#antis are weirder than i thought

[katheriensapple]

Well actually some are still in the TCOAAL fandom and still deny it. Some have even unironically convinced themselves that the author added the incest vision as a little haha funny and doesn’t plan on expanding on that. Like they really believe that the author who left the internet while saying she’d double down on the incest, they believe she plans on not actually going through with it. It’s comical at this point

Well, what the fuck?

The worst part is that I buy it. But I have to ask: why are those people in TCOAAL at all? I mean, TCOAAL is about incest, it has always been about incest (emotional incest in part 1 and more physical incest in part 2), it was written as an incest story. Interprenting Andrew's and Ashely's relationship as strictly platonic in order to avoid incest is just like removing action from a action movie to avoid violence. You are making it morally better, but also empying it from all scence.

Andrew's behavior is irrational if you don't take into account his ever repressed but ever present obsession for his sister, Ashley's jealousy is over-the-top and senseless if you think she doesn't see her brother in a romantic/sexual light. Hell, half of their interactions are portrayed as toxic couple's fights.

So, what would a person who's 100% convinced that their relationship is platonic see in this story? Well, canibalism and demons, but nothing they can't find in another place.

The Coffin of Andy and Leyley is the STORY of Andy and Leyley. Their relationship is what the game is about, is what made it unique. And to interpret it as non-incestuous is somehow… fundamentally misunderstanding Nemlei's intentions and what she captured in her work.

Andrew and Ashley are interesting because they're broken, they've been traumatized and neglected, and they've become monsters. They love each other, they hate each other, they care so much, they're obsessed, they could kill each other or die for each other. and every single step forward only brings them closer to an early... shared grave.

Doesn't that sound romantic?

[burningvelvet]

Ranking all the Brontë novels + briefly reviewing The Professor

I finally finished The Professor by Charlotte Brontë, which means I HAVE COMPLETED ALL THE BRONTË NOVELS, which means I can now rank them. This is a rough order, but brief explanations will be given...

As an aside, bc I don't want to make a separate post for my review of The Professor, but I did note several strong similarities to Jane Eyre (the female lead's description, her elvish comparisons) and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (Hunsden/Huntington as the cynic, although the former is mostly good and the latter mostly bad). Really all the Brontë novels are very similar so there are tons of more common themes I could mention but won't. Also, more references to Scottish besties Walter Scott & Lord Byron!

Now for my official Brontë Book Ranking (which may be subject to change over the years...)

7. Shirley - I would like to revisit this one. There are some great gems in it, and I'm fascinated by the Luddism subject matter. It is also a strong contender for the most feminist Brontë novel and has probably the most in-depth female relationships which does count for something. But it's SO UNNECESSARILY LONG! And often boring! And it took me the longest to finish. So it has to be last.

6. The Professor - this one benefits from not being Shirley. It's also a good attempt at a first novel I think. It has some gems, but it's often boring like Shirley is in my opinion. I thought the main male, Crimsworth, was a bit more exciting to follow than any of the men in Shirley. I actually think Crimsworth is a pretty inspiring figure and I enjoyed his observations and his anti-work rhetoric. Like most Brontë protagonists, he's a teacher who experiences classism, poverty, and oppression, and manages to overcome these things through frugality, faith, love, hope, etc.

5. Agnes Grey - it's hard to get through at times but it's generally worth it and has a strong pay off. I think Anne's writing style is generally enjoyable. It's has a lot of the horror of Wuthering Heights and the lighter parts of Jane Eyre but it lacks Charlotte and Emily's stronger passions and has more of Anne's calm reasoning, faith, and stoicism. That makes it sound more boring than it really is maybe. I also think it's fascinating for being largely semi-autobiographical like Charlotte's works can be. We get to "know" Anne more than we do in Tenant I feel, and I think she's pretty admirable. The bird scene was based on a real experience she had as a governess, and she wrote most of the novel as a rebellious act in her room right after work. All teachers and childcare workers – and really all women and members of the working-class – should take this novel as the cautionary tale it was written to be.

4. Villette - this is the weirdest Brontë novel. Some interesting scenes and characters. Charlotte's last novel shows far more writerly evolution than in Shirley where she was again trying for more progressive social commentary (and mostly succeeded I think) but often fell back into the more sedate or conventional nature that parts of The Professor has (saving Crimsworth's sometimes strong, sassy, rebellious attitude). Villette was written in a strange period of grief for Charlotte and it shows. Villette is basically Jane Eyre's weirder older sister.

3 and 2 are almost tied for me. I have also written about 3, 2, and 1 so much on my blog that I probably won't go into as much detail as I have with the others.

3. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall - shockingly underrated. Hard to get through, but so is Wuthering Heights which it's pretty similar to at times. Radically progressive and daring, it is a strong contender for being the most feminist Brontë novel and the most oriented toward social justice (although they really all are). Brilliant use of mystery and gothic allure with a social realism that was too ahead of its time to fall into the common traps of that genre. Has everything you could want in a Brontë novel.

2. Wuthering Heights - a bomb in your face. Full of passion. Grand drama. What can I say? It's infamous for valid reasons. Never a boring moment, which instantly pushes it to the top of the list for me who am easily bored. I have elaborated on this work very often on my page so I don't feel the need to reiterate everything here but I will say that this novel has basically everything you could want.

1. Jane Eyre - has all the gothic mystery and passion of Wuthering Heights but focuses on fewer characters whose arcs thus feel more personable and fulfilling in my opinion. We get to know Jane and Rochester much more fully than almost any of the other Brontë characters I feel. And it is my love for the characters that really makes this one my favorite Brontë novel as well as one of my favorite tales of all time (whereas Heights is notorious for its unlikeable characters which actually repel many readers from enjoying it). No wonder it's the most adapted and tied with Wuthering Heights for being the most famous (although I think it may have surpassed Wuthering Heights in pop culture at times). I also think there are a lot of really meaningful themes, morals, and subjects that are explored in this novel, which again can be said of all Brontë novels, but it all feels so much more full in this one. The plot itself is also the most well-crafted in my opinion, and it has one of the greatest twists in all of literature/media imo.

[tanith-rhea]

Only Pretending #8

Word count: 3k Author's note: Just one more to go! Oh, wow, we're almost there, aren't we? My first long, multi-chapter fic for any of Gwen's characters. I'm so grateful to @anti-bright-places (@pro-weems-places) for requesting this one. Thank you so much <3 Also, special thanks for @alder-saan and their much-needed advice, and for reminding me of greek fire ;)

Well, maybe kissing wasn’t the correct description. Rather, she was being kissed, quite enthusiastically, by Morticia Addams.

You were shocked into motionless; the air in your lungs disappeared and left you feeling faint. Then, in a sure, rapid movement, Larissa shoved the woman away.

“What do think you are doing?” her voice was thunderous, dark and threatening like clouds amounting to a storm.

“I could ask the same,” yours was much weaker as you leant against the door frame, legs suddenly wobbly.

“Argh, you again? Why must you always be around?” for the first time you heard annoyance from Morticia. It was oddly refreshing, if utterly confusing.

“What do you mean? I’m almost never-“

“Because she’s my partner, Morticia, stop acting like she’s anything else,” Larissa cut you off. Rude… but you could forgive it since your belly fluttered with her calling you her partner — and it being true.

“Oh, please, we both know she is little more than another one of your mistakes, Larissa. Stop being stubborn and give us another chance,” the fire with which Morticia started died down into a tired plead.

What did she mean by “another chance”? Were they an item any time before? Was this why Morticia instantly disliked you and kept trying to break you apart?

“I wasn’t the one that made this impossible, Morticia,” Larissa sounded almost as tired and walked towards you with light dimming in her eyes. When she was next to you, her arm came around your shoulders and helped you up from the doorframe and into a half embrace. There was the tiniest sparkle when she looked at you from above and pressed a small smile to your forehead. “You ruined this for all of us. It is more than time for you to understand it and move on.”

Larissa only gestured with her head to the side before you were leaving. Her arm still around your shoulder calmed you and helped you breathe again normally and walk with her. For a moment, you thought you’d go upstairs, but as she made her way through the outskirts of the festivities, you found yourself being led to the back garden.

It was a bright night. The crescent moon bathed everything in dull blue light, and you could make out white stone paths through the several rows of probably deadly plants. To the side, in a clearing, sat an iron table and chairs, much like the set from the front, but a few meters after there was a double swing, and it seemed to be Larissa’s destination.

“Are we going to talk about it?” you chanced, following her as she let go of your shoulders to hold your hand.

“Sit with me,” she said simply; there was a quietness to her that felt comforting, but it also reminded you of a soft breeze bringing tempest.

You sat beside her on the plush loveseat. You thought it would feel weirder to swing on it, but it was almost a lull. Larissa slid her arm around your back and pulled you closer, leaning to kiss your temple before resting her chin atop your head.

“I used to love Morticia when I was younger.”

The solemness of her voice gave you pause. You wanted to comment, to question but felt it was best to let her tell you on her own.

“We were easily drawn to each other when we first met at Nevermore. She was quit-witted and stimulating, different from everyone I knew growing up. So unapologetically herself… so alien to me. I think I saw in her someone I wanted to be like. Outspoken, proud, and unafraid of how others perceived me.”

“You were in a relationship?” you began stroking Larissa’s hand, resting on her lap, but her small voice made you weave your fingers between hers and bring them to your lips. Although she seemed fond of the memories, you could almost feel the lump in her throat.

“Anyway…” she shook herself from whatever thoughts danced on her mind, “I met a boy, in our second year. Until then Morticia had been with Gomez for a few months and I didn’t mind sharing. Gomez is a very funny man, and it wasn’t different back then.

“But this other boy used to watch me when I visited Jericho for books or a coffee. Garret Gates. He had a horrible family, and his father hated outcasts. I thought that befriending him would make him see that we were not as different as his father told him, and was surprised when it worked out.”

You chuckled a bit at that, earning an arched brow, “Nothing, just you’re an outcast ambassador ‘since 1989’.”

“Oh, hell,” she let her head fall back onto the backrest, “How old were you by then?”

“Ham… I was due a few years in the future…”

She only groaned, murmuring “I choose not to comment on that.”

“Excellent, because you have some explaining to finish.”

“Oh, do I?” And what makes you think that?”

“Hm, I don’t know…” your eyes travelled the expanse of her neck and couldn’t contain your impish smile before leaving small, chaste kisses along, leading up to her jaw and ear, “You’re right, maybe I should just go inside and get a head start on packing…”

Her rough, “You little minx,” had you chucking against her skin, and you could feel her goosebumps at the touch of your lips. She continued with an affected tone:

“We became very close friends, and after a few months, I started having feelings for him. Morticia and I had been together for over a year by that point and Gomez and I were discussing if it wouldn’t be better and simply more fun if we all went out together.

“She… didn’t agree. Morticia was very protective of me, has always been I think, but now it’s just stubborn unwillingness to let go. She thought Garret was conspiring with his father to hurt me. It was nonsense, we had been friends for so long that he would have done something by that point. But she insisted and started seeing him behind my back.”

You were silent for a while, contemplating the information. You felt Larissa watching you from above, taking in your nervous playing with her fingers.

“Ugh, this sounds so delicate. I understand her trying to look out for you, he was from a complicated family, wasn’t he?” of course, she had been prejudiced and selfish, but you could imagine Morticia meaning well in her own distorted and overbearing way — Wednesday had a few good examples of how manipulative her dear mother could be in the name love.

“I can see your point, and maybe if things turned out differently I could forget about it, but,” Larissa’s chuckle seemed more born of habit than mirth, and she turned a bit and brought your legs to her lap to hug you closer.

She didn’t seek contact too much, apart from last evening, so for her to be so blatantly trying to have as much of you next to her made your chest clench with worry.

“After a while, he lost interest in me and became obsessed with Morticia. I never knew what she did, but at the time I was too hurt and furious to just accept he simply preferred her over me, even if she was playing him. So, I never spoke to him again…

“He was almost admitting his father might have been mistaken at our last interactions, but after Morticia, it all went downhill. He would appear at the school calling her a witch for having ‘charmed him into wanting her’, dramatic teen, he was just horny-“ you snorted at that, and only got a raised brow from Larissa and the smallest of smirks, “And became violent when she stopped entertaining him after accomplishing her goal.

“Then, in the second year’s Rave’N, he tried to poison all of us with a vial of deadly nightshade his father gave him but ended up being run throw with a sword by Morticia.”

“She killed him?!” you straightened to look into Larissa’s eyes.

“At the time we thought Gomez did it, I blamed Morticia for it but have since changed my mind and no longer think it worth blaming anyone. But last year Wednesday proved neither of her parents killed Garrett because he was poisoned by the nightshade he carried around his neck.”

“Oh… wow, this is so much drama, what in the… but why does Morticia still think you should be together?”

At that, Larissa released a long sigh, “She tried to convince me everything she did was to protect me, and while it may be true in her mind, it still doesn’t change all the scheming and plotting to drive Garrett away from me. It might sound egocentric, but I do think if we had spent just a little more time together, he would have come around. Maybe even Laurel would have learned from him since she was younger and still learning.”

“Laurel?” you recognized the name, and Larissa must have seen the moment the lightbulb flicked on above your head because she almost laughed at your dumbstruck expression, “The woman who tried to destroy the school last year? She was his relative?”

“His sister,” she nodded with a sad smile, “But I can’t keep thinking about all this and trying to piece things together into what could have been, or I’ll go mad. I’m quite satisfied leaving it all in the past.”

You nodded as well, the torrent of information making you dizzy.

“What do you want to do then? Maybe speak to her and explain where you stand?”

Larissa snorted faintly, “I have been doing it for the past two years and a few occasions before that. What do you think I was talking with her about before she threw herself at me? ‘If you want me so much come and get me’?”

“Oh, shut up…” you groaned and hid your face on her neck at her chuckles.

She laughed a bit more and you felt her shoulders relax underneath your head. It was getting colder every day, but you still heard a lone grasshopper somewhere around. You felt suddenly exhausted from your previously rapidly beating heart and the rollercoaster of emotions all this put you through, and the night sounds and Larissa’s hand softly caressing your shoulder almost had you sleeping.

It was oddly touching how she knew you wanted nothing more than your bed, and when she offered you two retire for the evening, you couldn’t be bothered to think the party would continue for probably hours still.

It was almost over. When you woke up the next morning to a dead arm aching under Larissa’s ribs you could only hug her tighter. You had no idea how things would be when you got back, but having her at that moment, with no responsibilities knocking at your door was too precious a thing to waste.

“Morning,” you heard her grumbling voice against your chest.

“Good morning, beautiful,” you smiled, refusing to let her go while she mock-fought you for her freedom.

In a few seconds, you were giggling uncontrollably. She had rolled on her back, bringing you with her and your arm seemed to be on fire when more blood started running through its veins.

With a slightly panicked “Oh, fuck” you fell onto her, and the giggling turned into laughter. “You- haha, you murdered my arm… my p- hahaha my poor arm!”

“Aww, poor baby, do you want me to kiss it better?”

“Your… cruel condescendence… wounds me,” you controlled your breathing with long intakes of breath, finally resting calmly on Larissa’s chest.

“Oh, so kisses and praises?” one could say the rough quality to her voice was due to recent slumber, but the shift of her leg underneath you told another story.

Things shouldn’t shift this fast. They never did, but with Larissa, nothing was how it was supposed to be. Her fingers slowly travelling up and down your arm suddenly weren’t absentminded, the quiet calmness turned into still air, charged with waves of electricity.

You raised yourself from her just enough to loom over her face, arm not hurting as much with the quickening pace of your heart. She looked so familiar, not like a lover you had just found, but one you’d kept for all your life. Her messy hair made her beautiful in a comforting way, reminding you of cloudy skies after many days of heat.

She was magnificent. You had no idea how someone like her could praise you when she was simply perfect. What good could you be compared to her?

You hoped she was able to see how you felt in your eyes, but to make sure, you leant down and kissed her vehemently, you tried to translate the tenderness you felt but the year boiling inside you rendered you unable to do anything other than take and take and demand for more, you only hoped she could understand the emotions behind it all.

Her hands held you firmly by the waist, thumbs reaching underneath your top and caressing the skin over your ribs.

You were grateful for your decision of only stripping off your trousers and jacket last night because now the chilly air from the stone room created an incredible contrast with the heat of Larissa’s body, and her warm hands travelling the expanse of your back as you slowly started grinding against her left goosebumps on their wake.

She grabbed your arse and pulled you forcefully against her hipbone, earning a low growl as you had to stop kissing her from lack of brain power and air. Try as you might, you didn’t have the capacity to kiss her properly while she made your insides feel like Greek fire.

It was incomprehensible how she managed to turn your body into a teenager’s, alight in a way that felt like the briefest touch could finish you if only she wanted to.

“So sweet of you to think you could have your way,” she breathed in your ear, and the warm breath seemed to melt your muscles while her thigh against the heat between your legs made them tense.

How could she remember that while you couldn’t say for sure if one plus one was two or ten or a thousand? Oh… right. You could fix that.

Staring defiantly into her eyes, you moved your knee to rest between her own thighs, pressing vindictively against her. Her sharp intake of breath bloomed an impish smile on your face and for a second you could concentrate enough to mutter:

“Let’s see whose way it will be, then,” before lunging yourself into her.

Your mouths clashed together. A battle of will, but also a harmonious dance of taking as much as possible and giving the most you could. You trailed down her face with desperation, leaving urgent kisses along her jaw and long, well-savoured love bites right above her pulse.

Larissa’s sounds were a symphony. She gasped and groaned and fought off whimpers, only making them sound more desperate by trying to mask them when you grabbed her hips to help you grind your thigh to her. Through her sheer nightdress, her wetness warmed your skin, and you realized the slippery fabric was severely decreasing the amount of friction you intended to provide her.

You urgently grasped at the hem of the dress, only managing not to rip it away from her by going down to kiss every inch of exposed skin revealed by the fabric.

You trailed up her stomach, revelling in its soft, milky skin. You wanted to paint it red, then blue, then purple with your mouth. Her body was the perfect canvas and you longed to mark how much you loved it everywhere possible.

“You took… such… good care of me yesterday…” you murmured as you pressed kisses up her ribs and between her breasts, “I can only hope to return the favour in kind.”

You emerged from underneath the cloth where you’d been giving her right nipple some well-deserved attention when you heard her muffled whine. Her lips were sealed in a thin line, eyes shut tight.

“Oh, no, no, no, none of that,” you whispered, planting soft kisses on her cheek and lips, “I want to listen to you-“

“But what if someone hears us?” well, that was an inspiring thought.

“If someone does, I’ll have to myself a pat on the back, because these walls are literal stone.”

Her rumbling chuckle grew into both of you lightly laughing and you couldn’t believe how much you wanted her then. You wanted that laugh, to wake up like this every day, to see her soft and happy but also panting and moaning. You wanted it all. And as you realized it, you leaned down again to kiss her deeply and slowly. Your hand left her waist to reach for her face, hold her and caress her cheek as you drowned in that feeling of being so utterly, unfathomably, helplessly in love. Of course you were, maybe for weeks, maybe months, maybe you fell just like from a cliff to the sea, ungracefully and suddenly, destined to certain destruction or a once-in-a-lifetime experience, it all depended on the impact.

You felt breathless when you parted, but looking into Larissa’s eyes, blown to the point you nearly couldn’t see the blue, managed to knock even the idea of air out of your lungs.

She was otherworldly. You wanted to worship her like divinity.

Without breaking eye contact, you began to make your way down her body again, kissing a path to the pit of her stomach, leaving goosebumps in your wake.

Instinctively, her fingers weaved through your hair, and she held your gaze for half a second more, waiting for your next step. You had to taste her or you’d die. Patience and build-up could be exercised another time.

She didn’t fight her cries. Not this time, not with much more to feel than think about.

“Do you think they’re waiting for us for breakfast?” you mused while massaging Larissa’s scalp with expensive shampoo (her own) for white-silver hair.

“Maybe the girls. For some reason, I don’t think Morticia is too keen on seeing us very soon.”

Tags are as follows: @anti-bright-places, @pro-weems-places, @the-bagel24, @regalbootie, @tundra1029, @thoroughly-confused-kiwi-blog, @lilsmeaux, @poorwritingandstalecoffee, @alder-saan, @jelly-frogss, @enchantressb, @imean-its-just-me, @lvinhs, @iloveyall-18, @kimiinou, @jeweleegrey, @a-queen-and-her-throne, @one-pining-queer, @paulsonwifey, @winterfireblond and @bobia13

Chapter Nine

[voidscreamintheories]

Boy and Door: You are NOT the Faeder

As always, spoilers for Hunter: The Parenting

Alright friends, this one I'm kinda shaky on and there's not much here at present, but I want to get my thoughts down.

TL;DR Door is not Boy's biological dad, and this might be a very important plot point.

As is my pattern, let's examine their TTS origins: Door was Rogal Dorn, primarch of the imperial fists, praetorian of terra, and Lord Adorable. Boy was a vox hailer serf with notoriously strong legs, and eventually the respect of some members of the adeptus custodes. Dorn became a father figure for Boy over the course of his appearance, mostly keeping him from being bullied by the custodes or Magnus. Also boy might have had latent psyker powers, we will return to this. As a side note: SuperAnchors and Nostalgia, the voices of Door/Dorn and Boy/Boy respectively are perhaps my favourite performances on TTS and H:TP. They are always a joy when they're on screen and I really appreciate their characters in both series. SuperAnchors gets a special mention for practically reshaping the perception of Rogal Dorn in the fanbase, and Nostalgia should be appreciated for turning a character litterally named "Boy" into one of the best characters in either series. Tts rant time done.

So. Boy. And Door. Look at these silly fellas, are you really going to tell me that Boy shares genetic heritage with Door? And where is his mother? I believe Door is not Boy's biological dad, and instead adopted him and has been raising him as his own. I think this is so easily accepted and never mentioned because I am honestly not convinced that Door and Markus are Big D's biological children either. I think their family is just super open to adopting anyone and everyone who comes along, and so Boy being adopted just means he's the youngest family member, no questions or qualms.

Now, this is where my REAL theory starts, and where my research into WoD kinda halted me a little bit. You see, in folklore a changeling is a child swapped with member of the fae in EARLY life. In the original WoD, changelings are... weirder... than that. I'm not sure. So I'm not a hundred percent on this one. But I think Boy is a folkloric changeling, a fae being in place of a child. I don't think Boy knows this fact, and frankly I don't think he would be able to access anything supernatural until recently. Recently being when he started experiencing "puberty disease" as listed in one cutaway card. That same cutaway card mentions it being "cured with meat". Now the fae have ofttimes been portrayed as dainty and nature loving and very "surface level fantasy" elf like. Reading about WoD fae made my head hurt so I don't know if that applies here, but MAYBE boy was starting to manifest his fae side, and eating a stable meat only (read: anti elf) diet staved it off for a time. I think those powers are now bubbling back up, despite the continued meat consumption.

I think H:TP is building up the awakening of many powers, when I get around to explaining the things we all know about Markus this will be relevant. But for Boy I think he is awakening some future telling fae abilities. I think Boy is keeping some of his hinted at seer powers from TTS, just in a different context. In the first arc we see a couple of hints to this: first episode Boy spots Pyotr while he's invisible (and you can too if you look very closely for his eyes), Boy doesn't know he has cool powers so he doesn't recognize fully his feat. But spotting an obscured vamp who can disappear even on camera is pretty above human. Next there is the final confrontation against Pyotr, some day I may type a long diatribe on why that scene in particular is great but not today. Boy manages to hit a shot on a target moving parallel to his position going LUDICROUS speed. I think he may have done this thanks to a lil bit of precognition. And finally there is the meeting with Horse.

Horse and what he IS will get another post one day, but for now let's talk a little about the vision. I think it's not coincidence that Horse calls Boy "oracle" and speaks of prophecy to him. I also don't think it coincidence that Boy sees shapes in the blood. I think Boy is a seer, and certain forms of divination uses blood and gore to make predictions (see Haruspex). Again, I will cover Horse's prophecy another time, but let's talk about the "Faeder" line. I don't think that word was chosen just cause it sounds olde. I think it's a hint and misdirection. Again, I suspect boy was not born into this family, but instead is a product of the faeries. This would mean he has a faerie father, or a fae father, or a faeder. I think Horse was telling Boy that his TRUE father will die. Buuuuuut WoD changelings are weird and Alfabusa has written important foreshadowing WAY too early before (Hello TTS Ghazkhull!), so I'm not sure. I will say to bolster this idea that it was weird for Horse to mention "milklings", another name for changelings, on the same level as other WoD big players. I think this was also a tip off to us the audience about our beloved family, aside from kindred I believe each group mentioned is represented in that role call.

Door. Door is simple, strong, and the only actual normal human hunter in the family (see my kitten theory, Markus and Big D theories pending). Based on the episode titles, and the show title itself, I think the "hunter" in question is Door, and "the parenting", refers to his relationship with Boy. Boy seems to be the writer of the episode titles (on the actual title cards) in arc 1. I hope we see Boy grow under Door's guidance, because I love these characters. And I really hope I'm right that Boy has a fae dad who will take the bullet of prophecy so we don't have to see Door desiccated on the rocks.

Let me know what you think, til next time

Good evening

[rini-rushed]

@sharkissm is anti doki but STAY WITH MEPLEASE

this guy ☹️☹️

like, he’s not a bad person, just weird and brain rotted, but he can sort of do academic things well?

yeah he asks me for answers but i don’t give it to him sooo

he doesn’t go beyond teasing or anything, just mindless jabs at my friends who’re in the same class

he actually call my friend dumb but she obviously doesn’t take him seriously (and neither do i) he can have normal conversations, i’ve seen it

the things that sometimes make me pause with him is that he sometimes goes out of his way to talk to me

sure; basic human interaction but i like to overthink

i’ve listed the reasons why i thought he had a crush on me in the past

he keeps giving me small comments that are lazy because he obviously doesn’t know much about me other than the fact that i get his references

but he’ll just turn to me with like, an expectant tone and i wouldn’t know how to answer because he’s bad at starting conversations with me- he’s awkward with it, and so am i

today i was feeling drowsy and out of it so i sat by the window and just looked straight ahead, doki and his friends was doing that sonic meme of rubbing their hands

at one point i looked up at them because they were moving a lot and doki just pointed at his friend with his face towards me (in the “did you see that” kind of way)

i just looked away to be honest

i mentioned to some ppl that he gave me his packet to you, i didn’t ask him or anything he just handed it to me and said “here, so you can read long”

i said thanks and honestly i was a bit happy and then his friend said:

“w rizz”

and then doki started to say it too (my instinct is to make it less awkward for HIM)

and that ruined my entire mood about the interaction. i clogged my head with other things to forget about it

my friend once told me she think doki is weirder and worse than the other guys (like his w rizz friend guy) but i thought the opposite tbh

the theory of him being nicer to me can be real

but that might just be because he likes my grades and not me :|

sigh

@biggestcharleskinnie my sibling come here and give me a peach

[potatoesandsunshine]

ok for the benefit of everyone i am putting my ttpd thoughts under the cut bc i had a lot of them. i did listen to the album and i had a fun time writing my opinions as i went! i haven't done any of the extra songs yet but i probably will tomorrow.

overall thoughts: i like this album pretty well! definitely more to my taste than midnights. i'm not instantly in love with it, but i will listen to at least some of the songs a lot and i'll give the whole thing a few more chances to grow on me. kind of a 7/10 for me personally - i'm not sold on songs as vehicles for Lore, i need to think it's a good song to listen to if i'm going to like it. i wanted more differences in tempo or dynamics throughout; at times songs felt a little same-y. anyway, my first impressions song by song!

Fortnight: honestly i just don't love the word fortnight there are too many T's in it. overall 7/10. i like it but i want a tempo change or something.

TTPD: the lyrics... babe. but at least she figured out how to say fuck like a normal person. "Gonna troll you" is also a lot. 5/10 doesn't hugely do it for me, would skip.

MBOBHFT: like this one more. she's doing that thing she does where there are more words crammed into the verse than she needs but the chorus really does it for me. 7.5/10

Down Bad: i like the dreamy vibes. weirdly reminds me of another song? specifically fuck it if i can't have him; my brain is itching. anyway 7/10? WAIT if i can't have you kelly clarkson. (not totally convinced that was it. still can't place it)

So Long, London: wish it had instruments? interesting cadence, reminds me of Lana a little. i wish she didn't use so many modifiers but it's a decent song 7/10

BDILH: y'know i like the message. she's right fuck swifties. we're handshake about this. this one is pretty good! 7.5/10. too long though. has the staying power of like a 4 min song (i think everyone was so extremely weird about this situation and it makes sense that she thinks so too)

FOTS: again i just want less synths. i like the chorus a lot actually. kinda over how she uses American. wait what's happening to this song. solid 7/10

Florida!!!: Florence!!! this one was a guaranteed hit for me. fav so far for sure. 9/10 going on the playlist (the no-skip tswift playlist)

Guilty as Sin?: starting to feel a little samey! not a ton of tempo differences on this album. wild to write a song about wanting this hard. feels kinda honest which is refreshing after midnights. not super my song but i don't hate it. 6.5/10 JESUS COMPARISON??? (this added a point. i feel like people throw out 'unhinged' about her when she's always struck me as an extremely precise planner but this was still a big moment for me. she should do more stuff like this. she should get weirder.)

WAoLOM?: stranger things ass imagery. i like the scream i want more variation in dynamics. pretty good song! i like it as a continuation of anti-hero. 8/10. on the playlist

ICFH(NRIC): we love talking about him and smoke i will be listening to colors. i wish it was faster! but i like it. 8/10

loml: again with the modifiers. nice lyrics in this one imo. kinda sounds like you're losing me. 8/10

ICDIWaBH: very mastermind intro! again w/ the thesaurus problem. thank you. thank you. faster song. 9/10 on the playlist. get a therapist fr girl

TSMWEL: she said you get one fast song. piano!!! honestly i like the way it builds and i like the paranoia. again, feels honest. 7.5/10

The Alchemy: i like it! reminds me of the archer + willow. god she loves a sports metaphor. i will listen to this more. 8.5/10

Clara Bow: kinda feels like an Olivia dig. been very interesting to see the progression of The Lucky One -> here. can't pretend you're not the establishment. 7/10

and just for fun - here it is in the glitter gel pen :P i had fun with this! i'll probably do it for the other tracks too - it was like pretending to be a reaction channel

[judgeanon]

I'm late asking this but what was the best and worst of the Progs and Meg in 2023?

I'm late replying but here we go!

For Dredd in the progs, I really enjoyed the short stories. THE NIGHT SHIFTER, SHRINE, FLUSHER and DISCIPLES OF DEATH were all favorites, although I admit that last one was mostly because of the cute Scottish goth girl.

Other than Dredd, I liked THE OUT, THE ORDER, DURHAM RED, the BATTLE ACTION crossover thing, FERAL AND FOE, DEADWORLD and BLADERS. I especially liked ROGUE TROOPER (I'm a sucker for Ennis), VOID RUNNERS (Boo Cook keeps getting weirder and I love it) and AZIMUTH (gorgeous art, intriguing story, and one of those classic 2000AD "You thought it was a new series but NOOOO!" twists that I really dig).

I didn't really like ENEMY EARTH, I think the art just doesn't fit the premise. And JOE PINEAPPLES should've been by all accounts a cool fun heavy metal last goodbye, but it turned into a weird meandering bunch of nonsense (with some cowardly anti-vax shit thrown in for good measure). LOWBORN HIGH and PORTALS AND BLACK GOO both had the same problem for me: strong, very British premises that don't go as far with the Britishness as I'd like them to. And DEVIL'S RAILROAD, I really wanted to like it but it just kinda lost steam very early on.

The big mehhhh of the year was the end of HERSHEY, though. I tried my best to meet it halfway and to its credit it did deliver some cool panels and nice pages, but in my eyes, it really squandered the last chance for Hershey as a character to present her side of her relationship with Dredd, to leave him with any kind of nugget of character development. It didn't do nearly enough with what I think is years and years of truly compelling relationship work and all the great Simon Fraser art in the world can't fix that.

I still bought a print of that one cover tho'.

For the MEG, I liked almost everything. STORM WARNING, SURFER, DREADNOUGHTS, LAWLESS (fan-fucking-tastic last chapters), MEGA CITY 2099, all good stuff. I also enjoyed the shorter Dredds in the second half of the year, like RATINGS WAR and FITTING THE DESCRIPTION, but ONE-EYED JACKS... I dunno, neat premise but it went on a bit too long and wasn't super exciting either. Didn't really grab me. Same with Dark Judges.

That said, the most important 2000AD thing in 2023 for me was not in the prog or in the meg. It was here:

Molcher's I AM THE LAW is a monumental book, one of the most thorough if not THE most thorough look at Dredd in its context. It's also heavy as all drokk, a real gutwrencher of a book, the kind of shit you can't read more than one and a half chapter without getting utterly depressed, ravenously angry, or both. It's a bleak, tough book but also a necessary one. That it's an official Rebellion product, to me, serves as a line in the sand, a very explicit statement about how they perceive Dredd. In a time where companies are running over themselves to claim their works are "not political" and "only want to entertain", Rebellion publishing Molcher's titanic work and advertising it next to their Case Files collections is something worthy of respect.

(Also, I may be a little biased on account of being in the Special Thanks for the book...)

[scolop98]

VOTE MEXICAN WORM LIZARD FOR THE @weirdanimal-tournament

In what will likely be a trend of me shunning comparatively well-known species for my obscure favorites (and my anti-fish bias), the Mexican mole lizard is so much weirder than it looks. It may be winning its poll, but that margin is too close for comfort so I felt the need to infodump.

The Mexican Mole Lizard is a species of of amphisbaena, named after the two-headed serpent of legend (which is awesome) and long thought to be not-lizards, a separate order of reptile on par with lizards and snakes (some evidence suggests that they are technically a type of lizard, but in the same way that snakes are lizards. I argue that like snakes, they don’t have lizard vibes and that this is irrelevant for the purposes of this tournament)

All amphisbaenas are limbless EXCEPT for this guy and the two other members of this genus. Are they the most basal/primitive amphisbaenas, who split off from the rest and never hopped onto the no-leg fad? Nope, they’re nested smack in the middle of the amphisbaena family tree. I don’t know if they actually re-evolved limbs from nothing, but that’s certainly what it seems like. If so, that would be insane - how do you just re-evolve your goddamn limbs?!?

In addition, Mexican Mole Lizards, like other large amphisbaenas, are predators that usually eat worms and insects but will also go after lizards and rodents, attacking above-ground prey from below like a sci-fi monster. Other species of amphisbaena which regularly feed on small vertebrates have been known to rip chunks of flesh out of their prey. Look at the terrifying, huge-ass teeth hiding inside these adorable little faces

Vote Mexican Mole Lizard for the Weird Animal Tournament! It is truly A Creature™️ and deserves to be celebrate as such on this platform. How could you say no to this face?

[crystalninjaphoenix]

The Vault

A JSE Fanfic

SepticHeroes AU: Part 26

First Part | Previous Part

This turned out so much longer than I expected. But I really like this chapter so I don't mind as much and I hope you guys don't either XD It's about 7500 words, though, so be prepared for a long haul. Jackie tries to figure out what to do with the tape the guys found in JJ's apartment, and Marvin stops by with something that might help. Meanwhile, JJ is in prison. Yaaaaay :( This Vault place is a lot weirder than he expected, but at least he's not alone in there. Have fun reading :)

===============

Jackie had never tried calling the police on the Red Line before. He’d never tried calling any number on the Red Line that wasn’t to someone else in the League. But Lorelai told him that police stations could identify a Red Line when it called in and would treat him like a Hero. Even so, he was nervous as he dialed the police’s non-emergency number. Maybe it was because of this new villain. They could clearly access normal phone lines. But surely they couldn’t access the Red Line as well.

Someone picked up on the other end. “Daindover Police,” they said. It sounded like a young man.

Jackie swallowed his nerves. “This is Windstorm,” he said, sounding much more confident than he actually was. “I need to speak to whoever’s in charge of the Puppeteer case.”

A long pause. “Uhhhh... one second sir,” the voice said. And then music started playing.

They put him on hold? What the hell? Jackie didn’t even know police stations could do that. Well, he could wait. This operator was probably trying to call over a supervisor to ask what to do. Which, if the police call center was anything like the call center Jackie used to work at, would take a while.

He tried to relax while the hold music played. He sat down at his computer and looked through the games on there, but nothing really appealed to him. He tried social media, but nothing appealed to him there, either. He opened up some of his comic books but found they just made him nervous. The battles between Heroes and villains in them were once exciting, but now he just thought about how different they were from the events happening right now in his life. The comics never talked about a Hero’s friend being revealed to be a villain, and then that friend’s sister being revealed to be a hero who the friend was just trying to save. 

... You know, maybe the comics were bullshit. With all he’d learned about the League recently, he wouldn’t be surprised to hear they’d taken some liberties with the fights Heroes had.

Finally, the hold music stopped. Jackie had left the Red Line on speaker so he noticed it right away, and quickly lunged over to scoop it up again. “Hello? Windstorm?” a voice was saying.

“Ace? Is that you?” Jackie asked.

“Huh, so it is you. Yep, it’s me, kid.”

“You’re in charge of the Puppeteer case?”

“Well no, but I am on the case. The guys know that you and I have a rapport, so I’m gonna be relaying whatever you said to Detective Michaelson. He’s the lead on this.” Ace paused. “So. Last I saw you, you were really hung up on the trial thing. Is this about that?”

“Kind of,” Jackie said slowly. “I think I’ve found some evidence that the Puppeteer wasn’t... That there’s more to this whole thing than just the Puppeteer.”

“You mean... an accomplice?”

“I-if anything, it points to the Puppeteer being an accomplice. There’s someone else in charge, a, uh—a mastermind behind this. And I don’t think the Puppeteer was entirely willing.”

“Huh. That sounds like some damn good evidence.” Ace was clearly impressed. “So are you calling to make some arrangements for dropping it off, or...?”

“Uh—not yet,” Jackie said slowly. “I-I want to make a backup of it first. But I needed to let you guys know that it exists. This mastermind villain—I-I think they’re called Anti-Virus—might go after it.”

“Kid, if they’re gonna go after it, you need to get it somewhere safe as soon as possible,” Ace explained. “Nowhere safer than the police station.”

“Villains have broken in there before. And Anti-Virus isn’t limited by, uh, physical space. I think—I think they’re a technopath,” Jackie whispered that last part, glancing at his phone and computer as he did so. “A-and this could be... i-it’s risky. I need to make sure there’s backups.”

Ace was silent for a while. Then he sighed. “I’ll see what I can do with what you’ve said. But until you hand this evidence over, the police aren’t gonna act. You understand that, right?”

“That’s fine,” Jackie said. “I-I just want to establish that I have it.” Then, from down the hall, Jackie heard someone knock on the apartment door. Chase shouted something, probably telling whoever it was to wait a minute. “I have to go now,” Jackie said.

“Alright. See you around, kid. Good luck.”

“You too.” And Jackie hung up.

Just in time, too. Chase shouted down the hall, “Jackie! Marvin is here!”

Jackie was surprised for a moment before he remembered that he’d given Marvin permission to come to his apartment to reach him. That was just the day before yesterday, but it seemed so long ago. “I’m coming!” Jackie shouted, putting the Red Line on the dresser and rushing down the hallway.

It was weird seeing Marvin in his apartment. He was standing there awkwardly, shifting from side to side, one gloved hand messing with the zipper on his jacket. Chase was sitting on the sofa nearby. Frosty had clearly been the one to open and close the apartment door, as he was standing next to it and wagging his tail excitedly. Chase whistled, and Frosty trotted over to him, where he received many scratches behind the ears.

“There you are,” Marvin said, eyes locking on Jackie. “I have something for you.”

“Iiiis it in that bag?” Jackie pointed at the bag Marvin had slung over his shoulder. It was gray and made of canvas, completely featureless.

“Yep.”

“Alright, put it down on the coffee table, then.”

Marvin nodded and walked over, Jackie right behind him. He set the bag down on the coffee table and took a couple things out. A black rectangular box, a plastic bag full of cables (or maybe just one?) and a cloth laptop case that clearly had a laptop inside—one of the bigger ones. “Whoa, what’s all this?” Chase asked.

“This is everything you need to copy that tape we found at JJ’s place,” Marvin explained.

“A laptop?” Jackie said doubtfully. “Uh... I thought we were trying to keep it away from digital spaces where Anti-Virus might be able to access it.”

“You’ve just decided to latch onto that name, huh?” Marvin muttered.

“Hey, it makes sense, doesn’t it? Don’t change the subject.”

“Heh.” Marvin grinned. “Don’t worry, the laptop’s been modified. I got all this from the Dismantler and her family. She personally went in and removed the camera, the microphone, and the parts it needs to access the internet. It can play and record video, but that video can’t be accessed through wireless means. The hard drive was also wiped, so there’s no chance of anything already being on there.”

“Hmm.” Jackie raised an eyebrow. “She’s very thorough. Or did you and your paranoia ask her to do all that?”

“Both. And I’ll point out that my paranoia is very well-founded.” Marvin shook his head. “I... realized recently that... Anti-Virus might know who I am. Not the identity I have now, I mean... who I used to be.”

“You mean your rogue Hero shit?” Chase asked.

“Yeah.”

“Well fuck. That’s bad.”

Marvin laughed. “Putting it lightly, yeah. But this bitch made Jameson control me. They made Jameson do a lot. And they have Timekeeper. I’m willing to risk my identity if it means... making things right for the two of them.”

Jackie wasn’t sure what to say to that. He’d never seen Spitfire Cat act so... selfless. Maybe this is closer to who he used to be. “I didn’t know you cared so much about Timekeeper,” Jackie whispered.

“I always thought he—she seemed like a real hero,” Marvin said slowly. Then he laughed. “And she clearly doesn’t like the League, so points for her in my book.”

Jackie rolled his eyes. “Okay, yeah, sure. Anyway, how do I work all this?”

“Dismantler included instructions,” Marvin said, unzipping the laptop case and reaching inside. He pulled out a folded piece of paper, just confirming that it’s there, and then put it back. “She also told me, but I don’t remember off the top of my head. I think you basically have to connect the VHS player to the computer with this special cable and then, uh... record it. And then you can... transfer it to another tape?”

“I’ll figure it out,” Jackie said. “I’m good with video software.”

“He really is, I ask him to edit my YouTube videos all the time,” Chase confirmed. “Also, uh... who’s the Dismantler? Should I know them?”

“No, uh, you guys have never met and I didn’t really talk about her,” Jackie said. “She’s a, uh... vvvvillain?” Uncertainty made that last word longer than it usually would’ve been.

“I don’t think what she and her family does counts as villainy, just crime,” Marvin said. “Besides, she’s only involved because it’s her family, so I don’t think she should count.”

“Isn’t her uncle Pathos?” Jackie asked.

Marvin started, surprised. “Don’t just say that!”

“Oh yeah, Pathos was that big villain, wasn’t he?” Chase asked.

“Yeah, til I whooped his ass and put him in prison.” Jackie grinned. “That was probably my first big battle as a hero. I mean, it was sort of easy, actually, but he had a reputation! That put Windstorm’s name out there. And all the villains I fought after that, holy shit there was a big spree that time last year.”

Marvin rolled his eyes. “There was a spree because you took out a ‘big villain’. When an organization like Pathos’s falls, two types of people appear. Those who want to be the next big thing, and those who were too scared of the local organized crime to cause chaos until it was gone.”

“...oh.” Jackie blinked.

“You seriously didn’t realize that until now?” Marvin snorted.

“Hey shut the fuck up.” Jackie put his hands on his hips. “It’s calmed down now! I handled it.”

“You did do that,” Marvin muttered reluctantly. “Anyway. Gw—the Dismantler also wanted to remind you about the Puppeteer’s mask. Do you still have that?”

“Uh... yeah,” Jackie said slowly. “I mean, after figuring out this guy was a technopath, I wrapped up the mask in a bunch of my spare clothes so they couldn’t really use the cameras or microphones in it.”

“Nice.” Marvin grinned. “Anyway. Dismantler pointed out that the mask could also be a piece of evidence. You just need to get someone else to notice the weird stuff that she did.”

“The weird stuff that pointed to it being controlled remotely?” Jackie nodded. “Yeah... I should take it back to Dr. McLoughlin for another scan.”

Marvin’s expression darkened. “You’re going to... you’re going to take it back to the guy... who messed up the scan in the first place. Even though he should have noticed it. You... you do realize how suspicious it is that he told you the mask was normal, right?”

“It could have been an honest mistake,” Jackie pointed out.

“Or it could be something else.”

“Don’t be so judgemental, bro,” Chase said, speaking up for the first time in a while. “Aren’t people innocent until proven guilty?”

“I—” Marvin was so surprised at Chase calling him out instead of Jackie that he didn’t have a comeback.

“Look, I get it, it’s weird,” Jackie said. “I agree. But I’m not going to go around being suspicious of everyone. I’ll keep it in mind that he did the scan wrong, but until I find proof that he’s... I don’t even know what you’re accusing him of—”

“I’m saying that he’s probably in cahoots with this Anti-Virus,” Marvin interrupted. “Or maybe he even is him.”

Jackie’s eyebrows shot into the air. “Ooookay. That’s a pretty serious accusation. And it’s one that I’m gonna keep in mind, but I’m not gonna jump to conclusions, okay? I’m gonna give McLoughlin a chance to explain what went wrong. He deserves a chance to do that, at least.”

“Not if he keeps tricking you,” Marvin muttered.

“I’d rather be tricked than go around doubting everyone!” Jackie snapped.

“Yeah, clearly.”

“I’m just saying there’s a line!” Jackie shouted. “I can’t think the worst of everyone, okay? If I thought the worst of everyone, we never would’ve found the tape! Because I would’ve written JJ off as secretly evil the whole time instead of talking to him! But he’s not evil, and he doesn’t deserve to be in jail! So I’m not gonna throw someone else in there based on what could’ve been a mistake!” He stopped, breathing heavily. Marvin and Chase were staring at him, gaping. Even Frosty was staring at him.

“Wow... never seen you go off like that, Jackie,” Chase said.

“I guess this whole situation is... getting to me a little,” Jackie muttered.

“That’s... fine,” Marvin said awkwardly. “Um... understandable. Y-yeah. I’m not... I’ll do my thing, you do your thing. I’m not gonna stop you. Uh... you can keep all this.” He gestured at the stuff on the coffee table. “But this is mine.” And he grabbed the bag. “I’ll... come by if anything happens.”

“Y-yeah.” Jackie nodded. “See you around, then.”

“See you.” And with that, Marvin walked over to the door and left.

Jackie sighed. The apartment seemed strangely quiet.

“Hey, uh... Jackie?” Chase said. “I get it about the JJ thing.”

“I just... I-I hope he’s okay,” Jackie said. “He’s tougher than he looks. But they sent him to the Vault. There’s a whole bunch of dangerous villains in there. That’s where they send the biggest threats. I hope he’s okay.”

Chase nodded. “Like you said, he’s tougher than he looks. I’m sure he can hold on until we’re able to get him out.”

“Yeah... yeah.” Jackie would believe that. He had to.

===============

Jameson didn’t remember much of the journey. He knew they traveled across land for a while, and then they traveled across the sea for a bit longer, but the car and boat didn’t have any windows, and so he quickly grew bored. Even though it was uncomfortable to sit straight up with tight handcuffs on, and slightly disconcerting to have people watching him, the lack of stimulation meant he soon fell asleep. 

Was he really worth all this security? He hadn’t caused any trouble while in the police station. Did he really need four different people watching his movements at all times? He thought that, but then he remembered what he’d done, and he understood their caution. A villain who controlled so many people for so long should not be given any leeway.

“Hey. Get up.” Someone shook JJ’s shoulder. He opened his eyes and looked at them. It was one of the League Safety members—people without powers, or with very minor powers, who took care of all the everyday internal threats that Heroes were too busy for. Things like protecting League facilities... or overseeing the transportation of imprisoned supervillains. The LS people wore black uniforms with yellow highlights. Said uniforms included helmets with mirrored visors, bulletproof vests, and utility belts—where their main weapon, a neutrinalin dart gun, hung. But that particular weapon wasn’t necessary. JJ had already been injected before leaving the police station.

“We’re here,” the LS person said. “Get up.”

Jameson nodded, standing up. The LS person grabbed him by the arm, guiding him out of the boat.

So. This was it. Byrthon Vault.

The Vault was situated on a man-made island in the Irish Sea. It was closer to the UK than Ireland but big enough to hold villains from both places. All supers in this part of the world knew about the Vault. They’d heard about its towers and the tall, eight-sided wall surrounding the whole compound. But it was different to see it in person. The wall was a fifty-feet tall barrier of smooth metal, and the towers within rose into the sky like pillars of black rock. Jameson felt dread just looking at it.

A concrete path led from the docks to the wall’s singular gate, sloping up a slight hill as it went. Jameson let the LS person pull him up the way. Another LS guard walked on his other side, and there were two behind him. As they approached the gate—a pair of ten-feet-tall sliding doors with red lights in the center of each—Jameson almost froze up. Actually being here was giving him doubts. The whole thing felt so final. If he walked through that gate, he knew he would never be coming out again. He’d known that the whole time, but the reality of it was hitting him all at once now.

But he didn’t really have a choice, did he? 

If you ever fail and get captured, you are not to say anything about me. You are to accept the full blame and take whatever punishment the law and the League give you. Likely, you will be sent to Byrthon Vault. If you protest this at all, I will terminate her. But if you are caught, I promise you no harm will come to her, and I will work to reverse her condition.

None of his messages with the blackmailer ever stayed on his phone for longer than an hour, but that one had been sealed in his memory from the moment he read it.

They stopped at the gate. One of the LS guards waved at a camera in the corner—or, that’s what JJ assumed that red light was. A panel slid open on the wall. The LS person pressed a keycard to it, followed up by a quick series of taps on a number pad. The camera’s red light turned green, and they went inside.

The area they walked into looked surprisingly normal after the imposing exterior. There was short gray carpet on the floor and white paint on the walls, and a woman sat behind a counter—though the counter was protected by bulletproof glass. “Hi, state your business?” she said pleasantly.

“Transfer from Daindover, Britain,” the LS person holding Jameson’s arm said.

“Right, we’ve been expecting you. Enter your access code there.” She gestured to another number pad sitting on the counter. One of the LS people walked up and tapped in another sequence. The woman typed something on a keyboard, staring at a computer screen. Jameson wondered if that computer was connected to the internet.

He wondered if they knew he was here. 

“Alright,” the woman said. “Jameson Jackson, alias, the Puppeteer?” JJ jumped a little when she said his name.

“Yes, that’s it,” the LS person said.

“Great. Wait here for a moment.”

About thirty seconds passed in awkward silence before a door slid open next to the counter. Two people walked out, wearing uniforms similar to the LS uniforms, though with blue highlights instead and missing the helmets. With them was an older man with a salt-and-pepper beard. Tha man looked at Jameson. “This is him?” he asked.

“Yes sir,” the LS person replied.

“Alrigh’ then. You, Jackson, follow us.”

Jameson hesitated, then walked over.

“Cooperative,” the man grunted. “Good. I’m Daly, I’m in charge here. I hope you’ll understan’ quickly that whatever power you had out there, it’s useless in here.”

Jameson nodded. He felt the urge to laugh for a brief moment before it was suppressed by heavy anxiety. Power? What power? 

They walked through a short hallway to a square room with nothing but two doors and a table that had a handful of items on it. One of the blue-uniformed people—prison guards, assumedly—picked something up from the table. Another neutrinalin injection gun. “Hold out your arms,” Daly commanded. Jameson did so, and the guard rolled up his sleeve and injected him right in the crook of the elbow. Made sense. His last dose had probably worn off.

The other guard picked something else up from the table. A black wand, also similar to something you’d see in an airport. The first put the neutrinalin gun down and took a set of keys from their belt, unlocking Jameson’s handcuffs. “Stand with your arms out,” Daly said. “Don’ make any sudden moves.” Jameson wasn’t planning to. He stayed perfectly still while the guard ran the wand over him.

After that was over with, the first guard picked up a bundle of cloth from the table and shoved it at Jameson. “Get changed in there.” Daly pointed to one of the doors, the one to the left. “I’m told you can’t talk, so knock on the door when you’re done and we’ll start the decontamination process. If you take longer than five minutes... well, don’t take longer than that.”

Jameson nodded. He took the cloth and headed into the other room, a space the size of a closet. He changed quickly into this new outfit—a white shirt, a pale green jumpsuit, and flimsy slip-on shoes—then knocked on the wall.

“Decontamination starting in three... two... one.”

JJ gasped, then quickly recovered when he realized that the robotic voice saying that wasn’t the same robotic voice he’d get phone calls from. But he gasped again when holes slid open in the walls of the room he was in. Jets of mist burst out, smelling vaguely medicinal, and droplets of liquid settled on his skin and clothes. Then a loud WHRRRR started as fans appeared and dried everything. Once the fans calmed down, one of the guards opened the door. “Step out,” Daly called from the room.

From there, the group headed through the room’s other door, down a long set of hallways, until they reached the main area of the prison. The cell blocks. Two of the Vault’s towers were dedicated to them, one for male and one for female. Obviously, this was the male block. It was... bigger than expected. The space was wide open, rows of cells stacked on top of each other, with catwalks reaching the higher cells. JJ counted six floors of cells. Everything was made of metal and plastic, all of it sleek and new-looking. And it was... quiet. So quiet. Pretty much the only sounds were JJ’s and the guards’ footsteps. That... must have been because it was early. Even so, the quiet made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

They took a lift up to the fifth floor and Jameson got a closer look at the cells. The walls were mostly solid metal, with the only exception being the door, which was made of a clear, bulletproof plastic. He glanced into the cells as they passed, but they were all too dark to see inside. It must’ve been lights out. But even so, was no one awake? Or curious about what was happening?

Soon, they stopped at a cell with a number plate reading 525. One of the guards took a key card from their belt and pressed it to a panel underneath that number. The door slid open. Jameson started to step inside, but Daly said, “One moment, 3117.”

Jameson tensed. Oh. Right. The jumpsuit had the number 3117 on the back and lapel. That must be him. He turned to look at Daly, tilting his head curiously. Instinctively he raised a hand to ask What is it? but then realized Daly probably didn’t know BSL.

“Hold out your hands,” Daly said. Confused, Jameson did so—and suddenly Daly snapped something around his wrists. Jameson started and pulled his hands back. These weren’t handcuffs. There was no chain connecting them. But they were two bands of metal now wrapped around his wrists, each about an inch wide but only a centimeter thick. “Congratulations,” Daly drawled. “You get some extra precautions. Those are magnetic pow-sup bracelets. When powered, that purple ligh’ across the middle will turn on, activatin’ power suppression and snappin’ the bracelets together. So don’ try anything, okay?”

Jameson nodded slowly.

“Good. Now, go on. It’s lights on soon enough, so you won’ get much time to rest before the roll call.” Daly made a dismissive go-ahead type gesture.

And with only a moment’s hesitation, Jameson turned around and stepped into the cell.

The door slid closed behind him. It was dark, but as his eyes adjusted, he could make out the cell’s features. It wasn’t too different from the holding cell back in the police station. The walls were metal. There was a single cot to sleep on, along with a toilet and sink to use. There was a small metal shelf jutting out from the wall close to the ground. Some sort of... table? To use while you’re sitting on the floor? Or was it supposed to be a chair? Maybe both?

Well... there wasn’t much to do in here. So even though Jameson had spent the whole journey here sleeping, he lied down on the cot and tried to sleep some more.

But he couldn’t. Now that he was actually here, the despair he felt was too much. This was really it, wasn’t it? Surely the others would have found the tape in his apartment by now. Surely, if it could be useful, it would have been used by now. Right? No. No, he shouldn’t think like that. Maybe the process was just slow. Everything would work out eventually. He just had to be patient.

But it was hard to hold onto optimism like that in the face of this new reality.

===============

Over the next two days, JJ got used to his new routine. The lights came on in the morning, and then about thirty minutes later there was an announcement over the intercom for roll call. They happened floor by floor, lasting five minutes each. When your floor was called, you had to hurry over to the central meeting area of your floor—which ended up being a suspended platform for floors two through six. Jameson was glad he wasn’t afraid of heights.

After your floor’s roll call, everyone there moved to breakfast. The cafeteria was in a different tower, connected to the two cell block towers by narrow hallways. The food wasn’t much to talk about. Bland, with a weird plasticky aftertaste. Forks and knives were not allowed. After eating, there was a short period where you had to either go back to your cell or go take a shower. Then a maddeningly long period of time later, it was lunch, which was almost exactly like breakfast.

But after that, you were finally allowed to go somewhere other than your cell or the cafeteria. The afternoon was a sort of free period—though it wasn’t really free at all if guards were watching your every move—where you could go to the courtyard, do chores like laundry and cleaning, or go back to your cell. Jameson wasn’t allowed to do chores, as security on him was still too high, but he could do the other two things. After the afternoon, there was another roll call, dinner, another chance to shower, and then, an hour later, lights out.

The routine didn’t bother JJ. Honestly, even the guards didn’t bother him too much. Sure, they were constantly watching him, but he was being watched all the time before this, anyway. Just through cameras instead of in person.

No, what really bothered him were the other prisoners. 

Not because they were intimidating or scary in any way. In fact... it was kind of the opposite. Byrthon Vault was home to some of the most dangerous supervillains in this part of the world. Jameson recognized a good number of them, either from hearing about them on the news or from helping her on her superhero patrols. These people were supposed to be ruthless, merciless monsters. Either lifelong criminals or people who’d done one thing so terrible that they got sent here right away.

So... why were they all so... quiet?

He’d noticed it from the start. The other prisoners barely talked. Only when answering a guard’s question or mumbling to their neighbors during meal times. And once he noticed that, he began noticing other things. They were all so pale—even paler than expected for someone trapped indoors almost all of the time. Many of them had dark circles under their eyes. And others were very thin, basically skin and bones. Some of them swayed while they stood. Some of them slumped onto the tables during meal times. All of them stared at him, but none of them talked to him.

Jameson didn’t know what the fuck was going on, but he knew he didn’t like it.

He spent the free period of the first two days in his cell, but by the third he was so confused and curious about what was going on with the other prisoners—not to mention extremely bored and tired of napping so much—that on the third day, he finally visited the courtyard.

This was a wide open space, octagonal like the walls around the Vault. A mesh net stretched over the entire top of the courtyard—presumably to deter flying villains from swooping in and rescuing prisoners. The middle of the courtyard was dedicated to various sports and exercises. Around the edges were benches and tables for people to sit at. Everything was concrete, metal, and plastic.

Jameson looked around. Like the cafeteria, the courtyard connected to both cell blocks, so some prisoners from the female block were here, too. He’d noticed that they were just as pale and lethargic as the prisoners in his block. So whatever this was, it wasn’t just affecting them.

There were some prisoners playing basketball or trying out the exercise equipment. But it was only a fraction of the people out here. Maybe a quarter of them. Or less. And even then, only a quarter of those people were really enjoying the activity. Most of them were just going through the motions. Sometimes stopping what they were doing to stand there, or even to sit down.

This was really freaking him out. His plan was to go over and ask the friendliest-looking person what the hell was going on, but he wasn’t sure they’d be able to tell him anything. Not to mention how unlikely it was that someone here would know BSL. So, overwhelmed by the strangeness of this situation, he walked over to a bench and sat down.

He was tired. He wasn’t usually this tired. Maybe something about being stuck in one place and bored all the time made him tired. Sighing, JJ tilted his head back and closed his eyes for a moment—

“Hey!”

Then he jumped and opened them again. That was the first shout he’d heard in here outside of roll call. He looked around—and saw someone approaching him. A woman with dark, wavy hair. Not a guard, as he expected. But another prisoner. She had dark circles under her eyes but was otherwise moving with more purpose than he’d seen most others move with. Slowly, he raised his hand and waved at her, unsure what to do.

The woman stopped in front of him. “You’re from Daindover, right? In Britain?”

JJ nodded.

“Did Windstorm lock you up?”

He nodded again.

The woman scowled. “That bitch. Hope someone puts him in his place one day.” She punched her palm. “So. What did you do? Did it hurt him?”

JJ hesitated. Can you understand me? he asked.

She narrowed her eyes. “What is that? Are you making fun of me?”

He hurriedly shook his head. And then he patted his throat, trying to indicate his lack of voice.

“What? What is that?!” She leaned over him, scowling.

This wasn’t working! Jameson tried to show her the scar on his neck, tracing its faint line with a finger.

“Oh, now you’re threatening me?!” The woman grabbed his wrist. “Listen, I don’t know what kind of fucking bigshot you think you are, but these mean you can’t do shit in here.” She shook his arm, indicating the cuffs on his wrists.

He shook his head hard, started to sign I’m sorry but then remembered how poorly signing had gone before and scrambled for a new idea—

“Angela.”

The woman—Angela, apparently—jerked backwards. While she’d been getting up in Jameson’s face, someone else had appeared. Another prisoner. A man this time, wearing the jacket of his jumpsuit unbuttoned and sliding off his shoulders. He had bright red hair, cut close on his right but longer on his left, and—and purple eyes. Jameson stared at them for a second, at first processing their existence and then admiring their dark shade and how it contrasted the man’s brighter hair—and then he snapped back to his senses. Who was this guy? He looked vaguely familiar. “Soren,” Angela said curtly.

“What’re you doing?” Soren asked calmly.

“This bitch was threatening me!” Angela glared at JJ.

“You mean him doing this?” Soren mimicked the motion JJ had made to indicate his scar—which, JJ is now realizing, looked like the ‘I’ll slit your throat’ gesture people made to threaten others. “I think he was trying to show you that scar of his.”

Angela looked back at JJ, staring at him closely. “Well before that he was making all sorts of hand signals! Probably being fucking rude—”

“He asked if you could understand him,” Soren interrupted.

“How do you know that?!”

“Because I know British Sign Language when I see it. I could translate for you, if you let go of his hand so he can talk.”

Angela looked at JJ... and reluctantly let go of his hand. 

“Right!” Soren said cheerfully. “So what was the conversation?”

“Asked him what he was in for,” Angela mumbled, sounding almost embarrassed.

Soren looked at JJ, who quickly started signing, I ended up taking control of a couple hundred people in my city and got them to commit various crimes. Including storming several buildings belonging to a tech company.

“Jesus, this takes forever,” Angela muttered.

Soren, meanwhile, looked intrigued. “Oh. So you’re the mind controller who came in from Daindover, huh? Is Windstorm still the hero there?” JJ nodded. “Hmm. Wonder if he’s gotten any better. He had the power, but was pretty new to it when I was there.”

Angela’s eyes widened. “Wait. Wait, he’s the—the string guy? Puppets guy?”

Jameson looked down, hiding the guilt on his face, and nodded.

“Oh. Oh, holy shit. I guess I should’ve, uh, realized. Uh—” Angela stood there for a moment, then abruptly turned around and left.

Soren watched her go, then looked back at JJ. “Don’t take it personally,” he said. “Angela isn’t dealing with this well. She’s always had a temper, and now being stuck here and feeling shitty all the time has made it worse. And I think she’s not used to feeling vulnerable. After all, Angela Lewis is the invulnerable Titanium.” He chuckled a bit, then sat down next to JJ. Now that he was closer, he could see how thin and pale he was—pale to the point of being practically paper white.

How do you two know about me? Jameson asked.

“We’re both from Daindover too. Word gets around about new arrivals, and people always listen up for their city.” Soren looked at him and smiled tiredly. “Anyway. What’s your name? Not your alias, I know that. It’s okay to spell it out.”

JJ did so, introducing himself as Jameson Jackson.

“Alliteration. Fun.” Soren held out a hand for a shake. “Soren Moizone. Nice to meet you.”

...oh.

Jameson suddenly realized why he looked familiar. He’d been on the news quite a lot. And that’s not all. A memory flashed through his head, vivid and real, of a past conversation.

I don’t get it. You could easily take down Pathos, Dahlia. Why don’t you? “Because as long as people like us keep him in line, things are better.” I still don’t get it. “If you suddenly take out the head of a big organization like that, the power vacuum can be worse than they were, y’know? See it all the time in comics about Heroes’ early careers. Everyone rises up to take their place.” So you’d rather fight him every month? “It’s not really a fight most of the time, I just show up and look intimidating and he’s like ‘pack it up, you lot, we’ve gone too far.’”

Soren Moizone. The supervillain known as Pathos. The man who’d held crime in Daindover and the surrounding area in his grip—until a year ago when Jackie defeated him.

“Ah. There’s the look.” Soren’s easy smile faded a bit. “The realization. Listen, I can’t really do much in here, unfortunately. Neither can you. Or anyone, really. I think we’re all the same in the Vault. But up to you if you want to be on speaking terms.”

JJ hesitated. Then he reached out and shook Soren’s hand.

Soren laughed. “You have balls, Jameson Jackson. Though I guess that’s evident, from what you just said you did. Daindover really has a problem with mind-controlling villains.”

It’s not really mind control, JJ said. My powers, I mean. It’s... body control.

Soren tilted his head. “Hmm? What’s the difference?”

I don’t hypnotize people, JJ explained. When the strings wrap around their wrists, I can move their bodies with my thoughts. They’re still aware. And it doesn’t just work on people. Anything shaped like a human can be controlled. I used them on dolls when I was a kid. His parents had been mildly surprised the first time they walked in on him putting on a show for his twin. But not too surprised. It ran in the family, after all.

“Fascinating. You’re right, that’s not really mind control, is it?” Soren mused. “But to be fair, mine aren’t, either.”

JJ blinked. Can’t you make people think the way you want them to?

“Common misconception. I don’t influence their thoughts, just their feelings. It’s not the same thing at all, no matter how much people on the news told you it was.” Soren chuckled.

JJ raises an eyebrow. That doesn’t make it any less dangerous. Another brief snippet of a conversation flickered in his mind.

“I swear, James, I’d never felt so scared in my fucking life before. If the feeling hadn’t stopped when I paused things I would’ve been frozen. But instead everyone else was frozen, ayyy. I suppose powers like that don’t work on me when I’m out of time.”

“Well you’re one to talk, aren’t you, Puppeteer?” Soren pointed out. “I overheard some guards chatting about what happened in Daindover. They were shocked. Though it sounds like the rumors were a bit exaggerated.”

JJ tried to laugh in agreement, but he couldn’t quite manage it. Silence fell between them. Jameson turned his attention to the rest of the courtyard and tried not to think about the fact that Pathos—a lifelong villain who she often fought—was sitting next to him. Though as he looked around, it did remind him of why he was out there. Can I ask you something?

“You can ask me, can’t promise I’ll answer.”

Everyone here is so...quiet, JJ said. And... tired. I don’t know how to describe it. But that can’t be normal, can it? Or is this just what it’s like in all prisons?

“What were you expecting?” Soren asked. “Did you think there’d be a riot every day? Like a TV drama?”

I thought there’d be conversation, at least.

“No, you’re right.” Soren’s face turned very serious. “This isn’t normal. How long have you been here, Jameson? A couple days?”

Three days, JJ said.

“So you’re going to start feeling it soon, then.” Soren leaned forward, resting his arms on his legs. “Have you noticed that weird taste in all the food? It’s a sort of... artificial taste, like someone put plastic shavings in everything. That’s neutrinalin. It can be injected or consumed. All the food for the prisoners has heavy doses of it.”

JJ nodded slowly. He’d been wondering that. Nobody had pulled him aside to give him a neutrinalin injection since he arrived. And yet, he still felt his powers out of reach when he tried to find them. Not to use them, just to see if he could.

“Now, neutrinalin is all fine for the short term,” Soren continued. “But if it’s in your system for too long, say three or four days straight, you start feeling a bit sick. Like a bad cold. And until the neut is out, that feeling will just keep getting worse.”

Dread pooled in JJ’s stomach. And yet, he still had to ask, Did you say N-E-W-T?

Soren laughed. “It does sound like that, doesn’t it? No, ‘neut’ as in short for ‘neutrinalin.’ It’s slang. Sometimes people call it ‘the muffler’ too, or ‘the League’s best friend.’ Guess you’re not in those circles, huh?”

JJ shook his head.

“Anyway. The reason why all these great and powerful villains are walking around like zombies is because they feel like shit all the time. Some of them for years straight. I think Havoc Cry has been in here the longest, you don’t see her around often cause she’s too tired to leave her cell most of the time. Which—look, I’m not gonna say she doesn’t deserve it after she basically destroyed London, but... no, I’m gonna say that. She doesn’t deserve it. She deserved to stay here for the rest of her life, just like Avalanche, Dr. Rundown, Death Angel, the Mutilator—” Soren pointed out each villain as he said their name. Jameson had heard of all of them, but he wouldn’t have recognized them like this. “—and most of the others, but the drugging is a bit much.”

Jameson covered his mouth, hiding the horror on his face. All these people... Sure, criminals and villains, the worst of them, but... he couldn’t help but feel terrible about it as he saw them all in this state. Does the League know about the side effects? he asked, looking back at Soren.

“Dunno.” Soren shrugged. “You don’t hear people discussing it, not even in the underworld. Some people in here mutter that the League made it that way on purpose, but I don’t think so. I think they just never thought about it during development. And if they know what’s happening in here, they don’t think fixing it is worth it.”

Jameson shook his head slowly. This was awful. People must not know. If they knew, they’d be horrified.

Soren looked doubtful. “Would they?”

Of course! Even the Heroes would be horrified. Or at least... Jackie would.

“Maybe.”

Jameson scowled. He made to stand up—but stumbled as a wave of dizziness overcame him. He started to fall, but Soren quickly stood up and caught him before he hit the ground. Thank you, he signed shakily.

“Don’t thank me, it’s not needed.” Soren helped him stand upright again. “Let me guess. Everything started spinning?”

That must have been one of the side effects. JJ went pale as he realized that everything was just going to get worse from here on. He nodded slowly. Why are you handling this sickness better than anyone else in here? he asked.

“That’s not something I’m keen to share.” Soren smiled, a bit of mystery to his expression. “Now. If you’re standing up, I’m guessing you’re leaving?”

JJ nodded slowly.

“Try to come to the courtyard as often as you can. Sunlight and fresh air’s good for you. Makes you feel a little better. I’m here most days. Or we could try to meet during meal times—if you want to meet, that is, but I’d love to hear from you some more. Talk about how things have changed in Daindover.”

That would be nice, JJ said. He knew he had to take this chance. Talking was a lot less boring than napping, but not many people in the Vault would be able to understand him. Soren knew BSL. And even though he was a supervillain, so was everyone else in here. So was Jameson. Soren seemed nice, at least. And... he liked the way he smiled.

“Great. I can try to find you. What floor are you on?”

Floor five, Cell 525.

Soren raised an eyebrow. “They put you up high. The higher your floor is, the more dangerous they consider you. I’m on floor three, in 316. So it sounds like I’ll have to wait for you in the cafeteria.”

I don’t know if I’m flattered or not that they think I’m so dangerous, JJ said, frowning.

“I’d be flattered. But they’ll probably move you down later if you don’t cause trouble.” Soren smiled tiredly. “In any case. Later, then?”

Later. I’ll see you around?

“Certainly. Goodbye for now.”

JJ waved a goodbye as well, then turned and left the courtyard. He hadn’t spent much time there, but he needed to be alone. He needed to think about everything that just happened. About what he found out.

He was still hoping that somehow the others outside would figure out a way to get him out of here. But that hope was starting to waver. Especially knowing what was to come with the neutrinalin side effects. But... at least he wouldn’t be alone in here.

At least there was that.

[its-jaytothemee]

to find balance - chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Descent

Characters: Arabella

Word count: 1,637

Rating: Teen and up

Read on AO3

Summary: From surviving Elturel's descent into Avernus, to facing peril after peril on the road to Baldur's Gate. At the ripe old age of nine, Arabella truly thought she had seen it all.

But when she touched that idol in the druid's grove, something in her changed. She'll have to learn to navigate this bright new future ahead of her after so much pain and loss. Luckily for her, she'll make plenty of new friends to help her along her journey.

Tags: Arabella POV, angst with a happy ending, hurt/comfort, tiefling shenanigans, anti-tiefling racism, multiple BG3 characters will be making sporadic appearances throughout the fic.

A/N: The brain worms just won't stop wiggling for this stupid game. Enjoy my take on Arabella's experiences through the events of Baldur's Gate, starting with the descent of Elturel into Avernus, going many years past the end of the game.

A lot of things are canon compliant, but the pre and post game things are just my own personal headcanons and the result of many forgotten realms wiki rabbit holes. It was very much inspired by my other ongoing long fic and my OC/Tav from that story will make a few appearances in this one alongside the rest of the tadfools.

Arabella squeezed her eyes shut while letting out a scream.

She’s falling. Falling further than she’s ever fallen before.

Further than the time she climbed on the roof of their house and broke two of her fingers when her foot slipped on a shingle. Further than the time she stepped on a broken branch while scaling a tree in the park, causing her to fall flat on her butt and sprain her tail.

But this time, someone’s holding her. Two someones.

She opened her eyes to see mum and pops huddled around her, hugging her tight between them as the entire city plummeted below the ground. They were kneeling in the street as strange looking winds rushed past them, all three of their tails coiled together.

The air was hot. Hotter than the sweatiest summer day she can remember. And it smells funny, like the time she threw a rotten egg at Umi’s window.

“Close your eyes, Bella,” mum shouted to be heard over the wind.

“I…I’m scared…” she sobbed into their arms. The air was so hot she swore her tears boiled on her face.

Was there another word for scared? One that’s scarier than scared? Because that’s the word she needs to tell her parents how scared she is right now.

“It’s alright my love,” pops yelled back and held her a little tighter. “Just stay close to us.”

Arabella had just been playing outside, chasing a small frog that was hopping along the stones leading up to their house.

Then the ground started to shake underneath her. She had been lucky that mum and pops were home that day. Arabella remembered them running outside as the quakes took over the city. They had barely made it to her side when the city started to fall.

The sun faded with every passing second, giving way to smoke and ash and rock. She saw weird looking meteors rush past them and even weirder creatures flying in the sky.

And then suddenly, she wasn’t falling anymore.

“Komira, run!” She heard pops yelling, but just barely. Her ears had a funny ringing sound in them, like there’s little bells being rung by a tiny pixie inside her brain.

Now she’s in pops’ arms…and he’s running. Their horns were clinking together in a soft rhythm as he sprinted down the road. Arabella had her tail wrapped tight around his waist as she clung to him

“Mum!” she yelled but had to cough a lot afterwards. The air tasted funny too, like the times she stood too close to a fire and the smoke filled her lungs.

“I’m here, Arabella,” mum called back to her, but it was hard to hear past the little pixie ringing the bells in her head.

Mum and pops aren’t the only people running. Everyone was yelling and cursing as they ran past them. She heard pops say something about the High Hall, but she didn’t think they’d ever been invited there.

The High Hall was a place for lords and ladies and other rich folks. Even a duke from Baldur’s Gate was staying there when the city started to fall.

Surely a duke would be a good fighter, and those guys tend to be the hero types. He would help save them, right?

When Arabella finally dared to look up again, she saw a giant black ball hanging in the air where the sun should have been. If it was so dark, why did it still hurt her eyes?

Even though they weren’t falling so fast anymore, the city was still moving further toward the ground. Which really didn’t make sense because she thought they were already standing on the ground.

A groan from pops startled her. She looked at his cheek and saw a big cut running down his cheek.

“Pops! You’re hurt!” she screamed to be heard over the chaos.

“I’ll be fine, Bella, just close your eyes!” he yelled back.

Lightning started to rain down on the city. Each strike summoned a creature that started to chase everyone who was running through the streets. Some of them looked like people but they were twisted and their skin looked kind of gross.

Then she started to hear more screams. Not the same terrified sounds she had heard before, but like the people making that wound were hurt. Really hurt.

She cracked one eye open with the rest of her face buried in pops’ shoulder, immediately wishing she hadn’t.

One of those strange demon zombies had just bitten into someone’s neck, sending a big spray of blood across the stone walkways.

Arabella let out another shriek and started to cry. She turned her head so pops’ neck would help cover her eyes.

I don’t want to be eaten by demon zombies. Why are we even here?

“Bella, love, keep your eyes closed.” Pops squeezed her just a little tighter as he continued to run. She could hear his breath getting heavier, and she hadn’t heard mum say anything in a while.

It’s okay. She’s probably just saving all of her breath for running.

She kept a tight hold on pops, her arms secured tight around his neck while her legs and tail kept wrapped around his waist.

“We’re almost there, Locke!” Finally, mum yelled at them.

“Where are we going?” Arabella yelled through her tears.

“The High Hall.” Pops had a very tight grip on her hips and the back of her head as he ran. “If we can get behind the walls and into the stronghold, we’ll be safer.”

So, they were going to the High Hall. They’d never been there before, she didn’t think–

A scream from mum startled her.

Arabella opened her eyes to try and find her. She had tripped behind them on a broken rock.

“Mum!” she screamed and pointed over pops’ shoulder.

“Shit,” she heard him hiss.

Pops skidded to a stop to go back for her, helping her off the ground just before another strike of lightning burnt the stone where she had been laying. It also brought down another one of those zombies. When he had turned around, Arabella could see the giant stone walls that protected the High Hall over pops’ shoulder.

But it looked like they were closing the gate.

Why would they do that when there were still so many people out in the streets?

Her tears came faster now. If the High Hall was the only place they could be safe, what would happen if they were locked out?

Mum and pops just kept running, even as Arabella screamed into his ears, even as she heard mum let out more infernal curses in one breath than she had ever heard her utter in her life.

She wanted so badly to yell out those curses too. Her parents were far too busy running to care about her cursing.

But she was too scared. No words came out of her mouth, only sobs and screams.

“Hold onto me tight, Arabella.” Pops turned and kissed her temple before squeezing her so hard she thought she might snap in two.

“Why what are you–”

Suddenly, they were flying through the air. For once in her life though, she listened to pops and kept her eyes closed as she clung to him.

Then, they hit something hard. It was the ground. Pops dove through the small gap left between the giant doors that blocked out the courtyard. Mum had landed not far from their side.

On the other side of the doors, Arabella could still hear the screams of everyone else who couldn’t make it in time.

“Everyone, in the keep. Now!”

A bald, dark-skinned man was shouting at them and pointing his sword toward the big doors of the High Hall. He wore armor with a strange symbol on it. It looked like a fist, but it was on fire.

It was chaos trying to get inside. Everyone was pushing past one another, throwing others to the ground to get ahead of them. Arabella was extra grateful pops was still holding her, otherwise she was sure she’d have been trampled to a pulp.

Once the courtyard was cleared, all the guards started stacking things in front of the doors. There were four giant planks of wood that slid into some brackets, but they also piled chairs and tables and chests in front of it as well.

Pops set her down, but Arabella kept her arms wrapped around his waist. Her tail was curled tight around her own leg.

BANG!

The main doors to the keep rattled as the creatures outside tried to claw their way in.

“We’ve almost secured the way forward, Duke Ravengard!” A guard came running into the main hall.

The bald, armored man gave the guard a nod. “Finish clearing it and get these people out of here!”

BANG!

She could have been imagining it, but she could have sworn that one was louder than the last one.

“You’re going to have to be brave now, my sweet girl.” She sniffled before wiping away Arabella’s tears.

BANG! BANG!

Mum and pops knelt on either side of her, wrapping their arms around their shoulders and resting their foreheads against her horns.

Each loud knock against the doors made Arabella flinch away, causing her to dig her claws into their arms. She could hear the shrieks coming from the creatures on the other side.

“But no matter what happens, so long as we’re together, everything will be just fine, my love,” pops whispered to her.

The guard came sprinting back into the room.

“The way is clear. Everyone, this way!”

With that, pops picked her up in his arms again and started to run deeper into the High Hall…just as the doors broke into splintered pieces and the demons broke through.

[admiral-mason]

You Reap What You Sow - Chapter 2

Genshin Impact SAGAU x Iron Harvest 1920+

It Gets Worse

Liyue was just as bad as Mondstadt if not worse.

Before you headed to Liyue, you slept inside of a ditch you hastily dug. The next day, you had walked there via foot, carrying nothing other than some wild berries and apples, your rifle, and the clothes on your back. When you got there, there was another common chest. When you opened this one up...

...There was a Rusviet Gunner’s anti-mech cannon inside of it.

This experience just gets weirder and weirder. First a Polanian rifle, now a Rusviet anti-mech cannon? You slung the rifle over your back and held the large gun. It was surprisingly lightweight, and you could still run around perfectly fine with it (aside from the bulkiness of the weapon, of course). Whatever. Hopefully Liyue would be much friendlier to you.

“IMPOSTOR! CALL THE MILLELITH!“

There’s your cue. You instantly started running through the streets, not turning back. No way in heaven were you going back to Mondstadt. As you continued to run, the Millelith ran after you.

When you ran to a distance far enough from the Millelith, you pointed your cannon at them, and fired at the ground.

BOOM!

This caused a blast which knocked the soldiers back. However, more started to come, and back you were on your feet. This time, Keqing, Ganyu, and Ningguang were after you too. The wind helped you yet again, allowing you to outrun all of them.

But you halted your legs when you saw Zhongli in front of you with a stern and serious look.

“I will have order!“

Zhongli said, before he unleashed his elemental burst. Panicking, you tried to run away from the meteor while you aimed your cannon at the meteor which was rapidly approaching you. It was kinda like slow-motion. All of a sudden, your cannon fired twelve shots of red projectiles in extreme rapid succession, destroying the meteor from harming you. Zhongli just stood there in utter disbelief as you took the moment to throw your cannon at him (it still felt lightweight), knocking him out. After you did so, you ran to grab your cannon as you continued to make your way out of Liyue.

Meanwhile...

A certain young teenage girl with red hair and blue eyes had noticed the so-called ‘impostor’ run away from Liyue. With her brown bear watching alongside her, she could take away one clear thing.

This wasn’t Teyvat’s impostor.

Despite their relatively short time together, she could recognize them very well. Their clothing, their appearance, and most importantly, the specific weaponry they are carrying.

This was not only Teyvat’s creator, but Europe’s creator as well.

The teenage girl could only watch their grace escape from Liyue. Their forces aren’t strong enough yet. She simply had one thought in mind before she left the scene.

‘Hold out for a little longer, your grace. You won’t have to suffer once we interfere.‘

Genshin Impact is owned by miHoYo. Iron Harvest 1920+ is owned by Jakub Różalski and KING Art Games.

[shihalyfie]

Hello! Remember me? I hope you're taking care of yourself so far. If I may, do you think you could do an analysis on Gulusgammamon from Ghost Game, especially his relationship with Hiro? His profile in TV tropes seem to cast doubt on whether his Endbringer story is actually true or a lie he constructed to get others off his back. What do you think? Or, if you don't feel like it, can I ask on how would other digimon protagonists from other series react to Gulusgammamon, XW Hunters crossover style? Or at least a digimon that has the same personality as Gulus. If you don't mind, can you do both questions? Thank you. Have a great month! Eat fruits.

Thank you for the well wishes! Sadly, as I said in this ask earlier, by the time I was able to attend to this ask, my brain had gotten to the point where it's already forgotten a lot of my immediate thoughts on the Ghost Game finale (it was also a very difficult time for me at work at around exactly the same time, so I unfortunately wasn't in a state where I could really absorb everything well). I'll try to answer both, but I'll warn that my answers won't be as deep as you're probably hoping.

I don't personally like to assume characters are lying unless there's a good reason to believe so, and while Gulus is an anti-hero type, I don't really see him as a liar, nor do I see much benefit the plot would get out of it being a lie. (I do respect the fact that TV Tropes profiles come up with interesting theories, but I have some...mixed feelings about how the Digimon editor community there approaches the franchise, so I try not to put too much weight on what they write; goodness knows that there's so much fandom echo chamber stuff on there.)

I think the entire concept of "destroying to save from further destruction" is something they wanted to legitimately play with; it's not the first time such a concept has been used in the franchise (Xros Wars manga Bagramon), but it's fitting for the tone Ghost Game sets as well as something we haven't seen in Digimon anime much. Also, I've seen Japanese discussion suggesting that it may be based on the 1999 "King of Terror" prediction by Nostradamus, which fits with both Ghost Game's concept and the fact that Adventure (along with a ton of other Japanese works) is based on this concept as well.

As for the crossover, I'm afraid to say my answer isn't very interesting; I think everyone would maybe be a bit unnerved, but I think these kids have dealt with far weirder things than someone's partner being a part anti-hero.

[greyghoulclub]

Harringrove flip it reverse it prompt 3 - NSFW becomes SFW

for @harringrove-flip-reverse-it

ao3 link: The time that Billy and Steve tried to throw a surprise party for Max - greyghoulclub - Stranger Things (TV 2016) [Archive of Our Own]

Billy antis DNI

Steve and Billy had been acting weird. Well, weirder than usual Max thought. They had been sneaking about, always talking in hushed voices when she or Jane was about. Try as she might, Max could not figure out what the hell was going on with those two. They certainly weren’t breaking up because every time Billy went to Steve’s place, he was so grossly in love that Max felt like she would gag. 

“Why are you and Steve sneaking around the house? It’s only you two and me here,” Max rolled her eyes at Steve scrambling to hide a bowl of something underneath the counter while Max went to the fridge to grab a can of soda. 

“It’s none of your business shitbird,” Billy tried to look intimidating but it was kinda hard when he was wearing an apron that was smeared with flour. Max let the fridge door fall closed as she raised an eyebrow at her stepbrother. 

“Ok, whatever you say, Julia Child,” Max walked away cackling at Billy’s blustering, sipping her soda knowing that Billy would absolutely try to get her back for that but the opportunity was too good to waste. She can always ignore them while Freddy Krueger kills people on TV. 

******

The next time Max caught Steve and Billy sneaking around, they were carrying armfuls of VHS tapes. To give them props, they had the side with the titles turned towards them. 

“Did you guys just rob Family Video or what?” Max folded her arms and waited for the latest bullshit on why they were sneaking about. 

“Max I work at Family Video, why would I rob it?” Steve answered with a question. 

“To spite Keith?” Billy nudged Steve in the side with his elbow, and dropped one of the tapes, “Shit!” 

The tape was a copy of Friday the 13th: A new beginning, the exact tape that Max was wanting to order for weeks. Max picked it up and waved in front of the boys. 

“Ok, what’s going on? I’ve been talking about renting out this tape for weeks. As soon as it's available, you have it. Start explaining love birds.” 

Steve immediately started stammering, something about a surprise for Max’s birthday later this week. They had wanted to do it while her parents weren’t here because they would never agree to any horror movies if they were. Max was kind of touched that they wanted to do that for her. Steve Harrington had really dulled down Billy’s sharp edges. 

“We were making a cake for you,” Steve blurted out, “But neither of us are good at baking, so uh, we might’ve just ordered some doughnuts from the shop on Turner street.” The bakery on Turner street did the raspberry jelly doughnuts that Max would always get when she went to stay with Jane. 

“That’s why I smelt burning then,” Max said with a chuckle, snorting when Billy said that not even Betty Crocker could save their abysmal baking skills. 

“Y’know, it’s really nice of you guys to do this all for me,” Max walked over to the VCR and popped in the tape, “you guys wanna order Chinese and we can watch Vorhees hack up some unsuspecting camp counsellors?” 

“You got it Mad Max.”

[sushi-rat]

I saw a post about someone sadly getting terf interaction on their anti-terf post, so I went through some of the names they screenshotted to block some people. I already thought terfs were fucking weird but they are weirder than I thought

Many of the ones I just blocked claimed to be gender abolitionists, but then are obsessed with gender by calling trans women or nonbinary AMABs "men".

They claim that trans people are misogynistic because many do adhere to some typical gender roles (girls wearing dresses and having long hair, boys wearing pants and having short hair), but then turn around and constantly misgender trans people who don't conform to gender roles (masculine AMABs and feminine AFABs). A second thing: they're mad at trans people talking about their awakening by using gender role examples (Ex. Someone putting on their mother's clothes and realizing they're not actually a boy) but also get mad at us if we simply talk about it from a feelings standpoint, that we simply feel like another gender than we were assigned. They start screaming at us and demanding a "better definition" of man and woman

I know terfs are irrational and there's no point in trying to make their arguments make sense, but my goodness, they are more nonsensical than I thought

[seeyouspacecoyote]

Thinking about how 90% of the people I used to talk to on a regular basis on here back in my space-coyote-judal days are either a different gender than I thought they were or changed their pronouns for whatever reason (nothing wrong with that,) or they turned into anti-vaxx eugenicist fucktards (everything wrong with that.)

Also, if anyone remembers me from back then (I got shadow-banned in 2021 because of the fucking fucktards who run this hellsite,) I also got locked out of my old discord account so I completely lost contact with almost everyone I used to talk to so in a meta sense, none of this really matters in the long run, it's just weird how people change over time and it's even weirder how people I know change over time.

[plebeiangoth]

Finally saw Barbie today

Had to think about it a little, there's several points which I really didn't enjoy that I had to think about, but overall I thought it was pretty good!

It's very PG-13 so it felt a little uncomfortable to watch it in a room full of children, but most of the grown-up jokes probably went over their heads and tbh I don't really see any issue with Barbie saying "vagina" and "penis". In more ways than just the intro it feels sort of like 2023: A Barbie Odyssey in terms of it's narrative about what Barbie is, which made it a very surreal experience played well. However this film-bro analogy is a little too apropos of the plot and kinda makes me a hard to describe sort of uncomfortable. Kinda wish Barbie and Ken were better friends, but that's neither here nore there. Very glad to know that Barbie is an asexual icon. Wish they leaned harder into the weirder characters, e.g. address how Midge gives birth or Earring Magic Ken's "special jewelry", or even shine a light on Bilt Lily. I really want to cosplay Weird Barbie. Overall it's VERY fun! Even when I was having thoughts of how dumb this movie can be, I was still having an absolute blast. Makes me think of Josie and the Pussycats in terms of it's unabashed in-movie marketing, only less cute than Josie because that had a stronger anti-capitalist consumerist (for lack of better terms) message, whereas this was literally made by Mattel to get me hyped about buying dolls and merch as an adult. Actually kinda impressed by how it discussed feminism tho. It really was delightful to see all these people of all genders and ages show up in their best pink outfits to watch a movie, even at ass-o'clock in the morning when I saw it today. Shame on me for not getting dressed up, but this was just a side trip while out for groceries on discount-movie Tuesday so I showed up in comfy pants and a Machine Girl shirt and a black hoodie.

Verdict: It good, I had fun. 7.5/10

Will likely see it again on the big screen because I know some people who will really enjoy it