#but. no. because they aren't and it is entirely possible for knowing more to connect you MORE to the world you're in. in fact it's usual.

[mangled-by-disuse]

it's because people, especially in the past few decades, LOVE the idea of the asshole genius

it's a great story, that being smart makes you a dick. it means that if you think you're smart, you can be as much of a dick as you want, and if you don't think you're smart, you can tell yourself, hey, at least i'm not a dick.

(The same principle underlies the idea that beautiful people must be stupid or cruel - but that one is less two-sided, because we no longer believe quiiiiite as strongly that beauty conveys inherent moral worth, whereas we ABSOLUTELY believe, as a society, that intelligence conveys absolute superiority.)

But if you acknowledge that hyper-intelligent, hyper-focused, hyper-competent people can also be nice and fun to be around, then, like... what's your excuse? If Sherlock Holmes, the platonic ideal of a smart brainy very-clever-smart-intelligent person, can also be a kind and sympathetic person, then, like, maybe you're not a dick because you're secretly a superior being who is attenuated to every strand of quivering data.

Maybe you're just a fucking dick.

Just started reading Sherlock Holmes and all the adaptations are wrong. This man is a delight. He gets excited about hemoglobin and is ecstatic at the thought of Watson as a roommate. He purposefully forgets how the solar system works so he has more room in his brain for crime. He shows Watson the dirt stains on his trousers and he can tell what part of London they come from based on color and consistency. (As far as i can tell Watson didn't ask, Sherlock just gets back from walks and tells Watson about the stains unprompted.) The text specifically says "Holmes was certainly not a difficult man to live with." Why does every adaptation make him unpleasant and rude, he's literally just eccentric. He's such a goober, I love him.

[autistichalsin]

I hate that I have to give this PSA at all- that I do is a failure on the part of multiple governmental organizations. But it is important.

COVID damages a lot more than you think. It damages more than your lungs, and does more than give you digestive issues. And sometimes, those issues can last well after you get better, even if you're not a person you would otherwise think of as being sick with long COVID.

If you only remember these two things, please just remember that:

COVID can and does damage your heart.

COVID can and does damage your nervous system, particularly your brain.

If you have had COVID in the last 18 months, you are at a highly elevated risk of sudden cardiac death compared to someone who hasn't. In the first three weeks after getting sick, your odds of dying from a heart-related event are 81 times that of an uninfected person, and five times higher in the following 18 months. You are also at a higher risk of of developing nonfatal heart disease; 40% likelier. (Source for all claims in this paragraph)

If you develop ANY cardiac symptoms at all after getting COVID- heart palpitations, blood pressure issues, fatigue, fainting, getting out of breath easier than is normal for you- you need to see a doctor as soon as possible, and you need to tell them you've recently had COVID. You have long COVID until proven otherwise.

Similarly, your risk of neurological disorders remains heightened over a year after getting COVID; approximately 40% higher. (Source) This manifests in more ways than I have time to list, but includes a vastly higher risk of dementia of all types (doctors are particularly seeing this with the under-45 group that was previously extremely rare), memory disorders, sensory issues (like persisting loss or distortion of taste and smell), mental health issues like anxiety or depression, and even more.

These can manifest in a lot of ways. But if you experience new anxiety or depression, new behavioral issues (particularly for those under the age of 18), if you suddenly can't focus anymore or can't remember things anymore (ESPECIALLY words, COVID has been noted to cause extreme difficulty with word recall), if you have tremors, if you're tired all the time, if you have "brain fog", if you have trouble sleeping, I could go on... again. You have long COVID until proven otherwise. EVEN IF you aren't "that sick". Even if you have energy to do things and can mostly function but you just aren't doing well in school/at work anymore because you can't remember the things your teacher/professor is talking about/the new work protocols your boss went over with you.

If you hop over to the subreddits for teachers or professors, you will notice a lot of them noting their students don't remember basic things the teachers have been pressing for an entire semester, or that students can't sit long enough to focus through a movie. And sure, some of that is cell phones reducing attention span, or students just not paying attention- but they just can't seem to pick up the pieces there that they are seeing long-term sequelae (that is, a different illness arising from COVID infection) in their students. It is everywhere, but few people are connecting the dots.

Similarly, there is a huge wave of pilots being unable to pass their physicals and losing their licenses, or making mistakes due to brain fog (in some cases even leading to crashes) or falling victim to sudden cardiac death in the middle of a flight.

EVERYONE is at risk from this. No one is talking about this. I don't kn- well, actually, no, I do know exactly why, I just don't like it. People want to make COVID the new flu, but it just isn't. It is not and never will be the flu. And we are willingly inflicting cardiomyopathy and dementia and all sorts of awful things on people in the name of regaining a sense of normalcy that is gone, but ironically would be closer to returning if we had accepted for a while that things WEREN'T normal and acted accordingly. But that chance is gone now, COVID is never going away because people couldn't bother, but they still can't admit it, they can't face the consequences of their actions, so instead we're getting this attempted coverup of the real long-terms dangers of COVID that even "young and healthy" people have.

But pretending things are normal doesn't make sick people healthy. So instead, try to educate folks, because there is a very high chance you or someone you know is sick right now, due to COVID infections they had months ago, and doesn't know it because people are pretending COVID is just the flu but with tummy upset and a disrupted sense of taste/smell.

People NEED to know what the actual dangers are.

ALSO, sidenote: if you are masking, and ask your medical team to mask, and they respond by starting to suggest you are experiencing "COVID anxiety", find a new provider. Immediately. Don't even continue the appointment. They are not interested in helping you.

Signed, your friendly neighborhood epidemiologist.

[kokokoula]

it's alright

TW: smut in the second section, but i make it as fluffy as possible i swear

a/n: um in my defence i just really wanted soft and cute smut and i couldn't find much. it is my first time writing nsfw ok, it will probably be a bit cringy. i'm not planning to write any more smut in the future, just spare me this one 😔🙏

---

it's well late into the night, but it's only now that both you and your coworker, tsukishima, finally end work at the sendai museum. as you take the lift down together, your stomach lets out an embarrassingly loud grumble. tsukishima doesn't bother to hide his laugh.

"shut up, i haven't eaten dinner yet." you scold him, your face hot.

"right."

at the sight of his amused face, your heart does a little flutter.

you're close enough to your reserved colleague, sharing the same shifts and all. not to the point of contacting outside of work, but there is still some kind of weird connection that you can't imagine having with anybody else. it gives you butterflies and uncontrollable smiles, makes you look forward to work, even. despite that, you shove it down. maintaining professionalism is a strict rule here.

the two of you are close enough.

"damn, i'm craving for good ramen right now." you lament as the lift doors open. he lets out a noise of acknowledgment and walks out. you're used to his nonchalance, and simply leave the building with him. you're about to part ways, till he calls out from behind.

"aren't you coming?" you stand there dumbly, not understanding his words.

"you want ramen, don't you? i know a place still open." tsukishima nods to the opposite direction. you widen your eyes. you know he isn't one to initiate these kinds of things, and you've never hung out after work together before. you don't want anything to happen between you two... but one supper can't do any harm, right?

you grin and catch up to him.

---

you were dead wrong. incredibly wrong. you blame him for getting yourself in this mess.

because now you have the one you swore not to get too close to on top of you, in your bed, kissing you senseless.

it's your first time seeing him like this: his hair dishevelled, his lips swollen, and his golden flecked eyes without the lenses; he's even more beautiful. okay, if this is a mess, a mistake, it's a perfect one.

tsukishima sinks his cock into you. it stings a bit at first, but the feeling is quickly replaced by something else entirely better.

"fuck, you're so…" he groans and you bite your lip. you run your fingers through the strands on his nape in adoration and his hips snaps into you, eliciting a moan.

"hah, your fault." he starts thrusting, hard, and you give a cry out. all the while, he's cupping your cheek, his thumb brushing away your stray tears lightly. it's a funny contrast. he buries his face into the crook of your neck, kissing, nibbling, panting, moaning… shit, you can feel it coming.

"tsuki--"

"kei."

"huh?"

"my first name. kei." it's sacred.

"kei," you experimentally let the word roll off your tongue. you've never said it before, but it feels right. he takes in a sharp breath.

"good girl." he pushes your legs further apart to reach the spot that makes you see stars.

"kei!" his name comes to you so easily now, and you won't mind saying it a thousand times over. he rewards you with a rough, albeit sloppy, kiss. pinning one of your hands to the soft mattress, he intertwines his fingers with yours, gripping tightly. it's a small action, but it's an affectionate one.

you think you might actually be falling for him. it's probably a terrible idea, but maybe it's worth taking the risk.

---

the sun is rising on the horizon, and you'd just fallen asleep. meanwhile, tsukishima lies awake next to you, studying your face and listening to your steady breaths.

it must be creepy of him, he thinks, but he can't bring himself to look away. he has known you for over a year now ever since you joined the museum, and spent half of it pining for you. to end up here with you, is something he believed he could only dream of. kei brings his hand up to brush away the stray strands of hair covering your face, but stops himself before he actually does.

is he allowed to do this? to be this intimate? it sounds stupid, given that you two have just fucked. however, he has always made it a point to keep to corporate's rules, and now that he had just broken an important one, he doesn't know what to do.

tsukishima's mind runs in circles, but everything halts when you snuggle closer to his chest, a cute little frown on your sleeping face. he melts immediately, his face flushing red.

fuck it, he won't be able to not love you from this point forwards. he carefully puts an arm around your sleeping figure and places a gentle kiss on your forehead.

right now, he'll just enjoy being with you, and that should be alright.

[atrophiedemotion]

escapism vs reality in alien stage

in this post (elaborated greatly by geo's tags as well) i mentioned a big sua/till parallel i noticed (but didn't go into much detail because i didn't want to derail the post lol), and i wanted to go into more detail on that and the overall reality vs fantasy theme alnst has going.

sua & till both use their love for mizi as a form of escapism. sua's love for mizi and the weight of her knowledge of their universe causes her to create a safe (fake) bubble for her and mizi to exist in & makes it as perfect as it can be before they're out of time. till uses his love & admiration for mizi as a beacon of hope, as motivation to go on despite how horribly he's treated in day to day life. mizi is the brightness in both of their dull lives.

this view of mizi as a hopeful, optimistic sort-of deity sheds light onto an entire theme of alien stage, escapism vs reality. it also shows that mizi & ivan, in this specific instance, are antitheses of each other.

mizi, as a character, symbolizes hope and escapism. she is the only character out of the main four that didn't understand the exact conditions of their world due to how she was raised. she does not fully grasp how horrifying the alnst universe is until she watches sua die, which is the inciting incident for the entire series. escapism isn't possible anymore, but hope is still there when she gets rescued by hyuna and joins the rebellion.

ivan, on the other hand, literally symbolizes truth and the reality of their world. since he was born he understood the cruelty the segyein are capable of and knows exactly where he stands in the world. he is seen to be fatalistic and even nihilistic. his death, which he sees as an inevitability, is the second inciting incident (the one where everything goes to shit chaos afterward). it is a brutal reminder of the truth of alien stage to both the characters and the audience.

sua & till actively seek out mizi as solace in their pain, and they both actively avoid ivan (in their own ways) and the connections he has to reality.

sua avoids ivan because, well, he's mean to her, but mostly because he's not even trying to be mean, he's just objectively right and she doesn't want to hear it. he is a reminder not only of the cruel world they live in but her own 'twistedness'. he reminds her that she is not solely the fantasy she's created with mizi, but someone with unavoidable knowledge of the inevitable (as well as someone who is willfully keeping this information from an unknowing mizi).

till avoids confronting his feelings for ivan and confronting ivan in general because ivan confuses him. his feelings for ivan aren't cut and dry in the way his feelings for mizi are, because ivan is and always will be tied to pain and suffering for till (their first meeting in the auction shop, their miscommunication/strange relationship, the fact that ivan is the only one who sees him at his most vulnerable, etc). ivan's death forces him to confront these feelings (for ivan & about their world in general) but even then he's repressing them until he physically can't anymore.

mizi is escapism & hope, literally realized because she escapes. ivan is reality & a representation of the fate of alnst contestants, literally realized through his death.

it doesn't end there, though. sua & till are escapists running from reality (with diverging paths that are both narratively important in their own ways), while mizi represents escapism & ivan represents reality. along similar lines, but going a step further, hyuna & luka showcase these exact themes.

hyuna is the legitimate showcase of hope, of freedom. she is a free human (as free as you can get in the alnst universe) and the leader of a human rebellion focused on uprising as a race against the segyein.

luka is the perfect example of compliance within reality. he is now a two time alien stage champion and the definition of a pet, no matter how he actually feels.

hyuna & luka are similar to, but a step beyond, mizi & ivan. mizi symbolizes escapism, but she is faced with reality and must grapple it, while hyuna is freedom personified (albeit with demons of her own). ivan symbolizes reality, but he still yearns for something he thinks he'll never have, while luka completely shuts off those emotions because he knows they will only jeopardize his chances of survival.

the characters of alien stage perfectly embody one of the core themes of alien stage, the discrepancy between fantasy and truth, and the way those can coincide in a world.

[gallusrostromegalus]

Hi Gallus, I'm doing some worldbuilding and you seem like you could be connected enough for me to find an answer to the problem of dwarven agriculture. Many problems are created by the requirement of no sunlight, as even the common response of mushrooms still need light to break down decomposing matter as a primary energy source. Currently, we're thinking that they use a special type of mushroom that breaks down rocks in an energy-producing reaction, giving them enough energy to absorb nutrients and grow - this would serve a second purpose in explaining why building a massive hollowed-out mountain fortress doesn't produce an equally large amount of gravel.

Any thoughts? We're grasping at straws kinda lol

Well, some thoughts:

There's plenty of cave systems (especially Karst Systems) that are at least partially open to Sunlight- especially the kind that have rivers running through them, which is something else that's really helpful for agriculture.

For Example: This Cool AF Sinkhole cave in china that has an entire Forest in it

Now There's a view to put outside the city Gates!

Karst specifically is a landscape where underground rivers hollow out the limestone underground and then the cave roofs fall in. This kind of landscape answers your gravel question nicely: the hollowed out mountain does produce an equal amount of gravel, but the gravel turns up as the sandy banks of the river system hundreds of miles away.

So, there's your sunlight that can be used directly, or reflected or magically transferred deeper into the cave system.

Or they just put more holes in the roof! Unless your dwarves are also vampires, there's no reason for them to not hollow out a few Skylights into the mountain too.

But let's talk some other cave ecology and agriculture!

For starters, your dwarves could be sitting on top of a literal gold mine that would allow them to trade for a lot of needed materials and crops.

And by gold mine, I mean Salt Mine.

Historically, salt comes out of hollowed-out mountains and is worth more than gold.

Also something the humans have historically fought a bunch of wars over, so there's some free political tensions if you needed that!

I can also mean the possible fucking enormous piles of bat guano that accumulates in Karst caves, which is the world's most insanely good fertilizer, and ALSO something that has been worth more than it's weight in gold.

Speaking of Gold, another thing that often lives in sinkhole caves in abundance is BEES. turns out, limestone stalactites are a terrific place to build a hive that is difficult for predators to reach, stays dry and the stone substrate means the hives can reach many tons in weight before they start having structural issues. That sweet, sweet insect-derived liquid gold is already important to Dwarves in a lot of folklore- it's really hard to have a Traditional Dwarven Mead Hall without the honey to make the mead, you know?

So you got your mushrooms, you got your sunlight-grown sinkhole crops, you got your traded goods and you got your source of alcohol- the only thing really missing from an ancient food pyramid here is a staple carbohydrate. To that end, may I propose our good Peruvian Friend: The Potato.

Grain crops aren't actually all that nutritious and were kept around in ancient societies more as legal tender that kept the peasants busy, because wheat or rice takes months to grow, an enormous amount of labor to harvest, and wheat also needs to be milled before it can be turned into food- all enormously time-consuming processes that keep peasants busy and easy to rule tyranically over.

Potatoes though? Pop one in the ground in spring and you can dig up fingerlings all summer, and if you make potato towers, you can harvest up to 40lbs of delicious, easy-to-prepare-and-store carb out of a single plant- a real space-saver for the limited sinkhole skyspace.

If your dwarves have cheese, the potato makes even more sense, because Potato+dairy is the easiest, most nutritionally complete survival food there is.

Finally, consider: Dwarven Vodka.

This post is open for anyone to comment suggestions on, but that's my take: put your dwarves in a Karst-sinkhole cave system, give them a highly in demand resource like salt or guano, bees, and taters. Boom. Whole agriculture, economy and political scheme starters.

[yanderes-galore]

Since Lies of P is on the menu, would you write a concept for Pinocchio/P with a Human Darling? -🐈

Sure! I watched a lore video so I know most of the background (That's... one way to cope, Geppetto....). P's personality is ambiguous just like the game, but he is trying to be human (Totally not for you, definitely....)

I got really into this... So that was fun.

❗️Spoilers For Lies of P Lore❗️

Yandere! Pinocchio/P with Human! Darling

Pairing: Platonic -> Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Stalking, Overprotective behavior, Jealousy, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping implied, Isolation, Forced kiss, Dubious companionship/Forced relationship.

Pinocchio is certainly a... lost individual throughout the events of the game.

By the time he awakens, he's barely aware of his purpose.

He's clueless to Krat's problems until he encounters them.

There's the puppet frenzy, the disease plaguing humans, the undead....

Pinocchio, due to how he was created and his purpose, is in a strange middle ground.

He's a puppet... but also not.

Due to his unique creation, he's more akin to a human the longer he interacts with his world.

Unlike other puppets, he chooses his actions, he's sympathetic.

So imagine if he meets you, a human, and starts feeling... strange.

The big mechanic in Lies of P is choosing between two paths.

You can either stick to your programming and stay a puppet, or you can aim to be something more... human.

Imagine Pinocchio trying to be more human because he's attached to you?

Maybe you knew Carlos... or maybe you're entirely unrelated?

Either way, you meet the puppet during his quest through Krat.

Humans were rather scattered in the city due to everything going on.

You either perish from sickness... or one of the mechanical monsters in this place.

You had been scraping by the best you could.

However, just when you thought you'd meet your end...

A puppet stepped in, slaying another robotic automaton and preventing it from harming you.

This puppet... was different from the others.

You don't understand it at first... The puppet is oddly quiet as it observes you.

Yet this one speaks... and you can understand it.

It's a bit stilted at first, as if struggling to find its voice.

But you manage to learn its name... P.

It's a simple name, no doubt a nickname.

You deem Pinocchio/P harmless, despite its surprisingly curious gaze.

Something about this puppet seemed more human and controlled than the others.

All other puppets in Krat are frenzied... This one is not.

Your first meetings with the puppet are... mutually curious.

You've never seen a puppet like him.

He felt so human even as he led you to where most other humans were hiding with Sophia.

It's... uncanny, actually.

For now you can tell the difference... but later it's nearly impossible.

Pinocchio, on the other hand, is just as fascinated with you.

As I said before, this would make more sense if you had some sort of connection to Carlos.

Since Pinocchio seems to act on the memories of Carlos... Maybe you were friends like Romeo?

That or you remind him of someone similar and that makes him keep an eye on you.

Pinocchio is a puppet you end up encountering more than you'd think.

The puppet's attachment to you feels... real in a way.

At first you thought the puppet was simply trying to protect you, no doubt some sort of programming that makes it so humans aren't harmed....

The thing is... It isn't anything like that.

This attachment comes entirely from his decisions.

No one is making him follow you around...

He's choosing to.

When Pinocchio isn't out searching for his father, he looks for you.

You could be scouting or staying in Hotel Krat... and still find that mysterious puppet.

You swear he's following you... and maybe he is.

Something in him wants to understand you.

You can read curiosity in his cold gaze... bug you don't want to acknowledge the thought.

This is a puppet... just like the ones out there... yet it's so hard to convince yourself of that.

Each time you see Pinocchio, he's less like a puppet.

You try to tell yourself it's just because you're used to him...

Although, who keeps changing his appearance then?

Pinocchio is gentle with you, always observing you like you're easy to break.

You can't tell what the puppet wants from you....

At the very least you assume friendship... You see that in the way he talks to you, slowly getting more used to using his voice.

He listens to you, mechanical gears clicking as he watches you.

It's like he's fond of you.

You begin to question his motives once he gets bolder.

Whenever you're busy, you'll feel his cold touch tentatively prod at you for attention.

He often sticks around you to see what you do, watching your every move like he's trying to learn from you.

There's times the puppet will mimic you... and other times he acts on his own accord.

You feel like you never get answers when it comes to Pinocchio.

The puppet is determined to talk to you, to learn from you...

He wants to learn everything.

Pinocchio is used to fighting.

Any weapon he uses is often covered in the life blood of whatever beast remains in Krat.

He's a skilled and determined fighter... he never seems to really die as long as his heart is intact.

He has such a pretty face... yet violent tendencies.

Although, with you, there's no trace of that.

With you he's a genuine pretty face, even if it's all to cover up lies.

You begin to worry as Pinocchio becomes more human... and more bold

If you're upset or scared, he sits beside you and attempts to mimic human comfort.

That... That is okay... at least, you try to tell yourself that.

It's when you notice Pinocchio getting more... insistent? Affectionate?

Pinocchio only ever seems to greet you with a hug the more human he becomes.

It's all very strange... You swear you felt him warmer...

Must just be you.

Others comment on his changed appearance, yet you struggle to grapple with the thought.

He's a puppet... but with you he acts too human...

He hugs you, tells you he missed you...

Yet still observes you from a distance, as if cautious about you being around other humans.

Things hit a peak when Pinocchio's actions can no longer be described as friendly.

At first you thought the puppet wanted you as a friend.

Maybe he has a basic view of friendship?

Somehow... unfortunately for you... it appears he's learned new behavior.

During a conversation with Pinocchio in Hotel Krat, you notice the oddly human puppet acting strange.

As you lament about something, you immediately stop in your tracks when Pinocchio leans closer.

You freeze when the puppet is nearly against your side and chest, mysterious eyes watching you.

When the puppet goes in for what you can only assume is a mock kiss, you gently tilt his head away.

You aren't sure if you should even be surprised anymore when Pinocchio gives a confused expression, neck clicking as he tilts his head.

It feels too wrong... too strange... too artificial yet not....

You apologize to the puppet, stating you can't go through with... that.

The puppet merely blinks, but nods with a mumbled agreement.

Unfortunately, you see the puppet trying again once more time passes.

He keeps trying to gain more humanity, to be more human.

Do you not love him because he isn't a human?

He doesn't get it... He recalls memories of him feeling this way to someone like you...

Why aren't you reciprocating?

The puppet tries to become more human to win you over.

By the end of it with long hair in a silver blue tinge... He hopes it's enough.

He wants to feel your warmth, your lips, your touch...

He wants to feel human.

Even if you refuse him as his most human state, perhaps the puppet may just snap.

He's tired of this, he's tried so hard...

He'll never be fully human or chase those memories again...

So he just needs to force it.

At your final rejection, the puppet pins you.

His eyes are cold, body much stronger and sturdier than your own.

With a click, his eyes look to your lips, before you feel cold porcelain lips on your own.

You push on the puppet, it doesn't budge.

The kiss isn't invasive... but it's bruising, a fabrication of the real thing.

By the time Pinocchio pulls away, he's already decided what he wants.

You'll realize he's human enough for you... He just needs to be patient.

You'll love him like you would a real human, won't you?

Even if it means him keeping you away from any other human?

Perhaps Pinocchio just needs to learn new tricks....

You'll love the puppet eventually...

Especially if he makes it so he's all you have.

[ancientpersacom]

I know people have pointed this out before but these pictures,,, the fact they're canon. Let me just yap for a second.

This is photographic proof of Sebastian's existence. He let himself be pictured, even leaned into it. Except he has no birth certificate, no ID presumably and no record of his life pre butler. On the record, he appears into the world as an adult, working for the phantomhive family as a butler. And when his contract ends and Ciel eventually dies, he'll completely disappear again. No more photos of him, no written records like his signature on something or mentions of him in letters etc.

Unless, he faked it all. Did he create a fake birth certificate and ID? Did he make up a backstory for the 'Sebastian' persona? A birthday and birthplace? Education? Previous jobs? Because being a butler for a NOBLE family would require some kind of qualification right?

So my question: did Sebastian create an entire human identity for this butler contract, to as thoroughly as possible disguise himself? Or is he a complete historical mystery? A man who only exists on record as the butler to a noble family then disappears? No childhood, no death, he just shows up and vanishes.

And also...

This picture. The reapers are caught on camera.

And these three WOULD have record of their existence from their human lives... expect it'd be decades maybe even centuries before this picture. There'd be death certificates for William Spears, Ronald Knox and Grell Sutcliff. And yet here they are, seemingly alive and STILL as old as the day they died.

Now Grell, she may be able to get away with it given her transition. She was still passing as a man when she died, and now passes (mostly, her voice is likely what gives her AGAB away during this period) as a woman. So unless someone had a really good eye, they might not be able to connect this woman to the Grell sutcliff that died.

But Will and Ron? You could connect them to their human lives.

So while Sebastian as a historical mystery because where did he come from and where did he go, the reapers are a historical mystery because aren't they meant to be dead? Like a whole century ago?

And Grell, if no one could connect her to her pre-transition life, would be another 'who the hell is this person, where did they come from, where did they go?' Situation.

The modern historans who are looking into the sinking of Campania and the legacy of the Phantomhive nobles are in for a real frustrating set of mysteries.

[localapologist]

Junior Officer Maddie Nolen - Alphabet Headcanons (SFW)

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

~ Maddie is super affectionate.

~ Not only is she physically affectionate (she loves hugs, hand-holding, and just having you near her or her hands or lips on you somehow), but the way she talks to her partner would be so intentional and caring, merely because she knows that every moment with her girl would count in her line of work.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

~ Maddie is definitely the friend who has a clear crush on her bestie for years, but refuses to say anything because of gay panic. This includes if she knows her friend is gay too! (Because in her mind; “What if she's gay for every girl but me?”)

~ Having this in mind though, her reluctance to tell you about her crush, or even her not having a crush on you, would not change much about being her best friend. She'd still be kind, considerate, generous and an overall delight to hang around.

~ She's definitely a yapper friend though, so be prepared.

~ The friend would start with her enthusiastically introducing herself in a random setting and an instant connection leading to you wanting to know where you'll most-likely find her again.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

~ Maddie loves to cuddle. It's second nature to her. The reassurance of having someone near, especially after long days, makes her feel safe and secure, and she'll often ask for cuddles in the middle of the day if she thinks it won't be too much of an inconvenience for you.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

~ Maddie is so devoted that she'd definitely want to settle down. She'll get you to a courthouse a year into your relationship if you let her. But that's also just her way of expressing love, true commitment.

~ In terms of cooking and cleaning, she's definitely not a multi-talented queen in this regard. She's either gonna feed you a 5-star meal after leaving the kitchen in an almost irreparable state, or be the best cleaner who burns toast on the regular. (And you'll take either option, of course) She does lean closer to being a good cook though.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

~ She's going kicking and screaming. She definitely didn't come to the realisation that you had to break up by herself, and one of her friends and/or family probably made her aware of how the relationship wasn't working anymore.

~ Still, once she's more aware of the fragments in the relationship, she can't look away. She'll either try to rapidly fix them and fail, or break down from the realisation and then slowly explain why this isn't gonna work out.

~ She's not good at hiding her disappointment for the most part though, so once you separate, she might need some space from you entirely so she doesn't fall back into old habits.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

~ As stated, when this girl is in love, she's in love. Walk past a ring/jewellery store after a month and she'll go, “So we're off to the courthouse tomorrow, aren't we?”

~ She is endlessly committed, and realistically, 2 or 3 years together would be more than enough for her to know that you're the one she wants to be with forever.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

~ Have you ever met anyone so gentle? I doubt it. She radiates that soft energy.

~ Physically, her touch is beyond gentle. With such a rough job, she takes pride in getting to come home and be as soft as possible. Which is why seeing her in battle can be so jarring (and hot) because she doesn't look like the type to be able to manhandle people so efficiently.

~ Emotionally, she's just as gentle. She cares deeply about your feelings, and makes sure that those needs are constantly met. She can be a bit of a ‘yes man’ sometimes, not wanting to hurt your feelings with the truth, but overall, you know it's just because she cares.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

~ She's a walking teddy bear. Loves hugs more than the average person.

~ She sees them as part of her routine. Her calming rituals. So at least 3 times a day. Morning hugs, random hugs whenever you see each other during the day, and finally, a hug after she's back from work at night.

~ Her hugs are soft, and all-consuming. Sometimes they're a bit tight if she hasn't had her deserved amount for the day and missed you. They're slow, tender and patient. The world will wait until she's content with letting go of you.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

~ She probably said various equivalents of it before you even started dating.

~ The moment she actually says it would probably be once she feels settled in the fact that she's chosen a person who cares for her in the right way. She might have a conversation with Steb about it at work and after he begrudgingly tells her to just be out with it, she'll come home so excited to finally let those words slip out.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

~ She holds a reoccurring silent jealousy that turns more sulky the longer she's around the person who's making her feel that way.

~ She's easily reassured, so gentle contact can calm her down, but she does get anxious about that kind of thing because of her tendency to not see the transparent things others might in a relationship.

~ After a bout of isolation, and maybe some dramatic pouting, a quick kiss will quickly remind her that she's got nothing to worry about.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

~ Her pecks are delicate and gentle, almost feather-like. Her deeper kisses are agonisingly slow and teasing, until you call her out on it.

~ Any patch of skin you have that's on display is fair game for her. Her lips will find their way to your shoulders, back, neck, lips, etc.

~ Though she's usually the kisser of the relationship, surprise slow kisses on her lips in the middle of the day will have her in a frenzy. She also loves a good forehead/cheek kiss.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

~ It's a hit or miss with kids. Kids find her to be really alluring and she'll often be caught smiling at kids playing or cooing at a baby, but put a child in her direct care, and she'll definitely freak out and overcompensate.

~ I'm talking, you asked her to babysit a niece of yours for 6 hours and she managed to spend a quarter of her paycheck on supplies she surely didn't need.

~ But the kid(s) would be in good hands. They'd be well entertained.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

~ She's definitely an early riser. An enthusiastic one at that. Mornings are spent cuddling, brewing coffee and making breakfast.

~ On her days off, she'll likely let you sleep in, make you breakfast in bed, and either yap, or read to you while you settle into the day.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

~ She's not up most of the night. She doesn't have a set bed-time, but you'd be hard-pressed to find her awake past 10 on a weekday. Especially after a grueling day at work. She likes to have you in her arms while she sleeps, so you're usually going about your business sitting in bed while she dozes off, occasionally throwing glances at her sleeping figure or kissing her forehead, whispering sweet nothings to her.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

~ Past relationships will have gotten her used to giving more than she receives, so at first she might not notice that she's being closed off. She just assumes you don't care to know anything about her.

~ When you make it clear that you want to know more about her though, she quickly gets comfortable being very open. She definitely had a tendency to say everything at once, in fear that you might stop caring if she waits, but, once she's reassured that there'll always be a space for her to express herself, she'll be more comfortable letting the things she wants to share come to her naturally.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

~ I don't know, she seems like she might have a hidden temper. Not in an outward way, but in that “If I take you to a rage room I'd be frightened” way. She tries to give people the benefit of the doubt, but she also has limits.

~ Might become more passive-aggressive the more her patience is tested.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

~ She remembers everything. Both the things you've told her, and the little things she's just observed about you from you being around.

~ She might keep a little notebook on hand to write things about you down if she doesn't trust her memory all that well.

~ She'll randomly say things she remembers learning about you when they come to mind, mostly muttering to herself but also sometimes declaring it in a louder way accidently.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

~ Either a day where you did something really intimate and personal together (cooking a new fancy meal, making pottery, strawberry picking) or a moment where she was absolutely spoiled by you for her birthday or a special milestone. (Which would be a first for her) The quiet moments are her favourite.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

~ With her line of work, Maddie feels a sense of obligation to already be protective over you, so you are always very close to her in public, if only for your protection.

~ An arm would always be wrapped around your waist, and she'll definitely be walking on the outer side of the pavement for you. She also gives off a death glare to any suspicious passers-by as a warning to watch it.

~ She's pretty secure in physical protection, but verbal protection from others is a thing she definitely loves. Seeing her partner defend her for even the littlest thing so she doesn't have to explain herself would make her feel so loved.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

~ Definitely a planner. Will plan dates on a regular basis, start organising anniversaries months in advance, and put in the utmost effort into being the best for you.

~ She is more willing to share responsibility for dates, but anniversaries are all her. She often has you clear the week/weekend when these anniversaries occur.

~ An amazing gift giver to. She can go a bit overboard, but her gifts are always beautiful and sentimental.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

~ Talks over people when overly excited.

~ Can display naive tendencies at times, and be a bit impulsive or quixotic.

~ Sometimes struggles to have healthy boundaries with her work, overexerting herself.

~ Anxious nail bitter.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

~ She's got a very specific aesthetic that she curated when she was young, so she's very comfortable with how she looks.

~ She also knows she's cute, so very little effort is needed.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

~ She loves being in a relationship, so most-likely. If you're away, she'll miss you like hell.

~ Not that she couldn't breathe without you (she might pretend that's the case if it'll get you to stay) but she does prefer to have you in general.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

~ She's got two handwriting types. A beautiful cursive although shaky handwriting that she uses for people she likes, and a completely illegible chicken scratch/morse code thing going on when she wants to mess with people.

~ She learned to write with both her left and right hands as a kid because becoming ambidextrous was a heavy special interest of hers at some point.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

~ Hates not having you around when she's in a bad mood. The world might as well be ending if that's what her life has come to.

~ Clothes that are more showy than comfortable. She'll complain until she can change into something better.

~ A partner who isn't transparent with her. She cherishes honesty and appreciates that more than anything.

Z = Zzz (What are some sleep habits of theirs?)

~ Mandatory 9-10 hours if you want her to be able to function right during the day. And her body will take those hours regardless of convenience.

~ She's a deep but light sleeper. She falls asleep easily and will look like she's really deep in it until a small noise wakes her up extremely easily.

~ Mumbles in her sleep. Again, certified yapper, in all states of consciousness.

[slaaverin]

What is up with this entire fandom jumping on the erasure of Jikook's bond? The Jikook who for years were commuting everywhere together and pissing everyone off? The jikook who were always together and glued during memories and pissing everyone off? The Jikook who got their "fanservice" title specifically because of how much time they spent together on and off camera and behind the scenes? So much so their interactions were accused of being company forced and scripted. Couldn't be because they loved spending time together, there had to be a company agenda, accusations.

But today Suddenly people are even drifting from Fanservice, to just completely erasing them cause its easier for them. Threads being created saying JK is closest to this member and always has been or Jimin is closet to this member and always has been. Lies Jikook don't ever spend time together outside of work. Reporting real moments of Jikook for copyright. Excluding Jikook from basically everything. Lies saying Jk has rode with x member for years or Jimin has always rode with x member for years. Lies Jikook travel with other people and always have, but Jikook only travel together for Hybe content. Lies they aren't together in the military. A complete rewrite of Jikook's history and also a rewrite of JIkook's history with other members. And if you notice alot of these antis pushing these theories are newish fans. And what is sad is you won't see a single veteran OT7 correct them, cause they want Jikook to not exist in this fandom anyone either. IG era destroyed this fandom, but really Chapter 2 made this place go mad to the point there is no going back and they're hell bent on erasing Jikook and only Jikook. I hate to go there, but it really seems like a direct attack stemmed from homophobia, since they're attacking the only two members who act like a couple or have literally been asked by their members, if they are a couple. We know what y'all antis are.

I agree with you anon.

I think there's no denying it can only be homophobia.

This erasure goes so far that it seriously became insane.

But you know what? This is a true call for every jikookers, supporters like us out there to be AS LOUD AS POSSIBLE.

Tweet about jikook, make threads, tumblr posts, edits, love letters on any social media plateform. It's a call to every one of us to share our voice, opinions, love, support about jikook in any way we can.

The only way you can fight darkness is by shining light. Many of us have been reflecting jikook's light and love to spread it further and I beg everyone to keep doing it.

As long as we will be there, continously showing support jikook will never be erased. The truth will be kept safe and live on.

I swear to you, even if all these people are more than us in numbers, they will never be able to change reality. They will never be able to completely instinguish that love because it lives through all of us.

I don't care whatever low tactics they use to push their agenda of hate, we need to stand strong and stand tall, and keep our integrity to protect jikook's love.

I think all of us know this is the right thing to do. All of us who connect with their bond, and love Jimin & Jungkook unconditionally, and wanna show support must be prepared because the next few months is gonna be especially rough.

You're right, chapter 2 was a divider in this fandom, now everyone is looking out for themselves only, pushing their own selfish narratives, brainwashing new armys who have no clue.

Of course we naively want the reunion to make everything right but let's face it, it's not gonna happen. At least not right away. No.

At first it's gonna be absolute chaos.

Much like it has been.

When jikook will reunite the hate will reach a new insane peak.

So that's why us jikookers need to be ready for it.

If not us, than who else?

When reunion happens, I wish each of us will be as loud as possible, as supportive as possible.

I truly cannot stand the idea that hate will win, however the number of haters, however insane it gets. I can't tolerate that. I won't.

You know that what jikook have, it's something so precious and beautiful and pure and true, I cannot bear the idea of ANYONE, no matter hateful they are, to affect even a little bit their bond. I don't want psychopaths to affect jikook in any way.

But look how far they go? Look how deep the hate is? At some point, some time, it only need one event where haters can truly mess things up.

We say it's only on the internet. We say it doesn't affect them.

This is not true. The members have received death threats before. Insane people have stalked Jungkook before.

Jimin disappeared from social media because of the hate.

Saying it doesn't affect them is an illusion.

It does, it can, and if it continues down this path, it will.

You only need one deranged individual.

One psycho that took the narrative a little bit too seriously. One psycho whose hate goes deep enough that they are willing to do the unthinkable and actually try to harm jikook.

It's not all fun and games. What's happening right now down the line can have true consequences.

We might think what we do doesn't matter. We think we are only one voice drowned in the ocean of hate but I disagree.

As people who love Jimin & Jungkook, who care for them, it matters.

Even one voice matters.

Because what if jikook do a live, and get hundreds of messages of hate, and suddenly feel very down because of it? But what if in the midst of all they see support? And it makes them smile even for a second? That's already a big fucking victory.

So everyone, I know everything is very discouraging and infuriating and unfair, I know we're drowning in hate and angry at this fandom, but please do not give up.

Don't give up on Jimin & Jungkook.

I think in this chapter we truly saw they only have us.

The hate is getting bigger and more twisted than ever, but it only means we need to show up even more for them. We need to be so loud it covers the noise.

Honestly that's all we can do.

So let's focus on this and spread positivity. Spread their love. Spread their history. Spread the truth as you know it. Spread your opinions. Spread videos and photos and edits no matter how many times they want to copyright it.

We need to keep pushing. We need to stay united.

We need to be prepared for this next chapter that will be a hell of a ride for everyone, us, as for jikook.

I don't know about you, but love is the most important thing to me. If we don't fight for it, then what even to fight for?

Will we all get squished and reduced to silence by the hate and the bullying? Will jikook's love be twisted so much it ends up affecting them and ruining everything? Will we let them win? Even if we are outnumbered?

I refuse. For real. I refuse.

I don't care how insufferable we get. I don't care how loud we scream. I don't even care if we need to bring support banners to concerts to tell you the truth. I don't care if we say the wrong thing and the whole world starts bullying us and put us and jikook down.

I will never stop cherishing jikook's love and shoving it in everyone's face. I will never stay silent.

Preserving what is beautiful and true and precious IS IMPORTANT. It's not important only when it comes to jikook but in the world in general!

It's important because I think each of us wants this world to become a better place, not a worse one.

A place where jikook are free to be who they are, to love however they want, to be their fullest self, in total freedom.

A place where people with different sexualities can express themselves without fear.

A place where love is celebrated and encouraged and valued above all else.

I don't know about you, but that's what I want.

So really, let's protect this ideal, and do what we can - stick together and speak and share and support.

At least we will be able to say we will have done our very best.

💜

[doki-doki-imagines]

Hello

I saw your post about the linkuei trio arguing with the reader and I really liked it <3

I would like to make a similar request if it is not too much trouble.

What if instead of a kiss the reader slapped them?

author note: anon talks about this post. For this prompt I only got smut ideas, hope it's not a problem!

tw: smut, afab!reader, reader is referred as wife in Bi-Han part.

-Your husband is a idiot, head harder than concrete. It is easier to convince a brick wall to bend than making Bi-Han understand why he is wrong. -You want to make him understand that you also have power, that you aren't dumber than him, and that he needs to respect you. -Maybe the punishment doesn't look like one. Riding him in his office while leaning on his wooden desk sounds more like a prize than penance. -Your position is anything but comfortable, grinding your pelvis in his one, chests as far as possible and hands gripping the wood of his desk making it tremble enough for the ink to fall and stain the documents splayed on it. Not to talk about his fingers, digging painful moons into your skin -"Look at me the entire time." It's what you ordered at the start. Bi-Han didn't nod, your previous argument brushed off, already savouring your body. -And he doesn't listen to you, eyes piercing where your bodies meet, where your cunt drip on his skin and his cock penetrates you. The sight must be arousing, you feel him twitch inside you, a soft groan only trained ears could hear escapes his chest. -You slap him with the back of your hand, and he stops to look at you. His dark eyes look at you full of fury, ready to overturn you, making you cry for the outrage. -But Bi-Han doesn't have time to react. Your hand grips his dishevelled bun, pushing it down to make him look straight into your eyes. -"Look at me." You show your teeth even if your voice is barely a whisper. -There is fury, as intense as his one. Bi-Han has to admit that it is stronger than his one. He gulps and nods, lips trying to get closer to yours, but you keep him in place, your hips finally taking up the rhythm of before. -Maybe the job of the grandmaster's wife is to tell him also when he is wrong and not only nodding along his choice. -Maybe a good grandmaster should listen to his wife. Bi-Han needs to improve, but for now his only goal is getting fucked stupid by that hurricane that is his partner.

-"Why are you so stubborn?!" If Liang has something in common with his older brother, it's his hard head. Unwavering. Unchanging. Even when he is completely wrong. -"Stop screaming! You're hurting my ears." Liang snaps back, angry scowl prominent on his face. "If you stopped to talk instead of running away like a fucking coward-" and then something hits your face; it's the back of Liang's hand. -You know he hasn't done it on purpose, you've seen that it happened just because he turned around at the right time for your face to step in the movement of his arm. -His eyes widen, in fear mostly. Liang may be angry, but he'd never hurt you. -But right now you would, adrenaline making your mind not work. You slap him, straight on his right cheek. -You look at each other, gaze intense and breath heavy, but nobody dares to talk. -You are the first one to move, your lips finding your lover ones, hands already running on his body, trying to pull off his uniform by the collar. -Groaned excuses are chanted on your skin They come as fast as they go, Liang's warm lips running on the exposed skin of your neck and chest. -"You are more stubborn than a bull-" You are able to spit out in a rare moment where Liang's lips aren't on yours. "But you enjoy it getting fucked by me, just like a cow." Liang smirks into your lips, not before biting your lower one. -You steps toward your shared bedroom, hands and lips still keeping your bodies connected. -"But please, never hurt each other again." Liang whispers into your ear, in the last moment of lucidity before bliss takes over. You nod, completely agreeing with him. -"But in bedroom it could be nice-" "Then show me how you'd make a bull obedient, fireball."

-"Know your place, T-Tomas." you say sitting in the comfort of your bed, while your right hand plays with your clit. Tomas listens, or better his body doesn't move, still in its place, the pale skin of his right cheek red from your slap. -You are wearing just your panties and a matching undershirt, all grey silk and white lace, gifted by Tomas a long time ago. -Your hand is playing with your sex, legs open, but Tomas can see the imprint of your fingers playing with yourself, covered by the fabric of your panties. Your nipples are hard, he notices them hidden from undershirt. -Tomas is drooling, his mouth wet with the excess of saliva. "Y-You can just look. Don't you dare c-come closer." -And Tomas follows your order like a good dog. You can see his abs twitching, the tent in his boxer evident. -And honestly? So hot. -"Ah-I bet. I bet you'd love to have a taste of me" You pull out your hand from your panties, a drop of your essence stuck on your index finger, pointing right at him. -Tomas loudly gulps, Adam's apple bobbing up and down, blue irises lost looking at you, or better, at the droplet on your finger. -It takes a second for Tomas to sprint towards you, mouth already open and tongue sticking out, ready to savour you. It also takes you a second to push your foot into his sternum to keep him in his place. -Not that far, but still too much. -"Sorry, but this 'whore than just know how to yap' is busy. For sure, she doesn't have time for a dog like you." You spit out. You would be more convincing if your voice wasn't a whine and your eyes got more anger than tears in them. -Tomas can sense your weakness. He brushes your leg off his chest, and simply pull on the side your wet panties, tongue already deep into your core. -"T-Tommy!" Your hands immediately grip harshly his hair, some tuff escaping your finger. -His rough finger push into the back of your thighs, digging into the fat. Tomas keeps your legs up, far from his face to get as much movement as possible while eating you out. -If only you had a mirror on top of the ceiling, you could notice his back muscles flexing and his biceps twitching to keep your legs in place. -Your moans fill the room, your hands tugging on his hair, which means that your arms are close, squeezing your chest in a delightful sight. Now Tomas has to show you how good of a dog he is. -Later, he will excuse himself for his words.

[sevastiel]

Behold ye, my Protoframe oc, Darius.

(Ft @doggojin and @thatfluffyboi's Chanho n Sol, they make an delightful trio tbh)

Some extra deets (lots of notes on him be warned) post cut! :)

Separated into physical and psychological/lore.

Physical notes :

Spanish-Mediterranean, mid-to-late twenties, looms at a ridiculous 6'6" (200 cm I believe? around there.) but is normally hovering an inch or two off the ground. Thankfully, he's gotten into the habit of tucking his legs in a bit so he doesn't hit every single doorframe that he passes through. He lost his left leg from the knee down due to an unfortunate incident with a landmine, and had a prosthetic for several years before the techrot.

Darius's body is made up of connected pieces held together by sentient energy, and all of his organs have either been replaced by the techrot-sentient hybrid growths, or are no longer necessary and have been removed. He currently lacks the entirety of a regular digestive tract as we would know it, and subsists mostly on energy. However, should he require physical mass for either rebuilding/modifying himself, or creating other sentients, he can 'eat' by putting materials in his mouth, pulling his bodily pieces together, and allowing the techrot systems to dissolve things into more workable particles, or pushing things between separated segments of his body (usually his chest) and letting the sentient bits pick things apart and feed them to the rot for storage. (This takes longer and is less effective at energy conservation) Extra notes on this later when we discuss his abilities.

The connective energy between segments is manifested in string-like bundles of force, which are manipulatable and can be 'touched', though unless he's focusing on keeping his energy properly contained you will likely get a light zap, and with prolonged touch you'll likely be able to feel them hum with power. They normally have about the same tactile strength as woven spiderwebbing of the same thickness, stretching easily but ultimately severable with either enough effort or something sharp. Should you sever all the connections, the piece will just fall off. Removed pieces aren't controllable by him any longer, but are re-attachable, and although he's got a body plan that his form defaults to, every single bit of him is entirely modular except for his cranium. Removing his jaw takes some effort, as there are technically still segments of flesh (his lips, basically) holding it on, but it is possible. If he really puts his mind to it, though, he can remove a segment, and maintain the links through mental focus, or by tethering them to something that he/they can feed off of. Through this, he can make replacement limbs for others, or additional armor, given they've got the bio-energy to keep the segments active.

Bodily segments are almost entirely made of toughened armor plating, with the majority of flexibility being located on the twin pieces that make up his chest/torso, as this is also where the majority of the techrot based organs lie. Although he does need to breathe, each segment intakes oxygen individually, through the softer and more porous dark insides. He has full sensation in any piece of him that he's linked to, as the energy connections serve as a nervous system, and can 'digest' pieces if he's in desperate need of energy/materials in a pinch.

Being modular, he can, in the same way he summons other sentients, simply craft himself differing body parts whenever he so pleases. The larger the piece, the more effort/thought it takes, since it requires a greater complexity of systems for nutrient, oxygen, and waste management. Due to his own lack of knowledge, he doesn't manifest any replacements larger than his own legs, and would rather just spit out a patch and slap it onto injured areas and let the techrot do its thing. This is why his 'armor' looks less dramatic compared to actual caliban, because why the hell would he want that much weight throwing him off balance? He'll accept the techrot/sentient's desires and keep his form adjacent to it, though.

Ability wise, he's functionally pretty similar to a vampire. While he technically could subsist entirely off of regular food, it would require a lot of time and careful dieting to gather the proper resources his body needs, and his energy levels would be rather constantly low. So, instead, he just eats as much techrot as he can and prays for the best, or drinks directly from power generators when he can get away with it, or anything similar. Pure energy as a baseline keeps all his sentient systems running, and metals/proteins allow his techrot systems to keep going. Thankfully for him, he's got two boyfriends who are both quite energetic, and really don't mind his needs as much as they should.

Manifesting sentient fighters usually happens in the same way as he manifests new pieces of himself, but with the added caveat that they don't need functional internal systems for long term usage, and he can charge them up with his own power to keep them running as long as he needs. This is obviously extremely resource intensive, but if it keeps those he cares about safe, (and since it appeases the eternal need to consume and create and consume and create and consume and create) he'll do whatever he must.

Due to all of the above, he prefers particularly tight or comfortable clothing,, as it helps mitigate the changes that happen depending on his energy levels. The less he's got, the looser his pieces, and things will just fall off if he's dead tired (lol). So... Avoiding that is nice. Additionally, although he needs his chest cavity within reach for making sentients at a quick notice, he does like looking in the mirror and not seeing his own body immediately as so blatantly inhuman and monstrous. The straps he uses for his military harness are half to hold things and half to straight up just keep himself together. The mask is for keeping his eyes clear of gore while he's in the middle of shit, because that was a severe issue beforehand. Take a bite, get blinded bc there was more fluid than you expected, have to panic and try and fix that mid combat, leaving you even worse off than you were previously? No thanks.

--

Psycological notes and lore:

Before Entrati got his hands on him, he was a well respected mediator that worked on communications for the ICR, and worked directly with the Hollvanian government and its military to allow for the ICR to remain in the city.

Coming from a well off and well expecting background, from a young age he was put through his paces and taught to be the finest edition of a modern renaissance man, giving him very little time to do anything but his studies, and very little affection from anything but perfection. Even then, kinda mid. As such, he is a well mannered and well spoken fellow with a deeply repressed childish nature that only ever comes out at the worst possible times amidst the best possible company.

Having been tailor-made for communications work, he was also ensured a healthy dose in very many other skills that might come up from time to time while traveling. (Including, but not limited to, sewing (which he hates), cooking (which he has extremely low patience for), midwifery (which thank god hasn't come up yet), medical triage (unfortunately has), general electrical and mechanical knowledge (much better for him now than it was before), a few languages, and so forth. Post becoming a protoframe, much of his knowledge has degraded due to the changes required for his brain to be able to control his bio-energy, leaving him constantly irritated when faced with a challenge that he knows DAMN well how to deal with, but cant remember specifics on.

He deals with irritation and anger very expressly, not one for subtlety or sarcasm when it comes to his displeasure. This man will Not be the one making snide jabs across the table, he would instead pull you aside privately and explain quite logically the behaviors he's disliking and see if either an agreement can be reached or if another specialist should be put forth. A trait learned from his parents, no doubt, but also one that helps considerably when it comes to governmental relations and respect.

All of his emotions are generally delt with highly logically, which, when it comes to more positive or soft feelings, gets very awkward and confusing for him very fast. One might find have found him before sitting on a bench, staring up at the falling leaves. If you asked him what he was thinking about, he'd respond that he's trying to comprehend why exactly he should be feeling happy about witnessing something so mundane. He wouldn't leave, of course, he'd still watch, but there will always be a part of him that shies away from emotions as a whole. All the sweeter, imo, when he really starts feeling and letting himself feel. Love is a strange thing, isn't it?

During his time in Hollvania, he got infected through volunteer work, doing his best to actually be helpful past the eternal red-tape. He hid it for as long as he could, taking extra care to frequently wash, scrub down, and then properly bandage and ointment up the affected bits of his arms so he wouldn't risk spreading anything, but it didn't do much for him at all. He was needed to maintain good relations, often running intermediary briefing dialogues to keep both sides as up to date as possible on the ICR's doings, so duty really did pull him in half. (haha) As the rot progressed and claimed more of his body, leaving him weaker and more frequently ill, it was less and less ethically feasible for him to keep working, despite it more or less being the only thing he really knew how to do, and there being very few people who could replace him. If he wasn't doing something, if he wasn't being productive, solving problems, keeping people happy, then what was he?

And then he heard of a man with a miracle cure, our good old Doktor Friday, and the fact that it worked. Naturally, Darius paid him a visit, already having used his infected status as an excuse to let him do a bit more hands on assistance wherever he could. And Entrati indeed did give him a cure, listening and nodding along to all the reasons Darius gave as to why he would likely be a good test subject, especially if it meant that if it worked, Darius would be in an excellent position to grant Albrecht significant funding for expanding his cures to the greater populous, who needed them desperately.

Well, it sure didn't fucking do much, did it, leaving him visually better, but when word got out that the others who'd taken the cure had become super-spreaders, you bet your ass he started panicking immediately. He'd been in rooms for extended periods of time with everyone in command, just his presence might have been enough to entirely destabilize the local government, or absolutely gut the ICR. So, once more, he claimed a stomach illness to take some time off. This was a very big problem, so back he went, livid as all hell, to hunt down Entrati.

He got the whole spiel about unforeseen mutations within the techrot responding strangely, and although he didn't believe it, he already had nothing left to lose. He wasn't a soldier, sure, he had training in fencing, could handle a gun, but he couldn't help like the others could, and he could not go back to the one thing he'd been set up all his life to be. And Entrati had a bit of a twinkle in his eye when he said that there might be something that he could do, but it would take time, and multiple tests, to be able to make it all work. There was another strain Dr E was experimenting with that, as he was shown samples and heard the explanations, seemed to be able to nullify the techrot almost entirely. (It was actually just subsuming it, but visually, the two outcomes were nearly identical.)

So he said yes. Like a fucking idiot.

The initial dose laced him with the helminth strain, preparing his body, granting him strength, even though it hurt so very much, the pain leaving him borderline insensate, unable to do anything but lay there and cry as he felt his very flesh twisting and saw Entrati approach with the second dose after a few hours.

Number two was a low dose of the sentient strain, modified, following Caliban's biological approach, and the reaction between the two was violent, techrot subsumed with a rapid hunger and made to serve a new master. Darius's body quite literally began tearing at the seams, and Entrati took his time with the process, utilizing several more small injections, so he wouldn't die of pure blood loss.

When all was said and done, his twisted body was held together by a scant few threads of power, and he was very much unconscious, having fallen into a coma that would last multiple days, fed with an occasional battery set into the new cavity within his chest.

Wisely, Entrati was not there when he awoke, starving, terrified, and in great pain. All he could focus on was the hunger, that pulsating desire that screamed at him to consume, create, consume, create, consume, create, his human mind utterly overwhelmed by the twin techrot and sentient desires. It took him some time to figure out how to move again, much less walk, and the hunger only got worse by the second.

When the Hex found him, they came across a crying, shattered man, tearing into mounds of freshly killed techrot with his bare hands, stuffing wires and flesh alike into his mouth with an inhuman voracity. He was guarded by bizarre automatons, whos' origin was quickly made apparent by him reaching into that glowing gash that bisected his entire body and pulling out another, his own form splitting and reshaping as he dragged it free.

It took quite some time for him to regain his humanity. Quite some time to mediate the new desires of his reformed body with his own. The urges have not left him, but at least he's got a choice, now.

Prince of both worlds indeed.

[asterlark]

me and den @unloneliest were just talking about murderbot and ART's relationship and i want to discuss how they quite literally complete each other's sensory and emotional experience of the world!!

there's a few great posts on here such as this one about how murderbot uses drones to fully and properly experience the world around it (it also accesses security cameras/other systems for this same purpose). but i haven't seen anyone so far talk about how once MB stops working for the company and consequently doesn't have a hubsystem/secsystem to connect to anymore (which for its entire existence up to that point had been how it was used to interacting with its environment/doing its job), after it meets ART, ART starts to fill that gap.

ART gives MB access to more cameras, systems, and information archives than it would normally be able to connect with while MB is on its own outside of ART's... body(? lol), but also directly gives MB access to its own cameras, drones, archives, facilities, and processing space. additionally, so much of ART's function is dedicated to analysis, lateral thinking, and logical reasoning, and it not only uses those skills in service of reaching murderbot's goals, it teaches murderbot how to use those same skills. (ART might be a bit of an asshole about how it does this, but that doesn't negate just how much it does for murderbot for no reason other than it's bored/interested in MB as an individual.)

we all love goofing about how artificial condition can basically be boiled down to "two robots in a trench coat trying to get through a job interview" (which is entirely accurate tbh) but that's also such a great example of ART fulfilling the role of both murderbot's "hubsystem" and "secsystem", allowing it to fully experience its environment/ succeed in its goals. ART provides MB with crucial information, context, and constructive criticism, and uses its significant processing power to act as MB's backup and support system while they work together.

from ART's side of things, we get a very explicit explanation of how it needs the context of murderbot's emotional reactions to media in order to fully understand and experience the media as intended. it tried to watch media with its humans, and it didn't completely understand just by studying their reactions. but when it's in a feed connection with murderbot, who isn't human but has human neural tissue, ART is finally able to thoroughly process the emotional aspects of media (side note, once it actually understands the emotional stakes in a way that makes sense for it, it's so frightened by the possibility of the fictional ship/crew in worldhoppers being catastrophically injured or killed that it makes murderbot pause for a significant amount of time before it feels prepared to go on. like!! ART really fucking loves its crew, that is all).

looking at things further from ART's perspective: its relationship with murderbot is ostensibly the very first relationship it's been able to establish with not only someone outside of its crew, but also with any construct at all. while ART loves its crew very much (see previous point re: being so so scared for the fate of the fictional crew of worldhoppers), it never had a choice in forming relationships with them. it was quite literally programmed to build those relationships with its crew and students. ART loves its function, its job, and nearly all of the humans that spend time inside of it, but its relationship with murderbot is the first time it's able to choose to make a new friend. that new friend is also someone who, due to its partial machine intelligence, is able to understand and know ART on a whole other level of intimacy that humans simply aren't capable of. (that part goes for murderbot, too, obviously; ART is its first actual friend outside of the presaux team, and its first bot friend ever.)

and because murderbot is murderbot, and not a "nice/polite to ART most of the time" human, this is also one of the first times that ART gets real feedback from a friend about the ways that its actions impact others. after the whole situation in network effect, when the truth of the kidnapping comes to light and murderbot hides in the bathroom refusing to talk to ART (and admittedly ART doesn't handle this well lol) - ART is forced to confront that despite it making the only call it felt able to make in that horrifying situation, despite it thinking that that was the right call, its actions hurt murderbot, and several other humans were caught in the crossfire. what's most scary to ART in that moment is the idea that murderbot might never forgive it, might never want to talk to it again. it's already so attached to this friendship, so concerned with murderbot's wellbeing, that the thought of that friendship being over because of its own behavior is terrifying. (to me, this almost mirrors murderbot's complete emotional collapse when it thinks that ART has been killed. the other more overt mirror is ART fully intending on bombing the colony to get murderbot back.)

in den's words, they both increase the other's capacity to feel: ART by acting as a part of murderbot's sensory system, and murderbot by acting as a means by which ART can access emotion. they love one another so much they would do pretty much anything to keep each other safe/avenge each other, but what's more, they unequivocally make each other more whole.

[cece693]

Hiiii this may be a bit of a weird idea but I was thinking something with vision x male reader, Reader could be a wielder of another infinity stone (maybe power stone??) and him coming to warn vision of thanos??

Also idk if u do soulmates aus but if you do, could they be soulmates in this as well?

I TRIED, I REALLY TRIED WITH THIS. I don't know why, but writing for Vision is hard because he talks in this sophisticated, calm tone that I cannot replicate. So, this might not be Vision canon, but I tried. Hope you like it!

pairing: vision x male reader tags: you aren't human, you wield the power stone, soulmate trope, pre-relationship, I tried, that's all I have to say, don't really like how it turned out but it's something, right???? 😭

You feel it long before you actually see him—like an electric current surging through the stars, calling you forward in a whisper of cosmic force. The Power Stone, set within a bracer around your forearm, thrums in sync with your every heartbeat. Its energy keeps you strong and feeds you, for you are not entirely human—your lineage spans ancient cosmic bloodlines older than most civilizations. Your crimson eyes reflect the swirling galaxies you have seen, and your skin carries faint patterns of violet veins that pulse with the Stone’s power.

For centuries, you’ve traveled the furthest reaches of space, mastering the destructive and creative energies that the Power Stone offers. Many have fallen attempting to possess it, but you, shaped by the harsh realities of a thousand worlds, learned how to channel its might without burning your soul.

Tonight, it leads you to him—Vision. The synthetic being who wields the Mind Stone. You sense the resonance like a beacon in a vast, inky sky. With each step, the Stone’s purple glow lights your path until you find him standing near a quiet lake, moonlight dancing across the water’s surface. Vision hovers just inches above the ground, his head angled to the side, as though he, too, hears the call echoing in the night. When his gaze locks onto you, the Mind Stone in his forehead blazes bright, casting ripples of gold over the water.

He lowers himself to the ground, curiosity evident in his stance. “Who are you?” he asks, voice gentle yet wary.

You draw closer, carefully unfastening the clasp that conceals the Stone’s main power. A soft whir emanates from your bracer as the violet radiance spills over your arm. “Someone who understands what it means to bear an Infinity Stone,” you reply, your voice resonating with a quiet, ancient timbre. “I’m here to warn you.”

Vision’s gaze flickers from your crimson eyes down to the luminous Power Stone. “Thanos,” he says, almost as though the word itself pains him. “I’ve felt his presence.”

You nod. “He is gathering the Stones. I’ve sensed his influence on entire star systems. Planets burned to ash, millions slaughtered. He’s relentless, and soon, he’ll come for the Mind Stone. And for me.” Your bracer flares again, the hue growing more intense as if the Stone senses the discussion of its own fate.

Vision steps forward, his crystalline features reflecting not only caution but something you can’t quite define. A gentle recognition, perhaps, sparked by the cosmic pull between you. “I’ve…seen possibilities—dreams of destruction,” he says quietly. “Yet I’ve also felt another presence calling out. It must have been you.”

“When the Stones resonate,” you explain, “they create a bridge between their wielders. We share a connection. I felt your consciousness almost like an echo through the cosmic void.”

Slowly, he raises a hand toward you, stopping just short of your chest. “It’s strange,” he admits, voice colored with awe. “I shouldn’t be able to sense another Stone like this, and yet I do. Every thought in my mind resonates with the Mind Stone in my forehead—and your Stone seems to answer it.”

You lower your gaze, swallowing against the sudden swell of emotion. Your breath comes quicker as the connection deepens, as if the universal tapestry is gently tugging you and Vision toward each other. “Our people might call this a ‘soul bond.’ A pull that goes beyond mere chance. Something the Stones themselves or perhaps destiny created.”

He looks surprised for a moment, blinking as though a new understanding settles over him. “But, you don’t appear to be from Earth. Are you human?”

“Partly, but mostly no,” you say, letting your cosmic side shine through. The violet veins beneath your skin glow brighter, a sign of your inherent power. “My ancestry traces back to an ancient race, long gone. The genes I carry allow me to endure the Power Stone’s might without being destroyed by it. I’ve spent eons learning to master it—and still, it threatens to devour me if I lose my focus.”

Vision’s expression softens with empathy, his voice quiet. “I know what it is to be something beyond human. To hold power that feels larger than oneself.”

Wordlessly, you take another step until only a breath remains between you. He watches as you place your hand against his chest, your Power Stone pulsing, faint purple embers dancing around your fingertips. His own Stone blazes in response, a bright golden flare illuminating both your faces.

“All my life,” you say, voice hushed, “I’ve been wandering the galaxies, searching for something more than just survival or dominance. And then I felt your presence, almost like a lullaby carried on cosmic winds. It felt…right. Whole.”

For a long moment, neither of you speaks. The lake ripples behind you, the wind carrying the hush of distant leaves. And then Vision lifts a hand to gently cradle your cheek, his eyes reflecting a rare vulnerability. “I’ve questioned my place in this world,” he admits. “I am…was…created by humanity’s ingenuity, yet the Stone in my head connects me to something infinitely grander. And now, looking at you, it’s like a missing piece of me just fell into place.”

He leans in until your foreheads almost touch, the glow of his Stone and yours merging in a cosmic dance of violet and gold. Heat floods your body; a powerful sense of belonging overtakes you. “Vision,” you whisper. “Let me stand beside you. Thanos is coming, and we must be ready. But more than that, I…I don’t want to lose the bond we share. It’s the first time in centuries I’ve felt like I’m not alone in the universe.”

His response is barely above a whisper, yet it resonates with every fiber of your being: “Then stay by my side. We will face Thanos together. As one.” Gently, you curl your fingers around the back of his neck, letting the thrumming energy in your bracer resonate with the glowing Stone in his forehead. In that intimate moment, you feel the steady rhythm of his synthetic heart, and he, in turn, senses the cosmic pulse in your veins.

[rowie264]

Why Timebomb shouldn't exist in s2 (part 1 - Ekko)

Let's start by analyzing his character. Don't you think there's something wrong here, to put it mildly? Of course, I'm laughing at jokes about the fact that you can't call any character absolutely good in Arcane except for Ekko, but… Don't you think this is a problem? Ekko has no flaws at all. If he didn't have difficulties as the story progressed (and there aren't many), he would literally be Mary Sue.

And okay, even though I find characters without flaws completely unrealistic and boring, it's possible to work with this. Let Ekko be a good guy. Just give him a good conflict and it will be enough to make him interesting to watch.

But there are problems here too. What conflicts does Ekko have?

Chembarons. It's clear with Silco, he died in s1, and this conflict is half gone. But only half, because other chembarons want to take his place. The development of this topic could serve as a good disclosure of Ekko's character. His confrontation with shimmer and Silco in the hope of changing Zaun for the better with his defeat will endow him with flaw - naivety (this is just speculation, because we don't know if Ekko knew that eliminating Silco wouldn't have changed anything - we can only see that how he sighs at this information in s2 ep2). But making him naive is good, because it would give him an opportunity for growth and an additional character arc, because the question arises - what will he do? Fight against the "bad guys" as before or change his approach? Will he get his hands dirty or will he find a "better way"? Perhaps he will try to unite Zaun? Maybe he'll become a chembaron himself, but as a good chembaron? Well, we won't find out, because thanks to Caitlyn for doing all the dirty work - this conflict disappeared on its own.

The Tree. Ekko's personal arc in the s2, which is just drained down the toilet. And no "he ended up in another timeline and then there was a war" is not an excuse, because his entire motivation in s2 is based on this conflict. He starts his journey precisely because of the Tree, but they brushes it aside for the sake of fanservice and a more global plot. Lack of timing is not an excuse for the same reason - fanservice in another timeline is not needed for s2. Exploring Tree and firelights would give a lot of information about Ekko himself. How did he become a leader? Was there anyone who was against his leadership? What personal connections does he have with firelights (friends, mentors, etc)? One such small flashback could reveal his character much more than the entire ep7.

Piltover. Weeeeell, since we have been ignoring the topic of Piltover oppressing Zaun for decades, this conflict disappears by itself. We have more important things to do, like fighting an army of creepy robots and Arcane Jesus.

Jinx. Fucked up on all fronts. Cheap fanservice with alternative Powder instead of revealing his complicated relationship with our Powder/Jinx. I'll explain more later.

In total, we have: Ekko, a character who has not been fully revealed, who does not have depth like other characters (shown on the screen, rather than having to figure it out by ourselves) and whose conflicts either resolve themselves or are forgotten. It was more important for the creators to devote time to the fanservice than to reveal Ekko as an individual and close his personal arcs. Moving to another timeline cuts off the possibility of revealing his relationship with other characters besides Heimerdinger (yes, with Jinx too, but more on that later). But there's also a problem with Heimerdinger, because well, he's so small and fluffy and has a cool mustache, and that's probably why Ekko completely ignores the fact that Heimer was a councilor to the city who had been oppressing Zaun for decades (seriously, Ekko doesn't bring up this topic and has no complaints about Heimer, because creators deliberately omitted this conflict, forgetting that it is illogical for the character as Ekko).

Part 2 - Jinx Part 3 - Relationship

[angrymarshmallos]

*****Sunrise on the Reaping Spoilers*****

Below the cut

I need you all to realize that the inclusion of previously-introduced characters wasn't fan service. District 12 (at least in Katniss's time) is the size of a small town. 8,000 people roughly. And on top of that, it has two distinct groups - the merchant class and people from the Seam. It's not at all surprising that Haymitch knew Burdock, Asterid, Tam Amber, or Clerk Carmine. It's not at all surprising that Katniss, Burdock, Haymitch, and Lenore Dove all have ties to Lucy Gray. 8,000 people may sound like a big number, but in terms of population, it really isn't.

The inclusion of Mags, Wiress, and Beetee aren't fan service either. At the time of Haymitch's reaping, there are a grand total of 49 victors, but we have no idea how many of them are dead (or missing like Lucy Gray). Even if we assume Lucy Gray is the only one who isn't around, after taking into account the amount of victors required to be mentors in their own districts (2x11=22) that leaves us with a total of 26 victors (48-22=26) that could have been chosen to mentor for District 12. We don't know enough about Mags' game to know if she rebelled in hers, but given her kindness and empathy (something the Capitol hates and does its best to punish) it wouldn't be surprising. And Wiress may not have attempted to break the arena, but she won her games without killing a single person and gave the Capitol a giant middle finger by staying put and letting them struggle to figure out how to retrieve her. It's entirely possible that Mags and Wiress were chosen as the mentors for 12 as a punishment for things they said/did. It's also possible that Plutarch filled them in on the reality of Haymitch's reaping and that they volunteered to be mentors for 12 (although this seems unlikely given that the mentors were probably chosen before the reaping even happened).

Plutarch's inclusion is not fan service either. Someone who worked their way up from the absolute bottom in order to bring down a monstrous government makes much more sense than a long-time Capitol tool flipping to being a rebel by the 75th games. His inclusion is extremely important to the plot.

It feels like fan service because these are characters that the fandom has been deeply interested in since the initial trilogy. But it's not unrealistic or even unlikely for these people to all be connected. Suzanne Collins did so much work in laying the base for this world, and SotR really filled out their characters and their motivations.

[luli-lads]

World Underneath — Fractal Library Q&A: Breakdown and Theories

This story raised so many questions for me... I felt the need to do an analysis. So, let's go! (Long post ahead)

Preface

It's important to note that when Infold released this update, it came with a corresponding social media post, of which I will just show the part relating to this story:

As you can see, it's stated that this story is related to Zayne. It's important to keep this in mind as he himself isn't mentioned by name in it.

Although, we still could've known it was about him by a few things, it's good to have certain confirmation.

Also, it's helpful to have read The Foreseer's myth, Master of Fate's myth and Dawnbreaker's anecdote before continuing, because although I will give reminders about key elements, the full picture is lost if you don't know what I'm talking about.

What is the Fractal Library?

It's not actually a library in the strict sense, because it doesn't necessarily have books. Let's explore this.

I think the concept of 'fractal' wasn't explained neatly enough in the story, so let me provide more on that. Taking this definition from google:

A fractal is a shape that when you take the shape apart into pieces, the pieces are the same or similar to the whole.

You know a good example of a fractal? A snowflake. (Yeah... Yeah.) Snowflakes have this shape -> ❄️. And guess what it looks like when you put it under a microscope. You get many tiny ❄️ put together. A meta-shape.

Now, back to the library itself. It's not clear what the things in the library are, because they're almost Schrodinger's books in the sense that sometimes they are books, and sometimes they're not. As the administrator tells a kid,

"A lot of the things here aren't what you'd call books, but let's call them 'books' for the sake of convenience. [...] When you want to read them, they'll take on a form that's easy for you to understand. Books are the ideal medium. But if you prefer cartoons, that works too."

Sorry, admin, but I don't think 'books' is the best term for them. They're more like windows. Windows to a different universe, a parallel universe, that can appear as books.

So, what's fractal about these 'books'? As they explain, every book is an entire universe. Except, all the books are the same universe, with slight changes. If you put every book together, you'd get every single possibility that could occur in the universe; what if you took the train? what if you went by foot? what if you didn't go at all? Each its own universe. Stories growing upon themselves with each little decision, like fractals, stories inside stories.

Do you recall any other books in the game that let you experience a parallel universe in a non-book-restricted way? That's right, the books in the Tower of Thorns. They teleported MC inside them and let her experience the contents for herself.

And this is just the beginning of the connections with The Foreseer.

I can't imagine how big the Library must be, to contain all of that (except I can, and we have pictures).

Read the image's alt text <3

Who is the Library's administrator?

That is, the person telling us all of the information about it in the story. I have a wild theory about this one.

First, we can deduce that this person might be on the older side (older, not meaning 'old') since they've gone through more than 6 jobs "over the years" before settling as the administrator. They also used to travel a lot.

Much like Zayne, they also like sweets. This could be a mere coincidence, but it's strange that they pointed that out. I think it was done as a way to further emphasize their connection to Zayne. However, their personality is much more cheerful and open.

I would have to get feedback from people who can read this in other languages, but there is no mention to their gender.

Right. So, putting all of this together, who do I think it is?

Jas. Or, at least, the version of Jas in the current timeline.

If you remember, in the Foreseer's myth there's a sentient ice cluster named Jas, who mainly stays in the library to help her and Zayne reach the higher rows of books by lifting them in ice platforms.

When MC asks about its origin, Zayne confirms that he didn't create it. Jas simply exists.

So Jas is its own entity that simply looks after the library inside the Tower of Thorns (among other things). And the administrator is their own person that simply looks after the Fractal Library.

This one is more speculation than anything, but it would be nice to see Jas again, wouldn't it?

Who is the person on the other side of the telephone?

Some of you are going to get stupidly giddy about my theory here.

We have to note a few things:

— They have impeccable timing, calling every day at 10 AM, and as described by the admin,

"No one manages time as precisely as that caller."

— They're not the owner of the place, but they gave the administrator their position and they seem to look after it.

— They write books. Let's assume the ones in the library.

— They're the one who gave the administrator the order to wait for a specific man to walk in, who would be the owner.

— They have strange powers(?) (I don't know what else to call them), because first of all, how did they know to ring the Library at the right time when the administrator walked in if it was abandoned? And the admin said,

"I approached the counter and answered the phone as if beckoned by an unseen force."

Not only that, but the fact that they can write these 'books' at all??

— They're trying to create a specific 'book'. At the end of the story we hear the admin say into the phone,

"...By the way, how did that new book of yours turn out? When can I read it? Oh... It failed again?"

What does 'it failed' mean? Can't you just write whatever you want if it's your 'book'? Admin also stated earlier,

"If these stories are someone's reality, if their worlds truly exist or once did... Could they have been just experimental playgrounds for some god's whim? Bits and pieces thrown together without a second thought, proportions guided by mood, one failure after another."

We can also guess with this that the admin doesn't know the true nature of the person on the other side of the phone, even if they know they write books.

— They're impatient for the owner to arrive, we can tell by the constant checking in on the matter despite the fact that it will apparently happen on a specific date.

So, putting all these pieces together.

A creator of worlds. A god. Not an all-powerful god, since their worlds keep failing. They're waiting for the owner of the Library, that is, the owner of these books. The owner of these universes. The protagonist in these universes. Zayne (why it's him, further down).

Oh golly gee, what kind of god could have an interest in Zayne, we all put our hands to our heads in unison as realization dawns, that's right baby, Astra.

Listen, take this with a BIG grain of salt, okay? Plus, in this story, if that were Astra, he seems... Nice? It could be a different god altogether! Maybe Astra's opposite, even.

I'll leave this idea here, and we can move on to the next question.

Who's the true owner of the library?

As I said before, it's clearly Zayne, but I'll explain why.

Before anything, let me say that I don't think Zayne knows he is the owner. It's a Matrix situation, Neo isn't the chosen one until Trinity falls in love with him, Zayne isn't the owner of the Library until he steps through its doors. He isn't aware of its existence BUT he might know the admin because they said:

"When the moment arrives, I'm sure he'll come looking for me. [...] And if he doesn't show up, well, we know exactly where to find him, right?"

It's unclear.

Also that last line might be a reference to the fact that they're acutely aware that the stories are about him, so they know where the most probable place to find him is, based on all the existing universes.

So, onto why it's him.

The admin says,

I know an atheist will step through these doors one day. That person is the library's true owner.

God is a reoccurring theme in Zayne's lore. Starting with The Foreseer, who is directly affected by Astra (we could also mention Dawnbreaker here, since he's connected directly by the jasmine flower), Master of Fate, who is a God himself though doesn't really act like one, and finally main!timeline Zayne, where the theming is a bit more subtle.

— The Foreseer: He's not an atheist because he doesn't have a choice (💀) however, let me go a little deeper into his relationship with Astra. He's very vague about his feelings towards the God, but every word is measured as to not offend Him. Although, it also seems like, since he already has the God's favor, he doesn't need to praise him or regard him in a positive light necessarily. A kind of learned helplessness. There is one instance of explicit emotion towards Him...

"Astra's will has presented itself, and the Foreseer's indifferent facade reveals a hint of indignation as he too is imprisoned by the prophecy."

— Master of Fate: As a God himself, he also doesn't have much of a choice in his beliefs XD. However, he doesn't really care about his godhood (in the sense that, he just acts like a normal person and treats humans as equals).

— Dawnbreaker: I couldn't find any mentions of any god in his anecdote. (If I missed any, feel free to correct me). Still, since he's one of the characters in the stories mentioned by the admin, we can count him out.

— Dr. Zayne: If my memory doesn't fail me, quite a few people around Zayne have brought up the existence of a God. Yet he himself hasn't really shown an opinion. Carter asks him directly if he believes in God, and he ignores the question and instead calls Carter crazy.

Now, with Zayne's logical and methodical approach to anything, I don't think he even questions the existence of a god altogether because for him, it's always just been people. People helping and people harming. Things around him, tangible things. He might let himself play around with concepts like fate just because he's in love with MC, but at the end of the day, he's a man who blames things on people (positively and negatively speaking). And that stems from the fact that he carries every mistake he's ever made with him, as things that are his fault. No one else's. So from his point of view, it must be true for everyone else as well. No higher power. People die, people live, that's on him, that's his job.

Dr. Zayne is the only one who they could be referring to as 'an atheist'. But not only that! Since I already established the connection between the Library and The Foreseer's library, I believe there's a narrative order: Zayne enters the library and is designated its owner -> The person behind the phone makes themselves known -> ??? -> Zayne gains Astra's favor and becomes his emissary (gaining immortality) -> Time passes, Earth becomes Philos, the Library turns into the Tower of Thorns -> The Foreseer's myth.

Thus Dr. Zayne ends up as The Foreseer, memories of his past long forgotten by centuries of ice, loneliness, torture, and Astra's meddling.

It would also explain why Astra can't be a character in one of the 'books', and is interfering directly with Zayne in The Foreseer's myth — He got tired of trying to write a successful universe and instead attempted to force a narrative himself, punishing Zayne if he walked out of the path He wanted. Fate.

What are the books about?

Like I said earlier, they're universes. But let's look into them.

The administrator says one thing about them: They're all science fiction. So, the events in them aren't what's happening in the current world. But we know it's the present time since the admin says they're in Linkon City.

The admin also recounts a story they read in those books. It's strange, because they seem like two separate stories, but they say it's only one. I don't know how to interpret this incongruence entirely. A summary:

A world where they look into your genetics at birth and determine your whole life based on them, on what's most efficient. But a man bioengineered a baby with 'perfect' genes, who did whatever he wanted because he could, even if it was wrong. This caused an imbalance in society and a rebellion against the system, the rebels on the losing side. The story ends there, weirdly abruptly?

A dying world. It's better if I paraphrase the beginning:

Everyone but "him" had fallen victim to a virus that stripped away the human form and humanity. It turned people into an energy that would perish along with the planet.

"He" spent his life killing these infected individuals, until there were none left. He was the only living person remaining. Only when the world died, so did he.

I wonder why the admin put these two stories together as one. Obviously the second one is reminiscent of Dawnbreaker's anecdote. Perhaps his end. But the first one...? I hesitate to say it could be one of Zayne's future myths, but is it that far-fetched? After all, these stories seem to be all about Zayne (the "owner"), so why not? It's a failed attempt, there's no real reason why Zayne couldn't have ended up being the bad guy of the story.

Then again... What would be the successful attempt? Maybe it's not even a 'happy ending'. We don't know what the 'writer' is trying to achieve.

I'm gonna be honest here, I was really surprised when the admin let a child come in to read them, considering they're all 'failed attempts', I can't imagine a happy kids book in there 😭

Don't get me wrong, there's the possibility that not all the books are about Zayne. I'm only saying that since Infold made it clear that this World Underneath chapter was about him, and since he's the owner of these worlds, it would make sense if all the stories had to do with him. It seems like we'll get more lore about this place in the future, seeing as the last part is titled 'To Be Continued' so we'll have to wait and see.

Remaining questions...

This weird line:

"I'm in Linkon City now, so I have to stick to the schedule here."

Made me think,

— Is the admin normally somewhere else?

— Is the Library... a moving thing? A travelling library, going from place to place?

— Is the admin used to a different passage of time?

If Astra isn't the 'writer' of those books, and is, in fact, a character in them, who is the writer? A higher level god? They wrote Zayne as a God in Master of Fate, which means they have the power to create gods.

And why the fixation on Zayne? Can Zayne do something for this writer that they can't do themselves? Because, as we've stated, they aren't all-powerful.

It also raises the question, why are they so certain that there's a 'successful version'? How do they know the others are 'failed'? Simply because they're unhappy endings? Maybe I'm thinking too much about this. But if they know they can 'write' a successful world, are they simply a Laplace's Demon entertaining themselves?

There's also the fact that it was highlighted that they're very timely. In the admin's words,

"No one manages time as precisely as that caller."

Could it be a time god instead of a fate god? Just, who are they?

Another thing that's nagging me is that every chapter except the last is supposed to be a Q&A in the Library's guestbook. So, as a text that's supposed to be read by anyone, it would be normal for the admin to lie or hide some things. We can only truly judge their character in the last part. There's a part that further reinforces my belief of unreliable narrating:

P.S. Dear readers, I hope you'll spare some time in this ever-changing world to read, explore times and places beyond your experience, and discover all that lies hidden within the pages.

It might be a reach on my part, but it almost seems like a nudge? A wink?

The whole conversation at the start of the final chapter was odd.

"We'll know the truth soon enough." -> About what? About whether Zayne will arrive on that specific date?

[Talking about books.] "The one I'm working on now is long, so there's still hope." -> Is the admin a writer as well? Or do they simply review the writer's work in search of that 'successful attempt'?

At the end of the story, the admin talks to us directly. This specific line stood out to me:

"I might not meet all your expectations, [...]"

Does that mean we should have expectations? Should we know something about the admin already? If they're not Jas, are they not a new character?

To conclude

They didn't say this in the guestbook Q&A. This was a direct fourth wall break. Why say this to us?

Edit: Added some theories about the kid that walks into the library here.

Okay. Whew. I think that's all I wanted to say.

Excuse my ramblings, I've read this story a lot of times for this analysis and I keep coming up with borderline nonsensical theories. Feel absolutely free to ignore these or make your own.

I've probably read TOO much into it. I just got excited!!! I'm not sure what exactly about this story pulled me so strongly, but damn, I can't wait to know more!

Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think, if you want! <3

But that's just a theory, a hampter theory ;)