#You hinder her goals or mission? Well...

[deadlyreliable]

❛ i don't take orders. not even from the likes of you. ❜ ~Surge

☆ &. 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞 (𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧) 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬. ☆

"Than don't blame me when the consequences strike you."

Not that she cared what happened to the tenrec in the moment — their goals just happened to align in the moment, which made it more beneficial to work together than against. Even still, she was no ally in the moment. If Surge hindered her in any way on achieving her goal? Than she would leave her to face the consequences of her foolishness on her own.

She was here for one thing and one thing only — completing the assignment her boss had given her. The tenrec was not part of that nor was her safety.

[oh-no-my-hand-slipped]

Introducing…The Sneeze Squad!

This group of sneezy supers was born out of necessity. In a world where superheroes are pretty easy to come by, these unfortunate souls were cast aside for their…unbecoming superpowers. They came together under their shared snotty theme, and thus — The Sneeze Squad was born!

The following members make up this group:

Captain Sneeze: The leader of the group, and arguably the most powerful. Her sneezes can overturn cars, knock down people, and cause a loud enough sound to break nearby glass. If she is especially snotty, her mucus can also be used to trap villains. Compared to her teammates, her powers are the most consistent, only fading when exposed to high-grade antihistamines or a strong clothespin.

Because of her large family, she’s very used to wrangling people towards a common goal, and her kindness can often win over even the most distrustful of civilians. With the rest of the squad, she is very supportive, forgiving, and clear in her intentions. However, she is slow to ask for help and to trust the group with specific tasks, leading to failed missions or her overworking herself.

Señor Sniff: In a lot of ways, Señor is the right hand man to the captain, due to his amiability and general cooperativeness. His abilities involve being able to teleport very short distances with a flick of his cape. The problem? He can only teleport if he sneezes (hence the rose he carries between his teeth), and each sneeze teleports him to a nearby location. This can be useful in some situations, but is usually just disorienting for him, and confusing for his teammates.

As his alias, Señor may appear very dramatic and confident. But to anyone who actually knows him, he is actually very self-conscious, often covering his face with his cape when he’s embarrassed (which is often). His eagerness to please others means that he follows directions well, and his quiet nature makes him observe things that the others may miss. However, he second-guesses himself both in battle and his personal life, and he usually struggles with making quick decisions. In the end, he just panics.

The Uncommon Cold: The Uncommon Cold, or TUC (“Tuck”) for short, is the most unpredictable of the four. They have the ability to spread their nasty case of the sniffles to anyone in a short radius, who will be infected in seconds. The unfortunate thing is that the average henchman’s immune system will fight the illness off almost immediately, making Tuck’s power close to useless in many situations. They also need quite a bit of rest between battles, making long missions difficult for them.

Tuck, as you can well imagine for a person who is sick all the time, is very grumpy, especially when their cold is at its worst. That leaves very little room for nonsense, which makes them the voice of reason. They don’t sugarcoat anything, and always present the truth with little bias. However, this also means they can be blunt, or just plain rude to the people around them. They often make snide comments, both to enemies and allies alike. However, they do have a soft spot for the chronically ill, or just the sick in general.

Dust Bunny: A villain turned super, Bunny has a strange past that she will not easily disclose. Her powers seem wonderful on paper: creating dust clouds that can hinder enemies, reveal lasers, or provide a perfect getaway. However, her criminal life was cut short when she developed an allergy to her dust, making it nearly impossible to use in her heists. Luckily, her combat skills more than make up for her sneeziness.

Bunny is extremely intelligent, and is knowledgeable in many subjects, including ciphers, mathematics, and a few common languages. She is cooperative (if she must be), though largely self-sufficient. Bunny keeps a lot of her thoughts close to her chest, still not quite trusting those around her. Vulnerability doesn’t come easily to her, and her and Captain Sneeze often butt heads due to her lack of forthcomingness.

[ratective]

i luv baby sardonyx can you tell us more abt the family dynamic?? like garnet and pearls parenting styles... i feel like it'd be different than raising steven bc that's not loaded with rose's death (eyes emoji)

that’s true it’s an interesting thing to consider!!

i feel like having sardonyx would give both of them a better idea on how to treat a child, gem or human! (and save steven from more trauma from her moms)

before steven i feel like raising sardonyx (and amethyst by extent) would’ve been a team effort. rose pitched in a LOT and was almost the third mom to her, almost like pearl and garnet were a parental influence to amethyst in many ways. so while there were challenges of raising a baby, because everyone pitched in it created a more chill environment; pearl wasn’t messed up from rose’s death yet but she was still prone to anxiety, except this time if garnet was away on a mission, there was rose to comfort her and the other way around

garnet took it upon herself to take care of everyone. she wasn’t the one to have the baby so she opted to take care of everything else she could for pearl. she took on the role of the protector of their family so pearl and rose could spend as much time together with the baby while she took care of gem business and keeping any humans away. that was when garnet got more serious and goal oriented like in the series, it just happened before she became the leader so i guess you could say she had some practice this time lol. she felt a little guilty that pearl had to handle everything on her own so she did what she could to make things easy for her

pearl was a stay at home mom, but not for long. the baby needed her constant attention (idk how gems would feed their babies; maybe she fed her rocks idc) sardonyx was a very clingy baby and didn’t like not being able to see her mom so pearl always carried her around since contact was so important to her. she got very attached and very protective so it was a good thing she had rose and garnet around to let the baby grow more independent with time

those roles weren’t set it stone as pearl still wanted (and often needed) to go out on missions and garnet would happily drop everything to coo at the baby but this dynamic worked for them well, especially after rose died

with rose gone and steven with greg they reverted into that safe order of things. pearl enjoys domestic chores and sardonyx wasn’t a baby anymore but still pearls little shadow so she found comfort in staying at the house they built, cleaning cooking and anything to take her mind off of the tragedy.

garnet detached herself from their family, not wanting to fall apart on anyone like pearl did. she became distant, more laconic with her orders and pearl and amethyst quickly clung to that facade of strength and stability. pearl became dependent on her, she stopped taking initiative as much and resolved to trusting garnet make the right decisions.

garnet hated that. she was suddenly the pillar holding everyone up. that goes pretty much like in the show. garnet always does her best to put on a smile for sards (and steven) but they both know it’s hard on her too. Sardonyx noticed the shift in their behavior and i guess that dynamic after roses death was the closest thing the crystal gems had to a nuclear family

once sards got older and steven moved in with them things changed a bit. they had to juggle their attention between yet another kid

garnet is pretty much how she is with steven; an overprotective mama bear in general but tries very much to not hinder sardonyx’s independence. she’s stern, especially once sardonyx has grown into a “teenager” but she aims for sardonyx to be able to figure out her own problems. she always tries to put on a chill face but her future vision feeds her terrible visions as always 😓

pearl and sardonyx relationship worsened in many ways, similar to amethyst. they’re too similar and have the same stress response only sardonyx got the mix of pearl and garnets anger issues and bad anxiety. she blows up over small details and shuts herself off which makes it harder for anyone to reach her…they both love each other but mom daughter relationships are so tricky 💔

[shineonyoucrazyyandere]

Yandere La squadra(all together if it isn’t too much) fighting over the female reader and all are taking her away from each other and don’t know who has her.

I’m feeling since there’s no cohesion here, it leads to a wide opening of avoiding them all completely. If one member tries to romance you another one steps in and tries to stop it. Pesci does his best to keep you around with the sound advice of Prosciutto. However he might disrupted by a snarky Formaggio, almost starting an argument honestly . A headache of arguing and selfish pulling and tugging like two children fighting over a toy.

Illuso could throw you in the mirror world at any given point, refusing any other human contact aside from himself if need be. But it would be difficult presuming others aren’t suspicious of him in the first place.

Melone could use a blood sample of yours to capture you with Babyface, but contact is impossible with anyone butting in time with him trying to get physically close to him. The other members of La Squadra are all too aware of Melone’s “eccentric” quirks/personality traits so they’d be absolutely be wary of him trying to take you while they’re not looking.

Ghiaccio’s temperament does no favors, practically suspecting any touch another member commits to attempting a competitor. So he ends up yelling and starting arguments whenever he so chooses out of irritation. Even a minute gesture that can be construed in his deluded mind will be used against the offending party. Illuso and Formaggio might press these buttons, but it also hinders their own attempts of taking you for themselves.

Sorbet and Gelato are one of a kind pair in their mind, but they don’t mind stirring up a bit of trouble (as far as they can push it under Risotto’s watch). Not even wanting to actively pursue you in that moment, more of a pastime.

Formaggio and Prosciutto are both well aware of their competition. But more than likely pitfall into stalemates with other teammates, especially Risotto in this instance. Though Formaggio is certainly bold enough to snag a prize from himself, and gets a kick out of getting under certain members skins. It sucks the fun out of everything if he can’t even reach his little “mouse” so to speak.

Prosciutto on the other hand if he sees the others as competition as not nearly being up to snuff to being with you. He finds your address and walks by, but he finds most of his energy is being used to keep the others away from you. Even Pesci he finds he has to struggle guiding him and potentially swaying him away from you. Not to mention Melone’s disgusting words he feels he needs to deal with, leads him with his hands tied.

Risotto doesn’t nearly deal with as much of a headache as the other la Squadra members do in the same way they do. He’s a pragmatic man, absolute and determined on goals. No he wouldn’t give up stalking you or anything of the sorts if possible. But there’s the issue that his own team is trying to eat each other alive that he has to consider. A frustrating consideration he must keep as an assassin even if his obsessive heart feels otherwise so they can get their missions completed properly.

Kind of a more quick write up than fic like…oopsie.

[gaycavendish]

Sorry for being rude in this but you have made a statement I just cannot agree with so here’s an essay on why you’re wrong:

On April 27, you reblogged a post made the day prior with a poll asking what you thought of the PNF special “Mission Marvel.” You said in the tags, and I quote, “so much raw hatred in my blood, Phineas would never be so mean to candace. I find the very thought Insulting, I HATE THIS EPISODE”

You are wrong about this. Phineas would be that mean to Candace. He wasn’t even that rude in the first place.

Let’s look at this plot of the special. Thor, Spider-man, Iron Man, and the Hulk have all had their powers sapped after another failed scheme from Doofenshmirtz. On account of the fact that the power syphoning ray bounced off their satellite, Phineas and Ferb have been tasked with helping the superheros get back their powers.

This is a big responsibility with, as Phineas says, the fate of the entire Tri-State area, and possibly even the world, at stake. It makes sense that Phineas, a ten year old boy, would be on edge and not able to control his emotions as well as he’s normally able to.

We can see something similar to this in “Summer Belongs to You.” The goal that they have set out to accomplish is not strictly as desperate as this one on first glance, but in closer inspection it’s obvious that a lot is riding on this. Phineas has based his entire philosophy around being able to make the most of the day. While the sun’s still up, you’ve still got time to be seizing the day. So when they’re so close to end the setting of the sun, but they’re also so close to accomplishing what they set out to do (follow the sun around the world) and Candace not wanting her public image to be tarnished is the only thing stopping them, it makes sense that Phineas would lash out.

Which is why it makes infinitely more sense that he would lash out here as well. Honestly, based on everyone’s reactions in the tags I expected him to be worse. For example, this image in particular made me think he was gonna at least scream.

Instead what he says is very tame. There’s only a stern tone in his voice as he tells her off for swapping around the superheros’ powers “Honestly, Candace, if you don’t know what you’re doing, keep your hands off the machinery.” Is a perfectly valid statement when very many people are in danger. Yes, he does get angry, he lashes out. But, as I have said previously, the entire Tri-State area is at stake. Thousands, if not millions, of people could quite possibly die. I think it’s reasonable to get a bit upset in that circumstance.

And at the actual moment of her getting her SHED ID card revoked, I was expecting so much worse. Their mom has gotten angrier at Candace for not doing her chores (or doing them very badly) Instead, he explains what she did wrong in a very “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed” voice. And then, with no screaming (and if you think that was screaming than you, my friend, have a very warped perception of screaming (or perhaps I do)) he says, “This is just too important and we can’t afford any more setbacks. I’m revoking your SHED card. You have to go. Now.” The “now” at the end was perhaps a bit aggressive but my father’s taken sterner sounding tones in his normal speaking voice so I don’t think anybody in their right mind could call it screaming.

And again, you have to think of his motivation for acting this way. While we know that Candace is “only trying to help” (as the brilliant, amazing, wonderful song with absolutely no off Isabella characterization says) Phineas sees these actions as hindering their progress in getting the heros’ powers back. This, by extension, is hindering their progress on saving the Tri-State area. We already know that Phineas is under a lot of stress from this herculean task. Not to mention he is a CHILD. Helping save a couple hundred-thousand people is a big task for a 10 year old and it makes sense that he wouldn’t be able to control his emotions that well. And he’s still doing a better job than most. I mean, if you have siblings you know that you’ve fought over much less.

Which is why I don’t understand how the people like you, or the person that said he was “tearing into” Candace, think that him being mad was out of character at all. A great deal of stress was being put onto him and he really wasn’t even as angry as would be expected from anyone else. Not to mention that it’s been shown that in similar (if less dire) situations he acts similarly.

(Here’s a link to the post of you saying this btw: https://www.tumblr.com/gaycavendish/748884156721889280 ) (also sorry for making such a long fucking essay of what is essentially hate mail) (I just couldn’t let this injustice stay unchallenged any longer) (also I really wish you allowed anon asks because my blog has not had anything to do with pnf for multiple months)

ok! im just a casual pnf fan and i havent even finished the show yet so my opinions on it are really not this serious. at the point i was at in my watching when i made that post it was kind of the first time i had ever seen phineas be that mean so i didnt enjoy it. I still dont like the episode and i still think he was too mean to candace even if its in character for him i didnt like it.

[lunatrics]

┊ ┊⋆ ┊ . ℒ ༄ؘ ۪۪۫۫ ♡ 𝓐 𝓕𝓐𝓡 - 𝓞𝓕𝓕 𝓜𝓔𝓜𝓞𝓡𝓨◞ accepting ⋰ unprompted ​​ ⤸ SANEMI "--no." it's the obvious reply. new orders have come in - ones that'll ( hopefully ) allow their number to be maintained & perhaps even grown. so simple, like he's been stupid not to see- though the master hasn't offered any scorn. up against foes more powerful, it makes sense to make themselves stronger than the sum of their parts: teams of hashira will fall less quickly, leave behind their duties less easily.     so, okay. fine. whatever. annoying,     but not a problem---      excepting exceptions:    traitorous cunt - obanai is teamed up with kanroji. one will move heaven and hell before managing to break that up- uzui & shinobu are forming a toxic power duo, rengoku's taking the mist brat under his wing. himejima's staying behind for a month to train the straggling newbies fresh out of final election. that they might, mumbling mantras, turn into something like a recruit before the end of that.    which leaves---      his knees ache against the shiny floorboards.   tomioka's knees are inches from his, the man quiet & poised as if he came out of the womb tearlessly. "i'm not fucking doing it." profanity slips out / choked after - the crawling burn of shame is invading his skin. tomioka makes no protest at all: pristine. he does not argue against the order, no matter how he eschews their company outside of them. "i-"     the master's smile is painted on, patient.    ...is he being childish..? "...i- ugh." the itch of thrill / shame's stinging burn --- the threeway meal he's being made into by d e n i a l ' s wilful struggle.     he can do this. technically.    but he doesn't want- ... "...fine." fuck. fuck! fuck. @sanyemi

If it's to help maintain their ranks, then that was that for Giyuu. His job, his very purpose, was to hunt down demons. These new orders wouldn't bother him. Though, it would be his first time truly partnering with another Hashira since his missions with Shinobu ; perhaps, somewhere deep inside his heart, that made him anxious. It wasn't his place to be standing beside the pillars. It never had been. It was a fact he knew well. Let him be replaced by the true water Hashira, and let it be soon.

But until then, he would keep fighting. It didn't matter the conditions.

❝ Understood. ❞ Is his only response. Whatever it was the master wished, he'd do. As long as Giyuu was able to keep killing the demons, it was fine.

Shinazugawa ... their personalities would definitely clash. He's not opposed to it, as long as it doesn't hinder their goals. No. The true Hashira were more then capable. More then him. It was himself that could only hold them back. Teaming up with Shinazugawa ... he had to be extra focused.

Shinobu was someone who forced her way into his life. It's a fact that ... he doesn't mind, at all. It made their missions easier. They split up often, when the situation called for it. Giyuu preferred to work alone after all ; a fake. A scam. At least, this way, he could focus on his task, and leave it at that.

And truth be told, when Shinobu approached him last, he expected ... her to be partnered with him. It was a cold shock when she teased him for it, as if reading his vacant expression with ease. Try to make friends with the others, then you won't be so disliked by everyone. She apologised after, but, was he really ... not well liked?

❝ It's fine. Our primary goal is to slay demons. ❞ Never bats an eye in his direction Perhaps, also, just a bit ... unsure of how to approach Shinazugawa. Shinobu did a lot of the talking, enough that it made Giyuu talk back. He doubted they'd have such idle chatter.

Giyuu doesn't wait before exiting, once the Master had bid them a farewell. It would be fine. They trained together for this purpose.. so that's what should matter most. If he's lucky ... if they can talk ... maybe he could learn more about Shinazugawa. He just wasn't quite sure how.

[wiedzmacienia]

Would you rather keep living forever, or switch places with someone else and succumb at a normal life span?

so while i think this wasn't geared toward modern katarzyna, modern katarzyna is who you shall get for reasons. | would you rather meme responses

katarzyna isn't at headquarters often these days for her team largely operates on missions outside of the normal routines of the knights-- no they were called agents now-- which division held within it's ranks. she distances herself usually, so many more human faces in the modern age. it was the embodiment of what she'd fought so hard for lifetimes ago, cooperation. protection of her people, humans and supernaturals working together. supporting each other. she should engulf herself into it yet she can't. the witch is far from the person she had once been, too jaded, too hurt, and lost to the darkness that creeped into her bones. sometimes it was a wonder she hadn't given herself completely over to it, let herself fall into dark magic if it meant more power to defeat her foes. perhaps it's the only thing still left of the girl she'd been once before. a girl capable of loving, of gentleness, of caring instead of the hollowness that she felt inside the moment she'd woken up in her brothers arms with a brand burned into her back and poison in her veins.

katarzyna and the agents aside from her team did not mix well.

her indifference toward those labeled as colleterial damage (in most cases) made them uncomfortable. not that they too wouldn't have to make some of the same decisions (though they did operate under less extreme operations than her team did) but katarzyna no longer looked for work arounds on missions, no longer worried about those who might be innocent if they'd seen things they could not be allowed to go into the world with the knowledge of as long as the mission was done and the larger threat defeated. sometimes, when she tackles the drive to connecticut she lets her mind drift back to the past and imagines blue hues of disappointment looking upon her. (@honorhearted) but that was a face she would never see again. a touch she would never know again. and it's the wake of it's loss and the loss of the hope that person had inspired in her that had allowed her to dare to trust another that all traces of it had been overridden by the pain that had been unleashed upon her and seared into her skin. she couldn't recall that gentleness anymore, couldn't bare to think on it too long either. she was the product of what the world had made of her. so no, she was not one for missions with green agents often.

would you rather keep living forever, or switch places with someone else and succumb at a normal life span?

yet here she was, sitting across from one who was too curious for his own good. who was too bright and too awed for the world that was going to be thrust onto the human. acceptance of the supernatural was fine, even seemed more potent of a concept these days but the world they operated in was not for dreamers. they did the things others could not, so that they never would have to. this mission was going to either see the man sink or swim and if the former it sure as hell better not hinder the mission's goal.

the blonde witch is tempted to get up and relocate, leave the agent hanging on their question and review mission details. god, if she was going to be stuck with a human on a mission with so many variables in play she'd much rather it be elijah (@everythingheard). she knew he was capable even if he wasn't often in the field and he'd actually earned her trust in a way that few often were able to in the last century. hell, she'd even be willing to team up with constantine, at least he didn't hold the same qualms she could see springing up with this green agent. she doesn't leave though, her greenish-blue hues moving up to meet the agent's gaze and her allowing the briefest flash of memories... a smile, children laughing, two humans and a witch squeezing into a bed, an argument, a kiss... to play upon her mind. just for a moment, a moment that ceases her breath until she finally releases a shaky sigh.

"it is not that simple. i can't just trade places and if you're going to be in this line of work you need to understand that rarely is anything simple. but-- there was a time long ago when i would have given anything for that." when she would have given anything to be able to grow old along with the person she loved, to have been able to die with them, to have been able to give them more than twins.. but dreams didn't have a place in this world. not for people like her. "but i grew up and saw the world we live in. would i give up my immorality and trade places with someone else now? no. what good would that do if not to take out an experienced warrior for division's goals?" maybe in another life, she would have. a life she had something to give it up for. a life filled with love in the wake of war. a life that had finally given her peace for a while. but that wasn't her reality anymore and it never would be again. and it wasn't a life that the woman she had become deserved anyway.

"enough of such talk. tell me, how many ways do you know how to vanquish a wrath? your life may depend on it."

[angelofrainfrogs]

Spend the Night: Ch. 24

~Coauthored by @zeitghest~

Fandom(s): Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach

Description: The familiar melody of Grandfather’s Clock chimes through the echoing halls of the Pizzaplex…

Charlie wakes up in her Puppet’s vessel yet again with one goal in mind: to stop William Afton’s reign of terror for good. She enlists the help of Glamrock Freddy, the emphatic leader of the newest iteration of the Fazbear Band. But there seems to be more to this bear than meets the eye—and the same goes for the mysteriously familiar kid the duo find tinkering with animatronics down in Parts & Service.

With some help from friends new and old, Charlie’s journey into the bowels of the Pizzaplex will unravel mysteries none of them ever expected. 

Rating: T

Read on Ao3

Between the lines I need to read So we can be released from these evil dreams

This RPG is hard to beat with so many secrets that they keep beneath

~Join the Party by J.T. Machinima~

There was an ugly pause in the group. As they let Vanessa go, a woman stressed and hindered by a hypnotic amnesia, Gregory felt bad. He regretted all the mean names he’d called her. It was Vanny being a psycho, not her real self.

And when Michael sprained her wrist... Given it was for self-defense, but still.

Gregory leaned against his father, staring at the door along with his family in pity. They'd have to fight this unaware woman again, he was certain. The thought only made his hate for William Afton grow.

“What time is it? Is there still time to find the last game?” Charlie asked, her urge to save Vanessa as well as Gregory swelling with the sadness in her chest.

Freddy blinked a few times, pulling up his internal clock. “It is 2:47 pm. We have time to look around, although I insist on getting Gregory some more food and water in the near future.”

“Of course; we can’t have Gregory crashing on us!” Michael flashed the boy a grin, playfully nudging his arm before ushering the group to start moving forward. He wanted to save Vanessa as much as everyone else. He might not have gotten to the kids in time, but at least they could try to save her along with Gregory.

“Are there any other arcades, Freddy? If that’s where the first two were found, maybe the next game is in a different one, too.” Michael grimaced, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Hopefully there’s only one more of these things…”

The worst thing would be to miss out on some consoles, making this whole mission for naught.

“There are two other, smaller arcade locations within the Pizzaplex,” Freddy replied, giving Gregory one last big squeeze before setting him down in favor of holding his hand. “One is in Bonnie Bowl and the other is in the Daycare.”

“I'm starving. I need like, a whole pizza,” Gregory said, willing to forget the uncomfortable feeling it brought when thinking on Vanessa's situation. The immortal serial killer piloting a bunny suit with a hobby for murdering children continued to haunt Gregory's thoughts, even in normal conversation. His hand slid into Freddy's palm and began for the door.

“What's the pizza topping tonight? I wanna know if the Hawaiian still tastes the same.” Charlie hoped to move on from the awkwardness of knowing something was officially wrong with Vanessa.

Just fill the uncomfortable burden of knowledge with entertaining the kid, Charlie thought, watching as Gregory's face turned up at the suggestion.

“Whaaaat? Who actually gets pineapple on their pizza?” he inquired, disturbed by the idea. Charlie sighed.

“You have much to learn, kiddo. The pineapple calms down the spicy pepperoni they use. And the ham's there just because ham is good,” she explained as if the anatomy of the Hawaiian pizza was a hard-hitting science.

“In some ways, Charlie, you were always wise beyond your years,” Michael said, patting her back as they squeezed through the door and emerged into the West Arcade proper.

“To answer your question, since the Pizzaplex is not currently open for guests, there are no specials today,” Freddy informed the group. Before their crestfallen faces could stick, he quickly added with a grin: “Which simply means that you can make whatever pizza you would like!”

“Whatever we'd like?” Michael repeated, sparing a look behind him to lock eyes with Gregory. They grinned in unison, already in unspoken agreement to use this power to their full advantage.

Freddy seemed to realize the potential monsters he'd unleashed, for he quickly followed up his earlier proclamation. “Within reason, of course—please do not make yourselves sick...”

“So... No ultimate everything pizza?” Gregory asked, hoping that he and his older brother had the same idea.

He envisioned it clearly. A sturdy deep-dish with every possible combination of crust plus all toppings. Charlie's stomach felt sick just thinking about such a monster grease-ball of a meal—the saddest part being that she had no stomach to feel queasy with.

“No way you'd eat all of that,” Charlie told him, unknowingly goading Gregory to want the mythical pizza even further.

“Hey, I still haven't felt any effects from that scary burrito meat earlier; I could always help,” Michael pointed out, fully on board with encouraging the Frankenstein-pizza. Never mind the fact that he'd only eaten a tiny bit of meat, and this meal would be far more damaging both physically and psychologically... but that only made him more eager to try it.

“The staff may get upset if they see you both messing up the kitchen to get to all the toppings,” Freddy said, trying to think of a way to dissuade the boys without straight up saying no. However, when Michael puffed up his chest, Freddy already knew he was about to use his “Afton bloodline” excuse to get away with yet another thing. As Mike opened his mouth to speak, Freddy relented slightly. “Alright, how about this—you can make an ultimate everything pizza, as long as you also make one that is actually edible.”

“Freddy, do you doubt my cooking skills?” Mike asked, putting on an exaggerated sad face.

“It is not your cooking I am doubting, Michael—it is your ability to legitimately consume this dish.” Freddy couldn't help but smile just a bit as Mike snickered, his obvious happiness both a rare and welcome sight.

“Is it bad if I doubt both?” Charlie remarked, having a strong suspicion Mike was about to bite off more than he could chew in more ways than one.

“You know you're gonna want some...,” Gregory said, egging her on. Still, he was happy his ursine dad would let them get away with making what he’d assume to be a record-breaking pie.

“We can go to the food court—it is the closest place to get pizza,” Freddy said, as the group descended the staircase that would take them to the Arcade exit. Instead of heading straight for the elevator, he continued towards the dance floor. “I would like to say goodbye to Music Man first, however.”

“Heeeey, you guys!” the huge animatronic said upon catching sight of the comparatively tiny group. He waved a back arm, as his front hands were currently occupied. “How're you liking the music?!”

“The 80s songs are much appreciated,” Michael replied, hands in his pockets as he stared up at the DJ. He couldn't help a dark point of anxiety burrowing into the back of his mind when he thought of how terrifying this thing would be if it was infected like all the others... Thankfully, they'd managed to avoid the West Arcade so far during night shift, and he hoped the trend continued through tonight.

The group could see how anxious he was. Charlie and Gregory couldn’t exactly blame Michael. If the DJ wanted to, he could just crush them and be done with it. For now, he was probably the chillest of the personalities inhabiting the Mega Pizzaplex. Charlie threw a wave at the guy—she tried not to think about tonight, if he’d go and try to find them now that he knew there was a child and two human adults waiting to be smushed or pulled apart.

“That’s a choice mixtape you got!” Charlie complimented regardless. “We’re gonna take the little guy to get something to eat! Don’t wait up for us.”

“Thanks for the tunes, DJ!” Gregory called to him after Charlie. He chose to stick by Freddy, as his guardian made him feel comforted as he spoke to new people, regardless of whether this artificial personality was made to be the most relaxed guy in the room. He had to agree with Mike that Music Man’s size was formidable.

“See you guys laaaaateeeeer!” the DJ called, waving every limb not currently occupied as the group walked off the dance floor.

Before long they were exiting the elevator into the main atrium, making a beeline for a now-working escalator to take them right to the food court. There were a few staff milling around, though most were long-past lunch break and had returned to work. This served the group just fine, as Michael prompted Gregory to use an access pass to slip into the back kitchens. There was a lone S.T.A.F.F. bot in a chef’s outfit meandering near the doorway, and though it tracked the group’s movements it didn’t actively try to talk to them or call for security.

Which was good, because if it did, Mike would’ve had to tamper with more company property so they could make their pizza concoction.

“Okay, let’s get this done!” he said cheerfully, excited by the thought of this monster they were about to create. He hoisted Gregory up and placed the boy on his hip, holding him securely with one arm and grinning down at his mildly confused face.

“Three hands are better than two when making this thing, right? Besides, you don’t want to have to drag a stool all around the room to see over the counters, do you?” Michael’s grin shifted into one of brotherly mirth at the teasing dig to Gregory’s height. “Just tell me what we need and I’ll grab it, then you can put as much on the pizza as your heart desires.”

Gregory never thought he was short until he met Michael Afton in all his android glory, towering over the poor vertically challenged lad. Though he wouldn’t admit it, having Mike hold him up while observing the pizza toppings was easier than dragging around a stool.

“First, we’re going to need the pepperoni. Classic,” Gregory began, starting the long list of the weird Frankenstein pie that he envisioned in his mind.

It ended up becoming a savory, meat and vegetable medley on one side. Then on the other, the Hawaiian pizza for Charlie—Gregory decided to add some hot sauce on her side after realizing she was craving something spicy. What he and Michael ended up concocting was a messy pile. They had only stopped adding toppings when they realized they still needed to see some of the thick layer of cheese.

“This thing would kill an old person if you fed it to them,” Gregory said in a half amused, half concerned tone.

“Good thing we’re all so young and spry,” Michael joked, though the slight crease in his brow betrayed his concern about the potential hospital visit Gregory might need if he consumed too much of this monstrosity. As if reading his mind, Freddy placed gentle hands on each of the boys’ shoulders.

“How about you each take one bite and see how you feel?” the bear suggested, unsure of it would be worse for Gregory’s human stomach or Michael’s mechanical one. While they’d been making their ultimate pizza, Freddy busied himself with crafting a standard cheese and pepperoni so his son could actually have something to eat.

Michael nodded, attempting to dislodge a piece of the meat and veggie side which proved nearly impossible due to the sheer amount of toppings. He managed eventually, handing Gregory a plate with the not-so-surprisingly heavy slice. After getting one for himself and a Hawaiian-themed one for Charlie, Mike held his piece up with a determined light in his eyes. “On the count of three, we take a bite. One… two… three.”

At Michael's command, Gregory and Charlie timed their first bites of pizza to his word. Attempting to get every individual piece of meat and vegetable inside his mouth, Gregory had to take a pretty gigantic bite. This took a while to chew, but that single piece had been a meal by itself.

As she managed to taste and savor the flavor of the customized pie, Charlie could feel so many memories coming back with just the taste. For a moment, it was 1980. She, Michael, and Evan were in the kitchen of the dinner making their own monstrosity and eating it out of the way of the chefs and wait staff. They hadn't changed the recipe at all, and everything tasted just as it did back in that wonderful, wholesome year.

Charlie hadn't even registered the warm tears that flowed from the corners of her eyes as she indulged in her food. They freely streamed down her face even as she went in for a second bite.

“Perfect...,” she complimented the chefs, dabbing the corners of her mouth.

Michael’s mind had traveled down a similar road, back to a day where Lizzie and Sammy were playing at friends’ houses and left their siblings under the care of their fathers. William and Henry were busy, giving the trio a perfect opportunity to slip into the kitchen and make the most abominable pizza they could. William was the one to catch them and had chided them for using so many ingredients for their silly experiment, although when he’d subsequently taken a bite of their creation with a shimmer of laughter in his eyes and claiming that they couldn’t let everything go to waste, Michael knew they weren’t in real trouble.

He didn’t notice his own salty tears until he instinctively moved to wipe them away, his gaze shifting to Gregory as he did so.

And there was that damn trauma coming back to haunt him yet again—the boy’s image flickered before Michael’s eyes, shifting between the brother he once knew and the one he had now. “God… why did I—”

Why did I become such an asshole? Mike finished the sentence in his head, covering his mouth with a hand and turning away. He looked like he was about to throw up by the way his eyes scrunched tight, though he really just wanted to scream. If only he hadn’t played that stupid prank, it could be Evan by his side right now…

“Michael…” Freddy’s tone was soft, though the man sill flinched as the bear touched his shoulder. They stared at each other for a moment before Freddy held out his arms, gesturing for the man to come close. He might not fully understand what Michael was going through, but he could still be there for him.

Mike let out a short, barking laugh, not missing the irony of Freddy being the one to comfort him from these memories… but it only took a few seconds for him to fall into the bear’s arms and hug him tight.

Charlie could tell Michael had been thinking the same as her from the glimmer in his eyes—about the way their families used to be. She was still angry, bitter at the life stolen from her. It was a tragic accident what had happened to Evan. Then that poison spread from Evan’s death and into the lives of the Emilys.

She was infected by that poison, too. And so she could never relent, vengeful forever until William’s tainted fountain ran dry. He would pay for making her best and nearly her only friend’s childhood a living hell. She wanted retribution for all those lost souls, including her own.

And justice for Gregory, who had been exploited and traumatized beyond what was reasonable for a child in two nights.

Gregory had felt the melancholy, leaning into Charlie and attempting to lighten the mood. “Wow, pizza’s that good?”

Charlie slung an arm around his shoulder and rubbed his arm twice—then squeezed him into a close hug.

“Just haven’t had pizza like this in a while. Thanks, kiddo.” She excused them both, silently apologizing for the tears that fell off her jaw and onto Gregory’s wavy head of hair.

It wasn't long before Michael shimmied out of Freddy's grasp. The bear wanted to hold onto him longer, as if he knew this short hug wasn't nearly enough to make up for whatever horrific thing Mike was thinking of, but they both knew they couldn't cling forever. They were on a mission, after all.

“Thanks, Freddy,” Michael said quietly, wiping away the remnants of tears with one hand as he gripped the bear’s arm with the other. Before Freddy could reply, Mike set a smile on his face and turned to his siblings. Seeing them in an embrace, he playfully fell onto them and wrapped his arms around Charlie in a bear hug, effectively sandwiching Gregory in the middle. “Yeah that pizza's definitely in my favorites list now!”

“This is almost exactly like the secret recipe pizza Mike and I used to make, you know,” Charlie told their new friends, laughing when Gregory started squirming.

“That's nice—Mike, you're squishing meee!” he lamented, unable to wiggle free from the cage that he and Charlie created with their arms.

Then, behind them came the sudden sound of radio static. It came in and out, breathing almost before a familiar voice rang out. “THAT LOOKS LIKE FUN...”

When Charlie whipped her head around, she was surprised to see none other than Ennard. They'd snuck in so quietly and appeared to have wrapped their limbs in random, ripped up carpet segments—clashing patterns and colors that made them even more of an eyesore. Charlie jumped in place and held onto Gregory tighter as she let out a briefly frightened yelp.

Freddy instinctively moved to the group's side, trying to push Gregory and Charlie behind himself as he stared at the mass of wires and carpet pieces. He recognized the voice as the one he'd briefly heard from the vents, although the sight of Ennard was certainly... something.

Freddy had many, many questions, but he doubted any of them would be answered now. He could feel Michael tense up like a startled cat on his other side, having let go of Charlie and Gregory the second the static entered the room to better protect his family.

“...What the hell have you been up to?” Michael asked slowly, his eyes roaming over the multicolored, 80s-style carpet pieces. However, the answer occurred to him before Ennard could reply, and Mike sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Oh—you're trying to be quieter. For god's sake...”

“Michael...?” Freddy began questioningly, although he honestly wasn't sure what he wanted to ask. This thing sure was intimidating, the fabric flooring only adding to the eeriness as their entire body swayed. A few tendrils moved of their own accord, and Freddy swore one was trying to inch closer to Michael.

Seeing everyone's expressions of wary confusion, Mike realized Freddy hadn't been told what to expect when facing this thing. Not to mention the last time Gregory saw Ennard was in the dark basement, lurking in the shadows as it literally ripped an animatronic apart in front of the boy's eyes. Ennard was quite different in the comparatively bright kitchen lighting.

Michael grimaced, eyes locked onto the amalgamation as he reassured the trio: “Don't worry, you'll be fine... What do you want, Ennard? And why are you out during dayshift?!”

As the group relaxed, Ennard stared at them with a fixed gaze from every visible eye. They were unmoving except for the metal and wires just barely inside Michael's comfort zone. How they twitched in longing to be near him again... The carpet was a nice substitute, though it certainly didn't feel as safe as Michael's own flesh.

“I WAS TOLD TO FOLLOW...,” they reminded, heterochromatic eyes staring holes through the group.

Gregory wasn't afraid of clowns, but he didn't realize Ennard was that huge. Once Ennard caught him looking, they became somewhat standoffish. Aloof, they turned their back to Gregory ever so slightly as if hiding from him.

“WE ARE QUIET NOW... WHAT ARE YOU GUYS UP TO…?” they inquired, looking around the group briefly.

“Eating pizza.” Gregory held out the gooey mess. “Do you want a slice?”

He regretted the offer slightly as Ennard moved in a hauntingly jarring way towards them, body jerking and ropey as strong metal moving under the carpet. The monstrous form barely visible under the thick 80's patterns.

“Absolutely not!” Michael and Freddy exclaimed in unison, swiftly putting themselves in-between Gregory and the approaching animatronic. The pair shared a look, silently in agreement that they did not want to see what happened if whatever made up Ennard's body got gunked up with cheesy grease and toppings.

“Ennard's, ah... components seem to be more like mine as opposed to Michael and Charlie's, so I do not think it wise for them to eat real food,” Freddy explained, trying to be as gentle as possible with his words. Ennard was clearly sentient and aware, but Freddy couldn't help but feel like they'd appreciate hearing the reasoning nonetheless since they seemed quite eager to participate in the group's activities.

And he also didn't want Michael to have another mental break when trying to speak to the amalgamation after he'd just recovered from the last one. By the way Mike's left eye was twitching slightly as he pushed Gregory even further behind him, Freddy could tell he wasn't far off from snapping.

Ennard had stopped mid-walk, the former child-entrapping animatronic eyeing both the slice and Gregory with unknown intent. After focusing their vision, Ennard's gaze landed on Freddy and Michael.

“THAT... MAKES... SENSE—SENSE—SENSE...” Their voice box glitched out, causing them to smack their own chest in frustration to fix the involuntary stutter.

“Ennard?” Charlie would ask, finding the clown face suddenly snapping in her direction to gaze down at her. “Have you been watching us this whole time?” She attempted to make friendly conversation all while trying to navigate and avoid the stalker-like behavior they portrayed. Ennard would shake their head, the motions more jagged than any animatronic the others had seen to date.

“NOT JUST YOU... WATCHING ALL... OBSERVING... HIM...” Ennard had replied honestly, a hint of malice dripping in multiple layers of voice boxes.

“'Him?' Do you mean... William?” Freddy asked tentatively, eyes narrowed in question. He didn't like the dark tone coming from that voice box and hoped it was directed towards the same entity his group was after.

Freddy caught Michael nodding out of the corner of his eye, though he kept his gaze fixed on Ennard, still unsure whether they could truly trust this thing yet. He'd caught the strange way it looked at Gregory earlier and didn't want to take any chances... even if it had saved the boy last night.

“Ennard hates him, too; I can at least tell you that,” Michael confirmed, one of the rare facts he was absolutely sure about regarding the amalgamation. Mike crossed his arms over his chest, observing the familiar way Ennard swayed. The movement seemed a little more cumbersome because of all the carpeting, but it was still just as unnerving at it'd always been. Raising a brow, Michael asked: “Have you learned anything from these observations? Maybe something he's plotting, or... Oh, anything would help, really.”

He seemed to deflate slightly, false confidence punctured by the stark reality of how little they knew of what William's actual goal was besides “get his family back.” They didn't even know where he was right now...

Gregory attempted to look at Ennard, observing their odd posturing. Both Freddy and Michael seemed to be aware of Ennard being much more dangerous than the others. If they wanted to, Gregory was positive that Ennard could and would tear through them all without hesitation. Their last run-in with Michael had left the man shaking while talking to the robot amalgamate.

Ennard looked around the room, eyelids darting and flicking closed, making shutter sounds as they simulated blinking for the boy's comfort.

“BUILDING... REPAIRING HIMSELF... SCREAMING. THROWING THINGS...” they listed off, thinking of all the things they heard and saw William doing during their recon work. “WILLIAM... STAYING BE-BELOW. UNSURE WHERE—DON’T W-W-WANT TO GET CLOSE, OR RISK BEING SPOTTED… HIDEOUT ABANDONED NOW...”

That made Michael perk up again.

“His hideout? The one in Fazerblast?” he questioned, and upon receiving a jerking nod Michael looked to the others with a hesitant grin. “If he’s gone… maybe we should check it out?”

“Are you sure it is empty?” Freddy asked, placing a hand on Mike's forearm to still his excitement. His gaze was still fixed to Ennard, wanting to make sure they would be safe before trying something so risky. The animatronic was strange, but it really didn't seem to mean them any harm...

Ennard shifted their weight, unnaturally leaning with hips jutting out at a sharp degree while answering Freddy.

“THE PAST NIGHT AND DAY... CLEAR OF RABBIT—S...” they replied. Ennard took a step back then, realigning their frame in a more natural standing position that made them look even taller. “NO ONE IN SIGHT.”

Gregory could see Ennard’s gaze drifting back to Michael, as if knowing the man would have the final say in whether they would go or not. He knew better than anyone that Ennard was capable of lying, after all.

Ennard sure was a liar... Or at least, they used to be. Back when Michael first encountered the amalgamation all those years ago, it'd lured him into the scooping room under false pretenses, and Mike had stupidly walked right into the trap.

However, in the Pizzaplex, Ennard seemed different. They'd been nothing but helpful to Mike and his friends, showing no sign of wanting to climb into any of their bodies or otherwise destroy them despite the unnerving stares and tendency to grasp at Michael's ankles. Hell, Ennard even saved him and Gregory from Roxy—a far cry from the last time Mike had been so close to the thing.

“...I trust them—on this, at least,” Michael said in a voice that was barely audible. Freddy finally turned to him, searching the man's face for any sign of doubt. Upon finding nothing but serious determination, he nodded.

“Then to the hideout we shall go,” the bear agreed. He looked back at Ennard, finally giving the mass of carpeted wires a genuine Glamrock Freddy smile. “Thank you for all of your help, Ennard. It is much appreciated.”

It was hard to tell what was going on inside Ennard’s head as they stared down the bear. Their demeanor seeming surprised, bashful even as Freddy thanked them. They belted out a quick rush of nervous static. Then, after collapsing their body slightly, wormed their way back into the vents without another word.

They weren’t used to the kinder treatments. In fact, they were far too comfortable with Michael yelling at them—it was almost safe in its familiarity, in a twisted sort of way. The sudden change in attitude towards the hulking robot had left them rather shy in response.

“That guy has issues,” Gregory said, less in judgmental and more out of pity for the monster as soon as he felt they were out of earshot.

“Gregory, you have no idea,” Michael murmured in a slightly strained voice, running a hand absently through the boy's wavy brown locks as he stared into the vent. 

“Well, I suppose we should put our search for the Princess Quest games on hold temporarily?” Freddy asked, looking between the trio. He still wore a smile, happy that they'd made some progress with their surprisingly helpful stalker and their search for William in one go.

“Yeah; who knows, maybe we'll find a clue about them in the hideout,” Michael suggested with a shrug. He slipped his hand into Gregory's, wanting to keep track of his brother personally until his latent paranoia towards Ennard subsided.

“Wait—did you have enough food, superstar?” Freddy questioned as the group started towards the door. Mike resisted the urge to roll his eyes, wanting to move on but understanding the bear's parental concern.

Gregory had just registered he was still hanging onto the heavy slice of pizza. Now that it cooled, its toppings were fixed in place by the thick layer of cheese. Gregory nodded and told his ursine father: “I’ll eat this slice on the way.”

Gregory was more tired than anything. He needed a nap before the night shift began. They still needed to play the next installment of Princess Quest—and hopefully collect those tickets for Charlie. Still he remained confused at their collective reactions to Ennard when DJ Music Man was so widely accepted. He decided for now not to question it, as his caretakers had done a good job at keeping him safe thus far.

“Let’s get a move on, then!” Charlie told the group, seemingly trying to force a positive outlook before sneaking into the Fazerblast security office. They would need the good vibes, Charlie felt. Who knew what terrible things sat in Vanny’s personal space.

“Hey, Freddy,” Michael began, sidling up to the bear as the group moved as one to the door. “The last time Gregory and I went to Fazerblast, we got stuck—I literally had to pry the elevator open to get us out because we couldn’t finish the game.” He grimaced at the memories. “Is there any way you can make that not happen?”

“You wish for me to override the attraction itself?” Freddy questioned, and Michael nodded. Freddy shook his head, giving him an apologetic smile. “Unfortunately, I do not have access to those types of override protocols. Perhaps a staff member might be able to help?”

“Ugh… the only staff we know is Sophie.” Michael glanced at Charlie, wanting her opinion on the matter. “I don’t know if we want to chance the extra attention… but I also don’t want to get stuck again. What do you think, Charlie?”

Charlie bit at the inside of her lip in thought, weighing the options in her head.

“You said you had to pry open the elevator, right? Tell Sophie there’s damage done to the internal doors and that you need to turn the attraction off,” she replied with a quick snap of her fingers. That had happened when Michael was in his Foxy get-up, so she could only imagine what that hook and claw had done to the door to get it to open. The likelihood of the elevator being busted to hell were high.

“Perfect—hand over that walkie talkie?” Michael took the device after Charlie unclipped it from her belt just as the group emerged into the main atrium. They walked at a steady pace, not wanting to seem in a rush even though they were all anxious to get to their destination.

“Hello, Sophie? Come in, please; this is Mr. Afton,” Michael said, pressing the button on the walkie to speak into the static. 

There was a crackle of static for a moment before Sophie responded with a simple: “Hi, Sir—do you need something?”

“Yes, actually—we’re heading over to Fazerblast. I’ve been informed there’s damage to one of the interior elevator doors.” Michael paused just long enough for the words to sink in, but not giving the guard time to freak out. “I’d like to assess the issue, and in order to do that can you turn the attraction off while my group is inside?”

“Hooo boy,” Sophie replied, followed by a cacophony of crackles. Likely her hanging up before cursing to her presumed boss. After a second of hesitation, her voice clicked back onto the feed. “I'll meet you there, Mr. Afton. Over!”

She knew no one else would volunteer to help out the admins. Most of the staff hadn't even met any of the owners besides Sammy Emily before, so working around the hired family members would be a nightmare for most. Though, to be fair Sophie hadn’t exactly heard mention of these mysterious heirs before today either.

“Freddy?” Charlie said, giving the bear a gentle nudge. “You and Gregory should hang out of sight for a little. Sophie might ask why we're bringing you both into a work area…”

“Good point,” Freddy agreed, holding out a paw for Gregory to grasp. He gazed around the atrium, looking for a place close by but still out of the way. His eyes settled on one of the many brightly lit signs on the third floor and his smile widened. “Would you like to try a round of bowling, superstar?”

Michael followed Freddy’s sightline to Bonnie Bowl. It wouldn’t take long for Freddy and Gregory to sneak down to the hideout from there if necessary. Of course it’d be ideal if they could prevent Gregory from returning to one of the places that traumatized him the most this weekend.

The more Michael followed this train of thought, the more set on it he became.

“I think that’s a good option,” he chimed in before Gregory could respond, cracking a tiny smile. “Didn’t you say there was an arcade up there, Freddy? You guys can see if there’s a Princess Quest console while Charlie and I do our thing in Fazerblast. We’ll let you know if we need you, don’t worry—otherwise, we can just meet you in the bowling alley when we’re done.”

Gregory had always wanted to try out bowling. Even if they didn't get the chance to play a full game, it'd be fun to unwind and get to do something with just Freddy for a change. Unfortunately, Michael mentioning Princess Quest brought him back to the current reality. He'd have to worry about having fun some other time. Right now, Vanessa needed them to find the source of her mind control. Hopefully it meant defeating these badly coded video games.

“Let's go check it out!” Gregory said, a good attitude about it regardless. He pulled on the bear’s paw, as if he had the strength to sway where Freddy walked.

Freddy chuckled quietly at Gregory’s obvious excitement, playing into it by pretending like the boy was somehow able to tug the half-ton metal bear along as if he were nothing more than a stuffed toy. As he pitched forward slightly to give the impression of being knocked off-balance by Gregory’s sheer strength, Freddy spared a glance over his shoulder and waved to Michael and Charlie with his free hand.

“…Damn,” Michael murmured once Freddy and Gregory were out of earshot in a tone of wistfulness. “I know Freddy’s designed to be good with kids, but… he’s really good with Gregory.” He spared a glance at Charlie then, raising an eyebrow to match his subtle smirk. “Good thing we’ve got a new, Pizzaplex-escaping body waiting for him, huh?”

“It's almost like he was programmed to be a dad—I don’t think all of them would act like Freddy,” Charlie agreed. That bear was truly one of a kind.

Perhaps knowing the presence of a human soul had given Freddy some awareness. That was the theory that Charlie would stick with, at least. Michael's own feelings seemed to imprint deeply into whatever learning feature had been installed inside the newest rendition of Fazbear. The already protective and nurturing side of Freddy had been amped up, and the line between what came from Freddy’s original code and Mike’s supernatural influence was now thoroughly blurred

“I still can't believe how lucky last weekend’s been for us overall!” Charlie remarked further. The fact they had a chance of carrying out their plans and possibly putting William away for good had her expectations sky high.

It really was a shame. Bonnie used to be such a cool character, but Charlie couldn't look at that rabbit the same. Not after all the things she’d seen William do with that innocent guise. She kept her vision focused ahead now, walking besides Michael with purpose.

“If it turns out to be a trap—” Charlie murmured as she leaned into him. “—and it turns out your Dad's there… I'll get behind him, then you push him down the stairs.”

“Deal,” Mike agreed, flipping a hand palm-up so Charlie could give him a low-five. Lifting his hand higher, Michael watched his fist clench and unclench a few times. “I wonder how much strength we really have. I know your dad said it should match a normal animatronic’s, but—”

Michael’s musing was cut short when he spotted Sophie hurrying towards them at rapid speed.  Mike straightened his back and gave the guard a slight nod of acknowledgement.

To Sophie, the pair of them looked nothing short of professional. Ms. Emily, in Sophie's opinion, was nice. Eccentric, but nice nonetheless. Mr. Afton was… different. Still just as strange as Ms. Emily, but with a frighteningly flattened affect. Regardless, he treated Sophie with respect and she had no reason to hate either of them.

Yet that didn’t stop Sophie from growing very curious at their antics. The day guard waved to them, seeing that they’d gotten changed straight into more merchandise from one of the many store-outposts.

“Mr. Afton; Ms. Emily,” Sophie acknowledged once the two came to stand outside the attraction. She held the door for them both, offering them to walk inside the lift before her. “I just have to unlock the main breaker. Shouldn't take long. Honestly, I'm really glad you both want to work on this. Our mechanics suddenly found themselves swamped right now.”

“Oh?” Michael questioned, putting on a tone of detached interest. “Have you heard anything about the missing animatronics? Last time we spoke, you said some of the others weren’t responding to their manual call buttons.”

On one hand Michael hoped they’d stay missing, if only for the fact that the sooner they were found, the sooner the techs would start fixing them up again. After all the effort they’d gone through to decommission them, Mike didn’t want the Pizzaplex staff to unintentionally make the robots a threat again.

But that begged another, more pressing question: if no one knew where the Glamrocks had gone… then where the hell were they?

Even though Roxy had been ripped to pieces, Ennard left her limbs in plain sight. If someone peered down that newly-created hole in the track—which Michael suspected a bunch of staff were frantically trying to assess and repair this very moment—they’d surely catch sight of the dismembered wolf.

The thought that they could’ve somehow still gotten up on their own or been snatched away by William while Mike and his family recovered was enough to set Michael’s nerves on edge. He tried to keep the emotions contained, keeping up the illusion of cool confidence despite the hard set of his jaw as his teeth clenched together. Hopefully Sophie would take this as him simply being annoyed at the prospect of valuable company assets being MIA.

Sophie avoided Mr. Afton's gaze, attempting to fix her tie in a casual manner before answering. This only made her looked even more exacerbated than she did already.

“We, uh... technically found one of them. It wasn’t one we were exactly looking for right now, though,” Sophie told them cryptically. “And then right after they found him, it just disappeared again. So... We're working on that. It's a work in progress. Everyone seems to be more worried about the structural damage to the raceway.”

Sophie sighed, placing a hand on her hip and shaking her head with a look of utter confusion. “Plus all that carpet suddenly went missing from the East Arcade? I feel like things are kind of coming unraveled, sir, if I'm honest...”

It was becoming increasingly obvious to Michael and Charlie what was happening as Sophie left out details to protect them from what they assumed to be managerial anger.

“I wouldn't worry about things like the carpet,” Michael said after a moment. The more he could keep them away from anything to do with Ennard, the better. “There's clearly more important issues to focus on, like that damage to the raceway.” He narrowed his eyes, internally grateful for the topic to snag onto. “Thank god it's under renovation anyway... if something was able to break the tarmac that easily, it belies some serious safety concerns.”

Under Sammy's guidance, in many ways the Pizzaplex was a safer place than any previous Fazbear establishment—but there was always room for improvement. After a brief pause, Mike asked: “You said the animatronic staff found disappeared? Who, exactly, was that?”

He was almost positive he knew the identity, but if it suddenly vanished like the Glamrocks... Well, Michael didn't quite know what to do with that information.

Sophie seemed to be similar in Charlie, in that they wore their emotions on their sleeves quite easily. Taking on a more distressed demeanor Sophie chuckled, looking away. Despite her wide grin, she was uncomfortable thinking about it. Again it was always some damn rabbit causing trouble...

“Oh, just the uh... The decommissioned b... bunny,” Sophie replied, fighting with the last word to exit her mouth. “It was odd—my team found him and told me he needed to be fixed. Said he’d been missing for a while, but no one talked about it anymore. I just wanted to leave the stupid thing back in storage but... You know policy. Making sure the animatronics are accounted for, even when the active ones are bigger priority. Anyway—”

The lift doors began to slide back open and Sophie dawdled inside, searching for the employee terminal to access the attraction controls. “—he just up and hopped away, I guess.”

Sophie didn't really seem like the type to become annoyed fast, yet speaking about the rabbit made her sound bitter and afraid. Like Vanessa, almost.

Oh, that was much worse than Michael expected. His mouth had slowly fallen open as Sophie spoke, unable to keep his prideful Afton demeanor as she talked so blatantly about the man-turned-rabbit animatronic they were on a mission to destroy.

Of course it was William. It always had to be William.

Michael snapped his mouth shut with an audible click as the elevator doors opened, staring down at Sophie with a mixture of guilty relief. The staff that found Will had no idea how close they'd come to losing everything. Clearly he wanted to keep a low profile, hence his temporarily immobile state, but if he'd had other plans—

“We'll keep an eye out for the rabbit.” Michael spoke quickly, wanting to put the topic at rest but also try and avoid the staff actively chasing his psychotic father. “Just... tell the others not to worry about him. There's still a few animatronics awake and functioning to appropriate standards, right? No need to worry about ones that have already been taken out of the lineup.”

Not to mention how much detailing Bonnie still needed. Cracks all over his outer casing, covered in a thin layer of dirt like he’d been crawling around the basement.

“If you say so, sir.” Sophie tucked an errant curl behind her ear. “I just hope we can find everyone in time for opening. I know Mr. Emily wants the Glamrocks together by Monday... I don't know who's going to tell him it's just not possible.”

It was probably going to be her. The staff just loved to put the harder admin interactions on Sophie, given that she was head of security during the day. Approaching the terminal, she swiped her card into a reader at the desk which logged her in immediately.

“Don't worry about that, either. I'll tell Sammy everything,” Charlie reassured, placing a hand on Sophie’s shoulder and squeezing. “Just do us a favor and leave Bonnie alone. He was decommissioned for a good reason.”

Huh. It was normal to be scared of Mr. Afton, though now there was something in Ms. Emily's tone that Sophie just didn't trust.

“Uh... Is that why you both decided to come in this weekend?” Sophie asked, feeling her throat run dry as the pair stared at her. “I-I just didn't expect to meet you both under such stressful circumstances.”

“Mr. Emily just asked us to check in on some things,” Michael replied smoothly, having regained his composure after Charlie added her two cents. He certainly appreciated the backup, which he was sure she knew. Mike shook his head, letting out another sigh.

“Admittedly we were unaware of the depth of the problems around here, but... we are here to help.” He offered Sophie a rare, muted smile. “Try not to stress yourself out too much, alright? You've done as good a job as you can so far.”

Michael wished he could alleviate all her tension by telling her to go home and take the weekend off, for the woman was clearly losing her mind with every new incident. But unfortunately she was becoming invaluable to his group as well—even if she didn't know it. Still, Mike could at least take off a bit of immediate pressure. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he muttered: “It's really the night guard I'd like to speak to—everything seems to happen on her shift...”

It was now time for an inopportune blush to spread across Sophie’s face at the genuine compliment to her work capabilities. Sophie didn't receive much praise, nor did she seek it out. This was probably why it affected her so much as she focused her gaze on the computer screen.

“I'm really worried about Vanessa, sir...” She wasn’t quite defending the position Ness had put everyone in over the weekend, but Sophie cared about the grumpy night guard in a detached, logical way. “I told her she should just stay home. Heal from her injuries, you know? She's still determined to fix everything from her shift.”

“We told her the same thing. Vanessa’s given us all the run-around,” Charlie interjected. It wasn't Sophie's fault that Vanessa wanted to stay another night. “It is what it is at this point; if she wants to stay, so be it.”

As Charlie spoke, Sophie's expression grew from concern to annoyance.

“Guh...” She groaned, squinting at the screen. “The console has a password on it... Might be logged up in the security office? I can control the doors without it, but not much else.”

“Char—Ms. Emily and I will go,” Michael said quickly, shooting Charlie a look. He realized they didn't have Gregory's handy stash of access badges, but hopefully they wouldn't need one—and if they did, hopefully Sophie would readily offer hers. Looking to said guard, Michael told her: “We'll be back shortly. Walkie us if you manage to figure out the password or if anything happens, alright?”

He probably didn't need to include that last part, for surely it just added to everyone's paranoia. Without giving Sophie a chance to protest, Mike walked out of the room and gestured for Charlie to follow behind.

The day guard couldn't place the odd feeling she got around the two of them. Sophie wanted to offer them her assistance, thought simultaneously just wanted to be rid of them.

“Uh—of course, sir,” Sophie relented, watching as Samuel’s apparent daughter followed Mr. Afton obediently through the maze and towards the security tower steps.

Charlie's fear for Sophie’s safety was growing now. William knew people were looking for him, and he didn't think twice about killing children. Why not random adults, too?

At least Sophie was immediately and quite vocally perturbed by the Glam-rabbit. Charlie couldn't imagine her willingly going near Bonnie and disobeying their direct orders to leave William alone.

“Let's hurry. I don't have a great feeling about this, Michael...,” Charlie whispered, sticking close to him as she felt bad about leaving the day guard by herself within the belly of William's lair.

“You're telling me...,” Michael muttered, though his snapping tone wasn't meant for Charlie. He hated leaving Sophie alone just as much as she did, though if Ennard claimed the hideout was empty during the day, he reasoned the guard was relatively safe.

Michael absently looked around, in his steadily-increasing worry almost considering asking the amalgamation to keep an eye on poor, innocent Sophie—although Mike quickly scrapped that idea for many reasons. Besides, even if he did want to talk to Ennard, the ceilings and walls were far too high; he'd have to shout to be heard in the vents, and that would certainly not be a good look for his sanity.

Soon enough, the pair were at the door to the security office at the top of the tower. Michael peered inside, though it was pretty dark and hard to make out most things. He thought he could see a small cot in the corner, as well as a standard security desk, chair, and monitors, and—

“No way,” he breathed, pressing his hands to the glass as he fixated on the glowing screen of an arcade console in the middle of the room. The title “Princess Quest III” was emblazoned on the top, shining like a beacon of hope that cut through Michael and Charlie's bleak mood.

Charlie nudged Michael's shoulder, pushing him slightly as she pointed to the box with her other hand. “It was here this whole time!”

Right under their noses, here sat the final installment of William's glitched game. Just like last time, as they approached the arcade box a credit blinked onto the screen. It beckoned them to play it, calling their names with silent persuasion. If they could win this game, Vanessa may be saved yet.

“Come on—let's beat this thing fast. Sophie won't like knowing we’re up here playing video games,” Charlie remarked, pulling Michael by the arm to start the session of Princess Quest.

Michael didn't bother verbally responding, instead placing his hands on the control panel and starting the game. Thank god he'd watched Gregory play the first two, because this one was even worse than the others—both in terms of difficulty and glitches. Though the console acted like it wanted them to play, Michael was having a hell of a time getting the titular Princess out of danger. He wished Gregory was here with them, as Michael had to begrudgingly admit that the kid was more skilled than him at this particular game series. Steeling himself, Mike narrowed his area of focus to the little square screen in front of him. He wasn't going to stop until he won—no matter how long it took.

***

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Looking for more? Check out the Chapter Masterlist on Tumblr!

Or check out the entire Wires that Bind Us Series on ao3!

[liliallowed]

yk i think reaver is way too gone.

like hes definitely not going to spare a lover even if they were formerly his entire world.

same misunderstanding with dust sans x reader is...

you're not special because of romance privileges. he killed his family burned down his own village and severed ties with all that bound him to any emotion just to set his eyes for the ultimate goal of slaying all titans.

he's... he's not going to spare you.

he might hesitate a second but the weight of his mission is much heavier than what his mind can bear.

if he spares you would that mean he killed everyone for nothing? he wants to send you to the promised tomorrow. he doesn't want you here in this dying world suffering. he will kill you.

but not out of spite. out of love.

I don't like it when self inserts think they're just a character's whole world yk???

like yes it'd be awesome to have a murdery misunderstood puppy that just needs love and gentle care but reaver is...

reaver is too gone. and I think if you called him phainon it's going to trigger him into a manic episode.

like... why do you think he wears a mask? he's ashamed he's angry he doesn't even want to be compared to his former self it HURTS that you see that in him when all that's left is a desire to extinguish the flame.

if the loop theory is true then uhm...

you know people who have been through time loops become naturally emotionally detached regardless of their well intentions right?

a world stuck on replay is hardly worth the emotional investment. the people dying by his hand no longer have faces or souls. they're just numbers. just a means to an end.

he doesn't get why the kremnoan warrior protected trianne.

maybe once he was honorable but now? he's just reaver. he tore his own morals and soul off because it hindered him. it made him hesitate.

now he's not going to make that same mistake.

he won't care if your the love of his life, his sibling or comrade. he's killed everyone close to him. (I think the coreflames he snatches have also impacted and drained his humanity too)

he's more like... a soulless husk of a person..

think about Acheron and how red was the only color the nihility couldn't take from her.

reaver is similar. everything that made him HIM is gone and the only thing keeping him from turning into a complete monster IS HIS RAGE AND SPITE. his cry for help unheard by the gods dooming his world into an eternal nightmare. always the last one standing always fates little perfect hero who failed to save his world because he was too damn idealistic and stubborn.

no. phainon is dead. you don't have the right to call him that. you'd be insulting phainon comparing him to the acumbag that's Infront of you. you'd be insulting HIM because you think you can just barge into his world unannounced and act like some hero who will fix everything...

conveniently just arrive in the right timeline in the right spot to take center stage and the glory.

not that he'd care but it does make one laugh.

the irony that you think you have ANY right to call him that name. as if you're just going to play the saint this world needed.

if you do save the world? then he'll probably just rather disappear with the rotten black tide because his mission is over. if not then you're an obstacle.

unless you're just... ultra powerful and can suppress the black tide and beat him into submission and force him into therapy...

he might reluctantly start talking to you then...

even after that he'll only do so to convince you to help him get the coreflames. he has tunnel vision of that mission. it's the only thing he'll care about. the only thing that matters to make all the sacrifices worth it.

but like if phainon really is reaver... he's... he's not going to spare you. he's probably killed mydei plenty times (and they're basically boyfriends before shot goes down)

you could just also be a black tide follower that's also corrupted who wants to assist him. he won't care for you as a person but he will care for how he'll make use of you. so like...

if you really wanna date the reaver you gotta first snatch the coreflames yourself to get his brain to NOTICE you have a face instead of him just thinking of you as another body to add to the pile.

then you have to either dive into the river of souls to get an immortal body or have the backing of yaoshi or some god that makes you revive.

then you pull a doctor strange and say you're here to bargain with the time loop man. listen time loop people HAAAAAATE repeating diologue. it's like their weakness.

anyways you die a buncha hundred times to the evil reaper guy. then he eventually gets tired and then you two can introduce each other like it's a normal day.

look. reaver is evil you gotta scare him because you're WORSE. that way he'll probably think twice about killing you because you're probably into it and it's reverse psychology-

what I'm saying is.

he's not gonna give you special treatment.

take the coreflames and run. that's how you properly say hello to a guy that's only after those shiny power orbs. then he'll probably stalk you the same way you'd want in a fanfic...

see? easy romance baby.

[suatatan]

Quotes from the book Kato Lomb - Polyglot_ how I learn languages

Kato Lomb - Polyglot_ how I learn languages-TESL-EJ (2008)

One text that relates personal language-learning experi-ence is Dr. Kató Lomb’s Polyglot: How I Learn Languages (2008; Hungarian: Így tanulok nyelveket [1995, 4th ed.]). A collection of anecdotes and ref l ections on languages and lan-guage learning, it belongs to a select group of similar texts by polyglot linguists such as Bloomf i eld (Outline Guide for the Practical Study of Foreign Languages, 1942), Pei (How to Learn Languages and What Languages to Learn, 1973), Pimsleur (How to Learn a Foreign Language, 1980), and Stevick (Success with Foreign Languages, 1989)

*****

Because Lomb recognizes that the amount of time required to learn a language is considerable, she stresses a pragmatic approach, which in fact may help stimulate the motivation she sees as essential to language acquisition

*****

Despite her own high level of achievement, Lomb claims that she is not a perfectionist in language learning. “I like to say that we should study languages because languages are the only thing worth knowing even poorly,” she writes.

*****

“Solely in the world of languages is the amateur of value.

Well-intentioned sentences full of mistakes can still build bridges between people. Asking in broken Italian which train we are supposed to board at the Venice railway station is far from useless. Indeed, it is better to do that than to remain uncertain and silent and end up back in Budapest rather than in Milan.”

*****

nally, I would like to give thanks to a young writer, Mr. S. Pál, for his view that “T h e optimism of the writer is the most important point in the book. And we, the readers, from now on will have a more hopeful perspective and are more likely to over-come our original inhibitions and look upon learning a new language as a personal goal of high value, w

*****

“Enthusiasm is contagious,” wrote János Selye.

*****

h is new edition has strengthened my conviction that self-assurance, motivation, and a good method play a much more important role in language learning than the vague concept of innate ability, and that dealing with languages is not only an ef f ective and joyful means of developing human relationships,

*****

I was still regarded, and I re-garded myself, as a foreign language fl op

--

Örnek cümle

*****

Juventus ventus… (Youth is folly…

*****

Latin adage docendo discimus (we learn by teaching), treading

*****

If someone can devote an unlimited number of hours to language learning, a concentrated program can be followed; such programs are outside the scope of this book. If, on the other hand, someone can’t devote even 60–90 minutes a day to language learning, this book is not really for them either. In neither case do such students qualify as ALLs.

*****

pounced

*****

h e great advantage of the method is the opportunity to repeat the material frequently. And I must stress that repeti-tion is as an essential element of language learning as a knife is to a lathe or fuel is to an internal combustion engine.

*****

Repetitio est mater studiorum—“repetition is the mother of studies”—as our ancestors said.

*****

Oftentimes, the foreign language pat-terns are taught by endless repetition, in the form of several hours’ long drills every day, without revealing any theoretical connections. Th inking is a sin, which only hinders success.

*****

Yet you are not aware of it, and therefore cannot build on your knowledge in any intel-lectual way.

*****

It is not a mission of this book to speak about what TV programs mean for villagers and shut-ins. It cannot be denied, however, that TV doesn’t only draw young people away from reading in terms of time.

Images are easier to follow than letters;

*****

To understand your partner’s speech and to express your of great help. Th ese of course are the inventions employed by the audiovisual method.

*****

It is a bitter lesson but it has to be expressed once: the time spent on language learning is lost unless it reaches a certain—daily and weekly—concentration.

*****

Serious people tend to avoid generalizations, but one claim seems appropriate here: the ALL needs to study a minimum of 10–12 hours a week. If one cannot or doesn’t want to invest this much time, he or she should think twice about the enterprise.

*****

Serious people tend to avoid generalizations, but one claim seems appropriate here: the ALL needs to study a minimum of 10–12 hours a week. If one cannot or doesn’t want to invest this much time, he or she should think twice about the enterprise.

(An interesting question is if someone who invests, say, four times as much on learning will be able to acquire last-ing knowledge in a fourth of the time.) T h e 10–12 hours a week is, of course, an average. Still, let’s start from this average when we look at the language learning method of a working adult.

*****

Persistent attention—one of the preconditions of all suc-cessful learning—is assured.

*****

Whenever I am asked how I was able to succeed in many languages in a relatively short period of time, I always make a bow in spirit to the source of all knowledge: books. My advice to learners can thus be expressed in one word: read!

*****

Apart from a conversation with oneself, which I keep advocating so frequently (and which I named autologue be-cause neither monologue or dialogue covers the concept), there is one situation I fi nd suitable for conversation: a relative, friend, or acquaintance visiting you in your home country, who—out of gratitude for showing him around— will allow you to practice with him. What’s more, he might even warn you—possibly tactfully—of your mistakes

*****

What I would like to add to this well-known fact are only two points: fi rst, that you should dare to include reading in your learn-ing program at the very beginning, and second, that you should read actively. You need to meet linguistic phenomena frequently so that you can fi nd a way through a language’s twists and turns.

*****

at summer, my only thought was having a rest, playing ball, and swimming. Th erefore, I didn’t bring along anything to work with. At the last minute, I threw a Portuguese book into my baggage.

…in the open, by necessity, I resigned myself to the book, and in the prison of my solitude, formed by dolomite rocks on one side and vast forests on the other, between the sky and the wa-ter, I started to make the text out. At fi rst, it was dif f i cult. Th en I got the hang of it. I resolved I would still get to the bottom of it, without a mas-ter or a dictionary. To spur my instinct and cre-ativity, I imagined I would be hit by some great trouble were I not to understand it exactly, or maybe an unknown tyrant would even condemn me to death.

*****

at summer, my only thought was having a rest, playing ball, and swimming. Th erefore, I didn’t bring along anything to work with. At the last minute, I threw a Portuguese book into my baggage.

…in the open, by necessity, I resigned myself to the book, and in the prison of my solitude, formed by dolomite rocks on one side and vast forests on the other, between the sky and the wa-ter, I started to make the text out. At fi rst, it was dif f i cult. Th en I got the hang of it. I resolved I would still get to the bottom of it, without a mas-ter or a dictionary. To spur my instinct and cre-ativity, I imagined I would be hit by some great trouble were I not to understand it exactly, or maybe an unknown tyrant would even condemn me to death.

It was a strange game. Th e fi rst week, I sweated blood. Th e second, I intuited what it was about. Th e third week, I greeted the birds in Portuguese, who then chatted with me..

*****

at summer, my only thought was having a rest, playing ball, and swimming. Th erefore, I didn’t bring along anything to work with. At the last minute, I threw a Portuguese book into my baggage.

…in the open, by necessity, I resigned myself to the book, and in the prison of my solitude, formed by dolomite rocks on one side and vast forests on the other, between the sky and the wa-ter, I started to make the text out. At fi rst, it was dif f i cult. Th en I got the hang of it. I resolved I would still get to the bottom of it, without a mas-ter or a dictionary. To spur my instinct and cre-ativity, I imagined I would be hit by some great trouble were I not to understand it exactly, or maybe an unknown tyrant would even condemn me to death.

It was a strange game. Th e fi rst week, I sweated blood. Th e second, I intuited what it was about. Th e third week, I greeted the birds in Portuguese, who then chatted with me...

…I very much doubt if I could ever use it in my life or if I would be able to read any other Portuguese books. But it is not important. I did not regret this summer’s steeplechase.

*****

I mention the library only as a last resort. I recommend buying your own books for language learning. Th ey can be spiced with underlines, question marks, and exclamation points; they can be thumbed and dog-eared, plucked to their essential core, and annotated so that they become a mirror of yourself.

*****

What shall one write in the margins? Only the forms and phrases you have understood and fi gured out from the context.

Ignore what you can’t immediately understand. If a word is important, it will occur several times and explain itself anyway. Base your progress on the known, not the un-known. Th e more you read, the more phrases you will write in the margins. Th e relationship that develops between you and the knowledge you obtain will be much deeper than if you had consulted the dictionary automatically. Th e sense of achievement provides you with an emotional-af f ective charge: You have sprung open a lock; you have solved a little puzzle

*****

It is also a special danger in large groups that you will hear your fellow students’ bad pronunciation more than the teacher’s perfected speech.

*****

Th e traditional way of learning a language (cramming 20–30 words a day and digesting the grammar supplied by a teacher or a course book) may satisfy at most one’s sense of duty, but it can hardly serve as a source of joy. Nor will it likely be successful.

Man lernt Grammatik aus der Sprache, nicht Sprache aus der Grammatik (One learns grammar from language, not language from grammar)—this truth was stated at the end of the 19th century

*****

Language learning consists of internalizing such patterns

*****

h e precondition of internalizing them is to face the correct forms as much as possible until they become au-tomatic.

*****

h is is why I am such an enthusiastic fan of monologues in foreign languages. If I talk with myself, I am relieved that my partner will not be indignant at long hesitations, gram-matical agreements dif f i cult to manage, and vocabulary gaps completed in the mother tongue. All I suggest is that mono-logues be silent. Th is is to avoid learning bad pronunciation from yourself and to prevent passersby from thinking that your tongue has been loosened by some alcoho

*****

Returning to books, the question arises: what shall we read? Answer: A text that is of interest to you. Interesse ist stärker als Liebe—as they put it in German. (Interest[edness] is stronger than love.) And interest beats the fi ercest enemy: boredom.

*****

Speaking skill is developed most by reading today’s plays and colorful modern short stories and novels that have a good pace. “Situational elements,” as they call them, are built into the background of the story so they steal into your memory along with the background.

*****

ose venturing to learn a foreign language should be prepared to learn to understand not one but at least two forms of it: the written and the spoken. Th e ALL who has chosen my method will cope with the former more easily and the latter with more dif f i culty.

*****

culty.

Books have descriptive parts. In these, writers quote themselves and since they are good stylists by profession, they roll out nice, regularly formed sentences in front of you. Also, teachers are educators because they are supposed to speak in a clever and precise way. Unfortunately, all this has nothing—or not always has anything—to do with ac-tual situations in life.

*****

It is much more likely that the conversation will sound something like this:

“Hey, how ’bout getting a cup of joe around here?”

“Oh, slower please, I don’t understand. Getting what?”

“A cup of joe!”

“What is it? A cup of cof f ee?”

“Of course!”

“Sorry, I can’t, I have to go back to the…uh, what do you call it?”

“To the hotel? Well, see you!”

I admit that a course book cannot teach and an instruc-tor cannot recommend using the words “hey,” “oh,” “well,” “y’know,” “huh,” “kind of” and the like. However, they oc-cur much more frequently in everyday chats than well-bred “dictionary words.” So I return to my soapbox: until you naturally begin to acquire such words through usage, you can learn such colloquialisms from today’s prose in the most painless way.

*****

Conscientiousness is a nice virtue but at the beginning of language learning, it is more of a brake than an engine. It is not worth looking up every word in the dictionary. It is much more of a problem if the book becomes fl avorless in your hands due to interruptions than not learning if the inspector watches the murderer from behind a blackthorn or a hawthorn.

*****

Conscientiousness is a nice virtue but at the beginning of language learning, it is more of a brake than an engine. It is not worth looking up every word in the dictionary. It is much more of a problem if the book becomes fl avorless in your hands due to interruptions than not learning if the inspector watches the murderer from behind a blackthorn or a hawthorn.

If the word is important, it will come up again anyway and its meaning will become apparent from the context, as it is called. Th is kind of acquaintance, which needs some thinking, leaves a much more lasting mark than reaching for the dictionary automatically and acknowledging the mean-ing of the word absent-mindedly.

*****

It is proven by experience that initial dynamism is a good way to start reading in a foreign language, since a habit can be made of it like every other human activity. Th e main thing is to not get discouraged by the unfriendly medium of the foreign language text.

*****

It is proven by experience that initial dynamism is a good way to start reading in a foreign language, since a habit can be made of it like every other human activity. Th e main thing is to not get discouraged by the unfriendly medium of the foreign language text.

Who hasn’t felt a mild shiver when throwing oneself into the cool waters of a lake? Who hasn’t desired to climb back to the sunlit sand? And who hasn’t been happy after a minute or two, after getting used to the cold of the water, for resisting the temptation? An interesting foreign language text should help the “swimmer” over the initial aversion and discouragement of reading

*****

To those who don’t dare to embark on original, un-abridged literary works immediately, I can recommend adapted texts with all my heart. Th e classics of world lit-erature have been rewritten, for language-learning purposes, into simpler sentences with a reduced vocabulary. Th ey are available in every bookstore, and they can be borrowed from libraries for free, but I don’t recommend the latter. Course books are for scrawling. When they have come apart by too much use, they can be bought again.

Language is present in a piece of work like the sea in a single drop. If you have the patience to turn the text up and down, inside out, break it into pieces and put it together again, shake it up and let it settle again, you can learn re-markably much from it.

*****

To those who don’t dare to embark on original, un-abridged literary works immediately, I can recommend adapted texts with all my heart. Th e classics of world lit-erature have been rewritten, for language-learning purposes, into simpler sentences with a reduced vocabulary. Th ey are available in every bookstore, and they can be borrowed from libraries for free, but I don’t recommend the latter. Course books are for scrawling. When they have come apart by too much use, they can be bought again.

Language is present in a piece of work like the sea in a single drop. If you have the patience to turn the text up and down, inside out, break it into pieces and put it together again, shake it up and let it settle again, you can learn re-markably much from it.

Lajos Kossuth,58 whose orations are given as models in 20th-century English rhetoric books, learned English in an Austrian prison. He used 16 lines of a Shakespeare play as a starting point. “I literally had to surmise English grammar from them. And once I had and perfectly understood the 16 lines, I knew enough English so that I only had to enrich my vocabulary.”

*****

making yourself understood

*****

Pronunciation is one of the most dif f i cult tasks of lan-guage learning and one of the most important touchstones of your language mastery. Although it isn’t worth very much without a fair knowledge of vocabulary and grammar, this is what your knowledge is judged by when you fi rst speak. It plays approximately the same role in representing your skills as looks do for women. A pretty woman will def i nitely be right at the moment she appears. Later on, she may turn out to be stupid, boring, or even malicious, but she has won the fi rst battle anyway.

*****

It is another delusion that in order to learn good pronun-that by diligently watching world champion fi gure skaters on TV you will manage to do the three-turn loop or the double axel jump on the ice rink the next day.

*****

I heaved a deep sigh of envy.

*****

You should fi ght forgetting with repetition. Th e pre-condition of repetition is that the phrases to be memorized should be commonly used by speakers of the language.

However, this cannot always be ensured even in the very center of a foreign-language environment, let alone thou-sands of miles away from it!

*****

It is even more important that you learn the correct in-tonation of words and sentences. You can ef f ectively ingrain them in your mind by recording radio and TV programs and playing them repeatedly.

*****

It is even more important that you learn the correct in-tonation of words and sentences. You can ef f ectively ingrain them in your mind by recording radio and TV programs and playing them repeatedly. Th e eternal rule holds here as well: you should do this for a short time but with full inten-sity rather than sitting around beside the radio or the tape recorder with your thoughts wandering among yesterday’s experiences or tomorrow’s hopes.

*****

Videos can enrich our vo-cabulary and improve our sentence construction skills, but only if we watch them over and over. According to my own informal surveys, this is not typical of fans of videos

*****

Th e meaning of a sentence depends on what building blocks you move about on the chessboard of your thoughts.

*****

Surely all of you remember a situation when you had to start speaking a language you hadn’t used for years. Th e wheels of the mind creak with dif f i culty. You shake your head in anger: you knew the words but now you’ve forgot-ten them. Even the simplest words don’t come to you. When they fi nally do come to you, however, they are not from your guage you have studied. You are annoyed and surprised, and after 10–20 minutes the words and forms from the “right” language start to fall into place. Your partner wonders and you think to yourself with a silent rapture that you may still seem to be a language genius—although it was but the power of words recalling each other that pulled the context into place.

*****

Like most simultaneous in-terpreters, I usually work at such conferences with my eyes closed so that I exclude all visual impressions and can con-centrate entirely on the spoken

*****

Understanding high-level, written texts is easier. As you learn the vocabulary of everyday life, however, words be-come more and more context-specif i c. Th ere is nothing to do: you have to learn them. You can’t weave a fabric without thread.

*****

Probably all of my fellow ALLs have noticed that some words stick easier in the mind than others. Th is depends on subjective and objective factors. Th e subjective factor can be simply expressed like this: you memorize the word that you have a personal connection to. An expression, a number, a name, or an event will become more fi xed in your mind the more meaningful it is to you.

*****

T h at is why colloquial language is more dif f i cult than academic discourse. Th at is why it is easier to understand a technical text than to correctly ask for a glass of water.

*****

But woe to he who asks “what is the time” by translating the Hungarian expression.87 It is expressed in German as: How late is it? (Wie spät ist es?), in French: Which hour is it (Quelle heure est-il?), in Russian: Which hour? (Который час?—Kotoryy chas?), in English: What is the time?, in Swedish: How much is the clock? (Hur mycket är klockan?), in Hebrew: What is the hour? (Mah ha shaah?)

*****

You read a word or a rule but your mind only glides over it: it hasn’t become your own, it hasn’t become a tool that you can use as you please whenever you need it. You are lucky if you can passively recognize it the next time you see it.

*****

Let’s not be angry then with mistakes. Many a valu-able thing were born out of them—among other things, the French, Italian, and Spanish languages. All three developed from the vulgar (common) use of Latin.

Of course, we shouldn’t create new languages. But we can acquire the existing ones better by comparing the prop-erties of the starting (mother) language and the new lan-guage.

*****

WE ARE sometimes told, in connection with learning a foreign language, that we should think in the language. I’m not comfortable with that piece of advice.

How can you state what language you are thinking in? How and when can you penetrate into the exceedingly com-plex mechanism of brain activity?

*****

h e terror of “I don’t remember it” always hovers over you whenever you are speaking a foreign language. You won’t remember a term, however, as long as you keep galloping frightened around the mother-tongue term. (“Oh my God, what is it called…?”) With practice and discipline, you can reach a stage where you banish the mother-tongue expression from your mind and you fl ash upon an accompanying word in the for-eign language that you usually hear in conjunction with the fugitive term.

*****

If I have recommended learning words in bunches, it is for two purposes. First, you can be more certain that you aren’t wrong in interpreting a word because its relationships def i ne its meaning better. Second, you will have imprinted it in your memory in context, which will help you retrieve 89. Five-year plans were national economic development plans in the Whoever glances into the depth of the shoreless sea of vocabulary will be surprised at how many such embracing word pairs there are in the world. Learning them is a task of the fi rst rank, something that I wholeheartedly recommend to ALLs with an aversion to rote learning. For example:

An obstacle is overcome A duty is fulf i lled A news report is announced A role is played A standard of living is raised A demand is satisf i ed A message is delivered A condition is created A wall is built (or knocked down) etc.

T h e ALL who learns word pairs like these can count on the fact that when he or she is supposed to talk about a par-ticular topic, they will appear in the viewf i nder of his or her camera. Intelligible sentences can then be produced.

*****

Speaking a foreign language always means a compromise, Kosztolányi said

*****

If you are in especially bad shape and this method won’t help, you have a last resort: circumlocution. “How poetic “when you spoke about the humble little fl ower that is re-vealed by its scent from far away.” “I had to say that because I forgot the word for ‘violet’ in Italian,” she replied.

Synonyms, antonyms, and circumlocution are kind helpers when starting to speak a foreign language. Th ey have, however, enemies and pitfalls as well: false friends.

Th at is the name for words that appear identical or similar but mean something dif f erent.

Because they often entail common words, false friends are worthy of our attention. I have compiled a small group out of the many hundreds of examples. I have presented them the way others related them to me or the way I en-countered them myself.

*****

A one Señor Gonzalez wished to spend a weekend in London. He brought with him the addresses of many board-ing houses, yet he had to spend the night in a London park.

Why? Th e reason is that although there were signs saying “Vacancy” on the doors of most of the boarding houses, he confused the word with the Spanish word vacación, which means “vacation,” “shutdown,” or “cease of activity.” And so he only knocked on the doors where he didn’t see such a notice. He was unfortunately rejected at those places.

It was in Sevilla where Signore Rossi fared badly. Trusting in the similarities between Spanish and Italian, he asked for butter for breakfast by saying “burro.” After some delay, his hotel produced a beautifully harnessed donkey (what “bur-ro” means in Spanish). [I note in passing that a Hungarian wishing to ride a donkey from Capri to Anacapri can safely order a somaro because it is indeed called that there.90] False friends have caused even more serious trouble. A Frenchman submitted a demande (request) at a meeting.

However, a “demand” means more than a mere request in 90. Capri and Anacapri are townships on the Italian island of Capri. Th e of f ensive and immediately vetoed it.

*****

Titles, ranks, and school types are indicated dif f erently in dif f erent countries. A Hungarian akadémikus (academi-cian, member of the Academy of Sciences) doesn’t corre-spond to a German Akademiker because the latter only sig-nif i es that someone graduated from a university or college. Th is institution is called Hochschule only in German since “high school” refers to a secondary school in America—roughly like gimnázium in Hungarian. Gymnasium, on the other hand, means a sport facility in English and it comes from the Greek word gymnos (naked).

*****

First of all, I try to get my hands on a thick Azilian dic-tionary. Owing to my optimistic outlook I never buy small dictionaries; I go on the assumption that I would fathom them too quickly and then the money I invested in them would end up being wasted. If an Azilian-Hungarian dic-tionary happens not to be available, then I try to get hold of an Azilian-English, Azilian-Russian, etc., dictionary.

In the beginning, I use this dictionary as my textbook. I learn the rules of reading from it. Every language—and consequently every dictionary—contains a lot of interna-tional expressions. Th e bigger the dictionary, the more such expressions there are in it.

*****

I do not memorize the words; I just scan and study them as though they were some crossword puzzle to be solved. By the time I glean the rules of reading from the above-cited vocabularies, my dictionary will have revealed a lot of other things, too, about the Azilian language. I can see how it morphs the parts of speech into one another: how it nominalizes verbs, how it forms adjectives from nouns, and how it forms adverbs from adjectives.

*****

Following this fi rst assay, I buy a textbook and some works of Azilian literature, all together. Of the fi rst, I always buy one with answers provided for the questions in the ex-ercises, as I am an ALL: i.e., because of time constraints, I mostly have to teach myself.

I go through the lessons and do all the written exercises in sequence, as they come in the book. I write breezily, leav-ing ample room for corrections. Th en I look up the correct answers in the key and write them beside/above my own incorrect variations. In this way, I get a very visual represen-tation of “the history of my folly.”93 I scold myself for the errors made and then prompt-ly forgive myself. (T h is is very important; see the 10th Commandment below.) I always leave enough space in my notebook to be able to write fi ve –six correct words or sen-tences, similar to the ones I got wrong. Th is is very helpful in imprinting the correct formulas.

*****

reading Azilian plays or short stories. If I get lucky, there will be adapted texts available. If not, I just start on any literature published before 1950. (I can have trouble understanding the style of modern novels, even in Hungarian.) I always buy books in pairs: this increases the chance that at least one will be comprehensible.

I start on the comprehensible novel immediately. To go from incomprehension to half-understanding to complete understanding is an exciting and inspiring journey of dis-covery worthy of the spirit of a mature person. By the time I fi nish the journey, I part with the book feeling that this has been a prof i table and fun enterprise.

*****

At fi rst reading, I only write out words that I manage to understand, that is, words whose meaning I have been able to fi gure out from the context. Naturally, I do not write them out in isolation, but in the context they appeared. It is only after a second or third reading that I look up words unknown to me. Even then, I do not look up each and every one. With those that I record in my notebook, I include the context that was supplied by the book or by any contempo-rary dictionary worthy of the name.

*****

in-ternational events of the day in their main outlines. For this reason—even if the news items are selected according to the probable interests of Azilia’s inhabitants—they are usually listen to the news in some other, familiar language as well.

Th us I am given a key—almost a dictionary—to what I can expect, in advance. If an unknown word crops up along the way, I write it down. After the broadcast, I look it up im-mediately in my big dictionary. Th e reason for this is that at that time, immediately after the broadcast, the word still resounds in my ear with its entire context and if I misheard it (which happens many times), the context, still fresh in my memory, helps redress the error.

If I fi nd the word in the dictionary, a little self-congrat-ulation is in order again, and this makes learning a pleasant pastime instead of a burdensome task.

*****

Once a week, I tape the broadcast. I keep the recording for a while and play it back several times. On these occa-sions, I always concentrate on pronunciation. Alas, I must admit that based on the announcer’s native pronunciation, sometimes I have to reacquaint myself with words that I thought I already knew from books.

*****

At fi rst, I write free compositions because it’s easier. Often these are disjointed texts, made up of elements not connected with each other, just loose sentences that I use to hang new, just seen/just heard words and grammatical phrases on. From the teacher’s corrections I verify whether I grasped their meanings and functions properly. When I reach a higher level of knowledge, I begin to translate. At this stage, an already given text compels me to give up using well-practiced formulas and, under the pressure of translat-ing discipline, employ others that I am not so certain of.

*****

Uncorrected mistakes are very perilous! If one keeps re-peating wrong formulas, they take root in the mind and one will be inclined to accept them as authentic. Written trans-lations pinpoint one’s errors ruthlessly, while a listening ear might be prone to just glossing over them.

*****

We expect 50–60 phrases of a hotel receptionist, but then those have to be perfect; an ALL, however, must learn how to expand the framework and then fi ll it. A savvy French colleague once told me, “In conversation, say what you know; in translation, know what is required.”

*****

s on mastering Azilian might fi nd two things lacking in them. Any self-respecting language manual would now say something like “I make an ef f ort to familiarize myself with the history, geography, social, political, and economic con-ditions of Azilia as thoroughly as possible.”

*****

Th e ideal solution, of course, is to maintain active re-lationships with native speakers of one’s ilk and interests, with lots of shared activities—especially if these natives are willing to correct your mistakes, and if one is resolved not to get mad when they do.

*****

Always memorize idiomatic expressions in the fi rst per-son singular. For example, “I am only pulling your leg.” Or else: Il m’a posé un lapin—He stood me up.

*****

Do not let the fear of making mistakes keep you from speaking, but do ask your conversation partner to correct obliges you—a remote possibility, anyway.

*****

Be fi rmly convinced that you are a linguistic genius. If the facts demonstrate otherwise, heap blame on the pesky language you aim to master, on the dictionaries, or on this book, not on yourself.

*****

Do not postpone embarking on learning a new language—or restarting such a study—until the time of a prospective trip abroad. Rather, try to gain access to native speakers of your target language who are on a visit to your country and who do not speak your language. Th ey could be relatives or friends. If you accompany them and show them around, they will help you solidify your knowledge of their language out of gratitude; they will enrich your vocabulary and over-look the mistakes you make.

*****

Do not expect the same behavior from your compatri-ots. Do not practice on them because they will be prone to giving prime time to your errors—or at the very least, they will be inclined to employ meaningful facial gestures—to demonstrate how much better they are at it.

3.

*****

In your browsing, do not get obsessed with words you don’t know or structures you don’t understand. Build com-prehension on what you already know. Do not automati-cally reach for the dictionary if you encounter a word or two that you don’t understand. If the expression is important, it will reappear and explain itself; if it is not so important, it is no big loss to gloss over it.

*****

Do not be deterred from speaking by the fear of making mistakes. Th e fl ow of speech creates a chain reaction: the context will lead you to the right track.

*****

Do not forget a large number of fi ller expressions and sentence-launching phrases. It is great when you can break the ice with a few formulas that are always on hand and can help you over the initial embarrassment of beginning a con-versation, such as “My French is kind of shaky” or “It’s been a while since I spoke Russian,” etc.

*****

Do not leave newly learned structures or expressions hanging in the air. Fix them in your memory by fi tting them into dif f erent, new settings: into your sphere of interest, into the reality of your own life.

*****

In this attempt, I have tried to keep in mind the adult who strives to gain a balanced, comprehensive knowledge of a language, rather than the acquisition of a specif i c skill. Th e ALL’s goal is not to understand the foreign language publi-cations in his or her fi eld or how to bargain for a sweater; it is most likely just how to speak the language normally.

Let’s look at the grades used in schools fi rst.

*****

First, a certain sedimentation does no harm to language ductors will practice a piece inside out nearly every minute. Th en they will put it aside and not touch it before the con-cert one or two weeks later. Th ey notice that it helps the per-formance. In language learning, the amount of a language learned while abroad will often not show up until well after arriving home.

*****

No one is “just” good at languages. Success in language learning is expressed by a simple equation:

Invested time + interestedness = result

*****

Yet, I believe that there is something to be put into the denominator on the left side of the primitive equation men-tioned at the beginning of the chapter: maybe I would sim-ply call it inhibition:

Invested time + motivation ______________________ = result inhibition Inhibition is shown when the fear of making mis-takes prevents you from speaking and also when you are consciously aware that you are transferring the structure of your mother tongue to the new language (or transferring the structure of a previously learned foreign language, which can play the role of the mother tongue at these times).

*****

How could anyone not like this kind scholar?

Mezzofanti once wrote in the notebook of one of his admirers that “Anyone who can comprehend, analyze, judge, and memorize the essence of languages can equal my achievement.”

*****

TO PREVENT depression, psychologists advise us to fi nd a hobby. Admitting bias, I believe that those who choose languages as their obsession never really feel depres-sion. In fact linguaphiles may achieve a spiritual balance if they can make a living of f of languages. G. B. Shaw says as much in Pygmalion: “Happy is the man who can make a liv-ing by his hobby!”

*****

According to linguists, languages have both separated and conjoined throughout history. A high mountain or a river with a swift current once posed an obstacle to commu-nication: two neighboring tribes would become separated and after a time could no longer understand one another.

Today, however, I believe that the integration process is un-stoppable. A voice can be received in a split second across an ocean. In the modern world, linguistic isolation is an anachronism.

*****

English plays the role of Esperanto in science and tech-nology. With its simple morphology and short words, it is very suitable for experts from around the world to use.

Sometimes I wonder what a native speaker of English thinks when he hears two colleagues from, say, Norway and Croatia happily using highly technical (but broken) English that he can hardly understand. “What is the most widespread lan-guage in the world?” I am often asked. “Broken English,” I tend to answer.

*****

I CANNOT thank those who patiently roamed with me in the realm of languages with more beautiful words than those of Cicero in “Pro Archia Poeta” (7.16):

…haec studia adulescentiam alunt, senectutem oblectant, res secundas ornant, adversis perfugium ac solacium praebent, delectant domi, non impe-diunt foris, pernoctant nobiscum, peregrinantur, rusticantur.

…this study nurtures our youth, delights our old age, brightens the good times, and provides a ref-uge and comfort in bad times; literature brings us pleasure at home, does not hamper us at work, and is the companion of our nights, our travels, our country retreats.

[deltas-writing-corner]

Tsukumo Yuki relationship headcanons

Fandom: Jujutsu Kaisen

Pairing: Tsukumo Yuki x reader

Author note: Tsukomo Yuki is the reason I love woman and she can crush me between her thighs send tweet

Warnings: Potential manga spoilers (?) | Mentions of s*x, but nothing too blatantly explicit. I would still prefer it if minors did not interact with this post in any way.

Yuki always asks the people she meets what type of woman they like. If someone were to ask that same question back to her, she’ll most certainly utter back your name as if it were an obvious response.

What’s not to love about you? You’re cute. You make her laugh. You cook for her because heaven knows she can't if her life depended on it. Most importantly, you keep her company due to the lack of curses she’s ever sent to exorcise. Traveling the world is fun and all, but it’s even more fun with you by her side!

You’re not a sorcerer. You can’t even see curses. Yuki is a childhood friend of yours and has kept you in the loop regarding the world of jujutsu sorcery since she started integrating into it. She thinks it’s important for you to know that someone like you, a non-curse user who has no control over the curse energy you create, should know what exactly your negative emotions can lead to. It’s not to make you feel bad or pin blame on you in any way. It’s her way of protecting you beyond physical means as well as a way of showing you that she places a great deal of trust in you regarding the nature of her line of work and her true goals.

Because she rejects the methods of the higher-ups and her ideology is more along the lines of putting an end to the creation of curses permanently instead of letting them manifest and dealing with them when they start causing profound trouble, you’re often the one that has to listen to all her new, sometimes overreaching, hypotheses now and then. You may even take part in her research, but she would never put you in any sort of harm! At least, not unless you give her the okay to. Be warned, if you give your blessing to be her little lab rat she’s prone to get carried away with her methods. Speak up if she’s doing something outrageous or if she’s making you uncomfortable. Otherwise, you might end up in some precarious situations.

As mentioned previously, Yuki isn’t sent out on missions that often, if ever. She instead chooses to travel in and out of the country, for the sake of her research as well as for the pleasure of it. Since she’s one of three, later four, special grade sorcerers her salary is rather tremendous. Unfortunately, her travels outside Japan are “unauthorized” and sometimes her funds get frozen by the higher-ups. Her quick solution to the matter is to fly back, take on a mission or two to get her funds unfrozen (and into your account because you’re her partner-in-crime) or even take on a mission to earn some more funds, and then you and her are right back to traveling the world again.

During one of these money replenishing heists, she met a kid that she took a particular interest in and wanted to mentor, Aoi Todo. It’s hard for most people to spark her interest to the extent Todo did, so you happily supported her endeavors and even met with her young pupil a few times throughout the years. Her methods of training are a bit....extreme, to put it lightly. You understand that holding back her punches will only hinder Todo’s progress instead of allowing him the ability to improve and push past his limits, but you can’t help but flinch over the large scar that marks his face whenever you briefly meet up with him.

Todo is eccentric, but so is Yuki. Perhaps not idol obsessed like Todo, but seeing the way he takes great care of his appearance and flaunts his body (during a battle even), he’s a near-identical clone of Yuki. She knows that she’s good-looking, and she will always flaunt this fact to anyone with working eyes, even you! Does it work every single time? Yes. Yes, it does.

Honestly, how can it not? She’s tall. She has a great butt. She drives a motorcycle. Her tight biker pants are your Achilles heels and she knows it. Sometimes she’ll wear them around the house just to flaunt her curves and other bodily goods, even if it’s the middle of the summer, the AC is broken and the pants are made of stuffy leather material. If it gets your face all heated up, she'll wear it.

The compliments she gets from strangers are nice and all, but it’s your reactions she truly cares about. You’ve been by her side through it all. You're still sticking with her even despite the fact that she’s constantly moving around and living a somewhat free-spirited lifestyle. You genuinely support and help her when almost everyone else has rejected her methods and ideals and brush her off as some lazy, outrageous-thinking woman. Really, you stole this woman’s heart just by letting her be herself, a lazy, outrageous-thinking woman.

Yuki is indeed lazy, to the point it sometimes affects you and your shared apartment is left in a week-long accumulated mess. I’m talking clothes strewed about and spilling out the already full laundry basket, sink filled with dirty dishes, houseplant half dead due to insufficient watering, and little dusty bunnies in the corner of the room. Whenever you try to get around to getting your living space in order, she always drags you back to the bed with her either to nap some more or for a quick round of sex that leads to more napping. Eventually, you have to beat her with a pillow and threaten her with no sex for a certain period of time to get her to back off, which always works without fail.

If you really hold the “no sex until...” ultimatum over her head long enough, she’ll even pitch in and help you clean. But to be honest she kinda sucks at it so it’s sometimes better to just have her sit on the sidelines while you do all the work. She’ll jokingly suggest you clean with just an apron on (because she’s a freak like that), but you haven’t taken her up on the suggestion just yet. It’s mostly because you’ll use the “naked apron” method to further insinuate her punishment if your usual threat begins to lose its potency (because you are also a freak like that).

She’s a bad sleeping partner. Not only does she hog all the blankets and pillows, but she even stretches out her limbs over the entire bed. This usually leaves you curled up in a corner shivering your ass off until you either fall asleep via exhaustion or move to the couch. If you go to the couch, she’s 99.9% likely to wake up and join you shortly after, where she’s less of a hassle to deal with because of the limited space.

She’s a great big spoon, which is actually one of the ways you later use to solve her troublesome habits as once she latches onto you, she will not let go the rest of the evening. Unfortunately, she also snores terribly loud, but it’s nothing earbuds can’t fix.

Some might think she sleeps in something flattering, maybe even a bit scanty. That couldn’t be any further from the truth. Her pj’s are decades-old shirts and gym shorts that she never got around to getting rid of. If not that, she’ll sleep completely naked and she doesn’t care if someone walks in on her with the covers off. She’ll only ever wear lingerie or other promiscuous pieces of clothing if she has intentions of getting between your legs and rocking your world for the rest of the night.

I think it goes without saying that she looks great in lace, but as hot as she may look, she really likes seeing you dressed up in something risque as well.

If you’re female, she sometimes likes to wear matching lingerie sets with you, but her favorite material to see you in is leather, especially those harness-styled sets that squeeze your flesh all around.

If you’re male, she’s a complete sucker for a man in a clean-cut, custom-tailored suit and will take it off as soon as you put it on. Hope you don’t mind losing a button or two, because she will pop them off for sure when she rips your dress shirt off of you.

To all my gender-neutral folks, It’s never too late to whip out that naked apron I mentioned earlier! Or a leather jacket. Everyone looks great in a leather jacket!

Yuki’s diet is fucking terrible. You’re a decent cook, but despite this, all she ever seems to want is greasy take-out food that makes you wonder how the hell she’s still so fit after witnessing her down three chicken burritos in one sitting. Even when the two of you are abroad and are able to try out different types of cuisines not so readily available in Japan, she’ll still want to go out to a fast food joint that you can easily find everywhere. You’ve tried to get her to branch out of her comfort zone and eat somewhat healthier alternatives of her favorite foods, but so far you’ve gotten mixed results.

In summary: Yuki is a pretty outgoing person and sometimes can be a bit of a hassle to deal with, but she’s clearly ambitious and moves to the tune of her own beat. Her goal of finding and effectively eliminating the source of all curses is a testament to the fact that she wants to save future generations from having to carry the burden sorcerers have been carrying for thousands of years. Her goals are not only for the sake of the people who will come after her, but also for the sake of her future with you. You’re someone she genuinely cares for and wishes to spend the rest of her life with, evident by the numerous times she’s come clean to you about her fears of you dying when she isn't around to protect you or of her dying and leaving you behind to mourn during late-night pillow talks in hotels or in your shared home. A future where you and her can travel the world and truly take in and enjoy the sights and wonders instead of searching for an answer to one of the world’s greatest phenomenon is a future worth fighting for, even if she’s met with some pushback or the end goal seems like nothing more than a pipedream at times. So long as you’re there with her to see her research bear fruit, she’ll keep testing and coming up with new methods to eliminate curses permanently, no matter the extremes her research takes her to.

[kim-miri]

HALF(have a little fun) pt. i

→ Sayomi Zoldyck is the eldest child and twin sister to Illumi, of the renowned Zoldyck family of assassins. At the age of ten she’s taken away to Meteor City by her mother, Kikyo Zoldyck, unbeknownst to the rest of the family, as well as newborn Killua, and left to fend for herself. This is the story of the long-lost Zoldyck and those she becomes acquainted with, all while she just wants to have a little fun. 

» part one / ?

» pairing: eventually - chrollo x oc x feat. hisoka

» warnings: swearing, blood/violence

» a/n: helloo~ this is my first write ever, and it’ll probably be a pretty long series. I’m also balancing school and a part-time job so forgive me for slow updates! If you’re reading this, thank you so much for showing interest and please leave comments below with your inputs!

» word count: 2,726

☾ i.

Name: Sayomi Zoldyck 小夜美 | "小" is small | "夜" is night | "美" is beauty |

Hair color: White

Eye Color: Purple

Nen: Manipulator (same exact abilities as Illumi)

Abilities: Same as Illumi Zoldyck - Body Alteration, Hypnotic Spell, Corpse Control, Needle People, Katana

☾ part i: a backstory(1/2)

Deep within the Zoldyck estate, Kikyo and Silva Zoldyck celebrated the birth of their first children with rare smiles decorating their faces. They were twins, a boy and a girl, but they could not have been more opposite of each other. 

The boy whom they chose to name Illumi, had mysterious, onyx black eyes and had not cried nor struggled upon being brought into the world. This led the Zoldycks to worry whether the baby was healthy or not, but were reassured by the midwives and doctor that he was indeed completely healthy, despite the baby’s odd lack of expression. 

The girl, who was about 20 minutes older than the boy was a complete contrasting image of the former child. They named her Sayomi. Sayomi had striking violet eyes and brilliant white hair, mirroring both those of her father. Unlike her twin, she had done the whole newborn baby shenanigan with a piercing cry and thrashed about in Kikyo’s arms upon being held.

Thus, began the new generation of the Zoldyck family.

☾ i.

The twins began training at the age of 4, and it was harsh, brutal training fit for the next line of Zoldyck assassins. 

Though deep down Silva and Kikyo loved their children, on the surface, they viewed their children as the ones who would eventually replace them and carry on the Zoldyck legacy. And in order to do so, the training they put their children through was all too necessary for the sake of their futures.

Yet, however painful or exhausting the training would be, Illumi and Sayomi found ways to make it bearable with each other’s company. 

It could be their little races to the training yard each morning, stepping on each other’s feet under the dinner table, or even pranking some of the butlers. 

In a way, they were able to balance each other out, much like two halves of a whole. With Illumi’s lack of expression and Sayomi’s affectionate nature, it was a mystery to those around them of how they were able to grow to be inseparable.

As the twins’ training progressed and the years went by, it was time to awaken their Nen abilities. 

Silva and Zeno had requested that the now 7 year-olds meet in the courtyard today instead of their regular training, where they would now be categorized into the different types of Nen. 

Illumi and Sayomi sat side by side on a bench in the courtyard in wait of Silva and Zeno, playing with their needles to pass the time. 

The black-haired twin flicked his wrist faster than the eye could see, sending the needle between his fingers to go flying and hit a bird mid-flight right in the butt. 

Watching the poor bird plummet to the ground in front of them, the twin girl’s violet eyes brightened and crinkled at the edges as she laughed out loud at her brother’s ‘choice’ of aim, falling to the ground while clutching her sides. 

A slight shade of pink dusted Illumi’s cheeks as his sister teased his needle-throw, before huffing and turning the other way. He swore it had been on purpose, but was immediately shut down by his sister’s obnoxiously loud giggling.

Silva and Zeno approached from a distance and couldn’t help but smile at the view in front of them. 

Sayomi was rolling around in the grass with laughter, her melodious voice echoing throughout the courtyard, while Illumi sat cross-armed with a blush threatening to spread across his otherwise pale face. 

It was a scene that seemed to reoccur often between the twins, their starkly different personalities showing through clear as day. 

Zeno stifled a laugh at the bird which now lied dead approximately 3-feet from where they stood, one of Illumi’s needles sticking out from its rear. Regaining his composure, Zeno called out for the twins.

“Sayomi! Illumi!”

Sayomi looked up from where she laid on the grass, immediately moving to sit next to her brother once again. 

In Zeno and Silva’s hands, each was a glass of water filled exactly to the brim. It was amazing how steadily the two senior assassins could move, the water remaining still in either cup.

The time had finally come where the twins would awaken and discover their Nen. 

Setting the glasses down on a table in the middle of the courtyard, Silva gestured for the twins to take a seat across from them before beginning his explanation. 

The twins sat down with caution, curious of the sudden change in training plans, and Silva delved into the history and power of Nen along with its importance. 

Having officially bored the twins into a state of drowsiness, Silva decided to cut to the chase. “Today both of you will figure out where you belong in the spectrum of Nen users, and you will both leave here with more power than you’ve ever wielded before.”

This caught the attention of both kids, simultaneously perking up to the word “power”. 

“This is called the Water Divination Test.” Silva gestured to the glasses of water placed in front of the twins. 

A leaf was placed in both of the glasses, floating still upon the surfaces of water. 

Zeno continued the explanation, describing what would occur. “It’s a Shingen Ryu screening tool used for classifying aura. You will place your hands on either side of the glass with the utmost focus and your abilities will be revealed by what happens.” 

After a short demonstration, the twins were up to the test, eager to know which category of Nen they would belong to.

Sitting up straight in their seats, the twins raised their hands to their respective glasses and focused all their energy into the glassed of water in front of them.

Sayomi was the first to get a reaction, as the leaf floating in the water twitched and spun in circles.

She exclaimed at the sudden movement, excitedly looking up at Silva and Zeno who beamed with pride. Both adults had hidden their shock at the girl’s raw power, causing the leaf not only to twitch but spin rapidly. 

It was a short-lived moment, as everyone’s attention was brought to Illumi’s leaf doing exactly the same, spinning in the other direction within the water.

Illumi cocked his head curiously at the movement, not showing as much enthusiasm as his twin. Zeno and Silva nodded in approval and the twins shared a smile as they listened in to the capabilities of their Nen category.

The twins were manipulators, Zeno explained. “Manipulators are argumentative and logical. They advance at their own pace and tend to want to keep their families and loved ones safe. On the other hand, when it comes to pursuing their own goals, they do not listen to what others might have to say about it.”

☾ i.

Life or death situations almost every day that consisted of torture-training, sparring, and even shadowing butlers at work or senior assassins on missions for a good 3 years brought the twins to their current state. 

At the age of 10, Sayomi and Illumi were full-fledged and elite Zoldyck assassins. And to top it off, came the birth of Killua, the twins’ new younger brother, who would soon become Sayomi’s biggest weakness.

 From the moment Killua was born, the elders sensed an overwhelming aura radiating off of the newborn, that screamed killer and powerful. 

However, all Sayomi could see were the uncanny similarities between the baby and herself. 

Brilliant white hair, slanted, bright blue eyes, that looked like her own violet ones, and above all, a wide, gleeful smile. Killua’s smile, although a baby, felt more genuine than any smile she had received in her entire life, and the warm sensation that spread throughout her body made her take another look at her younger brother’s sleeping face. 

She was absolutely fascinated by how similar the baby could look to herself, and decided to herself then and there that she would forever protect Killua at all costs.

☾ i.

On the other hand, the twins were already on the job, taking clients and bringing enough success to spread rumours about the new generation of Zoldycks. 

Sayomi was on her fifth client when she finally ran into a situation that caused her to hinder from the job. 

Her target was an 18 year old girl, the daughter of the CEO that had backstabbed her client. But her age wasn’t what bothered Sayomi. It was what she’d saw while hiding in the shadows of the girl’s suite room. 

From the cabinet of which she hid behind, Sayomi couldn’t help but feel a strong disdain to herself as she watched her clueless target without a sound.

The 18-year old brunette that identified as her target laughed giddily as she twirled around with a toddler in her arms. The baby let out cries of joy that seemed to pierce through Sayomi’s heart like daggers as she thought of little Killua. 

The girl almost seemed like a reflection of herself, and the innocence of the situation made Sayomi’s shoulders slump as she looked at herself in disgust. 

What was she thinking? 

There’s no way she would be able to kill a target if she began to sympathize with them. She was supposed to be impartial, cold-blooded and cold-hearted like the rest of her family. But Sayomi was ashamed of herself, to say the least, and she wouldn’t, no, couldn’t go through with the job. 

Carefully turning from her spot behind the wall, she used her stealth and speed to exit the suite back through the balcony all within a split second, before the target could notice the slight breeze left in Sayomi’s trail. 

Wasting no time, she jumped down back into the balcony of her client’s room directly below, landing with the soft patter of her boots upon cement.

Walking into her client’s room without a second glance to the expectant man, she muttered under her breath that she couldn’t take out the target and continued to leave before he could process the situation.

☾ i.

Sayomi’s client had notified Kikyo of her daughter’s inability to accomplish the hit later that day, leaving her fuming with anger and embarrassment towards her eldest child. 

Upon Sayomi’s return that night, Kikyo was already waiting, arms crossed and whip in hand. In a state of mindlessness, Sayomi feet led her to trudge quietly into one of the empty stone cells, ready to accept her punishment.

Kikyo scoffed at her daughter’s actions and followed the 10 year-old into the cell, knuckles turning white with her grip on the handle of the whip. 

With Zeno and Silva out on their own missions, no one was around to bail Sayomi out of her mother’s wrath, and the torture lasted longer than usual with Sayomi’s refusal to answer any of Kikyo’s questions. 

Kikyo was merciless, hitting Sayomi left and right until her hands bled from the grip, blinded by rage and shame.

Sayomi self-consciously endured the hits, mind blank as her body transitioned into survival mode with her lips shut tight as blood began to run down her body pooling at her feet. 

She didn’t regret her decisions, however, and only let a few stray tears slip out when she thought about Killua’s smile again and his future that would very much match her own.

Though it was betrayal to think this way, she hoped he would escape.

☾ i.

When Sayomi had woken the next day to the sound of sprinklers running in the garden, she found her wounds bandaged meticulously, along with a note next to her head. 

It read: “You were brave to stand against mother. But remember our purpose and don’t be stupid. - Illumi”.

Sayomi had grimaced both at the note’s contents and the pain that shot up her body as she moved to get out of bed. 

She made a mental note to thank Illumi later for carrying her back to her room and set out to the training yard.

Breaking out into a jog towards the yard, Sayomi rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and attempted to tie her hair back while she picked up the pace. She winced visibly just thinking about having to train with her wounds still fresh and let out a defeated sigh as the yard came into view.

Arriving at the training yard, Sayomi’s jogging came to an abrupt stop as she saw her mother was standing with Illumi instead of their regular instructor. 

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Sayomi walked briskly towards Illumi and her mother keeping her head low and eyes trained on the grass beneath her feet. 

Lifting her head the slightest bit to sneak a peek at Illumi, she faltered as his eyes were trained towards the distance behind their mother, unable to read his emotions.

Kikyo finally spoke up, breaking the heavy silence that had fallen upon the three Zoldycks. “Today’s training will be a little different. It’s become apparent that we haven’t been toughening up you kids enough, so for today’s session, the two of you will fight each other until either can no longer continue. A lesson about showing mercy.”

Sayomi’s head whipped up towards her mother and then Illumi. “But father said we should never harm each other unless a mission is at stake!” 

Kikyo slapped her daughter across the face and her voice showed no sympathy as she spoke. “Sayomi, dear. Don’t you think you’ve acted out enough by now?”

Sayomi only blinked a few times, ignoring the stinging sensation on her right cheek as she looked at Illumi once again. 

He hadn’t moved an inch, his black eyes unwavering as Sayomi’s violet ones searched his face for any signs of emotion. There was nothing.

The twins walked out to face each other in front of their mother, waiting for the other to initiate an attack. It was a battle of nerves, as much as it was the reluctance to fight one another.

From where he stood, Illumi’s needles were untouched from their spot on his waist belt, as were Sayomi’s strapped to her upper left arm and thigh. It was a silent agreement made between the twins, neither wanting to deal more damage than would already have to be done. 

Both Sayomi and Illumi knew there was no getting out of the situation, and with the meeting of their eyes, the match began.

Illumi’s right hand clenched into a fist as he swung aiming to uppercut Sayomi in the jaw, making the first move. 

Sayomi had lept back instantly, before dodging another flurry of kicks and punches sent her way. She had decided well before the match began that she wouldn’t retaliate Illumi’s attacks even it meant losing. 

She knew Illumi wouldn’t go as far as to make her suffer, so her plan was to put on a show for her mother until she deemed she would be satisfied. This way, only one of them had to get hurt.

As the gap between Illumi and Sayomi continued to close in, Sayomi found herself taking hits left and right, unable to defend against everything. 

A critical, hard kick to the side, several hits to the face, and an orbital fracture dealt to her right eye was what finally led to Sayomi’s fall. 

Bunches of brilliant white hair strayed from her once neat ponytail as Sayomi fell to her knees, incapable of continuing on with the fight. 

With the blood pounding in her ears, Sayomi barely made out her mother’s furious words of which caused her to shut her eyes in wait. “Illumi! Do it now! Use your needles to teach that disgrace a lesson!”

She waited. 1, 2, 3 seconds and opened her eyes to the scene unfolding in front of her.

For the first time in a while, Illumi’s face gave away to his emotions as he shouted back against his mother. 

His eyes were full of rage and hate as he continued to shout, and though she couldn’t make out the exact words he was using, Sayomi’s heart twinged at the sight of her normally obedient brother taking a stand against their mother.

The edges of her vision were blurry, and she found it hard to keep her head up as the scene began to spin in front of her, right before the ground lurched to the right from under her causing her to fall forward into darkness. 

☾ i.

to be continued.

[ilonga]

angstpril day 25

alt prompt used: So Close Yet So Far

ao3

continuation of the winter soldier/amnesia au, follow up to this and this

It's nearly a year into training Ahsoka when Obi-wan finally has his suspicions confirmed in the worst way. 

They're on a mission, him and Ahsoka—a reconnaissance mission on a jungle planet with only a few clones for backup. It had been his idea for them to scout ahead while the clones stood guard by the camp. He regrets it, now. They'd returned to the clones dead.

The work of a lightsaber.

The work of a Sith.

He's heard of the new Sith assassin, of course; the Sith Master, whoever he is, seems to be snatching up minions like meiloorun fruit. They're deadlier and quieter than Ventress, who seems to prefer making memorable impressions, but not quite as destructive as Grievous. 

Either way, it was a mystery Obi-wan was hoping not to get closer to. Especially not with his pada—new padawan in tow.

(He's very proud of Ahsoka. But he's still bitter at the circumstances of their union. The Council means well, he knows. But it still feels like he's spitting on Anakin's memory, irrational as the thought is.)

"Master," Ahsoka says shakily. "That doesn't look like Ventress's work."

"No," he agrees. "I believe we might be making a new acquaintance today." 

Escape is, unfortunately, not an option, considering that they're rather surrounded by trees shrubbery at the moment and that the ship is much too far to reach in time. They'll be cut down in minutes. Their only option is to stand and fight.

The assassin is near. Obi-wan can sense them. Their presence is—strange. Blank. Familiar, almost.

He and Ahsoka exchange an uneasy glance.

The shaky truce lasts for another two seconds before the assassin allegedly has enough and a saber ignites behind them. He and Ahsoka turn in unison, pulling out their own weapons, but the assassin is practically already on top of them.

The battle is quick and furious. The assassin, whoever they are, has only one goal—killing them.

Or, well, as the blank, soulless blue eyes bore into him, it occurs to Obi-wan that he might be the primary target. The assassin spares hardly a glance for Ahsoka at all. 

The figure behind all of those mysterious Jedi killings is targeting him. Specifically. 

He deflects another blow that would have taken his arm off if he hadn't been paying attention. He's aggressive, certainly. The mask—muzzle?—covering half his face doesn't seem to hinder him at all.  

But his eyes are so. . . empty. Not like Ventress, or Dooku, or even Grievous, tiresome as the cyborg is. It's as if Obi-wan is fighting a puppet, not a person.

(But why does something seem so familiar?)

A very dangerous puppet, Obi-wan remembers, when his distraction nearly loses him his eye. Good grief, he can't let his curiosity get him and his padawan killed. What sort of Jedi is he?

"Master!" Ahsoka shouts, and suddenly she leaps, aiming for the assassin's head—

The assassin turns to meet her attacks—

Obi-wan moves from behind—

And catches the mask. Which now has a massive gash through the middle, from the upper cheek to the chin. 

And shows the assassin's face.

"Anakin?"

What in the galaxy—how could this have happened? Anakin is dead, has been since the Battle of Geonosis, but—

You always knew something was off, a vicious voice in his head whispers, Didn't you find it strange that there was no body?

 Anakin, what have they done to you?

 Anakin's eyes widen at that, though they're still frighteningly blank. He presses forward but it's more hesitant, now. His brows are furrowed.

Ahsoka has no such qualms.

"This is your old Padawan?" she shouts incredulously and parries another swipe only to return with a strong one of her own. "Why is he trying to kill us?"

Those words also seem to strike some sort of chord in him, because Anakin slows even more, blinking rapidly. 

And then Ahsoka catches him with her shoto across the face.

"Ahsoka," he shouts, something in him twisting at the sight of Anakin injured. But it's no use. Anakin scrambles back into the woods, pulling the force tightly around him and practically vanishing, force wise and sightwise.

No. Obi-wan has to find him.

Ahsoka holds him back. "Unless you want to be fried bantha meat, Master, we've got to get out of here now."

"I have to find him," he says blankly. "We have to bring him back."

"We can't do anything if we're dead." She jerks her head in the other direction and—oh. Obi-wan senses it too, now.

Droids.

Too many droids.

They don't have time.

Heart in his throat, Obi-wan takes one last glance back before they leave the jungle—and Anakin—behind for good.

*

"Am I to understand," Sidious says from above him, anger reined in tightly. "that not only did you fail to kill Kenobi, you allowed both him and his apprentice to discover your identity?"

Identity. That's a funny word, isn't it. Before his encounter with the Jedi and his apprentice he didn't even know he'd had one. 

Anakin, Kenobi had said. Your padawan, the younger girl had said. 

So he was the man from his strange dreams, then. Obi-wan Kenobi. It's a relief, to finally have a name to put to the face. But what in the galaxy does it mean?

Had they known him? Had he known them? 

But his life has always been just this. The cell, the missions, the darkness. His Master. Unless—

"Answer me, Vader."

He drags his gaze back upwards. To any of Sidious's questions, there is only one correct answer. "Yes, Master."

The smell of ozone hits before the pain registers. 

He's burning, he's burning, he's burning alive from the inside out— 

Electricity crackles through his flesh, his bones, his veins. It lights up the room in strange hues as the sharp pain digs into him relentlessly, not giving up even as his throat tears in two. The metal arm dangles uselessly beside him, spasming as someone far away screams.

"I am giving you one last chance," his Master says, finally granting him a reprieve from the lightning. He crumples to his knees, gasping against the blessedly cool floor.

"Fail again to kill Kenobi, and you will be disposed of."

[frecklef0x]

Mass Effect 1: Playthrough Masterpost

At last, I have finished Mass Effect 1!

I have heard some mutuals say they wish they could play it again for the first time, and you kind of can--through me! I’ve been posting little “episodes” of live-tweet-stream-of-consciousness as I play, and now I’ve compiled them into one post to make my life easier.

Anyway, here’s the first one, the rest are under the cut. :)

frecklef0x plays mass effect: (ME1) episode one

My ass looks great in this uniform, first of all

Impaled robo zombies, yikes

Cheap shot, Saren, smh. How will I pass my spectre test now?!

Why does he have robot eyes? Is he like, Geth-Turian? Why? Is he a robo zombie also? Was it the beacon???

Cool beacon nightmares, I'm sure this is fine

This Kaiden guy has implants? ORTEGA?!??!?

"Call me princess again and you'll be picking your teeth up off the floor" lol obliterated

The citadel elevators are very realistic, five minutes of tense silence huh

Ya girl got a PROMOTION and a DOPE SQUAD time to catch a TRAITOR

frecklef0x plays mass effect: (ME1) episode two

First things first, gotta go find the blue scientist to join the gang

This galaxy is HUGE! How many of these places will I actually be able to go?!

Only two friends at a time????? D:

Ah, a distress signal, let's see wha--A DESERT CENTIPEDE NOPE ABORT ABORT

Robo aliens? In MY Theronian mining facility? Its more likely than you think

Running over dudes in my Mako is extremely satisfying tbh

*runs over geth troopers* *runs over geth armature* *runs over geth colossus* ... *backs over geth colossus*

Working elevators in the ancient ruins ✔

Oooooooh man hope this nerd is gay

Wrex, a friend of yours? Nope, not a friend, too murdery

"ShAaaAame about the ruins Shep, sOooOo much collatoral damage, SHEP" stfu Council, "ruthless" was in the resume when you promoted us, 10/10 would shoot lasers through archeological digs again

When Kaiden calls us "ma'am" I am, uh, into it

frecklef0x plays mass effect: (ME1) episode three

Time to talk to the gang! Gotta meet the fam proper

Oh dear seems we got a shmee of racism on board, compatriots

Wow Raina, good foot-in-mouth moment with Wrex there huh...sorry about the eventual extinction of your race, lost this round of Pain Olympics

OH SHIT OH SHIT BLUE HOTTIE BIGENDER? THIS IS NOT A DRILL???

“hi I’m Kaiden wanna hear about my last crush ;)” “hi I’m Liara wanna hear about Asari mating rituals? ;)))” damn we really slidin right into the DMs no chill

Garrus: fuck rules and red tape amiright Raina: oh u right ;)

Guess I’ll actually do a mission now LETS GO LESBIANS LETS GO

Honestly rolling out with Tali and Liara is a mood, squad goals

Raina @ every corporation on Noveria: I would sell you to satan for one(1) corn chip

This reactivation puzzle is some shit

I see some Mistakes were made

We already killing moms at this stage damn BioWare

FUCK FUCK BENEZIA KILLED ME AND I LOST A FUCKTON OF PLAYTIME

THERES LIKE NO AUTOSAVE IN THIS BITCH FUUUUUUUUU

fuck fuck fuck god damn it gotta shoot a bunch of deranged baby bug people again god DAMN IT

Okay we killed Liara’s mom in front of her hope that’s fine

And we let mama bug go free because after talking to Wrex, Raina’s like “this galaxy is a little trigger happy with the genocide, good luck out there bug mama ❤️ be cool please”

I have literally watched the scientist in the hot labs get killed three times now

So far the debreifs with the council have not gone very well

“You let bug mama go?! How many generations until they take over everything???” “My money’s on two :D Place your bets now assholes or stfu :DDD”

Asked Liara if she was okay and she seems pretty Cool With It

I hope to one day return to Noveria and Death Star it into oblivion

frecklef0x plays mass effect: (ME1) episode four

Talked with Tali and this situation with the Geth and the Quarians is giving me an existential crisis

You “inspect” my beautiful ship? You got somethin’ to say about my crew??? Talk shit get hit, bitch I will kill you

Yoooo my old earth gang, yeah what the hell, I’ll help ou—oh nope nvm he’s a xenophobe, you hang him and I’ll shoot his friend in the face, thx for your time

Went to the citadel to finish some assignments, left tasked with twice as many

“dOn’T cUt CoRneRs” fear not dear Kaiden, I have a permit: this piece of paper that says I do what I want

Still with the elevators, I really cannot with this

“You make it all sound so...dangerous...” ;) ;))))))

frecklef0x plays mass effect: (ME1) episode five

Headin’ to Virmire to rendezvous with the Salarian team

A cure for the genophase?!?!?! :D

Oh wait oh no are we for real gonna talk about destroying the cure like Wrex isn’t standing right here omg

SHIT GUYS NO NOT LIKE THIS WREX PLEASE

Phew for a conversation that basically started with guns drawn, it went pretty well... “What Saren has isn’t even a proper cure, he’s just fucking with the Krogans at this point. Are we gonna stand for that? Or are we gonna murder?” “Damn Shep, you right, we gon’ murder”

Okay Ashley, go join the aliens, try not to die

Shadow Team!🎵 tearing through the base 🎶 disabling all the     defenses 🎵 (you gotta sing it to the tune of the Trogdor song)

We free the prisoners!!! :)

We shoot the prisoners??? :(

“Raina? How can you shoot them where they stand?” So it’s more merciful to let them explode? NAH FAM

This scientist is responsible for the mind control stuff? For Benezia? Fine     I’ll let her go but I hope she explodes

We did not learn our lesson concerning beacons I see

Wait if even Saren is worried about his mind control ship does that mean there are larger forces involved here?

Oh. Oh fuck

Ugh Ashley I EXPLICITLY TOLD YOU NOT TO DIE

(so we really never found any info about that genophase cure huh? disappointing)

Oh Seren, you dumb dumb. You absolute fool. Clown man.

When Raina slings Kaiden over her shoulder to carry him to the ship—mmmmmmmmwoooow I am very bisexual

Bruh Raina takes every council call and she disconnects pissed off every time

WAIT I literally just hung up with the council, ASHLEY is DEAD, and Kaiden needs a DTR RIGHT NOW?!?!? Boy, NO, READ THE ROOM

This has been a stressful day

frecklef0x plays mass effect: (ME1) episode six

Shepard will avoid her feelings and go to Faros instead

Seeing Ashley’s figure greyed out and her locker inaccessible makes me sad

Wrex and Garrus, let’s go shoot some geth 💪 

A mind controlling planet—of course!

Shep gets all her renegade points shooting capitalists

Saved, uh, about half the colonists

If I have one more bad acid trip I stg

Oh nope here’s another one

Shep needs a nap

frecklef0x plays mass effect: (ME1) episode seven

Ah, the council. Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal.

At least Liara is good at pep talks ;)

Joker, you cockblock

Haha DUDE we airborne, you THOUGHT

Now that I am exiled from the Citadel, guess I’ll run some galactic errands:

o   Killed corporate scientists who though we would rescue them lol

o   Destroyed a bunch of geth camps helping Tali on her pilgrimage

o   Disabled a nuke and killed some pirates

o   Shut down some evil Cerberus experiments

o   And illegally traded information!

Okay time to get back on track

So we may or may not be flying to our doom

OH GOD LIARA LOVES ME!!! RAINA, YOU DISASTER, YOU DID IT AAAAAH ❤️❤️❤️

frecklef0x plays mass effect: (ME1) episode eight

You know what I love? Being murdered by geth armatures

All these Ilos ruins be looking the same

Security panel is only kinda helpful

Oh, luckily I know Prothean now!

“CANNOT BE STOPPED” wow very encouraging, thanks

After that super motivating message and disabling security, its time to go down, down to goblin town

Vigil? Oh word?

My girlfriend is GEEKING out

I knew something what wrong with that fucking Citadel

Vigil: information is power. Also Vigil: What does it matter why they do what they do? All that matters is you stop them

“non-essential” personnel die first, huh? GROSS, VIGIL (gotta be honest that hits different in 2020)

Garrus gets it, I knew we liked that guy

Okay, find conduit, save galaxy, break millennium-old genocide cyle, nbd

Ugh Mako you gotta do me dirty one last time I see, I hate this thing

THE CONDUIT STRAIGHT YEETED MAKO

The citadel robot says we’re doomed : )

This shootout is SO fun, seriously

Saren get it toGETHER

Renegade Raina can kill with a conversation apparently, well done then

Concentrate on the Sovereign—why am I gonna save a council that hates my guts, sorry, but I have a JOB to DO that you ACTIVELY HINDERED

Great, zombie husk Saren, just what I needed as I mull over the possible consequences of my galaxy-altering decision

GO JOKER GO

Humanity-only council seems…questionable. Raina didn’t love the council but this sits wrong. Couldn’t we just appoint a more diverse council, including a human?

Anderson seems like a good enough dude, so…we’ll see.

TIME FOR WAR BOYS, GODDAMN WHAT A GAME

[ifindus]

i must know... what is it that you like so much about scotnor/norscot? what sort of dynamic do you envision them having? tell us things!!

Damn, thank you both for actually caring about this ship enough to send asks about it. Always happy to entice! Since there’s two asks, I’ve done two drawings and I have chosen to structure the post after (1) their dynamic and (2) their history. The history part is a bit of a read so I’ve put that under the [read more] under the illustrations, but I hope it at least is interesting!

Their Dynamic:

I see them as a good couple where they balance each other out quite nicely. Scotland is a bit hot-headed and brash, while Norway calm and rational. Still, I think they get off on teasing each other where you might actually think they are being mean to the other, but it’s all a joke. They have that mutual understanding between them, they get each other.

They would be the best of friends, but they wouldn’t advertise it? No one would even know they spend time together because they are both a bit removed from the rest of Europe, let alone that they are a couple. They wouldn’t openly advertise it either, just perhaps mentioning to Denmark, Sweden and England that they have plans together next week if they ask to hang out. Without no further explanation at all. And England might suspect something? But it is far from obvious.

In most of what I ship I like for the pair to be on equal standing, and I feel like this fit here. Scotland is probably more known internationally, but Norway has more influence. They can also both relate to being in a union and more or less ruled by another country.

They would go hiking together, and sometimes Norway would even be able to convince Scotland to come skiing with him (I think about half of Great Britain’s cross-country team are from Scotland and they all live and train in Norway). Both Scotland and Norway have some beautiful locations and in some places very similar nature even. They would also go drinking a lot – vodka, beer and whiskey – and hanging out in pubs together just chatting. Football is another passion they both share and the Norwegian Rosenborg has been in the group play of Europa League with the Scottish Celtic a few years now – even going scoring a goal against one of the other teams in the last match, hindering their victory, and allowing Celtic to advance. Needless to say, Glasgow was in an uproar after that and even sold mugs in their colours with the face of the Norwegian goal scorer.

In addition, I think both of them are very obsessed with folklore and mythology, and sharing an interest in the genre of crime, enjoying scary stuff. There might also be some relation between the Scottish Kelpies and the Norwegian Nøkken.

It is also funny how some Scottish words are so related to Norwegian due to the Norse Period (see the history bit), such as “bairn” in Scottish and “barn” in Norwegian, which means children.

I just think they’d make an awesome pair, just sharing many interests while still being quite different. They would feel very comfortable with each other and have a strong base of trust.

Their History:

Viking Period. Viking raids on coastal Scotland begins around 800 and continues up into the century, until at the end the activity transforms into settlement, then especially on the Northern Isles of Shetland and Orkney, as well as the Western Isles of the Hebrides. Most likely they blended with the locals and we can see an intermingling of style here. Still, there was most likely contact between the lands before that due to finds of combs made of reindeer antler in the area – and reindeers don’t exist in Scotland. In about 1015 Knut the Great of Denmark conquers most of England, and with him is Eirik Earl of Lade from Norway, a sort of mentor and powerful figure that supports the young king. As a reward he gets Northumbria, which borders to southern parts of Scotland. This is about the only period where there are no reports of wars between Northumbria and Scotland in this period. It is, however, the permanent settlements of Norsemen that lead up to the next period in Scottish history:

Norse Period. In this period, the islands I mentioned earlier is still claimed by Norway as most of the population on them are either under Norse rule or identify largely are Norsemen. This escalated to a conflict that saw the Battle of Largs in 1263, a battle which none of the involved parties won. The Western Isles had from 1100 been a part of the Norwegian realm, and since 1240, King Alexander II of Scotland had tried to buy it from Håkon Håkonsson, King of Norway, but was rejected every time. Eventually, feeling threatened Håkon gathered the largest fleet said ever to leave Norway and sailed to Scotland. After failed negotiations and some Norwegian raids a huge storm surprised the fleet and crashed some of the boats and washing them ashore where the crews were attacked by the Scottish forces, double the numbers. The storm hindered any tactical moves as the waves and wind made it impossible to control the ships, but eventually the Norsemen got back on some of the ships and after a long distance battle, which both sides pulled back from after a while. After retreating to Orkney, Håkon got ill and died and his successor Magnus Lagabøte made a treaty with Alexander III in 1260 to give up the claim on the Western Isles for a certain amount of money and the prospects of good trade with both Scotland and England. In 1281 Margaret, daughter of the Scottish king Alexander III, gets betrothed to Erik II of Norway as a way to finally put an end to the disputes between them for good. Unfortunately, she dies in the childbirth of her daughter Margaret Maid of Norway – who was actually on her way to become queen of Scotland when her grandfather died with no living male heirs, but she also died untimely only 7 years old after she became ill on the journey over the sea in 1290

After this unfortunately, it’s not long until Norway becomes a part of the Kalmar union as a result of the Black Death in 1348 and ends up under Danish rule for about 400 years, where the Danish king in 1468 gives away Orkney and Shetland as a pawn for the dowry of his daughter because he did not have the money to pay (this situation was never actually resolved and the isles still could be considered only a pawn).

The Norwegian Cruise. In 1886 a Scottish shipping company began with Norwegian cruises to look at the fjords along the coast of Norway, maybe one of the first ever planned cruises, which was so popular that they only increased the amount the following year. This continued until World War One began.

Second World War. During the Second World War Norway was occupied by Germany, and many of those who fled came to England and Britain (as was the case with most of Europe). On Shetland, however, there came to be a Norwegian base of operations where Norwegian sailors and volunteers would carry out missions across the North Sea to Norway. There they would smuggle in weapons and provisions and information to the resistance, as well as helping refugees to escape the country. This was of immense help to Norway during the war.

Thanks for reading!! This turned into a bit of an essay and I was more thourough at the beginning of this, but I hope you enjoyed it regardless! 

[mirrinbelde-shitposts]

I think you’re mercury is in Capricorn?

It's *you're, but indeed I have a Capricorn Mercury.

Welcome to your reading. Please remember to send feedback.

First impressions when looking at your chart: even distribution of planets; lots of aspects; a grand trine

SUN IN LIBRA

The Sun has its fall in Libra. This is, therefore, the most difficult position for the Sun, theoretically speaking. Concretely, you may find it hard to know and express yourself or you may have trouble developing healthy self-esteem. You may achieve self-discovery through socializing and relationships, particularly romantic ones. Your indecisive personality may hinder your journey of self-knowledge, so beware of this. You have a big need for harmony in life and in relationships, but your partner should balance you, so a person who can take initiative and make decisions is ideal, someone who is dynamic and has a taste for adventure. You are quite sociable and loved by everyone. Venus lends you grace, elegance, good taste and a high sense of diplomacy, fairness and justice.

SUN IN THE 11TH HOUSE

Here, the Sun is in the house of Aquarius. Libra does well here, because the two signs share some traits: humanitarianism, great importance of friendships, fondness of socialization. With the Sun placed here, I think that your group of friends is absolutely crucial to you: you can blend in well and you're very much accepted and liked by them. You can lead without being dominating, which makes people naturally bend to your desires. The Libra and Aquarius mix make me think that you would do well as an activist, a spokesperson for an NPO or a civil rights lawyer. The discovery of your identity may be acquired whilst in one of these groups or associations. You place great importance on your social life and you work together in a team. However, you should take care not to become too much like those around you.

MOON IN SCORPIO

Once again, you have a planet in Fall. Scorpio is a sign known for its intensity, whilst the Moon is a sensitive, delicate luminary. This position probably means that your emotional life is intense and dramatic. Your relationships are quite deep when it comes to the bond, but they are also complex and you may struggle to maintain them. Nothing is ever good enough, you are always unsatisified. You can mess with other people's emotions, be it on purpose or not. This may be due to your high intuitiveness and ability to discern others' thoughts and secrets. I'd say people cannot be indifferent to you. You may attract a lot of bad wishes, but some desperately want to be you or be with you. You probably take a lot of time to trust someone, but when that happens, you become a deeply loyal and caring partner, revealing you inner fragility and insecurity. However, you strong façade can probably keep most people away. Changing your nature may be quite difficult, but an unexpected loss may cause you to rethink your approach to life.

MOON IN THE 1ST HOUSE

You embody some of the Moon's traits, for example, your highly accurate intuitiveness regarding other people's feelings. Also, a bit like Cancer Moon, you may become "infected" by the feelings of those around you. With the Moon placed here, you may feel more comfortable showing your emotions, which very much contrasts with your Scorpio Moon. This is even more so because your Moon conjuncts the Ascendant. The relationship with your mother could be extremely important to you, for the good or for the bad. This placement also gives you an almost motherly quality: you can be quite good at perceiving when and how people need emotional support.

MERCURY IN SCORPIO

In this sign, Mercury behaves in a controlled, secretive way. You may be very cautious with your words, preferring to listen and to think, rather than to speak. You are graced with a natural curiosity toward the secret and the hidden things. You may enjoy delving on the concealed intentions and thoughts of others. Being a fixed sign, you may fiercely defend your opinions, as well as have a hard time seeing the world though a different lens. I think this may be a good placement for someone who works with the human mind: a physcologist or a detective. Your mind is restless, always looking for answers as to how things happen. However, you can give off reserved and secretive vibes, which may not be the most welcoming. Nevertheless, your ability to discern what other people struggle to see may be a huge advantage for you.

MERCURY IN THE 12TH HOUSE

This is the most karmic house. Mercury placed here may cause difficulty in bridging your thoughts and your feelings. Nevertheless, as I mentioned in the section about Scorpio Mercury, you enjoy mental gifts that are out of the reach of most people. Your inner world is very important to you; a refuge, even. You often delve deep into the subconscious mind, attempting to find explanations for what happens in the real world. In your case, since it makes a lot of sqares and oppositions, this need of yours may cause you to get obsessed, paranoic, even, so be careful not to let the influence of the powerful 12th house overtake your mind. This placement may lead to thoughts that, in turn, cause problems. It is your mission in this lifetime to learn from past lives and use this energy to better know yourself and the world around you.

VENUS IN VIRGO

Venus falls in the sign of Virgo (3 planets Fall in your chart, are you ok?). Here, Venus is given the tools of Mercury, which differ so very much from her own. For one, you are way too logical and analytical in your relationships. Your emotions aren't felt that much; you prefer to rationalize them, perhaps because you don't know how to deal with them in the first place. You probably prefer platonic relationships over romantic ones, because the latter require those feelings of which you have little understanding, whilst the former can rely upon solely on the mind, your speciality. You are intelligent, determined, put together and goal-oriented. Acts of service is probably the way to win you. Nevetheless, you don't fall for just anyone. You have to think a lot before entering a relationship, weighing all the pros and cons. However, when you do commit, you are are quite loyal and cute with your partner.

VENUS IN THE 9TH HOUSE

This placement is one of the indicators of having a foreign spouse or someone from a different cultural background; perhaps you will meet them abroad. This is because of your desire to connect to people in your travels. You also wish for a relationship that will broaden your horizons and will bring lots of adventures. Additionally, your relationships may affect how you see the world. You have a thirst for adventure. This is also a good position for teachers because it allows them to connect their love (Venus) to their teachings (9H).

MARS IN SAGITTARIUS

Mars in this sign makes for a highly adventurous, spontaneous, fun-loving individual. You have that reckless optimism that defines Sagittarius so well. With Mars here, you act in a blunt way and you are not afraid to take risks. This placement also aids with that search for the truth that I mentioned in the two Mercury sections. Sagittarius is also quite concerned with the higher mysteries, so Mars here goes well with your Mercury. You may also take action through your ideals; Jupiter, which rules Sagittarius, is also an idealist planet. Morals are quite important to you. Also, like the other Fire Mars, this is an auspicious placement for people who do sports competitively.

MARS IN THE 2ND HOUSE

Here, Mars is tied in with the themes of Taurus. Since Taurus is a fixed sign, I'd say that you are very good at getting what you want because you are quite determined and perseverant. You may have a strong will to acquire material things that bring you comfort and security. In that sense, you may wish to have a high-paying job that allows you to buy the things that allow you to have that comfortable lifestyle. However, you may spend your money too generously, so beware of that. You are brave and dynamic, qualities that help you to achieve what you want.

JUPITER IN TAURUS

Jupiter here emphasizes the importance that your values and desires have to you: harmony, comfort, security are of utmost importance. Like I mentioned, if you feel safe, you will appreciate all of these things in life. Jupiter also grants you a high need for love and affection, which, if provided, will be more than enough to make you happy. However, if you do not feel that security, you may become possessive, be it with people or with material things. Also, you may lead a lifestyle too focused on your earthly possessions. Lastly, you may also be anxious about the future; you want to know what’s in store for you.

JUPITER IN THE 5TH HOUSE

This placement expands your creative abilities. As a means to find yourself (Libra Sun), you may make use of the arts to express your identity. This is a lighter placement, that may give you that fun-loving, extroverted, childlike outlook on life. Once again, a placement that favours sports. It may also be a good one to have in order to better bond with children. Take care not to get too vain, because, with Jupiter in the house of Leo, you may feel compelled to be the best at everything you do, to be the star. You probably have lots of hobbies and may like to be a little risky with them; perhaps gambling or something along those lines, something challenging.

SATURN IN TAURUS

Your insecurities are tied to your possessions. This placement is not a good one in terms of managing money; you could’ve had problems in this area in a past life. Your self-esteem is too connected to what you belong, instead of what you are. You are too attached, so you also fear losing those things you love. You’re also too afraid to change, perhaps because you are not one to take risks, preferring to choose what you know. You shouldn’t think this way. Change is a natural part of life, one you must accept. Your self-growth is achieved through the connection to your heart. Learn to feel, instead of owning. Learn how to connect to people.

SATURN IN THE 6TH HOUSE

You can feel responsible for other people, especially your coworkers, even if you struggle getting along with them. There’s a need to serve, to be of use to others; you may find it hard to relax. You are quite organized, so you’d do well to make use of it. You could also be the type to help others in the way to their goals. However, you should also understand that, sometimes, you should just let go and go with the flow. Not everything in life is about hard work, routines or responsibilities. Find something that excites you; try some meditation. There may also be some health issues, perhaps you had them in your childhood. ⬛