#but they couldn't hold back on megas very well at all

[antirepurp]

Your post about Ultimate level Digimon is based. I'm now having a new level of brainrot about it xD

Are there any pieces of Digimon Media that you think strike a good balance with digivolving to that level aside from Digimon World 1?

the first that come to mind are adventure and 02 and kinda tamers as well. while i do think the thing where megas trivialize everything prior is still present in adventure where taichi and yamato feel like the true protags who leave everyone else in the dust in the end, and adventure 02 goes even further by giving imperialdramon a mode change on top of a mega, there's still a special feeling to the ultimates. adventure 1 makes them hard to unlock by locking them behind crests, and adventure 02 requires jogress for them. arguably wargreymon and metalgarurumon also feel more special bc they're warp evolutions which gets lost in later media when megas just start evolving from ultimates

as for tamers, it's actually where i got the idea of limiting evolution from originally. it doesn't come up as much later on but evolution is much more sparse in the beginning of tamers than it is in many of the other anime, and typically it has to be worked for to accomplish, with megas requiring the tamer to fuse with their digimon to get there, which in turn makes the prior forms of digivolution more preferable in comparison. that said the way the megas are unlocked kind of has them water down ultimates, i'd argue that keeping them off-limits until the very end would've worked better for making the ultimates feel cooler, but then that would've meddled with some plot progression and that's an entirely different can of worms. idk from what i remember of tamers it treats evolution mechanics in a neat way that made evolutions feel more special when they happened

for non-anime picks i'd actually say digimon world 2 like the maniac i am because the sheer amount of grinding necessary to reach the point where you can evolve your funny guys into ultimates is intense. the game at one point even offers you a very early metalgreymon you can recruit if you know what you're doing that can obliterate some bosses and tricky encounters and it feels cool as hell. megas exist in the game yeah but with the level caps you can only raise by fusing digimon and raising them up again you feel immensely rewarded at the point where you can evolve someone into ultimate

going off a bit more on this too but here's a snippet of a helpful evolution chart for world 2

simply put the numbers indicate a stat for how many times your digimon has to have been fused before to allow it to evolve into that specific digimon, and for reference you unlock a new evolution stage every 10 regular levels (lv10 > champion, lv20 > ultimate, lv30 > mega). a few lines can't evolve into megas at all, most that can only have the option for a single mega, and if you have two options the other requires you to have fused a Ton of times prior, omnimon being one of the more ridiculous ones at 20+. and obviously since you'll be leveling up slower the higher you get, you'll end up spending a lot of time as champion and ultimate before getting even close to getting your first mega. that said with how grindy world 2 gets this stuff probably won't be appreciated by a ton of people, and if anything the digimon story games handled it in a way that was more player-friendly with cyber sleuth and hackers memory making it a ton of fun to fuck around with. i think the rewarding magic of further evo lines gets a bit lost with those however, especially when they implement evolution stages beyond megas in the case of a specific few digimon (iirc burst modes are new evo stages, and there's some "ultra" level digimon in that game too, so ya know)

uhhh tl;dr megas had a tendency to feel more special in older media i suppose

[eggsistential-breakdown]

Team Tulpar!!!!!

Highly self indulgent silly Mouthwashing Superhero AU

Led by the esteemed Captain Cosmos, superhero conglomerate Pony Express's Team Tulpar's latest mission is to guard a top-secret mega-important warehouse in the deep recesses of space against raiders and ne'er-do-wells for one year, until Pony Express's client can install a more permanent solution.

Unfortunately, a mysterious accident destroys their only way home and grievously injures their captain. Team Tuplar finds themselves stranded on a faraway asteroid, with only battered pieces of their ship and their all-important super-forbidden warehouse charge to sustain them.

God is not watching.

Notes below the cut, not set in stone:

Pony Express

Known for its cheap and widely available distribution of superhero teams

Common option for emergency time-sensitive threats to capital or goods

Less common option for actual life-threatening emergencies

Superhero teams function pretty much just as security details for hire

Allows a little more individualization than canon Pony Express because of superhero branding

Hence the slightly personalized horseshoe logos and outfits (also for fun)

Going under because of the widespread adoption of automated comprehensive security systems

Dragonbreath's security system just broke down and they're hiring Team Tulpar to safeguard their wares until the Earth shipment of replacement and upgraded parts can arrive in one year

Curly

Gave him a bunch of powers that would be cool in space but ultimately useless against the crash

Edna Mode disapproves of capes for being impractical and dangerous so he's getting one

Debated briefly keeping Curly as his name because it's technically space related but I think it would be a bit too morbid to use as a space related superhero name in universe

Insists his team calls him Curly even on missions

Dissatisfied with his role as a glorified mall cop

Anya

Legally, spacefaring superhero teams need a healer

Legally, Anya cannot be classified as a healer

Pony Express was pretty much the only superhero company willing to take her

Still studying for med school

Her healing powers boil down to keeping you from getting worse and offloading stress on your body in hopes that it can heal you

As long as she's around things at least won't get worse :)

Which is how she's able to keep Curly alive after the incident

May or may not be using her powers to stall her own pregnancy

Definitely the glue holding everything together in canon so wanted to emphasize her importance in keeping everything from going to shit

I'm the iffiest on her superhero name ngl

She can call herself a doctor she deserves it

Tried to throw stripes in her design to reference her canon turtleneck

Daisuke

Useless ray of goddamn sunshine

Basically a very bright flashlight

If he focuses very hard he can create lasers

Can cast movies for entertainment but only as well as he can remember/imagine them

First in his family to have powers, parents pressured him to join a superhero team

Parents also got him a slightly fancier uniform hence the golden accents

Couldn't imagine him without the shirt so he's keeping the shirt

Incorporated a little Swansea yellow

Also wanted him to have a visor to be cool he gets a visor

Swansea

Assigned mentor to Daisuke

Registered his name back in college. Claims it's too much of a hassle to change it now

Keeps shields/helmet/armor? up for the entire time from when the crash happened to when Daisuke dies

He shows the most arm in canon so you bet your ass he's showing the most arm here as well

My friends suggested this name

Wanted him to still get to wield a big-ass axe

Jingleballs

Crashed the ship into the warehouse with Curly in it while Anya, Swansea, and Daisuke were double-checking the warehouse

Wearing a little half cape in part to mimic Curly, in part to try and give him a similar silhouette as his canon short sleeves

Powers pretty much just hurting people and taking from them

When strealing powers, can only use them at 20-40% of the capacity of the power's true owner

"Borrowed" Curly's powers a lot when they were younger under the pretense of Curly should experience gravity for uhh reasons

Had the phrase "there's something 'off' about this guy" when creating his name, also kind of a play on "first 'off'icer", also turning other powers off

Wears the mask and hood up when he wants to obscure his face. Usually happens outside of missions

Misc

Warehouse sits on an asteroid because it's cheap

The crash happens right after a raid, Jimmy accuses Curly of collaborating with raiders

A little less certain that no one will find them, but the crash destroys the location beacon of the warehouse and knocks the asteroid slightly off course

Team Tulpar's ship is a lot smaller, there's no cargo hold

It's also currently partially wedged inside the warehouse and stuck in place with sealing foam

Space is essentially split between the ship with food/medical supplies and the warehouse (mouthwash)

Less of a clear division of roles other than Anya as healer and Curly as leader

I like color coding characters

Had this rattling around in my head for five days please take this

[mindless-existence1]

Sub Gojo is a Virgin and you take his card

Summery: When you and Gojo start dating he's definitely acts all experienced, newsflash he's not. So when it comes to your first time he's a bit apprehensive. But eventually you get to rock his world.

REQUESTS OPEN PLS SEND! REQUESTS OPEN FOR FLUFF AND KINKTOBER AS WELL.

Authors note: This was run to write but took so long istg. This is a reader who has a dick but that's the only thing relating to gender or physical appearance. Enjoy!

For a while now your boyfriend Gojo has been acting....strange. He's always been cocky, calling himself "the honored one" and acting like he owns the world. Even when it comes to dating he seems to be the most experienced in the feild. He sure acts like it.

But a few weeks ago to were making out during movie night- a semi regular occurrence -and you thought 'finally a good time to get steamy with your mega super hot boyfriend which you love dearly'.

But when you attempted to take it further he immediately stopped you. Gojo's infinity went up, which it's never up around you, this caused your hand to be pushed away from him and you stopped having contact entirely. He seemed flush and almost embarrassed by the hand that was moving higher up his thigh.

Gojo quickly rushed out a mumbled excuse about wanting to watch the movie. It took him a minute to take down the infinity so the two of you could cuddle again. What was weird is that you could tell the boner he had was hurting, it was straining against the fabric of his pants as he failed to hide it.

But you didn't wish to push as to not make him uncomfortable. If Gojo didn't want to take the next step then you guys weren't going to take the next step. But it has been weeks since then and you've be together for a while and yet...nothing. What surprises you the most is how he's gone this long without sex.

Before you started dating he seemed to be with a new girl every night and now nothing. You know Gojo isn't cheating on you so how has he been able to hold himself back, and why?

That takes you to now, the two of you were cuddling on his bed just doing your own things on your phones. You couldn't pay attention to whatever you were looking at though. "Hey Satoru, can I ask a question?" You ask turning slightly so you were facing him.

"Well you just did but I'll let you ask another one." He chuckles as you roll your eyes. Gojo puts down his phone and props himself onto his elbow. Despite feeling self continous out of your mind you decide to ask your question straight up.

"Why haven't we had sex yet? Is it something I did or what?" You start to ramble slightly, suddenly everything comes pouring out. After a few second Gojo leans forward and catching you in a kiss the effectively shuts you up.

"You could have just asked nicely you know? Didn't think you were this desperate." He teases you again but this time his voice wavers and he seems unsure of himself, very un-Gojo like. "Well whenever I tried to start something you pushed away." Your basically pouting against his lips now.

"I- well um" Gojo stutters out some nonsense and turns his head away slightly in embarrassment. "I just thought maybe you didn't want to." Gojo's excuse is weak at best and he knows it. You notice his weird behavior but can tell something is going on.

"Well how about now, I want to. Do you?" Your questions makes him fumble but he nods his head. You put a hand on his cheek and lean in to kiss him, Gojo responds but can't match your pace.

When you move to sit on Gojo lap he outs his hands on your waist. After a minute of making out you slowly kiss his cheek and move down towards his neck. "Y-, Y/n wait." You keep kissing the same spot on his neck that you know makes him squirm.

Humming out a response you stop your attack on his neck so he can talk. "I- ummm I've never..... you know." Gojo makes a motion with his hands that almost makes you chuckle, but you feel this isn't a joking situation.

It does take you by surprise tho, what does he mean he hasn't done anything? The Statoru Gojo, the honored one, the one who brags about how much a ladies man he is, who has girls fawning over him day and night, is a virgin?  He must have taken your silence as a bad sign by the way he lightly pushed at your shoulders.

"I get it if you don't want to anymore." He rushes out, before he pushes you away you bite down onto his neck. Gojo whines and his arms go slack on your shoulders. "It's ok baby, that just means I get to take carre of you tonight."

He feels your hot breath on his skin and flinches slightly, "Yes- fuck please." Gojo's begging falters in embarrassment but makes your core twist. Your pants start to get tightens and you make a move to slip your hands under his shirt.

Before you can get underneath the fabric an invisible force pushes you away. Although his infinity isn't as big as normal it is still covering Gojo in a way that keeps you from touching him. It takes you by suprise but by the way he reacted he seems suprised to.

"Fuck- please I can't control it I'm sorry-" Gojo babbles out nonsense as the infinity wavers, cutting in and out. "Oh but Satoru I can't make you feel good if you keep this up." You purr near his ear. He chokes on a moan and rambles out more apologies.

"Common pretty boy, don't you want me to make you feel good?" The nickname causes him to falter which results in the infinity falling down as well. The second you know it's off you quickly lean in locking Gojo in a kiss.

He whines in it when he feels your hands rubbing up on his torso. Gojo's breathing gets shaky, he fumbles to taking his shirt off. You chuckle, "It's ok Satoru, just calm down. Let yourself enjoy it." He weakly nods his head.

Gojo's pale chest is flushed a deep red, with a swift moment you brush your hands over his perk nipples. He whimpers at the foreign feeling, "How do you want to do this baby?" You voice is smooth like honey, you're  kissing up and down his toned chest.

"I- I want you to" Gojo fumbles to get the words out, embarrassment evident in his words. "Common pretty boy just use your words." Your tone makes him grip the back of your shirt.

He mumbles something under his breath you cant hear. "Use. Your. Words." You voice is sterner than before and it makes Gojo gulp. "Fuck me," after a heavy breath "please."

His desperate voice makes your dick get harder. When you starts to pull at Gojo's pants he lifts his hips to help you. Under your breath you say 'there you go.' “Someones excited” You smile, tracing the bulge through his boxers. “All for me?” You tease into his ear, slowly moving your hands to palm him.

Gojo let's out a deep moan at the feeling. “Hurry up.” He whines, bucking his hips up into his hands. You pull at his boxers, bringing them down past his knees and let him kick them off.

You look down to where Gojo is trying to close his legs but can't with you between them. “So pretty but you gotta keep your legs open baby.” You tell him while puts hands on his knees and keeping them open.

"Sorry.” He whines at being so exposed and keeps his dead down cast. His hands are desperately holding onto you. One griping your shoulder, the other tangled in the hair at your neck.

Gojo vaguely registers the sound of a lube bottle opening but doesn't process it till he feels your slick hand on him. He gasps in suprise but it quickly turns into a wavering moan.

After a minute of prep you line yourself up to thrust into him. "I'll go slow, promise." He nods his head in understanding. You slowly slide in, careful to not hurt him.

"Fuck- so full." Gojo mumbles out more curses while leaning his head down onto your shoulder. He grips your shoulders when you fully thrust in. He arches his back at the feels and you can see the tears bubbling up in his closed eyes.

"Doing so good for me." He whimpers at the praise. You slowly start to thrust your hips faster as Gojo starts to to get used to the feeling. One hand grips his waist and the other starts to pump his length.

He can feel the pleasure bubbling inside him, his legs shake from where they are wrapped around your waist. Gojo can tell he looks pathetic but he can't bring himself to care when you are treating him so well.

Somehow you must know he's about to come from the way you smile and lean in to bite at his flushed neck. After another minute of pleasure he can tell you are getting close to and starts babbling incoherently.

"It's ok, promise. Just let go." He whimpers with a tight grip on your forarm. "Fuck, fuck, fuck I can't. S-so good." A high pitched whine tears through his throat. Your hips thrusts faster into him to match the pase of you hand on him.

The sheet beneath you gets pulled and crumpled from how hard Gojo is gripping it. For a split second you think it might tear, the worry is thrown out the window from how pretty he looks like this.

Tears run from his bright eyes and down his flushed face. There's a light coat of sweat that covers his torso and shaking legs. The moans pouring from his lips are sinful music to your ears. "Cumming- I'm, I'm cumming." He mumbled between gasps of air.

"Good boy just let it go. I've got you." With a final thrust of your hips and hand he comes with a choked off moan. Following suit after him you still your hips, just barley moving your hands to help him through the after shocks.

Your panting breath and Gojo's quiet whimpers are all that can't be heard in the room. You slowly set down the wobbly legs you were holding moments before.

When Gojo doesn't talk you start to worry, "Satoru? You ok?" He nods, moving a hand to his chest where just a minute earlier he came all over. "I feel gross though, aren't you supposed to give me princess treatment after this?"

Although his voice is horse and shaky you can hear the joke in it. You chuckle and shake your head. "Of course only the best treatment for you princess." You joke back giving him a kiss on the cheek with a smile.

[thatanimewriter]

COWARD.

➳ request: How would Coco and team JNPR react to their mega intimidating and stronger then strong Male S/O, saving Velvet from Cardin's bullying, by comin' out the wood works, and just punching the absolute SOUL outta Cardin like bro's on his knees, holdin' his stomach, eyes wide, struggling to breath and all that, meanwhile the rest of his team are just trying to jump S/O but are failing MISERABLY, like it's watching 3 4-year olds tryin' to jump prime Mike Tyson, and for reference on what S/O looks like, look up Fredrick Jason the boxer manwha in images, pls and thank you :)

➳ character/s: jaune arc, nora valkyrie, pyrrha nikos, lie ren

➳ warnings: mentions of bullying, violence, swearing, mentions of thirsty people (pyrrha)

➳ notes: i don't write for coco, but i can do jnpr :))

𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 / 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭  / 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 / 𝐰𝐢𝐩 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

── 𝐉𝐀𝐔𝐍𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐂.

cheering you from the sidelines because he has tried standing up to cardin before and it went horribly

is probably mildly embarrassed that he's tiny compared to you, but is very much happy that cardin is ALSO tiny compared to you

got slightly worried when the rest of cardin's team tried to gang up on you

but you just waved jaune away with a lil flirty wink and dealt with the issue very chill

jaune was very hot and bothered after cause he couldn't lie, it was kinda attractive-

but afterwards he's so asking you for training sessions so he can get buff like you

he probably recorded the altercation on his scroll just for later entertainment

it was already put on the internet very soon after, if not livestreamed by someone else in the crowd

── 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐀 𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐊𝐘𝐑𝐈𝐄.

she would've joined you if it weren't for ren letting you handle it by yourself

he wants her to preserve some level of her reputation and let you uphold your own as you basically hold cardin away from you with a hand to his forehead

you're clearly not invested in this fight, cause you look very bored this whole time

but you'll let her hit them with her hammer at least once, followed by a hair ruffle and a "that's my girl"

is very proud of you because if you didn't do anything about the bullies, then she would've

laughed her little ass off when the rest of the gang tried to jump you and you didn't have any difficulty

she took a selfie of you guys and the bullies on the floor n you're just smiling with a peace sign

still her favourite photo to this day and she talks about it all the time

── 𝐏𝐘𝐑𝐑𝐇𝐀 𝐍𝐈𝐊𝐎𝐒.

very much concerned for how often you might be getting into fights with cardin

but also not that mad because even though she probably doesn't wanna get involved, she'll let you have your fun

you're both such a power couple now because BOTH of you have fought cardin's whole team 1v4 and won

will stand back and watch you as if she doesn't want you to be fighting bullies in the courtyard

but she's proud on the inside and will treat you for dinner later when you win

not super happy that randos on the internet are kinda thirsty for you though

but maybe she'll jump in next time if there is one just so people can back off

and also because she thinks it's probably super cathartic-

── 𝐋𝐈𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐍.

also doesn't join in, but he won't make any moves to stop you from doing what you gotta do

he's been watching cardin be a bully for a while and is happy with the karma he's getting from you

very much annoyed by the rest of the team trying to get the upper hand, because he's trained with you and failed to do so-

a rare smile on his face when you beat them all to a pulp and will make you pancakes in the morning

special treat for delivering some well-deserved justice for the students

generally discourages you from engaging in petty school fights though, because he'd rather you save your energy

and not use it on useless people who will end up in the dumps on their own anyway

but if it's warranted, then he'll support you from the shadows :))

[ilovesmg3]

[ I wrote this like, a year ago. Cut me some slack. Also yes, this is first person! "I/Me/My." I used to write a lot, maybe I'll get back into it if y'all like this and it does well. ]

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

I couldn't help my lower lip from quivering, I sat on the floor of the salon in Roxy Raceway defeated. The day shift felt like hell, a genuine battlefield of cake, pizza and rotten little brats running around non stop. Disobeying rules was the children's favorite thing to do despite the entirety of them coming straight to the raceway from the daycare on the higher floors.

You'd think they'd have been taught better, but alas, an underpaid Fazbear employee can only dream. I looked around at my surroundings, thankful for the short break. 10 minute breaks every 3 hours was better than nothing, right? I groaned as I heard a knock on the big, red doors. Assuming it was another child asking for help getting into a cart, I put on a brave face and a large smile before a large, grey face poked through the door. "Roxy," I sighed with relief. If I could describe 'Her eyes softened,' it'd be this exact moment.

I smiled warmly and she walked in, closing the door behind her and disregarding the disappointed groans of the children outside that were trailing her. Thankfully they knew enough to not walk into the salon when it was closed, or Roxy herself they'd have to answer to. Roxanne was large, a very tall animatronic. Her high-tech eyes showed emotion somehow, and I could read it the best.

After all, I've worked in this part of the Mega Pizzaplex for the last two years. Shaking myself out of the thoughts, I looked to Roxy as the first tear rolled down my cheek. I hadn't realized how close I was to tears, nor did I realize how fast my smile faded. Roxy's face immediately showed concern, she walked over to me as softly as her large, metal feet would allow.

"(Y/N)?" She whispered softly, bending down to reach my level like she does with the children mid-outburst. "Are you.. okay?" She continued to speak with worry. I couldn't meet her eyes, only shaking my head back and forth, signaling a "no." She nodded, holding out her gloved, metal hand towards me. I hesitated, before taking it. She pulled me up gently, using a claw to wipe my remaining tears. "Do you.. want to talk about it?" I felt myself compelled to look into her bright, golden eyes.

I sighed before taking in a deep breath. "Sure, Roxy." She smiled again, her robotic ears perking slightly, happy to listen. "The kids.. man, they're ruthless.." She cocked her head, the robotic whirring inside her metal chest sped up as she contemplated what I'd said, shortly after she nodded, asking me to continue if comfortable.

"Roxy.. I.. The kids, even though I work here, they continue to constantly berate me and say my hair looks.. awful?" I questioned, turning slightly to look in the mirror. "I guess they're right, I haven't been sleeping or taking care of myself lately." This wasn't the first time I'd found myself ranting to Roxanne, but on day shift was a different story, I'd never felt so.. distraught at work before.

Roxanne sighed, her robotic tone sounding sad. She held my smaller hand in her own, and pulled me towards the salon's chairs. "Wha..?" I questioned and she let out a bark of a laugh. "Come on, you think you can let KIDS get to YOU?" She knew the situation now, and she wanted to help.

Placing me in the chair gently but firmly by pressing my shoulders down, the lights turned on. Music began to play and the kids outside the room began to shout, mad they weren't allowed in. "Don't pay attention to them, (Y/N). You deserve a longer break today."

I sighed in relief, I didn't even care about my one other co-worker on the floor at the moment, just hanging out with Roxy, and taking a goddamned break. She pumped up the salon chair and pulled the hairbrush from the countertop, using her claws to get out the chunk of hair I was forced to pull out of a kids disgusting head earlier.

I looked at the brush in disgust and she chuckled, "Alright, alright. Let me get a new one." I smiled, reaching up to wipe the remaining dew from my eyes and watching in the mirror as behind me, Roxy checked each counter and drawer until she found a fresh, new in-package brush.

The brush was really pretty, like those see-through sparkly pony toys from years past that were rotting in my cousin's closet. She walked back with a pep in her step, gently caressing my face as she looked in the mirror into my eyes. "(Y/N). You are enough. You are so, so beautiful.

You are perfect. You are the best." I felt my eyes widen, hearing the speech she gave to herself during the night shift. I smile softly, pressing my cheek into her cold, yet inviting metal hand. "You are my favorite." She spoke warmly, a tone I hadn't yet heard from her. She moved me back gently into the seat, gripping the brush before gliding it through my hair, pulling calmly and softly through the knots to avoid any pain.

For a robot, she was very good at this. I sighed as I felt the bristles against my scalp, an overall amazing and relieving feeling to just, be tended to by someone who cared about me. She smiled down at me, holding my tips and slicing gently with her claws, somehow working better than scissors. Soon enough, my hair was cleaned up. Dead ends gone, hair brushed and somehow it even looked less greasy, after working around pizza all day, that was an incredible thing to accomplish.

She pulled the make-up from the other side of the counter. Normally, this was for the teenagers or even just kids who wanted a little sparkle on the raceway or downright face-paint, but right now, it was to make me feel better about myself. She turned the chair so I was facing her, she was large.

Her grey, plastic and metal fur was shiny, up close I could see her teeth, yet I didn't feel threatened. For once I felt safe in this establishment, any worries or woes I've felt because of it, were gone in this very moment. Roxy placed the makeup sponge against my under eyes, clearing up the bags for at least a little while, adding a little glitter and sparkle to really finish that "Roxy" look. After she finished she pulled away, looking at me with a grin of pride. Roxy pushed the swivel chair back around so I could see myself. I smiled wide, I looked PERFECT! "Yes you do!" Roxy spoke aloud, I hadn't even realized the words escaped my lips, I jumped up and gave Roxy a hug.

Roxy smiled and grabbed me, lifting me up quickly into a bear hug even Freddy couldn't compare to. She swung me around in her arms and I hugged her back just as tight, "Thank you, Roxy." I whispered, and she howled a laugh in response with a smile, causing the children outside to scream in excitement. I looked at Roxy, we nodded. I put on a smile, but a real one this time, and opened the doors to the salon.

The children all ran in and swarmed me. "No way!! (Y/N) got a make-over by Roxy herself!! They're so cool!!" "I'm so jealous!! They look so good!!" and the likes was heard from the crowd, I looked out the open door to see my co-worker lying on the tiled floor, exhausted. I yelled a quick "Sorry!" before getting back to my shift, Roxy by my side for support with a grin.

[pale-opal]

So I decided to try one of @/nondelphic's unhinged writing prompts for that Mega Man zombie AU that I mentioned a while ago. The prompt that I specifically chose to write about was this one:

Someone keeps breaking into your character's house, not to steal things but to leave increasingly cryptic notes in their fridge.

So... yeah! Enjoy this short story about Shadow Man struggling to cope with somebody breaking into his cabin for funsies. Oh, and Zero's there too.

Compromised Shelter - A Oneshot

---

The first time it happened, he thought it was his fault.

The generator had only been recently installed, solely so that the fridge would run again (but admittedly, lights and hot water were luxuries Shadow had missed for the past ten years, so of course he wanted to enjoy those, too). They needed it to be able to keep raw meat in the house, as well as anything they couldn't preserve in a jar. That, and the taste of lukewarm canned fruit got old after a while.

The note had been written on a sheet of blank paper, haphazardly taped to the shelf that held whatever they had managed to catch from hunting (or, rather, whatever Shadow managed to catch - Zero had the habit of eating whatever he managed to get a hold of right then and there, but that was fine. Shadow had learned to accept that the boy had his quirks). On it, a single sentence fragment:

Don't forget.

Shadow blinked at it. "Don't forget what?" he found himself asking aloud, confused. Maybe this was something he had written some time ago when he was half-asleep. It wouldn't have been the first time he'd done something strange while in such a state. Once, before the Infected had shown up, he had poured orange juice in his coffee instead of sugar. Not salt. Orange juice. His wife had laughed at him about it for weeks.

Shadow frowned. To use an entire piece of paper to write an unhelpful message to himself... what a waste. He would need to find a way to repurpose it later.

But then it happened again, and it was then Shadow realized something was wrong. This time, the note was taped to the side of the fridge, and had something even weirder written on it.

Your cows need watering.

"I - I don't - my what?" The message made no sense whatsoever. Shadow didn't have any livestock. Did he write this in his sleep again, and mix up the word "crops" with "cows"? That would be the most likely explanation.

But then he saw that the handwriting didn't look like his.

At all.

The letters were too far apart, and Shadow didn't cross his t's in the middle of the letter. Not only that, but it wasn't very neat. And the "o" in "Your" wasn't looped, either.

Long story short, Shadow did not write this.

Realizing that, he decided to try the second-most likely avenue. "Zero?" He called out. "Come here, please!"

The boy was by his side in seconds - he never strayed too far from him. He peered at him, curious. Shadow couldn't help but stare back. Normally, Zero's blue irises would be like beacons against his gray scleras. But today, his scleras seemed to be a bit more white in color. That's a good sign, he thought to himself. Isn't it? He wished that he knew how Zero got like this in the first place, so that these changes would be easier to interpret - not alive in the familiar sense, but most certainly not dead, either. He was almost like the Infected. But there was something about him...

Zero noticed Shadow's staring, and made something of a sniffling sound, trying to figure out what was so interesting about himself for Shadow to be looking at him directly for so long. Shadow cleared his throat, remembering why he had called Zero to the kitchen in the first place. "Did you write this?" He held the note out to Zero for him to examine. He stared at it for a moment, then squinted, trying to read the thing, only to shake his head. "I see..." Shadow folded the note up. If it wasn't him, and if it wasn't Zero...

Then it had to be someone else.

Shadow swallowed, mouth dry. "Let's check all the doors and windows," he suggested. "To make sure no one's been getting in when we sleep." They did exactly that, but they found no openings or signs of forced entry. Shadow pursed his lips when they were finished. Surely something had been left unlocked. He double-checked he'd locked everything properly before turning in for the night.

But then the third note came.

I know who you are.

Well I would hope so, Shadow thought, rolling his eyes. You keep breaking into my house. With that, Shadow decided to take inventory - nothing was missing. Whoever was doing this was leaving the notes as a calling card, and nothing else. It was almost funny, how stupid it was.

But the fourth note was plain unnerving.

They're coming.

Shadow felt his blood run cold. "Who's coming?" He asked himself. He started to panic. Should he try to fortify the house? Or was a horde on its way, and the best course of action would be to simply board up the windows and doors, hide in a closet, and wait it out? Or maybe...

Maybe this was a joke.

Just like all the other notes.

He ripped the fourth note up in frustration. "This is ridiculous," he spat, tearing the paper to shreds. "I will not be made to feel anxious in my own home." He made up his mind - once he found out who was doing this, he was going to shoot first, ask questions later. It would be uncharacteristically violent for him, but every man had his button. And Shadow's had just been pressed.

That night, Shadow planned to stay awake, holding a stakeout of sorts. How else would he find out who had been robbing him of perfectly good paper and his peace of mind? But he hadn't ever done something like that before, and so he naturally made a mistake. He decided to hold the stakeout in his bedroom, so that he could hear the note-writer enter without being seen. However, around two a.m., he dozed off, sleeping comfortably on his bed.

Lucky for him, Zero ended up being a living failsafe, with how light of a sleeper he was. Shadow woke to the blond teen standing by his side and shaking him awake. "Wha- what - Zero? Zero, what are you doing awake?" Zero gestured toward the open door with his head, irritated. But not with Shadow. No, something else was at work here.

A loud thunk could be heard from outside. Shadow sat up in an instant, understanding the situation. "Is someone here?" He whispered. Zero nodded in confirmation, and held up two fingers. "Ah. So two people, then." Shadow got up and grabbed his rifle. "Get behind me."

Shadow crept out of his room carefully, with Zero following his lead. He moved to the top of the staircase, and sure enough, he could hear shuffling sounds from below. "Human, or Infected?"

Zero moved closer, and became completely still. He focused on every sound the intruders made, staring out into the darkness. He sniffed the air once, and then made his determination. "Human," he said, with absolute certainty, voice quieter than Shadow's footsteps had been.

"Alright then - thank you." Shadow hurriedly thought of a course of action. He and Zero would make their way downstairs, and once they were close enough to the intruders, he would turn the lights on, catching them off guard. Then, he could see if they were worth shooting (his nap had calmed him down, and he had started to go back to his usual mode of operation: shooting only if someone was a threat).

But Zero had another idea.

He swiftly started to go downstairs, and disappeared into the darkness. "Zero!" Shadow whisper-yelled. "You don't have to-" A loud growling sound from Zero's throat cut him off. Shadow knew what that meant. He fumbled for a light switch, now trying to save the people who broke into his house instead of shoot them.

Because if he didn't, Zero would most definitely take care of them himself.

A shrill scream came from below, followed by snarling that sounded as if it was coming from one of the Infected. Shadow cursed under his breath - he took too long. He finally found the switch, turned it on, and found Zero trying to bite at a woman's neck. Nearby, a man pulled out a gun, wanting to save her. "ZERO!" He shouted, running downstairs to pull him off of her. "That's enough!"

Zero went limp once Shadow had removed him from the girl, clearly getting the message. He relaxed, wriggled himself out of Shadow's grasp, and got behind him, eyes still narrowed viciously at the intruders.

Now it was Shadow's turn to get aggressive. He aimed his gun at the guy, wanting to deal with the one he knew had a weapon first. "Who do you think you are, breaking into my house li- wait a second." His eyes went from the woman to the man, and then back again.

He knew these people.

"You two!" He moved one of his hands to the trigger. "You're part of the group who set off fireworks last week, trying to lure in the Infected on purpose! And you-" he aimed his gun a little more decisively at the young man's chest. "You've already broken in here once before. I shot you in the shoulder then. Should I shoot to kill this time?"

The young man gave Shadow a teasing grin. "C'mon, man! We were just messing around! Right, Plum?" The girl nodded her head, still shaking from her encounter with Zero. She checked her hands and felt around her neck, looking for bites. "It's so boring out here. You should be thankful we moved nearby - it's good to spice things up, you know."

But Shadow clucked his tongue, unamused. "'Boring' is how I like it, thank you." He stole a glance at Zero - he seemed to be thoroughly at ease now, not seeing the intruders as a threat anymore. But he stayed behind Shadow, just in case. Once he was sure the child was okay, Shadow returned to reprimanding the guy. "And I hardly think that breaking and entering and putting yourself in danger are decent ways of 'spicing things up.'"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll admit it. This time was our bad. But last time I was here, you left the door unlocked."

"Because we were outside, working in the garden," Shadow hissed. "And even if every window and door in this house was unlocked, it still wouldn't be an excuse for you to walk in here without seeing if someone lived here first."

The younger man put his hands up, playfully. He wasn't taking this even the slightest bit seriously. "Cool it, big guy. That's in the past, now. Let's just... all move on, yeah?'

Shadow's brow furrowed. "Did - did you just tell me to 'cool it'?" He shook his head, disregarding the statement. "I will let both of you go if you tell me how you kept getting in here, and if you agree not to enter without my consent. If you go back on your word, I'll shoot you on sight."

"Okay, deal. You have a window in your kitchen that pops right out when it's pressed on hard enough. I grab it before it falls, pull it out onto the grass, do what I want, crawl back out, and pop it back into place. Simple."

"Mmhm." He would have to fix that. He'd put the window back into place that night, and properly reseal it in the morning. "Thank you for your cooperation. Now get out."

The two intruders started towards the door. The guy put an arm around the girl ("Plum", was it?). "Aw, relax, babe! You didn't get bit. Blondie's chill. See? Look." The guy went to give what appeared to be a fist-bump to Zero, only for the latter to snap at his hand, growling. "Okay, okay! Not chill, got it." He bid Shadow adieu before he and his girlfriend finally left. "Your generator's loud - it's gonna attract the Infected or somebody at some point. Be careful. I would hate to see you get your face eaten! See y'all later!" They finally left, shutting the door behind them. The guy's laughter was loud enough to be heard outside, and Plum soon joined him in it.

Shadow locked the door, agitated. "Those two," he murmured, "are going to get themselves killed."

"Annoying," Zero huffed as he followed Shadow to the kitchen. He watched as Shadow put the window back into place.

"Agreed," Shadow said when he finished. "They are very annoying." He sighed as he returned to the stairwell to turn the lights out. "But hopefully, this will be the end of us getting random notes in the fridge." He paused before switching the lights off. "Zero," he began, keeping his tone even, "I don't want you attacking people like that. You could've gotten hurt..." and we don't know what would happen if you were to bite someone. "...and I would have been very upset if that were to happen. Okay?" Zero didn't say anything, and instead wrapped his arms around Shadow in a hug, leaning his head against his chest apologetically. "Oh, it's alright. I know you were only trying to help." He placed a hand on Zero's head reassuringly. "Now let's get you back to bed."

---

And that's all for now! Although, I do want to clarify a few things: 1. Shadow Man and Zero are supposed to have an adoptive father-son relationship in this.

2. Although he wasn't named in the story, the guy who breaks into Shadow's house is Quick Man. Homeboy is twenty years old and is delusional as heck. Maybe he'll mature as time goes on (or maybe he'll die). His girlfriend is Plum from Battle & Chase.

3. Shadow missing hot water for ten years is a reference to how the story takes place ten years after the world ended. My guy has been through a lot. But it's okay. Because now he has an entire fifteen-year-old boy to take care of. Welcome to the single dad life, Shadow Man.

4. If you have any questions about this AU, feel free to ask! I want to talk about it. There's a bunch of stuff going on in it.

Thank you for reading! May God bless you. <3

[fantomette22]

Crying after beating a Soulsborne game and DLC is the story of my life hehe. That’s why they’re so special! The sense of achievment is wonderful and the stories + atmospheres + endings are always so emotional. I’m delighted it hit you hard 🖤

Yeah! But not just crying, literally sobbing and crying my eyes out... been a while... and I don't recall doing that for any other FromSoftware game so far XD it's usually more for very story/characters oriented game & movies /series/books etc

Idk I should be more happy and I was and I am proud but it soon turned into sadness. Idk I guess with what happened to some npcs afterwards + item descriptions + end of elden ring finally + finishing the boss + other mini stressful stuff in my life I supposed I just needed a lil breakdown... I did cry again after reading this message too XD that's why I answered not on the spot I'm very tired too now... idk I re thought of the implications I learn in the end I suppose

So hm yeah mega spoilers for the end

So yeah finally beat Radahn and Miquella! X

Damn look at this 1 HP wtf?!?!

After 247/260h damn what an adventure (my ps5 is telling me 261h jfbekzk)

Ok so of course I feel a bit sad for them too bc it's so tragic...with what he say in flashback it sound just so... he really wanted the best but it didn't work... but I was still fine after reading it

Then...

I mean I already knew about this but again that was still ok i just felt a bit sad for them (also a few days ago finally meet invader hornsent just before Romina. But like I already beat Leda & co since at least a week+ 💀)

But after I went to see Trina... I knew what was gonna happen but.. idk with the music and all i

Well yeah i started crying. I cannot express it well now but that's just so freaking tragic and sad

Then after somehow calming down I went to buy & look at the other descriptions at the roundtable hold.

And I just wanted to cry even more... and I did a few mins afterwards. Even harder than before.

It's speaking about us isn't it? We completely fucked up his plan right? We refuse to follow... Even if it was always doom from the start and game doesn't leave us much choice on this... but like ... I couldn't stop myself from crying at all of this. To the tragedy and pain of all of this. Maybe because I am too similar to Miquella in some sense. Because we can't change anything that is happening in this storyline. Because I'm stress for other dumb things this past few days. Well maybe it create a lil opportunity to destress...

Sorry I'm probably not making lot of sense now? XD I'm better but I need to sleep now I'm very tired.

To finish I went back where it all began!

[changelingsandothernonsense]

Josh Lore Thursday Mega Post- Summerset

This is a compiled post from posts I've made on Discord. It includes art and a general overview of a bit of Josh lore related to a theme. It's long, very long so most of it will be under the cut. Week one is Summerset,

Year: 3E 33 and 4E 5 Age: 63- 69 Location: Sero- Estate, Sunhold, Summerset.

An overview of the events leading up to his choice to stay in the Summerset Isles.

After fleeing Morrowind after the deaths of the (what he assumes was the whole) Tribunal under Indoril Nerevar's control he finds himself in Cyrodiil scared and destitute. Teldryn aimlessly wanders the province of his birth, selling various items that were associated with the Nerevarine- mostly his armour, the defining weapons, just everything he could potentially sell to prop up his drinking habit. Which is pretty much all he's consuming at the time.

Joshi finds himself in Kvatch one night during what is meant to be the commemoration of his defeat of Dagoth Ur and just feels empty.

Nerevar's still getting into his head constantly and he decides to "deal with the problem".

Or in his view, he removes the ring that is melded to his finger, he gets rid of the problem and he can have some peace. Josh can't actually take the ring off, so in a drunk stupor he decides to try amputating his ring finger. He fails.

He's found by Jiub just as he passes out from drink and blood loss.

Teldryn recognises the dunmer from the handful of times they crossed paths during his early adventures on Vvardenfell (and may have shared a kiss once). He finds himself comfortable and lets himself think maybe he's gotten a second chance at happiness.

Cue the Oblivion Crisis and the siege of Kvatch. Something that had nothing to do with the fact that he was there but he doesn't know that as he's fleeing the chaos.

He's hurt, he's grieving both chances he once had at a life of stability and, since he's left almost everything back at their old apartment, he's destitute once again.

This is his Oblivion arc, Josh starts wearing a mask full time just to avoid people recognising who he is. He doesn't have it in him to fight the jaws of hell yet again. He doesn't want to. He can barely take care of himself. This is Josh's 0 empathy point. He can't feel anything but crushing numbness and it leads to him murdering an Arcane University student about his son's age for a purse of coin and a watch.

He gets away with it.

After finding himself back in the holding cells of the Bastion after a pub brawl because he was called out for running a ticket-scalping scam. He gets an offer to join a particular guild by a toxic ex he can't say no to (Read the Hero of Kvatch).

He eventually gets roped into stealing something important from the Imperial Library. Something prohibitively expensive and enough to set him up for centuries.

What he wants to do, what he's been trying to do since Kvatch fell, is get to Sunhold and the only people he knows he can rely on to look after him when he's in this state.

Josh goes to stay with his mother and Geldis (who are very much an item at this point and will remain that way).

So this is how and why he's in Summerset.

So, now that Josh is in Summerset for the next 6 years, what's he up to? Well, officially, Teldryn Sero isn't there. He's either dead or, as a few people in North Eastern Cyrodiil believe- He's in Akavir. He doesn't actually care what people think happened to him. He just wants to be left alone.

As a result, Josh doesn't leave the estate all that often unless he's fully hiding his identity. Usually, he's only leaving to go drink and fuck at the various pleasure houses. No one makes him take his helmet off. No one asks questions. He's okay with this since he's a bit fatigued from all the fanfare he used to get in Morrowind. He's constantly craving both anonymity and attention. It makes him very restless.

The truth is, Joshi's in a really bad state at this point. He couldn't do much outside of being completely internally focused. Josh's bratty behaviour that he starts to display in this period actually starts up with Jiub but goes full force when his mother starts doting on him.

(Old design but is the same idea).

Brat Josh is a bit different from his Nerevarine persona and who he'll become later. He's similar to fresh of the boat Josh in terms of attitude- he's spiteful, he's well- very bratty and he's very emotionally volatile.

But, this time he's got the "Horrors tm" swimming around through his head.

He's lost both Erra and Jiub within a few years of each other and he's beyond a mess. He falls back on this behaviour because he has no idea what to do. He cannot look after himself at all for the first year or so, pretty much doesn't leave the estate.

He pretty much just stays in his room and works on his thing, drinks all night and sleeps it off after. Sometimes he'll do this outside in the garden or on the beach.

He's pouty, he's uncomfortable with his thoughts and he doesn't know what to do with himself.

So he often just finds himself paralysed by thoughts and staring at his bed canopy.

Then there's Nerevar annoying the shit out of him, pestering him to go take power from Helseth and move into the power vacuum left by the Tribunal.

So he drinks to shut him up, dons his mask and goes looking for something to make him feel better. He's gone missing for days at a time when he's in this state. Geldis or Maera usually find him passed out somewhere by the docks.

This isn't the first time he's gotten into this state- where he's pretty much incapable of self care- his mother knows what to expect.

He's done this emotional regression on a few occasions but for different reasons-

The first time he had Corprus and needed to learn how to move in his new body, learn how it functions, learn how to walk again and regain his muscle mass after the significant wasting he experienced.

So he's grieving who he was.

The second time was after he lost Erra and shattered his pelvis and his femurs.

It's the second time he's had to learn how to walk again. He still requires a mobility aid since these injuries never really healed right. Does he use it? No…unless he's made to do so by Maera. XD

When Josh is in Summerset, it's less about him recovering from his physical ailments and more him being allowed to experience his grief in a safe space with no responsibilities. Mind you, he's still hobbling about but this is the first time in well…ever where he's actually being taken care of and allowed 5 seconds to breathe.

The Sero Estate in Sunhold is a villa with it's own private beach which he likes to make use of. in The Nerevarine's Lament, he describes how he'd describe things if Erra was there-

We had planned on seeing Summerset. My love, I would still have taken you there, even if you couldn’t see the twisting streets and towering walls of Sunhold, or the bone-white beaches and turquoise water that lapped soothingly at the shore. It would make it seem as if the chaos of home never existed. Erra I would have taken you by the hands and let you feel the sun on your skin. Let you feel the salty breeze flow through your hair. Let you breathe in air that wasn’t choked with ash. I could have been happy with that. Your ghost had told me otherwise.

Josh likes living on the water, he likes a warm climate and he likes the feeling of being alone, staring out into nothing and feeling like you're the only person on Nirn.

The villa lets him experience that sense of peace that he's been searching for. He starts to recover and focus on something new.

In those years between The Oblivion Crisis and Red Year, Josh is allowed to focus on himself. He doesn't have to worry about things like remembering to eat. He actually puts on some weight for the first time as a result. Teldryn's still naturally very lean but he's not looking "bony"

Basically, his clothes fit properly and that makes him feel weird.

Josh doesn't like anything too tight, more so after he get corprus and is stuck wearing compression bandages. He pretty much exclusively dresses in flimsy, thin silks, muslin and linen when he's in Summerset. This is also his usual wardrobe when he's not on the road. He pretty much just wears super thin, loose robes when he's lazing about. He wears a lot of jewellery as well so he's really just breathing that "Spoilt Rich Boi" look. Below are the compression bandages and said thin silk robes back in Suran straight after he's 'cured' of corprus. He still wears them on and off by 4E 199 but mostly under armour. Sydari thinks, initially that it's wrapped for fist fighting. Usually, that's what he says anyway.

So he sometimes wears those bandages under the flimsy robes.

So, Josh starts to feel better after he's had some time to just have his feelings. He has a few years before Red Year to do "whatever". What does Josh do?

Finishes his translation of the Rosetta Stone of course!

In 4E 227 he describes what happened,

“Didn’t think I’d see your face back here,” the sorcerer hummed, “Something about this whole place being beneath you?” I took a deep breath through my nose and opened my eyes again…I honestly don’t really recall precisely what it was that I did, only that I found myself getting into an argument with Arniel Gane on what I knew to be a translation error in his Dwemeri research. He simply implied that I had no clue what I was talking about and then proceeded to misinterpret from my own research tome. I mean, I did find the key to translating the Dwemeri language whilst I was fucking around as a hired sword on an expedition back on Vvardenfell. I’d only been out of prison a few months at that point, serving the rest of my sentence as a conscript for old Uriel Septim VII’s personal spy network. I just happened to talk my dumb ass onto the team. Mage’s Guild was lucky I knew fucking Ald Aldmeris well enough to actually make use of the findings. Of course, they dismissed me then too. Took an Altmeri pseudonym for my translation to be taken seriously, then the Mages Guild disbanded and my work was lost. So imagine my fucking shock when I saw my translations popping up in various mages halls across Tamriel after the Great War. Everyone’s using the Hanging Gardens of Wasten Coridale as their key. They just don’t know who did the work. I can tell you they certainly don’t expect a grizzly fuck like me to be the translator. But then again, stories of the Nerevarine’s more um…scholarly pursuits are not quite public knowledge for a reason. Mostly because I try my best not to associate myself with that title, it has never felt right. It’s a skin that doesn’t fit. I never was that kind of hero, and I refuse to try to live up to that ideal anymore. I like to spend my time researching Tonal Architecture and puzzle locks. It still surprises a lot of people. I scratched at my nose, looking the sorcerer in the eyes again, “I never said the College was beneath me, but it is beneath me to bother with idiots who can’t fucking read, mate.”

The translation of the Hanging Gardens of Wasten Coridale actually began whilst Josh was still fucking around with running Blades errands. The translation is difficult due to fragmentation and just the fact that he just doesn't get a lot of free time between 3E 427 and 4E1. Someone was always needing him to do something.

Since his mother is fiercely protective of his privacy at this point, he suddenly has the time for himself, and the project he started years ago. No one knows where Teldryn Ensirhaddon-Sero is, and those who think they do seem to think he's sailed away to places unseen (thanks Thieves Guild rumour mill.)

Josh, when not drinking his sorrow away or whoring is pretty much focused on this language key. He's always liked cyphers, writes his journals in one he invented when he was 12. It was just a big game for him. (think intently focusing in the Dwemeri Cube of Rubic).

He has his key figured out in about 4E 3 and tries to get it published. He starts by using his husband's last name (which he will use sometimes or that mixed with his father's last name) but found his work was getting rejected in both Summerset and Cyrodiil. So he uses an Altmeri pseudonym and suddenly finds it gaining interest.

The Mages Guild gets disbanded as his work's being reviewed. Which he's infuriated with, but he hopes that sending it to a few Altmeri institutions would help.

By the Dragon Crisis, you'll have one version with a mistranslation marked into it. Something that happened when the work that was submitted to the Mages Guild was then translated years later from the Altmeris he originally wrote the thesis in, to Cyrodiilic. This is usually marked as "Author Unknown".

This is the one he rags on Arniel Gane about. He found it one time at a bookshop in Sentinel and he's personally offended by the existence of it. By the Dragon Crisis, you'll have one version with a mistranslation marked into it. Something that happened when the work that was submitted to the Mages Guild was then translated years later from the Altmeris he originally wrote the thesis in, to Cyrodiilic. This is usually marked as "Author Unknown". This is the one he rags on Arniel Gane about. He found it one time at a bookshop in Sentinel and he's personally offended by the existence of it.

The second one is the correct translation and mostly circulates around the Dominion. It's the same thesis he originally submitted. It is published under the name Earran of Sunhold. He'd rather people use this version, but since it's locked behind the Dominion it's kinda inaccessible. He's since written it in Dunmeris and Cyrodiilic but those versions aren't in circulation. Existing in a lock box at his mother's estate in Blacklight for safe keeping.

He thinks Calcelmo's work using the Altmeri version is promising and may have taken a look at Sydari's charcoal rubbings of the falmer-dwemer stele. He found that there's 5 new letters and now thinks there's dialects.

By 4E 3, however, Josh's dreams start to cause him alarm again. His dreams usually play out like so:

He finds himself standing alone in the darkness, which slowly reveals itself to be the Ashlands of Vvardenfell.

He looks up at a volcano, which he eventually finds out is Red Mountain and watches it erupt.

He dies in the pyroclastic flow.

Then he wakes up for the second half of his dream. In the past, this has been the point that Dagoth Ur weaves something messed up or he comes into contact with once of the ascended. This is the point, just after being infected with corprus, that he fully accesses the hive mind and acts out ritual behaviour in his sleep.

Since he defeated Dagoth Ur, it's been mostly darkness until he encounters a fellow blight creature and he wakes up (after being consumed) or someone else wakes him up. He cannot do this himself.

The second part of these dreams, now that the Blight is silenced more or less can leave him almost comatose if he can't find a way out.

Not good, but he's grown a bit apathetic to waking up after having been asleep for a week. That only happens if he's alone- which isn't happening past the first occurrence of this. So he'll often just wander in darkness all night until he hears a familiar voice. He's used to it and he's bored by it.

What starts to alarm him is that the dream suddenly seems to be a bit more…lively. He finds himself in a loop in Vivec City as a great cataclysm rocks it. Sometimes it's that stupid rock, sometimes it's ash. The main thing is that he tries to save people but ultimately fails each time.

Originally, Teldryn thought what he saw in his dream was Sun's Death, mostly because he was dreaming of that particular eruption until he defeated Dagoth Ur. This part of the dream is always how Azura makes her presence known.

Josh starts to believe he's being given visions of something horrific to come and all he can think of is getting people out before whatever it is he keeps seeing actually occurs.

Unfortunately, he's misinterpreting Azura's intentions. This isn't a warning for him to go save people.

This was intended to tell him that he's fulfilled the prophecy and Azura has gotten her revenge on the Tribunal. This devastated landscape was intended for a fully melded Nerevar to fill the societal void. The intention was for the Incarnate (Nerevar) to bring the Dunmer back to "glory". Naturally, because Teldryn ended up being the damn Incarnate this didn't quite work right. His mind's too resistant and the melding never happened.

Instead, Nerevar struggles for control. Teldryn's still learning how to fight him off and Nerevar can possess him as a result.

He starts doing this to prevent Joshi from going back to Morrowind. It takes him almost a year to fight him off, but he does manage to get on a ship back to Vvardenfell after sending out several letters. He saves a lot more people than he thought he would, but he still blames himself for the devastation. And so ends his time in Sunhold. He has enough quiet time to get a foundational concept out of his mind after he lets himself rest and try to process what happened. He puts on weight and he spends a lot of time just being.

He's just existing really. He hasn't had a chance to just be in a very long time… if ever. There was always something he was doing wrong, being somewhere he wasn't wanted, being watched or having to complete some sort of colossal task.

From 3E 33 and 4E 5 Josh can just be. This lack of direction ultimately comes to bite him in the ass later (Drug addictions, sex cults, setting fire to more shit, more prison for said arson and then more arson and a whole group of pirates with a vendetta and ties to more powerful groups he's pissed off).

But for a little while it's okay. Josh needs structure.

He can't live without the structure!

[indiemedley]

Ice-E's P'E'ZZA Secret Boss: Greas-E

Time for a new Deltarune secret boss, this time for Ice-E's! The lovely art was done by the splendorous @zootyplex (commission her, her art rocks) and the fabulous @creepa-b0t-inc for the sprite renditions!

Now then, for the boss himself. Greas-E hails from the Corporate World of Ice-E's, run by the head C'E'O. In days long past, Greas-E served as the C'E'O's top enforcer, the one he contacted to get shit done, through violent means if necessary. Greas-E was fiercely loyal to his boss, being a part of the Family Menu in the upper echelon. He new the job came with a lot of risks, a lot of downsides, but he didn't care. He served his duty well.

One day, however, a haphazard Darkner spotted him in the middle of his less than moral activities, word of which did take very little time to spread throughout the Dark World. The C'E'O was certainly not happy to hear this, as he sought to maintain his profits with a proper family friendly image. As much as it killed him, he had to banish Greas-E, remove him from the menu in order to save face. As such, he was banished to the Icy Shelf, and left to be forgotten.

It was here that he came to meet a special someone among the tundra, one who showed him capabilities he never knew he even had. Powers that linked him to a grandiose machinated giant that lay dormant in the ice. He was ready to Supersize, all he needed was the right group of schmucks to help him finish the last minute prep time "That Weird Guy" got him on track for.

As for his Light World origins, his story is slightly more complicated than the average Light World Darkner backstory.

Greas-E was originally the benign pompadour type mascot for an item on the Ice-E's menu, part of the corporate attempt to make more of a cast for Ice-E, so they could market more toys and boost their funds. He was meant to advertise and sell the Super Mega Pizza Burger Triple Patty Greasemaster Deluxe, which was even more unhealthy than it sounds.

Of course, this terrible menu item led to some serious health concerns for the public, inevitably leading to its removal from the menu. However, the franchise had jumped the gun by a significant margin and had already begun construction on a line of animatronic entertainers for the Hometown location. They were intended to be half machine and half organic material from whatever product they were supposed to represent, that way, they could Serv-o Up Smiles!

This was an all around terrible idea.

Greas-E's animatronic was the first one to be put into production, and subsequently the first to be canned. However, they couldn't get rid of it, so, they just shoved it in the back of the freezer at the restaurant alongside the last unsold Super Mega Pizza Burger Triple Patty Greasemaster Deluxe patties.

It was here he was to stay. Here he was to rot. Mold and mildew slowly overtaking the meat on his body, but his hate still remains. His desire to get back on the menu and prove to his boss he can still be useful burns just as bright as it did before. And he'll serve up a 2-for-1 deal on pain along the way.

"What? What? Youse single serving punks tink you got ANYTHING on da Greasemaster? Tink again, Cornball!"

"We all pass our best-by dates, cornball, even the freshest meats expire!"

As for his general deal, Greas-E is a dirtbag sleazeball mafioso. He's a dick to most people, except his boss who he holds in the utmost regard. He speaks with an Italian American accent, much like a stereotypical mobster. He also consistently refers to himself in the third person as Greas-E or the Greasemaster. During his speech, he also sprinkles in a variety of food service references into his speech pattern. After meeting Kris, he tends to refer to them as Cornball or Order Reference Number M040N, or moron.

[kafus]

if you ever feel up to it, i'd love to hear how you got the mew. hearing stories about people and their pokemon is really fun.

SOMEONE TOOK THE BAIT LET'S GOOO i wanted to talk about thisSDFFDKS

anyway i got my hadou mew through basically a miracle encounter - back in 2020 i was buying a lot of older pokemon games to fill holes in my collection, either games i never owned or games that i lost over the years from childhood, and as for my missing gen 3 games, i ended up going for japanese copies of firered and sapphire instead of english because having foreign carts is neat but mostly they're just a lot cheaper. buying secondhand pokemon games is always fun because often times the seller doesn't wipe or even check the save file and especially if the save file has a lot of playtime, they're like time capsules from a stranger right. so both games come in and the sapphire has nothing interesting but i'm perusing the boxes of this firered and uhhh

LMAO my initial reaction says it all, i literally just found this thing on a completely random firered cart i bought! it was not advertised to have mew in it on the ebay listing, in fact the seller i bought from sells a LOT of imported japanese pokemon games (and other gba titles) so i imagine he just has a pile of these and he picked out a random one to mail me without so much as checking what was on it.

of course mythical pokemon on gen 3 carts are dubious, it's not like it's particularly hard to gameshark a mythical pokemon, especially considering that i've gotten a secondhand file before with shit like a box full of Deoxys caught at level 2 on the first route in hoenn LOL... so i was pretty serious about checking for legality on this thing as best i could - backed up the save file and inspected it in pkhex, all data was 100% accurate to the event and also reasonable RNG wise, like normal random IVs and stuff... checked for archived versions of this event mew, none of them were identical to online injectable ones, which means the owner couldn't have downloaded and injected it... and most of all, context clues

here's ancient pictures of this mew traded to my english leafgreen so it's readable for everyone - i had not done anything with this mew yet so it's completely untouched from how i found it here. we can tell from looking at this that whoever owned this mew was training it with the exp share as its still holding it and is level 23 despite being met at level 10, and the moveset... solarbeam, mega punch, dragon claw?? very random moveset that i can only imagine a child using. this mew looks like it was played with by its owner legitimately. additionally not shown here, the firered cart had a lot of playtime and like 2/3 of the dex complete, the boxes were full of pokemon that the owner had been breeding and a few unhatched eggs, like i hatched one and it was a completely normal eevee so they may have been getting extra eevees for pokedex purposes etc.

basically i cannot 100% confirm this mew was obtained legitimately without teleporting back in time and getting that japanese movie preorder bonus myself, but there is literally nothing strange about this mew and the save file it comes from is well loved and appeared to be played by a child doing normal pokemon stuff. so for all intents and purposes, this mew is definitely legit to me. actually insane happenstance. i have never gotten anything this crazy from a secondhand file before

think of it this way. some japanese kid in 2005 preorders a pokemon movie > he goes to the store to redeem it for a mew in person. in 2005. in japan. > he plays with the mew a bit > at some point he stops playing pokemon > he sells the game to some random american seller after never wiping the save or removing the mew > the american seller buys jp pokemon games in bulk to resell on ebay so he has a ton of them and probably doesn't check them for what's on them or the old save files > when i order it from this random ebay listing, the american seller picks a random fire red cartridge out of his bulk stash and mails it to me > it ends up in my hands 15 years later after the kid first got this mew

like holy shit it's a small fucking world huh

another old convo from the RM discord because i'm nostalgic about it, i had just started talking here at the time... i'm gonna be honest the ribbon master challenge and the people i met through it genuinely changed my life and this mew came into my life at the perfect time so it means a lot to me on top of being insanely cool

anyways i went on about that longer than necessary but yeah bless my mew i love him

[thebandbis]

Sci-fi: Well, it's been nearly 3 weeks since our big birthday bash and we just want to give the biggest thanks to all of you who made it - especially those who travelled frankly ridiculous lengths to get there. It always blows my mind how this band has provoked such passionate support over the last 30 years. What we lack in numbers we more than make up for in fervour! Special thanks also of course to our stellar supporting cast, local heroes Lung Leg and The Yummy Fur - bands we grew up with and shared stolen riffs with - and mega thanks to Eddie and Art Brut for going out of their way to share our big day. Biggest thanks too to Lora Logic for making the trip up and sharing a unique moment with us on Germ Free Adolescents. I duffed at least three notes as I was holding back the tears a bit, apologies for that. Apologies also that in an attempt to preserve my voice, I ate a staggering amount of raw honey which messed up my blood pressure and made me bloat to a hilarious level. Those on the balcony may have suffered my temporary lumps and bumps creaking through my slightly too tight Ayr United top and for that, I can once again only apologise.

I went to see the utterly immense Arab Strap at the Barrowland last weekend. It was an excellent show but my professional jealousy meant that I couldn't stop thinking of how tremendous Eurodisco would sound in there and that bis are frankly MILES away from playing a show that size. The common factor of the excellence of both shows though was Richie Dempsey on sound duty. Even from the phone footage of the bis show, you can tell the sheer quality of the sound and we can't thank him enough. (We've known Richie so long that he actually signed our very first rehearsal receipt in (gulp) May 1990). I also went to see Lloyd Cole (more of this later) and first hand experience the cuddle of familiar material that has stood the test of time. Lloyd is maybe the only person I know who is more sarcastic than me. Well, I don't know him but you know what I mean.

A few more observations -

We have never spent SO LONG on set construction. Squeezing 30 years into an hour, missing out key tracks and putting in b-sides and deep cuts but still, based on feedback, NAILING IT.

YES - We absolutely should have recorded the show (audio AND video) and monetized the recording but we have been STUPID for 30 years now and totally missed this opportunity.

It was truly exhausting pushing social media trying to get to the magical ticket sales figure we got to. We have no machine behind us and never will again. It felt great to fill that big room but the crushing comedown reality of the aftermath is knowing that we can't come to YOUR TOWN and play to the same number of people. If we could, we would.

But yes, finally - just to reiterate how grateful we are. Playing that big room was a risk for us and it massively paid off. Apart from my taxi home failing to exist - WHAT A FUCKING NIGHT.

[jullinh4x]

THE CURSED ROBOT ORIGINS (REMAKE)

CHAPTER 01 "YOUNG BROTHERS"

It's was a normal day in Silicon City, everyone was happy because Mega Man, the hero of Silicon City, had saved a bank and several citizens from being robbed by bandits

Citizens on all sides shouted:

"Mega Man! Mega Man! Mega Man!"

"AMAZING BOY!"

"Congratulations, Mega!"

Everyone applauded Mega Man, they were proud of Mega Man and of another success for the much-loved hero

However, Mega Man wasn't just a hero, he was also a boy who needed to return home!

"Dear citizens, it's time to go and rest! But don't worry, I'll always be here!"

The citizens understood and said goodbye to the hero, who began to walk through the buildings, making his way home

"Finally... The city has been saved once again! Now just go home and rest-"

"Hey!"

Mega Man turned around and saw Air Man, holding a somewhat familiar object...

"Hey kid, do you recognize this object?"

"Wait... IT'S THE MEGA KEY!"

"Right answer! Now, come if you dare!"

Air Man flew away, so without wasting any time, Mega Man ran right after him

After running a lot, Mega Man ended up stopping in a forest, which Air Man had entered

"This is very strange, Mini... But we must continue"

"You're right, let's go"

Mega Man entered the forest and began searching for Air Man, while following a trail

He walked and walked, until he found a strange structure, which looked like some kind of base...

"He must have come in here, let's go"

Mega Man then entered the structure and began walking through the corridors, searching from room to room for the Mega Key

He continued on, until he entered a room, where the Mega Key was indeed there

"Good, boss! Now let's go quickly!"

Mega Man walks towards the Mega Key but suddenly something kicks him VERY hard

"AH!"

Mega Man soon recovers and sees that Sgt. Night is there, but, he seems to be holding something behind him...

"Sgt.Night?! What are you doing here...?!"

"Ah... I've been here for a while, but I just came across you, stealing what's mine..."

"I'm not stealing, just getting back what you just stole! Now give me back the Mega Key!

"Oh Mega Man, I won't give it back to you, yet because, I want something more..."

Sgt.Night pulls out an axe behind him, he seems to want to kill Mega Man...

"What?! Please! Don't hurt me! We can solve this without violence!"

Mega Man runs to the door in terror, but Sgt. Night grabs his arm and rips it off with the axe...

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Mega Man screams, as he cries in pain and fear, Mega Mini is also terrified, not being able to think of what to do

Sgt. Night however, doesn't stop, he is totally determined to make Mega Man suffer...

Sgt.Nighy then takes out his axe once more and strikes Mega Man several times, ripping off his other arm, as well delivering a final blow, which not only rips off Mega Man's jaw, but also kills him instantly

"Great... I finally killed you, now I-"

"AH!"

Sgt.Night looks forward and sees Namagem, who witnessed the scene in complete shock...

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

"Oh... I guess I left a witness seeing everything... But now, I must discard the evidence of the crime"

"N-NO!"

Namagem remained in shock, he tried to run but Sgt. Night was faster and threw him against the wall, where he began to strangle him...

Namagem couldn't take it, so he fell dead to the ground, just like Mega Man...

Sgt. Night let out a maniacal laugh and picked up the two bodies and took them to a lab, where he began to run a series of reprogrammings on both of them

He continued, until he got up to get a screwdriver and left the lab but, as he left the room, a strange being emerged from the shadows...

"Ah... A new dimension... Perhaps... A new life form for me to transform into my host...?"

The thing looked at the laboratory and saw the bodies of Namagem and Mega Man, he gave a small laugh, now was a perfect time to attack

Using his powers, the thing multiplied and invaded the bodies of Namagem and Mega Man, transforming them into its hosts

Soon after, Sgt.Night returned to the laboratory, without noticing anything, he continued his tests and modifications, until after a while, everything is ready...

"Excellent, DM 001 and DM 002, you have a big mission now..."

"At your command, master" (both)

[chill-vibes-but-rainbow-panic]

I am mega late, but

HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY (AGAIN) TO MY FIRST EVER TUMBLR MUTUAL @labratgurlz :D

I was going to draw smth, but slow-dancing was a bit too ambitious, so I decided to do, what I always do, when I can't draw something

~Write~

So here's a short-ish Plargos fic

cw: some murderous/violent intentions/thoughts

If you had Mr. Plant write a list of things he'd rather be doing right now, he would finally have something to pass the time, and you could expect it in your mailbox by sunrise. It's hard for him to even imagine whose bright idea it was to hold an auction on a Wednesday night. The only reason he even knew the event was happening, was because no news broadcast in this part of the void would shut up about it, no matter how many times he switched the channel.

…And, because Argos very excitedly brought one of the flyers back home with him… Apparently, they were going to auction a particularly interesting plant; one that is not easy to come by, because it only grows out of a freshly buried lung. He had been saving up for months just to go and compete in the auction, and, of course, asked Mr. Plant to accompany him. So now - despite his hatred of social gatherings - he is sitting in this high school gym looking big room, while his boyfriend is yelling over the rest of the bidders.

Most of the people around him are dressed very proper, pearl necklaces, waxed leather shoes, and all that goes with them. When Mr. Plant turns his annoyed face out of his hand for a moment, he can see that even Argos' outfit fits; though the blazer-pants-combo is almost identical in colour to the outfit he usually wears anyway. It suits him. Mr. Plant himself put on the usual. Well, he threw on a tie that he still had in the back of his closet somewhere, but he couldn't have been asked for anything else. It's either uncomfortable situation or uncomfortable clothes, you can't have both.

"YESSS!" He is almost jostled out of his seat, his petals fully unfurling as any exhaustion or boredom runs out of his body, like a wild boar. The room around erupts into applause for the first time Mr. Plant has cared enough to pay attention in the last few hours. And when he looks up at Argos, he sees a delighted shine in every single one of his eyes, as he has stood up from his chair and is stretching his arms beyond the heavens. "WE DID IT, MR. PLANT!", he jumps up at down, a smile on his face so big it almost splits it in half.

The auction-leader brings down her gavel a few times, causing the audience to steadily quiet down. "Thank you, for your attendance, everyone! All of our winners will have their objects handed out to them before you leave.", a bell-headed lady speaks from the stage, a quiet gong heard with every small movement.

Mr. Plant does not like the sound of that at all. Are they not leaving now? "I hope you will all be having fun at the party we have organized for you. The staff will be leading you to the event-hall." …Ah.

Despite the crowd immediately forming a wave to sweep both in the direction of the party, Argos has no problems picking up on his boyfriend's mood, as soon as his initial excitement calms down just a little bit. He gently takes the flower's hand, redirection his attention back to a stable point. "Hey, this could be fun, right? After all, I'm here with you.", he gently squeezes his hand, his voice piercing through the noisy crowd, to Mr. Plant. He squeezes his hand back, letting himself be whisked away.

The party-hall appears to be a second, even larger gym, only now making Mr. Plant realize how much smaller this place looked from outside. The crowd quickly disperses around the room; mostly towards the buffet, like ants might a spilled soda. However, Argos only pulls Mr. Plant into the room just enough to not block the door, before he suddenly stops and stares into the air.

Mr. Plant tries to wave to him a couple of times, but he stays stiff as a statue, starstruck. "Hm?", he only turns towards his boyfriend, when he taps him on the shoulder. "Oh! Sorry.", he chuckles. "I was just kinda caught by the music. Has a nice ambience, don't you think?" Immediately, Argos starts tapping the beat of the music with his foot, one finger also tapping rhythmically onto Mr. Plant's hand. It is slow, deep, but predictable, like a still beating heart letting life and blood flow through the room.

He is surprised to see an entire small orchestra performing on the stage at the far end of the room. The frog behind the cello appears to be building the foundation of this piece, clearly audible, despite how many violins, clarinets, and flutes outnumber him. Each musician is dressed to the nines; a bow tie adorning their necks, and lovingly decorated flute lyres wrapped around one arm of each flute player, and most of the clarinets.

"Do you want to dance, Mr. Plant?" Before he can even think clearly, he pulls his hand out of Argos' grasp. His heart beats suddenly painful inside of his chest. He looks back to the stage - still as tranquil as before - wishing he could dissect that musician with his own stick, like a biology teacher.

"We don't have to! Of course.", Argos backtracks, pulling his hands up to his chest and smiling. He knows how Mr. Plant can get with these sorts of things; and he would never want to make him uncomfortable. Instead, he starts looking towards the table with the food, though it's hard to see anything with all of the people standing around.

Still, Mr. Plant can see it. The atmosphere is perfect. A perfectly silent room, except for its almost whimsical music; people already gathered to dance around them. He might pretend to not look at it, but Mr. Plant can see the chandeliers glisten in the eyes on Argos' checks, gazing up at them. Argos, that godforsaken, irritating, beautiful, perfect, hopeless romantic would never let an opportunity like this pass him up.

So Mr. Plant sighs, a barely visible smirk in his heart, and reaches one hand out to his boyfriend. He lights up at the sight. "Are you sure?", he double-checks, but as soon as the flower gives so much as a hint of a nod, Argos pulls hims further onto the dance floor.

Mr. Plant towers over Argos, or, any other guest present, yet he lets himself be manhandled by the other, who definitely has more experience in these things than him. He gently lays the arm underneath the green sweater on top of his own, with Mr. Plant laying the other onto - and almost around - Argos' back. "Don't worry", Argos prepares for the first steps, "I promise it is much easier than it looks."

He takes a step forward. Mr. Plant takes a step backwards, though more out of surprise. Then they both take a step to the side. Now Argos steps back and Mr. Plant goes forwards. Then another step to the side.

Hm. This…is actually much easier than he had thought. The first few attempts are not perfect by any means, but it doesn't take Mr. Plant long to get into the rhythm of the dance, not even having to think about each individual step anymore. He looks down at his feet, seemingly moving on their own, smiling a little proudly at himself.

Something thumps against his chest. His sight is obstructed by Argos' head resting on his chest , one petal softly grazing the side of his face. Mr. Plant has to move the arm he held on his back, closing the two of them further together, until he can feel every breath in Argos' chest lifting against him. Both of them keep dancing like nothing happened, perfect harmony between their steps.

Mr. Plant feels like there are a thousand eyes staring down at him, as if a massive spotlight had caused the crowd around to focus on him; the light causing his body to heat up rapidly. He wants to make them disappear. Maybe their sticky blood covering the floor could help stabilize his ever so slightly shaky legs. Maybe he could force all of them to look away, burying their eyes somewhere in the back garden of the event-hall he's trapped in.

Or; maybe it's just his boyfriend's face.

Mr. Plant doesn't think much, before he lays his head on top of Argo's hair, briefly tickling him in the face and causing a barely suppressed chuckle to come up from under him. The flower jokingly scoffs, lightly swinging side to side.

The music seems to be playing forever. The room becomes more and more empty, before everyone but them leaves his mind. Mr. Plant closes his eyes; and it is dark and warm, like a beautiful summer night.

Perhaps, his list of things he'd rather be doing just got a little shorter. Just a bit.

[saintmeghanmarkle]

Did WME Create and Fabricate the 'Dior Talks' PR Campaign by u/Cocokay1234567

Did WME Create and Fabricate the 'Dior Talks' PR Campaign It has occurred to me thinking more in depth about what really went down with PR blitz back in June that TW was supposedly 'in talks' with Dior for a 'mega' brand deal. I couldn't help but wonder if WME is involved in playing the same underhanded PR game as TW when it comes to the blitz/manifestation/attaching TW to Dior. So I did some digging. According to The Sun (linked below), a Dior source came out and said "There is no truth to the claims that she will partner with the French fashion house," also a Dior insider said its team was "nonplussed as to how the story came about". Hmmm... "nonplussed"?! Meaning they were surprised and confused how this story came about? So in other words, clearly they were NOT in talks with TW or doubtful even Harry for that matter because they would have said otherwise. So the question is, how DID this story that was nothing but a massive lie come about?I suspect that early on (prior to when all the crazy PR blitz went out saying TW was in 'talks' with Dior), TW caught wind that Dior was quietly looking at royals and others for brand deals/the new face of Dior. Really, this HAD to have come directly from WME (or someone in the know) because you can be 100% assured that exclusive brands at this high level have very strict confidentiality agreements and hold this information very closely who they are considering/negotiating with so other brands don't poach before a deal is signed. So after TW found out what Dior was doing, a PR blitz campaign was launched to spin/lie that TW was being considered in talks for a 'Mega Deal' with Dior was created and launched. BUT.... Dior clapped back almost immediately and said NO, it wasn't true. Also in June, WWD (Women's Wear Daily) reported in regard to where the story came from that "The narrative spun by many news outlets was that Markle’s talent agency in Hollywood, William Morris Endeavor, was pursuing a marquee fashion deal in a bid to blunt negative publicity surrounding her and her husband’s strained relationship with the British royal family, and their split from Spotify." So, I read this as a nice way to say that WME 'created' this story to offset the negative publicity. So in other words, it is believed among the media that WME fabricated the story. So with all of that said, THEN we get the story today in Deadline that that H&M believe that RF blocked the Dior deal THAT DIOR CONFIRMED NEVER EXISTED IN THE FIRST PLACE. So is this WME again with today's fabricated story or is this just TW gone rogue or both? I usually believe TW goes rogue because I can't imagine such a highly well respected firm like WME would ever put out such fabricated stories and spin but I think the truth is now clear. Furthermore, what kind of firm that is supposedly one of the best talent agencies in the world would base a PR campaign on such a blatant fabrication, risking getting caught (see WWD story below) and risking working with the brand and others in the future. Did they not think Dior would immediately call Bullshit? I can't imagine Dior was happy with all of this, especially since deals had yet to be signed at that point and the stories outed that they were in negotiations. The Sun story: https://ift.tt/1VK5Hw4 Wear Daily story: https://archive.ph/kFK1j​ post link: https://ift.tt/6MUOybu author: Cocokay1234567 submitted: December 16, 2023 at 09:33PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit

[kessielrg]

[Super Danganronpa 2] Pixel Perfect: Chapter 5

Chiaki is given a one-up.

Or, in which Izuru wonders if letting her die would have been more merciful than this.

And Hajime can’t stop apologizing.

Summary: In which Chiaki experiences chronic pain, and Hajime has to watch.

Notes: The last chapter for now! If I continue the idea it will be in oneshots. Thank you for all the love ya'll gave this fic while I was writing! This chapter is inspired by Florence + the Machine's song, The Bomb. Even with the lyrics, it's a calming song. It's a song for Chiaki (with Hajime, maybe) now. xD Thank you for reading!

(PS: if you're a fan of Mega Man X and/or want to see how I'd tackle a killing game, please check out 2 Die 4 You. Thanks!)

Rating: K+

AO3 link: here

-

Hajime did not know when he became the one to bring Chiaki to her rehab sessions, but here he was. He knocked on her door with care, waiting for a moment before finally going in. It took him a moment to realize that Chiaki was still a lump laying on her bed. That was... not usual.

“Hey Chiaki, how’s it going?” Hajime asked, just so she knew he was there.

“I hurt, Hajime. I very much hurt.” Chiaki informed him, not moving very far from where she was- just moving the blanket away from her face so he knew that she was awake.

“Well, it's a good thing you're going to therapy.” Hajime lightly joked as he moved to her bedside.

But Chiaki shook her head.

“Not today. I can't even move.”

This also wasn't normal for Chiaki. She never put up resistance before when it was time to go. Could she really not move?

“At least try.” Hajime offered, carefully uncovering some of her blankets off of her to make it easy. Chiaki's upper body shivered from the shift in temperature. She looked up at Hajime with sad, pained eyes.

“You can’t make me get up.” she warned him.

“But you have to.” he reminded her. “Nekomaru is waiting for us.”

Chiaki shook her head. She wasn't going to move- either voluntarily or genuinely was something Hajime was about to find out.

“Come on,” he coaxed, getting close enough to put a hand behind her back, “I know you can do it. You just need to try and-”

“No! Leave me alone!” Chiaki suddenly shouted. She used her whole weight to force Hajme's hand off her back- even attempting to bite it as it crossed her face. Hajime had to jump back in surprise. Izuru wasn't.

Chiaki reached for her blankets, trying to use them to cover up again, but found that she couldn't quite reach without moving her legs. She let out a frustrated shout before covering her head with her pillow instead.

After that display, Chiaki started to cry. Hajime didn’t know what to do. His hand moved upward in order to stroke her head, but instead it hovered just inches away in conflict. There they stayed as Chiaki let out her physical pain in tears.

Slowly, Chiaki's crying became small hiccups as she calmed herself down again. No matter how much pain she was in, she could still try to hold it together. It was just Hajime with her -that wasn't so bad- but what if someone was outside the door?

“You... you said both Hajime and Izuru exist in your body, right?” Chiaki quietly mused. “Well... I want to talk to Hajime.”

“That’s not how-”

“Please?”

The request was far too innocent to ignore. Never minding the fact that Chiaki was crying her eyes out not moments before. Whatever she needed to feel at ease again, they were willing to do it. For her.

Hajime reached over and placed his hand over hers.

“I’m here.” he promised.

Chiaki's whole body relaxed. She removed the pillow from her head, looking at him with red, tired eyes.

“I’m scared.”

Hajime's hand held hers tighter. He didn't speak, though. He knew that Chiaki had to simply let it out.

“I’m trying so hard, for everyone, and I- I don’t know if I can.” she admitted. “I'm in so much pain every time we do a workout. Swimming isn't so bad, if anything I think I prefer it more, but all those other exercises Nekomaru has me do? They make me want to die. They made me wish I did die, just so I wouldn't have to do them. So I... so I could have feeling in my legs again. You know? It's terrible, but...”

She trailed off, not sure where else to go with the line of thought. Hajime did not move. Both parts of him agreed that doing so was not what she needed right now.

Chiaki looked at Hajime. Her gaze in particular falling upon his singular red eye. In honesty, it sent a shiver down her spine. She could remember that eye staring down at her when Junko killed her. He wasn't going to offer mercy at the time. She wasn't even sure if he knew what mercy was in that moment.

“Why did he save me?”

“…Do you really want to know?”

Chiaki went silent as she truly considered it.

“Yes.” she decided. “I want to know why Izuru saved me then.”

It was that moment that finally made Hajime move his hand away from Chiaki's. He stepped a bit away from her bed- an act that definitely caught Chiaki's attention.

“It wasn’t Izuru who saved you. He set up the Lazarus container, but he didn’t make the choice.”

“It wasn't...?”

Izuru shook his head.

“Hajime Hinata was lost. He didn’t exist in the same body as Izuru at the time- and yet…”

“He wanted to save me.”

“Yes. He did.”

Chiaki looked down, processing the information. When she looked back up, she was smiling.

“Thank you.”

Hajime could not hide the blush that followed.

“I'm still not getting up, though.” Chiaki then said, her smile still persistent and somewhat joking.

Hajime let out a snort.

“I think you deserve not to.” he said. “In fact... I'll be back.”

Chiaki raised an eyebrow. Hajime gave her a smile before leaving her room.

He came back not long after with a bag in his hands. Chiaki winched as she forced herself to sit up, curious about what could have been in the bag. That was enough progress in the morning that he should have pressed her to try therapy again, but Hajime was already on a different mission now. He sat next to Chiaki on her bed before digging through the bag. After a moment or two, he pulled out a familiar pink handheld console.

“How’s your trigger finger?” he cheekily asked.

Chiaki’s whole face lit up. All pain was temporarily forgotten as she reached for the console. Hajime handed it over without issue. It was seconds between Chiaki receiving the console, turning it on, and letting everything boot up before starting a new game. The sounds of clicking directional buttons filled the room as Chiaki entered her element after so long. Hajime watched on with pride on his face. This was another reaction that Izuru knew would happen. You can take a person away from their talent, but the talent never leaves the person.

Chiaki only beat 10 levels before putting the console down. It shocked Hajime that she even pushed it away from her, allowing the game to go into a fail state instead of putting it on pause. Less of a shock was her laying back down on her bed again. Chronic pain was chronic for a reason. Chiaki tried to find a good spot to relax in before closing her eyes

“Hajime, thank you.” she said with a light sigh. “For everything.”

Hajime tilted his head.

“Everything?” he asked. With Izuru’s cadence he added, “You mentioned that you still wanted to die. Has that changed?”

Chiaki nodded.

“Maybe I still do, but I know I’ve got you and the others. I’m not alone.” She shot him a genuine smile. “We just got to remind Nekomaru that I’m not coming today.”

“Yeah,” Hajime snorted. “We should probably do that before he gets worried.”

With that, the two friends laughed.

[winterbirb]

My daydreaming can't be put on hold until late 2025 so here's some of my PL:ZA!AU

Characters

Juliette [Sycamore] - the head doctor of the Blue Cross (an × shape instead of +). Doesn't like pokemon because she's dealt with so many pokemon-related injuries. Not a fan of the city's renovation for how it's causing more pokemon-human injuries. Juliette (July) like Augustine (August). Xerneas. Prof Sycamore's curly hair pulled back into a bun; streaks of grey at her temples. Has her descendant's typical flair when talking about medical innovation.

Liliane [Fleur-de-lis] - Kalosian royalty, a descendant of the ancient king. The main financial backer of Lumiose City's huge renovation—and thus, also the protagonist. Liliane because... lilies, and I couldn't find a great lion name that wasn't trying too hard. Yveltal doesn't tie in as neatly. Maybe death of the old ways, in with the new? Long red hair like the female version of that lion pokemon I forgot the name of. Not wearing Lys's Yveltal gijinka suit.

Governor Désiré. Diantha's ancestor. The political force behind the renovation... and yes, this does follow the PL:A template, thabks for noticing. He's the "twist" villain, seeking to build a version of the Ultimate Weapon in Lumiose Plaza that's powered by none other than... *drumroll* Diancie! He wants to build a beautiful city and then turn it all, people and pokemon included, into Diancie's pink diamond so it's "beautiful forever." The Governor's Mansion has pink diamond statues which he refers to as his "beloved pokemon." Masc version of Diantha's face structure with the same base hair color, but styled in a perfect Politician's Cut with perfect streaks of grey at his temples... almost like he dyes his hair. Maybe he doesn't even leave grey streaks. Dresses in white suits with pink accents, a white ruffle collar with a pink diamond gem.

Emmet <3. He's in The Tunnels, for some reason. What tunnels? Well. IDK if catacombs would fit Pokemon (but it would certainly fit the life/death theme). If not actual catacombs, then some sort of ancient Diancie-created tunnel structure. He remembers more about the past/future than Ingo—same with my Serena vs Lucas. Why? Because it's my story, and I want them both to suffer in new ways. Emmet is seen as a strange ghost-like figure who haunts the tunnels, looking for his brother (how to find a way home).

Serena - originally from Unova, from the same town as Rosa (B2W2 protag), but a year younger than her. Moved after the Kyurem thing. Loves fashion, looks up to Elesa.

Mechanics

Serena (as the MC) needs to change clothes to fit in different parts of the city (like Looker doing disguise stuff; my Lucas has Looker's detective skills)

Zygarde is the "sponsor" this time, much like Arceus in PL:A. Some sort of Zygarde-tablet-thingy. But also Serena needs to do the Find Zygarde's Cells quest, because of course she does.

I don't really have any other mechanics. This section was just made to include the fashion thing.

Oops, I forgot about Mega Evolution. It's there, I guess.

I just remembered Hoopa. It helps Serena travel around the city and get into places she shouldn't be in. Why, when its chaos is the opposite of Zygarde's order? IDK, Governor Désiré probably pissed it off.

Other

It's Paris in the late 19th century. It's gross. It's overpopulated. Greedy capitalists abound, and so do the horrors of poverty. There's also an overconsuming Royal Class. She has to hold onto her ideals despite all the signs pointing to the "easy out" of Lysandre's hardcore-Malthusian philosophy. She succeeds with flying colors, because "kill all the poors and unworthy so humanity has enough to survive" is a terrible philosophy.

Might be redundant because Zygarde, but a major theme is ecology and ecosystems.

Emmet and Ingo both disappeared and came back in 2011; BW happens in 2010, B2W2 happens in 2012, XY happens in 2013, and Serena disappears a few years after 2013. Emmet remembers being in the past, and is very alarmed when a younger Serena becomes the Kalosian champion. Elesa, who is troubled by how much the twins have changed and how little she knows, eventually gets in contact with Serena. When? IDK. I just want them to meet up eventually.

Lysandre isn't dead in the present time. Even in Y, in-game dialogue implies he's still alive. There was plenty of time to drag him out of the Ultimate Weapon.

Perhaps Zygarde traveled through an Ultra Wormhole to bring Serena back and prevent Désiré's dumbassery... but got scattered into Z Cells. Or maybe Hoopa brought it to the present, but on the way back to the past it had to use an UW and got scattered. IDK, I'm just trying to figure out a way for post-games Lucas and Serena to meet in Alola (to harass Looker and give Nanu a headache ofc).