#good girl might be a little polarizing and like i have a lot of thoughts on it that i can't get into now but 💀

[julictcapulet]

😶‍🌫️😴🥸 book recs please

let's go!!

east of eden by john steinbeck. literally finished it yesterday on the bus and cried when i did!

you know you want this: cat person and other stories by kristen roupenian. short story collection that focuses on the power dynamics prevalent in bedroom politics and how sexuality—especially female sexuality—is so often rooted in horror, whether women are the ones experiencing it or inflicting it.

good girl by anna fitzpatrick. humorous book about what it means to be a woman and if there's such a thing as truly embracing your sexuality in a way that doesn't devalue identifying as a feminist, especially when your sexuality is so often intertwined with kink and submission to male partners.

[link7057]

SHARE YOUR HEADCANNONS ABOUT CHRISTINAAAAA 🫶🫶

First, I'm so sorry for the late answer months later 😭😭🙏 Please forgive me and second!! Actually I hadn't thought of many headcanons for her... yet... but she's one of my favorite characters so ofc I thought of some!! I might say silly ones or ones more about her personal life (and definitely not projecting some parts!) I love Christina Posabule 🙏♥️

Music wise I think Christina would like 60s music, rock, and/or synth-pop or idk genres are hard to actually get right nowadays. If it's specfic, "The Daughters of Eve" and Mitski would be part of her favorites fjjdbrbnd (then I think she'd like The Killers especially "When You Were Young" when she was in her teens :)) Speaking of Christina in her teens, she'd want to learn piano or some sort of instrument but her parents probably got annoyed by how much she played so she wouldn't have as many chances. She's definitely a bookworm or just loves reading and also writes in her freetime like little stories or poems. And when Block ended up staying with Orel's family, she was kind of the only one who missed him as her parents didn't really mind/express their emotions about it.

Andddd talking about her parents, they're both VERY controlling and kept watch on what she'd do, the polar opposite with Orel, which his parents didn't gaf where he was 💔💔 Especially Poppit, and I think with Christina's story it'd be a toxic mother-daughter relationship (mommy issues!) rather than her and her dad, and that Poppit rather likes taking charge but to be in "a woman's place" y'know sexism and even tells Art what to do but makes sure that he does what a "man has to." And she'd be veryyy persistent on Christina with how she presents herself and make sure that she was a nice church girl at all times. And Poppit would very much have breakdowns in front of her and vent to her about her own issues... yeah... And whenever Christina was getting yelled at or being told what to do the only thing she could do is not say anything back to not upset them. She was also grabbed a lot like by her wrists or something similar how they showed in the show. When she moved to Moralton, she was bummed out bc yeah she just moved to a new place where she knows no one. Then when she met Orel something about him intrigued her and she's like Oooh y'know what I like this place already... then BOOM! Having to move again :( Also I don't know if it's just me but she's probably homeschooled or she's just attending another school jfjfnntnf and about her past town she'd be doing so many shenanigans during the same time as Orel probably. Another silly thing she might be more confident than him like I think he'd be more shy when he got older fjjdjnfbfn

Also yes Christina was sadistic I had to say it bc... we remember Orel's masochist era... And same thing with her being emo/goth when Orel was and at least for a while when they were teens👍👍 It's canon bc I said so

About when she's an adult, once Orel and her got married and had their kids, she'd be really worried about repeating anything her own mother used to do to her (along with Orel who'd try to be the best dad to his kids and would ask Christina if he was doing a good job if he was too worried about becoming anything similar to Clay or just anything otherwise) and I'm not quite sure about if whether she kept contact with her parents but she probably would but obviously has a strained relationship with them along with Orel's parents... But she would give her own family all her love :D also she's definitely working in a type of job I forgot which one but something that helps people bc she's sweet like that <3 so yeah girlboss !!

I might've forgotten some things to mention or other things I had in mind for her but yeah!! Or it was badly/worded weird perdón. Thanks for reading 💕

[arcadia-of-pluto]

Future mini-series and one-shot plans ✨️

I've got a few ideas for one-shots and fics to tide yall over until the smut hits in "Twist of Fate". 👀

I've already got a small, spin off mini-series of ToF called "Strings of Fate" (name pending), a whole bunch of hybrid one-shot series, a Fated/Soulmate one-shot series, a Tropes mini-series, a cam girl one-shot series, an android (based on Detroit become human) one-shot series, a fairy tale one-shot series, possibly a professors one-shot series, possibly a super heroes one-shot series, some possible OT2 (threesomes) and OT3 (foursomes) with not a single idea in mind, and some one-shots regarding the boys' myth 5 star cards!

I'll be explaining them below the cut! 🩷

So yall can let me know which you would like to see first, I'll tell you what I've got so far with each of them! Since I'm, also, completely unsure which I want to work on or if I want to change the idea entirely. Maybe yall will have some thoughts on how I can work the ideas a bit better as well!

I can't say much on the spin-off since it's major spoilers for ToF and, so, I'll probably start it after I get up to 25 or 30 chapters in posting ToF.

The hybrid ideas though...I have a lot. I got most of these (if not all of these ideas besides the hybrid ones) from my scrapped BTS fic ideas so if I decide to write BTS ones, you might see some overlapping.

Oh right, let me explain Hybrids for those who might not know. They're basically like nekos, think of those hot cat girls in anime. They're humans with animal parts or characteristics!

But anyway, the first section is "Prey Hybrids". I have Rafayel down as an axolotl, Xavier as a frosty Holland lop rabbit, Sylus as either a sika deer or a tufted deer (both are native to south asia and I have no idea which one to use), and Zayne as a Black Beauty sugar glider.

Next section is "deadly hybrids". I have Rafayel under Great White Shark (they have two penises so I could use this in the story), Xavier as a Grey Wolf (wolves can knot 👀), Sylus as a melanistic tiger, and Zayne is a leopard seal. Now, I'm not sure how I'll make Zayne into a leopard seal hybrid, I was going to use a snow leopard but...I have a "polar hybrid" section coming up soon and also I didn't want two big cats in one part.

Now, we're onto "domesticated hybrids" so think of your cats, dogs, any animal that humans have thought "hey, that'd be a good pet" fits here. Rafayel is a calico koi fish (still undecided here), Xavier is a Corgi (I thought golden retriever but I didn't want to say the obvious), Sylus is a black smoke Maine Coon, and Zayne as an Agouti Husky.

"Uncanny Hybrids" is our next category and for uncanny, I wanted to do hybrids that not a lot of people write for. Like you usually see cats, dogs, octopi, sharks, squid, and stuff like that so I wanted to do the ones that not many people would do and that's difficult. Rafayel would be a chevrotain (which is a mouse deer with little fangs), Xavier would (fittingly) be a sloth, Sylus would be a vampire bat, and Zayne would be a Kangaroo (I might swap Sylus and Zayne but do note that Kangaroo have two penises as well; and I have no idea how to explain to my FBI agent just why my search history is filled with stuff like this but I must do my research for stories 😞).

Two more categories. We have "Polar hybrids" as mentioned earlier and "Mythological Hybrids".

For the polar ones, Rafayel is an arctic fox, Xavier is a penguin, Sylus is a snow owl, and Zayne is a polar bear!

As for the mythological, it's half unfinished. I only have Rafayel as a kitsune and Sylus as a cerberus/hellhound hybrid with Y/n being the daughter of Hades.

The Fated/Soulmate series! I'm unsure what to call this exactly. I might have it under "Fated mini-series" but it's going to be four different one-shots with each of the guys under a different soulmate trope. So you can give me feedback about this as well or even comment something you'd want to see instead or even help add upon the idea itself!

Rafayel's soulmate trope would be the "colourblind until you touch" trope. Where everyone is colourblind until you meet your soulmate but for an added twist, the first touch from your soulmate leaves an imprint wherever they touched. So, for example, Rafayel grabs your arm as you try to leave and it leaves a pretty, water-coloured imprint on your wrist. I think that would be a fitting and cute combination for Rafayel.

Xavier's soulmate trope would either be "dreams of a past life together", so you both dream of your past life and have to find the person in your dreams, or "at a young age, you can make something and send it to your soulmate. This item will be key in finding your soulmate as an adult." So, let's say you send Xavier the star sword tassel and he sends you a crystal (imagine the protocore he tries to give the mc in his anecdotes). Then, as adults, you see Xavier walking to class with the charm on his backpack while your grandma, Josephine, turned the crystal into a necklace. Edit; this has been changed to a "tattoo mark" appearing when making contact with your soulmate annnnd the guideverse (so think espers and guides)

Zayne's is, by far, my favourite idea. It's "once you touch your soulmate, you get opposing evols". So similar to "opposites attract". You're childhood friends with Zayne and for some reason (spoilers), you wear gloves so you can touch anyone. Zayne also wears gloves in solidarity with you but, one day, he forgets his gloves and catches you when you slip. His hands touch your bare elbows and suddenly, he has an ice evol and yours is fire. For some extra angst, fire is traumatic for you and so is the thought of soulmates.

Sylus's is more of a funny idea than anything. A "tangible red string of fate" so similar to the evol linkage in game. He can drag you around with it and everything. It gets more visible and stronger the more you think about the other person, so at first its barely even noticeable and he can't move you with it. But soon, he can literally drag you out with him and you can play a funny game of tug-of-war with it. Edit; I really want to change this one so i might hold a voting for it as well

I also had the fleeting idea of grumpy x sunshine but that's more of a "trope" than a soulmate trope.

I also have another good fate idea for Rafayel, a stand-alone one. This soulmate au would be "your soulmate is from another world and you get dreams of their day-to-day life. You must decide if you'll cross over to their world by your 23rd birthday and, if you choose not to, you'll lose your connection to them." In this au, Rafayel would be the God of the Sea and you would be an average person. Rafayel would be more than willing to leave his life for his soulmate but as the last God of the Sea...You end up making the decision for him.

The Tropes mini-series;

So this one is a four-shot with an accumulation of tropes. So each LADS boy will have a one-shot of a different trope. Like friends to lovers, rivals to lovers, etc.

I could've went the obvious route and chose Zayne or Xavier as childhood friends to lovers but I didn't want the easy way out to be honest.

The trope I chose for Rafayel is "amnesia". You've lost your memory and woke up in the hospital with a man seated next to you. His hand desperately gripping your own as if he were a balloon about to fly away. "Uh...hello?" You ask, your throat feeling dry as if you hadn't spoken in weeks. "Y/n!?" The man jerks awake with wide eyes. Tears flood his waterline and he gently cups your face. You can feel his hands trembling and you tilt your head to the side, confused, "Are you...my boyfriend?" "What-" Rafayel looked confused, but it only takes a few seconds before he nods, "Yes. I'm Rafayel, your boyfriend."

In actuality, you're his bodyguard and you got injured trying to protect him. He lies to you because he doesn't want you to put yourself in danger for him anymore.

Edit; this one has since been changed to "love at first sight" + reincarnation + slight enemies to lovers

Xavier's trope is a complete flip on what you would originally expect. I chose "rivals to lovers" for him, just because I had a small idea where he could be a lightseeker and you would be the other faction. (I forgot the names of the knights on Philo, they're from Xavier's lightseeker myth if you're confused) But you also get annoyed with Xavier because he keeps putting off his princely duties. Annnnd it would be funny to call him "Princess". I have since changed mind and Xavier's "Pragma(tic) Love" is out now!

Zayne's trope is also not "friends to lovers". Instead I thought "forbidden love". This one is a bit of a stretch and I can tweak it if it's unliked but this would be a fantasy au where Zayne is from the Kingdom of Linkon and he's a saint blessed by Astra (the God from his Forseer myth) and you are a princess from the Kingdom of Philo. You were blessed by the Goddess Lux (I made her up and her name means light) and you've come to Linkon's Kingdom to possibly marry their prince, Greyson (I didn't want to use a love interest for this role), and unite the kingdoms. Instead you, a princess from a kingdom who doesn't believe in Astra, and Zayne, a follower of Astra, fall in love. Also, Zayne's powers cannot affect you because of Lux's blessing, which gives you the ability to resonate (make other's powers stronger), heal, and create a ball of light so hot that it feels like fire itself. Edit; this one has been changed to "brother's best friend" <3

Now, Sylus is our friends to lovers! A modern au friends to lovers where your mother is a top operative in Onychinus, a crime syndicate led by Sylus's parents. You meet while young (but not too young) and have a seven year age gap. You've always had a crush on Sylus, since you were little, and Sylus possibly does but he avoids thinking about it because of your age difference. At 30, he feels like he's way too old for you, at 23 in this. Now, to not make it weird, your mother passes away and you're sent to your grandma, Josephine's to live a better life away from all the crime. You grow up there from highschool, all the way until college when disaster strikes. On your way home for springbreak with Caleb, your friend- who your grandmother took in, your home explodes. The blast kills both Caleb and your grandma. This was clearly an attack by a rival gang and Sylus steps in to take you back to Onychinus.

Edit; this one has been changed as well, I'm unsure of what just yet though, but there's a voting for what it could be! (Sept 2, 2024)

I hope you guys aren't tired of this by now! But either way, I'll keep going since I'm not done yet. I just wanna put my ideas out there and figure out which I should be working on as I post my weekly chapters for "Twist of Fate".

The next category is the "camgirl" mini-series. This one was a must-have to add because I've read so many BTS camgirl one-shots and loved them so much. I doubt any of the four guys would ever want their love on camera for everyone to see but they might not mind as much if they're on screen with her...

So for Sylus, I already have a name. I came up with it at work- "Welcome to the Puppet Show".

The idea is as follows, "Sylus strings you up like a puppet with his evol during one of your weekly cam-sessions." That's it. That's all I got.

For the rest, Xavier's would be the usual. He's your childhood friend and he recently gifted you a necklace for your birthday. His friend, Jeremiah, tells him about this camgirl website and jokingly shows him a few videos. After this, Xavier has been watching your lives for a while now until he notices something peculiar in today's session. You're wearing the necklace he gave you. He instantly knows it's you because he got the necklace custom made and he confronts you about it.

Rafayel is a tattoo artist and he recently gave you a tattoo. It was a pretty unique one so he'd never forget what it looked like, especially where you had it done. A cute, little koi fish ying-yang under your breast. He sees the tattoo in one of your cam-sessions and I'm not sure how you would meet up after that, if I'm honest so let's move on to Zayne.

Zayne is your partner during your cam-shows. He's your close friend from school and once he learnt of your cam-shows, he casually offers to be a part of them for when your fans get tired of your solo lives. He's always only lent a hand, never actually fucking you. Neither on camera nor off. But on your final live, you ask him to fuck you. This is your final live because you're planning on confessing your feelings for him afterward.

Now, we're onto the most unsure one of all; the Android mini-series.

The Android mini-series is, once again, solo one-shots compiled into a series. This series was heavily taken from an old bts mini-series I had. Like Rafayel's would've been Taehyung's (his model would've been the Vante KTH7-1230), Xavier's would've been Jimin's (his model would've been PJM7-1013), Zayne's would've been Namjoon's (his model being Holmes 2.0 KNJ7-0912), and Sylus's would've been Yoongi's (his model being OG Holmes MYG7-0309). So, I might change Zayne and Sylus's models because I might want to write this idea for bts in the future, but just let me know if you want to see it and I'll make some changes!

For Rafayel's, you were fully colourblind when you were younger but you were deadset on becoming an artist. Your grandma, Josephine, had always wanted the best for you so she worked many days of overtime at her job until she could finally afford a corrective surgery- but only for one eye. You've gotten the surgery, which was replacing your original eye with an android one so now you have one e/c (eye colour) eye and one magenta eye. Later on in life, you were finally in college for an art degree and your professor gifts you his old android. A Delaux model (the model is named after a famous artist who painted mermaids) with the ID number RF04-0306. The Delaux model of androids are used to help artists with colour correction and matching, give input on what would sell best or look more appealing to buyers, and even give an artist ideas for artworks or create compelling backstories that their artwork could be based upon. All Delaux androids have unnatural coloured hair since it's against their coding to have nature hair because it's normal and therefore boring for such an artsy android model. Rafayel is the only Delaux model with his hair colour.

Next up is Xavier. He's a Lux model android with the ID XV04-1016. Lux model androids are primarily used as an assist for the military and police force as replacements for the K-9 unit, so they're lithe and light on their feet. These models always have blonde or silver hair if they work for the police and black hair if they're affiliated with the military. If they have any different hair colour, then the Lux model is considered defective and is terminated. These models cannot be kept by the public because they're a higher caliber of android, unless they are protecting a rich client. For your story, you find him in an alleyway or maybe a garbage dump and he's half destroyed. You decide to bring him home to your mechanic shop (your home is above the shop) to repair him. Once your power him on, he remembers nothing so you decide to keep him around- almost as if he's a stray dog. Also, in this story, you have an android arm. For this one, I'm 100% sure if I want him to be a military android but it makes sense for him. It was either this or a sex worker android and I feel like that doesn't fit with him..

Zayne is a Holmes 2.0 model android with the ID number ZY04-0905. The one and only Holmes model in existence since the last one was shut down because it was ruled compromised (or deviant) after a various amount of tests. The Holmes model is a less animalistic version of the Lux model; These androids are more intuitive and less likely to instigate conflict. Black hair is their only choice of hair colour, anything else and they will be decommissioned. In this, you are a damn good detective. The best there ever was...until your accident. You miscalculated an explosion radius during your last big mission and it costed you big time. You ended up losing both an arm and a leg. Your boss (the chief of police) compensated you for your injuries. He provided you with an android arm and leg to replace what you had lost and a brand new Holmes 2.0 model android to be your little sidekick for the next few months, until you can get used your new limbs. This would be his first official test run before the EVER corporation created more of his model. But you hated it. You felt useless to your team and you felt less human with your new android add-ons. You pretty much took out your anger on your newly acquired android because they gave you an android to solve a problem that an android caused in the first place! Damn defective android almost killed you, all because it "didn't want to die". I love the premise of this but Holmes doesn't fit with Zayne's aesthetic. I can always swap him to a medical assistance android where Y/n has a heart condition and Zayne is her android that takes care of her but it's up to yall! If I change Zayne, I have to change Sylus's though because their models go hand in hand for the story.

And lastly, we have Sylus. He...can't remember his model name but he knows his ID number, SL04-0418. Though, every time he looks up his ID number, he gets no results. Nothing. It's almost as if his model never existed or...it was decommissioned. That would mean he's defective and he doesn't want to admit that. He doesn't want to be shut down. After searching, he soon learns that he might be the original Holmes model but...it's not like he can just ask anyone, they'd shut him down if he asked..right?

You have worked in the big, shiny and glaringly white EVER corporation building for years at this point, creating and customizing many androids that are constantly in every day use. You painstakingly detailed everything about these androids from their faces to even their personalities and the very first Holmes model was no exception. You grew very close to this android during the years of designing and creating him, you even gave him a name. Sylus. He was one of your favourites, out of all of your creations, and...he was decommissioned. You honestly never thought you'd see him again until you were brought in to shut him down and you couldn't bring yourself to do it. You had loosely based his looks on an old friend whom you had a one-sided crush on. From his hair to his eyebrows, his physique and even the scar on his chest. You were able to take full creative liberties with the very first Holmes model android because, well, it was the first in existence. But now, he's just called a failed prototype. You made him too...human. Too independent and strong willed. This wasn't the designated personality for a Holmes model android and this ultimately led to a cop becoming gravely injured on Sylus's first mission. The negligence caused by your own hand haunts your every day because you could've killed someone. It would've been your fault, after all. But now with that android, your android, standing right in front of you once more...You can't seem to let him go. You can't lose him, not for a second time. You're willing to throw your whole job away to protect him, sick and tired of androids being treated horribly just because they're becoming self aware and more human. So again, let me know if you like this idea and if you do, I hope you won't mind if I end up re-hashing it when I possibly make my bts android mini-series <3 because I genuinely can't think of anything that works with Sylus. Nothing else really makes sense but I'm also unsure of how the story would go with this one 🤔

I think we're at the half-way point! This is where it goes downhill to be honest. The only good one here is the first one, I feel, but if I thought about it more, I'm sure I'd find better ideas for the other guys.

Rafayel's fairy tale story is quite obvious. It's "The Little Mermaid" but flipped. You would be Eric and Rafayel would be Ariel, however Eric would be the one wanting to be part of Ariel's world. You've seen him in the ocean multiple times from your beach house. Honestly, the first time you saw him, you thought he was drowning but then you saw the beautiful purple and blue tail fin that adorned his lower half. He was...a mermaid? Every day for a few weeks, you'd take some time out of your day just to watch him breach the surface and play around with the seagulls. He would sometimes sit atop driftwood and large boulders in the ocean. He was a sight to behold. And then, he began to take notice of you. Eventually, the two of you begin engaging in conversation- but not before he accuses you of wanting to fillet him like a fish. As the two of you grow close and he tells you stories about his home, Lemuria, you decide you want to be a part of his world. You find a traveling witch and she gives you an ultimatum. You can become a mermaid to live with Rafayel but you must give something up equal in return. Now, the tricky part is, I'm not sure what I want for Y/n to lose. I don't want it to be her voice, her eyesight, her emotions, so I'm thinking maybe she gains a heart condition so she can be with him but not for a long time. Though, this heart condition can be cured with an act of passion. An action that would tug on anyone's heart strings would be enough to snap the strings of Y/n's heart back into place. Also some mermaids are depicted with two penises so...Yeah!

Xavier's is yet another obvious one. I decided to go with "Sleeping Beauty" but I can always change it if I can find a better one. On the day the little prince was born, a warlock appeared and let out a cackle, "I shall curse the sole heir to Philo's throne. This kingdom has brought many sufferings to warlocks and witches alike and it shall be brought down by the prince himself!" The warlock, named Luminous (I came up with that on the spot but it's a parallel to Maleficent and Lumiere) also cursed the king and queen with infertility so they couldn't just have another child. And so, on Prince Xavier's 23rd birthday, Luminous reappeared and unsealed the curse upon the prince. Thorns erupted through the banquet hall, wrapping around the entire castle, and whomever was pricked by the thorns fell into a deep slumber. 50 years have passed since the kingdom of Philo fell into a deep slumber and you, a witch who was also childhood friends with the prince, decide to sneak into the castle and plunder it for any treasures it may hold. While searching, you prick your finger on a thorn and panic, thinking you will also succumb to the curse. However, you don't. This could be because you're a witch or because you're just the protagonist. Either way, this leads you to believe that you could wake Xavier up and this option would pave the way for more money in the future so it's your best opportunity for some quick wealth. As you head over to Xavier, pondering on how you could wake him up, you end up tripping over something on the floor and you land on top of him. Your lips crashing into his and you can taste your own blood. Congrats, you've awoken sleeping beauty! :D

Sylus's story...I'm torn between "Rapunzel" and "The Beauty and the Beast". He's got the Flynn Ryder aesthetic but also the Beast's at the same time so once I come up with a storyline, I'll probably make my decision.

Zayne's is also another hard decision. I could go for the obvious "Frozen" or perhaps Mulan. I'll explain my Frozen storyline though since that's all I've got. So Zayne is Elsa and you have the power of fire. (I haven't seen Frozen 2 but I think there's a girl who wields fire in it?) You don't know that you have this power and you were a princess who was just banished from your Kingdom, Philo, due to the false charge of trying to murder your step mother, the queen. You were banished from your warm kingdom to a desolate, snowy forest in the Kingdom of Linkon. And here, you stumble upon Zayne's ice castle that he created with his powers. Now, the story behind your false charges is, your step mother went from a mistress to a queen after your mother passed away and your step mother got rid of you because she wants her son, the king's non-bilogical, to be next in line for the throne instead of you. So, instead of fighting your way to go back home, you convince Zayne to allow you to stay in his castle until the snow storm outside subsides and you can leave. Soon, you learn of your fire powers and Zayne offers to aid you in learning how to use them. Also, Zayne's younger brother Greyson (He is Ana here) and his girlfriend Yvonne (She is Kristoff) are the rulers of Linkon because Zayne locked himself away in the castle in fear that his powers would hurt someone.

Here's where the ideas get less and less detailed. This was another mini-series taken from my old bts ones and honestly, I might not even write these but I thought it would be nice to add them here just in case.

Zayne would be an English professor with you as his teaching assistant. Even though you're an assistant, you also do some classwork to bide your time when you're not busy and even turn it in to Zayne to have him 'grade' it. This week's essay for a romance essay and you decided to write a steamy little romance essay for fun and submit it to Zayne after class. A week passes by and you're worried he either saw it and didn't care or he's going to mention it when you leave expect it- which he does the latter. He's intrigued at how knowledgeable and intimate the scenes are, and questions if you've done something like this before. You respond that you're a virgin and Zayne asks, "Would you like to feel how your essay would play out?"

For Rafayel, I'd do the obvious choice of an Art Professor with you as his teaching assistant (you're always the teaching assistance because Professor x student feels a bit icky to me, just the power dynamic and everything. I'm not too into writing it). Anyway, he needs you to be a model for a painting but never tells you just what kind of model.

Sylus's could be a physical education professor, I'm not sure if that's even a type of professor? (I didn't go to college so I wouldn't know) but I'm on the fence about this one. I could base it loosely off of his boxing 5 star card.

Xavier would be the Theatre/Drama professor and he needs you to be his supporting actress for rehearsals. Maybe you both are participating in a big play with the students and you need to practice your lines?

Because these ones are specifically so short, I'm not going to add a break in-between. It feels unnecessary but the next idea is superheroes. Honestly since I love Spiderman so much, I might make them all spiderman but for now...here's the ideas.

Xavier would be Lumiere (comparable to Spiderman), Rafayel would be spiderman (because I don't want to write aquaman-), Zayne could be winter soldier, and Sylus might fit as Iron Man. So in these stories, you'd be Iron man's secretary (so think Pepper), spiderman's best friend, lumiere's biggest fan and probably a reporter, and I'm drawing a blank on winter soldier.

The superhero one is honestly my weakest link when it comes to these one-shots but I really want to give it a shot.

Then, the actual one-shots that wouldn't be in series's would be all of their 5 star myth cards but reimagined. So I wouldn't write them word for word, just loosely base them on it.

The only example I have is for the Sea God myth.

So in this story, you're still an orphan being raised by the emissaries as a sacrifice for the Sea God but you have grandma Josephine, who was a clergy woman at the church you were confined to. She would tell you all kinds of stories about Lemuria and the people who lived under the deep sea. Then, on your 19th birthday, she passes away and shortly after, you were thrown into the sea as a sacrifice for the Sea God. I set the age at 18/19 just because Rafayel's coming of age ceremony to become the Sea God is within the 5 star myth cards and usually your coming of age ceremony (at least in ro-fan manhwas) is around the age of 16 to 19.

Annnnd that should be it! I really wanted to add my space/alien! Bts au since I really like it and will more than likely write it in the future, but this isn't a bts post so I don't want to write about them too much here but if you want to hear about it then I might make a separate post about it!

With that being said, I hope you enjoyed reading through my ideas for the future and have some that you're looking forward to! Other than that, my next post will be Chapters Six and Seven for "Twist of Fate" on late Friday or sometime Saturday! I don't have an exact time since I'll have to cross-post to both wattpad and AO3 but it'll be one of those two days. I'll possibly even post chapter eight as well, but I'm not too sure yet since I'm writing chapter twenty and I don't want to post too many chapters at once. I'll see y'all once more on friday/saturday! 🩷

[kimberlyannharts]

So Darkest Hour is over, the MMPR main series has wrapped, so what do we do now? We......check out the adventures of this team led by a giant polar bear? Sure!

It's Power Rangers Infinity!

= For those who haven't seen the previews: our main character, Lola! She's cute, I like her a lot; even if admittedly BOOM has really been dishing out the Green Ranger girls one after another lately. (As for her last name being Navarro.....put in a pin in that for a second. Unfortunately it doesn't go where you might think it goes.)

= Obviously there's no way to prove it but moments like this kiiiiiind of feel like this was written back when BOOM figured they were finished with the PR license. It's a little too on the nose

= GIRL YOU LOOK SO GOOD

= Though I am a little annoyed because her lines here about looking for Lola for a long time made me think my theory that she was targeting her because she was related to Tyler/Shelby (or Poisandra just THOUGHT she was) was real. Unfortunately Lola's last name being Navarro isn't at all relevant (she targets Lola because she overhears that she writes PR fanfiction, so she wants Lola to make a weak team she can beat, it's a whole thing) so I guess in the end it was just an Easter Egg. I guess it's not too much of a surprise as this is set in "our" world rather than the Dino Charge world, but still, if you were going out of your way to pit a Dino Charge villain against a main character with the same last name as a Dino Charge character, you'd think that was leading up to something

= Group shot of the team! Along with the names, since I kind of skimmed my first reading and didn't retain them kjkdjf

= Also I just noticed Braylee's visor is shaped like a megaphone. That's cute

= Unfortunately the Poisandra Stan Society skipped out on PMC 2024. I totally would have gotten a picture with them otherwise

= Obviously as this is a one-shot book making gags out of the concept of "unlikely character archetypes as Power Rangers" the Infinity team members don't have the most complex personalities, but it's vital for you to know that the Pink Ranger, Penelope Prescott, is a lesbian. Anyway hot bear time

= I literally went into this book thinking the polar bear (Coach Kumo) would end up being a joke one-note "haha is that an ANIMAL as a ranger??" a la Yale but he actually ended up being my favorite character so uh. Yeah. Power Rangers Infinity did the whole "animal ranger" thing better than the main series. Make of that what you will

= And a look at the other teams. And okay, I'm just going to come out and say it; we did canonically have a pirate team in the show. I KNOW THEY DIDN'T DO PIRATE STUFF BUT I DON'T CARE, THEY STILL EXISTED, IT'S NOT AS OUTLANDISH AS THE HOCKEY BEAR UNIVERSE

= I do have to admit, for as much as this book tries to joke about how Poisandra isn't a threat and can't find a team weak enough for her to defeat, they're pretty casually talking about how she's basically committing mass genocide. Like their teams/universes are literally dead. I think that counts as beating them

= Proud of the book for not calling them "Paisley Force"

= your uber is here

= Anyway actual worst part of this book is it implies Poisandra took out Curio too which SHE WOULD NEVER DO!!!!!!! THAT IS HER BESTIE!!!!!!! Sledge getting her this ship is 100% in-character though

= Poisandra has committed mass murder and kidnapping but nothing compares to the evil of committing Lola to the path of customer service

= Still a better Green Ranger reveal than M/tt

= This silly one-shot parody comic sure has a lot of death in it

= speaking of death:

= MORE ONSCREEN DEATH THAN DARKEST HOUR IN THE ONE-SHOT GOOFY PARODY COMIC I'M GOING INSANE

= This is sweet and everything, but it kinda takes me back to how members of this fandom would uhhhh kinda harass the writers and BOOM about including their own ideas in the comic. (And the actors too. Firsthand witness to that at PMC 2024!) So to all up and coming writers and artists: please keep your submissions and pitches to professional settings

= see you, space cowboy...................

[yakuzacanons]

How To Tell When They Have A Crush On You: Yakuza 0-4

Was only a matter of time before I started busting out the cute romance fluff posts. Also expanding to include yet another boy. Let’s get into it.

Kazuma Kiryu: His Smile

Kiryu is not much of a smile person. It’s not that he doesn’t ever feel happy, he just has for lack of a better phrase “resting bitch face”. It’s probably why he gets into fights randomly so much.

He won’t suddenly be all smiles around his crush but you’ll definitely catch him cracking a little smile. He might also make a satisfied “hmph” sound or chuckle lightly.

He tends to close his eyes and nod a little when he smiles. It’s almost as if having a genuine smile is something his whole body feels. He’s just happy to see you, really.

Majima Goro: His Words

Majima is not good at being subtle. He prefers being upfront anyways so if he’s into you, he’ll say something about it. It won’t be as outright as a confession, unless he knows for sure you’d reciprocate.

Lots of pet names and flirtatious exchanges. Almost every verbal interaction will have him replacing your name with “doll” or “darlin’” instead. He’ll also totally slip in some innuendos if you let him.

Compliments are his thing. Obviously if he’s into you he’ll probably already think you’re just the coolest but he’s not one to keep his thoughts to himself. Also get ready to have the “-chan” honorific permanently attached to the end of your name.

Saejima Taiga: His Eyes

The letter S stands for Saejima and it also stands for shy. Always the polar opposite of his sworn brother, the thought of verbalizing his feelings towards you is enough to make him pass out.

He’s a little like Kiryu with the whole “resting bitch face” issue. However, his eyes will instantly soften upon seeing you. Generally he relaxes more around you but you can really see it in his eyes.

He tends to let our relieved sighs when he sees you. Saejima’s almost like a puppy dog in a way, he’s very much like “oh good, my person is here”.

Akiyama Shun: His Laugh

Akiyama is always chummy with pretty much every girl he knows and it’s super common for him to slap the “-chan” honorific onto pretty much all girls. What can I say, he’s a ladies man.

With you though, he will let out the most genuine laughs you’ve ever heard. It doesn’t matter if you make the worst pun, he’s all smiles and giggles. Just being around you makes him giddy.

He’ll call you silly a lot of the time or tease you to try to get a reaction out of you, which only makes him laugh more.

Tanimura Masayoshi: His Time

He’s a busy boy. A very busy cop boy. So if he’s making time to see you, you REALLY matter to him. Even if at first he gets to know you via something business related, if he’s into you, you will notice quite quickly that he’s visiting you more often but less so for business reasons.

When he’s not able to physically make it out to see you, he’ll avidly text you. Expect lots of “how’s you day?” messages. Will also send you memes or images that he finds online that make him think of you.

He’ll totally send you selfies while he’s at work. Tanimura isn’t exactly a slacker but he does get a kick out of secretly sending you messages on the job. You just mean that much to him.

Ryuji Goda: His Voice

Ryuji has always been a boisterous man but man he gets loud if he knows you’re in the room. All eyes on Ryuji, especially your eyes. Inside, he’s really thinking “notice me!”.

Unlike Tanimura, Ryuji is one for making phone calls. He may be a busy man but he’ll always find some way to call you once a day. He just enjoys talking to you.

When physically near you, especially in group settings, he will try to get your attention. He says “oi” a lot. Will absolutely become the loudest man in a restaurant when speaking to you. Also probably tells dad jokes to try to get you to smile.

Mine Yoshitaka: His Neck

Now this may sound weird at first, but since Mine is not very expressive, his neck is his giveaway. If you walk in, he will suddenly snap his attention up to look at you so fast that you might think he hurt himself doing so.

He tries very hard to hide if he’s flustered. A big tell is if he rubs the back of his neck with his hand.

If he’s taller than you, he will absolutely bend down to your level. He sees that as a close enough form to physical intimacy, at least in the pre-relationship stages. Also very coy and will totally turn his head to look up at you flirtingly. Silent but deadly.

Dojima Daigo: His Manners

Who’s the boss of the Tojo Clan? He is. And who is above him? You. And he will treat you as such. You’re one of the few if not the only person he defers to. He will always bow when he sees you, even if you two are close. He’s not great with words so this is how he can show you and any other potential suitors nearby that he’s interested.

Also is quite a gentleman. He will always hold doors open for you. Are you heading out from Tojo Clan Headquarters and forgot your umbrella? Not only is Daigo ready and waiting but he will personally walk you out to the car, umbrella in hand, and see you off safely.

He will always ask how you’re doing and expresses an active concern for your wellbeing. It doesn’t matter if he’s about to go into a busy meeting, he will find time to greet you properly.

Nishikiyama Akira: His Hands

He’ll start gesturing a lot. It makes him look bigger and grander, at least in his mind. He’s just also generally more excitable around you and it shows physically.

Whenever he’s out with you, he will always usher you in through doorways by simply extending his hand towards the open doorway and saying “after you”.

Anytime he gets the chance to rest his hand against you, he will. A pat on the head, resting casually on your shoulder, or pressed ever so gently against your back.

Tachibana Tetsu: His Breathing

Tachibana is very good at restraining himself. Sometimes he’s too good at it. Until he can confirm how you feel, he’ll hold his cards close to his chest. But you’ll catch him sighing as you leave or excitedly inhaling when you arrive.

Although he doesn’t talk much, when he does he’s usually so well put together. With you though, he might trip over a word or two. If you flash a smile at him, especially if he for some reason makes an attempt to say something funny, his chest will swell with pride.

His shoulders relax in your presence. Any tenseness from his day at work just melt away and he can breathe easy when he’s near you.

[pompadorbz]

I want to learn more about Schwartz.... Maysix too...

OHHH I THOUGHT YOU'D NEVER ASK!!!!! PANDORA'S BOX HAS OPENED!!!!!! Schwartz and Maysix are both from my big oc story that lives purely inside of my brain called Protozoa Rainbow!! It's a lot of things!!! It's a magical girl story, its horror, it teeters on the edge of doomsday, it's my big metaphor for how mainstream entertainment can influence the government, it's my baby.

Schwartz and Maysix are both separate antagonists that appear in the story, and to make a VERY long story short, they are both not human. They are homunculi that the broader antagonists have been growing and experimenting with for decades; what began as humans trying to create an all-equalizer with their magical girl counterparts that could give them the same ability to transform and fight, has since turned into them trying to breed the ultimate bio-weapon that vaguely put will; "cleanse this earth of all war between man and magic, by ensuring that magic can no longer exist".

(also establishing this now since it might come up later?? All of this takes place in a giant theme park that's separated into sections, as well as a secret facility that is located beneath the park. They're technically separate, but the park provides a large amount of their funding, and many of the facility's employees work in the park as coverup. is this metaphor blatant enough yet?)

I'll start with Schwartz because out of the two of them, he's the significantly less fleshed out character right now (hell, I only designed him on a whim for an assignment the other week, lol).

Schwartz feels a lot of self-importance to put it lightly. He, like all other homunculi deemed powerful but not good enough for the broader cause, is supposed to partner up with a human and act as their weapon for the sake of that earlier, more passive cause. And he absolutely loathes the idea that his only purpose in life is to serve another as a weapon.

He is one of those who works at the park as coverup, being an acrobat in one of their longest-running circus acts, but he wouldn't really say that's where his passion lies either. He's a very lone wolf type of person because of his quest for independence, but as a result, he refuses to acknowledge that in order to escape out into the world and live independently, he is inevitably going to need help from somebody else.

He needs guidance because whether he likes it or not, he's very sheltered in the park. He's a lone wolf, but still very much a sheep.

Maysix is a little bit more complicated, since his entire existence also relies very heavily on that of another character that I'm yet to design; a absolute brick shithouse of a guy named Beaux'Varyss.

Neither him and Maysix work in the park themselves, with Beaux instead working purely in the facility as their under-qualified scientist who only has a dentistry degree, and Maysix being deemed "too much of a freak" by others to leave. Maysix is very sheltered, naive to a fault, a little bit childish, and loyal as a dog to Beaux in particular.

If Schwartz is independent and hates the idea of being a weapon, Maysix is the complete polar opposite. She wants nothing more in this entire world than to be Beaux's weapon, because to it, that's their life's entire purpose.

Beaux was assigned Maysix and essentially watched him grow from a sort of larval stage into a human before she was allowed to roam free, and like anyone who might attach themselves to some not-so-stellar belief system, seeing the ramifications of it all in the form of what very closely resembled a human being gave him an absolute crisis.

As a result, he became incredibly attached to, and protective of Maysix; always staying at his side, giving up his own room for them to sleep in, spoiling her rotten with stuff from the outside world that he thinks would make her happy (she really likes fish because they're in the water! She used to be in the water!), being on top of it with his health, and above all else, refusing to let Maysix be his weapon, and desperately trying to explain to them why that has to be the case without hurting them in the process (it doesn't ever work).

The whole thing about Maysix being "too much of a freak" to leave is more specifically in reference to how Physically unstable she is; like many of the other homunculi, she is one of hundreds, if not thousands of prototypes, all of which are flawed in their own ways. It's why they're reduced to weapons as opposed to THE weapon. To act as Beaux's weapon even once could destroy her irreparably. Beaux`Varyss wants to escape with Maysix. To run away and give him that happy life that he knows it deserves. And the truth of the matter is that it IS possible for them. They are a small, near insignificant blip in this facility; people who aren't worth the trouble to catch if they leave, because no amount of bad press could make the place's existence sound like any more than a conspiracy theory.

But that's not what Beaux is scared of.

He has dedicated so much time and so many years to this project, and so much extra time to fortifying Maysix's walls, keeping him within this thin veil of safety... He can't just back away from it now, because leaving would mean he would need to rejoin society. Rediscover his personhood. Abandon his beliefs instead of tirelessly convincing himself that he's still somehow fighting for something good.

He would have to take a good long look in the mirror and come to terms with the person he was manipulated into being.

And that terrifies him more than anything else in the world. It does him in further where he and maysix are less of a blip, slowly becoming more important to defense with the protagonist and her crew finding them as opposed to literally anybody else. Now, his and Maysix's window for escape is finally beginning to shrink, and it's easier for Beaux to convince himself that it was always shrinking; that he did all he could to prolong the inevitable as opposed to just taking that leap.

Now it's not a matter of whether or not Beaux wants Maysix to be his weapon, it's a matter of when he will have no choice but to make it happen.

With every second he wastes, he sinks with the ship, dragging Maysix down with him, and it will be the downfall of both of them.

AND THOSE ARE MY FREAKS!!!!!! Schwartz started out as a one-off guy for a school assignment and Maysix and Beaux are the world's loosest emduo expys that only tangentially resemble their starting points now. I love them and i am absolutely cheesed about them.

THANK YOU FOR ASKING ABOUT THEM!! YAY!!

[nullen-void]

A Random Skeleton Rates the Paper Mario Games

Paper Mario: 7/10

Paper Mario is charming and cute, but decidely primitive and unrefined compared to its immediate successor. I find the controls to be finicky and unreliable, but I admit my experience is only with rereleases and emulators, so perhaps on the original N64 it worked better.

Story-wise, it's the standard Mario story where Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach. It's not special but this particular execution is bolstered by the world it's set in. All the characters we meet are entertaining, the places we go start out simple but steadily get more interesting as we go, and Princess Peach: Super Spy is a delight.

It's a good game, but it's held back by ancient graphics and, in my experience, strange controls. If and when we get a remake that upgrades it to the same level of quality as TTYD, it might move up to a great game.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door: 10/10

Yes yes, it's obvious and my bias is showing. I grew up with this one, it was a Christmas present, and it's nostalgic.

But in this case the popular opinion is just true. The game plays like a dream, the partners are amazing characters, and the story is a step or three above Mario's usual fare.

Admiral Bobbery's story is simple enough for a child to understand but sincere enough for even adults to tear up, and I wish Goombella was my best friend in real life. I use to name the Yoshi Kid Gonzap because I was also playing Pokémon Colisseum at the time and I thought it matched Mario's stage name of Gonzales.

Princess Peach: Super Spy makes a return and her story with a lonely supercomputer is fascinating, and all the more so for how little we see of it. My only complaint is it needed more Bowser.

TTYD is a truly great game, and the fact it's getting a remake makes me excited to play it all over again.

Super Paper Mario: 9/10

SPM is without a doubt the greatest story in the entire Mario franchise. The only thing holding it back is the complete and total alteration to gameplay. The only real thing relating it to the previous two games is the artstyle.

But man. It's just such a good story guys. Luigi gets brainwashed, an entire world gets turned into an empty white void, Mario suffocates in space, an incomprehensible Scotsman is best friends with a little girl who turns into a spider and a clown comes within a hair's breadth of destroying all of reality on a lark.

There are no partners, no badges, no real RPG elements left... it could have easily been the most polarizing game in the series, and for a time it was. But its failings are all made up for and then some by the greatest love story in Nintendo history.

Paper Mario Sticker Star: 5/10

Some of you will think I'm being too kind (he said, knowing less than ten people will ever read this). But Sticker Star is a perfectly fine game.

I was never bothered by the backtracking. I was annoyed by the battle system but never to the point of frustration. Some of the puzzles were obtuse but I freely admit that I'm not afraid of looking up a guide when I can't solve something myself. It's fine.

But it's only fine. It's not great, and I hesitate to call it good. It can drag on and on. But I had fun with it, after I got over the fact that it wasn't TTYD2.

Because that's the real problem here. In a vacuum, it's a perfectly fine game. But compared to the other games in the series, it's just... not Paper Mario. There's Mario, and he's made of paper, but there's more to it than that that the game doesn't seem to grasp. It's sad really.

It's fine. It's okay. But it'll never be more than that.

Paper Mario Color Splash: 6/10

It's pretty good. It has a lot of the same problems as Sticker Star, but... less so. Huey is more tolerable than Kersti, the paint mechanic is more interesting than just laying stickers everywhere, the levels are all more well-developed than any of the previous game's, and it's actually very funny.

It is once again Bowser kidnapping Peach, but at least this time it's because he was possessed by evil paint. Luigi saves the day in this game, so that earns it a whole extra point right there.

And the music is phenomenal. It always is, even Sticker Star has A+ music, but Color Splash is especially good. This game has good vibes.

In the end though, while I can call it good, it's still bogged down by the battle system and the lackluster story. The characters are okay, such as they are.

Paper Mario: The Origami King: 8/10

Yeah I put it higher than the first game, what of it?

Origami King gets it. It wants to be a good Paper Mario game so badly, and it very nearly accomplishes it. Olivia is a delight, Bobby is a startlingly effective character, and the villain isn't even Bowser.

It's back to being a connected world instead of being level-based. It has an extremely simplified badge system. The story, while not on the level of TTYD or SPM, is still fairly gripping (though it takes about two-thirds of the way through before you get the big twist of what Olly's deal is), and I would actually argue that Mario the character is more expressive here than the entire rest of the series. He emotes! He feels sad! He tries to stop his friend from committing suicide and FAILS! I swear to God that's a thing that actually happens in this game.

Origami King has issues. All of the bosses are oversized office equipment, and there's just no coming back from that, but even still, it's a fun ride.

This concludes this essay. I hope the five people who will ever read this enjoyed, and please feel free to give your own thoughts in the comments.

[pigeonwhumps]

Stargazing

Finding Safety masterlist

Whump girl summer day 1: stargazing

Taglist: @littlespacecastle @whumpymirages @flowersarefreetherapy @painful-pooch

On a cold night after escaping Tyrone, Aaliyah and Cass watch the stars.

614 words

CW: homelessness, BBU, pet whump, past pet whump, starvation, freezing, exposure, brief mentions of possible death by hypothermia, mention of discrimination against Romantics

Aaliyah pulls the detective's jacket tighter around herself and Cass, curling into his side. It's cold tonight. At least it isn't snowing yet.

"Take the coat. It is not enough for us both, and you are colder than me."

Aaliyah shakes her head. It will be big enough to cover them both at least a little, she'll make sure of it. The ground is sparkling with ice and frost, and Cass will freeze if he's not covered up.

He might freeze anyway actually, both of them might, given how little they're wearing, but Cass isn't up to walking around to stave off the cold.

Aaliyah hunches against the cardboard that's their only shield from the hard ground, shivering. The cardboard is damp and cold, and the night has barely started. She wishes they had somewhere to go. Master's house was warmer, she wishes they could go back there.

But it was rarely warm for Cass. And they can't go back.

They can't ever go back.

Good pets shouldn't wish, anyway.

"You will freeze here, Aaliyah."

Aaliyah spreads her hands slightly. Where's she supposed to go? She's not leaving Cass, and it's the fact that she's a Romantic that stopped them from being allowed in the last safehouse. Cass could find somewhere if he was just willing to abandon her, but he isn't. She's grateful for that, but not if it kills him.

"I do not know. But you are still freezing. We will find somewhere to go tomorrow. We have to." Cass hunkers down on the damp cardboard, into the position he always uses at Master's to conserve heat. He curls an arm around Aaliyah, too, and somehow he feels warm. She's still shivering, that's good, but she can barely feel herself. Just Cass against her. The backstreets of Boston were near-empty today, the few people hurrying past wrapped up in jumpers and padded coats, paying no mind to the two pets huddled under a thinning trenchcoat that's nowhere near big enough for the both of them. Now everyone else is inside, away from the cold, and they have a few coins that people dropped for them but according to Cass it's not much. Not enough to buy anything warm.

Aaliyah smells something fried as the shop's doors open and shut, and her stomach clenches painfully. It's been days since she last ate.

"We will find a safehouse tomorrow," mumbles Cass. He must be doing as badly as her, if not worse, but he's trying to keep her spirits up and she's grateful for it. "Or we will find somewhere else safe to stay. We cannot stay out here much longer. But tonight, I will show you the stars."

Aaliyah's face is too frozen to smile but she strokes Cass' cheek affectionately. It's like a block of ice. He rests his hand on her arm, his other pointing towards the sky, towards a constellation that looks like a shopping trolley.

"That is the big dipper. Ursa major. The plough. It has a lot of names. Isabella calls it the shopping trolley. The one above it is called the little dipper. Little bear, and the big bear."

Aaliyah looks at Cass, and then back up at the sky. He's a bit like a bear. Grizzled, protective. Not a polar bear though or he'd be doing better in the cold.

God, it really is cold. She thought she knew what cold was, when she was dressed like this and exposed in the barely-heated arena, but she was wrong. Very wrong.

"We will be okay. We will find somewhere to stay," Cass murmurs. Aaliyah nods shallowly.

She only hopes they don't freeze to death before they do.

[medea10]

My Review of Lycoris Recoil

How did I get into this anime? I had a few open slots for new anime last summer. Plus, this came on the recommendation of one of my friends.

Japan seems to be at the most peaceful here than I’ve ever seen in any anime. That’s thanks to these assassins (known as “Lycoris”). Their jobs are to stop crime before it starts. One such Lycorsis is named Takina Inoue. There’s no doubt that she can get the job done, but really has no mindset for innocent bystanders. For fuck’s sake, she used a machine gun to take down some kidnappers and no fucks given about the hostage. Takina has a mindset that goes like, “You’re alive, right? So, you’re fine!” Takina was later moved to another section by a DA. Takina will now live and work at a café named LycoReco. Random. Actually, quite the opposite as this café has quite the crack-team including the hacker Kurumi, the getaway driver Mizuki, and the bad-ass teacher Mika.

Takina is now the newest member of this little section under the careful eye of Chisato Nishikigi. Chisato is another young girl that’s about Takina’s age and is considered to be the best Lycoris to learn from. However, Chisato is the polar opposite of Takina. Chisato is a lot more extroverted and has a philosophy of avoiding casualties during missions and that includes the bad guys. Can Takina learn something from spending time with Chisato and the other workers at LycoReco?

BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: This has been claimed by Aniplex of America and Crunchyroll. I got the opportunity to hear the English dub to this and thought they did a really good job. But I already knew it was in good hands when you’ve got Xanthe Huynh and Lizzie Freeman in the cast. Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

JAPANESE CAST: *Takina is played by Shion Wakayama

*Chisato is played by Chika Anzai (known for Mina on Attack on Titan, Barbara on The Promised Neverland, Ryou on Taisho Fairy Tale, Nanamine on Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun, and Sugawara on O Maidens in Your Savage Season)

ENGLISH CAST: *Takina is played by Xanthe Huynh (known for Platelets on Cells at Work, Hanyuu on Higurashi Gou, Menma on Anohana, Nagisa on Madoka Magica, Hanayo on Love Live, and PallaPalla on Sailor Moon [redub])

*Chisato is played by Lizzie Freeman (known for Chizuru on Rent-A-Girlfriend, Trish on Jojo’s Pt. 5, Hinata on Tokyo Revengers, Cardinal on SAO: Alicization, Mujika on The Promised Neverland, and Kizuna on Shield Hero)

SHIPPING: Let’s just say I ship these two the same way I ship Mikoto and Kuroko from the Railgun/Index series. I support it. I know it isn’t canon-canon, but enough hints were dropped for a majority of fans to support this.

CONTROVERSIAL EYE-CATCH: Has there ever been controversy revolving around an eye-catch? You know, those 5-second eye-catches animes put up halfway into an episode! In episode 11, we get an eye-catch of the girls putting spider lilies (a.k.a. those fucking flowers) in their mouths and smoking them like a cigarette. The higher-ups said, “Oh no, we can’t have our fans mimicking this. Those flowers are poisonous AF!” And so, it is changed from now on! One might think that this was taken way too far. But again, those fucking flowers are poisonous. Cosplayers will do anything to get that perfect shot. I wouldn’t put anything past anyone.

ENDING: Pretty much every major showdown this series has given us is connected to everything that happened in the first few episodes, those ammo hijackers. The one that seems to be pulling the strings is this guy named Majima. He’s the one who looks like a poor man’s Meme Oshino. Majima knows that he’s been tracked by a Lycoris, mainly Chisato. As it turns out, the two of them have more in common than one would think. Both were involved in a major event that caused the massive destruction of the Tokyo Tower. And both had extreme surgery by an institute.

It was made clear that Chisato had some major surgery done. She has no heartbeat due to this advanced machinery put in. Mika and the Alan Institute took a chance with this as Chisato was already showing promise as a Lycoris. But the heart condition she had would have squashed that. Unfortunately, Chisato’s life has been significantly shortened. A shady nurse that’s in cahoots with Mr. Yoshie (the man who gave Chisato’s life a second chance) drugged Chisato during a physical and tinkered with her ticker. At most, Chisato has two months to live.

Bigger changes are also on the horizon. Chisato got the DA to allow Takina to return. And most surprising of all is that LycoReco is going to close down. This means that Kurumi and Mizuki can leave Japan and do their own thing before coming into this life. We gotta start wondering why Mr. Yoshie is behind this sudden change with Chisato. Well, he and Mika made arrangements on how many kills she’s able to make. But as we all know, Chisato doesn’t want to kill anyone. Mika just wanted Chisato to live a happy life. We might have to put all that drama to the side as Majima hijacked all communication and revealed of the Lycoris’s existence (as the group has been top secret up to this point) and kinda set traps all around the city. If the Lycoris see civilians with firearms, they get in position out of habit. So, this is not good. Not just that, but Chisato and Mika are dealing with a hacker who kidnapped Mr. Yoshie.

Chisato made it to where Mr. Yoshie was being held and was confronted by Majima. He was able to tilt the fight to his own advantage and got in a couple of cheap-shots. In the meantime, his hijacking broadcast is still making airwaves showing the residents of Japan that yes, killer little girls walk among us and 3000 people disappear a year because of them. Okay, enough of this Meme Oshino knock-off. Let’s get this LycoReco crew back together again. The crew was able to temporarily knock-out Majima and hack into the system to stop broadcast of the Lycoris. Unfortunately, the higher-ups are ready to exterminate every, last Lycoris because their identities were revealed.

Okay, now is when I can be suspicious of this anime. Never trust an anime that features those red fucking flowers in the opening sequence. Because there’s a chance many characters are going to be killed.

Anyways, Chisato and Takina were able to save the Lycoris that were about to be exterminated. The only thing that fell through for Takina was that she was stopped by Chisato when she tried to go after Mr. Yoshie. He was of course responsible for Chisato’s shortened life-span. But Chisato’s kind nature once again prevents anyone from dying. Although, she does shoot Mr. Yoshie (it just doesn’t kill him). Mika might kill him though. He shows he can really kick ass! Chisato winds up alone with Majima again. He’s going to suicide-bomb the building. Luckily, Takina is coming to the rescue. Now the next things that happen I can only chalk this up as convenience.

Majima takes a nasty tumble during the altercation and is somehow still alive. The “bomb” he set off was really fireworks. Chisato is going to remain alive thanks to Mr. Yoshie again.

Okay then. I’m all for happy endings, but all of this seems rather too convenient.

In the aftermath, LycoReco is back open. But Chisato never returned. Takina eventually went on a mission to track her down. In Chisato fashion, she decided to heal herself alone. Well, everyone wound up together again and end up in Hawaii. Okay, that sounds like something Chisato would do.

This anime was definitely a wild card of excitement. Usually, the summer anime seasons are the “lull” season with not much going on. Last summer was no exception, it was a bit of a lull. But Lycoris Recoil and Made in Abyss were the big hits of that season in my opinion. What’s even better is that Lycoris Recoil is an original anime. The manga adaptation only came out 2 months after the anime’s premier. This anime was silly, action-packed, and just a joy to watch. For all of you action fanatics, this might be right up your alley. Many reviewers say this is like John Wick. I have never watched any of the John Wick movies, but that’s probably an incentive if you have.

I’m glad this anime is getting more attention here and there. I mean, they collabed with Pizza Hut recently. God, could these two be any more like the girls from Railgun?! Okay, that’s all from me. I say give it a go!

If you want to check this out, Crunchyroll has every episode available for streaming (and in several languages as well).

[bookdragonofsomekind]

******Manga-Monday 01******

Tokyo Ghoul Volume 01

Summary: 

Meet Ken Kaneki, a shy college student who loves to read. One day Ken’s dream finally comes true when a charming girl named Rize decides to go on a date with him. She seems to be the perfect girl for Kaneki. She even reads the same books as him! Even better she has the same favourite author! What could go wrong now? 

Happily ever after.

Unfortunately Rize is not a big fan of fairytales and seeks a different end for her date. 

Poor Kaneki.

Characters you will meet in this volume:

Ken Kaneki 

Hide 

Rize Kamishiro

Touka Kirishima

Dr. Kano 

Hisashi Ogura 

Yomo

Mr. Yoshimura  

Nishiki Nishio 

Quotes I particularly liked:

"I’m not the protagonist of a book or anything, I’m just a normal college student who likes to read, but if I were to write a book with me as the main character it would be a tragedy." - Kaneki 

"The bird struggles out of the egg. The egg is the world. Whoever would be born must first destroy a world." - Herrmann Hesse/ Kaneki 

"You are both ghoul and human at the same time. You are the only person who has a place in both worlds." - Mr. Yoshimura  

My thoughts:

What brought me to read Tokyo Ghoul in the first place was my boyfriend. You can absolutely blame him for this project. Tokyo Ghoul is one of his favourite manga series. 

You could say that I’m a fairly new beginner when it comes to manga and anime. I only started one and a half years ago with watching anime regularly and I think a year ago with reading manga. 

(You can also totally and absolutely blame my boyfriend for this)

So starting Tokyo Ghoul I’m not completely new to the premise of the story. My partner already told me a few things about the story and characters. 

Just a small disclaimer that I wanted to get out of the way.

So let’s start…

First things first Tokyo Ghoul is written and drawn by Sui Ishida and was published in 2011. I’ve gotta say I love the art style but also dislike it sometimes. Throughout the first chapters the illustrations are easy to follow and wonderful to look at. But when the action panels start it gets a bit tricky for me. That might be because I have little experience with manga of course. But I wish that he would have drawn some panels with a bit more clarity. 

Kaneki at first seems to be the typical side character even though he is absolutely the main character of this story. But with characteristics like being shy, reading a lot and having a non existing social life (except of course for Hide, his best friend) Kaneki would not have been my first pick as an interesting character. But what makes him interesting is his reaction of the tragedy that befalls his life. He keeps fighting with himself to accept what happened to him. Frankly he doesn’t really know what happened to him. But as he learns more about his new self and the world that changed before him he still is set on denying being a monster and separating himself from the "monsters" around him. He is and always will be human (we will see about that).

He is very strong willed. Which is not always a good thing. He’s also pretty good at talking himself into the depths of depression. 

It was a bit weird for me that he doesn’t tell anyone (not even his best friend) what happened in the alley with Rize. He keeps to himself. Tries to deal with it without help from the outside. He decides to be alone in this matter. 

Even when Hide tries to break through to him. Hide is the polar opposite from Kaneki, loud and he appears not to be the brightest. But as you read on you learn that that is definitely not the case. He notices a lot and he is a very capable people reader. He senses danger. (Something that Kaneki is not as good… unfortunately for him).

As Kaneki is being changed the world around him changes too. Or at least Kanekis perspective of it. Where in his eighteen years he never had an encounter with a single ghoul he now is trembling into them at every corner. 

And we quickly learn that not every ghoul is the same. I really liked Touka for example. She felt very real. She is someone who has a lot of anger inside of her. She implied many times throughout the volume that she didn’t have it easy in life. Being treated shitty from the human side as well as the ghoul side. By just confronting Kaneki how cake tastes or how easy it must be to eat all the time whenever you want. She is scarred from her life and knows the rules how to get by. 

On the other side we have ghouls like Nishiki to show the complete opposite. I’ve got the feeling that Nishiki is the "standard" ghoul in the story. By that I mean a cruel, asshole who doesn’t care about humans but is pretty good at disguising as one and being charming just to get what he wants. Manipulative, greedy and absolutely power hungry. As he doesn’t only treat Hide (kinda his prey) like absolute shit but also Kaneki (a ghoul just like him (who looks to be a bit inferior against Nishiki)). Not to mention the rivalry between ghouls which is portrayed in the territory fights we’ve seen in this volume. 

And then again we meet Touka's boss aka Mr. Yoshimura . He screams father figure to Touka and I could imagine that he will also be a great influence for Kaneki. He is just cozily nice (except for the human flesh in his fridge). He didn’t waste a minute to offer his help to poor Kaneki. And even after Kaneki doesn’t take his first "present" he still wants to help. Mr. Yoshimura  achieves something that didn’t happen before. 

Let me explain what I mean by that. I think and believe that so far Hide was the only good thing in Kanekis life. Of course Kaneki read or drew and found joy in that. But what I mean is that Hide was and is so far the only connection that Kaneki has to his "real" world. He goes out to dinner with or introduces other people to him. So of course Kaneki saw Hide as his only hope to ever live a normal life again after the incident with Rize. 

But Mr. Yoshimura  achieves to give Kaneki a sliver of hope to live a normal life again. And Kaneki, just by asking if he could work for him in his restaurant, takes it.

Not really a character but a thing that I really liked was when Kanekis ghoul side showed up! I really enjoyed the chaos that broke loose between Nishiki and Kaneki… and how Nishiki didn’t even have a chance. I will call it muscle memory from Rize and yes people could say that Kaneki is overpowered from the very beginning. Being good at fighting and all. But I like the fact that he just went feral and annihilated Nishiki (something he deserved). 

Minor characters like Dr. Kano appears to be pretty sus to me (Who transplants organs without permission ?!) just like Hisashi Ogura the ghoul expert (I’m still asking myself how he knows so much about ghouls). I think they will (and I hope, I want the answers!) appear again.

The world building so far is nothing to be mentioned that much. It’s the world we live in but with predators on top of the food chain that aren’t humans. The volume doesn’t explain too much what’s up with the ghouls but I’m fairly sure we will see more of it in future volumes. What we know so far is pretty dope! Ghouls don’t have a choice… they have to eat humans or else they will die. Their weapons seem to be their kagune, they have changing eyes, are kinda indestructible and then the usual heighten sense of smell, very strong and totally sassy. 

All in all it’s a good opening to a story and I’m definitely intrigued to read on. There are many questions still unanswered and I really really hope I will get them answered. 

Please leave your thoughts and be kind and don’t spoiler anything!

Thank you for taking your time!

Please feel free to discuss your thoughts, I would like to hear them!

I will see you in a week with a new volume!

[mistress-chan]

1095 Days Into My Life

Unfortunately I have not written as many actual blog posts as I would like, mainly keeping up with my #WeebWednedsay and other random fandom things. But today is a little different, today is three years into my life, my true life, a life I never thought I would live. Before I continue I will say this might get a bit deep, a bit personal, has trigger warning for mental health issues, and a lot of gay. If you have issues with anything lgbtqia+ or are a TERF please kindly fuck off. Good, now that that is out of the way, welcome to my life.

Let’s wind the clock back three years, I hated my life and myself. My father used to say before anything you had to love yourself and at the time I loathed myself. I could put on a mask to go to work, I would don a black duster to be who I thought was my true self, but I still hated who I was. I just thought it was part of having bi-polar disorder and depression, the feeling of always being on the razor’s edge of suicide just trying never to actually take an actual razor in hand. I will say I never committed any acts of self-harm which mainly one reason I never tried was out of spite for others. But now, I truly can say I love myself. How did that happen?

We need to go back a bit longer to see the start of this, that wonderful time of SARS-CoV-2 aka COVID-19. I at the time was working full time at home so the world shutting down around me did not cause me to have to drastically change what I already was not doing (being social), but during this time I did some reflection and saw that yeah I really did not like myself and needed to change it. And here is where my love of Utena just predicts things. I present to you THE EGG SPEECH:

If the egg's shell does not break, the chick will die without being born. We are the chick; the egg is the world. If the world's shell does not break, we will die without being born. Break the world's shell! For the sake of revolutionizing the world!

Now in the anime the egg is a whole different thing but in the lgbtqia+ community being an egg means you are trans but do not know it yet. You have your egg cracked when you figure out that yeah you might be trans. Which I kept saying for me never happened because for the longest time I said I was gender fluid and for a while used Ze/Zir pronouns but that has changed. See for a while I would do what in the convention world is known as CrossPlay, which is to cosplay a character that is a different gender than yours and well looking back I am surprised that it took this look to figure out that yeah I am girl.

Anyway, going back to why today matters, I decided to go talk to someone about what options I have for transing my gender and found a wonderful doctor who went over everything and prescribed the first dose of estrogen that I took on Jan 30th and damn did my body like what it got. I dropped the Ze/Zir to She/Her and started to go out full time as the woman I am now. 

Another thing that happened that day that I also see as a major sign that this was the right choice (besides my health being better, that I take after my mother and grandmother, and well not hating my life), was a person on YouTube that I liked so much I give them money on Patreon and here is the video:

Identity: A Trans Coming Out Story | Philosophy Tube ★

So thank you Abigail Thorn for being there for me in a very weird way. And I just found out she has a Tumblr account so yeah check here out here: theabigailthorn.tumblr.com

I am not going to say everything has been easy, I got fired from my job at the time for being trans, I have had the governor of the state I live in want me dead, I lost a favorite books series that I connected with because the author also seems to want me dead, and I am now the scariest thing to a conservative white male, transgender.

But honestly things have gone better than I expected. My family has taken it rather well, even those who I thought would not be as open to it have started to be more comfortable about it. The con I help with well they already had me wearing a lolita outfit all weekend so that was no big deal. My friends are still my friends and really that is all I can ask. I can say that I finally no longer feel weird saying that I am a lesbian and now I can be gay and do crimes. 

So for all those that think being trans is bad or harming others, or any of the other bullshit, please again go fuck yourselves, with a rusty spike. I am living my best life and I am finally able to look into a mirror and say I love the person I see and am glad that there are others that love that person as well.

Now back to your regularly scheduled whatever else I seem to do here.

-M

[lenteur]

random thoughts about strong girl nam soon, episode four

(read more because i always get carried away lol and this post might contain spoilers)

watching two episodes in a row. what happened to mal who couldn't get the motivation to watch even one episode for months?

Interesting how the mother pretends nam soon is six. She wants to pretend she never lost her and it's only the continuation of her childhood.

The chief of the diu team tasting the drug, even though he knew what effect it had on people. This makes no sense at all. He has experience in such cases and yet he still put it in his mouth. And what is that excuse? It's such a weak excuse. I think the writers wanted to k*ll him from the get go but didn't know how. This is weird.

The reunion with all her family members... we all shed some tears. She only remembers her dad because he was the last person she saw before being lost in mongolia.

Even super humans are humans. The mother feeling guilty for not protecting her daughter and feeling useless.

The bond she has with her mongolian parents is so strong. She still thinks about them and lets them know how she's doing.

I wonder if there will be a nam soon / hwang ja confrontation. I'd love that because the former thinks with her heart and emotions and the latter is manipulative and thinks with her brain to obtain what she desires. They're polar opposites.

The grandmother is so iconic. The way she makes me laugh every time. She's so funny. Her little song while dislocating the cow and breaking its bones by her bare hands is a feat of strength. And everyone is amazed, including me.

The ceo of doogo has an ambiguous aura to me because on one hand he seems haughty and looks like he has disdain for everyone other than him. But on the other hand, he doesn't have the charisma of a villain. He kind of looks almost transparent to me. Maybe because we haven't seen a lot of him in these four episodes?

honestly i've tried to understand what doogo's "official" activity was and i lack sleep so i'm not sure but they're kind of like a korean amaz*n? if i'm not mistaken (don't take my word for it though)

As expected the effect of the drugs are seen on the chief of the diu team. I really can't believe he went and put some of the drug in his mouth. Nonsense!

the bells ringing when nam soon said she'll protect hee sik. It's the little details that make this love story so cute

i think we all wanted to be nam soon at one moment in our lives. It feels so good to see her tell everyone what she thinks without hiding under excuses or anything like that.

It's the look of pure awe when kang hee sik sees nam soon's new look for me &lt;3

The way she wants to be where hee sik is because he will make her a better person <3 he's the only person that has been there for her ever since she landed in korea. he also proved her that he is a good person

i just can't with the grandma. She's just so funny! every time i see her i want to laugh. Wait that came out wrong. She's just so fun and i really enjoy every single moment she's had so far in the show

let's go love story between grandma and barista!!!

so far, nam soon is the worst undercover employee of all time.

i think hee sik has a role towards nam soon that he doesn't seem to be ready to handle. Seeing as nam soon is very oblivious to a lot of things, hee sik should have talked to her in more detail about the undercover mission. Because, at this rate, she'll get outed in no time.

what a relief that nam soon could get revenge on the airdnd scammer, even if she didn't get her money back

preview of the next episode seems really promising. Nam soon will confront both hwa ja and doogo's ceo.

A good episode

i'll give this one a 8/10

[mceefrankee]

Renfield Review.

A cacophony of horror that might be too much for some audiences but just enough for die hard Dracula fans

Renfield was good, it was basically the movie kick ass with dracula elements in it. I didn't watch any trailers so I was pleasantly surprised. I wish Nic Cage came out more but when he was on screen it was fangtastic lol He was definitely the right choice for the role. He brings all the eccentric and weirdo vibes an immortal blood sucker should have. Sexy and creepy, perfect casting. It's almost a shame because he completely overshadows everyone else. Nicholas hoult did a good job carrying the film, he definitely has that everyman energy who you wouldn't expect to fuck shit up. Reminiscent of films like kick ass, and upgrade, I actually got zombieland vibes from this. Similar humor and tone. I thought he fit the role well but I think any other British dude would've worked. Andrew Garfield would've been amazing at this actually. Awkafina, I love you girl but literally anyone could have been in this role too. She is spunky, she's got moxy, she's funny but shes just fine. Not a very memorable performance which is not really her fault, I didn't walk into this expecting any Oscar winning performances. Overall the acting was adequate, you won't get bored watching any of these guys I promise. Maybe I'm being a little dramatic but that's how I felt.

I feel like if this came out right after Kick-Ass it would've enjoyed a far greater audience and more people would be into the tone it has to offer. However, today I could see why this movie is a little polarizing. Some of the writing feels outdated, like that Jennifer Lawrence film that's coming out or that hangover 3 film but with women. A lot of people are gonna like it, like myself, but I think a lot of people might walk out feeling confused about what exactly this movie was trying to be. It's funny but not haha funny, it's scary but not heart attack scary. It has a romance but it doesn't compel me. It's an action film but it doesn't compete with the monster known as John Wick which is currently dominating the box office. Again, I liked this movie but it wants to do too much at once. A longer run time might have helped that but then you risk boring the audience. It's tricky, I feel it barely held together as it is and quite frankly can't think of too many ways to change this film, aside from more Dracula.

I thought an interesting idea was Dracula as a mob boss which barley gets explored but it was cool nonetheless. Very gorey, but it fit the tone. Renfield needed more development, I would've liked to see a bit more of his back story and more of him being a pathetic freak but it was fiiiinnnne. At 1 and a half hours I would've appreciated a longer run time, I was down for 2 hours of this but I can see why it was kept short. Very snappy pacing, very light hearted, the sentimental bits just didn't land at all lol but I understand that it just didn't fit the tone. Wonderful practical effects, CGI was ok, get ready for mortal Kombat levels of violence. Pretty cool cinematography, the colors and overall aesthetic, wardrobe, OMG I was in love, this is the kinda stuff I wanna draw. Neon lighting, fashionable clothing, the creepy production design. I don't want to say this film is all style and no substance. The story works fine, the heartless dracula gets a servant, the servant grows a heart, shenanigans ensue. It's serviceable, no glaring plot holes, i barley cared for the titular character or the main cast, Dracula really steals the show and that's forgivable, I mean it's Nicholas fucking Cage lol the rest of the performances are perfectly fiinnne.

TLDR: Renfield is an enjoyable movie, really cool fight scenes, humor that borders on immature and edgy, nice aesthetic if you're into goth stuff and neon lighting. Very violent. Not a very compelling character study but it is worth experiencing all the bloody horror on a big screen. If you're looking for a Dracula movie this will scratch the itch but simultaneously make you want to seek out other vampire flicks. I was left wanting more but considering this movie is named after the servant and not the dark lord himself, I suppose I was a little at fault for not tempering my expectations.

I would say check it out while it's in theaters if you like Dracula but definitely throw it on for this Halloween when it's available at home.

I know my followers aren't used to this kinda post, but fuck it we ball.

[abrahams-rib]

Proactive Parenting vs Reactive Parenting

I often times think about how I was raised, especially when it comes time to deal with certain situations with my own child. Due to my own abuse, I thought just providing my sons materialistic needs were enough. I didn't want to "abuse" him like how I was, with constant beatings and degrading language so I did the polar opposite and spoiled him in a sense. I needed him to know I loved him, so my form of discipline was very reactionary instead of proactive. I didn't realize until it was presented to me that I was actually still in my own way neglecting my child. I want to be clear and let it be known that I do not believe a woman can raise a child alone. Children need their fathers or a father figure in their lives, it's very important for many reasons whether it be a little girl or a little boy. I was raising my son of the preconceived notion that life would eventually work things out for him, that the behaviour problems I saw would eventually go away.. like he would grow out of them. Boy, was I delusional because that is not how life works or the proper way to raise a child. Proverbs 22:6 says "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it" I was not instilling the proper discipline or healthy skills and character for him to become a good child and eventually a good man. Not only that I was still healing from the trauma of my own childhood thinking that I can just do the bare minimum and things would be okay. It was only when I began to heal from what I went through as a child was I able to see the damage I had done on my son. Raising a child is a lot like programming, much like how this wicked world tries to do to us all on a daily basis. I had to gut out everything we both thought we knew about our Mother - Son relation and re-install healthy and functional qualities. I came to notice that over time without noticing I was less of a parent to my son and more of a friend. It took a little over a year of deprogramming, introducing new discipline, following the scriptures guidelines in Sirach on raising a child, and remaining firm and consistent. To be honest I failed more than a few times, and I caved when I saw him cry still worried he might think that what I was doing was abuse. I second guessed myself and reacted out of emotion more times than I want to admit. I love my child but I had to realize that cockering him was not love and would inevitably lead to his downfall as a adult. Now with him almost being 8 we are at a point where he expects consequences for his actions and he is a lot less entitled than he used to be. Thodah Abba Ya.

I remember growing up how there was so much yelling, I was never allowed to ask why and everything no matter if it was an accident or a childlike mistake led to a severe beating or punishment. The thing that I like about gentle/proactive parenting is that it allows the child to participate in there discipline and gain better understanding of the lesson by asking questions and getting the opportunity to feel shame and repentance on their own. For example, say your child spills something, they were never supposed to have in the first place. Instead of snatching them up and whooping them or punishing them, you ask what happened and allow them the space to be honest. The child is honest and then you inquire about why they did what they did, then you tell them that it's their responsibility to then clean up or repair whatever it is they made a mess of. While you watch them fix their own mess you ask them what they could have done differently, you advise them on the better thing to do and by the end of it, if you have been raising your child well from a young age they should apologize because they were not met with wrath but rather disappointment which I have learned has a much stronger effect. I am still on a journey as a mother and I know I have more to learn as my son grows and I have more children. I am excited to see how YA'OH's plan comes forth in our lives. If you are a parent I wish you well in your journey as you heal and learn to parent your children in the most healthy way.

[quasonn]

for anyone willing to read, i have a little personal note. its not sad just a little bit in the beginning .

I lost well actually i ghosted and quit my job as a lawyer in 2022 after a bad string of events resulting in my complete mental breakdown, i was dead depressed and hallucinating visually and hearing stuff too, did the whole therapy thing till i could no longer afford and eventually left the city to move back home, in my tiny hill-station. I have accepted I am a people pleaser and regardless of what people say i like it, just trying to find a balance between wrecking myself and pleasing people, however with the breakdown i lost a lot of good friends which made me feel even shittier and even those that left behind are the finest people i know but even they couldnt really figure how to deal with the things i am going through, parents included, though i had suicidal feelings, i am a positive golden retriever and look forward to life, the polar opposite nature of my issues and myself is prolly why the doctor slapped bpd on my forehead as soon as i started talking to him. however this is not a sad post guys, as the months have gone by, I have accepted that it is not easy to live like this nor will people will truly understand you or your problems, maybe you will be fortunate enough to find them in your problems and i hope you do but its not going to happen for me, but I am fine with it now. I cannot return working as a lawyer, i cant explain this to my friends and family but i cannot be in a profession where someones dignity as a person is literally based on the efforts i put and i no longer have the confidence to hold such a position any longer when a random flip in the switch will leave me fetal position under the bed for hours trying to shut off the world. so i am good with it, i still dont have a job but im working to learn new skills, i even have some new goals, the first one being getting a job, and travelling....but really why i wanted to share this note with you guys is because i met a girl yesterday, and i didnt know it was possible to have the stomach squishy squishy feelings at 28, but it fell great, she was great, pretty, adorable, funny....i might need to learn more adjectives to describe, i have been single for so long because i thought i cant be in a relationship when i hold such a dumbass mental condition but i dont know guys, i mean i dont have a job yet and there is the brain being a fuzz bucket, but i am not sad nor am i thinking pessimistic thoughts at all, in fact i am thinking, shit i could make things work, idk i feel rather optimistic. I feel in love. God I am gushing as i am writing this. okay 'in love' is a stretch but i was making up nicholas spark worthy monologues in my head when i returned home yesterday lol. I was very drunk though yesterday, it was a friendly outing, and a friend of mine brought her along. I wanted to share this with my best friends really cause you know this boii hasnt been like this since like 2016, but one had a recent breakup and the other best friend is the partner she broke up with, so i cant even send her a 'sup' before it goes into a full blown, "how can he do this?" "How did she do that?" its been 5 months already and i find myself third wheeling their trauma too post break up. so here i am in tumblr, hungover and sharing with a bunch of strangers how i met a girl yesterday and since then i have been cartwheeling around town cause the giddy wont stop. lol thenkz for the listen!! this has been fun.

[blorbfoosh]

PART X - Resolution

Polar’s eyes scanned the girl’s torso, hands deftly massaging the sore muscles. This was certainly new- and very odd. Last she heard, there was a large, deep gash that spread diagonally across her abdomen- But all that remained of it was a faint scar, thin and reddish. As if she was just lightly grazed.

..The raven-haired individual wanted to take a blood sample to be sure, but it was a little too sudden for the kid. She had just broken out of a lab- Where she probably was used to getting samples taken. Polar was a curious soul, but she was still a mother at heart.

Testing’s gonna have to wait.

“Is.. is it bad, miss?”

Her quiet, slightly accented voice broke the cat out of her thoughts, and she found herself staring into those garnet eyes once more. It was odd, seeing such a familiar face so.. young and whole. 

“You’re quite the surprise, Fyrligh. Nothing's severely damaged- Just pretty tense. You heal up nicely, even without magic. I wouldn't strain myself with physical stuff for a week if I were you- But considering you, and your.. Experiences, you might need just a few days to fully recover.”

The child nodded, bringing down her shirt, before looking around quietly, her legs swaying softly. Polar took a small breath, before starting to pack away her supplies. Nillyx had called her over earlier to update her on everything- and to do a checkup on the kid and Rou. Seems like R30N gone feral and both were attacked, according to the older redhead.

Gods there were two of them now.

She just realized that.

“Miss Polar, do you think I-”

“You good, Ris?”

Rou popped her head out of the hallway and into the living room, a faint smell of burritos following her. Of course she'd be making that for lunch. Whatever Fyrligh was going to say soon died down, and the kid shut her mouth.

“Yeah, just packing up. Food’s done?”

“Mmm. Psyche here's a real help. She's making some sushi home mix.”

“I'm sure that'll be delish. Right, Fyrligh?”

The two older women turned their attention to the kid, sitting on the couch, holding Crumbles, Polar’s little toast dog plush. She nodded, looking around. A little awkward- But then her stomach let out a growl. Her face reddened, eyes wide with embarrassment as Polar and Rou chuckled. The badger nodded at the kid, gesturing her over.

“Wanna help out too? We're making an extra-large batch. Polar's kids are coming over later to meet you, so we're gonna be making a lot. Pluck and Killa- Whew, those two have an appetite. Never knew a plushie could stuff so much in itself.”

“Don’t forget, we also have Ryso and Rei coming around. Any news from the others?” 

Now Nillyx popped up, hands a little wet- Most presumably from washing the dishes.

“Eh- Kay's still recovering from yet another failed attempt at healing, and we already know the bros. Medai has a meeting with Cosmos today- Lyme can't come by as well, I think. He went a lil late today due to.. Circumstances.”

Rou cleared her throat softly, before looking away. Ah. So he did spend the night here. Must’ve gotten too comfortable with the badger and overslept. But could Polar blame him? Nearly a month of no talking, no contact, no nothing with your partner, only relying on updates from her cousin who refused to give away too much- Or a cousin that gave more questions than answers.

“A-anyways. We don't need a whole army here, and Nils doesn't need that much to wash.”

“You're right, but I'm still making something.” 

Polar stood up, placing her bag to the side, watching as Fyrligh placed Crumbles down with a gentle flourish and head on over to Rou- The latter giving the kid a good ruffle.

Hm. This certainly was a dynamic. She'll have to observe them further.

———

It's getting worse. 

There were so much limitations to what she could do- Not even any of the Voidkind could help out with this. The Foltir looked after the Husks and Smilers, fighting back to beat down their numbers lest they overran an area, damaging the balance and risking harm to the beings that lurked within. The Adevoi patrolled the open spaces and the Barrier, alerting the entity to any new arrivals or Lost SOULS. She couldn't think of asking Aba to assist- He has his own realm to look after- So does Daza. Both had their own lives and issues to get to.

But stars, did the Aspect of the Void feel helpless. Sometimes she wanted to do more than just watch and guide, but that was all she existed for now. To lie on the sidelines. Sometimes she just wanted to childishly stomp out and plead to the Planner about all her woes- But she’s long outgrown that stage.

“Vuiden-!”

The familiar voice broke Vuiden from her brooding state, and she felt a smile creep up on her face. Turning, she found herself in front of a large entity- Seemingly made out of a mixture of materials- Discarded junk, rooms, and waterslides. Two large slides poked up from the side of their head- Eerily reminiscent of a cat, and just behind them, a large, surly goat beast stood. They both looked down at the smaller entity- The goat with indifference(and slight concern), and the entropy.. Thing with clear worry. She accepted the loose hug from the catlike entity, nodding at the latter.

“Ah, Aba, Daza. That time of day again?”

“You betcha~! Now, lemme take a look at you. The open spot’s been spreading- A few cloves of Husks have been heading over. Daza and I took care of that though, so you needn’t worry.”

As the catlike entity pored over the new changes to her wound(the dripping has gotten worse, there was less of a searing, burning pain, and more of this chill-), Vuiden noticed something. The Root.. He was more tense than usual, a dull spark in his sockets as he looked at the vast beyond.

“This.. Matiz. How do you plan to get rid of him?”

“Daza!” He shook his head, continuing.

“He’s the cause of all of this. Shouldn’t he have what he deserves? Just the same treatment?”

..The goat was not wrong. If it were not for Matiz gaining power and escaping- She wouldn’t be ‘bedridden’ as such, needing to be looked after. Not that she minded- It was.. Nice. The company.

“We’ve located the Keiyan’s vessel. All we need is the will to let go- And the body to do so.”

That response gained a look of suspicion from the other two.

“Isn’t there one vessel per Keiyan?”

“Yes, but it seems as if this vessel has a.. Partner. Not a successor- A partner. Someone to assist her in this, approved by the stone itself. A Keiyan can choose a vessel, and the vessel a successor- But this is new.”

The goat nodded, his frown deepening in thought. The other entity frowned, before shaking their head and waving their hands lightly.

“Wait, wait, wait- So there’s two of them? Can’t we just lure the skeleton over to Daza and be done with it? He can suffer for the rest of eternity there. Let him burn, dust, form back, and repeat. Be torn apart slowly and lie there, floating, thinking about all he’s done. Make him go through the w r i n g e r.”

…Woah. Vuiden wasn’t expecting Aba to say that. “Excuse?” “He hurt you. :( Treat the other realms like this? Boop, get pushed into eternal timeout! No one deserves to bleed and fade away into themselves. >:| Plus- The state of the Void is just getting more worrying the more the Keiyan holds it open. Your state’s worsening, for starssakes.” Aba leaned close, placing a lil hand on Vuiden's shoulder reassuringly. “We’re family now, whether you like it or not. >:] You’re stuck with me neow there’s no escape~!” Surprisingly, the goat let out a small, rare smile at Aba’s antics. “And I.” ..They were family. Oh, you absolute geniuses. I’ll never thank you enough. Sitting up suddenly, Vuiden opened up a star beside her- The other two Aspects looking on in curiosity. “I’ve a plan. But- I’ll need help.” Reaching into himself, the catlike entity rummaged around, before pulling out what seemed to be a pool table. He got looks from the goat, but soon shrugged it off. “Well? We’re listening.” ——— Lunch was going splendidly, as far as Nillyx could tell. Psyche and Ryso took to Fyrligh well- And as awkward as the kid seemed right now, she seemed to be slightly enjoying herself. If the kid was any of the Rou she knew- She’ll fit in, no problem. The badger had a talent like that, always finding a way to break tension- Or make it.

Sitting down on the stairs leading up to the loft, the onyx-haired woman sighed with a smile, plate in her lap as she observed the commotion beneath her. The kids were huddled up in the middle of the living room, talking amongst themselves- Rou chatting with Pluck- Most probably about the recent mission or a new training regime. Nillyx had observed the reptilian Darkner’s interest in such topics- Most likely to Vercos coming home with new tales to share. Rei was sitting beside Rou, listening along as the duo talked- And speaking of the duck, he was here as well, sitting in the loveseat that Nillyx purchased specifically for the larger FAM members, Polar at his side. Ever since the whole slime incident, Polar’s been adamant on keeping him in sight, or at least in a 25 foot radius from her- Which was as far as the Fill can reach, apparently. If she didn’t know any better, Nils would have called her clingy. But Polar has some stuff to work out within herself, and her past. Nodding, the Guardian took another bite of sushi-rrito mix. Stars, the food combos just got more unique by the day- But hey. It was good. No complaints anywhere. ‘Psst. Nils.’ The familiar echoing of her stickman companion made her perk up and glance around. Nia never interrupted mealtimes- Especially with family. Unless of course the thing had something to share- Which was often. Yes, Nia? What’s up? ‘Can you come to the panic room quick for a sec? It’s urgent.’ Sitting up straighter, the woman glanced around, looking for a free soul to alert. It was just rude to leave without saying goodbye, of course- Even if not for long. If she had more control over the Void, Rou would’ve known by now.. But alas. Polar did pick up on her state, however, nodding slightly in acknowledgement. Nillyx nodded in gratitude, placing her plate down and heading down the hallway. Once there, she shut the door, and sighed, looking around the padded, scarred room. Notes and papers lined the walls, a remnant of a more agitated self. It’s been a while since she’s used this place…

Thick, gray tendrils surrounded her figure, wrapping around the Guardian in a gentle embrace. It was cold, but you can't really expect warmth from matter that takes warmth, can you?

After a few moments, the Void melted down- Dripping away, and building up slowly in front of her. A kindred figure started to climb up from the nothingness- Black, fluffy hair that covered her eyes, a crystalline halo that clinked and swayed with her movement- Segmented limbs hanging by her side, only being connected thru silver strings.

Her mother, and creator.

Vuiden.

“It's been a while.. Mother.” “Nillyx. I don’t mean to intrude on the family meeting- Apologies.” The entity looked to the side, slightly bashful. The guardian reached out, patting her shoulder- Trying to ignore the gaping, dripping wound that stretched across the entity’s torso. Seems like she wasn’t the only one with issues. “Nonsense, you’re family. Now, what’s wrong?” “..It’s the Void. Have you felt it?” She was familiar with what Vuiden spoke of. It’s changing. Adapting to the new spaces. If it got too comfortable with where they stood now- It could pose dangers to everyone. If the Barrier broke- And the Void ran free… “It won’t break. But there’s always a chance. Which is why I’ve come to you today. I’ve.. A plan. It’s risky, but it’s something nonetheless.” Nodding, Nillyx let her hand drop, sitting down on the floor and listened as Vuiden explained her plan. The Aspect wasn’t wrong- It was flawed, rushed, and very, v e r y risky. But.. It was all they had. The time was ticking. This was their only chance to act. “We’re taking it. This needs to end, now.”

———

“..Atticus.. You were a wise soul. What would you do when faced with such failure?” R30N let out a sigh at Matiz’s mumblings, his ears pinning back slightly. He knew that the skeleton was talking about him. It was nothing new. Ever since, he’s been fixed up- But set on much, much more limitations. And since the latter didn’t know that his creator pass has been stripped from him, the dog had to play nice. It was tiring. But surely worth it. Not for long. A low buzzing from his inner sensors alerted the dog. There were three new visitors-

[ ADMINISTRATOR: NILLYX VUIDENNE HAS ENTERED THE BUILDING. ] [ KEIYAN VESSEL HAS ENTERED THE BUILDING. ] [ UNIDENTIFIED USER HAS ENTERED THE BUILDING. ] INITIATE PATROL SEQUENCE ?

..tempting. If he went on patrol, he could go to Nillyx and then ask her about his past. But then Matiz would be alerted to where she is- And then possibly endanger the others. They were probably here for the Keiyan.. But if he didn’t go on patrol, he would have to stay here, useless. They’d be safe- But Matiz would know eventually. And when he goes on a hunt.. He leaves no survivors.

[ PATROL SEQUENCE INITIATED. PROCEEDING TO ADMIN. ]

“Oh~? Seems like we have some visitors.. Bearing gifts. Go ahead, R30N. Do something useful for once.” Standing up, the metal-plated dog shook himself off, casting a stink eye towards the skeleton before padding softly out the door. Nillyx seemed to be heading straight down to the labs.. So was the kid. Only the unidentified person- which was probably the older version of Fyrligh, was heading up, straight to Matiz.

Why would you even head to someone who clearly wanted you dea- oh.

It made sense. Matiz would be focused on trying to kill her, and seal the deal between the Keiyan and the skel itself. And considering how adept he's become at using the color- Calling the Tainted Void ‘Blessed,’ as if that meant anything- R30N was sure that the larger redhead was in for quite the scuffle.

[ GASTIEL MATIZ IS TRYING TO ACCESS TRACKING SYSTEM-0364. ]

Of course you would. You'd want to know everything, know all I'm seeing.

[ GRANT ACCESS ? ] ACCESS DENIED.

Not today. 

Huffing, the dog picked up his pace, the grey dot of the bell blinking and glowing in the distance. He'll get to the bottom of this.

———

‘Go inside, get the Keiyan, and head back to the van right after, no matter what. Stay safe. And whatever you do- Don’t get caught.’

These were Rou’s last words to her before this whole mission thing began. It was so sudden- First thing she was eating sushi-rritos, listening to Psyche, Ryso, Pluck, and Killa exchange tales whilst giving some of her own, then she was being ushered away to the side to get a swift low-down by Aunt(the kid felt more comfortable with that than ‘Miss’) Nilly. They were gonna go get Matiz kablooey-d. How? The details were still pretty muddy to the kid- But they were gonna attempt to open the Void and somehow lure Matiz into it?? Aunt Nilly said that they had ‘allies on the other side’ and that Fyrligh shouldn’t worry about it. But it concerned lives so of course she would.

..That shouldn’t be her main focus right now, though. She needed to get the Keiyan away from the Void. That’s what was keeping the Void open all this time- Once removed, the Void would probably stop reaching out- But would still remain open. That’s why they needed Matiz. ..As far as she was concerned, her spot was gonna be the last of the plan. Which is why it was best that she make it to the Keiyan first- And quick. Please don’t get caught.

Hurrying inside, she dashed through the familiar hallways of the lab- Heading downstairs, retreating into the deep shadows. The lower you go, the more chance you’ll get of finding gold. 

———

Rou took a deep breath, glancing down at the utter mess in the hallway. Guards lay to the side, unconscious- Mounds of crystal binding them to the ground, holding them in place if ever they woke up. She had taken care to escort the standby above-floors out of the building with a few well-placed smoke bombs and alarms- Nilly taking care of the workers below.

Now it was just her and mister osteo sci-fuck the original.

“Matiz,” she growled, wiping away a few drops of sweat from her brow as she glared the skeleton down with malice. He stared back at her, a calm, sly smile on his face. Gods, how she wanted to reach out and claw, stab, b i t  e -  Make sure that he was unrecognizable. But she had to calm down. Her mind was running, way too fast. Fyrligh was running about, looking for the Keiyan. Nilly was looking for Areon. It was up to her to stall for them. Just when she thought she was over with him. Of course not. “Roulette. Come back to visit your savior, I see.” He snapped his long, sharp phalanges with a lazy grin, blasters appearing behind him. They hovered lazily, eyes staring at her with cold contempt and judgment. “We can take this the easy way, you know. Just surrender.” “Over my thrice-dead body, fucker. This ass is mine.” And Tafs. He pushed those fears down for you, Roulette. Tafs did it for you. Now it’s time for you to push down this fear for yourself. For Fyrligh. For Nilly. “Well. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I’ve learned a few new tricks since I’ve been gone, you know.” Reaching for the handle of her extendable hatchet, Rou took a breath, and let the adrenaline seep in. “Bring it then, old man.”

He was just a Gaster. Just another bonehead. ..With the power of a fucking gayass spider cat. There wasn’t gonna be anything wrong. Just your usual battles. Spikes of color-tainted Void rained down on her, splashing on the floor around and sizzling like no tomorrow. Rou brought up waves of crystal, pushing back- Sidestepping to shoot large cranades at the skel. They exploded in his face- Giving her time to throw a few more bombs at him. The two blasters from before flew close- Shielding their owner like the dogs they are. Fucking pathetic. But that wasn’t the end of it. Bones, bones, and more bones. They erupted from the floor in waves, grazing her skin, leaving spots open for the tainted matter to drip and eat away at her skin. The badger winced, biting the top of a Rosen ichor crystal and downing the liquid within, watching as the blood quickly ran to the wounded areas and patching it up. “Boo.” SHIT- ROU, BEHIND YOU- Lu’s warning came too late. A swift kick from behind threw her into the floor- More bone structures coming up and hitting her square in the torso. She found herself flying through the air like a ragdoll- Before catching sight of a white beam, headed straight for her figure. “Oh, so THAT’S how you wanna play, huh? LET’S FUCKING GO, BONEHEAD.” This hadn’t even just begun. Twisting her body mid-air to avoid the beam, she called waves of crystal to rise up- Providing her with a smooth slide to safety. “Try again.” A sea of tainted Void opened before her- Just lapping at the edge of her little slide. Rou had to whip out her hatchet and bring it down on the crystal before her to slow down- Gods she was not getting drowned a second time please no. Leaning back, she looked up at the skeleton standing above her with a deadset stare. She wasn’t giving up. Not now. Wherever Nilly or Fyrligh was- She desperately pleaded that they were better off than she is.

———

Bangs and blasts rocked the floors above her- And Nilly knew that her time was decreasing swiftly. Rou couldn’t hold Matiz’s attention forever- Areon, Areon, c’mon, where are you-

Sprinting forward, the guardian found herself with another dead end, being lit up by flashing red lights. She seethed in frustration, turning around and heading down another hallway. How large was this lab even-?! These paths just seemed to stretch on forever the more she wandered- And Nillyx knew endless.

She hated this feeling. It was all too familiar- Being stuck underground, running for her life, lost, without a sense of direction. It brought back memories- ones she'd rather keep in the back of her mind.

‘GO, GO, GO- SHE'S SOMEWHERE HERE. BRING HER TO ME, ALIVE.’

Nillyx shook her head, taking a left and heading on down. It wasn't the time to go trauma walking. Doors sped by her in a blur- Offices, labs, baffled humans and monsters alike just standing by as she sped past in the opposite direction, most probably wondering what could bring the onyx-haired individual around in such worry when they're all running out- Or why there was such commotion above.

To add to all the things going on in her head- You got the alarms. They were loud and irritating, amplifying the tremors throughout the halls and making it all the more complicated to find her way.

It wasn't her fault. But stars did she absolutely loathe it. The ever-growing pain in her side didn't do much to help.

Faced with another dead end, Nillyx couldn't help but let out a sharp groan of vexation, her scymitar finding its silver blade stuck deep in the plated walls. 

“Why are you so.. Like this?”

She muttered, a short breath leaving her lips as she pulled her weapon out. Stay focused. You can't afford any distractions..

“Do it for him. Your kid's down here somewhere, woman, pull yourself together.”

A soft clink sounded behind her, quiet, mechanical whirring akin to a computer engine slowly approaching. The guardian froze up, hands tightening on her blade. It couldn’t be. Could it? She let her shoulders drop, slowly, painstakingly turning around- And mauve met dark hickory. There stood R30N in all his glory- Warm and human will shining in those orbs. He was him. There was a new air around the kid, as if something’s been lifted off of his shoulders. His ears twitched, facing forward with calm curiosity, his head bowed as he padded near. The woman found herself coming closer as well, her weapon clattering to the floor as she ran towards the dog- Her boy. Falling on her knees in front of the kid, she shakingly reached out, hands softly grazing metal mixed with skin. “Areon. Areon. My boy.. What did they do to you?” She whispered, trailing her hands down his face. His eyes widened, ears flattening with that. A low whine escaped his throat as he pushed against her hands, his snoot softly resting in the crook of her neck. The onyx-haired woman couldn’t take it any longer, wrapping her arms around the bio-weapon. He was still just a kid. Her kid. No matter what, he’ll always be her kid.

Another blast shook the halls, a few pieces of rubble starting to rain from the ceiling. It was clear that they couldn’t stay. The dog slowly backed away from her embrace, quiet urgency shining in his eyes. She knew that look all too well- Having worn it herself many times before. She nodded at him, before grabbing her scymitar. It was time to go. “Lead on. I’m right behind you.” R30N watched as the guardian rose to her feet, wincing slightly as another wave of pain rolled through her body- Stars. They were getting in the way. Concern flashed in his eyes, but she shook her head. They needed to go. 

Fyrligh’s small voice crackled through the speaker in her ear, quiet and hushed. “I found the Keiyan. You got R30N?” “Yes. Where are you? We’re on our way.” “Floor 3, fourth floor down the hallway to the right.” ..That was two levels above her. They could make it if they were fast enough. “Just stay put, alright? Don’t walk straight into the Void without us.”

———

The elder woman’s voice faded into quiet, and Fyrligh sighed- Glancing at the shimmering blue orb floating within the blankness before her. The child should stay. Who knows what would happen if she stepped forward? Would the Void welcome her and let her roam? Or would it climb up her body and slowly drain her, like what Matiz’s Void did? ..The will you have. Accepted. The body is not mine to take.

The Keiyan’s gentle whispering tickled her ears, as it hovered closer and closer. She could see Matiz, hollow and cold, encased within the crystal. Cracks ran around the artifact, seeming to weep into the Void that surrounded it. If Fyrligh squinted enough- It looked as if it was trembling. On the last edge, much as she was. Reaching out, she took the orb in her hands, and watched as more cracks started to fill up the thing. A faint memory of R30N sprung up before her, and the child frowned, her brows furrowing in thought. What was up with that dog? It just seemed odd. The closer she was to the Keiyan, the more she thought about him. As if he had something to do with the glowing sphere. “He does.” Flinching, the redheaded child scrambled back from the lapping blackness, a dagger in her hands as she tried to locate the source of the new voice. It was quiet, echoey, and oddly ancient. Ethereal. The stranger chuckled, and Fyrligh couldn’t help but watch in awe as the Void started to build up and form in front of her. Curly hair black as night covered this new person’s face- A silver halo tinkling over their head, floating lines swaying with their movement. Even in the darkness of the Void, they seemed to glow- A gentle grey light seeming to bloom from their skin. An iridescent, four-pointed star gleamed on their chest- Seeming to protrude from the bodysuit they wore. Their limbs were segmented- Arms seemingly cut off from their torso, connected only by silver strings- ..Their torso. A large, gaping hole stretched across the side of their torso. It was gruesome. Drippy, and looked incredibly painful. It wasn’t like the drips that came off this person’s body. These ones seemed forced, tense- Like they’re trying to hold it together. “Hello, Fyrligh. I’m on your side, don’t worry. I’m Vuiden, Aspect of the Void.” They nodded warmly at her, hands folded in front of them. ..So this must be what Aunt Nilly meant by allies on the other side. “..Aspect?” “It’s a long story. Basically I am the Void in itself, so whatever happens to it, I know. Which is why I’m helping. It’s dangerous, leaving the Void open as such. You probably know what it can do- Being a project of one such as Matiz.” Fyrligh softly nodded, recalling how skinny and rotten her legs looked after each new wave of getting Voided- Matiz’s efforts of trying to get the child to accept the Keiyan. “You’re here safe. That’s all that matters.” “What’s the plan?” The Aspect frowned, glancing at the orb. “Rou’s tiring Matiz out. You know what’ll happen if she dies at his hands, yes?” “He’ll be officially free.” “Good. The essential plan is to lead him on a goose chase all the way over here- Where Nillyx and I open the Void- Since this isn’t an open spot, just a place where Void can inhabit due to the Keiyan.” Nodding, the Aspect continued, stars blooming around them as they showed the child a loose outline of what was to go down. As Fyrligh listened, the more agitated the Keiyan got. Whisperings just seemed to grow louder in the back of her mind- Closer, closer. It’s getting closer. Hurry. “Wait, wait- How does R30N tie into this?” Vuiden paused mid-sentence, the stars around the gray-skinned individual flickering and shutting down. “..I’m not exactly sure, but it has something to do with physicality. It seems like this Keiyan has two eyes.” Upon noticing the child’s confusion, the Aspect raised their hands and continued. “I think it’s due to the fact that neither you or the boy is whole, and that you two are a by-product of Matiz.” Vuiden paused, coughing softly. “No offense to you, of course.” The child shook her head. None taken. At this point, she was just glad to be aliv- “We’re here-! Rou’s on her way.” Aunt Nilly! She was still whole- And R30N was with her. The dog’s ears pinned at the new person, but the older woman shook her head, instead greeting the Aspect with a smile and a hug. ..Oh woah. Okay.

“Do you know what to do, Fyrligh?” Vuiden looked at the child with a worried frown, the Keiyan’s shaking slowly increasing the more the child held it. She gripped the ball tightly, staring into the black diamond- Matiz’s SOUL. He was the start of this- All of this. Rou, R30N, the Void bleeding out- And it had to end. She knew what she had to do. The walls around them rumbled and shook with a few more blasts- A faint yell coming straight from above them. Time was up. They had to move. Aunt Nilly wasted no time whatsoever, heading to the right end of the room- Vuiden to the left. They both looked up, hands outstretched- The Void within the room starting to slowly swirl and tunnel down. The seconds seemed to tick by painfully. It was moving all too slow. Everyone was on the edge, just waiting for when it’ll all fall- “OHOHO, YOU CAN’T RUN FROM ME ANY LONGER.. LITTLE BADGER.” D u c k. A loud explosion shook the walls, rubble and pieces of metal, glass and wood flying from where the door once stood. In its stead was a bruised-up, battered, and bleeding badger- Followed by an absolute m o n s t e r of a skel- Oh gods what the hell. Matiz. His body was stretched and elongated- To the point it looked painful to move. His face was severely disjointed, jaw hanging off of just pure Tainted Void. His suit was ripped and leaking the forbidden matter in some places- All while a hollow, sadistic laugh boomed from his ribs. Cold, calculating, raspy- It was terrifying. Not to mention how alive he seemed- Leaning down, tilting his head, trying to grab at the badger with sharp, deadly talons. The Color that surrounded him spread around, wrapping itself about each and every surface it can touch- Breaking it down, making them fall to ash. Disintegrated. “Well, well, w e l l. Look what we have here.” He glanced to the Guardian and Aspect in the corner, then to the badger- And finally, to the child and the metal dog. R30N growled at the tall monster, his ears pinning back, body going in front of the child defensively as she held the Keiyan close. “A puppet, a traitor, a cursed soul, and.. A piece of firewood.” He grinned, his neck tilting to the side dangerously- A sharp cracking resonating from his bones as he leaned near. “This’ll be f u n . . .”

———

R30N backed up further, making sure the child was defended and behind him at all times. From what Nillyx(Apparently his to-be adoptive mother) said, Fyrligh was a crucial component in their plan, for she was the key to getting Matiz out of here. And knowing how far the skeleton went with his projects? He wanted him gone as much as the others did.

[ WARNING! THREAT DETECTED. DEFENSE PROTOCOLS ENGAGED. ] OBJECTIVE/S:  PROTECT ALL INNOCENTS DEFEND FYRLIGH [ AND KEIYAN ] ASSIST WITH ANYTHING POSSIBLE. Stay true.

Those words struck him deep- Ever since he woke up, those words have been haunting him. Now, he felt as if he knew what they meant. This was the truth. This is what he was meant to be.

Now being faced with this just made the realization sink all the more deeper.

“R30N.. What a disappointment, truly. Out of all of them- You should be the first to go.”

That statement was met with a swift bash of crystal to the face- The skeleton staggering back, tainted matter seeping from his right eye socket. He screeched, a chilling, nerve wracking sound that sent vibrations around the hallway and into the ground- Light tremors reminding the dog that the longer they stayed here, the more unstable the building became.

He saw what the mixed Void did to the lower floors. They burned and popped, leaving behind no trace of what was- Only a smoldering pile of black, gooey gunk.

“Touch that kid and I’m gonna rain hell on ya, Matiz. Mark my words. Your little stunts have just- H e h- Got me a lil battered, but this tank’s still running.”

Rou stood up before him, a tired, yet triumphant grin on her face- Determination flashing in her eyes. Matiz didn’t take that long to recover, however, soon standing up and with a swift throw- Blasted the crystal to bits. He chuckled lowly, slowly advancing.

“Suppose you are good for something, you b r a t.”

R30N glanced worriedly at the kid behind him- His sensors showed that her heart rate was rising, showing clear signs of agitation. She gripped the blue orb close, glancing up at the tall monster, and back down at the Keiyan. Matiz was too far from the Void. He needed to be closer.

But Matiz wouldn’t do that. He was much too smart. He had to be forced.

To fall.. Just like he’s made so many others.

The skeleton’s sockets seemed to catch glimpse of something, his dislodged smirk stretching across his face more. It irked R30N how large a smile could get- Eugh.

“Just give up already, Matiz. We all hate you.”

“What about.. N o.” <3

A wave of fractured bones suddenly appeared beside the monster- Aiming straight at Rou, firing speedily one after the other. The used bones just sunk straight into the open Void- Some catching on the walls, others slightly grazing the redhead as she ducked, feinted, and ran. Grunting softly, the badger bit off a crystal and.. Chugged the contents??

..No time to waste.

You’ve made up your mind. Hop to it.

Nudging Fyrligh away from everything, the dog tossed the kid on his back- taking the Keiyan in his mouth, depositing the creator bell in her hands before placing her down near a window, far from the battle. There was already a slide of crystal there, made by Rou beforehand for an easy exit. The smaller redhead glanced at him bewildered, before her eyes caught the lower half massive skeleton- And she nodded. The two exchanged a long, silent look- One that didn’t need words. It was enough. They both understood each other. They both understood that there was a high chance that someone wasn’t making it out alive. Another explosion rocked the building- And it was over. The moment was gone. The orb of blue was back in her hands, and the child was down the slide- As the dog ran back in the hallway. “You’re holding b a c k, girl. Face me.” “Are you sure? You might just break your wee old bones~! Catch me.” Just a little closer. Matiz raised a hand, blasters at the ready, powering up, beams of pure magic being shot out at the red blur- Missing completely, instead, hitting tower by tower of crystal. Rou surely knew how to keep him busy. A quick scan of the room told R30N that whatever it was Nillyx and the other Void-user was doing- It was nearly done.

[ UNIDENTIFIED PERSON..SSSS? SPOTTED. ] [ INITIATE SEARCH PROTOCOLS? ]

His sensors couldn’t distinguish if it was one or two new people in the area- But they seemed to be wherever the Void was, just lying in wait. A low, quiet grumble sounded from the gaping hole- He couldn’t wait long. They had to go quick.

[ SEARCH PROTOCOLS CANCELED. ]

Tainted Void wrapped around the skeleton, reaching out below, snaking around the two Void-users. Nillyx cried out in pain- A faint smoke coming from where the matter touched. The other grit their teeth, hands balling into fists as they tried to keep control. “Go, help Rou. I’ll keep it open,” they called, gesturing swiftly to the larger battle going on in front of them. The latter shook her head, stubborn as she tried to kick away the burning, crawling liquid-like matter.

“Ah.”

Amused, Matiz took a step forwards, before surrounding the Void-users in the Tainted Void again, this time using thicker tendrils, slowly, painstakingly wrapping itself around their bodies. Rou’s eyes flashed a dangerous hue- Picking herself up from the ground and rushing to face the skeleton head-on. He dodged a few spikes of crystal, before a long hand reached out- Completely grabbing Roulette mid-jump. She yelped, curling into a ball- Crystal attempting to form around her, to shield her, to blast her way out- But Matiz held strong, squeezing her tighter. “Guess you can’t run for long before you get chained, eh~?” Dangling her from just his two fingers, he stretched out his hand over the open Void, a smile evident on his face. R30N hated this. There was so much going on in front of him- And he could do nothing but watch. Move forward, Matiz. Just one.. L a r g e step. “Wonder what happens if I just.. Drop you?”

The dog couldn’t see what Rou did- But apparently it wasn’t what Matiz wanted, for he growled, throwing her away to the opposite edge of the room- Landing her straight in the rubble he caused earlier.

Turning, the skeleton let out a flat, humorless laugh, a clawed hand making it’s way to his right eyesocket- Long phalanges reaching in, seeming to rummage about, before pulling out his eyelight completely. It ripped away from his face with a sickening, fleshy-sounding R-R-RRRRRIP- One that R30N wasn’t even sure skeletons could make.

The tainted matter just seemed to flow more freely from his bleeding, empty socket, untamed and wild.

“Oh.. I really, really didn’t want to use this- But you’ve left me n o.. Choice.”

A choice? He didn’t give Fyrligh a choice to be the vessel of the Keiyan. He didn’t give R30N a chance to be human- To be with a family. He didn’t give Rou a chance to live free, without the fear of him coming back. You can’t speak about choices when you’ve given none.

R30N didn’t feel it happening. He just knew that once, he was at the edge of the room, attending to Nillyx and Rou(the other person just vanished), And then he was sailing through the air, paws outstretched in front of him, watching as Matiz flew.. Down.

Thick, dark roots of red started to grow from the nothingness, wrapping around the skeleton as he yelled, flailing and writhing- Throwing his colorful eyelight in a last retort to escape whatever prison he put himself in- A small blip of color flashing in the darkness(a waterslide??) before the Void closed with a small zip, and in its place, burst wells of tainted matter. It caught his hind leg, searing through the metal and bone- Making him wince. But he couldn’t focus on that- He had to help Rou and his mom.

Mom.

That title seemed so foreign to him, yet so familiar. The grounds shook once more with an explosion- The color was breaking out, catching, making everything it touched burst into flames. Thick, pungent smoke started to pollute the air around them- They couldn’t stay much longer. Rou dashed straight out of the room, Nillyx and R30N at her side, the dog assisting the onyx-haired woman with her bad leg. It was bleeding, badly. He had to take care of it. “So close, buddy- The window’s just over there, see?” The floor underneath them trembled- His sensors warning him that the below levels had become flooded with that same matter. Seems like whatever barrier Matiz had on it had vanished, letting it run free. Nillyx’s eyes darkened with urgency, as she tried to hobble faster- The dog’s ears pinning with concern as he tried to keep up. “QUICK, QUICK, THIS PLACE WON’T HOLD UP MUCH LONGER.” A sheet of crystal materialized above them- Shielding the duo from a large chandelier that was about to hit them. Quiet realization hit. She couldn’t move much faster in this state. Going behind her, R30N gently pushed her forward, each step leading her closer to the end. Warning signs flashed in the back of his mind-

[ WARNING. BATTERY SIGNIFICANTLY LOW. CHARGE IMMEDIATELY. ]

..HE DIDN’T CHARGE-!? ..C r a p. With all the more urgency- He pushed the onyx-haired woman forward. Just a few more paces. Just a few more paces, please. Nillyx stumbled forward at the force of his push- Landing right into Roulette, who.. Tripped over her own feet and fell down. Yeesh. Looking back, Nillyx waited for R30N to get on- But he shook his head, sitting her down. “No- No, Areon, come on, you’re coming too.” With a determined pull, he found himself sliding down beside the Guardian. Man. She was stubborn.

But y’know what? Maybe that’s how moms were. R30N’s just gonna have to come to terms with that- He already was.

———

A month. It had been a month ever since the Woven Hues case. A month ever since the Keiyan shattered in her hands, a month that damned lab burst into a brilliant flame- Burning into the ground, never to be seen or heard of again.

There was a lot of things that happened in that month. First.. R30N didn’t die. He just shut down mid-journey to the house- Which worried Aunt Nilly extremely. But lucky for her, all the dog needed was a lil charge- And of course, a shiny new leg(props to Lyme). From what Fyrligh heard, it wasn’t just the Guardian who got(apparently, another) bite of no-leg time, but R30N as well. Second, she was kinda-sorta officially adopted by Rou and Lyme? ..Which was weird because Rou was literally an older her- But Fyrligh didn’t really mind. They’ll figure it out, either way. The kid really liked living in San Fran with them- Uncle Xe and Uncle Ley were really heckin’ fun to be around. Although Miss Polar didn’t quite like some of their ‘teaching habits-’ They did make life all the more interesting. She’s grown closer with everyone ever since then- Especially Psyche and R30N. At first, the teen was hesitant- Poor girl did just learn that her supposed-to-be brother turned into some cyborg dog bioweapon, after all. But she didn’t really dwell on the matter much- At least she had R30N and Fyrligh, her new cousin. But that wasn’t the end of it. Turns out Aunt Nilly’s family was big. Really, really big. As of the moment- They were currently packing to go on a family picnic! “E y- Bae? Did you see the new jumper cables I ordered? I can’t find ‘em- And I need to finish fixing up the wheeler for all of us.” The familiar pink ears of her now-dad, Lyme, poked through the door into the kitchen, where Rou and Fyrligh were cooking. The taller redhead mightn’t be as good in the kitchen as the bunny was- But damn did she know how to make good, fast wrapped stuff. “No, sadly. Didja ask Xenon? I remember him looking around for summa that- He might be using it for a few lil ‘experiments,’ y’know.” A small bang sounded from the garage- A happy little bark of laughter echoing down the hallway. Lyme rolled his eyes, a hand coming to his forehead. Rou chuckled softly, walking closer and tapping at his lips with a small, wrapped bun. “Open.”

He opened his mouth, chomping down happily, his eyes widening- Bunny tail twitching behind him excitedly. It was a funny thing to observe- His reactions were all so interesting. “Mmh- Dijew maggf thisf?” Rou shook her head, folding her arms and glancing to the smaller redhead with a proud grin. “Nah, Rookie did. She’s shaping up well. Also, chew ya food first, dumbass.” The taller bun swallowed his food, letting out a laugh, before walking over to ruffle the girl’s head. “Well, Fess betta be ready. He has com-pe-ti-tion.” Winking at the kid, he snagged an extra bun(Much to the dismay of Rou,) and left- Presumably going to yell at Uncle Xenon for snagging the jumper cables. “This is new. Completely different from the Oasis,” Fyrligh muttered as she and her older self went back to wrapping buns. The latter nodded, a small spark of nostalgia fluttering in those familiar garnet orbs. “Yeah, I suppose it is. Never thought in my life that I’d end up somewhere here- A mentor.. Mother thing.” 

Roulette laughed, shaking her head, wiping a stray piece of flour on the kid’s nose. “But honestly, now that I’ve actually given this whole parenting thing a chance? I’m not giving it up. I see what Nilly means now.” She looked down at her white-stained hands, another bun being placed to the side. “Sometimes life’s just more complete with a family. There might be some screw-ups and struggles, sure, but like- It’s all worth it in the end, yanno?” ..Huh. The redhead continued. “I used to think that actually starting one was useless- Cause what was the point, if you were all just gonna.. Y’know, be like the one we had back at the Oasis? And then when I grew older, I was thinking that I just wasn’t built for that kinda lifestyle. Cause you know me- A major fuck-up, no matter where I went.” “..You’re not though.” “Rookie, I am. In so many ways.” “No, you’re not. You had the balls to take care of a kid. That just shows that you’re not a major screw-up in more ways than one.” Fyrligh took a breath, looking her older self in the eyes. “You know how I know you’re not a screw-up? It’s cause you’re taking the responsibility to do this. To actually raise me. Unlike our mother.” That statement made the two of them freeze. Fyrligh wasn’t expecting all that to come out of her 11-year-old mouth. That was so…

“Woah.”

Both of them burst into laughter, Rou shaking her head and nudging the kid with her hip.

“Well shit. You really are just a lil me.”

- End. -