#infected with whatever the rouges had

[amateur-wordsmith]

i made something with my warrior cats OCs

(explanation in the tags btw)

Some unrelated screenshots from AdW and BSJ that I took

[cherry-pop-elf]

Kiss It Better

Curly (mouthwashing) x reader

AN: No one asked for this but CURLY DESERVED BETTER-!

Sum: You were taking care of Curly, your partner, when you just had to ask him a question that was burning you as much alive as the cockpit burned him. Did he actually crash the ship?

Warnings: 18+, gore, medical situations, Jimmy, violence, just mouthwashing in general, ablism, lots of medical stuff (from someone that knows way to much about medical shit because of being in and out of the hospital all her life)

“Morning honey.” You would force yourself to smile. You had to. You had to for him. To give him hope like he always gave you. To be a little bit of real sunshine through the day. Just wanted to take care of him. Give Anya some kind of break.

A wheeze was your greeting.

Wasn’t like it was his fault. He couldn’t really speak right now. You wondered if he would ever speak again. You would miss his voice but it’s worth it for him to live. He will live, you knew he would. You would make sure of it.

“Let’s have a look at you.” You would grab the clipboard that Anya left for you and took a look over. The small little list to help you understand how to care for his issues. When to wash him, what time his medications were, whatever routine was needed for that day. Was your Bible so to speak. You followed it to the last ink splotch.

“Your bandages don’t look to need to be changed yet, your IV bag needs to be changed, I’ll check your catheter, and yada yada yada. Wanna try and swallow today? Maybe if you can swallow some water I can grind up the pain pills into powder for you. Wanna try?”

He gave two distinct blinks for yes.

“Wonderful. Let me do this routine, so you can mentally prepare.” You would explain, as you went to slip on the latex gloves. Didn’t want to risk transferring some kind of infection. He’s already fighting for his life as it is. No need to make it harder.

You would first change out his IV bag, since he needed to stay as hydrated and fed nutrients as possible, before working on the awkward catheter. Luckily Anya made it very easy to use. She had opted for a condom catheter since she didn’t want to put himself at anymore risk to infections, and pain, as possible. Seemed the trauma made it rather impossible to control his bowls anyway so it worked out. All you had to do was drain the bag, wash it, and reattach it to the side of the table. Wasn’t like he was going to be moving around much anyway.

“So Daisuke was showing me his gameboy. Teaching me about how the lore works and all that. I really had no idea what he was talking about, but it’s better than Swansea snoring.” You laughed, and did your best to keep yourself peppy. To help Curly feel somewhat involved with society. To not just be trapped in the med bay alone. Daisuke and Swansea would visit, and Anya did what she could medically, but sometimes you just need someone to talk to.

“Think it’s a rouge like game. That’s nice. Helps keep you entertained with wanting to break through more and more dungeons in one session.” You rambled, before reattaching the bag. Had you sigh in relief to see you didn’t mess up the chord. Some urine had already started to fill the bag. Must have been triggered by the new IV. Good good. Everything was correct.

“You ready?” You asked, as this was always the hardest part. Getting medication in him. Anya would do her best but you couldn’t blame her for struggling. It’s such a mental tax to try and take care of someone but it results in more pain. You were willing to take that burden. You were his partner after all. You felt it’s only fair you take care of him. Gave Anya some breathing room to actually care for herself. She deserved to take care of herself to.

With two clear blinks you would get to work.

You would slip your hand under his back, and forced him to sit up. He groaned in pain, and tried his best to keep his head upright, as you two tried to work together. To survive this. To try and fight through.

“You are doing so well.” You reassured, as your brought the water bottle up to his open mouth. He was able to let his head hang back, and did what he could to open his throat. Was awkward, but he managed to do it. He took a proper swallow of water. You could hardly hide your excitement.

“You did it! Oh my god you did it!” You couldn’t help but kiss his cheek. It hurt, of course, but he very much felt it was worth it. He had his own pride in being able to do some kind of basic human function again.

You would lay him back down, and was quick to grind up medication to put in the water bottle. You couldn’t wait to tell Anya his progress. You were positive the rest of the crew would be happy to hear the progress.

Well…..Most of the crew.

You used your anger towards Jimmy to help you grind the pain killers into powder. Oh how you hated him. You knew deep down he was responsible for the crash. You knew he was. You weren’t sure why he would be, but you just knew that Curly would never. If he had to, for whatever reason, he would have come on to the intercom to inform everyone to prepare for a crash. He would have done something. Anything.

What purpose would there be in crashing the ship?

Jimmy was his copilot. He would be the only other person to have access to the cockpit. He had to have been involved somehow. There had to have been something going on. You just knew it.

You just wish you had proof.

You sighed, as you would shake up the powder in the bottle. Made sure it was fully dissolved to avoid any issues with it going down his throat.

You just couldn’t understand.

Why would Jimmy crash the ship?

You would return back to curly, and do the same routine again. Slow, and small, drips into his throat. Would take a while, and would make your arm beg for death, but this would make life easier for Curly. That’s all that mattered. A arm cramp is worth it to help Curly survive.

“Curly…..Since you are more lucid now I….I just gotta ask something.”

The way his eye darted towards you said he knew what you were going to ask. Knew that it’ll be asked. He knew, and he couldn’t help but try and look towards the door. As if afraid someone would walk in.

That had you very concerned.

“…..Jimmy crashed the ship, didn’t he?” You whispered. Tried to be as hush as possible, in case someone did overhear. Was just the slow drips of the water into his dry mouth, and you.

One blink.

Two blinks.

“I fucking knew it.” You gritted your teeth, as you felt stupid to ever even have the slightest doubt that any possible reality there would be that Curly would do such a thing.

“I wish I could ask you why. Do…Do you know why?” You had to ask. You just needed to know. Know if Jimmy was as dangerous as you thought.

One blink.

T-

“How’s the captain doing?”

You would turn your head sharply, and saw Jimmy. Just standing there. God you were terrified how long he had been there. Did he hear what you asked? Didn’t seem so. Jimmy was a very aggressive person. He snapped at the slightest tone shift. If he heard you ask a question like that you wouldn’t be talking now.

“He’s….Alive.” You were caught rather off guard. You didn’t know what to say. You were scared of him. You had to be brave, though. You had a better chance at defending yourself. Curly couldn’t.

You would hear his heavy foot steps come closer, and out right feel his body heat against yours. Just looking over your shoulder. Was like this burning shadow over you. Made you feel like you’ll be squashed like a bug.

“Has he been able to talk yet?”

That’s a weird question to ask. Why not ask how he’s feeling, what progress he’s made, how his vitals are. Why is him talking on the front of his mind?

Because Curly knew something he shouldn’t.

“No. I think he’s lost his voice for good. I don’t think he’s ever going to speak again.” You lied, as you finished the test of the bottle. Returned your partner back on the table, and spun around. Nose to chest to the man. Had you terrified, but you must be brave. For Curly.

“Damn. Rough for him. No more barking orders, huh?” Jimmy tried to joke, but you could only give an awkward laugh at. Mostly to keep from pissing him off.

If he’s willing to crash a ship what else is he willing to do?

“Did you need something?” You managed to force out, as you grabbed the clipboard. Just trying to find an excuse to not look directly at Jimmy. To have a motive as to why you would stay in the med bay longer than most. Just anything to get Jimmy to leave you two alone.

“Hey, I give a shit to about him. Is it criminal to care about my friend?” He snapped at you, and it made you grab your clipboard tighter. You swore he seemed to smirk at seeing you so startled. Like he got off to the idea that he got the captains sweetheart scared.

That he���s the new boss.

“Never said that. You are the co pilot and new captain. You-“ “Pilot now. As if he’s ever going to steer a ship again. Not even a wheelchair with those stumps.” He snorted, as you wanted to smack him across the face.

“Yes….As the new Pilot and Captain I would figure you would be swamped in work. Like finding a way for us to contact help. Kinda the biggest priority after Curly. Anya and I are busy with him. You, Daisuke, and Swansea can handle the rest.”

You noticed how he seemed to roll his eyes about Anya. As if he couldn’t care less about the woman. Made you curious on what kind of beef he would have with her. She’s Anya! Who hated her?

“Yeah. Guess you are right there.” He muttered, as if it was never on his mind. Never an option that they could escape. Oh how you were getting chills.

“Keep on trucken then. Take care of our Captain Cripple. His ass needs all the help his stumpy limbs can get.” He would give him a once over, before looking at you. You made sure to keep your eyes to the clipboard instead. All you did was nod in acknowledgment, before he left.

“What are we going to do, Curly?” You sighed, as you would just lay next to him in defeat. What can you do? You had no idea. Curly was always such a good captain. Made you regret never paying more attention to how he worked the cock pit. Maybe if you did you could be more useful.

As you were full of worry and regret, Curly would weakly try and turn his head. Naked teeth were against his cheek. A attempt to kiss your cheek the best he could.

You smiled at the gesture, and made sure to be careful with snuggling your face into his shoulder.

“I’ve got you, and you got me. We can do this. I know it.” You reassured you both, as you closed your eyes. There to wait until his pain medication kicked in, so he could sleep.

As you relaxed, you couldn’t help but swear something was strange about his breathing.

It was like….He was saying words.

You would focus as hard as you could on your ears, as he would drift in and out of his buzzed state. Fighting to stay awake, but sleep coming for him.

“A….a…n…ya…..Kn….ows……”

Part 2

[sonic-4-episode-ii]

heres a "quick" list of some hcs regarding physical disabilities, mental illnesses & other stuff that can impair function or is "odd" physically but i dont know the proper term for

might update this every once in a while but for now thats it

spoiler alert: its all chronic pain!

Sonic

Fibromyalgia, big-time. Uses massively thick socks to stop his feet from hurting too much while running.

DID, which starting developing when he was like....4. now that he's (mostly) gotten over his "just push everything down" era, inter-system communications are pretty strong, and he's friends w/ a lot of his headmates

doesnt have the best eyesight (in fact its p awful) but hes convinced he can still see well enough so he refuses to wear his glasses. WILL NOT wear contacts

has NPD

autistic. contrary to popular believe, he doesnt have ADHD

schizophrenia. idk which type or whatever. hes got the hallucinations.

has auditory and visual (???) synthesia which caused him to. make the sonic CD us sountrack. yeah

Tails

HoH, but doesn't like using hearing aids. A bad habit inspired by Sonic's refusal to wear his own glasses

OCD, huge-time. his paranoia can get so bad sometimes that he doesn't even trust Sonic. doing much better in that regard nowadays, though.

tic disorder, hits themself or has their neck turn the other way violently (hurts!!!!!!)

so obviously autistic they get a little embarrassed abt it sometimes

c-ptsd haver

Knuckles

Undiagnosed chronic pain, has no idea what's causing it. Fully believed it was emerald stealing karma for YEARS.

gets weird pinched nerves alot because of some of his old scars being close to nerve endings. ow

has bad eyesight but genuinely didnt realize for years

has a sort of? processing disorder thing? i dont actually know what it is. when you try to talk but actual gibberish comes out n you cant think. someone else had the same hc but i forgot what they called it. but he has that

does actually have a lot of trauma due to being alone for most of his life and being raised by nothing but a rock and maaaaybe some birds. crazy ik

Amy

Horrible, awful eyesight. worst perscription out of ALL of her friends

Hypermobile joints, which is part of why she has such a horrible posture (along w her dysphoria).

abandonment issues due to. yk. being abandoned by her parents, which ends up leading into her getting unhealthily attached to anyone who gives her the time of day (and she arbitrarily decides is totally the one for her)

Shadow

PTSD (canon)

mobility issues (canon)

NPD + maybe borderline...?

Rouge

pretty much 100% deaf, uses hearing aids.

has some kinda smt going on because of the way she grew up but fuck if anyone knows what it actually is.

Blaze

Had anorexia for years, which has caused a lot of muscle weakness. Now that she's in recovering, things are a lot better, but she still uses a cane most of the time.

has depression, anxiety and self-worth issues due to being bullied as a child. not just for her flame powers

double anxiety bc of people trying to take her shit

Silver

similar to Blaze, weak thanks to a really bad diet as a kid.

due to genetic mutations caused by radiation, contamination of drinking water & food, and extreme changes in the environment, silver has four arms

also a really weird immune system that flip-flops from being disturbingly strong to scarily weak (can eat actual trash somehow but a cold puts him out of the running for weeks)

anxiety + separation issues. tries to be stoic abt it tho

has dyscalculia And dyslexia, struggles with understanding english especially

Vanilla

chronic exhaustion + fibromyalgia from a young age. sort of worried cream will end up having it too

Cream

weak immune system due to lots of childhood illness. might not be able to be vaxxed bc of it

gets ear infections really easily, made significantly worse w all the dirt she kicks up from flying with her ears

unspecified panic disorder due to trauma. tries to stay brave

Charmy / charmie / charmee

constantly low blood sugar due to weird bee stuff + inconsistent diet as a kid

he thinks hes funny :/

might have autism and/or adhd

Espio

undiagnosed mobility issues. can climb fine, but has trouble walking and cant run. uses a cane

anxiety he refuses to talk abt to anyone except the other chaotix and, very rarely, silper

Vector

self-inflicted hearing loss. went to too many concerts

developed anxiety after taking care of charmy and espio for so long. thanks kids

Sticks

OCD. tends to unintentionally encourage tails's delusions. currently getting experimental therapy thats working rlly well

somehow has almost every possible vitamin deficiency

Eggman

tics similar to sonic and tails's

OSDD

NPD

Neo Metal Sonic

transfeminine metal sonic from the main au

chronic headaches after episode metal

joints tend to seize up when chilly for too long. although shes immune to water, its worse when shes cold

tics due to system errors / bugs she and tails cant fix. she doesnt actually mind them since it makes her feel more connected to her bros :]

memory problems also after episode metal

due to her memory problems she has to memorize stuff by repeatedly being given info and it takes way longer for her to learn things compared to other computers so i think she has a learning disability? bc of that?

has weird backwards sensory issues. lack of harsh lighting or metallic noises unsettles and can overwhelm her

might have NPD

has delusions. getting better at recognizing them, which helps her help tails more

Hyper Metal Sonic

second, transmasculine metal sonic from a spinoff au

self-induced chronic pain (wtf bro)

joints also seize up when cold

Sage

doesnt feel much physically, which leads to her getting bad injuries she barely recognizes for ages

autism beast

Scourge

popcorn lung due to smoking several packs of cigarettes daily so his voice sounds more gruff

everything sonic has also

[480pfootage]

Can you talk about how kate interacts with the other proxies 🌚 or tim tangent I jus love hearing you yap abt creepypasta

oh anon reallyy.. you're making me blush........ Well I'll give you a twofer for getting me all flushed.. This one will be the tim tangent and I'll make another post for kate's dynamic with the other proxies ;P

Tim I'd say is the most guilt-ridden proxy out of all of them, constantly stuck in the past. He regrets his childhood, regrets burning down the institution he was kept in, regrets infecting the Marble Hornets crew with the Operator's sickness, regrets killing Alex, killing Brian, regrets not killing himself, and most of all.. Regrets accepting the Slenderman's deal and bringing Brian back to life to endure this hell with him.

And the murders he has to commit.. They never bring him joy, they never do, right? He's always so remorseful.. He doesn't want to do this.. Especially when he's forced to murder a child, he'll accept whatever punishment the Slenderman gives him whether that be getting his ligaments torn from bone or getting forced through brain exploding headaches.. But then the mission would just be passed to someone who have no qualms with killing children be it Kate or Rouge.. so wouldn't it be better to just give those children a quick death? (he chooses to ignore the fact that Toby choses to endure torture rather than kill a child) ((plus his killings are all mercy killings rather than having them deal with the Slenderman of course!))

Now as the self-proclaimed proxy who's had the most experience with the Slenderman and Operator, he worries for the younger proxies.. They're not taking care of themselves properly.. He just doesn't want them to feel lost like he did when he was a kid himself! Toby hates Tim when he gets in those self deprecating moods, he's a grown ass twenty-something man, not a moody teen. Tim always gets on his ass about not taking his meds, not eating enough, asking if he needs to sit down all pretty and talk about his feelings. It pisses him off to no end...

Lastly.. I can't talk about Tim without talking about Masky can I? Well... To me Masky was a very disassociated Tim and slightly under the influence of the Operator.. Under Slender, the whole Masky "persona" kinda disappeared (due to it not being the operator and also because Tim stopped really fighting against doing the killings) so it's just him and his own brain doing the murdering..

[flightyalrighty]

not a question but damn i remember seeing this when it was just shadow and rouge sat in a cave and i knew nothing about the parasite thing so when i saw this again i was like "oh cool. zombie stuff. im fine with zombie stuff now this sounds like a fun infection au thing or whatever" and like, the reason why i WASNT okay with zombie stuff was the last of us bc i was really young? and it made me hate parasites and stuff like that + zombies but the only zombies i was okay with was like, headcrabs? so i saw the parasite warning and i was like "ohh this'll be fiine itll be like cartoony or some shit like headcrabs or like videogame stuff" but the fucking scene of it poking a hole in shadow's leg UPSET me. like it made me feel uncomfortable across my whole body to the point i had to like check my legs for punctures or something.

like bravo but i was NOT expecting that lmao. like damn.

i mean id still like to keep reading cuz the art's fantastic and the concepts are fun on their own but if the execution of them keeps fucking with me this much then i might have to go lol. this is a positive for everybody but me though keep it dialed up for the people who can handle it. go further even. do what you want actually. im an anon you dont even know who i am.

It's good to know your limits! While I'm sorry you may have hit yours, I'm happy you stuck around for as long as you did -- Or if you even continue to stick around, should you dare!

For folks who have not seen it, by the way, this is my content warning page. If you see something in there that makes you squeamish, please don't stick around! I would never want anyone to harm themselves for the sake of this comic!

Looking ahead, for pages that are VERY gory, I will be placing them under a cut with a huge gore warning, just in case folks who don't want to see it and don't have the Infested Sonic Comic tag blocked aren't accidentally assaulted with those pages anyway.

Maybe I'll even paste the script below a gory page in a reblog so folks who ARE squeamish don't miss out on the story. What do you guys think?

[echologname]

Murder Drones theory: V repressed N's bad memories

I love V more and more with each new episode!

This WHOLE time, since the start of their mission on C9, she's been focused on protecting N from the horrors she knows. She might have even gone as far as to wipe his memories of the past.

It seems like V would do anything to protect N, she decapitated him to get him to stop asking questions after all, and she DEFINITELY knows some traumatizing and lore heavy stuff but has been pretending she knows nothing.

Uzi's under the impression that V and N's memories were, "Reformatted to soup," by the humans but that could be less than true. We know for a fact, V is certainly aware of the Absolute Solver/Administrator CYN mysteries and perhaps was always the one aware of their true mission, to destroy all remains of the Absolute Solver experiments which went horribly wrong (which includes their own self destruction after all the workers are dead, since they only exist because of what was being conducted in labs like Camp 98.7).

Whatever initial purpose N and J played in that, it's clear that through the bad stuff, V wants N to stay his wholesome, innocent self unlike her, who's had the most dramatic personality change after becoming a disassembly drone. Even though J's the leader, she may have been intentionally uninformed of this and the "rouge AI," excuse for murdering all the workers was only a small tip of the iceberg and the true reason all the drones have to be eradicated is because they have the potential to be infected with an abomination of alien sentience that can hack reality.

[leafkingofbirds]

WIP Wednesday - Boundless Chapter 4

I am not dead! And I am still working on Boundless!! There's just so much I want to include, it takes forever lol. But have a preview <3

~~

“This place is shit,” Oleander observes succinctly. They reach up to touch a dilapidated board with a fingertip, and it clatters noisily into the mud.

Opal scowls at Oleander and snatches the board from the ground. “I have a stall to set up,” she says, scathingly. “If I don’t wish to cause trouble with the Daggers, I must fulfill my contract to sell my wares tonight. You may either help me without comment, or get out of my hair until I am finished.”

Opal had not been lying about her status in life, Kieran thinks, as he takes in the terrible condition of Opal’s ‘shop’. She obviously was in the lowest rungs of merchant society here. No permanent storefront, only able to rent whatever dregs were available whenever she passed through.

Is that more reason to trust her? Or less?

With an impatient hand gesture, the loose board flies back up into place, and the bundles she’d made them all carry begin to unpack themselves, bottles and boxes lining themselves up on the grimy shelves. Mismatched, oily yellow lanterns glow to life from the overhang, indicating the shop open for business. “I shall only be a few moments. Go and scout around a bit for the Charm-seller. She’s never in the same place twice. In fact, it’s a rare shop-keeper who is.”

While Opal busies herself with unpacking, Kieran takes Ella’s hand and leads the four of them through the market. 

“What’s the plan?” Jack asks, under his breath. 

“We shop,” Kieran says. “Or at least make a show of it. But keep your eyes open for more than the Charm-seller. I don’t place my trust entirely on Opal to deliver what we require. So while we are here, might as well take advantage of the wares for sale.” He looks to Ella and squeezes her hand. “Perhaps there is yet something here we might use to help us recover your heart.”

Ella’s eyes are big and dark, reflecting the moonless sky and the yellow dancing lanterns above their heads. She looks unsure for a moment, and then nods. 

They peruse the stalls. Kieran’s eyes glide over clockwork birds, cursed jewels, rows upon rows of almost certainly fake, glamoured treasures. The air is thick with spices both sweet and bitter, tinged with smoke from unseen fires, still sputtering despite the weather. Above the incessant steady rain is a cacophony of haggling voices in multiple languages - guttural bellows and high, whispery calls of things that felt like poison infecting his ears. 

He pulls his hood lower, concealing his face. 

“Afraid someone will recognize you?” Jack says, sarcasm biting. “Unlikely you’ll run into any courtiers here.”

“Why not glamour yourself?” Ella asks.

“They don’t take kindly to that here,” Jack says. “Daggers have way of seeing through that kind of magic, anyway.”

“Cosmetic glamour only,” Oleander explains. “Nothing more dramatic than a mortal’s use of rouge or powder. Any magic strong enough to alter the shape of one’s face would arouse suspicion.”

Around them, creatures of every size and shape move in clumps through the twisting streets. Tall Fae with eyes like knives haggle with mortals, their faces dirty or concealed beneath thick hoods. Goblins dart through the crowd, splashing passers-by with mud, their laughter high and shrill and arms filled with bags of coin. Changelings of all ilk, odd combinations of animal and human features, stalk the paths, hands stashed deep in cloaks, likely grasping hidden weapons. 

Vendors call out, trying to get the attention of Kieran and his party. 

Ella drifts toward a nearby stall displaying glass bottles filled with something inky black and swirling starlight.

"Bottled night," she reads, entranced.

"Spell ingredients," Kieran explains. "Many of these are quite difficult to obtain."

“This place is...It’s not like I imagined,” she says.

Jack, walking a few paces ahead, tosses a glance over his shoulder at them, clearly more at ease than Kieran feels is fair. “Lot of possibilities here.” Jack leans close to peer at a goblin’s stall piled high with teeth and claws from creatures too numerous to name. “I think I need to find a way for the Flying Stag Merchant Company to break into this market.”

Ella blinks and pulls her gaze away from a glittering display of delicate, crystal-like flowers in a nearby stall. They vibrate lightly, a tinkling song in the dull lantern light, as if longing for true sunlight. For a moment, she seems pulled toward them. “Is there really danger in looking?” 

Kieran’s grip on her arm tightens slightly, though he keep his tone calm as he gives the greedy-eyed seller a warning glare. “You don’t want to give anyone the impression that you’re interested in anything you aren’t prepared to pay for.”

[sekhisadventures]

Loren Fullmoon, Timelost Worgen Survivalist

Important Stories:

The Timelost Worgen: While out foraging for food in the ruins of what was once Westfall, a temporal anomaly launches Loren and her two avian companions out of her own timeline into the Titan's timeline.

Culture Shock: Waking on the Isle of Dorn, Loren and several other timelost refugees make their way to Dornogal. Upon encountering Jaie Swiftpaw she meets Nelen, who she immediately recognizes as her cousin from Gilneas.

Wolves of Different Breeds: Loren and Nelen share a drink together in Dornogal as she makes one thing perfectly clear: she has no intention of willingly going back to her home timeline.

Race: Worgen (Infected Gilnean)

Class: Survivalist

Eye Color: Green

Birthplace: Gilneas

Residence: Currently Homeless

Abilities:

Survivalist: In her own timeline Loren has survived the end of the world. She is an expert at foraging and using any prey animals to their utmost, perhaps even moreso than Sekhi.

Varied Arsenal: Loren has knowledge of making alchemical bombs and poisons and is skilled with both the spear and a bowgun. She is a very versatile fighter able to adapt quickly to many situations.

Morri and Suranol: Her two companions. Morri is a Gilnean raven that she has kept as a pet for years, but is perfectly capable of pecking a foe's eyes out see if he don't. Suranol is a somnowl who was the companion of a Night Elf she had known in her home timeline who was one of the victims of the War of Thorns. She took Suranol in after his former partner perished in Teldrassil's destruction.

History

Loren is another of the timelost, those who were torn from their home timelines into the Titan's Timeline... but unlike the others she has no desire to go back!

In her own timeline both Anduin Wrynn and Sylvannas Windrunner perished at the siege of the Undercity following the War of Thorns, and after this the Blood War escalated beyond the point of no return.

With the death of King Wrynn, along with Genn Greymane and Alleria Windrunner, the leadership of Stormwind fell to a hastily formed council of nobles who saw the Horde as nothing but barbarians worthy only of extermination.

Working with several magi and Jaina Proudmoore, who for whatever reason had not been present at the Undercity in this timeline, they recreated Garrosh's mana bomb... but far more powerful. They unleashed it upon Orgrimmar, but the results were more than any had expected.

The blast had cratered not just the city but much of Durotar and the explosion had caused a chain reaction. Earthquakes shook the land, storms erupted, hidden wells of azerite ignited, and when the dust settled that was all that remained... dust. The Alliance and Horde were no more, the world decimated by a cataclysm worse than even Deathwing's efforts could have hoped for.

Loren was one of the few survivors left to eke out an existence in the ruins, until one day a temporal anomaly threw her out of her timeline into the Titan's Timeline.

In her own timeline her cousin Nelen Fullmoon had gone missing after Gilneas fell to the worgen, but in the Titans Timeline he was alive and well, and battling a rouge chronomancer named Nyloc Athel. Nyloc unleashed a powerful relic of the Bronze Dragonflight, but his misuse of it caused a paradox that tore at the timelines and pulled several others from their home timelines into the Titan's Timeline. Loren being one of them.

Trivia

Loren is based off another of my Supernatural Adventures characters by the same name. In that story she's part of a family of monster hunters based out of Ireland, Clan Fullmoon. Ironically enough the clan is known as that because they specialized in hunting werewolves, whereas in this universe she is a werewolf.

In the chapter Wolves of Different Breeds, Loren makes reference to other relatives she and Nelen shared in Gilneas named Stephanie, Franklin, and Roger. These are also characters from Supernatural Adventures which would imply that Clan Fullmoon exists both on Earth and Azeroth in a parallel fashion. One day I might explore this further...

[faker-aus]

Roles in THWDLM

Shadow takes on the same role as Paul. He's the guy who doesn't like musicals. He's the first to realize everyone singing constantly is weird, even by Mobius's standards. He teams up with his friends to figure out what's wrong and stop it- except, Sonic is missing. Hmm.

Rouge is Shadow's #1 ally, similar to Emma. However, rather than a romantic dynamic between the two, they're much like siblings. Just an immortal hedgehog and his older thief sister on their way to try to save the world.

Sonic and Amy are the Sam and Charlotte of this situation. Amy realizes Sonic isn't with the group, so everyone sets out to find him. He's saved the world so many times, no reason he can't do it now! Unfortunately, he's dead. He's a singing alien zombie, just like much of the town. He's already taken the Chaotix into the hivemind, and after getting his brain knocked out with a trash can lid by Knuckles, he's taking Amy down with him.

Knuckles is the brawn of the team. As long as he can stay alive, the group is safe, because he can fight the infected off the easiest without weapons. All he's gotta do is survive, and not dwell too much on the loss of his friends.

Vanilla and Silver follow the same role as each other. The day the hivemind infection broke out, Vanilla was out of the house, as Blaze took care of Cream and Marine. With insanely perfect timing, as soon as Vanilla realized the trio were on their own, Silver came in from the future in a panic, demanding to see Blaze. Vanilla and Silver agreed to make sure Blaze, Cream, and Marine were safe, and to take them into the group if they were. Unfortunately... they weren't, and soon Vanilla and Silver weren't either.

Tails and the Chaotix were working separately from each other for the same purpose- research the infection and stop it. They figured they could cover more ground if they were split up, but the Chaotix refused to leave each other, so the three would report their findings back to Tails. But when Sonic got the jump on the team, Tails was left alone to work. He realized that as the alien blood was infecting Mobian blood, the safest way to remove it would be Chaos Control- and even that proved useless. Stumped and panicking, Tails was frozen to his chair as the Chaotix broke down the door to the lab and attacked. Knuckles and Tails were in their hands, and Rouge barely made it out alive with Shadow.

Blaze and Marine had been called by the Sol Emeralds to Mobius a few days prior to the infiltration, much like how Silver's time travel called him because the past was in danger. However, whatever danger was to come hadn't showed its face yet, so the two stayed with Vanilla and Cream. Vanilla left for about an hour to get groceries, leaving Blaze in charge of taking care of both little girls. But in the time Vanilla was gone, she was forced into hiding with the group, as Blaze tried to keep everything under control. Her efforts to keep the infected away were useless, and she and Cream were infected. Marine quickly hid in the basement, locking the door behind her. When Vanilla and Silver arrived, Cream and Blaze attacked them. Now infected, they managed to coax Marine out of the basement and took her into the hivemind as well.

[llamaisllama777]

Fallout! Foxy

Bio: Foxy was kinda prepared when the bombs fell... kinda. Was he expecting it? No. Did he have any plans on how to survive it? Also, no. But if there's one thing Foxy's good at, it's adapting. When the bombs dropped, he was one of the first in the vault with his son F.C. (who he basically had to drag into the vault cause F.C. wanted to see the explosions) Foxy quickly accepted that this was his new life now and made the best of a bad situation. Then, when Moon suggested they all power down till the radiation dies down, Foxy accepted that. He and (reluctantly) F.C. went sleep for 198 years. Waking up Foxy was one of the last few out of the vault. Foxy accepted that the outside might be dangerous, that there will be many things that will try and kill him, and his friends, and he accepted that the people outside if there was anyone outside would try and kill them. He was prepared for that and was prepared to take lives if he had to, but something in him made him drag his feet. They all started to rebuild their lives in the new post-apocalyptic world, and everything was rather peaceful, much to Foxy's surprise and F.C.'s shagrin.... UNTIL!

A virus started to infect different robots, Moondrop discovered the virus in question was none other than the Ruin virus from Ruin's dimension, Moon,Puppet,and Golden Freddy decided to put together a strike team to go and hunt down the virus and destroy it before any of them become infected. Foxy didn't want to be a part of the strike team at first, but after F.C. ran off to join the strike team, Foxy REALLY didn't have any other choice but to join. They encountered many dangers on their long journey, confronting raiders,gunners,rouge robots, and other monstrosities a-like, Foxy was right about having to kill people he had racked up quite the impressive killcount... not that he didn't have one before but still. During their journey, they met a synth-rescuing group named The RailRoad, F.C. was very eager to join them just to have an excuse to gut some evil synths and go on more adventures. Foxy agreed to join and became a very valuable asset to The RailRoad, along with Moondrop and Monty. But all the dangers would eventually start to way on Foxy. Their one mission had turned into several smaller ones, and fear for what would become of him and his son started to infiltrate his mind. He would eventually get his break from the action when one of their mission for the RailRoad led them to the Mojave and to New Vegas. Where Foxy fell in love with the place. They all spent a few months in the New vegas, and in that time, Foxy had made connections, gotten a steady job as a body guard at the famous Lucky 38 casino and hotel, and even became a manager of the Lucky 38. They offered Foxy a penthouse, his own bodyguards, his own armory, and enough caps for THREE life times. Who could pass up an offer like that?

Foxy. Foxy could. Foxy at first declined the offer, but after a mission went south and nearly ended in the death of F.C. and a few of the others, Foxy decided to retire from the team and become a full-time manager of the Lucky 38, which didn't mean he wouldn't help. He would send caps, weapons, cloths, and whatever they needed to the team and the RailRoad and would tip them off to any synths that needed rescuing in the Mojave. Monty didn't like the idea Foxy leaving, but he eventually came to accept it, and he did understand why he was leaving, but it was still hard to accept his friends were just leaving like that. Foxy told him that if he wanted their would be a spot for him and the others in New vegas. With their departure, Foxy fully embraced being a manager of Lucky 38, and with his "business" experience, Foxy made a name and a ton of caps for himself in New vegas! Ditching the pirate persona Foxy has truly embraced the life of the Mojave!

[seaoftales]

The world was a spinning mess of nothing but blur and blend of muted, dark colours with specks of light mixed in between. Navigating his surroundings included stumbling from wall to wall, fence to light post to wall again, tripping over baskets and crates, pain and bleeding ignored as he dragged himself further away from the Marine base. He had to get away, no matter the cost.

Heart beating fast and loud, pain shooting through his whole body with every single movement, he allowed himself only to stop and rest for a little bit as he reached the docks, the only indicator of it and letting him know he was there the waves that crashed against the shore. Back leaned against the wall, Red Haired Shanks took a few deep, raspy breaths that only had him violently cough, the pain in his chest almost bringing him to his knees. He spat out blood, trying once again to breathe, closing his eyes in hopes of making the world spin a bit less.

It was his own damned fault he was in this situation to begin with. Red Hair had craved a drink and some alone time, assuring Benn that it would all be fine if he went out for a drink or two on his own. It hadn't been the first time, and the many times he did that before, nothing ever happened. Perhaps a bit naive and wanting to see the good in people, Shanks jad ignored the red flags of the place. The island they made port in was small, poverty very clear with every step one took. Still, not even in his wildest dreams would have had thought that Marines would be called, and yet just shy over 4 billion Berry would make any man on that island incredibly rich, and incredibly desperate.

How he had gotten into the Marine base was lost on him. He remembered coming to, head throbbing with pain, remembered the pain, the torture, the beatings, the injuries inflicted upon him. His ribs were broken, at least a few of them --- he was lucky enough to have gotten away without a punctured lung --- his right foot probably too, judging by the pain, and there were so many untreated injuries, some even still bleeding. Who knew what else on his body was broken, infected or bruised.

It was just luck that the Marines places a couple of rookies in front of his holding cell that evening, his Conqueror's Haki just barely strong enough to render them unconscious. As weak as he was, he crawled over, got the keys and made a run for it. Nighttime was his best chance at escaping, and so he did, adrenaline keeping him going.

❛ Just a bit more, ❜ he told himself. ❛ Get to the docks, grab whatever boat and leave. You'll get in touch with your crew eventually. ❜ Surviving was his priority now.

Slowly opening his eyes, Shanks found the world came to a halt, only now swaying a little bit, but that was due to him being unstable on his legs. The docks were just around the corner. He detached from the wall he was leaned against and turned the corner, hobbling his way closer. Grey eyes scanned the area, trying to find a boat suitable enough to withstand the treacherous currents of the Grand Line when he spotted an all too familiar Jolly Roger gently swaying in the evening breeze. Rouge.

It was a sight for sore eyes, feet taking him in the direction of the ship without thinking. He would be safe. He would be protected.

Up the gangway and onto the deck he went, adrenaline letting off, his body giving in. He had barely managed to make eye contact with a young woman and didn't even get to utter a word. Instead, he collapsed on the wooden boards, exhausted from the torture, pain and blood loss.

The world was once more enveloped in darkness.

@hibiscusxqueen / plotted

[princeofcyberpunk]

so @sobashahzadi infected me with the sonic disease so i decided to start cooking this au i made back in october again

basically its ur standard gijinka high school au with some sonadow in it. here's sonic's design :D

lore dump under the cut:

Sonic is the captain of Greenhill High School's Track and Field team. He's an incredibly popular student who everyone loves for his sports prowess and sociable personality, though he can be a bit competitive when on the track.

He acts as an older brother/mentor figure to Tails, an elementary school student, and is in the same weights class as his rival Knuckles. (i'd imagine its a weights class that you take if you're on a sports team, though im not sure how widespread that is outside the US or even outside my weird public school i used to go to). He isn't reciprocative of Amy Rose (a cheerleader who often shows up to his track meets)'s feelings for him, but he still is friendly towards her.

He starts hearing about this new transfer kid everyone's avoiding and decides to make friends with him. Though the guy's friends (Rouge and Omega) are wary of him, Shadow seems to be interested in at least entertaining the idea of being his friend.

He learns that Shadow's had a rough life and that he'd just recently lost his adopted older sister, Maria, in a mysterious accident. After becoming aquainted, the two often meet up by accident in the early hours of the morning (with Sonic going on a morning run and Shadow wandering the town to be alone with his thoughts or whatever) and they talk about random stuff. The unlikely duo become incredibly close, much to the chagrin of everyone else, who thinks Shadow is just some weird edgelord.

end of my au rant :3c

[minusgangtime]

Ok..here I go..

(She let out a glitchy sigh..)

Let’s start at the very beginning..when the outbreaks began..I was attacked by the glitch in the head,but somehow miraculously..I was unaffected mostly,at that time,all that I had was a splitting headache,however it was another encounter with the glitch that changed me,the glitch inside my head as me,nala,casper and temp were trying to fight it off,was reacting to the rouge glitch,and it began spreading on me..the glitch attempted to corrupt me by grabbing me,but nala pushed me out of the way as it grabbed her instead..and she..s-she..

(Midnight struggled with her words,clutching her torn skirt..)

She told me.. “sis..whatever happens next..it’s not your fault..I promised everyone..I’d protect you..” and then she..cut off her infected arm with a copy of blues sword!..

(Midnight was shaking,very close to crying remembering all this..)

-glitched midnight

"Oh, ki-i-iddo...!"

[wildcstwinter]

" oh cosmos , do you not remember either ?? " luma rolled onto her back , staring up at kimi wide-eyed , a look of horror flashing in her expression . " nooo !! oh stars and planets , this is bad . really bad . " spoken more to themselves than kimi , luma suddenly sat up , the room lurching forward as she did , bringing up both hands to clutch her head . ice pack , , , where had she put her ice pack ?!

luma breathed through the sudden plague of nausea that came with the room spinning , swallowing down the saliva that had pooled under her tongue . what if one of the scouts had been there ?! what if someone had seen her ?! what if they had killed someone ?! anxiety festered , an infection in an open wound , paling once rouged features . " i can never do that again . no more doing , , , whatever that was . i , , , i keep track of everything , kimi , i might as well count the amount of breaths i take !! " hands felt around , seeking out the comfort of her coolant , growing more perturbed with each passing moment . then , with a devastated look , luma put their hand to their head ; " ugh . i , , , i can't even remember what we were talking about . "

"I doubt you were that bad," Kimi offered. She had seen bad. She had been bad, when she first started drinking and didn't think about eating beforehand or having water to balance her shots. She had made a fool of herself in more ways than one. Maybe she was biased, but Luma didn't seem all that bad at her worst. "Besides . . . you'll probably never see her again." Wishful thinking. Get ahold of yourself, Kimi.

She shuddered, made an over-exaggerated face of shock. "Cold showers?" A nice, warm, shower, yes. A cold shower sounded like torture. Some sort of bootcamp. "Obviously we can get ramen. Who do you think I am? Ramen, dumplings, ooh, and crispy tofu, of course. You're making me hungry, 'Lu."

[croutonconfidential]

if gotham had a guardian spirit this is absolutely what i belive gotham worl look like

the pins on her trenchcoat represent some rouges or key parts of Gotham (who is technically 'they' on account of... what's the proper pronoun for a city? cuz i don't know but let's go with 'she' cuz i can't imagine Gotham being a 'he' for some reason but 'they is valid since Gotham is a city and therefore beyond gender) and all the little pins she wearing represent either rouges or key parts of what makes Gotham (since its probably hard to see them here's a list (there's one for the penguin. riddler, two face, Wayne tech and the court of owls, and i guess the batterangs and fear bombs in her trenchcoat pockets count for batman and scarecrow, there's even a bangle over her boot for cat woman cuz i love her and i want her seen)

cuz of the cannon fact that Gotham is built over a Lazarus pit i had this idea for it being why Gotham has a spirit, that and the ley lines, door to hell(whatever the heck it said on the wiki cuz there's different earth where all those things are cannon either way) Gotham is probably one of the few cities with a spirit

i totally headcanon her bleeding Lazarus juice/ectoplasm-ish stuff (i got inspired from danny phantom dc crossover talk sue me) and since she represents the city itself i feel like her appearance would shift a bit, like the colors of her clothes would shift a few shades to match with the majority of what Gotham's people are wearing or smething like that

oki story with the pearls I Imagine after alls said and done(ie: nerfing joker and victor szazs and fixing the city up) Gotham goes up to bruce and gives him his mothers pearls from the night she and Thomas got murdered and they're all stringed back together and cleaned up expertly (cuz Gotham is all its people, that includes the swanky people that know how to take care of pearls so id assume she can get that knowledge easy cuz if Gotham is Gotham id imagine her being omnipotent in city limits) and she just gives him a hug cuz goddammit she may have gotten sick and tired of the revolving door of rouges but the bat clan was the some of the only people trying to fix and change Gotham for the better instead of just surviving and living in their comfy little boxes

(omigod there should be this thing where Gotham mothers all her babies as cryptid mom. every parent is triple parenting with Gotham and not even knowing it. let her find all the lost toys and stuffed animals that kids cant get cuz they left it somewhere they couldn't retrieve them. show me Gotham ghost nanny! this would hit all the feels. and she'd parent everyone cuz every person that lives in Gotham is her baby, no one is safe from the love of Gotham.)

and oh dip Gotham, my babe, she would have felt really sad ending joker cuz clown or not that was one of hers and she knew who he was before the chemical jacuzzi happened but she knew that joker was only a shade of who he once was and now he was an infection of crazy that was screwing up the city

it would have been like cutting out an infected wound and cauterizing it, painful but necessary but painful nonetheless

and Gotham was still Gotham her people's blood flow in her street andinto her storm drains. she knows violence, Gotham is only as capable as her people, she would be brutal when seeking her dues because the property damage hurt her form, from the body to her clothes but most of all it hurt her citizens and so many are dead

but even in her crusade, there are those she doesn't touch who some would argue should not have been spared of Gotham's retribution

but the thing is that while Gotham couldn't stand by anymore to watch the serial killers run rampant Gotham is a city of crime, its been a constant since its inception, and even the rouges belong to Gotham. she was covered in blood and she will die in blood but she refused to drown in it

crime is what defines Gotham, there's a dark and lightness to every city but Gotham has always been a little darker than most. and some would argue that it's that darkness that makes Gotham whole

after all, even bats retire in their caves when the sun comes up

@im-totally-not-an-alien-2 (i thought youd like to see this since you had ideas for this and i dont know how to fricking approach people on tumblr so this is how im doing it, but anyway thanks for being a major source of inspo for this!)

[docholligay]

A Young Girl’s Illustrated Primer

Xom thank you for sponsoring this and for being so cool about it!��

I do not like science fiction. People often think I am the world’s premier hater on fantasy, but that isn’t true. Fantasy doesn’t ATTRACT me the way it does many people, and I’m not so enchanted by it that I am willing to give it extra quarter the way I am, say, westerns, horror, or anything starring a butch woman, but I like it just fine as a genre. I get frustrated with bad storytelling or the idea that the world matters so much you can ignore your plot and characters, but that’s all genres. Fantasy is just often a little guilty of the world building one. 

But Science Fiction? That’s the one genre off the top of my head I would flat out say I do not like. I don’t connect with most of what it’s trying to do as a genre, the setting holds no magic for me, and I have no patience whatsoever to the explanation of how things work unless it ends up being incredibly relevant to the story later. And I mean like, a dramatic plot point. Chekov’s gun shit. 

I say this because I think it’s important to understand where I begin here. This book was, in some ways, not set up for success. Which is fine! While I buck at the idea of setting me up to be miserable, I don’t believe even for one second the commissioner intended that. I’m not even sure he knew I hated science fiction. It was given to me with the full belief that there was magic in it. I am happy to try things I might not like, as long as they’re not being given to me to hate, if that makes sense. I wanted to like this book, badly. 

Boy do I wish I had connected  more with this novel. Or like, at all. 

I found it to be, by and large, a total mess broken up by really great moments that made you believe something might be happening that said something larger about the nature of humanity, and then, it didn’t. 

I’m not sure this novel knows what it wants to be in fairness and that’s part of the issue. IN the first 100 pages, it switches stylistic focus at least three times. See at first, I thought this was intensely clever: My whole theory of the business is you think you’re reading a cyberpunk novel, then you think you’re reading a steampunk novel, and then it settles into what I thought the book was going to be, and I was like, “Oh, it’s replicating the primer and how the primer changes for the girl reading it!” 

Ahahahahah you poor fool. 

About 100 pages in, you think it’s going to be that novel, and the novel that I thought it was going to be I was incredibly excited to read. At a certain point, you think it’s going to be a novel about stories, and what they teach us, and the importance of stories for survival. You think it’s about how stories build us, and teach us, and the people we become in the light of them. 

And if I was being fully fair, I won’t even say it’s NOT that, but it’s much less that than I thought it was going to be. I think the problem is it wants to keep being these different novels and so it takes all these turns. It’s about Nell, and about stories, sure, in a way, but it’s also about Hackworth and how he…goes rouge and ends up in a sex cult that provides the heartbeat of the world for a few years? That’s not a joke, that is what happens. There is an undersea sex cult called the Drummers, where you get infected by the urges and whatever, and fuck like madmen, and maybe I’m overstating the importance of the sex thing but I don’t actually think so. There’s a little bit of talk about the Drummers at the very end that seems to imply this part is about how human consciousness, united in one idea and that is far more powerful than any technology, and Hackworth is the first person to bridge that gap, and like, great whatever, but it ends up not meaning much at the end of the day. 

I think it does have interesting things to say about how in the course of being told a story we can learn something real, and the point was well made to me that this could be a stand in for the idea of internet as textbook on the whole. But even the person who told me this was the first to admit that maybe the internet doesn’t work as a textbook anymore. And I think that’s true, and maybe because this book was written in a time when we could believe that the interconnectivity of human beings would invigorate our desire to learn, that hopefulness works. In the moment I am sitting right now, we have the Library at Alexandria spread out in front of us and people can’t be bothered to google for clarity, so. 

But I even think, in full fairness to Stephenson, he has that level of, I wasn’t gonna say cynicism, but I guess it is, in the book itself. Most of what people use the system they have for is for the little racting things, which isn’t super different to what most of us (including me, I’m not getting on anything higher than a shetland pony here) use the LIBRARY AT ALEXANDRIA CROSSINDEXED for. It’s so hilariously staggering to read about such a waste in Sci Fi books and then be like, “oh.” 

The idea of Finkle-McGraw seeing through the hypocrisy of his society and upholding its principles anyway I really…liked? I think? It’s more complicated than that, but I think of myself as someone who knows that the world is an imperfect place, and that none of us can be perfect, but still I believe in the effort. I believe that morality matters, and our efforts to uphold that matter. Even when the system we have is imperfect and sometimes hypocritical. I felt a kinship with him. 

One of the things I really loved in the book was this quote: The difference between ignorant and educated people is that the latter know more facts. But that has nothing to do with whether they are stupid or intelligent. The difference between stupid and intelligent people--and this is true whether or not they are well-educated--is that intelligent people can handle subtlety. They are not baffled by ambiguous or even contradictory situations--in fact, they expect them and become suspicious when things seem overly straightforward. 

And I actually do think the book carries this particular point through: Fiona and Elizabeth are well-educated, and better appointed than Nell, but neither is as intelligent as she is. They have been given not only the Primer, but the same formal schooling as Nell, and a better beginning and, I don’t know if I would say a BETTER home situation--the Constable is, I think, doing his best and not badly--but certainly a more traditionally structured one. But still, Nell is more intelligent. Fiona and Elizabeth could never BE her, and it’s clear that the primer is not the magic here, a point that I think it makes exceedingly clear. 

I think this is an intentional and positive aim of Stephenson’s. It’s as if the book is to say, “Intelligence has nothing to do with social status, high birth, or any of that shit. Intelligent people are intelligent, full stop, and opportunity is the only difference” and while I think it’s slightly more nuanced than that and the early parts of your life actually can make you more intelligent or less intelligent, that’s a bit of a mouthful for something you say in the content of the narrative rather than plaininly, and so in general I agree with Stephenson that intelligence cannot, in many ways, be taught. 

Nell ends up being princess and leader despite not being born to any of those things. I have a series of feelings about the Chinese girls and their role in the story as a whole, but I have to say there’s something like very much about them having been turned into mice in the story, as something that was treated as useless and vermin, and they rise up to become a major power. I don’t know how I feel about them all being in thrall to Nell, but the idea that they are a major world power after being thrown away feels so right to me and in some ways echoes the same thing the Nell’s ascent itself does. 

I have no idea why Miranda is supposed to mean more to her than Harvey. I mean, I know, because she was the narrator of the Primer, all that time, and the Primer essentially raised her, but Harvey literally, in many ways, died for her. Not only did he die, but he gave up his life, which are not the same thing. And there’s one very sweet scene where you see that the chasm between them is basically impossible to cross, but it feels like an afterthought. 

And maybe that’s the problem, at core. I don’t know if this is Stephenson, or this is this book, but I found it very clinical. There are so many moments that could be deeply, intensely human. But then, they aren’t. It’s something Stephenson very much glides right by as something he’s not terribly concerned with. Which is one of the issues I can sometimes have with sci fi, is I find it fairly unconcerned with the human element of things, and very tied up in concepts and technologies. 

Oh! A major annoyance: The book fucking tells me what Duck, Purple, Peter, and Dinosaur represent. Like, yes, Neal, I was there. I can read. You put it in the text, and I felt a little infantilized to have him turn to me like he’s explaining something to a child and explain shit to me. Either one of two things is going on here: Either you think your reader is an idiot, or you think you didn’t do a very good job expressing this in the narrative. If it’s problem two, that’s on your, pal, and if it’s problem one, why are you writing a high-concept book for them? It’s that “netflix show written for people fucking around on their phones” shit that makes me not watch TV. 

There’s clearly stuff about programming and computer work and all that in Nell’s puzzles and the book in total, and I regret to inform you that this reviewer is far too stupid to get the references, other than being like, ‘This is clearly referencing something” So I’d be interested to see if someone who in many ways has my general story leanings but in fact knows things would have connected more with this novel than I did. 

Also, quick question, what the actual fuck is going on with the end of this book? I even went and looked it up, and I got an actually like, plot summary of the events that occur in the end of the book. I don’t need that. I am there. I was also reading the book. But I don’t understand why any of it is happening. I can’t believe that something so intensely odd could be meaningless, and I am no stranger to the enjoyment of a book that others sometimes find confusing. Normally I don’t struggle with “what does this all mean?” but no matter what I try to get to with this book, I keep ending up going back to “???” 

IN all, I gotta say I was disappointed. I was excited to get a sort of bildungsroman for a young girl, and I feel like I didn’t really get that because the novel also very much wanted to be about Hackworth and Miranda and Judge Fang, but I didn’t find either of those characters compelling enough to care about what they’re doing. I feel like I almost get there with Miranda, but she’s missing some human element that makes me feel things for her rather than mild curiosity. There are bits of this novel that are so good, and I wish it would have followed one stream well, rather than several streams poorly.