#but I think we need more designs of Vic

[babybluesays]

I’ll be crucified for saying this but my Victim design is none and has never been either of these I can’t see him rocking a ponytail lmao

*casually scrolling through Victim tag*

... Guys, i think i'm starting to notice a pattern here

[bacchuschucklefuck]

the never stop blowing up vhs is where cute twinks go to get harmed

[starry-907]

thanks to a few posts in the community and a sonic au, i've started vaugely thinking abt a possible musician/band/idol au for ava, with a dash of "hannah montana" for intrigue.

more under the cut cuz i already have some thoughts abt this sdfkljjkjddffr

so! this au is essentially taking almost every main character in ava/avm and giving them some level of ties to music.

most of what i have is character thoughts atm so! let's discuss the hollowheads and the colorgang!

second/orange

the main character is second, who performs as an idol under the alter ego of orange (a measure that their siblings suggested to keep them safe from paparazzi and fans outside of performing). i don't have designs for the two outfits quite yet cuz i just came up with this, but as orange they wear a mask on their lower face and take a lot of measures to make their idol look different from their casual look.

one day they accompany dark to an open mic night and bump into the color gang, an aspiring band, and wind up helping them perform. and it's really fun performing without pressure, and none of them recognized second so...

(they wind up doing keyboard for the group. their voice is fairly recognizable so they don't wanna risk it)

"orange's" real identity is a hotly debated topic among their fans, folks often try to piece things together going off of the vauge details they give in interviews

vic and chosen

vic and chosen were an idol duo years before second took the stage. in this au they're twins, so that wound up part of their appeal. however their manager, alan, was still inexperienced with managing, and wound up pushing the duo too hard and ignoring concerns, leading to vic having a bad accident during a meet and greet, leading to the two retiring shortly after (vic due to trauma, and chosen out of solidarity with their sibling)

when second told them about becoming an idol, both were concerned. chosen helped come up with "orange's" look, while vic was more unsure. (and both still weren't ready to forgive alan yet which, fair.)

chosen occasionally joins dark for performances (and to make sure he doesn't blow out his voice), while vic moved to produce for a quickly growing group called "the mercs" (they'd be such a boy band we know this)

dark

dark is attempting to become an independent artist, not wanting his style to get muddied up by record labels or producers (plus he was older than second when vic had their accident. he remembers better the events that led up to it). he's picked up a bit of a following.

dark does mainly a strange mix between heavy metal and breakcore (and risks destroying their vocal cords every performance, nuch to their siblings' chargrin). they've gotten chosen involved in a few songs, and has offered to let vic sing on a song if they ever get comfortable enough again. for the most part with second he's content just taking them to some of his performances, he doesn't wanna risk them getting recognized.

the color gang!

an up and coming band known for it's style of music. a bit strange sometimes, but in a fun way.

green is the defacto leader, as well as lead guitarist and singer (with the rest of the cg providing accompanying vocals as needed). he's also the one who invited second to play with the group (still dunno exactly why but it does occur). is a fan of orange, but unsure abt the speculation on their identity.

blue plays standing bass, providing an interesting contrast. she's the quietest of the group in interviews and in songs as well, but provides a lovely sounding supporting harmony with her instrument and when she sings. has the most eclectic style of the group as well.

yellow handles percussion! she has one of those midi fighters with all the buttons that has a bunch of different percussion noises saved (also a drum kit if needed). she also tends to help with soundchecks. she's also a fan of dark's music

red provides supporting guitar or really any other needed instrument. no do not ask why they needed a triangle for a song. he also tends to be the most energetic on the occasion they get interviews. keeps trying to convince green to let his pig ruben be the band's mascot (it goes about as successfully as you'd think).

[book--wyrm]

Pengu Ep 7 liveblog time!!

Oh boy.

Oh we are starting strong with a flashback huh

Oh no we are starting strong with some brotherly jealousy. Two minutes in and I am already leaning towards Oz killing his siblings to monopolize his mom's attention

"Is [Rex's car] made of real gold?" "It's just paint"

Not Jack smarter at 15 than Oz is at 50

NOT THE "PARENT NOT BEING PAID ENOUGH" COMING BACK

Also I was wrong Oz is the middle child it seems.

Oz such a lil cheater lol

Oh my god.

Ohhhh my god. That's almost worse than anything I could have expected.

I should have realized. I should have realized. A single moment of stupid, thoughtless, selfish cruelty is all it takes. And an unwillingness to ever face the reality of what he did.

And this makes his snapping at Vic for the Jack thing so much worse. Jack was the son who got shit done. And Oz killed him.

THE TAPPING AND THE BANGING AND THE TAPPING AND THE BANGING AND I CANNOT DEAL WITH THIS FUCKIGN SHOW OH MY GOD I CANNOT DEAL WITH THIS FUCKING SHOW HOW IS IT SUCH A BANGER EVEN WHEN IT MAKES ME WANNA DIE

Oh shit Vic's here lmao.

Why is there a gap between Sofia nabbing Francis and Sal showing up. Did sofia go it alone. I bet she did.

Fuck the guilt get me results

Love Sofia sending one of her boys to make sure Sal doesn't kill Oz. Sofia doesn't trust Sal, and Sal refutes the idea of Sofia leashing him. In any other show this would telegraph a late episode betrayal between them but with this show i really don't know

Love the scraping noise coming in before the visual

do you feel better ahhhhh

i need more sal and sofia

Sofia why cant you bring me breakfast too. i'll eat a singular toast for u

I love Francis ngl. She's so caustic even in the face of danger.

They didnt' have their umbrellas

Hahaha ngl sofia deserved that

oh my god i legit thought she was gonna brain julian with the kettle lmaoooo i love the way they do diegetic sound design

I kinda hope francis gets to kill julian ngl. i love julian but i just think its what francis deserves

"The Gigante and the Maroni families" not sal putting sofia's name first. this feels too prominent. i am scared

Oh boy oh boy oh boy if this wasn't a penguin show this would feel like a perfect place for Sal to twoface his opponent

Wow is sal dying of a heart attack. Right now? Bro. Timing.

Huh. I see what they're doing, with the stolen valor and the robbed victory. But I wish they'd set up the heart condition earlier.

Oh boy is this where Sofia breaks bad and kills a kiddo. Oh my god wait Gia is in a kid's psychiatric hospital Sofia literally reenacting her own trauma on this preteen she is so full of problems

SOFIA TURNING INTO HER DAD AND ALSO JULIAN HAHAHAHA

THIS IS A GIFT SOFIA BABY YOU NUTCASE

god i am glad she confessed though. like it was in the worst way possible to say that to a child but.

this is the only time we have seen sofia cry. not even when she found alberto.

DR SUBDROP DOING RAVE SHIT

sofia speedrunning self awareness in the penultimate episode

i am slightly afraid again that julian is gonna lobotomize sofia

sofia you were so close baby. you could have just walked away with your boy toy and a bag of cash and gone to metropolis

she should have gotten free wahhhhhhhhhh

we all know it's not gonna happen

we all know its not gonna happen

my heart is fucking palpatating rn

i need to pause my fucking blood pressure

IS SOFIA RUNNING FOR MAYOR. I WANT SOFIA TO RUN FOR MAYOR

AHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

OH MY GOD BOMB SHELTERING IN HIS BROTHERS GRAVES

HAHHAHAAH my prediction of Oz blowing it all to block sofia + sal was the wrong way around oh my god i love her so much

Oh wow. Wooowwwwww. Young Oz really breaking his mother and making her into the woman who makes him a monster.

is it bad i want him to find his brothers skulls down here. is that bad.

boo it didnt happen.

Wow mr cop actually came back huh.

well i was totally off base on everything!!! i am so happy

[dynamic-k]

'AH, yeah, I just figured that Dark was behind Ted's actions, since Ted can't act alone.'

now i have more fuel for my questions!!! >:]

Okay, so Dark uses the chip thingy he implanted into his brain to communicate with the bots.

Therefore:

If Dark's chip became broken, what would happen to the button bots? If they can't act independently, would they just shut down, or would they go through what they know of Dark, and try to find what he would most likely tell them to do in that situation to follow that?

Also, an extra weakness for Dark i guess. What if someone hacked into the bots to make them make Dark's vision and stuff all weird?

Because they can highlight stuff, so could they just go haywire and destroy Dark's brain etc.???

Or would Dark's coding be too complicated for even experts to hack??

hm... OH I JUST GOT A NEW IDEA

Blue learns alchemy from Vic, and Yellow could learn computer science from Dark!! they could be that one technically two now person who gets up all the information and makes a plan to hack in for a kidnapping back a kidnapping!! if that makes sense.

And if you saw me refering to when potentially King Orange and Purple kidnap Vic, no you didn't

Going back to the bots, sorry my brains jumpy, if Dark died what would they do?? And what happens when he's unconscious and can't think? WAIT WHAT ABOUT SLEEPING-

I think I went hyper from eating a KitKat. XD

Thank you for reading this,

-R

Be forewarned: There is a lot of lore rambling below the cut.

AH- We appear to have a slight slight misunderstanding-

|Okay, so Dark uses the chip thingy he implanted into his brain to communicate with the bots.|

Uhhh, not quite- It's only a more instantaneous communication. Remember that Dark did that surgery on himself during his and Chosen's first few years of heroing, but not like right at the start. So how would Dark have communicated with his beloved button-bots before the chip in his head existed?

Verbally commanding them present time, and precoding certain instructions into the bots beforehand, was how he did it before he went and made the chip design and then surgeried himself. He still does do that, like how in chapter three of Arc One:

The bots are constantly idle, listening to conversations and other audio surrounding Dark, as the button-bots remain on Dark's person at all times. [The bots are recharged with energy when idle as buttons, and said energy is stored inside Dark's vest which is gotten from a small wired battery Dark has stored in both his wrist cuffs. He changes the battery to a new one as needed.]

Because the bots pick up on all audio, and are programmed with precoded specifications, Ted clearly overheard what Chosen wanted Dark to do. When Dark pulled Ted out, [Dark had the chip at this point in time] Ted sent a confirm message straight to Dark's vision, like it was asking if what Dark wanted was for Ted to handle the school situation and make sure that the school was under the impression that Second would be staying home. Ted's artificial intelligence was set well enough, and the bot used artificial soundwaves that matched similarly to Alan's voice, in order to be convincing, and it was pulled off very well.

Without the chip, Dark always had to verbally give commands and sometimes this was inefficient and slowed things down. The reason it was slow, was only so because Dark is extremely cautious about where and what his bots do, so there are many walls of precautions set in place so the artificial intelligence doesn't run in the wrong direction and a bot thinks it should do something other than what Dark wants. That's why there are confirm messages and such, like "Are you sure that [insert command] is what you wish to happen?"

There was not confirm messages before the chip existed. Instead, Dark just gave orders, and the bots were never programmed at that moment to formulate thoughts and orders themselves, because they would be under the risk of assuming something incorrect. After the chip existed, Dark added the codes that allowed the bots to use information they received to guess what Dark wanted to happen, because now the previous "risk" did not exist. It was alleviated by the ability for Dark to directly receive confirm messages, and there was no longer the possibility that a bot would assume the wrong thing and try to do something Dark didn't want to happen. With the chip, if a bot did happen to misunderstand, than Dark could cancel it mentally when the confirm message appears in his vision. If he had that code set up without the chip, and a bot misunderstood something Dark would be forced to chase after a bot physically in the moment and try to verbally re-issue a corrected command. Hence, the reason that "think and estimate" code was not added to the button bots until after Dark gained mental connection to his bots via the chip he implanted.

....I hope all of this is making sense, oh my sticks- I did say I would ramble about how they worked, I have so much lore in my head that needs an excuse to get out-

The chip no longer exists as a physical chip under Dark's skin. It has melded with the rest of his code and being, and now is literally in his bloodstream as a direct part of himself. Dark and the chip are one, and this action cannot be undone. [This does mean that the chip cannot fracture physically though, neither can it somehow corrode or be corrupted due to Dark's receiving of physical injuries.]

The bots cannot be "hacked", they only respond to Dark. They recognize Dark and Dark's being and Dark's code and everything that is Dark. Unless someone somehow managed to literally be exactly like Dark in every way, looks, code [DNA], mind, the chip...

Yeah, that isn't happening, every stick is different.

Even if somehow the recognition software implanted into the bots is damaged, they STILL will know the difference between Dark and someone else pretending, because they are still CONNECTED to Dark and Dark only with an unbreakable bond and connection that would not extend to anyone else. Even if the bots are blinded and their audio processors are offline and damaged, even if their code scanners that differentiate every stick was broken somehow, even if anything they use to recognize sticks was not working, EVEN IF they could not tell apart one stick from another, DARK WOULD STILL BE KNOWN. Always, they will know where Dark is and they will NEVER mix him up with another.

Now for Yellow and Dark's connection with each other. >:3

I have plans for the story in this regard, and Dark does indeed end up as somewhat of a mentor figure to the kid, though not like how regularly and consistently Vic ends up teaching Blue. [Vic and Blue's bond is, uh, primarily Arc Three material. I shouldn't say too much, but meh- You asked. At this point, with how much I have shared, who cares about my rambles and why I shouldn't ramble about certain things-]

Yellow and Dark will be amazing together, and Yellow already has a certain knack for technical and code-related things, so Dark is very happy to have something of a protege.

Anyway, the entire reasoning behind this ask was Dark's weaknesses with having the chip, yes? Well, guess what. There happens to be an upcoming incident that occurs, revealing just exactly what this weakness could be and how Dark gets through it.

Because Dark Whump, why not- U v U

The chip does have coatings on it [back when it was solidly a chip in form and before it began its absorption process into Dark's code as a whole] that prevent electrical and signal-interference damages as well. I forgot to mention this fact earlier in my explanation. A friend once asked me about whether or not Dark's chip could be decommissioned via such things, under the assumption that since the chip is made of metal, it could be weak in ways that metal is weak. I was reminded of this while answering this ask, so I'm including the information here midway, hehehe :D

Now uh- I never did say that King and Purple successfully end up yoinking Vic- There may be an attempt, though- EHEHHEHHEHHEHEHHE

Oh circuits, I need to keep my mouth shut sometimes. [and then Scarlett proceeded to not keep her mouth shut- /silly]

Interesting theory or guess that Yellow might attempt to be a hacker? If that's what I'm understanding from what you said? Yellow doesn't end up hacking anything per se.... But uhhhhhhhhhhhh-

.........Oy. I actually don't think I should say what I want to say here, that's too big of a spoiler. ....This is a lore ramble, not a spoiler ramble, I must remember this-

All I will say for now, is that Yellow has a significant importance in Arc Two, to a very large degree OTHER than the fact he designs and makes work the majority of the Color Gang's costumes/upgrades.

Arc Two was always meant to be much more focused on the Color Gang than Arc One was, partially as a sort of apology for how much the quadruplets were left out at the time of Arc One's climactic points, where we only really got to see mercenaries and the hollowheads. Primal is also a big focus, but so is Dark, Second, and Victim. And King and Purple. And Navy and Orchid very much, oh dear I have LOTS of plans for them.

It's meant to be more well-rounded in character includement, is what I mean. Everyone gets the spotlight, even if technically Second is still the main main character. XD

Going back to the bots: My brain also jumped-

If Dark dies, the bots deactivate? [sorta?] permanently because every function is tied to Dark, except for the energy part, of which is stored in Dark's wrist cuffs. The battery could be recharged and maintained by someone else, and it would not take much effort to get the bots back online, but what I mean by "deactivate" is the way that they work. They could be online again, yes, but they won't do the things they did before. They will not follow orders from another, and will not fly, or do anything but sit there and technically be "online". Now, if Yellow or someone went to the trouble to painstakingly reprogram them, and they no longer were tied to Dark [and this is dependent on how much Dark's body would corrode] than yes, they could function again with the abilities they wielded previously, since those function still exists, but couldn't work or activate without Dark's presence.

If Dark is unconscious, or in sleep, his button-bots are probably on his vest, in idle positions as buttons. If Dark is, for example, knocked out while fighting and his button bots happen to be on the field not as buttons while this happens, then they will now be limited in their actions to a very select few set of precoded commands.

This includes, protection of Dark and those he deems protection listed, such as Second, Chosen, Alan, Vic, any friends he has on the list as well, and of course any sticks the bots understand are civilians. Remember that the database in the button-bots for the population of the city is incredibly expansive, and Dark has a stored list of nearly everyone, so the button-bots can easily know who is who. Or they can artificially think it out whether a stick is a civilian or not, based on the circumstances of the current situation and the things a civilian would do/places a civilian would be.

There are only a few set commands that are precoded, in which the bots are allowed to follow without needing Dark's confirmation. If Dark is knocked out, and a bot processes a situation that requires the usage of a more dangerous use of abilities and therefore needs to use a confirm message in order to proceed with the bot's conclusion of what it needs to do, then without Dark to confirm message the conclusion, the button-bot can do nothing but return to Dark as a button or not proceed with the conclusion it made. They are only able to do the simplest of precoded commands, as a set precaution. Imagine if Dark woke up and the bots had set something on fire by accident, or by procedure of a wrong/incorrect conclusion of situation. This wouldn't do, there needed to be preset restrictions on the artificial thinking processes.

Mostly, all the bots would be able to do while Dark is out, would be protect and defend. If a building started to catch fire because of a villain, the bots could put it out, though. They are not inherently useless just when Dark is out of commission for the time being. This possibility is very dependent on Dark actually getting knocked out mid-fight, in the first place, however, and this is very unlikely due to Dark's high skill.

...

I think that may be it for now- Honestly, this was SO SO much fun to answer!! I feel like I had a brain clog released, or something. Rambling is so therapeutic!! :D

Thank you EVER so much for your asks!! I hope there may still be more! [aside from that one still in my inbox that I haven't finished yet-]

[rubykgrant]

Gamma deceit, Delta logic, Epsilon memory, Theta trust, Eta fear, Iota joy, Sigma ambition, Omega rage, Xi desire. Do you have any ideas for other AI?

Well, there's Beta (who gets designated "Failure", but I've already said what I think about THAT). I believe in @sharkface-daydreams Yellow Church being Pi, the Apathy Fragment. While Epsilon kinda recreates everybody he knows within the AI unit to interact with, they only exist in there (so maybe more like NPCs?). The Epsilon-Tex, and later the memories of the Fragments who work with Epsilon to help Carolina may well be new Fragments (the memory of Tex Epsilon had even came back and tried to fight the Meta/Maine, got hurt, and Epsilon followed her back into the unit, which started all the iterations). THAT version of Tex very well could be considered Zeta (@leonardalphachurch also calls the Epsilon-Tex that too~), but I'm not sure if all the memories of the Fragments would need, or want, different designations...

There is a BRIEF little glimpse in one of the Project Freelancer flash-backs where we see the implication that other AI Fragments exist, but they're missing/taken to different locations. What they were is a little up in the air... if there was a Love, maybe I'd give that to Ro. Other possible designations could be Greed, Hope, Courage, Hate (maybe even Self Loathing... if you asked the Director, he'd say the AI hating him counts as "hating himself", but from his point of view- that's just an excuse), Guilt, Sympathy, Humor (silly funny one~), Confidence, Kindness, Curiosity... I'm not sure which could be what letter, though.

I've joked that Phil is also a missing Fragment, and he's Disdain (just wants to complain about everything haha). There is the long-running joke that VERY AI is actually a Church Fragment (from the AI gods to Lopez and Vic), but realistically... that's kind of lot. Then there are all the "alternate time-line" Churches, which may not have been totally real, but who knows- he could have just been making a bunch of little guys again. He does that.

There was also that whole dream I had that was like watching a movie, that tricked you for the first 20 minutes or so into thinking it was a regular sci-fi movie, but then RVB characters show up... the main character was trying to rescue an AI from people who were going to use it for insidious reasons, HOWEVER, I think my dream-movie was setting up yet another fake-out; the main character was actually the last surviving Alpha Fragment, given either a humanoid robotic body or a synthetic human body made from the Director and Allison's DNA (making them, basically, Carolina's sibling), and the little AI companion they had was the one REALLY trying to protect THEM by guiding them away from the ship full of bad guys (so, a little guardian AI, but not a Fragment connected to Alpha)

Basically, if you wanna make up a Fragment with whatever emotion/Greek Letter designation; go for it and have fun~

[ravensvirginity]

what do you think of injustice raven and dcamu raven?

I think Raven is fine in the Injustice video game and I actually really like her story in the Injustice comic. Granted, she doesn't do a ton, but Trigon fighting Mr. Mxyzptlk in an attempt to save her is probably my favorite moment with him outside of NTT.

DCAMU Raven is a little more complicated. I really like her story in both of the movies where she's a major character, but I really don't like how she was deaged to only 14 while Dick, Kory, and Vic seem to be in their 20s. Her design is kind of meh in my opinion. It's not terrible and I think her haircut is nice but I don't like how gray her skin is. I think they changed her skin tone between movies? Looking at screencaps, it seems like she was wayyy more gray in jl vs tt than she was in jl dark. I've never actually marathoned the movies back to back so I never noticed that before, it was only while answering this ask that I realized lol.

Also, I think I'm in a minority opinion on this, but I'm just not a fan of Raven's voice acting in the DCAMU. I think the voice itself suits her, but I find her sounding stilted and awkward during multiple points in all the movies. Not in a "Raven is socially awkward" way, but in a "this needed another take" kind of way. This might just be me, though.

One thing that I really wish is that there was more about Raven's backstory in the DCAMU. We know that she grew up on Azarath but was kidnapped by Trigon and taken back to his world after he destroyed Azarath. What happened to her while she was there? I hate that that was basically just glossed over because it must have been insanely traumatic for her. If anyone knows of any fics about her time there, please let me know, I'd love to read them.

[kaysters247]

Deadly Inferno {A Patrick Hockstetter Fic}

Part 3 - Spark Of A Rebel

Word Count: 1673

"You'll be dead if you don't come home tonight!" Henry yelled after me once we had gotten home from school, watching me stalk off away from the trans am once it had come to a halt in our driveway. I had practically trampled Patrick trying to quickly get out. I was furious. Beyond furious. I kept going and going until I reached my usual hiding spot between our property and the Hanlen's property line, knowing I would be safe there. A clearing in the woods that was always so peaceful to me, away from Henry and my dad, away from all the gossiping dicks in this town that thought they had me all figured out. And I just lost it, I screamed into the deep abyss of trees surrounding me until I couldn't scream anymore.

"Les....?" I jumped a little once Bev showed next to me, seeing the pure anger on my face. She knew it was Henry. It usually was anymore. He'd grown worse in recent months and I felt like I didn't really have a brother anymore. All he did was torture kids around town and treat me like utter shit for trying to stick up for them. And heaven forbid if I was remotely close to Patrick. That was a no go. And I was frankly sick of being threatened about it. My dad once told me if he found out I was sleeping with that Hockstetter prick that he'd beat me within an inch of my life. I had never slept with anyone. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in Patrick. You know when I said I wasn't worried about a dick being inside me at any given time? I may have been misleading myself.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to freak. I just uh... needed that I guess." She simply handed me a new pack of cigarettes with a little smile of understanding on her face, not saying a word. And that was enough for me. We sat against our usual tree and lit our cigs up into the brisk summer air, smoke lingering around us. I kept flicking the zippo open and close that had a flame design on it that Patrick was of course attracted to himself. But he told me he thought of me the minute he saw it. A flame. He knew I had one in me. And eventually, it would explode.

"Ya know, I think you should go for it. With Patrick. I mean yeah, I don't want you to end up dead. But he's different with you. Fuck Henry. Don't let him hold you back." Just as she finished her sentence, Vic and the man himself came bounding down towards us, seeing Patrick clearly heard every single word. They'd been listening. And I was dying of embarrassment. Yay.

"Yeah Leslie, don't let him hold you back from all this looney goodness." I couldn't help but laugh once Patrick sat down next to me with his arm as usual, snaking around my waist, suddenly licking my cheek in his usual attempt at getting on my nerves when he knew I would simply shove him away. But this time, I didn't, surprising him more and more. I wiped my cheek clean of spit, but did something that surprised Vic and Bev. Something they never expected of me, considering usually I'm threatened, and verbally and physically abused if I ever even attempted such an act. I climbed right onto Patrick's lap before I could change my mind, his hands coming to rest firmly on my waist once I managed to wrap my legs fully around him. He looked surprised himself, but just hid behind his usual wicked smirk. He was beyond enjoying this. He was entertained.

"I guess we should kick this summer off with a bang, huh Hockstetter?" I kissed him, I just fucking kissed him and I didn't care. I didn't care that Vic and Bev were watching. I lost myself in the sensations I felt from the mere touch of his lips against mine. His hands only tightened on my waist, seemingly pulling me closer to him. And his usual hard-on was growing and growing with each passing second.

"I knew it would happen. I fucking knew it!" I smiled into the heated kiss before we slowly pulled apart from Vic's words, seeing the way Patrick was looking at me. Like I was something he wanted to devour. He wasn't done with me. Not by a long shot.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I practically ran home with Vic in tow, Patrick having fled to his house before anyone ever saw him. Although knowing Patrick, he wouldn't care one way or the other. He loved trouble. Especially if it involved me. He had whispered in my ear once Bev and Vic were out of hearing distance all the things he planned with me. He wasn't about love. He was about pain. About torture. About lust. So lustful. I was drawn in. And there was no way I was escaping now.

"Go through the back door Les. Your dad is pulling up." My eyes widened from Vic's words before hugging him tightly, running my way to and through the back door in such a hurry. My life depended on it. I practically threw the fridge door open, pulling out everything I needed for spaghetti, exactly what he requested the night before. Pfft. Of course I'm the maid and cook around here. That became my job once mom left. Dad put so much on me because I look just like her. And he resents me for it.

"There better not be any those boys in this house Henry!" He yelled up the stairs in the direction of Henry's room, knowing his door was firmly shut as usual, doing what I could only imagine up there. I just distracted myself with dinner, not wanting his wrath tonight. He didn't need to know anything I had done tonight. Or Henry. I would be deader than dead.

"Hey sweetheart." Dad kissed my cheek in such a gentle way that it threw me off. He was acting like he usually does when he drinks before coming home. And it was terrifying. That meant once it wore off, it would be deadly for Henry and I.

"Hey dad. Dinner's close to being done. I had homework to do before I started." He simply nodded before kicking his shoes off by the back door and grabbing a beer from the fridge that was always stocked with them. Usually he made me get the beers for him at the store, the usual cashier flirting with me too much to even ask for my age. He knew. He just didn't care.

"How was my little girl today?" Dad smiled, an eery smile at me as if he was hiding something he knew, yet was trying to really amp me up. He saw Patrick and I at school today, so close to one another that I could practically feel his touch. Just then, Henry came bounding into the kitchen with a shit eating grin on his face. But not just for any reason. It was because of the person behind him.

"Hey dad. Patrick's mom said he could spend the night. Figured it would be alright. Vic and Belch will be here later." Henry was usually so good at getting what he wants. He didn't look like mom. So he got away with more. Me on the other hand, I reminded him too much of her. So I got the brunt of everything. Of course, dad didn't mind if the guys were here as long as he was and I was in his line of sight. Except for bed time of course. The hell if my dad was going to watch me sleep. Gross.

"You better keep them in check. Got me?" He glared daggers at Henry, only earning a subtle nod. Patrick was now eyeing me once dad had walked into the living room with the door slamming behind him, like he could pounce on me right here and now. He wasn't afraid of doing something to me in front of people. That's just who Patrick Hockstetter is. No wonder Henry looked at me the way he did. He wants me to get caught. He wants me to get punished. He's still pissed at me. Asshole. I ignored them and turned to get the food ready, not in the mood.

"When's Vic coming back?" No response from Henry. I just shook my head and got the food all ready, just as I was grabbed by my sides and whirled around so fast my head started to spin. Patrick pinned me against the hot stove, the burner still on at full heat. Henry had disappeared, meaning it would be no time before dad got the sudden urge to come back in the kitchen.

"You can't ignore me all night Leslie. Because I won't let you. Think of me as your worst nightmare for the night." He suddenly grabbed my hand in such a rough manner before practically slamming it onto the exposed burner, the heat from it causing my skin to immediately burn. My eyes welled with tears and before i could scream, his lips slammed into mine with such force, my little yells of pain only slight hums in his mouth. I could practically feel his excitement from all this.

"There. I like that on you." He brought my hand to face level, suddenly licking the now burned flesh on my hand in such slow motions I had to grit my teeth, my blood leaving trickles on his mouth before he licked it off.

"Sweet." That was all he had to say to describe the taste of my blood on his tongue before Henry finally came back into the kitchen, Patrick acting as if nothing happened, already halfway across the room in a split second. My breathing was elevated, my heart rate spiking by the second.

"Dinner's ready...." Was all I could mutter.

[strawberryspooktacular]

The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023) (spoilers) 14/10/23

Rating before seeing the movie: Nic: 10 Vic: 10

Rating after seeing the movie: Nic: 9.5 Vic: 9.5

What you did like about the movie:

The Dracula design.

The setting and how they were just stuck on the boat in a hopeless situation.

The characters!

They had a dog and dogs are always good.

What you didn’t like about the movie:

The ending.

The only issue that we had with this Dracula was that they did something incredibly different with it, but then it can’t lead into the actual story of Dracula due to how this version of Dracula looks as a human. If he just looked more human, this movie would have been a 10 for the both of us. Either make him completely feral, or turn him human. 

Particularly memorable scene: Vic: The attack on Toby by the first guy who gets turned Nic: The first human attack

Would you watch it again: Vic: Yes Nic: Yes

Reflections: Vic: “I was genuinely frightened by the design of Dracula in this, but I do think the ending left a lot to be desired.” Nic: “It’s a good movie and I’d watch it again but skip those last 5 minutes. You need to be feral or human. You can’t be feral and BUY AN ABBY.”

Final quotes: Vic: “THIS IS TERRIFYING AND I LOVE IT” Nic: “ I wonder whos gunna be…. Neckt”

[luminescentgloom]

Hello could we please hear some lore about your dndads ocs?! They all look really cool!!

I hope you have a good day/night!!!

ofc!!!! I haven’t thought about the extensive lore that much, but I do have basic ideas and fun facts for some of my ocs:3

starting with Vic, they’re actually intersex + gender queer! I still need to work out basic lore for them, but my general idea was maybe something adjacent to Mizuki from Project Sekai? I dunno. Haven’t thought about it much. Another fun fact: “Vic” is just a nickname! They never specify if it’s short for victor or victoria.

second is molly! she’s probably my favorite design out of all them. Basic lore: MAAAJJJOOR daddy issues, essentially she’s a glass child, with the golden child in her family being her sister. Her father is an only father. She likes photography, specifically of flowers and nature and such. Pretty popular at her school, and she’s one of the mean girls, I guess (as I’ve mentioned in a previous post)

now for Andy, I haven’t actually thought of any backstory at all for him yet. I have been thinking of his jobs, sexuality, etc etc. First off, I’ve been thinking his job is something of a curator, or maybe he’s a dapper-dressed roadie? I don’t know. He’s the only one in the group that is an adult and can (legally) drive. I thought of a joke regarding Andy having a boyfriend and having be another queer couple that kissed on new years and had the conservative side of the internet in an uproar, but I decided make him single, but still queer :3

lastly, Colette! She is an aspiring fashion designer, and she values the more impractical and elaborate side of fashion. No lore for her yet. Can you tell I only thought of Molly’s backstory lol? Anyways, fun fact about Colette: Colette Dubois is just a persona, and it isn’t her actual name. She’s in her chuunibyou phase.

thanks for asking, have a good day/night, two!! <3

[queen-scribbles]

Tradition

I blame @storyknitter and @greyias for this but didn’t really take much convincing. And bonus, it’s done for Theron Thursday!

---

The sweater was, beyond any doubt, one of the most ridiculous things Briyoni had ever seen. Bright red background, tinsel woven into the green collar and cuffs, the chest emblazoned with a massive kybuck wearing a red drooping hat and heart shaped sunglasses made of sequins.

In short, it was amazing.

She was so caught up in grinning at this marvel of Life Day fashion, her focus on the surroundings slipped until a voice murmured in her ear, “Little off course, aren’t we, Colonel?”

Bry flinched, her elbow starting to jerk back before the familiarity of the voice--and the cologne its owner was wearing--hit her. “One of these days, Jonas, I’m gonna actually break your ribs when you do that, and you’ll have no one to blame but yourself.”

Jonas laughed. “Only in my reflexes completely fail me.” He didn’t move, the heat of him close enough to feel against her back. “As I was saying, aren’t you a little far from where you need to be?”

“Yeah, but enjoying Life Day kitsch is more fun than shopping for food,” she grinned, leaning back against his chest as she held up her find.

He snorted. “Are you seriously gonna buy that?”

“Hell, yeah. For Vica.” Bry shifted  to see his expression on the pause and it was exactly as good as she expected. “Whaddya think, babe, would she wear it, or just thank me politely and stick it in her closet, never to see the light of day?”

“I think you have a better chance of getting her to wear it than anyone else,” Jonas said with a smirk, scanning the other sweater designs. “You realize if you give her that, I’m morally obligated to give Shan this one.” He pulled one free and held it up-- mirrored white tauntaun silhouettes forming “snowflakes” on a dark blue background. “What would you call this? Taun-flakes?”

She shook her head, not even trying to fight her smile. “Not his colors, he won’t wear th-”

“Oh, sure, that’s why,” Jonas snarked.

Bry rolled her eyes at his interruption. “It’s not ugly enough anyway. You gotta commit on somethin’ like this, Jo. Here.” She shoved the kybuck sweater into his hands and started digging through the rack. “Ah, here we go-” She teetered when she started to straighten.

“Careful, gorgeous,” Jonas chuckled, catching her arm. The chuckle turned to a full blown laugh when he saw what she’d found.

The sweater was a darker red than the one for her sister, with black collar, hem, and cuffs. Snow-capped mountains and volcanic steam vents alternated in a pattern around the sleeves and waist, the upper portion of the chest dominated by a wampa with arms raised and a giant white pompom nose. The words ‘Hoth Stuff’ were embroidered over the steam vents to the right and left of the beast.

“Oh. My-” His shoulders shook trying to hold back the full force of warranted laughter. He only partially succeeded. “Briyoni, you know there’s no way in hell he’ll wear that, right? I don’t have that much blackmail material on him.”

“Vic batting her eyes and saying please might work,” Bry drawled.

Jonas snorted a laugh. “The look on his face might be worth the price of admission, though.” Dug for the tag. “...Fifty credits... yeah, that’ll pay off.”

“Found one for you, too, handsome,” Bry teased, rocking the hanger on her fingers. “You both think you’re funny.” She grinned innocently as Jonas looked over the sweater, grey and patterned with gift boxes.

“‘Ugly Life Day Sweater’,” he read off in a drawl before shooting her a flat look. “Cute. But no. I’ll be taking the taun-flakes if I’m getting one and my tastes don’t pass muster for Theron.”

“I told you, babe, it’s not ugly enough. You have to go all in on gifts like this.” She gestured dramatically at their growing collection of sweaters.

“In that case I can’t wait to see what you picked out for yourself.”

Her grin widened. She’d been waiting for him to ask. “First, bold of you to assume anything will look ugly on me-”

“No arguments here.”

“-Second...” She presented the sweater with a flourish. Green and gold patterned with repeating Republic capital ship outlines, jinglers on the cuffs, and faux-ribbon crisscrossing to a bow dead center on the chest.

Jonas shot her an amused look. “Bry. Darling. That’s three sizes too big for you.”

“It’s the only size they have left. All the better to lounge around in”--she winked--”without pants.”

He grinned and wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her close. “In that case, do I get to joke about unwrapping my Life Day present when you wear it?” he murmured in her ear.

Bry let out a giggle-snort. “Once. And not in front of my sister and her husband.”

“Aw, you’re no fun.” The glint in his eye gave lie to the words. “Once per day you wear it.”

“Deal.” The complaint might be a little more believable if they weren’t staring down the barrel of their seventh anniversary. He found her plenty fun and she knew it. “Now, I guess we should go be responsible adults and see how much of our budget is left for food.”

“Guess we should...” He stole a kiss. “If we want to be responsible.”

“More like if we wanna eat this week,” Bry retorted. “Dunno if you noticed, Balkar, but the kitchen’s pretty empty an’ we aren’t heading to Odessen for another four or five days. How do you survive when I’m not here?”

“Moping and takeaway, mostly,” Jonas deadpanned. “And you say that like you were any better when you were based here.”

“Oh, hush, you,” she grumbled around a grin, then linked her hand with his to head for the food sections. The weight of the sweaters they carried triggered an anticipatory giggle.

Can’t wait to see Vica’s face. 

---

Briyoni was up to something. Even with the brief time they’d been reunited, Vica could tell that much, and she didn’t even need to Force to do it. And if the grins they kept exchanging were any sort of clue, her husband was in on it. Which was unsurprising, and had Theron’s suspicions raised as well--higher than Vica’s own.

She should know to trust his instincts by now. But believing the best of people was her fatal flaw, and it extended to even less life or death matters. Like sibling  plots. 

“So, Vic, we have somethin’ for you,” Briyoni said, with the too-bright smile of troublemakers the galaxy over.

“It’s not Life Day yet,” Vica pointed out warily. “And the Alliance party isn’t until tomorrow.”

“All the more reason to give it to you now.” Her sister’s smile had gone more sly, and Vica could practically feel Theron’s eyes narrowing without looking at him.  Bry held up two gift boxes. “Pink’s for you, silver’s for your spy boy.” She shot Theron a grin, which was matched by Jonas as he draped an arm around Bry’s shoulders.

“You shouldn’t have,” Theron deadpanned, handling the box as if it were a bomb when Vica passed it to him.

“Oh, yes, we should.” The words came from Briyoni and Jonas in unison, as if they’d guessed his response and practiced.  "Only the best for the man with my sister’s best interest at heart,” Briyoni’s smile was just a tad sharp and Jonas hid a laugh--badly--in a cough.

Vica settled her gift in her lap, tore the paper just enough to get it open, and couldn’t bite back a reactionary giggle at the sunglass-wearing kybuck that greeted her. “Really, Briyoni?”

Her sister grinned. “Really, Vica. Don’t tell me the Jedi never participate in the long and glorious tradition of ugly sweaters for Life Day.”

Vica opened her mouth, several responses vying for prominence. Starting with Jedi having their own holiday traditions, this was a ridiculous sweater, and ending with a reminder Odessen was temperate and they didn’t need to dress so warmly, but she didn’t get to say any of them because Theron got his box open.

“No,” he said flatly, shooting a dirty look at the matched smirks on the couch opposite. “Absolutely not.”

Briyoni and Jonas both burst into laughter, I told you escaping from him as the two struggled to rein themselves in.

“How bad...?” Vica asked, turning to Theron. He tipped the box so she could see the wampa sweater. She covered her mouth with one hand to hide the smile.  “Oh, my. Mine’s not quite so... detailed.” She pulled the kybuck sweater out of the box to show him. It was surprisingly soft for such a ridiculous garment.

“Cute,” Theron drawled, then glowered at Briyoni and Jonas again. “I’m not wearing this.”

Vica, however, pulled her on as they needled him about his obstinacy. Mostly curious if it was soft as it seemed. But a little because there was a smug note to Briyoni’s sense that doubted her straight-laced sister would wear something so silly and Vica wanted to prove her wrong.

Jonas tossed her an approving grin, then looked back at Theron. “Not even to keep your wife and Commander from sticking out like a sore thumb?”

“You say that like the two of you aren’t planning to wear similar abominations,” Theron retorted dryly.

“Guilty,” Jonas shrugged. “But that shouldn’t get in the way of you showing solidarity.”

Theron’s scowl at his friend deepened, but Vica sensed the moment of wavering before he shook his head. “I have stuff to do. That’s actually helpful.” He pushed to his feet and left the room. 

“I think you could talk him around,” Briyoni said cheerfully, grinning at Vica.  “Gotta say, sis, wasn’t sure you’d actually wear that.”

“It’s comfortable,” Vica said, straight-faced but feeling a smile tug her lips. She brushed her fingers over the sequins. “And it would be rude to refuse a gift.”

“They are fun to unwrap,” Jonas commented blithely, then snickered when Briyoni dug her elbow into his ribs.

Vica didn’t figure out why until the following day.

---

The box with the wampa sweater sat on their bed, studiously ignored by Theron as he slouched on the sofa, datapad in hand. 

Vica smiled at the sight; the box sitting out in the open rather than crammed in a drawer spoke to her suspicion being correct.

“Can you believe them? Giving that as a gift?” Theron asked when he heard her enter, not looking up from whatever report he was reading.

“Knowing my sister and her husband even a little, yes.” Vica keyed the door closed and joined him. “I’m more surprised that you’re surprised, honestly.”

He grunted noncommittally.

Vica twisted a loose bit of hair around her finger. “They think I could talk you into wearing it.”

Now the datapad lowered, and Theron met her gaze with a sheepish half-smile. “In all honesty, there’s good odds you could.” I have trouble telling you no.

“But I won’t.” She laced her fingers between his and squeezed his hand. “Not if it’s something you genuinely don’t want to do.”

He stared at their hands a moment, then raised them to kiss her fingers. “That’s something I’ve always loved about you, y’know.”

“What?”

“You let people make their own choices.” He settled their hands back in his lap. “There’s prob’ly, what, half a dozen ways at least you could make people agree with you, do what you want, but you don’t. You let them make their own calls. Good or bad.”

Vica shrugged. “Freedom is important.”

They sat in silence for a moment before Theron spoke again. “That sweater really is ridiculous....” 

She traced her finger idly around his knuckles and waited.

“...but I guess that’s the point of holiday parties, isn’t it? Being a little ridiculous?”

“It’s up to you,” she said mildly.

“They’re gonna get holos.” He raked his fingers through his hair.

“So we make good memories to go with them.” Vica leaned in to kiss his temple. “If you want.”

She could sense his internal conflict--and which side was winning.

“...Guess I’ll stand out more if I’m not wearing one....” Theron sighed. “I’ll wear the blasted thing.” 

“Yeah?” Vica let the smile she’d been burying spread across her face. It would be good for him to do something fun. And she’d think he was cute regardless.

“Yeah.” He tugged on her hand and Vica obliged by straddling his lap, his arms settling around her waist. “Someone has to distract people from that monstrosity you’re wearing, might as well be me.”

She laughed quietly and ran her fingers through his hair. “Your commander appreciates the heroic sacrifice, Agent Shan.”

Theron arched a brow at the kybuck’s pink sequin sunglasses, then tilted his head back. “Looking at that sweater makes it real hard to take you seriously,” he murmured.

“Then stop looking at my sweater,” Vica returned, one hand cupping the back of his neck.

He laughed a Sure thing, Commander and kissed her just as deep as she’d been hoping.

---

Bry had to admit, the look on Vica’s face upon registering her sweater’s gift-box design in conjunction with Jonas’ comment from the day before was almost worth him breaking the terms of their deal.

“So, going by that smirk, am I forgiven?” Jonas teased. He handed her a cup of punch, then choked on a drink of his own when he caught where she was looking. “Sweet spires of Taris, I don’t believe it.”

She laughed. “I’d think you were uniquely qualified to know the persuasive powers of a Nerai woman.”

“Touché,” he grinned.  “ Help me wrangle them for a group holo?”

“Obviously. We need evidence this happened in case they try to deny it,” she grinned back, and they headed toward Vica and Theron, snagging Vette along the way to do the honors.(Jonas didn’t help matters greeting Theron with “Hey Hoth Stuff” and a shit-eating grin)

It took some cajoling, and a few tries to get right--not that the outtakes weren’t golden. The finished product, however--her and Jonas with arms around each others’ shoulders and Vica smiling brighter than the holo-tree behind them as Theron kissed the top of her head--had Bry thinking maybe this needed to become a new Life Day tradition.

Now she just had to convince her sister.

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

The Null HypotheCis

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/M7UVSzn

by misplaced_space_ace

"What does it feel like to be a man?"

"Is it not, like, obvious?" Vic asked with a frown.

Barry almost managed to hide the wince. Almost. "It should be, shouldn't it?"

“That’s not what I—I’m not trying to say it should be anything. I’m just… I’m surprised that it isn’t.”

Barry has a sneaking suspicion he might not be a man. Any good hypothesis is backed up by careful research and tested by a well-designed experiment. So, in the midst of Superman's best attempts to destroy the world, that's what he'll do.

This fic works as a standalone, knowledge of the rest of the series not needed!

Words: 5491, Chapters: 1/3, Language: English

Series: Part 5 of Local Man Stans Bloodsoaked Stranger, Part 2 of Not a Woman, Not a Man, But a Secret Third Thing (A Problem)

Fandoms: The Flash - All Media Types, Justice League (2017), DC Extended Universe, DCU, Batman - All Media Types

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen

Characters: Barry Allen, Victor Stone, Mera (DCU), Bruce Wayne, Slade Wilson

Relationships: Barry Allen & Victor Stone, Barry Allen & Mera, Barry Allen & Bruce Wayne, Barry Allen & Slade Wilson

Additional Tags: Movie: Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021), Queer Themes, Nonbinary Character, Agender Character, Gender Issues, Gender Identity, Gender Neutral Pronouns, Not a lot of transphobia tho, transphobia didn't survive the apocalypse thanks superman, Nonbinary Barry Allen, Agender Barry Allen, Asexual Barry Allen, Aromantic Barry Allen, barry's orientation is 'no', Barry Allen-centric, Barry Allen Has Anxiety, Autistic Barry Allen, Trans Ally Victor Stone, Victor Stone is a Good Friend, Trans Ally Bruce Wayne, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Bruce Wayne Acting as Barry Allen's Parental Figure, Bisexual Bruce Wayne, Decent Slade Wilson, Dark Clark Kent, The Justice League is Queer Because I Said So, Past Character Death, Implied/Referenced Racism, Coming Out, Found Family, Queerplatonic Relationships, Hurt/Comfort, Mostly comfort this time tho!!, Fluff, Feels, nobody's miserable? in my fic? it's more likely than you think, No beta we die like any notion of transphobia in this 'verse

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/M7UVSzn

[hotchs-second-wife]

Station 19 Spin-off, but it's their kids

Your girl just finished Station 19 up until the most recent episode and y'know she had to make their future kids as well!

Jack's got twins because I said so.

I can just see him being a twin dad, yk?

Their mother is the worst, so Jack has sole custody of his little prince, Dean, and little princess, Lila.

Yes, he would indefinitely name his son after Dean - we all know how much Jack loves his Station 19 family!!

And he clearly loved his foster sister so much.

Lila looks up to Maya and strives to be a captain, so she made it there bc she's a Gibson.

Dean settling with just being a regular firefighter and watching his big sis rise.

Carina would for sure name her kid after her brother. She had a whole episode where she mourned her baby brother!

I feel like he'd be a doctor just so his mama (Carina) doesn't lose another Andrew that she loves, but he really just wants to follow in his mom's (Maya's) footsteps.

And so he does.

Travis finally meets the new love of his life (after Michael's death) and they have a son through surrogacy - which Travis and his partner agree to call Michael, both after Travis' late husband and the partner's father- I guess?

I would love it if Pru became a battalion chief, especially after seeing Dean wanna rise through the ranks but couldn't because...well, death, and so Pru does.

And hell if she lets anyone downtalk her because she's a female battalion chief-

You know she's not going to let it slide - we all know her aunts would have taught her that.

Okay but I would love to see a 'he fell first, but she fell harder' relationship in S19 and I've already designated that to Andrew Deluca-Bishop and Lila Gibson.

"But wouldn't Andrew have been created with Jack's sperm and Carina's egg?" "Wouldn't they be half siblings through Jack?"

No.

Canonically in this AU, Carina's body just didn't take to Jack's little guys, and the Deluca-Bishops found Mason (Maya's brother). They decided to try again with Mason's sperm so at least the child would have similar DNA to Maya and PRESTO-

Idk if that's how you spell it-

Maya figured at least the baby would have more of a chance to look like her since Mason is her brother, but Andrew was born looking like Carina, so- didn't really matter anyway.

Maya still adores her son, even though he looks nothing like her and every bit like a male version of Carina. He's her little boy, she knew she'd always love him from the moment she held him.

Vic and Theo having a little badass who is just like her mother-

Exactly like her mother in every way; looks, personality, attitude, every bit.

19 raising their kids together; like a village.

THE KIDS CALLING BEN "Grandpa" BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS CALL HIM "Dad"

Little toddler Dean crying when Ben tells him that he (Ben) isn't actually Jack's dad-

"You made a toddler cry, man." "I didn't mean to!"

Lila being a protective big twin sister, even at 3-years-old, glaring at Ben as her brother cries into their dad.

Jack having no clue what to do with his own children, so when a baby play pen (or whatever its called, I was 2 when my little brother was born and I see my younger cousins like once a year, if that-) it put in the lounge of the station, he just sticks them in that until they're hungry or need the potty.

It's 2am on Boxing Day and I should be sleeping but I can't.

Don't finish off the eggnog in your fridge and an entire Monster can right before bed.

It messes with your already messed up sleep schedule.

Or do. I'm not the boss of you.

Andrew being scared of Jack when he's thinking about asking Lila on a date, when he should be scared of her Uncle Travis.

As close as he is to his mom's friends, he doesn't actually refer to them as Auntie or Uncle. So...

Considers them family, because they're his parents' family, but wouldn't go out of his way to refer to them with familial titles.

Anyway-

Travis, while having his own kid, being incredibly protective of Jack's little Lila and Vic's little Marion.

He never had a daughter, and can't imagine having one, if he was honest. So Marion and Lila are the closest he has to daughters.

So, protective Uncle Travis? I say YES.

These kids for sure grew up with happy Christmases.

Firehouse Christmases, for sure.

They'd probably make Jack dress up as Santa, in all honesty.

Little Dean crying for his dad, and Jack tries to comfort him but he's like "I WANT MY DADDY! NOT SANTA!"

Jack takes off the hat and wig, and Dean immediately hugs him, and Jack just has to crouch there and not say anything because he wants his son to maintain that childhood innocence that he couldn't.

Jack letting his kids be kids for as long as possible, even well into their teen years, because he wanted that family so he's going to make sure his kids get that.

I feel like Andy would have a son, and she'd name him after Ryan because we all know how much she loved her childhood friend.

Him and Andrew being really close bc their moms are.

I think I'll leave it there because I'm gonna write a little christmas tale of when the kids were little.

Regarding middle names; Vic and Theo made Marion's middle name Andrea, after Andy helped Vic birth Marion (with Carina's help ofc, you can guarantee that Carina was there for a majority of the births), Jack made his son's middle name after his foster dad, and Vic helped Jack a lot with his daughter, so Lila's middle name is Victoria (she even gave Lila the period talk for Jack), and Ryan's middle name is after his grandpa.

Okay, I'm done for now-

S19 Children, Parent/s and Ages

Marion "Mari" Andrea Hughes - Victoria "Vic" and Theodora "Theo" Hughes, 20yo

Dean Marco Gibson - Jack Gibson, 21yo

Lila Victoria Gibson - Jack Gibson, 21yo

Ryan Pruitt Herrera - Andrea "Andy" Herrera, 23yo

Michael "Mike/Mickey" Montgomery - Travis Montgomery, 26yo

Andrew Deluca-Bishop - Carina and Maya Deluca-Bishop, 27yo

Pruitt "Pru" Miller - Dean Miller and JJ Lau, 32yo

[theselfdoubtdiaries]

22 August

Oh my God….where has time gone!? This year since our exhibition has been so patchy and yet so much has happened….time has just flown by….or is it slipping? Feels quite slippery – maybe that is a better word.

Anyway, I have neglected this task for far too long. And my writing in general – although I have been keeping up my Morning Pages (as per The Artist’s Way) and maybe that’s why the rest has dropped away. No matter. Here I am ..

I feel that I’ve been in a fallow period since the end of our show at BelcoArts. And it was intentional. When I look back at the last post I sent you the exhibition hadn’t even finished….So yeah, after recouperating from the install and de-install etc etc… I sat down to plan/map out my year and I saw with dismay that I didn’t have a lot on my plate in terms of my art practise (until the late part of the year….) I sat with that for a bit and then I realised that it was a gift! And I wrote it INTO my forward plan for the year. And I also realised that my ‘year’ didn’t have to begin in January and end in December!! I could make this forward 12 – 18 month plan start and end wherever the hell I wanted ! Amazing……

And so I inserted: “FALLOW time March – September” and I entered dates and deadlines of art prizes etc etc that I wanted to apply for – printed it out and stuck it up in the studio. And I got on with things. Around the garden (a period of intense activity) hanging out with visitors – those nieces from Belgium – comings and goings – Stuff for my Dad (at his place ) etc – and of course, I was still teaching. I got back into my drawing practise. And eventually, my brain started to feel clearer and rested and I was starting to see things again – feel a sense of expansiveness and creativity emerging. I had also joined in an online group following the Artist’s Way and so I was reading, writing, going for Artist Dates and generally feeding and nourishing my creativity. It felt GOOD. And it wasn’t nothing. It was definitely replenishment and refuelling after feeling completely depleted.

By July I felt ready to join in with an online creative journalling challenge with Craft & Design Canberra. It was a lovely way to do a small daily creative exercise with the discipline of posting it daily on Insta. It really helped me reconnect with a playful part of my brain – a place where experimentation and innovation happens precisely because there is NO outcome attached.

And so now here we are – AUGUST – my goodness and my fallow time feels that it has ended early (ish). And I’m easing my way out of dormancy (much like the garden in Spring) Because of the space and openness I felt – good things started to come my way. Opportunities come and go – but at times we are just not ready to receive them. Because I was rested, I said ‘yes’ to a couple of things. Took a risk – made an investment in myself – I’m still working on a couple of things. A proposal is in negotiation with the people at the NGA Shop for an upcoming commission that I think could be fun and interesting without too much stress. And I’m participating in a physical and online exhibition with a gallery in Berlin – learning a bit more about shipping along the way! 😉

And I almost forgot : I’ve sent 3 pieces down to Castlemaine, VIC to be part of an end of year show at ArtPuff (where I exhibited 2 years ago – or so).

And most excitingly: I was selected as a finalist for the Nth Qld Ceramic Award with the piece I had made for STILL last year (where it wasn’t selected! - go figure). Just goes to show I guess that we just need to keep plodding along. And plugging away at things. Bit by bit it all adds up.

And now, it seems that my forward plan needs amending with all those things! So today’s task will be that. Sorry – what a rave, but it’s helped me to get my head clear. Oh and did I mention how much I love that drawing class!? Something has clicked recently and I feel like I’ve improved and it’s just so enjoyable. 😊

That is all. Much love and I’m so glad that things are going well for you in Darwin. It’s wonderful – looking forward to the excuse to visit you up there!

PS - here is one of the works that has gone to Berlin. An oldie but a goldie. It's still one of my favourites so they chose well.

[ulkaralakbarova]

Over the summer of 1976, thirty-six bombs detonate in the heart of Cleveland while a turf war raged between Irish mobster Danny Greene and the Italian mafia. Based on a true story, Kill the Irishman chronicles Greene’s heroic rise from a tough Cleveland neighborhood to become an enforcer in the local mob. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Danny Greene: Ray Stevenson John Nardi: Vincent D’Onofrio Joe Manditski: Val Kilmer Shondor Birns: Christopher Walken Joan Madigan: Linda Cardellini Mikey Mendarolo: Tony Darrow Ray Ferritto: Robert Davi Grace O’Keefe: Fionnula Flanagan Jerry Merke: Bob Gunton Art Sneperger: Jason Butler Harner Keith Ritson: Vinnie Jones Jack Licavoli: Tony Lo Bianco Ellie O’Hara: Laura Ramsey Mike Frato: Steve Schirripa Tony Salerno: Paul Sorvino Leo “Lips” Moceri: Mike Starr William “Billy” McComber: Marcus Thomas Frank Brancato: Vinny Vella Valet: Brian Balzerini Young Danny Greene: Cody Christian Young Billy McComber: Dante Wildern Tony Lupero: Sean O’Reily Vic Centauro: Vincent Rogo Angelini Tommy Sinito: Grant Krause Joe Buka: Jeff Chase Stan Gilroy: Jim Porterfield Undercover Cop: Jeff Wolfe Film Crew: Director: Jonathan Hensleigh Executive Producer: Tara Reid Casting: Mary Vernieu Production Design: Patrizia von Brandenstein Director of Photography: Karl Walter Lindenlaub Editor: Douglas Crise Executive Producer: Arthur M. Sarkissian Visual Effects Supervisor: Chris Ervin Producer: Al Corley Producer: Eugene Musso Unit Production Manager: Bart Rosenblatt Producer: Tommy Reid Casting: Juan Carlos Cantu Screenplay: Jeremy Walters Book: Rick Porrello Executive Producer: Jonathan Dana Costume Design: Melissa Bruning Original Music Composer: Patrick Cassidy Music Supervisor: John Bissell Production Supervisor: Michael D. Jones Art Direction: Gary Baugh Script Supervisor: Dug Rotstein Still Photographer: Kim C. Simms Set Decoration: Joan MacFarlane Production Sound Mixer: Beau Williams Second Assistant Director: Phil Robinson Stunt Double: Cassandra McCormick Movie Reviews: Kenneth Axel Carlsson: This is the story of the irishman, Danny Greene (Ray Stevenson), a corrupt union man, who ended up as sort of a Robin Hood figure of Cleveland. This is the story of how he rose in the ranks, making countless of enemies along the way. This is also the story of how they tried to kill him, but failed. I’ve never heard of Danny Greene, but the movie paints a nice realistic picture of the 1970s. This is not a pleasant world, but one where everyone is trying to get their piece of the cake. Danny himself is a hard one to figure out, is he good, is he bad? The one moment he helps out a friend in need, the next… he is killing people. I kinda like the fact that he is a person with both sides to him, allowing us to make up our own mind about him. Life is never as simple as most movies would like us to think it is. The movie itself is a little messy, and I had expected a bit more from the cast, but of course, this is a movie based on actual events and characters, and of course that means that they can’t change too much. In minor roles we find Val Kilmer and Christopher Walken, both excellent actors that tend to make quirky and interesting characters, but not so much here. Last words… a solid movie that gives us some insight into a man who really lived and breathed. It has some heart, for sure, but ain’t all that interesting when it comes down to it. I probably won’t ever see it a second time, but I definitely survived seeing it once.

[starlight-time-machine]

Week in Review

06/02/2024 – 06/08/2024

Sunday

Week 17 of missing Cipher Academy

Girl Meets Rock fine, just going through the motions as the band is entering its final form.

Undead Unluck is pretty fun, it’s great to get this glimpse into Fuuko’s parents and upbringing after all this time. Sean continues to be a favourite for how well he embodies the trope of a silly guy who’s still empathetic and in tune with other people’s needs. Also I’m really amused by that color page and how Tozuka envisions male idols to be LMAOO I can’t wait to see who gets to join Kaede’s backing band.

I checked out Dropout’s new show, Thousandaires, and it’s certainly…interesting. I saw an interview blurb where Sam Reich describes it as show-and-tell, which I’d have to agree with, but it’s just a bit odd to see it used in a “competitive” format. But of course, there isn’t actually any real competition – so the impression I get is like, aggressively positive as the contestants try to make their friends laugh. It’s an odd energy, but so far it’s still been decently fun to watch. Lisa’s was the most straight up comedic bit, but I also have to give kudos to Vic for commissioning a whole musical song for their sister. Jacob’s was cute for how he always looks to give back to the community, but I would have to say that Jiavani’s was my favourite for just how genuinely sweet and fun it was.

Monday

Watched two more episodes of Simpsons, and I’m sorry to say that they weren’t good ones… Homer really annoyed me in the mini-golf episode, and then Bart annoyed me in the subsequent Thanksgiving episode. They both had good endings, I suppose, but the journey to get there was frustrating.

I’m really excited for the Game Changer finale because I vaguely enjoyed the one season of The Circle I watched years ago, and I think the Dropout designers are smarter about how to create a fair game (the people who start at the beginning of The Circle have an insanely better chance at winning than anyone joining later, and the challenges feel really nonsensical), but somehow I think Ratfish has the opposite problem to The Circle. The main gameplay conceit is a lot more interesting and fair, where they all have a chance to deduce each other’s identities based on their intuition and social awareness, but because they filmed the episodes in one day, I didn’t get the build-up of friendships and alliances and other social dynamics that I liked seeing in The Circle. I know they wouldn’t’ve wanted to trap them in a hotel for even a week, but maybe three days would’ve been fun…the general chat and personal chat times just felt so short and inorganic because of the time micromanagement. I love all the characters the cast came up with, but my favourite has to be Zac and Granma Sweetie, he was just so so funny. I’m really sad that he got out first :( So now I’m rooting for Katie to win. And I’ve gotta say…I don’t care about Mr. Eric from Tim and Eric…it’s just a brand of humor I don’t care for at all LOL and the way he chatted was so cringe and “lol xd tacos are so quirky and funny right.” There would be no way for the cast members to guess who he is, so I assume he’s providing some other function in the game – perhaps he and Sam are the ones voting on who their favourite character is? But I’m sure the cast members will get a kick out of seeing him when he’s finally revealed. Anyway I think this format is fun, it just needs a little more room to breathe…I’d love to see it come back in the future like Survivor did.

Tuesday

I had to check out the latest Chainsaw Man chapter because Twitter was exploding about it, and all I can really say is lmao. As ever, we just have to wait and see where Fujimoto goes with this, I guess.

Wednesday

I’d been picking at it here and there over the past few weeks, but my library loan was quickly running out so I read through The Village of Eight Graves by Seishi Yokomizo in pretty much one sitting. Of the Kousuke Kindaichi stories I’ve read so far (Honjin Murders and Devil’s Flute Murders), I was surprised to find that this was my favourite. The premise didn’t seem to be all that gripping at first, but once I was entrenched in this rural town and watching the murders and paranoia spread throughout the community, I was fully hooked. I saw some reviews complaining about the lack of Kindaichi in this Kindaichi story, but I actually kind of really liked that we were getting the story from the perspective of someone who was deeply involved and had a lot of stakes riding on the situation. It made the mystery feel all the more personal and harrowing – and besides, one of the somewhat frustrating things about the other Kindaichi books was how Kindaichi could never really prevent most of the killings. Obviously he can’t get ahead of the killer before the book ends, but it’s a little sad and frustrating to watch as people drop like flies around him while this “great detective” is helpless to stop them. With Tatsuya as our protagonist, at least, it’s more understandable why he wouldn’t be able to do much, and the emotions run higher because it’s people he cares about/the murders seem to be implicating him specifically. I really liked this setting and its characters, too – there were a lot of them, but they felt distinct enough to me where I could imagine what they looked like and what the broader social web was between them all. I especially liked the female characters, of which there were quite a few who were written really interestingly. I also liked that this mystery wasn’t much of a “puzzle box” mystery as Honjin (because I can never really get the mechanics/geography straight in my mind enough for the solution to be satisfying), and the motives were more compelling than Devil’s Flute to me. And then there’s the added bonus of themes of mob mentality and how people in an insular community govern themselves, and the added spookiness of a curse and the dualities being revealed throughout the town…there was just a lot here that was really up my alley. I would have to think on it (and see what other books I want to buy), but this book has definitely become a strong contender for a book I enjoyed so much that I want to buy a physical copy (the first of its kind in my adult life, I think! So that’s fun). As such, I’ll give it a rating of 8/10.

Thursday

I was so productive I even forgot to watch DunMesh.

Friday

Productive again. Woe is me I’m getting a lot of work done.

Saturday

Went over to my friend’s house and made Italian wedding soup. We didn’t eat it while watching DunMesh, but I just had to let you know that we did a very DunMesh activity. The episode itself was fine, though the timing of everything is a little weird. I know we’re past the days of fiddling with the source material for fear of people yelling at you on Twitter, but it would’ve been nice if the Senshi backstory was all one episode and maybe even the season finale…but now there’s the awkward tonal shift of the deeply moving personal revelation with fun species-switching comedy hijinks. I think they didn’t get a new voice actor for Tallman!Chilchuck so now his voice actor is kind of struggling lol