#obviously its not going to change so much as we have now witnessed but there IS absolutely change to be brought about from it. however smal

[toxiccaves]

we have people making posts that come off as anti-voting and then they go to say no thats not what we actually mean.

but then you have people on these posts saying theyre not going to vote or they dont care if t*ump can run again and wins and i just need to say. you fell for propaganda.

we still have a year and no idea where we will be at that time or who we're voting for, but we still need to come together and make a decision at that time because if you genuinly think we can stand another year of enabling bigots as loudly as they were, you are very wrong.

we get it, you mean to say we need to demand change from who we vote for, and that voting someone in does not guarantee change, and its evident not many people in govt represent the people. So say that instead!

you still need to go out and do it! voter supression is a thing for a reason! make this the bare minimum single thing you do, then continue doing every other radical revolutionary thing you suggest! the fact so many people are hopping on current events to start this anti-voting misinformation campaign is upsetting and questionable

[forestmossling]

okay. oh my fucking god. oh god, okay.

this is INSANE. this is absolutely fucking crazy. what i’m about to recommend you is absolutely fucking mind-bogglingly pants-shittingly bonkers in its brilliance, so y’all better read closely.

it’s always the fics with the shortest, least descriptive summaries ever, the ones you absent-mindedly stashed in your “marked for later” and forgot about them, isn’t it?

anyway, this is a masterpiece. in every definition and understanding of the word. there are too many great points about what’s going on in this fic and why you absolutely have to read it, so forgive me if i’m gonna be pretty incomprehensible and incoherent rn, okay?

first of all, the way this fic just ties the whole of the st universe together, the way eddie munson doesn’t just spawn out of nowhere in the beginning of s4, but actually exists in hawkins all this time. the way he witnesses all the crazy going-ons in town from the sidelines, and still has his own opinions and thoughts on them, even if he didn’t actively take part in them. just, love to see it.

second of all, different “first” meeting. oh my god, but how i love thee. obviously it wasn’t really the first meeting here, but steve and eddie coming together before the original timeline is something i will never get enough of, and it was done brilliantly here. the way their first conscious interaction happens when steve comes to apologize for being a piece of shit, and the way the narrative, from eddie’s pov, never lets you downplay and just forget that steve was, in fact, a douchebag in high school, is also something i love to see. yes, he’s forgiven, but not because he wasn’t that bad in the first place, as a lot of fics love to make it out to be (which, i don’t blame them, that’s also fine), but because he actively works to become a better person. we see him, time and time again, actively holding himself back from sliding into the “king steve” persona, owning up to the shit he did and proving that he has changed, and it’s beautiful. and it’s also nice to see here, because eddie doesn’t even find out about all the upside down shenanigans in this fic, so for him, steve isn’t a better person now because he saw him in his heroic martyr era and was impressed. he’s better because he doesn’t just let these objectively heroic and admirable actions automatically absolve him of all his sins, but actively works to repair the damage he did before he committed them. which also happens in canon, i guess, but i really love how it was shown here.

third, eddie. characterization in general, but eddie’s in particular, because oh my fucking god. he’s absolutely insane in the most humane and captivating way possible. the way he has so much history that made him the way he is, the way we see this past overlap with the present and realize how it affects the decisions he makes, the interactions he has with other people. and the way his past was written in general, the way it flashes him out so deeply as a person is absolutely brilliant. and the way he sees the world around him, the way his perceptions of the moments we catch him in is so deep and full of volume, dimension. it’s like one second you’re with him, listening to the conversation he has with another person, and another - in a wave of sound and music he taps on his leg with his fingers, in the songs he hears reverberating through every feeling he has. and the author is so masterful with throwing you around from one plane of reality to another, the way eddie is in his brain, and it’s so much it’s almost overwhelming, but they catch you just on the edge in the last second and keep your brain from being torn apart from trying to comprehend the absolute insanity going on in eddie’s head.

it really felt like this fic was repeatedly slapping me across the face and all i could do was deliriously ask for more.

and, while we’re on the topic of characterization, literally every character and every interaction between them are so real and so fitting for who they are in this universe. the way even through eddie’s warped perspective of him, steve’s actions and views fall into a perfectly functioning justified mechanism for the reader, not a screw out of place. the way through simple, and, on the surface, absolutely mundane conversations about the horror and romance genres, about the characters in the book eddie’s writing (he is, btw, and it’s also brilliant), we see the whole of who these characters are, how they see the world and themselves in it, their deepest fears and desires. and even aside from steddie, a personal stand-out for me was jeff, because he has a whole life outside of eddie’s narrative, and still manages to contribute to the plot and give insights into eddie and himself while not being a cardboard cut-out, only existing for the benefit of pushing eddie’s story forward. and the rest of hellfire - past and present - while mostly serving the purpose of showing how precious steve’s attention and care for things they didn’t get about eddie is, are still their own people.

whatever the next number is, i’m losing count, - the language the fic is written in. it’s just so fucking clever. the dialogues are witty and captivating without stinking of made-up-ness, the metaphors are so deep and colorful and voluminous without being pretentious and over the top. the words of this fic are something you have to chew on before you swallow, let the author immerse you in the picture they’re painting without breezing from one predictable trope point to another (which, they aren’t really predictable and expected here, which is another huge pro) in the everlasting greed for cheap escapism, as i am prone to doing. and that’s another thing i’m really grateful to this author for - making me sit with the words i’m reading for a second, instead of just gorging on them in my haste to get to the end and start another story, frantic to keep my brain occupied.

also, this fic genuinely had me endlessly invested in the fate of the characters, scared shitless or elated for them. it yanked me right out of the usual safety of predictable plot tropes which usually makes fanfiction so attractive for me, but i really wasn’t complaining. on one of the most stressful and deciding scenes of the fic (no spoilers tho), i genuinely started crying. i felt eddie’s resignation and anguish so deeply and personally, i couldn’t hold back if i wanted to. and that’s another thing i’m extremely grateful for - the absolute rollercoaster of emotions i went through before i got the reward of the happy ending.

i would also like to say that i was floored with how period-typical homophobia and other social issues were presented in this work. obviously, i can’t really vouch for it being realistic or not, because i’m not american and wasn’t even alive during that time, but i can say that it did feel very very real. in a lot of other works that talk about these issues the homophobia and societal judgement seem like such nebulous, far-away concepts, that are obviously real and have a tangible impact on the characters, but it’s like their still escapable, still out of reach (which, again, is not a bad thing). but here i felt like the repercussions for being who you are were physically breathing down my neck, incapacitating me with horror. and, on that note, just, the author’s overall attention to detail and period-fitting pop-culture and other little things that painted such a larger picture of living in that time period, tying the fictional story so tightly down to it. it felt so grounded in reality, that i felt like a person could tell me their older relative had gone through this in the eighties and i would believe them. but, as i said, i’m obviously not an authority on that topic for aforementioned reasons.

and also, aside from the reader’s perspective on the work, as a person who tries to write myself, i realize that this is the level of writing skill i’m aspiring towards. this is what i want my works to feel like to a reader, and i’m really not there yet, but seeing works like these inspires me so much to grow.

also, i would’ve absolutely loved to see a little bit more of robin there, to find out how this change in the canon narrative would affect the events of the s4, to see how steddie’s relationship would develop and transform with the upside down thrown into the mix. and that’s definitely not a slight against the fic for not including this things, but more of a testament to how greatly invested the author made me in their version of the story and how hard it is for me to let go of it. this fic is perfectly complete without those things, but, once i got a taste, i couldn’t help but want more and more, even though this story definitely isn’t in any way lacking or in need of those to feel whole. but that’s mostly my selfish desires speaking, don’t mind me.

and, here, have a couple of snippets with no particular reasoning behind them, just because they made me giggle:

i’m getting real rambly and i’m genuinely afraid this whole post is absolutely unreadable with how frantic and jittery i am in trying to get this off my chest, but when i’m telling you i was buzzing with this word-vomit, almost frothing at the mouth with the need to express the absolute glorious hellscape this fic left me in after i finished it, i’m probably underselling it.

so, in conclusion, please read this fic. please please please read this fic. if not for my sake or the @fabelds-blog’s (who got criminally little recognition for this masterpiece), then for your own, because i can guarantee you that not one second of reading this work will feel like a waste of time or a disappointment. *me, pointing a gun at you with shaking hands while tears stream down my face* please, PLEASE read this fic, because it’s absolutely worth it.

so, yeah. i don’t think a number large enough to rate this work even exists, but my closest approximation is 999999836526272910018172654244536384847635526728190199986553781010018654463892010197654272458499900909261379/10, am recommending. and, obviously, it’s up to you if you’re going to actually read the fic, but if after this madman’s rant you still opted not to, i regret to inform you that that is, in fact, the wrong choice, and i’m strongly urging you to reconsider.

[mellowwillowy]

Love, Longing and Lust

Not proofread, contains slight nsfw (noncon)

"Princess, where are you heading to?"

The crown prince just wouldn't stop tailing you. It was a mistake to reunite with him. It was a mistake to reunite with both of them.

"... Princess?"

Both, of them.

You accidentally tripped yourself and was caught mid way by the second. His grip tightened a bit before he steadied you.

"Princess, what are you doing running around? It does not paint a... great portrait of you..."

While the second one was more 'calm', he was no exception to the unhingeness of this castle. This whole nation, you should have brought it down to fire.

"Tell him to stop tailing me around then perhaps I can finally act in modesty!"

You spat, while leaving them both, grumbling.

"What did you do?"

"Not much, just following her here and there!"

"... be mindful of your actions. She will soon be a part of our lineage"

".... .... I don't like that."

The first one was not pleased about it. To see you be wedded to another children of that bastard? He was the crown prince, so why couldn't he choose who to marry?

Simple. Because you were lower than the woman he was arranged with.

"We'll do something about that, I've asked someone to handle your fiancee personally"

"Hmm, then how are we going to share... in the end, only I get to marry her~ while you are nothing but a pristine man"

The first snickered at the second.

"Silence, for I am no longer tempted with earthly desires"

Lie.

Liar.

....

..

.

"What?! Why is it suddenly rearangged?!"

"Why does it even matter?! Look! We got someone who is even better than that cow!"

Both of them handled it well. The supposed fiancee? Only history knows what happened.

"But I don't want to! He is nothing but a creep! Urghh, just thinking about him made me feel, urph-"

The dispute between you and your father never found its own ending. In the end, you were wedded to the crown prince. While it was questionable, your family paid no mind of it. If their daughter could be wedded and mentioned into the lineage, who wouldn't accept?

The whole wedding was opulent, the lights illuminated in the whole building painted everyone in awe. But not for you.

"Do you think you can vow your love for eternity?"

"Formalities"

"We'll consummate tonight though"

"Formalities."

"With a witness, that is"

"!! Huh?"

You should have questioned him further but you didn't. His hands just wouldn't stop pestering you enough. One squeezing your hip while the other one just traveled wherever it wanted to be.

"I think you should really mind your manner"

"Why? We are both spouses to each other now"

"You-"

"Let's stop bothering her, alright?"

If your internal organs could scream, they'd be screaming happily to see your spouse sulking. Of course it didn't last long when the night fell.

Your first night.

".... what? Come again?"

"I said~ we need a witness for what we are about to do?"

"Witness?! Are you nuts?! Let go of me!"

Why must he told you that when you guys are mid way of playing around now? And who exactly was this witness? Just when you were about to get yourself off the bed, he held you back by the ankle and,

"He's going to watch us and swear to god that we have done it well~"

You looked toward the door. It's the second. Obviously you stated throwing tantrums, telling him to leave.

"Darling...", his grip tightened, almost painful.

"You get to choose. Either I prepare you really well for our first time or..."

He grabbed your chin and made you face the second.

"I penetrate you dry and plainfully bloody"

"Hiii-!"

"Now then, I'd be pleased if you beg yourself for the first!"

Humiliaton. Endless humiliation. Not only did you have to beg for the first one, you also had to bear the shame of someone else watching your bare body and expressions changing.

"Please... huk-"

Your tears wouldn't stop rolling. But no one cared. No one cared.

No one.

...

..

.

(I just wanna get to the Second's turn)

"... do you think God really exist somewhere?"

Your question caught him off guard while he was praying. God?

"If so... I wonder how much indecencies he wanted me to bear"

Right, the Second did not stop what he had to do every time they did it. 'Witnessing the love they were bearing' was nothing but a joke.

"... I believe this is no question you should pose in the holy-"

"Do you even conside yourself holy?"

"...Pardon?"

"... of course not, excuse me", you scoffed at him before leaving.

He started to think. Think. Think. And think. He was thinking hard enough to stop you by the wrist and,

"... I think, you are not holy enough.."

"Wha-?"

Splash!

The holy water, you are literally inside it now, drenched from top to toes!

"What the hell do you think you are do-"

A kiss to seal your lip from bickering, a really deep kiss. It's way too scandalous! You tried to free yourself from his grip but he just wouldn't let go!

"I said, I don't think you are holy enough"

His hands started to undress you.

"That's why, I'll do my best,"

Another kiss.

"To make you, the holiest."

You tried to get off from the water itself until you felt someone pushed your head down into the water.

"Great~ great~! Now then, let's proceed!"

You brought your head back to the surface.

"You-! What are you doing?! Can't you see what he's doing to your wife?!"

"But he's done nothing wrong right?"

"What?"

"Kekeke, we already promised each other that if we, or one of us, decided to make you bear our love... the other one will make sure to watch everything. To ensure that the whole thing was proceeded well and safe!"

Your heart dropped. No, no, no. Don't.

The second grabbed you by your jaw and made you faced him.

"God wanted you to bear our love and I shall carry it out, please, accept the blessing from the child of God"

Ah.

..

.

"Hmmm~ whose child is it, I wonder!!"

".... one thing for sure is that it is undoubtedly, the new child of God"

"Or perhaps children?! I can't wait to see them!"

You were not excited to see them.

But if God wanted otherwise,

Who were you to complain.

- ??? ; Love, Longing and Lust ; ???

First : Childe , Kaeya , Ayato , ?? , Kaveh

Second : Zhongli , Diluc , Thoma , ?? , Alhaitham

[drdemonprince]

something im kind of connecting the dots to re: your posts about shaming people who don’t wear masks…in ‘20 and ‘21 I spent a lot of time posting shaming instagram stories telling people they needed to mask, and i yelled at family until i was blue in the face bc they weren’t masking, having big weddings, etc. and it really created a rift (obviously) in my relationships. I’ve also spent a lot of time and energy in the past 4 or so years telling people that it’s not possible to be an ally to trans people if they still engage in any media created by jk rowling. Especially given that her anti trans manifesto has been cited in anti trans legislation in the uk, she says that she assumes that anyone who continues to engage with Harry Potter media approves of her transphobia, etc the list goes on. And yet i still see my friends going to the wizarding world of Harry Potter, marathoning the movies with their friends, going to see the new movies in theaters, and so on. Obviously my aggressive shaming posts and conversations (which have alienated a lot of people) aren’t doing jack shit. Your mask shame posts made me realize that it probably wasn’t right of me to do that. But I don’t see how I can stand up for what I believe in and show people that it’s not okay to keep doing this shit AND play nice and not create trouble. Do you have any thoughts?

Thanks for this great question and for sharing your experiences.

I think when we shame, part of it is a grappling with our own powerlessness. It feels terrible to confront that no matter how much we care, and no matter how much we plead, we cannot make another person take action. When people we love or rely on won't hear our pleas and won't take action, it wounds us so deeply, and it makes sense we react in anger or seek to shame them hoping it will make them care. But it isn't effective.

I think one of the first steps is accepting our powerlessness as individuals. We have to stop expecting ourselves to somehow persuade people to change their behavior and views, when all the research indicates that such change is rare, slow, and very hard, and cannot be accomplished on a person who does not already want to be influenced. We have to sit in the humility of not being able to make others care, and take time to grieve how badly it hurts. Our understandable and huge hurt feelings need to be processed. many of us have a powerful need to express our rage and have it witnessed by others who understand.

From there, we have to think very strategically about what kind of collective work we can do that will shift social norms, facilitate the behavior we want to see, and fight for systemic changes that will actually address the root issues.

This may be things like passing out masks at protests. Joining a local mutual aid fund to contribute to the expenses of people who are quarantining. Protesting an event space to make them institute a masking policy. Unionizing with our coworkers to demand paid sick leave. Shoplifting tests and redistributing them to people in need. Terrorizing the business leaders who dragged us all back into the office. Sharing the wastewater data. Asking loved ones about their COVID mitigation decisions in a sincere way. Organizing outdoor events for our communities. Paying for a buddy's vaccine.

There are countless ways for us to be plugged into an active community that is larger than us. The work is humble, and ongoing, and what you do personally will never be enough on its own, and you must accept that in order to believe that it does not have to be. We are in this together.

In short, I think the tough emotional realities of feeling disrespected and not cared for much be addressed by finding community with people who do care and will give us room to voice our outrage. And then we have to work together to create the circumstances that allow real systemic change to germinate.

Right now, people conflate that emotional need to express rage with the political need to take action. And what feels cathartic to do or say is not necessarily what's persuasive. There has to be room for both.

[lucystark12]

we might be witnessing something

obviously we all know how much i love byler, and what im about to say is going to sound like “gen z walking away from the white house on fire with hayloft by mother mother playing” but i have to speak my truth here- i think byler being canon will go FAR beyond the fandom and casual watchers of stranger things. we might literally be the early adopters of a pop cultural phenomenon that could go down in history as one of the most important moments in media history.

stranger things is a really bizarre phenomenon in the grand scheme of things, because it is SO famous. it’s popularity has been compared to shows like game of thrones, but it goes even beyond that, because EVERYONE watches it. i’ve been watching it since i was eleven. my mom watches it. my uncles watch it. my best friend watches it. my grandma watches it. it’s viewership is so wide because there are so many aspects of it that appeal to so many different people. the impact this show has sent a song released forty years ago to number one on the charts practically overnight and it STILL plays on the top 40 radio to this day.

think about american politics as they are right now- we’re bearing witness to one of (if not THE) most important election in american history. the difference between trump and kamala is the difference between potential dystopia and nuclear fallout and peace and progressiveness. if trump wins, he will pull all of our aid from ukraine, letting russia push forward into western europe, and we all know what happens when a country tries to push into western europe. trump’s agenda in project 2025 imposes potential laws that will take us back hundreds of years in lgbtq+ rights, rights for people of color, and women’s rights. this election has caused a huge amount of dread and fear in the american people especially as the days push on. and what do people historically cling to in moments of fear like this? art.

think about music during the vietnam war, movies like “red dawn” during the cold war, or mccarthyism during world war two. when people are afraid of the real world, they tend to turn to popular media for escapism. we’re already seeing it, as ridiculous as it sounds, in things like brat summer or the debate edits to chappell roan songs. it might not seem like it’s happening because everything about it is different today in the digital age versus sixty years ago when tvs were boxes, but it is. this is only the beginning. and with the release of the next stranger things season, it’s possible that it could only grow more.

picture this: it’s next july. trump has been sworn in as 47th president of the united states and is six months into his second term. there’s already talks of him overturning obergefell v. hodges (the supreme court ruling that gave us gay marriage), there’s now a nationwide abortion ban, and political opponents of his are slowly seeming to disappear and go inactive. but hey! the 2020’s most beloved tv show is airing its last season this week.. it’s an easy way for us all to feel nostalgia about a time (wether that be the 80s or summer 2019) when our country was progressing forward instead of so drastically backwards as it is now, or to just watch a cool sci-fi show with one of the highest viewerships of any show ever, second only to game of thrones. everyone is turning on their tvs at midnight to watch these new episodes and suddenly- the main couple consisting of the two main characters of the show breaks up, the boy leaving the girl for his childhood best friend, whom he has been in love with for years but been forced to ignore because of the way society views gay people?

and everyone is seeing this, even 40+ y/o homophobes who watch the show for the nostalgia factor and never suspected a thing. the public is outraged. fox news is going on about the gay agenda. but the shock of the news is turning heads. people are changing their minds because… people being gay actually hasn’t only been a thing for the last ten years??! gay people might not actually be lesser humans? ANYBODY CAN BE GAY? what is happening! we know everyone watches this, so people of all backgrounds all across the world and more specifically the country are reacting to this in different ways. but no matter how you look at it, everyone is talking about it. it’s all over everyone’s for you page, SNL is parodying it, anderson cooper is talking about it on CNN, trump is denouncing it on twitter, there’s a push for it to be banned in florida.

suddenly, the democrats are picking up on this, because isn’t this everything we’ve been fighting for this whole time put at the forefront of a mainstream show? this is forcing everyone to confront the implications of having a gay ship be the focal point of a show with the viewership of stranger things, and the democratic party and it’s supporters pick up on this, turning it into a symbol and essentially a martyr of the party as a whole. whatever song (and you know there will be a song) that’s used in the scene where byler becomes official is immediately topping the charts. people are walking around wearing t shirts with byler quotes on them like we’re seeing now with the kamala brat t shirts. hundreds of people are influenced by it and we may even see an increase in support for politicians who advocate specifically for gay rights or are gay themselves.

this all happens because when people who are being spotlighted by pop culture speak out, everybody hears it. it’s the same reasoning behind why an endorsement from taylor swift could outright win kamala this election. a huge part of our population has quiet beliefs that they’re just waiting to dive into until somebody in mainstream media tells them that it’s a good idea. in making byler cannon, stranger things could be changing the trajectory of popular culture and american politics as a whole for years to come. it’s all about the domino effect. if people see this, all it does is open a gateway for other stories and conversations to happen, because something so outrageous as making byler canon during the early stages of project 2025 will turn the heads of every politically inclined person in america, from every maga cap wearing trucker to every blue haired barista, and when heads are turned things are changed.

[olivsie]

Something I like about epic the musical is that it Gives it's changes to the original text an actual Purpose

( The first couple paragraphs are basically a rant regarding retellings. If you only want to hear about epic Skip to paragraph 4)

1. I am a bit annoyed by the lack of. Understanding as to why RETELLINGS aren't the most historicaly accurate things in the world. Sorry to break this to you, but that's both just how they work and I would guess how they reach success. Ancient Greece is a much different culture than our own, And most of us would be terrified to actually live back then. When you are Trying to create content That is based on ancient Greece And you want it to be successful/ At least reach a wide, and notably, MODERN audience. You're likely going to have to take some creative liberty And change a few things. Don't get me wrong, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO LIKE RETELLINGS KNOWING THAT FACT ( Me personally, I'm not the biggest fan of Miller's novels Even though I do like epic) BUT IT IS SOMETHING TO BE AWARE OF. And because of that I don't think I would ever expect a retelling to be perfectly accurate And I don't. I had interest in mythology LONG before epic the musical But I didn't actually read the Odyssey until getting into epic. I did not expect it To be just like the musical, I knew Odysseus was going to be much more of an asshole, along with other characters. The odyssey and epic are different pieces of media to me And I am not less of a mythology nerd for liking epic ( Though I will admit that sometimes I take tiny little fun facts of mythology And like to think of them in the context of epic, but that's just for fun.)

2. The Only time being a fan of retellings is wrong as if you genuinely believe they are perfectly accurate And refuse to listen to anything else ( Which has definitely happened, And mythology nerds have the right to be annoyed at that)

3. Some people only like to consume real mythology media, Others like both real mythology and retellings, Others only like to engage with retellings (I would hope they have the self-awareness to know It's not real mythology, From what I've seen some do and some don't, Unfortunately)

4. Ok. now on to what the title of this long ass rant says

I like that epic the musical Retells the story, Not only to both cater to modern audience But Also with its OWN purpose of man versus monster.

Obviously, this is not the point of the original text. Mythos Odysseus does not give a single fuck About the stuff that epic odysseus does. I don't know why the creator Decided to rewrite it this way, (If he's ever said why let me know) But I would assume he wanted to make something about the oddessy And this was simply a very creative way to Translate that for modern audience.

I like this because, yes, holy damn. It does have changes from the original text. But it's not JUST changing it. It's changing it with a purpose

It feels reminiscent of some kind of Dramatic play. the way that epic characterizes.

Polites' kind nature is Representative of the Concept of being merciful Represented in his lines such as " This life is amazing when you greet it with open arms" /"There is so much guilt inside your heart, So why not replace it?"

While in contrast you have eurylochus with more ruthlessness and cautious nature, this is Found in some of his lines such as "You rely on wit, and people die on it" /"we don't know what's ahead" / "I say we strike first. We don't have time to waste so lets raid the place-" /"Let's just cut our losses, You and I and let's run"

And then you have Odysseus, the man/monster. The first act of this Musical is his internal struggle With what He should be On that scale. And the other characters Represent this struggle in the song monster

" Is the cyclops struck with gilt when he kills, is he up in the middle of the night? Or does he end my men to avenge his friend and then Sleep knowing he has done him right?

When the witch turns men to pigs to protect her nymphs, is she going insane? Or did she learn to be colder when she got older and now she saves them the pain?

When a God comes down and makes a Fleet drown Is he scared that he's doing something wrong? Or does he keep us in check So we must respect him and now no one dares to piss him off"

He then Applies this to himself

" Does a soldier use a wooden horse to kill sleeping trojans cause he is vile? Or does he throw away his remorse and save more lives with guile?"

And this marks his turning point of deciding that Ruthlessness It's ultimately worth it if it means Getting home, as aeolus says "The end Always justifies the means"

It's in my opinion, a very creative way to go about retelling a myth. Is it accurate? Absolutely not. For example, circe (From what we know) is not protecting When she turns men into pigs, For all we know, she could just do it because Shits and giggles.

Her character and most others in epic is changed from the original. But it's not ONLY changing for the sake of apeling to the modern Western audience and being successful like Many other retellings. It is also and mainly changing for the sake of influencing the plot that Jorge Rivera herrans crafted For the sake of Retelling epic. It is creative and I enjoy it despite knowing it's not accurate.

[tojikai]

In Another Universe...

Pairing: Toji x Reader

Genre: Angst

Warnings: Implied death (?)

NOTE: I just really like written letters. AND I miss Toji.

"My love for him could cross the harsh waters of the oceans and still arrive undamaged."

Once there was a man sitting by the ocean, his hair moving with the wind. His eyes focused on the vast body of water in front of him. The horizon gave him a loving look as it bade him goodbye. Albeit fading with each second that passes, it let him feel the warmth of her touch like how the smoke dances for the eyes as it dissipates into thin air. 

There was a chime-like sound beside his feet, as the tightly sealed bottle repeatedly tapped on the rocks. Calling out to him, like how a siren melodically serenades her prey before pulling them into the abyss. Like a hand grabbing his, begging to be saved before the cruel waters pulls it and drown it again. 

His eyes were glued to the rolled paper inside—brownish and marked with ink—obviously bearing a message to be found. 

He quickly grabbed the bottle, wiped the moisture with his shirt, and gave his all to open the lid. It was almost like its content was calling out to him. The amount of strength he gave in pulling the bottle's seal was nothing compared to how much air it took out of his lungs as he read the letter of a lover to a former one. 

My dearest,

There has not been a single day where you do not cross my mind. How much time has passed since I last saw you? I hope you're living a better life now. How's your love, my love? I hope she keeps you warm every night and loves you each day. 

Only if you knew, there's nothing I wouldn't give just to be in her place even for a day.

But to be someone you loved, I have experienced it all already. And although it didn't last here with you, it still does in my memory. There's no way I'd forget how I was given the chance to feel all of you—your touch, the beat of your heart, the heat radiating from your soul. 

And even if you didn't feel that same way with mine, I assure you, my love for you has never changed nor faltered. Not even once, not even a bit. 

How I long to be the person who brings out the best in you. Just like how she did and probably how she still does. Surrendering you was the hardest decision I had ever made but I learned from my father that we must learn to submit all things that don't belong to us. I was thinking that maybe even though I had you all those years, you were not meant to be mine. Maybe I wasn't deserving of you, my love, but the Gods are witnesses to how hard I tried. 

When you chose her over me, I already knew that I had to surrender. When you rejected my embrace, I suffered my first death.

And maybe you were hers all along. And I just happened to pick you up when you were drifting in the seas. I just happened to be a ship but you had found the way to your beloved homeland. And dear, my soul ached as I prayed every night that you'd change your mind and decide to sail in these harsh seas with me again. Turns out, I was only meant to deliver you to the place where you want to be.

As days went by, I learned that nothing else matters but your happiness. And as long as you're happy, I'll be okay. Even as I lay here in this cold bed, praying that my wounds get to heal and my scars get to fade before I watch my final sunset, I'll be okay. Because I know that you're spending your every day in love. 

I spent all my days loving you too, please know that. I know that you'd love her greater than you did love me, and that's okay. We're meant to feel more for the people who gave us more. But darling, even if I couldn't give you much, know that I loved you with all that I got, with all that I am. 

I pray that when I reach my point of delirium, my hallucinations would be you bursting through the door, asking me to run away with you. Then, I'd be happy to go. And if not, then that's okay. Leaving this world knowing that you are living your life without heartache is enough. 

So, be happy, okay? Build her the world, take her to space. Make her your universe, honey. And I'll make you my song. I'll close my eyes to you. I'll gladly let my memories of you lull me to eternal sleep.

My heart will yearn for you forever, even as it stops beating and turns to dust. The remaining half of my soul will ache for you even as it wanders these freezing lands. 

When I go, I pray that I end up in another universe where you also exist, and maybe there, you'll let me run into your arms again. 

Let’s meet again someday, my love. 

Eternally yours,

Y/N

There was a moment of silence as the letter came to a close. Only then had the man realize that a familiar voice in his head was reading it for him. It wasn’t just a letter he found. It was a heart, longing for someone who went away. It was a heart, tearing itself apart just so the words could flow out of it—words that will never ever be spoken. 

Letting the tears stream down his face, the man turned the paper to check the backside. There was a note, for him—the reader who got the drifting bottle.

To the person who will get this, please keep the letter safe. Perhaps, you can also let the ocean protect it again if you want. Let it drift in the bottle to its ends but I beg of you not to destroy it or throw it away, for it is the only forever that I can get with the love of my life. 

Was this the woman he refused to give another chance to years ago? 

[thefirstknife]

I want to be optimistic about the future, but as somebody who has been through 4-6 EoS events and witnessed several others friends have gone through, with a lot of the rumors/news breaking about future plans for the game itself, and some changes introduced in TFS I'm slowly starting to get a bad feeling about things. I'm not giving up on the game, but it's feeling hard to be hopeful when I'm starting to get similar vibes to the other EoS events I've been through.

I'll mostly focus on this article from Jason Schreier because I don't really trust any other rumours that are floating around. I know a lot of people are super depressed about everything and it's easy to spiral into doom and gloom, which I want to avoid because it just stresses people out, over things they can't really change, and primarily over things that are far from confirmed.

Obviously we don't know anything for certain yet, but from what little the devs told us when this happened:

While our team is taking time to help support each other, we want you, our community, to know that we expect no disruption to all of our previously communicated content plans. Our content roadmap remains unchanged. This also includes our future plans for next year and beyond.

Nothing is changed and plans are clearly in place. It goes without saying that this can be flipped on its head at any point, but it also has to be said that it would be quite strange for a franchise of this scale to simply go down without an honest attempt to keep it going. Obviously various media ends all the time and studios are shut down and all that, but I feel like people are jumping on that conclusion way too easily and simply over unconfirmed rumours which puts people in a mindset that "the game is over." According to devs and Jason's report, it is clearly not planned to be over. We have yet to see if that works out.

Either way, we're set for this year for sure and there's clearly a plan they've already hinted for next year. What concerned people the most, I think was this (more under):

The company also plans to continue updating Destiny 2, although it will no longer pursue regular paid expansions as it did in the past, according to the people familiar. During one recent meeting, a company leader told attendees that sales of each expansion had declined year over year, including June’s The Final Shape, so they would be moving away from an annual release model. Some staff said they’re optimistic about the vision for Destiny 2 under new director Tyson Green, a Bungie veteran who took the helm earlier this year. In the coming months, the people said, Bungie will look to retain and attract players with smaller-scale content drops modeled after Into the Light, a well-received update in April that added a new mode to the game. Rather than selling this content, they said, Bungie will aim to release it for free along with overhauls to activities that it hopes will appeal to hardcore players. Other vague plans for the future include a storyline that will feature characters and worlds that Destiny has not yet explored.

Personally, I don't necessarily see this as something bad. I've actually been in favour of stopping yearly expansion for years. A big expansion every year is a big thing to commit to and it simply cannot be up to the best standards every single year. Some years will simply be smaller or "worse" and they won't engage people as some others. To this day people are still demanding expansions the size of Forsaken, every year, and that is simply mathematically impossible to make. So we get stuff like Shadowkeep and people flip out (Destiny died back then too). In my opinion, I think expansions every 2-3 years with smaller content drops in between is much better and healthier, and would result in better expansions.

We don't know if expansions are ever happening again; this report seems to imply not, but nobody really knows what state Destiny will be in 3 years from now, if it still exists. Until then, I'm perfectly fine with smaller content drops and updates. Obviously we don't know what that will look like; maybe it will be bad, but maybe it will not be bad. We simply don't know. I think people just heard "no expansion every year" and assumed that it's all over and no other content will ever be interesting or engaging ever again, which is something I simply don't see. For example, this episode has quickly become one of my favourite content in Destiny ever and it's not an expansion. I feel the same about some seasons which I enjoyed more than some expansions.

This is a matter of preference of course. Some people only tune in for expansions so for them "no expansions" effectively means no more Destiny. A lot of people also wonder about stuff like raids, which launch with expansions; what about those? Are we ever getting a raid again? We don't know, though it's worth noting that some raids have launched with DLCs and seasons, so launching a raid without the expansion could still be possible. We'll simply have to wait and see.

A lot of people are also concerned about the confirmation that Destiny 3 was never in development. I don't find this surprising at all and firmly believe that people who believed in D3 in the first place have not been fully aware of just how much devs never wanted to make another game from scratch again. This is from when they announced vaulting back in Arrivals:

With Destiny 1, we solved the “ever expanding, exponential complexity” problem by making a sequel in Destiny 2. We left behind all of Destiny 1’s content and many of the features players grew to love. We believe now that it was a mistake to create a situation that fractured the community, reset player progress, and set the player experience back in ways that took us a full year to recover from and repair. It’s a mistake we don’t want to repeat by making a Destiny 3.

I don't think anything has changed about their opinion on this over the years. It may have become even stronger actually, given how much content exists in the game right now and how much content would permanently disappear, alongside everyone's progress and collections, if they restarted everything. Not only that, but they know that a new game would have to launch with basically no content that would have to be built up over the years and would result in the same anger from players that plagued D1 vanilla and D2 vanilla. Nobody would enjoy going from 9 raids (maybe 10 if there's a reprised this year?) to 1 raid. Like I'm not sure if people realise this, but D3 will have no content in comparison. People were exceptionally mad about Beyond Light which reduced the amount of content and items due to vaulting; D3 would have less than that.

So I'm not sure why people expect and want D3. I never vibed with that idea. Not in any foreseeable future. I don't want to restart my progress, I don't want to lose everything I collected, I don't want to wait for years to get more than 3 strikes in the game. So the confirmation that this was never in development is not only super obvious to me, it's also relieving.

I think these are mostly the things that people are panicking over, from stuff that is now known a little better from Jason's report. When it comes to other rumours and leaks, we simply don't know if they're true and how detailed they are so I will not be stressing about them and I'd advise everyone else to not stress about them either.

We all love the game very much and the idea that it will end one day is very upsetting, but it will. One day it will end. Is that in 2 years or 20, we don't know. I'd like for people to definitely move away from the doomposters on twitter, to not latch onto any rumour or leak, and to give developers space and patience, as well as do anything we can to support those that were laid off.

I personally also think that the content creators with the biggest platforms should use the current anger and despair to pressure Bungie or Sony into making meaningful changes. Instead of posting about how "it's so over, goodbye everyone, Destiny is dead," I think they should be encouraging fans to bully these corporations with the one thing they understand best: money. Hey corpos, we ARE still interested in Destiny, we WANT to keep playing, we WANT it to keep going and we WILL bring our money if you do something about this situation. Because I don't trust any of these people who are claiming they're big fans and also how their livelihoods depend on making content for this one game, but are so easy to doompost and give up and say that the game is now over. How would anyone seeing this feel other than concerned and in despair?

Is it possible to change anything? No clue. Corporations can obviously be bullied into action, but we simply don't know how much effect we have here. Still, I'd rather try.

And I'd definitely try to stay positive, or at least neutral. We currently have no confirmations about anything being over, and plans for future content exist. Things will likely be different, but that doesn't always mean worse. And if it is? Well then it is and people will stop playing.

And of course, if anyone lost interest over this and over these reports, that's understandable. Taking a break from it all is recommended. Whatever happens, happens. If the game is still there and the interest is regained, everyone can always come back. No one has to decide right now whether they'll keep playing or stop forever. We can change our minds later depending on any new information and the state of the game.

The point of this whole thing is basically; we don't know anything for sure and overthinking about what-if scenarios that are years out is not very helpful. Venting concerns and talking to others can help though, which is why I want to try and stay as reasonable as possible in a situation where we genuinely don't have any proper confirmations.

We'll see! I'll keep playing while there's something to play and while that something is interesting to me, no matter how small. I hope this helps keeping people at least a little bit less stressed about the whole thing.

[autisticlancemcclain]

prev

———

“See! There it is again! It is going to attack us, we must act immediately!”

Keith wonders how badly it will make everything worse if he feigns a heart attack. He thinks he could be pretty convincing.

“Animals make noises,” Keith says tiredly. “The roars are not getting any closer. How did the previous attacks go? Was there some sort of roar-increase?”

The dignitary hesitates. “Well, no. The first time it happened the beast seemed startled, and then it was angry.”

“Shocking, that,” Lance says, and this time no one fights him.

The longer this debate has been going on, the clearer and clever it has become that Lance was correct.

Before they decided to go after the beast, the team decided it would be best to get as much information from the dignitary, security team, and royal family of the planet as possible. They expected it would take maybe half a varga to go over a couple reports, make a plan, and go after the beast – and hopefully manage to subdue it rather than kill it, to solve the problem on as many fronts and please as many people as possible.

Of course, because the universe finds their endless struggle amusing, it did not go that way. Instead, they’ve been here for the past four vargas at least, trying to get as much information as possible from the scattered reports and eye-witness accounts they could gather, all while half-watching Lance in tense silence (who, to be fair, has mostly stayed in one place and ignored everyone except for making the occasional bitchy comment).

They are getting nowhere.

It turns out the royal family and many community leaders are not nearly as fond as the dignitary and the soldiers of killing the beast. No one can agree on anything, not a plan of attack, not a plan to avoid attack, nothing. Keith has been listening to the same circular arguments ever since he got here, and as the not-black-paladin, he’s expected to contribute, so he has to pay attention. And usually that’s tolerable – it’s not the first time he’s expected to participate in a meeting that has gone on forever and done nothing productive, nor will it be the last – because he’s got Lance next to him, with a running commentary and joke stream that makes the whole thing easier to bear, along with a steady hand on his arm when he gets mad and often even a solution to wrap the whole thing up.

But, obviously, Lance is furious with him and everyone, right now, and is sitting as far away from Keith as he can manage, doodling on his holopad.

It’s miserable.

“I simply feel like there are more options that we should consider,” someone says diplomatically. Since that is literally the ninth time that exact sentence in that exact tone has been said in this meeting, Keith does not get his hopes up. He’s honestly half prepared to die and be buried in this stupid meeting room.

As the room descends into arguing once again, with absolutely zero new conclusions or changes, Keith finally gives up on paying any further attention. There’s nothing he’s missing, there’s nothing he’s contributing, and, he will admit it, doing meetings without Lance on his team is genuinely more than he can handle. He has no idea when he reached this level of codependency – because he can distinctly recall a point in time where doing meetings with Lance so much as in the same room would have them at each other’s throats in seconds – but he is in no place to handle it now. He lets himself drift, staring out the window across the table from him and deliberately thinking of anything except the flash of hurt in Lance’s eyes before it settled into fury, last night during the call.

As he observes the pretty scenery in front of him, rolling hills of yellow grass and an off-blue sky, he notices something strange along the backdrop of a pretty countryside. Along the edge of the far-off forest, there is a dark spot, out of place from its surroundings. He squints his eyes, leaning forward to try and figure out what it is. His posture piques the curiosity of the others at the table, and soon everyone is looking at the spot, watching with growing concern as it seems to get bigger, significantly bigger, and starts even to take shape.

“It has come again,” the dignitary says, hushed. They have genuine fear reflected in their eyes, which softens Keith slightly towards them. Maybe they aren’t just being a stubborn dick.

It takes a second to process, but soon the room descends into chaos, because for all that they have been discussing for hours, no plans have been made. Time is up, though. The beast as come to them, and now they must plan on the fly.

“Ready the guards,” says the queen. “Be vigilant and prepared. I would have appreciated more time, but there is none. We must be prepared to protect ourselves and our people. Last time we managed to scare it off with –”

“Wait!” Pidge shouts, the only one still sitting and facing the window. There is command in her voice, the likes Keith rarely hears from her, and her fingers twitch like they do when she’s calculating something in her head, solving a problem none of them even considered. “Nobody move!”

All the gathered officials in the room stand in tense silence, half watching Pidge and half watching the rapidly approaching beast. As it gets closer, it becomes apparent that it’s not approaching on its own. The beast, which Keith can now see resembles a truly gigantic bear, has a carefully bandaged leg, more than is capable for an animal, and is guided forward but someone sitting on its back, tiny in comparison to its head but visibly determined from even this distance.

“I knew it!” Pidge crows, springing up from her seat and pointing at Lance with manic glee in her eyes. “I fucking knew it! Your posture is way too good!”

Lance stares at her for several moments, eyebrow raised, and then sighs. Keith watches with a dropped jaw as he grows several inches taller, as his hair gets redder and his face gets bushier, until Coran sits in the place where Lance just was.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Shiro mutters, dragging his hand down his face. “I’m going back to the astral plane.”

Coran shrugs. “Lance’s plan simply had more research and direction. Also, I’ve not been out on a mission in too long. I will admit that played a role in my decision.”

“Well, Jesus, Coran, do you think we maybe could have –”

“Hey, guys, not to interrupt, but the giant beast is getting closer, people are aiming fire at it, and my dumbass best friend is currently riding on its back, so,” Hunk says. “Can we maybe worry about that first?”

The seriousness of the situation hits them all pretty quickly, and they adjust their attitudes accordingly. Lance is approaching faster by the second, no longer a shadow in the distance but a distinct figure, waving his hands like a dumbass and either completely oblivious or completely apathetic to the myriad of weapons, poised to fire, pointed in his direction by a horde of soldiers. The team rush outside with the rest of the officials, calling out for people to hold their fire, although it doesn’t do much, and the great beast swerves several times to avoid getting blasted.

“Stop! Stop! Don’t shoot! That’s a paladin!”

“Fire away!” the dignitary shouts over them, fury lighting their features and stubborn set to their jaw. “The insolence of their paladin does not negate the risk the beast poses!”

The paladins and the dignitary, along with several others on their side, glare at each other. The team may not approve of Lance’s methods, and there will be some serious discussion later, but that doesn’t change the fact that their fucking friend is out there being shot at, and they’re not going to stand back and let it happen.

“I swear, if you hurt him –”

“If he wasn’t trying to be hurt he shouldn’t have –”

“Hold on!” Lance shouts, finally close enough to hear. “Everyone – cool it for a sec! Hold on!”

———

next

[amaritious]

Gn! Readers reaction to Matpat's death + resurrection (beware)

He IS the skrunkly. I want him, I need him.

Happiness, death, sadness and then happiness again.

Mat is a malewife.

Relationship isn't necessarily described but Matpat and Reader are close, implied romantic if you squint.

To the deliver best service, I did headcanons and some small oneshots (even though I'm better at headcanons)

However, my service is extremely late. Sorry @tzurue.

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

His Death HEADCANONS

Coming into whatever this twisted game Joey had pushed you in, you expected Matpat to come in top.

Matpat was strong, intelligent and a people pleaser (in a good way).

But it wasn't enough.

What went wrong? You asked yourself over and over again. The question never leaving your already scattered brain.

He wasn't strong enough.

The rest knew they fucked up, they didn't know. They realised what they had done when your cheerful personality had completely shattered, leaving only fragments of it behind. They were like little children, experimenting with danger like a toy, unknown to what came ahead. It was too much.

Witnessing his death, it changed something in you.

The desperate cries for help, the pained yet panicked look in his eyes, the "I want to go home" body language and the sorrowful cries of your name...

He was being dragged away before your very eyes and you wanted to reach out, help him or grab him and mourn.

But there was nothing you could do.

And you were useless yet again.

His Resurrection ONESHOT

You sat there, devoid of thoughts yet it seemed as if millions muffled voices marched into your mind. You didn't register your friends' worried comments, you couldn't anyways. You didn't know if you could even call them your friends. They killed him, they knew he would die. You carried on mumbling, looking, glancing, searching - just any sign he was there, you would accept anything. Ro gave you his badge, knowing that you felt even worse than her but it just heightened your concerns. What would you do?

Then next thing you knew, you were getting chased by crazy doll twins, torturing dolls, connecting dolls, you see the pattern here.

You couldn't care anymore. Maybe. You don't know. And that was until Joey found the much needed Lazarus coin. You gaped at it studying every crevice carefully. This was Mat's dying wish.

Was it worth it? Yes. The man had dedicated precious time to finding this seemingly precious coin, awaiting its use.

Now flash forward to when Joey and Safiya get to choose who can live even an hour longer. You don't really care how selfish it may be but surely there's one right answer. And if they don't bring that person back you might as well pull a Colleen, call Joey shady and get them to kill you. That would be best.

You're not sure what facial expressions you're pulling because you see everyone look strangely confused at you. But it doesn't really matter because no matter how much you don't want to, you're pacing around the lounge while they attempt to solve some puzzle.

This is why we need Mat, you think with your head in a hand.

You've already been tricked by some boring suitcase so when your 'friends' begin to yell in the direction of the doorway, you only just lazily looked up.

And there was that son of a bitch.

Mathew Patrick.

"Mat? Holy I- Oh. My. God."

You run the few steps and trap him into a bone crushing hug. He wearingly hugs you back, obviously dishevelled.

"I can't believe you died on me," you begin, acting like you weren't just having a silent panic attack over it "here, take a seat. you deserve it."

You turn to Joey and Safiya, "Joey, everything I thought about you is very wrong. Safiya, you're beautiful and you're amazing I love you guys."

Not bothering with their reactions, you plop down next to Mat and gently rub his arm.

"I missed you," you state, looking into his eyes.

Despite his distressed state, he replies with "Right back at ya."

You proceed to hug the life out of him (pun intended).

[tyrantisterror]

At Sea Without a Map pt. 15

"What sort of danger are we talking about?" you ask your monster friend.

Calibani bites her lips and averts her gaze for a second as one of her hands idly plays with a strand of her hair. "So... like I said, I spend a lot of time looking for boats, right? Well, once I found this part of the sea where there were tons of them. Some were still upright, but most were on their side or even upside down. At first I couldn't believe my luck - this many ships in one place, all broken or empty, had to mean there'd be a lot of sailors in the water to catch." Blush floods her cheeks as she sees you pale at her enthusiasm for preying on drowning men. "But, um, the thing is, no one was in the water. Not a soul. All those ships were just empty, their crews gone."

She fidgets with her hair again before continuing her tale. "Obviously, something else had eaten them first, and I didn't want to stick around to see if it was still hungry. Whatever it was had to be big enough to stop a boat and pull the passengers off, and that kind of creature is likely big enough to hurt me if it wants to."

Your mind races. "It'd be a Shipbreaker, right?" you ask. "On your list of monsters-"

"No, no," Calibani says. "Shipbreakers go for the BIG ships, you see - those huge ones with hundreds or thousands of people on them, the ones that are like little moving islands unto themselves. They don't go after small boats like yours - it's not worth the energy."

That's slightly less terrifying, at least. "And you didn't see the creature?"

Calibani nods. "All I've seen are the boats. They were still there a week ago, too." She leans in. "Whatever attacked them might still be in that area, or it might have moved on. But if the boats are still there, maybe there's things you could scavenge? Like, a map, maybe?"

Your eyes sparkle with the possibilities. "A map? A map could change everything!" Indeed, as you consider how much it would simplify your journey, a part of you thinks that a map would alter the fundamental premise of your time out here. "Wait, you know what maps are?"

Calibani raises a hand and wiggles it in the universal gesture of "Kinda?" "I've heard sailors mention them from time to time as something they use to find their way around. If you don't know where to go, a map would be useful, yes?"

"Absolutely," you say before considering other possibilities. "We could find other things too - clothes, tools, food, maybe even spices!"

You can practically see stars in Calibani's eyes as they sparkle with joy. "SPICES?" Oddly, she's also the first to calm down and get rational. "Still, we can't forget the danger. I don't know what killed all the people on those boats, and I wouldn't... that is, I don't want you to get hurt, especially not following my suggestion, since I've already caused you trouble once and-"

You put a hand on her shoulder and give her a warm smile. "It's a good suggestion. Better than just wandering aimlessly, anyway." You look at the carcass of the stork and think for a moment. "And if there is a monster out there, maybe we can make it regret trying to hunt us." Your eyes focus on the sharp, spear-like beak of the stork, and you get an idea.

It takes a good deal of rope, some nails, and more than a little hard work, but after a couple hours you manage to take the stork's skull and one of its larger leg bones and cobble together a pretty nasty spear out of them. Perhaps too nasty, as you struggle to even lift the thing, but luckily Calibani seems to have enough muscle to wield it effectively, which means you finally get to take your harpoon back. Now that you're both armed, you feel more confident in your monster-fighting skills.

You store as much of the stork meat as you can in your boat's small refrigerator, pack some more of it in salt, and quickly pack everything else up as you prepare to head out. When your boat pulls away from the island, you look back on the stork carcass with regret - you're leaving a lot of meat behind to rot, after all.

Or perhaps not? As soon as your boat pulls away, that strange bird from yesterday swoops down out of the sky and lands by the stork's grisly remains and proceeds to strip the carcass of meat in a downright gluttonous display of hunger. It seems even a fucked up ecosystem of monsters has need for scavengers.

Your next few hours are fairly uneventful - Calibani sings a few old-timey songs about the sea (sea shanties, you think they're called?) while you keep your hands on the steering wheel, though your boat more or less drives itself more often than not. It's dull, but pleasant, and a part of you would almost be content just to spend the rest of your life like this.

Unfortunately, you find what you were looking for.

Calibani was not lying when she said there were a lot of small boats just floating on the waves, empty of residents and abandoned to an uncaring sea. Some are capsized, a few even wrecked, but many are not only in tact but sitting upright enough that you could hazard hopping aboard to explore them. You consult your compass on your next move.

[thewistlingbadger]

Hi! I’ve seen some stuff going around about Silco and his motivations. Whether or not he wanted true freedom for Zaun or power and control. What are your thoughts? At least to me, he was ready to give up everything for Zaun until it came to Jinx, which obviously, what dad would turn in his daughter. So what do you think?

Becoming the leader of Zaun was NOT solely a power move on Silco's behalf. Had he only cared about his own power, greed, and ego, he would have been just like all the other chem barons and the show makes it clear that Silco is not like the chem barons, he's above all that. Had it truly only been about himself, he could have stopped long ago. But instead he kept pushing for more.

Zaun is Silco's everything. Even when he does get Jinx, Zaun is still his everything. We don't know much of his background, but we know this is what he's been working towards his whole life. He's witnessed atrocities that only those from zaun witness. The things he's witnessed have radicalized him to the extent that he forms his identity around the idea of zaun independence and its plausibility. Silco leaves and breathes Zaun, it's always been about the liberation movement for him.

That's not to say he didn't entertain his own ego though. Part of it was him being the leader, him calling the shots in a life where everything has seemed out of his control. And we know how much Silco loves control. Part of it is getting his due diligence, getting what he deserves. Which means being a strong powerful figure who's clean and polished and perfect and wealthy. In a world where Zaun prosperity has been deemed impossible Silco has gone above and beyond to ensure that he is a success story.

This is my personal interpretation/headcanon:

Silco lived a hard life. He saw despair and destruction from the moment he was born. He's seen famine and disease and death. He's know suffering and pain like his own face. Where some people get discouraged by that amount of lived misfortune, silco was enraged by it, ("my whole life I've known I'm less than them. I want more for Powder and I'm willing to fight for it"), he was inspired by it, it was what kept him going.

He wasn't popular among his peers, they often looked down on him or overlooked him completely. He was a weird kid, some of the things he would say made no sense to people and the way he behaved sometimes left them unnerved ("She jinxes every job. Everytime she comes along...").

He fell in love with the concept of the undercity having no ties to Piltover in his childhood or perhaps even in his adolescence. The independent nation of Zaun. Imagine the problems that could be cured without Pilltover's looming dominance. Maybe they wouldn't have to work in the mines anymore. Maybe they could have more food and less sickness and maybe they'd all be richer, maybe they'd all have better lives. No one understood his vision. They all thought him mad, his passionate ramblings of revolution, speaking only of a fool's dream. All except for one man, a man he would have never expected support from since he was beloved by all. But Vander thought he was a genius, and he agreed completely with him. They worked together to build upon Silco's dream, which was now their dream ("when you're going to change the world, don't ask for permission"). Even though people still disliked Silco, they rallied to his cause. It took years to finally get to the point Silco had been waiting for... but we all know what happened. We know that somehow, his plans came toppling down, and he lost the only person that actually cared for him. The person that upheld his dream.

But zaun was his destiny. And he wasn't going to be stopped by one man who didn't have the nerve to go all the way. He was going to do whatever it took to accomplish his goal. There wasn't going to be a single line he wouldn't cross, absolutely nothing that would stop or slow him. Finally,bhe was going to show everyone who ever doubted him how wrong they were. He was going to show piltover too ("we will show them all"). And one day, this city was going to be his, as it always had been. ("one day, this city is going to respect us").

[pawschamp]

VOL 8#2/CH35: “double team” appreciation

i’m a huge fan of the way nightow encapsulates a certain thematic or specified topic in each chapter, almost making each chapter its own arc with the way a character can change in just a few pages. as an example to appreciate this, i’m using chapter 35 aka “wolfwood doesn’t shoot” chapter aka one of my favorite chapters in the entire series.

warning, this is not a thought out essay, this is just the insane ramblings of a guy that likes trigun and wolfwood. there will be tangents, there will be derails, but overall, it’s a 4k insight into where my mind goes when i read these chapters. 

TW WARNING: wolfwood’s backstory pictured (child experimentation, child harm), blood, death

SPOILERS WARNING: mentions of vol 8 events

for consistency sake, i’ll be using overhaul’s translation. 

this chapter throws us into the familiar perspective of wolfwood. the readers have been in his shoes, we’re made to understand his thoughts since the very beginning of maximum, considering max started from his perspective. his ordeal and his internal struggle was made clear since the leonef arc, but this chapter serves as a checkpoint of where he is now, paralleling almost to chapter 11 where it had began with wolfwood’s dream + where his internal conflict were first laid bare to readers.

it’s also good to note that this chapter is in vol 6, the vol that takes place after the midvalley/hopper arc. this entire volume consists the internal dialogue of essential characters and where they stand with vash; the first chapter being meryl, then wolfwood, legato, knives, milly (a bit of vash), and then an open ended one, but it leads into vash’s flashback -- obviously, each chapter progresses the story itself too, but the main focus tends to be the thoughts of these characters. i really appreciate nightow writing an immensely thoughts driven and relatively quiet (in terms of action) volume after the heavily action packed previous volume. he does this well in the chapters themselves, knowing when to lead the reader into quiet so we can all feel the scene much more intimately. these chapters become more emotional because we’re settled with each character individually, we lean into their fears, their worry and concerns. the fact we get so little of vash and his thoughts in these chapters aside from the flashback makes him feel distant and lonelier (which, considering his immense guilt of remembering july, it feels purposeful.) 

vol 10 will always be my favorite vol but vol 6 is certainly up there... i think it was masterfully put together and nightow’s character writing is one of my favorite parts of trigun. the introspection is such a core part of trigun itself alongside the action and i just appreciate the overall pacing of it and how it eventually leads into vol 7 where we return to vash, to the conflict between the brothers, and then into the harrowing 7 months of destruction on no man’s land where the kind of peacefulness that settled in vol 6 no longer exists for a long time in the future chapters. 

anyway, to the chapter now

from the dream alone, we can tell there’s a progression of wolfwood’s risk taking heart beginning to open. from all the time he’s spent with vash and what he’s witness after the leonef arc, he’s starting to change internally, he’s no longer the same as he was at the beginning of trigun. the dream provides a what-if situation, where wolfwood kills off the eye of michael (vague individual, but probably chapel again?), freeing the children.

side note, but it’s particularly sad to me he says “i can never come back, but at least y’all will be safe now.” in an universe where a happy ending could be provided for the orphanage, there still wouldn’t be a happy ending for wolfwood. he can free the orphanage but even the destruction of the eye of michael wouldn’t free him from the man he’s grown into and it’s telling of just how little he believes he deserves to go/have a home. 

but the dream then panels to knives and his fear of someone/something other than himself is shown. as i mentioned earlier about how this parallels to chapter 11, in that dream, it showed how wolfwood can’t return to the kids because of the blood that stains his hands, a dream he gets after having killed rai-dei and confronted by vash about his role. 

he still feels this way considering his mentioned thought of “can’t return” anymore, but the dream shifts focus to knives because the threat of him looms closer now more than before after having witness vash transform in the previous arc -- and it’s clear him being a first hand witness has influenced his fears considering knives is using his ability within the dream. 

overall, wolfwood has sooo much on his mind at this point; he saw vash transform, he came face to face with the rest of the gung-hos, met the strongest gung-ho, seen the price of betrayal with his own eyes (though b/c it was carried out by legato, it doesn’t necessarily hold the same weight)... he’s also done his fair share of trying to get others away from danger, notably when he speaks to meryl in the previous chapter, and tries to ward her away now that she’s seen first hand of vash’s strength, seen below from the chapter right before this. he’s relatively passive in his interactions with meryl so it’s insane how his behavior in ch 35 contrasts with this. 

kind of a side note but i’ve always enjoyed this interaction between wolfwood and meryl. this is the first time they actually got to converse and he’s actively reading her and giving her advice; it’s advice he’d give to any average citizen, he’s always been an advocate for regular folks to turn their back so long it can keep them safe, but his advice here definitely felt a little personal considering how he’s gotten to known milly and he Knows for certain that this just isn’t the environment for her. the way he says “This isn’t the place for that cute partner of yers” as a reason to push Meryl to turn away always gets to me, because while there may be an implication for meryl to hightail out of there to protect herself, the discussion ends at wolfwood telling meryl to back out for milly. being with milly in the previous arc, he knows the lengths and sort of reckless, self sacrificial nature that milly has; she who refused to back out constantly, even after having expressed she was terrified, she still stayed, so wolfwood knows that if meryl leaves, then milly would too. he prods meryl, reminds her there’s another life aside from her own she’d be risking if she stayed. 

after he wakes up and leaves the bar, he runs into zazie who just drops off a message from knives, as though to taunt him any further lmfao... it’s relevant that zazie shows up here considering wolfwood’s recent meeting with the rest of the gung-hos. zazie in particular is a complacent neutral party amidst the conflict, willing to see things through for knives / legato as long as the worms can be left alone.

one of the funniest lines ever to be delivered to wolfwood, “You’re a scary one. Almost like Bluesummers.” i laugh every time i see it. 

but anyway, as stated by wolfwood, he recognizes that the point in conflict has reached far enough that what he does doesn’t necessarily matter anymore. sure, he’ll still keep to his job, but vash is going to end up at knives doorstep no matter what, especially with his recent recollection of july. wolfwood recognizes the minor part he plays, he recognizes how small he is amidst the overarching battle between the twins. i think this realization influences his dream too, being that he had rebelled and felt hope that the orphanage would be left alone, but still, the orphanage can’t avoid the fate that would fall on humanity as a whole. regardless, they would be caught up in what knives does.

then we get to this insane flashback, this Gorgeously illustrated first meeting between wolfwood and knives that haunts me every day of my life. i just want to appreciate this page for a minute, art wise... the tubes forming the composition throughout the panels, trapping wolfwood, encaging him despite him being the one standing over knives. i like how that’s emphasized with the overlap on the top panels and the gun he holds is so small in the bottom right panel. in the bottom left panel, it’s a perspective shot from wolfwood’s eyes, the gun trained onto knives chest (i think compositionally, it just looks cooler which is potentially why it isn’t aimed at knives’ head, but i can also think wolfwood might’ve lost the resolved to kill knives already from fear alone and thus, his gun was lowered.) 

also i feel like not only did knives’ presence halt wolfwood but the medical equipment strung to knives might’ve triggered a terrible memory for wolfwood too, considering his experimentation. 

above is from ch. 50. 

but the focus of this flashback is in knives’ otherworldliness and how despite wolfwood managing to get so far to be face to face with knives, he could not pull the trigger from fear alone. and wolfwood has this humane reaction every time he comes close to death which is a resurgence of a will to live; he feels it in this moment with knives, he feels death closing in on him despite him being the one with the trigger at his finger and knives against the ground. 

above from chapter 6.

from the knives flashback, we can see the lack of choice that wolfwood had at that moment. the lack of choice in the mission given to him, the lack of choice in being able to shoot at all. it solidified him into the position where he is today and quelled the rebellion he dreamt of. 

from his nightmares to the meeting with zazie to this flashback, remembering knives and his presence and comparing that fear to vash, him remembering the last time he felt that fear from vash at all... although he’s always known vash to be an “other” from humans, when faced with the actuality of it, he starts to think more on their differences and kind of distant himself mentally from vash? by calling him a monster and “the one who can save humankind”, honing in on his inhumane side. he knows vash, but wolfwood is thinking from the memories of knives, he’s thinking from his feelings of fear in that moment with vash, and he probably feels so small, not capable of anything beyond doing his job. as a reminder, this is what he thinks during that scene, similar feelings to how he felt with knives imo although vash’s anger is transformed into outer and inner, almost like he’s trying to kill that anger he holds to upkeep his resolve to not kill.

and in the moment of deep pondering, with brilliant timing, vash calls out to him.

no matter how many times i see this page, i explode with so much emotion. to stay on topic, this panel of vash sitting leisurely on top of a rooftop has a lot of elements to it. the moon he blew a hole into shown right behind him, an ever present reminder of his destructive powers which wolfwood, no doubt, is remembering it distinctively in this moment. but i loooove love how this page contrasts the one with knives. this scene following is just parallels to wolfwood's memory of knives and while in his confrontation of knives, wolfwood was trapped in both a physical and internal sense. the positions being different too, where wolfwood hovered over knives but still remained below in a hierarchical sense while now, vash is above him physically and wolfwood looks up towards him. considering wolfwood's thoughts so far, the positioning is reflective of that. but considering their space, the openness, outside, the expansive sky behind vash alongside the moon, there's so much freedom in where they're both standing. wolfwood is constrained beneath the thoughts he has, his worries, but he has freedom to move around vash and yet wolfwood chooses to go up to meet him.

now i can derail and go a little insane over their expressions here, IDK. im VERY vw-pilled, so excuse me, but VASH'S LOOK TO WOLFWOOD?? "You're a bit of a night owl, huh?" it’s just a plain observation really, the casual nature in how he converses with wolfwood, something he’d recognize over the course of their journey... this also isn’t the ONLY time they’ve met under the moon, they did so in multiple bullets too. gay ass moon couple... whatever... i’ve also seen people note that vash is fake smiling here and perhaps. some days, i can believe that because he is just so goddamn sad during this time, but i also like to think it’s genuine. maybe prior to seeing wolfwood, he was neutrally observing the on going events in the town, but the moment he saw wolfwood strolling about in deep thought, he’s just like “oh, wolfwood! :]” Just being a little happy to not be alone for the night. 

it’s a small detail, but i like how nightow incorporates these side missions into the chapter’s arc and the overall theme in little ways. because it’s been these yin-yang brothers that’s been making trouble since the last chapter and in this moment, vash watching these two brothers bringing down mayhem on a peaceful town.

alongside this page, we see wolfwood’s steady approach, vash’s back turned to him as they chitchat before wolfwood quietly

positioned the same way as before, the gun held to a twin that’s positioned lower and wolfwood looks down. 

aside from how beautiful he is, i like how wolfwood holds a resolute gaze. he probably feels he has the upper hand, Knows it in some way because vash is seemingly defenseless. if he wanted to, he can shoot. 

meanwhile, vash just Looks tired. not necessarily sorrowful, to me, he just looks exhausted. from the many clues later in this chapter, i think the reader can clue in that vash definitely knew wolfwood pointed a gun at him. whether it’s sorrow, a sense of betrayal, or nonchalance is unclear. i think vash might’ve knew wolfwood wouldn’t pull the trigger and if he had, i think vash would’ve felt resigned to it. vash understands the reason why wolfwood kills; in all his instances of killing, it’s been for the sole purpose to protect. when he killed rai-dei, it was to protect vash. when he killed gray, he was doing his part in protecting vash’s home which vash had entrusted to him. there’s tons of thoughts that goes through wolfwood’s head when he does kill and what it means to him personally, but to vash, wolfwood has never killed for a selfish reason so when wolfwood points a gun at him, if he has intentions to kill, there would be a reason that vash understands considering his own beliefs on protecting humanity. i think at the end of it though, he knew wolfwood wouldn’t shoot him.

and wolfwood doesn’t pull the trigger. his hand doesn’t shake, there are no sweat marks on his face, he’s not afraid at all. with a soundless mind, he decides not to shoot. it’s important that we get wolfwood’s thoughts because it’s not as if he has any particular doubts in his own abilities. to wolfwood, if he put a bullet through vash’s head, he may die, he may be immobilized to be easier to kill, etc etc but ultimately, he chooses not to. just prior to meeting vash, he was already riddled with the memory of his rebellions amounting to nothing, so if he had “killed” vash (just like how he had “killed” chapel before), he’d still have to face knives and he’s already experienced once what going against knives was like. he can’t do it, wolfwood wouldn’t be able to kill knives and there would be nothing to ultimately gain from killing vash. 

naturally, i think we can also conclude the “reasonable” reasons aren’t the only things keeping him from shooting vash. it’ll be mentioned later, but what wolfwood thinks vs what he does can be fundamentally different because sometimes, wolfwood Just isn’t fully aware of how he acts, doesn’t know it. i think that’s part of the reason we don’t get his thoughts here when he lowers his gun, because he doesn’t know, he doesn’t understand why he can’t shoot vash either. if i had to reason it, it would be what i said before and that’s how i view how wolfwood might reason it, but that isn’t all of it. <-- this thought will be continued later.

i always found it funny how vash looks back because i’m sure he sensed something was weird about how quiet wolfwood was and how nothing was happened, so he just looks at him like “???”

wolfwood hits him with the reminder again of what to keep his focus on, as he usually does, and it’s ironic of him to say “It’ll be pointless if ya get yerself killed before ya meet him.”, having pointed a gun at him literally 2 seconds ago. 

anyway, as the story progresses, the yin-yang brothers has started to blow shit up and vash, ever so involved, runs after to stop them. wolfwood, diligent, runs after vash. 

i don’t have a lot to note but i like how vash is called a pretty boy. he is the prettiest boy. the page after this, they basically try to run him over, but vash sidesteps just in time to avoid that and turns towards the car to shoot at them. turns out though, the brother hopped off the car and appeared behind to hurl these sharp thingies at vash’s vulnerable back. please read the next 3 beautiful pages carefully

this sequence is just So well done. it’s very simple to bring back the hard ass table that wolfwood had woken up on and smacked his hand hard against at the start of this chapter, a purposefully strong table made to withstand drunkards... but it was pulled into the fight, to cover that split second to defend vash before wolfwood himself makes it to him. it’s important to note that vash doesn’t even look at wolfwood here. he’s not the least surprised, he’s still keeping his eyes directly on the tank. he does briefly look at the enemy behind him on the previous page for one panel, but i think that glance may have been targeted at the table wolfwood threw. i say this because vash moves fast and if he had wanted to target the yinyang brother behind him, he would’ve shot him already. 

the both of them focus on the targets they’re aiming at. vash with his gun can’t break the armor of the tank and wolfwood’s punisher isn’t made for a single target unless he wanted to pulverized the dude with bullets and his aim won’t be precise with the punisher either. they’re mainly talking to themselves on this page, but the fact they don’t even say anything to each other, only giving a single glance before...

changing positions immediately -- understanding where the other had lacked in, understanding what they themselves would be capable of doing and what the other could not... like.... wolfwood quickly changing the punisher’s form to activate the torpedo to take care of the armored up tank and vash quickly getting aim on the yinyang brother the moment he turns around. in just fighting together, it communicated everything we needed to know about their teamwork. and taking into consideration how they’ve been fighting alone for their entire lives only to flawlessly come together as a team despite that... they’ve developed a trust on each other, a trust i think vash is relatively aware of at this point, but wolfwood hadn’t realized it.

i’m saying that because of his expression here lmfao 

i think wolfwood can be pretty slow on realizing things for himself. i think for vash, he’s already built a recognition that wolfwood was going to be following him, that wolfwood would be there to protect his back, and i think that feeling stems from personal trust, considering how often wolfwood has done that for him already and i think a bit of that is also vash being aware that wolfwood has a job he’s upkeeping to protect/keep an eye on vash, so he’d expect wolfwood to upkeep that too.

on wolfwood’s end, he turns back to vash immediately, realizing that he had left his own back unattended. wolfwood knows vash, he understands the kind of person he is, but he was still anxious because of all the thoughts he held up throughout this chapter. i don’t think wolfwood’s trust in vash was purposeful prior this chapter and really, there wasn’t any particular scene that showed him trusting vash outright because wolfwood has always moved pretty independently throughout the arcs. it tended to be vash putting his faith in wolfwood instead while wolfwood himself was still trying to figure out where he stood with vash. but through battle, through the nonverbal communication and through instincts, i think that provides a lot of context of how his trust is ingrained instinctually and how despite what he states, what he thinks for himself, he internally already knows otherwise that he would never be able to harm vash, that he has already deeply sided with him.

when the fight is over, vash immediately disarms himself, thanks wolfwood, and his back is once again bare, turned towards wolfwood, vulnerable and full of trust. it’s intentional in how vash shows his trust towards wolfwood and wolfwood, processing, realizing that in full... how despite all of his worries, his fears, pondering about how this monster was going to save humanity, he’s ultimately just looking back at someone who’s grown so close to him. and i think this page is wolfwood coming to realize what his relationship with vash has become. overall, this chapter just feels like the moment when wolfwood has come to be honest and frank with himself on where his allegiance lies. in the previous arc, midvalley came at him constantly about who he was betraying and i think wolfwood was like “what the fuck is he talking about” for a good portion of it up until this chapter. 

a lot of what wolfwood had to tackle that previous arc was where he stood in the crossfire. being a gung-ho after having killed “chapel” and stolen his spot which in turn led him to working under knives directly which led him to become vash’s guide, merely a job to be his guide until it no longer was just a job. he has a lot in common with midvalley, both being assassins, both having a heart that lied elsewhere and not in line with knives or legato. they both acted out, betrayed before, and midvalley himself mentioned how the twins were beyond them, higher beings while they were mere insects, or something along those lines... which wolfwood basically echoes similar sentiments here. when midvalley died, he most likely saw a reflection of himself. when he comes before midvalley’s grave, he thinks on that, the “can’t make a stand, even with those fangs of yours”, thinking of betrayal that comes about in his dreams. he knows for certainty that he wants to protect the orphanage; beyond that, i don’t think wolfwood believed he sided with anyone at the beginning of chapter 35. it’s a realization he makes steadily throughout the course of it and only when he’s back to back with vash does he realize he’s already sided with him whether he wanted to or not.

the chapters in vol 6, from all these different perspectives, they all end up concluding something new about vash, something they realize from what they’ve observed of vash in the previous arc and in person. meryl recognizes that vash’s fears and shame won’t stop him from shooting his gun. legato recognizing the significance of if vash could collect all the coins that becomes prevalent in chapter 80s. knives realizing that vash is already in the process of dying due to the black hair. milly seeing vash’s muddled up expression, the smiling facade he holds automatically when he doesn’t know what to do and gets a glimpse into the loneliness he feels.

the significance of wolfwood coming to terms with his feelings of vash makes his actions in vol 8 all the more meaningful and comprehendible. granted, i think throughout the previous chapters, we can all sense this sort of change in wolfwood and how much he cares about vash and all that... but i think the trust that wolfwood solidifies in vash goes beyond personal sentiments. after all, i think wolfwood having saved vash in vol 8 is because he trusted vash would be capable of saving humanity and that trust was enough for him to risk his own life... despite being afraid of dying, despite not being Ready to die, despite his own personal doubts and uncertainties and the echo of rebellions falling into ruins, he still went forth to save vash for the sake of humanity and he trusts that vash, despite his lonesome for those 7 months, would be resolute enough to stop knives. --> i’m saying “for the sake of humanity” because that’s just relevant with his thoughts in this chapter. him freeing vash has multitudes of layers that’s both personal and selfless to the fault, but that’s for another post.

and the final light hearted page in this chapter, where they chit chat a bit casually. i feel like every time we see wolfwood in his off time, he’s always eating something/discussing eating, which is kind of cute. he’s on top of his meals!! and of course, one of the best panels for millymeryl, the utter destruction and devastation in that house and meryl looking like she definitely Did not sleep from the chaos (and probably due to her own nightmares too) while milly is refreshed... they’re the cutest ever. 

anyway, that was the last page so that means this chapter is finished! the way this chapter went full circle in regards to wolfwood’s thoughts, how all of his worries eventually led to a resolution to his feelings about vash... i think wolfwood’s point of view is always a gift to explore because his thoughts sometimes conflict to the resolution he comes to, especially when it comes to vash. wolfwood never had a presence like vash in his life, never known someone so different but still so similar to him. it’s all very new, so i think wolfwood’s circling thoughts, confusion, and the eventual choices he make when it comes to vash is a precious insight that i’m Very grateful towards nightow for.

i don’t know how to conclude this, but that’s all i have to observe! i hope it’s understandable what i mean when i say this chapter feels like an arc of itself and yet, it’s still so perfectly entwine with the rest of the plot. wolfwood’s thoughts here are not foreign, his development doesn’t come from nothing; it’s all a steady progression and i think it’s valuable for all the decisions he ultimately makes in the future chapters.

[drconstellation]

When Crowley met Jesus, and the other demon at Golgotha

You know the scene. 33AD. Aziraphale is watching the crucifixion take place and certain fem-presenting demon sidles up to him.

Aziraphale greets them, and finds out they have changed their name.

"What is it now?" he asks them. " Mephistopheles? Asmodeus?"

I know most you have learnt by now that Asmodeus is the demon of lust, and this is obviously Aziraphale's idea of a flirty little joke (perhaps the first we see? because he's the one who's really as "mad as bag of frogs" after all and that's why Crowley's made an appearance, because he was probably just in the area, you know...), but I haven't seen or come across much meta about the first suggested name, which is a GO "lead balloon" moment.

Mephistopheles, Aziraphale? That's the name you thought of here? Of all places? jfc...you bad, bad angel! lmoa! This is a serious, sombre situation you are witnessing!

Mephistopheles is the name of the fictional demon sent to do a deal with the character Faust in a story that dates back to Germany in the early 1500s. Faust was a like a scientist in his day, well educated in things like alchemy and astrology and other mystical arts, maybe even having wizard powers (why not?) But he was hungry for more power so he did a deal with the devil for 24 years of assistance to achieve and gain anything he desired, and at the end of that time he would be claimed by Hell. Needless to say, despite starting off well it didn't have a happy ending. (I wont go into details as there are lots of variants, and its not that short, and they aren't all that relevant to the point of the post.)

It has been a hugely influential story ever since, appearing in many forms over the years; in opera, theater, movies, novels, adaptations such as Oscar Wilde's The Portrait of Dorian Grey, and Queen's famous song Bohemian Rhapsody. Terry Pratchett also did a parody of it in his 1990 book Eric, and readers have often noted the similarity to the Hell depicted there to the Hell in GO.

Its the origin of the idiom "to do a deal with the devil" and a Faustian bargain. The mortals that enter into the deal with a powerful supernatural entity are usually set up to fail, and we go along with it because we are so used to the trope, its one we've come to expect the bargainer to fail in some spectacular fashion. It's one that keeps being repeated again and again because it so interesting to explore - often the protagonist is looking for some form of happiness, sometimes revenge, and hopes the deal will deliver, but find out the hard way that they should be careful what they wish for because the delivery is a two-edged sword. They may find out that they don't actually want what they thought they wanted, or they get what they want in an very unexpected way.

Back to Golgotha, and our demon and angel. We learn the demon has merely modified their name to Crowley. And yes, they met Jesus.

C: "Seemed a very bright young man. I showed him all the kingdoms of the world."

A: "Why?"

C: "He's a carpenter from Galilee, his travel opportunities are limited."

This is a reference to one of the the tests of faith Jesus was put through before his crucifixion, from the Book of Matthew.

I like this modern version I found:

For the third test, the Devil took him to the peak of a huge mountain. He gestured expansively, pointing out all the earth’s kingdoms, how glorious they all were. Then he said, “They’re yours—lock, stock, and barrel. Just go down on your knees and worship me, and they’re yours.” Jesus’ refusal was curt: “Beat it, Satan!” He backed his rebuke with a third quotation from Deuteronomy: “Worship the Lord your God, and only him. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness.” The Test was over. The Devil left. And in his place, angels! Angels came and took care of Jesus’ needs. Matthew 4:8-11 The Message

Or, you could say: Crowley showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, and offered the bargain that he could rule them all if he would renounce God and worship Satan instead, but Jesus just turned to the demonic messenger and simply told him to "fuck off!"

And there we have it, folks. Mephistopheles, and Asmodeus. Touche, Aziraphale, you sly little shit stirrer.

[half-dead-writer]

https://www.tumblr.com/half-dead-writer/765380870575161344/do-we-fuck-with-patelgraves-patelgraves-frotting?source=share

me again, i didnt think far enough ahead and i didnt expect a reply uh, do whatever you please with the prompt i guess :3 i read the rules after and realised its an x reader only blog so you can have it x reader too if you want i got too silly and let the demons win by asking im sorry LMAO

At first I was writing my own thing but realized it would fit to Anon's ask sooo here you go! Gideon's relationship with Julie is up for reader's interpretation whether he's not dating her, in an open relationship, or maybe even cheating on her if you're into that who am I to tell u?? one important thing tho is that it's NOT supposed to be a non-con fic - they all CONSENT, they wanna fuck each other aight?? Both Matthew and Y/N probably had some sus moments with Gideon previously but now since they're in a relationship there was never any talk of "hey um actually have u ever considered dating Gideon too??" simply cuz the topic never came and not like either of em had the guts to admit they think Gideon is hot this was supposed to be just a hot scenario of all of you three fucking after doing something risky but I took into consideration Gideon's character (also included the part about cameras only because I think it'd be in his style to do so) and how serious the situation would be IRL - HOWEVER, this is fiction, and aside acknowledging the possibility of Gideon blackmailing you, I wouldn't even call it dubcon. If Matthew or the reader refused, I didn't intend to write Gideon who would actually proceed with the blackmailing, it would just be an awkward situation for all of you. Fortunately it isn't! well now that's out of the way enjoy the self indulgence

It's Worth The Risk (NSFW)

You got invited to Gideon's party, you and Matthew get frisky in the middle of it, Gideon catches you, spontaneous threesome happens

characters: Matthew Patel, Gideon Graves (Scott Pilgrim Takes Off)

words: ~8,2k

reader: gender-neutral

warnings: brief degradation kink mentioned, drunk sex, being walked in on, voyeurism (?), public sex, overstimulation, crack treated seriously?? no beta

𝔯𝔲𝔩𝔢𝔰 + 𝔪𝔞𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔩𝔦𝔰𝔱 / 𝔖𝔠𝔬𝔱𝔱 𝔓𝔦𝔩𝔤𝔯𝔦𝔪 𝔗𝔞𝔨𝔢𝔰 𝔒𝔣𝔣 𝔪𝔞𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔩𝔦𝔰𝔱

A few years of working for Gideon brought you many things. Mostly money, but also a lot of time to teach yourself how to be patient, even at the worst moments. Being his assistant, you were by his side almost 24/7, you were pretty sure you knew him better than most people, saw him in his glory days and even when he fell down from grace as Matthew took everything away from him. Seeing Gideon lose all of his possessions was pretty shocking, especially when you got to witness your boss hanging from the rooftop, being overpowered by a man he used to call weak. Even though their combat happened mostly out of your sight, them fighting all over the facility and all, you couldn't deny worries began to flood your head the moment Matthew dared to challenge him. Gideon, used to being the one in charge, didn't even think of a potential loss from his side. He underestimated the odds, and suddenly he was left with nothing in the span of a few minutes.

Even though Gideon was a professional asshole, you didn't know what to expect from Matthew Patel. He probably wouldn't be as much of a menace as Gideon, but still, your boss changing was not something you expected. After just a few days, you noticed how clueless Matthew was as a CEO. He obviously didn't have the experience and it showed with how much money he lost in a single day. Given no choice, he reluctantly had to ask you for some guidance. Seeing him lowering to your level gave you much more confidence, which helped your overall image of him. He wasn't a big, scary boss anymore, but something of an acquaintance. The acquaintance status soon changed to a friend, and then a friend changed to a boyfriend.

Fast forward to today, your life turned out to be pretty great. Instead of being an assistant, having to tolerate Gideon's antics all day, your only duty was to be a stay-at-home-partner for Matthew, who was now a Broadway star. Aside of him having to leave on tours, you were pretty happy.

★ ★ ★

Receiving a letter with both your and Matthew's name on it would not be so shocking if it wasn't from the Gideon himself. He had invited you both on a party, something about all exes gathering together and just having a good time at his headquarters. He already went thru the trouble of getting back all of his empire from Matthew legally, but he had to make a point, throwing a big get-together to show them all of his regained power under the pretext of wanting to catch up. You acknowledged Gideon was a big part of your life, even if nowadays he was just a mere face on countless posters and magazines. It was pretty surprising when he seemingly confirmed to have the same opinion about you, bothering to include you along with Matthew in the invitation. Perhaps he allowed all of the exes to bring a plus one to the event?

Turns out, he didn't.

Arriving at the place in your nicest outfits, neither you nor Matthew noticed anyone else along with the other exes. Perhaps Gideon just had the courtesy to invite his former assistant due to all the years you worked for him, as much as it was out of character for him. You didn't have a reason to complain, even if Gideon wanted to flaunt with all his possessions, who were you to turn down free food and booze?

Although it was a bit awkward at first, the party was a nice change of pace. Happening in the Chaos Theater, it had all the necessities needed for a party. A big, open dancefloor, a barman, loud music and couple of electric faces. You were thankful he didn't go as far as to include a cage dancer into the package, knowing it was a regular occurence from your time as a worker in G-Man's media. Both you and Matthew had to agree - it was a good time. Especially when the alcohol began to properly course through your veins. Seeing Matthew on the dancefloor was probably the highlight of your day, he was in his element, even if other exes had a good laugh about his (more than charming to you) moves.

Exhausted from all the dancing and having too many drinks, you had to remove yourself for a moment, disappearing into the bathroom after giving Matthew a quick heads up about your whereabouts. He nodded, choosing to occupy a free space on the nearby couch as he waited for your return. Seeing the party bustling with life, he was far from being bored of it yet, but the slowly rising buildup in his abdomen was getting really distracting. He should've foreseen this would happen.

Due to Matthew's recent musical hit, your relationship didn't have much time for any intimate moments. Of course, previously, that didn't bother him, the importance of his plays overshadowed any need for sexual release, he simply paid no mind it. Unfortunately, the drinks seemed to bring these nasty thoughts out and he feared his body would soon start to betray him.

He really didn't wanna think about it. The night was going great, he didn't wanna ruin it by being a perv. Subconsciously beginning to tap his foot, his mind raced with every possible thing to distract himself with. Work. Musicals. Anything that would still entertain him while staying as far away from the topic as possible. Unfortunately, nothing worked. All of the thoughts just seemed... annoying. Curse his undignified body for forcing him to go through this embarrassment.

Having enough time to think over his options, he finally deducted - he had to talk to you. Yes, it was embarrassing, but he trusted you. The night was still young, but perhaps he'd be able to convince you to go back home, as rude as it would be to the other guests. He mentally blamed himself for having such a low alcohol tolerance. He really wanted to be focused on the party and everything else going on, but the itch inside persisted with determination. He had to get himself together.

Scanning the crowd, your figure managed to hit his eyes just before you emerged from the corridor leading from the bathroom. He approached quickly, pulling you gently onto the side, hidden from the other guests. What was he even gonna say? He looked at you with something akin to fear, gaining a worried head tilt in response.

"Is something wrong?" You asked, fully taking into consideration the way his brows furrowed with anxiety. It was unlike him.

"Um... actually, yeah." He avoided your piercing gaze, uncomfortably scratching the back of his neck. He balanced his weight on his foot, swinging on one side as he tried to push out his next words. His stare bored onto the wall before him, as if looking for the answer that would magically form in it.

"You know how... we- we didn't really do anything, uh, in bed, recently?" He muttered out at just enough volume for you to hear him.

"...Yeah?" You questioned further, cocking your brow.

"I'm- I-" He stuttered, the words just refused to eloquently be put into a clear sentence, "I would- really wanna go home, and... D-Do something about it. Like right now."

You stare added even less confidence to his already tipped off nerves, feeling as if he was just caught robbing a bank, and the surprised chuckle hitting his ears after was just the cherry on top. He was about to sputter more explanatory rambles until he was cut off by the gentle tone of your voice.

"My plan was to throw myself at you right after we arrived home after the party, so I get what you mean." You smiled, amused at the red that coated his cheeks after his confession. "But the party just started-"

"I- I know!" He exclaimed in annoyance, clenching his fists, embarrassed and under the impression you didn't take his words seriously. "But you just look so pretty tonight, and I don't want the others laughing at me when I can't control what my own body does!" He softened his features after a moment, they were harshened by the scrunch of shame on his face.

Tapping his foot as a way to calm himself down, he continued. "It's embarrassing." He muttered, the sentence feeling wrong on his tongue. "I feel like a damn teenager."

"Okay, okay, calm down," you took his face into your hands, reassuring him. "Let me think."

You couldn't deny, you were in a similar situation, but the urge wasn't as strong as Matthew's. You did your best to occupy yourself and wait for the main event later. But now, your boyfriend coming up to you with such a request pushed your lust up to the surface, and you couldn't ignore the thought of doing something right this moment seemed very appealing. Taking a second to respond, you thought of all the possible solutions in your mind. The party was blooming, catching up with the rest of the exes was fun, especially when their personalities shined more with the alcohol added into the mix. You didn't wanna leave yet, but you also didn't wanna go home, you probably wouldn't have the strength to come back, and it would be hard for you to explain your momentary disappearance.

Pouting your lip, you hummed in thought. You knew what you were gonna say was a stupid idea, but you decided to do it anyway. It was worth to get a second opinion.

"...What if we'd be quick about it?"

Matthew's face contorted into shock right after he heard you. "What?" He had to ask, the reply seemed too outrageous to be serious. "Here??"

The bashfulness soon overtook your face, smiling with just a bit of shyness after being met with such a response. "...Yeah. I- kinda wondered how it'd be like." You felt the need to clarify.

"B- But- Won't the others be wondering where we are??" He struggled to keep his composure, his eyes still conveying the everpresent nervousness, yet now also showing something else. Spark of interest, maybe?

"Not if we hurry up. Then we'll say I was getting you some fresh air after you got sick from the alcohol." You made your plan on the spot, an easy excuse.

"Wait, why would I be sick so soon?" He said before fully processing his question. Your look made him quickly rethink your idea. It's true, if anyone at the party were to be sick at the start of it, it would be Matthew. Sighing, he had to agree with you. "Okay, maybe that would work. B-But where...?"

"Hm... The bathroom seems too risky. Someone could come in." Instinctively, you looked both ways, expecting someone to ruin your perfect plan. Thankfully the corridor was still empty and quiet in contrast to the muffled music coming from the end of it.

"...What if we searched for some private room?" Matthew suggested meekly. "Gideon has some of those, right? I saw them... I never knew why does he need so many rooms when he only uses half of them. It just makes the place look bigger than it actually is." He thought, recalling his brief as a CEO.

"No, he keeps them closed," you disappointingly brought up the fact you remembered from working as Gideon's assistant. "But... He doesn't lock his office."

Matthew tilted his head in disbelief. "Really?"

You nodded. "Yeah. I don't really know why, but I've seen him leave it open. He doesn't bother to close them, I always had to do it for him."

"Well- If you think that's a good idea..." He looked around, freshly filled with anticipation. Even though it was a very stupid idea, one that could backfire very easily, you ignored the possible repercussions, mind clouded with adolescent-like excitement of doing something risky.

Taking Matthew's hand, you tried to refresh your memory of a path to Gideon's office. You knew the way pretty well, being forced to go through it everyday back when it was your job to do so. Would it really be so easy? Or would Gideon add to your misfortune by locking the doors on this particular night? Thinking about it, you hardly seen him mingling at the party. He was there for sure, you caught some glimpses of him interacting with other people, but somehow, you and Matthew haven't spoken to him since you entered the building. You really hoped he wouldn't be standing in the doorway, just waiting for you to make the wrong move and enter the room. You decided to blame it on the alcohol paranoia for both of your sake. Even if he did catch you, you could think up some sort of excuse, right? Reaching your hand towards the doorknob, your question was about to be answered.

And... The doors let out a satisfying click. No Gideon in sight upon letting the doors part even more. Sighing with relief, you entered the room. Matthew looked around, familiar with the place. He switched on the lamp laying on Gideon's desk. It provided a dim light, perfect for staying inconspicuous. It shouldn't be as visible from under the doors.

Matthew's sight remained on you, searching for further instructions. He wanted to do everything and nothing at all, the intensity of the situation getting to him. He was nervous, but his mind begged to finally touch you. Deciding to take matters into your own hands, you approached closer, started the fun with a kiss, pressing your lips into him with a hurry in your movements. You had to be quick, after all.

Matthew's muffled moan at the sudden speed sounded beautiful, only fueling your need to have him. He got lightly pressed into a wall, your hand brushed over his chest, feeling it rise and fall rapidly. His hands grabbed your hips, eagerly wanting to feel more of you. No matter where. His touch felt electric, the alcohol only intensified the already steamy moment. Nothing mattered, not even the possibility of being caught, fully covered by the way Matthew's lips felt on yours. It was a thrilling experience, as selfish as it was.

The passionate kisses soon turned into a clumsy dance of tongues, the hesitant yet desperate touches replaced by the need to feel the skin hiding under the fabric of your clothes. The way Matthew squirmed with each brush of your fingers on his bare stomach was intoxicating, even more than the alcohol. It didn't take long for you to feel the noticeable tent poking your leg. Not taking a break from mixing saliva with him, your other hand palmed the neglected spot. He whined, finally feeling a bit of release. He was almost aching, and your hand was just the thing he needed.

Continuously assaulting the place, your lips moved lower, feeling bold enough to take your kisses onto his neck. He shivered, leaning onto the cold wall behind him. His legs felt wobbly and his entire body was on fire. You just knew how to rile him up with almost no effort. Of course, you made sure to not leave any hickeys, or else your story wouldn't be so believable. His nails started to lightly dig into your skin softly, not being able to contain himself when all he perceived was you teasing him. His pelvis moved on it's own, grinding onto your hand with embarrassing need.

Swiftly unbuckling his belt, you reached into his pants. He held back the volume of his sound as he felt you slowly jerk your hand. The stiffness and warmth felt illegal in your grasp, only adding to the fire rising in both of you. He rested his chin onto your shoulder, breathing out almost pornographical, quiet moans into your ear. Alcohol loosened him up to the point even most embarrassing noises travelled across the room. Him turning vocal was a turn on for sure, but you had to remind him of the situation at hand.

"Try to be quieter, love," you whispered, deliberately brushing your thumb over the head.

"Nff," he bit his lip. "Y- You're making it really difficult..."

He took a moment to calm down his panting, huffing out his plea, "...I- I need you so bad."

His words were raw, sincere. You wanted him just as much as he wanted you. Not being able to hold yourself any longer, you grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him onto the chair near the desk.

You got onto his lap, grinding your crotch against his still clothed dick. You just had to get some friction. Matthew grabbed your hips again, panting shallowly as your bodies did the work of granting you pleasure. The spinning chair rocked slightly under your weight, but the thought of it breaking didn't even cross your mind. Hopefully, it wouldn't.

"...H-Hold on, I'll take off my pants." You panted out, feeling your underwear already getting ruined. Well, you'd have to deal with it later. He frantically nodded his head. Getting off of him for a second, you quickly lowered your pants along with your underwear. In the meantime, Matthew made it easier for you by taking himself out of his boxers.

Granted a couple of seconds to take in his environment, he looked around. Was he really gonna do this? Have sex in Gideon's office, while at his party? He once sat in this exact chair, so maybe it wasn't that bad, despite everything? Yeah, no, it was totally out of place. And the worst thing is, he enjoyed this situation. Perhaps it was his ego, poking out from the depths of his drunken mind, as if doing that would show Gideon who's still the boss, or maybe it was the possibility of beight caught, exposed as a pathetic loser who can't keep it in his pants even for a minute. Of course, if only the latter wouldn't destroy his whole reputation. Admitting to himself he had a slight degradation kink sounded much easier while intoxicated.

Getting thrown off from his train of thought by feeling your weight back on him, he let out a soft gasp. All of his previous ruminating being drowned by your body pressing against him, lower half feeling the familiar sensation of your bare skin. Preparing yourself accordingly with a bit of spit, you waited for the moment where you'd finally connect.

With bated breath, Matthew's hands on your hips lowered along with your bottom half. Both of you let out the held back exhales, adjusting to the sudden warmth and pressure. You finally felt him inside. It was wrong, which only added to the intensity of the act. With his mouth parted, Matthew watched as your pelvis moved, slowly at first, gaining speed after some a few humps. It felt good, but it wasn't enough. The pleasure was constant, yet not quick enough for you to achieve your climax in a timely manner under the current circumstances. You cursed mentally, placing both of your hands on Matthew's shoulder for support.

"...We probably should have just gone home," you panted out, not fully regretting your decision, yet suddenly too aware of the potential risk.

"You think?" Matthew deadpanned, not able to stop staring at your moving body. He knew it as well, but wasn't willing to break whatever you two had started.

You chuckled weakly. "Not like I dare to stop now, though..." The situation was bizarre, yet somehow very connecting. Like doing a crime together. Which probably was true. You weren't really sure. At least you weren't doing it in a random stranger's bedroom, but it still spoke poorly of your morality. You'd have to make it up to Gideon somehow, even if preferably, he would never hear about it. It would leave a bad taste in your mouth if you didn't. Even more so considering the fact you used to have a crush on this guy.

"...I love you so much-" You rambled, feeling the need to voice your thoughts. In return, you heard a chuckle of his own, the flustered kind.

"I love you too," he responded with a tired smile on his face, closing his eyes as he tried to focus on the sensations, all too ready for the orgasm to hit him, yet still being so far in sight. "Your body, your everything- You're just, perfect-"

The praise coming from Matthew's mouth pushed you to envelop your lips on his once more, interlocked in a passionate kiss. At least this way both of your moans would be muffled.

Opening up your eyes to an alarming noise, your stare fell onto the door. With the way you were sitting, you had a clear vision, directly at it. And what you saw almost made you faint.

"Yoohoo~ Am I interrupting something?" With an expression that slowly morphed from disinterest to amusement, Gideon leaned against the door frame, arms crossed in an unimpressed display of dominance. He got you. You were officially fucked.

Caught like a mouse in a trap, you felt the lump forming in your throat, stopping you from making any sound. You lifted your hips, too embarrassed to keep sitting on Matthew. His head whipped back the second he heard the familiar voice, even if the chair was covering most of his view.

"GIDEON?!" He shouted, harshly digging his fingers into you out of shock. He could officially die now. He even went as far as to go back to the time they both fought for the league. He had troubles deciding what would be worse, if he would have lost that time, or the exact circumstances he found himself in right now. He should have seen it coming, and he knew that. Only thing he forgot to do was get prepared for this to happen.

Gideon only snickered in return, closing the doors behind him to not make a commotion out of the current conundrum.

"Fuck, Gideon, I-" Your compromised position, still resting on Matthew, only fueled your desire to vanish. "W-We're so sorry, we shouldn't-"

Seeing the smug smile on his face felt even worse than being outright yelled at. That meant he enjoyed seeing you struggle, and you knew it. But maybe if he wasn't mad, the outcome wouldn't be as punishing as you initially expected.

"I see you both really enjoy the party, huh?" He clicked degradingly with his tongue, getting closer to the chair you occupied. "I really didn't take you'd have that much audacity, yet here we are."

You didn't really know what to do. Should you get up? The way you sat made you somewhat covered, with your bodies bent in a way that would hide at least a bit of the shameful display away from Gideon, mostly thanks to the chair's back.

"We- I'm sorry, we will see ourselves out," you submissively admitted your defeat, not wanting to be put on the spot anymore. You lost. Preparing for the shameful scurry, you tried to get off the chair.

"Hey, hey, why the rush?" He leaned his hand on the top of it, looking you straight in the face as he narrowed his eyes with a grin that fully expressed the power he had over you right now. Matthew flinched. It felt like a life and death situation, even if you had a spark of hope Gideon would take mercy on you and not babble about it to the whole crew. You learned your lesson. "Didn't the fun just start?"

You were flabbergasted. Did you understand him right? Did he know how long you two were here? Did he see you both coming here and decided to just... not do anything?

"...What?" You said, anxious for the other man's response.

The confidence in his chuckle made you feel even smaller than before. "Oh, lovebirds, nothing goes unnoticed by me in here. I own this place."

"B-But how-" You meekly continued, too shocked to stop the words from spilling.

"Cameras, baby." His response was too quick and nonchalant for your liking.

"In here??" You almost shouted back, feeling Matthew tensing underneath you. He let you continue the convo, too stunned to voice his own thoughts.

"There's no need for shouting. Yes, in here." He emphasized the last words. "I keep all the corners of my facilities covered."

Physically, you felt really warm. Not only from the blood rushing to your cheeks, but your whole body felt painfully hot. Like riding a rollercoaster and plummeting down. The time felt like it stopped, dreadfully extending each second. Getting caught by Gideon with no evidence of it happening was bad enough, but having it recorded was crossing the line. You knew Gideon, and it was obvious to you how serious this situation could be. He was an asshole. Getting blackmailed with a sextape was not something you fancied on a stupid Friday night. However, you were strongly prepared for this reality to become true with the next sentence that would fall out of his mouth.

"Y- You can't!" Matthew suddenly spoke up, not as worried for himself as he was for you. He could not let this happen. "Don't you dare show it to anyone! I'm serious!" He threatened, fully aware how little his words would affect Gideon's already established plan.

"Woah, buddy, calm down." He looked down, towering above the sitting Matthew. "I'm not here to blackmail you or anything. Don't worry, I'll make sure no one will be able to see your moment of weakness."

"Y- You're not?" You said with hesitance, not fully trusting Gideon was telling the truth.

"Even though you massively disrespected me with your little mishap here, I'm willing to forgive and forget. Let bygones be bygones, you know? I'm not such a bad guy, after all." He spoke effortlessly, staring at your slowly changing expression as he explained.

"So- You're just gonna let us go and delete the recording, like that?" You dared to ask.

"Just so we're clear. I didn't do anything for this to happen. That's all on you. Clearly, I'm the victim in this situation. So, I think a favor would be fine for me to ask in return, don't you think?" He smirked, knowing how much of your attention clung to the words he was saying.

"What favor?" Matthew asked, staring at Gideon warily from his compromised position. His imagination ran wild with all the things Gideon could force you to do, and it wasn't pretty. Even though all of the exes, specifically Matthew and Gideon, were now friends, he knew how far Gideon could go to humiliate someone that went against him.

"Oh, I don't know, some favor I'll think of in the near future. Whenever I'll need something from either of you." He stopped for dramatics, seeing how the cogs in your brain turned. "Or, we could all do something about it today and move on with our lives. Your choice, really." He shrugged, leaving you the time to process what he just said.

"What? What do you mean, do something today?" You asked, almost too afraid to speculate.

The light reflected in Gideon's glasses, accentuating his growing, cocky grin. "Let me join the fun."

The moment Gideon finally disclosed what was on his mind would probably stay with you until your death. Both you and Matthew had to process what was being said to you. Did Gideon just offer to have a damn threesome?

"Tick-tock, sweethearts, I still plan to get back to the party." He obnoxiously looked at the nonexistent watch on his wrist.

Matthew's lips felt dry, but he was finally able to utter something back, escaping the incapacitating shock that held him previously.

"I won't do anything Y/N isn't okay with!" He furrowed his brows and rushed with his response, expectantly looking at you after. Not being comfortable with the sudden spotlight thrown at you, you spoke just as quickly.

"I-" The words stuck in your throat, the situation turning into a different shade of stressful.

It'd be a lie if you said you didn't imagine fucking your former boss, as much as that thought embarrassed you while working for him. He was chasing Ramona, not you. Having a crush on a person who wasn't interested was pathetic enough, so you just muted this part of you. Not like you believed Gideon could sincerely reciprocate the affection, there would be an obvious power imbalance. Then things changed, you got to know Matthew, he made you feel all bubbly inside, and there was no shame that came with that. You stopped working for him as soon as you both started dating. Gideon fell from his first place as your love interest, and now, he was offering you the thing you'd accept in a heartbeat not that long ago? The fate played tricks on you. The trick being, you were inclined to accept. It would probably be the first and last time you ever got to fulfill this wish of yours, as bad as the current circumstances were. Perhaps it was due to the alcohol, or maybe the relief knowing you weren't completely screwed that made you more susceptible to his suggestion. The only thing that worried you was how Matthew would react. Would he take it as breaking his trust? You still loved him, more than your silly fantasy of fucking Gideon, and you had to make sure you were on the same page

"W-Well, how about you?" You looked at him, avoiding the obvious elephant in the room regarding this question. "Would you be fine with this?"

His mouth remained opened for a brief while before he put his vocal chords to use. "I- If you are, then... I guess I would be inclined to do it... too." He said, or moreso asked, not totally sure of the words spilling out of him. His sight nervously jumped around, not focusing on anything else in particular. He wanted it too, yet shared a similar worry.

"Are you sure? Like, honestly sure?" Your gaze remained on Matthew, searching for any sign of being pushed. He was your biggest fan and would even punch the 3rd hole in the moon if only you asked for it, so you knew how much power your opinion in the situation mattered. However, you did not want him to feel forced with the decision, only because you wanted to experiment.

He swallowed a hefty dose of saliva before replying. "Yes, I'm sure. It'd be just a favor, like Gideon said, right...?"

"No strings attached. I wouldn't want to cause problems in your lovely relationship. Think of it as a... bonding experience. For all of us." Gideon coaxed, a sly grin remained on his face. He knew he would get what he wants.

You coughed awkwardly, trying to clear your throat. "Well- I- I guess, then... we... accept...? I-If we can stop at any time." It was hard to formulate words when the emotions raced like wild horses. Was it excitement, anticipation, fear, both?

"Oh, of course, that goes without saying," he purred, lightly leaning with both hands on the chair you both sat on.

"Well, now that it's established... Get the hell off my chair." His tone changed into a harsh annoyance, forcing you both to finally stand up. "I will hold you accountable if you break it."

Both of you uttered a quiet and hurried sorry, standing out like sore thumbs, halfly naked. Neither of you knew what to do, pushing Gideon to do something about it. He considered your lack of direction pathetic, but cute with how easy it would be to mold you. He thrived on telling people what to do. Coming closer to his desk, he looked at the papers laying on it's available surface before throwing them off of it with a quick swipe of his hand. Guess they weren't that important.

He patted the now unobstructed space on the desk. "Y/N, if you would."

Halfly unsure, you trusted your reasoning that he wanted you to sit on it. It was a correct assumption. Gideon went behind it, facing your back. Matthew watched, trying to decode what he had in mind. Suddenly, Gideon grabbed your shoulders, swiftly pulling you to lay on your back. Seeing the ceiling made you flinch, until Gideon made an effort to explain what's happening.

"You, pretty thing, don't have to do anything. Just stay still." He looked at you from above, enjoying to the fullest the way you reacted to his pet-name. "Your boyfriend will take care of you, won't he?" He looked at Matthew, who felt more than clueless.

He was just in the middle of fucking you, but felt too embarrassed to continue doing it while Gideon was watching. He knew he would get carried away with his sounds if he did so, and it was too early into your newly formed situationship for him to be comfortable enough to do so.

"...C- Can I at least sit on the chair?" He asked meekly, already settled on what he was about to do.

Gideon raised his brow, thinking about it for a moment before he allowed it with a brief nod of his head. "Go ahead."

Spreading your legs, Matthew scooted closer, now sitting comfortably on the cursed chair that would surely fall apart any minute, if only Gideon hadn't stopped you in time. At least that's what his thought process was with how fearful Gideon's words made him about it.

"...What are you- Oh-" You were about to ask, until you felt Matthew's tongue brush against your groin. Feeling the kitten licks starting to build up something in your abdomen made your face contort into expressions you were too embarrassed to think about in Gideon's presence. You had to hold yourself back from squirming. Gideon, on the other hand, was clearly pleased with the action happening before his eyes. Hearing the faint sounds of a belt being messed with, it didn't take you long to notice his almost fully standing erection pressing against your cheek. It seemed pretty big, at least from the upside down angle. Did he get excited in such a short span of time or did you just not notice it before?

"I don't think I have to tell you what to do?" Gideon looked at you expectantly, adjusting himself so he'd have an easy access to your mouth. Hesitantly, you parted your lips. He shoved himself into you, slowly at first. He thrusted his hips, exhaling contently as your mouth covered half of dick. Saliva pooled at the corner of your lips, it was hard to focus on correct breathing while Matthew busied himself between your legs. Fortunately, Gideon was kind enough to notice that, not pushing you too much in the moment where you were still acquainting yourself with the situation.

Matthew occupied his whole attention with making sure he was pleasing you right, even if Gideon using you at the same time was making him emotions he didn't think he had in himself. He didn't even touch himself, as if waiting for someone's (this someone being Gideon) permission to do it. He wanted to be good. Hearing your soft, muffled moans sent jolts of electricity right to his dick, which was just begging to be touched - a big contrast to how not too long ago it threatened to get flaccid.

Feeling the licks of Matthew's tongue on your sensitive nerves while having your mouth used felt almost overstimulating. You let out weak whimpers, not able to control the sounds escaping you. Gideon, seeing how much you've grown accustomed to the manhandling, let himself increase the pace, shoving his cock an inch deeper with each roll of his hips. You closed your eyes, fully letting both boys work their way towards your orgasm. As much as it was degrading, you liked how Gideon took charge. You didn't really have that experience with Matthew, as your sex was usually pretty vanilla and passionate, mostly from his side.

Not stopping his movements, Gideon kept his composure while speaking up.

"Enjoying yourself?" He looked at your face, seeing how you opened your eyes once he started talking, "I knew this was what you wanted."

Of course, with mouth full of dick, you weren't really in a position to respond, nor wanted to give him the satisfaction of your honest opinion.

"Even when you were working for me. You probably wished this happened sooner, huh? On this desk." He pushed himself deeper. "I've seen you staring at me with those eyes." He mused, moreso to himself.

Matthew raised his head a bit, hearing Gideon's rambling was pushing it a bit, given both you and him were now in a relationship. Gideon noticed this little change of scenery, and was quick to add,

"Don't worry, Matthew. Y/N isn't the only one I had my eyes on." He shot him a knowing glance, the sentence rolling off his tongue effortlessly. He had no trace of embarrassment on his face, fully knowing the outcome of his confession.

Unsure what to do with this unexpected information, Matthew opted for burying his head between your thighs once more, blush coating his cheeks. He wanted to argue, to say Gideon's flattery wouldn't work on him, but unfortunately, it did. Even though he felt jealous, he let it slide. Gideon noticed that, feeling his grin grow wider. He had both of you right where he wanted, and it only added to his ego.

You didn't have time to ponder his words, nearing closer to the finish. The wet sounds, the speed at which Gideon and Matthew were going, it was all just too much. Matthew insisted on licking that one, particular spot that quickly rose the tension in your muscles. Your legs began to shake, your whole body squirmed on that wooden desk. Gideon saw the opportunity to hear your moan, unobstructed, quickly pulling himself out of your lips. You'd be embarrassed at the sound that just left out of you if it didn't feel so damn good in the moment.

Matthew wiped his mouth, now covered in your essence. He was embarrassed at how hard he was, especially with Gideon there to witness it. The only hearable sound was your labored breathing, slowly coming off the high that hit you so strongly just a second ago. Staring at the ceiling, Gideon made it hard for you to avoid his grin.

"Now didn't that feel good, sweetie?" The way he was looking at you made you feel ashamed, but the words coming specifically from him also added something else. A thrill? It still felt wrong, but somehow, you enjoyed this. It was a break from the norm, which was probably why the whole experience felt so ecstatic.

"Mattie, give back Y/N the chair. They're probably exhausted." You weren't sure if Gideon's care for you was sincere, but he was right. You were exhausted.

Matthew got up with some hesitation, the spotlight now embarrassingly thrown at his still aching erection. You had some troubles when your foot touched the ground, getting to your seat with wobbly legs. It was probably one of the best orgasms you had in a while.

"Sit down." He patted the same place you were in not too long ago, signaling for Matthew to switch places with you.

He meekly obeyed, sitting on the desk. He didn't know what plans Gideon had prepared for him, but at this point, he was willing to do anything to get off. With tensed shoulders, his sight dug a hole in Gideon's face, only showing the everpresent satisfaction of the effects he had on both of you. With a swift motion of his hand, he reached for Matthew's dick, starting with rapid jerks. Matthew's response was an alarmed gasp. Seeing Gideon go easy on you made him drop his guard, which had him totally unprepared for his turn to be so intense. His fingers grabbed the corners of the desk, curling.

"...N-Not so fast!" He managed to squeak through gritted teeth, his bangs briefly falling on half of his face. Surprisingly, Gideon listened, slowing down to a sensual up and down movement. He got to hear the sweet sound of Matthew's surprise, free to continue with his pace now. He mostly focused on brushing his thumb against Matthew's tip, feeling the gross precum coating his skin. That did the trick, getting Matthew's moans to shine through. He tried to stop them, to no success. Gideon got closer in between his legs, and Matthew couldn't help but briefly close them around his waist, squirming with each stroke of his palm.

Getting jerked off while in your presence, by another person, letting the slutty, embarrassing noises were enough for Matthew to feel guilty, even if all of you agreed to this sudden fun. He knew that his decision to proceed with the events was not random. Gideon was someone he used to admire, right until he lost the fight for everything that he owned. In that moment, he knew he was above him. He proved it by winning the fight, fair and square. Yet still, there was something lingering in the back of his mind. A foolish desire to feel the same adrenaline he felt while throwing punches at him. Only now he fully realized it wasn't completely about the fighting.

You thought seeing Gideon take care of Matthew would wound your pride much more, to see your boyfriend intertwined with another man, but it was more so fear of missing out. You already exhausted your body enough, though. Even if there was still some jealousy involved, it was certainly less than what you originally expected. It all got clouded by how cute Matthew looked in the current moment. It was easy to see how he fell apart with Gideon's touches. He just had a way of getting into people's heads, even without the use of his Glow. Besides, seeing two boys you considered attractive, entangled in the fun you also experienced not too long ago? It was hot. Seeing Matthew come apart, was hot. Perhaps it was the alcohol speaking, but you weren't against it happening again, sometime.

Although Matthew was in no position to complain, being given gratification with each jerk of Gideon's wrist, he couldn't help but notice Gideon's fully visible erection as well. He wondered, why didn't he do anything about it? How much did he plan to prolong the fun? His speed, even though slow, per his request, was painfully taunting. He knew Gideon had something else in mind, which is why he dared to ask,

"Wh... Why aren't you..." His eyes fell upon Gideon's crotch, leaving no room to debate what his question was about.

"Aw, worried about me getting off Mattie? How considerate of you." He chuckled, his ego growing. As if on command, he raised his unoccupied arm, aligning their members together. Matthew gasped at the sudden warmth pressing against him, feeling way too intimate with the position.

"W-what are y- ah!" He squeaked, feeling the way Gideon wrapped his hand around both of their dicks, increasing the speed to his liking.

"Didn't want to overstimulate you too soon," he huffed out, "but I see you're eager."

Matthew's legs clasped around Gideon even tighter, not being able to keep himself from spilling all the shameful moans. He closed his eyes, not wanting to think how pathetic he must have looked to you. Gideon added another wave of sensations by grinding his hips, helping himself get off faster. He was into rough play, opposite to Matthew, who was slowly losing control with how fast it all unravelled.

"G-Gideon, y-you're going too fast-" he whined, yet wouldn't dare do anything to stop the man's actions. Hearing the sweet sound of his name rolling off Matthew's tongue only fueled his desire to pick up the pace.

"Don't lie," he inched closer towards Matthew's ear, whispering his next sentence, "you're enjoying this just as much as I am."

"Fffuck-" He cursed, feeling the brush of Gideon's tongue on his neck. He could only hope he wouldn't be so bold as to leave hickeys on his skin. That would be crossing the line.

Seeing and hearing the two boys in the middle of their fun made you feel wet again. Were you being a voyeur? Probably, even if all of you were entangled in this. Nonetheless, your hand lowered down to your groin once more, not being able to hold yourself back from the shameful urge. Thankfully, the boys were too occupied with themselves to notice.

The desk began to move rhythmically, shaking just like Matthew's legs. He was on the brink of exploding, as did Gideon. Eyeliner began to spill down Matthew's cheek, the act too intense for the tears to be held back. He let out a choked gasp right before a string of white flew into the air, dirtying Gideon's still moving hand in the process. He wasn't done yet, ignoring the mess and nearing even closer, faintly leaning against Matthew's chest. He grabbed Gideon's arms, digging his fingers into the white sleeves.

"Gideon-!" He whimpered, the pressure on his still sensitive dick drove him crazy. Gideon ignored his plea, too focused on chasing his own climax.

Hopefully, with Matthew's mind occupied, he wouldn't notice you nearing your own orgasm on par with Gideon. With both of their labored breathing, you felt it just around the corner, which added another form of stimulation. You'd come at the same time with Gideon. The thought pushed you to quicken the movements of your hand, all too eager for it to hit you. Hearing a content groan coming from Gideon's mouth, he slowed down his movements, his dick sliding up and down, until it finally rested still in his hand. He leaned his chin on Matthew's shoulder, panting like a dog into his ear, and Matthew was no different.

Given a moment to gather his thoughts, Matthew heard your stifled moan, feeling the blood rush to his cheeks. Oh. You were having your fun too. He felt coy realizing what drove your actions.

Gideon soon retracted away from Matthew, feeling the sweat cling uncomfortably to his fancy clothes. He couldn't wait to take a shower, and so did both of you. Unfortunately, there was none available at the moment. The other guests would just have to excuse your messy states. At least Gideon was kind enough to provide you some tissues. All of you silently agreed the fun time was over, making yourself decent before exiting the room. He locked it this time.

"I suppose this concludes your part of the deal." He spoke nonchalantly while briefly fixing his clothes. He also took out a comb out of his pocket to make his hair look less messy, yet didn't bother to share it - brushing his hair after you used it would be crossing the line.

"How about your part of the deal?" You looked at Gideon, Matthew joining your stare. You had to make sure he would upkeep his promise of deleting the video.

"Don't worry, I remember our arrangement." He lazily took out his phone, the app showing a name of the camera in his office. Thankfully you didn't have to cringe at your compromised position on a little image preview, as there was no visible thumbnail.

"Unless you want me to send you the video first?" He teased, although it wasn't clear whether his words were just to bait your reaction.

Both you and Matthew spoke hurriedly in unison "NO."

"That- won't be necessary." The awkward grin forced itself on your face. He only snickered, pressing the delete button. You watched as a little popup appeared, text "video deleted" fully on display. That calmed down your nerves substantially.

"Well then, if that's all, you may be excused. Feel free to enjoy the rest of the party." He turned on his heel, intending to go back to the bar, but not before inserting a quick quip. "I'd recommend asking someone for a comb though, your hair looks really messy."

You chose to use your well trained patience and not respond anything back, too tired to start anything. Matthew just sighed heavily in annoyance, following your steps of keeping quiet.

Abruptly facing you one last time before heading off, Gideon spoke again. "Oh, and if you ever feel like trying to fuck in my office again, try asking me first, hm?" He half-closed his eyes, looking at you for a moment with a sickeningly sweet expression. Then, he left you no room to respond, already trailing back to the party.

Your stare met at the same time with Matthew's, mostly just appalled. You actually didn't have a clue if it was a warning, or his way of inviting you to another session of...

"What the hell was that?" Matthew finally spoke with both amusement and shock in his voice.

"I- I don't know?" You reciprocated the intense emotions in your tone. "But... It- it wasn't that bad...? I mean, I was terrified at first, but- I'm not traumatised?" The confused laugh fell out of you, probably the adrenaline.

"Well- yeah... I mean- at least Gideon is an attractive guy-" He hesitantly spilled out his thoughts, an embarrassed grin present on his face.

"Oh, so you think that too?"

"Wh- O- Of course I do! I mean- I wouldn't consider it otherwise!" His cheeks instantly turned redder.

The sound of your soft chuckle managed to calm him down. "Well- I'm glad we both got to experience it."

[destinygoldenstar]

🍀Justice For Lake!🍀 - Total Drama Viewer Reacts to Disventure Camp Season 2 Episode 6 “Broke & Back Mountain”

BOW DOWN TO YOUR SAVIOR.

HE SLAYED RIGHTFULLY.

Anyway, we're back. I know it's been awhile. I've been busy doing other things.

But don't worry. We're back now. We're cool. I didn't die.

At least I can watch this show more peacefully, so I'm not bombarded with bigotry every minute! I can hear my conscience again!

Because yeah, last episode's elimination, subverted my expectations in a way that pleased me.

I'm very interested in what's gonna happen next, considering Yul is out now. I mean, slayed or not, James is still an antagonistic character, so I'm ASSUMING he's taking the mantle as villain.

That and we have Krystal as a villain already.

So let's get into this episode:

Oh, no recap this time? We're just gonna...

Aw, I wanted to watch Yul die again :(

Awwwwww, Aiden and his bear, that's so cute ❤️

Why you sleeping with earrings?

Uuuuuuhhhh... why are you two sleeping together? What is going on here?

I guess you guys figured things out.

...

AND NOW I'M EVEN MORE CONFUSED AS TO WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE?

ARE THEY IN A POLYCULE? IS THAT WHAT IT IS?

😂

Riya has my exact reaction XD

"What in Bollywood's name did I witness last night?!"

"I told them not to bring it up until the game was over."

Wait, so why were y'all in the same bed?

That's not a 'friends' thing to do.

So Hunter still hasn't come out yet.

"Fortunately, Yul had to leave the game due to a medical emergency."

Yeah, FORTUNATELY XD

I love that nobody misses him at all.

"Eh, you know, we don't know if he made it or not, but he was kind of a douche, so I should be worried, but I'm just not, you know...?"

"Well, I hope he doesn't get well soon."

XD

YEAH SEE?! XD

DON'T WE ALL?

Idk how many Yul stans there are. All the Yul stans probably blocked me.

"I never liked Yul. His personality and way of expressing himself were horrible."

Why didn't you vote him out then? When you had the chance.

You could've allied with Kai or Connor, and not much about your gameplay changes.

"But all the hate he caused kept me and the girls safe. It was good strategy."

THAT'S your justification?

You and your girls weren't in ANY danger. And Kai would be easy to persuade for a fourth vote. You have majority.

OH. MERGE ALREADY?!

We're only at Episode 6. GODDAMN.

Total Drama 2024 was out for BLOOD trying to beat this.

"PreMerge speedrun! How quickly can we merge our characters?"

"As you may have noticed, we are in the middle of nowhere."

XD

"WELCOME TO THE VOID!!!"

"Excuse me?!"

What's wrong with supplies?

"HOW DARE YOU ENSURE THE PEOPLE'S SAFETY!!"

"Aiden and James are going together."

Oh goddammit. AGAIN?!

I mean yeah James didn't kill Aiden, but THAT'S THE BAR.

I would've loved to see Aiden and Lake pair up tbh.

As friends, obviously.

"Is there a problem with the signal here?"

I'm glad I have subtitles on so I know he said signal.

I heard 'SIGH-NAL'

'SINAL'

Idk, I'm not gonna question it in case this is an accent thing.

"You are in the middle of forest. There is no Internet here."

I thought that'd be obvious. XD

Oh he's gonna LOSE IT

"What?! What year are we in?!"

The year of HELL.

Except I'm in the future. So...

Still hell.

"You seem to know a lot about survival."

"No big deal, I just read it in a book."

Sounds like everyone.

"Sources?"

"Uh... I read a book once. Ten years ago. So yeah, I'm an expert. I know everything there is to know about surviving-OH, HEALTHY BERRIES-*GAGS*"

"Nope. Not another one. Please no."

XD

"NO! NO MORE GIRLS! PLEASE! I DON'T WANT LOVE, PLEASE!!!"

"Can you believe it?! What kind of low budget show leaves its participants without Internet access?!"

BUDDY. IT'S THE WOODS.

I'm surprised you even HAVE wifi at camp.

James is just gonna be complaining the whole time.

"We're in the middle of the woods, James. What did you expect?"

Yeah, exactly. Even the other characters are calling this out.

"Look, the faster we get to camp, the faster you can get back online."

Aiden's like, "So PLEASE, shut your mouth and stop staring at me with predatory eyes. Then maybe I'll get you your precious wifi back. If I don't smash the phone first-"

"I had some differences with James, but what he did for me in the previous ceremony makes me believe that, deep down inside, he's not that bad."

"I mean, HE KILLED YUL FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. How can I NOT respect the hell out of him?!"

"Now that the teams are dissolved, I guess you'll go back to your alliance with Lake and I'll be alone again."

Awww, Riya, honey, no...

"If I make an alliance with Lake, you will be also part of it."

ABSOLUTELY.

BEST GIRLS ALLIANCE? HELLO?

Alliance of all the best girls?

"We can dominate the game together and you can beat the shit out of us in the semi-final."

Oh so you WANT to lose to Riya?

Heyo, don't tempt her to slay, Rosa. SHE'LL DO IT.

"Huh, now that you're encouraging me to slay, I think maybe I should slay, you know? Helps with my broke-ass career. People LOVE IT when people SLAY."

Awwwwww

Why is Rosa so good with everyone?

"Maybe I should go higher."

"Don't do it. You could fall and hurt yourself."

LOOK AT YOU SITTING ON THAT THIN-ASS TREE BRANCH. YOU'RE ONE TO TALK.

"Do you care about me?"

Oh... oh that's deep actually... shit...

"Well sure. You are my friend."

"Even though you threaten my senpai's attention away from me."

"Who's your senpai?"

"Good question..."

*Bi Crisis*

"I thought you were just pretending to be nice to me."

Oof. OOF. Girl, I'VE BEEN THERE.

"What? Of course not! I really like you!"

"Don't take that in wrong context! Please, no! I'm not bi! I'm just making a point!"😳

"I admit, at first I pretended to be Tess's friend a bit so Hunter wouldn't feel bad."

Oh, so...

This and the children rage thing. I question your morality a bit Allyson.

Poor Tess.

"This is the last time you take part in a challenge!"

What are you mad at him for?! Ensuring your camper's safety?

...actually that checks out.

"People want to see people suffer and fight for their lives, to see them get hurt and go through the worst of embarrassments! This is what the show is about!"

You sound like a Chris McLean child.

You sound like Chris McLean right now XD

God that's a good line though.

Has someone working at OddNations seen my Total Drama posts where I discussed this exact topic, and said "We should make THAT a major theming of our show!"

"That's why this show went so many years without being broadcast!"

HUH?

HANG ON. BIG QUESTION MARK.

What is the time gap between Season 1 and 2? Exactly?

I THOUGHT it was just one year, but apparently not. It's been several years?

I mean I know the past hosts were criminals, but the show was still aired, right? Or was it not??

I'm confused now.

"I'm saying Lake was right. You ARE worse than Mr McLean!"

*CHOKES*

WAIT WHOA WHAT THE FUCK-?!

I SAID THAT AS A JOKE.

I SAID THAT AS A JOKE, I THOUGHT SHE WAS JUST SOME EXECUTIVE'S CHILD-

SHE'S ACTUALLY CHRIS MCLEAN'S DAUGHTER?!

SINCE WHEN DID THAT MAN GET A KID?!

Oh wait cause her name is CHRIS-tal-

I'm an idiot.

I am a fucking idiot.

I bet y'all are laughing so hard at my mental breakdown right now cause you figured this out on day one.

I AM A FUCKING DUMBASS...

Alright I'm calming down. I'm calming down.

So uh... SO MUCH MAKES SENSE NOW.

So... let me get this straight, if I am TRYING to understand the lore here:

Total Drama is CANON to this universe. That's what they're implying. Unless this is an AU.

I THINK when Oliver said "This Show" he meant that SURVIVOR, the show Total Drama is based on, doesn't exist in THEIR universe, and Total Drama IS the equivalent of Survivor in THEIR universe.

Total Drama took place in the years they were airing in real life. So TDI took place in 2007 for example. And the last season, before the reboot anyway, was Pahketiew Island. AKA, the worst TD Season EVER. That aired in...

*looks it up*

2014.

So if this same logic applies here, then this show takes place in...

2022.

So it's an EIGHT YEAR TIME GAP.

So after Total Drama got cancelled for Chris McLean's island scheme, before the show was revived in 2023, Disventure Camp Season 1 would take place in 2021.

And the original Disventure Camp, the season ran by Derek and Trevor, was aired as a shady site due to their crimes. Which is why they got people messed up in the head and/or desperate for money, to do the show. THEN when they got caught, a year later, the rights of the show went to Krystal, someone of much higher power and Chris McLean's daughter, and she kept the show alive and aired this season.

So it's basically:

TDI-TDA - 2007

TDWT - 2008

TDROTI - 2012

TDAS - TDPI - 2014

DC1 - 2021

DC2 - 2022

TD2023 - 2023

TD2024 - 2024

And if we're sticking with the year gaps, then DC3 is in 2023 in their time.

Idk, I feel like this could be wrong. I'm trying to understand the lore here.

I know, THERE'S ACTUAL LORE IN TOTAL DRAMA NOW.

"I'd rather sleep on the street than keep working on this damn show!"

DAMN.

That's every Gen Z employee now.

Y'all have no idea of the mistreatment we suffer...

Like, old folks, we will be overworking our asses off just to get impossible standards to even get HIRED in the first place. No matter the degree. No matter the experience.

And we will STILL not be able to afford rent.

And WE'RE the problem?!

Ummmmm... hi?

"Lake, get in the helicopter."

What? NO. WHY?

"You're out of the game."

WHAT?!

WHAT WAIT WHAT THE FUCK?!

HANG ON!!!!

Is this because she read you for filth?!

Are you eliminating Lake out of SPITE?

NO. I WON'T ACCEPT THIS. NO SHOT SHE ACTUALLY GETS ELIMINATED HERE.

SHE HASN'T EVEN GOTTEN A CHANCE TO PLEAD HER CASE OR GET VOTED OFF!

"Your father called. He wants you to come home immediately."

Oh so that's why?!

Lake, you don't have to go sweetie! STAND YOUR GROUND AND SAY NO.

"NO, Krystal. I am NOT going anywhere!"

"Unless I get voted off. THEN I'll leave. But not because of my shit father!"

"I could, but your father offered me a generous payment for him to skip certain deals."

Uh, yeah, no.

Lake, you don't have to do this.

"Also, if I remember correctly, you said some nasty things about me in the last challenge."

YEAH I FIGURED THAT HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT.

LAKE, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO GO.

"I AM NOT GOING. I HAVE TO GET VOTED OFF FIRST."

NOOOOO

NOOOOOOOOO

NOO COME ON

HUNTER!!! YOU'RE WATCHING THIS. DO SOMETHING!!

YOU CAN'T JUST DO LAKE LIKE THAT!

WHAT WAS THE POINT OF HER DEVELOPMENT IF IT WAS GONNA AMOUNT TO NOTHING AND SHE WAS JUST GONNA GO BACK?

WHAT WAS THE POINT?!

"I don't agree with Lake's situation but I admit I feel a little relieved now that I'm on my own."

WOW. YOU SUCK HUNTER.

BRING LAKE BACK! I WANT LAKE BACK RIGHT NOW!! GIVE HER A PROPER ELIMINATION! THAT'S BULLSHIT!!!

I'm so mad...

"Do you have any idea how much content you could be uploading to TikTok right now?"

And Tumblr.

*UNRELATED IMAGE*

"Don't tell me, thunder scares you."

Awwww.

It's actually worse cause they're in a tent.

"And to think I could upload how cute you are when you're terrified! Look at my BABY everyone! Hashtag LOVE!!"

UMMM... SIR. NO.

HE DID NOT SAY THIS WAS OKAY.

THERE IS NO CONSENT HERE.

HOW HARD IS IT TO ASK: "Hey, do you want me to cuddle you? It might help your fears."

"I can't replace your teddy bear. But I can try it."

...I mean it's a sweet gesture at least...

Half the time I can't tell if Aiden is blushing out of crush or DISCOMFORT.

James, I appreciate the effort, but you're still a creep.

Oh god it's HELL...

How is there a fire in the rain?

"It's the boys! Great! Now that I'm an intern, we can be friends again!"

What boys?

Trevor and Derek? They escaped?

WHAAAAAAATTTT IN HELL'S NAME...

WHAT ARE THEY DOING OUT HERE? HELLO?!?

"Kai and I have been living in the forest."

You're completely okay with this? WHY?

"A dance to bring rain!"

WAIT YOU'RE GODS?!

These two have been trying to become the GODS and take over the universe. Holy shit...

Why is Kai jacked? I just noticed that...

Why am I asking this when I have A MILLION other questions.

"Look for the wise man who drinks from the turtle's neck."

WHAT?

"I'm going to find some wood to make a fire."

Girl, IT'S RAINING. It won't work.

...what's wrong with Tess? You're fine.

"I need... I want all this to go away..."

OH...

Wait what she's going through? Is she panicking?

"I do not want to be here."

Does she have some trauma with the cave space?

"No! You do not understand anything! Nobody understands why I came to this place!"

Oh...

Okay, explain then. I want answers.

Honey's going through it right now.

"I told you not to worry, I don't need you."

Tess, come on...

NO DON'T CUT AWAY.

I WANT TO UNDERSTAND TESS BETTER.

WHAT WAS TRIGGERING HER THERE? I DON'T GET IT.

YOU CAN'T JUST CUT AWAY BEFORE I, THE AUDIENCE, UNDERSTAND SOMETHING!

OH LAKE'S STILL HERE. YES!

"Is there a reason father wants me to come back?"

I WONDER WHY.

"It's because of the kisses, right?"

"I haven't exactly come out of the closet, you know?"

"Because of that and because you burned your books, didn't turn in your essays, they found out you hid photos of them and now everyone knows you're bald for being stressed."

Oh. We FINALLY get an answer for that.

I heard that was a real thing that could happen. When people lose their hair out of intense stress. And... yeah.

That says a lot about Lake's character and what she goes through.

Also Krystal FORCED her to do all these things, so why isn't her dad taking it out on Krystal?

"I'm done. I'm sure he'll send me straight to boarding school and I'll have to spend my youth surrounded by cranky nuns."

You're just giving up? GIRL.

"Your parents seem tough, huh?"

"They're the worst."

Yeah. Took you awhile to realize that.

"Since I was born, they have controlled every aspect of my life. From the clothes I should wear, to the tone my skin should have..."

DAMN.

"Well, at least your parents were with you."

Oh, is Chris...

Why am I asking? OF COURSE. OF COURSE CHRIS WAS A SHIT NEGLECTFUL FATHER. I SHOULDN'T BE SURPRISED AT ALL.

"When I was a child, I could only see my dad on television."

"And he was torturing teenagers. Now you know where I get it from?"

"What abut your mother?"

"I don't know. Dad never talks about her."

I'm confused on if it was a fling situation or if Chris is married... idk, I don't remember if Chris mentioned having a wife or not.

This could just be a fling he had and whoops, the woman got pregnant.

OH THIS LOOKS LIKE A NIGHTMARE.

I'M SO SORRY GIRLS YOU DON'T DESERVE THAT.

OH NO HUNTER.

WHAT HAPPENED MAN?

"GOLDEN SAID I SUCKED..."

I'M SORRY!! I DIDN'T WANT YOU TO SUFFER FOR IT.

"James and Aiden found a bike that Oliver hid, Rosa and Riya put together a raft and are about to arrive as well."

Oh cool. Glad we saw that on screen. /s

"Third place? But Lake is here."

"Where's Hunter?"

"Oh, he died."

"Is that true, Lake? Are you going home?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

I hate this so much.

This sucks.

This is a SHIT elimination for Lake.

"But there was a change of plans. She stays here and she'll just leave this camp, voted out or with a million bucks."

OH WAIT, WAIT A MINUTE.

HAVE MY PRAYERS BEEN ANSWERED?!

Also the dad sounds like he's been kidnapped and gagged.

LAKE STAYS!!!!🎉

I wish Lake was the one who stood up to him. But SHE STAYS!!!

"That's right, father, mother, I'm not going anywhere. I will eat as many calories as I want, I will not marry anyone for your selfish interests, and I will not go to that boarding school! Whether I win the million or not, I will never let them control my life again!"

OKAY I'LL TAKE IT!!! I WILL TAKE THAT!!!

👏👏

GET EM QUEEN!!!!

Okay, NOW I get why y'all like her so much.

"There will be no eliminations today!"

Oh cool!

"Don't you want to catch up with your followers?"

"Nah. I'll do it later."

James development too? Hello?

AWWW LOOK AT THEM. THIS IS SO SWEET.

They didn't invite Tess, Allyson, and Hunter?

Oh there they are.

"Hey Ally, what I told you... what I said about pretending to be my friend, well I..."

"Tess. It's okay."

NO STOP INERRUPTING HER.

LET TESS OPEN UP GODDAMMIT.

I WANT A TRAUMA DUMP.

Allyson has a tattoo?

That actually looks kinda sick.

"Will Tess open up her heart to Ally?"

I feel like they can hear me teasing them.

Thing is I can't tell if they have better chemistry with each other than they do with Hunter, cause they'd had good Hunter interactions too...

But I think Hunter is aromantic, so...

And that was Episode 6.

No eliminations today. But I'm fine with it.

This was a pretty good character episode.

It's almost like now that a certain someone is out of the picture, I FEEL LIKE I CAN BREATHE. I CAN ENJOY THINGS AGAIN. I CAN BE INVESTED IN CHARACTER BITS MORE.

Instead of bitching about this one guy.

JUSTICE FOR LAKE.

Like, NOW I see why y'all like her.

I liked her at the start too, but not to the point where I was like "LOVE YA GIRLIEPOP, MUST PROTECT."

And now I am "LOVE YA GIRLIEPOP, MUST PROTECT."

I am SO GLAD that was a fakeout elimination. Because if that was real, I WOULD'VE BEEN PISSED. Because that would've butchered all her character development, made it all pointless, and plus that's just such a cheap and rigged way to eliminate a character.

That's why Leshawna's TDI Elimination is THE worst elimination of all of these shows. AND I DON'T CARE WHAT ANYONE SAYS.

THANK GOD THAT WASN'T REPLICATED HERE.

Do I think she's winning? Eh...? Idk. I don't know if a million dollars really suits her character and what they're doing with her, ya know?

If you're asking me who I think is winning: Rosa or Aiden.

Aiden has just been "The Innocent Boy" The entire time, and his association with the SNAKE of the cast is building up to something for sure.

I LOVE that James killed Yul. But in terms of being around Aiden, I'm not won over YET.

I still can't ignore the uh... CONSENTUAL ISSUES between them.

Like, come on, how hard is it to ASK before you snuggle up to someone? Especially if they're NOT your significant other.

And I just love Rosa. And I honestly see no scenario where she could be eliminated.

She's a lot like Owen and Wayne in that sense. Where her whole strategy is just being the nicest person around, and thus nobody wants to vote her off or hurt her.

Plus she actually DOES have some strategic moments with her girls alliance, and she knows morals and stands for them. So, yeah, I'm routing for Rosa.

She can use the money to raise her child. It would be so sweet!

She's a Paddington. That's all I'll say. She is a Paddington and a beacon of light in such a CRUEL, MISERABLE environment where there's so much deception and hate going around. And not only does she refuse to get pushed, but she also says that sweetheart. I SALUTE HER.

I also hope we get to know more about Tess. Idk. MAYBE I was stupid and didn't understand what was going on in that scene. Mostly because they don't explain it.

Like, I get that maybe you don't want an info dump. But I, the audience, needs to understand what's going on. I'm not in the writer's head! I don't know this character! I need to be explained what's going on!

I know she's an orphan. I know she's depressed. I THINK that scene was hinting towards a trauma trigger from either caves or the dark? But I don't know??? I don't know what they were saying there.

Maybe I'm stupid. If someone can explain that scene better, PLEASE. I want to understand this.

But, uh, here's a criticism for Disventure Camp:

There's several times in these episodes where they cut away before things can be explained. And several times it cuts away before I feel like the scene is properly done. It's weird pacing, and it's also depriving the audience of information we SHOULD have.

Like, Hunter says he'll talk to them about the love triangle situation. THEN IT CUTS AWAY. And next time we see them they're in the same bed and a confessional tells us what they talked about.

Like, you don't need a confessional there. You could've just, idk, SHOWN ME the scene where he talks about this to them. Then when we start this episode and they're all in the same bed, I wouldn't be scratching my head, I would be flattered because then I'd know what the conversation was and why they were doing that.

That's just an example. There's multiple others I could use.

Even in Season 1, even if it's not AS bad there, it's still there. Like when it cut away before Jake could tell Ellie his situation. Though, I can excuse THAT, because we the audience already knew of the situation and those aspects of Jake's backstory, so we didn't need to hear it again.

But everything else, idk, I feel like I should know more than I know.

This is like... just an example, The Amazing Digital Circus, only when they're in hell, we DON'T get Pomni breaking down and crying or Kinger's speech about love and memory. After Pomni gets saved from possession, we just go straight to them figuring out how to get past the damned soul corridor.

No, there's not a lot of action of them sitting there, so it's not the most fun scene to make, but it's NECESSARY, and helps you FEEL the characters and understand in full what's going through their heads.

You NEEDED that heart to heart. You NEEDED Pomni to cry. You NEEDED Kinger to explain his dementia. Otherwise you'd just be scratching your head on what the character's context is, because it's context you don't have.

This isn't a mystery show. So I think this criticism is valid.

It's a pacing issue. It's not a criticism I give out of spite. I'm just saying a flaw I have picked up on.

And I do hope they do better with this going forward and we get some really good character moments in the future.

And before you say "Runtime". This isn't Total Drama. This is an indie show that can do whatever they want and run these episodes as long as they want. So they ABSOLUTELY can make episodes 5-10 minutes longer to accompany some backstory and character building.

I know they can't do flashbacks or anything like that in this format, but idk, you could do some visual stuff with the setting to tell the story or something.

(I'm, at this point, asking to be hired as a writer.)

Good episode.