#i can’t believe the rest of that teaser for masks why can’t they just let henren live☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️

[whosbian]

[river-bottom-nightmare]

Nightwing 79 Review

i said i would and i will. i did like this issue! not as striking and attention grabbing as 78, but i think this issue was meant to be a foundation one, laying out the groundwork for the future. overall, pretty good. also there wasn't enough bitewing. as promised, overly extensive metaphors and me reading too much into things under the cut

i know i've talked about this cover before, but this particular thing is oddly important to me, so i'll talk about it again

this is me, once again screaming about how artists put nightwing in traditionally feminine poses and how every time i see it i just get whiplash. i mean, true, the main reason why is because nightwing is a so often sexualized character, and putting him in these poses just increases the objectification, which is a goal that dc producers have. but there are very few popular male characters that do this. the only one i can think of off the top of my head is deadpool, but that was so obviously a critique and a way to make fun of the media industry. when they draw dick like this, they’re being serious. they’re putting him in appealing poses meant to show him off, and that’s something that’s traditionally only been done to women.

it's a very direct and very loud breaking of traditional gender roles in media, especially for a character as high-profile and historic as dick grayson. colour also plays a factor in this. the entire background is pink. i was absolutely shocked when i first saw it, when the teaser came out, because i cannot think of any comic book covers of male comic heroes this high-profile where pink is even just prevalent in the cover, let alone the majority of the cover. the pink does look beautiful: it offsets and highlights the black and blue of dick's suit gorgeously, but does it with more finesse than orange or red. but the fact that the stylistic choice was made to accent and draw this cover with aesthetic and beauty in mind, completely ignoring traditional hard-set gender rules in art, was a conscious choice and one i wholeheartedly support.

just another example of the sexualization i was talking about. i remember seeing harley quinn in this exact pose in suicide squad.

so far, taylor's been pretty dead-set on bringing alfred to the forefront of importance in this series. he wants people to know how much he loves alfred's character, and how much the butler meant to dick growing up. he was dick's father too. but what i adore is how taylor managed to stress alfred's importance in a way that didn't insult or belittle bruce.

this is one of the best bruce and dick interactions i've seen, and it's done in one simple interaction. in this, bruce is tough and harsh. he knocked dick down hard, but then he reached a hand down and helped pull dick back up. let me analyze their dialogue for a minute

on your feet: this is bruce telling dick to get up. he's trained dick, he knows what the younger boy is capable of, he knows his limits, and he knows what dick can do. this is bruce telling dick i know you're strong enough to get up, so get up and prove me right

are you just going to knock me down again?: surface-level, it looks like dick's complaining. he doesn't like bruce's rough training, and he's tired of bruce knocking him down. but look at his face in this. he's smiling up at bruce, knowledgeable and a little hopeful. he knows that bruce is doing this to help dick better himself, he's completely on board with the rough training, because they both know the rewards are incredible. also, he's teasing. he's bantering with bruce. there's an ease in that joking statement, one that belies affection and intimacy. they've only known each other for a little bit, but they're already slipping into a close familial relationship.

it depends on how fast you learn: this is bruce bantering back. this is bruce not being a stoic, unfeeling asshole. instead, he's shown with the dry humor that a good batman writer knows is a staple of the character. he's teasing dick, telling him he'll basically whoop his ass if dick doesn't learn fast enough. it's incentive for dick to train harder, while also being lighthearted enough to tell dick that believes in dick and doesn't want him to push himself too hard.

gosh i love the titans. also it looks like wally's staring at dick's ass.

this was cute. a prod at dick's silly and playful sense of humor, while not dumbing him down for the sake of a laugh. instead, he's joking about food, which is stuff everyone jokes about. this is the kind of stuff that'll actually make me laugh, instead of just making me vaguely uncomfortable.

bludhaven's almost always portrayed as a cesspool of a city. and to be honest, it really is. but this panel gives the city a meaningful history, while also giving us a reason for why dick moved there.

it talks of a time when people still thought they could beat the monsters. that if they fought hard enough, they could win the fight. it was a tentative hope that you could always overcome hardship.

dick's little "i like that it's still standing" shows how he still believes that, despite what the rest of the world thinks. despite everything that he's been through, dick is still tentatively an optimist, and believes he can fight the monsters of the world and win. it's a beautiful testament to his character, and i'm like that they added his signature element of hope back in. it used to be what he symbolized as robin, and despite his growth and character arc from robin to nightwing, this is one aspect of robin that i'm glad nightwing still has.

remember when i said "things that make me vaguely uncomfortable??" yeahhhh,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Shooketh Dick: A Sequel

(the expressions in this series are just,,,,on point)

this was an incredibly sweet and kindhearted thing for dick to do, but i found it kind of,,,,,,,,desperate? maybe that's just me, but let me explain.

dick's suddenly a billionaire, and he has entirely too much money that he knows what to do with. it's also alfred's money, what the man left to him, so dick forever links it with alfred. in addition to that, he's back and bludhaven and looking at it with "fresh" eyes. (at least, from a different point of view since he got shot in the head. then mind controlled.) he's desperate to do something with the money and he's desperate to help the people around him that so obviously needs up, so he comes up with an on-the-fly solution that's a little impractical and a little crazy, but it still helps and still does some good.

to me, dick seems a little lost. he hasn't completely found his balance yet, and he's trying to do things that will. he tries charity, because that's what bruce did and it's what he knows, even though he admitted that he always thought bruce could have done more as bruce wayne than batman.

they have a family group chat guys yall were right.

also, do i think that dick would ever actually get his wallet stolen?? no way in hell, he’d notice someone getting ready to pickpocket him a mile away. but i suppose it’s important to the Plot. 

okay this is getting interesting. first blockbuster, now maroni (+ the weird heart stealer guy). i can officially say that i am intruiged

this particular artistic quirk is shown a lot in this issue, and from this art team in general, but i feel like this panel is one of the best examples of it. it was stunning enough to take up a full page, and it’s well deserved.

the way they show dick moving is absolutely brilliant. as a reader, i like seeing these smaller versions of dick getting clearer and in more detail as they come closer to the screen. not only do they show depth in the picture beyond what a simple 3 dimensional piece of art does, it also shows the passage of time.

in addition, it showcases dick’s skill. dick spots these mobsters running after a group of petty thieves. he then, and follow me here, leaps off the roof of one building feet first, springboards backwards off the side of the adjacent building with his feet, gracefully continues his backflip, rights himself, shoots a line with perfect timing: just in time to soften his landing but not slow him down, execute said landing on top of a moving bus, keep running on the moving bus without missing a beat, shoot his grapple, use the grapple to swing, use the swing to build up momentum, then use the momentum to deliver a powerful blow to the mobsters. and he did all that fast enough to catch up with the mobsters, even though he was a ROOFTOP OVER. 

d a m n  s o n

this panel, the very first in the issue, is also another example of that art style, but a little more distinctive. i love the way they showed dick’s different costumes through the ages, along with him simply growing up. it’s a little heartbreaking, but a lot uplifting to see how far he’s come. thank god he got rid of the red. now all we need is the fingerstripes, and we’ll be golden

discowing my beloved. also i can’t clearly see discowing’s hair but it definitely looks like it’s pulled back. it looks like he put it in a ponytail. guys. guys. dick had a ponytail omg. 

he’s having a Hero Moment

are you talking about the city, dick, or are you talking about you? the kgbeast, the court, the joker. dick fell to each one of them, no matter how hard he fought. he won in the end, eventually and with his family’s help. but i think he’s feeling a little low, a little defeated right now. it’s almost like he needs a win, he needs to feel victorious, he needs to feel like he helped someone (hence the food and the hotel room), just because he needs to remember what it feels like.

these lines were supposed to resonate with you, and goddamn they did.

i looked at it from two ways. first, it’s the girl asking, begging nightwing not to hurt them. bludhaven doesn’t know dick the way gotham does, they’re still a little frightened of him. this child was brave enough to step in front of all of the other hurt and homeless kids and ask, to a strange man in a mask, if he was going to hurt them like the other men had. it’s heartbreaking, but commendable, and an echo of the city itself that dick’s decided to protect. they’re bloody and broken and terrified, but still gritty and brave enough to stare what they fear in the eye and ask it not to hurt them.

second, it’s dick seeing the question reflected in himself. recently, he got shot in the head and lost all his memories. while i think that the way ric reacted was a perfectly valid and human response to the situation, i think dick still regrets how callously and rudely he treated his family. then, he was manipulated by the court of owls, then he was brainwashed with a magic crystal by the joker. dick does have a guilt complex. it’s not a big as bruce’s, but it’s there. and right now, with this girl begging her not to hurt them, dick is probably thinking about all the times he hurt people, in control of his own actions or not, bc he “didn’t have a heart.” 

little ambitious don’t you think, dick?

also just look at the sunset colours loOK at the they could not make this any more obvious oh my godddddddddddddddddddddddd

in conclusion, i need more of her

[sarahjtv]

BNHA Chapter 327 Spoiler Analysis: Home Sweet Home

OH MY GOD, GUYS!!!  DEKU GETS A BATH!!!! 🎉🛁 🧼   My broccoli boy finally gets squeaky clean, gets some sleep, and we finally get some R&R time with the Class 1-A kids.  It’s not close to the happy-go-lucky days of old, but it’s some time with the kids nonetheless.  I’m glad Horikoshi put some heart and humor in this chapter because god knows we needed it.  But, let’s be real, this is the calm before the storm:

The chapter starts off with what everyone and Horikoshi has been wanting for Deku since he went on his mission: A motherfuckin’ bath 🛀 🧼🛁!   Kaminiari and Kirishima lead the Class 1-A boys to carry Deku into their side of the UA Alliance bathhouse (looks real nice btw) and give him a good power-wash.  The whole sequence is very comical!  The boys are rushing in and poor Deku has this O_O face on him like “what is happening?” 😂 We also see some of the boys butt naked 😳  It’s clear that Horikoshi had fun drawing this thing and it was fun to read 💚

Bakugo is with them of course and you can actually see his scars from when Shigaraki stabbed him.  He’s not bleeding, but you can see those scar patches on his skin.  I’m curious of how fan artist are going to draw him from now on.  I would like to see that fan art 👀

There’s also some bubble sfx coving Bakugo’s crotch and a translator said it might say dick or penis.  I’m curious what the officials will say.

But, Bakugo being Bakugo is still aggressive towards his classmates.  More playfully than before, but still.  He reminds everyone that he still intends on being the best there is and that everyone is still his rivals (also friends, Bakugo).  HE EVEN MAKES AN ATTEMPT TO CALL DEKU IZUKU!  LIKE HE ALMOST SAID “DEKU” BUT HE CHANGED IT TO IZUKU AT THE LAST MINUTE!  AND DEKU SAYS THAT CALLING HIM DEKU IS JUST FINE LIKE THAT ANGER THAT ORIGINATED FROM THE NICKNAME ISN’T THERE ANYMORE AND IT’S A FREINDLY NICKNAME BKDK FRIENDSHIP GROWTH YOU LOVE TO SEE IT 🧡💚  

After Deku’s bath, he’s sitting in the commons talking to the rest of Class 1-A.  Well, most of them.  Mina tells Deku that Ochako and a few other students went to bed after everything became ok again.  So, I definitely didn’t see Tsuyu, and it looks like Shoji, Aoyama, and Hagakare weren’t in this chapter either.  Ochako I understand; her speech must’ve been emotionally taxing.  Aoyama and Hagakare are the top suspects for being the traitor in the fandom and this isn’t helping their cases.  I don’t know about Tsuyu and Shoji though.  They’re both mutant-types, but characters like Ojiro or mutant-like people like Jiro, Mina or Tokoyami didn’t get outcasted.  Horikoshi did hint that Shoji would be getting something soon.  But, I really am just speculating here.

Now that Deku’s back, everyone has questions for him.  Though I understand why, this has gotta be overwhelming for Deku.  At least they’re not mad at him for hiding OFA.  They seem very understanding actually.

Then my ❄️🔥 boy, Shoto Todoroki, comes in all handsome right out of the baths 💙  He’s drying his right side while you can see a steam cloud on his left.  So, it is canon that Shoto drys himself naturally with his heat. His entrance is so pretty that even Mineta’s questioning it (shut up, Mineta, you’ll never be as beautiful as him).  And yes, I might be a Shoto simp, don’t judge me I see y’all too 👀

Anyway, Shoto asks everyone to let Deku sleep since that was pretty much the whole reason they brought him back.  Problem is, Deku can’t because he really needs to apologize to All Might for abandoning him.  AND AFTER HE SAYS THAT THERE’S A DETAILED PANEL OF SHOTO POINTING TO ALL MIGHT LIKE “UH, MIDORIYA? HE’S RIGHT THERE” AND ALL MIGHT LOOKING FROM THE WINDOW LIKE A HORROR VILLAIN WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE 😭

All Might comes in and apologizes to Deku for not being able to support him when he needed it, but Deku says that All Might support him more than enough.  Mina also scolds All Might for not saying anything when he left.  She wants All Might to apologize to everyone for that.  Though I’m glad Deku and All Might have reconciled (I honestly thought that last convo between them was going to be THE LAST for a hot minute), Mina has a point.  All Might did bail on all of them without any warning.  Kinda messed up in general.

All Might apologizes and he is going to fight with everyone regardless of his physical state so that he can see that flame continue to shine.  However, he warns the kids that they got info on the villains and that the final decisive battle is coming soon.  If the whole “Final Arc” thing hasn’t been hammered into your head, there you go.  I’m also glad that Stain’s speech did end up motivating All Might further.  Who knew?

So, All Might is off to help Endeavor since he’s got unfinished business to take care of.  But, the kids are wondering why Endeavor (and probably Hawks) isn’t entering UA entirely yet.  Shot reminds them that Endeavor is still connected to Dabi and that his presence alone would cause more discourse.  People’s minds can’t change that easily.  Shoto of all people would know.  

As Deku FINALLY SLEEPS 💤 and Shoto puts a blanket over him (possibly warmed by his left side 🔥) 💙💚 Shoto acknowledges how his presence might be making people anxious too even though it’s not his fault at all (thank you, Kirishima for doubling down on this btw ❤️🪨).  But, things are different and Shoto’s going to show that so that everyone can be at ease like he wants as a hero.  There’s even this sweet small smile on his beautiful face as he says this.  He’s grown so much and he’s pretty to boot I love him so much *HANDS IN FACE* 💙❄️🔥 

EVEN KIRISHIMA’S CRYING FROM HOW MANLY SHOTO IS I LOVE THESE KIDS!!!!

And now Jiro steps up and says her piece.  That she knows how hard it is to convince everyone to change their minds for the better.  Like with those two critics from the Culture Fest.  Even so, they accomplished this before, so she thinks they can do it again.  She even gathers all the band members to emphasize on this.  I love how Jiro uses her earphone jacks to rally the band and how she literally drags Bakugo by the shirt for a cute group shot.  None of these kids are afraid of Bakugo anymore LOL 😂!  Also, Momo is the tallest out of all of them in this line up shot (except for Bakugo who’s still being dragged on the ground).  I think she’s roughly 5ft 6-7 inches?  She’s the tallest of the girls I know that, but damn.  She towers all of them.  Even me...  She’s also very pretty in this shot and it’s her birthday as I’m posting this, so happy b-day Momo ❤️

And we get a beautiful panel of Jiro leading everyone to make sure that they’ll go beyond with making everything better than it was before.  We get a nice group shot of the rest of the class agreeing with her with a smile including Shoto with a small one (did I mention that I love him?) 💙💙💙 And Deku’s in the center still sleeping away.  I hope he has good dreams *kisses forehead*💚  And go Jiro for stepping up to the plate too 💜!  All these kids have grown so much.  There is a light at the end of the tunnel. 

Finally, the last pages show Endeavor, Hawks, and Best Jeanist going somewhere, maybe Tartarus.  They got info out of Dr. Ujiko via polygraph and the Nomu Research Group at Central Hospital.  They predict that they have 2 months until Shigaraki’s ready to go again, so they’ll need 1 month of preparation.  But, the info Stain gave All Might gave them more info.  His letter ended up being a personal letter to All Might (Stain really is that nuts...), but there was a microchip in the blade Stain left containing the security records from Tartarus.  It’s not stated how this info affected the mission at hand, but it sounds like it has to do something with the time frame.  So, I’m curious if they have less time to prepare or more?  Given how this is the Final Arc, Imma say less.

Finally, the teaser asks “How are the villains moving?”  I wonder if that means we’re switching to the villain’s next week.  I would love to hang out with the kids more, but I would also like to know what our villains are up to.  Like, where the hell is Himiko Toga?  Is Spinner still questioning shit?  What happened to Mr. Compress after he mauled himself to help Shigaraki and the others escape?  Also I think we need more info on this dude’s backstory given he’s the grandson of the famous Robin Hood villain who’s name definitely didn’t escape me... 😐  Is Dabi laughing his ass off from the utter chaos he started?  Is AFO still smiling like the evil mastermind he is?  Is Shigaraki as crispy as he was earlier?  I was going to ask about Twice but... 😭

So, yeah!  Love this chapter.  Really good transition chapter into whatever happens next.  I’m kinda sad we didn’t see Deku fight off more past villains during his vigilante days.  We got Muscular and Overhaul and I think that’s it?  Didn’t see any of Overhaul’s minions or that teeth-blade villain (Fish-something?; he broke out, but we haven’t seen him since) or Re-Destro or his goons.  I don’t count as Gentle or LaBrava as villains anymore and they were never truly evil to begin with.  Regardless, it was a really cool arc to see a more dark side of Deku.  I’m really glad Horikoshi made great use of his bunny hood and metal mask finally.  Deku really did look demonic for some time.  Also, seeing Deku badass is always a plus.  And seeing the deconstruction of hero society and the possible reconstruction of it was really good too.  Not everything is sunshine and rainbows, unfortunately, but we can do our best to make it that way.

I’m also glad that we finally got our kids back in top form.  Not just being heroes, but being teenagers too.  They all had great moments especially Iida, Ochako, and now Shoto as they should.  But, Bakugo’s apology was peak for me.  Over 320 chapters of development and build-up lead to that moment and it really is one of the best in the series.  It lives in my head rent free.

So, we got 1-2 months in-manga-time until what is probably the final battle of the series.  God, I can’t believe we’re actually nearing the end of this series.  I started reading it back in 2018 when shit was rough for me. I found this series after listening to the music and reading the hype around it.  I watched the show then I read the manga and it really helped me.  Saved me from a dark place actually.  I will miss this series when it’s done and I will be greatly for the joy Horikoshi has gifted us.  I’ll try to save the farewells for later.  I’d say this series has at least 1-1 1/2 years to go.

Me @ the kids and All Might:

[ahysopae]

The Gifted episode 1, or how to start introducing 15 characters without overwhelming the viewer

The Gifted first foundation are the characters: each of them is beautifully flawed. They're close enough of archetypes to give to the viewer references (it's very important to have elements to link them to another character or to yourself - 'I see myself in them' is the best and easiest way to get you to love a character), but also each one of them has their identity clearly defined. But we have 15 characters in total, and even if some of them are mostly in the background (looking at the twins right now), it was not possible to introduce all at once (luckily, because I would never remember all their names in this case). I suppose it's one of the reasons for the switch of main character between the episodes (and since I'm a sucker for this type of thing, I'm in awe).

The first episode focus on Pang (of course it's our protagonist, our Percy Jackson - maybe I should dive in this later), but also introduce us, at least in the surface, to Nac, Wave, Namtarn, Ohm and Pom and give us hints on almost all of the others. Pang is at first shown to us as a voice-over, solidifying him as the narrator, even if we realize soon that what he says is for his webcam. The bit before the opening presents him like someone charismatic and determined, a teenager speaking about something than most people know, because they live or lived it. For the sake of this analysis/words vomit I will forget the introduction of the episode, with all the teasers for what's soon to come. So the Pang we meet later see himself as dumb: we saw him as a quick-witted boy, good to play innocent, a bit impertinent, not good at test and a bit pouty when he fails - but kind, at heart. A good kid. Through him we discover the school system in all its unfairness, and even if it's shown kinda jokingly, already the horror of it start to be apparent.

Pang for this bit is our introduction to the universe of the show, because we discover the rules with him. It's a pretty common way to lead the viewer or reader in a new universe (in Star Wars, the movie starts with Luke leaving his farm and discovering something else in the galaxy, Harry Potter is literally introduced to the magical world, the hobbits in lotr leave the little Shire to travel in the rest of the Middle Earth, ...). The important part it's that we can link the two: Pang, like the Gifted program, is more that we think at first. He is mostly more dangerous, and we have some clues of that with his first use of his potential - already in the first episode, already on Nac.

Pang's existence is also the first break in the system: him being both gifted and in 8th class is a paradox, and almost everyone seems not sure what to do with him (except Pom, maybe) him the first. He believes that he hasn't his place in the gifted program, and is really insecure about that.

Nac seems at first a nice friend. He is okay too help Pang with his plans (helping him with the phone and lying for him about his class at meal) and to share his room with him. He is also favorable to the school system (clearly because he is in the good side of the fence), even if he haven't a issue to bend or break the rules for his own advantage. His mask breaks when his friend (his dumb friend, to be precise) has better than him.

Nac has two uses in the narrative: he is an opposite mirror of Wave (in words and in attitude - where Wave is prickly, Nac is charming, but both of them use the same insult, leech, on Pang about his relationship with the other) and he is a trigger to Pang's potential. In fact he is probably the one Pang controls the most in the season (I don't remember if he uses his potential two or three time on him, so don't quote me on that, I will probably realize my mistake later on).

Wave - well, Wave is Wave. The first thing we see of him is in the classroom while Pang runs with the phone he takes back (remember, I don't cover the introduction's part here, because the first thing we see of him is, in fact, a background for a second during an exam and him punching Pang). He looks extremely bored, almost sleeping on his table (in contrast with Nac, on the same line than him, who drinks the teacher's words), until Pang literally break the studious ambiance, proving again that he is here to disturb the established order. Already we know that Wave doesn't feel the need to hide when something bore him, even if he is in a social situation where he should. He comes out like not good socially, arrogant and not the type to try to please.

His first interaction with Pang is a disaster (like no Wave, it's not how you flirt make a friend), and could place him on the school's side (symbolized by the ominous Ladda) even if we realize soon enough that the only side Wave chooses is his own. It leads again to a confrontation Nac/Wave, where Wave is defined as a solitary kid, in contrast with the sociable Nac. Nac himself establishes Wave as a mathematical/computer genius who takes pride in his intelligence (and the flashback, by focusing at first on Punn, gives us an hint of him as almost as intelligent than Wave - he raises his hand almost as fast but more politely - until we realize Wave doesn't write his answer. It tells us that Punn is clever, well-mannered and hard-working, and also that his relationship with Wave will be competitive but they are linked in a way or an other).

Him reveling the meaning of potentials just after Pang understood it and seemed ready to give the answer (even if it was in fact to ask to leave), is a proof that they could form a good team -or be the worst of enemies.

For Namtarn, lets first address the elephant in the room: I don't believe one instant the "romantic" interaction between Pang and her (cut to my mum telling "if it's how men and women interact in Thailand, their birth rate must be really low"). It's worst again in contrast with Claire and Punn, who are almost glued to the hips, or the friendship between Korn and Claire or Mon, or between Namtarn and Ohm. They tried romance, I see clumsy awkward people, and I can't believe it's not voluntarily.

Aside from that, Namtarn appears like perceptive, guessing who is Pang and that he is in the gifted class, a bit curious and nice, even if socially she's not the best (and I mean, yeah, they're 15-years-olds, so it's normal, like it's normal if some of them are cocky to the extreme). It could give us some clue about the fact that she grows up pretty sheltered, but it's maybe a stretch for my part.

Ohm first phrase is for asking a pen (does someone counted how many pens Ohm loses? It will be a fun statistic). He comes as the smiley-go-lucky kind of guy, telling everything that crosses his mind, putting his feet on his mouth every time he speaks. Also for the enigma posed by Pom he clearly doesn't know the answer and only raise his hand to follow the group.

Side question but why no one give him tissues? Boy nosebleeds every two minutes.

The first we see of Pom is when Pang and Nac try to steal the exam's results. His face stay in the shadow while we discover he is in charge of the exam. I feel obligated to point that we see his face a bit more after he drops his pen, and we know how much this pen is important for the rest of the plot (I'm realizing right now that it's in fact, a Chekhov's gun) . For his first apparition before the class, he has an image of a nice teacher, asking his students to call him by his nickname. Already we can link the metronome to him, since its in the classroom (since it's shown while Ohm has a nosebleed trying to resolve the rubik's cube, we can say it's linked to the potential too, but it's maybe a stretch).

To ends that, I want to point that the first plan where we see all the gifted class, when Pang enters, gives us a lot of information about the characters and their relationships together (It also puts us in Pang's shoes). We have the group Mon-Korn-Claire-Punn: Korn smile to Mon and Claire, Claire speaks to Mon and Korn before turning her head to Punn, her body already directed to him, Punn is separated to them since he sits on his table, but his body is turned in Claire's direction too. Namtarn is ready to take note, her back straight, while Ohm is slumped on his table and looks around. When we have a plan on each of them watching Pang, Mon's face is open and curious, Korn kinda shy away, Claire is disdainful, Punn is attentive, the twins gauge him (and already they have matching band-aids and Wave rolls his eyes so hard he clearly make it voluntarily.

[iridescentjin]

Teaser! Full fic coming in December 2020!

Background: Most people know about the eruptions of volcanoes like Mt. Vesuvius, Mt. St. Helen’s, Mount Fuego, and Eyjafjallajökull, but beneath the surface of the earth exist 20 supervolcanoes. The largest regular volcanic eruption in recorded history spewed 50 cubic km of material. Mt. St. Helen’s: .25 km³. In comparison, the last supervolcano eruption exploded with more than 2800 cubic kilometers of material. So what would happen if 3 of the calderas in one of these systems erupted at the same time?

Summary: After the eruption of the Yellowstone, Island Park, and Henry’s Fork calderas, the state of the planet changes completely. Ash blocks out the sun and coats the streets. Millions died upon impact, and millions more from the after effects. The world is plummeted into volcanic winter, and the survivors have to relearn how to live their lives.

After years of staying put in your hometown with your best friend, Taehyung, waiting for your father to return, the two of you decide to make the journey through the Outlands to try to reach his family in New Toronto. All machinery has failed. Phones and radios are useless. Together, the two of you must survive the apocalypse to try to start a new life.

Along the way you encounter new friends, foes, and a mysterious stranger, who joins your gang but is hell-bent on revenge against the marauders who he blames for his sister’s death.

Genre: Science Fiction, Angst, some fluff, smut, post-apocalyptic fiction (just sayin…experts say supervolcanic eruption is the most likely natural cause of human extinction)

General Warnings: Death, Apocalyptic scenarios, smut, abandonment, anxiety

Credits: banner made by the AMAZING @suhdays @suhbanners

a/n: I’m not a scientist or a volcanologist, and also this is science fiction. The science might be tweaked to serve my purposes. But I have done a lot of research about the Yellowstone caldera, supervolcanoes, the end of the world, the end of the human race, other things that people with anxiety might do a lot of reading about. Also there’s more smut in this than I expected. Picked a whole bouquet of oopsie daisies.

🌋

You can’t remember a life before the Wasteland. You try to think back to fuzzy memories of your childhood, but there is nothing there. Some of your companions say they have vague memories of happy childhoods and blue skies, but you secretly think that they’re just repeating what they’ve heard from older folks.

🌋

Closing your eyes, your feet followed the sound. You were slightly wary that it could be a trap or a trick, but the melody was so intoxicating that you couldn’t stop yourself. Your legs carried you into the hall way and up the stairs. When your feet landed on the soft carpet of the corridor upstairs from you, your eyes snapped open. The music was louder here. And standing before you was the reason why. A tall, almost statuesque young man with no shoes and a violin stood before you, eyes closed as the bow dragged across the strings, creating another perfect chord.

“Uh...hi,” you mutter quietly.

His eyes shoot open, and he gasps. The bow drops to the floor, and he backs away from you slowly, never tearing his eyes from your face.

“I don’t have any food or water. Stay away.”

“No, no. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I...I live downstairs. I didn’t know that there was anyone else left in this building,” you say, reaching your hand out gently toward him as if that might provide some sort of comfort to him. Instead, he just withdraws from you further.

“Yeah right, like there was someone else living here without either of us noticing,” he rolls his eyes and stops in front of a door. His eyes dart to the handle, then it seems to dawn on him that he shouldn’t be showing a potential threat where he will be sleeping later.

“You don’t have to fear me. I’ll go back downstairs, and we can talk another time.”

You didn’t see him again for a while, but you did start to become aware of the little sounds that indicated that there was indeed someone living upstairs.

🌋

Standing before you is a figure clad in all black. The first thing you clock is the weapon pointed at you, ready to fire at any moment. Then you take in the appearance of the figure. Thick soled boots, black pants that are dotted with ash, a black hoodie with the hood pulled up, dark hair over dark eyes, and a black respirator covering the bottom half of their face. 

They stand there completely still for a moment while the four of you back away. You instinctively reach for Teahyung’s hand, accepting that after all this time surviving the apocalypse, you were going to die. Then the figure begins to lower the weapon.

“Come with me,” they say in a stern voice.

“So you can murder us?!” Namjoon exclaims, his voice slightly trembling.

“I won’t kill you unless you’ve harmed my family. I promise.”

“Well, that’s reassuring,” Taehyung snorts under his breath. Luckily, the masks that you have to wear to keep the ash out of your lungs muffle it enough.

The figure raises the weapon again and motions you forward. You all reluctantly following, probably all coming to terms with your inevitable death. The figure leads you into a drainage tunnel that dead ends at a door. The door leads to a small, cottage-esque room that is dimly lit.

You look around at the scant amenities. A small, low table sits next to a cot in one corner of the room. When you look up, standing before you is someone so beautiful that you can’t believe this is the person that stopped you on the road. He hangs his hoodie on the hook next to a leather coat and straightens himself out.

“You know, you brought us back to where you live. That seems like a pretty bad idea, doesn’t it? You don’t know what we could do to you,” Namjoon says in a snarky tone.

He’s not wrong. It’s very rare that people let anyone know where they live anymore for fear of being raided for supplies or living space.

“I’m not worried about you.”

His voice is low and sullen, and you can’t tear your eyes away from his face. His skin is flawless even though it’s the raining bits of volcanic rock and cooled magma from the sky every day. Taehyung must catch you staring because he elbows you hard in the ribs.

“What do you want with us?” you finally pipe up, taking the mask off of your face. “We don’t have anything that you want.”

“Maybe. Maybe not,” he says, dragging his eyes across the three men’s faces to rest upon yours.

He pauses for a moment, takes in your face. His mouth hangs slightly open for just a moment, and you think that you might see him blush. Then he turns his attention to a corner of the room with several pictures taped to the wall. His blushing makes you blush, and Taehyung jabs you in the ribs again.

“Stop it,” you hiss.

“Now, why I brought you here: have any of you seen this girl?” He holds up a photo of himself and a girl who looks remarkably like him just with longer hair. She is smiling in the picture, holding a lily in her hand.

“No. Sorry,” Namjoon replies curtly.

“Look closely at it. Are you sure? Her name is Nari.”

“I looked closely at it. I haven’t seen her. Have any of you?” Namjoon looks at each of us with a pleading look in his eyes.

“No,” you all answer in chorus.

The man begins to cry, dropping to his knees with tears flowing down his cheeks. All four of you gasp a little bit at the sight in front of you and look at each other awkwardly. Finally, you step forward, lowering yourself to his level.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay. It might not feel like it now, but it will,” you coo to him, hoping that you can help him feel a little better. You don’t tell anyone not to cry anymore. Everyone cries a lot more now, just a lot more quietly.

[neocrush]

to the fools who dream.

pairing: idol!renjun x fem!trainee!reader

prompt: when two fools with the same dream collide and tragically fall for each other. except, one has already achieved said dream. the other is willing to sacrifice everything in able to reach that same dream. through experiencing love and heartbreak for the first time, they learn to separate dream and reality.

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TEASER UNDER THE CUT.

“Five, six, seven, eight!” The dance teacher counted to the beats of Boss Bitch by Doja Cat. You kept a strong gaze, looking at your dancing figure on the mirror. You and your fellow trainees  squatted on the ground as you stayed in that position, waiting for your respective solo parts. As your solo part came, you stood up and gracefully went to the center. After sixteen counts, everyone else stood up as you led them into the chorus. As the song ends, you stayed still in your ending pose. You and Saerin’s heavy breathing being the only audible thing to your ears. 

Your ending pose included you perching one arm up her right shoulder as both your bodies faced each other, meanwhile your actual faces faced the floor. “Good job, girls! That’s a wrap for dance practice today!” The man who previously had a stern face, smiled proudly at your hard work. “Your managers told me that none of you have any extra classes or training after this one. Therefore, you are allowed to go back to your dorms. Rest up, tomorrow is the monthly evaluation.” 

All twelve of you bowed as your dance teacher left the practice room. “Finally..” Haryeong sighed, collapsing to the floor as she sprawled her body in a funny manner. 

“I’m so nervous. I-I don’t think I’m ready for tomorrow’s evaluations.” Hannah stuttered. She was fairly new to the company, so her being extremely nervous for her first evaluations wasn’t that surprising to any of you. What surprised you, was that she started crying. Jaera, the eldest female trainee engulfed her in a motherly-like hug. She wiped the tears that fell onto the gray-haired girl’s cheeks away. 

“Hannah, look at me,” She softly spoke. The younger girl looked up, indicating that she was listening to her elder. “You’re going to do amazing. I know that for a fact. I’m not just saying this because we’re friends or because I’m trying to cheer you up. You are truly talented and hardworking. You entered this company without knowing how to count beats and stay on key. That was nearly a month ago. Now you’re up for the Main Dancer position and our vocal coach praises you on the daily. Heck, you even started rapping! Do you see what I’m trying to say? Your hardwork won’t go to waste. None of ours will.” The speaking girl looked around at her fellow trainees. Some of you starting to tear up a bit.

She continued, “I say this with all my heart. We all deserve to debut. When the time comes, our company will realize that our talent and hardwork can’t go to waste. If they fail to do so, then they’re missing out on so much potential.” The sobbing girls wiped their tears as they laughed at Jaera’s last line. Sumin pulled everyone into a hug as you cherished this moment, knowing it won’t forever be like this. 

The hug fell apart as Wonchae’s phone buzzed, receiving a call from one of your managers. Soon enough you all bid your goodbyes, as you were travelling in different cars to your dorms. Everyone walked to building’s main lobby and black vans arrived. It was 3:58 AM and you were in need of rest. As you put your white mask on, you heard a voice call out your name. You turned around and immediately removed your mask, bowing at the person who was nearing you. “Yoongi-sunbae, hello.” You properly greeted your senior.

“Ah, good thing you’re here. The CEO wants to see you.” You widened your eyes at what the taller man had just told you. “Don’t worry, it’s probably nothing bad.” He chuckled at your tense figure. “I should probably tell-” “No, no, it’s okay. They already know.” He reassured as he cut you off mid-sentence. “I can walk you there. My practice room is on the same floor.” You firmly nodded at his suggestion. “Let me just get some iced coffee, which is what I initially was going to do.” You both chuckle as you trailed behind him to the vending machine and to the 12th floor via elevator. 

You walked through the spacey hallway that led to the CEO’s office. Yoongi took a turn as he opened a door that revealed six boys chaotically doing shenanigans in a big practice room. You just chuckled at the sight of the six hyperactive men you had to deal with since you were a mere child. “Y/n! Hi!” A deep but cheerful voice that belonged to none other than Taehyung joyfully called out your name as he energetically waved at you from a distance. “Hi Taetae-sunbae!” You smiled ear-to-ear and waved. 

“See you soon? Good luck for the evaluations tomorrow by the way.” Yoongi calmly voiced out.

“Oh, Thank you, sunbae. See you soon!” You bid your goodbyes as you properly bowed - he was your senior afterall. You continued your mini journey to the CEO’s office as you walked straight towards the end of the hall.

You were now face-to-face with the door that led to the CEO’s office. The words  ‘BANG SI HYUK’ on top of ‘CEO of BigHit Entertainment’ with big, golden letters and a bold font were plastered on the big white door. It was quite intimidating - you must say.

You entered the room full of hesitation and got lost in your see of thoughts, until a man voiced out. “Ah, y/n. I have been waiting for you.” Your boss, Bang Sihyuk, smiled softly. You bowed, “Hello, sir. I apologize for being late.” “It’s alright. Take a seat.” He pulled out a chair that was in front of his large desk, gesturing for you to sit on it. “Thank you, sir.” You took a seat, smiling at his extremely kind gesture. He took a seat on his large leather chair, facing you from the other side of his desk.  

“It’s very late right now, so I’m not going to keep you here for a long time. I’ll just get to the point, okay?” The middle-aged started as you firmly nodded. 

“You have been training with us since you were 12 years old. When you auditioned, I saw the talent and potential in you. I knew you were going to become a star one day. An extremely successful one. You are very talented and hardworking. You already know that, of course. Everybody in BigHit does. Even our cleaning staff.” You both chuckled at his comedic remark.

 He continued with a more serious tone, “I’ve watched you grow into an amazing artist. There was never a day where you would let me down. After every performance, you always remind me why I accepted you into the company in the first place. You never fail to improve. To be better. To be stronger. You are extremely independent for someone your age and you should be proud of that. But most importantly, you are passionate and humble. Wherever you go in life, remember to keep those core traits as they will always bring good things to you. I, as your boss, am extremely proud of you and the person you’ve become.” 

You smile at the amount of compliments that you were being showered with by one of the most important people in your life and career. 

“I made a deal with SM Entertainment.”

Your smile altered to a confused-type-of-look as the words that had just rolled out of the man’s tongue irked you in a way. It wasn’t that you hated SM Entertainment, they were just - a joke - to your company. Your fellow trainees who were in the same class as some of the SM trainees would always talk about how celebrity-like they acted. The girls would joke about how self-centered they were here and there. Of course, you just stood there and listened. You went to an international school and trained almost your whole life, resulting in you almost never interacting with trainees from other companies. Hence, not knowing how they behaved in real life. The only exception was when you appeared in Stray Kids’ music video for God’s Menu. Then again, they weren’t trainees.

“They have decided to transfer a male trainee from their company. He wasn’t exactly fit for their company, but I saw lots of potential in him. They didn’t want to properly let him go. They weren’t going to risk losing another trainee. Therefore, they proposed a deal.” 

I think know where this is going.

“Our team had a meeting with their team. We showed them all of the latest monthly evaluations. They decided that they were going to select one of our trainees to be transferred to train at their company and vice versa.”

Oh no, it’s actually happening.

“With lots thinking and negotiation. They chose you. You’ll be picked up by your new manager here at around 8 AM. Y/n, I truly believe that you are going to be an amazing artist. No matter which company you are under. I have faith in you, y/n.” 

You were tearing up, “So is this goodbye? An end to years of training here? My home?”

Bang Sihyuk replied, “This isn’t me completely letting you go. It isn’t an end to anything. It’s the start of something wonderful. You are extremely talented, passionate, kind, hardworking, and humble. Whichever company you are in won’t matter. You are an amazing individual and you know it.” The chubbier man had engulfed you in a warm hug. “BigHit will always welcome you with open arms. Whenever you’re feeling empty, you know we’re here for you. You know the boys will do everything to protect their sister, right?” 

You nodded into the hug as you pulled away and smiled, “I’ll do my best. I always will. It’s what you taught me.”

“Show ‘em SM kids how they raised you in Bighit!” you laughed at the man, who in a few hours, won’t be your boss anymore. 

You spent the few remaining hours of being under the company you grew up in with the members of BTS and TXT. Together, you ate ungodly amounts of Spicy Ramyeon while reminiscing the boys’ trainee days with you.

Oh, how you were going to miss your brothers.

a/n: no nct yet sorry! but we need this for character building :)) did your faves make an appearance/get mentioned?

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[adobe-outdesign]

There are too many yellow bears in this series.

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Transcript under the cut.

So in Part 1, I mentioned how it was weird that I talked about the identity of the Brother and then skipped directly to the box. So let’s remedy that and talk about the identity of…

[Who is Golden Freddy?]

Sike.

No but seriously, we do need to discuss Golden Freddy before we discuss the Brother’s identity. Trust me, I’m going somewhere with this.

So Withered Golden Freddy is super easy - he’s the fifth child. We literally see this in Give Gifts. Some people think the fifth child is Cassidy, I personally think it’s Michael Brooks because his name aligns with the night guard’s names on the tombstones, it does not matter, all we need to know is that he’s the fifth child. Enjoy that, it was the only easy part of this theory.

Side note: Shadow Freddy seems to merely be a different form of Golden Freddy. In TTO, Shadow Freddy leads Charlie’s friends to her, and Michael, IE Golden Freddy, is the only one who has a reason to do that as he was her friend. And in canon, Shadow Freddy likely doesn’t show up for the fifth child in FNAF 3 not because he isn’t possessing something, but because said child is Shadow Freddy.

Continuing on, Fredbear - the one with the purple accessories - is likely Sammy, which I went over in the last video. This includes Nightmare Fredbear, the yellow bear in Happiest Day, Fredbear in UCN, etc. He’s also Nightmare, who is to Nightmare Fredbear what Shadow Freddy is to Golden Freddy; the instigator of bad events and the eventual outcome of death. Note that just as Fredbear has different colored accessories compared to Golden Freddy, Nightmare has different colored accessories compared to Shadow Freddy. They’re parallels, but they’re not the same.

But then we get to FNAF 1 Golden Freddy, and FNAF 1 Golden Freddy is… weird.

The most obvious answer would be that he’s the fifth child, but that doesn’t line up with what we established in the last video - the fifth child should no longer actively be haunting the place by FNAF 1, same as the other kids. Even if you want to argue that theory is wrong, there are some other things that don’t make sense; for example, FNAF 2 Golden Freddy is hyper-aggressive while FNAF 1 Golden Freddy is barely around. Likewise, FNAF 1 Golden Freddy seems to be purely a hallucination as you can’t adjust his AI, while Withered Golden Freddy is a physical suit you can tamper with.

FNAF 1 Golden Freddy also has a connection to both bites - both in the 1987 Easter Egg and the fact that he looks exactly like Fredbear as shown in UCN. Plus the poster that summons him occasionally switches to one of Freddy casually tearing off his own frontal lobe, and Stage 01 shows him giving cake to kid with a Foxy mask. The fifth child has nothing to do with either bite, so these connections do not make sense.

The second option would be that he’s Sammy, as he might be the other main 5 animatronics, but that… doesn’t quite add up. First, that would mean that in FNAF 3 he gave cake to… himself, seeing as all the pieces are him. Secondly, he wasn’t around in 1987 so that Easter Egg makes no sense, unless the general connection to a bite is enough for him. Thirdly, there is no Nightmare equivalent in this game (or Shadow Freddy, for that matter). And finally, the big one - if Scott intended Sammy to be Golden Freddy, then he would’ve left FNAF 4 Fredbear’s accessories black. The switch to purple is to differentiate the two, which doesn’t make sense if they’re one in the same.

But you know what’s really strange about FNAF 1 Golden Freddy aside from, like, everything? The IT’S ME hallucinations are connected to him… and him alone. No matter what the game, spinoff, or sequel, FNAF 1 Golden Freddy and FNAF 1 Golden Freddy alone makes these hallucinations.

Because of this, I feel like in order to solve who FNAF 1 Golden Freddy is, we need to solve the IT’S ME hallucinations first. And in order to do that, we have to go back to when they started appearing, which is not in FNAF 1 as you might expect, but in FNAF 2. The FNAF 2 cutscenes show the FNAF 1 location and, as far as we know, are the earliest instances of these hallucinations.

First, we see Freddy’s “error” message, which is later replaced with the “IT’S ME” line. This is why I believe these cutscenes are the origin of the phrase, as it starts showing up only after the first night. It also shows up before and after Golden Freddy appears, so it doesn’t appear to be tied to him here.

The other reason I believe this to be the origin is the hallucinations that accompany the IT’S ME message, one of which is an eyeless Bonnie - which appears in the Night 3 cutscene. And the other image? Consider how the animatronics behave towards you here - Bonnie and Chica eventually turn away, while the Puppet follows you. This matches the FNAF 2 gameplay when you put on the mask - Bonnie and Chica are fooled by it while the Puppet is not.

I’ll be honest, I never liked that puppet thing. It’s always…thinking, and it can go anywhere. I don’t think the Freddy mask will fool it.

Combine this with the strange blurred look and the fact that this is labeled as “dream” in the files, and it’s likely this isn’t reality, nor is this literally Freddy. Rather, we’re playing as someone picturing themselves as Freddy - which is why we see the Freddy with human eyes. These images accompany the IT’S ME hallucination because this is where said hallucination started.

Now, remember our requirements for the Brother earlier. They must be someone who worked in the FNAF 1 location, and we know that they worked in more than one Freddy’s as well. We also know that this person is not Michael Afton.

We know that whoever we play as in these cutscenes knows how the animatronics behave in 2, and this cutscene takes place in 1′s location. This indicates the player character moved from the FNAF 2 location to the FNAF 1 location, which fits the requirements for the Brother. This indicates that the person creating the IT’S ME hallucinations is the Brother - which in turns means that the Brother has to be FNAF 1 Golden Freddy.

But what else can we learn about him? Well for starters, we also see the Puppet, the one who gives life, right before the cutscenes stop on Night 4, despite the main gameplay continuing for several more nights. We see the Golden Freddy suit right before that, so that might be the suit that the player character is possessing - note that he does not have pupils yet like in FNAF 1. This indicates that the Brother died and was given life in the FNAF 1 location, further narrowing our requirements. And the Freddy with human eyes hallucination looks suspiciously like someone who was stuffed into a Freddy suit. See where I’m going with this?

Our final piece of evidence that links this all together is that Golden Freddy has a connection to both ‘87 and ‘83, yet is not Sammy. You see, when people ask “who did the Bite of ‘87?”, they’re asking the wrong question. Which animatronic did the Bite matters very little. What we need to know is who caused the Bite. The animatronics, including Fredbear himself, ask “was it me?” in the teasers, indicating the IT’S ME might be a response to this question. It’s not the animatronic that matters - it’s the person.

Phone Guy worked in the FNAF 2 location, and knows how the animatronics worked. He moved to the FNAF 1 location and recorded his phone calls before being stuffed into a suit on Night 4, the same number of nights the FNAF 2 cutscenes run for. And Phone Guy… is the one who tells Jeremy to wear his uniform and stick close the animatronics, after it was established they weren’t acting right around adults. In FNAF 1, after Phone Guy’s death, the first instance of Golden Freddy we can confirm… happens to land on the anniversary date of the Bite of ‘87.

Phone Guy caused the Bite of ‘87… and the Bite of ‘83. Phone Guy is the Brother.

[Why Phone Guy Being the Brother Makes Sense, Actually]

It may sound crazy at first, but Phone Guy being the Brother and FNAF 1 Golden Freddy is what suddenly makes this seemingly almost random series of events come together into a coherent story. So, without further adieu, let’s summarize the plot of FNAF.

We start with William kidnapping and killing Charlie. This then traumatized Sammy, which in turn caused his older brother to bully him and eventually kill him by accident. Wracked with guilt, the brother took the plushies that Sammy possessed and tried to stitch them together into one, then locked them into a box and tried to repress his memories of the incident.

William then kidnapped the Brother, leading to the events of FNAF 4 with Sammy trying to kill him. The Brother eventually escapes but never opens the box and faces the truth, instead eventually picking up a job at Freddy’s. Five kids are killed at that location and possess the pre-Withereds. William kills another five for their remnant in 2 before being moved to the day shift. The Brother, now known as Phone Guy, accidentally causes another Bite to happen. This and the murders drive him to take up the night shift. William, meanwhile, is killed by the kids and sealed away, and the original five rest while Sammy takes their place.

Phone Guy works there for years before Sammy finally succeeds in killing him near the anniversary of the Bite of ‘87. He then becomes FNAF 1 Golden Freddy, who’s basically a representation of his guilt over the Bite - keep in mind that he never did open the box, which Scott described as “fitting”. The FNAF 1 location eventually shuts down, Fazbear’s Fright opens, and Sammy and Charlie are both freed. Some, uh, stuff happens with Michael, and eventually the other five kids are put to rest as well and William is killed off for good.

Rising action, climax, resolution, ect. - FNAF suddenly has a plot, with all of the proper elements and everything. Scott's “four games, one story” hint suddenly makes a lot more sense, doesn’t it?

Oh, and if the general plot of “Guy works five nights at a pizzeria before his younger sibling, possessing multiple animatronics, kills him and turns him into an empty suit” sounds familiar… well, that’s because it’s the plot of Sister Location. Back during TSE’s release Scott said the books were an AU because the original plotline just had too much stuff in it to write any more stories, but then turned around and released SL and FFPS. I think he realized that by just paralleling the same narrative but switching the focus from the Emilys to the Aftons, he could create a lot more stories.

So, okay. All of that makes sense from a story perspective, but what about a theory perspective? What evidence is there to support Phone Guy being both Golden Freddy and the Brother? Well, there’s… a lot, actually. So much so, in fact, that we’re going to speedrun it.

“Well, I think that’s it. Uh, you should be golden.”

Also, the numbers you’re punching in are the hex code of William’s “Save them” sprite backwards, which might be a nod to the “Phone Guy is the killer” theory. It was still popular at the time, so the number being backwards might indicate it was wrong - because Phone Guy isn’t William, he’s Golden Freddy

“Um, I actually worked in that office before you. I’m finishing up my last week now as a matter of fact.”

While I have heard some evidence against the idea of Phone Guy being the Brother, most of it seems inconsequential. Here’s a quick run-down:

Phone Guy sounds too old to be the Brother - Scott’s not a professional voice actor, and he never intended there to be more games after 1 upon release. Also, Phone Guy’s voice actually does get lower in pitch over time (compare his voice in FNAF 3 vs FNAF 1). If this was a professional voice actor Scott chose out later in the series this would be valid, but as is it’s a bit too nitpicky in my opinion.

Phone Guy is too old to be the Brother - Assuming Phone Guy started working in Freddy’s in ‘85, then that puts him at two years after the Bite. If he was 16 at the time of the bite, he’d be 18 in ‘85, old enough to get the job. Even if he was 14 plenty of jobs will hire 16 year olds depending on the state’s labor laws.

His line about Fredbear’s in 2 doesn’t make sense - The “previous owner” he mentions is probably not Henry, who would be his father if he was the Brother, but rather William. Keep in mind this is after the murders, so I don’t know why they’d be contacting Henry at this point. Some people also think that the location of the Bite of ‘83 was Fredbear’s, making it weird that the Brother wouldn’t be 100% sure of its name, but the token in Help Wanted confirms that that location was the first Freddy’s.

So yeah, that’s quite a bit of evidence. But in addition to everything else, I’d also like to discuss this theory relative to UCN.

[How This Ties Back Into Ultimate Custom Night]

You see, UCN has two major theories going for it: One is Willhell, one is Mikehell, and one is my personal favorite, the Theoriest’s Hell.

[Please Stand By]

One is Willhell and the other is Mikehell. The problem with both of these theories however is that neither of them… work, or at least work as well as we would all like them to. Let’s recap:

Willhell is the more solid of the two, as it makes more logical sense and more of the dialogue fits Will better than Michael. However, it is not without a few problems.

The biggest issue is Malhare’s appearance in FFPS, as it’s a bit hard for William to show up after UCN if he’s supposed to be in Hell. There are also a few other things; for example, the Puppet claims she doesn’t hate him which is a bit odd. Not to mention the emphasis on “the one”, which seems weird considering WIlliam has killed multiple kids. Fredbear can also insta-kill you and Golden Freddy shows up at the end of the game, so there’s some sort of significance to those two characters and the Bite here, which also doesn’t tie back to Will.

Mikehell fixes this by claiming Michael is the Brother; thus, “the one” is the Bitten Child and the connections to the Bite suddenly have an explanation. However, this theory has holes of its own - namely, that FFPS kind of sort of directly states that Michael isn’t going to Hell.

For most of you, I believe there is peace, and perhaps more, waiting for you after the smoke clears. Although for one of you, the darkest pit of hell has opened to swallow you whole, so don’t keep the devil waiting, old friend.

If “one of you” refers to William and there’s peace waiting for the others, than that means that Michael is going to be at peace after FFPS, which doesn’t make sense for Scott to have brought attention to if he’s the protag of UCN.

This one also doesn’t make sense from a character standpoint. Even if Michael was the Brother - and I already went over why I think he’s not in the first part - he already more than repented for his sins by dying while freeing Elizabeth.

And finally, the “leave the demons to his demons” scene also doesn’t make much sense here - Michael killed his brother accidentally, so “demon” is too harsh. He could be the Freddy sprite and the text is referring to Will, but… why would he be Freddy, aside from that being the sprite in OMC’s original appearance?

So with neither of these theories working perfectly, I’d like to suggest a third option: Brotherhell. Basically it’s the same thing as Mikehell, but without the Mike.

This immediately fixes most of the issues with Mikehell. The Brother never opened the box from 4 or really even came to terms with what he did, so him being punished makes sense in this context. “The One” is Sammy, who 4 already proved to be very vengeful towards his brother. This would explain why Fredbear can insta-kill you, as he and The One are the same.

The Puppet saying she doesn’t fear him anymore, but also doesn’t hate him? Assuming he used to scare Charlie like he did Sammy, he would indeed not scare her anymore without her truly hating him. And the scene with OMC? The Brother is Freddy in that scene because he became Golden Freddy when he died. And that’s why you see Golden Freddy at the end - he’s not only the player character, but a representation of the Brother’s guilt as well. Note that while the Bitten Child passed on in 3 and the original 5 and Elizabeth passed on in FFPS, no one ever actually freed the Brother.

The only snag I can think of with this interpretation is Orville’s one line:

He tried to release you. He tried to release us. But I’m not going to let that happen. I will hold you here. I will keep you here. No matter how many times they burn us. (They burn us).

However, one could argue this refers to the fire in FNAF 3, rather than the one in FFPS. Henry (the player character in 3) tried to burn everything and release the Brother, Sammy and Charlie. Whether or not this works is a bit ambiguous, but it at least has less problems regardless than Willhell or Mikehell.

[So is any of this right?]

Now that we’ve finally covered the entire lore - or at least the most confusing bits - it’s time to ask the important questions, like “was any of that even correct”? And the answer is… I dunno. No, really. I could’ve been wrong from the start and Michael is the Brother and none of this meant anything and I just wasted nearly an hour of your time talking about all of this. And given that Scott seems sort of, uh, completely terrified of fan backlash, we probably won’t be getting any definitive answers anytime soon.

However, if nothing else, I hope this theory serves as an interpretation of FNAF that makes for a good story. Instead of this confusing mish-mash of seemingly random events and people, we’re left with a simple story about a small child trying to get revenge on his older brother, who’s still grappling with coming to terms with what he did. It’s creepy, it’s poignant, it’s sad, and it is Five Nights at Freddy’s.

[IT’S ME Jumpscare - Weird Al over Credits]

[dogcopter]

Dogcopter Appearance Masterlist

thank you to resources SU Wiki Dogcopter and Dogcopter/Gallery, and Steven Says wiki transcript searcher

This is just a list of Dogcopter appearances in SU, not analysis. One or two may surprise you!

Dogcopter episode appearances

Lars and the Cool Kids

Lion 2

Some people say ‘You can't teach an old dog new tricks’... Unless you're Dogcopter 3, in 3D! This February, the fur hits the fan!

Steven: Whoah, I can see why this is your favorite film franchise. Connie: That's right! In a world where humanity is pushed to the brink, it turns out that the one who is most human, is a dog! Copter. Steven: and did you see where that missile came out of? Connie: Heh, yeah. I just hope it stays faithful to the book. 

Amethyst: Oh, that's easy! Who needs to go see movies when you’ve got magic?

Steven: I'm sorry! I ruined everything, didn't I? I don't know why you hang out with me. I mess stuff up all the time. Connie: I don't know why you hang out with me! I'm so much more less interesting than you! And obviously you have some sort of magical destiny. Why would you even care about something like Dogcopter? Steven: Why?! Because it's Dogcopter! He's a dog, and a helicopter, and a cop! He shoots missiles out of his butt, and he's gonna save the world! Dogcopter is very cool and important to me. Connie: Well, I'm no Dogcopter.

Keep Beach City Weird 

Dogcopter 3 SUX April 23, 2014

I saw Dogcopter 3 in 3D tonight and all I have to say is WOOF!  

First of all, it’s a huge mistake to turn the last Dogcopter book into THREE movies.  Yes, the last book is over 900 pages, but there’s not enough story!  And the 3D was completely unnecessary.  If I wanted to see butt missiles flying at my face, I’d feed a dog some bottle rockets and put on a pair of safety goggles.

Dogcopter is supposed to be an uncompromising look at the military-industrial-pet complex, not “fun”!  Fun is the worst.

Also, if you live in the Delmarva area - do not see it at the Beach City Cineplex.  The parking lot is a mess!  Probably from a bunch of angry Dogcopter fans rioting.  Ugh, I’m going to see this 3 more times to make sure I hate it.

Tags: dogcopter 3 in 3D keep beach city weird kbcw

-

Lion 3

Dogcopter: I win. Steven: Oh, what? That was a good move! Dogcopter: Thanks. Steven: Dogcopter. How do you do it? Dogcopter: How do I do what? Steven: I mean, what's your secret? How'd you get so talented? Dogcopter: Don't focus so much on talent, Steven. Making art is all about communication. A piece of art is a conversation. Every choice you make, is a statement.

Continued under cut

Dogcopter: Don't worry about labels, or conforming to a standard. Just be true to yourself, and people will appreciate your honesty. Steven: Woah. Thanks for the advice. Dogcopter: And take a deep breath. Steven: What?

suworkbook wrote a brilliant piece of meta around this dream

Steven: Here again? I don't know what this place is but it feels... familiar. Why can't I breathe? Wait a minute... Lion! Lion, my face is not your bed! What's going on with you?

Chille Tid

Steven: Whoa. Dogcopter! Mr. Copter! Sir! I'm one of your biggest fans, can I please have your autograph? Dogcopter: (meows) Steven: Mr. Copter, please! Steven: Hey wait! Where are you going?! Steven: I hope the rumors about Dogcopter in the tabloids aren't true. Steven: Huh? Oh! Hey, Pearl! Steven: Wait! Don't eat me! Steven: Oh, man! Thanks for the upgrade, Pearl! Now I can catch up with Dog— Steven: Woah, Amethyst? Steven: Hmm... This is... getting really weird. Lapis: This is weird. Steven: Hey, that sounds a lot like— Lapis: Steven! Steven: Lapis Lazuli! Lapis: Steven, what are you doing in here?

Keep Beach City Weird

KEEP BEACH CITY SPOILER FREE January 04 2016

Hey weirdos!  For the past few months, I’ve done something unprecedented - I’ve stayed off the internet.

It was hard but I had to do because I’ve been trying to stay SPOILER FREE for the movie event of the new millennium!  This December was the revival of one of the most famous sci-fi franchises in the world.  Yep, you know what I’m talking about: DOGCOPTER.

So for three months, I sequestered myself from all internet communications.  I handed over my laptop and my phone to my little bro, Peedee, and ordered him to bury them in an undisclosed location in the deserts of New Mexico.

I think he just put them in the walk-in freezer at the fry shop.  

I won’t lie, it was hard.  But I calmed my nerves by reacquainting myself with the “Young Adult Conspiracy” section at my local library.  And instead of getting in arguments with internet trolls, I got in real life arguments!  With my dad!

And after months of avoiding and spoilers or teasers or trailers, I was in line for Dogcopter 4, and then some dummy walking out of the theater TOTALLY SPOILED EVERYTHING and was like, “I can’t believe that Dogcopter’s parents are actually cats.”  

Ug!  I hope you’ve seen the movie because that’s pretty much the big ending.  Dogcopter dies defending the planet but then he comes back to life because he’s actually part cat and cats have 9 lives.  Anyway, the movie was pretty much ruined.  So now I’m back.  Spoilers are the worst.

Tags: Keep Beach City Weird Dogcopter

-

Fun fact if you invert this poster and adjust the contrast a bit, some odd diagram in the back appears:

Steven’s Birthday

Amethyst: What are you doing? Steven: Well uh...What are YOU doing? Greg: What are YOU doing to your body? Amethyst: Woah, woah, woah, have you been stretching yourself out all day? Steven: No! I was just... slouching. Greg: Why are you doing this? It... really isn't like you. Steven: Because, Dad, I can't stay a kid forever, when Connie grows up and becomes president what is that gonna make me? First Boy!? Amethyst: Steven, you can't just keep stretching forever. If you hold it too long, you could really hurt yourself. Steven: Yeah well, I'm half human so maybe it works different for me, we'll just have to wait and see, right? Greg: Steven...

Connie: That one's... "Canis helicopterus". Steven: Uh-uh, "Helicopterus"? Connie: Yeah, Dogcopter, get it? Now you make one up! Steven: Okay, um, That one's, uh, snake constellation. Connie: That's... pretty good. Are you okay? It looks like you're gonna throw up. Steven: Oh yeah, everything's fine!  Connie: Okay... that's good. You know, to be honest, I was a little worried before. This might sound silly, but I'm really glad that I'm going to get to grow up with you. Connie: ...Steven? Steven! What's going on? What happened? Connie: We were just talking then all of a sudden- Pearl: He turned back into a baby?! Connie: YES!

Keep Beach City Safe

DOGCOPTER 4: ALL DOGS GO TO WAR Jan 5 2016

Dogcopter 4 has finally been released! All Dogs Go to War!

I’ve been dying to see this movie for age, but I never had the time. I’ve been so busy with my blog and picking the perfect present for Steven. I’ve watched all the other Dogcopter Movies, but I haven’t had time to watch this one. But now I have a little free time to do something. After I watch it I won’t spoil it for the rest of you. I’m gonna be a Smart Spoiler and drop hints in my post for you guess. Only those who have watched it will notice the clues. Yep, watching it 9 times.

#Dogcopter 4 #Steven's Birthday Present #Dogcopter Movies #Smart Spoiler

Same Old World

Lapis: So, what does happen in Empire City? Steven: Well, let's see. If you lived here, you could get a cool apartment, and be a single Gem taking on the big city. You'll have a fun job at a local coffee shop and come home to a wacky roommate... Lapis: I have no idea what you're talking about. Steven: Awww.

Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service

Steven: I'll take care of this! Kiki: Steven, be careful! Steven: Don't worry about me! Anything is possible when you have... rockets for bones! Kiki: Steven, that was so brave! Steven: Well, it's cheddar than nothing.

Steven: Oh, hey, Dogcopter. Dogcopter: (meows) Steven: See ya, dream Kiki! Kiki: Oh, okay. See you, dream Steven! Steven: Dream Steven!

Little Homeschool

Steven: Sadie's been touring with The Suspects, promoting their new album, and Connie has been getting a head start on college prep. She's two years away from applying, but she says it doesn't hurt to start early. Steven: And speaking of higher education, Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl and I have been cooking up a dream of our own! Cherry Quartz: I have no idea who you're talking about.

Snow Day

Amethyst: Guess what we've got lined up tonight. "Pupcopter's Sky-High Adventure"! Pearl: Sheet masks with cute animal faces! Garnet: And, most importantly, pizza. Steven: Uh, guys, I've been a vegetarian for, like, a month, and "Pupcopter" is for 6-year-olds, and I have my own skin care routine. Anyways, it's cool. I already ate.  Amethyst: Oh well. We'll just watch the movie with Cat Steven. Garnet: My bad. I was sure we were in the pepperoni timeline.

In Dreams

Dogcopter: (flies away) Stefan: Noooo!

Together Forever

Lion: (roars) Connie: Huh? Steven: Hey, Connie! How you doin'? Connie: Steven? What are you doing here? Steven: You're gonna have a fifteen-minute break in...two minutes, right? Connie: Whoa! Spot on. Steven: Connie, let's go for a walk. I'm sure you could use some fresh air. Connie: I would love to! But um... Steven: No, no, no! Don't worry! We'll go with Lion, and I promise you'll be back in fifteen minutes! Connie: Okay! Let's do this!

Growing Pains

Drew: I know you're eager to chase the mail truck, Dogcopter. But the mail truck is a decoy. Good boys chase the blue car. Be a good boy, Dogcopter. Drew: Nice work, DC! Now get the bomb off the bridge! We're almost out of time! Drew: Dogcopter! No! Drew: Dogcopter, I can't lose you. Drew: Is this... what I think it is?

Announcer: Dogcopter 6: Till Death Do We Bark: I Now Pronounce You Man And Woof! Steven: Everyone's getting married but me! Ugh! I feel like poop.

[evilrubberducke]

Strangers in a Strange Land- Chapter 5- Miasma

Art by the lovely @wolfy1298​!

After Quite a while, chapter 5 is up! Sorry it took so long, but I hope the chapter length makes up for it a little.

In this chapter, a celebration is had, a new area is explored, and a careless action has consequences

Read it on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20280019/chapters/54112678

Read it on FF.net: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13365894/5/Strangers-in-a-Strange-Land

Teaser under cut.

"Everything looks good," the medic said, making a final note on the form she was filling out before handing it to Izuku, "Congratulations, Mr. Midoriya. You're cleared for active duty."

Izuku let out a sigh of relief while Mina cheered loudly. He'd been feeling perfectly fine for nearly a week now, but it was nice to finally have official confirmation.

"Yes, yes, We're all very excited," the medic said dryly. "Now, how about you two get going and stop disturbing the other patients?"

"Sorry!" Mina chirped, with a smile on her face that said she was anything but, "C'mon Izuku! Let's bounce!"

She grabbed his arm and practically dragged him out of the medical ward, to the great amusement of the rest of the patients. The laughter that followed the pair out of the building caused Izuku to flush with embarrassment. Well, that and the fact that he was hyper aware of the way Mina was gripping his hand.

The revelation that he had fallen for Mina had made things much more difficult for Izuku. So many interactions seemed to take on a different tone now, from their simple daily chats to their sleeping arrangements.

During his convalescence, Mina had taken to sleeping at the foot of his bed, next to or sometimes even on top of his feet. At first Izuku had thought little of the gesture. Mina had been shaken by the encounter with the Kirin and felt guilty for leading them into the fight. As time had passed, however, and she made no move to return to her own bed Izuku had become more and more aware of her presence every night. She might be stuck in a feline body, but he couldn't ignore the fact that he was spending every night in bed with a girl, or the fact that her original form had been quite pretty.

"So," Mina said, jolting him from his thoughts, "What do you wanna do first? There's a big battle going down in the arena between some A-listers and a pair of Paolumu, so we could go watch that, or we could go fishing again. I heard someone spotted a platinum fish by the docks the other day. Or we could do something else. I'm open to ideas!"

"Mina, we should probably report to the Commander first. He should know that I'm back to full health."

"Fiiiiiiine," Mina sighed, "you're right. But then we're gonna do something fun and not work related to celebrate!"

"Sounds good," Izuku said with a small smile.

"Hey you two!" the Field Team Leader called, waving them up to the command section of the Tradeyard, "What mischief are you up to today?"

"Actually, we came to see you and the Commander," Izuku replied, "I was just cleared for active duty, so we came to let you know."

"Excellent news!" the Commander said, looking up from the stack of papers he was perusing "Tell me, are you up for exploring a new area?"

Izuku and MIna didn't even have to look at each other to confirm. They both nodded in perfect synchronization.

"Perfect," the Commander said. "Now, while you've been recuperating, our best technicians have been working hard to transform the Third Fleet's Research Base into an aerial research platform, a task that was completed several days ago. Finally, the area beneath the Coral Highlands is open for exploration."

"Ooooh!" Mina said, "What's it like? Is it as pretty as the Highlands?"

"Not quite," he replied with a chuckle, "The first reports describe it as an area dominated by decay and effluvium, earning it the tentative title of 'The Rotten Vale'"

"Oh come on!" Mina cried, throwing her paws up in dismay, "Why does this place have to keep jerking me around? We get one nice place to explore, and then it's back to the pits!"

"The pits is actually a fairly accurate description," the Field Team Leader cut in before she could continue her rant. "We know the Vale runs deep; we're just not sure how deep. The effluvium gets thicker as you go down, and our scouts are having a tough time dealing with it. Apparently it can sap your energy pretty quickly, and our standard issue masks aren't doing much to combat it. The second fleet is working on improvements, but it might take a while."

"And we can't afford a delay like that if we hope to pick up Zorah Magdaros's trail in time to reach it," the Commander said. "Which is why we're sending our best hunters to search for a way through or around the effluvium. If the two of you are willing, you can leave at first light for the Research Base, and travel with them to the Vale."

Izuku frowned. "Sir, if you're sending your best hunters, won't we just get in their way?"

A rare smile touched the Commander's lips while the Field Team Leader laughed openly, slapping his knee in amusement. Before Izuku could ask what was so funny, a furry elbow lodged itself in his stomach, causing him to fold in on himself in pain.

"He means us, you humble idiot!" Mina hissed.

Izuku flushed with embarrassment, both from his mistake and from the high praise. "S-sir... we, er, I don't—"

The Commander held up a hand to forestall Izuku's objections. "Let me stop you right there Mr. Midoriya. I've had reports from the ecological research team, the resource center, the Lynian Researcher, and the Chef, all of which were practically glowing and demanded that the two of you be assigned to their division on a permanent basis. You've earned every bit of praise and then some, believe me."

Izuku swallowed, pushing down his embarrassment as best he could. He wasn't entirely successful, and he could still feel his cheeks burning, but he at least managed to squeak out a response.

"Thank you, sir."

"You're most welcome. But both myself and the rest of the division leaders agree that mere praise isn't enough. Thankfully, the perfect opportunity to reward your hard work has presented itself. As you may be aware, the Fifth Fleet ended up being quite a bit larger than we expected, which has left us short on housing space, and the barracks rather packed. Recently, though, a private room in one of the more established districts of Astera has opened up, and we've agreed that you should be the ones to take it over. So, what do you say?"

"We'll take it!" Mina said, before Izuku could politely decline. He shot her a questioning look, and she shrugged. "What? I'm tired of people keeping me up with their snoring. I never thought I'd miss the UA dorms this much, but honestly I'd fight a pissed off Anjanath to have a private room again at this point."

"Uh, Mina, I'm pretty sure you'll still be sharing it with me," Izuku said, glancing to the Field Team Leader who nodded in confirmation.

"Well, yeah, but that's different," Mina said, turning slightly away from him. "You're much better company."

Now it was Izuku's turn to look away as he tried to hide the blush that was rising in his cheeks. He turned his gaze back to the Field Team Leader, who was grinning and wiggling his eyebrows, and the Commander, who looked pensive.

The look disappeared a moment later, though, and a small smile crossed the Commander's lips. "I suppose congratulations are in order, then." he slid a key across the table to Izuku, who pocketed it. "Take the rest of the day to get settled in your new room and to prepare for departure. A wingdrake will be ready to take you to the Research Base at dawn."

Next to Izuku, Mina shuddered involuntarily at the mention of the upcoming wingdrake ride, but didn't say anything. Even though Mina had accepted the necessity of wingdrake transport as the scope of the Commission's activities expanded, she had never gotten comfortable with them. She still shut her eyes during the rides and sank her claws into his leg for safety, despite the flights being relatively smooth.

"We'll be ready sir," Izuku said, snapping off a quick salute, with Mina following suit a second later.

"Glad to hear it," the Commander said, returning the salute.

With that, Izuku and Mina took their leave, heading off to take a look at their new abode.

"Is everything all right, grandfather?" the Field Team Leader asked, once the two hunters had departed, "You seemed a bit distracted just now."

The Commander sighed heavily and leaned on the table. "Apologies. My current projects have taken more of a toll on me than I expected."

The Field Team Leader nodded sympathetically "You could always let the division leaders handle more of the paperwork. It would lighten the load on you significantly."

The Commander shook his head. "They have enough work with their regular duties. I won't add to their burdens unnecessarily. Besides, with a bit of luck, my workload may just be lightening a bit in the next few days."

"Does this have anything to do with your secret investigation?" the Field Team Leader asked.

"Indeed," the Commander replied, picking up the top sheet from the pile he'd been looking over before Izuku and Mina had arrived. "I'll need to wait for the Captain to return from the guild in order to confirm some things, but I believe I've made a breakthrough just now."

"Now that's interesting. Any chance you feel like reading me in?"

"Not just yet. For something like this, I would rather have all the cards I can get before showing my hand. In the meantime though, let's get back to work on the supply lines to the Research Base," the Commander said, setting the paper back on the stack, which he pushed to the side.

The paper had yellowed slightly with age, and part of it had become illegible with water damage sustained on the voyage across the sea, but most of it could still be made out. It was filled with name after name, a list of hunters who had signed up for the expedition to the New World. The names on the list, however, were not what the Commander had been so interested in.

He was far more interested in the two names that were conspicuously absent.

Read the rest on AO3 or FF.Net! Links available on my blog if this post breaks them again.

[franklyshipping]

The Best Brothers ~ A Jacksepticeye Ego Fanfic (Reuploaded)

HEYA GUYS SO I'M REUPLOADING THIS FIC BECAUSE FOR SOME REASON I CAN'T HECKIN FIND IT ON MY BLOG AND I FORGOT TO PUT IT IN THE MASTERPOST TAG SOOOOO HERE IT IS REUPLOADED!

TAGGING: @anti-switch-glitch @the-dapper-switch and @jackleeboy-man

’….and that one’s fer driftin’ round corne-see! There ya go, yer not bad at this.’

Jackie-Boy Man smiled curiously at the sound of a familiar crackled voice accomodating an unfamiliar encouraging tone, so the proudly postured hero traipsed down the corridor to investigate. Soon, other sounds filled his ears; the frantic pushing of buttons, acceleration…..and goofy music. So, when he entered the living space he grinned at the sight of Antisepticeye and Jameson Jackson sat side by side on the floor, playing mario kart. Anti had his eyebrows furrowed as he controlled his character, but somehow Jamie was ahead as they rounded the final corner towards the finish. Jackie withheld a snicker as he heard Anti growl.

‘No no no c'mon ya fucker c'mon-’

But it was over. Jamie had won, and his eyes sparkled as a truly excited smile spread across his face; he’d started shaking Anti’s shoulder and pointing to the screen enthusiastically when his winning score came up. Anti pursed his lips as he knocked Jamie’s hat off his head, mumbling.

'Yeah yeah congrats to you, damn beginners luck…..’

Despite his words, Jackie caught the gleam of fondness in Anti’s eyes when he saw Jamie so happy. He smirked as he stepped into the room and announced himself.

'Wow Jamie, you’re certainly having an impression on Anti, whenever the rest of us beat him he sulks and hides the pizza!’

Both Anti and Jamie turned to look at him, Jamie with a soft, bashful expression in contrast with Anti’s playful glare. Jackie snickered when Anti growled.

'Maybe that’s because a certain someone likes to brag like an ass.’

Out of the corner of his eye, Jackie saw Jamie let out a silent giggle as the hero playfully gasped and put his hand on his chest dramatically.

'Why now Anti, I merely enjoy celebrating my conquests! Nothing more, I assure you!’

Anti rolled his eyes and sneered as he replied, setting down his controller as amusement danced in his eyes.

'Uh huh, whatever you say spandex boy…..’

Jackie pursed his lips, but he was fighting a smile as he sat down on the floor next to them both. He copied Anti’s taunting tone, because this banterous relationship was just too damn fun.

'My heroic style choices aside, you certainly seem to have developed a soft, sweet side for our dear Jamie. Not that I blame you…..’

Jackie sent Jamie a cheeky grin, chuckling when Jamie’s cheeks went pink and he bowed his head. The mute man felt ever so flustered, he was fidgeting and hiding his smile as he felt two sets of eyes on him. Anti couldn’t help but spare the man a fond look, before sneering at Jackie and leaning towards him playfully.

'Just because I MAYBE wanna be nurturing, that doesn’t make me soft!’

Jackie smirked at Anti’s prickliness and his determination to maintain his “image”; it was too damn hilarious. Anti was withholding snarls at Jackie’s teasing, because of course he didn’t have a soft spot for the mute, overly exciteable, dramatic guy…..ahem. He pursed his lips when Jackie raised a teasing eyebrow, that was just visible above his mask.

'Nurturing? Awww how sweet and brotherly of you!’

Anti was almost ready to pounce at Jackie as he felt embarrassment bubbling in his tummy; he snarled.

'Hey! C'mon he’s a delicate as a damn flower, it’d be dumb not to look after him-’

Anti was surprised when a sharp poke to his shoulder cut him off; Jackie had also received the same gesture. They both turned to Jamie curiously, only to see that his cheeks were bright red, and his eyes were wide and indignant as his hands worked in a flurry to sign.

“I’m nothing like a flower, or delicate, I am strong you know!”

Jamie had been steadily getting more and more flustered as Anti and Jackie talked about him, and hearing them call him a delicate flower and saying they wanted to look after him was the most embarrassing thing in the world! He was a smart, dapper, refined gentleman, not anything soft or cute! Jamie had a soft frown on his face as he looked at them both, but then gulped when he saw them grin at each other. Jackie spoke first, teasingly.

'Oh we know you’re strong, no doubt about it! But you cannot deny how utterly sweet you are, I mean that pout of yours is proof on its own!’

Jamie’s eyes widened when he realised his bottom lip was stuck out further than he thought, and he could feel his cheeks getting hotter when he heard their amused chuckles; especially Anti’s slightly maniacal one. 

'And the fact that ya get giddy over the smallest thing like carvin’ a pumpkin or winning a game, that’s just illegal cuteness! I swear I’ve never seen someone so adorably excitable and squeaky!’

Anti’s words were underlined with a low, taunting growl and came with a truly evil smirk that made Jamie want to curl up and hide away. He couldn’t believe that they were teasing him like this. He shrunk under their gazes as he shook his head and hid his face in his hands, and that only made his teasers aww and coo at him more.

'What’s wrong dapper boy? Can’t handle the truth?’

Jackie grinned at Anti’s evil cooing, and joined in just as enthusiastically.

'Awww poor Jamie, are we flustering yooou? Is that it?’

All they got in response was a high pitched squeak as he pulled his legs close so he could hide his face in his knees; Jamie was under an adorable delusion that if he hid he could escape the teasing. Of course, he was wrong. Jackie and Anti smirked at each other as they both observed Jamie’s embarrassed, curled up form amusedly. Anti leant in, his static giggle filling the room as he cooed.

'Are ya trynna ignore us now? I dunno about Jackie, but I think that’s kinda rude….’

Jamie tensed when he heard the subtle threat in Anti’s voice, and he nibbled his bottom lip when he heard Jackie muse just as mischievously.

'I was just about to say the same thing! If there’s one thing about being a septic, it’s that you never ignore your brothers…..’

Anti grinned at Jackie, feeling somewhat impressed at how teasy he was, noticing how his lowered tone made Jamie shiver…..but he noticed something else too. Jackie had trailed off, as if he’d had a sudden thought. Anti cocked his head at Jackie curiously as he watched the man’s lips slowly spread into a grin, and a malevolent one at that. He caught Jackie’s eye, and leant forward when the hero beckoned him, before whispering something in his ear. Anti had to withhold an evil chuckle as he drew back and nodded in agreement, and Jackie felt his fingers twitch with new excitement at his plan.

Jamie could feel nerves bubbling in his tummy at the silence in the room, and he was half-tempted to uncurl, but he refrained. Soon enough, he flinched with a gasp when he heard Anti’s voice from in front of him, it felt really close too.

'Y'know Jackie, whatcha said about being a septic…..it reminded me of an old lil tradition.’

Jamie gulped as his mind raced, what tradition? Why had he never heard of it before? What was it? What on earth were they planning now? He strained his ears as he heard shuffles of movement, and he repressed a nervous whine when he heard Jackie’s voice, which was now behind him.

'Y'know Anti, I think we might be thinking of the same thing! And despite how rude Jamie is….I think he has a right to partake, since he’s still a newbie to our family and all.’

Anti was biting his lip hard to fight the urge to laugh at how dumb their reasoning was for doing this, and Jackie was just the same. Yeah, they’re a strong hero and intimidating glitch combo, but what are they inside? Two goofy ass brothers who are too playful for their own good, which was something Jamie was soon going to find out. At their current words, Jamie had developed a hidden smile; despite his nerves at the unknown, he could feel the playfulness in the air and was getting giddier by the second. Also, the fact that he was being considered to be part of their family warmed Jamie’s heart more than anything had before, which also meant what happened next caught him off guard.

'What are we waiting for then? GET HIM!’

Jamie jumped at Anti’s yell, but then squealed and swiftly uncurled when he felt devious fingers tazering his sides. Jackie’s fingers. As soon as he’d uncurled, he felt hands latch onto his ankles and pull him so he was stretched out; he tried to somewhat squirm away, but with the hero AND the villain teaming up on him, what hope did he really have? So now he had arms hugging him to Jackie’s chest whilst Anti perched on his shins; Jamie’s hands moved so frantically it was like there was a deadly wasp in the room. He already knew what was in store, and it sent his heart racing.

“I’m sorry I’m sorry you don’t need to do this! I’ll never be rude or ignore anyone ever again, I swear I won’t!”

Jamie’s eyes were wide as he squirmed, and despite his arms being free, he couldn’t break free from the entrapment. Jackie and Anti knew that Jamie wouldn’t have been able to fight Jackie off, so they knew it was safe to leave his arms unattended; this combined well with the fact that it meant he could sign unhindered. See, there is some thought in the silliness! Jackie snickered into Jamie’s ear as Anti smirked playfully.

'Don’t think you can get out of this now! You’re aaaall ours to play wiiiiith!’

As Anti dragged out his words, he experimentally dragged a fingertip up one of Jamie’s bare soles. This made him jump and squeak in Jackie’s arms, his cheeks a solid pink at the realisation…..they were going to tickle him. Really tickle him. And there was nothing he could do. Anti kept up his gentle dragging over the skin as Jackie cooed into Jamie’s ear, letting his facial hair start to scratch and trace whilst Anti watched amusedly.

'This is the way it has to be Jamie! We can’t ignore tradition, it just HAS to be done!’

Jamie’s cheeks were a vibrant pink as he hurriedly scrunched his shoulders and descended into sweet squeaky giggling, already squirming helplessly from the light sensations. He may not have been a man of words, but his vocal chords were put to use occasionally. Those occasions were something that everyone around him strived to cherish and prolongue for as long as possible, Jackie and Anti being no different. The former, whose arms had snaked round Jamie’s middle, grinned as he let his own fingertips come into play; namely, letting them scratch over Jamie’s shirt-clad tummy. This, understandably, spurred Jamie’s signing.

“This is an unfair tradition! Let me go let me go!”

His tormentors snickered unsympathetically at the flustered man, keeping up their playfulness as Jamie giggled more frantically now, wriggling and arching his back in a weak attempt to escape. With Anti scratching his soles and Jackie tracing his soft, vulnerable tummy, Jamie figured that this was the worst it could get. It WAS more than one spot after all! Heh, poor naïve little Jamie. Jackie replied first as Anti grinned maniacally, adoring the entire scenario as he listened to Jackie coo.

'Unfair? Why it’s perfectly fair! We all had to endure this, and now it’s your turn! C'mon, after all…..it’s only tickling.’

Jamie’s cheeks were a solid crimson as he bowed his head in embarrassment, letting out a few whimpers when he heard Anti cackle and follow on from Jackie’s teasing.

'Yeah Jamie, ye can handle a few lil coochie coochie coos can’t ya?’

Jamie was shaking his head with wide, pleading brown eyes before he could stop himself; the rest of him was shaking too. His feet twitched and tummy quivered, the latter even more now as Jackie’s fingers pinched his delicate waistline; this made Jamie cackle loudly and deeply as Anti and Jackie teased.

'Y'know I don’t think he can! Poor guy’s too ticklish for his own good!’

Jackie purred first, letting his lips and teeth drag over Jamie’s ticklish ears, making their owner squeal and toss his head sporadically. Jackie was having so much fun with this, for a righteous guy he sure enjoyed having someone at his mercy….as did Anti. It was Anti’s turn to taunt now, and he took his sweet, sweet time. Hogging the limelight, as always. He scratched at the balls of Jamie’s feet with an evil nonchalance as he growled.

'So ticklish and soooo helpless, knowing that all ya can do is try and take it. Take the scratching on your poor little feet, take the tracing at your waist, take the nips and nuzzles at your vulnerable little ears…..and even with your hands free…..’

Anti suddenly leant closer to Jamie, teeth gleaming in a feral smile, relishing in the man’s desperate screeches at his tickling techniques. Jamie had never imagined that tickling could…..tickle so badly; Anti’s cooing only made the torment of his skin feel even worse.

’…..you can’t fight back. There’s nothing you can do to save yourself…..it must be driving ya crazy.’

Even Jackie felt himself shiver at those words…..Anti always had something unique to bring to the party. However, Jamie’s whimpers and shudders spurred him to carry on his squeezing of soft flesh and nibbling of sweet nerves, and he ended up returning Anti’s wild smile as they both heard him wail with laughter and sign pleadingly.

“It tickles so bad! I can’t take it please, it’s so flustering please I’ll do anything! Please brothers please!!”

Jamie’s eyes were beginning to water as his laughter remained a loud, bubbly stream of mirth; Jamie was a mess. His cheeks a deep crimson, the hair atop his hair mussed beyond belief, and even his moustache was askew on his face! He was always jumping and trying to curl up as ticklish bolts shot through his torso and neck; all Jackie’s doing. On top of that, his feet felt alive and like they were being tormented by bugs or skittering monsters, endeavouring to make him squeal suddenly. So many nerves….so many ticklish spots being exploited….and yet, he was so happy; it was hard for him not to be.

'Awww, did ya hear that Jackie? He called us brothers, doesn’t it just melt yer heart?!’

Jackie chuckled at Anti dramatization, but he knew deep down that Anti was deeply touched…..because he was too, and he had a goofy grin in place rather than an evil one for a millisecond. Jackie buried his face into Jamie’s neck, grinning as he felt the extent of his blush, as well as his little hysterical hiccups. He mumbled gently.

'It sure does…..almost enough to make me wanna hand out some mercy, whaddaya think?’

Jackie looked to Anti who pursed his lips, humming playfully as he observed Jamie’s dishevelled state, before sighing dramatically with a snicker. His voice was drawled out in sync with him sliding crawling off of Jamie’s shins, his fingers being lifted away effortlessly.

'Ahhh, I guess yer right, it’s a bit soon to get him to unconsciousness I guess….’

Jamie’s wide eyes fluttered in relief as he felt them both retract their tickly touches, and he immediately covered his face with his hands and hid in Jackie’s warm chest, giggling residually as he tiredly signed.

“Thank you so much….oh goodness that was intense.”

Jamie felt his blush persist when he heard Jackie chuckle, feeling his chest shake beneath his cheek as Jamie let his hands and arms flop. Jackie had to fight the urge to coo giddily at how snuggly and utterly cute the mute man was, but he figured he’d save it for another time. Jackie carded one of his hands through Jamie’s unruly hair, whilst his other hand rubbed the man’s tummy to soothe away any tingles, all the while he mumbled quietly.

'That’s tradition for you, it has to be that way so that the special ones….the meaningful ones, are separated out from everyone else…’

Jamie shifted and looked up at Jackie, mouth agape in curiosity as he listened. Then he smiled warmly and embarrassedly when Jackie placed a kiss on his forehead, mumbling with a broad grin.

’….and you’re one of those people Jamie. Welcome to the family.’

Jamie felt a warmth shiver in his chest….and he couldn’t stop smiling. The sudden statement had taken him off guard, and that kinda made it even more special. He nestled into Jackie’s chest and relished in the comforting contact. However….there was something amiss. Anti. His smile was genuine as he observed them, head cocked to the side, but it dimmed a little as he started to sidle away from them quietly. Or, he tried. Before he’d even managed to move an inch, a hand had grasped his t-shirt and yanked him into the embrace, and Anti felt his cheeks get warm when Jamie smiled triumphantly, and Jackie chuckled amusedly. He pursed his lips as he wordlessly nestled in with them….although, maybe there was the odd mumble about a cheeky, delicate flower. Shrubbery aside….they embraced for a good while….but maybe with the odd poke or shove. Just like real brothers.

WELP I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE IT WOOP WOOP XXX

[eris0330]

Serendipity

☽Pairing☾ ; Yoongi | Reader

☽Genre☾ ; Fluff

☽Word Count☾ ; 1.6k

☽Summary☾ ; Being Yoongi’s first girlfriend, it also meant to accept his ways of showing affection. But sometimes, it feels like you are his best friend, rather than a lover. 

"Here, drink some water"  

Handing the water bottle to your sweaty boyfriend Min Yoongi, he didn't hesitate to grab it. His Adam's apple bouncing as he indulges the cold drink. You loved it when he asked you to come with him for practice as moral support, after countless of times pleading for the idea. 

You have been dating him for more than a month, and after the first time you two met accidentally in a dog salon in Daegu. It was even worse, when you couldn't recognise him but it didn't come as a surprise, with his iconic black mask and hat. Though, it was like love at first sight in the waiting room, looking at each other to examine the minor facial expressions that could be shown. Small talks, turning to casual dates and that's how you two ended up falling in love. Though, the romance didn't continue to blossom with presents, kisses and flowers as you had hoped it to be. Being his first girlfriend, you knew it would take a lot of time, for him to show affection. But sometimes, you wished he would do more to your relationship than tiny kisses and compliments. It was like, he didn't even love you, as much as you loved him. 

"Thanks" He muttered, putting the bottle down to sit by your side. His dark hair sticking to his defined cheekbones and the circles underneath his eyes increase. The boys would usually tease you for just sitting so close, but it didn't stop you to snuggle into the crook of his neck. A place, you felt like home. Even though, your love was rejected once again by his busy schedule, already on his way on the white dance floor. Not even a kiss, a hug or a simple smile were sent your way, making it hard to continue watching. Hours after hours, you were feeling your body coming to a limit of energy. It wasn't helping, looking at the boys dancing till their bones broke before another break was made. Watching the glistering skin under the bright light, as he approached you once again. A familiar smile, that you knew so well after becoming closer. His distinct scent after hard work, you wished it was over, so you could shower him with compliments and snuggles. But he wasn't ready, like always. Tugging on his shirt, catching his attention before heading towards the centre. His dark brown eyes staring down at you, with a raised brow of confusion.  

"W-When will you be finished..? I'm getting a little tired..." You spoke softly, receiving a heartfelt pat on your head. Sometimes, you thought that was his way of showing his love, but it felt too friendly. At times, it was like you weren't lovers, but best friends. "We still have a long time to go..." He muttered, releasing your grip on the shirt. His posture becoming insecure, but you gave him a warm smile telling him, you'll be waiting, like always. His silhouette disappearing in the crowd, letting a few glances slip away in between. A back up dancer came to join your place, knowing him as the 'leader' of the group.  

"There is a room in the back with a mattress, that we don't use unless we need to do interviews. You can go in there, and catch up on some sleep... I bet they are going to use a couple more hours" He informed, pointed towards a white door in the corner, letting your tired eyes focus on it. With that, you couldn't find any reason not to go in there. Yoongi didn't seem to give much attention, then you might as well try to rest. Not even bothering to give him a heads up, you were already laying upon the fluffy mattress. It didn't take long, before dreams had taken over, of how your relationship should have been.  

Even though how much we try, we can't always predict our dreams. Though, you didn't mind the small visions of a happy boyfriend in your presence, letting you indulge the way he looked at you. There was something he was trying to do, mimicking words that were inaudible and even trying to call out for him, sent you back to reality.  

"Thank you for your hard work" Is the words you heard from the creaked door, and the sounds of people's steps disappearing. You could tell, that it was finally time to go home, but you were just too tired. Closing your heavy lids, you ignored the fact that soon, you'd have to leave this warm blanket.  

"Hey, we need to wake Y/N up" Namjoon spoke, making your ears peek of interest. Your name was mentioned, and closing your eyes to sleep were the last thing.  

"No... let her sleep..." You heard Yoongi's raspy voice, uncertain if it were a dream or not. His face in the blur of the room, standing front of Namjoon with a worried expression. Namjoon didn't seem to understand his reasoning, trying to figure out a way for you to get home sooner.  

"The warmth is going to be turned off as we leave, it will become cold in there for her." He spoke, setting his hands on the bone of his hips, watching Yoongi's lip being bit on as response.  

"There is still some time before they do that... please... don't wake her up now, she has been working too much lately and I just want her to rest as much as she can..." Yoongi tried to sneak a glance between the creak, but luckily the room were too dark to notice your eyes staring back at him. You could see the worry on his face, wasn't an act of being humble. It was something, you always saw on him, but never with the words he spoke. It was weird, to feel your heart beat harder with such tiny remarks.  

"Okay... but don't stay for too long. Get some rest too, I'll see you tomorrow" Namjoon gave up trying to reason him to go home, but he realised that nothing would change. Yoongi were always the type to be the silent caretaker and that's what he could never change, despite his constant complaints of errors. Namjoon patted the man's back, before heading out of the exit. Your eyes closing again, seeing Yoongi come closer to the door. The sound of a creaking and a light shining in your face, but vanishing again. His scent becoming stronger, sensing his daring atmosphere near and a strand of hair being pushed away. You couldn't help but smile with your eyes opening, to see his face so blissfully close, leaning on the mattress with his chin.  

"I'm sorry... did I wake you?" He questioned softly, still letting his hand linger to brush your cheekbone. Your heart fluttering up a smile, that even made his own skip a beat.  

"No..." You muttered, putting your hand on top of his. Sensing the way, it vibrated with such a light touch, making him sigh adorably. "You should get some rest, I'll come back soon" He commented, trying to stand up, but were hold back with your grip on his shirt. A familiar thing you did, when you wanted something and it was one of his weaknesses.  

"...Come here...please..." You requested, giving him your sparkly puppy eyes. Another thing that were a weakness for him, but in reality, everything about you were a weakness.  

"But I smell..." He replied, trying to avoid eye contact and even letting himself believe, that you couldn't see the blush on his cheeks. "I don't care... come..." You whispered with a plea, making him hover above you.  

Your grip upon his shirt loosened, watching his body smooth under the warm blanket you have heated up so far. His legs firmly intertwined with yours, and an arm securely surrounding your waist. His heart beating out of control, unable to keep his urges to a minimum. You found him cute, closing his eyes to calm down from the closeness. His light pink tinted cheeks, you kissed them softly to feel his body relax under your palm. Even though he was a stressed hard-working man, and a rookie in love, you couldn't deny his efforts. They were small, but it was something that were bigger in his eyes. Stroking your fingers through his soft black hair, a satisfying purr were released from his lips. His body coming closer, letting your lips touch gently to indulge the slow motion.

"I love you..." He whispered, curving his lips to make your heart flutter and the heat making it hard to stay. It was words, you barely heard, but when they finally came, it always felt real rather than an obligation. "I love you too..." Giving him a last kiss before snuggling yourself into your carved place under his chin, letting your hairs tickle his jaw. His arms tightening around your body, to close his own eyes and embrace the moment. 

He wished he could show you more, to let you know he thinks about you every day. The days he can't make it home, with only a single call of absence and find you curled into a ball on the shared bed late at night. He knew, you were working harder to match his schedule, to not let yourself be alone for too long. But, he wanted to change. That's why he took you with him to practice, unsure if it were a burden or not. He just wanted to be able to see you, feel you and know you are always there for him. But after today, you didn't think he were as your mind has played it to be. There was a mysterious side to him, that would take time to break through. Watching a tiny teaser of it already, made you hold onto him longer and let it be in his phase. You knew he loved you, and it's something he doesn't have to say, with the actions he does. Even right now, none of you needed to leave, because even though the warmth were turned off in the building, it didn't affect your heated blanket that you shared in the single room.  

[lhugbereth]

Sugar Daddy Promptio teaser

Heeey okay so I’m back, and here is proof that even though I took a break I wasn’t slacking. For @prompto-cam who requested a teaser ;) and also for @achryathesecond and @carmensandyeggo who have encouraged all sorts of bad behavior with this (mostly regarding plot, which is why this thing is already 15 pages long whoops)

(The full thing will be released as a New Year’s gift and Thank You to all of my followers :) It’s also kind of a prequel to this one-shot)

Sugar Daddy Promptio Teaser (1500 words, SFW...i think)

The back door swung shut behind him. Cindy had already taken off - he could still hear the engine of her bike roaring down the block - but the parking lot itself appeared otherwise abandoned. Odd, Prompto thought, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jacket. Maybe Mr. Amicitia had forgotten about him after all.

What he had failed to notice upon first stepping out of the Maagho was the sleek, black car parked on the opposite side of the street. Its windows were heavily tinted, the driver all but obscured by the glare of the streetlight overhead. The car was purposefully subtle, discreet, so much so that Prompto would have walked right past it if not for the sudden opening of the rear door.

He whirled around in time to see a tall figure step out of the car. His suit jacket had been removed despite the chill, and the ruby tie around his neck loosened so that the collar of his shirt was left open from the top button. His dark hair, usually pulled back at the nape of his neck, was down now, curling and waving freely over his shoulders and lining the sharp planes of his face.

“Mr. Amicitia.“ The name left Prompto’s lips in a breath of surprise. Until that moment, he had only seen the man within the dimly lit confines of the bar - out here, he cut an infinitely more imposing figure.

Mr. Amicitia smiled as he began his approach toward the blond. Who, rooted to the spot, could only stare up at him with wide eyes. Thick arms spread out to either side, the fabric of his shirt pulled taut over unexpected muscles. And then Prompto found himself being folded against his chest in an embrace. He smelled of alcohol, with a sweet trace of something else - cologne? perfume? - clinging to his clothes.

“Prom. I’m so glad you waited,” his deep voice spoke from above, rattling Prompto inside and out.

“S-sir…?”

“I was looking for your car,” Mr. Amicitia continued. He reluctantly released the blond in favor of sweeping a hand around at the rest of the street. “Where did you park? I’ll escort you.”

Flushing from the roots of his hair to this chest (must be the heat, he told himself; he’s so warm), Prompto shook his head. “I came by bus. After work I usually just walk home, it’s not that far.”

“Walk? In this cold?” Above him, the man looked genuinely surprised. “At least let me give you a ride. I insist.” Already so close, it was easy to lay a heavy arm across the blond’s shoulders, to guide him right up to the open door of the car and inside.

Several thoughts flashed through Prompto’s mind at once. First, this was definitely the most expensive ride he’d ever been in; leather seats, tailored interior, a pull-out mini-bar where the armrest might have been. There was even a window-like partition between the back seats and the front, tinted like the outside for added privacy.

Second, he seemed to recall, in the back of his mind, something adults used to tell him when he was a child. Something about not getting into cars with strangers. But...Mr. Amicitia wasn’t really a stranger...was he?

Third, he couldn’t help but notice how soft the leather of the seat felt under his touch. Or how the cushions practically molded to his body as he sunk back into them, surrounding him with a supple warmth that he would have been hard pressed to describe to anyone who had never experienced it. While he sighed in luxury, Mr. Amicitia slipped in next to him and closed the door.

“Jared?”

A panel opened in the partition between them and the front of the car, and an elderly gentleman with kind eyes appeared in the frame. “Yes, sir.”

“We’re taking this lovely young man home. Prom? Can you give him directions?”

“Uh, y-yeah! Sure.” Forcing himself up a little straighter in the seat, Prompto did his best to explain the area surrounding his apartment. It didn’t take the driver long to nod his head and smile, and Prompto noticed he was considerate enough to leave the panel open as they took off.

Not that it stopped Mr. Amicitia from leaning in close or draping his arm once again around Prompto’s shoulders in the back seat. Inside the warm air of the car, the proximity was almost unbearably hot.

“So,” he started, and Prompto glanced up quickly to catch his smile. “I heard from my friend Dino that he paid you a visit last week?”

Dino? The name didn’t ring a bell, but there was only one person he could possibly be talking about. “You mean Mr. Ghiranze? From the Galdin? Y-yeah, um. I met him.”

“And?” Warm, amber eyes were practically alight with excitement. “What did he say?”

Prompto swallowed. “He asked to see some of my work, and then he...offered me a slot in his next exhibition. Did you say he’s your friend?”

The look on Mr. Amicitia’s face could have melted icebergs. “Well. Let’s just say he lets me call in favors once in awhile. For the really important things.”

...Important? Him? The blond felt his chest tighten as he shook his head. “I-I’m sorry, but I can’t accept. I didn’t do anything to earn it. I know you went to a lot of trouble for me,” he added hastily, catching sight of Mr. Amicitia’s crestfallen expression. “But it just...wouldn’t be right. I’m sorry.”

A silent pause. Then, “I’m the one who should apologize, Prom. I should have asked. Forgive me?” The question was punctuated with a surprisingly gentle hand laid over his, nearly swallowing up his fingers in his lap. Prompto pushed out the last of his breath. Another block, maybe more, passed while he stared up into those deep eyes, unable - unwilling - to pull away. It felt...dangerous. Thrilling. His heart was pounding in his chest, and he knew there was no way Mr. Amicitia could have missed it.

“I….”

“Sir? Apologies for the interruption, but I believe we’ve nearly arrived.”

The car slowed to a crawl. Jared’s face appeared briefly in the partition as he glanced over his shoulder, clearly waiting for further instructions. Swallowing the lump of air in his throat, Prompto tore his gaze from the man beside him to peer instead out of the darkened windows. Sure enough, they’d made it to the main street of his neighborhood; his apartment was only a short walk away.

“Um. Here is fine.”

“Prom, are you sure?” Next to him, Mr. Amicitia was looking out the window, his face a mask of concern. “Maybe it would be safer if I walked you to your place.”

Safer? His cheeks colored with the implication. “It’s fine, I’m used to it.”

“You don’t have to be.”

“I walk all the time, it’s no big deal.”

“Why don’t you have a car?”

“Why don’t...?” Prompto struggled to keep the offense from rising too blatantly in his voice. “Do you really expect everyone to be able to afford the same things as you?”

Clearly taken aback, Mr. Amicitia paused for a moment. But only a moment.

“Take this one then.”

Blue eyes widened to plates. “...What…?”

“This car, it’s yours. If it means keeping you safe, it has more value to me in your hands.” For emphasis, he squeezed his fingers where they still lay across Prompto’s in his lap, and smiled. “Will you take it?”

“No!” The single word flew from Prompto’s mouth with more speed and incredulity than he would have believed possible until that moment. “You ca…! You can’t just give someone a car! You don’t even know me!”

From the way Mr. Amicitia leaned even closer, it seemed he’s almost been expecting such a response. “I’d like to. Get to know you,” he clarified when Prompto’s mouth fell open in a silent question. He hadn’t realized his bottom lip was trembling until the flat pad of a thumb swept over it. Mr. Amicitia’s expression shifted into his other smile - the one he’d worn that first night in the bar when he’d asked Prompto to join him in his private room.

“If you won’t accept my gifts,” he began slowly. “At least promise me one thing.”

The gulp Prompto made as he swallowed was the only sound in the space between them.

“When you need a ride, you call me. Anywhere. Anytime.”

“But -- “

“Jared doesn’t mind. Do you, Jared?”

“Not at all, sir.”

“See.”

“That isn’t -- !“ Prompto squeezed his eyes shut. He felt small in that moment, so utterly small and helpless; practically sitting in the lap of this handsome, persistent millionaire who was offering him more than he ever hoped to deserve in his life. It didn’t seem fair, and it didn’t seem real. He’d learned long ago that the kindness of strangers never came without a cost, and that no one in the world was content with nothing for something....

[girlbetweenryosuke]

“Maybe Masquerade”

[not my gif!!!]

Note: Ok this is like a random masquerade-themed fanfic that i wrote last night so I hope y’all like it! Ofc this is a yamcham fic so i hope y’all enjoii it!! HAHAHAHAH

Teaser:

You’re tired of people telling you what’s the right time or the wrong time. You wanted your love life to be independent from people’s judgements. Anyway, it was you who was falling in love, not them; who were they to add a second opinion? You decided from that day onwards that you weren’t going to try to find love.

You’ll let love find you.

“Y/N! Y/N!! Y/N!!!”, your ever-so energetic roommate, Tao, ran into the living room, bringing her phone with her. “What? What?? What???”, you returned the high-energy with a smile as you took a bite out of your toast and a spoonful of egg. “I got the daily readings for you and you look like you hit a jackpot!!”, she chirped as you somewhat ignored her statement as you took another bite out of your breakfast. “Can you stop stuffing your face for a second and listen to me?!”, she moved towards you as you shot your eyes at her, “Unless this is about some lottery jackpot, I’m not listening.”. She huffed and stuck her phone screen right in front of your face,

“Today, you meet your one true love.”

“That’s ridiculous.”, you scoffed, pushing the screen away. “If that were true, I would have a dozen lovers by now because of how many times I’ve been told that.”, you added. “But these readings are true!! They’re based on readings of fate!!”, Tao retorted. “How are you so sure?”, you chuckled. “Okay, honestly, just look at your situation today.”, she began to start another one of her attempts to persuade you into believing the readings.

“What are you doing today?”, she asked, “I’m going to be meeting with a bunch of other idol groups, big deal.”, you replied. “Okay, and idol groups including male idol groups?”, she asked, “Yeah.”, you replied. “Great! Then that’s it! You have more than one chance to see…”, she paused for dramatic effect as she neared you, “The One…”, she smirked.

“Honestly, Tao…”, you laughed, pushing her away. “I’m really tired of looking for that one person, okay?”, you said, this time in a less amused tone. “I tried to believe other things that maybe today’s my lucky day, maybe I’d meet the person I’d grow old with…”, you paused, “But you know that the last time I believed so, I was only left heartbroken and alone.”.

“I’m sure Sota didn’t mean that-”, “Even if he didn’t, I still got hurt…”, you cut her off, looking away. “Okay, I’m sorry I brought up a sensitive topic.”, she laid a hand on your back as you let your chin rest at the top of your palm. “But you have to keep looking! There’s got to be someone who’s worthy to be with you.”, she smiled, and you giggled, playfully hitting her arm, “What a kiss-ass.”.

“Here, come on, at least bring this.”, she said, as she handed you a card that had some foreign writing on it. “What’s this?”, you asked. “This is just something to bring along with you in case you meet that person. It’s the ticket that proves that today is the day you meet your one true love.”, she blabbered on as you stared at it. Sure… Anything to please Tao.

At that time, it really was hard to believe anything related to finding your true soulmate. There was a day in your life that you’d publicly dated a guy everyone told you would be your soulmate, but you realized that he never really fell for you… and you never really fell for him. But you hated that guy, publicly humiliating you, telling everyone how you never loved him, even if he had the same feelings; he pretended to be the victim. He brought you from that climax in your career, down to the depths of your own mistakes.

You hated Sota. And he hated you too.

You’re tired of people telling you what’s the right time or the wrong time. You wanted your love life to be independent from people’s judgements. Anyway, it was you who was falling in love, not them; who were they to add a second opinion? You decided from that day onwards that you weren’t going to try to find love.

You’ll let love find you.

A masquerade. That’s great. Not only do you hate not knowing who you’re talking to, but now you have people who don’t know they’re talking to you. Everyone’s faces were covered from the top of their foreheads down to the bottom of their chins. You had no way of identifying a single person in this ballroom.

“Hey, Madam, you look lonely over here.”, a sly man approached you, holding a glass of champagne. “Mind if I join you?”, he asked. You didn’t like the tone of his voice, neither did you like his posture, leaning over you with his height and his other arm behind his back. You felt intimidated, and you didn’t like it. “I-I’ll just sit over there.”, you smiled, turning around to see that all benches were occupied.

“There’s nowhere to sit.”, the man said, “I-I’ll just look for my bandmates.”, you made up more excuses. You hated that guy’s aura. But somehow, it was familiar to you. He had that voice that had kept you up for hours, and not in a good way. You knew who he was… And you knew it was Sota.

“You’re in a band?”, he asked, interest was in his tone as he began to find out who you were. “I have to go now.”, you turned a heel until her caught your wrist to turn you back to him, “Where are you going?”. “I need some fresh air.”, you came up with even more excuses just to get out of his grip. “Then I’ll come with you!”, he said. You shot him a confused look, though you knew he wouldn’t see that. “Why are you following me around?”, your tone vexed, “You seem like a fine lady.”, he slyly replied, and you huffed, “Trust me,”

“You don’t think I’m fine at all.”

On that note, you jerked your wrist out of his grip and walked towards the French doors leading to the marbled balcony of the ballroom. You opened the door, the strong winds blasting it even more open. Your hairdo began to get undone, your dress was pulling you with the current, and your mask had become crooked, revealing the slightest features on your face, and as you focused on getting your hair and dress in tact… You saw someone.

His dark hair flowing with the wind, with his mask covering only the upper half of his face. His eyes, brown, and glowing under the moonlight. His skin, looked so flawless and smooth. His lips, looked so soft and pink. He was wearing a gold and black suit, and you’d wonder why he wasn’t the host of this whole party because of how well he fit the theme.

He turned to you slowly, his eyes following first as the door slam shut behind you, and your hairpins gave up on your hair, letting it flow with the wind. His eyes widened at the sight of you, as if he’s seen the most beautifully haggard girl that had ever existed. It wasn’t love at first sight, that’s what you believed. But for a man like him, he could fall in love in 3 seconds, and that’s all he needed.

“Hey… Do you need some help?”, he asked, turning to you completely. “No, no, I’m fine, thank you.”, you smiled, and that’s when you realized that your mask was crooked. “Shit!”, you cursed, fixing your mask on your face. To be frank, you were too lazy to put on make up that day, anyway you were under a mask, so what is there to showcase? But at that time, you wish you had some kind of make up on to cover those nights of endless binge watching and gaming you had.

You cleared your throat, and awkwardly waddled to the railings where he was leaning. “S-so…”, you said, “What brings you here?”. “I’m an idol…”, he said, and you mentally smacked your forehead. OF COURSE, HE’S AN IDOL, THAT’S WHY HE’S HERE!! He chuckled and leaned onto the railings again, his head turning to you, “And how about you? An idol too?”. “Of course.”, you sheepishly said.

Then, there was silence. Both of you didn’t know whether or not you could ask personal questions because, after all, this is a masquerade. No one should be exchanging names which is part of the event rules. No one is allowed to reveal identities either, and that’s what’s making it hard for the guy who wants to know who made his heart beat that fast in just a moment.

“So… what are your interests?”, he asked, “Oh… I like playing sports.”, you replied. “Really?”, he said, smiling. His teeth were so white, you felt sort of blinded. Damn. Where can you get a set of those pearly whites? “What do you play?”, he asked, “I used to be in a swimming varsity.”, you smiled, “Great! I can’t swim. Maybe you can teach me some time.”, he replied. And somehow you found yourself blushing because he was kind of hinting that the two of you meet again after that night.

“And how about you? Do you play sports?”, you asked, and he nodded, “Soccer.”. “Oh! That’s great! I can’t kick any balls even if it saved my life!”, you laughed, and he laughed with you. The two of you began to chat about various topics, slowly revealing each other’s identities, but not enough to distinguish who you really were out of the bunch.

You had a feeling that you’d seen him before. Maybe on TV, in a movie, in a music video, but you know that you’ve seen him. You just didn’t know his name.

He was a man of mystery, and you kind of liked it. Appearances were kind of vital in a relationship, but honestly, you couldn’t care less, because this man was already attractive with only his own personality showing. You liked him, if that wasn’t already obvious. He liked you too, if that wasn’t already obvious either. He found you so fascinating, how your energy was always on a high, and how your aura was just red—his favorite.

The two of you were falling for each other, and you didn’t even realize it.

“Hey! The dance floor is open, and people are dancing, let’s go!”, a short man in a mask, as expected, barged through the doors to call you out. He turned to you, smirking, “Care to dance with me?”. “I don’t know how to dance, okay?”, you sheepishly said as he offered you a hand. “Hey… We’re all idols here. For sure you know how to dance.”, he winked as you chuckled, finally taking his hand as he pulled you inside to the dance floor.

He then held you by your waist with one arm, and the other held your hand as your other hand held his shoulder. The two of your moved to the music, almost to perfect synchronization. The two of you so close you could see every detail on the bottom half of his face.

“The bottom half of your face looked pretty nice up close.”, you winked, as he blushed a soft shade of pink. “I’m afraid I can’t say the same since I haven’t seen your face this close.”, he giggled, and you did too. “But I can say, near or far, inside or outside, you are really beautiful…”, he sheepishly said. You laughed to contain you from blushing too much. If he really was the one you’d grow old with one day, you wouldn’t mind at all—you’d be thankful.

Then as the two of your danced to the music, a nearby clearing of throat disrupted the dance. Both of you turned your heads to see that same sly man you saw that time—Sota. “Hey, I’ve been looking for you all night, where have you been?”, he asked, and you scoffed, “Why do you need to know?”. “I was just looking for a person to stay with tonight”, he winked, and you rolled your eyes. Those flirtatious remarks he had before became vexing phrases from level A assholes now.

“I was wondering if you could be that person.”, he continued. The man you were dancing with began to look perplexed, “Woah, woah, wait.”. “Can’t you read a little bit into the situation?”, he chuckled, “She’s already dancing with someone.”. He tightened his grip on you, and your eyes widened, looking into his. His eyes were piercing through Sota’s, and he made sure that Sota wouldn’t lay a finger on you.

He scoffed, “Don’t be too greedy, why don’t you share her?”. “She’s not an object that you can just share!”, “She’s not an object that you can just own.”, Sota smirked, the man was clearly at a loss. “Yeah, okay, but I am a person who can decide on who I can dance with.”, you barged in right before they started barking at each other. “Fine.”, you said, slowly moving away from the man’s grip, even though he tightened. “I’ll go dance with you for a moment.”, you said, lightly pinching at the man’s side, and signifying with your eyes what your plan was. He nodded.

As Sota and you danced, you pretended to be clumsy, stepping on his foot from time to time. He hissed at every step and rolled his eyes, “You weren’t that bad when you danced with that guy.”. “Yeah, but I guess it depends on whether or not my feet would cooperate with the guy I’m dancing with.”, you said, looking down and smiling. He chuckled, “So they won’t cooperate with me? What, they don’t like me?”, he went along with your ‘joke’.

“Yes. Quite frankly, yes.”, you smiled.

He scoffed, “Why do you hate me so much??”. “You’re asking me that when you don’t know me?”, you said, pausing the dance. “Yes! You hate me so much and you don’t know me?!”, he retorted. “Gosh do I know you.”, you scoffed, he was bewildered as he tilted his head to the side, “Sota.”, you proudly said his name with no fear.

“Y/N?!”, his eyes widened as you took off your mask, “Yup! Your one and only heartbreaker!”, you smiled. On that note, you stomped on his foot with your heel, causing him to shriek in pain. You quickly turned and grabbed onto the man you were previously with, “Run!”. He went along as the both of you ran through the crowds of idols, probably shocked and confused. “Fuck! Catch them!”, Sota pointed to you but no one followed him, of course, because no one in the actual idol industry believed that he was the victim, everyone knew that it was him who broke your heart.

The man began to run faster as the two of you reached the balcony. “Okay, dead end, where do we go??”, you said, and the man smirked, “Not a dead end, this is an open area, remember?”. You shot him a confused look as he jumped over the railing, landing on the roof below, not too low from where the balcony was. “Come on! Take my hand and let’s get out of here!”, he said as he offered a hand to you. You turned back to see that Sota was already near and looking for you. “How are you both my best and my worst option??”, you whined and finally took his hand and jumped over the railing, landing on the roof. He faced you, your faces only inches apart.

“I’m also your only option.”, he winked.

On that note, the two of you crouched over while walking on the roof, trying to find a way to get down to a safe place. He found a shallow jump and proceeded to drop from him, landing safely on the grass as you widened your eyes. “Okay, jump! It’s okay, I’ll catch you.”, he said as he opened his arms wide. You looked at him with doubt, and he chuckled, “It’s either you jump, or you jump. Remember, I’m your only option.”.

You sighed, and just let go of the fear, jumping and falling into his arms, resulting in him falling backwards on the grass. The two of you burst into laughter, as you rolled off of him and sat up. He followed and the two of you realized that there was a view of the city there. It was like a starry night but from below—it was beautiful.

“Hey what’s that?”, you looked over to see a card on the grass, and then realizing it was what Tao gave you that morning. “Oh, wait that’s mine.”, you said as your crawled over to reach for it. Then, the man reached over and grabbed it first, “No, this is mine.”. “What?? No, that’s mine! My best friend, Tao, gave it to me.”, you said, trying to grab it from him. “Huh?? No! My best friend, Chinen, gave it to me! What are you talking about??”, he laughed.

You widened your eyes, checking your purse and realizing that you still had yours. You brought it out to compare with his. “It’s the exact same thing.”, he laughed, “yeah…”, you commented. “So, today’s the day you meet your fated one, huh?”, he flirtatiously said. “And I guess you too?”, you said, and he nodded. “Have you met them yet?”, he winked, and you laughed. “Actually, I think I have… But I don’t know his name.”, you smirked.

Then, he took off his mask, and there he was, in all his glory. The one that made her heart beat wild, and there you were, the girl who did the same for him. “That must be a coincidence, I don’t know her name either!”, he laughed. You took a hand out for him to shake and he shook it,

“My name is Y/N.”

“And I’m Ryosuke Yamada.”

And all of that was ten years ago. You reminisced on those memories, realizing how adventurous the two of you were, and how different the two of you were now. He held your hand, and you brought it to your lips and kissed it. Sitting on the beach, you watched as your children played around in the shore and on the sand. You turned to look at him, who was looking at your children. He had the same look he had ten years ago, bright and charming under the light of the sun. And the two of you still had that fire burning inside of both of you, and it never blew out no matter what. You were happily married, with a family you had dreamed to have, and a life that felt complete, just having him by your side.

And that’s when you realized that maybe all of this wasn’t brought out by coincidence,

Maybe it was fate.

[emjenenla]

See Who I Am, Break Through the Silence [a Zankyou no Terror Fanfic]

Title: See Who I Am, Break Through the Silence

Author: Emjen Enla (Fanfiction)/emjen_enla (Wattpad)/emjenenla (Tumblr)

Teaser: Slight AU of Episode 10. Shibazaki speaks to Nine while he’s in police custody.

Rating: PG-13/T

Canon/Timeline: Canon divergence from Episode 10 “Helter Skelter”

Dominant Characters: Nine, Shibazaki Kenjirō, appearances by Hamura and Kurahashi, mentions of Twelve and Mishima Lisa

Pairings: none

Warnings: Nine is a terrorist. He has an atomic bomb. He is also terminally ill.

Notes:

-Special thanks to Nightsmoke from Fanfiction and ao3. Since the show does a pretty poor job of giving us specifics of what’s going on with Five and Nine and why Twelve doesn’t show any symptoms, I used her stories to build my headcanons about all that stuff.

-Also, to those of you reading my Six of Crows fanfic, I hope to get part three out soon. (College is leaves you with so much free time…Not!)

Disclaimer: I don’t own Zankyou no Terror/Terror in Resonance or the song “See Who I Am” by Within Temptation. Special thanks to Nightsmoke!

--

“Remember, I can only give you a couple minutes,” Kurahashi said as Shibazaki and Hamura followed him down the dark hallways of the police station. “You’re not even supposed to be in the building so the sooner you can get in and out the better.”

“Do we know who he is?” Hamura asked, taking a couple jogging steps like a small child until he was walking alongside the older man.

“He was registered in one of the area high schools as Kokonoe Arata,” Kurahashi said. “He hasn’t gone to class since the first bombing. We think Sphinx number 2 might be another new student called Hisami Tōji who has also been chronically absent since the bombing. We did background checks on both of them, but it seems likely both identities are fabricated. We’ve had no luck in getting him to give us a real name.”

Normally that would have been a problem, but Shibazaki was fairly sure that in this situation there wasn’t a name for them to get. “Has there been any sign of Sphinx 2?”

“None,” Kurahashi said. “It’s making me nervous. He could easily be out there setting a bomb to go off if we don’t release his partner.”

“That’s unlikely,” Shibazaki said.

“How do you know?”

“Sphinx 1 turned himself in,” he explained. “No one would have to break him out if he hadn’t marched in here in the first place. Don’t get me wrong, I fully believe there’s a plan, and it probably involves a bomb, but it won’t be to break him out. Sphinx 1 is right where he wants to be; the trick will be figuring out exactly why this is where he wants to be.”

“That’s encouraging,” Hamura muttered.

They reached the door to the cell block. “We can’t move him to an interrogation room without the Americans getting wind of it,” Kurahashi said as he opened the door. “This will have to be good enough.”

He stepped inside and muttered a few words to the guards who left without glancing at Shibazaki and Hamura. Kurahashi motioned with a hand and they stepped through the door.

The cell block was empty aside from one cell directly opposite the door. Inside it a teenaged boy sat on a cot, his back against the wall and his cuffed hands draped over his drawn-up knees.

One of the most wanted terrorists in Japan watched them silently as they crossed the room. Kurahashi opened the cell door, Shibazaki stepped inside and the door closed behind him. He grabbed the cell’s single chair, spun it around and settled into it, resting his arms on the top of the seat. “Well,” he said. “You said you wanted to talk to me.”

Sphinx 1 just stared. He expression was unnervingly blank. Shibazaki stared back and tried to get a feel for the young man before him. He had slightly long black hair that looked freshly washed, like he’d taken a shower in preparation of turning himself in as a terrorist. His eyes were somewhere between blue and gray, and he was wearing surprisingly normal-looking black framed glasses. The black shirt he had on looked like the same shirt that he’d been wearing during the airport bombing.

That wasn’t what Shibazaki found alarming, though. The boy was almost impossibly thin and there were dark bags under his eyes. He had a pallor akin to snow, aside from the hectic splotches of red on his cheeks like he had a fever. All in all, he looked sick. Shibazaki hoped that someone had at least taken the kid’s temperature and given him some acetaminophen.

Sphinx 1 still hadn’t answered his question. Shibazaki wasn’t going to put himself at the disadvantage by asking the question again. They stared at each other for at least five minutes. Shibazaki heard Kurahashi and Hamura shifting and murmuring behind him, but ignored them and continued staring pleasantly at the terrorist before him.

Finally, Sphinx 1 cleared his throat. “Did you figure out about us?” he asked quietly, his eyes deep, old and watchful. “Do you understand now?”

It was like being struck by lightning, suddenly Shibazaki realized that Sphinx 1 and 2 had wanted someone to look into the Athena Program. They’d wanted someone to look into where they’d come from. He’d acted exactly as they’d hoped. The thought of playing into the hands of a pair of terrorists was more than a little disconcerting.

He swallowed around that massive realization and forced his voice to be level and pleasant when he replied, “Are you number nine or number twelve?”

Sphinx 1’s emotionless masked cracked. A look of childlike relief spread across his face, and he leaned his forehead against his knees for a few moments. When he looked up again his eyes were wet and there was a tiny smile playing around one corner of his mouth. “I’m Nine,” he said.

“Alright,” Shibazaki said trying to regain his metaphorical balance. This conversation was going to be nothing like he’d originally thought it would. “And what would you have me call you?”

The boy’s eyes moved to Kurahashi and Hamura on the other side of the bars. He raised an eyebrow.

“I trust them,” Shibazaki said. “They’re not going anywhere.”

Sphinx 1 sighed. “You can call me Nine,” he said. “That’s what Twelve and Lisa call me.”

Lisa. Shibazaki filed the name away in the back of his mind. They’d calculated that there had to be another person beyond Sphinx 1 and 2 at the airport during the bombing, perhaps that was this Lisa person.

He didn’t mention any of these musings to Nine, however. “And I assume Sphinx 2 is Twelve?” he asked instead. Nine nodded his face still flooded with adolescent hope despite the minor distraction of Kurahashi and Hamura. Shibazaki went on. “Where is he right now?”

Nine’s face fell immediately. “I don’t know exactly,” he said. “We split up, but I do know that wherever he is, he’s not planning any more trouble for you.”

“Why did you split up?” Shibazaki pushed as gently as possible.

“We had…” Nine sighed and fiddled with the handcuffs. “He decided something else was more important than completing our plans.”

Shibazaki couldn’t say he was exactly surprised at that something like that had happened. The stress of what they were attempting had to be immense, especially for a pair of teenage boys. “And what are you plans?” he asked.

Nine looked up and dropped his legs to the floor. The emotionless mask was back. “Sphinx is ready to make a demand.”

Shibazaki felt like he’d been given whiplash from the sudden change in topic. He forced himself to focus. Sphinx had never made a demand before; this was important.

“I want a press conference,” Nine said. Back straight, shoulders back, voice shockingly adult. “As many camera crews as possible from as many countries as possible. I want it broadcast live in Japan, and I want to be allowed to speak freely.”

Shibazaki couldn’t help it; he raised an eyebrow. “That’s all you want?” he said. “You plant multiple bombs and post complicated riddles on the internet and all you want is a press conference?”

“I want people to listen to what I have to say,” Nine said, eyes boring into Shibazaki as if expecting him to understand.

It took a minute, but then Shibazaki did. “You want to tell people about the Athena Project,” he said. “That’s what all these bombings are about.”

“If Twelve and I had just dumped our story on the internet,” Nine said. “Only the nutcases would have believed us. Now we’re one of the biggest stories in the world. People will listen. Important people will listen.”

So that was what this was all about. These kids had gone around threatening the lives of thousands just to get people’s attention. Shibazaki wasn’t sure whether to be annoyed or pitying. “And what if you don’t get your press conference?” he asked. “What happens then?”

Nine’s face was cold as ice. “Then I tell you that Twelve and I didn’t steal plutonium from Aomori; we stole an atomic bomb. If I don’t get my press conference, a failsafe will activate and the bomb will go off.”

“What?” Hamura’s body crashed against the cell bars, but Shibazaki didn’t let himself look away from the terrorist in front of him. “You can’t do that!” Hamura roared.

“I won’t tell you where it is no matter what you do to me,” Nine said calmly. “Finding Twelve won’t help you; he doesn’t know where it is either. You can either give me my press conference or the bomb will go off. There are no other options.”

Shibazaki took a deep breath and forced himself to relax. Shouting would do no good. “You do realize,” he said in a tone of voice almost as calm as Nine’s, “that if you set off an atomic bomb in Tokyo while you’re still in Tokyo, you’ll die along with everyone else.”

There was a long pause, then Nine’s right shoulder rose in an almost imperceptible shrug.

“You don’t care?” Shibazaki asked.

“Not particularly,” Nine admitted. “In fact, the bomb might be preferable to the alternative.”

This boy didn’t care if he died during these bombings. He just wanted the story to get out no matter what happened to him. It took a moment for the reasons for that to sink it, for Shibazaki to remember something that Mamiya had said. “You’re dying,” Shibazaki said. “Both of you. That’s why you don’t care what happens to you.”

That look came back. The one of relief. The one of finally being seen. Nine looked like someone had thrown him a life vest in the middle of the ocean. “Degenerative encephalopathy,” he grinned darkly. “They really should have done more testing on those drugs before they pumped us full of them.”

Shibazaki was fairly sure Hamura and Kurahashi weren’t breathing which he understood completely; he wasn’t breathing either. “How long?” he finally got out.

“Hard to say exactly; neither of us have had an MRI since we escaped,” Nine said, gaze floating away evasively. “Twelve might have a year or so; he didn’t have as many treatments before we escaped. I’ve probably got a matter of months. Two, perhaps, maybe less.”

Shibazaki had completely lost his battle at remaining stoic. He gaped. He knew that knowing that he was talking to a terminally ill seventeen-year-old shouldn’t change anything, but somehow it did. “I’m sorry,” he said, and that seemed so inadequate, but he didn’t know what would be better.

“I’ve been dying for a long time,” Nine said looking back up at Shibazaki. “I’m used to it. What I want is for people to know what happened to us so that the people who did this to us don’t get to try again once they come up with a new cocktail of drugs. If I do that anyway other than a live press conference under the protection of the police everything will just be swept under the rug. The story needs to get out in a way they can’t control.”

The kid leaned forward, eyes wide and earnest. “I don’t want to kill anyone,” he said. “If you let me do this; I promise I won’t set the bomb off. The instant the press conference is over, I’ll tell you where it is and how to disable it. I won’t cause any more problems. I’ll plead guilty in court and everything. Just let me do this first. Please.”

Shibazaki stared at him for what the longest minute of his life. He knew he shouldn’t be touched by the boy’s story. He knew that nothing excused the violence Sphinx had wreaked on Tokyo. Still, he wanted to find a way to make something better for this child who obviously had little experience with kindness. He wanted to help.

He took a slow, careful breath. “You’ll get your press conference, kid,” he promised, not carrying how angry Kurahashi got at him for making that decision. “It’s the least I can do.”

--

[funfanstuff]

Carmilla Movie Teaser Trailer Theory Updates

Based off the clothes, I’m guessing the Carmilla movie is set in the 1870s, putting it at the same time the original novel was written. But it would also be at least 15 years after the Bronte sisters died. (Maybe affirming other’s theories that they could be vampires??) That would however mean we are in perfect time to meet L! The only thing which makes me question this is that the background characters at the masquerade ball appear to be wearing clothes that vary from the 1860s into the 1880s. The mansion itself was built in 188(2-3) according to the historian in the behind the scenes video). So I dunno. Somewhere near there. 

Although, of course, part of the movie is set in our time period... Which everyone’s been freaking out about for quite a while now. And yes, I am also freaking out. There’s a theory a little later (kinda) on how that happens.

(Note: I’m probably gonna call Natasha/Carmilla and Elise/Laura interchangeably... I have a bad habit of doing that. I do know they aren’t the same person.)

Domestic Hollstein

First shot we get is a very odd angle, leading me to believe it’s meant to be disorienting. Maybe it’s after a dream sequence? Carm is still laying down after Laura sits up. It appears to be a normal human morning. Also, that headboard is BEAUTIFUL.

The next shot in their home is on their couch with the reddish pillow. Laura wakes up on Carm’s lap wearing the same royal green tank top as the first scene (and same color as the headboard. God that thing is pretty.) It appears she’s waking up from a dream again... So I wonder if that’s part of what leads them to the house? She also doesn’t seem concerned though, leaning happily back into Carmilla as Natasha plays with her fingers, looking like she may also be ready to doze off. So part of me wonders if this is the first shot of the movie. Maybe there are some short opening credits of places to come but not in too scary of a manner, and this is the first scene we really get to see? That would be cool. And make us all cry and squeal :) 

The Living Room Scene

At :25 Natasha is shown with what appears to be medical tape on her face beside her eye and on her neck below her chin, both on her right side. She is sitting fairly relaxed but clearly a bit annoyed. The gingers are grilling her looking interested, and Elise is deep in thought.

Is this when they begin to realize Carmilla is “re-vamping”? Or maybe she was attacked by something which will lead them to the old mansion? The scene does take place at Laura and Carm’s apartment (assumed, because Elise woke up on Carm’s lap on that couch next to that reddish-maroonish cushion). 

WAIT THOSE AREN’T BANDAGES! I think those are electrodes! And Laf is looking at the results live on their tablet. Perry is probably asking survey questions as part of the experiment. It’s probably to discover what is going on which might be causing the revamping!

OR MAYBE Natasha starts having the dreams of L, and Laura’s all like “UH NO THAT’S NOT OKAY” and Carm doesn’t want to get rid of them and that’s why she’s annoyed but they agree to let Laf test them, and then this happens and YES.

Carm appears to answer a question near the end of the shot showing me that it’s not just a b-roll shot to introduce a scene but an actual camera angle. Because of the panning, I wonder if it’s part of a montage of them trying to figure out what’s going on. It could possibly just be one of multiple cameras rolling at once though. 

The Lightning Scenes

When they first get to the house, they are in modern clothes and bring what looks like enough stuff to stay for a few days. The house is quiet and empty. Everything is worn and dimn. They use flashlights. Then there are shots of lightning, mirrored by shots of a similar sort in the past.

The only person not holding a flashlight is Perry who is holding a dark gray-black box which looks like some sort of detector. My first thought was a geiger counter, for measuring radiation, something which Laf would certainly have and Perry would likely prefer over an EMF detector for ghost hunting. Especially since she’s wearing thick gloves which theoretically could make a character feel more safe in a place with radiation (although wouldn’t actually do much good). That said, an emf would make more sense in the setting. 

Note also, the painting and hallway behind Laferry. Painting was seen in behind the scenes photos and apparently has goats. (Relevant info? Or were they just not allowed to take it down...). The hallway is featured later in a scene with with more lightning.

Speaking of, the lightning flashes to transition to Dominique looking in a mirror with her hand up, looking amazed. L amazed to be alive again? L ecstatic to feel beautiful? She also looks scared. Is she scared of going to the ball? Scared to see Carmilla? Scared, because she doesn’t know why she’s alive again?

The next time lightning is shown is right after we see Dominique’s face looking annoyed but confident. She is of course dressed for the 19th century. Our usual cast, however, is dressed for modern day. I wonder if this is how they are brought into the past? The lightning? Carmilla does look really suspicious. Laura looks shocked. Perry looks like she’s about to pass out. Laf looks like they’re about to take some major samples. 

The next lightning occurs with someone running down a hallway. Due to the lighting and my vision, I can’t tell who it is. Can anyone else tell? They look back then speed up to go down the stairs as if they are being chased by a monster. It reminds me of older depictions of Carmilla as such. 

Does the lightning have something to do with Carm’s revamping? And how does it cause them to go back in time?

The Ballroom Scene

So it’s a masquerade ball, but it also appears to be in a small room for such an event. There is maybe 20 people. I wonder if this has to do with budget and space or if it’s significant in the plot? The main characters who wear dresses appear to be dressed for the 1870s. The background characters for the 1860s and 70s, maybe a few for the 80s. I wonder if this is intentional or not? Or maybe my googling just doesn’t give me enough information?

We also see Kirsch dancing with a woman. I can’t actually tell who it is though... I don’t know if it’s due to my vision problems or if it’s supposed to be hard to tell though. From there, we see Dominique with her mask on smirking like she’s about to blow up the place or something. 

Laura Clearly realizes whatever is going on first in the following scene and goes to stop it before Laf and Carm have even caught on, leaving them like wtf laura again?

And then? OOOOHHHHH AND THEN I believe after the drama of the ballroom scene, they retire into their room... Their gowns may be ruined by now, or maybe they just want to get out of all that lace. (I mean, Carm must be ready to shred that thing by now. Seriously.) Except they get distracted... by each other... in corsets... CALL BACK SEASON ONE

VIRGIN SACRIFICE NO EFFING MORE

(Also, I think that earlier shot of Carm running her fingertips gently over Elise’s lips comes from this scene. Natasha is wearing the same ring here, and you can see that Elise is wearing white. 

Other

The second bit we see, the bit which fascinates me to no end, is hollstein, together in the dark in theatrical moonlight. I can’t quite put my finger on what’s going on with Elise... It’s as if the moment we see is a moment of transition. Maybe Laura was fighting back at this figure but stopped when she realized who it was. But, me slightly having a ginormous crush, I was more focused on Natasha... Who, in this scene, appears to be wearing the costume of “the woman in black”. Dominique’s outfit on Carmilla? So is this a disguise for Carmilla? Or is there some sort of magic that makes Dominique appear to look like Natasha? Or is Carmilla the descendent of the woman in black? I thought, for a moment, maybe that Dominque could be playing past Carm as their expressions and movements appear to be quite similar as far as what we’ve seen, but they could have easily (well, not easily) had Natasha play both if that was the case. So i don’t believe that’s it. But something fishy is going on for sure.

(Also, Natasha’s hair in that shot is absolutely breathtaking and I want to touch it??) 

And then there is the dining room scene where everyone appears to be sitting around an extravagant meal. The Bronte sisters are present and appear to be taking a majority of the attention. Whatever they’re talking about worries the rest of the cast. 

Also, they are wearing modern day clothes, and the Bronte sisters don’t seem to care. Did they have something to do with aforementioned lightning?? 

And the last thing I’m going to mention is 1:10 to 1:12 where two characters appear to be facing one another in a very ominous situation, one dressed in Dominique’s signature outfit (although we have seen Natasha wearing it as well as I already talked about.) So is this a reveal? It’s certainly something...

Ah I’m so excited!!! What do you guys think?! Did I miss anything??

[abundantchewtoys]

Hiveswap ‘17-10-07: Adding some spice into the mix

To say it with the words of the immortal poet, Michael Guy Bowman:

"It's been a long, long time..." Since we played Hiveswap!

Well, okay, a week, but it feels longer. :P

We'd made it to the final room on the ground floor, and were just exploring all clickable areas.

---

The kitchen is bound to be where we'll encounter another monster, we know that from teasers. But I wonder how long it'll be? We'll probably leave, then Jude sends us something by pigeon, but it ends up in the kitchen by accident or by being chased.

---

Hmm, clicking the dog food container gives a prompt that declares the sitter went off for groceries "retrospectively the worst possible time", but Jude told us something about how her other workplace must've just closed. So, like... Did the sitter tell them she was going to go for groceries before coming over? Then there's the OTHER prompt that says she usually brings Joey to her dancing class on Saturday morning.

... I guess she could just tuck them in to sleep, then go out on Friday nights, but still.

I suppose it was just an oversight by What Pumpkin.

Alternatively, Joey could just mean that last time sitter went for groceries, the dog food wasn't out yet, but by now it is. :P

TREATS + DOG FOOD : Speak like Yoda, Joey very well can. SHOES + DOG FOOD : I like Joey's addiction to making puns. POINTES + DOG FOOD : We'll just imagine Joey gracefully doing everything. The dishes, math homework, avoiding death by Imperial Drone...

Then I saw a small clickable area and it's...

Sitter's SEASON-ALL MAGIC SPICE MIX. Pffff, just something for Roxy, to buy something solely because it has the word 'magic' in it. But apparently it actually works. Avoiding any alcoholic or suporific additions, maybe it just adds a taste to the food that Jude and Joey can't resist. ... Knowing Roxy, it would just be pumpkin spice. :P

OOooooh! I know it said GET the mix, but I didn't dear dream we could! But we can't make any combinations with it without picking it up, first!

... I bet we can make the TREATS suddenly more addictive to dogs 'n monsters by a factor 10, or something!

In retrospect, that's probably why the "YUM" sign is hanging there. :P

... Welp, that's another umpteen gazillion combinations to make! Hahahahahh ... ahah. hah. :,)

I like the design of the mix shaker, I didn't think it would be this recognizable to me but it is. Guess it's a quasi-universal shape?

Let's spice things up! ... After we finishing looking around in the kitchen. :P Okay, nothing clickable here besides the door and window and the things in the entree to the cellar, which we'll leave as is for now.

SPICE MIX + POGS : Blaperile has a good point, Jude might be eleven! That would make for another cherub reference AND it would mean Jude and Joey differ three years since Joey's 14. 11, 3 and 14, makes already for the digits in TWO of Homestuck's arc numbers!

SPICE MIX + TREATS : 'Nah [...] Why gild a lily?' I think Joey made this comment somewhere before already! ... Maybe with another food combination?

SPICE MIX + SHOES : ... Wow, that's one of the largest prompts up till now. Guess to be good at tap dancing you have to be a seasoned dancer, eh? *eyebrows*

SPICE MIX + FLASHLIGHT : ... D-CELERY SALT. Hahahahah, oh Joey, I see what you're doing there, 'keeping it light', even THAT is a pun!

And wow, I suddenly saw the clock in the shadows between the kitchen and the entree. Wow, that's well hidden! ... As is the ticking of the clock!

Welp, here we go again for the combination conga!

---

MIX + CONNECT FOUR : ... Tarragonally. Oh, I see how it is. This spice mix's magic is powered by puns.

MIX + MS. CLAIRE'S PICTURE ON JOEY'S DESK : 'Happier thymes'. <-- Case in point for what I just said.

MIX + PICTURE OF JOEY WITH TESS : And then suddenly Joey was an art critic. :P

MIX + HOT STEPPIN' : Yup, spicey enough as it is.

MIX + NEVER ENDING STORY : I'm relieved I don't remember any sneezing, snottering turtle of the sort Joey mentions.

MIX + SHIKA : I'd never heard of a poultice before. Oh, so those towels people get put on their foreheads in television shows actually contains medication? ... That's actually informative!

MIX + GINGER ROGERS : Pffffff, and the spice puns continue! Actually, if there ever was a time for one, it's in the combination here before us, it lends itself to it of course (as ginger is a spice).

MIX + MOTHER 2 : ... Good point, maybe instead of as a food savorener, we can use this to make monsters sneeze or something? Probably only the one time though, better make it count!

MIX + GAME CONTROLLERS : ... Wow. Joey starts by saying she never blows on her cartridges to get the dust out because it's apparently bad for them????? Hahahah, wow, Nintendo, your SNES days were wild! But then I think what happens is she basically admits she feels like she is OBLIGED to blow the dust out because it makes her feel like one of Captain Planet's helpers (specifically, the woman). N'aww.

MIX + WINDOWSILL : PFfffffff. Joey, I think it'll take more than a line of table salt to keep these monsters out. Now, of course, if you could sprinkle it in a circle and use it to open a portal to another plane, that would come in handy later on, actually. :P

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MIX + WARDROBE : Well that's just meta. :P Though I'll admit I'm looking forward to Joey-the-fake-troll. "Jowwee"?

MIX + SHELF PALS : Oh yeah, look at that limited supply of salt, we'd best be very careful with it. :P

Well, that was everything here. To the attic stairway!

MIX + ATTIC DOOR : Oh, is that how knob doors work normally? You can't turn them unless they're unlocked? Huh.

MIX + GARBAGE : Hah! Well, I didn't understand this reference at first (European here), but now I do! Joey uses it as a makeshift Thanksgiving "dinner" to give thanks over... in that she's grateful all this junk isn't spread elsewhere through the house.

MIX + SUFFERER DOLL : "Nope, still unsavory." I salute thine pun-making.

MIX + LITE BRITE : ... Joey has a good point, as far as choking hazards go, age 4 is rather low.

I think at LEAST age 6 would be more appropriate in the present.

MIX + ABRAXAS STATUE IN STAIRWAY : ... Okay, the hypothetical situation Joey describes here not withstanding... 'crawdad', seriously??? That's a word for a river lobster, really? That means the name Crabdad is actually a pun!

MIX + FRIDGE : Well, mystery solved! The fridge contains a bag of baking soda and a molding orange. Welp.

MIX + DIRTY DISHES : ... I can't believe she did that.

Okay, we're back to where we last ended up at! Now, to proceed without triggering the plot just yet. Guess we'll avoid the radio a little longer.

---

BACK DOOR : Okay, as expected, we can LOOK but not OPEN. Although it does make Joey contemplate her unraked leaves. ... I'm not 100% sure she's wholly sincere about wanting to get back to raking. Though her comment about wanting to start a "zine" about her passion makes me wonder if that's a sneaky reference to contemporary youths making Vines, heheh.

Oooh, we hadn't clicked on the TRASH yet. Joey's got a point, it's a shame FOOD and WASTE CONTAINERS are often so close to one another. For easy use, I suppose. At least in restaurants, there should be a dumpster outside, separate from the food.

POGS + TRASH : Now that's just cruel, Joey. :P

MIX + BACK DOOR SILL : That's actually a pretty good idea Joey had, masking her scent. But I think the garbage could do a better job at that, if she pulled it closer to the exit. Then again, there are food rests in there too...

TREATS + BACK DOOR : N'awww, she'd rather Tess stay safe-ish in her dog house than try to make it across the crossing to the door. Maybe we'll not see her anymore in this Act at all.

GREEN KEY + BACK DOOR : Well, if all the houses in Hauntswitch are unlocked, at least Jude and Dammek would have less of a hard time gathering clues about... whatever is going on here.

Let's acknowledge the houseguest mummy next! The pedestal it's on reminds me of Grandpa's and Poppop's.

...

OOOOOOOHHHHH! The mummy is blocking MORE of the house??? Parts we won't be able to explore in Hiveswap, then? Like a garage, I guess? And Grandpa's bedroom, if it's here and not on the 1st floor? And the sitter's guest room?

I think Grandpa just didn't consider the implications of dropping the thing square in the door like that. He's... kind of out there, after all.

Trying to MOVE it : ... I don't care if it's a slur, this is now called Pharaoh Napoleon for all times.

POGS + PHARAOH NAPOLEON : ... That's actually a good point. The pants seem too tight for him. Probably due to all the bandaging.

Okay, guess we're all set to try the basement door!

My guess is we won't be able to descend without having a working flashlight. You know, because unlit staircases are a danger to be weary off. Especially if at the bottom there could be a flesh-eating monster snake!

Hahah! We don't even enter the basement at all, just open the door a little.

I suppose now the time has come to look at the radio. I do wonder, when we get the flashlight working... Does it become part of our wardrobe and disappear from the key items, or not? If not, that would mean we would have another umptillion combinations to do!

And I wonder if we could've used the flashlight on the unlit trophy room!

So...

Hah! So the static we've been hearing was not a regular thing to be heard from the radio. Something to do with whoever's behind this monster invasion I suppose.

I'm glad Joey turns the radio off, the static was kind of annoying.

OPERATING BUTTONS : The radio is off, and Joey intends for it to stay that way. :P

VOLUME KNOB? : Welp, Joey broke them. Oh well, I can't imagine they received that many interesting channels here in rural where-ever.

TUNER KNOB : Oh, heh, I presumed this knob and the other one were going to spawn the same response, but I guess not.

BATTERY COMPARTMENT LID : A power-cord-less device that still operates when you turn it on? The mystery deepens. :P (Yeah we're almost ready to get us some D-CELLs.)

We POP OPEN the LID and... Heh, I like that it's visibly open if we zoom out, too! It'll probably stay open after we're finished, that's why.

LOOKing at the batteries : Yep, self-operating devices that are neither plugged in or powered by batteries are a source of many a horror story.

BATTERIES GOT!

... Pffff, clicking on the compartment has Joey contemplating leaving the pogs for Jude here. That would have actually been a pretty good way to get even with him. But Joey thinks the idea is actually TOO good to execute and ruin through contact with reality. ... What a little dork. :P

Now, to attempt the RARE AND HIGHLY DANGEROUS x2 BATTERIES COMBO! This is probably one of the ONLY times we have (virtually) the same item in our inventory, twice!

... Heheheh. Nothing about making some kind of GROSS BASTARD BATTERY LOVECHILD or something, just a friendly safety reminder.

Now, to put them into the flashlight!

BOOYEAH!

I kind of expected a Legend of Zelda-esque moment of triumph! ... But if I remember correctly, she's going to have one with a stale cookie.

Also, no conversation with Jude is triggered!

Oh, okay, I actually thought the flashlight would either disappear from the inventory or get accessible for combinations. It's neither, Joey says she really wants to spare the batteries for the opportune moment. Makes sense!

---

Alright, this is a fine moment to call quits.

Next time, we'll descend into the lowest part of the building!