#it doesn't matter to be impressive in theory and to fit in

[chronologically-challenged]

Final Bow pt1.

Summary: The Director is "defeated" in a sense. The party brings her to the well on zir request. Of course, Loop is there. Normal reactions happen all around.

@askoverkill

(This is a bit of a theory fic, but mostly "this image won't get out of my head, so I decided to write it down" sort of thing. Part 1 is Loop's POV. Part 2 will be dawn. Enjoy!)

---

You see him in person for the first time in several eternities.

You know what the Director looks like. Their shining face and night dusted skin all dressed up in a jester costume is blazed in her mind. If you give yourself a moment to think too long, you could pick out all the details the Director foolishly kept of their previous self that even they couldn't scrub clean. Their eyes, their brows, even the way the light that shines from their head gives an impression of hair left unbrushed in a certain way. But you don't look too long. You haven't in so many outer loops. In fact, despite the affectionate name that threatens to spill out of your traitorous tongue, you first and foremost see the Director as every other Siffrin sees them, a fool and an executioner in one, a malicious joke ready to put the punch in punchline at a moment's notice.

Now? It's difficult to see how they could ever be a threat at all.

The rest of the party leads the procession. Odile first, Isabeau second, with Bonnie sprinting past them the moment they see dawn already standing up to meet them midway. You watch them all impassively, only noting the two halves of the Director's cracked mask in Odile's hands.

No, while Lupus, dusk, and dawn run up to the party, your focus is at the entrance of the clearing.

Mirabelle trails behind, holding the Director's hand. Their face is free of the mask for the first time since it's mattered. Somewhere along the way they lost their jester's hat.

They have no mouth. They have no symbols across their cheeks. Only his eyes persevere through the harsh light.

Unbidden, the image of your stardust carefully trailing their finger in the dirt flashes bright in your mind. Their hat covered his expression, but you could still see just how careful he was to make each simple detail. Then with a small nod, they leaned back to show you, well you.

A shining head. Half crescent eyes. No clothes to speak of. A star in your chest.

That was you. This was what you looked like.

You asked for them not to loop too early. They hadn't. In fact, you think, maybe, they let themself linger for once. Gave you time to memorize it. How else could you remember even now? How else could you in your weakest moments, redraw the small sketch as clear as the day your stardust bestowed it to you?

The Director does not have crescent eyes. In fact, only one eye shines through the insistent light. It's an eye shape you knew all too well. Or perhaps, you never truly knew them at all.

The Director freezes when they see you.

Mirabelle tugs at their hand. “Siffrin?”

Three heads swivel towards her. Dusk, dawn, and the Director all at once head her call. Lupus clutches at both dusk's and dawn's cloaks, glaring up at the Director.

And you? You don't move from the steps of the well. You can't bring yourself to.

Even across these eons, you are just unhelpful, useless Loop.

“This is weird,” you hear Bonnie say. This causes a round of banter between the party. “No, it's not” “It kinda is.” “Well, you get used to it.” “That doesn't help, Siffrin.” and on and on.

The Director and you add nothing. After all, your current roles aren't fit for such antics.

“So, what're fae doing here?” Lupus eventually interrupts. They point to the Director with a sneer, pointedly bringing their ‘Siffernts’ closer to them the best they can with only two hands. “We beat you. Go away.”

“Lupus,” dusk warns, then looks back to the Director. They try to hide the child under their cloak.

Dawn only eyes the Director warily. You can tell they're waiting for a final twist, for the show to finally end with a “more fitting” tragedy. If luck would have, only you and the Director will be the tragedians in this version of this play.

The Director does not take the child's bait. They barely seem to acknowledge anyone else at all. Their grip loosens from Mirabelle's hand, sliding out almost unnaturally from her grip. She shouts out to catch them, but they've tucked their hands to their chest far too quickly.

Their eye still hasn't left yours.

Isabeau quarters dawn away from the path of the Director and raises his fists. Odile stops him a second before he strikes out. “Wait, a minute,” she hisses. You don't hear the rest of their arguing.

The Director brushes past them, unconcerned.

“No, wait, Loop!!! Get out of there! Run away from her!!!” Finally, someone, dusk you think, gets it.

You wonder if it's the way the Director stalks like a lion across the worn path. Or the uncanny silence the otherwise bombastic jester tends to have. Or maybe it was the way their previously dejected body shot up when they realized who was on the steps.

You knew because you watched them this entire time. It would be kinda hard not to realize.

But even if you hadn't, you'd be an idiot not to see with just one look how much they want to eat you alive.

This is your final stand in this concluding act.

The Director stops at the base of the steps.

Silence chokes the crowd.

“Loop,” they finally say.

“Director,” you call back.

The look in their eye has not faded.

“You must hate me.”

Obviously? You don't designate that with a response. There's no point.

They move again. They raise a foot and the heel clanks against the stairs.

“I deserve it. I know I do.” Their head tilts, and for the first time since they've seen you, their eye twitches. You realize after a moment, they're trying to smile without that mask for a mouth. “So say it. Say you hate me.”

They step up the stairs.

“Say it.”

Another.

“Say it.”

And another. They're close enough that you can feel their matching star pulse in their chest.

“No even better, kill me and get it over with! Not like you haven't tried already!!!”

Quicker than you can see, they grab your hands and clasp their around their own throat. Their fingers lock into yours, painfully intertwining them. The skies on your hands meld into one another into one starry canvas.

Around you, the audience gasps and then shouts all at once.

“Siffrin, that's enough!” “Gems alive.” “Please stop…” “I thought we were done with this.” “I knew this was a bad idea.” “Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!!!”

You feel the heat of the Director's throat, and the subtle movement of their breaths, and the way their fingers tremble in yours, and their eye swallowing you whole as they wait for you to make the next move, and you wonder briefly if dawn rewound time in this frozen moment because it stretches on and on and on and on and on, as you memorize the Director's face the same way you did your own lifetimes ago.

You try to uncurl your hands from their throat. They latch on tighter.

“Come on, I know you want to! Or is it?” The Director gasps playfully, “Oh! Don't want to get your hands dirty, do you Loop? That's low even for you.”

That's enough. “Shut up, Director.”

“Aww, are you-” they try, but you interrupt their nonsense quickly.

“No, shut up. I'm talking now. You wanted to say something, I'm saying something.”

Their eye narrows. “Go on~,” they purr out, but with the way their nails dig into your hands, you can tell they wanted to snarl.

Their attention is all on you. Even with your hands on their throat, the stage set for you, and the audience watching for your next words, you never felt any less in control. Their nails claw into you, and even now you know this loop, this miracle could end any moment. One wrong thought from dawn could take this away from you. But you'd gone and done the stupidest thing and let yourself actually hope again. Hope that the party could get through to the Director. Hope that Lupus and dusk could keep dawn afloat long enough to get the party back. Hope beyond hope that there was enough of your stardust in the Director to end this play once in for all.

So you ask, hoping it to be true. “Is it over?”

The Director blinks, clearly not expecting the question. Their grip loosens ever so slightly around their own throat. “...pardon?”

“Is. It. Over?” you hiss. They know what you mean. Asking again, they eye flickers in amusement. You can practically see where their Cheshire grin should be.

“I doooooon't know,” they sing, “Is it?”

“Director.”

They look to you, then to dawn, and back. You don't miss how dawn flinches. The Director shrugs.

“I think that's a question we all want to know,” you hear Odile say.

You can feel the Director suppress a laugh. Their throat jumps against your fingers.

“What's so funny?” You ask.

“Oh, you know. Just! The irony! Asking ME for the answers when I can't know. Not really.” The Director rests their chin on your wound fingers and presses harder.

Bonnie, thank the Stars, interrupts this nonsense. “WeirdFrin stop being weird and answer their question.”

The Director sits back up. The light around their head dims the slightest bit. “If someone, not naming names, loops, then that's that! None of us will remember any of this. Except. That isn't the case is it?” They scratch at your hands. “We have, what do you call them, dawn and dusk? They'll remember. And of course, you Loop. You'll always know. So I'll ask you, what do you think? Is it over?”

You have to hope that the loops are done on dawn's end. That a promise of something after all this, a promise of the time after this is enough. You don't know, can't know if this is truly it.

Especially if the jester in front of you ruins it.

You ask, far too loud in the silent clearing. “Are you done?” You feel your fingers trembling.

“Yup! Done talking. Your turn~.”

“No. Are you done? With.” You look their costume up and down. “All this.”

Their eye widens, but the performance is back in a heartbeat, eye closing in a fake smile. “...........I asked first!“

“Actually I did!” you counter back. For good measure, you squeeze, just a bit. Two performers can play at this game.

And the Director is many things, but no one can say they do not play their part. “Ah! You did, didn't you!” They hum, long and loud. The sound buzzes up your hands into your arms, and almost all the way to your head. In the distance, you see the party tense. They're talking to each other, something about stopping this before it gets out of hand, which doesn't make sense. Nothing has happened yet and nothing will get done if no one says what they need to. Your hands may be around their throat, but the Director might as well be in the labyrinth for all it matters.

“In. A certain sense,” they say slowly. “If you look at a certain angle. Where I have any real control here… Then yeah. I'm done. Thegreatvillainhas finallybeendefeated.Hooray.Youdidit.Woohoo.Yaddayaddayadda. ANYWAY!” They clutch their hands against yours, and you briefly see a shimmer of a sharp toothy grin against the endless light of their face. If you squeeze any tighter, you'd block their windpipe. “Since you've finally won, why don't you just get it over with already and just kill me. Ya know. For old times sake.”

Your fingers press against their throat. A god's life in your hands. It probably wouldn't kill them if you finished choking them. Because of that, it would be cathartic just to squeeze, for everything they did to every other Siffrin, for what they did to the world, for what they did to you.

But…

But-

-It's over.

They tried to hide it behind a sneering veneer, but you got what you needed.

It's over, Stars. It's finally, finally over.

Why would you need anything else?

You squeeze once. The Director's eye widens, first in fear then into a feral vindication.

The look fades as your hands go to their shoulders, their back, and finally you don't see their expression at all, as you surely, fully press them chest to chest, star to star, breaths catching in the other's ears.

They flinch, of course. You pretend not to notice. You also pretend how despite how they try to not lean into your touches, they shiver as your hands run down their back.

“What are you doing?” He hisses.

You hum. “Isn't it obvious?”

They shiver. “Stop it. I-”

You wait for them to continue, but they don't. That won't do. “You?” you prompt.

“...You should hate me.”

“Okay.” You do.

“I hate you.”

“Okay.” You hold them tighter. Their arms start to waver, almost falling to your back.

You hate them, you should kill them, and it's tempting. But also why should you?

It's over. It's over it��s over it’s over-

“I put you through all of this,” your stardust tries to counter, “I hurt you, I hurt them, I'm a monster, you shouldn't be-”

“-I dont care.”

They try to push you back, but they end up flailing uselessly against your back. “What!?”

“You're done, right?” You press your hands against their back, and they let out a little gasp. They're trembling.

“...yes?”

“Then I don't care,” you repeat, resolute, “Stars, I don't even care anymore.”

They're here. They're done. That's all you need. That's all you've ever wanted.

They don't say anything for a time. You just hold them, far more gentle than they deserve, but you want to give them just the same. Slowly, his hands fall onto your back.

“...I didn't even say sorry,” they protest weakly.

You huff. “I didn't either. Would it help?”

They don't say anything back, only dig their nails into your back.

‘No.’ They don't need to say. ‘No, it wouldn't.’

It's for the best. You're not sure either of you would accept the other's apologies. No use ruining this with a harsh reality.

“Then we're done,” you say both for you and them. “It's over, stardust. It's finally over.”

“...Oh.”

You expect a quip. Maybe them to push you back. You're surprised, when they simply lean into you, and finally, finally hold you back.

Your own breath hitches at their warmth.

In a minute you'll need to let them go and ask them what the hell their plan is from here. Dusk, dawn, Lupus, the party, all of them will want explanations. It's inevitable this moment will end, as all moments should, even if they haven't for forever.

Until then, you hold your stardust tight. Becuase they're home here. They're here with you.

And with a miracle like that, who cares about anything else?

[doctorbunny]

The Curious Case of the Kashiki Family Discrepency

So, I'd thought that we'd had Yuno's family situation figured out for some time now

Her 7th question of her first interrogation Q "Tell us about your family." A "Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, Me, and my little brother <- Yura"

And her dad's not around. (In theory he could be dead, but given her lack of sentimentality around the whole thing.... He probably just dipped out, either just after she was born or possibly even before then. At Most he might've returned just long enough to help make Yura, then disappeared into the night like a deadbeat tomcat -which was irresponsible but isn't necessarily a bad thing, as Amane knows, not everyone is fit to be a parent and its not like Yuno's had anything bad to say about the rest of her family)

But then I was looking over old minigrams and noticed something odd

Yuno mentions having younger brothers, plural

At first I thought it was a typo, but in the Japanese she says 弟たち/達 Otouto-tachi Otouto meaning younger brother, and -tachi, making it plural

If this was an error, it'd be a pretty obvious detail to mess up not once but twice

So that begs the question: Why does Yuno only bring up One younger brother?

There's a few possibilities: A) Yuno Really Hates her younger siblings with the exception of Yura (I'd say this is Highly Unlikely but also the funniest option) B) Given her single mother, Yuno's younger siblings may be half siblings to different fathers, and given how full to bursting the Kashiki household is already, those kids might live with their dads Meaning Yuno had to keep them all entertained if they ever visited, but she might not consider them to be in her 'core family' so to speak, especially if they don't visit all that often (I'd say this is more likely than A, and could apply alongside C if she's got more than two younger siblings) [Japan doesn't legally have dual custody, but if both parents are on speaking terms and are fine with it, the kids can as much time with the non-custodial parent as they want] C) [and this is the one @archivalofsins was leaning on me most to talk about, but admittedly is also what first came to my mind] One of Yuno's younger brothers fucking died-

And if this is the case, then we may be learning a lot more about this in her T3... (her VA did say on milgram radio we'd get to see a very different side of her this time round)

We don't know much about this hypothetical brother, but given how Yuno expects her cat's cradle to impress Amane, it may be a good bet to assume he'd have been around 12 too.

Alas, beyond this minigram, things get a bit... circumstantial However if we work based on the assumption that C is correct, then how does that colour Yuno's attitude throughout milgram?

Well, some of that probably depends on how he died, but for maximum angst.... lets suppose he'd been terminally ill [looks at Mahiru]

For starters, it'd give some interesting contexts to one of the first things we learn about Yuno from her website bio:

誰のどんな話でもニコニコ聞いてくれるが、暑苦しい精神論のようなものは嫌い。 No matter who, or what the conversation is about, she listens with a smile, but she despises stuffy ideas like seishinron.

If you've never heard of it, seishinron is the idea that anything can be overcome through sheer willpower alone. [There's lots of different ideas that are similar to this, in the US many people believe they can 'manifest' good health and future success, and that unhealthy/unsuccessful people merely didn't Think hard enough] There's many reasons one could consider this flawed. But an experience with terminal illness would be Sure to leave someone feeling angered at the idea if you had a problem you just weren't determined enough to solve it. Disease doesn't work like that.

It'd also explain why simultaenously Yuno talks positively of her family

But then also says stuff like this

Given that Yuno referred to meeting with her clients as 'reloading the warmth' I doubt the sex work was the main cause of her feeling so low... (In fact she seemed get into it as a means to distract herself From this coldness. And TBH if we try to think about depressing things that would take an otherwise good family's attention off you... I'd say dying younger brother ranks pretty high on the Bummer Scale)

Such a vivid experience with death could also lead into how Yuno says that she doesn't care about anyone, but then becomes one of Mahiru's main carers, seemingly round the clock

a role she takes very seriously to the point that Shidou suggests she get a career in healthcare (which she takes as such a serious role as to reject the idea outright, sure she's stepped up in milgram but in the real world, surely such positions would be filled by even more dedicated people-)

Only to then afterwards change her tune and say that Actually it doesn't matter at all, only murderers died, its her own fault for getting too close to the others.

Ever the Kazui foil, Yuno might be using apathy to defend her own heart. You can't be hurt by death if you don't get attached to anyone... Well you can try at least.

Or maybe I'm totally off lol... that's enough speculating for one night

Needless to say, I don't think Yuno's doing too well, it can be hard to admit you're struggling when your baseline for suffering is 'Well at least I'm not literally dying'.

[anonymouscheeses]

Hazbin hotel theory (not circus related 🙄)

So we all know Charlie and Vaggie resemble alot of Lucifer and Lillith right?

Lucifer is a fallen angel and Vaggie is a fallen angel. Both sacrificing so much for their lovers. Both having different ideals and beliefs aside from the majority of heaven, because of that they both end up in hell. Also literal head over heels for their wives. Lucifer still wears his ring and Vaggie has very few scenes outside of Charlie.

Charlie and Lillith are both demons, although I guess Lillith is more human I think. But, they both fit in the other category. They both have fallen angel lovers. It's said in the opening cutscene that Lillith was an activist who sang as a way to influence. Charlie is an activist who sings in "ready for this" to persuade the cannibals to join her fight against heaven.

Personality and design wise though, Charlie and Lucifer are the most similar. Lillith and Vaggie? From what we've seen Lillith seemed loving in her pictures but calm and serious at the majority, if that doesn't describe Vaggie I don't know what does. Also Lillith wears purple and Vaggie is at this point purple coded 💀

It's implied that Lucifer had romantic or at the least smeggsual 🤭 relations to Eve. Sure it could have been a joke/lie, but clearly Adam gets pissed and doesn't say that he's wrong. I'd like to think Lillith and Eve also had romantic ties but there's not enough shown of them to make even an evidential guess. It's obvious tho that Lucifer at least was with the both of them at some point. (Maybe even Eve gave birth to Charlie since Lillith was cursed with miscarriages. At least if Viv still wants to keep that. No. No... Lucifer did NOT give birth to Charlie... youre jst weird... /j)

So... if Lucifer, Lillith, and Eve were once all in a polycule or at least a vee(two date one)....

who would be the one that stands in as Eve since Charlie and Vaggie are Lillith and Lucifer?

Plot twist. I'm a two and half halo shipper. It's Emily yall... 😨

HEAR MEE OUTTT!!!

In this image below, Vaggie is jealous that Charlie is holding Emily's hands(YES. CHARLIE IS HOLDING HER HANDS, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. Charlie is very touchy sshh) which is kind of weird they would include that tiny scene. Sure, it could just be comedic but what's comedy except a person who looks too much into a small 1 millisecond scene. It still puts in a dynamic that at first isn't implied to be romantic but! But, having this one scene still creates a slightly romantic undertone dynamic. Even if it's not heavily implied, Vaggie sees Emily as someone who's taking moves on her girlfriend. (Which could also imply Lillith and Eve's first impression before they got in a polycule.)

What I'm about to say is pure speculation, there still isn't much to go off of in the show at the moment with these six. But I think I have some points that maayyy just be smart for an idiot like me :3. Emily is an angel yes, but we aren't sure what Eve's fate was, where she went or what happened to her after. Maybe she stayed with Adam(after the creation of sin), and if Adam could go to heaven, a man who also ate the apple, then I believe Eve could too, it doesn't matter who started(assuming Adam did eat the apple in the show. Most likely.) What I like to speculate is that Eve went to heaven with Adam, although she didn't feel happy in their marriage and decided to make herself a fallen angel to be with Lucifer and Lillith, her true lovers.

Now the similarities with Eve and Emily? They both are against the ideas of those higher than them in heaven. Emily is against the idea of extermination in hell because she feels its unnecessary genocide. Eve went against heavens orders and ate the apple from Lucifer for knowledge. Oh also look haha their hair is kinda similar in the images below(not actual evidence but still its kinda cool) That's where the current canon similarities end. But ofc the big well known theory is that Emily will become a fallen angel because she goes against Sera's wishes. I HOPE she doesn't but in this show? Yeah, most likely. Currently Emily hasn't taken action, but maybe one day she will, which is the most likely situation. And if I'm right that Eve was a fallen angel then that would also be ANOTHER similarity. (Also. Ya'll.... the woman who picked up baby Charlie in "more than anything" was NOT Lillith. Like okay, maybe she is, but that didn't look like her AT ALL. She didn't have the same slick back mullet. But, in the image below, Eve and the woman who picked up baby Charlie have the exact same hair. Jst another thing I wanted to throw in to further evident that Lucifer Lillith and Eve were in a polycule/vee)

I LOVE TWO AND A HALF HALOS SO MUCH GUYSS. PLEASE FEED INTO MY NAIVETY. LUCIFER'S STOLEN WIVES AND CHARLIE'S ANGELS ARE LITERALLY CANON AND NO ONE CAN SAY OTHERWISE TO ME 😭😭

BONUS!! Adam is Lillith's ex rightt??? Well Lute is basically Vaggie's ex. Sure, you could argue that- no. No girl, they was exes, I know, Viv told me herself smhhh..... not only are both Lucifer and Vaggie fallen angels because they had different ideals from heaven, Lillith and Charlie are both activists who use their voice as powers, Eve and Emily go against heaven, BUT LILLITH AND VAGGIE BOTH HAVE EXES??

Bro, Adam and Lute are also besties like? The polycules kicked them out and then they were like, "nuh uh, now we're gonna date eachother since yall don't want us" 😭

Basically what I'm saying is that Lucifer's stolen wives and Charlie's angels are Canon and no one can say otherwise because I'm so smart. If anyone says they aren't just link them to here and BOOM we got another one added to the small ship. Also. This is so underrated. Ya'll.. the potential is so crazy. And since Charlie and Vaggie are already established it would be so intense and adorable to watch Emily try to impress and date them both. Uggghh so.... hyperfixated..... I hope this isn't my special interest now 😭

[mermazing-art]

The real name of the Furious Five 

After the Kung Fu Panda 4 movie I started thinking about what Zhen's first conversations with the Furious Five would be like. I imagined her nervous about making a good impression but fitting quite well with her group dynamic given her mischievous attitude and enjoying their adventures with her, establishing a relationship of trust. Which led me to a thought "Would she, wanting to know them more, ask them what their real names are?"

This theory has been circulating in the fandom for years since it is said that their names actually refer to their fighting styles or their species (as well as Master Ox, Crocodile or Rhino) since those who retain their own name within this discipline are those who have a superior role such as Oogway, Shifu or Po and those who do not have a title such as Zhen or Tai Lung.

Well, I decided to look for a suitable name for each one, one that fit their physique or personality, that was easy to remember and that would distinguish one another, let's go!

Mantis: Xun Yu ( fast jade )

With Mantis I was clear that I didn't want to look for anything that had to do with his size but I did want to highlight his most powerful abilities such as his speed.  That's where his first name, Xun, comes from.  His middle name, Yu (Jade), is because of his green color although this can also mean ''insect'' depending on the kanji with which it is written.  My idea is that Mantis calls himself ''the green lightning'' referring to his real name.

Crane: Zimo ( refined ink )

At first I wanted his name to be related to the sky or the air due to his avian species or his techniques, but it made me think that one of the things that catches my attention about this character is his interest in Chinese calligraphy.  Therefore, I decided to name him Zimo (ink or writing) to reflect his beloved hobby in his name.

Monkey: Wong Sang ( yellow mulberry )

For Monkey, I researched his voice actor, the one and only Jackie Chan, born Chan Kong-Sang. I wanted to take it as a reference by changing the name Kong since it is the name of the Monkey's brother to Wong (yellow), relating it to the color of his fur. I wanted to make a reference to his comic side but I couldn't find a suitable name for the guidelines I had assigned to it.

Viper: Jia Ling ( beautiful tinkle )

As with Monkey, I researched on her voice actress, Lucy Liu, whose full name is Lucy Alexis Liu Yu Ling. I wanted to reflect her charming and sweet personality, so I took the name Ling (tinkerbell) as a reference of the hiss' snake she produces, as well as her happy attitude.  But her first name would be Jia to emphasize the beauty of this character.

Tigress: Xia ( sunrise )

For her, I thought I would delve deeper into her story and her development as a character in order to give her the appropriate name.  This is her story:

When Tigress lived in the orphanage, she received the name Xian ("who lives in seclusion") from the other children perpetuating their contempt and fear of her. When Shifu finally decided to adopt her, after He heard that name many times, almost always accompanied by the word "monster", he asked her what new name she would like. She simply accepted Tigress because she didn't believe she could deserve a name. Shifu pondered and decided to call him Xia. Tigress at first didn't like this idea because it sounded similar to the previous one, but Shifu explained his choice to her. Both names, although similar, did not have the same meaning because now she would no longer be in the darkness, secluded and alone, but rather she had the opportunity for a new life, a path marked by the light that emanated from her, a new sunrise.

So yes, Zhen would ask the furious five their names, giving the situation that Po would find out right then and there about this. Everyone except Tigress would answer this question since for her it is still a very personal matter related to her past and Shifu and she still doesn't feel comfortable sharing it with everyone. Could Tigress talk to a certain panda about this?

[azaharinflames]

"Why do I feel like, at some point while writing Season 8, Tim went like: "- What you described in your post, I also think that was Tim's thought process. He seems to always come up with one spontaneous idea and then doesn't care how the rest fits. Doesn't matter that characters act out of character and that storylines make no sense. The BuckTommy of it all fell into their laps and is gold, but it seems they can't handle good stuff. Other showrunners would love to have that to work with.

Hi, Nonnie!

I'm glad to see we agree hahaha. To be honest... I try to take into account that I do not know Tim Minear and hence, do not know how his mind works or the way he figures out a season. But it feels like he gets obsessed with one idea and then figures how to work everything else around it. And if something in that process feels forced, or out of character, eh, he doesn't mind that much.

It is very much my impression and not necessarily the truth, but it is there. And I don't know if that speaks highly of him as a showrunner, yk?

Bucktommy indeed fell into their laps in what is, quite possibly, the biggest strike of luck they've had when it comes to 911. They literally struck gold and hit a home run without even trying to (that hard, that is). Any other showrunner would be on their knees thanking the showrunner Gods because? Amazing storytelling, incredible chemistry between the actors (with no chemistry read! which is insane), a character that fits perfectly in the story and universe (not an easy feat eight seasons in), and not to mention the whole invisible string theory.

They literally won the lottery.

That's why so many people (including me) will not understand if this truly is the end for Bucktommy, because it simply doesn't make sense to finally have a LI that works for Buck and go... hehe nevermind, it's better if we keep him going in circles forever.

Let's hope this half of the season brings us bucktommy back and shows us Tim indeed have a plan. Low hopes for that, but never non-existent.

My inbox is open for ranting, venting, giving your opinion (unpopular or popular, I'm happy to receive and discuss both), and even confessions! Though if you don't want yours posted, please make sure to say :)

Take care <3

[wisteria-lodge]

Hi, would it be alright if you sorted Rufus Scrimgeour using your system? I feel he's an intriguing character, thanks :)

JKR really likes "toxic Badger" as a villain archetype (Vernon, Umbridge, and Draco are all Badger primaries) and even though Scrimgeour isn't a *villain* exactly... he still fits the theme.

Because his whole *thing* is cohesion of the group above everything. His "tough on Death Eaters" stance isn't Barty Senior's more Idealistic, black and white, zero tolerance policy. Scrimgeour wants to keep up morale, make his community feel secure and safe... and in order to do that, he feels like he needs to be making arrests (that's probably his Lion secondary talking.) The quality of the arrests matters less. I think Scrimgeour knows he's not getting the top guys, might not be even getting the right guys. Harry's theory is that Stan Shunpike was probably just telling tall tales, pretending to have top-secret information to seem more impressive. But this is where some of that toxic Badger dehumanization kicks in. I think that in Scrimgeour's head, being Death Eater *aligned,* or lying in a way that makes the fight even slightly harder... you're not one of the people he needs to protect, anymore.

I do think he's probably a Lion secondary. He's very direct in the way he deals with Harry - like he just straight-up says. 'Dumbledore willed you the sword. We're not honoring that request because... we're just not.' I think someone else would have evaded or delayed, done a 'you can't have the sword... right now' sort of thing - especially if you wanted Harry on your side. Scrimgeor also tells Harry *exactly* what he thinks of Dumbledore: "He's done a very good job on you" ('he's kinda brainwashed you a little, hasn't he?) In a way that... doesn't exactly get on Harry's good side. But Scrimgeor is also trustworthy, in that way Lion secondaries tend to be. He is killed by Voldemort, personally, after not breaking under torture, and that seems to be pretty Lion-secondary coded as well.

[demonslayedher]

do you have any headcanons for the reincarnations/chapter 205? :D

First off, when I read that chapter I was like... "I can't believe it's over... what a ride... BUT WHAT DID I JUST READ????"

Also, since canon only describes them as "descendants" and "a person who..." and never says "reincarnation" I don't technically think of them that way... although that is hard to do after the Obamitsu promise. My main issue with this is looking backwards; it's simply a matter of preference that I don't like thinking of Tanjiro and Nezuko as reincarnations of Sumiyoshi and Suyako (and I especially prefer to keep Yoriichi and Tanjuro as separate people), because I like the straightforward interpretation of inherited memories as something unique to this world.

So that being said!!

The modern day kids have really grown on me. : D Touko is my favorite. I have written some headcanons for them which I have tucked into fanworks that I'll link below.

--The Kamado family house was given to the Hashibira family, so Aoba still has ties there (although he doesn't live there). This is also why the Kamado boys live in the city. Theory expanded on here.

--If they are indeed reincarnations, then Kotoha was reincarnated as Aoba's mom, but she's a divorcee. Aoba's canonical younger brother has a wilder personality. I had a really nice time playing with Aoba interacting with his mom in this short fic, which also refers to the above theory and has interactions with other characters in the fallout of the blue spider lily failure.

--The Kamado family is so removed from their old charcoal past that they just FORGOT to give the oldest son a charcoal related name

--Touko inherited Zenitsu's wide range of strong emotions and expression. Although the women in their family are known for being nice and sweet, there is always what is called the "Agatsuma Demon Gene." However, it's unclear which great-grandparent this came from. There is no mention of Nezuko as a demon in any of "The Legend of Zenitsu" so Yoshiteru is convinced she was a demure girl who needed to stay out of the sunlight for health reasons. These are referred to in this collection of fanart/doodles of the Chapter 205 cast, as well as in this comic that was drawn before Volume 23 came out, so we were still under the impression that Kanata considered Touko his girlfriend (canonically, he does not, that evil flirt).

--More fun doodles of Touko with Zenitsu's expressions and Yoshiteru with Nezuko's expressions here

--Yoshiteru has Marfan Syndrome.

--This isn't so much a headcanon as an observation, but I love what Iguro being a chef and having a good luck snake emblem says about how he's been freed some his past. So I said that all at the end of this post about snake analysis as it relates to Iguro.

--I just kind love that Kiriya and Yushiro are friends???

--I don't know how I feel about the "they get together every year to do Kagura in the Breath styles" thing that was added later. It just doesn't seem to fit well with everything. First, the need for Breath technique is gone, so if Tanjiro decided to simply not teach the next generation, that would have been a fine statement. After all, they just keep the earrings in a framed box now. Second, it would imply that they all might recognize each other from having met every year. Touko would happily anticipate meeting her favorite gymnast every year, and she and Yoshiteru would both already have met Aoba plenty of times, as would Sumiyoshi, who supposedly only meets him when they are both sulking about being in trouble. Maybe they wouldn't recognize each other out of the context of being in the shrine for Kagura once a year, but those kinds of events usually take all day to set up, conduct, and then have a party afterward with lots of interaction. Plus, who was even around to pass on some of those Breaths??? And what kind of move is Thunderclap and Flash for a full Kagura dance???????? So my headcanon is that Touko has stayed home from it for the last few years, Yoshiteru has mostly just hung out with his distant cousins, Aoba's little brother is the one who has been doing it lately while Aoba has been busy as a student and then career botanist, and the dances are staged throughout the day at different times, so Flower Breath and Insect Breath are never around the same time as Thunder Breath so Yoshiteru never even encountered the girls. Also, the Corp had other survivors!! Maybe they're the ones who have been retaining most of these traditions in place of characters who did not survive to leave descendants!

Well that one turned into a rant. Anywayyyy.

--Reincarnated!?Shinobu is Giichi's babysitter and she finds him overly talkative, because irony is fun. (Also in fanart)

--Reincarnated!?Makomo is Reincarnated!?Urokodaki's granddaughter (also in the same fanart collection)

--Toujurou's dad has trouble keeping students in the kendo dojo, because bringing in KimeGaku elements is fun

--The cops take their coffee really, really sweet; it's totally loaded with sugar

Enjoy the things I linked!! They have more of my thoughts and fun with them!! : D

[cultofdarkwood]

okie dokie, i was gonna wait till they dropped all the bishops songs, but since they decided to be madmen and dropped kallamars, shamuras, and narinders today, ive got thoughts, and they're... critical. as both a writer and someone who grew up entrenched in music theory, im really not impressed.

no shade to anyone who enjoys the music! if you do, more power to you! as someone who really wants to like these songs but can't bring myself to, these are my thoughts on why that is.

placed under the cut for anyone who wants to avoid my opinions!

let me start off by first saying, there are parts of these songs that i really really enjoy! heket's was the best one in my opinion, with kallamar and shamura's not far behind.

i will also say, i dont typically listen to metal music, but i also don't hate any genre. i love a song from any genre if it has a good beat or a good sound, and i do have some metal songs i like when im in the mood to fuck shit up, yk.

but my thoughts are this:

these songs are very lazy.

for more than half of all of these songs, they rip dialogue straight from the game instead of having these songs be fully original. i cannot fathom if this was for legal reasons or if whoever the writer at cult of the lamb is just really really wanted their writing to be in some metal songs, but dialogue isn't meant to be lyrics. i will say it louder.

DIALOGUE isn't meant to serve as LYRICS

and that's why these songs are lazy; they rip dialogue straight from the game and expect it to sound good, nevermind that they expect it to straight up work at all! even for metal, which is an unconventional genre of music, musicians still abide by lyrical theory. you cannot just throw dialogue in there and expect it to sound good.

lyrics are a form of poetry. thats why dialogue doesn't fit.

you have to follow the rhythm of the beat, and raw dialogue often does not do that. and in my opinion, literally all the parts that aren't dialogue pretending to be lyrics are passably okay to good.

the only exception is shamura's song. and shamura's is a little different bc shamura's dialogue is rhythmic in game, so it does sound passably okay. it is ONLY because shamura speaks rhythmically that their dialogue transfers to lyrical form a bit better than the others do.

and honestly the only part of shamura's song i can say i liked was the "he of havoc he of blight" part. that was incredibly well done even tho its dialogue- bc its rhythmic dialogue. they matched it incredibly well to the melody of shamura's theme.

anyways, those are my opinions! i think the songs are lazy because they just rip dialogue straight from the game instead of coming up with proper lyrics. i also think the parts of the songs that are dialogue are bad because they're not proper lyrics that work rhythmically and poetically (the way lyrics are supposed to work no matter what genre of music it is).

[pippenpaddlopsicopolisthethird]

It's no costume, but i did finish a sewing project I'd been procrastinating on for over a year and started another I've been procrastinating on for longer! I love picking up nice cotton or linen or rayon from Joann if i catch it in the remnant bin, and i always tell myself I'll finally replace the ratty old pajama pants I've had since the dawn of time.

While it's easy enough in theory, everyday wearables pose a different challenge than costume pieces do. For costumes, comfort and convenience come second to appearance. As long as it looks impressive, it doesn't matter as much that it's not machine washable or the material is scratchy, because i only wear it for a few hours at a time a few times a year.

For wearables, I get hung up on fit and sizing a lot, and i spin my wheels on starting, because i worry i won't wear it if it's not perfect. Today I decided to just go for it, especially because they're PJs, not formalwear. I think there's a little I might have changed, but overall I'm much happier to have actually finished something! Also it might help me finish more things, now that I have a good pattern for a simple elastic-waist pant on hand.

[silversandwichofpinterest]

The Grand Article (1/5)

Allright, so this is my first time translating something, and let me tell you: it was Hard.

l have also added notes of sort, that explain stuff that needs explaining, said notes are placed in the end, FFN style

Harry Potter and the Problems of Modular Worldbuilding (1)

In real life modularity of design is a rather convenient idea that simplifies assembly, upgrade, repair and disassembly. In literature such a thing is poorly appropriate and, if used thoughtlessly, can completely spoil the impression of a book to an analysing reader.

Sure, ready-made modules make life easier for an author. However, there are issues with such an approach to writing. Firstly, modules are far from universal, even if you take time-tested options. Secondly, you need to know how to correctly use them. Thirdly, it's not far from outright plagiarism. And finally, if we are not talking about a well-developed module for role-playing games, for example, but about the amateur's alteration of something, it is quite obvious that it will end up being nonsense. Especially if the author grabs several modules at once without second thought and tries to adapt them to his needs, not realizing that they simply do not fit together.

For example, modular characters, instead of a whole character, have a random set of features taken from various sources, which the author selects, uses and discards at his discretion, depending on the task at hand. As a result, the same character, taken, for example, from the first, second and third volumes of the epic, are three completely different things. The most clinical case of this is when a character appears only a couple of times in one volume, and in their first appearance they are guided by different motives and are completely unalike in character and behavior from the second. It seems that these are two completely different people who, for some reason, have the same name. We are not talking about some kind of pretense, substitution, personality development or justified personality change – the author simply decided that from now on the character who started his journey as honest and proud will become, for no apparent reason, mean and ambitious. Like in the Sims, where you can enter a cheat code and edit the character of the player's character at any time.

But a much more egregious picture can be seen if the entire setting of the work becomes modular. Instead of creating and gradually opening up a fictional world before the reader's eyes, the author takes a new module for each specific task, after which they discard it as unnecessary. It doesn't matter to the author how the resulting "pile of bricks" looks in the end – they didn't even try to connect anything.

If we look at Rowling's series, the signs of modularity are noticeable to the naked eye. Wherever you go, you'll end up in an uncovered seam, from which either primordial chaos or chthonic horror timidly winks. For a fanfic writer, this is, of course, a huge advantage and a great help, since even the most extensive fan theory can be stuffed into the seam between modules. But what about the reader, who is just trying to build a good picture of the author's world?

[seaescapologist]

Since I've been waiting for Year 4 of the story for so long, kind of wanted to ramble for a bit, both about my impressions and theories. So, spoilers below the cut.

So now that it's confirmed that it was Elliot who was watching MC. I am even more convinced, that Elliot's sixth former associate (the only one that hadn't been caught by the Ministry) is probably why Ollivander noted that there is something familiar about MC. It also all better explains an actual reason why Elliot needed Daniel, since even if he simply wanted an ally at Hogwarts, a third year no matter how talented at potions is a bit of an odd choice (especially if they are the only one).

Also I feel like it also adds fuel to the fact that Hagrid was sent with a letter to MC intentionally, and not because they now do that for all muggleborns. But not as certain about it.

Still wonder about Winifred's warning though. Since it wasn't just about him watching. But that he will try to pose as a friend, which Elliot did both with Daniel. But also now with his 'friend of all' speech. At this point I am more inclined to believe it's less of a kind of 'seer-like' prediction, and more likely a warning from that Sixth Associate using Winifred as a conduit. After all if it was someone who knew Elliot well enough, they might predict what he'd try to do just based on their experience, especially if something like that happened with NOTME. And it'd make sense that it's down in a roundabout way, if that person doesn't want Elliot to find them, approaching MC directly isn't an option.

Also been thinking about Elliot's true motives and what caused his falling out with original NOTME. Admittedly it's all more of a conjecture. I have a feeling that NOTME (and more specifically that Sixth person), found some way. To give/amplify magic. Though I obviously don't think it would be that simple, there likely is a price and some limitations. And there was a conflict as to how to use it, maybe even if they should at all, depending on the price of the power (or maybe Elliot straight up wanted the power to himself). But something like that fits with the name of the game 'Magic Awakened', right? It would fit why Winny abilities (I'd say it's fair to say legilimency), became so much stronger if that sixth person indeed used her as a way to warn MC, so they likely had a contact with her. So I do wonder if MC's magic was 'awakened' in this way.

Anyway, mostly done with theories, so more of a general thoughts about Y4! Originally Y4 felt a lot weaker than previous years, but it definitely picked up at the end, I enjoyed those final parts. Even if in part we are roughly back where we ended Y3. Well, aside from Cass being set up as a friend of course. And part of me hopes that Kenji was set up to transfer to Hogwarts (he has motives - finding a cure for his curse AND he clearly seems to be more welcome there at this point), but that might just be wishful thinking on my parts. But it would be a nice way for the game to add another Forbidden Forest and dance companion, without it feeling like they came out of nowhere.

I hope Y5 finally gives focus to MC. They finally got a chance to shine in Y4 (but mostly everyone did). But it'd be nice if they finally started feeling as a protagonist. Also kind of wish they weren't just framed as an all-rounder. I'd prefer if MC had their 'own thing' too, like all companions do (ideally based on our choice of course. but either way something would be better than nothing). Magizoology and transfiguration still seemingly not tied to anyone right (like Ivy's expertice at charms, Daniel's potions etc)? Would be neat if in Y5 MC got a chance to become an animagus. Especially with Abigail and maybe/hopefully Kenji transferring, it especially could come in handy.

What else? Ngl, I was a bit disappointed about Winny's character, maybe because it's so completely different from how she spoke/acted in both Y1 (flashback) and in Y3, so maybe I built up some expectations in my head? Or maybe because I wasn't expecting to get a clarification about her warning so late, so i felt robbed. But I am still curious about Warrington family. Even back in Y1 it felt odd how Ivy's grandmother chose to handle it. But now, despite previously apologizing for hiding things from her, once again we learn things were hidden thanks to her instructions. Idk, there is something there. Recently stumbled upon a concept of Ivy's and Winny's mother, so maybe it all somehow ties back to whatever happened to her.

On a final note. MC punching Viggo had no business of being so funny, one of the highlights of the year for me! So yeah, don't know if anyone read all this. But it was nice to put my thoughts in writing even if they are all over place.

[dicenote]

I really want to know what song you would pick for Ide :> (or if that's possible for the Matsuda/Ide ship)

And maybe for Namikawa too. He’s quite an interesting character!

Of course, and thanks for the ask! I'll admit I had a lot of trouble with picking stuff out, but I'm pretty happy with the songs I found. I've got one for Ide, one for MatsuIde, and one for Namikawa.

Ide: "Hiding" by Modern Baseball

Ide's difficult! He seems like such a simple guy, I'd bet he wouldn't even listen to music all that often, lol XD I wanted to find something that reflected his more reserved personality but also nodded to his complicated feelings about the Kira case. This song is quiet and kinda comforting in some places, but loud (and almost violent) in others.

Overall, it feels like "Hiding" is a song about the past, about happy memories that are long behind you. And for Ide, who spends a good chunk of the plot unsure about what's going to happen next, it feels fitting, in a weird way.

Some of the lyrics that I think fit him the best from this are:

"Entertain the cancer, we all answer upwards either way The waiting game is tied again. Backs of hands and phrases, misplaced gazes Things we still deny to selves and hesitate to talk about"

Those second 2 lines could definitely be interpreted in a more shippy context, but I like the "things we still deny" line referring to Kira's identity. Ide's stance on things is... kinda weird, isn't it? Like, he seems to hope that Light isn't Kira, but also he kinda sees it coming in the end. I dunno, he's such an interesting guy.

MatsuIde: "This Side of Paradise" by Coyote Theory

I was originally gonna look for something much angsty-er, but this one works just fine. Yes, it sounds kinda sad, but also happy at the same time? Something about it just screams MatsuIde to me.

I think part of it is the fact that the Task Force after the time skip (and particularly after Soichiro's death) is... kinda tragic. Like, we as the audience know that nothing they do is going to matter as far as finding Kira goes, but they still keep ongoing anyways. And since they're spending so much time on the case, they all pretty much isolate themselves from the rest of the world, especially Matsuda and Ide.

I can't remember who it was (I think @/tinycrescent?) but someone had the headcanon that Matsuda was, despite how social and bubbly he appears, a lonely person when it comes down to it. Honestly, I can see it- especially after Light is revealed to be Kira all along. He'd probably have a hard time trusting people after all that, with a few exceptions. And Ide is definitely one of those exceptions.

Ide doesn't seem like a social person to begin with, but I think Matsuda joking around with him gets him out of his shell a little bit. I think that the two of them get to be more comfortable around each other, like it "feels right" to exist together, if that makes sense.

"If you're lonely, come be lonely with me"

Namikawa: "Machine" by Regina Spektor

Gahh I really wish I knew Namikawa better, or this would've been easier 😅

(I was originally gonna go with "One-Winged Angel" from Final Fantasy 7, since Sephiroth was my little bro's nickname for Namikawa. But I figured that Namikawa deserved something a little better. So I went with "Machine".)

I picked this one because of the instrumentals. Namikawa strikes me as a methodical, intellectual kind of guy, and the piano in this song makes me think of that. At the same time, the pounding drums give off the impression that there's a lot going on beneath the surface, something darker that needs to be explored. This instrumental version sounds like something that would play when he's onscreen to me.

As for the lyrics... eh. They kind of fit him? Maybe if you squint. I dunno if it's accurate to say that Namikawa is "hooked into [a] machine", but there is something that's just a touch messed up about the whole Yotsuba thing. Like, the group is stuck cooperating with Kira during these meetings, no matter what- if they leave or disagree with Kira too much, they risk dying. It's kind of like they're stuck going along with Kira, not that Namikawa minds. As long as he stays on top, which he will.

[deathlygristly]

I saw a post on here that I saved as a draft and I'll reblog it later. It was about how so much of political discussion on here is social performance and trying to fit in and look like a "good" person to others.

Which, like I've said before, I can't get into that mindset at all. Not sure if it's the autism or the circumstances of where and how and when I grew up or a combination. Well, it's probably a combination because most things are the product of an unknowable number of random events and the circumstances produced by the random events.

Something I'm struggling with right now is how much weight to put on people's voting choices.

Because for me, with my autistic brain operating differently in social contexts than neurotypical brains and also my lifetime of reading about fascism and propaganda and genocide started by reading all those books on the Holocaust when I was 9, it seems like a pretty obvious choice. To me, the consequence of your vote on other living beings is extremely easily knowable and predictable, and therefore it is a heavy moral weight on your soul.

But reading that post about politics as social performance on here, listening to that interview with the child of the man who created Stormfront on the cult survivor podcast, the podcast I'm about to listen to on why people deny climate change, reading stories on the leaving MAGA site, and reading some of the political threads that I've seen in state and local social media that I'm keeping up with for Helene news....

I think there are a lot of people who aren't really capable of fully understanding the weight their choices have on the reality of all living beings on the planet. If they aren't capable of that easy knowing and predicting, how morally responsible are they?

Like I tend to think that other people know what they are doing. I guess maybe this is what they mean by lacking a theory of mind? Because hey, not all of us are professional Holocaust scholars like the one person I follow on here is, but we all have pretty deep knowledge of it still, right? We all get the basics of propaganda and bigotry and violence and hate and how people in power can use that power for incredibly evil ends, right?

I am learning that no, we do not all have pretty deep knowledge of the Holocaust or a real understanding of it and what it meant. We do not all know the weight of our actions on the world.

And maybe I can't really blame people for that. Maybe their brain just randomly got wired more for fitting in socially with a small group no matter the cost than mine did. Maybe they didn't have the right configuration of circumstances to learn how to read when they were very young so they weren't capable of reading those books when they were a child and so it didn't make a deep impression on their soul. Maybe they were capable but they didn't have access to the books. Maybe they were randomly born to parents who are deep in a cult and they haven't been able to leave the cult and deconstruct yet.

I am trying to reply sometimes. To ride through the initial nervous system rush and then try to reply in a non combative way, because I know that's what works. It doesn't always work. It probably doesn't even work the majority of the time. But it at least has a higher chance of working than being combative and insulting. Although I imagine being combative and insulting does work occasionally though, because that's how everything is, but my strengths lie more on the trying to not be hateful side.

How do you help people cross the bridge from "I am performing for acceptance in this small group and I am quite ignorant of the world and my weight on it through no fault of my own" to "Okay, I can see the world and the weight of my steps on it and I will do my best to not harm others?"

[the-night-writer1]

A simple nap

A random one shot involving a pregnant Mony.

It was a Saturday afternoon as Mony laid on his sofa and watched TV. His mattress just made his back hurt and the cub incredibly fussy. He really preferred that his cub wasn't kicking up a massive storm so the sofa it was. He really did have to look into a new mattress after the cub was born.

He didn't have the energy right now and as much as he wanted to nap he didn't trust Macaque wouldn't take over and try to finish the nursery again. He still had to prepare for his fathers coming over next month which meant cleaning. Which he also lacked energy for.

However he at least had stuff setup for when Mk and he assumed Mei be here in half an hour. Mk did say he was bringing a friend and usually that meant Mei.

"remember to keep a distance he hugs too tight"a ghost voice gently reminded.

"Yes I am aware. Kid is just a tight hugger he doesn't mean any harm" Mony stated a bit annoyed as he sipped some ginger tea from his mug. The blend was a gift from Sandy. The gentle giant was his go to for anti-nausea tea.

Macaque knew he was just tired as well, cubs could be so draining on the body. Especially a powerful cub like this one, Macaque could just sense the little one's power. He was concerned about it, how could this cub have so much power already? Mony didn't get any of his abilities until he was seven so the cub having power already didn't make sense. It had Mac worried who the father might be. Though he knew better than to nudge himself in matters like that as it make Mony upset. Mony was tired as it was and he wasn't being the best roommate trying to finish the nursery while Mony asleep last week.

There was a knock at the door that caused Mony to get up from his cozy spot on the sofa. Was Mk early? Probably or someone ordered food and gave the wrong address.

"WUKONG?!" Macaque hissed in panic as Mony opened the door.

"Hi... Kid's on his way I'm Wukong nice to meet you" the monkey king said softly as he saw the tired white monkey at the door. He couldn't see Macaque's spirit throwing a hissy fit yet but he could see why Mk asked for his help. Poor monkey looked exhausted. Mony was currently blocking out the screaming spirit as he lead Wukong inside. So mk had new friend that was nice.

"Hi I'm Mony, I have some charcoal and sketchpads setup over here if you want start before Mk gets here if not I made some tea"Mony said with a soft yawn as he lead Wukong over to the sketch center as he called it. Macaque trying to get him to kick the guy out.

"Oh uh what about we wait for the kid?" Wukong timidly asked as he looked around the place. There wasn't a lot to nest with here. Art supplies definitely but nesting supplies? Nope no wonder guy was exhausted. There was no way the poor guy instinctually felt safe to sleep by himself and he didn't have a comfort nest to sleep in. However Wukong couldn't just bring that up in conversation with out being rude.

"alright I was actually watching a monkey cop movie if you want join me" Mony stated softly as he walked back to the sofa in the living room. Wukong nodded and followed him to the living room,"little one likes monkey cop's voice"

"well I do an excellent monkey cop impression" Wukong stated playfully as he sat next to Mony on the sofa. The white monkey softly chuckled as he leaned back in to the sofa. Wukong felt so bad for the guy, he clearly needed at least a nap.

"I can tell" Mony said as he closed his eyes. He could feel the ghostly arms wrapped his waist tightly yet at the same time there was nothing there. He wanted to take over but Mony wouldn't let him. Mony didn't want to deal with it right now thus he couldn't nap. Even worse Mac just ruined the sofa by waking up the cub who in theory unlike their baba had been napping.

Wukong noticed rather quickly Mony's discomfort and the light swatting at something away from his abdomen. Worried an evil spirit attached itself to the guy he activated his golden vision to check. His heart stopped spotting his old friend's spirit there. Macaque glared at him and he glared at Macaque. This clearly wasn't a normal possession, Mac's spiritual form was different from normal.

"You stop harassing this guy he's exhausted" Wukong mouthed to Macaque with a stern finger. A disappointed look on his face at the fact Mac was hugging Mony's stomach like his life depended on it.

" I am not harassing him Wukong. I've been trying to warn him about YOU" Macaque signed back, at least Wukong understood this needed to be a two person conversation. Mony didn't need to be in the middle.

"I was asked to help him out and he's never tried to steal my identity Macaque" Wukong mouthed back before gesturing to Mony," He is exhausted and has nothing to nest with if you were helping him he'd have nesting material!"

"He's a new world demon Wukong they don't nest the same way" Macaque tried to protest as he loosened his grip on Mony's stomach. He never really connected that Mony not having a nest be a reason for his poor sleeping. Fuck did Wukong have an actual point.

"New world demon or not he still needs a nest. His body clearly doesn't feel safe without one" Wukong mouthed before returning his attention to Mony. He felt the other monkey's forehead with some slight concern.

"hey Mony you feel a little hot mind if I get you a compress?" Wukong asked softly," or at least something to make you a little more comfortable?"

"the clean wash clothes are in the basket near the sink on the left... The ones on the right are dirty and for paint" Mony huffed softly as he readjusted himself and hoped the cub settled down.

"alright I'll be back okay" Wukong said as he got up and left to the kitchen. Macaque's spirit following him. Gesturing to which faucet was cold as Wukong got a clean wash cloth. It probably be best he leave Mony be for a bit to keep an eye on Wukong. Who surprisingly to Macaque was being very nice to Mony . Wukong quickly made a cold compress and returned to Mony's side gently placing it on the white monkey's forehead.

"thank you" Mony mumbled softly he hadn't even realized he was hot. Poor guy was very tired.

"what about you take a nap I'll make sure when bud gets here he's quiet okay?" Wukong said reassuringly. He could probably keep Mac and Mk distracted for bit. Mony would have tried to argue but he just gave in to the thought of a nap unaware Mk showed five minutes later.

---

"so he needs pillows and stuff?" Mk asked trying to read the list Wukong wrote down on a piece of paper. It was written down quickly so Wukong didn't translate it into modern Chinese.

"exactly nesting supplies" Wukong said as they were walking through the market," and some other things like a new mattress"

"I don't think he has the money for this monkey king " mk said as they walked through the market district.

"oh I'm paying for it kid" Wukong reassured.

[maristellarium]

Excerpt:

Name: Yue "Yulia" Xiao

Age: 19 -> 22

Gender: Female

Species: Human

Ethnicity: Chinese

Weapon: Shotgun ; Parasol

Skills/Strengths: Strategems, Theories, Philosophy, Psychology

Position: Commandant of Gray Raven ; Founder/Leader of [Celebration]

Affiliation: Gray Raven / Babylonia

FC: Yumiella Dolkness from Villainess lvl99

Appearance

A young woman with black eyes and black hair. The bangs are styled in a manner reminiscent of the Golden Age's "hime-cut", but otherwise grown long enough to reach her waist; she usually ties her hair into a high ponytail while on duty, however.

Her features are fairly appealing to the average onlooker, but are accompanied by a frequent tendency to seem scarily sharp for the unacquainted - especially her eyes, which isn't helped by the fact that she has an inexplicable habit of wearing a silvery pair of non-prescription, half-moon glasses. Adding to this, she rarely shows emotion on her face, usually opting to wear a diplomatically neutral expression instead.

In terms of attire, she is usually seen wearing some manner of military attire, be it her grayscale uniform for missions or sleek outfits for the office. She might even be seen in the same outside of work. Beyond that, she hardly wears anything colorful unless it's a special occasion, dressing in nice but simple dresses in black or white.

Personality

A quiet, deeply no-nonsense personality, but to the point that she doesn't even seem to spare her sight, words, memory or attention to anything she deems unnecessary to even acknowledge. This can easily create the impression that she's a cold and distant person with little to nothing to say, carrying an unintentional air of haughtiness borne of dismissiveness.

And to some extent... that isn't completely wrong either. If she's not interested, then she's simply not interested - if she's not interested in someone, then why bother? Trite words of consideration are still trite at the end of the day. To pretend to care is still pretending. Isn't that the more cruel thing to do?

What does it even mean to be cruel? What does it mean to be kind? What does it mean to care? What does it mean to be warm? What does it mean to be bad? What does it mean to be good?

What does it mean to be human?

In a world of Constructs born from flesh and blood humans, a science-defying virus evolving into intelligent creatures, and humans themselves -

Yulia has a clear understanding of all these things. After all, there have been people before her who pondered these things too, albeit not all of them and not all at once. Dictionaries have clear-cut definitions of all these things. And if something is "unknown" or "uncertain", that too is a definition and answer of its own.

...What does it even mean, to "understand" all of this?

Is it "human" to understand this? Accept this? Should she? Is there supposed to be a "reason"? A "cause"? Why or why not?

—No, it's far too confusing to proceed so arbitrarily. Let's start from a simpler foundation. The basics. Clean-cut, all pieces laid out, then branch forward—

This is why she's decided as such - to approach the world like the pieces of a puzzle or a more elaborate chessboard full of moves to make and manipulate. Everything can be cut up into the many moving parts of a clockwork plan, and it's all a matter of understand the parts and rules inside-out, fiddling with them as necessary, seeing how they fit together into a whole. And because she's only human, without the processing power of machines multiplied, she can only keep in mind the crucial parts.

As it turns out, some of these parts are very easy to dissect. But every strategist knows that there will always be some unpredictable variables in a plan - uncertainty itself is one of the many cogs of the clockwork. And so, there are some things that she fails to grasp.

In particular - the human nature.

"Self" and personhood are among her most frustrating subjects - because she knows. And doesn't know. There are hundreds of papers studying the nature of people, dissecting the concept of personality itself, mapping out the various correlations between behaviour and attitude and ideology. People are easy to break down and analyze.

People also have a great ability and tendency to surpass expectations. To go beyond the predictable, to harness the unimaginable, to demonstrate the impossible, to be and become and are—

If uncertainty is a fundamental aspect of the world, of all things, then what does it mean for her-self?

If she, too, is capable of anything and everything imaginable and implausible, then what exactly is she supposed to be? Likes and dislikes, thoughts and choices, even love and dreams and principles - all so, so mutable with the right triggers. What are the limits of her selfhood?

Who is she?

Can she... even grasp it? That certainty of self? Where? How?

Why should she, even? It's not like it hinders her day-to-day existence to be without the answer.

...And what is the right answer to that, in this situation? What is even the point of a "right" answer—?!

Ah, let's just focus on today's paperwork. Letting it pile up unattended will undoubtedly be a practical hindrance in comparison.

...

(Once upon a time, Yulia learned that she could indeed find herself. She was no outlier to the phenomenon of existence, able to fathom the many other qualia that eluded her logic.

And for the promise of having that experience for as long as she lives and breathes - she's willing to do near anything, no matter how long it takes. With her single-minded focus and a trying determination for what she does in fact care for, wielding a sharp scrutiny for even the tiniest detail, she will not rest till her grand plans find fulfillment somewhere.

Even if that meaning turns out to be meaningless in the very end... at least, that is an answer, isn't it?)

Backstory

The sole child of a pair of Babylonian researchers descended from Kowloong scientists onboard the colony ship in the early days of the Punishing outbreak.

From a young age, she demonstrated a high level of intelligence and independence, but also an unusual contradiction of obedience and rebellion - she would pacify an authority figure with humble words and actions, yet in the next breath, turn around and constantly avoid school and every attempt to stop her as she, quote, "wanted to use my time better".

Said time would be spent on what seemed to be her only hobbies - people-watching, writing programs, and reading.

Day after day, from the moment she could walk and wander the ship unattended (and that, in fact, was quite easy, considering how busy—and as such, neglectful—her parents were), she would sit in complete silence, just watching the public go about their lives.

And when her eyes tired of that, she would read whatever she could get her hands on - fairytales, textbooks, scientific papers, blueprints, anything that could be converted into facts and knowledge and wisdom.

Otherwise, she would dabble in code, writing random programs to fulfill random goals.

That said, her own goal for doing all of this was far from random.

The reason she strove to act so?

To find a friend.

See, Yulia had a very, very specific image of what a friend of hers ought to be. And to locate that friend, she spent a good chunk of her childhood combing Babylonia from top to bottom - scanning the crowds, analyzing records, writing programs that could (illegally) obtain and filter citizen databases—

But the years passed, empty-handed. Though she saw many people, encountered dozens, acquainted herself with more - she couldn't find a single person that matched that images in her head. Babylonia, for the moment, lacked the specific friends she was looking for.

But this spaceship wasn't the only place where humans could be found... There was one last place, one last avenue to undertake. And even through a planet's area surface far exceeded the square feet of Babylonia's own dimensions, and there were no handy databases recording every single life born on this blue, burning planet - it would be less a sunk-cost fallacy than simply a logical fallacy to stop here, after spending more than a decade on this mad-looking ambition of hers.

And so, at the tender age of fifteen, she ignored her parents' hopes of following in their footsteps and enrolled herself into F.O.S - becoming its youngest graduate with the highest honours and the privilege of choosing the squad she would command for the foreseeable rest of her career.

All for the sake of saving (reaching) Earth. All for the sake of humanity (her friends).

Though maybe, the friends she's looking for are already here, fighting by her side.

Extras / Notes

Seems to have no specific likes or dislikes - or rather, she will not reject anything, saying that everything has its place, use or meaning. That said, she seems to have a slightly more positive view or inclination to anything along the lines of the following: bunnies, strawberries, sweets, "cute things", art and botany.

However, her positive views may simply be that - as she has a habit of being interested in whatever anyone else is interested in, if she cares about the person. For example, if someone is interested in engineering, she similarly tries to learn the subject to the best that she can. This is not because she herself has come to like it, but just because the other person likes it.

In fact, she has an unconscious habit of either supporting or mirroring others in some way when engaging with them - essentially either complementing the other person or integrating into their circle.

Nonetheless, she seems to prefer practicality and efficiency in general, if only because it just makes everything run smoothly.

Thankfully, she also takes work-life balance very, very strictly. If she's off-duty, she's off-duty. Unless it's an emergency, do not talk to her about work during this time. She will not respond. She might even act like she has no fucking clue what you're talking about, as though she were an ordinary civilian versus a military commander.

This doesn't mean that her acting skills are poor though. On the contrary, she can be a very convincing actor of almost any role. But unless that skillset is necessary, she does not see the use of wearing masks; what you get from her these days is her first reaction and behaviour. (It doesn't mean, however, that you're seeing the entirety of her.)

With her skills as a tactician, she excels in anything strategy-related. This includes games like chess and go, but also things like tic-tac-toe and card games that aren't completely luck-based. Naturally, even civilization simulators aren't exempt.

She's quite knowledgeable in regards to the history and culture of the eastern regions, such as Kowloong. Her reasoning, if questioned, is from a passing curiosity into her family's ethnic history when she was younger. (But mere curiosity does not quite explain her ability to do cultural dances with paper parasols or her hidden preference for Kowloong-styled attire and designs.)

Similarly, she seems fairly learned in regards to the Golden Age, from its history to its trends and technologies.

She will often tell people to just call her "Yulia" if they have any concerns or issues with addressing her in some manner. It is unknown where this nickname comes from, as her citizen records list her name as simply "Xiao, Yue" - though one can reason that it sounds similar enough to her given name. This is not so much the case for the rarer occasion where she needs an alias, strangely defaulting to "Maria" out of all the possible pseudonyms she could choose.

(Bonus Backstory - Origin)

History is written by the victor, but even a chessboard will have up to sixteen pieces on the winning side.

Similarly, the turns and twists of time range into the hundreds and thousands - a small butterfly leading a hurricane elsewhere, a single change spiraling into a whole other future.

One history is as such - the advent of the Punishing Virus never occurred in this alternate timeline. Instead, a different devastation occurred, forcing humanity into floating cities above the earth's toxic surface. They too struggled to continue and create a new era under these circumstances, and as the decades passed, they achieved a stable yet stagnant prosperity—filled with the miracles of the sciences explored to the fullest, but meaning that no further innovation could be imagined.

A Golden Age of peace, for nothing—nothing—could shake the world, bar the end of all existence itself.

It's in this sort of history that a young girl is born. Gifted with a sharp mind even for her advanced time, her intelligence is both talent and hindrance. Everything can be understood. Possibility and impossibility are easy concepts. If she wanted, she could leverage the entire world, manipulating minds, steering events to a desired vision. She could desire and detest anything.

But—humans don't really do that. Even with the broadness of their own existence, humans seem to... defy even the odds of their defiance.

She is, admittedly, not a very social person. She only has her single mother to care about, which she does, but that's the hard extent of it. Her own data of experiences on humanity are limited by sample and time. But humans are supposed to be social creatures, so - clearly, she's lacking in this department. And the best means to rectify it is to not just study others, but to engage with them.

But her usual personality won't do, probably. Too straightforward. Too factful. It might be a bit extreme of her to craft an entirely different identity for what amounts to a social experiment - but she has the time and the energy and the interest.

Eleven years old, friendless, and having too much time after school because even homework takes trivial amounts of time - the child becomes a loud, cheerful, impulsive girl named Maria, constantly whipping up random and wacky plans while on the hunt for fun and adventure, and is more than willing to drag the first people she sees into her experiments disguised as nonsense.

...Somehow, this does work out.

She makes some friends. Genuine friends, the words bearing a deep weight when she utters them. Her little friend group, whimsically dubbed [Celebration], bears the motto of exploring and enjoying the myriad aspects of life itself - its joys and its sorrows, its conflicts and its questions.

She connects with dozens, picks up a variety of tricks and skills, discovers that there might actually be things she's just bad at without recourse. She learns about people as much as she learns about herself. Some parts of the mask become real, other parts are discarded, truth and act and lines all blurring till what is, is her—and the people surrounding her glimpse the person who they will unfalteringly call their friend in her.

Thus, Yulia thinks - this is it. With her dear friends, her life feels fulfilled, defined with worthwhile meaning.

...

On a higher dimension, the Watchers look upon a history that failed to flourish into ascension. Their earlier attempts at meddling in its course have only ruined the surface of the planet and lead to humanity becoming indolent after scrambling for security, no longer feeling comfortable with change small or drastic. This avenue has no prospects and no value at this point.

And so, like the mere push of a reset button, it all ends.

...

For a girl like Yulia, who can believe whatever she wants, express whatever seems appropriate - it means that when she decidedly chooses to feel something, she will feel it with the force of a thousand suns burning into supernovas.

One day, the world comes to an end. Logically, this doesn't just mean the end of her existence - it means the end of everything else too. Her life, her future, her family, her friends—

There are plenty of things she can give up in the name of pragmatism, or simply because the situation demands it. Efficiency is the smoothest course of most choices. Her loved ones are not a part of that, ever.

And so, even as the world ends, to the very end, to the last breath and the last moment and the last thought, Yulia thinks -

That she refuses this.

To her, one of the universal truths is that unpredictability is as much a law of the universe as the actual, scientific laws of it. This can apply to the fundamentals like physics, to the manmade systems of the world around her, to the myriad people that fill this dot in space.

Humans have a strong tendency to follow certain patterns. They also have a strong tendency to diverge from all predictions.

As much as she doesn't quite understand them sometimes - she's just as human as everyone else.

And so, she chooses to refuse the end, illogically and wholeheartedly. Not like this, not in this way.

She has to live, to persist, for her friends, her mother, at least just the small percentage of things she cares about in this vast world of millions—

If she must defy even the laws of time and space, consciousness and existence, to find some means of returning to her loved ones - then so be it.

(In execution, this has the result of what can only be colloquially termed "reincarnation". Huh. Interesting to discover. She'll file this in the back of her head as a neat tidbit to share with her friends, once she finds them.

And she will. Surely, she'll have friends again.)

[meowmeowchapel]

the west wing, 20 hours in america, sentence starter meme.

You know the story about the guy whose cars gets stuck in a muddy hole. A farmer comes along and says he'll pull the car out of the mud but he's going to have to charge 50 bucks 'cause this is the tenth time he's had to pull it out of the mud today. The driver says, "God, when to you have time to plow your land, at night?" The farmer says, "No, no. Nighttimeis when I fill the whole with water."

Why aren't you there?

It's tough to explain.

[name] has trouble concealing his displeasure.

Stepped on it.

You seem pissed that I brought it up.

When somebody can give me an answer to that question, I'll let you know.

I am lightened up. This is me lightened up. You're saying lighter?

You want to lighten up a little?

Speaking of health and fitness...

I had half a grapefruit.

You think I'm lying?

You've been up the past two nights and I don't want a zombie.

Go to sleep.

I'm kidding. that was a joke. I kid because I love.

No kidding, it feels good out here.

You sure i'm not taking you away from something you need to be doing?

You have a second job?

This is fun. We're roughing it.

Remember some of that stuff I said, okay?

Yeah. Doesn't sound quite right, though, does it?

Just out of curiosity, what do you think would happen?

I'm not very easily impressed.

Yeah, you know what? Sue me.

It's a-a common mistake.

How did...? I don't understand.

What is this, a joke?!

Okay, this is a whole new thing now. My guys are going to need to walk this off a bit before they can regroup.

No, I'm sorry buddy. I know you're supposed to be sleeping today.

I don't know what it is you do in there.

Welcome to the club, partner. We got jackets.

You ever love so much it hurts? Like, physically hurts?

It's not intellect, it's memory. It's a different gift. A wonderful one. I've never had it.

I make fun of the French as much as anybody and I don't even know what that meant.

Elitist, feminist-- you can't do that to the English language.

Several of the men I've dated haven't yet gotten over their fear of frogs.

Option one is we make a joke out of it.

We make a joke out of it? What would we have to do to it to make...?

What's your specialty?

No, I mean I can't believe you're considering doing it.

I didn't know you were superstitious.

How long have we been talking about this now?

Okay, let's not tell anybody that.

Whatcha' doin' on the floor?

I'm sitting here listening, already I've turned to a life of crime.

And they're using Act V scene from Hamlet? Are these Batman villians?

300 IQ points between them-- they can't find their way home.

I swear to God, if [name] wasn't there, they'd have to buy a house.

I don't know. I'm a puzzle.

We'd rather people didn't exercise common sense but I agree with what you're saying.

You know I can hear you, right?

I'm in your corner.

You call me a liar to my face?

Well, I'm afraid we're at a classic impasse, [name].

You were strange the first time I met you, and you're strange now.

Hey, the first time you met me there was a good reason.

My powers of deduction are not to be mocked.

That come with tights and a cap?

I'm going to figure it out anyway. What I lack in memory, I more than make up for with exceptional powers of deductive reasoning.

By the way, my powers of ordering are a joke.

Ah, you pulled the switcheroo.

You are so heartbreakingly easy at the end of the day.

You deceived me.

You played upon my love for you.

I'm going to make fun of you while you do, okay?

Did you have other plans?

As a matter of fact, I did. I was planning a quiet night...

If you ask me, it's soft porn. No one needs to massage garlic oil into a leg of lamb that much, on top of which...

You know anything about chaos theory?

Let me get you home. I don't think you're going to make it.

Good writers borrow from other writers. Great writers steal from them outright.