#factory future did nothing wrong

[donutz]

Poppy Playtime with a twist!!

SUMMARY||So younger you meets you in the present at poopy playhouse, but like it's super cool

EVERYONE THINKS THE STAFF DISSAPPEARED 10 YEARS AGO

WE'RE STILL HERE.

FIND THE FLOWER

ꕤ

“Find the flower?” Is it a pretty flowerrr? Not really..

Playtime Co? Oh. Playtime Co. Uhm. Well everybody who worked there isn't working there, not anymore. I'm not saying they disappeared. I read the letter!!

.

.

.

Hey they spelt disappeared wrong.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

I drive over to Playtime Co in my [any type of car] and end up seeing blocked off doors.

I mean this place is abandoned so what do you expect?

Another warning to not go in. But like, I'm wayyy too bored in life so I'm goin in.

Somebody's at the door?

I wonder who.

After 10 minutes, surprisingly not taking long, I managed to open the doors.

Getting a view of the colorful place that I once worked at, I also see a person.

“Hello! I was waiting for you! Somebody told me you got sent an envelope so I stood here, waiting.”

I stood there, looking at them with a bit of surprise. And being a little bit suspicious.

Are they not gonna talk?

They kind of look like me, as if they were my identical twin. Just born at different times.

.

.

.

I somehow muster the courage to speak up after a moment of awkward silence.

“... Why do you look like me, but older..” I asked with sweat slowly collecting on my face.

I take note of what they said and say, “Hm, come here for a sec”.

I walk over to them and stand there looking at them, looking away from time to time.

“Hm.” I examine the person. “Oh! Because I am you but older”!

“WH— What.” I lowered my volume, just in case something would spawn out of nowhere.

“It looks like you went to the future.” I tell the past me.

“You're me? But older? Coooll.” I drag my words with imaginary stars in my eyes.

“Follow me m'kay?” I command. Sounds kinda fancy, command.

“Kay!”

I was so gullible.

We both go to a colorful room with a few trains that have different colors per train.

“You see those trains right?” I question my younger self.

“Yea”.

“Those colors on each train are for a color code.” I stated.

“Green, pink—”

“Yellow and red”.

“Good. Now we're gonna go to that color pad thing and put in the colors”.

“Can IIIII do that..?” I ask with a smile on my face.

“Sure.”

I put in the colors and the door unlocked. I softly grabbed the handle as I slowly opened the door, observing what's inside the room.

“There's nothing spooky in the room”.

.. Stupidly, I flinched from older me talking because of how focused I was.

“Did you just flinch”?

“No”.

“I don't know what you're talking about”.

“... Sure”.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

After finishing the grabpack tutorial, we go up to the big door and I[past me] scan[scans] with my[their] blue hand.

“This might take a bit so just wait”.

“Okay”.

The door is fully open.

I see, huggy? But he's.. Oh. “Hey young me”.

“Yeeeess?” I ask with curious eyes.

“I think, I went back to the past”.

“You did”?

“Yea”.

“I'm gonna nerd out for a sec”.

“It's okay, I do that too”.

“I think that once you started coming here, maybe the factory was— restarting to the past. Like a process of it. Maybe that's why they were moving around so much. While I was at the front desk it was still happening. But when you entered it finished. Oh and y'know what? Maybe me walking around here was also me going through that time traveling process.” I explained.

I was wide-eyed. Mouth open a little bit even.

Ooo. That's.. Okay..? I mean I hate what's gonna happen but. Whatevs. “Yo, tiny baby”.

“.. Me? Are you seriously talking to me”?

“Mhm. Follow me”.

“Is that Huggy Wuggy”.

“No, it's Gojo— who do you think that is”?

“I—!” I make a click sound with my tongue and look away.

“You suck.” I claim, furrowing my eyebrows.

“Thanks. Anyways, this is my baby, Huggy. Who is going to kill us in the future. Or try to”.

“Hey, I bet you twenty bucks that once we go into a room, after like 30 seconds he'll be gone. But you gotta look away. Anddd, I bet you another 5 bucks that he can hear us, or me, talking right now”!

“That's not fair. You're in the future so you know it's going to happen”.

“Mhm, bet or no bet”?

“No bet”.

“>:/”

I go to the door with a bunch of stuff inside and try to open it.

But I end up hearing a jingle of keys..?

“Thanks Huggy.” I smiled when saying that and walked towards the electronic room. At least that's what I call it.

Unlocking it I go in—

“Don't leave me pretty please”!!!

…I expected younger me to follow but I don't need to worry right now.

Once we were in the room, the door locked. I mean that's what I heard. I'm basically going through my life, again. This is something that would be studied. Old people would kill for something like this.

“Did the door lock”?

“I don't know, try opening it”.

I wandered over to the poles and solved a puzzle while younger me was freaking out over the locked door.

“Uhmmmmm, I think Huggy's gone”!!!

“Wait weally????” I mocked, a small smile creeping up on my face.

“SHUT UP I'M SERIOUS!!!” I yelled, DO THEY.. I. Uhm. DOES OLDER ME NOT UNDERSTAND???

“I've been through this already, you baby”.

“...”

I finished the puzzle and then walked towards the kid.

“Move out the way please!!” I said, making my eyes big and sad looking, like a cartoon character.

“>:[”

The door opened, and we both walked out.

“Alright, time to move to the next area”.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

[agirlwithdemonblood]

Through the Shadows: Chapter 10 - Nightmares

Pairings: Dean Winchester x Reader

Series Summary: A hunter's Journey through despair and recovery is guided by Dean Winchester's unwavering love, leading her to reclaim her strength, voice and hope for their shared future.

Chapter Summary: Y/N can't decide which nightmare is the worst, the ones plaguing her dreams or the ones she's living.

Warnings: nightmare, comforting dean, anxiety, swearing.

Series Masterlist here!! & Main masterlist here!

The night settled over the bunker like a heavy blanket, darkness seeping into every corner. Y/N slept fitfully, her dreams a twisted tapestry of past horrors and present fears. In her subconscious, the memories of the factory haunted her-echoes of pain, fear, and voices that tormented her.

She thrashed in her sleep, tears streaming down her cheeks as she cried out in anguish. Her voice pierced the quiet of the night, a raw sound of suffering that cut through Dean's dreams. He awoke with a start, heart pounding in his chest as he rushed down the hallway to Y/N's room.

Panic gripped him when he found her tangled in her sheets, her face contorted in distress. "Y/N!" Dean called out urgently, kneeling beside her bed. "Wake up!"

But Y/N was trapped in her nightmare, lost in a world of torment. She cried out, begging for mercy, her body jerking with every imagined blow. Dean gently shook her, trying to provoke her from the grip of her dream, but it only seemed to intensify her panic.

In her terror, Y/N pushed away frantically, her movements uncoordinated and desperate. She fell off the bed with a sharp cry, curling into herself as she pleaded. "No, please, don't hurt me anymore!"

Dean's heart shattered at her words, his own eyes stinging with unshed tears. "Y/N, it's Dean," he urged, reaching out to touch her trembling shoulder. "You're safe. It's just a dream."

But Y/N couldn't hear him through the haze of fear. Her breathing quickened, each gasp a struggle for air as her mind relived the horrors of the past. Dean's desperation grew as he pulled her into a tight embrace, trying to anchor her in reality.

"Relax, sweetheart, wake up." Dean whispered desperately, his voice breaking with emotion. "It's me, Y/N. You're safe now."

Slowly, Y/N's panicked movements began to still, her eyes fluttering open with confusion and guilt. She sobbed apologizes, her voice hoarse with tears. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She repeated, her hands trembling as she reached for Dean.

"Don't apologize," Dean murmured softly, his arms tightening around her. "It's okay. You did nothing wrong."

He helped her back into bed, tucking the blankets around her with gentle care. Y/N stared up at him, her eyes filled with shame and gratitude. Dean sat beside her, a silent lookout guarding her rest, his presence a comfort in the darkness.

"You should try to sleep," Dean urged gently, his voice a soothing whisper. "I'll be right outside if you need anything."

Y/N nodded weakly, exhaustion washing over her in waves. She closed her eyes, finally succumbing to the lure of sleep. Dean remained by her door, his gaze fixed on her peaceful face, his thoughts a uproar of worry and fierce protectiveness.

The morning sun cast a soft glow through the bunker, painting the walls in hues of warmth. Y/N slept peacefully, exhaustion finally granting her a release from the relentless chaos of her mind. Dean awoke with a start, his thoughts immediately turning to Y/N. He quietly slipped out of the chair, careful not to make any noise, and made his way to the kitchen in the search of coffee.

In the kitchen, Sam noticed Dean's tired expression and concern traced into every line of his face. "Dean, you look like you haven't slept. You okay?" Sam remarked, his voice laced with worry.

Dean shrugged, pouring himself a cup of coffee. "Long night. I wanted to be around in case Y/N woke up again." he explained, his gaze distant with memories of the night before.

Sam chuckled softly, earning a puzzled look from dean. "What's so funny?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sam shook his head, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "Just a few months ago, you couldn't stand her," he replied teasingly, "Now, she's your favorite person."

Dean felt heat rise to his cheeks, his expression softening with fondness. "Shut up, Sammy," he muttered, though his tone lacked it's usual bite.

Sam's smile turned sincere. "Seriously, Dean," he said gently. "It's great. I've never seen you like this with anybody, so open and passionate."

Dean's throat tightened with unspoken emotions. He knew Sam was right. Y/N had tunneled her way into his heart, weaving a tapestry of understanding and love that Dean had never expected to find in this lifetime.

Sam finally persuaded dean to get some rest, promising to keep an ear out for any signs of Y/N waking up. Reluctantly, Dean agreed, trusting Sam to watch over her.

Later, when Y/N emerged from her room, she immediately noticed Dean's absence and sought out Sam. "Where's Dean?" she asked, her voice tinged with worry.

Sam explained that Dean had been exhausted from last night and had gone to sleep. Y/N's anxiety spiked at the thought of Dean sacrificing his rest for her sake. "I'm just going to take some pain meds and go back to bed," she mumbled, her guilt weighing heavy on her.

The day passed slowly for Dean, who woke up later and searched out Sam to inquire about Y/N. "Did she come out of her room at all?" Dean asked, his concern evident.

Sam nodded, "Yeah, she did," he replied, "But she's in pain, so she took some meds and went back to bed."

Dean's heart sank at the news, uncertainty gnawing at him. He decided to check on Y/N, wanting to reassure himself that she was alright. He approached her room and knocked softly, calling her name. There was no response. Dean frowned, a mix of worry and frustration knotting in his stomach. Eventually, he gave up and left, though his thoughts remained with Y/N, his worry growing.

Meanwhile, Y/N lay in her bed, struggling to sleep as guilt and despair clouded her thoughts. She felt utterly useless, trapped within the suffocating grasp of her depression. The weight of Dean's concern only intensified her feelings of inadequacy, convincing her that she was a burden unworthy of his kindness.

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Chapter 11 coming soon stay tuned!

Like, comment, and reblog, feedback is my fuel 💕

[bringthekaos]

It's been almost 2 years now, and I can't stop thinking about Jayce's situation in ep 3. Imagine working SO HARD your WHOLE LIFE trying to prove the impossible, to recreate the moment that saved your life, and then BOOM it all gets ripped off in a day. You lose your funding, your friends, disgrace your House, your mentor expells you from the place you worked so hard to get into and are basically declared insane (in front of everyone). You are about to end it all and then out if nowhere the man who arrested you 48 hours before stops you, gives you hope, solves the final piece of the puzzle and risks it all to bring it to fruition for you (and he barely knows you)

Imagine what was like to wake up the next morning

—TW suicide mention—

OHMYGOD same. Like it makes me emotional sometimes, thinking about all that Jayce went through that day just to be hated by the fandom. This poor guy was chasing a dream, something deeply personal. He almost watched his mother die in front of him, and then he was basically gaslit for the rest of his youth by people who doubted that it was magic that saved them, and that he could replicate it through science. But he never gave up, he worked toward it for his entire life, made it his passion, his goal, his meaning. And he was careful, that’s the thing!! He knew what he was doing had the potential to be dangerous, and he took the proper precautions—per Mylo, he locked his balcony! “Who does that?!” He wanted to be as safe as humanly possible as he chased this dream.

And then through no fault of his own, everything came crashing down. Someone with no idea of the volatility of the gemstones ended up handling them, and dropping them. His apartment, his research, and most of his supplies were damaged in the blast, and we’re led to believe that some people on the street below were injured.

He then had his life’s work stripped away, and he was imprisoned for something he didn’t do. Imagine that you had your car safely locked up in your garage and someone broke in and stole it, then used it to hurt people. And they blamed you and arrested you for it, and threatened to derail your entire life. When you did nothing wrong.

And THEN, after all of that, he was put on trial, where he was condescended to and repeatedly called “boy” in front of his peers. And the head of this governing body came to him before the trial and attempted to scare and manipulate him into admitting fault. And he was going to, too, but in a moment of passion he had an outburst, which led to his mother making a desperate bid to save him from exile by standing up and calling her son crazy. You could see how much this hurt Jayce by the way he spun around to look at her—“magic didn’t just save me, it saved you! You’re alive today because of that mage, and now you’re gunna stand here and say I’m not in my right mind?! My own mother, abandoning me in front of God and everyone.” (Personally, I see what she did a little different; she said what she had to in order to save her son, even if she didn’t believe it to be true. She knew it would hurt him, but the alternative was worse. So in the moment, she said the hurtful thing, the thing she thought had the only chance of convincing the council to save him).

But that doesn’t change how badly it hurt him, how it left him feeling truly alone. So alone that he saw no way out. He had no future. He wasn’t prepared to abandon his only dream, his only passion, something he’d literally dedicated every waking breath to from the time he was eight (?) to go work in his father’s factory. And no one else would stand up for him, not his mentor Heimerdinger or his patrons the Kirammans. And he couldn’t even go to his best friend for comfort because they’d been cut off. So he decided to end it.

And then when he was at his lowest, to have such deep trust and confidence shown to him by a complete stranger—a stranger who’s willing to risk his own life and stability to see Jayce’s dream succeed. Who believes in it so wholeheartedly that he’s willing to betray the man Yordle he works for (who also happens to run both the Council AND the University) to get it done. And then in the process, he’s shown another person who’s willing to see what he can do, who believes in him. It’s catching like wildfire, and all it needed was that first spark that Viktor gave it.

I think Jayce must have literally been in shock. What a whiplash of emotions. He probably pinched himself multiple times over those few days, trying to wake himself up. And I imagine Viktor probably caught him once, furrowing his brows down at the reddening mark on the back of Jayce’s hand, the unspoken question in his eyes.

And Jayce probably blushed, looking down at his shoes as he bashfully rubbed the back of his neck and said,

“Oh, uh… just… just making sure I’m not dreaming.”

And that’s probably the first time Viktor felt the butterflies. 🥰

[winters8child]

It´s been a long, long time

Chapter 7

Nothing could deter me from the choice I had made, not even Steve’s pleading. At least that’s what I told myself as I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I was determined to give this guy my father wanted me to meet a chance. I got dressed, went downstairs, and spent the next two hours trying to engage in conversation with a guy named Marco, who was probably the most boring person I had ever talked to.

Whenever there was a lull in the conversation, my father would nudge him to tell me more about himself. I would nod, smile, and throw in an “Oh really?” now and then. The evening ended with me agreeing to a date tomorrow night. And why did I agree, you might ask? The answer was simple: I needed a distraction from certain boys, and he was there, so why not take the opportunity? I certainly wasn’t going to put myself out there to find anybody else.

My parents were delighted; their stubborn daughter was finally going on her first date with a “solid” guy, no less. Of course, they didn’t see my eyes rolling back into my skull every time Marco spoke. I was in my room getting ready when someone knocked on the door. It was my mother, holding something in her hand.

“Hey, dear, I have something for you. It’s my pearl necklace that you’ve always admired. I think you should wear it tonight.”

I looked at the delicate piece of jewelry. It was the only thing my mother couldn’t bring herself to sell so we could pay for our voyage to America. I had always wanted to wear it, but it felt wrong to do so now, for a guy I couldn’t care less about. Still, I took it and decided to put it on.

Exactly at 7 p.m., the doorbell rang, announcing the beginning of what promised to be a soul-crushing evening. I went downstairs where my father had already answered the door. When he saw me, he gave his obligatory “Have fun, you two, but not too much fun!” and laughed to himself. To my annoyance, Marco laughed too, though it was clearly the “I’m on a date with your daughter, so I have to laugh” kind of laugh.

He took my hand, and we walked to the ice cream parlor next to Prospect Park. It was bustling with other teens enjoying their weekend. “We Just Couldn’t Say Goodbye” by Victor Young was playing, and I thought to myself how much I wished I could just say goodbye to this whole situation. But we sat down, waiting for the waitress.

Marco started telling me about all his future plans: he wanted to work at the same shoe factory as our fathers, get married in four years, and have two children. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to be the wife in his scenario, but I just smiled and nodded. When the waitress finally arrived, we ordered a vanilla milkshake for me and an ice cream sundae for him. As I looked around at the smiling couples, I wondered how genuine their happiness was. Did they get asked questions about themselves? The bell over the door rang, and a gorgeous blonde girl in a bubblegum pink dress and a white headband walked in, holding hands with one of the reasons I was on this goddamn date.

Marco seemed to know Bucky, and the next thing I knew, he was calling out, “Hey Barnes, over here!” Bucky turned, saw us, and for some unfathomable reason, started grinning. He and his date walked over, hand in hand, and that irked me to no end. Bucky shook hands with Marco, and they started chatting, our eyes rolling in tandem. After a few minutes, they said they were just picking up an order and would eat their ice cream over in Prospect Park, which somehow hurt more than it should have. As they left, I dared to meet Bucky’s eyes, and for a brief moment, his facade of nonchalance slipped, revealing a look of defeat.

After a grueling hour, Marco and I made our way back to my apartment. He asked if I wanted to take a walk in the park, but I said I was too tired and just wanted to go home. We stood awkwardly at my front door, and he fidgeted with something in his pocket. “Anyway, thank you for coming out with me. I should go inside. I’m…,” I began, but he didn’t let me finish. Instead, he leaned in suddenly and tried to kiss me on the lips. I turned just in time for his lips to land on my cheek instead. He mumbled a quick “Good night” and walked away. What a disastrous end to a horrible evening.

Just then, I heard a rustling in the bushes next to my front door. I walked over to check, but there was nothing there. As I turned around, a hand shot out and pulled me into the bushes. I screamed, and the person covered my mouth to silence me. “Pshh, it’s just me… ouch, goddamnit!” I bit his hand and turned around to see Bucky.

“What the hell? You scared me to death! Are you insane?” I yelled, shoving him. He just started laughing and apologized.

“I’m sorry. I just had to watch you two lovebirds. I’ve never felt more sorry for a guy in my life.”

“That’s not funny, okay? I wasn’t ready for…,” I began, but he cut me off.

“Have you ever kissed someone?” he asked, catching me off guard. I was embarrassed and just shook my head. I knew I didn’t want my first kiss to be with that guy. I looked up into Bucky’s eyes and said, “It shouldn’t be him. It’s a moment I want to remember, and I want to remember the right person.”

He stared at me, searching for the right words, and finally said, “I want to be that person. It might be selfish of me, but… I want you to remember me, no matter what happens.” His eyes flickered to my lips.

I was speechless, my heart racing, and I felt like I might faint. When I didn’t respond, he leaned in slowly and said, “Let me be selfish just this once.” The only words I could muster were, “Then be selfish.” And just like that, Bucky Barnes kissed me.

Next Chapter

[mauesartetc]

Thoughts on Helluva Boss 206 ("Oops")

Holy shit, is this episode... kind of okay? It still has issues and weird quirks that hold it back from being truly good, but I'd say this is one of the better Season 2 entries. At least it's good enough that I have a sufficiently-sized, dedicated "pros" list again. Let's get into it.

Pros:

-FINALLY, we have an mlm couple worth rooting for in this show. Fuck that Stolitz bullshit; Fizz and Ozzie are where it's at. ("Fozzie"? Yeah, that works.)

They're actually kind and caring with each other, they're playful and know how to laugh together, and they treat each other like equals rather than one partner fetishizing and sexually harassing the other. Hell, Ozzie even tends to Fizz's wounds at the end of the episode, and it's powerful to see a high-ranking demon in this society show tenderness and concern for a lowly imp. In a previous post, I expressed my doubts that Fizz and Ozzie's relationship would be any good, but I'm glad to report I was wrong.

-I liked seeing a glimpse of what one of these characters outside of the IMP team does for a day job. Approving designs at the dildo factory? Ehh, it's a livin'. (Though this once again begs the question of why demons live in a capitalistic society nearly identical to that of the US in the human world. Why do they need money to reinforce the social hierarchy when the larger, more powerful demons have special abilities and can just crush the smaller ones like bugs?)

-The heart-shaped flames in Ozzie's fireplace were a nice touch.

And they actually referenced Asmodeus' traditional fire-breathing ability at the end. Neat!

-Oh wow, one of the characters is finally floating the idea of Blitzo using an Asmodean crystal for transportation instead of the grimoire! THANK you!

And at the episode's close, Fizz permits Ozzie to give Blitzo a crystal, meaning he won't be dependent on Stolas anymore. Possible plot progression? How will this affect Stolas and Blitzo's relationship in the future? Would they still be in each other's lives even when the book isn't a factor? I hesitate to get my hopes too high due to the worrying possibility of Blitzo's crystal getting lost or damaged and forcing him to use the book again (though as to why he can't just steal a crystal and use that, I haven't the faintest idea). But I'm cautiously optimistic.

-I liked Stolas getting a chance to show some brain power in helping Ozzie negotiate the contract. This also gave us a nice tidbit of worldbuilding that states any contract signed by one of the Seven Sins is eternally binding. Is this foreshadowing? Will this information come up again in the story? Probably not, but it's fun to dream.

-It was interesting to see Blitzo, Fizz, and Striker have a conversation about each of their relationships with Hell's upper class, though it had potential to be SO much deeper and more authentic (which I'll get into momentarily).

-This is where I learned the white bits on Blitzo and Fizz's skin are actually burns. I always thought Fizz was wearing face paint and Blitzo had some form of vitiligo or something, but the reason he's burned on that side of his face is that it's where the explosion hit him. And Fizz's entire face is white for the same reason, except for his nose, since he was wearing a fake clown nose at the time. It's nice that they kept those details consistent in the flashback.

-Look, I know it's a low bar for most shows, but I appreciated how the story actually gave Blitzo a chance to apologize and redeem himself at the climax rather than making Fizz just forgive him apropos of nothing.

-Oh hey, one of Blitzo's relationships has actually progressed. He and Fizz, after hating each other for years, have made amends. I really hope this friendship doesn't revert to what it was before, like Blitzo and Moxxie's relationship did. But I don't think that'll be the case since Fizz isn't the story's designated whipping boy.

-It was nice how Fizz and Ozzie's respective interactions with Blitzo and Stolas helped them grow and change. I mean, Ozzie still isn't comfortable with anyone outside the palace having definitive knowledge about his romance with Fizz, but baby steps, y'know?

Cons:

-So Crimson's aware he just showed his face to an extremely high-ranking demon, right? He comments that Ozzie is the "weakest" of the Seven Sins, but he's still goddamn royalty, and Crimson is an imp. What's stopping him from sending someone to wipe out Crimson's entire gang after getting Fizz back, or doing it himself like it's implied he did with the lawyer? Crim really couldn't have disguised his voice and stayed in the shadows? Rookie mistake.

Come to think of it, Striker was in that video too, and it never occurred to Stolas, "Oh shit, that's the guy who almost killed me"? Again I have to ask, why isn't Stolas sending people after him? He's a prince, after all, and canonically commands multiple legions of demons. Why the fuck are you allowing this guy to run free, dude?

-I was kinda looking forward to seeing Crimson again, but his reintroduction would have been much more emotionally powerful if it involved getting revenge on Moxxie, which is what the ending of Exes and Oohs implied he now wants. And I know I've said before how going too many episodes without a mention of Striker diminished his menace, but did he have to show up just two episodes after his last appearance?

In general, Oops feels like it has too many returning "guest stars", if that makes sense. Fizz, Ozzie, Crimson, Striker... that's a lot to pack into one episode. Maybe instead of Crimson and Striker, we could have a new villain holding Blitzo and Fizz hostage.

-Speaking of the villains, MAN are they shoveling handfuls of Stupid Pills into their mouths. When Fizz sings his little distraction musical number, they just stand and watch instead of, oh, I don't know, trying to capture him?! Like damn, Crimson and Striker used to be credible threats. This is just embarrassing.

-Also, I know they need to keep Fizz alive until the ransom money comes through, but what reason do they have not to immediately waste Blitzo? Striker hates him for thwarting his assassination of Stolas, and Crimson hates him for crashing his son's arranged wedding. Are they trying to get Stolas to cough up some dough as well? Because that's a pretty major plot development that the script should have made clear to the audience. Basically, the only reasons Blitzo lived through this ordeal are that he has main character plot armor and the villains are being uncharacteristically dumb.

-As expected, in Stolas' subsequent appearance following Western Energy, he's out of the hospital. But I didn't predict he'd be completely recovered from his wounds. Seriously, not even a limp.

Stolas getting hurt was a consequence that impacted absolutely nothing outside of that episode. Are we going to see any scars later on, or perhaps Stolas getting uncomfortable at the sight of knives? Because of how wildly inconsistent this show's continuity can be, I'm guessing no. (And since we don't know how long it normally takes for demons to heal from angelic weapon-inflicted injuries, it doesn't help us get any sense of how much time has passed in the story.)

-Actually, if a royal fucking an imp is such a taboo in this world, why did Ozzie agree to meet with Stolas at all, let alone act so hospitable toward him? If Ozzie's so concerned about his own image regarding imps, wouldn't allowing a known imp-canoodler into his home raise a few eyebrows? More importantly, why in the actual hell does he have a giant, sexy painting of him and Fizz on display in his office where anyone can see it?

And that brings up another question: Why is Ozzie's relationship with an imp being covered in the tabloids, but Stolas' relationship isn't? You might think, "Well, he's a lower-ranked noble, so it's not as newsworthy" but if that's the case, why was there a crowd of reporters snappin' pics when he arrived at the hospital?

"Well y'see it's not really the imp-fucking that's frowned upon; it's the imp romance!" Then why did everyone at Ozzie's club make such a huge stink about Stolas coming there with an imp? The club is located in the Lust ring, where romance is seen as disgusting, so we can safely presume the vast majority of the couples at that club are just fucking. It would be bad form to take someone you're openly romantically involved with to a Lust ring establishment (lookin' at you, Moxxie). Therefore, the patrons and Ozzie himself had every reason to presume Stolas and Blitzo were having sex, and just happened to be right. (Also, if nobles fucking imps were actually no big deal in this world, Stella probably wouldn't have an issue with it either.)

The worldbuilding's an inconsistent mess, is what I'm saying. And Beelzebub's relationship with a hellhound is also strangely unaddressed, making that episode feel even less connected to canon than it already did.

-Man, Stolas is kinda oversharing here, isn't he. It'd be fine if a character who's already been established to let their mouth wander were doing this, but Stolas hasn't previously shown any signs of that.

He reveals he has feelings for Blitzo, to the ruler of a ring whose culture frowns on romance. And... he just expects him to be cool with that, for some reason. At this point he doesn't have solid proof that Ozzie is in love with Fizz; those are just rumors. So this is an extreme lack of tact he's displaying. Also, Ozzie ain't your therapist, dude. And as far as we know they're just acquaintances, not close friends. He could have just skipped to requesting the favor; Ozzie didn't need to know his reasons. Sure, tell him if he asks, but he didn't ask. Or maybe just hint at Stolas' feelings through subtext: His expressions, body language, and all the words he can't say. Visual medium, people.

-For that matter, why is this seemingly the first thing on Stolas' mind right now? "Oh, y'know, I'm going through a very messy divorce and my wife sent a hit man to kill me, and he's still on the loose, probably killing other people as we speak, but can you do this wittle favor for my fuckbuddy, pwease?" We could have just had a quick scene outside Ozzie's office where Stolas communicates with one of his lieutenants regarding updates on the search for Striker. And the reason he's not searching with them? He's still recovering from his injuries. Give him a wheelchair, a cane, a cast, just something to show he's not physically up to it yet. Without this information, where in the actual fuck are his priorities.

-"I know your demons are some of the only ones who can traverse freely and legally." Y'know... This is Hell... Why is legality even an issue in this setting? I think I touched on this for Exes and Oohs, which revealed the existence of Hell Jail. But why is there a Hell Jail? Why are there (presumably) Hell Cops? How does any of this make sense in an environment that thrives on chaos and discord? Oh, and Hell Lawyers are apparently a thing too, because of course. This is why you don't want to build your fantasy world with too many elements that exist in the real one unless you have airtight logic for it.

-When Ozzie tells Stolas Fizz hates Blitzo, his response is, "He does?" The fuck do you mean, Stolas. You were at the club. You witnessed Fizz point out Blitzo in an effort to humiliate him, call him a "total disgrace", and refer to his love life as a "pile of shit". You should already know he hates him. Sure, Stolas doesn't know why yet, but this is why you need editors to cut the parts of your dialogue that don't make any sense.

-I'm not sure what this show's actual stance on the ultra-wealthy is. Fizz tells Blitzo, "Sounds like you just hate him for being a prince", as if princes are a group that's commonly discriminated against-? Sure, a person has no control over being born into extreme wealth and privilege, but they can control how they use it. And when they don't use it to make society better for everyone (opting instead to hoard all the resources for themselves), that will naturally breed resentment in the lower classes.

Another odd thing I noticed about this conversation: You know that one rule in the Bechdel-Wallace test that states a work of fiction's female characters must talk about something other than a man in order for that work to pass? This instance makes me think we need a similar media test regarding class, because here we have three lower-class characters talking only about rich people. Not the societal systems and personal histories that led them to rely so much on rich folks just to get by, but about the rich folks themselves. Hell, Blitzo even says "Royal demons don't give a shit about guys like us", clearly more concerned about wealthy people's opinion of him than the untenable situation their complacence and wealth-hoarding has caused for countless imps. In this scene, the "haves" are very much at the center of the have-nots' universe, and it puts me in mind of a male writer who assumes the only things women discuss with each other are their relationships with men.

Now let's talk about Striker. Time and time again the show has painted him as unreasonable for hating royals, and while his methods are extreme, there's probably a rational explanation for why he holds the views he does (at least if he's being written in a thoughtful, realistic way, which is a MAJOR stretch for this show. But for the sake of this discussion, let's say he hypothetically is). The average imp in this world would have good reason to hold a vague dislike for the royals, but hatred? Passionate hatred? That comes from a deep, personal place. At least one "blue blood" must have done something unforgivable to Striker specifically, and I wish the show would properly explore his motivations. Maybe drop some hints about his backstory once in a while, perhaps in this very conversation? Because this show's villains are really hurtin' for some nuance, and Striker's the one with the most potential for it.

It feels like the writers were trying to say something about real-world issues here, but the message got muddled. Part of it seems to be "don't make broad generalizations about people", which... Okay, nice thought, but if Stolas isn't using his power to improve life for all imps, not just Blitzo, Blitzo has no reason to believe his affection is genuine. For all he knows, imps are still just a fetish to Stolas, and he's only acting nice to keep him around. His love, to Blitzo's mind, is entirely conditional, and until he sees evidence that nobles contribute anything of substance to society, he's not wrong in thinking they don't care and "They're all the fuckin' same". Maybe he'll change his mind if Stolas calls off their deal and offers to hang out with no sex and no strings attached. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

-Also, this was an unintentionally-hilarious gem:

CRIMSON: Hey, hick-for-hire! I said watch 'em, not fuck 'em!

STRIKER: (Immediately leaves)

Great watchin' there, bud. And Crimson is smiling despite Striker going against his orders-? I mentioned in the Exes and Oohs review that there was a disconnect between Crimson's dialogue and what was actually being shown on screen. Old habits die hard, I guess.

-"Everlastingly binding", Stolas? You can't just say "eternally binding", which has the same meaning and would flow more naturally? Under normal circumstances this would feel like a nitpick, but Stolas' phrasing was weird in Western Energy too. He told Blitzo he was "stolen" when "kidnapped" would have been more fitting, seeing as he's a person, not an object. (Hell, he could've just said "spirited away" if they wanted to be fancy with it.) This is a character who's supposed to be well-read, being written by someone who thinks this is how bookish people talk. An abundance of syllables doesn't equal eloquence.

-So if we take a closer look at what Blitzo is holding in the flashback, we see he has a flower and an envelope sealed with a heart sticker, with "For Fizz's eyes only" written on it. This implies he was about to confess his love for Fizz. And in Fizz's flashback, we see Blitzo's dad handing him a card that says "Wish You Were My Son", which I guess is what upset Blitzo and made him storm off, causing the fire.

But those important details are very "blink-and-you'll-miss-it". I didn't catch the card at first, so Blitzo's angry reaction left me very confused. It looked like he saw Fizz being happy on his birthday and just left in tears for no reason. Yes, a good show trusts the audience to piece things together themselves, but we shouldn't have to pause the episode and play it back to see if we missed some crucial element that flashed on screen for two seconds.

-Also, like... Why does romance need to be a part of it. These two have known each other and worked closely together since they were kids, so isn't that kind of like Blitzo having a crush on who was essentially a brother figure? I don't know, it just felt shoehorned in, like Blitzo needs some kind of flirtation or dalliance (or good ol' sexual harassment in Moxxie's case) with every single man in his life except his dad.

-I'm getting tired of these flashbacks dialing the angst and trauma levels up to 11. "This kid was horribly burned... ON HIS BIRTHDAY!" "This kid's best friend was horribly burned... AND HE LOST HIS MOM!" For fuck's sake, it's like these writers are brainstorming what the grimmest possible outcome could be in a given situation, and using that to ostensibly wring some tears out of the audience. Here's the thing, though: We never knew Blitzo's mom. We never saw what her personality was like or what their relationship was like, therefore we can't get nearly as sad as the writers want us to be when she dies.

Think back to past animated stories that did this right. You know why the deaths of Bambi's mom, Littlefoot's mom, and Mufasa were all so heartbreaking? Because we got to know them. We saw how joyful they were in life. How strong, how wise. So it stung all the more deeply when we knew what their children lost.

Blitzo's mom isn't even a character, really. She's a prop the writers are using to exploit the audience's emotions, which is even more unfortunate when you realize that's what Moxxie's mom was, too.

So let's say you're a writer and you want a character to feel guilty about a horrible accident they caused, so horrible that it almost killed their best friend. Okay... It almost killed their best friend. That should be more than enough to make anyone feel guilty, right? Well apparently the Spindle crew felt the need to heap even more guilt onto Blitzo by making that accident also kill his mom. Why wasn't Fizz enough? Why did yet another nameless female character have to lose her life? If Blitzo needed something to distract him from Fizz's pleas for help, you'd think trying to put out the massive fire would suffice, but apparently not. It's all just so forced and manipulative.

-"You're all I had left, Fizz." Wow, so Barb's just chopped liver, huh? Jesus, Blitzo. No wonder she hates you.

-This drawing of Striker's face foreshortens his snout way too much, making it look a lot shorter than it really is.

And for those who haven't seen the episode, this is a held frame, not an inbetween or smear or anything like that, so there's really no excuse for it to look like this. Let's try to suggest more length and structure in the snout, and eliminate the tangents in his smile while we're at it.

I know drawing characters with long snouts can be tricky in a front view like this, but that's what turnaround sheets are for.

-What's ironic about the song "Look at This" is that it's a perfect analogy for how this show uses slick, flashy animation to distract its audience from the amateurish writing. Just an observation.

-Fizz goes on WAY too long about how big Ozzie's dick is. Yeah, great, we get it. Move on, show.

-"Why is it always a sex thing?!" I'm with Striker on this one. Almost every queer male character on this show is preoccupied with sex to an unreasonable degree. I mean Fizz is boinking the actual embodiment of lust and has had sex robots made of himself, so the horniness kinda makes sense for his character, but Blitzo? Stolas? Even Moxxie had his moment where he said "Harder..." to Striker, though that was just to get his guard down. Still, though. It's excessive, guys. It's tired. Come up with some new material.

-FIZZ: You blew me up again, you fuckin' prick!

BLITZO: I did. But this time I stuck around.

Ehh, feels like those lines would have been much stronger if Fizz said them both. Here it sounds like Blitzo's just defending himself, as if he saved Fizz not out of the goodness of his heart, but because he wanted to score brownie points with him. Just feels a little manipulative of him, and out of sync with the more genuine moments the episode showed us earlier. Maybe something more like this:

FIZZ: You blew me up again, you fuckin' prick! (Blitzo looks down, ashamed. But then Fizz realizes something.) But... I'm glad you stuck around this time. (He smiles and hugs Blitzo.)

Allowing Fizz to come to that conclusion on his own is so much more powerful than Blitzo spoon-feeding it to him. Oh, and by the way...

-"Would it fuck up the moment if we made out right now?" Yeah, Blitzo. Yeah it would. Much like how this show can't allow an emotional scene to breathe without making a joke. It's not quite as bad as the tone whiplash with Crimson's wall dildos, but it does spoil the moment a bit.

Overall, not the worst Helluva Boss episode. Not the best, but not the worst. I fully expect the next one to be pointless filler that doesn't advance the story, though, so I might skip it. The problem is, this show's quality boomerangs from bad to okay to bad again in the span of a few episodes. One episode might get my hopes up, the next might dash them, and then there's this morbid curiosity in wondering if the next one might be the one that I finally love. I wanted to like this show so badly (gotta support that indie animation and all), but dear God, this writing.

It's still possible the series could evolve into something great, but my patience in waiting for that is very nearly worn out. Maybe (and that's a GIGANTIC maybe) I'll stick it out to the end of the season, but if the finale sucks, I'm done. Anyway, I need a palate cleanse, so here's more Fizz and Ozzie to end this on a positive note.

[male-body-swap-lover]

Alcohol Led Me Down a Path to Age Progression

Note: Alcoholism is a real disease and if you are having issues with it, please seek help.

Picture it. 1990. I am a senior at Princeton. Colin Vanderway, only heir to the Vanderway fortune. I am on the top of the world. Rich. Hot. Smart. A different girl every week. I am one of the luckiest men in the world. It’s another Saturday night kegger. I love beer so much. Probably my only weakness. Derek, Nathan, and I went to Kappa Kappa Delta for one of the last blast nights before our graduation. The night is wild. One of the best nights of my life. But man I have had so much to drink. Fucccckkkkk. I’m going home. I get behind the wheel of my car. I’m falling asleep and I can barely see. I’m serving. Almost back to my apartment. Suddenly, an old woman comes out of nowhere and I hit her with my car. Oh God!

I get out and try to find a pulse. I can’t find one, but I am drunk. I yell for help but no one is around. Suddenly a man appears from out of nowhere.

“I can help you”, he says.

“I need to go find a pay phone. I need to call 911.”

“If you do, you’ll be arrested. Why don’t I help you.”

“Are you a doctor?”

“No, I’m your guardian angel. This woman is dead. There is nothing the paramedics can do. However, I can save her.”

“Then do it. Hurry! It was an accident.”

“Hold on. If I save her, then you will face my consequences. It won’t be the cops, but you will pay.”

“It’s fine. I’m rich. I can pay you whatever you want.”

“Oh I don’t want money.”

“I don’t care. Just save her!” I start crying.

“Okay, here goes”

Suddenly the winds start whipping and the woman seems to wake up. Suddenly, it’s like I’m sucked up into a vortex. I’m tossed around and and scream for help. Finally after what feels like eternity, I’m dumped in a dirty apartment. There are beer cans everywhere. Instinctively I burp and my stomach starts to rumble.

“Look familiar”. He appeared out of nowhere.

“Fuck, where did you come from. Where am I”

“You’re in the future. October 23, 2023 to be exact”

“This is like Back to the Future man! Why’d you bring me here?”

“This is how I am making you pay. You see, you had two options. Option one was to leave that woman on the street dead. Option two was to save her and you pathetically chose to save her. Had you chosen option one, your father would have helped you cover up her death and your life would have gone on like normal. He would have paid her family to be quiet. You would have taken your place as rightful heir to your father’s company. Married a girl from a wealthy family and had multiple kids. You would have amassed power and become a republican senator from Connecticut. And yet, you somehow have a soul, and chose option two.”

“What’s wrong with you. We saved a life. Why are you upset. You are my guardian angel”

“Yes, but I’m a fallen angel. I love evil. And that’s who I thought you were, which I why I appeared to you. Alas, you chose to be good, and now we are here.”

“A fallen angel. So you work for the devil”

“Hahahahaha yes I do. The mighty lord”

“So if this is option two, what does that mean?”

“So because she survived, she sued your family. Your father almost lost his company. He disowned you and kicked you out of the family company. He gave it to a distant cousin. Due to your college partying, you have had trouble finding work and have mostly worked factory and maintenance jobs, just enough to pay your bills, and enough left over for beer. You never got away from beer. You’ve been married and divorced three times with two kids who hate you. This is all you can afford between your alimony payments and beer. Isn’t it depressing. Oh, have you paid the price for being nice.”

“Wait, if it’s 2023, that means I am 55 years old. I still look like I am 22.”

“Oh yes, let’s fix that.”

Suddnely my stomach rumbles. I start burping repeatedly and my breath reeks of beer. My arm hair starts getting thicker. I feel a beard sprout on my face as hair falls out of my head. My chiseled jaw dissapears under a layer of fat. The worst is my stomach. It’s pressing out and turning into a big ball. My clothes are so tight, and then they change as well. My shirt turns into a pale button up that is left unbuttoned and underneath it, my undershirt turns grey and seem to barely fit me. My acid wash jeans turn into dad jeans and my belt gets thicker to hold up my new pants. My stomach finally stops growing and my grey shirt can barely cover it. The age lines come in everywhere on my face and my back starts killing me. With one final loud belch, the transformation finishes. I waddle to the bathroom and look in the mirror.

“I’m old and ugly and fat.”

“Yes, well that’s your punishment for choosing to save someone’s life. No good deed goes unpunished. Oh and one more thing!”

Suddenly, a mug of beer appears in my hand. The intoxicating smell of barley reaches my nose. I start drooling for a minute before taking a big gulp.

“Good luck. Your life is pathetic, but at least you have your beer. Your new memories should come to you soon. At the rate you drink, I give you fifteen years max. Bye”

My guardian angel, or guardian devil dissapeared.

I sigh dejectedly, realizing my life had not turned out how I wanted. I sit down in my recliner, turn on the football game, and eat some peanuts that were on the table next to my chair. Beer. The killer, but one would say my best friend. Lucky me. I drink my beer and scratch my new belly absentmindedly. Maybe this won’t be so bad after all.

[coulsons-fullmetal-cellist]

A Surefly Way

(Dieter x horror loving female)

Words: 716

Summary: watching an old film of Dieter’s has unexpected results (the fake film part was based on a dream)

Warnings: minor historical inaccuracies, a child cries but it’s all happy adorable fluffy goodness at the end, Dieter being Dieter

Check out masterlist here

“This corn?” Clara asked holding a can out to you.

“Yes, that’s corn.”

“Corn yummy!”

You and Clara had just returned from some errands. She enjoyed helping unpack groceries and you explained the contents as she passed them to you. Having finished with that task, you turned on the TV and left Clara in the living room to play and you set about making dinner.

“Look! Daddy!” Clara pointed excitedly at the TV.

There on the screen was your husband looking rather dapper in a pinstripe suit. You bundled that image away for later use.

“It’s a daddy story,” that was what you ended up calling films featuring your husband.

This particular one was before the two of you met. Surefly Way was set during the Second World War and supposedly about two chocolate factories. The history was dubious at best but at the heart of it was a love story so the inaccuracies could be forgiven.

Clara enjoyed watching any films with her father but never watched many of them as he hated watching himself on screen. This one was age appropriate, so you left her to it. You heard occasional dialogue and made a guess to the plot.

Miss Winslow, daughter of Mr. Winslow, owner of Winslow Chocolates is pretending to be an ordinary factory worker making ration bars for frontline troops. Unknowingly, her American fiancée, Mr. Surefly of Surefly Chocolates, arrives to help in the making of the chocolate. Having no idea what his future intended looks like, he ends up falling in love with her and she in return.

~

“Mr. Surefly is here in England? Shouldn’t he be back home in America?”

“He feels that he’d do better for the troops here. Isn’t this a good chance to meet your fiancé?”

“I’d rather not.”

“Dotty, why?”

“Because I want to fall in love. Not be sold off and shipped off to the highest bidder!”

~

“Americans? What do Americans know about chocolate?”

“Their stuff only tastes slightly better than a boiled potato.”

~

“So Mr. Surefly, is there a sweetheart waiting for you back home?”

“I do have a fiancée, but I’ve yet to meet her.”

“How have you not met the woman you’re going to marry?”

“Let’s say it’s more of a business exchange rather than an act of love.”

~

“You were pretending this whole time? Why?”

“How can I sit here doing nothing while everyone else is off fighting the war? Even the royal family are going their part.”

~

You heard the sounds of the front door as Dieter arrived back home. Clara seemed too intrigued with on-screen father to notice her actual father, so he made his way over to you.

“Clara is watching one of your films.”

“It better not be Cliff Beasts.”

“No, it’s Surefly Way,” confusion crossed his face. “World War Two? Two chocolate factories?”

He vaguely remembered filming something in that time period, so he wandered over to watch it with his daughter.

As he got closer, he saw that Clara was in tears.

“What’s wrong cupcake?”

“Daddy kiss lady,” she pointed at the screen.

It took a minute for Dieter to remember back to who was in the film with him, mainly his on-screen romantic partner. “Yes, I did kiss that lady.”

“Not mummy,” more tears ran down her cheeks and it took less than a minute for Dieter to decipher the toddler code.

“Oh, cupcake,” he pulled her close. “That was mummy I was kissing. She swapped out with that lady.”

You had just walked into the room, so Dieter turned to you.

“That was you I was kissing, wasn’t it?”

“Yes,” you nodded. “They always swap me out if there’s kissing.”

Clara wiped her face, “You love mummy?”

“Yes, I love mummy so much and she’s the only lady I kiss. But you get kisses too because you’re my sweet baby girl.”

He kissed her cheek, his beard tickling her turning her sobs into giggles.

Later on, she went to bed happy knowing that her parents still loved each other, sometimes a bit too much.

“Nice save.”

“I learned from the best,” he kissed your cheek.

“So when is she going to learn the truth about it?”

“Oh, when she’s older. Like, fifty.”

“We’ll definitely be dead by then.”

“Well then, she’ll never know.”

Lovingly tagging @boliv-jenta @simpingcowboy @ellenmunn @o-sacra-virgo-laudes-tibi @chaithetics @myloveistoolittle @cevans-is-classic @glshmbl @cupcakehp @wannab-urs

[bracketsoffear]

Oryx and Crake (Margaret Atwood) "Snowman, known as Jimmy before mankind was overwhelmed by a plague, is struggling to survive in a world where he may be the last human, and mourning the loss of his best friend, Crake, and the beautiful and elusive Oryx whom they both loved. In search of answers, Snowman embarks on a journey—with the help of the green-eyed Children of Crake—through the lush wilderness that was so recently a great city, until powerful corporations took mankind on an uncontrolled genetic engineering ride. Margaret Atwood projects us into a near future that is both all too familiar and beyond our imagining."

In essence, it is a slow train wreck of a book where a man after experiencing the apocalypse and the rise of a new "human" race slowly and in detail describes every single thing that went wrong with society before it collapsed, including classist divisions, the unmitigated proliferation of the internet, plagues that started with wildlife and diminished food sources before attacking humans, climate change, a distinct distancing between the humanities and the sciences that characterized the humanities as useless and bothersome and overemphasized science to the point that science basically was allowed to rule the world unchecked by ethics or morals, all encompassed by the main character's particular life story as a witness to the atrocities he could've stopped if he had ever truly understood and chosen to stop them. All in all, very Extinction in a "we destroyed ourselves and life continued without us and all I did was watch and now nothing will ever be the same"."

The Red Tower (Thomas Ligotti) "Short enough of a story to just link directly!

Quick propaganda: This is a cosmic horror story about a factory that is presumably alive, definitely malevolent, and actively at war with the equally hostile natural world around it! It produces and distributes strange artifacts of a world hostile to humans, including "an ornate music box that, when opened, emitted a brief gurgling or sucking sound in emulation of a dying individual’s death rattle… [and] a pocket watch in a gold casing which opened to reveal a curious timepiece whose numerals were represented by tiny quivering insects while the circling “hands” were reptilian tongues, slender and pink."

It is a story of conflict between man's creation (now set free to run unfettered) and the natural world, and of horrible, unimaginable life struggling to be born in the awful depths of industry, with the dire conclusion that it is developing far worse and more complex creations to inflict upon the world."

[chocolate-milk-fanfics]

Runaway Bride spoilers

Ok so I’m planning my next chapters for runaway bride right? (spoilers)

For context I’m a neurodivergent college student and when I get distracted during class I either space out, draw or write stuff. One day during class I was spacing and wrote future chapters for RNB and just look at this...

“I choked her and then unloaded a clip into her. through her body and one of the factories and set it on fire after removing the bullets.” Tommy said with little to no emotion as he recalled the memory of killing his mistress. breathing became hard as you listen to his confession. why? why was he telling you this? Grace was unrelated to you, just another woman in love with the wrong man.” I won't cheat again. I'm sorry.” Tommy said suddenly, as if he didn't just admit to murder.” I love you. and I won't let you go; not again not ever.”

“ I don't love you. not anymore.” you said in a soft voice “ I won't go with you. I'm happy here and you have a son of your own now.”

“ that can change.” Tommy said as if it was nothing and your heart broke. how can the man you love not only cheat on you and then kill his mistress but is now is offering to kill his bastard child? was Tommy always this type of person or did you just choose not to see all of his red flags? “ I'll kill whoever I need to to get you back son or no son. boyfriend or no boyfriend.”

Bro what was I on??? The way I gasped when I read this...

Taglist:

@mysticalfairytales @iwanttohitmyself @exo-kai15 @iikximii @dang-shawty-okay @warrior-of-justice

[theroyalsims]

CROWN PRINCESS ANYA’S “SAD” LOTUS PALACE PHOTO TRENDS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Crown Princess Anastasia’s visit to the Lotus Palace yesterday was front and centre both in Brindleton and in Simdia publications, but one particular photo made a splash online, but for all the wrong reasons.

The photo showing the Crown Princess posing in front of the reflecting pool was put side-by-side an old family photo taken during a private trip to Simdia. The family photo shows a then Crown Princess Emilia and Prince Jacques, with their daughters, Princesses Eleanore and Anastasia, posing on the same spot, in front of the very same reflecting pool.

While the composite would’ve been a nice throwback photo, it came with a snarky caption, which surely put a damper on HRH’s trip. The caption reads:

“On the left, we have a proper crown princess who found a good man and secured the throne with two children, all before the age of 35. On the right, we have a failing future queen who sleeps around but never manages to catch one of her exploits for good. At 30, she has no man, no future, and no children. Too bad she was born first. Maybe Alistair will do better.”

Already, the highly misogynistic post has divided people online. While some agree that Anya is actively failing her role as a future monarch since she’s (gasp!) unmarried at thirty, most people have shown their support for HRH as well. One commenter wrote:

“I absolutely do not care for the monarchy. I’d be happy if we all wake up tomorrow and decide to become a republic, but the bullying Anya is receiving for not being a baby factory is just outright disgusting. Let the woman live ffs.”

Another wrote:

“We have poked and prodded at Anya since she was a child. I think she’s done a marvellous job as our Crown Princess and deserves respect. She has been made a villain for the sins of her sister - yes, yes, we all love Eleanore NOW, but she was a massive spoiled brat who slapped a server, stole official engagements, and ran away to Al-Simhara because she had a temper tantrum, etc., etc., and managed to blame all that on her older sister who did nothing but support her through the years. I am fully convinced that the hate Anya is receiving now are remnants of the whole Anya vs. Eleanore ‘feud,’ and I’m sorry but I will always be Team Anya all the way. She doesn’t deserve this hate, this vitriol. So what if she’s unattached? She knows what finding the right person means: she only has to look within her family. She wants what her parents have, not what her uncle had. I say let her take all the time she needs.”

While there is that looming responsibility of securing the line of succession, we can’t help but agree that Anya shouldn’t be pressured into “settling down” just because. After all, she is a Crown Princess, not a broodmare.

[manuscripts-dontburn]

The Silence Factory

Author: Bridget Collins

First published: 2024

Rating: ★★★☆☆

What a stunning cover! While The Silence Factory is not AS good and enchanting as Collins´ previous two books, it is still a pretty solid Gothic historical fiction. It is not, though, a magical realism book, which I imagine lets some people down, because it was advertised as one. I also admit I expected the story to be a little more twisty and bendy because it is quite straightforward and the atmosphere and the plot had strength to hold...well...more.

Franklin's Flying Bookshop

Author: Jen Campbell

First published: 2017

Rating:  ★★★★☆

I was happy to find this book at a school fair and immediately snatched it for a baby girl in our family. Of course, first, I had to read it myself! It is a sweet, short story about the love of stories and books and how that love can bring people closer. I read the Czech translation and I imagine some of the verses were smoother in English. The illustrations are extremely cute, generously large and colourful.

Company of Liars

Author: Karen Maitland

First published: 2008

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Not great, not terrible. Or rather: it kept me entertained well enough throughout the whole thing and sometimes that is all you need from a book.

The Lights of Prague

Author: Nicole Jarvis

First published: 2021

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

I reached for this book mostly because I am always curious about how foreigners present my country. As a debut, this is not bad. You can really tell there is talent in the use of language, creating the atmosphere. Where it limps quite badly is the depth of the characters, their gradual development and especially the relationships. Some of the names and words chosen (never ever have I heard anyone call a vampire "pijavice" - literally a leech) sounded strange to a Czech, but I have seen and read so much worse before that I waved this away. The plot was very straightforward and the ending bored me, unfortunately.

My Salty Mary

Author: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows

First published: 2024

Rating: ★★★★☆

After the last instalment that was really just "mid", My Salty Mary returns with the easy wit, fluffy characters and some really funny (really well-timed) jokes. Perfect if you want to clear your head.

Gaza: An Inquest into Its Martyrdom

Author: Norman Finkelstein

First published: 2018

Rating: ★★★★★

An extremely important book, now more than ever. Norman Finkelstein simply slaps you in the face with fact after fact, there is nothing sentimental or pleading here, just bare and naked reality, meticulously backed by sources. Finkelstein focuses on the Israeli violence against the people of Gaza between the years 2002 and 2014, and you can see that everything that is being used by Israeli (And US) propaganda has already been used multiple times and, just like today, with no evidence to back it up. Most importantly it is clear now that every operation undertaken in the past twenty years has only been a dress rehearsal for the currently ongoing genocide of the Palestinians AND the attacks against Lebanon. Every page of this book made me feel sheer fury. Mostly because when you read it now you already know that the worst is yet to come for the Palestinian people.

The Lady and the Unicorn

Author: Tracy Chevalier

First published: 2004

Rating: ★★★★☆

Though at first I disliked pretty much all of the characters and did not understand the point of the story, it eventually grew on me to the point where I was looking forward to spending time within the pages of this book. You get to see the souls of the characters and love at least one (Ailienor, though I may have spelled that wrong), you learn something about the making of tapestries (which was surprisingly interesting) and see how our lives resemble tapestries with many threads that get pulled, with parts that need to be re-done and the fact that when we are gone, our meanings and intentions may not be clearly interpreted by the future. If the future should ever notice us at all. That all probably sounds terribly complicated, but that is the feeling I am leaving with.

The Shape of Darkness

Author: Laura Purcell

First published: 2021

Rating:  ★★★★★

The book has a slow start but when it grabs you, it is really difficult to put it down. Laura Purcell is brilliant in walking the tight rope between the supernatural and the real. Just when you think you have it all figured out, she is able to throw something at you that again makes you doubt your conclusions. She is also very skilful in creating a dark, Gothic atmosphere. Last but not least I appreciate her ability to tell the background story in pieces and insinuations rather than laying it all out for you at once. So yeah, this was good.

Eighteen: A History of Britain in 18 Young Lives

Author: Alice Loxton

First published: 2024

Rating: ★★★★☆

A wonderful non-fiction book for a young reader. By creating short and very readable cameos of actual historical figures, Alice Loxton had offered an entertaining yet educational and even inspirational album of fascinating live stories. And thought focused on the young, it can be enjoyed by the old as well :D

Songbirds

Author: Christy Lefteri

First published: 2021

Rating: ★★★★☆

I really, really like Christy Lefteri´s writing style. Much like her previous book, Songbirds is more of an exploration of souls and relationships than a thrilling adventure. Indeed the plot is very simple: a domestic worker goes missing and those around her are left to both try to look for her as well as to realize who exactly the woman was and what are their own lives without her presence in it. There are also musings on motherhood and what we are willing to do to better our existence, as well as commentary on social hierarchy and prevalent racism many migrants keep experiencing. I wished for a little more mystery when it came to Nisha´s disappearance, but perhaps the sad banality of it was necessary as a reminder of reality.

Wild: Tales from Early Medieval Britain

Author: Amy Jeffs

First published: 2022

Rating:  ★★★★★

This was such a curious book. Part mythology/legend retelling, part memoir and non-fiction to explain context and details, and if you listen to it on audio, also quite a banging folk music album. Gorgeously written, no matter which kind of genre it chooses to be at a given moment, I was surprised by how rich it felt, considering this is quite a thin volume.

A Dowry of Blood

Author: S.T. Gibson

First published: 2021

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

I´m not mad about this book, just kind of... disappointed. Great idea with some pretty good writing, but I felt that the characters never evolved, staying the same no matter how many centuries they have gone through. They also never seemed to be doing anything interesting besides a bisexual woohoo a few times. And I felt that the possibility of showing the immortals reacting to the ever-changing world around them was not explored at all, though that is one of my favourite things about vampires. Furthermore, these vampires felt altogether too human.

Garlic and the Vampire

Author: Bree Paulsen

First published: 2021

Rating: ★★★★★

I needed something soft and sweet and uncomplicated to close off October. This was a perfect pick for me. Also, I always knew celery was the lesser vegetable.

[jasminegazer]

Chapter 7 Part 1

Ever since she was young, Karai knew what the real world was like.

She knew that no matter how many good things you do or how many people you save, the world will continue to be cruel. Age, gender, or race had nothing to do with it. The world was just cruel.

So she didn’t care about how extreme the Shredders training was. She didn’t care that they used living targets for physical exams. She didn’t care about lying to her sister about how much the bruises and scars on her body stung.

Karai knew it just didn’t matter. She knew she was selfish for lying towards someone who had been outright charitable to her, a completely strange and new girl.

So that’s why she let April get close to her. Out of greed and selfish longing. While Karai spied on Aprils closest friends and organized their abduction, the hidden warrior was leading her down a rabbit hole of lies and false emotion. There was nothing more to her actions than just creating an alibi. Right?

Then why did she openly feel things around April about the things she wouldn’t around anyone else. Except Jennika of course. Karai didn’t have a crush on her that’s for sure(it was painfully obvious that the blue turtle already covered that job). But some kind of bond was made between the red headed news girl and the silent ‘badass’(as April occasionally teased her as). That kind of trust and light heartedness was definitely like what she had with her sister.

In some ways the two were very similar. They both were very open about their emotions and passions. A gift to express opinion that Karai can only barely remember. But April probably didn’t know how to play rock songs off the top of her head or who Lita Ford was(a common topic her sister talked about when they had free time to imagine what future they may have after their father completed his plans). And Jennika probably had no clue how to write a newspaper or how to connect the dots to a giant undercover plot based on notes and a few pictures on a messy old school board.

“That’s actually kinda cool.” She had once said when April was showing some of her work.

A buzz from her phone broke Karai out of her trance as she hung on one of the pipes of a rooftop water tower above what appeared to be an abandoned factory. April had texted her saying: COME NOW BIG BREAK!!! The brisk night air and the blare of city lights begged her to stay for longer and enjoy the sight. It was the first time she had seen anything like it. Wait until I tell Jennika about this. But she had to go now if she was gonna help with the last few of the turtles. Which means back to oppressive training and no more actually getting to go out without fear of getting caught. So she wasn’t gonna miss out on her last chance to enjoy that little freedom.

Karai hooped down from the roof into a back alley before continuing to her and Aprils hangout spot on the sidewalk.

Normal cities were strange. They were much different than what she had been taught by her mentors. They were indeed chaotic but not with violence and gore decorated streets. They had a certain rhythm and style that left you in awe by the appeal. Jennika always said those old cronies were wrong. Now Karai could believe that.

Besides it’s not the rest of humanity that’s the problem it’s the mutants right? It’s not their fault that they had been tricked and manipulated. Right?

But something was strange about the mutants(other than their appearance obviously)that stuck to Karai.

They

Acted as if they were

Normal kids

Like April and Jennika. They could be cringy and emotional and sometimes even funny. They portrayed what seemed to be personalities and feelings? The thought of seeing the orange one, Mikey as they called him, in pain made Karai uncomfortable and squirm with sheer pity for hi-

NO no no. Stop. Stop that right now. Remember your training. They’re just trying to trick you. Their pitiful pain-filled heart aching faces are just an act. It’s not real. Besides even if it is-which it isn’t-it’s nothing compared to what they have done to your family. What they have done to you.

Karai huffed as she pushed those thoughts aside and walked briskly up the steps of Eastman High. Strange. Her senses seemed more heightened than usual. The smell of sweat and pen ink grew stronger than their usual stench. She was about to reach for the door until she looked down at her arm. Scales.

Kuso! Okay! Okay okay okay! Don’t panic! Remember your teachings . . . again.

Rushing to keep It at bay, Karai rushed for her bag and pulled out her elixir. Within seconds she had downed the drink and her scales slowly sunk back under her skin. Vanishing into no where. Where It belonged instead of inside of her body.

Echoes from her past rushed through her body. Her breathing was still in sharp panicked huffs and only grew shakier with the pain of her past. Noticing this Karai gripped the back of her neck and bent her head back. She attempted her breathing exercises as the fangs in her mouth shrunk away and her tongue no longer lingered of the surrounding smells.

Ochitsuke Karai. Just breath.

Finally shaking the last of It away, Karai opened the door to the school and finished her journey. By the time she made it to April’s “news room”, she took one final breath before opening the door.

Just Breathe. She doesn’t need to know. No one does.

And no one will.

Previous Masterpost Next

Hope y’all like this chapter. It’s not as progressive in the story than usual but at least you get a peak inside Karai’s mind. Since this wasn’t as progressive as usual I decided to leave a little Easter egg from The Strength in Weakness by @truths33k3r4 a personal favorite content creator of mine(hope you don’t mind that I did this). Sorry for not posting this sooner but it was kinda rough juggling that and art and school and family and- just everything. So I hope you like it.

Cowabunga turtle fanz!

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

Oh I just caught up on all the posts here.

We didn't expect this from Tae? He's predictable, most knew it was coming. Hahaha. Man got bored for 7 minutes, you know, while in the middle of games with friends and JK. How better to spend those 7 minutes than to go live?

Its the way he doesn't tell us the whole thing. "Jungkook is here too". Here where? Playing online from his own house? Or physically there at your place? It's like the pen drawn tattoo. Misleading your audience into thinking something.

He was already an insecure one. This solo era is making it more obvious. People can say whatever, but he knows most of his fanbase are Taekookers. Man didn't find a Jimin art on Twitter without passing through all the ship videos. He clearly doesn't want to be left behind, with all the noise the other members are making, with their performances, GA, collabs, albums etc. And when you only have a handsome face to offer, it's tough. And there are plenty of good-looking faces in the world/kpop. How does one retain the fans?

What he's doing is mostly one sided. I say mostly cause Jungkook posted only him on his IG (for no reason), liked only his vogue pictures, commented under his post. While he did none of that with certain other members (although he seems closer with those certain other members). I can only think it's intentional at this point.

So what I am saying is, this is majorly Tae but some JK too. JK who monitors everything on Twitter must know what is happening, but if Tae is continuing to do such things, I can only assume JK has not raised a concern against it with him. Tkkrs are big in numbers, at least on Twitter, they help Jk as much as they help Tae.

I am assuming we'll see more cause there's Jimin's album coming out soon. And nothing works better for him than riling up Tkkrs around the time when something Jimin related is happening.

This topic has run its course for now, but I'll use the opportunity to add some last minute thoughts.

Yes, we will see more of this in the future. I predict more name dropping, IG stories and posts, maybe that long-time speculated unit song for Marvel (which eww. I'm pulling a Scorsese here and say I'll not acknowledge any of that. I couldn't care less about the low-grade movie factory, let alone a soundtrack for it. Friends being on the soundtrack of a previous one is in the same boat for me). And I'll throw in a wild card and it will be funny if it happens. Joint attendance at Fashion Week.

Lastly, anon you're not completely wrong. It's not like all these guys are not some adults that have no power to say no. And it applies to all seven. But interpreting someone's lack of any response does not necessarily mean approval or the opposite. We don't know. It's just silence.

[the-sky-is-my-home]

Pokémon Legends ZA Theories/Hopes

we got like. nothing from the trailer so.

most common thought seems to be future kalos - which would absolutely be cool to see, but would make it difficult to incorporate the legends gameplay - the pokeball has been invented and kalos mass produces them in a factory. they achieved peaceful cohabitation with pokemon by the time XY happen. so a future where things went wrong and a child from the past is sent to fix it?

alternatively, it could be about building up lumiose to what we see in XY, so still set in the past. perhaps you're testing out the new "pokeball" product for the factory before they sell it, while helping to build the city

considering the launch date, I assume it'll be a cross gen consoles release, so switch and switch 2, and it'll be a launch game. fingers crossed it'll look good and run smoothly at least on switch 2. it better, if nintendo plans to sell their system with it. since we got botw2 in totk relatively recently, they can't use that like they did for the switch. still hoping for oddyssey2/some other big 3d mario as well but if pokemon gets better from a lack of other titles I won't complain

the one thing we have confirmed is megas are back, so get your bets in now what pokemon will get new megas!

I'm still hoping for flygon just because!

also grass/fire mega sunflora gamefreak I dare you make that pokemon viable!!! (not that sunflora is even in kalos iirc but shhhhh)

maybe some kalos pokemon will get megas! ig diancie did but that's a mythical. mega kalos starters? or will we get other starters again and they'll get megas?

I'm hoping for chikorita - it needs the love and we all want mega meganium I know we do. for the name if nothing else. also to make chikorita a viable starter in any game it's in like please. the pretty flower part fits with kalos' theme of beauty too! tho I could also see them go with snivy, serperior would fit the kalos vibe too

then piplup - it's a shame (if logical with it being a starter) that emperor penguin napoleon empoleon is not in the game set in france and we need to rectify that now that we have the chance! if not piplup, maybe popplio? a fairy type starter would be a good fit for kalos imo

fire is the hardest... fuecoco maybe? would be based if it got a mega, maybe leaning more into the singer aspect? but then we just had fuecoco as a starter... scorbunny ig? that was popular but it did have a gigantamax... charmander would fit imo but that has two megas and was essentially a bonus kalos starter... litten and tepig are options but neither fits kalos that well, esp their evolutions. so I don't have a good guess for the fire starter ^^;

anyway!! gogoat real ride pokemon everywhere this time! megas for aurorus and tyrantrum! mega talonflame! dragon type eeveelution to go with sylveon we should've gotten that the first time! regional lapras for surfing! hot sycamore relative! shiny sound/sparkles in the overworld again! a challenging endboss! if I wish for enough things one of them has to come true!

[cartoonfanaticmonsterrobotalien]

Solar Opposites in Mighty Solars Issue #49: “Monster Mayhem Pt. 2” Ch. 1

Back with with our heroes, Mighton is looking at Mega Mundane Quasarblast who is still asleep. Mighton smiles Vil-Gil-An-T then came and pets his father on the forehead as he sighs sadly and remorsefully.

Terry Solar-Opposites/Mighton: What’s wrong, kiddo?

Yumyulack Solar-Opposites/Vil-Gil-An-T: This.. this is all my fault. I should’ve never shrunk Sisto.

Mighton gasps sadly.

Terry Solar-Opposites/Mighton: Aw buddy. I’m sure you didn’t know. None of this is your fault.

Vil-Gil-An-T however breaks down in tears as he hugs Mega Mundane Quasarblast’s face.

Yumyulack Solar-Opposites/Vil-Gil-An-T: I’m so sorry, Korvo…

Mega Mundane Quasarblast wakes up and sees his son crying and gasp. He then pulls Vil-Gil-An-T close to him carefully and soothes him.

Mega Mundane Korvo Solar-Opposites/Quasarblast: Ssh. Ssh. It’s okay, my little sprout.

Yumyulack Solar-Opposites/Vil-Gil-An-T: tears fall down his face I should’ve listen to you about shrinking people. I am so sorry dad… breaks down in tears more as Quasarblast continues to comfort him

Mighton watches with sadness, feeling bad for his son.

Mega Mundane Korvo Solar-Opposites/Quasarblast: I know son, but I am so proud of you because you and your sister made these Wallians better people. Now they are our friends and the Wallians have her better lives after they got unshrunk. wipes Vil-Gil-An-T’s tears away softly I know it was wrong of you to shrink people. But, I know you want to know why they are jerks. But, you have became more responsible ever since you became Vil-Gil-An-T. And I will always love you my little sprout. kisses Vil-Gil-An-T on the forehead

Vil-Gil-An-T smiles tearfully. Then, he hugs Mega Mundane Quasarblast. Then, Mighty Pupa senses Black Mirror.

Pupa Solar-Oppostes/Mighty Pupa: Black Mirror!

The other Mighty Solars gasp.

Principal Cooke/Trailblazer: Did you find her Mighty Pupa?

Mighty Pupa nods. The he points to a warehouse while five glowing lights based on elements.

Terry Solar-Opposites/Mighton: That must be them! AISHA, you can come with us! Come on!

AISHA: Got it!

The Mighty Solars then heads towards the warehouse. Meanwhile back with Black Mirror, she continues to torture Luke by messing with his mind as he screams.

Marissa: Black Mirror! Let him go please!

Sister Sisto/Black Mirror: Never!

Marissa snarls.

Sister Sisto/Black Mirror: Pathetic! Your affection for this beast has ruined you Marissa!

Marissa: This has nothing to do with him and everything to do with the mistake you’re about to make. The power you’re about to unleash!

Luke: You have to listen to her, Black Mirror. We’ve seen the future.

Black Mirror laughs.

Sister Sisto/Black Mirror: Listen to her? You have no idea who she really is. Do you?

Marissa: Black Mirror! Don’t

Sister Sisto/Black Mirror: The explosion that destroyed the factory! That put some of your mentors in a coma! That took your precious Will and her friends from you! It’s all compliments of Marissa and her spell!

Marissa gasps.

Sister Sisto/Black Mirror: Marissa wanted to have power! So I have it to her! And in exchange, she didn’t know that she really bright me back to life! Marissa’s miscalculations cost her some power. So, she had to find you pathetic witches to find her in the amulet. That’s why she wrote the message and place the amulet on the shores. To earn a place on luring you all in on discovering it for you.

Luke: M-Marissa?

Marissa: Luke, I can explain.

Luke: You lied to me?

Black Mirror laughs.

Marissa: No. not everything was a lie! gets shock by Black Mirror as she screams in pain

Black Mirror then approaches the 5 KaIju Teen Witches.

Sister Sisto/Black Mirror: GIRLS! CRUSH THE MIGHTY SOLARS!

The Witches roar and run off.

[aeoki]

Magic Lantern - Mysterious: Chapter 3

Location: Yumenosaki Secret Room Characters: Sora & Natsume

Natsume: WeLL, putting that asiDE. Majority of the Yumenosaki students can have a proper successful experience under the protection of the powerful and nobLE “Knights”.

The harder they work, the more they’ll be rewardED and they can have a taste of victory and succeSS.

The system where you’ll definitely be rewarded if you do your work properly as an idol also applies to ES.

NO. That’s probably why ES exists – it’s because it’s A “utopia for idols”.

Things like the unit system, L$ and all those other things are there to make their ideals a realiTY.

Now that ES is side-by-side with Yumenosaki, it’s the saME. If you do what you’re told, you can automatically succeED – That kind of easy path has been prepared for uS.

“Graduate from a good school, get into a good company and you’ll be hapPY.” That sort of story has been lost alongside the bubble econoMY.

It simply means someone has made a similar sort of stoRY – an idol version of iT.

But, of course, there are people who cannot adapt to such a mainstream stoRY.

Those people are cynical people who don’t want to sit on the factory conveyor belt and be a mass-producED “finished product”.

“Switch” will pick up the weirdos and failurES. It’s our mission to gather those who have been left out and to put them on a paTH, after all.

But just picking them up won’t change anythiNG – No one will save you just because you’re weAK… I know that far too weLL and it has only proved that to be truer than ever, after seeing tHE “Bon Festival”.

As a result of the “Bon Festival”, most of the other idols other than “ALKALOID” leFT ES. They could have been savED and we even reached our hands out to thEM.

But in the end, what exactly could we have done for thEM? Gave them a “final chance to make memoriES”?

Sora: …………

Natsume: Of course, we made preparations for those idols who were let go in the summER, so that they could make a comeback at the special music waRD.

But doing that is just better than doing nothing in the current circumstances, isn’t iT?

We didn’t even need to use the last safety net – we should’ve given them a proper chance to be hapPY.

But we’re weak and we’re losing the very things we picked uP.

No one will save you if you’re weAK – having ideals and dreams alone won’t fill your stomaCH. That’s why we needed a more realistic sort of powER.

We can’t always be little kids who have dreams but live on miserably while someone protects uS.

At the very least, I need strength that allows me to protect someoNE – like my nii-saNS.

…That’s what I decided and I did a lot of different thinGS. I colluded with “Knights” and the Student Council and pretended to be the mastermind behind the story that was being written within YumenosaKI.

I also created an environment where the cynical and hopeless kids who couldn’t become the mainstream would experience success and victoRY.

I reformed the dreamfest system within the school and set up a category where the ignoble kids could wIN…

I set up a system where the kids who had no choice but to end up in the minority could have an equal chance at being hapPY.

I know it’s useless if I’m just being lazy and opening my mouth, of courSE. But in order for them to be able to reach a utopia no matter what path they chooSE…

I suppose I did all that I couLD. I don’t know if it was the “correct” answer – I’m a fortune teller but I can’t foresee the futuRE.

But I will no longer choose to “do nothiNG”.

Sora: ~......♪

Natsume: ? Sora, what have you been doing all this tiME?

Sora: Right! Sora was listening to Master~ talk!

Natsume: I sEE… I’m sorry for rambling on and on about something that doesn’t really have anything to do with yOU.

Maybe I’m starting to feel anxioUS – Maybe I want someone to tell me that what I’m doing isn’t wroNG.

That’s why I’m frantically rambling – I wanted to prove that I’m correCT.

Sora: HiHi~♪ Ever since Sora first met Master~, Master~ has never been wrong! Sora respects Master~!

Natsume: You’ve always been like thAT – You’ve always been fully supportive of us even though we’re hopeleSS. We depended on you and caused you to be sad since we left you alone for a long tiME.

I came to understand that during “Next Door” and I thought I had reflected long and hard on iT. I wonder if we’re making the same mistakes all over agaIN.

Sora: It’s okay! Sora came up with a way to battle loneliness! 

Look, these are the dolls that Senpai made for Sora~♪ Even if Sora still can’t talk with Master~ and Senpai from now on, Sora can have fun chatting with these two and Sora will be happy!

Natsume: …………

Sora: “Sora-kun! You look very happy today!” “Did something good happEN, Sora?”

Natsume: …………

Sora: “HiHi~♪ Yes! Sora doesn’t really understand difficult things, but it looks like Master~ and Senpai’s hard work is going to pay off very soon!”

“That makes Sora very, very, very happy!”

“Is that so? If Sora-kun is happy then that makes me happy too!” “Me tOO~!”

Natsume: ………!

ᴉ’ᴍ ᵴᴏ ᵴᴏᴙᴙ𐰛! ᵴᴏᴙᴀ…! 𐰛ᴏᴜ ᴆᴏᴎ’ᴛ ⲏᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏᴎᵴᴏᴌᴇ 𐰛ᴏᴜᴙᵴᴇᴌꜰ ⱳᴉᴛⲏ ᴛⲏᴏᵴᴇ ᴆᴏᴌᴌᵴ!

ᴉ’ᴌᴌ ꞡᴉᴠᴇ 𐰛ᴏᴜ ᴀᵴ ᴍᴀᴎ𐰛 ⲏᴜꞡᵴ ᴀᵴ 𐰛ᴏᴜ ⱳᴀᴎᴛ! ᴆᴏᴎ’ᴛ ᴆᴏ ᵴᴏᴍᴇᴛⲏᴉᴎꞡ ᵴᴏ ᵴᴀᴆ…!

Sora: Huh? Uh, well, like Sora said, Sora is fine~...?

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