#apocalyse now

[blackros78]

Dennis Hopper, Martin Sheen, Francis Ford Coppola filming Apocalypse Now. Circa 1978.

[masonshine]

I've been missing Scout SO much lately, so i decided to replay it but... PAIN 😭

This scene was so sweet!! Ezra loml... I miss him 😭 I miss Gage, I miss Oliver, I miss Sabine... I'm so sad it will never be finished... but i at least hope Anya is actually doing well.

[bitterkarella]

Midnight Pals: Dogs 2

Dodie Smith: i've got another story about pongo and missus King: ah do the dogs go on another fun adventure? Smith: no this time aliens put all humans to sleep and give dogs psychic powers King: Lovecraft: Barker: Poe: Koontz: WOWWWW Koontz: BEST STORY EVER!

Smith: ok so all humans are catatonic now and there's only psychic dogs Smith: and the dogs think 'oh i bet cruella de vil is behind this' Smith: 'we should go murder her' Smith: 'like, we should just go fucking murder her' Smith: 'put a fuckin bullet in her head'

Smith: but the dogs find out that cruella de vil isn't actually behind it Smith: so that puts a crimp in their plan to murder her Smith: then sirius the dog star comes to earth Smith: like the literal star

Smith: you know, he has the super power to appear as any dog breed Koontz: [sullenly] i wish i had that power Frank Belknap Long: dean remind me to talk to you after the story's done Koontz: no i don't want a fursuit, i want to do it for real!!

Smith: so sirius the dog star is all 'god i'm so lonely, i wish i had a dog' Smith: 'i wish i had ALL the dogs' Smith: 'would you dogs like to come live with me in space' Smith: 'like where laika lives' Smith: 'in a big nebula with a lot of space to run around'

Smith: so sirius is all 'dogs of earth, would you like to come live with me in space' Smith: 'WHO WANTS TO GO OUT TO SPACE??? WHO WANTS TO GO OUT TO SPACE???' Smith: 'WHOS A GOOD BOY??? WHOS A GOOD BOY???'

Smith: sirius is all 'you should all come to space and live with me in space' Smith: 'you'll know true bliss in space' Smith: 'and also you'll avoid complete eradication in nuclear apocalyse' Smith: 'cuz, oh yeah, that's gonna happen btw'

Smith: if they choose to go to space Smith: then all memory of dogs on earth will be erased Koontz: no Smith: no one will remember that dogs ever existed Koontz: NO! Smith: it will be as if earth was always a dog-free planet Koontz: NOOO!!!!!!

Smith: now the dogs of earth have to make a weighty decision Smith: will they go to space or will they stay loyal to their masters? Koontz: oh god oh god Koontz: please say they stay!! Smith: so the dogs decide… Koontz: yeah?? yeah???

Smith: the dogs decide… Koontz: WHAT DO THEY DECIDE!?!?!? Koontz: I NEED TO KNOW!!! Smith: the dogs decide… Koontz: AUGHHHH!!!!!

Smith: the dogs decide to stay on earth because, even though earth is imperfect, it carries the promise that maybe, someday, every good dog can find a home Koontz: b-but they're ALL good dogs! Smith: exactly Koontz: Koontz: whoaaaaaa

King: wow uh King: that's some story King: not what i expected Barker: oh that's british kids lit for you Barker: it's all bonkers Roald Dahl: ee hee hee Barker: i mean Barker there ya go Barker: case in point

King: really? all of it Barker: oh yeah trust me [meanwhile] Beatrix Potter: my story is mr thumpybunny minds the shop Enid Blyton: my story is Giggles the happy gnome runs afoul of an irishman JK Rowling: Rowling: you know what i'm going to sssay

[hello-from-the-night-archives]

hello from the hallowoods dashboard simulator

😈 valerie-meme-stone

I'm not ready for my spotify wrapped to just be stonemaiden. like i get it spotify i know i'm gay

53 notes

📝 the-poetry-panopticon Follow

Unfriendly reminder not to sign up for a Dreaming Box subscription! The Botulus Corporation is not to be trusted! Here's an article explaining the language in their contract and why it's concerning! In addtion, they use AI generated images in the Prime Dream, which we should all know by now is unethical.

14,034 notes

🥗 bisexualranchdressing Follow

dang this is crazy. i thought wildfire smoke was bad but what the fuck is this????

🌅 nerdy-tragedy-theorist Follow

well according to color theory

🌅 nerdy-tragedy-theorist Follow

never mind i've got nothing

739 notes

⚡ evil-electrician Follow

friendly reminder to stop spreading misinformation about the black water! people are saying that it brings people and animals back to life but that's not exactly true! although their body may be back, they're not the same person and they will likely become violent and dangerous. please stay inside and be really careful what you and your pets eat or drink.

🐈‍⬛ cats-not-capitalism Follow

fuck you op i'm keeping my undead cat

⚡ evil-electrician Follow

good luck keeping your fingers

48,230 notes

🐧 morally-grey-penguin Follow

1,383,248 notes

eccentricelina-deactivated04232030

i must not go to sleep in the lake today. afternoon nap is the mind killer

eccentricelina-deactivated04232030

mmmmmm cozy

eccentricelina-deactivated04232030

where is my skin

eccentricelina-deactivated04232030

going back to sleep honk shoooooo

635 notes

🌮 mysteriously-crafty-nacho Follow

reblog this post to go north with the person you reblogged this from

54,092 notes

🧊 botulus-corporation Follow

The Botulus Corporation is with you during this difficult time. Join our happy dreaming family where you and your loved ones will be safe from the rain. Tumblr users get 30% off on a Dreaming Box subscription!

🐨 chief-koala-typhoon Follow

73,932 notes

🌿 shiny-wolf-tragedy Follow

it fucken rainny

🐼 dreamland-panda Follow

love that they'll be a literal apocalyse and tumblr users will just make memes. never change tumblr

72,138 notes

👁️‍🗨️ the-magnus-brotocol

choosing between the irl amazing digital circus or probably fucking dying was not on my 2030 bingo card but okay

👁️‍🗨️ the-magnus-brotocol

at this point i just gotta expect that if the year is divisible by 10 then something terrible will happen

94 notes

🐺 werewolves-are-hot

hey do you think i can get a real werewolf boyfriend now that monsters are real

🐺 werewolves-are-hot

any cute werewolf boyfriends in this part of the woods

429 notes

🌷 pleasant-arcade-land

oh man it's been a couple months since I last updated this fanfic huh! so I just drank some black water by accident and now I have a few extra fingers, and honestly that took some getting used to, but it's actually pretty convenient now and is really helpign me get more words in lol im still here writing homestuck fanfic in 2030 hehehehehe anyway new chapter here

38 notes

🌑 the-void-whispers Follow

so, it looks like tumblr might be dying soon due to, well, *gestures wildly.* You'll have to kill me before I join Twitter now that the Botulus Corporation bought it (and no, I am not calling it B, that is just stupid) so if you want to hear from me you will simply need to look out for passenger pigeons. in the meantime, ill be here until tumblr straight up dies and i have a crying session about it

🦌 gamer-guy-bath-water Follow

we do not grieve ice when it melts, or celebrate the sapling when it rises from the soil. they just are. life and death and rebirth are one constant state. and without change, there would be nothing to watch

⚔️ sword-lesbian-enthusiast

add that to the list of banger quotes from tumblr memes

82,362 notes

[hexedwinchester]

Dean slept with an angel and maybe other women but Sam's the only one that slept with a demon. Defend that.

hi noni that's keeping a score...

Yes, Sam slept with a demon but that's kinda the real metaphor here. Sam is pure-hearted. He is the brother that prayed to God, had faith in his angels and despite the demon blood in him he truly believes it's not who you are, it's what you do that matters. Now imagine the beauty and the powerful impact of corrupting someone this pure-hearted on the story. As a viewer, we are like, Sam could never but in the end he does. The purpose of Sam sleeping with a demon is not to portray him as bad and Dean as good, it's to show that with right motivation and influence even the purest can be corrupted and the noblest can fall.

Again, the whole apocalyse aside, if you just look at it from 'Sam had sex with a demon' perspective, it only corrupted him. No earth shattering consequences came out of that affected others.

And while we are here keeping score, here are some questionable things done by Dean and their consequences that impacted others:

Made a deal with a demon to bring Sam back. Consequences: everyone questions him if he was sure what he brought back was 100% human. And Sam does seem different post that.

Dean tortured innocent souls in Hell and he liked it. The consequences here are obvious and it kick started apocalypse breaking the first seal

Taking the MoC to kill Abaddon. Consequences: becomes agressive, dies and comes back as a demon beating the crap out of people

Manipulated Sam to let Gadreel possess him, killing Kevin in the cross fire

Killing death instead of Sam to get rid of the mark. Consequences: unleashes Darkness. Ends up almost killing the sun.

Says yes to Michael 2.0. Consequences: starts apocalypse 2.0 with hybrid monster army

[flower1622]

What if Allison made Five agree with her?

Allison watches Five, Viktor, Luther and Diego while they eat, drink and talk with each other. She has her arms crossed.

Allison: Are you fucking kidding with me?

Luther looks at Allison confused, Diego is annoyed, Five doesn't really care and Viktor looks at Allison in shock.

Viktor: Allison, is something wrong?

Allison: Yes, everything is wrong, starting with you all that instead thinking ways to come back home, you guys are having fun.

Diego sighs and stares at Allison serious.

Diego: Allison.

Five: Let her speak her mind, Diego. Poor woman doesn't understand that we can't think about the Apocalyse or home for 24 hours. We're still humans that need to relax too.

Allison gets angry.

Allison: Five.

Five: What? Am i wrong? Serious, Allison. You should learn to relax too. Since we arrived, you are acting cruel and angry all the time. This is not helping at all.

Allison: Well, i'm sorry if i want to see my daughter again!

Allison leaves and her other siblings only sigh.

Allison is walking through the corridor and passes by a room, but something catches her attention, so she comes back and sees Stanley over Klaus' dead body.

Allison thinks.

'Perfect. With Klaus, Five's biggest weakness, out of the picture, i wanna see if he'll continue being calm about this. It's time to bring cold five back.'

Allison walks towards Stanley and rumours him.

Allison: I heard a rumour that you'll go downstairs and tell to my siblings that you killed Klaus in the pink bedroom. You won't remember that you saw me here.

Stanley runs to tell the others about what happened.

Allison gets close to Klaus' body and sighs.

Allison: I'm sorry, Klaus. It's the only way.

Allison gets close to Klaus' ear and whispers.

' I heard a rumour that your body will stay dead until we come back home. This way, five is gonna think that you died and he'll put his focus 100% on how to come back. After that, you won't remember that i rumoured you.'

Stanley runs and stops in front of the siblings with a desperate expression on his face. Everyone looks at him confused.

Stanley: I killed Klaus in the pink bedroom.

Five gets angry.

Five: You did what?!

Five teleports himself while Diego starts crying, Luther seems to be in shock and Viktor looks sad.

Five teleports to the bedroom and sees Klaus' dead body. Five falls down next to Klaus and starts shaking his body, begging his brother to wake up while he cries and sobs over Klaus' body.

Hours later:

Luther is eating his food pretty fast. Diego and Viktor are just taking some bites, both pretty sad with Klaus' death. Since that time, some things changed. Lila took Stanley away after Five threatened to kill the boy. Diego also discovered that Stanley was never his son. Cold and pycho five is back and joined Allison. Both act rude and bad towards other people, including their siblings. The three siblings try to stay away as much as possible. The two only think about going home now and fix the Apocalypse. Viktor, Diego and Luther are slapped hard in their heads. They turn to see Allison and Five glaring at them.

Five: What the hell are you guys doing?

Luther gets confused.

Luther: Eating?

Five and Allison give fake laughs to each other.

Five: He's eating.

They continue laughing, scaring their siblings. Then, in matter of seconds, the table is pushed down and falls on the floor. Five takes Luther by the collar, almost suffocating him. Luther notices that Five has a deadly look on his face.

Five: Look Luther, i've spending my whole life and these last hours we have trying to find ways for us to come back home and stop this stupid Apocalypse. So, if you prefer to keep eating your horrible food, i guess you could stay here forever with no problem, right? You'd love to disappear, wouldn't you?

Luther gets suffocated, but he still shakes his head. Five goes to stand next to Allison and stares at his other siblings with a pretty serious expression on his face.

Five: If i see any of you eating or drinking something instead of thinking about the Apocalypse, i'm gonna leave the person here...and i'm not kidding.

Five leaves and Allison gives a little dark smile to her siblings and goes after Five.

Luther, Diego and Viktor keep staring shocked at Five and Allison walking away.

[girl-withnoname]

The Horror

Colonel Kurtz. Apocalyse Now (1979)

oil painting

[apalapucian]

10, 14, 17, 18, 19, 23

for the year in review writer's asks!!

10. what fic was the most satisfying to finish writing? maybe it was egos swinging (maybe it was her)! reasons here.

14. what were your go-to writing songs? it's different per fic because i usually go for songs that sound like the specific vibe i'm going for! my spotify top song this year was bts v's 'fri(end)s', because i listened to it SO MUCH while writing bad day wall. always linkin park's 'waiting for the end' for anything angsty, especially the zombie apocalyse ones.

i do have jily playlist mainstays that have just been constants no matter the fic, and it includes the ff:

marching on - onerepublic

i lived - onerepublic

all this time - onerepublic (okay there's a lot of onerepublic because i was into them when i started getting into jily in the early 2010s lol. basically the whole dreaming out loud album, really)

heart's a mess - gotye (angsty teenage jily!!!)

holy ground - taylor swift (for those let's get away and forget this all for a bit pieces)

wait - m83 (this one for emotionally charged, dreamy sequences)

mardy bum - arctic monkeys (lil shit james x lil shit sirius)

run - bts (let's take this city / young forever / invincible together vibes jily + marauders)

mikrokosmos - bts (coming of age / young ootp / the last of hogwarts / back of james's pick-up truck hopeful we are infinite scenes)

the astronaut - jin (same as above)

binibini - zack tabudlo (the quiet jily in-betweens)

give me love - ed sheeran

chelsea dagger - the fratellis (marauders!!!)

trojans - atlas genius

17. share your favorite opening line. "james has just managed to dodge a roundhouse kick to the face when his phone rings. he lands a hard blow on avery's arm and then steps back, letting him groan on the ground for a moment. 'kinda busy right now, red,' he answers, then ducks down as avery comes at him again."

— technically an opening line to a scene in no questions asked, but it counts lol i love it. few things in the world i love more than modern magic james tbh

18. share your favorite ending line. "The next time one of them disappears without a word, it's Lily.

Only this time, James knows exactly why. And he doesn't text or look for her, or wait on the steps with gummy worms and red iced tea, for that matter.

He just stares at a photo on his phone (of them, sat on a log together, his arm around her and her hands above his head in peace signs, both of them smiling behind a bonfire that lit them orange, the woods behind them dark and grainy and faded), ignores another text notification from Sirius (don't ice me out prongs i'm the KING of icing people out), puts his phone on DND, and wills himself to just go the fuck to sleep."

— grape police

19. share your favorite piece of dialogue. this one from bad day wall! but also this silly lil thing from grape police:

"Who's that other one?" she asks, for there is a third boy in his metrocard photo, besides himself and Sirius. He looks nice, although a much more unassuming kind of charming, a quieter presence than the two she's already met.

James smiles the kind of smile people do around stray cats and at tiny kindergartners in yellow raincoats. Then he says, "That's Moony."

"And that's—his actual name?"

"No, it's Remus."

"Huh. That's not less—hm, niche—than Moony."

"I know," he says. "It's cute."

"Your friends have such good names."

"You can say it, Evans. I have the most boring one."

___

love you cal thank you and happy new year!!!! 💜

[zillanovikov]

there are many ways to deal with living on a dying planet

none of them are healthy

i have tried most of them

I have so many mental illnesses they all start to blend together into a dysfunctional rainbow. I used to cry about how if fascism overcame and civilization collapsed no one would feed my stupid cat. (The smart cat could catch her own food.) Now I'm on meds and I don't cry so much.

I have tried working inside the system to make change. But the master's tools can never dismantle the master's house.

I have tried working outside the system to make change. I haven't made any progress that way either.

This is why reading cascade hit me so hard. I have been there.

I don't have magic to predict the future and know exactly how this story ends like Ian does but I've read the IPCC report, or at least the chapter summaries, and you don't need to be a wizard to know where we're heading

I haven't been on a research vessel to find a kraken at the bottom of the ocean, I've never tried to facefuck an eldritch abomination with science, but I've been the egghead nerd who wants to run down the corridor screaming about the truth and I don't because, like Blythe, I know no one is listening, or maybe they all already know and, like me, they don't know what to do about it

that's eric. he knows. eric has read the ipcc report. eric thinks that if he works for the Good Government inside the system, they can make things better and salve his conscience. but doing the Right Thing (tm) just feels like complicity and he can't help the feeling that his left-wing allies despise him for his cowardice just as much as his conservative family does for his bravery

cascade has magic in the apocalyse, yes, and maybe that's unrealistic, but 2.5 degree warming is unrealistic, losing entire island nations is unrealistic, 60% fewer insects is unrealistic, mass drought leading to mass starvation is unrealistic. we are living through the kind of story we all know the ending to.

and it's nice to see that story on the page. to see people like me trying to figure out what survival looks like, what fighting back looks like, when the enemy is our own destruction of the planet and our own apathy.

and fascists. fascists are also the fucking enemy.

anyway you need to read cascade. i need to have people to talk to about it. it's by rachel a rosen.

[kingofthewilderwest]

Does Stoick die in the Nine Realms?

No, he's alive. Turns out that during the Barbaric Archipelago Zombie Apocalyse of 1149, zombies found his charred remains, ingested them, and animated him anew. He wandered, undead, beneath the ocean for centuries until he stumbled into the Hidden World.

After studying advanced biochemical sciences in the present age, Stoick cured himself of zombieness. The only adverse effect of this cure was losing his ability to grow a beard. He now wears a prosthetic beard constructed from Jun's mother's over-fuzzy hat. It is highly distressing to Jun and she has nightmares about it every episode of Season 31.

As the new scientific antagonist of the show, Stoick repeatedly outwits Olivia Kullersen. It's a scrumptious dynamic, though, because not only do they argue about thermodynamics for 14 minutes, but because, over the course of the season, the two of them fall in love and have a quarter-Undead baby girl.

Tom's not too pleased about it, though. And Stoick doesn't like Tom because he's pillaged all of Hiccup's belongings. Tom even found Hiccup's skull and is wearing it like a face mask. It's a metaphor, don't you see? Stoick, who actually used to be undead, is acting with more life than Tom, who just keeps digging his own grave trying to become like Hiccup (who's dead).

[felixcloud6288]

Higurashi: Festival Accompanying Chapter 27

This is a Shion chapter.

I genuinely don't like how Shion was kept completely in the dark about what's been going on. I know I like to joke about how she isn't one of the main characters, but this is too much. Every other major character who's been involved across the story knows what's going on so why is Shion left out.

That shot of Tomitake is the same one from last chapter.

The comedic timing of Shion bragging about not being followed only for half a dozen vans to arrive at the Sonozaki residence.

This was probably a fun panel to draw. It looks like Suzuragi drew a template of one of the sisters and her speech bubble, copied and flipped the image, then drew the distinguishing features of both of them.

I had to stop and think for a moment when I realized that Keiichi, Rena, and Mion were the only ones who came out to greet Shion, Kasai, and Irie. I was wondering where Rika, Satoko, and Hanyu were.

Then it clicked: Rika is supposed to be dead, so they're not going to let her casually walk outside. And since Satoko and Hanyu were living with her, letting them be spotted would potentially clue Rika's enemies to where she is.

It makes perfect sense that the Sonozakis would have a surveillance system on their property, but it still feels surprising to find that out.

I like this panel.

One of the things that's annoyed me throughout this series is there's no sense of relative space in Hinamizawa. We know of various locations like Furude Shrine is up a long stairway and by a cliff overlooking the village. But there's not enough information to figure out how anyone would get from one location to another.

This panel doesn't really define where everything in the Sonozaki residence actually is, but it gives us a proper sense of scale about how big their property is.

Okonogi's ears grow longer and pointier the more sinister he gets.

As I said last chapter, the Wild Dogs are specialized in espionage, sabotage, and assassination. They are scarily competent during this chapter because they're doing what they're good at.

They leave no chances that anyone will find out what they're doing. First they cut the phone lines and then the power, and then they waited for the festival fireworks to go off so they could use the sounds to camouflage their blowing open the gates.

And now I need to take an aside for something. In the timelines where the Hinamizawa Disaster happens, the village is closed off for twenty years. This closure goes as far as preventing planes from flying over the village.

Some aspects of Operation Apocalypse aren't exactly neat and clean. Phone lines were cut, people tried to escape and were gunned down, etc.

If Operation Apocalyse were to happen in this timeline, there would be some incidental things such as Irie's wrecked car having gunshots on it and the destroyed bomb shelter gates at the Sonozaki residence that some intrepid reporter might discover and question.

So I think the reason Hinamizawa gets closed off for twenty years is to ensure all potential evidence to some form of sabotage becomes indistinguishable from the rot and decay that would happen after several decades.

Back to the story. Shion gets her moment to shine and gets to have her conclusion to her story as one of the Rule X targets. Keiichi and Rena already had theirs during Atonement, but now Shion and Mion finally make peace over their childhood mixup.

In Eye Opening, the sisters' mixup was a source of anger and jealousy for Shion because she believed the Sonozakis were behind Satoshi's disappearance and if it hadn't happened, Shion could have saved him.

But in this world, Shion knows that's not the case. Instead, the mixup is a source of guilt. Here they are, facing off against a secret organization planning to destroy the village. Mion is caught in the middle and made to take command not just because she's Rika's friend, but also because she's the next head of the Sonozaki Estate.

Meanwhile, Shion wasn't involved at all and is only here by happenstance. If that childhood mixup had never happened, Shion would be the one taking charge and handling the responsibility while Mion would be able to live a peaceful life instead.

That ladder terrifies me. It's not even really a ladder. It's two metal pipes embedded in the wall with footgrips embedded into the wall.

Cute girl with a gun. Shion stonks go up!

I wanna guess Suzuragi drew the gun by tracing much of it from pictures of the actual gun model and then saved it as a separate object that she would paste onto a panel and then draw around. The amount of detail on the gun always seems to be one level higher than everything else in each panel it shows up in.

I know this arc existed first and Beyond Midnight was made later, but I really love this callback to the arc. In Beyond Midnight, Mion fought and "died" to give Shion the life she should have had: The life of the leader of the Sonozakis. And now Shion is about to fight and die to ensure Mion has the life she should have had: A peaceful life with those she loves.

And when both of them are about to face their deaths, they had the same message they wanted to pass onto their sister:

Admittedly, Shion also doesn't feel like she has anything to lose. She thinks Satoshi is dead. And rather than being jealous of Mion's relation with Keichii, Shion wants to ensure they can be together.

It's a big dramatic moment and all, but Shion's actions kind of get squandered because Rika refuses to let her and Kasai stay behind. So when the Wild Dogs get past the two of them, Rika and her friends are found immediately. And now they're caught in a dilemma. Shion and Kasai have been taken hostage and everyone has to decide between protecting Rika and Irie or saving Shion and Kasai.

back

[mzminola]

So I’ve seen people bring up “Tim insists Steph pay for soda when they save a store” as a class discrepancy thing between Tim & Steph, but as we’ve discussed before Steph’s family is firmly middle class, and Tim’s, at the time this issue takes place, is monied but still closer to the Browns than to the Waynes. So what’s actually going on in this scene?

I think it’s about entitlement, family influence, and Stephanie’s ongoing struggle with wanting to not be like her dad.

For background, during the Quake, Spoiler had a team-up with Huntress to save people and stop robberies at a shopping mall. During this, Huntress is clear that she’s willing to kill right now (and that previously she’d reserve lethal force for worse situations). Steph sees her dad has escaped jail and is one of the robbers. Though Steph herself tried to kill Arthur Brown in her intro, she has had more vigilante experience since then, and is disturbed by the idea of Huntress killing Arthur, so she pretends not to see him and lets him get away.

Also notable, Arthur Brown did not become Cluemaster because he needed money to survive. He’s an ex game show host with disdain for others who feels entitled to wealth and attention. Helena Bertinelli, Huntress, was born to a mafia family and is now fighting against the mafia.

This Robin issue, #56, starts with Arthur now running a small crime-school, using his costumed criminal experience to teach other people how to most effectively rob banks and such. So the readers are primed to think of him.

This story takes place in the suburbs outside Gotham, which a lot of people have fled to after the Quake. The situation is rough, but it’s not an actual post-apocalyse survival zone like the island city itself.

Robin & Spoiler stop some people from robbing a convenience store. And we get these moments:

Steph: /reaching into a fridge, hand on a soda/ “Zesti?” Tim: “Sure.” Steph: “Almost getting killed makes me thirsty.” Tim: /opening the can/ “This is your treat?” Steph: “That’s a trick question, right? I mean, what’s a couple of sodas? We saved the whole store.” Tim: “It starts like that, and soon you’re bending all the rules.” Steph: /slapping cash on the counter by the till/ “Oh-kaaay!”

Steph: “Look, I’d like to say I was joking back there but—” Tim: “Forget it, Steph. It happens.” Steph: “I keep thinking of the Huntress. She’s like—- crazed.” Tim: “I’ve seen her like that. I’m afraid there’s no coming back for her this time.” Steph: “She told me her whole family is crooked.”

And that’s the end of the conversation as Tim drops Steph off at home.

Character-wise I think this is about Steph trying to Not Be Her Dad, and on a more philosophical side, it’s asking the reader “When are you entitled to something?"

[singlecrow]

For the fic meme! Any of these that you feel like answering I'd love to hear about! I saw in an earlier ask that one of your 'guilty pleasures' is miserable h/c and also I know you love your AUs so I'm following up on those by asking:

K: What’s the angstiest idea you’ve ever come up with?

and

L: What’s the weirdest AU you’ve ever come up with?

and I swear I didn't just go down the alphabet in order on purpose but I'd also be very curious to know:

M: Got any premises on the back burner that you’d care to share?

Hi Rosie! thank you for these excellent questions I like them a lot!

K: What’s the angstiest idea you’ve ever come up with?

I tend to dither about angsty ideas and then go ahead and write them anyway. The angstiest story I have ever written (in modern times? I was much worse about this when I first started writing fic) is Samhain (when you hear the river rising). Hawkeye, in that one, turns out to (maybe?) be escaping within his mind from a horrible abusive reality. It's meant to be a scary story, but it came down on the angst as well as creepy sides. There's also a couple of apocalyse AUs in various fandoms, and this odd dystopian MASH AU though the notes say I wrote it for a friend so maybe it wasn't entirely my idea!

One thing I don't do even in angsty stories, though, is violence against women. It's a conscious decision which I've always stuck to. I'm not sure why that's different, but it feels like it.

Also, I am way in my Murderbot feels and I don't think that's a fandom you and I share but I hope you'll forgive me for manifesting an idea that is lingering at the back of my mind that I don't want to write! really don't! but is sticking with me anyway.

For the Murderbot folk then: on this reread I've been wondering about the canon divergence AU where Murderbot doesn't have the hacked governor module on the first PreservationAux survey. Everything goes wrong similarly, but without it, the PresAux gang don't escape. But, Mensah can't be killed by GreyCris because killing a major political leader will start a full-on war.

So this is a cheerful story that starts with Murderbot killing the rest of PresAux and then standing guard over Mensah while the corporates try and negotiate with her as a hostage. BUT. as we know, the governor module doesn't change an individual's personality, only their means of expressing it. So it's had the same experiences. it still loves her, it still wants to save her, it just... can't. And she has no idea that it's even a person rather than a faceless killing machine.

The thing is, I think this is a good story! That idea of a prisoner and a captive, Mensah as prisoner in body and Murderbot as prisoner in mind. But, ah. Angst. Maybe.

L: What’s the weirdest AU you’ve ever come up with?

Definitely the roller derby AU. And, I don't know if you'd call it an AU, but triple shot and extra hot raises the important question of what would happen if Starbucks opened an establishment on Deep Space Nine. What I like about that one is it absolutely follows the premise to its logical conclusion. Someone in the comments was like, I thought this was a joke and it was just a series of vignettes of various characters meeting in a cafe but no it's actual Starbucks on actual DS9. I was very proud of myself.

M: Got any premises on the back burner that you’d care to share?

I am trying to focus on my other work right now so don't have anything fanficcish that I'm working on (except my little project for your exchange). But I'm still really fascinated by the cis girl Hawkeye idea and I've actually got about 2000w of it stowed away. Here is a bit.

“Here,” BJ says, throwing Hawkeye a spare blanket. “Our stove unionised a couple of days back. Better to just wrap up before it goes out.”

Hawkeye grabs it. “Who are you writing to, your wife?”

“Yeah.” BJ pauses, then reaches behind him for another letter, with every inch covered with dense, narrow script. “Listen, what do you think that says?”

Hawkeye follows his pointing finger. “I’m taking Erin to Mom and Dad for a week,” she reads. “That way she’ll get some experience of— huh. Your wife is taking your kid to your in-laws for dysentery?“ 

“I thought diabetes,” BJ says. “Potter thought dressmaking.”

“Dystonia,” Hawkeye says thoughtfully. “Dreams. Dracula.”

“It’s definitely not a capital D,” BJ says. “Which is of course the only reason my wife isn’t taking my daughter to Ohio to meet the king of the vampires."

Hawkeye laughs. It’s warm in here, despite the stove withdrawing its labour, and she’s starting to relax a little as the nightmare lifts. “You settling in okay around here, then?” she asks. “I remember my first few weeks. They were brutal.”

“Yeah,” BJ says, holding up his hands. He’s looking at Hawkeye like he’s never seen her before: Hawkeye in bathrobe over pyjamas and sweatshirt. Hawkeye is average height for a woman, which makes her about a foot shorter than BJ, and keeps her hair tied back in plaits. She never eats enough because the food here tastes like used sanitary napkins, so she’s slighter and more angular than she was in civilian life. She knows that if she hadn’t met BJ off the transport plane; if she hadn’t been driven him across hostile country for forty miles while being shot at, he would think she was fragile.

“Hey,” BJ says gently. “How’d you end up doing this? If you don’t mind my asking.”

Hawkeye tilts her head. “If you mean, how does a woman end up doing this, then that’s what you should say.”

“You.” BJ is stubborn. “I figure, you and I are going to be working together a while. Why shouldn’t we get to know each other?”

“You’ve just got a ‘satiable curiosity, haven’t you, Dr Hunnicutt?” Hawkeye murmurs, worrying the frayed edge of her sleeve between two fingers.

“I have to,” BJ says. “Not like there’s much else to do, here on the banks of the great grey-green greasy Limpopo.”

So I would like to finish that! But it has a plot and stuff, which I don't have time for right now. In due course.

[aurae-rori]

god i love the waste land its such a stupid pretentious poem and eliot knew that and presumably did it on purpose and yet it nestles into your heart in a weird way. the brokenness of the verse peppered with references to other peoples words because your own words alone are never enough to convey how profoundly Lost the feeling of it is. its a wasteland because it’s barren of landmarks of meaning. its a poem about the death of purpose and meaning and the loss of faith as life ticks painfully on around you. its a poem about grasping everywhere for something new to hold onto. its a poem about the aftermath of a perfectly silent, tree-falls-in-the-forest apocalyse of the self. it’s sifting through the shards of who you were and trying to figure out how they fit into who you are now. its such a profoundly lost and lonely poem and i love it so so so much.

tldr: if you haven’t read the wasteland and some of the more creepy or offputting parts of penacony stuck with you, you should read it, and then read it again, and maybe a third time for good measure- the poetry foundation has a really nice poem guide/breakdown if you find yourself going wtf is this guy saying. its really good, you might recognize a few things and i guarantee if you’re insufferable abt poetry like me it will permanently alter your brain chemistry

-aria nightshade wjo is going to bed noe the infodump train has run outta fuel to keep me goinh

UGH I FUCKING LOVE LONELY POETRY IM GONNA EAT THAT SHIT UP SO BAD. IF YOU EVER WANT TO TALK ABOUT WHY THAT POEM IS RATIO CODED PLS DO GO AHEAD BUT OHMYGOD I AM GOING TO GO READ IT RIGHT FUCKING NOW I LOVE POETRY!!!!!! I WRITE POETRY BRO I AM A POETRY NERD!!!!!!

[littlemessyjessi]

Part Two: "Cure of Infection": A BTS x SKZ Crossover Zombie Apocalypse Story

=

The scenario:  Post apocalyptic AU.  Zombie Apocalyse AU. 

A BTS x SKZ Crossover Event

WARNING WARNING: SPOILERS IN THE RECAP! IF YOU HAVEN"T READ CHAPTER ONE FIND IT HERE

Chapter Recap:  Felix and the mc were on their way back from a raid that went sideways and Felix was bitten not once but twice.   They are battling the clock to save him before he turns.  All looks lost when none other that Taehyung appears and offers them sanctuary.  However, trouble stirs and the mc is forced to seperate from Felix and Taehyung.   Does Felix make it?   Is Taehyung true to his word?  Will the mc be able to make it back to Felix and the others?  

=

Hoseok stood, arms crossed, brows furrowed and eyes hard as he took in the scene in front of him. 

Taehyung had arrived back … after having told no one that he was even gone. 

He loved the man, really he did. 

And he understood the desire for a stroll outside. 

But those days were in the past.  

Someone needed to know where you were at all times and you didn't need to go out alone. 

And to make matters worse, he'd returned with a drifter … who'd been bitten.

Hoseok, having long since accepted the reality… was prepared to put the kid out of his misery. 

Only for Taehyung to shoot into a blind panic raving about a woman and a separation of cells and a cure. 

Truthfully, if Namjoon's curiosity hadn't gotten the best of him… Hoseok would've already put the poor young man out of his misery and been done with it. 

However, Namjoon had stepped in. 

"Hoseok-ah… let's just see what happens.  We have a containment area … just in case.   Let's just see where this goes.  If it's true and this woman shows… I mean, if she's right… then who knows what this could mean?" 

And while it ground against every nerve and instinct Hoseok had…. he had always been a sucker for that wonder in Namjoon's eyes. 

Joon was the leader, technically, but Hoseok was the disciplinarian and everyone knew it. 

Joon was the face and the voice and Hoseok was the follow through. 

Which usually made it all the more jarring because Hoseok was so naturally charismatic.   

He was a natural at letting you see what he wanted you to see right up until the very end. 

Chameleon, actor… whatever you wanted to call it. 

But he had one huge weakness… and that was Namjoon and that childlike wonder he got in his eyes when he wanted to learn something. 

If Hoseok was Superman, Namjoon was his kryptonite. 

That being said… he didn't like this… at all. 

It was far too risky. 

Felix, the young man, had been bitten twice and while Taehyung insisted he watched this 'mystery woman' pull the virus cells out of him… he had his doubts. 

At Taehyung's insistence, he had been given the medicine found in the backpack in thirty minutes intervals. 

Now the question of a blood transfusion hung in the air. 

Hoseok wasn't having it. 

"Absolutely not." he had snapped. 

"But hyung… she said…." Taehyung pleaded. "He lost so much blood.  He's got to." 

"We don't even know this kid!" Hoseok shouted. 

It had caused an unholy fight amongst himself, Taehyung, Namjoon and Jin.  

It was the kid that spoke up. 

"I understand your doubts.  I get it.   You can't trust anyone anymore."  Felix said.   "Don't worry about it.  Noona said she's coming.  And maybe I can build my blood back up." 

"And that's another thing." Hoseok barked.  "Yet another stranger that we don't know.  She conveniently splits and you come in here with an infected person. Taehyung, what is wrong with you?!" 

"If she hadn't then there is a really good possibility that I wouldn't even be here!" Taehyung snapped. 

"You would be fine if you'd stayed the fuck inside like you're supposed to!" Hoseok roared. 

"I can't live in a box for the rest of my life!  If wanting to feel the sunshine on my face every once in a while is a sin then Satan himself can claim me.   At least Hell would be a change of scenery!" Taehyung screamed. 

The both of them were staring at the other with hard eyes and heaving chests. 

Seokjin was the first to collect Hoseok, pulling him away to cool down while Namjoon went to soothe Taehyung. 

Seokjin would bring Hoseok back down to reality and Namjoon, though impossibly curious of the possibilities, would help bring some clarity to Taehyung. 

"I couldn't just…" Taehyung whispered. "Hyung doesn't understand…" 

Namjoon sighed, placing his hand on Taehyung's shoulder, "He does, Tae.  He's just scared is all.  You know him.  He's just trying to keep everyone safe.  There are others here we have to think about." 

"But… what if… what if it's a cure?" 

"It is." 

The pair of them looked to the young man currently laying on the bed in the isolation room. 

Felix sat up a bit more. 

He looked a bit worse for wear but there was no doubt that he hadn't been overtaken by the virus.   

"A cure?" Namjoon asked. 

Felix nodded, "Noona won't talk about it but I know it's true.  My hyung, Minho, he was bitten and she did with him what she did with me today.  But I think it took a lot longer." 

"This is fascinating but I don't know that it's classified as a cure.  It's more like catching a cut before infection can set it."  Namjoon reasoned. "Still, I had no idea that it was even something that could be done… but it's not exactly a cure." 

"It is though." Felix said.  "I wasn't finished talking." 

Redness creeped up Namjoon's neck, "Sorry." 

"It's ok." Felix said.  "Another member of our group, Hyunjin, he got separated from us for a while.   We feared the worse and had those fears confirmed one day while we were out scavenging.  He'd completely turned. But he's family and no matter what we've been told… none of us could just put him down like that." 

Taehyung's chest tightened with this knowledge and his mind wandered to a certain someone currently locked away in another isolation chamber. 

Felix continued, "We managed to get him back and we put a muzzle on him so he couldn't bite.   Noona knew she could pull the virus cells out because she'd done it with Minho.  But it was different.  Minho had a fresh bite and Hyunjin had clearly been turned for a while. She had to figure out a way to get the cells out and good blood back in."  

"I don't understand." Namjoon said. 

"I think I do." Taehyung said before looking at Namjoon. "That's what she was talking about.   A blood transfusion." 

Felix nodded, "She pumped cells out of Hyunjin until he was barely there at all.   They're not dead, you see.  But their bodies are locked in a different state.  And depending how strong they are mentally…. they could still be aware.   Noona pulled cells out of Hyunjin until he looked like a raisin and then we all took turns giving him blood transfusions.   She'd extract and inject until no virus was left and all that remained was blood." 

"Oh my god." Namjoon whispered.  "This it is." 

"It doesn't always work though." Felix said. 

"What do you mean?" Taehyung said, the flicker of hope in his chest almost dying as quickly as it had grown. 

"It all depends on the person." Felix said, struggling a little to sit up.  "She's tried before on others.   Hyunjin says he felt like he still had his mind but no control of his body.  Like he was being controlled and it was a fight every day.  He said it was like a devil was on his shoulder whispering to him to give in and making him do things he didn't want to.  He said knowing that we were alive and fighting for him gave him hope and something to hold on.  He says that when Noona started the treatment it was awful and extremely painful…but it gave him the strength he needed not to give in." 

Taehyung gasped, tears springing to his eyes, as he thought of the wide dark eyes and full lips, the sweet smile and warm hugs. 

The person who he loved with all his heart…. locked away in his own mind. 

"The others.." Felix started.  "Noona thinks it's because she's not good enough but Hyunjin says he thinks it's because they had already given up hope or perhaps there were prior injuries that were too great.  A girl, Sulli, she came completely back to herself but then she died on the table.   Another, Hara… she was restored but unfortunately she took her life that night.   Changbin-hyung says that she confided in him that she'd lost everyone… and didn't want to continue without them.  She did it before we could even try to stop her. But there was one other.  Her name is Jisoo.  She was bitten and restored.  We saw her not long ago.  She said that she had reunited with her friends, Rose, Lisa and Jennie." 

Taehyung sniffled, "Why did you say you couldn't go back earlier? In the street.  You said you'd been bitten.  If you knew this was possible then why did you say that?" 

A dark look crossed the young man's freckled features, "I didn't exactly have control.  I never realized what Hyunjin mean when he said it was like your body was being controlled.  I felt like it was drifting in and out and my mind was hazy.  I spoke but I didn't have control at times.  At others I did.  That's why when I had the chance, I told Noona I wanted to go with you. I just wanted to make it home.  If we made it home, I knew she could save me.  Because I know it's possible and that she won't give up… and that is all the strength I need to fight it before it overtakes me." 

He was quiet for a moment and tears filled his eyes. 

"But it's been hours… and she still hasn't come.  I - I'm scared that they might've…" he broke off into a sob, his emotions getting the better of him. 

"We'll find the woman." 

The three of them jumped at the voice at the door. 

Hoseok, had been lingering, silently and discreetly listening to the story. 

"Hyung!" Taehyung gasped. 

Hoseok walked to both Namjoon and Taehyung, placing a hand on the younger's shoulder. 

"Taehyungie… I'll find her.  If she can do it… we will try everything we can to bring Jiminie back." 

—-

Helloooooo my loves! So THAT was a whirlwind and I do hope you forgive me for putting you through emotional torture…. but also… don't most of the best stories? I know the only time I really love a story is when my emotions are WRECKED.   I would love to hear your thoughts! 

Love, K 

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[flower1622]

The hargreeves siblings are fighting against people from the comission. Five and the handler are inside the barn.

The Handler: Come on, five. Why do you have to be agressive? We could talk and maybe...you could come back to us.

Five: I'll never work for the comission anymore.

The Handler: Not even for your brother?

Five frowns.

Five: What?

Then, Klaus appears in the barn.

Klaus: Hello, little five!

Five gets shocked.

Five: Klaus...? Why? How...?

Klaus: Let's just say that it's my repayment to the handler since she saved my life when i travelled to the Vietnam war.

Five's eyes start getting wet. He backs away looking at Klaus shocked.

Five: Please, not you...you were the only person i really trusted.

Klaus puts his hands up and walks slowly towards Five, who only backs away scared and shocked and ends up falling to the ground. Klaus gets close to him.

Klaus: It's okay, little guy. I'm still on your side. I just have a secret job now.

Five: Our family...

Klaus: They are safe, aren't they?

Klaus looks at the Handler and she nods her head.

The Handler: As long as you guys keep your family from messing with our business, everyone will be safe.

Five: No, no...

Klaus sighs and kneels close to Five and takes a gun from his cloak's pocket. He gets Five's hand, puts the gun on it and holds five's hand, pointing the gun to his forehead.

Five starts crying and his hands shake.

Five: No, please...

Klaus: It's okay, five...

Five: I can't...

Klaus: I'm sorry, buddy. But, you'll have to do it since i failed my mission.

Five says between his sobs:

Your mission?

Klaus: Yeah...my mission was to convince you to join the comission again. So, you'll have to choose. My Death or the comission...because i won't stop bothering you until you accept.

Five looks at the Handler, who has a big smile on her face already guessing Five's answer. Five looks at Klaus and both stare at each other. Five takes the gun off Klaus' forehead and tries to stop his sobs and takes a deep breath.

Five: Alright.

Klaus: Alright, what?

Five: I'll...join you.

Klaus: No secrets?

Five: No secrets.

Klaus looks at the Handler and they share big smiles. Klaus extends his hand to Five.

Klaus: Awesome! So, let's go, buddy?

Five accepts Klaus' hand. Five stays quiet with his head down and holding hands with Klaus.

The Handler walks towards them. She uses a finger to lift Five's sad face. They stare at each other. The handler gets close to his face.

The Handler: You did good, number five. You'll feel so much better later. I promise.

The Handler gives him a dark smile. Five only leans close to his brother and hides his face.

The Handler: Alright. Let's go.

Klaus puts his hand on the handler's shoulder and all of them disappear.

......................................

Few hours later:

Diego goes to open the door and sees his brothers outside.

Diego gets surprised and shocked.

Diego: Klaus? Five?

Klaus: Hello, mi hermano!

Five: Hi, Diego.

Klaus and Five enter in the house. They walk to the living room, with Diego behind them staring at his brothers.

Klaus and Five get some cups and Five takes a drink and puts some in their cups. They notice their siblings staring at them surprised and shocked.

Klaus: Why are you guys staring at us like that?

Diego: Where the hell have you guys been?

Luther: Yeah, we searched everywhere for you, guys.

Klaus: Well...the comission kidnapped me and Five went to save me.

Viktor: Is this true?

Everyone looks at Five.

Five: If he is here.

The other siblings (except Klaus) sigh.

Klaus: Were you discussing something important?

Diego: Actually, yes.

Five: What is it?

Diego: We're trying to think about plans to destroy the comission and stop the Apocalyse.

Five: Why?

Diego: Why?

Five: Yeah. Why do you want to do this, Diego? Isn't Lila from the comission too?

Diego: That's different...

Five: How so?

Diego: She's...

Five: Yeah, that's what i thought. Look, why don't we stop obsessing over the Apocalypse and the comission, okay? We're finally together after many years apart. We almost died today. Let's just spend our times together as a family now, please? We can't always stop something from happening. Everytime we mess with the time, we just make things worse. So, why don't we go to sleep and forget about the Apocalypse and the comission and focus more on our lives, alright?

His siblings only stare at him totally shocked, not expecting Five from all people say something like this.

Five finishes his drink.

Five: So, if you don't mind, i'm going to sleep since tomorrow is a new day.

Five leaves.

Klaus: Yeah, i think i'm going too. Being kidnapped is very exhausting.

Klaus leaves.

The others only look at each other surprised and totally shocked.

....................................

Few moments later, Five appears in Klaus' room. Klaus was reading a book on the bed.

Klaus sighs and says in a tired voice:

So, did you have any plan, bro?

Five sits on the bed, next to Klaus, and gives him a dark smile.

Five: Yes, i thought. What if...we use their own sentimental weaknesses against them?

Klaus also gives a dark smile to Five.

Klaus: This is a great ideia. Loved it!

Then, Klaus has a thoughtful expression on his face. Five frowns at him.

Five: What?

Klaus: But, who could we start it with? Who could we make join us first?

Then, Five also gets a thoughtful expression on his face.

Suddenly, Klaus smiles and then Five smiles too.

Klaus and Five give deviously smiles at each other while their eyes turn red.

Klaus and Five: Diego!