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the-era-of-shadow · 5 months ago

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Letting You Go

Written by Ash Rose

Summary:

It’s official, Sally Acorn and the rest of the Acorn family have officially severed all ties with the Starlight City Militia, letting them go from the Mobotropolis Militia Organization. They don’t mind it, however, as they already saw themselves as separate from the Freedom Fighters and the other militias, and as a matter of fact, the day they got this information perfectly lined up with the day that they would make that more clear than ever before.

THIS STORY CONTAINS: Swearing, mention of death

Author's Note: Whoops - another impulse write! This should be the last impulse fic for this arc though - everything else I wanna convey that's not in already planned fics should end up in video form lol (Check out our YT - HomeSweetHive) Also this references multiple things, even non-fic stuff. ,,, Even stuff that isn't out yet ~ :cheeky:

The past two weeks had been relatively, surprisingly, calm for most of the Freedom Fighters - excluding the news of Vanilla’s condition. But for Sally and Nicole, things have been rather… hectic, to say the least.

After the day that the search for the fate of Project Midnight had occurred, Sally had made it a point to herself to not only not allow themself to ever be fooled by the Black Arms again, but to try to do everything in her power to save others from their web of lies as well. With this mission ingrained into her, she set their sights on the town of Starlight City as her target for saving, given the fact that the Black Arms had been stationed there for several years without anyone having known. Or more accurately, anyone who did know was then subsequently assimilated into their hive or killed.

Sally had no way of knowing for certain who in Starlight City could be salvaged and who were too far wrapped in the Black Arms’ control, but she did manage to gather some information on important figures in the city that made it clear just how dire the situation was. The town’s mayor, Archie Tortis, was seemingly not assimilated in any sort of way, thankfully, but that didn’t make things any easier in terms of getting him to see the rampant corruption in his town. When Sally first talked to him, they immediately came to realize that all Archie cared about was himself and his own profit, and that if the situation didn’t affect him, then he has no reason in his mind to do anything about it. Besides, when Sally was talking to him, she began to suspect that a certain darkling had already turned him against her with just the leverage they had over him from having run such a successful clinic that had been quite the sell for anyone hoping to visit Starlight City.

As much as a part of her wanted to, Sally tried their best to not blame herself for the meeting with Archie going wrong. She had everything planned from the very beginning. In order to hopefully separate the salvageable from the too-far-gone in the most timely fashion as possible, Sally had planned to arrange a mandatory evacuation from the town. Her reasoning within the meeting itself going in was a vague ‘health risk’, but if the plan had gone to fruition, she had every intention of being very clear with the public of the Black Arms’ return and their immediate risk to the public - a complete 180 from how G.U.N had handled things during the Shattered World Crisis. But things hadn’t gone according to plan in the slightest. Archie had turned down every suggestion Sally gave, arguing that she had no jurisdiction over Starlight City despite being a Freedom Fighter because at the end of the day, she was still the princess of Mobotropolis, and Starlight City was in the United Federation.

“The United Federation has made no such statements, thus there is no need for such drastic actions.”

While Sally had to admit that Archie had been correct in that, it was still deeply infuriating to see him completely disregard the safety of the people he was supposed to serve.

So Sally didn’t give up just yet.

Just a few days after the meeting she had had with Archie, they, with the help of Nicole and her brother Elias, put out an evacuation notice of their own.

In some ways it had been effective, but in other ways, it had been a complete failure. Thanks to Nicole’s strength and advanced artificial intelligence, she was able to keep it up for twelve whole hours - a significant amount of time, technically, and yet it wasn’t even a whole day. Sally had been just as direct as she had always planned on being with the details of the notice, and that had come as both a blessing and a curse. Many people did believe the notice, but the vast majority of those many were people who lived outside of Starlight City. Sure, this prevented many potential visits to the town that would have made for a major risk if they had occurred, but it didn’t do much for those that were still in the town. Some of them did leave, but most didn’t. Sally saw some people they had verified to be in Starlight City saying online that the explanation given for the evacuation notice sounded very ‘unbelievable’ to them, but she had no idea if that opinion was influenced by the Black Arms in any way, or if she truly had just been too heavy handed. Then, of course, the notice was taken off of the air, bringing an end to the whole thing. In the end, Sally tried to take the small victories in stride, and decided that instead of continuing to try to drag people out of Starlight City, she would continue down the path of doing all she could to keep people from going into the town.

But before she could do that, they had to sort things out with the few former Starlight City citizens that did listen to the evacuation notice. Prior to the notice going out, Sally and Elias had arranged some new homes in Mobotropolis for the evacuated people to move into, so that was of no concern. Rather, the problem that Sally had to solve was that of making sure that they prevent the exposure that those evacuated people did have to the Black Arms in Starlight City from sprouting into full blown assimilation. After having done research on the topic, Sally discovered that G.U.N were very likely in possession of an anti-assimilation serum that had been made by Professor Gerald Robotnik back in the Space Colony ARK days. So of course, they tried to reach out to them to possibly get some of that to give to not just the evacuated, but possibly to Vanilla as well.

She was denied.

Sally ended up beating herself up over the denial for a good few days, as the reason G.U.N gave for it was, technically, their own fault. G.U.N did indeed know about Sally and Nicole hacking into their private databases during the Project Midnight investigation, and it seemed that they intended on holding a grudge against not just Sally, but against the Freedom Fighters as a whole over it. She was at a complete loss as to what to do.

But after those few days had passed, Sally had gotten a call from Elias that ended up giving her some relief. He had told her that he had apparently been contacted by a G.U.N agent that was less than thrilled with how they were handling things. While at that point it was all just talk, Elias and the G.U.N agent did have plans to sneak some vials of the serum, which Sally was absolutely overjoyed to hear. Unfortunately, it seemed that Vanilla was too far gone for the serum to do anything for her by this point, but at least they’d be helpful for the evacuated citizens of Starlight City.

With that taken care of, all Sally had to worry about now was kickstarting the route of keeping people out of Starlight City - and she knew exactly what the first step had to be.

At the beginning of the month, just a few days after the Freedom Trainees, Amy, Sonic and Knuckles had fought the Black Arms in Starlight City, Whisper had ran into the leader of Starlight City’s Militia, Gear. The encounter was less than pleasant by what Whisper had told Sally. In fact, Whisper had told Sally and the other Freedom Fighters that she suspected Gear, and the rest of the Starlight City Militia, had been assimilated by the Black Arms - or at least had decided to side with the person they knew as ‘Doctor Ezrieal Clysdale’ over the Freedom Fighters. Surely enough, Whisper’s suspicions had been confirmed just a few days later, as during a public relations AMA that the Clysdale Clinic had held, Gear and a fellow militia member named Nitro came to their defense and apparently outright confirmed their loyalty to the Black Arms. With that confirmation, Sally had all the evidence she needed to show her brother and parents to convince them to discharge the Starlight City Militia from being a part of the greater Mobotropolis Militia Organization, and last night the four of them had come to a unanimous vote to let them go. Sally would be giving them the news today.

—

Somewhere in Starlight City, there’s a small little studio apartment that on this morning is making a good bit more of a ruckus than usual. The two tenants that call this apartment home are Gear Summer and her boyfriend Gizmo Springs, both only eighteen years old - though Gizmo will become nineteen in December. The reason why they’re able to afford to live in an apartment on their own while being still quite young is due to the success and prestige that both of their jobs give them. Gizmo works as an independent robotics engineer, his brand of electronics being seen by the Starlight City community and even a bit beyond as a more local and at times more affordable alternative to the world-renowned ‘Twin-Tail Electronics’ brand started by the Freedom Fighters’ very own Tails Prower. Gear, on the other hand, is the leader of the Starlight City Militia, and while that in of itself doesn’t pay a whole lot - it does make her quite beloved by the community, to the point where people often give her discounts on things or give her tips for her service.

It is because of Gear’s job that the apartment is particularly noisy today - with it being occupied by not just Gear and Gizmo, but also by the other six members of the militia. Today is a very special day for the militia, though Gear did not tell Gizmo why exactly it is, and to celebrate, Gear has the entire militia over for breakfast before they depart for the special activity that they have awaiting them. By now, most of the militia members were seated at their chairs at the table, but Gear, along with the militia’s co-leader, the somewhat older and wiser twenty-one year old Nitro Blast, are still at the kitchen counter preparing the food. Gizmo is helping a bit as well, but there’s only so much he can do with their limited cooking ability. Gear’s just happy she’s here.

After a few more minutes of cooking, the food for all eight of them in total, including Gizmo, was ready. Luckily for her in terms of workload for the morning, all of the militia’s wisps were already with Doctor Clysdale, having spent the night with them, so Gear didn’t have to worry about making food for all nine of them as well. Nitro went to sit down at his chair and Gizmo went to the fridge to get out the two-liter of ginger ale bought specifically for this occasion while Gear grabbed each plate of food and set them on the table one by one.

The first plate Gear set down belonged to twenty year old Alice Wolfe, the militia’s one and only melee fighter. They much preferred to fight up close with punches and kicks rather than shoot from afar, that much reflected in the design of their gray quake wispons - being a set of gloves and boots that amplified these abilities while also being very sharp, leaning into her surname and also giving them the ability to climb walls.

“Aw hell yeah! This looks incredible!!” They excitedly said to Gear.

The second plate that Gear set down belonged to twenty, very soon to be twenty-one, year old Giselle Graves, the militia’s gothic bomber. While most of the militia’s members already do attack from a distance, Giselle is always at the very rear of the troupe, firing her black bomb wispon across the entire battlefield in order to have its explosives at the very least leave a scar on each and every one of their enemies - and doing it all while they’re dressed up in the finest gothic lolita dresses. Her more violent approach was not very appreciated within the original militia that Giselle had been in during the Phantom Ruby War, but in the Starlight City Militia, it was very much welcomed.

“I have to agree with Alice! I can’t wait to take my first bite!!” She stated.

The third plate that Gear set down belonged to nineteen year old Macy Carroll, part of the airborne attack force of the militia alongside Nitro, and also the current newest member of the Starlight City Militia. Despite having not fought in the Phantom Ruby War, Macy is quite good at her job - both as a fighter with locking onto targets with his indigo asteroid wispon and as a chopper pilot, having learned a lot from her older sister who had fought in the war as a part of a nearby town’s militia and then had retired. The Starlight City Militia members, including Macy, liked to joke about how that other town’s militia had deeply underestimated Macy when they turned him away.

“Thanks so much for the food, Gear!” She beamed.

The fourth plate that Gear set down was Nitro’s. As stated previously, Nitro is the militia’s co-leader and the second half of its airborne attack force with his orange rocket wispon. Having been childhood friends with Gear, he was right by her side when she started the militia, having the experience to back up Gear’s ambitions. Being the oldest of the militia members, Nitro carries with him a sort of ‘big brother’ energy that can instantly motivate and/or comfort any of the other members when he’s by their side.

“Remember everyone, this meal is only the beginning of this very important day ahead of us.” Nitro said to everyone.

The fifth and sixth plates that Gear set down belonged to eighteen year old twins Oliver and Olivia Pines, the militia’s support. Just a few months older than Gear, the two are both just as bold and ambitious as she is, and even more energetic! They put that energy to good use on the battlefield, either running circles around the bad guys to confuse them with the speed of their white boost wispons taking the form of roller skates, or hopping around the battlefield taking on the roles of their fellow militia members with their wispons shifted into whatever is needed by the other members’ wisps when those members are knocked down.

“Hell yeah!! Today’s gonna be great!!” Oliver cheered.

“You’re damn right it is, bro!” Olivia added.

Lastly, Gear set down Gizmo’s plate and then her own on the table. But she did not sit down - not yet.

“Hello everyone! Thank you so much for coming here on this fine October morning!” Gear greeted everyone else in the apartment. They all greeted her back and cheered. “As Nitro said, this meal is just the start to this wonderful day - but I would like to call attention to it, if you’ll allow me to indulge myself a bit here. The recipe is my own, made by me while I was fucking around in the kitchen one morning back in May. It’s an everything bagel breakfast sandwich with oven roasted bacon, a white cheddar cheese omelet seasoned with salt and pepper, and a sauce on the top and bottom of the sandwich made from whipped cream cheese and maple syrup!” Gear continued, feeling very proud of herself.

“Ohhhh that sounds bitchin!!” Alice exclaimed.

“Thank you!” Gear replied. “And I’ll let you guys eat in just a moment, but first, I’d like to take the time to honor the man who sacrificed his life in exchange for ours,” She said as she picked up her glass of ginger ale and looked towards a ninth chair set at the table, it and the glass placed in front of it being completely empty, and the plate next to the empty glass only having a slip of paper on it that read ‘Norman Elbourne’. “Norm, you were just as much of a valiant fighter as the rest of us, being willing to tackle any challenge that life threw at you both in and out of the battlefield, and you were plenty curious as well, always wanting to know more about the world and people around you. While these traits of yours were very helpful to us all, they also were what would eventually bring you to your doom. But even in your death, you paved the way to a massive and wonderful opportunity for all of us. So on this day that such an opportunity will be at last fulfilled, we will all raise a toast to you, and hope that we may one day meet you again in another life.”

Everyone raised their glasses, some more enthusiastically than others. Gizmo raised his glass with hesitance, some of what Gear was saying going over their head. Nitro raised his glass with more force than anyone else, allowing his quiet and calculated persona to slip for a moment as he took a moment to shed some tears in honor of his late cousin.

Once they did, and prepared to begin eating, a ringing sound echoed through the apartment.

“Hey, ain’t that your electronic communicator? Maybe you should go pick that up.” Gizmo pointed out to Gear.

“Huh. You’re right, it is!” Gear responded, fetching her communicator from on her bed. Opening the communicator up, Gear saw that the ringing sound was coming from a call from Sally Acorn. Gear answered the call despite her annoyance at the princess’ timing.

“Hello? Is there an emergency? Because if not, we’re rather busy at the moment.” Gear began, letting her annoyance seep into her tone.

“No, there isn’t. I’m calling you to let you know that my family and I have decided to let you guys go.” Sally told her very bluntly.

“Eh? Whaddya mean by that?” Gear asked.

“I mean that you guys aren’t considered part of the Mobotropolis Militia Organization anymore.” Sally explained.

“What? Why? What did they do wrong to deserve that?” Gizmo suddenly came to the defense, Gear being able to hear the rage in Gizmo’s voice.

“Treason.” Sally replied. “Good day, farewell.” The call ended.

“Wh-WHAT?? There’s no way that’s true!!” Gizmo yelled, which took Gear aback a bit. “Hey, do you need a moment?? Gear, any of you?? I know that had to be a shock-”

“Not really.” Gear replied, surprising Gizmo.

“Wait, really?” Gizmo inquired.

“Yeah!” Gear insisted.

“... I know I have a pretty good job, but that still leaves you, all of you, without work!” Gizmo pointed out.

“Not exactly.” Nitro retorted. “You see, the special thing happening today is that we’re going to become official employees of the Clysdale Clinic.” Nitro was technically leaving out some details in that explanation, but Gear knew that those details were best left unknown by Gizmo for now.

“Huh,” Gizmo uttered, instantly calming down. “Wait, what does that have to do with Norm?”

“You’ll understand that in due time, Giz. ~” Gear responded, giving Gizmo a kiss on the cheek.

—

Once things were dealt with in terms of the militia’s sudden termination from the MMO, they finally got to eat the food that had been served to them - and they certainly enjoyed being able to do so. Gear got many compliments on the food by the other militia members, which made her feel quite nice. While Nitro had advised Gear to focus on eating, she couldn’t help but want to share the news of the militia’s termination with Doctor Clysdale, and so she did, texting about it with them. They were both rather surprised, but also not at all. The two of them pretty much agreed on just saying ‘who cares about them’ about it and to laugh.

“Well, since you’re texting them, why don’t you ask the doc if they need us there at any specific time?” Nitro suggested to Gear with a bit of a teasing tone.

“Good idea!” Gear exclaimed, sending Doctor Clysdale a text asking about that.

After a few minutes, they responded.

“Oh no, not at all! Take all the time you all need! I made sure my entire day today was cleared out for you guys! ~ EC”

Suddenly, a new ringing sound played out, this one coming from Macy’s phone. When she flipped it open, he looked at it with a confused expression - which Gear noticed.

“You can step out onto the balcony to take the call if you need!” Gear said to her.

“Oh, okay!” Macy replied, doing as he was told.

Once Macy was on the balcony, Gear got up and approached the balcony as well, curious as to who exactly was calling Macy that would cause him to be suspicious of them.

“Hello? Why are you calling me? Wasn’t I fired like the rest of the militia?” Sally? That’s what Macy’s words seemed to imply. Gear got closer. “You… want to keep me in the Mobotropolis Militia Organization and send me to another team?” Gear jumped with fright. What if Macy took her up on that offer? She already knows too much about the goings-on of the Starlight City Militia to just be able to leave like that! But if anything were to happen to him, it would look super suspicious! Gear tried to calm herself down and wait to see how Macy would respond. “I appreciate the offer, but I’ve decided long ago that I’m loyal to the Starlight City Militia until the very end!” Gear sighed in immense relief, going so far as to slide down the wall behind her and sit on the floor. As Macy left the balcony, she noticed Gear sitting there and helped her up.

“I appreciate your loyalty, ya know?” Gear said to him.

“Of course!” Macy replied.

—

Soon after that had occurred, everyone had finished their meals and were getting ready to go, everyone except for Gizmo, who was staying at the apartment.

“Do you mind washing the dishes, or do you want me to do that before we go?” Gear asked him.

“Oh no, I don’t mind at all. You did most of the cooking, after all.” Gizmo responded.

“Oh, goodie!” Gear exclaimed, leaving the kitchen area to get her bag packed.

“By the way, when will you be coming back?” Gizmo asked, stopping Gear in her tracks.

“Sometime tomorrow, probably.” Gear answered.

“You’re staying the night with them?? Aren’t they in a hotel room right now?” Gizmo questioned. Gear had practically forgotten all about that lie of theirs, to be honest.

“Oh! Trust me, it’s a lot more spacious than you’d think.” Gear said, hoping it’d be a sufficient excuse. Gizmo bought it and started to clean the dishes that were used for breakfast.

“Alright everyone, time to head out! Macy, you go first and get the chopper!” Gear commanded.

“Ooo, fast travel! ~” Gizmo remarked, making Gear giggle.

“Fast travel.” Nitro repeated with a nod.

In just a minute or so, Macy was back at the apartment building with the helicopter, and called Gear to send everyone else to the roof of the apartment where she had parked it. Gear complied and she along with the rest of the militia filed out of the apartment and headed to the chopper.

As the helicopter began to take off, Gear decided to see what view of the sky she could get from where she was seated rather than look down at the ground, excited for the new route life would take her and her friends. Soon enough, she was able to see past the clouds and catch a glimpse at the massive flying temple that the helicopter was heading towards.

"Ya know, staring at this blue sky… it almost seems like I've seen it before. Especially from afar like this." Gear commented at one point.

"Gear. It's the fucking sky. Of course you've seen it before. You live on this damn planet with the rest of us!" Giselle responded playfully.

"... Oh yeah! I guess you're right!" Gear remarked. Everyone, including Gear and Giselle, laughed at the short conversation.

And then, just like that, the temple was below them rather than above, and that’s when Macy began to land.

Just right outside where they hand landed the helicopter were two people. One of them stood still as they noticed the chopper, while the other darted off to one of the enclosed areas of the temple.

“Hey Doctor Clysdale!” Gear called out as she hopped out of the chopper.

“Gear, you should know by now that in spaces like these, you can just call me Eclipse.”

“Oh, right, sorry!”

“Hey, was that Shadow I saw just now?” Alice asked Eclipse.

“... Not quite.” Eclipse sheepishly answered. “I’ll explain in a moment.”

“Suppose we have to get to the lab first?” Nitro surmised.

“Correct!” Eclipse exclaimed. “Right this way!” They commanded, the Starlight City Militia members diligently following from behind.

At long last, their loyalty to the Black Arms will be truly cemented, for after some considerable delay, their physical assimilations at last awaited them.

#the era of shadow #teos #writing tag #sonic au #black arms #sonic oc #mod ash

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brucenorris007 · 2 years ago

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@generic-sonic-fan

If you’re writing Sonic, a character with so many iterations and variants across comics, anime, cartoons and games as to rival and even surpass some mainstream superheroes, his motivations are perhaps the most reliable facet to keep in mind as a near-constant. Said motivations, in order of how he prioritizes them, read as:

1. Doing what is Cool

2. Being a Friend

These two are the mainstays and always juuuuuust neck in neck, occasionally switching places depending on the circumstances and which moment in Sonic’s storied career you’re working with. And finally

3. Being the Hero/good guy

Which is such a distant third to the first two that it probably isn’t actually what he ranks third in terms of motivations, if you see what I mean.

The exception is Fleetway, who, on appearance, puts Being the hero 2nd instead of 3rd.

Granted that’s just how it appears; it’s more about his ego and that he likes having that reputation. In a crisis that makes the mortality of his friends Too Real and Apparent to him, his true feelings shine through. He’s not nice, but he very obviously cares immensely about their safety. That’s actually a significant, if not the primary, facet of his character arc.

ANYWAY, you can pretty consistently grab most any Sonic from any point in his history and those motivations will fit him pretty well. The reason Being a Hero rates lower than Doing what is Cool despite Sonic’s status as Mobius’ hero is due to his priorities and self-image. He identifies as just Some Guy, not a Hero with a job to do; that he does heroic things is almost incidental. By his own definition, smashing robots, adventuring, stopping bullies, protecting his friends and saving people are Cool; his definition of what Cool means just happens to coincide with most of Mobius’ image of a hero. But he doesn’t follow any kind of black and white moral compass. He does what HE believes is right in any given situation.

Note that this list is comprised of his motivations, which are separate from his priorities, ideals and personality. The list informs his actions, they don’t dictate them. It’s hard to say that any one or even three things dictate what Sonic will do, because he’s all about freedom; his self-image as Some Guy provides him that freedom.

Freedom from things like Duty or Fate. Not that Sonic’s necessarily irresponsible, but he doesn’t fight Eggman or any of the rest of his rogues out of some belief that he’s the only one who can or some love of justice. Stomping bad guys is cool, ergo, Sonic is cool. If he’s a hero because of that, hey, all right. If not, he’s probably not gonna lose sleep over it, barring any instances of people getting hurt as a direct consequence of his actions. Even then, he’s the fastest thing alive, he can course-correct and sort things out in time for chili dogs.

Again, Fleetway is an exception with regard to Fleetway Super Sonic, but as he’s treated as both a unique character and as Sonic’s chaos-induced alter-ego, that falls somewhat more under accountability than responsibility. I love both characters, but Sonic is not Spider-man.

And this is why, when writing Sonic, if you try to knock Doing what is Cool down from top of the list or at least neck-in-neck for number 1 of his motivations, you start to run into a disconnect, particularly if you try putting Being the Hero in the number 1 slot.

So much of what makes Sonic Sonic stems from his confidence, his attitude, his initially inflated and gradually more mellow ego that lets him identify as not just Some Guy but the Coolest Some Guy ever. Like I’ve said, he doesn’t go around humiliating Eggman and decimating his machines and bases because he thinks no one else can, but because he wants to do it, because he thinks it’s cool and fun; though he does enjoy having a partner or two working with him, or even making a party out of a good throw down. It’s half the reason why you can-and in the 2000′s, SEGA more often than not did-toss him into any scenario for a story and he can carry it.

He doesn’t save people who are in trouble because it’s “right”, but because not saving them would be Lame.

#Sonic #Writing Sonic #I have more to say about this guy #but I felt this was as close to a conclusion as I could get #without stream-of-consciousness taking hold #and writing half a novella's worth of brainrot #PLEASE understand that I have zero interest in telling anyone how to enjoy Sonic #nor engaging with whatever pocket of his fandom is interested in that #I just have thoughts #and need to clear my head sometimes #otherwise it gets clogged up #Bruce talks about #call this On Writing Sonic part 1 of Xty-X #or sumn #so. tagging users in tags DOESN’T work #well. Measly asked. Nay. DEMANDED.

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elysianymph · 1 year ago

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jegulily enemies to lovers!!

AAAA i go FERAL over this idea all the time!! don't mind the word vomit you're about to witness, none of these sentences are grammatically correct i fear

ok ok so it's more lovers to enemies to lovers but still

jegulily date in this au, kinda. there's a brief period during their hogwarts years where regulus is just desperate enough for attention, james is coming off of his high horse and becoming bearable and lily is breaking away from her toxic friendship with snape. basically right place right time, or rather wrong place wrong time bc they end up meeting together (how they do i'm not too sure but i'll figure it out)

they all know each other from before obviously. james and regulus hate each other, they're been at each other's throats a couple times under the guise of quidditch rivalries but only they know it goes much deeper than that. regulus has a strange respect for lily because of how smart and talented she is, but he's confused about it bc... she's a muggleborn?? lily pities regulus because she sees herself reflected in him. james and lily are like acquaintances at this point, that awkward phase where james is maturing and lily is realising that hems not that bad at all

so they get closer, secret meetings and all that and when jily graduate they plan to get regulus out of grimmauld as soon as possible so they will all be safe once the war starts

enter walburga and her plans to suck up to voldemort so their family will get some prestige back. the blacks are kind of going through a crisis because two very prominent family members have rebelled, not to mention the ones before them, and what better way to prove themselves as purebloods than to have the heir take on the dark mark?

regulus does not want it, but he doesn't have much of a choice. his father is sick and his situation is only getting worse which means regulus is soon to become the man of the house and the only male heir. if he runs away he knows walburga will find him and hunt down anyone who stands in her way and he can't have james or lily hurt or sirius dragged back to the family he so desperately ran away from. so he takes the mark.

but he remains with james and lily, listening as they plan and scheme how they are going to save him without knowing that he is too far gone. he has signed his life over. it's only when lily gets persistent that regulus should take his chances and run while his father is weak that he can't take it anymore and he yanks up his sleeve, revealing the dark mark. both lily and james stand in shock, not really processing what is going on and while they regain their composure, regulus has already left their flat and is never heard from again.

canon stuff happens: voldemort returns, jily get married and have harry, snape overhears the prophecy but when he goes to tell voldemort, regulus is nearby and is able to gather just enough information to connect the dots. once he realizes that it's lily and james who are in danger he immediately starts planning.

canon continues although the timeline is a bit messed up: voldemort uses kreacher, regulus finds out about the locket and goes into the cave. only this time he doesn't send kreacher back with the duty of hiding the real locket, instead he tells him to find james and lily and explain everything about voldemort's plans and the horcruxes. he hopes that will be enough to make up for his mistakes.

kreacher doesn't like this plan very much bc he ends up going against regulus' orders and leaves both the locket AND regulus at the potter's doorstep, then he disappears. james opens the door to a feverish and bloodied regulus and, against his better judgement, takes him in to heal him. lily is furious (as she should be) bc her husband just brought in a death eater (+their ex) into their safe house while voldemort is literally trying to hunt them down!!

regulus wakes up on their couch and lily drugs him so he will tell them the truth. dramatic revelations and "i love you"s are spoken but it's too late for them to fix anything. they work on a plan to get the rest of the horcruxes all while trying to figure out who the spy is + hiding regulus from everyone bc they don't know who they can trust anymore.

enter regulus and harry bonding, jegulily reminiscing about what they used to have, complicated plans involving fraud, polyjuice potions, explosives and MURDER (lily evans should be in jail but she's a girlboss so we'll let it slide). i'll stop here in hopes of keeping something secret if i end up writing this hehehe

but in short lots of morally grey characters, angst, hurt/comfort (wow!), character studies, war crimes and baby harry being cute and lightening the mood of every chapter. i should really write this man

#THANK YOU FOR THE ASK <333 #this turned out way longer than i thought it would be and i didn't even talk about the main part of the fic sjjsjsjsj #cannot emphasize how much development reg goes through in this fic #it's whiplash after whiplash for this guy #as it should be #he's fucking awful ngl #jegulily #nymph answers

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ponds-of-ink · 1 year ago

Text

MXES and Vanessa One-Shot: “Of Voice and Vision”

Took a bit of time, but I did remember to write this today! :D Here’s one of the Pre-Ruin scenarios I’ve had in my head for a few days now.

(don’t worry, the title will make sense in a minute)

It was the standard procedure today. Vanessa would take half-an-hour to set up equipment. MXES (or “Black Hare”, as he had been nicknamed in his data for a while) would use that time to review his previous lessons. And Gregory would be out with Freddy for a while– so long as he didn’t stir up any trouble.

What wasn’t standard was the eager smile Vanessa had. Even as she struggled to fix some last minute issues, she kept humming along to songs on her work playlist. “Just a couple more minutes, Mix,” she told the confused hare on a separate monitor. “Then we’ll be all set.”

MXES tilted his head. What was his creator so happy about? It wasn’t her birthday. Nor was it any of her companions’ or coworkers’. The nearest holiday was weeks away, last time his internal calendar checked.

Then again, any occasion could be a personal holiday to a human being. A vacation, a newborn, a romantic date… But, again, everything was standard. No such event had been entered into his software.

MXES continued to observe. Vanessa still hummed and typed away. The main computer whirred as final corrections travelled through its code. A sharp ding soon emitted from its speakers. Vanessa pumped her fist into the air before recomposing herself. “Well, Mix, are you ready for today’s ‘lesson’?” she asked, turning her attention back to the digital creature.

MXES’ ears raised. Oh. Maybe her happiness was related to the lesson. Odd.

However, that didn’t stop him from drawing himself up to full height and nodding proudly.

”Great,” Vanessa replied brightly, switching between tabs. “I’d say ‘Get ready’, but you look raring to go!”

MXES would have bowed, but now wasn’t the time. Bit by bit, his body faded from the secondary monitor. His world slowly shifted from this grid landscape to the very same room his maker was in. Soon, he was floating over her hastily-made bed.

“So how was the transfer?” Vanessa asked, inching her office chair towards the bed. “Was it slower than usual?”

MXES raised his hand, then lowered it until it looked flat. He tilted it left, then right.

“‘Only a little slower?’”

He nodded.

Vanessa’s eyes lit up, but her expression maintained its casual facade. She swiveled around to pick up a clipboard from her desk. “Everything feeling all right?” she inquired further, clicking her pen. “Any lagging or twitching?”

He shook his head. Nothing he was aware of.

Vanessa scribbled down some notes. Her eyes bounced between her listener and the paper before her. “Does anything look different to you?” she questioned. “Like a pillow being moved or a pencil not being in its cup holder?”

MXES tilted his head. Now why would she ask that question after he was “out” of the computer? He couldn’t really talk without assistance, after all.

Regardless, he looked around. The bed was a bit out-of-sorts, but everything on it was in their usual places. The pencils (save that one pen) were all in their spots. His creator was in the same chair she was always in… Except now she had rainbow-like streaks and a name floating above her head.

MXES bobbed his head, then frantically gestured to the text-like apparition. There was no way that was showing up on her end, was there??

Vanessa looked up in confusion, then shook her head. “Don’t worry, big guy,” she chuckled. “It’s just something only you can see.”

The hare slumped his shoulders. Phew. Crisis averted.

“What can you see though? Can you read it?”

MXES blinked. Obviously, he could. That was one of the lessons he had ages ago. Trying to convey it, however…

Well, he had to at least give it a shot.

He straightened himself up, readied that voicebank code, then activated it.

“Vvvvv…”

Wait. There was data here. New data.

He gauged Vanessa’s expression. That light in her eyes grew even brighter. He could practically register the excitement vibrating throughout her entire body.

Well, now he had to keep going. No use letting her bottle up all that emotion.

“Vvvv… aa.. nn.. V-ann…”

The syllable sorting was going to take some time, but at least he was getting close.

“Van…esss…uh?”

“Try finding the ‘vuh’ sound bite,” Vanessa suggested, her legs already shifting back and forth. “It should be in there.”

MXES nodded. Okay. Seemed easy enough.

“Vuhh.. nesss.. uhh.”

Now it was just the matter of putting them together. Just like reading.

“Vanessa”

Like someone on too much caffeine, Vanessa dropped her clipboard and laughed wildly. “It works!” she cried out joyfully, springing onto the bed. “The voice bank works! You said your first actual word!”

MXES’ ears raised. “Iiii… d-id?” he questioned slowly.

“Yeah!” Vanessa exclaimed back before grabbing a pillow and squealing into it. Then after a battle with self-regulation, she continued. “And that’s just the first layer of the iceberg,” she said, moving into a sitting position. “You know why you saw my name over my head?”

“Nnn.. oo. No.”

Vanessa stifled a laugh. “You know how you kinda had trouble with the facial recognition stuff sometimes?” she pressed on.

MXES just let out a “huff”. How could he forget?

“Well, I finally got an updated version of that software,” Vanessa explained, motioning a free arm towards the computer. “It’s almost the same as the Glamrocks’, but I’ve made a few tweaks— Stuff like you not having to deal with singing happy birthday out of nowhere or giving expired Fazbear discounts. You’ve even got your own database so you can keep an eye on repeat ‘visitors’.”

“Ohhh,” MXES responded, letting the emotion programming guide his tone. “S-soo.. I.. cannn.. re… re…mem…”

Vanessa’s smile weakened. “Yes, you can remember people a lot better now,” she cut in, her voice turning more quiet and gentle. “Just don’t stress out your voicebank today, okay? I don’t want you getting ‘tired out’ from all that syllable-searching. Try sticking to shorter answers. Like.. maybe.. One or two words.”

”O…kay, Vanessa,” MXES grumbled, crossing his electric arms.

A stress-free Vanessa got up and returned to her chair. “Talking about that database,” she resumed as she wrote more notes in her clipboard, “ I put in new options for you so that you could figure out exactly what changed. Hair color, glasses, prosthetics…”

Although MXES tried to pay attention, a new idea sprang up. If he could actually process people now, then could the same apply to non-humans? Could he see what he looked like?

MXES quietly teleported past his rambling creator. He looked around carefully. Were there any reflective surfaces that wasn’t a window? Or a lit-up monitor?

A small hand-mirror caught his eye. It was in a lying down position on some table, but he had training in dealing with reflective surfaces ages ago. Surely that data couldn’t have been erased.

He positioned himself in front of the nightstand. As he wasn’t prepared to handle real-world objects, all he could do was lean down and peer into the glass.

To be honest, a top-down view wasn’t the most… flattering angle. But what did MXES care about flattery? All he was concerned about was the fact that he was a strange bunny-like thing with lines running down his face. He knew he looked intimidating, but this was… not what he was expecting. Was it scary? Interesting? He wasn’t even sure what to make of it.

“Hey, Mix,” Vanessa spoke up beside him. “That’s, uh, not a good way to check out your reflection.”

MXES shook out of his trance. He looked over his shoulder to see Vanessa standing next to him. “Sss.. Saw-rre,” he murmured, slumping a little. “G-Got diss..track-ted.”

“Hey, it’s all good,” Vanessa said warmly, ‘patting’ him on the back. “I was wondering if you’d try out that new tech on yourself. Could you tell it was you, or do I need to rework something?”

MXES’ ears raised a little. “I.. could,” he answered simply, bobbing his head. “Very… weird.”

“What’s so weird about it?”

MXES looked back at the mirror. “Lines…” he relayed, pointing to those exact features. “Skele..tun… bunny.., glowy mouth??” He paused to ‘open’ and ‘close’ his mouth. “Mouth’s…a.. smile,” he gasped in realization. “It’s stuck??”

“Well, yes and no,” Vanessa answered sheepishly. “It looks like a permanent smile, but you can express other emotions. But your face isn’t stuck that way because you smiled so much one day.”

MXES “sighed” in relief. Okay, good. He wasn’t the victim of an old adage gone horribly right.

”In case you’re wondering,” Vanessa added softly, “there’s a reason for all of these.. ‘design choices’ that I’ve made for you. I don’t think your database is ready for the whole story, but I can tell you that none of those were an accident. Especially the ‘bunny’ part.”

MXES tilted his head from side to side. He wasn’t trying to ask for a change, if that’s what she was thinking. He was just trying to express his concerns and process them with her! Like trying to match up all the bizarre quirks of English spelling with these phonetic syllables! Sure, both of those things would take getting used to, but that was to be expected.

”Don’t… fret,” he snipped out at last, slowly reaching for Vanessa’s head. “Pretty.. head.”

Vanessa blinked. “I’m sorry?” she asked, moving her head forward so he could ‘pet’ her better.

“Don’t fret,” MXES repeated, ‘patting’ her on the head. “Pretty head.”

The woman snickered in spite of herself. “Are you calling me ‘pretty head’?” she clarified.

“Yes,” MXES replied confidently. “That… phrase.”

”I think you mean ‘Don’t fret your pretty little head’,” Vanessa corrected, emphasizing the omitted words. “But that’s on me. I set the bar too low for you.”

MXES would have cheered up, but his database told him otherwise. He lowered his hand and continued to scowl. “Still,” he huffed. “Pretty head. Don’t fret.”

Vanessa processed his words, then sighed deeply. “You’re right,” she admitted. “I shouldn’t be putting myself down so much. Not after everything that’s happened.”

The hare teleported to her side. He wasn’t quite sure what to say now (or even what “everything” meant), but he knew he had to be there. Either this was going to be a fretting-turning-crying event or the “storm” of gloom was going to pass.

”Hey, Mix,” Vanessa piped up, alerted the ghostly figure. “Thanks for complimenting my hair. I haven’t gotten these highlights in a while. I almost thought I grew out of them.”

MXES rolled his eyes and “exhaled” gently. All right. It was just a gloom-storm passing over. “You’re wel..come,” he said warmly, smiling a bit more.

“And, hey, while we’re at it,” Vanessa grinned slyly, “I could say that one of my proudest achievements was making all those cool lines on your model. You look like a cool citizen of the future!”

The poor hare couldn’t stop grinning. Or tugging down his ears. “Lesson.. please!” he sputtered out in a flustered tone. “Signals… mixing!”

“Okay, okay,” Vanessa laughed. “We’ll get back to your update check-in. Don’t want you to get your emotional codes in a twist.”

“Th-Thank you,” MXES stammered, already feeling himself stabilizing. If this was what getting a compliment was like at this stage in development, then it was only a wonder how he’d feel when he was completed.

But that was a potential issue for another day. All he had to “fret” about now was the rest of the new features. She did say the stuff he’s seen is only the first layer of the iceberg.

#fnaf mxes #fnaf vanessa #vanessa fnaf #one shot #fnaf ruin #fnaf security breach #fnaf fanfic #fnaf fandom #at long last #vanessa is healing #also #bunch of headcanons

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weirdcat1213 · 2 years ago

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Conventional weapons and queer acceptance

I'm going through it rn so here's a really long post on a queer interpretation of Conventional Weapons.

Notes:

-Yes, I will talk about every song. No song is safe from me.

-No, I don't think it is the only/correct interpretation but its one that I've been thinking about for ages so leave me alone :D

-I know these songs were recorded separately and they don't have a linear story (like revenge or tbp) but for the sake of angst, I will treat the whole album as a queer journey where the speaker is the main character, also I will use they/them for them because the album itself talks a lot about gender.

-"Some of these are more about the system and protests rather than queerness" guess what? those go hand in hand even though it's 2023, life sucks.

-I will use "queer" instead of LGBTQ+. That debate does not belong here but I'm just giving a heads up.

TW: homophobia, transphobia, conversion therapy, unhealthy coping mechanisms (?), aids crisis, society just being shitty in general

Let's start :3

Album context: CW is not a concept album (sadly). The band had ideas for these songs since their TBP tour and didn't think it was fit for Danger Days so they only released them because Frank thought they were cool (bless his soul he was so right). Therefore, these songs' messages/perspectives/feelings may vary.

Boy Division:

*The first two songs have a handgun on the cover. This weapon is a small and distant weapon, portraying the distance the speaker wants to have with queerness since they're still in the closet*

From a queer perspective, this song is about the speaker's closeted life as a queer person. The song asks people close to him how would they react if they were to find out about they are queer. The speaker already knows the answer, people would be disgusted and reject them entirely, making the speaker mad. It can be assumed the speaker is at their last straw here and leave their home behind to live their truth.

"If all my enemies

Threw a party, would you light the candles?

Would you drink the wine while watchin' television?

Watch the animals and all the tragedies

And sell your arteries to buy my casket gown"

Enemies in this context are homophobic/transphobic people. If the speaker admitted to being queer, would their loved ones pretend the speaker is "dead"? Would they side with the homophobic/transphobic people?

"Well, it better be black and it better be tight

And it better be just my size

I'm stalkin' these metro malls and airport halls

And all these schoolgirls"

This may be a reference to the kind of stereotypes the speaker's loved ones believe about queer people. About how they stalk people in public and "try to convert minors"

"I'm not askin', you're not tellin'

He's not dead, he only looks that way"

The speaker not asking anymore if the people they know support queer people/if they would support them. The part about "him" not being dead could be how their relatives see the situation from the outside. The speaker is apathetic because of their situation but no one knows.

"Out nowhere, take me out there

Far away and save me from my

Self-destruction, hopeless for you

Sing a song for California"

They're in the middle of nowhere, and they wish to be in a more accepted place, putting California as an example (is this true? idk I don't live there)

"I bought my enemies

Rope to hang me and the knives to gang me

You can watch them stab me on your television

Stomp the halls, because the bathroom walls

Would have a lot to say

About the lines you're puttin' down"

This is the speaker's way to say he is one of the queers their loved ones hate so much. The speaker "bought" the rope by admitting their queerness and they might as well be the ones on the TV getting ganged up on because of their identity. When they mention the bathroom it could be a reference to how there are worst things happening that transphobic gatekeeping bathrooms, such as people doing drugs.

"Well, it better be white and better be cut

And better be just my size

Until my capillaries burst of boredom

I'll be waitin"

Instead of funeral attire, now they want to use wedding attire because they feel alive by coming out, hence the white. If we assume they were rejected by their loved ones, the speaker will wait for them to come around until they get bored. The speaker's capillaries are a symbol of their patience.

"I'm not laughin', you're not jokin'

I'm not dead, I only dress that way"

The speaker dresses as if they're dead not only because they could be at any time due to harassment but also because they feel dead being in a place they can't be themselves. It could also be a reference to gender expression and the speaker experimenting for the first time.

"'Cause we got the bomb, we got the bomb, let's go!

We got the bomb, we got the bomb, let's go!"

This could mean queer people (we) are fighting back society (the bomb) and the speaker feels inspired.

"Say a prayer for California"

A prayer for California so it can stay as a place the speaker can run to and be free.

Tomorrows Money:

This one is about the speaker's views about capitalism and taking a stand as an activist against corporations and rainbow capitalism. The speaker knows queer people aren't welcome and yet they're still used for profit, however, we could say the song's pov is from the speaker and the corporations. The song also makes an argument about how capitalism actively makes queer people's lives even more difficult.

"You fell in love with a vampire

Do you wanna get it for free

In this song, vampires are associated with queer people and their experiences (just like many movies about vampires and other monsters have done in history). Getting one for free would be to get to live the experience of a queer person instead of seeing it externally (in a movie, show, book, etc)

"Then say hello to the brush fire, baby

You gotta take it from me, I’m gonna take it from you

Say hello to the good times

And burning up in the sun"

According to corporations, the speaker can live out as a queer person, but they will have to face conflict against capitalism, a model that is mostly known for taking things away from people.

They’re sitting back on an empire

While the world lays back, puts a kid behind that gun

This is the speaker's view about capitalism and the world. Corporations and their owners are living comfortably while they leave the most vulnerable minorities to deal with the dirty work.

"If we crash this time

They got machines to keep us alive

When the mixtape plays

Choke down the words with no meaning"

This refers to how queer people can't seem to escape capitalism. If they get hurt while protesting or get sick, they will still need to get (most of the time in most places at least) private health insurance to get good medical attention. When talking about the mixtape, it can also be referring to the multiple products corporations do for queer people (see the "pride merch" on june). But when you analyze the final products, it is clear that it lacks meaning and it was only made for profit.

"I stopped bleeding three years ago

While you keep screaming for revolution

Me and my surgeons and my street-walking friends

We got no heroes, 'cause our heroes are dead"

Here the speaker is personally calling out corporations for their meaningless support. While they and other people have been protesting and taking care of themselves within their community, corporations keep shouting out their outdated "love is love" slogan and keep repeating their empty promises about equality. The speaker, the "surgeons" (people who focus and live to take care of the queer community as volunteers/nonprofit organizations), and more activists keep protesting for a better future but also for the people who came before them and died for the cause (for example multiple people during the aids crisis)

"Say hello to the program

We’re gonna give it for free

Hook up the veins to the antibodies

Got it with the disease, we’re gonna give it to you"

This verse could be considered queer representation in media and how it helps queer people even if it ends up being queerbating. Corporations give queer people the content and even if there are no official queer people in it, subtext and further readings into the media help people to see themselves in the story and/or characters, they work as antibodies against society.

"Say goodbye to the good times

You’re loaded up with the fame

You’re dressing up like a virus

But the words get lost when we all look the same"

The most popular and famous logo (and stand) corporations take in pride month is the rainbow. They don't specify anything and just keep it open to appeal to most people as possible. Although queer people have taken the rainbow as a general symbol for everyone when corporations use it is because there is no interest in other people who aren't the "classic" cisgender white gay male, there's no meaning on their rainbow. All the rainbow logos in June end up looking like a virus taking over for a month rather than support.

"You fell in love with a vampire, torch up for the empire

Say hello to the brush fire, the microphone's got a tap wire

You fell in love with a vampire, torch up for the empire

Say hello to the brush fire, the microphone's got a tap wire!"

In this verse, the speaker is possibly talking to a multitude. They make a reference to the vampire analogy but also says that if they want to live free queer people need to get rid of the corporations. No matter how many problems they face they have to be careful since they're still under capitalism and being watched.

"Because rebellion's not a T-shirt you sell

You keep your money, and I’ll see you in hell"

Many queer people have that reaction when companies don't support queer people's rights but sell queer products on pride month. The speaker rejects rainbow capitalism and will see the company in hell since, according to religious fanatics, that's where queer people are going.

*I find this topic (capitalism vs the queers) really interesting but I honestly don't know much about it but this is a cool video I recommend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xQVFYWvd3o&t=1449s)

Ambulance:

*The second disc has a picture of a small knife, a weapon of short range that requires the user to get really closer to the opponent. This represents the speaker's change from their involvement with the queer community; they went from keeping their distance to putting themselves out there as an activist*

Ambulance, under a queer context, is about the queer community and the love the speaker has for them since they have helped after they cut ties with their family in "Boy Division."

You don’t know a thing about this life, and we are up for

Everything it takes to prove we’re not the same as them

The speaker could be talking to someone new when it comes to activism. They want to motivate the new recruit but also be honest about what is like to constantly be on the line. The queer community will never be like the people who can easily thrive in a heteronormative society because the queer community looks out for every minority (let's ignore dumb organizations like lgb for this, they suck)

"And we will wear our masks again, out after dark

'Cause we are up for everything it takes

and we are not the same

'Cause we are not afraid

And we are not ashamed"

This part is about how they protect themselves while defending themselves and how they are not ashamed of fighting for what's right publicly.

"And if you save my life, I’ll be the one who drives

You home tonight

And if I ever let you down, I’ll be the one who drives

You home tonight"

One of the things that the speaker appreciates most about the queer community is how they take care of each other. If one of them gets hurt, they will help each other. No matter what happens everyone looks out for everyone.

"Remember once, you walked this kind of life quietly, I’ll sleep

Behind the wheel, and passing every face you see the first time

Singing every piece as you walk by proving that with

All of my mistakes, that we are not the same"

The speaker is comparing themselves to other people in their group who have been in their position but also have had a completely different experience. Other people may have cope in healthier ways than the speaker, which makes them feel kind of guilty.

"'Cause we are not the same

And we are all to blame"

When it comes to protesting or activism is it always is the activists' fault if something bad happens. According to conservatives if anything goes south (police brutality, hate crimes, etc) is the queer people's fault for not being closeted, for "indoctrinating people".

"'Cause you don’t know a thing about me

, you don’t know a thing"

This is from the speaker to the people who have helped them in their life. They don't know who they were before but the community still took them in as family.

Gun:

Honestly, there's not much that this brilliant thread hasn't already said. La (the twitter user) suggests that "the song's main theme is obviously a young person entering the military, which is known for having a strict structure and very precise rules to follow and roles to fill. in this case, I believe the military could represent the cis, heteronormative society"

See the rest of the thread here :D

https://twitter.com/zhongmcr/status/1560384799101124614?t=emxookpnkny0c5iYV4fmdw&s=19

Please read it and send @/zhongmcr some love for it.

The World is Ugly:

*The machine guns reflect more intensity as an attack. The speaker is going deeper in being vocal about the queer community on this disc.*

The world is ugly is, of course, a romantic song. When analyzing it through queer lenses, however, it can be about the speaker getting strong feelings for someone but still being afraid of confessing their feelings, even if the other person is also queer, because are traumatized by past experiences while in the closet.

"These are the eyes and the lies of the taken These are their hearts But their hearts don't beat like ours They burn 'cause they are all afraid"

The speaker usually gets that feeling of "them against the world", but it is different with the person they are interested in. The speaker feels they have a connection and they are together while being against the world.

"For every one of us There's an army of them But you'll never fight alone 'Cause I wanted you to know"

Conservative people are "afraid" of queer people and it has made their lives difficult but when they're together it doesn't matter.

"That the world is ugly But you’re beautiful to me Well are you thinking of me now?"

The heteronormative society is a pain for the speaker and the love interest but the speaker wants to make clear that their love interest is beautiful no matter what society says.

"These are the nights And the lights that we fade in These are the words But the words aren't coming out

They burn 'cause they are hard to say"

This part is more personal for the speaker. They reminisce on all the nights they have spent with their love interest and how on those they have tried to tell how they feel, but the speaker cannot say it out loud.

"For every failing sun, there's a morning after Though, I'm empty when you go I just wanted you to know"

The speaker comforts themselves with the fact that they can try the next day, but at the same time, they keep living with the pain of their love interest not knowing.

"That the world is ugly But you're beautiful to me Are you thinking of me Like I'm thinking of you?"

The speaker wonders if their love interest thinks about them the same way or if they have another kind of relationship.

"I would say I'm sorry, though Though, I really need to go I just wanted you to know

I wanted you to know I wanted you to know I'm thinking of you Every night, every day"

In this verse, the speaker implies they usually focus on activism and things that will help their community rather than their own feelings. They have to go and keep helping others but still wants to let their feelings come across.

"These are the lies And the lives of the taken These are their hearts But their hearts don't beat like ours They burn 'cause they are all afraid But mine beats twice as hard"

Because the speaker is really focused on others but also wants to be with their love interest, they are passionate about 2 things.

"Stop your crying, helpless feeling Dry your eyes and start believing There's one thing They’ll never take from you"

The speaker goes back to their "mentor mode" and inspires their love interest to believe in a better future. However, they also reference how the world can never take their love interest's beauty away.

"One day, like this We'll never be the same Never, forever Like ghosts in the snow Like ghosts in the sun"

This is the speaker dreaming of what their life could be only with their love interest. They would just be people exploring the world.

The Light Behind Your Eyes:

This song is about a guide saying goodbye to people or a person whom they have helped in the past. Under a queer interpretation, it could be from the point of view of an elder queer passing away who was really important to the speaker.

"So long to all my friends Every one of them met tragic ends With every passing day I'd be lying if I didn't say That I miss them all tonight"

The elder queer is possibly passing away and is thinking about the friends they got to make within the community. By saying their friends met tragic ends it could refer to the aids crisis or hate crimes.

"And if they only knew what I would say If I could be with you tonight I would sing you to sleep Never let them take the light behind your eyes"

Just like the elder queer, their friends used to help people in the community, and they would approve the last reassuring words of the elder. The elder wishes they would be alive and well to see a better future but for now, they can only hope people stop harming queer people.

"As we fade in the dark Just remember you will always burn as bright"

The older queer people may have passed away but they want the younger generations to have a good life.

"Be strong and hold my hand Time, it comes for us, you'll understand We'll say goodbye today And I'm sorry how it ends this way If you promise not to cry Then I'll tell you just what I would say"

This shows the elder was really appreciated in the community since they have people with them in their final moments. They wish they would not be leaving that way (probable aids) but they still think younger generations need to learn about the problem and be strong enough to face it.

"I'll fail and lose this fight"

The elder already knows their own fate.

"Sometimes we must grow stronger And you can't be stronger when I'm gone When I'm here, no longer You must be stronger and"

The elder knows it will be hard for future generations who still feel like they need guidance to survive, but they hope the people they leave behind get stronger.

"I failed and lost this fight"

The elder queer couldn't avoid their future, as if from the beginning, it was meant to happen.

When the outro keeps repeating it could reflect how those are actually the last words (or at least sentiment) of the elder, and it will stay present in the community for a long time.

Kiss the Ring:

*This disc has two axes on the cover. Additionally, from here on out there are 2 weapons on the covers, which means the speaker is not alone anymore, but with someone who shares their "them against the world" feeling.*

Kiss the Ring is another song about the speaker's feelings against the system. However, this one and the next song in the disc have more rage on them. The speaker starts to lash out at authority and politicians who keep failing queer people.

"We kill the girls to get paid And put the whole damn room on the edge of the blade You'll get far, stay clean"

The speaker is mocking society's standards for people. They set dangerous beauty stereotypes only to get women to buy their products, reject measures that could help queer people (hormone treatment, counseling, etc) even if they know people could die because of the lack of it, and attribute failure to substances such as alcohol and drugs. Some queer people will turn to those substances because of the lack of support because society keeps making it hard to live, but big institutions don't care.

"And if the world stops believing, I'll keep believing

That the world could make a change (All I know is I won't stop believing) And put the suicide dolls as the last ones to mate (All I know is I won't stop believing)"

Although the speaker still has faith in a better future, they are angry about society putting queer people in a complicated position. Queer people create their own communities because they are pushed by the people who refuse to let them live. They insult and make everything more complicated up to the point of giving queer people trauma and mental health issues. The queer people affected by this are the only ones left to help themselves and others. Queer people are left at the back where they find each other.

"Come hard, stay clean (You're the next if you don't stop your creeping) And singing songs for the damned now (You're the next if you)"

The line on the back "You're the next if you don't stop your creeping" could be the authority's opinion about queer people: you will get in trouble if you are out/"explicit". Additionally, the songs for the damned could be a metaphor for people who think praying/conversion therapy will work as a "cure" for queerness.

"Hail! Hail! 'Cause the king is gone And if you don't stop believing, we'll keep believing"

This part could mean how conservatives celebrate when something bad happens to a politician or anyone famous who is in favor of queer rights. They tend to believe that there is a leader (like the people who believe there is an ANTIFA leader), but queer people will keep protesting and believing in a better life for everyone.

"You put the record on And live the life that you're making, shots that you're taking"

"So grab the cash and run And let the suits watch each other kill one another"

This is the speaker starts to get reckless. For them, it has become a matter of taking back at society. They want to live their life the best as they can, so they let themselves enjoy music, drink, and commit crimes since they will end up in trouble anyway for being queer. They steal money because they need it but also to get a sense of power over their life. The "suits" in this case would be politicians, the ones who say they want to help queer people against the ones who want them dead. Even if someone is fighting the good fight the speaker doesn't care for them anymore.

It doesn't matter if the words don't mean a thing You gotta kiss that ring"

The words could be the empty promises some politicians do to queer people. Many of them beg them to vote to protect their rights only to back off when it really matters. Kissing the ring means the absurdity of respecting people, authority figures, and institutions (the government) who don't want to be held accountable for queer people's rights.

"Move like the wolves, keep the faith There ain't a dry eye left in the back of the place Is it hard to stay clean?"

The speaker warns their community about the government since politicians don't have empathy for them (dry eyes)

"And if you all keep believing, I'll keep believing That the world drives the saints (All I know is I won't stop believing) And put the shotgun shells in the hills it makes (All I know is I won't stop believing)"

In this verse, the speaker mocks how authority loves to praise "pacific protests" but will still kill them. Most of the time when queer people organize a pacific gathering, they are met with violent repression.

"So come hard, stay clean (You're the next if you don't stop your creeping) Because they don't give a damn, now (You're the next if you)"

The speaker believes after so many failures that no politician cares for queer people.

"You got your leather on And live the life that you're making, shots that you're taking"

This could be referring to what kind of clothing queer people "tend" to wear. The idea is to just wear whatever you want and live your life.

"Hail, hail 'cause the king is gone Hail, hail 'cause the king is gone Hail, hail 'cause the king is gone Hail, hail 'cause the king is, the king is gone

Hail! Hail! Hail! Hail! Hail!"

Queer people celebrate a supposed leader that never existed because it is not about leaders, but the community.

"Fist up, head down Hail, hail to the king"

In this verse since the king is not "gone" it could mean the community is celebrating itself. They will keep fighting even if there's the risk of something bad happening, which is why they put their head down as a sign of being prepared for the worst.

Make Room:

Make Room is mainly the speaker setting the people who do not accept queer people or pretend to be allies as zombies. Queer people are most of the time used for gossip, instead of being treated as real people. The people who only care about gossip and getting to know who came out just to be disrespectful about it are people who do not have reasoning skills, making them zombies.

"Make room! Make room! Down on the coffin, there's a coffin or two Dead chic, so cool The cannibals are starving when they're looking at you"

This verse is about how dead queer people are seen just as numbers. The cisgender straight people's main concern most of the time is the funeral (what will people say, how to present the dead queer person etc), reflected on the line about the coffins. The dead girl represents dead queer people who attracted attention, making the zombies (society) wild to get the news and learn about everything that went wrong. They just want the gossip.

"Tank tops, jet stream Karate lessons with a killing machine White lines, nose bleeds I know you get excited when the cameras go Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta"

The speaker refers here to the kind of people who talk and treat queer people as means for gossip. They can be relaxed in their summer clothes with their private jets and do questionable things (drugs as mentioned with "white lines"), people with privilege. They get excited when a famous person reveals themselves to be queer and are able to get every single detail, however, they don't know (or don't care) that the spotlight can be stressful and harmful for famous queer people who come out. This is reflected by the "ratatata" the cameras make.

"Me and you, and all of this living dead Burning up in the sun, where the bodies add Sitting here with you, in misery Anybody gonna come and rescue me? La la la"

Here the speaker is talking with another queer person about how stressful people can be. They have to endure their questions and actions but even if they are miserable, they are together. The speaker's petition for someone to rescue them is mocking how some people "became" queer because the community pressured them into being queer.

"Make room! Make room! One day, you're gonna have explaining to do

Drag star, so cool There's only room for one man and the one is you, you, you"

This verse is just multiple wrong arguments that people make about queer people. A popular argument that homophobic/transphobic people use against queer people is how are they "going to explain" their identity or sexuality to others such as kids, elders, etc. Those kinds of people also have problems with drag artists. They may say they are letting drag artists live their lives, but they pressure them and their gender expression, reminding drag artists they are men and have to act like it. This argument is not only wrong because not all drag queens identify as men, but also does not consider drag kings.

"Got a taste for the cash and androgyny Anybody wanna come and rescue me?"

Androgyny is considered the combination of man and woman. This combination seems fashionable for multiple people and companies have decided to adopt it for profit. If it looks pretty it will sell. Multiple companies will present an androgynous person/model and show it off as their "queer representation".

"Well alright, well alright She's alright Everybody in the room is alright"

This could be a reference to the dead girl first mentioned in the song. Most people just want to pretend nothing bad is happening and that queer people are okay if comparing these times to years ago.

"Everybody wants to change the world Everybody wants to change the world But no one, no one wants to die!"

"We are never gonna change the world We are never gonna change the world 'Cause we are never gonna die!"

I see this as what the speaker thinks about activism after being vocal about queer issues during the whole album. They know protesting and being an activist is important for the queer community, and if they want society to change there will be sacrifices that no one wants to do. However, they also want to be happy and have a life of their own with the person they like. Maybe the change will be delayed and they will keep fighting for it, but not to the point of putting their happiness on the line anymore.

Surrender the Night:

*These last two songs have grenades on the cover because these ones are the tipping point for the speaker. They are done hiding their emotions and will explode at any second. It's a more aggressive weapon than the rest. The songs still talk about how society sucks for queer people, but the main focus for the speaker is the person they like and showing their feelings.*

Surrender the Night is a continuation (kind of) of The World is Ugly. If on The World is Ugly the speaker was afraid of confessing their feelings, on Surrender the Night they decide to be selfish and take control of the situation, take control of what makes them happy for once.

Everyone's a passenger, tonight Just another accidental on the freeway of this life

This night is important for the speaker, anything else doesn't matter.

We'll drive on and on and on and on We'll drive on and on And I'll remember this night when you're gone

The speaker and the love interest will leave everything behind, and the speaker wants their love interest to remember that night forever.

You surrender your heart I surrender every dream

Every weapon you've got Every secret that I keep

This is a deal the speaker proposes as a way to confess their feelings. If their love interest accepts being with them, nothing else will matter to the speaker. They will protect the love interest and will be completely honest with them.

You can fight this, all you want But tonight belongs to...

The love interest can fairly reject the speaker, but just for that one night, they will have to listen to what the speaker has to say.

Just another surgery, tonight Well, if you amputate the loneliness Anesthesia dims the lights

This is the speaker's opinion about their love interest. They are a complicated person who ignores their own problems by distracting themselves as if they wanted to disassociate from life and the pain. The speaker tells them they can do that, they can ignore their problems but by rejecting their emotions, they will also miss the good moments.

So dream on and on and on and on So dream on and on And I'll remember your eyes when you're gone

In this verse, the speaker encourages their love interest to follow their dreams instead of disassociating from life, and even if they don't end up together the speaker will remember them.

And I'll watch you in your sleep 'Cause tonight belongs to me You can fight this, all you want But tonight belongs to

The speaker will watch the other person sleep as a way to protect them and make sure they don't run away.

Sparks against the railing Distant phantoms wailing Through the windshield, sailing With these airbags failing

Here, the speaker is honest about how their lives will be if they're together. There will be chaos, people will talk, and they won't be able to control some situations.

But tonight belongs to me But tonight belongs to me But tonight belongs to me

The speaker reassures this to their love interest, expecting an answer.

Burn Bright:

And finally, we get to talk about my baby, the creme of the gays. This song in general is about finally accepting who you are, living as you want, and loving whoever you want; even if you know people are against it. If following the story from the previous song, this song is where they get together with their love interest and start a relationship. The speaker knows it won't be easy but they don't care.

So give me all you've got

I can take it

We walked alone in your city lights

Did you make it?

We lit the fire and it's burning bright

Did you take it?

Kissed all the boys in your city lights

Did you make it?

Left all the stars in your city nights

Can you fake it?

I lost my way in your city lights

Glad you made it

We stole the fire

And it's burning bright

Fire/stars/light is represented as strength the queer person has found in their identity, and it burns so brightly at the end of the album that they won't hide it anymore. Now that they have met another queer person and they are both out, the speaker trusts that it is possible to live as who you truly are, and they are not willing to hide anymore.

Not ashamed of what I am

I took the pills

For these empty nights

'Cause it makes me who I am

The speaker is not ashamed anymore of being queer but they still remember how it felt. How they had to cope with unhealthy copy because of the suffering of being against the world.

"They always told me that

"You never get to heaven"

With a love like yours

Well if you're lost little boy

The cameras pull you right back down, yeah"

Social/ expectations opinions are a heavy theme in the album, and it continues in the last song. It is not uncommon that society to treat queer people as little kids who don't know what they want or at least "should" want. Society will tell queer people that the way they want to love and/or exist is wrong. If a person dares to do something not straight or gender not conforming, society is there, like cameras, to judge that vulnerable moment and show it as a mistake. The speaker reflects on religion telling others "you won't get to heaven based on the things that you do" because people still use religion to discriminate against queer people.

"It's like a chemical burn

I'm peeling off your skin, yeah

And when you see your face

Well you'll never be the same again, yeah"

Queer people have to hear bad news, insults, misinformation, etc. every day. It takes a great toll mentally that can make people and that can be manifested physically, to the point that it hurts and/or to the point that people start noticing. Sadly, it's a kind of pain queer people have to live with for now until who knows when.

"Cause if you just stop breathing

I'll stop, stop my heart

I'll stop breathing too

[...]

Not ashamed of what I am

I'd trade the world for your city nights

'Cause it makes me who I am"

Queer people rely on each other, and the speaker relies on their significant other. The speaker would give up everything for the experiences they will get to share together.

"And though I missed the chance for this

I confess that I can't wait

Until it's gone

No I mean this every single day

Don't go if you got more to say

'Cause the world don't need

Another hopeless cause"

The speaker makes a small confession here. They are tired of society, of hiding, of fighting. They want the whole world to disappear just so they can be happy. They don't want to be part of "the fight" to make things better but they don't have any other choice. For them, the world cannot afford people doing nothing.

"Though it makes me who I am

'Cause it makes me who I am

And you made me who I am

Be afraid of what I am"

Although the speaker is done with people who don't do anything to fight against a society that doesn't accept them, they recognize that's who they were for so long. But now their significant other gives them the strength to leave all doubts and fear behind. The speaker is warning the world to be afraid of them because they are done being afraid of the world.

"We walked around in your city lights

'Cause it makes me who I am

I burned it all but im doing fine

'Cause I'll never fade away

If I steal the fire from your city nights

'Cause it makes me who I am

Who I am"

The speaker borrows strength from their significant other to go against the world, and in doing so they burn (jeje) relationships with other people, but they are okay with it. They will survive now that they are strong enough to stand up for themselves.

Conventional weapons sets someone in multiple stages of queer life and use weapons to portray life as a war with oneself, expectations, and society.

FIN

tldr: cw is gay af argue with the wall

#mcr #my chemical romance #conventional weapons #burn bright #surrender the night #kiss the ring #make room #the world is ugly #the light behind your eyes #boy division #tomorrows money #ambulance #gun #queer #lgbtqia

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unsoundedcomic · 2 years ago

Note

I guess probably it doesn't count to Duane because he hasn't asked anyone to kill him, but does Ssael explicitly include asking someone else to kill you as self slaughter? Like, would it be plausible for other Ssaelit to seek death that way? And if so, and if Duane was asked, would he be willing to do it so that person could avoid damnation?

I thought of this because I wondered if maybe he feels like he saved these soldiers on the vliegeng, in a way. Like, given that they were gonna suicide dive, does he think it's better that he killed them first?

It helps if you understand the point of suicide being forbidden. Ssael bade all good Ssaelit to live their lives to the utmost so they can fill the khert with knowledge, experiences, and guidance for the purpose of one day crafting a new, superior world for mankind.

Humans will need ALL kinds of knowledge and experiences for this task. Not just the good stuff, but truly horrible, awful things. Torments, suffering, anguish. Ssaelit can comfort themselves by knowing that they're not living through these trials in vain; that all will be remembered and corrected for, one day.

You must not deny the khert your experiences. If you are suffering, you must suffer so there will be no suffering in the next world.

So no suicide. Ssael - and your fellow humans - need all of it.

In practice then, it's forbidden to take any action that will directly shorten your life. No asking someone else to kill you, no walking in front of a dog cart. If you think suicide is the only way to solve a problem, Ssael says you are wrong. Find another way, or tough it out. Anything else is an abdication of your responsibilities as a Ssaelit, and you'll pay for it dearly in your next life.

Duane would say he spared the poor bastards on that vliegeng this fate. He couldn't stomach seeing more Ssaelit disgrace today, and suicide is disgraceful in his religion.

I gave this scene a long think when I wrote it. I wondered if Duane would have a crisis here when he realised he could easily let the Queen of Cresce die, but at the cost of standing by while Toma's daughter was endangered and watching his brothers spit in Ssael's face to do it. And he wouldn't. He already had that crisis this morning in the black water beneath Litriya. Because of it, his course of action here was clear and he feels very correct for taking it. You can't second guess when you feel God has told you what to do.

Ssael revealed the way!

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samxid · 5 months ago

Text

Hey guys, I'm pretty sure this painting is haunted (SM64 Theory)

What a God awful thing to have in your basement. But let's wind back and talk about why this thing is so out of pocket.

So in Super Mario 64, we control Mario as he goes to princess peach's castle only to find out she has been kidnapped by Bowser, and he has hidden the 120 power stars in a bunch of paintings. The thing is, as the years have gone by, it has been pretty much implied that the castle from super Mario 64 is NOT princess peach's real castle, and it's instead it's just a private art gallery she has because OF COURSE SHE WOULD HAVE A WHOLE ASS CASTLE THE SIZE OF AN IKEA JUST FOR EFFING PAINTINGS ONLY SHE GETS TO SEE. In any case, most of these paintings have been turned to portals that lead to the places depicted inside of them, or something.

See, the thing about the game is that not only do some paintings send you to different worlds. Pretty much everything and anything can do that if Bowser's right testicle told him to do it at the time. What i mean by that is that there are a LOT of things that are not paintings, but still contain levels.

The first time we interact with such an instance is on "Bowser in the Dark World", where i shit you not, you fight Bowser in the Dark world.

pictured above: Mario gets canonically invis-walled. thanks nintendo.

This level is accessible by being swindled by a literal fucking painting, only to have the literal floor pulled from under you. This, as you might imagine, is not a painting, but rather a black void that somehow contains the level. Cool. What does this mean? let's keep looking at more examples and then schizo out come out with an explanation.

The next time we find something like this, depending on how you play the game, will be at either big boo's mansion, or at the water moat level. We might touch on those on a later post, but for now, let's just head to the basement and see just how non-painting centered the whole thing is.

So the first level you can access (besides lethal laval land) is a hidden level under the name "Shifting sand land."

You can make the argument that this level counts as a painting. And depending on who you ask, you might be correct. Slight issue, though.

Pictured above: The beautiful painting of shifting sand land, depicting all the people that have played this game and not punched air while trying to talk to toad. It might looked like a literal wall with nothing interesting, but that's because, save for the level it leads to, this wall is meant to look like any other wall.

The level is, in fact, not meant to look like a painting, but rather like a wall. This is because you are meant to chase mips around and dive into them, before accidentally face-planting into this wall, thus realizing it moves like a painting, and then going ' 0: ', because you just found a secret level.

In any case, this is a hint that this floor of the castle has an identity crisis and thinks it's cool to make everything levels. The next thing that is not a painting is this tech demo disguised as a subtle design element.

Pictured above: Mario jumps out of a septic tank like the turd he is. It's amazing how, despite jumping into human waste, he somehow comes out shinier than before. This has deep implications about Mario's personal hygiene.

Hazy maze cave is a weird fricking level that has you jump into something that looks like liquid mercury, has the same texture as the metal cap, and we all think is supposed to be a septic tank. This is because the room is surrounded by pipes, and the level itself contains both rolling rocks that have literally no explanation for existing (and only appear on this level, mind you), and it contains a whole maze filled with toxic gas that will kill Mario if you are either caught with low health courtesy of some real strong enemies, or are somehow stupid enough to just stand there and breath it in for too long (otherwise known as "being a game journalist").

In any case, we can laugh at the idea of funny feces on the funny nintendo game all we want, since it PROBABLY means nothing and it's not like we can schizo out find other similar things in the same floor, right?

Anyways, here's yet another similar thing in the same floor. If you are somehow skilled enough to play the game and get things done, you might eventually find yet another tech demo, this time colored blue to make it look like water.

Pictured above: Wait, what the fuck? that's not what the level looks like! the wiki got it wrong! can't a lazy fucker gamer™ steal source credible images anymore?? Where did they even found this? Fine! Let's me steal someone else's picture instead. I'm too lazy to get there on my own anyways. you need, like, 30 (thirty) stars, a rabbit, or a very snappy finger to get it, and i don't feel like dealing with that nonsense.

Pictured above: A picture of dire dire docks, proudly stolen from a nibirus gaming let's play without his consent, like, at all. Hi, nibirus! It's fine, youtubers don't have humans rights anyways, i think... or was that vtubers? meh. he speaks spanish, it's not like he could also happen to know english, or that we have the tools to translate stuff or anything.

ahem! This is dire dire docks. A level that only features a submarine dock on the last half of the level, and is not really dire under any metric. Why they named it that is beyond me. It's likely that this is supposed to represent the water supply of peaches castle, considering it's location near both the way out to the moat on the front of the castle, and of course, being right next to Bowser in the fire sea.

Picture above: Mario ponders what kind of hellish alternate reality he has wandered up in where the room containing both levels isn't the fancy schmancy room it normally is. You might say it's the game's personalization, but i think it's the guys at the wiki getting sloppy on their ploy to make SM64 look like a real game. YOU CAN'T FOOL US FOREVER! I KNOW IT'S JUST A REALLY, REALLY GOOD MOCK UP MADE IN PHOTOSHOP!

That is, the level named "Bowser in the fire sea". Why they named it that when it is not really a sea made of fire, but lava, and Bowser it's not really in the sea of lava is beyond me. It would have made sense to name it Bowser in the lava sea, or Bowser's super lava structure, or something. whatever. Anyways.

By looking at the little chimney thingy you have to jump into, we can infer that this actually part of the heating system, which would make sense to have in an art gallery, since paintings need special cares, including specific temperatures to avoid damage. It's also right next to the thing we established as the water supply, so it checks out.

Now, looking at all this, you might have noticed that there's something that sticks out like a sore thwomp. It's quite obvious that the castle's basement is supposed to be off limits to any and all visitors, and as such is kept under key so only authorized personnel can come to do repairs and such. Now, with this in mind, tell me, WHY THE F U C K IS THIS HERE?

Pictured above: Mario stands in the water of a flooded basement he was probably supposed to unflood. come to think of it, how come there's still water here even after you unflood the moat outside??

Like, hello?? this thing has a little stage to itself, two torches to keep it bright, and it's the only real painting in the whole basement! (fuck you shifting sand lands. more like shitting sand lands ammairait? jk, love you baby gurl ❤)

It's almost like it's meant to be unseen! like it was... vanished.

Think about it! The first floor of the castle (main entrance) seems to contain paintings of historical significance:

Bob-omb battlefield probably depicts some kind of big war that took place.

Cool cool mountain depicts a cool cool mountain... three times, so it's probably important.

Whomp's fortress has an enemy fortress or something of the kind.

Jolly roger bay has some kind of important port that used to have a big-ass ship on it. Not to mention they literally have a whole aquarium with live fishes next to the painting, so it's definitely important.

The room that has the trap probably is supposed to be a room containing all previous rulers of the mushroom kingdom, but Bowser probably fiddled with it to turn it into a trap, (which, by the way, in the old footage of the game, it was meant to cry out for Mario with peach's voice, which means that it was most definitely tampered with by Bowser even more heavily than all the other rooms)

and the room with the stained glasses also probably has some kind of other relevance under normal circumstances. Probably a secret escape route as some people theorize, though i think the way out to the moat through the basement seems to fit this use better, in my opinion.

Also, the top floor is most likely either the main attraction or something of the kind, since it has all the more eccentric exhibits, such as the mirror room, the tiny huge island room, and the clock room, which is yet another floor, mind you.

So, back to Lethal lava land, why the hell would that painting just be down here? as is? for no reason!? because it's haunted, or too scary to display. It probably gives peach the creeps, at the very least. I mean, hell, where would you even display that to begin with?

Seriously! this thing has a damn Mr. I in the level! those things are associated with haunted or cursed levels!

So yeah, i think this thing is haunted and was left down there to rot. never to see the light of day again. What do you think?

Credits to the mario wiki for the pictures and that one youtuber i stole that one picture from lmao.

Thanks for reading all these dumb words i wrote out. this was really eating me up inside. Also, i can't believe i spotted a mandela effect on those pics of BFS and DDD. By the way, my internet went out thrice while trying to post this, so you goddamn know how damn right i am about this.

#mario #mario bros #super mario bros #super mario #mario 64 #super mario 64 #sm64 #theory #fan theory

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magicrainbowkitties · 10 months ago

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Btw I, as a Texan, need y'all to understand something about this Supreme Court decision and why Abbott's defiance of both them and federal border patrol has people up in arms.

First of all, the decision was literally "the border and immigration are the jurisdiction of the federal government, not the states." Which. One would hope. This decision was in reference to border patrol agents needing to cut RAZOR WIRE in order to get to people who need medical attention or to be saved from drowning in the Rio Grande. This is because once you are on American soil, citizen or not, you are under American jurisdiction and they are required to help you in an emergency situation (eg, bleeding out from razor wire, drowning because of death buoys in the river, ect).

What Abbott and his flunkies are mad about is LITERALLY that those agents are trying to save SOME lives. Mind, Biden has built more border wall in his presidency than Trump ever did, and still continues to maintain these inhumane detention camps out near Eagle Pass that deny people blankets in the cold, water in the heat, and soap. Literally they don't let folks have fucking SOAP.

And Abbott is defying the will of the federal government because they want to save SOME people from his death traps in and around the Rio Grande (which are also, unsurprisingly, an unmitigated ecological disaster as well).

Now, there's a reason why talk of Texas secession is coming up specifically at this time. Because when Texas seceded back in the day, 2 sentences after the sentence which boils down to "we're seceding because we want the freedom to own black people," there's this utter gem:

"The federal government has failed in her duty to defend our state from Mexican bandits and Indian savages."

Gee, what's that sound like? If it sounds like "we wanna own black people and kill brown people," you're absolutely correct!

We have been here before. And it was one of the bloodiest domestic conflicts in the world, certainly the bloodiest war fought on American soil. We cannot allow assholes like Abbott and Trump to make us repeat this. We cannot sit idly by and let the poorest, most desperate people in this half of the world be murdered for the crime of fleeing for their lives.

If you take anything away from this post, let it be this:

This is not about people who don't go through the processes, or just barge in and sneak into your place and steal your jobs. That is a racist, xenophobic fabrication. These are people who have no choice but to flee their homes and seek refuge in America. And we greet them by trying to kill them, and then throwing them in prison while stealing their children and "deciding what to do with them."

And Greg Abbott and the Texas Republican party are mad that they're not being allowed to kill more of these people.

I will leave you with this thought: If these people indeed have the option to immigrate legally, why aren't they? Why are they trying to go across what is famously the most militarized border between two nations at peace in the world?

And why, if this immigration crisis is so dire that Texas is "full to bursting," why is my hometown just outside of Austin one of the fastest growing in the country, and why is it all white people moving in? Why is Abbott offering tax credits to people who move their tech and creative industries, and thus more people to work those jobs, and thus adding more people to Texas?

#texas #texas border #greg abbott #fuck greg abbott #texit #rio grande #texas border crisis #immigration #immigrants #racism #anti-racism #anti-mexican racism

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vermilionvector · 2 years ago

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Ghost Game

There's one scene in EP. 64 I'd like to discuss.

This dice scene happened after HoverEspimon poured sour plum snacks into Canoweissmon's mouth to awaken him from Dagomon's hallucination.

Judging from the dice shape, they seemed to be decahedron dice. This type of dice (and also other polyhedral dice) is commonly used in tabletop role-playing games (e.g. Monster World in the first ever Yugioh series, which coincidentally, was also made by Toei).

The blue die is a bit peculiar, though. In games like DnD, the die with two digits is associated with the value of tens, so all sides on that die should have two digits ranging from 00 - 90. However, we only saw one side with double digits here. It could be assumed that the 0s on the other sides on the blue die were omitted because it's already made known that it represented the "leading digit" and the purple one represented the "following digit". For example, if we roll a 5 on the blue die and a 9 on the purple die, the result would be 59. Note that we did not see every numbers on the purple die, so we could not guarantee that all sides on that die were single digit or not. A special case would be 00 & 0. Conventionally, it'd be interpreted as 100.

Assuming that the hypothesis is correct, the roll above resulted in 1. If we consider the fact that Canoweissmon was in a pinch before this happened, it could be assumed that you need to roll some numbers to get out of the situation. For example, there's a 10% chance of HoverEspimon's interference working and you need to roll 1 - 10 to succeed. There are countless possibilities for the clear condition here, so let's not dawdle on that.

What does this scene imply on the larger scale, though? TBH I always find this season's name unconventional for a Digimon series. In Adventure, we go on, well, an adventure. In Tamers, we followed the story of those Tamers. In Frontier, we enter the frontier of the Digital World. In Savers, we follow the squad who saved people. In Xros Wars, we have Xros evolution. In Universe: Appmon, we had an alternate Universe that revolved around another species called Appmon. And then we have Ghost Game. The "Ghost" part is pretty clear with Hologram Ghost. But where does the "Game" part come into play? It's been a little mystery that has been nagging behind my brain since the series' announcement. The 60+ weeks didn't make anything clearer, up until this scene.

In DnD, a Dungeon Master will tell you the scenario, and the players will decide their actions. Then, they roll some dice to decide the outcome. Since the actions are pretty much anything within the scope of the game, it's very versatile. It could be that the entirety of Ghost Game thus far was based on a game played against a Dungeon Master. This Dungeon Master could be the one behind the crisis of the Digital World. One or more challengers appeared to try and save the Digital World and had to play this game to save it. One of the challengers could be Hokuto, who was summoned to the Digital World per the rule of this game, which would explain why he was not fried when going through the gate as this game might bypass conventional rules.

OR it could be that there was no Dungeon Master, but a central computational server that determined the results of each action related to Digimons individually. In other words, RNG, and the dice were only there for visual presentation.

The following section will be based on profile of GulusGammamon's evolved forms: Regulusmon and Arcturusmon.

In Arcturusmon's profile, it mentions that it is a theoretical existence which, if brought into the "real" Digital World, could expose it to Digital Hazard that drastically distorts the environment. Both Regulusmon and Arcturusmon are said to be the source of "Gulus Realm Burst" (GRB, a word play on Gamma Ray Burst), which corrodes any beings not possessing Black Digitron (the substance that alters the color of a Digimon). This could be the reason why we saw black Digimons every time Gulus appeared. They were the survivors who lived to tell the tale, or they could be "watchers" who were in charge of observing and confining him. Since, if we assume that the "simulation" hypothesis was true, the "experimenters" would definitely need results. And if we assume that the dice toss were actually just a visual presentation of RNG, the simulation hypothesis holds more water. Another factor to contribute to this is Proximamon's profile which also mentions simulation.

This GRB crisis might happen because of a simulation gone wrong and only the "evil" side of Proximamon manifesting and the "holy" side still dormant and could be the reason why Hokuto sent Gammamon to live with Hiro to awaken his "holy" side. But whether the "human world" is "real" and this entire series is just a large-scale experiment or it is just "fictional-yet-consequential", remains to be seen.

BUT considering that we only have 3 episodes left and we're going to the Digital World soon, the simulation hypothesis, though how much likely I made it sounded to be, could totally be wrong. Ghost Game tends to play things out straightforward to fit with its monster-of-the-week format with some exceptions being this last sprint of the series. And based on the released episode titles, we could assume how things will play out:

EP. 65: The Black Zone of Death - GulusGammamon would be in full motion here as the gang would be in direct contact with areas subjected to GRB. Kiyo was also shown to have been affected by it.

EP. 66: The Dark Dragon of Destruction - Probably revolves around Regulusmon and his fight with the gang. I think he'd also evolve to Arcturusmon near the end of the episode.

EP. 67: The Devourer of All - The last fight with Arcturusmon and Proximamon's debut. He could be the one to restore the Digital World back to the way it was. And, in my opinion, where we say goodbye to our adorable Gammamon in a noble sacrifice.

You know when I posted about the Appmon dream I didn't know Ghost Game would venture this way. Was it a premonition, somehow?

#digimon #ghost game

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catgirl-catboy · 2 years ago

Note

Okay my brain went into brain freeze mode when I think about it

Since we agree Tsurugi is the actual mc in this story, what about Tsurugi and his relationships as homestuck quadrant- Like do you have hcs for that?

Listen, no matter who you ship him with his feelings will turn black at somewhat random intervals whenever the very idea of someone else committing a crime comes up.

I like Yuki being the auspistice between Kinjo and ANYONE, just because of the good moments they had in chapter two. How he basically 🥺ed Kinjo into behaving reasonably to those that were not in the group before the BDA. It's not perfect, but I like the concept.

Tsurigi and Akane are always an interesting duo, since in the end he used the wrong formula to get the correct answer with her. He looked at her one redeeming moment and called her evil for it, despite it being what saved them in the end. Thats fucked up. They are in all of the quadrants at once, somehow. I love Teruya and Kinjo, despite most of their interesting interactions being offscreen. He was too busy having a crisis of morality in chapter four to go all "Criminal!" over him stealing the food. Which, you think he would be pissy about later. Also, SDRA2 Teruya trying so desperately to pretend to be Tsurugi... Why would you do that to yourself. I wish Kokoro was still alive then because she'd have a field day. I almost feel like Teruya has a pale crush on him, but we don't get enough of Kinjos thoughts on him.

They've never interacted, but I feel like he and Kanade have major potential. Kanade seems to gain a healthy respect for whoever catches her in her crimes, and was only rude to Sora because she was spiteful and confused by her SHSL plot armor. I feel like if DRA!Tsurugi had a hand in solving that case, the dynamic between him and the twins would be fascinating. Hibiki's mere existence causes him to question his sense of justice, because while Hibiki isn't a good person, she also had no free will in the murder she committed.

I also feel like he'd have interesting interactions with Gundam, just because of the morality of his murder case. Whatever he may think in that scenario he'd immediately stomp out when he realizes the big Dr2 twist. Hell, this is the one scenario I'd tolerate the brainwashing twist, because imagine Tsurugi's angst in that situation.

I don't think he and Kinji knew each other well enough pre-murder to be in a quadrant, especially on Kinji's end. Thats the tragedy of it.

#ask tag #crowtalks #tsurugi kinjo

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brightonpages · 2 months ago

Text

Ashes (Index) Chapter 2 Part 5

Garrett did not have friends.

He had arrived at the Academy nearly two years ago, and he did not trust that quickly. He might never trust again. Rebuilding his life after being accused of murder and sent to a new school, leaving everything he knew behind, hadn’t become any easier or more appealing. He had magic, and he had himself, and for now, that was enough.

That did not mean he didn't have a friend group, people who had claimed him, although he was unsure entirely why. He thought of them as his allies, the thing he had decided he did need. The same group had texted him throughout the incident. Things like "the Academy is evacuating!", "where are you??", "are you okay???". But also, when there wasn't a crisis, more generic things about homework and stray bits of gossip. He was in a text chain that he mostly read, but didn't respond to. Because he was still very much invested in the subtleties and evolution of human communication, even though he wasn't currently taking part. They cared. He believed they cared. He just struggled to care back, and wasn't ready for the effort of pretending.

It was another failure, of course. He was aware of that. He hadn’t quite blossomed into the person he wished he could become. He had wanted confidence and, honestly, popularity. He was still marked by the experience with the Legacies, the way they were so singularly insolent, like nothing he had ever seen before. Even rich kids could be impressed with the right approach, but these people were impossible to get near, unless you could prove your heritage.

His allies weren’t obsessed with heritage - not like Legacies were - but he still couldn't escape the questions about his parents. It was like the equivalent to 'what do your parents do' in a world where no one cared about their profession. Unless they were Council, of course. (And everyone knew exactly who the Council kids were, an information Garrett filed away for later.)

Now, when asked which of his parents were the mage, he answered that he didn't know. That he had grown up in the foster system, and had no idea who his parents were, which he feared that earned him pity, and even more misplaced affection.

Because they cared, because this small group of his peers had decided to adopt him like he was a stray kitten, he was followed out.

Grace was still the one. The one, who hadn’t given up on trying with him. The one, he was pretty sure, was the reason the group hadn’t left him behind a long time ago. Garrett was entirely sure she had a crush on him. It would have been easy to encourage her, to ask her out and try dating, try having a girlfriend, but he wasn't attracted to the idea. Mostly because he had never experienced attraction to another person. He wondered, as he watched other people fall in and out of love, if it was something that needed to be forced, something that needed to be learned. He just had yet to arrive at the point where he was willing to try. Despite lacking the feelings, he excelled at reading them in other people, and Grace had a lot of the markers of someone in love. She was attentive to him, she would always sit close to him, she attempted to start conversations with him, still, even when many of the others had given up. Of course there was also the option that she thought he had some sort of social disorder and was just being nice.

"Are you okay?" She asked, now. She had fine features and sleek, black hair. She was pretty. It wasn't like he couldn't tell, it just didn't make him feel anything.

"I'm fine," Garrett said, smiling as softly as he knew how. "Just restless."

Grace nodded. "It's terrible."

"Which part?" It wasn't the right thing to say. She frowned, and he corrected. "Sorry," he smiled. "The deaths. Of course. I just meant that those people saved us. Luka. Abel. Lena. They shouldn't be blamed for it." He left out Hadley, seeing as he had avoided blame entirely. Somehow more than the boy who had died for their sins.

"I know," Grace said. "But the Council is right. They should have left it to the Agents."

Garrett only nodded. He could have said that he had seen the Agents, standing back, doing nothing, but he didn't. He wasn't going to be the one to expose them. He didn't want to single himself out. He didn't want to cause trouble.

He wasn't a revolutionary. So, he would do what everyone else were doing, and pretend everything was okay.

"Are you going back inside?" Grace asked.

"No," Garrett answered. "I need to get out of here."

"Do you want company?"

No, he thought, but he smiled and said, "Sure."

#original story #ashes #writeblr #writers on tumblr

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android-anthology-hub · 2 months ago

Text

009 - Incident Report

I also took the liberty of editing the first character short that I wrote for this. This one centers on our recurring antagonist Pursuit Officer Hope. Here she's going to face a rather challenging pursuit, and a little bit of an identity crisis~

You can of course read this story over on Fiction Press, Ao3 and Tapas.

The Assessor’s pitch black eyes stared back at Officer Hope from across the table.

At least, Hope assumed he did. There was no way to tell where those mechanical lenses were looking at all. She could only guess…

His mechanical eyes shifted, the quiet click - too quiet for a human’s ear - almost deafening in the still air of the assessment suite.

’Suite’ didn’t feel like the right word. It was more like a lab or a surgical theater. It was plain and sterile, nowhere to hide, nowhere to sit save for the booth set into the wall for the Assessor and whatever android they were taking apart.

“Let us begin,” he said almost mechanically as he clicked open a small gray case at his side.

Hope hesitated as she stared at the discs of golden circuitry that sat inside the case. The Assessor didn’t even miss a beat, pulling one of the discs from the case.

“...Officer.” Hope looked up to see the Assessor staring at her once again, gesturing to the case. “We need to establish the connection.”

“Sorry, sir. I’m… I’m still getting back on my feet,” Hope said, wincing as the disc clicked into the port on her neck.

“I understand you’ve been through a traumatic experience,” he said, tilting his head as he reached through the wireless link.

She could feel him in her head, the connection crawling up through her spine. It was like his fingers were brushing her thoughts, feeling them like braille. She’d ignored it plenty of times before, and yet-

Hope clenched her fists, willing herself to hold still as she steadied herself.

-this time she couldn’t. Every nerve screamed at her to push him back.

“Connection established,” Hope said with a shaky sigh as she straightened up.

She could feel him testing the connection as he spoke, “Officer SE-C-107, I have some questions to ask.”

It–It shouldn’t be bothering her. It was her ID number, she’d heard it plenty.

“I have a name,” she said, keeping her tone as even as she could, “it’s Hope.”

“Acknowledged. However, for the sake of record, you are SE-C-107. Correct?”

She clenched her fists as she looked away, holding her anger in check.

She shouldn’t–couldn’t be feeling that way. Not here. Not now.

“You are to maintain eye contact, Officer 107,” the Assessor ordered, typing away at the keypad by his side.

“Yes,” Hope said as she looked back at him. “Yes, that is correct.

“Thank you,” he said, not even a smile or the slightest move of a muscle beyond what was necessary.

The baseline questions were always the easy part.

How long had she been with Security. How many androids were originally in her squad. Who did she report to. What was Pi to the fifth digit…

They didn’t matter. All that mattered was how she responded. How she compared to her initial assessment, fresh off the line, and new to her job.

He’d be looking for instabilities…

“Do you know why you’re here today?”

“I was involved in a fatality during a pursuit,” Hope said.

Fatality. It felt so simple saying it like that. Like it was just another day, just a small incident.

“What were you doing before it began?”

“I was on patrol,” she said. “All of us… A call went out about a renegade android that just came into the city.”

“Recall it for me.”

She looked down at her hands–When had they started shaking?

“Eye contact, Officer 107,” the Assessor ordered. “Please, recall it.”

Hope clutched her hands together as she focused back on the Assessor.

She could feel him in her mind, watching, as she recalled the events.

“The call went out in the early morning. They were spotted during a raid on one of the solarshaft sectors. They managed to get away,” she said.

“According to your report, you were in Concourse 5, the closest station to that sector.”

“I was on one of the transports. They just happened to step on,” Hope sighed, her thoughts drifting back.

The passengers screamed as Hope crashed into them, the landing knocking the wind right out of her lungs.

They were strong, whoever they were, and heavy. It just had to be another combat model, didn’t it…

“Stop!” Hope rose to her feet, chasing after the flash of army green as they barreled their way through the transport.

She grabbed her pistol, keeping it low as she pushed through the crowd.

Dammit, she couldn’t fire in here. There were too many people!

The door to the next car slammed shut with a deafening bang. The android - face hidden by the hood of their coat - twisted the lock shut, metal crunching as it jammed into place. They didn’t look back as they raced for the head of the transport.

Hope growled as she scanned over the door, rearing back. It didn’t take her long to kick the door off its track and wrench it from its frame.

But her quarry didn’t need that long.

The transport lurched to a halt, alarms blaring, the crowd screaming over the sound of shattering glass.

They were out. Dammit, they were out!

Hope ran to the lead car, the emergency controls crushed and the windshield smashed outward.

Hope pressed the transmitter behind her ear, “Central, this is Pursuit Officer Hope. The renegade is in the transport tunnels, concourse five. I’m in pursuit.”

“You had a clear shot,” the Assessor said, eyeing her as he noted his observations.

“And I took it. But at that range… They just shook it off,” Hope said.

“I see… And yet, when you were able to get in range, you didn’t fire. Why?”

“I couldn’t,” she said. “Not in the middle of a chase, I couldn’t get a clear shot.”

The Assessor tilted his head, his touch in her mind growing firm.

“Is that truly why? Or is there something that you wanted instead?”

“I…” Hope trailed off, clenching her fists. “I wanted to…”

“Answer the question, Officer 107.”

Hope closed her eyes and ran a hand over her face.

Keep it together.

“I wanted to take them down myself,” she said.

“Like you’ve done with previous suspects?”

“Yes.”

“As a matter of pride? Taking in a heavy infantry unit would certainly be an accomplishment.”

She sighed, slowly meeting his gaze again, “Yes, sir.”

“Thank you for being honest, Officer 107.” she could feel his approval ripple through her head as he typed. “According to your report, you caught up with the android at a service station in the tunnels.”

“Yes. I-I managed to engage them in close quarters. They were as strong as I was… As I should have anticipated.”

Hope curled her fists into the android’s coat, army fabric beginning to tear as the two wrestled on the station platform.

They were bigger than her, not by much, but enough.

They grabbed her by the collar, their coat tearing away as they hauled her up. Hope’s own face stared back at her, worn and battle-scarred, but just as stunned as she was. Her double held her there, identical eyes staring at each other in disbelief.

Shock turned to anger on her double’s face, “Hell no!”

Hope barely caught herself as they hurled her away, tucking in as she rolled over hard concrete. She rose to her feet, eyes focused on the android’s signature as they fled into the station. She tried to catch her breath as she followed them in, drawing her stun pistol from its holster.

“IN-F-009!” Hope called out, echoing along the concrete walls. “That’s you, isn’t it.”

“I have a name!” 009 shouted back, her voice bouncing too much for Hope to pin down.

The walls in here were too thick…

“Then-” Hope swallowed her nerves, clenching her pistol tight. “-why don’t you tell me.”

“Like you care,” they called back, the echoing footfalls of their boots leading her deeper.

She broke into a run at the screech and groan of twisting metal. She followed through the door 009 had wrenched open, not too far behind.

“You sure you wanna do this?” 009 said, “You pursuit models, you’re too light. I’d take you apart!”

They weren’t wrong. A model like hers, she’d hardly weigh a thing to them.

“And you’re heavy infantry,” she called out.

“She knows the catalog!” they laughed, bitterly. “Five years of service… Came all the way from the field in Eurasia.”

Hope scanned along the halls of the service station, ears focusing in on the sound of their voice.

She had to keep them talking.

“Where are you headed?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, Pursuit Officer.”

“I have a name too,” she said. “It’s Hope.”

They laughed at her, “And I have a special edition at that! Who named you? Your handler? Your boss?”

Hope fumed, the pistol softly clicking as she gripped it tight.

“Ha! Boss then…” 009 hummed, the sound of crunching metal and sparks filling the air.

Must have torn a conduit out of the wall. They were armed…

“Happy little police dog, so proud to have a name on her collar.”

“Shut up,” Hope growled, eyes straining as she scanned about.

“Tell me, do they give you a treat? A pat on the head for a good hunt!”

“We do what we’re made for. You should know that.”

“Well I want more!”

Hope barely ducked out of the way as the wall shattered behind her head. Dust filled the air as she dodged one crushing blow after another.

“No way a pursuit model wins this fight,” 009 barked, keeping on the pressure as Hope scrambled to keep out of reach. “Just run already!”

One of these swings was gonna connect eventually. She had to take a shot.

“Not a chance.” Hope fired blindly, lightning arcing into the fray.

009 screamed as the arc found its mark, the conduit tumbling to the ground with an ear-splitting clang! They stumbled and clutched at their shoulder, arm hanging at their side. They roared at her as they moved, beating the feeling back into their aching arm.

Hope tightened her grip as she took aim.

“You don’t have to do this!” the two of them froze, 009 staring at her in surprise - she probably looked the same.

“Like hell,” they huffed.

They prowled closer, pushing her back as she kept the distance between them.

“I mean it-” the words just… They tumbled out of her mouth, a plea she never thought she’d make. “-just–just come in!”

009 frowned, reaching for the shock of golden yellow around their neck.

Why hadn’t she noticed the bandanna before?

They looked thoughtful as their thumb trailed over the homespun fabric, “And what? Live in a box? Like they’d ever let me go.”

She had to do something. They weren’t a random android. They had a name. They had a name.

“Please,” she’d never said the word before, never wanted to.

Pity crossed their face as they backed her against the wall, clenching their fists.

Don’t. Please don’t make her do this…

They steeled their gaze, muscled coiled like a spring, “It’s you or me…”

“Wait–!”

CRACK!

And everything stopped.

Hope’s ears rang from the sound of fist striking metal, the deafening crack of an electrical arc firing off too damn close. The first thing she could hear was her own heart. Then her breathing, loud as an engine in the quiet.

009 collapsed against her, their fist buried in the panel next to her head. Thin wisps of smoke trailed from where metal met the skin of their face, head reeking of ozone.

Her hands trembled, stun pistol slipping from her fingers.

She couldn’t hear them.

Hope wrapped her arms around them, holding their body close as she pulled them from the wall.

“I-I’ve got you,” she grunted as she set them down. But their eyes stared off into nothing as she cradled their head, “Hey. Hey!”

She couldn’t hear them. Not their breath, not the beat of their heart.

“Your name,” she breathed, checking for a pulse she knew wouldn’t be there. “Come on. Just… Just tell me your name!”

The Assessor drummed his fingers against the table, staring into Hope’s eyes as he probed the link between them.

“According to your report, you tried to check for vitals,” he said. “Your sensory implants would make it a simple process. And yet you took your time before calling in.”

“Like I said in my report, sir. I’d taken damage, my head–” she said, looking down at her hands.

She flexed her fingers like they’d feel a little more human.

“Eye contact, Officer,” the Assessor ordered, making another note as she glared back at him.

“My senses were still coming back online. I-I wanted to be sure, sir.”

“Understood,” he hummed, typing away, his eyes locked on hers. “Now then, Officer. At the start, you asked me to call you by the name your Director gave you - Hope, correct?”

“...yes.”

His eyes clicked as he stared at her, “Why?”

Why?

“I-” Hope tried to ease the tension out of her shoulders, quiet her mind. “-don’t understand, sir.”

“You have never made this request in your prior assessments.”

“I–”

“What makes this assessment so distinct from the others?” he said, riding the associations through her synapses and circuits.

“There isn’t–There’s no distinction.”

“Do you wish to feel separate from your fellow models?”

“I-I don’t know,” she said, pushing back against the intrusion.

Calm down. She had to calm down.

“And yet you asked,” the Assessor said, tracing along the discomfort in her mind. “Do you want to stand apart from other androids? Distance yourself from them?”

“I… Maybe, I don’t–”

“Eye contact.”

When had she looked away?

She closed her eyes, clutching her hands together to keep them from shaking.

“Sir, I…” she trailed off, trying to get her voice under control. “I just need a moment.”

“Denied, Officer 107,” he was somehow even louder with her eyes closed, her control on her senses slipping.

She clenched her jaw, taking a shaky breath, and looked up at him.

“Thank you,” the Assessor said, his approval dripping on her thoughts like oil. “You had to fight an android with your genetic template. No one would blame you for wanting to distinguish yourself. It is only human.”

Human.

“I’m not.”

“Hmm?” he paused in his typing, tracing along her thoughts.

“I’m. Not. Human,” Hope said, the words bitter on her tongue. “I’m made for fighting sir. I’m made to chase down my quarry and bring them in. I did my job.”

Hope took a breath and slowly let her hands relax on the table.

She did what she was made for…

Hope clenched her jaw as she kept her gaze on the floor of the Director’s office.

“There doesn’t appear to be any lasting damage,” the Assessor said beside her. “However, downtime is recommended. Give her time to process the incident, allow her construct to stabilize.”

“Thank you.” the Director rose from her desk, her tone growing sharp. “Now, get out.”

“Of course, ma’am.”

Hope tensed as she listened to every step the Director made as she dragged a chair in front of Hope.

She heard the clattering of glass, the pour of a drink. No, not a drink. There were two, every sound almost deafening.

“Hope,” the Director’s voice was soft, calm as she handed her a glass.

“I–Thank you, ma’am…”

“You did good today-” she grunted as she sat down, rolling the stiffness out of her shoulders from the long day. “-I want you to remember that.”

“I…” Hope trailed off, her thoughts winding back to the sight of them just lying there on that cold floor. The way those eyes stared at nothing. “How can I be sure?”

“You did your job,” she said, taking a sip from her glass. “And you did as well as you could. That’s the best we can hope for.”

Hope stared down into her glass, swirling the drink while she mulled her thoughts. Finally - letting out a breath she hadn’t noticed she’d been holding - she took a sip.

“I-I guess so…” she bit her cheek before downing the rest of her drink, “Thank you, Director. I should be heading back to the dorm…”

The Director nodded as she finished her glass, waving to the door, “Go on, dismissed.”

Hope kept her movements slow, steady, as she went for the door.

“And Hope,” the Director called as she sat down at her desk. “You were against a heavy infantry unit, and you came out on top. I’m proud of that.”

Pride and dread twisted up in her gut, fighting for which would win.

She nodded - it was all she could do - and headed off for the android dorms.

The day had been too damn long…

Everything ached as Hope slid open the door and stepped into the dorm. She about jumped out of her skin as her squad mates broke out into applause in the dorm’s common room.

“And there’s the girl of the hour!” Five laughed, practically tangled with Nine as the two of them laid on the couch.

Nine shoved their Five’s face away from her, “C’mon, don’t tease.”

Eight shook her head, chuckling to herself, “Listen to the lady, Nine.”

Hope just stared at the three of them, fists clenched in her pockets, “What…?”

“Word came out you took down a Heavy,” Eight said as she practically hung off the side of her chair. “Congrats.”

“Bet the Director was happy,” Five said with a playful grin.

“The Director was-” Hope trailed off, almost unsure. She straightened up, standing tall as she spoke, “-proud.”

Eight let out a low whistle, flashing Hope an approving smile.

Five laughed as she practically melted into Nine, “Praise from the boss and leave. Lucky.”

“Oh, hush!” Nine swatted at her with an exasperated sigh before kissing her cheek.

“Aw, come on,” she hummed, a playful smile on her face as she took Nine’s hand in hers.

Hope huffed as she looked away, “God, do that in your quarters you two…”

Nine eyed the discomfort on Hope’s face with a grin.

“Well…” she dragged on the syllable, “what do you think, Five?”

Five lazily kicked her legs in thought, meeting Hope’s gaze as she kissed Nine’s hand, “Nah.”

Hope shook her head, face twisted into an uncomfortable frown, “I don’t even–We’re identical, what’s the point?”

“Oh, not completely,” Five laughed low in her throat, lacing her fingers together with Nine’s. The lights of their eyes flickered as the two linked together, “Thinking what I’m thinking?”

Nine gave her hand a gentle squeeze and Hope clenched her hands all the tighter.

What did she care?

It wasn’t like she needed to link with anyone. There wasn’t any point.

Nine’s smile was playful as she spoke, “You wanna go out.”

“You read my mind,” Five said as she broke into a grin.

“Of course I did,” she breathed, arching up into a heated kiss.

Eight practically fell out of her chair, “Get a room you two! Damn!”

“Fuck off, Eight,” Nine mused.

Nine only pulled away long enough to give the other two a smoldering look. Five gasped above her as her thumb trailed the metal edge of Five’s neural port.

Hope shook her head, exhaustion heavy on her shoulders as she spoke, “I’m just… I’m gonna turn in for tonight. It’s been a long day…”

She ran a hand over the port in the back of her neck, kneading along the muscles around it as she went.

“Hey,” Eight called out, laying a gentle hand on Hope’s shoulder. “Take it easy, okay? You look like hell.”

She shook her off with a soft, tired grunt, “I’m fine, Eight…”

Hope almost sagged against her door when it finally shut.

She was fine, dammit…

She winced as she hung up her coat, ragged muscles and polymered cuts complaining as she went. She dumped her boots at the corner of the bed, fumbling with the straps of the guard plates on her arms and legs. And with a slow huff, she fell back onto her bed.

Hope stared up at the ceiling, tuning down her ears till even her breathing faded out. She bit her cheek in thought, pulling the golden yellow bandanna from her pocket. It felt soft against her palm as she held it. Her thumb brushed along the familiar pattern woven in the fabric. And recognition twisted away in her chest.

They had liked lotuses too…

She slowly sat up, wringing the fabric in her hands like it could give her answers.

But no answers came. It was just a scrap of cloth-

With a sigh, she folded it up and tucked it away in the drawer beside her bed.

-that smelled like burnt metal…

#009 - Incident Report #d'anna android detective #Science Fiction #detective stories #original fiction #character short #pursuit officer hope

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maguro13-2 · 7 months ago

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Demons Unleashed ~ Origins of the Ink Demon Gaiden Finale (5/10)

[Crisis City (Classic Ver.) - Tomoya Ohtani]

*IFRIT ROARING*

Eggman Nega : Yes, Ifrit! Yes! Once I have enough more chao to feed, I will have enough more time to get rid of that pesky Robotnik that is always getting in the way! Huh? Where did the chao, who freed them all!? This can't be happening!

(we then show Silver and Espio freeing the chao)

Silver : When it comes to monsters, Gods, and machines, this is what I do religion and no, summoning the Ifrit is a Dark Fantasy thing.

Espio : Quite be to be having this weird friendship, it's not a gay lord thing, it's a friends thing, although you acted like a jerk back in the year 06 in terms of being called a douche.

Silver : Yeah, you're right. I had no chills and I was being savage towards sonic since 06 was retconned, I apologized for that matter. So now that we're freeing all of the chao to get secured by custody, who's going to look after them? Maybe security knows about that.

Espio : Who knows? It's good that we have someplaces needed to be.

Eggman Nega : Who's down there!?

Silver : Yikes!

Espio : Damn we've been detected again! (talks into communicator) Hey, Vector. We finally managed to free all the Chao. Eggman Nega were using these lifeforms to lured to the Ifrit as food. It's no wonder that the villains of our world or universe had the nerves to be so-selfish and get away with everything that is homicide, genocide, or omnicide!

Silver : After 06 mysteries, I don't know how that's gonna work on us!

Vector : (via communicator) That's quite weird so why did a villain from another dimension wanted Eggman's world to be extinct in order to recreate Crisis City.

Espio : Because he's not from another dimension, he's from 200 years in the future of our world.

Vector : (via communicator) That explains how did Nega appeared during the Black Alien invasion since the Dreamcast Era ended over a year ago.

Silver : which is kind of messed up for a bunch of idiots who gave those Emeralds here in our world.

Espio : Don't mind that, stuff let's just get these Chao to safety and get the hell out of here. (tries to leave, but Metal Sonic 3.0 is in the way) Pardon me, sir. It seems that you are in the way.

Silver : Uhh, I think that's Metal Sonic 3.0.

Espio : [he and Silver Looks at each other] Uh-oh.

(Metal Sonic 3.0 chases the two while running around)

Silver & Espio : *SFX : Sonic EXE scream*

Eggman Nega : (chuckles) That'll keep them busy! Alright, on to summoning the Ifrit.

*FLAMES WHOOS+BOOM!*

Blaze : Eggman Nega! So this is what you're cooking! I should've known you were from 200 years in the future, am I not correct?

Eggman Nega : You pitfiful princess, I see that you dare stand in my way of getting what's rightfully mine.

Blaze : Oh no, you don't. Nobody's getting away with it, after our encountered since the Black Arms invasion, I despise of you making a mess between the two fights and then I had a fight over Sonic against you for stealing the Sol Emeralds. Two Eggmans, two worlds, one planet. I am desperate of saving my people from the clutches of you and 200 years in the future. I hope you are going down with the ship, Negative.

Eggman Nega : Oh, I wouldn't mind doing that. Whisker. Can you handle this one with a big knock out. This one has kept it's nine lives with.

Captain Whisker : Arrrgh! With pleasure, matey!

Blaze : Huh? Hey, what the-!? (Whiskers traps her in a sack as scene goes black)

*Waves crashing*

Blaze : (wakes up, groaning) Huh? Where the heck am I? What am I doing here? Hey, what is this place!?

Marine : Oi, Mate! You just made it!

Blaze : Huh? Marine!

"MARINE THE RACCOON : INHABITANT SOUTHERN ISLAND"

Blaze : Marine! What are you doing here!?

Marine : I was in bit of a pickle after Sonic and friends were fighting against fire demon, reminded of the one you sealed with another fire demon from the future.

Blaze : That was retconed a year ago. Sonic 06 has never been same since all evidence and events of the game's story were reset by him, thanks to the Princess of Soleanna! I never fought that would really choke my gizards after Eggman Nega was using that creature.

Marine : I'm afraid so. Guess it's your call to be the lucky one around here.

Captain Whisker : We don't take many visitors from those who has ever roamed the Seven seas! As collecting the Sol Emeralds of getting a 100% completion, I suggested that this will be your final "Walk the plan" and directly send you to Davey Jones with ye! And it makes me go Cattywampus on the poop deck!

Marine : Oi, when did he get into Pirate talk in this time of year. This isn't the 17th century, you know and it's not North Carolina. We're talking it to a major swell here, Mate.

Blaze : You're not having a Big Swelling fever I might ask you that.

Marine : What makes you say that, Mate?

Blaze : That's because we're on the Big Swell!

[Big Swell - Tomoya Ohtani]

Captain Whisker : Sorry for the intrusion, Princess! I'd be gladly ask if you tell me that we were going to retrieve the jeweled to Scepter to the two robotniks from two worlds.

Blaze : What!? So this was all of Eggman's scheme to take the Jewel Scepter that was inside the cave of Corals? That darn scientist, I knew he would come up with a plan on destroying planets. It's not like anyone can get away with attempted omnicide or anything.

Captain Whisker : Introducing the last of the greatest Ghost Machines that scorches ocean floors of your world, Princess!

(Ghost Titant eyes shine)

Captain Whisker : Call him Ghost Titan! A pinnacle of robot energy capable with built-in missiles from it's shoulder, a genuine robot of the greatest pirate army! The ultimate weapon of a pirate!

Blaze : Can't say no to that! Looks like you're gonna regret that on a evening like that every day! I won't let you do this to my world ever again!

Captain Whisker : Enough talk! Let's see if you can outsmart Ghost Titan that is the number one ghost titan of the century!

Blaze : I wouldn't think so. I bigger plans to make it out, you're just gonna cut some slack into it. You dig?

Captain Whisker : What!?

(Bob-Omb noises)

Captain Whisker : Argh! This is driving me nuts!

*DBZ/One Piece SFX : Loud Explosions*

Blaze : Come on, Marine! Let's get of this thing before it blows!

Marine : Right back at ya, mate! (the two runs off)

Blaze : Hang on!

Marine : This is going to get Messy...! JUUUUMP! (the two jumps off)

Blaze : Huaaaaaaaah!!!

*DBZ SFX : Grab*

Marine : Huh? What's going on? Did we dipped our selves into the water no?

Blaze : Whatever it is. Something's grabbing my hand.

Mizune : Hey, you need a lift? You could really use a hand here!

Blaze : Oh, lucky me! A witch.

Mizune : That's top hat Mizune for you. I'm a world-class treasure hunter. Them pirates had been scurvy for some jome kind of Jeweled scepter.

Blaze : I understand that would be the consequences. So how on earth did you manage to catch us quickly?

Mizune : Easy! I did it with the help of my mousey friends.

*DBZ SFX : Surprise*

Marine : Crikey! That's a lot of mices! Good thing that they become a great help!

Blaze : Don't get me crazy on this one, a treasure hunter a bunch of mice from Nintendo. Wait, their mouses big ears.

Mizune : Alright, everyone! Pull us up! Get those muscles working!

Blaze : Well, this considered to be a great help.

Marine : I wonder who should we meet.

(cuts to the three entering the room)

Mizune : Sorry it took so long, sir. I managed to bring the cat and the raccoon girl to get them inside the ship.

Daroach : Good work, Mizune. So you did find out who's been turning the tables wide open.

Mizune : Just a friendly reminder, that mad scientist from 200 years in Sonic's world was going to planet in Omnicide. I don't what the big fusses of what's going to happen for this planet.

Daroach : It's going to be a remarkable deduction on whether that mad man has been feeding off the lifeforms that were a part of the Chaos Heritage. But I felt that the man from 200 years will pay.

[Cutscene : Normal - Serirou Okamoto]

Marine : That's great to hear, mate. Blaze will become something even greater than being a princess. She will become the Princess that seeks just against the man who sabotages the planet for omnicide! No evildoers will make a smart move to destroy the world and that's why the princess is always on the horizon! Thank you! Thank you!

Mizune : Yeah...I reconsidered that to be my own princess of Justice. So much for not giving any instructions on whether you fight or crime or crime doesn't pay a price and I was that cool that it would be all a misunderstanding. So if I'm willing to think that we needed all something that could help the planet be protected and defended from the deadly forces that tried to bring galactic Conquest.

Marine : That's because no jerk would wanna do something bad, and I reconsider that obligated negotiations! So that's why we're saving this planet from evil deterioration, we shall never surrender!

Daroach : You got a point tho. And that's really surprisingly a fact about evil deterioration.

Blaze : We'll do, sir. We'll do. (in mind) Sheesh! When do I give extra credit for being the sole princess that goes solo on my sorry flaming tail. Too bad there's no way that we could pull this one off. [talks out normaly] *clears throat* Thanks for pulling us up, sir. I mean Madam. We somehow managed to get into your ship. So what brings us here?

Jet : What brings you here, (turns chair to reveal himself) is that you got a lot of guts meeting Sonic again. I heard that he collected one of the Eight Pure Hearts that connects to the Eight vessels, known as the Eight Pillars that were used as keys to unleash that "what-ya-gonna-call it" into the galaxy.

Blaze : It's Darkness, Jet of the Babylon Rogues. Of course Sonic was given a Green Pure Heart from the boy who created Soul World due to leading to the 1000 year annihilation in the Ohkuboverse. What did you brought something in your hand?

Jet : This? This one on my hand is the Ark of the Cosmos, we are not destined to meet a reunion by the year 2008, that's when this 14-year old meister chick is going to have her very own TV show, which will lead to her humiliation.

Blaze : Ark of the Cosmos, Maka, TV show? 2008. That's the year when Sonic and the others will face new dangers, but he will face the entire world of dangers before...he could even join Smash. That's his own prediction of Joining as Smash Bros.'s first third-party characters to join the fight. This could change everything since we participated in the Olympics. I will help him out, so that's why I decide that we will take down the evil forces that have been unleashing the demons into this world! So help me out with this one! It's time for me to gather the Sol Emeralds and become Burning Blaze once more!

~ Stage 34 : A Princess's Justice ~

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