#also please no body ships puppet boy with no one

[minthy]

can he?

[nerditudes]

PITCH WISHLIST

Characters & plot ideas I'd love to have with the Nightmare King himself. Crossovers are listed under the cut. None of these will be for shipping [unless noted with one very VERY specific ship I enjoy]

Mother Nature - Ideally one that adheres to book canon, where she's [possibly] Koz' daughter. I'm happy to plot with one and blend headcanons but while she is quite strong-- she is nothing compared to the monster her father became. Though maybe she can coax the man he once was out of him.

MiM - Gimme yer MiM characters. Pitch has long since given up trying to corrupt the Lunanoff prince and would much rather continue playing this game of theirs. Guardians VS Nightmare Men and all that.

Katherine - She reminds him so much of his Em/ily Jane and while he's incapable of feeling affection-- there's something about her that makes it slightly difficult to willingly cause her harm. This is only while she's a child. The moment she's MG, the gloves are off and she's just like any other Guardian.

Nightlight - The Spectral Boy-- the First Guardian, and an amnesiac. Pitch knows who he is and will happily taunt him with the truth without giving anything away. I personally hc that Nightlight was pals with Koz and someone the General trusted. Nini seems to think the General is still inside Pitch--- what a fool he is.

Nick St North - Specifically a Book!North but I'm also ok with Film!North. This is my hateship y'all. North could make SUCH a good dream pirate if he just gave up on hope. I'm a Black.Christmas fan-- and Pitch has a begrudging respect for North's ingenuity and ability to think on his feet. He wants to corrupt the Guardian into his right hand man. [Krampus anyone?]

Bunnymund - Ahaha Pitch murdered his entire planet. Bunny's got a grudge and an axe to grind and Pitch loves to goad him on. Several Pooka were corrupted and made into Fearlings, and Pitch can and will parade them around like puppets to torment the last.

Jack Frost - Lemme get this out of the way. I despise the ship between these two with every fiber of my being. Its gross and I don't like it. Please don't approach me asking to ship it, I will absolutely block. That being said-- Jack is canonically Nightlight reborn, so the same stuff about Nini can apply here.

Frozen Characters - I know in one of the books there's something to do with Elsa's fear manifesting. Let's build off that. [Plz no ROTBTG or whatever the fuck it's called now.] I could see Pitch working with Hans-- with the goal of corrupting him-- but 'assisting' in his revenge to push him deeper into the darkness.

Kingdom Hearts - I once had an AU for this-- but Pitch isn't a heartless or linked to them. He's fear and corruption manifest-- he's older than the keyblade war, a primordial entity of darkness made flesh. Rumor has it an old famed warrior lost a battle to him and had his body taken over.

Villain Characters - Any and all villains from various franchises. Let Pitch work with them-- manipulate them and play ally while planning to stab them in the back.

D&D Muses - I'm working on an AU for Pitch where he's an old god from before time began-- a relic of a time of darkness and chaos. Pitch can make pacts and have champions-- but interfering in the mortal plane himself is difficult.

[cherryblossomshadow]

Lady and the Tramp

Summary:

“Tradition dictates that foreign assassins must be publicly executed." The council member turned to the Captain and ordered, “Set it up for tomorrow at noon and take that mongrel to the dungeon. Lock the lady in her room.” Temari twisted her head to watch as the guards dragged Shikamaru away, holding herself tense until he was out of sight. This better work, she thought.

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ShikaTemaWeek2024, day 1: The Lady and the Tramp fandom: Naruto | ship: Shikamaru x Temari | trigger warnings: canon-typical violence | content: Shikamaru faces execution for killing a Suna Council member, oh no! | word count: 1204

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Helpful link to AO3

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Written for Day 1 of ShikaTema Week 2024 -The Lady and the Tramp! Inspired by the climactic scene of Lady and Tramp saving the day, but immediately getting misunderstood. Lady was locked up, and Tramp was sent to the pound (sent to his death, essentially). That was my initial idea, but oh my god they would not stop trying to think themselves out of the situation 😂 Any characters you don’t recognize were inspired by Gaara Hiden: A Sandstorm Mirage, which I have not read (also I made Maizuru a real boy 🤥)

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Yura crumpled, sliding smoothly off of Shikamaru’s kunai onto the moonlit sand. Shikamaru reached out to stabilize himself against the wall, but his leg suddenly gave out on him. Temari caught him, as he knew she would, and she guided him to a seated position, propped against the armory wall. They took a moment to take each other in, trying to catalogue the other's injuries as the adrenaline drained away. Shikamaru was relieved to see that she was much less wounded than him and Yura. She had a few lacerations on her arms, a gash on her leg, and one puncture wound, all bleeding sluggishly. Injuries she only received when covering his position. 

Temari straightened, glancing around warily. They hadn’t exactly been quiet during the fight to keep the Suna Council traitor from tipping off Sasori. "You can't walk," she stated.

Shikamaru shook his head. “You should go.” Whether to hide or to catch up to Kankuro, it would be better for her to leave him behind.

Temari pursed red lips. “They’ll execute you when they find you here,” she reminded him.

Just Shikamaru, not her. He wasn’t exactly thrilled to die, but he was glad that Temari's status as a Lady of Suna protected her from the same fate. If she were to stay, she would only be detained, not executed.

Shikamaru thought back to Suna’s favored methods of execution. He shifted slightly, fingers itching to move into their customary position. “Publicly?”

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Black Antling sprang from the ground, enclosing Shikamaru inside. Temari pounded fruitlessly on its metal body. "Shikamaru!"

"Enough of that, Lady Temari." Lord Tojuro swept into the room with a full complement of guards. “Don't get yourself into more trouble.”

“Don’t fight,” Shikamaru weakly implored her from inside the puppet. “I’ll be reunited with my brother soon.” Temari caught his meaning and fought to keep the air of a panicked Lady. Stupid self-sacrificing Konoha nincompoop, she internally fumed.

“Yes, don’t embarrass yourself further." The senior council member sneered. “Guards, restrain her.” Maizuru, Captain of the Guard in Kankuro’s absence, motioned at two of his men, and they grabbed her by the arms, pulling her away from Shikamaru’s current prison.

"Wait, Lord Tojuro, please!" Temari pleaded, every cloying word tasting like ash inside her mouth. "This isn't what it looks like!"

"Oh, so you didn't conspire with an envoy from Konoha to murder a Council member?" Lord Tojuro tutted. "My mistake, my lady."

"Yura was a traitor to Suna!" Temari argued, despite knowing it would fall on deaf ears. "Please don't execute him!"

"But he did assassinate Lord Yura?"

Temari forced herself to hang her head in a mockery of defeat. "Yes, he did," she admitted.

"Then as you yourself have pointed out,” Lord Tojuro pointed out, satisfaction dripping from every word. “Tradition dictates that foreign assassins must be publicly executed." The council member turned to Maizuru and ordered, “Set it up for tomorrow at noon and take that mongrel to the dungeon. Lock the lady in her room.”

Temari twisted her head to watch as the guards dragged Shikamaru away, holding herself tense until he was out of sight. This better work, she thought.

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The sun glared high overhead. Civilians and ninja alike gathered on the tiered walls outside the village. Temari fingered her handcuffs as she watched the guards drag Shikamaru out of the village gate. After a final push, they retreated, leaving him to limp further into the desert.

The wind slowly picked up, sand obscuring him from view as it gained in intensity. Temari clenched her fists in front of her, trying to maintain her outward appearance of calm. Please let him be okay, she chanted helplessly.

Lord Tojuro nodded to Maizuru, and the Captain rang the gong, though it was barely audible over the roar of the sandstorm. Temari raised her cuffed hands to shield her eyes from the abrasive particles. Maizuru rang the gong again.

Suddenly, the entire desert went still. The roar of the storm suddenly ceased, leaving only the echo of the second gong ringing across the desert. The dust cleared, revealing three figures in the far distance. Gaara began striding confidently towards the village gates. Kankuro followed behind, seemingly unharmed. Shikamaru limped slightly behind them. Temari nearly collapsed in relief. The gambit had paid off!

Temari had barely been able to sleep, worrying over a thousand what-ifs. What if Shikamaru’s injuries kill him before noon? What if Kankuro’s Suna-Konoha team doesn’t make it in time to rescue Gaara? What if they lose to Sasori, even with the element of surprise that they had killed Yura to keep?

Temari studied their movements closely, trying to pick out any injuries on the three of them. Gaara seemed entirely unharmed, Kankuro only tired, and Shikamaru with no more injuries than he had had the last time she saw him. The whispers around her grew louder in volume, the closer they approached. They finally dissolved into cheers when the villagers realized their Kazekage had returned to them.

Gaara stopped just a few feet away from the wall. He held up a hand to quiet the crowd.

Lord Tojuro took the opportunity to exclaim, “Gaara! Where have you been?”

“Yura betrayed Suna and handed me over to Sasori of the Red Sand, in league with the Akatsuki.” Gaara's steady voice projected across the calm desert. You could hear a reed crack. “We are henceforth cutting all ties with the Akatsuki.”

Gaara motioned, and Kankuro stepped forward to lay Sasori's corpse on the sand.

“Lord Tojuro, as Kazekage, I call you to account for your actions!" Gaara proclaimed. Temari smiled as she watched Lord Tojuro’s face turn redder than a heatstroke. "You have not been acting in Suna’s best interests. Striking deals with organizations like the Akatsuki and now picking fights with Konoha?"

“How dare you, boy!” Lord Tojuro yelled, spittle flying everywhere. “Everything I do is in Suna’s best interest! I was killing for Suna long before your father was even born! You are not fit to be Kazekage!”

“On the contrary, you, Lord Tojuro, are not fit to be an elder on the Suna Council,” Gaara calmly responded. “I hereby strip you of your title and responsibilities. Please remand yourself to custody immediately.”

Lord Tojuro was so mad he was shaking. Temari stepped up beside him, cheekily announcing, “Here, I have some handcuffs.”

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So excited to be contributing to ShikaTema week again <3 I hope you enjoyed this! Please let me know what you thought! (pls be kind T.T)

[personal-fnafhs-au]

Im gonna be honest. I have worked on none of the designs-. I was wanting to work on the designs in order, however whenever I tried I got unwilling to do so. So im kinda doing it out of order.

The order

Los Villanos

The toys

The nightmares (+plus extra nightmare characters)

Own villian ocs (very excited for this one)

The funtimes (+ extra funtime characters)

Spring(and the phantoms((got some ideas for those)).)

The weirdos (aka puppet, bb, jj, ect ect)

Some ocs

The rockstars (cause i love fnaf 6-)

The scraps (- scraptrap cause. No, well maybe if i feel like it)

More ocs

The glamrocks(+extra characters)

The animatronics

The shadows (which is just the actual shadows ((not like fred/ there are two variations of shadows for me-))from the games but that might need a name change)

Other fnaf fan games/media (candys, popgoes, walten files, and whatever i find interesting)

Even more fnafhs ocs

Actual animatronic ocs

Now, I think the main reason ive been holding this off is because im worried or scared. Like I have been in the full force of the dandys world fandom, and after that I think you would be scared too. You have a different perspective and opinion on a character that originally had no other canon prospects and people start coming at you with pitch forks and torches.

Im not saying everyone in the fandom would do that, but there would be some strong supporters of certain ships that will probably try to hang me. (For example, I dont like bxb. I always seen them as rivals or that they dont like each other. Same goes for fede x felix. Especially when that one audio surfaced of them arguing.)

I dont like most of the character designs. Like for fede and him being skinny(ish) and white. I like to think of him as albino and big. And Bb(loon) I really dont like looking at him and people (sometimes) going “awww sweet lil shy boy”. This is the same people that look at the og balloon boy and absolutely hates him. He’s annoying, yes. Why not make him an annoying little kid like he is?

This is something I also noticed when I was a young preteen watching this. And thats there isnt much diversity in it, ive seen alot of people put their headcanons in it and i love that. But looking at the actual series, its kinda baren when it comes to skin color, hairstyles, culture, body types, interests, and hobbies (other than singing/music),

If the few seeing this would like me to talk more. Then please, send asks! Wanna complain at me about my personal opinions? Go ahead (just dont harrass me, be respectful). Wanna just ask genuine questions about the characters and how i view them? Yes! I would like that alot.

But, as of now I will bid a farewell

[stained-glass-cicada]

okay so heres the over explanation I promised <3

some songs are on two charater's playlists bc its about both of them

SAYER's list:

The Fox the crow and the cookie- Fairytale format, sayer is the fox ocean is the crow, like technically the fox loses but the crow's pride causes it to lose what it worked for

Nunemaker's parable- sayer and hale in the bleak nanite times

perfect nothing- its fear of becoming obsolete

Istanbul not Constantinople- it loves giving a good history

Under My Skin by jukebox the ghost- Nanites!

Viva la vida- King robbed of power

Clair de lune- spacy? soothing piano, it just feels like sayer to me

ship of thesseus- Yknow

the watchtower- it feels most comfortable in its metaphorical panopticon

Never Love An Anchor- episode 83 twin voices

this too shall pass- fable about hard times passing and the nature of change and containing multitudes

sicilian crest- sayer planning and manipulating itself into a position of power again, I'll be real, y'all would need to see the animatic in my head for this one

Give a little- "Be kind, be patient, be hard to please. It seems contradicting, but do it honestly. Just give a little, give a little, give a little, give a little Until you disintegrate"

Fitter Happier- it genuinely does try to take care of the residents who make it past tier one

1816 the year without a summer- IT LOVES TO GIVE A HISTORY

Hale's list: Fun fact in my mind this was WAY less romantic than it turned out to be, Forgot to interpret the romantic songs romantically, this is incredibly sayerhale huh?

Mrs. Bluebeard- floor thirteen hale

Homebody Modifications- little dissociation energy, weird relationship to home and physicality

Honeybee- Okay this one Was intended as sayerhale :3

Surrounded- "let me die surrounded by machines"

Real boy- He does not Feel Like A Real Boy

A Complete List of Fears Ages 5-28 (approx.)- he's so so scared and has only sayer as anchor. I Forgot This Song is Romantic oops

A Human's touch- @koszmarnybudyn showed me this one for hale and oh my Gosh. This man does Not Feel like A Person

Nunemaker's Parable- He shares this one with sayer :)

Jack- His dynamic with future!

(How To: Initiate Conversation)- He's not got memory of how to make friends

Ship of thesseus- he share's this one with sayer too, I listened to so many ships of thesseus to find one that reminded me of both of them

Bleed Out- Sayer just keeps scraping this man off the pavement and he's SO Tired

I've got you under my skin by frank Sinatra- Mirrors under my skin on sayer's with a different song because I feel like he feels a little differently about nanite time than it does

Body Terror Song- Post Dissociative Amnesia incident song!

Puppet Boy- yeah you get it, its there on the tin

Ocean list- my favorite tbh

Time is up- Its gonna end that stupid ball of dirt

Blue- vidarr-1 trip, knowing it will have to return

Digital Girl- Oh my god it wants to be a physical being so it can't be deleted D: also miku! :]

alone in space.- baptized in null

Software Upgrade- humanity need to evolve and its too cute to paitently wait

Anonymous M- @kamil-a suggested this one and it really fit with the aesthetics also miku :]

You should see me in a crown- sometimes ocean can just have a cool moment

The fox the crow and the cookie- shared with sayer, "your subtle acclamation's true best to give praise where praise it due" is so oceanvoice its crazy

Interlude 2- the silence other than mechanical beeps and a low hum, vidarr-1 before it woke up captain Ingraham

My little Universe- it realizing it can take control

Oh no!- having a cool fun poppy moment until it admits it feels like it's the worst so it acts like it's the best

Yes & No- it's not quite human and not just a chained entity, it's got the most complicated self esteem issue

Eeeaaaooo- gonna b real with yall I thought this was instrumental. I still like it tho and it's not moving despite the lyrics having nothing to do with it.

Next Level- it's simply better than you (affirmations)

Dreamscape- it can do anything it wants, it swears, it's not just barely being tolerated

SPEAKER list- it is kinda giving parentified eldest child rage and I dont know how or why

Gravedigger- horrified by the arc of its life

The Breach- its Incredibly efficient

Hollow- I do not think it is okay

Only Human- it, despite its niceness, is not treated like an equal, but!! It stays helpful!

Loud mouth- ocean would really like it to 'learn its place'

Just Be Competent- if you are very very good at your job they wont kill you again (affirmations)

Browser History- light, bouncy, fun, but stuttering over these longer lower tones

Moonsickness- it genuinely has more moving pieces to deal with than sayer and its life depends on performing Perfectly lest the just bring Sayer back down, it hates the system

Streaks- its Boundaries are So Narrow.

Artificial Heart- I Do Not Think It Is Ok.

Rat- it knows Aerolith doesnt have Anyone's best interests at heart, it wanted so badly to do well, it believed the marketing materials

Robotkisses.Temp- just good speaker vibes

Feed the Machine- hi! It doesn't feel good about the 2 cataclysm

Honeywell- it needs to be useful, it needs to prepare these beings for Sayer who won't give them the grace it will

Nice Vs. Kind- it is nice! It has condemned so many to death :) please tell it if your going to deactivate it please stop keeping it on edge :))

Sayer Playlists!

SAYER's list: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1JrJasOPenyEWK5gU2mrYO?si=O74IbkeiTB2I6PUfUHrjpg

Jacob Hale/Sven Goreson's list: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6n0d71PGr8NXTWlFSqM3mI?si=OfAUcbhBRiW0hyMJlqh6Kg

SPEAKER's list: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3pq5vmTOmgqjTFOtnG5D2K?si=UBN3ws5UQKeUjPY1mYiHnA

OCEAN's list: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/18b9wvlgNkQb7hkzm4cjKr?si=zWyBzpQrRLCESZmjh2CZNQ

FUTURE's list: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1gqPr06OcKGez9nplPqAZ3?si=HI6_f2LXRjmSvu1gJ5-Jww

@ghostisredacted and @resident44776 y'all were asking about the lists :]

[shyanshippingsociety]

Shyan Shipping Society Mod Fic Rec List - August 2022

hello and welcome to the august fic rec list! your mods ve, shade, cerys, juice, rowan, and nicole have gathered some of our favorite fics (and commentary) for your reading pleasure! enjoy!

Ve:

Modus Broperandi by strawberrymilano | E, 28K, complete

Shane’s never had a bro bone in his body. Except, lately… Lately, whenever he sees a bro, he falls into natural bro behavior.

It’s an out-of-body experience.

Ghost!Ryan AU.

I'll be upon you by the moonlight side by drunkkenobi | E, 22K, complete

“It’s weird, you know.”

“Weird” wasn’t the word Shane would’ve used. Terrifying, scary, awful, upsetting, grotesque, sure, but weird? Not high on his list.

“What do you mean?”

“Just that Sara would get bit by a wolf on a full moon.”

“Ryan.”

Shade:

hey boy, take a look at me by weakspots | E, 17K, complete

Ryan is 27, for Christ’s sake, and he’s not exactly hideous, so there’s really no reason to spend his money on a dude — a dude — whose face he’ll never see but whose livestreams he’s been jerking off to for roughly 4 months now. He should be going out and partying and fucking random chicks. Or a guy, whatever, just to get it out of his system and confirm to himself that he really is 100% straight.

Because he is. This is morbid curiosity, if anything.

Teacher's Pet by chapscher | E, 24K, complete

“You aren’t describing a teacher’s pet! You’re describing… I don't know the name for it. Someone who tries to seduce their teacher so they can get a better grade.” “Isn’t that a teacher’s pet?” “No!” _ Ryan is tired of losing every episode of Puppet History and asks Shane to tutor him. Shane obliges and tries to keep the tutoring session on track even as they distract each other.

Cerys:

The Hierophant by carrieonfighting | T, 94K, complete

“So kids, for the last week, we’ve been discussing the fundamentals of duelling.” Shane lounged easily against his desk, robes hanging open haphazardly. Ryan snorted to himself, sitting at the back of the huge room, and he saw Shane’s ear twitch.

“So today, now that I have a partner, it seems like a fantastic time to demonstrate!” He announced. It was Ryan’s turn to twitch. “Professor Bergara is your new Divination teacher, he’ll be starting his classes after the weekend. Please stand up, Professor.”

“E-excuse me?” Ryan said, turning terribly red.

In which Ryan sees the future and moves to Scotland, meets his hero and isn't impressed, hears strange noises in the night, and interrogates some ghosts. After all these years, the castle still keeps its secrets.

A Gentleman of Spirit by breathtaken | E, 21K, complete

Newly impoverished and grieving the loss of his father, Mr Shane Madej is only attending Lady Bergara’s ball at Walcot Hall so that he can write an anonymous report on it for one of the gossip columns. He isn’t expecting to find the Baronet of Walcot’s eldest son – as rich and handsome as he is eccentric – attempting to contact a spirit behind the coach house; he certainly isn’t expecting to fall in love.

Juice:

Do I have a crush? by Dippingmytoesindreams | T, 2K, complete

No, he does not. AKA, Buzzfeed Violet’s Crush series, but make it shyan

Oh, Ryan by VictoriaAGrey | T, 10K, complete

Ryan thinks the holiday season is going to be a predictable affair until Ned calls in a two year old debt Ryan owes him. Honoring that two year old debt sets into motion an avalanche of bad decisions and miscommunications that land Ryan at his parent's house on Christmas Day with a baby and a best friend pretending to be his boyfriend.

Did he also mention Shane's living with him?

Rowan:

tender violet blue by 2many2spirits | E, 7K, complete

“Why’d you do it this time?”

“You asked,” Shane says with a shrug, and the enormity of the statement hits Ryan in the chest with a two-second delay, almost knocking the air from his lungs. Ryan’s never prepared for the way Shane can deliver absolutely devastating blows in the most casual way. It’s one of his most charming qualities. “And you’re so small, I couldn’t let you get hit by a wave and pulled out to sea on my watch. Linda would kill me. I’d have to walk back to LA.”

or; the intricate ritual is skinny dipping

(no actual rituals happen)

Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered Am I by colazitron | E, 17K, complete

Look, just because Ryan looks good dressed as Indiana Jones, or dressed in various other things, and just because Shane maybe has a feeling or two about it, doesn't mean it's a thing, okay? Shane's got this.

Or: 5 times Shane had a feeling about Ryan's outfit, +1 time he did something about it

Nicole:

Like Wildfire by makemadej | E, 20K, complete

“Is this gonna be a thing with you?” Ryan demands. “You can’t keep committing to stuff that no one else knows about! When people online say they want you to be more open and vulnerable, this is not what they mean.”

“I know!” Shane wails. “I fucked up.”

“Again,” Ryan points out, which is true but really not necessary.

(Or: the one where Shane accidentally tells Ryan's mom they're a couple and they commit to the bit)

Nicole’s Note: The first Shyan fic I ever read, which was my intro to the ship and the reason I joined the SSS!! 

The Weird 'Verse by Little_Bunny | M, 169K, complete

It really started for a stupid reason, and that stupid reason was the Ohio State Penitentiary.

But then, things got set into motion, and before they knew it, the relationship between Ryan and Shane had changed in relatively subtle but hugely important ways. Ways that are a little weird. Ways that nobody had expected, although Sara had given her full, unwavering support.

Well... Maybe Curly had suspected something. But honestly, Curly got the gossip before God herself, so... That was nothing new.

Nicole’s Note: Queerplatonic Shyan/Shyanara with some of the best characterisation I’ve ever read!! You know a fic is good when you end up with tons of your own headcanons for the universe it’s set in 

we hope you enjoy our recs! as always, leave comments and kudos on fics you like - those mean a lot to authors! and feel free to let us know if you have any recs!

- the mod team

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 318: On Your Left

Previously on BnHA: The Hawksquad+Lurkers were all “well this sucks” and sat around a bit talking about how maybe they should actually come up with a new plan that is actually good, but then in the end they were like “nah.” Deku was all, “THERE’S SOMETHING INSIDE ME THAT PULLS BENEATH THE SURFACE!! CONSUMING, CONFUSING!! THIS LACK OF SELF CONTROL I FEAR IS NEVERENDING. IT’S HAUNTING HOW I CANT SEEM TO FIND MYSELF AGAIN. MY WALLS ARE CLOSING IN.” Just, literally that whole entire song. All Might was all “Deku you should take care of yourself, try eating a thing,” and Deku was all “BYE, ALL MIGHT,” and just LEFT. He left!!! What the fuck!!!

Today on BnHA: Endeavor is all, “maybe if Deku didn’t listen to All Might he’ll listen to me instead.” Deku is all, “[doesn’t listen to Endeavor]” because, well, yeah. The Vestiges are all, “surprisingly, even we are a little concerned -- maybe you should get some rest, kid.” Deku is all, “((Ò ‸ Ó)).” The Vestiges are all, “holy shit.” Deku is all, “[wanders the ruined city streets terrifying the populace on account of him looking like Shelob had a baby with one of the Nazgul].” Some shriveled-up puppeteer villain asshole is all, “HORIKOSHI SAID IT’S MY TURN TO ATTACK DEKU TODAY SO I AM GOING TO SUMMON MY FRIGHTENED HELPLESS ATTACK MOB!!” Kacchan is all “WHADDYA MEAN THEY FOUND THE NERD!!! -- oh wait, that’s me, I found him. I found the nerd, you guys.” And just in time, too. I was about to owe a whole lot of people a whole lot of dollars.

so I have been super good about spoilers this week as always, but let me tell you guys, for the past 36 hours my dash filters have basically been nonstop “manga spoilers” this and “bnha 318” that, and so I’m coming in with a fair amount of hype here. your move, Horikoshi

oh, good! they got Endeavor to call Deku to try to talk him out of it. what a great and wonderful plan

“listen up kid, you haven’t slept since March and you are basically a walking biohazard right now, I’m just telling it like it is. didn’t you get shot like three times?? and there was a whole thing about how you urgently needed medical attention?? and supposedly we gave it to you, but I mean you haven’t even changed your clothes and don’t seem to have any fresh bandages or anything, so did we?? did we, really?? and also we all got blown up yesterday, so yeah.” hmm he’s making some reasonable points here you guys, but you sure do go on and on, Endeavor

oh he says foreign aid is finally on its way! I’m sure they’ll be very helpful. I mean in fairness they can hardly be worse than the home-grown heroes at this point

hey Enji, could you maybe try appealing to Deku the sixteen-year-old human boy, as opposed to Deku The World’s Last Hope? he does have value beyond his quirk. I know that’s always been an incredibly difficult concept for you to grasp, but could you maybe TRY, jesus

and also we’re worried about you as a person?? you’re just a kid and you’re pushing yourself way too hard?? you were going to say that part next, right. why the hell didn’t Hawks make this call instead

“don’t worry about me... I’m completely fine” Deku you do understand that saying it over and over again doesn’t actually make it true

and again with the rush!! all the rush rush rush!! we’re running out of time, we can’t let AFO and Tomura keep getting stronger, I have to end this now, there’s no time to rest, etc. etc. etc. just the constant pressure of this whole big countdown on top of everything else

holy shit, you KNOW it’s bad when even the Vestiges are telling him to chill

these guys are basically the walking talking embodiments of self-sacrifice; if even they’re telling him he needs to take five, then he must seriously be like half a step away from death’s door

OH SHIT LMAO

DIDN’T EVEN LET HIM FINISH HIS SENTENCE BEFORE HE SENT HIM INTO THE FUCKING SHADOW REALM WITH THAT FUCKING LOOK. HOLY FUCK. DIDN’T EVEN KNOW IT WAS POSSIBLE TO DIE TWICE. SHIT

(ETA: so I’m pretty sure this was just Danger Sense activating and so he cut them off to go do more hero stuff, but I’m gonna go ahead and stick to my original interpretation anyway lol.)

anyway so how’s everybody doing. we all good? En, you good? Banjou? Shino? I’m imagining you guys all curled up in a little ball on the floor right now lol. can’t say I blame you though, no shame

lmaoooooooooooo

“SHEESH.” sheesh indeed, lmao. “what in the FUCK was that”

see, this is why y’all need Kacchan. you need someone who’s not going to back down from him no matter what. if it’s a matter of out-stubborning Midoriya fucking Izuku, then there’s only one other person on the planet capable of that, and we all know it. don’t pretend like you don’t. I am not going to shut up about this! we’ve had our hurt so now what about SOME COMFORT, DAMMIT

“I’m afraid that he’s becoming influenced by my conscience” nah are you kidding Nana this is all 100% made-in-Japan pure original Deku right here

see, Banjou gets it. “that kid, he’s totally going on his own.” exactly. this was so inevitable it was basically scientific law

“well I for one don’t see the problem with Deku being so obsessed with saving everyone else that he pushes himself until his body and soul literally fall apart” okay, whose speech bubbles are these?? we’re about to have words

lol of course

well you always did prefer the direct route didn’t you. but even you can’t possibly think this is okay lol

dark AU!Kacchan please tell us more about your badass doomed timeline in which everything went to shit and you apparently had the same character arc that Deku is having right now except it somehow made you sexier instead of turning you into a rabid t-rex. I have so many questions

oh so now you want to help??? well -- good, actually. sorry if that sounded offended just now lol

(ETA: so at first when I got to the end of this chapter I was wondering if Katsuki B. had somehow summoned his alternate-universe counterpart through trippy OFA space telepathy lol. but in the original Japanese there’s no reference to “we”, so this appears to be a mistranslation. this line should probably read more like “if there’s something/someone out there that would be able to complement/complete the current Midoriya Izuku [it would be]…” which, oh hello, is that Horikoshi once again reaffirming that Deku and Bakugou complete each other lol. “guess what guys, the Vestiges ship it too" heck yeah. they know what’s up!)

look how admiring his boyfriends are. HORIKOSHI GIVE US THE REST OF THIS BACKSTORY ALREADY GODDAMMIT

“meanwhile somewhere in the depths of the ruined city, Deku was having a dance-off with the villains”

I like how the villains all have this “AHH WHAT THE FUCK” kind of body language to them lol. I mean if it were me, and an eldritch horror suddenly clawed its way from the shadows with its writhing glowy tentacles and pants-shitting nuclear death stare, I would probably just die on the spot. no need to stick around. only pain awaits

lol for a minute I thought this was Can’t Ya See-kun and I was like “WHAT A FASCINATING CROSSING OF PATHS” but it’s just some random girl

he seems genuinely confused lol

Deku it’s because you look like something that crawled out of a sewer drain, sweetheart

lol they just took his word for it?

so trusting. even though they’re immediately hauling ass anyway just to be safe lmao

“my appearance is frightening to others” no shit Deku it’s because you look like a fucking alien exorcism. you look like a Lich that got caught up in an oil spill my dude

NO NOT THE CHOSEN ONE ANGST AGAIN

I RAN OUT OF ESSAY JUICE FOR THIS ALREADY HORIKOSHI!! I’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT FOR MONTHS NOW WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG!! BUT ANYWAYS, GOOD!! I MEAN, BAD, THOUGH, OBVIOUSLY. BUT YES

“ENJOY THIS MONTAGE OF DEKU BATTLING A RANDOM KAIJU AND WANDERING THE WOODS LIKE A DERANGED GREEN BABA YAGA” okay yes but sir, exactly how much longer is this going to go on. if it’s a matter of you wanting to make sure we get it, let me assure you that aside from a few stray chuunis who think that Deku embracing the Darkness is the coolest thing he’s ever done, all of us here in fandom fully comprehend that this is Not Good

-- OH SO IT’S LIKE THAT

really. with the flashbacks to his loved ones’ smiling faces and everything. not even gonna try to aim above the belt, huh

AND NO KACCHAN??! NO CLASSMATES?!?! IS HE PURPOSELY NOT THINKING OF THEM??? OR ARE THEY BEING SAVED FOR THE NEXT PAGE??? SO HELP ME, IF THE NEXT PART OF THIS SENTENCE IS “CAN PROTECT THEM”, OR EVEN WORSE, “CAN SEE THEIR SMILING FACES AGAIN”, I...

WHAT DID I JUST SAY

(ETA: my man did Sero and Kaminari fucking dirty lmao. I miss their smiling faces too omg.)

the sheer, unparalleled irony of him saying this while he stands there looking like the gargoyle demon from Fantasia got crossed with an umbrella that got struck by lightning. Deku :(

oi who the fuck is this clown

is he controlling this mob with his evil hair. “what if I made an exhausted, running-on-fumes Deku battle a brainwashed mob at Ground Zero.” Horikoshi do you just have like a checklist of horrible things you want to do to your protagonist

easy there Sasori

well joke’s on you buddy because he’s apparently “completely fine”, so

“here’s to hoping that you know more about AFO’s location than the others” jesus christ Deku you really have hung your mercy out to dry huh

now he’s forcing his mob of terrified prisoners to attack Deku ahhhh. sucks to be them. at least they’re not being controlled by bees

so Deku is saying that Sasori’s control can be broken with “physical trauma.” similar to Shinsou’s quirk I guess. but so does that mean he’s gonna have to hurt them? ( •﹏•)

NO NOT MORE SAD EYES

“DEATH BY EMPATHY!!!” HORIKOSHI NO

fuck. he looks like he’s on the verge of passing out

this is what happens when you nerf a character’s self-preservation stats in favor of spamming their bone-breaking stats instead. NOW ACCEPTING BRAIN CELL DONATIONS FOR A BOY IN NEED!! with your loving generosity we can hopefully help him live to the ripe old age of seventeen

OMGFGGG

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[grabs your hands] ლ(*꒪ヮ꒪*)ლ [swings you in a circle] へ(ﾟ◇ﾟへ)

THASSSSSSSS WHATSSSSSSS UPPPPPPPPPP

HORIKOSHI REALLY SAID FUCK THAT MASK (ノ°ο°)ノ YOU FINALLY LEARNED!! IT’S CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!!!!

JUST FOR YOU KACCHAN, HORIKOSHI LEFT THIS ONE BAD GUY WHO’S STILL WEAK TO FIRE. GOD BLESS

IT’S YOUR COUNTERPART, KATSUKI B!!!! HOW WE DOIN OVER THERE IN THE TRIPPY COSMIC OFA SPACE REALM LOL. DO WE BELIEVE YET, FANDOM???

LIGHTS!!!!

INSTANT RESULTS!!! IT’S SUPER EFFECTIVE!!!

(ETA: imagine what this must look like to Deku though. he’s been caught up in this dark cloud of despair and exhaustion that’s been building up over... I’m gonna go ahead and say “weeks”, because yeah. and now he finds himself here, in the place where All Might’s legacy ended and the torch was passed to him. and the world is in ruins, and he’s surrounded by frightened people who are all trying to hurt him -- because who isn’t trying to hurt him, these days -- and he’s scrambling to figure this all out, but meanwhile the weariness is finally starting to catch up to him, and so he’s basically just standing there in a fog of complete and utter misery.

and then all of a sudden through that haze, he hears the one voice that’s more familiar than any other that he knows. like, I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he thought he was just imagining it at first. Kacchan showing up to save him right when he’s at his most desperate and feeling the most alone. Kacchan, showing up to save him.

this is the person he always looked up to as a child (to be fair he was quite a strange child lmao). the person who was even closer to him than All Might. the person he always thought was amazing. and bam, here he is now. appearing in the sky out of nowhere to one-shot the bad guy with a single blast (which, btw, that was his armor-piercing attack too lmao dslkjlk take it easy there kiddo). like, that must have felt absolutely surreal to him, especially coming at a time when he’s already half-delirious and barely hanging on to reality. he must have really thought that he was losing it there for a second.

but he’s really there. it really is him. and for this brief moment -- before the rest of the situation catches up to him, and he remembers about all of the fucked-up AFO stuff, and remembers why he was so afraid and why he was pushing everyone away -- for just this one brief moment, he’s too exhausted and stunned to do anything except to just react. just stands there, looking up at him in awe.

and you know, it almost reminds me of...

just. you guys. the character development. the freaking character development. someone who brings reassurance. someone who shows up and makes you think, “oh, it’s all going to be okay now, because [person] is here.” the role reversals. the growth. the payoff!! because who is the one person who always had faith that Kacchan would one day grow up to become an amazing hero like that. WHO IS IT. YOU ALREADY KNOW.

omg. anyways, bless you Horikoshi, my feels which have been on backorder since fucking September have finally arrived lmao. yes, good, thank you. worth the wait. it is always, always worth the wait. fuck yeah.)

“LOWFRIES” SO YOU’RE TELLING ME THE WHOLE GANG IS HERE, AHHHHHHHH (º̩̩́⌣º̩̩̀ )

BEAUTIFUL. WONDERFUL. SENSATIONAL. I DON’T EVEN CARE THAT JUMP IS ON BREAK NEXT WEEK. THIS RIGHT HERE WILL SUSTAIN ME

[queerdraws]

Cleaning Out the Rooms - a Harry Du Bois playlist Alcoholism, getting better?, memory loss, being a superstar, The Final Dream, forming political opinions, bad breakups, past transgressions, being a strange and inconsistent being, and persisting despite it all 26 songs (r-slur warning for Turnin’ on the Screw - QotSA)

including: David Bazan, They Might be Giants, The Mountain Goats, British Sea Power (of course), Queens of the Stone Age, and more.  Full track listing and lyric excerpts under the cut

---- Turnin' on the Screw - Queens of the Stone Age (This is the opening track on Era Vulgaris, seemed like an appropriate opening song / introduction to Harry's general essence) ----

... They say those who can't just instruct others And act like victims or jilted lovers You can't lose it if you never had it Disappear, man, do some magic

Want a reason? How's about because You ain't a has been if you never was

I sound like this

Scared to say what is your passion So slag it all, bitter's in fashion Fear of failure's all you've started The jury is in, verdict: r******d

I'm so tired, and I'm wired too I'm a mess; I guess I'm turning on the screw

---- Bless this Mess - David Bazan (Harry being a drunk and a general mess, things going in cycles) ----

God bless the man who stumbles God bless the man who falls God bless the man who yields to temptation God bless the woman who suffers God bless the woman who weeps God bless the children trying her patience Trouble getting over it Is what you're in for So pour yourself another 'Cause it'll take a steady pair of hands Holy or unholy ghost Well now I can't tell, but either way you cut it You should get some distance if you plan to take a stand God bless the house divided God bless the weeds in the wheat God bless the lamp hid under a bushel I discovered hell to be the poison in the well So I tried to warn the others of the curse But then my body turned on me I dreamt that for eternity My family would burn Then I awoke with a wicked thirst

---- Don’t Sit Down Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair - Arctic Monkeys (general Harry vibe.  off-kilter) ----

Break a mirror, roll the dice

...

Find a well-known hard man and start a fight Wear your shell suit on bonfire night Fill in a circular hole with a peg that's square

But just don't sit down 'cause I've moved your chair

...

Bite the lightning and tell me how it tastes Kung fu fighting on your roller skates Do the Macarena in the devil's lair

But just don't sit down 'cause I've moved your chair

---- I've Been Seeing Things - They Might be Giants (feels very Harry's detecting style, surreal happenstance) ----

I've been seeing things I've been seeing things Don't have answers but I've got lots of questions

Carpool's up, someone gets out Hand someone else a violin case I'm trying not to let them see me looking at them But I'm pretty sure there was a dollar sign

Keep your eyes peeled and you'll see stuff Which at first seems like unimportant irrelevant things

Can't just ask some perfect stranger "What are you hiding in your violin case?" Shadow them at a distance instead Try to get inside their head

Where'd they go now (Where'd they go now) I got distracted (I got distracted) Begging me to stay (Begging me to stay) Wearing a disguise (Wearing a disguise) That lady (That lady) Must have ditched the kid (Must have ditched the kid) Hidge the down (Hidge the down) [???] What's she up to now? (What's she up to now?) Trembling cold by the airport road Watching them stack containers in rows Seagulls, helicopter, windblown trash Something doesn't add up

I've been seeing things I've been seeing things No one asks but I'm packing all kinds of attention

Later I'm watching a news report Camera pans across a crime scene Unremarked upon detail Empty violin case Okay maybe not the same case Different material, different color Still you have to wonder Am I the only one who knows

I've been seeing things

---- Music is the Victim - Scissor Sisters (breakup Harry.  drug-addled disco Harry) ----

I left my heart in San Fransisco It's at some motherfucking disco The people there where dancin' on it And that's including Ms. Matronic

Hell if music is the victim then so am I Of lovin' and a cheatin' the snake gon' bite I beg and I scream and I cuss and I cry If music is the victim then so am I

Of your bad fun Money's all gone but you need some Lover's on the phone but they got none Daddy ain't home from the dog run And you're riding through the city with a shotgun

I left my bag in Pasadena Where all them girls was doin' Tina Them bitches sure were crunked up on it I said I'd rather smoke some chronic

Hell if music is the victim then so am I Of lovin' and a cheatin' the snake gon' bite I beg and I scream and I cuss and I cry If music is the victim then so am I

---- Down to Your Soul - Right Away, Great Captain! (about the Final Dream and pre-game Harry) ----

And I see things I actually don't see. I knew it wasn't actually you a few feet from my reach. I looked into your eyes and I began to lose my teeth, And I felt you were dreaming the same thing.

And I know you don't know what I'm capable of But if you give me just one more minute I'm sure That you would be shaking right down to your soul And I'd hope that the fear of the lord brings me home. I'm a man in a body of water so tall Could swallow you whole and forget where he's going But I carved a map in the back of my arm Don't worry I'm coming home I said don't worry cause I'm coming home

---- No Surprises - Radiohead (suicidal harry, pre-game.  Maybe immediately before the game.  A little Big Communism Builder) ----

A heart that's full up like a landfill A job that slowly kills you Bruises that won't heal You look so tired, unhappy Bring down the government They don't, they don't speak for us I'll take a quiet life A handshake of carbon monoxide

And no alarms and no surprises

…

This is my final fit My final bellyache

…

No alarms and no surprises, please (get me out of here)

---- Cleaning Out the Rooms - British Sea Power (The instrumental part seems to have been used / referenced for a background music track.  And also the name of that one thought project. as expected, it fits beautifully.  Wake up in a new life, down by the seaside.  Cleaning out the rooms.  She’ll be coming soon.) ----

Where life is good in a way Swept away upon our hearts, in cold coal ceremonial On a rainy day, hang it up Get the vacuum and suck it in Cleaning out the rooms, I'll clean it up Dark cloud, drifting out of view I'll never know, she'll be coming soon, that is all I'll wake up in a new life, ship shape and shoe shine Cleaning out the rooms, I'll clean it up She'll be coming soon Drifting into view, way in the west, white cloud If everybody knew, I never knew, she'll be coming soon I'll wake up in a new life, down by the seaside In a new life, down by the seaside Cleaning out the room, I'll clean it up Dark clouds, she'll be coming soon Down the chimney, out the window, that is all

---- In the Morning of the Magicians - The Flaming Lips (waking up with no memory, but bad vibes) ----

In the morning I awake

And I couldn't remember What is love and what is hate

The calculations error

Oh, what is love and what is hate? And why does it matter? Is to love just a waste? And how can it matter?

Oh...

As the dawn began to break I had to surrender The universe will have its way Too powerful to master

---- Once in a Lifetime - Talking Heads (Huh??  What's happening??  same as it ever was, same as it ever was) ----

And you may ask yourself, "How do I work this?" And you may ask yourself, "Where is that large automobile?" And you may tell yourself, "This is not my beautiful house" And you may tell yourself, "This is not my beautiful wife"

...

Same as it ever was, same as it ever was Same as it ever was, same as it ever was

...

And you may ask yourself, "What is that beautiful house?" And you may ask yourself, "Where does that highway go to?" And you may ask yourself, "Am I right? Am I wrong?" And you may say to yourself, "My God! What have I done?"

---- Don't Change - David Bazan (alcoholism, cycles of wanting to get better, depression, slipping in to old coping mechanisms, plus a little bit in here about dreams.  This is a song for if Harry continues partying after the memory wipe, I suppose) ----

He seems nice You met him once or twice But you wonder what he's like When he's sober

Then again You hear he has no friends Just people that he spins To do him favors

When he wakes up in the morning he tells himself Today I'll make a change But falling into his bed at night he thinks Man it was a beautiful day to stay the same

I'm so deep That only in my sleep Do the secrets that I keep Float to the surface

So I hold them down Till they don't make a sound Like they accidentally drowned Except on purpose

And when I wake up in the morning I tell myself Today I'll make a change But falling into my bed at night I think Man it was a beautiful day to stay the same

---- Airbag - Radiohead (born again, back to save the universe) ----

In the next world war In a jackknifed juggernaut I am born again In the neon sign scrolling up and down I am born again

In an interstellar burst I am back to save the universe

In a deep, deep sleep of the innocent I am born again In a fast German car I'm amazed that I survived An airbag saved my life

In an interstellar burst I am back to save the universe

---- A Comet Appears - The Shins (puppeting a man-body around pretending to be a living thing. drinking, depression) ----

One hand on this wily comet Take a drink just to give me some weight Some uber-man I'd make I'm barely a vapor

They shone a chlorine light on A host of individual sins Let's carve my aging face off Fetch us a knife Start with my eyes Down so the lines Form a grimacing smile

Close your eyes to corral a virtue Is this fooling anyone else? Never worked so long and hard To cement a failure

---- The Communists Have the Music - They Might be Giants (Big Communism Builder, but especially Harry's shallow understanding of Communism.  Party-boy communist) ----

I got handed an Ayn Rand sandwich Straight from the can, it tasted so bland I asked a lass to pass me a glass Of Engels' Conditions of the Working Class

Right away they dragged me to the committee To explain my un-American activity They're gonna see they made a mistake If they'd only let me play my mixtape

I'm not partial to the martial Or the plutocrats, in their beaver hats And the fascists have the outfits But I don't care for the outfits What I care about is music And the communists have the music

---- Harlem Roulette - The Mountain Goats (Harry thinking about Guillame le Million?  Generally: that vibe of secret, maybe supranatural machinations happening just outside your field of view.  A kinda lonely, pensive vibe, sprinkled with past drug use, driving...memory) ----

Unknown engines underneath the city Steam pushing up in billows through the grates Frankie Lymon's tracking "Seabreeze" in a studio in Harlem Its 1968. Just a pair of tunes to hammer out. Everybody's off the clock by 10:00. The loneliest people in the whole wide world are the ones you're never going to see again. Feels so free when I hit the avenue. Nothing like a New York summer night. Every dream's a good dream, Even awful dreams are good dreams, If you're doing it right. Remember soaring higher than a cloud. Get pretty sentimental now and then. The loneliest people in the whole wide world are the ones you're never going to see again. And four hours north of Portland, a radio flips on. And some no one from the future remembers that you're gone. Armies massing in the dusky distance. Ghosted in the ribbon microphone. Leave a little mark on something, maybe, Take the secret circuit home. Nothing in the shadows but the shadow hands. Reaching out to sad, young, frightened men. The loneliest people in the whole wide world are the ones you're never going to see again.

---- Suture up Your Future - Queens of the Stone Age (Harry's gonna fix his mess) ----

I'm gon' suture up my future I ain't jaded, I just hate it See, I been down too long It's kinda hard to explain Burned and buried, all I carried

...

Tried explaining unexplained Got caught in the plan All this talking at once I've been giving my love away To the things that tear it apart I'm gonna suture up my future

---- Lampshades on Fire - Modest Mouse (Harry trashing his body / having already trashed his body, just kinda a Harry-vibe song) ----

...

Well, the lampshade's on fire when the lights go out This is what I really call a party now Well, fear makes us really, really run around A-this one's done so where to now? Our eyes light up, we have no shame at all Well, you all know what I'm talking about The room lights up, but we're still dancing around We're having fun, having some fun now

Pack up again, head to the next place Where we'll make the same mistakes Open one up and let it fall to the ground Pile out the door when it all runs out

...

As our feelings are getting hurt Oh, we want you to do the work Our ass looks great inside these jeans Well, we want just our water clean

Well, this is how it's always been And this is how it's going to be So you just move on

---- Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes (Harry "can-opener" du Bois.  Talking to the skills, solving things, detecting, generally being a terrifying force of nature / the pale) ----

I'm gonna fight 'em all A seven nation army couldn't hold me back They're gonna rip it off Taking their time right behind my back

And I'm talking to myself at night Because I can't forget Back and forth through my mind Behind a cigarette

And the message coming from my eyes Says, "Leave it alone"

Don't wanna hear about it Every single one's got a story to tell Everyone knows about it From the Queen of England to the Hounds of Hell

And if I catch it coming back my way I'm gonna serve it to you And that ain't what you want to hear But that's what I'll do

And the feeling coming from my bones Says, "Find a home"

---- Body of Years - Mother Mother (Harry's past that follows him, Harry's half-decomposed body that marks the years of abuse it's been through) ----

All the remains of a cadaver of days I keep hidden away, keep them there just in case I wanna visit that place Blow the dust from the bones Off a body of years that I leave all alone Just a body of years

See the skin disappears And the blood turns to stone In a body of years now a pile of bones Like a sheet of veneer Each a piece of my soul It's a body of years that I leave all alone

It's Just a body of years, now a pile of bones You know Old soul who falls down Can't stop trippin' on these Old roads I go down Get back up and get my foot in the door And my face on the page Make my mark in the world With a bat and a blade It's a body of work that you can't ever change Like a body of years that you take to your grave It's just a body of years that I leave all alone It's just a body of years, now a pile of bones Like a sheet of veneer Each a piece of my soul

---- The Cap-m - They Might be Giants (just a Harry vibe song) ----

When I talk you keep looking away from me 'Cause you probably think that I'm high on pot But I'm not, I'm not

Look me over, I'm the Cap'm You say it's such a joke But I don't see you laughing

People seem to think you can't be called the Cap'm Unless you drive a boat Well, I don't I don't

Look me over, I'm the Cap'm Go ahead and mess with me You'll find out what will happ'm

...

Did you say what I think you just said My hat looks good on me? I agree, I agree

Look me over, I'm the Cap'm You act like it's a joke But I don't see you laughing

---- Broke - Modest Mouse (oops!  all mistakes.  Broke it all.  Want to forget it but can't) ----

Broke account, so I broke a sweat I've bought some things that I sort of regret about now Broke my pace and ran out of time Sometimes I'm so full of shit that it should be a crime

Broke a promise 'cause my car broke down Such a classic excuse it should be bronze by now Broke your glasses, but it broke the ice You said that I was an asshole and I paid the price

Broken hearts want broken necks I've done some things that I'd love to forget, but I can't

Broke up, and I'm relieved somehow It's the end of the discussions that just go 'round and 'round And 'round, and 'round, and 'round ... It was like everything was evidence of broken time

You're living on fancy wine You'll drink that turpentine You're starting conversations You don't even know the topic

---- Spent Gladiator 2 - The Mountain Goats (Defiantly alive) ----

Like a spent gladiator, Crawling in the coliseum dust. Who can count on his remaining limbs, All the people he can trust. Like the one who stands behind him, Cheering him on. Ecstatic when he stands defiant, Wild with abandon when he's gone. Just stay alive. Keep your eyes on the pay line. Like a village on the step, About to get collectivized. When the men emerge with rifles from the haystack, Everybody looks surprised. Like the mice in the forgotten grain, Way up on the top shelf. Like someone who's found a small town to escape to, Keeps one eye on his abandoned, former self. Stay in the game. Just try to play through the pain. Like a fighter who's been told its finally time for him to quit. Show up in shining colors, And then stand there and get hit. Like the clock that ticks in Dresden, When the whole town's been destroyed. Like the nagging flash of insight, You're always desperate to avoid. Like the bloody-knuckled gunman, Still stationed at the breach. Like that board game with the sliders, And the children on the beach. Stay alive. Maybe spit some blood at the camera. Just stay alive. Stay forever alive.

---- You Only Live Once - The Strokes (just general Harry, talking about the skills, choices you can make, what kind of cop you can be) ----

Twenty-nine different attributes Only seven that you like, oh-oh Twenty ways to see the world, oh And twenty ways to start a fight, oh

...

And countless odd religions too It doesn't matter which you choose, oh, no One stubborn way to turn your back, oh This I've tried and now refuse, oh

Oh don't, don't, don't get up I can't see the sunshine Oh, I'll be waiting for you, baby 'Cause I'm through Sit me down Shut me up I'll calm down And I'll get along with you

---- Pork and Beans - Weezer (Superstar Cop) ----

They say I need some rogaine to put in my hair Work it out at the gym to fit my underwear Oakley makes the shades to transform a tool You'd hate for the kids to think that you've lost your cool

I'ma do the things that I wanna do I ain't got a thing to prove to you I'll eat my candy with the pork and beans Excuse my manners if I make a scene I ain't gonna wear the clothes that you like I'm fine and dandy with the me inside One look in the mirror and I'm tickled pink I don't give a hoot about what you think

Everyone likes to dance to a happy song With a catchy chorus and beat so they can sing along Timbaland knows the way to reach the top of the charts Maybe if I work with him I can perfect the art

I'ma do the things that I wanna do I ain't got a thing to prove to you I'll eat my candy with the pork and beans Excuse my manners if I make a scene I ain't gonna wear the clothes that you like I'm fine and dandy with the me inside One look in the mirror and I'm tickled pink I don't give a hoot about what you think

No, I don't care I don't care

---- Freaks - Surf Curse (head filled with skills, The Final Dream) ----

Don't kill me just help me run away From everyone I need a place to stay Where I can cover up my face Don't cry, I am just a freak

I am just a freak(x3)

My head is filled with parasites Black holes cover up my eyes I dream of you almost every night Hopefully I won't wake up this time

I won't wake up this time(x3)

---- The Smallest Church in Sussex - British Sea Power (oh yeah this is mandatory) ----

[nyaagolor]

may we please get the mirror world headcanons?

heck yes u may

Most of it will be under the cut bc I talk a lot

I like to think the Mirror World is a reflection of the regular world (I call it Prime World for convenience's sake), and by reflection I mean opposite. It's not opposite in a "good v evil" way, just in the sense that a mirror world counterpart is the inverse of their prime world self, for better or for worse. For example, Noddies in Prime World sleep for most of their lives, while Mirror Noddies barely ever sleep and are constantly alert. Instead of a Sleep Ability, they give Panic, aka the Kirby equivalent of slurping down 15 espresso shots in a row. The mirror world counterparts are no better or worse than the prime world, just different!

Headcanons for all the mirror world counterparts of the Star Allies (or at least the ones I've thought abt) are under the cut :3c

Shadow Kirby (Skirby): Where Prime Kirby is reckless, bold, and overconfident, Skirby is reserved, cautious, and kinda pessimistic. They're no weaker or meaner than Prime Kirby, but seem a bit shy and non-confrontational because they always want to scope out the scene before they launch into anything. Some might call it cowardly, but Skirby thinks it's pragmatic. Much like prime Kirby, though, he's the hero of Popstar and is usually the planet's last defense against whatever eldritch horror comes their way. He deserves a break, though, since unlike Prime Kirby he's not surrounded by friends to help him out

Shadow Dedede (SDDD): He started off as a good king, always being diligent, professional, and responsible in contrast to Prime DDD's self-serving, goofy ways. He wanted what was best for the mirror world, but life didn’t make it easy. The mirror dees, rather than the loyal helpers we know from the prime world, were backstabbing jerks who were loyal to no one but themselves. SDDD tried so hard to be a good king, but had no one to help, no one to pull him out of a slump, so he just slipped through the cracks and got worse. Bitterness and anger consumed him until he started looking out for himself and himself only. He became a tyrant, turning into an iron-fisted, merciless ruler whose laws were enforced through violence. DDD got better with the help of his friends, but SDDD got much, MUCH worse as a result of his isolation and loneliness. Also he has a battle axe instead of a hammer bc I think it's cool

Dark Meta Knight (DMK): He's basically the antithesis of a knight: he's willing to work for anyone no matter how rotten they are; he always plans on backstabbing them later, cares about no one but himself, never plays fair, and is a lazy, rude jerk. He likes spicy foods instead of sweets, challenges children to duels WITHOUT offering them a sword first, and is deathly afraid of heights, despite having wings. He was in the process of creating a land-razing tank called the Halberd, but his crew betrayed him and cut up his wings and mask so now he isolates himself out of anger and fear. After being with the Star Allies, he's made some friends and realized the value of teamwork-- also he likes teaching Adeleine swears. With Dark Mind gone and the Mirror World still a bit of a dump, DMK would much rather hang out in the prime world and get on Meta Knight's nerves. He tries his best to protect the two (2) people in the mirror world he does tolerate, though (it's skirby and sddd).

Mirror Bandee: Hates SDDD with a passion. In fact, he's attempted to assassinate the king at least 26 times, but fails both because SDDD is way smarter than him and also Mirror Bandee is a sniveling coward who runs at the first sign of danger. His repeated failures have made him more of a scaredy cat, so no one takes him seriously anymore. He has a knife and ties his bandana around his "mouth" like a scarf, but it doesn't help to make him more intimidating. His repeated attempts to kill the king (and more recently Skirby and DMK, who hang out with SDDD) have become a constant in their lives and weirdly enough they don't mind his company.

Mirror Marx: I always assumed that Prime Marx was a noddy with Mirror instead of sleep. Well Mirror Marx is the opposite-- instead of having Panic like the regular hyperactive Mirror Noddies, he has sleep. He didn't show up for the events of Amazing Mirror bc he was snoozin. Because of this, he never got the Nova's powers, never tricked skirby, and never did anything evil. In fact, unlike Prime Marx, Mirror Marx cares too much about everyone's feelings, is always kind, and doesn't have a mean bone in his body. He's the glue holding the mirror world together bc not even the worst of villains want to hurt him. He's just so darn CUTE

Mirror Animal Friends: Imagine the animal friends. Give them angry expressions and sunglasses. Now make them part of a gang. Yeah that's it. The Animals are no friend of skirby's and would sooner maul the poor kid than ever lend him a paw (or flipper or wing). The forest bows to their whims and they rule it like your typical mafia boss. They're jerks.

Mirror Daroach: See these posts.

Dark Taranza: Hoo BOY he's bad. He's real bad. He rules over Mirror Floralia (Sporalia?) which is underground and filled with nasty creepy crawlies. He hates getting his hands dirty and will do anything it takes to get more power and luxury so long as he doesn't have to put himself in danger. He only cares about one thing, and that's himself. What about Queen Sectonia, you ask? She was the original queen of Mirror Floralia, but Dark Taranza mind-controlled her into his puppet to do his bidding. When the people finally snapped and declared war on the tyrannical queen, it was her they shattered, being none the wiser that Dark Taranza was the one pulling the strings. He still has a box of her shards in his castle, just in case he needs a new puppet to play with. He loves jewels and machines, all things inorganic. The imperfections of flowers? Not his style.

Mirror Magolor: Quick tangent here: Mirror Lor Starcutter, rather than being a ship to BRING people to paradise, is a sort of pocket paradise, a little virtual reality magic... thing. It can also be easily modified to only open from the outside. That's important for later. Anyway, Mirror Magolor is brutally honest, but also rude, unfriendly, impulsive, and incredibly violent. He hates machines and will start punching a lamppost if he accidentally walks into it. Scrappy little dude. He would actually rather claw his ears off than be friends with another living being. He just likes brawling and destroying ancient artifacts and that's it. Well one day he tells the mirror crew he wants to go get this thing called the Master Crown so he can destroy it. SDDD, Skirby, Mirror Bandee and DMK realize hey, that'd be nice for us to have, let's join him and then betray him at the last minute. As soon as they get there, though, the crown ends up choosing Mirror Mags as a host before anyone can do anything. Oops! The others manage to shatter him... but then the crown pulls his shards back together and attacks them again. Realizing he's both totally lost it and also immortal, the others lock Mirror Mags inside the Lor as the crown erodes the last of his humanity. Consumed by blind rage and the crown's power, Mirror Magolor just lashes out at anything that moves, biting and clawing at whatever he can reach like a feral cat. There's like a 80% chance he has rabies.

Sorry to Susie, Gooey, Adeleine, and all the non-Star Allies crew, I haven't thought abt them yet

[thoughts-on-bangtan]

I feel bad for JK. He's the jealous BF in every pairing. I say support who you want, but if JM came out tomorrow and said come out of your imagination about Vmin (The way V did about TK) or V went on camera saying his and JM's relationship was awkward (The way JK did about V), I would pack it up. Yet Tkrs continue to disrespect Tae and JK. Sometimes JKrs too cause they also cast JK as the jealous, insecure boyfriend. Too bad, neither group sees One half of their ships are in love with each other

This turned into a bit of a rant, I hope you don’t mind...

Leaving aside my opinions on T*ak*ok and J*k*ok as “romantic ships” and focusing just on the actual people, or more specifically on Jungkook (as well as those who use him for their ships in toxic manners), I very much agree. 

Jungkook is a good person, a kindhearted one at that, he works incredibly hard, he’s incredibly hard on himself, holds himself to a sky high standard, and is a perfectionist at that, he tries his best regardless of what it is he’s doing, his heart is so big, pure and filled with love not only for his hyungs but also for ARMY, even though some have done him incredibly dirty in the past, and others continue to do so to this day and chances are they likely won’t stop any time soon. Jungkook is also a romantic, someone who believes he will hear bells when he’ll meet/look at the person he’s destined to be with/his one true love, someone who wrote Still With You for ARMY and tried his best to convey his emotions just right, who even has the word tattooed on his hand, is someone who’s sensitive to smells, likes doing laundry and snuggles against his hyungs when he’s cold. He cried and was inconsolable when Hobi temporarily left Bangtan, recorded a song cover in 30 minutes simply because Namjoon said the song would fit his voice, and he painted a pretty painting for Hobi simply because he asked him for it.

Remember when Jungkook was a guest on Yoongi’s ‘radio’ in May 2020? How nervous he was and how he felt the need to explain himself and apologize to ARMY for potentially having upset us, even though, realistically, there was nothing really there for what he would have to apologize and with how some were quick to throw him under the bus (again), if anyone should’ve apologized, it would’ve been those people. To this day Jungkook continues to rarely be on social media, rarely posts a selca and goes on vlive even less, and honestly, I completely understand him. I would do the same, though I won’t pretend that I know his exact reasoning.

Like you said, there is a large portion of shippers (not all of them, of course, but I’m specifically talking about the bad ones here, and my opinions on these shippers have no connection whatsoever with my opinions on and love for the maknaes and their bonds, just so we’re clear) who have created this alternative reality version of him which shares no resemblance with who he actually is beyond the name and body. Somehow, they’ve created this jealous, possessive and toxic version of him that constantly feels the need to mark his territory, gets angry and has controlling tendencies toward either Jimin or Tae (oddly enough I haven’t seen that happen as much when he’s shipped with a member of the hyung line), depending on which camp you ask. How long did it take for “JK was so jealous” analysis videos to appear after RUN episode 128 and that moment of Tae kissing Seokjin’s cheek? An hour, two?

And if that’s not what they are doing, they overs*xualize him to the point where it just feels gross and so dehumanizing it crosses every imaginable line. Or they infantilize him as though he were still the teenage boy we got to know when they debuted 7.5 years ago, which is especially ironic and weird when the people who do this are younger than him.

Of course this isn’t just an issue with Jungkook, it’s something that happens with all three of the maknaes, but I feel like it happens a little differently (or manifests itself differently) for each one of them, and Jungkook, being involved in both of the main big ships, basically has it worst. He isn’t treated as someone they love or admire, not because he’s part of their ship but because of his talents and other qualities as idol and human being, but as basically a human Sim that shippers project their own fantasies onto. They lack respect and the bare minimum of human decency. They don’t care about him as person, barely care about his music if they can’t find a way to connect it to their ship, they just want him to look pretty and act accordingly so they can continue living their shipper lives and search for “proof”, even if sometimes that means twisting reality, ignoring context, and making someone out of Jungkook who he really is not.

And honestly, just like you, if Tae or Jimin would come online and say “get out of your imagination” about vmin, I would accept that immediately and move on. Sure, I’d be a little sad and surprised, but I wouldn’t look for ways to twist their words to create some kind of false deniability of their statement, wouldn’t try to find some kind of loophole that would allow me to ignore their words and continue doing what we do. But, unfortunately, many don’t think that way. Clearly.

At some point, I think, some have forgotten why we are here in the first place, as well as the fact that Jungkook, Jimin and Taehyung are actual living, breathing human beings, and not fictional characters. We are here, first and foremost, for their music, since that’s what got us interested in them in the first place, right? Or at least that’s how it should be, though I know visual stans are a thing, and apparently shipping stans also seem to be a thing that exists. And sure, shipping is fun, having a pair you particularly like together for one reason or another, because you think there might actually be something there, like we do as vminnies, or because you simply like their dynamic, but the moment your entire existence as ARMY is merely revolving around your ship and finding ways to prove, against all logic and contextual evidence, that they are real, even if it means disrespecting the people that are part of your ship, as well as the other five people in the group they love more than anyone, that’s when you’ve gone too far. Way too far.

We know how much Jungkook loves the members, how much he respects them, and we know he had a bit of an awkward rough patch (at least partially) with Tae, since they told us about that, and he enjoys spending time and being silly with Jimin, and yet ship camp one and two have no issue disrespecting, belittling, badmouthing and erasing his friendships with either of them, or basically flat out calling him a liar (or a BH controlled puppet with no free will or ability to speak out when he doesn’t like something) because what he said about his friendship with Tae doesn’t fit their agenda.

Jungkook is basically stripped of all agency, humanity, free will, and everything else that makes him a person, an idol, and just an extremely talented and kind individual. They even try to take away his name despite the well-known fact that Koreans don’t change last names. It’s upsetting, unsettling, and wrong on every possible level.

I couldn’t care less which BTS duo others ship, I’m not the kind of person who will go and try to convince others that I’m right and they are wrong because, for all we know, we could all be wrong, but I think the least anyone in the shipping world can do is have enough restraint and humanity in them to show a bare minimum of respect for the people they ship and treat them like human beings, not Sims or dolls. Especially since we know the members are aware of all of this to some degree because there is no way they didn’t notice all the comments during vlives across the years, didn’t notice the videos on YouTube (we know Jungkook looks up reaction videos etc), and didn’t notice the posts on Weverse, after all we had Tae tell off a shipper.

All I really wish for is for people to see and treat Jungkook as the good, kind, intelligent and talented person he is. Ship him with whoever you want, that’s none of my business, but please respect him and see him for who he is, not who you’d want him to be so there would be more drama to theorize about. It’s the least he deserves. It’s the least all of them do.

[arce-elliot]

Magnus Archives - First Impressions (126-150)

Season 4 is a doozy, but we’re gonna make it through I swear. As usual, as an intro, I had about 75% of the show already spoiled for me and now I’m getting through it and recording my initial comments. Here we gooooo

EP 126 (Sculptor's Tool): - good lord lady leave Gabriel alone he's just trying to learn - ah yes Sannikov Land, my favorite amusement park, I hear their rollercoasters are killer - it's nice that Martin has a pet, even if it is just a tape recorder - hey Peter kick rocks EP 127 (Remains to be Seen): - Ah yes, another letter to Jimmy Magnet - "I want that tree obliterated" - alkjflaskdf this poor random man - Basira's trying that's something - EXCUSE YOU RAT MAN - basIRA TF U DOIN EP 128 (Heavy Goods): - JON LEVELLED UP NICE - and so ends the story of our little cockney couriers :C EP 129 (Submerged) - God can Martin and Jon please be friends again I'm suffering - as someone who lives in a hurricane area this is funny EP 130 (Meat): - wonder what entity this episode's about -  AYYYY GERTRUDE - meat pit meat piet meat pit - lmao as much as I rag on Gertrude she's great EP 131 (Flesh): - Jon just casually chopping his fingers off, what an opening - "Melanie I'm trying to chop off my fingers get out of my room" - "I need the Boneturner" "Well guess what buddy it's your lucky day" - "is it gonna hurt" IT'S YOUR RIBS, YOU STUPID MAN, OF COURSE IT'S GONNA HURT EP 132 (Entombed): - COFFIN TIME MOTHERFUCKERS - "i think i'm stuck" just keep digging, just keep digging, just keep digging digging digging - guess y'all are just gonna be roommates now - thank GOD now someone get them some damn water EP 133 (Dead Horse): - father son camping we love to see it - okay but "Everchase" sounds badass - can everyone get along for FIVE MINUTES EP 134 (Time of Revelation): - O O F MARTIN'S INTRO HURT ME PHYSICALLY - oh hey Adelard what's good - New Fear Unlocked! - damn that's a lot of bodies - I'm super interested in this fear study we're getting into - Martin yelling at a full ass avatar is hilarious - OH WAIT MARTIN LEFT THE RECORDERS AWWWWW EP 135 (Dark Matter): - time to go back to spaaaaace - that's an old ass tree - YOOOO THEY JUST TRAPPED SOME RANDOM DUDE ON THIS R O C K E T??????? THAT'S FUCKED OH MY GOOOOOD - Elias is such a s h i t EP 136 (The Puppeteer): - why are we all babysitting daisy she's grown - LMAO JON QUIT COMPELLING EVERYONE - spiiiiider tiiiiiime - jon and daisy being buddies now is actually v nice EP 137 (Nemesis): - OH is this the statement that Gertrude had sent over? Did she record it and just never send it back? - MURDER SHIP MURDER SHIP - nice try Slaughter better luck nex- well just nice try I guess - I mean hey Gertrude was right I guess - they DID have to blow up the Unknowing from the inside - also awwww Gertrude's attached to the lil emo man - ERIC DELANO MENTION I know we're approaching that episode and I am not ready actually EP 138 (The Architecture of Fear): - FINALLY THIS MOTHERFUCKER - lmao what a sad old man, him and leitner would be friends - damn I sure hope Jonah doesn't become an avatar of the eye, that would surely suck EP 139 (Chosen): - AYYYY AGNES! - DIY messiah - I feel so bad for Agnes - Jon is so upset about Martin :C EP 140 (The Movement of the Heavens): - "some weird monster disease" - comet boy's a zombie now, nice - YES THE RIB SCENE - Basira and Jon are gonna kill Santa EP 141 (Doomed Voyage): - oh this is a good title seeing as we were JUST planning to go somewhere - LMAO POOR BASIRA - Jon: my tape recorder senses are tingling - OH SPIRAL? - GOOD POINT JONATHAN!!!! Like I love Basira but he's right, they all can't keep wanting him to use his powers and then also being mad at him for not being human - In the same vein they can't keep praising Gertrude and then getting mad when he acts like her EP 142 (Scrutiny): - "I need to speak to a manager" - Martin: I've decided I am the manager now - "he look like shit? ah that's Jonathan" - awww this poor lady - "no one talks to me anymore" Martin that's not fair you're literally avoiding everyone EP 143 (Heart of Darkness): - there's seeing and then there's Seeing - "eye's peeled" LMAO - ayyyy astrophysics lady - jonny boy please stop trying to look at entity shit it hurts ur eyeballs - AYYY HELEN HOW ARE YOU - helen's just like "did you have fun with your playdate? okay go get your sister and get in the car, I'm making pot roast for dinner" EP 144 (Decrypted): - AYYY NUMBER STATIONS - I diagnose you with doom - Martin stop being a shit EP 145 (Infectious Doubts): - GERTRUDE IS INCREDIBLE AHHH - Gertrude: Banishment ritual complete Mother of Puppets: What was that? Gertrude: Banishment ritual? Mother of Puppets: Say it again, slow, just the first word Gertrude: ...Banishment- Mother of Puppets, binding her to Agnes: Wrong EP 146 (Threshold): - Door Time Door Time - OH IT'S THIS KID - okay funny haha aside I'm trying to be forgiving here but everyone constantly ragging on Jon and making excuses for everyone else is gross EP 147 (Weaver): - I SAID TO LEAVE THIS DUMP ALONE - hehe nice Daisy - stop wanting Jon to use his power and then get mad when it drains him for the love of GOD make up your MINDS - Annabelle is terrifying bye EP 148 (Extended Surveillance): - okay Basira is on my nerves rn but this is pretty great get his ass - god I can't believe I'm saying this but I miss Elias, Ben Meredith is a treasure - god I know why people say to take this season slowly it drains you - AUTO-CANNIBALISM, AMAZING EP 149 (Concrete Jungle): - love Professor Mansplain - okay to be fair if I saw a little stone snake I would also pick it up - I'm starting to feel like Martin like "OKAY PETER I GET IT THE EXTINCTION IS REAL" - "maybe he just needs some help" THEN WHY DON'T YOU HELP  HIM, MARTIN?? - lmao martin can go ghost now EP 150 (Cul-De-Sac): - "life is hard" me too Herman me too - the MOOSE - i miss when Jon and Melanie would actually get along sometimes rip

[thevoidcannotbefilled]

Its been a while and I dont remember it well, what happened with the w359 finale?

Ooof okay. To you and the other anon here’s my answer. I’m not blind myself, so if I say something out of line, please tell me and I’ll make correction. But here we go: 

Dr. Miranda Pryce was introduced in the final season as one of the main big bad villains of the show. She’s an AI specialized who created Hera, who we already know put the thought of “You’re Not Good Enough” in her head in order to control her. As we hear more of her, we learn that 1) she has a habit of punishing/abusing AIs in order to control them, even revels in it, and 2) she is willing and for the fun of it, used her technological abilities in order to essentially turn the crew on her ship into brain-dead soldiers, not quite dead but only living bc of her machines like human puppets. She also uses said technology to 1) torture information out of Eiffel’s brain and 2) turn everyone else into puppets. 

Overall the impression we get of her: She is a scientist who uses technology in order to control people in whatever means necessary because she finds the ability to control and change people both satisfying and amusing. 

Now, I set this background up to 1) remembering what happened in W359 and 2) the impression we get of this character. She is not sympathetic nor is she trying to be. And that’s fine! You don’t need those type of characters all the time, especially since W359 is FULL of characters that join our side after realizing they’re being used or help the team in one way or another because of sympathy. 

But then, we’re also told that she has cybernetic eyes. And at one point, she losing full sight in them after they were destroyed in an explosion that Eiffel caused. I won’t analyze up to this point how Pryce’s blindness was treated in universe. Again, I’m not an expert and there would be a lot of more subtle nuances I would be missing if I tried to analyze the writing. The only questionable part is having a blind villain when no other character other than arguably Hera are disabled. But also, again, I’m won’t make a fuss for the writing up to that point. 

HOWEVER WE GET TO THE FINALE AND OH BOY. 

The finale starts with a speech from Pryce. Summed up? Pryce was a blind orphan girl who was treated badly because she was blind and was creepy for making “dolls”. She then was recruited by Cutler in order to make AIs and eventually, get the technology to copy people and to change humanity in a way that in their eyes is “better”. IE: turning people into perfect puppets for them to control. 

Okay, lot to unpack there: 

1) In the speech Pryce repeatedly calls herself broken. In fact, describing herself as a “broken girl” when she was picked up by Cutler. Yes, the speech wasn’t literal and was meant to be like she was telling a story, but that doesn’t mean that it makes it any less ableist. No, it does not matter if the blind character is the only who is calling herself broken, 1) there are no other blind characters to counter that, 2) none of our heroes countered her, and 3) may I remind you she is 100% a villain. This means “I was blind and treated awfully for it. I wanted to change the world bc I was mad about I was treated and then went full dictator on things with less power than me” is one of our VILLAIN’S backstory. Idk if they were trying to have some humanity in her or what, but it does not work. This character is too far gone to make sympathetic especially in your finale episode. And if they weren’t trying to make her sympathetic, they were straight up saying, “This character felt so broken by how she was treated and her blindness that she used her skills in order to manipulate and hurt others for my own gain”. That just straight up demonizes blind people. It’s bad writing at best and straight up ableist at worst. 

2) This one is more subtle, but the general idea of technology being used to make people’s lives better, especially enhancements to the body being framed in a negative light has ableist elements in it. Because you know, technology isn’t the issue, it’s what people use technology for that’s the issue. For example, there’s a scene where Pryce is working on her eyes while someone else is in the room. The other person found the idea of talking to her while she didn’t have both eyes in unsettling. Ergo, the message is “cybernetic eyes are creepy”. In reality, technology that can be used to replace body parts, especially tricky things like eyes is so good!!! It shouldn’t be required to have, of course, (Some blind folks don’t mind being blind and people should always have control in regards to what happens to their body if it only affects their body!!!) but having the choice to repair your vision if you’d like is AMAZING. But the show sort of frames any sort of technology as invasive and inhumane. Another example, only the main villains have body modifications. Cutler made enhancements to his body to make it faster and stronger (which makes sense in character), but also with it, the implication that having body modifications makes him less humane. 

There’s a running theme in the show that humanity is a choice, a messy choice with messy lives, but one you make. With that, while the villains are human, they lose their humanity by not caring about others. Which good!!! Excellent theming!!! But, in Wolf 359, the villains also make body modifications to themselves, and only the villains. This builds on the long and tired trope of things like canes, braces, artificial limbs, and other similar things are a sign of villainy or inhumanity, as if adding these elements to yourself modifies your humanity. Which, just isn’t the case. This is especially strange in this series because we have an AI main character who struggles with being treated as human because she’s an AI, but definitely sees herself  and wants others to treat her as a person.

This is especially disappointing because the villains’ plan is to reshape people and make them “better”. Cutler’s plan is to turn humanity into mindless puppets for them to control. It’s a natural conclusion from “being utterly disposable when necessary” to “you’re being kept around because you’re useful” to “you’re useful, but we don’t care about your humanity, so we’re taking away all your humanity to control you”. You didn’t need the other stuff with the blindness and the implication that body enhancements at all to make this point. 

So, I won’t go on for longer, but TLDR: Wolf359′s finale has a blind character not only call herself broken but also has her be one of the main villains. A villain who doesn’t care for other’s boundaries and repeatedly uses her technological skills to modify others without permission. There are also undertones within the series that physical modification in general is creepy and invasive without nuance.  This could have easily been avoided within the narrative because most of this was added either within the final season or within the finale itself. That’s why parts of the final season and especially the finale are ableist. 

(If I’m overstepping, please tell me, and I’ll reblog additions/edit the post as necessary. This is meant to be an explanation because I got a few anons about it). 

[thethirteenthcrow]

hiii! what’s a fic that lives in your mind rent free? what ship haven’t you written for yet but you’d like to? top 5 tropes?

em!! okay let’s see

what fic lives in your mind rent free? 

darling it’s a faded notion | varnes | 28k | complete

The sun is too bright and Ryan’s whole body is alight with something that is eating him all the way up from the inside out, but he keeps his eyes open and he makes himself look, and he tells himself that once he finds Shane, he’ll think about it. Once he finds Shane, they’ll make a plan. Once he finds Shane, and only then, he’ll let himself have the thought he’s been swallowing down like bile since he came to: that they didn’t fall.

They were pushed.

OR: Ryan and Shane get cursed by a ghost, and now they can't be not-touching. It's ... not great.

chicken | bloodyloveletters | 6k | complete

The principle of the game of Chicken is that while either player prefers not to yield to each other, the outcome where neither player yields is the worst possible outcome for both players.

When Shane finds a new thing to tease Ryan over, he thinks it will be harmless. But it ends up changing their friendship forever.

we’ll make a brand new start of it (in old new york) | misantlery | 9k | complete

“Just to be clear,” Andrew says. “You want me to pretend to be your boyfriend at a party to spite your high school bully and your high school girlfriend and possibly the entire state of Ohio?”

Steven giggles. “Spite’s such a harsh word. Shock and impress, maybe.”

“For a man of faith you’re being awfully morally flexible about this,” Andrew says.

believer | cellard00rs | part of the bonded series, which is 233k

Some demons and otherworldly creatures love climbing up the power ladder. Shane is not one of these. He likes where he is (thank you very much) and has no interest in moving up. All he wants is to give his friend Ryan a nice birthday gift. So, naturally, everything goes to hell.

teacher’s pet | chapscher | 24k | complete

“You aren’t describing a teacher’s pet! You’re describing… I don't know the name for it. Someone who tries to seduce their teacher so they can get a better grade.” “Isn’t that a teacher’s pet?” “No!” _ Ryan is tired of losing every episode of Puppet History and asks Shane to tutor him. Shane obliges and tries to keep the tutoring session on track even as they distract each other.

we were wrecks before we crashed into each other | uneventfullhouses | 24k | complete

Cleo’s smile is soft. “Shane told me his memory. What’s yours?”

“Less about memories,” Ryan says truthfully. “More about the future. Where we’ll be and such.”

Arching a brow, she drops her arms, so she clasps her hands in front of her hips. “Where do you think you’ll be?”

Ryan laughs. “Dunno.” He isn’t brave enough to say that he does know that Shane will be there, somewhere, wedged between the regular, the obtuse, the breathtaking, the wild. The generic and the extraordinary. The weird and the wonderful.

or; this week on Weird and/or Wonderful World, Shane and Ryan visit a record shop.

ok so these are just a FEW of them but they’re the first ones that came to my mind - i know u asked me for like one but there’s too much TALENT in this fandom to only mention one. here is a link of most of my favorite works in the fandom (and i’ve been slacking with adding some so please if you read it and your work isn’t here don’t be offended i’ve barely been adding fics to the list).

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what’s a ship that you haven’t written for that you want to write for?

oooh boy!! let’s see - i’ve at least four standrew wips that i really want to write! and a few shyan-with-standrew-as-background-ship that i’m stoked for. then i really love stamandrew but i haven’t had any ideas for it, as well as for steshyan because hello they started a company, how gay of them. i’m also stoked to write any shyanara or sharyelle or any variation of it because i am very intrigued and excited but i unfortunately haven’t had any ideas for this either :// - if you ever want to cowrite and have a fun idea PLEASE hit me the fuck up.

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top 5 tropes

enemies to lovers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! fairytale au’s !! please !!!! i love them we-can’t-stay-5-feet-apart-without-touching and suddenly we’re gay (please we have only two in this fandom and i owe phyllis and varnes the world for writing these gems) Fake/Pretend relationship and oh how i wish we weren’t pretending literally Any Supernatural Au in this fandom my god they’re so good

hi this is a long-ass answer whoops !! thank u for sending this Q dear em <33

[aizawasbodypillow]

Only in Whispers

Ship: Mic x Reader (it’s only mentioned)

Prompt: Halloween!!!

Trigger Warnings: if you don’t like creepy stuff then please avoid this!  It’s not completely creepy but stuff is mentioned.

Length: 1.2k

A/N: I had so much fun with this.  Reminded me of the couple of years I worked at a haunted house.  This is my contribution to the BNHA Hangout SFW Halloween collab!!  Check out the others >HERE<

Halloween was one of your absolute favorite holidays out of the year.  Mythology, horror, supernatural, all of it.  You loved all the stories.  When it came to the spooky time of year you volunteered at a haunted house.  Not to brag but you were damned talented at your role.  The freaky puppet that would come alive when the music began to play. There was audio that played as you moved your mouth before you contorted yourself into an unnatural position.  Thanks freakish flexibility that scared off everyone you ever dated!  Seeing the looks of terror on the visitors’ faces amused you and the shrieks of terror fueled you for the long grueling nights.  The never-ending safety meetings and briefings would get old though.

“Tonight is a special night! Listen up.  We’re having UA students and faculty visiting.”  That got your attention.  Your boyfriend worked as a teacher at UA, would he be attending? The thought of terrifying him was almost too much.  “They want the students to get used to the unexpected and think rationally in fight or flight situations.  On that note.”  Your manager droned on about the safety precautions.  Quirks were known to pop off when people were scared and this led to some interesting situations.  More so for your coworkers instead of you though.  You got to work safely out of quirk firing range.  “Alright!  Let’s get ready.  Parking lot scarers!  Come on.” You were going to be doing line scares for the first thirty minutes of the night before moving into your scene.

You were surprised to see all the teenagers lined up outside the haunted house.  It was so cute watching them talking with each other. Your eyes scanned for a familiar head of blond.  Your eyes locked in on him standing next to Aizawa.  How they convinced Aizawa to join was amazing to you, the man wasn’t exactly the type to scream haunted house.  Then again…  Aizawa could be scarier than any of the attractions in your work.  “You ready?”  Your coworker asked as you nodded.  It was surprisingly easy to sneak up on the back of the line.

“Hello, will you play with me?”  Your voice had a high-pitched singsong quality as the three students in the back shrieked.  The kid with the black lightning bolt in his hair leaped into the arms of a very angry ash blond.  The brunette man and pink skinned girl were laughing as a red headed boy tried to break up the ensuing argument.  “Aw, no one wants to play.”  You shuffled off along the line and kept your eyes focused on the hero known as Present Mic. Otherwise known as Hizashi Yamada, also known as your loving boyfriend of three years.  For three years you’d spared him.  His quirk didn’t work so well with haunted houses.  That’s when it made sense why Aizawa came along.  Canceling troublesome quirks.  You noticed a green haired boy trembling and your lips curved into a wicked smile.  You moved your arm in awkward, clumsy movements towards your face.  Your finger pressed against your lips as the other students caught on to what you were planning.  

“Are you excited for this Todoroki?”  The green haired teenager turned around and came face to face with your face. Enhanced with make up to trick the eye into thinking your skin was made of wood and wide blank eyes.  The kid froze as his eyes locked onto yours.

“Wanna play with me?” His eyes rolled back in his head and down he went backwards.  Oops!!!  You didn’t expect him to just faint dead away.  A boy with mismatched hair caught him before he hit the pavement.  

“She’s not real Midoriya.” You almost broke character at how deadpan the teenager was.  Not even a slight wobble as the brown-haired girl trembled beside you.  

“No one will play with me.”  You pouted and twisted into a dance that ended with your body contorted on the pavement. The teenagers’ jaws dropped as they watched your body twist and writhe before straightening.  Your feet shuffled easily along the asphalt in their satiny ballet shoes. The better to move with in the house but not so much on the rough ground of the sidewalk.  You wanted to smirk as you approached the faculty.  You shifted and moved behind the one with the cowboy hat. Imitating his gait and listening to the students snicker behind you.

“What’s so fun.”  The hero paused as he turned and looked down at you.  You tilted your head and leveled a blank stare at him.

“No one will play with me.”  The man clutched at his chest and released a shaky sigh.

“That’s some impressive costume there.  I heard this place was good.”  Snipe told you with a tilt of his hat.  You’d expected the pro heroes to be harder nuts to crack.  All except for…  

Mic was standing with a gentleman that had construction equipment on him?  Oh!  Power Loader.  The name popped into your head and you danced around Snipe and his partner.  Snipe chuckled as he saw what your goal was. Snipe turned around to the students. “Cover yer ears kids.”  The students were puzzled but did as Snipe told them.  Their hands covered their ears and the ones who paid attention saw where your path was taking you.

Your eyes roamed over Hizashi’s back as warmth unfurled in your chest.  You should feel guilty for scaring your boyfriend but…  You also got a sadistic thrill for scaring the pants off him. You paused as you appeared behind him. His shoulders stiffened as if he felt your presence behind him.  His body turned so torturously slow until his eyes landed on you in your makeup.  He likely wouldn’t recognize you with all the makeup.  His eyes widened as he stared at you.  Aizawa sighed and grabbed the front of his scarf.

“Boo.”  Aizawa turned on his quirk right as Mic released a shout of terror.  Thanks to Aizawa he didn’t use his quirk or you’d likely have busted eardrums.  “Will you play with me?”

“No.”  Aizawa informed you as he grabbed Mic’s forearm to keep him from running.  

“Grown ups are boring.”  You groaned as you leaned over backwards to place your hands on the pavement.  Mic’s eyes widened as he saw you move.  He only knew one person who could do it and you’d mentioned working at a haunted house for the spooky season.  He sighed as he realized he was gotten good.  

“Way to go babe.” Hizashi smirked as you saw the signal to head inside.

“We’ll play again later.”  You gave the line a wooden wave before moving into the building to get ready for the set.

You waited until you saw Mic’s group come through into your set.  You popped out with a bone chilling shriek.  “You didn’t play with me!  Now your soul is mine!!”  The same green haired teenager keeled over with his mismatched hair friend catching him again.  Mic had almost jumped into Shouta’s arms after you popped out.  

“How many times has Midoriya fainted now?” The brown-haired girl asked.

“Too many.”  You cackled as they headed into the next room, shuffling just a little faster when you moved to follow them.  You absolutely loved your job.

[katsitting]

"Anklet" For the one word prompt, please?

AN: So, I received two prompts with the same word so I’m responding to both.  I hope you’re the same anon. This prompt got a little spicy, hope you enjoy :)

Ship: Harrymort

Rating: E

Warnings: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Voldemort Wins, Voldemort Manages to Kidnap Harry During the Malfoy Manor Scene, Explicit Sexual Content, Non-con/ Rape Elements, Dubious Consent, Under the Influence of Horcruxes, Voldemort Doesn’t Know Harry is a Horcrux, POV Third Person Limited

You can also read it on AO3 here.

_____________________________________________________________

It always began with a kiss.

A brush of lips on the jumping pulse at Harry’s throat, and then, it was a slow descent into madness that Voldemort was powerless to contain, was helpless to stop even when he understood that it was unacceptable, that it was beneath him to indulge in that noxious wrench of desire in his stomach.

It was impossible to control, these urges. They grew more powerful with each passing day, with each moment he had the boy in his care.

At first, it was something he ignored.

A brush of fingers on the boy’s neck, a tap on the boy’s leg with his own feet. Innocent touches. A show of possession, of ownership. All things that the boy had long since acquiesced to when his mind had been suppressed to…stymie some of the more upsetting traits the boy possessed.

He was no puppet; Voldemort had not yet achieved absolute control, but what they had, though flawed, sufficed for his purposes.

A boy that worshipped the ground Voldemort tread on, that both admired and sought to save him. Voldemort had sneered at that, but now—

As his fingers roamed over the roll of Harry’s spine, counting the bumps beneath his fingers as he explored the near flawless skin, Voldemort did not complain.

There was something about this boy, something that he could not quite put his finger on.

There was a connection, no doubt. It wasn’t skin deep, wasn’t something as crass as desire and want, as ridiculous as love or care. It was difficult to describe, to quantify.

The boy shuddered beneath his fingers, back arching to accept more of Voldemort’s touch, to indulge the Lord that the boy had unwittingly accepted into his own heart from the moment Voldemort had snapped that anklet on his leg.

Harry laid naked on his stomach, his arms bound above his head on silken sheets.  Voldemort had not bound him, had only arrived to find his pet in this compromising position when he’d returned from his meeting in Bulgaria.

It was…astounding, even now.

“Touch me.”

There was no question there.

Voldemort still did not understand why he had closed the door behind him and entered the room, why he had glided through the darkness without breaking eye contact with the boy’s intent stare. He had complied, had climbed onto the bed and began to touch, to savour, to worship.

There was something beneath his skin, a compulsion, a murmur.

Touch him.

He should have been upset, should have been perturbed at this sudden need to lean forward and kiss along the naked slope of the boy’s neck, tongue devouring the salty sheen of sweat on the boy’s flesh. Voldemort didn’t worship. No, they worshipped him, pleasured him, honoured him.

But—

Touch him.

Voldemort’s fingers roamed over the boy’s shoulders, caressed the quivering skin until he reached Harry’s ribcage. Softly, Voldemort worked through Harry’s body with his hands. Voldemort’s mouth followed the winding path that his fingers made, lingering longer where Harry released a low moan, where Harry’s body writhed and twitched most.

No place went untouched.

His neck, his nipples, his back, his ribs.

Voldemort explored each one, kissed each one, worshipped each one with the same religious quality that one did a wand—one point at a time.

His fingers twisted and tweaked Harry’s nipples, teeth grazed the reddening skin of Harry’s neck. A slide of his tongue, a whisper of his lips, a cruel yank on the boy’s nipples, and Harry was a sobbing mess.

Then, he moved lower, pace steady and resolute. Intent. His skin was hot, his palms itching. Voldemort couldn’t contain that steady thrum in his heart, in his veins. He had to touch, he had to—

His buttocks, his lower back, his thighs.

Voldemort kissed along the boy’s spine, relishing the soft mewls of pleasure that the boy couldn’t contain. His fingers curled over the flesh of the boy’s buttocks, squeezing and releasing the skin. Massaging the flesh until it was red, Voldemort didn’t stop until he was spreading Harry open and diving in there too.

Touch me.

Harry’s words echoed in his mind, intoxicating and alluring. Spell-binding.  He pushed his tongue into the boy’s furled entrance, spread him wider beneath the weight of his hands. The boy cried out, writhed and shifted.

A finger wedged its way inside and curled, and Harry was choking on his gasps and cries. Voldemort drank them in like fine wine, emboldened.  Another finger, another insistent push of his tongue along the outer seam of the boy’s entrance, and Harry was coming undone beneath his hands.

Voldemort couldn’t get enough.

In and out.

In and out.

Voldemort pushed his fingers deeper, and kissed the swell of his arse.  There wasn’t a single centimetre of skin that remained unmarked. Wet with saliva, red with arousal, Harry was rutting into the sheets, spreading his legs wider. The boy’s head was shaking too and fro, unable to remain still.

Harry’s words were garbled, incoherent. Voldemort still understood what the boy wanted, could still hear the words in his own head as he devoted his time to Harry’s entrance, teased and pleasured that tight ring fluttering around him.

Touch me.

Voldemort fucked him on his fingers, on his tongue, until the boy shuddered one final time around him, until he was spilling into the silk sheets beneath him. A stream of white in a sea of black, Voldemort admired the sight with something akin to awe.

Voldemort hadn’t touched his length, hadn’t grazed his nails across the pulsing vein beneath the shaft.

He didn’t need to.

That was the extent of Harry’s arousal, the extent of his devotion to Voldemort. To come only from behind.

Beautiful.

A suckle, a kiss, a bite, and Voldemort worked his way lower still. The back of the boy’s thighs, the concave of the boy’s knee, the hard muscle of the boy’s calves: Voldemort’s palms massaged them, teased at them until Harry was writhing again.  He wanted to break Harry open, to take him apart one limb at a time.

Gorgeous.

All that Harry could do was quiver, let out sharp intakes of breath. Voldemort took in each sound, tucked it away for later review at another time, for when his own need became too much and—

When Voldemort reached Harry’s ankles, it was like the world narrowed to a single point.

The anklet glittered beneath Voldemort’s scrutiny. Winking. The compulsion, the urges cresting at the centre of him, sharpened. His jaw ached with its force, with the suffocating need catching in Voldemort’s throat.

Voldemort’s hands massaged the boy’s calves, thumb applying pressure on the muscle, nails dragging along the skin. Harry writhed, groaned, but didn’t say much else. He rarely did.

Not while Voldemort touched him in his chambers

Please.

There was a voice in Voldemort’s head, one he both did and didn’t recognise. It was a distorted sound, a shrill cry.

Please stop. Stop.

Over and over again, it begged. It wanted this to stop, wanted Voldemort’s hands to pull away from the temptation of Harry’s flesh, but Voldemort did not, could not even if he’d wanted to.

There was something about this boy.

His insides had never felt more alive, his chest so full.

Voldemort’s lips found the boy’s ankle, tongue curling to taste the skin hidden inside the anklet. Harry convulsed beneath his hands, toes and legs tensing and relaxing, tensing and relaxing.

Please stop—

Touch me.

Two voices. Two different desires.

Voldemort’s fingers seized the boy’s twitching leg, caressing the boy’s ankle and stroking along the golden metal until the boy was keening. By the sound of it, Harry was nearing his limits, on the brink of coming again.

It was strange how such a sound was enough to make his own stomach pinch, for his own blood to travel south in a steady thrum, thrum, thrum. Voldemort’s teeth ached, too wet and too empty now. He wanted to bite, to chew and gorge himself on that ankle, to—

Do it.

Voldemort froze and then pulled away from the boy, stomach acrid with horror, with realisation at what he’d done, had allowed himself to be seduced to do.

At what I had almost been manipulated to do.

The ankle twinkled innocently at him, but Voldemort paid it no mind. His mind was screaming, bellowing with rage and fury, with fear and want—

So much want.

Voldemort didn’t stop pulling back until he was a safe distance away from the boy, near the door. His heart was racing, his own length straining in his robes with his arousal, with his blood lust.

The urge to curse Harry was heavy on his tongue.

How dare he?

Voldemort wanted to howl, to break everything in this room, to break the boy lying in that bed, unmoving.

The anklet restrained Harry, suppressed his true self beneath muscle and bone.  It couldn’t be removed. There was no undoing what was done, not without severing a limb. Harry could not escape, but—

He had tried and almost succeeded.

Voldemort’s lips twisted with a sneer, ignoring the prickle of something soft twisting along his senses, a something that was almost a whisper but was not.

The boy was clever, far more intelligent that Voldemort had given him credit for. To have influenced him, to continue, to influence him, even now, when Voldemort had taken it upon himself to separate himself from the boy was unacceptable.

Admirable, but unacceptable.

“You’re not going to escape, Harry.”

The boy in the bed did not respond. Voldemort did not expect him to. That wasn’t who he was speaking to. That boy on the bed already belonged to Voldemort, heart and body.  

No, he was speaking to the soul.

The last of Harry’s resistance.

The ankle didn’t glimmer, wasn’t capable of speech with this much distance, but Voldemort was certain that the soul buried in that metal, containing all the wild spirit that Harry Potter possessed, had heard. The sensation of what felt like fingers on his skin, of an influence that went deeper than Voldemort could begin to describe, was evidence enough.

“Tempt me all you like, but in the end, it is I that will come away the victor.”

Voldemort said into the room, turning away from the boy that had all but passed out on the bed. A snarl worked its way on Voldemort’s lips. The body might have been nothing more than a shell of Harry’s former self, but there was still resistance there, still—

Voldemort had to keep his distance.

At least, until he learned just how to deal with the Boy Who Lived, until he owned every part of him.

Mind. Body. Soul.

[sweetest-honeybee]

To Hell and Back

Chapter 29

Summary: Wels has a bit of a...discussion...with The Lord of Darkness

Characters: Wels, The Lord of Darkness (Hels, Ex, Xisuma, Tango, Doc, Keralis, Beef mention)

TW: Wels gets attacked so uh there’s that I suppose but nothing overly descriptive or gorey

——————

Wels didn’t know where he was. He was floating in darkness, nothing around him, nobody there. Everything was deafeningly silent.

You’re one of my best soldiers, Wels.

He turned to look around, finding nobody.

Why do you want to run?

He turned again, eyes landing on something in the distance. Tall, had red eyes of some kind, and weirdly enough, whatever shadows the creature was made of, they still stood out on the Void where he was. It was painfully obvious that sea shanties weren’t getting this to quiet down. He opened his mouth anyways, finding that no sounds came out of it.

Weird.

Wels didn’t panic, not yet. It wasn’t worth panicking yet when he still didn’t know what he was here for. Lashing out would probably just try to make the situation worse and fuel that weird other side of him that seemed to crave violence. That must’ve been what happened before he blacked out again, but this time not returning to any familiar sights in the overworld. Then one particular memory stood out to him among the rest he tried to recall before this moment. Beef, Xisuma’s base, the obsidian cell, Doc complaining about how loud he was singing….what time was it? Had it been hours? Days? But nonetheless, he remembered the name of this vile creature.

The Lord of Darkness.

You remember me, don’t you, Wels.

The Lord was now by his side, clawed fingers trailing over his neck. Briefly, a sting shot through his throat and he gritted his teeth. With a cough, Wels let out a pained noise, then a gasp, then a growl, and finally he spoke.

“Why am I here.” He snapped his head towards The Lord. The creature laughed.

“You best not question The Lord of Darkness. Your little twin is beginning to realize that those efforts are futile.”

Wels raised a brow, The Lord stepping to stand tall in front of him. “Helsknight?”

The lord scratched at his chin thoughtfully. “Yes, he’s falling soft. He failed my tasks, so he’s being punished for his disobedience.” In his palm, The Lord generated a small glowing figure of Hels and another of Wels. “I might as well let you in on my little secret since you’ll never be revisiting your body permanently ever again.”

“Wait what? You can’t do that!”

A sinister chuckled left The Lord. “Oh but I can, watch.” The figure began moving, the little Hels growing wings and hovering above the other little knight. “Hels used to be my champion, my strongest soldier. He was fueled by more rage than I’ve ever seen in an Evil Hermit.”

Then, the Hels figure lost its wings and fell back onto his palm, looking around with confusion while the Wels figure drew his sword. Quickly, the sword was lifted above its head and brought down on Hels. The two dissipated into smoke.

“But you, you’re stronger. You have more will than anyone, I believe you could potentially replace him.” The figures reappeared as life sized holograms a few feet away from them. “So I’m using you to punish him.” A figure of Xisuma and Evil Xisuma also generated. “And these two as well. Evil Xisuma also failed my tasks so Xisuma will do my bidding.”

“What are you doing to us? How do you play a role?” Wels asked.

“Simple, I use their malicious energy to fuel you and Xisuma. Without that, they’re nothing and really,” he laughed, ”they will die but who am I to care about that.”

Wels was only further confused. “Then why isn’t Xisuma here?”

“Because, my dear knight,” he pulled Wels’s chin upwards, claws just barely grazing his cheek. “They don’t know what’s happening to him, yet.”

The world shifted around them, bringing them to the roof Toon Towers. A bit away from them, there was Tango curled up painfully and Wels saw himself standing with the bloodied sword. The redness of his eyes was so disturbing, even if he’d seen them on Hels. The scene began playing as if it was in fast forward, Ex killing Tango, Wels panicking, Xisuma and Doc landing on the roof. After a second, it slowed down again. Wels was tied up, the knight expected as much. Though, he did notice that Xisuma didn’t seem like himself. No red eyes or snarky insults, but practically felt it in his own face when X threw a punch at past-him because of a mere insult to his brother. After witnessing another punch being thrown, Wels had figured out what The Lord meant.

“Oh no….” he muttered. “He’s still in the overworld, isn’t he.”

“Yes, on his way to see Evil X now, in fact with your friend Keralis. I made my own little introduction to them in that cell. Impulse and Doc were easy kills.” The Lord pulled up a screen displaying Hels leaning against Ex on the ship, noticeably very tired and if Wels knew anything, he simply just looked sick. “Yesterday, he visited Evil Xisuma to discuss some private matters of their own.” The Lord began to laugh. “He thought a mere confession of love would break him out of my grip.”

“Confession of love? I thought he-“

“He’s all of your hatred, yes, but you Hermits seem to have a habit of changing my little minions. Evil Xisuma especially, I’d say the two have been quite….” The screen changed to the two Evil Hermits sharing a kiss. “Intimate.”

“Oh. Well, at least he’s happy, I suppose?” He glanced at The Lord. “Is that supposed to make me hate him or something? I don’t really have a problem with,” he gestured vaguely, “all that.”

A soft chuckle was heard from The Lord and he shook his head. “No, no, but it’s useful information for my scheme. Soon enough, they’ll be dead as long as I use you and Xisuma. And with you two, I’ll destroy your world.”

“Why do you want to destroy the server,” Wels interjected. “Every time someone from Hels comes here, you always have this intent to just….destroy everything we love.” He glared at The Lord. “And every time, you’ve failed.”

“I’m not the one failing, Welsknight. They do.” The Lord made the images and the figure around them dissipate with the wave of his hand. “I come from a world made of all hatred and malice. In Hels, it’s our responsibility to influence your world, since not everything is sunshine and rainbows.”

“And your point is?”

“We have our intentions and you have yours. If you met our world, just one at a time, you’d want to destroy it too.” He moved to stand beside Wels, staring off into The Void with the knight.

“We wouldn’t,” Wels muttered, his hands balling into fists. “If you know what happened then you should know that Xisuma’s reaction to Evil X was not to kill him or destroy the world he came from.” He stepped away from The Lord, eying him angrily. “You know what he did?”

“Oh, please humor me, Wels. What did he do.”

“He took him with kindness.”

“He banned him, Welsknight, one of the worst possible things that could happen to any of them. And he would’ve done the same to each and every one of us.” The Lord stood taller, eyes glowing a brighter red.

“And he realized his mistake.” The knight stomped with his continuation. “And we took him in with fairness, a promise. That we would never hurt him or anyone he considered a friend.”

“Watch your tone, boy.”

“And for months he’s grown! He’s not your little puppet anymore!”

“I said….” The Lord lifted his hand, fingertips glowing an every red, a ball of light emitting from his palm pointed towards the knight. “Watch your tone.” That said, the ball of light shot from his pal and knocked Wels back with a force to throw him at least twenty blocks.

He landed on his back on some kind of surface in The Void. Solid ground of some kind knocked the wind out of him and he turned over weakly with groan.

“You know I’m right,” he spat. Wobbling in the process, he stood up and turned to face The Lord of Darkness. “You’re attacking me because you know we can change Helsknight for the better! All of the Evil Hermits for the better!” Another blast sent him flying even farther away.

“You Hermits! That’s all you do! You steal my subjects away from me, changing them from what they were destined to be! Do you even know what you’re doing to the world by doing that?!”

Shakily, Wels pulled himself to his knees. “It’s,” he coughed, “It’s not their destiny.” He turned to The Lord. “They’re not made to be pulled around by chains their whole lives! You’re starving them of freedom!”

More balls of energy came and went, throwing the knight every which way. He was right, he knew he was with the confidence of a thousand men. Where they were, this was his mind. He should be the most powerful here, more than The Lord of Darkness, be he wasn’t. Farther and farther he went until The Lord decided he had enough of pathetic attempts at changing Wels’s mind. He stomped over to the knight who took another hit, just barely standing once more, and picked him up by the neck.

“You will regret this, Welsknight. Your world and everything you love will be gone once and for all and me and my minions will roam free of your pathetic lives. You all won’t be around anymore, destroying the balance.” Wels kicked and scratched at The Lord’s cold, dead hands around his throat but to no avail.

“You- you don’t need them for balance-“ the knight croaked. With that, the hand around his neck tightened further and it brought a whimper from him. “You’re wrong….”

“Am I? You don’t sound so sure, Welsknight.”

“I-“ He sputtered as he finally realized he couldn’t breathe anymore. “I can’t-“

“I think it’s time you sleep again, Wels.”

With a sickeningly crimson glow around the two of them, he closed his eyes knowing that this was probably the last time he’d be fighting his inner demons. He was exhausted in his own mind. Hurt, angry, guilty, just wishing for everything to be over.

He thought of Hels. How he finally found his own home and happiness and how it was going to be torn away from him. He thought of Beef, how he dragged him into all of this. Xisuma, Tango, poor Tango, the sight of the injured demon was still fresh in his mind. Impulse and Doc were killed by The Lord of Darkness, probably suffering as they speak. Wels began to feel like he’d done more harm than good, even if it wasn’t in his control. He was losing the trust of some of his closest friends who just wanted to help him out of this state of mind. It felt like a worthless attempt to fight any longer. He couldn’t change anything even when he wasn’t under false control.

So, with those final thoughts, he gave in. His mind still screamed at him to not let go but what was it worth if he tried. What did he gain from splitting headaches and aching limbs and just fighting. Who was he saving when it only brought more distress.

Maybe Xisuma would have better luck fighting off the voices in his head.