#because his life has been a series of bizarre events where he has had to disembowel someone with a spoon

[chaoticbardlady99]

Darling, Never Stop Haunting Me

(Spawn Astarion x F! Ghost Reader) : Prologue

Synopsis: You’ve haunted Szarr Palace for 354 years after Donella Szarr failed to turn you into a spawn. You have favored Astarion over the other spawn for the last two centuries and after a series of events and a Paul Revere-esque mission to save him from being kidnapped- you finally meet each other in the flesh.

CW: Death (obviously), mentions of Astarion’s trauma, mentions of Gore, mentions of Gale x Tav

Disclaimer- put together the picture for the banner, but I do not own any of the pictures. Birdie is a stock image 💜 I will not describe the readers body in detail- she is just merely on the banner for ✨drama✨. I believe the picture of Astarion is from @aristenfromwarsaw . And then the symbol of Orcus in the back is a free image off the internet.

Chapter One : AO3

Your paws hit the pavement as you frantically search for Elfsong Tavern. You haven’t left Szarr Palace since you died there so many years ago- you didn’t even know what the Hells an Elfsong Tavern was until Dalyria had told Cazador that was where Astarion was staying.

It’s still just before sunset so there is still plenty of time to warn the group about the upcoming kidnapping attempt- you just hope one of them is a Druid.

You aren’t naturally a cat- you’re a ghost and you’ve been haunting Szarr Palace since Donella Szarr killed you what feels like eons ago. You had been merely walking home one evening from a Violin gig you had barely managed to get- it had gone so well that they had asked you to come back and play next week. Oh how life had other plans for poor 28-year-old you who made her entire life about music and died never experiencing romance, true companionship, etc. You had grown up isolated amongst nobles, but you knew of Donella Szarr so her asking you to have tea with her didn’t seem that bizarre.

Needless to say- it was weird watching your own funeral.

No matter how hard you tried, you could never cross over and Gods did you want to. You didn’t even care if you became incorporeal or went on to the Heavens- you just wanted to be able to actually talk to people and do things again. You were incredibly apathetic and haunting with no purpose. You’re a house ghost who has no say over the house- you can’t even help fix things in the damn place without asking to be exorcised.

Your misery was reduced significantly a little over 140 years later when Astarion Acunin experienced his first night in Cazador’s kennels. His screams haunted you and you are the one who is supposed to be doing the haunting!

You did everything you could to try to make his time with Cazador somewhat bearable, but your efforts were too small and you feel as if you failed him. You tried to possess Cazador and it went miserably- you had almost been consumed by the darkness in him entirely. You had been a mere fly to his soul.

You were able to possess Godey easily enough, but you had to be careful because he has sent Cazador on a multitude of Ghost hunts before.

Astarion knew you were around- he’d acknowledge you as ‘Ghosty’ whenever his candle would flicker out and then come back full force for him to finish sewing his clothing. He could sense your presence at other times too- one time you had been certain he was able to see you as you sat with him for the duration of Cazador’s ‘poem’.

You favor Astarion over the other spawn, but you have come to justify it as Astarion was the one who needed your help more. He was frequently the subject of Cazador’s rage and need for violence. You know it’s because he resembles Vellioth to some extent and you are certain that’s why he targeted Astarion in the first place.

Cazador introduced himself to Astarion when he was a young magistrate. It had been at one of his many lavish affairs and you had seen the menacing glint in Cazador’s eyes when the young man walked in with some over the top female on his arm.

Cazador asked Astarion to begin convicting people wrongfully and sending them to Szarr Palace. He offered a handsome amount of gold and Astarion took the offer without a thought. You immediately knew this man had signed over his soul- knowingly or unknowingly, you had no idea.

Things became even messier when Cazador began to have the closest thing to love he could feel for the young magistrate. Astarion was very intelligent- he wasn’t charismatic naturally, but he knew how to study behavior and work around it. He knew what Cazador wanted to hear.

So when Cazador found out Astarion had taken another deal on the side as well as potentially a more formal lover, well, he had signed over his fate. Cazador framed a Gur Hunter, Astarion sent him to the other group of slavers instead of Cazador, and Cazador let the Gur know this anonymously ‘in good faith’.

At first you thought it was just karma doing it’s work, but then you learned that Astarion was just another young person like you who was just trying to figure it out. Where you thought you were doing your duty by meeting with a noble, he felt he was doing his- at first at least. He had been sending a reasonable sum of money back home to his parents, but he became greedy and ended up paying for that with a life sentence.

Some higher power must be merciful because it had seemed that Astarion had managed to escape Cazador for good.

Then the moron decided to come back and now Cazador is sending Leon after him with three of the other house spawn.

You don’t care for possessing any living soul- a tacky couch? Maybe, but only because it doesn’t have thoughts. However, desperate times called for desperate measures and you are really regretting not getting the gumption to possess a person.

You are far too cute with your fluffy grey and white fur and big green eyes. People keep trying to scoop you up in their arms and children chase after you. Other cats are just plain rude and unhelpful- you have no idea how you are going to find this Tavern.

“You seem rather lost, little ghost,” a voice says from a nearby tree.

You peer upwards to see a Calico Tressym eyeing you curiously. If you weren’t so focused on finding Astarion, maybe you would be mad at her for openly announcing you are a ghost.

“I’m looking for someone,” you say as you try to catch your breath, “I need to get to Elfsong Tavern as soon as possible.”

This seems to interest the Tressym because she immediately jumps down with a serious expression on her face.

“Who and why?”

Screw it- you don’t have time to be picky.

“I’m looking for a man named Astarion- his life is in danger,” you say quickly.

She seems to digest this information for a moment as she circles you. Her eyes explore your fluffy form and she seems to decide you are trustworthy because she beckons for you to follow her.

You race after her as she flies over the buildings and lands- wait, why is she landing in front of that man in purple on the beach!? That’s not Astarion or a Tavern!

In spite of your confusion, your gut pushes you forward and before you know it- the man you are looking for comes waltzing out of a house with a disgusted look on his face while a tall, red tiefling woman holds a very old heart in a jar.

“Astarion,” the man, Gale, tries not to make his own panic too obvious, “come here.”

“You’re going to have to do better than that to interest me, Gale,” he says with an emphasis on the man’s name, “why should I?”

“For God’s sake- it’s about Cazador,” the man hisses.

This grabs his and his other three companion’s attention. They immediately huddle around Gale- the silver haired woman immediately aweing upon seeing you and the blonde haired woman intertwining her hands with Gale’s. The red tiefling is still holding the heart and you gag upon seeing it which earns a laugh from the group.

“What about Cazador?”

Astarion’s voice betrays the panic he’s feeling- for whatever reason, his panic prompts him to scratch you between your ears. You fight the urge to purr. You are a person- dammit! A dead one, but a person nonetheless!

“This Ghost,” Gale says with uncertainty while pointing to you, “is saying that Cazador is sending Leon, Aurelia, Yousen, and Violet later tonight to detain you.”

“She was practically barreling through streets- poor thing was about to experience her second death,” adds Tara.

“Apparently it was a suicide mission,” Gale adds.

You are suddenly lifted up from underneath your arms and a pair of ruby red eyes are boring into yours. After a few moments, a giggle of all damn things exits this man’s mouth.

“There are at least five or six useless thralls you could have possessed and you chose a cat?”

You flatten your ears and leer at him before attempting to communicate with him- only to be disappointed when an angry yowl leaves your little mouth. Astarion fucking giggles again. THIS IS SERIOUS!

“This is far more adorable though, I will give you that,” Astarion says as he begins to walk towards the tavern with you now cradled in his arms.

You never would have found the damn place on your own. It was clear on the other side of the city!

“It’s a shame I can’t understand you a single bit,” Astarion says, “I would love to know how Cazador has been fairing without me there.”

Terribly, but in a crazed, rage filled way. Unfortunately poor Dalyria and Petras had been receiving the treatment usually reserved for Astarion. You were happy to see him thriving, but it does make you sad that it had to cost two other people’s dignity and comfort.

The moment the party enters the room and announces that they are anticipating an attack once the sun sets, everyone jumps up and prepares themselves for the coming battle.

Astarion places you on his bed before grabbing a green bottle and chugging it. He then proceeds to look at you expectantly and you have no idea what he is doing, but it’s starting to kind of freak you out because neither one of you is blinking and he’s beginning to look more and more like the predator he is.

“I don’t think I like this game,” you say, “you look rather terrifying when you don’t blink for long periods of time.”

“Oh, but terrifying is what I aim to be, Darling,” Astarion says with a toothy grin, “I don’t want any of them reporting to Cazador that I’m still the pathetic vampire spawn I was before I went missing.”

“You were never pathetic,” the words come out of your mouth harshly, “and if you must know- they are reporting to Cazador that you practically have a whole army of ‘do gooders’ by your side.”

“Oh really? Do tell me, how does that make him feel?”

“He was surprised at first.”

“Naturally.”

“But then he heard about Orin’s death and your part in it- he’s worried, to say the least.”

“Good,” Astarion snarls, “he should be.”

The siblings arrive exactly when you said they would and they are surprised to see everyone prepared to see them. You are absolutely floored when Astarion tries to convince them that he’ll ascend all of them- he has to know by now that that is not what this ritual will do. You notice the uneasy glances between Astarion’s companions.

If they really are the heroes Dalyria made them out to be, will they truly let him ascend without contest?

There wasn’t time for any questions as the other spawn rush the group. You did manage to help in the fight- Astarion was being cornered by Violet and Leon so you took it upon yourself to wreak havoc upon Violet’s scalp. She went back home pretty quickly and Astarion was able to take on Leon with ease.

Now you sit in front of a big window and take in the moon. Your heart breaks for the 7,000 souls beneath Szarr Palace and the six other house spawn. Poor little Victoria had finally been taken away from the city and replaced with someone else- Leon promised he’d come find her. Gods you hope she doesn’t think Leon purposefully abandoned her. She’s a great kid.

“You seem to be thinking rather hard for a cat.”

“You lied to them.”

The silence between you is deafening before you finally look up at him. Astarion’s face is conflicted and guarded as he searches your features for any indication of what you are feeling. Cats aren’t terribly expressive apparently.

“Don’t give me that disappointed ‘I’m not getting cuddly, Astarion’ look!”

You feel your hackles raise slightly and your tail get puffy as you get up on your feet. You narrow your eyes at Astarion and he meets yours with equal amounts of stubbornness.

“I’ll give you this look for the rest of your damn life if that’s what it’s going to take!” You exclaim, “you can’t kill them! They have suffered too! Dalyria and Petras both tried to keep as much information as they could about you and your companions so that you stood a chance against him! Leon just wants to be with Victoria as a free man!

“The rest of them… they think it’s going to free them… they are all talking about what they want to do with their lives after this,” you say with anger and sadness in your voice, “You can’t take that from them.Their lives are not yours to take!”

“I hate to disappoint you,” Astarion says with venom lacing his words, “but I could care less about what they went through and their wants or their souls for that matter. No one was there for me, well besides you, but not everyone is an overly friendly Ghost like you.”

Your eyes become blurry and Astarion’s face goes from anger to shock and confusion. It takes a moment to collect yourself, but when you do- you make sure to say exactly what you are thinking.

“It makes me sad.”

“What does?”

“That you ended up being no better than Cazador,” you say flatly, “I thought I saw some redeeming qualities in you. I guess I was wrong.”

You watch it take all of his willpower not to snap your neck right there or pick you up and chuck you against the wall. The woman, Karlach, seems to notice his sudden shift in energy because she’s quickly walking over and scooping you up off the windowsill.

“You look like you need to take a breather, Fangs,” Karlach chuckles awkwardly, “maybe you should go hunting. We’ll be leaving to storm the castle before you know it.”

So he does and Karlach takes you over to her bed.

“That was awfully harsh, Boo,” Karlach says, “a gentler touch may have been better.”

“Karlach, I’ve been a ghost for almost 400 years. I have been forced to watch either Donella, Vellioth, or Cazador terrorize handfuls of people,” you shake your head, “Cazador is the worst of the worst- he’s terrorized over 7,000 people at this point and that ritual will kill all of them. Yet the soul I’m most upset about losing is Astarion’s.

“So yes, it was harsh, but it needed to be said.”

Karlach is quiet for a moment, “I suppose that’s true… but 7,000 people? I thought there were only 7 vampire spawn?”

“What? Who in the hells told you that?”

“Fangs- obviously.”

Oh right, he wouldn’t know that every person he’s ever shared a bed with is rotting away, starving in Cazador’s dungeon.

“No,” you say softly, “unfortunately there is a lot more going on than Astarion knows.”

**********************************************************************

Astarion is the first through the door when the group comes back from Szarr Palace. You have been sitting on Karlach’s bed the entire time- pacing anxiously. Scratch and the Owlbear cub would ask you to play with them, but you couldn’t get rid of the twisting knot in your stomach.

He goes to his bed and grabs a new change of clothes before weakly walking in the direction of the washroom. Karlach makes eye contact with you when she walks through the doors and she gives you a big smile.

Wait, does that mean?

She follows it with a thumbs up.

He didn’t do it. Holy Gods he didn’t do it! BUT WHY!?

You have a million questions, but you’re sure he doesn’t want to talk to you anytime soon. You bid a farewell to Karlach and the other companions. She tries to convince you to stay and talk to Astarion before deciding to leave, but you merely shake your head. You said your piece and you can return to haunting a now empty castle.

Or maybe you’ll be a cat around Baldur’s Gate. Tara seems to enjoy wandering around and you did forget how lovely the sun feels.

The walk back to Szarr Palace goes far smoother than your adventure finding Elfsong Tavern. The courtyard is still in bloom so the scent of red roses acts as your guide. Gods- Cazador was such a cliché. You hope these roses die and someone decides to plant literally anything else. Maybe you could figure out how to? You can dig hypothetically.

So that’s what you do. You begin digging out the crap ass red roses and do your best not to get caught on thorns. After the fourth or fifth rose, you have it down to a science and you’ve gotten quite a lot of work done on one flower bed. This cat thing isn’t all that bad!

Well, minus your excessive need for water and food, but there’s a running fountain nearby so that’s promising. The food part is going to be the harder part. You haven’t had to eat for centuries now and the growling in your belly is entirely foreign to you.

Should you try to steal food? Honestly, you’re adorable enough, you could probably beg for some food. Trying to hunt for a mouse is absolutely off the table and forget a bird all together.

You look up at the sky. The last bits of daylight cling to the horizon and the moon begins to kiss the sky. You are going to keep working until the sun has set, you’ll attempt to clean up, and then you'll sucker some people into giving you food.

Back to digging it is!

You continue your work and think about what you may plant. Maybe you could find seeds for food- there are plenty of homeless who could use it, but would they dare go to Szarr Palace for produce? The idea makes you snort. Donella would be infuriated if you turned the front of her “work of art” into a free farmer’s market for the needy.

“Are you taking up gardening now? I think it suits you,” a familiar voice says, “well, maybe more so if you were actually a person and not a cat.”

You slowly turn around and you’re met with the sight of a sheepish Astarion. He absentmindedly plays with his own hands, but you are happy to see some of the tension melt away when he sees your face and begins laughing.

“You are caked in dirt, Darling.”

“I would hope so- if this is something else then I have a real problem on my hands.”

“Ha!” Astarion says, “I don’t think you have any reason to fret. I can’t remember the last time Cazador had anyone tend to these stupid things.”

“Oh he didn’t have to,” you say in exasperation, “Donella enchanted the damn pots so that the plants can grow without soil. She hated the smell of fertilizer.”

“Donella?”

You blink at Astarion two times and tilt your head to the side.

“Cazador never mentioned his aunt?”

“Does this look like the face of a person who knows about Cazador’s aunt?”

“Put your sass back in your pockets, Mister,” you say with equal amounts of attitude, “Donella Szarr was the first Vampire Lord in Baldur’s Gate. She created Vellioth and well, you know how well that all went.”

“But how do you know Donella?”

“She killed me,” you say bluntly, “she took advantage of my naivety. She thought I was a promising young woman and she was very anti-patriarchy which I did really appreciate. However, she invited me over to tea to discuss a potential job offer at a party of her’s. She didn’t know how to properly create a spawn so when she drained me dry and I never popped back up- she realized she made a terrible mistake.

“Not because she cared about me, but because my parents were relatively prominent in the community.”

“How long ago was that?”

“Hmmm… well I was born in 1,110 then Donella killed me at the beginning of her dynasty in 1,138 sooooooo about,” you think so hard your ears begin to twitch, math was never your strong suit, “354 years ago.”

“Good Gods, you’ve been trapped in this damn place longer than I have. Why in the hells would you come back?”

That is a good question- why did you come back? You suppose it’s because at one point you were attached to this house and it made you uncomfortable to be away from it for longer than eight hours at a time, but that’s dissipated. You didn’t realize your attachment had changed to a person- the vampire spawn asking the question- until he disappeared and you felt like you did the one time you tried to stay away from Szarr Palace. It had weakened you significantly, but now that you’re a cat, that attachment isn’t there and you are free to go about your silly little business.

You also don’t know where else you would go. It’s not like staying in the Rothwell crypt is going to do wonders for your mental health and going back to haunting this palace means you’ll feel uncomfortable again until you are reattached.

“I don’t have anywhere else to go,” you admit, “so I came back to the only place I know. I think I might piss on Donella’s legacy by making this a community garden to feed the homeless. She’ll be infuriated- rolling over in her urn.”

Astarion snorts, “your idea of revenge is helping the needy? Gods, you’re insufferable.”

“What would you suggest then?” You retort, “I can’t imagine it will be easy finding seeds for anything worth planting. Unless you can hook me up with some sunflo-.”

“What if you traveled with me instead?” Astarion interrupts you.

Oh.

You blink a lot and your jaw has dropped. The happiness spreading through your body makes your paws tingle with excitement.

What an exhilarating concept. However, there must be a catch.

“You just said I was insufferable.”

“Just because I asked you to travel with me doesn’t make that any less true,” Astarion says, “but I’ve rather enjoyed your silent company over the past two centuries, I’m sure I’ll get used to the eccentricities of a ghost cat.”

“It’s quite a generous offer,” you say slowly, “why do you want me to travel with you?”

Astarion looks positively exasperated by your onslaught of questions.

“I would like to remind you that the last time I trusted a vampire- I died!”

“I suppose that’s fair,” he says with a sigh, “for a noble and a bard, you certainly aren’t one for mincing words.

“I was conflicted about ascending. No one was really giving me a reason not to because no one wanted to upset me. You, on the other hand, humbled me,” he says with a shrug, “and the lack of haunting I’ve experienced over the past several months has been absolutely terrible, Darling. I can’t keep a candle going as bright as you do to save my life.”

He says the last part with flourish and embellishment followed by an awkward cough.

You look to the roses and the garden bed then back to Astarion. It’s a much more fun idea- going with Astarion. It would be safer to remain here, but your life was cut so short so long ago. What if you could find a solution to become a person again? What if you could have the life you’ve always wanted?

“Okay.”

“Okay meaning?”

“I accept your invitation to travel with you.”

You are being scooped up from underneath your armpits again and Astarion holds you at arm's length. You flatten your ears and look at him unenthusiastically. Maybe you made a mistake.

“Wonderful! Now let’s get you cleaned up- you are positively disgusting right now.”

“You really know how to make a ghost feel special.”

Astarion wipes off the dirt using water from the fountain and a handkerchief before picking you back up and heading towards the cemetery.

“There’s something I need to do before we go back.”

He sets you down on the ground and you are surprised to see that you have arrived at his own grave. He remarks the grave as a symbol of his new life and you pluck a flower to drop on his grave. Astarion scratches you in between your ears and laughs as you chastise yourself for purring.

As you walk through the cemetary, you see another familiar name.

“That’s my family’s crypt!”

You sprint to the door and Astarion looks around for any clerics of Kelemvor before picking the lock. You bound down the stairs and Astarion is close behind you with a flame for light in his hands.

Your mother and father are there. It’s odd that your mother lived a much shorter life than your father considering she’s an elf. It looks like your father remarried and you have half siblings.

“Is this you?”

You look over to where Astarion is standing and sure enough- a plaque on a tomb reads, “Here lies Althaeastra ‘Birdie’ Rothwell. Beloved daughter, talented violinist, and the kindest soul this world had the privilege of knowing. We love and miss you forever and always. Kythorn 22, 1,110 to Alturiak 8th, 1,138’.

Your father’s tomb reads specifically, “Birdie’s Father” and your mother’s has, “Birdie’s Mother.” You had been their only child and you had been everything to them.

“Yeah,” you say sadly, “that’s me.”

Upon further investigation, you find that your mother had set your childhood home on fire after drinking too much. She died in the fire because she didn’t try to leave the house. Your poor father must have been devastated.

Your siblings are still alive, but you don’t have any desire to get to know them. That ship sailed a long time ago.

“I’m ready to go,” you say as evenly as you can, “I’m starving!”

You bound up the steps before he can say anything and you are grateful for the fresh air that fills your lungs. At least now you know what became of your family while you’ve been trapped in Szarr palace.

The walk back to Elfsong is quiet and the two of you sit by the windowsill and watch the world go by as the Tavern goers cheer and laugh. All of Astarion’s companions are fast asleep and your eyelids are feeling droopy following the chicken Astarion had managed to steal for you.

“So you’re a cat named Birdie?”

“No, I’m a ghost possessing a cat and my name is Birdie,” you say pointedly with a big yawn, “and I only go by Birdie because my first name is a monstrosity my grandmother insisted I have. I began singing before I began talking so my parents called me Birdie.”

“There’s no reason to argue semantics, Darling,” Astarion says with a dismissive wave of his hand, “no reason to get defensive. Truly adorable story though.”

You roll your eyes before laying your head down to fall asleep. You don’t protest when Astarion picks you up and sets you down to sleep on his bed. He scratches behind your ears before he also lays down on the bed with his book in one hand and his other petting you until you fall asleep.

Author note: Likes, Comments, and Reblogs are always appreciated! Please let me know if you would like to be on the tag list! I am using the Ghostwalk campaign for NPCs, locations, etc. It is a 3e Campaign and doesn’t mirror 5e Ghosts. I have tweaked some of the ghost powers and such for the sake of the story, but if you would like more information on Ghostwalk and the City of Manifest, there is a PDF online that is free to download :)

Additional Note: I didn’t think this concept would be received so well! Thank you so much for everyone’s kind words, like, and reblogs 💜 I am out of town, but I will probably end up posting the next chapter because I’m excited and I love Birdie and Astarion.

[vocalcalibration]

Silver and Blaze need their own game.

This is a topic I, like many Sonic fans, have given a lot of thought. Ignoring for a moment that these two haven't been playable in an official capacity outside of mobile games and spinoffs since... Black Knight? Does that count? The potential for story and gameplay with these two in particular is massive!

Story:

Frankly the plot pretty much writes itself. But let me explain what I specifically had in mind. The story would start with Silver in a burning city he does not recognize. Crisis city would serve as the opening level to the game. At the end of it Silver would be surrounded by monsters and attacked by Iblis before waking up in his home, this is a nightmare he's been having for weeks now. We would then transition to Silver's second level where he runs and glides through the floating islands of his current future. Why floating islands? Because floating islands are cool. We'd meet some new characters who, establish him a little bit of his own supporting cast, that is until a portal opens up and a shadowy individual pulls Silver throufh it.

From here we cut to Blaze who is rather unenthusiastically attending to paper work before someone comes in and informs her someone fell from a portal in the sky. This would star Blaze's first level with her navigating the jungles and beaches of her home island, before coming across an unconcious Silver whom she brings back to the castle. While he's resting the same shadowy figure emerges in the city unleashing monsters onto the townsfolk which Blaze then deals with for her second level in her capital city. After this Silver wakes up and the two exchange notes, with Silver agreeing to stick around so they can figure out what's happening.

From here we can spend time both experiencing visions of 06's future, chasing the new villain through both the sol dimension and Silver's future, and realizing the bizarre connection the two of them seem to share might be more than just weirdly good chemistry.

For some further explanation on my choices here.

I'm building the story as a followup to 06 for a number of reasons. For one it's the game that established them as a duo so if we have a game with the two of them naturally we're going to pull from it.

The series keeps alluding to their 06 partner ship as well. The above is a Colors DS screenshot in which they directly reference their time in 06. Sonic generations has the two both found in the crisis city portion of the hub and has them standing next to each other whenever they're in a cutscene. And they're often paired together in the IDW comic books.

Which is in no way a coincidence. Most of all however is that Blaze's place in 06 is, to this day, one of the biggest unexplained questions in Sonic's lore. Why was she in original timelines future? Why was she so okay with killing Sonic if she was Rush Blaze? If she's not Rush Blaze why does she have such nice clothes in the apocolypse? All questions we've never gotten a proper explanation for.

There's also the fact that I think finally tackling 06 head on would be healthy for the series future. The games impacts on the franchise are undeniable and can be felt to this day. For a while they seemed to live in permanent fear of the game, like it would come back and haunt if they said it's name too many times. Then we had the self flogging era where they "got in" on the joke. Nowadays they seem more comfortable referencing the game in a more matter of fact way, but finally ripping off the bandaid and just acknowledging the game outright in canon may be how they finally put it to rest. In service to that the ending could have Silver and Blaze choosing not to allow whatever past life they had define them, instead focusing on the now and what they can do for it.

Some character stuff you could do could be maybe Silver, due to the events of 06 is cut off from the time line. Everytime he visitis Sonic and co in the past his future is slightly different, the people he does and doesn't know change, but he remains the same. His memories aren't altered to match the current future and so he finds himself in a world of strangers, part of why he spends so much time in the past as Sonic and the others recognize him and he feels like he actually has a place there, but feels as though it's selfish on his part to stay and alter the timeline even more. Meanwhile Blaze could find herself worn out due to her responsibilities as princess, the expectations that weigh on her and finds herself longing for the excitement and adventure she felt with Sonic during their time together. Or something like that, I'm just spitballing here.

We could also reintroduce Marine as a proper "Tails" to Blaze's "Sonic", taking a page (heh) out of the IDW books by having her be much more mature and concientious of her duties in a squire-esk position.

Granted IDW might have over done it JUST little, at least with the tiny bit we see her, so maybe have her keep a bit of that energetic and cocky attitude from Rush Adventure, just toned down a little. You could show her more developed as mechanic, having pick up things from Tails and due to her own practice and training. Also make all her Australian slang incomprehensible to Silver because that would be funny.

Gameplay:

Right out the gate I want the game to be based on the open zone formula of Frontiers, it's the direction I want the series to stick going forward, no more pulling a Sonic Team and jumping ship to a radically different gameplay style for seemingly no reason again. With that said I think I'd like to see it refined a fair bit. Instead of several open zones we have two much larger open areas featuring multiple biomes through which you access the various levels. The Sol dimension would be the first open zone, with the main island and various smaller island surrounding it. Water vehicles from rush adventure could return and exploring would have a bit of a wind waker vibe, sailing from place to place. It wouldn't be as intrusive as Rush Adventure, instead of being their own segments it'd be real time vehicles you can get in and out of whenever and all the major islands would have fast travel points once discovered.

The other open zone would be the same structure, albeit with two main islands connected via bridges surrounded by smaller ones, except they'd, again, be floating in the air and you'd travel via air vehicles. I guess like Skywar Sword... huh.

Blaze would serve as a more traditional Sonic gameplay experience, high speed platforming and action. Specifically base her moveset on 06 Blaze, which featured a double jump, homing attack and grounded fire tornado attack, while also adding in her fire spindash and hover from Rush. Her combat would resemble Sonic's frontiers combat in the open zone, of course with a focus on her pyro-kinesis for her abilities. To put in fighting game terms, she's be a true rush down character with some light projectile stuff.

Silver would be slower. Now let me be clear, Not slow, slower. He'd still move at a good clip but would be outpaced by Blaze easily. In place of that his levels would be more platforming and puzzle focussed. Silver wouldn't ball jump or homing attack, like 06, but he'd have hover, a high jump and a psycho slash move which kept his momentum so as to not slow him down. Also while Blaze would have something closer to the Unleashed-Forces boost, which damages enemies, Silver would have the non-damaging frontiers boost. His combat would be much more projectile heavy, with psycho-kinetic blasts and slashes and aoe attacks. Maybe also some kind of psycho mine that when activated holds ebemies in place? I think it'd be cool. Again in fighting game terms, a zoner/trap character with some light melee and grappling options.

In the open zones you could switch between the two freely, including mid-combo, to tackle the various combat and platforming challenges and puzzles. For levels there are a few options. You could have dedicated levels for both character, the advantage there being that you can taylor each level to their specific abilities. Maybe even take something from Forces Sonic/Avatar stages with select levels using both of them. Alternatively you could have every level accessible by both but with different paths they can take based on abilities. Or you could have it so you can swap freely mid level, kinda' like Sonic Heroes. They all have benefits and drawbacks and I can't really say which one is definitively the best choice.

But now we reach the end of my essay... thing. Thanks for reading. Also all art were taken from official sources including Sega and IDW. Ttfn. Tuh tuh for now.

[satashiiwrites]

Snippet Sunday

I know I’ve been mentioned by a couple of people for a snippet sunday/wip wednesday and other writing things but have been a bit preoccupied by my RT/Nano project (@rosieposiepuddingnpie @outtoshatter and possibly more). Thanks for the tags lovelies—I’m starting to go through my inbox this weekend while procrastinating writing (30k out of 50k down).

Tagging @monsterrae1 @tkwritesdumbassassins @whimsyswastry @outtoshatter @rosieposiepuddingnpie @missanniewhimsy @westernlarch and anyone else who wants to play along.

From my NaNo:

Title:Choices and Regret, Chapter One: Are You Happy With Your Life?

Fandom: 911, Dark Matter (Blake Crouch novel, upcoming tv series)

Pairings: Buddie, other canon pairings

Fic summary:

If you could go back and change the choices in your life, would you?  Would you love the same people, go on the same vacations, have the same career? Or would you have regrets?

After the lightning strike, an unexpected visitor makes Buck question all the choices he’s ever made. From dropping out of the Seals to never making a move on Eddie because the time hasn’t been right. He’s going to get an up close and personal look at what could have been because another version of Buck is focused on taking his choices away from him—including Eddie and Christopher Diaz. 

Tags/warnings: this is a thriller/love story/science fiction. Major character death will occur and there’s a huge element of identity fraud as not everyone is the version of themselves that we think they are. Multiple universes and butterfly effect. Kidnapping, nonconsensual drug use (ie knockout drugs) and dubious consent because of the identity fraud. That being said, I would point out that this author believes in satisfactory/mostly happy endings. This is from the first draft yeeted to RT.

Buck being hit by lightning isn’t what changes things for them. The trauma of having Buck’s heart stop for three minutes and seventeen seconds had caused them both to spend an inordinate amount of time navel-gazing and thinking about their life. Still, it wasn’t the event that caused the unacknowledged friendship stalemate they’d dug themselves into. Both of them are too afraid of losing the other to recognize that the most important person in their lives other than their kid is each other. 

It’s not pining if you don’t admit to it, right? You can be so willfully blind to what’s in front of you that you make choices that seem bizarre in retrospect and have your friends and family doubting your mental capacity. Buck has been clinging to Eddie, looking first to him for so long that he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it, much to the frustration of everyone around him. 

Eddie though…. Eddie knows he loves Buck with everything in his soul. Thanks, Frank, for dragging that truth out after he hit rock bottom and could only cling to Buck as his emotions tossed him about like a ship in a hurricane, and Buck is the anchor of his sanity. He knows that he’ll ruin the best relationship he’s ever had by wanting too much and needing too much, despite his therapist constantly giving him judgmental looks for declining to talk to Buck about his feelings.  

He’ll take whatever Buck can give him, which must be enough. It’s enough to have Buck in his life, and he can’t risk that—not when he also has Christopher to think of. 

The night the balance tips and sets off the avalanche of cascading consequences is just another Tuesday night dinner together at the Diaz house.  

The thing about avalanches? The warning signs can all be there, but it only takes seconds to set it off by accident, and you never know when it will happen. 

When is enough, enough?  

Or, does someone set it off on purpose, wanting to change the status quo?

“When’s dinner going to be ready? Chris is almost done with his homework,” Buck asks as he slides into the kitchen, where Eddie is absently stirring a pot with one hand while setting a timer on the oven. 

“I’ve still got an hour on the roast,” Eddie warns, tossing a kitchen towel over his shoulder. “You’ve got time for a game or two.”

“You don’t want to join us?” Buck frowns.  

“I’m almost done with prepping the pie,” Eddie points to the pie crust carefully laid into the tin filled with tart cherries that he’d gotten from the farmers market on his last weekend off. Buck had accompanied the Diaz boys as he wasn’t yet back to work, and they’d made a morning of it going around to the various stands and sampling everything from fresh goat’s cheese to the spicy marinades that Eddie and Buck were both addicted to and couldn’t quite figure out how to make themselves at home. 

Buck hums indecisively, eyeing the texts on his phone from Connor inviting him out to drinks tonight. He knows he should show up and shake Connor’s hand that he managed to get Cameron pregnant without him, but after being in the hospital and everything, it just feels like another disappointment that he couldn’t help them conceive after he’d donated once, and it hadn’t worked. 

“Buck? You in there?” Eddie waves his hand in front of Buck’s face playfully. His best friend is smiling at him, but he’s got that wrinkle between his eyebrows that says Eddie’s noticed his distraction and is worried.  

“Sorry,” he apologizes, putting his phone back in his pocket. 

Wiping his hands, Eddie doesn’t go back to finishing his pie. “Is something going on?”

“It’s nothing—“ 

“It’s something. You keep looking at your phone and chewing on your lip, which will bruise if you keep at it. What’s wrong?”

Buck hasn’t really talked with Eddie about the sperm donation thing. Avoided it, really. He’d chosen to talk about it with Hen mostly. When the whole story came tumbling out, Eddie was noticeably silent, which means he probably has a lot to say about it but isn’t saying it—adding it to the list of things they don’t talk about, along with the shooting and Buck’s breakup with Taylor. 

“Buck?” Eddie presses, voice soft and husky as his hand lands warm and heavy on Buck’s shoulder with a squeeze, the thumb slotting into the groove between muscle and bone to rub soothingly. For a moment, Buck leans into it, taking the offered comfort. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“Connor invited me out for drinks with a few friends. To celebrate.”

Eddie’s face is carefully neutral, and he doesn’t let Buck go, his fingers curling more firmly into the muscle and pulling Buck toward him so there’s less room between them, glancing out the kitchen door, checking that they’re still alone. “You told Hen they didn’t need you to donate anymore?”

It goes unsaid that Buck hasn’t been telling Eddie anything about this—he’s only found out by overhearing things and station gossip. 

Buck wants to curl into Eddie, but he doesn’t. This is his failure, and he knows Eddie doesn’t like that he agreed in the first place. “Yeah. They got lucky, I guess.”

Eddie frowns, his thumb still stroking Buck’s shoulder maddeningly, dragging the knit fabric of the henley back and forth. “I’m sorry you didn’t get to help them.”

Blinking, Buck moves just enough to make Eddie let him go, crossing his arms over his chest. “Well, they wanted a baby.”

“Yeah, but—“

“So they got pregnant the normal way,” he says defensively. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“No, there isn’t,” Eddie agrees, hesitating before continuing.”But you were doing them a huge favor.”

Buck shrugs and deflects. His ‘favor’ is not needed, so it doesn’t matter. He doesn’t matter or get to help, and that should have been the end of it. “I’m not needed anymore. He’s going to be a dad.”  

“Do you want to meet Connor for drinks?”  

Eddie’s eyes are serious as they bore into Buck, making him want to squirm. He can’t hide anything from Eddie when he’s paying attention like this, and he’d hoped he’d just spend a nice quiet evening in with Eddie and Chris and conveniently forget about the invitation from Connor. 

“Buck,” Eddie repeats, “do you want to meet Connor for drinks?”

“I should, shouldn’t I?” He asks, pained.  

“Only if you want to,” Eddie soothes, attempting to reach for him again, but Buck moves out of the way and starts to pace. “You have time to go for one drink and still be back for dinner.”

“That’s because you got started ridiculously late,” Buck argues, knowing that Eddie picked this slow cooker recipe because his friends from dispatch were all raving about it. Buck had piled on, said it sounded interesting, and had been invited over to try it. 

“Still, if you want, you have time. You could even pick up some ice cream for the pie later,” Eddie adds, motioning towards the almost-ready-for-the-oven pie. 

“A la mode cherry pie…I do like your pie experiments.”

“You didn’t use to,” Eddie admits, cheeks pinking adorably. Buck loves that Eddie’s gotten more confident in his skills and is trying more complicated recipes that don’t have to come from him or Bobby. “You have time—you should go. Shake his hand, say congratulations, and then you’ll be done with them unless you choose to engage.”

Eddie makes it sound so simple, like he can just forget that he almost got to be a dad, something Buck wants more than anything but isn’t. He’s not anyone’s dad—not like Eddie is with Chris, Chim is with Jee or even Bobby with May and Harry. 

He can’t get any woman to stay with him long enough to consider kids, and nobody is promised tomorrow. Buck’s getting older, and everyone else seems to be settling down or already has kids like Eddie. He’s the only single guy with no partner or kids, and it sucks. 

Even if he had helped Connor and Cameron conceive… he still wouldn’t have been the kid’s dad in the ways he yearned for. 

“Buck?” Eddie’s worried call of his name cuts through his circuitous thoughts.

“Sorry. Yeah? Maybe I’ll have one drink and then cut out. I’ll be back probably before the roast is done,” Buck babbles, feeling his pockets for the keys to his jeep. 

He’s halfway out the door when Eddie calls after him, “Don’t forget the ice cream! The old-fashioned vanilla!”

“I won’t. I’ll be home for supper,” he promises Eddie, calling out a ‘be back later’ to Christopher as he all but runs out the door. 

He doesn’t mean to break his promise. 

[alias-sam]

Pierced by a Golden Soul

Chapter 41. (Don't Fear) the Reaper Part 3

Platonic Jojo's x Reader

Summary: Fate is a bizarre concept with countless more bizarre implications. In life sometimes such extraordinary events happen that the only reasoning left must be fate. The tragedies that constantly befall the Joestar bloodline for example may be the unluckiest series of cards drawn in human history, or perhaps the work of a greater power. There is no way to tell for sure. Had Dio Brando or Jonathan Joestar moved slightly on a divergent path the world itself would be left very different. The fate or luck of the noble Joestar bloodline has led to destruction of evil likes of the Pillar Men and DIO. This story is of a similar caliber to that of the other Joestars (as I am sure you are familiar with them). This is a story of lost souls, compassion, hope, and above all fate.

Word Count: 1,443

(Crosspost from Wattpad, full fic is already posted there.)

"Are stand users fucking magnets for each other or something?!" You really hoped you were wrong about this. Another part of you hoped you were right so you didn't look like a psycho when you eventually got to Vita's room. If you knew you'd be scaling the side of Sommar Vita's house today, you would have worn better shoes. After managing to avoid Harvey and Rodger by using Golden Soul, you weren't sure if or when the stand would come back. So, you decided to face the problem at its source. Which inevitably led to you clinging off the side of the user's house, in the rain, with nothing but the fear of God and wrath like Satan to keep you from letting go.

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

Sommar sighed before collapsing on his bed. Tonight didn't go anywhere near planned. He didn't want you to meet his father, he didn't want to taint the one good relationship he had with his family issues. The little breakdown he had in the driveway didn't help his confidence that you would stay friends. It was just like him. To break things. To destroy the few bonds he had. That was anxiety talking of course, but the dark thoughts were running rampant throughout his brain.

Vita held the back of his hand on his forehead, hopefully he wouldn't get a cold from sitting in the rain. It would be just his luck though. He'd missed almost half of the school year so far because of illnesses, and generally being too weak to get out of bed. However, he had been fairing much better as of late. Sommar liked going to school. Some parts of it anyway.

He never quite understood social cues, or how to follow them, but he tried his best.  He didn't understand why the other kids avoided him until they started calling him names. But he ignored them, or tried his best to do so. Sometimes he would lose his temper. He learned to embrace the so called 'freakishness' he was labeled with.

Sommar glanced at his alarm clock, seeing it was getting late. He slowly sat up, wobbling a little from lightheadedness. Despite his low mood, he decided to get ready for bed. Vita stopped at his bookshelf mid-way to the bathroom. He gently traced his finger across the book's spines before picking up a random one. There was a mix of American and Japanese comic books along with other genres in a multitude of languages, but he picked up a volume of Pink Dark Boy. Sommar liked superheroes, no matter where they came from. It was strange, comics gave him the feeling he could do anything, be anything. Despite his frail body, he wanted to help people, help his Umi, his brother, and put people like his stepfather in their place. That was one reason he liked you so much. You were strong and guarded, but selfless, and understanding. Just like a superhero. Sommar placed the book back where it belonged, deciding to go back to his original goal.

All of the bedrooms in the house had their own connected bathroom, and Sommar's was no different. As the boy brushed his teeth and proceeded with his nightly routine his gaze shifted over to a small wooden box sitting on the counter. Sommar decided to flip open the lid. Inside sat an intricate gold pendant, shaped like a beetle. A gift from his biological father. The only thing his father ever gave him.

Well... that wasn't completely accurate. Sommar was the name his biological father gave him.

He hated it.

The bastard, whoever he was, left Sommar's mother to take care of a sick four-year-old and an eleven-month-old by herself. Despite the time that had passed, Sommar still remembered his short life in Cairo. He remembered his mother's panicked expression when she found out Mannesh had been kidnapped by his own father, and taken all the way to Saudi Arabia. Sommar remembered how tightly his Umi held him during the time Mannesh was missing. He remembered getting the news his baby brother was safe and sound. He remembered how his mother told him to pack his things, and that they were moving away, somewhere his father would never find them again. He remembered the first time he met the man who would become his stepfather. He remembered the first time he heard his parents fight. He remembered all the times his stepfather got drunk after being on the water for weeks. He remembered every time his stepfather would hit his mother.

Sommar picked up the pendant and threw it across the bathroom. He hated his biological father just as much as his stepfather. Sommar never even met the man, but his actions seemed to echo in every aspect of his son's life.

Vita paused when he heard a frantic and violent banging come from his window. The boy paused before approaching the window and pulling aside the curtains.

"Holy-!" Vita jumped back when he was met with a very familiar and very soaked face.

"Let me in!" You yelled through the closed glass. Vita quickly complied, unlocking the window and clumsily helping you inside. "Well... I'm glad that's over with."

"D-did you climb up the wall?!" Vita asked, dumbfounded. Once both of your feet were firmly on the ground you let out a deep breath, still severely winded from the ordeal outside.

"That's beside the point!" Your eyes grew sharp as you grabbed Vita by his shirt collar. "Call off your stand!" You yelled.

"My...what?" Vita gave you a confused look as you glared at him.

"You heard me!"

"I r-really don't know what you're talking about!" Vita responded defensively. A gold aura started surrounding you as Golden Soul was summoned. Judging by the bright orange glow emitting from his person, and the awestruck expression that crossed his face upon seeing your own stand, you had a feeling Vita was the user you were looking for.

Before you could interrogate the boy any further, a blur of orange and bugs knocked you away from him. It was a mix of maggots, worms, and the two beetles.

"Call them off! I don't care what it takes just do it!" You knocked away what you could with Golden Soul, but you weren't going to last long. "I know its you controlling them!"

"I-!" Vita watched what was happening in an extreme state of shock, panic, and confusion.

"Sommar!" Everything going on in the room stopped at the sound of Vita's stepfather's yelling. Even the bugs. "What's going on in there!?" It sounded like he was just outside the door.

"Stall." You whisper shouted in a mix of pleading, warning, and threat.

"I just tripped." Vita responded uncertainly through his closed door. "I knocked over one of my shelves."

"Well pipe down!" The old sailor yelled. After hearing the man's retreating footsteps, the two of you breathed a sigh of relief.

"Y/n..." Vita looked your way. "What's going on here?"

"It's a long story." You groaned, watching the suddenly docile bugs retreat away from you and towards Vita. "How much time you got?"

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

Senora Jones looked out at the horrendous downpour outside with concern. The sun had set, and you still weren't home. Not even a phone call. You were going to be in so much trouble when you got home as long as she had anything to say about it. Despite her frustration with your disappearance, it was heavily shadowed by the worry gnawing at her bones.

You were her child. The only family she had. She stood by the window, keeping a sharp lookout for your form amongst the raindrops and flooding road.

She had been doing this a lot lately. Waiting and worrying. Maybe it was growing pains, but you had become more of a handful as of late. Acting strangely, more restless. Always late, or tired or hurt in some way. It was hard to watch. Especially as your mother. She wanted to pretend she didn't hear you tossing and turning in your sleep, or waking with a scream in the late hours of the night. She wanted to overlook the missing medical kit and band aids. If she asked, you would feign ignorance.

She wasn't dumb. She knew something was up. But she couldn't bring herself to interrogate you. Whatever you were hiding, it was for a good reason. She knew this because you never hid things from her. Even when you had just started living with her, you always told her what was on your mind or who was bothering you.

Senora Jones stared quietly out at the town, waiting, worrying, and wondering where you were.

She loved you, but when you pulled stunts like this it made her sick to her stomach with unease.

[waveridden]

i would love for you to give deets on why you disliked those books. i love salt

yessss i love complaining. putting this under a cut because it's long, however i'll say up top that if you found this post because you tumblr searched a book you like... maybe skip this one! because i didn't like these books!

the ballad of songbirds and snakes, if you haven't heard of it, is the hunger games prequel about president snow when he was young and hot. i dislike it on principle but when we did our hunger games book club i decided i was going to give it my best and most open-minded shot that i could handle giving it.

my main problem is actually that i extremely dislike the politics and the worldbuilding implications for the rest of the series. the timeline becomes incredibly fucked. the thematic implications don't make sense. it is so bloated, and so long, with so many names and characters and so relatively few interesting things happening.

also: the hunger games capitol is in denver. the original hunger games were in an old sports arena that was also used for concerts and events sometimes. it is described as having a massive goalpost that is tall and two-pronged. that's right. it's the denver broncos stadium. (the american football team.) once you know that the hunger games were in the denver broncos stadium, it kind of takes a lot of the suspense out.

-

the bromance book club is a highly-recommended romance novel. the basic premise is: a professional baseball player and his wife are on the brink of divorce after he discovers that she has never had an orgasm with him. in order to save his marriage (and learn to satisfy his wife) he joins a top secret book club of Alpha Men who secretly read romance novels to learn about what women like.

i actually thought the premise was cute but where it fell apart is that i HATED the main character. his wife was literally correct 100% of the time and should've left him. it was just unfunny and weird and bad.

-

identitti is a contemporary drama (translated from german) about a german-indian graduate student who discovers that her beloved german-indian advisor is, in fact, a white woman who has been lying about being indian. the book categorically refuses to cast judgment on her - the protagonist feels betrayed, but the advisor just keeps saying over and over that it's actually fine and identity is fluid, but never actually makes a good argument.

aside from the very strong personal reaction i have to this book (i.e. that the advisor was Wrong and that it was weird for this (german-indian) author to present this case) the biggest problem i have is that it used a real life mass shooting to prove a point. there was a hate crime in hanau, germany, that becomes a plot point in the book, but it revolves around people connecting that shooting to the fictional advisor, and i just think that's shitty, actually!

-

small game is the debut novel by blair braverman who is a survivalist and who raises sled dogs which rules. it is about a survivalist who goes onto a survivalist reality show, only for all the cameras to vanish halfway through, leaving the contestants to wonder: did something happen? have they been forgotten? is this all just a part of the show? or is something more sinister going on?

let me spoil the answer for you: the network lost funding, canceled the show, and something went wrong that meant that the contestants were never picked up. now you do not have to slog through ~150 pages of the contestants having that exact debate, weird gross survivalism, incredibly strange and upsetting animal and human deaths, and a really bizarre dubcon-y love story.

-

singer distance has a premise that i really loved: earth begins getting messages from mars that people realize are actually mathematical communications. after a certain point the math becomes too advanced; enter crystal, a genius mathematician who figures out the solution... and then disappears.

this book is not about crystal. it is about her college boyfriend, who feels inadequate to her and feels bad about it. after she goes missing he spends years pining after for her. eventually it is revealed that the two of them had a kid together and the kid finds him and they search for her together. i was really hoping for a fun and interesting scifi alternate history type thing and instead it was just a book about a sad boring man

-

cover is an indie comic miniseries about a comic book artist who is drafted into international espionage. the art was really nice but i haven't read bendis comics in years and i forgot how far up his own ass he gets, especially when it comes to how many words per page he writes. and this was especially navel-gazey, just talking constantly (constantly) (CONSTANTLY) about The Art Of Comics and how good it is. there also wasn't enough espionage.

-

how to give up plastic & how to save the world for free are two different and unrelated books that fall into a category i'm trying to read more of, i.e. the practical environmentally-friendly guide. these books had the same problem: the advice was fucking stupid! how to give up plastic said that if companies send you unnecessary plastic packaging, you should ship it back to them to make a statement (what!!!!!!) and every idea in how to save the world for free cost money.

i think my biggest problem with books like these is that most of the advice is for 1) homeowners, because so much of the advice tends to be like "compost in your yard" or "install solar panels," and 2) people who have never considered buying reusable bags or water bottles. i am trying to find something with advice that is practical and cheap (the climate diet is the closest i've gotten, some of it is ridiculous but some of it is genuinely applicable) but these books just gave stupid fucking advice

[eccebitch]

hotd & the anarchy

I did a poll recently about how much people knew about the Anarchy, a period of civil war in early English history, and most people said they were not familiar with it, or not very familiar. I was originally going to do a really long post explaining all the historical context, but let's be real, you have access to wikipedia and nothing I'm going to say is going to be more researched than a wiki entry. what I can do for you is put it down quickly and easily, so! the anarchy, and what it has to do with asoiaf / hotd / the conflict known as the Dance of Dragons* in Fire & Blood.

*From here on, when I'm referring to the Dance of Dragons, I'm specifically referring to the events that take place in F&B, not the book with the similar name in the main ASOIAF series.

THESIS:

the Dance of Dragons is based on the Anarchy.

making Rhaenyra based on, or at least inspired by, Empress Matilda.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN:

The way the Anarchy ends historically is extremely similar to how the Dance of Dragons conflict ends in Fire & Blood, and will probably have some bearing on the ending of HOTD. So stop reading if you want to avoid spoilers.

WHAT ARE THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THESE CONFLICTS? The granddaughter of William the Conqueror (the obvious basis for Aegon the Conqueror), Empress Matilda was a really interesting historical figure who isn't well-remembered today, which is a shame because her life was batshit interesting.

Below is a very (very!) brief overview of her actions, and how they compare to the events in the Dance of Dragons:

While Matilda's father King Henry I had many children, he only had two in his legal marriage. One was the prince and heir, and one was Matilda.

The prince, and about 298 other people, fucking died in the White Ship Disaster. (The White Ship Disaster is really interesting in and of itself and I could go into more detail, but you ain't here for that, so I'll spare you. But at least give the Wikipedia page a look if you're interested in bizarre episodes in royal history. Anyway, moving on!)

Daddy needs an heir! He grabs his daughter - who had been married to the Holy Roman Emperor (thus the title Empress) - and made all the lords in England and Normandy swear to accept her as heir.

(exactly like Viserys does with Rhaenyra)

Matilda is extremely hesitant to marry - after an emperor (he's dead now), everyone's a kind of a letdown. Eventually, she marries a foppish French duke, Geoffrey V of Anjou. (This is where the Angevin dynasty started, for those keeping track.)

(could Geoffrey V be an inspiration for Laenor? Entirely possible! I do think one of Rhaenyra's kids being named Joffrey is a homage; Matilda's second son was named Geoffrey after his father.)

When King Henry I dies, Matilda is away in Normandy with her family.

(similar to how Rhaenyra is away at Dragonstone when Viserys dies)

Matilda's cousin Stephen of Blois takes this opportunity to crown himself king as the eldest male heir.

(could Stephen of Blois be an inspiration for Daemon? I think it's possible - at the very least, the Dance of Dragons feels partially like a what-if scenario: what if Matilda had been able to shore up her support by marrying another male heir? What if Henry I had more legal children? etc)

When Matilda finally comes back to England, she does so with full military force, and the conflict between her and Stephen's forces plunge England into a period of war so bad it's commonly known as 'the Anarchy', because no one was in charge.

(Similarly, the period of civil war between the Greens and the Blacks gets its own soubriquet, though, in the Fire & Blood book, it's noted that the 'Dance of Dragons' name is too poetic and hides the real bloodshed)

During this conflict, Stephen's wife - also named Matilda, but we'll call her Maud to differentiate - briefly commands some troops in London; Maud is held up by contemporary sources as an ideal woman for her daring and bravery... things that Matilda is castigated for in the same sources.

(This is, to me at least, similar to how Alicent is treated vs Rhaenyra, because Alicent tries to work more within the extant political systems - only claiming power for male heirs, not herself etc - while Rhaenyra does similar but is seen negatively for it. I do think that Maud is a partial inspiration for Alicent.)

Neither Matilda nor Stephen are ever able to completely claim victory over each other, and eventually, the war ends in a stalemate.

By this time, Matilda's son Henry II is grown. (This is the Henry II who married Eleanor of Aquitaine and is played by Peter O'Toole in The Lion in Winter, for those keeping track.)

Matilda stops trying to claim power for herself and begins putting her son forward as heir. Henry II is an excellent commander who becomes known to the people of England. When peace talks with Stephen finally begin, they're between Stephen and Henry; Matilda stays in France.

Eventually, Stephen agrees to declare Henry II as his heir, and it goes smoothly enough; Henry II is king of England.

(This is similar to how Rhaenyra never definitively 'wins' the dance of dragons, but her son is king.)

tl;dr the clear similarities between these two events, one historical and one fictional, point to GRRM's interest in medieval history and his continued use of it as a source of inspiration in building out Westeros. I think his tragic ending for Rhaenyra is extremely intentional because it reflects Matilda's real life.

[behind-the-screen-of-bangtan]

Jin (진)

Real name: 김석진 (Kim Seokjin)

Birth date: 4 December 1992

Home city: Gwacheon

Instagram account

BU character: Kim SeokJin

BT21 character: RJ

(src)

Biography

Scooted by SM then Big Hit, Jin joined the second because he knew Bang Sihyuk’s name. Changing his plan to become an actor to becoming an idol, he worked tirelessly to learn singing, dancing and later composing.

Despite his shyness, Jin has become a bright figure of the group and an essential support for the members. He has invested himself in several personal projects to show ARMY his appreciation. He notably organized on his own the heart event where during the encore of each concert, he would come on stage with a heart he made himself.

For a more complete biography, you can check these ressources: 

Biography from the volume 4 of the Japan Official Fanclub magazine (trans by kocchi, ktaebwi)

Jin has also shared tidbits of his daily life:

[VLOG] How far have you been fishing?! (2019)

COOKING VLOG (2022)

n월의 석진 | Message from Jin 💌, June, August

To help us wait during his enlistment, Jin prepared short videos released monthly

Birthday albums: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022

Recommendations

Music

Spotify playlist

You can find Youtube playlists of the songs he shared on Spotify and on Twitter or during interviews.

Books/Movies/Series/Anime

Google sheet of his recommendations

Solo activity

Music (discography)

Rap Monster, Suga & 진 - “어른아이” (Childish Adult) (2013)

“엄마 (cover)” (mom) (2015)

“난 너를 사랑해 (cover)” (I love you) (2015)

“Awake (christmas ver)” (gift for the Jinsta (see below), 2016)

Jin, V  - “죽어도 너야” (화랑(Hwarang) OST, 2017)

“So Far Away (SUGA, 진, 정국 Ver.)”  (gift for the Festa, 2017)

“가을 우체국 앞에서 (cover)" (In Front of the Post Office in Fall) (for the Festa, 2018)

“이 밤" (gift for the Festa, 2019)

“Abyss” (for his birthday, 2020)

“Yours” (지리산 OST, 2021)

"슈퍼 참치” (Super Tuna) (for his birthday, 2022)

--- Chapter 2 ---

“The Astronaut” (2022) (see this post)

For more details about the songs that don’t have their own post, I listed all the info I had here. For Chapter 2 songs, please check here.

Shows

EatJin (2015, anchor)

Prerecorded: YouTube/Weverse

Live:

151015 BTS Eat Jin Live : 배고프지 않아요?

151217 BTS Eat Jin Live : 배고프지 않아요?

151217 BTS Eat Jin Live : 배고프지 않아요? 2

160226 BTS Eat Jin Live : 배고프지 않아요?

160611 BTS Eat Jin Live : 생일상

160713 BTS Live in Osaka (만다꼬 + Eat Jin)

161201 BTS Live : Eat Jin🍴

161215 BTS Live : Eat Jin + chimchim😂 + kook

170423 BTS Live : EAT Jin + JM&JK

170621 BTS Live : 잇진

171014 EAT Jin!🍴

180905 BTS Live : EAT Jin

190319 BTS Live : 홍콩 잇진

190519 BTS Live : EAT Jin (with Jimin)

190914 BTS Live : EAT Jin

191123 EAT Jin

200408 Eat Jin🍳

200524 Eat Jin

200710 Eat Jin

Jin films himself while eating. Before that, he used to write posts (Eng trans) about cooking on the group’s blog. Starcast made an article in the same style for New Year’s Day

Lee Youngji’s No Prepare (2022, guest)

취중JIN담 (Jin’s traditional alcohol journey/Drunken truth) (2022, anchor)

Jin brews alcohol with Baek Jongwon, the famous chef who also made apparitions on Run BTS!, and some other guests

Jin’s Instagram post: #1, #2

behind-the-scenes video on Park Rokdam’s channel

Naver blog post from Kim Namgil’s agency

푹 쉬면 다행이야 (Half-Star Hotel in Lost Island) (2024, guest):

YouTube playlist

Run Jin (2024):

YouTube playlist

Inspired by Run BTS!, the show follows Jin ending up in all sorts of predicaments

Weverse magazine: ““Run Jin,” featuring your friendly neighborhood superstar”

Everyone’s zoo (2024, guest)

Official tweets

대환장 기안장 (KIAN’s Bizarre B&B) (2025, guest): anouncement

Brands endorsement

Otogi Jin Ramyeon (2022): YouTube playlist, photo

Global Brand Ambassador for Fred (2024): announcement

Global Brand Ambassador for Gucci (2024): announcement on WWD

Feel Soul Good campaign for Visit Seoul (2024): tweets, Official YouTube playlist

Magazines

W Korea vol. 7 (2024): announcement, tweets

Interviews

BE comeback interview: “It feels like my memories of ARMY were all a dream”

Butter release interview: “I just hope anyone who likes me is happy”

Proof release interview: “I’m living my life all thanks to ARMY’s happiness”

Military discharge interview: “Jin: “BTS loves ARMY so much, and it just makes sense that we’d do our best for the people we love, right?””

Trivia

Weverse magazine: “Eight ways Jin loves the world”

After being called as such by fans, Jin started refering to himself as Worldwide Handsome. Indeed, he’s regularly noticed for his good looks.

In 2016, Jin organized a Jinsta for his birthday. Following the Festa they do for the group’s birthday, he released content from the 1st to the 4th of December:

161201 Opening on Vlive (now on Weverse)

161203 EatJin blog post

161204 Jin remix ver. (”Awake (Christmas ver.)”)

161204 Letter on the Fancafe

161204 Photos (Facebook)

161204 Games together with Jin (Vlive, now on Weverse)

Jin used to have two sugar gliders, Odeng and Eomuk. He posted several times on Twitter with them: x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x. We also saw them on Mnet’s BTS Comeback Show. You can see them near him on the poster for the 4th Muster.

In 2024, Jin carried the olympic torch for the Paris Olympic Games, just a few days after finishing his military service (Episode, interview with Louise Aubery in the Louvre, Paris Match article in French).

[askbeannuts]

The Ninetales was reminded of that old conversation as she stood before a cell deep underneath the Yggdrasil Council building, a winding series of tunnels and rooms, with the main purpose of holding the White Room... and gaining safe access to the pulley system used to support travels to the Lands Below.

Her mind was made up, her theory had to mean something... she needed proof before she spoke with everyone else... she needed to confirm it.

For herself, maybe even for her old friend, she was getting old... an understatement really... over a century, holding onto that thread of life for so long... if this was true... if this being was who she thought it was, or at least one of them... she could give her one fleeting moment of joy, of peace, before she finally...

"Hmm." Marta uttered a rough hum, distracting herself from the thought, she turned her focus to the confused youth, who had been trying to garner her attention for a while now.

"... Uh... Council-" Marta shook her head at the young Zangoose, causing him to stifle his comment.

"I'm here to speak with you." This left the tired-looking Zangoose to study her quizzically. Lars was his name, correct? His eyes looked tired... this being was using him as a power supply of some kind. They have to be separated soon, she understood that.

Despite that tired look, he held enough energy to converse. "Um... me? Did something happen?" Lars questioned, he had little intention of standing from where he sat as he asked.

"We haven't heard back from the Guilds just yet, however... it's not you I'm here to speak with, Lars." Marta turned her gaze to the Zangoose's shadow... who looked back at her, with their bizarre milky-yellow eyes. "it's you isn't it?" The question didn't garner a response. "You were there... back when the Cataclysm happened, correct?"

"Huh...?" Lars uttered in confusion. "I'm sorry, Council Marta, but I don't think-"

"Are you... them...?" A third voice filled the room, Marta studying Lars' shadow as it began to take on a life of its own, taking on a physical form and rising to meet her gaze from behind the cell bars, studying her thoroughly, appearing to raise a brow in curiosity, before looking stern and asking again. "Are you them...? The Great Ninetales? You seem... different." It was at that moment, Marta knew...

(It's them... isn't it...?) She didn't respond, instead stepping back, answering that could anger them she assumed. But that wasn't her main reason for retreating now... this was her "proof" in her mind anyway.

It didn't confirm the shadow's inquiry, but prompted them to shrink back into Lars' shadow instead. "... I must go... I apologize for bothering you, I'm certain you're exhausted Lars... I hope to end this soon." The Ninetales spoke strangely, then turned and left before Lars could get a word in, leaving him-and the shadow-somewhat confused as to what this encounter was... what did it mean...? What did the Shadow mean by 'The Great Ninetales'?

Lars didn't know enough about pre-Cataclysm history... would that be something big in the Northern Isles? He heard Wild Ninetales were common there in one of the dungeons during his training, but never had time to read any history books there... he wished he did though.

"What...?" He muttered shaking his head... he hoped things were going well for the others...

[Marta has discovered something...]

< Previous

< Continued from...

< A Past Event...

3am Mod note below!

[[Hello! This scene-or rather a very different version of it-was originally meant to happen around the same time as that post linked in "continued from" but like most of my ideas, I kinda had to scrap or simplify them.

A Pocket of Time definitely helped me capture some things I wanted to explore as actual pages, but couldn't justify placing anywhere. And with that added context it brought, I could do this post! It will lead into what's going on of course, no worries there!

And because I doubt I'll ever get around to this otherwise, I did want to also thank those who responded to the whole Lost to Time... event I guess it was now! I'm certain we'll see them again in the future.]]

[sweatertheman]

its like if a good webcomic was genetically mutated into an eldritch monstrosity as a vessel for the antichrist in order to bring about judgement day, and also it was really long and written by a know-it-all know-nothing asshole.

it's about everything, but it somehow manages to have nothing to say about anything. you have trans characters, friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, enemies with benefits, an autistic psycho murderer alien clown cultist, a guy whose entire character concept is just stolen from somewhere else who manages to have nothing to do with anything despite causing almost everything, and despite that i still have no idea what the point even was. even goofy silly joke stories have a point, that being to be dumb fun. homestuck is mostly stupid jokes, but keeps trying to have interesting lore and meaningful stories, but in such a way where it doesn't blend together into a unified whole, and sort of feels like several different comics smashed together.

its like if CAD (Ctrl-Alt-Del) was really long, serialized, and was also trying to be Rick and Morty, Earthbound, and some dark anime with complex lore or something idk.

i know rick and morty came out after homestuck, but its just got that sort of pseudo-intellectual nihilistic streak to it.

basically, homestuck doesn't have a story so much as it has a long string of events. but to sum up as best i can, it's about the life cycle of a universe, and follows the lives of socially stunted teens undergoing years of worldshattering revelations and unjust, meaningless suffering in order to perpetuate this cycle, against their will. homestuck is about nothing if not the perpetuation of cycles. even if they didnt want to participate, that version of them would simply be killed. the only timeline allowed to persist is the one that perpetuates the cycle. the series antagonist is a man who is a time paradox, whose sole motivation seems to be to ensure his own perpetuation at the expense of the universe. it's one self-perpetuating cycle of suffering against another. ultimately, nothing in homestuck really matters, because none of it could have happened differently. in one scene, the alien Karkat Vantas, most well known for being a loud, obnoxious, mean, but ultimately well-meaning guy, has a realization as he argues with his past self. he doesn't really believe he's actually angry at his past self, or that his past self even had a valid reason to be angry at him. he's pretty sure the only reason that argument happened was because it was already predestined to happen as a mechanism of time travel.

while i like this and other scenes, they fail to leave a lasting impact on me, as nothing is done with them. characters' own motivations and feelings will fail to affect the events of the story. time and time again its stated that characters are only doing what they do because they've been given no other choice. sometimes they even try to rationalize their slavery as greater purpose, that being bound by threat of infinite death to perform arbitrary actions by the will of the narrative is what defines them as people, and that being able to do whatever they wanted would make them perfectly generic.

anyway, point is, the comic is too long and too insincere to do any of its good ideas well, or to form a unified whole. ultimately the story is just a long, meandering experience with highs and lows but ultimately no point to the experience. it didn't have anything to say about anything, and it's too long, dark, and complicated to be dumb fun.

when everyone's super, no one will be. when your webcomic is about everything, it ceases to really be about anything.

at the end of the day, it just ends up feeling like a fever dream. bizarre and already half-forgotten.

I’ve been on tumblr for almost 13 years and I refuse to know what homestuck is about

[roy-dcm2]

Superman : This was your life!

If you ever read FINAL Crisis, you might know that in the middle there's a side story called "Superman Beyond." But, did you know there's another special "interlude" that happened in the middle of Infinite Crisis?

There are three issues that hardly anyone ever talks about, known as "Superman, This was your Life..."

(You can find the storyline in Superman #226, Action Comics #836, and Adventures of Superman #649)

It's a really unique plot that takes place in the middle of the battle between Golden Age Superman (Kal-L) and Modern Superman (Kal-El). I would insert it in Infinite Crisis #5, after page 19. It all happens in their minds, in the time between Wonder Woman to hearing them on Earth-2, and when she shows up to stop them. It might be 10 minutes at the most.

(Infinite Crisis #5, page 19)

Part 1 - Superman #226

In case you don't know, "This is your life..." was an old American TV series that focused on the biography of each of its guests. So, the story starts by talk about Kal-L's origins on Earth-2.

It briefly talks about Superman-2's relationship with Lois Lane, before turning to the events of World War II. Now, if you don't know, Superman and the Justice Society existed during WW2, but were unable to help because of magic. Kal-L had to standby helplessly while the Nazi's terrorized Europe.

It is after this that the plot takes a bizarre turn. So far, we'd been recapping Superman-2 lifestory unaltered, but in the last few pages of Superman #226, Kal-L decides he would do things differently.

In the Trial of the JSA, Superman stands up to the US government, declaring that he would change history.

PART 2 - Action Comics #836

From this point, the story goes on a new tangent where Superman of Earth-2 is living on "Modern DC Earth," while our Superman of Earth-1 takes his place in "Golden Age DC Earth".

They switch lives.

Action Comics #836 focuses on Superman-2 and how he would instantly FIX modern day Superman's problems. He outsmarts Batman, he takes advantage of Luthor's cancer, and he avoids the problems with Identity Crisis by throwing Dr. Light into the Phantom Zone.

This is pure fanfiction. Kal-L can do this because he's been watching modern Superman's entire life. He has foreknowledge that gives him an advantage Kal-El never had. You can tell it's pure wish fulfillment because his solution to "Death of Superman" was to simply NOT die.

And when they start calling him a fascist, Kal-L teams up with The Elite to ensure his unquestioned reign.

We should show some sympathy for Kal-L. He's not in his right mind. Remember, he's imagining all this mere minutes after his wife died in the real world. He's deeply frustrated that he was paralyzed and could not save Lois Lane.

Part 3 - Adventures of Superman #649

We finally check in with our "modern" Superman on the Golden Age Earth. They've achieved world peace because Kal-El can solve everything. In the end, only Superman and Power Girl are active because the JSA retired and no one felt the need to continue to JSA.

Earth-2 is a paradise, until Kal-El has to face down The Anti-Monitor by himself.

Meanwhile, on the fictional timeline of Earth-1, Kal-L's reign spins out of control. Wonder Woman and the Amazons team up with Maxwell Lord and Checkmate to oppose Superman's regime. Luthor betrays Kal-L in his time of need, and the world devolves into chaos.

(Note that Kal-L has a minor slip, where he seems to admit his mistake was trusting Alexander Luthor of Earth-3)

Now, remember, Kal-L was able to direct Earth-1 on the path that he envisioned because he had foreknowledge of everything. When his timeline reached the events of Infinite Crisis, which he did not fully comprehend, his regime fell apart.

In the end, Modern Superman dies fighting the Anti-Monitor, while Golden Age Superman is the last survivor or Earth-1.

(btw, this is a very intelligent ending that doesn't spoil anything that happens at the climax of Infinite Crisis)

And this all happens in a blink of an eye, in between the pages of Infinite Crisis #5.

(Infinite Crisis #5 pages 20-21)

When you look at it all together, I think including these extra issues in Infinite Crisis adds a lot more weight to the point of view of Superman-2. We already know our modern Man of Steel, but we spend a relatively short time with Kal-L, and this makes him a much more three dimensional (flawed) character.

I've been in love with these issues, ever since I discovered them. I really think more people need to talk about them.

I hope the next time you read Infinite Crisis, you'll consider taking the time to read these issues in the middle.

(Btw, I own all these comics as TPBs, but if you have these digitally, I like to chop off the last few pages of AoS#649. If you stop it where they say "There's nothing I could have done." It inserts much more seamlessly into IC#5)

[iamothergorls]

One of those Joburg Nights (PT.1)

I have never been in love.  At least I don’t think I have but I am kind of certain that I have experienced romantic heartbreak - to some degree. Most of the time I get a compulsive urge to shirk the possibility of being a person who has experienced heartbreak because of one question that spins around my mind: am I allowed to feel heartbreak? My first maybe heartbreak was predicated on the foolish idea that white boys in private schools could ever notice black women. The day he first strolled in with his lanky self into my life, I could have sworn he did notice me, but that was just the beginning of my lifelong affair with delusion. He was probably just scanning the room for an open seat in the tiny auditorium where meetings were held for the Johannesburg Junior Council.  The organisation consisted of a pair of students from schools across the city who were allegedly “the top 2” of their school. We would gather in this auditorium on Friday afternoons - much to the disapproval of my Grade 11 Maths teacher whose lesson was cut into for me to drive across town - and masturbatorially discuss all the ways the council was “helping” the city’s downtrodden and underprivileged. It was all quite self-indulgent really, but after Green Eyes sat next to me on the first day, I found myself packing my bag to rush out of Maths a little faster each week.  What followed in the later months was, to put it simply, deeply ridiculous. A cursed matric dance invite, a series of awkward text exchanges, Instagram stalking and you know…normal stuff. It all culminated in a confessional drunk text in my first year of University and a talk over coffee which ended in a “see you around Rufaro”. It was not the stuff of epic romances or even a romance at all but I was, sort of, heartbroken. Sometimes my heart still does a thing when I see him and all I can hope is that the look on my face doesn’t give me away.    I have been thinking a lot about the whole debacle with Green Eyes lately as I recently got involved with another man of his ilk - lanky, wears ill-fitting jeans and probably listens to Earl Sweatshirt. This particular predilection of mine has led me down bizarre paths that in turn make for great conversation starters when having drinks with the girlies but ultimately, it has led to my downfall.  “Downfall” may be a rather strong and dramatic word however I have always had a flair for the dramatic, and the events of my life seem to constantly follow suit. 

[culttvblog]

Number 6 was a Plant: Many Happy Returns

This blog post spoils the identity of Number 1.

The introduction to this series of posts considering the theory that Number 6 didn't really resign and was a 'plant' in the Village may be read here: https://www.tumblr.com/culttvblog/738540162388213760/number-6-was-a-plant-introduction

I am going conveniently to ignore the main difficulty in understanding this episode, namely the bizarre way the Village is suddenly empty, to consider other aspects of the episode from the Number 6 was a plant perspective. I think the only explanation which makes any sense of the sudden disappearance of the entire population, inmates and warders, is that it is a heavy hint that Number 6 *is* in some way the Village, or a hint in advance that he is actually the Number 1 he has been dying to identify. However you understand it, it is an utterly bizarre sequence in an already bizarre series, and is actually probably impossible if you think of the logistics of getting everyone out of that impenetrable Village.

The problem of the empty Village aside, this episode gives Number 6 further golden opportunities to arm himself with photographic and other evidence of the Village's existence and to go back to Blighty to blow the whistle on what he has discovered.

And that is the point at what we reach the essence of this episode: what he discovers is that the authorities back home are in on the Village, and in fact his life in London has been thoroughly erased from history. He has, in fact, been treated as if he has resigned and been consigned to the Village for safe containment for the foreseeable future.

I am therefore of the opinion that this episode is further evidence that while it is possible Number 6 didn't really resign and decided to investigate the Village, his mock resignation wasn't prompted by his superiors, and was probably his own idea. This episode makes clear that while he was unaware of the location and nature of the Village, the men he automatically goes to for validation and action of his findings were very clearly aware of it. I would suggest that Number 6 acted on things he had heard without a mandate from above, and that he may not have been as senior as I have been making him out to be, because he didn't need to know about the Village.

In fact this episode also suggests that the Village has been behind his life in intelligence and behind the British state from the word go, in the sort of symbolic way McGoohan loved. There are two points in London where we see Number 6 on a ground surface or floor reminiscent of a chess board, and one of them is the hallway to his own former home (I am indebted to the Free for All podcast for this insight). The chess board as the symbol of the Village's moving people round and expecting them to follow certain arbitrary rules, was already there in his life, he just didn't know it.

I am perhaps being slightly unreasonable given the long hard journey before the exchange with Mrs Butterworth which wouldn't have left him up to much, but he really should have been suspicious of her. I do not believe that anyone would welcome an unkempt man smelling after a lengthy journey and claiming to be the tenant of their house, into their home and bathe them and feed them. You would ring the constabulary. And who the hell moves into a house already furnished and full of someone else's belongings without at least moving things around? The whole encounter has got Village written all over it. However, from the perspective that his intention was to appear to resign and investigate the Village he had heard about, he has discovered the nature of the fictions that the Village will also set up to ensure he stays resigned.

So to summarise, I would conclude that Number 6 was unaware of the extent to which the British establishment was invested in the Village and thus his staged resignation would have been his own idea with no mandate from his superiors. The events of this episode reveal the extent of this investment to him and also the ways in which the authorities (whether of Britain of the Village) can set up elaborate fictions to keep him disappeared. My conclusion would be that this episode can be read from the persepective that Number 6 is a self-inflicted plant.

This blog is mirrored at

culttvblog.tumblr.com/archive (from September 2023) and culttvblog.substack.com (from January 2023 and where you can subscribe by email)

Archives from 2013 to September 2023 may be found at culttvblog.blogspot.com and there is an index to the tags used on the Tumblr version at https://www.tumblr.com/culttvblog/729194158177370112/this-blog

[snowlessknitter]

The Masked Singer: S10 E6 (One Hit Wonder Night) Running Commentary

There wasn’t an episode last week because Fox was airing the World Series. (BTW, congratulations to the Texas Rangers on winning their first World Series championship.)

This week four new masks are joining the competition. As always, I post before seeing any unmaskings, so don’t take these as spoilers.

Donut 🍩: The judge immediately remarked on his height, so he might be an athlete. A lot of references to the Wild West and country music. He said he was part of a “megahit” that catapulted him to number 1. We also saw a police bridge, and he’s been around the theater. He said he just had the toughest year of his life. He actually does sound a lot like Bjorn Skifs (the lead singer of Blue Swede, whose song “Hooked on a Feeling” Donut is singing tonight), but I don’t think the judges would know who Bjorn Skifs is, just Blue Swede. My mind is kind of leaning towards the original RoboCop, Peter Weller (who is also an academic in addition to his acting career). The bonus clue: “How Bizarre” by OMC. He says he’s had “hit after hit”. I think Ken’s guess of Jeff Bridges is the most plausible, actually. Jeff Bridges has been in a bunch of hit movies and has a brother named Beau (the bow and arrow clue). As for the country and western clues, he won an Oscar playing a country singer in CrazyHeart (where he did his own singing) and was nominated for Oscars for his performances in The Last Picture Show (which is set in a dying Texas town), the remake of True Grit (set in the Old West) and Hell or High Water (which is a neo-Western film). I’m going with Jeff Bridges for now.

Hibiscus 🌺: Grew up in a large family. We see a gingerbread house, has interacted with Sharon Stone, David Bowie, and Elton John. Has married multiple times. She mentioned a “stint in a hospital”, which means she either had a prior medical career or possibly was on General Hospital, E.R., or Grey’s Anatomy. Bonus clue: “I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred. She says she’s competed in beauty pageants and worn a tiara. I’m a bit stumped here, but I’m leaning towards Kim Zolciak only because she’s attempted a singing career.

Anteater 🐜 😋: I saw some online speculation that this could be John Oates from Hall & Oates, but let’s see the clues first. He’s had a long career. Saw a cougar roaring at him. Went through a dark time and moved onto a farm. We see an eye on a box. Just from the voice alone, this does kind of line up with John Oates. Bonus clue: “Somebody’s Watching Me” by Rockwell. He says he sang in front of 40% of the entire world. My first thought went to Live Aid, and I think Hall & Oates played that show. (Double checked, they did indeed play the Philadelphia part of the event.) But it’s the voice more than anything else. Oates doesn’t sing a lot of lead vocals with Hall & Oates (Daryl Hall primarily fills that role), but if you’ve ever listened to “She’s Gone”, you can hear John pretty prominently in that song singing the lower melody and there’s a rasp that was there in 1973 (when the song was originally released) and I can still hear it in Anteater’s voice.

Candelabra 🕯️: Seen calling Kevin Hart. She began her career at age 12. We see a butterfly 🦋 which means she could have a connection to Michelle Williams from Destiny’s Child. Well, Kelly Rowland has been performing since she was a tween, being a part of Girls Tyme with Beyoncé (which was a forerunner to Destiny’s Child). And of course, she and Beyoncé were bandmates with Michelle Williams. But…we see the state of California, and Destiny’s Child is from Texas. The bonus clue: “Two Princes” by Spin Doctors. “Who needs two princes when you have one Fire Princess?” Nicole’s guess of Brandy is a good one, and Brandy is from California. I’m going to officially say I’m stumped on this one. But I have a feeling she won’t be unmasked tonight.

[faustocosgrove]

hi~ it’s ya boi, Fausto.

um. so i was going to say i’m back on tumblr but my queue was spitting out posts the whole time so yeah. anyway. long excuse under teh cut. also trigger warning for me talking about my eating disorder (heavily self censored but mentioned none the less).

tl;dr version: Fausto is having a series of bad days. death to israel.

do y’all remember when i told the story of this customer who yelled at me but she started the conversation with the “I am a sweet, confused old lady” voice and then hall of the mountain king style slid into screaming at me? and how i had a mental breakdown over it? well similar thing happened. this lady shows up and she keep giving me the “i am a toddler about to cry because you’re not giving me what i want” face and like barely using her words to tell me what the fuck she wants to buy. and um, i’ve never had an adult give me the “i am a toddler about to cry” face before. in any situation ever. so that threw me off my game. anyway, i don’t really remember what happened next exactly but she managed to drop half of her stuff because she couldn’t convince her husband to either unlock the car or give her the one dollar she was short for the bill in time. and this guy didn’t seem angry coming up to me with the dollar until he gave me the dollar, then he screamed at me. and so like, there was no indication of aggression until our hands were just about touching and he was a big fuckin guy! so that freaked me the fuck out and i just kind of took two steps back and dropped my jaw on the floor in terror. then he said something rude. and they left. and i spent days replaying this in my head.

and then october 7th happened, and i very specifically logged on to tumblr with teh intention of reblogging a post about how stupid and wrong the official american narrative is about israel and a list of things israel has done since it’s inception that are way worse than anything Hamas does to fight back. instead i was greeted with this bizarre neutral post about palestine and it’s occupied territory and then i saw it again and i had this moment of thinking “oh my god, all the anti-zionism i’ve seen from political bloggers was performative” so i logged off tumblr.

and then a few days later i thought to myself “i’ll just avoid unfollowing political blogs for now and stuff my queue with stupid memes from tags and the trending page!” and i found a post on a particular topic and i’ve been spending the last ~2 weeks fighting my eating disorder. plus for some reason people in real life keep saying various kinds of shit that’s been making the eating disorder thing worse.

and to make things worse now that i’ve finally worked up the gumption to unfollow the blogs that put the weirdly zionism tolerant post on my dash tumblr kept crashing and when it stopped crashing the one person i thought i remembered reblogging the post it wasn’t in their archive and i tried searching for the damned post which you know goes poorly because this is tumblr. and i’m searching like, every political blogger’s archives for the post and i can’t find it. and like i keep trying to unearth from my brain what exactly the post said to actually search for it and i can’t remember so now i’m having another albeit less severe mental breakdown over having a mental breakdown over a tumblr post that probably doesn't exist.

um. so my queue is empty now i guess but um i’m not super emotionally invested in being on tumblr for the time being so if you’re wondering where i went yeah and if any other world events happen then just assume that i’ve got the same opinion as i had before.

death to israel.

[alias-sam]

Pierced by a Golden Soul

Chapter 34. Eavesdropping

Platonic Jojo's x Reader

Summary: Fate is a bizarre concept with countless more bizarre implications. In life sometimes such extraordinary events happen that the only reasoning left must be fate. The tragedies that constantly befall the Joestar bloodline for example may be the unluckiest series of cards drawn in human history, or perhaps the work of a greater power. There is no way to tell for sure. Had Dio Brando or Jonathan Joestar moved slightly on a divergent path the world itself would be left very different. The fate or luck of the noble Joestar bloodline has led to destruction of evil likes of the Pillar Men and DIO. This story is of a similar caliber to that of the other Joestars (as I am sure you are familiar with them). This is a story of lost souls, compassion, hope, and above all fate.

Word Count: 2,445

(Crosspost from Wattpad, full fic is already posted there.)

"So...run this by me again." Tim sat next to you in the biology lab, writing down the results of the water tests. "You're going to go consult with your stand user associates and do what exactly? Where did you even meet these people?" You rolled your eyes, handing him another test tube.

"They're experienced with these things apparently. They haven't led me wrong so far, as of right now I trust them. They haven't given me much reason not to." It had been awhile since you'd been able to talk to Jaya, so Tim was your next best option for someone to vent to.

"I still think it's a bad idea." Tim muttered. "They're strangers." In true Tim fashion, he was facing the plan with a level of logic and criticism. As of late, you hadn't had the luxury to distrust and verify. You rested your head on the table, the full force of today's events finally taking an effect on you.

"I'll keep your concern in mind." You said, sitting upright.

"What are you two talking about?" Vita suddenly appeared behind the two of you, Tim nearly jumped from his seat. Vita looked no worse for wear. Given the fact he literally took a fall for you the other day, you were glad he hadn't hurt himself too bad. For awhile you were worried he was gone because of that little stunt.

"Uh- project...stuff." Tim replied, fumbling with his test tubes.

"Hey V. Nothing much." You greeted casually. "Didn't we talk about finishing the last bit of the project at your house the other day?"

"We did!" Vita lit up at the change in subject. "Wanna do it tomorrow?"

You glanced over at Tim who was still looking rather sheepish.

"I'm free." You shrugged. Vita turned to Tim expectantly. Tim adjusted his glasses, not taking his eyes off of the graph he was working on.

"I have some things I need to work on, sorry."

"No problem." Vita chirped. "Y/n and I can put it together ourselves, right?"

"I don't see why not." You shrugged again. Before the conversation could go on any longer the teacher called Vita away, saying something about missing classwork. Vita gave you a wave goodbye, you simply gave him a nod before continuing your work with Tim. "So what was the pH for sample three-" You glanced over to Tim only to find incredulity was written all over his face. "What?"

"I have no idea if you're crazy or just stupid."

"Excuse me?"

"That guy is a walking red flag!" Tim whisper shouted, pointing over to Vita who was just across the room.

"I wouldn't say that." You replied lightly making Tim lower his hand. "He's not nearly as bad as people assume."

"I hope you're right" Tim sighed, settling down a bit. "No offense, but you rely way to much on your judge of character."

"I wasn't all that wrong about you, was I?" You joked. The conversation reminding you of a similar one you had with Learco. Tim seemed creeped out by your classmate, but was far more subtle than Learco.

"Well- yeah..." Tim faltered. "But I was also t-trying to kill you."

"No you weren't." You shook your head, placing a hand on your friend's shoulder. "You don't have it in you, and neither does Vita."  Tim was calming down, but there was still an obvious apprehension in his eyes. "If he is a stand user, I can handle myself." You assured him.

"Whatever you say Y/n."

..........

Tim's words had an unexpected effect on you. Perhaps you had become too complacent? Could one too many near death experiences do that? Even as you were walking into Mr. Joestar's apartment building, the thought was bothering you. It was never a bad idea to be more careful. Tim had also made a good point about your judgment. So far you hadn't been wrong on going with your gut. It was strange. Ever since meeting Learco at the dock, it was like a sixth sense. Just by being around a person, you got a read on their character, even without any particular proof. Now that you were thinking about it, you had always been like that, really it wasn't a useful skill until recently. As you were trudging up the many flights of stairs in the building, a thought occurred to you. You stopped mid step and summoned Golden Soul. The stand watched as you tiredly leaned the wall behind you. After checking the stairwell was empty you sighed, looking your stand up and down.

"I'm only going to ask this one more time, what exactly can you do?" Your question was met with silence. "Still nothing? C'mon, I know you can talk." In fact, you'd heard your stand yell on several occasions while fighting or punching things. Your anger only grew when Golden Soul didn't even give you a nod or shrug. "Jeez. What the hell does 'muda' mean anyways?" You moved from the wall to pace across the steps. "Is that even a word?" You asked, once again being met with silence. "I'm really starting to wish you came with an instruction manual." You muttered, glaring at your non responsive stand. "Whatever. I just thought if I asked nicely you might answer." As Golden Soul dissipated you continued your way up to the top floor. "It was a long shot anyways."

.........

When you eventually reached the top floor you were winded. This place really needed to invest in an elevator or something. You quickly reached into your pocket, taking a moment to make sure you still had the metal shard. It was safely sealed in a new ziplock baggy.

"I really hope you aren't as troublesome as I think you are." You muttered looking at the tiny piece of gold-ish metal before tucking it back in your pocket. After a few minutes of searching, you found the apartment you were looking for. Without remotely as much hesitation as last time, you knocked on the door and waited. There was a quick shuffling sound before the door was opened by a very tired looking blonde woman.

"You're too pretty to be Mr. Jotaro."

"Excuse me?"

"S-sorry ma'am." You apologized, stepping away from the door, you checked the flat number. "I could have sworn this was Mr. Joestar's place."  It looked like the right apartment, then again, the complex was massive. It wasn't impossible you just got turned around.

"It is." The blonde woman replied. She regarded you carefully before seeming to realize something. "You wouldn't happen to be Y/n, would you?"

"Yeah..." You nodded hesitantly. "That's me."

"Jotaro told me you were going to come by." The woman stepped aside, gesturing for you to come in. You tried ignoring it, but she was eyeing you oddly. It made sense though, you were a stranger after all. You didn't know this woman or her relation to the two stand users you were seeking out.

After an awkward moment standing in the doorway, you passed the threshold and followed the woman inside. The flat was exactly the way you remembered it except the boxes were gone now. On the floor next to the coffee table, a little girl was playing with a stuffed toy fish and a model race car. An elderly woman was sitting on the couch drinking tea and watching the young girl.

"Who was at the door dear?" The older woman looked over to where you were standing and smiled. "Oh! You must be Y/n. Joseph told me you were coming." Despite her age, the woman jumped up to greet you. The older woman snatched up your hand to shake it. "It's lovely to meet you. I'm Mrs. Joestar."

"Nice to meet you ma'm." You replied, finally gaining enough sense to speak. There was something about the woman's bubbliness that made you feel much more at ease. The blonde woman that answered the door was still glancing at you with suspicion, or maybe caution. It was hard to tell. "I don't mean to be rude, but might I ask where Mr. Kujo and Mr. Joestar are?" Both women tensed, it was slight, but just enough for you to notice.

"They're in the office." The blonde woman pointed down the hall hesitantly.

"They've been talking for awhile." Suzie Q sighed.

"Please excuse me," You said, turning to face the hallway. "But I really need to speak with them."

"Of course." Suzie smiled, moving back towards the couch where she was earlier. The blonde woman who answered the door for you gave you one last weary glance before following.

You quietly made your way down the hall. As you neared the office door the hum and muffled mutterings of a conversation caught your attention. The office's door was cracked open slightly, giving you a small view inside. Confused, you walked closer, stopping right outside the door.

"Y/n doesn't even know about all this." You heard Mr. Joestar sigh. He sounded tired. "You can't expect them to be like him."

"Can I?" Jotaro snapped back. "You haven't seen Y/n fight. You haven't seen their stand." It was unusual to hear much emotion from Jotaro, but by his tone alone you could tell he was stressed, maybe even scared? 

"Jotaro..." Joseph responded softly. Typically, you weren't the type to eavesdrop, but given the conversation pertained to you...You decided to keep listening just a bit longer.

"Sorry." Jotaro took a slow steadying breath. "You remember all the things he did."

"It's not Y/n's fault." Joseph reminded his grandson softly. There was a shuffling sound and the quiet squeaks of an office chair.

"I don't understand how you can be so calm about this." Jotaro muttered.

"Because you're overreacting." Joseph said with a slight laugh. The two men continued talking, but their conversation fell on deaf ears. Your heart was racing for some reason. They had been talking about you. Why? The exchange was incredibly out of context, giving you nothing to work from.

With slow and deliberate movements, you snuck back down the hallway into the living room. The little girl was still sitting on the floor, playing around with her toys. The women were standing in the kitchen, both with a teacup in hand. Suzie noticed your appearance and frowned.

"Is everything alright?" She set down her cup to approach you.

"Y-yeah!" You answered quickly, already reaching for the front door. "It's probably for the best I don't interrupt them." You laughed awkwardly.

"You couldn't possibly go out in the rain." Suzie Q motioned over to the window. Indeed, the sky was overcast, water was softly pattering against the glass panes. You hadn't even noticed.

"Its fine." You sighed. "I've walked home in much worse." The rain was light, nothing compared to some torrential downpours you had faced before.

"Please, take a seat. I insist." Suzie Q urged gently. "You look tired."

"I wouldn't want to intrude ma'am." You said, trying to escape her concerned gaze.

"It's no trouble!" Suzie laughed, standing her ground on the subject. "Can I interest you in some tea?"

"No but thank you." You answered, taking a seat on the couch. Suzie Q gave you a small nod and went back to the kitchen. You propped one hand on the arm of the couch. The moderate tapping of raindrops on the building slowly lulled you a state of dissociation. You simply stared at the wall in front of you, thinking about the conversation you'd just overheard. It was odd, and severely out of context, but the two Joestars were distressed over something, something pertaining to you. Before your train of through could press the subject any further you felt a small hand tap on your leg. You looked down to find the little girl who was playing on the floor just a moment ago. She was watching you with wide curious eyes.

"Who are you?" She asked, pointing a finger in your face. She couldn't be more than six if you were guessing.

"Just a visitor." You shrugged, lightly pushing her hand away.

"My name's Jolyne." The girl introduced herself. You watched as she hopped up onto the couch next to you. "Mamma calls me Jojo." After a moment of contemplation, you decided to just roll with it.

"No way!" You responded with mock excitement. "My friend calls me that too!"

"No way!" Jolyne said airily, echoing your own tone. You awkwardly looked away from the girl, unsure on what else to do or say. She shuffled across the couch before tapping your shoulder. When you looked back, she was holding her toys. A car and a stuffed fish. "Pick."

"Uh... what?"

"Pick one!" Jolyne smiled, holding the two toys up to you. You hesitantly took the stuffed fish. It was a soft pastel blue and green; it was a bit worn down, obviously well-loved over time.

"This guy's pretty cute." You admitted, running a hand over the stuffed toy's tail. Jolyne shrugged, taking her toy car and rolling it across the edges of the couch.

"Hey!" She tapped on your arm excitedly. "Watch this!"

The little girl proceeded to jump off the couch, tossing the car in the air. You panicked, seeing her leg snag on a nearby side table holding a lamp. In the span of a second Golden Soul grabbed the table and lamp, preventing them from landing on Jolyne. On instinct you managed to catch the toy car before it landed on the poor girl's head.

You stood there, frozen in shock.  The six-year-old smiled up at you.

"Careful!" You scolded, handing the car and stuffed fish back to the girl. "Good grief kid! You almost gave me a heart attack."

"Awesome! Again! Again!" Jolyne clapped. "You're like a superhero!" She pointed at the lamp that Golden Soul was now holding. To a non-stand user, to would look like it was floating. You quickly put the lamp down and had your stand dissipate. At this point the women in the kitchen had noticed the commotion. Suzie Q walked in, observing the scene of Jolyne on the floor and your mildly alarmed expression.

"I think I should go..." You trailed off, glancing between Jolyne and Suzie Q. "Thank you for the hospitality, but if I stay my mom is bound to start worrying." You said, slowly inching towards the door. "Thanks again. Bye"

You practically ran away from the apartment. The rain didn't even bother you. It was a light sprinkle if anything. After gaining a comfortable distance from the building you stopped, breath heavy, to look up at the overcast sky. Your mind was swimming.

The Martez brothers. Julius Rossi. The Arrow. Golden Soul. The Joestars. All were pieces of a puzzle that was sitting in front of you. The problem was there wasn't a single corner piece to help start putting it together.

Nothing made sense anymore. Maybe it never made sense in the first place.

You needed some time to think.

[jmoriarty-221b]

Ok so I’m reading Titans Tower AUs where Jason goes ‘kill the Replacement’ straight to ‘must protecc the child’ real quick (those are the best) and I just read the part of the dialogue where Tim tells Jason that he’s been cleaning up Gotham ‘the easy way’ in reference to how the Red Hood is a killer

And now I’m thinking of this piece of dialogue in a new light because, what if Tim Meant that literally like “have you ever had to disembowel someone with just a spoon???? No, you use guns to kill people and actual knives to decapitate their heads instead, you noob. Only real killers know how to decapitate someone with a pencil and let me tell you that it’s harder than it seems”

Meanwhile Jason is all offended because did Robin, the one who follows Batman’s no kill rule, just criticize him on how he kills people instead of criticizing him for, you know, actually Killing people???

I can just imagine this conversation is going on in the kitchen of Titans Tower with Tim in his pajamas and Jason in full Red Hood gear in the doorway because this was supposed to be an ambush but now he’s actually kinda offended because of course he could kill someone with a spoon and threatens Tim again only for Tim to flip that Uno Reverse card and literally arm himself with a spoon, brandishing it in front of himself like it’s a knife, and just going like ‘bitch I’m not Robin right now so let’s go, I’ve been a little out of practice and it’s so nice of you to offer to be my next victim’ with a little creepy grin on his face and suddenly Jason feels the embodiment of the meme: *nervous laughter* “what the fuck”

Somehow, Tim manages to pry Hood’s helmet open with the goddamned spoon and hey, Jason should really buy some silverware like that and he’s half tempted to ask Tim where he bought it from, and damn who knew a spoon would be such an effective weapon and oh my god this kid is actually crazy why does he know how to use a spoon as a weapon Jason better not go out via spoon now that’s just embarrassing; at this point there would be no life threatening injuries on either one of them, though Jason did manage to cut the kid’s throat at some point and got a spoon to the shoulder for his troubles but now they’re both tired, the Pit of Green Juice is quiet in the back of Jason’s head and ok, maybe he can, begrudgingly, admit to being impressed at how well Tim can fight with a spoon but it’s mostly just concern as to why he knows how to fight with a spoon and Tim is just like ‘Look Jason, yes I know, don’t look at me like that, just, let’s call it a truce and go patch up because I don’t want to kill you but I will have no problem strangling you with your own intestines if you keep trying to kill me ok? Ok’ and at this point Jason really doesn’t think the kid’s joking all that much so he agrees to the truce between them (let’s face it, having the Big Bad Red Hood get taken out via spoon would just be so embarrassing that Jason wouldn’t find peace even in death)

And it’s not until they’re both patched up that Jason decides it’s safe enough to ask about why Tim said that he’s not Robin right now (there’s no more spoon in Tim’s hands but he’s still on alert because the kid is just insane enough to try and bite him); and Tim’s like “uh, yeah I follow B’s moral code as Robin but I’m not particularly attached to it? Like, it’s not my moral code, whatever that is, and I’m not actually part of the family so just think of me as more of a close coworker? Anyway, I am and will always be a Drake, my family motto is literally ‘May Our Enemies Choke on Their Blood While Our Hands Remain Clean’ so you can get a picture of how I grew up, and to answer your questions, yes I have killed people, no I don’t really regret it, they were really bad people, yes i will throw hands again, no the Bats have no idea, and yes I have had to decapitate someone with just a pencil and disemboweled someone with a spoon, so yes I am actually qualified to complain about how easy you people with guns and knives have it when it comes to killing people because I would’ve loved to have had at least a pocket knife back then, hell I would’ve taken a sharp icicle but no, the only thing available was a pencil so I had to make do, also no, I really don’t want to kill you, I actually like you but please stop coming after me and we can just meet up to kill some of the more evil Rogues sometimes, we can even make it look like an accident”

Jason is just so Shooketh at this point that he will just focus on the last sentence for now because he doesn’t have the brain power to battle through that dump of information right now so he’s like ‘what would you know about setting up accidents Timbit’ cue Tim being like ‘well, it wouldn’t be all that hard to just mislabel a few chemicals in Joker’s newest hideout and have him blow himself up while trying to make a batch of Joker Gas, a sort of poetic justice when you think about it’

Basically, an AU where Tim wasn’t trained by Bruce first so he has a different moral code (whatever it is) and has been in just enough crazy situations to warrant his bizarre skills with a spoon