#and fascinating to me that THIS is (presumably) the first thing we're getting from that

[danthropologie]

He’s thinking about the narrative of it all. Admitting that AT might be an option???

But we also know Christian is thinking of the narrative of it all too, so maybe

But it doesn’t tell us anything we don’t know. If anything it’s just letting us know that Nate is front and centre with Danny’s camp

https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/37883848/daniel-ricciardo-wants-fairytale-f1-return-red-bull

the funny thing about this is it's not really saying anything different than he's been saying the whole time if you've been paying attention, it's just more straightforward and to the point. obviously we've known his sights are on red bull for weeks. the AT thing is a little more ~new, but at the same time when he changed from "only want a top team, don't want to be in a seat just for the sake of it" in australia to later saying that it's not about the money for him anymore, that he'd been willing to take a 'lower' spot on the grid as long as there's a path back up to the top, etc, that's all felt like it's been pointing directly to AT the whole time. the clear messaging over and over again is that he's willing to do ANYTHING to get back in the red bull seat, because he knows with absolute certainty that that's where he wants to be.

[tomwambsmilk]

"[Shiv's pregnancy] was always something that Jesse had discussed in the writers' room, and so once we decided to bring it into the narrative it added a completely different take, I guess, on some of the scenes... I think Shiv's got some pretty complicated feelings about becoming a mother. She's, in some ways, feigning indifference because, again, it's one of those things that's almost too hard to face and Shiv doesn't like dealing with emotions. It's easier to repress things. I think there's a competitiveness in there against her feelings with her own mother and her desire to better her own mother's maternal qualities - but a fear that she probably won't be able to do that. [And] a fear and a frustration that all the things that she's been working towards and aiming towards she may not now be able to achieve because she will be a mother as well as a businesswoman, and how do these two things coalesce in her life? I think that she hasn't really considered that as a path for her life, and so it's quite a shock....

Especially with the conversation about the viability of the pregnancy, I think for her, in a way, it would have been easier if there was something wrong so that she could have a reason to terminate and not feel guilt. But, with nothing wrong, there's no reason to not continue. So it's a complex - hoping for the worst in a strange sort of unfazed way.... [She doesn't tell Tom because] it's too complicated, I think. It changes too much, there's too much going on - her father just died, there's so many business machinations happening, that to then bring Tom into it in a familial sense would confuse it again. She doesn't know how she feels about it herself. In a way she, I think, would prefer to decide what her own feelings were about this before she has Tom's feelings muddying the waters...

Shiv as a parent - I can't really imagine her with a little baby at all! And in some ways - she probably won't have it with her a lot. She would have nannies and she would - the premise of Shiv becoming a mother is fascinating to me... Definitely what Shiv would be contemplating is 'in what ways is this going to hold me back, not propel me forward'. Which is pretty - like, as a standard of society, that's the thought we go to first, and presume is what she would be thinking. Yes, that's right for the character, for Shiv, but also - a human being growing another human being entirely from scratch is an extraordinary feat no matter what. That's the powerful one! That's the strong one! That's the one that manages to get it out of their body and manages to then feed it from the things they make in their own body. Women are extraordinary! And yet those are the very things that we use to... yeah! Yeah! To hold them back! It's wild!" - Sarah Snook on HBO's Succession Podcast: "Honeymoon States"

"We wanted to slowly reveal [Shiv's pregnancy] because we're not one of those shows (as I'm sure you can tell) that wants to immediately just, like, stuff all the drama and immediately grab you by the lapels and go, "Keep watching! Keep watching!" We kind of like to move more slowly than that. And there's obviously so much going on in these first three episodes - particularly the third - and we thought it was a rather nice reveal, actually, for her to have this phone call with the doctor at the top of Four, I'll say because I think Shiv has been a bit in denial about it up until this point as well. She's broken up from her husband essentially, they've separated, and she's discovered that she's pregnant, and I think she's had mixed feelings about that... The way I always think of it is - it wasn't bad news, exactly, but it was the worst possible time. What I love about that performance as well as the writing is - it's not something you see very often, and I think it's very truthful, which is: this is a very complicated situation for her, where it's the fact that she's pregnant with her husband who she's separated from the child, and she isn't even particularly sure that she 100% wants to go through that. It's now all on her. And I think that's a big part of what she's feeling which is - 'oh, I guess that's good news, but in a way, as awful as it is to say, it would have been easier to hear the other'." - Lucy Prebble on HBO's Succession Podcast: "Honeymoon States"

[gayoung-lover]

dance with me  ๋࣭⭑ chocol

after years of dancing in the comfort of your living room, you finally stepped into a dance class for the first time. throughout the class, your teacher—chocol, a participant from street woman fighter 2—closely observed your every move.

| wc: 1.5 k 🫶 | sorry it took so longgg ive been so busy 🙁💔 |

Although you have always enjoyed dancing at home, the idea of attending an actual dance class made you nervous. However, after being fascinated by the dancers on Street Woman Fighter 2, particularly the girls of Wolf’Lo, with their years of experience and passion for dance, you could not help but be inspired. Knowing that Chocol was organizing a pop-up dance class nearby, the temptation became irresistible. 

Clutching your water bottle, you made your way to the studio—trying not to draw much attention, you dressed in all black with minimal makeup. As you entered the studio, you noticed it was almost empty, with only a few people arriving after you—the total count barely reaching twenty people. An unexpected wave of nervousness washed over you—having anticipated a larger group, thinking that with more people, any missteps on your part could easily blend in. As you began warming up, you positioned yourself in the corner, contrasting with the people that clustered towards the front—presumably wanting to be as close to Chocol as they could. 

You looked down at your watch, noticing that it was time and the orange-haired dancer could arrive anytime soon—and you were right; the girl walked into the room and went to the front, smiling at everyone.

“Hello, my name is Gayoung—you can call me Chocol, too.” She made a pause, grabbing some papers that were on a table. “First thing I’ll do is take attendance—yeah, like if we were in high school.” She laughed—you thought how prettier she looked in real life, the cameras truly did not capture her beauty enough.

As she began calling names, you heard her call yours. “I’m here!” You said, and she looked through the people that were covering you.

“Come closer, no one bites.” Gayoung jokes, continuing to take attendance—you walked a bit closer but still chose to stay at the back. “There we go, everyone’s here.”

Gayoung showed the choreography she intended to teach—it was something somewhat beyond your comfort zone. However, witnessing her dance in person was a shock—the fluidity and precision of her movements were mesmerizing. As she finished dancing, everyone clapped, and she acknowledged it with a smile. "Let's get started then." She said, turning her back to the class and facing the mirror to go through each step.

Lost in perfecting the steps, you remained oblivious to Gayoung's observant gaze in the mirror. Her admiration was evident, captivated by your skill, the way you incorporated your hair into the choreography, and your overall elegance, giving off the vibe of a professional dancer. 

"We're going to step to the front in smaller groups to check for any details—any volunteers?" Gayoung asked, scanning the room. "It's not mandatory, but it can be really helpful if you're up for it." Without hesitation, you raised your hand, seeing Gayoung raising her eyebrows. "Come to the front. Anyone else?"

Another girl volunteered, and you made your way forward, the crowd making space for both of you—your legs trembled from a mix of dancing and nervousness. "One, two, three." She counted down, syncing with the music. While her attention should have been shared, Gayoung's focus remained predominantly on you—you were too impressive.

Your facial expressions made her nod in approval—smiling crookedly. As you finished the choreography, you struck a pose, hand on the hem of your pants, smiling with your chest rising and falling. "Good job!" Gayoung exclaimed, clapping.

You smiled, bowing to both the other girl and Gayoung. "Thank you, it means a lot."

Following the class, you headed home and excitedly shared the photos and videos you took, tagging Gayoung with the caption "First dance class :)"—never really expecting her to notice amidst her popularity after the show. To your surprise, after a few hours, you discovered that she not only liked your posts but also followed you. Just as you were about to happily share the news with your friends that Chocol had followed you, a direct message from her appeared in your Instagram inbox.

iamchocol: Hello, I just wanted to say you did such a great job! Can’t believe it was your first dance class

iamchocol: You’re such a good dancer, are you self-taught? 

y/n: hi! yes it was my first class :) i really admire you from swf2 !!

y/n: yeah, i’m self-taught hahaha thank you

iamchocol: Thank you!

iamchocol: I’m actually hosting another class in two days, I would love if you could come around

iamchocol: It’s a duet class

y/n: wow, a duet class?

y/n: but i don’t have any dancer friends :( 

iamchocol: You’re going to dance with me

iamchocol: Well, if you want to :) 

y/n: that would be such an honor :)

It was Friday, and as you made your way to the studio, you were even more nervous than last time. Upon entering, you noticed that Gayoung was already there, and you smiled at her. "Hello, nice to see you." You greeted her.

"Nice to see you too." She responded, drawing closer. "Since you're dancing with me, I'd like you to step to the front."

"But, don't I need to know the choreography first?" You giggled.

"It'll be easy for you; you'll catch on quickly." Gayoung assured, motioning for you to join her at the front of the class. "So come here."

As you stood beside Gayoung, the girls who were already in the class began whispering. When the time came, Gayoung explained the concept, insisting that everyone pair up. The moment the music started, you sighed nervously—it was a sultry, sexy song. Initially, the steps Gayoung went over seemed normal, almost basic hip-hop moves. However, as the duet segment began, the dance took an unexpected turn, it was touchy, yet the move that Gayoung was about to teach was going to change everything.

"So, the next step is this." Gayoung whispered, her voice close to your ear. "Bend down a bit for me." You complied, leaning your elbow against your knee, your back arching slightly. Gayoung's hands adjusted your body to the precise position she wanted. "After this, your partner should put their hand on your shoulder and turn around, moving their head from side to side, letting their hair flow, okay?"

Following her instructions, you executed the move. "Like this?" You asked, meeting her gaze, desperately trying to focus on the dance rather than the fact that you were dancing sexily with Gayoung. 

"Exactly, see, you got it." She responded. "If you're following the choreography as me, make sure your hands are on your partner—anywhere they're comfortable. It can be on their waist, back, hips." Gayoung placed her hands on your hips, and you caught a glimpse of your blushing face in the room's mirror—as Gayoung's back was turned to it, she could not see your reaction. "That's basically it. Let's go over it again!"

You nodded as Gayoung let you go and began reviewing the steps. Despite feeling comfortable with the routine, her hands on your hips during the final pose sent butterflies fluttering in your stomach. While Gayoung seemed used to such interactions, you could not help but feel a nervous excitement.

"We're doing it one last time." She said, pointing at you and herself. "Then, one by one, every pair is coming to the front."

You nodded, and as the music filled the room, you danced with precision and made sure your facial expressions were playful. The moment you bend down, every dancer in the room cheered. Placing your hand on her shoulder, you winked, and she smiled, letting your hair flow to the music. After Gayoung's hands found their place on your hips, you moved them gracefully, holding the final pose for a few seconds after the music stopped.

Everyone clapped, and you nervously rested your face on Gayoung's shoulder, feeling her pat on your hips gently. "Good job, pretty." She praised.

You let out a breathy. "Thank you." You felt your entire face blush, as you heard her call you pretty. 

After each pair had their turn and people began to leave, you gathered your belongings, ready to leave. However, Gayoung stopped you, leaning against the door frame. "Hey."

“Hey, what happened?” You asked, nervously clutching your phone.

“I'll be honest, I think you're pretty, and I was wondering if I could get your number.” Gayoung confessed, smiling at you. “I have your Instagram, but, you know, I get tons of messages, so I have my notifications turned off. I was hoping I could pay attention to you.”

Nervously, you bit your lip, finding it hard to believe. “Sure, give me your phone.” Taking her phone, you typed your number, handing it back to her. “Make sure you text me.” With a burst of confidence, you placed your hand on her shoulder and leaned closer. Gayoung looked at you, slightly raising her brow as you softly kissed her cheek. “I think you’re pretty too.”

Feeling a rush of embarrassment, you quickly left, avoiding eye contact. Meanwhile, Gayoung was left giggling and blushing—finding you adorable. “She’s going to be the death of me.” She whispered to herself before going back into the room.

[the-name-is-z]

SKELETONS | ch. 2

daryl dixon x f!oc

masterlist

a03 link

Summary: After the apocalypse took everything Iris held dear, a new opportunity presents itself in the form of a bag of guns. Little does she know, that bag of guns starts something much bigger than she ever could have anticipated. Warnings/Information: AMC's The Walking Dead OC Insert | 18+ Advised | strangers to lovers; the slowest of slow burns; gore; angst; horror; humour; m/f; gun violence, gang violence, offensive terminology for gang members and daryl, salty language

Chapter 2 - The Deal

The kid led them to a warehouse further into the city, and Iris was fidgeting with her knives. They waited at a wall further outside the building, a broken window between them and their friend. The bandana was back over her face, the bag of guns slung over T-Dog's shoulder. Rick rattled a shotgun shell next to his ear before loading it into the gun.

The group of warehouses was old enough to be made of brick and mortar, broken windows and doorframes unaccompanied by a roof. All except for the main building at the back, where the rest of the gang was presumably waiting. The kid wasn't smart enough to set them up, hopefully.

"You sure you're up for this?" Rick asked T-Dog.

"Yeah." He assured. Daryl gripped his crossbow tightly, keeping an eye on the kid as Iris peered through the broken barred window to the gate on the other side. Wasn't anything to write home about, but looks could be deceiving. 

"One wrong move, you get an arrow in the ass. Just so you know." Daryl grunted.

"G's gonna take that arrow out of my ass and shove it up yours. Just so you know." The kid retorted.

"G?" Rick asked.

"Guillermo. He's the man here."

"Okay then." Rick continued, cocking the gun. "Let's go see Guillermo." He gestured for Iris to go first and she scoffed, ducking through the bars and wire fence. T-Dog took up a sniper position on the wall to give them an edge. Rick pushed the kid forward and they followed him to the gate.

They slid open with a loud creak, a group of guards standing in the doorway. One man stepped forward, a cross chain hanging from his neck. He was shorter than the kid, and young. Didn't look like much of a threat, but there were more Iris couldn't see. She gripped the handle of her knife tighter.

"You okay, little man?" Guillermo asked, his hands in his pockets as he regarded them carefully.

"They're gonna cut off my feet, carnal." The kid replied, twitching. Clearly he'd never been a hostage before. That being said, most days consisted of things Iris had never done before.

"Cops do that?" Guillermo asked, his scrunched brow directed at Rick.

"Not him. This redneck puto, here. He cut off some dude's hand, man. He showed it to me." The kid whined. Iris glanced between Daryl and the kid.

"Shut up." Daryl snapped.

"Hey, that's that vato right there, homes." One of the men from before stepped, or limped, forward, one hand pointing at Daryl with a very small revolver, the other firmly pressing a rag to his ass. "He shot me in the ass with an arrow. What's up, homes, huh?"

"Chill, ese, chill. Chill." Guillermo said, holding out his arms to keep him back. He levelled his gaze back at them. "This true? He wants Miguelito's feet? That's pretty sick, man."

"We were hoping more for a calm discussion." Rick countered, shotgun still pointing at Miguel. 

"That hillbilly jumps on Felipe's cousin. Beats on him, threatens to cut off his feet. Felipe gets an arrow in the ass and you want a calm discussion?" Guillermo recounted, frowning. He licked his lips. "You fascinate me."

"Heat of the moment." Rick explained. "Mistakes were made. On both sides."

"Who's that dude to you anyway? You don't look related." He asked, nodding to Daryl.

"He's one of our group, more or less. I'm sure you have a few like him."

"You got my brother in there?" Daryl asked abruptly. 

"Sorry, we're fresh out of white boys." Guillermo replied, equally as fast. "But I got Asian. You interested?"

"I have one of yours, you have one of mine." Rick said evenly. "Sounds like an even trade."

"Don't sound even to me." Guillermo grunted.

"G..." Miguel protested. "Come on, man."

"My people got attacked." Guillermo continued, unfazed. "Where's the compensation for their pain and suffering? More to the point, where's my bag of guns?"

"Guns?" Rick asked.

"The bag Miguel saw in the street. The bag Felipe and Jorge were going back to get. That bag of guns."

"You're mistaken." Rick replied.

"I don't think so."

"About it being yours." He continued. "It's my bag of guns." Guillermo shrugged, leaning back with a frown.

"The bag was in the street. Anybody could come around and say it was theirs. I'm supposed to take your word?" He asked. "What's to stop my people from unloading on you right here and now and I take what's mine?" Felipe cocked his tiny gun once more, Jorge flanking Guillermo from the other side. Daryl raised his crossbow, clicking echoes coming from inside as more guns found their targets, men raised pipes and crowbars.

"You could do that." Rick shrugged, turning to where T-Dog had a rifle levelled at Guillermo's face. "Or not."

"Oye!" Guillermo called, looking up to the roof of the warehouse. Two guys walked to the edge, a third wrestling between them, a soiled bag tucked over his head. They ripped the bag off, Glenn whimpering with a piece of duct tape over his mouth. "I see two options." Guillermo continued. "You come back with Miguel and my bag of guns, everybody walks. Or you come back locked and loaded, we'll see which side spills more blood."

Guillermo shrugged again, raising an eyebrow at them before turning and retreating into the warehouse. Jorge and Felipe followed, the doors sliding shut. Rick put the shotgun down, sighing as Glenn and the two guards disappeared back onto the roof. Iris blew out a breath.

- "Them guns are worth more than gold." Daryl said pointedly. "Gold won't protect your family or put food on the table."

He was pacing back and forth in front of the desk Rick stood at, the bag of guns set atop it in consideration. Rick was checking them one by one under Iris' watchful eye. They'd come back to their cleared building, T-Dog watching over Miguel as they decided what to do. Guillermo was right, there were two ways this could go, and neither of them were ideal.

"You willing to give that up for that kid?" Daryl asked. Iris raised an eyebrow at him. The whole reason they were here was for their friend. Though, it seemed all he cared about was finding his hand-less brother. He still didn't trust her, that much was obvious, especially by the looks he gave her every few minutes. 

"If I knew we'd get Glenn back, I might agree. But you think that vato across the way is just gonna hand him over?" T-Dog asked.

"You calling G a liar?" Miguel asked.

"Are you a part of this?" Daryl snapped, slapping the kid across the face. "You want to hold onto your teeth?"

"You willing to risk it on Guillermo's word?" Iris asked, turning back to the sheriff. Rick sighed in exasperation.

"Could be risking more than them guns. Could be your life." Daryl added, making a face at Rick. "Glenn worth that to you?"

"What life I have I owe to him." Rick answered firmly. "I was nobody to Glenn, just some idiot stuck in a tank. He could have walked away, but he didn't. Neither will I."

"So you're gonna hand the guns over." Daryl concluded.

"I didn't say that." Rick reasoned. "Look, there's nothing keeping you three here. You should get out, head back to camp."

"And tell your family what?" T-Dog asked, rubbing his temple.

"I'm not going anywhere without my guns." Iris replied, shaking her head. Rick looked to the three of them, nodding conclusively. T-Dog stepped forward, him and Daryl taking a shotgun each.

"Oh, come on. This is nuts!" Miguel protested, siting right back down as Daryl pointed a stern finger at him. "Just do like G says." They loaded them up, each taking an additional hand gun. Iris loaded up her 22, slinging a rifle over her back. 

With a towel tied into his mouth and hands bound, Miguel was escorted by the four of them back to the warehouse and the makeshift courtyard. Iris was trying to ignore the anxiety pulsing in her stomach.

Daryl had his gun pressing into Miguel's spine as they walked, armed and dangerous, through the gate and into the warehouse. Iris carried the bag of guns over her shoulder as they passed through the hoard of guards. Guillermo met them halfway through the warehouse, guns pointed in all directions.

"I see my guns," He mused, "but they're not all in the bag."

"That's because they're not yours. I thought I mentioned that." Rick replied simply.

"Let's just shoot these fools right now, ese." Filipe urged. Daryl pressed the muzzle of the gun into the back of Miguel's head. "Alright? Unload on their asses, ese."

"I don't think you fully appreciate the gravity of the situation." Guillermo said sharply.

"No, I'm pretty clear." Rick assured. He nodded to Iris, who cut the duct tape binding Miguel's wrists and shoved him forward. "You have your man. I want mine."

"I'm gonna chop up your boy. I'm gonna feed him to my dogs." Guillermo murmured. "They're the evilest, nastiest man-eating bitches you ever saw. I picked them up from Satan at a yard sale. I told you how it has to be. Are you woefully deaf?"

"No, my hearing's fine. You said come locked and loaded." He stated, cocking the shotgun. It echoed as everyone around took aim, Guillermo staring down the barrel. "Okay then, we're here."

There was a pregnant pause of baited silence as they all waited for someone to make a move, to say something. They stared down one another, waiting for the triggers to be pulled. The silence was filled with a small shuffling, and a woman's voice carrying through the warehouse.

"Felipe! Felipe!" She called, tone wavering with age. Iris watched as an old woman walked through the warehouse of gangbangers with no fear.

"Abuela, go back with the others-- now." Felipe urged, keeping his gaze and gun pointed on them, though fear laced his words.

"Get that old lady out of the line of fire!" Daryl chastised. Guillermo huffed, turning to her.

"Abuela, listen to your mijo, okay?" He instructed softly. "This is not the place for you right now."

"Mr Gilbert is having trouble breathing." She pleaded, looking to her grandson and tugging on his shirt. "He needs his asthma stuff. Carlito didn't find it. He needs his medicine." Guillermo glanced nervously between them and the old woman.

"Felipe, go take care of it, okay?" He snapped. "And take your grandmother with you." Felipe took her gently, pleading with her to walk with him, but she brushed past him toward Guillermo, frowning at Rick.

"Who are those men?" She asked. "Don't you take him--"

"Ma'am--"

"Felipe is a good boy." She assured. "He has his trouble but he'll pull himself together. We need him here."

"Ma'am, I'm not here to arrest your grandson." Rick replied calmly, putting the gun down.

"Then what do you want him for?" She asked.

"He's... helping us find a missing person. A fella named Glenn." Rick answered.

"The Asian boy? He's with Mr. Gilbert. Come, come." She urged, waving him along. "I show you. He needs his medicine."

Iris hid her small smile behind her bandana as she followed Rick, Felipe and the old woman through the warehouse. Daryl and T-Dog stayed on their tail, watching the others carefully, even though Guillermo ordered to let them pass. 

The old woman held Rick's hand as she led them out of the warehouse and through a neat garden, and through the doors to another building. It was a hospice center, or a retirement home of some sort. Felipe asked his grandmother to take him to Mr. Gilbert, while the others glanced around.

There were doctor's offices and hospital beds, everything occupied by elderly people. Iris was quick to sheath her knives, following Rick into an old auditorium, tables and chairs set up for a common area. A man in a wheelchair at the back was coughing and wheezing, deeply inhaling as Felipe helped him with his inhaler. Glenn stood beside the, watching to make sure he'd be okay.

"What the hell is this?" Rick said softly.

"An asthma attack." Glenn replied worriedly. "Couldn't get his breath all of a sudden."

"I thought you were being eaten by dogs, man." T-Dog hissed. A small bark sounded from the corner, a trio of chihuahuas sitting in a leopard print bed. 

"Could I have a word with you?" Rick asked, taking Guillermo to the side. "You're the dumbest son of a bitch I ever met..." He hissed, Iris' attention taken away by Felipe's grandma approaching her.

"Young lady, why do you hide your face? Do you have a scar?" She asked, gesturing to her own face.

"No." Iris replied with a small smile, pulling the bandana down to show her face.

"Oh, que linda eres." She cooed, patting Iris' face. "I should introduce you to my grandson. There are no more pretty young girls around here." Iris laughed nervously as she toddled over to Felipe, prodding him in her direction. He flushed, swatting her hand away as he continued to help Mr. Gilbert.

"So you're the girl with the guns." Glenn said, folding his arms as he walked over. Iris turned to him, nodding.

"Iris." She said, holding out her hand.

"Glenn." He replied with a slight frown, shaking it politely. Rick and Guillermo finished their little chat, the former beckoning them into a small room where Guillermo could speak to them quietly.

"What about the rest of your crew?" Rick asked, gesturing to Iris. She handed him the bag of guns, eyeing the interaction closely.

"The vatos trickle in, to check on their parents, their grandparents. They see how things are and most decide to stay." Guillermo explained. "It's a good thing, too. We need the muscle. The people we've encountered since things fell apart? The worst kind. Plunderers, the kind that take by force."

"That's not who we are." Rick assured.

"How was I to know?" He defended. "My people got attacked, and you show up with Miguel hostage-- appearances."

"Guess the world changed." T-Dog mused.

"No." Guillermo disagreed. "It's the same as it ever was. The weak get taken. So we do what we can here. The vatos work on those cars, talk about getting the old people out of the city. But most can't even get to the bathrooms by themselves, so that's just a dream. Still, it keeps the crew busy, and that's worth something. So we barred all the windows, welded all the doors shut except for one entrance. The vatos, they go out, scavenge what they can to keep us going. We watch the perimeter night and day and we wait. The people here? They all look to me now. I don't even know why."

"Because they can." Rick replied honestly. He handed the shotgun to Guillermo, and began to sort the guns from the bag. 

Iris turned from the room, walking back out into the auditorium. The vatos kept an eye on her, but she walked over to the closest.

"Hey, Felipe?" She asked. He turned from the table of elderly people, frowning at her sudden appearance. Iris took a map from her coat pocket and a pencil from an abandoned crossword puzzle, circling a place on the map. "I don't know who's in charge of the runs, but just outside the city here, there's an auto shop. If you can make it, there's a van out back full of parts, more cars in the shop. Take whatever you need. No one's gonna come back for it."

"Why?" He asked, taking the map and frowning. Iris shrugged, trying to offer him a comforting smile.

"Gesture of good faith?"

[petridishh416]

alright. it's been a few hours. i've had time to reflect and gather my thoughts. the 7th comic happened and i have mixed feelings.

spoilers under cut

i think the first important thing to acknowledge is the fact that the wait for this comic was 7 years. valve absolutely DID NOT have to bring it back at all, let alone fulfill my specific expectations as a fan. i think we're all rather shocked as a community that the final issue came out at all. in all honesty, it still feels unreal.

i generally do not like time skips. i find them jarring, and unless the point is that a significant amount of time passed and nothing changed, they can leave me disoriented. this comic is no exception. the characters have changed; merasmus is laughably ripped, soldier has two children, scout has FOUR children and a funny haircut, and we don't really see the others. we've missed major points in each character's life, and we don't even get to see them now for longer than a couple panels that do little for them as characters. the mercenaries for whom the comics exist at all are now an ensemble that fades into the background.

i could list every retcon, cop-out, plothole, and narrative fumble at length, but i'd say the most glaring issue is the cover art–not in the art itself, but in hinting towards a major story beat that is completely absent. we first come to the final comic after years of nothing from the writers and get immediately get hit in the face with three entire iterations of the same scene:

all of which are beautiful. but the problem here is WHY they chose to make this the cover. each version hints towards a different story, but with the same idea: a little girl in purple, presumably the administrator, crying over what look to be her parents' bodies. we're not sure which version is the "true" version, perhaps meaning that she cannot remember the exact circumstances–only the emotion.

but that's speculation and can only ever be speculation, because throughout the entire rest of the comic, this is never brought up or even hinted towards again. what is the green liquid in the third picture? who were these people? why are they dead? what happened? these are questions that i expected a finale to explain when an image is emphasized so strongly, it's shown three times. and yet we are shown nothing.

this is reflected similarly in the recent tease, when the following panel was released to announce the production of the seventh comic:

in which the script itself, at the time, noted that these are supposed to be implied to be the mercenaries and miss pauling. an idea with which there is exactly nothing done, and instead this is a high-security prison that has nothing to do with the characters in question, all of whom are alive and well elsewhere in that exact moment. there was clearly a pivot here that was not originally planned.

which raises the obvious question: why?

what happened here? were the writers' hands forced in another direction? did they have to change the script last-minute to fulfill a time crunch?

no matter the answer, it's disappointing for fans like me that saw that hint towards something big, and instead got a cop-out and a really muscular merasmus.

and yet, somehow, among all of this chaos, the storyline with the administrator emerges, a gracefully poetic portrayal of madness and obsession, covering by far the heaviest topics seen in canon team fortress 2 lore. it's wonderfully paced, incredibly beautifully illustrated, and answers (if slightly incompletely) most lingering questions left by previous issues.

i cannot sing nearly enough praises of this part of the comics to do it justice. it exceeded my expectations by miles, and just goes to show that this comic has the capability of being unbelievably great–something was just holding it back.

lately, i've been rather fascinated with the term "nothing burger", and that's approximately how i feel about this finale that was seven years in the making. the main course was a bland piece of meat on a stale bun, devoid of the metaphorical "toppings" in the form of characters, and yet it was served right next to a five-star gourmet plate of fries, fresh from the oil complete with parmesan and rosemary. and looking between the two components of the same meal, it becomes obvious that given (ironically) more time (and resources!) to prepare more than just the bare minimum rubbery beef and bun, the chef could have easily made much, much more than just a nothing burger.

[runawaymun]

if nobody's been here yet I'm gonna be very cringe and on brand and ask about the Partake Prequel

also Rivendell's Tiny Tearaway sounds DELIGHTFUL

Ahhhh thank you!

Ask me about my not-yet-written-fics from this list

The Partake Prequel

(also if you wanted to know more about Rivendell's tiny tearaway just lmk I can make another post for that haha. But I am glad it sounds good!!!)

(cw: discussions of pretty abusive dynamics and questionable consent, also discussion of sex)

so this only exists in my head because a) I'm morbidly curious and have a fascination with the psychology of messed up relationships and b) I am a masochist.

I am just constantly thinking about how the fuck We Got Here when it comes to To Partake. Like how do things get to a point where it's this fucked up and messy and tangly and Bad?

and of course there are bits and snatches that are mixed in to Partake -- like little glimpses into the backstory of Elrond and Gil's situationship, but I want to know more specifically how we got to where we are now.

We know that Elrond started pining after Gil sometime in the late first age when he was roughly in between the age of fifty and seventy. Which...for a Peredhel is a perfectly acceptable age to be sexual (Elwing and Dior had kids and were married by 30). But from an Elvish perspective (i,e. Gil's) that's a baby.

Literally he does not think about anyone else. This is a somewhat unhealthy obsession already. There's a fealty-kink wrapped up in here somehow that's all messily combined with the fact that Gil is currently the only adult who is really present in Elrond's life (if we're going with ROP's timeline Galadriel seems to fuck off to hunt Sauron shortly after Morgoth's imprisonment in the void, and you know...Earendil is busy Earendiling)

So to start I don't think Gil even really saw anything with Elrond as being on the table until sometime in the very early second age, after he appoints Elrond as herald. It's unclear when this happened -- I couldn't find a date for it. But I presume it to be sometime after Lindon is founded and Mithlond constructed and certainly after Elros sailed for Numenor (Elrond would have been emotionally vulnerable and attached to Gil-Galad even more -- and in my head Elros would not have approved of anything going on between Elrond and Gil-Galad so that's very off limits until he's gone)

But--- with Elros gone indefinitely, yeah Elrond gets more attached to Gil.

They're still not sexual yet though.

Elrond is taking regular trips to Numenor etc.

So I generally imagine that things really Began between the two of them sometime shortly after SA 432, when Elrond is around 500 years old. He's "mature" at this point in Elvish terms, and Elros has just died -- so, unhinged and probably at one of his lowest points.

SEX CW: I have a VERY firm idea in my head which I was planning to make a oneshot of. But Elrond at this point does get Very Horny about Gil and starts masturbating about it sometime around here. Gil catches him and that's how....uhhhh things start.

Because OBVIOUSLY (Gil brain here) he is into Gil and THEREFORE this is a PERFECTLY NORMAL and FINE thing to do!

Plus he is OF. AGE.

Nevermind the fact that Elrond is incredibly unstable and vulnerable and depressed & still extremely young, completely inexperienced, and there's some really fucky power dynamics -- all of which affect his ability to consent properly to ANYTHING.

So that's how it starts. They just start having sex. I think nobody really knows about it at this point.

(we start with mostly just Gil on the receiving end of some oral sex that Elrond is getting rapidly better at)

Gil's the one to broach anything more than that and Elrond is down for anything as long as Gil is happy.

rumors do start circulating at this point but absolutely nobody is keen to confront them about it.

I feel like there's potential here for Galadriel to catch wind of things, directly ask, and for Elrond to deny absolutely everything.

If she asked Gil there's no way that he'd admit that anything is going on either because she makes him fear for his life haha.

Elrond has been actively suppressing links to Melian at this point because it freaks out most Elves -- and because Gil doesn't like it.

At some point Gil broaches-- and by broaches what I really mean here is tries (he doesn't ASK!!) an osanwe link. Likely either during or just after sex.

Elrond does not know any better and his brain is full of dopamine and he thinks this is AWESOME. The king wants to be EVEN MORE INTIMATE

boom osanwe link. Far more of an osanwe link than they ever should have had.

boom immediate dissonance which is painful for Gil and so he assumes it is painful for Elrond

Elrond has not had enough osanwe experience to know this is pretty insular to the specific way his and Gil's Themes don't mesh.

"Let me fix it ok?" "Oh god please fix it"

Also there's the undertone here of Gil doesn't like it and Elrond feeling the need to manage his emotions and divest himself of anything displeasing even if that's his fucking Theme.

Hence the theme fuckery begins.

And things really really really start to devolve with their relationship.

Like I imagine in the beginning Gil was pretty cautious and careful -- not in a lovey dovey way but he's not wholly inconsiderate and it's within his Partake characterization that he doesn't like to hurt his partner unless it's in a fun kinky way. He also does not get off on someone being scared. That's an ick for him. So initially he would be careful.

But Elrond starts getting really good at masking things and figuring out that Gil likes to be rough.

And of course, anything for Gil.

Do you see where we're going.

Well and it's compounded by the fact that Elrond does actually like it, too. It just scares him. So he as a lot of really confusing feelings going on that he doesn't know how to handle and there's also a lot of shame wrapped up in it too

And obviously Gil is not um. Guiding him through this in the way that a more experienced partner who is sometimes building scenes and domming should.

And again -- there's that messy thing of "I need to please you in absolutely every way possible and also clearly my differences are Bad, and therefore I must mask all of them as best I can and keep up with my work demands because being useful is better than being loved."

(Which is a lesson he learned from literally everyone, even Elros in the end. It is not a lesson that Elros meant to teach him. But Elros loved him. And then he left.)

Anyway that's as far as I've gotten. The beginning is much more specific and it gets more nebulous as we get closer to the Partake timeline, but it's very easy for me to see the trajectory of their relationship, and that's really what I want to explore.

OHHHH also the undertone of codependency because Elrond and Gil are both fundamentally isolated and find solace in each other. And Gil isolates Elrond further to ensure that He Will Not Be Left. Because Gil is afraid of being inadequate and has literally no one else except like, Cirdan, who cares for him so deeply. (I mean, he would. If he wasn't an asshole. But you get where I am going with this.)

Yeah. Sorry.

There is no happy ending to this fic it is just a dissection of how we get from point A to point B. The happy ending would be Partake alkdhg.

[sixth-light]

WoT 2x08 thoughts

WoT s2 really, I haven't got to blog the season like I would have wanted because (checks notes) everybody in this household has been sick for a month and counting (do not recommend). No order here, just things as I think of them, full series book spoilers possible:

They really did stick the landing on this season for me, as well as line everything up so neatly for next season. I think S2 is really going to reward a rewatch.

Particularly re:Lanfear. I literally choked when she walked up to Bayle Domon and started talking about the pieces of cuendillar she'd sold him. I know the Dark Prophecy is probably still legit because we flashed back to Ishamael reciting it as he released her BUT ALSO I am now imagining her lying on her bed surrounded by screwed-up drafts as she tries to make it sufficiently ominous.

The Forsaken shenanigans this season have just smashed it out of the park and we only had two of them. I presume we're going to highlight one or two a season for practical purposes (and ofc TSR/TFoH are the Moghedien-Nynaeve books) so I reckon next season we mostly get Moghedien and...I guess Asmodean if we're doing that plotline at all?

Man I so liked my "evil Seanchan/less evil Seanchan" theory but the way they ruthlessly killed off every named Seanchan character this episode (yes we didn't see Suroth and Alwhin's bodies, but that seemed pretty fatal, they explicitly did NOT show any ships getting away) says to me that they want to put that plotline on ice until the Corenne and Tuon arrive. It could still work but we'd have to introduce more Seanchan nobles to make it happen...or...they could make the whole Extremely Dysfunctional Imperial Family dynamic real by having one or more of Tuon's siblings tag along. That was a very tell-not-show element of the books and then rendered irrelevant by Semirhage murdering all of them at once.

Extremely out-there theory: the way they're focusing on Moghedien being 'insane' and having Lanfear refer to the rest of the Forsaken as 'the boys' and being visibly wary of Moggy...what if they merge Moghedien and Semirhage? After all, Moggy goes after the Sad Bracelets first even if Semirhage is the one who uses them...

THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP as that gifset going around demonstrates, this really was the theme of the season. I continue to love how much these kids love each other (and the lingering fear the show has planted that it won't matter, because look where Lews Therin and Ishamael and Lanfear ended up...). Totally bought that they would all just roll with running into each other like that when there was a clear and present threat.

Rand is still so much in his 'just trying to protect my friends' era, poor kiddo, we're going to see that get more and more worn away as the Pattern forces him into bigger and bigger confrontations.

MAT, goddamn, his story took a bit of time to get moving but looking back all the pieces are there. Everything about the knife-on-a-stick sequences was just. fjlkfsdjklfsadjlkfsd. Amazing foreshadowing AND a funny and effective piece of storytelling in the moment. Particularly enjoyed the use of the dagger to open the box with the Horn.

Re: Min's vision: I'm thinking that at some point next season someone will report back to her what actually happened and we're going to see an arc with her learning about her own power and realising that her visions can be partial or metaphorical.

Man I hope Egwene gets lots of nice things next season because this one has been (not unexpectedly) brutal. Completely on board with her killing Renna. I wonder if they're getting rid of the 'sparker/learner' distinction in the show, given what she said to Renna about sul'dam just being very weak in the Power. I also wonder what 'very weak' actually means coming from Egwene, who canonically in the show can hold up against a Forsaken for some length of time (another change I am fine with).

Fascinating to think about Perrin in 2x08, straight-up killing Geofram Bornhald for killing Hopper, vs Perrin in 1x08 deliberately choosing pacifism. I don't actually mind that they gave him some unquestionable culpability here; in the books it was always SO obvious he wasn't in the wrong that it felt silly.

Relatedly, I think what's going on with Nynaeve (to the extent that anything is, she certainly didn't suffer for screentime this season) is that like Perrin her PERSONAL plot actually stalls out around book 8-9 - they're slowburning her block storyline for the same reasons they're slowburning his Wolfbrother one, I reckon. I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't heal stilling until much later in the show than the equivalent of book 6.

I didn't even notice that we left all the White Tower-related plotlines behind entirely this episode until I got to writing this post. FASCINATED to see where we pick up with Verin, Alanna, Siuan, et al next season...not to mention Liandrin

I haven't even talked about Aviendha! She hasn't had a lot to do beyond be introduced/introduce the concept of the Maidens and the Car'a'carn but it was solid set-up for next season and in line with how much she actually had to do in TDR.

My one big lingering question for this season is whether Ingtar isn't a Darkfriend on the show or whether he IS and they decided that his verbal confession wouldn't happen/work in the show and left it as a subtextual easter egg for book readers. I think both positions are arguable from the text, I'm curious what the intent was.

[just-a-creep-babe]

The Haruspex

Commissioned by @authormeat, thank you so much, I hope I did the character justice! ❣❤

Requests are closed but commissions are open!

Masterlist: x

!Warning! Contains body horror!

“Experiment 6246, test 91”

A deep breath is heard on the recording, and then the voice continues

“Team B volunteers 1-8 have been prepared with the safety measures and training implemented after test 87”

Another pause, this time, as if the woman is in contemplation

But then she clears her throat, as if to set herself back on track, and keeps speaking

“Study of Experiment 6246 between tests have revealed fascinating results. Beyond the initial discovery of its intelligence and possible sentience, it appears to have the capacity to copy information beyond DNA”

Some indistinct voices are heard in the background as scientists or volunteers, one or the other, or maybe both, talk amongst themselves

“Socially learned traits, such as mannerisms and personality qualifiers, also become present in Experiment 6246 once the subject has been mimicked. This observation is… absolutely incredible”

The scientist almost sounds breathless as she explains the report, like she’s astounded by the biomass’ abilities

“Additional notes on these findings have been reported under document 1141. In addition to being an extraordinary ability mastered by Experiment 6246, analysis of these results could lead to revolutionary breakthroughs in the fields of psychology and anthropology”

A quick pause follows, and this time, it sounds like the woman exchanges a few words with someone a few feet away from the microphone

But then she quickly returns shortly after

“However, and though we still haven’t found the cause of this anomaly, the biomass appears to be incapable of changing its irises. Regardless of any information it’s given on an individual, it continues to retain the purple hue of its original ocular lenses”

A sigh, like the scientist is either frustrated or agitated

“Which brings us to today’s tests. Experiment 6246 will be attempting to mimic volunteers 1-8 in rapid succession, where the full extent of its speed and accuracy will begin to find definition”

“Are we ready to start?”

A voice, apparently male, interrupts

“Yes, just one last thing,” the woman answers, her voice getting quieter for a moment before returning to the tape, “The test will take place over the span of 30 minutes. I will be recording the findings live through this audio device, and the rest of the team will be taking their own notes for future compiling"

Footsteps accompany her words, followed by the sound of shuffling as multiple people move around and interact in the room together

"Additionally, cameras A-F will be providing footage of the tests. The eyewitnesses present, combined with the installed equipment, will hopefully result in a thorough analysis of our findings"

She takes one final deep breath

"Now, without further ado... let test 91 begin"

The next few seconds are relatively quiet

It seems that, even through the tape, the tension in the room becomes palatable

Muffled sounds accompany distant murmurs

And then, after a few brief moments, the woman's voice returns, though she appears to be addressing the people around her instead of the tapes

"If you're ready, you may step before the window. Although Experiment 6246's appearance may be a bit... disturbing, please, rest assured, the room it's kept in is sealed air-tight, and it has no chance of escaping and harming any of us. This facility is kept under high surveillance and high security; we're all safe here"

"How will it... how will it know it's supposed to mimic me?"

Another voice, presumably the first volunteer, is heard in the background

"We have our ways of assuring its compliance," the scientist reassures, "Now, I need you to step up to that mark on the floor"

"This one right here?"

"That's right. The biomass should begin its transformation shortly"

A gasp interrupts the scientist’s last few words, and other sounds of shock, surprise, and even disgust can be heard from the other volunteers

"Excellent," the woman says, "Volunteer 2, please step up to the consequent marking on the floor"

While muted voices could previously be heard, the room once again falls quiet at the woman's instructions

"... What the fuck"

The newest voice is just above a whisper as they witness the organism transforming before their eyes

They sound disturbed—incredulous

"Volunteer 3"

The scientist, apparently unfazed, continues to call for the volunteers

Every time one of them steps forwards, gasps and expressions of shock or concern come through in the recording

It's only at Volunteer 6 that the meticulous pattern of precise instructions is interrupted

The newest voice is hesitant as it cautiously asks, "Is this... is that normal? It looks... I don't—I don't know, it looks like it's... it's twitching. It wasn't twitching like that before"

"Volunteer 6, your cooperation is necessary for the results of this analysis," the woman sharply reminds them, "please continue with the test"

One of the men that had spoken before, presumably another scientist, also urges the volunteer to follow the instructions

There's a pause, and then the woman expresses her approval

"Excellent. Volunteer 7, go forth... And lastly, Volunteer 8"

Yet another pause

"Volunteer 8," the woman repeats, her patience already thinning

"I... I don't know. I don't know if I want to do this. I think James is right, it doesn't look... it doesn't look happy"

"Happy?" the woman scoffs, a break in her professionalism, before she quickly recovers, "Experiment 6246 is biomass. Anthropomorphizing it, assigning human emotions like happiness or sadness—is entirely redundant. Its experience of reality is nothing like ours. There's nothing to worry about. Now, please, if you would," she insists, "step up to the marking on the floor"

"I..." the volunteer hesitates, but then another voice says something, their words indistinct, and the volunteer finally agrees to cooperate

"...Right, ok," they mumble

"Wonderful. Now," the woman addresses the recording once more, "Volunteers 1-8 are in their respective positions. All individuals have been mimicked perfectly, with the exception of the previously mentioned anomaly. The next portion of this test will aim to further identify the extent of its abilities while under pressure. A sort of 'stress test,' if you will"

Footsteps accompany her words as she explains in greater detail

"In the next five minutes of this test, Experiment 6246 will be made to shift between volunteers as rapidly as possible. An approximation of 16 transformations is expected, two for each volunteer. The timer will start... now"

The seconds tick by on the recording, and the tense silence filling the space is only ever interrupted by occasional gags and expressions of unease or disgust

It becomes increasingly obvious, even merely through the audio, that something strange is happening

The muffled voices in the background grow louder in their agitation, and some start expressing that they want this to stop

But the leading scientist doesn't address any of their concerns

Instead, she states in the recording, "Experiment 6246 is capable of continuously forcing the transformations thanks to the insistence of our input. Its flesh is writhing, and it appears to be producing more secretion in its agitation, but it's holding up at an impressive rate"

"Shit! What the hell is it doing?!"

"It appears displeased with the exertion of these transformations. Three mimics have been completed so far within the last minute and 34 seconds, bringing it to a total of 11 transformations since the beginning of this test. It's in the process of attempting its 12th transformation, though it appears to be struggling"

"I think I'm going to be sick," a new voice interrupts, but the woman once again ignores it

"It seems to be incapable of completing the imitation. Its right arm remains a mass of exposed muscle tissue, as does its left leg. The face is disjointed; it has yet to reproduce the mouth, and the left eye has fallen from the socket"

Thump

A reverberating noise echoes in the recording

"What the fuck!?"

"The right arm has grown at an unnatural length. It hasn't reproduced a hand, but it's made a... a kind of tentacle, tapered at the end in a sharp point. It’s… it’s trying to breach through its containment. It's… shuddering"

"This is too much, we have to stop!"

"Christ, doesn't this shit have a killswitch or something!?"

More voices become clearer as the room erupts in a panicked chaos

"Tell it to stop!"

"No!" the woman snaps, "we're not stopping! The timer's almost up—don’t you realize what this experiment could mean? We’re in the midst of a breakthrough, we can’t stop!”

"Fuck the timer and fuck your breakthrough—that thing's gonna break out and it's fucking angry"

"We are not giving up! There's no way it can break out, the container's—"

CRASH!

The woman looks up, eyes wide, tape recorder still clutched in her hands as she gazes up in both horror and amazement at the biomass—now freed from its containment

It seems to almost stretch itself out, mid-transformation, shifting and dismembering the image of the last person it was attempting to mimic

Without the soundproof barrier to mask the noise, everyone can hear the way its mass strains and squelches

It snaps and rips itself apart, tendons and bones crackling and popping as it changes shape and appearance

"God save us”

The volunteer mumbles the words with the fear and resignation of someone who knows they’re about to meet their end

And at the sound of their voice, the mass of exposed and pulsing bodily matter snaps its attention towards it

The next few moments happen in an instant

Faster than humanely possible, one of the arm-like protrusions extends out like a whip made of veins, tendons and skin

It wraps around the volunteer’s throat, and before they even get the chance to scream, they’re yanked across the room and towards the experiment

Everyone is stunned, frozen in place, as the writhing mass of organic matter splits itself open, revealing a red, pulsing interior of dripping flesh

And then a mass of wriggling finger-like appendages reaches out, wrapping and piercing through the volunteer’s terrified face

Their screams of pain as their face is ripped off is only silence once the biomass pulls them in and consumes them entirely

The two open folds wrap around the person’s body, and then the creature moulds itself around them, reshaping its mass so that it can grow and evolve with the additional sacrifice of organic matter

No one speaks, no one moves

Everyone is too terrified to do anything

The biomass almost seems to look around, taking in its surroundings, carefully examining all of the various faces it was forced to copy against its will

The room is at a standstill—like no one even dares to breathe

And then one of the scientists snap

“Save yourself!” they scream

They reach for an emergency switch, and when the room is plunged in a blood red lighting and the sirens start blaring throughout the facility, they use the chance to try to escape

The creature releases a loud, ear-splitting shriek, its body bubbling and shifting from human to organic mass of flesh, bones, eyes, teeth and feathers, all throbbing and merging into itself like some horrific thing of nightmares

All hell breaks loose

There's running and screaming, people stumbling over one another, trying to reach the exits like their life depends on it because it does

In its agitated and infuriated confusion, about a dozen squirming appendages crackle out of the creature’s body

And then the massacre begins

Appendages wrap around people’s legs, arms, throats and torsos, dragging them back to the pulsing mess of flesh at the centre of the room

It practically eats them alive, its muscles and bones ripping through their skin, splattering blood and viscera across the pristine white walls

Some of them are picked up and repeated slammed against the walls, their bodies cracking on impact and leaving bright streaks of red smeared across the room

Others are stabbed through the eyes by the sharp ends of its tentacles, their screams dying out when too much blood fills their mouths and suffocates them alive

More tentacles keep wriggling out of the creature's disjointed form, reaching for anyone and anything it can grasp onto

A few fortunate scientists and volunteers manage to escape, dodging out of the way of the screaming bodies dropping like insignificant flies around them

One of the volunteers, realizing that the creature keeps growing in size, makes it past the door, whips around and shuts it behind them

"H-hey, what the hell are you doing!? Open the door, let us out!"

A scientist bangs on the door, trying to force the handle open, but it's no use

"Let us—!"

They don't have time to finish their sentence before they're grabbed from behind and pulled back into the bloodbath

The original lead scientist, still frozen in place, watches as everyone around her is torn apart and assimilated into the biomass

Bits of human flesh are splattered onto her, but she's too shocked to wipe them away, too shocked to run and scream her last breath

It's only when there's no one else left in the room that the mass finally turns to look at her

Its flesh bubbles up as it stretches itself out again, growing impossibly large, and it almost seems to growl at her

The last thing she sees is an appendage reaching out to her

She’s consumed by the beginnings of a monster she’s just unleashed out into the world

[cherrytree-irl]

offscreen post: and then something else happens. (alternate title: the pepperoni secret)

"It's, um... pretty big." Sylvan says, looking up at the Galar Hurricane Ferris wheel. He and N are nearly at the front of the line to board it.

"Yeah." N says happily. "Nearly three times as tall as the Rondez-View."

"Wow..." Sylvan replies quietly.

N glances at Sylvan.

"Are you nervous?" He asks.

"A little... I'll be alright." Sylvan replies.

N smiles. "I know you will."

A few minutes later, the pair board the Ferris wheel, stepping into a large, oval-shaped pod with a flat bench in the center.

"Woah... we can stand in here." Sylvan says.

"Isn't it amazing?" N responds, already awestruck by the wheel.

"As long as I don't think about it too hard... ha."

"You know, the architecture of this wheel is really fascinating..."

Oh, here we go. Sylvan happily listens to N talk and talk and talk about the Ferris wheel. There's plenty of time, and he loves listening to him talk.

He loves listening to him talk... he loves watching him talk— loves watching him do just about anything. He loves him. He's so handsome and beautiful and smart and kind... Sylvan's still not sure how he managed to get a partner who's so... well, he's not perfect. Of course he's not perfect. But that just makes him even better. And Sylvan never wants to lose him.

N eventually stops talking, presumably to gather his thoughts. But Sylvan decides this is a good time to get some words in himself.

"It's a beautiful view, isn't it?" Sylvan asks. He's just been looking at N this whole time.

"Yeah." N says, looking to Sylvan with a smile. "I'm glad I get to share it with you."

"Aw, gee..." Sylvan replies, a slight blush creeping into his cheeks.

"Well, um..." Sylvan continues, "There's something I wanted to talk about while we're up here."

"And what would that be?"

"Um, well... I love you a whole lot, you know. During our good times and our bad times. I mean— obviously I prefer the good times, but... even when, like— when we argue over stupid stuff and when we're mad at each other, I... I know there's no one else I'd rather be spending my time with! And I... I never want "Us" to end."

"I don't either. You've changed my world, Love. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"R... really?"

"Of course! You're my best friend, the first person I was truly able to trust after Plasma... when I'm at my lowest, you come and pick me back up. I love you with every cell of my body, Sylvan."

"I..." Sylvan holds back tears. "I'm really glad to hear you say that... for a lot of reasons. But mostly... because there's something important I wanted to ask you."

"Oh?"

"Um..."

Sylvan awkwardly fumbles his way onto one knee. He yelps when he almost loses his balance, supporting himself by briefly touching a hand to the wall of the capsule. Then, pulling a small box out of his pocket, he speaks.

"Natural Harmonia Gropius..." Sylvan opens the box and reveals a ring. "...Will you marry me?"

"Marry you...?!" N gasps.

Unable to read his partner's tone, Sylvan's confidence falters.

"Y-you don't... have to say—"

"Yes!"

"Huh?!"

"Yes, I will marry you!"

"Y-you— you will?!"

"Of course!"

Sylvan stands up and the couple embrace each other, sharing a triumphant kiss. Sylvan then takes N's hand and places the ring on his finger. They both look at the ring, and then at each other. Beaming from ear to ear, they kiss again, their mutual joy overwhelming.

"I love you." N says, barely separating his face from Sylvan's.

"I love you too."

[crehador]

MORE OVERTAKE SPOILERS ep7 holy shit

we're seeing more concrete details of kouya's past now and god, like none of it is especially surprising, we could have already put the picture together more or less

but it really is a perfectly crafted tragedy because it's like kota says, kouya couldn't have saved her whether he took the picture or not but at the same time the public outrage isn't surprising

this isn't like taking a photo of the notre dame as it burns, a kid died. and while photojournalism is about capturing significant moments in history, it's an understandably human reaction to feel outrage at seeing this photo of a child who died just moments after

of course kouya didn't deserve that level of hate, of course he couldn't have done anything either way, but it's just such an expected, inevitable tragedy that its sadness feels especially pronounced to me

although the series has thoroughly impressed me so far, i'm still a bit wary of how the rest of kouya's story will unfold. what he was thinking in the moment when he took that photo, why he published it afterwards, and what caused him to stop being able to take photos (the awful feeling of not being able to do something more than take a photo, or just the fear of being criticized again?)

he's a very sympathetic character to me right now, because it's easy to think maybe he didn't choose to publish the photo, maybe it was taken out of his hands (much like he didn't choose to publish the photo of haruka crying)

but even if he did choose to publish it, even if his fear is of the public outlash... i don't think it would make him a worse character. maybe less sympathetic, but still fascinating and well-written

so it'll be hard for the show to go wrong from here, they've set up honestly a much more nuanced and riveting character backstory than i would have thought possible

moving on from that HARUKA'S FUCKING APOLOGY SCENE HOLY SHIT this was such a prickly standoffish kid at first and his apology was so earnest and from the heart, and kouya DIDN'T EVEN HEAR IT and even if haruka gets the chance to say it again IT'LL NEVER BE THE SAME I'M BITING ELECTRIC CABLES RIGHT NOW

it's kind of incredible to me, from a craft standpoint, that on the surface haruka's journey and kouya's journey are two completely separate things, their trauma doesn't stem from remotely the same thing, they have different goals, they're basically different in every way. and yet there's still a resonance there, that enables them to help and understand each other (which i think is what makes it so much more effective and impactful when they misunderstand each other)

haruka's growth is unfolding brilliantly as well, and though the focus is more on kouya right now, the story still feels so absurdly well-balanced

on a kind of side note i'm also obsessed with kota in this episode, it's a simple thing but the parallel of him like telling arisu to visit harunaga and telling haruka to just go see kouya? god i feel for this kid, he's such a good kid

like these are presumably his two best friends, at least from what we've seen, and his whole role in this episode (kind of in the whole story in some ways) is to push them towards other people

because it's the right thing to do, yeah, and it's what his friends need to hear, but man he should not be alone either!

anyway absolutely captivated, very much looking forward to next week in which my thoughts are sure to become even less coherent lol

[zingaplanet]

What do you think Fedal's personal goodbye was like at Laver Cup? Even in their interviews after Everything on court happened, they seemed so dazed. They're so used to giving answers about their rivalry/friendliness but that was a different level of being exposed.

Hmmm that's difficult hahaha the short answer is I wouldn't know nor would anyone apart from their families I reckon, if you'd ask me to take a guess tho 🤔

You're spot on about the last part, I feel like both of them have been PR-trained to the dot (especially federer, he's like every sponsor's wet dream? I mean come on) Hence being if you look at the answers they give when being asked about one another it's always along the same line (we respect each other, we have good relationship off court which is super important, we help each other's foundations etc etc). All this time I feel like we infer how close they actually are from the way they act around each other (in laver cup and informal events) rather than from what they say about each other in interviews.

But maybe that's also where they're most honest? I mean laver cup is the most obv one, they interacted much more naturally, comfortably and seemed to not shy away from showcasing how close they actually are when they think ppl's attentions are elsewhere (like when they're backstage or when everyone's watching the match and not the team bench) *ehem stupid stupid boys thinking we're not watching lol*. They're just an awkward mess in interviews tho and roger's usually the saving grace hahaha but I always feel like their interviews seem a bit distant, maybe cause they're just naturally very reserved people and don't really like showcasing their personal lives in public.

Now that being said, I felt like the last interview they did (after the doubles loss) was sooo fascinating. It's kinda the first time I saw them broke off from their media typical answers? Especially Rafa. I think it's a combination of knowing that was the last time and the height of emotions they just witnessed (they literally just cried on international telly in front of like hundred thousands haha) hence not really being in control of what they're fully saying?

Espec. the section on 1:32 where Rafa said "When he's leaving an important part of my life is leaving with him", and Federer just kinda staring out the distance trying not to break down again prob lol. This was such an exposing answer, and one that isn't actually related to their professional relationship at all (just before this he was talking about "sharing very important things in 'our life'" both on but more specifically off court). I was a bit shocked when he said this and thought he might mean smth different because of the language barrier but I checked and he pretty much said the same thing in his spanish interviews as well. That was the first time I felt like I've heard them talking about their personal relationship in a bit more detail beyond the "we get along very well and talk often" media bit.

In terms of personal farewells, I think if they did have anything of the sort it'd probably be way before the laver cup, most likely during that phonecall they had where Roger first told him bout the retirement? I remember him talking in a spanish interview about it, saying it lasted for almost an hour and was a really difficult conversation. They might've had a convo after their final press convo after the ceremony since Rafa was saying he's gonna wait for Roger (presumably before he leaves the next morning).

But I honestly think it wouldn't have been a difficult personal farewell but maybe more just their reflections on their professional careers and rivalry together? Since they themselves said it many times and we have seen proofs until now at least that their personal relationship's not really ending in any way (it seems to have gotten closer even), they're still in weekly contact with each other and it's obvious that they keep in touch and plan to do things together in the future. So I suppose it was mostly just a private reflection on the journey they've been in together if anything and how special their rivalry has been for their careers. Roger did send a really long message to the LC group chat after his farewell tho, thanking everyone and saying last messages to each member of the team, could imagine him doing the same privately for Rafa knowing what a gracious person he is.

Anyhow that's all my take on it hahaha, wdyt?

[stoportotouch]

PLEASE tell me about the lieutenantcules kids

ohoho i would Love to

they end up having two, james frederick (little and hodgson) and katherine "kate" alexandria (irving and hodgson). (obviously hodge is transmasc here.) james is born in january 1849 and kate is born in july 1850. They Were Busy, is what i'm suggesting here. (behold my lovely spreadsheet, because i can't keep track of these people otherwise.)

since this is The One Where Doctor MacDonald Survives, he is also the one to deliver both of them. (which is great because hodgson doesn't fancy explaining all that whatnot to a new doctor.) this later becomes a great advantage in that it prevents hodgson from Fucking Dying having kate.

lots of Stuff below the cut, because i have a lot to say about these childen as it turns out.

james is named after fitzjames and fairholme (and also edward's older brother james cornelius) and also after fred hornby. after he's born, hodgson (slightly high on Fun Victorian Narcotics, as was the fashion at the time) suggests calling him "james james". this is not necessarily unfitting considering that he is named after the man so james that they called him it twice but get Vetoed.

james is one of those "started talking late but once he started he never stopped again" neurodivergent kids, and his Personality is basically the same as hodgson's. (this includes The Neurodivergence. he would be diagnosed with autism and adhd if this was the 21st century.) this eventually leads him to join the diplomatic corps, for some reason.

he is basically hodgson's software on little's hardware in that he looks and physically acts basically exactly like little but with some of hodgson's pointy features. he... is short. (just barely taller than little when he's full grown.) partly because, as you can see, april of 1848 isn't that long after they were rescued.

but also little is short and in a short family, and hodgson is alone in his immediate family in being tall. (or rather, he was objectively tall pre-transition. he got bumped down to Just Below Average Height by the simple expedient of cutting his hair.)

james was also The World's Most Difficult Baby, again because he was born to somebody who was still kind of recovering from scurvy and definitely recovering from lead poisoning. this is literally just because the "thank god we're alive" came back LONG before the... actual intelligence did. (it also fucked hodgson's hip up for the rest of his life.)

for the first year or so james does Not like not being held, wakes up at just about every noise or External Stimulus and has colic. then around his first birthday he suddenly just goes like "hm, no more of that, thanks" and starts walking. which completely fixes all the other problems. (he still doesn't start talking until quite a while after kate.)

the not talking does give his Dads pause until james cornelius mentions when he visits that edward didn't talk until he was about seven. thus when james starts talking when he's about five or six this seems to explain everything. (one difference: when edward started talking he seemed to do so unwillingly and never talked much. james starts and then never stops for the rest of his life. this is presumably hodgson's genetics kicking in.)

as i mentioned earlier. katherine (or kate) is hodgson and irving's kid, which is just... a fascinating combination of personalities to cross-pollinate. she's named after katherine irving, who is irving's sister-in-law (and also one of his best friends), and also after alexander macdonald.

katherine irving is an obvious person to name her after, especially since irving is a bit glum about not being able to tell his family about Having Kids, on account of The Circumstances. but naming his kid after her is the next best thing (especially when he had always promised her Godmother Rights if he had kids). alexandria is, obviously, after doctor macdonald. it seems like the least they can do since he stops hodgson from dying. (kate is completely fine.)

kate is like. the world's most chill baby, and also the pregnancy is far physically/psychologically easier on hodgson than james was. most of the issue the first time was the combination of "the unknown" and like. Gender Stuff. the latter of these still gets to him from time to time with kate but far more mildly and he feels more able to talk about it. (because he was pregnant with james while little was recovering from a brain injury and irving was recovering from being stabbed. as i said, they were not especially bright in this regard.)

as i said earlier, having james when he was still recovering fucks up hodgson's hip for the rest of his life. this actually doesn't lead to what happens with kate but it probably doesn't help. (kate is also a far larger baby, since irving is tall and quite broad when he isn't malnourished, and from quite a tall family.) long story short doctor macdonald figures out that hodgson isn't just sore/tired and a bit high and hodgson gets an emergency hysterectomy out of it.

hodgson later suggests, once everybody has recovered from the shock of "partner/other father of our kids/friend just nearly bled to death", that they call her stephanie. you know, because of doctor stanley (who in fairness he did get on really well with. world's oddest friendship, or not really considering that when we see doctor stanley make attempts at Bedside Manner it's basically hodgson through a filter of irony poisoning).

little and irving haven't even talked about it and irving is kind of... avoiding it all (he does with both births but hodgson only particularly wants little with him. not for any particularly Personal reason irving's energy is just too jumpy for a sick-room). hodgson does suggest that he be there when kate is born because he knows what to expect now and they're All a bit further out from The Initial Arctic Trauma. irving says no, which turns out to be the right decision because he spends about a week having a panic attack.

they decide on a full name for her very quickly. (both of them have hodgson's surname, just to avoid any questions. this doesn't actually avoid questions with james because he looks like little.)

kate looks basically exactly like hodgson did as a kid, which is really weird for him (and also makes him a bit more protective of her than he was expecting to be). it's doubly weird that she also acts exactly like he did. as an adult she ends up looking like hodgson but a girl/with irving's tone of voice and way of speaking. (she's also about six foot tall fully grown.) basically she looks like this leyendecker painting.

she basically acts like hodgson would if he didn't have... The Problems. which can be extremely annoying but also it's great for her; she's assertive in a way that neither of her Dads could ever manage in addition to being at least book-intelligent. (she isn't people-intelligent.) she fortunately doesn't pick up irving's anxiety (or his compulsions) but she does get his Maths Brain.

she and hodgson still bond over music but she's very into like. Finding The Right Answer so he gets her into bach. this works excellently. she eventually ends up with his ancient copy of gradus ad parnassum that he's scribbled in over the course of a few decades. she is far better at bach chorale harmonisations than he is. (or rather, she picks it up far quicker.)

-----

on the subject of their families: some of little's family know but this is limited to james cornelius (Gay Uncle, beloved by both james and kate for all their lives), and little's sister margaret anne (and her husband, john). margaret and john don't particularly get it but also "aw, nieces and nephews" (and margaret likes hodgson). they look after james when kate is born.

hodgson... basically does not talk at all to his family, honestly. his dad died in 1844 (literally right before he met irving. like he was going through all that while they were having a really complicated Situationship that ended with irving trying to ghost him but not being emotionally able to) and while he used to get on with his mother... not so much any more.

if he hadn't had kids then he would probably have gritted his teeth with at least two of his siblings (beilby porteus and mary) and at least tried to have more of a relationship with them. but then as soon as he has james he's just like, "yeah my family are never getting near our kids", and kate being born (and everything around that) cements that in his mind.

he uh. i have so much to say about his relationship with his oldest sister, henrietta mildred. but the summary as it pertains to this is "he is still stuck at the level of a very scared seven-year-old where she is concerned and she is stuck at the level of a very miserable nineteen-year-old where he is concerned." they could probably talk it out. it would actually be beneficial. but they literally never will.

-----

further on Family Dynamics (and also a bit about Victorian Class Dynamics):

hodgson is a good amount younger than his siblings (or than his surviving siblings). he's one of five that survived to adulthood and he's ten years younger than the next one up which means that he was basically an only child but that his parents had forgotten everything about babies and toddlers. so like, Victorian Ideas About The Child, Multiplied By Ten Thousand.

he was also completely unexpected and while not quite unwanted he was far more handed off to nurse and then nanny than his older siblings as a kid. and then he went away to a boarding school aged thirteen, joined the navy at the age of fifteen, and basically never came back again. (until post-franklin-expedition.)

so he thinks that little, whose family mostly still live together and see each other as often as they can, has a really weird relationship with his parents and siblings. little is not going to argue this because he's sure he'll find something awful if he scratches the surface. also hodgson isn't going to press the issue because uh. little came home to discover that his mother had died a couple of months before they were rescued. so he doesn't want to cause any further Hurt.

little does, though, feel really weird about handing the kids off to nannies and nurses and governesses. (he's one of twelve from a family which was upwardly mobile but still working-ish class. they could not afford all that whatnot.) he still ends up getting on very well with the nurse they find, who they keep employing after james is born. this turns out to be a good thing when kate is born, because of The Circumstances.

[galacticlamps]

actually ascension needs its own post since that's the one with the most details to speculate over and im starved for soho talk so i will talk to myself if need be

First the cover again, because I kinda can't get over it:

my only thing is that I had been hoping we might get Lizbeth on a cover again since she's never been on one of the boxsets before, despite being the 2nd person credited on all 4 of them (even if that's just alphabetical, still, she's the only one of the four main characters who never makes the cover)

But letting that go...

I know we already kinda knew the brief for this one but damn I didn't expect it to go quite this hard. Maybe that's just because the Parasite & Ashenden covers were (comparatively) similarish to each other and I was so pleased with Unbegotten's, and then got so used to it as the placeholder for Ascension while they kept postponing it, I wasn't expecting anything this colorful or detailed or with what I can't help but register as Fun New Outfits even though these are still like, pretty damn basic as far as costumes go. Still, it's a different vibe from everyone in suits and trenchcoats on every cover, technically. (Oh the woes of being an audio fan such that two characters owning sweaters actually does qualify as new information)

On top of just being visually delightful though, I know we knew religion was gonna be a fairly big part of this one, but I didn't actually expect to get quite this much of it - though I'm glad of it for a number of reasons. The BF twitter already made the ineffable joke so I don't have to, but also yeah I did very much spend all of season 2 episode 4 of good omens half convinced Samuel Barnett & Dervla Kirwan were about to pop up around any given corner (if you will go around being gay supernatural and horrible at your messy bureaucratic jobs in midcentury soho then I'm sorry, this is where my brain's gonna go) - so, fuel to that fire. But in terms of actual important things, at least one of my Soho wishes looks to be being granted because we have a Rev Edward Folgate on the cast list, which must mean we're finally meeting Norton's father, even if his mother & brother don't appear (which they could, technically, I've definitely seen BF not list all the doublings on their cast tabs before). Religion, domesticity, and the nuclear family are all things that absolutely fascinate me when it comes to Norton's character, so getting any amount of story involving his father & his church is something I've been actively hoping for for a long time now.

(I will say I'm a tiny bit bummed Saffron Coomber isn't on the cast list to play Mia again, but I kinda figured she wasn't going to be since Greg Austin's Armitage, who's making his first recurring appearance after originating in Unbegotten, was listed ever since the boxset was announced - presumably if she was also returning, that would've been handled in the same way. But since Unbegotten ended with Lizbeth and Mia going on a date, I still held out hope. Who knows though, maybe things did go well for them and Lizbeth just has a better work/life balance than Norton so she can date someone without them getting dragged into every scifi plot. I know that's not a very common accomplishment for any Torchwood agent, but a gal can hope)

At this point I know I'm completely in the realm of speculation & even wishful thinking, but I'm really really hoping we get some more clues as to Norton's overall timeline in this one, and I have a feeling that even if there's nothing as direct as dates given, the events of a plot like this one are going to heavily influence my personal interpretation of it.

To say that life & death are major themes for the soho crew feels wildly reductive, but even by Torchwood's standards and taking into account its origins as a piece of media with Jack Harkness & his newfound immortality at the heart of it, the living/dead status of this bunch has always been fantastically up in the air to me. Obviously Ghost Mission introduced Norton as kind of a ghost before revealing more obvious ghostly characters later on to which the title might have been referring, but his being from the past did beg the question of his survival into Torchwood's present era all the same, which Outbreak later alludes to much more directly, and his habit of showing up via hologram in multiple stories only further obfuscates any certainty we might have about where & when he definitely can be said to be alive and well. Then you've got Lizbeth and Gideon both being effectively 'brought back to life' via paradoxes that prevented them ever having died in the first place. Again, they are very very far from being the only Torcwhood characters this happens to (for a sprawling EU, it's really rather impressive how often & in how many different ways Torchwood as a whole manages to circle back to being about like. chaotic undead queers at the end of every day. though I suppose that consistency is part of why I keep falling in love with its different iterations again and again). That's without even getting into the question of Norton's dubious fate in God Among Us - and I say dubious because I know some people take that to be his ultimate death, but I personally think that reading something as vague as that as having any kind of finality rather goes against the spirit of this whole world/series, not just because I want him to live. (There are obviously other ways to make him survive/reappear, but I don't see this as a River Song scenario where we can safely assume one of his earlier-released adventures had to happen at the end of his personal timeline). But wherever God Among Us falls for him, he does very much meet God in it - or at least, a god, since the sentinel in Unbegotten is also described as a god of sorts, and even if he doesn't ultimately have the status of the god Jacqueline King is playing there, Unbegotten is still full to bursting with ghosts/undead/came back wrong/echo characters to continue underscoring that life/afterlife theme.

So all things considered, even allowing for the fact that we know Norton's twin hobbies are lying about himself and abusing time travel to suit his own ends/ever-shifting alliances, I find it difficult to believe we could get through a whole 6-part boxset about religion & death without something providing some kind of compelling evidence about where this adventure fits in among his other run-ins with apocalypses and gods and ghosts and dead-but-still-here characters/creatures, so I'm very much looking forward to any further exploration on that front.

And lastly, and least intellectually, I really want to know what the hell 20th-century Torchwood's obsession with Reginalds is. Reading through the cast list, I had to do two separate doubletakes over the character 'Sir Reginald Peebles' - firstly, because I had Reginald Rigsby on the brain, this being Soho (and the other Troughton brother being so active on BF's releases for this same month) - and secondly, because reading this in conjunction with the announcement for the July monthly adventure in which the new main Torchwood guy of the 20s is apparently called Sir Reginald Dellafield, there was a brief moment where I took that monthly release to be a tie-in with Ascension. I don't expect it to be, but damn. was it really so popular a name?

anyways, catch me thinking about those stained glass windows for the next couple months I guess (and knowing Torchwood Soho, for a long long time after it comes out as well lol)

[blackjackkent]

OK, more Rakha adventures. (I still have a couple of the micro-fic prompts in my inbox; will finish them either later or tomorrow. <3 )

We left off having knocked out Minthara (though Rakha thinks she killed her) and killed Gut, so that just leaves Boss Ragzlin as the last remaining leadership bastion of the Absolute in the goblin camp. We're going to go get Halsin first, though, since the entrance to the warg pens is right near Minthara, and Rakha has heard enough from various people in the camp to indicate that's where Halsin is being held.

And sure enough...

How bear-y unexpected. *rimshot*

Rakha doesn't bother trying to reason with the goblins about letting him out; simply offers them a taste of their own medicine immediately, which is enough to inspire Halsin to slam the iron bars down on the nearest enemy.

Rakha's bloodthirst kicks in at this point and the team steamrolls the rest of the goblins (despite my forgetting that everyone was out of spell slots from dealing with everything in Gut's area :P whoops).

-----

Rakha hunches in a corner of the room as the last goblin falls, slowly emerging from the violent haze in which the dark urge left her during the battle. She watches, hollow-eyed, as the bear comes to a halt in front of her... and then changes.

It occurs to me that Rakha heard something from the goblins about Halsin turning into a bear, and presumably she's gotten a rundown on how druids operate from Wyll, but this is nevertheless a supremely weird thing to encounter for the first time. So watching this transformation is more than a little fascinating; she watches with intent interest as the the Weave swirls around the bear, as the flesh slowly morphs and twists into a huge, barrel-chested elven man with shaggy dark hair.

Very like the bear, still, she thinks.

She still feels the urge's hunger at the back of her mind - the desire to kill, the need for another round of blood spilled. But as always, her surprise and need for knowledge do more to subdue the dark urge than almost anything else, and she stares with frank curiosity at the man as the Weave slowly begins to settle back towards tranquility.

The enormous elf's eyes fix on her, and then he grins good-naturedly, flicking lingering goblin blood off his hands. "Pardon the viscera," he says casually. "One should cherish all of nature's bounty - but goblin guts are quite far down the list."

He gives her a look up and down, and then his smile widens. He seems quite unfazed by the amount of dead goblins surrounding them, or the danger that he has been in. "You aided a bear without knowing if it would savage you? A true friend of nature," he says cheerfully. "Or perhaps a lunatic. Either way, I owe thanks. I am the druid Halsin."

Rakha nods curtly. She knew that already. She knows more than he thinks. "I spoke to Nettie," she says brusquely, cutting straight to the heart of the matter as always. "She said you could help me with the parasite in my head."

Halsin blinks. Then his smile fades rapidly, replaced by a look of intense concern.

"Parasite in your head? You mean... you have one of *them*?"

Before Rakha can respond, he lifts a hand, and she watches the Weave spasm as he casts a spell she does not recognize. Gold light floods the area, passing around her and through her. She can almost feel the warm pulse of energy as it lingers in her temple where the worm sits.

Then Halsin's hand falls back to his side. The light fades. He looks grim and sad, as if suddenly bearing a century's worth of troubles.

"Oak Father preserve you, child..." he murmurs. "You're infected, aren't you? The mind flayers' spawn..." He trails off, and then he tips his head to one side. She can see the workings of a quick mind flashing behind his eyes. In spite of his hulking appearance, this man is no fool. "But something's... different," he goes on pensively. "You're aware of the monster inside you. You don't bow to the Absolute, like the True Souls do. How is this possible..."

Rakha considers in silence for a moment before answering. There seems little point in hiding anything from this man; besides Lae'zel's creche, he is the best hope of answers they have. She reaches into her pack, pulls out the small multi-sided artifact that protected them on the bride.

"I think this artifact has something to do with it," she says.

Halsin squints at it. "Hm. That looks very alien," he says. "As alien as the mind flayers. They do not belong on this world." His lips purse tightly. "You weren't speaking lightly when you said you needed help. Let me tell you what I know."

Rakha straightens attentively; her eyes, already focused, now burn into him. A flicker of a smile crosses his face as he registers her eagerness for what he can tell her.

"I've been studying these parasites for a while now," he goes on. "Ever since I discovered these so-called True Souls are infected with them. Someone is using very powerful magic to modify these tadpoles. They are using them to exert control over the infected."

Rakha nods. Yes. That tracks with what she has seen. Gut, for all her faith, did not know what she carried in her head; she was being utterly controlled, completely manipulated. Modification to the tadpoles makes sense; it explains the discrepancies with Gale's descriptions of ceremorphosis.

"I'm sorry to say I can't undo that magic," Halsin continues. "Which means I can't cure you. But that doesn't mean I can't help. I didn't find what I came here for - a way to remove the tadpoles - but I found the next best thing. I found out where they come from. That must be where these enchantments are placed on them, and it's where you'll find your cure."

Rakha's whole body goes still. Ah.

It should be disappointing that Halsin cannot help them, and on some level she supposes it is - but that doesn't matter. Lae'zel will bring them to the githyanki, and at the creche the matter of the worm will be resolved. Her greater concern is this cult that put the thing in her in the first place - answers followed by vengeance. And Halsin is saying he knows where to find both.

"Tell me what you've learned," she rasps, "of the tadpoles' origins."

"I overheard that the cultists are sending all of their captives to Moonrise Towers," Halsin answers. "Innocents go in, True Souls come out. Given that all of these True Souls are infected, it has to be the source of the magic. If you want to find a cure, you must head there and discover how the tadpoles are being manipulated."

Moonrise Towers. She has already heard that name - from the halfling trader in the main hall. She too mentioned that the goblins were sending prisoners there. The picture is coming together, piece by piece - and with it, a plan. The creche to remove the worms, and then this Moonrise, where she will see to it that whoever is behind this scheme is properly rewarded for what they have done to her.

As for the elf... she peers at Halsin thoughtfully. He has answered her questions directly and clearly, and she suspects there is more of use that he could tell her. "You seem to know a lot about this," she says. "Will you come with me to Moonrise?"

Halsin frowns and gives a single, sharp shake of his head. "I wish I could. But there's still work I've yet to finish. Blood I've yet to spill." A pause, and then he looks to Rakha with the same sudden fixity of attention that she has been giving him. "I've no right to ask more of you - but if you could help me, I'd be free to join your journey to Moonrise. I cannot allow these butchers to threaten my grove. The natural order must be preserved."

There is a ferocity under the words that stirs at the dark urge in Rakha's brain. She can follow his intentions clearly enough. He means, even if she does not, to kill the remaining goblins here and finish this arm of the cult for good and all. And he wants her to help him.

As if she would do otherwise. She was ready to kill them before; he merely gives her another reason. She nods sharply, her pupils dilating. "All right," she says curtly. "How do I help?"

He details the plan in crisp, concise sentences, and none of it is surprising. Kill the three leaders, and the place will fall apart. One thing he adds, though, is surprising, enough to give Rakha a momentary pause.

"Be warned. My presence could make things more difficult. I can only restrain my bear form so much. I won't be able to help but attack goblins. If I join you, we'll likely have to slaughter this entire place. You may want to use discretion when approaching the goblin leaders."

Wyll laughs suddenly, shaking his head. When Halsin turns a confused look on him, he shrugs. "I think you may find, friend, that discretion isn't exactly a watchword around here," he says dryly. "So I think you'll fit in just fine."

Rakha ignores the humor; she is deep in thought. Yes - this man must join them. He is like her, like Astarion. He has a beast in him too. He understands about rage that cannot be controlled. "Come with me," she says hoarsely.

Halsin smiles slowly, and then his features begin to fade as he hunches forward, his muscles twisting back into the bear form. "So be it..." he growls, before language is lost to him. "May Silvanus lend us nature's fury."

[marmolita]

Magnus protocol 1&2 thoughts! Here be spoilers and also spoilers for TMA! Also fyi I'm gonna be tagging with "the magnus protocol" for tmagp stuff and continuing to use the fandom name plus "spoilers" for anything spoilery.

Stuff I like:

Diving right in with the majorly fucked up "statements," 100% here for it!!! I liked the second one better than the first because I felt like I actually understood what was going on in it better, and it was sufficiently fucked and creepy.

I like the idea that this is basically like the archive, but it's in a different form where they have to read/listen to/watch the statements and then categorize and file them

I ♥️ Sam, he's wonderful so far 😍

Gwen is fascinating and I appreciate a girl who's a stickler for filing things properly (I'm an Amy Santiago type of person myself). I'm interested to see how things go with her and definitely interested to see what goes on with her and Lena

Lena 👀👀 who is she? how did she get here? how much is she in the know? Presumably she's aware that she's running basically a Beholding archive but also presumably this universe does not have a living Jonah Magnus so her backstory is probably very different.

Jon and Martin zapped into the computer like Freakazoid is a great callback to the computer ep from tma and that they're not really alive in the same way they were before (assuming ofc it's them). I'm definitely interested to see who else is in there with them 👀

I like the way the statements start off in computerized voices and then gradually fade to normal voice and then back again 👍

Stuff I don't like:

Probably unpopular opinion: I absolutely cannot stand Alice. I want to like her and I'm hoping that the storyline will change my mind, but she's just kind of a jerk? Like the whole "go ask Colin about the app" thing was just a dick move, and the aggressive irreverence comes off as rude and irritating to me. Presumably she has a tragic backstory and this is some kind of put-on act to cover up her emotional turmoil but would it hurt to be a little nicer to people? Gwen is rude too but she's owning it, not pretending that she's nice. As a listener I feel like I'm expected to find Gwen disagreeable but I'm expected to find Alice charming, and I really, really don't.

The audio in the break room is terrible. I assume part of this is that we're supposed to be listening from the perspective of an electronic device, maybe a copy machine that's around the corner or something, and I get that, but I cannot fucking hear what they're saying. I'm usually either listening in the car or in an environment with lots of other sounds and it's just inaudible for me.

This is true for some other sections as well, though the break room is the worst. I have enough trouble just understanding accents sometimes since I'm not British (I watch all BBC tv shows with the captions turned on 😅) so when audibility is low this becomes even harder.

Some of the transitions were unclear. I loved the artist statement, but it was not clear to me who was listening to it, how it was getting played, or what was going on. I'm not familiar enough with the voices yet to identify people and for a minute I thought Lena was taking a statement in person.

I assume I'll figure this out in time, but I can't tell Lena and Gwen apart.

MY SOFTWARE PROFESSIONAL NITPICKS oh my god I know this is an eldritch abomination of a computer system but some of the technobabble is just conflicting! If it's ancient, then it can't be breaking when it auto updates, because 1) your OS and SW did not auto update back then, and 2) if it's been around and auto updating for years it would be newer and not ancient anymore! There was some other technobabble I can't recall at the moment that bothered me too, which I'll probably remember five minutes after making this post. These are all nitpicks that are only annoying to me because software is my day job though so I will accept them.

[pixies-and-poets]

I have some SPM questions for you 🥰❤️🧡💛💚💙💜💟🖤

1. Who is your favorite Pixel, why?

2. Who is your favorite Ancient? (Merlumina, Merloo, Merlight, etc.)

3. Favorite level?

4. Why would you live in Flopside rather than Flipside? Would you ever visit me in Flipside if you found out about the Flip-floppery? 🤣

5. If you could visit any level, which level, and why?

6. Who in the game do you think would be your bestie?

I have a zillion more, but I'll save for another day 😘

1. Ok so, aside from Tippi because that's too easy lol (she's actually an important role model character for me!) I'd have to say I really like Thudley. It's silly but I just love his face, and the whole girth obsession gets me laughing every time (especially if you're playing as Bowser). I think of him every time I read or hear (or write) the word "girth".

I mean look at this guy, how can you not love him.

2. If we're only talking about actual Ancients and not their still-living descendants, then... Merlumina's unnamed sister who delivered the pure heart to the first King Sammer and fell in love with him. They had 100 kids which is presumably why the king now keeps 100 guardian warriors traditionally. And I mean damn girl!!! (I actually love Sammer's Kingdom and even the whole silly challenge, and the Sammer Guys and all their names, so... thanks to her)

3. Probably the Underwhere; I enjoy Greek mythology and love the concept of the Mario world having an underworld like this. The aesthetics and music are amazing and evocative, the "family trees" in the background in particular. Technically 3-4 (Fort Francis) is my favorite level for its humor and references, but the Underwhere is the best location.

4. Flopside just fits my vibes better... It's a more melancholy and laid-back place, and it feels like Flopside residents are usually the less successful ones, or the ones that have had a somewhat harder life, between them and their Flipside counterparts. I always feel like I am a less "successful" version of the person I could have been if I'd made different choices or magically didn't have to deal with my Brain Problems or the heart condition I was born with which robs me of a lot of energy. Nevertheless, I am pretty happy with my own life these days, even if the Flipside version of me (Yentruoc) went on to be a famous author and children's book illustrator like I once dreamed about. (I do like Flipside too though so of course I'd visit!)

5. I would visit Castle Bleck if that was an option; I want to see what it would feel like to exist in such an oppressively dark and colorless place, but I do think it's aesthetically fascinating and beautiful in its own way as well. Since I love the Bleck crew, their existence in the castle has captured my imagination for almost 16 years now! So I would love to see what it's actually like where they dwelt, and how accurate my imaginings were. I've doubtless thought about it more than any other place in the game so it would be mind-blowing to actually go there. But if that's not an option.... Well, I love Sammer's Kingdom like I said before, and it seems fun lol

6. I like to think I'd get along with Nastasia and we could commiserate on secretary type stuff.... Honestly I feel like Squirps captures the chaotic energy of myself and a lot of my friends but he's also a kid so it would be weird if he was my actual bestie lol. But I would happily babysit him any time. If he kept a similar personality into adulthood, we would totally hang out and yell excitedly about things and eat chocolate and give things weird names. Ok what I'm figuring out is that I may just have the personality of a kid LOL