#i just need the four of them in a gl

[candygalaxyyy]

And since I’m throwing out ideas for gl pairings I need the SIZZY girls to get their own show!

I would personally like to see CiizeJan and JaneAye, but to be honest it could go whichever way and i would be satisfied. I JUST WANT TO SEE MY GIRLS IN MORE LEADING ROLES AND IN A GL, TOGETHER. Someone get me into gmmtv’s A&R because they are really missing out by not giving these girl a show. THEY COULD LITERALLY MAKE A GIRL GROUP GL LIKE COME ONNNN. Or something else, but I don’t want a school/university one because we are already getting 23.5 (plus tu and prim would fit a university concept better). i have an idea and I’ll just use the ‘actresses names + character’ to make it easier.

Okay so here’s my vision. It could be an office romance thing. Not the GAP, CEO x employee kind, but it’s still an office romance just a weaker power dynamic. So Jan’s character/cht (age 28). Is an editor at a fashion house/magazine within a media company, she’s your typical chic, cold and levelheaded fashion girlie. She went to a top university and has a master’s in marketing, media and e-commerce. She’s hard working and competent, and is striving to one day become the editor in chief of their division. Only child. Online shopping and drinking wine are her favorite pass times. Loves jazz and indie music. Hates any form of physical activity, would much rather binge reruns of her favorite lakorn. Never had much interest in dating or romance so her sexuality is ??? to others (family & friends), but she’s lesbian. And the new employee is Ciize. Ciize’s character (age 23) recently graduated and starts out as an assistant editor, who obviously gets paired with Jan cht, because Jan’s previous assistant quit (Jan’s cht was overbearing). Did international economics + a year abroad. She is bubbly, extroverted, creative and competitive. She loves fashion and is always down for adventure. Ex-football athlete (soccer for Americans) when she was in high school. She is always branching out and trying new things, her goal in life is to one day create her own sustainable clothing brand. She’s smart but a little disorganized, but it’s okay because she just started out (she’s a quick learner though). Youngest of 3, older brother and sister. Loves going to the beach. Strong dislike for spicy food, picky eater. She’s pan and has been in one relationship during uni that ended kinda messy. The perfect grumpy x sunshine couple who grow closer as they work together and start secretly dating at work.

So moving on to JaneAye. Jane’s character (age 28) is a curator at an arts and culture museum. She studied either contemporary art or cross cultural management, or both you know double major. Jane’s character is a very expressive person, she loves cats and is an avid movie watcher (she loves horror & sci-fi). Blunt and doesn’t sugarcoat anything, can’t stand passive aggressive people. To her, family and friends are the most important things, oldest of 5. She’s very diligent and loyal, the most dependable person, if you were caught in a difficult situation she’s the one to call. She has her fair share of experience with relationships, most of them ended badly so she’s more cautious but still a hopeless romantic. Loves movie dates (with friends or partner). Not a fan of PDA or skinship. Openly bisexual, came out when she was 18. Aye’s character (age 24) is talkative, intuitive and easygoing, she doesn’t like confrontation but always ends up in such situations. She is an ambivert, she likes to read people’s vibes and energy before getting close to them. She studied communication arts at a well-known university. Loves outdoor activities and enjoys fitness, but also likes some alone time cooking or reading a book. She’s been an athlete since primary (i.e. middle school), she plays for a woman’s football club now. Also an aspiring actress and is a influencer. Coffee lover. Sensitive to others opinions, people pleaser. She is the middle child. Was comphet and in a hetero relationship before, but is now a baby lesbian. Jane’s cht meets Aye’s cht. At a local supermarket where they had an altercation over something. Of course Aye’s cht was being passive aggressive, while Jane’s character was with all the smoke so they naturally don’t like each other. With the bad first impression they keep bumping into each other in undesirable situations, making them dislike each other even more. Until Aye’s cht is selected as an influencer for an event at Jane’s museum and they have to work together. A classic bad first impression, enemies to lovers, and slow burn romance.

Jan and Jane’s cht are childhood besties, they’re neighbours as their childhood homes are 4 minutes away from each other (walking distance). They have an interesting dynamic, they balance each other out very well. They are kinda like a platonic grumpy x sunshine. They’ve been friends for 20 years and went to the same high school and university. They share the same birth date and year, just different months. Jan’s cht supported and was there for Jane’s cht when she came out to her somewhat conservative parents, she even stayed with Jan’s family for a while. Jane cht is literally the only person who knows that Jan cht is a lesbian. They are platonic soulmates. They both come from a traditional upper-middle class background, Jan cht parents are less conservative and considered more ‘liberal’. Ciize and Aye’s cht were in different high schools and were rivals in the same after-school football club. They stopped being rivals when Ciize’s cht stopped taking football as seriously, so they eventually became casual friends. They went to the same university but were in different faculties and friend groups, so they barely interacted. Ciize’s is from an upper class household. Aye’s cht is from a middle class household. They become closer due to their respective relationships with Jan and Jane’s cht.

I feel like this could be a cute, rom-com fluff series about being a young working woman striving to achieve her hopes and dreams, while navigating friendship and love. Consisting of mild angst and a happy ending. A female studded cast, with little to no male characters that are significant to the romance plot (I could allow 1 (maybe 2 if I’m feeling generous) since gmmtv loves men so much- not including family members or friends). Anyways someone needs to make a novel for them and the people at gmmtv needs to make this happen somehow.

[themyscirah]

When you start anthropomorphizing the green lantern rings 😘💚✌️

[desperatecheesecubes]

See the mental unwellness in me is telling me that I should combine all the reading guides for the Young Justice crew together to get the true full YJ reading order, but I feel like that would just immediately become overwhelming. But I might do it anyway lmao.

[sixosix]

SLEIGHT OF HAND | LYNEY

summary you will not let lyney get to you. unfortunately, lyney already got to you the moment you met eyes. after all, what is a magician if not an expert in stealing hearts?

or, local sumeru architect goes to fontaine looking for inspiration and comes out of it with three rainbow roses and a crushing magician.

warnings 13+, gn!reader, follows the fontaine archon quest, so there are major spoilers throughout the entire fic! MURDER (lyney trial spoilers) + feminine french pet names ough + bff!Aether loml + sweet talker lyney + KISS SCENE (suggestive)

notes 8K words. thank u to my french bff art @aanobrain who said lyney is a magician he would say mon lapin 🤧❤️ + other various french pet names. thank u to ellie hyomagiri & earthtooz too for hyping this up, my supporters…

“500,000!?”

Sumeru streets are always bustling with its people—from children skipping around the neighborhood to frantic scholars who zip back and forth before returning to their homes when the moon is high. However, the sun is beating down on everyone right now: street vendors are making a profit, dogs are barking as they play fetch with laughing children, and you stand across the blond traveler and his floating companion.

You wince at the volume of Paimon’s shrill voice, inciting bypassers to send miffed glances your way. Embarrassed, you cover the side of your face with a hand, whispering, “Is—is that not enough? I can—”

“No, no, it’s not that!” Paimon’s arms flail around, eyes blown comically wide. “It’s just, you know, more than what we earn from our daily commissions combined!”

“Oh, I see.” you nod, relieved. “Well, I can lower—”

“No, no, no, no,” Paimon interjects hurriedly, and even the traveler shakes his head. “Pleasure to do business with you! Paimon and Aether, at your service!”

“Really?” you can’t believe your luck—the traveler himself agreed to escort you to Fontaine! Or does it count if Paimon agrees on his behalf? “That's a relief. Even Katheryne of the guild had a strange expression when I posted my commission.”

“It’s probably because of the amount of zeroes you might’ve accidentally put,” Paimon murmurs.

Aether tugs on her foot as if warning her. “We'll be leaving soon. Are you prepared?”

“Oh, yes. My stuff’s over there by the bench, you see?”

Aether and Paimon’s faces simultaneously fall. “All of that?” Paimon starts counting it, gaping when she has four little fingers held up.

They sure complain a lot. “You can still back out.”

Aether takes a deep breath, making his way over to your luggage. When he brushes past, you hear him chanting 500,000; 500,000; 500,000 under his breath. He wordlessly carries all of them, his chest puffed and expression grave.

“They’re heavier than I thought,” Aether wheezes out as Paimon flits worriedly around him. “How long are you going to be staying in Fontaine?”

“Oh, just a day or two, maybe,” you say, taking pity and taking one bag from him. “Most of what’s inside are art supplies.”

“Ah,” Aether says.

“500,000,” Paimon reminds him.

“We’re close,” Paimon says, flying back to where you and Aether are still walking behind, him heaving and you offering water now and then. “I saw a huge ravine-looking view! It was like a city on a waterfall!”

“R-Really?” Aether puffs out a breath, sweat rolling off his temple.

You tried prying some of your bags away from him when it seemed like there were monsters up ahead, but he refused instead to fight them with one hand on his sword. He still won. You guessed that he was trying to make traveling easier for you, yet all you felt was immense worry.

“Are you feeling okay, Y/N?” Paimon asks, floating beside you. “You look unwell.” You should ask your companion that, instead.

“I’m a bit nervous. After all, it’s my first time traveling outside of Sumeru.” You smile, patting her head. She doesn’t seem to mind, beaming back. “But I need to get out of my comfort zone to be better, right?”

“That's right! Paimon has a feeling you’ll enjoy Fontaine!” You and Paimon glance at Aether when he heaves a heavy breath, yet he only waves the pair of you off with his free hand. “Before you know it, you’ll be itching to travel again once you’re back in Sumeru.”

“I'm only there for work. I just need to learn a lot, and then I'll enjoy it.”

“Still a student through and through, huh…”

“I can see it,” Aether chimes in, looking all too relieved to rest his arm finally. “I can see Fontaine up ahead.”

You feel the cool breeze brush against your face, a refreshing change from the past hours you and the other two have been trudging through the desert. You could strip off layers and dive if you could. You can make out the harbor even miles away, pouring water out like an endless waterfall stretching for miles.

Arriving in Fontaine is introducing yourself to the rustle of layered skirts, the water-kissed smell, and citizens left and right babbling about tragic endings and thrilling climaxes.

Aether sets your bags on the floor with a heavy exhale. Paimon feeds him with another jug of water.

“I guess we’re here now.” You pull out a heavy pouch you’ve been keeping in one of the bags Aether had been holding over his shoulder. Paimon takes it with greedy, greedy hands. “Thank you for keeping me safe and carrying my luggage, Traveler— are you even listening to me?”

“There’s a girl over there,” Aether says, now staring ahead.

You and Paimon turn to look; sure enough, someone is standing by the edge, looking forlornly over the water. Half of her foot is off the platform, making Paimon fidget.

She gasps. “She isn’t going to jump into the water, is she? Maybe we should go check on her…”

Halfway through Paimon’s sentence, you gathered the courage to speak to the girl with the cat ears.

“Hey, miss.” Her ear twitches. “Is something the matter?”

She turns, looking faintly surprised. If you weren’t so close to her, you wouldn’t have been able to tell there was a change in her expression. “I'm fine. thank you.”

“Oh.” Now things are a little awkward. “Is there something in the water you’re looking at? You might slip if you keep tipping forward.”

She peers below, unworried—silent.

“As long as you’re okay, I guess,” you sigh, awkwardly hovering above her shoulder when realizing it might come off strange if you touch her. “I’ll leave you be.”

Her lips twitch, something close to a smile. You don’t stick long enough to admire it, heading back to Aether and Paimon and shrugging at their inquisitive looks. “She says she’s fine.”

“I think it’s time for me to separate,” you say. “I want to take all of it in as much as possible. Paimon has my payment. Thank you both so much for keeping me safe.” Mostly Aether, though. But Paimon was there, emotionally.

“It’s no problem,” Aether says, his smile warmer than when you first met him. “Stay safe out there. You can look for us if you need anything else.”

“I don’t always pay 500,000 for each of my commissions.”

Paimon wilts. Aether flushes, stammering, “Not what I meant.” You laugh heartily as they wave when you walk off to the aquabus, hopefully, prepared for what Fontaine will give you.

Your sketchbook is a page away from completion when you hear about a magic show at the Opera House. Not that it was hard to miss—everyone and their grandmothers were prattling about nothing else but the entire day.

Fontaine is known for its love for dramatics, but the twins they keep mentioning must be a one-of-a-kind spectacle to have half their region’s population speak about them so reverently.

After wandering for hours, taking in the endless sights of fresh water streaming and grand castle-like modern buildings, you find yourself in the Fountain of Lucine. You’ve heard of Fontaine being somewhat titled the ‘City of Love,’ but seeing couples surrounding each nook and cranny of the tourist spots was still astonishing.

(You console yourself by thinking that there’s something romantic in sketching frantically while the rest of the crowd are sucking faces.)

To your luck, you spot three familiar heads in the fountain plaza.

Aether senses you before you can even say anything, glancing to the side and smiling when you wave at him.

Paimon flutters excitedly. “Y/N! We didn’t think we’d see you again this early. You look like you’re glowing.”

“Was it that obvious?” you laugh sheepishly. “Fontaine is beautiful; I couldn’t even stick too long in one place before I see something else that catches my attention.” You look to the girl you met earlier, who nods politely. “Hello. Are you three acquainted now?”

“Mhm!” Paimon says, hands on her hips. “This is Lynette! She’s inviting us to the show they’re holding here!” She gasps, “Speaking of—”

“Ah,” Lynette says quietly, “I couldn’t get an extra ticket. I’m sorry.”

Lynette is the magician you keep hearing about? With her seemingly reserved personality, you wouldn’t have guessed it. “Oh, no, it’s fine. I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“Paimon,” Aether speaks up. “They gave you your ticket, right? Why don’t you just float next to me or sit on my lap?”

Paimon’s eyes sparkle. “Great idea! That way, I can give my seat to Y/N, right?”

“You guys…” Your chest feels warm as Aether hands you one of the two tickets in his hand. “You really didn’t have to.” Is this what 500,00 gets you? The loyal companionship of Aether and Paimon?

“It’s a good idea,” Lynette says. “My brother wouldn’t want you to miss the show. He’d be devastated.”

“If you insist, then I suppose I can’t refuse.” Aether and Paimon do a cute little cheer. “But I need to return to the hotel; I can’t be watching a magic show carrying all these.” Surely Aether can understand.

Later, with your hands finally empty and charcoal-free, you rush back to the Opera Epiclese, the person standing guard kind enough to open the doors despite being a minute late.

“Welcome, one and all, to the Opera Epiclese!” The audience roars with cheers as the spotlight illuminates a figure on the center of the stage. You hurry to your seats, brushing past Aether and Paimon. “I am the star of today’s show, Lyney.”

Lyney bows, then stands upright with a Cheshire cat grin.

The thunder of the crowd’s applause is deafening. If you weren’t able to see it, you’d think that you hadn’t been clapping at all—senses numbed and your fixed stare all on the boy on the stage.

Your eyes catch on the small braid on the side of his head before the gleam of his eyes hypnotizes you.

He’s handsome, you think dizzily at the back of your head.

“Don’t blink,” he says, his voice lower as if meant to be a whisper, “or else you might miss it.”

The show proceeds. A dove soars away from inside as he flips his hat; you flush at hearing the soft laughter that slips from him after. The cards that materialize out of nowhere descend to the floor. His fingers shuffle the cards while talking to keep the audience satiated; they fly off his hands, yet he doesn’t lose focus, stretching them mid-air with a sleight of hand. They fall apart and come together neatly and precisely.

His stage presence is demanding. It would be as if Lady Furina herself would accuse you of committing a crime if you were to look away for even a second.

Then, when he scans the crowd, busy twirling his cards in his fingers, his gaze catches your awed ones.

Something in the air shifts. Or maybe it’s that it slows.

A card slips from his grasp. A mistake. He blinks and breaks eye contact, laughing heartily to play it off. But you don’t believe it—not when you swore your limbs locked in place as well when lilac drilled into your soul.

You breathe, hands bracing against your chest. What was that?

You would’ve played it off as something you imagined if not for Lyney continuing to glance at you occasionally. His slip-up had been forgotten, as though it was all part of the show.

(Is it also part of the show when it seems he’s unable to tear his eyes off of you?)

Of course, the twins prove their worth. They showed you exactly why the people of Fontaine adore watching them through theatrical magic, cards in their sleeves, and defying logic.

You’ve shuffled to the edge of your seat as Lynette disperses into bubbles and comes back alive. You’ve held your breath as Lyney emerges from the box across he was in a moment earlier.

You’ve also been witness to the murder of Cowell.

CRASH.

The shatter of glass resounded along with the horrified gasps of the audience. Sickeningly enough, you could almost hear the crack of bones if you hadn’t been crying out in alarm. Yet, as they gape and shriek over the sight of a limp arm popping out, you find your gaze tracing back to Lyney, who stands motionless in front of the box.

When Lady Furina points fingers and has everyone siding against him, the guards escort the audience from the Opera House. All evidence presented left Lyney in a spotlight unlike his performance: with a disgusted and unamused crowd. Even you have to agree that it isn’t looking well for his case at all.

Yet all you can think of as you leave the room is that Lyney looked as terrified as everyone else was—much too raw of an expression for someone to accuse him of anything at all. He looked young and scared.

(His hands were shaking.)

The rest of your Fontaine trip is admittedly duller when you’re a little more familiar with its city and don’t have a yapping little fairy and a capable Traveler by your side. It’s hard not to hear chatter about the events that went down: Lyney’s trial, Aether volunteering to be his lawyer, and the truth behind the real murderer.

It solved a case beyond the murder of Cowell. Fontaine sure has its mysteries, and the crowd sure loves them as they would a magic show.

You keep your hands busy. Last night, you found yourself thinking back to the magic show, to deft fingers weaving through cards, to violet eyes that kept on flickering to you. By the time you snap back to reality, you’ve subconsciously drawn shapes and lines that suspiciously look like the magician himself: the curve of a smile, piercing eyes, and you entranced by it all.

Flustered, you crumple his face staring back at you out of sight. Yet you can’t bring yourself to throw it away.

You shove the last bit of garlic baguette in your mouth to furiously bat these unwanted thoughts away.

“Isn’t that Y/N?” Paimon’s voice is unmistakable, a short distance off.

You jump out of your skin, spinning to see Aether and Paimon waving and walking over to you. You thought they'd already left Fontaine after that; you wouldn’t blame them if they did.

“Y/N! We haven’t seen you since the Opera House performance,” Paimon exclaims, twirling around your head like a thrilled fly circling a trash can.

You hold onto her back, hoping she’ll stop making you dizzy. “We were escorted out before I could say goodbye. I couldn’t watch the court trial but heard it all turned out fine.”

“That’s right!” Paimon nods proudly. “Paimon helped a ton during it; you should’ve seen it! What have you been doing?”

“I found a fellow architect while visiting the cafe nearby, and we chatted for hours,” you say, remembering that your voice is hoarse for that reason. You also don’t tell them you couldn’t get a certain magician off your mind. “I learned a lot. I don’t regret coming here one bit.”

Paimon says something else that you’re sure you’ve nodded absentmindedly at while your gaze wanders over to the two familiar people a few feet behind, watching you three with cat-like eyes—and it’s not just because of Lynette’s unique features.

“Those are the magicians, right?” you gesture behind Paimon and Aether as if you haven’t already familiarized yourself with their faces.

Paimon nods. “Uh-huh. You should introduce yourself! They look like they want to talk.”

Something about that feels foreboding. “Um, no, it’s fine. I don’t want to be rude and interrupt your conversation.”

“No,” Aether says firmly. He seldom speaks; you might as well play along if he says so. “Besides, Paimon is right. Lyney wants to talk to you, you know?”

“Oh, yeah! He kept mentioning seeing someone sitting beside us! And it couldn’t have been Neuvillette because he said it was an unfamiliar beauty that bewitched this weak magician’s heart.” Paimon nods, even recalling how he’s enunciated each syllable theatrically.

“I’m sorry?” you blurt. “Lyney recognizes me? What did I do?”

“Paimon thinks it’s because Lyney is curious about who Lynette met! He was like that with us, too.” Paimon changes her pitch to match Lyney’s. “Are these your friends, Lynette?”

Aether’s eyes feel like they know something you don’t. “It won’t hurt to strike up a conversation with Lyney. He’s been shaken up since the trial.”

There’s something unspoken hidden in his words. “What does that mean?”

Paimon doesn’t wait for an answer, grabbing you by the arm and dragging you to where the twins are waiting. Aether chuckles as he jogs behind.

“Paimon, Aether,” Lyney says, almost sly, “You haven’t introduced us to your friend here.”

“Paimon can do it!” She floats on top of your head and does a bit of jazz hands. “This is Y/N, the one who commissioned us to escort them from Sumeru up to Fontaine.”

“Generously,” Aether adds.

It’s a little embarrassing to have the legendary Traveler and Paimon introduce little old you to a famous magician such as himself, but his grin is still excited.

“From Sumeru?” Lyney repeats, smiling wider when you nod—as if that crumb of attention is enough for him. “I see.”

He performs a bow around the same height as where your hands rest; he takes one, kisses the back of your palm, and smiles against your skin. “I’m Lyney, and she is my sister, Lynette.”

“It’s nice to see you again.” You smile at Lynette, who nods in return. Lyney straightens to look at his sister.

“We met when the Traveler and Paimon just arrived at the harbor,” Lynette sighs even without looking at her brother.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” you say, meeting Lyney’s eyes. The spot where he kissed is still warm—tingling. “Your show was incredible, despite what happened. I’m glad that the truth revealed itself.”

“Thank you.” Lyney’s gaze sharpens. “I saw you at the performance, yes. I was worried for a second you might steal the show if you were to come up on stage.”

You blink. “Are you saying—”

Lyney grins, “I apologize that the night had to end that way; it must’ve been horrifying. Say, what if I give you a little show right now to make it up to you?” Did he make it up to each one of his audience, too?

This is not a man acting “shaken up,” as Aether put it.

“You really don’t have to.” You glance at Aether and Paimon, silently asking for help; however, they’re too far gone, urging you to say yes with gestures and encouraging nods.

Lyney tilts his head, demanding your attention on him once more.

You sigh. “I would love to see it if you don’t mind.”

“Of course!” Lyney looks like he’s the sun bursting personified. “It would be a pleasure, ma chérie. Not to worry, it’s nothing life-threatening. I just need you to focus on me.”

Not that it’s hard. The others have become a dull buzz in your mind as Lyney holds your gaze. “Okay.”

Lyney smiles, much softer, satisfied. “Good. Now,” he tips his hat, “recently, I’ve received a little lesson from someone about the language of flowers. Are you familiar with them?”

“Not in Fontaine, no,” you mumble, watching his hands closely. You were expecting a rabbit to hop out of that hat any second now.

“Shame. But I suppose I wouldn’t want to spoil the fun.” Lyney snaps his finger, then deposits his hand inside his hat. “Hmm… Oh? Something’s not quite right. Would you mind looking into this hat for me to see if the flower is here?”

You hesitate. The hat is so close to him.

Swallowing, you nod, leaning in to inspect his hat at a careful pace. All you can sense is the faint scent of heat Lyney is emanating, the breath you two share, and the pounding of your chest. You swear you could also hear his, matching yours.

“The hat’s empty.”

Lyney smiles wider. “Yes, perhaps because you already have it.”

You jump back in surprise, your hands patting your body to see where he could have snuck the flower in. With your frantic movement, the flower falls off from what seems to have come from your head—Lyney catches it.

His mouth carves into a smirk, leaning to invade your personal space, his free hand coming up to tuck hair behind your ear. “Careful.”

Your face is burning. Plucking the flower out, the delicate and tender pink sears into your palm. “What does this flower mean?”

“What does it, I wonder?” Lyney whispers thoughtfully. “I suppose you’ll have to tell me once you find out.”

And when he inclines backward, it feels like you can breathe again. Time flows normally, and the people passing by seem much louder than before—as though you’ve surfaced from underwater.

Lyney clears his throat. “Shame I haven’t prepared myself a grand show for you, but I suppose that would call for another time, wouldn’t it?”

Lynette is looking at Lyney as if he is stupidly amusing.

“Thank you,” you say, burning, burning. “For the show, I mean.”

“That was a little weird,” Paimon whispers to Aether, but she is terrible with keeping volume and has everyone turning to her with varying expressions. “P-Paimon means that was good! Wow, Lyney! Isn’t that a different flower you gave us? That’s the flower Charlotte was talking about, right?”

“Rainbow rose?” Aether supplies.

“Yes! It means—”

“Ahem.” Lyney is quick to interrupt. “Lynette and I must take our leave now, if you don’t mind. It was fun catching up with you two.” You have to hold your ground and not look away when he hones in on your figure. “And it’s a pleasure meeting you. Don’t be a stranger. Look for me if you want more.”

His smile is a little devilish, you now realize.

“Bye,” Lynette says blankly, following after her brother, who seemed to be hurrying to exit.

His ears were red.

“You’re still staring.”

“I am not,” you rebuke hotly, flailing to cover Aether’s mouth with your hands. Yet all it does is bring your attention back to where Paimon and Aether are staring—the rainbow rose on your person.

Paimon and Aether yelp when you drag them away despite Lyney having already left the scene.

“Hey—! Don’t just go dragging Paimon around like a balloon like that! Did Lyney get to your head that much?”

“He did not.”

Paimon tilts her head, frowning. You shy away from her worried gaze, glaring at the flower instead. You still don’t know how Lyney managed to get it there; you hold it to your chest, where your heart is racing miles per minute because of his stupidly smug smile.

“What does this flower mean, Paimon?”

Paimon seems elated to be of help. “Easy! Charlotte told us that Rainbow Roses mean ‘passion’ and most notably ‘romantic encounters’!”

“Passion,” you curse. The rose seems as if it is staring back innocently, unknowing of the turmoil you’re going through because of it. “Romantic encounters.’ ugh.”

You can still remember how Lyney’s eyes twinkled as you felt his breath against your face.

“Ooh, he thinks he can trick me. He thinks he can affect me just because it pleases him to do so. I’ll show him. I’ll show him! I am not a blushing maiden!”

“You’re already very affected by this,” Paimon says, yet it’s lost by your newfound determination. Two can play at this game.

You’ve definitely been staying in Fontaine longer than what you told Aether and Paimon, but you can’t leave yet. Not when you found yourself walking to a flower shop to purchase a vase, fiercely digging through soil, turning gentle when your fingers reach for the Rainbow Rose. Not when you see it in the corner of your eyes as you try to sleep, and you find yourself daydreaming about a charming violet-eyed virtuoso.

It’s for research, you excused lamely at the hotelkeeper who didn’t ask why you’re extending your stay. In truth, not that you’d tell anyone. It was because you were hoping for another grand show from him. A farewell show for you—closure.

If you were to travel back home and get too drunk to think straight, Kaveh would learn about your crisis (romantic awakening?) and laugh at your face.

In hopes of looking for your Fontaine architect friend, you spot Lyney instead, on the side of the street surrounded by cheering kids. They clap and jump, and Lyney laughs. “One more, one more!”

“Again?” Lyney does an exaggerated sigh. “I’m starting to run out of cards in my sleeves. I’ve guessed my entire deck from your hands by this point!”

“But, Mr. Magician,” one of them whines, pouting up at him and blinking, “we want to see more! We want to know how you do it!”

“Alright, how about this, hm?” And then Lyney peers right at you. Ironically, you’re the one startled when you’ve been watching that entire spiel, and he hasn’t acknowledged your presence beforehand. “Y/N, would you mind giving these children a little show with me?” He gestures for you to come closer.

“What show?” you ask suspiciously, taking slow steps in case he pulls out another flower out of nowhere.

“You don’t have to worry,” Lyney laughs. “Will you be my assistant for this show? You are very familiar with this trick.”

“Please, we want to see!”

You falter at the little kids’ excited grins, especially when paired with Lyney’s pout and round eyes. “Okay, tell me what to do.”

His eyes do the little gleam again. “Stand in front of me, mon lapin.”

Your heart is skipping beat after beat, making itself known as you shuffle until Lyney is directly behind you.

“Relax, chérie, you just need to stand still.” It’s a little hard to relax when you feel his breath against the back of your neck, but you won’t give him the satisfaction of admitting that, so you keep your chin high and relax your shoulders. “Good.” 

He begins to speak louder to his awaiting audience. “I know it’s hard to keep your eyes off this beauty before me, but watch the hat for a surprise, alright?”

He flips it for his little audience, one hand resting on your waist and the other extended to hold his top hat. The proximity is almost suffocating. You watch with bated breath, and they complain about it being empty.

“Oh, is it?” Lyney hums, twirling the hat until it’s flipped upside down, presented right before you. “Perhaps I need my assistant’s help.” You snap out of your daze when you realize he’s talking to you. “Y/N, do me a favor and show them the flower inside.”

You reach inside the hat and, much to your surprise, feel a stem. You pull it out; the Rainbow Rose stares back at you, almost mocking you, saying he did pull out a flower out of nowhere. It's this trick again.

The kids gasp in awe and confusion—it’s all the same for Lyney, who snaps his fingers and creates magic like he was made to. Like magic was for him to summon with his hands.

“What? It was empty!”

“Where did that come from? I was watching Mister Magician’s hands the whole time!”

“Are you a magician, too?”

“No,” you say lamely, holding the rose, feeling Lyney still patiently standing behind you. Heat crawls up your neck. “No, I’m not. It’s all Lyney.”

“It’s all me,” Lyney echoes in amusement. “You’re quite magical yourself.” Finally, he spares you, pulling away to stand beside your figure. He doesn’t take the rose back—maybe even give it to one of the children. He knows exactly what he’s doing. “That’s enough for today. The sun is setting, and your parents might get worried.”

They pout and slump their shoulders, but Lyney has this older brother's sternness to him that has the children scurrying back home anyway.

You then realize having to stand in front of Lyney was unnecessary.

The flower is warm. Lyney’s eyes slip to yours.

“I didn’t even have to stand in front of you like that,” you complain, heart inclined to race off your body.

“Yes, but I feared that I would slip up again if I were to catch a glimpse of your face,” Lyney admits smoothly. His lips curl into a smirk when you stare wordlessly. “What? Don’t believe me? I had to improvise when I saw you watching from afar.”

“A great magician such as yourself? Making a mistake? I doubt it.”

“You already have such high expectations placed on me, chérie,” Lyney says, his smile easy, but his ears are a little red, poking out from his hair. “That’s no good. With no audience, I’m just plain ‘Lyney’ to you.”

“No trickery? No cards up your sleeves?” you play along.

Lyney doesn’t miss a beat. “No, though I do have a few more roses begging to be held by your hands.”

“They can keep begging.” Lyney grins wider when you glance down at his hands. “Do you give them off to everyone you meet?”

“Who do you take me for?” Lyney isn’t offended; he laughs, delighted. He is preening under the sunset—or maybe it’s your attention. “Of course not. At least, not like this.”

You stare, unimpressed. “Sure.”

“So cold, chérie,” Lyney sighs, plucking the stem from your fingers to slot it behind your ear. It seems he likes doing that. “Here I am, trying to get you to warm up to me, and you treat me like this.”

“You don’t have to. I’ll be going back home soon anyway.”

Lyney’s expression shifts into something more unrecognizable, his eyes dipping down to somewhere below your nose. “Oh. Avoiding attachment?”

You nod.

He grins, and he’s still so close. He knows how to entrance his audience, pulling you in until you forget to resist. Always watch the hands; yet Lyney could be digging a dagger to your side at this moment, and you wouldn’t even notice.

“I’m flattered you even want to avoid me because you know you’d get attached,” he purrs, tilting his head. Is Lyney just big on personal space? 

“Don’t assume,” you retort. “I know how guys like you think. Even a magician as great as yourself can’t trick someone who’s already seen through it.”

“It would be easier if it were just a trick, wouldn’t it?” Lyney sighs, much to your confusion. “I take it that someone has told you what this flower means?”

You’ve nearly forgotten all about it. “Yes.” You find yourself unable to look directly into his eyes. “I know.”

But even with that, you can still feel his heavy gaze, pinning you down and threatening the strength of your knees. You suppose it comes with being a performer—watching his audience carefully, pinpointing each micro expression to say the right words.

“There doesn’t have to be any attachments.”

“What are you trying to say right now?”

Lyney’s reaches for your hip, sharing your gaze like he doesn’t know how to do anything else. “That you enamor me. That I am holding back from wanting you. I know you feel the same—you can never hide anything from a magician. But if you’re concerned,” he mumbles, “then this doesn’t have to mean anything. You may call it infatuation.”

You want to laugh. Or maybe you want to cry. Most of all, you want to nod helplessly, wrap your arms around his neck, and give in. It’s hard not to when he looks at you like that. “You want me that bad?”

“I almost want to disagree.”

“Almost?” Lyney gets closer, and you stop him with a palm on his chest. “We’re outside.”

Lyney grins. “Have you forgotten what Fontaine is also known for? No one would bat an eye. Love is in the air, and all that.”

“Absolutely not.”

“So still you’re letting me?”

You laugh this time. Letting him, as if you aren’t the one itching to pull him close and find out what he’s like behind the curtains. “Are you asking me as plain old ‘Lyney?’”

Lyney brightens, clearly pleased there wasn’t a ‘no’. “Yes.”

“No tricks?”

“No tricks. No strings.”

You let him lead you away into some dark alleyway. He kisses you like he was longing to do so all his life. You have only met him that fateful day, not even a week ago. But you claw at him like you get it—like he’s ruined you for anyone else the moment you shared gazes in the Opera House.

Romantic encounters, you quietly recall as Lyney swipes a thumb over your aching bottom lip.

You don’t see Lyney the day after that. And for some reason, it makes the itch worse. (Perhaps it’s because you’ve gotten a taste and can’t get enough.)

It’s mostly your fault, the sudden disappearance—you’ve cooped yourself up in the hotel room, buried your face in pillows, and screamed. You berate yourself for giving in, but another part of you—one that’s louder than any other thought in your head—wants to do it again. Wants to hold his handsome face in your hands and have him kiss you breathless. That was nothing like you had ever felt before.

You groan. It’s another new day. You might as well make some progress with your portfolio.

There’s a Café you’ve been visiting more often than not. Ordering a drink and spending a good chunk of your day sketching the view. Instead, you find yourself staring at Aether, Paimon, and Lynette seated at one of the tables.

Lynette’s eyes flick up to yours as she sips tea. She murmurs something to the other two, and you watch with amusement as Aether and Paimon’s heads snap to face you.

You let your gaze wander, eventually landing on Lyney, who is reciting his order with his charming-act-on smile, who is present because of course he is. You want to turn and run away, but that’d be letting Lyney win, and you’re nothing if not stubborn and prideful.

“Y/N!” Paimon greets once you’re within earshot, kicking her feet happily. “Good morning! What are you doing here?”

“Breakfast,” you reply, waving at them. Aether pulls a chair from the other table and gestures for you to sit. “Did I interrupt something?”

“Nope!” Paimon swipes a fork from the table and digs in on the Ile Flottante, leaving nothing for Aether. “Lynette and Lyney told us about another show they’re holding to make up for the previous one.”

“Mouth full,” Aether reminds her, a little too late as the Ile Flottante spews from her mouth.

“Really now? Maybe I can pay properly for a ticket this time,” you laugh, nodding at Lynette. She smiles faintly, hiding it behind the rim of her cup. Lynette sure is the polar opposite of her twin brother.

A shadow looms from behind, the silhouette of a figure with an unmistakable top hat. You tilt your chin and see Lyney peering down at you with a sweet smile. You will yourself to keep your gaze focused on his eyes only and nowhere else below the nose.

Speak of the devil…

“Sweetheart,” Lyney says instead of exchanging pleasantries like a normal person.

“Lyney,” you reply in kind. Then you look away upon realizing that Aether, Paimon, and Lynette had been silently watching the exchange with muted, stunned expressions.

Lyney, holding a tray of drinks and food in both hands, scoots the chair next to yours with his ankle. “I wasn’t informed that Y/N would be joining us,” he says, setting the drinks and plates down like a waiter with a flourish. “You can drink mine. Let me order another.”

You hold onto his wrist as he makes his way back. He turns to you, surprised. “Let me at least pay for my own breakfast.”

Lyney grins, delicately withdrawing from your grip. He places a loud kiss on your hand. “Don’t worry about it.” And then leaves, because he can’t take no for an answer.

“Is it just me,” Paimon starts as you resign yourself to finishing Lyney’s drink (It’s your favorite, the one you always order), “or is Lyney acting weird around Y/N?”

Aether laughs. “There's definitely something going on. Don’t end up staying too long in Fontaine, now. What was it you told us? ‘A day or two’.”

You huff, your face turning unbearably warm. “Shut up, you two. I am here to do research, not to find a summer fling.” You’ve already failed, but they don’t need to know about that.

If you were to touch your lips with your fingers, you’d think of no one else but Lyney’s hands on your hips and his mouth swallowing your words.

Lynette clears her throat, a quiet but noticeable thing. “Don’t be fooled by my brother, Y/N.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I’m still keeping my safe distance.”

She shakes her head. “That’s not what I mean. Don’t be fooled by my brother.” She stares at you from the rim of her cup—something about that has you listening obediently. “No matter what he tells you, he always cares too much. No matter what you may think, he always gets hurt first.”

“That’s not…” You can’t imagine that. From the start, it’s always felt like he was the one who could do what he wanted.

No tricks.

Lynette is his twin, after all. She knows him best.

No strings.

Defeated, you sip on the straw with the same fervor of an aggravated hilichurl, and that’s the end of that.

Conversations during breakfast are much lighter when Lyney returns with a full meal as his treat. Celebration, he says. Celebration for what? Who knows? Lyney winked, but his glance directed to you said enough.

“You say that you don’t want to get attached, but you’re awfully close to the Traveler, of all people,” Lyney says offhandedly once the others have left for their own matters.

You lean against your seat, grinning. “Are you jealous?”

He doesn’t say anything, instead upturning his nose as if scrambling to regain control. You laugh, oddly endeared. Lyney turns his head away, trying to hide the smile that curls his lips upon hearing it.

“Hey,” Lyney says seriously, reaching for your hand. “Where have you been yesterday?”

“Why? Missed me?”

And because he’s Lyney, he takes his time kissing each of your knuckles. It’s more intimate than the whole ‘no strings’ arrangement you agreed on, but you suppose Lyney thinks that any physical attention is free reign. “What would you do if I said yes?”

“You’ll be fine,” you say slyly. “You’ll have to get used to it if you want to risk your heart just to get laid.”

He rolls his eyes, tugging you closer. “I’m not risking anything to get laid. Do you think so lowly of yourself, chérie?”

“Isn’t this all there is to it? Physical attraction,” you ask, genuinely confused.

Lyney blinks. “Of course, but—” His eyes flicker down, and his words trail off.

When you speak, you feel your breath bounce back from his skin—a testament to your proximity. “Lyney,” you whisper. For what? Urging him to continue? Urging him to close this distance? You’re not sure, either.

You have so much to ask. What do you mean? Why can’t you finish your sentence? Why don’t you just kiss me already? But it’s hard to speak; Lyney’s name is all you can think of. 

You whisper his name again. His grip on your hands tightens and loosens, a frustrated frown creeping up his brows.

Your hand shoots out to reach for the back of his head and give in. He flinches for a second before relaxing completely.

His lips almost taste sweeter than his words. Almost as sweet as how he finds purchase on your waist and holds your chin during every kiss.

You pull away to breathe, missing how he leans closer to chase after you and pouting when he can’t. “Yeah. That—That didn’t have to mean anything. I just wanted to know what it felt like again.”

“Yeah.” Lyney licks his lips, his gaze unable to tear away from where yours are swollen. “Yeah, I know. You taste like my drink.”

Really, no one’s surprised you gravitate towards each other again, feeling like you’re soaring and melting into a puddle at the same time. Lyney doesn’t touch you where you both know would cross the line, but he grips near possessively to what he can, as if breathing you in and worshipping your skin.

You know after this, he’d go back on stage, fooling his audience with what’s invisible to the average eye, as if this never happened. You know this because this is your deal: satiate the feverish attraction you have with each other and leave once you’re satisfied. (But you also know that you’ll be thinking of his touch and his lips while you stare at the vase beside your bed.)

Lyney is a magician, first and foremost.

He hooks you in, and keeps all your attention to himself like he’d die without it. Then he disappears with a snap of a finger. He’s finished his trick, leaving you befuddled in your seat with more questions than answers.

As you drift off to sleep, all you can think of is that there are two roses now.

“Brother.”

Lyney looks up from where he’d been entertaining Rosseland, seeing Lynette with a stern face. “What? What happened?”

Her tail flicks. “You said you weren’t going to get attached.”

Lyney exhales softly, his eyes slipping shut. “I’m not.”

Lynette finds herself smiling softly. “I may just be your assistant, but you can’t lie to your own twin.”

He buries his face in his hands. With his sight gone, images of your face while whispering his name flash in his mind. His eyes fly open, mortified, his whole face red. “I don’t know how it happened. I didn’t think it’d be deeper than that.”

He was the magician in this, but it felt as if you were the one who tricked him instead.

It’s been two weeks since you first arrived in Fontaine. By this point, you’ve grown more familiar with its views than your own city. Having Aether, Paimon, Lynette, and even Freminet around doesn't make it any easier for you to feel at home.

And then there’s the Lyney Situation. You meet up most nights, more than that when he’s free from shows. He keeps seeking you out, and you keep letting him in. There was one night where Lyney spent the night instead of heading straight to the door—and those nights turned into two, then three, and then he finds any excuse to keep doing it.

It’s not like you could stop. He told you look for me if you want more, and you always want more, because how could you not? Lyney treats you like he’s never had to take care of anything more precious but still manages to render you breathless like you’ve never experienced thrill the way he gives it to you before.

But you still have to go back home. And Lyney still has his own life, has his secrets. He feels untouchable even when your arms are wrapped around his neck.

No strings attached can still work for summer flings, doesn’t it? And what are summer flings, if not just that?

Lyney hovers above with his hands caging your face. He’s grinning so wide—and you’ve seen all kinds of smiles on him with your time spent together, but it was never this genuine.

“You’re bad for me.” He says it like a confession, a prayer.

You raise an eyebrow. “What did I do to you?”

His hand trails down until he’s rubbing shapes on your hips. “Make me feel like I’m myself whenever I’m with you.”

At your silence, Lyney clears his throat. “But it’s not like that, don’t worry. I just mean—”

And how does that even make sense? He pours his heart, then later reveals it’s nothing but a decoy to keep this facade realistic.

“Oh,” you say.

That was the final act you’d been waiting for. The final trick—the farewell show.

And so you pack your bags—shoved your sketchbook back inside, face forward, and promise not to look back. Leaving Sumeru hasn’t even been this hard.

Aether and Paimon shouldn’t be surprised if they find you missing; they’d been the first to know that your stay in Fontaine isn’t meant to last forever. And you’ve warned Lyney about this. Avoiding attachments? It felt more like running away from your problem.

Lyney is a busy man on his own; you’re nothing but some architect from a different region who happened to get caught up with him at the right time.

You sigh and call for the aquabus.

A hand clasps around your wrist, pulling you to collide against a familiar chest. Lyney’s eyes are wide, almost insane. Sweat clings to his forehead, and his breath comes in frantic pants.

“W-What—”

Lyney’s eyes search your face. Or maybe it’s him trying to convince himself that you’re right there, in front of him. “You didn’t even tell me.”

“I—I’m sorry—”

“Were you just going to leave like that? Don’t you think I at least deserve a farewell?”

“Lyney, I’m sorry. I know, that was stupid.” You haven’t seen him with an expression like this before—so raw and broken, begging to be glued together with your hands. “I didn’t want to formally say goodbye because I knew I'd want to stay.”

“That’s stupid,” he repeats in agreement.

You breathe shakily, eyes scanning the stunned crowd. What’s The Great Magician Lyney doing here? Holding some stranger in his arms? That must be what they’re thinking.

“How did you even know I was leaving?”

Lyney’s eyes cut down to his hand, gripping a crushed rose. “I was paying a visit to an empty room.” Embarrassed, he tries to toss it away, but you take it before he can.

You wordlessly place it in its home: the spot behind your ears. You don’t tell him that the two other roses he gave you serve as bookmarks in the sketchbook you’ve used all up in Fontaine. Where you’ve drawn his face more often than not.

Lyney groans in frustration, his hands curling around your waist. “Is staying so bad?”

“It’s not like I’m leaving forever.”

And then you notice Lyney’s hands. They’re shaking uncontrollably, not unlike how it did during that incident—and with it came the frantic exhales, as if natural human breathing alone is already hard enough for him.

“Oh, Lyney,” you say softly. You drop your bags and embrace him fully.

He doesn’t hesitate in pulling you closer, burying his face on your neck. “Don’t—don’t,” he gasps, “don’t just try to leave like that.”

It’s hard seeing Lyney like this. He’s usually so composed and easy-going. He gulps in a deep breath, and his voice cracks as he calls for you. This must be something out of his control—something deeper than the back of his stage.

“Y/N,” he whispers.

“Lyney,” you call back as gently.

He swallows your surprised noise with his mouth, moving against you like you’re his last meal on Teyvat. He’s still shaking, but it has subsided the longer you stay pressed against each other. You’re not sure if it’s his Pyro vision or if it’s your skin burning at the thought of Lyney’s skin against yours. It’s searing.

This is different from the last kisses you shared.

Passion, you think dizzily, breathless from his hunger. This is passion.

“What was that for?” you ask, embarrassingly winded.

Lyney brushes his thumb over your bottom lip. He looks sad. As though he only comes alive when you’re with him. “A kiss to make up for your absence in the following weeks.”

“I can always come back,” you say. “No, I will come back. I promise. I just need to get home for a bit.”

“Okay.” Lyney nods, exhaling heavily. “Yeah. I know, I understand. Once you come back, come straight to me, alright?”

“Of course.” You lean in to kiss his cheek. You’ve never done it before because it always came off too intimate. And judging by the blush that explodes on his face, he thinks the same.

It all doesn’t matter. The line has been crossed days ago; you’ve just been turning away from seeing it.

He kisses you again. Then again. “Have a safe trip,” he says in between kisses. “I almost wish you commissioned me to escort you, regardless of the price.”

“What, you want 500,00?” The aquabus has arrived; Lyney grips you a little tighter, childishly willing himself not to see it.

“500,000 kisses, and more.” Lyney rests his forehead against yours, his captivating eyes keeping you still, the way it always does. “But you can give me that when you come back.”

( Before they were taken away from the stage for an investigation, Lynette comes up to her brother and asks, “What happened back there, Lyney? I thought you were about to twist your own fingers.”

He is unsure how to tell his sister that he saw your awed expression and nearly lost his wits.

“It was nothing,” Lyney admits, his face growing hot at recalling his slip-up. 

It wasn’t out of embarrassment, no—not when the memory of your wide-eyed beaming expression and how his mind blanked along with the skip of his heart plagued his mind.

“It was nothing,” he repeats numbly. It’s not. It was the start of something. )

a/n ok just a quick rant this fic BROKE ME. it was like every other day i hated then loved writing this fic. im not used to writing fics this long so pacing is not my forte </3 but i just feel proud of myself for finishing this so HOPE U LIKED IT. if ure still reading until here ily ❤️

more a/n two lyney fics and two kissing scenes. i can’t even lie to myself. everyone can tell.

more more a/n it was halfway through writing this fic that i rewatched the magic show and only noticed lyneys hands were shaking and i GOT SO SAD OMF 😭😭😭😭

[twig-tea]

It is such a wild time to be watching QL, there is SO MUCH every day. And a lot of it is really good?!

Today I watched EIGHT different shows, and of them, I was really happy with the episode for all but one. Here are a few words about the ones I had a good time with today:

Addicted Heroin Thailand crossed the first hurdle of adaptation by including the kidnapping scene. Looks like they're continuing to stay true to the source. I appreciated that this scene in particular retained the emotional core while toning down the SA threat (though Hero's desire is still very much present). This is a solid adaptation so far!

Reverse 4 U is using the powers so well, and I am loving the sister relationship, especially how they tease one another around their powers. It's also building to the relationship turn between Four and Wa in a believable way, which I'm really enjoying.

Peaceful Property is delightful and as @lurkingshan already articulated so well, I love what is being set up re: inequality. Plus this show is just so funny! it's balancing these two threads really well and doing a good job maintaining the haunting-of-the-week energy so far.

Love is like a poison had an incredible first episode, I love the effects and cutaways in this show, and the way it is making fun of its protagonist is so much fun. Ryoma is a dork with main character syndrome and I am obsessed with him. Curious how they're going to turn around this setup into a romance!

I Saw You In My Dream was a baller episode, @my-rose-tinted-glasses wrote about how great it is to see a conversation like this between friends as well as between lovers; all of the conversations in this episode were good (between both couples, between the besties, and between the parents). I really appreciate how, as many folks have said, everyone in a relationship in this episode wants to have sex, and the barriers to having sex are real and discussed openly. Big fan of everything in this ep. We've really departed from the dreams, which I think we need to get back to, but this ep was worth the deviation.

The On1y One continues to be incredible; Thank you in particular to Faiza (@usertoxicyaoi) who has been giffing like mad to capture every important conversation in this episode which was so many of them. The one about moving to the dorms together made me misty fr. I love when youths who did not get a chance to have a childhood get to blow bubbles.

Unlock Your Love also started today, I really enjoyed the very pulpy and trope-filled previous show this team put together (Lucky My Love) so I've been excited for this. We have a workplace GL filled with canon bisexuals, a grumpy/sunshine dynamic with a history from college, and a playgirl. I'm so seated.

I don't usually do a roundup post like this but it just hit me how much good television I got to watch today, and how rare it is that I have this good a time with almost everything I'm watching, and I needed to capture the moment.

Tomorrow, all 6 episodes of A Time of Fever drop on iQIYI, as well as How to Make a Million Before Grandma Dies on Netflix, and that's in addition to the episodes of The Onl1y one, The Two of Us, Monster Next Door, Twilight Out of Focus, and probably Seoul Blues that will be dropping too.

I'm really having trouble keeping up with everything airing, everything I want to write about it, and everything being said about the shows on tumblr. It's the best possible problem to have!

[iminseriousdebt]

GENLOSS RAMBLE

Heyo! This is a little ramble I needed to make before the founders cut comes out!  yipee!

(GENERATION LOSS SPOILERS)

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So we can see in the above images the methods Showfall Media is using to control gl!Sneeg gl!Charlie and gl!Ranboo, they use an already pre-existing technology called an Electroencephalogram (EEG). Now this technology has been in use for decades, and essentially how it works is that it uses electrodes placed onto your scalp combined with a conductive gel to measure the electrical activity in your brain, these electrical signals are usually referred to as “brain waves” and these brainwaves can be subdivided into four categories, Gamma (greater than 30 Hz), Beta (13-30 Hz), Alpha (8-12 Hz), Theta (3.5-7.5 Hz), and Delta (0.1-3.5 Hz)

These different brainwaves are generally assosiated with different emotions, awareness levels, brain activities, etc. Now if Showfall Media has installed these onto sneeg, charlie, and ranboo, that means they have access to their thoughts and feelings, but brainscanning isn’t an absolute precise device, it still takes a lot of human effort and time to properly interpret the brainwaves. If Showfall somehow had a tool to easily interpret the signals they could much more easily operate, say, a live show. Lucky for them there is already a real life solution to this problem, kinda.

Its called Brain Generative Pre-Training Transformer, or BrainGPT for short.  What its goal is, is to act as an assist tool for human neurologists to use in real neuroscience cases and case studies, what it does is it uses a Large Language Model (LLM) full of pre-existing human research papers and other neuroscience knowledge too vast for human comprehension. And whenever a neurologist hands BrainGPT a prompt, (such as anomalous finding or to asses the fields understanding of a certain topic) , “would generate likely data patterns reflecting its current synthesis of the scientific literature”  (braingpt.org)

Now in regards to Generation Loss, what this means is that Showfall Media potentially has acces to this sort of technology, and would be able to use it in the production of their shows, now BrainGPT has a good way to go before its widely avalable. But in the genloss au, it can be far into development at this point, and be available for companies to use in whatever way they see fit.

Now reading and decoding brain signals is one thing, but to mind control someone is far beyond what is capable today, but Showfall Media has somehow developed technology to do so, the way I’m guessing they did it is that they produced certain brainwaves from the electrodes on the actors heads to give them the emotional reactions they needed for the show. I can’t exactly get into the technical stuff cause I’m not a neurologist, but its just a hunch on how I think they did it.

As for the mind controlling devices themselves, I feel there’s a more subtextual reason as to why those objects in particular are chosen as the devices that are central to the show’s operation. Ranboo’s mask has been a heavy emphasis throughout Gen 1 TSE,

Its been a central figure in not only generation loss’ marketing, but also ranboo’s marketing, because when you think of ranboo one of the first things that pops up is the mask, atleast in the wider public’s eye.

But these general associations not only exist with Ranboo, with Slimcicle you usually think of the wide brim glasses, with Sneeg its his backwards cap, and this is with the other cast members too when their introduced on the spinning carousel in episode 2. Furthermore, with Niki it’s that’s she's just so nice, with Austin its that he’s just a gay guy,  and with Vinny and Ethan these associations don’t really exist. So, with Vinny he's just the “hoarder”, and Ethan isn't even introduced. And then there's Jerma, who is relinquished to a goofy character with a weird voice and a strange sense of humour which sort of fits his public image.

But what I wanna mention with Ranboo’s mask specifically is that with the three images shown on the genloss twitter of the control devices, sneeg’s is just a hat, like theres nothing special about it, just a hat with electrodes on it, when you take it off he’s completely in control of himself. But, with charlie’s it’s a good bit harder to just take it off. His glasses are drilled into his skull connected to electrodes which are also implanted in his skull, with an additional feature of a speaker in his jaw. But if you remove the glasses, there would be a lot of bleeding and his vision would be impaired, but he would still be a free man.

But with Ranboo, poor, poor, Ranboo… Like Charlie, they have electrodes implanted on to their brain connected to a switch on the back of their skull (which also may or may not also be connected to their spine, idk its hard to tell). These sprout wires that thread through the mask and lead into their throat, and the mask piece itself is sewn shut onto their SKIN.

Now this makes me wonder, why is Ranboo so heavily guarded when the other are (relatively) easy to set free? Is it because Ranboo is an integral part of the show and therefore high risk? Is it because Showfall needed extra resources for the chat to be able to control them?... Or is it because Ranboo tried to escape so many times before that they were forced to disfigure them to such an extreme degree, and yet somehow, SOMEHOW, they are able to resist, whether it be tapping SOS on their hand when they're on full control mode or shanking a Showfall employee with a dagger, Ranboo, Resists. But Showfall will never let them leave. Or they will? Idk founders cut hasn’t come out yet as of writing this, anyway ramble over. You can leave now.

[donovanlizzie]

IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR - RON SPEIRS

In the bitter cold of Bastogne, where the biting wind seemed to cut through the thin army issued uniforms, Easy Company huddled in foxholes, seeking refuge from the relentless onslaught of winter. She sat among them, bundled up in layers of gear alongside her comrades.

One particularly freezing night found herself , Don Malarkey, Christenson, and Perconte squeezed into a foxhole, desperately trying to stave off the bone-chilling cold.

Huddled close for warmth, they spoke in hushed voices about their experiences and, inevitably, about Lieutenant Ronald Speirs.

The stories surrounding him were like whispers in the frigid air – mysterious and ominous. The tale of him allegedly shooting his one of his own men for being drunk on duty sent shivers down the spines of the soldiers of Easy.

"Don't know why anyone would willingly chat with him," Perconte murmured, eyeing Speirs from a distance.

"He's got that look, you know? The one that makes you question if you'll make it through the night," Christenson added, his breath forming frosty clouds in the air.

However, She couldn't help but be intrigued. As the conversation continued, she found herself defending Speirs, "Maybe he's not as bad as the rumours make him out to be. There's something about him that's... different."

Her words were met with incredulous stares from the three men around her , but she held her ground. Little did they know, She had sensed a depth to Speirs that went beyond the hardened exterior. It was this curiosity that would set in motion a night that would challenge perceptions.

Suddenly the infamous Lieutenant appeared as if out of thin air, scaring the life out of Perconte, who almost choked on his tooth brush. All four looked up at the man gawking in silence.

Speirs, surprisingly, broke the silence. "Need a smoke?"

The others watched in frozen fear as Speirs leant down , but She met his gaze and flashed a daring smile. "Sure thing, Lieutenant."

He offered cigarettes to the frozen soldiers, and she was the only one brave enough to accept. As she lit the cigarette, she couldn't help but notice the slight quirk of Speirs' lips, an almost imperceptible acknowledgment.

Unbeknownst to her , Speir's had been watching her from his spot for a while, with an intensity that bordered on the edge of obsession. The slow setting of the sun provided a dim backdrop, casting a soft glow on her features as she engaged in conversation with the men around her. There was a magnetic quality to her presence, an enigmatic allure that drew his attention like a moth to a flame

That night, she found herself sharing a foxhole with Lieutenant Speirs.

She nestled against him, seeking warmth in the small space, he spoke in a low, measured tone,.

"You know, I didn't shoot that man in my platoon."

She turned her gaze up to meet his, her expression unwavering. "I never thought you did" she replied, pausing for a moment before continuing with a smirk on her face. "But maybe don't tell Perconte that; it's nice to see him panic every time he sees you."

A rare chuckle escaped Speirs, the sound cutting through the freezing night. "You enjoy watching him squirm, don't you?"

She grinned, her eyes dancing with mischief. "Just a bit. Keeps things interesting around here."

With the cold momentarily forgotten in the warmth they shared. Their eyes locked, the unspoken understanding between them deepening. The tension between them reached a palpable peak, and for a moment, it seemed as if the frigid air might witness an exchange far warmer.

Just as their faces drew dangerously close, the almost-kiss was shattered by the unexpected appearance of Eugene "Doc" Roe. His silhouette appeared against the backdrop of the moonlit night, and his voice cut through the charged atmosphere.

"Just checking if you have any scissors or morphine?" Roe's inquiry pierced the air, his presence jarring against the intimate backdrop.

They pulled away, the near-kiss replaced by a shared glance of surprise. Roe, seemingly oblivious to the moment he had interrupted, stood there with an innocent expression, before sliding down into the foxhole with them.

Speirs raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"Scissors or morphine, Doc? Is that all you ever think about?" She asked she reluctantly pulled herself away from her human radiator and fished through her pack for the last of her medical gear, handing it to Roe quickly so she could return to Speir's side.

Roe chuckled, seemingly unfazed. "Thank you - In this place, it's all anyone thinks about. You never know when you might need one or the other."

As Roe pocketed the medical supplies and zipped away to the next foxhole to ask the same question, she couldn't help but smirk at the comedic timing of the interruption.

Speirs, too, shook his head with a small, rueful smile. The fleeting at the moment of intimacy that had been disrupted.

After the near-kiss and the disruption by Roe, she decided it was time to try and get some rest, Speirs watched her curl up, pulling the shared blanket up to her chin.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction, a silent triumph that offering her that cigarette, would lead to something even he deemed impossible.

MASTERLIST

Band of Brothers MASTERLIST

[the--rebel--fae]

Hey Fae! Do you know about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? If not, basically they are biblical concept for rooted evil in humanity and first four of seven seals for the “end of the evil world” or whatever (conquest, war, famine, and death).

Anyways, to my request! I wanted to ask to see if you’d write a paring of a FourHorseman!reader with Vox from Hazbin Hotel (and any other characters from that show if you’d like to lol)

Thank you and Gl with ur other requests!

A/N This is probably gonna happen each time I post a request since I feel horrible for making all of y'all wait. So! Big sorrys for taking so long with this but tysm for your patience! Now! On to the main a/n: Oh my friend, you have triggered an idea that is genius! Ooh this reminds me of that one episode from Charmed.--if you know which one, you totally rock. I had so much fun with this! I hope you like it too! 😊

Pairing: Vox x Strife! Four Horsemen! Reader

TW: Just swears, but that's about it.

Word Count: 814

His Little Chaos Bringer

The brick wall felt like a cool and relaxing solace as you leaned against it. Your pencil scratching furiously away in your notebook. Today had a been quite the productive day.

Though, you could have done without Blitzø's hissy fit for nearly missing the portal entry back to hell. He was complaining how you nearly cost him big time as he took you back into your main domain of the pride ring.

“You're lucky you're so damn powerful and make our jobs easier, you twerp.” He grumbled at you as he practically shoved you out of the I.M.P. van.

An amused chuckle made it passed your lips as you closed your notebook with a satisfying snap. You couldn't help that you were on a roll today with causing so many humans strife. You were the epitome of it after all being one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Your other three siblings were Lucifer knows where and you didn't really give a damn as long as they were keeping their stats up and making sure the plan stayed on track.

Your notebook was already bursting with your successes, an impressive list of names and ways you affect them filled its yellow time worn pages. And that was only today.

Looking around at stretch of land that was the V's part of Pentagram City you let out a tired sigh. You loved what you did, you really do. But after a long day of causing misery, all you wanted to do was collapse in a comfy chair and just relax as you listened to your boyfriend boast about his day.

The brief silence that filled the air in the little alleyway you were taking a break in was quickly broken by the sound of your ringtone: The Flight of the Valkyries–little on the nose but you were always a fan of the classics.

You glanced at the caller ID and grinned. “Well, ask and ye shall receive I guess.” Clicking answer, you couldn't keep the smile out of your voice. “It's like you just knew I needed to talk to you. Should I add telepathy to the list of your talents?”

A deep chuckle. “Well hello to you too Doll. Rough day I take it?”

You leaned your head back against the wall and felt the satisfying thump of cool brick against the back of your head. “Not hard, just very long. Apparently causing misery for a living can drain someone a lot.”

“Why don't you come back home to the tower and I'll see what I can do to help get some pep back in your step hmm?”

A smirk played at your lips. You definitely didn't miss the innuendo in that sentence. “Sounds perfect actually. I'll be there in five.”

A pleased hum could be heard on the other line. “Looking forward to it Doll. See you soon.”

“See you soon, Vox.” The call ended seconds after.

Pushing forward you felt your muscles stretch out in relief. A spark of excitement and contentment ran through you. Sometimes it paid to be the romantic partner of one of the strongest overlords and a tech genius like Vox. No matter how busy the two of you were, you were always able to make time for each other at the end of the day.

***

As the elevator door to Vox's penthouse suit swished open, a tired smile was brought to your lips at the sight before you. In front of the blue satin couch, on the table laid a beautiful–and frankly absolutely mouth watering dinner with two champagne flutes filled with wine.

“I take it you like the surprise?”

You let out a pleased hum and walk forward. "What do you think?" Wrapping your arms around Vox's neck, you lightly bumped your forehead against the top of his screen. An amused giggle passed your lips as you watch Vox's screen take on a light rosy hue around where his cheeks are supposed to be.

"Well, I'm glad you like it, my little chaos bringer." Vox gave you a soft peck on the lips. His kisses always left you with a tingling feeling--probably thanks to the fact that he is a literal tv, but you couldn't help but want more. Maybe at a later time, the night was still young after all.

"You know exactly how to make a gal feel special don't ya?"

Vox pulled away from your grasp and gave a wink. "Doll, you're special no matter what."

You couldn't help the snort that passed your lips. "Wow, cheesy much?"

Vox just waved you off. "What? I was just trying to be romantic!"

A fond smile pulls at your lips. You were probably one of the most powerful beings in Hell seeing who you were, but if this was the life you got to come back to everyday? It's all worth it.

A/N that was so much fun to write. I truly enjoyed this request! Feel free to request again! I hope you enjoyed it!

And if you guys want even more stories--like maybe your own personalized several-page long one-shots or even a multi-chap fic take a look at my Etsy Shop! I do commissions! I even have listings for Hazbin Hotel!

[r0-boat]

May i request some headcannons about larry having some lustful thoughts? Like your a new [young woman] waitress at the treasure eatery and he didn't seem to care. But, these thoughts never leaves his mind. Which affects his work, then realizes his lust for you. Then the deed has been done between them both.

Hopefully this makes sense.

Hhhh this ask has been fucking up my brain chemistry thank you.

Cw: age gap(older man/younger woman)

Nsfw

Fem!reader

Larry pining after the Treasure Eatery waitress.

( sadly no banging just unresolved sexual tension ;) )

Larry knows every single worker at the treasure eatery. Has he sits down in his usual spot, his eyes gaze over at an unfamiliar face. A younger woman, by the looks of it, that eager to please smile and a little notepad in her hand as she jotted down everything she needed to know; he couldn't help but crack a small smile giving out a light, breathy chuckle knowing that the soul-crushing career life has not buried its fangs down on her yet.

Has he waited for the other staff to see him wave and excitedly greet him by his name before saying, "The usual?" he couldn't help but watch the waitress make her rounds, jumbling over her words awkwardly as she gave the customers with their drinks or food. That was when her eyes met his for a split second, cheeks turning pink when she realized she was being watched. On the inside, the new waitress was panicking, hoping to make a good impression on the Elite Four member and gym leader, who is also a regular here. His eyes were on her as if he was testing her internally.

When the waitress returned to the kitchen, the manager excitedly( and to her horror) practically dragged her over to where Larry was sitting. "Larry! This is our new hire!" Shaking like a newborn deerling being in front of practically a celebrity, despite his ordinary appearance. The businessman, his onix trained on her while he took a sip of his water, gave her a nod.

Larry got a closer look at her when the manager brought her over, her shyness was admittedly cute, but he didn't want to scare her more than he already was all night, so all he gave was a nod.

You finally breathe a sigh of relief when the regular leaves the restaurant, the pressure of being your best and impressing the Elite Four member being lifted off your shoulders. A moment that your coworkers will probably tease you for till the end of time. Even though Larry long since left, you couldn't help but think about how piercing those onyx eyes were.

Larry felt like a creep, watching her all night like he did; he was unsure why she held his attention as long as she did. Maybe it was that sweet smile. Maybe it's because she was just entertaining to watch. Hearing her stumble over her words, are practically see the gears turning in her head as she tries to figure out how some of the appliances of work. Or maybe, it was when those eyes met his own so bright and lively, only for her to tear her gaze away from him. He couldn't help but think about the way she was practically falling apart in front of him as the manager introduced her. Did he really intimidate her so much? He wasn't sure whether he liked that idea or not.

Perhaps he should try getting her to feel more comfortable around him...

On your shift like clockwork, the day went on as normal, occasionally messing around with your manager and coworkers. When the day went slower until your heart picked up when you noticed Larry walking into the building, slowly but surely getting the hang of this job, you should be more comfortable, but now you have cold feet. And, of course, since your manager thought it was the funniest shit ever that Larry scared you so much, she had you take his order.

Larry's eyes almost light up when you walk over, his stone face watching an almost amusement as you fumble over your words, trying to remember his name, all your thoughts leaving you the moment you met those deep piercing eyes, trying not to stare at his lips touching the cold glass of his ice water, and how his adam's apple bobbed with each drink. "H-hi uh..." "Larry..." "W-what?" "It's Larry, you can say it. I don't bite." He inhales deeply at the way she sheepishly says his name.

your entire shift has been a blur, distracted by a current someone.

He didn't sleep that night. The moment he knew he was in a little too deep, is when he replayed your voice saying his name in his head, well thinking about that eager-to-please smile when he first saw you, those eyes looking up at him has his fingers Trail through your hair your hands on his thighs his pants unzipped "Larry..." he could feel his boxers getting tighter as he cursed under his breath.

Larry was officially a creep... the hell was he doing?? he was a middle-aged man while you looked like you were in your early to mid-20s. His eyes glazed over, no longer focusing on the screen in front of him, instead of his hand, his thumb rubbing over the place your fingers brushed against an accident when you sit down his usual meal on the table.

you seemed different from the last time he came in. You still had that shyness he always liked, but now it seemed you were more playful, good means he wasn't scaring the hell out of you. Tonight in particular, however, he noticed the changes in your appearance immediately. You could feel his eyes on you; once again, you wondered if he noticed your makeup. He did. In fact, your pretty pink lips were all he could stare at. He felt like he was going to go crazy when he walked by his table, getting with of what smelled like vanilla perfume... as much as he liked what he saw, the nagging feeling in his chest began to bubble up, 'Who are you prettying up for? A boy?' yes, a boy... he was your age once; he knew how they could be.

It's not like he was any different, as he was just thinking about smearing that lipstick on something that was bigger than the pen that was in your mouth. Usually, he avoided thinking these kinds of thoughts, but he was a couple of shots of alcohol in, and work had been stressful for the past few weeks.

He tried to ignore the fact that he would catch you stealing glances. As much as Larry wanted you, and by Arceus he did, he could feel his cock stiring as a scene plays in his mind, bending you over the bed, a hand on your pretty throat rubbing the head of his cock against your tight entrance.

He didn't wanna get his hopes up. Heh, as if a young spark like you would be interested in a boring old man like him.

[malin-moon]

We've been having a tough time in QL fandom as of late, so I thought I'd throw out another one of my random asks to perhaps lighten things up! If you could recast one of your favorite non-ql dramas and turn it into a QL with your favorite ql actors, which drama would it be and who would you cast as the main characters?

Oh fun!

Okay, so, I'm going to go with Charmed because who wouldn't want a Yuri version of Charmed? I'm going to give it to Thailand and GMM. Hear me out for a minute lol I just have an undying need to feature their amazing female talent that they tragically ignore. And it's my show now so HA!

Here we go!

Thank you @hallowpen for the Thai language help!

Ciize Rutricha as Prue Halliwell

Prue doesn't die in our Yuri version of Charmed OR if she does, it certainly won't be permanent or for very long, we've got magic for heaven's sake. She gets to meet Paige and be the older sister we know and love! Ciize sold me on her ability to play an older sibling with her emotional scene in 23.5. I loved Prue and Andy in the show, so they'll be the pair I put together in my GL world. Same death rules apply to Andy! No exceptions!

Milk Pansa as Piper Halliwell

Piper was always my favorite of the sisters. The middle child with so much responsibility on her shoulders. Milk would EAT. Piper and Leo were the staple couple of the show and they'll remain the same in this version💚 Be still my MuvMuv heart.

June Wanwimol as Phoebe Halliwell

June was the first actress I thought of for this. I think she'd be the perfect fit for Phoebe. Our first divergence from endgame show-canon relationships. I think almost everyone who saw Charmed was rooting for Phoebe and Cole. Well in Charmed Yuri, they end up together. Sorry, not sorry, Coop. After all, "You're not really one of us until you've dated a demon." 

Film Rachanun as Paige Matthews

Paige! Welcome to the power of FOUR! My show, my rules lol Film felt like a no brainer for this, as well. She can bring that unique dichotomy of innocent and badass that exists within the character. We're going to take some liberties with her pair in the show, too. We already have a witch-human love story with Prue. I'm going to give Paige a different relationship dynamic! Sorry Henry. It's nothing against you, I swear!

Kapook Ploynira as Andy Trudeau

I haven't really seen Kapook in anything, but I thought her and Ciize made a cute looking pair. I'm trusting GMM's call on this one. I have a soft spot for high school sweethearts and first loves. Andy and Prue were so good together and Andy won't die! They will get their happy ending if I have anything to say about it!

Love Pattranite as Leo Wyatt

Everyone's favorite whitelighter! The love of Piper's life. "I have to lose you to save you." Come on! They were relationship goals. They had ups and downs, but they never gave up on each other. Love as Leo? No question! MilkLove would knock this dynamic out of the park!

View Benyapa as Cole Turner

I think it'd be fun to see View take on a villain turned love interest. She and June have so much potential! I need more of it. In my world, Cole stays redeemed! None of this Source of All Evil business and doing terrible things to Phoebe. They are a demon-witch power couple on the side of good, kicking ass and loving each other the right way!

Namtan Tipnaree as Richard Montana

Ha ha! I bet you all forgot about Paige and Richard. I actually really liked where the show was going with them. There was a lot of untapped potential. Namtan would nail the psychology and emotion of a character resisting temptation while being in a relationship with someone who uses magic when she can't for fear of losing control. Succumbing to the temptation, finding a balance, stripping powers? There's so many ways this can go and have it be an important part of their relationship with Paige. This way we get a witch-witch love story, too.

Thank you Sammi! This was so much fun thinking about who I would cast and what I would change about the original story to have it fit my gl whims lol We'll probably NEVER get something like this, but it will live on in my imagination! LONG LIVE CHARMED YURI! new character names pending

[sathellio]

it's genloss ep 3 rewatch time! let's see if I cry this time

1. OH MY GOD I don't remember the last time I watched this episode and THE INTRO?? GOES SO HARD??? the glitches, the drone footage, the MUSIC??? ugh, perfection. literally took my breath away

2. hi gl!Ranboo, we are here, we want to help so badly (I feel so much despair at their ask for help)

3. I forgot how much the soundtrack in this ep adds to the ambience. it just feels so perfect for an abandoned mall where you don't know what to do, how to move forward

4. poor gl!Ranboo was just so scared. I think the only reason he trusts Hetch is because, well, what else can he do in this moment? he doesn't know where he is or presumably how he got there in the first place, so he clings to the first and only person to offer help, and that becomes his downfall

5. oh god, Hetch plants the idea that we, the audience, are not to be trusted. he says "they can't control you anymore." yes, it's true to some extent that we controlled him sometimes, but by saying "control" instead of "help" or some other, more positive connotating word, Hetch is making sure that Ranboo doesn't trust us, also making them trust Hetch more. it's an us vs them mindset. no wonder gl!Ranboo probably thought we killed him out of hate :(

6. oh, one of Ranboo's first thoughts being that he could have helped the others :(

7. "the police can handle this I can't handle this" ow ow ow :(

8. "that's security, you won't have to worry about it" yeah Charlie's the one that has to worry about it (I'm sorry)

9. oh Hetch said he reprogrammed the employees to think Ranboo is part of the show, but he really didn't because he Is still part of the show

10. "how long have I been here" :(

11. when Ranboo is searching the office for the usb he finds a little army dude just like the one found in Charlie in ep 2. do you think the employees donated all the things Charlie had or,,,

12. on the day 1 plan whiteboard there's magnet letters spelling out "newspeak." did we ever figure out what that's for?

13. "looks like they've upped security since, uh" since last time? :(

14. I saw someone say that in the heart of the facility the place where Ranboo enters the code looks like lungs, and that made me realize all the tubes and wires around that are like intestines and arteries respectively. even the colors make sense for that

15. remember how I said Hetch planted the idea that the audience is not to be trusted? yeah, that's why it didn't matter what code we picked. gl!Ranboo was too scared of us

16. who's blood is it at security when the door is opened? an employee?

17. oo the fire alarm adds so much (so silly it wasn't planned)

18. ugh the corridor running scene <3

19. Charlie saying he needs longer legs, silly

20. Hetch refers to himself as The Hetch, clue to his identity or him just being a weirdo?

21. gl!Ranboo murder arc rahhh

22. man the reveal of the cabin gets me every time

23. they already reset the cabin. they're ready for the next show

24. just Everything about it between the cabin reveal and the button press

25. no the music and the light and the birds and oh he almost made it :'(

26. AHHH THE BOW AND HETCH AND THE SLOW RISE WITH THE MASK ON THEN NOOOOOOOOO

27. god this is so painful :(

28. the subtle change in Ranboo's eyes when Hetch says the audience gets to pick oh god

29. the way Ranboo gets quieter as they weigh the options

30. I think the feeling of choosing death will live with me forever. the way the majority chose live at first because of course we want to save them. and then we heard what will happen, and we tried so hard to 50/50 it because we couldn't accept either option. the moment Ranboo begged for death it switched over. the long pause before Hetch announces the result when we know what was chosen lets our decision sink in. and then it's done. we were forced to speedrun the five stages of grief, or at least the first four

31. the way we can hear gl!Ranboo's last breath before the box closes? god

32. the way, when the lights go red and there's silence and all we can do is watch, it finally looks like a heart with all the veins and blood. roll credits and tears roll down my face

33. and then, of course, it's just another tape. nothing special. just an experiment

god I love generation loss so so much and I'm so so excited to see where it will go in the future. see y'all June 15th I guess

[eddiemunsonw]

Paint me red.

PART 2

part 1 - part 2 - part 3 - part 4

Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader

Summary: You're one of Vickie's best friends. Her girlfriend, Robin, is in need of a distraction for her best friend, Steve Harrington, who you vaguely remember from school. Which is where you come in.

CW / Disclaimer: A bunch of cute stuff, just a nice feel good fic about our dear boy Steve.

Author’s note: It was time to write about Steve Harrington, so here it is. Four parts, can find them both on here and on my ao3: eddiemunsons. Enjoy!

Words: (of current chapter) 3261 / (complete fic) 13059

Vickie stood on your doorstep a bit after dinner on Saturday, complimenting you on your outfit immediately. You honestly didn’t think the plain white tee and jeans combo was anything to write home about, but appreciated her kind words. Vickie herself had gone for a blue and purple patterned flower dress along with a baby pink turtleneck. She looked absolutely adorable and straight out of a fairytale.

“I like your boots, by the way. They look a bit like mine don’t you think?” Vickie mentioned as she drove off. While you tried to remember if she was right, you just nodded. Knowing Vickie, it was true.

“Yeah, I think they do. So… are you any good at mini golf?”

“A little. Used to do it a lot as a kid so I know my way around it but some obstacles are very tricky.” She glanced at you from the corner of her eye. “What about you, ready for today?”

“Uh… yeah? It’s just mini golf, right?”

“Mhm, mhm, yes,” Vickie quipped. “That and saying hi to Steve.”

“You make it sound like it’s such a big deal,” you remarked, giving her a raised brow. Vickie shrugged and took a moment to reply as she had to avoid a man on a bike who seemed to have no sense of direction.

“Asshole. Uhm, no it’s not a big deal, I guess. I just feel kind of weird for even asking it, you know? Just wanted to check in with you if you didn’t feel uncomfortable or anything. It’s kind of an odd request to make.”

“Don’t worry about it and anyway, wasn’t it Robin’s idea?”

Vickie nodded. She sighed to herself, her shoulders sagging from relief. It was obvious that she had been overthinking everything, which was something she tended to do a lot. You knew she just needed some extra reassurance sometimes.

“I’ll just say hi, shrug out some hole in ones and earn myself a lasting memory on his retina or something,” you smirked, even though it couldn’t be further from the truth. Apart from the saying hi part.

“Robin would kiss you if you did that. Platonically,” Vickie said, holding up a quick finger and you snorted.

“Right.”

The place was bustling with people. You were quick to notice Robin behind the counter near the mini golf course and you both made your way there. When you reached the counter, you realized you had subconsciously been looking for Steve who seemed to be nowhere in sight. Vickie greeted her with a hug as soon as the customers in front of you had gone.

“Hi,” Robin said to you, a reserved smile on her face.

“Hi!” you greeted her back, your eyes briefly falling on her fidgeting hands. While Robin and Vickie fall into easy conversation, you look around the place. You hadn’t been there before, though you’d always been curious what it would be like. The whole place seemed to be in a sort of purple-bluish hue. The barriers separating the course from the path were decorated in bright neon pink, yellow and green. The paths were a mix of blue and purple as well, muted but kind of sparkly. The seating was more of a lavender shade, at least in this light. Suddenly, your eyes fell on a similar shade of lavender T-shirt that disappeared into a pair of black jeans followed by white sneakers. Glancing upwards again, you spotted his name tag, which got closer and closer until he was close enough for you to be able to read his name off of it. You turned your head again to listen to Robin who was talking about a weird customer from that afternoon. While smiling politely to convey that you were listening, your glance drifted to the nearest couple playing mini golf. It wasn’t until you felt a little nudge against your upper arm that you lifted your head to look up at him, as the angle made it obvious it was Steve doing it. He looked down at you and gave you the subtlest wave with his hand.

“Hey, I’m—”

“Steve,” you finished for him, giving him an easy smile. “I’m—”

“Y/N,” Steve interrupted you with a soft smile. “Nice to see you again. It’s been a while.” For a moment, you could only stare up at him with a blank expression. The last thing you expected was for him to remember you. The most words you had ever exchanged was when he asked for a pen one day. How in the world did he remember you? You weren’t exactly known for your popularity, hair or the amount of women you had given a good time in your high school years.

“Uhm, yeah, sure has,” you said awkwardly, feeling your mouth subdue into a thin lipped smile. Steve combed his fingers through his hair once and nodded.

“Yeah. I should uh— get back to the— over there.” He was gone even quicker than he had arrived. You watched him walk back towards the course and quickly turned to the girls.

“Well that was…”

“Painful,” Robin finished Vickie’s words, a dead panned expression on her face. You scrunched up your nose and sighed.

“What else did you expect?” you asked. Robin shrugged, though a tiny smile was tugging at her lips as she glanced over at Steve. You followed her gaze curiously, only to find Steve staring at you and quickly averting his eyes as he stumbled over an obstacle in the course.

“Nothing. Although, on the other hand, exactly that,” Robin said as she gestured towards Steve dismissively. “He’s got a weak spot for sex on legs.”

“I am anything but sex on legs,” you retorted with a frown.

“You have boobies. That’s all he needs,” Robin sighed. “Don’t tell him I said that.”

“Your secret’s safe with me,” you shrugged. Vickie giggled and nudged Robin’s arm and pointed at the wall behind her.

“Could you give us your finest putters? I want to impress someone.”

Robin smiled and shook her head.

“You picked the wrong girl if you think you can impress me with sports, Vic,” she remarked dryly although her expression was quite fond when she handed her a putter and a ball before handing you a putter as well.

“Who says it was about sports?” Vickie teased, leaving her with a wink. “Just have to make sure I look my best.”

“Oh— r-right,” Robin stammered, a flush creeping on her cheeks at the winking. “Have fun!” Vickie blew her a kiss and then hooked her arm through yours to guide you to the first hole. The first five were manageable. You got them in two or three tries at the most. The sixth was already trickier, but it started to feel impossible around number ten, where you basically had to make the ball fly into a net for it to land in the hole. Even after all ten tries, neither you or Vickie had managed to get it in, so you just went to the next. A few obstacles later Robin came over to see how you were doing (and to flirt with her girlfriend), which was the perfect opportunity for you to take a quick bathroom break.

“Where’s the bathroom?” you asked them, already looking around.

“Oh, it’s a bit of a maze here, but Steve’s going as well so if you just follow him, you’ll find it,” Robin said as she pointed her finger towards a retreating lavender shirt. You nodded, handed your putter to Vickie and quickly paced your steps to catch up. The DGMG was bigger than you expected it to be from the outside. You passed an arcade, a bowling hall and a paintball arena by the time Steve finally opened a door to the— What? 

Light nearly blinded you after walking in the dark hallway and you watched the door close before you reached it, as you had kept some distance between the two of you to not seem weird. However, when you followed him, you realized the blinding light hadn’t just been a couple of intense tl lights but in fact, the sun going down in the distance. Steve was fiddling to wiggle something out of his inner pocket and didn’t hear the door open and close again. Feeling a little stupid, you couldn’t help but state the obvious.

“This is not the bathroom.”

“Jesus Christ!”

Startled, Steve turned around to face you, the cigarette he had just stuck between his lips threatening to fall. His quick reflexes prevented that. Once your eyes had adjusted to the bright light coming from the low sun, you realized you were in the private parking lot for the employees, from the looks of it. Steve rested against a low wall that followed the length of the building behind you apart from a gap where employees could walk through to get to their cars.

“Sorry— Robin said I’d find the bathroom if I followed you because… you were going to the bathroom?” you said awkwardly. Steve pressed his lips together, looking caught.

“Which… you weren’t. Okay. Uh, I’ll just walk back to where I came from,” you added awkwardly when he didn’t say a word. 

“Do you want one?” he asked, holding his pack out to you. You shook your head with a polite smile. The last time you tried smoking had been at a party a couple years ago and you weren’t about to start a whole coughing fit in front of him.

“I’m good, thank you.”

Steve nodded and lit his own cigarette, making sure he didn’t blow the smoke in your face as he exhaled. You crossed your arms as you let your eyes adjust to the light while you watched him.

“Rob doesn’t know I still smoke. I told her I’d quit. So I uh… didn’t tell her when I didn’t. Can we…?” he pleaded, not even finishing the sentence.

“It’s our little secret,” you offered and he smiled gratefully.

“She thinks it’s disgusting, which it is, to be fair… But that clearly didn’t stop me,” he adds with a shrug.

“I’m not a huge fan of it either,” you admitted. “I don’t care either way though, people should do whatever. Sometimes it looks hot.” The statement was followed by a shrug of your shoulders and when Steve’s eyebrows raised up to his hairline long before his smirk appeared, you realized what you said.

“I mean—”

“Only sometimes?” Steve interrupted you with a curious smirk. You watched as he wrapped his lips around his cigarette again, inhaling, holding, exhaling, all while looking at you and awaiting your answer.

“Well, yeah. It looks weirdly attractive sometimes,” you admit reluctantly, “don’t know how they do it.”

“Hmm. So…? How do I do?” he asked, his head slightly tilted to the left.

“Are you asking me if you’re an attractive smoker?” you asked, raising your brow. You wondered briefly how words tumbled out of your mouth so easily in front of him. You felt relaxed around him, somehow.

“That’s… exactly what I’m asking, yes.” A dry chuckle escaped him and he shook his head, as if he couldn’t really believe himself. “Forget about it, I was joking.”

“Hmm.” You smiled at him and uncrossed your arms while you moved a few steps to the left so that you could stop squinting against the sun. It was mostly behind the trees by now but some persistent sun beams managed to shine through.

“How’s mini golf going?”

“I suck. No idea about the score though. Ever since ten it went downhill. Though that one was harder than the three after that for sure.”

“Ten is a mean one. I could show you how it’s done sometime, if you like. Once you get it, you’ll never miss again.”

“Last time I heard you’re not allowed to pick up the ball and put it in the hole,” you remarked jokingly, causing him to grin at you.

“I am hurt you think I’d cheat,” he feigned. “No, there's a way. An actual, honest to god, putter smashing the ball kinda way.”

“Alright then. I think you should show me sometime. Before that, though. Could you maybe show me to the bathroom? Whenever you’re done with paving the road towards your lungs, that is.”

Steve smirked and gave you a nod. “Yeah, gotta pass by there anyway to freshen up. Add some deodorant to mask all this.”

“You’re really going out of your way, huh? Don’t you think she’ll smell it regardless?” you asked, one eyebrow raised. Steve shrugged and took a last drag of his cigarette before dropping it and crushing it under his shoe.

“She’s never mentioned it. Let’s go back in.” He pushed himself off the wall and held the door open for you with a gentlemanly gesture before following you inside. You had no clue how you got from outside to the bathroom as it was, in fact, a maze, but Steve promised he’d wait and lead you back. You were just relieved you only needed to pee. His face lit up when you emerged again and he definitely smelled like some strong deodorant to the point that it caught in your throat a little. Smelled nice, but deadly.

“I think the only reason why she might not have smelt it is because she doesn’t dare to approach you any closer than this in fear of suffocation,” you remarked as you took a slow, deep breath. Steve knit his brows together in a frown only for a moment before he grinned. You wondered why words tumbled out of your mouth so easily with him. Normally you wouldn’t dare say anything that could be taken the wrong way with a relatively ‘new’ person. You still considered him new since you had never really talked.

“That… is possible,” he laughed. “If it works, it works, I guess. Can you smell anything, though? Might as well find out once and for all.” He stared at you expectantly and you inhaled through your nose, really making a show of it. A giggle escaped his lips but it died in his throat quickly when you stepped closer and inhaled again, your chest nearly bumping into his. You took a small step back so you could look up at him.

“Exhale?” you murmured, wondering where the sudden confidence came from. Steve’s lips parted in surprise but he did as you said and exhaled, eyes fixated on yours.

“Hmm… gum is advised,” you opted casually and you revealed a pack of gum from your pocket. “Can definitely smell some smoke.”

Hesitantly, Steve held open his hand and popped the gum into his mouth after you dropped one into his hand.

“Thanks. For the gum, and your surprising honesty,” he mumbled, a soft smile on his lips. His smile was reciprocated by one of your own as you stepped back and took a piece of gum as well.

“My pleasure. Honesty goes a long way.” 

Before you could get back to Robin and Vickie, Steve was interrupted by a customer and he smiled at you apologetically as he walked away. The girls were already in sight and you could admire his pretty backside while he walked away so in that sense it didn’t matter, but you still wished you could have talked for a little longer. 

He was nice, apparently.

“There you are! I thought the bathrooms had changed into a black hole or something, sucking you away from us,” Vickie pouted, though you didn’t miss her quick glance towards Steve’s retreating figure. “What took you so long?” 

Robin eyed you curiously as well and you just shrugged.

“Oh, we just got distracted talking. He waited for me so I could find my way back,” you explained. Robin narrowed her eyes at you suspiciously and Vickie quickly chimed in.

“What did you guys talk about?” she asked in her usual, chipper voice.

“Oh, uhh… everything and nothing, I guess?” you replied while you clawed at your brain trying to remember what you actually did talk about apart from smoking.

“Golf!” you suddenly exclaimed loudly, happy to remember it. “We talked about mini golf. About the one with the net.”

“Steve’s good at that one,” Robin nodded and then glanced over to the counter. “I have to get back, work,” she mumbled before she spared a sweet smile for Vickie which she then granted you as well. “Have fun.”

Together with Vickie you finished the other obstacles and in the end, Vickie won with three points. In all fairness, both of you sucked at it and it wasn’t exactly a score to be proud of for either of you. You’d had fun though, and that was what mattered. Both Robin and Steve were at the counter, cleaning off the balls and putter handles.

“... away for a while,” you heard Robin say as you approached. Robin glanced at you for a moment before focusing on the putter in her hand again. Steve hadn’t heard you approach as he was very stubbornly rubbing the ball in his hand.

“Yeah, I picked up trash on the way to throw it outside and that’s when we ran into each other, so we just chatted.”

“Oh, you met outside?” Robin asked, a smile playing on her lips as she looked up at you again. You had a feeling she was trying to catch you both on something so you quickly cleared your throat and put both you and Vickie’s putter onto the counter, along with the ball.

“Hi, here to return these.”

Steve looked up immediately, lips parted in surprise. Vickie suppressed a giggle as Robin gave her a look. His expression relaxed into a smile and he took the putters from the counter.

“Thanks. Hope you had fun?” Steve asked, glancing at both you and Vickie. The redhead nodded brightly and nudged you with her elbow.

“Maybe we can convince her to join us for paintball sometime? We’ve talked about needing a fourth person before, so…”

“And your kids are way too aggressive,” Robin said with a quick glance to Steve.

“Your kids?” you asked curiously.

“Long story,” Steve shrugged. “Just a bunch of kids a couple years younger than us that I unironically seem to babysit without the actual babysitting part. Although—”

“That does not make sense to anyone Steve,” Robin sighed. “Point is, they’re too passionate about winning. Last time we did that I had bruises everywhere.”

“Are you up for it?” Vickie asked you as she used her pleading puppy eyes. “It’ll be so much fun! Me and Rob against you and Steve—”

“Hold on, we already decided on teams now?” Steve asked quickly, glancing from you, to Robin and lastly to Vickie. You put your hands on your waist.

“What, you don’t want me on your team?” you teased. Steve rolled his eyes, huffing out a quick laugh as he shook his head.

“That’s not it, I was just surprised, alright. Anyw—”

“Alright, that’s settled then!” Vickie interjected, too excited to hold back. “How about next weekend?”

“We both have shifts all weekend. Thursday evening could work, though?” Robin proposed, looking at Steve for confirmation. He shrugged.

“You know my schedule better than I do, so I guess I’m available, sure,” he smirked.

“Thursday evening it is,” you nodded, smiling softly as your eyes met with his.

After you said your goodbyes, Vickie and you left the DGMG and she only managed to not mention it until the second you were back in her car.

“So! You and Steve…”

Next part

[haljordangreenjedi]

lets talk about military rank + hal jordan

spawned by my inability to let sleeping dogs lie, and in response to the ask @wajjs​ got, with them egging me on, i think it's time to explain military ranks and how they apply to the various iterations of hal jordan.

first things first, each branch has their own way of breaking down ranks. a captain in the air force ≠ a captain in the navy. more on that later. the second thing you need to know is that an officer (designations O-1 to O-10) outranks enlisted personnel (E-1 to E-9). A person can move from enlisted to officer ranks, but it requires a lot of time in service or generally speaking, a college degree. the third thing that you must know is that all pilots are officers. this means that they have some sort of college degree (a 4-year bachelor’s), from a normal university, or a service academy, and they have gone through OTS as well as flight school. 

hal jordan usually appears to be assigned the rank of lieutenant:

(as seen in superman: space age.)

OR, and i believe this is the last time his rank was addressed in the main continuity, they say that he is a captain in the air force:

(this is from a Geoff Johns run, GL Vol. 4).

now, in the air force, there are two ranks of lieutenant, and they are the lowest of the officer ranks. those would be the second lieutenant (O-1) and first lieutenant (O-2), and you are commissioned as a second lieutenant upon graduation from OTS—Officer Training School, which can also be referred to as OCS (Officer Candidate School). the shortest amount of time that anyone can spend as a second lieutenant before a promotion is 18 months. then, they are required to spend two years as a first lieutenant (O-2). the next promotion in the air force is to O-3, captain. for the next few promotions, from O-3 to O-5, it's a minimum of three years in each rank. so that’s three years as a captain, three years as a major (O-4), and three years as a lieutenant colonel (O-5). the final rank I am going to talk about here is a colonel, O-6, and that’s because colonel is the highest rank that one can hold in the air force and still actively fly as a pilot. there is only a one-year minimum of service prior to promotion beyond colonel, which means at that point, the service member has at least 12.5 years in. factor in four years for college/the academy, and they would be 34-35, assuming they started at the age of 18. 

why did i just spend all this time explaining that? well, what we know of hal’s rank can be used to get a better estimate as to what his age is supposed to be in canon. 

as far as the alternate universe of superman: space age, i believe it's reasonable to figure that hal would be between 23 and 25 years old. we don’t have any specification as to what rank of lieutenant he would be, but if you figure he graduated with a degree around the age of 22 and then factor in time for flight school, I would say 23 is the minimum. and if he hadn’t been promoted to first lieutenant yet, he would have been well on his way. 

then, with main continuity, it gets a bit harder, because there are less markers for the real passage of time, and they don’t say how many years have passed since hal’s discharge. however, the same reasoning applies, and hal would have been between 25 and 28 years old when he was discharged from the military. i don’t know if i would say it has been fifteen years since hal popped his commanding officer in the jaw, because the reality of the military letting someone in their 40′s back in just doesn’t fit much with the culture that i know. but, DC doesn’t always do their research on the reality of some subjects, i know, because im still mad about the whole dishonorable discharge concept. but that’s a story for another day.

the last thing that i want to do is double back to what i said about ranking in the different branches. this is largely because i know everyone likes to say that hal loves top gun and sometimes i think it would make more sense for him to be a naval aviator than an air force pilot. as I mentioned, a captain in the air force is an O-3. well, captain in the navy is an O-6 designation, so a naval captain is equal rank with an air force colonel. in the navy, O-1 is an ensign (ENS), O-2 is a lieutenant junior grade (LTJG—sometimes people just say lieutenant JG), O-3 is a lieutenant (LT), O-4 is a lieutenant commander (LCDR), and O-5 is a commander (CDR). another key difference is that the air force has generals, while the navy has admirals.

i’m not going to go into detail on how the air force handles educating its pilots, or the road to becoming one, but i did find a good article explaining the steps here.

if you have any questions or more references to hal’s career, I would be happy to talk about them, just head over to my ask box.

[anulithots]

BIO QUESTIONNNNS

any tips on interpreting pedigrees???

How does fermentation work 😭

whats your favourite organelle??

GL on the exam!!!!

THANKKK YOUUUU FORR THE ASKKK

Pedigrees

these guys were sooooo puzzling when I first looked at them. But once you get a feel for them, they aren't too bad. (Then they become a fun puzzle and you feel so smart and smug /pos)

Sometimes they'll include the half-shaded shape, sometimes they won't. On my practice exams they don't so I won't include talking about the half-shaded shapes (which are basically like telling you which ones are carriers, when nothing is half shaded then you have to figure this out yourself.)

Okay so first off, I typically look for sex-linked/autosomal traits. If the affected individuals are usually one sex (male typically) then the trait is sex-linked. If there's siblings and only the males (typically) are affected, then again - sex linked. (I wishhh we could learn biology with intersex people included it wouldd bee soo nicceee)

ALSO ALSO, if the mother is affected, then all of their children are affected - no matter what the trait of the male parent is - then I'd think the trait is passed on through mitochondrial DNA. (mitochondrial DNA is sooo coooool I need to reread those pub med articles. But overall, mitochondrial DNA comes from the female parent only because the male parent contributed only Nuclear DNA, the female parent contributed the cytosol and every organelle in it.)

From there, if neither of the above is true, then it's typically autosomal and either a recessive or dominant trait.

If it's autosomal recessive, then typically it will skip generations/ only some offspring will have it. It's just less likely that the recessive trait will appear, bonus points if there's four siblings and one of them is affected. (Not reallllyyy how it works in the real world since genotypes for each child is independent from the other children... but IDK pedigrees on tests and stuff tend to do this.) Also if none of the parents have it but some children are affected, then one or both of the parents are most likely carriers. (and if you can see the parents of the parents, you can typically find out which one).

Dominant ones just... tend to appear more. They don't usually skip generations, and if neither parent is affected, then the children won't be affected. (You can't be a carrier for a dominant allele under most circumstances... not sure if there's exceptions)

Pedigrees take a bit of getting used to, but they are FUN once you get a feel for them. (Tbh our ap bio class is kind of cursed, we went through a few teachers that all quit. Now I'm the honorary teacher of our class and honestly... I just got a feel for them. Practice I suppose? If you remember how different traits are inherited, then you should be good) Good luck with them!

Fermentation

OKay so not going to lie here.... I usually skipped over fermentation because I thought it would be boring. Once I saw this ask, I looked at it and it's... surprisingly not that bad? (At least to me, I'm insane.)

Okie so basically what happens is

~oxygen~ the most important molecule for us, breathe they say, breath is the language of the soul, our almighty oxygen...

... mops up the waste products at the end of the electron transport chain in oxidative phosphorylation (hydrogens) and turns into water.

But, despite how unromantic that sounds... it's super important. Because without our oxygen janitors, we can't do the electron transport chain. The waste products would build up and we'd probably burst into flames or smth (honestly that is what would happen if our cells tried to metabolize glucose all at once)

So cells that do fermentation decide to forgo the whole electron transport chain, best not deal with it.

So all it has is glycolysis. (I call it the carbon do-see-do, whatever that dance thingy is called. I don't know why.) I'll include a picture here of it

(knowing the names of the intermediate products is probably the hardest part.. I just... don't.)

Basically, add your phosphates to each side, split it in half, add another phosphate (not from ATP this time), Oxidize the heck out of the carbon molecules, then give those electrons to the NAD+, which turn into NADHs (One per half/three carbon molecule.), then you break off your 'caps' of Phosphates and add it to ADPs. ONce you add that extra phosphate, you make the ADPs into ATPs. Four of them total, but because you invested two ATPs, you got two 'new'/net ATPS.

I'll explain a few more concepts because I think I can do better than the textbooks if I do say so myself. (Especially the ones I got for school, mc graw hill ones.... like... ehhhhh it's so weirdly written. The book I read when I was little is called 'the way we work' gorgeous pictures and lots of metaphors, definitely one of the things that got me into biology, and helped me understand it.)

Adenosine triphosphate is basically a kitkat. Lots of energy stored within the last three phosphates on the side. (which slightly repel each other, so there's a lot of pent-up energy stored, which is why it takes all of cellular energy to make these, you have to go against the natural tendencies. The plus is that, like a kit kat, they are easy to break and release a lot of energy)

If you look at biochemistry, signal transduction pathway, transportation across the cell membrane, you use these phosphates (very negatively charged) to power EVERYTHING. Think of using an explosion to power your solar panels so you can make something. Like that. So when you do glycolysis, you're just adding those phosphates onto the ADPs to 'remake the Kitkat'/ put two negatively charged magnets together.

Basically, you're energy harvesting. The electrons hold energy, you take that energy from the glucose to give it to the NADH, your electron carrier.

HOwever, you can't do the electron transport chain. So now what do you do with the energy...

Discard it. You got two ATPs, and without oxygen, that's the best you're going to get. (Compared to around 38 ATPs with oxygen. Helpful little janitor.)

Essentially, you have pyruvate (the 3-carbon molecule you made from splitting glucose in half in glycolysis) and two NADHs that you need to turn back into NAD+ so you can do glycolysis again.

(IDk why I'm using second person now. By 'you' I mean the cell. ANd by the cell I mean I'm personifying, no one really 'wants' anything here. It just... happens.)

To do this, fermenting cells have this little trick, they basically give the electrons back to the pyruvates. Return them from whence they came. (apparently there's a good return policy)

If it's a muscle cell or yogurt or the likes, the NADHs give the energy/elections back to the pyruvate, which turns it into lactic acid.

If it's yeast, the NADHs give the energy/electrons back to one of the intermediate products of glycolysis. (I forget the name). This produces ethanol and CO2

So now you got your NAD+'s back. And you have two ATPs (net, four total). Not the... not the best but it's what you got.

OKIE DOKIE THAT'S IT. I RECCOMEND THE AEOMBA SISTERS IF YOU STILL NEED HELP /pos.

Favorite organelle

akldfjalskdfj tha's like askingg meee to chosee a favoritee ficitonall characterrrr.

..a jdflaskdfjaskdlfjaslkdfj

I can't pick favorites for anyythinggg.

LIke the ER does protein production, but the nucleus has the DNA and such, and of course we have the mitochondria (the powerhouse of the cell they say), and the Golgi body post office and the lysosome slaughterhouses and the centrioles with their cytoskeleton and their miotic spindle.... you can't do this to me /pos.

kladsfjasdf ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM BECAUSE THE CELL MAKES PROTEINS THERE. kafjkaadlfkjaks AAAAA-

THank you for wishing me luck! I... I hope I don't ramble on the free response questions...or use metaphors... ha.

(also also, haven't really storyfied cellular respiration because...twas hard to storyfy. THey don't include the enzymes involved because it's too complicated. I tried my best!)

[inspector-irratino]

Moriarty Console Churn Output - 06/05/2024

So I did the daily Murdle at just past midnight, and saw this on the Detective Dispatch. Let's check it out.

If you've seen this and clicked that interesting looking red link, you have probably seen web churn like this!

FLASHING LIGHTS WARNING IF YOU INVESTIGATE THIS YOURSELF!

Screencap of murdle.com/mansion/m/iii.html

Here are my current findings, including my own web crawling. This may be considered a spoiler or even noncanonical, as some of this information is not out for public release yet, and some may never be.

I would also like to make it clear that the Moriarty Webchurn is NOT the same as the Moriarty Console, which looks like this:

Screencap of murdle.com/console

First off, there are FOUR of these same pages. The current accessible one is iii.html, though keep the others in mind for now. All four pages look the same, but not all of them have the base html in.

As you can see from my still image, there are repeated images with random sequences of letters cut through some of them. Here are the repeated ones.

MORIARTY HAS HACKED THIS COMPUTER

CAN YOU SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF M.O.R.I.A.R.T.Y.?

DEDUCTIVE LOGICO CANNOT DEFEAT M.O.R.I.A.R.T.Y.

TVG NFIWOV 3 GL OVZIM NLIV ( translates to "GET MURDLE 3 TO LEARN MORE" with detective code ) -- this is also highlighted in green on the webpage!

M.O.R.I.A.R.T.Y. IS INSIDE YOUR COMPUTER

TEKTOPIA WILL COVER THE EARTH

I know that these are all of the phrases, and that the intercut strings also do not matter, as I found the original code. This is not hosted on murdle.com/m/iii.html, however. This screencap I took was of murdle.com/m/moriarty.html. The name of all tabs when clicked into these webpages is MORIARTY, with zalgo text applied.

You may find it yourself, if you go into inspect element -> sources tab -> moriarty.html and just take a good old look.

You may also noticed that our handy highlighted phrase is missing from this list, but it is elsewhere in this selfsame document. The number 3 also has a bias in the random alphanumeric string, which is interesting to note, given that this was made to tie into Volume 3's release, and Moriarty's importance within Murdle Vol 3.

As for more html combing, it's really weird that this screencap was taken of murdle.com/mansion/m/o.html's code.

Look at the highlighted section, but also the rest of that line at large. The number skew as previously mentioned is missing, and there are a lot more potential characters at play here. It's weird that there are two near-exact copies of the same code, with such a minor difference that I don't think anyone would notice. That is such a weird detail, and I don't know if that will be important in the future.

Cast your mind back to June last year, the case of the Missing Murdles.

These two locations feature very heavily in Volume 3, so it's worth putting these back out for public viewing. As you can tell, TekTopia is very much Moriarty's project, being "An AI-planned city". Linking this with the repeated phrase "TEKTOPIA WILL COVER THE EARTH", we can see that Moriarty is out of control and needs stopping.

My aside about murdle.com/console was not irrelevant, either, as it's notable that the console is driven by human interaction and feedback.

In line 958 of console/ that you find in the same way as you'd find the other code snippets posted so far, we reveal this information. I have kept the formatting as intact as I can over tumblr formatting.

MORIARTY is an AI engine built to generate murder mysteries for https://murdle.com/. Recently, the AI has requested the mass-solving of "CRYPTICS" by human participants. TO SOLVE A CRYPTIC, turn its squares green. Tapping a square flips its colour and the colours of the squares it touches. No one knows the function of this task, but MORIARTY has requested it.

Depending on the number of cryptics you solve, you also get given a title! All I want to know is who out there is genuinely solving thousands upon thousands of cryptics on one single browser. You okay, hun?

Related - and note that this is non-canonical as it is unused code - I saw this! Fascinating stuff.

Given what I know about computer program self-propagation - from my knowledge of computer viruses - it seems as if Moriarty spreads like a worm, as it seems to only propagate if you click into its links, and as it's a mystery its sharing is encouraged - or, in the case of the in-universe explanation, forced. (Think ILOVEYOU or Mydoom). The reason I believe this is because of the phrases that repeat in the web churn, and that opening up any of the Moriarty links is the same as being delivered that payload. RIP to my computer in the murdleverse, I guess!

This is also backed up by the fact that every Moriarty Churn tab crashes, though that might be my browser settings (Error code: STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION).

I'd love to know if the idea is to try and overload the tab's memory allocation to give the vibe of it being a computer virus-like deal, so please get in touch!

✨ || Theorycrafting

Moriarty has existed in the murdleverse for a decent amount of time, the earliest Wayback Machine link is April 7th, 2023. The code looks the same at first glance, and feels the same from a user perspective, so I am assuming that there have been no significant updates to the Moriarty Console code as of the time of this post. My understanding is that it is a TekCo produced AI charged with the creation of TekTopia, though its scope has long passed its original intent.

Given that this was released days after the Moriarty Console became public - assumedly ongoingly - implies also that Moriarty has a lot of human-driven data. This, interestingly enough, was also indicated by the suspect gallery update, as the original gallery pictures were stolen in-universe! Which is to say, even more data. (This also opens up a whole can of worms about "AI Art", but that's for another day)

I'd love to know what else people think about this, so do get in touch either on here, or in the detective club discord server!

[barid-bel-medar]

At least Hori is one of the few writers who acknowledges that he should’ve done something differently for the early portions of the story. He acknowledges that he should’ve written Bakugo not as harsh and that Aizawa should’ve different characterization. So there are valid reasons for fanfic writers to reduce the Mary Sue-ness of Bakugo and make Aizawa into a better teacher. It’s just that people want to make Aizawa a Batman-like character without the charm and understanding on how Batman works in his universe, infantiled the other characters and bashed the good ones, and not understanding certain cultural impact in the Japan vs US societies.

This is very true! Like a lot of authors won't say shit or just hope people will accept retcons. Yes Hori's also to some extent doing the second, but at least he's come out and said he shouldn't have done some of the stuff he previously did (though I think there was also the issue of him underestimating how popular both Bakugou and Aizawa would get).

Yeah the attempts to make Aizawa a Batman-like figure in fanon/fic again (much like the Kakashi references I noted in that earlier post) miss why things work for that character. This definitely goes into the desire to make Aizawa a much more competent figure then he is actually written in canon. But like...he's not getting called in as a strategist. He's not getting get in because he's a great combatant. He's generally getting called in because they need his Quirk for something.

I should note this is also an issue Nedzu suffers in fic/fanon. He's certainly brilliant and manipulative. He also still misses some pretty obvious shit or handles it poorly (no matter what, someone as smart as he's supposed to be should have realized immediately how stupid the 'chain Bakugou to the pole' thing was)

(Though also in context of Batman I think it also gets missed a lot that the man himself fucks up/DC writes him as doing things that make no sense. I know I've talked about in the past the issue of how in the Nu52 when he's explaining his take down plans for JL members his plan for taking out a GL is apparently to use a yellow ring. You know, the thing these guys are specifically given training to fight against? And the ring-type that two of them (Hal and Guy) are perfectly capable of wielding themselves? Also in general Lantern rings are much, much harder to use then they seem on the surface, and trying to use one against people, who have the case of the four GLs he would have been setting up the plan against, been using those rings for several years is just stupid. Though also there it's a good demonstration of the arrogance DC also is prone to writing with Batman)

Though to be fair to the cultural impact issue, that's a pretty wide ranging issue in a lot of stuff, not just things related to Aizawa. There's a reason I had it specified in Words May Hurt that the detention thing is a result of WHA standardizing punishments at hero schools, rather than a norm.