#he looks so done with the foundation’s bullshit

[itsfairly]

Primer, Eyeliner, and Kisses to Top it Off // Levi Ackerman x gn!reader

Word Count: ~2.2k

Summary: Doing Levi's makeup cuz he's pretty like that.

Notes: Modern!AU, established relationship, fluff and fluff.

A/N: First, one-shot, let's give it a shot.

"No."

"Come on, Levi. Please?"

Levi looks at you, makeup brushes on your hand and a pleading look in your eyes, and sighs. It's not like he was uncomfortable with the idea of wearing makeup or any bullshit that other guys would have complained about. It just wasn't his thing. He did, however, like seeing you do your makeup. He would be in the room, silently watching you while you played around with your eyeshadows and eyeliner. So when he saw your products on the bed rather than on your desk and that grin on your face as you looked at him, he knew what was up.

"I promise I'll make you pretty." You said, looking up at him from the bed with the smallest pout on your lips.

Damn. You were pretty convincing.

Or he was just easy to convince when it came to you.

"I thought I was already pretty." He walked toward the bed sitting beside you, careful to not sit on top of any of your products. You never stopped telling him how pretty he was when you two began dating, and maybe even before. Soon enough, he became used to hearing that and stopped talking back when you said it, often complimenting you back or caressing your hand.

"Sorry. Prettier." You corrected yourself as you leaned toward him to give him a slight peck on his cheek, pulling back with a really pretty smile that made his heart flutter.

"Alright, just because we're staying in tonight. I'll be your makeup dummy." He sighed. Yup, he was easy to convince.

You thanked him, practically bouncing on the bed from glee. Since it was pretty late, you decided to ditch the whole foundation deal. Not like he needed that anyways, he took good care of his skin to the point it looked practically flawless. 

You took the makeup products from the bed into your hands and kneeled on the mattress, turning to ask, "I'm going to need you to sit against the bed frame".

"For? I've seen you do your makeup almost anywhere." That was not an exaggeration. From the bedroom floor to the dinner table to the bathroom sink, you've practically done your makeup in each room of the place. Plus the car, which amazes him considering you're driving some of those times.

"It's different. I'm not doing my makeup, I'm doing yours. So I need you to be still." You moved to the bed frame where the pillows are, plus a few of the stuffed animals Levi has gotten you over the years, patting the place beside you.

He huffs but doesn't complain as he crawls to the place beside you. Sitting against the bed frame, he looks at you. "Better?"

You nod, setting yourself between his legs and getting ready to have your fun. After Levi closes his eyes, you grab your eye primer and put a little bit on his eyelids to blend it out with a sponge.

"Do you know what you're doing with my face?" He asked, his hands instinctively sitting on your waist.

"Rude." You said, blowing a bit on his eyes to let the primer set.

"You know what I meant." His tone gets softer as he feels you blow his eyelids.

"I know, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity." You giggle, grabbing a makeup brush and opening your palettes. "I don't have a specific look in mind other than eyeliner."

"Why the eyeliner specifically?"

"A) 'Cause it's a must and B) because you would look amazingly gorgeous with eyeliner."

"Is that so?"

You hum, looking over your eyeshadows to decide which colors to put on his face. You swipe the brush across the eye shadow and tap it against the palette lid, seeing the excess falling from the blush in a pretty dance that gets lost in the air.

"Your eyes are just eyeliner-ready. I wouldn't be surprised if you told me you have worn it before." You giggle as you gently tap the brush around his eye crease, giving his eyelid this colorful aura surrounding it.

He chuckles, caressing your waist with his thumbs. He has gotten that comment before from you—"your eyes are just so sharp it looks like you're wearing eyeliner!" Albeit, it is a pretty specific observation. But when he learned that you felt better with your makeup when it had eyeliner, he thought it was a unique compliment. He took it to heart and remembered it every time you made your eyeliner.

After you finished the outer crease on both of his eyes, you grabbed another brush and dab it on a lighter color for his lid. With a few strokes on each eye, you looked back. "Open your eyes, please," you asked, wanting to look at how it looked on him.

He opened his eyes, looking at you. Then up and down, as you asked him. He saw your face furrowing in concentration as you determined whether they looked similar enough. He knew you did a good job without having to see it for himself. To him, your makeup always looked amazing, even more so when he considered the time and space where you did it.

"They look great." He assured you, his eyes softening as he wrapped his hand around yours, intertwining his fingers with you.

You squeezed his hand and gave him a soft kiss at the tip of his nose. "Thank you, but you haven't seen it yet. And won't until it's all done."

"I don't need to see it to know how it looks," he said, feeling his heart flutter at the feeling of your lips on him. "I can see how hard you're concentrating." The furrowed look on your face was the telltale sign.

"Well, that's because the hard part is the eyeliner." You exhaled as you grabbed your eyeliner and turned back to face him.

He closed his eyes, waiting for you to continue.

"Levi," you called. He opened one eye, looking at you with a raised brow. "I need my hand."

"No, you don't. Do it without it." He closed his eye, dismissing your request.

"It's gonna look sketchy!" you cried out. He could hear the smile on your face as you complained.

"It's alright, I don't mind that."

"I do!" You laughed. "Can I have my hand back so I can make you prettier?"

He tsked, not really wanting to let go of it. He did though and you thanked him with another kiss on his cheek. Tit for tat, he thought, it was a fair trade: your hand back for a kiss.

You let out a sigh and returned to the task at hand—doing the eyeliner. You were used to doing it on yourself, sure. But on other people? It could get messy and it did most of the time.

The first swipe looked nice. A straight black line from the tip of his eye. Good.

You tried to replicate it with his other eye. This one looked a bit more curvy. Mm, maybe curving the other would do. After a couple of small strokes on the first eyes, you looked back. Mm, the angle was off for a bit. You sighed again, wanting the wings to look like cousins at least.

In the midst of your concentration, you feel Levi's hand return to your waist, earning a loud inhale from you. "Don't move." You told him with a hurried tone, although it sounded more for you than for him.

He had to fight the chuckle forming in his throat, knowing it would make you panic if you ruined the look so far. He just set his hands at your waist again, enjoying the warmth from your body.

After a couple of fixes, the wings finally looked related enough. You'll take it, it's a win. You filled in the eyeliner, black coming into the look with each swipe. "Open."

He opened his eyes and it was better than expected. They were not sisters, definitely not twins, but they were cousins, and that's good enough. You were right though, he looked amazing with eyeliner on. His eyes looked sharper, if that’s possible, and more defined. Dare to say, he looked hot with it.

Letting out a breath, you smile at him. "Knew that eyeliner would look good on you."

He chuckled, finally letting his hands caress all the way down to your thighs. "What am I missing?" He asked, looking up at you.

"Easy stuff really. I'm almost done."

Some white eyeshadow on his eye corner, brushing his eyebrows (they already looked great, you didn't fill them in), and a few kisses he stole here and there when he could. You leaned back to look over his face. Men should wear makeup more often, they would look great on it and Levi is proof of it. You have to shake your head to snap out of it and resist the temptation of putting the makeup away and getting on top of him to kiss him.

"Alright, I'm just missing something on your lips and I'm done."

You reached into your makeup bag, looking around at the colors you had before landing on a subtle but defined color. Lifting up his chin gently with one hand, you started to apply his lipstick once he opened his mouth slightly.

"Rub your lips together to get the color in." You told him. He looked absolutely adorable as he moved his lips against each other, it was as if he was getting used to the feeling of it.

"Some setting spray and...done!" You said, smiling at him as you set your hands above his on your thighs.

"Can I look now?" He asked. It's not like he wanted to know how good you did. Of course not, he already knew you did your best and your best was incredible, especially when it came to this. But he did want to know how he looked with the makeup you did on him.

You nodded, getting up from between his legs. He got up from the bed, stretched his body, and headed to your dresser where you had your makeup station, including a mirror big enough for the both of you. He stepped in front of the mirror, with you following close by as you set your head on his shoulder to look at his reaction.

His eyes scan his face, appreciating the new colors that set on his face. It wasn't like he was made to look like someone else, but the makeup simply enhanced his features. To you, you did an okay job, picking apart the asymmetry and smudges in your work. To him, you did an amazing job, one that he would not mind you doing again.

"And?" You asked, a smile setting on your face but your eyes worried about his reaction. After all, he was still looking and not reacting much.

"I guess you were right. Eyeliner is pretty cool." His lips curled into a small smile, showing he was proud of and amazed by your work.

You gave him a kiss on the cheek, continuing to admire your work. "I told you!" You chuckled. "Although that lipstick color suits you well too. Funny, considering it's my favorite one"

"This one?" He asked, turning to look at you.

"Yup, I like the color." You said, not really thinking much of your answer.

Levi takes your face in both of his hands and starts to pepper kisses all over your face. Cheeks, nose, forehead, jaw, and finally lips. Oh and does he stay on your lips for a while. It's a pretty innocent kiss nonetheless, one meant to show his appreciation for you.

You giggle along with each kiss, humming when he reaches your lips. Setting your arms around his neck, you kiss him back. He pulls back, giving you one last kiss on your temple, and looks at you.

"What?" You asked, noticing how his eyes were scanning your face.

"Just wanted to know how it looked on you." He tilts his head towards the mirror. You follow his head, looking into the mirror as your hands reach up to your face without touching it. It looks like Levi also did your makeup today, although in a much more abstract way.

Kiss marks littered all over your face with your favorite lipstick color.

"I think it's my favorite lipstick too." He says, noticing how a faint pink spreads across your cheeks with your smile.

Neither of you takes off the makeup for a little while, opting to go to the kitchen to have dinner and then watch a movie together. As you are choosing the movie and Levi prepares some popcorn, you hear your phone buzz.

You picked it up, not thinking much of it, answering the video call. "Hey, Hange. What’s up?" You greet them, noticing their eyes widen at the screen.

"Wow, hey, your face looks different." They tease as a huge grin starts forming on their face.

You look at your little rectangle at the call, remembering the kiss marks all over your face.

"Did you have to answer?" Levi asks when he sits next to you on the couch, accidentally entering into the frame.

Hange just seems to grin wider, if that's possible, as their screen starts to flash constantly. Noticing what's going on, Levi takes the phone. "Don't show it to anyone, four eyes." He threatens them.

On cue, both of your phones ring from a notification from the group chat. You two look at Hange, who just says in their defense, "[Name] did a great job though!"

[aight-griffin]

I'm talking about this a week late, but the Chainsaw Boy is extremely traumatized.

Nayuta was incredibly cute in this chapter, her characterization is excellent, but look at the trauma on this man.

Denji has a family, and he had one earlier. He absolutely, 100%, sees Aki, Power, and Nayuta as his siblings. They're not genetically related, but they’re more of a family than any other group in this manga.

Denji becoming Chainsaw Man is quite literally what enabled him to have a family in the first place, these lines from Kid Denji make no sense.

. . . and that's why they're so perfect.

Ever since pt1, Kid Denji has been representative of Denji’s trauma, since the foundational trauma of killing his dad was done as a child. So, when we see Kid Denji saying all of this obvious bullshit, it's clear that that is not rational, it’s all of Denji’s insecurities and PTSD rattling around in his head, making him second guess his past and rethink his choices.

I've never been a fan of the “Denji killed his Dad” plot point, I think it's derivative for the death of a character we don't care about to be what pushes him off the edge, not the two deaths that we very much do, but regardless, this is some excellent trauma writing.

[intocleanness]

kill six billion demons brainvomit: the sequel nobody wanted, everyone groans at my bullshit

MAYA TEN METI

MATHANGI MANTRA “SLAUGHTER THE GODS AND TOPPLE THEIR THRONES”

lets talk about her for a minute. not like you can stop me.

Maya’s like Solomon David, she’s learned the folly of Sword Law the hard way on a smaller scale but the fact remains: she had everything and then she lost everything. Her entire life, she chased power. When she was a child she came to Meti, begging her for strength. Time and time again Meti denied her. She grew, the war of the demiurges erupted, she got the training she wanted alongside the street urchin-turned-swordsman Incubus. She became a god of the fractured world and returned to her master in all her splendor and glory.

And Meti destroyed her with a single fucking question: “Suppose you win, what then?”

This is where the paths of Solomon David and Maya diverge. Maya realized she had no answer for that, what would happen after there was no more recourse by violence. What do you do when Sword Law is no longer necessary?

She took Meti’s advice: she laid down her swords as ugly pieces of metal for idiots and built a house, learned the herbs of the forest and the taming of animals. She raised a family and was happy for a time. She learned the correct lessons.

And now we must turn to look at Incubus. Because we cannot talk about Maya without talking about Incubus. I apologize but it simply must be done.

The first word I think of when I think of Incubus is “desperate.” He needs above all else to be validated in any way whatsoever, friend or foe. He tells Allison “You need this” like some creepy dream stalker and Maya is only still alive out of hatred for him. It makes sense though, the first we see of him, he’s a feral street orphan that hears Meti and Maya and without hesitation carves his scalp to the bone with a rusty sword. Incubus fundamentally needs to be important to somebody, anybody, in any fashion. Present him with a rat, say “kill it,” and he’ll chop it in half without hesitation. He will do anything to be more than nothing.

He and Maya seem to have a good relationship right up to the moment she decided to actually listen to Meti and cast off the trappings of godhood in favor of leading a normal life. At which point Incubus thought “you can’t discard me. I need to matter. I won’t be discarded!”

And then he murdered her family and ripped the syllables of God out of her head. Then he tried ten times to decapitate her and failed.

Here is where I wind back around to talking about Maya. I don’t have a specific word to describe Maya, but gun to my head? “Hate.” Maya hates Incubus so much she has lived for thousands of years. Maya hates so hard, she can not so much cut as hate you in half. The fundamental principal of her technique, the Maybe Sword, is that the wielder can simply will something to be cut, But as she says, its foundation is in anger and grief, so it is a terrible thing to wield.

Can it kill a god? Maybe.

Maya regrets that she has this knowledge and wishes she was a simple noodle seller, just like Meti told her all those years ago. Incubus? guy sucks wish i didnt have to talk so much about the fucking stinkboy. hes an extraordinarily poor swordsman

[paceypeternathanslawyer]

Something that I love about Nathan and Haley's relationship is the way that they bury the hatchet. Like Lucas keeps record of past mistakes both in his friendships and his romantic relationships. Haley confronts Lucas in season 4 about kissing Peyton for the second time when in a relationship with Brooke and Lucas brings up how she kissed Chris when she was married to Nathan. You might say that's valid but Nathan forgave Haley for that. They are so past that and Haley never made that same mistake twice.

But I digress, this post isn't necessarily about Lucas but I just made that point to really illustrate how great Nathan and Haley are at forgiving each other. After Nathan and Haley go to therapy, Haley never really brings up Nanny Carrie again. She makes one snide comment about naked nannies in the beginning of S6 and then that's it. They do not allow adversity to poison their relationship. The adversity is making the foundation of their relationship stronger but it never completely poisons their relationship. I really respect that. There were plenty of opportunities that Nathan could have trotted out the Chris Keller situation to his advantage. During the Nanny Carrie situation he could have been all like.... Carrie kissed me without my consent but you kissed Chris consentingly but he didn't. He forgave her for the Chris situation, they renewed their vows, and he never brought it up again (BTW I don't believe that Haley consented to the Chris kiss because she was a minor and he was an adult and I don't believe that a child can consent in that situation. But that is just the kind of bullshit that the One Tree Hill writers would write when it comes to Chris. But they didn't with Nathan because Nathan is a stand up dude). And yes I'm gonna bring up Lucas again... in comparison.... Lucas forgave Brooke for sleeping with Chris and then in S3 when he was in hot water with the whole Peyton situation he brought up the Chris situation and used his past forgiveness as a bargaining chip. Once again, Lucas keeps past records of mistakes and pulls them out whenever possible. Okay i'm done about Lucas now I promise lol

I just love how Nathan and Haley's reconciliation progressed in S3. Nathan took his time to forgive but he also didn't hold on stubbornly to bitterness. I've heard some people say that he forgave her too quickly but I vehemently disagree with that. I disagree with the idea that there should be an exact timetable at all. If you feel your anger thawing, do not hold onto the anger. Nathan as much as he was afraid to be vulnerable, still loved Haley and deep down he wasn't 100% ready at any point to annul the marriage/divorce her. That's why he hid the papers from Dan so that Dan couldn't file them. He kept the papers for some time but there was that part of him that wasn't ready to give up on them. He forgave her in his own natural pace and then once he forgave.... he fucking forgave and there was no looking back. It's as if it never happened. Nathan and Haley are the most forgiving, kind, and gracious people ever... with themselves and with their friends.

[and-claudia]

Face Down (Billy Hargrove x reader)

Short song fic based on Face Down by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Warnings: OoC Billy, Abusive relationship (not with Billy), mentions of physical abuse, PLEASE DO NOT READ IF THESE TOPICS DO NOT SIT WELL WITH YOU

Stranger Things Taglist

Wordcount: 881

Billy was sitting on my bed as I sat on the floor in front of my mirror, doing my makeup. I had a date later, and Billy had been hanging out with me today so he decided to stick around until it was time for me to go. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure he wasn’t watching before removing the foundation I had done earlier. It needed to be redone to cover up the bruise I had on my cheek.

Billy PoV I sat on her bed, flipping through a random book she had on her pillow. She was getting ready for another date with Christopher. I had no idea why she stayed with him. The two of them constantly argued and I knew he hurt her, but she brushed me off anytime I brought it up or tried to ask her if she was okay. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught her looking at me. I leaned over to say something to her when I saw it. She had a bruise across her cheek that she was trying to cover up with makeup. “Yn…” I said gently. “Don’t, Billy.” She warned knowing what I was about to say. “Yn, this is serious. He’s never hurt you that bad before…” “And it’s not going to happen again.” She snapped. “Do you believe that? Really?” I asked. “Yes. He apologized. It was an accident.” “If he actually cared he wouldn’t be hurting you like this, on purpose or by accident.” She sighed, “He does care. He loves me. And I love him.” It honestly sounded like she was trying to convince herself of that more than she was trying to convince me. We have had this conversation many times before. It always ended the same way. She swears that she is fine but I know better. I knew what it was like to hide abuse. I had done it for so many years now with my own father. I hated seeing Yn suffer but she would never let me help her either. Later that night, I was home alone. Neil and Susan were on a date, Max had gone to El’s for the night. I was about to just call it a night and go to bed when the phone rang. “Hello?” “Billy?” It was Yn and she was crying. “Yn? Where are you? Are you alright?” I could hear banging on the other end of the phone and she let out a small cry. In an instant, I knew what was going on. “Hang in there sweetheart, I’ll be there as fast as I can. I promise it’s going to be okay.” Before I hung up I heard her whisper a small “Hurry.” I had never driven so fast in my life. There was only one thing on my mind, saving Yn from that man. I pulled up outside his house haphazardly before getting out and running to the door. I didn’t even knock I just busted in and started calling out for Yn. I heard a yelp down the hallway and followed it. I opened the door just in time to see him shove her backward into the dresser. She hit it hard and fell to the ground. “Hey, dipshit!” I yelled, getting Christopher’s attention. “Who the hell are you?” He yelled before turning back to Yn as she lay on the ground, “Have you been cheating on me, whore?” She shook her head and scooted back away from him even more. When he turned back to me I was already getting up in his face. “Do you feel like a man? Huh, do you? Does pushing her around like that make you feel all big and strong? Does it make you feel better about your sad, pathetic life?” I yelled. “Get back man!” He snapped. “Not until Yn’s safe and away from you.” I glanced over his shoulder to see her slowly getting up. “She doesn’t need to go anywhere. She’s fine here, right babe?” He turned to her and gave her a pointed look that stopped her dead in her tracks. I looked at her waiting for a response. Slowly she began to shake her head, “No, I’m not… I’m not fine… I’ve had enough. Enough of you hurting me.” She said. “That’s a load of bullshit!” He yelled. “Yn, go wait in the car.” I said gently nodding to the door. She gave a small nod before rushing out as I held Christopher back. I shoved him back once she was out of the room. “Listen, buddy, one day this world that you’re living in is going to come to an end and when it does, all the lies that you keep telling yourself are going to come crashing down and then you are going to finally see the monster that you are. And when it does, oh when that day comes, I hope I’m here to see you get everything you deserve for everything you’ve done to her.” I said, shoving him back one last time before walking out. “I’m sorry for not listening to you.” Yn said quietly as I got into the car. I shook my head, “No, none of that. All that matters is that you’re safe now.”

Billy Hargrove Angst taglist:

@lothiriel9 @leetaeilsnecktattoo @jedi-mabari @honey-tongued-devil @notfeelingverydora @mystargirl-interlude @alexxavicry

@chaoticevilbakugo

[zproblematic]

Okay, so I am on the verge of tearing my hair out over this, but i don't want to deal with drama so I'm putting it on my dead sideblog.

Miguel is NOT the villain. He's the antagonist! They aren't the same thing!

Every post i see where people are talking about "Oh how didn't the realize how Crazy/Mean/Villainous Miguel was?" Keep forgetting the CONTEXT of Miguel being angry with Miles' actions.

The context of it being, Miguel tried to change his own story, because it was fucking terrible and he just wanted some happiness for once. He went against the literal FATE of the world that had been written for it, 'canon', so the world unraveled.

Literally imagine the fate of the worlds as a woven tapestry, him changing the story was him tearing out a stitch. Might seem minor in the onset, but that torn stitch leads to the surrounding ones coming undone eventually culminating in the tapestry unraveling.

Miguel's fucking DAUGHTER died in his arms!

And then he goes back to his world. And this fucking terrible experience of what happens when you fuck with fate and mess around in other universes makes him look into other universes, this time with the intent of preventing the same from happening to them.

Whether that's by hunting down the anomalies that manage to pass between the dimensions or what have you.

Through this he gathers various Spider's to his cause. He accumulates HUNDREDS of them! They are in support of his mission!

Miguel is the 'leader' of this group because he's the one who founded it, the one who does the most actual work regarding it, made the technology, set up a building for the Spider's to socialize in, etc.

Also, his looking into other universes likely includes him feeding that worlds information into his AI. He has literal statistical data as to what are considered foundational events across the multiverse, especially in regards to Spider's.

When the anomaly opens up on Pavitr's world after Miles saved the police captain there's a comment made about how Miguel has teams to deal with it. That it's happened before and generally the world is lost regardless of their efforts.

It's not just Miguel's traumatic experience pushing him into keeping to 'canon' events. It's likely multiple other instances of the same/similar happening to other Spider's!

And here's where we get into his behavior towards Miles. Yes it's fucking terrible, i won't argue that.

But Miguel is looking at this teen who's saying "I'll do what I want!" Ignoring that Miguel isn't feeding him some bullshit line about how he needs to let his dad die so he can 'be like the other Spider's ' He's telling Miles not to save his dad because if he DOES the world will end. Billions of lives will be gone.

Miguel thinks Miles' selfishness is that he believes his dad is worth more than a whole world of people. And he has super advanced programming that has done the calculations TELLING him that Miles' can't change fate without the world ending.

Miguel isn't somehow the ultimate leader of the Spider's either, the others AGREE with him that Miles can't save his dad because of what the consequences would be.

Most of the hundreds of Spider's are adults or equivalent. They can make their own choices and form their own opinions and they AGREE with Miguel.

Because being a Spider is being a hero, and being a hero is constantly living God's most fucked up trolley problem. "Do i save this bus full of people or the one person I care about? Do i let this group of innocent bystanders get killed by an attacking villain or do i catch my girlfriend from her fatal fall?"

And without fail every hero Spider chooses to sacrifice the one to save the many.

Miguel hears Miles say he wants to save his dad, in his mind saying he would let the world end, and doesn't consider Miles as a proper Spider-hero, he's too selfish to be one.

The problem is, Miles is a teen, he has these amazing abilities and no real interest in listening to authority figures. Someone trying to act as an authority figure and telling him the only way he can be a hero is by letting his dad die isn't going to fly.

And of course, even though the other side has actual evidence and math to back it up Miles thinks it doesn't matter. That he can do whatever he wants because why wouldn't he be able to?

He's a teen hero who has largely gone against small-time criminals up to this point and doesn't see why he wouldn't be able to save everyone and be happy.

Even with this context, Miguel does fucked up shit. He definitely takes it way to far, a fact which Peter B seems to realize too late. He's a 30-40 something man traumatized by his experiences seeing a teen loudly shouting he's going to do the same thing and not listening to anyone about why he shouldn't.

The way he attacks Miles is insane and feral and like he HATES him. Which makes no sense given that up to this he seems like a tired grumpy guy who's the only serious person in the workplace, and they've only just met.

He gets insanely angry with Miles, probably partially because he's projecting his self-loathing onto Miles. He hates himself and sees himself in Miles and hates Miles for it. He believes that Miles actions have likely already damned Pavitr's world, and now he's going to go damn his own?

Of course, this being a story of a teen hero Miles will likely end up able to save his father and not lose his world because of it all. And Miguel will likely get in some serious fucking trouble for how crazy he went at Miles.

But Miguel isn't the villain, he's not acting to harm others or out of his own selfishness. He's the antagonist, he's trying to stop Miles [the protagonist] from achieving his goal.

[fandomwave]

TCOAAL UPDATE 6 LETS GOOO You know the drill don't give yourself hives

I have been rolling this around for a few days now and again, absolute blind shot in the dark is to say that this is probably him about to confess to Ashley that he and Julie are dating. I cannot WAIT to get more context, if Andy is worried about her reaction to him dating, if he's feeling conflicted internally and unsure as to why that feeling is there. There is so little available to know what this could fully mean but I am thrilled to learn more AND THEN THE GOT DAMN VID 1) nice to know we have confirmation that his biting his knuckle is a nervous tick 2) MOM NAME! That'll make fic writing easier lmao 3) God there is SO much to unpack here We kinda always knew that Renee suspected Andrew of having some sort of inappropriate attachment to Ashley. This is something she hints at a few times in chapter 2 and more so when you reject the olive branch. Renee keeps dropping points in parent of the year it's almost comical. I am genuinely interested to see what the game has in store for her and if we do get a little more empathetic to her situation as playing her, given that we clearly have a round to do so. Also the fact she was looking for condoms is.. Good lord this lady will die before she gets therapy for her kids... I LOVE seeing the fact that we get confirmation that Andrew is able to lie on the fly. It's again implied but the fact he was able to make up, some bullshit about a show she's never seen. That's some fascinating skill knowing A) It's a show she doesn't watch B) Because of which he CAN just make up whatever because she can't confirm he's lying C) Creativity to weave a fib about a show he's probably also never seen. We know he can do poetry on the fly so making up a plot about a show must be as easy as breathing. The sheer fact Renee has Andrew labeled as Disappointment and Ashley as Embarrassment is incredible too. Fantastic work. A fun little showcase of her relation to them both honestly.

All of this is just causing me to vibrate in place in anticipation. I'll admit TCOAAL is fun in terms of it's world, but rotating each character around and really picking them apart? That's why I can't shut the fuck up about this game. Everyone is so INTERESTING even if they are the worst people alive. I am THRILLED about the idea of getting to know their mother better as a means to understand the foundation they come from. Like the idea Andrew is labeled Disappointment is so telling. She clearly had higher hopes for him, clearly was content to pin those to him and when he fell short of, lets be honest, of those probably unrealistic expectations. > She did basically ask him to raise an entire human as a child himself. > I hate that I have to say this but in the 90s having a college degree meant you eared the good money. Andrew going to college would imply that he would make enough cash to at least be a source of pride in the family given that the implied economic situation of Renee and her husband is that neither of them are college educated.

Andrew still being at home, still clinging to Ashley (literally), still ruined his life with whatever happened to Nina, it's easy to see how she feels like he's the biggest letdown. A bright spot in the family squandered. Ashley being labeled Embarrassment is no surprise. She already clearly harbored some ill will towards her even as a baby, and with how much of a fucking handful Leyley is, it seems like that trend continued well on past infancy. Then her being out of school, I can only assume without a job (or at the very least one that can't pay for her own apartment) and worse now, potentially in an fucking relationship with her brother is... Yeah I can see the tagline pretty easily got applied. Now again, that's because it seems like this woman is critically allergic to Getting Her Kids Help, but what ifs and what coulds need not apply, we're lookin at what we got :D ANYWAYS OK IM DONE NOW BYE I HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GOOD ONE!

[distinctlywhumpthing]

Unintentional 28

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CW: BBU-adjacent, institutionalized slavery, dehumanization. Ongoing raid, fear of recapture, clinical/hospital setting, side-effects/consequences of medwhump (cerebrovascular). Beta-read by @alittlewhump <3 Second ask is from this list

Leo told him to stay still and pretend to sleep, no matter what. One of so few direct orders, Aiden could count them on his hand. The very same Leo had just been holding, fingers warming his, giving him one last reassuring squeeze before he’d let go. 

He couldn’t fail Leo.

Aiden pressed his hands into the bedspread to hide their shaking, to make them still. Starched-not-soft fabric in an orderly, woven grid under his fingertips. Hundreds of washes keeping it uniform for every new patient. Knuckles wrapped in the soft fabric of Leo’s sweatshirt. Left hand throbbing, forearms aching. Betadine and antiseptic sharp in his nose. The sounds in the hallway—the agents in the hallway. He knew those boots, those footfalls. He’d been here before. 

He was there. 

Beside the pool, clothes still damp from diving in, from sweating through what had to be hours of CPR. Dragged to his knees, slapped around, put in a van. The End.

He wouldn’t be able to give them his number this time, even if he wanted to. Except instead of taking a stand, he was simply too damaged. The idea of being beaten in front of Leo made his stomach twist and his throat tighten.

He couldn’t shake his head, squeeze his fist, find something, anything, to anchor him to where he was, who he was. The simplest task impossible. He used to be more than a passenger, an observer, recognizing less and less with each visit. Especially when it was like this, when he fell beneath the surface, into things that were muddy and murky and meant to stay that way.

He wanted to look, to confirm what he kept telling himself was true, but he had to keep his eyes closed. 

Leo wouldn’t leave him. Leo had promised. 

But the very foundation of the conditioning was doubt. 

With Archer it pushed him toward an impossible perfection. Empty responsiveness that only left him aching to do more, to be better. 

It nagged him constantly with Harrison but there was little to be done. Harrison took what he wanted, didn’t care what kind of vessel it came from. All of his memories returned were not enough to erase the conditioning, relieve the doubt. The ache to be deserving. 

He was certain it was worse to have both: what once was housed in the ruins of what he was now. 

Leo had no idea what he was taking on. Had no idea Aiden was falling to pieces in his own head when all he had to do was stay still and be quiet. 

He wasn’t meant to open his eyes but Harrison was peeling them open for him. Shining his penlight into one and then the other. 

“I know you’re awake.” His tone was terse. Frustrated? There was a complication? A delay? It was hard to follow, his mind slow to process. He tried to turn his head but he couldn’t. Of course he couldn’t, he was strapped down like always. 

Leo had told him not to move.

Harrison snapped his fingers in front of his face. “I asked you a fucking question.” 

He blinked a fraction of a second after he thought of it. He couldn’t remember hearing a question. There weren’t any quips surfacing and he wasn’t sure he had the energy to speak anyway. 

He hadn’t felt this drugged before. 

He wasn’t. 

Leo—was Leo still there? 

“For fuck’s sake.” Harrison demanded all of his attention by undoing the straps. “You’re lucky we need to do this or you’d be kissing a taste of freedom goodbye thanks to your attitude.” 

Too slow to snipe back again. 

He cried out when his arms fell to his sides, so heavy now that he had to hold them, fingers tingling as the blood rushed down to his fingers. 

He had to stay still. 

“I don't have patience for your bullshit today. Do not test me.” 

He swallowed the next whimper, the reprimand curdling in his empty stomach. Unaware that Harrison had released all of the other restraints until he folded forward. Harrison caught him unceremoniously, wrapping his arms around him in a parody of an embrace that still made his heart race and his cheeks flush as if it were earned attention, a reward. Sometimes, he’d wriggle closer, moan in Harrison’s ear or whisper a few lurid suggestions. (Anything was better than being a lab rat.) Once even licked his neck but after that, Harrison had kept him unconscious for so long. 

As much as he had nothing to lose, would push every button he could find in a fruitless attempt to force Harrison’s hand, his nerve was riddled with holes. Whenever Harrison was gone too long, he’d wonder if he’d ever come back. Doubt warping fearful anticipation into longing. He’d miss Harrison. Miss the attention, even of his scalpel, when there was a question of it never returning. He was nothing if not what they’d conditioned him to be. 

“Alright, up you go.” Harrison’s voice still had an edge. They were in the other room across the hall but he didn’t remember getting there. Harrison pulled him to his feet, placed both of his hands on the rail bordering the room. “Let’s go, I don’t have all day.” 

He gasped when Harrison let go, overwhelmed by all of his muscles working together for a purpose. But there was something else too, something beneath whatever drugs Harrison always gave him before these bouts of “exercise” to make sure he wasn’t too much trouble. 

“I don’t feel right…” It came out slurred.

Harrison was busy on his phone and waved him on with his free hand. “You remember. One foot in front of the other.” He used the hard toe of his sneaker to prod against his bare heel until he moved. 

Left foot forward. One step at a time. 

His head hurt, ears ringing, vision wavering. Harrison would be furious if he passed out. 

Right foot forward. His leg almost buckled and he gripped the bar tighter. The room spun. 

“Something’s wrong.” The syllables were marbles in his mouth. 

Left foot forward. 

The fingers of his right hand slipped from the bar. 

He couldn’t raise them again, like his whole arm had been numbed. His heart sprinted and stuttered, drilling fear deep into his chest. “Harrison, what did you give me?” The panic in his voice was clearer than the words.  

“Whatever game you’re playing, I am really not—”

Right foot forward. The room tipped. 

Harrison caught him and let out an exasperated sigh. “I’m fucking serious. Stand up and finish the lap.” He tried to shove him onto his feet again but he couldn’t balance. 

He was crying now, tears sliding down his cheek. The ones on the other side lost in the fabric of Harrison’s lab coat. “I—I—can’t—I can’t—” No words came out at all this time, only sounds. “Harrison!” His vision spotted. Harrison lowered him to the floor, let him slump against the wall, listing sideways. 

His expression was out of focus but his voice was stern. “This is your last chance. Stop—what—what are you doing?” 

Harrison caught him again but he couldn’t feel where, only the other hand opening his left eye for the light. He didn’t feel his fingers on the right before his vision flared. 

“Fuck.” Harrison held two fingers to his neck, checking his watch. “Look at me, talk to me.”

“I—I—I’m scared,” he cried. It was nothing, it was moans and slurs. “Harrison, help me, please!”

“No, no, no.” Harrison laid him down. “Squeeze my hand.” 

His hand was empty, he couldn’t—

Harrison raised their hands into his line of sight. His right hand limp in Harrison’s grip. “Please, come on, Nothing. It’s nothing, you’re fine. You’re fine.” 

He couldn’t feel his hand. “What did you do to me?” Again nothing came out. He whimpered when Harrison rolled him onto his side. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” 

He must have been high out of his mind to hear those words. 

“Talk to me, stay with me.” 

How many times he’d wanted to say that himself but now he was the one leaving. 

“Beau, come on. Hold my hand.” Harrison wrapped both hands around his left one. He didn’t think he’d ever done that without gloves on. It felt so warm. “Here, see? Stay with me, Beau.” 

But Beau didn’t belong here. 

He had died when she had, when he’d failed her. 

“No, no, no.” Harrison was holding his face now. “Hey, ‘359. Come on, keep your eyes open. Trainee ‘359. That is a direct—” His voice broke. “Fuck. Please—”

‘359 was out of place too. 

Fragments and pieces, hollow on the inside, incomplete before he’d been given Beau’s purpose. 

A clean slate would always be empty, ‘359 couldn’t exist here.

“Please.” Harrison held him more carefully than he’d ever imagined him capable of. Like he was far from nothing, precious even. “Brandon. Forgive me.”

But he wasn’t Brandon. 

Or ‘359. 

Or Beau.

He only wanted to be Aiden. 

And even though he could still feel Harrison’s fingers entwined with his, he was Aiden. Aiden being careful not to make a sound as memories drowned him. Aiden not moving a muscle or opening his eyes, pulse sprinting in his chest as they waited. He couldn’t feel anything under his fingertips anymore, was growing more and more desperate to check that he was in fact lying in a bed and not waking up on the ground beside Harrison or worse already back on his table. He—

The door opening brought everything in his head screeching to a halt.

It wasn’t Harrison’s warmth still lingering on his hand. 

It was Leo’s. 

Leo who had found him, sheltered him, been so patient and kind with him. Had risked everything by bringing him here. 

He could keep still and quiet, bury his fear of what it would mean to go back, in hopes of selling this lie. To say nothing of what consequences Leo and his sister might face. He could never be the reason someone else was unmade. He owed Leo this, at the very least, as disappointing as he may have been in the rest of their short time together. 

Or did he have a different kind of obligation now? Not just to please and obey but one of higher grounds. To earn everything Leo had given him so freely. To repay selflessness with a sacrifice of his own.

One of the agents cleared their throat and Aiden knew this was it. If he went easily, quietly, they might leave Leo alone. As long as he surrendered before Leo had a chance to try and improvise. 

And he wouldn’t look at Leo at all. To make sure to implicate him as little as possible. 

There were voices in the hallway but he couldn’t catch the words over the way his heart beat so loudly in fear, thudding through his whole body. 

He promised himself he would tear the stitches in the van later. 

Being manhandled into cuffs might start the job anyway.  

He would—Aiden would do this to save Leo. 

He sat up and opened his eyes—

In time to see the backs of the agents as the nurse ushered them out, hissing something about “immunocompromised” and “goddamn idiots, don’t they teach you to read?” 

And Leo, staring at him in disbelief.

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[cookingwithroxy]

I found these reviews on this book written by this person under the pseudonym The Last Psychiatrist. The scroll bar makes them look long, but most of the bulk comes from the comment section. One review is longer than the others in a way, but only by half. I highly recommend you read through them all by maybe putting them in a text-to-speech program to run in the background to understand my question's context because I really need an informed opinion. There will be a popup to subscribe to the website but in reality, it isn't really required to read the whole review, so you can just close out the popup:

Article 1 (longest)

Article 2

Article 3 (shortest)

My question is, what do you think of the author's message? Is his message that "all media is porn" have any fruitful meaning or understanding that can be gleaned, alongside his other opinions? I feel like he's very misanthropic and due to my personally stemming distrust of anyone in the psychology field and anyone who reads self-help or "[concept/topic] is mentally destroying you and it's your fault" books, I can't really answer them myself without feeling biased. Everyone is hailing this book as a mirror held up to yourself, but I just don't get it.

TL:DR? I TL:DR'ed the review because the excerpts it used were too painful to read. 'All Media is Porn' is a concept that is nothing new, but it works it's best to note that this is to show there's nothing unnatural or corruptive about porn itself, and any faults it has can be shown in anything else. Using that concept to condemn all media is the mindset of a toddler.

You want to share my suffering, read past.

just reading the first review and honestly having to actually skim at times and I'm stuck with the takeaway of 'this is an intentionally pretentious book by an excessively pretentious narcissist written for extremely pretentious philosophy students'.

And that's before we even get to the concept of 'all media is porn' which... what does that even mean? 'Everything done for enjoyment is of equal value as things consumed for sexual gratification'? Congratulations, dipshit, you've reduced the entirety of the human experience to a binary equation that frames all the good things as form of utilitarian state that even you don't live up to.

Can I see that this book would be seen of as 'a mirror held up to yourself'? Yes, in that from what little I did read is so blatantly and obviously self-important and absolute horseshit that the people who'd actively seek it out are as equally self-important and bullshit.

I mean fuck, let me just excerpt an excerpt and you'll see what I mean:

'"Why so many footnotes???” Which is the same question as, “why are your sentences so long, why so many commas, what the hell is with you and semicolons?” It’s all on purpose, to get rid of readers. You’re stumped by the physical layout? This book is not for you, your brain is already set in concrete, it can never change, only crumble as it ages. Which is fine if your plan was to be a foundation for the next generation, but it isn’t; you’re the rotting walls that they have to knock down while you play the flute and pretend to give freedom to everyone else. If you look forward to TV, if you think “the problem with the youth today is that they’re entitled,” if you think, “damn all the partisanship, I wish someone in government would take charge and do the right thing — you are a true Athenian democrat. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” Yeah. I’m not saying you are necessarily a bad person, I’m just saying your kids would benefit from a more hands off approach to parenting. And a math tutor. Most of you should not read this book, the Disclaimer represents all the justification you deserve, I did everything I could to exclude everyone, including adding the porn story at the beginning, a Beware Of Dog sign written in cat.'

Is this pretentious? Oh fuck yes, but here's the thing that puts it further into context: The reviewer explaining what leads to it:

'Because this book is . . . what even is this book? The first page has an eight-page long footnote at the bottom, which covers the Delphic Oracle, the Salem Witch Trials, and the movie Fast Times At Ridgemont High, and ends up concluding that you (yes, you) are incapable of having desires. Immediately afterwards, the narrative breaks off for a thirty page cuckold porn story, which sounds like the sort of thing you do in order to discuss later, except that it never does. Then it’s back to more seemingly-crazy assertions and multi-dozen page footnotes. Footnote 35 is half a page of the author screaming at a hypothetical reader who wants fewer footnotes:'

So that whole screed about how you're some form of stodgy mind-blind stick in the mud...

If you recognize that his shit page layouts and bad annotations are shit and bad.

Seriously, I don't need to go further and this is so fucking stupid I really should put a fucking read more and tldr at the start rather than make you suffer what little I let myself suffer.

More detailed TL:DR? Anyone who hails this book to you needs to be checked out for dark triad traits more like than not.

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

The End of the Ultimate Hope: Part 2.

*pant!* *pant!* *pant!*

*Makoto is heavily outmatched by the duo of Celeste and Tsumugi, especially in the dark setting, but no matter what, he refuses to give up or run away, spurred on by the thought of causing the two of them immeasurable pain.

Erase me...Yeah, right... As if!

I'm the Ultimate Hope! Good fucking luck trying to wear me down!

*SMACK!*

GAGH!

*BANG!*

AGH!

*Makoto gets hit in the shin with something hard and topples. He quickly rolls out of the way to avoid being shot at subsequently!

You know...the fact that you keep having to repeat that fact makes me think otherwise...You're disappointing Makoto...

Stop hiding behind my FRIENDS FACES!

*He throws a punch, but Tsumugi disappears into blackness again. Instead, his fist just collides with an invisible wall which he assumes is Celeste's dress.

Oh please...as if you have any right to call us your friends anymore...!

Grrrgh! RAAGH!

*He tries again. Same result.

Byakuya: In fact, I'm pretty sure because of what we've done...We'd all hate you Makoto...

And Mukuro would hate you too...

DON'T YOU DARE SAY HER NAME! UUGH!

*Makoto chases Tsumugi through the darkness, but gets tripped up again. He looks up to see Tsumugi learing down at him.

Ultimate Hope? Hero? Give me a break, you DROPPED US down an elevator shaft!

Yeah, well, apparently so did Uchui! And we did it for the same reason! To PROTECT THEM!

*WOOOSH!*

Since when was it up to you to decide what's best for us?

*WOOOSH!*

You're NOT special Makoto...You had ONE good moment in your life during the killing game, but what else did you do during it? You couldn't protect Sayaka, nor could you stop any of the murders! If you're really the hero you think you are, why don't you show it!?

RAAGGH!

*He once again tries to throw a punch, but Tsumugi jumps back and shifts again.

I was the BEST and most amazing the Future Foundation ever had to offer, but I gave up my life, so YOU could thrive! USELESS, PATHETIC MAKOTO got a chance to live a full life!

*WOOOSH!*

That's all we ever do, and it's why you keep us around! You protect our lives so that we may become sacrifices for yours! So that YOU can be happy!

THAT'S BULLSHIT!

*Makoto leaps up and attacks again, but this time, Tsumugi catches his fist. His punch is heavy though, and she's slightly faltered by it.

Everything I have ever done is for the express purpose of saving this world, and protecting the friends and family that I love! EVERYTHING comes from that want!

Well, you have done a MARVELOUS job, haven't you?

*WHAM!*

Ugh!

*Tsumugi throws a punch back, then starts darting between the shelves, rapidly shifting as she does.

You couldn't save me...!

*WOOSH!*

You COULDN'T stop me!

*WOOSH!*

Where were YOU when Jabberwock Island got destroyed!?

*WOOSH!*

Where were you when my friends were being kidnapped!?

*WOOSH!*

Nagito: Were you there when I attacked Kyoto and left Hajime Hinata to die!? NO!

*WOOSH!*

Did you stop Emilia Feng!? Did you even TRY to stop Kuripa Kurafto!? NO! You turned on ME! YOUR OWN SISTER!

SHUT THE FUCK UP! NONE OF THAT IS TRUE!

*CRAAASH!* *SMAASSH!* *BAAANG!* *CRAAASH!*

*Makoto, in a blind rage and panic, starts destroying the shelves around him, but this doesn't help an awful lot. Tsumugi just continues her tormenting.

[shychick-52]

Happy Anniversary 'Astro B.O.Y.D.'

More of me on my bullshit. Well, I did say that I'd be reposting my older analysis posts (from my defunct blog) about my favorite DuckTales episode 'Astro B.O.Y.D.' in honor of May 2, 2023 being its third anniversary. Over the past few days, I've been doing just that, finishing up with this one.

I just want to focus on the greatest scene in the whole series, which even gives Della reuniting with her kids a run for its money...

I can't talk enough about how INCREDIBLE the emotion is here. The way Gyro just fell to his knees when he embraced Boyd. How tightly he embraced him. How tight his eyes are closed, as though he's struggling to hold back tears (and it was totally a missed opportunity for him to have tears here; that would have been the icing on the cake). The lighting, deliberately done to really highlight the significance of the moment. And the pure sentiment in his face- it's so amazing just how flipping much they were able to convey in that single expression:

Emotional/mental exhaustion.

Overwhelming relief that in learning the truth about both their pasts, he'd all-at-once been freed from twenty years' worth of demons.

Paternal relief that this poor, innocent child's been freed from Akita's enslavement and corruption

Paternal pride that Boyd was able to break free of Akita's programming.

Remorse and grief that Boyd's suffered as much as him, if not worse (losing his child-like innocence to a power-hungry madman twice, being lost and alone for so many years as he's been reprogrammed by countless ignorant people who probably never cared about him and only saw him as a machine to be used and abandoned as they saw fit- heck, his second-to-last owner Mark Beaks found him at the dump- never being free to live his own life and make his own choices, and always being misunderstood and feared as a dangerous, evil robot by everyone). And for being so blind to his former mentor's treachery all those years ago, blind to the fact that it should have been obvious all along that Akita overwrote Boyd's 'real boy' programming and turned him evil. And for all the wasted years Gyro spent embittered and cynical, the best in him destroyed by Akita, blaming both himself and poor Boyd.

A deep, heartfelt apology.

A promise to always be there for him from then on and to do better by him.

And of course, love (and I honestly believe at this moment he realized that he truly saw Boyd as his son, that they were a family, how much they were part of each other, and how much they absolutely needed each other).

Gyro and Boyd. Both always so wildly misunderstood, both always suffered for what Akita did to them.

Boyd was Gyro's first sentient creation, but not the first to go evil (and I've said it before, but I so believe Gyro's history of inventions turning evil ever since the Tokyolk incident was really a psychological effect of his own deep insecurities from both Akita making him feel like a worthless failure during his internship and leaving him to think the original Tokyolk incident was his fault). The third season of the show was about "Legacy", according to Frank and Matt, and I believe that this episode was about Gyro's legacy. That he learned he's more than just the dangerous, mad scientist and failure he and so many others believed him to be, that he's truly capable of creating amazing things... and Boyd is his legacy, his greatest creation, his son, his 'first-born'.

(Again, look at the use of lighting, highlighting the sentimental moment! And I LOVE that Gyro was clearly not embarrassed to show even more public affection here!)

I like to see these scenes as the foundation of their future relationship, and a future of change, healing, and moving on for both of them together (including Gyro learning to become a better, happier person- and I totally believe Boyd immediately forgave him, which would help Gyro learn to forgive himself and learn to be the family Boyd deserves).

I have other posts analyzing stuff from this episode, but I'll save those for later. Actually, I plan to make a pinned post linking to all my 'Astro B.O.Y.D.' posts.

[justanotherfanwriter]

And they were ROOMmates

Cht list: (1) (2) (3) (4)

a/n: here’s what Black*Star’s going to be doing in this story lol. Every soul eater arc had something just plain nonsensical in it, and I wanted to emulate that <3 because the dumb stuff was the best stuff.

As always, thank you for your kind words and support. I’ve had this chapter written for a while, but I was too nervous to post it. Can’t move on until I post it tho so here it is! Please forgive me for any occ-ness. Trying to write all seven of them and having them talk over each other like they do in the canon is easier said than done for me, but I think I have my basic plot foundation laid out for the rest of the story 😊  

fyi I put this story on ao3 (as requested), so don’t forget to leave a comment or kudos (if you want lol). I’ll continue to update on tumblr as well!

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The DWMA clinic they were currently in was not on school property but nearer to Star and Tsu's apartment. Thanks to Medusa, the clinic on the school's main campus was now solely used for school emergencies that occurred on campus for accountability purposes. It was an effort to counter-act any other "black blood" level stunt. The rule had been met with only minor opposition, mainly from Professor Stein, but his complaints were largely ignored.

The building was a remodeled urgent care that took patients from Death City and some of the surrounding counties, and then, of course, the DWMA students or agents injured during missions. It was a nice little set-up, and "special" agents, like Maka, occupied the top floor, which required a key pass to access. Soul pressed the key pass the nurses had provided him to the pad before hitting the button to level five.

"Can we not mention this to Maka? I don't want her to worry," He requested as the elevator doors shut, blocking their view of the Program Agents that had swarmed the cafeteria, trying desperately to rub elbows with Kid. Marc, everyone's favorite cafeteria attendant, had caused quite the stir, but nothing big enough, in Soul's opinion, that required a team of thirty brown nosers and suck-ups.

He didn't look away from the panel of buttons to know his request had the rest of the group shifting their collective gaze toward Black*Star, who paused scraping around the inside of his ear to glare back at them.

"Oye!" He scowled like they had insulted his very being, "Why are you all looking at me? What! Do you really think I'm just gonna walk in there, blurt out Soul got his ass kicked, and that Kid—"

"—stole my fucking shot!" Black*Star yelled, bouncing up and down on Maka's bed, "Just stole it! I mean, what the hell kinda bullshit is that, huh!?"

"Stop jumping!" Soul growled, reaching to steady Maka as Tsubaki latched onto Black*Star's legs, echoing his sentiments, "Black*Star, be gentle!"  

His legs being rendered immobile didn't stop Black*Star from monologuing. He waved his arms dramatically in the air, "It was going to be perfect! I shimmed up onto the ceiling and was strategically swinging my way across the room using the light fixtures when—"

"Wait, are you okay?" Maka asked him, furrowing her brows as she spoke over Black*Star. Her arms wrapped around his as she searched his face for clues.

Soul scowled, stepping out of her grasp. This was exactly what he hadn't wanted to happen. "Don't be dumb." He tsked, "Do I look hurt?"

His answer didn't alleviate the worry on her face as she turned to examine the others, "Is this person still here?"  

"Of course not!" Kid sputtered, taking a step toward them, "I've had them—"

"Ah! Ah! No! You're not allowed out of your corner yet!" Maka ripped around, jabbing a finger in their Death Lord's direction, "I'm still mad at you."

Kid shrank in on himself, turning to face the wall again.  

With a satisfied nod, Maka relaxed against her pillows, no longer glaring but obviously, to him, still worried about the predicament. It wasn't like Liz had been wrong. No good had ever come out of a trip to the hospital, and he and Maka knew that better than anyone.

"Well, I guess that's why you took so long then, huh? Here, I thought you had ended up ditching me," She sighed, her gaze falling back to him. Her smile was small but genuine. She had never had a big smile, like Black*Star or Patty, but she had a way of making someone feel like they were the only person in a crowded room when she smiled like that.

"Wow, ye of little faith," He shook his head, unable to stop himself from smiling back, "Sorry about the food."

"It's fine, it's fine," She waved him off, "what's one more night of applesauce and watery chicken broth?"

"If I had known you were hungry, I would have brought something. I've been stress-baking," Tsubaki confessed with a sheepish look as she sat down in the chair by Maka's bedside, the one that had formally been his, but if anyone was going to steal his spot, he was perfectly fine with it being her. Tsubaki gingerly held one of Maka's hands in her own, "We were only just now allowed to come visit. They said family-only for the first 24 hours."

Maka shot him a look, and he shrugged, "If anyone asks, you're my half-sister."

"Wouldn't everyone here know better?"

He stuck his hands in his hoodie pocket, "I made a compelling argument, I guess."

He had threatened the nurses and doctors, of course, with his blade, but same difference. It wasn't like Maka needed all the tiny details anyway, she was healing.

Liz wrapped an arm around his shoulders and leaned toward Maka with a conniving little smirk Soul didn't like, "I told him he should have said you two had gotten hitched. Way more believable, and they can't refuse a spouse."

"No," He sniffed, refusing to meet Maka's eyes, "Half-sister."

"Speaking of visitors, has anyone else been by to see you, Maka?" Kid asked the wall.

Soul stiffened on his own accord, slipping out of Liz's hold as he answered quickly for her, "No."

He watched Kid from the corner of his eye to gauge his reaction, who stood up straighter with surprise. "Really?"  

"Why?" Soul asked, really watching him now, wondering who the hell they should have been expecting. Other agents, maybe, with a slip changing Soul’s assignment to Antarctica? Had Harvar followed through on his threat?

The tone of his voice must have caught Kid off guard because he pushed away from the wall with large eyes and exclaimed, "But Spirit's been going crazy! He's left early every single day!"

Soul blinked and then forced himself to unclench his jaw and relax his shoulders.

"Oh, uh, yeah, Spirit's been by, obviously, but no one else. At least, not while I've been here." He shrugged, banishing Harvar from his thoughts. Kid was here, for Maka's sake, not to hit him with a pink slip. Why he had ever thought differently was insulting to his friend, but he kept his apologies to himself.

"Actually, I would like to see him here less," Maka rolled her eyes, "please."

Kid smiled smugly at Liz, "So he isn't cutting work."

"No," He and Maka said flatly, "he's cutting work."

Liz rolled her eyes, plopping down on the bed, "I'd rather him here than at work. Kid's right. He's been an absolute mess."

Maka opened her mouth to retort when Patty jumped up from the ground, holding up a piece of paper she had been scribbling on since they had all seemingly collapsed into the room, trying their hardest to stop Black*Star from being, well, Black*Star about things, an impossible task in retrospect.  

"I made you a card, Maka!" Patty giggled, thrusting it into Maka's face and making her go cross-eyed.

"Oh!" Maka blinked, prying the card from the other girl's grip, "Thank you, Patty, this is, uh, just…yellow on paper. Uh, crayon, maybe?"

"And color pencil, and—" Patty dug into her pocket before holding out a squished and dribbling mustard packet, "—I found this in the cafeteria!"

"Patty's really been into abstract expressionism lately," Liz explained as he and Maka sniffed the paper, sharing a look of unease.

"It's very creative, Patty!" Tsu smiled, ever positive, as she leaned over to examine the sticky piece of paper herself.

"Yellow tastes good and happy," Patty nodded, licking the open end of the mustard packet, "but it makes Kid so mad!"

Kid stepped closer, eyebrow twitching, "That's only because there's no sense to it. If you would like an actual art lesson—"

"—corner—" Maka snapped at him, pointing him back to his designated spot.

"—I'm sorry!" Black*star crossed his arms over his chest with a sneer, commanding their attention, "Can we please get back to what matters here?"

"Maka's health?" He asked with a sigh, plucking the condiment-covered piece of paper away from Tsu between two pinched fingers and gingerly propping it up on Maka's bedside table.

"No!" Black*Star jabbed a finger at his chest, "Me! I've got business to discuss with you, Maka."

There was general grumbling among the group as a response. "Ah, sit down," Liz barely looked up from her nails as she waved Black*Star off while Soul grumbled, "Save it," wiping mustard from his fingers onto his pants.

"Black*Star," Tsubaki spoke up, pulling on his pant leg as she awkwardly tried to save the situation, "maybe later?"

"M-maybe later!" He stuttered, "No way! What's the big deal?"

"Maka's healing," Tsubaki explained, "we'll ask in a little bit. It can wait."

"Ah, whatever," It was Black*Star's turn to wave them off, "Maka's fine! I mean, what's a couple of bones, right, Maka?"

“I really am okay,” Maka agreed.

"No," Soul disagreed.

"I mean, Maka, have you ever just tried making your bones unbreakable?" Black*Star tilted his head in thought. His expression was open and earnest, practically downright innocent, as he proclaimed, "Just don't have them be broken anymore! That's what I do!"

Soul pointedly stared at the cam boot adorning Black*Star's left leg, "Didn't you get stuck in that from falling down some stairs?"

Again, Black*Star waved them off, tilting his head back to let out a loud cackle, "Ah, that's different!"

"How?"

"Sneak attack, duh." Black*Star sniffed, rubbing his nose, "And now I'm immune!"

"That's not how it works," He shook his head.

"It is!"

"It isn't."

"And this isn't just a social visit!"

"It is." Soul amended.

"It isn't!" Black*Star stomped forward on the bed until he was hovering over Maka, "I gotta know, do you still have all your nerdy Coffin Scout shit?"

"Coffin Scout?" Soul echoed, and another smile spread across his face, "You never told me you were a Coffin Scout."

Maka's forehead twitched as she glared at Black*Star, pushing his head away from hers, "First of all, it wasn't nerdy. Second of all, yes, I was a Coffin Scout," She sat a little straighter, "I was an excellent Coffin Scout, thank you. Third of all," Her expression faltered, "why do you want to know?"

Black*Star stood proudly, once more jabbing his thumb into his chest, "You're looking at Troup 564s next Undertaker!"

All of them, minus Tsubaki, stared at him until Maka finally blinked back to life, "I'm sorry. You?"

"Well, Angela, you see," Tsubaki started to interject, "she's—"

"Don't you have to be, like, a mom to be a den mother?" Liz asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Undertaker." Black*Star instantly corrected, "And, eh," he shrugged, "who cares? Maka's dad did it."

"Let's not go that far," Maka looked off as a twitch again pulsed through her forehead.

"It's a unisex position." Kid huffed and stood slightly straighter, "I was also a proud Coffin Scout in my youth. Maybe I can assist you in your endeavor, Black*Star? I know all the—"

"—pass." Black*Star scowled, crossing his arms over his chest with a 'hmph' and ignoring the daggers Kid shot his way.

"You were a Coffin Scout?" Maka smiled, apparently forgetting her Corner Rule, "I had no idea, Kid. Shouldn't we have been in the same Troup?"

His glower fell, and he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, "Ah, well, I never actually…made it to a Coffin Scout meeting."

"Because it was for little girls?" Soul deadpanned.

"They ended up changing that rule! But yes." Kid flushed, then brightened, "Still, I read the whole handbook over a dozen times. The Coffin Scout's dedication to tradition and policy never ceased to impress me. I knew the chants; I even tried my hand at getting a few badges, my first being the pattern badge, which, of course, obviously has to do—"

"—Patty was a coven scout too," Liz cooed, speaking over Kid as she reached for Patty to pinch and squish her cheeks, "you should have seen her in the little uniform. It was so cute!" Liz continued to beam like the proud older sister she was, "She was kicked out after her first meeting because—" Quickly, Liz snatched her hands away from Patty as she tried to chomp down on the fingers closest to her mouth, "—she had a biting problem. Patty. No."

 "We had our own version of Coffin Scouts in Japan, but uh," Tsubaki quietly explained, "I did martial arts instead with my brother."

Again, the room began to fill with a symphony of voices as one story bled into another that drowned out another, and the cycle continued ad nauseam. The endless conversation used to be something that made Soul dizzy. In the beginning, he wondered if this was what all friendships were like, constantly trying to demand the stage and outshine each other, until he finally realized there was a rhythm to their chatter, a call and response as stories layered atop each other until they reached the crescendo, screaming "my stories are yours."

Of course, he still immensely preferred the peace of silence, but the noise his friends created was as much a part of "coming home" as anything else after a long mission. If they were silent, then he'd know something was truly wrong.

Black*Star, who always demanded the stage, didn't share Soul's cheesy, sentimental, and secret approach to their friend group's hive-mind-like conversations. He began to pout, then glower as the spotlight was again taken off of him. Soul watched as his eyes darted between faces and counted down the seconds they had left until he reached another tantrum.

Slipping one of Maka's ponytails off his wrist, Soul aimed it at Black*Star striking him square in that large forehead of his, stopping the tantrum before it even had a chance to begin, "Ah, stop pouting, and tell us how you'll be inconveniencing us this time."

Maka quirked an eyebrow at Black*Star, joining Soul, "Yeah, why are you suddenly an Undertaker? I thought Coffin Scout's was the—” she poorly mocked Black*Star’s voice, crossing her eyes, “lamest thing in the world?"

Now that Black*Star finally held the room's attention, he seemed to falter under it, which Soul found odd. That wasn't like him, not at all. His confidence wavered for a moment before he shot a look at Tsubaki and nodded, squaring his shoulders, "Gotta set a few racist assholes straight, ya know, for Angie."

That was enough to cause to a general uproar.

"Angela? Is she okay?" Liz asked as Patty sat up, for once without a smile on her face.

"Did something happen?" Maka asked with wide eyes, looking for answers from Tsubaki.

"Who did it?" Kid glowered.

"Hey!" Black*Star crossed his arms, "I'm handling it, alright? I just need your nerd shit, okay? The troop she was in doesn't want her because she's a witch, so—" Again, Black*Star tripped over himself, seemingly stumbling over the right words to say, "—so, you know, we're making our own." He glared at them each in turn like he was challenging them to say something, "Any problems with that?"   

"Star!" Maka snapped, rising to the challenge, "Dammit! Why didn't you start with that?"

"Yeah—" Liz scowled, and Patty finished, "—what gives, man!"

“None of you were listening!”

"Again, because you were taking too long," Kid muttered, rolling his eyes.

Black*Star tried leveling him with an icy stare, "I will kick your ass."

"I'd like to see you try." Kid spat back without flinching.

"Holy sh—it. You two and the arguing today," Liz huffed, "knock it off."

"Are you in on this too, Tsubaki?" Maka asked, ignoring the other boys. After so many years, it was easy to tune out their constant bickering.

"Mhm," Tsubaki nodded, "I'll be the assistant troop leader! It's, uh, well, I just hope I do well. I don't know much about the Coffin Scouts."

The tension between Kid and Black*Star dissipated instantly as Kid turned eagerly to Tsubaki.

"We could review some of the handbook!" Kid suggested, eye glittering with excitement "I still remember—"

"—no thanks." Black*Star waved him away again, ignoring the daggers Kid shot him.

"I'd actually very much appreciate that," Tsu smiled.

"And, of course, you two can have all my old stuff. Lucky for you, I think, uh—" Maka stopped and tapped her chin, "—I think I still have a few of my old binders stored at my dad's place. He never let me throw any of it away." She grimaced through a smile, "He's coming by later today. I'll text him to bring it over if you want to stick around for that long, that is?"

Black*Star finally plopped down onto the foot of her bed, sitting with his legs crisscrossed, "What else do I gotta do today, huh?"

"Looks like you're stuck with us until your old man shows up," Soul smirked, leaning against Maka's bedside table.

"Stuck with them," Maka corrected, "not you—" His heart fluttered for a moment, half-hoping-half-dreading she was about to fix his wordage. "—you're going home."

With his lame hopes effectively trampled and his ego put back in its proper place, he furrowed his brows together and quite eloquently stuttered, "W-wait, what? Why?"

"You need to go home and sleep, Soul," She sighed, "I haven't seen you sleep for more than five hours this whole weekend."

"I'm fine," He shook his head.

"Don't make it an argument. Just go home and get some sleep. I'll be okay!"

"Uh," He pushed off the bedside table, uncrossing his arms to argue with her, "I beg to differ. There was a lunatic downstairs looking for you. Did we forget that?"

"No," She glared back at him, mocking his tone, "we did not. But I'll be fine. I can take care of myself. I'm not useless."

"No one said you were."

"It's not like I'm alone right now," She countered.

"And," Kid interrupted, "I'll have two people at her door every night as long as she's here."

Maka groaned, "That isn't necessary either."

"Protocol," Kid shot back.

"If anyone needs a babysitter, it's you, pigtails," Black*Star snorted in a rare act of agreement with Kid.

"Fuck off," She glared at Black*Star, kicking at him.

"I'm staying." Soul announced over their bickering, "Not risking it."

Maka stopped shoving Black*Star to scowl at him, "You need to sleep."

"You do look tired, Soul," Tsu spoke up, trying to placate the situation, which would have been annoying if she weren't so good at it, "and we'll be right here with her until Spirit arrives. She'll hardly be alone."

"And I need my mask, remember. These lights—" Maka pointed to the overhead lights, where one was still flickering at odd intervals, "—they're still killing my head."

"Fine," He conceded, "I'll run home, nap, get your stuff, come back."

"No, you'll go home, get my stuff ready for my papa to pick up, and then go to bed," She looked off for a second before tacking on, "and make sure Blair's okay, and check the mail, and then maybe clean out the fridge, and make sure the cat didn't drag anything in while we were gone, and shoot—” She snapped her fingers, “—I think I have a package at the post office, and—"

"—jeez, Mak, just write your errand boy a list," Liz snorted as Patty did her best impression of a whip. He made sure to flick her off when Maka wasn’t looking.

"Yeah, good idea," Maka said, taking Liz literally, "I'll just text you a list."

"But—" He started, but she stopped him, reaching out to grab one of his hands.

She squeezed it lightly, "Soul, go home. Your dark circles have dark circles."

He stared at her, neck warming as he felt everyone else watching them—Kid watching them—but couldn't find it in himself to do the safe thing and pull away. Instead, he studied her face for longer than necessary, his heart hammering against his rib cage as he thought of every single reason why leaving would end up being the worst mistake he had ever made.

Pretty green doe eyes batted up at him, "Please."

Against his better judgment, he squeezed her hand back, muttering a simple "fine" before turning away. He didn't let go of her hand until he was forced to, her fingertips slowly slipping from his.

"Text me when you get home!" Maka's voice echoed down the hallway as he slowly made his way toward the elevators.

As the elevator doors shut, he could hear Maka’s room again explode with the sounds of his best friends, all competing for each other’s attention until finally he was enveloped in silence, a stark difference than from before. A panic flared within him, and it was then that he decided he had been mistaken. He didn’t prefer silence. He needed their sounds. Without them, everything felt wrong.

Bad wrong. Unsafe wrong. Like something had gone wrong, wrong.

He gnawed on one of his hang nails, trying hard to push his ill ease away. He hated being alone with his thoughts, and it was made worse with that shitty little red horned demon always knocking on the door of his subconscious, acting like an internal metronome with no end in sight.

He dropped his hand from his mouth, staring miserably at the elevator doors. Maka was right. He needed some sleep.  

[robininthelabyrinth]

@oneiriad has (1) a birthday and (2) a request for Word of Honor fic + werewolves. Happy birthday!

-

“Maybe we should skin him.”

“Lao Wen.”

“What?” Wen Kexing smirked. “I think the old monster would do just right for a fur rug.”

Zhou Zishu resisted the urge to stab. Or bludgeon. Or possibly garotte.

There were a lot of options, and he knew how to do them all.

“Leave Ye Baiyi alone,” he said flatly. “I’m sure he’ll shift back on his own, eventually.”

“Will he?” Wen Kexing very deliberately lifted up one of his feet and used it to poked the still-sleeping, still-wolfshape Ye Baiyi in his side. “With all this mass? It might take a while. Years, possibly.”

Zhou Zishu rolled his eyes, though he did have to admit that Ye Baiyi’s wolfshape was a…particularly impressive one. Most martial artists’ wolfshapes weren’t even as big as an average wolf, coming in more around the size of large dogs – not so surprising if you considered the nature of the transformation and what it required in terms of muscle mass compression – but Ye Baiyi’s wolfshape was about the size of a small elephant. He’d thought he’d imagined it when he’d seen a glimpse last night, when they were all out and about under the full moon, but apparently it was actually that large.

And given that, yes, the transformation took longer the bigger you were, there might be something to Wen Kexing’s comment.

Popular rumor had it that a person’s wolfshape signified the strength of their martial arts. This was likely because you only developed a wolfshape in the first place when your internal arts were strong enough to serve as a basic foundation, and that as a result you wouldn’t be considered a real member of the jianghu if you didn’t have one. That was why regular soldiers didn’t count, but little puppies like Zhang Chengling, who barely knew how to throw a punch, did.

Personally, Zhou Zishu had always thought that those rumors were all a load of bullshit, a way for some people who happened to be blessed through natural variation in size to pat themselves on the back and lord it over other people. Sure, he himself happened to be an especially large specimen, exceeding the usual size by some bit to the point that he was even bulkier than a real-life wolf would be, but that was just luck of the draw, surely?

(Wen Kexing’s wolfshape was about average for a wolf – larger the most people’s for sure, but still a bit more slender and delicate when compared to Zhou Zishu. In that initial moment on the shore of the river, both of them still dripping wet from having been in the water, Zhou Zishu had briefly thought that Wen Kexing would be disappointed by that revelation, which had to be a lot less pleasant than the one about seeing Zhou Zishu’s actual face. Maybe he had been, too, only before he could say anything they’d both had to deal with the sodden state of their clothing by stripping them off and so his only comment about size had referred to another type of natural size variation. One in which he’d turned out to be slightly larger, much to Zhou Zishu’s instinctive annoyance.

Not that Zhou Zishu had been looking on purpose or anything. He was just naturally observant!)

Seeing Ye Baiyi’s monstrous size, though, Zhou Zishu was starting to wonder if he’d been wrong. One couldn’t deny that Ye Baiyi’s martial arts were prodigious, and his wolfshape size seemed equally so – unnaturally so, even. Who’d ever heard of a wolf that large…?

“He’ll shift back once he wakes up,” he said instead. “Also, even if he doesn’t, we’re still not skinning him.”

If either he or Wen Kexing had been normal people, Zhou Zishu might have been able to say something like You do know that skinning a fellow member of the jianghu for his fur is one of the biggest taboos possible, right? with a straight face, but of course they weren’t, either of them. Zhou Zishu couldn’t say it because he wasn’t that much of a hypocrite – he’d done much worse, in his time – and Wen Kexing…well.

He was Wen Kexing.

“But A-Xu, he’d fit so well with all the furniture!” Wen Kexing sniggered. “Look at him: what kind of self-respecting wolfshape has an all-white coat? He’s just being pretentious. White clothing, white coat…”

“You talk as if people pick their wolfshape color,” Zhou Zishu said, rolling his eyes. “It mostly matches your hair, doesn’t it, in the normal course of things?”

“Ah, well, if anyone could do it, it’d be this old monster.”

“No,” Zhou Zishu corrected. “It’d be you, and you’d make sure it matched your outfit.”

That just got Wen Kexing going, of course, going on and on until Ye Baiyi cracked open an eye nearly as large as Zhou Zishu’s human fist and, as his first move following his full moon stupor, tried to bite Wen Kexing’s leg off.

Half-heartedly, in Zhou Zishu’s opinion. For all of Wen Kexing’s considerable martial arts, based on the fight they’d had last time, if Ye Baiyi wanted to cripple Wen Kexing, he didn’t need to wait until he was in wolfshape to do it. And Wen Kexing knew it, too.

Not that that kept him from complaining.

Loudly.

For the entire hour it took Ye Baiyi to shift back.

Zhou Zishu comforted himself by noting that Wen Kexing was at least slightly behaving, in the sense that most of the insults were limited to being about how stupid a white wolf coat looked – presumably because that, at least, was something he wouldn’t ever have to deal with personally.

Not that Wen Kexing’s wolfshape would look bad in white.

Of course, that was more of a problem – Zhou Zhishu didn’t think Wen Kexing looked bad in anything.

Even the stupid stuck-up expression he was currently making while snarling at Ye Baiyi.

“You know what, I’m leaving,” he announced after a while when they showed no sign of stopping even once everyone was two-legged again, each one snapping at the other with their teeth as if they were both still in wolfshape. “I have better things to do than listen to you two flirt.”

The looks of horror on both their faces was completely worth it.

[holyshonks]

I don't know you. But you are the only one I follow that I feel somewhat comfortable saying this to, since none of my friends are into halo and I'm only just getting into it-

I only know some of the lore, but imagine if the characters met their old selves, before their "canon events" happen.

Before Atriox loses his planet, or even before he goes against the covenant.

Before Thel gets marked a heretic, and becomes the Arbiter.

Before John gets taken to become a spartan.

Atriox made a mistake, and chose the wrong choice for the sake of his own pride and honor, and the pride and honor of his crew (from what I know from the lore.) Thel made a mistake, and his failure was too grave to be forgiven completely, but without it he would never had gone on the path away from Truth to find actual truth. If John wasn't as good in class, or wasn't as strong, he would have never been taken from his family.

I think it would break them in separate ways.

I think Atriox would break a bit, cause I doubt he'd warn himself. If he did, I don't know if past Atriox would be too stubborn to listen or not.

Thel would break on both ends. Current Thel would be looking at an old pride, a false pride. Past Thel would see a villain he lived to become, instead of dying honorably for the covenant: marked as a heretic, betrayed and killed one of the Prophets, works along side the "demon." Both would probably be too devastated to talk, but for different reasons.

John would probably be the worst though. He would see an innocent child, a human that he couldn't get to be. The kid stolen, not just from his parents, but from himself. He'd probably give a bullshit speech to the kid, saying how he'll grow up to be a hero or something, but internally he would be dying. He could have been normal. He could have been human. Not a soldier, not a spartan, not a beckon of hope. He could have been a kid, with straight As and a good future ahead of him. If the covenant didn't exist, or a different plan of action was taken, John could have had a normal life, started a family of any kind (married, adopted kids, adopted dogs, stayed with college friends, stayed with his parents, etc.) But now he can't, he grew up, and will never be that kid with a bright future ever again. That kid was killed, and in his place, raised a beckon of hope and justice, that didn't have any real choice in rising from his ashes.

Sorry for rambling in your ask box, had no one else to talk to about this idea that has been bugging me since I've been brainstorming about halo-

Thank you for such a thought-provoking ask! I’m glad you feel comfortable enough to share. I’ve tried to give it the consideration it deserves. 

The Human-Covenant war was long, and the characters change a lot (something Halo does well that I take for granted too often). 

I do wonder if Atriox would have done things differently, had he known how far Cortana was willing to go. He’s proud but he’s not a fanatic. He isn’t one to call a bluff without weighing the possibilities. But would he go so far as to tell his old self to back down? Refusing to submit is the foundation of his worldview–he defied the Covenant, an arguably worse, more pervasive threat (at least at the time). I agree that he wouldn’t be able to tell himself to compromise his belief system, because in his mind, it would compromise the principles of the Banished, which are more important than any planet. I think it would hurt him, but he would not do things differently.  

I think Thel would be the only one who might actually try to convince his past self to alter the course of his life. He got a second chance and gives second chances in turn–no one is completely forfeit. It is always worth trying to reach people who have been led astray. But it wouldn’t be for his own sake. While he may believe that he deserved to go through what he did, his morality is more important than penance.  He might do it to lower the death count, not for himself, but for the people whose lives he stole in the furtherance of a lie. Would his past self listen? As you say, probably not–the precise events that opened his eyes were so high stakes, so impossible, that he probably wouldn’t care to listen to a disgraced version of himself. Worse, he might even double-down and cause greater damage in an attempt to course-correct. So he might let the past be the past and focus on the future, as he has been. He is haunted but hopeful–otherwise it's just him and the ghosts. 

Sadly, I actually think John does not have the emotional intelligence to mourn his childhood. One thing I think you’ll notice as you get deeper into the lore is that the Spartan-IIs have a complex, rationalizing relationship with their conscription. Even when offered a look at their personnel files,  Blue Team declines, and the way they seem to rationalize it is that it just does not matter. And, in their shoes, it makes sense. They know the Spartans turned the tide of the war. They know that humanity was doomed without them. So, thank goodness, no? Thank goodness they were kidnapped, thank goodness they were trained and augmented so that they could save their species. Their beliefs are reinforced with every new danger they encounter.  When their origins are thrown back at them, the standard reaction seems to be that it was not ideal but it was necessary. It’s interesting, because it's the type of war crime that they would probably try to stop if it was anyone but the UNSC. 

John logically understands that what Halsey did was wrong. But he does not regret it. He, like her, for so long, believes it was necessary. Even if the Covenant never attacked, the Insurrection was still a looming threat. I think his protective instincts are too all-encompassing. He doesn’t want to be normal. Normal people are helpless. He wants to be strong, because it is the only way to keep people he cares about safe. And even then, he fails sometimes. 

Even harder is admitting to himself that he was abused.  It’s hard to look back on the one life you’ve got and say “this was tragic and horrible”. It’s easier to say “I am doing this because I am needed,” than to say “I am doing this because I am being used.” 

It might be easier for a well-adjusted person, who feels good and hopeful about where their life is going, but John is not that. His most cherished people are missing or dead. He is missing, technically. And he shoulders the blame for every loss. I don’t think he’s done the inner work necessary to acknowledge that growing up normally would have been a good thing. 

And just because I pitch Halo books at every opportunity, the Kilo-Five trilogy tackles a lot of hard topics, including the reality of Spartan-II kidnapping and a Spartan-II who is deeply angry at Catherine Halsey for taking away her childhood. I have my hang-ups about it, but it is brave about challenging the messaging around the Spartans in a way that most Halo novels are not. 

Welcome to Halo!

[dani-fox]

This is a big info dump on my TJ rewrite AU

I apologize in advance if there is any grammar or spelling errors. English is my first language I'm just extremely stupid. So politely please don't grammar police me __________________________________________________

Tj’s story is fairly the same from the original article/story. 

Grew up under Mikell’s care n stuff along with his other siblings before getting sold out by the foundation by said older brother and becomes neglected by the foundation by abusing his healing ability. He is around the age of 14-15 and completely stops aging around this time. Making him physically 14-15 forever

 TJ’s healing ability in my rewrite has been nerfed down from being able to cure anything to now only being able to cure wounds that can heal over time from small things like paper cuts to broken limbs. He can't cure mental or physical disabilities. 

Another big change about the story is the sexual assault against TJ is taken out holy fuck that bit is unconfrible and I hate that part so much. I know there are horrible scp stories that do contain much worse content out there but writing a story about a child being SAed is fucked.

Another big change is that since TJ cant cure mental ailments he doesn't mentally regress into a 3 year old because of it rather he is childish on purpose. He is naturally childish and uses childish things as a coping mechanism from all the bullshit the foundation put him through. Also trying to make up the rest of his childhood the foundation, mostly Mikell, stole from him.

Speaking of the foundation fucking things up, The bone’s in TJ’s legs are messed up do to the bones and mussel being broken so many times that the mussled and bones healed weirdly to the point that they cant be fixed. This results in TJ being almost unable to walk so this results in him using medical equipment to help get around, his preferred choice are crutches / forearm crutches (the medical device he uses in the ref i made). 

TJ has a huge dislike with skin to skin contact due to his ability to work like that. Due to this he wears long sleeve clothing and refuses to touch people if it involves the possibility of skin-to-skin contact.

TJ is closed off and shy to people, even before the foundation he was like this but the experience of the foundation simply made this part of TJ worce. He is more open to close family members like his older brother, Jack Ambrose, and close friends(i want to make him friends with 166/Meri because why not. I feel like they would be friends)

TJ has a dislike towards certain staff members. Some of the staff members were unnamed higher ups who abused TJ’s healing abilities. Dr.Gears because he is an unlovable old asshole of an old man, Dr.Alto Clef for just being a complete buttnugget to Dr.Ambrose, and certain family members like Mikel for putting him in the foundation’s care. Mikell is at the top of the ‘I hate you list’ to the point if Mikell ever tries to interact with Tj, it will simply result in TJ trying his best to ignore and even not look at Mikell. TJ wont forgive Mikel for what he's done.  _____________________________________________________

This is all i have for now for the AU. I will try to post some more art once i get the urge to draw more SCP art. Right now, my mind is on Eddsworld art lol.

[dzthenerd490]

Hello this is Mortalfan123 and these are my complaints  to the SCP: HMF. I am hundred percent sure that I am going to get blocked after you read this. Screw it,  so here it goes.

I just wanted to say that it is a neat universe. While I enjoy most of these files, there are some complaints I have.

Its kinda weird how some of the files aren’t from Horror movies. Examples (Back to the Future, Assassins Creed, Transformers, Pikmin, etc.) I know they can be anomalies, but they feel out of place.(ironic). I thought we were going to get files on anything horror related. But hey its your au so you do you. 

I also don’t like the Black Queen Insurgency (This is probably the bias in me because chaos insurgency is my favorite GOI). I mean the (BQI) feels like chaos insurgency but multiversal and it kinda ruins the Black Queen. They were neutral in a way now they are just fascists.

I don’t like how in each file I read, like Carrie, Malignant, and elfen lied they all got happy endings. Which is good for them but I don’t like how it just happens. I was hoping they would get contained by the foundation and they would have to struggle through it. 

I once believed that maybe we would get tales or interviews of how they struggle with the reality of being locked up because of their anomalous property,  how the foundation does testing on them, how they would interact with other scps to form bonds and friendships. We the readers will get to see them grow and maybe learn to accept their anomalous property.

But Nope!!! Instead here comes Doctor Plot Device here to save them with their plot device machine or magical power. And boom, now they are living happily and they don’t have to struggle anymore with their anomalous property. Why? Because of Doctor Plot Device that's why. 

“Oh hey guys remember SCP-343, remember how I casually contained him. Yep, that was me. Do you guys also remember how I casually woke up SCP-239 from her coma. That was also me, Doctor Plot Device. I am so amazing.”

 I’m sorry but some OC doctors with op powers just ruin the vibe of what the foundation should be. Like they can be done right, but when its says how amazing they are in the foundation and how the O5- bend just to their will, I am not fan.

I also really hate how cartoonishly evil the foundation can be. Like the foundation is full of professionals, why are they acting like Jerks? I know you probably say it's because they are flawed, but no that's not it. I remember reading a tale about Gate and the mtf were just straight up hostile to anyone that dares to look at them. Then there's Doctors Ego (Egao nice play on words) who just straight up executed a guard because he didn’t want to kill innocent people and apparently Doctor Ego doesn’t get punished because why? Because he is backed up by two O5 members. “Oh great, just great”. And there's the O5 council initiating “bullshit” protocol to kill everyone who learned a very dark secret that we are not to learn.

 Everytime I see the foundation get portrayed as bad guys, I am reminded of this meme.

And if that is not bad enough the scps and certain characters are cartoony too. I remember reading “682 vs AAB'' and I hated how 682 and Moder kept calling each other like they were twelve years old on the damn playground. Especially hated how Morder talked like a cartoon like she was scary when did not talk so to read her the saturday cartoon villain took me out of the tale. (The Director confirms that Moder is female)  I remember Dr. Stevens from the Oracle project acted like a complete moron the entire time with the ACPA. 

Speaking of the ACPA, I know it is needed for the end of the world. After the world is saved, Every group of interest goes back to do what they did before.. Like what? You guys were literally working together, why can’t you guys stay and work together?

I don’t really don’t like Joke object class. Now in the main SCP forum, the Joke class is used for funny articles, sometimes just parodies like 682-J or SCP-____-J . But the way you're using the Joke class is to insult the anomaly.  I’m sorry but I don’t like it. It ruins the professionalism of the foundation. I can’t tell if you’re trying to be funny or serious in the files

Finally, I’m getting really tired of some scps being connected to the scarlet king. Like no offense, but everytime I read that (Insert SCP) is a child of scarlet king, because (Insert SCP that is headcanon to be related to Scarlet King) says “Brother” or “Sister” I roll my eyes. I even find myself disliking the article when it casually states which wife the “child” is born from.  

It's like the foundation is collecting the king's children like it's no problem. No offense to you, but I don’t like it. 

And these are my complaints of the SCP: HMF, I hope I didn’t hurt your feelings because I will hate myself if I did. The Au is flawed, however, I think the SCP:Hmf is overall good. I mean there are some problems I have with it, but then again you are literally just one person writing this AU. So I won’t blame you

 I think it's better if I give you my review on each of the files themselves in the near future. (If I’m not blocked.) I honestly believe it's best if I don’t talk about your OCs because I might hurt your feelings.

If I am going to get blocked, then I just want to say, “Dr. Wicked is just a watered-down version of Dr. Elias Shaw, but without the amulet. I’m sorry but it's the truth.

... Holy shit, I was expecting a few notes but not a whole essay. Well either way we agreed to this so I might as well hold my end. So, let's see what you have to say!

Its kinda weird how some of the files aren’t from Horror movies. Examples (Back to the Future, Assassins Creed, Transformers, Pikmin, etc.) I know they can be anomalies, but they feel out of place.(ironic). I thought we were going to get files on anything horror related. But hey its your au so you do you. 

Ha! Yeah, I also thought it was stupid of me to keep calling it "Horror" Movie Files when it's not all horror. But I honestly couldn't resist adding other stuff on the basis that it was anomalous. Stupid I know but that's the SCP: HMF universe in a nutshell, just a load of nonsense that takes itself a little too seriously. Besides, the real SCP Foundation isn't all horror either, they got a slime that's destined to destroy the Scarlet King, a giant robot that kills kaiju, and even a Cthulhu that just wants to spend some alone time. Also come on, you got to admit these elements are pretty awesome to add into the SCP Universe, right? I'm just trying to see what would happen if I combined them and what kind of scenarios might occur. Like I put on my profile, I got a hundred ideas!

I also don’t like the Black Queen Insurgency (This is probably the bias in me because chaos insurgency is my favorite GOI). I mean the (BQI) feels like chaos insurgency but multiversal and it kinda ruins the Black Queen. They were neutral in a way now they are just fascists.

Yeah, this one can be easily answered with more SCP: HMF lore... which I STILL haven't gotten too yet. God damn it, I'm sorry I'm so slow on getting my tales and action reports done. I swear it will make sense (or at least have an explanation) eventually but I just got a lot on so its going to take a while.

Though if you question is simply why I did this... I hated both GoI's and thought they were stupid, so I just fused them together. Sorry, not sorry.

I don’t like how in each file I read, like Carrie, Malignant, and elfen lied they all got happy endings. Which is good for them but I don’t like how it just happens. I was hoping they would get contained by the foundation and they would have to struggle through it. I once believed that maybe we would get tales or interviews of how they struggle with the reality of being locked up because of their anomalous property,  how the foundation does testing on them, how they would interact with other scps to form bonds and friendships. We the readers will get to see them grow and maybe learn to accept their anomalous property. But Nope!!! Instead here comes Doctor Plot Device here to save them with their plot device machine or magical power. And boom, now they are living happily and they don’t have to struggle anymore with their anomalous property. Why? Because of Doctor Plot Device that's why. “Oh hey guys remember SCP-343, remember how I casually contained him. Yep, that was me. Do you guys also remember how I casually woke up SCP-239 from her coma. That was also me, Doctor Plot Device. I am so amazing.”

... Okay... there's a lot to unpack here. I am going to make tales about their lives and struggles but they're not ready yet so I figured the file alone would be enough for now. You are right, I basically just give a plot summary of what to expect from them in the files but that's the point. The file is meant to display to the reader, who is assumed to be fellow Foundation staff, EVERYTHING they need to know about the SCP. Which the general story is the only thing what most administrative staff would care about.

I'm sorry it's taking so long to get the tales, seditions, and VS done, all of which will help expand on the development of these SCP's and their personal views and situation. I know right now it's just a load of info dumping, but for now, that's all I got. All I can ask is that you be patient.

Though for now all I can give is the basic answer... I hate unhappy endings. That's really all there is too it. I hate things ending horribly for characters and I hate watching them suffer. But of course, it's not going to be all flowers and rainbows, I mean... obviously. It will make more sense once I FINALLY get the hang of posting tales and action reports more often.

I’m sorry but some OC doctors with op powers just ruin the vibe of what the foundation should be. Like they can be done right, but when its says how amazing they are in the foundation and how the O5- bend just to their will, I am not fan.

What do you mean doctors with OP Powers? Dr. Stefansdottir can control any aspect of reality so that's pretty much fair game. Remember when she turned the entire world into a Halloween scenario and made all her friends just normal girls in costumes?

As for other doctors I gave a few some anomalous properties (Dr Wicked is immortal and regenerates form any damage, Dr Corvio can detect lies and has a floating die for a head, Dr Alvik is an Anti-Christ, and so on) but I don't think I did anything to imply they were overpowered. I also don't recall doing anything to state the O5 bends to them? Everyone even the administrative staff and Ethics Committee fear the O5 and it's not uncommon for Foundation staff to call them faceless bastards. Nobody likes the O5, but everyone still obeys them because they feel they have no choice. Ugh... but to be fair it's kinda is my fault this is confusing because, say it with me, THE TALES ARE TAKING FUCKING FOREVER TO COME OUT!

I also really hate how cartoonishly evil the foundation can be. Like the foundation is full of professionals, why are they acting like Jerks? I know you probably say it's because they are flawed, but no that's not it. I remember reading a tale about Gate and the mtf were just straight up hostile to anyone that dares to look at them. Then there's Doctors Ego (Egao nice play on words) who just straight up executed a guard because he didn’t want to kill innocent people and apparently Doctor Ego doesn’t get punished because why? Because he is backed up by two O5 members. “Oh great, just great”. And there's the O5 council initiating “bullshit” protocol to kill everyone who learned a very dark secret that we are not to learn.

First of all, Egao is 笑顔 which means "smile" in Japanese. The irony is supposed to be that he never does and everyone around gets progressively unhappier when around him... or deader either one is fine with him. Also, he is a Foundationist which are Foundation staff members that are inherently fascist and deeply despise civilians thinking they are completely unworthy of life.

You see, a majority of the Foundation was granted immortality thanks to Protocol "The Burden We Share". The O5 claimed they did this out of the kindness of their hearts but in reality, they did it so that Foundation staff would only die from anomalous events, NOT age. As allowing both forms of death to continue would greatly dwindle the staff.

Of course, now that Foundation staff are immortal it meant more knowledge and power for the Foundation. However, this had numerous side effects including some long living Foundation staff developing a new and warped ideology, resulting in them calling themselves "Foundationists". Foundationists believe that those in the Foundation are superior to those that are not in the Foundation and that humanity has lost its right to live being ignorant to the anomalous world. They've grown tired of constantly protecting humanity and getting no thanks for it, now viewing humans as rodents due to pettiness. These particular Foundation staff members are trying to make a ruling towards the O5 to allow a scenario like SCP-5000 occur. And yes, as a result they are all extremely fascist. Thankfully not everyone in the Foundation is like that but since they all work for the same organization that's not a lot that can be done. Especially since the Foundationist's are smart and only act when no one can stop them.

The O5 don't actually care which ideology grows dominant within the Foundation. Either way, it means everyone hates each other and doesn't waste time hating the O5 or calling them out on their ethical bullshit.

Though I am sorry if I made it a little cartoonish, I'll try to improve on that later. Like I said I do like edge but not too much of it. Though, I guess even I can be guilty of using too much and making a mess of things.

Everytime I see the foundation get portrayed as bad guys, I am reminded of this meme.

... okay. I respect your opinion, but I don't agree with it.

And if that is not bad enough the scps and certain characters are cartoony too. I remember reading “682 vs AAB'' and I hated how 682 and Moder kept calling each other like they were twelve years old on the damn playground. Especially hated how Morder talked like a cartoon like she was scary when did not talk so to read her the saturday cartoon villain took me out of the tale. (The Director confirms that Moder is female)  I remember Dr. Stevens from the Oracle project acted like a complete moron the entire time with the ACPA. 

... Acted like twelve-year-olds on a playground? I'm sorry but I don't agree with that at all. I didn't actually know that Moder was a female, thought I don't really think that changes anything. I did know that making Moder talk was going to piss people off I am sorry about that, thought I won't change it. I just it would make sense since both SCPs are children of gods so it would make sense if they could communicate. As to show they're almost on the same level.

Dr. Stevens was scared because he was just told that his oracle project only came to life thanks to aliens, there was a mutagenic virus plotting to infect all life on earth, and on the same night, he was thrusted into room filled with basically the illuminati. I was just trying to portray him as scared and confused, like any person would be if they were put through the same thing.

Speaking of the ACPA, I know it is needed for the end of the world. After the world is saved, Every group of interest goes back to do what they did before.. Like what? You guys were literally working together, why can’t you guys stay and work together?

Difference in opinions and ideals, it's really that simple. The SCP Foundation, Horizon Initiative, and the Global Occult Coalition do agree that humanity must be protected from the darkness, but they disagree on how it should be done. The SCP Foundation believes all think that the best way to deal with anomalies is to contain them. To study and understand them now so they can be utilized later. Global Occult Coalition thinks that humanity will never be free of its constant fight for survival until all anomalies are either understood or destroyed. And the Horizon Initiative want's to only protect "blessed" humanoids and items while destroying everything else.

Similar reasonings apply for other member organizations of the ACPA. The only thing that will force them to work together effectively is if the world and by extension humanity is in danger. Until such events occur, they will always be at each other's throats and rarely work together properly. The same definitely applies for organizations that hate the ACPA but do join up in world ending scenarios like with SCP-AUX.

I don’t really like Joke object class. Now in the main SCP forum, the Joke class is used for funny articles, sometimes just parodies like 682-J or SCP-____-J . But the way you're using the Joke class is to insult the anomaly.  I’m sorry but I don’t like it. It ruins the professionalism of the foundation. I can’t tell if you’re trying to be funny or serious in the files.

... Actually, yeah you got me there it's really just an insult to the anomaly. Like the Object Class Glossary states. If you'd rather throw it in the trash, then its Joke. I never liked Joke anomalies in the SCP Foundation, but I felt it was a little unfair to just deny their existence. so yeah... though that doesn't deny me portraying them the way I did makes me a dick.

Finally, I’m getting really tired of some scps being connected to the scarlet king. Like no offense, but everytime I read that (Insert SCP) is a child of scarlet king, because (Insert SCP that is headcanon to be related to Scarlet King) says “Brother” or “Sister” I roll my eyes. I even find myself disliking the article when it casually states which wife the “child” is born from.  

... Um... Okay? This isn't really criticism this is just your opinion, which I respect! I just don't agree with. I personally thought it was cool to memorize each bride and what they represented but... I guess not everyone likes that. Sorry.

It's like the foundation is collecting the king's children like it's no problem. No offense to you, but I don’t like it. 

They collect anomalies to contain them. It's not just the Scarlet King its everything anomalous. What's the issue?

And these are my complaints of the SCP: HMF, I hope I didn’t hurt your feelings because I will hate myself if I did. The Au is flawed, however, I think the SCP:Hmf is overall good. I mean there are some problems I have with it, but then again you are literally just one person writing this AU. So I won’t blame you.

Oh, you definitely hurt my feelings, but I'll get over it, I'm a writer so it's simply part of the job. Oh, it's not JUST flawed, its absolute garbage, and yet I'm still so proud of it. Though to be fair its mainly just a fanfiction made for fun so of course it's going to be garbage. Thank you for understanding that I am just one person doing this on my own.

I think it's better if I give you my review on each of the files themselves in the near future. (If I’m not blocked.) I honestly believe it's best if I don’t talk about your OCs because I might hurt your feelings.

Yeah, I would prefer if you did that as well. (I'm not going to block you even if at times you were harsher than you needed to be.)

If I am going to get blocked, then I just want to say, “Dr. Wicked is just a watered-down version of Dr. Elias Shaw, but without the amulet. I’m sorry but it's the truth.

... I don't know who that is, so I don't care. but please watch it, I'm not going to block you over something so petty but you're walking on thin ice right now. I don't appreciate you saying you weren't going to give your opinion in one paragraph and then went and did that exact thing on the next just because you want to get back at me for blocking you even when I didn't even do that. Furthermore, you had no reason to assume I would. So, in other words that last part was quite petty of you... still I'm not going to block you.

The only reason you should block someone is if them being annoying, sending death threats, or have proven to be problematic is some way. All I ask is that you don't look down on me like that; of all your opinions and criticism, that is the one that hurt me the most. Please be more mindful from here on out.