#i mean i still like them and stuff Morty is still literally me but also like they rlly dont give me ghat autistic buzz anymore yknow

[mortysmith]

guys im not gonna lie i kinda dont care about r&m anymore😭

[angelyuji]

violent short-tempered yandere type characters

i cant remember where i got this idea. either i saw it on a show or it came to me in a dream.... alsooo im mostly basing this off of rick sanchez cuz im insane and i love my men crazy, smart, and old. im also addicted to rick and morty rn and im praying the next season comes out soon..... anyway

tw // murder, kidnapping, yandere stuff, treating someone like an object/pet (i cant remember the word for it)

they're busy people. they dont have time to date you or stalk u for long periods of time. they’re impatient and short-tempered and generally assholes. they literally saw you once and thought u were the cutest thing ever.

they watched, angrily, as your partner’s hand squeezes your butt. they watched as you giggled, lightly pushing your partner. they knew in one glance that you shouldn't be with your asshole partner. you deserved better. someone smarter, kinder, stronger like themselves. their fists clenched as they pushed past everyone in the way, seeing red. no one is allowed to touch you like that except for them. no one should be able to feel your warmth and see your smile except for them. they finally get close to the two of you and in one quick movement, your partner’s brains had splattered onto the pavement. your scream filled their ears and a sense of peace filled them. they grabbed your arm and the two of you disappeared from view.

you dont even have to meet them. one quick glance from you is all they need. they kill anyone in their path. anyone that poses a threat to you. anyone that even thinks about taking you away from them.

theyre mean to you, but all they want is to keep you safe. to hold you. to keep your love to themselves. they’re so easily jealous.

(like how rick cares abt his family, but he’s still an absolute asshole to them) (rick brainrot guys i need the old fuck NEOW) (i think i just love fictional older men who have committed heinous crimes…) (anyway)

the only time they’d be kind to u is if they feel like you’re pulling away or thinking of escaping. its a lot of hot and cold. you would constantly annoy them. to them, you should be seen, not heard. there when they need comfort, but you need to fuck off otherwise. you’re quite literally their pet. they keep you to entertain them.

definitely: homelander, omni-man, sukana, william afton, ooc rick sanchez

maybe: canon rick sanchez, ooc captain america

[vaguesxrrow]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE EDWIN X RECENTLY DEAD MALE READER!!!! I NEED MORE MLM READER STUFF AND ALSO I'M A SUCKER FOR THE LONG DEAD AND USED TO IT/THE RECENTLY DEAD CONFUSED AND SCARED THING!!!!

hii yes ofc ! lovedd writing this so i hope u enjoy reading :>>

edwin payne / recently dead!reader

a/n: reader's cause of death is unspecified aside from he died on the street, and also he has an apartment.

anddd uh i forgot that death usually comes for newly dead people... so excuse that inaccuracy please or explain it away with how reader ran away from his body

wc: 1886

tags: male reader, ghost reader

cw's: mention of death, panic attacks (all not detailed)

you ran, leaving your body behind you where it lay on the sidewalk, limp and as still as rigor mortis (you never thought that saying could be applied literally, but now it was, and wasn't that crazy?).

you were panicking, you vaguely registered, as the passerby's and the cars seemed to blur in your vision. people kept passing right through you, and you hunched in on yourself. even if you couldn't feel them (which was also a new, unwelcome epiphany), it still made your skin crawl.

until - a firm hand rested on your shoulder. your breath hitched, like you couldn't quite figure out if the touch was welcome or not.

"are you quite alright?" the hand's voice asked. you looked up, half expecting to see a horror movie-style ghost. instead, however, you were met with angled features that were sharp, yet softened by visible concern at the same time. the boy's brown eyes were narrowed, and his hair looked a little wind swept.

okay. definitely a welcome touch.

"can you hear me? are you alright?" he repeated.

you snapped out of your stupor. "oh," you said dumbly. "i- i don't... know."

he cocked his head to the side, sympathy in the way he pursed his lips and his gaze became gentler. "what do you last remember?"

"...i was walking. and then... i wasn't? it's kind of black after that. i was laying down when i came to..." your eyes widened. you meant to ask, 'am i dead?', but instead what came out was a strangled, "oh my god."

"it is important to remain calm," edwin advised. "i can help you."

you nodded vigorously. "okay, yeah, i could use your help." especially because your voice was getting an octave higher with every word you spoke. so much for remaining calm.

before you knew it, the boy had guided you to a bench and sat you on it, plopping down right next to you as he waited for you to regain your composure. his arm was around yours, securing you snugly to his side - it was comforting.

"i'm dead, aren't i?" you intoned numbly.

he sighed. "yes. but that does not mean everything is over."

"earlier... everyone just passed through me. like i wasn't there at all."

"it is lonely, at first. but then it is not," he said. "take my case for example - my best mate is charles - he's dead as well - and we have two alive friends named crystal and niko, who are part of the small proportion of people who can see us. when you find the right people, it becomes very difficult to feel lonely."

"charles, crystal, and niko..." you repeated. "and what's your name?"

"edwin payne."

"nice to meet you, edwin. and thanks for helping. i'm [name]."

"not a problem," edwin said. "my friends and i are often in the habit of assisting ghosts, although you are the first recently dead i have personally come across in a very long time."

"how long?" you inquired. "i mean, when did you... kick the bucket?"

"1916," he told you gently.

your eyes widened. "riiight."

you fell silent again. as you were contemplating your current circumstances, several voices yelled edwin's name.

approaching you were three people. two girls - one with white hair, the other with curly brown - and a boy with near-black ringlets.

"edwin, mate, we couldn't find you anywhere!" the boy exclaimed.

"yes, well-" edwin began.

"who's this?" the white haired girl cut in, looking at you curiously.

edwin rolled his eyes fondly. "this is [name]. he recently... became a ghost."

"does he know any cool ghost tricks yet?" she asked.

you thought you felt a headache coming on.

"[name], these are my friends. niko, crystal, and charles." he gestured to them in order of mention. they all waved at you, even if the last two looked a bit wary.

"hi," you said meekly.

"we were just discussing the events of [name]'s death."

charles coughed pointedly. "maybe give the guy time to process he even is dead?"

"oh! my apologies, [name]. are you still feeling unwell?"

your eyes darted between crystal and niko as they exchanged glances at edwin's apology, like they were surprised. it confused you as to why - he seemed perfectly nice so far... and very charming.

"i'm good," you told edwin, flashing a smile. "i just... don't know where to go. i can't go back to my apartment, can i? i'm dead. it's not like i could continue living there."

"i read somewhere that it's good to revisit places from the past," niko informed you earnestly. "it can be very healing."

"hey, edwin, you should walk him back to his apartment!" crystal piped up.

"hm?" niko cocked her head at her friend. "oh! oh, yes, edwin, you totally should. you're a dead boy detective, after all. go help people!"

you thought you'd get whiplash trying to keep up with the conversation. "you're a what now-?"

edwid stood abruptly, brushing invisible dust off his coat. "perhaps i will walk [name] back to his apartment. if you feel inclined to." the last part was directed at you.

"oh- i wouldn't want to inconvenience you guys..." you said.

"nonsense." he held out a hand to you. "we are the dead boy detective agency, after all."

you still didn't know what that was, but you trusted edwin in spite of only having known him for less than an hour. so, you took his hand. you couldn't feel it, but the imagined weight and warmth of his palm against yours gave you comfort, dissipating the fear and apprehension inside you just a little bit.

⌦ --

the apartment building loomed above you. suddenly, it felt so big and intimidating - you felt no trace of excitement at the quaintness of it like you always had before. the reason you chose to live here was the brick walls and the carefully tended vines snaking along the front. not to mention, it was tall - 10 stories - and sort of reminded you of rapunzel's tower.

"ready?" edwin prompted.

you nodded, and let him pull you through the door - which you passed through with ease. you knew you were incorporeal at best in your current state, but you still cringed, bracing yourself for an impact that never came.

"it gets easier, eventually," edwin told you, having noticed your unease.

"yeah, okay," you said. and you were convinced. "i guess it'll help having an experienced ghost guide with me." you beamed at him.

his lips parted slightly in surprise. "i promise to do whatever i can to make this adjustment easier for you."

you chuckled. "edwin, you are honestly so charming..." you muttered to yourself as you headed towards the elevator. another reason you loved this complex so much was because you didn't have to conquer the 10 floors with just the stairs.

how did ghosts usually travel up places? you had no clue, but you were grateful that edwin kept silent at your decision to take the lift.

a 'ding' sounded and the doors parted open, instantaneously revealing the door that led to your room. your landlady had been kind enough to let you paint it a lovely burnt orange colour.

"that's me," you sighed. "c'mon."

your apartment was just as you remembered you left it this morning. not that you'd logically expected any change... but the fear-addled part of you had maybe been picturing a ransacked room, band posters ripped off the wall and all your ceramic cups shattered across the floor.

"this is weird," you voiced as you drifted from the door to the couch, then to the small kitchenette.

you shivered, not from the cold - you would never feel cold again, you thought, a bit hysterically - but from the all-encompassing grief you felt for yourself.

"i'm kind of sad i died. i know i'm still here... i'm not gone gone, or anything, but i'm still sad. is that weird?" you turned towards edwin, who was watching you with an unidentifiable look in his eyes.

"not at all." he put a hand on your shoulder. "there is much more to be done, even after your living time has expired." he paused, seeming to consider something. "i could... i could show you, if you would like."

"show me what?"

"the dead boy detectives' office," he said. "perhaps it will serve as a distraction."

warmth spread inside you, touched at his thoughtfulness. "that'd be great."

"excellent." edwin smiled, looking pleased. "do you have a mirror?"

your iron-tight grip on edwin's hand never ceased its hold, even after the two of you emerged from the other side of the mirror. panting, you gave your insides a moment to settle from the very jarring travel.

"that was so cool," you gasped. "even if it was unexpected. is this what niko meant by cool ghost tricks?"

"quite," edwin said. "now, welcome to the dead boy detectives' office. allow me to show you around."

his hand was still in yours, you noticed as he led you to a bookshelf and gave an overview of the different volumes it held. you made no move to pull away - partially because you didn't want to break his flow (you saw why he was so proud of it, and it was cute hearing him ramble), partially because you enjoyed the contact.

then, he showed you to a shelf that, if you didn't know any better, would have looked like a knick knack shelf, albeit one belonging to an eccentric grandma. on it were objects ranging from bones (human or not, you couldn't tell) to the rubber balls you found in vending machines.

"these," edwin proclaimed. "are the more interesting payments we have received. some enchanted, some not. i keep a document of which are and aren't."

he picked up a metal ring, with a dark sapphire gem in the middle. "like this, for example. it isn't enchanted, but it dates back to the edwardian era. when i was alive." he sighed wistfully, and lifted your hand, where your fingers were still intertwined. "may i?"

you nodded, watching his face. his eyes met yours, and he smiled shyly as he slipped the ring onto your finger.

"i acknowledge that we have only just become acquainted," edwin began. "but i have never become so fond of a boy this quick before."

"...so, in 21st century speak, you like me?" you questioned, half-teasing.

the two of you chucked in unison.

edwin cleared his throat. "yes, i think i do."

"then you won't mind if i..." you let the way you leaned down slightly finish your sentence.

"please," he said.

the kiss was chaste and fleeting, but it was enough for you to decide you definitely wanted to do it again.

"was that okay?" you checked in with edwin.

he nodded quickly. "yes, yes. very much so."

"good." you bit back a grin.

"would you like to stick around?" he blurted. "around the office, i mean, and with my friends and i. it isn't every day i meet a boy like you, and i... think i would rather like your company."

"i think i'd like your company, too," you admitted.

he held out a hand, making you laugh at the formality of it. "well then, welcome to the dead boy detectives' agency." he said. "i, for one, am very happy to have you here.”

[glitteringcrab]

...So, uh...

...You guys remember how the most common fan theory about Evil Morty before S6E01 was that he was Rick C-137's original Morty?

Obviously, after S6E01 that theory went out the window, because it was revealed that Rick C-137's Beth died as a child (so Rick C-137 couldn't have his own Morty). In turn, Evil Morty's familiarity with the Citadel's Morty Market and cloning process and the facts that he was enlisted in a Morty Agency and seemed like he had no home to return to, point towards him being a clone Morty.

HOWEVER.

It's still possible Evil Morty is "Rick C-137's Morty", in a way...

...if he originated from a batch of clones that were created using Morty Prime's DNA and memories, that is.

Given that Rick C-137 created the Citadel, and depending on why exactly Morty DNA was necessary to bring down the Central Finite Curve...

...and why "it's complicated"...

... it's theoretically possible Rick C-137 used Morty Prime's DNA and memories to kickstart the Morty Market.

So there might be a batch of clone Mortys who were identical to Morty Prime in every way up until the time the series starts, that is.

Now, while I absolutely LOVE the possibility of Evil Morty being a literal clone nobody who managed to rise above the ranks through sheer determination, instead of him being "a copy of the protagonist"...

...I also like this theory, because of its implications on Morty Prime's capabilities and Evil Morty's well-masked emotions.

Of course, whether this specific theory is true or not, Evil Morty is still a "Morty", and therefore the above mentioned implications still hold true. However, we've seen various "small" differencies among the Mortys from different dimensions/different clone Mortys (eg a girl Morty, Morty with Glasses, fat/left handed Morty, etc) which open the possibility of Evil Morty really being more cruel or capable than Morty Prime. Therefore, those two having the exact same DNA, memories and personality up to the point the series starts would make the implications hit THAT MUCH HARDER.

However, I would absolutely HATE this theory if it were to really influence any characters' decisions in the show. I mean, I don't mind this revelation triggering Morty Prime's self-reflection or something, but I would hate it if the reason Evil Morty asked Morty Prime to come with was "we're the same person" instead of "he's also sick of Rick and has been kind to other Mortys and I don't want to be alone".

Likewise, I'd hate it if Rick C-137 was ever to help Evil Morty in the future and the reason he decided to help were to be "he's a copy of the specific version of my grandson that I love, the specific version of my grandson that I love could be in his place" instead of "this is a very hurt child and the creation of the Morty Market is partially my fault".

Or if the reason Evil Morty didn't try to kill Rick C-137 when he escaped the Citadel was because "he's my grandpa" instead of "his death will bring me no satisfaction, as I know from experience, and I have better things to do, like escaping".

Or if Morty Prime is forced to confront his own dark tendencies because of a metaphorical ugly mirror placed in front of him in the shape of an evil clone, instead of him pondering over the actual violence he has personally committed.

That being said, them being literal copies of each other would explain the following stuff, which however I want to stress also have other possible explanations:

The strange lingering look Evil Morty gives Morty Prime in this scene (assuming he already knew whose Morty he was a copy of, which admittedly we have no indication is a thing that clone Mortys know) (and his look could also be triggered by the anti-Rick stuff Morty Prime had said up to that point)

"There's our guy" (lol) (also possibly Evil Morty simply being ironic, given that "Rick had two Mortys" in this adventure, and that Evil Morty pretended to be Rick C-137's Morty for part of the fight)

Morty Prime's stats in the attribute slider (also possibly explained if all Mortys are actually smart and charismatic, which, you know what, they probably are)

The CFC universe Evil Morty is latched on could very well be the very Universe Morty Prime currently lives in, because I suspect if a Rick was to ever search for him using his unique genetic/dimensional/whatever signature the presence of Morty Prime might make it seem like a false positive lol. (And it would be HILARIOUS if he's hiding under their very noses).

ANYWAY I wrote this theory but I want Morty Prime and Evil Morty to be ACTUAL FRIENDS, not their relationship to be reduced to "he's a copy of me, so I'll be more understanding". I don't mind if this theory is true, I just don't want it to matter in the plot.

...I still prefer the theory of Evil Morty being a literal clone nobody though.

[cowardlykrow]

Gah, all this shout out stuff I'm seeing for my artist mutuals is so cute and deserved so lemme also do it cuz i love them 😔✨💛💛💛 [I actually have SOO many people i love and adore its ridiculous, but i'll keep this "short" by shouting out the very small circle I followed when i first started to make fanart 👉👈]

And by "Short" i mean im gonna add a cut cuz i never shut up :3c @booigi-boi ~the~ #1 Ted spankofski artist [no room for argument, this is just factual.] The way they draw face's and poses, and hair, and clothes, and joey in general is just absolutely incredible!!!! [The moment I saw her art I was just awestruck, and so ridiculously inspired to start drawing again that it's ended up with me right here now... so if you hate me blame her /J] She just has such beautiful line-work and an ability to create such expressive fun pieces, along with having such a talent of using minimal shading and yet making every art piece look totally decked out. Just!!! its literally all so beautiful. incredible. amazing. [Imagine this goes on for way too long and its incredibly obnoxious.] 🐐💛✨ [She's also just a very neat person in general]

@ricky-mortis [inhumane noises of affection✨💛✨] How do I even start? Their art style isn't only everything to me, but it also just has so much character and personality in it. I love the bold line work they often use, along with their coloring and just gah! everything made by this person makes me so happy every time it pops on my dash, i feel like it has to be impossible not to fall in love with their work! [Also have you seeen how they draw curt mega and all of his characters? god they are so brilliant and fantastic]

@szollibisz/szollibisz2 They have the kind of art that you look at and just can't help but let out a really dreamy sigh tbh✨💛. To me, a majority of their artwork comes off so warm and... nostalgic?[Granted it is probably because of the beautiful use of warm colors and also the time period that comes with Curtwen mostly... but still.] And just, i dunno man. i just really fricken adore this persons art. I remember one of my first thoughts being how much it made me think of those really beautiful short-film animations, usually silent except for some gorgeous instrumental soundtrack in the background... and, just, wow... anyway ~

[Does any of this make sense??? probably not...]

@its-short-for-jackalope this person is SO passionate! Their support towards the things they love, such as tinlightment and Pulp musicals, is everything. I also absolutely love the way their art manages to have this beautiful yet adorable style all while managing to capture the resemblance to the actors they are referencing perfectly! From their simplest drawings to their bigger pieces, i think they are all absolutely wonderful~ These people are just so crazy talented and i appreciate them very much 😔

[mazyb0i]

Someone on Reddit tried to say that Rick only truly loves Beth, and to prove them wrong, so here I am!

tldr:

Character analysis of Rick Sanchez from an autistic fans point of view, understanding his attachment styles.

He'll do anything for BP, if season 6 proves anything, it's that he'll die for BP. He literally admitted to loving him, which I have not heard him tell or say about anyone before in the show. When

he does say stuff like that it is significant. Bird person is the only character on the show he has been openly genuine with.

If season 7 proves anything, Pers is the only one that can sneak up behind him and grab him out of nowhere without getting some snarky comment, mean look, or a left hook. They both care about each other deeply, that is clear. Rick was extremely

upset by the wedding with Tammy. Rick told the bird person how much he respected him more than anyone, even when he contradicted himself by saying nothing matters, he wanted to be with Percy. He wanted to travel with him and spent every moment with him.

--

"Then why did you help me?"

"I respect you, and I wanted you to know that you could respect me too."

" But if nothing matters...?"

"You matter! You matter to me."

"Uhhh- Rick... the relationship we have-"

"I never used that word!" - Rick (denialism)

--

It's funny how after this he calls him a judgmental dork, and not something much harsher.

--

"Why the fuck are you risking your life for that asshole!?" - Memory rick

"Because, you love him."

"You do maybe, but I don't."

"Yeah, yeah, you're real cool. Now, come help me save his life or fuck off, because I don't need you.

(Very much so loves BP.)

--

--

"I'm sorry Rick, but we cannot choose the ones we love" - Pers

"You got that right! Why do you think I'm still fucking down here!?"

--

Birdperson mentions that he would be dead if it wasn't for Rick, this also accounts for multiple times now since he brought BP back to life recently. Rick has stuck his neck out for the man so many times contradicting his "nothing matters" front, because that's what it is, it is a horrible coping mechanism to ignore your problems and pretend they don't exist because 'nothing matters'.

Its a problem that I have and I'm working through in therapy myself, it's called Denialism. Because 'if you shut yourself out from the world and your problems, then nothing can hurt you, and they don't exist'. You convince yourself you're in control when you're not, you have the least control, and it fucks you up. Rick isn't truly and fully nihilistic, or else literally nothing would matter to him. He makes sure to keep his Morty alive, he constantly brags on about how he can just get a new family, but he has the same Morty that he's had since the beginning and sticks his neck out for him as well.

--

"No, Morty. Because you were too afraid to tell me. What we had was abusive, don't you see? I'm a bad partner, because I never made you a true partner."

--

--

"I was afraid if I jumped in a hole you would just stand there and watch me, you wouldn't even jump in after me!" -Morty

But then Rick in season 1 literally jumped in after Morty when he fell through the garage floor into the Schrodinger's cat void.

"Be good, Morty, be better than me."

--

--

And when Rick starts crying at his memories of Morty in season One, but he refrains from expressing it so that Morty does not become, as he puts it, "cocky" (denialism)

I would also like to point out I feel like in the later seasons he starts calling Morty 'buddy' more?? he's a lot nicer to him than he used to be, and just recently allowed Morty to hug him without pushing him away, actually hugging back. He's also stated that he respects summer very deeply, which if he says that about someone, it really means that he does. He sees his Diane in Summer, and he also implies that summer is like a cat, her affection and respect needs to be earned; unlike Morty's dog like affection that is just given away. But we also hear Rick say that Morty reminds him a lot of himself when he was younger, this implies a lot of parallels.

Memory Rick brought out a lot of Rick that we didn't see previously, a person who wasn't fully tainted by the lack of treating mental Health issues, coping issues, unhealthy attachments, and all the other things that led up to Rick being the way he is. he said his heart broken so many times, he's been backstabbed, he is very hurt person. This doesn't excuse all of his actions but is a very good explanation and reason for why he is the way he is and the way the human psyche copes with it's environment to protect itself. it's like walking up to a caged animal with a taser, these are his defense mechanisms, it makes him look like a dick on the outside but currently it is the only thing that he knows how to do on instinct for protection, and that's why he's in therapy. This is why I believe he's genuinely trying to get better, he can get along with his therapist more than ever, even if he has sly remarks he genuinely listens to Mrs. Wong.

--

"I don't like being told where to go or what to do. I consider it a violation."

--

"There's a lesson here, and I won't be the one to figure it out"

--

"I don't discuss problems, I incinerate them"

--

"It was charmingly analog. For a sec, you kind of made me like myself." - Mem Rick

"You'll grow out of it." - Rick

He resents his younger self for helping him and makes sure to mention that he "grew out" of his ability to like himself, Rick has some extreme self-hatred. it's hard to fully love someone or Express a healthy relationship when you can't even have a healthy relationship with yourself.

--

"You act like you're the one that got stabbed in the back!" -Morty

"Because I AM THE ONE, Morty. You wanna know why I replaced myself in the beginning of that stupid knights of the morning sun thing!? I SAID don't take the fucking sword! And you were like "Whatever", like I'm our neighbor Jean or David Arquette or something!! You called me boring! I've become dog shit to you! That's what happens when you let people in and they stop respecting you! They touch your shit, they screw things up, they KILL your fuckin family! Go ahead and trust them, you're gonna learn the same fuckin thing." -Rick

--

[teddybeartoji]

MICKEYYYYYYY WDYMMMMMMMMMMM SUGU SELFSHIP??????? MISU???????????? 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 I CRIED . IT’S SO CUTW I NEED TO MARRY YOU BOTH!!!!!! holding both your hands so very gently………….

cracks knuckles . anyway i have some questions 😇 how does suguru show you that he loves you? (through words or otherwise?) and how do you show him that you love him?? :3 do you have any pets? any regular date spots???

ALSO . which of his clothes do you like to steal most……. i know you steal them it’s okay we all do. it’s a sugu selfship staple . he’ll just have to deal with it bc he loves us <33333

ARIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII:333333333333333333333 EEEEHEHHEHEHEE THIS IS SOOO FUCKING EXCITINGGGG MISU IS FINALLY HEREE!!!! i am already letting you know that this uhh.. will be long lmao get something to drink get something to eat and enjooyy:333

okok so first things first!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! like i already spilled to you in dms - this is a little college roomie au okay. just a little 20something mickey and just a little 20something suguru suffering from sleepless nights together<33333 i am one hundred percent going with the literature major suguru bc oh my god that feels just so so fucking right. he also has a part-time job at a little bookstore/cafe place!!!! i often hang out there too just bc it's such a cozy little spot,, there isn't too many people and he gets to put on his own playlist!!!!

i think (saying this abt my own alleged relationship btw) we're not actually a couple yet yk?? there's just a lot going on overall aaand so we just do what feels comfortable. we're very very close!!!!!!!!!! liike i often sleep in his bed bc i sleep better when i do it with someone/ around someone. and this btw makes me feel kinda bad bc he still can't sleep.. i like to think that he might catch just a few more zzz's with me there but ahhh.. he tells me that he does too but he really isn't the best liar.

oh my sad little meow meow:((((( this is literally him but yk add a few years

ok anyway so yesterday when i was thinking about what exactly misu is the miguel series popped into my head. it's called rigor mortis and it's done by the lovely @/loganlermanstanaccount!!! i'm not basing misu off of that i genuinely think they're kind of two sides of the same coin if that makes sense. to put it shortly the series is abt a reader who is going through a very hard breakup and miguel who is dealing with grief. they're both clearly going through things but that's kind of what makes them bond and that's what connects them. i know your tbr is long too and you have stuff to do so i'll just pluck out a snippet for you because the writing is just fucking incredible. i was literally up every wednesday to read the new parts lmao this series was also one of the things that inspired me the most

this is a snippet from the third part - they were here, she says (sorry i had to take screenshots bc tumblr quite literally just didn't allow me to type it all out smhh)

this is just really reminds me of suguru. sorry this really is a lot lmao imagine asking abt a selfship and getting a novel back about something different pls this is the loserville way okay. but yeah i just think it goes really well with my little roomie suguru (and me i guess). different types of grief but somehow it's all the same.

AAANYWAYY NOW TO YOUR ACTUAL QUESTIONS😭😭😭 a romantic relation ship or not.. suguru let's me know he cares through acts of service!!!!!! like grocery shopping and just getting me a little treat every time he goes out yk? i mean overall we both do the laundry together but he just gets to it faster than i do,, he takes care of my clothes and his without a second thought. he really is a malewife through and through damn...

and i show my appreciation by being a little clingy. HEARRR ME OUTTTTTTT LISTEN LISTEN LISTENNNNNNN though he likes to act all tough and shit (smhhh) we all know he likes the attention. and he's so used to satoru being clingy too (btw oh my god mitoru as best friends<333333333333) so when i kind of follow him around too, he feels more like at home yk? it's not necessarily even physical touch, at least not at first but just that i keep sitting in the same room with him. kind of like parallel play. i think he really likes the company even if it's just the two of us sitting in silence. liiike he's having a smoke by the window in his room while i'm idk scrolling on tumblr on his bed and it just feels very comfortable.

another love language of ours is listening to music together. i think while yes i listen to a lot of pop too, our tastes are very similar. so taking the public transport while standing side by side while sharing earbuds is very typical for us<333

WAIT ALSOOOOO i am always always always here for turtleneck suguru but.. i think in my head..... this!!!!!!!!!! like eeeespecially the blue jacket one ohhhhh this piece of art has changeeed mee i literally cannot stop thinking about it i really really love the idea of this mm like streetwear type of suguru??? is that what you'd call it idk i'm bad with labels but yeah this is misu's suguru<333333 ari i love him sm he's so boyfriend i mean roomie. oh god wait i have more to say,, his style is soooo so versatile though!!!!!!!! bc while overall i kinda imagine him wearing hoodies (i am. biased), he still does really like turtlenecks. and he has his fair share of long coats. ahhhh he likes to switch it up a lot!!!!!!!!!!! HE'S SO STYLISH I'M SO JEALOUS HE LOOKS SO FUCKING GOOD NO MATTER WHAT HE WEARS THIS IS SO UNFAIRR!!!!!!!!

on the topic of clothes!!!!!!!!! i steal his hoodies>:3333333 constantly. i can't really wear sweaters so those are safe from me but oh... the second i spot a hoodie of his... mwahahaha it is mine now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY'RE SOOOO FUCKING COMFORTABLEEEEE WHAT THE FUCKKKK AND THEY SMELL SO FUCKING GOOOODDD LIKE I THINK I'M GENUINELY ADDICTED TO WEARING THEMM AAAAAA and yes just like in your little snippet.. he does kind of lose his mind when he seems me in one>:33333333333

SHRIMPMIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! REMEMBER HOW I TOLD U EARLIER THAT I LEAVE HIM OUT OF IT BC I JUST GET TOO SAD AT THE THOUGHT OF LEAVING HIM ALONE AT HOME?? BUT NOW ME AND SUGURU LIVE TOGETHER ANYWAY WHICH MEANS.. THAT I DON'T HAVE TO LEAVE HIM ALONE WHICH MEANS THAT SHRIMPIN IS CANON IN THE MISU UNIVERSE!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAA this is so exciting. he loves suguru so much. and sugu finds it so funny when i try to act like that doesn't bother me😒😒😒 and every time i let the little beast gnaw on my hand (he is feral.) suguru scolds me and it's uhh kind of hot ngl like he comes over to make shrimp stop while grabbing my wrist and taking my hand away yeah i die a little every time i won't even lie

now... since....... i am on a roll (rip ari)............. i definitely fall faster btw. uhm like stupidly fast but i don't think anyone is surprised here..... but idk he's just a little bit scary in a way that i just simply could never make the first move...................................... he's literally just so handsome and so great i feel weak okay don't judge me (i know you understand) buuuuut i don't think he'd actually take too long to mmm grow fond of me either.. he is not as strong as he thinks he is.

i also need to talk about mitoru as best friend i just have to. mitoru is always meant to be no matter what universe okay we are Connected. he comes over SOOOOOOOOOOO OFTENNN he almost lives here too lmao we play video games together a lot<33333333 and suguru does get a little jealous<333333333333 he's so cute. satoru makes so much fun of him btw and i try to.. not think too much abt it or else my heart will explode.

OKAY WAHH I THINK NOW IS ENOUGH THOUGH. ENOUGH OF BLABBERING ON LMAO PLSS MISU JUST MAKES SO MUCH SENSE ACTUALLY I KIND OF DO FEEL BAD ABOUT NOT MAKING THIS INTO A THING SOONERR AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR INDULGING ME AS ALWAYS ARI!!!!! IT LITERALLY MEANS SOOO SO MUCH TO MEEE AND THANK YOU FOR READING THROUGH ALL THIS😭😭😭😭😭😭 I LOVE YOU SOOOSO MUCH I HOPE YOU'RE HAVING SUCH A LOVELY DAY PLEASE REMEMBER TO EAT AND DRINK WATER AND REST!!!!!!!!! PLEASE SMILE LOTS N LOTS N LOTS AND PLEASE REMEMBER THAT MISU LOVES YOU SOOOO SO SOOOOOO FUCKING BADD<3333333

[thecoddaughter]

Jimmy's Memory Drabble

Y’all said I could post drabble, then AO3 came back! (Thank you, volunteers! Our saviors!) So, I probably won’t post that many, except the fully unserious and jokey ones. I apologize for the absolute nonsense meme this will be but it literally haunted me in my sleep. 

[headcannon this is based around: the Evo folk still have any marks, scars, and stuff from that world, no matter where they go… Also, out of everyone from Evo, Jimmy’s memory wanes.]

Scott sat next to Jimmy, checking for any wounds. Slowly rolling up his shelves and examining his arm, Scott stopped in silence. 

“Jim, darling, who is Morty?”

Jimmy blinked. “Morty?”

“You have a tattoo with a heart that says Morty. So, is this something I have to worry about?” Scott said, not letting go of his partner’s hand. 

For a moment, just a moment, Jimmy couldn’t recall knowing anyone named Morty. Just for a moment though, then all the pain rushed through his bones and a tear welled up. 

“No… he was a friend a long time ago but we parted ways. I always cared a little bit more about him I think…” He didn’t want to confess the unrequited live he fought for years as his eyes wandered over the hill to where Dogwarts sat. “You don’t have to worry one bit.”

The Southerners were proud of their connection, but there was always a lack of trust within the group. Whispers. Side teams. Jimmy was glad he was on a team with Martin and Grian this time. Maybe it meant he would survive. Maybe it didn’t… That was the thought he had once Grian was exiled and he grabbed at the extra life as if it was the only way to be. Martyn followed him out of the camp, saying he’d run away with him. Saying all he had to do was give him the life. 

“It could you and me again, Pete…”

Jimmy frowned. “Don’t… Don’t say that unless you mean it.”

“I saw the tattoo when you were building your tower.” Martyn moved closer, but Jim stepped back, grasping his upper arm. “It could be us again, just give me the life back.”

“Yeah, okay!” 

Martyn smiled, stepping back. “Thanks for that, Bills. Now get out.”

“What?”

“You can’t be serious?! You believed that?” 

Jim blinked. “I always believe you.”

“Wow, maybe that’s why you are always such an easy target for them.”

Jimmy looked up at the sky. “Don’t!”

“Whatever! Don’t come back.”

Jimmy squeezed his arm. “Fine by me!”

By the end of a long day in the hot sun, Jimmy sat in the shade. The blue flannel he normally sported wrapped around his waist. Tango slouched down next to him, resting his head on his partner’s shoulder. 

“You have a tattoo?” Tango’s voice strained. 

Jimmy looked down at his arm. He had forgotten about that awful thing. He had a tendency to wear longer sleeves, now he was just in a tank. The silly little tattoo was more heartbreaking the sentimental these days and yet he always forgot he had it. 

“Yeah,” he laughed. “I totally forgot about it…”

“How do you forget about a tattoo?”

“I don’t know… I got it so long ago.”

“So, who is this Morty guy?” 

The words hung in the air like a blasting potion. Jimmy scrunched his nose at the name. 

“It was just a joke between me and a friend,” He said but he couldn’t look his soulbound in the eyes. “We don’t even talk anymore.”

“Oh… Where is he now?”

Jimmy’s gaze fell on the poorly structured heart in the middle of the river’s pass. “No idea.”

Grian sat on the bread bridge next to Jimmy. “So, how are things with you, Tim?”

“Why are you asking?”

“I see you longingly looking toward the Mean Gills base.” 

Jimmy rolled his eyes. “It’s nothing.”

“Oh, come on. I know you wished Martyn would partner up with you. You miss him.” Grian poked Jimmy’s shoulder, right were the tattoo was. “You still got that old thing?”

Jimmy rolled his sleeve up and nodded. “I wish I didn’t. I always forget about it and every death game someone points it out.” 

“Is your memory really that bad? How much from back then do your remember?”

“You know the Watchers hate me.”

“Well, they hate me too. I remember everything.”

“That’s different, G. You are one of them. Same with Pearl. Martyn is blessed by the Listeners. BigB seems to not have any worries, they leave him be.” Jimmy pulled his knees to his chest. “But me… I’m the little bird they love to strangle.”

“Do you want me to get rid of the tattoo?”

Jimmy looked at the little heart and the unused name, then back out at the ocean. “No… It might just be the only thing that makes me not forget.”

“Okay. Let’s go find Joel.”

“Sure.”

[cherryfairytwist]

RickFic Ch6. Girls Night

(Tags: +18 minors DNI/substance use/drinking/violence/manipulation/sexual situations implied)

—- HELLO —-

—- INITIATING DOWNLOAD SEQUENCE MEMORY CLUSTER #6 —-

—-PULLING UP EARLIEST ASSISTED MEMORY RECORDS —-

—- NARRATION SIMULATING NOW —-

Astrid lay scrawled out on Summer’s bedroom floor right at the foot of her bed, the girls had all drank a little and were listening to snake jazz on Summer’s music player. Both Summer and Jessica lay on top of the bed with their heads hanging off the end above Astrid while Nancy sat in her favorite spot on a bean bag just to the side of them. 

“I know you showed us Snake Jazz a while ago but it’s still such a banger.” Jessica said smiling up at the ceiling. 

“Yeah Grandpa and Morty seem to have gotten over it, but I keep wanting to listen sometimes. They normally over do it and get sick of things way too fast.” Summer said also staring up at the ceiling. 

“So I guess that’s means snakes have recording studios in space…?” Nancy awkwardly joked while leaned back on the bean bag. 

“Well… yeah. Duh. How else would we be hearing this…?” Jessica stated. 

“I bet they look cute in little jazz bands performing.” Astrid said with a laugh, having already seen a snake jazz performance live.

“Oh totally. But I heard they were kind of dicks from Morty.” Summer snorted craning her neck back to look down at Astrid on the floor. 

“So…. The last few times you’ve been over I noticed you and Rick talking in the garage. Is he being pushy? I had a feeling grandpa was going to keep making a big deal out of stupid stuff.” She asked Astrid. 

“He just wants to make sure I’m not like a possible danger.” Astrid said reassuringly. 

“Oh shit! That’s right you went on an adventure with them right?!” Jessica sat up on the bed and turned around to look at Astrid. 

“You guys would never believe what a fucking beast Astrid is! It’s literally driving Rick nuts.” Summer said with an enthusiastic grin. 

“Not going to lie… it is pretty funny how upset he gets. But… he mentioned something about Tammy last time…? I don’t think I’ve heard what happened…?” Astrid said while sitting up and also waiting for Summer to fill her in. 

“Oh Tammy…. Yeah, Summer what did happen to Tammy..?” Nancy asked seemingly also out of the loop. 

“I didn’t tell you..? Oh right…I forget Jessica was the only one I told the whole story to. Honestly it was a lot to process at the time. I think I was still in shock about it for a while. Like I thought she was all our best friend for real.” Summer explained with a hint of hurt in her voice. 

“Tell them! It’s so insane what happened you guys like holy shit.” Jessica insisted. 

All the girls then sat up and scooted closed to the edge of the bed where Summer began to tell them the details. Astrid felt a slight sting of guilt as the story started to sink in. 

“So like… okay, Astrid you didn’t really see much of Tammy because all this went down before you started coming to hang out. She was like all our best friends. Well we thought she was. She turned out to be an undercover agent for the Galactic Federation.” She paused. 

“Like Summer told me, she ended up trying to ambush them at her own wedding!” Jessica blurted out. 

“Wait her wedding…? To that bird guy that’s friends with your grandpa?” Nancy asked trying to piece together info she heard in passing. 

“Yeah.. so neither of you were around when Tammy had gotten engaged to my grandpa Rick’s best friend, Birdperson…. it was kind of weird the whole age gap thing but I tried to be a supportive best friend you know..?” Summer started to ramble on.

“Yeah but like turns out she wasn’t even a high school student anyways!” Jessica inserted again. 

“We all showed up for the wedding and once they were in the middle of it she just pulled a gun and a bunch of Federation bugs just surrounded the place trying to arrest us.” Summer sighed and fell back on her bed defeated. 

Astrid shifted awkwardly on the floor thinking about how painfully similar her situation might be to the topic. Nancy also seemed to shift awkwardly in her seat, 

“So… was she an alien….? Or just a regular person but part of the Federation…?” She asked. 

“Uhg! NANCY! I don’t know!” Summer snapped back. 

Nancy recoiled and got quiet. Summer looked up from the bed and frowned feeling guilty, 

“Sorry Nancy, I just …really don’t know what the fuck is up with Tammy. She lied the whole time. How should I know?” She looked over to the liquor bottle she had stolen from Rick on her desk and pointed at it. 

“Here.” Astrid reached over and picked it up, she then handed the bottle over to Summer. 

“Well good thing you got out of it! And didn’t you say Tammy stopped hunting your family now?” Jessica asked optimistically. 

“Yeah. Apparently the new bug leaders don’t mess with Rick so he won’t mess with them. But I think Space mom still is fighting against the federation. So…I’m sure they fight all the time.” She said plainly, clearly tired of the topic already. 

She took a few swigs of the bottle and passed it to Jessica. 

“Okay… fuck this depressing shit! Let’s get the vibe back! Come on Nancy, have some!” Jessica then pushed the bottle into Nancy’s hand.

Nancy hesitated but changed her mind after seeing how sad Summer looked. She took a swig and her face made a disgusted look. 

“WOO! NANCY!!” All of them shouted in surprise. 

“Okay let’s get some good vibes cranked up!” Summer said trying to hype herself up. 

She got up and walked over to the music player to change the music, changing it to one of her favorite current radio songs. 

“Hell yeah! I love Megan the Stallion!” She yelled. 

All the girls started to get up dancing around the room and passing the bottle back and forth. After a few more swigs Astrid felt like she needed a breather, 

“I’ll be RIIIIGHT back y’all! I gotta go piss.” She said trying sound playful. 

“Don’t fall in!” Summer called to her as she slipped out into the hallway. 

Once in the hallway alone Astrid took a deep breath. She started to feel the guilt of her identity weigh down even harder. She briefly debated the idea of telling Summer the truth but ultimately shook it out of her thoughts again. There was no way telling any of the Smiths would be a good idea. She grappled around in her jacket and pulled out her bowl and lighter. She then silently snuck downstairs and out the den sliding door to the backyard. She sparked up and took a deep hit. If she couldn’t be honest at least she could be high. She exhaled another puff of smoke and felt her eyes get dry. The song “I Can’t Escape Myself” by The Sound played in her earbuds. She stood there looking out at the yard thinking about the situation. If she just kept up the act she was playing maybe things would turn out fine. They all had awareness she wasn’t quite normal. She could continue to micro-dose them with information. That way she wouldn’t be lying right? They could just slowly get to know the real her? But until when? Until she finally got the order to go after Rick? Until the order was given for a new mission elsewhere? She rubbed her face in frustration. Astrid had rarely come across situations that made her want to blow her cover. 

“Fuck I should have just stayed out of it..” she whispered to no one in particular. 

A loud clanging came from the garage and she snapped back into alertness. The distant yelling of Rick from the garage signaled to Astrid that he and Morty had returned from their duo mission. Astrid quickly put out her pipe and snuck back through the house quietly up to Summer’s room again. Before entering, Astrid waited outside the door to see if she could hear anything being said. She stood with her back against the wall, one ear towards the room and one towards the top of the staircase. 

“Haha! Omg! Brad was totally hitting on you in gym class!! SHUT UPPP ITS OBVIOUS!” Jessica screeched from inside the room. 

“Y-you know Rick, y-you can’t keep doing that type of shit and always expecting it to work!!” Morty also shouted in frustration at Rick from downstairs. 

“C-come on MORTY!! It worked didn’t it?!” He demanded back. 

“D-did you have an aneurism!? WE ALMOST DIED!!” Morty screamed back as he started to storm over to the stairs. 

Astrid having heard enough, opened the room door and joined the girls again. She walked in just as Nancy was wrestling Jessica back for her phone. 

“No don’t!!” Nancy pleaded to Jessica. 

“WHAT?! He’s never going to make a move if you never talk to him!!” Jessica playfully yanked the phone back and continued to text something into the phone. 

Astrid snorted and sat down on the bed next to Summer who was clearly buzzed at this point, laughing at the girls bickering. 

“You know what? This is the perfect time to play some truth or dare.” Summer wiggled her eyebrows while an evil smile curled around on her face. 

“Noooo!” Nancy pleaded. 

“YES!” Summer and Jessica pressed. 

They both pulled Nancy back down onto the beanbag while they situated themselves on either side of her on the floor. Summer then looked up at Astrid and patted the ground indicating for her to join them on the floor. 

Right as Astrid walked over she heard a very delayed creak from the stairs. She instantly knew by then Morty should be in his room by now unless he had stopped to listen in on the girls. She then heard his footsteps quickly pass the door to his room followed by a loud slam of his door shutting. Astrid wanted to laugh but kept it to herself as she joined the girls back on the floor. 

“Okay we can all go in a circle asking the other group members what they’d choose. So like I’ll ask all three of you which you choose, I’ll come up with something for each of you and then it’s the next person’s turn to ask.” She said with mischievous intent. 

“Please you guys….! Don’t make it too bad…” Nancy insisted again but more defeated this time. 

“Uhg fine. I’ll start you off with an easy round Nancy but you better get with it as we play longer!” Summer said rolling her eyes.

“So you three choose! Truth or dare?!” Summer asked arching her eyebrows. 

“Dare!” Jessica said confidently. 

“Truth!” Nancy said covering her face with her hands. 

“Dare.” Astrid said calmly. 

“Ooo, great start! Jessica, I dare you to message Thomas and tell him your waisted! Nancy… oh! NANCY DO YOU LIKE BRAD?! Yes or no?!” Summer screeched. 

Jessica giggled and proceeded to text Thomas exactly as Summer instructed. Nancy’s face quickly turned red as she kept her hands glued to her face. 

“I… umm… I don’t know….. I guess he is pretty cute…” Nancy struggled to let out. 

“GOD WE KNEW IT!” Jessica and Summer both chimed in. 

Everyone proceeded to pass the bottle around again. Just as they were all settling down again Astrid heard a small creak coming from the hall near Morty’s room. He must have gotten curious about the game the girls were playing. But then Astrid’s attention was quickly snapped back to the girls as Summer set her sights on Astrid.

“Okay Astrid. I…. Umm.. DARE you to go snatch another liquor bottle from Rick’s garage without being caught!” She blurted out.

“Uh…you sure? Won’t your grandad get pissed at you if he finds out…?” Astrid checked before getting up to go through with it. 

“Um… yeah. It’ll be fine! If he catches you and gets super mad just blame me. He’ll get annoyed but he knows we’re just having a bit of fun. Worst case scenario he’ll make me do chores for him for a week.” She thought through for a second. 

Astrid got up and rolled her eyes at the door for a second, not wanting to cause more problems causing Rick to dislike her. But she looked over and saw Summer’s curious face. Astrid wondered if this was some kind of test with a deeper meaning. If it was, then of course she had to get on Summer’s good side. That way, no matter how much Rick wanted to bitch about Astrid coming on missions, it wouldn’t matter because Summer and Morty would still want her around. 

“Umm okay….! But y’all need to keep being loud up here so he doesn’t suspect anything weird is going on.” She said trying to cover her reluctance. 

“Yeah yeah! We got it! We will play the next round and you can just catch up once you get back!” Jessica reassured. 

Astrid then turned and opened the door quietly, hearing a shuffling in the hallway, she assumed it was Morty. She closed the door behind her and stood silent for a second until the girls all started chatting loudly again. She looked over towards Morty’s door which she noticed was ajar. She knew this would be the perfect opportunity to get in good with him as well by making him feel included. She knew he wouldn’t question her weird behavior if she didn’t question his. 

“Morty!” She whispered, “I know you’re there, come out for a second.” 

Morty quickly popped his head out shyly with wide eyes expecting to be made fun of. Astrid motioned to him silently to come closer. 

“H-hey Astrid… uh.. I swear I wasn’t like-….” He tried to explain himself but was cut off.

“Morty would you do me a solid and help me with this dare?” She asked plainly and unbothered by his obvious spying. 

“Oh! Uh… yeah! Of course! W-what do y-you need me to do…?” He said now enthusiastic after not being made fun of. 

“Okay so I know this might be asking a lot… but Summer dared me to snatch a bottle from your grandad. Could you maybe distract him away from the garage just long enough for me to get in and out?” Astrid asked in hopes of Morty playing into her plan. 

Morty rubbed his neck awkwardly while thinking and then looked up at Astrid. “Y-yeah… I think I could do that. How long do you need..?” 

“Hmm.. he has those beers in his mini fridge right…? Where does he keep the liquor bottles?” She thought about how long it might take her to find said items. 

“Oh uh, he has some under his work bench in the shelves sometimes… he has a whole liquor room under the garage in the basement lab but you’d need the code for that….” He said hesitantly. 

“Wait…. There is an underground lab under the garage….?” Astrid’s curiosity was peeked, she wanted to grin but acted as if it was no big deal. “Wait- of course he does. Why am I even surprised?” She said waving away the new information. 

“Look, don’t worry about that.” She quickly said to Morty to keep him from feeling uneasy. “I’m not going to ask for the codes. Just distract him long enough for me to check the shelves and we’re good.” She said making up her mind. 

“Okay! I-I got you!” Morty said confidently before rushing down the stairs. 

Astrid quickly followed behind him hiding against the wall in the dining room to wait. 

She heard Morty open the garage door and call out for Rick. But instead of his voice coming from the garage it came from a different part of the house Astrid hadn’t been before. 

“M-Morty! I’m in my room.” He shouted from down the hall. 

Morty quickly ran in the direction of his Grandfather through the dining room, giving a determined nod to Astrid as he passed her. Astrid then slinked over to the garage quickly leaving the door slightly cracked behind her. She went over to Rick’s work bench and started opening shelves. She spotted a single liquor bottle that had fallen over behind a few nondescript boxes and containers of sci-fi junk. She snatched it and closed all the shelves behind her. She pulled it up and noticed the bottle was already half empty. She sighed and decided it would have to do. Astrid then walked over to the door and listened to hear what might be on the other side. She heard Morty stuttering trying to grab Rick’s attention as footsteps got closer to the door. She quickly holds her breath while pressed up against the shelf next to the door, trying to make herself as flat as possible. With a quick jolt the door sprung open and Rick stomped through into the garage right over to his work bench. Morty caught a glimpse of Astrid as he scuffled in behind Rick. His eyes went wide but Astrid held a finger to her lips indicating for Morty to keep quiet and calm. He quickly nodded and rushed over to the other side of Rick near his work bench striking up a loud and distracting conversation. Astrid slipped out quickly just as she heard the two of them start to bicker over the mission they had just gone on. Something about Seahorses and how the men got pregnant…. She shook her head and rushed back up the staircase to Summer’s room. Once inside she presented the bottle to the three girls with an awkward grin. 

“Aww only half…? Eh that’s grandpa for you.” Summer said after being met with the sight. 

“Yeah… honestly Summer, I get that those dares might be fun for you guys but.. I don’t know… I feel like I’m a little too old to be doing stuff like that if you don’t mind.” Astrid said playing with her hair casually in hopes of guiding Summer away from giving her immature dares. 

“Oh right…. Uh sorry Astrid. Sometimes I forget you probably don’t want to do those kinds of things cause they’re stupid…” she said embraced. 

“Hey! It’s okay! Just keep in mind it’s a little weird for me, technically I’m kind of a teacher so I don’t know…. Maybe I’ll stick to truth more in the next few rounds.” 

“Yeah okay! If you do pick dare I’ll think about something more fitting next time.” Summer said feeling more relaxed now that Astrid seemed chill about it.

The girls all continued on with their game. Astrid mostly stuck to choosing “truth” in hopes of not being asked to mess with Rick’s stuff again. But this too quickly made her stick to giving vague information about herself. Such as: 

“First crush!?” Nancy asked shyly. 

“Um… a boy in the same program as me. He gave me my listening earbuds…. He got me really into music I guess you could say….?” Astrid struggled to admit without giving too much information. 

“Program? Like as in when you went to school..?” Summer asked confused. 

“Uh… yeah. Our schooling…” Astrid squeezed out a little white lie that wasn’t exactly inaccurate. 

After a few more rounds of chugging from the bottle and the girls started to get real spicy with their questions. Suddenly it was Astrid’s turn to answer another question truthfully. 

“Who was your last relationship or fling? And how was it?!” Jessica giggled asking Astrid. 

All the girls looked at her curiously wanting to know more about the mysterious life of Astrid. 

“Well… I’m not sure what to call it exactly… “ she awkwardly pondered still feeling the sting of the past situation. 

A creak was heard outside the door of Summer’s room in the hall, Astrid instantly knew Morty had been listening the whole time. She rubbed her face in frustration and decided to get it over with. 

“I guess it was more of a fling…. She was my ex co-worker… Reagan. My agency sent me to partner with their company and so I guess some of her office buddies kind of thought it would be funny to meddle with our relationship… things just got sticky I guess. It’s like weird trying to explain all that… but basically it ended off confusing.” Astrid said while looking up at the ceiling thinking about it. 

“Agency…? Company…? What did you do-?” Nancy asked before being interrupted by Summer.

“YIKES….I totally hear you. You know… that’s honestly how I felt after me and Ethan’s relationship. It just got so messy and confusing… I mean we were both younger and I guess what’s how teen relationships go…?“ Summer rambled on not paying attention in an attempt to relate to Astrid. 

“I remember that! Honestly Summer you were way too good for him anyway. He was kind of a loser.” Jessica input. 

“So I guess it’s my turn to ask you all Truth or Dare?” Astrid hurriedly asked hoping Nancy’s questions would be forgotten about. 

“Okay since we’ve been doing a lot of dares already I guess I’ll choose truth this time!” Summer answered. 

“Not me, I want another Dare!” Jessica quickly replied.

“Um…. I guess since Astrid did a dare she didn’t want to do earlier I’ll choose dare too…” Nancy said having a bit of courage. 

“Oooooo!!” All the girls cooed at her proudly. 

“Okay okay! Hmm… Jessica I dare you to tell us who you have a crush on.” Astrid said thinking of something that seemed pretty simple. 

“Well… I’ve already told Summer but I think her dad Jerry is kinda hot-“ Jessica said in a suggestive tone before Summer interrupted her with a scream. 

“EWWW STOP JESSICA NO!!” She screamed while shoving two pillows against her ears in disgust. 

“Ewww…..!” Both Astrid and Nancy chimed in. 

“Oh whatever!! Obviously both your two moms seem to like him for the same reasons!!” Jessica huffed. 

“Yeah but like….. they’re all adults! You’re way too young!” Astrid said slapping her hand against her forehead in disbelief. 

“Uhg come on! Like… I know that! Calm down old lady!” Jessica defensively joked back at Astrid. 

“Hey! I’m not that old……! I’m probably only a little younger than Jerry!” Astrid laughed while wiggling her eyebrows at Jessica. 

All the girls erupted into laughter as Jessica snatched one of the pillows from Summer. She then playfully started hitting all of them with it. While the laughter died down. Astrid quickly took a peek at the bedroom door and noticed a little shadow underneath it in the hallway. Like she had thought, Morty must have been quietly listening in still.  

“Hey Nancy, I dare you to like a photo on Brad’s instagram. You know his insta don’t you?!” She said with a laugh, thinking about how silly this was. 

“Wait…. What if he thinks I’m creeping on him??” She asked looking back embarrassed. 

“Nancy! Brad has already flirted with you! If he wonders how you found his insta just say it popped up on you recommend accounts.” Summer snickered. 

The girls all silently waited and watched Nancy go to his profile on her phone and like the most recent picture of him backpacking on a hiking trail. 

“See! That wasn’t so bad! Okay let’s keep playing.” Jessica said while turning back to Astrid.

“Anyway…. Okay uh Truth for you right..?” Astrid turned to Summer and asked. 

“Yeah! Ask me anything!” Summer said with a smile. 

“Hmm…. Well…” Astrid thought for a second wondering what she might want to know. “So I’ve kind of figured out the situation between your moms and dad… so then what’s the deal with Rick? Do you have a grandmother…? Are they like divorced or something? I’ve never seen her around…” Astrid asked curiously. 

“Oh grandma…? Honestly I’m not really sure what the back story is…..other than her passing away.” Summer replied. 

“Oh gosh… sorry I didn’t mean to bring up a sore topic….” Astrid said remorsefully. 

“No don’t even sweat! I never knew her. She passed before I was born, I never heard much about it from the family. But it is odd though… even in other dimensions it seems none of the other Ricks have wives either…? I’m sure that’s more secret Rick lore or something.” She said casually wondering. 

“Hu.. weird.” Astrid also pondered. 

“But granddad is always having like raunchy ass flings, believe me. He’s  literally such a dog!” Summer laughed really hard while continuing the conversation. 

“Oh really? I’m guessing he hooks up with a bunch of Alien girls?” Jessica also asked seeming surprised. 

“Not just ladies! Grandpa is like super gay. He’s probably hooked up with every and any type of alien gender that’s even out there! He’s messed with like… aliens, mutants, animal people, planets… uh even a hive mind…” Summer started to list off the ones she knew about. 

“A hive mind…?” Astrid asked suddenly feeling a memory of her own tingling in the back of her head. 

“Oh yeah… um a hive mind is like a thing that takes over multiple brains of alien species kind of… and then they all share a mind and it can communicate and function through all of them…? It would make more sense if you met one I guess… but yeah anyway he hooked up with a hive mind called Unity.” She continued to try and explain. 

“Unity..?” Astrid muttered to herself shocked. 

“Yeah he was such a a dick to it too! Unity was so nice and grandpa just kept using it. Morty and I brought up how wack things were and then things quickly fell apart between them I guess.” Summer continued to go more into details about the failed relationship, however Astrid had already tuned out of the conversation after hearing the name “Unity” . 

Astrid grimaced as an old memory of hers surfaced. Astrid was no longer in Summer’s room with the girls. They now stood stairing down at the metal floor of the agency’s transportation ship as it neared a planet somewhere in space.

“We’re nearing the drop off point!” The ship pilot  shouted back to Astrid as large sliding doors opened at the back of the ship. 

“Got it!” Astrid shouted back and tapped their ear communicator to open a channel to their then handler. 

“I’m nearing the sight.” Astrid copied. 

“Good.” A voice replied through the ear piece. 

“Remember, you’re trying to find out what happened to all our missing agents at the cargo outpost we set up there a few months ago. Keep your cover as a tourist in the village. Keep alert and get back in a timely manner if possible. Make sure to give me updates. I know this is one of your first solo missions, don’t think this is an opportunity to slack off. Do what you need to do to gain trust and information but try to do it as efficiently as possible. If I haven’t heard from you by tomorrow with an update we’ll send in the squad.” The voice ordered. 

“Understood.” Astrid replied before turning the communication button off on their ear piece. 

“Okay we’re at the drop sight! Get going!!” Shouted the pilot. 

“See ya later!” Astrid shouted as they ran toward the open doors at the back of the ship. 

Cueing up one of their favorite alien songs, one their fellow agent Jax had shown them, in their earpiece. Right as the song started to play Astrid leapt from the ship and went soaring down towards the planet through the atmosphere. Their heart raced in excitement for the new mission. They shifted to form black bird like wings once they neared the ground. They then glided on past some simple but beautiful terrain into a forest off to the side of the village. Astrid then gabbed hold of a branch as their wings shifted back into their person. They used the branch to flip themselves and then land on the ground. They looked back up at the sky watching the ship disappear back out past the atmosphere. 

“Astrid?” Summer called again. 

Astrid’s vision focused back on Summer’s face, “Oh, ha! Sorry I zoned out there for a second.” She laughed. 

“We were wondering what was going on.” Jessica said with a smile. 

“You getting tired? I mean it is getting late. Do y’all just want to watch a movie downstairs like last time until we want to go to bed?” Summer asked also getting tired. 

Astrid looked out the window and was surprised to see it was now pitch black outside. She rubbed her head and face while standing up to stretch. The girls all did a variation of the same thing before heading downstairs towards the living room. They all got comfortable in various spots on the couch as Summer flicked on the Tv and changed through various channels. Astrid started to drift back into a daze thinking about that past mission of hers just as Morty came downstairs to try and join them. The siblings started to argue about what to watch. 

“Report!?” The voice demanded in Astrid’s ear piece. 

Astrid jolted up awake from a bed in the local village’s inn. They looked around the room to get their bearings before answering. They quickly recounted what had transpired the previous night. They had gotten roped into partying with the locals and seemed to have made a few new “friendships” as well. 

“I was welcomed into the village as a tourist. The people seemed to have already been celebrating some type of occasion when I showed up. However most of the villagers I interacted with were not sober so I wasn’t able to get solid intel. I was able to get a few names of villagers to further question who might know more about the outpost and previous “tourists” that have come before me. I’ll be perusing that today.” Astrid quickly informed their handler. 

“Good. Keep at it. Report back tomorrow morning.” The voice stated. 

“Understood.” Astrid said as they clicked the earpiece off. 

“Tell him Astrid!!” Summer yelled frustratedly at her. 

“Um….” Astrid snapped back to the present and looked at Summer who had put Morty in a headlock in front of the Tv while the other girls laughed. 

“H-hey!! Stop it Summer!! OW!” Morty squirmed trying to get away. 

“God Morty. Least you could do is not be rude. You’re crashing our girls night.” Jessica snorted. 

“I-I just wanted to watch movies too!” He scrambled to defend himself. 

“Yeah but don’t come in here trying to tell us what we should watch then! If you want to join then shut up and watch!” Summer teased as she let go of Morty and shoved him into the arm chair next to the couch. 

“Yeah I really wanted to watch this movie!” Nancy perked up looking at the screen. 

Astrid shifted on the couch taking in the moment. Summer sat back down on the couch and cued up what looked to be a romance movie. Morty then let out an annoyed sigh before being shushed at angrily by the girls. 

Astrid leaned her head against her hand on the arm rest of the couch trying to pay attention, but that quickly faded. 

“Oh uh…. Gross! I’m so sorry!” The village bar tender said sympathetically to Astrid. “Gosh I’m so sorry about that… some of our regulars get a little too plastered sometimes….here I’ll get you a towel!” He said as he ran to the back room. 

Astrid sat at the bar wiping what looked like vomit off the side of their face and shoulder. They looked down on the ground where a random local laid unconscious on the ground next to them. Moments ago, said local had grabbed Astrid, pried their mouth open, and proceeded to try and vomit into their mouth. Obviously Astrid instantly knocked him unconscious before anything got in. Astrid lifted up their glass and took a swig. They had seen weird shit before but never had someone try to vomit into their mouth like that. 

“Here! Also… next drink is on the house! I hope that’s good compensation after this weird.. misunderstanding.” The bar tender returned and handed Astrid a towel. 

“Uh yeah.. sure. Does this guy do that often…?” Astrid asked while poking the local on the floor with their shoe. 

The bar tender filled up Astrid’s glass again ignoring the question, “You must have an insane liver! You’ve been knocking these back for hours!” He said with a jovial laugh. 

“You think so? If you’d believe it, I actually just started drinking for the first time a few months ago.” Astrid laughed and slammed the drink back quickly. 

“Ahhhh! A real hearty lass!!” Cheered another local coming into the bar with some friends. 

The small group of alien locals all surrounded Astrid at the bar ordering drinks. Astrid noted that there seemed to be three ladies and four men in the group, all smiles and grins, exuding warm and friendly energy. Astrid then remembered these aliens where the ones who had made Astrid join in on the party the night they had landed on planet. 

“Oh hey you guys! Remember me from the other night? You all were so drunk I won’t take it personal if you don’t.” Astrid beamed. 

“Oh that’s right! Hello hon!” One of the women greeted sweetly. 

“You’re not from around here right…? I don’t think we’ve seen you around before other than last night!” Another of the women asked curiously. 

“That’s right! I’m just popping by the planet on my way to visit a friend. I heard some friends of mine came through here a while ago though. I was wondering if any of you might have seen them?” Astrid asked sweetly. 

“Hmm I don’t reckon we have! Then again you might want to go ask Jillion down at the docks. He takes care of boat transport and fishin!” The main gentleman answered heartily. 

“Thanks! I’ll go ask him.” Astrid said setting their glass down and pulling out their wallet. 

“Hey wait! The party just started friend! Why don’t you join us for a few rounds?! We just got here!” One of the other guys chimed in. 

“Well….I…” Astrid hesitated but didn’t want to seem rude. 

“Don’t worry about it! Jillion comes around the bar a little later anyways!” The third woman said with smile. 

“Well, okay. Show me what you got!” Astrid said with a grin. 

Astrid shifted on the couch and looked over to see Summer wiping tears off her face. She then looked over to see the other girls, even Morty, were also all crying while watching the Tv. The main love interest was in the protagonist’s arms dying. Astrid snorted not taking it seriously at all and looked back at the kitchen. 

“Hey Summer, can I snag a soda from the fridge?” Astrid asked. 

“Sure. *sob* oh gosh this movie is so romantic…” She trailed off still glued to the movie. 

Astrid got up and went into the dark kitchen. The kids had turned the lights off for a more “immersive” movie experience. Once alone Astrid sighed while glancing at the garage door. 

“I guess we have a lot more in common than I thought Sanchez….” Astrid murmured to herself while opening the fridge thinking about Unity. 

Astrid thought back to when things really started to get weird on that planet. A couple of days had come and gone in a blur. The towns people sure seemed to like partying. Every morning Astrid would wake up hung over practically forgetting most of the company they had kept while there. This lead to Astrid hooking up with a few of them. After not being able to locate the person called “Jillion” multiple days in a row, Astrid continued on with their report.

“I’m starting to notice a strange pattern with the town’s people. I think I’m on to something.” Astrid concluded to their handler. 

“Fine. But hurry it up. The Agency isn’t going to like how long this is taking. Give me something useful by tomorrow morning or I’m coming in to assist on the mission.” The voice ordered. 

“Understood.” Astrid replied like usual. 

After hanging up Astrid pieced together bits of information they had gathered from their past few drunken days. It was always the same. Astrid would wake up, give their report and head into town to get breakfast. After wandering around town for a bit in an attempt to snoop, they would always be intercepted by town’s members seemingly welcoming Astrid to join them in celebration. For what celebration? The answer would always be vague. Like: “good harvest”, “a beautiful day”, a “great bounty” after a hunt, so on and so on. Astrid would then always end up at the bar plastered with the same group of “friends”.  Which then normally lead to a quick drunken hook up. But then Astrid had another one of the locals try to vomit in their mouth again last night. Astrid jolted out of bed and rushed to the Inn room window. 

“Why would two different individuals try to vomit in my mouth….? The bar tender acted embarrassed for me but what did he say it was when he offered me a free drink….? A… misunderstanding….? Misunderstanding of what..?” Astrid rubbed their temples. 

Astrid even started to remember how in some conversation with individuals they seemed to know things that had never been talked about between the two of them. Astrid pondered this harder. It wasn’t like mind reading, it’s not like they knew things Astrid had never said before. But it was like they knew things Astrid had spoken about with other towns members about. How did they all do that? How could they discuss Astrid while right in front of them? Then a blurry memory of the hook up they had last night surfaced, remembering it made Astrid uneasy. They remembered being in the local’s bedroom and looking at some type of forest animal just watching them in the middle of sex. But any time eye contact was made the creature would always look away or continue on with munching on leaves. But the eye contact felt too sentient for Astrid’s liking. An eerie feeling creeped down Astrid’s spine. 

The day had come and gone, it was already night time again and Astrid had been chumming it up with the usual group of villager “friends”. Except this time Astrid had been cleverly making sure all of them had been drinking so much that they must have been black out drunk by now. Astrid would make sure none of the friends noticed when pouring any alcohol from their glass into others’. However the bar tender seemed to keep asking Astrid if they wanted another drink. A bit too often… Astrid then pretended to be too drunk to stand while trying to get up to go to the bathroom. Motioning to the bartender for help knowing the friends were all to trashed to stand themselves. The bar tender left from behind the bar and let Astrid lean on him as they hobbled around the corner behind the bar to the bathrooms. 

“Ha!! Thanks…. I’m s-sorry I’m such a m-mess.. I’m sure y-you have to do this toooo much w-with how rowdy your crowd gets!” Astrid blubbered on with a shy smile. 

“It’s no problem really…. You’re pretty cute…It’s been a while since I’ve seen strangers come in to town… I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself here with us.” He said nervously still helping her down the hall. 

“Awww you’re sweet… all of you are sooooo sweeeet!” Astrid giggled and stumbled a bit causing them to bump up against the wall. 

“I’m actually pretty surprised… you didn’t even drink that much tonight compared to other nights.. but you seem so hammered. Did we really wear you down finally?” He joked awkwardly.  

“Oh you noticed…?” Astrid drunkenly looked up at him with sad eyes. “You see… I’m not actually on vacation…” Astrid said in a pained voice. 

He looked down at them in worried surprise. “Wait… then why are you here? You’re not looking for your friends?” He asked searching Astrid’s face. 

“No.. you see.. I- I’m looking for my partner… we had just gotten m-married but she came here for work and then never- never came back…” Astrid started to sob. 

Astrid continued to sob while looking up at him and noticed a huge look of guilt written across his face. They then shoved their face into his chest and sobbed some more. He patted Astrid’s head and mumbled, 

“I’m so sorry hon…” he said continuing to hold on. “Here, let’s get you some tissues from the bathroom.” He pulled her into the restroom and sat them down on a side table next to a vase with flowers in it. 

Astrid took the tissues he handed them and blotted their eyes. They then looked up to see that the bathroom door had just shut behind the two of them. 

“Oh I was meaning to ask…. W-Why did you think I was looking for my friends…?” Astrid asked still sobbing a little. 

“Oh I uh… must have overheard you in the bar the other day talking about it.” He said casually. 

“R-right.. duh..” Astrid said putting their hands in their face. 

“Hey hey! Don’t cry…” he said putting his fingers under their chin and pulling their face up close to his. 

He looked down at Astrid with sad eyes as well. Astrid met his gaze with large hurt eyes. 

“I don’t know why I keep fucking up…. But I wished I could make that pain go away….” He muttered softly to them. 

“Oh by vomiting in my mouth?” Astrid said stone cold sober, their eyes switching to cold reptilian looking slits. 

“W-what the…what are you?!” He recoiled away slamming into the opposite bathroom wall. 

Astrid heard a few glasses shatter from the main bar area right after his reaction. 

Astrid lunged at him, pinning him tightly against the wall by his throat. They let out a laugh and got up close in his face, many of their teeth turned sharp and animal like. 

“Nice try.” Astrid said with a smile before knocking him unconscious. 

Astrid quickly picked up the flower vase and smashed it on the floor next to him. They shifted back to how they looked before and proceeded to stumble out of the bathroom still pretending to be drunk. 

“Let’s see where this goes…” Astrid mumbled to themself with a hunch before coming back into the main section of the bar. 

“Uh- um help!! I w-was stumbling and the b-bar tender had a vase h-hit him on the h-head…!” She breathed out harshly still keeping up the act. 

Astrid looked up to be met with the sight of everyone in the bar staring back terrified not wanting to move a single inch closer. Instantly Astrid realized they all knew what had actually happened in the bathroom so they dropped the act. They’re eyes changing to demonic black pools. They then snatched the nearest person in the bar by their hair. In a flash they held a laser gun to the hostage’s head and looked at the crowd with a smile. 

“Wait!!” They all said panicked in eerie unison. 

Astrid stood there for a second and thought about something they had learned in passing at the Agency, a life form known as a hive mind. But in all honesty Astrid had never considered they might actually meet one in real life so soon into their first few missions. 

“Oh so this is what this is….. you’re a hive mind…?” They asked it. 

“Yes.” They all answered back scared. 

“So you’re the reason our agents went missing…?” Astrid asked curiously. 

“Yes… I did not realize your agency would send in a being like you….” One of the women in the crowd stepped forward and answered. 

“Well you got our attention alright.” Astrid said while quickly tapping the button on their ear piece. 

“Reporting. Seems like the whole town is infested with a hive mind.” Astrid reported to their handler. 

“No! Please!” The whole group in the bar lunged at Astrid. 

A shot rang out and the hostage fell to the floor dead, the whole crowd grimaced in pain for a second as the handler’s reply came back over the earpiece, 

“Exterminate it.” The voice ordered. 

“Understood.” Astrid said with a wicked smile as a full on bar fight broke out between themself and the hive mind.. 

“M-Morty!!” Rick shouted drunkenly from the garage causing Astrid to snap out of it. 

She closed the fridge quickly after picking up a sprite. Morty then entered the kitchen and looked at Astrid in the dark, 

“Y-You okay Astrid…?” He asked a little weirded out seeing the look on her face while just standing alone in the kitchen. 

“Oops ya caught me zoning out again, my bad.” She said with a smile. 

“Ha- n-no worries… I’m just going to uh…” he said awkwardly scooting by her towards the garage. 

“Sorry, excuse me.” Astrid said moving out of the way for him and then returning back into the den. 

Once arriving she saw the movie credits were rolling and the girls were rubbing their eyes from tears.

“That was heart breaking.” Nancy said with a sniff as she was curled up in a ball. 

“That made me so sad I just want to go to bed now!” Jessica sobbed out. 

“Uhg me too!” Summer sniffled and rubbed her nose. 

“Aww you all going to retreat so soon?” Astrid asked while sitting back down on the couch. 

“Honestly… yeah I think I’m going to go lay down…” Nancy said defeated while leaving to go upstairs. 

“I’m ganna go check on her.” Jessica said before getting up to leave as well. 

“I’m guessing you’re having a second wind? Your night owl status creeping back up?” Summer said trying to joke to make herself feel better. 

“How’d you know?” Astrid asked while playfully arching her eyebrow at Summer. 

“Well.. definitely feel free to hang out and watch whatever you want…sorry if the movie wasn’t really your thing… you seemed pretty bored.” She replied. 

“Eh don’t worry about it. I’ve just had my fair share of heartbreaks so I’m not as fazed by sad romance I guess.” Astrid said just as another memory surfaced. 

“P-please! Don’t kill me..! I’ll do whatever you want!! Please!” The last living villagers gasped out as Astrid proceeded to choke her to death in the bar. 

Everyone had quickly been slaughtered by Astrid within minutes after being given the order to exterminate. They sighed looking down at the lady, they had to make sure this was the only one left. So Astrid let go and tossed the woman against the bar hard, causing her back and head to make a loud cracking noise. 

“Ah!!” She screamed out in pain. 

Astrid quickly grabbed a fork with one hand and the woman’s throat with their other hand. They pressed them painfully against the bar top, making the lady gasp for air. 

“Tell me, is there any of yourself left in the village?” Astrid asked calmly as if asking about the weather. 

“I thought we were becoming friends…!” She whimpered out. 

“I’m sure that’s what you wanted me to think.” Astrid said emotionlessly pressing the dull fork up to her neck. 

“No! It’s true I tried to assimilate you.. twice…. But after that I realized I couldn’t!! All of tonight I was trying to figure out a way to tell you so I tried to get you drunk.. I was nervous you might freak out!” She insisted. 

“Tell me if there is anyone else left first. Then I’ll humor your charade.” They replied plainly pressing down with the fork already creating bruises on her neck. 

The hive mind host wheezed as tears fell down her face, “p-please! Please….. it’s just this host and the unconscious one in the bathroom. Please hear me out!” She grimaced. 

Astrid dragged her to the bathroom and threw her against one of the stalls. They then locked the door behind them. The woman host coward against the stall coverings her face. Astrid crouched over the unconscious male host on the floor holding out the dull fork above him.

“Okay let’s see how earnest you are.” Astrid looked up at the woman with a grin. “So where is the rest of you?” They asked while slamming the fork down through the male host’s hand. 

The woman screamed out it pain as the male also let out an unconscious yelp and whimper. 

“I’m sorry!! I’m sorry! Please…..!” She gasped. 

Astrid tilted their head up and waited. Astrid’s black emotionless eyes staring through the woman. She looked up at them, eyes full of tears. 

“There is a few more of me sleeping in a hidden cellar in town… some of them are probably your fellow agents! I kept them hidden while you were here!” She insisted. 

“Ah so there it is. You’re going to try to blackmail me into getting them back from your assimilation is that it?” Astrid annoyedly grinned back. 

“No….” She looked down at her feet. “I’ll bring them to you… I’ll reverse the assimilation.” 

“You know that’s not going to be enough. I need all of the other yous. Even the non agent ones.” Astrid smiled back sarcastically. 

“I know… you can have them. I won’t hide them from you anymore… I know you need to prove you fully got rid of me in town…. But please just let one host slip away…. Please?” She crawled forward a little towards Astrid keeping her head down. 

“You really think I’m going to fall for this?” Astrid laughed. “My Agency told me to exterminate the hive mind. Not to extract my fellow agents.”  They replied plainly with a casual look. 

The woman host started to shake in fear, “please… I’m new to being a hive… I didn’t even know there was anything outside of myself and random organisms…. I didn’t even know there were beings besides my own species that couldn’t be assimilated… “ she begged. 

“Well I guess natural selection has brought you to me then.” Astrid said playfully. 

“I remember! I remember all the things you said when you were drunk…. I saw how sad you were.. something horrible happened to you Astrid! That’s why I wanted to make it go away by having you assimilate… I could have made all of it stop!” She sobbed. 

Something felt like it was cracking inside Astrid, what did she even mean by that….? Sad? Sad about what…? Something horrible..? What the hell was she going on about? But that cracking started to feel more painful. 

“What do you know?!” They stood up, “You’ve never even known pain until this night!” Astrid roared back, smashing the male’s skull under their heel. 

“Aaahhhh!!!” The lady wailed in agony. 

“Come on, you’re going to let me clean up your mess!” Astrid dragged her out of the bathroom and out of the bar. 

“I’m sorry to hear that….” Summer said with an awkward sigh. “But thanks for wanting to hang out still. I’m glad we’re becoming good friends.” Summer said with a smile. 

Astrid felt a slight pain in her heart after hearing Summer say that, “I’m glad we are friends too Summer.” She smiled back. 

“Also sorry if Morty or Grandpa get loud or annoying… they tend to be night owls too. Just come up and hang out in the room and do whatever you want if they start being too much. The girls and I are heavily sleepers so you won’t bug us like those nimrods do in the garage.” Summer stated. 

“Okay I’ll keep that in mind!” Astrid whispered back playfully. 

“Night!” Summer jokingly whispered back to her. 

“Night!” Astrid copied. 

She then slouched back on the couch and looked up at the ceiling after Summer left. 

She nervously hummed to herself softly while recounted the last part of the mission from forever ago.

“Any more sweet lies you want to tell me in hopes I’ll let you go?” Astrid turned back to look at the woman host on the ground. 

The woman looked up at Astrid’s arm that had transformed into a blade, dripping with blood. She looked on behind their legs and saw scattered dead bodies and the house with a hidden cellar was on fire. 

“No. I just want to get some things off my chest before you kill me…” she said tiredly from the pain or losing all the other hosts. 

“Ohh. Do tell.” Astrid grinned. 

“I never personally felt what falling in love was like…. I just could remember through my various hosts what love had felt like to them.” She stated. 

“Ah so your the sentimental type.” Astrid joked. 

“Yeah.. I guess I am… even through your new to drinking you sure don’t seem new to killing…I’m guessing you’ve done this whole rodeo too many times by now…” she stated again. 

“Yep. I’ve seen all the tricks life forms try to pull when wanting to survive.” They admitted. 

“There is one thing I want to experience before I die.” She said struggling to stand up in front of Astrid. 

“Oh yeah?” Astrid grinned anticipating it was going to be a tactic they’d already seen before. 

“Kissing someone I have feelings for.” She said softly as she grabbed Astrid���s hand and pulled in towards them. 

As their lips met, Astrid’s eyes went wide in surprise. Just as they were about to pull away they noticed their arm wasn’t moving like normal. They looked down to see the woman had shoved their blade arm right through her abdomen. 

“Wait- No!” Astrid breathed out in shock feeling as if they had been tricked somehow. 

“Ha! I guess I win….I pulled a trick you haven’t seen before.” She whispered while collapsing into the ground. 

“No! ….no! No this isn’t how it was supposed to….” Astrid clumsily grabbed at her to keep her head from dropping.

“I’m glad I got to meet you Astrid.” She said weakly. 

“Your name!! What’s your name..?!” Astrid started to tear up. “Or does your species do that kind of thing…?” Astrid shook the woman awake. 

“I’m Unity…” she replied faintly before slipping into unconsciousness. 

When she woke, she saw Astrid sitting next to her on the inn bed. She patted her stomach in surprise realizing she wasn’t dead and that there wasn’t even a scar left. 

“I’m alive-?” She questioned before she felt a gun pressed to the side of her head. 

“You’re going to leave far away from here. If you ever assimilate another agency member you better kill them and then run far FAR away from where you found them. If I ever catch wind that you’re causing issues for me again I will destroy you. No amount of space will hide you from my grasp.” Astrid looked at her with red glowing eyes. 

“But if you’re letting me live why can’t I see you sometime-?” She earnestly asked before being cut off. 

“Don’t you get it?! I never want to see your faces again. You’ll only cause me problems. If I even hear a rumor about you surfacing near me I will hunt you down and put and end to this clear mistake I am making now.” They hissed. 

“Astrid… I want to be with you really….” She teared up. 

“I don’t care. I’m leaving. You’re leaving. We will act like none of this ever happened.” They said standing up and going to the door. 

“Astrid….please..” Unity asked one more time. 

“I’m sorry.” Astrid replied before disappearing. 

Astrid looked up from the couch just as Morty ran from the kitchen back upstairs muttering to himself angrily, 

“I can’t fucking believe this… stupid old man.” He said storming to his bedroom followed by a loud slam of his door. 

“M-Morty…! Come on….morty!” A tipsy Rick stumbled into the den holding a bottle. 

“Had enough already…?” Astrid joked craning her head back to look at him. 

“Oh it’s y-you.” He mumbled and swayed back and forth a little in the kitchen doorway. 

“Y-yeah it’s me.” She mocked copying his drunken speech. 

“H-hey! I…. I don’t have to t-take this!” He said annoyed turning to leave. 

“Wait. I’m just fucking with you. Want to smoke…? It’ll probably make you feel better.” Astrid asked pulling out her bowl. 

Rick whipped his head around making that puckered face while scrunching his eyebrows at her. He then turned back around, 

“T-this some kind of joke o-or…?” He asked suspiciously. 

Astrid rolled her eyes and got up, sliding the patio doors open and motioned for him to come outside.

“Come on old man, not everything is a trap.” She said with a grumpy tone while sparking up. 

“Y-yeah yeah. Fine.” He said while stumbling outside to join her. 

She passed him the bowl and he clumsily tried to light it. She then snatched the lighter from him and sparked it instead. 

“I’m not a baby…. T-thanks through..*COUGH*” he tried defending himself but started to cough profusely. 

He hit the bowl a few more times and then swayed a little and stumbled back, sitting himself in one of the lawn chairs. He stared up at the sky quizzically then back at Astrid. 

“H-hey… this isn’t Earth w-weed…!” He whispered at her loudly now starting to feeling it. 

“Oops ya caught me.” Astrid said sarcastically lighting up the bowl. 

—- PART SIX COMPLETED —- 

—- SHUTTING DOWN —-

—- GOODBYE —-

[theshadowrealmitself]

Unfortunately, because of spiderverse, it has me once again thinking of the citadel of ricks, and I know I’m not gonna stop thinking about it till I get it out of my system so:

- my ideal au for Diane (other than ones where she’d be in Rick’s place making portal guns) is one where after a fight with Rick, she accidentally sets off one his inventions and gets trapped in it

Because of the fight and how his relationship with Diane usually goes in other universes, Rick thinks Diane fully walked out on him and Beth, it’s not till way later, a little bit after his adventures with Morty start, that Morty accidentally frees her while messing with Rick’s stuff, to her it feels like no time has passed

- it’s early enough that they aren’t all completely messed up, but there is obvious problems in the family, and with Diane being back, they start to work on them and actually heal

- Diane’s main struggle is not knowing how to fit back into her family, her husband has been without her for so long, and although Diane can easily slip back into how they used to be, it’s going to be difficult because Rick isn’t the exact same he used to be, and it wouldn’t be fully healthy to just. y’know. pretend that nothing happened

Also, even tho she didn’t mean to abandon Beth, Beth still gained abandonment issues, she completely missed her growing up, and now she doesn’t even know if she has the right to yell at Jerry for being rude to her daughter

Speaking of Jerry, she doesn’t like him. At all. Like obviously Beth also has problems, but combine it with the fact that Beth is her daughter and her guilt at accidentally missing out on her childhood, she doesn’t really see Beth’s problems in her marriage to Jerry, but she’s very aware of Jerry’s

Especially with things like him disrespecting Beth’s job or whenever he decides to pull his “man of the house” nonsense where he gets angry that the family isn’t doing what he wants specifically because he’s a man and he doesn’t care that literally none of the rest of the family want to do his thing, Diane thinks he’s terrible for her daughter and is teaching horrible things to her grandchildren

But she doesn’t say anything because she doesn’t feel like the she has the right to, and she doesn’t want to hurt her grandchildren, who might see her rejecting their dad and think that it’s her rejecting a part of them, so she politely puts up with Jerry (but is constantly on the edge of begging Rick to make him disappear)

And when it comes to her grandchildren, she actually adjusts much better, she still feels guilty about not having been there for them growing up, but because they aren’t people she used to know who have been drastically changed by time, slipping into the role of their grandma was surprisingly easy for her

- Diane spends most of her time getting adjusted to modern times, which Summer and Morty excitedly help her out with, as well as working on her relationship with Rick

(it takes a bit before her and Beth feel ready to work on their relationship, with Beth’s tendency to pretend everything is fine and wanting to avoid upsetting her mom in case she “leaves” again, while Diane doesn’t even know how to begin apologizing to Beth, but they get there, eventually)

- as much as Diane feels guilty for what happened (because it was a small argument that got blown out of proportion to the point where she was trying to sabotage some of Rick’s inventions because she was angry, and got trapped in one) Rick feels even more guilty, because it was his invention, and he feels like maybe if he looked for her more instead of accepting she had left, or if the argument hadn’t happened, or if he checked his devices more often, she would’ve gotten to see her daughter grow up

So he does whatever he can to make things right, it’s his wake up call, he doesn’t become perfect overnight, but he starts going to therapy, being nicer to his family, being the best husband he can be, planning tons of family vacations, etc, anything to try and make up for “robbing” her of so many of the years she was supposed to have with them

- Morty and Summer love their grandma, not only is Rick being so much nicer with her around, but she tries hard to be a good role model to them, and they get to make a lot of happy family memories with her (especially by stealing the ship and showing her fun stuff they learned from Rick, and Rick doesn’t end up as upset with them when it makes his wife happy)

Beth is jealous of them at first, with them getting to make happy memories with her mom and her actually being there for them, she still struggles with her idolized idea of her mom, her mom never actually walking out on them, and her resentment of her that she never acknowledged growing up, but she does work on it and stops seeing her kids as competition

- how does this relate to the Citadel? They visit there occasionally in this au, and it’s always a difficult visit for everyone involved (including the alternate Ricks and their families), but they’re still visits that everyone appreciates (sometimes the Morty schools beg her to visit as a guest speaker, or Mortys write to her as if she’s their council member to ask her to get the Ricks to be nicer to them)

Would it be better if Diane and Rick just divorced or whatever? Maybe, but this my au, and for this one specifically, I just want to see them work on themselves and heal and actually be happy together

[adultswim2021]

Soul Quest Overdrive #2: “Meals on Wheels” | February 25, 2010 | S01E01

Soul Quest Overdrive continues to be bad, but this one’s not quite as bad as the original pilot. It does take a hit from the inclusion of noted retard Gavin McInnes as a soccer ball doing a Scottish accent. This one, at the very least, has a plot that sorta resembles a typical absurd Adult Swim style plot. 

The plot: the bible guys are doing Meals on Wheels, but they are just cheaply delivering dog food to senior citizens so they can steal from them. When they arrive at the house of one of the oldsies Bert tries to steal pills, only to discover they are flea meds and aren’t altering his consciousness effectively. The old man behaves more and more dog-like until it’s revealed that he actually is a small dog controlling a human robot body. He escaped dog planet, and a spaceship with dog soldiers on it come down to apprehend him. The soccer ball removes him and his fellow outreachers’ ribs after watching all the dog soldiers successfully lick their own nards. They show the blood!!!

I gave this one tepid praise for resembling the humor of–I’ll just say it!!!–Aqua Teen Hunger Force. I mostly mean this as far as the plot is concerned. The intimidating dog soldiers showing up and immediately tying themselves up by grooming their groins is fairly ATHF. Speaking of ATHF, they show the original Bible Fruit episode on the TV at one point. How fun.

That also sorta hints at the main issue this show has; so much of it, and I mean, SO MUCH OF IT, reminds me of other cartoons. The elderly man rapes Bert like Handbanana. Mortimer quotes “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few” from Star Trek, which was a South Park joke over a decade before this. And the intelligent dog in a robot costume is ripped directly off from Rick and Morty. These craven psychos went into the near future to steal. How dare they.

I remember seeing this back when, and was puzzled by the inclusion of the soccer ball character, and had to look up Gavin McInnes, probably pissed off that there was seemingly an interloper in this cast of comedy people I sorta respect. I forget what the exact chronology is here, but I recalled seeing "Dos and Don’ts" videos (A Vice feature dedicated to mocking people wearing uncool fashion; a concept that does worse than nothing for me) hosted by Gavin featuring nearly all of these people. I remember Kristen Schaal saying she hated dudes with a lotta bad tattoos, and then going “oh, wait, sorry” because she was talking to one. I recall Jay “January 6th” Johnston being in one of the videos… (solemnly) a portent of things to come.

Fun fact: My Fox-News-obsessed father once told me he admired Gavin McInnes which really puzzled me because the only thing I knew him from was this and a handful of Vice videos that repulsed me. This is how I learned that McInnes went right-wing. I have to give the guy credit: I can’t think of a single other person who did such a 180° turn politically and remained exactly as hated by me as he was before.

What’s worse is his character sorta adds nothing to the show. Bert is basically the Master Shake of the show and McInnes is like, a second Master Shake but worse? He’s just a drunk guy who, at one point, screams “PUNK’S NOT DEAD!” and thrashes around. It sorta seems like they were literally trying to make an actual COOL character. It’s the sort of comedy that people who aren’t funny try to write. “What if there was a crazy guy who did crazy stuff who liked all the same bands as me”. 

Those following along will note that this is the second of two "pilots" they used for this show for this contest. When the show aired for real, it aired as the second of four episodes (not counting the Gavin-less pilot episode). Like the not-for-television pilot episode, it's half the length of a quarter-hour Adult Swim show. And yet, still too long.

[chaoticsaints]

I find it pretty funny that Keith David is a president/vice president in Rick and Morty and Saints Row 4. Do you think their universes could be connected?

To be honest with you, I do. ive thought about this since i was like 16, but i also thought the idea was slightly cringe (at the time, now i let my cringe free). i could soo totally see boss and rick getting along so well, the fact theyre both reckless and flirty, the way they both act like "im tough, i dont care about anyone" but in reality they care so much that theyre willing to sacrifice themselves for their loved ones. plus cmon, the fact they both can not only avoid authority so well, but the fact theyve both been able to get out of jail with little to no actual punishment for their crimes? oh thats best friends right there i think. plus we can imply that saints row has some sort of canon/lore connection to adult swim tv show lore anyways, since jimmy - the guy who makes Johnny tag in the clones dlc for saints row 3 - is clearly supposed to be the nerd from robot chicken (literally even featuring the same voice - which iirc is done by seth green)

additionally with the fact that a song from the tim and eric show (the sports theme) as well as the aqua teen hunger force them and a MF doom song being included on the radio sound track? i mean i know adult swim did contribute to the game, but its not entirely clear in what way the adult swim universe is tied into saints row. especially cos they drop nearly all references to it outside of the fact im pretty sure you can have johnny tag and clone aisha as companions in sr4 (not entirely sure though since its been months since i played sr4 last and you do have to unlock them).

plus the line that the president has in the "get schwifty" episode' "...I'm the goddamn president of the united fucking states"... totally sounds like something he'd say when being confronted by boss for his backstabbing...

which honestly not to be tangential but i have to talk about that now bc im sooo realizing how genius it is to make keith backstab boss.... especially because he does it right before you get put into a simulation where you have to fight Julius little? i may hark on saints row 4's writing but goddd the fan service they give to us can be soo good. It almost makes me wonder if keith david is a clone or hologram that zinyak made specifically to betray/trick boss - especially since hes the only one (other than Benjamin king, but this you could argue Ben wasnt immune to it, since it was teased in the cutscene, plus you could make the point that boss doesnt see Ben the same way they see someone like johnny whos been a long time friend and companion and even someone like matt miller, who may be a genuine threat - posessing skills boss doesnt have/understands - but boss still sees him as "lesser" or equal to them bc of who matt is outside of his keyboard) who rejects boss' advances in the ship. especially because his bitterness not only towards boss, but zinyak. He makes a mention of originally campaigning to be the president before "zinyak kicked the stool out from under him", and since hes aware earth is gone... why would he care abt being president of holograms? some of the plot points they make in sr4 are a tad annoying for the reason that they love to set up stuff like this, and the audio log collectables tell us so much, yet, they wont do anything with it unless its inherently funny.

dont get me wrong, love saints row's humor but i just wish they wouldnt sacrifice interesting plots and characters for it. And i wish they would solidify canon more.

TLDR; i do think saints row and rick and morty are connected in some way yes. the way i think the saints row universe is indeed intertwined with other adult swims shows due to saints row 3 giving us plenty of hints that the universe are connected in some way.

[glitteringcrab]

Rick C-137 and Evil Morty

So, I'm wondering to what degree Rick C-137 can see through Evil Morty...

Initially, he says stuff like this:

Which, uh, makes sense. He is already familiar with the concept of a "cocky Morty" who is bad for everyone, and a Morty president sounds... pretty sus.

And, yeah, Rick's not surprised. He is quick to draw guns, quick to shoot, quick to call him "evil" again...

When he and Morty Prime are trying to escape, and Morty Prime is challenging Evil Morty...

...Rick glares at Evil Morty, going along with Morty Prime's challenge.

But, uh... after hearing Evil Morty's answer to that challenge (he's just leaving!!), seeing Evil Morty offer Morty Prime to escape along with him (!!) and being incapable of offering a better option, he actually advises Morty Prime to leave (which, let's be honest, is pretty selfless on Rick's part).

LOOK AT RICK'S FACE AFTER HEARING EVIL MORTY'S "THE SECOND SEAT'S A TOILET" LINE:

Morty Prime gets mad, and rightfully so... But Rick C-137 only stares at Evil Morty blankly, without saying a word.

And here's the thing that got me thinking:

If we can tell that the second seat was most likely not a toilet because it was fancier (and this is obviously a custom-made spaceship, Evil Morty made it specifically for this moment, and included a second seat in his long-term plans) and because Evil Morty having to wear a space suit while driving that thing means he literally cannot use a toilet...

...can't Rick C-137 also tell that Evil Morty was most likely lying, and that he actually wanted Morty Prime to come along, enough to (a) include him in his long term plans, (b) expose the citadel's horror to him and (c) wait around long enough for Morty Prime to meet him at the bottom before firing the weapon that would bring down the Curve?

I mean, Rick C-137 is more experienced at spaceships and breathing in space etc. Couldn't he decipher the function of the craftmanship from, like, a glance?

When we next see Rick C-137 and Evil Morty is mentioned, we get this:

Which, yeah, is extremely demeaning (you equate leaving a horrible, multi-dimensional prison to quitting twitter??? And committing a ton of atrocities to do so to "throwing a tantrum"???) but... it also can be read as Rick C-137 realizing that Evil Morty was not actually "evil". That he was just upset (uh, extremely so). The "tantrum" part also signals that Rick recognizes Evil Morty was young. Rick doesn't seem to hate Evil Morty for his actions.

When the two next meet, sure, Rick C-137 has prepared for the possibility of Evil Morty's return...

Which, on one hand, is an obvious attempt to bypass Evil Morty's forcefield...

...but it also sounds non-lethal, doesn't it?

He then tests Evil Morty's forcefield...

...but let's be honest here, Rick's not trying very hard to kill him, is he? Even when escaping the crumbling Citadel, Rick shot to kill twice, but never bothered to use any other methods to kill him (like the countless imaginative ways we've seen him kill various Ricks and aliens). Now, I'm sure Evil Morty was capable of countering plenty of them, but you don't know unless you check. Rick C-137 is not really trying to kill him.

And since in Unmortricken Evil Morty had the element of surprise (they had no idea he would show up!!) it would have been very easy for him to kill them both.

...But he just wanted to talk instead.

And wouldn't leave.

...I think Rick could tell almost immediately from the moment of Evil Morty's appearance that he didn't intend to be hostile and therefore was himself accommodating.

HE ACTUALLY GAVE A COMPLIMENT TO THIS KID.

He listened to Evil Morty's suggestion to filter for probability stasis...

Berated Morty Prime for wanting to kill Evil Morty...

Actually putting his gun away before suggesting to Evil Morty that they work together:

(which is, yeah, kinda meaningless considering he has a million other weapons implanted on his person, but I still read that as a peace offering, and I'm wondering if one of the reasons Evil Morty flinched when Morty Prime tumbled away from him was because he was too busy watching Rick C-137, wondering if Rick would turn against him in this new setting)

One of my favorite moments in this episode was this scene:

Sure, Rick doesn't forcefully pull Evil Morty through the portal to safety like he did with Morty Prime (let's be honest, Evil Morty would not like that), but he gave him his portal gun back immediately. Like they literally wasted time during which they could get fried just so he could give Evil Morty his portal gun back.

I remember wondering during this scene if Rick C-137 would try to hold Evil Morty hostage by keeping hold of his portal gun or something, or maybe taunt him over it... But he returned it immediately, knowing that what this particular kid wanted was not someone to manhandle him to safety, but independence and freedom and agency... And he fully respected these boundaries.

Evil Morty, in turn, respects Rick C-137's wish that his involvement in Diane's infinite death is not discussed nor revealed to Morty Prime:

Evil Morty only chastises Rick C-137 in a cryptic manner that is sure to fly under Morty Prime's radar:

At this point Rick C-137 trusts Evil Morty enough to leave him ALONE WITH MORTY PRIME, IN HIS HOUSE, UNSUPERVISED:

That trust is misplaced though. Evil Morty brings Morty Prime along with him for the Prime fight, and Rick C-137 gets mad, because he honestly did not expect Evil Morty would put Morty Prime in danger.

And I'm wondering if Rick's laser-y retort to Evil Morty's "I'm not worried about him, I'm evil" is another form of silent communication that these two seem to have:

It's the gesture he does afterwards.

Is it a "what-did-you-expect-I-now-hate-you" gesture, or is it a "what-did-you-expect-I-can-tell-you're-lying" gesture?

Rick is still mad at Evil Morty, which is pretty understandable:

...Then Rick does this:

...and screws everything up in my eyes, although it seems Evil Morty never became aware what had transpired.

And this:

I, uh... I originally thought if those two were to meet again the same positive vibes from the beginning of this episode would go on, but, seeing it all together now...

...I, uh, I'm not so sure. I doubt Rick C-137 would be able to forgive Evil Morty bringing Morty Prime along for the fight so easily....

[blckcndlwx]

I’ve found that I enjoy monster aus and fantasy type settings more and more lately and I’ve been slightly inspired.

Some context first that this is by all accounts a mish mash of different ideas in every single way, I had some old OCs I wanted to revamp and I decided I wanted them to be monsters while putting a fun twist on the usual stuff. Secondary context is that I’m a huge Science nerd and I enjoy reading species studies in that textbook style description so when talking specifically about certain species/races I often use that manner of speaking a bit. Latin, Greek, and Old English are also very prevalent influences in how I go about naming things haha.

I’ve taken to calling this universe ‘Rigor Mortis’ to remind myself that I want there to absolutely be uncanny and eerie elements along with some mildly wholesome ideas. I also just think it’s sounds cool 😎 Pardon me if this is all a lil messy and all over the place 😞

Rigor Mortis is a universe in which the veritable “monsters” of mythology, folklore, and the like are very real and are just as old and prevalent as humankind. Humans of course referred to these creatures as “monsters” for a very long time and though of course there is actual names they have given their kinds the term continued to stick horrendously and the official term is Monstrum when speaking in vagueness of the inhuman.

That being said the power struggle between humankind and monstrum is quite literally ancient. With a variety of Holy Wars being raged as well as retaliatory conquests plaguing the planets history throughout the continents. Eventually though a ceasefire and shaky peace was achieved only barely in the last few decades with multiple civil disputes and arguments of rights for either side still occurring until now. (I wanna say circa the late 1890s early 1900s is about when things get politically stable)

The climate of the interpersonal relationships between humans varies from country to country and can be extreme in its differences. Some countries are responsible for industries like human farms, specialty construction/tailoring, and synthetic nutrition . Simply for the reasons that while there is peace in one particular country it doesn’t change the fact that some monstrum do still require a diet that involves human consumption thus why synthetic means are also being developed, monstrum can also come in such vastly different shapes and sizes there is no way to maintain a standard for ANYTHING so practically everything one owns often is or needs to get specialized.

Humans despite what you may think, are not the majority of the population! In fact Humans are more of a minority (for a multitude of reasons) that only make up about 40% of the planet’s population which does include those contained in the aforementioned farms. Which is not to say that there are not humanoid looking variants of monstrum, the 40% statistic applies to full blooded humans. The numbers having seriously lowered after a boom in monstrum population 😅

Ironically humans, as hilarious as it was to find out after a time, are like O- of the reproductive world of monstrum. They can mix seamlessly with any race of them and the offspring retain a majority of the inhuman traits and very little human ones, a real purists dream. Thus some upper class monstrum who like to stress bloodlines and retain their traits can often pay extensively good money for human aid (willing participants or not) but this fact is also attributed to the influx in monstrum population as more and more cases of interbreeding became slightly more common. To be perfectly honest however humans are largely more common to be fetishized by monstrum than seeking anything romantic

On the subject of reproduction, monstrum are perfectly capable of reproducing within themselves to a degree. These mixed offspring however end up with a strong mixture of both parents and can make for some interesting looking individuals. If a monstrum has fairly mixed heritage, of over 3 specific races, then they’re considered Chimeric! Chimeras themselves don’t fall under the statistics of multiple categories and instead are classified both medically and governmentally by their most prominent race. (Obviously an insectoid can’t reproduce with a lycanthrope or fish person normally, however cases of this and similar situations can be plausible if the parents have just enough human genes to bridge the gap. These individuals are incredibly uncommon but they do exist, as retention of human genes is enormously recessive and take generations of consistent reproduction with humans to acquire them.)

Aside from the 40% of pure humans the remainder 60% of monstrum can be broken down into multiple subsidiary categories. They can be classified based on either the same genus, family, or species classification we may give animals or by specific traits they have in common. (i.e. diet, specific physical features, environment..) but ‘genus’ is the most popular way of classification.

I know I have literally zero followers so nobody else is probably going to read this but me, but I’ve had this sort of open project idea for awhile and figure that here is as good a place as any to write down what I have so far of this universe premise. More posts to come as well detailing actual species/race details

….eventually. Maybe. At some point. If I actually remember to 🥲

[cookinguptales]

I feel like you're the only person on the same wave length as me when it comes to season 4's writing so I felt comfortable sharing. My friend and I finally watched "Freddie" and we both agreed that the writing for this ep and especially this season has felt bland. Like instead of doing clever layered jokes, everything just seems "Fuck, piss, shit". Even the vampire piss line from season 3 felt like it had more build up. Like people like to say this show is the "piss and fart vampire show" but even piss and fart comedies can have clever writing or layered writing. Like in Rick and Morty, the show constantly dog piled on as the stoner/frat boy show can have lines like, "I realize now that I am attracted to you for the same reason I can't be with you: you can't change. And I have no problem with that, but it clearly means I have a problem with myself....But I know how it goes with us. I loose who I am and become part of you".

Like I feel that line sums up Guillermo and Nandor's relationship better then some of the lines in this episode. Like having poignant or well-written dialogue didnt seem to be a big concern this season. Either every line feels like something from a first draft or feels like the approach was "How many times can we add piss, fuck, and shit to this line and make that be the punchline rather then having an actual like....set up."

I agree that WWDITS is one of those dark comedies that is usually very off the wall but that will occasionally just punch you in the face with real and genuine emotions. I think that's always been one of the main strengths of the series, along with the movie and Wellington Paranormal, and I think it's what a lot of people respond to, especially in s3.

I do also think that some of that very layered writing fell apart in s4, especially in 4.09. That said... I actually think there were some very poignant moments in this season, which is part of why I feel so frustrated with the parts I don't think they did well.

Like I really genuinely enjoyed a lot of the stuff about Guillermo's family and his issues with his childhood in this season. I liked him talking about how he kind of had to raise himself and how he wouldn't let Colin go through the same thing. I liked his desperation to hold onto his family even as he felt them slipping away from him, and the way that Nadja responded to that. "Una madre sabe" had me like ;A; I will not lie.

And wow, gosh, I still think about that scene in the alley with Colin and Laszlo regularly. I think it's the most genuine emotion and human (lmao) bonding we've seen between any characters this whole series and it really was very beautifully done -- and it was all the more effective because it was sandwiched between Laszlo dumping the child in a dumpster and taking him to a sexy vampire club.

I also disagree that the humor has been all piss and shit jokes this season. I actually found myself getting much more irritated with that in s3 with Colin Robinson's constant references to shit. I think the humor in general has been a little less creative and so devastatingly smart since the departure of Jemaine Clement (it's a trade-off, I suppose, for a more character-driven series) and so I don't try to hold s3 and s4 to the standards that I do, say, s2.

But I think some of the episodes in this season have been so fucking funny and smart, and some of the one-off jokes were great, too. Go Flip Yourself was fucking hysterical as someone who hatewatches HGTV, and they folded some of that humor in really well with WWDITS. Like the way you just laugh about the natural light because of course they want natural light, HGTV hosts are obsessed with natural light and they don't know it'll kill the vampires -- until wait, yes, you find out that they do. That's just so fucking funny.

Guillermo shoving literal skeletons into his closet when his family comes to visit. "Stop throwing stakes, it's rude!" Laszlo feeding Baby Colin Count Chocula. The Djinn's everything.

Like there is a lot of really genuinely good humor in this season! And I hated 4.09 as much as anyone, but I do think that s3 also had some episodes I didn't love, even if I didn't actively hate them like this one. (Like I usually straight-up skip The Siren; I think it's pretty boring. And I found the whole thing with Meg to be SUPER cringe.)

I guess my biggest beef with this season is that they actually did have a lot of really great ideas. I feel like this season could have been taken in some really interesting directions. But I do think they got distracted by magical shinies and, to some degree, shock value. I don't think they're really tying up their own ideas in a way that I find satisfying, and I'm really frustrated with some of the laziness of the writing on the tail end of this season -- but only because I know they can do better.

I mean, I think that The Night Market was a genuinely great episode. The creativity of the market itself, the excitement and character development you get through the familiar fights, the way the three subplots actually came together to form something fairly cohesive... The humor was great, the action was great, the characterization was great. My only real criticism is that it ended without giving us more of a conclusion with Nandor and Guillermo, and I have a feeling that was largely a time constraint.

So like... I think it's easy to throw out all of season four, but I think the reality is a little more complicated. It's so frustrating that they didn't close up all the elaborate shapes they started drawing at the beginning of the season. It's so frustrating that they used some of these secondary characters as props whose storylines were maddening. It's so frustrating that they don't seem to get some of the creepier implications of what they've written. But like... the reason it's frustrating is because there were good things, too. If the whole show were just shitty, I'd stop watching and be done with it.

But there are good things muddled up with the bad, and so now I've got to go through the somewhat exhausting process of pulling out what I like and deciding what I think about what I don't. I don't have a lot of faith that the finale is going to give me the things that I want, but who knows? Season 5 is another chance to fix some of these issues and I think there's really no way to know if things are going to get better or worse.

All I can do is write way too many words to make sense of my feelings (both through meta and fic) and stress-pour some wax melts at this point. lmao

[shingia]

DATING SUNA...

in honor of this smexy middle blocker’s birthday, here are MANY hcs about what i think dating suna would be like (as exhaustively as possible) bcs he’s on my mind 25/8 <3

cw : one or two suggestive stuff, mentions of food

— EARLY RELATIONSHIP

• ok so suna would definitely not waste his time dating someone if he wasn’t truly in love

• that’s why it took him a few months to ask you out because 1. he wanted to be sure of his feelings 2. he wanted to be sure of yours 3. he was scared

• he probably acted detached at first, but it was just to compensate for the fact that you had him wrapped around your finger since day 1

• he probably didn’t officially tell his friends that you were dating and just casually kissed you before for his class (lowkey enjoyed leaving without a word while everyone else was freaking out)

• nicknames came after a few weeks, when he ‘accidentally’ called you babe after asking for a kiss. yeah he is that smooth

• because it took him so many months to ask you out, you already knew each other pretty well so he felt comfortable around you very quickly

• and he tried his best to make you feel the same if you were a bit more nervous

• honestly he couldn’t wait for you two to become closer over time <3 he's a sucker for the boyfriend/bestfriend dynamic

— LOVE LANGUAGE

->| QUALITY TIME

• he cherishes every single moment you spend together, even if it’s just for a few minutes between classes

• sure, there are times where you two just hang out at his place or yours, scrolling on your phones and enjoying each other’s company. but tell him once that you want to talk to him about something and you’ll have his undivided attention

• and lemme just kdjqdhvjdmsjvh real quick : eye contact. that’s how you know he’s listening, and he always leans in just enough for you to know that he’s paying attention. no phone in sight, just you.

• he doesn’t need to take you out on fancy dates for it to be called quality time, because he values impromptu face-to-face late night conversations much more than a dinner at the restaurant.

— DATES

• your first date was one of the only dates you spent outside, it was nothing extravagant you just went for coffee after school and ended up walking through the city, holding hands for the first time

• once you guys started officially dating, you realized that at-home dates were actually more your thing. but there needs to be a difference with the rest of the time you spend at home, so you always have one or two things planned like :

• cook together an elaborate meal for once, actually put an effort in the choice of the movie/tv show you’re gonna watch (and not end up watching rick and morty for the 23rd time this week), try the most questionable face masks recipes - he loves them and doesn’t even deny it

• but i feel like you guys might go out for your anniversaries, and it’s a great opportunity for him to take really nice pictures of you and update his phone’s lockscreen (he’s a huge simp)

• your dates often take place in the evening because he loves to see your face illuminated by the city lights, and he likes to know that you might get cold because he can be smooth af and give you his jacket (most of the pictures are taken when you’re wearing it)

• i think official and ‘elaborated’ dates with suna maybe occur every two weeks because he wants them to be special and likes to look forward to them

— CUDDLES

• he gets a kick out of kissing your whole face except your lips, but really he’s just waiting for you to get frustrated and kiss him yourself

• however, if you ever don’t play along he’ll stop like “wtf you’re not supposed to do nothing”

• he’ll give you lazy and passive cuddles where you just lay on top of him, hugging him while he watches something on tv or on his phone, BUT

• if he ever wraps a blanket around you then real cuddles begin. i’m talking scalp massages, back strokes, kisses, playing with your hands...

• i just know his kisses are aphrodisiac, there’s something about the way he holds your head still with his hands that’s just UGHHH

• you could be sharing a perfectly peaceful moment together and he’ll suddenly get bored and feel an urge to tickle your sides, squish your cheeks or randomly blow in your face/ear

• but god forbid you ever do that to him, he will crush you with all his weight until you can’t move

• he also uses your hand to scratch his back because he can’t do it without writhing like a cat, not that you’d complain about seeing that one day

• you two always end up dozing and losing track of time. “we stayed like that for NINETY MINUTES?” (he’d have to find an excuse for being late at practice, because there’s no way in hell he will tell the truth in front of the twins)

• it’s very likely that you guys wake up still cuddling after nine hours of sleep. i mean it’s canon that he has a good shoulder mobility so he can keep holding you even if you’ve moved in your sleep

• his biggest struggle is morning cuddles because it’s really hard for him to get out of bed and go on with his day when he’s so comfortable in bed with you

— PDA

• i think he’d adapt to your needs, he doesn’t really mind pda

• if he ever pulls you in for a hug in public, it won’t always be a soft and sweet hug, no. sometimes it might look like a literal headlock, but he’ll give you a quick peck on the head to make up for it

• in fact the only times his hugs are sweet and lovey in public are after his matches

• if atsumu ever makes fun of him for ‘being a softie’, he’ll do the exact opposite of what’s expected of him : and by that i mean ruthlessly tongue-kiss you until tsumu begs him to stop

• he uses hugs as a way to talk shit to you about someone without them realizing it

• he doesn’t necessarily hold your hand all the time but he has affectionate gestures like giving you little pats on the head or wiping dirt off of your clothes

• pokes your cheek for no reason, and that’s daily

• he’s also a fricken tease and doesn’t have any problem with gripping your thigh when you’re sat at a table :)

— COUPLE DYNAMIC

• he tries so hard to act like you’re the clingy one but everyone knows it’s a lie

• he probably has a private story called ‘being held against my will’ where it’s just him roasting you on a daily basis

• which is a great contrast with all the albums full of pictures of you in his camera roll. like i said, he’s a MAJOR SIMP

• you also have a private story called ‘exposing the truth’ and it’s filled with stolen clichés of him being a needy and whiny little bïtch (sorry i got carried away) : it’s the twins’ main source of blackmail

• i said before that suna’s a sucker for the boyfriend/bestfriend dynamic. yeah well you guys definitely have it - you can spend entire afternoons together without once acting like a couple

• he’d give you a kidney if you ever needed one, but steal one of his fries and he’ll flip your chair over without thinking twice

•  you both think that your failed attempts at being romantic are hilarious. one time he tried to kiss you under the rain but you were so cold that you couldn’t stop your teeth from chattering and yeah it was just terrible

• the efforts you put in to embarrass each other are remarkable. you once kissed him in a supermarket and he just pulled away, yelling “MOM AND DAD SAID NOT IN PUBLIC !”

— RANDOM HCS THAT GIVE ME LIFE

• remember when i said you guys would do face masks together ? yeah well suna doesn’t own any headband which means that you have to tie his hair up in two pigtails at the front (it’s too short for one ponytail or a bun hehe)

• he has a silent laugh, the kind of laugh where he just wheezes while slapping his thighs, and he has to make a conscious effort to catch his breath

• he tugs on your sleeve whenever he wants to show you something <3

• in winter he writes messages on the frost of your car’s windows. nothing cheesy, probably something along the lines of “nice ass”

• he thinks it’s hilarious that your contact name in his phone is your full name, no emojis, nothing. he even put caps at the beginning 

• he sends you 30 tiktoks per day and expects you to answer to all of them

• he makes you playlists for the dumbest things. one of them is called ‘dentist appointment vibes’

• he likes to see you wear many layers of clothing in winter because he takes great pride in being the only one to know what’s hiding under them *wink*

• when he’s driving, he often tries to be smooth and stare at you lovingly when he’s at a red light, but he always misses the moment when it turns green and the other drivers start to furiously honk at him (another failed attempt at being romantic)

• i’m gonna be honest w/ you : he’s probably effortlessly seggsy when he drives

in conclusion : you might not be the most romantic couple, but your vibes are 𝑖𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒 because you’re both so madly in love with each other

pspsps: here’s a link to my suna playlist that fuels my mind with thousands of scenarios