smart turns and clever phrases. Newman is doing Orwell, and, at times, outdoing him. In her hands, Orwell – like Winston – is revealed as a kind of overly credulous romantic who can't believe that anyone as obviously stupid and deranged as the state's representatives could be kicking his ass so very thoroughly.

This was, in many ways, the defining trauma and problem of Orwell's life, from his origin story, in which he is shot through the throat by a fascist: sniper during the Spanish Civil War:

https://www.rjgeib.com/thoughts/soldiers/george-orwell-shot.html

To his final days, when he developed a foolish crush on a British state spy and tried to impress her by turning his erstwhile comrades in to her:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orwell%27s_list

Newman's feminist retelling of Orwell is as much about puncturing the myth of male competence as it is about revealing the inner life, agency, and personhood of swooning love-interests. As someone who loves Orwell – but not unconditionally – I was moved, impressed, and delighted by Julia.

Tor Books as just published two new, free LITTLE BROTHER stories: VIGILANT, about creepy surveillance in distance education; and SPILL, about oil pipelines and indigenous landback.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/09/28/novel-writing-machines/#fanfic

[thewertsearch]

TC: all my life i believed at a fuckin paradise to come what held the most baller, darkest of carnivals to join. TC: AND A PROPHECY TC: to tell all about a band of rowdy and capricious minstrels steeped in the good harshwhimsy. TC: THE MIRTHFUL MESSIAHS WERE FORETOLD TO BE CRASHING THAT FUCKING PIE STAND AND BRING THE HOLY RUCKUS. […] TC: I'M TALKING ABOUT THE VAST HONK, YOU BLASPHEMOUS MOTHERFUCKER.

I suppose I have to take Gamzee's cult a lot more seriously now - which means I should probably at least try to figure out what it is they actually believe.

It appears as if their doctrine is centered around some sort of prophecy, concerning a group of legendary figures known as 'mirthful messiahs'. They're fated to release the Vast Honk - and, in doing so, create some sort of Juggalo paradise.

We don't know any lore about the Vast Honk, but its name sets up intentional parallels with Gl'bgolyb's apocalyptic Vast Glub, as well as the Vast Croak, a holy sound emitted by newborn Genesis Frogs. Both of these sounds accompany enormous, galaxy-shaking cosmic events, so the Honk is presumably no different.

Alternia's First Guardian was 'corrupted' by a genome of the same name, presumably changing him from a standard Sburb NPC into the English cultist we all know and tolerate.

Could the Vast Honk be released by someone corrupted in a similar manner? We already know that Jade's Genesis Frog was spliced with some unknown DNA; it's terrifyingly plausible that said DNA was planted by Scratch, Gamzee, or English himself. There's a very real possibility that the Vast Honk will come from the mouth of Jade's frog.

TC: BUT NOW. TC: because of you. TC: BECAUSE OF ALL YOU AND YOUR FUCKING OUTRAGEOUSNESS. TC: you stole up all my miracles away by revealing at me how the wicked shit was really kicked. TC: LIKE SOME FILTHY FUCKING SCIENSTIFF WHO AT OLD TIMES WOULD BE RULED UNFUNNY WITHOUT EVEN GETTING HIS FUCKING TRIAL ON. TC: and now i don't know what to think about the spiritual fantasies i had.

Anyway, Gamzee can’t seem to reconcile his worldview with this pair of alien rappers who seem to cruelly parody his beliefs.

He’s always been dimly aware of his fictional nature, and as his mind begins to clear, it is forced to confront the possibility that this is all his religion ever was. A viral video and a meme.

For once, he doesn't think it's a very funny joke.

TC: I HAVE THE IDEA THAT YOU PUT IN MY PAN TO SIT THERE. TC: that the paradise planet TC: IS A FUCKING JOKE. TC: and the miracles TC: ARE FAKE. TC: pure fiction. TC: FALSE FAKEY FRAUDY CON JOBS FROM A BUNCH OF UNFUNNY NINJA HARLEQUIN BULLSHIT ARTISTS.

It would be remiss of me not to bring up the possibility that ICP are non-trivially involved with Homestuck's plot. I mean, Betty Crocker is now a key figure in multiple characters’ backstories, so fucking anything is possible at this point.

Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler could literally be the mirthful messiahs, and I have no idea what that could mean. I might actually have to listen to their albums to understand the comic.

[rottenpumpkin13]

I have a HC that whenever something is broken or ablaze, Lazard says "Oh no! Who could have done such a thing?" and looks at his childre SOLDIERs and one or few of them look very guilty. Works every time

Lazard: Which one of you pulled the push glass door in the lounge and shattered it??

*He looks up, Sephiroth is in the corner facing the wall*

Lazard:

Lazard: I can see you.

*Sephiroth turns back around and shuts his eyes*

Lazard: Shiva's tits.

-

Lazard: Who stole the powdered donut that I was saving for myself in the break room fridge??

Zack, with his face full of white sugar: It was Genesis.

Lazard: Your mouth is full of powdered sugar are you aware of that?

Zack: I am, yes.

Lazard: Are you lying?

Zack: No. Genesis stole the donut. And then I stole it from Genesis.

-

Lazard: WHO DUCT TAPED ZACK TO THE COUCH?

Angeal: I actually used packing tape.

Lazard:

Angeal: I mean...I don't know. What a travesty.

Lazard: YOU'RE COVERED IN BITE MARKS.

Angeal: WHICH IS WHY I TAPED HIS MOUTH SHUT.

Lazard: SHIT

-

Lazard: Which one of you wrote "Mommy issues" on Sephiroth's office door in permanent ink??

Genesis, dying of laughter: I did. I'm not even going to deny it.

*1 hour later*

Sephiroth: Why are you wearing a sign that says "I'm insecure and unloved, mind my actions" ?

Genesis: It's my punishment.

[letteredlettered]

Hello!! I've read all your hp works and I wanted to say that I love them all and they've made me feel feelings. The way you write drarry and just hp in general is very close to my heart.

That being said, there is a question I wanted to ask you as a writer. What does plagiarism mean and what does it constitute? Like... I hear that term a lot but just reading a definition is not making it clear to me. As far as I understand, copying someone's work, word by word is plagiarism. Does it also count as one if I copy someone's idea but just modify it a bit. Carry on is such a work and it's resemblance to hp and main pairs similarity to drarry are well known. Even hp itself has a evident similarity to Neil Gaiman's ‘The books of magic’ , at least as far as the titular character goes. It was also said that maybe jk stole the idea from there but Neil later said that it wasn't the case. So I'm guessing that's not plagiarism.

Let's take another example, I love you fic away childish things .. so if I wrote a fic with the same idea.. is that plagiarism? Or if I copy the plot? What if I liked a particular scene very much.. or a sentence very much and I used it as a base for a new fic.. or used that scene/sentence itself but in a different context is that plagiarism? I'm sure a lot of people have read Running On Air by eleventy7 in the drarry fandom. So if I use the sentence “Going away is easy, coming home is hard.” in a fic I write (maybe in another fandom or the same) does that count as plagiarism? Ofc I'm assuming that other people will know which scene or sentence I'm using on account of said fic being a famous work (in this case, fandom). But there could be a case where the source is not well known. What if I took something from a particular folktale of a community or country? Would that count as plagiarism? Jk Rowling herself has said that she used a lot of info while writing hp from various stories, folktales, religious books, lore and some good old tropes of said genre and pure imagination. Most of it was done unconsciously while writing. I guess it doesn't count as plagiarism if the place where you're copying from doesn't have a particular author (for eg folktales etc). Like.. God is not gonna sue me if I wrote things similar to some religious text. His followers on the other hand... yeah best not go there haha. But yeah.. what if I used different things from various sources, like.. just picking my way across it all and using them to write a story, just mish mashing things together like a collage and making something out of it. Will that be plagiarism? Or is that just being inspired by other art? On the other hand there is a saying that every art has a genesis and nothing is original. Every work is inspired by some other work be it art, music, writing or whatever. So where does one draw a line between inspiration and plagiarism?

I know it's a very long ask and I'm using a lot of scenarios but I wanted to cover everything that might come under the word 'Plagiarism'. What are your thoughts on it? What is included in plagiarism? Specifically, in writing.

If you made it this far thank you for reading where i essentially just ramble lol. I would like to know your answer and if you have any reading material on it please point me towards them. Thank you and I hope you're doing well xoxo

Plagiarism is copying word for word. It's one kind of stealing.

Copyright infringement is also a kind of stealing. That's a legal term about copyrighted material, but laws from some countries around this issue can maybe help clarify what is socially considered stealing and what is considered fair use. "Fair use" is also a legal term (at least, in the US); it refers to reasons you can use a copyrighted work without permission. I think that what many people socially consider "not stealing," even though its using someone else's ideas, falls under fair use.

Fanfic generally falls under fair use. The Organization for Transformative Works (OTW)--which is the organization behind AO3--argues that while fanfic uses things like characters and settings from copyrighted work, fic falls under fair use because it is creative and transformative.

The transformative part is important. If you copied Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone word for word and put it on AO3, that would be plagiarism. It's not transformed in any way. But if you write a story in which Harry and Draco fall in love, you're significantly transforming the story in a way that progresses the world of literature.

Other attributes of fair use (beyond whether the work is transformative) include whether the work is done for profit, whether the market for the original copyrighted work will be impacted negatively by the derivative work, and how substantially the derivative work uses the original copyrighted work. Fanfic uses the original copyrighted work quite substantially in many cases, but if it doesn't impact the market for the original copyrighted work and isn't done for profit, that shouldn't disqualify it from fair use. This is why it's extremely important never to ask for money for a fanfic, and why any author doing that should be reported to the hosting site.

Now, you asked about the Harry Potter series. While JKR may have gotten ideas about kids attending magical schools from other books, HP differs significantly enough that whenever she was sued for copyright infringement, she won her cases. Some might call JKR's books a ripoff of other books like it, but most agree that while not terribly original, these books do not count as stealing. (I would add, though, that just because someone wins a case doesn't mean it's not stealing. Disney steal shit all the time but wins cases because they own everything.)

You also asked about Carry On. I would say about that series, too, that it is substantially different enough from other books, that it doesn't count as stealing. There are just lots of books about kids secretly going to magic school, as it turns out. But I would add that even if there were more similarities to HP than there are in Carry On, Carry On could not be considered theft, because it is transformative.

Carry On, like Lev Grossman's The Magicians, is in a conversation with books like Harry Potter, books about magical schools and books with young, Chosen One protagonists. Carry On is not a fanfic; the characters are not the same; the set-up is not the same; the plot is not the same. But it is a book that asks questions about Harry Potter, and other books like Harry Potter. It's asking, what does it mean to be the Chosen One? Isn't there something sinister about a supportive mentor figure who pushes young people into war? Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games is also in a conversation with books that have young Chosen Ones, and it asks the same questions. Carry On further asks, isn't there a strange chemistry between the archetypal Golden Boy protagonist and the archetypal schoolmate antagonist? That's something tons of high school romance stories ask, and tons of HP fics, but it wasn't something that hadn't yet been done in a magical school Chosen One series--not with homosexuality--which also makes it pretty damn transformative.

You asked about using a line from Running on Air in a different work. This is plagiarism, because it's the exact words. Using that sentence in any work would be plagiarism. Using the exact sentence that someone else wrote, not matter how well known the work, is plagiarism. You likely won't be sued, but it's still stealing in most cases.

Now, it could be acceptable to use a phrase from the sentence to reference Running on Air. You'll see this in a lot of older literature. You'll see a little phrase in quotes that isn't credited, but your Penguin footnote will tell you they were referencing another author there. That was common because everyone was expected to have read the same body of work in certain cultures.

In fandom, lots of people will have read the same fics, so it could be a nod to another author to quote their work in a fic of your own. That's generally not the culture, mostly because the reason authors would do that had more to do with literary ideas that story telling, and most fic has a focus on storytelling. And, because fandom is a non-professional community where it's easy to reach out directly to the authors, if you do want to quote something by a different author, the author should be asked--again, because that's the culture.

Some material is so often quoted that it's idiomatic. If you say "I put away childish things" in a work, that may be from the Bible, but most people know where it's from, and even if they don't, it's part of our language now. Same would be true if I put in a work "Parting is such sweet sorrow," which is from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Few would call it stealing if I didn't credit such sentences, but if you're not sure whether it's idiomatic, a place where you're using the exact words should be credited with a footnote or citation.

You asked about using a line from a folk tale. As you say, folk tales often don't have known authors--but more importantly for your question, they usually don't have definitive versions. There are literally thousands of versions of Cinderella. If you used an exact sentence the Brothers Grimm used in their version of Cinderella, that would be plagiarism. Any exact language from an extant version of the story would be the same way.

A lot of what I'm saying is about how law works (particularly in the US), which deals with what might be socially acceptable in terms of whether something is stealing or not. But many cultures do have oral traditions that have a specific way a story is told. I would argue that's still a specific version, and if you're quoting the exact language, it's still stealing. But lots and lots of cultures have stories they like to tell but always tell it a little different, in which case you might be stealing ideas but not plagiarizing. And some things that are said enough, such as "Once upon a time" and "And they lived happily ever after" are idiomatic and not consider plagiarism.

But idioms touch on an interesting topic related to idea theft, which is how likely it is that you came up with something on your own, or that anyone could without the original text. The line you quoted from Running on Air is unique, but the idea that coming home is hard is commonly accepted. Indeed, there is an idiom that states "You can't go home again," which refers to the difficulty of coming home again.

Therefore, if someone said, "Going home is difficult," it might be a paraphrase of the sentence from Running on Air, but it might also be a paraphrase of the idiom, and it would be a little silly to call that plagiarism. Paraphrasing can be plagiarism, but it depends on a) how closely the paraphrase hews to the original, b) how much is paraphrased (as soon as you're paraphrasing more than a line, it really starts to be plagiarism), and c) whether someone could reasonably come up with it themselves.

So, if someone said, "Leaving home isn't difficult, but going home again is," that paraphrase is a lot more directly related to the original sentence and could be considered plagiarism. However, in a story without any other Running on Air references or similarities, I would assume an author came up with that based on the idiom and would never even dream of accusing them of plagiarism. But if the next two sentences were also similar to lines from Running on Air, I'd get suspicious.

In fact, the original line you quoted is close enough to the idiom that if I read it in a different story, I might assume that the author hadn't remembered that that line was from Running on Air. This has definitely happened to me--I used a line or phrase that I thought was mine, but I actually got it from somewhere else. If you're doing it consciously, you shouldn't. With paraphrasing, I think it's a little dicier; some would say if you're consciously paraphrasing anything it's a problem, but if you know you read that line from Running on Air but also know you've thought about that idiom about coming home a lot, it might be fine to say something sort of similar, as long as it's not the same and as long as you're not taking other things.

The same is true with ideas. You asked about Away Childish Things. If you read that fic and decided to write a fic about Harry de-aging, you might have been inspired by me, but it isn't stealing because de-aging is a common trope in fandom. You could've come up with it yourself or by reading any number of things. You asked about the plot; if you wrote a story in which Harry and Draco got to know each other by identifying illegal potions and then while doing some of that work together, Harry got de-aged and later Draco got de-aged, I would still say that this is a plot you could have thought of yourself. If you wrote a story in which everyone was infected by a potion that was like Imperius, meaning Harry only trusted Draco to help him, and Harry de-aged, and then to cure him Harry re-aged and then Draco de-aged, and could only re-age one year at a time, dealing with all of their Hogwarts years again and revealing Draco's history with his mentally ill mother and Muggle dating, I would say...okay, that's hewing pretty closely to Away Childish Things and feels a bit like you took something from me.

If you called a shop in your fic Tailored Tinctures, that's very specific, and I would say you took something from me. If you had an indicator solution in which you had to dip your thumb and your thumb turned cerulean to indicate a positive, I would say you took something from me. For these kinds of questions, it has to do with the amount you took but also the specificity of it.

As I mentioned, fandom has its own culture. Usually if you get an idea from someone else it's a very good idea to drop that author a line and say, "Hey, I got inspired, do you mind if I do?" But I don't do that when there are a hundred fics that all have the same idea, because by then it's starting to be fanon, and using fanon is not considered in this culture to be stealing.

Different people have different ideas about this, but I do feel that I'm pretty close to the general thought on this. Some people will say that any time you are inspired by anything you must credit, or you must ask, or you must never use it to begin with. But most of us are inspired by things all the time, and the only times we claim we aren't are the times when we really can't remember what the original inspiration was, or when things are so jumbled that ten different things inspired one idea. In those cases it isn't true that we aren't using other works, only that we can't identify them.

[ilminnestrone]

Meet Terry!

Name: Theresa Doris Monday Nickname: Terry Age: 4,5 Zodiac: Aries Occupation: Princess, most envied girl in Midgar Family: Anthony Monday (dad), Rebecca Shinra (mom), President Rex Shinra (uncle), Rufus Shinra (cousin), Lazard Deusericus (cousin ♡︎) Ethnicity: white (mom), costan (dad) Eyes: brown Hair: curly, blond Style: girlypop&frilly, cute patterns, big sunglasses Favourite colour: pink (red is dark pink, right?)

Likes: Oreos, foxes, pink, Sailor Mars Dislikes: papaya, Reno, unfair depiction of witches in fairytales Loves: Genny-sis

Backstory Miss Terry is the only daughter of the industrialist Anthony Monday and his beloved wife Rebecca Shinra, younger sister of the Head of Mako Empire. Mom and dad call her the happiest of incidents, since she came into existence when Rebecca was almost forty, after a long series of failed attempts.

Sassy and resolute, she tricked Commander Genesis Rhapsodos into being her secret boyfriend (publicly sworn knight) by making him kiss her hand, which implies being paraded around Shinra Palace in his arms, being called Little Princess, giving orders to cadets, pretending to read (and gifting Genesis random books) and receiving cute gifts like those apple-themed socks. The Commander handled her age appropriate crush with utmost sensitivity and never belittled her feelings.

Quotes

Seffirof is cool but Genny-sis he's cooler because he looks like a fox

Genny-sis is a boy that's pretty like girls are

Sorry mom, I can't tell you Genny-sis is my secret boyfriend

Angiee is like a mom in a dad body

Reno is evil because he stole red from Genny-sis

Iffy neat in misery is the gift of the god S (when asked about why the entire pack of Oreos misteriously had the cream licked off)

[pintsizeninja]

The Genesis of a Ship

Since I'm not posting a new chapter of my Odin/Zane fic this week, I figured I'd take some time to highlight why I started shipping them in the first place!

It's no secret I fell madly in love with Poets of the Fall, and Marko Saaresto (young Odin) in particular, after playing through We Sing for the first time a few days after Alan Wake 2 released. I hadn't written fanfic in 10+ years, but like a lot of folks in this fandom, AW2 inspired me to pick up the proverbial pen again. I knew I wanted to write a fic from young Odin's POV and have it set in the 1970s during the Old Gods' heyday - I just needed a pairing.

When I learned Sam Lake provided his bff Marko with poems to help him craft the lyrics for "Late Goodbye" and all the OGOA songs, something clicked deep in my brain. That was it: Thomas Zane and Odin Anderson would collaborate on a project together, Zane would provide Odin with poetry to write songs that would bring his artistic vision to life - and sparks would fly (this is the premise of my fic Talented Voice).

Then this photo happened at the Game Awards, and it was all over after that.

There's even a basis for it in canon:

1) Odin incorporates Zane's poetry into Balance Slays the Demon, over 40 years after Zane disappeared. I headcanon that since Odin is immune from the changed story, he held onto a book (or at least some typewritten sheets) of Zane's poetry for all that time - or maybe even stole them out of the shoebox at some point. If we take the song at face value (and not because of, y'know, game reasons), that's a long time to hold onto someone's poetry. Zane clearly meant something to Odin.

2) Just listen to the wistful longing in Marko's Odin's voice when he sings "The Poet and the Muse". There is a lot of emotion tied up into that song, which was released six years after Zane disappeared. It's both a love story and a cautionary tale, with Odin lamenting the loss of his lover/friend (depending on how you want to look at it).

Then you have the deleted dialogue between Odin and Saga (spoilers, and it's not clear why this was cut although theories abound, so take it with a grain of salt) where Odin mentions giving Zane a song. While this isn't canon since it was cut, it adds fuel to the 'Odin and Zane collaborated together' fire.

So while the two characters never share any scenes together in the games for obvious reasons, it's quite clear Zane was special to Odin; special enough to write a whole-ass song about him and hold onto his poetry for decades.

Here's why it works:

1) This one varies depending on your interpretation of who Thomas Zane really is/was (and I'm not touching that topic with a 10 foot pole, it's been discussed to death on Reddit 😂), but the late 60s were a wild and crazy time. You know Odin and Tor threw some crazy parties back in the day, and Zane had plans for an artist's commune that included the Anderson brothers - so some shenanigans definitely would've ensued. But even without the rewriting (or expansion, again depending on your interpretation) of Zane's history in AW2, the poet likely would've found himself at those parties regardless. Nothing like a little sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll to get those creative juices flowing. 😎

Which leads me to:

2) They're both creatives. They understand the highest highs and the lowest lows of the creative process. That passion thrums in their veins and leads to a deeper understanding between the two of them. Odin and Zane would just get each other on a different level. While the Old Gods didn't exist prior to Zane's disappearance, we know Odin and Tor had music careers prior to the band's formation in 1971. I could totally see Zane falling for the dashing young rockstar, even before he became Odin; just being completely swept away by that stage presence and that voice. That voice.

Two passionate artists collaborating during the time of free love in the 1960s and 1970s, poetry and music intertwining - it's perfect.

If you want to read more:

My Odin/Zane series is now well over 100,000 words long, with at least another 130,000 words planned, and I'm beyond happy other people have embraced this ship. Shoutout in particular to HopelessScribe on AO3 for also writing Odin/Zane.

And, can't forget this beautiful fanart commissioned from Valentina, with more (NSFW!) Odin/Zane fanart on the way 😈

[patriottruth]

If anyone is wondering, donald j. trump's self-destruction has been guaranteed since he stole the 2016 election from Hillary Clinton. And even if he somehow actually won 2024 by 3 million votes, he still doesn't get to be President of the United States. Hillary Clinton, and the whole world, is going to laugh SO HARD at Dumb donald Chump! I certainly am!

Train - Calling All Angels

SAINTE - If You Ever Feel Alone

Bible/TANAKH Study: 11/6/2024: 02:50 AM EST: When asking about why and if the Abrahamic G-d gave the United States and the world over to donald trump and his global dictator allies: TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Page 56 Genesis 26:13 And the Lord was standing beside him and He said, "I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac: The ground on which you are lying I will assign to you and to your offspring.

So let's gather together and speak how trump failed in this tremendously joyous holiday tale.

It began with Russia and Clinton's e-mails; and a Stormy affair that could send him to jail.

He stole it from Hillary, who won by three million; and now he salutes his J6ers in prison.

He thought MAGA SCOTUS forgave his insurrection, but missed that 3 judges actually fact-checked him.

He's appointing his cabinet like they're so inevitable; no compass of morals amidst those deplorables.

And just like with Thanos, we have this one chance; 'cause nothing is going to orange Thanos' plans.

He'll be like the Witch King from The Lord of the Rings when the truth is revealed on twelve seventeen.

And the President of the Senate unleashes her laugh as Kamala exclaims, "I AM NO MAN!,"

And just for orange Thanos, screamed in ALL CAPS, "ENJOY PRISON!," and "AUF WIEDERSEHEN, MY FRIEND!"

The Lord of the Rings - The End of the Witch King

Sara Bareilles - King of Anything

Lonestar - No News

donald trump 312 electoral votes Republican Party 76,067,942 votes (50.2%)

Berean Strong's Lexicon #312 acher: Other, another, different; hinder, "to be behind" or "to delay." Original Word: אַחֵר

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Page 964 Isaiah 50:2 Why, when I came, was no one there, Why, when I called, would none respond? Is my arm, then, too short to rescue, Have I not the power to save? With a mere rebuke I dry up the sea, And turn rivers into desert. Their fish stink from lack of water; They lie dead of thirst.

Kamala Harris 226 electoral votes Democratic Party 73,134,247 votes (48.2%)

Berean Strong's Lexicon #226 oth: Sign, token, mark, miracle, a signal, as a, flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence of God's intervention or presence. Original Word: אוֹת

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Page 1469 Psalm 48:2 The Lord is great and much acclaimed in the city of our God, His holy mountain-- Psalm 48:3 fair-crested, joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, summit of Zaphon, city of the great king.

Clinton total fundraising 2016 election cycle: $769,879,088 Clinton total spending 2016 election cycle: $768,577,907 Clinton 2016 election votes: 65,853,514 Average Clinton voter 2016 presidential campaign donation: $11.69

trump total fundraising 2016 election cycle: $433,392,727 trump total spending 2016 election cycle: $422,620,473 2016 Republican Primary Voters: 31,047,313 trump 2016 election votes: 62,984,828 (202.89% 2016 national election turnout) Average trump voter 2016 presidential campaign donation: $6.88

Hillary Clinton's 2016 fundraising was 156% higher than donald trump's and she won the election by roughly 3,000,000 American votes.

Biden total fundraising 2020 election cycle: $1,624,301,628 Biden total spending 2020 election cycle: $1,614,843,740 Biden 2020 election votes: 81,283,501 Average Biden voter 2020 presidential campaign donation: $19.98

trump total fundraising 2020 election cycle: $1,087,909,269 trump total spending 2020 election cycle: $1,090,633,916 2020 Republican Primary Voters: 18,900,288 trump 2020 election votes: 74,223,975 (392.71% 2020 national election turnout) Average trump voter 2020 presidential campaign donation: $14.69

Joe Biden's 2020 fundraising was 167% higher than donald trump's and he won the election by an easy landslide victory and American patriots mandate of roughly 7,000,000 American votes.

Harris total fundraising 2024 election cycle: $1,048,224,950 9/22/2024 Harris total spending 2024 election cycle: $728,659,506 9/22/2024 Harris cash on hand 2024 election cycle: $364,537,369 9/22/2024

trump total fundraising 2024 election cycle: $802,832,560 9/22/2024 trump total spending 2024 election cycle: $603,161,559 9/22/2024 trump cash on hand 2024 election cycle: $264,091,834 9/22/2024 2024 Republican Primary Voters: 22,264,875

Kamala Harris's 2024 fundraising is 177% higher than donald trump's, her rallies are far larger and more energized, and her Fox News ratings are 2.5 times better than donald trump's.

No Doubt - Just A Girl

The moral of this story is this: there's a real chance that donald trump stealing the 2016 election from Hillary Clinton can come back to be the biggest curse of his life.

I don't know if we can even trust the election count due to donald trump stealing 2016 and attempting to steal 2020, but I'm fine with donald trump leading Kamala Harris by 3,000,000 votes; because now he'll get to see what it feels like to win by 3,000,000 and STILL lose the Presidency he needed to save his life and fortunes.

It's perfect justice; some might call it Karma! I'm calling it a most joyous and hillarious happy ending to one of the best holiday stories ever told in American history.

Sam and Dave - Hold On, I'm Coming

Playing For Change - Three Little Birds

[inamindfarfaraway]

Stumbled across your post on Carmilla and Cain from one of my favorite artist and just wanted to say that I loved that post incredibly!!

I loved the way you articulated the ability for free will to shatter heavens expectations! It had me thinking about free will in general so thank you for sharing that goodness!

Thank you! This analysis just came to me as a fun little observation, I wasn’t expecting it to gain so much traction. Free will is very thematically important to Hazbin Hotel, isn’t it? Lucifer believed in the good it could do, but accidentally created evil by giving it to humanity and fell for it. Since then he’s seen all the pain free will can cause and become embittered. Charlie, however, believes like he used to and fought for human souls passionately and selflessly enough to bring him back around. The Elder Angels who ordered the Exterminations and the Exorcists who carry them out seem to alternately hate and fear free will’s power, and by their indiscriminate condemnation of sinners as inherently irredeemable, not want to acknowledge it at all.

If the theory that Adam could live on as a sinner in Hell turns out to be true, I’d love to see his character and thoughts on his mortal family and free will explored, because he must have SO much baggage, which could explain (though not excuse) him being The Worst. An interesting detail in the backstory Charlie reads is that he’s never actually stated to eat the forbidden fruit. We see Eve take it, but not him. Maybe the reason that he’s in Heaven, but we never see or hear of Eve or their children in either afterlife, is that in this canon’s version of Genesis, he’s obedient and didn’t commit the original sin, only to be cast out anyway. Regardless of what exactly happens in Eden, he and Eve are forced to fend for themselves in the wilderness. Suddenly they need survival instincts. They can bleed and starve and get sick and loads of animals want to eat them. They have existential dread. Not to mention the marital tension. Why? Because the same angel who stole his first wife messed with his second one! As a result, people can sin. They can hurt each other. This allows Cain to invent murder on his brother. He’s then cursed to wander the Earth, eternally living with his guilt and grief. Oh, and where can dead souls live on now? Where might Abel be trapped forever? Hell, a dimension made of evil, everything bad about the new and degraded human experience taken to the ultimate extreme. You’ll never guess why it exists (Lucifer. It’s Lucifer again). So Adam loses two kids with one stone that was indirectly thrown by one fucking bird guy. Can you imagine how you would feel, having lived that life?

You would have issues. A lot of issues.

No wonder he scorns redemption so much. In his eyes, free will is synonymous with sin - with suffering. But thinking damned souls to be evil incarnate at least lets him take vengeance. It lets him feel the wrathful satisfaction of physically stabbing and hacking his way through representatives of the force that cost him paradise. Broke his family. Killed his child. Maybe he was a genuinely good person when he died. For the most part. Maybe stewing in all that unprocessed trauma while watching the horrors of human history unfold and being venerated and indulged in the perfect afterlife without any of his family changed him for the worse. If you can have a redemption arc in Hell, you can have a corruption arc in Heaven.

After all, Lucifer lost faith in humanity over time. But he has Charlie. Adam’s ‘daughters’ in Heaven are the Exorcists (he calls them “[his] girls” and names them, so he probably creates them), of which I bet Lute was the first. That’s a really twisted dynamic. Like, “From now on, my kids are killing people on MY terms”. Lute having parallels with Charlie makes her being the new main villain even better!

This got out of hand. What I mean to say is, the first human family and how they relate to the theme of free will have huge potential for exploration and development. And if Adam is reborn as a sinner, it would be precisely the Hazbin Hotel blend of heartbreaking and hilarious to have him reunite with Eve, Abel, Seth, etc. in Hell and they’re all like “What. The FUCK?” and his whole horrible personality just collapses in on itself.

[bardic-tales]

Title: Mourning Pairing: Bianca Moore (F!OC) / Sephiroth Rating: Mature Word Count: 958 Fandom: Final Fantasy VII Setting: Redemption!AU Warnings: abuse, anxiety, blood (metaphor), childhood trauma, combat-related trauma, emotional manipulation, grief, needles (mention), psychological abuse, PTSD, self-doubt, trauma, violence Summary: As Bianca and Sephiroth are both haunted by their pasts, they find solace in each other while mourning what could have been. Squared Filled: Mourning Created for: Sephiroth Week hosted by the lovely people at @week-of-silver-winds

Author’s Note: As always, please read over my warnings, since I list the general themes, too, in case there is any content that may be uncomfortable to my reader.

As this is placed in my Redemption!AU, please note it is very canon divergent. In this AU, Sephiroth and his fellow SOLDIERs broke off from Shinra and are now fighting the good fight while he battles to control Jenova's encroaching influence.

EXCERPT:

“I used to dream of things like this,” Sephiroth said at last. “Quiet rooms, places that weren’t full of sterile walls or needles. Just… somewhere safe with you." He looked down at his hands. “But that isn’t who I am anymore.”

A late autumn night cast long shadows across their bedroom in their home that they now shared with the other former members of SOLDIER: Angeal Hewley, Genesis Rhapsodos, Kunsel, and Zack Fair.

Sephiroth sat on the edge of the bed with the mattress and the floral print bedspread sinking beneath his weight. The silence between them was the type that cut deep to the bone, causing a spike of anxiety in her which he felt through the soul-link that was always present between them. He hadn’t moved in hours, staring out the window as if the weight of his past lay somewhere outside, knocking to allow itself in.

Earlier that evening, Sephiroth had awoken from another nightmare. Memories of battles he once fought without question and missions ordered by voices from men in suits he now cursed haunted him. His hand tightened into a fist, and Bianca covered it with her own. The simple gesture from the celestial being grounded him in a way that the past often refused to allow.

“You don’t have to face it alone, Sephiroth,” she whispered, her melodic voice breaking the silence stretching between them. She had always been there: through the torture, the needles, the experiments, and the blood on his hands. He didn’t deserve her — or, at least, that was what he told himself.

She would tell him the opposite, as she always saw the good in him. She saw the man beneath the monster and beneath the SOLDIER poster boy. Bianca saw him.

He nodded before speaking. “Sometimes, Bia, I wonder if it would’ve been easier if - “

His voice trailed off as he studied Bianca. His throat tightened as he allowed himself to feel the regret he rarely allowed himself to feel. What would life have been like if she hadn’t fallen from the stars into his arms when they were children? Would Sephiroth have met on different terms, as two people who were free to choose their own lives rather than a SOLDIER and a celestial warrior bound by their scars and sorrow?

“They stole so much from us.” Her voice cracked. “Everything I was and everything you could have been . . . Just gone. Twisted by them.”

A long silence enveloped them. It was thick with words that were left unspoken but needed to be. These words lingered on the edge of consciousness, too emotionally charged for Sephiroth to say or Bianca to admit. They were the words that made one weak.

“I used to dream of things like this,” Sephiroth said at last. “Quiet rooms, places that weren’t full of sterile walls or needles. Just… somewhere safe with you.” He looked down at his hands. “But that isn’t who I am anymore.”

Bianca turned to him and gently cupped his face with her hands on his cheeks. She’d known him as both victim and SOLDIER, but she also knew the boy she once knew was still within him. No amount of Hojo’s cruelty could erase it.

“You’re still that boy, Sephiroth,” she spoke. Her indigo eyes glistened in the dimly lit light cast by the flickering candles by their bed. “No matter what they did to you, to us, that part of you isn’t gone. We just . . . have to find it. Have to find us.”

“Bianca, you know the things I’ve done. How can either of us deserve anything after that?”

Once again, they lapsed into silence. He could feel her thoughts through their bond as she searched for words, knowing that they both wore scars that no one could ever erase. But as he looked into her eyes, he realized it wasn’t about trying to find the perfect place. It was about trying to create something new and something real. Achieving this could only happen by taking one step at a time.

“Maybe, it won’t erase the past, Seph.” Her hand turned as she intertwined their fingers together. “But if we can be more than they made us, we have to believe in it. We’ve come too far together to give u on that now.”

Sephiroth looked back out at the window. His silver brow furrowed, as lines wrinkled across his forehead. Could he really hope for that dream he had been forced to forget: a peaceful life that could only exist after dismantling Shinra?

They sat like that for a while. She held his hand as they watched colored leaves float past their window in the pale moonlight. Their bond was not just forged by their mutual grief, but also by the unwavering support they found in each other and the rest of the former SOLDIERs. Knowing that the road ahead would be fraught with pain, they drew closer to each other, finding a delicate sense of tranquility in their shared sorrow for their lost innocence.

tagging some fellow mutuals: @asirensrage @themaradwrites @littleshopofchaos @serenofroses @megandaisy9 @watermeezer

@nightingaleflow @seastarblue @prehistoric-creatures @creativechaosqueen

@chickensarentcheap

[thatpodcastkid]

Magnus Archives Relisten 20, MAG 20 Desecrated Host

Father Pruitt from Midnight Mass but if he was still an old man. You agree, reblog.

My MAG 20 analysis, spoilers ahead!

Facts: Continuation of the statement of Father Edwin Burroughs regarding his claimed demonic possession. Statement given May 30, 2011.

Statement Notes: A hallucination sequence is one of the best modes of horror. The inability to distinguish between the real and unreal aspects of the vision combined with the symbolic imagery and attempts to determine the cause of the hallucination itself often means the audience experiences the same level of fear and confusion the character does. However, I very rarely see them done well in non-visual mediums. The best example I can think of is the dream of Percival Glyde in The Woman In White. But this episode is really effective in that. You don't understand anything that is happening, you're just stuck on the ride with no hope of getting off, and Father Burroughs is in the seat next to you. If you know of any other really good dream or hallucination sequences in horror narratives, tell me about it in the notes.

I also noted how whatever was possessing Burroughs really reveled in his guilt. I discussed this in the Part I analysis, but the conflation of guilt and fear as two sides of the same coin is an incredible choice, especially in a religious story. You are guilty because you are afraid of your own actions, you are afraid because you did something you should be guilty for. You are afraid of being found guilty, you are afraid of punishment, you are afraid you will never stop feeling guilty.

Entity Alignment: This is another mixed bag episode. This definitely seems like a lot of effort to make Burroughs afraid and/or just to kill two people. I briefly wondered if Burroughs could be involved in some kind of ritual, but the overall events of the episode don't feel directed or focused enough. If there was goal aside from torturing Burroughs and his victims, I couldn't determine it.

The line from Genesis "Behold, thou hast driven me out" obviously invokes some Eye imagery. I did note how much of religion, particularly Catholicism, centers around viewing and reveling in the majesty and horror of God/a god. Religion's ability to unwittingly turn people into voyeurs of their messiah connotes it with the Eye. Furthermore, the previously mentioned focus on guilt and the horror's apparent delight in Burroughs suffering associates with the Eye as well.

Burroughs isolation heightening his fear does tie in elements of the Lonely, while the smiling imagery is reminiscent of the Stranger. Of course, the hallucinations and loss of control of one's mind associates Burroughs with the Spiral, and the cannibalism associates him with the Flesh. But if I had to pick a true second to the Eye as the main entity associated with this episode, I would have to go with the Web. Burroughs is incapable of making any choices. The demon controls his actions, eliminating his independence and manipulating him. Even if it is not really a possession but some other manipulation of his psyche, it prevents Burroughs from acting independently.

Character Notes: Breekon & Hope mention! In spite of my earlier doubts, their involvement does signal some kind of ritual. Usually, they're only involved in deliveries associated with high level entity action, such as the coffin or Jon's lighter. I don't recall this stole being mentioned in any other episode, but if Breekon & Hope delivered it, it must be relevant somehow.

Another reason this episode might be affiliated with a ritual is that Gertrude was apparently the last person to read it. In her final days, she was primarily focused on stopping rituals, which indicated this case was particularly important.

When will my Martin return home from the war.

[finallyfantasy7]

In defense of Angeal and Banora apples

I often see criticism of Angeal in Crisis Core Reunion for stealing from poor farmers while leaving the richest family's dumbapples alone just because Genesis was his friend.

I understand the immediate instinctive reaction to take from the richest, however, if you follow the story closely you will see that there were no poor farmers in Banora. Which Angeal explicitly says anyway.

But I want to dig a bit deeper:

The whole Banora village was fake and was staffed with Shinra's employees, as well as served to keep employees from Project G under house arrest.

The only reason why Angeal's family was poor was because Angeal's mother, Gillian Hewley, refused Shinra's compensation since she suffered from guilty conscience for participating as a scientist in Shinra's Jenova experiments, and even doing the experiment on her own child. That she unsuccessfully tried to escape Shinra's house arrest with her baby certainly didn't improve her living conditions.

So, we know Gillian was offered large sums of money, and from "The Kids are Alright: A Turks Side Story" novel we know that fake villagers, who populated Nibelheim after the Sephiroth incident, were also Shinra's employees, and received enormous sums of money to live there and keep their mouths shut. So it's obviously Shinra's modus operandi in such situations.

So again, there were no poor farmers in Banora because people there, in addition to having farms, were handsomely paid by Shinra.

Also, one child eating apples can't do any significant damage to a farm.

Ok, so if we accept Angeal eating apples was no big deal, then why didn't he just eat the tastiest apples from the biggest landowner who, even if everyone was rich, would feel it the least? Why not ask Genesis, like Zack suggested?

Why would honor stop him from asking, but not from stealing in general?

It wouldn't, it's mistranslation, it's supposed to say pride *sigh*

Angeal says in Japanese:

アンジール：しかし　そんな俺にも誇りはあった

Angeal: But I had my pride.

.....

アンジール：誇りというのは厄介なものだ

Angeal: Pride is burdensome/a tricky thing/troublesome.

I don't know why they translated it in a way that makes it possible to confuse it with one of Angeal's lectures on SOLDIER honor, and to make it seem like he's saying it's dishonorable to ask his friend but not steal from others. But this part has nothing to do with his code of honor as a grown man, he's just saying that as a kid, it would have hurt his pride to ask his best friend for food.

He stole because he was poor and it wasn't hurting anyone, he didn't ask Genesis because of his pride, and he didn't take from a friend because of honor - honoring their friendship.

[sburbian-sage]

I really don't get why Time is a mandatory aspect. You don't need it for frog breeding, you can just use appearifiers or whatever. You don't always need to scratch the session, so you don't need their land construct. And unless you're in a weird situation, you shouldn't need to change stuff to adhere to the alpha timeline- the POINT of the alpha timeline is that it's "the way that things go", right? The only way you'd ever need a Time player keep you on track is if you were already under a Time player's influence, right???

But I guess I must be wrong, because I hear the opposite so often...

You could *THEORETICALLY* get away with just using Sendificators and Appearifiers to replicate Time Travel, but it's a lot like using the oven to boil water. Not to mention, Time Players are still useful-bordering-on-mandatory. Time Travel is borderline worthless if you aren't a Time Player because it's heavily unintuitive, the Whispers are your only in-game tutorial, and I'm pretty sure that unless you are a current or Native Time Player, the game actively obfuscates your practical knowledge concerning how to use it. So even if you know what you're doing, SBURB might just cloud your mind and make you perform a basic paradox through easily avoidable accident. It's why I don't like thinking about Time that much.

Like, I'm pretty sure that what you said is true, in that there can only be a Doomed Timeline if someone fucks with Time in the first place. But it might not be a desirable Alpha Timeline. Like maybe one of your players blows up their microwave and dies, and they end up breaking the Server/Client Entry Loop which leads to half of the other players dying, which damns the Session to failure. If that's the Alpha Timeline, then nothing can be done about it/shikata ga nai. But does that necessarily need to be the Alpha Timeline? Because if a Time Player is active (or will be active in the future), then they could step out of nowhere and reveal that the microwave exploding actually created a Doomed Timeline, and thus they "put it back on track" by making sure that player removes their fork from their microwavable noodles before cooking them. From your perspective, a Time Player just stole your fork for no reason, but from their perspective, a Doomed Timeline happened, and they averted it. As opposed to them not doing that, because they didn't exist, and so this Doomed Timeline becomes the Alpha Timeline? Surely you understand what I'm getting at.

It should also be noted, every Land is "broken" in same way on purpose, so the Player has a quest they can go on, so they have a reason to play the game (outside of "this is your life now, do it or die"). So in the same way that the current universe's Genesis Frog is dying, necessitating that the Space Player breed a new one so a new universe can be created, it's not unreasonable to assume that the timeline is innately flawed, and so a Time Player is needed to fix it. To say nothing of the fact that Space and Time are fundamental forces in any universe, and the Genesis Frog requires the efforts of both to be done. So basically, Time is a mandatory Aspect, because the game is fundamentally constructed in such a way that they are mandatory. There is no other way, it cannot be helped/shikata ga nai.

[rottenpumpkin13]

It's been a while...how are things going in the Shinra/SOLDIER groupchat? 👉🏻👈🏻

Highlights From The SOLDIER Group Chat #3

• Director Lazard used to be the admin, but he had a nervous breakdown after Zack kept changing the group chat name to "Therapy" and having one-on-one sessions with people where he offered horrible advice.

• The final straw was Sephiroth asking how he should cope with his desire for a connection with an older, maternal figure. Zack linked a dating site for MILFs.

• Sephiroth is now the admin. At least four people now have Sephiroth's contact name to Admin-Roth.

• Sephiroth has removed Genesis on numerous occasions and for various reasons, the most recent one being:

Genesis: Hello! How is everyone today?

[Sephiroth has removed Genesis]

• Angeal sending those glittery and colorful good morning gifs (the type grandmas send)

• The following conversation:

Lazard: Sephiroth, kindly remove 'Cloud Strife'. This group chat is exclusive to SOLDIER members only for safety reasons.

[Cloud Strife is now an admin]

Lazard: .........

• Kunsel changing the group chat name to "Reasons why Genesis is a bitch" and the reasons pouring in immediately after. Genesis got into a verbal dispute with four people through voice messages.

• The following conversation:

Lazard: Which one of you placed an entire thanksgiving turkey in the break room fridge?

Zack: I did. That's my afternoon snack.

Sephiroth: I must apologize. I took a leg thinking it was for everyone to share.

Zack: No worries bud :)

• The trend of sending pictures of Sephiroth's hair strands throughout the 49th floor.

• The time when Angeal and Genesis were seriously arguing over whether a taco is a hot dog or a sandwich, and Sephiroth changed the group chat name to 'They have kissed before' mid-argument.

• The following conversation:

Zack: @Angeal Dude your pancake recipe does NOT work.

Angeal: Lol. Are you making it right now?

Zack: Yup.

Angeal: Alright show me how far you got. Maybe I can help :)

Zack:

[Angeal has left the group]

• Genesis sending this image whenever one or more messages are deleted:

• Kunsel regularly sends the weekly gossip rundown and his messages look like this:

☕⭐ TEA OF THE WEEK☕⭐

- FRIENDSHIP: Rufus Shinra and Lazard Deusericus seen whispering outside the president's office. Both men were holding a roll of duct tape and a long rope. They dispersed when asked what they were doing.

- MYSTERY: Did Professor Hojo really fall down the main entrance stairs or was he pushed? Sources say Sephiroth was there when it happened and looked pleased when the professor was taken away on a stretcher.

- DRAMA: Genesis is seen in the breakdown having a verbal dispute with a revolving door after the tail of his coat gets caught in it.

- HAIR: Angeal finds his first gray hair, Roche gets his tasteful honey highlights, Sephiroth's hair grows another inch, Throwback images of Rude (of the Turks) resurface where he is seen with hair, and an online discussion on the Red Leather forums over wether or not Genesis's hair is actually brown sparks controversy.

• The following exchange:

Sephiroth: Can you all please type out your names and post them. Someone stole my PHS and changed everyone's contact names.

Genesis: Genesis Rhapsodos.

Sephiroth: Ah. This one was untouched.

Genesis: ????? What am I saved as?

Sephiroth: Wannabe Sephiroth.

Genesis: ALAKSHSJSJSKDHSJ FUCK YOU

Zack: Zack!

Sephiroth: Thank you, Distracted Hedgehog.

Zack: ...........

Angeal: I'm Angeal.

Sephiroth: As of right now. Before this you were "Patron Saint of Hypocrisy."

Angeal: That's.....a little mean.

Cloud: Cloud Strife.

Sephiroth: Hahaha. This one was very clever.

Cloud: What is it?

Cloud: Well??

Cloud: ........

Cloud: It's Chocobo isn't it?

Sephiroth: My apologies.

• Zack has a habit of procrastinating by sending voice messages that are essentially podcasts. In one of them, you can hear him trip over a wet floor sign, fall, and continue talking about his favorite hair gel brand like nothing happened.

[asurrogateblog]

Cannibals, Pirates, and PhDs: How Did I Get Here?

I mentioned in some tags earlier that I’ve only actually been a real fan of Pink Floyd for under a year, and that the confluence of events that led up to it is pretty absurd. Some interest seemed to be taken in this, so I though I’d elaborate.

I didn’t know how to shorten this timeline and have it make any sense, so it’s... long. But idk, I think it’s pretty funny. If you’re nosy like I am this is for you.

My Backstory Timeline:

early childhood: my parents essentially mainline me and my little sister with The Beatles. I know almost no songs written past the 70’s until at least sixth grade. I develop a childhood crush on Paul McCartney, a joke that the universe really decides to play the long game on.

2014: my dad calls me over one night, and gravely tells me he’s been waiting to share something until I’m old enough. I brace myself to be told about sex or secret half-siblings. Instead, he tells me I need to listen to The Wall. Irritated at the idea of wasting an hour and half of my night, I nevertheless comply and go up to my room and put it on. I do not come back from this, clearly having inherited some sort of generational curse.

Around the same time, I am also secretly watching Hannibal every time my parents send me upstairs because Game of Thrones is “too gory”. This will trigger three important things: an interest in psychology, a love of horror media, and a classical music phase will train my attention span to last well past the three minute mark.

2014-2023: Over the intervening years, I become a casual fan of Pink Floyd, but make a deliberate point not to learn anything about the band. I like being able to imagine my own meanings for the songs. Also, I am motivated against this by a childhood memory of being deeply frightening by a picture of old Paul McCartney (LOL). I do not want that to ever happen again, so no learning.

Cut to April of 2023: I am finishing up my first year of my PhD program studying media psychology. I am in a bad place mentally, and am going through another horror movie phase to fill the hole. As a result, I get very into American Psycho. The main character, Patrick Bateman, is a fan of superficial 80’s pop music, particularly Genesis. I decide to start listening to Genesis to see if I agree with his tastes. While researching “best Genesis albums”, I come across The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. I listen to it, and am blown away. I had no idea that the Phil Collins band made music like that. This sends me down the prog-rock rabbit hole. I still won't learn any lore.

Summer of 2023: MEANWHILE, I am also going through another pirate phase. I have a fairly encyclopedic knowledge of 18th century piracy (and am still quite active in the Black Sails fan community). Around this time, I get really obsessed with this one random guy named Dennis McCarthy who was hanged in 1718.

I decide to work poor Dennis into a science fiction story I’ve been working on. The premise is essentially that the universe is an abandoned simulation, and a ‘glitch in the matrix’ starts to, among other things, bring people from the wrong time periods back to life. The format of the story is vaguely monster-of-the-week, in which the characters have to solve various problems caused by mistakes in the code. I think, “hey, you know what would be perfect for this? that fanfic I wrote about The Wall in high school.” Said fic (which that stupid fucking beatles movie stole from me) is about a world in which Pink Floyd never existed, but a wannabe rock-star discovers a box full of their records and decides to copy them. While he is touring his plagiarized version of The Wall, he realizes that the events of the album are starting to happen to him in real life. By working this concept into my new story, I go through another one of my periodical The Wall phases. It's in full swing when fall rolls around.

September of 2023: This semester, I take a grad-level narrative theory class in the English department. I decide it would be helpful to follow along with a specific example, so I choose The Wall. Using the terminology I am learning in the class, I start to realize that The Wall is…. incredibly narratologically fucked up. To help orient me, I watch the bootleg concert recordings, and the trick with the surrogate band sends me so out of my mind that I decide I must break my rule about never learning band lore.

This is where the two plot-lines converge. I don’t remember which came first, but around this same time, I think to myself “hey, if Genesis was hiding such an incredible album under the 80’s pop, what must Pink Floyd be hiding?” On that whim, I put on Piper at the Gates of Dawn, which equally sends me so out of my mind that I decide I must break my rule about never learning band lore. I needed to know what the fuck happened to get them from Piper to The Wall.

September-November: In the two months between the onset of this and finally making another sideblog, I dedicate all of my free time to learning as much about Pink Floyd as humanely possible (and writing a 20 page essay for that narrative theory class). As you can imagine, this is a lot to unpack all at once for someone who didn’t even know who Roger or Syd or any of the rest of them were. Luckily, I am over-educated enough to be a very fast learner. Aside from the band lore itself, I of course also fall in love with the rest of Pink Floyd's discography musically-speaking. Having this interest to latch onto genuinely pulls me out of my depression.

Cut to February 2024: I am really enjoying myself, and want to keep this going as long as possible, but I am starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel on Pink Floyd lore. I decide I need to feed the fire by supplementing with lore from another band. The Beatles seem to have a strong fan presence on tumblr, why not revisit a childhood favorite? The universe laughs at my expense.

That about brings us up to date. I have gone through so much character development over the last eight months, it’s crazy. Pink Floyd is definitely one of those things that is less of a “phase” and more of a permanent part of my mindscape. Weirdly enough, since I am studying media psychology, all of this has also been really good for my career? I never took an interest in -real- media figures (as opposed to fictional characters) before, and I feel like I have a much clearer sense of things now. It's definitely influenced my research, so whatever domino effect this has on my future is bound to get even funnier.

Anyway, that’s my backstory!

[the-broken-truth]

TWST Self-Aware/Overseer AU OC: Genesis

Name: Genesis

Age: 17 (Body Age)

Race: Deity/Human (Body)

Height: 6 Feet

Body Type: Slim yet Muscular

Personality/Nature: Caring but can be Cocky & Strict (Depends On The Person)

Current Occupation: Night Raven Freshman

Sorted Dorm: Ramshackle

Unique Magic: Ultimate Armor - Coats his body or certain areas in an unbreakable metal

Incantation: "My body is unbreakable, just like my will; allow me to show you my resolve. Ultimate Armor!"

Likes: Reading, Writing, Drawing, Making Potions, Caramel Desserts, Cooking, and Baking

Dislikes: Loud Sudden Noises (Instantly Puts Him On Edge)

Favorite Food: Beef Steak & Rice Bowl w/ Garlic Steak Sauce

Favorite Fast Food: Spicy Chicken Bites, Steak Fries & Root Beer

Least Favorite Food: Steamed Veggies

Favorite Class: Potions

Favorite Teacher: Professor Divus Crewel & Mozus Trein

Best Friend(s): Riddle Rosehearts & Trey Clover

Worst Enemy(s): Azul Ashengrotto & The Leech Twins

Signature Traits: A Ring crafted from White Gold

Favorite Location: Potion Class

Relationships w/ Key Characters Quotes

Riddle Rosehearts:

"When is our next study session?"

"I would be honored to attend your Tea Party."

"My sister & I made cheesecake. Would you like to come to Ramshackle for our study break?"

Trey Clover

"What are we making today?"

"Do you want to trade recipes?"

"Ace stole another tart? (Sighs) I'll make another."

Cater Diamond

"What is MagiCam?"

"You are never without your phone, are you?"

"Please, do not take pictures of me."

Ace Trappola & Deuce Spade

(Sees them collared) "You two angered Riddle again, didn't you?"

(Studying) "Will you two please pay attention?"

"Why do my sister & I hang out with you two, again?"

Leona Kingscholar

"Calm down, Kitty Cat. I'll handle it."

"Leo, I'm studying. I can't play Spelldrive today."

"Come to Ramshackle, you can sleep there and I'll make you lunch."

Ruggie Bucchi

"Ruggie, stop raiding my snack fridge! If you want something, I'll make you something!"

(When Making Food/Desserts/Drinks) "I need you to taste this."

"Ruggie, I made you a Bento. Just bring this with you and I'll make you something to take back home."

Jack Howl

"My sister is coming, just give her a moment."

"Jack, want a Beef & Rice Bowl?"

"How...How do you run so fast?!"

Azul Ashengrotto

"I'm not signing a contract with you, Ashengrotto."

"Not interested."

"Your silver tongue & honey words don't work on me."

Jade Leech

"Don't you have anything better to do than bother me?"

"Your gentleman facade is good...for all the wrong reasons."

"Keep your brother away from me."

Floyd Leech

"Try to squeeze me again and I will break your teeth."

"Find your 'Shrimpy' somewhere else."

"Stay away from my sister, Leech!"

Kalim Al-Asim

"Kalim, enough with the random parties!"

"You are Scarabia's Dorm Warden, Act Like IT!"

"Stop spacing out! It's time to study, not daydream!"

Jamil Viper

"You need a break. I will watch over Kalim."

(While Cooking Together) "Which is the best spice to use for this type of meat?"

(When Jamil Comes To Ramshackle For A Snack) "Here, try this."

Vil Schoenheit

"Purple is not my color."

"I'm a person, not a mannequin."

"Tell your Hunter to leave me the hell alone."

Rook Hunt

"Get out of my bushes, Hunt!"

"Stop calling me 'Trickster'."

"I get the feeling I am being watched..."

Epel Felmier

"Strength isn't just physical, ya know?"

"Do you have any more apples?"

(When Exercising) "Come on, Epel! Just 10 More!"

Idia Shroud

"What are we playing this time around?"

"Normies on our 6! Normies on our 6!"

"Idia-senpai, what is this anime/manga about?"

Ortho Shroud

"Hey, Little Brother."

"Little Brother, have you seen Idia-senpai?"

"Ortho, I need to get back to Rashackle; I cannot stay."

Malleus Draconia

"Good Evening, Hornton."

"No, you can't turn me into a Fae, Malleus. I am fond of my current body."

"Here. Something sweet for the road."

"You'll never TRULY be alone, again."

Lilia Vanrouge

"STAY OUT OF MY KITCHEN!"

"You're a great man, Lilia, but an even greater father."

"I have seen your sins...and I will not judge you for them."

Sebek Zigvolt

"Stop yelling!"

"Draw your sword and let us dance!"

"I let you win this time."

Silver

"Your father is trying to kill me with his cooking."

"Whose personal dreamscape did you invade this time?"

"ZZZ...ZZZ...ZZZ."

[flowerwiththemachinegun]

Misconduct Chapter 5

So, given that there’s going to be far more, I decided to cut most of the beginning. Everything will still be used one way or another. I just found the beginning to be boring and a pain to write. I’m also going to change how I shift scenes. Apologies, I’m still figuring out how to do this. But will probably be this way from here on out. I’m just going to use an asterisk for a page break. 

a little nsfw this chapter.

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

“You know, I can dress myself.” It was weird more than anything. The way Tseng circled Genesis, checking for any out of place wrinkles in the suit Genesis was forced into for the night. His hands brought an intrusive feeling about, smoothing over the imperfections in Genesis’ attire. “It's also insulting to think I don't have adequate clothing. I could've done better than this.” 

Tseng didn't doubt it, most people seemed to swoon of Genesis for an array of, what was to Tseng, unknown reasons. Good looks and status aside, there wasn’t much Tseng could see drawing people in. While Genesis could display manners, often he donned a negative attitude, is highly self-centered, paired with the outstanding amount of arrogance frequently displayed. “Had I not been forced to jump through hoops to find you, that would have been within the realm of possibility.” 

Which is why they stand in the middle of Rufus’ dressing room, Tseng adorning Genesis in the Vice President's clothes. Genesis spent hours sitting around in this glorified closet in Rufus’ office, waiting for Tseng to add modifications to the suit chosen for him. 

“Hoops? Oh. You’re referring to the henchman who stole my car and kidnapped me right?” 

A coincidence? Genesis thinks not as Tseng carefully straightens out the collar of the burgundy dress shirt, stopping to adjust the tie, tightening it so it was uncomfortable. 

Brushing past Genesis’ comment, Tseng gives Genesis a final look over, nodding in approval.

“There is a mic lined into the collar of your jacket. Do try to keep it on. We can't afford wires being noticeable.”

“Try? Am I going to be coming out of my clothes tonight?”

“Don’t count it out.” 

“Ah, you must know how to get them into bed. Is this why you’re going through such lengths to dress me?” Genesis' tone edged towards snarky, certain he was getting closer to finding out something interesting about the Turks leader. He would find ways to poke and prod at Tseng’s facade to make him tolerable to work with. There wasn’t any harm in harmless teasing right?

Somehow Tseng managed to prevent the frown that desperately wanted to form, meeting Genesis’ eyes as he stepped aside silently. Debating if he was going to engage in the banter Genesis worked at starting, giving in for only a moment. “I can guarantee, y/n won’t sleep with you.”

Allowing Genesis a chance to examine his clothes in the large mirror before proceeding with the next part of tonight’s mission. 

He had to admit, Tseng didn’t do half bad putting his outfit together. While Genesis would prefer the suit jacket and pants be the burgundy color that his dress shirt is, the black looked wonderful with his skin complexion. Leaning closer to the mirror, swooning over himself with a smirk before turning back to Tseng. 

“Oh? You don’t think I can win them over? You seem sure of it. How much do you know about y/n?” Genesis was taking this as a challenge. For who could Genesis not pull into his bed? Not many would pass up an opportunity with a person like him. Genesis saw himself as the embodiment of sexual desire.

“I know enough.” 

Tseng’s eyes shifting from Genesis was a small hint in his mind. Unabashedly firing off his next question. Straight to the point, there was no point in beating around the bush. “You two were sleeping together. Or am I wrong?” 

The silence gave away the answer Genesis searched for, finally having some interesting information on his temporary partner. Looking at Tseng expectantly, catching a look that practically screamed for Genesis to back track on this topic rather than responding.  

As the silence stretched on, Genesis decided to answer the question himself. Putting together information Tseng previously told him, with what he’s just learned. Genesis wanted to say he wasn’t shocked. That he’s certain Tseng went by the book through and through. Turns out he didn’t. “You didn't get taken off of assignment because you’re needed elsewhere, you were taken off because your dick was elsewhere!” 

“I-It’s complicated.” Tseng felt a bit uncomfortable indulging Genesis with this information. Seeing how it had a strong possibility coming up in conversation at some point, he didn’t mind letting the bare minimum slip out. You were bound to question him in some manner once you got comfortable with Genesis, Tseng’s sure of it. “We don’t have time right now.” 

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

As much as Genesis wanted to immediately approach you, he didn’t. Walking past your seat, but not without glancing at you again while he walked by, taking a seat on a stool at the bar. Choosing to discreetly watch you slowly started mingling with your friends as the night went on. 

He could tell his presence made you a bit uncomfortable, your eyes meeting from across the room on numerous occasions. Maybe it had been a coincidence that Genesis walked in the moment you planned on gravitating towards your rowdy group. 

Deciding to keep waiting for an opening, Genesis starts interacting with the patrons around him in an attempt to blend in. It would do no good to sit there and watch you all night, that would feed the paranoia already present in the way you stare him down.

The environment was reminiscent of a place you’d find under the plate. Being in rough shape, maybe another year or two from falling apart. The odor complimented the shitty bar, the air filled with the scent of mildew and cigarettes, strong enough for Genesis to turn his face up at the first breath he took after entering. 

As another hour went by with no signs of your gathering slowing down, his patience dwindled down. He could either listen to Tseng and wait until he could get an opening to talk to you or, Genesis’ preferred plan. Ignoring commands and approaching you before you have the chance to leave. It was a lucky lead, Tseng receiving an update on your whereabouts, an attempt to make tracking you down and acquainting himself with you quicker by sending Genesis to meet you. He wanted an inside source planted immediately. 

His biggest concern was that he’d already tipped you off, having been caught on numerous occasions checking for what you were doing. Still, he could make that work in his favor if he can get you alone. 

There it is, his opportunity to advance as you head to the restrooms. It would be downright creepy if Genesis followed you immediately and he wanted more of a reason than wanting to talk to you as to why he followed a total stranger to the toilets. Conveniently there were pool tables in front of the hallway that lead to the restrooms. 

Ordering two cosmopolitans as you disappeared into the hall, picking a table to the furthest side of the room away from the busier pool table, a small square high table in the corner where Genesis sat the drinks and waited for you to come out of the restroom. 

Is this weird? Most people wouldn’t think twice about accepting a drink and conversation, but from what he read and going by Tseng’s words, you weren’t the typical person. Now lingering about was making him feel a sense of self consciousness. 

Quickly swallowing the awkward feeling that came with the thought of freaking you out so easily, taking a sip of his cocktail to ease some of the tension that came with the foreign scenario and Tseng’s listening ear. He had no doubt he could achieve the goal presented tonight, but this type of job was a bit different for Genesis and being thrown in without, seemingly, enough information would be enough to put anyone on edge. 

This should be easy enough, making acquaintances with people usually is never a problem for Genesis. Going through the list of things he wanted to start a conversation with, he made his way to you while you exited the restroom area. 

“Any reason someone as cute as yourself has your eye on me?” 

That’s one way to catch your attention. You appeared to be indifferent regarding his presence, looking him up and down before letting your eyes rest on his. You weren’t mistaken when you thought Genesis is rather easy on the eyes, even much more up close, but now he’s completely recognizable. You didn’t live under a rock, the man’s face is plastered about damn near the same amount as Sephiroth’s in this city.   

“Genesis? Right? What’s a First Class like you doing here?” There were a number of reasons he could be here. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for lower ranking SOLDIER members to show up to unwind. The higher ranks? Very unusual. “Maybe you needed a place where nobody gives a fuck about you.” 

Genesis almost choked at your words, realizing the intention of your comment wasn’t truly malicious by the small smile gracing your lips. It’s also then Genesis noticed that nobody treated his appearance to be a big deal, everyone treated him like a normal guest. No fangirls hovering near him or random fans trying to talk his ear off. The bartender didn’t even seem to regard him as a person of any relevance. “Maybe. I’m hoping to catch you for a quick round of pool and a few drinks. If you have time, you don’t seem to be having the most fun with your friends.” 

The false expression of consideration was laughable, “You’ve been watching me?”

“Don’t say that like we haven’t been making eye contact all night. If anything, I’d say you have been watching me.” 

His voice is like velvet, it might be a bad idea to let him draw you in, but could you be blamed for wanting to hear more? You’ve been in enough trouble to know that the presence of a Shinra employee was a red flag. Even still, denying temptation was never your strongest trait. Your next words eliciting a pleased grin from Genesis. 

“Sure, I’ll entertain you. Only for a bit.” Following Genesis to the corner he picked, approving of the tucked off location, since you too, favored being away from others when you could. Genesis offered the drink he ordered for you, taking note of how he drank his own but remaining skeptical of your own drink. As he brought the glass to his lips you gracefully grabbed it from him, sliding the one he gave to you over and drinking his in turn. 

This not only got a chuckle out of him but a snarky comment followed suit, “Oh my, you must not care where your mouth goes.” 

“Well, I’m not into being drugged, even still, I like a good drink and you had no problem drinking it.” It didn’t come out as logically sound as you imagined it to, Genesis raised eyebrows and slow nod confirming that it didn’t seem so clever. You were certainly different, that has registered in Genesis mind quickly.

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

“They won’t sleep with you.” Genesis could hear Tseng’s voice playing over in his head, finding the comment to be comedic. Considering Genesis had you naked and on your back, legs hooked into his arms, taking him in so needily. Your moans bouncing off of the walls when he took deeper strokes. It’s like Genesis is meant to be in you and god you were so unbelievably tight. 

One game of pool turned into several, the both of you drinking more as the night went on, mixing light and dark liquors, keeping up your odd form of flirtatious banter until the tension between the two of you were unbearable. The sensation of Genesis wrapping his arms around you to guide you through different techniques and teaching you to aim better. You had the main idea of it, he just wanted to give you a few tips. His breath tickling your ear while he spoke and lips brazenly grazing your neck once Genesis decided he had free access to you in the process. Tseng would probably chastise him for drinking heavily on the job, but it got him exactly where they wanted him to be.

“y/n..” Genesis whispered into your ear. Your reaction wasn’t anywhere near what he was expecting, pushing against his shoulders roughly, forcing him to let his grip on you go. Genesis wasn’t easy to move, only loosening his grip a bit after you shoved him. Genesis’ voice portrayed how confused he felt, trying to make sure you were okay, only to be pushed away again. 

“Get the fuck off of me.” You all but growl out, this time your vocal request is immediately followed. 

Pulling out of you, Genesis puts his weight back on his heels, kneeling between your legs. Reaching out to grab your face gently, aiming to coax your anger, shushing you while you incoherently curse at him. 

Finally calming down in your drunken stupor, meeting his eyes again, a frown taking over your features. Great, this was just great. You knew Genesis was absolutely a bad sign, he was someone you shouldn’t have brought home. 

“Not one time have I told you my name tonight. How did you know? Who sent you? Why are you here?” 

A small detail Genesis now realized is indeed a bigger deal than he could’ve imagined. You were firing off question after question. Which gave him the split second he needed to find a way to rationalize with you.

Starting off with a sweet apology, Genesis pulls you against him into a firm hug. Fingers tangle in your hair, soothingly rubbing into your scalp. “I can explain if you let me, please?” 

You didn’t need comfort, the hug he pulled you into doing little to calm your nerves. Fuck, if you weren’t so touch starved and wasted you would’ve tugged away from him, Genesis warmth and stronghold kept you rooted against him, legs awkwardly wrapping around him as your mind screamed for you to get distance. 

“I want to help you y/n,” Considering you already knew who he was employed by, Genesis lied his way into using it as a way to influence you. Claiming that your case had been reassigned to him months ago, it wasn’t a total lie. Your case seems to mainly fall onto Genesis as his problem, “To be completely honest here, Shinra hasn’t been treating me very well. I can keep your name off of the radar, anything you need, I can provide you. All I ask is that you allow me to partner with you.”

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

I’ve debated how to complete nsfw with this fic. It’ll probably just be fairly soft since it is gender neutral, i’m working on how to write it better. any other GenesisxReaderxTseng nsfw writings will be put on tumblr (most will probably be female!reader)