#billy the silly engine

[lomotunes2008]

Oh... That's gore... That's gore of my comfort characters...

[lucysgraybird]

modern!billy with a farmers daughter!reader but not in the cute silly way?

youve grown up on a farm, ik billy is western but im actually thinking something more midwest; iowa/missouri/kansas

for the express purpose of the vibes of a once-great steel or railroad town, now resigned to notice by road trippers and academics researching the fall of industrial america

with this you've been kind of isolated; you had friends in high school but they've all either run as far as they could from their childhoods after graduation or languished in the remorse of not being able to escape

you. you didn't really want to escape; you're happy with your quiet ghostly life of taking care of your animals and avoiding talking politics with your parents

you grew up religious in a way that taught a god who was fear, you have made peace with a god who is your friend. knelt by your bed he has heard your deepest secrets told as girlish, gossipy whispers; your most outlandish, complicated questions asked like you are up too late at a sleepover

you are quiet for the most part, happy to twist your thoughts around into your head until they either make a pretty shape or break in two, and when you're not working the farm, you're wandering aimlessly through creeks and cemeteries and abandoned buildings

billy is, like everyone not born in a place like this, just stopping through - you meet him through your wanderlust, traipsing down a dead and dying main street as he pulls his equally moribund truck up to the curb, asking you for directions to the nearest mechanic

mechanic is the only one for miles and thus extortionate, but your father is handy and ready to help a stranger, so you tell billy that if his truck can make it a few miles up the road, he'll have a fixed engine for a reasonable price

he, of course, accepts and leans over to push open the door to give you a ride. you get to talking, learn that he was born in new york and has been living in new mexico, he's just travelling for a new job atm. he learns that you have lived here your whole life and have no real desire to move, have never had a reason to have that desire, and he smiles and tells you that he respects comfort in consistency, that he wishes he had a place he felt that settled

when you get back to your house your father helps billy fix his truck and your mother has you take iced tea out to the men, which you also drink a glass of while sitting on the cluttered porch and watching billy bent over the open hood

he's pretty, sure, but you cannot decide whether he is worth loving. if he is as transient as everything else that blows through this town like tumbleweeds, if - and a big if - you fell in love, would it flit away just as quickly as businesses seem to be closing down?

you pray those questions that night, as cricket song and sticky, heavy heat presses through your open window and gets circulated by a white box fan that stays on more for the comforting noise than any kind of cooling

god doesn't respond in words, because that's not how god works, but the next morning when you're in the grocery store squeezing plums to find one that is a little bit further from overripe than the others, billy finds you and tells you that he'll be staying in the motel in town for a few weeks (you make a face, he laughs) because his job has been delayed and maybe if you'd like to go out with him sometime, you could go to the one nice chain restaurant in town and if you decide you trust him (and his truck, which is still...questionably functional, even after repairs) enough, maybe you could drive out a little ways, just towards some of the corn fields? he would show you the stars?

and oh, you realize, this is god's answer and love and guiding hand. maybe it is time to move on.

[zyxoxox]

I CAME RUNNING SO FAST WHEN I SAW THE CHARACTER + SONG

So, hear me out, Romeo and Cinderella by our god and savior Hatsune Miku with Billy Kid? 👀

Idk why that is what my brain came up with but hmmm, it would be so silly

If you don't like the first combo tho, Bud Like You by AJR with Anton would be the other one I have in mind

romeo and cinderella.

note: YES HII!! this is my first time listening to this song, actually, i haven’t heard much vocaloid. it seems to be about teenage rebellion/ running away with your lover?? it’s also pretty suggestive but i’m not so good at writing that haha 🙂

i like how it’s about getting caught up in a moment and wanting to live in it forever, and moments like that for me are at the beach, so this is sorta structured like a beach episode!

send me a song + character!

billy kid x reader || 0.5k wc

“no, [name], not the water, my circuits are gonna burst!”

the cunning hares, after a long and tiring commission, needed a break. and while nicole still had her eye on their expenses and growing debts, she figured no harm would come from a simple beach day.

“your circuits will be fineee! and if they’re not, i’ll just fix ‘em up later. c’mon, anby, help me catch billy!”

for the last 15 minutes, you had been chasing billy around the ocean with a bucket of water, hoping to dump it on his head. he seemed to be firmly against the idea- not that you cared.

“but my hair! it’ll get all wet!”

“we’re at the beach silly, that’s supposed to happen!”

he shook his head vigorously and ran away, shouting for nicole’s help.

“you’re on your own, billy, i’m too busy getting a nice tan.”

billy had run quite a bit before stopping to cool down his engines. he was about knee-deep in the water, and you were- nowhere to be found? wait, that couldn’t be right.

it was eerily quiet, too quiet, in fact. had he outrun you so easily? that had to be it!

“haha, take that, [name]!” he laughed to himself. “nobody can chase down THE billy kid!”

he cockily held up his head in the air, looking back at the shore. “well, it can’t be helped, i’m much stronger after all. [name]’s probably gonna be super upset and make that cute pouty face! it’s alright though, i’ll buy them some ice cream to make it up to- aaaAAAAA!”

an icy cold splash of water crashed down billy’s head, seeping into his clothes and onto his body. he could feel the water crackle in his circuits, making his auditory sensors buzz.

“GOT YOU!”

in the split of a second you emerged from underneath him, jumping onto his back. the two of you toppled into the water, and you managed to fall flat on his face.

“ow! ugh, billy, you hurt to fall on,” you complained, rubbing on your forehead.

“that’s what you get for dumping water on me,” billy laughed, helping you soothe out the place you’d fell. “look at that, i managed to see your pouty face anyway. tit for tat, right?”

“you’re insufferable,” you huffed. he ruffled your hair with a laugh, throwing you back on your feet. you still looked a little sulky, billy thought. then he got an idea.

“hey anby, race you to the shore!”

without a moment’s hesitation he hoisted you onto his shoulders, making you scream in surprise.

“billy, what are you-“

“no time to talk, [name]! we’ve gotta catch up with anby!”

and so he ran, with you on his shoulders, as though you weighed nothing;as though he was a knight in shining armour.

but… if he was a knight, were you cinderella, who had found their prince charming? or were you juliet, whose future with romeo was unforeseen and uncertain?

well, it certainly didn’t matter now. right now, you wanted to live in this moment, not the ones ahead of you.

whatever tomorrow held could be dealt with later- after winning the race, that is!

[harumasa-wifey]

Heard you wanted to talk about Asaba Harumasa, here I am! He's my second favorite character in the game after Billy Kid and I already have some nice headcanons for him, such as him and Corin being childhood friends because they were both in the same hospital (remember Corin had a critical illness that needed a deadly surgery which you can see that she still has the scar in her Mindscape) so I see him as her adopted big brother who gave her her teddy bear. I also headcanon that he takes as much as leaves and sick days as possible just to be able to keep up with his treatments and hospitalisations that probably takes up a lot of his time, I could see him having lived in the hospital for as long as he can remember. One canon fact that I know thanks to one of Yanagi's trust event is that he is the only one who can sing well (apparently) when Section 6 and Section 5 meet up for karaoke, as Soukaku only knows oni songs which aren't in the playlists and Miyabi doesn't know any songs of this era, and Yanagi is a terrible singer, so for that I do hope that we'll see his VA sing a song in one of his character videos that we'll probably get this week since he and Miyabi are coming next week. Also while Yanagi is labeled as the normal one in the group, actually it would be Harumasa, since he is just very lazy and carefree but he is actually more down to earth compared to her, as she seems to have perfect memory and gets work done so well that even a robot would have trouble keeping up with her. I like to headcanon him and Miyabi as the disaster twins for constantly trying to shirk off work and constantly cover one another and help one another and have meetings about how to dodge their responsabilities in the office more often. Harumasa gives her ideas in how to skip section heads meetings and Miyabi is fine with him taking his sick leaves and doing his best at not getting any overtime, they get each other so well on that. XD

Oh please he is my favourite character now! I dropped playing the game on the first version because it got tiresome to me BUT when I saw leaks of him in the new quest (event special) I knew i needed this man now i don't have a single 5 in the game he will be my first and last i am definitely pulling for him don't matter if I get him free his w- engine LITERALLY CONTAINS MEDICINE he makes me wanna cry why did they do this to my man. I thought he was just a little silly guess he is more than that. I DID NOT KNOW THAT ABOUT CORIN I LITERALLY MAIN HER WTF guess i need to more deep search thank you for the info tho AND BIG BROTHER HARU THAT GUY IS A SOFTIE. He Gotta keep with all those medical reports and medicine literally he was a child i am not sure if they experimented on him or it was an accident but oh boy if they experimented on him hoyo is up for some serious talk. I REALLY WANNA HEAR HIM SING NOW. Gotta manifest his va singing fr. Yanagi is extraordinary to me she is literally so smart and holy crap she memorized that whole manual in such a short time yep she is anything but normal. While soukaku is busy thinking about snacks and miyabi and harumasa finding new ways to skip work yanagi almost manages everything including their leaves which oh boy it sounds tiresome yet she looks balanced doing all that shit. I love my lazy and carefree boy he could have been more normal if all that didn't happen. I genuinely didn't see this coming it broke my heart seeing his child self wrapped in all those endless wires and kept in confinement. The disaster partners!! Yess! Can definitely imagine them skipping meetings and paper work the only paper miyabi needs signed is her will by her gf (yanagi) it almost as anytime yanagi does something fascinating she has her will paper out with a pen "sgin this (⁠ ⁠╹��▽⁠╹⁠ ⁠)" like calm down girl y'all can get this signed in your marriage. Like i just finished the special mission and oh boy i wanna kiss harumasa so bad i typed his name so many times even my keyboard knows it now 😭. HIS LITTLE BANGBOO IS SOOO CUTE I WANNA HOLD HIM SO BADD. Thank you so much for indulging me in this i wanted to talk about it so badly.

[lunajay33]

Destiny🐺

Summary: Paul has just shifted to his new life as a wolf and feels empty without his imprint hoping he finds her soon, y/n just moved to forks to live with her sister Bella and decides to go to the bone fire to make new friends

•Masterlist•

“Y/n hurry up we’re gonna be late” bella called out to me

“Okay give me a second” I ran down the stairs pulling on my jacket and shoes and she went and got in the truck

The engine roared making me laugh to myself and the horrific sound

I jumped in and we were off, I always loved forks, I never wanted to leave but Bella didn’t want to live away from me, so I decided to visit dad at least twice a year, after bella stopped going I still went, I always felt like I lived in her shadow, she always got all the attention and I was just kinda….there

But hopefully now I can reconnect with some of the La push people again, when I’d visit with dad I’d hang around Leah, Seth and Jacob, sometimes the others but they made me nervous sometimes

Bella was the awkward one while I was the shy one, I liked being with people but I couldn’t seem to ever start the conversation out of fear of what might happen, it was silly but I couldn’t help it, hopefully being around those rowdy boys might help break me out of that

As we drove down to Jacobs house, the beautiful forest flashing past, I knew I was always meant to be here, for some reason I always had this pull and connection the La push, I’d come and sit on the beach or walk through the forest and just feel at peace

We pulled up to the little red house I loved to see, I jumped out and ran over to where Billy and Jacob were, this is the first time I’ve seen them since moving back

“Billy! Jacob! I missed you guys!” I said yelling in excitement as I finally reached them

“Y/n you’re here! It’s so good to see you” billy smiled as he motioned me into a hug, I bent down and he squeezed me tight, he was always like a second dad here

I pulled back and looked back over at Jake

“Woah what happened to your hair man?” I said as I ruffled his short hair

“It’s new, not my favorite but it needed the chop” he said but I somehow felt like he was lying

“Now come on the elders should be here soon” billy said as Jacob started pushing him to fire

“Wait what? Elders? Are we allowed to be here?” I asked nervous, not wanting to intrude

“Oh it’s fine, we invited you so you’re more than welcome” Jake said as we finally got to the fire

I felt relieved, Bella sat down next to Jacob but they was only enough room on the log for them so I didn’t know where to sit, I glanced around looking for a spot

Interrupted by Seth, he ran up to me pulling me into a hug

“Y/n! Why didn’t you call and say you’re here, me and Leah missed you, we were sad when you didn’t move back with Bella”

“Sorry I wanted to move back, I never wanted to move away in the first place but my mom needed help with somethings before I could come back, I missed you guys too though” I said as I moved over seeing Leah and giving her a hug, she didn’t seem like her old self but she did seem excited to see me

“Finally another girl around to talk to” she smiled

“I’m glad because the people in forks don’t seem to like to make friends”

“Well you’re always welcome at la push” Seth said, he was almost jumping out of his skin

I went back to looking for a seat when I saw an open spot neck to a guy I remember as Paul, I always remember when he’d be around I’d always get butterflies in my stomach but never really thought too much about it until now

The light from the fire was glowing on his skin, his smile was so nice, he has become so handsome, he was even more buff now

I took a deep breathe and walked over to him

“Hey do you mind if I sit here?” I asked before I sat down

He looked up at me but froze, there was this look in his eyes like he never wanted to look away, I was usually uncomfortable with this amount of eye contact but….I loved it, I sat next to him without breaking contact, I didn’t even care what was happening around us

“Paul you good?” I heard Sam call, breaking us both out of our trance

“Oh uh sorry” he said

“It’s okay, how’ve you been Paul? I haven’t seen you in so long?”

“Good just the usual here, glad you’re here” he smiled and the butterflies erupted again

“I’m glad I’m here too, you cut your hair too” I frowned as I brushed my fingers through his hair, gently tracing down to his cheek, noticing how he leaned into my touch

Billy went on to tell the history of the tribe, it was so interesting, I looked at Paul again noticing his he sat closer to me, seeing how all the boys were so entranced by the story, sure it was an amazing story but for these boys to be so entertained made me think that this story might be real

Part.2<-

[enmuswife3]

Maybe its a Blessing in Disguise

Jacob x werewolf!Reader

reader moves from LA to Forks in order to reconnect with her old family friend Bella Swan and meets Jacob.

Reader is slightly Afro Latina coded I haven’t rlly said anything about reader’s hair tho so maybe just Latina, also speaks Spanish and incorporates it into random sentences but only if she knows the other person can understand it, reader wears a black juicy tracksuit and chunky sandals bc I said so Jacob does not know that reader is a werewolf reader and is in a pack ill add more as i write

Bruh he is SO FOINE GRRRR BARK BARK BARK WOOF WOOF WOOF

I yawned as I drove to my best friend's house after hearing that her pasty-faced boyfriend had broken up with her. “Bells! vine tan pronto como pude!” I said barging into the house and the young girl's room. I walked in and saw her crying in her bed “Okay pause those sheets are so tacky what the hell” I said carefully sitting down and taking her in my arms letting her cry into my velvety tracksuit. “let's get you better amor” i said kissing the top of her head and helping her stand up. I got her into the shower, washed her face, and put her back to bed as it was already 10:00.

I woke her up bright and early and got her into the bathroom to do something to her face and hair you know to bring that Arizonan girl out and honestly, it worked wonderfully. I put on another tracksuit this time it's dark green and I give Bella a matching one “Tan guapa” I complimented her smiling softly seeing her face turn red alright let go I say grabbing my keys “Wait you driving?” Bella asked “yea silly it’s a sports car though so prepárate,” I said stepping outside and unlocking my Dodge Charger and turning it on making the engine rev like crazy. I smiled as I headed towards the school that I recently enrolled in.

I pulled into a parking spot seeing all the different people including some of Bella’s acquaintances that she showed me a picture of. I stepped out of the car looking around seeing her pasty faced ex-boyfriend through my shades looking right at me, I smirked slightly walking over and opening the door for Bella and helping her out. I chuckled seeing her stumble due to me going 30 over the speed limit. She put her arm around my waist covering up my back tattoo i did the same as we walked through the parking lot ignoring the stares. Thankfully i was able to get all of my classes with Bella so we walked to class together.

Time Skip

It was the end of the day and me and Bella were walking outside and to my car just to find a bunch of random people standing around my car “watch this” i snickered as i pressed the automatic on button and watched as the people jumped and yelped by me turning on the car. I open the door and get in and so does Bella i peered into the mirror seeing the Cullens staring at my car “they stare a whole lot” i said raising my eyebrows. I drove out of the parking lot “ hey can you take me to this place my friend wants to hang out” Bella said “sure”.

We made it to this guy named Billy’s house and when you pulled up several shirtless dudes where sitting on the front deck. I got out and immediately smelled like there were other werewolves and i guess they could smell me too because they immediately turned in my direction. “Guys this is y/n l/n” Bella hesitantly introduced me i smiled politely at the boys “well I’m Seth that’s Quill, Embry, and Jacob” the boy said smiling sweetly “n/n wanna come with us to La Push there’s gonna be a bonfire” Bella asked “uh sure i wont stay too long though a bitch needs her sleep or we wont make it to school tomorrow” i laughed “ well I’m gonna go home i need a shower” i sighed pressing the automatic button on my car key turning up the car making the engine rev. I walked to my car “you stayin’ right?” I looked at Bella as i opened the door, she nodded a few times and i got in my car and sped off.

Bella’s POV

I watched as my friend sped away in her car “soo where’s she from? I know she wasn’t born here” Quil asked “Yeah she’s from LA” I responded as I sat down next to Jacob “What’s LA?” Jacob asked with a raised eyebrow “LA stands for Los Angeles it's in California” I said leaning back and pulling out my phone to text y/n the time she can come back and where. Jacob leaned his head to the side to see what I was doing “So this y/n girl…is she single?” Quil asked as he leaned back in his chair licking his lips “Surprisingly yes” I said “Honestly I don’t even know how or why she’s single I guess the boys in California didn’t catch her attention” I shrugged.

“Are you all ready? And do we have everything we need?” Jacob called out as he finished loading the supplies into his truck “Yeah we’re ready” I called out getting into the passenger seat and the other boys got into the back seat. I dialed y/n’s number and waited for her to answer” Hello?” She answered, “Hey we’re on our way to La Push where are you now?” “Umm I’m at a shopping center right now getting Auntie Annie’s” she answered “Oooh get me a pretzel please,” I asked “ está bien I’m about to leave now no estoy muy lejos” “Okay bye” “Peace”. I hung up the phone “Was she speaking Spanish?” Seth asked “yea it’s her first language” I said looking out the window as the trees turned into cliffs and this cliff turned into the beach. It was slightly crowded but I wasn’t bothered by that. The bonfire was set up and I was waiting patiently for y/n to come with my delicious pretzel.

Y/n’s POV

I pulled into the parking lot and looked around before I got out holding Bella’s pretzel and a lemonade in my other hand I walked towards the bonfire which was actual a long distance away so I started sipping on my frosted lemonade. The soft light of the fire grew larger as I neared I scanned for a spot to sit at and slightly tensed up seeing that the only spot open was by that Jacob guy. No I don’t hate him or anything he’s actually very attractive in fact he looks like he was sculpted by a god or something. And ohh don’t get me started on his eyes and the way his brows furrow- that’s enough rambling for one day I thought to myself. I saw Bella get up happily scurrying towards me grabbing the pretzel and taking a bite happily. “Oh um there aren’t anymore seats by me so I guess you’ll have to sit with Jay” Bella said looking around “oh okay” I said sitting down on the bench by the young boy.

Time Skip

Everyone was laughing and enjoying their time Jacob and I grew silent but I could feel his eyes on me. Bella and the 3 other boys were talking and laughing but I kind of just zoned them out by playing a random game on my phone. “So y/n how’s the weather there in California?” Jacob asked as he sat up straight “extremely hot I can say that” I laughed breathlessly “so do you like it over here more?” I grew silent for a moment looking back at Bella and the others joking around “I guess you could say that though I do miss my family” I smiled softly looking back at Jacob. I could see a slight hint of red in his cheeks but I dared not to say anything about it. “Alright y/n I’m ready to go” Bella said getting up “okay” I said getting up “it was nice meeting you all” I said softly walking over to Bella and turning around. “Yeah it was nice meeting you” Seth said as the others nodded in agreement I softly smiled and turned around to see Bella already walking off I smacked my lips jogging after her.

We had finally made it to my car and we got in and I drove away “soo Jacob huh~ think he’s cute?” Bella asked teasingly and laughed when I blushed “I think he’s really into you y/n~” she laughed “I should set you two up” I laughed nervously “I mean I wouldn’t be complaining he is cute” I said as I pulled into the driveway and got out the car. “Oh by the way me and Edward are okay now I guess but I don’t know if we’re back together yet, also prom is Friday night and I think you should come” Bella said as we walked into the house “okay but I don’t trust that pasty-face bastard, and yea we can go to prom can you come dress shopping with me?” I asked “sure”.

“Alright goodnight Bells” I yawned as I walked to my room, I laid down and called my mom as it was only 8:00 where she was “hi momma” I spoke sweetly “hi my sweet baby how is mare you doing?” My mother cooed “ah I’m alright schools pretty nice here and I love the weather” I gushed “that’s good sweetie now have you met anyone? Any boys?” My mother asked slyly. I chuckled nervously “there’s this one boy but when I first met him I got a whiff of that wet dog smell so I think he’s one of us including his friends or should I say pack” I whispered “another pack? Well I’m not surprised. You haven’t come across any of those cold ones have you?” She asked “unfortunately yes, I have and I think Bella has a relation shit with one of them” I sighed “god well if you need any help let out a howl and your siblings will be there in a bling of an eye” “I will momma, I’m going to go to sleep now okay?” “Alright love call me if you need anything alright? Bye now” I hung up the phone and placed it on my nightstand and rolled over to look at the ceiling. I waited for a few minutes just in case then I softly closed my eyes.

I was woken up by my 5:00 alarm and got up with a groan. I quickly got ready and headed downstairs just to see Bella introducing her so called “boyfriend” to Charlie “good morning Charlie!” I say walking up to the chief giving him a big hug somehow he was still taller than me “mornin’” he huffed “y/n this is Edward” Bella said “hi.uh nice to meet you” I said looking him up and down questionably. “It’s nice to meet you too I’m about to take Bella to play baseball ball with my family would you like to join?” The pale-faced man smiled “I’ll go if Bells wants me to” I stated as I turned to the girl raising my eyebrow. “Yeah you should come but take your car so I can have a ride home,” Bella said smiling “Okay. “

“Y/n, I trust that you’ll keep Bella safe and not let any harm come to her correct?” Charlie asked sternly but I could see right through him “She won’t get into any type of danger as long as I’m breathing” I said with a glint in my eyes. “She’s safe with me,” I said holding up my hands and retracted my claws smiling. Charlie nodded and walked off to get ready for work Bella and her boyfriend were already outside I sipped on some water and pressed the button to turn on my car “I’ll follow you guys or you could just tell me the location so I can speed how I’d like to” I said looking at Edward “I think it’d be best if you followed since I don’t know where we’re going” “erm okay I guess” I shrugged walking to my car.

The car ride there was pretty long but I understand what Edward meant by him not even knowing where we were going himself because there were three other cars in front of him at last we finally made it to the destination three women got out of one car and three men came out of theirs I opened my door and got out and walked next to Bella and rested my elbow on her shoulder. “Y/n this is Alice, Rosalie, and Esme” “Hi y/n I’ve seen you in the halls but I was too nervous to come up to you,” Alice said chuckling nervously “I know right? When I first met her she looked like she wanted to fight me but she’s a sweetheart really” Bella smiled “Looks like it” Rosalie said eyeing me up and down. I heard a twig snap and immediately turned my head to see who it was kind of surprising the three women.

After I was introduced to everyone the game had finally begun and I could tell that they were very serious about the game. I stood at one of the bases and looked to my side seeing Bella at another one then all of a sudden she caught the ball and threw it at me and I could see in the corner of my eye Rosalie running towards me using her super speed I caught the ball just before she could slide to the base “you're out.” I said looking down at her. She stood up immediately and let out a growl as if she were trying to scare me I raised my eyebrow tilted my head and watched her stomp away.

“Stop!” Alice yelled everyone walked to her “Someone’s coming”

Yall i was so excited writing this yall do not knowww anywho not rlly proof read i just used Grammarly to correct sum stuff so if it sounds weird it’s that😓🙏

[hoosbandewan]

THE Billy Taylor Post

I have a love/hate relationship with The Halcyon as a show overall. I don't feel like all of it is written well, but the area in which it definitely excels is Billy Taylor's story. You know, the cutie pie bellboy that Ewan plays and who is always bugging out in all of the gifs we make of him. He's young, he's sweet, and he's insanely adorable.

And his story is also the best in the entire show. In my opinion!!

I also cry whenever I think about Billy for too long but we'll get into that later, hehe.

Spoilers for The Halcyon, btw!

If you haven't seen it, The Halcyon is set at a fancy hotel in London just as WWII has come to Britain. Also, fair warning that this post is a little bit all over the place because I have SO MANY BILLY TAYLOR FEELS

At the start of the show, Billy is seventeen and working at The Halcyon as a bellboy. He's portrayed by Ewan as someone who's maybe a little bit... no thoughts, head empty. I jokingly refer to Billy as having big NPC energy when he's in the background of scenes because it looks like he has radio static going through his head whenever he's not being interacted with. And like to think that it's not because it was Ewan's first gig as an actor. I think Billy genuinely is a little bit daft. He's the baby himbo. He's the golden retriever puppy who isn't the smartest in the room but he makes up for it with hard work and dedication and pure sweetness.

I mean, he's only seventeen and he appears to be one of the higher ranking bellboys at the hotel. He's given important tasks like welcoming ~secret guests to the hotel, showing new hires where to go, and personally taking care of high ranking guests' belongings. He's clearly trusted by the management and is, more importantly, very good at his job.

But, bless his heart... Billy can be kind of a mess. He's forgetful and sometimes just plain thick. He loses the family dog of the lord and lady who own the hotel while taking it out for a walk. (Literally how does that happen. Billy.) He bungles the staff poker game by revealing his hand without realizing. He's also a silly little dumbass when he and a couple of the other hotel staff are at the movie theater and see the lady who owns the hotel (who's there on a !secret date) and he straight up points at her from several aisles back with his eyes all bugging out. Be more obvious, Billy!

Billy is young and naive and maybe not the smartest guy around, but you know what? He's good at what he does (most of the time, lol) and he's a damn hard worker.

He's also someone who knows that people are reluctant to believe in him and he clearly doesn't like that. Billy signs up to join the army the moment he turns eighteen and, although we don't see it, his mum Peggy (who works at the hotel as the telephonist aka switchboard operator) mentions to the hotel general manager that there was a bit of an argument between them over it.

“Do you know why he was so upset that I didn’t want him signing up? He thought I was saying he wasn’t good enough.”

He also gets angry with his mum when his call-up papers do arrive. I know I called him daft before, so I'm giving him credit where credit is due - he actually very cleverly notices that the letter should have gone to his family's house, but it showed up at the hotel instead. And, upon learning that he's been assigned to the Royal Artillery instead of what he wanted - the engineers - he knows it was his mum (with the help of the hotel general manager, but he doesn't know that part) who moved things around so that Billy could stay close to home.

He angrily tells her, "I ain't a child no more," and storms out of the room. Billy wants to prove himself. He wants to be a grown up with responsibilities and he wants to be believed in.

You feel for him, but you also feel for his mum, who is watching her only son grow up and enlist in the war effort. At one point, Peggy mentions that she was only 19 or 20 by the time she'd had Billy, so she was a young mother (and still is!). Her worrying and fretting over him clearly annoys him because he's a teenager, but, god you feel for her. We also learn that Billy's dad, Jim, was drafted to fight in the war so she must be out of her mind with worry. I'll get more into my Billy feels as related to his mum in a bit. But I mean... just look at this line of Peggy's after Billy's joined the army:

“I pray. I fuss. I hold him a little tighter each time I see him."

Before I move on, GOSH, Billy is such a teenager when it comes to his interactions with his mum, lol. He doesn't want her fussing over him or being affectionate. He shrugs her off when she tries to fix his collar. He's reluctant to let her kiss his cheek... but he lets her do it anyway, of course.

Speaking of his family, Billy's relationship with his little sister, Dora, is also so cute and I love them. She tells another character that she doesn't miss him once he's moved out to join the army because she thinks he's "annoying" but she really does love him, lbr. And he's clearly very close with her, too.

At one point, their family home is destroyed in the Blitz so Peggy and Dora move into The Halcyon for a while. Billy watches his sister on mornings that he can get away from his army duties. He carries her around piggyback style. He lets her wear his army hat. He calls her "squirt." They're freaking adorable.

There's also a cute little moment during one of the Blitz raids where Billy's mum and sister are in the hotel shelter and Dora is frightened. Her mum tells her to listen for the sounds of the artillery and says, “That’s our Billy. He’s protecting us.”

And he is. Billy is a protector. He's always looking out for the people he cares about. When Kate, the maid he has a crush on, is SA'd by the Count, Billy angrily confronts him and even points the Count's own fucking gun at him. AND HE PULLS THE TRIGGER. He was about to fucking murder this man for doing what he did to Kate!

Billy is a fucking real one. God, he's the best character.

I don't have anywhere specific to put this, but I wanted to mention how much I love the little detail the writers added in about Billy's handiness and interest in machinery:

He is seen chatting with one of the waiters about the guns they use in the war and is later able to correctly identify the type of German plane flying over the hotel.

Later on in the season, The Halcyon's general manager and head concierge are trying to fix the hotel generator and lamenting that Billy was the one who always maintained it before he left to join the army. (I will come back to this later because omg)

Billy himself mentions to his mum at one point that he's planning on helping a neighbor with some things she needs done in her shelter and that he expects it to be a quick job.

When he joins the army, he's put in charge of operating one of the anti-aircraft guns - directing his fellow soldiers and being the one to manually operate the machine itself.

Now that I think I've covered every other Billy feel, I have to talk about... the worst one. The saddest one. His death. /:

I don't know how to say this without sounding like a complete [Michael Gavey voice] loooser, but I can't really think about Billy and his story in this show for too long without... crying? Oof.

I think that's a testament to just how well written his storyline was in this show. They make you care so fucking much about this sweet, innocent, pure-hearted, good to a fault, daft, brave young man so much that, when he dies in the Blitz, it really fucking hurts.

I swear, thinking about Billy Taylor deals psychic damage to me every time.

And I think that, part of the reason that Billy's death hurts so much is because of how it's shown to us. We all know the famous orange scene between Billy and Kate so I'm sorry for ruining it by making it sad, lol. But that scene ends with Kate telling Billy that she'll meet him the next morning to share the orange with him. So when morning comes and the hotel staff are arriving and see Kate waiting impatiently for "someone" who hasn't arrived, your heart fucking sinks immediately.

They don't even tell us about Billy's death by showing Peggy learning of the news. We're told through Kate's POV. He doesn't show up to their meeting in the morning and, when she arrives for her shift, the staff has been gathered around by the general manager. Only then do we learn that Billy was killed by a parachute mine the night before. And we follow Kate to the same closet where Billy gave her the orange, where she's sobbing and cradling the fruit in her hands.

But what's even sadder is that Billy remains a presence throughout the rest of the show. You, as the viewer, grieve him alongside not only his family, but also the people who knew him and worked with him.

When the hotel loses power during a bombing one night and the general manager and head concierge are trying to fix the generator, they're lost for what to do and even lost for words because Billy was the one who always handled the generator. They end up fixing the thing by taking a wrench and banging the side of it because "That's what Billy used to do." And it works. The generator turns back on thanks to Billy. Thanks to the memory of him. And the concierge look up and says, "Clever lad," as though Billy can hear him.

Of course, Peggy spends the rest of the season grappling with the loss of Billy, too. The other characters mention more than once that she's "talking about Billy as though he's still here" and that it's worrying them. Eventually, the general manager sits down with her and she says that she does know he's gone but that it's so hard to believe because she wants to think that he could just walk through the door at any moment.

But, oh my god, the saddest moment of the show for me... is the moment when Peggy is walking through the hallway in the staff area of the hotel and she sees one of the bellboys walking towards her. He has his head down so his face is in shadow but he's about the same height as Billy... and you can see in Peggy's face that she's allowing herself - just for that one moment - to imagine that it's Billy. To let herself think that he's still alive. You're watching her process the scene before her and seeing her think, "Could it be him?" for those few seconds... until she sees the bellboy's face. And, oh my god, it absolutely wrecks me every single time.

Billy's death is the reason that Peggy gives up the one thing she has left - Dora - and sends her away to the countryside along with the other children who are being evacuated from London. Because she can't bear the thought of losing her last living child.

Billy is the character who shows the audience how cruel and unforgiving the war is. That it can take anyone, no matter how sweet and kind and young and good the person is.

And it illustrates the enormity of the chasm they leave behind.

Billy's loss is felt in everyone, from his family to the people he worked with to the girl he had a crush on. AND IT'S FELT IN ME, TOO, GODDAMN

This was so long and I may not have even touched upon all of my feels but thanks for coming to my Billy Taylor TED Talk. I fucking love him. The writers did an amazing job writing him. 10/10, no notes whatsoever. I cry every single time.

He's such an underrated Ewan character and, I know I haven't mentioned it much, but Ewan's portrayal of him is flawless. He's perfect at capturing all the silliness, daftness, and earnestness that makes up our sweet little Billy!

Tl;dr - Everyone should love Billy Taylor!

Aaaand here's another gif of our sweet boy to end this massive post:

[firefistfiri]

About Billy's true creator...

1.2 leaks ahead !! Read at ur own risk !!

Disclaimer: this is just a theory and speculation!

There's little to no information as to who built him and when he was built. This guy could secretly be like a hundred years old and we wouldn't even know! It's not like he told us for how long he wandered in the Outer Ring all by himself before he joined the Sons of Calydon (very heavily implied) …

But I wanted to point two things out: His official model name, and then the inventor of BANGBOO Sunbringer, which we have seen in the lore teaser on ZZZ's official youtube.

In his Teaser, he described himself as an Intelligent Tactical Unit with Firepower-Based Area Supresson Capabilities .. That's a mouthful..

He might just he flattering himself here, but given that, this might imply that there might be more of his models around, wherever he was created.

This leads me to think that whoever created him has made him for a good purpose. Whether it's military, or hollow exploration. But the real mystery here is did his creator set him free? Did he escape because he passed the forbidden fruit test?

We can say one thing for sure and that is: He either doesn't have a clear memory of his origins for whatever reason that might be, OR he is hiding something.

.. And if you read my Billy lore summary you already know that the ''mysterious Gang'' they're talking about is the Sons of Calydon, and the gang leader refers to Caesar.

You might also remember that I have mentioned that he is not up for talking about pasts, but we don't know if he meant his more recent past or his old past, so both of these ideas could potentially work at the same time imo.

now.. shortly ABOUT SUNBRINGER, INVENTOR OF BANGBOO..

Bangboo are silly little robots that have made living on this earth filled with hollows a little less stressful and terrifying. Now they are simple, but complex at the same time.

Bangboo all have their own tasks to perform, but they also have their own language and personalities!!

I only wanted to mention this because I believe that Sunbringer might have ties with Billy's creator. Since both of their engineering are very complex in my opinion.

Whether either of them are alive stays unknown for now, I might make a deeper dive on these characters introduced in the lore teaser.

Now, I might just be overanalysing things. The world of Zenless Zone Zero has introduced us to many different species in the world and sometimes it's really not that deep. They just exist, and it's normal to them. That could also just be it, end of story.

Now I do strongly believe that we will get a bit more of Billy's lore in 1.2, as it is going to focus on the faction I have mentioned previously, Sons of Calydon, and we will even get to explore a new area which is the Outer Ring!!

... But I am afraid that they will keep it at that, and the rest we have to figure out by trust events and random mentions of the character in story and quest dialogues. Please let me be wrong!!

I mean.. how complex can he really be..?! Am I just overhyping him? Maybe! But It's fun to theorise about, that's for sure!!

Again, please lmk what you think, your theories and if I have skipped some things or have accidentally put misinformation in the post!

[jellyontheside]

time to talk to myself again but i feel strongly about these characters

but i've been wanting to do more animating audios to nicktoons unite but everytime i fine one and wanna do one i stop myself cause im just like. "i like this audio on these characters but out of context it will look like im characterizing this character as something i DON'T want"

i Don't want to characterize jimmy as this "no emotion autistic science man". he is SILLY just like the others, he can be a little bossy but that's more like the mom of the group way. he WOULD yap your ear off about his new silly thing he thought of. he WILL hyper focus on a topic or project and it takes timmy dragging him outta his lab to do something. he's not a perfect scientist, he fucks up, he makes himself look dumb sometimes and he gets embarrassed about that. he is a silly billy thats not the best socially.

and sorry for turning it gay but its like, omggg thats why i like timmyjimmy so much. they are opposite but are basically the same. they will parallel play while they are hyperfixating about their fav thing. its going to be timmy that speaks up and makes himself look like a fool. timmy has such gross passionate love for that man and jimmy is so like oughghsdjhg about it cause timmy is fucking insane.

timmy will buy him 3 bouquets 2 chocolate boxes and 5 love cards. jimmy will takes several weeks making him this elaborate very engineered contraption.

i got side tracked. i wanted to talk about danny too. who i think i feel im better with for characterizing, i just always worry that all im making him is the "haha im depressed" guy which noooo. he's a bit of a fucker and just big brother to timmy. i can't really say much here because i haven't watched much of dp yet. (imma be honest i got 4 eps in and started watching mlaatr because the corny writing and sound effects were getting to me)

[rayas-ryoiki-tenkai]

feeling things for 261. So have some 236 angst with 261 spoilers (was I thinking about billies "the greatest" while writing this? Yes. Yes I was)

Sometimes, Satoru liked thinking about his youth.

It wasn't much eventful. He didn't get his clothes muddy from childish messes, neither did he scrape his knees during a rebellious game of football on neighbouring roads. None to call him a disrespectful godforsaken brat for silly little pranks.

No pesky classmates and their shenanigans. No ugly squawks from street vendors. No one to glue to his side and ask what song he was listening to.

For it to be so tasteless, so timidly hollow as if acknowledging its existence had dire consequences. It mustn't fit for a body like his.

As a child grows, their bones ossify to lock in the crutch of a growing future. Wiggle room, so bony parts could shift to best fit for the adulthood that was shaped by their own hands. Gojo felt he was born with his bones complete.

Satoru cranes his neck to catch the glare of the sun head-on. He knows the golden hour colours the blue of his eyes the best, much too used to filling the role under the spotlight. Perhaps, in a strange way, Satoru felt he only existed as such: through the eyes of others and nothing more.

The weight settles on his chest but it's nothing new, so he chooses to pull a smile instead. It's hilarious, really. Knee-slapping, even. Within the churning of responsibilities that carved on his skin in slashes, Satoru's thinking of a regretful childhood.

What would it have been like if he bled a little from cycling over a cracked curb? Would it have hurt the way he'd seen on a passing child once?

Would someone pull his head into their chest with a consoling "who's a strong boy?" without it dampening his breath?

Satoru coughs a dribble of blood, though he intends it to be a bubbling laugh. Someone did cycle with him. Satoru can still feel the greedy arm he'd wrapped around his waist, clear days in the blue spring, twin birds of black and white chasing each other tree by tree.

Satoru liked thinking about his childhood, for that selective moment where his best friend let him have one.

Energy warps in insignificant swirls around him. His body feels light even if fate keeps him lying in his own blood, a sadistic call from gravity. The sky looks unhelpfully bland, though Satoru finds it to be pleasantly stimulating. No clouds to pose as backdrop. No aerial flybys scribbling autographs with the trail of their engines.

Devoid of extravagance. It's simple. Dull. Gojo wishes there were more sights to see like this one. Perhaps, there'll be more down south.

You were wrong, Suguru. Satoru sighs to himself. I couldn't have been the strongest. Not when I lost to you.

Satoru lifts his hand to block the sun in his eyes. His wrist falls short in a grievous loss of blood. Crimson drops on the tainted skin of his cheek. Strength slips from each of his dying cells.

The call of the strongest was a curse beyond one's he'd exorcised. Even as his limbs roll with a cry of their own, the camera rolls, and he is to fill the role of centre-stage until somebody rolled out his puppet corpse. Satoru briefly recalls the doings of his body after a supposed death, and Yuta's wide eyes at his reaction to doing whatever the hell they wanted.

So much for strongest. Even in ripping through the higher ups with the claws of the collective vengeance after Jujutsu society, nothing changed. The grumps were dead. Maliciously killed to feel the death equivalent to the magnitude on their hands. Still...

"Please, don't bear the burden of being a monster alone."

Nothing changed. The burden never lessened. Never shared. To belong to him and him only. And nothing changed.

I'm sorry, Yuta.

Satoru doesn't cry. Though the burn of his disappointment stings bad enough to spring a few tears in his eyes.

I'm sorry.

A plane cuts through the sky. The burden never lessened on his shoulders. Gojo passes it on to someone else.

[werewolfgenesis]

Headcannon dump PLEASE PLEASE PLAss

Ohh a headcanon dump, you say? Glady!!

I will say this took me quite a bit to figure out how I want to,, format?? This?? Whatever the word is LMAO but ultimately I've decided: fuck it we ball

Now for headcanons :3

Ghost has a knife collection! He doesn't remember where some of the knives came from, but he likes them anyway, he has a display case in his room for all his knives. Strangely, the ones he doesn't recognize have the initials J.C. carved into them. Wonder what that's about. Probably nothing. Ghost also enjoys photography and film making, similar to another individual very close to him!

Toast is extremely good at engineering and mechanics- his prosthetic arm is something he created and designed himself. He also has quite a bit of medical knowledge due to how much research he had done after losing his arm and creating his prosthetic. Other than creating his prosthetic, he's also created a multitude of ghost-hunting devices that PIE uses reguarly missions, as wacky as some may be

Spooker is an artist! In particular, he likes doodling flowers and small animals like cats, birds, squirrels, etc, writing poems, and he LOVES scrapbooking. He also knows how to sew!! Though, only a little. He also loves flowerpressing, he has multiple journals full of so many different little art projects and so many photos he and Ghost have taken and flowers and plants he's collected and so much more

Colon loves the ocean and space, but ESPECIALLY the ocean. Ask him about aquatic life and he'll tell you all about it, especially stuff that's in the deepest parts of the ocean, like the bigfin squid. He could spend hours or even days talking about the ocean and the wide expanse of space. He used to want to be an astronaut or marine biologist as a kid, though life led him somehow to being an athlete and then a ghost hunter. He's happy as a ghost hunter though, it's a very exciting and interesting job

Jimmy is a lot more than just some unhinged murderer, he used to be a human before he turned into the spirit he is now- however, he no longer has any memory of his life before "merging" with Ghost and his soul becoming attached to his, his real last name isn't even Casket- he just stole that from Ghost's family since he forgot his own last name. He's almost unrecognizable from who he used to be

Gavin, like Toast, is also extremely smart, just in a different way. His expertise lies more in chemistry rather than engineering. He used to not really care about sciences, or anything really, until the "Back From The Dead" pandemic, if you will, started to really, really become an issue, leading the state of the world in shambles with the constant revivals of all living things, and fueled by his jealousy towards Toast and desire to replace him, he started researching how to create a "perma-death" serum to "cure" this form of immortality plague and to get rid of Toast

Spencer is a huge fan of Vocaloid. Posters and merch, his computer is themed around Hatsune Miku and Gumi Megpoid (they're his favorites) one of his happiest memories is when he got to go to Miku Expo for the first time. I also think he was scene when he was in middleschool/highschool, he still owns a lot of clothing items and jewelry from back then, and still wears a lot of them still, even if now he dresses more "proper" with collared shirts and sweater vests

Sally was 100% an LPStuber wannabe as a kid, she owned a huge collection of LPS toys and would make silly LPS videos on Gertrude's phone and upload them to YouTube, sometimes her siblings would help her make them too. Another headcanon is that she loves clowns and the whole aesthetic of them, scary or cutesy, she loves it and definitely has clown themed LPS customs

While on the surface, Billy seems a bit airheaded and out of touch when it comes to social situations, he's actually very intelligent and knows a lot more than he lets on. He's a very skilled doctor and when it comes to his Back From The Dead ability, while he can't control it, he knows a lot more about it and how it works. It's an inherent knowledge he was born with, and he knows to keep a secret

Sue is a complete disaster when it comes to her love life. She sees a cute girl and she fumbles HARD. Sue is rather clumsy and mispeaks a lot, often accidentally tripping and accidentally bumping into other people, she really does those kinds of things a lot anyway. She doesn't beat herself up for it though, she's just a bit clumsy is all! Also she loves Fluttershy from MLP that's her girl right there

Stardust Sprinkleshine, when his human disguise, plays the role of a prophet and a disciple under the Love Cult, preaching to his followers the beliefs and virtues they follow, and condemning the non-believers, occasionally becoming "possessed" by Stardust to speak to his followers directly

Barnacle is the elder sister of Spooker, however her name and face has long since been forgotten due to the nature of Hell's Island after her "death." Her family no longer remember her, neither do her old friends, and she's unable to escape that haunted, old ghost town. She used to wear a gasmask to protect herself until she realized that it didn't matter, she was already dead

[lorifragolina]

Firebird baby

Hello! I wanted to write something like this for a long time, and it's just silly and short, I hope you enjoy as I enjoyed it! @harringrovesummerbingo

Title: Firebird Baby

Square & Prompt: B3 "Listen to the roar of that engine"

Rating: General

Word Count: 1163

Major Tags: too much fluff.

Summary: Billy is wealthy now and collects car. Steve loves him, and this day he loves him more.

Read in on AO3

“Hear the roar of that engine”

At that point, Steve used to think the very same sentence when Billy spent a little time in the garage taking care of his babies, polishing them personally and trying the engine just to check if all was in order. He was still stuck to his Camaro, now a little vintage but still rocking, for every other day, but sometimes he decided to go to the panoramic just to show them off.

”Hear the roar of this engine”, he said every time, breaking in front of Steve, with a tempting smile “Jump in, princess,” he said, and Steve quivered with pleasure and joined him in the convertible. 

Billy liked his cars, he was working hard and he deserved every whim he wanted; now they were wealthy enough to indulge their guilty and not so guilty pleasures, and all was thanks to their effort and hard work. 

Steve liked the wind in his hair, at BIlly’s side, on the road near the coast, smelling the scent of the sea and watching his boyfriend glow in the sun of his place.

“The Firebird? Why?” Said Steve that morning,  adjusting his sunglasses at the end of the driveway where Billy stopped for him. 

Billy shrugged, that mischieving crease of his mouth that always predicted troubles.

“For a change,” he smiled, chewing gum. 

He started the car and drove down the hill, slowly, a hand resting to the window, thinking. The radio was at an unusually low volume and Steve had the sensation that Billy wanted to talk, but he kept driving silently.

They both had a day free from work and both of them had errands to do, then they would have lunch together, and Steve was excited almost like for a date. 

At the end, Billy entered the city and stopped nicely at every red light without a word. He kept fidgeting with an unlit cig and looking in front of him through the ray ban, and when he parked, Steve left the car a little confused. 

��See you here in a couple of hours”, said Billy, taking off his sunglasses and dragging him close to his waist. They kissed passionately and then Steve waved to him, walking to the bank. Billy insisted on going separately to their tasks and that  was confusing too. He was acting strangely, but Steve didn’t mind it a lot, sometimes Billy liked to change, that’s all.

Steve hurried up looking at his clock. He had left the bank quickly, but then lost the track of time in the shops of the boulevard, and he was guiltily carrying more bags than he wanted to admit. He wasn’t late but he knew that Billy got easily impatient. 

Luckily Billy came in the same moment from the opposite direction. He hadn't seen him so Steve slowed a little, relieved.

He raised his eyes and saw a little kid getting out of his mother’s hand and ran right to the Firebird, his eyes popping out of his face for surprise and excitement.

Billy saw him too. Steve lowered his pace a little more, just wanting to watch the scene. 

He knew that Billy was absolutely jealous of his cars. He passed the time literally vacuuming and polishing them and let Steve drive them only on a few occasions and after a plethora of recommendations and instructions. He didn’t use them after the rain or when the desert wind blew sand in the air. He avoided smoking inside and for this he had a big provision of gums in the glove glove box. 

And he knew that never, under any concept, never never would he let someone else touch his car. Even less, a kid, with his sticky and greasy hands and his messy breath. 

The kid ran near the car, raising his hands but not daring to touch the red polish. His mouth was a perfect “O” and he made little jumps and cries, looking at the shiny color, the silver mirrors, the polished bands in the middle of the doors.

His mother grabbed him at the last second before he could touch the car.

Billy was already there at their side, towering the kid and making the keys clinking in his hand.

“I’m sorry, he just likes nice cars, but…” the mother started to excuse, but Billy ignored her, squatting in front of the kid instead.

“Do you like it?” He asked sweetly. 

The kid suddenly became shy and grabbed his mother’s hands.

“Come on, do you like it?” Billy smiled a little more. “I’m Billy, what’s your name?”

“I’m… I’m Adrian, sir,” the kid answered politely. 

Billy nodded. “And do you like cars? Do you like this car?”

The kid loosened a little. 

“Yes sir. I like the Firebird sir”.

Billy nodded and kept smiling, impressed. Steve was fascinated and enamored by the light he had in his eyes at that moment. 

“And do you ever touch one?” 

The kid shook his head. “Do you want to sit inside?”

The kid nodded and clapped enthusiastically, already forgetting of his shyness and completely captivated. Steve could understand him really well. 

Billy opened the car and helped the kid sitting in the driver seat, letting him touching the wheel, the leather seats and the briar interior. He then sat and took Adrian in his lap, Steve was surprised about how naturally Billy was acting with the kid, and inserted the keys, opened the roof and turned on the engine. 

“Hear the roar of this engine,” he said, giggling with the kid, who was completely ecstatic and happy.

“Come on Adrian, we have to go now. What do you say to this kind man?”

Adrian climbed out from the car reluctantly and took his mother’s hand again.

“Thank you, Billy,” he said.

“Anytime, Adrian. Bye!” He waved his hand, smiling brightly, noticing Steve only in that moment.

“What was that? I thought you didn’t want anybody touching your car”.

“Mmm”, murmured Billy, quickly taking a soft cloth and polishing the door around the handle.

“I thought you didn’t like kids, and less around the car”.

Billy shrugged, looking furtively at him before jumping in the car.

Steve didn’t let it go.

“Come on, what was that?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about”.

“I was sure you didn’t want kids in the cars”.

“Well, maybe it’s not true”, he took a gum and chewed it for a while. “Maybe I can change some rules. Maybe I can admit some selected kids on selected occasions in the cars”.

Steve felt a warm blush of happiness glowing on his cheek, and tried to say something, but Billy stopped him raising a hand.

“But not six. Six is too much. I’d never drive a van, I swear to God”.

Steve bursted to laughing. 

“Ok, ok, less than six”, he sputtered.

“Let’s start with one. Let’s try”, smiled Billy.

“I love you,” said Steve, grabbing his hand and kissing it.

[mercurygray]

Hiiii Merc 💜

Everything ok? Hope you're feeling better!

I saw your prompt list and I just couldn't resist... How would you feel about either nr 72 (mischief managed) or nr 74 (are you challenging me?)

For, you guessed it, my girl Fred? (I have to stay loyal to my girl)

If not, no worries 💜

Thank you 😍

- your Fred Friend

The three of them definitely looked like trouble.

Fred looked up from the table she was wiping down to see Ken Lemmons at the door of the Aero Club, his two smallest assistants in tow.

"Morning, Fred," Ken said with a smile. "Mind if we come in?"

"Oh, I'm not sure I can let these two hooligans in here," Fred added with pretend seriousness, looking down at Billy and Sammy, who was carrying a cardboard box. "Since they're not actually members of the US Armed Forces."

"Not even if we brought you a present?" Sammy asked, gesturing with the box he was holding.

"Billy and Sammy found something out at the hardstand and thought you'd like to have it," Ken explained. "I thought it'd be better if they brought it to ya in person."

Fred pretended to consider it, keeping in mind that all three of them, including Ken, looked like they were up to something. It was not outside the realm of possibility for the contents of the box to be a live frog - or a cow pie. "Well, I do like presents. Depends if it's a good one."

"We brought you a spark plug!" Billy said with a grin, obviously very pleased with his joke.

Fred's eyebrows went clear up into her hair, trying not to appear uncharitable. (Six year old boys were a tough bunch when you didn't like their jokes.) "Oh, well then. Can't say I've gotten one of those recently. Where is it?" But just as she said that, the box in Sammy's arms meowed, and one tiny black paw batted its way out of the lid. A spark plug, huh? Fred carefully opened up the box, trying not to get swiped, and came face to face with a tiny scrap of a black kitten, eyes peering querulously up from the cardboard. It yowled inquisitively and tried to stand up on its back legs to get out, not quite strong enough to make the jump yet.

"Goodness me. Where on earth did you find him?"

Sammy spoke up immediately. "We were helping Ken with the engine and he needed a spanner -"

"A wrench," Billy corrected over his friend, looking at Ken for confirmation that he'd used the right word. Ken nodded, but Sammy had kept right on going.

"-And there was a noise in the boxes of spare parts! So we named him Spark Plug!"

"He scratched me," Billy added, showing the still-red scratch on his good hand. "But I don't think he meant it."

"I think he might have gotten away from his mother and crawled in where it was warm," Ken offered, by way of actual context. "Needs a little bit of looking after, but I thought he might help with your mice."

Helen came round the corner with the bookkeeping ledgers, heading for the back office from the supply room. "What's this? Presents for Fred and not for me?"

"I think he's for all of us, Helen." Fred collected the box from Sammy and tipped it to show Helen. The kitten batted at the box again. "This is Spark Plug."

"Oh, goodness, isn't he a darling," Helen said, reaching in with one finger to pet his small velvet head. "Hello, you. Are you hungry, precious? Did those boys give you a silly name?"

"Can we help feed him?" Billy asked, obviously with an eye to the main chance of getting into the kitchen and closer to whatever today's treats were likely to bed.

"Before we do anything he's going to go outside and get a bath, and while we're doing that you're going to go with Ken to the ammunition depot and find us a tray of sand," Helen announced. "He needs a place to do his business. If we're going to start with cats I want them to know what the expectations are."

"Well, come on, you heard Miss Helen," Ken said, a hand on both their small shoulders. "Let's go find some sand."

Their mischief now mostly managed, the two boys took off at a run towards Ken's Jeep, their handler taking his sweet time behind them so he could drive over to the depot. Trouble, Fred repeated to herself with a grin, still holding the box. Inside, Spark Plug made another swipe at the cardboard. "Are we keeping you out of trouble or getting you into it, buddy?"

The cat only yowled again, and Fred, for her part, agreed.

[jar-of-ectoplasm]

tf2 mercs as horror characters and why i think so

sooooo i know this isn't what i've been telling you guys i was gonna post BUT i'm uninspired and i re-listened to welcome to horrorwood (ice nine kills) and it got me thinkin about this

i'm gonna start out with the mercs that i have the most solid reasoning and then it'll slowly turn into bullshit

it's pretty similar to an old jojo post i made a while ago

pyro:

OBVIOUSLY i'm gonna make pyro the miner/harry warden (from my bloody valentine) because they're both silent stalking freakos with gas masks

i also think it's pretty fitting considering valentine's day is all lovey-dovey and cutsie and pyro-vision is pretty much the same way

i could also see pyro being the thing (from the thing) because of the mystery draped around pyro's identity/what they actually look like and i just love that movie so damn much

spy:

PATRICK BATEMAN PATRICK BATEMAN ARE WE SERIOUS???? they're both sophisticated homicidal dickheads i personally think it's a perfect match

psychopathe francais coming to all theaters right now go buy a ticket

medic:

oh medic you silly guy you

i have two visions for medic, one of which is herbert west (from re-animator) because DUH mad science

BUT (even if it's a bit of a stretch) i think medic would go perfectly with pinhead (from hellraiser) because 1) medic did sell his soul to the devil so the whole demon thing works out, 2) medic is a sadistic freak and 3) i just think it would be sexy alright

demo:

demo wouldn't be a horror villain he would be ash williams (from the evil dead) because i just can't see demo being a serial killer (even though he technically is) he's just too silly for this world and he deserves a silly character to go with it

soldier:

in a similar manner to demo, solider can and will not be given a deep brooding character because he is simply too silly. soldier is one of the werewolves from what we do in the shadows (the movie not the show) because my heart tells me and by god my heart is correct

sniper:

i didn't have very many ideas for sniper but i think the best fit for him would be the collector/asa emory (from the collector series) because in my opinion, sniper's weird hunter-like relationship with the people he kills kinda reminds me of how the collector functions with all the traps and the games he plays with his victims [not like jigsaw though, it's different] (granted i haven't seen the movie in a little bit, cut me some slack)

heavy:

honestly i could see him as being any of the big, silent killers in film (jason voorhees, michael myers, you know the drill) but i think it would be funnier if he were frankenstein's monster and medic was dr. frankenstein

scout:

he is being difficult but it's not because i don't have an idea for him, i have too many ideas for him. i think it would be really silly if he was norman bates (from psycho) because he's a momma's boy, but i could also see him being anton tobias (from idle hands) because he's silly and dumb but i could ALSO see him being billy lenz (from black christmas) because he's a depraved little freak

engineer:

he is giving me the most trouble. i want to keep his southern-ness but i also don't wanna dumb down his character because i love engineer. honestly the only characters i could give him that do him even a little bit of justice is bo sinclair (from house of wax) or tinker sawyer from the god awful texas chainsaw 3 (which i love with all my heart)

[snails-and-cinnamon]

Some mortal engines fanart because I never stop thinking about these silly billies.

Yes I think I’m funny.

[mdhwrites]

Zenless Zone Zero's Billy: The Deadpool Worry

This isn't about comedy tastes. That might sound weird since I'm going to talk a lot about comedy but it's important to understand that even the best jokes delivered poorly can end up falling flat on their face. A stand up comedian is not just good because they have good material, it's also because they know how to deliver that material.

So what's the Deadpool problem then? Deadpool, at least when he's recognizably Deadpool, usually does this well, right? Well... Yes. But many have tried to copy him, haven't they? The one I'm most familiar with was the tv show Ultimate Spiderman, where they had Spiderman essentially just be Deadpool and the comedy there worked well enough.

But both Deadpool in the comics, with exaggerated posing, perspective, etc. like that and a cartoon show with its potential for manic energy, quick cuts, stuff like that, helps add to the fun there. The live action Deadpool even relies on good direction and an EXTREMELY good voice actor paired with great material that works for the lack of exaggeration to make the transition work. It's also paired with still a lot of big, silly movements to help sell all of that.

But I have seen a lot of pieces of media have those over the top, zany, fourth wall breaking characters and without the animation, fervor, etc. to back it up they have been VERY sour for me.

And Billy is in a Hoyo game. You know, where most conversations have a half a dozen poses at most, extremely static cameras (if any camera work or poses) and well... Watch these trailers.

Even just here, with the ability to do more, we see some of the limitations. The first trailer works better because they let him be a lot more wild while the second one is relying ENTIRELY on the voice and dialog and is suffering from that. It's not helped that the dialog and joke they're going for isn't great. Admittedly the jokes for Zenless Zero so far in the trailers have been... Safe. Not bad but safe, to a point where they cause a slight problem on their own, and I could get into it if people are curious. Voice is good though.

But the thing that kills it the most is that there isn't the energy needed for these jokes. That for as hard as the voice actor is trying to go, if the other elements aren't backing them up, it's going to feel flatter than it should. Almost all comedy will suffer from these sorts of things but this eccentric sort of comedy more than most. There's a reason you don't see it a lot in live action. The more subdued medium relies a lot more on snark and interplay because that just fits its energy better much of the time comedy-wise.

Star Rail even suffers from this. Lines that should be funnier just get a slight eye roll or smile from me because when they're flatly delivered on a text box, it has to be GOOD to really get the joke to hit hard or it needs to come out of nowhere where the blunt presentation can help sell it. "Just let me heal you so I never have to see your face again!" isn't technically a joke but it is still such a stand out moment for me of comedy in Star Rail because it comes out of nowhere, the performance is shrill, and while it might cause a chuckle, it also serves a good character purpose.

It's also interplay, not fourth wall breaking. These misgivings could end up being nothing. I'm trying to be kind to the trailers because I recognize a lot of what they're going for and their job is not easy here with these trailers, especially since there's a mandate to sell that this is the comedy Hoyo game, at least comparatively. I'm just worried that Hoyo might be biting off more than they can chew. The need to expand into different genres and styles outpacing what their engines can actually support, at least as strongly as they may need to to not make this feel like any other gacha game.

Penacony has surprised me with its cleverness in how to use its elements for storytelling though and while that's for drama, Zenless may manage the same. That's why it's a worry, not a condemnation. What are your thoughts though? And see you next tale.

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I'm keeping an eye on Zenless (funny story: I got into Star Rail because I thought it was Zenless and I'd thought I'd signed up for news on it) because I'm curious about just Hoyo's style of things but I'd be lying to say I worry about the action gameplay. Genshin's slog of a combat system is a BIG reason why I dropped it as quickly as I did. I'm trying to keep an open mind though.

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

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