#but i think this’ll be his final design

[kismetmoon]

another redesign just for you bbg, on the house

[ID: a digital drawing of an original, stylised Flatland character named Chief Jr on a beige background.

Chief is a circle with black limbs, an eye with a glossy eyelid in the centre of his body and a long tail that ends in a vaguely flame-shaped tip. His body has a light and dark grey crescent moon pattern and he is wearing a simple black crown on his top side.

He is facing the left with his right arm held out in front of him. In his right hand, he is holding a cigarette holder between his clawed fingers with a lit cigarette that has smoke trailing from it. His left arm is crossed over the other and his eyelid is lowered in a relaxed expression. His tail is curved into a sideways S-shape beneath him.

End ID].

[johnbrand]

Updated Employee Handbook

Ding! Ding!

Clark groaned. “Did you just get this email from Corporate?” 

“I think so,” Weston frowned. “‘Updated Employee Handbook’?”

“That’s the one,” Clark confirmed, the pair opening their respective emails. “Ever since this new CEO was confirmed, I feel like he’s been restarting and refreshing everything we do here.”

Weston scoffed, “We can’t even enjoy our 30 minute break outside the office without somehow getting looped back in. 

Click. Click.

“Are we sure we want to read this now?” Clark flicked a blond curl out of his face. “We could just enjoy the remaining minutes of our ignorant freedom.”

Weston chuckled, “I don’t know if we can, man. It’s flagged for mandatory reading, immediately.”

“I just hope they’re not revoking the jeans policy,” Clark commented. “I didn’t bring an extra set of clothes.”

Weston scratched at his man bun with an exaggerated sigh. “I did, but that’s because I knew I’d already be sweating through this shirt by now.”

Fwoosh. Fwoosh.

“Step by step confirmations?” Clark remarked. “This’ll be fun.”

“You know it,” Weston added.

Confirm. Confirm.

“‘The foundations of a man’s future are found in his wardrobe',” Clark began. “‘Traditional, full cut briefs are the center. Their stiff, starchy materials, blindingly white to showcase utter perfection, solidify the role of an employee. Their cotton fabric may appear inconsequential, yet they affirm that the employee is at the very core follwing instruction’.”

Confirm. Confirm.

Weston shifted his bottom uncomfortably. “‘A pristine button-down should expertly cover the upper body.  Depending on the weather, and the corporate setting, the following should either be a suitable pair of trousers or shorts. Trousers shall remain woolen and perched millimeters below the briefs and only be supported by braces. Shorts can be designed of lighter material, but must be of adequate length’.”

Confirm. Confirm.

“At least he’s letting our legs breathe,” Clark commented, itching at his own exposed limbs absentmindedly. “‘While the stiff shirt and particular cut of the trousers will keep the employee upright and tall, the jacket is designed for decorative purposes. The shape will reform the man as thick, strong, and uniform. Depending on the season, colors will remain modest. Blacks, grays, and blues for winter, with simple patterns and refined hues allowed for summer’.”

Confirm. Confirm.

Weston pulled at his striped lapel, thankful that his choice of attire today was not too exciting. “‘Accessories shall follow a similar suit. Silky black socks, generic yet tasteful tie, a handkerchief and or watch reflective of wealth, not personality. A highly polished pair of oxfords should represent every employee’s wardrobe; the gel holding his hair should represent how the employee is held to standards’.”

Confirm. Confirm.

“This better be the last page,” Clark moaned. “This is giving me more of a headache than refluffing my quiff.”

“It’s almost as agonizing as visiting an inexperienced tailor,” Weston quipped, to which both men laughed.

“Alright alright, I got this,” Clark finally said. “‘The foundations of a man are found in his wardrobe. Therefore, what is built upon that foundation should match. After all, the clothes do make the man’. There, that’s it.”

“Thank god that’s the last one,” Weston agreed.

Confirm. Confirm.

“Quite the peculiar update to our terms of service, wouldn’t you agree?” Clarence remarked.

“Well how so?” Wesley questioned. “I maintain that the boss’s wishes perfectly align with the standard workplace etiquette."

“My point exactly,” Clarence confirmed. “What is unordinary is how these quotations were not enforced before. The sense here is that I have already adorned this Cascade green jacket numerous times throughout these last two quarters alone.”

“And I with my own blazer showcasing these off-golden buttons,” Wesley added. “Perhaps our boss is tastefully solidifying our strong, traditional, classic values, even if we were already abiding.”

Meeting Invite for CLARENCE JOHNSTONBOROUGH, WESLEY LAUDER II 

“Bizarre how we appear to consistently be transported back to our duties, even while on intermission, is it not?” Clarence inquired.

“Indeed, it is bizarre,” Wesley replied.

[yuheartss]

WHOS THAT GIRL?

IN WHICH — light finally makes a move on the girl he’s been stalking since high school

ʚɞ WC? 949 wordss

ʚɞ warnings! - stalking, hint of kidnapping, fem!reader, fluff-ish, unedited, lowercase intended!

ʚɞ a/n: I feel like I made him a little ooc but I hope not.. if I did please tell me! constructive criticism is welcome js don't b mean ⟢

In collage you were a bubbly person you had all the best fashions, best friends everything you could’ve ever wanted except one thing, a boyfriend, you told yourself that you didn’t need one you had to work on your fashion design major

You went to a small cafe to work on a dress sketch with your earbuds on you don’t notice a man coming up to you, he taps your shoulder and you look up at him “yes?” You ask “um can I sit here? All of the other tables are full” you look around and he was right it was full

“Yea sure” you said welcomingly the man smiles and sits with a cup of tea in hand “so what’s your name?” He says, hoping to start a conversation you look up from your sketchbook you give him another smile “y/n what about you?”

“Light” he says leaning back against his chair he looks at your sketch “are you in a fashion major or something? I can tell because of your unique style and your sketches” light finished, like he didn’t already know, you stare at him for a minute and laugh softly “your very observant Light,yea I’m in that major what about you?”

“I’m in criminal justice my father was a cop so I’m just following his footsteps” he said casually, looking into your eyes for any suspicions you might have “interesting…you don’t look like you’d be a cop more like a…scientist or something” you tilt you head as he chuckles

Your phone buzzed causing the both of you to look at the phone “hello?” You answered the keychain on your flip phone dangled as you leaned over to talk to your friend as you were doing this light took notice of your slicked back bun your curls covered in glitter hairspray, charms and hair clips near your ears

He knows you’ve been like this since high school you’ve Always been friendly you were popular and all but you never had any classes with light so of course you weren’t gonna remember him

Ryuk hoveres over Light his smile never falters what are you gonna do Light? Your not gonna stalk her are you? Ryuk teases looking over to you, still on call with who ever

“Very funny” Light says softly “i already know where she lives” Ryuk laughs as you turn back to Light “sorry about that something came up I gotta go it was nice meeting you Light” you say as you start to pack your things up

“Wait! Can- can I see you again?” He asks a little too desperately but that’s what girls like right? You blush a little and flip a page of your sketchbook and write your number down you rip the paper out and give it to him before speed walking out

He watches you go and looks at the note :

xxx-xxx-xxxx call me! ♡

He smiled at this and left the cafe as light walked out the street he couldn’t help but start thinking about if you r always like that or do you fake a face or the public he just couldn’t help but think about you about what makes you tic your fears everything

So two months later you guys have been hanging out and then light calls you, he asks if you want to take a walk in a park and of course you agree, you put on your best outfit ever cheetah print leg warmers here bows with similar patters over there

And of course you being the only person of color with bright colors on, it made you stand out quite a lot you got stares from girls and boys, men and women, dogs even! it made you slightly uncomfortable as you noticed this one man who kept following you ever since you got off the bus

You brushed that aside once you saw Light in the distance you called his name and he looked over to you with a smile you caught up to him and held his arm “sorry about this” you muttered as you leaned you head on his arm

Thinking that this’ll throw the man off and he’ll leave to which he did leave after a while of walking and that’s when you let go of Light “sorry some guy was following me and I wanted to shake him off” you explained as he nodded “yea I kinda figured that’s what you were doing it’s no problem” he replied deciding to be bold and take your hand

You bit your lip softly to stop the expression that your blushing to appear “soo where are we going?” You ask as you both go deeper into the park “you’ll see..” was all he said when you both got onto the center of the park he had shown you a lit up little area fairy lights, the water fountain reflecting those light’s making the water light up, flower bushes all around

“Oh wow..” you said softly placing your well-manicured hand over you mouth “like it?” He asked with a smirk watching your every move “yeah.. are you finna propose or something?” You questioned him eyeing him suspiciously

He chuckles “no no nothing like that, I was gonna ask if you wanted to be my girlfriend” you pause for a moment he was so casual about it you almost missed the question, you practically jumped on him screaming a yes he returned your hug smiling but what you couldn’t see was the dark look in his eyes

Next thing you know, your on tv you watch as the reporter says that you’ve been missing for three months she finally asks? who’s that girl?

[mythmash]

Bouncer!Sukuna AU Pt. 10 - Furniture Shopping

Bouncer!Sukuna x Stripper/Dancer!Reader. Warnings: MDNI 18+, long, bullet point fic, uncle!sukuna, sukuna's very tired accountant, sukuna being inappropriate in furniture stores, sex toy mention A/N: this is a collaborative work made with the amazing @pastelbunnelby, @pastelpixies & @chaoskrakenuwu Series Masterlist || Previous | Next

Going back to this post, and the part about riding Sukuna on the dining room table

Your first thought is wow that must be a really strong table

But then you think about how hot it is that that’s almost certainly why he picked it

He doesn’t care about how many people it can seat he just wants to know how much weight it can handle for…reasons

You go furniture shopping with him and learn that’s actually how he picks all of his furniture

Sukuna doesn’t give a fuck about interior decorating, it’s all about maximum fucking potential

The employee at the fancy furniture store is yapping about the wood grain and how old the trees the legs were cut from are

Sukuna's not even pretending to be interested

He’s just spaced out thinking of will it wobble when he bends you over it

Before they can even finish talking he just thinks “Yeah, this’ll work.” and slaps his card on the counter

You're looking at bookcases and asking about materials and if the shelves are adjustable

When you ask Sukuna what he thinks, he pushes you up against it and stands between your legs

No, it doesn’t tilt.

Yes, the shelves hold his weight.

It doesn't dig into your back.

Sold.

Here’s his card.

Does he know how much it costs? No. He didn’t look.

It literally does not matter to him as long as it works

He's like a cat just silently walking around nudging things and muttering to himself before he moves on to the next thing

The employees are too scared to ask if he needs help, but also he seems to have…some kind of system going?? So they just leave him be until it’s time to check out

You have to follow behind him to remind him “No. We are not getting that table with a stained walnut finish. I don’t care how sturdy it is, everything in our house is oak.”

He finally says fuck it and starts getting furniture custom made

It’s the perfect shade of ash or oak or whatever you’re talking about and double reinforced so he can bend you over it and give you a real good look at the finish anytime

Sukuna spends an ungodly amount of money furniture shopping with you

And on you in general, no matter how much you try to stop him

His accountant has a lot of questions after Sukuna starts dating you

“What are all these charges for custom tables?”

“Why are you spending thousands on….Pleaser Platform Shoes?”

Can’t a man get a good cunty platform? Gosh

“You can’t write off vibrators and cock rings as a work expense. No, fucking your girlfriend for forty hours a week doesn’t count as a job. I don't care that you're "putting in the work".”

“What do you mean you have an "honorary W2" from The Love Store?”

“Why do you have a manicure budget? And why does it include $200 tips?”

Sukuna is baffled by that one because nail techs do hard work

Do you see how small those nails are and how intricate the designs are?

What is he supposed to do? Not tip? It’s 2024, get with the times Mx. Accountant.

He’ll kill people no problem, but he draws the line at being at not tipping customer service workers

The day Sukuna tells his accountant that half of his major charges are him paying for private dances from his own girlfriend (plus tip) is the day his accountant almost quits

[t0ast-ghost]

Umm STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE THOUGHTS!!!!

You thought this series was dead and buried? Well maybe it is. This may stay in my drafts forever. But I suppose if you’re reading this it’s not.

Warnings for a flashing gif

and spoilers (obviously)

So enjoy and forward we go:

- They kinda just make you watch stars with nice background music for *checks time* two minutes and fifty seconds (no, there are no credits during this time)

- I’m so hyped for this, the credit music is so nostalgic and amazing

- Tron ass graphics <3

- Evolved Klingon design! Let’s go! Also they’re speaking Klingon which I think star trek is super proud of creating

- It’s so alien (as in the movie alien)

- Is that the lizard head rock from the Apple? No it’s Vulcan- damn what’d they do to Spock?

- It’s giving the dark crystal or labyrinth

- THEYVE GOT A VULCAN LANGUAGE?! I mean I knew they would but they created one for the first movie???

- When the Vulcan Master (it’s what imdb calls her) is reading Spock’s mind then the shot goes back to her face and she looks down and there’s a fucking vine boom and she smiles slightly at him like ‘THIS FUCKER IS HAVING GAY THOUGHTS’

- Jim is calling him <3

- It’s interesting how they pronounce Spock’s name differently

- Life is a Dream is my favourite song (It’s the one with the horns)

- Omg hi Kirk hi

- They gave him another Vulcan? Kirk must miss his husband so much

- imagine ten years after your favourite show ends, they make a movie and there are all your favourite guys again! I would have screamed

- Hiya Scotty

- Kirk looks so unhappy. Hmmm wonder why

- Aww this is such a cute conversation between Kirk and Scotty

- KIRK GETS TEARS IN HIS EYES SEEING THE NEW ENTERPRISE OMG. HE LOVES HER SM

- This is the slowest fucking shuttle ever

- I like how there’s just guys floating in spacesuits around

- ….Welp that’s over now. The ship has docked. Finally.

- oh the elevators are just voice controlled now. No handles.

- OMG HI UHURA!!! HI CHECKOV! HI SULU!!!

- Kirk’s about to go fire someone. This’ll be fun.

- Yeah Decker does not take this well. Kirk is just a petty bitch who loves his ship too much and definitely misses his husbands

- WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT? Wha- who- no wonder people don’t like using transporters that’s horrifying

- OMG THATS JANICE RAND!!!

- Kirk has turned into the idiot admiral that he used to hate dealing with

- OMG HIIIII BONES HES GOT A BEARD. They drafted him???? Wait no. JIM BROUGHT HIM BACK hehe

- “Damn it, Bones. I need you. Badly!” He missed his husband so he made him come back to fight a war

- That was such a normal moment between Kirk and McCoy. Sooo normal. I’m normal about it. Sooo normal.

- THAT LITTLE DUDE IN SPACE JUST DID A FLIP

- hi bones hi

- “Jim. You’re pushing.”

- They gave McCoy a better perch, he’s got a railing that’s closer to Kirk now

- time to ask: what is happening

- “Tor-pe-do away!” The slow voice really added to that

- Why is McCoy just there on his knees?!?

- Bones is NOT happy to be here. This is why he divorced Kirk (he’s still married to Spock though)

- McCoy can see that Jim is being unreasonable. But what is that stance and why aren’t they looking into each others eyes? (Edit: not sure what stance I’m talking about but yeah, why aren’t they?)

- It’s been 50 minutes literally nothing has happened except reintroductions

- HI SPOCK HIII HES SO HOT WHATS HE DOING HERE?

- damn why’d Spock just ignore Chekov like that

- Jim is so desperate. He wants this man so bad. He’s like literally starry eyed

- For Chekov this is like the worst high school reunion ever

- HI CHAPEL HAIII

- damn why is Spock ignoring his husbands :(((

- Bones looks so sad. He missed Spock

- Kirk and McCoy are about to interrogate their long gone ex husband. “Will you please sit down.” This is pretty much exactly what it would be like if they got divorced and didn’t see each other for awhile. Spock is trying to separate his emotions from the situation, McCoy is trying to be playful but sneaks in a question about what he’s been doing, and Kirk just wants them back he’s so desperate

- Not gonna say what I’m thinking cause I think that would be disrespectful

- “I believe they may hold my answers.” “Well, isn’t it lucky for you that we just happened to be heading your way?” “Bones! We need him. I need him.” Jim if you say that while staring into Spock’s eyes it’s a bit queer (happy pride month)

- They got the new Apple watches

- Spock is pulling a Deanna Troi

- They brought back Spock to wear the finest eyeshadow and serve silent cunt

- Shapes and colours by the likes of which I’ve never seen!

- I like how Bones just came onto the bridge FOR NO REASON but to kinda look shocked when Kirk was about to do something silly

- Most of this movie feels like, ‘look at this cool set/effects thing for a very long time’ and they are cool

- I now truly understand what a ‘long shot’ is

- Uh oh Kirk. Your husband got zapped!

- huh? whuh? Why’d it take Ilia?

- Everyone that comes onto the bridge takes a second to go what the f-

- Wow that’s just a pussy- *gets schmacked*

- Did Spock just fucking blue screen?

- just noticed Kirk in short sleeves <3

- ILIA BURST THROUGH THE WALL

- Why did they replicate her into high heels

- I love Star Treks idea that love can bring anyone back. Like if anyone is dead and someone loves them enough there’s no way they’re staying dead. And if you bring up Tasha, technically she didn’t die right there and then. And if you bring up Jadzia, fuck you

- What is Spock doing, why’s he mutineering

- They successfully contacted Ilia. There’s something so sad about it being her but not her at all

- Omg. Spock why would you do that?

- “That’s Spock. Damn him! Bring him back here.” Gotta wrangle your husbands

- I was going to say something about pussy and then Spock said “penetrated” so-

- Pussy so good you get blasted backwards- I’ve got to stop

- Spock laughing omg omg

- jaw dropped. That was gay. That was so gay!

- I like how Kirk just has these two guys around to explain things to him

- “It knows only that it needs, commander, but like so many of us, it does not know what.” Do you need something, Spock? What are you trying to say? Do you need the love of your husbands?

- HES JUST GONNA BLOW UP THE SHIP???

- I got legitimately jumpscared by Spock’s tear

He’s really pretty tho and they’re observing him

- “Is this all that I am? Is there nothing more?” This is the greatest moment in the whole movie thus far because it goes back to really what star trek is about. Talking about life through aliens.

- He’s bringing his husbands with him awwe

- woah how are they on top of the enterprise?!Okay I guess this is happening now

- VOYAGER??????????? Oh wait this is a real ship, isn’t it?

- So Decker is going to sacrifice himself to join with V’Ger, isn’t he?

- He rolls back to his husbands

- “As much as you wanted the Enterprise, I want this.” Jim did really want the enterprise, but he also just wanted love, same with Decker, they both just want their loves back.

- Shiny

- Kirk and McCoy staring, jaws dropped like, ‘What is this shit?’

- “And a lot of foolish human emotions, right, Mr. Spock?” “Quite true, Doctor. Unfortunately we will have to deal with them as well.” THEY’RE FLIRTING AGAIN YES!!!!

- It’s a little funny that Spock definitely arrived on the ship ready to stay. Like he cut his hair and everything just to see his husbands.

- “The human adventure is just beginning” what does THAT mean?

Well okay. Time to watch Wrath of Khan, I guess. I hear it’s better…

Masterpost

[maxwell-mtv]

Introducing Joja Pink™️

[I've been brainstorming this since Spring, but I'll be diving my hand into the world of NSFW writing with my new AU. Introduction below the cut (there won't be any NSFW in it, that'll be purely on my AO3). The chapters will follow a general story plot but won't be plot heavy like my other fanfictions I'm writing. Think of it like self indulgence. Feel free to request any pairings, scenarios, etc, and I'll do my best (so long as it's nothing gross/illegal/ generally just awful) to write it when I have time away from my studies!]

NEW! Introducing Joja's new tonic for you! With refreshing bubbles and hints of rosemary and ginseng, Joja Pink™️ is the tonic we're sure everyone will love! Try it today from your local JojaMart! You'll do better with Joja :)

Joja Pink™️ is not to be ingested by anyone under the age of 21. Joja Corp is not liable for any adverse reactions from ingesting Joja Pink™️. If you believe that Joja Pink™️ may be causing a severe allergic reaction, we advise you wait 24 hours for symptoms to disperse before seeking medical attention.

Standing over a metal table, a final product was placed for display on a tray. Its curved bottle was slender and made from clouded glass which gave the illusion of it being filled with cherry clouds. The label was refined and determined to make any middle aged mom stop and fancy its features. In cursive lettering, framed by various pink petal decals it read:

Joja Pink The New Tonic For You

At the very bottom there was a warning that whatever fizzing liquid inside was intended for mature audiences, no younger than 21. 

It was a drink that was intended, to general audiences, for more feminine people seeking a healthier alternative to their infamous Joja Cola. It would surely give rise to a new audience of folks looking for a cheap, albeit refreshing, drink, exclusive to their stores alone.

Standing over the displayed prototype was a tall, young looking man. Brunette hair draped over his face, cupping the edges of his cheeks, and stopping at his ears. Glasses reflected the lights which cast a sinister shadow over his features. Reaching up to adjust his sights, he smirks. “So this is what you guys at the lab came up with?”

A slouched, disheveled looking man in a lab coat nodded. “Thanks to the folks in the design department, we’ve perfected the next product that will sell millions!”

“Is that so?” The younger man teases, circling the table to view the bottle at all dimensions without daring to touch it. “I guess this’ll do. I’ll let my superiors know you’ve done an acceptable job.”

The scientist backs nervously from the young man. “Th-There’s just one problem, sir.”

The younger man stops and cranes his neck to snarl at him. “What now?” He snaps.

“There are some adverse side effects...” The scientist manages.

“Are there really?” Coldly said, the young man lowers his face so the light no longer blinds his eyes from the scientist. “Shocking.” He retorts sarcastically. “If it’s like the last product, it doesn’t matter. Slap another warning label on and we’ll be exempt from legal action.”

“I-It’s not that simple sir! Surely with another trial run, I-I’ve created a less potent version which should resolve the effects of this one.”

“I don’t have more time. I have the COO and stakeholders breathing down my neck so this can be sold and served ASAP. It’s bad enough we’ve already had to delay its release from Spring to now!” The young man takes a moment and slumps, pinching the bridge of his nose as he collects his temper.

Shaking, the scientist holds out a thick folder containing a whole slew of papers, charts, and reports. “Mr. Dobson, surely if you just took a look at the test results you’d see why-”

“As if my time should be wasted on reading terminology that no one can understand but eggheads like you!” Snatching the folder up, he tucks it under his arm. Leaning in, he goes nose to nose with the poor, shaken older man. “If I scan this over and there is nothing about physical harm being done to those test subjects, I’ll have my lost hours of productivity compensated by comping your paycheck!”

Pulling back, Dobson circles the table once more. Standing before the drink, his confidence smirk returns. “Trust me, Dr. Wallace, you’re over thinking things again. Just as you did with Joja Bluu. And look how that went! We managed to turn it into a trendy craze amongst kids! We encouraged purchases for it by running competitions which never really had any payout to begin with! We rigged it, as we always do, so the people learn to love what we feed them.”

“B-B-Bu-But what about the kids who were hospitalized when they drank all those sodas!? Their skin permanently dyed a dark blue! No one should be ingesting more than one of those, let alone these,” he gestures to the pink bottle, “a week! The side effects will be chaotic and dangerous for any poor schmuck who plays into this latest scheme!”

“Dr. Wallace, might I remind you we’re not in this to make the world a better place!” Dobson scolds. “We’re in it for the chance at survival in a shrinking economy! With the war overseas, there’s never been a better time to thrive! Now,” Dobson strides to the exit, teasing a hand over the handle. “If I find out you put in a complaint against me or my approval of this drink, then I’ll have your job on the line too!”

Dejected, Dr. Wallace slinks back and bitterly eyes the bottle. “Yes, sir.”

“Good. Now send that approval report to me so I can forward it and get these things out by Friday. Releasing it while it’s still hot will do us justice.”

“Yes, sir…”

With that, the two men part, leaving only the future this drink had laid out for its unsuspecting victims.

…

Grunting, Shane drops another box marked “FRAGILE” on the linoleum floors of the JojaMart he was employed. Following him was another, younger man with spiked blond hair and a visible attitude for rebellion. “Can you believe they’re coming out with this now?” The young kid, Sam, speaks up as he dusts his palms off. 

“Yeah, I swear I was tripping when Morris announced this junk’s release again, but I guess they overshot their timing.” Shane responds gruffly, cutting open the box. Reaching in, he puts the first of many 4 packs of the newly produced bottles onto a display. Looking back and out at the nearby exit, he huffs. 

“Yeah, by two whole seasons! I heard from Martin that these babies were held back in the testing period. Something about ‘unforeseen side effects’.” Echoing Shane’s efforts, he began unpacking his own box onto the display table.

Shane scoffs, rolling his eyes. “What doesn’t cause some weird shit to happen when it comes from this shithole?”

“Easy now, last time I saw Morris he was working out where he could put the rest of these.” Sam glances around nervously before turning back to his work.

“Like I give a shit. If that old fart hears me, what’s he gonna do? Not like anyone else is dumb enough to work here...”

The redhead at the register several feet away huffs.

“Oh, hey Claire! I don’t think he meant you…” Sam attempts to defend Shane.

Looking over his shoulder at their only female coworker, Shane glares. “Yes I did.” He retorts and turns back to Sam, slamming another case onto the table. 

“Now let’s remember, folks, whatever you break while on the clock gets docked from your pay.” The chilling, condescending tone of their store manager makes Shane blanch. He can feel the man come closer from behind, stopping just a few feet away to better take a look at their progress. “Looky here, a fine display coming around from the both of you! I’m sure if we talk this thing up enough that it’ll sell like hot cakes!”

Shane turns to face his boss. “Considering how many chicks are in this town? I don’t doubt they’ll all flock to try this pink pony garbage.”

“Men can drink it too, you know.” Morris warns and leans over to slide a bottle from its cardboard corner cozy. “I’m trying it myself.”

“Oh? Far from you to like Joja Cola, sir.” Sam crosses his arms and eyes the cocky man with suspicion.

“Well, for one this isn’t a soda, it’s more of a seltzer. And for another, my managers have given all JojaMart managers the lucky chance to try it before it sells.”

“So what? It’s going on the floor today…” Shane remarks.

“Yes, I suppose I did hold off till the last minute.” Morris chuckles softly, glancing sheepishly to the side. “Well, anyhow, I should go. I have some reports to finish up.”

“Hey!” Shane calls, effectively stopping Morris in his tracks. “What are we s’posed to do with this case, huh? We can’t just sell it if it’s missing one!”

Morris’s smile grows, one could almost hear the bell go off in his head before he answered. “You’re right. Normally JojaMarts have more managers to share these sorts of deals with. However since I’m the only one and that’s going to just get written off during inventory anyway, why don’t you two boys have a riot and give some to your friends? Consider it a gift from your friends at Joja!” Gleaming, Morris marches right back to his office located at the front of the store.

The two men look between each other, the now shut door of Morris’s office, and the leftover bottles from the carrier. After a moment, Shane shrugs and waves Sam off. “Go ahead and take them. I only drink one kind of fizz made for adults…”

“Really!? Dude, this is the best day ever! You think Abigail would wanna try one of these?” Sam bounces with joy, taking one of the bottles in his hands and looking it over.

“How should I know? It’s not like I hang out with her…”

“You’re right, I’ll just find out tonight at the Saloon…”

“Good thinking. You know what else is good thinking?”

Sam tilts his head curiously. “Hm?”

“Me not being the only one to finish unpacking. Come on, man.”

“R-Right, sorry.”

[skyward-floored]

How about wild becoming an example of why heroes don’t wear capes?

You all remember that older Wild thing I posted once? This is similar in time to that, so they’re all a little older here.

————————————————————

“Wild, why are you wearing that?”

Wild’s startled a little at Hyrule’s question, and he quickly pushed the cape that was around his neck behind his back, somewhat hiding it from view.

“Yeah, Wild why are you wearing that? It’s not part of your usual getup,” Twilight asked, an eyebrow raised. Wild shuffled his feet a little.

“I just wanted to spice it up a little,” Wild muttered, ears pink. “A bunch of heroes have capes, they’re cool.”

Twilight studied him, a hand on his chin, and then a smile pulled at his lips.

“Ohhhh, I see,” Twilight said knowingly. “Bet you anything Flora said she likes capes, ‘Rule.”

Hyrule’s face lit up in understanding as he let out an ohhhh almost exactly like Twilight’s, and Wild’s ears went even darker, much to his brothers’ amusement.

“She did not, I’m just seeing what it’s like having a cape!” Wild retorted, his arms crossed. “Is that so wrong?!”

“It’s kind of long,” Hyrule pointed out, walking around Wild and studying the offending article of clothing. “You might trip on it.”

“I’ll be careful!”

“It’ll hinder your movement,” Twilight said with a shake of his head. “Your thing is speed, Wild, this’ll just slow you down and get in the way. What makes you think a cape is a good idea?”

“Its a great idea!” Wild snapped back, and whipped his cape out behind him. “And I’ll prove it to you! I’ll go all the way to the woods and then back with it on! Without it getting in the way!”

Twilight shrugged, the same slight smile on his face, and he and Hyrule followed Wild outside to watch him run. Wild straightened his cape out behind himself, getting into a ready position, and then with one last annoyed look over at Twilight, took off across the yard.

Hyrule and Twilight watched him run, their brother little more than a blur. His dark cape was clearly visible though, and it billowed out behind him as he jumped over a log.

“I don’t know Twi, it looks like he’s handling it,” Hyrule said as Wild nearly dodged a tree, reaching the woods and turning around. “Maybe it would be okay.”

“Just wait, trust me.”

Wild came speeding back in their direction, incredibly fast as usual, and Twilight could just faintly make out a grin on his face. He jumped back over the same log again, but this time it didn’t go as smoothly.

His cape snagged on a branch from a nearby tree, and Twilight and Hyrule watched in dismay as Wild was pulled to an abrupt stop with a yelp, then went tumbling backwards, his cape wrapping around him tighter than one of Sky’s hugs.

Twilight ran over, Hyrule on his heels as they reached Wild, their brother looking slightly dazed. He spat a few leaves out of his mouth, and didn’t quite look Twilight in the eye as he crouched next to him.

“You don’t have to say it,” Wild sighed, wriggling a little as he tried to free himself. He was stuck tight though, and Hyrule and Twilight both got to work unwrapping him.

None of them said anything for a few moments while they worked on freeing Wild, and when he was finally free, he took off his cape with a bit of disappointment.

“You were right, Twi,” he sighed, and Hyrule patted him on the arm.

“It’s not so much that I was right... more like you just forgot what Fi and G always say is the most important rule of costume design, Wild,” Twilight said.

“...And what’s that?” Wild asked.

Twilight leaned over, and gestured to the cape in his arms, a faint smile on his lips.

“No capes.”

[angelofrainfrogs]

Break My Mind: Ch. 4

~Coauthored by @zeitghest~

Fandom(s): Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach

Description: Gregory must be dreaming this time. No sooner had he come to accept this strange reality where everyone is alive and well, than he’s sent back through time and space to the weekend he got trapped in the Pizzaplex. He’s supposed to help his family get on track for a better future, yet… didn’t he already succeed in his own timeline? Confused but relieved, Gregory drops back into his new life in the mega mall. In fact, who should be waiting for him but Michael, clad in a security uniform and searching for his missing family! Only—the night guard seems a bit more withered than when Gregory last saw him. Not to mention that cold look in his silver eyes…

Rating: T

Read on Ao3

William had let a toolbox drop loudly on the table as he heard Henry’s stark explanation. If Michael hadn't made the eye roll-inducing, incredibly stupid mistake of shoving his Remnant father inside what was essentially steel armor, he might've protested the choice of killing his son. Still, the same boy he used to feed and tell stories to—the boy that people had compared him to for years was a monster. One he should have rid their lives of long ago.

Charlie might not care much for William. Not since his drunken incident... But she was still a bleeding heart. Running a hand through her short and choppy hair, she quietly asked: “You alright, Will…?”

“—Fine. I'm fine,” he insisted, stepping away from the workbench to quickly avoid the discussion. “Let's not speak of it. Gregory, come here, my boy. We should wrap your wrist before the bone sets strangely. Henry? Be a lamb and help me unroll this gauze. My fingers are too round...” Will spoke with a smile in his voice as he tried to focus on the silliness of the situation, pushing the deep-set anxiety and fear of his son far down in his blackened heart.  

Will was good with kids. There was a reason Henry had decided to open a children’s entertainment venture with him, after all. He just… wasn’t the best with them all the time. Especially his own.

“I’ve got you,” Henry told him, coming over to assist trying not to dwell on how he’d repeated that statement at nauseam over the years.

“Henry, will you take a second look at these blueprints for me?”

I’ve got you.

“Hen, we need to order more supplies; our stock’s run low.”

I’ve got you.

“Old sport, do you think you could watch my little ones for a bit? I have to get these designs finalized by tomorrow…”

I’ve got you.

“Henry… I-I’m so sorry, I… there’s been an accident…”

I—

I can’t stand you anymore.

That was when it had all ended, their relationship torn apart and never fully repairable. But now, sometimes, flashes of the old William came through… and it was those moments Henry clung to that let him know the good friend he remembered hadn’t always been a figment of his imagination.

“Here, Greg—” With the gauze sufficiently unrolled, Henry glanced to the boy watching him with that intense, silver stare. “—Will’s going to hold your wrist while I wrap it. This’ll hurt, but try not to yell, okay? Bite your shirt or something if you need to scream. We don’t want to attract attention.”

As Charlie, independent as she was, worked on her arm alone, she watched her dad and uncle interact with Gregory. William carefully kneeled as the child trusted the flat of his palm to his fuzzy grasp. The Puppet intervened to help Charlotte, diverting her attention. Her leg springs certainly needed tuning, but for now, Puppet got to work on setting Charlie’s arm back into its own joint. Her friend’s mind just seemed to be in a different state; the last thing Marionette wanted was for her to accidentally severe another connection by accident.

All Charlie could think of was a simple question with no easy answer: why was it so easy for William to be this good person now?

One fateful day it had to be her that he took his anger out on. Sure, she’d be the first to admit that maybe she'd overstepped and made her former uncle mad.

But she thought he loved her like family.

Her gaze was far-off and distant as she observed the tender way that William worked with both her father and their new friend. When Gregory looked as if he was about to cry, a hand shot up to caress the boy's cheek.

“Gregory—I don’t know if you know this, but the last time I got hurt, I told my dog about it,” William began, successfully getting Gregory’s mind away from the pain as Henry wrapped his tender wrist. “Yep—you know what the mutt said to me? He told me: ruff.” He spoke in a deadpan as the tears dissolved in Gregory’s eyes, pain replaced by laughter.

It was so strange how William operated sometimes. As if his own body was haunted by the person he once was, in moments of hardship supporting their little group, only to turn and become cold-hearted the next minute...

The sheer ridiculousness of the joke made Henry snort, though he was quick to correct when William turned that cheerful rabbit face on him.

“I’m not laughing because it was good, I’m laughing because it was so dumb,” Henry insisted, though that sort of stupid humor seemed to be just the thing Gregory needed right now. Will had successfully curbed the tears before they came, and soon Henry was putting the final piece of tape on the gauze to hold it in place. He gave Gregory’s hair another ruffle and stepped back. “Alright, kiddo—all done. Just try to keep pressure off that wrist and it should heal up nicely.”

Turning to check on his daughter, he was pleasantly surprised to see Charlie moving both arms now.

“Oh, fantastic job, sweetheart!” he praised, coming over and lifting her arm to make sure all the joints were functioning properly. “Look at you—a natural mechanic. Makes me a proud papa bear, I’ll tell you that.”

He sniffled loudly and wiped a metaphorical tear from Freddy’s grubby face. Even the forlorn Henry Emily could be funny when the time called for it.

...Henry was a bad liar; always had been. That was why William handled PR and customer service at the diner back in their heydays. Will knew that dumb puns were some of his favorites, even if Emily would never admit to it.

Charlie was distracted momentarily in her work as her father approached her. It was a good thing too; she was going to snap the screwdriver in hand using if she didn’t calm down.

“I learned from the best,” Charlie reminded, side-eyeing Henry with pride. She redirected her anger into something productive—something she could physically fix and see the change in. “Mike really whipped Puppet around badly. She was completely missing screws for her leg joints…”

How Michael was still so fucking resilient after all these years, Henry had no idea. With all the things his rotting body had been through, it was a wonder he still had all his limbs intact. Henry would hate to see the state of him under all those bandages, especially if that glimpse of his face earlier was anything to go by…

“Sorry we let him get you, Puppet,” Henry apologized, his heart going out to the ever-protective robot. In a way, by this point she was like another daughter to him—silent and watchful, the Marionette kept tabs on her big sister’s whereabouts and made sure she was safe. Peering closer at Charlie’s handiwork, Henry gave an approving nod. “Looking good, though! You’ll be back on those legs in no time.”  

The Marionette just gave a little shrug. It was her job after all. It didn't matter how many times she broke for the people she loved. As long as they were all collectively okay, then the robot considered her mission successful. Were it not for her and Charlie's unintentional fusion all those years ago, maybe she would've given up—accepted long ago that her purpose had long-since been rendered obsolete. The Puppet waved her lanky hand, attempting to tell Henry not to worry as Charlie found another replacement bolt for her thin joints.

Gregory inspected his bandages, wiggling his fingers experimentally. The swelling had gone down, but with his wrist still immobile, it left Gregory to wonder how long it’d take for the Remnant to help fix the break. Reasonably, it’d only been an hour since his incident with Mike. But Gregory was impatient.

The more he ruminated on Michael's violence towards him, the more his resentment was beginning to grow for the man. Especially as he saw what Mike was doing to the people around him.

What made the Aftons like this? Gregory was far from any armchair psychologist—even he knew that some things like violence just run in the family. Still, though... it hurt to see it happening to someone he loved so fiercely in other circumstances.

“You look mad—are your bandages not tight enough?” asked William, pulling Gregory from the rage he seemed to be stewing in. 

“Huh?” the boy asked before actually being able to process what he'd been asked. “No—No, they're great. Thanks for helping with that... I'm just still pissed that Mike tricked me still.”

He was surprised when William placed a careful, plush hand to his shoulder. “Good. Use that anger. Learn from it. Don't let him trick you again.”

“But don’t let it fester,” Henry had to add, sparing a glance over his shoulder. He hadn’t meant to listen in, but they were in a small space after all. Moving back to Gregory’s side, he gently rested a paw on top of his head. “Use the anger, yeah—it’ll help get you past any hang-ups when it comes time to face him. Just… don’t get too lost in it, alright?”

The last thing they needed was another psychotic Remnant-infused kid on their hands….

Henry could see William shifting out of the corner of his eye, but before he could say anything there was a loud bang on the sealed door. Everyone whipped around to stare at the thick metal as a familiar voice came through, muffled but insistent.

“Guys, come on…” Michael sounded half-tired, half-amused. “I’m impressed you tricked Freddy, I’ve got to admit… but there’s only so much you can hide. He’s a smart bear, after all. Now will you open the damn door and hand over the kid?”

“Shit!” Henry hissed, instinctively snatching Gregory into his arms. “Damn it—we need to get out of here now.”

The way they came in was clearly out of the question—who knew how many robot lackeys Michael had by his side. But hopefully that would mean the back way through the stage lift was uninhabited…

Charlie had run out of time to fix her Puppet. There were still so many weak points in her legs. It wouldn't be long until Michael figured out how to bypass the door—being a security guard meant he had unfiltered access anywhere.

“Keep him busy—” Charlie whispered harshly to the others, trying to buy time with money they didn't have.

Gregory's eyes widened at the intrusion. He thought they would be safe here, but Michael turned out to be a much more active enemy to have. It was a shame there was no room for compromise in his heart.

William stood up, moving towards the door as he would say with a roll of his eyes. “What makes you think we have the kid?”

Gregory knew they had to do something. Maybe... Maybe that room was still here; the unused storage space that Vanessa and William bastardized in his own timeline. He scampered to the far side of the room, looking for that fake wall behind the mostly barren shelving unit, pulling manual after manual off the shelves looking for the false one that would open the door.

Michael was busy patting down his pockets in search of the access card he needed. The Master Key would be able to unlock any door, no problem—he just had to find it first. The sound of William’s voice made him pause to let out a scoff.

“Father, please—do you think I’m stupid? I know you’re not letting that little Evan-clone out of your sight again until you’re decommissioned.”

Which Michael would very, very much like to do once he got this damn door open…

“Fuck!” the guard shrieked in a sudden bout of rage, throwing his hands in the air only to slam them hard against the door. Turning to Glamrock Freddy, who was watching him with a concerned tilt in his brow, Michael gave the bear his instructions. “I left the fucking key in my jacket; I’ve got to run back to the office, but you start trying passcodes on the keypad; I don’t remember the stupid code. Do not leave this spot until either I get back or you get in—understand?”

“Yes, Officer Michael,” Freddy replied, nodding his head in deferment.

With an annoyed click of his tongue Michael sped off, shoes pattering against the tiled floor of the Pizzaplex. As asked, Freddy immediately set to work cracking the code for Parts & Service. There was a child inside who needed his help, and he was going to reach him—along with that false rabbit who dared take on Bonnie’s likeness.

William laughed to himself, hands on his stomach as he felt his disintegrating rib bones bend at the effort.

“No, Michael, I know you're stupid—” He'd say as he heard Mike speeding off, as that was something he himself could see him doing. Going towards Gregory, who'd been frantically throwing books and manuals off one of the shelves, he placed a firm hand on the kid's shoulders.

“Calm down,” William intoned, seeing how worked up he was getting. Those few extra seconds spared to them might help in the long run.

“There was a room here! I-I thought maybe....” Gregory attempted to explain, upon seeing the lost look in William's tired and milky stare.

“Son...,” William began, wincing when Gregory began to look desperate. “You can't run from all your problems forever. Sometimes, you have to face them head on. Even if it's scary.”

Before Gregory could protest the idea of fighting Michael, Charlie closed up the Puppet's fabric outer lining, shouting to them that she was all done.

“The stage lift!” Henry exclaimed, frantically pointing in that direction. “If it still works, we can take it up and give them another runaround—buy us some more time!”

Freddy heard the shout, redoubling his efforts to crack the code. He should be able to figure it out with no problem due to his logical processors, but there was this haze in his electric brain that made it hard to access that feature. It seemed Michael’s need for total control had some downsides.

“Do not go anywhere!” he called, blue-tipped claws working tirelessly punching in one number combination after another. “You must come with me, superstar—I only want to keep you safe!”

“Ignore him,” Henry snapped, ushering the group forward. Now that Puppet was functional, she could speed along with Charlie and offer some extra help to guide Gregory on the right path. “If the stage lift works, we go. If not…” His bear face grimaced with all the emotion it could.

If not… they’d have to strong-arm their way past Freddy.

Freddy's voice was convincing, genuinely upset that he couldn't get to him. It broke Gregory's heart to tell the bear “no” when it sounded as if he only had the best intentions for him. Gregory knew by now that this was a mirage, a trick orchestrated under Michael's tyrannical rule.

“I-I'm sorry Freddy!” Gregory called, William scolding him to be quiet as he snatched him up into his arms. “I don't trust Michael—”

“Change of plans—run. We're running now,” Will corrected, looking back over his shoulder as they stepped onto the platform. “How the hell do we get this thing moving, then?”

Charlie knew this would probably be a bad idea; the standing controls were over past the workbench. Abandoning her group, Charlie raced for the controls as William and Henry stepped upon it. It was all ready to launch. All she had to do was slam the button...

Charlie smacked the giant green button with her palm. A pneumatic hiss jolted the platform and sent them at a measure pace above. Far too fast for her to sprint and jump onto it, she watched her family lift above.

“I'll find another way!” she assured them, much to every member of their party’s protests.

“Charlie?! Charlie, god damn it!” Henry shouted, reaching out to grab her. He was stopped from going over the edge at the last second by William's firm grip on his arm, and Henry could only watch as his daughter shrunk out of sight. He shook his head, muttering as he paced towards the center of the platform. “Damn it, she's going to be with them alone! I've got to go back for her; we can't leave her with Michael when he's so pissed...”

As if summoned by his name, the other door to Parts & Service opened with a sudden hiss. Michael was back with the access card, practically shoving Freddy out of the way in his haste to get to the others... but his efforts were in vain. He let out a growl of frustration, seeing the stage lift already slotting into place above. Again, they'd just barely escaped his reach.

Well... not everyone, it seemed.

“Hello, Charlie,” Michael sneered, fixating on his former friend-turned-robot. He'd forgone the mask now, seeing no point in wearing it since Gregory had already gotten a clear view of his rotted face. He'd given up the amiable convincing angle of recruitment—now Michael was hell-bent on brainwashing the kid by force using any means necessary.

And if he could take out a big piece of the competition right now, that would help his cause greatly.

***

The Puppet looked about ready to jump off the platform after Charlie. The fall would ruin any chance of her landing safely without breaking a second time, so Henry was quick to snag a spindly arm while she writhed on the floor, reaching for the person she couldn’t grab as Henry lamented her departure. When the platform slotted into place up top on the main floor, the moment Henry’s grip eased Puppet shot off like a bullet without a word. Their group was scattered, and William growled impatiently.

“Why the hell did she do that?! We could’ve fought them together! DUMB—” William fretted, holding the worried Gregory tightly as he jumped from the stage and into the food court. “Stupid... UGH! We have to get Gregory to safety.”

“I'm not leaving without Charlie!” Gregory hissed, looking back to the stage, fighting William's hold on him as they both struggled for dominance.

“Like fuck you will; Henry, let's go!” the rabbit snapped harshly. The child clearly still didn’t understand the gravity of the situation. Charlie's body may be broken, but in the end, her soul would still be here. Gregory could be lost to them forever should they go back to save Henry's daughter. It all felt like a catch-22, as refusing to save either made William feel...

Well—like a murderer.

Henry was nearly beside himself with conflicted thoughts. William’s line of thinking was valid: Charlie's soul was forever tied to this place so long as Michael was still around to cause chaos. But the thought of seeing his daughter's broken, lifeless body again just—

“...Let's go. We have to keep moving.” He made the decision with a hardened gaze, brushing Gregory's hair as he sped past to take the lead in a quick attempt to soothe. “Puppet's going to help her; she'll be alright. We need to find cover before someone else spots us—I don't doubt Michael will call for backup as soon as he realizes we're gone.”

William couldn't help but feel as if he was failing the Emilys once again with his actions. He tried to tell himself that this was the necessary course, despite how it made him feel.

“Charlie's going to be alright. Alright?” he tried to assure the last two remaining members of their little party. Quickly, he followed Henry, their path unknown. It was merely a matter of moving undetected now.

Gregory didn't care how badly these strange-looking suits smelled. He buried his face away in William's chest to chase away the sight of potential Glamrocks coming to harass them further. Henry told him he was brave... And Gregory wouldn't scream if he didn't actually see any danger heading their way.

If Henry remembered correctly from their previous forays through the Pizzaplex, there was a small storage room behind one of the food stalls on the first level. It wouldn't provide much in the way of protection, but the sheer amount of stuff in there should give amble cover to hide out a little while. Henry led his companions there, only spotting another animatronic at the last second when they rounded a corner. It looked like a flash of grey fur, though he couldn't be certain—and he wasn't going to stay and find out.

Once the trio were inside the room Henry shut the door, shoving a broom through the handles for good measure before ushering them to the far back. Only then did he sit heavily, taking a second to process as he put his face in his paws.

Charlie would be alright.

She was strong, and so was Puppet—together, they were unstoppable.

***

Charlie whipped around as the door swung out of the way. Squatted in a defensive position, she was ready to break into a run at a moment’s notice.

Michael... She had mixed feelings on the guy. Roughly, he was on the same metaphorical par as his father in terms of how much she wanted to punch their lights out. Repeatedly.

“Mike...” Charlie was unsure of the fate that might befall her now. She doubted Michael missed her—hell, he barely missed his own brother after his untimely passing. Though she’d much rather have backup to dole out revenge, it might be necessary to act on her own here and now to save Gregory. She would not let another child die on Fazbear property, no matter the cost.

“Look, Charlie,” Michael began, crossing his arms and slouching slightly to one side. “I don't know why you're still involved in all this—William got an even more tortuous death than you and he's going to rot in that suit for eternity. I made sure of that.”

There was a hint of a truly deranged smile curling the edges of his lips now, those eerie silver eyes locked onto Charlie's own.

“Why don't you just rest? Give up the ghost, so to speak.” Michael let out a soft chuckle at his off-color pun. “I don't want to hurt you again... but I will if you keep getting in my—Freddy, will you stop fucking pacing?!”

Michael suddenly snapped his head to the side, staring down the Glamrock who'd frozen in his tracks. Wide-eyed, Freddy clasped his claws in front of his torso and hung his head, hating that he'd somehow annoyed the guard yet again.

“I am sorry, Officer Michael—I am simply worried about Gregory,” he confessed, and though his words seemed genuine there was a hint of something dark in his eyes. “I do not trust those older models—they are broken, and I fear they cause a great threat to his well-being.”

“That's so true, Fredbear!” Michael replied, sounding as if he was talking to a small child. “Which is why we're trying to get rid of them. And I need your help again—hold Charlie back while I get a head start, will you? They can't have gotten far.”

Freddy was more than happy to comply, nodding as he turned his full attention to Charlie and started towards her with arms outstretched.

Charlie couldn't get a word in edgewise with Michael's psychotic monologuing. She screamed and nearly ran in place as she tried to avoid Freddy's once-gentle arms.

“Don't! We're not your enemies!” she said, though there was no convincing the well-meaning bear. He nearly knocked the unneeded wind out of her with his grasp, her back now pressed against Freddy's chest as he hoisted her into the air.

“MIKE! Please! Please don't do this to Gregory—he's just a kid!” She nearly sobbed from the futility of it all. “Don't hurt him anymore! This can all end tonight if you just—” Charlie pleaded, but her chest plating felt it might burst if she kept struggling and talking in vain. Freddy's grip was like an iron vice, clearly seeing her as a threat at Michael's command.

“I won't hurt him if he stops being a little shit,” Michael responded simply. Satisfied that Freddy had her, the guard turned and began walking off, taking the long way around to the main floor. As the bear followed obediently, Mike lifted his Fazwatch to his mouth—it'd been specially altered to connect to all the Glamrocks so he could control them more easily. “Everyone, the kid's somewhere in the main atrium. I want him captured and brought to me now—use force if necessary.”

There was a chorus of responding growls and affirmations, causing Michael to smirk as he lowered his arm. No way was the kid getting away now.

In Freddy's custody, an annoyed scowl stretched across Charlie’s face as Mike led the two of them towards the surface.

“Could you tell your teddy bear to stop squeezing me so hard?” Charlie joked darkly. “Feels like I'm being strangled again—it's not like I can go anywhere even if I slipped out.”

“I am sorry—”

“Freddy, don't apologize,” Michael snapped, cutting the bear off. “You're not actually hurting her, she's just whining.”

Freddy fell silent, though he did loosen his grip just a tad. Not nearly enough for Charlie to wriggle lose, but enough to not risk crushing some metallic ribs.

This was all for Gregory's benefit, he kept reminding himself. Michael was a guard and had the child's best interests at heart, despite his... abrasive nature. Surely that had to be the case—why else would he be doing all this?

“You're such a bastard, Mike,” Charlie groaned, head hanging forward as she felt less claustrophobic without the unneeded grip around her chest. Now that she could take in more simulated breaths, she tried to goad him into talking more—the best option was to waste his time in favor of buying her friends some instead. “You're wasting your energy, too. We're going to get Gregory out of here. Just you wait...”

Suddenly, there was a skittering ahead; the sounds of something quick hitting the ground in a short run. Whatever it was had darted out of sight, disturbing their walk for just one moment. Charlie felt her mechanical heart kickstart—but, in rare form, not from fear.

“Oh... Oh man, Mike, you fucked up now,” Charlie warned, cryptic as she smirked to herself. She just prayed her hero would be quick, hopefully learning her previous lesson when dealing with Michael Afton...

“What?” With narrowed eyes, Michael peered through the darkness for the new foe. He’d heard that sound far too many times to have any doubt as to what it belonged to.

“Ugh, don’t tell me you got that hunk of junk working again…,” he groaned, slowing his pace ever so slightly and unhooking his taser from its holster. The Puppet caught him unaware last time, and he’d nearly gotten his own limbs ripped off in her frantic scramble for power. She might look skinny and harmless, but she was really fucking tough.

“Freddy, don’t let Charlie go no matter what happens,” Michael said, not even bothering to turn around. He knew the bear heard and would do as he was told. Freddy trusted him implicitly, after all—Mike had made sure of it.

Charlie hung limp. There wasn’t a thing she could do in this cramped hallway. There was a chance she may be able to force Freddy’s arms open, but there was an equivalent chance he could snap her in half like a dry pizza crust first. Before them, the hallway tapered open into a row of costume racks and stacked crates blocking their path. This made Charlie laugh; Puppet was fucking with him. She wondered where the animatronic had gone, but even she could hardly predict her longtime friend.

“Oof—” Charlie said out loud, looking at the tall stacks of abandoned crap blocking their way. She snickered to herself, hoping the inconvenience would piss Mike off the way that his existence did for her. “—Looks like you’ll have to go a different way. You know, unless you feel like crawling over all that shit. Or, maybe Freddy’s huge ass could crush the crates.”

“Shut up,” Michael snapped, grinding his jaw and balling his hands into fists.

Great. Just great. Yet another fucking inconvenience.

It’d take just as much time to clamber over the blockade than it would to turn back and use the stage lift like the others. It’d surely reset by now, and with the other Glamrocks ordered to the atrium Michael would have his choice of robotic backup when he left Freddy behind to hit the button.

…Then again, this could be just what Puppet wanted. Either way, Michael knew he was about to get even more annoyed no matter what path he took.

“Ugh—come on,” he said, shoving past Freddy and his captive as he marched back to Parts & Service. “I’m going the other way.”

“But, Michael—”

“I don’t want to hear it, Freddy!” The guard let out an annoyed huff. The bear was seriously starting to get on his already-fraying nerves. “Damn, did they have to make you so fucking pushy?!”

Charlie began to snicker at him again. This was rich. After so much torture at the hands of the rogue security guard, she really needed to see her former friend’s annoyance in person. In a way, his incompetence was lifting her spirits.

“Wow.” She laughed out with hard roll of her bright green eyes. “Even your lackeys disagree with you. So—are you ready to admit you don’t have any clue what you’re doing yet?”

Charlie knew that this might be poking the bear, more literally than figuratively. She couldn’t care less. He had it coming, and it was her turn to rub dirt in his eyes over this whole debacle. She swore that she could even see Mike sweating in the dim emergency lighting of the backrooms.

“I have a plan; you and your stupid friends keep messing it up!” Michael sneered, stopping in his tracks to point an accusatory finger at her. This was all supposed to go the way he wanted, and yet those springlocked bastards had to show their faces again after Mike thought he'd done away with them for good...

Not only that, Henry somehow made an android for his supernaturally-inclined daughter before he'd gotten skewered, creating two annoyances for Michael to deal with now that the Puppet was back online.

No more, though. He was getting weary of the chase; his body wasn't what it used to be, after all.

Finally, he reached the stage lift, angrily slamming the button to call it back down. He remained in contemplative silence as it returned, only speaking when he walked up the small ramp to get on the lift as it ground to a halt.

“Freddy, listen to me,” he hissed, glaring at the bear. “Keep. Her. Down. Here. You got that? I don't care what it takes. If I find out she got away from you, I'm going to have to reconsider your position as my top friend...”

“You do not have to worry, Officer Michael,” Freddy responded quickly. There was no way Mike would actually follow through on that should he fail this task... was there? He was Freddy Fazbear—he was meant to be number one.

Without further prompting he pressed the button, sending Michael up top while he remained with Charlie down below.

Charlie scoffed; she wasn’t going to stay here for long. For now she was just being hugged too tightly for her liking by one of Michael’s walking murder machines. Charlie heard Freddy claim that he only wanted to keep Gregory safe, but she wasn’t so sure about that. It wouldn’t be a risk she would take otherwise.

There was a moment of silence as she was left with Freddy, as uncomfortable and tense as it was awkward. The bear seemed to take his job seriously. After all, in his mind, kid’s lives were at stake here. Freddy’s naturally good nature was being taken advantage of with whatever faulty program that Mike uploaded to the Glamrocks…

It gave Charlie an idea. Though she doubted it would work, she still had to try.

“…Friends don’t do that, you know,” Charlie put out there gently. She knew it was a long shot trying to convince Fazbear that he was being used. It took Charlie years to figure it out herself, and she wasn’t even brainwashed!

—To her knowledge, at least.

“...I do not know what you mean,” Freddy said tersely, keeping his grip tight and secure as he walked Charlie back to the middle of the repair room. “And I do not think I should be speaking with you, as you are a bad influence, like the others.”

(Oh, if only the poor bear knew how wrong he was.)

***

Up in the main atrium, the stage lift ground to a halt. Michael immediately hopped off, grimacing when he landed a bit too hard for his liking on the tiled floor. Looking around, he was relieved to spot an “ally” stalking nearby.

“Monty!” he called, summoning the gator over with a wave. Excellent—he managed to find the best muscle and the one that fought back the least. “Has anyone seen that kid yet?!”

“Heeeey, Mike!” the gator drawled, walking over with an apologetic shrug. “Nah, sorry—we've been lookin' but we think they're hidin' out somewhere...”

“Of course they are.” The guard huffed, starting off in a random direction. “You, come with me. I need backup now that Freddy's preoccupied.”

“Ooh, Fredbear's in trouble...,” Monty sang, then snickered as he followed along obediently.

Michael simply rolled his eyes. Despite his tendency to provide unnecessary commentary, at least the gator wasn't going to question his decisions.

***

In the world above, Gregory and his new-old friends were making do with the limited resources they had. Gregory had come to realize how little the original suits could do compared to the shiny Glamrocks. Their spring-loaded interiors made them tough enough to stand the test of time—but they stunk like sin and were slow to boot. Luckily, Gregory was used to being around gross things in his life by this point. Even right now, he was surrounded in a dimly lit kitchen dry-storage area with various spoiling foods knocked down in an attempt to barricade the door to get in. It wouldn’t stop the stronger animatronics, but it would give all of them time to prepare…

Things were looking grim, but with a lack of anywhere to go, Henry’s idea of storing themselves away inside the pantry for the time being gave Gregory an opportunity to relax. He felt on edge, but reminded himself that no matter what happened, at least it wouldn’t kill the boy. Unfortunately, there was a chance that he could turn into some emaciated, oxygen-deprived corpse before he hit fourteen.

As he ate chips and cold queso, Gregory sat across the floor from his current guardians. Both were tense and silent; if a few things were still the same as in his original world, Gregory could infer why they weren’t speaking to one another. He wondered how either could stand to be in the same room after the things he found out. 

“I think Charlie’s fine right now.” Gregory broke the silence, trying his hand at optimism. “Michael’s probably too busy looking for me… She’s smart; I bet Charlie’s already figuring out how to find us.”

“For sure,” Henry said absently, as if he was just responding for the sake of giving Gregory an answer. Then he blinked, sitting up a bit straighter after if suddenly realizing where he was.

He couldn’t afford to get lost in his head right now. Gregory needed his protection, and while he did trust Will to try and keep the kid safe at this point, with the old Brit solely relying on supernatural power to move his suit it made him less than ideal in quick situations. Henry needed to keep his wits about him—and he also needed to make sure Gregory didn’t get pulled into their depressing aura.

“Yeah, I’m sure she’s just fine,” he tried again, injecting a smile into his voice for good measure. He reached over to gently pat Gregory’s head, nodding to his snack. “How’s the food? I know it’s not The Ritz, but hopefully it’ll give you some energy for a bit.”

“It’s got… flavor,” Gregory answered with a lopsided grin, a stringy, coagulated strand of cheese stretching from the chip to his mouth. “…I don’t know if it’s good or bad. But it’s a flavor for sure.”

William was looking far-off to the door. At first, Gregory hated feeling bad for this man. Yet even if he had somewhat of a sordid past, the amount of times Will had already tried to protect him in this timeline made it very hard not to sympathize. It was impossible to forget the hell William had put him through in his own space-time, but it was quickly growing clear how all these small details added up to change his perception.

“Will?” Gregory called, earning his attention with a slow blink in his direction. “I was wondering if you guys went to the basement a lot…” Looking to Henry, he directed his question openly. “Have you ever seen more ghosts? You know… other than Charlie?”

William’s eyelids fell halfway, as if he was furrowing eyebrows that no longer were attached to the outer layer of the suit.

“Have you…?” William asked, almost accusingly if Gregory didn’t know better. 

“I asked you both first.” Gregory was firm, willing to be stubborn if it meant getting the whole truth from them about the resources they had at their disposal. He wasn’t going to play these games with the rabbit.

“Uh…,” Henry wasn’t sure how to respond at first. God, how he wished he could save this kid from all the horrors this multi-layered Pizzaplex had to offer…

If only they’d gotten Gregory out, busted a damn wall open if they had to just to set him free. But it was far too late for that now. Maybe if he’d still been human, Henry would be less forthcoming with information. The less Gregory knew, the less traumatized he’d be at the end of all this. Now though, with those silver eyes staring sharp and inquisitive at him through the darkness, Henry realized the kid didn’t have that luxury.

“…There’s no point hiding anything, Will,” he murmured, fully resigned to delivering unfortunate information. So far, to Henry’s knowledge the only “ghosts” Gregory interacted with were himself, Will, and Charlie—none of them technically “children” when they died, though Charlie was pushing it.

The ones in the basement though… they were a different sort of entity altogether.

“To your first question: no, we don’t go to the basement a lot,” the bear went on, not quite able to meet Gregory’s gaze. “The reason being the answer to your second ask: unfortunately there are other ghosts down there. Three, technically, and… something else.” He glanced side-eyed at Will, not really sure what they should categorize Ennard as. Letting out a sigh, he added: “They’re… not nearly as friendly as us, though. In all honesty, we don’t feel very welcome down there, so we tend to stay away.”

Gregory's mouth twisted in a frown. None of the ghosts wanted to see them? It was a stark contrast to how excited the kids were to break the monotony of it all reuniting with their old friends in his original world. 

“So you haven’t tried asking them for help?” Gregory asked, William’s eyes snapping to attention at the kid.

“No. And no, we won’t be leaving this pantry until we’re sure the coast is clear,” William replied, shutting down the idea fast.

Gregory wiped the crumbs from his hand and protested. “But we’re flailing out there, Will! And they have Charlie!”

Gregory and William stood now in a stand-off. The looks that they sent one another were haunting reflections of the past. It was like William was speaking to his own kid, the same challenging look he would give his kin over little disagreements, if not just a slight more measured when observing Gregory.

“Charlie will be fine. I—we can’t lose you, Gregory! I won’t do it again…” William sounded increasingly more upset. It wasn’t rage, as he never raised his voice, but his raspy cadence cracked with the strain in it. “Sit down and eat your crisps. We’re not asking poltergeists for help while you’re still hurt.”

Gregory crossed his arms and parked his butt on the hard floor.

“They’re chips…,” he grumbled; the tough love was new, especially coming from William Afton.

“Greg, have some compassion—Will’s British, he can’t help it,” Henry remarked, his tone surprisingly unbothered for such a tense conversation. He’d only been half-listening to the bickering, the gears in his mind turning as he mulled over their circumstances.

As usual, the kid had a point. Besides the fact it was driving him crazy to sit in this room doing nothing while his daughter was out dealing with who knows what, it would be a good idea to recruit others to their cause…

“…Look,” Henry began after a heavy silence, and he could feel the scathing look William’s emaciated face was giving him under that bunny mask. “I’m not saying it’s a good idea—and lord knows they’re not going to be happy about us bothering them, but… we can’t stay in this pantry forever. Sooner or later, one of those animatronics is going to bust down that door, and I’d much rather at least be trying to get ahead instead of being sitting ducks for Michael’s amusement.”

He looked to Gregory then, gaze serious as he rested a paw on his knee. “Greg, you’ve got to understand—these spirits are angry. It’s might not be easy trying to hold a civil conversation with them, let alone asking them for help… although at least they all hate Mike as much as the rest of us, so it’s possible. No matter what happens Will and I will protect you, but it might be rough down there—do you think you can handle that?”

Gregory’s long frown at being told “no” flipped upright at Henry’s joke. William had heard it all before—this was just a reused quip in Emily’s comedy repertoire. Though, he couldn’t lie that it may have made him smirk internally.

When Gregory processed just how pissed these ghosts might be, he remembered his first encounter with Cassidy. She was a spitfire who only managed to calm down a fraction once he got to know her.

“I can handle it; promise,” Gregory said with certainty. He capped up his jar of fake cheese and tossed the bag of chips aside.

William was compliant, though he really didn’t like this plan at all. If he had it his way, they would all be sitting barricaded in this room and pretending as if a manhunt for their blood wasn’t going on in the outside world. Yet here he was lumbering towards the makeshift wall he made and grumbling. “I think you’re both nuts.”

But then again, these little luck-based plans were getting them progress. He begun to move aside the barricade, tossing things out of the way and placing the wire frame shelving upright again to free their path.

“Took you this long to figure that out?” Henry quipped, standing to help William move things out of the way. This was good. Everyone was on the same page now, and they had a semblance of a plan. They were going to get through this.

Unbeknownst to the hopeful trio, the manhunt for Gregory was far closer than they wanted it to be. The sound-proof pantry may have kept them hidden, but it had the unintentional effect of blocking sound for them, too... and with Gregory not hooked into this Pizzaplex’s camera system, they had no way to tell that their presence had been noticed.

“Mike—” The gator stopped in his tracks, placing a hand on the guard’s shoulder and cocking his head as he spoke in a low whisper. He wasn’t on par with Roxanne, but even Monty’s advanced hearing could pick up on such noise from just around the corner. “—I think I hear somethin’… like heavy stuff movin’ around.”

William looked around, peering into the kitchen area with a cautious glance. He then held the door for his party to move through. Looking to Henry specifically, he told them: “Age before beauty; after you Hen,” in a playful manner. He may not be the best one to stay optimistic at times, but he wasn’t going to bring down Gregory’s excitement for his new plan.

Gregory had already been in front of Henry, closest to William. He rolled his eyes and told them with a teasing laugh: “You’re both old as hell!”

He came through the doorway and into the kitchen prep area… Only to freeze at the shadow peering at them from behind the door.

There were in fact two shadows, but the smaller one was near-impossible to see with Monty’s hulking frame backlit behind him. Only the dull, incandescent silver eyes gave any indication that their worst enemy was standing directly in their way.

“Hello again,” Michael remarked in a tone as casual as if they were discussing the weather.

“No, no, no!” Henry hissed, instinctively throwing Gregory behind him. Sandwiched between the two first generation springlock suits, the boy was surrounded by fuzzy-coated layers of pissed off steel and bone.

“Yes, yes, yes!” Michael mocked, taking a step forward. He paused when Henry slouched in a more defensive pose, raising his palms half-heartedly and speaking in a deadpan tone. “Oh no, someone’s angry…”

Then he spit out a laugh, lowering his hands to his hips. “If it’s any consolation, Charlie was still functional when I left her; I didn’t feel the need to ‘kill her’ again for no apparent reason—she’s already been through that enough.”

His glowing gaze flickered to William, evil and taunting. Michael knew he should just grab the kid and go before they got any ideas, but he couldn’t help rub salt in old wounds. Besides, it’s not like his father could hurt him from that death trap of a suit.

Gregory was beginning to hate the semi-decomposed smirk of Michael Afton, and just when his fear of Monty had finally ebbed, he was reminded of how formidable of an enemy the gator once was. Squished between his only remaining friends, Gregory watched as William glared hard at his son.

“You spiteful little shit…,” William growled, likely not making their situation any better. Sure, Michael was laughing now, but William had an edge he didn’t know about. “Did you come here just to be a smarmy jerk? Or are you going to give up?”

William always considered himself good at bluffing, even despite being dealt a bad hand and backed into the corner of the kitchen. Gregory peeked out behind Henry, grasping onto his grungy fur as William backed them further, putting space between them and the enemy.

“Mike—please just leave me alone…,” the boy begged.  

“No can do, kid,” Michael replied with a shake of his head. “You’re just too good of an ally to pass up—so if you’re not going to join me willingly, we’ll just have do it the hard way.” He lifted his Fazwatch to his mouth. “Roxy, Chica—the child is by the first floor kitchen. Get here asap.”

“Michael!” Henry snapped, as if his harsh tone would actually do anything to sway the guard’s mission. As expected, Michael simply turned his head towards the old bear and scoffed.

“Come on, Henry—you think I’ll listen to you? I don’t even listen to my real dad. Monty?” Snapping his fingers, he pointed to the little face peering out from behind the springlock bear. “Get him.”

Henry growled, reaching an arm behind him protectively when the gator started forward.

“Hey, I don’t wanna hurt ya, buddy,” Monty said with a demented grin, claws outstretched as he stalked towards them. “Just gimme the kid and we can aaaaall forget this and play a game of golf together—how’s that sound?”

“Fuck off,” Henry snapped, totally at his wits end. This made Monty pause, but only for a second before moving again with a raucous laugh.

“My profanity filter’s disabled too, dumbass; you don’t scare me!” His gaze dropped to Gregory, red eyes peering through his dark shades. “Get over here, little guy…”  

William knew he was in between a rock and a hard place now. He could push Monty off and choose to fight him, but that would give Michael the perfect opportunity to strike with his taser. If he attacked Michael in the hopes that Monty would pull back to help his “friend,” he risked leaving Henry and Gregory open for attack…

It was too late; the choice was being made for him. The once-passive bunny lurched forward to give Monty a hard push at his shoulders, aiming to knock him into Michael with the hopes of incapacitating him long enough for their escape. Paws collided with thick shoulder pads as William forced his limbs to move unaided by long-rusted mechanisms.

Gregory couldn’t bear to watch it all; he yelled and buried his face into the disgusting fur-suit holding him protectively. “NO! I don’t want to go!”

Michael was expecting something to snap the tension like a twig, so he was able to avoid Monty ramming into him when shoved back by William’s surprise attack. He had to jump out of the way though, which gave Henry just enough time to snatch Gregory up and book it. They rushed through the kitchens, out into the main atrium where they could head for—

There was a snarl to Henry’s left, and he only had a split-second to react before a lightning-fast grey and red blur slammed into his side. With a shout Henry practically threw Gregory into the air, not wanting to crush the poor kid as he went down heavily on his stomach.

Damn these old suits—they were so much more effort to maneuver than the sleek Glamrocks.

“N-No—no, Gregory, run!” Henry yelled, trying to shove off the wolf who was doing her best to rend his suit to pieces with her sharp claws.

But it was too late.

Before the kid could even think about abandoning his guardians, there was a fizzle of electricity and Gregory crashed onto the floor in a heap. Michael stood above him, a sneer on his face as the taser crackled in his hand.

“You fucking bastard!” Henry shrieked, painstakingly trying to right himself. Michael let out a short laugh and hooked the weapon back into his belt.

“I didn’t kill him, relax,” the zombie said with a roll of his eyes, bending down to pick Gregory up and roughly throw the kid over his shoulder. “He’s just taking a nap. No time to chat, though; we’ve got things to do. See you around!”  

Giving the old bear a jaunty salute, Michael turned and sped off towards the Fazerblast office with his prize, leaving Henry on the floor trying vainly to fight off Roxy. He could hear Will still struggling with the huge gator inside the kitchen, and it sounded like Monty was winning. Henry could help, get them both free so they could find Gregory together…

But just when Henry thought he might be getting the upper hand, Chica appeared and forced him back into submission on the floor. With a deep, gut-wrenching drop in the pit of his stomach, Henry realized they might have lost yet another child to Michael Afton’s madness.

Gregory didn’t even know what happened. The pain from the taser left him blacking out as soon as the metal barbs shot into his skin. Now in the not so gentle caress of Michael’s shoulder, he slept with his startling silver eyes open at attention. It left him staring blankly after his friends—those who still fought to get him back.

“MICHAEL! Don’t do this!” William called, his fists locked with Monty’s as the gator set on bending his wrists back. He wasn’t going to be enough—William did his best to plant his feet as Gregory and his son vanished from sight.

“Gregory!” he called pitifully, glancing sidelong to see the state of Henry being shredded by Roxy’s claws. It was then when he saw his former best friend being dismantled before his eyes that William’s courage wavered. He was pushed onto his back, now parallel to Henry on the ground.

They might not make it out of this one unscathed…

***

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[lunarifie]

Hollow Fantasy AU Part 2:

Part 1 / Part 3

Adam folds the rest of his clothes and places them inside his pack. He plans on gathering the rations tomorrow, the day before the trip. His mind wanders back to the prophecy, reminding him how 4 years ago he’d showcased the prophecy to a close friend who ran away 2 days later. It made Adam wonder what Kai knows that he doesn’t. A small part of him hopes that on his journey, they’ll reunite. He shakes his head, not allowing himself to dwell on something that happened years ago. He’s 16 now and he needs to focus on finding the Ishibo and slaying the dragon. That is his priority, not finding Kai and making sure he’s okay. He exits his chambers, making his way to the stables to make sure everything was in order with his horse for the long ride ahead. He enters the stables and is immediately faced with Skeet, brushing his horse. He raises a brow and asks him what he’s doing here. Skeet reply’s that he was ordered by Mira to take care of the horse Adam had chosen to ride. Adam repeats Miras name as a question and she pops out of another stable, feeding a horse. A grin slips on her face and Adams skepticism grew. “Did you really think you’d be going off on an adventure alone?” Mira starts. “But the prophecy-” Mira interrupts him, “I spoke with my dads and your parents and they say its fine. I also don’t expect you and Reeve to be on an expedition alone and not rip each others throats out after like a week.” She laughs and Adam groans, remembering how his parents made it obligatory for the royal families mage, Reeve, to come with him on the trip. Mira glanced towards Skeet. “I’ve been hoping Skeet would come with, because of how much ground he can cover, but he’s reluctant.” She gives him a look as Skeet shrugs. “I’ll think about it.” Skeet says. Truthfully, Adam was grateful. The ride would be a bit more bearable with his friends by his side.

The day of the prophecy’s journey came. Adam and Mira bid their parents goodbye, Reeve leaving the tower at the palace his grandma had given to him after she died. They are escorted to the outskirts of the kingdom with their designated steeds until they hear the sound of hurried steps. In a second, Skeet came, stumbling to a super speeded stop in front of them. In a rapid rush of words he exclaims that he wants to come along and that he doesn’t need a horse. From what Adam remembers, Skeet had become sort of a rogue over the past year. Job hopping here and there. He doesn’t have much to his name so Adam isn’t surprised when Skeet claims that he wants to go too. Mira grins in excitement and waves him forward to walk beside her as they leave. They say their final goodbyes, and delve into the forest. They spend a few days covering ground and camping, talking of the adventures that awaitenthem. On the 3rd day of their journey, Mira starts to ask Skeet, and bird companions to go a bit forward and see if theres a town or a food/water source nearby. Reeve practices his spells and Adam contemplates on what to do from there. Mira looks up and watches a crow swoop down to speak with her from where she sits on her horse. Reeve, Skeet, and Adam also pause. Miras eyes widen. “She says that just a little bit from here theres someone in trouble…” She pauses again as the crow continues cawing. “And they’re being kidnapped!” She cries in distress. Skeet looks concerned, “we should go help them right?”Adams face furrows, “are you sure we should stop for this? It might cause trouble for us.” Reeve shrugs at him, “I don’t mind, Mira said its close by and this’ll be a good opportunity to practice my hand at magic in combat.” Adam nods, convinced, following Mira along with the rest as she follows the crow.

They hear the muffled cries and grow worried, picking up the pace. They reach a small clearing, only to see three minotaurs hovering over and strangling some sort of gigantic bird caught in a net. It takes a minute of the gigantic bird twisting and writhing for her face to finally show, the realization that this was a real life harpy hits the group hard, Skeet gasping at the sight. Mira immediately recognizes that the minotaurs are bounty hunters and hops off her horse, maneuvering the water out of the canteen tied to her waist and blasting them with it. They take several steps back, enough time for Skeet to take a knife out and slice the net. After the minotaurs get over their shock, one punches the ground in frustration, scaring the groups horses away. They advance, making Adam move forward and face off against them. One minotaur throws the first punch, only for Adam to dodge and twist his arm behind his back. He kicks the back of the Minotaurs knees and throws him against his other bounty hunter companions, falling like bowling pins. This gives Reeve enough time to levitate the net and untangle it from the harpy’s talons, shooting it towards the minotaurs and smartly tying them up. Mira helps the harpy stand, asking her is she's alright. The harpy chitters for a minute before coughing at their looks of confusion. She apologizes and speaks, slightly defiant, saying she could have taken care of herself. She thanks them anyway, stating that her name is Vanessa. The group introduces themselves, before asking her what happened. She explains that she’d been hunting a few weeks ago only to be caught by the minotaurs. She’d been taken around as the minotaurs tried to sell her but no one seemed to want to deal with her feisty attitude. She tried to escape at that exact moment, only to be caught by the net and rescued by the group. Mira asks her if Vanessa has anywhere to go and the Harpy sheepishly answers “no.” They invite her to travel with them, that after their quest they'll be returning to a creature-friendly kingdom where she can safely reside. She agrees, very suspicious but having no other option. Adams put off, mentioning they only have enough rations for the four of them, and even then, their horses ran off with half of it. Mira scoffs, stating that she'll share hers and that they can simply scavenge for berries and fish, like they had when they were kids for fun. Adam huff's but agrees.

They continue on their journey until it grows dark, setting up camp in the woods and starting a fire. The memory of an old firey friend flits through Adams mind as he lit the flames, inhaling deeply before shaking the memory from his mind. Mira and Reeve watch him, aware of what was going through his mind and sharing a glance. They both know deep down Adam wishes to find their runaway friend again, maybe even more than completing the prophecy. Mira would be lying if she says she doesn’t wish that they’ll find Kai again. But she also knew it was a one in a million chance. Something Reeve and Adam were well aware of. As they sit by the fire Vanessa hears a rustle, she leaps into the shadows, startling Skeet, only to come back with a dead rabbit. Mira face twists, eating her own rations as everyone else cooks the rabbit. Finally, Vanessa speaks whats on her mind. “You guys said you’re on a quest. A quest for what?” Mira and Skeet open their mouths to answer immediately but Adam interrupts them. “We’re trying to find the ishibo for the kingdom we mentioned, we also plan on finding the dragon that terrorized it long ago. The royal family sent us on this quest.” The rest of the group give Adam strange looks. “But why all of you? What makes you all so special?” Vanessa asks. “Im a guard for the royal family, Reeve here is the mage, and Skeet and Mira have talents that’ll help us.” Vanessa nods, believing Adams story while everyone else is bewildered. Adam shoots them a look and they keep their mouths clamped shut. But of course Reeve has to pitch in, “yeah, thats why we’re here, but we all know ‘Mr knight’ isn’t only looking for the Ishibo.” Adam glares at Reeve, Vanessa perks up in interest. “What else is there?” Reeve opens his mouth to continue only for Adam to interrupt him, “enough, the quest is more important, we need to focus on that and only that.” Reeve gives him a deadpan look before rolling his eyes, biding them all a good night, everyone following suit, taking turns to keep watch.

[deedeli-liveblog]

RWBY ReWatch Volume 4: let’s slow it down now

I’ve rewatched Volumes 1-3 multiple times (though it’s been a long time), either by myself, showing it to a family member, or watching a reaction video of it. I have watched Volume 4 precisely 2 times. Once in the original liveblog, once again with either Jay or my mom. And since it’s been so long, this’ll prob feel like a whole new watch for me.

That being said, I remember this part being a lot slower story wise than the first 3 Volumes, so I’m not sure if I’ll have all too much to say about it.

Ugh, RoosterTeeth moving RWBY onto their own site wouldn’t bother me if they would at least put the character shorts in the playlist with the show. I know they aren’t necessary to watch, but you put effort into them, you’d think you’d make it easy for people to find.

i know i’ve got it bad when just seeing tyrian brings a smile to my face

aklhsdkhafjds, Emerald pushing Mercury out of the way so SHE can stand next to Cinder.

okay, wait i lied, I have rewatched the fight between Qrow and Tyrian. multiple times. because i love it. but I think that’s the only thing in Volume 4 I’ve seen more than twice.

Oh that’s right! Oscar’s introduced in this volume.

I really like the song for the Volume 4 op, Let’s Just Live, it’s actually one of my favorites from the soundtrack. But the visuals are a little... lacking. Some parts even look a little goofy when it’s trying to be serious.

I didn’t forget Ren’s history with his village being destroyed by Grimm, but I didn’t remember how... quickly his anxiety over it seems to crop up when in a similar situation. The second they step into Shion he gets way more curt and... passive-aggressive, we’ll say. That actually adds a lot more context to how he acts in Volume 8 too. It’s pretty similar.

Jacque has a single framed photo on his desk and it’s of Whitley and Whitley alone.

With as jumpy and paranoid as Blake was, how did she not notice the guy in a full body cloak tailing her.

Sun’s so funny, I forgot how good he is this volume.

It’s kind of funny seeing Sun complain about Menagerie being cramped while walking on a wide open street, with like, 10 extra people on it, lol. He doesn’t even bump shoulders with anyone.

I still think Corsac and Fennec have really cute designs.

This Life is Mine is also one of my favorite songs on the soundtrack. Having said that, I realized that I actually haven’t listened to the soundtrack since Volume 4. I should get on that soon.

“If they’re so arrogant that they think they can get by without proper kingdom defenses, then I say good riddance!” I wonder how this lady is feeling when the Grimm start attacking her home turf.

yessss, Tyrian is finally here!! this next bit will be me gushing about tyrian

the way he grabs onto Jaune’s shield is sooo funny, but also Jaune has some good upper body strength to be able to hold a full grown man in the air with one arm

and then he just crashes through the wall for absolutely no reason other than the drama

Oh, hey! I forgot Tyrian said he had a slight interest in Jaune. We haven’t seen why that is yet. He glances down at Jaune’s shield when he says it, so perhaps it has more to do with Jaune’s family legacy than Jaune himself.

The way he says “Surprise!”. Tyrian’s voice actor is so great, his character wouldn’t be the same without him.

SO funny how everyone just stands there when Ruby is about to be poisoned by Tyrian, fdakjhdsa. I know the intention is probably that none of them would’ve made it in time, but no one even moves to try either. Jaune is the biggest offender, he just stands there and closes his eyes, lol.

Tyrian isn’t even surprised when Qrow shows up, he just giggles a little akhlakfdhsjha

Qrow just fucking punching Tyrian in the face remains one of the funniest things to happen in RWBY.

And also Tyrian shouting “You BITCH!” at Ruby, lmfaoooo. How dare she dismember him, he was only trying to kill all her friends and family and then kidnap and torture her to death! Such a bitchy response.

I think it’s a good thing I decided to rewatch the show. I remember a lot of the broader information, but a lot of the details I’ve forgotten. Like each of the relics representing knowledge, creation, choice, and destruction.

Oh my god, Ilia! I can’t believe I forgot about Ilia

I can’t remember if Oscar ever said if he told his Aunt he was leaving or if he just ran away from home.

damn oscar, not even gonna say thank you? where are your manners

hhhhh baby ren is so cute

the violin cover of boop playing in the background while baby ren hands baby nora the hammer actually made me start crying

“I’ve got you here, don’t I?” please, i’m still crying

Thinking about the Nukalooka, and if the characters faced off against anything else just as creepy, and then I remembered the fucking Apathy and good god, I am not looking forward to that again.

Tyrian just wants his master to love him, he’s like a little puppy. A completely psychotic little puppy.

Maybe Weiss shouldn’t have worn the loudest shoes in existence while she was trying to sneak out.

“You’ve never trusted anyone but yourself.” “And for good reason!” Good god, Ironwood.

I was actually pretty supportive of Ironwood during this part of the series and I think a large part of that was his actions being framed in opposition to Jacques’. Clearly, if Jacques didn’t like it-- since he is a completely self centered prick-- then it was a good thing to happen. Ironwood had always been extreme, but he ultimately seemed to have his heart in the right place, so his actions weren’t that bad. Now with the context of Ironwood’s downward spiral, it’s all too obvious how fucked in the head he was.

But that’s the great part about rewatching all of this. In hindsight, it’s all so obvious. But just like all the other characters around Ironwood, those who know and support him, it’s hard to see the cracks in the moment.

Soooo, we didn’t see Klein at all since Volume 4 iirc (and I probably don’t), and I can’t remember if it was said why since they’ve been back to Schnee manor a few times since.

I like that the little :3 is still left in the captions while Blake is talking to Sun.

Not quite as much to say for Volume 4, which is what I figured would happen. A good portion of the volume is just quiet character moments and then set up for the next volume. A lot of self explanatory stuff. Still enjoyable, but undeniably slower than what we’re used to with RWBY.

tyrian was the undisputed best part of this volume tho akjhdsklahsd

Anyway, to Volume 5!

[thescrapbookingscientist]

Biweekly Media Roundup

- Avatar: The Way of the Water (Movie) - My brother was hyped to see this so I went with him in my first theater going experience in a while. I’m not really qualified to talk about the problematic politics of the film, so personally my pros were stunning visual effects and environments, interesting alien designs and lore, and some fun whale bonding, while my cons were the dragged out length (especially in the extended whale hunting and ending action scene), mostly flat characterization, and some weird character decisions regarding the character “Spider” and the way people interact with him. I do think this was a bit better than the first one since the focus was on the alien characters and the Ocean tribe was a bit more interesting than the forest one, so I’m glad I saw it, though it’s more of a spectacle than a lasting experience. So uh in short I don’t care much for the story but I’d love to see the concept art designs.

- Glass Onion (Movie) - I’m not really sure what I expected from this but I liked it quite a bit. It kept me guessing on the mystery, I liked the protagonist, there's some fun dialogue, and who doesn’t appreciate a “fuck the rich” message. You don’t have to see the first one to watch it so if you’re in the mood for a fun mystery check it out. I don’t say this about most things but I’d be cool with this becoming a franchise, just Blanc solving various mystery’s and humiliating rich assholes in his funky little outfits.

- Chainsaw Man (Anime) - It’s so good to finally find another show that fits in with the flavor of weirdo casts as JJBA, Golden Kamuy, Dorohedoro and the like. I genuinely don’t know where the plot is going next which makes for a great watching experience, and so far I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how much I like each new freak they introduce to the main cast. Makima still has my heart as the gaslight gatekeep girlboss that she is, and the Devil designs are really cool, I can’t wait for the season finale tonight. 

- Spy X Family (Anime) - Definitely one of my favorite anime this year, super wholesome, lovable characters, great comedy and reaction faces, stunning animation, this show’s got it all. My one complaint is that some of the more over the top side characters really overstayed their welcome but for the most part the cast was very solid and I could definitely see myself doing a rewatch in the near future for some easy catharsis. 

- Mob Psycho 100 (Anime) - The end of an Era, Mob is definitely one of my fave animes of all time and some of the best messaging and best written child characters I’ve ever seen, I’m going to miss it but I’m glad it stayed strong to the end and wrapped up in a thematically cohesive way. Cheesy as it is I believe that the excellent execution of Mob’s “deep rooted message of self acceptance and self worth that tears down the ideology that only ‘naturally talented’ people have a place in society and instead gives worth to everyone regardless of who they are because it is our impact on our fellow people and our ability to be a good person that truly matters” (as the Shrek meme says) has made me a happier person. 10/10 essential watching for all anime fans.

- Project Eden’s Garden (Video Game) - Several youtubers I like put out reviews and or/ playthroughs of this fanmade Danganronpa game, so I did a watch through of the prologue. It’s intriguing so far, I like a lot of the character designs and had fun trying to figure out their animal influences, and thought the writing was pretty solid for a setup. I’ll defenitely watch more when it comes out, Danganronpa isn’t for everyone but I always have fun trying to predict each cases victim/killer and I doubt this’ll change that.

- The S Classes That I Raised (TV) - Trying to resist the urge to just read the webnovel given how much joy I find in the weekly updates but I’m pretty into this one right now, very excited to see what new little creatures Han Yoojin will befriend. 

- Sense8 (TV) - Started this old supernatural drama about 8 people living all over the world whose minds become psychically linked. It is very interesting to see the diverse stories set across various cultures and with 8 separate plots happening there’s always something interesting in each episode. I do wish there were less sex, like I’m not sex negative or anything but uh I’m here for the plot and there's just a lot of sex scenes that make watching it with my sibling a little awkward. My favorite stories so far are Nomis, Suns, and Capheus while Rileys and Wolfgangs are a little eh. 

- Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint (Webnovel) - I would fit right into the world of ORV because much like all the characters in it I cannot stop thinking about Kim Dokja and how badly I simultaneously want to punch him in the face and give him a hug. Stupid little rat boy.

I also watched Hook (movie), Predestination (movie), Groundhog Day (Movie), along with my normal amount of various youtube videos.

Listening to: Holy Water by Michael Ray, Hell’s Coming With Me by Poor Man’s Poison, Red Flags by Tom Cardy, Rasen by jon-YAKITORY, Waiting On A Miracle (Encanto OST), Soon You’ll Get Better, New Romantics, and Anti-Hero by Taylor Swift, I Really Wish I Hated You by Blink 182, Fallout by Marianas Trench, Shoutout to My Ex by Little Mix, Lent by Autoheart, Therefore You and Me by si-o, History Hates Lovers by Oublaire, Tot Musica by Ado

[thedeadthree]

🖊🖊 + Hinata and Nadezdha 👀

HIIII MARI ANGEL <3 I hope ur doing well and had a lovely day/holiday!!!! THOSE ARE MY GIRLIESS <3 i missed them sm u know? i also FINALLY at last finished edgerunners (i started it a bit back and finished it at like 4am this morning asjknkd so good oh my god IT HURTT but it was the loveliest u know?) and i missed the babies <3

SEND A 🖊 + I WILL GUSH ABOUT MY OCS

🖊 - so funny story, but the man that hinata and oda were sent to zero on behalf of her great grandpops s*aburo..... was actually the man who ordained their wedding sansknksd. SO he was a priest right and one popular with the corpos that were employed by 'saka in NC. well, he started speaking ill of the company and selling company intel to their rivals when the employees would go to confession. so like..... he had to go u know? blah blah talk ill of the corp u get zeroed etc etc. they devised a genius plan to have him marry them, when she says "you may kiss the bride" they do of course buuuuut they also zero him in the process while he's distracted.. and they did just that! and it worked! hinata and oda yank out their mantis blades and the deed was done <3. every great wedding ends in someone getting flatlined right?

🖊 - so this second one will sort of be what i think in theory how she’ll be in phantom liberty? so if this is a post game thingy hideo (her charge and her and odas adopted son bc SOMEONE has to and it sure ain’t his brother yori sjzjhzhx) will be ceo as his brother is to step down and is put on house arrest in a time out bc of the coup ksjzjxhxh. if vika ends up having to take on ‘saka again it may mean that the besties turn into adversaries which would BREAK my heart but also be absolutely EHEM *nova* if the white widow and worlds coolest cyberninja faced off u know? ORR if it’s like during the main story i mean the besties in a spy thriller would so be siiiick u know? oda supporting the wife from the tower in the plaza like “thats my wife” ❣️😌 etc etc!

🖊 - YAY MARI U SAINT U I ADORE U SM I’ve been wanting to scream about her for literal years slzkxjxj she’s been around for a WHILE living in the head along with vika rent free with luxury room service <3 she was like a blob of like ✨vibes✨ like with the red aesthetic and the red hair for YEARS until i found the perfect fc and name? a little lore into her design color and symbolism is a HUUGE part of her character development and design? the way as growing up she wore a lot of neutrals and it was deliberate as she wished to be as out of sight as possible? then it was as if a switch flipped following a near depth experience in a deep dive into what was the pre data crash net. red is passionate it’s power it’s so much more and all what she wished to be. she became the red queen and faked her charismatic nature until she forgot where the old nadya ended and the red queen began. for the version of her she conveyed to the world and her true nature became one and the same. <3 lilith killed eve the day she became the red queen.

🖊 - OO okay this’ll be the fun one.. for this one we will be discussing! nadyas………. “lovers.” shes got three in her character arc that hold the most meaning to her both good and bad. those would be: y*orinobu (HUUGE) johnny (VERY) and r*ache (VERY and also painful!). if i for sure need to do a deep lore dive essay into the meaning of people in her life especially these three. but in essential the tropes to best depict them are for sure “mutual obsession inevitable downfall” for yori and nadya. “right person wrong time and rivals to lovers” for her and johnny. and! pain pain and suffering “tragic doomed lovers” for nadya and rachie <3

[bbnha-manga-scripts]

Chapter Three

Narrator[Izuku]:UA High, the department of heroes! It is there that the nation’s hopefuls stove to acquire the necessary qualifications to become pros! Of all such schools throughout the nation, it ranks the most popular– and the most difficult!

Narrator[Izuku]: Each year, less than one in three hundred examinee’s make it in!

Narrator[Izuku](as the chapter shows All Might, Endeavor, and Best Jeanist on the panel): Gaze upon the man who turned down the National Valor Prize “All Might��!

Narrator[Izuku](as the chapter shows All Might, Endeavor, and Best Jeanist on the panel): And here is the man with the highest tally of resolved cases in history! The combustion-type hero “Endeavor”!

Narrator[Izuku](as the chapter shows All Might, Endeavor, and Best Jeanist on the panel): Not least is the recipient of the “best Jeanist”! If you want to be remembered as a truly “great” hero, then enrollment at U.A. is essential!

Narrator[Izuku](as the chapter shows UA symbol): Now, it’s finally February 26th, and All Might's training regimen is over. With great haste, and a sprint back home to shower and pack; the fateful forty-minute subway beckoned.

Izuku(in front of UA): I made it!

Narrator[Izuku]: Exam day has arrived at last! Today I take on UA’s practical skill exam!

Narrator[Izuku]: Unfortunately, I didn’t have any time to test out the power All Might gave me.

Izuku(thinking): All I did was swallow one of his hairs… did it really take?

Katsuki: Fuck off, Deku!

Izuku: Kacchan!

Katsuki: Don’t stand in my way or do you wanna fucking die?

Narrator(?? P sure it’s either Present Mic or Izuku): Bakugou Katsuki(15)[Nickname: Kacchan]

Izuku: Hey theeere! G-good morning, and, and, and lets both do our best!

Narrator(Izuku): Ever since that day this all began, Kacchan hasn’t laid a hand on me.

NPC(1): Oh, look! Isn’t that Bakugou? From the sludge guy incident!

NPC(2): Whoa, you’re right.

Izuku(thinking): I’ve gotten so used to cowering before him… things have changed, man! Just remember these past ten months!

Izuku: And step forward!

[Izuku, trips on air/a pebble and falls forward].

Narrator(Izuku): Your first big step towards being a hero!

[Izuku falling]

Izuku(thinking): Well, this is it.

Ochako: You all right?

Izuku: Pweeh!

Ochako: Sorry for going crazy with my “quirk” there! I just think it’d have been a bad omen if you tripped, you know?

Ochako: I’m so nervous, bet you are too!

Izuku: Huh? Ah… uhh..

Ochako: Well, good luck! Later!

Izuku(thinking): I talked to a girl!

Izuku(shocked in front of UA building): Oh! Oh! Ooooooh!

[Present Mic, in UA building]

Present Mic: Welcome one and all to my love show! Everybody say hey!

[Present Mic, puts his hand up to his ear in a cupping-like motion]

Present Mic(thinking): Welcoommee!

Present Mic: I’ve got shivers down my spine! Alright, examinees; I’m gonna give you the low-down on how this’ll go down! Are you ready!?

Present Mic: Yeah!

Izuku(mumbling): Oh my god, it’s the voice type hero: Present Mic! I listen to him on the radio every week, this is incredible, the teachers at UA really are pro heroes.

Katsuki: Shut it.

[Present Mic stands behind a screen with boxes a-g]

Present Mic: Now pay close attention, listieners! We’ll be testing you mettle by running a ten minute practice run at our replica city district! 

Present Mic: You can take whatever you like! Everybody gather at the designated meeting after the presentation, ya dig!?

Present Mic: O.K!?

Katsuki: They don’t intend on letting friends or classmates interact with eachother, huh?

Izuku: They gave us serial numbers for the exam, but it seems the actual meeting area’s are elsewhere

Katsuki: Don’t look at me, or I’ll fucking kill you.

Katsuki: It’s probably set up so I don’t get to crush you, tch

Izuku: …………

Present Mic: We’ll be sprinkling a large number of “villains” over the battlefield. And they’ll probably appear in three different varieties, with point values scaled according to difficulty!

Present Mic: using each of your individual quirks, dispatch as many “villains” as you can. Your goal, listieners, is to rack up a high score! And don’t think about discreetly attacking any other competitors or any of that nasty anti-hero stuff, because thats against the rules, capisce!?

Tenya: Excuse me, may I ask a question!?

Present Mic: !(I’ll be taking that as making a surprised face ig lol)

Tenya: On the handout, it says there are clearly four types of villains listed! Such an error would be the height of embarrassment for a top-tier national academy of UA’s caliber! The reason we are seated here today is because we need guidance on the path to becoming model heroes!

[Tenya pointing at Izuku]

Tenya: Moreover, what’s with you? Yeah, you, curly haired kid! Can’t you sit still for a second… you’re distracting! If you think UA is some pleasure jaunt, then leave this place at once!

Izuku: Sorry

Present Mic: Okay, okay, thanks for the segue, much appreciated examinee 7111.

Present Mic: The fourth kind of villains you’ll encounter is worth zero points! Lets call them “arena traps”! Have any of you ever played super mario brother before!? 

Present Mic(mumbling): I guess it’s pretty retro

Present Mic: You remember those things that’d go thowmp on you!? There’s a thing like that in each area! Their “gimmick” is that they rampage when crowded!

NPC(1): I see… sounds like one of those stage hazards you just have to slip through and avoid.

Tenya: Thank you very much! I apologize for being rude!

NPC(2): This is really starting to resemble a video game.

Present Mic: Well, that’s enough for me!I’ll leave you all with a presentation on the “school precepts” of this academy of mine! As a certain “hero” by the name of Napoleon Bonaparte once said “A true hero never stops overcoming the misfortunes in life”! 

Present Mic: Now let’s move to the main event “plus ultra”, and may you all gladly suffer the trails to come!

[Izuku stares at his paper with his area nervously]

[Izuku standing outside of unnamed area]

Izuku: It’s so big.

NPC(1): This might as well be a whole town! How many replica sites like this exist on this campus!?

NPC(2): UA’s nuts!

Shoji: Phew

Aoyama: Hehe

Izuku(thinking): Why does everybody seem so confident!? Is nobody nervous at all?! Wait, i guess they’ve all got some kind of equipment to match their quirks.

Izuku: Hmm…

[Spots Ochako]

Izuku(thinking): I-it’s the girl! The one who saved me! She’s been assigned to this area too! I need to thank her!

Tenya: I see what you’re up to. You’re planning to measure that girl's power of concentration. 

[Tenya grabs the poor nervous Izuku]

Izuku: Eekk!

Tenya: And who exactly are you, my friend!?

Izuku: W-who me?

NPC(1): he’s the kid who’s been acting like a weirdo since he arrived at the front gate

NPC(2): The kid who can’t stop shaking in his boots.

NPC(3): Well, that just means there’s one fewer rival to worry about, right?

Izuku(thinking): They think they’re lucky to have me as a opponent

Present Mic: And start!

Everyone: huh?

Everyone: eh?

Present Mic: What’s the matter!? There's no such thing as a countdown in real life! Run! Run! Consider the baton tossed!

[Everyone runs first leaving Izuku in the back]

Izuku(thinking): I started late! Calm down man, calm down! It’s all in your head, it’s alright! I’ve still got a chance! I can still do it! I’ll become the me I was meant to be! I’m going to become a hero!

Izuku: All Might’s got my back!

[Izuku has a flash back to the beach]

[Izuku has a sour face after eating the hair]

All Might: Excellent, you ate it! See, hair’s not that bad!

Izuku: I don’t feel any different though.

All Might: Well, of course not! What do you think stomachs are lined with? Tissue paper?

All Might: I’d give it two, maybe three hours for the effects to bubble up?

Izuku: Ahh, my nerves are shot! I gotta shower and eat breakfast too!

All might: Don’t forget, kid!

[Izuku looks to All Might]

All Might: You may be a vessel now, but just barely- a hurried construction you could say.

All Might: Plus, you’ve had no time to break in the power… be prepared for a shock to your system! We don’t have time for a more indepth explanation, so for now let’s just leave it at that.

[End of flashback]

Izuku(thinking): When you use “one for all”; clench your asshole and scream from the bottom of your heart: Sm–

[Izuku freezes at the one point robot before him]

Robot: Target lock-on, murder

Izuku(thinking): Shit! A robot, shit!

[Izuku frozen in fear]

Izuku(thinking): Why can’t I move!? I’m just too damned use to cowering! You idiot, why can’t you just…

[Aoyama appears and belly button shoots the robot away]

Aoyama: Art of seduction!

Aoyama: Merci! A nice team player!

[Aoyama winks at Izuku]

Aoyama: nevertheless, it seems we shall not cross paths again!

Aoyama: Adieu!

Izuku: “Won’t cross paths again”!?

Present Mic: 6 minutes and 2 seconds left!

Izuku: Gah!

Izuku(thinking): This… is bad! Really bad!

Ochako: Phew… twenty-eight points!

Izuku(thinking): Eh!?

Tenya: foty-five points!

Izuku(thinking): Eh!?

NPC: thirty-two!

Izuku(thinking): The number of villains are dropping by the second!

Izuku(thinking): Shit!

Izuku: They never told us the amount of villains there were when placing them!

[Random people in the observation room]

NPC(1): A strict time limit and a vast amount of battlegrounds… nothing quite like it to bring out everyone's ardor into the open and uncover their skills. 

NPC(2): The ability to grasp the situation quickly and accurately.

[Panel shows Shoji]

NPC(2): Insight!

NPC(3): the ability to stick adynamic entry without ever being late to the party

[Panel shows Tenya]

NPC(3): Agility!

NPC(4): The ability to face any obstacle with coolness and composure.

[Panel shows Aoyama]

NPC(4): Judgment!

[Panel shows bakugou]

NPC(5): And ofcourse, sheer ���fighting poweress”

NPC(6): We can gauge their respective levels of foundational skills by the point level system.

NPC(7): Oh my, we’ve ranked in a bumper crop this year.

[A hand reaches out to push the button to send out the 0 pointer robot]

NPC(8): We can’t be too sure of that yet.

NPC(8): The thing to really test their mettle is this!

[Observation room cut scene ends, back to Izuku and everyone else on the battlefield]

[Ochako, Izuku, and Tenya stare at the zero-pointer in shock]

Izuku(thinking): That’s the gimmick that’ll rampage when crowded!? That’s ridiculously huge!

[Zero Pointer smashes part of the city with ease]

???(idk who says this, but I wanna say it’s Present Mic): Menace of supreme dread!

[Izuku stays in shock and gets ready to run as everyone passes him]

Izuku: Is this some big joke!? I’ve gotta escape, but then I’ll get no points!

Izuku: Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! I’m still at zero points! Am I doomed!?

Izuku(thinking): Everything All Might gave me will go to waste!

Ochako: Ow…

[Izuku looks back to see Ochako stuck under rubble]

Izuku(thinking back to Ochako’s words): I think it would be a bad omen if you tripped, you know?

[Izuku running back to Ochako as he pumps up one for all]

NPC in the observation room(1): Look. That boy has exhibited no merit whatsoever and that is exactly why those times he does rise to the top, will be all the more pronounced! That is the hero's principle!

Ochako: Eh…

Izuku(thinking): Clench your asshole super right and scream the word from the bottom of your heart!

Izuku: Smmaaassh!

[Izuku punches the robot with one for all]

Izuku: oh…

[Ochako, Tenya, and everyone else on the field looks at Izuku with amazement as he begins to fall out of the sky]

Izuku: wahhh(screaming noises ig??)

Extra Info: Izuku finished the test with 1 minute and 5 seconds left.

Chapter Four

Izuku(thinking): It’s the same situation as back then!

[Panel shows the sludge villain attack]

[Izuku falling out of the air]

Izuku(thinking): But this time it’s different!

Izuku: Ooooooo

[Panel shows a busted up zero pointer]

Izuku(thinking): Hold on, I got All Might's power now, right!? I clobbered that thing like it was nothing!

Izuku(thinking): So landing outta be a piece of cake!

[Izuku looks at his arm as it begins to crack and break]

Izuku(thinking back to All Might’s words): Don’t forget kid– you may be a “vessel” now, but barely. A buried construction, you could say. Be prepared for a shock to your system.

Izuku(thinking): So this is what he meant! I’m an idiot!

Izuku(thinking): Duh, this is All Mights power!

[Panel shows a cup of water]

Izuku(thinking): It was only ten months! I’ve only scratched the surface of controlling it! All I can do right now is house a borrowed power! I can’t believe I got such a big head, even if it was for only a moment!

Izuku(thinking): Get a grip, man! All I’ve been given so far is the right to stand on the starting line! Nothing more!

Izuku(Thinking): Think man! What do I do? What do I do!?

[Izuku sobbing as he falls in the air]

Izuku: uhhh(cries of pain)

[Izuku gears up for a detroit smash]

Izuku(thinking): My right arm and both of my legs are broken, but I’ve still got my left arm! If I time it just right, I can break my fall with just a punch! But if I swing a second too late or a second too early, I’m done for! And if I survive, I still got zero points, not to mention if I break my arm… my hopes of passing vanish.

Izuku: wahhhhhh

[Ochako slaps Izuku across the face]

[Izuku and Ochako levitating off the ground]

Ochako: Skill… Release.

[Izuku and Ochako both fall on the ground]

Izuku: gwowwhhh[Pain sounds?? I’m sry idk what these are]

[Ochako holds her hand, trying to not barf]

Izuku(thinking): She saved me! Or rather she managed to, is she alright? It doesn’t seem like she’s wounded.

Izuku(thinking): Thank god.

[Izuku, looking at Ochako]

Izuku(thinking): I don’t know how to thank you.

Izuku(thinking): Now… if I… could just… get a single point!

[Izuku, wheezing as he army crawls]

Present Mic: The test is over!?

[junesprojects]

📺 CONTRIBUTOR SPOTLIGHT 📺

Introducing Page Artist @tipsy-frost!

Full interview below:

Q: Please tell us about yourself! 

A: The name’s Megan, I’m currently 22 and I’ve been drawing ever since I was a little kid. I’ve been a Persona fan since about 2012, right around P4G’s original release. RPGs and simulation games are my bread and butter, so the brainrot is still going strong even now.

Q: Who are your favorite Persona 4 characters and why? 

A: Yu and Yosuke are definitely my two standout choices – though for different reasons. Yosuke was my favorite party member/bro character back when I first started P4, I really connected with him during his social link and his connection with Yu was what got me into shipping as a whole. As for Narukami, the anime did the heavy-lifting there…I connect with him a lot, he’s such a weird little guy! Definitely one of my bigger comfort characters.

Q: Which Persona 4 character do you find fun to draw and why?

A: Teddie is always a blast to draw for me, whether he’s in the bear costume or not – I think he is very neat!

Q: What are your favorite Persona 4 ships? 

A: Definitely not biased to Souyo over here. Adajima is a close second – you can thank Ultimax for that one. 

Q: Which Arcana do you see yourself as?

A: I figured the Hermit would’ve suit me best. I tend to keep to myself often, so I default to introspection more often than not. I also find myself relating to the other characters associated with it (Saori and Futaba specifically) in terms of personality and some of their struggles when it comes to other people.

Q: What's your favorite trope?

A: I am a connoisseur of the ships where both characters are their own flavor of dumbasses. In terms of characters, the outwardly happy character with the most tragic of backstories and trauma is a trope I’ll never get enough of. 

Q: Do you have a favorite Persona? 

A: Jiraiya for P4 and Celestine for P5! They’re both such fun designs that suit their respective users a lot!

Q:What made you want to become an artist?

A: Art has always been a passion of mine, seeing the joy that it can bring to others is a big motivator for me, and it makes the process worth it whenever a piece is finally done. 

Q:How did you get into the Persona series?

A: P4G was the first game I played back when I got a PS Vita, since I’m a sucker for RPGs. I came for the gameplay and ended up staying for a story and cast that hit so close to home it continues to influence how I write my own OCs. After that, I took a look at P4D since rhythm games were also a favorite of mine… And then it all went uphill from there.

Q: What would you like to accomplish with your contribution to AOA zine?

A: I want to go a bit out of my comfort zone since I’m so used to drawing women. This’ll also mark my first NSFW zine, so I’m hoping to gather inspiration from the other talented folks that’re helping with this project!

[pastelpaperplanes]

Serious question: why does Optimus Magnus have a goatee? Sorry if this comes off as rude! I'm just curious of the design. The only Optimus I've ever seen with facial hair was the unreleased SG design for the TFA series.

The long answer:

eh I’ve kind of explained it here but there’s headcanons and such of Optimus throughout multiple continuities hiding scars or a ‘beard’ under that mask of his, and while tfa Op doesn’t wear the battle mask near as often as most I still wanted to join in on the hc haha

Plus if SG Optimus can get away with it than so can my Optimus Magnus—and he ROCKS IT and Megatron LIKES IT😤💕💕

plus despite the powermaster/Magnus reformats, which absolutely hint towards a passage of time for the au, the ‘beard’ also comically aids in hinting towards that!

Looking at the beginning of the AU (before Crusade and Megatron appear back in his life) yes, there’s still lots of work to be done in Optimus’ current Magnus position. He’s in for the long haul it any attempt to heal Cybertron and it shows.

Functionalist ideals are still lurking within dark alleyways and shifty govt. positions

A great deal of Cybertronian still hold xenophobic apprehensions towards organic space sectors despite their like with Earth

The no where near dormant Decepticon faction only minutely is accepting aid—and still, no interest or trust in trying for yet another peace negotiation

The looming anxiety regarding security via enhancements on the Space Bridges to Ground Bridges

Cybertron itself is a shell of what it once was. Tech flora and fauna near extinct, it’s energon reserves long depleted millennia ago, it’s energon farms on near moons suffering near the same fate—only to be saved at the eleventh hour by the mutated energon on Earth—but even conservation/restoration plans can only move so fast to heals eons of unsustainable harvesting and urban sprawl

the list goes on and on and on there is SO MUCH TO FIX—and Optimus only holds so much power. The ability to get these issues rectified doesn’t lie with him. Sure his voice is heard, but is it listened to?

The Magnus position is more of a figurehead of military operations—aka, Cybertron’s pride and joy being their military—but Optimus as an individual is held to a much higher pedestal than near any Magnus before. He’s provided the faction with their most admirable underdog to date.

From a simple cadet to washout to the Defeater Megatron to then being rightfully named the Magnus. All eyes are on him because he is dubbed the blueprint of what a good Autobot should and could be in the eyes of society. Yikes. It’s a huge mantle to upkeep. To those who actually know Optimus though—they know just how nerve wracking and exhausting he is to have this narrative practically worshiped. Since Megatron’s defeat on Earth, he hasn’t seen a day of peace.

Yes, Optimus despite what he thinks has the ability to be a brilliant leader. A true leader, not as the image of Cybertron, or to the it’s military, or to the idea that is the good and obedient Autobot—but a leader who can guide Cybertron, and maybe one day Cybertronains as a whole in the right direction, towards actual peace.

But he can’t do that alone or without help or without time—most of all being without the Council and it’s patrons, the whole guild system really, backing the idea of of righteous change :/

So yes, his Magnus reformat obviously gives off an image of a mech that you should listen to, but besides the image of power it holds, it also shows the intense growth Optimus had to rush through in attempts to secure a Legacy for Cybertron!

The ‘beard’ shows exhaustion and age, a bit of unkeptness as he’s had to be stretched thin every which way hasn’t had much time for himself since Megatron’s defeat.

he’s tired n scruffy. get him a nap or vacation I’m literally begging

the RIGHT answer:

because he has to meet a certain standard of DILF

kidding. partially

[amuseoffyre]

Thinkie time, gang.

Today’s thinkie time is brought to you by the fact that Stede is on par with Ed for intelligence but has never had the chance/opportunity to flex his intellectual muscles. His father and his peers took one look at the surface, made assumptions, and he was bullied mercilessly for decades for being too soft, too sensitive, too weak and so on.

Yes, he reads extensively, but at the point we join him in his Adventure, he has no practical knowledge or experience of anything beyond “I am a Captain” and his life in Barbados. He can’t even climb a ship’s ladder for pity’s sake.

He does, however, show glimpses in the design of his ship, the secret passages he included. And when he finally meets Ed, that’s when his practical and emotional awareness begins to expand. He learns the art of Fuckery, the difference between passive and active aggression, swordplay.

The big thing that really jumped out to me, though, was their first episode together. Ed is described as a master tactician, brilliant, smart, and able to put together a plan so deft people don’t see it coming until it happens. We have this clearly demonstrated in the breakdown of how he anticipated the incoming fog and avoiding the ships.

When this plan falters because of him being one day off in the calendar, he assumes they’re all going to die. He and Stede have their lighthouse conversation, giving Stede knowledge he didn’t know he lacked, and in the most perfectly aligned “great minds think alike” moment, they both have exactly the same idea: we need to be a lighthouse.

The fact that Stede Bonnet shares that spontaneous strategy braincell with Ed is such a perfect concept and while Stede is still learning, he’s learning fast.

I did a post yesterday about the impaled-to-mast incident and I am 100% convinced that Stede did it deliberately - after all, he wants to be sure he did it correctly the minute it happens.

He knew he was going to be stabbed because Izzy is just that much of a dick, and put himself in place in front of the one thing hard enough to disable Izzy’s sword. Especially since he starts giving Izzy a lecture on the qualities of Brazilian cherrywood the second Izzy realises he’s failed to kill him XD “Well played, Cap’n,” says Buttons.

By season’s end, Stede has levelled up. He’s pulling off multi-layered fuckeries in broad daylight. As we’ve seen with Blackbeard’s ship, he depends on shadow and fog and cloak and dagger approaches. But to do it in broad daylight, in front of a whole town full of witnesses? That is truly a genius level fuckery.

I’m so excited what this’ll mean for him in S2.