#i would never show off an Apple device

[illdragyoudownwithme]

the government gave us an iPad and Apple pencil and i love ibis paint omg

ugh iOS tho fukin dakdjsjgnan

[fandommadnessthings]

Apples and Carrots Steaks

I did it! Okay no more waisting time have fun reading! Grammar warning as always!

A hunter hunt. That's there job. Doesn't really matter if it comes to what type of hunter. It's in the name. So imagine a surprise that a hunter can't catch one of there targets

A rather cliche scene to be honest, some may say they've seen it in those old black n white cartoons. Guess the apple doesn't fall that far from the tree

There isn't anything that can phase this particular hunter. They have seen it all. Crooks, serial killers, cultist, the list goes one. They are tasked to explore a massive parkour palace that can only be accessible through VHS tapes in serial boxes. Rather odd really, yet they take the task nonetheless

Using a special device there friend made to scan every boxed brand where the suppose VHS is in, didn't take too long to find one. The task was simple, Find the location, go undercover and blow this circus from the inside out

So here they are. Hunting down the culprit of this sick and twisted gameshow. The pass body's of other Contestants litter the brightly colorful obstacle course. The smell of iron was never gone unnoticeable from it's many, many bodies. This is rather cruel. These people were promised richest to save them from poverty. No wonder the cereals are only be found in low areas. It's easy to get unsuspecting victims to participate in the killer gameshow. Who will miss these people anyway?

That is what's important now. They value people in many forms. Those who are true to themselves and those who are struggling to find a way to set things right. Even if it cost there life. You bet as hell they won't let a nother soul die in this sorry excuse of an entertainment establishment.

Yet what pretty much caught them off guard is the one who might be behind the whole show. An odd giant robotic like rabbit, one that looks like the particular rabbit mascot they have seen all over the place. From the cardboard cutouts, to the art in the wall and even the very same cereal box with it's signature golden ticket ready to be picked. Was it actually robotic or is it more then meets the eye? Either way, it's going down.

It ran, so as the Hunter

They run and leap and shoot the giant robotic rabbit. It was quick, but there quicker. Whatever that thing is it has something to do with all the carnage, gun in hand and a swift loyalty of justice they will take down this rabbit no matter what it takes.

The rabbit ran through the corridors. Hopping and leaping through the obstacle course this palace has in-store. Never in his life would he see the day that his little "private stream show" would be compromised by one lucky Contestant. Or would he even call them that?

It was the 57 season, nothing much different than the rest, yet he liked that. 4 new Contestant have participate and are now running for there lives from the other murderess rabbit. Some lasted seconds and other lasted a few minutes. There's nothing particularly odd about this one masked challenger to begin with. They ran and dodge and did the same thing any other had done yet this time, and only then, was it completely different

Right after they have got the duck is when this time things began to shift. They weren't really looking for the next obstacle to concur. No. They were looking for something, or someone. He knew the area like the back of his giant glove hand yet for some reason they too. Finding a secret passage way they've managed to get to Frosted Peaks that quickly. He try to pull a fast one telling them it's "too early" to be in the particular are. Surely they'll at least listen to the man in the intercoms, yet they didn't listen. No, they did, yet they ignore the intercoms completely

Frustratingly he send out the murderess rabbit to try and shoo them away from the area, knowing the live audience are now getting confused as much as he was getting. Unbeknown to him, they mysteriously pull out an odd looking pistol and shot the rabbit. With a single bullet it fell down to the ground with a huge thud, it lay there, unable to move a single muscle. The monster is paralyzed.

This was the only moment did the live chat, him, heck even the entire parkour palace went quiet. No sound, no background music, no nothing. The only thing the other rabbit has time to mutter out was a quiet "what just happened?"

And in that moment did he feel eyes on him. As the camera facing the scene unfold has caught the glance of the masked challenger. Even if there face have been covered he knows that the stare was targeted for him and only him. In a shocking turn of events the Contestant take off there mask to reveal one of a very stern face. One that has been through hell and back many times and will do it again to finish any task

The show crasher has set there mark. There here to blow this show apart and stop it once and for all. His ears twitches, them having the confidence to tell to the whole chat that "there screw" is a huge deal. They even prove that with the still unconscious monster rabbit on the ground. There not afraid to go up against anything, this is the real deal. Whoever this is they mean business. And business they will get

If there's one thing that the rabbit can do, is persuasion. Maybe with the right words, and a little charm, he could try and sway them! Without a moment to lose he stretch and sprung his limbs as quickly as he could, with a shortcut he managed to made it to Frosted Peaks where the anonymous contestant stood. He felt there eyes following his every move even tho he may not see there eyes correctly. He just knew. Standing at a distance still felt like a standstill. As if the a clock where strike no one one of them will call the shots

All the viewers watch the scene unfold live! Waiting to see what would the rabbit do

He tip his hat and bow down slightly, showing his gentleman of an attitude to them. Even tho they have crash the show a good man once say ; the show must go on!

"Good evening dearest Contestant! Don't worry your little head! I'm the real Frankie! One with the charm and the image of my parkour show! And who might you be our surprise guest?"

With a quick adjust of his bowtie he flick his fingers and point to the still gun wielding person. Completely unfazed. If the rabbit can show any other emotions then his forever grin he would be nervously sweating where he stood. The air is thick with them here. It's like he's in a crossroad of a predator

No, he can't let his guard down just yet. He needs to keep up. Pulling his hand backas they place on his hips he continue talking with that showman voice of his

"I see you're not much of a talker! Not to worry! Many people do got awestruck seeing the one and only me! Haha! Now to get things starigt my anonymous guest!"

He carefully takes a few steps forward

"I do hope we haven't gone of in the wrong start, for you see the audience have seen such fantastic skill you present to us!"

He's definitely hinting to the unconscious monstrous rabbit

"But rest assured that I mean no harm then the other one! I have class, so do you! I can DEFINITELY see potential in you my mysterious guest!"

His moves are cautious. As if he's approaching a wild animal, metal spring like limbs stretch with every step

"We have an entire show to put on! Our viewers would surely be-!"

!!!BANG!!!

A single gun shot echo throughout the area. None dare to move an inch from where they watch the live show, even if there "safe" in there comfort zone

The rabbit's body stiffen. Frozen in place. He didn't dare move a single inch, if he ever does he can feel the entire area falling down on him like an avalanche

His beady eyes fixated on the mysterious guest. The beral of There gun have raised at the same angle to his face, smoke trailing at the end of the gun hinting that a bullet has been shot. Knithat the aim was at his face the rabbit was rather stump that he didn't feel anything. Yet, slowly but surely, he twist his head to look over his shoulder. Right behind him, as clear as day, a bullet hole on the wall. Despite the bullet being an average size for a hand gun the bullet that has been shot to the wall is easily visible in such a distance, having an oozing black liquid seeping out from the hole

His eyes look back at the mysterious- no- Hunter. He may not be able to see there face clearly by there hair covering some portion of there face yet he can see one thing. There eye I between the hair, glaring him down with such a stern gaze

It was at that moment that he realized, they didn't miss on accident. They miss on purpose

Not even a word to say, the rabbit bolted ethe corridor, away from frosted peaks. His floppy ears picking up the sound of foot steps. Rapidly approaching him with every step. This Hunter is fast. REALLY fast! How could they keep up? He has yet to think of an answer when he felt a bullet just barely missed his fur

Rather ironic that he's now the one running and parkouring then the unfortunate souls that have agreed to participate for the winning bet. Running away from the one thing that'll be his demised. Each time his thoughts began to linger, a bullet was shot. Nearly hitting him within inches apart

Yet he knows for sure is that one thing

The steaks have never been this high

Hope ya enjoy! :)

[xmads-omensx]

Family Bonding Time?

Masterlist

Word Count: 1,885

Pairing: Matt Dierkes X Reader

Content Warnings: fluff, mentions of angst, mentions of a bad relationship in the past, mentions of injury (cat scratch on the face), swearing, brief mention of potential animal abuse

Summary: Matt takes Boo and Zeus to meet Y/N's anti-social and general menace of a cat, Levi.

Matt and I had been together for around five months when he decided that he wanted me to meet his dogs.

I had seen photos of both Boo and Zeus on his phone, when she held the device out to me like a proud father showing me a photo of his kids after they had accomplished something.

Matt had seen many photos of my cat, Levi,  over the course of our relationship. Mainly because Levi was my baby. The apple of my eye. My child. He could do no wrong in my eyes. He was perfect. His only flaw was that he was insanely anti-social. He hated other cats, dogs, people, literally anyone who looked at him he viewed as an enemy.

To his credit, Levi had never hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it. My ex-boyfriend being the only example of Levi hurting someone who did, in fact, deserve it.

Dean wasn’t the best boyfriend in the world. Anniversaries, birthdays, dates often went forgotten over the course of the four years that we were together.

We had a particularly nasty fight over at his apartment over the fact that he still hadn’t showed any interest in living with me, or progressing with our future, at all throughout the four years, and I was reaching the end of my tether. I didn’t have anything to hope for. Nothing concrete to make me excited for our future together.

That night, he had refused to let me stay the night and wanted me to go home. I didn’t have my car, or any means of getting home this late by myself, so Dean had to drive me. Something that he was happy to let me know that he did not want to do.

By the time we had arrived back at my place, he needed to use the bathroom, so I let him in. I wasn’t a monster.

Levi never greeted me at the door. He would always be curled up by the unlit fireplace waiting for my return, so that once I had made myself comfortable on the sofa with my tea, he could crawl into my lap and curl back into his little ball and drift back off to sleep.

It was expected. It was his routine. He never differed from it.

That’s why the shriek I heard from the kitchen startled me.

In order for Dean to get to the bathroom, he had to walk past the kitchen island that was to the left of the door. And when I looked up, that’s exactly where he was. Hunched over next to the island groaning in pain, clutching his cheek.

“What happened?” I rushed towards him. “Are you okay?” I placed my hands on his shoulders, trying to get a look at his face.

“No I’m not fucking okay you stupid bitch! Your stupid fucking cat just scratched my face!” Dean yelled, swinging an arm to gesture at Levi. Or to hit him. I couldn’t tell. Either way I rushed to grab Levi. Something he hated, but I needed to move him out of Dean’s reach as soon as I could.

“Of course you go straight to protect that fucking cat.” Dean scoffed, taking his hand away from his face to reveal a tiny scratch, that had barely bled at all on his cheek.

“Well I thought you were going to hit him.” I replied, trying to keep a calm voice.

“No. You were picking him over me. Like you do every fucking time.” He laughed. I quirked an eyebrow, confused as to what he meant by that. I had never chosen Levi over Dean. Never.

He didn’t say anything else after that. He didn’t even go to the bathroom. He just got into his car and drove away.

The next morning I was greeted with a text from him telling me that our relationship was over and that he never wanted to see me again.

That felt like more of a relief than I thought it would have. I felt lighter. Not having Dean around made me more sure of myself. I was happier.

Then I met Matt, and that just took my happiness to a whole other level. Sure, his work schedule was hard to manage at times, but we managed. In the five months we had been together, we had fallen into a nice rhythm.

Friday nights were always date night, no matter what. If he had to work late at the studio, we would just push the date back. No matter what time of night it got to, we still had a date every single Friday.

He made me feel valued, wanted, desired. He made me feel loved.

I had met a few of his friends, but not all of them due to their busy schedules. I formed a pretty rapid friendship with Nicholas, simply because of both of our statuses as cat parents. We regularly sent eachother photos of our respective cats, which Matt would never admit being slightly jealous of, because why on earth would his friend take up a fragment of the attention I should be showing him?

As the months wore on, I wanted more and more to meet his precious dog children.

When I first brought this up to Matt, he was somewhat hesitant. He was busy a lot. He didn’t want to upset the dogs. He was having his house repainted so he wasn’t having people over. Small, insignificant excuses. Nothing that would worry me.

Last week when he came to pick me up for Friday date night, he asked me a question, one that I hadn’t expected.

“Does your landlord care if you have dogs over?” He had asked as he pulled away from my house.

“Huh?” I replied, slightly confused.

“I mean, it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t. I just thought it would be easier to bring the dogs over to meet you at your place, because of the decorating at my place, and your place smells like you so they would be more familiar with your scent.” He explained.

“I don’t think my landlord would really care to be honest.” I replied. Not fully understanding what was happening.

“Okay, cool. So would it be okay if they came over?” He turned to face me as he pulled to a stop at a red light.

“I mean I wouldn’t mind, but I’m not too sure Levi would like that.” I said quietly. I didn’t want to let him down, but I also didn’t want to cause Levi anymore unnecessary trauma, and having two dogs run riot in my house would definitely do the trick.

“That’s fine, we can do it another time, I just thought we may as well seeing as Bad Omens is on a break right now and the weather is nice. Maybe they could play in your backyard, and I can do a barbeque? If Levi is inside, he should be okay?” Matt suggested.

He had a good point. Levi was a house cat, so if we put the dogs outside, it shouldn’t be an issue.

“Okay fine.” I caved.

Matt had already met Levi once and they had both formed a respect for eachother. They left eachother alone and stayed a safe distance from eachother. If Levi wanted to be on my lap, Matt would have to move to the other end of the sofa, which he had come to accept. Really, I think he just liked having an excuse to sprawl out on the sofa more.

A week had passed and I was terrified. The day had come for me to finally meet Matt’s dogs. He would be here soon and Levi was fast asleep on the rug in front of the fireplace. His favourite spot. His spot.

I really didn’t want to upset him.

The doorbell went and I would hear the sound of two excited canines whining slightly on the other side of my front door. Levi’s ears perked up, but he didn’t move. He never did. He was a very calculated cat.

I stood up and moved to the door. As soon as I opened it, I was bombarded by a small dog and a much larger one.

Boo was exactly how you would picture a dog called Boo. Small and adorable.

Zeus was also very representative of his name. He was much larger than Boo. A strong dog.

Levi remained motionless in his spot. Ears pinned back.

Matt ignored Levi. Purposely trying not to draw attention to the cat. Instead, he walked right past me, kissing my cheek and opened the back door, letting the dogs out into the yard.

They ran out and immediately began sniffing everything and anything that they could.

“They seem to like you.” Matt laughed as he walked towards the grill that sat on my patio.

“You think?” I asked, watching him set it up.

“Definitely.” He laughed. “They never seem this excited to see anyone, ever. And I feed them.”

I laughed at his response.

Matt cooked us dinner as we caught up on our weeks and watched the dogs run around the garden, chasing eachother.

As darkness began to descend, the dogs started to look sleepy, so I suggested that we retreated back inside the house to watch a movie.

Matt agreed and brought our plates into the kitchen, before putting them in the dishwasher.

The two of us sat down on the sofa in our usual spots, Zeus jumped up and curled up beside me. I scratched behind his ears as Matt loaded up a movie for us to watch.

I hadn’t even considered where Boo was curled up before a small, black shape entered the living room. Levi.

He stood beside the rug in front of the fireplace glaring at the small, furry creature that had fallen asleep there, in his spot.

I wasn’t sure what to do. I didn’t want to move Boo, and neither did Matt. He said Boo got cranky when woken up, so we should leave him.

Levi stalked towards Boo’s sleeping form. Fear began creeping up inside my chest. Levi hated it when anyone was in his spot. Even me. If I was stood there when he wanted to sleep, he had been known to swipe at my ankles until I moved.

I rose ever-so-slightly from my position on the sofa, preparing to reach in and separate a fight if one ensued.

Matt, however, seemed relatively unbothered by the situation than was unfolding in front of us.

I glanced at him for a moment, taking my eyes away from Levi’s potential attack on a sleeping Boo. However, when the yelp of a dog and the hissing of a cat never came, I was surprised.

I returned my gaze to Levi, only to find that he had curled himself up next to Boo.

He had never done that before.

What shocked me even more than Levi’s choice to snuggle up to the sleeping dog, was the fact that he had began to purr.

Levi never purred.

That’s when I realised that he had found his companion, like I had found mine.

Levi had Boo.

I had Matt.

And I was determined to find that for Zeus too. Even if it meant forcing Noah or one of the others to adopt a pet.

[thedragonqueen1998]

Today at work i got insanly inspired to write and once i got off work, i immidiently went on my phone to type it out. XD I just finished a 3 hour long writing ses(had a 15 minute food break in the middle). ^^ Probably just gonna forever gonna be a wip thing, but it was fun and i'm kinda proud of it. Despite it being rough in some parts, mostly because i wanted to rush to the 2nd half and i didn't wanna get stuck, i'm happy to share it. ^^

It's a kinda long, so i'm gonna add a Read more line to not fill your dash with text. Also, first time trying formatting out! XD

So, originally this post was just gonna be a "i actually wrote something! Look!" thing, just showing of some work i did, but after writing the reason why i wrote a line a certain way, it went into something very sad and kinda dark, so if you don't wanna read about death, a light mention of suicidal thought and grief... just stop after What even is my life.

Idk why i wrote it, but it took alot of effort and it feels... important to me, i guess. Part of processing and such. So, yeah. Read at your discretion. Thank you for your time. 💜

Ezio had many regrets in his long life. Not being there when his father and brothers were arrested. Of not being there more for his sister and mother. Of not trying to be together with Cristina. Not being able to save her. Or being able to save Uncle Mario and Monteriggioni. But biggest of all, not having spent more time with his family before the execution.

He had love, but didn't cherish it. Didn't truly feel it and took it for granted. But unlike so many others, Ezio could take those regrets and change them. Thanks to Desmond.

When he walked into the Library, he thought he might get an answer or two in return for many more. He truly didn't expect that calling out Desmonds name while the Apple bathed the walls in gold would result in it being answered by the being himself.

The being looked like a man, clad in a white light, eminating from a strange device under his right arm. His face looked like an exact replica of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's face, though his build was closer to his. Broad shoulders hidden underneath a strange hooded white doublet and long legs wearing strange tight fitted pants made from a material he did not recognise. Even the scar was the same as his! Was Ezio made in the image of the one he was the Prophet for? Was Altaïr the herald? All questions Ezio wondered, but not knowing if Desmond was like Minerva or not, he dared not waste any questions if the beings patient was thin.

But first: "Are you Desmond?" He had to know, have it confirmed, even if the being appeared after the name was called.

"Ezio? Is this the Library? Am i seriously bleeding while dying!?" Desmond was looking around at the empty tomb, before his eyes returned upon Ezio.

"Yes, this is Altaïr's library. You are bleeding? I do not see any blood and you are dying!? Is there anything i can do to help you? Please, my lord. Tell me what i need to do to save you." Ezio was desperate to know his purpose and if all his life lead to this moment, where he could save Desmonds life, he would fulfill it.

"There's nothing you can do. I am dying semi willingly and even if this is some Animus infused death hallucination, it is nice having my last moments with you, even if your not really here. I am so sorry i couldn't answer any of your questions or try to save you from losing everything. You never deserved any of it. In the end it didn't really even matter. I am sorry you wasted your time chasing riddles and ghosts." He looked so grieve struck while saying it and the look Desmond had while gazing down onto Ezio could only be described as lovingly.

"What do you mean? Could you have saved my uncle!? My father and brothers!? Why didn't you if you do not think i deserved it! I have served the Brotherhood almost my entire life, sacrificed so much trying to find out what Minerva meant and now your telling me that it was all for nothing!? If you think i wasted my time then give it back!"

Desmonds eye's widen before softly smiling and saying: "Your right, you wasted your time and sacrificed too much for nothing. Let's change that."

Before Ezio knew it, the world went white and he knew nothing more.

—————

When Ezio awoke, it was to a bed he hadn't seen in almost 40 years. His childhood bed and his room. He couldn't believe it. He was given a second chance. To live his life. To right wrongs. To save his family! To think going to the Library would result in this!

At the thought of the Library, Ezio suddenly remembered Sofia. To have forgotten her and even abandoned her without a second thought left Ezio feeling guilty. Would she wait outside the Library before realising he would never come back? Or because he is now in the past, a past where he intends to change the future, would she never meet him? Never exist? The thought of her hurt, but like so many others, Ezio knew that him being in her life would have risked hers. Even if she knew and accepted it, it is still better if she never got the chance to know him and inevitibly suffer because of it. Same with Cristina. Though he could now choose her, he knew that despite the many mistakes in his life, the Brotherhood was not one of them and his refusal to properly let her go killed her. Letting that life affect her once again was too cruel. It was for the better to just let her go.

Federico nudged him with his elbow. "Brother, what has you thinking so hard you look like you bit into something bitter?"

"Nothing much, just wondering what i should get." Ezio smiled and laughed. He was currently out with his family on a trip the market. The last time around, he had decided to sneak off to spend some time with a girl he didn't even remember the name of anymore instead of spending time with his loved ones, to his great shame and regret. This was the last thing his family had done together outside of dinners before the execution in 3 days. That he missed out on it was one of his biggest regrets, but Desmond let him change it.

That Ezio might never truly understand or know what or who Desmond is, how he watched him in the Vault or even what Minerva's people and the Pieces of Eden truly were will forever haunt him, but the trade to see his family again and to even be able to save them is a fair trade. He can go his life wondering these questions and maybe try to find them now that he will have more time, thanks to already knowing the Templars plans and who will be an enemy or ally.

He felt a finger poke him inbetween his eyebrows.

"There you go again Brother. Thinking too hard! Be careful or you might hurt yourself." Federico teased before yelping and then laughing when Ezio pushed him.

"Please don't start fighting now sons." Their father said before turning back to the stall owner to continue discussing what wares to buy and the prices.

"Sorry Father!" Ezio said before giving his brother a teasing look that promised this was not over.

Ezio remembered this day well enough. Not to remember the woman he decided to chase, but enough to know that when his family had been at the market a horse had run wild there and according to Claudia, nearly trampled her down in the confusion.

He was a bit sceptical to believe it was as close as she had made it out to be, but he knew horses much better now than he did before. After years of riding them to and from places in the chase for his targets, he knew that having one running towards you in a blind panic could scare anyone. Even though he knew to be wary of them and treat them with respecy during his original childhood, he didn't truly get how these gentle beings could be as scary as his sister had made the poor creature out to be.

According to his family, it had been a war horse, bloodied, running around in a blind panic, probably scared from a skirmish. Being chased by guards hadn't helped and eventually the guards got a good shot at it and put it down.

Ezio wanted to save his sister years of fearing horses, so he kept an eye and a ear out for any signs that the animal was on it's way.

There. A scream. Everyone stopped and looked around for the source. The source was still hidden by the crowds, but in the distance you could start seeing people moving away from something coming this way and the screams were getting closer.

Ezio breathed and slipped into his Second Sight, the Eagle Vision, as he now knew Altaïr had called it. Or more accuratly, Eagle Sense. With the years, his constant use and need for it had changed his Sight. It had become much stronger, letting him see farther, expanded his hearing, to let him hear his enemies heartbeat and even know what moves they were going to make. Even let him know where his enemies was going to go on a patrol route.

It truly was a gift and now he would use it to try and predict where the animal would go, as to lead his sister and family away from the danger. Then he saw it. The shine of something important. Something that glowed as strongly as the Apple of Eden had. The horse.

There was much about his Gift he could not explain. He had tried, but it is much like explaining sight to a blind person. Why things he didn't even know about could glow gold and lead him to the answer. Why allies glowed blue and enemies red, nor how he could tell friend from foe and now. His Sight told him, with the same intuition as telling friend from foe, that this horse was Desmond.

How is Desmond here? Why? Did he lie about dying? Or was certain death only a large chance that Desmond beat? Ezio supposed it did not matter. If he lets events play as they had before, Desmond would be struck down by an arrow within minutes. Oh, maybe Desmond had tried to prevent his father and brothers demise, but was struck down in the attempt? Though, why choose to do it as a rampaging horse? Either way, Desmond was clearly panicking, almost upon him now. If Ezio could not calm him down, his death was guaranteed.

But how? Ezio has just seconds now to plan a way to stop him before he is trampled down.

Then, he finally realises, that among the bright gold he shines, he also glowes blue. Such a deep colour which he has only seen in the greatest friends or closest family and he knows, Desmond would never harm him. The look of pure love on Desmonds face made more sense now.

So Ezio decides to not move and simple raise up his hands, as if to pet the horse.

"EZIO!"

————

Desmond was in pain. He knew that Juno lied about his death being quick and painless, but god, why did it have to hurt so much!? During his hallucination, it wasn't nearly so bad! And can't forget the weird nightmare he's having ontop of it. He's a goddamned horse on some battlefield. He was rearing up when the nightmare started, neighing as his rider was shot and killed by an arrow.

There's so much blood. The smell strikes fear in his heart. There's so much red. He slips into Eagle Vision and there's even more red. Not a spec of blue. A sword slides against the armor he is wearing and the screech of metal is too much. He bolts.

He needs to run. Away from the monsters with sharp sticks. Away from the smell of blood and death. Away from the shadows hiding hunters. They follow him. They chase him for a long time.

He is getting so tired.

He needs to get back to the barn. His owner would make everything alright. He would croon soft noises he did not understand, but the tone was soft and gentle. He would give him a treat while brushing him down after a hard days work.

He did ride him into scary battles he did not understand, but afterwards he would wash and groom him extra thoroughly, while feeding him the best apples, crooning more sounds in a happy tone. He would repeat one of the few sounds he understood, which meant "him" and "pay attention to me".

Dante.

But he wasn't on his back anymore and he didn't hear his voice. Just the loud, scary noises of more men in the shiny hard thing. They had the pointy sticks too and tried to take the things dangling from his mouth. Only his owner can touch that! Only he is to be trusted with them.

Running is getting harder, there is large, straight hills in the way and the path is narrower with many strangers in it.

There is still so much red. He can still smell the blood, feel it clotting his fur. Too much red!

Blue.

Suddenly there's blue in front of him. He knows blue means ally. Though why and how this person is blue confuses him. But he is Blue and running him over is not good, but why is he standing there!? Does he not see the red!? Smell it!? Does he not understand we need to run!?

"Desmond"

That single word pierces the fog of fear and wild panic that has flooded Desmonds mind. Ezio is in front of him, hand already gripping the reigns while the other rests on his muzzle.

"There we go Desmond, everything is alright."

Desmond still feels phantom threads of fear, but with Ezio's calming blue glow and his voice saying gentle reassurances, it feels far away.

Now with his mind fully human and not driven by horse instincts or memories, the question becomes: How and why the fuck is he a horse in 15th century Italy with Ezio!?

What even is his life.

————

So, a couple parts i'm stupidly happy about is the "He had love, but didn't cherish it. Didn't truly feel it and took it for granted." part. This, as you can probably tell was inspired by the famous quote "When I was a young man, I had liberty, but I did not see it. I had time, but I did not know it. And I had love, but I did not feel it."

I believe Ezio didn't fully understand liberty until he tried to live a peaceful life with Sofia and realised he would always fear Templars taking revenge on his family and time, because the knowledge that he would never see his children grow up to adults had never been a concern before he met Sofia. He probably thought he wouldn't have a family at all.

But love. Love he would understand what he missed. He would understand it just days after he lost his father and brothers. Those moments you missed out on. Of opportunities to spend time that you squandered away. Time you will never get back, because in real life we don't have time travel.

And now i understand it. Before the end of the last year, i was like Ezio before the loss. Before i lost my grandparents only a few weeks apart.

Those opportunities to spend time was rare and thankfully i took most of them, but i still squandered it away by not actually spending time with them. I just visited and hid away in my room, wasting the time by sitting on the phone.

I will forever regret that because ny memory is shit and besides a few childhood ones, i have no memories of them. I still remember their voices, they were pretty distinct thankfully, but how long until i forget that.

It hurts and as someone who is afraid of death and it's finality, such a reminder that time and love is finite is soulcrushing. It is only recently that i have truly started to think of my grandparents and i guess try to process the fact they are gone forever.

When we first got the news that my grandpa had died, i was even more glued to my phone, not wanting to acknowledge what was happening. I also didn't wanna sleep and only got some when i passed out from exhaustion. We even went to the doctor to get time of work and some sleep medication i didn't dare end up taking.

I even had thoughts of just taking all the pills and just sleeping, to get away from the pain forever. But i'm thankfully too much of a coward, so it just stayed thoughts. I'm doing much better now and as i mentioned, i think i'm starting to process the fact that they are gone.

So, yeah. This post went in a direction i didn't expect. But it feels important and maybe in a few years i can look back at this post and see a snapshot of who i was and reflect on who i am now. So, here's to the future me and anyone else who needs to hear it:

I hope things are going well and if they're not... well, things get better. They always do. You're loved and even if your loved ones are gone, they live on in you. You will carry that love with you, for the rest of your life. 💜

[wowzah2nd]

I'm Home

Loki Laufeyson x Reader

Wordcount 2k

Loki has been acting suspicious and it wasn't just today but its been like this for a few years now no one really thought anything of it until today, today was the day they figured this out

For the longest time loki had been acting far from the normal it started and all the avengers noticed but never really bothered to think more of it. It started a few years ago  after a mission he had disappeared after the battle and appeared just as if he had no be gone for hours now and ever since that day it had kept on happening.

If he was ever needed in the tower he wouldn't go running off since he knows his needed but he would constantly look at his phone if a message ever popped up. Which surprised everyone since when did he get a phone. But thor the never suspecting and trusting brother he is thought loki was finally acclimating to his new life on midgard but not everyone was convinced. 

Loki when not needed in the tower would disappear for days and would magically appear back if he was needed on a mission which was great but it was still a mystery where he went until today.

On this day particularly tony had an idea that he decided  he'd enact today.

Tony walking to the living room where everyone else was relaxing 

Tony: today is the day 

He shouted, everyone not looking surprised by this but looking at him curious

Natasha: and what is today gonna be 

Clint: oh id love to hear this 

Tony: as you all know loki go for days on end without coming back to the tower unless needed and we all turned a blind eye until today

He paused for dramatic effect 

Tony: UNTIL TODAY MY FELLOW TEAM

Steve: why are you talking like that 

Tony: come on let me have my fun we're finally gonna know where reindeer games goes during his off time haven't you all ever been a little bit curious where he goes off to. 

Thor: i do wonder where my dear brother goes

Bruce: even if we wanted to know how are you gonna do it 

Tony gives a shit eating grin like evil master mind 

Tony: im glad you asked my friends, i have created a tracking device, everhard to plant on your brother by the way thor but very hard to detect by any type of magic or technology ( pretend like i know what im talking about and this devices is possible please hahaha ) 

Everyone look at him shocked

Steve: there is no way you made something like that and stuck it on loki nonetheless 

Tony: but ho ho my friend i did 

As he says that he pulls out his phone with loki's location 

Tony: so who wants to go on a field trip

Reader POV

You were in you house with your daughter Asta cooking, she wanted to help you make apple pie so you decided you'd let her help since watching her do so was so adorable.

Y/N: okay sweetie lemme show you how to do it and i'll let you do it next okay 

Asta: okay mummy 

You showed her how to carefully cut the apples using her own little knife

Y/N: are you okay to dry it you self now 

With confidence she nodded her head and started to cut the apples, while you were do that you decided to roll out the pie do to make the pie crust once done you decide to see how your daughter was doing and with a proud smile you saw she had cut all the apples perfectly 

Y/N: you did heart sweetie now what were gonna do is grab a bowl and put them in her okay 

You go to grab a bowl and put it in front of her to put the apples in 

Y/N: now we add cinnamon and brown sugar can you put that in for me 

Asta: Yes i can 

So she does so with great enthusiasm and without having to be told she started to mix everything together 

Y/N: look at you already getting ahead of mummy 

Asta started to giggle feel so proud of herself

Asta: now what do we do mummy 

You grab the already made pie crust and put it in front of asta 

Y/N: now we put the mixed and and we’ll baking it in the oven 

Asta then started pouring everything into the pie, but just as she was finished she look at the apple pie and thought something was missing 

Asta: mummy doesn't the pie need a top 

Just as she said that you realise you forgot that and were about to put it in with out one 

Y/N: your absolutely right baby thank you for reminding mummy 

Asta proud of helping her mum remember an important step puffs out her chest 

Asta: your welcome mummy 

You then help asta of the bench so she can watch you put the oven and once in she stare as the pie she help made wanting to watch the pie baking 

Y/N: sweetie is gonna be awhile till the pie bakes why do we set up the table for dinner and wait for daddy 

Hearing that her dad would be coming home tonight she runs to the cupboard to grab the plates and put them on the table then coming back and opening the drawer to grab the cutlery 

Just as she was finishing up making the table the doorbell rings, and hearing it makes you smile he was home again 

Asta: daddy home 

She sprints to the door and flings it open and on que loki was already squatting down ready to receive his daughters embrace 

Loki: Hello my little witchlit im home , how are you?, ive missed you so much 

He then starters to smother her cute cheeks in kisses causing asta to giggle uncontrolby

Asta: daddy stop that tickles

He then stops for a moment then gives her one finally big long kiss on the cheek and puts her down, as this was all happening you were looking at them with so much love from the dining room 

Once loki puts asta down he makes his way to you, cupping your face with both his hands

Loki: how have you been my love

Y/N: im been okay my love ive just missed you so much 

Tiptoes to meet his height you give him a long awaited kiss

Astra:can i give daddy a kiss too 

You break the kiss and go to pick up your little girl 

Y/N; of course you can sweetie 

Once carrying her you face her towards loki and she leans in and kissed loki on the cheek

Asta: we really missed you daddy 

Loki: and i have missed you both

Y/N: you must be tired why dont we all sit down for dinner, i made apple pie for deseret 

Lokis eyes light up in delight 

Loki: my favourtie darling you really didnt have to 

Y/N: it was no effort at all since i had help 

Loki looked at your surprised making he way to the dining table and taking a seat

Loki: and who he-

Before he could finish his sentence asta told him who

Asta: i did daddy 

Loki: you did?. Well now i know it will taste eve better 

Small time skip

As you were enjoying dessert and catching up with loki thers is  knock at the door, who could that be as yuo were about to get up loki stops you 

Loki: i got it my love you sit and eat 

Y/N; thank you my love 

Loki Pov 

Who could this be at this hour, i open the door im an greeted with a surprise it was the whole of the avengers infront of my door step

Loki: what are you all doing her 

Tony: what are you doing here?

Natasha: do you live here?

Steve: how long have you been living her?

As they were asking all these question i can hear Y/N getting up from her seating and making her way to the door 

Y/N: whos at the door my love 

I gave out a long sigh even though Y/N has known that i was part of the avengers i didnt want them to find out about her and luckily she was understanding of my reasoning of wanting to protect our family but also keep them away from these annoying bunch

She had shown interest and meeting them and i promised her i would but this was too soon and unplanned 

Y/N: ohh

She said in a surprised tone 

Loki: seems like we have some surprise visitors

Everyone look at Y/N with surprise and shock, everyone was silet for a moment but in tony fashion he decided to be the one to ask 

Tony: who that 

He point at Y/N, i gesture for Y/N to answer her self since i knew she wanted to do it herself, seeing her smile proudly she answers

Y/N: Im his wife 

Everyone eyes go wide in shock 

Everyone: you married

Reader POV 

You laughed at all their surprised face you always wanted to know what theyed all look like once they found out and it was just as good as you thought it would 

Y/N: Yes we are 

And on que you both show your rings 

Clint decided to speak

Clint: i've never seen you wear that ring before 

Loki chuckled and showed them that he put a glamour on the ring to make it look like he wasn't wearing one since he never wanted to take it off. You had told him you could for work but he wanted to it was the symbol of your love until your daughter was born and she become the greatest symbol of your love and as if on que she decided to pop her head to see what was taking us so long

She was shy either, walking up to the door and seeing her favourte super heros

Astra: Oh my gosh mummy, daddy it’s the avengers 

Everyones eyes widen in shock again

Everyone: daddy 

Thor: your married and have a daughter brother why didn’t you tell us 

Loki then gave them a guilty look knowing this was gonna be a long talk you decided to suher everyone in and to take a seat in the living room. As they were all talking you decided to put your daughter to sleep which was very hard since her heroes were all doesn stairs but you were stern and made sure she slept

Once asleep  you walk back downstairs to see everyone still talking

Clint: i know you did  this to protect them but we would have kept them safe too

Thor; indeed brother we would have 

Loki gave out a long sigh and you'd decided to walk to his taking his hand in yours fo support 

Loki : I know you would but we just wanted to to be just us for a while before they were exposed to this kind of life you know plus i know clint is in the same situation but they live somewhere farther but i just couldn't live that far from them. I know i have magic but if there were anything to happen to it i wanna be close just in case 

You decided to add in youe piece next

Y/N: he was just trying to protect us please dont be too cross with him 

Everyone look at one another and decided that it was not something worth being mad at 

Steve: your right. If i was in your shoes loki i would do the same 

Loki looked up at everyone happy that no one was disappointed ta him he was worried that he had lost their trust but knowing that it was for a good cause they understood 

Tony: so now that out of the way lets get to the good stuff… how did you two even meet 

You smiled at the memory of meeting loki it was as if fated intended it to happen 

Y/N: why dont we tell you over some apple pie we have some left over from dinner

[amybizarre]

OG (Bye, I Love You!)

The phone was ringing.

Mildly annoyed by the disturbance on an early Sunday morning, you reached for the small rectangular device on your bedside table. You had to squint your eyes at the brightness of the screen.

It was 7am, your smartphone told you. And your granny was calling. You accepted the call.

"Morning grandma..." You mumbled, still a little grouchy from being awoken so early.

"Good morning, darling!" She chirped joyfully. Sheesh, how did she always manage to be such an early bird?

"Your gramps and I were cleaning out our attic this morning." Granny continued. "And we found an old toy box of yours!"

"An old toy box?" You echoed tiredly, rubbing your face in an attempt to stay awake.

"Yes, yes! It has items from that show you loved so much as a kid! What was it called? Welcome Back Home?"

Suddenly you were wide awake, sitting up straight in an instant. "Welcome Home?!"

"Oh yes, that's what it was called!" Granny chuckled.

"Oh my god, you still have that stuff?? That must be so old by now!" Of course you remembered the show very well. You used to watch it religiously as a child. It was the source of most of your joy and creativity growing up.

The main character especially... What was his name again...?

"Before we throw it away, I figured I give you a call to see if you want to look at it or take it home." Granny explained to you. What a sweet woman. May she live forever.

"Oh Granny! I would love to look at it!"

"Good, good. Then I'll set it aside for you. Do you have any plans today?"

You thought for a moment. "Um... No. I'm free today."

"Then how does a cup of tea and some delicious apple pie at your Granny's place sound to you?", she offered in a mischievous tone, knowing damn well you'll never refuse her pastries.

"Absolutely fantastic." You beamed. "I'll be there at three?"

"Three sounds good, honey. I'll see you then!"

"Seeya, Granny!"

<^> <^> <^>

At exactly 3pm you pulled up to your Granny's house. A cute little house in the suburban part of town. You parked your car in her driveway and hopped out.

As you did, the front door opened and your grandparents greeted you with excited smiles. You walked up the steps and hugged them.

"Hey Granny! Hey Gramps!"

"Hello my darling! It's so good to see you again in person. It's become such a rare occurrence ever since you started to work." Granny cheerfully pinched your cheek, glad to have her grandchild at her house again.

"Have you grown? It seems you're a little taller than last time." Gramps wondered, while they let you step inside. He always greeted you with the same question. It's like he never got over the fact that you're an adult now.

"Nah, I think you just shrunk a little." You joked light heartedly. He gasped and then laughed, while you took off your shoes and coat.

The three of you moved on to the kitchen, where Granny had prepared the table previous to your arrival. You ate apple pie with your grandparents and drank plenty of tea. Conversation flowed freely, as you caught them up on the most recent events of your life.

Soon it was time for you to look at the old toy box that had prompted your visit. The old and dusty carton sat in front of you on the garage ground. You gently dusted it off before opening its flaps.

As soon as you caught sight of the old storybooks, VHS tapes and countless drawings you made as a child, a massive wave of nostalgia washed over you. You remembered it. You always would. Maybe not all memories had resurfaced now, but they surely would when going through the contents in the box.

A fond smile spread on your lips, as you picked up the drawing at the very top of the pile. It showed a stickfigure version of younger you, drawn in messy felt tip marker lines. You stood on a green meadow under a blue sky. The sun smiled in the corner. A bunch of colorful stickfigures - each drawn in the same messy artstyle and with little attributes to set them apart - surrounded you in the picture. They all smiled (except for one, for some reason) and said "Welcome Home!", which was in a big speech bubble. Beside the head of each figure was their names. Poppy. Barnaby. Eddie. Frank. Howdy. Julie. Sally. And Wally. Ah yes, Wally.

Your smile widened. That was his name. He was the main character. And your favorite. You put the drawing back onto the pile. At this point your decision to take the box home was already made. You still wanted to look at a few more things first though.

Picking out a VHS cassette, you examine the label. It was handwritten in sharpie. WH: The Apple Painting.

Right. Since your parents never bought you any cassettes, your grandparents recorded some episodes for you. This must be one of them. You put it back too.

Lastly you briefly flipped through a storybook. Endearment bubbled inside you, eyes glued to the colorful illustrations. Okay, time to take the box to your car.

Carefully, you closed the carton again and picked it up. On your way through the house, you told Granny about your decision. The old lady smiled, happy you cherished your childhood memories like that. After loading the box into the backseat of your car and an exchange of goodbye-hugs with your grandparents, you were on the road back home.

During the drive you couldn't help but feel a little strange. You weren't entirely sure what it was, but it felt as if there was a small presence with you in your car. You shook your head.

Probably just the memories feeling like their own person. Or it's my inner child. Or the box. Who knows.

You dismissed these thoughts and  carried on home.

<^> <^> <^>

Later that day you were looking through the box again. This time you sat in your bed, aiming to dig through your memories comfortably.

The drawings younger you had made caught your attention more than anything else in the carton. Perhaps it was the fact that you made these items yourself. Which gave them more personal value in opposite to the storybooks or cassettes.

So once again, you looked at them first. One of them showed the face of the sun girl, Sally, looking up at the moon. On the backside younger you had written: Sally likes the moon. She thinks she's pretty.

Another drawing showed Frank and Eddie holding hands with a little heart above them. A third drawing showed younger you having a picnic with Wally underneath an apple tree.

Your smile never faded, looking at these pictures. It was so endearing to see the almost familial bond you used to have to these characters. Rediscovering that was comforting. To be reminded that somewhere out there, albeit in a fictional universe, a loving and functional home existed. One you didn't have as a child.

You frowned. Maybe that's why the show enchanted you so much. Reaching further into the box, you picked up the whole stack of drawings. It was a fat and heavy stack.

Surprisingly however, it didn't reach all the way to the bottom of the carton. No, the drawings seemed to be stacked on top of some sort of toy. Your curiosity was piqued. You set the stack aside on your mattress and peered back into the box to see the toy.

A telephone. A red, oldschool rotary phone.

Right. The show was set to be in the 70s.

Your fingertips grazed the handle of the receiver. Suddenly it was like a small electrical current racing up your arm and into your brain.

You found yourself breathless by the sudden onslaught of resurfacing memories. Phone calls. Late at night. In secret. A sleepy voice at the other end of the line, telling you encouraging words or promising that things would change eventually.

You remembered laughing during these calls. Or picking up the receiver crying, tears dripping onto your little hand as it selected the red button of the dial and turned it. Only to be comforted by the voice at the other end, helping you feel better.

You always smiled at the end of those calls. Who did you talk to?

... Wally.

You talked to Wally. He was your best friend. It all had felt so real.

But it couldn't have been.

It was just a toy right? Well, a child's imagination is powerful, they say. But is it powerful enough to make up entire phone calls and vividly remembering them?

You stared at the toy phone in the box.

Slowly, you lifted it up and set it down in your lap. Giving it a once-over, you couldn't find any visible damage. Sure, it had the typical signs and scratches of having been used, but that was it.

Should you try it? Find out if the calls were real?You chewed your lip, still staring down at the toy phone. It was heavier than you expected.

Fuck it. What's the worst thing that could happen?

You lifted the receiver to your ear.

Silence.

Fully expecting this to not work, you held your breath. You selected the red button. Your index finger didn't fit into the small dial anymore, so you used your pinky. And turned the dial.

You let go.

The dial whirred backwards and snapped back into position with a click.

Silence.

Toot...

Toot...

Toot...

Click.

"Hello?" The same sleepy voice you remembered.

Your eyes widened. Thinking it might be a pre-recorded call, you remained silent.

"Helloooo?" The voice asked again. "Neighbor? Are you gonna say something?"

You swallowed hard and leaned against the headboard. "Y-Yes. H-Hello."

"Oh! There you are. Ha. Ha. Ha."

You remembered his laughter. Wally always sounded like he just said the individual 'ha's.

Oh god, what were you supposed to say now? This might still be a pre-recorded thing though... You weren't entirely convinced yet.

"Yeah, I'm... here. Uh..."

"We haven't talked in a long time, Neighbor..."

Guilt stabbed you in the guts. And shock. A pre-recorded voice wouldn't know that. This was real. This was definitely real.

"That's true... I haven't called you in years.... I'm... Really sorry." You fiddled with the phone cable, as anxious and guilty thoughts flooded your mind.

"It's okay. I trust there was a good reason, Neighbor." His voice was as friendly as ever. So trusting.

You felt even worse because of that. Especially, because there wasn't a valid reason for the years-long silence from you. You didn't fully remember why, but one day you just stopped calling him. Without warning. Without announcement. From one day to the other you were just... gone.

He must have been so confused.

Your eyes watered, threatening to spill the overflowing emotions you were struggling to hold back. He deserved a better apology than a simple "I'm sorry". He deserved an explanation, that wasn't a feeble excuse.

You wanted to give him a reason, explain yourself, so you wrecked your brain for one you couldn't seem to remember at the moment. You gave him a piece of truth anyway.

"I couldn't possibly apologize enough for going silent for all these years. Honestly I'm not sure why I stopped calling... I guess life just... happened."

God, you felt awful saying that, not sure if that made things better or worse.

But as Wally replied after a moment of silence, there was no bitterness in his voice. No anger or rejection.

"I understand. You must be all grown up now, Neighbor." There was a subtle, but unmistakable, hint of pride in his otherwise sleepy voice. Like a friend who's glad their friend made it through a rough patch and came out on top.

At that moment a huge weight lifted off your shoulders. The urge to cry with happiness and relief was overwhelming for a moment or two and you sniffled audibly.

"Yeah... I am.", was your shaky response. It was hard to keep it together. "But that's okay, I guess. At least things are better now."

"See. I told you everything would be okay.", Wally's voice was incredibly soothing to your ears, "And it will continue to be okay. Okay, Neighbor?"

"Okay." You sniffled again.

"You will be okay."

"I will be. Actually, I am already. I'm just so glad to have reconnected with you and the neighborhood. You were such a big part of my childhood."

"Thank you, Neighbor. I'm glad you allowed us to be just that."

From that moment onwards, conversation began to flow more freely. You asked him how he was doing, to which he replied, him and the others were fine. Everything in the neighborhood was as dandy as it always had been. Just the way you remembered it.

You caught him up on your life as well, eager to fill in the year long gap. You told him about your time in high school, how glad you were when you finally made it out of there. How you got a job at eighteen and moved out of your parents' place as soon as you could. How you managed to make yourself your own cozy home in your apartment and how your life had generally improved.

Wally commented on everything with positive affirmations or little praises, always genuinely happy for you.

Time flew by and before you knew it, it was well past midnight. Exhaustion caught up to you. Rubbing your eye, you yawned.

"Oh my, look at the time...", you mumbled, dissapointed this call would end soon. If you could, you would talk to him until you fell asleep, but you didn't want to worry him again.

"Oh! You're right! It's after midnight." Wally concluded as well. "We should probably head to bed, Neighbor..."

There was a moment of hesitance on his end, before he asked.

"Will I hear from you again soon, Neighbor?"

You could practically feel the anxiety behind the question. The underlying fear of loosing you again. It broke your heart in two.

"You definitely will," you reassured him, "I'll make sure to make time in my evenings for you."

Again, you could feel his relief.

"Thank you, Neighbor... Sleep well."

You smiled softly. "Sleep well too, Wally. Goodnight."

His final goodbye, before he hung up, caught you off guard.

"Bye, Neighbor. I love you!"

[timeagainreviews]

Bursting Your Bubble

Liam Lynch once said- “The internet is a glimpse into how rude people will be in the future.” At the time it felt like just another funny little line from his song “Internet Killed the Video Star,” (not to be confused with the Limousines’ song of the same name) but nowadays it feels prophetic. Just this morning I made the mistake of reading the comments section and it’s thrown my day off considerably. From the comforts of our keyboards, we can write horrendous things. Treat strangers with contempt. It’s sometimes easy to forget there are actual people on the other end of our glowing screens. Insularity breeds contempt for the different. We live in our little bubbles.

It would be easy to blame the posters, the content creators, the influencers. A few bad apples spoil the bunch. But as psychologist Philip Zimbardo would say- don’t blame the apples, don’t blame the barrel, blame the barrel makers. The people who put the apples into the barrel in the first place. Despite everything Russell T Davies’ “Dot and Bubble,” is trying to say, one question hangs over it and the rest of this season- who is the barrel maker? Things in Finetime are anything but fine, but by whose design? One might assume it’s Susan Twist’s character, but who is she? This is the overarching question of season one, but is the question beginning to feel a bit drawn out?

From the outset, “Dot and Bubble,” acts as a sort of Black Mirror version of “Blink.” We’re given a young blonde woman who finds herself in a dangerous situation that requires her to look at something she would usually ignore. All the while, the Doctor and his companion are forced to talk to the young woman through a screen. The difference here is that while Sally Sparrow had gumption, Lindy Pepper-Bean is about as useful as a wicker toilet. She lives in “Finetime,” an actual bubbled world. Her “Dot,” device then creates yet another bubble around her head. It’s bubble inception. The bubble tells her when to wake up, how to walk, and even when to pee. (Shout out to my boy Dr Pee!) Because of this, Lindy lives an unobserved life where hard questions need not bother her.

Everything about Finetime is a hyper-realistic nightmare of overstimulation. It’s like “A Clockwork Orange,” meets “The Stepford Wives.” Lindy can ignore her problems when there’s always a new Ricky September video on the horizon. As Frank from Brad Neely’s “The Professor Brothers” said- “We danced like those people in the hyper-tight light of fried chicken commercials.” Lindy and her “friends,” can completely ignore the fact that their friends have slowly begun disappearing. They don’t even seem to notice when they’re the only ones in the room, how would they notice gigantic slugs eating each other?

With Ncuti Gatwa away filming season four of “Sex Education,” the show had to do a couple Doctor-lite episodes. These are usually hit-or-miss among fans, but as “Blink,” proved back in 2007, they can become fan favourites. The Doctor and Ruby’s roles are reduced, but this episode does a good job of making them feel like a recurring part of the story. Even though they spend the bulk of the episode in what looks like the intro to “The Brady Bunch,” it never feels like we’re being underserved.

Lindy’s friends float around her like talking heads in her holographic bubble. But she keeps getting interrupted by the Doctor and his bad vibes. Even though Ruby is also invading her privacy despite not being on her friend list, Lindy is willing to hear her out. We’re not told why up front, but there is a reason Lindy can believe Ruby might feasibly be tech support, but the Doctor could not. Due to Lindy’s impatience, Ruby is forced to talk to Lindy as if she were a child, but not so much that she catches on. Anyone who stops Lindy from either working or playing is a massive drag to her. She really just wants Ruby and the Doctor to go away. How do they not know how society works? Why are they asking such stupid questions when the answers have been drilled into everyone since they were children?

We learn that Lindy’s mother is Penny Pepper-Bean, but she’s actually another Susan Twist cameo, so she could be anyone. Thankfully, both the Doctor and Ruby recognise her this time, and it’s not in an aborted timeline. I saw someone mention on Facebook today that they felt the Doctor recognising her felt rushed, and I couldn’t disagree more. It was high time we got something from this storyline. While it has been nice to genuinely be curious about Doctor Who’s mysteries again, this one has felt like a lot of the same. With the Doctor and Ruby now clued in, we have somewhere else to go in the future. Maybe now Susan Twist will come out from behind the mask and we can learn something more about her. Maybe now the Doctor will start looking into her involvement.

I’m usually not interested in fan theories as they’re often filler content when YouTubers and bloggers don’t have anything else to talk about. But here I believe we’ve been given quite a lot to work with to formulate a theory or two. I know I said “It’s probably not the Rani because it’s never the Rani,” but at this point, if she’s not the Rani, they’ve wasted their biggest opportunity to reintroduce audiences to her that the show has ever had. At this point, it would be weird if she wasn’t the Rani. The things she’s been involved with have all of her usual hallmarks. We have genetic manipulation in “Space Babies,” humans are being treated like lab rats in “Dot and Bubble,” and then there’s the whole disguising yourself in plain sight aspect. At this point, the bigger question isn’t whether or not she’s the Rani. The bigger question is why wouldn’t she be? Why would the show come so close to revealing her and then pull back?

Ruby finally convinces Lindy to look beyond her bubble where she witnesses her co-worker being eaten by one of the Man-Traps. Usually Lindy could just ask her Dot to guide her to safety, but for some reason, it feels more than ready to direct her right into the open mouth of a Man-Trap. Lindy must walk without the aid of her Dot, and man does she suck at it. She quite literally cannot walk talk and chew bubblegum at the same time. Part of me was worried the episode was going to spend all of its time making fun of young people and their phones. It’s cliched and honestly, I’m tired of it. But within the context of the episode, Davies isn’t attempting a technophobic condescension toward the youth of today. Instead, the episode endeavours to highlight the danger of relinquishing your thoughts and actions to outside entities. If we let others tell us what to like, who to like, or how to live, you may as well become worm food.

Having narrowly escaped death by slug, Lindy is forced to bumble about outside while the Doctor and Ruby direct her like the most exasperated form of Google Maps ever. An interesting aspect of this scene that I’ve not heard anyone talk about is the greenish-blue blood seen from a body being dragged away. You may not know what I’m talking about, but I’ll post a picture below. You may look at that and say “That’s not blood, that’s slug goo.” But where else in the episode do we actually see the Man-Traps leave behind any kind of snail trail? I’m going to go out on a limb and say I think the people of Finetime are blue-blooded, and considering what we learn about them, it makes sense. Blue blood is often a symbol for aristocracy, but it can also be used as a way to imply an inbred nature. In this case, we could infer that the citizens have blue blood because they don’t “dilute,” it with the blood of non-white people. Oh did I not mention the Finetimers are racists? More on that in a bit.

Throughout most of this episode, only one of Lindy’s friends seems to be concerned with the fact that people are going missing, and that’s Gothic Paul. Gothic Paul was a nice little addition to the episode because a trans man plays him and they didn’t make a big deal about it. He wasn’t even killed for being trans. He was killed for being delicious and too dumb to notice. A diversity win! Compare this to Chibnall’s gay representation where a character says “By the way, I’m gay,” and then spiders eat her face. LGBTQ+ people are allowed to exist in such a manner that it doesn’t feel like “kill your gays,” when they kill our gays. Representation has been so good that it’s not even problematic that a drag queen made a child disappear. You know, the thing all of those conservatives are worried about with drag story hour? That’s just the Maestro’s schtick. 

After the battery in Lindy’s Dot goes dead, she’s basically a sitting duck. That is until she hears a familiar voice call out. A voice belonging to none other than the dreamy Ricky September. Maybe it’s the insular nature of being a pop star, but Ricky isn’t bogged down by his Dot. Instead, he’s learned to appreciate existing offline. Because of this, Ricky reads things about their people’s history. And even luckier for Lindy, Ricky can actually walk and move about in the world. After a bit of starstruck awe, Lindy takes his hand as he leads her away from danger. It’s almost sweet if you don’t suspect what’s coming.

Ricky leads Lindy to Plaza 55 where a door leading to the river flowing beneath the bubble can lead them out into the Wild Woods. Knowing a bit about coding, Ricky simply needs to type in two digits every five seconds and the door will come open eventually. With no Man-Traps about, Lindy needs only to sit tight and let Ricky work his magic. While she waits, Lindy is able to charge her Dot which enables the Doctor and Ruby to contact her again. The Doctor infers that the Dots can see the Man-Traps, but willfully encourage people to walk directly into their mouths. As it turns out, the Dot hates Lindy and her friends about as much as the audience does. The AI has gone rogue and it’s taking these airheads with it. Sadly, this is also when the episode starts to get bogged down by the season's overarching plot.

The Doctor deduces that the Man-Traps are eating the people in alphabetical order. This leads him to believe that the AI must have created the Man-Traps, otherwise they would eat whoever, whenever. The reason I feel this feels bogged down by the overarching plot is that I can’t imagine these golfball-sized Dots being capable of growing creatures in a laboratory. The most they can do against Ricky and Lindy is act as a projectile. They don’t even have thumbs. Because of this, it’s logical to imagine that there is a third party involved. It’s not hard to imagine who that third party is, considering Susan Twist’s cameo. But in the meantime, we as an audience are left in a state of limbo where this is either part of some greater plan, or an unsatisfying plothole. Albeit, not an incredibly episode-breaking one. After all, the Daleks manage quite a bit with only a plunger.

With Lindy’s Dot trying to bash their brains in and Lindy being next in line, alphabetically speaking, we are finally introduced to who Lindy actually is as person. Using her mega fan knowledge about Ricky September, she informs the Dot that Ricky’s name is a stage name and his real name is Coombes. Ricky can barely believe the betrayal from the woman he’s tried so very hard to save. But her gamble pays off as the Dot refocuses its attention on Ricky, giving Lindy enough time to escape to the river while the Dot strikes down poor Ricky. As face turns go, this is one of the worst in Doctor Who history. However, it’s not entirely without warning. Certain lines of dialogue have clued us in to Lindy’s true nature throughout the episode.

Before we leave him behind like Lindy so callously does, I’d like to take a moment to talk about Ricky September, as I don’t think we’ve seen the last of him. It was hard to tell what the Dot does to Ricky because the camera looks away, but he could have survived. Why I think this is because they spend a lot of time building Ricky up as a character. Both the Doctor and Ruby have shown a romantic interest in him. There have even been rumours that there would be a sort of love triangle between the Doctor, Ruby, and Ruby’s boyfriend. On top of that, we’ve got another blonde-haired blue-eyed person with RS for initials. Even further, the S in both names indicates a point in time- September and Sunday. And just because Ricky comes from a community of racists doesn’t mean he is one. Like he said, he does a lot of reading. Perhaps he’s learned better. Or I’m wrong and he has a Dot-sized hole in his head.

Finally, we get to see the Doctor and Ruby in the flesh. Even more finally, we get to see them both in the costumes they wore in their first costume reveal! Lindy gives the Doctor and Ruby some shitty excuse about Ricky turning back to save more people. She even gives a begrudging thank you to them, but ultimately can’t bring herself to let the Doctor help her or her friends. Lindy and her fellow survivors can’t bring themselves to interact with the Doctor because he’s black. It’s as heartbreaking for the Doctor as it is infuriating to Ruby who can only stand there and watch her friend experience this ugliness. But the Doctor is still the Doctor and he’s a bigger man than their small minds. He continues holding out a lifeline to some of the most undeserving group of spoiled narcissists to ever grace the screen of Doctor Who.

I’ve seen people complain that the Doctor does this. That it doesn’t mesh with the same character who once punched a man who was racist toward Bill. But that was the Doctor drawing a line and defending his friend’s honour. The Doctor’s compassion is so great that he’s willing to forego his sense of self-respect to save lives. This is the same man who tries to reason with racist genocidal aliens, he doesn’t stop just because they look human. I know I would have let them die, but the Doctor is a better person than me. That’s not to say any of this is easy for him. It very clearly cuts him to his core. Ncuti Gatwa gives an earth-shattering performance here, and when you consider this is the first scene he filmed after the Giggle, it’s fucking astounding. This is the exact type of range I was hoping they would bring to his character.

As a white member of the audience, I am left with a lot of uncomfortable realisations. Like, I barely batted an eye at the fact that Lindy’s friends were all white. I’m also left wondering how many people the Doctor has saved in the past who might have also treated a black Doctor differently. But I also feel like this ending took me by surprise for a different reason than my own ignorance. I simply never expected Doctor Who to go there. The topic of racism is not new to Doctor Who. Martha experiences quite a bit of it, especially in “Human Nature.” But even their more recent attempt with “Rosa,” fell short by implying that in 3000 years, no other black person would stand up for their rights. It was an oversimplification of the civil rights movement that left me wondering if Doctor Who was capable of tackling such heavy issues. I never felt like the show properly addressed the Doctor being a woman, so believe me when I say how much I appreciate them addressing the Doctor’s race. Even further, I loved that it ultimately isn’t the Doctor who will suffer from their racism. Their prejudice has doomed them without anyone else’s help.

It’s weird to look at this episode on the TARDIS wiki and see the Dots and Man-Traps listed as the main enemy. Because really, it’s Lindy who is the real monster. It’s Hoochy Pie and her wack-ass trumpet. Also, can we not come up with a better name than Man-Trap? What about Erascists? They erase e-racists. Just some good little sluggy bois taking out the trash. I stan a king. The Dots hate those evil trust fund dickweeds, and honestly, same. Evidently, the name Man-Trap was introduced in Doctor Who Unleashed, which for the 4th week in a row, I’ve forgotten to watch. One of the side-effects of Doctor Who’s screwy release schedule is that now I completely forget Doctor Who Unleashed even exists. One benefit, however, is that I often get to rewatch the episodes the next day with my partners who didn’t want to stay up late. The benefit is that I’ll notice things I missed the first time. It also allows me to experience the stories for what they are, as opposed to what I expected them to be.

Being able to watch “Dot and Bubble,” with hindsight has given me an even greater appreciation for this story. Over time, I feel people will eventually regard it as one of Davies’ best. Its tone and themes remind me of something you would find in the Seventh Doctor era, which is high praise coming from me. Ricky feels like the promise of a character like Pex from “Paradise Towers,” properly realised. Hopefully, like the graffiti says- “Pex lives.” Dylan Holmes Williams does a fabulous job directing as the episode wastes nothing. It’s a Doctor-lite episode that manages not to waste a moment of screen time with the Doctor. In less than five minutes, Gatwa manages to be the command performance in an episode of solid performances. But much like “The Fugitive of the Judoon,” this strong episode remains feeling unresolved due to the plotline still hanging over its head. Once we have the hindsight of knowing how it fits into the greater storyline, it could appreciate in value. One can only hope.

[kissorkill16]

It's Really Him: A Hello Neighbor Fanfic

By JJ

Summary: It's really him!

Ivan ran down the halls of the school, desperate to find his friends.

"Where are they?", he asked himself, "They've gotta be here somewhere."

Just then, he saw all of them, walking down the hallway to the cafeteria, and he immediately jumped up in excitement and ran to them.

"GUYS!", he called out.

All of the kids turned around, and their eyes widened. Ivan ran to Enzo, wrapping his arms around him and trapping him in a big hug, but instead of hugging back, Enzo kicked him to the ground and stood on his shoulder.

"OW! WHAT THE HECK?!", Ivan squealed.

"You tried this once you beak faced fucker! You're not tricking us again.", said Enzo, stepping harder onto Ivan's shoulder. Ivan tried to get up and look at his friend with pleading eyes.

"What're you guys talking about?", he asked, "It's me, Ivan. I'm your friend."

"Really?", asked Trinity, "How do we know you're not Crowface in disguise?"

Ivan finally managed to push Enzo's foot off his shoulder and turned to face his friends.

"If you're really Ivan, then prove it.", said Delroy.

"Gladly!"

Ivan stood up and dusted himself off, "I still haven't told anyone about my encounter with Mr. Peterson.", he said.

Enzo rolled his eyes, "And?"

"Okay! Well, I enjoy making inventions.", said Ivan, hoping that would be enough to satisfy his friends.

Apparently, it wasn't. "So does everyone who joined the Inventor's Club.", said Enzo. "Lucy, Mya, Trinity, and me all love building things.", he crossed his arms. "Either way, that's not enough."

Ivan rolled his eyes. "Finch likes Nicky!", he said, at this point, desperate to say something that would prove he was the real Ivan.

But when he saw Finch balling up her fist behind Trinity, he smiled and stuttered, "As a friend! A-As a friend. That's what I was going to say."

Delroy rolled his eyes, "I would've believed him if he just stopped at Nicky."

Finch punched his side.

Then, behind Ivan came Maritza, swinging her bat around. "You guys better believe him. He's telling the truth."

Enzo looked at his sister, incredulously. "How would you know that, Mari? Is he brainwashing you?"

Maritza pointed her bat at her brother, "No, idiot.", she said. "I went to the Golden Apple Amusement Park last night."

"WHAT?!"

"With Nicky."

"THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT BETTER!"

"Look, just shut up and let me finish.", said Maritza. "We went there last night, and we just wanted to have a fun time. Things have been really stressful ever since that day in the woods, and we just both needed a stress reliever. There, we found Ivan at one of the concession stands. At first, I didn't believe it was Ivan, but when Nicky mentioned B+, he freaked the fuck out."

"Indeed I did.", said Ivan.

"Did Crowface kidnap you after that night you and Trinity were searching the school?", asked Finch. Ivan nodded.

"He stabbed me multiple times until I lost consciousness. I have scars to prove it.", he said, and he pulled up his shirt to show everyone the multiple scars on his stomach.

Enzo bit his fingernails, "Damn it, now I feel bad for stomping on you.", he said. Ivan put his hand up, "No hard feelings, my friend."

Then he continued on with the story. "But during my time being held hostage, I overheard most of the Forest Protectors conversations. They kept talking about this device of some sort, how they lost it and how -"

Trinity's eyes widened. "Device?", she asked.

"Yes."

She tapped her chin as she thought about it, "What does the device look like?", she asked.

"It's a brass and emerald pentagon.", replied Ivan. "Apparently, it's the source of all of their power. It's how they give all of this rotten luck to all of the people in Raven Brooks, and it's how they control the weather. I've always wondered why it's never sunny in Raven Brooks, just clouds, dark clouds and rain."

Trinity was lost in thought.

Then she saw Nicky behind Finch, rummaging through his locker. The strangest thing was that he was wearing a long sleeve shirt with only one sleeve rolled up.

Nicky looked at her for a split second, then he shut his locker door and left. Trinity immediately ran behind Finch and tried to catch up to her friend.

"Nicky! Wait up!", she kept calling out.

[asyastudieskorean]

05.17.2024 — 안녕하세요 여러분. 오늘 밤에 나는 한국어를 공부해요. 나는 너무 피곤해요, 하지만… 네.

오늘은 “~지요” 배웠어요.

Here’s a quick overview.

Adjective/verb + 지요 is like saying this is the case, isn’t it? It’s this, right?

In English, it’s like Isn’t…?/Aren’t…? and Don’t…/Doesn’t…?

It’s basically a way to ask a question that isn’t a question. 네???

We both (those talking) know this is the case (or most likely is). In asking if this is the case, we aren’t really asking, it’s more like we’re confirming or just stating what is already known.

Here’s a specific example. 사과 씨 and 오이 씨 are walking outside in the snow (눈).

사과 씨: 오늘은 날씨가 춥지요? (FYI 지요 can be pronounced 죠 all the same)

Ms. Apple: The weather’s cold today, isn’t it?

오이 씨*: 네, 추워요.

Mr. Cucumber: Yes, it’s cold.

*Just realized “오이 씨,” “Mr. Cucumber,” also sounds like “(it’s) delicious” in Japanese, lol).

So yes. It’s snowing. It’s below 30 degrees. Of course it’s cold. Everyone knows this and agrees with this. So even why ask? Well.

This becomes clearer when you think about someone asking, Is it cold (outside)?

This is different because it’s a literal question. The person doesn’t know the weather outside.

Ergo, ~지요(?) isn’t really a question inquiring for info.

For nouns, you’d use ~이지요 for consonant endings (“받침”), or ~지요 for vowels. Both can, again, be shortened to ~이죠(C)/~죠(V).

We also learned about present progressive form, i.e. verb+ ~ing, but let’s discuss that another time (or never, I don’t know).

Here is where the tangent begins folks. Run now while you have the chance. 🚨

In rhetoric (sorry, my English major is showing), we’d often use this sort of sentence not for agreeance(?) but to make a point or convince someone of something. A rhetorical device, as it were.

A politician trying to convince people to join their cause may tap into the people's fears by saying, “Don’t you want to have a better future for your children?” Will that politician actually improve childcare and the education system? Did their whole prior speech have anything to do with children? Who knows, but odds are that line had an effect on the people.

You can think of being rhetorical as speaking with an intent different from what the thing you are saying is giving off. Anterior motives (good or bad). Sarcasm, sometimes. To a kid who’s a slacker and failing 3 classes, his mom might ask, “You’re not going to study?” She isn’t curious, she knows he won’t study. She’s actually saying, “Study right now, or else.” This is like a very basic concept of rhetoric. I don’t remember the serious stuff. I’m also an over-explainer because I have teen siblings who constantly ask for homework help. Bear with me.

Think about if you want your friend to go with you to a party, but they’re tired and have an essay to write. However, you know they’re a sucker for costume parties, and this so happens to be a costume party, so you ask, “You like wearing costumes, right?” You know she's passionate about costumes. Here, you’re trying to convince her to go in a slightly subliminal way. These are, of course, all context-based. Read that line without this context, and you'd think it’s a real question. This is a persuasive device because you aren’t badgering them to go for no reason; you’re pointing out the benefit it has for them without explicitly showing it’s actually all for you (you don’t want to go alone).

Now I am not 100% sure if it’d be used as a rhetorical device in Korean, though. This is what I’m wondering.

Basically, the lecture defined this grammar point as, “When the speaker wants to confirm with the listener to obtain the listeners agreement about something that’s already known.”

I think in English, these sorts of confirmations happen largely in meaningless or filler conversations without a purpose. Like when you talk about the weather. “It’s pretty hot today, isn’t it?” would get the answer “Yeah it is” or “I know right?” There’s not really any value or real communication happening here, it’s just like we are existing together and acknowledging that we are, lol. Or! Or maybe this too could be subliminally rhetorical, say, if you are purposefully creating this agreement situation so it is as if the two speaking have something in common or are like-minded (maybe you are on a first date and want to connect). Or maybe the conversation has gone stale, but for some reason, you want it to continue. Is this still rhetoric? Mmm. Anyways.

So this is a bit different from my lecture’s definition of this grammar point. My question is if this can be (or is in real life) used in cases like this, where it is meant to illicit a response that is not simply agreement, whether that’s convincing someone of something, obtaining information, etc.

Consider this:

Imagine you’ve stayed the night at your friends place and want coffee, but can’t quite remember where it is, but you’re pretty sure they have it, so you ask, 커피를 있지요? (Isn’t there coffee?) Here, there is intent beyond agreement. You don’t want to know if there is coffee, you don’t want them to rely “yep!,” you want to know WHERE the coffee is. On a subtext level, this might be a more polite way to ask for the coffee, too.

Or say you’ve walked into a 21+ bar and you see a classmate with their sister that’s only 19. You could then ask, “Aren’t you 19?” This is to, rhetorically, say, “You shouldn’t be here, so why are you?” You know their age, or at least you are almost certain they are under 21.

This is the definition of going down the rabbit hole and “it’s not that deep,” I know, lol. This is literally my stream of consciousness as I study at 12 AM. 🤡

Anyways, 오전 12시예요. 안녕~

[safety-pin-punk]

Punk 101: Recording Music

To answer the question: ‘How do you record music off of a streaming service’ (for legal reasons I wont say which one I recorded off of)

Warning: it can get a bit complicated and is illegal

More Important Warning: at the end of this post there is a video with flashing lights

Also a point to make: you shouldnt do this especially for smaller bands. They make money off of streaming. They need money to survive. Support small bands

Step 1. Put the playlist together

This can be on Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, etc. You just have to be able to access it on your phone or tablet (something that takes an aux cord)

Step 2. Turn the sound to Analog

This is accomplished by running it through an aux cord. If you have a newer iphone or simply a device that has no aux output, you need to get an adapter. But the music HAS to be transferred out of a digital format otherwise you wont be able to record through any encryption (Im not a computer person please dont ask me to explain streaming encryptions)

Step 3. Turn it back into digital

Heres the thing, you can’t really record analog (well not without a HUGE quality loss in sound). This is the part where I warned it can get complicated. I’m going to show the ‘advanced’ way. But you could probably also just find a way to plug the aux into a computer as an input too.

Personally, *if* I were to record music (which I totally dont do cause its illegal) I’d run my music through two different boards

The one on the left is an old as fuck board that has amazing sound, the one on the right is a Denon, which we currently use for DJ gigs. The aux is the input into the old one, which in turn is the input into the new one.

Side note: I’d only add the old board into the mix if I can’t get the aux input loud enough on the Denon to match any pre-recorded music. That’s important for a DJ. The old board would let me give it an extra boost.

Step 4. Sound match (kind of optional, but recommended)

If you want your music to be the same volume as all the other music you have, you have to sound match with a song you already have. I like this song:

You need to record about 20 second demos and compare them with the original song while messing around with the settings until it sounds good without damaging the equipment. As you can see it might take a few tries to get the sound to match. But once it does, you dont have to change the settings for any other song you record.

If you are using a board to record or boost your audio, these are lights that you want to pay attention to. You never want to ‘peak’ your boards. Its not good for them and will shorten their life span.

Step 4. Record

Newer boards often have recording functions (like the Denon). If you are on a computer, use whatever recording application you have available. Save each track. (Maybe listen to the first few to make sure you arent cutting off the very beginning or end of a song). Keep track of which song was recorded in what order if you cant name them right away.

Save the songs onto a usb or on your computer. From their you can rename the files

Step 5. Do with it as you please

Want to turn it into a cd?

Punk 101 Master List

My entire set up for recording: FLASH WARNING

[bitchfitch]

Got most of the way through a chapter before deciding it didn't fit the flow. rip.

A replicator. A fully functional, Pristine, replicator. Lino couldn't believe his eyes when he caught sight of one of its terminals while Vincent was carrying him from the bed bay to the dining room.

"Stop, That-" he pointed to it in his excitement before remembering his captor was blind, "The replicator, I mean, I want to see it."

"I'm sorry-" Vincent started to apologize even as he changed his course. His plodding steps becomeing hesitant as they approached it, "-I know it is a crime against God but I ... can't cook or grow my own food. I'm sorry -"

"Vincent, no, it's not a crime, it's a blessing you've been tricked into thinking of as a crime," Lino let the lie slide of his tongue as he squirmed out of Vincent's arms to drag himself up to a standing position by the terminal's podium.

The Sun only had a single replicator. An Re4 model that was too slow and expensive to run for anything less important than medicine or parts they couldn't machine with the other tools they had. All other units that had been found were ordered scrapped no matter their condition as The Leader blamed them for the war. They said the abundance of material and food and medicine was what made the people of old so hungry for blood. There was nothing left to need or want besides other people's destruction.

Lino had never believed a word of it. Endless food and medicine and parts could be theirs, no one in even the coldest slums of the Corona would have to go without if The Leader would just let him and the other mechanics move and repair the old beasts.

He dug through the menus until he could turn off the cosmetic interface to see the truth of this miracle machine. It wasn't a Re4. It wasn't a ReUnit, or any other small devices meant for the ultra wealthy who could afford to house a village in a bunker. It was a Replicator. Capital R. one of the originals meant for mass and rapid manufacturing that could make anything from apples to the nuclear warheads that destroyed the old world.

It's diagnostic page showed it's terminal's looks weren't lying. The old beast was still marching along almost as perfectly as the day it had been activated for the first time. There was work to be done on it, sure, but it was the sort of work Lino relished.

... It wouldn't hurt to have a little side project while he figured out his leg situation, right? The Sun would order this massive work of art stripped for parts, would come and kill Vincent just for daring to know it exists. After Lino left, he could tell no one about the miracle just outside their territory, but while he was here he could keep part of the old world alive for just that much longer.

Vincent was quiet as Lino oohed and ahed his way through submenu after submenu, but eventually had to speak his doubts.

"It pretends to be God. It can make flesh and fruit that are exactly like reality, how is it not a crime?"

"Because if it was God wouldn't have made his creations so replicable. It's not a sin to paint or sculpt or grow, why would it be a sin to make a machine that can do it for you?" Lino only had Vincent's own prattling to base his assumptions on as The Sun deemed religion to be just as guilty for the fall of the old world as the replicators were. Still, he found himself sliding into the roll Vincent had cast him in a little easier with every new line he fed the man.

"But... I thought those were gifts meant only for man?"

"And did a human make this machine or not? It's a tool, a big one with a lot of parts, but still just a tool." Lino found the parts list buried away in a plain text document. The specifications written in defunct measures. Notes were still left over from the original manufacturing. Dates of when this or that was assembled, a reference to a component being a lemon and needing to be sent back. Each signed, often just with initials, but sometimes there would be a name that struck out from the lines.

Alan, Antonio, Barnes. Their names immortalized even if they were most likely killed in the initial volley of nuclear war. Carla, Henry, Heather.

Lino told the machine to print the parts list, he'd need to see how things wore out before he had it begin on remaking itself. The mill and compositing set up seemed the most effected by time, and since those were what he'd need most to build his new leg, surely it wouldn't hurt to take the time to get them as pristine as the rest of this marvel?

And perhaps, a smaller part of wanted to learn every name in those margins. They deserved to be remembered.

Vincent let the topic drown in silence as Lino did what he would, his false beliefs in angels making him hesitate to question him further.

"But my grandmother -"

"Was wrong. Humans are wrong sometimes, Vincent. It's ok, God has already forgiven her," Lino dismisses him as he gathers the stack of papers from the output. His hip and knee were already aching from supporting his entire weight after so long spent in bed.

"Of course, of course. My apologies for questioning you," Vincent bowed his head.

"It's all forgiven, my Vincent," Lino reassures him with a hand on his shoulder, half to do the reassuring and half to brace against the mountain that was Vincent. "I believe you were taking me to dinner before I interrupted?"

[sl33py-g4m3r]

youtube premium and I bought an electric kettle~~!!! how have I lived without one???

stopped paying for youtube premium for almost a month and are getting ads for an adblocker called pie

I thought that it wouldn't work cause google was blocking the adblockers or something.

some of the ads are neat tho, and some of them are so long I can use my kettle to make tea and go to the bathroom only to come back and its still on the ad.

don't like horror ads tho~~

also still sucks that sometimes the ads are louder than the content. they shouldn't be allowed to do that.

hopefully I've gotten used to the ads again as it's been almost a month cause I started getting ads on december 5th.

and they keep showing me "renew your subscription for more ad free videos"

Yeah screen off for music while out would be nice, and no ads would be nice too but that's about all I use it for. cause it gives you access to ad free youtube music as well, which I don't use. and avalible to download "offline" viewing of videos, which I don't use.

also YOU NEED ONLINE ANYWAY TO VERIFY AND WATCH THEM~~! so its not truly "offline" at all. you still need access to verify that you can watch the thing you "supposedly" downloaded DIRECTLY TO YOUR DEVICE~~!!

a waste of $19 if you're paying through apple.

how come it took me so long to realize this? is it a waste of money if you pay anywhere for services you don't use? or is youtube premium worth it if not through apple? tho at that it's still like $15 i think?

sucks too for long form videos of aesthetic music or something to get a bunch of ads that pull you out of whatever you were doing. but I don't use them for sleep anyway so~~ eh.

also 5 smaller ads in a row~~~

when did ads on youtube get this bad? or were they bad to begin with? also quit showing me ads for booze/alcohol please~~~ I don't drink and never will~~

and unrelated but I should've bought myself a kettle a long time ago~~ like~~~ it's faster than boiling water on the stove and I drink a lot of tea~~~ found a good gooseneck electric kettle on walmart for a really good deal at the end of last month~~~~ it was normally $200 but was on clearance for $45 and w shipping I got a $200 kettle for $50~~~ sleep deprived impulse buy cause I was looking at other ones but settled on that one and so far regret absolutely nothing~~~

probably more energy efficient than boiling water in a pan on the stove~~!!! how did I not get a kettle until now?? why are they not more common here?? Everyone needs a kettle~~~ even if it's just to cook those in a cup noodles~~~

get kettles people~~~ they're useful and so fast~~~ I timed mine cause I was curious and at 800 ml having it go to boiling takes like 3 minutes and 30 seconds. darn near instant compared to the stove~~!!

only gripe about it is that the temperatures are only in Fahrenheit~~~

I still swear both things should have both measurements and America should just go metric already~~ do what the rest of the world is doing~~ I will talk about this forever until we do it~~~~

trying my best for years to switch myself to the metric system cause the rest of the world does it~~~ and America should too~~~~

[kervl-klear]

26 beagcha

26. If they are forced to take a day off, what would they do and how would they react?

Baegcha pace relentlessly around his room while hugging one of his plush toy, Ms. Apple Bear. His face may not show much but he’s stress that Huchu had decided to lock him in today to prevent him from going out on stop-list hunting. Huchu had also removed every electronic device from his room, crippling him from his specialty.

Baegcha: “Look Docs, I just found the identity of one of the biggest CP distributor! I’m not going to sit this out!”

There is no answer, however there is a piece of paper being slipped into his room from beneath the door. Beagcha quickly pick it up to inspect. It’s a crayon drawing of presumably Beagcha walking through the door on the left side of the paper and weeping Yuseong being scold by Huchu on the right.

Beagcha sigh at the pathetic but somewhat endearing drawing.

Baegcha: “Yu, your art magnificently conveys the presence of angry docs and I feel your terror but the longer we wait, the more damage will be done!”

A page of newspaper slipped through the door, apparently the CP distributor Beagcha is planning to hunt was captured by the police and the rest of C2ISTAR definitely is the one who gets that asshole arrested.

Baegcha doubted that being arrested will change anything since this guy already got out of jail twice and is still doing the same thing. However, by being in jail. This person is now under police protection and Baegcha would rather wait until he’s out of jail again to kill him.

Clearly the rest of C2ISTAR had already predicted this.

Baegcha: “Yeah, okay. But this man is not the only one I need to stop, there are over thousands of people being assaulted every hour! Are you just going to let that happen?!”

Baegcha wait, hoping that Yuseong would understand his point. But there is no response, no crayon drawing and no newspaper. Just like everyone else, Yuseong is just going to let it happen. Beagcha went back to bed and hog every plushies on his bed in his blanket, thinking about all the victims that he could be helping right now.

Everyone seem to think the same way as Orenji, just like that day when he cracked Orenji’s head open.

Baegcha: “Hahaha….So you want me to let it happen to everyone the same way you did?”

Orenji: “No, I won’t and I’ll start by not letting it happen to you”

Baegcha tightened his blanket as he remembered that day. He was so sure Orenji would never survive that injury, he shouldn’t have worried about saving ammos. He should have stop Orenji heart right then and there just in case.

But Huchu would say other wise won’t he? What did he said again before he left the room this morning?

Huchu: “It hurt everyone whenever you endanger yourself, we care for you. I care for you, it keep me and Orenji up at night thinking what might be happening to you at that moment”

Huchu voiced grow more shaky as he continued to speak.

Huchu: “I’m scared that I might lose you one day and it’s eating me up because…I love you”

After a moment in silent Baegcha give Yuseong a big sigh.

Baegcha: “I’m not going to stop what I do, I think that hurting you guys in exchange of saving people from being traumatized for life is worth it but…”

He tensed up, he reached out to squeeze Ms. Apple bear’s paw to clam down.

Baegcha: “…every once in a while, maybe I’ll give you guys a break”

Baegcha swear he can hear Yuseong bouncing up and down in happiness and for a moment, he wish he could smile.

Baegcha: “I wonder what I can do to pass the time…”

An alphabet book slips in, followed by a messy crayon drawing of Yuseong giving thumbs up.

Baegcha: “….Thanks Yu, very cool but no thanks”

Yuseong had been sitting in front of the door the entire time isn’t he? Baegcha thought to himself, he wonder if his fear of angry Huchu is really that strong or if he is just….also concerned about Beagcha in his own way.

Beagcha decided to spend the rest of his day playing with his animals plushies, he set up a tea table and sew new clothes for them.

Beagcha: “By the way Yu, you have a plan on how you are going to give me food….right?”

It took about ten seconds before Baegcha can hear Yuseong’s little “Oh no” beyond the door followed by a running sound. Baegcha chuckle knowing that he succeeded in messing with Yuseong as Huchu actually already prepared a sandwich and placed it inside his room.

………………………………………….

Thank you for the ask. ✨

[arcplaysgames]

JUST NUKE THE SITE MISHIMA

whom among us has not seen an admin go on a deletion spree. it never works. it has never worked. just take down the site, phuckboy.

Sure, buddy, where would you like it, in your face or on your lap?

The Beige Front has come in and is forecast to be lingering for a while, because Akechi's got plans for everyone.

A lying clock is right twice a day, things are Extremely Bad.

That...... is actually really smart. Like, if the Thieves steal the heart of someone on the team, they can't publicize that.

For a guy who is going to stab us in the back SOMEHOW, Akechi is also a smart cookie.

Honestly not a stellar reason. Akechi states his sense of justice some from a deeply personal place, implying someone has wronged him or someone else (his mom?) enough to anchor his philosophy.

And again: revenge-driven personal justice is Bad. It is narratively satisfying in fiction, but it is really bad foundationally and I think P5R actually knows that and is playing with that.

... Wouldn't you know?

Now I'm questioning everything.

WHAT IS GOING ON. Once again everything gets fuzzy and Morgana and Reverie talk to Futaba, but we don't hear it.

....... The other time this happened was right after Akechi gave everyone the ultimatum at school, Morgana and Reverie talked then too.

.... So was that first-- OH wait. Wait. Framing device. Does this indicate something Reverie in the framing device is fudging and keeping from Sae?

Both of these are right after Akechi convos. And the game is not trying to make Akechi subtle at all, so: is Morgana already setting up things to keep Akechi from smothering Reverie with his stupid blue sweatervest?

And right after this, Futaba pulls a REALLY OBVIOUS scheme to get her hands on Akechi's phone and holds onto it for about two minutes.

fucking please, Futaba runs a custom OS on android hardware and Akechi uses apple, come on.

But yeah she's doing something to crack his phone. Hey, Futaba, while you're at it, check when the MetaNav showed up on his phone because I bet you it was way before Okumura.

Well that sure is a familiar sight. We are closing in on the framing device at a rapid pace.

God, that was so long ago. I remember being baffled at why shadows were showing up in the "real world" haha shows what I knew, which was fucking nothing.

Sae's Palace is the courthouse and the manifestation is rooted in Japan and its infamous 99.9% conviction rate. Which might not be a hard statistic, but it's kind of a Known Thing that if you go to court in Japan, you are probably Super Duper Fucked because it's so vanishingly rare for someone to avoid conviction.

So, to Sae, the courthouse is a casino where all the games are rigged in favor of the house. Of course.

okay sergeant pepper, sure thing

that is NOT your persona, are you KIDDING ME

I'm like fucking staggered. Like, that does not feel like Akechi's persona, it feels so off, like a joke he'd tell about his own inner self.

fucking Rob LIefeld's Robin Hood is hiding in Akechi's heart. alright.

/shakes head to self silently

Shadow Sae shows up directly to basically dare the Thieves to reach her Treasure, outlining exactly where it is. She's very confident that they won't be able to reach it.

Also, through this entire Palace, Makoto keeps trying to engage with Sae, to talk to her, and like.... Sae just ignores her and it's really sad. Like, damn, Sae, did you ever care?

ALLLLLLL the way back when Makoto was recruited, back when I thought she was the worst character (my how times have changed, she's only third worst), she used the MetaNav and found out Sae had a Palace, and apparently has been thinking about stealing her sister's heart since then.

It's rough.

ALSO: Shadow Sae hot. And I find it interesting that she has that heavy eyeliner thing going on because that is strongly associated with Reverie. It's an interesting little mirror.

The current team. Akechi looks good with the crow feathers, Haru is ADORABLE in that outfit, and Yusuke looks good in everything. Also Reverie is in Gekkoukan garb so I can have Mass Destruction and Wiping All Out. I know what I'm about.

ALSO I GOT HARU AND MONA'S SHOWTIME AND ITS THE BEST ONE. FUCK YES GRENADE LAUNCHER DRIVEBY. I love Haru.

The entire Palace revolves around a coin system. You can only get to higher floors with the use of coins, like buying your way into the high roller tables.

When the team reaches the final threshold, Shadow Sae cheats and raises the threshold to a million coins, and Akechi reveals he's been gaming the casino the entire time to ensure they'd have enough coins.

It's a shame you're evil, Beige Boy, because I've missed having smart people on my team. (Futaba and Yusuke excluded, they are the smartest ppl we got.)

You know, he didn't need to keep this secret the entire time. In fact, if he looped in Futaba in particular, she would have helped him game the system even more, I'm sure.

But the one thing that might be true about Akechi is that he's a dramatic showboating bastard.

Dunno if I shoulda called Sae being a corrupt prosecutor or not. That 99.9% win rate makes me wonder if it's just understood that the system is busted. Both Persona 5 and the Yakuza spinoff Judgement (and technically Phoenix Wright) are all concerned with that tidbit of information and how the justice system in Japan is set up.

Interesting. I lack the context to fully understand if this is a radical idea or not.

Anyway, the Palace is a wrap until the calling card. So let's send that sucker out!

Akechi says that oh actually, lets not send the calling card out until the last minute so we'll be sure it actually works. So we're sending it out on November 18.

Cool, cool, so Reverie should get his last will and testament completed by then, yep yep yep.

Here we go, hurtling towards the framing device like a runaway train with a beige conductor.

oh yeah, we doomed. the only question i have is will it be a stab in the back or in the heart. how homoromantic you gonna make this, Beige Boy? do you wanna stare into Reverie's pretty grey eyes as you kill him? I think that's your vibe, tbh.

[theconfusedartist]

Canon Information- Pieces of Eden

A Piece of Eden is a type of sophisticated technology created by the Isu which reacts with the network of neurotransmitters engineered into human brains. With the notable exception of the Shrouds of Eden, the majority of the Pieces of Eden were designed for the primary purpose of mentally and physically controlling human thoughts, emotions, and behavior. They were, therefore, the main instrument by which the Isu forced the humans to serve as slaves.

The powers of the Pieces of Eden have mystified humanity over millennia, enough for them to conflate them with "magic" throughout history. The extinction of the Isu civilization following the Great Catastrophe only reinforced this, as memories of the Isu faded into legends and myths. (now that I'm thinking about it, even if the Isu were wiped out, its very highly unlikely that humans wouldn't also be wiped out in canon. Due to the humans and Isu sharing a society, but the lore never explains this.)

Since humans lack the technological expertise to reproduce these devices, they have long been the subject of innumerable conflicts between rival humans seeking them for their own ends. In particular, they are a central obsession of the Templar Order, which has devoted much of their resources to searching and seizing these artifacts in their quest for world domination. (no mention on how the assassins have become similarly obsessed? Hm)

Description

Although most classes of Pieces of Eden, such as the Apples and Staves of Eden, were utilized as tools by which humanity could be controlled, others deviated from this purpose. The Swords of Eden are primarily weapons capable of emitting energy blasts while the Shrouds of Eden are medical in nature, designed for healing even the most mortal of wounds. The diverse functions of the devices extend further: many are capable of bending the thoughts of one or more individuals to that of the user, projecting illusions or concealing the user's presence. The Precursor boxes, powered by other Pieces of Eden, can imprint the memories of its users onto others and decode examples of Isu script, like the Voynich manuscript. (which then begs the question, if the Isu were able to manipulate DNA in order to possess humans and also able to imprint memories: WHATS THE POINT OF THE ANIMUS THEN??? WHY IS IT STILL USED OR EVEN CONSIDERED IMPORTANT TO THE STORY? Why the FUCK did the games make it such a big deal that Desmond had such a high sync rate when they can *apparently* use someone else's blood to see the memories of their ancestors?)

Other functions are more mundane relative to modern human technology, such as the projection of holograms or the Crystal Skulls which act as long-distance communication devices, but these nevertheless appeared supernatural to ancient peoples. (so would zoom to a person living in the 1950s bro)

Since the end of the Isu civilization, these devices, appearing sporadically in the hands of humans, have acquired a status as legendary relics of phenomenal properties. Greatly eclipsing the technological level of human civilization, even into modern times, the Pieces of Eden bestow tremendous power over society to those who come to possess them. (and going mad is just a fun side effect to show off at parties, I guess? Odd how that literally never comes up in the story, but it was shown to happen over and over again in previous games, but ok. Oh! And don't forget it was previously established that only certain people could use them without going insane! Because the writers sure as shit did.)

Their employment has therefore had immense impacts on human history; some of the most influential leaders such as Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Mahatma Gandhi were aided by their use of a Piece of Eden. (???? wasn't there a whole codex page about how Altaïr felt conflicted at killing Genghis Khan once he realized that humans had the potential to do great harm to each other without the PoE? Becuase he didn't? Have one when Altaïr killed him? Or was that yet another retcon later on?)

Recognizing their significance, the Pieces of Eden have been at the forefront of the Templar Order's goals for centuries as they hope that by exploiting the artifacts, they could achieve their vision of a New World Order. The contest for the Pieces of Eden between the Templars and their archenemies, the Assassins, who traditionally seek to safeguard them, has been a hallmark of their millennia long war. (hey, remember when Desmond had that badass sequence where he raids the Abstergo base to save his dad, killing people left and right with his blades and apple of Eden? And no one said anything about the fact that he, an Assassin, used a PoE the same way templars do? And treated the event like it was insignificant? This girlie does!)

Characteristics and attributes

"This... piece of silver cast out Adam and Eve. It turned staves into snakes. Parted and closed the Red Sea. Eris used it to start the Trojan War; and with it, a poor carpenter turned water into wine."

Al Mualim, speaking to Altaïr about the Apple.

(?????? Did i miss something? When did he say this? No, fr, when did he ever say this? Am I just forgetting something? Did he say this in the novels? In revelations? Like, genuinely, when did he ever have an open and honest discussion with Altaïr about the PoEs?)

Amongst the greatest tools known to man, the Apples of Eden can control the human mind by interacting with a neurotransmitter located deep in the human brain. (and yet for some reason, there are so many different PoEs that have nothing to do with mind control...)

Other Pieces of Eden are capable of warping reality, creating illusions, ensuring total obedience and healing physical injuries.[1][2] (which only makes things more confusing when the lore claims the Isu couldn't change the past) Both Templars and the Assassins believe that the Pieces of Eden were responsible for many historical tales and miracles, such as the Parting of the Red Sea, the Trojan War, the miracles enacted by Jesus Christ, and the Biblical plagues that ravaged Egypt.[3] According to Dr. Álvaro Gramática, all Pieces of Eden are made of an unknown metal resembling gold or silver that Abstergo dubbed 'Pathorica'.[4]

Abilities of the Pieces

Some Pieces of Eden were known to interact with and change the passage of time, possibly creating paradoxes. Others were able to "speak" to those who wielded them, as was the case with Ezio Auditore, Perotto Calderon and Giovanni Borgia, who spoke with Ezio's Apple and the Shroud.[2][5]

When activated, Apples of Eden are capable of extending a pulse of energy that can drive those in the surrounding area to insanity and death. Doing so has a detrimental effect on the physical health of the wielder if they are unskilled in the Apples' use, but a capable user is not as easily afflicted.[6] Altaïr, for example, was able to use Apple #2 for a limited duration without adverse affects at age 92.[7] Using the Pieces' powers in short bursts can also minimize the negative effects dealt by the artifacts, though to what extent is unknown.[1]

Destruction of a Piece

Following the destruction of Apple of Eden #2 during an experiment at the Denver International Airport, the Templars found themselves in need of another artifact with similar properties. Seeking access to a map that indicated the location of all Pieces of Eden, Abstergo kidnapped Desmond Miles in order to view the memories of his ancestor, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad. This would allow them to see the very same map that Altaïr discovered in 1191.[3]

Each of the Pieces of Eden contained a great deal of potential energy, and the destruction of one could cause an explosion on the scale of a nuclear blast. One such explosion occurred in 1908, in the region of Tunguska, Russia. The Imperial Sceptre, one of the Staves of Eden, was seemingly destroyed when Nikola Tesla fired at the Tunguska facility with his wireless electric weapon, attempting to strike a blow against the Templars.[1][3][8]

However, the blast failed to totally destroy the Staff, and at least one shard remained.[9] The Staff shard still possessed powers of mind control, as demonstrated by Grigori Rasputin. While he was in possession of the shard, he brainwashed Alexandra Feodorovna, the wife of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, as well as several disciples like Khioniya Guseva.[2]

Resistance

"I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING. I KNOW WHAT YOU DID. I SAW HIM. HE HAD A METAL BALL. IT OPENED. THEY WENT CRAZY. SHOOTING. STABBING. TORE EACH OTHER TO PIECES. I KNOW IT WAS YOU PEOPLE. SAW THE LOGO. HEARD THE NAME. I'M GOING TO TELL. ANYONE WHO WILL LISTEN. YOU'LL BE EXPOSED. THEY'LL KNOW THE TRUTH. AND THEN YOU WILL PAY. YOU CRAZY BASTARDS. YOU'LL PAY." ―An unidentified individual's e-mail to Dr. Warren Vidic.[src]

Altaïr deactivating an Apple

Although the Isu created humanity to be susceptible to the Pieces of Eden, eventual cross-breeding between them and their slaves led to the birth of a hybrid species. These new humans possessed some of the natural abilities of their creators and were free of the neurotransmitter necessary for the Pieces of Eden to control them.[1]

The first two known hybrids were Adam and Eve, who later stole one of the Apples of Eden and instigated the Human-Isu War.[1] Members of their lineage inherited these natural abilities and immunity to the Pieces, although the Pieces' ability to physically manipulate them remained.[3] These traits were passed down through generations to the likes of Altaïr, Ezio and Desmond.[1]

By the early 21st century, the Templars were aware that some humans were immune to the Pieces' mind control. On at least one occasion, Dr. Warren Vidic received an email from an individual unaffected by the Apple's power, who threatened to expose what they had seen when an Apple was used on others.[3] (this is also another thing i have issue with: is it only people who have Isu DNA that can resist? can anyone with a strong willpower resist? what makes one susceptible to them when literally anyone can use them, but some people go crazy)

Also, I want to go more into detail in a separate reblog simply because the apples of eden are the most retconned PoE with so many abilities that go against what they originally were described to be able to do.

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

Re: Lena as reasonable conservatism - One of the most ironic things I thought the show did where they did Lena dirty (again) was when they used her as the conservative mouthpiece/foil for James’ view on gun control, where they had this one-off apples to oranges commentary with no context or nuance at all (James is railing about military grade weapons; Lena has had actual assassination attempts leveled against her and has a revolver; ofc no one ever asks Alien Gun Enthusiast Alex Danvers for any opinions because this is all about Making Lena Different). But in the same story arc, the Superfriends frame any concerns or fears about aliens with powers as purely a civil rights issue when realistically it’s an issue that has some nuances that would be similar to gun control (but the position of Lena and the Superfriends is reversed - Lena would be the one advocating for reasonable control.) And it gets worse in S6 - LBH, if your problem is potential harm to innocent bystanders, there are lots of reasons why, say, a foster home handling a lot of alien children with unpredictable powers (like one who can just mimic whoever is around them?!) might want to legitimately employ power dampeners.

It makes everything feel a little extra hypocritical and as much as the fandom discussions are so much better than the show handled it, it’s kind of interesting in fandom to watch how quite a few fans really do act like Lena having kryptonite or developing an alien detection device or whatever else is somehow the same as being a TERF or a racist? I’ve noticed it a lot in the comments on a lot of fics where Lena does feel like she’s being written as a reasonable voice of humanity, as though Lena being worried about rogue Kryptonians is somehow the same as discriminating against someone for being queer or BIPOC, and I kind of wonder how people are internalising these analogies. I was super curious to hear your views on it because I was pretty late to the fandom and your fic (Making Waves I think? Where Superman injures Lena by accident, and for a while Lena is a bit jumpy around Kara) was one of the first I read that was really willing to kind of get into some of that nuance, and it was really interesting to see. Thanks for sharing all your thoughts and sorry for the super long ask!

I think the main thing is that the show never really differentiated Supergirl from the other aliens on Earth, either in terms of identity or ability. Supergirl caused danger and wreckage, while the average alien doesn't have lots of abilities or invulnerability-- they're just trying to make a life on earth. So obviously the detection device was no bueno, because it asserted that ALL aliens deserve to be discriminated against. But there was no argument that addresses Supergirl specifically, as a target for trouble and a significantly overpowered vigilante.

But then again, SHOULD Supergirl be singled out of the many? Or should she simply be bound by the same laws and regulations every other alien needs to abide by? Because she never was that either. She acted extra-judicially, and never really faced any legal lashback for any of her actions.

Idk, there's a lot to explore.