#it's a death sentence trying to find active players and I want to make that easier for everyone

[tolerantwoman]

INDEPENDENT HARRY POTTER ROLE-PLAYERS MASTERLIST

Please like/reblog if you are a:

Harry Potter independent role-play blog.

Harry Potter multi-muse.

Harry Potter original character.

Please only like/reblog if your blog is one of the above. Please share with fellow HP role-players who might not see this.

The aim is to make a definitive list of ACTIVE role-players in the independent Harry Potter universe and try to boost the activity in this community once again. When enough people have liked/reblogged, I will form a masterlist that will be updated with active players.

[books-and-catears]

Hi! I was wondering if you could write some headcanons on how the brothers would react to the alternate timeline MC (the one killed by belphie, rip) haunting the house of lamentation? I just think some angst would be neato. Keep up the good work! I love your writing <3

Oh how much I love this concept. With all the ghost MCs I've been writing this fits in perfectly. How I love writing angst hehehe thank you for this wonderful ask

Thank you so much for your kindness. I hope I can do this justice :')

It has been months since you've been gone. Your body buried in the human world, and yet your soul still felt like it was lingering.

They could see you - a glimpse here, a whisper there and your presence everywhere. Almost as if you just walked past them into your room, and lay curled up in bed with Satan's new books or Levi's new manga. Only you weren't.

The bumps in your bed were just pillows and blankets. The extra chair stood out like a sore thumb. They would so often call you and then feel stupid for expecting a response. Except you had started answering back now.

Lucifer could often hear paper rustling in his sleep. And when he woke up he found the paper work was done more than he remembered doing.

He found his favourite tea brewing whenever he was too tired. And it tasted exactly how you used to make it.

At first he thought it was some sort of sickening joke from his brothers so he threatened to punish them if they didn't come clean. But it was none of them.

Then...MC? Did you come back somehow?

He went into a secret frenzy, looking for you everywhere. Sometimes when the house was empty, he screamed out your name, he could hear your voice softly calling back from your room.

Soon those soft vague sounds became his only comfort - he became super strict about silence in the house. He refused to have any other tea than the one he found magically brewing. He'd always kiss the cups before drinking from them, and his eyes would sting with unshed tears.

___________________________________________

Mammon might be scared of ghosts. But not you. Never you. Especially when he could feel your weight in his arms whenever he missed you too much.

Maybe the sensation was more vivid, since he was the last one to hold you alive. He could also see you. A faint shadow that walked beside and waved to him whenever he was in your room.

And though the shadow had no face, he could tell it was smiling. He felt calm around it. Like you never left. He denied your death the most and now there was reason to.

He barely left the house and most of the time he just stayed in your room. That's where he had most memories with you. Sometimes he found coins and Grimm strewn around your bed, as if you'd left it there for him. He took them and stored them away, never to spend them.

He was overjoyed when he saw your shadow in his room. He started talking to it like it was you, pressing his lips against the walls where you appeared and watching your shadow reaching up to touch his shadow, holding it tight. In those moments he swore he could feel your arms around him again. And on those nights, his pillows would be drenched with his agony.

___________________________________________

Leviathan first noticed it when he saw that Player 2 was always logged in, in all of his games. Even the ones that came months after you were longer there.

And while player two didn't actively play, he found boost items in his game inventory that he didn't achieve himself. You used to hunt down boost items to help with his battles and he protected you during the fights.

He starts getting even more into gaming, to the point where he forgets to go out for meals. Mammon and Satan have to drag him out to eat. He often just sits there talking to himself as if you're still there.

Then one day, in the group texts of the game, he sees you text. Player 2: 'Go get him Levi! I got your back; we have a lot of ammo!" He forgot the game altogether desperately typing back a message.

You don't text as often as he would like, but he's always waiting for whatever you say. It's easily the best part of his day. If he fell asleep in front of the screen, he would wake up covered with a blanket and good morning message on screen. His brothers claim to never have gone inside so he knows it's you. He cries into the blanket you covered him with cause he misses you.

___________________________________________

Satan came to feel your presence in the strangest way. There was a particular cat that you were attached to. That cat started finding ways to sneak inside the house, in the library or Satan's room, holding small books in its mouth.

When Satan opened them up, he found petals of your favourite flowers tucked away in some particular pages. It resembled the way you marked your favorite chapters using colored bits of paper or bookmarks.

He figured out a way to talk to you. He made something that resembled an Ouija board and left a little cat shaped button on it. He tried it out in your room, and it worked. You were talking back. Not whole sentences but broken phrases and words. So he used yes and no questions from then onwards.

He often found new books in his room, a hint that you wanted him to read them. While reading, he could swear he felt your head rest on his shoulder as if trying to read with him. He also left books in your room to read. Though he missed your touch and your voice, the fact that you still talk to him gave him so much joy. He often kisses the books he gives you, hoping they reach your fingers and litters the pages with tear stains in hopes you'd see them and come back.

___________________________________________

Asmodeus screamed the first time he saw you behind him in the mirror. You were transculent, barely visible. But it was you and your distinct smile and wave of the hand, leaning against his bathroom wall, long streaks of dried blood near your neck. He could even smell you - your scent like flowers, firewood and old books.

He tries to talk to you, even tries to hold you but you're just an image. A reflection that reflects nothing but empty space. You don't seem to talk but you nod or shake your head in reply. He presses himself into the mirror as if trying to hug you tight.

But lately he hears whispers, very faint and barely there but he hears them. Always calling him somewhere where there is a mirror. Cause that's the only place he can see you. If you thought he was obsessed with mirrors then, you should see him now.

He almost covered his whole room up with mirrors so he could see you from all angles, making you feel as alive as he possibly could. He screams your name into his pillows. Maybe you would respond if he was louder?

___________________________________________

Beelzebub often passed by you room, all covered now, just like Lilith's. The door was always kept open but he didn't dare enter. But one day, a strong gust of wind blew it wide open as if urging him to enter. So he did.

On the bed he found some fresh treats placed right in the middle of your bed. It was the treats he loved to eat together with you. How did they even get here?

He sat on the bed and absent mindedly started eating. When he ate, he could hear your laughter and you talking - a surge of memories flooding his senses. And when he was done, he could swear he felt your fingers wiping his mouth.

Eversince then he refused to eat anywhere except your room and his brothers had to drag him to the table during breakfast and dinner. But whenever a new bakery or restaurant opened, he would bring all the food back only to eat it in your room. And he would smile, listening to saying how delicious the food is. He would often clutch at his chest and cry, missing the way you used to hold him whenever he was sad. Won't you come hold him now, MC?

___________________________________________

Belphegor couldn't feel a thing. The only way he knew you were still here was when he brothers acted strangely. He'd ask them of course, but they'd never reply to him. He was the reason MC was gone. Why would MC show themself to him?

So he observed his brothers, always cautious for every little thing that was out of place. He'd caught all his brothers crying at some point or the other. Especially in your room. So he'd curl up in your room to spend the night in there hoping to feel you like his brothers. Only he never did, and Mammon and Satan would scream and drag him out the next morning.

None of the brothers would let him inside of their own rooms either. They couldn't save you when it mattered. So now it was their way of protecting whatever essence was left of you.

Feeling dejected and guilty he went and locked himself inside his old attic. He rested his against the bars that locked him in. Isn't this where he first met you, MC? Sigh. You'd been nothing but kind to him so why did he-

"Belphie.." Then he heard it. For the first time in forever, he heard your voice again. Soft and kind - just like before. He looked up and through the bars, he saw the most familiar sight. You smiling at him through the bars, your fingers wrapped around yours. And just like that he broke down. He started howling in pain, as he tried to reach you, but his fingers slipped right through you. "I'm sorry I'm sorry come back please come back!" He cried as you disappeared into thin air again.

My Masterlist .

[bluescreening]

Splatoon 3 Tips for New Players

Hiya! I’ve been playing Splatoon since launch day of Splatoon 1, so I like to think I know a thing or two even though I’m a very casual player.

General Tips

Rule number 1: always booyah back! Seriously though, Splatoon is a team game and it’s very important for you to work with your team. Communication is a big part of that, and your only ways to communicate are to use the This Way! and Booyah! commands, so use them liberally. Celebrate when something goes right, call people to your location if you’re in an advantageous place or if you need help, and alert people when you’re killed in a compromising place using Ouch!.

Be aware that Splatoon is a game about being FAST. You need to conserve time above all else. Always be very careful when super jumping, as being instantly killed will lose you a tonne of time as you functionally double your respawn time. That being said, do make sure you super jump when you can! The travel time from the spawn point to the front lines is very much significant, especially in Anarchy Battle modes.

And I guess a final tip is, try out every weapon type when you get the chance. Work out what you enjoy using and what each weapon’s strengths and weaknesses are. Make sure you pinpoint your favourite sub weapons and special weapons too. As time goes on, Nintendo will release variants of your favourite weapons with different subs and specials, so keep an eye out! Eventually you’ll want to pick up every weapon in the game but stick to what you know you’ll find useful to begin with. Don’t be afraid to main and practice with multiple weapon types!

Turf War

Strategies can vary greatly for this mode, but here’s mine. Generally when a game starts I’ll rush to the middle of the map as quickly as possible, and cover as much turf as I can there while killing anyone I come across. This makes it easier to make a stand at the centre of the map later in the game. After I’m killed, I’ll stay around spawn and ink enough turf to build up a special, then rush back to the front lines and set it off. Rinse and repeat until all home turf is covered.

Then it’s time to start making pushes into enemy territory. Group up with one or more of your teammates and head as far as you can make it into the other team’s base, killing everyone you find. If you play it right, you’ll establish the front lines very close to the opposing base, leaving your more defensive players to ink behind you and catch up.

A lot of players will tell you (incessantly) to ink your own base as a matter of priority. I would say this isn’t necessarily true. Leaving your home base un-inked is a great way to leave risk-free room to build up specials in the early game, which can be the difference between a hard-fought game and an easy win. Bear in mind that when all empty turf is filled, the only way to activate a special weapon is to push into enemy territory without a special which, depending on the other team’s skill level, could well be a death sentence.

But yeah, largely turf war is the chillest mode and the one where you can usually play very freehand with strategy. Just go with the flow and have fun! And there are no consequences for losing, so it’s a great place to experiment with new weapons.

Splat Zones

This is one of my favourite modes because it introduces one of my favourite aspects of Splatoon strategy - controlling where the enemy goes using clever ink placement. In this case, you want the enemy to go Not In The Splat Zone. And, ideally, not anywhere near it.

There are two states of play in Splat Zones - when the enemy’s in control, and when you’re in control. When the enemy’s in control, you’re going to need your whole team’s help to get it back as soon as possible. Step 1 is to build a special weapon charge. A lot of special weapons are capable of forcing the enemy to move out of the splat zone - Booyah Bomb, Wave Breaker, Killer Wail 5.1, Crab Tank, Triple Inkstrike and Tenta Missiles are all top picks for this.

When 3 or 4 teammates are alive and ready to go, set off your special and clear the zone. The idea is to push into the zone and chase after the fleeing enemy, picking them off and hopefully getting a wipeout. If you’re successful, you’ll be able to safely reclaim the zone and hopefully set up a decent defense before too many of them respawn.

When you’re in control of the zone, set up a nice line of defense just ahead of the zone. Be prepared to use large amounts of subweapons like the Splash Wall, Fizzy Bomb or Sprinkler to keep the enemy at bay, while also keeping an eye behind you in case someone manages to sneak around to the other side. So long as someone is able to stick around as a point to super jump to, you’ll hopefully be able to keep control of the zone. Oh - and never give up! I literally just won a match by knockout after the enemy got their countdown to 1.

Tower Control

Ooh, another of my favourite modes! Generally on tower control you can get away with a little less mobility since the tower does the moving for you, so I like to opt for a Splat Charger or Tri Stinger. Those so inclined might also want to try out a Splatling, but I’m not such a fan of them.

I’m one of those players who prefers to pick people off from the tower, but a valuable part of a tower control team is someone with a more mobile weapon who can get the enemies who are too fast moving or too far away. I’m not too familiar with that playstyle so I’m not going to talk about it here.

Usually what I do at the start of a match is hang around the tower and pick off enemies until I can see who’s going to make the first push. After a few seconds you’ll see who’s got the most living players (and if you’re lucky you’ll completely wipe out the enemy team!) so you’ll know who’s most suited to attack.

If my team ends up attacking, I’ll run straight for the tower and get the push started. It’s handy to have a few close-range sub weapons like Burst Bombs or Splat Bombs ready to go in this rather hairy part of the match. Once you and your team have cleared away the close-rangers in the opposing team, it’s time for 3 people to run ahead and clear the way, and 1 person to remain on the tower and kill off anyone who slips through. The tower person also acts as a super jump point for anyone who’s killed in the fray. If you, as the tower person, are killed, make sure you let your team know with the Ouch! command! You are the escort mission and you just died! Hopefully someone will be in a position to take your place so you can superjump back.

If you’re defending, your most important job is to kill off the tower person. Once you’ve managed that, one of two things will happen. Either their team scrambles for the tower, leaving them as easy pickings, or your team gets there first, in which case you need to defend your new tower person as you shift into an attacking strategy. Specials with a small attack range help here, for example the Killer Wail 5.1, Trizooka, Inkjet or Crab Tank.

And one last thing - when you’re defending, don’t be afraid to fall back. It’s better to be alive and shooting than dead and doing nothing!

Rainmaker

The rules of Rainmaker have changed slightly since Splatoon 2 - you now have to reach a checkpoint before you can go for the final push.

Defense strategy is easy. You absolutely must kill the Rainmaker player. Sacrificing yourself to do so is iffy - you need to have a majority alive in order to take the Rainmaker for yourself - but try not to get distracted going after random members of their team. You’re not looking for a wipeout here. The time for wipeouts is just after the opposing team have reached a checkpoint, when none of them have the Rainmaker and you have the advantage. The aforementioned small attack range specials are also very useful during this phase of battle.

Attacking strategy starts out similarly simple. Defend the rainmaker at all costs. It’s slightly more acceptable to take risks here because you’ll be able to super jump back to the Rainmaker upon death, but try not to - every second counts. Bear in mind that the Rainmaker moves slow so it’s very easy to leave behind, and players will be sneaking up from all angles to try to take out your charge. Kill on sight, but don’t allow anyone to lure you away too far. Once you’ve reached a checkpoint, take it as an opportunity to regroup. Have far-off players super jump back and maybe even forge ahead a little if you have time.

When playing as the Rainmaker yourself (which you shouldn’t be afraid to do, by the way) try not to fire off the weapon too much. It slows you down insanely, and as I mentioned at the start of this guide, Splatoon is a game about being fast. It is useful for making paths in the ink and up the sides of the checkpoint platforms though, if your team hasn’t happened to. Also be prepared to charge and fire shots if an enemy player gets too close. Ideally though, your momentum should be unbroken.

Clam Blitz

Don’t play this mode.

Seriously though, I don’t have much of a strategy for it aside from being as deadly as possible and viciously targeting and killing every enemy player. When you’re making a push, if you’re the last person alive by the basket, try to stay that way so more people can superjump back in and keep your combo going. If there are lots of people by the basket, run off and grab some clams. That’s literally all I have to go on.

Salmon Run

And finally, the big boy, the tough one, the hard mode of Splatoon. Some people at lower ranks tend to forget that Salmon Run is an extremely cooperative mode. Those people will be at lower ranks forever. Use your communication buttons liberally for letting people know where bosses are and where you’ve died. Try not to split off from the group in anything less than pairs. Always revive someone if at all possible, if only to make your own life easier.

With bosses, always keep count of how many there are on a stage at one time. Hypothetically they can all be taken down by one player, but you’ll need a backup to be killing smaller salmonids while you’re working, so it’s easier to work in pairs. This will also allow you to ferry back golden eggs faster. Make sure you play to your weapon’s strengths. If you have a charger, focus on Steelheads over Fish Sticks, for example. An ink brush will be much more suited to dealing with Fish Sticks.

Flyfishes and Stingers are easily the most dangerous bosses. They are easy to ignore until the very moment that you’re overwhelmed, when they will deal the final blow. Kill them as soon as you notice them to avoid this situaton. If you ever have downtime, ink like your life depends on it! It will give you valuable escape routes later.

For glowflies and grillers, let your team know when you’re the target and hide somewhere with only one salmonid access point. For grillers you’ll need to spread out, but with glowflies if you’re not in a group you’re mincemeat. Try not to get separated!

I don’t really have a working strategy other than ‘panic’ for the Cohozuna yet, so I’ll get back to you on that one! Just make sure that the stage isn’t getting overrun with salmonids if you’re on high tide, and don’t neglect firing off golden eggs.

And with that, I think my guide is concluded for the minute! I hope it helped some of you, and if you’d like any specific tips or clarification please either send me an ask or comment. I’d love to help you out!

[hotmessexpress404]

TMNT x Reader

Prompt: It seems that a brother of your S/O has a bone to pick with you

Leonardo’s S/O

You had been dating the Fearless leader for a few months now

As every relationship, you had your ups and downs with Leo, but it generally was a very smooth relationship

You found yourself taking after some of his mannerisms

It took a turn when you began treating his brothers not only like your brothers, but how Leonardo treated them as well

You were a little bossy

Leonardo found it endearing that you mimicked him in that way, but you saw how Donatello now looked at you

He started to ignore you when you walked into the room

It made you uneasy

You didn’t realize how when you talked to them, your tone started to change

When Mikey started calling you ‘Miss Mini Leonardo’, you got the hint

You had been taking it too far

You finally approached Donatello

He refused to look at you

“Look, I know you don’t like me. The least you can do is acknowledge that I exist”

Donnie was not having it

“You fail to realize how you’ve been treating us. You may be dating our brother, but you aren’t him. We don’t need another leader in the family”

His words stunned you

Sure, Mikey had called you a mini Leo, but it finally stuck

You sighed

“I’ve been getting ahead of myself”

“It’s normal to mimic your significant other’s mannerisms, but that doesn’t mean you treat us like he treats us when we’re on duty. Treat us like family. I’m sure Leo feels the same way”

You took his words to heart

In the coming weeks, you caught yourself sounding bossy in front of them

It happened a lot

It didn’t sound right for you to bark orders at them

You caught yourself mid-sentence sometimes, took a deep breath, and changed your tone

Even Leonardo noticed, giving you small glances and smiles as he saw you disciplining yourself

One day, Donatello approached you

“Thank you for listening to me”

All you wanted was for them to like you as much as Leo did

Well, maybe not that much

Raphael’s S/O

Dating Raphael was like a dream

He doted on you, was so affectionate, he truly treated you like his Queen

Well, in isolation at least

Outside of the bedroom, he was mainly possessive of you, wouldn’t let you out of his sight

You noticed Mikey look at the two of you often

He never smiled when he did

You just figured he was jealous, wanted somebody for himself

One day, you finally asked Raph what Mikey’s deal was

He never talked to you

“He thinks you’re taking me away from him”

You take Raph away from Mikey?

You didn’t quite know what to say

After all, Mikey had spent all of his years with Raph

They grew up together, for Gods’ sake

You’ve only been in their lives for a couple months, tops

When you approached Mikey, he tried to act nonchalant about it

“What? I’m not looking at you guys or anything”

Lying through his teeth

But you were stubborn, and you didn’t back down

He finally admitted it

“I like you alright, Y/N, but I feel like you’re changing Raph”

“I’m changing him?”

“He never just wants to play videogames with me anymore or go boarding. He just wants to spend time with you”

As he continued to speak, you could sense something different in his voice

Mikey was scared he’d never have his brother again

Did you really change Raphael that much?

You didn’t know what to say to him, so you just nodded and ran back to Raph’s room

It was basically your room as well now

When you explained to him what Mikey said, you had to hold him back from charging out to talk to Mikey

“Don’t make it worse, please”

“Baby, he thinks you’re changing me. Does he really think you have that much power over me?”

You gave him a look

Yeah, you did have that kind of power over him

Maybe it wasn’t such a good thing

He sighed

“You’re right. Whatever. I guess I have been spending more time with you than with my brothers recently”

That started a conversation on what you and him could do differently

You had basically moved in at that point, so there wasn’t a time where you weren’t glued to his side

You both decided that he needed to detach himself a little from you to spend more time with his brothers

They were his brothers, after all

You respected the fact that in reality, you were just a girlfriend

They were brothers for life

Plus, there were some things you could do for him that his brothers absolutely couldn’t

Donatello’s S/O

Not a day went by that Donatello didn’t pull you into his lab to show you something new he had made

Sure, most of the things weren’t completely groundbreaking, but he usually made them for you

And you absolutely loved them

Oh, the thought that went into these things that he made for you

One day while Don was showing you this new feature he added on your phone, Leo stormed in

He was not a happy camper

He began questioning why Donnie was wasting his time making things for you when he could be doing so much more for his brothers

They had needs for new things, too

Leonardo was used to Donnie reporting everything to him, making things at his request

Now, he was constantly either with you or making something he thought you’d like

Donatello instantly got defensive, saying that everything he made for you, he made some other version for his brothers

He wasn’t picking favorites

But Leonardo was not having it

No, in his mind, brothers needed to come first

Brothers needed the most up-to-date tech and gear for the benefit of the family and New York City’s safety

Yeah, he went there

Brought up the whole safety of the city thing

You didn’t have a single word to say

You had never asked Donnie to make something only for you and not his brothers

Donnie was right- when he made something for you, he made stuff for his brothers as well

Now, we won’t get into the quality of the items

He did sometimes give you the best version over his brothers

That was Leonardo’s problem

The conversation ended with you leaving in tears

Leonardo and Donatello remaining in the lab, death glares flying all over the place

“I’ll create what I please. You may be our leader, but you’re my brother first. Respect my priorities. Just because I love her doesn’t mean I love any of you less”

He had never admitted out loud that he loved you before

Now Leonardo was at a loss for words

He had no idea you guys were in love

In his brain, he somehow thought… Something else

He really thought that you were somehow taking advantage of Donatello and his knack for tech and science

As Donatello continued, Leo caught that that was not the case

You finally came out of your room, eyes still a bit pink and puffy from crying

You really did not like yelling

Leonardo found you and started showering you in apologies

Man, could that turtle apologize

Better than YouTubers really

You accepted his apology, but sternly stated that his tone from earlier was not welcome in your ears

Leonardo nodded

“I think Don is looking for you. Don’t distract him too much”

It was a joke spoken too soon, but you let it go

You knew Donnie could make it better

Michelangelo’s S/O

Dating Michelangelo was like a nonstop party

He was always up for anything you wanted to do

A Marvel movie marathon?

Hell yeah

Playing Mario Kart until you could barely see straight?

Obviously

In the mood to be smothered in love and affection?

Mikey was your guy

You couldn’t think of a time in your life when you felt happier

Every day with Mikey was your new favorite day

A couple weeks into your relationship with the youngest turtle, you noticed one of his brothers scoff when you suggested a new activity for the two of you to try

You tried not to let it get to you, but as the weeks went on, it happened more often

Raphael, it seemed, had a bone to pick with you

At first, you thought it was the fact that you kept Mikey busy playing games with you or trying new recipes

When you offered Raphael a controller to play along, he always said no

Maybe it was just you, but it seemed like Raph flat out didn’t like you

Now, you weren’t the most confrontational person

But this was the best relationship you’d ever had, and damn it, nobody was going to ruin it for you

One day you had offered Raph the controller to play along with you and Mikey

When he said no, as expected, you huffed

“What is your problem with me?”

That was not the right thing to say

Oh, not at all

Raphael absolutely exploded on you

Rambling on about how you were a huge distraction for Mikey, how he was less motivated to train, all he ever wanted to do was spend time with you

Wasting his time with you

You could feel something in the pit of your stomach

You swore you weren’t going to cry

You were surprised when Mikey stood up for you instantly

“What are you talking about, bro? Y/N is the best thing that’s ever happened to me! Why can’t you just let me be happy for once?”

Raph didn’t say anything

“Our whole lives has been training, staying secluded, staying in the sewers with nobody to talk to but ourselves. Fuck me since now I finally found someone that not only accepts me, but wants to spend time with me and loves me for me”

You hadn’t yet said that you loved him yet, but it was pretty obvious

“Be happy that I found someone to put up with me, bro”

Mikey pulled you closer to him, eyeing his brother in a way you didn’t think was possible for the youngest turtle

Was this his defensive side?

Oh, you liked that

Raphael clicked his tongue

“I guess. Good for you, Mike, finding someone to put up with you that also beats you in Mario Kart”

Mikey scoffed

“She’s just that good. She’d beat you, too!”

Raphael wasn’t having that

He snatched the third player controller and gestured at you to start the race

It definitely took you by surprise, but it really shouldn’t have

These guys were passionate, they were all each other had

You hoped Raphael wouldn’t hold your relationship with his brother against you any longer

[im-whatchamccallit]

Circles//Kim Doyoung (NCT 127)

Pairing: Kim Doyoung x Fem!Reader

Genre: Series/Multiple parts, Mafia/Crime!AU, Suggestive, Angst, Fluff, Potential Smut in future chapters

Warnings: Suggestive content, mention of guns and murder, mentions of the mafia and organized crime

Word Count: 4.5k

(A/N: So, like I said in one of my last post, I’m trying to start a series so that I will have a reason to post more often and not let this blog die the way I did before. Only problem? This was the first thing that came to mind and I’ve been terrified it won’t do well so please leave feedback if you like it so I know to continue it. This is also my first NCT 127 post so... Yay! Also, I recently read about how taboo a lot of people think the mafia/crime AUs are in fanfiction and I want to be cautious of their feelings in regards to this which is why I also haven’t posted it but I just want to post something while getting out of my writers block. But, again, leave feedback on whether you love it or hate it, leave request if you want, anything’s appreciated.)

Masterlist|Guidelines

You’ve seen elegance but never at this level, eyes glued to the ceiling that seemed to reach heights you could only dream of, not even thirty basketball players stacked onto one another’s shoulders able to graze the top. The sparkling from the crystal gold leaf chandeliers adding to the fairytale-like atmosphere as servers of all kind bustled around you offering food and drinks at any given chance, your hand reluctantly staying at your side as you declined their generosity. You were starving, but you had a job to do and, that job, was Song Minhyun.

He was the newly appointed Don of the Amarillo family, his father passing away from an unknown condition only a week ago but, based on how fast Minhyun made the world aware that he was now in control of all the illicit acts committed in the name of Amarillo after years of having their identity protected and undisclosed, even going as far as to threaten and betray the various families beneath him in an insane power trip, it was clear his father’s death was no accident. But you were never a fan of that man, he was creepy with a bad attitude to match, so this task wasn’t some gesture of vengeance for him, it was strictly about you and your family.

Just like the Amarillo’s, your family went under an alternative name, Nio’s, which closely resembled the name of the pharmaceutical manufacturing company masking it, Neo Tech. It always made you laugh considering no one caught on to their association, given Nio’s were the largest distributors and exporters of controlled substances in majority of the Eastern hemisphere. But joining Nio’s wasn’t a life you wanted to live, you were practically forced into it, but once you’ve engrained yourself into a life of organized crime, it was impossible to leave. You lived every day with the mindset of kill or be killed, Minhyun’s threats to expose your operations to the NIS who, after the death of Nio’s founder, Kim Dongwan, assumed your family officially ceased activity in the crime syndicate, being your main motive for taking him down. Sure, you were ordered to handle the assassination but, considering you could face life in prison simply for everything you’ve done in the name of Nio’s, you were more than willing. There was one problem though, Song Minhyun was an absolute dream.

Your thoughts seemed to fade into nothingness when you initiated conversation, going with the plan to seduce and kill him only to find he was much more enticing than you anticipated. He was a year or so older than you yet spoke like he was some immortal seer, his wisdom and life stories drawing you in and leaving your heart racing. His smile was so wide and gummy but eyes sharp and attentive, never leaving yours even as he drew you further from the crowd which, according to Taeyong, was not part of the plan. And you couldn’t begin to understand how fucked you were.

You didn’t know where he was taking you, too focused on his words while simultaneously adjusting your silky white dress to reveal more cleavage from the already plunging v-neck and your walk becoming sultrier to expose more of your leg from the thigh-high slit.

“You know, you shouldn’t focus too much on your looks when you’re naturally beautiful.” Minhyun spoke, your eyes darting to him as your hands returned to your sides, a shy giggle echoing in the now deserted hallway he lead you through.

“Can you blame me? Standing next to an attractive man can really mess with a girl’s self-esteem.” You admitted, suddenly feeling like some high schooler in a rom-com.

“Well, I can help with those insecurities. Just tell me where to start and I’ll make you feel like an absolute queen.” Your breath hitched as his body turned to face you, hand reaching to cup your neck but it was large enough that his thumb could glide over your bottom lip with ease, smudging your red lipstick against your skin teasingly but still holding your gaze.

His presence, the sheer dominance he exuded made you whimper in a mixture of fear and pleasure. You weren’t going planning to escape yet he made the initiative to hold you close to him, an arm wrapped securely around your waist making a heat rush through you that could only be described as want, no longer aware of your duties and no longer caring. He was perfect, and you wanted a piece of his perfection. Maybe for the night, maybe forever, you decided you’d choose after whatever surprise he had for you was done in the dark office he dragged you into, your excitement blocking out the burning gaze from just down the hall.

Minhyun shut the door, not bothering to lock it seeing that you were so willing and easy to remain with him. He knew who you were and what you were planning to do. You were an orphan taken in by Nio’s, trained to be a child soldier for a man who couldn’t even hold his own against Minhyun’s father, now under Taeyong’s rules and orders. But knowing that his first encounter with Taeyong was less than stellar and the sudden ultimatum to forfeit all their assets to the Amarillos or be handed over to the police for sentences that can range from 50 years to death for each and every one of his precious borgata, the only thing Taeyong could do was kill him and you, unfortunately were just a pawn in those plans.

“You know, your looks are nothing to be insecure about. You’re beautiful beyond comprehension.” He spoke lowly, inching closer and guiding you to his large desk just by the window, the moonlight that seeped through the blinds the only form of light allowing you to take in his features.

You gasped as he grabbed your hips, spinning you and pressing you over the desk. You sighed in contentment at the feeling of his hands caressing up your thighs, dress riding up and slowly revealing the black thong you had, a low chuckle leaving his lips at the sight. Not just because you were practically bare before him, but at the pocket pistol held securely in its holster that you managed to forget about. It was a Glock 42, making him proud that he did his research on you because, if he was in your position right now, and the number of murders you committed were accurate, he’d be a goner already.

“(Y/n), if only you were as smart as you are beautiful.” He said, your eyes widening at the way he spoke but, more importantly, he knew your name. Your real name. Not the one you were given for this mission.

“How’d you-Ow!” You whimpered as he grabbed your hair, pulling you upwards until your back was flush with his chest.

Tears were pricking your eyes, your breathing heavy as you felt a cool metal press to your temple swallowing hard while simultaneously attempting to reach to your thigh discretely to find your own gun, only to find it was the one in his hand.

“When I read about you, I was so intrigued. So curious. You know there’s only one photo of you online and it’s a mugshot from when you were still living on the streets?” He laughed out loud at that, ignoring the way your body thrashed against his in an attempt to free yourself, head leaning further away from the possibly cocked gun in fear that he was finished monologuing already.

“But you’re really weak. And I’d usually like that in women, especially when they’re this submissive but, them wanting to kill me is a deal breaker. So what am I to do if I have the opportunity to murder my would-be assassin?” His lips were pressed to the shell of your ear, your eyes squeezed shut as you tried to silently apologize to the Nio’s. Sorry that you let your guard down, that you let some pretty face turn you into some horny teenager, the only plus side to your death being that it wouldn’t be Taeyong killing you because you knew how much he loved to torture before doing the deed. And with that final thought, you were ready to die, just hoping that someone else could finish the job you’ve failed tonight. And they did.

The sound of the door colliding with the wall was all you heard, followed by two hollow gunshots. Your eyes flew open as you felt Minhyun’s body fall limp against yours, hand slowly releasing your hair until you could move again, quickly shoving him off to adjust your dress to cover yourself before facing your silent savior, your heart stopping at the fierce, angry, “don’t move or I’ll kill you too” gaze Doyoung was giving you.

It was one thing to piss off Taeyong, you knew what to expect, but with Doyoung? He wasn’t a killer. In fact, he was the medic of your unit, coming along in case things went awry and someone needed instant care. He was a gentle person with a snappy attitude, but never one to act on his threats, so to see him with a gun in his hand, a body lying face first in blood from its skull and chest created by the man himself and approaching you with a scowl so deep you thought his baby face would finally start to wrinkle, you felt more fear than when you were almost dead.

“D-doyoung. Thank yo-“ You gasped as your head turned, eyes stinging with tears and cheek burning in both embarrassment and from the harsh impact his hand left.

You slowly peered up, afraid he’d strike you again just to see Yuta and Haechan slipping by silently, giving you a brief glance while collecting to fallen shells and your gun from Minhyun, only to leave you alone once more with the unpredictable aid.

“Doyoung-“

“Let’s go.”

Those were the only words he said before turning to head out of the office, your body immediately following close behind. He was silent the entire time, stuffing the pistol back into his waistband before buttoning his suit’s blazer to conceal it, leading the both of you through the still bumbling party and to the exit. Everything he did felt so tense despite being so normal. The way he spoke to the valets, how he entered the car without bothering to open the door for you, even his group call letting everyone know the task was done felt hostile. But you said nothing, continuing to wait idly by and praying he forgot about the situation.

You were tempted to break the awkward silence looming between the both of you on this seemingly hours long drive but, from the way he was radiating heat from how angry he was, you felt staying silent would be best. But you didn’t want to stay silent. You wanted to thank him for saving you while simultaneously screaming at him for slapping you, but also have one normal conversation with him. It was painful to admit that for the past few years you both weren’t exactly friendly with one another, no one seeming to care as “this was strictly business”, and you hated it. You never said it but you loved the Nio’s members and knew they loved you and each other as well, but for some reason the only two people that kept this family at arms length were the core members, Lee Taeyong and Kim Doyoung.

You knew Doyoung wasn’t a fan of the family ever since his father introduced him to that life, pissed he didn’t follow in his older brother’s footsteps and leave as soon as possible. He was supposed to be the heir to the family and be the boss of the 18 people living under his roof and the 7 working overseas in China to keep production there running and, as much as you didn’t want the responsibility, he was in too deep to run away. He opted to stop training for field work, developing a phony passion for medicine and surgery which led to him becoming the emergency medic for the team and no longer catching his father’s fancy for taking over their empire, leading to his heirship being rescinded. And as for the spot as heir? Doyoung’s father ordered Taeyong to fill. You knew Taeyong a lot better than the others but were utterly shocked to see him take over so easily. He was obviously a natural born leader but he had a habit of complaining about not always wanting to be in charge, using you as his unwilling therapist when he felt like reverting to his unintimidating, crybaby self. But there was no exit at this point, so what more could you do than make the most of a bad situation by befriending one another and having fun when you felt your lives were no longer in danger? And, whether they liked it or not, they were going to have fun with you and the rest of their constantly growing family.

“Y-you know, I was more scared of you then being killed back there. I’ve never seen you so mad.” You laughed, hoping to at least get a smile or something from him, your eyes glancing over to see his grip on the steering wheel tighten at your words. Maybe you should’ve just shut up.

“Doyoung, I’m sorry I put you in a situation where you had to kill, I know you hate stuff like that but, if it wasn’t for you, I’d probably be dead. Besides, it’s kinda like medicine if you think about it. Except you saved a life by taking one rather than just giving drugs to- OW!” You cried out as he slammed on the brakes, the only thing keeping you from flying through the windshield being your hands on the dashboard and the seatbelt crossed over your chest and waist.

“You bitch!” You snapped at him, watching his blank expression as he removed his seatbelt and turned off the car.

“Meet me in my office. You have five minutes.” Doyoung said plainly, your eyes fixed on him in bewilderment as he exited the car with no concern for you.

You let out an annoyed breath, your fear from before mixed with anger as you hurriedly followed his lead, leaving the car and speed walking to the front door he was entering through. To your surprise, most of the guys were there, not sparing either of you a glance as they knew what had happened and knew better than to interfere, but one person didn’t keep quiet.

“(Y/n), what the FUCK did I tell you?” Taeyong growled, your body practically jumping as he cornered you in the entrance’s corridor, eyes burning with anger and panic that you knew he had no way of controlling. He was always a hothead.

“I-I-“

“I’m having the meeting with her, Taeyong. Don’t bother. You have two minutes.” Doyoung spoke, voice fading as he continued down the hall to the small office he typically frequented to buy and sell shipment for Nio’s personal and professional use.

As soon as he was out of earshot, you grabbed Taeyong’s hands, eyes wide and teary as you tried to plead with him to save you.

“You went off where we couldn’t see you and didn’t even complete the mission. You could have been dead by now.”

“I know and you can punish however you want but, Taeyong, Doyoung is pissed, and I don’t know what to do. He already slapped me, now he’s not even speaking to me,”

“He never talks to you.”

“He does sometimes, when he wants to be a sarcastic asshole! But, please, Taeyong, talk to him. Calm him down so he doesn’t hurt me again.” You tried to use a soft voice, hoping to strike a sympathetic nerve in the doe-eyed man.

“(Y/n/n),” Taeyong sighed, cupping your face and making you lock eyes with him.

“You fucked up and made Doyoung do something he’s sworn to himself and us that he’d never do. His anger is justified. But I’ll be there for you whenever you’re in danger, whether it’d be an enemy or anyone living in this house, I’ll never let you get hurt.” He gave a warm smile, your lips curling to mimic his.

“But not tonight. You put us all at risk as you need to face the consequences.”

“Taeyong!”

“I’ll visit you in the infirmary later tonight.” You whimpered in fear as he kissed the crown of your head and pushed you in the direction of the office, heels clicking against the white marble floor as you stumbled to what might be your imminent doom.

You could taste blood in your mouth from the way you bit down on your tongue to ease your anxiety, your once statue-like body moving forward with caution although the chilly air was urging you to retreat. You couldn’t turn back because Taeyong would just escort you to Doyoung himself but if you went straight to Doyoung, who knows what he’d do. You couldn’t even take a second to cry over your dilemma once you noticed the dark brown mahogany door. The office was soundproof, something you both loved and hated. Whatever Doyoung wanted to scream at you would go unheard by the men possibly showering and preparing for bed after a somewhat successful evening, but then they wouldn’t hear you scream for help. It reminded you of earlier tonight, making the situation a bit more lighthearted until you realized you could’ve died then and would possibly die now.

“Oh god,” You breathed out in a whisper, shutting your eyes and taking a deep breath as your hand gripped the steel doorknob, turning it and entering the spacious and organized room.

“Doyoung.” You spoke lowly, shutting the door behind you but refusing to move any closer to him as he sat with an unrecognizable file before him.

“July of 2016, you were assigned to deliver a new batch of amphetamines to Xu Minghao who ran the Chinese operations of Sebong. Instead of cooperating with Weishen, AKA the Chinese sector of your own team, you thought doing the drop off yourself would be fine, only to let your guard down and let it slip that you were in Nio’s which promptly lead to you not only being ambushed, but Sicheng jumping in to save you and being shot in the lower back in the process.” He said blandly, flipping over the page to yet another as you swallowed hard at the memory, accidentally mentioning Haechan’s name and revealing you weren’t just a middle man in their operation but a direct asset, and Winwin payed the price for your stupidity.

“I remember just fine, but-“

“February of 2017, you knowingly entered enemy territory in Kyoto without alerting Yuta who, as you’ve always known, is in charge of our Japanese affairs. He has people over there for a reason, to handle the shit we can’t while we’re in Seoul. But you waltz over there and initiate a gang war that has only now been resolved.” He said, voice growing in annoyance and animosity that was a complete 180 from his once emotionless tone, your voice caught in your throat as you also remembered that day. You were on vacation and thought it’d be fine as long as you went in some disguise, but you were too well known and the fact you couldn’t speak Japanese only made it worse. You even remembered how Yuta refused to talk to you for months as he traveled constantly to fix your mistake.

“I-I know I fucked up that time but I tried to explain and I-“

“And that brings us to tonight! You had to stay in the spotlight with the man threatening not only your life but everyone you know in Nio’s and neighboring groups, and lead him back to the apartment we set up for you for a simple and quick execution, but you decide to go further into his mansion, expose yourself to him, and allow him to nearly murder you with your bare ass out!” His voice was strained as he screamed this time, your eyes watering as he pushed the large leather chair back to stand, making his way around the desk to approach you.

“I’d remind you about what happened in 2013, but I’m sure you’d never forget that.” He said with no emotion once more, your eyes low as you tried to suppress the urge to touch your slightly sunken head. Your our only job was to shoot if you saw someone escaping during an exchange but, instead, you were hit yourself, every medic working hard to keep you from dying and leaving you with a partially shaved head and a new metal plate in your skull.

“But I want you to tell me who saved your ass that time, (Y/n)?” His voice was playful now, emotions changing like an out of control radio station. Sometimes you wondered if he was just as mentally fucked as Taeyong.

You gasped when you felt his hand gripping your face, forcing your head up and back until your eyes met, a fire behind them that made your stomach swirl in fear but enchantment. You almost even forgot about how rough his grip on your jaw was because his hands were so soft, the warmth he let off no longer intimidating but causing you to turn to putty in his hands and wanting to fall against him in comfort and bliss. But the sudden harsh flick to your forehead made you realize he was anything but comforting.

“Stop acting like a touch starved dumbass and answer me. Who the fuck saved you from bleeding out in a filthy warehouse in the middle of fucking Daegu?” He said harshly, your eyes darkening as you tried to keep your composure.

“You did.”

“And you decided that me handling the responsibility of operating on you was some sentimental, heroic act and that from that day forth, you would make it everyone’s job to save you? That it was my job to save you?”

You felt your eyes tearing up again, lip quivering as a sob threatened to escape you and he could only let out a scoff, harshly pulling his hand back as he watched you cry.

“And now you’re crying.”

“I tried to thank you, I tried to apologize for making you save me yet you won’t let me! You slapped me! You’re screaming at me and making me feel bad when I already fucking feel bad. I know I’m fucking up and it’s hard on you guys but I-I just don’t know what to do! I’m tired and sick of having to live every second of my life knowing there is no one in this world I can trust and that I can never leave and that’s all I want, Doyoung! I just want to leave and be a normal person.”

The silence between you was deafening, almost loud in a way, but it was allowing you both to take in the words you said. You could see the look of conflict and annoyance on his face through your tears, a glimmer of what you both hoped and feared was sadness in his eyes as he rolled them to look anywhere but you. And what Doyoung saw of you was a breeding ground of trauma and dysfunction.

You were no different from anyone there, your life story was so similar to most of theirs that no one had time to pity you. You joined Nio’s when you were only 10, hair matted and filthy like the clothes you wore, hands stained red with blood and a look in your eyes that screamed frustration but hopelessness. You were the perfect tool for his father and it was sad watching yet another lost soul fall into this lifestyle. But you proved to be so capable of yourself, strong and competent but, after the death of his father, something in you changed. You were emotional, distracted, constantly agreeing to do task but never fully connecting mentally. He even noticed you screaming in the middle of the night from nightmares. Whether you remembered or not, you and Doyoung were close, so close it managed to shift the atmosphere of Nio’s into something enjoyable and worthy of being part of, but he knew it wasn’t good for you to stay. Not for any of you. So he gave you a chance to leave, a chance to live your life the way you had always told him you wanted, but you didn’t take it. Your reason? Taeyong. You never explained why he was the reason you were staying but the way you constantly clung to their leader like you were his lapdog was all the clarification that he needed. For Doyoung, the closeness you shared and the desire you both had of living normal lives was nothing compared to the same greed for power you shared with Taeyong. So he stopped trying to save you, stopped focusing on how to help you preserve what little of your sanity was left until now. Seeing you at your breaking point made it clear to him that even if this life would follow you forever, letting you go was better than having everyone killed from your mistakes. And, if you left, whatever problems haunted you would be yours to face alone, and he was fine with that.

“You will never be a normal person. And whatever life you choose to live will be as stressful as this one because you’ll spend every second looking over your shoulder wondering who’s out to get you. But, you’re dead weight now, and it’s unfair we’re the ones that have to keep carrying you. I don’t care when or where you go, just leave.” His tone was harsh and cold, the relief you felt at his words not enough to ease the pressure in your chest.

Doyoung’s no longer had power to make these decisions once Taeyong was appointed as leader, so you knew without the boss’ approval his word meant nothing. But, if you had the chance to run, why not take it? Maybe for one day, you could be free, probably take the time you needed to hide away from Nio’s and the crime world you knew all too well. You had no set plan, but sticking around trying to making one would do you no good.

“T-thank you. Thank you for everything.” You said with a small voice and deep bow, Doyoung not bothering to look at you as you hurriedly exited the room to head to yours and pack any belongings you needed for your new life.

You knew this life was hard to leave yet lived with the ignorant optimism that there was always some escape and no turning back. Unfortunately for you, you were simply a butterfly living in an airtight jar and, no matter where you turned, the air you needed was nowhere to be found and, tonight, was the beginning of your suffocation.

[sunshinejins]

if i was dying on my knees (you’d be the one to rescue me)

(title from brother by kodaline)

so, hi!  jatp has reignited my desire to write again and this time i think i might actually finish a whole fic.  so uh, here it is :) please let me know if you like it, I’ll hopefully update asap, but i’m in uni so asap may be in like two weeks.  unless people really like it.  then, probably sooner lmao.

pairing: julie molina x luke patterson

fandom: julie and the phantoms

warnings: death bc rose, and i swear once but other than that i think nothing else?

Julie didn’t want to be frustrated, she really didn’t.  In fact, she wanted to be sad, mourning, depressed, or literally anything other than slightly pissed off all the time.  It’s incredibly exhausting to be angry all the time, and she felt like being sad would at least give her blood a break from simmering.

But her mom died.  And apparently her body only knows how to process grief by developing a rather annoying tendency to be irritated constantly.

She tries to forget it though.  Instead of wallowing in the negative feelings that cloud her family in the months following Rose Molina’s death, she throws herself into distractions.  She gets a job at a coffee shop near the USC campus and puts almost all her effort into becoming a top employee.  Her grades don’t drop because thankfully her professors seemed to all inherently understand that she just couldn’t sing anymore.  Like at all.

The world kept spinning.  Julie could only hope to hold on.

That’s how she ended up, six months later, complaining over a milk frother about her very well-intentioned best friend to the only person she knew would listen.

“Flynn just doesn’t understand,” Julie moans, shutting off the machine and dumping the contents unceremoniously into a to-go cup.  Her coworker, Allison, raises an eyebrow and swipes a rag at the milk spill that pools under the cup.

“Did she try to get you to sing again?”

“Surprise karaoke night with her girlfriend and a couple kids from class.  Her intentions were pure though so I don’t even know why I’m upset.” Julie shoves a lid onto the cup and slides it across the counter to a pre-occupied businessman who doesn’t notice the extra milk soaked into the bottom.  Allison nods thoughtfully and starts dumping coffee beans into the espresso machine.  Julie watches her with slight awe.  Allison was one of those people that terrified Julie when she met her; everything about her felt polished and put together down to the blunt cut of her pale blonde hair and the curve of her smirk when she smiled.  Soon enough, Julie discovered that she was as warm as any of her other friends, but it had taken a lot of closing shifts and smoothie runs to come to that conclusion.

Allison sets down the bag of coffee beans and gives Julie one of her solemn looks; it’s the sort of look where Julie thinks Allison could probably read her mind if she tried hard enough.

“Maybe they’re going about it wrong.  You haven’t been around music properly in what?  A year?  What if you just need to sit and listen to music again to just get you used to the environment?” Julie thinks for a moment.  Allison raises a fair point, and it’s the complete opposite tactic that everyone else has been trying, which has been to shove music in front of her to sing and give her expectant and hopeful looks. It’s a trial run.  Something casual.

“Where would I go?” Allison smiles a bit and passes Julie a container of oat milk to put away.

“There’s a bar off Sunset that’s hosting an open mic tonight.  Very relaxed and casual vibes.  I could pick you up from your apartment and take you.  We haven’t hung out since that movie night a while ago.”  Julie hesitates.  It’s not that she’s opposed to spending a night with Allison, but a small part of her feels like she’s cheating on her current circle of emotional support humans by agreeing to go. Not that her dad or Carlos or Tia would mind, but Flynn would possibly take offence and that alone stalled Julie for longer than she realized. Allison clocks the look on her face and amends the statement.

“Flynn is obviously welcome too.”

A mind reader, Julie swears. 

“Hell yeah. Let’s do this.”

***

Julie’s feeling significantly less optimistic when Allison’s car has been driven away by the valet and herself, Flynn, and Allison are all standing in line outside the club. Julie can feel the bass of the songs playing more than she can hear them, but the proximity of music is enough to make her palms sweat. Other than the music the coffee shop plays and the strains of country she hears through Carlos’ wall, Julie hasn’t heard proper music since Tia Victoria sang “Amazing Grace” for her mother’s funeral. Flynn notices her nervous look. 

“Chill, Jules. It’s all very chill. We’re just gonna listen to a couple bands.” 

“Flynn’s right. And if at any point you want to bail, we can go get soft pretzels.” 

“But we should try and stay for the whole thing!”

“However, we’re also going to respect you if you can’t do that,” Allison punctuates this sentence with a meaningful eyebrow raise and Flynn nods vigorously. Julie swallows and tries to mimic the courage she had a few hours ago.  The bartender scrutinizes their IDs for a moment before allowing them to sweep into the bar and Julie’s jaw nearly drops at the volume of people contained inside.  Nearly every seat is filled, and the standing areas are packed with people all jamming to the band onstage that’s currently playing what Julie has to admit is a pretty kick ass cover of “Somebody Told Me” by The Killers.  

Allison somehow discovers a table near the edge of the bar, and disappears off to get them drinks.  Flynn’s rocking out already, and Julie feels a few of the nerves in her stomach even out as the realization that she doesn’t have to sing sinks into her bones.  Allison was right, unsurprisingly.  If she focuses hard enough, she can even push out the memories of coming to these sorts of open nights with her mom.  Flynn shoots her a large and grateful grin and Julie lets herself smile back.  She’s taking a step.  She’s doing it.

Allison returns as the band switches and a new band begins to play a hyped up cover of “Africa” by Toto.  The three girls lapse into quiet appreciation of the music, with Flynn singing along to every song played, Allison bobbing her head to herself and occasionally letting out a few notes in her vocal range, and Julie just quietly appreciating the fact that she doesn’t feel like throwing up.

It’s all very casual, just like her friends said.

Until it’s not.

As the third band of the night begins their last song, Julie retreats to find the bathroom.  It’s hidden nearly backstage, and she’s just about to make it to the door when she hears the panicked shouts of someone from near the curtain which separates the small backstage from the actual performing area.

“Dude, I cannot believe he bailed on us.”

“Are you really surprised?  Bobby was a piece of shit.”

“Hey, he didn’t use to be!”

“Calm down, Reg.  You know he’s been treating us like garbage ever since that record label thought he had a ‘marketable voice’ or whatever they said.”

“Guys he bailed on us, what are we supposed to do?”

Julie, despite all the “stranger danger” lessons running through her brain, backed up far enough to see into the backstage area.  Three guys stood there, two with a guitar and a bass each and one with drumsticks he was nervously twirling.  The one with the guitar had his face buried in his hands and kept swearing heavily under his breath.  The other two seemed frozen in their own panic as well.  Guitar Player removed his hands from his face and Julie caught a glimpse of worried hazel eyes and dark curls.  Bass Player opened his arms and Guitar Player tumbled into them for a hug while Drum Player rubbed his back.  The three guys looked absolutely wrecked.

Here’s the thing: Julie had an uncontrollable urge to help people.  It’s how she got roped into half of Flynn’s schemes, how she ended up teaching Carlos all of his second grade science curriculum herself, and how she somehow became the unofficial backbone of her family after her mom died.  Seeing three guys utterly wrecked because, presumably, their fourth bandmate had bailed on them?  It activated that uncontrollable urge deep in her stomach.

Here’s another thing: Julie hasn’t played music or sang in six months.  She’s had no desire to, and every time she’s tried, the distinct urge to throw up overtook her.  Tonight was supposed to be the baby step that showed her whether or not music was something she could seriously consider again; whether or not she could feel that itch to perform anymore.

“Hey, do you guys need a fourth?”

She felt the itch.  

The three guys looked up in varying levels of shock.  Drum Player recovered first, and stepped towards her hesitantly, wringing his pink hoodie as he did.

“Um, what?”

“It sounded like someone bailed on you.  I can play.  If you need it.”  Guitar Player recovers next and nearly bounds over to her in barely contained excitement.

“You can play rhythm guitar?”

“No,” the three boys deflate, “I can play piano though.”  Guitar Player tilts his head to the side as though playing a melody through in his head.  He turns back to the other two.

“Bright could fit piano.”

“We never wrote the music for a piano component,” Drum Player wrinkles his nose.

“I did,” Guitar Player admits.  The other two don’t look phased, though Bass Player does raise an eyebrow.  “I was bored!”

“Okay, but we don’t want to put you out,” Drum Player turns back to Julie and she swallows.  

“No, I offered.  Let me see the music.”

“Okay, but you have like ten minutes!” Bass Player finally chips in with a surprisingly cheerful tone.  Guitar Player hands Julie what looks like a piece of notebook paper and her eyes skim the words and notes.  It’s feasible for sure, but she can feel the nerves prickling at her stomach.  Guitar Player leans into her space and she clocks how ridiculously attractive he is up close.  He gives her a smile.

“We alternative verses like this, see?  And I don’t know your range, but we can figure that out on the go.”  Julie gives him a small smile.

“Somewhere between mezzo-soprano and soprano.”

“We can work with that.” Guitar Player seems to vibrate with energy.  “Are you sure you wanna do this?”

“No pressure,” Bass Player adds.

“Like seriously, none.  We can just go home and cry,” Drum Player says.  Julie isn’t sure.  She really isn’t.  In fact, she’s pretty sure she should just run away and hope she never sees these guys again.

“I’m sure.”

Well, that’s that.

Guitar Player sends her a smile that looks genuinely like someone has funnelled sunlight into his body and Julie feels the nerves lift for half a second.  Then, they’re called to the stage and all of a sudden she feels like she could puke all over again.  Guitar Player grabs her hand and squeezes it.

“You got this.”

Julie files out with the rest of the band and she’s extremely grateful her friends aren’t sitting in her direct line of sight.  The piano is definitely worn out from use, but her fingers settle naturally on the keys and Julie tries to focus on the budding itch to perform in her stomach rather than the urge to throw up.  She’s supposed to start this song.  This song that she became aware of ten minutes earlier.  She catches Guitar Player’s eye and he nods encouragingly.

She presses down on the keys and opens her mouth. 

Sometimes I think I'm falling down

I wanna cry, I'm calling out

For one more try to feel alive

And when I feel lost and alone

I know that I can make it home

Fight through the dark and find the spark

[snarktheater]

Ready Player Two — Opening Cutscene & Chapter 0

Hello again.

It’s been a while. I haven’t been active on this blog since, fittingly enough, Ready Player One. I was going to do this sooner—even had an alarm set up and everything—but then, it turns out, I’m feeling so much negativity about the world in general that a book just pales in comparison.

Seriously, I had to scrap this post’s entire intro because it’s not even 2020 anymore as I write this. And you know, maybe that’s for the best. I’m not really in the mood for doom and gloom and bitching anymore. I uninstalled Twitter from my phone a while back, I’ve been doing good at my daily writing sprints, my biggest fanfic project concluded on a positive note from people I didn’t even realize had been following it for years.

So I don’t know what this is going to be like. My commentary, I mean; I’ve heard echoes of what the book is like, so I’m not expecting a surprise there.

The book opens right after the end of Ready Player One, in a “Cutscene” where Wade recounts to us what happened after he won Halliday’s contest. It also assumes you remember exactly who the main characters of the book are, which is a bold move for a sequel that came out almost a decade after the original.

Technically, I could just look up the details I’m fuzzy about. But also, I think it’s more authentic if I don’t. I trust my memory enough that if I’m wrong, it’ll be in subtle enough ways that it’ll almost be a private jokes between all of us. An “if you know, you know” sort of error system. And I don’t think there’s anything more true to the spirit of this book than that.

Shoto had flown back home to Japan to take over operations at GSS’s Hokkaido division.

So Wade starts his tenure with nepotism. Wasn’t Shoto really young? Why is he qualified to run anything?

Aech was enjoying an extended vacation in Senegal, a country she’d dreamed of visiting her whole life, because her ancestors had come from there.

You know what, I’m not touching “send the token black character back to Africa.” This isn’t my lane.

And Samantha had flown back to Vancouver to pack up her belongings and say goodbye to her grandmother, Evelyn.

Why is she saying goodbye? Why, she’s moving to Columbus to be with Wade, of course! It’s not like there was anything else in her life. Was there? And why isn’t she referred to as Art3mis? I’m pretty sure Wade found out all of their offline names in the last book, and the inconsistency mildly bothers me.

These three sentences are back to back, by the way. Someone—I forget who—once described Ready Player One as a book that’s fun to write a wiki about, because it’s got fun concepts to summarize about until you realize that all the emotional connective tissue you need to turn a list of things into a story is missing, and that’s roughly how this first page feels.

Hell, the first line of the book is Wade telling us he remained offline for nine whole days after winning the contest, but by the end of the second paragraph we’re already to him logging back into the OASIS to "distract himself from [his and Samantha’s] reunion.

I’ll give Ernest Cline one thing: it feels like he wrote this opening nine days after the first book and did about as much maturing as a teenage boy would do between the two books.

Way more time is spent describing Wade’s OASIS rig, or the in-game planet where the climax of the last book happened, than anything else in this introduction. He is immediately greeted by a crowd of adoring fans who have been waiting over a week for him to come back in the game, because they’re all grateful that our protagonist and his friends restored their avatars after they were annihilated by the Sixers.

You’d think the adoring fans would serve some kind of purpose, or that something would happen, but no. Wade immediately goes “ew, people” and teleports away, since he essentially has ultimate powers within the game. With a caveat: the powers are actually coming from the Robes of Anorak he’s wearing, and I’m mentioning that in the hopes that it will pay off sometime in the book’s future, assuming Cline at least learned to do that. But still, let’s not skip too fast the fact that we introduced that crowd of adoring fans for no other purpose than to tell us they’re out there, because it fits right in with the last book’s attempts at saying as little as humanly possible in as many words as possible.

Anyway, Wade went back into Anorak’s study, where he arbitrarily checks out the Easter Egg he got at the end of the last book, and finds an inscription on it. I was dreading another riddle, but no, it’s just straight-up instructions to a vault in the GSS archives, so Wade logs off and goes to check it out.

Of course Halliday had put [the archives] [on the 13th floor]. In one of his favorite TV shows, Max Headroom, Network 23’s hidden research-and-development lab was located on the thirteenth floor. And The Thirteenth Floor was also the title of an old sci-fi film about virtual reality, released in 1999, right on the heels of both The Matrix and eXistenZ.

I’m equally shocked that it took two whole pages (on my ereader) to get to the first slew of references, and that one of these references is from 1999. I didn’t know we were allowed to think of anything that isn’t the 80s. Speaking of which, I’ll spare you the whole paragraph, but the book does feel the need to explain why it’s vault 42.

Inside the vault, there’s another egg containing a super-fancy and advanced OASIS headset. The egg also has a video monitor that plays a video message from James Halliday shortly before his death.

But despite his condition, he hadn’t used his OASIS avatar to record this message like he had with Anorak’s Invitation. For some reason, he’d chosen to appear in the flesh this time, under the brutal, unforgiving light of reality.

That oh-so-important message? An infodump about the headset’s working. He called it an OASIS Neural Interface, ONI for short. It basically lets you experience the OASIS through all your senses with sensory input just like the real thing, you know, that thing Wade had to get a fancy suit and massive rig to do in the first book. And yes, Wade does spend a paragraph or two comparing it to other works of science fiction. Of course he does.

More importantly, it also records all the sensory input into a separate file, which can then be replayed over to re-experience said sensations, or live someone else’s experiences. Halliday tries to frame it as a tool to generate communication and empathy, seemingly all without acknowledging the potential creepiness of that. But hey. Who knows. Maybe that’s because this is the setup stage, and it’ll pay off eventually.

I also wondered about the name Halliday had chosen for his invention. I’d seen enough anime to know that oni was also a Japanese word for a giant horned demon from the pits of hell.

Add “reducing Japan to anime” to the list of things the book has failed to improve upon. By the way, the narration insisted on spelling out ONI letter by letter earlier, so it’s weird to make that link now. It’s also just kind of inelegant to just tell us “this is the symbolism behind the name”, but that’s just the sort of thing I’ve come to expect from this book.

Anyway, the reason Halliday kept this for his successor to find is he wants Wade to test out the technology and decide if humanity is ready for it. Why Halliday thinks the most glorified pop culture trivia / video game competition qualifies you for such a decision should be a problem, but sadly, a lot of billionaires have said and done a lot of dumb and eerily similar things in the past few years since I read Ready Player One, so actually, I can’t fault the book for that one. Tragically, our fates really are in the hands of people who should rightfully be cartoon villains.

To his credit, Wade does question Halliday’s motives in keeping this under wraps at all rather than releasing it himself. So hey, maybe it really is setting something up.

Wade goes back to his office with the ONI, and we’re treated with this lovely piece of narration:

I was grateful that Samantha wasn’t there. I didn’t want to give her the opportunity to talk me out of testing the ONI. Because I was worried she might try to, and if she did, she would’ve succeeded. (I’d recently discovered that when you’re madly in love with someone they can persuade you to do pretty much anything.)

There’s a lot to unpack about the implications this has for their relationship, but it’s way too early in the book for me to editorialize when one character hasn’t even been on the page yet. So I’ll just leave it here for the record. Hopefully you see the problem without me needing to point it out anyway. If not, feel free to hit my inbox.

So Wade, confident in the fact that Halliday would have warned him if there were any risks to using the ONI, decides to try it out. Even though he immediately follows up that statement with this:

According to the ONI documentation, forcibly removing the headset while it was in operation could severely damage the wearer’s brain and/or leave them in a permanent coma. So the titanium-reinforced safety bands made certain this couldn’t happen. I found this little detail comforting instead of unsettling. Riding in an automobile was risky, too, if you didn’t wear your seatbelt…

Wade. My dude. What the fuck is this simile. And why don’t you see that maybe a machine where you’re forcibly trapping yourself inside a virtual reality might be dangerous? Hell, when I said this was setting something up, I was expecting something vaguely interesting about the potential breach of privacy, or how you don’t need to literally walk in someone’s shoes to feel empathy for them, or anything substantial, but now I’m worried it’ll just end up as “man, sometimes science fiction machines will scramble your brain, isn’t that weird”?

Like, I don’t know, to me “it will put you in a coma” sounds like a good reason for Halliday not to release the ONI. Maybe we can still make it into a commentary on how corporations will sell stuff they know is directly harmful if it can make them a profit. Who knows.

The book waffles on about more risks, and the mechanics of how the ONI activates, and the warning disclaimer when it does turn on. Specifically, there’s a time limit of twelve consecutive hours, after which you’ll be automatically logged out, because yes, using the thing for too long can also cause brain damage.

Gregarious Simulation Systems will not be held responsible for any injuries caused by improper use of the OASIS Neural Interface.

See, now there’s the sort of thing that could be a source for commentary, but no, instead it’s thrown in there like it’s nothing and Wade glosses over the entire warning, and instead keep wondering why Halliday didn’t just release the ONI if even the safety disclaimers were in place.

By the way: this whole system has apparently gone through several independent human trials already, so I’m finding it hard to imagine that it’s actually a secret Halliday took to the grave as Wade says. Unless he also had everyone involved in those trials killed afterwards. Or maybe they all ended up with brain damage which rendered them incapable of talking about it.

And before you think I’m being unfair and maybe we’re supposed to understand that ourselves even if the protagonist doesn’t, I’ll remind you that the book didn’t trust its reader to know what the number 42 is a reference to, or what an oni is, even though I don’t think anyone in the target audience wouldn’t know about these two things.

There’s also the fact that, since this book came out, a video game did release with a scene intentionally designed to cause seizures, and it had countless fans flocking to defend it over that fact. So you’ll have to excuse me if I’m not assuming this book’s stance on whether your video game console causes brain damage and possibly coma is actually a bad thing, or just an acceptable risk.

Wade certainly seems to think so, since he agrees to the terms of service.

As the timestamp faded away, it was replaced by a short message, just three words long—the last thing I would see before I left the real world and entered the virtual one. But they weren’t the three words I was used to seeing. I—like every other ONI user to come—was greeted by a new message Halliday had created, to welcome those visitors who had adopted his new technology: READY PLAYER TWO

Well now that’s just silly.

And that’s our opening cutscene. And while this post is already long enough, I feel like I have to go on to chapter 0, because it feels like barely anything has happened so far. We didn’t even introduce any new character motivation or conflict, or a mystery to set the plot into motion, unless I’m supposed to think “why didn’t Halliday release this?” counts.

So Wade is back into the OASIS, and tells us about how much more real it all feels thanks to the ONI. I especially have to question how he can smell or taste anything—both of which he tells us he can. Like, who coded that? Did Halliday implement every single smell and taste himself, without anyone noticing? I hope you don’t need me to tell you that’s not typically how features are added to a large-scale video game.

If it feels like I’m nitpicking at the logic of the book, even though I always say I’m not very interested in that and would rather talk themes, it’s because I am, because there isn’t much else to discuss so far. Wade is happy about tasting virtual fruit. That’s the scene.

He tests out if he can feel pain, but no, the ONI reduces pain (a gunshot is translated as “a hard pinch”). On one hand, good, it would be a nightmare otherwise. On the other hand, I sort of hope there’s a setting for that in there, because otherwise, you just lost an entire clientele of kinksters.

This was it—the final, inevitable step in the evolution of videogames and virtual reality. The simulation had now become indistinguishable from real life.

Ah, now we have some juicy themes. Because if you think this is the inevitable final step in the evolution of video games, I invite you to look at literally any other art form, and what happened to them once hyperrealism became easy. Hint: they didn’t stop evolving, because it turns out realism isn’t the only goal one can achieve with art.

The realism discussion is not a new one in video games, mind you. In case you’re out of the loop: most of the big-budget blockbuster games (“AAA” as they’re known) are aiming for hyperrealism nowadays, and it results in development teams being forced to work in horrible conditions (known with the equally horrible euphemism of “crunch”). And, because it turns out that 1) humans working themselves to the bones isn’t healthy and 2) racing for realism with little to no vision besides it makes for poor creativity, a lot of these games come out as disappointments. Oh, there are hordes of Gamers™ who will defend them to the bitter end, but inevitably, in the months following release, the defense cools off while the criticism keeps on going, because the defense was a knee-jerk reaction born of a mix of people hyping themselves up for a game they hadn’t seen that much of yet, then attaching a part of their identity to liking that thing.

Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that this throwaway line feels like it comes from someone who is so out of touch as to accidentally support a world view that has in fact resulted in the biggest part of the industry stagnating artistically while growing more toxic for the people working in it. All the while, more and more independent games come out every year, proving that that realism is nowhere near the most important thing to making a game good, and that you can achieve much better results with a small team.

What I’m trying to say is: watch Jim Sterling’s channel, they’ve been bleeding out subscribers since they came out as nonbinary and make much better commentary on this topic than I could, and play Hades.

Back to the book, which sadly hasn’t become any more interesting since I decided to go on a tangent. Wade tests the ONI functions some more, all the while musing on how he knows Samantha would disapprove but that he doesn’t care, because what loving relationship doesn’t consist of that?

Among the functions, he tries the ONI files, the aforementioned recordings of someone else’s experiences. Specifically, a woman, which Wade tells us by telling us he suddenly has breasts, I suppose because Ernest Cline saw that subreddit about men writing women and went “I want a piece of that”. Oh, and also, those sample files were recorded from real people, in the real world. And yes, this goes exactly where you think it does.

SEX-M-F.oni, SEX-F-F.oni, and SEX-Nonbinary.oni

Look, I actually started writing a complaint about the boobs thing, and I deleted it, but now Cline is doing it on purpose. So, here goes: I saw a quote from this book on Twitter that looked like Cline attempting to make up for Wade’s casual transphobia in the first book. It wasn’t good, but it at least sounded like he was trying. So to immediately get this is…a lot? Let’s go for a lot.

I can almost excuse the use of “M” and “F”. You gotta name your files and you could excuse a non-exhaustive list. But…nonbinary? On one hand, I want to know what Cline means. On the other hand, I don’t think he can come up with an answer I’ll find satisfactory.

We are thankfully spared from finding out because Wade has just lost his virginity to Samantha a few days ago and he’s 1) not ready for this and 2) pretty sure this counts as cheating. You could make a case that this is more like porn, but I can see that this is more of a personal distinction anyway, and I can respect that one. Plus, you know. I don’t want to find out.

Wade logs off, and he can’t tell the difference between the OASIS with the ONI, and decides this will change the world. And then it’s back to the “how did he do it and keep it a secret”, even though Wade now finds out in the documentation that this had been in development for twenty-five years, basically since the OASIS launched. So it’s not really that it’s a secret, so much as there are a lot of people under very strict NDAs out there. Or, again, they’re all dead and/or otherwise incapacitated.

The ONI is the product of the Accessibility Research Lab, and Wade tells us about other stuff that the lab has produced using similar technology, mostly for medical purposes.

GSS patented each of the Accessibility Research Lab’s inventions, but Halliday never made any effort to profit from them. Instead, he set up a program to give these neuroprosthetic implants away, to any OASIS users who could benefit from them. GSS even subsidized the cost of their implant surgery.

Look, it’s nice that you want Halliday to be the good guy through and through, but it’s kind of hard to take any social commentary seriously when you think this is how a billionaire is made. Hell, even when he shut down the lab and fired its entire staff, he gave them a big enough severance package to set them for life. You know. Capitalism!

Hey, remember when Samantha said she was going to end world hunger if she won the contest, a thing billionaires right now could be doing, but aren’t, and she is now the co-owner of GSS? Yeah, I kind of hope the book remembers that too.

Speaking of the co-owners, the book just completely skips over the debate that our four main characters have over whether or not to release the ONI to the world. All we know is that they voted, and the vote goes in favor of releasing it. I mean, why have characters who could have opinions and feelings that could create a discussion? That might make us care about them! And who wants to care about characters in a story?

We put them on sale at the lowest possible price, to make sure as many people as possible could experience the OASIS Neural Interface for themselves.

What exactly is “the lowest possible price” here? Your company literally owns money. Like, OASIS money is real money. There is literally nothing stopping you from giving them away, especially because what you’re giving away is access to the platform you’re already running for a profit.

It’s almost like, even trying to make “good billionaires” out of its protagonists, the book can’t stop and actually make them significantly good.

Oh, I should mention. If you thought my Ready Player One review was angry at capitalism, wait until you see what the past couple years have done to me.

Anyway, once they his 7,777,777 simultaneous ONI users, a new riddle shows up on Halliday’s website. Because yep: our plot is apparently not about the implications of releasing the ONI, or any of the potential ideological discussions associated with that, it’s another riddle. Oh boy, do I wish I’d known that.

Seek the Seven Shards of the Siren’s Soul On the seven worlds where the Siren once played a role For each fragment my heir must pay a toll To once again make the Siren whole

I cannot wait to have the book give me just not enough information to solve the riddle until it’s solved by the book itself. That was so much fun the other…what was it, five times? Six times? Something like that. Wade already tells us the Siren might be Kira Morrow, because her alias was named after one of the sirens of Greek myth, so I can’t wait for that plot point to stick around. It was so fun to hear all about this man pining for another man’s wife the first time!

So this is the “Shard Riddle”. People are apparently convinced it was made by Wade and his crew as a publicity stunt, but of course, they know that that isn’t the case, and they also don’t know what that riddle is supposed to lead to. So, that’s great. We have a puzzle, and we also don’t know what the stakes are. All we know is that Wade wants to solve the puzzle essentially because it’s a challenge.

We skip over a year, and Wade tells us about how IOI collapses and gets absorbed by GSS because of the ONI’s launch. Remember IOI? They were the bad guys, so I guess we have to cheer?

GSS absorbed IOI and all of its assets, transforming us into an unstoppable megacorporation with a global monopoly on the world’s most popular entertainment, education, and communications platform.To celebrate, we released all of IOI’s indentured servants and forgave their outstanding debts.

On one hand: good for the slave. On the other hand: not gonna cheer for a monopoly, you guys.

Another year’s skip, and now 99% of the OASIS users are using the ONI, and yes, that includes trading their experiences with one another too. And I guess we’re still hand-waving any possible problems associated with that technology, because the technology is made so that all recordings must be shared and played through the OASIS.

This allowed us to weed out unsavory or illegal recordings before they could be shared with other users.

How? Do you know any of the problems associated with content moderations on the current platforms? I don’t know if I want to point to Youtube’s extremely faulty algorithm, Twitter’s complete apathy towards its Nazis, or Facebook doing moderation by making underpaid staff watch all potentially problematic content, which resulted in serious psychological damage to said staff.

You can’t just say that as if it solved everything. The chapter later says this is handled by an AI called “CenSoft”, and as an AI engineer myself, let me tell you: this is not going to work. Again: Youtube is the way it is for a reason.

It also let us maintain our monopoly on what was rapidly becoming the most popular form of entertainment in the history of the world.

And again, monopolies are totally a good thing as long as it’s in the right hands!

When I’m implying that the book does not care for any of these potential problems, I mean it. These enormous ethical issues are sidestepped in cold narratin, and we just keep going on introducing new slang that I hate, but have to quote so help you keep up.

“Sims” were recordings made inside the OASIS, and “Recs” were ONI recordings made in reality. Except that most kids no longer referred to it as “reality.” They called it “the Earl.” (A term derived from the initialism IRL.) And “Ito” was slang for “in the OASIS.” So Recs were recorded in the Earl, and Sims were created Ito.

There. You have been infodumped.

In the midst of all this (still extremely dry) exposition about how this changed media, we also get this tidbit:

You could take any drug, eat any kind of food, and have any kind of sex, without worrying about addiction, calories, or consequences.

Now, I was going to rant about this, but then, a page later, this happens and spares me the trouble:

I’d struggled with OASIS addiction before the ONI was released. Now logging on to the simulation was like mainlining some sort of chemically engineered superheroin.

So, you are aware that addiction isn’t just possible, but extremely facilitated by this. But sure, no worries! It’s perfectly safe! Because our protagonists are good.

Also, remember how the last book ended on a weak attempt at having a moral that maybe the real world is good, actually? Yeah, Wade tells us the ONI helps poor people live enjoyable lives in the OASIS. So. Fuck that message, I guess. It only applies if you’re the literal wealthiest man on Earth.

And me? All my dreams had come true. I’d gotten stupidly rich and absurdly famous. I’d fallen in love with my dream girl and she had fallen in love with me. Surely I was happy, right? Not so much, as this account will show.

Aside from the aforementioned returning OASIS affiction, there’s the Shard riddle that Wade is now obsessed with, to the point of offering a billion-dollar reward to anyone with information about the riddle’s answer.

I announced this reward with a stylized short film that I modeled after Anorak’s Invitation. I hoped it would seem like a lighthearted play on Halliday’s contest instead of a desperate cry for help. It seemed to work.

On one hand: good, Wade finally has a character flaw that the book actually acknowledges as a character flaw. I can work with that. On the other hand: this is all told to me in such a dispassionate that I am dreading how the book will handle this character flaw. Which is to say, I’m not expecting it to be very good.

(For a brief time, some of the younger, more idealistic shard hunters referred to themselves as “shunters” to differentiate themselves from their elder counterparts. But when everyone began to call them “sharters” instead, they changed their minds and started to call themselves gunters too. The moniker still fit. The Seven Shards were Easter eggs hidden by Halliday, and we were all hunting for them.)

Especially when this is something the narration feels is more important to tell me about.

Anyway, skip another year, and a gunter finally leads Wade to the First Shard. Solved that riddle, I guess. And wait, wasn’t part of why IOI was ~evil~ in the first book that they were paying people to find the Easter Egg for them? How is this any different, Wade?

And when I picked it up, I set in motion a series of events that would drastically alter the fate of the human race. As one of the only eyewitnesses to these historic events, I feel obligated to give my own written account of what occurred. So that future generations—if there are any—will have all the facts at their disposal when they decide how to judge my actions.

And that is the end of our chapter 0. And can I just say: what a mess already. I don’t think my snark can properly convey how utterly devoid of emotion this book’s writing is, and that alone is honestly more of a turn-off than anything else in the book so far. Even, knowing that I railed about it in the first book, I still feel newly unprepared for it. And it’s not like this double-prologue is making me hopeful that the book will show an ounce more critical thinking—or decent fucking humanity towards marginalized groups—as its predecessor.

So, that’s a lot to look forward to! For the sake of my sanity and schedule, don’t expect me to do such big posts every time. I’ll probably do one chapter a week from now on, if that. We’re in for a long ride, but I hope it’s worth it, at least.

[mariamermaid]

The Heir of Silberstein; das verzauberte Schulleben (ch.2)

“the enchanted School life”

Fred Weasley x Reader

Summary: As a new school year approaches in Hogwarts, the students are surprised when Dumbledore introduces a group of German siblings joining the school. The royal family of fortress Silberstein is now sent to Hogwarts to learn the matters of a normal teenager life. …

Words: 3.1k

Masterlist

“Potion´s class will be the death of me!” Hermione exclaimed loudly as you came back from the first day filled with lessons. Professor Snape had very clearly explained, that the class would neither be easy nor a place for mischief. You patted her shoulder, a look of sympathy on your face.

“You´ll clearly going to ace every class”, she then sighed and you starred at her with confusion.

Yes, you had known most of the subject matter the teachers announced for the school year.

You had also required 10 points for Gryffindor, Seamus Finnigan had tried to ask you out, as well as a student from Slytherin and you had given Draco a harsh comeback, which landed a following applause by several students. However, many classmates still seemed a little intimidated by your presence. You were able to disarm the teacher in defense against the dark arts, which was impressing and they had starred at you with bewildered expressions. All in all; a pretty good first day. Almost perfect. Almost.

“I don´t know, but you can find me in the library”, Hermione added and grabbed a few of her books and notes.

“I think I´ll catch some fresh air or explore the school a little more”, you replied.

“The Gryffindor quidditch team has try out´s today and some practice, you should watch them! You´ve never even seen a game!”

You followed Hermione´s advice and made your way to the Quidditch pitch. Together with the history and traditions of Hogwarts, you had obviously learned about the sport as well. Yet, you were taken back by the sight of the pitch. The oval form measured five hundred feet long and a hundred and eighty feet wide, with a small central circle in diameter. At each end there were three hooped Goalposts of different heights. The pitch was surrounded by wooden towers with the house colors, seats for spectators. You found your place in the Gryffindor tower, next to a blonde girl with long hair and round, pink and blue colored glasses. She looked up when you sat down, eyes curiously inspecting you and then offered you a polite smile. “You´re the princess.”

You nodded slowly. “I´m Luna Lovegood, you´re here to watch the team, aren´t you?”

You agreed again and noticed her dreamy tone and her soft nature. “So am I, but watch out for the nargles.”

With anticipation you watched as the players flew across the pitch through the air. Harry and Ginny, captains as you found out, had an open position. You watched as several contestants gave their best in showing their skills. Fred and George, both playing as beaters, didn´t pay much attention to them however. Instead, they trained on their own and played back and forth. You admired their athletic spirit and skill, but realized that you wouldn´t be a Quidditch player. The brutality and the hectic timeframe was thrilling to watch, but nothing you wanted to participate in.

After the practice, you left the tower together with Luna.

“What are nargle?”

“They´re small creatures, mischievous thieves really, you have to be careful.”

A smile spread on your lips; you found a liking in the rather odd Luna Lovegood. From afar you watched how the Slytherin team, who´s time to practice had now come, approach. After them, contestants who wanted to try out for their team. August was one of them. You said goodbye to Luna and joined your brother in watching how the team held their meeting.

“You´re trying out?” It wasn´t a question, the broomstick in his hand said enough. “I thought you didn´t even want to talk to them.” August huffed and rolled his eyes. He knew well what you were doing, lurkinh him into resistance and talking.

“If we have to go to school here, I can at least enjoy a little activity, oder nicht?”

A chuckle escaped your lips and softly you bumped against his shoulder. “I´m messing with you.”

“Hast du mit Ruth geredet?“ (Have you talked to Ruth?) It surprised you, that he was the first one to start the topic, but you shook your head ever so slightly.

“Sie werden es herausfinden, früher oder später.“, you replied instead. (They will find out eventually.)

You knew the fact, that even August worried, was enough to let you quiver. You avoided eye contact as did he, both staring ahead, avoiding to even glance at each other. 

“Es wird sein soziales Todesurteil, die Schüler sind ja schon mit uns als Prinzen und Prinzessinnen überfordert. Ein König? Das ist zu viel für sie.” (It´s going to be his social death sentence. The students are already overwhelmed with us as princes and princesses. A king? It´s too much for them.)

“Noch ist er nicht König, außerdem sind es ein paar Monate bis Hendrik achtzehn wird. Vater ist noch am Leben,” (He´s not king yet, anyways there a couple of months left before Hendrik turns eighteen. Father is still alive.) You answered and a bitter taste spread in your mouth as the words left your lips. Your voice fell flat and monotone and you bit your lip.

“Ja noch ist er es, aber für wie lange?“ (Yes, he still is, but for how long?)

August added just as uninflected, before joining the Quidditch team and leaving you standing alone. You knew he wasn´t wrong, but saying those words out loud always sounded harsher than expected. For a couple more seconds, you watched your younger brother before he took off on his broom.

Fred and George Weasley came to your side, you caught a glance of their red hair before they even arrived. They sensed your inner turmoil and decided to try to take off your mind.

“Impressed, princess?” You huffed, shaking your head. Previos worries left your face and you gladly accepted the switch of topic.

“I´ll wait until your first game of the year, then we can see how much you can actually impress me.” The twins shrugged while nodding, it was a fair proposal to them.

The three of you, followed by Harry and Ginny made your way back to the castle, while casually chatting. “How was your first day? Classes are going fine by what I heard?” Fred asked you curiously. You raised your eyebrow at him. “What exactly did you hear?”

George, walking to you left, snickered. “Oh, just the typical rumors when it comes to your royal family.” “And that would be?”

“Courageously smart and intelligent”, George started

“Eagerness to dress and impress”, Fred continued, while his eyes glided your body down and up. His brother well noted, how Fred blushed as the words left his mouth. For now, he wouldn´t mention it though.

“And being able to enchant everybody in their presence”, George added instead and threw his hand dramatically into the air. 

“Be careful, Y/n, they´re always up to something”; Ginny exclaimed from the back before she and Harry passed the three of you. You laughed. “I can tell, but thanks for the warning!”

You found yourself in the backyard, due to the late summerly warmth, many students still remained outside. The twins took off their Quidditch uniform, leaving them both in tank tops. The summer had done good to them and they had both gained muscle; especially in their arms. A seat beneath a tree at the side was perfect to watch the entire scene and soon after, the two Weasley´s joined you again. They awaited, but you continued to simple watch. A fairly dull activity, at a first glance.

“It´s seems boring, but there is always something going on, isn´t it?” Fred asked, his head tilting your way. You nodded agreeing. “It´s new, at least to me.”

Hendrik entered the yard with another Ravenclaw. “Ah, Cedric Diggory, prefect of the Ravenclaws”, George explained. Cedric as well as Hendrik´s eyes found yours. Cedric offered a polite smile, which you returned. But Hendrik´s were asking. Asking for anything out of the ordinary, you shook your head. The twins seemed to notice, how the two of you reacted to each other. “You and your brother get each other, don´t you?”

“We´re a family, we hold together, no matter how hard things seem”, you sighed but shook your head, pushing away the reluctant feeling.

“Hendrik is brilliant, he created his first spell at 14 years, his currently writing his first book as well. He´s the smart one, the oldest and always looking out for us.” You paused, eyeing Hendrik from across the yard. His dark hair was sleek back as always, his sharp jawline and his stern eyes. He had a mature charisma and you were sure, that many female students would swoon over his presence.

“It´s not like he had a choice, he´s the oldest, first to the throne. From his birth on, all the pressure laid on his shoulders.”

“Sounds hard.”

“There are days where it´s harder than on others.” You glanced back, through the stone arch´s to the Quidditch pitch. From afar you could make out little green figures racing through the air, among them August.

“August is the rebel of the family, stubborn and cunning. He knows what he wants and he knows how to get it. He´s selective when it comes to being loyal, family comes always first.”

Your eyes, as well as the Twins’, continued to wander to Ruth, her locks framing her round face and a smile spread on her rosy lips. She was seated on a blanket in the green grass, laughing as a pair of second-class students showed her a new game with cards.

“Ruth, is the sweetest angel. She´s kind to all people and animals. She´s the one keeping us together, when all ties tear. She´s the one who grew up the most protected. Hendrik and me, were trained the hardest. She doesn´t know, how it feels to have all eyes on yourself, luckily. She´s able to be just a child in a way Hendrik never could.”

Fred and George starred at you, waiting. The school life of Hogwarts was new to you, but for them everything about the royal activity was unaccustomed. “What about you?”

You chuckled nervously. “Me?”

“I´m the daring one, the one who questions right and wrong. The wild spirit of the family, at least it´s what I´m told.” “A truly magical family, isn´t it?” George smiled warmly. Maybe the Silberstein siblings weren´t so different from the Weasley´s after all.

“And all of you were trained?”, Fred then questioned further. They were intrigued by you.

“To be what exact?” George added and you smirked. “Our subjects varied from the ones at Hogwarts; Mondays started with history, for both muggles and wizards. Then in the afternoon, riding lessons and nature studies.”

“Riding? Broomsticks?”, George asked confused.

“Oh no, Silberstein has its name from their traditional breeding of Pegasus´.”

“Pegasus? As in horse with wings?” You nodded proudly, remembering Hagrid´s admiring stare at your arrival with the carriage. “The German word silber is English for silver, as in the silver horse skin and mane. The stables are the argentum turris, Latin for silver towers. It´s where they live and the only way to enter them, is by flying to them.” 

A short pause formed, while you remembered the silky fur and the liberating and enchanting feeling, when flying through the clouds on their backs. Clearing your throat, you proceeded.

“Then on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturday mornings, martial arts. Everything from hand to hand combat, sword fighting, archery and of course, defense with the wands. Each of us is trained for battles with all scenarios, not only magical.”

Saturday mornings, were amazingly special to the four of you, because your trainer and teachers often awoke you with a new battle idea in mind. You wore focused on working together as a unit, not working on your individual techniques.

“And then of course more basic subjects, Potions and Herbology, astrology, the formal etiquette for royal descendants.”

“For Merlin´s Sake, you´re unbelievable”, Fred breathed and his brother nodded hefty.

“It might be normal for you, but to us?” George continued. “Unbelievable.” They both finished the sentence. A blush crept on your cheeks. Before Hogwarts, you had never given it much thought, but especially after arriving, you began to realize how special your life had been. Against many obstacles and challenges, you were grateful for the opportunity’s others would never have. It was hard and no one would ever argue with it, but you would choose this life over any other every day. Grateful.

It was this exact moment, where you decided that Silberstein was going to be a school. A good and fair school, that you would fight for.

 A few weeks passed in the mean-time. You had actually begun to write down notes about potential strategies about teaching and a curriculum. Hendrik noticed how you began brewing your ideas, but he knew you would come to him, if you were ready to discuss them.

“Miss Silberstein, Professor Dumbledore has requested a meeting with you and your siblings”, McGonagal held you back after finishing her lesson. Hermione, a few steps ahead of you, waited worriedly. You nodded and followed McGonagal out of the classroom.

It was Friday, prior to the second Quidditch Game of the season. The week before, Gryffindor against Hufflepuff started with a strong game. The Weasley twins used their chance to show off the abilities, successfully. Hendrik, actually started playing as a seeker for Ravenclaw, while August was positioned as a chaser for Slytherin. As so often when it came to your brothers, they battled in agony about almost everything. August loved it to contest and Hendrik loved it to prove somebody wrong. A bad combination really.

“Go ahead, ´Mione”, you shrugged to your friend. “I got something to get done.”

McGonagal led you to Dumbledore´s office through the entrance of the gargoyle statue. She gave you a last nod of reassurance, before leaving you alone. Hendrik, August and even Ruth awaited you in the headmaster’s office. Worries rose in you and immediately, you searched Hendrik´s eyes for signs. He shrugged. None of you knew why you were called in today.

Dumbledore sat behind his desk; hands crossed on the table. The room was filled with shelves, books, potions and other artifacts. You were sure, that if given enough time, you would find out many interesting things. But sadly, the office laid unable for you to enter at your own sweet will.

“Please sit, make yourself comfortable.”

As much as he tried to sound calm, it didn´t convince you. You braced yourself for the worst.

“A letter from your father´s consultant, Albrecht came to me.”

You saw Hendrik´s hands cramping and his jaw tensing. Ruth, who sat next to you, lurked up to you, but you didn´t have the strength to look back.

“He and your father enquired about your process in learning, as well in finding yourself in the school life.”

Hendrik relaxed and you could finally give Ruth a small smile. “He also requested me to give the four of you a separate letter, which I will give you in just a second.”

Dumbledore leaned back, making eye contact with each of you before continuing.

“I know that even though your stay at Hogwarts is unusual, it is even more concerning as to why this stay had to be so sudden. Like everybody else, you have my full sympathy about your father´s health condition But I want you to know, that if you need anything else, you can always come to me. I´m sure that being a royal descendant is hard enough on it´s own and I can openly admit, I´m fairly new to many aspects. But I know a lot about schools and teaching, this”, he pulled out a book from his desk. You eagerly reached forward to take it first.

“Its a very rare volume about Hogwarts throughout the history. I´m sure you will treasure it, as well as I did in my first years as a teacher.”

Thanking, you nodded at Dumbledore. The book was in raveled in a dark blue fur like coat and the font was golden. Then he handed over the letter, which Hendrik took.

You had barely left the office, before he ripped it open and the four of you gathered closely around. His voice was quiet, but a clear flutter was heard.

“Dear beloved princes and princesses.

I hate to pass the message, that your father´s condition is not improving. The healers watch him with every second, but there have been no results yet.

I´m continuing to follow your father´s instruction to represent him and the royalty of Silberstein, as a Consultant and for the time being, leader.

I hope your stay at Hogwarts is as pleasant as the time allows.

Sincerely, Albrecht.”

A bitter taste spread in your mouth, when Hendrik read the letter out loud.

“We shouldn´t trust him”, August pressed out between his pursed lips. Hendrik rolled his eyes at him, a little too dramatic and hasty for your taste. 

“Don´t be stupid, he has been a consultant for longer than any of us lived.” Hendrik used his ´adult´-voice and there were times, where his mature exterior worked, but for August, it was another reason to tense his jaw. He didn´t like to be treated as a child. Neither did you.

“So, you agree with him on the throne?”

Hendrik fell silent, his eyes leaving your group and his hand brushing his hair back.

Albrecht was never particularly fond of you, which was mostly mutual. In his eyes, not only you but also August and Ruth were nothing, but naïve children. He tolerated you, because he didn´t have an option. Hendrik was the only one to be out of sorts with him, which didn´t equal in actually liking him. You were sure that Albrecht didn´t like children in general. He was strict, obsolete bound to the idea of a royal regime, that represented a strong sway. Admitting that Silberstein was the most logic solution to the school problem in Germany, wasn´t comprehensible to him.

Whether he liked it, or not, ALbrecht was compelled to the crown. But as long as he was in your father´s seat, he was in the position to not only to issue orders, but change any established decisions.

From the moment it was announced, that you would leave for Hogwarts, August noted it more than once; He hated the idea of leaving behind your father, as well as the realm and the fortress. Both Hendrik and you, had brushed his sorrows away.

August scoffed angrily, after Hendrik´s attempt to placate him and he left the group with quick steps. Hendrik did as well, making his way to the Ravenclaw tower. From outside he seemed calmer than his younger brother, but he was livid as well. A breeze of wind meandered through the hallway; a storm was coming.

And deep down, you were left with an unpleasant gut instinct about Albrecht.

----------

tags: @ britishspidey @ perfectlysane24  @ acoolnight

[noteofnaught]

Dante's memory of his mother

Fiddled with what I had written earlier.

The translation was done for me by deepl (translator).

Please let me know if you think it's strange or if there are any mistakes.

The above is purely a personal opinion

Feel free to discuss and exchange.

Dante's memory of his mother

Dante's memory of his mother, or rather that night, seems to have been formally depicted once in DMC5 since DMC1.

So let's start with the DMC1.

In the DMC1 novel, there is a scene depicting Dante recalling the events of his mother's death.

「母さん、母さん……ねぇ、母さん！」

幼子が、地に倒れ伏した母親の身体を揺さぶり続けている。母親の息がすでに絶えていることは、誰の目にも明らかだ。

だが幼子は──すでに自分でもそうとわかっているのだろうが──無

駄な努力を止める気配はない。

「兄さんもいなくなっちゃったんだ！ 母さん！ ねぇ、母さん！」

亡骸からは未だ、温かな血が地面へと広がり続けている。

幼子は半狂乱だった。

We can see in the description that Dante tries to wake his mother up next to her dead body, even though he realises that she is dead but he is still trying to wake her up. This is a reluctance to accept his mother's death, a normal emotion and attitude for a small child to have.

And the second half of his sentence [兄さんもいなくなっちゃったんだ!] It is as if he had searched for his brother, but his tone is one of powerlessness, of helplessness, of feeling negative about the outcome. So here I want to convey not so much that he has searched for his brother to no avail, but a sense of powerlessness about the situation. He tries to wake up his mother in this way.

It's close to one: Mom, wake up. My brother is not here/is gone and I don't know what to do/I'm scared, please get up Come on.

And then in the scene of Neal's death, Dante recalls this as Neal's sacrifice to protect him, just as his mother did that day.

After that he heard the voice of his father's sword, and out of fear and insecurity he was completely drawn to it, thus obeying its words and changing his name until he gained the power to fight against it.

Then, in the battle with Gilvi, when Gilvi stabbed Dante and was covered by the necklace, Dante's internal activity was as follows.

He credits his mother with protecting him (again) as a child.

Where the mother sacrifices herself to save/protect Dante this is consistent with the DMC1 in-game scene. In DMC1 Dante has a similar line after Trish sacrifices herself to save him. This is the diagram from Precious Tears, with Japanese and English, but both Japanese and English convey that Trish sacrificed herself to save him, as did her own (Dante's) mother.

This is in line with the content of the DMC3 comic.

In the DMC3 comic, Dante has a nightmare at the office after his encounter with Vergil, a dream that is not in fully recreated form but like a fragmentary form.

Here the mother has more dialogue than in DMC1, and it is obvious from the comic's footage that there are huge hands behind her that are about to crush her, and Dante reaches towards her as if to retain his mother, who is feeling very scared, while her mother shouts for him to hurry up and hide/hide and not come out no matter what happens. She is then crushed by the huge hand. In the next panel we can see that the demon looks like a bird and says the terrible words "all die". like it is glowing, and on the next page you can also see the huge three foot shadow on the ground, which also looks like the claws of a bird, and the door behind it is the image of burning, while a long shadow is drawn under his feet.

Of course, we know from the comic that Arkham says there was a fire that day, and Vergil's fearful recollection of the house being on fire makes DMC5 even more certain that it was indeed on fire. The glowing eyes, the long, thin shadows and the subsequent bloodstained house in the comic give the impression that something ominous, unsettling and alien is about to happen.

The cartoon after that also shows us Dante waking up with a jolt, his face covered in water, looking at his hand but with only a drop on his end finger, giving the illusion that he has pulled a hook with someone. There is no sweat on his body, however, and of course there are problems of expression in the painting, so it is not painted.

But it is also true that these same fragmentary memories and dreams give Dante unease and fear.

Well, the memory, the feeling of his mother in Dante's vision so far is the following: his mother told himself to hide and not come out, and sacrificed himself to save himself. It is the great selfless motherly love that belongs to Dante.

Although it was a great mother's love, the memory of that day still makes Dante feel uneasy and afraid. The last memory his mother leaves Dante with is the one that tells Dante to hide, and implicitly the will to let him live. If we add the DMC1 novel to the mix here, it is at this very moment that he is drawn to his father's sword.

Again within these memories and fragments, the mother is rendered unknowable to Vergil, meaning that we do not or cannot see in Dante's recollections that the mother ever went looking for Vergil, if not for the presence of the phrase [兄さんもいなくなっちゃったんだ!] we would not even know in this recollection of Dante that he knew that he had a brother. What we can see or what Dante perceives in his vision is that his mother loved him so much that she died in the process of protecting/saving him.

However, it is also a writing device that can be lifted off as suspense.

But again, this doesn't do any damage to the image of Eva as a great mother, because based on what happened that day, the great mother had to choose to save/protect (potentially the closest to her or that she could find) one child and had to give up the other in the face of force majeure. Dante also never said before DMC5 whether his mother loved Vergil or not, whether she ever sought him out or whether she cared for his brother as well.

What we see in Dante's vision is basically what Dante can know, but it doesn't mean all of it. After all, comics or game scenes have an obligation to show us the scenes, but it doesn't necessarily mean that the characters actually see all the textures. We, as players/readers, are a kind of God's eye and we can notice things that are not right or different (also a storytelling technique) but as protagonists we are not necessarily fully aware or in the same position as us.

I think if you have seen suspense films, you will also often see that kind of bridge, we all know that this bomb is going to explode this person to kill that person, although there is that kind of explicitly shown in the footage, but the protagonist is still unaware of the appearance, many viewers are in order to pinch a cold sweat, for this reason anxious hope that the protagonist quickly realize.

And DMC5 gives us a formal depiction of that day, not through snippets like a nightmare, you can see in the game's overstory description that it says Dante dreamed of what happened before, which means this time you are shown real memories.

After all, a nightmare is not necessarily a real memory, it is a condensation of a certain memory. Sometimes we have a nightmare like dreaming of a giant cockroach because we are afraid, so we reproduce and amplify this fear in our nightmares, so that a small cockroach we see in the house becomes enormous in our nightmares, the giant cockroach is not necessarily real but the fear is real. Of course, we are not talking about the formation of nightmares here, but only about the fact that nightmares and some fragments of our memories with fear and anxiety may be a recreation of what we felt and what existed at the time, but not necessarily a completely real recreation.

In the DMC5 Eva process screen.

There is a slight difference between Japanese subtitles and English subtitles, or even Japanese dubbing.

The overall meaning is actually similar to the DMC3 manga, Eva is all over Dante not moving and telling him to hide/hide, the only difference is that she says more words to make Dante forget his past and forget his name and start a new life from scratch/not being Dante but another person to start over. All also contain the mother's wish for him to live well.

The difference is that in the Japanese subtitles, Eva clearly expresses the possibility that she may not return and so tells Dante to listen well to what she says next, whereas in English it is expressed as I promise you will return.

In the English context, although the mother says she will come back, she immediately reverses the 'come back' in the next sentence, saying that she knows it will be difficult, but you're old enough so you'll have to do this if I don't come back. They both mean the same thing, a mother who knows she might not come back and tells her child what she will do if she doesn't come back, as if making a pact with her child: we agreed that if I don't come back, you will remember to do this, I know you can do it.

If you look closely at the animation of the process, you can even see Dante's hand trembling on the cupboard door, he is very scared.

And the BGM here also happens to be called: More Fear

And of course it is here that we first see Eva looking for Vergil, and it turns out that Eva has looked for Vergil! This doesn't exactly match the information we got on Dante's side earlier.

But are you saying that the DMC1 message contradicts the current message? The DMC1 novel only mentions that he cried next to his mother's body, not that she said anything to him before she died, after which he became obsessed with his father's sword out of fear and terror. And his father's sword statement is the same as his mother's deathbed statement but in a very different series.

The meaning of the mother's words is very clear, the words are all about the desire for her child to live well and to stay away from these things that will hurt him, a good expectation and blessing for her child and the expectation and belief that her child will be able to do so.

「今はその名を隠し、目を眩ませ、逃げ延びよ」

“Now go incognito, confuse the enemy and flee far away!”

The overall meaning of the phrase is that it is dangerous to hide the name, confuse the enemy and run away, and the phrase even takes the form of a command that the child must do what he says.

It's a phrase you'd put in the context of a superior to a subordinate, a captain to his teammates, and in the context of a tense battlefield man telling you to run fast is perfectly fine and appropriate. But Eva's words could only be said by a mother to her child.

When all the memories are linked together, our facts about Eva become a little more complete, and at the same time what effect does it have on Dante?

If his mother only died saving him and he hated his father for her revenge which is quite reasonable, this has to be a blowback from his father's enemies. What is necessary to mention here is what Dante's mindset was regarding DMC1 killing the Black Angel.

In the official publication of the 3124 collection, Dante is said to have killed the Black Angel with "no thought", a word synonymous with "remnant", which is generally translated into Chinese as: regret.

And the DMC1 how-to book has a direct description of his ideas.

Dante is talking here about Mundus killing his mother and brother.

This is not the same as what we generally think of as objective perception. In the game we see over the course of the game, the Black Angel looks as if he still has a heart, so naturally we think there is still salvation, after all, he is still alive.

But here Dante does not think that it was his own hand that killed the Black Angel, but that Mundus killed Vergil.

Of course we can parse this to mean that killing the man who was Vergil means, but even so within this passage of Dante he is not one of the reasons for Vergil's death, he has no responsibility in Vergil's death and is not responsible for any act occurring in the process, but rather Mundus should need to take full responsibility.

In other words, it means that even if it was he who killed the Black Angel in the course of the battle, then he is not responsible for it, but Mundus is responsible for it, because it was Mundus who arranged it, and how could he have killed it if he had not arranged it there, it was not his problem, it was Mundus' problem.

than what we generally think of as objective factual rational logic going into the judgement: although Mundus turned Vergil into a black angel like that, he himself didn't recognise the killing, more or less he was responsible for it or felt particularly guilty that he didn't recognise it.

Dante's logic leans more towards total emotional logic: It's all Mundus' fault!

And in DMC5 just as Vergil used to think it was a matter of not having enough power, now it's a matter of having too much power, and now that Mundus is gone, not recognizing Vergil (V) for killing Vergil can only be his active choice, not a passive one, and it can only be that his responsibility has nothing to do with Mundus.

Returning to the mother, what arises is in fact the same question. If before it was his mother's great love for him, which was selfless and exclusive to him, now, at this moment, her love is equal, not just his but also his brother's. The "he" whose mother sacrificed herself to save him in the flashback (DMC5) is not really a "he". His mother's did not hesitate to rush out to save her brother, knowing the danger.

Of course we must also mention nell, arguably the designer of Dante's double shot.

In the novel, Thor wants Neal to commission and pay a deposit for a double gun for himself, one of which is a secret-made gun he stole from a robbery, and the other is the same type of medieval gun that Neal himself received.

nell is so good to Tony, as is clearly described in the DMC1 novel, because Tony looks so much like her child, and her love for her child is projected onto Tony, and she holds on to her job before she eventually dies, not only because of her love for Tony but also her love for her own child, and more so for the work ethic she has taken on this job and should complete.

But all the same, the person she missed most on her deathbed was her own child, something Tony could never replace, nor could he if he wanted to, which of course didn't mean that nell's love for Tony was false, nell's love for Tony was also real, indeed it was love, it was precisely because of the person of her own child that nell loved so deeply that Tony was loved by her.

Whether it is nell or the mother Eva, their love for their child is not solely Dante's alone and only his, or why they love Dante/Tony, it is because they both love their child, and if they were not such, then Dante would naturally not be loved by them.

His mother's protection and sacrifice is something he feels and desires, something that is personal and emotional for him. It also explains Dante's statement to Trish in DMC1 that "his mother died to protect herself", because Trish, like his mother in his feelings and understanding, has what he calls a "heart".

Of course, because DMC1 is entirely Dante's vision of storytelling (DMC1 is Dante's story), his mother is human in Dante's eyes, and Trish acts like his mother to protect him, or even Dante's ideal mother, so Trish is also a person with a "heart", as to how Trish feels or if that is the case. We will not discuss this issue here.

Surely the mother did not save Dante? This is necessarily a negative, but was it to save him that his mother died, or to hold back the demon who tried to kill him so that he could escape? Again, that is a negative. Wouldn't his mother have done that in that situation? That too is a negative. Wouldn't Dante have wanted his mother? No. Must Dante have never been afraid of not wanting his mother to stay by his side to give him security and protection? Did Dante only want to protect his mother and never wanted her to stay by his side to protect him? All the information above seems to be in the negative.

DMC5 is simply a reinterpretation and addition of information from the past, the only thing overturned is Dante's belief that his mother died to save himself.

This message provides us with an explanation of the origin of Dante's hatred for his brother, as is often the case in many films and novels, in which he blames the child for the death of his beloved wife, even though it was not the child's fault, and believes that if it had not been for him, his wife would not have died. He stubbornly believes that his mother died to save him, not to save his brother, and not because of this he is unable to love his brother; he acts as if he wishes he could have the mother's love all to himself.

For if we are to acknowledge the fact that his mother died to save his brother, we also have to acknowledge something else, and that is that he equally did not want to be left/abandoned by his mother.

Of course, this is not a contradiction or a conflict; it is only natural that a child should be afraid and want to protect his mother, and it is equally natural that he should want to protect her.

The above is purely a personal opinion

[elbracco]

LiS2 Fanfiction recommendation list - updated

I updated the ff list I made a few months ago. As before, if anyone has any suggestions to add, I’m all ears. I divided the stories into three categories (Post-ending, AUs and Missing Moments) and all the ffs on this list are either completed or still actively updated.

POST-ENDING

Blood Brothers: To Puerto Lobos - And Beyond! by SerratedCucumber, in progress. It starts as the brothers break into Mexico and follows them as they try to build a life for themselves. I swear that I hear Gonzalo and Roman every time that Sean or Daniel say something: the dialogue is that good. 11,000 words for now.

*

Lone Wolf: The One You Feed by zeldanerdster, in progress. This work follows the "Lone Wolf" path immediately after events unfold at the border. Following that, it will chronicle Daniel's experiences for as far as they take him in an effort to reconcile the various open-ended resolutions of Life is Strange 2. Because LW didn’t break our hearts enough. 20,500 words for now. Lone Superwolf by Dreamprism, in progress. The ff begins with Sean’s death at the border and aims to show how Daniel got from the car to the “six years later” scene. The fanfic is written from the perspective of Daniel Diaz, similar to how Sean shares his internal thoughts with the player throughout Life is Strange 2. 17,000 words for now.

*

Parting Ways: After by koldtbold, one-shot. Sean gets to Mexico, Daniel doesn’t. Sean has a lot to do and think about. What I love about this story is that there’s much bitter and little sweet, but like in the game there’s an undercurrent of optimism, a feeling that tomorrow can still turn into a better day. 6,000 words. When There’s Nowhere Else to Run, by Autumnyte, in progress. It begins right after Daniel yeets himself from the car and follows Sean as he tries to build a life for himself in Puerto Lobos. I told Autumnyte that this story feels like a blanket: it’s warm and comfortable. No matter what issues Sean has to deal with, there is a pervasive undertone of "tomorrow will be better" that I think really captures the spirit of the game. He is done running, and he can now start to look to the future with hope. 31,000 words for now.

*

Redemption:

The Bravest Wolf in the World by RoodAwakening, 2 chapters left. Ask anyone for reading suggestions, and they’ll inevitably point you to this story, for a reason. Sean finds out he can use his sketches to time-travel, much like Max did with her photos, prevents Esteban’s death, and has to deal with the consequences as he tries to navigate the new life he made for himself. Wonderful characters, a realistic depiction of trauma, and golden dialogue. I love this Sean, I love the people in his life, I love his interactions with all the characters. 160,000 words (!) for now. A Howl in the Night by Bracco, one-shot. Sean is in prison, and Daniel is free: it’s everything that Sean had wanted when he surrendered. That means he can be happy… right? 28,500 words. Tomorrow's Horizon by AlariOdonell, in progress. A mysterious stranger recruits a post-bay Max Caulfield with the promise to bring Chloe back to life and to right a few wrongs along the way, like those suffered by two brothers. I am very partial to this story because it ticks every box in my list of narrative kinks: a well-written OC, an incoming threat, superpowers, misfits teaming up, IC characters, action and fuzzy feelings... 52,000 words for now, updated bi-weekly. Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want by DarkJaden825698, one-shot. After his sentence, Sean reconnects with some old friends and says some things he didn't get to say when he had the chance. This story is a warm, fuzzy thing where everything goes well for a change. I may also be very partial to the title: that song is tied to some of my fondest memories, so extra points to the author. 4,000 words. Spirit Realm: Road to Redemption by Sombraguerrero, completed. Sean has served his sentence, abbreviated by a lack of success on the authorities' part to attain burden of proof on the supposed major crimes. The public has run out of patience and has allowed Sean and Daniel to try and pick up the pieces, with as much help as they can get along what is once again a rough road. 21,000 words. Stay Strange by DarkJaden825698, completed. Dr. Bright is assigned to Sean Diaz as his therapist in prison, and walks him through his trauma while trying to find him a lawyer to challenge his sentence. Crossover fic between LiS2 and The Bright Sessions podcast - you don’t know anything about the podcast? Me neither, and it’s not an issue. 32,000 words.

AUs

And All These Empty Streets by Riona, one-shot. After the apocalypse, Sean and Daniel have a run-in with Joel and Ellie from TLOU. I think that this is the story that made me realize how I love Sean and Daniel so much that I’m willing to read the weirdest AUs and crossovers so long. It flows really well and it feels natural. 2,000 words.

Riona has written a lot of stories that start from an unexpected premise and draw a little vignette. They are all different from each other and I loved them all. Check out her AO3 profile! Can you give me a hint by Idnis, completed. Teenage Daniel/Chris. If you like “mutual pining” and “dumb idiots in love”, this story will make your day. It’s just... fluffy and sweet and innocent, a tiny bit of teenage drama that Daniel and Chris deserve after everything they’ve been through. 22,500 words. Closer to the Heart by darkjaden825698, in progress. After the shooting, Sean waits for the police to arrive. He’s cleared of all charges and sent to live to Beaver Creek, where he must come to terms with what happened and rebuild a life for himself. A teen drama where nothing bad happens to the boys and they get to live normal lives? Hit me with it. 4,000 words. Double exposure by Riona, completed. It draws inspiration from *Your Name*: Max and Sean begin swapping bodies at random. If the premise doesn’t turn you away, it’s a beautiful bittersweet story about two people trying to help each other while their own worlds are falling apart. 11,000 words. Faithless by HollowK, in progress. Six years after the failed heist, Sean wakes up from his coma and has a brother to find. Exactly: oof. 6,500 words for now. I Took Both Roads, series by owlmug. AU where Esteban isn’t shot. Sean/Finn (with some Sean/Cassidy in the first story). It’s a coming of age story, and I really loved how the author mirrored some situations that are found in the game by giving them a new twist. I won’t lie, these stories hurt, because they made me think about what could have been. The characters are spot on, and the interactions of the Diaz family are golden. Bonus points for having Sean behave like a teenage brat at times, because the boy deserved to have temper tantrums and getting into fights with Esteban over stupid stuff. There are also a lot of beautiful images across the series, a lot of lines that feel raw and powerful, and a lot of healing. At times it’s like having a heart-to-heart with the author. Sometimes I felt that the sex scenes were too long, and some of them I found unnecessary, but that’s just my personal taste. I really liked all the four stories, but the last one is my favourite for sure because it follows Esteban’s point of view and it’s *chef’s kiss*.

 1.       A Way to Reappear (https://archiveofourown.org/works/19096837), 18,000 words. Sean’s POV

2.       A Piece of the Puzzle (https://archiveofourown.org/works/19386670), 26,000 words. Sean’s POV

3.       A Little left Behind (https://archiveofourown.org/works/19852561), 24,000 words. Finn’s POV

4.       (I’ve Been Going Through) a Change (https://archiveofourown.org/works/20562086), 28,000 words. Esteban’s POV.

If I Lay Here by owlmug, completed. Diverges from canon after episode 3. Sean and Finn try to track Daniel down. Sean/Finn, 46,500 words. I can repeat here most of what I wrote for the earlier series: wonderful characterization, beautiful imagery, touching themes, characters that find themselves along the way. Something that makes you go “Please, sir, can I have some more?” at the end of every chapter. i just don’t know how i’m doing (i’m so curious about you) by Larrymurphycansteponme, one-shot. Another High School AU, another wonderful coming of age story for Sean. I wish I could make it justice without repeating everything I said about owlmug’s series: spot-on characterization, a beautiful narrative about growing up and finding one’s way, wonderful imagery. It’s the story of what Sean deserved to have, and one of my favorite ever. 28,000 words.

MISSING MOMENTS

A Night With Misty Mice by That_one_internet_lover, completed. It follows Sean and Lyla’s concert night that is mentioned in his phone chat in ep.1. It’s the first fanfiction I read after my endgame heartbreak: it gave me all the happy Sean I wanted, and even a bit more. The dynamic between him and Lyla is exactly what I pictured from their interactions in the game, put into words by someone who knows what they’re doing. 10,000 words. Astray by Riona, one-shot. Daniel leaves Sean behind after the events of Wastelands. It’s probably more of an AU than a Missing Moment, since it was written before Faith came out and so it’s not entirely canon-compliant, but it’s still a very good window on Daniel’s state of mind after the heist. I’m eternally grateful to Riona for filling some of the gaps that the game left in the development of these wonderful characters. 1,500 words.  Fire and Floods by Riona, one-shot. Sean and Daniel go on the run, and this fic covers the first day of their journey. A spot-on dissection of Sean’s feelings after the shooting. 1,500 words. life is strange 2 poems by Spotsuns, an ongoing collection of one-shots. These stories have all the oooffness of the game. The stories in here hurt. In the good way, but they hurt nonetheless. Beautiful character studies, and some heavy-duty, post-ending feel unpacking. 11,000 words. Never Stop Shining by CorazonDesnudo, in progress. During his stay in Away, Sean receives a letter from Finn with an offer to help him and Daniel cross the border. It’s a chance to come to terms with a lot of things he didn’t really process before. 11,000 words for now. Torchbearers by Riona. Ep.1’s Sean and Daniel run into Max and Chloe among the ruins of Arcadia Bay. I can definitely see this story being a moment of quiet in the game. 2,600 words. What Remains of the Diaz Family by That_one_internet_lover, completed. Lyla sneaks into the Diaz household after the brothers have disappeared. Heartbreaking oofness ensues as Lyla walks through their memories and faces her own pain. 6500 words.

[hippityhoppitygetofmyproperty]

My Heart Skips a Beat

Characters: Logan, Patton, Roman, Virgil

Ships: LAMP

Trigger Warnings: Unnamed heart condition, Improper medical stuff, Hospitals, Talk of death, Surgery mention, Food mention, Crying (I think that’s it, let me know if I need to add any!)

Genre: Hurt / Comfort

Word Count: 2032

Universe: Human AU

Ao3 link

This is based off of an outline that I saw that I wanted to flesh out. I cannot re-find that outline to give proper credit so please let me know If you know what outline I’m talking about! Anyways, hope you enjoy whatever this turned out to be!

(edit: The outline belongs to @teacupfulofstarshine, give some love to this beautiful person!)

--------------------

When they first started a relationship together, they knew about Patton.

Patton had a heart condition since birth that limits what he can do. But, since he’s had the condition since birth, he knew his limits. His family hoped he knew his limits after passing out and getting rushed to the hospital in middle school. He always told his close friends about it, mainly so they don’t push him too far.

Luckily, his 3 closest friends became his boyfriends.

They would always worry if he was okay, Virgil worrying the most. Whenever he would start to get a little dizzy doing something, Virgil would start asking questions making sure he was okay, Roman would scoop him up princess style and find the nearest seat, and Logan would start checking over him. That didn’t happen very often though, Patton wouldn’t let them worry that much.

Until it did start happening more. It turned from rarely ever to almost weekly,  while doing small things like their evening strolls that didn’t bother him before. They were wall worried about him, Patton was worried about himself. Now, he was standing at the kitchen counter booking an appointment with his doctor.

“Does Friday work for you?” The kind lady on the phone asked.

“Yes, that sounds perfect.” He replied, his tone somehow even despite how scared he was.

“Alright, we’ll see you then. Have a nice day, Mr.Baker.”

“You too.” He hung up the phone and released the breath he didn’t even know he was holding. Why must this happen? He has a good family, he has his boyfriends, why must his heart ruin it? It was then he felt a pair of arms snake around his waist.

“How are you doing, love?” Came Logan’s voice from behind.

“I’m fine, I’m just nervous.” He said as he gave way into the hug, the contact being a nice comfort while he dealt with this situation. 

“We all are, to be honest.” His grip tightened on Patton. “Hey, Roman and Virgil are laying out blankets so we can have a movie session.”

“That sounds great.”

Logan led Patton into the living room, where Virgil was fluffing pillows and Roman was shuffling through the Disney movies. Virgil caught sight of Patton and got up to help guide him towards the pull-out couch. He rolled his eyes and giggled slightly over his boyfriends’ concerned antics, but still allowed Virgil to help. Not long after they got Patton situated, Roman let out a small triumphant cry while holding up a movie case and moved over to the DVD player, letting Winnie the Pooh start-up on the screen, then went over to join the cuddle pile on the pull-out couch.

It was nice.

---

They wouldn’t let Patton go to his appointment alone, thought the doctors made them wait outside. They thought it was because of the testing, but it was really because Patton didn’t want them immediately in there if it’s bad news.

After the testing, the doctor told him the results.

Of course it was bad news. His heart condition has worsened.

“Would you like the others to come in? If so, we can discuss options to help correct the situation once they’re in here.” The doctor said.

Patton plastered on a smile, trying to be brave for his loves and not cry.  “Yes, that would be great.”

The doctor opened the door and motioned for Logan, Roman, and Virgil to come in. They immediately sat down next to Patton, in return, they got a small, soft smile.

“First thing’s first, the heart condition has gotten worse, as a result, making it harder for Mr.Baker to do activities that normally would be no problem.” They just nodded in understanding, not really knowing what to say. Virgil scooted closer to Patton so he can rest his head on him. “Though there is a surgery that we can perform to correct the condition.”

You could almost feel Patton’s hopefulness radiating off of him.

“What are the risk, if any?” asked Logan, of course he would think about that.

“That is the bad part. There is a 68% chance of there being further complications or death. Without the surgery, he has a prognosis of around 3-6 months.” The doctor looked at the faces in the room, ranging from disbelief to agony. “I’m just going to step out for a few minutes to allow you all to decide. If you don’t decide now, you can contact the front desk and they’ll direct the call to me to discuss specifications.” On that note, the doctor walked out of the room.

 Patton broke.

Virgil moved Patton on top of him while both Roman and Logan grabbed a hand and rubbed soothing circles into the back of them.

“So what are you going to do?” Roman asked from next to him.

“I think I’m going to do get the surgery.” Patton’s voice was barely louder than a whisper. He could feel Virgil tense behind him.

“You heard the risks though. You know that there is a pretty high probability that you could die or get harmed more.” Came Virgil’s voice, clearly worried. Patton didn’t want them to worry. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything else through his tears, so he just nodded his head and nuzzled closer into Virgil.

Logan was able to find the words Patton couldn’t, “Yes, but Virgil, you heard his prognosis. If he doesn’t take this chance…” His voice trailed off, not really wanting to end that sentence.

The knock of the doctor broke the occurring silence.

“Have you made your decision, or are you going to need to call back?”

Patton nodded and wiped the stray tears off of his face, “Yeah, I’m going to get the surgery.”

“Great. If we move towards the front desk, we can schedule a date.”

After they had a scheduled date for next week, they drove straight home, Roman comforting a crying Patton on his lap and letting a few tears fall himself. Once they got home, Roman carried Patton inside while the other two followed, Virgil got the blankets and Logan pulled out the couch so they could have a proper cuddle pile. Once they got comfy, Patton broke down again and so did his boyfriends, just a bit quieter. 

“I’m just… really scared.” Came Patton’s voice. It sounded so weak and fragile that it broke everyone’s heart even more.

“We understand, puffball,” Roman’s voice sounded thick from worry and tears. “This is a scary situation, you have a right to be scared.”

Patton choked out another sob, “I just don’t want to lose you guys.” At that, everyone tightened their hold on him.

Logan’s voice spoke up for the first time in a while, “You won’t lose us, we’ll make sure of it.” Whether the statement was made out of denial or determination, who knew.

They spent the rest of the day cuddling and watching movies until they eventually passed out while in the middle of Frozen.

When Patton woke up the next morning, the first thing he noticed was the lack of warmth, the next was hushed murmurings. He shifted a bit so he could find who was making the noise, catching the notice of his boyfriends by doing so. Roman then walked over and picked Patton up to set him down at the table.

“I can walk, you know.”

“Yes, but we’re not allowing you to walk more than you have to, Patty-cake.” Declared the dramatic man as he sat Patton down in a seat.

“Though, we are allowing you to walk every once in a while so you are not at risk of blood clots.” Logan’s voice called out from the stove, the smell of whatever he was making in the air. He then plated whatever it was and set it in the middle of the table.

Virgil took his seat next to Patton and gave the kind man a small squeeze. “We just don’t want you to overexert yourself, Cookie.” The use of their high school nicknames made Patton giggle.

“So, what do ya guys have planned for today. Surely it’s gotta be something interesting by the way you were all whispering.” Patton said as he started to fill his plate with food.

“Well, little Puffball,” Roman started from behind him, “We’re going to be having the best week ever before your surgery, starting with a trip to the shelter so you can play with the dogs.”

“That sounds great!” Patton all but shouted from his spot at the table. A week where he can spend it having fun with his boyfriends, amazing.

---

And amazing it was.

They spent the week making sure it was Patton’s best, going to his favorite places, watching his favorite movies, the absolute best cuddles, and overall made him feel special and loved. The best part though was the final night before the surgery where they blindfolded Patton while leading him to a certain spot. When they removed the blindfold off of Patton, he didn’t know what to say. They had set up a picnic in the park, but the area of the park they were at was what made Patton so speechless.

“Is this-”

“The place where we held our first date? Indeed, it is.” Logan finished for him, which he was grateful for. “We thought it would be nice to have another picnic at the place where it all started.”

“Yeah, who could forget the place where princey ran straight into a tree.” Virgil said, a squeak of defiance could shortly be heard after he received a smack from Roman.

“I think it’s lovely!” Patton looked at the picnic setup on top of the hill… great, a hill. He’s been feeling a bit dizzy from all of the stuff they’ve been doing leading up to the picnic. Before he could ask for help up there, he let out a yelp as Roman picked him up.

The picnic itself was a beautiful time. They had the same thing on their first date, pasta with a side salad, Roman rolled down the hill and ran into the same tree, Virgil started a food fight with everyone, and they ended the night with stargazing.

---

The next day was Patton’s surgery. They all had to wake up early, much to Virgil’s reluctance, to drive him to the hospital so they could prep him. Then they wait.

They were all scared in that waiting room. Why wouldn’t they? Their puffball was in surgery, a surgery that had a high chance of a side effect called death.

Roman went to the cafeteria to get some hot chocolate for everyone at some point, coffee was a no-go with their nerves already on edge, Logan was trying to keep Virgil from burning a hole in the floor, despite possibly being more worried than the ball of anxiety himself, and Virgil was trying to not go through all the different outcomes of the surgery.

After who knows how long, the doctor walked into the waiting room.

Patton’s surgery was a success.

You could practically feel the relief wash over the room.

“He hasn’t woken up yet from the anesthesia, but you are still allowed to wait in his room.” The doctor informed them right before he showed them to Patton’s room.

When they opened the door, their eyes laid on Patton laying in his bed. Unconscious but alive.

---

The first thing Patton registered when he woke up was the bright light, why is it so bright? The next was someone holding his hand. He turned his head to investigate, only for a smile to grace his lips as he saw Virgil passed out while holding his hand. He looked over Virgil’s shoulder to see that Roman and Logan fell asleep in the same chair close by, Roman looking more like a koala with how tight he was holding Logan.

It was a warming sight.

Patton decided not to bother their peace and go back to sleep. The main worry was over, he survived and now he can live his life with his wonderful boyfriends. He let that be his thought process as he drifted off to sleep surrounded by his loves.

[invitedeath]

SEPHIROTH                          — relationship & plotter call.

hello lovely isolians! it’s been actually ages since i made my first one, or my second one, so i’m coming back with new vigour & hopefully some new ideas to tempt you all into friendship ( or...enemy...ship) with sephiroth!

so liking this post means that you are 100% down with interacting with me in some fashion! ways this might happen may be... → me sending you im’s / tumblr asks to plot or chat! i can be quite a talkative person as a forewarning, as i love discussing rp things as well as getting to know my rp partner!  → if we are already friends on discord or twitter, i might message you that way to ask you about plots or ideas or to run things by you. → exchanging ask memes / meme day things that might be a bit more personal than a general sentence meme. → possible random starters or musings dedicated to your muse, sometimes i get sudden inspiration for these things! i will always check first that you’re okay with taking on a new thread, but yes this is for just... if i get inspired & want to put something up for you! → general tomfoolery and shenanigans in character ( and ooc if you like )

you can contact me via the im system here, by the /ask feature or you can ask for my discord/twitter if you prefer those. just let me know. discord is the most private however so we’d need to chat a bit more elsewhere first just for my comfort! i am in the isola discord sever however so we can totally talk in that server for a bit too!

FRIENDS.

↪ honestly friendships aren’t typically on the agenda for him. he is arrogant beyond belief and considers everyone to be weaker than him or to some degree unworthy of his time or energy. he really does not have any interest emotionally in anyone besides himself, instead he is far more likely to use and discard people when they are no longer needed. HOWEVER, in 2020 sephiroth underwent quite a big character development stage, essentially his long-term goal came to a head and it backfired pretty back when he got all his powers back, so while he’s super strong again now, he’s also semi-content (i guess) with living in isola for a while, if only so he can figure out how the multiverse works (meta, i know). he talks to people now (wow!) and engages in mostly philosophical conversations, about... life. death. etc.

↪  i am down to... vague villain-alliance type deals with fellow power players here. he wont consider your muse a friend, but rather a pawn or even a means to an end, that end being his goal of generally using this island for his means, apologies. preferably the intellectual, over-powered, edgy types will probably gravitate towards him more, but i’m willing to throw anything at the wall to see what sticks. he’s not a nice guy, by any means, but it would be interesting to see how he has to play the game here to his advantage until he regains powers. i especially would like to interact with other villains who are kind of just chilling, maybe they’re veterans in spirale also and they can share a glass of wine over watching all the citizens running around like ants. we could also do a murder if you are into that. 

↪ there are some cases where he might engage in conversation with non-villain types and these would likely be far more dialogue-heavy threads including metaphorical topics or debates. the conversations of life, death, mortality, good vs evil, frailty of existence, legacy, power and corruption, calamities, birthright and betrayal are just some of the topics possible to arise in discussion. that being said, whilst these topics would be of interest to him, the character themselves must meet his standard of what he considers worthy of his time eg. those just willing to argue with him will bore him whereas someone curious to his nature might be treated to an actual conversation. over time this has opened up into most people being capable of talking to him. he has less patience for over-eager plucky types, but anyone with a respectable manner who likes talking a lot will probably find an interesting conversation partner in this... ONLY SLIGHTLY CHILLED sephiroth. he’s not totally chill, he’s just a lil chill.

↪ warriors, outcasts, villains, intellectuals, fellow puppet-master type villains especially, those he ‘befriended’ in past events, perhaps even neighbours to his castle would all be likely connections. friends of those he has worked alongside or met, or those wishing to seek great power and know of his existence might seek him out also, but yes... ““““friends”“““ is a very difficult term for him. he’s getting better.

→ his most recent developments see him as a far more casual version of his canon self, over a year of living as close to a “domestic life” as possible have meant that whilst he is aloof and cold, he is also far more likely to be out and about, buying wine at some creepy gas station at 4:30am for example. he chats when he’s in the mood and might even stick around to cause some chaos for the sake of boredom eating him alive. so whilst he is still very much a dangerous inhabitant here in spirale, sephiroth is currently Domesticated somewhat. 

ENEMIES.

↪ heroes of all shapes and sizes might feel threatened by the ominous presence of a monster who seems inclined to side with chaos as opposed to peace. he’s not outright starting fires here but he is present in the more morbid moments of isolian discourse, an omen of death lingering on the sideline. he has his plans and he may just mock you with them, but in general since he does and WILL cut down npcs ( or players ) alike, he makes for the perfect villain. BE WARY he has all of his powers unlocked and knows the island well. fighting him would not guarantee your victory, especially if you are a freshly applied character.

in feb 2020 he almost brought chaos to spirale too so i’m sure anyone holding a grudge or wary of a potential threat like that would be very aggro towards him.

↪ he has traumas. plenty of them. some of them originate from labs and white coats, meaning he might just view you as an enemy if you’re a scientist or someone who dabbles in human experimentation. his reasons are his own, but let’s just say that if you consider him a good candidate for poking and prodding with scientific equipment, you may just lose an arm.

↪ i LOVE fight threads especially really gritty, bloody types. i would prefer to plot these out so we know what’s going on beforehand, but feel free to develop these with me honestly i love a good old classic villain hero showdown. he’s less likely to get into these without a good reason but if we do one, the winner is randomly determined via generator to make it fair if your character is also uncapped!

→ police/law enforcers/general crime stoppers might remember him for causing a bit of trouble in the past! insert how bad me be gif. try and ??? get him to apologise i guess. arresting sephiroth sounds like the plot of a funny movie. 

LOVERS.

↪ this man has a bf now, can you believe it? 2021...isola gay rights. 

MISC.

↪ pawns and such would be a fun dynamic later. his general presence is pretty terrifying, so it wouldn’t be a stretch if you have an appropriate muse for them to be fearful enough to carry out some little tasks for him. this might be more common later on, but i’m down to discussion for it currently!

↪ places you may find him can include:                 ↪ near his residence ( personal housing; castle in the mistwood  )                 ↪ fibonacci ward ( levels 3 and 4 especially due to the museums and things. but also the lowest levels, he tends to wander around there as if searching for something... feel free to try and figure out what it is )                 ↪ golden ward ( the university if only to borrow books from the library, he can read there for days at a time without sleep or food. he reads all kinds of things, both fiction and non fiction. )                 ↪ archimedes ward ( pretty much everywhere in this ward, it’s my favourite. he enjoys music and art sometimes. hit me with that biblical shit. )                ↪ the mistwood ( 100% down to be that cryptic creature that leads you from your path to your likely doom )                ↪ the city of yesteryear ( typically the underground areas, just investigating really. any strange occurrences would likely draw him there as would any presence of a strong power. )                ↪ atop skyscrapers, looming at the ‘edge’ of the world we can currently explore, typically more active at night, perhaps at the scene of a murder / attack ( plotted ), if he’s feeling extra ballsy he might be found in a bar but its very rare. very VERY rare, wandering broken buildings, invading scientific facilities or buildings. he’s not going to be found in busy, socially strained areas basically.

↪ i’m down for any ideas you might have too for plots so feel free to just message me if nothing here caters!

STATS PAGE | APPLICATION | PLOTTING PAGE

[noblecrumpet-dorkvision]

D&D Worldbuilding: Cities

Planning

There are a few ways to plan out a city for your D&D campaign and they can be as detailed or as specific as you need. Figure out what you need the city for.

Main Hub: If the entire campaign revolves around this city, it’s important to flesh it out with detail so you can answer PCs’ inevitable questions and let them do what they want to do. Create complex relationships between NPCs, factions, economy, religion, and politics for the PCs to unravel each time they return to the city.

Major Location: This won’t be the only city the PCs visit, but they will spend some time here. Flesh out the city with its various districts and some relevant plot hooks and NPCs. Flesh out the city by working from vague to specific as players spend more time there. You don’t want to develop the place too much if the players end up leaving for another location.

Just a Visit: If the PCs are only visiting the area, you only need to plan or map out the relevant parts of the city and create the NPCs they need to encounter or are likely to encounter (like shopkeepers when they go to restock supplies). Plan out a description of the city with a few key landmarks and interesting features that give the city character if they wish to revisit it later.

Passing Remark: The players will likely never reach this city unless they work toward it. Come up with an elevator pitch with a one-sentence description of the city so the campaign world feels larger and maybe you will even entice them to go. What is the city famous for? What is its most prominent landmark? What are its relationships to other cities (trade/politics)? Once you answer these you don’t need to go any further until the PCs say “We want to go there”

Once you know how detailed you need to be, there are two ways to plan a city (two that I use, anyway). I will either create a list of traits to inform how the city looks, or create a map and use it to inform what’s in the city. Often, these methods end up playing with each other and lead to map reworks or second drafts, and that’s okay. Trust me, your first idea is never your best!

Map Draft

Let’s start with making a map because it’s more freeform and easier to explain. The first thing you decide when making a map is what the focus will be. This will often be a power center (like a castle or tower) or an identifying landmark (like a mountain, lake, great tree, giant shard of crystal, anything really). Once you have that, work fast and loose to imagine how the city springs up from there. Create masses of buildings (not individual ones) and create districts. Give the map an interesting and asymmetrical silhouette or shape (unless you’re going for a symmetrical look to emphasize a city’s lawful alignment). As you get more detailed remember that everything should highlight the focal point for your city map. As far as specific areas to fill in, here is a handy list of things to keep in mind.

City Defenses: In a world with giant creatures and cloistered kingdoms, some cities opt for walls, gates, towers, siege weapons, or other such things.

Commerce Center: Where does the majority of trade take place in the city? Are there different areas for this?

Districts: Most cities tend to divide into districts, like residential, commercial, industrial, governmental, religious, or military districts. Try to come up with unique districts that let them differ from districts in other cities.

Entry Points: Where do people enter and leave the city? There is most likely more than one way to do so (for the safety of the city).

Landmarks: Besides the focal point, your city should 100% always have something the players will remember to help them visualize the city. There can be other smaller landmarks, perhaps one in each city district.

Lower Class: If you have a lower class district, they will have smaller, more densely-packed buildings. They may exist both inside and outside the city walls, but tends to spread further from the power center.

Power Center: Whoever leads the city is probably going to have a big building or walled district or point of interest to display their station.

Upper Class: If you have an upper class district, they will have larger buildings, more leisure space, more monuments, and possibly be walled off from the rest of the city. They are more likely to be closer to the power center.

Water source: Many cities needs access to water to keep their huge population alive, so don’t neglect this.

City Features/Traits

Cities have a variety of traits that make them unique from one another. Determine the nature of these traits to help flesh out your city. A flavorful city has positive traits and negative ones; strengths as well as flaws.

Power Center/Government: Who holds the power in your city? Look at various forms of government and don’t limit yourself to just monarchy. Cities can have a democracy, republic, military, theocracy, or perhaps an arcane form of leadership. You can get creative with fantasy elements or add complications to your government to make the city unique: perhaps a strange sentient crown controls the queen, or a ghost of a king maintains control of their monarchy beyond death. Perhaps the oligarchy is a sham and a secretive cult really bends the city to its whims.

Complications don’t always means evil plots, but they can make things difficult when trying to influence the city as a whole. The city’s government isn’t necessarily its center of power. If the city’s senate is in the thieves’ guild’s pocket, the PCs may have to parley with the guild instead of the senate.

Economy: Cities aren’t often self-sufficient. They specialize in certain resources and lack in others, which leads to imports and exports. A mining city might have a booming metals and stone industry, exporting raw ores and gems or even refined ones with jewelry, but might lack in wood or food and need to import it from a neighboring town. These help define the city’s relations to other cities nearby. The city’s economy can also differ within its own gates. Consider the disparity of wealth in your city between the rich and poor.

How does the city spend its wealth? An interesting city will prioritize one aspect over others, or neglect one aspect in favor of others. Here are some things a city can spend its wealth on:

Expansion: The city seeks physical growth by buildings structures to expand its borders or establishing colonies in distant lands. Cities that neglect expansion might not suffer as much but may be content with their position on a global scale.

Infrastructure/Transportation: The city focuses on being as efficient as possible with well-maintained systems and structures in place. A city that neglects infrastructure might find themselves at odds with merchants and nobles who frequent the use of roads and bureaucratic systems, while residents are forced to tolerate the city’s difficulties.

Residences: The city focuses on making its housing maintained and affordable and expanding. The city wants people living inside it rather than commuting to the city. A city that neglects this may have slums or shantytowns and may be over- or underpopulated.

Military/City Defense: The city seeks to defend itself by maintaining its walls and guard towers, ensuring regular and frequent patrols and lookouts. They likely have a standing army that is maintained in case of attack. Perhaps their relationships with other kingdoms are strained. A city that neglects this is either in peacetime or is vulnerable. The streets may be rampant with unchecked crime.

Education/Technology: The city seeks to improve its people and its efficiency. In the case of a fantasy city, this may involve magic and magic items, but could also simply be a city attempting to revolutionize and move beyond other cities with something that improves an existing system. A city that neglects this may have masses that are easier to manipulate and may be stuck in the past.

Food/Health: The city focuses on its people’s wellbeing by ensuring they can get enough food and water to live and enough health care (either through doctors or priests) to persist. A city that neglects this may have very unhappy and unhealthy people. The masses tend to revolt when their society betrays them of these core things.

Extravagance: The city focuses on its appearance or the arts. The city may have a lot of excess wealth to spend on this or might rely on pilgrims and tourists for its economy and presents a gorgeous face to draw them in. Cities often neglect this first unless they are doing well or the rich seek to pacify the poor without giving up their station. Cities that do neglect this are often utilitarian with only a few striking monuments or important structures.

Military: What serves as the city’s military? Try to pick a focus for the city that takes advantage of its position. A coastal city will have a powerful navy to defend its docks and trade routes. A mountainous city may have fantastic archers and catapults to take advantage of their height. A city surrounded by plains will have a good cavalry to make quick maneuvers. A city in a wooded region will have infantry to navigate the terrain better than cavalry, and take advantage of the plentiful cover against arrowfire.

How large is the military? One city might have a daunting and powerful military presence while another might only have a standing militia. It depends on how much conflict the city faces, within and without its walls.

How does the city use its military? Are they actively defending the city? Are they campaigning in foreign lands? Are they attacking another city? Is the military used to keep its rebelling population in line? Consider this, as it will prominently let players know what the city and its leadership will live and die for.

Religion(s): Cities might have multiple religions or just one. Choose which ones feature prominently in the city, if any, and how much city life revolves around those religions. I won’t go into the detail of every deity and religion in the D&D universe, but consider that each has its own specific dogma, style, and portfolio that will influence how its worshipers act. A city that worships a chaotic-evil deity will differ vastly from one that worships a lawful-good one. A city with many deities will be different than both.

Figure out where each religion’s center of power lies in your city, and how much influence they have.

Shops/Taverns: Although they often serve as minor details in the grand scheme of a city, shops and taverns should be interesting and memorable for the players’ experience. Shop owners and innkeepers are an important reflection of the city, demonstrating how the populace views the city in which it lives. Moreover, filling a shop with items to buy and a tavern with quest hooks gives the players easy places to restock and find information when visiting the city. Put interesting characters in there to help characterize the city.

Landmarks: Landmarks define the setting and location and can even serve metaphorical or narrative meaning for the city. They help players visualize the city in their mind and remember it. Landmarks can be manmade or naturally-occurring, as long as it gives players groundwork to know where they are. The bigger and more unusual it is, the more interesting and memorable your city will be. Is there a giant shard of permanently-frozen ice from an ancient white dragon’s attack eons-ago looming as a grim reminder over the city? People tend to remember that sort of thing. Every city should be interesting, but just keep in mind not every city needs to have the same level of intrigue. If you have a main city the plot centers around, then go ham and go weird.

City Story: Cities can have stories just like any character, and when you start treating them like a character, it can have amazing results. Cities have backstories, conflicts, allies, and are filled with unique individuals who all contribute to the city’s traits.

History of the City: Cities aren’t built in a day. What happened to the city in the past to bring it where it is today? Disasters and war are useful historical tools that can be built around. The city recovers from such things but might never be the same. I have a city where a dragon’s attack caused a landslide that revealed an entry to the Underdark, and an entire city district built itself around it years later. History also adds layers to your campaign setting and makes it feel bigger and more unfathomable.

Factions: Cities draw people together, and people tend to group into communities. Those communities often have different goals that can come at odds with one another. This is where factions come in. Decide which factions are the most prominent in your city, establish their goals and ideals, and perhaps find a way to identify them. Figure out how they relate with other factions and what actions they have taken or plan to take to achieve their goals. Players love joining factions and it can give them an important stepping stone into the story of your world. Factions can include guilds, religious organizations, noble families, consortiums, or many such things.

Districts: Separating the city into more digestible portions can help players get to know it better and diversify it by forcing you to come up with unique areas of the city. Of course, don’t limit your city to such divisions. A commercial district can have a residential building, and an upper-class area can have an abandoned building housing squatters. The districts can even just be divisions in name only, much like street names. They may even be more memorable if they bear a unique name rather than simply “Merchant Ward” or “Warehouse District.”

What’s more interesting is creating something visually or culturally different for each district. Perhaps a district of a city named Towerhamme was built by giants from ages past and the colossal buildings have been subdivided by the humans now living there. Another district might consist of predominantly Thri-Kreen who worship Bralm (the goddess of insects and industry) and all speak a different dialect that mixes Thri-Kreen and Common. A district might lie in the dark underneath another district, with pillars as thick as trees holding up the buildings and streets above it, and come to be called the Night-Stone Forest. Not every district needs to be a didactic description of what’s in it.

NPCs: You don’t need to list everyone in the city, but make sure you know who the important people are. Name the people who are in power; those leading the government, religions, and factions. Name those important to your storyline. Think up interesting NPCs for the taverns and shops in your city. And most importantly, keep a list of random names handy so you can come up with them on the spot when PCs talk to people you didn’t prepare for. It may even be helpful to come up with interesting characters complete with backstories that the PCs can meet as allies or enemies. Just be careful with this, because you don’t know which NPCs your characters will become invested in until they do. The random throwaway character might be their favorite person to talk to while the most unique character that you delved into the deep history of was too boring for them. Make characters like crazy, but make backstories when you have to.

Foreign Relations: In terms of a city as a character, these are your city’s “bonds.” How does the city deal with other places? Economics and trading can be a large influence on how a city feels about another city or territory. If they rely a lot on each other they will tend to help each other out. If not, they might be indifferent or even enemies. Members of cities might feel differently than the city as a whole, but the city’s leadership most definitely will take some sort of diplomatic stance against other cities or territories.

A city’s diplomacy can be important to a storyline and add to the tone for the campaign. If two cities dislike each other, players will feel the tension if they travel between them. Friendly cities will be a different experience that carries less tension and more of an exploratory tone as the PCs wonder what awaits them.

City relations can also create opportunities for players to get involved, letting them ignite wars or resolve them can be important if that’s what the PCs want from the campaign.

[papermoonloveslucy]

MARILYN MONROE

June 1, 1926 - August 4, 1962

Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortenson) was an actress, model, and singer. Famous for playing comedic "blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s and was emblematic of the era's changing attitudes towards sexuality. She was a top-billed actress for only a decade, but her films grossed $200 million by the time of her death in 1962. More than half a century later, she continues to be a major popular culture icon.

"When I was five I think, that's when I started wanting to be an actress. I didn't like the world around me because it was kind of grim, but I loved to play house. When I heard that this was acting, I said that's what I want to be. Some of my foster families used to send me to the movies to get me out of the house and there I'd sit all day and way into the night. Up in front, there with the screen so big, a little kid all alone, and I loved it.” ~ Marilyn Monroe,1962

Lucille Ball never worked with Marilyn Monroe, but meet her in 1953 at Ciro’s Nightclub on Sunset Strip, along with Betty Grable, and Red Skelton. Monroe’s immense popularity permeated Ball’s work none-the-less. 

At the start of “Changing the Boys’ Wardrobe” (ILL S3;E10) the gang is heading to the movies to see “That picture we’ve been trying to get to for weeks with Marilyn Monroe.” The movie is likely Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, which premiered in New York City in July 1953. On November 5, 1953, the same day the episode was filmed, Monroe’s new film How to Marry a Millionaire was released in the US. 

The November 1953 cover of TV and Movie Screen Magazine saw Lucy (in “The Camping Trip”) and Marilyn wearing the dress she wore on the May 1953 cover of Life Magazine promoting Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. 

Also on November 5, 1953, the town of Monroe, New York (60 miles from New York City) was temporarily renamed Marilyn Monroe.

The film later inspired much of the plot of “Second Honeymoon” (S5;E14), Lucy’s failed attempt to make their transatlantic crossing to Europe more than just a working vacation.    

Monroe’s dinner companion turns out to be a seven year-old boy, just like Lucy’s ping pong partner turns out to be young Kenneth Hamilton (Harvey Grant). 

Lucy gets stuck in a porthole just as Monroe did, also draping a blanket around her shoulders so passersby wouldn’t know what was really going on.

The idea for the burlap potato sack dresses in “Lucy Wants A Paris Gown” (ILL S5;E20) comes from Monroe’s real life. 

In 1951 Marilyn Monroe took a series of high fashion photographs wearing a potato sack as a response to a journalist who said that she might look sexier in a burlap sack than her usual fashion choices. 

Lucy first wore burlap at the end of “Mr. and Mrs. TV Show” (ILL S4;E24) as her scary version of a Phipps make-over.

In “Ricky’s Movie Offer” (ILL S4;E5) Lucy and Ethel argue about who looks more like Marilyn Monroe. 

While Lucy has the facial features, Ethel has the blonde hair. 

Fred (hilariously) settles the argument!  

In “Ricky’s Screen Test” (ILL S4;E7) a long list of Hollywood names are dropped in anticipation of hobnobbing with celebrities, including Marilyn Monroe. 

In “Lucy and Harpo Marx” (ILL S4;E28) Lucy wonders if Ethel might pass for Monroe to a near-sighted Carolyn Appleby. After Ethel tries to walk like Marilyn Monroe, Lucy decides that “nobody is that near-sighted!” Fred says that he looks more like Marilyn than either of them! 

In “Lucy and Superman” (ILL S6;E13), the Appleby’s come over for a social evening that Ethel calls “the bore war” because the couples only talk about their children. As the scene opens, Caroline is in mid-sentence talking about a Marilyn Monroe film.

CAROLINE: “...and he picked up Marilyn Monroe, slung her over his shoulder and carried her off!”

Although the title is never mentioned, the film they are discussing is Bus Stop, starring Marilyn Monroe and Don Murray. It was released in August 1956, two and a half months before this episode was filmed.

When “Lucy Does the Tango” (ILL S6;E20), she stuffs eggs down her blouse and Ethel stashes a some in her back pockets. Lucy tells her, “Whatever you do don’t try to walk like Marilyn Monroe,” but the ‘yolk’ is on Ethel when Fred suddenly enters through the kitchen door! 

In “Lucy the Gun Moll” (TLS S4;E25), Lucy plays Lucy Carmichael and Rusty Martin. The name Rusty Martin was probably derived from Lucy’s hair color and the surname of Mary Martin, who introduced the song “My Heart Belongs to Daddy” (music and lyrics by Cole Porter) in the 1938 Broadway musical Leave It to Me. Marilyn Monroe sang it in the 1960 film Let’s Make Love.  In that same film, Harry Cheshire, who played Sam Johnson in “Oil Wells” (ILL S3;E18), played Monroe’s father. Jerry Hausner (Jerry, Ricky’s Agent) and Joan Banks (Reporter Eleanor Harris in “Fan Magazine Interview”) played uncredited supporting roles. 

Lucy and Marilyn shared a leading man in handsome Keith Andes. Andes was Lucy’s male lead in Wildcat on Broadway, and later played was featured on three episodes of “The Lucy Show.”  

In 1952, he played opposite Marilyn in Clash By Night, an RKO picture. 

In “Lucy Gets Ricky on the Radio” (1952), the June 3, 1952 of Look Magazine actually had Lucille Ball and Marilyn Monroe on the cover!  Monroe was promoting Clash by Night, and Desi had written a feature on his wife for the magazine. So Marilyn actually did appear on “I Love Lucy” - if only in a still photo. 

Some Like It Hot (1959) is arguably one of Marilyn Monroe’s most popular films. What does it have in common with Lucille Ball? In 1958, both Lucy and Monroe were depicted at San Diego’s famous Del Coronado Hotel. It is the hotel that the Ricardo’s and Mertzes stay at in “Lucy Goes to Mexico” (LDCH S2;E1) as well as the backdrop for much of the film. Although Desilu filmed establishing footage of the hotel, the cast stayed in Hollywood, while Monroe went on location (as seen above). In “Lucy Goes to a Hollywood Premiere” (TLS S4;E20), Mr. Mooney says he wouldn’t buy a second hand nightie if it had been worn by Jack Lemmon in Some Like It Hot.

The Irving Berlin song “There’s No Business Like Show Business” was sung on “I Love Lucy” and “The Lucy Show.”  Although it was originally from the Broadway musical Annie Get Your Gun (1946), it also served as the title and was performed (by Merman) in the Marilyn Monroe film There’s No Business Like Show Business in 1955. 

In 1952, Marilyn co-starred by Richard Widmark (”The Tour” ILL S4;E30) in the film noir drama Don’t Bother To Knock. The film also featured “Lucy” players Lurene Tuttle (Fine Arts League President), Verna Felton (Mrs. Porter), Gloria Blondell (Grace Foster), as well as Harry Bartell, Olan Soule, Robert Foulke, and Bess Flowers.

That same year, Monroe starred in We’re Not Married! opposite Lucy’s friend and former co-star Ginger Rogers, as well as Eve Arden (”Hollywood at Last!”), Paul Douglas (”Lucy Wants a Career”) and Eddie Bracken (Too Many Girls). 

One of Monroe’s most iconic moments came in March 1962 when she sang “Happy Birthday” as a birthday present to President John F. Kennedy in a public birthday celebration also attended by Lucy’s friends and co-stars Jack Benny, Jimmy Durante, Henry Fonda, Danny Kaye, Shirley MacLaine and Elliott Reid. A year later, Lucy Carmichael also gave Kennedy a present, a sugar cube replica of the White House on “The Lucy Show” with Elliott Reid doing Kennedy’s offstage voice as well as playing a small on-camera role! 

"I never quite understood it, this sex symbol. I always thought symbols were those things you clash together! That's the trouble, a sex symbol becomes a thing. I just hate to be a thing. But if I'm going to be a symbol of something I'd rather have it sex than some other things they've got symbols of." ~ Marilyn Monroe, 1962

Monroe was married (and divorced) three times: 

James Dougherty, Merchant Marine & Policeman (1942-46) 

Joe DiMaggio, Baseball Player (1954-55)

Arthur Miller, Playwright (1956-61)

In “Lucy is Enceinte” (ILL S2;E10), Fred gives Lucy a signed baseball for his future 'godson’. When he asks Lucy to read out the signature, she at first says “Spalding,” the ball’s brand name, but then finds it is signed by Joe DiMaggio.

In “Ragtime Band” (ILL S6;E21), Little Ricky asks his Uncle Fred: 

LITTLE RICKY: “Who’s Joe 'Maggio?” FRED: “'Who’s Joe 'Maggio?’ You talk more like your father everyday.”

In “Sales Resistance” (ILL S2;E17), Lucy compares herself to Willy Loman, the title character in Death of a Salesman, a Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Arthur Miller first produced on Broadway in 1949 and made into an Oscar-nominated film in 1951.  

Speaking of husbands, Desi Arnaz has something in common with Marilyn Monroe, too. Both of their souses were accused of being Communists by the House Un-American Activities Committee during the 1950s. Both Lucille and Arthur Miller were cleared of charges and their careers continued, although that was not true for many celebrities of the time. 

Monroe died on August 4, 1962. The toxicology report showed that the cause of death was acute barbiturate poisoning. Empty medicine bottles were found next to her bed. The possibility that Monroe had accidentally overdosed was ruled out because the dosages found in her body were several times over the lethal limit.

The character of Ginger, the movie star castaway on “Gilligan’s Island” (1964-67) was described during casting as a combination of Lucille Ball and Marilyn Monroe. Tina Louise had Lucy’s red (ginger) hair and Monroe’s shapely physique. The series also featured Natalie Schafer (Phoebe Emerson) as Mrs. Howell, and Alan Hale Jr. as the Skipper. Hale performed on “The Lucy Show” and “Here’s Lucy”. Series creator Sherwood Schwartz was a Lucy fan. His brother Elroy Schwartz actually wrote scripts for Lucille Ball. 

In the 2013 web-series “Ryan & Ruby” both Lucille Ball and Marilyn Monroe are given special thanks for their inspiration. The last name of star and creator Ryan Burton's character is "Carmichael", the same as Ball's character on the "The Lucy Show". In Ryan’s kitchen there are fridge magnets with photos of both Lucy and Marilyn.  

Lucy and Marilyn are street characters at Universal Studios theme parks, their iconic hair and costumes making them instantly recognizable.

The same day Marilyn Monroe was born in 1926, another Hollywood icon with connections to Lucille Ball was also born, Andy Griffith.  To read his birthday blog, click here! 

[eldritchsurveys]

1137.

made by sonaatti 1. If you play video games, what do you usually like to play? If you don't play video games, do you like watching others play? If so, what? >> I play single-player RPGs and MMORPGs the most -- Final Fantasy XIV is definitely the game I’ve played the most in the past year, and I also did another Skyrim run. I really like games with customisable player characters the most; I tend to lose interest in games that have an established character (The Witcher 3 is a very cool game! I still get bored of it pretty quickly no matter how many times I try to play it, and it’s largely because Geralt -- as loveable as he is -- is a very established character. I should just read the books or watch the TV show, lol). I also like games where the world adapts depending on the choices you make (high replayability, there), and games with intricate spiritual or divinity-related themes (I really like what Pillars of Eternity did there, and Final Fantasy games are often pretty intriguing on that front too). And then there’s games like Hades, which I didn’t expect to enjoy nearly as much as I do (because games where you die a lot as a rule are usually intimidating and frustrating, but Hades manages to make it a necessary part of how you get stronger and get more Cool Stuff so I feel way less bad about dying all the time, and also the NPCs are so fucking neat and the art style and combat mechanics are both intensely satisfying). The third kind of game I like is games like Journey, which... well, if you’ve played it, you’d know. It’s just beautiful. 2. What are three things you like about nature? >> It is a route to connection; learning about ecology and observing nonhuman creatures provides so much perspective and reminds me of how interconnected everything innately is, despite how disconnected I feel in the human world. That’s really it, like... everything I love about the natural world is summed up by that sentence. 3. In what ways are you a responsible/"functional" adult? In what ways do you feel you aren't? >> I am a responsible and functioning adult in that I use my small income wisely and conscientiously, I try to keep my living space clean and habitable, I take care of myself (physically and mentally) as best as I can, and I try to treat other people and other living creatures as respectfully as possible, acknowledging that they have their own rich internal lives just like I do. The things that I cannot do -- things that other people regard as part of “being an adult” because of social pressure and ableism -- are irrelevant to me. 4. Do you have any interesting facts about your ancestors? If so, what? If not, what about relatives? >> No. 5. Do you believe in spirits? (You can interpret "spirits" however you want.) >> This is a difficult question to answer, because I have no idea where to begin or how to approach the question. I feel like I could better explain my perspective in a conversation, a back-and-forth where more specific questions are being asked and other views (and definitions) are being shared as well. It’s not a “yes” or “no” for me, because “yes” or “no” would tell you absolutely nothing -- but if I had to choose one of the two, “yes” would be the answer I would choose.

6. What do teenagers have right now that you wish you had when you were their age? >> I’m not sure what teenagers have right now that I didn’t have at their age, to be honest. The only thing I can think of is social media, which... yeah, I’m very glad that wasn’t around when I was a teenager. 7. Are there any poems you like? >> There are a couple, but I can never remember what they are when I’m asked. 8. What do you think is missing/needs to be improved in the feminist movement? >> This is far outside my wheelhouse, all I know is that the TERF thing has ballooned out of control on social media at least, and it’s off-putting. 9. How open are you when it comes to talking about sex? (Whether that be your own sex life, sex in general, etc.) >> I have no issue talking about sex, generally. Talking about it personally is a hit or miss, depending, because my relationship to sexuality is fraught and mostly traumatic, and I am functionally asexual (I don’t feel sexually attracted to other humans, I experience libido but I have no desire to seek out another human being for sexual activity, and I find the idea of being sexualised to be unsettling at best at least 98% of the time). Also, because the kind of sex I do have is... well, Inworld, and no one really knows what that means or how that works except some other people that have “Inworlds” of their own. I also connect sex to things like... well, devouring and death and stuff (big Scorpio energy, you know the drill), which is repellant to a lot of people but makes perfect sense to me. So it’s tough. 10. Are you a fan of the horror genre? If so, what are some of your favorite films/television shows/books/etc. that you like? If not, what do you not like about it? >> I am! Maybe one day I’ll try to make a list of faves, but like... it’s hard to remember stuff like that off the top of my head. 11. Do you thiink we're living in a dystopian world? Why/Why not? >> I mean, maybe. I can see why people would say so, but I don’t really think about it too much. 12. Would you commit murder if you knew you could get away with it? >> I don’t know. I have no idea what the emotional or spiritual toll of committing a murder would be, so I’m wary to just say “sure!” or whatever. Also, Hannibal makes murder look sexy and romantic, and I appreciate that greatly, but like... real life ain’t like that, so what’s the point? 13. Which musical artist do you like that seems to surprise people? Why is that? >> I’m not sure. Most of the people that know me in any capacity become aware of my all-over-the-map music taste pretty quickly, I think. I don’t think I ever give off the impression that I only like one type of music. I think maybe it might surprise someone that I still listen to pop music from my childhood (BSB, Britney Spears)? It seems like most people my age “grow out” of that at some point, but I never stopped liking anything I liked back then, I just added way more stuff to my “I like this” list as time went on. 14. Would you rather have the power to resurrect the dead or enter the world of the dead (but you can't interact with anyone)? >> I don’t want to do either. I prefer the concept of being able to dwell in-between -- to see death and life in the same context, to recognise and love the paradoxes inherent, to not make an enemy of transience and impermanance. I want to rejoice in the rest that the dead receive, and regard it as hallowed and desirable, not disrupt it for some whim of mine own. Imagine you’re mega tired and you finally lay down to sleep and you’re sinking gratefully into the pillows and the blankets and drifting off... and then someone comes busting into your room and turning on lights and yelling about something completely irrelevant to you. That’s exactly the feeling I imagine when I think of someone waking the dead.

[classpect-crew]

Hi! If you're still doing session analyses, can you tell me what you think of a session with a Witch of Time, Mage of Space, Sylph of Life, and a Knight of Doom?

For sure! It’s 4/13, after all, so this is the perfect time to bring out the big guns for some session analysis. It appears you’ve got a pretty good team setup as far as power goes, but I will warn you that if these players aren’t closely in sync, things could go awry very quickly. It’s going to be of utmost importance to keep everyone’s head on straight.

As we’ve seen with our favorite canon Witch of Time, Damara, having such a powerful Class and Aspect combination can be either a ticket to victory, or a surefire way to massively doom your entire session by way of emotional catastrophe. Think about it this way: Witches aren’t often keen on doing what others want them to, at least once they’ve accepted their role. Their great power comes with great responsibility, and they aren’t well-known for bowing down to authority, so that self-discipline has to develop from within. Granted, this Classpect isn’t a death sentence for your session just because Damara managed to fuck shit up so spectacularly. After all, the main reason she went off the rails is because Meenah was doing her best to spur the team into action, and her attempts to strengthen them through constant bullying backfired. Rather, it’s up to the individual Witch—as well as their allies—to put the team down a path that will secure victory.

The Witch of Time is going to have an incredible amount of sway over the timelines themselves, being able to travel through time as easily as breathing. They’ll certainly be able to increase or decrease an entity’s lifespan at will, or manipulate the flow of time in ways that will give their team a humongous advantage in the endgame. Doomed timelines will seem quite arbitrary to the Witch, who may not fully understand—or care—about the consequences of creating them. After all, while the Witch is gifted with an insane amount of power over their Aspect, it’s all quite instinctual. They don’t fully understand the inner workings like a Mage would, therefore their abilities will likely remain limited in their scope as far as creativity goes. You likely wouldn’t find a Witch of Time theorizing about timelines resembling musical staves and trying to combine them in harmony for some sort of metamagical feat, for example. That’s closer to the Mage’s domain. I analyzed the Witch of Time briefly here, almost exactly one year ago.

On the opposite side of the coin, you have the Mage of Space, which I’ve briefly discussed here. This is another very powerful Classpect, but for reasons quite different than the Witch of Time. The Witch/Mage opposite pair is defined thusly: Change/Manipulate versus Know/Understand. While a Witch can use their Aspect to create devastating effects, they lack the ability to understand its inner workings, which keeps them from using it in more creative ways. The Mage, on the other hand, isn’t going to inherit the game-breaking power of a Witch. Rather, their power comes from studying and understanding their Aspect inside and out. The Mage isn’t going to be surprised by the revelation that the purpose of frog-breeding is quite literally tied to the creation of the new universe. After all, this was all part of a theory they’ve been formulating since reaching their planet.

Having a Mage of Space in particular means your team is going to have a very clear shot toward victory, so long as you keep the Mage from doing something insanely reckless. This mostly depends on the Mage, since some are quite content to use their knowledge to benefit their team’s ultimate goals, but others will try to go off on their own if they feel their team is dragging them down. When the endgame hits, though, your Mage of Space will no doubt be a powerhouse, capable of an incredible array of utility-based feats. Need a place to recuperate mid-battle? Don’t worry, the Mage has pocket dimensions on speed dial. Think of it like a D&D Wizard using Rope Trick. When you fully understand how to shape and fold the fabric of spacetime, suddenly beating the Black King seems like child’s play.

One of the biggest indicators that your team can succeed is your Sylph of Life. As your team’s healer, and a powerful one at that, they’ll be tasked with ensuring your team stays buddy-buddy with existence. After all, the Aspect of Life isn’t just about health and vitality: it’s also about securing one’s ability to impact the universe. It’s not quite the same as relevance, since that’s part of Light’s domain. One doesn’t need to be relevant to have an impact, even from the shadows. In this way, your Sylph will also be your biggest cheerleader, making sure everyone has an impact on the path toward the Ultimate Reward. They’ll also be your go-to when team morale dips low, since they’ve got a hundred and one ways to get people feeling optimistic again.

Life players are insanely durable. Death rarely finds them, and in the odd case that it does, it simply doesn’t stick for long. A Sylph of Life would keep the team alive, but they would only be able to do so as long as the teammate in question is able to make further impact in a way that’s sanctioned by the universe. Think of it this way: when a God Tier dies a Heroic or Just death, they do so because their impact on the universe has come to an end. A Heroic death passes the torch onto the survivors, while a Just death ends the monopoly of influence that the person holds at the expense of others. Therefore, unlike the Maid of Life’s limit of one resurrection per person, regardless of past or future impact, the Sylph of Life would more or less be able to resurrect at will, though they wouldn’t be able to bring someone back from beyond a Heroic or Just death, and other limitations may apply. (Note: this is all theory on my part, since we’ve never seen this Classpect in canon. Because the Sylph is a Passive Class, though, it stands to reason that their Aspect would influence them, rather than having control over it. Therefore, their ability to bring entities back from the dead would be subject to the universe’s balance of influence regarding Heroic and Just deaths.)

Finally, we’ve reached the Knight of Doom. This one’s going to be a player to look out for and watch carefully. From the very onset, Knights have a way of masking their true feelings and intentions, putting up a mask to shield the more vulnerable parts of themselves. For a Knight of Doom in particular, this can be incredibly dangerous. Doom players have a tendency toward depression and anxiety by virtue of their Aspect’s influence over them. Thankfully, since the Knight is an Active Class, and a very scrappy one, they’ll likely be able to push through their own troubling thoughts, and can even use them to their own advantage. As one who weaponizes Doom, they’ll have a very good understanding of bending rules to meet their needs, exploiting loopholes and restrictions to support their end goal. They may also excel at hacking or programming in general, which will assist them in exploiting the rules of the game and the universe itself.

Look to your Knight to bypass the most difficult restrictions and open up the weak points in the game to devastating ends. They’ll be the one to ask when a seemingly insurmountable obstacle appears. Chances are, they’ll have at least five backup plans tucked away. They know how to game the system better than anyone, and when “the system” involves the entire multiverse, you’re looking at someone with a lot of game-changing power. The biggest risk you face by having a Knight of Doom at your side is the double-whammy of a Knight’s self-flagellation and a Doom player’s affinity for great power at the cost of great sacrifice. Your Knight will try their best to be the self-deprecating hero. They won’t just jump on the grenade: rather, they are the grenade, ready to sacrifice their life for a chance at victory. Don’t let them play the martyr until your team is good and ready to take full advantage of the massive effect their demise will cause. This should only be taken as a last resort, when shit truly hits the fan and victory is impossible without it.

All in all, you have a very solid chance of winning with this team, as small as it is, but team cohesiveness is of utmost importance, especially since there’s no Blood player to keep everyone working together. Still, as we’ve seen with the Beta Kids, sometimes the power of friendship can arise from within. Keep them focused toward the goal, make sure you take full advantage of their powerful Classpects, and you’ve got yourself a one-way ticket to a brand-new universe.