#i know I haven't been posting much but i was struck by motivation and i decided to use it

[travelersspark]

IM BACK! 🌟

Literally when on break since I've been busy with college and work😅. Now I can get back into the swing of things ! Since I'm here , might as well make a new headcanons post ~♡

𝑷𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝑻𝑳𝑲 .ᐟ 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝑮𝑵.ᐟ𝑯𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒏𝒔

𝑶𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒔

First off. Cayde had a meeting with you at your local job. You and Cayde were close since he practically raised you along with Tessa . You were running late and Cayde was inside Optimus. Optimus had heard about you but never thought much about it.

He'd ask about you to Cayde and Cayde talked fondly of you so Optimus could sort of trust you. So could Cayde. Hence why he was gonna finally explain to you whats been going on for the past year.

Of course you are insanely confused when you get in the truck and Cayde starts being cryptic saying. “ Y/N. You know you can trust me right ? I would always tell you if somethings up.. ” -Cayde

You are dumbfounded at first while the silent drive fills the cabin with awkwardness. Then it hit you. “ Have you been looking for girls on tinder Cayde?! God I swear - ” - Y/N.

Facepalm from Cayde. Optimus almost laughed in his alt form but Cayde coughs before having to disprove your idiotic suspicion. He basically rushes an explanation of the autobots and decepticons and everything that has happened for the past year since you haven't really seen him.

Annnnnnnnndddd. Your not buying it. After the drive he tries explaining more but you brush it off basically just tired from work and chalking up his excuses to him being tired and or drunk.

Well.. until you see a group of vehicles strolling around and stopping with their headlights nearly blinding you (Kind of like the introduction the team from TF1) and with some loud noises and rumbling. You see them. Giant robots standing among you.

You Fucking FREAK. Definitely bout to be ready to throw some shit. Like WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK CAYDE ! Cayde has to mostly calm you down as well as Optimus surprisingly trying as well explaining that they would never hurt you.

After a couple of minutes of losing your shit. Optimus introduced himself explain his motives and his following. Your still apprehensive but sort of star struck. Ootimus's voice and tone was totally different than his remorseful and sort of stern tone. It even surprised Cayde.

Optimus certainly finds you intriguing due to the stories Cayde told him Since you now know of thier existence they have to basically become your body guards in a sense. You don't mind it but you still have your worries. Mostly about the part with the decepticons.

He reassures that he would do anything to try and keep you and the other humans safe.

A couple of banter from the crew but with one Stern glance of Optimus they shut it.

You two might have a quite interesting partnership - in a good way.

𝑩𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒃𝒆𝒆

oh. This mute bot is EXCITED to meet you ! He was the first one to transform and show himself to you after optimus.

Kind of flustered and worried when you lost your cool about seeing them. But after he calms his excitement and lets his leader explain himself.

He flashes his sick moves which makes you smile and laugh a bit. He gladly would do it again to make you smile.

Bee is one of the first bots you considerably found yourself talking to.

When you found out he couldn't speak like the others and communicated through a radio, you though he was quite a special bot.

He's like you in a way. You to pair together so well. Bee thinks of you like his old partner Sam.

Oh. He can get protective of you. Mainly when Crosshairs or Hot Rod get a bit flirtatious or silly around you.

Casually offers a drive after a few hours of meeting which you don't really refuse. You had to admit. He was a dream ride of yours.

Its love at first sight in his eyes. He already finds himself crushing on you from day one. And he hopes that you stick around with him.

𝑪𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒔

God another Squishy thing?! Let's just say he wasn't amused.

Well until you basically cursed the hell out of Cayde. Now he's impressed

Now he's made it his mission to figure out what makes you tic.

Weirdly he can he either considerate or just a complete jerk. But a loveable one at that.

He finds himself always trying to be flirtatious with you. But when you do it back he gets completely flustered and curses you out (his love language according to drift)

Fights about the miniscule things with you. Like if you eat in his alt form and there's a crumb he's gonna scold you.

Never saw himself being friends with a human but he would definitely enjoy his company with you.

First meeting him he is pretty serious about not wanting you around a bit but it shifts to wanting to hang with you more.

You two are FUCKIN GREMLINS TOGETHER. yall annoy the hell out of optimus and cade at times. God you two are a mess

Starts out as not being protective of you to being ULTRA protective. Mans always worried about you but tries to play it off.

𝑯𝒐𝒕 𝑹𝒐𝒅

Omg him and Bumblebee fell HARD for you when Cade introduced you to the crew. Literally he couldn't stop gawking at you.

Already trying to one up everyone else with his flirtatious and suave energy.

Placed a bet with bee to see if you'd like him more.

First to offer you rides from work, school or whatever. (He figured you showing up in his alt form would make you popular or cool. And he wasn't wrong either.)

Immediately asks Optimus to assign him as your guardian. Let me tell you, he is smitten by you and in the best way possible.

Says small pet names in french

Arrogant little bastard. Can't take any hints when you need space.

Overall hes just wanting time with you but doesn't exactly understand the idea of patience is a virtue.

𝑯𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅

Another human huh. Cool, hope they useful type energy.

Hes pretty chill about it to be honest. Definitely hesitant at the idea but understand where Cade is coming from.

Would personally introduce himself to you if you find him a bit intimidated. Secretly he's a big softie and jokes terrible behind closed doors.

Once he finds out you are just as handy as Cade is hes all over you. Don't expect him.to leave you alone with random weapon scraps and ideas he has in his head.

Probably would take you out to test some grenades with him or something.

Pretty protective on first meet. Mostly since he knows he can keep you safe with his experience and skills in war.

If you don't like the sight of anything remotely similar to cigars and smoke. He would actually stop puffing his bullet in front of you out of respect.

Doesn't care much about your habits as long as you don't get your ass in trouble that is.

Not the type to drive you around since he's a big ass military vehicle and that would definitely cause alot of suspicions.

𝑫𝒓𝒊𝒇𝒕

Not bothered but skeptical of your arrival. Let's just say he isn't too fond of the idea of another human around

Probably would discuss his concerns to cade and optimus about the risks but would be told that it was mostly for the best.

He gives up and pretends you just another one of the bots.

Pretty distant at first since he's still weary of you.

But if you compliment him during training of something and use the right terminology of the kata forms and martial arts he will definitely open up to you.

He appreciates someone who can understand his dedication. As well as someone educated in the sacred arts of Japanese and Chinese traditions.

Offers meditation lessons after some time if you are willing to do so.

Silent but deadly type of protective.

Has fought with crosshairs one time.when he was picking on you.

Very tsundere at first but overall he knows you are a good person and wouldn't mind getting to learn more about you

[anthroarctosa]

Wine tasting <3

word count ! ; 3,322

A/n This is purely inspired by the song ankles by Lucy Dacus fully aware that’s a gay GAY song but I have Harvey brain rot and this lowk reminds me of him sorry y’all this is also not proof read at all fuck proof reading , i haven't written anything in a very uber long time (my last post on here being almost 3 years ago) but what better than old man smut to bring me back out of it who knows maybe i'll post again in another three years

Warnings(?) : SEX!!! WHAT!!! Unprotected too please be safe guys, dom Harvey but soft dom as it makes me go loopy!! Not rot dubious consent but they are tipsy from wine, this may be a horrible mischaracterisation of Harvey to you guys but I like to imagine sex Harvey and non sex Harvey are like two different people , this is written with female readers in mind , very badly written first pov I hate first pov, take a shot every time I put “I” or “he” at the start of a sentence ,

Pull me by the ankles to the edge of the bed

And take me like you do in your dreams

I'm not gonna stop you

I'm not gonna stop you this time, baby

I want you to show me what you mean

Then help me with thе crossword in the mornings

You are gonna make mе tea

gonna ask me how did i sleep

I feel a strong , heavy arm wrap around me it awakens me from my slumber and sudden flashes of the night before flood back to me.

I had only moved to pelican town under the pretence of easy farming and a free house , spending many summers here as a child it felt integral to keep such a large part of my childhood alive and running even if I didn’t know the first thing about farming. It was hard work but it proved fruitful with end of first autumns harvest being a huge success and allowing me to have an easy winter making my jams and brewing wine.

Now the wine making definitely had ulterior motives, never being much of a romantic back in zuzu city but having met the town doctor my first spring here after (embarrassingly enough) passing out in the mines we ended up striking a rather lovely unexpected friendship. Harvey was similar to me a fish out of water in a small town but making the best of it we spent most town celebrations together and found we have surprising amount in common. With similar films and agreement in how things always taste better once pickled I’d even managed to coax him out to the farm a few times to act as a vet almost if I ever had a sick cow or chicken which I always repaid in wine.

But recently I’ve been feeling a shift in our dynamic , as the seasons go on and the more time I spend with him wether it’s all evenings talking over wine and watching shitty taped movies I had found in a box in my grandpas attic or just a brief hello to drop him off some coffee on my way to the mines our eyes seem to linger more. I feel more weight in his words especially his pleads to make me be more careful in the mines.

“I’m just saying, every time I have to patch up some horrible gash you got doing yoba knows what down there I get worried! I think I’m warranted to being a little bit worried about you from time to time-“ he says exasperated with how much he’s being having to drill this into me recently but what else can I do in winter than mine? I roll my eyes half dismissing him with a wave of my hand “it’s really not that serious Harv, I’ve never been seriously injured—“ “yet! You’ve never been seriously injured yet!” He cuts me off his gaze looked so soft and heart struck it felt like sad begging puppy dog eyes almost full of worry, it gave me a pang in my heart he knew how to get his way with those big brown eyes of his.

“I’ll try to be more careful okay? I just- I wish I had something else to put all this pent up energy into now! I’ve never just not done anything before I mean all summer I- I just don’t know Harv but I’ll try okay” this brought a smile back to his face as he nods , clearly appreciative , he has good intentions of course he does there is not a mean bone in that poor man’s body he couldn’t be mean even if he tried but there’s nothing wrong with that I’ve learned.

“Now drink up I still need to get your opinion on this crystalfruit wine!” ushering my hand up to insinuate he has to finish his drink which he hastily does as he puts up a thumbs up grinning his lips stained a gentle purple it was a nice look on him being so relaxed I had gotten use to seeing him like this. Flushed cheeks from the wine his green pressed jack hung loosely on the back of the rickety kitchen chairs that had been in this house for yoba knows how long his shirt sleeves gently folded up to his forearms. That was something that surprised me when I first got to know him ; how BUFF our town doctor actually is! not to sound callous but it was really something he always seems so much smaller in memory to in practice but I think that’s more so to how he try’s to make himself seem smaller usually hunching or sitting down the few times I get to see him for the beast of the man that he is , (6’2 but let’s be real people that’s big) is when I get to force him into manual labour on the farm.

But now looking at him like this I didn’t know if it was the wine talking but I felt almost flushed myself , I didn’t realise how long I must’ve been quiet just staring at him till he laughs an almost nervous laugh waving a hand jokingly in front of my face “earth to (y/n) ? Helllooooo—“ he trailed off but I cut him off with a small giggle shaking my head “sorry i just got lost in thought didn’t mean to stare—“ standing up quickly trying to play it off which only caught his attention more , it’s no surprise I’ve been feeling it all brew up especially over the last few weeks he just seems different every time I’ve seen him he gets more confident around me and it feels like it ignites some strange kindling inside of me making me realise oh shit I like Harvey.

Spending the first few weeks of finding out this deliberation I wanted to tell my best friend but having that also be Harvey was a bit of a struggle so I settled on spilling my heart out to the town poet who I assumed was a fellow romantic. Elliot helped a lot surprisingly with helping me be able to summarise my feelings and how perfectly natural this all was and how he probably likes me too and blah blah blah but this was different from all my other flings and crushes I’d had been involved in before this wasn’t just carnal it was something that was real with feelings something that made me feel almost nauseous with how much I actually enjoyed his time and presence.

“We’ve still got the rest of the bottle to get through— I also think I have some jam and crackers that would go nice with this make it like a little meal cause I don’t know bout’ you but I am definitely feeling it go to my head already”

Making my way to my kitchenette pouring another two glasses , I could hear Harvey approaching me it made the hairs on my neck stand. Glancing to look back at him he was leaning himself back on his hands against the sink just watching me, this made me noticeably feel the shift between us I could feel his eyes staring at my lips which only made the heat rise to my face.

“I don’t say this enough (y/n) but I’m really glad you moved here, to pelican town. You make places good” it was such a simple sentence but it made my stomach flip almost, it wasn’t even out of the ordinary for Harvey to compliment me but like this? Here? It made me flush a noticeable flush only drowned out by the dim lights of my cabin had it already gotten dark outside? He was usually gone by now but tonight I didn’t want him to leave.

Looking over at the glasses of wine on my counter I felt some primal urge flip in me almost if I was going to make a move it would be tonight grabbing one and chugging it I could see the confusion arise in his face before I pulled him into a hasty kiss. He practically melted into it which definitely upped my confidence wrapping my arms around his neck pulling him flush against me his hands finding a quick quiet comfort on my hips the taste of crystal fruit wine both stain our mouths but I didn’t care it tasted better on him anyways.

Pulling away for small breaths before going into another hasty kiss he half hazardly leads me to my sofa he knows my floor plan by heart now pushing me gently against it pulling away from the kiss “oh yoba— you’ve no idea how many times I’ve imagined this” he muttered in between rough kisses against my neck feeling his moustache against the sensitive skin I could only imagine what that would feel like between my thighs. I let out an embarrassing whine almost gently bucking my hips up against nothing which brought out a small chuckle from Harvey.

I had never pictured him being like this so confident in such a situation but it must be the buzz from the wine and me initiating it that seems to have given him such a boost it was a nice change of pace “you look so good like this, so beautiful” a soft murmur as his kisses grow more frantic tugging at my colour to go lower making me instinctively move my arms to hastily pull up my thick knit jumper happy I’ve had the fireplace roaring all night the cold didn’t shock me. He takes this as his opportunity to move one hand from my hip to my chest rolling his thumb over my nipple shallowly poking through the thin (rather flimsily made) bra his kisses going further leaving darker marks.

“Please— please Harvey-“ whining out he lifts his head getting close to my face again “please what huh? What do you need me to do? Use your words” I could tell he was getting off on the rather submissiveness of my attitude I’m usually so confident I don’t know what this man had done to me but I know he’s gonna take care of me “touch me need you to touch me so— so bad-“ bucking my hips up his hand leaves my chest going back down to my hips helping tug down my jeans hooking his fingers in my belt loops to give him more control flinging them across the living room. “Wrap your legs around me” he says quickly and I don’t hesitate to think otherwise doing so.

With a swift motion he sweeps me up feeling sturdy in his arms I can’t imagine the amount of times he’s had to drag me unconscious to the clinic but this is different , I felt so small being carried so easily. He gently pushes the door to my room open and making a beeline to the bed placing me near the edge, my legs still wrapped around his waist thighs shaking in anticipation he quickly strips himself of his dress shirt practically popping the buttons tugging off his tie throwing that elsewhere. His chest was broad and littered in dark brown chest hair trailing down my eyes couldn’t help eyeing up where it leads a very obvious tent in his dress pants. He looked good , so good , practically looking at him with star eyes only being brought back to reality when his hands wrapped around my ankles pulling me back towards him . I hadn’t even noticed my legs had dropped but moaning at the sudden sensation of him flush up against me I could feel him even more now through his dress pants as he grinned hard against me the two of us letting out desperate small moans.

I wanted to whine , wanted to beg , wanted to flip him over and take control being able to take him fully in me now but I could tell that wasn’t his plan and something about the way he was moving me himself taking so much control had me almost brain dead. He pulled away rather harshly making an instinctive whimper fall past my lips which he gently shushed falling to his knees at the foot of the bed pulling me even closer I felt my face flush with embarrassment “oh you- you don’t have to-“ I called out, in all my past hookups I’d never let a man eat me out , I didnt see the appeal of someone pretending to make out with me down there but all my thoughts rushed quickly out my head as he pressed a firm kiss to my clit making me almost jump out of my skin.

Of course he knows the anatomy down there ! He’s a doctor for yobas sake a firm hand on my thigh as the other hooks his fingers in the waist band of my underwear “I want too, huge difference”

Pulling them down quickly tossing them with the other pile of clothes he feverishly went back down his tongue found its home kissing and licking at my clit made me quickly arch my back practically letting out a howl ever so thankful the farm was so far out from people now his free hand lathering itself up in my wetness I had no idea where this all came from with Harvey. Harvey who got embarrassed teaching the safe sex seminar to the youngsters in town , Harvey who covers his eyes at sex scenes in movies , Harvey who started his very own swear jar for me. yoba knows what I did different with this wine but I am ever so thankful for it as I moaned and mewled at his lewd actions.

I felt short of breath my stomach felt tight I was clasping at his lose brown curls which only encourages him speeding up curling his thick digits against that beautiful sweet spot my thighs clasp around his head as I reach my climax which he happily coaxes out of me his fingers still fucking me through it my head felt dizzy I could barely think as I see him gently pull away a small smug grin on his face his moustache wet pushing his now rather messed up hair back he pressed a gentle kiss to my thigh letting me calm down a little “you did so good, we can stop if you’re too tired to continue” he says his palms gently massaging my thighs I carefully sat up to look at him shaking my head slowly “no I- I want to well- I want you please I can take it-“ gasping out as he gently nods in understanding slowly standing up from the floor “we can stop at any point okay? Your comfort is my top priority” he speaks as his hands unbuckle his belt finally sliding his dress pants off leaving him in his forest green boxers , if I was in a more coherent state of mind I would’ve made a witty comment about the leaf pattern that covers them making them seem almost juvenile but all I could focus on now was the bulge ever so prominent in them. My hand immediately finding home palming him through them making him let out a groan, I wanted to slide them off him take him down my throat I’m no expert but I’ve never heard any complaints but there would be other times for that right now I needed him in me, his hands hastily pull down his boxers throwing them in the same pile the rest of my clothes have been tossed to he was a lot more impressive than I was expecting even at his large stature.

He gently grinned against my entrance helping slick himself up, I was still embarrassingly wet from my previous orgasm I still felt the light headed thrill from it as he gently pushed in filling me to my hilt in one swift motion practically knocking the wind out of me. Peppering my neck in kisses as he started off with gentle thrusts moaning against my neck this was better than I could’ve ever imagined “so perfect” he muttered being practically drowned out by my own embarrassingly loud cries and moans feeling so vulnerable and exposed had never been so good.

All the build up seemed to have gotten to Harvey too whose now using one arm to hold himself up as he thrusts another rubbing my already abused clit to help coax another orgasm out of me “I know you’ve got another—another one for me darling cmon— cum on me want to feel you” groaning against me as he said this my legs locked around his legs tightened as I came him yet again fucking me through it this felt like a religious experience I knew the universe was right for sending me here in the first place now after this as this was so right brought out of my spaced out thoughts by the feeling of him pulling out finishing on my stomach his face flushed his chest rises and falls as he tries to catch his breath and his thoughts, glasses practically fogged up. He sat on the edge of the bed pushing his hair back again the hair on his back (scratch that his whole body) coated in a thin layer of sweat from the excursion he had just put out . Slowly catching himself he fished his boxers off the floor sliding them back on “ill— I’ll go grab something to clean you up with give me a second” he says I do a small nod too out of it to make the proper movement.

He returns a few moments later with a large plastic bowl and a wash cloth , the water was warm as he dipped it in wringing it out using it to gently wash the spilled cum on my stomach and down my thighs to at least make me slightly less sticky . His touch was so gentle now compared to the rough fucking my brains out attitude he just had this was the Harvey I was used to, attentive and sweet , he seemed almost to be catching up with himself now his face flushed “I’m so sorry if I was too rough I just— I’ve thought about how this would go if it would even happen so many times and I just lost myself I’m so—“ cutting him off before he can apologise I place my hand on his face shakily sitting up as I shushed him softly shaking my head “that was— that was so incredible Harvey I don’t even know what to say, just perfect”

This settled his nerves slightly as he nodded continued to wipe me down whilst admiring his handiwork marking up your neck. Hickies were such a juvenile thing to do but he just lost himself in the moment thank yoba it’s winter. He placed the rag back inside the bowl placing it on the bedside he lifted the duvet up and over me helping tuck me in pressing a kiss to my forehead “you’re not leaving are you?” I ask trying to hide the desperation in my voice , I didn’t want him to leave after that. He seems surprised but shakes his head “no no I’m just— I’m tucking you in, I’m just gonna go get you some water and join you” and he did just that placing the fresh glass on my bed stand and gently climbing in the other side I cuddle up to him like it’s second nature which he gladly accepted. This all felt so natural and it didn’t take long for me to drift off only being awoken at the crack of dawn by my chickens and cows stumbling around outside the pros of a free range farm. Feeling the heavy arm around my waist and the gentle snores I turn around to face a sleeping Harvey . He looks so gentle even more so than normal, it was nice seeing him without his glasses so at peace in his sleep, my movement (along with my loud animals) gentle wakes him, he smiles a bashful smile as he asks “how did you sleep?”

Ya girl idk what this was I was supposed to wash my work uniform but Harvey brain rot has cursed me!!!!!

[utilitycaster]

What is the d20 meltdown about? 👀 If you don't mind getting into it

I literally don't know other than vague shit because I'm semi-avoiding spoilers. I'm making this nonrebloggable because we're in pure speculation country.

From what I have gathered, people are mad because I think the Bad Kids kill the Rat Grinders (another adventuring group that's been set up as their bitter, jealous rivals from the start) and they want...redemption or some shit? This is absurd to me like this party was set up as The Enemy from the start.

I am 4 episodes behind so I can't speak to this, and also I admittedly have a rather low opinion of the D20 fandom at large for a number of reasons despite being a big fan of D20 shows, but: I just by chance watched the scene that I would say counts as a point of no return for at least some the Rat Grinders. Like, actually some of the most villainous shit I've seen on this show amplified by how petty and small and purely fueled by jealousy the motivation is.

My guess as to why the D20 fandom is, per whispers on the wind/texting my brother who is caught up/talking to friends not avoiding spoilers, having a meltdown about it is because people have this idea of Brennan Lee Mulligan always making capitalism the BBEG, or occasionally religion or politics.

That is untrue. He does hate capitalism, and that is a theme in the (real-world-ish set) Unsleeping City, but ultimately the thing Brennan sees as the villain is a willingness to hurt, exploit, and dehumanize others for your own goals and benefit. Capitalism and religious corruption are two major examples of this, but in the end, the worst thing you can do is kill people out of a desire for power, or attention, or spite. What Brennan truly hates is what we on Tumblr call a tar pit.

Now. My much more pointed analysis? Kipperlily (and presumably the other Rat Grinders) are deeply entitled people jealous of the Bad Kids, who aren't as academically strong at times but who have leveled up through saving the world at least three times. How many people does killing rats so much that you hit the high levels of D&D save? or even help? Like congrats, you're level 14 from killing rats real good. These guys stopped the fucking Night Yorb. Of course they get the fame and glory, you entitled, self-absorbed little brats. Do you not understand how this fucking works? This is underscored by the fact that they've definitely murdered at least one of their own and almost certainly two (and a teacher to boot) at least in part to get at the Bad Kids.

And herein lies my feeling as to why the D20 fandom is really melting down. Because the loudest and most unpleasant contingent (which is probably why the server is, ultimately, shutting down all discussion channels) have always struck me as entitled self-absorbed little brats who demand precisely what they want when they want it (and also have the literary analysis skills on par with the 3/4ths of a stick of Monterey Jack cheese currently in my fridge) and they're seeing, in real time, that in this story, they're the villain.

But: I haven't seen the next 4 episodes and I could be getting the details of the plot wrong (not the first 15 episodes though, and I do not think the Rat Grinders are going to make the world's best Heel-Face turn in 3-4 episodes, and at this point they're so clearly the villains that to deny it is to admit truly earth-shattering levels of stupidity) and so: nonrebloggable. I'm hoping to catch up this weekend though on both the show and the hot goss, and if I'm right this will become rebloggable.

ETA: I am caught up making this rebloggable but I'm actually more confused, because as my posts indicated this was not even like, edgy. Like I assumed maybe there was a twist where the Rat Grinders appeared to regret their actions or something but failed to do anything about it, making this a little bittersweet? but no there literally was nothing, they went into the final battle still like hell yeah we're going to be the living worst.

[irrealisms]

that bright, clear line liner notes

fic here if you haven't read it!

the title comes from that one animorphs quote about ruthlessness. it's one of the things that immediately springs to mind for me whenever i think about s4 spoke. the fic is... not actually about that, really; it's about the aftermath of that. getting to point B and looking back at the wreckage and going oh, fuck. something that struck me in his newest video which provided a lot of the inspiration for this fic is how much-- in s4 he is so purely goal-directed; everything he's doing is always for this, and no matter what happens, his only thought is how do i spin this back in my favor, with no thought given to collateral damage or irl feelings. and then, afaict, as soon as s4 ended and he actually thought about the past year he went “holy shit that sucked so bad”

my backup title for it was let future historians wonder from, uh, burn from hamilton. yeah, i know. but this fic cares a lot about ... what you do and don't make a matter of public record. choosing to keep some relationships and conversations private. controlling the narrative. parrot ultimately taking himself out of the lifesteal narrative altogether. and on a different level, i joke about feeling like a historian in my approach to unstreamed events and relationships on lifesteal, trying my best to piece together guesses about what happened from a varyingly biased and patchwork record. and it's also fun bc, well--hamilton is also fiction about real people :P

this fic was very much sparked from conversations i had about the most recent spoke video; i mention this in the end notes but i'd like to give extra shoutouts to @void-chara , @myrmica , and @taiey for conversations they had with me about the newest spoke video. this fic might still exist without those but it'd probably be different.

something i've been thinking about a LOT is the way that spoke is deliberately sort of cutting a lot of himself off from the audience? and the way that neither spoke nor parrot streaming means that the NPPP, from dupe war to end of server, gets a lot more privacy (and deliberate, post-hoc control over the narrative and information flow, when they do end up making things public) in their fallout than, say, eclipse did. and spoke himself, from very early s4 until Like A Week Ago, just... does not mention the NPPP in his videos. in his dupe war and wormhole videos he has to edit around its existence, it's not just that he's making videos about other things, it's very much him making a deliberate choice to leave it out. there's a bunch of possible motives you could extrapolate there--i tried to suggest a few different ones in the fic--but it's interesting to me! this is also a big part of uhhhhh why this fic had to be rpf and not something in character on the lifesteal server.

i like the little character note where spoke is really judgy of eclipse in general and zam in specific for the amount that they are emotionally vulnerable on stream. and then is like "wait no shit i'm trying to be a better person". that was one of the first things that popped into my head when i got the idea for this fic

all video view counts are accurate. when possible i tried to check wayback machine for an approximation of how many views they had at the time, since the fic starts in 2023. in general i tried to be as accurate as possible but i'm much less knowledgable in general about anything they do off-server so it's totally possible i got some details wrong lol

it was fun to write spoke and parrot bc they are both so oriented towards content. in different ways admittedly but like. spoke is ALWAYS thinking about views. he cares sooooooo much about the algorithm. and content is the implicit motive for a lot of lifesteal but i don't usually make it as explicit as i do in this fic bc, well, i'm usually not writing rpf! but in this fic the viewpoint character is just. CONSTANTLY thinking about specific view counts, which videos do well, how well they do in comparison to each other, what affects that, and i get to really draw that out. my beta for this fic, @fitmc , wrote me a lifesteal drabble once, formatting, and the author's note of it lives in my mind forever. The posing of himself for the camera. The fact that Lifesteal players are as sweaty about YouTube growth as they are PVP.

parrot on the other hand is oriented towards content in a way where.. a huge part of their conversation where spoke apologizes is that parrot can't quite bring himself to be mad because. it was good content. parrot keeps repeating that, and it's... when you sign up for lifesteal you're signing up for people to fuck you over for good content. that's the job description. he trusted spoke, not only in the way where he trusts spoke's words, but in the way where he trusted spoke to make the apocalypse a good video for parrot. and it was. so in some ways it was only half a betrayal? the unforgivable line for parrot would be if spoke had done that and it wasn't even good content. (extremely normal way to relate to your friend hurting you.) but parrot's...still upset, because it is still a pretty major betrayal of his trust. and so he switches to making content where Doing Fucked Up Mind Games To Your Friends In Real Life is NOT part of the job description. (also a lot of other reasons, the obvious one of which is "pays better and more consistently without a corresponding increase in work". but, yknow, The Way Lifesteal Is is also part of it.)

also writing about the fact that spoke blew up when he was 14 is. well i already knew this but also. Oof. spoke in this fic is NOT thinking about this as horrifying at all, he thinks it's awesome, but i the author think it's kind of horrifying. fame in general scares me & i have a particularly ambivalent fascination towards the sort of fame where your entire life is a story you're telling. if you've read enough of my other stuff you probably already know this. fourteen!!! that's a kid!!! and while he's 18 now as of a few days ago, even this fic starts when he's 16, like....he's so YOUNG. it's fucked.

“of course” is kind of a motif here. at first parrot is the one to say it to spoke but then i had a vision and edited the fic a couple hours after posting so spoke now says it back at the end.

i think this is... kind of weird for rpf? like--don't get me wrong, i'm not trying to claim any sort of superiority over other rpf writers. but it's also very focused on the fiction they are creating and the process of it, and almost entirely disinterested in their general personae or in aspects of their life that...aren't that. what can i say, i have specific demons. but like...most people who have demons primarily about a fiction and don't care as much about the author's life, including me, don't usually write rpf! i'm not sure i would write rpf of anything that wasn't lifesteal, bc my demons are so tied to the fiction, but lifesteal is so weird with c/cc dynamic that ... idk. writing rpf of them felt like what i wanted to do to process my feelings around the story they created together on lifesteal, bc ... the story they created together on lifesteal is in many ways the same as the story of them becoming best friends irl. when spoke goes far enough hurting parrot in lifesteal, he hurts parrot in real life. they're not easily separable. arguably this changes when parrot leaves lifesteal altogether and removes "~ic, as part of the story being told on lifesteal" as an option on the table for their interactions but this only pushes it further towards rpf in terms of resolution for them & therefore also for the story they told on lifesteal. idk! interesting to think about

i wrote this fic in like. 6 hours. and then did a couple edits the next day. total time between "starting the fic" and "publishing the fic" is only barely over 24 hours. i was possessed by the spirit of rpf i think

i haven't actually watched any unstable. i'm sorry.

[zeno-zero]

Avatar's sexuality + gender headcanons:

What motivates me by making this is all thanks to this post! (<- love you op /p). I'll be sharing my own headcanons for all these avatars (excluding Salai, and Gun unfortunately - I don't know these guys that very well despite I already explored their wiki a couple of times TvT). However, there are some headcanons that doesn't exactly revolves around their sexuality and gender, and there could be spoilers as well. So beware of that!!

You can even share yours in reblogs or comment under my post! Happy pride month guys!! <3

Wan

Cis-male, He/Him/His

Bi, on the aro-spec (demiromantic)

Formed a beautiful, emotional bond with Jaya. Despite how different they are in personality departments, Wan has always adored him but has a hard time expressing his endearment towards him [Jaya relates as well].

In their short reunion, when they haven't seen each other for 2 years - Wan stiffened when Jaya hugs him tightly, he grins widely while a red blush slowly creeps in across his face.

They never get to spend time with each other as they used to though. Grief struck him greatly when he starts to bargain, there was so much time yet there's little he can do. There was once a man he knew, loved adored. Now, he was nowhere to be seen.

While he does enjoy each company from different genders, he couldn't let his walls down and be completely vulnerable towards them. The slightest attraction is immediately met with suppression, leading the other party be confused towards his nervous and timid demeanor.

He would rather die alone than dragging someone with him in this war he has to fight against. He still hasn't accept that the fact Jaya is gone because of him, because he couldn't save them all in time.

Szeto

Demiboy, He/Him/His

Pan, on the ace-spec (apothisexual)

Known in front of the public's eye for being such a honest man, there are some things he always kept to himself that he couldn't bring those to let it be exposed [he finds it quite embarrassing].

His relationship with Firelord Yosor has always been strictly professional but there were also some unresolved romantic tension between them both, in rare occasions, Szeto would have his clipboard be pressed against his lips nervously while standing close to Yosor, who would rub the back of his neck shyly.

When subtly asking if he ever wants to be in a romantic relationship, he'll respond; "I'll consider it, sure. I wouldn't mind to be with someone who loves me just as I love them as well." with a tiny smile.

..Which is all up for interpretation since he never specified whether his romantic interest can be a man or woman [although, rumor says that the relationship between him and Fire Lord Yosor are so much more, then meets the eye].

But with a well crafted image, and story - he is intriguing as he is mysterious in a way. People can theorize all they want but what they all had in an agreement is that his literature is fantastic.

Yangchen

Cis-female, She/Her/Hers

AroAce (spectrum)

(I am unfortunately not that knowledge about her, so forgive me if all of these are mischaracterizations ToT) While yes, finding Kavik, well, indeed quite attractive - there wasn't a time or the right place to tell him that she loves him.

Uncertainty has always choke her, never the one to be keen in relationships. The thought of being one doesn't disgust her but she couldn't prioritize it, especially her position has people always constantly need her attention.

But Kavik? Her future is unknown, there could be a hassle after a hassle for all she knows but him being in hers - him being there for every step she takes? Him for supporting her on? Him to always have her bring up to her feet?

It would be really lovely, endearing even.

Similarly like Szeto's case, its all up for interpretation. The world only know her as a holy figure, this divine and graceful avatar - Kavik knew the real her. They're the only ones who knew what's their relationship heading towards to, even if it takes so much patience and trust to rebuild again.

Kuruk

Cis-male, He/Him/His

Bi, female lean

Actually, he's quite unsure of himself if he's even bisexual if you considered his up-bringings. However, he does travel and not only learn about the elements but even their culture differences. It took a long time for his mindset to reboot (although the internalized homphobia definitely left a huge impact on him).

But due to his fights against the spirits, spiraling himself in depression, and never has the time to find peace in his later life - not only this dude struggle a lot with his image but can't seem for the life of him if he actually likes men or not. It is left with "I enjoy the company." statement.

He is supportive and understanding of Ummi, who comes out to him as trans (mtf) before they could start dating and held the same love to her as before.

He was about to leave the past behind him, and start a new one with Ummi - he was gonna be grateful, he was gonna be better not only as a man but as the Avatar as well.. He relapsed once she's stripped away from his life, and couldn't be returned back.

He couldn't hug her and lift her off her feet to spin her around happily. So every once in a while, he gets comforted and be embraced by Yangchen who witnessed it all but she couldn't remove the pain that Kuruk still has deep down inside.

Kyoshi

Cis-female, she/her/hers

Bi (canonly), on the ace-spec (demisexual)

(I am not interested in Kyoshi at all, so again with the apology - theres gonna be mischaracterizations 😭) Because of the way she's treated especially while growing up, she never thought she could be loved by someone romantically. I mean, who would love a servant?

At least, not until Yun and Rangi comes to the picture..

And her life as a content servant who wanted to live comfortably morphs into as an Avatar she didn't want to become! Huzzah! /hj <- okay but there was never a day she thought she could be dating someone who not only wishes happiness only for her, not the avatar, but is willing to be by her side no matter what.

She loves Rangi with all of her heart but a part of it wishes that Yun didn't turn out the way he is. She always often visit his grave, and contemplates that things could've been different - there were so many what ifs, there were so many choices that could've been carefully chosen.. She always bring flowers with her, and place it on his grave everytime. She still held love for someone she lost.

In her later life, where Rangi couldn't keep up with her. Kyoshi is there to kiss her knuckles softly, tears rolling down across her face. She is her purpose to keep on living yet she's slowly dying in front of her. She'd spent the rest of her life, thinking about her constantly. Reminiscing the past she has with her. When Koko slowly adapts to become her daughter - she would tell her stories about her and Rangi which makes Koko fully believed that Rangi is her mother as well, just like Kyoshi is towards her.

Roku

Transman, he/him/his

Pansexual

Struggled a lot with gender dysphoria (doesn't help the fact his mind is plague by self-doubts). However, his parents were kind towards him, and doesn't dismiss it as "You're just a kid, it will pass." letting him dress himself masculine, which he finds himself most comfortable in. His journey to become a young man is easy, and its all thanks to his loving parents who were ready to lend an ear to listen carefully about his personal thoughts and doing the best they can to help him (the projection is crazy).

He comes out to Sozin about it, and Sozin is happy for him. Although, he did find it difficult at first since its a new change and there were a couple of accidental slip-ups - its good enough to know that Sozin actually wants Roku to be really comfortable within himself.

But because he is also a young lad, there was too much unresolved romantic tension between them both. The deja vu is insane, at least, for Szeto (who had to keep himself in check everytime Roku is oblivious towards Sozin's flirty tendencies. He was suffering every second of it).

While traveling, and understanding culture differences to not only enhance his bending - he had some couple of hook ups there, and there. Letting himself relax a bit, and savor the moment as he is gently taken care of (mind you, this headcannon alone is coming from someone who is aegosexual lol!!)

Coming back home, with his no-longer low self-esteem - able to finally ask Ta Min out, to which Ta Min agrees ecstatically. Those months of dating each other, Ta Min is the first one to propose and Roku accepts it with a delighted, tearful face. Both partners are fortunate, and proud to be each other's wife and husband.

But oh my gosh, the unresolved romantic tension he had with Sozin is finally resolved when Roku realized that Sozin is down bad for him. That their entire situationship is the sole reason why the 100 year old war started. /j okay, but after everything Roku gone through, he couldn't help but maybe, just maybe, he pondered that there could've been at least another situation where he and Sozin ended in good terms. Firmly gripping the once artifact that is dear to him, is meaningless in Sozin's behalf.

I can't do Aang, and Korra. The headcanons are already established by the canon sources.. So, I'm so sorry for those who are Aang and Korra enjoyers 💔 There is always next time if I can actually think uniquely. Also, this is so LONG oh my gosh 😭😭😭

[lacktastrophe]

I read BCB recently, but Augustus and Daisy's relationship always struck me as strange. I don't think anyone ever told Daisy that Augustus was just trying to kiss her and nothing more. But it still doesn't seem to be treated that heavily, and Daisy seems to (mostly) move past the manipulation and the forced aspect of after the carnival weirdly well and fast, without any signs of trauma. Do you think there's a reason for this?

The kids do treat it seriously as we've seen in a few pages, but there hasn't really been a need to bring it up as often out of respect for Daisy, because in all honesty it was an awful and miscalculated mistake that she shouldn't be ridiculed over. But I'd assume the main ones were because Daisy rebounded with Abbey and has been largely happy during that period, Augustus had not been seen again until chapters like Pillow Talk and Total Recall, and many of the other kids had been distracted with their own issues. Despite this, it's on their mind as soon as they see Augustus as we've seen from pages like High Expectations and It's All In The Mind and so on.

I'd be pretty sure this news wouldn't have transferred beyond their circle either as we haven't really seen any of the other kids need to talk about it or whatever. None of the other kids would've tried to paint it differently, no one outside of Abbey, Daisy and Tess had interactions with Augustus, so why would they try to suggest Abbey's account was different? Everyone seems to recognise it for what it was; abuse.

Even Lucy, who becomes Augustus' friend much later and possibly knows more about the dealings of that evening doesn't shy away from the seriousness of the situation and cannot find the means to try and explain or defend his actions. The ends dont' justify the means. It was an extremely shitty thing for him to do and he owns it.

There hasn't been a real need to bring up this elephant as Augustus is mostly a no-show for a long period after the chapter that started it all. We revisit that night two times at most, when Lucy needs to talk to Daisy when she finds Augustus trying to talk to her in Pillow Talk and she needs to discern motive, and again in Total recall, ironically on the anniversary of that evening where through Lucy's absence, a lonely Augustus re-enters the picture.

The closest person who would try to paint it as just a kiss was likely Augustus before he realises the jig is up, when Daisy needs a moment before telling him "That IS far", and referring loudly to the more silent parts of the thing Augustus tried to navigate around; the psychological manipulation that preceeded it. But thankfully Augustus realises the jig is up and admits to fucking it all up.

I'm not an expert in emotional trauma — but I'd feel that Daisy might have found a way to navigate around her situation in a way that she can explain the reason for that night so it doesn't bother her as much as back in Pillow Talk; particularly with how Augustus had managed to confide and spill much about his situation to her before hand, she might've found a way to navigate through the experience as it not being him, as we've seen in Pillow Talk. But that isn't to say that there isn't some sort of post-traumatic stress trigger from the evening, as him just appearing does form some unease in her, as in Total Recall. She recognises she's liable to let her feelings allow her to be manipulated. She's got the same desire to care for something Like Lucy, but she can't lower her guard around him because of that fear, which is why she tells him he needs help, but it can't be from her. Whether there are other triggers, we just don't know at this stage, Daisy's been playing it safe.

I think the only chapter which might mitigate the seriousness of the whole situtation involving that night is Witch Hunt if you read it on the surface. But you can find people being initially demotivated from hanging around Lucy and Augustus because the latter was the deterrent, and the negative associations that came with him. You can be sure they sure as hell don't forgive him, but they're willing to tolerate him so long as they can hang out with Lucy.

[alasse-earfalas]

Dark Link and Cowardice, part 4

This is part 4 of my LU theory. This theory had to be spread across four different posts thanks to Tumblr's image limit, all of which I will link to here. Part 4 is under the cut.

Part 1: Dink is a Coward Part 2: Cowardly Powers Part 3: Two Weapons Part 4: the Curse of Cowardice <—you are here

Part 4: the Curse of Cowardice

We've discussed how the curse of cowardice affected the Master Sword (or, rather, how it didn't). So let's switch gears and talk about how it affected Twilight.

When asked if any of the Links have allergies, Jojo responded with the following:

"Cowardice. It doesn't sit right with them."

At first I laughed this off. Okay yeah, of course the Heroes of Courage would despise cowardice, that just makes sense, right?

But then I remembered Twilight's symptoms. And Dink's behavior. And I realized that this answer was given not to the question of what the Links hate or dislike, but to the question of, "what are they allergic to". Suddenly what I thought was a silly quip seemed to be a lot more than that, and I found myself consumed with this idea and wondering, "Why didn't I see this before‽"

Immediately after being struck with the cursed blade, Twilight still seems to be relatively fine (as far as his courage goes, anyway). He repeatedly insists on returning to battle despite his grave injury; so far, so Link.

But by the time Four and Hyrule reach him in the village, his attitude is starting to nosedive; so much so that it just about offends Hyrule.

Notice the language Twilight's using here. He's starting to second-guess his motives for his journey, almost as if he's wondering if it was even worth it. He's placing the responsibility for his adventure on his friends, his loved ones, and everyone else who was in danger, rather than himself. He's beginning to sound like someone who doesn't believe they have control over their own fate.

This is the cowardice beginning to take hold.

By the time the rest of the gang gets there, he's gotten worse.

At first we get a few lines that establish that yes, this is still Twilight. We haven't lost him entirely as a person. And yet, the more he talks, the more hopeless he sounds. This man went from, "I'm not going to die from a scratch" to "I'm not afraid to die" in a matter of hours. And this is a Hero of Courage we're talking about, not some Joe Schmoe!

This goes to show just how potent this curse is, and how potentially deadly it is for a Link in particular. What these boys have been through would have broken the spirit of anyone else. This is a harrowing glimpse of what happens when the Hero's Spirit, the Spirit of Courage, is eroded by cowardice. Twilight refers to this as "divine courage" later, so it's implied that each of these boys understands just how uniquely powerful their courage is.

Thankfully, Twilight does not remain in this state. Once he's through the worst of it and is on the mend, this is how he describes the experience:

I find two things about this rather interesting. One, the curse weakened and let go of him on its own. I'll get to why I think this happened in a second. And two, once the curse fled, it was no longer courage that Twilight lacked—it was power.

These two things seem to confirm things that we already know about the Hero's Spirit, and that were brought up previously by various Links.

Here's what I think: Twilight was able to fight this curse in the first place because the Hero's Spirit is, by definition, unbreakable. Yes it was rocky; yes he wavered; but all it took was the stubbornness and encouragement of his friends to right his course, to convince him to keep fighting, even in his half-conscious state.

Many of the Heroes (all to some extent, but some more so than others) draw their strength and power primarily from their courage. Twilight is one of these. Hence, when the curse failed to deplete him of his courage entirely (see: unbreakable spirit), it instead held onto him long enough to siphon away all of the strength that he drew from his courageous heart. If it couldn't kill him by depriving him of his courage, then it would kill him by stealing his power instead.

Thankfully, his friends were there to lend him both their own courage and their strength in Twilight's time of need. Thus, the group as a whole is brought closer together, and they've learned valuable lessons about the seriousness of this threat, even if they don't quite understand how it operates yet.

It'll be interesting to see where things go from here. Ultimately this is just a fun theory and may or may not be what Jojo has in mind, but there's so much evidence for it that I had to throw it all together and share it with you guys. Thank you for sticking it out through multiple posts for this, I hope it was worth your time haha.

Take care everyone!

[jedinotes]

The Power of Dune Part Two’s Final Act: Stepping Away From the Messiah

Stunning photo by Jack Davidson

So I didn't think I would be talking about Dune in my first post for this page (considering that I intended it to be more Star Wars focused and also since I haven't read the Dune books yet), but the final stretch of this movie has been on my mind ever since I left the theater a few weeks ago.

(Spoilers for Dune: Part Two)

It's strange in the sense that we are suddenly distanced from Paul, and also in that the climax seems to accelerate the story faster than ever before. So far (in both movies), there has been a pretty strong focus on Paul and a very deliberate pace that let all the plotlines simmer. It’s a masterclass of immersion, both technically and emotionally. The humanity of its characters aren’t lost in the many elements at play. Paul is a character whose empathy and how it makes him conflicted with what is placed before him make him quite likable. Spending so much time with him, Chani, and Stilgar makes us grow attached to them, not just because they’re the heroes, but because they feel real. And yet we’re pushed away. In the third act Paul's dark transformation happens swiftly (you’d initially think from how it’s shown the water of life turns you evil), and by the story’s end we only see Paul from a distance in the eyes of other characters, unable to see him resolving the concerns we’ve wrestled along with him, unable to get a good read on his motivations anymore. The final battles with our heroes happen rather quickly as victory over the Harkonnans and the Emperor comes pretty easily. On one hand this shift could feel unsatisfying, and the first time I watched the movie I was a little unsatisfied. But I’m not here to say this is a fault of the movie; in fact, this shift results in something greater happening, and it’s the most powerful triumph of Part Two’s story.

By the end, even when we do zoom in on Paul we're not sure what's really behind his intensity. (All the Dune screencaps are from Dune Perfect Shots 4K on Twitter).

Dune’s story up until this point, from what I know about these two films at least, is all about complexity, discerning the many variables, the need to carefully monitor both these variables and one's own behavior. The importance of mastering oneself. (This video by Alt Shift X talks about this really well, and it definitely helped me understand this aspect of the story better). But Paul’s tests, like the Gom Jabbar in Part 1 and the worm ride in Part 2, carry not just that significance but also the danger of a prophetic horror being more and more certain. Therein lies an irony - you can gain power but tied to it is something much larger that’s out of your control. This becomes pretty key to the whole story, and there’s something I was reminded of that helped me put all this into perspective. I brought this up in my first-time watch review too, but I think I have more to say about it now. But bare with me as this might end up being convoluted.

In one of my classes this semester we read the poem “The Promised Land” by Gabeba Baderoon, and I was really struck by this image that it alludes to called the Angel of History.  Described by Walter Benjamin based on the painting Angelus Novus by Paul Klee, it depicts an angel whose wings get caught in the winds of a destructive storm “blowing from Paradise.” It’s trapped in the storm’s momentum going forwards with no way to escape. All the while, its head is permanently twisted backwards, forced to watch the wreckage of the storm, named progress, gathering below it. From what we discussed in that class this disturbing image suggests that all the events of history, all that we do or achieve or create, is not a series of events affecting each other, but instead one ever-building catastrophe barreling forwards. Both the Bene Gesserit’s century-spanning machinations and Jessica’s usurping of it all by birthing a boy. Whether the Harkonnen house or the Atreides house controls Arrakis. All of these are merely before a future that’s larger than any of them individually; the messiah and his holy war will come regardless. Even if it’s towards her own end rather than that of the Bene Gesserit, Jessica still uses their propaganda to facilitate his rise. The two houses end up converging anyways in their family trees with the Baron, and Muad’dib Atreides embraces it, merging the two families’ ideologies like the Kwizatz Haderach was always intended to. Whether his sudden ruthlessness is him embracing his desire for revenge or actually a strategic choice after sifting through the past and futures laid out, we’re denied of knowing for sure as we look at him from afar, and this denial by the film questions if the answer even matters much. The Angel image and the movie’s narrative dispel the idea that we have the capability to easily fix things when we make progress. It’s a notion that renders reasoning or means as having little ability to empower, envisioning us all moving towards the same horror anyways. It suddenly renders all the complexity of the plot and these competing ideas and factions inconsequential. And I don’t mean that in a bad way — it’s crucial to what the film is really getting at.

"We're Harkonnens... so that's how we'll survive. By being Harkonnens."

“You of all people should know there are no sides, Reverend Mother.”

Now, it’s fair to question the nihilistic bent of this (are we in the real world truly powerless to stop to this continuous catastrophe???), but the Angel of History and Dune use the stories they put forth as cautionary tales where that all-encompassing bleak endgame are meant to deconstruct our notions of progress and control. If we are powerless to shape history, how strong is the power we wield? And how good is the power we wield? As we strive for “paradise” and celebrate attaining it we often forget what happened as we got there, and we fail to see where we really are. If the reasoning for our actions doesn’t empower us, the effects of them in turn are even more debasing. The Baderoon poem that alludes to the Angel of History does so to examine this too. In its discussion of the end of apartheid and the ushering in of a democratic South Africa, “The Promised Land” weaves in the legacy of the jazz pianist Moses Molekelwa, who, despite influencing the poem’s speaker’s attitudes towards social progress (and appearing as an idol in that sense), is shown as getting off the hook in the eyes of history for strangling his wife to death. The triumph of his music is remembered while his wife’s murder is willfully forgotten, and the poem concludes that “our forgetting is also our home, which is why we will never leave the old country.” Baderoon warns of when the celebration of progress doesn’t factor in the ugly parts we still carry with us into the future, and her allusion to the Angel of History works to convey that danger. (Obviously the real anti-apartheid struggle of South Africa is very very different from the story of Dune, and I wouldn’t want to compare them to each other. Dune’s exploration of complicated progress instead speaks more towards the dangers of charismatic leaders and the co-opting of a cause). The only thing I want to highlight is just that Dune, Baderoon’s poem, and the Angel of History all hone in on the need to not lose sight of the now. 

This is why the third act’s shift away from Paul works so well. The film doesn’t show people “forgetting” necessarily, but we do see them caught in the fervor without acknowledging what’s happening to them. Paul is an exception in that he sees it all: his arc sees him changing his perspective on the destiny laid ahead and taking control to ensure it happens on his terms. He doesn’t really turn evil, but since we’re denied of seeing past his new icy exterior as he looks ahead with his prescience, the film instead turns us back to the now, like the angel looking behind. We're with Chani now, the only (non-psychic) person who’s seeing this all. We already believe in Paul’s goodness. If we were to see what Paul sees and fully understand his reasoning, it would make it easy for us to downplay the costs. The story thus has us focus on the consequences of Paul’s path beginning to gather in real time, the Fremen being exploited as they are led into a coming bloodbath by their messiah.

And this is the sadness of it all, right? Things that were once honorable, like Jessica protecting Paul like she promised Leto and the legacy of Leto that Gurney hopes for Paul to carry with him, are twisted into foul and manipulative actions. Good intentions and real connections, like Paul’s empathy, his and Chani’s relationship, and his and Stilgar’s friendship, all give way to the storm.

The quickness of the third act’s events compounds this danger. The path Paul takes may be the best possible option after considering all the variables, but the story doesn’t revel too long in the glory of his successful leadership and strategy.

The awe-inspiring images speak not to just heroism but something volatile and intoxicating. It's not that the film oversimplifies the moral dilemmas at stake, but by letting the big battle, Gurney slaying Rabban, and Paul slaying the Baron happen all too easily, it removes the focus from only being the powerful exploits of Paul and the Fremen and adds emphasis on how they become like Harkonnens and how the Fremen become entrenched in Paul’s conquest. The Harkonnen bodies are burned like the Atreides were before them, and the Fremen Fedaykin ultimately fight carrying the Atreides banner instead of their own. They lose sight of this fact as they place all their faith in Paul, their cause and faith co-opted. It happens so fast and it can’t be stopped. We’re caught in the momentum of the storm raging, pushing us forward, and at the same time the film adjusts its focus to ensure that we don’t forget to recognize the consequences of Paul’s choices. This is what I find so compelling about this movie — we’re given a story that details the complexity of all things and also ultimately denies complicated factors and necessary evils of becoming excuses that wave the wreckage of progress away.

Hopefully this was enjoyable to read and wasn't pretentious or anything! Lemme know what you think about the movie!

[postalninja]

Fic Author Q&A

Tagged by @cicaklah - thanks babe! (sorry if my answers end up vague or unsatisfying, it's past midnight and i would be in bed if there wasn't a music festival currently happening outside my window - I"m not exactly at my best lol)

1. Why do you write fanfic?

It started from the desire to make fictional characters kiss, which is still a large part of why I do it, so let's go with that.

2. Which of your posted stories do you think about the most, even though the story is “finished”?

I don't really know - I tend to think about a lot of my stories pretty often after they're finished, I'm not sure that there is a specific one I fixate on. They all get a bit of time in my brain, and i tend to go and re-read stuff too.

3. If you could give yourself fic advice from when you first started writing fic, what would that advice be?

S l o w d o w n. Don't be afraid of big word counts, it'll take as many words as it takes, and rushing toward the finish line will just make the pacing suffer. Make room for the moments in between, let the story breathe.

4. What’s your relationship to fic stats?

Lately I've found that not looking at them in too much detail is better. Over the summer I found myself looking at my stats for validation, and of course, not finding it there. But the problem is in my head, not on the stats page. So they are just numbers that are there, and if I need to check something specific, then that's a useful thing to have.

5. Is there a pairing or scenario or friendship you miss writing? If so, why? If not, why not?

I've really fallen off of writing for Hitman over the past couple of years, with only one short ficlet as a recent offering. It's one of the fandoms were my muse has been fleeting, but the fandom is so wonderful that I miss being a more active participant in it.

6. What motivates you to write?

Lately I have a pretty hard time writing without having clear inspiration, so that's the most surefire motivation is just being struck by an idea that grabs me and won't let go until I get it down on the page. But that sort of inspiration is hard to come by, so I haven't been writing very much in its absence.

7. Why do you write for the fandom(s) that you write for?

In most cases it's because I have a ship I'm obsessed with, and if not that than just general love for the game (it's almost always a game, let's not kid ourselves) and the characters. It's hard for me to write for a fandom unless I'm at least a little bit unhealthily obsessed with it.

8. If you’re stuck writing a WIP, what do you do?

Normally I will take a break, and some of those breaks have turned out longer than others... I have a few unfinished wips that are an albatross around my neck, and I'm not sure how to go about finishing them.

9. What do you wish people knew about comments?

They are all an author wants! We want to hear about what you liked and why, and given the chance we would talk your ear off about our fics, so don't ever feel like you're bothering an author by commenting something nice on their fic, we are looking for that engagement and validation.

10. Maybe there’s a question you wish had been on here. What’s that question (and answer)?

What's something you've been excited about/feeling good about recently with your writing? One thing I will mention is that a few days ago I went back and read a bunch of free writing exercises I did for a class last semester that i hadn't looked at since - I had completely forgotten about most of them, but when I read them again the majority of them were so good! It kind of bolstered my confidence that I had that kind of quality output from 10-minute warmups where I wasn't thinking too hard. Like, even though I haven't written much lately, I still know how to write!!

Not tagging anyone specific, just whoever want to do it because I am too tired to think and decide :)

[theinternetisfulloftrash]

If you're not going to write another Coachella piece. Can I ask if there is any other Dylan story in the works? I love your writing ❤️

Hey there!

I don't currently have anything else in the works as a WIP atm. I am planning the final installment of Far Away From L.A. It's a brainchild. I know what's going to happen, but the motivation to sit down and type it out hasn't struck me yet. I'll try to get to it at some point soon. I have been hoping to get the writing bug back, but I am, what you call, a hyperfixation beast. Things happen in prolific spurts of activity and then entirely stop.

Right now? I've been hyperfixating on gaming with hubs and friends, so that's been time eating (for interested parties... Minecraft, HFF, and GW2). Before that? Art (sculpting mostly). Writing will make it back into the rotation, but I don't attempt to predict the way my ADHD brain will prioritize my creative/leisure endeavours.

I'll keep you posted, anon! Thanks for supporting my writing and dropping an ask! If you haven't already checked out my Masterlist, there might be something there you haven't checked out yet?

Anyway, MUCH LOVE <3

[culttvblog]

Number 6 was a Plant: The Chimes of Big Ben

You can read the introduction to this series of posts examining the suggestion that Number 6 could be a plant, here: https://www.tumblr.com/culttvblog/738540162388213760/number-6-was-a-plant-introduction Perhaps I should also have said in the introduction that I have arbitrarily decided to follow the ITC order of episodes for these posts. I still want to do some posts about the order of the episodes, and am reminded that Chimes of Big Ben this early in the run makes absolutely no sense from the viewer's point of view, because it means poor Number 6 has barely arrived and the Village authorities are talking about the remaining tactics that they haven't tried yet.

In my last post, about Arrival, I commented that if you want to see Number 6 as a plant, then his investigation is equally divided between finding out what is happening in the Village and testing its security to desctruction by trying to leave it. In Chimes of Big Ben he reaches the apogee of his attempts to leave by attempting to make it back to London. I am therefore in no doubt that his intention is clearly to test the Village's security, and he must therefore be motivated by rumoured excapes or cover-ups in the Village. He approaches trusted (?former) colleagues in London and tells them about the Village.

I would suggest, based on their reaction, that Number 6 has self-allocated this assignment. On the evidence of this episode he has not been 'planted' by British intelligence authorities, because they just repeat the same questions he has already been asked mutliple times in the Village. It is strangely comforting that it completely fits with Number 6's maverick personality that he would hear about corruption and escapes in the Village and assign himself to investigate it by appearing to resign and having it backfire on him.

He has made a real mistake, because his resignation has been convincing so everyone else in the episode, both in the Village and from Britain, is proceeding as if he has resigned and they just treat him as a prisoner of the Village. He has set up such a convincing cover story that he's then caught in Village security himself and can't escape! Perhaps he should have told someone before resigning...

This episode does reinforce that he is clearly someone very senior in intelligence, not least judging by the Whitehall types who know him. I would also suggest that in the scene where Number 2 invites him to watch Nadia wake up and he watches the various 'treatments' going on in the hospital, he is being treated much more as a senior, trusty, managerial visitor than a lowly new boy.

If you wanted to be particularly critical of the way Number 6 is going about his investigation, you could say that he's going about his test escape in a particularly cack-handed way because of his complete trust of Nadia, when he is resolutely suspicious of everyone else in the Village, including her at first. However it could be that Number 6's acts of finding out what is what at the Village naturally include trying out everything, including the Village authorities' smoke and mirrors.

I would therefore conclude from this episode that based on the events depicted it is still possible to view Number 6 as a plant, although probably a self-planted one, and his actions as attempts to investigate the Village and test its security to destruction.

A couple of other things have struck me about this episode on this viewing:

I really don't like the scene where Number 2 invites NUmber 6 watch Nadia waking up in her house. I frankly find it a bit pervy, them both watching her. The Village authorities would have some justification in their own eyes because she will just have been drugged and is waking up in a copy of her own home, both of which are bound to be traumatic. But inviting Number 6 to watch her is way out of line to my mind.

For some reason I notice that when I'm tryingto watch it thinking of one way of understanding it The Prisoner always makes me think of other ways as well, and obviously this time it's going to make me think that the Village is like a cult. In The Chimes of Big Ben this becomes especially clear in the art competition where literally every exhibit is all about the cult's charismatic leader, which is proper freaky.

Be seeing you!

This blog is mirrored at

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Archives from 2013 to September 2023 may be found at culttvblog.blogspot.com and there is an index to the tags used on the Tumblr version at https://www.tumblr.com/culttvblog/729194158177370112/this-blog

[internerdionality]

Can I ask if there is anything percolating in the Suffer a Sea Change series? That "pre-ship" tag is haunting me.

I am also equally haunted by the I'm Not Ready for Whatever This Is series. The impending poly situations. help.

Yes, you absolutely can, thank you for asking, and yes, there is! The latter will be out well before the former, but both are very much in the works.

I am kind of a classic case of ADD “takes on too many fics” kinda writer. Right now my top priorities/fics I feel driven to write are:

My winter exchange fic for the Sprizzy server (currently untitled, about halfway done, will be posted third week of January come hell or high water)

The next Stizzy installment for I’m Not Ready for Whatever This Is, which is going to be titled "Add a Flourish" (I was hoping for this next part to plunge into the SteddyHands but Stede wasn’t done wallowing in angst. Almost done, will be posted second or fourth week of January depending on how progress on the exchange fic goes)

Finishing Fuck it Through as a Crew (draft of the chapter is done but needs some heavy editing, also January)

Final chapter of Paid with Sighs and Rubies (about half done, aiming for late January/early February)

Always another chapter of my “Batman becomes a cat” fic, whenever I have time

Past that, things get hazier. I really want to get back to my Marvel time travel fix-it but I’ve been a bit blocked on the next chapter. I have a T4T4T modern GentleScribed that I keep meaning to finish but have barely touched since Season 2 came out. The next chapter of Burning Like Embers, Falling Tender is actually about half done but every chapter of that thing is a monster, now, so it still has a lot of writing before it'll be ready to post.

Annddd yes, the sequel to Soaked to the Skin, which is titled Cut to the Bone and explores Izzy and Lucius settling into Stede's crew and figuring out what Lucius being polyam actually means for them, while Ed wrestles with having lost Stede and Izzy! I have about 35K written for it, but most of that was drafted in late 2022 and very early 2023. I haven't had the motivation to work seriously on it for a while, I'm afraid, but I do really want to get back to it.

To be honest, I have some insecurities about it being not as good as Soaked to the Skin—I don't want to follow my baby with something that'll disappoint readers! But I'm hoping once I clear the decks from some of my top numbered priorities above (assuming they don't immediately get replaced with new plot bunnies, lol), I'll find the energy to focus on it again. I've had some beta readers go through the current in-progress chapters recently and they have been giving me some more hype about it!

(Although if it's the Ed/Izzy pre-ship tag that's haunting you, that plot thread isn't going to pick back up until the third — and final? maybe? unless I turn in into a quartet? — installment for that series, tentatively titled Struck to the Heart. Except for how, you know, his devotion to Ed is always driving Izzy's character and motivations. But they're not going to be in the same zip code at any point during Cut to the Bone. I'm so, so sorry. )

And then finally, down here in my purgatory, I have my "I swear I haven't abandoned you" fics like Unmoored (next chapter started, at least?), Dining is Pageantry, my three Good Omens WIPs, the sequel to Learning at the Foot of One of the Greats, the next chapter of What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor (I swear I'm gonna finish that fic one day, I swear), Praying on the Height, and that Rizzy cannibalism fic I keep promising HopelessScribe I'll finish :D

And below that I have my graveyard fics that I haven't worked on in months but really do want to go back to one day—the DC/Slayerverse crossover, the insane Dragonriders of Pern OFMD AU, my winter piece (from last year, oy) for Dragonmuse's Leda House series, and all my poor abandoned SuperBat wips!

[elijahkelly]

9/18/2023

I have been thinking a lot about death lately. But before I get into that, I need to do a brief update of everything that has happened in the last ~month since I posted on here last.

We passed one month since Brennan died last week. It has gotten easier, but I don't go a day without thinking about him. Today the school did a student suicide statistics display in the drill field, where they laid a backpack out for every student who has committed suicide within some timespan. They do the demonstration every year, but it never hit as hard to me as it did today.

My food poisoning graduated into a long-term gastrointestinal issue. I was getting intense nausea randomly, throwing up, the whole nine yards. I was losing motivation, my mental health was declining (not to mention I couldn't keep my Prozac down so I was essentially being forced to quit cold turkey until I felt better). It was miserable and the closest I ever got to suicidal thoughts in a long long time. The campus doctor told me it could be Hep A, but after some testing they thankfully concluded that it wasn't. The issue lies in the fact that they found NOTHING wrong with me. So that remains a mystery to this day.

I have been having internal conflicts regarding where I stand with my friends, particularly Trent and Ozzy. It is no secret that they have quickly become my best friends, but I find myself having insecurities about the possibility of them liking each other more than they like me. I shouldn't care, because the fact remains that they love me and I love them and we all love each other, but I can't help but pick up on things between them that allude to them being closer to each other than I am to either of them. A small part of me thinks that they are on the verge of or secretly engaged in a relationship of some kind, which is wonderful, but if that is the case then why wouldn't they tell me? In all truthfulness, I think I would be a little bothered if they started dating. I understand why I shouldn't be bothered, because frankly its none of my business, but I feel like there would be that irrepressible feeling of resentment towards the two of them if that were to happen. Jealousy maybe? Not at their relationship as it exists romantically, because I have Dylan, but at the fact that their relationship is able to reach a level that I can never reach with them? I'm not sure, and to be honest trying to verbalize it is really confusing. All I know is I have some messed up biz going on that I need to figure out. I need to start utilizing the free counseling that my university offers because damn talk about emotional baggage.

I found the engagement ring. Well, let me be more specific. I found the box for the engagement ring. I didn't touch it or open it. That much I refuse to do. But I know where it is. I know it exists. I know Dylan has a plan. Holy shit. It doesn't feel real.

Anyways that's been the main stuff. If I remember anything I'll throw it in or mention it later. Now on to what I was saying earlier about death.

It feels like I have been bombarded by a series of ridiculous and difficult issues the last few months. Brennan's death, knocking my side mirror off my car, conflicts within my organization, my stomach issues, my mental health drastically declining, the list goes on and on. One thing just keeps coming up, though, and that's death.

Brennan's death was sorta a catalyst for all of this. I have never been struck more heavily by the uncertainty of life than his death. I haven't been able to go a day without paranoia that something's going to do me in at any given moment. To the extent that I have been planning my last rites. I worry that I'm going to die with nothing laid out for my people to follow.

I don't have as much privacy as I would like to be writing this.

Bye for now.

[jenna-louise-jamie]

1917 as vines

[calypsolemon]

so sorry for not talking much at all about goldi and the bears (I love them also I just didn't have too many observations people hadn't already made!) but this is one I haven't seen anyone mention so hopefully I'm pointing out something interesting?

The story that Goldi opens to in the book of fairy tales isn't just a random traditional fairytale. It's a wholly unique block of text to the movie. It's the tail end of a story in which a "proper family" is described having a snowball fight. I believe this text gives us a lot of insight into Goldi's character motivation.

The text is a bit hard to read so here is a transcript (its a bit long so the rest of this post is under a readmore, there is more analysis here too)

Year round, the old park was the most popular place for this proper family to walk on through and take in the beautiful sights on their return home. It was also quite understandably the most proper place for a young girl to make the perfect snow angel, build a quick snowman, or throw a few snowballs from behind the dense leaves of frosted maple trees. The father was no stranger to snowball fights. He relished every opportunity, in fact, to remind his family of his many past victories. Every snowball that he made was shaped with great care and purpose. However, all his best efforts would be for not. For the little girl, tired of battles lost, was determined to claim her first victory on this winter afternoon. It was the naive youth against the experienced adult. The mother laughed as the little girl struck her father square in the bum with her fastest snowball yet. A flurry of powdered attacks followed, overwhelming the veteran snowball soldier. Laying still on the very snow he once dominated, the father now knew his reign was over. It was an exciting moment. The little girl began to celebrate. Hoisted up onto her father's ice covered shoulders, the little girl looked at her mother and shared a smile. At that moment, they knew everything was just right… … and they lived happily ever after.

Knowing this little detail adds a lot of depth to our understanding, here. She wasn't just projecting onto a random fairytale family she read about in a story, wishing to be some little girl whose life she saw as perfect due to having "normal" biological parents. She was being told by this story from a young and impressionable age that families look a certain way, and as a result, she came away with the understanding that a family could be wrong too. And considering her catchphrase and arguably, some of her behavior could be attributed to her trying to emulate this story, it seems like she has always been trying to make her life fit into this mold that was never quite working out.

And that's where I think the animosity between Baby and Goldi comes in.

It's easy to see, watching the film, where Baby might have gotten his dislike of Goldi from. From the moment she first appeared she stole his bed and his food, and in reaction his parents adopted her and treated her like she did no wrong. Papa also seems keen on joining in insulting Baby often in this movie, while there's rarely a bad word said towards Goldi. That apparent favoritism is a perfect recipe for sibling rivalry. But lets be real, Goldi's attitude towards Baby is incredibly demeaning, even for a sibling rivalry. Not to say that Baby doesn't dish out his own deep-cutting insults, and it seems like the family overall has a kind of playful-ribbing type of relationship. But Goldi most consistently tells Baby that he is only useful, only cared for, when his primary skill - his sense of smell - is being used in her service. Like he's less so her brother than he is her underling.

But this book gives us a more solid reason as to why Goldi is so cruel to Baby, and that is that the "proper family".... does not have a brother. It is not only the bears being bears, but Baby's mere presence which disrupts the idealized image of a single-child family that Goldi has been desperately trying to fit her life to. So she becomes bitter towards him, pushing him down at every chance, attempts to micromanage him the most out of everyone.

That's why its so important that she specifically saves Baby instead of making her wish in the end. Its not only her abandoning the idea of a proper family, its her finally giving Baby a space in her heart which she denied him for a long time.

[nixie-writes]

Hey, Hi and all the above! this is the first time I've ever sent an ask to you, I've been hesitating bc of social anxiety but I guess I've suddenly gained the confidence after seeing your posts over and over again (your stuffs so good btw 🥺).

super sorry if I mess this up:

I was wondering if you could do the Happy Hotel gang with a male reader who was a famous ice skater. It was pretty much their entire life and loved doing the dances, performances and competitions.

However, tragedy struck and they suffered a really bad ankle injury during a performance and couldn't skate anymore. With their main fuel for life gone they tumbled down the endless hole of drugs and alcohol before dying suddenly and awakening in hell.

That's it for the request, I hope you have a good day, afternoon or night. Drink water, the usual motivational stuff lol Thanks!

🕶️

Hello friend! I totally get the social anxiety, even sending an ask on anon can be scary as heck. But practice makes perfect, be confident in yourself and your ideas! I think your ask is really creative and unique, I haven't seen something like this before and I really like it! (And thank you so much, I'm really glad you like my work! I try my best ;;) Male reader was specified so I'll be using male pronouns, there are some potential triggers so they'll be tagged, all the good stuff. I tried to sprinkle in my own experience, a knee injury cut my track career short. I kept this mostly platonic but there are hints of romance if you look for it. TW: Mentions of drug use, mentions of alcohol use, mentions of injury and disability Under the cut for length and possible triggers.

Alastor - Upon initially meeting a man who danced for a living he was...Not impressed honestly. Many sinners landed themselves in Hell for drug and alcohol use, just look at Husk and Angel. - However [Y/N]'s injury was healed upon entering Hell and he's able to dance again. Hell gets pretty hot but some denizens have made Hell's equivalent to ice rinks and it wouldn't be hard for someone like Alastor to get himself and his new friend inside, albeit at first Alastor isn't expecting much. - However upon hitting the stage and doing a lovely solo, finishing with a bow, Alastor's surprised. He knows his friend worked hard as a dancer but he didn't expect this form of talent. He's impressed enough to join the applause, mostly because he wants to encourage his friend, partially just to get the confused and mildly concerned looks from other patrons seeing him in the crowd. - It wasn't Alastor's idea for [Y/N] to join the hotel, it was Charlie's. She was happy to see Alastor with a new friend and insisted he bring in his new friend for at least a tour and Alastor agreed, although begrudgingly. - It would be during a second tour Charlie would ask a few questions as to how [Y/N] arrived in Hell and he'd be very general with it. An injury ruined his career, he fell into substance abuse and probably overdosed. It was blurry. - Before Charlie could hound him into joining the redemption program Alastor pulled him to the side for a quick chat. "This little dump isn't just demon rehab," he would try to be gentle about that part, "she really believes she can get sinners into heaven. Are you willing to try that?" [Y/N] would think on it for a moment and agree, claiming he'd be happy to join if it meant spending more time around his favorite man in Hell. Even Alastor isn't immune to soft blushing and embarrassed mumbles. - Upon joining the hotel it can be rocky at times but hey, he's got arguably the strongest Overlord in his corner (alongside NA and AA friends in Husk and Angel) so, he's got the good end of this shit hole.

Angel Dust - Angel dances in Hell himself, albeit in a different manner. Upon meeting a man who also danced he got the wrong idea admittedly. It didn't take him long to recognize someone in a situation similar to the one he was in when he first arrived. - He's the quickest to offer a guy down on his luck a place to stay and [Y/N] is wary but grateful. Angel has to advertise the hotel (it's part of his free room clause) but [Y/N] isn't interested, he just wants to experience his old passion again. Angel decides right then he's going to help. - Angel's first idea is to suggest his own work but [Y/N] politely refuses. The next idea is obvious - the skating rink, or at least what's supposed to be one. He can't afford the best one but he'll empty his pockets for a night if it brings his friend happiness. - Angel is in absolute awe in seeing his friend perform. The smooth strokes across the ice, the spin-bow at the end, it's inspiring. Angel's got to try that next time he performs. - It's later that night, on their walk back to Angel's place that he asks what got [Y/N] in Hell, and he's broad in explaining the ankle injury, substance abuse and sudden death. Angel understands a little too well and again, suggests the hotel. "It's not exactly the Ritz but I can get you a free room and they'll get you off anything you're using, and you'll be safe." [Y/N] finally agrees to give it a try. - Charlie is happy to see Angel finally got around to keeping his end of the contract and Vaggie is interested in another soul to rehabilitate. Angel is excited to just have someone he can genuinely relate to, and a new reason to get off whatever his dope of the week is. He's happy to be there for [Y/N]. Husk - This man infamously doesn't give two shits about anyone but himself, however he's intrigued when he overhears some drunk going into detail about how his drinking habits got him to Hell. So Husk moves closer to listen. - [Y/N] has only been in Hell for a couple of weeks but it's been awful already. Yes his ankle injury is healed but the addictions followed him and he can't seem to get off his substances of choice despite how expensive they are. - Husk, knowing it's a little out of character for himself, decides to indulge and sit next to this new guy and probe a little. Cats are infamously curious. So [Y/N] goes on further about his dancing career, his ankle injury and how he spiraled from there. Husk doesn't have much of a response but offers to buy him a couple of drinks for the night and, in exchange [Y/N] can tell him more about himself, and [Y/N] agrees. - It's a few nights later when Husk leaves the hotel early to meet his friend again, he's been staying in some dingy ass hotel with rent he can hardly pull and Husk has been [Y/N]'s alcohol maintenance. He intended to see [Y/N] in private but a special shadow tagged along. - [Y/N] is up in his hotel room nursing a hangover when Husk arrives with a cheap bottle of rum and some Tylenol. [Y/N] is searching through his bag for his bottle of pain killers and can't find it, asking Husk if he's seen it. Husk just sighs and tells [Y/N] to look behind him, to which he obliges. He's met with a not-so-friendly friendly face. - "Husker, if I'm correct I've seen Angel with these pills. I don't believe they're pain killers." Alastor still adorns that grin but he doesn't look pleased and Husk genuinely doesn't have an excuse. He can't bail himself or [Y/N] out of this one. - "Initially I just wanted to see which broad of the week you were visiting but I see you had other plans." Neither [Y/N] or Husk are very happy with the term Alastor dropped. "I have other plans too, I think you'll both be pleasantly surprised." Alastor didn't await an answer before clicking his fingers and the world went black for about 2 seconds. Husk already knew where this was going. - It was against either Husk's or [Y/N]'s personal interests to sign him up with the hotel. [Y/N] isn't exactly happy about the hotel enrollment but, he can help Husk with the bar and get off the substances. It's a win-win deal.

Charlie - She'll never admit it, but she has a soft spot for people who find themselves in Hell for reasons that ultimately aren't evil, simply...Unfortunate. It's [Y/N] who would approach Charlie, asking about the rent of a room and the substance programs. - The two would have a short but sweet conversation. What landed [Y/N] here and what does he hope to achieve through this program? Charlie is sympathetic to his ankle injury and lost career, she offers him a free room and programs, under the agreement he interacts with others in his programs and [Y/N] agrees, signing the no-rent lease. - It's through this he would meet Husk and Angel, both of whom aren't exactly looking to get off their poison of choice but are in the programs regardless. Angel is easy to make friends with, Husk not so much but Charlie encourages [Y/N] to try harder. Husk is a little crude and mean, but he doesn't mean any harm. - In the end, I'd see [Y/N] getting closer to Husk, someone who will intervene in his drinking and drug habits and try to get him clean outside the programs. [Y/N] does the same for Husk, they develop a healthy friendship off that foundation. - As with Charlie, she tries to develop a friendship with all her hotel patrons and usually it doesn't go the best, but [Y/N] seems interested in her. Charlie loves to spend time with [Y/N] and others who will spend time with her, but mostly [Y/N]. She's happy to see at least one soul who's dedicated to her program, and she has highest hopes for him. She's already paid for his ankle surgery and encourages him to perform for the hotel, though she'll never force him to. She's by far the kindest of the group.

Vaggie - Vaggie is a strict woman and doesn't often hold sympathy for people who find their own way into Hell, like Angel. But [Y/N] was different. He could have been an angel, had he not been injured. It seemed unfair. - She'd approach him casually one night and ask if he plans to continue his substance use. He'd respond that he doesn't know much else to do, it's not like Hell has rehab. It was that quick, Vaggie has a way with words when it comes to substance abusers. She probably abused something during life herself. - Her first work is to enroll him into the hotel, introduce him to Charlie and set him into specific programs. She can't really stop him from interacting with Husk and Angel, though she doesn't want him to. - However, his interactions with the two seem to help steer him onto the right path. He isn't as stuck as Angel is with drugs and can still get his way out of drug use. He's not as hollow and self-wallowing as Husk is and can let go of alcohol. He can replace his substance use with something new and healthy. - With Charlie's financial help it's arranged to have his ankle repaired and he agrees to stay with the hotel and use his dancing career to advertise the hotel. Vaggie is grateful she's found someone who's genuinely invested in changing their wrong ways, and has high hopes for him.