#running towards nothing

[ooksaidthelibrarian]

Shivering with cold, Jarina sat up. She froze at the sight of a figure huddled at the foot of another tree. It wore a leather cloak with the hood up, the beaky mask at its feet, the goggles glinting in what little light there was.  Lost in the woods, Jarina meets a stranger

written for the Spook Me Ficathon and for Witcher Wheel of the Year's Samhain event, the prompts were Plague Doctor, Mask and Lost and Found

running towards nothing

Fandom: Witcher (Video Games) Words: 2393 Rating: G

Read it on AO3

[redshoes-blues]

RUNNING TOWARDS NOTHING

A Byler Apocalypse Fic (coming soon!)

From: Chapter One

“What’s got you all distracted?” Lucas asked. He was finished tying up Mike’s hair, hands occupied with tying a bandana over his mouth and nose.

Mike had completely forgot about Lucas. “Hmm? Oh, nothing. Guess I’m just—” he tried to think of an excuse. The last thing he wanted was for Lucas to have him to worry about. “Thinking about how bad it’ll smell outside.”

Lucas laughed. “Yeah, smells like mold and old people. And somehow it still smells better than this rancid old basement.”

“It would make a nice candle. How’s that for a birthday present?”

It wouldn’t be Lucas’s birthday until the air was warm enough to jump off the rocks into Lover’s Lake without quite freezing. No matter the weather, The Party always showed up at his house shortly after breakfast, already dressed for swimming. Lucas told Mrs. Sinclair that “no, mom, we won’t jump off the rocks, I promise. I’m not stupid.”

But jumping was always the best part. The feeling of air underneath their feet until they crashed into the water. A brief moment of freedom from everything. There was nothing Mike wanted more than to be free, and to laugh with his friends as they swam in the cool water before running home to the Sinclair’s for ice cream cake and games. But the last thing Mike felt was free.

More like I’m treading water.

“Yeah, good one,” Lucas replied as he tugged at his bandana. “Get that for Will’s birthday. He loves this smelly old pit more than any place on earth.”

Mike frowned. Will’s birthday. “But isn’t that in—”

Huh. He had a thought, and then it was gone. Maybe he was freer than he thought.

“What is it, man?”

“Nothing. I lost my train of thought.”

“Happens to the best of us. Ready?” Lucas stood up, dusting some chips off his cargo pants.

Mike followed. But he couldn’t help but feel like he was leaving something behind.

[bioethicists]

this is going to sound simplistic + i promise you it's not: stop following people whose entire schtick is being cruel or fighting with others online. even if the ppl deserve it! even if it's not a ~problematic~ cruelty! even if you agree with all of that blog's opinions!

it's one thing if someone snaps back when provoked or posts the occasional "get a load of this guy". nobody needs to play up respectability for people who haven't given them respect in return. but if someone's online identity centers around being needlessly mean for laughs + they're constantly seeking out socially acceptable, easy targets for petty cruelty, that's a red flag. there's a huge difference between not taking shit/cracking a joke + mocking others as your several-hours-a-day hobby.

especially if, when they are inevitably in the wrong + mocking someone mercilessly to their 50k followers over something petty goes south (shocking!), they become extremely defensive or block everyone or play the victim or dismiss it as "well, how was i supposed to know they were autistic? i'm autistic + i don't meow in public" or whatever.

this isn't a "well i knew all along" post bcuz nobody should be shamed for being in the dark about something like this but many of the popular bloggers who have later been exposed for serious harassment or abuse should not have shocked us. if someone's blog is 90% shit like "you should light yourself on fire because you watch x anime" or "look at this so-called lesbian bitch + her ugly fucking boyfriend at a kink convention- it's giving drowned rats", should it really shock you that they are also being cruel or abusive in less internet-acceptable ways? if they've already shown you that they get a such a thrill out of being vicious that they do it daily + are regularly rewarded with thousands of followers?

[bacchuschucklefuck]

dreaming abt sophomore year class swap bard!riz

[hazyange1s]

If you want to stop being afraid, become the thing you fear.

a WIP from months ago that I quickly finished so it’s sloppy but hey😅

[tearfulangel]

bound to suffer eternally

[dykedvonte]

A Defense of Benny Gecko

Benny is more of a capable leader and person than people give him credit for.

Seeing as no one challenged his position as head Chairmen for 7 years and even then he only loses the position if he’s caught, killed or forced to leave. Yes, it’s also likely House wouldn’t have allowed him to be killed but he sure as hell would of found a way to remove him if he was causing too much unrest within The Tops power structure. Even Swank and Tommy don’t outright dislike him and more so are concerned with his recent secretive and shady behavior, emphasis on recent.

Taking all we know into consideration, Benny likely knew the future direction that he wanted to take Vegas but was so caught up in the plans to acquire Vegas that he didn’t think of how to make his dream a reality. Something he admits to in canon. I see this being used as the main argument that Benny doesn’t know what he’s doing at all but I see it more in the same vein as you can’t really plan something from nothing. The transformation of Vegas is a sensitive thing that he can’t really work on until he has it. The only reason he ran to the Fort prematurely is the Courier who was causing so much of a stir he would’ve likely been found out much faster, making all that planning for nothing if he didn’t take that chance.

Benny is careful (well a lot more careful than he is regularly depicted in fanon), the Courier being able to trace him was dumb luck on their part and his hair being noticed at the Fort is a realistically small oversight that even Caesar is disappointed in because he admits Benny got farther than he should’ve been allowed by his legionaries. The fact he can plan an ambush on the Courier or tries to quickly and concisely clean up lose ends that don’t lead back to him shows he’s not just acting on impulses or in the moment decisions. Or rather he’s quite good at thinking them out, whether they work depends on how you play really. This is all to say it’s 100% believable that Benny could lead an independent Vegas (house was basically setting him up to do that). If he had known explicitly that House was setting him up to replace him, he likely would’ve bought more time by getting in closer, learning more of the system to then flip House’s edge to his favor. Again something he was doing already but likely without the knowledge of House’s feelings on him personally.

No matter what, Vegas’ future was tied to Benny; House’s plans for him, having to get the chip and if he had somehow succeeded. It’s also interesting that of all the people vying for control of the dam/Vegas, Benny’s plans are the only ones actually oriented towards a new future, not a recreation of something long past.

[venuscaotico]

✩ ⣠⣤⣤⡤⠤⢤⣤⣀⡀⠀⠐⠒⡄⠀⡠⠒⠀⠀⢀⣀⣤⠤⠤⣤⣤⣤⡄ ✩

[jajanvm-imbi]

Hey remember when I said that this was the most frustrating thing about being a Helluva Boss enjoyer?

Yeah I was wrong.

The most frustrating thing about being a Helluva Boss enjoyer is explicitly stating multiple times that I like show and then get called an anti and homophobic and media illiterate when I complain about the direction it has taken.

I LIKE the comedy

I LIKE the animation and artstyle

I LIKE the more serious plotlines like the government agents plot and the Cherubs plot

I LIKE the themes of friendship and found family

I even like most of the songs!

And ofc the voice cast slays every time

But just because your show has angst and tears and drama and sad music doesn't automatically make it "good".

Just because your characters are queer doesn't automatically make them good or well written characters

This fandom is so frustrating to deal with when you want to express your more nuanced takes of it

This is probably gonna be the last post I make about this subject and about Helluva Boss in general, this shit is too stupid to deal with

[lovesickeros]

lord its so dark in here the sahara desert of tsaritsa content you are like a shining oasis. your characterisation of her compels me & mihoyo would be hard pressed to top it imo.!! caaaaan i humbly request yr thoughts on her first meeting w a reader of any kind, or maybe even multiple kinds (sagau, sagau god au, isekai, etc) if you so desire...

it really is like a desert here. being the fan of a character we aren't getting until the last damn nation is driving me up a wall but i will persevere bc if nothing else i support morally bankrupt women in media. we r in a severe drought over here but i do my best. unfortunately nothing i say is ever coherent so pull out your translation notes its abt 2 be messy

also this got out of hand but thats bc first meetings w the tsaritsa are tricky to write + a LOT of her characterization lies in deeper exploration then just surface level yknow...NOT A DIG AT YOU this is just my excuse for rambling. gently pats the tsaritsa she can hold so much complexity i do not have the word count to delve into it completely :]

gonna talk cult au for a bit here though because that's 99% of my content. and honestly? she thrives in sub au's of the cult au like villain au + imposter au. it's basically made for her. i mean, early days, the imposter au had been going around for a little while but one of the first few ideas was the Fatui taking reader in so like. it kinda technically actually was. pretty sure cult au Tsaritsa popped up because of the imposter au. a lot of it's writers kinda left though which. man am i getting old or.

anyway.

there isn't much of a chance her first impression is all that positive. at best it's usually neutral, imo, but rarely if ever positive. specifically because i view the Tsaritsa as someone who isn't as fanatical as most of the acolytes typically are towards the creator. she's not exactly going to worship the ground you walk on unlike a certain geo lizard. which is partially why i think she thrives in the sub au's i mentioned.

imposter au, for example. she meets you at your lowest. there's no gaudy extravagance or pampering from the acolytes waiting for you because your own acolytes have turned on you. for all intents and purposes you aren't a "god" at all. which is why i don't think she meshes well with normal cult au reader. the Fatui are made up of outcasts, basically, and imposter au slots right in just perfectly. you're weak, at your lowest, when you meet the Fatui in the imposter au. and the Fatui can help you, too.

a mutual exchange, really. the Tsaritsa sees a tool she can use to one up the rest of the nations and especially Archons, and she has no qualms about you using her and the Fatui in turn. you both want something out of it, after all. whether you just want to be safe from the rest of the acolytes, or you want revenge, or whatever else..she'll give you the power to fulfill it, and she gains the strongest piece on the chessboard when all is said and done.

the best way i can describe the first meeting is "practical", i suppose. she sees an opportunity in you. the ultimate gamble. because if she "saves" you, and you dont trust anyone else because they tried to kill you, well..she holds all the cards, doesn't she?

but the Tsaritsa, imo, is just as capable of being just as fanatical towards you as anyone else. she just won't worship you as the creator. but as yourself? clawing your way back to your divine power and taking back what belongs to you? the Tsaritsa is, to me, a character who's character flourishes in long-term fics more because she changes a LOT between "just met reader" and after having been with reader for some time. she's practically apathetic at the beginning but a lot of her character, in my characterization, shines through LONG after the first meeting.

[d1sapp01ntm3nt]

here’s all the Johnnyboy stuff I have. This is normal trust me.

Non Johnnyboy stuff if you don’t like them cuz you’re an opp

[qoldenskies]

i think about splinter walking in on the aftermath of caged lungs a lot

[bonefall]

Is there a cat in cannon who got a good death who you think didn't deserve it? Especially if they committed crimes?

Tom the Wifebeater and his redemption death. No question. It's not even close.

Not only do I reject to the "redemption death" on the grounds of it being Tom the Wifebeater who is bullying others until his dying breath, even taunting Thunder about Turtle Tail is dead and the kits must be very torn up about it, but I reject "redemption through death" entirely. I don't like it in stories. It's a theme I deeply object to.

And again it's fucking wild that every time a character is a father, even if they are a wifebeater or a child abuser, the writers think that it bestows a glimmer of goodness into them which every abused child is forced to appreciate and cry about. Breezepelt, Thunder, Tallstar, Tom's children, all of them forced to reconcile and admit how much they wuv their papa.

Abusive dads in WC regularly get redemption deaths, too. Clear Sky dies saving his grandchild, Sandgorse died saving a rando in a tunnel, Tom the Wifebeater saving his daughter.

But Tom the Wifebeater is the worst example of it. Hands down.

[moiraimyths]

Before we call anon rude because let’s see it from their perspective, imagine getting an entire feast to eat. That can be pretty hard to start with so much that’s going on, but if they start with one thing they know they’ll like (aka one character they like) that can be the start for them leaping to other characters to finish the story and the bigger story. I struggle the same way to start book series if I don’t have at least one character that drives me to read it, it’s all about what can be the hook to push them through. Sounds like the anon is neurodivergent (just a guess) so they might genuinely not see it as rude and see it as a solution to even play the game to start with.

Btw absolutely adore the game, the complex and rich characters making them all so unique is amazing. The art is so pleasing to the eyes I love it!! I’m waiting for it all to get out at once so I don’t get too impatient. Shae however interests me the most, which routes will have the most lore for them? Will there be routes that give more lore in general based on decisions you make or do they all share the same amount? (I mean general lore not just Shae lore)

Apologies; we are not trying to accuse any asker of being rude! We are simply explaining our perspective as the developers / are trying to broadly encourage folks to dip their toes into other areas of the story outside of the main route(s) they're interested in, especially considering some routes will be made available sooner than others, and these other routes will likely contain additional scenes/lore of everyone's fave(s) regardless! We want to give each main cast member an equal amount of love (and lore) regardless of their overall popularity, so our goal is not to tut-tut anyone for having strong preferences for one character over the others, but rather to explain that you may be surprised by how much *more* you learn about your preferred characters in the other routes. That's all!

For Shae... Well, they were a foot soldier for one of the worst periods of the War. Lore wise, any other story that touches on the War will likely have content relevant to them and their experiences. ^^

[tricoufamily]

yeah hugo Never liked being around jacques as a kid even before his mom died and before he even really knew why. always hated it when he had to hug him, wanted him to stay longer on his business trips, bristled and got angry every time he heard jacques's childhood nickname for him that he hated ("bush baby"). his mom just kinda didn't register any of this and thought everything is fine hugo is just very very clingy and the nickname is cute surely he's not actually upset over it and

[theworld-ologist]

The diary isn't finished. Perhaps there still may be some stories to tell.

The poll still has a week, but it seems the majority is leaning towards continuation. Even just having 10 people is enough for me to want to try giving this a go again. So, how about a refresher?

What is theworld-ologist?

This blog functions as an ask blog but is an interactive story. What you say or ask could directly influence the surroundings of the Lodge or change the course of the story. Be careful what you say, readers, for the sake of the Lodger. Whether you are the voices in his head, the mysterious Doppleganger, or a force of nature, everyone plays a part here.

How about some content warnings?

Please refrain from sexual topics within this space. Mun is sex repulsed and those topics will not be allowed here.

Blood, gore, horror, and dark topics however are allowed. These do NOT include things such as racism, pedophilia, xenophobia, etc. Do not come to this blog with the intent to harm or insult.

Knock Knock is a horror game and this blog will follow those same themes. Some common themes include but are not limited to: mental illness, ghosts and the supernatural, parental abuse, C-PTSD, suicide, animal death, etc.

Who is the mun?

You may call me Mebi, and my main blog can be found at @mebi-byte and my art blog here @basilacademia. If you were around when Knock Knock released, you may recognize me from an old blog named Nortaara. I've been in this fandom for a long, long time and this game has been my special interest since the very beginning so this is a passion project for me!

Please know: I am going to do my best but I am a disabled artist so things sometimes take me extra time (and I do commissions too!) so this is a hobby for me. I will be as active as possible but I make no promises! And I, of course, make no promises to keep this blog going! If my life situation gets bad or I need to move on to focus on other things, I will.

NOTE: I'll wait for the poll to end before this blog resumes. If people say no, then I'll put the blog away for good and private it again.