#but it's description and some other things i've seen made me skip it for personal reasons

[unavailable-fan]

The second opening of BLUELOCK singlehandedly moved this show from “not interested in this at all” list to “might watch in free time” list it’s in the bottom of the list, but still the opening song is g o o d

[goldfades]

𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃 ─ PB⁵

౨ৎ ─ summary | paigey being your girlfriend - a list of relationship "headcanons"

─ warnings | in a bullet-point formatting, i hope you guys like it! fluff (lmk if yall want nsfw ones bc i can provide), paige being DOWN BAD, social media tingz, maybe alluding to being outed but not really, some angst but you can skip over it, paigey being protective (duh), nothing else?

─ taglist | @xocherishxo @iienstein @yazmunson and here's a link to my taglist if anyone would like to join!!

─ ev's notes | THIS IS SUCH LONG MESS BECAUSE I'M HAVING PAIGE BRAINROT RN, but i hope y'all enjoy nonetheless LOL being in my paige era i've read so many of these and i'm sure you guys have as well, so i'm making this as unique (or descriptive) as i possibly can to make it because it's more fun to read (and write cus im a sucker for details)

PRE-RELATIONSHIP STUFF

when you guys first started dating, i feel like paige would be kind of secretive about it

maybe secretive isn't the right word but very... private but not secret type of vibe (at least irl)

not because she doesn't want to show you off, because believe me, she wants to (she's a bragger what can i say)

but just because she wants to keep you all to herself for a while

she knows that as soon as people find out about it, everyone will be talking about it and making assumptions and she just wants to keep you to herself

at least for a couple months

she doesn't care about the public's opinions but she wants to make sure that y'all are LOCKED IN before she makes it public on social media

but it's clear to paige that y'all are very much locked in after the first couple weeks

she's not new to relationships and she's had her fair share but she can tell that it's different now

so the whole "not sure if i wanna hard/soft launch her cus what if we're not a long term" sentiment turns into "i wanna keep this special thing to myself ONLY for at least a couple months"

and of course the entire team knows paige is down bad for you, they've never ever seen her this WHIPPED

because paige seems like she'd be nonchalant and SHE IS... for people she doesn't give a fuck about

so when she likes someone, she LIKES someone

she is extra what can i say

they tease her about it and in any other situation, she would be annoyed but she loooooooves it because it's like "yeah i'm in the best most awesome relationship with the cutest sweetest and kindest girl in the PLANET"

you and paige would've definitely known of each other since freshman year but like... she's kinda intimidating so you sorta tried to steer clear of her

you were really close with some of the girls on the team, specifically azzi so you saw paige kind of a lot

but sophomore year, azzi kind of pushed you guys to be close and since she knows you guys so well, IT WORKED!

you guys clicked so quick and that doesn't happen a lot with paige, it takes a lot to earn her friendship

but you practically ripped down all her walls within like an hour of talking to her

definitely the first one to catch feelings

at least... to her ;)

very much friends to lovers trope with lots of sexual tension cus who doesn't love that?

i feel like after 3 months of being really close friends, you guys would spend like a shit ton of time together

you guys were ALWAYS together

she even tried to convince you to come to practice with her but you said no cus... what the heck

everyone knows... EVERYONE knows that paige likes you

and it kind of becomes like cemented (for paige at least) after she realized you were her literal COMFORT PERSON

like after every terrible, long practice or after losing games all she wants to do is be AROUND YOU so she could forget about everything

especially when she gets injured, she's such a wreck and the only person who made her feel better was you

it wasn't even what you said or what you did, it was simply just you

and after going through such a bad time with you, she realized that she liked you and she can't keep pretending

and she asked you (yaya!) and you said yes cus you liked her back (yaya!) and everything is just YAYA

so it's safe to say she knows she's found her soulmate within a month of knowing you

but she doesn't wanna seem like she's love-bombing you or whatever so she pretended to be nonchalant

which of course FAILS because she's down bad

so she tells you she loves you within like a month of dating

i KNOW it seems bad but you guys both felt it because of the whole injury and spending every moment together

when you know, you know vibes

she told you she loved you after you were there for her through some of the worst times of her life and you said it back of course and it's all cutesy

paige's love language is TOTALLY quality time and touch

even before you were dating, she just liked having her hands on you whether it was like holding your hand while walking through a crowd, or braiding your hair, or putting her head on top of yours or something as simple as just HUGGING you

but she kept it cordial of course cus y'all weren't dating

yeah that was all thrown out the window as soon you became her girlfriend

hands on you at ALL times, it becomes so subconscious neither of you even know you're doing it anymore

so remember that whole secret relationship thing?

well... everyone kind of figures it out online after like 3 months of dating

it was because of paige, poor girl couldn't keep her hands and lips off of you after a particularly hard game and somehow 🤨🤨someone gets a picture and it was all over twitter and tiktok the next day

literally "paige bueckers girlfriend" trending after an hour of getting posted

but neither of you cared too much about it because A. it was totally worth it cus the kiss was 😫😫😫 and B. she finally doesn't have to turn off her girlfriend mode when she's with you at games

cus she has the prettiest and best gf in the world and she wants everyone to know that

the only reason she was slightly annoyed was because she couldn't hard launch you on instagram :( poor girl had potential captions in her notes :( cus she's our little drama queen:(

but that doesn't stop her cus she ends up doing it! (shameless plug right there hehehe)

now that she can freely touch you and just be herself finally, she literally doesn't GAFFF

of course nothing like over the top because sure she loves PDA to a certain extent and she's an athlete so she needs to keep it civil

RELATIONSHIP STUFF

we've already covered how paige is a physical touch and quality time girly

and paige loves spending literally all her free time with you because you just recharge her

but it isn't in like an overwhelming way

paige understand that sometimes you need quiet time (or vice versa) but the thing is she doesn't even need you to talk just being around you is enough

so idk if it's necessarily QUALITY time but just being around you and spending every free second she has with you tells you that she is in love with you

paige is the most protective person IN THE WORLD, not just with you like in general

it doesn't even have to be someone she knows, if she sees someone giving someone else a hard time SHE WILL STEP IN!

and with her friends, y'all have seen her... she does not back down and will literally murder anyone who comes for the people she cares about

so if that's with people she doesn't know, and her friends, you guys can imagine how crazy she gets over you

if somebody says something even slightly consendecing or mean, slap. someone looks at you the wrong way? slap. somebody breaths wrong around you, slap.

obviously she won't lay a hand on them first but likeeee would she back down, nope

she is actually your guardian angel

like at parties, her hand is always on you and she never ever leaves your side

you need to get a drink, she's coming to

if you need to pee? she'll wait in the bathroom for you

yeah don't expect her to leave your side

because even when she IS by your side, there is always a weirdo in your guys' ear trying to get with one (or both!) of you

but yeah she's not afraid to defend you when it comes to literally anything

and this doesn't only apply to strangers, if there is someone that you know (your friend, her friend, etc) she WILL stand by you and defend you

like she doesn't shy away from confrontation, she will say something but only if you want her to

and GOD HELP THEM if you shed a single tear, cus the next morning you bet she's saying something

like i said, paige is a confrontational person and that means she's the biggest communicator

if she has a problem, she will tell you so that you guys can fix it

but sometimes she can come off a little argumentative and like she's just attacking you

she uses a lot of "you" statements so it seems like she's pushing the blame all on to you

so that can be the root of a lot of your guys' arguments when paige is only trying to solve the issues

but of course paige doesn't back down so she will be arguing with you even if she doesn't even know why, she just hates being wrong

but she doesn't let you leave or go to sleep unless the problem is fixed (or at least on the road to being fixed)

she'll give you space, she'll go another room to take a breather but she will not let you leave until it is fixed

usually after the breather you guys can come to an agreement and then paige usually hugs all the anger outta you

cus who could resist her?

if the argument lasts a couple days (it usually doesn't unless it's something serious) paige will talk it out with her mom or her friends

and you'll usually do the same

and paige will force you to sit down and talk about it until it is FIXED because she hates not being able to talk to you

and when you guys do eventually talk about it, especially if it's a serious topic, it will end with tears with both parties

but you guys always make up and everything will be better

okay okay no more angst ... for now hehehe

i feel like paige's nervous tic would be braiding the ends of her hair so i feel like that would transfer to YOU somehow

she just likes braiding your hair!!!!!! or just running her hands through your hair, it would help her relax

and if you're like me, it will help you relax as well

if you're black/have braids, she would only touch your hair if you let her!

paigey takes pictures OF EVERYTHING so obviously that includes you

her camera roll consists of ONLY you atp, like... 20% pics of literally anything else, and the rest would just be pictures of you or something to do with you

and oh my gosh don't get me started on the damn .5's of you, some of them are HORRENDOUSSSS and paige uses them as reaction pictures sometimes

and you found out from azzi that she does indeed use them in the girls groupchat

but she argues that you just look adorable which you respectfully disagree

oh and don't get me started on her tiktok drafts, she has at least 1,000 (rip her storage)

and when y'all started dating she just makes cute relationship tiktoks but she never posts them

EXPECT the "you're spinning me around, my feet are off the ground one" cus she wants to prove to the world that she has muscles

and the tiktok girlies will cry but WHO CARES!

oh and if you're on the basketball team, they will started to fan-girl over you as well

HELLA TIKTOK EDITS

and paige will favorite, repost and comment on them

like the most down-bad, insane comments you can think of

"GET THE STRAP GET THE STRAP!" is one of many ✨✨

if you aren't on the team, trust the tiktok girlies will find a way and they will make edits of you

and paige will do the same

obviously you do the same for her, your favorites are just paige edits atp (mine too)

ESPECIALLY THE GET IT SEXY ONE OMLL

and everyone will make ship edits and cutesy things like

"omg the way paige looks at her" and like a slideshow of paige being like all 😍😍😍

after paige gets more comfortable with like the media knowing about you two, she posts you every five seconds

usually like stories and stuff and especially if you’re also a basketball player, she reposts ALL your stuff

she is a proud gf !!!

she also has a highlight FOR SURE, she loves

also she def has like 10 diff wallpapers of you and her, some are really cute and some are really… 🫣

also paige strikes me as the type to like be texting you ALL DAY

and girl doesn’t care if you reply, she will send you 8 consecutive messages of different things

“omg look at the group chat 😂 *insert screeshot*” “baby they ran out of fucking caramel at dunkin, how does that happen ?” “i ended up going to a local cafe why did this shit cost me 9$” “baby you’re coming to my game on saturday right?” “HAHA look at this meme 😂” “why haven’t you responded to my tiktok’s in 2 days?”

yes she 100% uses the laughing with tears emoji argue with the WALL

or skull emoji

she also sends you 20 minute snapchat vlogs and they’re so chaotic, especially when she’s at practice or something

kk will steal her phone and say hi then you’ll hear them play fighting for like 80% of the vlog

also she does grwm’s on snapchat too when she’s at away games and her morning voice is SOOOO SEXY CUTE

↳ make sure to check out my navigation or masterlist if you enjoyed! any interaction is greatly appreciated !

↳ thank you for reading all the way through, as always ♡

[lightofraye]

The reason(s) I’m anti-Danneel

Hello all!

This is actually my first official anti-Danneel post as opposed to reblogging an anti post or responding to anons who somehow found me.

First, a note: some of what I'm posting are reposts from other now defunct/deactivated Tumblrs that I was able--thanks to the Wayback Machine and/or Tumblr preserving the reblogs with information--so whenever possible, I will credit the original authors. It's because of them that I was able to find out all the crap Danneel had done and the evidence.

If it's a "Jensen said this", don't ask me where precisely, because there are way too many cons, panels, interviews. Just trust that Jensen did say it, okay?

Now... to begin with the biggest crime to lay at Danneel's feet: Abuse.

So I'm going to preface this with a content warning/trigger warning. If you are bothered by description of abuse, even emotional abuse, I advise you to skip. I will not be held responsible for how upsetting this might get. You've been warned.

Now to begin! Here's the issues I've noticed (and others). Hat tip to @taraslittlecorner (now defunct/deactivated) for the original post that I was thankfully able to find on the Wayback Machine.

I'll add a cut here because it's going to get long!

Public Humiliation:

Jensen eating gummy bears. This post was made as a public stab at Jensen for the amount of gummy bears he was eating. It was a stab at not only his eating habits/weight, but it was also a stab at him being greedy or gluttonous.

Jensen on the carousel. Another stab at Jensen about his weight.

The whole AD house tour is full of stabs at Jensen. She takes a swipe at everything from him not wanting to change the children’s diapers, not cleaning the toilets, not cooking, and not being able to organize or clean behind himself. (There’s a lot of sketchy things in that video as well.) She even made fun of him for being proud of his side of the closet for being tidy.

Jensen didn't cry at the birth of his children. Yet another attempt at making an important, emotional moment in Jensen’s life about her, as well making Jensen seem as if he is emotionless and detached from his family and children, and she’s the one that’s so sensitive.

The FBBC interview. Now, that interviewer sucked ass too, let’s not kid ourselves, that was one of the worst interviews I’ve ever seen in my life. Elta continually trying to make Jensen look lazy, saying that he didn’t smell good, saying that she was pregnant knowing it made him uncomfortable. All of this was with one goal, to humiliate him.

The gaslighting hairdresser. You will never convince me Elta put this woman up to posting this photoshopped, off guard, horrible pic of Jensen and herself, as well as disclosing the location of his family in order to make it look as if she’s been there the whole time when really she’s not. Jensen is very self conscious about his appearance, and this showed him in a bad light, again to humiliate him and make him look like a slob. (That seems to be her MO.)

(These are just the ones we’re all familiar with, but if you guys send more receipts you want to add to this I’d be glad to add them to it as a receipt collection.)

2. Controlling: This is another all day topic. Seriously, we could talk all day about how one can be considered controlling in a relationship, and Elta is no different. The biggest and most public thing that we can see is her constant control over his Social Media.

Now, we know good and damn well that she’s also doing this to hold up to her facade of a “happily married couple”, but it’s also a way of controlling his interactions with other women, (originally he was never allowed to follow women on Social Media; something that has recently changed since The Boys and Big Sky has happened), and to keep track of who he’s talking to and what he’s doing.

Access to one’s cellphone, email address, and other social media is almost as good as attaching a GPS onto a person. If she access his cloud, she can access everything from text messages he’s sent to his most recent emails to his employers.

I have some proof but it will take time to document all of them.

**For those SPN buffs out there. You will also notice that Dean got a whole lot less action between the sheets and with female guest stars after his wedding to Elta, and that’s not a coincidence.**

Jealousy, or extreme jealousy in Elta’s case, can also be the mark of an abuser. The NEED to maintain that state of control, and if he get’s attached to another woman that is paying him better attention, he may try and break things off with her.

3. Isolation: If you’ve noticed Jensen hardly sees his family anymore. He used to speak of his family often, now it’s rare that he’s ever seen with them. They usually have to come to Dallas Con just to see him, and the only actual evidence we have of Elta being there with them all in years is a sketchy ass post on Instagram of Thanksgiving a few years back. Jensen did take his dad, brother, and brother-in law to the Nascar event he recently attended. Other than that, there has been little to no evidence of contact with his family at all as the years progressed, and it’s gotten worse as the years pass of that “marriage.”

He also seems to have shorted his circle of friends to people she gets along with. Marcus, Steve, etc. And even on “vacations” it’s surrounded by her little group of mooching family members and friends: New Orleans, she brought her brother and mother, as well as Steve Carlson and Marcus. Marcus even attended the trip to Cali when they went to the Golden Globes after party.

If you really take time and look, he’s rarely seen with anyone that ELTA doesn’t get along with, or are friends with. He doesn’t even hang out with Jared outside of Canada like he used too, and that should raise suspicious eyebrows alone.

4. Hypersensitivity:

We’ve seen this in the countless attacks Elta, as well as her friends, feel the need to do to SPN fans, or anyone that questions the legitimacy of anything she does or post. I don’t have all of these anymore on hand, but will add the links if I can find them. She’s called fans “fat whores”, anti joker face used to have the receipts, they went on for a while. You don’t have to dig very deep to find this stuff people.

She’s even had Clif write long ass post in order to make it looks as if she’s been so targeted when she just really brings all this shit on herself. She feels threatened because somewhere deep down, she knows she’s doing wrong. You know how the old saying goes, the guilty dog barks? Well, Elta barks a lot.

Even Jensen can get a little defensive when they attack her at cons and to his face. He knows that if he doesn’t defend her, or trys to stand up for himself there will be repercussions. “I don’t tell my wife what to do. I’m not stupid, or suicidal.”

5. Unexplained injury, or weight-loss: Since about 2018, Jensen has progressively lost weight. To the point that the FBBC instagram page even removed the photo I used in this example because people were commenting on Jensen’s weightloss. They try to explain it away in marathon training, but we all know that’s not the case. The constant attacks she’s made against his weight are starting to show.

Every time Jensen has to quarantine with her he starts to look like death warmed over, weight drop, sickly looking skin color, (which is also a sign of malnutrition), and that dead look we can’t get seem to forget. Then we get him back to work, and it���s almost an immediate improvement.

Then there is the chunk that’s missing out of his nose now because of a nose injury that kept being explained in different instances at the same event as to how he even got it. It first appeared a day after the FBBC family reunion event that took place in May of 2018 in a post made by Elta of Jensen playing with the kids, and people thought it was just a breathe right strip.

If you look closely, you can even see that his eyes looked to be blacked, as if he’d somehow broken his nose.Once he got ot an event for Elta’s Limbo Jewelry line launch in NYC, he kept changing the story as to how he got said injury. First he told fans that he’d hurt it by hitting a pool wall while playing with his kids. Then he said he’d dropped a keg on it. Well, if you’ve ever worked for a bar or been around kegs you know those things are heavy, and that story is a blatant lie.

CONSTANTLY SHIFTING STORIES OF HOW AN INJURY OCCURRED ARE ONE HELL OF A RED FLAG PEOPLE!!

If it were Elta with the injury, and she kept changing the story as to how she got it, there would have been questions asked; but since Jensen is a man it was never looked into.

Take all these for what you will guys! It’s only my observations and opinions! You may not agree, but I know you all can agree that if Jensen were female, this conversation would have happened a LONG time ago.

Men can be victims of domestic abuse/violence, and the evidence is there! I’m sure there is more, and if you send it to me via submission, even if you want to keep quiet and not put your handle on there I will add the evidence to this post.

THIS MAN DESERVES BETTER!!

[nexus-my-beloved]

I think the beauty of "I Saw The TV Glow" is that you take what's relevant to you from the movie.

(Below is my whole review, of sorts.)

I finally watched the movie today after seeing people talk about it for a while. Everyone I'd seen that had talked about it had some gut-wrenching reaction and said it was so impactful and that it hurt them but also was really good. One person on TikTok went as far as to say that the movie felt like "getting into a car accident and getting up to go get groceries". I thought they were over exaggerating, because anytime I see others have heavily emotional reactions to pieces of media, I never had a reaction that extreme. With I Saw The TV Glow, though? That movie made me feel more than I have felt about any other movie. It's rare that any movie, show, or book has something I relate so heavily to in it. (The only other example I can think of that made me have even a split second of the reaction I did with ISTTVG was the scene where Riley ran away in the first Inside Out because of my own experiences with running and the contrast in how her parents readily accepted her home vs my own situation, but that's a story for another day.) Watching I Saw The TV Glow left me feeling almost numb and unsure how to feel for the next fifteen minutes because it'd felt like I'd been gutted and stitched back together poorly with fishing line.

I've heard stories about how some people watched it in theaters and heard other people say something about how the movie was stupid, or how the theater laughed at certain parts, or how people made homo/transphobic comments. According to another TikTok poster, they'd seen an early screening and another person that had seen the same screening put a review on the movie about how if they were in the director chair they could've fixed the movie. There was nothing to fix about it. People took what was relevant to them from the movie. The people in theaters full of people that didn't get it while they were in tears were so much more moved by the movie and I find it beautiful that a piece of media can work that way. To go over the heads of those who the message is not for but strike the hearts of those it was meant for? That's beautiful.

The description of the movie does not do justice to what it really was about. I can't even spoil really because the movie was so much more to me than the plot, but here's a little warning for certain parts of the movie towards the end, anyway.

I'd heard so many people say that the movie did really well with the transgender symbolism but I didn't expect it to be so well done until I saw it myself. I'd heard no one talk about the dissociation that was so well portrayed in the movie or the way the finding identity (or lack of finding it) was so important.

As soon as I heard Owen say that they didn't know what they liked on the bleachers I knew I was in for it. In the beginning of the movie, I was really confused, I didn't get how things fit together, but when they were talking to Maddy and said that they felt like there was nothing there and they didn't know what they liked it really hit me that the movie was going to be impactful. "I like tv shows" being the only thing Owen could come up with was something that seemed so little but was so important to me.

I Saw The TV Glow did really well with portraying the disconnect to life that I personally feel a lot. "I was 19, then I was 20.. then I was 21." The repeated line of "years seemed to pass like seconds" really hits hard when you've been feeling like life is going too quickly, like time is slipping away from you. The consistent time skips that made it seem like time was passing too fast added to that and it was so well done.

Whether you take it literally or metaphorically with the concept of Owen and Maddy really belonging to the show "The Pink Opaque", the way they were buried alive and suffocating and being put into a different world worked really well. Either it confirmed a feeling of being out of place because they really didn't belong and they felt like suffocating because they really were buried alive, or it worked as a metaphor for how going through life as the wrong person rather than embracing your identity feels suffocating. The difference between Maddy and Owen was that Maddy was willing to learn more of who she was, to embrace more of her identity. Owen, though, was afraid to, and despite knowing that who they were under the surface was there by the end, they still supressed it. The quote "There is still time" that Maddy wrote on the street was so impactful because it reassured that (to me, at least), not everything needs to be figured out, and even though we don't have infinite time, as long as we are alive there is still time to figure outselves out. Owen didn't take the advice, but it still gave that message to the audience and it was so well done.

Owen's monologue in the theater, wondering if Maddy was right and they really were someone "beautiful" was so impactful. Regardless if you took the movie literal or not, Owen thinking that maybe there was a chance they could find themselves beautiful and then writing it off as fantasy was the equivalent of every trans person who didn't allow themselves to transition and stayed in/went back into the closet because they didn't think they could be someone they'd really like. The speech by Mr Melancholy of "You won't even realize you're dying" hurt so much because no, you don't realize that not transitioning is hurting you until you give it a chance, usually. (I didn't, at least.) It hurt in such a beautiful way.

At the end, when Owen was working in the arcade, the machine saying "you're dying" and the clear panic attack they were having was so gut-wrenching. Watching them have that scream and everyone around them have no reaction was really symbolic of feeling like your skin isn't yours and you're hurting and feel like you're suffocating/dying and no one notices. That's exactly what it was, too - an entire room of people that didn't realize Owen was dying. The screaming for their mom, the apologizing to people that don't even care because they didn't even notice, it was so beautiful and so hurtful all at once. Owen cutting themselves open in the bathroom and seeing their identity, everything they were, was still there, but still covering it up and apologizing to the other workers.. hiding your identity and apologizing for the concept of even trying to be yourself hurts but it happens in real life, apologizing for feeling like you aren't allowed to be yourself.

I think what's better was the movie being marked partially as a horror movie despite it not really being "scary". The horror was more like the horrors of finding yourself/being yourself/realizing that time is passing. I saw another person somewhere say that the horror aspect was the fact that not everyone would get it and say that it was stupid, and I couldn't agree more. That is scary. Scary that people will see something so meaningful and not see anything about it/won't get it. It really sets the concept that there are some things (especially regarding trans identity) that a lot of people just don't understand.

I Saw The TV Glow was all about two people going through life, the dissociation as life goes by and time slips away, and the journey of identity (with one finding themselves and the other refusing to allow themselves to express who they were). That's what I got, at least.

Feel free to share your own opinions on it <3

[vermillionsails]

THE WANDERER part 1

Cooper Howard/ The Ghoul x Reader

synopsis: The reader aka Bullseye gets run out of her family settlement to find an old friend. what will happen when they finally see each other after 6 years?

WARNINGS ⚠️: Cooper Howard/ The ghoul x female reader afab reader, DNI IF YOU ARE UNDER 18 GO ON GIT. eventual smut, adult language, fallout show, and game cannon violence. age gap reader is 22 if you're not, pretend.

I try to keep the description of the reader neutral only things that are talked about are the reader's age, teeth, smaller hands, and eventually intimate parts. I do not own the rights to Lucy or Cooper Howard or the fallout setting. the plot and town characters are the only things I made up. Time skips are in this at least this first part anyway. dream sequence as well it will be in bold so you can tell and see the difference.

A/N: I've only seen the first episode and clips, and interviews of the characters cause Freevee only has the first episode but, the brain worms are still activated for this man! 😩

Update A/N ive managed to see the rest of the show. i also wanna give thanks to my bff @oppositeoflove-isindifference for helping me edit this brain rot and make it make sense. i love you bitch, i aint never gonna stop loveing you bitch!

I know it's not from the actual Fallout soundtrack but this song fits Cooper's vibe. A couple of 'I don't know how but they found me' songs do honestly but enjoy!!

The only thing you can do is hope. you've been hoping for two days now. All you have now is your pack, everything you've scavenged in the past two days, and Shroud. Your grandma said, before the bombs dropped, Shroud would’ve been called a rottweiler. To you though, he was your best friend. You were lucky to find armor for him, so you didn’t have to worry so much about him tagging along. You were thankful for it honestly, you wouldn't doubt that Reggie would shoot him.  So here you are in the wastes, with Shroud lying across your lap. You had set up camp against an old rusted-out van. You move Shroud, deciding to sleep in the van hidden away, instead of outside in the open. You put out the campfire and unroll the bed roll from your pack and lay down. Shroud splayed out next to you as your eyes start to drift closed. It couldn't have been more than a couple of hours before Shroud was lying on top of you, trying to nudge you awake, as gunfire and a creature roared outside. Grabbing the handle on his armor, you tapped his nose with your finger to signal to play dead. You listen as the gunfire continues. The sound of shouting rises above the gunfire. You could make out at least two voices, plus the creature. It lasts for about another 20 minutes before the noise dies down, and voices come down to a normal level. You can hear two people arguing as footsteps get closer to the van. Very slowly, you reach for the pistol strapped to your leathers. As your hand reaches the handle, you hear a gun cock and a man whistle. 

“Figured you were following us. Smart hiding.” You look up to the voice’s owner, standing in front of the van door with him pistol aimed at Shroud's back. You recognize the voice, his drawl and cowboy hat knocking the memory of Mr. Howard forward.  “Mr. Howard, it's me, Bullseye!” you shout, holding both your hands up in surrender. You silently pray that Shroud doesn't leap or make any sudden movements.  He cocks his head as he looks at you, lowering his gun somewhat.  “Bullseye, huh? That really you?”  You swallow and nod, replying, “Yes sir, it's me. Grandma sent me out to look for you. We’re in big trouble.”  He tuts, putting his gun away, seemingly disappointed he didn't get to shoot anything.  “Considering you're the only person who calls me ‘Mr. Howard’, I suppose that is you, Bullseye,” he chuckled.  He waits for a beat and scowls. He growls, “Well come on now, girly! We got some catching up to do, and I ain't got all night.” You give Shroud two pats, he gets off of you and sits at the van entrance, waiting. “Yes sir Mr. Howard,” you agree, scrambling to pick up your pack and bedroll. You make your way over to Howard and…a Vaultie?  You've never seen one before. The blue and gold suit hurt your eyes, even in the moonlight. She smiles and waves,“Hi, I'm Lucy! Nice to meet you.”  Giving an awkward wave back, you nod to her. “my actual name is y/n, but everyone calls me Bullseye” She smiles genuinely at you, a rare occurrence out here in the wastes.  “That's a nice name…why do they call you Bull-” 

Cooper cuts her off, “I only needed you to help me kill that fuckin’ thing. Don't make me tie you back up.” You give her a sorry half smile and turn to Cooper. “I'll make it as fast as I can Mr. Howard,” you say, ”Ray and Reggie have built up a coup against Grandma; they've already killed 5 people, and some of our Brahmin. I escaped about two days ago, and Grandma told me to come find you. I have a package she wanted me to give you, in case you needed incentive.”  The ghoul sits down next to you, sharpening a knife, and purses his lips. “Smart woman, what did she send with you?”  You turn to unzip your pack, spotting Lucy in the corner of your eye, She seems astonished that he’s being somewhat civil to you.  You pull out the package, a small foot locker-like box. The metal dings from the objects inside rattling as you hand it to him. “Ten different chems, two large Brahmin steaks, ammo, a couple of stimpacks, and all the caps she had left,” you list, recounting everything your grandma told you. He stares down into the box, taking a long look at the top of the lid. Finally, he closes it.  “I'll do it. This is a nice incentive, y'all must be in some real bad trouble darlin’.”  The fluttering feeling when he calls you darlin’ quickly dissipates, as you feel your worry set in. You feel your chest tighten as you look down at the dirt and sand.  “Yeah, it's bad Mr. Howard. Grandma might not….might not be alive when we go back.”  He hums as he goes back to sharpening his knife. “So what are you gonna do if we go back and she isn't?”  You look at him for a moment as you think. “Kill them, have someone else be mayor, and let Doe and Jericho be the new snipers,” you reply. He strikes the knife against the sharpening stone, sending sparks off to the ground. It makes the mix of sand and dirt pop and sizzle at your feet.  “You don’t wanna be mayor?”  You can feel the sadness wrap around your chest and squeeze again. “N-no I'm not- not as skilled as grandma. She could barter for a years worth of supplies then turn around and stop a fight in two seconds.”  He chuckles, finally looking at you with a smile tugging at the right side of his lips. “Yeah, Sue was always good at calming people down,” he muses. You chuckle at his sentiment. He points at you with him knife, saying, “Now that I know the situation, think you can help me dress that deathclaw over there?” You see it splayed out in the dirt, lifeless, the horns digging into the ground. It’s at least 6ft smaller than the adults you've seen.  “Is it a bounty?” 

Cooper grunts and nods, “Yup, it's the last a group a nearby farmer wanted gone.” He grabs the bounty paper from his duster pocket and hands it to you. “Fuckin’ things kept eating everything, including his wife.” You look over the bounty. 500 caps rewarded for the head. You nod, “That's a pretty good bounty.”  Lucy clears her throat and raises her hand, the pipboy light shining directly into your eyes. “I helped, do I get some of the caps?”  Cooper raises an eyebrow ridge at her and gripes, “Put your damn arm down, your’re blinding Bullseye! And I already told you, you're getting 20 and then you’re on your own. If I see you again, it’ll be too soon and I'll shoot you.”  You keep quiet, watching them argue with each other.  “I used ten lock-joint syringes on that thing.”  Cooper laughs, “Yeah those are cheap to make, trust me I know. You're getting 20 and I won't kill you, that's it.”  You see Lucy huff and sink back down in her spot.  After a couple of minutes, the ghoul looks back at you and asks, “Can you help me dress it?” You nod and grab the knife from your boot. “Yeah, I can help.” He gets up and walks over to it, his duster flowing in the breeze like in his old movies that your grandma used to tell you about. “Atta girl let's get to it.” You get up and join him. The bottom of your boots goes from crunching the dirt to thudding and squelching from the blood-soaked dirt pooling around its body.  You adjust the green baker's cap on your head and kneel next to its torso.  “Do you want me to start at the back of the neck or the tail?” you ask. Cooper grunts ,working to saw off the head, “Start at the tail, less tension while I do this.”  Nodding, you move further down. After a few minutes of making a deep enough incision, you get the muscle and start cutting towards the head. Its skin splits into two halves as you try to keep yourself steady. It smells like dust and blood.  Part of you wonders if the deathclaws think that you humans smell as strange as you think they do. Pulled from your thoughts, you hear Cooper clear his throat. You stop and look over at him. “You tune out too easily, could get you killed.”  You feel your cheeks heat up in embarrassment and stammer, “Sorry Mr. Howard, I'll be better in the morning. D-Did you say something?” His eyes scan you for a moment before he speaks again. “Yeah, I did, stop when you get to it’s sides. Need to cut off its hands.” You feel his gaze on you and your cheeks burn again.“Y-yes sir.”  He makes a low sound that you think may be a chuckle.  It's a couple of hours after you started dressing the deathclaw together. Lucy, Shroud, and the dog that Cooper has let follow him around have all fallen asleep. You wrap up the last piece of meat when a thought occurs to you. “So Mr. Howard, where is this bounty at?” 

He shoves most of the meat into his saddle bags, looking at you. “About a three days walk from here, you gonna tag along? Could use that eye of yours.”  Tossing him the last piece of meat, you nod. “Yeah, it'll give me time to think of a plan.”  He makes a heh sound, a smirk playing on his lips. “A plan, huh?”  You raise an eyebrow, more curious than anything. “Yeah I mean, plans are good right?” He nods and stuffs the last of the meat into his saddle bag. “They're good but…have you ever made one before sweetheart?”  Part of you knows the nickname is being used in a derogatory way, maybe even a bit patronizing, but it still makes your stomach flip. “Once,” you say, "we had to make a run to a Superduper Mart for supplies. I got us in and out.” You sit cross-legged on the dirt, adjusting your hat. Pulling out a cloth, you begin cleaning the gore off your knife.   Cooper moves closer to start sawing off the hands. “Well,” he starts,” this is different than a Superduper Mart. How many men are on their side?” You wipe the blade as you think. “About twenty… No one else is joining them, but they’re all trained by Ray,” you say quietly, knowing he’s gonna scoff at you. On cue, he stops and laughs, “Oh, sugar, you ain't gonna make it!” You feel your cheeks and ears heat up once again and stammer out, “I–I'm not going in guns blazing if that's what you think, I-I…”  He cuts you off, putting his hand up to you. You can see how the radiation burns swirl and carve into his skin, making a pattern. “The only possible way,” he says,” of you getting back in there and saving Sue is by sneaking in or…” He smiles. Your stomach flips. You can't tell if it's a good flip or not, but you have a feeling you know what he’s thinking.  “Or?” Your voice is small as you ask.  “I take you as hostage and barter to get you back in there. They want y'all for something, they'll come looking.”  You swallow, looking at him a bit apprehensive. “You're gonna take me as a bounty aren't you?”  He points his knife at you. “Bingo! Don't worry, I won't tie you up quite yet.” He shoots you a wink and goes back to sawing off the hand. You're not quite sure what to do with yourself after that. Your heart begins to beat a little faster, not sure if you like that or not. “O-okay, so we'll pretend I'm bounty and sneak in.”  He whistles, finally getting the hand off. “Yup, I'll bring you in and we’ll take it from there. But first we gotta wait till they come for you. When they do, I gotta be a little rough to sell it. You understand don’t ya?” 

You nod, feeling your core beating a bit as you imagine how rough he'll have to be. “Y-yeah I understand, Mr. Howard.”  He hums at you answer, “Good girl. Now go get some sleep like the others. We got a long walk, starting tomorrow.”  You finish wiping the knife off and put it back in its strap. “Yes, sir.” The ghoul waves you off towards the small fire Lucy had made earlier. “Night, Bullseye,” he says lowly in a gruff voice. You give him a slight smile. “Night Mr. Howard.” Reaching the fire, you unroll your bedroll again and get in. The two-day trek to find Cooper began setting into your bones as your eyes flutter shut.   A dream starts to play in your mind as you drift off.  Strange music plays to the beat of hooves against the ground. You see the figure of a man on a horse, riding into the red and orange of the sky as you try to move towards him. It's like you’re  moving in slow motion as you try to reach out to the figure. A cloud of raised dust swirls into the sky as it begins to storm around you and the rider.  His figure and the beast he's on get closer as they rush to you. Their features never clear up, staying smoke and shadow-like as they skid to a stop in front of you. His hand unfurls from the reigns and reaches out towards you. Like a switch going off, the orange and red becomes blue and purple as your stomach flips and you start to sink into the sand beneath your feet. Scrambling, you reach out to the figure's hand but it passes through him. The hand drifted and parted like fog on water after summer rain. As you sink, darkness falls over you and you feel murky and dusty blue water ripple around your waist.  You watch for a moment as the water starts to ripple faster, turning into wake waves that crash into your chest, the coldness washing over you. You look up as a roar shakes the world and a mirelurk queen rises out of the deepest part of the water. You try to run, but your eyelids start to flutter open as the dream fades.  Your eyesight is blurry as you sit up, kicking the blanket off of you. Shroud groans when he feels your legs move. He must have moved over to you during the night. He gives you a look over his shoulder and huffs, before laying his big head back on his paws.  “Sorry buddy, morning,” you say softly, give his head a scratch. You sit up, stretching and yawning. It's quiet for a moment, before you hear Cooper's voice out of nowhere, making you jump. “Morning sleeping beauty, ‘bout time you woke up.” 

You whirl to look at his smirking face, amusement in his eyes from seeing you jump. Putting a hand on your chest to soothe yourself, you mutter to yourself, a bit louder than you mean to,“God you scared me.” He chuckles, “Didn't think I could do that to you anymore darlin’, good to know.” Your heart starts to beat a little faster, no longer because of your fear. You laugh softly, trying to play it off, you look up seeing the sun just about to come up as orange and lavender painting the sky. “H-How long did I sleep for?”  He kisses his teeth and purses his lips as he thinks. “About six hours, give or take, but we gotta get goin’ before it gets too damn hot. So up and at 'em.”   Giving a nod, you get up and roll your bedroll back up and stuff it into your pack. You give Shroud some water and crack open a can of dog food, letting him chow down as you check and strap his armor on. You helped Lucy wake up  pack up as Cooper grumbled at her.  After a few more minutes,everyone is on the road. Both dogs and the 3 of you. It's hot and dry and the continuous crunch of sand and dirt under your boots quickly becomes repetetive. You can see heat waves ooze towards the sky and winds throw the sand around, dusting you and getting into your eyes.  Its monotony for hours on end, sending you into a haze that almost lulls you into a walking sleep. You’ll never know how the creatures here don’t die of heat exhaustion alone. Another hour goes by as Cooper stops, raising his fist in the air to stop you and Lucy.  His head cocks to the side as he listens. You stay still, waiting, trying to listen as well. You can't pick anything up, his senses are much more sensitive than yours. It takes only a few seconds before you hear something scrambling up a dune toward the three of you. The top of its head peeks up above the dune. Cooper's head snaps in its direction and he mutters, “You gotta be fuckin’ kidding me!” 

[mariana-oconnor]

The Three Gables pt 1

So, I've heard this one is... bad.

Let's see.

Oh, it's so bad it gets its own special warning... Great.

I wonder if any of this is even going to be quotable or if I'm just going to be vague posting 'oh... oh dear' a lot.

He was in a chatty mood that morning, however, and had just settled me into the well-worn low armchair on one side of the fire...

Like he picked you up and carried you to the chair?

Oh... dear...

Well that certainly went downhill quickly.

"...he was dressed in a very loud gray check suit with a flowing salmon-coloured tie."

I'm going to just... skip over the rest of the description and focus on the question of how a grey suit can be loud. Does it have some sort of really obnoxious pattern on it? Honestly, this outfit doesn't even sound bad. Grey goes with everything and salmon isn't a colour I'd pick myself, but it's not bad particularly if it's paired with something neutral.

The rest is just racist nonsense and stereotyping.

"I was trainin' at the Bull Ring in Birmingham when this boy done gone get into trouble.”

Hey, Bull Ring reference. Been there!

Steve appears to have been erroneously accused of a murder.

I'm very confused about what the purpose of his visit was, though. At first he seemed angry on his own behalf, then it seemed like he was acting on someone else's behalf and he wasn't angry at all...

“It is this Harrow Weald case. It decides me to look into the matter, for if it is worth anyone's while to take so much trouble, there must be something in it.”

And now I'm confused about what this case is about. So it's not about 'Young Perkins'?

Are we supposed to think Steve did kill Young Perkins and that his alibi is false? I don't even know.

So there's actually someone else who's asked for help? Mary Maberley? Who lives in Harrow Weald? And Steve was just threatening Holmes about that?

A short railway journey, and a shorter drive, brought us to the house, a brick and timber villa, standing in its own acre of undeveloped grassland. Three small projections above the upper windows made a feeble attempt to justify its name.

The Dr Watson school of Architecture does not approve of your poor attempt at gables.

“Dear me! Are you the mother of Douglas Maberley? [...] What a magnificent creature he was! Where is he now?” “Dead, Mr. Holmes, dead! He was attache at Rome, and he died there of pneumonia last month.”

I really wish they would stop referring to other people as 'creatures'. This isn't even part of the racism here. It still annoys me, though.

Are we here to investigate the death of her son?

"Well, it was not to talk of my poor lad that I asked you to come, Mr. Holmes.”

Apparently not. So far we have been informed of 2 deaths and neither of them appears to be actually related to the case in question. That's a lot of death.

"I have been in this house more than a year now, and as I wished to lead a retired life I have seen little of my neighbours."

Relatable.

"He said that this house would exactly suit a client of his, and that if I would part with it money would be no object."

If we have learnt anything in these stories, it's that as soon as a person is willing to pay too much money for something, they're up to no good.

I had always wanted to travel, and the bargain was so good a one that it really seemed that I should be my own mistress for the rest of my life.

Good for you, Mary. You enjoy your retirement.

"Are you aware that if you sign it you could not legally take anything out of the house—not even your own private possessions?’ When the man came again in the evening I pointed this out, and I said that I meant only to sell the furniture." [...] “‘Well, well, some concession might be made for your personal effects. But nothing shall go out of the house unchecked. My client is a very liberal man, but he has his fads and his own way of doing things. It is everything or nothing with him.’"

Yep, that's weird. He wants to go through your underwear? Very weird.

Clearly he wants something specific.

Then he strode across the room, flung open the door, and dragged in a great gaunt woman whom he had seized by the shoulder. She entered with ungainly struggle like some huge awkward chicken, torn, squawking, out of its coop.

The animal similes are back!

"Just a little wheezy, Susan, are you not? You breathe too heavily for that kind of work.”

Holmes really doesn't like eavesdroppers. Which seems a bit hypocritical, as he's done it himself before. Or maybe he's just particularly aggressive this week.

“Now, Susan, wheezy people may not live long, you know. It's a wicked thing to tell fibs. Whom did you tell?”

WTF, Holmes?

It's not just me, right? This is extreme, even for Holmes, right? He just threatened her life. And then gave what seems to be an implication that lying will send her to hell. I... Holmes? Have you been replaced by a doppelganger?

“So, a rich man? No; you smiled—a rich woman. Now we have got so far, you may as well give the name and earn the tenner.” “I'll see you in hell first.” “Oh, Susan! Language!” “I am clearing out of here. I've had enough of you all. I'll send for my box to-morrow.” She flounced for the door.

Honestly, I'm Team Susan here.

And then Holmes... gives her medical advice as she goes?

This entire story so far is madness.

"You don't happen to have a Raphael or a first folio Shakespeare without knowing it?”

Holmes. I'm going to need you to think back over that question really carefully, and see if you can find the flaw in your own logic. Go on. I can wait.

"No, as I read it, there is something which you do not know that you have, and which you would not give up if you did know.” “That is how I read it,” said I. “Dr. Watson agrees, so that settles it.”

Hey, Watson is still here. Thanks for reminding us, Watson. Of course, his opinion is the one that matters.

“‘Milano.’ ‘Lucerne.’ These are from Italy.” “They are poor Douglas's things.” “You have not unpacked them? How long have you had them?” “They arrived last week.”

So it is connected to Douglas. I'm so glad that was relevant. And he was involved with some woman. It's all coming together.

[orangepanic]

34, 36 (I am myself a very visual person, and I should say proudly that I have read all your fics during last 2 months, and I visualize Iroh very good, you even told his height, but not for Asami(as far as I can remember) I would love to imagine them beside eachother in your fics, so how tall you imagine her🧐)

39, 41

Please skip any, if you have already answered ❤️

That's such an interesting point! (also you read all my fics???!!!!!🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗) I wonder if I spend less time describing Asami because she has so much more screen time so I assume readers know? Anyway I have Asami as just a hair over 5'9" but as in canon almost always in heels, which puts her at perfect kissing height with Iroh :-)

34. What aspects of your writing are inspired by/taken from your real life?

At the same time everything and nothing. There are no characters who are inspired by real people, but at the same time there are little bits of people I know in so much of my characterizations. Asami has my messy purse and my coffee order. Iroh and I probably have the same number of books, though his are far better organized. His and Izumi's dislike of shoes is the same as my husband's. Some of the settings look like places I've been or seen (like all of Starvation Paradise is inspired by a real place in Russia). It's all cobbled together.

36. Do you visualize what you read/write?

Yes, which is often the hardest part. Writing for me is like watching a movie in my head and trying to translate. But it's also filtered through the characters' perceptions. Another reason I might describe Iroh differently than Asami is that they notice different things about one another. For example, I pulled these first re-meeting descriptions from the same fic.

Taller than average, he had thick black hair that he wore slicked back and the typical pale skin and golden eyes of the Fire Nation. Handsome in an angular sort of way, he had the kind of tense, uncomfortable look that she associated only with military men, nuns, and Lin Beifong.

Her black hair was bound up into a ponytail and she’d exchanged her heeled boots for hiking shoes. Even in the flat shoes she was tall, and though clearly younger than him she walked with a surety of movement that made her seem older than Korra and the others. A pair of olive green goggles perched on the top of her head. Iroh hadn’t wanted a traveling companion, but the thought crossed his mind that, if he must have one, he could do a lot worse than a pretty girl with common sense.

While it's only an example, I think Asami is slightly more literal and objective in her internal descriptions. Enter Mr. Tall, Tense, and Handsome from the Fire Nation. Iroh seems to be more relative, so while also noting features like tall and pretty, he's also describing Asami relative to his own expectations and feelings, so you get comparators like "younger than me but seems older than Korra and mature for her age so maybe okay to date?" and "I really didn't want to go with someone but hmmm okay yes I like this."

I can't claim I'm doing this on purpose but maybe I am? It would track with my characterization of Asami as slightly more analytical and Iroh as a big sack of feelings.

39. Is any aspect of your writing process inspired by other writers or people? If so, who?

Oh, all the time! First, I shamelessly steal headcanons. All the time. I see something I like and I adopt it. Second, I'm always reading things that make me want to write better or differently. If I read something I like I'll try it out. For example I just read a trashy mystery novel that, while I didn't love it, hardly used dialog tags at all and I was fascinated by that, so I've been trying it out. It's just fun to play with. Finally, I love chatting with other writers and people in fandom and bouncing ideas and getting feedback. They've all made me better.

41. Link a fic that made you think, “Wow, I want to write like that.”

I love the subtle intimacy of this one and have been trying to write like that ever since.

Fanfic writer asks

[stormxpadme]

Whumptober 2024 No. 12 - Underground Caverns

06/05/2018

In view of what his team would have to face upon arrival, Logan's relief that day was limited when his kitten – somewhat roughly due to the lack of exercise in the last few months – touched the Blackbird down outside the camp ruins. At least this Alaskan wasteland saved them the search for a landing site.

While Katja shut down the engines, he turned to the passenger area, still not very enthusiastic about the sight of his so-called task force. Fuck, after the last numbing years of uneventfulness, the X-Men had simply not been prepared for shit like in New York II. “No heroics, no solo stunts. Don't run off too far. Don't need anyone to get lost.”

A mocking glance from dark eyes, as young as they were far too bitter, met his. “Get lost? When everything that isn't a clean white attracts attention within a ten-mile radius?” Bastian reached for a chewing gum, demonstratively unimpressed by Logan's dark expression. Maybe he was just trying to avoid looking through the windshield at the weathered, partially fallen fence posts, the remains of generators and sheds almost completely covered by snow.

This stubborn avoidance would inevitably come to an end in a moment, and then Logan wouldn't have time for therapy after hysterical breakdowns. If the kid was, understandably, too unstable for this, they should have left him at home. “I've got better things to do than dig people out of holes who don't watch their step.” Logan unstrapped with an irritated blow to his seatbelt buckle. ”And unless they trained only your big mouths at that academy here back then, you might have heard of snow blindness, too.”

“Your sense of tact never ceases to amaze me, Claws.” Katja threw his jacket at him so roughly that it would have landed in his face if it hadn't been for his feral reflexes.

She herself didn't need any protective clothing, but still, Logan sometimes wished that she'd put something on over that sadistic costume of hers. Not because what had happened between them some 20 years ago would still have been of any significance, but because the open view of the traces on Katja's body from that asshole Anderson back then, the testimony of Logan's own failure to properly take care of one of his pack, didn’t hurt any less after all this time. Especially on a day when the fear was not unjustified that such dangerous conflicts would soon be on the agenda again. “Being nice is not in my job description.” He turned away abruptly, focusing his thoughts on the essentials. Even if that only meant scouring a godforsaken area for clues that the traitor they were looking for, or the person who had hired them, had surely destroyed long ago, if they hadn't been complete idiots.

To Logan's surprise, Bastian was at least the first to head outside, albeit with a very pained expression. “Goddamnit, I forgot that the fucking wind here almost kills you.” His teeth chattering, he jumped down the last part of the stairs and rolled his eyes when he immediately sank knee-deep in the snow. Disgruntled, he pulled his hood deep into his face, but thankfully stopped his whining.

Not least because Gringo ran past him with an excited whine, surprisingly fast for one or other age-related conditions, probably scenting his birthplace. However, the fur ball had barely made the first round through the few outlines that could still be seen of this former refuge when he let out a bloodcurdling howl and cowered next to a fallen pillar, with his head between his front legs, whimpering to himself.

Bastian quickly had a similar expression on his face replace that provocation from a moment ago. Logan thought he heard the boy's heart skip a beat in the silence, interrupted only by the whistling, cutting gusts, as he, too, spotted the first frozen human bodies between torn tarps and crooked wooden stakes. He turned very pale, even staggered back a step, but then regained his composure. And said something that sounded completely surreal at first ... But it was also one of the first things the boy let out that made Logan respect him a little. “Since you already dragged me here, I hope you don't mind that we bury these people. It's about time.”

Logan gave himself a push, jumped off the ramp as well and briefly put a hand on Bastian's shoulder. While he wasn't too hot on sentimentality ... No matter how much of human abysses that boy had witnessed in his youth, so many corpses of minors at once were probably a rare sight, even in a laboratory like those of these psycho fuckers in Helsinki. And the boy was standing before them for the second time in half a year no less. “If there's time.” He went for an attempt at an initial scan of the area of several miles that the outermost protective field had once surrounded himself but quickly realized that it was useless while everything was covered by that damn omnipresent white.

It had been necessary for Noemi to come along. Today was as good a day as any. Let her get to know the things she would have to face regularly sooner or later if she stuck to her career choice.

Luckily, in the midst of his far too melancholy thoughts, his instincts kicked in. His head raised on its own, his nostrils flared from a scent that he couldn't immediately place. But most of all, he was listening. His eyes narrowed. Not here, not now. “Firewing!” Within seconds, the situation had changed. Now Logan definitely couldn't babysit the girls on top, even though via Noemi's and his weak mental link, that his daughter's abilities had instinctively created years ago already, he could only too well feel the coldness of shock in her soul, and could see from the corner of his eyes how Saskia was clinging to her mother, too. This was the reality outside of their cozy little Danger Room right here; the sooner the two of them realized that, the better.

“On it. Stand back.” Pride stirred in Logan's soul when Noemi, using her telekinetic powers, swung up into the air, although she had turned quite a bit whiter in her face. Hopefully, his daughter had inherited his strong stomach. So far, this only looked like the hints of some sick shit. Soon, nothing of it would remain hidden, not from unenhanced eyes either, and above all, it would smell like it. Nevertheless, Noemi raised both arms without hesitation and sent a wall of fire racing through the air, across the ground, across the entire camp, while she protected the Blackbird and those present with separate telekinetic fields. A force of nature that made snow and ice disappear within seconds. When Noemi landed again, with a grace that easily broke Logan's heart every time, because it reminded him far too well of where the girl got it from, she had become even paler. Not even swallowing thickly several times could hide the glistening of ice crystals on her cheeks when her small group now stood in front of a huge field of black corpses, curled up in pain, lying in their own feces. Exactly as they had died back then, the ice had preserved them. For a few seconds, Noemi and Saskia looked as if they wanted to go back to the jet immediately. “And now?”

“We split up. Hurry up. Belt cams on. Record everything you see and touch. We won't be coming back here again. Hurricane, Beast and I will check out what's left of the tents while the others take a look at the bunker,” Logan explained harshly, not saying a word more about the scene of the accident himself. It wouldn't do anyone any good if he, too, let it show now how sick this all was. Or that in the face of it, an old fear was inevitably trying to surface in him. The concrete fear, not just the subtle dread that he'd had to live with every day of his life since the battle on the Scapels moon. The fear of losing someone he loved with all his heart at the hands of fanatical bigots. “Look for documents. Files, flash drives, anything that might be useful. Hurricane, turn on the heating.”

Taking a deep breath, Saskia pulled away from Katja who looked at the camp with a composure that already made Logan forget again how annoying his kitten could be at times with her lack of self-confidence and constant self-reproaches. This woman had seen hell from up close before, and that had shaped her whole life. She knew when to function.

Unfortunately, Saskia tried to follow this impressive example in vain. Occupational hazard when a mutation depended on emotions. It was understandable that Saskia didn't feel like laughing right now. She tried hard to concentrate, with her eyes closed ... When she opened them again, there were tears in them. “I'm sorry...”

Logan just shook his head. Such experiences were also part of a first mission. Hopefully, the fleas would learn something from it. ”Keep trying. Get to work.”

“I don't think there's much left in the tents. After the force field was deactivated, either the storms or wild animals have destroyed everything haptic here. We'll have more success down below.” Despite his renewed outrageous objection, Bastian didn't sound as if his mind was still really present. Tears were freezing on his cheeks. The now completely empty look in his eyes felt damn familiar to Logan. It wasn’t a surprise when the boy's legs suddenly gave in, at the first step towards the said underground facility already.

Logan would have to squeeze in some extra shifts in the Danger Room; he was starting to rust. But the truth was that he knew what it was like to have the world start to blur before your eyes, to see the ghosts of people flickering through your field of vision, until you forgot where you were and when. Kit had had to rudely shake Logan out of this trance a few times during his occasional trips to Africa before he could have made the acquaintance of a poisonous plant or a predator's teeth. He turned away abruptly before his own concentration could wane. Thinking of people like Kit had just as little a place on a mission as untrained beginners. “Kitten, do something. We need him.”

But before Katja could take even one step towards Bastian, he raised his hand sharply. His other hand dug into the ground, snow trickling through his long fingers, again and again. With each time, his eyes cleared a bit, and when Noemi knelt down next to him, concerned, there was a jerk going through his body at last. “In the tents, we never kept many things of importance.” Now his tone, fortunately, was stabilizing again, too. “But you could check here on the surface to see if any of the residents are missing that I don't know about. Then we can at least rule out the possibility that one of the teenagers helped the attackers. If we're in a hurry, I'm more useful downstairs, but you'll need a resident list with photos; those things were also stored in the bunker. The power cells down there will last for decades, so there shouldn't be much damage.” He slowly raised his head to look Logan straight in the eye. “That is, if you don't mind, Sir.” Actually, it was admirable that even in the deepest state of mourning, this brat could still make a "Sir" sound like a "Fuck you".

“Hurricane, go with them, bring that list. Until then, we'll be done with the tents and have all the bodies on tape. Close the hatch before something freezes off of Bastian that might not grow back,” Logan growled, but not half as unkindly as he'd spoken of his latest favorite pacifist a few minutes ago still.

Despite his age-related immaturity, Bastian was doing quite well right now, and if taking care of him also gave the teenage girls the strength they needed to get through this, all the better.

The rest of them would have enough to do, turning over every stone up here. “And when I say we're leaving, you don't ask, you just get your asses out of here.”

“Why?” Noemi asked suspiciously. ”What did you hear earlier?”

Sometimes it was annoying when your own daughter had telepathic gifts. Logan shook his head harshly. He didn't know anything yet. It could have been any other helicopter, which was hopefully already heading in a different direction. “Move your asses.”

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

Noemi, Bastian, Saskia and Katja had quickly reached a decayed horse barn, which, apart from an unserviceable dog sled, contained nothing of value. Outside the sled, Gringo was already waiting for them, restlessly pawing at something metal in the ground.

The key to the hatch almost invisibly embedded in the frosty ground, which Bastian got from a barely inches-sized secret hiding place on the underside of the sled, they didn't need as they soon discovered – the entrance, through the width of which two people could just barely squeeze if you snuggled, was unlocked. “So much for that.” Bastian pulled open the unpleasantly squeaking metal cover, already slightly bent due to the weather, and carefully descended the icy first steps, ignoring the rusted railing, which would have been more likely to slit one's wrists than to give support. ”Careful, don't break your ankle. Winter service stopped coming by here a few months ago, unfortunately.” He quickly lost interest in his forced humor, but Bastian didn't seem particularly surprised by the chaos that awaited them downstairs either. “We're not the first ones here.”

Overturned chairs, pictures torn from the walls, half-tipped over cabinets ... The deactivated protective field after the viral attack had apparently been seen as an invitation by some scum.

“Why would anyone break in here? There's nothing of value here, is there?” Saskia was the last to join them, pulling the hatch shut properly this time to keep out the relentless storm.

As Bastian had predicted, both the heaters and the lights were still working, so at least they would be able to work under humane conditions in a few minutes.

“For mutant haters, there is.” Katja exchanged a look of sad agreement with Bastian. ”They were probably looking for data about New York II and mutants in general. Jericho has done a lot of research.”

“But he was smart enough to hide all the results and inventions in his laboratory,” Bastian added, his voice trembling ever so slightly. ”Apart from him and the older students, no one ever got in there. Over there. But first …”

He jumped over a few scattered items on the ground, swiftly pacing the large common hall, his eyes fixed solely on objects on the ground.

Katja caught up with him and grabbed his hand to stop him. “You can go back upstairs if it's too hard.” She had an idea what it was that the boy didn't want to see under any circumstances in these underground rooms.

You could smell it immediately, too, coming from the direction to which Gringo had instantly scurried, alternately whimpering and growling. It wouldn't be good for Bastian's state of mind if he were to track down what the dog had found himself.

Katja couldn't say that she was eager to do so either. Unfortunately, she wouldn't have a choice.

Bastian firmly shook his head. “I knew what I was getting myself into.” With his shoulders tight, he began to rummage in a rusted storage cupboard that had tipped over onto a table, while Katja set out on an obligatory first tour of the common room, and to the most necessary of duties, as far as the victim in here was concerned.

“You can save yourself the time. There's nothing left here.” Bastian ducked his head back under his hood uncomfortably when three questioning glances turned in his direction, nodding at the scorch marks on the door of the cupboard. ”This looks like artificial radiation rays. Someone was here looking for something so important that they fought for it. I doubt that these were people who just leave things lying around. Stop looking at me like that. I've had plenty of time to read and to do computer games in my life, and in our lab, they mainly tested mutants with destructive powers. There are hardly any traces of any kind of radiation that I haven't seen before. With a little time, you could recreate exactly how they wreaked havoc here.”

“I'll get back to that.” Katja nodded appreciatively at the boy, although she felt her throat tighten again instantly. The Avengers' hunch seemed to have been right. Artificial radiation weapons was what Jean's killers had also used back then, as Katja knew from that one gruesome mission report. “The lab it is.” She held out her hand to Bastian pleadingly. Logan was right: They couldn't linger here. And Katja and Noemi still had at least two rooms to search, including the private quarters of the former camp director. ”Ready?”

Bastian nodded jerkily and finally pulled a crumpled piece of paper from between the shards of crockery and some books. He pressed it into Saskia's hand before heading for the massive metal doors that separated the research area from the general one. “Just as I thought: It's intact. They probably didn't dare to blow it up for fear of destroying something important in there. Jericho had some pretty tough security systems.” Now he couldn't and didn’t want to put it off any longer; the renewed memory of the man who had given him a home back then, like so many others, was probably too painful for that. He turned his head abruptly in the direction of the corner where Gringo was cowering, where the smell of decay was most intense. He wiped a few new tears away, as his gaze fell on a snow-white, cramped hand, encased in the long black sleeve of a priest's robe, protruding from under the shadow of a long wooden dining table. “It wasn't the virus, was it? His skin looks normal.”

“Thirty-eight.” Katja squeezed Bastian's gloved hand once more. The fact that they had all known didn't make it any better. It was a more than unfair end for this dedicated clergyman, who had married Scott and her back then, and Jean and Logan, too. ”Don't do this to yourself if you want to remember him in a better way.”

Bastian nodded slowly, swallowing thickly once more. “I could really use a smoke right now,” he murmured, staring absently at the lab door. He gasped in surprise when Katja tapped his arm with a crumpled pack.

“You don't tell my husband, and I won't tell Hank.” Grinning wryly, with a shrug, Katja accepted Noemi's downright stunned scrutiny from the side, too, lit a cigarette herself and promptly coughed. She was definitely getting too old for some things. After a few drags, however, at least she no longer felt as if she wanted to run screaming from this damn bunker any moment.

“You don't sound like you should start again, to be honest. But thank you.” Bastian visibly felt a little more grounded, now that he had something to hold on to. As long as he didn't look into that one certain corner again, he would hopefully be able to get this all over with somehow. And tonight, probably the very first thing he would do would be to try and find out where the booze at Mutant High was hidden. He used his teeth to pull off the glove of his free hand, wiped over the side of the doorframe and placed a fingertip on a dimly glowing spot in the middle of the display, peeking out from under the dirt. “Murray, Four Seven Alpha Tango.” A red ray of light first grazed his skin, then his right pupil.

The display changed to a confirming green. Almost silently, the door's halves slid apart.

“Damn it!” Katja stumbled back, the moment she could see as much as half an inch through the gap into the white-paneled room, bumping into Bastian without even realizing it. Her eyes were wide open when she saw a person floating in a clear liquid in a huge glass tank in the corner, a person she had thought – hoped – she would never have to face again. What in the …? How could that even ...? The answer flashed through her troubled mind as quickly as the reassurance that followed the first moment of shock, when it got clear to her that she definitely had nothing to fear from this unexpected encounter, at least for the moment. This time, she definitely didn’t, after the X-Men had already had fallen for the same misapprehension for the last fifteen years. No one could blame them for that, really ... They'd been made believe extremely thoroughly, just like the rest of the world, this obviously faked death of a terrorist icon. And Scott had had to deal with a whole bunch of annoying and completely unjustified self-reproaches in this regard ever since, on top of that. Mystique, that goddamn ... “Magneto.”

“What the ...?” Noemi hectically pushed past Katja, at first too disgusted by the fate even of an enemy to feel the same displeasure as Katja that the X-Men hadn't been rid of the guy as they'd hoped for so long. ”Seriously, what is wrong with these people who were in here? Isn't it bad enough to rob graves and kill someone? Why exhibit them like a zoo animal?”

“The attackers didn’t do that,” Bastian objected, audibly alienated himself still. "As I said, they couldn't have gotten in here, not a chance. Otherwise, the place wouldn't still look like it's been wiped clean either. Maybe ..." He hurried over to the man-sized tank, admirably suppressing his own shock.

When Katja followed him, she quickly realized from the corner of her eyes that the boy was right once again.

Unlike the others, this room was completely intact. Microscopes and monitors were in their usual places, covered only by a very thin layer of dust. Some of the machines were even still on standby. The colorful contents of countless test tubes seemed to be just waiting for someone with a keen scientific eye to bend over them and work with them ... Except that that would never happen again.

Only the amazement at seeing a face from the past in these rooms, now filled only with memories, a face that actually had nothing to do with this camp whatsoever, pushed this sadness into the background. And the faint hope that maybe not everything in New York II was dead. Even if this was truly the last person Katja would have wanted to see again. “This is a cryogenic bath,” Bastian confirmed her suspicion. "One of Jericho's last inventions. Just look." He tugged at Noemi's cape to draw her closer, and pointed to the lifeless shape inside the thick, slippery liquid, to the healthy, slightly tanned skin color, the peaceful features.

“Cryogenic?” A look of vague recognition spread on Noemi's face. ‘The guy's alive?”

“As of yet. Wait ..." Katja took a closer look at the tall, powerful figure of her old enemy. Quickly enough, she spotted a jagged hole in his dark uniform, right in the heart area, and a dark spot below; the edges of the wound looked deep black. “Whoever this was, he must have been ambushed. He's been shot, but the wound isn't bleeding. Cryo-stasis. At least that's how Jericho described it to me. No breathing, no pulse, no bodily functions. Everything's stopped.”

“Just so you know: That's pretty freaky.” Shaking her head, Noemi, together with Katja, examined the control terminal of the tank more closely. “The guy's lucky. The energy display is already down to ten percent. In a few days, the tank would have ceased to function. Didn't Uncle Scott get that guy six feet under a long time ago already?”

“It seems that his successor once more did a good job of making it look like it,” Katja replied, annoyed, still offended by how much they had all fallen for that blue-skinned bitch once more. ”Maybe she did no longer want to wait to inherit his legacy and tried to kill him herself. By framing us, she had the perfect excuse to continue the cold war against us, even after her people had been immunized.”

“Maybe Magneto sought help from U.G.E.R. and Jericho brought him here,” Bastian nodded thoughtfully. ”He has always been very ambitious when it comes to hopeless cases. It seems that he didn't succeed with this one though.”

Katja felt something like satisfaction well up in her. Not that she would have wished such a cowardly, painful attack on even an enemy, but she couldn't feel sorry for someone either who had made her early days at the Mutant High a living hell. “If Magneto went along with it voluntarily, it must have taken a lot of balls to jump in there. They say cryogenic fluid, that feels like ice at first and then burns like fire, until you pass out. In any case, he's not going anywhere for now. But if we take him to Westchester, Hank might even be able to fix him.”

She tightened her lips harshly. “There are too many crucifixes hanging around here. I'm actually considering helping this asshole. Me pulling the plug would be more what he deserves.”

“So much for Westchester idealism, huh?” Bastian couldn't help but give a cynical little snort, momentarily lost again in the aggression with which he had already confronted Ororo and Logan in the sick bay yesterday. ”Your team already left people here to die. I'd say that's more than enough. The guy missing a couple of sandwiches, fine, but he might know what happened here, and that, I want to know, so can you calm your tits, Mrs. Summers? Wasn’t it you who tried to tell me about how revenge is not worth it yesterday?”

“Revenge is Mystique's style, not ours.” Katja had to turn away, and from Noemi's similarly uncomprehending expression, too, before an even harsher comment could escape her. They had dallied enough, and getting a medical emergency out of here under time pressure would be a whole new challenge on top. If the teenagers would start to get that underway, at least she wouldn't have to deal with this damn tank anymore. The decision as to whether or not to take this risk would ultimately be Scott's anyway, and that was probably for the best. “I, for my part, would just rather avoid Magneto looking for new research subjects again soon to enforce his plans of artificial mutation.” With a harsh movement, she pointed to the old but still clearly visible x-shaped scar on her lower abdomen. ”I don't ever want to have to pick people up like my own child from his damn table again, especially not with marks like this. There's a kind of hate in your soul that you don't get to choose, Bastian, I think you know that best yourself. Not acting on it is the balance we have to seek every day, that's all I was trying to make you understand yesterday.”

“I lived as a guinea pig for years. Don't you think I had enough time for that?” Bastian reminded her with a depressive levity in his voice, as if that were the most normal thing in the world. As if he didn't just have to wear this serenity like an iron mask on the outside because he had long integrated it into his soul. “Those bastards took an extremely long time to find the limits of my healing powers and to test my pain threshold. I have been exposed to more physical, medical and sexual torture in this place than many of the residents of your school put together. It's really not cool to have to bathe in liquid gold or when your skeleton secretes the titanium that they wanted to put on your bones so badly, probably because they've jerked off a few times too many to the files of that Stryker guy back then.” He probably saw that Katja was struggling for words, with a hint of guilt, and forced a weak smile on his lips. Maybe said healing powers had an effect on his soul too ... In any case, he seemed to have truly put this terrible thing behind him. Katja could learn a thing or two from that, and it left her feeling reassured that Bastian would hopefully not pursue his desire for retribution in blood as far as the disaster in this camp was concerned either. “It's okay. But maybe you're starting to understand now why this whole X-Men thing is not for me. What I've learned to hate is violence, because I couldn't guarantee that I would stop once I started. That's the decision I consciously made when your people got me out of there back then. The one for a life in peace, except in extreme emergencies.”

“Sometimes they don’t make such a life possible for you,” Katja replied quietly but firmly. "I hope you don't have to learn that the hard way again.”

Bastian tiredly shook his head. "As I told you: If someone threatens me or those important to me, I have no problem using what I've learned here with Jericho. But until then, I prefer to use my energies for contrary efforts.” He nodded pointedly at the cryo-tank. ”Especially if someone is useful to me. But Mrs. Freeze will have to wait, one way or another.”

“Already on it. The data from this network is protected multiply,” Noemi joined the conversation again, audibly shaken herself by what she'd heard, but more professional than the other two combined. Katja's appreciative smile, she met with a short, proud grin, pulling a USB stick barely the size of a finger out of one of Jericho's computer towers. “Our experts at home will take a look at that. Without a few weeks of hacking, this is just a few terabytes of data garbage. And Jericho's bedroom was also ravaged by the attackers. Just debris and shards.”

“Then we have everything that could still be found here.” Trading a noticeably grateful fistbump with this remarkably tough young woman, Bastian hurried back towards the hatch. On his way, his gaze fell on Jericho's body once more. After a moment's hesitation, he ignored Katja's advice earlier after all and approached the motionless body with trembling knees, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his coat. He probably owed the man at least a brief farewell.

It wasn't a pretty sight, but not as bad as the remains of the teenagers. Thanks to the much more protected underground location, for once, but above all because the sight of a normal decomposition process was almost reassuring in contrast to these damn disfigured black corpses. Only a little blood and hardly recognizable remains of something else at the back of the head. The handle of the weapon was still in Jericho's hand. He, of all people, a deeply religious Catholic, had really chosen this path. Either because he couldn't have borne to see his charges suffer or to escape the effects of the virus before it could really wreck his body. That didn't matter anymore.

“What was he like?“ Noemi had stopped close behind Bastian. She sounded more curious than upset.

“Jericho... was an angel for mutant world. They kicked him out of the church years ago because he had an affair and someone ratted on him, but he was the most Christian person I ever met.” A sad smile curled on Bastian's lips. “He managed to show each of us a way back to life. He only lived for this camp and for his research. He was just a bit quirky sometimes. Because of his mutation,” he answered Noemi's unspoken question. ”I was here for years, but I never saw him use his powers. He was always kind of angry with his God because he made us what we are.”

“About that, he's not the only one in the Catholic Church,” Katja remarked quietly. "Shall we?”

“One second." Bastian took a deep breath. It wasn't quite that easy to carry on as if nothing had happened after all.

“Tell me,” he whispered absently, closing the dead man's eyes carefully. ”Tell me what happened here.”

He bowed his head to say a short prayer, and after a moment's hesitation, Katja joined him. Not that she herself had any connection with faith, but she knew that Jericho would have appreciated it. That was when she suddenly noticed something sparkling under a wrinkled fold of Jericho's robe, almost at the same moment that Bastian unexpectedly reached for it. “That's weird.” He removed the small pin to take a closer look. It was a flaming heart, pierced by a cross. “I don't recognize that. He always wore a different one, openly displayed over his robe.” And something about this fact visibly made the boy uneasy. This cross looked somehow strange. Eerie.

“Are you sure?” Katja took the pin out of his hand with narrow eyes, an old memory grazing her. ”When Jericho worked with us during the Great Inferno, I saw something like this on him. The symbol gave me nightmares back then already.”

“Something's not right here. The fur ball there isn't usually so paranoid either, is he?” Bastian uneasily looked over at Gringo, who kept growling unwillingly in the direction of Jericho's body.

“Not with someone who helped his mother give birth to him back then, no.” Fighting sudden nausea, Katja bent down next to him and, with a diamond-sharp knife from her belt, cut off a small piece of Jericho's robe, then led Gringo by the collar to the hatch, where she held the cloth in front of his muzzle. “Look! Come on, flea carpet, I know you can still do it. Look, Gringo!”

She had to repeat the game twice before the husky realized that he shouldn't run back to the dead body, but should search for other places in the camp that had its scent.

Bastian looked at her and Noemi critically from the side as they hurried after the dog. “What are we looking for this time?”

“Still the same ... clues.” Katja exchanged a gloomy, understanding glance with Noemi. ”We've all trusted this man unquestioned for decades. I mean, damn it, he used to be a priest. But Magneto didn't shoot himself, so it wasn't him who helped the attackers. He wouldn't have had any reason to do that anyway, even if he hadn't been in a deep sleep for years.”

“This is absurd, I hope you realize that.” Bastian was also visibly fighting nausea, which threatened to rise in all of them just from the thought of this monstrosity. With gritted teeth, he made his way back up the slippery, steep steps.

Katja didn’t say anything. If this really ... That would have meant that the X-Men had failed in a way that they could never make up for. That was bad enough. If she now let herself be overwhelmed to such an extent that she would not be able to complete this investigation, then she would have failed these children, who were lying around her in the snow, even more. So she forced herself to walk past the deceased with a fixed gaze, following nothing but this tunnel vision, the iron determination not to give in to premature hysteria, to continue functioning, on and on, until she would have certainty. Then it would still be early enough to take out her anger on the next best thing she came across.

Bastian was already busy before she got there, tearing down the last remains of a shelter on the husky paddock, under which Gringo had crawled, barking, upset, and promptly came across another hatch, apparently to a second underground facility that none of the residents of New York II had ever known about. “What the ...?” He stared at the heavily bolted opening with his mouth open, growing horror, as Noemi discreetly directed him a few steps backward so that he wouldn't catch a few extremely unpleasant sparks when Katja blew the obstacle to pieces with a single targeted flash.

“I hope that's not just the sewage plant,” Noemi whispered in an almost desperate attempt at a joke, as they all stared hesitantly into a small pit of less than two square meters, in which even the sudden morning light revealed only a yawning void.

“Hardly. We had Shi'ar vaporization technology here,” Bastian replied absently, watching with clenched fists as Katja was the first to descend the far less well-maintained staircase to this secret place, waiting, surely hoping that it would all turn out to be just a stupid misunderstanding, that this was nothing more than an unused storage room that Jericho himself had probably forgotten about at some point ... He leaned down lower when Katja, who was quickly scanning the completely smooth walls, lined with heavy metal, stopped at a certain, equally uniform-looking spot, with her eyes closed, her mouth slightly open, stiff as a pole, almost like Logan had been earlier. “Cat?”

“Take cover again, both of you. I need more juice here.” Katja was more and more confused herself, but she didn't hesitate for a second to retreat to the other side of the chamber and release another, this time much more powerful bolt at the spot that had caught her attention. With a crunching crack, the metal panel in question was torn in two, revealing another door like the one in the main laboratory facility. A final, well-measured, lightning discharge of artificial energy sent the display at that very entrance going up in smoke, which this time would surely not have responded so obediently to Bastian's input, but would probably have reacted with some kind of automatic gun instead.

Bastian stared from the open door into the pitch-black room beyond and at the wreckage of the first barrier, completely stunned, and then at Katja. “That thing, Jericho could only have moved with the help of its powers. So much for him not wanting to use them.”

“Apparently it just needed the right motivation to make him forget such principles,” Katja spat out between clenched teeth. ”Flashlights, you two. Mine didn't survive that.”

“What was that, if you don't mind me asking?” Bastian inquired, his head cocked to the side. "How did you do that? How did you know what was behind there?”

Katja slowly raised her shoulders, dropped them again, but then straightened them and pointed at the secret hiding place in determination. "Later. We're already way too late.”

Even though her curiosity was also visibly piqued, Noemi could only agree with this sober assessment. With flying fingers, she activated the aforementioned lamp on the multi-purpose wristband that Hank had provided her with in the morning before take-off, with an integrated com for emergencies. Katja doubted that she would need the latter. The only danger in this damn camp, they should have eliminated years ago.

It turned out that they didn't need to bother with far too small light cones. As soon as they took their first step into the room, motion detectors above the door activated bright ceiling lighting. Katja only managed two more shaky steps before the nausea choked her again so badly that she had to put her hand over her mouth. So it was true.

Symbols of occultism sprayed in silver adorned the pitch-black walls of the barely ten-square-meter room, which, judging from a computer corner lying in ruins and thousands of shards and mixed substances on the floor, must also have served as a laboratory ... and as a refuge for a sick soul. There seemed to be only black furniture, and it was simple and scratched, with traces of kicks. There was also utter chaos, with photos that had fallen, been torn, or written on in black, wherever Jericho had been. All the mirrors were broken, and there were broken, half-empty alcohol bottles... Not exactly the kind of furnishings you would expect to find in a parsonage.

“Looks like he wanted to live out all seven deadly sins at once after they threw him out,” Bastian commented with an almost hysterically forced snort. ”The desk.”

“I see it.” Katja had to brace herself on the tabletop to keep from giving in to the tremors in her body. Part of her had suspected it for minutes, but that didn't make it any easier. She leaned over the carved words on the rotten wood, reading out loud what someone had left there in a scrawly handwriting, probably in a completely dazed state. “'I can feel the darkness surrounding me. My God, stand by me, lest I break under your cross. No less cursed my own life than that of the demons our Holy Spirit commands to banish. How I wish you had never been born.'” It took her a moment to realize ... Then, deep hatred clouded her vision at last. Hate for him, but also for herself. Because she had been too blind to see the signs. “Damn it!” With sudden aggression, she kicked the table so hard that it slid away against the wall. With flying hands, she freed the laptop in the middle of the piece of furniture, the only electronic part in the room that still looked reasonably intact, from all the cables and stowed it under her coat. Hopefully, if there was anything left to salvage, the data pushers in Westchester would be able to do that as well.

Next to her, Bastian was already tearing open all the desk drawers with a similarly angry expression on his face, pulling out a few documents at random without taking more than a quick glance at them. The same symbol as on the pendant of Jericho's robe was printed on the letterhead on most pages, which was enough for them both as a clue.

“Noemi, film everything we can't take with us. Time to get out of here. There are people pulling the strings here who are way out of league for our little squad here.” Only that she spoke a whole nuance deeper than before, betrayed that Katja was just as close to freaking out as Bastian. In a way, this might help the boy more than any comforting touch or soothing word. Right now, they both didn't need any reassurance. Right now, they needed this unholy, helpless rage of heaven.

“And please hurry, Noemi. We have to get back to Mutant High as soon as possible. I have to talk to Magneto ... Can you get this one open too, Cat?” Almost simultaneously, Bastian and Katja had noticed a barely visible indentation in the wall at the back of the room, in the same direction as the camp, the bunker.

Katja let out a growl that would have made Logan proud. “With how pissed I am right now, you'd ask what I couldn't take apart with my powers right now. Keep your head down.” Manipulating lightning down the exit hatch and through entire rooms was a completely different challenge than controlling a storm in the open air, but for the moment, her instincts had completely taken control of her gift. Her eyes were shining in the light of the energy that turned another hidden passageway into a pile of rubble, her chest rose and fell a little too fast as she ran ahead through the passage behind it. Her half-come-apart braid blew in the strong wind that surrounded her body and cleared all the suffocating, dust- and insect-polluted air in the narrow corridor before Bastian had even caught up with her again. This time, the boy kept his distance all voluntarily, because what was all but a corona of glistening energy surrounding Katja's body probably elicited a great deal of respect in him. With the help of the same, Katja also managed to rip the hopefully last massively bolted door that day to pieces, this time the one that led back to the public laboratory.

By the time the last bright glow had faded, the last dangerous volts had been scattered in a shower of sparks and Bastian could follow Katja, Noemi had also joined them again. “We got it all. Should we take the body of this psycho with us, by the way? Maybe there's more to discover about him that will help you, Cat.”

Bastian grimaced. “Just leave the asshole here to rot. Nobody needs him anymore. But we need him.” He hurried past Katja, in a rush because he surely didn't want to spend even a single damn minute more than necessary in this cursed place, and slapped the energy display of the cryo-aquarium with his hand. The temperature of the liquid inside began to rise instantly. With that, there was only one thing left to do. With tight lips, he took a long knife out of his boot. “My parents gave this to me when they kicked me out like a dog. Touching, isn't it?” Without waiting for an answer, he rushed out of the laboratory and bent over Jericho's body again. ”I just wish I'd done this earlier.” He grabbed the weapon tightly in both hands and plunged it into the heart of his former mentor. “What a shame you can't die twice.” He laughed bitterly even as he was bursting into tears and fell backward into the dust and dirt of the stone ground. “But I'll find someone else to blame for this just yet. Have his bastard of their god mercy with them.”

“We just had that conversation earlier, I think.” Katja took him firmly by the shoulders. ”You're not going to run off rashly without even knowing where you have to go, understand? You think you can do this alone? Take on people who have the money and the power to breed viruses like this? You need our help! If you keep running off alone like this, that can only end badly.”

Noemi came over immediately and looked Bastian firmly in the eye as well. “Listen to Cat, okay? People die if you don't work together. And I don't feel like sewing the pieces back together when Logan is done with you until your body reassembles itself. My masochism doesn't go that far.”

Bastian bowed his head, visibly ashamed. Now he was clearly uncomfortable that he had spoken to Logan and Ororo like that the whole time, even though the children in that camp hadn't even realized that they had had a traitor among them. “I'll probably be stuck with you guys for a while longer after all, won't I?”

“At least for as long as we're hunting the same people, definitely.” Katja let go of him abruptly. ”Let's get Magneto to the jet. Now we need to be fast.” The soft, regular beeping that had indicated the tank was working had stopped. Katja climbed the ladder on the side of the long cuboid almost completely made of glass, and she and Bastian opened the heavy lid together.

With her help, Bastian somehow managed to get Magneto's body out of the water. He wasn't much taller than she was; Katja was surprised that he could even hold the guy. But he managed it, trembling from the liquid that soaked his clothes and smelled sharply of disinfectant. “I'll so start lifting tomorrow, I swear,” he gasped when they finally made it up the stairs and Katja opened the hatch ...

And before either of them knew what was happening, all hell broke loose around them.

Obviously, the quick departure was not going to happen.

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

@whumptober | @whumptober-archive

[defeateddetectives]

Pick and choose from the following :>

3 for k, 4, 6 for k, 6 for not k, 7, 12, 17, 19, 23, 25

gonna answer the unspecified ones for k as well bc i'm overjoyed about an excuse to choose violence about this (un)dead horse of a fandom over a decade later so thank u :D skipped 4, 19, & 25 bc nothing came to mind or i couldn't remember. rest under cut bc it got long rip

3. screenshot or description of the worst take you’ve seen on tumblr i do not have screenshots of any takes like 11 yrs later but i think everyone who had to put up with me circa 2k12 and the years onwards probably knew it was the whole ~mikoto only cared about one (1) person/thing and everything else was meaningless~ shtick -- the antithesis of which i apparently then made the hill i was gonna die on :)

honourable mention to that one arcade fire lyric being directly attributed to him as a quote as well though. like. what was that

6. which ship fans are the most annoying?

look i am older and wiser than 11 years ago! i will let humans have complexities!!! i am friends with people who ship things i don't ship!!! all ships have rights i suppose!!! it's mktts*

*for legal reasons this is now a joke :')

for non-k...hmmm i remember v*ltron fandom reaching new heights of toxicity i'd never thought possible but i've fortunately eternal sunshined most of that from my memory now!

7. what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them?

hmm i dont think hate is the right word. i think if anything, fandom 'flattened' how i saw some characters and i had to like sit with my interpretations in more or less a vacuum to figure them out when writing them. misaki and totsuka come to mind for obvious reasons bc they were so often only considered in the context of a ship and i've had to flesh them out in a way that make sense to me for a while. on the flipside, i couldn't stand the vast majority of the fanon takes on fushimi but he is SUCH a fun playground of a character in canon!

12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

not unpopular as in disliked but more like overlooked - but i think more people should get obsessed with hidaka like me and then write me super niche hisaru fic!!!!! <3

17. there should be more of this type of fic/art

it would be Really Nice if chiaki and i weren't pretty much carrying the mikoizu fandom on our backs :'))) but my running joke has always been that my relationship with that ship is their relationship with each other ie. IT'S ROTTEN WORK / NOT TO ME NOT IF IT'S THEM 😭

also obvs perpetually manifesting the great izumotatara takeover of 2kforever!!! lbr though i'd be delighted about new k content tailored to any of my biases in the year 2k24 (hint hint to anyone reading!)

23. ship you’ve unwillingly come around to

i wouldn't say 'unwillingly' (lol i feel like i'm answering all these questions Wrong) but once i had sufficient time and space, i do think i have much more appreciation for mktts and s*rumi dynamics and their emotional weight without the background noise of all no good very bad fandom takes in the fandom's heyday!

[katyspersonal]

3, 4, 6 for some VIOLENCE please

Yeah don't worry, I always default to Bloodborne when not specificed, it is my main qualification in the series after all! (Ask from this ( x ) meme)

3) screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr

They're kind of becoming a blur, and usually come down to the same complains and topics, but one of them particularly stood out! Granted I should not have been exposed to it because OP blocked me over that time I talked back at a Gehrman-hater that went as far as bullying other fans (oh how rude of me... :/ ) , but I have been anyway because a new mutual shown it to me over featuring "theory that Fauxsefka got pregnant like Arianna is MiSoGyNiStIc uwu" bit because they wanted and explanation!

Basically, a lot of bashing Bloodborne as misogynistic piece of garbage for featuring themes of motherhood, portraying motherhood as a good thing, something about how it was a bad thing that "even" Maria ended up having compassionate side and that "we as fans had the power to change that", Fauxsefka bit I've mentioned and so on. Ending with the "well but don't think that I dislike Bloodborne, it is still one of my favourite games" that gave me severe abusive talk vibe for some reason. "Yes you are so ugly and stupid and useless but don't worry, I love and accept you and will fix you :3".

Like... it requires a whole separate essay to disagree with that logic, but that is not even relevant! Because even under assumption that Miyazaki is a misogynistic freak for putting emphasis on themes of motherhood in his work, I absolutely abhor the logic of "We as a fandom have the power to disrespect the author's intention (that I made up btw because I am eager for reasons to be mad) and make our own ecosystem of headcanons and interpretations that is better". Of course not everyone will accept the creation unconditionally, especially if it has problems or bigotry, but that is on them, and making it a problem of the fandom is just terrible! Spreading that attitude creates that clique/fandom leaders dynamic, which brings me DIRECTLY to one of the questions, so I'll skip ahead:

6) which ship fans are the most annoying?

Mariadeline fans.

^ Lmao ya'll probably fsdgsdf But it is not just because of how they generally treat characters or other fans, but even how they treat other Mariadeline shippers! I've noticed that whenever there is a Mariadeline shipper who is very nice, level-headed and quiet, a type to 'just enjoy their thing', they get obnoxiously neglected.

Look, I WANT to give it benefit of the doubt and say that maybe it is coincidental, but it doesn't seem like it. Mariadeline shippers are a clique of very popular artists and writers that always support each other's creativity and instantly pull in new Mariadeline shippers into a hug, regardless of art skill. ....EXCEPT for the times when the fellow fan doesn't constantly bitch about "wrong" interpretations of Maria or Adeline, doesn't start Maria's masculinity disco horse every other weak, doesn't put a focus on how Adeline had no agency over her choices and was 'groomed' (even though everyone already knows that 'grooming' of Blood Saints was a translational mistake but okay fine), doesn't portray is as perfect lovely cottage core fluff while only faking the possible problem(atic moments), doesn't-

Like, it can only happen so many times before I start to see the trend of the "leaders"/chosen spokespeople/whatever conveniently excluding fans who sees the characters and the ship the "wrong" way. They've decided that this dynamic can only work like this and the characters in it can only be like this, and any varied take is not celebrated as refreshing with the novelty but passively-aggressively side-eyed as disturbance of their peace of rinsing the same exact thing over and over for years, unaltered. Heck, not even novel takes. Novel approach of the person. I swear, they GOTTA be side-eyeing fellow fans that don't constantly start discourse, because why else the 'chill' Mariadeline fans are left in the dust? It feels like hatred is the part of the requirement for the clique, the 'cool kids' and only those they've 'blessed' with their approval, and this ship never SHOULD have gotten into claws of the clique in the first place!

In other words, making the groups of 'cool kids' to look up to is one way to ruin a dynamic/ship for everyone else, and ruin fandoms in general. Like, one of my mutuals ended up disliking the ship because of its prevalent association with the most toxic fans, and I kinda helped them to like it again, on their own terms and with their own (based) headcanons! The illusion of "supportive wholesome community" falls at the seams here and there if you just stand aside and watch for 2 minutes, and how this ship is supported and perpetuated is one of the biggest examples.

4) what was the last straw that made you finally block that annoying person?

To be honest, it is ridiculously hard to make me block someone. Usually people whose stuff I don't really want to see coincidentally block me first because, again, there is always a big chance that I pick a very strong language to disagree, so the problem solves itself! Even when I do block someone, in 90% I unblock later for this or that reason!

But yeah, there were a couple of exceptions. Only one of them qualifies as 'annoying' to begin with, though 'petty, smug and insecure in the worst way' fits more? They already gave me enough signs of the mean girl (gender neutral!), and what really sealed it was when they acted as though I grossly disrespected them over pointing out a piece of dialogue from the canon when in NO way I was rude or Redditor brand of condescending. Even told me that I "baited" them. They didn't block me, but I blocked them. Not instantly, but the next time I saw their art on my dashboard. The thing is, earlier during that mess of a "conversation" they've admitted on not actually caring about Bloodborne lore but just collecting prompts from it to create their own thing. It just changed my perception of their creativity and it felt empty all of a sudden, like just a lot of glitter and lights without any actual substance within. I can be unhappy with someone while still liking their creativity, but I decided it was better to not invest any admiration for works that had no real care and passion for the source material within. Normally when I realise the gap between me and another fan's level of investment I simply don't follow, but they were frequient presence on the dashboard, so..

[sunnyanddumb98]

Dear Haruki Murakami,

Hi, I'm Karla Muñoz, and I'm writing this letter to express my appreciation for all that you have done for me.

For context, I study animation in college and have worked on 3D sculptures for some really low-budget shooter video games. Even though I don't play video games and don't particularly care for them, I've also worked as a background painter for animation. I've been struggling to find passion in my work, even though I do have a fondness for cartoons. Thanks to you, I'm now writing a book about a girl who, after a breakup, metaphorically releases butterflies from her stomach and embarks on a trip to Europe with a friend, despite having no money or resources. It's about that moment when everything feels numb, and one yearns to go deeper.

You're probably wondering how you fit into this picture. The truth is, you've entered my thoughts several times during this journey. As I write this letter in the common room of a hostel, there's a Mexican guy nearby who keeps trying to make contact with me, using the doorframe to stretch his arm towards me, even though there's plenty of space and no one else around. Even when I moved inside from the terrace, he followed and tried to strike up a conversation. It's not his fault that I'm more engrossed in talking to the image of a seventy-something-year-old Japanese guy that I've constructed in my mind, pieced together from your books and interviews.

I'm a bit of a bullshitter at heart. At a young age, I realized that you don't have to know everything to get good grades or appear knowledgeable. I learned to just echo their questions with affirmation and speak mostly in statements, using descriptive adjectives but avoiding adverbs. You just have to sound like you know your stuff and be convincing. As a result, I never really learned how to communicate my true thoughts and feelings. That's why I chose communication as my major. I went in and out of it quickly, feeling detached. I started working in corporate video games and quickly burned out.

I took a gap year and started therapy because I was crying every day and night, becoming dehydrated from it all. My therapist told me I had feelings, and though I initially found it amusing, I decided to go along with this "feelings" theory in a desperate attempt to stop crying. I learned to recognize and name them, but I had to be acutely aware of my inner and outer self, which, for a twenty-year-old, was at best erratic. Still, I could only put names to them in a language that was foreign to me.

And then you appeared as a grainy fifteen-second video with a quote. At that time, it may or may not have been true. You wrote it in Japanese, then I translated it back and forth. My goodness, bless you. This technique opened up so much for me. Who would have thought that rewriting whatever comes to mind three or four times would make so much sense? Of course, the credit isn't solely yours. Taylor Swift, the woman I skipped in my teens to read about social constructs and our obligations to each other, pretending that I had any inkling of understanding and also pretending that I was the only person with internet access at my school.

I started writing little songs about what I had seen and experienced. Making them rhyme turned it into a game, and translating them made everything come together, although it also brought pain and forced me to confront many things at once. For that, I will always be grateful.

The next time you entered my life, I was 24 and had just experienced a disastrous falling out with my male best friend. Long story short, we became involved romantically, it continued, feelings got messy, and he developed feelings for someone else. I distanced myself and was truly saddened, acknowledging it this time.

It was a sunny spring day when I had my left wisdom tooth removed. I'm terribly afraid of dentists, and like the spoiled brat I can be, my mom bought me a book as a treat. Books are quite pricey in Chile and come with higher taxes than regular goods. I asked for something funny, sarcastic, First person singular, That was the first time I laughed heartily with a book.

More books followed, and I began jotting things down. Writing short stories were the only things keeping me going. It was like talking to a friend I no longer had. The stories weren't directed at him, but I mimicked in those early tales how I used to ramble and mumble to him for hours. Then came a month-long trip to London, staying in an Airbnb room. Irritable bowel syndrome and returning to my hometown. Freelance work, a big corporate job, the dead of a dear friend. The dead of a friendship.

With my college girlfriends, we have a group chat. We all fell into astrology at the same time, not knowing much about it, so we sought answers in the stars. Quite the reliable information source, you know. One of them was in love but didn't feel the butterflies, so I advised her to eliminate them and choose. We debated the best ways to do so, and in the end, I found myself in my room, in front of my screen, laughing and giggling.

I took a Eurotrip to validate the book or the time to write the book. However, travelling on a budget is exhausting, and I eventually stop giggling in front of the screen. Instead, I found myself wandering aimlessly in the streets for hours on end. Don't get me wrong, I love eating bread every day, navigating winding cobblestone streets without a map, and sharing a room with twelve rather unhygienic Europeans. Essentially, I'm living out every dream I had when I was twelve, but also facing every fear.

I'm in Porto and haven't written a thing in a month. At first, it was due to exhaustion, then I grew weary of avoiding admitting how poorly my body felt. Finally, a spirited Spanish woman, around 60 years old, complained loudly about the lack of Spanish books in the hostel. There was only one copy of "Norwegian Wood". After devouring a hundred pages, I began writing again.

It's true that I've only read three of your many books: "Novelist as Vocation," "First Person Singular," and "Norwegian Wood." However, each time you entered my life, it was uninvited, and yet somehow, immensely helpful. I no longer think about how my friend would phrase things or react when I write. Will he find this funny? Is this pun good? Instead, I think of you. When I'm tired, I listen to "Novelist as Vocation" because you are as chaotic as it gets, and it makes me feel secure.

Intentional or not, you have become my mentor and have taken care of me on numerous occasions. Thank you so much. Please continue to do so, as I have no one else I look up to in quite the same way. Don't leave us just yet. I promise to read the rest of your books, but it's like savoring an incredible meal. One of them sustains me for a long time, and I don't want to indulge in gluttony.

Sending a very awkward and uncomfortable hug along with my best wishes to you,

Karla

[envythepalmtree]

I see an image and want to describe it: a step by step guide

I've seen a lot of guides explaining why image descriptions are important, or vague things like "describe the text!!", or extremely detailed guides that might be confusing for someone just starting out. I wanted to make a specific, step by step guide that I feel comfortable sending to someone regardless of their experience.

Note: This post might seem long. That's because I explain some Tumblr features for people who might not know them. If you don't need me to explain how notes and reblogging work, you can skip steps 1 and 2.

The format I describe in steps 4 and 5 is the simplest version of how I normally write IDs. I'm calling it Aure's 2-sentence IDs.

This guide is written with the assumption that the reader already knows what image descriptions are and why they're important - if you don't, here's an explanation. I wrote instructions specific for Tumblr, but the format works for other sites as well.

Everything from this point on is written in first person. So "I" refers to anyone doing an ID, and "Aure" is me, the writer of this post.

TL;DR: When I see an image, I

1. Check the reblogs to see if someone else has IDed it

2. If someone hasn't, I hit reblog and start typing

3. I start with "[Image description:"

4. Then a sentence that's "(Image type) of (subject)."

5. A sentence with one verb or adjective about the image (info about when it needs to be longer than 2 sentences under the read more)

6. I end with "End ID]"

So

[Image description: (image type) of (subject). (Subject) is (adjective and/or verb). End ID]

The detailed guide:

1. I am scrolling through my dashboard and see an image without an ID (if I'm just here for the ID tutorial, skip this)

Before I go "time to write one myself," I stop and remember that I might not have to!! If someone else has done one, there's an easy way to find it and reblog that version.

Say I come across this meme on my dash. (note: the version linked does not have the ID attached.

[Image description: Cropped screenshot of an image on Tumblr, with a caption and tags. Underneath on the left is a link that reads, "152 notes" and on the right are different buttons. End ID]

I click on the bottom-left link that reads, "X notes"

That takes me to a little box that shows me information about other users' interactions with that post.

[Image description: A notes box. It shows the total number of notes, the number of individual likes and reblogs, as well as every reblog with comment on the post. End ID]

Whenever someone reblogs a Tumblr post and "adds" something as a comment, it'll show up here. This is slightly different from replies, where reblogging isn't necessary. The image above has no replies, only reblogs with comment.

In the notes, I see a reblog that starts with "[Image description:"

so I click on the URL of the person who wrote it.

[Image description: a cursor on the url of the blog that wrote the ID. End ID]

I then reblog that version.

If I don't see an ID in the notes, I move to step 2.

2. I need to describe the image and attach my description to the post

I click the reblog button.

[Image description: the Tumblr reblog button, a rectangle made of two bent arrows. End ID]

I'm taken to this field:

[Image description: The Tumblr addition box. End ID]

The field that says "go ahead, put anything" is where I type my ID.

3. I start it with a bracket, identifier, and colon

My description should start with "[Image description:" or "[ID:"

This helps differentiate my image description from a usual caption. A screenreader won't pick up the bracket, but it will read "image description" so make sure that's there. The bracket and colon aren't entirely necessary, but it looks neater and helps sighted users.

4. First sentence: (image type) of (image subject)

Categorize the image. If I'm stuck, it's probably one of these:

Meme

Reaction meme

Fill-in-the-blank meme (describe this with the meme name. For example, "'is this a pigeon' meme"

Screenshot + text post meme (these are the ones where you have a screenshot from a show, and a Tumblr or Twitter post edited over it)

Art

Digital art

Comic

Paper and pencil art

Painting

etc

Graphic

Infographic

Photo

Black and white photo

Gif

Screenshot

and if I can't tell, "picture of" works fine.

"Subject of the image" just means what's the main thing in the image. It's what I would mention in passing to a friend, like "oh I saw this drawing of a cat yesterday." The type of image is a drawing, and the subject is a cat, so this would be "[Image description: Drawing of a cat"

5. Second sentence: Something about the image.

Either something the subject is doing, an adjective about the subject, or an adjective about the image in general.

For example, here are 3 ways this image could be described:

Verb: what the subject is doing

[Image description: Digital art of Roy Mustang. He's showing off his top surgery scars.

Adjective about the subject

[Image description: Digital art of Roy Mustang. He has top surgery scars.

Adjective about the image in general

[Image description: Digital art of Roy Mustang. The background is the trans flag.

Aure's ID above didn't follow this format exactly, and had two of these three pieces of information. I definitely don't have to follow this format exactly if I want to include more info, but if I'm in a rush and/or am just starting out then this is how I identify the essentials.

What if it needs to be longer than two sentences?

Sometimes my ID can't be pared down to two sentences. Some gifsets need more, as do most screenshot + text post memes, comics, and other images that need text transcribed.

When describing a series of images, such as a gifset or a screenshot + text post meme, I number the images. Here's an example with a gifset, and here's an example with a screenshot + text post meme.

When my main thing is transcribing the text, I format it however seems simplest. @princess-of-purple-prose described this lovely poem snippet dump using indent to differentiate every snippet. Aure is a fan of "[Text: XXX End Text]" as shown here.

Here's how to do graphics and comics.

6. I end it with an ending tag and a closing bracket

The most most common one Aure has seen is "End ID]"

I've also seen "End description]" or "End image description]"

Aure uses "End ID" because it's shorter. I just need to make sure it has the word end and closes the bracket. This specifies when the image description ends and when the next content begins for someone using a screenreader.

After that, I add my tags, hit "reblog," and I'm done!

In conclusion

Aure's 2-sentence ID format:

[Image description: (image type) of (subject). (Subject) is (adjective and/or verb). End ID]

If there's an image I'm not sure about, anyone can feel free to send Aure an ask. She can either ID it for you and answer your ask explaining what she did, or just give a suggestion, depending on what you prefer.

If I've been doing IDs for a bit and want to look at a more detailed guide, @thequeerwithoutfear has an excellent one here. They talk about context and purpose of images, which Aure didn't really do in this guide.

Perkins also has a guide that talks about alt text here.

Lastly, please boost this! This post is chock full of links, meaning it'll never show up in search. But it'd be awesome for people to see this if it helps them get started. So a reblog is appreciated!

[exit-path]

3 Years on Tumblr: A Tribute, a Biography, a Farewell

Hello! My name is peysi. I created my tumblr blog on August 21st, 2019.

Wow, it’s hard to believe that for the past three years, besides a single name change, I’ve been using the same exact tumblr blog! I’ve seen blogs purposefully deactivating, blogs accidentally deactivating, even people deleting their earliest (awkward) posts. Yet my blog has remained largely the same. Even the blog title, “peysi blog,” and description, “i have no idea how this works,” from day one have remained there to this day.

These four images symbolize some of the greatest moments of my blog—all of which happen to be Minecraft-related. First, there's the Skyblock image, which I made by copying and pasting images of 3D block renders until it resembled the actual Skyblock island, and in Feb 2020 it was my first tumblr post to pass 1,000 notes. Second, there's "building houses in UHC," a trick I learned and pulled off in multiple Hypixel UHC games, and edited together a video showcasing it.

Third, there's a meme image of a player's inventory filled with buckets of axolotl, and it's in my most popular post with an original joke (partly because I took the screenshot), gaining over 10,000 notes. Fourth is an artwork, my magnum opus, where I combined all of the art tricks and skills I learned during my years on tumblr alone: brushes, shading, action, and the mathematics of perspective involving Minecraft blocks.

Unfortunately, good things don't last forever. You see, I start college classes in 2 days, and I know I can't handle college while using tumblr, at least not on the same level I used to. Plus, it's not as fun for me to use tumblr anymore when I've been using it nearly daily for 3 years straight, with my longest ever break being two weeks. So, I'm going to take a pretty long break from tumblr. There's a chance I'll return. But right now, it's good to have this behind me.

Last year, I gave an autobiographical recap of the first two years of my blog. Now, I'm going to do the same for the last year. Finally, I'll be doing a face reveal at the end of this post. I'm a little short on time writing this, so there may be some moments I skipped. But without further ado, let's dive right in.

6. Aug 2021–Mar 2022: Electroman Adventures

One difference you might notice between last year's post and this post is the change in naming convention. Gone are the days of naming "phases" after singular popular posts anymore—a consequence of little happening back then. In the final year of my blog, my phases are named after entire sideblogs I created. Also, as "mineblr" and the topic of Minecraft continued to wane in popularity on tumblr, I was looking for other reasons to continue using the website.

Inspired by seven-oh-four naming her Geometry Dash sideblog after an official level, I created electroman-adventures on Aug 26th, 2021. (Sidenote: this was just five days after my last year's blog anniversary. The next day, one of my posts from Oct 2020 passed 10,000 notes. A lot has happened so far in just a few days after my last anniversary! Today, I have 8 posts with over 10,000 notes.)

I was already very interested in GD, having posted about it on multiple occasions on my main blog, but this was the first time I gave myself a space to fully indulge in the hobby. Only a few other people here played the game professionally too, and I got to meet them: i-want-it-weird-and-wonderful and her sideblog, joelymammoth, dragonfruuit, raspberreeee, and mad-hatterene.

In Dec 2021, I became the first person to discover that mad-hatterene was actually the tumblr blog of "Blitzer," a person that's currently a GD moderator, a List Leader of the Demonlist, and verifier of the update to "Tenth Circle" by DeniPol. They designed the thumbnail for paqoe's "Silent Clubstep" verification, and their current verification project is "Deimos" by ItsHybrid and more, an upcoming main-list extreme demon. Apparently they made their tumblr account 6 years ago, and only returned to tumblr because the GD community here grew after I started posting about GD. What a find!

In other news, Deltarune Chapter 2 came out in Sep 2021, and since I liked Chapter 1 back when it came out, I embraced the popularity and culture of Chapter 2 unfolding on tumblr. In Dec 2021, I joined Koicraft (World 5), a Minecraft SMP by popular mineblr mega-taiga. After one event on this server gave players special items, I fought with a friend named GoGlitch using potions of Slowness V, which I memorialized in this artwork.

7. Mar 2022–Aug 2022: World Heritage MC

It's hard to describe the state of mineblr at the time I created world-heritage-mc. Despite how strong the "Minecraft renaissance" was in 2019, these days the #mineblr tag dwindled to just one """popular""" post a day. Discontent with the current situation, along with discovering a new trick, I had an ambitious idea: create a Minecraft blog to browse tumblr as it was in 2019, like I was still in the past. And thus, on Mar 2nd, 2022, world-heritage-mc was born.

This isn't the original blog that world-heritage-mc runs on today. To explain why that's the case, and where the original blog is today, I have to go back to early March. Originally, it was just me running the blog, generating dashboard links for me to browse. It also became the de-facto "heritage post" blog of Minecraft content, which was a second responsibility I gave myself. Eventually, I realized that all of it was too much work for me to handle alone. So, I opened up moderator applications.

In total, four other people would end up joining the project. These legends were obsidianapple, seven-oh-four, aylt, and lunagaron. I created a discord server for the five of us to talk in, designed a new group blog for world-heritage-mc, made personalized emails and tumblr blogs for all of us (including turning the first iteration of the blog into my personal blog), taught them how to use the blog, and handed the new accounts over to the mods. This was my first time leading a group of people, and I was very nervous.

However, as if by divine intervention, on the very first day of our operations, pokemonlove4ever was created. This satire blog, which got a laugh out of everyone for the brief time it existed, including the mods in our team (for we had no part in it), placed a deep-rooted fear in me regarding group blogs. Also, naming the blog "world-heritage-mc" put it in my head that we were competing with other "heritage post" blogs, such as sonicheritageposts, undertaleheritageposts, tf2heritageposts, pokemonheritageposts, etc.

In June 2022, tumblr half-patched the trick we were using by preventing group blogs from viewing posts on our dashboard older than 7 days. This prevented us from carrying out both of our tasks on world-heritage-mc: reblogging posts from "old" dashboards, and stumbling upon posts from 2019 that we could deem "minecraft heritage posts." Normally this patch shouldn't have stopped us, as we could easily have found a workaround, but the event gave me a moment to pause and second-guess my ability as a leader.

This whole time, despite all of the mods in our group being my friends, I never learned on a personal level what each person excelled at. As a result, I couldn't delegate responsibilities that matched up with their talents. By the end, all of them were doing the same-old monotonous tasks, and they felt bored. So, we quit doing the two tasks, switched the main role of the blog to being "just five people controlling the same mineblr," and that's what you'll see currently when you view world-heritage-mc.

In other news, on Apr 25th, 2022, zetexkindasucks led an exodus from GD Twitter to tumblr. Overnight, the size of "gmdtumblr," as the community here was now called, grew tenfold, and I got the chance to meet many new people, players so skilled I never could have imagined them being on tumblr. raspberreeee created a new group blog comprised of pre-exodus gmdtumblr members called "dear-nostalgists," inspired by world-heritage-mc but instead being for GD. However, due to there only being a few real members of gmdtumblr, there was no audience for the group blog, and it went under.

But, just as quickly as the Twitter users came, they all left (the reason being that they realized Elon Musk wasn't going to buy Twitter), and tumblr was empty once again. In Jul 2022, I decided that for the first time, I was going to join Twitter. I know, shocker, considering that I'm probably the biggest proponent of tumblr. But I found out now that I turned 18, I was finally mature enough to handle Twitter, and despite my worst expectations, I actually had a lot of fun there.

I finally talked to the people I'd actually wanted to meet for so long, and the event spurred a new moment of creativity in me. When I returned to tumblr, I reposted what I created back here. Because tumblr will always be my home. Also, while I was gone, raspberreeee silently deactivated, and dear-nostalgists went with it. I'm sorry he's gone, and for the unfair attitude I treated him with while he was here. I hope he finds opportunity elsewhere on the internet.

*   *   *

And now, we finally return to my face reveal. When I announced a long time ago I would do this on June 2022, nobody wanted it because it stressed me out so much at the time that it scared everyone else. But now, two months later, I am at peace with myself. This is what I always wanted. This post is tagged #personal, so fair warning to everyone, if you don’t want to see anything IRL, you should filter “#personal”.

As a closing note, it begs the question: given that it was my blog description for 3 years, do I have any "idea how this works" yet?

...

Nope :) not yet.

Thank you. We’ll meet again.

(photo taken 5/21/22)

[briarrosescurse]

Good day, how have you been lately?

(Long text, skip if overwhelmed)

Tbh, your art isn't something I could give any critique of—coming from the perspective I write, I don't really know much of your art journey, so I don't have the right to critique or analysis you in full.

Don't mistake, your art has a distinct style that is impossible to replicate (exclude stealing and tracing, not respected tho), you developed a strong sense of anatomy that I envy, and you're beloved by your mutuals/friends for your upbeat attitude and chaotic, fun-loving nature. Though, I do notice that you are envied and admired for your art, primarily. From what I see, however, your art is only part of your charm. Your characters, drawn or not, are possess personalities and designs that create a diversity acquired by your own view. From someone sheltered and sociable to someone aware yet chaotic, brief description can easily make the concept of your characters clear. Then, there is you, the person that makes these characters possible. From one of your responses, you said that journey and growth are some of the major aspects you often share with the characters you seen yourself the most in. That, is simply an important character essential for you express wonderfully. I admit, I got carried away when I wrote this, so much of this is disorganized.

I probably just took up a lot of your time by sending this, but the thing I wanted you to know the most is that, you are someone incredible for simply being you.

I hope your day goes well.

hello, anon!! first of all, i hope you've had a great day! i wished i could've replied immediately when i saw this, but i wanted to give you a proper answer to this ask, because i honestly felt so touched reading this 😭😭😭🥺🥺🥺

IM JUST. honestly when i first saw this, my heart felt SO warm and i was at a total loss of words, because this was so out of the blue but moreso appreciated??? this is really the most sweetest ask i've ever received from anyone and honestly, i know i will always fondly look back it 🥺 i never really would've imagined that someone would view my work and myself like this, but hearing this genuinely made me SO happy and has to be the highlight of my week !!!

i can tell that just by the fact you took your time for this, you put your thoughts into this and you sounded so polite, that you're a really thoughtful and kind person, anon 😭😭 i have to thank you !!! never change in that aspect, it's a genuine treasure of a trait to have 🥺💗

it feels so rewarding to hear how you perceive my artwork, my ocs and myself included, it's genuinely so sweet of you and i rlly can't thank you enough 😭💘 i'm glad i can share my journey here and that you and other people find it fun to witness!! i hope this can go on for a while longer and i hope to share more with everyone whenever i can 🥺 (ofc the... stealing/tracing incidents are very unlucky but !! i won't let myself be stopped by that !!)

thank you again, anon, i wish you ALL the best!!! 💘💘💘

[bonny-kookoo]

Let's talk - and FAQ.

Please remember that I'm not upset at anybody. Words can only convey so much emotion, and I want to make sure it's clear that I'm not trying to pick a fight or sound entitled. However, some things need to be said, and some questions need answering. And some were funny so I needed to include them.

To anons telling me I have to update/must provide a masterlist:

I get multiple asks daily asking about where is the masterlist for this fic, where is your main masterlist, will you update your masterlist, and those are understandable and totally reasonable. However, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, please remember that I don't have to do anything. I don't have to provide a masterlist if I don't feel like it- though I will do so, in order to make it more convenient for you guys to browse through my works. But I don't have to hurry up and update anything. I don't have to set up a schedule so every AU I've made up gets a post every day (which is quite ridiculous if you think of just how many AUs I have at this point.). Which brings me to my next point:

I will write for something when I feel like it.

This sounds horribly entitled and I'm sorry for that. But when I get asks like "You need to update fic x before you start something new" or demands for updates sometimes right after I posted a chapter (demands meaning 'you need to/have to/must), it really takes away a lot of fun for me. I get that it can be very frustrating to wait for updates. I really do understand that. But if I don't feel like writing for a specific story, I won't do it. I'm not going to half-ass some chapter just for the sake of updating it. And since we're at updates;

If I post something, it has typically been written right before its posted. Nothing finished is waiting in my drafts, and I'm not holding back updates to be mean.

I don't even know where this came from honestly? Like why would I not post updates if I've written them?

The debate about what I shouldn't write/discontinue/delete is getting ridiculous.

If a work of mine makes you uncomfortable or doesn't seem good to you, then that's fine. Everyone is allowed to have opinions. However, others might like the fics you hate. So no, I won't delete old works, and no, I won't discontinue other ongoing works. I think a lot of people have already caught on to which fic I have in mind right now. Bunny Boy is, excuse my language, fucking fiction. In fact,

All of my works are fictional scenarios that are in no way an accurate reflection of what I believe the members act/feel like/or would behave in certain situations.

I do not know the members personally. You probably don't either. To make it short on this one; if you can't understand that fanFICTION is FICTION, I'd like to kindly ask you to leave my blog.

I will not write non-con. I will not write cheating and getting back together. I will not write accidental pregnancies and I will not write about abortions. I rarely ever write bad endings, won't write descriptive self harm. I will not write the act of child abuse/domestic abuse*.

These are certain topics that are requested regularly. No, I will not write about that.

Last part is marked here, because there is a scene in one of my fics called 'wrath' that contains violence against the mc that could be seen as domestic abuse. However, the scene is clearly marked, and is not very descriptive. It can also be skipped without interrupting the story. Other triggering content is usually in past tense and not highly descriptive.

All of my works can be considered for mature audiences only, since works like Moonshiners and 1000 Cranes cover very delicate and triggering topics such as depression, Addiction, and overall mental health. Just like lavender love, I don't write these things to hurt people- but to comfort. To show that even at your lowest points, there's always a chance of getting better.

Now, the next part is yet again something I'm questioned constantly, especially after the tea blog re-emerged:

I will not talk about other authors/Blogs and my opinions of them.

I'm me, and they're them. There's only very few people I actively talk to, and I tend to keep it this way. My opinion on other authors on this platform literally does not matter. I never asked @yoongi-speculation to interact with me, post something for me, and neither am I now hiding behind her in case something happens (who tf made that up?). I don't know why some people are so ready for drama where there is none to find.

I will not open my Twitter account again.

This one explains itself.

I won't respond to hate-asks, kys messages, or long ass paragraphs about why I should leave tumblr any longer.

It has nothing to do on my blog.

I don't write full fics as requests.

Full fic requests I've done, like Tiny Treasures, were paid commissions.

The existence of my ko-fi is not me forcing you to pay for my content/begging for money.

Again, explains itself. At the moment, I have zero income, and I rarely get any money through ko-fi. Money I get is used for the pets first and foremost, especially my dog since his bills are the highest after what had happened.

Are you (insert ethnicity/skin color/race/sexuality/gender here)?

Why is that so important to know nowadays?

(No I will not answer this.)

Where do you live?

Inside my head.

What's your timezone?

KST.

What's your birthday?

20th of February.

What's your Pronouns?

She/her.

What kind of cat/dog do you have?

American Ragdoll and a German Shepherd. Also known as a stretchy cat and a drama dog.

What languages do you speak? Is English your first language?

English is my second language. I speak Korean, English, Japanese and German. I know very little French and Russian. I was raised bilingual.

You said you've had health problems in the past, how are they now?

I won't go into detail because it doesn't belong on my blog. It's neither better nor worse, and it won't change until I manage to one day maybe get surgery to fix the worst of it. That's all I'll say.

If you don't have money, why do you have pets?

Because I adopted both pets when I was still employed and had money to provide for them.

Can't you just live with your parents again?

No, because I've got almost no contact at all with them. The only person I occasionally speak to is my brother. We don't even celebrate family holidays together anymore.

Why is the mc always short?

Because I'm 4'9 and can't relate to tall people, therefore I fear I might not properly represent them in stories. Sorry.

Is the mc in home (insert ethnicity here)?

The mc in home is simply stated as foreign. She's whatever you imagine her to be.

Do you have tattoos/piercings?

Yes to both.

Is your actual name Bonny?

No, it is not.

Are you this sweet in real life too?

No, I absolutely despise people. (Thanks tho)

What do you look like?

We may never know.

Your favorite works?

Changes constantly.

Other hobbies?

Used to make music. Bothers my neighbors tho.

Are you okay?

Am I ever? I get this question a lot as well and I really appreciate that you're worried, but even if I was not okay I wouldn't ever say it, because it changes nothing. So yeah, that's that. Thank you a lot for your concern though ❤

Bad Habit of yours?

I smoke. Now before yall come at me: cigarettes are fucking cheap here, so I'm not using money I could use for proper food for something that harms me. Lasts me longer than a meal though, and yes I know it's bad.

Phone calls or Messaging?

Neither. If I have to choose I'd say messaging though. Phone calls give me anxiety.

How old are you?

23 as of now.

Do you still stan BTS? Why do you write FF if you hate them??

Some people think because I've criticized them and their music occasionally, I've automatically converted to a hater. Breaking news, I didn't. It's called having an opinion on things. I never hated, I simply denied when someone asked me if I liked a certain song. It's not that deep. I love the guys with all my heart but they're no gods.

How do you gain followers/write good fics/get popular?

I'm the last person to ask that. To this day I've got no idea what I'm doing, and I also don't think of myself as even remotely popular. Seriously. I'm not.

Are you part of the BDSM/LGBTQ+ community?

This question had popped up since Rabbit Boy and other stuff followed. Yes to both.

..

That's it honestly. Those are kind of the biggest questions I get- hope that cleared up some things too! Actual fic updates will come soon, dw! ♡

[mews--journal]

Tell me everything about Buttons. Love her so much

I'm glad to hear you enjoy her. In all honestly I love her a lot too. She's one of those characters I "obsess" over. Probably the one I do the most lol.

Everything? Well I guess I could do that lol. I do take the word "everything" very literally though lol. There will be somethings I may leave out in the sake of future projects, but I'm sure you already knew that lol.

To get into "everything", I'll start with her creation, and we'll work our way from there. She was created back around 2016, and was definitely not like the way she is today at all lol. She wasn't a scientist, she was quite a bit shorter, had a yellow hood, and a huge scythe. Image example:

She was just someone who would kill because she was ordered to. As I've explained before the story of some of these characters back then was very "bad" lol. She then began to change and develop in small ways. Her hood became blue, her personality became more stoic and closed off, and the beginning of the idea of her being a scientist began to develop.

For the sake of the length of this post, everything else will be under a "read more"

Because my memory is so bad, and I can't exactly pinpoint when everything changed so drastically, I'll skip to how she is today. Today, she's one of my most conflicting characters. I've thought of so much for her, but yet I still have yet to fully complete her design. To be honest, it kinda eats away at me. I love her so dearly, I'm trying my hardest to finish her off, but she's so complex and sort of too "alive" I have a really hard time putting what I know of her in my mind into words.

This is mainly because she acts and reacts so drastically different depending on situation, surrounding, and company. Kind of like how one usually acts and thinks differently when around family than they would around friends. Maybe I made her too real? lol. But I feel she deserves it. That being said, this is mainly just to give an excuse as to why I can't fully provide her character in detail. I just haven't been able to put it into words yet.

I'll try my best, though it might be a short description. Ultimately, around anyone and everyone, Buttons is a very logical and calculated person. Being a sort of "voice of reason and logic", thinking things trough fully and rarely every being reckless or spontaneous. She is quiet and very "tired-looking" all the time. Around strangers and the wider public, Buttons is someone who outwardly shows little emotion. Not that she can't feel it. She definitely does. It's just her face, mannerisms, and tone doesn't show much. This changes slightly around acquaintances, being able to open up a little more, showing more feeling towards those she knows. Around those she fully trust she is completely open. And by those people, she's seen as someone who cares a lot. Around them she smiles. Sorry if the description is hard to understand, or leaves a lot out. I'm still trying to get it all down into words myself. Forgive me.

Either way, today her design has changed quite a bit. Not only that, but she also has more than just a Pokémon design, in case she is inserted into future projects like my other characters. Image examples:

Now, to go into her "story" that was in this story: I'm sure you remember the Fahbrick Family blog I made a while ago? Well she is actually a part of that family! Specifically she's Patches sister, and Zipper's cousin. Maybe that was obvious though seeing as their nicknames are Buttons, Patches, and Zipper lol. Her real name is Elizabeth Fahbrick. Almost all her family all shares one thing in common, they all share interests in entertainment. Patches is a popstar, Zipper is a professional bassist, Her father is a composer, and her mom and aunt are actresses. She, on the other hand, never had an interest in entertainment. Instead she found herself to have a strong desire for knowledge. Specifically, she had a fondness for science.

Buttons is a scientific genius, and that is all thanks to her passion in it. As she grew up she studied book after book, to more and more notes, and dug as deep as she possibly could into everything she learned. Her hard work gave her the intelligence she has today. Eventually she went to college, as one would expect. But from there her life would have changed. I'm not going to go into specific detail, but her story was going to go into themes of abuse and trauma. That being said, she would've been saved by her college best friend, Mike. Eventually helping him with his goal down the line.

Sorry if the description leaves a lot out. But, I will go into trivia! Everyone loves trivia.

Here's something interesting: Buttons is a huge fighting game addict! Playing them ever since she was little, she has became quite a top level player. She would play with Mike in their high school and college days. Image example:

While Mike kind of sucks at them. He was able to give her a challenge. Because, while his skill was lacking, he usually knew the way she thinks, and counters her accordingly.

She's actually a talented singer. Naturally, given her family lol. She, however, is too shy to actually sing around others.

Buttons, Patches, and Zipper are pretty much like inseparable sisters. And their nicknames are proof of that. Giving each other nicknames around the same theme.

Don't tell anyone, but she likes to secretly collect cute accessories. She's too embarrassed about it.

If you have any other specific questions about Buttons, do ask! I love talking about her, and the more I can, the more I can fully give her the development she deserves lol. And if there are any errors, let me know. I did this all in one go, and typed a lot lol.