#probably the scariest illness in existance

[stupendousstudenttyrant]

If I was making a rowdyruff spin off, Here would be the episodes:

If I was making a rowdyruff boys spin off here would be the episodes.

(So premise, RRB actually have a room in MOJO and Him's house but most of the time MOJO and Him forget that they even exist so they live on the streets.

When they are not breaking in other ppl's home, they live inside the woods with their tents.)

(These episodes are in no specific orders just ideas)

My interpretation of the RRB is that personality wise their opposites to their counterparts but they sometimes parallel each other in terms of experiences.Like Bubbles and Boomer getting bullied/teased by their siblings, But they go about in two different ways.

FAMILY REUNION- In this Episode, HIM receives a call from his parents and they are having a family Reunion in the underworld (a.k.a. Hell). And Him takes the boys with them to see their grandparents.

I also added in a Lil rReunion.

Him: where's Boomer? Butch: Probably upstairs Brushing his hair so can be the scariest boy at the Reunion. Boomer: I'm gonna be the scariest boy at the reunion.

Him's real name is Lucifer but His Mom calls him "Luci" for short. Him's sister, Is called Lilith, But she goes by Lily.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL -

The boys go to school, At pokey oaks kindergarten.

Boomer is canonically isn't afraid of cockroaches like Bubbles. So when he sees one he just picks it up. So in my headcanon, I made Butch unafraid of spiders.

The PpGs find them to be really weird.

Bubbles: Boomer is so weird, He picked up a roach from the ground. Gross.

Buttercup: Butch is the weirdest one, He picked up a huge hairy spider from the ground. That's not normal.

Blossom: Brick is the weirdest one, He thinks reading is for sissies!

ROWDY GANG - Basically the RRB meet the Gang green gang. And thinks their cool. Snake and Brick compliement each other's hats. Butch looks up to Ace. And Boomer hangs around big Billy. Ace and Brick think alike, Snake and Boomer can relate each other because their leader like smacking them alot whenever they talk. And Butch gets along with Glubber.

TWISTED BROTHER - (inspired by twisted sister), this episode has two ways:

-The boys find out how they are made and decided to recreate another brother to outnumber the girls. This Brother is named Bat, everything goes well and dandy until Bat realizes that his brothers are complete losers and try to take over the RRB by overthrowing Brick. It doesn't work, And it ends with The RRB being forced to kill their brother. (Cuz if he didn't they would have killed them)

Second way this goes, Is that they meet a sick kid with a terminal illness. He's name is Bat, They threatened to beat him up, Until Bat says "Go ahead, I'm gonna anyways" and they decided not to beat him up. Because they didn't want to beat up a sick kid with a terminal illness.

In this story, Bat is a human kid, who is hospital bound, His Parents both died in a car accident and he is stuck at the hospital for the rest of his life waiting to die. Until, He meets the RRB and becomes friends with them. He envies their freedom to do anything they want and go anywhere they want.

They stole the chemical x from the professor lab And gave Bat superpowers.

Anyway, The RRB and Bat end up going to this island to cause some mischief, They meet a villain who almost kills them. Bat saves them and they fly back to Townsville.

While flying back to Townsville, Brick notices Bat is flying a little slow compared to them. Bat mentions he feels queezy and Brick gives Bat a piggyback ride back to the hospital. While flying, Bat closes his eyes and never woke up. Brick and his brothers think that Bat fell asleep so they put him to bed at the hospital. But little did they did know "I feel little queezy" was going to be Bat's last words.

In the end the boys, Find out that Bat has died and they blame themselves because they think the chemical X made him worst. But in reality, Bat died cuz of his illness and his final days were the best days of his life because of the RRB.

SUPERVILLAIN FRIENDS - (inspired by Super friends) where the boys meet Todd. Who has asthma and needs an inhaler to breathe. He is also a troublemaker. And likes doing graffiti and stealing things (although he steals out of extreme poverty). The RRB become friends with Todd after almost killing him. Because he had asthma attack and Boomer refused to give back his inhaler until they realize that he was serious and really needed that inhaler. They become friends, Todd teaches them how to play tag and gave him a home from his home town. Slugsville.

SLUGSVILLE- Slugsville is a small town of poverty. Filled with outcasts, Drug addicts, violence and sorta like the "The hood" of Townsville. It's where Todd is lives. He's family is very poor, everyone in the town is poor. But they are all good ppl with their own flaws. (And they will eventually find a home and someone who cares about there)

Also, Unlike Townsville citizens who tend to be pretty useless, Slugsville citizens fight along side with RRB despite the odds. They defend their hometown and the boys. And is sometimes very reckless. But they work together. (Both Todd and Brick are leaders).

BAXTER-One of the kids in slugsville is name Baxter, And He likes to build stuff and weapons out junk he finds in the junkyard. And desperately wants to be part of the RRB. (Baxter is the princess of the RRB, Where Princess Morebucks could pay people to build her stuff. Baxter as a kid who grow up with no money, Can only build his inventions with things that he already have from the junkyard.)

Similar to Blossom vs Morebucks, it's Brick is Baxter, Although Baxter's defeat was more brutal. At some point Baxter, Started his own group called the junkyard kids. With his friend in slugsville, Only, For Brick to takeover the group and call himself king.

He also is a bit of people pleaser and admires Brick alot despite him being jerk. Brick most of the time tell him if they can use his inventions, He could join the RRB. (But Brick allowed him to join despite all that).

BUTCHERCRUSH - Butch gets a crush on Sedusa, and Sedusa uses this into her advantage. (It's like Buttercrush, But the only difference is that HIM gets involved, Tells Butch that loving ppl is for sissies) And uses his experience with Sedusa as proof for why love and crushes are the worst and he shouldn't have them.Basically 🤷‍♀️

And Ace gets a Lil jealous of Butch and the attention he receives from sedusa.

HARD TRUTH- The rowdyruff boys meet Dick Hardly, who does the same as he did to the ppg. Except the Rowdyruff boys are easier targets. Since Noone cares about them or love them. So they could die and Noone know.

(Gang green gang, Todd, and Slugsville citizens to the rescue)

PRISON BREAK- The PPG use antidote X on the boys and send them to jail mainly for something minor. However, There was mix up with the paper work and the boys got sent to "DarkRidge prison" which is a prison out of Townsville. And is made for the adults. (It's where psychopaths and evil villains go). Anyway, they several ppl including the gang green gang, sedusa, femme fatal and MOJO. They can't escape because they can't use their powers. (So they have to use other ways to escape)

And this episode is where they discovered where they are made out of, Because during the escape they get cornered in a bathroom. That's when MOJO saw a toilet, smelled and declared it was Chemical X and explain to the boys this what they were made out of. The boys are a little disgusted but the gang green gang and the other criminals. Forces them to get inside the toilet of chemical x, To get their powers back and fight the guards. They succeeded.

FUTURE DILEMMA - but this just an episode for fun. The RRB split up and go their own separate ways. Fast forward to the future Brick becomes a Ruler, Butch becomes a Billionaire, and Boomer goes to school to become a doctor and works as a cashier. And is in alot of student debt.

Boomer works at a gas station as a cashier, lives in crappy small apartment, and survives out of cups noodles and is medical student. Becoming a doctor to proof his brothers wrong. That he is not as dumb as he looks. (He also occasionally visits Mojo)

But reunite with his brothers, It's Huge slap in the face.

Butch becomes a Billionaire and occasionally sends MOJO tons of money for his inventions. Travels around the world, Donates to charity, Especially to homeless kids, Since he was a homeless kid himself. And owns several Car companies.

And Brick becomes a God/King/cult leader, Created an entire country where people worshipped and praise Him. He calls his country Brickstons, And the people who worshipped are called Brickstonians. They're usually dressed in traditional clothing. Wearing Robes and jewelries. He also stole Chemical X, Giving his people powers and making strong. He also stole antidote X, Having his people (the ones who are smart) create handcuffs for Superhuman where they can't use their powers when they are arrested.

And Brick even told stories about himself (where 90% of it are lies) and it's called" The Adventures of Brick The Great" where it follows Brick the Great's Journey, as the "chosen onec, With his Brother Boomer The Lame and The Butch The Idiot. Fighting his greatest enemy of all, Blossom The Demon Witch and her sisters. Yeah Blossom is depicted as the devil in story. But he was 5 years old when he wrote that entire "origin" story.

(Blossom is also a scientist who went and study the island of Brickston. Only to get captured by Brickstonians.) (I should create an AU where Brick does become a Ruler of a country)

Anyways, That pisses Boomer off because their lives are way more interesting than his. It isn't their actual future since they go back In time and never split up.

[somber-sapphic]

Flu in the FBI

〘Prompt 7 (day 8, oops)- "You're a jerk when you're sick.〙

〘Notes- Yeah, I was going to post this yesterday but I only finished it a few minutes ago. I'm probably just going to write as I have time for now, but I'll do my best to keep up with this month! Excuse the title, it's bad. Also for the editing, it doesn't exist :,)〙

〘Summary- Morgan really can't take a hint.〙

〘Word Count- 1.2k〙

〘Pairing- JJ x Sick Emily (CM)〙

〚Main Masterlist〛⌶〚Sicktember Masterlist〛

“Come on Prentiss, just a quick game!” Morgan teased, throwing a sugar packet at the brunette’s head. Emily didn’t even look up to register the “attack”, she just continued to power through her paperwork with gritted teeth.

The game he was talking about was a version of basketball in which they would try to throw as many sugar packets into a paper cup as they could in a minute. The loser usually had to take a portion of the winner’s paperwork. It was something they often did to lighten the mood of their dreary workplace.

Normally, the former Interpol agent would’ve taken him up on the challenge, but she didn’t have the energy. The slight cold she’d felt developing on the second day of the case had turned into a full-on bout of the flu, and it was kicking her ass.

Another packet of sugar smacked her on the head, but she ignored it, focusing instead on making sure her letters were even slightly recognizable. Her hands had grown progressively shakier throughout the last few hours, turning her already messy handwriting into chicken scratch.

“Not tonight, Morgan.” Emily croaked, stifling a sneeze. She was secretive about it, in fact someone who didn’t know her well wouldn’t have noticed. Reid, who was standing slightly to the side of her, only knew that she had sneezed because of the quick tensing in her shoulders and the slight bob of her head. The woman had mastered the art of being discreet.

“What, scared you’ll lose?” Derek taunted, a gloating edge to his voice. Had he been paying attention he would’ve seen the reddening around Emily’s nostrils, the glassy tint to her typically sharp brown eyes, and the ghastly pale shade of her skin. Most of the color in her face was coming from the red spots on her cheeks that had come with the spike in her fever.

 “I said no.” She snapped back, her words more clipped despite the congestion. Her patience for his antics was wearing thin and she had no energy for his lighthearted teasing. Deep down the BAU agent knew that her friend meant no harm, but this illness had her short tempered and miserable. As soon as she had completed her work she planned to drive home and sleep until she was free of this illness.

“Nah, I get it. You don’t want to make a fool out of yourself in front of Spencer. Don’t worry princess, I don’t think he cares.” It may have been his own exhaustion not letting him notice Emily’s poor mood, but it didn’t matter. He had pushed her over the edge, and she wasn’t going to hold back.

“Morgan. I said no. I do not want to play your stupid game; I want to finish my fucking work and then I want to go home. What part of that isn’t clear to you?” She slammed her hands onto her desk and glared at him, trying to muster the scariest look she could. It was hard to look menacing with a runny nose, but Emily pulled it off.

The tall man stood there in shock, not having expected such a strong reaction. His confusion turned to worry as he finally realized just how sick his coworker was, but that quickly shifted to frustration. He was annoyed with himself for not noticing and annoyed with Emily for her tone. Sure, he had deserved it, but no one liked to be talked to like that.

“You’re a jerk when you’re sick.” He grumbled, walking back to his own desk.

“Oh, I’mthe jerk? You were throwing shit at my head!” Oops. He hadn’t meant for her to hear that. Emily was fuming and, more embarrassingly, felt like she was about to start crying. The stern words of her mother rang in her head, demanding that she keep her emotions in check. She could cry when she got back to her apartment.

“Hey, what’s going on over here?” JJ asked, appearing out of seemingly nowhere. Apparently the two had been louder than they realized, they had attracted a crowd. Garcia had emerged from her Bat Cave and even Hotch was hovering by the door to his office, surveying his troops.

Rossi was probably deep into his glass of Whiskey by now and couldn’t care less about the happenings of his team as long as they weren’t actively trying to kill each other.

“Nothing.” Emily whispered, sitting back down at her desk. If JJ got involved, she was going to coddle Emily and that, while a tempting idea, wouldn’t let Emily get her work done.

Unlike the others, JJ wasn’t about to let this go. She could see that not only was her girlfriend sick, but she was much sicker than she was letting on. The blonde had noticed it first when Emily had fallen asleep on the plane, but she was secretly hopeful that it was just the lack of rest during the case.

Now it was clear that it wasn’t simple tiredness, her beautiful lover was sick. JJ sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to keep her frustration at bay. She could already tell that Morgan felt bad, but in the short run that didn’t really matter. For now, she needed to get Emily home and get the fever under control.

“Alright. Em, pack your stuff. And one of you,” She jabbed her finger at Morgan and Reid, “is finishing her work. I’ll pay you back later.” The media liaison was not looking for an argument, she had said that they were doing Emily’s paperwork so they would be doing Emily’s paperwork.

“Jayje, I’m fine. I’m almost done anyway.” The brunette protested weakly, no fight behind her words. There was a very good chance that she would be dragged home, and she’d realized that she would be more than okay with that.

“Shush, you look awful,” JJ’s face softened as she looked down at the slightly pathetic woman and she reached out to stroke her cheek. It wasn’t often they showed affection in the workplace.

Even though their relationship had been approved by Hotch, the rest of the team hadn’t been told about it. Being profilers, they had probably figured it out, but no one would say anything until the two felt comfortable.

“Let’s go hun, I’ll make sure Hotch knows.” She said gently, holding out a hand Emily. The brunette hesitated for only half a second before taking JJ’s soft hand and standing with her purse over her shoulder.

With their fingers tangled together, the two women walked toward the exit and entered the elevator. As soon as the two were alone Emily dropped her head onto her girlfriend’s shoulder and coughed painfully into her hand. It sounded like she had been suppressing the fit for a while, and just let it run its course as her body shook from the force.

“Oh sweetheart. Why didn’t you say anything?” She murmured, brushing her lips across Emily’s hot temple. The brunette radiating heat and shivering simultaneously. JJ was itching to get her ill girlfriend home and into a warm bed.

“We were working.” Emily sighed, her voice raw and gravely. She shifted closer to the blonde, beginning to fall asleep standing up and JJ couldn’t help but smile. The woman she loved may be a workaholic, but at least she listened when told to. Well, to JJ anyway.

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[littleplantfreak]

you could fill whole posts with your feelings about Ume, you say? why don't you prove it? 👀💖

Em, sweet pumpkin spice latte, i have a reputation (i dont actually) so it's going under the cut because no one should actually have to hear me scream about him for 10 years PLEASE if anyone here thinks im cool dont read this i wanna keep my nonexistent street cred

This is my second time writing about him so im sure its consolidated a bit which is preferred cause earlier it was like,,,,, ten paragraphs more than it is now

lets start with my favorite manga panel of him that i keep so safe and close to my heart because look! he broke the wall and his arm hangs over the panel and i looove it Satoru nii i can tell you were gonna make him the mc but im sooo glad you didnt because i love himmmm. though sometimes he reminds me of myself when i was younger way too much but this aint about him. ANYWAYS I FORGOT I DONT THINK ANY OTHER PANEL DOES THAT? its and important panel TO ME

When i first saw him with his hair down? instant heart eyes jesus christ ive never drooled over someone so hard which must be why my post with the most notes is me gushing about his hair. Ive always had a thing for hair tho im just a weirdo. Don't even get me started on the reading glasses!!!! i could just scream.

Also ive always had a thing for big guys esp gentle ones and once i learned more about him it was like bullseye bullseye bullseye- with how boxes he ticked but i just wanna climb him and maybe fight him for real but also fight him with my mouth. I wanna take care of him soooooo bad its not even funny. Like i know he's a big caretaker but i wanna pamper him i want that boy loves and cherished ill fight chika for him rn baby you dont have to lift a finger just sit over there right now.

Just heard a country song on the radio called must be doin something right by billy currington or whatever his last name is and went "i could dance with ume to that right now!!!!' also its a really sweet song though i love it.

Also he's hates needles...i hate needles.. we can take turns holding each other's hands for bloodwork and shots!!!

I started writing mainly for him and it was like....a "im not seeing enough content/the content i want" for this character so i put my pants on and did it myself. PRetty much my whole life i didnt like writing but now i do it semi-regularly and im pretty proud of that actually because ive begun to enjoy it? It probably helps that everyone's so sweet and the atmosphere is so chill but also nice and crazy and cool??? I dont have a lot of friends so im sooo soo thrilled to be able to gush with people its not even funny though sometimes im like "Girl you gotta be cooler than this you're not acting chill AT ALL calm down" so anyways i love him but i act like i really cant stand him he makes me so mad im furious at his existence

The scariest thing in the world to me is physically having kids? Like ive had nightmares about it i just dontttt wanna and i can tell he wouldnt push that like he'd be thrilled to adopt too it wouldnt matter but i think i would literally have his kids which is wild!!

Also? when i made that kissing picrew i actually flustered myself and that was crazy too because i don't fluster easy with boys at all but i physically turned red giggling kicking my feet about it every time i looked at it lmaoo you should see how red i get its baaaad im down baaaad

anyways ive alreasdy written too much have some more ume pics

[jeneelestrange]

I see a lot of chronic illness people going to like, the scariest possible disgnoses without ruling shit out, which I GET BELIEVE ME because your body is screaming that it’s on fire and like two hundred years ago any of these things might have killed us but like……I’m more and more convinced a surprising amount of the time the answer boils down to a crack in the system from the fact that doctors have the least amount of training in nutrition and sussing out malabsorption/food allergies/intolerances, and even then, doing it is a BITCH and can’t be done in five minutes by throwing a pill at it, which insurance companies hate. Like, these have to be things we’re not testing or really looking into often or aren’t easy to look into.

Your heart’s fucking up? Ok, every doctor’s got a minimum of 100 hours on that. Nutrition issue? 25 hours. A lot of schools don’t even meet that and are suss on how they even count that. And don’t even get me started on nutrition RESEARCH which is the red headed stepchild and long story short there’s a long-winded reason why it feels like one year you’ll hear something like “Blueberries cause cancer!!!!” and “Blueberries cure cancer!!!!” the next and even a lot of the basics are built on pretty hnghhhhh suss shit but ANYWAY.

Think about it—if you are not absorbing a nutrient, you’re going to have symptoms that affect YOUR ENTIRE BODY. BELIEVE ME, I have confirmed four of them, and incredibly likely a fifth. Many of them cause anxiety, depression, fatigue, and believe me, it’s DEBILITATING(fyi if you look it up and have a LOT of anemia symptoms but your CBC is always normal, you may have too much folic acid for reasons I won’t get into for brevity and that hides it on the CBC—insist on a homocysteine blood test, if you have high cholesterol like just about every adult ever the doctor can use the ICD-10 code 78.00��certain countries like America also just have much lower standards for B12 for like, I don’t even know what reason even though the WHO has recommended the international standard be set to that of where Europe and Japan is at—ask me how I know all this hahaha 🙃). And if your doctor is shitty—depression, anxiety, and fatigue no matter how outrageous just gets you an SSRI consistently only.

And if you’re a fat woman and the deficiencies make you anxious and depressed? God help you. God. Help. You. They are looking for weight loss and even if they know micronutrients exist and would NOT cause that hmmmm or you could just have IBS and have depression and need to calm down, right? I could tell my GI doctor had only read the top sheet of my progress notes with the GI symptoms only and was probably like “abdominal pain lol” because unfortunately people in this office had a tendency to do that and then immediately stick their foot in their mouth. I told him I was concerned about malabsorption issues and he said, “But why? People with that are usually skin and bones.” I just paused aghast for a moment and said, “I have four vitamin deficiencies????? Three of them are different forms of anemia????? Might even have a fifth one but I’m not that interested in getting off magnesium for a month and getting full body cramps, migraines, and muscle twitches again for a blood test that isn’t very accurate.” I have never seen someone so quickly read a chart and say, “Well you’ve convinced me!!! Let’s schedule a colonoscopy!!!” and try to get out of the room.

You have to check off all the little weird shit your body is doing for the record so they can’t say they didn’t know, yes, the weird bruises that you don’t know where they come from, yes, the nosebleeds, everything. I used to be really butthurt about the diagnosis of fibromyalgia until I realized there’s very few ICD-10 codes that can be used to test for vitamin-D deficiency, so unfortunately some things are about getting us the best care in a broken system.

[fireworkss-exe]

🩸❤️‍🩹 🐚 for the ask game?

🩸 Least favorite character?

Piggy. His entitlement drives me through the roof. He's also partially responsible for the hysteria about the Beast, even if he denies its existence.

❤️‍🩹 Do you think you'd survive?

I'd say it's a 50/50 chance. I'd probably just suck up to whoever was in charge and stay alive that way (because I lose my spine in dangerous situations. RIP), or I'd end up dying because I am constantly ill and need medications every day.

🐚 What's the scariest scene?

When Ralph is hiding from Jack's tribe. Ralph's repetitive thoughts show how he's literally losing his mind, and the way that Jack's tribe are no longer referred to by their names is just... terrifying.

[idratherdreamofjune]

Fortnight of Books: 2018

Day 10:

The book I read but have already forgotten:

The Quiet Gentleman, apparently. :P Really it is a good book though - it was just a little too similar in plot to some others, with an unilluminating title.

Book with a scene that left you reeling:

While none of the romances in Shirley (Charlotte Brontë) were quiet up to the Best Romance of the Year category, there was still a lot of good writing and one or two scenes that floored me. One in particular which, while perhaps not on the level of “mad wife in the attack”, was quite the shocker. [SPOILER in my tags]

[dragonballevolution]

3 and 11 for the DB asks?

OUGHHH AN ASK. THANK YUO... oh god oh jesus i typed So Much i have so many fucking things to say. im putting this shit under a read more. forgive me for my long opinions

3. List your top five favorite characters in order of how much you like them.

oh god it is so difficult to say who are my top favorite Dragon Ball characters. like literally one of the things i think this series does best is have a lot of REALLY fun and interesting characters.... i will try but just know that this list fluctuates heavily based on who im thinking about at the exact present moment and if you asked me at a different time i would probably give you a nearly totally different list

5. Cell - hes simultaneously one of the funniest and one of the scariest DBZ villains. truly he can do it all. also whether i like it or not i get gender envy from his original fucked up bug form so he gets points for that

4. King Kai - hmmmmmmmmmm i am thinking about King Kai right now i want to put him on the list. i feel like he doesnt get put on many favorites list and that's making me sad. so right now he goes on the list

3. Supreme Kai of Time - ive rambled about my thoughts on her on here before. girlboss. i want her to be even more mentally ill. i dont know if shes Supposed to actually be as fucked up as i tend to read her as but she should be

2. Future Trunks - man what do i even say here its goddamn Future Trunks everybody loves him hes aewsome

Bardock - i am listening to Solid State Scouter right now which is definitely biasing me to put him at the top. im not sure i'd put him at the very top normally though, i have really complicated feelings on him though and like i think hes at his ultimate best in the Bardock: Father of Goku special and dont really vibe as much with anything making him more straightforwardly Cool And Heroic. i like him best when he's ultimately doomed

honorable mentions: Puar. hes very silly and i love him but i am very aware the version of him that exists in my head is Not how he is written in canon (...and in canon he has like, No personality)

Z Broly isnt even a Dragon Ball character to me anymore hes like some kind of creature. hes so fucking funny to me what the fuck happened for him to be written this way.

Bio-Broly is barely even a character but. Slime Man..............

-

11. Have you seen any of the films? If so, which one is your favorite?

i have seen nearly all of the z and super films except for Super Hero so far + Dragonball Evolution (obviously) though i havent seen any of the Dragon Ball/GT films and i haven't watched any of the weird obscure stuff like the bootleg live action movie or The Real 4D just yet.

DBS Broly is definitely imo unironically like. The Best out of everything ive seen, like its just fucking Good and i have no complaints about it that aren't petty personal taste fare.

HOWEVER. "yeah dbs broly is good" is like the most obvious take in the world so i think it would be more interesting to talk about the stuff i'd rank just below it in terms of attachment (in no particular order)

firstly i dont care what anyone says, Wrath of the Dragon was fucking good. it didn't feel like a Dragon Ball Z movie and also Goku had literally no place being the character to get the final blow in on Hirudegarn, but if you meet it where it's at it's a genuinely very enjoyable and INTERESTING movie. Tapion is such a neat character and after most of the 90s Z movies just feeling like mindless boss battles it is SUCH a breath of fresh air to get something that feels more character-driven

counting the TV Specials as movies here, its not like controversial to call History of Trunks a favorite lmao, its just plain good. AS FOR THE OTHER Z TV SPECIAL. i am fucking mentally ill about Bardock: Father of Goku. i did not care about Bardock (or really Saiyans much in general?) until i saw him get karmically tormented by psychic visions and die a futile death against his own boss. now im obsessed <3

the og Z Broly movie was honestly one of the most enjoyable of the 90s Z movies and i understand why it got so popular. however at the same time my perception of Z Broly has been warped so badly that everything to do with him is hilarious to me. ive watched too many Broly MADs (BTW Z Paragus is probably my favorite movie antagonist tbh. while im glad Super Paragus is still a sack of shit im a little sad he didnt get to have as much of an outright villainous role in DBS Broly. at least what actually happened to him was funny)

im stanning Bio-Broly because no one else will. honestly it genuinely wasnt that bad, i found it fun and honestly melting the Broly clone so he immediately stops looking liek broly is HILARIOUS to me. part of me considering it a favorite is just out of spite for people calling it the "worst" Z movie when fucking BROLY SECOND COMING came right before it.

AND. LASTLY. OBLIGATORY DRAGON BALL EVOLUTION. ITS NOT GOOD BUT. BUT. if you cant tell by my fucking url ive become weirdly attached to it. every single detail of that movie and the stuff surrounding it is FASCINATING to me. its like reached a point where i get genuinely excited when i see it acknowledged somewhere in a way thats not just "ugh remember this? lol" some sick part of me has even started to enjoy Geeko as a character just for how cringefail he is. btw the PSP game is unironically fun (its running on the Shin Budokai engine so of course it is but still). someone buy me the scary uncanny Enterbay DBE statues please

-

thank you again for the ask!!!!!!!!!

[memetaped]

star trek: the next generation taken from the tv show.

the fever. it’s taken your memory.

what’s the scariest thing that ever happened to you?

you’re not fine, you fainted.

your help has been invaluable during my recovery, but look. i’m, uh, i’m better.

are you going to get in trouble because of me?

if you drop a hammer on your foot, it’s hardly useful to get mad at the hammer.

well, everybody goes through these occasional bouts of insomnia. there’s probably nothing to worry about.

but you’ve been ill for a week.

believe it or not, that’s a good sign. a beginning.

morning? i just went to bed.

but what if you had a nightmare?

oh, you’re still feverish.

you’re a very lucky little boy.

and it’s perfectly normal, after what you’ve been through, to spend a great deal of time trying to find yourself again.

so you’ve got the ___ version of the measles.

must be rewarding to you to repay others for all those years of misery.

children don’t have the experience to handle emotional crises. instead of dealing with their feelings, they act on them.

when we found you, you were dying.

you’re back on your feet. how do you feel, my friend?

we were thin, scrawny little animals, constantly hungry, always cold.

i see a living, breathing boy who has been hurt and who needs our help.

feelings aren’t positive and negative. they simply exist. it’s what we do with those feelings that becomes good or bad.

and the unknown can be benign or malevolent.

i choose what i want to do with my life. i make decisions for myself. for somebody like me, losing that individuality, it is almost worse than dying.

but that is a childhood ailment.

please don’t get up yet. you’re still not well.

is that what’s keeping you from breaking, memories of home and hearth?

the injuries are healing. the nightmares have ended. all i need now is a little time to myself.

he is a boy, and boys sometimes take the wrong path. they need guidance.

let’s just make sure that there’s nothing physically wrong.

well, these things happen. i’m surprised they don’t happen more often. after all, we are exploring the unknown.

are you having disturbing dreams?

when children learn to devalue others, they can devalue anyone.

i’ve had people out, trying to find you everywhere. why did you worry us like that?

i have to leave you now, or it will be very bad for everyone.

well, thank you for the soup. and thank you for your help.

it’s my duty to help those who are hurt.

i’m just not sure. about anything.

[fictionalmenmistress]

Shadow From The Window (Leonardo)

Imagine your scared of the dark and alone, but your sexy hero-in-the-half-shell comes to sleep at your side, after a long partol. Exausted, he forgets how easy you startle, and comforts you.

(SFW but blushy, leaning Fem!Reader/ but also gender-neutral, Bayverse Leo, no swearing, FLUFF, a lil spooky at the start but all sweet and completely handle-able. Its safe 💙)

(So, this is my first official post here and I'm so excited! First of all, HI EVERYONE! I'm so happy to have found my peoples and to be here uwu, I love you all. Hopefully, this brings you comfort to rest before bed, or in the middle of the night. Want me to do one for all the boys? Lemme know!💙)

I am writing this at 2-3 am, after imagining this scenario to comfort myself, settling down to rest. The thought of Leo hiding in the dark, makes the dark a lot less scary. (Tho I decided to write it instead of resting lol) LETS GET IT!

Its 3 am in your studio apartment.

You've been living in New York city for a while now, but its always been a hassle to fall asleep in your own place. That's been the hardest adjustment after leaving home... how scary it can be on your own. Truth be told, you're 'scared of the dark'. Not nescessarily scared of the darkness itself, but the shadows in the corner of the room... the random noises and things that go bump in the night... the mere thought in the back of your mind that something, as ridiculous as it sounds to others, will come and get you once your guard is down.

There you lied, stiff as a board on your back. The covers, pulled up to your neck, as you breathed in and out as silently as you could. Why did you still feel like you had to hide from monsters or bad guys in your own home? "Dang it, y/n..." you sighed, wiping the nervous cold sweat from your forehead, overheating internally from the anxiety.

"WHY... why did I have to watch that horror movie with Donnie?" You thought, internally shouting at yourself. "He said its not scary, that its 'too absurd to be plausible, and thus won't trigger a reaction of fear'. So much for a slow and steady introduction to the genre!"

You should have known when Raph said "Nope, I'm out." Donnie sat there the whole time, laughing at the movie at the scariest and most ill-timed moments... and you recall just glaring at him, teeth chattering, whispering to yourself:

"Yeah, he's cracked alright."

Just because something isn't scientifically proven, doesn't mean it can't happen... or hasn't happened, right?

"Ugh..." you groaned, curling your lips into a gremace, scared your groan was too loud amongst the unsettling silence. "I can't sleep with the lights on again..."

Glancing toward your phone, you noticed a blue light illuminate the screen, informing you that you got a new text. But that blue light... it instantly made you think of the blue-loving turtle you so dearly loved. The light of your life.

'Leo would protect me.'

Ah, that comforting reminder that you would feel so safe in your boyfriend's arms... if only he were here with you.

But... he wasn't. He was probably out on patrol, far away, and unable to come any time soon, even if he could.

"That's it." You said, taking and deep breath and mustering up all of your courage, throwing the covers off and dashing to the light switch.

*flick!* And... everything in the room was normal. It was comforting, but you scolded yourself for not accepting that everything was already secure, and nothing was lurking in the dark.

Everything was still, as you closed your curtains and lied back down in bed.

"Light on it is." You sighed, before the light suddenly flickered by itself.

"Oh crap-" you muttered, taking a gulp, as the power went out. "OH CRAP, ITS JUST LIKE THE MOVIE-"

Now, you felt screwed. You lied as still as possible, for what felt like forever, refusing to close your eyes. Dang it... DANG it!

Grabbing your phone light, you quickly tip-toed to the bathroom, trying to pee as fast as you could, so you could get back to your warm bed where it feels semi-safe.

As soon as you opened the bathroom door, you noticed your curtains flowing and twirling in the night wind. Street sounds from the never-sleeping city below echoed faintly through your widely-opened window.

"My window... is open?" You thought in horrified shock, examining your surroundings in the dark carefully.

You froze in your tracks, as your phone light turned itself off.

BATTERY TOO LOW TO USE FLASHLIGHT, PLEASE CHARGE.

A chill went down your spine, as you stood there in the center of everything, slowly backing to a corner, where you planned to crouch in the fetal position, so you could see all angles of the room for the rest of the night.

You took another step back, and another, before you bumped into a large mass, standing behind you.

'Not the wall...' your brain registered, feeling the heat of whomever or whatever this tall thing was, radiating against your back.

"Hello, beautiful~" A deep voice chuckled, startling you.

Jolting around, you saw a dark, tall shadow, looming before you.

The fear disoriented you, quickly rushing adrenaline through your body, as your fight or flight reacted. You quickly let out a shriek, chucking your dying phone at the shadow and darting quickly toward the window.

The shadow caught the phone instantly, with lightning fast reflex, as a large hand suddenly wrapped around your wrist, gently yet firmly pulling you back into the room before you crawled out onto the fire escape.

"WHOA, hey hey! Y/N easy! Its okay." A gentle, farmiliar voice assured, gently pulling you around to face him. "Its just me!"

"L-let go!" You whimpered, still not realizing who it was. "P-please..."

"Hey, its me..." he softly whispered, as your breath began to steady, blinking a couple of times as his identity fully set in. "Shh, sh sh sh." He lulled.

"L-Leo?" You squeaked in disbelief.

The figure slowly leaned into the moonlight, casting over you from the open window, revealing his GORGEOUS, icy blue eyes. Those intense-yet-soft eyes... that you knew and loved more than anyone else's. That comforting, strong, lovingly soft gaze, that instantly reassured you that you were safe.

"Your aim is getting better," he softly chuckled, smirking with his adorable grin. Leo slowly slid your phone before you, onto the moonlit sheets, barely revealing his outstretched, chiseled, manly hands. "I'm so sorry I scared you, love. I didn't mean to... I would never on purpose..."

Leo's voice sounded composed, but also ashamed and regretful, as he became more serious to apologise. He always spoke so softly to you...

"Leo, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to, I-" you desparately assured, bursting into tears. "I-"

"Hey hey, I should have knocked, or called. I'm sorry I scared you, sweetheart. I thought I would suprise you in a good way, not startle you." He murmured, reaching his large hands out to gently grasp you, holding you in his arms.

"Oh... I'm so happy to see you!" You sighed, falling against him.

"Donnie felt bad about that scary movie, he told me about how scared you were and begged me to check on you." He whispered, with that composed, reassuring voice.

"Oh Leo... you really came." You whispered, sniffling back your tears.

"Of course, my love... I came straight here after patrol. I would have come sooner, but Raph was getting his shell handed to him by this big..." he hesitated, biting his lip.

"Leo?" You asked, wondering why he stopped.

"-You know what? It doesn't matter." He gently corrected, changing the subject.

"What? What was it?" You innocently asked, curling up against his warm, sculpted chest.

You could feel Leo's skin grow warmer with a blush, as he slowly and sweetly welcomed your embrace, holding you close.

"I'll tell you during daylight. Just... sweetie, I'll never let anything bad happen to you, as long as I live. You're safe, whether I'm near or far. Okay, sweetheart?" Leo promised with his deep innocent voice, planting a soft kiss against your forehead.

Suddenly, you heard a generator power on through your front door, and the power flicked back on.

You could at last see him. See his muscled arms around you, and the tails of his worn out blue mask resting against his chest, along side you. His plastron... rising and falling as he took in slow breaths.

Leo was so careful holding you in his arms... like you were this precious, tiny thing, that he adored with his entire existance.

"Hey, you... you there?" He muttered, growing increasingly bashful in his tension.

"I'm here." You gently assured with a smile, before pulling away to examine his handsome face.

Leonardo. Sexy, handsome, justly-confident, fierce leader. This fearless, giant turtle mutant, who was unlike anyone else in the world. His jaw clenched from sudden bashful nervousness, as his gaze shyed away from your eyes. Your stare always overwhelmed him... it was such an intimate thing to meet his eyes.

Leo cleared his throat, as he slowly reached out to your face, ever-so-carefully wiping away a tear from your cheek, watching intently and focusing as he did so.

Over cautiously gentle so he wouldn't risk hurting you with his strength.

"There we go..." he softly whispered in satisfaction, sighing with a relieved smirk.

"Can you..." you began, with every ounce of security and confidence you could muster. "Can you... stay? With me, all of tonight?"

You felt your cheeks blush intensely, blooming red, as Leo bit on his bottom lip. His eyes widened, as he fully realized your question.

"Y-yeah, o-of course I can..." Leo answered, all of a sudden a thousand times more innocent and adorable, intensely flattered and touched that you wanted him to stay at your side. "Uh... I'll... uh-" he began, moving back from kneeling on your bed before you, aimlessly pacing into your tiny kitchen.

Leo usually was so bold and certain, organized and authoritative, when he was on the move.

You recalled how you had seen first-hand how he can lay out the strategy of attack for the boys. He could be flipping into action, or running through the rooftops as he did it, with perfect coordination in his speech and movements. But with you and only you, Leo wasn't able to get the words out when he was this nervous or bashful.

He had a tendancy to overthink things.

Leo wandered into the cupboard, beginning to steep some tea on the stove as his tongue caught up with his brain.

"Do you want... tea?" He gently asked, clearing his throat.

Such husband material...

"Ah, sure." You grinned, sweetly answering.

You realized how safe and secure you felt now, with him in the studio. You weren't alone anymore.

Leo didn't say much while he prepared the tea. He hyper-focused to distract himself from the nervousness of staying at your place, ALONE with you for the night. He paced around without speaking... doing little thoughtful things, like closing the window and locking it for you, shutting the closet and bathroom door, and picking out the perfect cups for the two of you, from your DC glass cup collection.

(Leo liked the Nightwing one since it was blue, and he always gave you the batgirl one, because you loved purple. He loved it when you would geek out and tell him how those heroes were the perfect couple... it reminded him of the both of you, and hoped that you gushed about him like that when he wasn't around.)

Leo brought the cups over, moving carefully with his eyes on the glass, gently placing one in your hand, and his own at your bedside.

"I"ll sleep right here, beside you." He thought out loud, examining the hardwood floor panels.

"Ah, Leo, you're not sleeping on the ground." You ordered, taking a long drink from your cup.

"Its no trouble," he assured, unlatching and taking off his belt and sword straps, placing them on your countertop. Leo sat down across from your bed, and began taking off his customized traditional ninja footwear, so all that remained were his pants and mask.

Why did this make you blush and get so flustered, the way he lifted those muscular arms over his head? Its not like he's taking anything revealing off...

"Modest like Leo... modest like Leo..." you whispered under your breath, recomposing your wandering thoughts.

He slowly walked up to you, lying you back and pulling your covers over you. Leo gently placed his hand against your cheek, staring deep into your eyes, as a soft smile rested over his lips.

He slowly nuzzled his nose beside yours, cherishing every small movement, before planting a soft kiss on your forehead. Then, he pulled away.

You felt your arms involuntarily reach out to him, taking his face into your hands. You both stared innocently into one another's eyes, before you made a bold move, planting your lips against his. You gently kissed Leo's lips, and he kissed you back, in the most respectful, admirable, and sentimental way possible.

Kissing Leo always felt so intimate and special... even as soft and innocent as it was. Leo made the tiny gestures special to you again.

"Leo, would you please... hold me?" You whispered, tightly closing your eyes and resting your forehead against his. "Please, sleep with me tonight."

"S-sleep with-" he panicked, turning vibrant red. For the first time that night, he realized that you were wearing blue pj's... and you looked gorgeous in them. Suddenly his heart began to pound through his chest, as his posture stiffened. "Sleep... together? Like... m-make love together?"

"Ah not like that!" You bashfully assured, unable to hide your shy grin. "Just... sleep together, at least for tonight."

He took a deep breath in, that sounded shaky, like the remenants of your kiss and closeness gave him the chills. The thought of you being together in the most close and intimate form made him overwhelmed, causing him to slightly tremble. Leo invoulintarily giggled, pecking a kiss against your nose, before he pulled his mask off.

"Alright." He grinned, suddenly much more eager and confident, leaning close to you as he set his mask on your night stand, switching off the light switch with a mere stretch.

Suddenly, it was dark again. But, a peaceful dark.

"Will you, Leo?" You muttered.

"Yes." He whispered, so softly and so intimately, gazing bravely into your eyes. "Yes, Y/N."

You beamed with joy, resituating to the side of your bed, curling up and watching Leo with an adorable, excited expression. Leo broke out a nervous, adorable chuckle, as he hesitantly sat down on your bed, realizing how massive he was on the size of it. He downed his tea like a shot, (wanting to finish it as fast as possible, so he could do this soft and intimate thing with you) and clearing his throat. Blushing, he slowly lied down on his back, slowly turning to his side that faced you, and hesitantly placing his hand over your shoulder, unsure of what was too much touch.

You giggled, sliding his hand on your waist, so you could sit up and pull the covers over him. "O-oh..." Leo murmured, stiffening up from his shyness.

This was very overwhelming to him, since he really liked taking things slow and was inexperienced to everything involving romance before you. But... you loved that. It was like everything was new to you again too. It endeared you beyond belief.

You lied on your side, examining his face one last time, as he examined yours, trailing your fingertip across his sharp jawline.

"I really love you..." he whispered, meaning every word.

"I really love you too, Leo." You softly agreed, as you continued to smile.

You and Leo talked quietly for a bit, sweet whispers between soulmates, as you scratched his shell and caressed his shoulders to help relieve his stress and tension. He would slowly drift off more and more, talking less and less, gifting you with tiny, soft, slow kisses, all over your face instead.

You both drifted off to sleep, and slept wonderfully side by side, as safe and sweet as can be, just the two of you.

And, as you found out in the morning, Leo was a total, clingy cuddler in his sleep. Throughout the night, he had nuzzled closer and closer, wrapping his arms around you and cradling you, until you were cozy against his body, sharing the same warmth.

💙 Sweet dreams.💙

[whatifyoulivelikethat]

to the anon that sent me an essay, this is for you

to everyone else, idk what this is

from anon:

here are a few things ive thought of to an obsessive level but these are completely non-bts related so u can choose to skip it. hell, you knew u that already.

1. before becoming parents or after emerging into adulthood everyone should be sent to therapy. sometimes i question if it is to fill the gaps their childhood has blown wide open that adults have children. or is it to fulfill some moral responsibility they have to simply reproduce. if its the first, to think about it, is kind of fucked up. you are depriving your child a stable future, creating replicas of exactly what you suffered, if u are not stable yourself.

You know, probably. People have kids for a number of reasons, not all if them good. I am a product of such a cycle, generations that used physical and emotional punishment on their own children to lash out their frustrations in life. The easiest one to bully is the offspring you made, because they don't know any better. They think that's how life is, because that's how life always was. I suffer for it, all the time. But, you know, therapy does nothing if you don't want it. You have to be willing to listen to be helped.

Most people are not willing to listen or change. That's the big problem.

2. its sad how the whole ' one in a million ' concept is staring at me. haruki murakami said mediocrity is constant. that thought haunts me everyday becuase of how many people are just a sea of faceless creatures as the world decides which one is the outlier. its the scariest thing i have ever felt, but it is inevitable. mediocrity should be normalized. there is an exorbitant amount of pressure in youth to produce and create and every other teenager is doing mun and every other adult is in the medical field, but at the cost of what? sure, you just saved the world, but did you save yourself?

Everyone is in outlier which makes nobody special. Society has slowly but surely created the idea that people need to be better than others, the idea that "better" must exist. To want more. And why is that?

Money.

Why is everyone pressured to make a product? To monetize their hobbies? To "do work you love"? Why is this the ideal? Because someone wants to profit from you. Someone is always greeding for more, more, so they make you feel this need as well, feeding off your futile attempts to be the "prefect you" but the perfect you doesn't exist. Why is it that every outlier put on a pedestal feels disillusioned / pressured or greedy / selfish? Because you've been tricked, feeling sad and deflated that you can't achieve something that isn't real.

3. middle class. im part of it. we're probably the most entitled section of society there is. it is so amusing to me how we have basically everything we need to survive but always want more. its weird how the poorer sections dont have time to think about their lives at the stake of capitalist countries, while we're here thinking about everything in our day that has harmed us, complaining about shit that isnt even required to survive. my mind is bursting because im literally fucking typing / this / because i have the privilege to and im STILL . doing . it .

Entitled? Everyone feels entitled. Not just middle class. You think rich people don't want more? Pfft. Everyone wants more, simply because that's what were trained to think. Everything around us is always asking you to want more, tying your worth to what you have instead of what you are. Your worth equating to material possessions has been taught to you all your life from the media, all for the sake of profit. The worst is when they turn your own morals and ethics on you to monetize that as well.

4. i hope i dont forget everything that has ever happened to me. not because i'd want to hold it over peoples head. but because i really dont want to grow ignorant. i dont want to have hollow opinions and i dont want to live a life where its easy to be just as. i dont want to be in a herd of sheep.

You will forget. Neurons die all the time. It's a known fact memories get disorganized, remade, and blended with fantasy. You are organic, an imperfect machine. Even your memories are imperfect, only focusing on specific things and not the whole picture because human brains focus on what's important and not what is. This is a survival tactic and it's what causes you to polarize one way or another. Even you, telling me this right now, you are declaring "I want things to only be this way".

But, you know.

"Polarization is the ugliest flower in the world."

Your past and memory is not the only thing that shapes opinions. Agreeing with others is not being a sheep. Are you a sheep because you agree killing an innocent as a police officer is not okay? Sometimes ignorance is okay. You don't have to know everything. Sometimes it's better not to.

5. im really jealous of bts sometimes. its fucking insane. theyre so successful but they have and continue to endure so much shit from the world. passion. passion is the word i want to chop up and throw into a blender and smother in a fire. they have it. and i dont. they are so hardworking. its something ill never be.

They don't have to do anything. They can quit at any time. They choose not to for many reasons. You choose how much you can take and how much is too much. You chose who you are. There are many hardworking, passionate people you don't know, because they don't want to be known. Passion, hard work, these things exist in many forms, and not all of it is so exposed like it is with BTS.

And let's face it, not all of those things can be good. They said so themselves.

6. i think we should really stop saying 'well if u were in their place what would u have done'. we cant do what we havent been given the chance to experience. we cant think about what we wouldve done because we have lived our lives NOT doing it. i am living my life only one which way and there is no other way i can know yet.

We say this to help others realize that prespective is importamt. It is not about actually living it, but having the empathy to understand and see from another person's eyes. No one is asking you to be Dr. Strange and live all 5 million possibilities. You can think someone's actions / words are wrong but, in that moment, they didn't think that, either because they grew up a certain way or because certain things happened to them. You don't have to live the experience to have some level of understanding, even if imperfect.

im sorry for this brain dump , i dont really have anyone else im willing to talk to and i completly understand if u skip this. hope ur fine tho and taking care. love ur works !

I'm an INTJ. My brain never turns off. It's a curse. But thank you for enjoying my writing! Hope you liked this too LOL

[mst3kproject]

The Face of Marble

This movie has a zombie dog.  It’s also got John Carradine from The Unearthly and Robert Shayne from Teenage Caveman, and was directed by William Beaudine, who brought us Design for Dreaming.  But honestly, who cares about that when there’s a zombie dog?

On a storm-wracked cliff somewhere live mad scientists Dr. Randolph and Dr. Cochrane, who are trying to raise the dead but aren’t very good at it.  Their first experimental subject, a drowned sailor, promptly dies all over again when lightning strikes the Frankenstein equipment.  This was probably a lucky escape, because subject two, Mrs. Randolph’s dog Brutus, comes back to life as a bulletproof zombie with a thirst for blood and the ability to walk through walls!  They get back to work on improving their technique, and when Mrs. Randolph herself later dies in a tragic matchmaking accident, the two scientists figure she may as well be subject three.  It kinda works, and kinda doesn’t… but not in the way anyone expected, especially me.

I guess I have to explain ‘tragic matchmaking accident’. Elaine Randolph’s ethnic stereotype maid, Maria, wants out of this place and has decided that the best way to bring it about is to have her mistress and Dr. Cochrane fall in love and run off together, taking her with them.  A combination of voodoo and persuasion seems to be on the verge of bringing this about when Dr. Cochrane’s pre-existing fiancée Linda shows up to surprise him on his birthday.  Maria therefore sets out to murder Linda by releasing toxic smoke into her bedroom, but doesn’t know that Linda and Elaine have switched rooms because Linda freaked out when the ghostly Brutus wandered through hers in the middle of the night. It was much shorter to just say ‘tragic matchmaking accident’.

That probably gave you a pretty good idea of just what a dumb and contrived movie this is.  The print is also pretty terrible, old and scratchy and with poor sound – and yet it’s actually kind of fun to watch.  The Face of Marble is a bit slower than it should be despite being only an hour and a quarter long, and the ending unfortunately makes no sense, but the plot twists managed to surprise me a couple of times.  Nobody here is a great actor but nobody’s really terrible, either. You can tell who’s who and what’s going on.  For something I would watch, it’s a decent film

What I really liked about it, though, was the treatment of the characters.  For all I’ve called them mad scientists, Randolph and Cochrane don’t really fall into that ‘type’.  They’re not trying to create an indestructible army or Show Those Fools or anything, they want to save lives: Randolph talks about people who’ve drowned or asphyxiated, people for whom rescue came just a few minutes too late. Nor do they display the mad scientist’s typical lack of conscience.  Randolph gets so caught up in his work that he euthanizes Brutus the dog, but he’s absolutely sure his process will bring the animal back as good as new.  When this doesn’t work, he feels terrible about it and hides it from Elaine, partly so she won’t be angry but partly because he’s deeply ashamed of himself.

The incident also destroys his confidence in the project. When Elaine dies, it’s Cochrane who talks him into trying to resurrect her, since he has been working on the formula and he now believes it will work.  Randolph almost refuses, saying he’d rather see Elaine actually dead than become some monster like the dog, and Cochrane has to do quite a bit of convincing.  What we see in these two men is a folie à deux – each would be quite reasonable on his own, but when they can play off and encourage each other they end up doing unbelievably awful things.  That’s kind of neat, and makes it more believable that they would try the experiment on Elaine even after their previous failures.

The two men’s relationships with the women in their lives also have some complexity.  The backstory tells us that Randolph saved Elaine’s life by removing a brain tumor, and subsequently fell in love with and married her.  Despite this, he doesn’t seem to spend much time with her, and she appears to be downright intimidated by him.  Elaine is shown to prefer confiding in Cochrane rather than confronting Randolph about her fears, despite the fact that Cochrane’s reaction is invariably condescending.  On the other hand, Cochrane is very tender with his own fiancée, Linda, and actually listens to her when she tells him she doesn’t like Randolph and thinks they both need to get away from this place!

Elaine and Linda are set up, both by the writers and by Maria the sorceress, as romantic rivals for Cochrane.  You’d think this would lead to a lot of petty hostility between them, but the movie avoids that, too.  They are fairly cool towards each other at first meeting, but quickly make peace after Linda’s sighting of the zombie dog.  By the time they’re about to part they’re still not best friends, but they clearly don’t dislike each other.  Linda has figured out that Elaine has a crush on Cochrane but as long as Cochrane isn’t going to act on it she won’t let it worry her.  She could have been a villain in this story, as could Randolph and Cochrane themselves, but the writers avoid taking the easy way out.

Instead, the villain of this story is Maria.  The situation would never have arisen if she hadn’t attempted to murder Linda, and later we see her use both the police and the zombies trying to get herself out of the mess she’s gotten into. Unfortunately, this is where the movie starts to fall apart.

A few days after the undead Brutus leaves the lab by leaping right through the wall, a detective shows up at the house to ask Dr. Randolph about a series of attacks on local livestock.  Randolph identifies the culprit as an animal suffering from ‘hemomania’, or a need to drink blood.  When Elaine comes back from the dead, then, we expect her to do so as a vampire. Everything we’ve seen so far seems to be leading up to that idea.  When she comes to and appears to be tired, but all right, we assume the condition will set in eventually.

It never does.  Instead, Maria is suddenly able to control the undead Elaine and Brutus! Dr. Randolph soon figures out that it was Maria who killed Elaine, and in his anger and grief he considers stabbing her to death until Cochrane talks him out of it.  In order to save herself, Maria has Elaine stab Randolph, then go back to bed and forget it happened.

Where did that come from?  We have never seen the slightest indication that Maria can do this.  Whenever she has been working magic, such as leaving effigies under people’s pillows or preparing potions, we’ve never seen any evidence that she actually has supernatural powers.  The love charms were suggestion and the poison was simple chemistry!  The film-makers had ample opportunity to set something up here, by having her take control of the zombiefied Brutus through similar actual magic, but they didn’t do that. We just see Maria sitting in front of a fire waving her arms… then Brutus comes into Elaine’s room, Elaine rises in a trance, and Maria just hands her a knife and orders her to stab away, as if she has the woman under hypnosis.  Did I miss something?

At the end, the cops get the real story from another servant (I’m tempted to insert a quip about how you can tell it’s fiction because the police listen to a black man, but we’re way beyond that being funny) and show up to arrest Maria, but she’s already committed suicide, and footprints in the sand show that Elaine and Brutus have just wandered off into the ocean. Okay.  Does that mean anything?  Are they gonna drown or just wander around on the bottom and fight sharks like in Zombie 2?  Did Maria make her do it or not?  Is Elaine even aware that there’s anything wrong with her?  Earlier she didn’t seem to be, and nobody told her what happened… she seems to think she was merely ‘taken ill’.

The feeling I get from all this is that the writers didn’t know what to do with Zombie-Elaine.  They were too chicken to have her go around tearing throats out because then she wouldn’t be attractive anymore.  They can’t kill her because they’ve already established that the zombies are bulletproof and they can’t think of any other way to do it.  So they just have her leave, mysteriously and unsatisfyingly, and completely squander several opportunities they’ve set up for themselves.

Elaine wondering what’s wrong with her, unable to help herself even as she’s horrified by her own actions, would easily have been the scariest thing in the movie.  Randolph and Cochrane realizing that what came back isn’t quite Elaine, and having to deal with what they’ve done, would have been the most heart-wrenching.  They could even have had the two of them, formerly unbelievers, go to Maria for magical help – only to have Maria refuse to do anything because she, as previously established in dialogue, really does love her mistress.  The ending could have been really cool, but they just ran out of ideas.

I did enjoy about the first two thirds of The Face of Marble.  By the time Elaine finally dies I was getting a little impatient to see some actual zombies, but the film then went in a totally different direction, in a bad way. The ending doesn’t feel like a plot twist, because a plot twist should be something that makes sense of things we’ve already seen.  It’s doubly disappointing, because the attention paid to the characters and their motivations and relationships really made it look like writers knew what they were doing.

[parchmentedscrolls]

Perhaps the Biggest Illusion (is reality itself)

Fandom: Persona 5 (Royal) Characters: Akira Kurusu, Goro Akechi, Takuto Maruki Pairings: Goro Akechi/Akira Kurusu Words: 3,480

Read on AO3

“A detective and a phantom thief. Despite being enemies, your relationship isn’t based on hatred or ill will . . .” Maruki muses, leaning towards Ren.

We’re rivals, not enemies—the words were already forming on Akira’s lips when Maruki cut him off.

“That’s why I found it so tragic when I learned what happened in Shido’s Palace,” he said, eyes full of pity, and Akira’s mouth froze. How . . . how can he even know about that?

There had been no one—not even Sae knew what had happened in Shido’s Palace, and there was absolutely no way Maruki had been in the Palace at the time. The only ones present had been The Phantom Thieves and Akechi himself. What had transpired that day had been a carefully guarded secret from the public, which could only mean—

He must have found out from . . . the collective unconscious? Akira frowned—that wouldn’t have made sense, because all of the Phantom Thieves had Personas, and couldn’t mingle with the Shadows or whispers of Mementos. None of them would tell Maruki about it so openly either. They wouldn’t even have had the chance to do so. So how did Maruki—

It clicked. He didn’t find out from one of the others. Akira’s throat tightened uncomfortably. He must have found out . . . from me.

It made all too much sense—Akira was the wildcard of the group, he took in and let out Personas and Shadows with ease, gained them access to his mind in exchange for their trust and their power. Hell, he’d done it in Maruki’s Palace.

And . . . what had happened in the boiler room of Shido’s ship wasn’t something small—to Akira, at least. The memories were too vivid, each moment ingrained almost permanently into Akira’s eyes.

The cocking of a gun, venomous words spit from the cognitive Akechi’s lips; the worst words Akechi could possibly have heard in that situation—“you bastard”—as if to sum up what Akechi believed of his existence within a single word.

“So, my final enemy is a puppet version of myself . . .” was all he’d heard the real Akechi say through gritted teeth, as though condemning himself to his fate. Then, denying that choice, “I . . . !”

The sounds of gunshots echoed loudly, followed by a sickening silence.

Akira barely managed to keep himself from flinching. He could still remember the scene as it played out from behind a metal door where he was left helpless to leave Akechi to his fate, to the unfair, cruel world that he was never really given an opportunity to truly fight back against.

It was no wonder Maruki had picked up on it, in retrospect. Is he . . . going to use this against me? By making a reality in which Shido never went that far, in which Akechi was never made to target Wakaba and Okumura in the first place . . .

Akira’s suspicions were all but confirmed with Maruki’s next words: “Say, Kurusu-kun . . . didn’t you regret how things ended with him?”

Akira’s breath hitched in his throat.

Either Maruki didn’t notice, or he didn’t care. “You two came to a deep understanding of one another . . . yet you had no choice but to leave Akechi-kun to his fate.”

At this point, Maruki didn’t even bother feigning sympathy. The fact that there was only eagerness in his expression made Akira’s stomach twist with regret.

He really, really wished he had never opened up to Maruki.

Or maybe he wished he had never given Maruki the option to fidget with the metacognitive world at all. Maybe he could’ve helped Maruki with his assumptions about Rumi, or could have changed his heart earlier.

He could have helped him instead of . . . this happening.

Because really—it was Akira’s fault and Akira’s fault alone for letting Maruki get this far, for giving him the idea to mess with the collective unconscious in the first place.

A chill ran down Akira’s spine. He did his best to suppress it.

“That’s why I created a reality where you two could have a fresh start together,” Maruki finished, looking for all the world like a puppy expecting to be praised and not a tentacle-wielding manipulator of reality.

Not like he could make all of Akira’s real history with Akechi disappear with the snap of a finger.

Not like that was exactly what he had done.

Akira felt queasy.

“I’ll hold onto your glove.”

A gasp, then a chuckle. “After all this, that’s what you have to say? Seriously, you really are . . .”

That was the last thing he’d heard Akechi say to him in Shido’s Palace.

Morgana gasped. “That would mean the Akechi in the real world is . . .”

Is what? . . . Dead? No, that can’t be . . . Maruki doesn’t know that, he doesn’t know that Akechi turned himself in for me on Christmas Eve, he can’t possibly know about that—

“Get what I’m saying?” Maruki asked, all but confirming Morgana’s assumption. His expression still didn’t change when he continued, “I genuinely didn’t want to tell you like this. I didn’t want to make it seem like I’m holding him hostage.

“But no matter what you may think of me, I just want you to accept this reality and move on with your happy lives.”

Can you even . . . really call it reality?

For a moment, he wants to be selfish—if Maruki had in fact brought Akechi back to life, that would mean that the wish he granted it from was undoubtedly Akira’s.

Even if the other Phantom Thieves hadn’t clearly had different wishes that were granted in their own ways, none of them would have wished for Akechi back. None of them had ever really seen him the way Akira did.

No one ever saw Akechi the way Akira did. No one else cared for him enough to want him back.

Not even Akechi himself.

Akira’s thoughts were proven when Akechi takes this moment to speak: “And that matters how, exactly?” Akira looks at him, breath bated as he continues, “Don’t tell me you think dangling my life before us is going to have any impact on our decision.”

From the way he spoke . . . “So . . . you knew?” You knew all the time that you were, what—dead?—and you never said anything, even to me? Akira wished he could be angry, be upset, even hurt.

But he understood exactly why Akechi hadn’t said it—he’d known that Akira would probably jump at the opportunity to save him. He’d known that, and had kept it from Akira . . . because he didn’t want to be saved if he wasn’t the one choosing it.

“Well,” Akechi said, raising his left hand to his chin (a pose Akira had noted that he still made even after dropping the Detective Prince act), “I lacked conclusive evidence.” He turned directly to face Akira and Morgana, before continuing, “But after I fought against you all, I had a gap in my memory that ended with meeting up with Akira again.”

He must be referring to last month, when he came to Leblanc, but . . . then, what about Christmas?

Unfettered, Akechi doesn’t bring that up at all. “There were also the cases of Wakaba Isshiki and President Okumura . . . of course I’d find all of that suspicious.” His tone conveyed that it would have been stupid for Maruki to think that Akechi of all people could have been duped by the false reality.

“I see,” Maruki nodded diplomatically, then, “I had a feeling the truth of the matter still wouldn’t dissuade you, Akechi-kun . . .” A pause. “But how about you, Kurusu-kun?”

“Is that . . . why you came to Leblanc when you would have assumed I was alone?” Akira asked quietly. “To ask me to make a decision . . . all on my own after revealing this to me?”

He knew exactly what Maruki was trying to get him to do by doing it—coming alone, for what he’d expected would be a one-on-one conversation in which he could use Akechi as bait for Akira.

Maruki ignored the question. “‘You think dangling my life before us going to have any impact on our decision?’ That’s what Akechi-kun said a moment ago. If that’s how you see it at this point, I’m fine with it . . .” Maruki sighed. “But I’m still going to ask you, one last time: Will you accept the reality I create for you?”

Maruki wasn’t stupid. He was a psychologist, for crying out loud. He knew what he was doing, he knew that holding Akechi against him—the one person he couldn’t save—would do numbers on Akira.

And the scariest part, perhaps, was that Maruki knew just how hard it was for Akira to refuse.

“You were the guiding light to my research. You showed me the way so I could make my dream into reality. I have nothing but gratitude for you—not a single ounce of ill will. That’s why I wanted you of all people to understand . . .”

Akira hunched into himself a little, unable to meet Maruki’s eyes. If I had never done anything about Maruki’s research in the first place . . . I wouldn’t have to choose whether Akechi lives or dies . . .

Maruki, finally sensing his discomfort, stood up. “Perhaps I shouldn’t ask you for an answer on the spot like that. I’ll be going now.”

Akira’s mind was still churning, bitter and hurt by the consequences of his own actions unto Maruki and Akechi. Still, he reached into his pocket. “You forgot something,” he said dully, sliding the calling card Yusuke and Akechi had prepared together across the table.

Maruki smiled, picking it up. “Ah, that’s right. I’ve heard your calling.” Akira could sense a slight shift in the atmosphere the moment Maruki turned his back to him. “And, about my question—let’s do this: I’ll be waiting in the Palace tomorrow, just as I promised. If you still haven’t changed your mind by then, we’ll meet there. But if you don’t show, I’ll take that to mean you’ve accepted my reality.” This time, Maruki looked at Akechi before leaving. “See you.”

The closing chime of Leblanc’s bell echoed a little too loudly.

Morgana shuffled in his seat. “What are you gonna do?” he looked at Akira, concern palpable in his gaze.

Akira bit his lip, patting Morgana on the head lightly. Of course Morgana would ask; Morgana was the only one who could come close to understanding just how much Akechi meant to Akira.

Before he could answer, Akechi interrupted. “I’d like to speak with Akira,” he said, pointedly requesting Morgana to leave.

“Akechi . . .” Morgana mumbled, “Gotcha.” The cat nodded, and Akira could have sworn there was a flicker of relief across Akechi’s face—but it was gone as soon as it had come. “I’ll leave the decision up to you, Akira—let me know when you’ve reached an answer.” He didn’t wait another moment before slipping out of Leblanc, probably to the Sakura house.

And then it was just Akira alone with Goro.

Akira stood up next to the counter—next to Goro.

Goro doesn’t look at him. “I will carve my own path for myself.” His words were calm, weighted carefully. “I refuse to accept a reality concocted by someone else, stuck under their control for the rest of my days.”

Akira understood. After the hell of the life he was sure that Goro had had, he couldn’t deny the importance of freedom to him, just when he’d finally gotten it.

He also didn’t miss the hint of wistfulness in Goro’s voice. But if what Maruki had said was really true . . . “Are you sure?” Akira asks, the words out of his mouth before he could stop them.

Goro scoffed. “Why wouldn’t I be?” A pause. “Don’t ask such stupid questions after all this time.”

After all this time, Akira parroted in his head. The same thing he said when—

The sound of a metal wall slamming down echoed too loudly in his head.

Goro relented a little, nodding. “All you have to do is stick to your guns and challenge Maruki.” His eyes narrowed a little, and Akira braced himself for what he knew would be a challenge to follow up on it. “Or are you really so spineless that you’d fold over some bullshit, trivial threat on my life?”

Something—anger, probably, with some indignation—bubbled deeply within Akira, forcing itself out of his mouth. “This isn’t trivial!” he shouted, his hands moving to grab Goro’s collar.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he realised he couldn’t the last time he got this worked up over something.

Goro narrowed his eyes in a piercing glare. “It is,” he hissed, and that was the pushing point for Akira.

“No, it’s not!” he shouted—when was the last time he’d shouted?—and pulled Goro closer, leaving barely a few centimetres space between them. Somewhere, it registered in Akira’s mind Goro still has about an inch of height on him, highlighted by the way he glanced downwards to meet Akira’s eyes.

Suddenly, it felt like too much, all at once. Even though Akira was the one to initiate this contact, this closeness, he hadn’t been fully prepared for it. Goro’s silence; the tension between them; the newfound lack of pretenses and metaphors and mind games and double entendre—

It was all too direct. Akira wasn’t a straightforward person. He preferred to make concise but unassuming statements to let the person he was talking to draw their own conclusions. He stayed in the background, blending in with the shadows.

Akechi wasn’t a straightforward person either. He was more the type to say exactly what he meant under a layer of barely decipherable comparisons, making subtle but clearly pointed gestures towards his goals. This was something so wholly new to both of them, Akira was sure.

He also didn’t know how to handle Goro’s sharp gaze searing into his eyes, even through the thick lenses of his glasses. The urge to retreat, to hide away behind another mask was almost overwhelming.

Akira wasn’t used to being seen like this, like himself at his rawest at all.

Something only Goro could see, apparently.

Instead of hiding, Akira buried his face into Goro’s scarf, tears welling up in his eyes that he didn’t want to show.

“Akira—”

“Why can’t you understand,” Akira said quietly into the scarf, “just how important you are to me?” The last words were barely a hoarse whisper, but he knew Goro had heard them nonetheless.

And for once, Goro Akechi had no comeback.

Akira raised his head again, seeing clear conflict in Goro’s eyes. Not hesitation, not rejection, but . . . something akin to surprise.

“I never told Maruki my wish,” Akira admitted. “I think he found it on its own, through Mementos. I didn’t know this was my wish until now.”

“Me not being dead?” Goro was clearly trying to be sharp, but there was no bite in his voice.

Akira shook his head. “No,” he said quietly, one hand reaching up to touch Goro’s hair lightly as the other boy’s breath caught. “A chance for us to meet again with nothing keeping you away. It . . . was selfish.”

“All wishes are.” Goro’s eyes were distant, but Akira couldn’t help but feel like this was perhaps the closest Goro had ever really been.

“Akechi,” Akira said, voice barely even audible to his own ears, “what do you think . . . you would have wished for?”

Goro bit his lip. “Nothing Maruki could have granted.” He didn’t elaborate. If only we had met a few years earlier, Akira recalled, wondering if that would have been it.

More importantly . . . his hand was still on Goro’s face.

In a split-second decision, Akira lifted his other hand to tuck a lock of hair behind Goro’s ear, then used it to cup his cheek and look him in the eyes. “I . . . I’m glad you’re here now, you know?”

Goro shuddered slightly in Akira’s hands, leaning into the touch. Akira briefly wondered when the last time Goro had felt this kind of affection was.

“If I’m really here at all,” Goro whispered.

Akira shook his head slightly, moving close enough to Goro that he could feel his breath on his nose.

“I’m a bit offended you think so little of yourself that you expected me to believe you’re dead,” Akira murmured, parroting Goro’s own words from a month prior.

Goro almost shook with disbelief. “You . . . you really are . . .”

Akira, admittedly, wasn’t paying too much attention to Goro’s shock. Instead, he found himself tracing a line over Goro’s cheekbone with his thumb, reveling in the way that each touch made Goro shudder.

“Akira, this isn’t . . .”

“Please, Goro,” Akira whispered in a way that he hadn’t ever before, his voice low and desperate, wanting nothing more than to just stay in this moment forever. “Just let me have this, for now.”

“I need your own answer first,” Goro hummed softly, clearly appreciating the touch but still refusing to give into it. “I need to hear you say it.” Because saying it would make it real in a world where nothing else was.

It was one of the things Akira truly loved about Goro: how no matter what, he would not waver, under any pressure, under any temptation.

And it was because of that that he found himself saying without hesitation, “We’re stopping Maruki,” and Akira could feel tension leave Goro’s body, could see his eyes soften.

This close, Akira could see Goro’s eyes so clearly—the layers upon layers of deep russet, almost honey-coloured in Leblanc’s warm lamplight Eyes that still burned with a furious flame of determination that only cemented in Akira’s head that Goro was alive; that this, at least, could be real; that Maruki was lying.

There were barely a couple of centimetres between them now, and Akira didn’t know who moved first, but in the next moment, Akira’s lips were on Goro’s in the softest, sweetest of kisses.

Akira didn’t quite know how to describe the kiss—it was gentle, to a degree, tender and careful (dare he say, loving?), but that tenderness stoked the flames of impatience, of heavy desire., and tension melted away after so long of being apart.

It was like two halves being reunited into a single, proper whole.

It felt right, and Akira knew for sure now that Goro was alive, because no dead man could express the same amount of passion as Goro Akechi, his sworn rival, his other half, the only person who could really see him when no one else could.

Not even Maruki could fake something like that.

“Akira,” Goro whispered, finally pulling away, “this isn’t . . .”

Akira shook his head. “It’s real here, you’re real, I’m real, and I’m not giving up on you.”

Goro didn’t say anything.

“Goro,” Akira continued, “you know, Morgana said something when we defeated that false god. He told us that the whole world is a product of cognition. There’s no such thing as a ‘real world’, but what each person sees and feels is what shapes reality. That’s . . . what Maruki made use of.”

Akira took a deep breath, lifting Goro’s left gloved hand and placing it on his chest, right over his heart, which felt like it was beating at a million miles an hour. “This is real. Something that can’t be changed. Mona . . . he was alive because we believed him to be. That’s how he came back, even after the Metaverse disappeared.”

“I wondered,” Goro admitted quietly.

“So that’s why I’m so sure that after all this . . . things will go back to the way they should be.” Akira looked down, not quite able to meet Goro’s eyes, before continuing, “And besides . . . the thought of losing you again— scares me.”

Goro slowly removed his hand from Akira’s chest, drawing it upwards, lifting Akira’s face to look him in the eye. “That’s why,” he said, and Akira could feel the determination in Goro’s voice, “I will never accept this form of reality. I’m done being manipulated. If I live or die, I want it to be on my own terms.”

Akira could feel his eyes stinging as he nodded.

Goro’s gaze softened slightly. “Let’s go back . . . to our true reality.”

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #387

“today i woke up, & i hate myself”

What common problem have you never experienced? The loss of a close family member (that doesn't include pets). Alternatively, what's an uncommon problem you have experienced? Homelessness. Do you know anyone who opposes marriage equality? I sure do. What was the last thing you got really emotional about? Meerkat Manor: Rise of the Dynasty premiering. What's the longest amount of time you've been ill for? I don't really know. I don't get sick a lot at all. Who is your closest male friend? Girt. Do you know anyone who hunts for meat? Sadly. I say "sadly" because it's not like they need it. Have you ever lived with a boyfriend/girlfriend? Yes, although I wasn't a technical resident. I was there all the time, though. What do you wash dishes with? Sponge, scrub brush, rag, something else? A sponge. Is there anything you prefer to do the old-fashioned way? There's probably something, but I can't think of anything. Do you put your glasses and mugs right side up or upside down on the cabinet shelf? Upside-down. What was the worst part of your childhood? My parents fighting. Have you ever seen a high school relationship last long-term? (like 10+yrs) Yeah. Do you know any cancer survivors? Quite a few. Leftover pizza for breakfast... yay or nay? Good shit, man. Do you personally know anyone who's a psychopath or sociopath? I don't think so. What is your most used kitchen appliance? Lately, it's been the apple slicer. I've been on a real apple slices + peanut butter kick lately. What is something that you would personally like to be remembered for? For being a caring person towards all living things. Have you ever been diagnosed as clinically depressed before? Yes. Do you like bowling? Yeah, it's fun. Do you own binoculars or nonoculars? What do you use them for? No. Do you ever wish you had a telescope on the roof or attic to stargaze? Yeah, that'd be cool. Have you ever had to deal with someone close to you going off to war? No, thankfully. Who do you feel you have the most in common with? Sara, easily. Who in your life causes you the most stress or negative feelings? My damn self lmao. Have you ever had a teacher that also taught your parents? No. My parents didn't grow up in NC. What’s one thing that people definitely CAN’T count on you for? To remember like... anything. What about something they definitely can count on you for? Someone to listen to encourage them. What’s one food that you want to try but haven’t yet? I've always thought macaroons look good. Do you have anything planned for the summer? No. Do you walk fast or slow? Slow. Would you consider yourself an adrenaline junkie? No. What is a common slang word from where you live? Plural "you" does not exist. It's "y'all," lol. What’s the scariest thing you’ve accidentally found on the internet? *shrug* Probably something as a kid, going on those sketchy websites with loads of games and stuff. Thinking of every Halloween costume you’ve had, which one was the most creative? I don't think I've had any creative costumes for Halloween. What’s one random city you want to visit? It's not exactly "random" as it's a popular location, but anyway, I would love to visit Venice. What subjects do you or did you get the worst grades in? Math. When was the last time you ate cake and what type of cake was it? That's a good question, actually. Maybe my niece's birthday in February? I don't remember what kind of cake it was. Do you have photos to go with all of the contacts in your phone? No; I don't have any. Do you like snowy winter days or do you prefer rainy days? SNOWY! Name 3 things you find most beautiful in nature: Mountains, large waterfalls, and desert dunes in the wind. If you could ask one person one questions and get a completely honest answer who would it be and what would you ask? Jason. I'd ask if he thought I was emotionally abusive. What is your favorite winter activity? Building snowmen. Who is the greatest singer who is no longer living? Freddie Mercury. What is your idea of heaven? I don't know, really... I have to ask myself IS there a heaven in eternity? Living forever just... doesn't appeal to me. "Living" is an odd word to use there, but hopefully you get it. Existing on and on and on and on seems like it'd just be a drag, but at the same time I do like the thought of feeling relentlessly happy and peaceful with my loved ones. I guess that would be my definition of it, if it does exist. What’s one of the scariest things you’ve ever done? ODed. Have you ever watched the Superbowl all the way through? Just once, on my 16th birthday because I was at Jason's place and all of his family was watching it. I had absolutely zero interest, but we wanted to hang with the family. If you had to move to another country, where would you move? Canada. Do you watch American Horror Story? I haven't in years. It was Jason's and my first "show," and the first season was excellent. I lost interest in the second one, honestly. I'd be up for watching other seasons, though. How many relationships have you been in this year? None. What's your favorite cereal? Probably Cinnamon Toast Crunch. That's also the only cereal where I can happily drink the milk afterwards. Twitter or Facebook? Facebook. Do you like to paint your nails? No. What's the coolest place you've ever been to? Disney World, probably. Have you ever punched anyone? No. What's something you wish you knew how to do? Cook. :/ I really need to make an effort to learn. It'd be great to not rely on a microwave for the rest of my life. What's a celebrity that everyone likes but you don't? *shrug* What food do you eat the most? Probably bread in some form or another. That really needs to stop. Green or purple grapes? Either one, but they have to be firm. I cannooooooot with soft grapes. Have you ever cried over a text? Yeah. What's the background of your phone of? My lock screen is this pretty, simplistic periwinkle color with "work on you for you" written on it. It's one I plan on keeping for probably a long time because I connect to it so deeply with my stupid damn head frequently demanding I have to improve "for Jason" to prove him wrong. Which is a very unhealthy mindset to have, I know. My home screen is a cute lil Mark edit someone made with a very similar pale blue background, so my phone is just currently an #aesthetic. Do you have a Snapchat? No. What's your favorite sports team? (if you like sports)? I don't like sports, but I'm biased towards the Carolina Hurricanes hockey team because of my dad. Last thing you ate? I had Honey Nut Cheerios for breakfast. Do you take a lot of selfies? Definitely not. I just hate how I look so much; it takes way too much effort for me to get an "acceptable" one. Do you prefer strawberries or cherries? Strawberries. I hate cherries. How many hours of sleep did you get last night? Maybe like, three. -_- Our A/C is still out, and it was like, 87 in the house last night. It was impossible to sleep. Do you listen to music daily? Not EVERY day, but usually. Biggest insecurity? My weight. Do you play video games? Not as much as I used to. I'd probably play way more if I actually had a PS4 + the games I'm DYING to have. Do you consider yourself lazy? "Yes, but a lot of it is also health related for my lack of energy and motivation." <<<< This for me as well. What recently made you laugh? I was watching a bit of The Nanny with Mom yesterday. We love that show. Do you like gummy bears? Yep. What was the last song you listened to? I'm randomly hooked on "My Nocturnal Serenade" by YOHIO. Like, I've known the song for a long time, but NOW I'm bingeing it???? Describe your mom with one word. Selfless. What's the biggest turn-off? Probably being misogynistic. But being a cocky ass is definitely high up there, too. What fish scares you the most? Mfkng whale sharks terrify me. How do you feel about snails? They're cuties!!! What's your favorite app? Pokemon GO. Would you rather time travel into the past or future? The future, to see what's coming. I feel like you could come back with some pretty valuable information. What is the saddest song you've ever heard? I think "Terrible Things" by Mayday Parade has to come on top. What insect do you hate the most? I was reminded that stag beetles exist last night, and omfg those. Well, "hate" is the wrong word, really, I'm just terrified of them. Would you ever have a wild animal as a pet if possible? I 110% want to rescue an opossum, emphasis on "rescue." I'm not plucking one from the wild or anything like that. I would be in HEAVEN raising one of those angels. Are there any decorations that makes you happy? (lights, candles, plants..) I love those beds decorated with fairy lights, and just Christmas lights in general. Halloween and Christmas decor tend to give me sparks of happiness when I see 'em. Does race matter to you when it comes to dating? Not at all for me. When was the last time you painted something? Not since I was still in school and took a Painting course. When was the last time you really felt alive, and what were you doing? I have NO idea. What is one question you would like an answer to? Why the worst things tend to happen to good people. Name one favorite thing to do with kids while babysitting. I don't babysit, but if I was to be in charge of a kid, I'd love to teach them to play video games from my childhood. Playing Pokemon with my niece and nephew is always a blast, ahhhh. Name one flavor you like. Strawberry is pretty consistent. Name one thing you are hoping for. Venus' new terrarium soon... big sigh. I can't for the life of me find one that's a reasonable price and also adequately sized. I'm willing to put the rest of my cash into it, but Mom is helping, so I can't just buy the first one I see. Then I'd need more substrate, I seriously want a temperature gun and hygrometer, a cool hide, sticks and stuff for cover... It's going to be expensive, but I want Venus to have a truly proper environment she can thrive in. Write the name of one of your imaginary friends from when you were younger. Oddly enough, I can't remember the imaginary wolf that was my "friend." I say "oddly" because his whole idea was important to me as a weird-ass kid. Name one girl's name that starts with a "J" that you like. "Justine." Name one boy's name that starts with a "J" that you like. Maybe "Jaxson." Have you ever been kissed? Yeah. Have you ever feared that you would be killed? It's never been like, a fear I actively worry about. I just acknowledge it's always a possibility for anyone. What is the last great opportunity you missed? This was quite a while ago by now, but I'd say by dropping out of school, I really let photography opportunities slip since I became the newspaper photographer...

[reroseshi]

🦇Psychological Analysis of Diabolik Lovers❤:

Hi! I've decided for my first own Tumblr post that I should talk about the franchise that I have been a fan of for 6 years: Diabolik Lovers. After being in this fandom for so long I felt personally kinda cheap for me to just do a short funny post about DL

… sooo~~~ i've decided to share my personal psychological analysis on all the diaboys! Disclaimer: 

1-My memory is quite short and trying to analyse 13  fictional mentally ill boys is quite tricky so please be easy on me.^^

2- English isn't my first language so there might be some mistakes so please pardon me for that!

3- I am currently still working on the Mukami's, the Tsukinami's and Kino so they aren't gonna be in this post!

4- I based myself on the manga and MAINLY HDB and MB for my analysis.

Thank you and have a good reading!^^~ <3

-Rero

Sakamaki's:________________________________

-Shu Sakamaki:

Shu is the first born and the heir of the Sakamaki family. Thus, whether he wants it or not, it was decided even before he was born that he will be the victim of a lot of pressure. That pressure to become worthy of being the heir not only came from both of his parents but the servants as well. He couldn’t be free for two seconds. He was obliged to stay inside the castle/mansion (sometimes in the garden with his mom) to study and train, but he wasn’t allowed to go somewhere else. As he lived in a strict environnement, he wasn't happy as a kid and wanted to escape from that life. Meeting Edgar gave him true happiness. He was his first real best friend and he eventually lost him in the flames of his village. Imagine the thing or person who made you discover true happiness burning in front of your own very eyes. You will most likely lose hope in making other close relationship with anything or anyone. That's how Shu is. A depressed, borderline suicidal man who doesn't have any hope anymore and thinks that it is all his fault. Refusing anyone close to him and empty on a daily basis, he uses music as a way to cope with everything. If you think that Shu is easier to love because "he is less harsh than the other brothers" then you are wrong. Shu doesn't want to be involved with anything or anyone. If you try to get close to him, then get ready to be hurt because he is a sadist like his brothers and can hurt you if he doesn't want you near him.

-Reiji Sakamaki:

(If you want a more detailed and a well done analysis, please go check this one:

Reiji was severely neglected as a child by both of his parents. He basically spent his entire childhood trying to get their attention or at least some recognition from them, especially his mom’s, but never got any or if he did it was to remind him that he should be a good younger/brother/servant/right-hand man for his older brother, the next heir of the Sakamaki family Shu. Thus, as he grew up he developed a strong feeling of jealousy for his brother to the point of having a severe inferiority complex. In addition to that, the bitterness that he has for ages inside of him about his mother still resides in him and as we know he is still trying to revive her. Reiji is a man who holds grudges from his past and seeks revenge. He is also someone who loves attention (maybe not as much as Kanato) and wants to be recognized as superior to his brother whom he despises so much to the point that you cannot even talk about Shu around him without having either a death glare or a ass whooping. By putting high standards on to himself, not only in the present but also in his past, he’s become a perfectionist who cares a lot about image and manners. He even forces Yui in his route to learn the perfect lady etiquette. Why does he act this way? Simple, in my opinion it is because he likes to keep a perfect image of himself in a way to detach himself from his brothers whom he despises a lot. You might also ask: if he hates his brothers, then why didn’t he kill them yet? Well, Reiji in one interview (https://prevolt.tumblr.com/post/103068375676/diabolik-lovers-dark-fate-stellaworth-complete )admits that he doesn’t completely hate living with his bros, also if he would’ve killed them, his father would’ve punished him. Even if he seems not that bad with his gentleman personality, Reiji isn’t a kind man. Reiji can easily kill someone. To end this, to go back to the butler-like image he gives himself, I think it could be a mask to hide the insecurities he has. I also believe that he constantly lies to himself and that he doesn’t truly understand his own emotions or even himself has seen many times in his HDB route and in the manga.

-Ayato Sakamaki:

(For Ayato I fell upon this really interesting analysis if you are interested ) 

Ayato, in his childhood, like all of his brothers, was not treated well by his father but he , most importantly, got overpressured by Cordelia to be number one. He couldn’t get out and play freely like any normal child can do because when he would sneak out, he got punished and got slapped in the face by his own mother telling him that if he cannot be number one, he is not allowed to call her “mother” again.(Also, do I need to remind you all the lake scene from his childhood… )For him, you cannot be loved and/or appreciated if you’re not number one. Because he had to live such a childhood, he developed a severe narcissistic personality. Narcissists are not born, they are made, and they are made by being over praised as a kid for their success (such as having a good grade at school, winning a competition or an award, being the best in what they are doing) and by being emotionally neglected. (Ex: throughout the day the child is getting good compliments from their parents by being the number one at school but when the kid will start crying, the parents will ignore or punish him for it. Not giving him any love or support. Which will lead the kid to build himself an ego higher than Yūma’s height and rejecting his own emotions.) I think it describes Ayato’s behaviour and his past pretty well. Another thing that is important to consider about Ayato is that he looks as if he is frozen in time. (Which is a trait that can also be found in any real life narcissists) Even if his mother is dead and that he has nothing to prove anymore, he is still stuck in the “I need to be number one” as if his brain didn’t move on to the present. In addition to that, Ayato is a really childish man. I mean: he needs Yui’s attention and approval all the time, pouts like a kid, acts like a kid (when he asked Yui to stroke his hair in a childish way, plays pranks on Reiji, …) and sometimes speaks like a kid when things are not going the way he wants them to go. Also, once states that he doesn’t wish to have someone special in his life again because the last one who was special (his mom) broke his heart. Ayato himself and himself only and the only goal in his life is to prove that he is the best. To do that, he will use ANY sadistic method and won’t stop even if you beg. Heck, it’ll only excite him more. He is a narcissistic sadist who keeps his emotions far away from him.

-Kanato Sakamaki:

(For this character I highly suggest that you take a good look a this psychological analysis since in my opinion really detailed and the author made a really good job making it: . Thank you~)

Just like his brother Laito, Kanato throughout his childhood was severely neglected and treated very harshly by both of his parents. The only thing that was valuable to his mother’s eyes was his beautiful voice and literally made him sing until his vocal cords bled. I suspect that Kanato probably suffers from Asperger syndrome from how he acts when he is mad, the fact that he doesn’t understand his or the emotions of others and his overall behaviour. In the present we can all see that he is almost, if not, the scariest of all sakamaki brothers and I think that it is mainly due to the lack of attention and support from his parents. Of all the Sakamaki’s, Kanato is the one who, from very early in his childhood, needed attention and support the most. Why do you think he always has a teddy in his arms (with his mother’s ashes in it must I remind you..)and makes his own doll made out of the body of dead women? Kanato simply cannot stand being alone. He would rather have you dead by his side for all eternity than being rejected or even worse, ignored.(I really recommend to read Kanato’s analysis since it really explains well his behaviour on that aspect^^)

He is maybe cute, remember that he is unable to understand your emotions and that he has no problem killing you. Also to be able to survive with him, you will have to abandon your logic and read in between the lines which isn’t an easy task..(This one is shorter because I think that Kanato isn’t that complex. He is just really different but still stays, in my opinion, pretty simple and easy to understand)

-Laito Sakamaki:

Laito is what I would call an empty pervert who uses sex as a coping mechanism. He believes that there’s nothing more real than pleasure. He even goes further in his “crazy” beliefs that “even the sweetest pain can become the greatest pleasure”. Behind his playful, sociable, perverted personality is a really cruel, cunning and manipulator expert who knows the best tricks to manipulate someone since his mother uses those on him in his “young adulthood” to have sexual intercourses with him. Only used as a sex partner by his mom as a child and never received any unconditional love from his parents, he has a bad definition of love. For him love=lust, real love (true love or even unconditional love) doesn’t exist and that it is all fake. He spends his time having sex to forget about the women that broke him and would even go as far as threatening Yui to death if she resist him when she doesn’t want to get involve in his “activities” or “little games”. But even after all that he can’t forget her and still is captive of her “love”, still feeling her, remembering her scent and everything about her. He can’t escape from that jail. Finally, it’s important to remember that Laito is a sadist who takes an amount of pleasure by having someone succumbing to him in a mental and sexual way. He is not someone to be taken lightly. You might not see the danger totally at first by that’s just how Laito is. He even says it himself in his HDB route, he is the type of man who will follow his prey in an alley before attacking it. Therefore, he is not like most of his brothers, he is not going to attack fully. He’s slowly going to take little bites of you and before you even realize it, you won’t be able to escape from him anymore.

-Subaru Sakamaki:

First of all, we need to know that Subaru was born (just like almost all of his brothers) just for the sake of Karl’s plan. What is different about Subaru is that his mother became crazy when she had her child. (I just want to state that she did want the child and Karlheinz did not totally raped her since it is stated that she accepted but we also all know that she was being manipulated. Since for the moment I want to concentrate more on Subaru I will not spend too much time explaining his parents relationship but it is something that we should definitely analyse as well in my opinion) Subaru was severely neglected by his father and he never knew what it was to have a normal mother. Throughout his entire childhood, he’s witnessed his mother’s unstable mind, bipolarity, her tantrums episodes and even worse, not only her insults being thrown directly at him but her literally asking him to kill both her and Karl. Because of that, he’s developed anger issues, a lack of trust with women, a severe depression and he is, if not, borderline suicidal. I also want to state that (He even states in his route in HDB that the two people he hates the most in “this world” is 1) Karlheinz 2)himself)Subaru is one if not the most sensible emotionally. So that means he feels harder than the others. You can also see that he has developed similar traits has his mother has you get to know him more in his route such as: bipolarity (when he orders Yui to always come and tell him where she’s going and then get mad when she does so telling her that he doesn’t care) and random tantrums. (when he gets mad à Yui for no good reason and even makes false assumptions) Not only does he usuels violence as a coping mechanism but he also always isolates himself, not letting anyone in his hard shell because he believes that he can’t do any good and that he is useless. In his presents, he still believes in his mother’s insults and thinks of him as someone filthy, disgusting, weak, a monster who can’t do anything to help the person he loved, his mother. He hates himself. He is constantly irritated by everything. If you want to love him you will have to endure the violence that he’s going to give to you and live with his confusion and irritation against not only everything that surrounds him but also against himself and you, and you will have to give up your life to make him trust you entirely.

[sciencespies]

How Viruses Evolve

https://sciencespies.com/nature/how-viruses-evolve/

How Viruses Evolve

The unusual cases of pneumonia began to appear in midwinter, in China. The cause, researchers would later learn, was a coronavirus new to science. By March, the infection began to spread to other Asian countries and overseas. People were dying, and the World Health Organization issued a global health alert.

But this was 2003, not 2020, and the disease was SARS, not Covid-19. By June, the outbreak was almost gone, with just 8,098 confirmed infections and 774 deaths worldwide. No cases of SARS have been reported since 2004.

Contrast that with the closely related coronavirus that causes Covid-19 today: more than 13,600,000 confirmed cases as of July 16, and more than 585,000 deaths.

Why did SARS go away while today’s coronavirus just keeps on spreading? Why, for that matter, did both these coronaviruses spill over into people at all, from their original bat hosts?

And just as vital as those questions is another: What happens next?

As we face the current pandemic, it will be important to understand how SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, is likely to evolve in the months and years ahead. It’s possible the virus could lose its lethal character and settle into an evolutionary détente with humanity. It might end up as just another cold virus, as may have happened to another coronavirus in the past. But it could also remain a serious threat or perhaps even evolve to become more lethal. The outcome depends on the complex and sometimes subtle interplay of ecological and evolutionary forces that shape how viruses and their hosts respond to one another.

“One thing you learn about evolution is never to generalize,” says Edward Holmes, an evolutionary virologist at the University of Sydney, Australia, and author of an article on the evolution of emerging viruses in the Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics. “It depends entirely on the biological nuance of the situation.”

Steps to viral success

Many of the scariest viruses that have caused past or current epidemics originated in other animals and then jumped to people: HIV from other primates, influenza from birds and pigs, and Ebola probably from bats. So, too, for coronaviruses: The ones behind SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) and Covid-19 all probably originated in bats and arrived in people via another, stepping-stone species, likely palm civets, camels and possibly pangolins, respectively.

But making the jump from one species to another isn’t easy, because successful viruses have to be tightly adapted to their hosts. To get into a host cell, a molecule on the virus’s surface has to match a receptor on the outside of the cell, like a key fitting into a lock. Once inside the cell, the virus has to evade the cell’s immune defenses and then commandeer the appropriate parts of the host’s biochemistry to churn out new viruses. Any or all of these factors are likely to differ from one host species to another, so viruses will need to change genetically — that is, evolve — in order to set up shop in a new animal.

Pandemics — disease outbreaks of global reach — have visited humanity many times. Here are examples.

A recent mutation alters the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to make it less fragile (the altered bits are shown as colored blobs). This added robustness appears to make the virus more infectious. Three sites are shown because the spike protein is composed of three identical subunits that bind together.

(DOE/Los Alamos National Laboratory)

Host switching actually involves two steps, though these can overlap. First, the virus has to be able to invade the new host’s cells: That’s a minimum requirement for making the host sick. But to become capable of causing epidemics, the virus also has to become infectious — that is, transmissible between individuals — in its new host. That’s what elevates a virus from an occasional nuisance to one capable of causing widespread harm.

SARS-CoV-2 shows these two stages clearly. Compared with the virus in bats, both the virus that infects people and a close relative in pangolins carry a mutation that changes the shape of the surface “ spike protein.” The alteration is right at the spot that binds to host cell receptors to let the virus in. This suggests that the mutation first arose either in pangolins or an as yet unidentified species and happened to allow the virus to jump over to people, too.

But SARS-CoV-2 carries other changes in the spike protein that appear to have arisen after it jumped to people, since they don’t occur in the bat or pangolin viruses. One is in a region called the polybasic cleavage site, which is known to make other coronaviruses and flu viruses more infectious. Another appears to make the spike protein less fragile, and in lab experiments with cell cultures, it makes the virus more infectious. The mutation has become more common as the Covid-19 pandemic goes on, which suggests — but does not prove — that it makes the virus more infectious in the real world, too. (Fortunately, though it may increase spread, it doesn’t seem to make people sicker.)

This evolutionary two-step — first spillover, then adaptation to the new host — is probably characteristic of most viruses as they shift hosts, says Daniel Streicker, a viral ecologist at the University of Glasgow. If so, emerging viruses probably pass through a “silent period” immediately after a host shift, in which the virus barely scrapes by, teetering on the brink of extinction until it acquires the mutations needed for an epidemic to bloom.

Streicker sees this in studies of rabies in bats — which is a good model for studying the evolution of emerging viruses, he says, since the rabies virus has jumped between different bat species many times. He and his colleagues looked at decades’ worth of genetic sequence data for rabies viruses that had undergone such host shifts. Since larger populations contain more genetic variants than smaller populations do, measuring genetic diversity in their samples enabled the scientists to estimate how widespread the virus was at any given time.

The team found that almost none of the 13 viral strains they studied took off immediately after switching to a new bat species. Instead, the viruses eked out a marginal existence for years to decades before they acquired the mutations — of as yet unknown function — that allowed them to burst out to epidemic levels. Not surprisingly, the viruses that emerged the fastest were those that needed the fewest genetic changes to blossom.

SARS-CoV-2 probably passed through a similar tenuous phase before it acquired the key adaptations that allowed it to flourish, perhaps the mutation to the polybasic cleavage site, perhaps others not yet identified. In any case, says Colin Parrish, a virologist at Cornell University who studies host shifts, “by the time the first person in Wuhan had been identified with coronavirus, it had probably been in people for a while.”

It was our bad luck that SARS-CoV-2 adapted successfully. Many viruses that spill over to humans never do. About 220 to 250 viruses are known to infect people, but only about half are transmissible — many only weakly — from one person to another, says Jemma Geoghegan, an evolutionary virologist at the University of Otago, New Zealand. The rest are dead-end infections. Half is a generous estimate, she adds, since many other spillover events probably fizzle out before they can even be counted.

Getting nicer — or nastier

SARS-CoV-2, of course, is well past the teetering stage. The big question now is: What happens next? One popular theory, endorsed by some experts, is that viruses often start off harming their hosts, but evolve toward a more benign coexistence. After all, many of the viruses we know of that trigger severe problems in a new host species cause mild or no disease in the host they originally came from. And from the virus’s perspective, this theory asserts, hosts that are less sick are more likely to be moving around, meeting others and spreading the infection onward.

“I believe that viruses tend to become less pathogenic,” says Burtram Fielding, a coronavirologist at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa. “The ultimate aim of a pathogen is to reproduce, to make more of itself. Any pathogen that kills the host too fast will not give itself enough time to reproduce.” If SARS-CoV-2 can spread faster and further by killing or severely harming fewer of the people it infects, we might expect that over time, it will become less harmful — or, as virologists term it, less virulent.

This kind of evolutionary gentling may be exactly what happened more than a century ago to one of the other human coronaviruses, known as OC43, Fielding suggests. Today, OC43 is one of four coronaviruses that account for up to a third of cases of the common cold (and perhaps occasionally more severe illness). But Fielding and a few others think it could also have been the virus behind a worldwide pandemic, usually ascribed to influenza, that began in 1890 and killed more than a million people worldwide, including Queen Victoria’s grandson and heir.

After rabbits were introduced to Australia, their population exploded. “They are very plentiful here,” says the handwritten inscription on the back of this postcard from around 1930. Scientists eventually introduced the myxoma virus to control the rabbit plague.

(Photographer Paul C. Nomchong / National Museum of Australia)

Scientists can’t prove that, because no virus samples survive from that pandemic, but some circumstantial evidence makes the case plausible, Fielding says. For one thing, people who were infected in the 1890 pandemic apparently experienced nervous-system symptoms we now see as more typical of coronaviruses than of influenza. And when Belgian researchers sequenced OC43’s genome in 2005 and compared it to other known coronaviruses, they concluded that it likely originated as a cattle virus and may have jumped to people right around 1890. They speculated that it may have caused the 1890 pandemic and then settled down to a less nasty coexistence as an ordinary cold virus.

Other evolutionary biologists disagree. The pandemic certainly faded as more people became immune, but there’s no solid evidence that OC43 itself evolved from highly virulent to mostly benign over the last century, they say. Even if it did, that does not mean SARS-CoV-2 will follow the same trajectory. “You can’t just say it’s going to become nicer, that somehow a well-adapted pathogen doesn’t harm its host. Modern evolutionary biology, and a lot of data, shows that doesn’t have to be true. It can get nicer, and it can get nastier,” says Andrew Read, an evolutionary microbiologist at Penn State University. (Holmes is blunter: “Trying to predict virulence evolution is a mug’s game,” he says.)

To understand why it’s so hard to predict changes in virulence, Read says it’s important to recognize the difference between virulence — that is, how sick a virus makes its host — and its transmissibility, or how easily it passes from one host individual to another. Evolution always favors increased transmissibility, because viruses that spread more easily are evolutionarily fitter — that is, they leave more descendants. But transmissibility and virulence aren’t linked in any dependable way, Read says. Some germs do just fine even if they make you very sick. The bacteria that cause cholera spread through diarrhea, so severe disease is good for them. Malaria and yellow fever, which are transmitted by mosquitos, can spread just fine even from a person at death’s door.

Funeral for a U.S. soldier who died of influenza in Russia in 1919. The 1918-1920 pandemic killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide.

(U.S. National Archives)

Respiratory viruses, like influenza and the human coronaviruses, need hosts that move around enough to breathe on one another, so extremely high virulence might be detrimental in some cases. But there’s no obvious evolutionary advantage for SARS-CoV-2 to reduce its virulence, because it pays little price for occasionally killing people: It spreads readily from infected people who are not yet feeling sick, and even from those who may never show symptoms of illness. “To be honest, the novel coronavirus is pretty fit already,” Geoghegan says.

Nor are there many documented instances of viruses whose virulence has abated over time. The rare, classic example is the myxoma virus, which was deliberately introduced to Australia in the 1950s from South America to control invasive European rabbits. Within a few decades, the virus evolved to reduce its virulence, albeit only down to 70 to 95 percent lethality from a whopping 99.8 percent. (It has since ticked up again.)

But myxoma stands nearly alone, Parrish says. For instance, he notes, there is no evidence that recent human pathogens such as Ebola, Zika or chikungunya viruses have shown any signs of becoming less pathogenic in the relatively short time since jumping to humans.

“Everyone has influenza,” reads a headline in a French publication from January 1890.

(Wellcome Collection via CC by 4.0)

The ones that went away

The faded nightmares of our past — pandemics that terrorized, then receded, such as SARS in 2003 and flu in 1918-20 and again in 1957, 1968 and 2009 — went away not because the viruses evolved to cause milder disease, but for other reasons. In the case of SARS, the virus made people sick enough that health workers were able to contain the disease before it got out of hand. “People who got SARS got very sick, very fast and were easily identified, easily tracked and readily quarantined — and their contacts were also readily identified and quarantined,” says Mark Cameron, an immunologist at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, who worked in a Toronto hospital during the height of the SARS outbreak there. That was never going to be as easy to do for Covid-19 because people who don’t show symptoms can spread the virus.

Flu pandemics, meanwhile, have tended to recede for another reason, one that offers more hope in our present moment: Enough of the population eventually becomes immune to slow the virus down. The H1N1 influenza virus that caused the 1918 pandemic continued as the main influenza virus until the 1950s, and its descendants still circulate in the human population. What made the virus such a threat in 1918-20 is that it was novel and people had little immunity. Once much of the population had been exposed to the virus and had developed immunity, the pandemic waned, although the virus persisted at a lower level of infections — as it does to this day. It appears less lethal now largely because older people, who are at greatest risk of dying from influenza, have usually encountered H1N1 influenza or something like it at some point in their lives and retain some degree of immunity, Read says.

With the new coronavirus, Parrish says, “we’re sort of in that 1918 period where the virus is spreading fast in a naive population.” But that will change as more people either catch Covid-19 or are vaccinated (if and when that becomes possible) and develop some level of immunity. “There’s no question that once the population is largely immune, the virus will die down,” Parrish says.

The question is how long that immunity will last: for a lifetime, like smallpox, or just a few years, like flu? In part, that will depend on whether the vaccine induces a permanent antibody response or just a temporary one. But it also depends on whether the virus can change to evade the antibodies generated by the vaccine. Although coronaviruses don’t accumulate mutations as fast as flu viruses, they do still change. And at least one, which causes bronchitis in chickens, has evolved new variants that aren’t covered by previous vaccines. But at this point, no one knows what to expect from SARS-CoV-2.

There is, at least, one encouraging aspect to all this. Even if we can’t predict how the virus will evolve or how it will respond to the coming vaccine, there is something all of us can do to reduce the risk of the virus evolving in dangerous ways. And it doesn’t involve any complicated new behaviors. “Viruses can only evolve if they’re replicating and transmitting,” Streicker says. “Anything that reduces the replication of a virus will in consequence reduce the amount of evolution that happens.” In other words, we can do our part to slow down the evolution of the Covid-19 virus by behaving exactly as we’ve been told to already to avoid catching it: Minimize contact with others, wash your hands and wear a mask.

This article originally appeared in Knowable Magazine, an independent journalistic endeavor from Annual Reviews. Sign up for the newsletter.

#Nature

[hey-hamlet]

BNHA AU Ideas : The villain’s little hero

Also on AO3! 

TL;DR:  All Might, Japan's number 1 villain has a successor. The problem? His successor is a hero hopeful. All Might will stop at nothing to make sure his kid gets to live his dream.

au where all might is a villain raising izuku to be a hero!

quirkless izuku, his backstory is mostly the same

all might decided that hero work had too much red tape. if he was going to take down afo, he needed the freedom to do whatever he had to and he wasnt getting that working within the law

so hes a,,, viilllaaaiinnn?? like. stain. but less murdery, would also save civilians if they were in danger

he has 0 qualms about crippling fake heroes but hes not a fan of murder

nighteye is still his sidekick, he doesnt use his quirk on allmight bc all might h a t e s it

hes kinda on board with "the future is only set in stone because you've seen it now" so he wants the freedom to break fate. but its very useful to get info, so nighteye just uses it on other people

hero to the people villain to literally everyone else

allmights villain costume is reallll similar to his hero costume. just less eye bleeding

he has longer grey hair too.

all mights bronze age costume is basically his villain costume thanks for listening

david shield is still in this story

david agrees w all might and like,,, sneaks him stuff on the downlow

all might told him ab. his quirk because who on earth is gonna believe that one america man about japans worst supervillain?

also melissa is a Soft Young Woman and she is all mights favourite person on this fucking planet until he meets izuku

all might went to ua, only defected after completing his hero training because he wanted to be trained by the people he was going to screw over

izuku has always kinda been a big fan of all might. not openly because hes legally a villain and very much paints himself as one, but his quirk is one of the most amazing things izuku has ever seen

when he looks closer, all might has never let a civilian get hurt once hes been on scene. hes taken hits to protect housing, hes pulled heroes from the line of fire

izuku watches his sports festivals and wonders why? why did all might, the man who happily told the world he'd stop at nothing to keep them safe, suddenly flip sides like that for no reason?

izuku doesnt buy it

izuku's big yellow backpack is a big red one in this universe, hes had it so long its gone pink but he still loves it

the sludge villain

all might saves him and izuku is crying. allmight thinks its because hes scared but izuku just turns to him with this big weepy eye smile and gives him the most genuine thanks he thinks hes ever been given

(its honestly the shock of that that makes him deflate into small might, which has izuku scrambling to find tissues and called an ambulance before he thinks better of calling emergency services for All Might)

izuku is like "Im SO SORRY SIR ARE YOU oK"

and all might is like ",,, b  oy"

izuku softly asking

"can,, can i still be someone with out a quirk? can i still make a difference?"

all might doesnt get the chance to anser because there is a massive explosion in the distance

its bakugo!! hes dying

the sludge villain got away bc izuku and all might were chatting a little

izuku hears it and he feels this terrible realization, because its probably not bakugo? but its definitely bakugo because izuku's life is falling to pieces

he sprints towards him and katsuki will n e v e r admit it but he feels hope in that moment because some one is trying to help. even if its just izuku, he wasnt totally left for dead

all might sees this tiny, nervous, quirkless kid run straight up to a villain that almost killed him seconds before to save someone what looks like they'd rather die

and he thinks

"no one deserves one for all more than him"

and allmight, the most wanted villain in japan, maybe the world, jumps in

the heroes look at him and they are scared. if they couldnt take the sludge villain, what is all might going to do to them? but the scariest man in japan, the person parents tell their kids about to stop them from going out at night, blows the sludge villain to tiny pieces and carefully, gently, places the two boys by the heroes

before he vanishes before they can call for backup or even ask why

izuku gets yelled at by the heroes because the heroes are scared and angry they couldnt stop either of the villains and izuku is so overwhelmed that hes crying and he can hardly breathe

bakugo doesnt even yell at him because hes so dazed about everything that happened and he cant make himself yell at this sobbing kid that used to be his friend

(bakugo is holding izukus hand like hes going to crush it but its the only thing keeping izuku present)

izuku is walking home and hes still hicuping and crying because he almost died and the heroes hate him and he feels a hand on his shoulder, and a soft :"its ok now my boy"

he knows its all might but he cant help but hide his face in his shirt and sob

all might gets down so he can look izuku in the eye

"you asked me if you could be someone with out a quirk and i didnt get the chance to answer. my answer? you already are someone. you are someone that inspired me, a villain, to save the day. you are going to be amazing"

and looks him dead in the eye "you'll do amazing things, even with out a quirk. but, you of all people deserve one, and no matter what you chose to do with it, it can be yours. hero, villain or someone in between"

izuku looks at this villain

this painfully thin villain, who just saved his life and who has unimaginable strength

and he throws his arms around his waist and sobs

inko isnt a great mum in this au and she likes to basically pretend izuku doesnt exist

izuku trains a lot and has to make his own food bc his mum just ignores him

he sneaks out at night to clear trash and sneaks back in before dawn to clean the sand from his hair

he smells like saltwater and rust, and he hasnt slept more than 4 hours a night in weeks and katsuki is worried

all might sees him crumbling with a smile stuck on his face and he wants to stop him from self-destructing, but the kid will never learn his lesson until he feels his body give up under what hes doing to it. if all might steps in he'll do it again and again until no one stops him and hes never learnt his limit.

so he waits and he watches while he pretends he cant see the bags under his eyes and pretends that everytime izuku sways on his feet he doesnt feel a jolt of deep panic

did he do this? if he the reason izuku looks like hes falling apart before his eyes?

the kid passes the fuck out and all might tells him off in a soft dad way and izuku cries bc why does this villain care more than his mum does

and all might catches the end of that little mumble, and feels terrible so he pretends he didnt hear and takes him for lunch

they go to a cafe and all might buys izuku the cutest slice of cake and a big ass bowl of katsudon and some fancy fucking tea and covers the kids eyes every time he tries to look at the prices

izuku looks at all might and asks

"are you buying me katsudon with crime money"

and all might looks sheepish and izuku giggles like an idiot and says "dont tell me ill feel bad!!!"

all might grins bc this kid is honestly the only reason he hasnt stabbed a pro hero in a few months bc hes so fucking sweet

he has to carry izuku half the way home bc the kid could barely lift his chopsticks and almost fell asleep in the booth after he finished eating

and allmight, skinny and kinda scary is giving his 15 year old a piggy back and someone says "you're such a good dad!" and he almost coughs up his last lung

izuku mumbles sleepily and hes has the biggest warm and fuzzy feeling and hes going to yell bc hes All Might the No. 1 Villain and this fucking kid is drooling on his sweater but he would die for him

some random stranger on the street commenting on how it was rly fortunate that izuku inherited his adorable smile from his father

all might, abt to burst into tears: whack

allmight is easily flustered even when hes killed a man

he comes home and inko isnt there so he has to like, wake up izuku to get him to open the door and he feels bad bc izuku is a Sleepy Man

izuku mumbles that he cant ever tell if shes at home or not because nothing changes and all might feels a wave of "wait my son isnt being parented enough"

so he makes izuku a cup of tea and tucks him into bed after he has a shower because izuku is His Son Now Inko

hes like

sitting in the living room reading the paper and he hears inko's car and hes like ",,, fuck it im walking out the front door im no coward"

she doesnt even notice and hes going to scream because does she have a brain

inko, spaced out, tired and terrible: oh is the tall man here for izuku :))) thats great :)))

all might is screaming bc"" do you get let weird men into see your tiny son>???? what the fuck???

hes so small inko??? and you?? let random men in?????

all might would yeet her into the sun if he could but his boy needs an actual family member to make going to ua easier

inko is kinda mentally ill. she is depressed and often forgets she has izuku. like shes not always being terrible she just sometimes forget to do basic things

one time she locked izuku out of the house for 10 hours and he had to sleep next to the front door

one month she didnt buy any food so by the end of it he was starving and out of his own money and there was n o t h i n g in the house, but inko would go out to eat every night and lunch and not take her son

allmight is upset bc izuku didnt tell him but izuku is embarrassed. embarrassed that he was forgotten by his own mum, that he couldnt do anything to help her or himself and honestly mad he was so hungry all might noticed bc he didnt want to bug him

it was getting to the point that katsuki actually slipped some change into his bag with a candy bar