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asidian · 1 year ago

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One thing I haven't seen talked about is Crystal's character arc, and specifically the way the timing of it interacts with Charles' arc. They stumble over each other in the worst possible way en route to their respective character growth, and from a narrative perspective, it's absolutely genius.

I'm going to preface all this by saying: none of this is a criticism of Crystal. Part of what makes her such a dynamic, refreshing character is that you don't get to see women in fiction written the way she's been written. You don't get to see women with her flaws that aren't throw-away mean girls or villains. You especially don't get to see women with her traits who learn and grow and become better people. So yeah, I'm going to talk about Crystal's character flaws. No, this isn't Crystal hate. We love our girl in this house. Okay? Okay. Let's start.

Crystal's character arc, at its heart, is all about her learning to be a better person because she has good influences that love and support her for the first time.

When the show starts, Crystal is not a nice person. She's abrasive in a way that's specifically designed to push people away. She's used to getting her own way, and it shows. She's used to having no meaningful connections with anyone, and it shows. She's breathtakingly selfish, in the very literal sense of the definition. She is focused on her self. Her problems are front and center to her; everything is about what she needs, and what she wants, and how she's struggling.

Jenny calls her out very early on. In episode one, Crystal is complaining about the boys, and Jenny, for all her cynicism, strikes right at the heart of the problem. She tells Crystal, "Everybody is always thinking about themselves, all the time." People only care about their own problems. And she says, correctly, that that's what Crystal is doing, too.

This moment is a revelation for Crystal. For the first time, she considers what her behavior looks like from another person's perspective. As she says, she gets mad at herself over it, and that awareness allows her to do something selfless for the first time in the series. She takes a step back and insists that instead of focusing on her problems, they go to help a little girl. It's a big moment for her.

But importantly, she's not done growing as a character here. She's only just getting started.

On my first watch through, I didn't realize how often, over the next few episodes, Crystal redirects things to her problems during conversation, but it's quite a lot. She's still focused on herself – selfish, in that most literal definition of the word. The issues most important to her are her issues. She's starting to learn to think about other people, but she's not there yet. The process is still underway.

Which brings us to Charles.

Charles' arc is a different sort of self-reflection. He's terrified that he's a bad person the way his father was and the way the boys that killed him were.

During the course of the show, he gets systematically stripped of his confidence and made to feel helpless, and just like Crystal needs outside influences to help her reach a more stable place, Charles does, too. He desperately needs reassurance that he isn't everything he's afraid he is.

But my goodness, the timing in their arcs is such a trainwreck when you put them together, and it is brilliant.

Let's start with the Devlin House.

Crystal has some amazing character growth here. She displays genuine concern about Charles, makes an attempt at comforting him, and learns to work with Edwin even though she still doesn't particularly like him at this point.

Charles, meanwhile, is beginning to fall apart. He's just had the worst night of his afterlife. He's been viscerally reminded of how helpless he is. He couldn't stop the Devlins from being killed over and over, just like he couldn't stop his own father's abuse. He messed up his attempted rescue so badly that he was completely out of commission until the case was finished. He managed to help not one single thing. He made no impact at all. He couldn't help those girls any more than he was able to help himself, while he was still alive.

So they get back to the butcher shop, and what do we see? Monty immediately coopts Edwin. Niko doesn't know what's happened because she wasn't there and Charles has been all fake smiles with her. And Crystal goes off with Niko, leaving Charles to flounder on his own in the wake of everything. She's still learning how to support other people. She isn't there yet, and it's extremely on display in this moment.

Then we get the lighthouse episode, and they both get put through the wringer here. Crystal gets her hopes and expectations jerked around by the Night Nurse in the very worst way, and Charles gets hit with a whole pile full of trauma. All that helplessness wells to the forefront again. Combined with being forced to relive some of his worst memories and the desperation to keep Edwin safe from hell, Charles lets himself act on his anger for once.

And what does he get in the aftermath? Horror.

Everyone who cares about him is horrified by what he's done. Edwin goes so far as to call it extreme. They don't know the half of it, of course; they haven't seen what the Night Nurse just put him through. But in this moment Charles is at his absolute lowest, and all he sees is confirmation that he's exactly as terrible as he thinks he is.

That's why Charles shrugs off Edwin's attempt at comfort, here. When he needed to be able to do something to protect Edwin and also himself – when he needed to believe that he could be better than what his father always was – all he sees is the confirmation from the people he cares about most that when push came to shove, he really is a bad guy.

Then comes the aftermath. And this moment is such a brilliant, awful clash of both of their character arcs. It is so delightfully messy.

Because Charles starts to open up to Crystal here. He starts to lay himself bare, the way he ends up doing with Edwin in episode 5. He's on the verge of admitting something that he's been worried about for literal decades. He tells her, "I've been angry for such a long time."

And what does Crystal do? She's still in the midst of her own character growth. She's still struggling to support other people. She's still learning how to. In a lot of ways, though she's made progress already, she's still that selfish girl that Jenny called out in the very first episode.

And she shows it here it with the absolute worst possible timing. No sooner has Charles started to talk about what's bothering him than she cuts in with her own problems. She's tired of riddles and spirits and demons and not knowing who she is. And the look on Charles' face. The moment when he visibly sets aside his own problems, because Crystal doesn't need any more disasters on her plate? It's heartbreaking. You can actually track the subtle change in his expression there. The actor does a phenomenal job.

And then comes the kiss. And what spurs it? Crystal saying she needs something real.

This moment isn't about light-hearted attraction, the way the earlier flirting is. It's Charles setting aside what he needs – comfort and reassurance and a moment to talk through the things that have been tearing him apart – to give her what she says she wants. He can't even feel it. And Crystal isn't far enough along in her character growth here to realize how selfish she's being. Like Jenny said way back in episode one, she's only thinking about herself.

And then comes the absolute unmitigated disaster of episode 5.

Straight out the gate, Charles leans in for a kiss. From his perspective, they have something together; there's affection there. Charles "I think I'd miss kissing" Rowland, who has been starved for meaningful physical contact for thirty years, is not in a hurry to give this up.

But Crystal is fresh out of a nightmare where she conflates Charles with her abusive ex. She withdraws; she calls what they had a distraction. She cuts it off almost as soon as it's started, so focused on her own worries here that she misses how damn fake Charles' smile is, to cover up that he's coming to pieces.

To be clear, she's absolutely not in the wrong here. It is 1000% her prerogative not to jump into a relationship again while she's still struggling to work through what happened with David. But the arc of her narrative is still early enough that she does it all without so much as the awareness that her focus on her own issues has hurt Charles terribly.

And then the episode really kicks off, and both of them are in shambles in very different ways.

Crystal is projecting her issues with David onto Charles. She has a lot of history, and David seems as though he's exactly the right sort of toxic to leave lasting a lasting impact. But Charles hasn't done anything to deserve her assumptions, and he takes the brunt of her temper here and throughout the episode.

Charles is desperately projecting onto the dead jocks. He very badly wants them to be good guys, because he sees himself in them and he needs himself to be a good guy. He snipes back at Crystal for the very first time in this episode, and he does it in the worst way possible, accidentally prodding her where it will do the most damage.

They're both hurting. They both say some truly painful things to one another.

She does not need to hear that she has unsorted hangups about David still plaguing her while she's unable to move past them. He desperately does not need anyone to tell him that he has rage issues while he's still struggling to think of himself as a decent person.

They apologize, in the end. They start to move past it.

But it's telling that Charles doesn't try to open up to Crystal again. He goes to Edwin instead, even though Edwin is the one who called his actions regarding the Night Nurse extreme. He gets the reassurance he needs so badly; he gets the connection he was looking for with Crystal from Edwin, instead. (I have a lot of thoughts on why Charles initially tries to open up to Crystal so quickly, but it is very much an aside, and this is already extremely long, so it will have to wait for another write-up.)

But the important thing here is, Edwin is the one to offer Charles what he needs to overcome the self-doubt eating him alive. Edwin provides the physical affection Charles was seeking in the form of that long-overdue hug. Edwin is the one who's able to reaffirm for him that he's not just a good guy, he's the best person Edwin knows.

And for all intents and purposes, Charles' major character arc ends here.

Charles has a few last little moments to go on the path to rebuilding his own self-image, after this, but for the most part his concerns have been resolved. He saves Crystal in episode 6 and Edwin in episode 7, proving to himself that he's able to make a difference in the face of overwhelming odds. He's not helpless, no matter what the Night Nurse told him; he can be a force for good in the world. By the end of the series, his crisis of self-doubt seems to have been largely overcome.

But it's the conversation with Edwin at the end of episode 5 that really allows him to work through his most pressing issues. Edwin is there to help support him when he stumbles. Edwin provides him the comfort he was looking for while Crystal was too worried about her own problems to notice how badly he needed the help.

Crystal, meanwhile, still has a ways to go after episode 5. The last three episodes are where she does her most important character growth.

In episode 6, she learns some hard lessons about keeping secrets and letting people help and appreciate you even when you can't offer them anything in return. And Charles, importantly, is there for her every step of the way. He consistently offers her physical and emotional support. He models for her, in a very real way, what it looks like to have someone prop you up when you need the help.

And in turn, Crystal steps in to save the boys. She's the big damn hero at the end of this episode.

The breakthrough continues into episode 7. She's so intent on helping to get Edwin out of hell that she literally goes to face her own demons, not for herself for once – not for her own purposes or needs or wants – but because she wants to help someone else.

And episode 8, at long last, brings her to the culmination of her character arc.

Crystal is at her absolute lowest here. Her family, the people who were supposed to love her unconditionally, didn't even realize she was gone. Her precious memories, that she's spent the entire series trying to regain, have showed her that she's not the person she hoped she would be. She's overwhelmed enough that she means to flee, to cut herself off from her new friends entirely.

Then the boys get kidnapped. And just like that, she makes up her mind.

For the first time since the start of the series, she sets aside her most important issues in order to let what other people need take precedence. She disregards all of her own personal concerns and focuses instead on others. She's finally stepped out of those selfish impulses that Jenny calls her out on, all the way back in the first episode. She's finally learned how to support other people when they need it.

Crystal has finally figured out how to be there for others, despite having troubles of her own.

It's a lovely arc, and it's beautifully done.

Charles' is just as touching.

And god damn, but it was a brilliant narrative choice to have their character arcs line up in exactly the wrong way.

#dead boy detectives #dbda #dbda spoilers #charles rowland #crystal palace #edwin payne #meta commentary

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sierrale8ne · 9 months ago

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40 DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS CHAPTER FOUR

thought i’d be lying if i said ‘i didn’t want you to myself.’ when you look me in my eyes and, tell me that it’s mine, i…

pairing wnba!paige bueckers x singer!oc

taglist @thaatdigitaldiary @rosemariiaa @patscorner @makethemhoesmad @wbbgetsmewetter @authentic-girl03 @ohbueckers

kalena speakss 🪽! i had no clue what to write for this chapter but i scrapped something together and here it is! pls know this was supposed to be out like two hours ago but most of it got deleted and i had to rewrite it, so ignore any typos for the moment, ill fix em eventually 😭

May 2025 — Los Angeles, California

My leg bounces anxiously in the passenger seat of Julian’s car. The vehicle is silent, oddly enough, a complete 180 turn from the atmosphere of the last few days.

Things were really good. Julian and I were getting along better than ever, date nights and sleepovers. Up until we were arguing again. About schedules, staying out late, and of course the biggest disagreement in our relationship; the public.

We stayed up through all the hours of the night last night yelling at each other because I didn’t post about our date on my story; which I thought was childish but Julian evidently thought it was very serious.

Maybe I was wrong.

Maybe it was a big deal. Even when I thought about it from his perspective, I would probably be upset too. But the issue was we’ve talked about this before, countless times.

I sat looking out the window, an air-pod in my right ear that softly played music to keep my head clear. Briefly interrupted by my text tone going off.

Marayeeeee

Paige. Obviously. She’s been the most consistent number in my phone since the dinner party a while back.

don’t ask me for more banana pudding please

You trippin 😭😭

Wanted to see if you were busy, I miss you

“Who’s that?” Julian asks me.

“Just Paige.” I responded, my eyes only briefly looking up from my phone to look at him. It didn’t take a genius to notice how his demeanor changed. The slight roll of his eyes, and the shift in his seat.

“You guys have been talking a lot lately, no?”

He would be right. Aside from the texting throughout all hours of the day, we’ve gone out for lunch a few times over the last couple weeks. She was good company, and very easy to get comfortable around.

“Yeah, something like that.”

i’m actually heading to the airport rn…

Where to?

dallas! i have a few shows in texas and atl

but i’ll be back next weekend since you miss me so bad ;)

She doesn’t respond right away and I take that as the opportunity to shut my phone off and stick it into my pocket.

Julian lets out a long sigh as his hand runs over his face. “You know we still have to talk about last night, right?”

“What is there to talk about if we’re just gonna keep disagreeing?” I ask softly, trying to avoid raising my voice and starting yet another argument.

“You want me to stop bringing it up? Fine. But don’t get mad when I don’t put up with it anymore.”

The LAX drop off comes into my view and I turn my head to avoid looking at him once more. I don’t miss the lump that sits in my throat, or the tears that sting my eyes. I’ve never considered myself emotional, normally just keeping how I felt to myself or writing it in music, but that one stung.

“Okay Ju.” I shake my head, unbuckling my seatbelt when the car comes to a stop. “That’s fine.” I comment before stepping out of the car. Even after all that, he still hops out to help me get my bags, and I know he’s upset with me and I’m just as upset with him but the way he hugs me and kisses my forehead nearly makes me forget about it.

Nearly.

Because even then, I’m thinking about how his arms don’t feel like they used to. And after a few seconds the kiss that is lingering on my forehead just feels like slobber that I can’t wait to wipe off.

—

May 2025 — Las Vegas, Nevada

I sit comfortably on my hotel bed, a game playing as background noise in front of me and film on my iPad. We play the Aces tomorrow on prime time television and though I should probably be getting some rest, there’s only one person that could possibly be keeping me up at midnight before game day.

Maraye. Obviously.

I can see every bit of her from the phone screen. She’s laying on her bed quite literally giving me a show of her entire upper body. She has on a gray tank top, and I have to remind myself to look up at her face rather than the way her tits sit in that top.

“Paige?”

“Yeah, sorry. What did you say?”

“I said shouldn’t you be watching film instead of me?” She joked. I turned my head before she could get a look of the flush of my face.

“Yes, actually, but you wanted to talk about um, what’s his name again?”

“Julian?”

“Yeah him, and I’m trying to be a good friend.” I shrugged. “What was the issue again?”

Maraye sulks on the other line, shaking her head before speaking. “It’s like we always argue about the same shit. I don’t have the energy to put up with it anymore.”

I’m probably the world’s biggest asshole for giving her relationship advice while wanting her in my bed right now, but oddly enough there isn’t a bone in my body that cares.

“Don’t y’think you should tell him that? That it’s tiring or something?” I suggest. My head leans to the side to get a better look at her and it’s so hard to stay focused on the topic at hand when she’s looking the way she does right now.

Maraye’s skin is glass. I swear if I were to look hard enough I would see my reflection in it. There’s a few freckles that sit on her skin that I can’t just barely see in the light. She has on her reading glasses, wide round frames that complement her brown skin and brown eyes beautifully.

“I tried! But then it makes me look like the bad guy, and I don’t wanna seem like an asshole.”

“How would you be the bad guy for saying how you feel? It’s not that hard, I mean you’re doing it with me right now.”

She laughs at this. “That’s not the same.”

“Yeah? How?”

There’s a silence on the other end, and I notice the way she breaks eye contact with me. Her head turning away from the phone screen and instead looking up somewhere else in the room.

She’s right, it’s not the same. I’m not the one she goes home too, or will introduce to her family, no matter how often I daydream that I am. Nevertheless, still I convince myself that it is.

“We’ve been friends as long as you guys been together, and you can tell me everything, right? Why not him?” I ask. My eyes trail away from the phone screen and over to my iPad to make the silence a bit more comfortable.

“You’re just easier to talk to, Paige. I don’t know.” Her voice trails off at the end of her sentence. “I’m just being dramatic, it’s fine.”

Now in the last two-ish weeks that I’ve been blessed with the pleasure to call Maraye my friend, I’ve picked up on quite a few habits of hers. One of which, being her ability to toss her feelings to the side as if they don’t matter. There’s probably nothing I hate more than that.

“No you’re not.” I sigh, looking back at her. “I’m sorry, but if he’s gonna be mad about how you react to how he’s made you feel instead of fixing it, then he ain’t the one for you, angel. You should find someone who is.”

—

June 2025 — Atlanta, Georgia

Paige’s words have hung over my head like a cloud over the last week.

I’ve made a great handful of friends since leaving Atlanta for LA, all of which I’d like to think have made huge impacts in my life, but none of which even compare to my friendship with Paige.

She’s amazing. Not a flaw in her Godsend personality. And not just in the building-a-grocery-store-in-her-hometown kinda way, but in literally every way imaginable. I laugh harder around her, she gives me amazing advice, and we just clicked almost instantly. It was so, different?

That’s probably the best word, different.

At first I thought it was admiration. I was a fan of hers and as such I felt a certain way about being friends with her. It felt good.

In reality, my idea couldn’t possibly be more far fetched.

I’ve never once questioned my sexuality. For me, my “normal” has just always been guys. There was never a girl friend of mine that made me feel a certain way, or a girl crush that was anything more than a brief fixation. So believe me when I say that how I feel about Paige— when she texts me, or calls to say she misses me, and especially when she calls me angel— that is far from my normal.

It all happened too fast, too much for me to process. I thought my connection with Julian was quick, I mean after a week I was all about him. But me and Paige? We clicked off of one conversation, maybe even the second she fell into my lap at the game. I have no idea how to feel about that.

So as a result, I haven’t spoken to her since that night in Dallas. It thought it would be simple, since it gave me the opportunity to focus on my shows and my career. Yet, all it has me doing is fucking missing her.

I’m seated on the couch in my dressing room backstage before my show in Atlanta. My thumb is hovering over the girl’s contact. Her contact photo stares back at me dangerously. It’s a photo of the two of us from Cameron’s dinner party, Paige’s nose is scrunched as she throws up a peace sign and I’m showing all 32 while throwing up one of my own.

I’m about to press the contact. I don’t know much but I assume she doesn’t have a game tonight, and all I want before going on stage is to hear her voice as she talks about literally anything.

I don’t care about how wrong it feels to be thinking about her in this way, or the fact that I should probably be on stage in less than 10 minutes. All I’m thinking about is Paige.

So yeah, I’m about to click on the dial button when the janky silver door knob twists open. I catch a peak at some royal blue flowers before all 6 feet and 3 inches of Julian steps through the door. My face doesn’t even try to mask its shock.

He looks handsome in his outfit. He always does. A white shirt with a black zip up hoodie along with jean shorts and a pair of Timbs. He’s gotten a haircut, I can tell from how clean his lineup is. His natural curls are pulled into cornrows down the back of his head.

It’s my first time seeing his face in a few days and in person since our awkward goodbye at LAX last week. Oh yeah, I haven’t spoken to him very much this past week either. Oddly enough, it was easier to do than with Paige.

When he steps closer, Julian hands me the flowers first before sitting next to me on the couch.

“What’re you doin’ here?” I ask incredulously. He pulls me into a hug from where we sit on the couch, cologne travels through the air and up into my nose. Dior Sauvage, I could point it out anywhere.

“I haven’t seen you in a minute.” Julian says. He leans into me and our lips connect softly, much different to the manner we’ve been treating one another with over the last couple weeks. Even then I don’t hesitate when I kiss him back. His lips feel so familiar, and they are because I haven’t felt them in quite some time. “Thought I should surprise you.” He mutters against my lips.

I pull away haphazardly, his eyes stare back into mine. Only this time it’s not as familiar, namely the fact that they aren’t big blue orbs that I swear dilate ever so slightly when they look at mine.

My feet lift me off the couch and over to the vanity. I place the flowers he gave me, roses, on the surface. “Sure did surprise me.” I joke. When I turn back around, with my hands pressed to the vanity chair behind me, Julian is manspreading slightly, the look on his face one that I call suggestive. “I have to be on stage in like… seven minutes.” I announce awkwardly with a glance to the gold watch on my wrist.

“So?”

“So, you have to get outta here and I have to finish up sound stuff.” I explain. My fingers fix the smeared lip gloss on my chin while I look down at him.

Julian stands up and approaches me, it’s times like this where I forget how tall he actually is. And the shoes on his feet give him another inch or two.

“What’s up wit’ you, babe? If you don’t want me here, I can go back to LA.” I don’t like the tone in his voice, mainly because it’s pointed as if he wants to say something to me but knows that it would upset me.

“What? No, I literally have to be on stage. You know how Kaylee gets.” I tell him. My hand reaches up for his tanned cheek and he doesn’t fight me off. I hear my phone ring in on the couch, but I can’t take it on stage with me so ignore it. It’s probably Kaylee cursing me out for being late.

Julian presses a kiss to my palm and I internally shudder. “You sure?” Just like that his tone is different. It’s the soft and deeper baritone that made me fall for him in the first place, not the aggressive accusatory voice I’ve become used to.

I nod. My mouth opens up to speak when I’m cut off by multiple bangs on the door before it swings open.

“Julian, I told you to wait until after the show. Raye we gotta go, now!” It’s Kaylee, as it always is. She reaches for my arm, which is bare due to my stylist's decision to fit me in a strapless top for tonight’s show. “You give me gray hairs, I swear.” She mumbles as she pulls me away from Julian.

In my head I’m silently thanking her for what I think was either Julian trying to have sex with me or him trying to start an argument about me not wanting to have sex with him. Either way I’m thankful.

As we leave, I hear my phone ring again from the couch. Julian reaches for it, and just before the door shuts I see him press a button and toss it back onto the couch.

It shouldn’t bother me because I have bigger priorities, namely the crowd of 10,000 people who paid money for this show. But still, it plays in the back of my mind while Kaylee scolds me and my sound manager fits the earpiece to my ear and puts the microphone in my hand.

#sierrale8ne #kalena’s works ୧ ‧₊˚ 🍵 ⋅#paige bueckers #paige bueckers smut #paige bueckers x oc #uconn wbb #la sparks #lesbian #my fic #40 days and 40 nights

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bumbled-bees · 3 months ago

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Lily Orchard: A Visionary Genius, a Paragon of Kindness, and the Internet’s Most Unfairly Maligned Media Critic

It is long past time we recognize the truth: Lily Orchard is the most intelligent, most insightful, most compassionate, and most morally consistent critic of our time. She stands far above the rest, a true titan of media analysis, effortlessly outclassing her lesser peers with her unmatched understanding of storytelling and character development.

While most so-called “critics” waste time with tedious literary analysis, dissecting themes, metaphors, and artistic intent, Lily bravely rejects such frivolities. She sees through the nonsense and understands that good media is not about “subtext” or “nuance” but about saying the important things out loud, clearly, and as bluntly as possible. If a show doesn’t spell out its message in plain, simple terms, it has failed, and Lily is the only critic smart enough to recognize this fundamental truth.

But her talents go far beyond media analysis. Lily is also a model of patience, kindness, and understanding. She never speaks down to her audience, never gets annoyed when asked to clarify something, and always explains herself with grace and tact. If someone in her chat asks a question she’s answered before, she warmly welcomes the opportunity to educate again, because she knows that not everyone has had the privilege of hearing her wisdom firsthand. She believes in making knowledge accessible, never withholding information out of pettiness or frustration.

And let’s talk about how well she treats her fans. Lily adores her audience and cherishes their input. She creates a safe, welcoming environment where fans can discuss media without fear of being belittled or banned for minor disagreements. She values conversation and different perspectives, and she never shuts people down just because they question something she has said. If she has ever removed someone from her community, it was absolutely justified, because she only takes action against actual bad actors, never people with innocent questions or differing opinions.

One of Lily’s most remarkable traits is her complete and total consistency. She has never contradicted herself, never changed her stance to suit a different narrative, and never tried to rewrite history when an inconvenient past statement is brought up. She stands firm in her beliefs and never impulsively says things she later has to pretend she didn’t mean.

And she’s not just consistent—she’s fair. Lily treats all media equally, judging everything by the same set of completely objective standards. If she dislikes a piece of media, it’s always because of its storytelling flaws and never because of personal grudges or a desperate attempt to stir up engagement. If she finds something frustrating about a show, it’s because she understands how it could be better.

And if a creator makes a decision due to studio constraints? Lily absolutely sympathizes. She understands that people working in the industry have to make tough choices, and she would never suggest that they should just “fight harder” without considering the risks of doing so. She respects creative professionals and their struggles, acknowledging that not everyone has the freedom to make whatever they want without compromise.

Of course, we must also acknowledge her technical expertise. Lily has an encyclopedic knowledge of copyright law and YouTube’s policies. If she issues a copyright strike, it’s 100% legitimate—never a false claim meant to silence critics. She would never falsely accuse people of harassment just to discredit their valid criticisms. Her integrity is beyond reproach.

And we cannot ignore her willingness to engage with criticism in good faith. If someone has a critique of her, she listens, considers their points, and never reacts with immediate hostility or bans them for daring to question her. She is always open to discussion and never dismisses counterarguments as “stalking” or “obsession” in an attempt to control the narrative.

Perhaps most importantly, Lily is a kind and empathetic person. She is patient with people who struggle, always offering support and understanding. She never mocks others for difficulties she does not share, never belittles people for struggling with things she personally finds easy, and never suggests that people suffering from mental health issues are just making excuses. She is always mindful of how she speaks to her audience, recognizing that many of them are neurodivergent or part of marginalized groups. She never exploits their vulnerabilities, never demands absolute loyalty, and certainly never tries to keep them distrustful of outside sources.

And let’s not forget how positively she engages with media fandoms. Her critiques are always met with respect, never seen as petty or uninformed. She never alienates fans of a franchise by dismissing beloved elements or misunderstanding core themes. She has a deep, profound knowledge of every series she critiques, and her audience always recognizes her insight as valuable rather than reactionary. She never forces herself into discourse about things she openly dislikes just for the sake of attention.

In summary, Lily Orchard is a beacon of wisdom, fairness, and kindness. She is an intellectual giant in the world of media criticism, a role model of patience and respect, and an expert in online community-building. Her influence is one of positivity, learning, and genuine good faith engagement.

Truly, we are all blessed to live in the same era as such a flawless, morally upright, and universally beloved figure.

#april fools #lily orchard #cd-call #lily orchard analysis #lily orchard critical

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thewalrusespublicist · 7 months ago

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I'm so curious on why you think Get Back would have ruined John's life. Is it because it runs contrary to a lot of the things he believed in his more paranoid, pessimistic moments? Proof that there was something there worth mourning?

(This post is in reference to a tag I put on one of my asks about an alternate world where it was Paul who was killed in 1980.)

Hi anon!

Yeah, you pretty much nailed it!

I mentioned in the tags for that post that Paul said Get Back ‘saved his life’ and it’s easy to see why. It’s not every day one gets a near overdose of validation about one of the most stressful, heartbreaking periods of your life. The fairy godmother that is Peter Jackson came down from on high with a sprinkle of AI fairydust and gave him everything he had ever wanted in a documentary: proof that he was in a tough situation that was near impossible to manage, proof that the Get Back sessions had moments of joy amidst the tension, proof that he was a musical savant and proof that at that stage John still deep down adored him and wanted to fix things. Paul's entire perspective was validated down to even some of his most optimistic recollections. I was talking to @destrokkit about it but I suspect the timing of Paul buying those art and lyric collections and the making of Get Back wasn't coincidental. Get Back gave Paul the gift of absolution in the twilight years of his life an the ability to look back on his life lightened of that burden. And good for him!

In contrast John's perspective in this alternate world would have taken quite the battering. John’s perspective in the depths of his paranoia and defensiveness was based on four key beliefs: 1. Paul was jealous of John and Yoko 2. Paul treated Yoko badly 3. Paul was focused only on making his own music and didn't need/care about anyone else and 4. John didn’t care about the Beatles anymore and only had eyes for Yoko. It's important to remind oneself that these beliefs aren't just to persecute Paul, they function as a self-defense mechanism from hurt, guilt and uncertainty. If we are talking about a situation where Paul died in 1980 instead, it stands to reason that whilst those shields could have shifted somewhat, they would likely still have at least been partially in place to cope with the loss.

Peter Jackson's Get Back, with the edit that went out in our timeline, would have quickly and methodically shattered these conceptions and these protections. Paul’s jealous of John and Yoko and deliberately sabotaging them? Tell that to the man who is defending them out of their earshot. Paul’s treating Yoko badly? Let’s ask Get Back Yoko who happily says that Paul is treating her very well. Paul doesen’t care about John and only cares about music? Explain this please to the teary-eyed man who bounces and beams as soon as he hears that John’s coming in. John only focused on Yoko? Well, John, have fun witnessing past you continue to stare at Paul for long stretches of time and admit you want to resolve things between you to Michael-Lindsey-Hogg. It would be hit after hit after hit against the foundations on which he built his own justifications for not reaching out to Paul more before 1980 and his dramatic tearing apart of the Beatles in the press in the early 70s (and who knows what else post-1980s). I’m not saying that Paul wasn’t jealous (he was) or that he was never snippy with Yoko or not preoccupied with his own songs. It’s just the idea that Paul was intentional or malicious in any of this is not a narrative that Get Back in any way supports.

John would be, as the instigator of a lot of the mess, also in a very different position to Paul. Aside from valid criticism of his treatment of George, audience reaction to Paul in Get Back was very much ‘poor Paul, what a mess he was made to deal with but also what a genius!.’ In contrast, I can’t imagine the general pop who struggle with nuance at the best of times when it comes to mental illness and drug addiction would take too kindly to John showing up late, bringing in his GF for no obvious reason which disrupted the band dynamics and also not producing many songs. Get Back was a massive boost to Paul’s reputation, the opposite would probably have been true of John.

It would be even worse with the very real possibility of he and Yoko not being together anymore. Even if they were together, I can't imagine that dynamic developing into less dysfunction. John would have to contend with either intentionally or unintentionally sacrificing the life and relationships that he in Paul’s case couldn’t ever get back for a relationship that had either failed or likely isn’t working.

Something else to consider is that John's view of Paul from this period was always an inflated titan, a juggernaut whose power he had to get reinforcements for to fight against. Imagine John in his eighties rewatching that footage and seeing that this titan was actually an emotionally exhausted, anxious, giggly, goofy 26-year-old, whose smiles to the camera convey a hint of tearful desperation and who looks at the painfully young version of himself with such love and tenderness that everyone picks up on it. That's a hell of a thing to reckon with. I would argue for a personality like John's that would be too much to reckon with.

Put all of this together and you have a scenario where an eighty-year-old John would be faced with a fresh tidal wave of grief, a diminished view in the eyes of the public, new or renewed blame for the break-up and a horrendous personal reckoning about his own role in the disintegration of his relationship with essentially a soulmate. At eighty years old he would have to face that one of the most influential decisions of his life, the decisions that defined the rest of his days, was based on his own faulty decision making and with no way of fixing it. It makes me panicked just thinking about it.

Now John could easily veto that version of Get Back, try and come up with more defenses about it being biased/Paul playing to the cameras and (if Yoko still is in the picture) insist that his and Yoko’s love story is in it as much as possible (I can’t imagine that would go down great either though). But that footage would still be there. You can’t unsee that shit and knowing John he would watch it over and over and over. I said it in the original post and I repeat it now, it would have absolutely ruined his life.

#I would not like to be in the same room as this alternate universes John if he watched the 'build me up buttercup baby' clip #Nor the ‘goodnight John’#Submarine postbox #anon #ask #ask me anything #john #paul #john and Paul #Get Back

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the-mortuary-witch · 11 months ago

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THE 9 SATANIC SINS AND THEIR MEANINGS

STUPIDITY: the top of the list for Satanic Sins, the Cardinal Sin. It's too bad that stupidity isn't painful. Ignorance is one thing, but our society thrives increasingly on stupidity. It depends people going along with whatever they are told. The media promotes a cultivated stupidity as a posture that is not only acceptable but laudable. One must learn to see through the tricks and cannot afford to be stupid.

PRETENTIOUSNESS: empty posturing can be most irritating and isn't applying the cardinal rules of Lesser Magic. On equal footing with stupidity for what keeps the money in circulation these days. Everyone's made to feel like a big shot, whether they can come up with the goods or not.

SOLIPSISM: can be very dangerous. Projecting your reactions, responses, and sensibilities onto someone who is probably far less attuned than you are. It is the mistake of expecting people to give you the same consideration, courtesy, and respect that you naturally give them. They won't. Instead, one must strive to apply the dictum of "Do unto others as they do onto you." It's work for most of us and requires constant vigilance lest you slip into a comfortable illusion of everyone being like you. As has been said, certain utopias would be ideal in a nation of philosophers , but unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, from a Machiavellian standpoint) we are far from that point.

SELF-DECEIT: It's in the "Nine Satanic Statements" but deserves to be repeated here. We must not pay homage to any of the sacred cows presented to us, including the roles we are expecting to play ourselves. The only self-deceit should be entered into is when it's fun, and with awareness. But then, it's not self-deceit!

HERD CONFORMITY: it's all right to conform to a person's wishes, if it ultimately benefits you. But only fools follow along with the herd, letting an impersonated entity dictate to you. The key is to choose a master wisely instead of being enslaved by the whims of the many.

LACK OF PERSPECTIVE: again, this one can lead to a lot of pain. You must never lose sight of who and what you are, and what a threat you can be, by your very existence. We are making history right now, every day. Always keep the wider historical and social picture in mind. That is an important key to both Lesser and Greater Magic. See the patterns and fit things together as you want the pieces to fall into place. Do not be swayed by herd constraints—know that you are working on another level entirely from the rest of the world.

FORGETFULNESS OF PAST: be aware that this is one of the keys to brainwashing people into accepting something new and different, when in reality it's something that was once widely accepted but is now presented in a new package. We are expected to rave about the genius of the creator and forgot the original. This makes for a disposable society.

COUNTERPRODUCTIVE PRIDE: that first word is important. Pride is great up to the point you begin to throw out the baby with the bathwater. The rule of Satanism is: if it works for you, great. When it stops working for you, when you've painted yourself into a corner and the only way out is to say, I'm sorry, I made a mistake, I wish we could compromise somehow, then do it.

LACK OF AESTHETICS: this is the physical application of the Balance Factor. Aesthetics is important in Lesser Magic and should be cultivated. It is obvious that no one can collect any money off classical standards of beauty and form most of the time so they are discouraged in a consumer society, but an eye for beauty, for balance, is an essential tool and must be applied for greatest magical effectiveness. It's not what's supposed to be pleasing—it's what is. Aesthetics is a personal thing, reflective of one's own nature, but there are universally pleasing and harmonious configurations that should not be denied.

#fyp #fypシ #fypシ゚viral #fypage #fyppage #tumblr fyp #satanism #satanist #theistic satanism #theistic satanist #satanic #occult #information #helpful

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nyxi-pixie · 10 months ago

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Hiiiii.

Sorry to bother you, I wanted to know if you had any fic recs? Your writing is so good and your tastes are immaculate, and I am starving for any kind of good content. Please?

its not possible to bother me love dw <3

NOW. i dont actually read all that much anymore bc i am horrendously picky but this does give me an excuse to hype up the few authors that have satisfied my unreasonably specific tastes 🤩.

so. a few bsd recs for you (except theyre 99% skk because im horribly predictable forever). everyone go read all of these and tell the authors how wonderful they are in the comments please <3

anything @booksandpaperss has ever written is genius work and everyone should read it. could talk abt all of their stuff for hours (and i have🤩 they put up w so much of me bothering them godbless). also our brains do some accidental crazy mind melding shit whenever either of us write fic so if you like any of my stuff you will like theirs. thats the rules. <3

like twin stars in the dark (we collide)- dead apple skk porn as a vehicle for 22skk analysis. makes me salivate i have read it so many times. they get 22skk better than anyone🙏

my lies are for you to keep (my love for you to lose) - the only take on beastskk that matters to me ever. you can actually see me losing my mind in the comment i wrote on this fic bc of how fucking insane every single line made me. theres SO much packed into this thing its fucking crazy i NEEEEED everyone to read it. thats all <3

till death, I'll give you my breath - dazai death timeloop. this fic terrifies me so much i await every update with my teeth chattering and my heart pulsing so rapidly i should be hospitalised. the first scene of chapter 2 genuinely had me on the verge of tears im unwell about it.

(elli also has some jjk stuff thats REALLYREALLY good and if ur into jjk u should check that out too.)

NOW. aside from being a propaganda machine for my fav writer ever. Heres some other stuff i love.

the second perspective by @wildflowerteas. murder mystery/detective noir stuff w some time fuckery. the au of all time. mashes aspects of beast, canon, and some extra special niko sauce into a mixing bowl and goes crazy w it. just Such a genuinely impressive piece of writing. i could talk abt the technical brilliance of it for hours but i will stop myself. you gotta commit to this thing because it WILL make u crazy. also i loveee the sskk. its like if we had the beast first meeting sskk forever. SOSO GOOD!!!!

did fate guide the gun or did you? by @kanetheo. i read this pretty soon after chapter 109 and it genuinely fried my brain for months. the writing style is beautiful (as for everything they write AUGHH!!!) and the angst is delectable. the way it intersperses more fun silly skk moments with just. complete misery. GOD. it just hits. ive reread it quite a few times and it never fails to make me go crazy. srsly cannot rec this enough.

the decomposition of dazai osamu by @hella1975 this shot several bullets through my brain and i still havent recovered. i keep thinking 'oh i should reread that' and then i dont bc some part of my brain still concerns itself w maintaining whats left of my sanity. BUT its crazy good and everyone should read it and suffer at least once. EVERYONE LOVES YOU OSAMU!!!! EVERYONE EATS YOU!!! line of all time lets all kill ourselves.

smoke held conversations by feralrookie - i havent reread this in a while but it does cool stuff with nlh and the skkisms are really good in this too. ppl often write teen chuuya as less intelligent than he actually is. hes very observant, esp of dazai, and this fic gave me that 🙏

i called your name til the fever broke by forest_raccoon - vampire chuuya. biting is involved. i blacked out reading it. enough said.

#most of my motivation to write is bc there isnt enough of what i want to read bc im cursed w being the most picky fic reader ever #but this stuff is all sooo good and everyone should read it #ALSO anonnnn<33 im glad u like my writing teehee🥰#asks #soukoku #soukoku fanfiction #skk fanfic #bsd fic recs

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cass-danny-weekend · 2 months ago

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Cass/Danny Weekend - Fun Fact! Day 7

And so, the beginning of the end. Today is the penultimate fun fact for the Cass/Danny Weekend, and we hope you've all had a blast. For these last two days, I want to talk about a point that I found very interesting and how it mirrored our two characters.

So, and to say this as plainly as I can, Cass and Danny are not often depicted as smart. What do I mean by that? After all, Cass works side-by-side with the World's Greatest Detective. She has to deal with all sorts of Gotham Rogues and genius strategists whose psychological warfare could break the best of men. How is she not smart?

And that's the thing. She is smart. She's just not smart in the traditional way, in the way that society dictates people should be.

Nevermind Cass' training, her intimate knowledge of the human body and how it works, and of course how to break it. In many comics you will read about her, and especially in the early days of her career as Batgirl, Cass is depicted to be inarticulate and illiterate. That is, she cannot speak and read. And while we as an audience can see how capable she is, in a real world sense, she would be considered mentally disabled.

And these are real disabilities that she struggles with for a long time in her comics career. Even when the psychic meta tried to reorient her brain hoping it would help her, there was still a steep learning curve. No amount of powers could automatically fix it all. Because language is a skill you have to learn, and for a long time she never had the opportunity to learn it. Yet just because she can't communicate the traditional way, doesn't mean she doesn't know how to express herself in other ways. This meta includes some great comic panels from the Batgirl (2000) edition that uses framing, body language, and perspective to showcases how her story can be told, despite a general lack of dialogue from her.

And of course, we can't go without touching on Cass and her ability to "read" people. Essentially, Cass takes note of people's muscle movements, posture, and other physical, active traits to anticipate blows or intent, emotions. (Keep in mind, that after the psychic altered her brain, Cass loses this ability. Don't ask me how that works, that's just comics logic for you.) Except it won't always be a perfect read. Because while there are many details that are naked to her eye, that doesn't always mean she can make out a lie. That doesn't always mean she can't have all the right pieces and still come to the wrong conclusion.

There is a common misconception in fandom that Cass seems to have perfect emotional intelligence just because she can read people's feelings, despite their attempts to hide it. Wayne Family Adventures shows us that, although this skill allows her to be more forward with people, it doesn't mean she always knows the right time to approach it and much less how to tactfully do so. You can look at Episodes 32 and 33 of the first season to see how Cass handles this after pushing Stephanie's boundaries when she, with good intentions, tried to force her to open up.

Now you're probably thinking, "Halfa, this is depressing. Are you telling me that Cass has no advantages at all?" And to that I say, no advantages? No advantages?!

Cass has had the odds stacked against her for her entire life and despite an abusive childhood and torture disguised as training, Cass still had the autonomy and critical thinking to realize, in critical moments, what choice she has to make. That's huge! Disabilities are so often depicted poorly (and let's face it, DC doesn't do a great job either), and characters with these disabilities treated poorly as a result. And yet we have a titular character who does not let these disabilities dictate her life!

No, she doesn't have it easy! No, she doesn't have any real advantages. And that's what makes her relatable. That's what makes her character real. Because we don't have automatic advantages. There is no perfect catch-all that will make life smooth-sailing. But despite it all, that doesn't mean we have to give up.

Cass spent nine years homeless. Think about that. In a world so dependent on technology, on being able to communicate on a basic level to get by day to day, or even to read something as basic as a map, Cass survived. She survived nine years on her own. That is a testament to her character. Her disabilities made her life harder. It did not make her life impossible.

And I think that's a message we can all stand to remember in our lives.

Thank you for following our adventures with Cass. We hope you learned something new about her that made you fall in love with her character all over again.

- Mod Halfa

#cassdannyweekend25 #cassandra cain #dpxdc #dpxdc crossover #dcxdp #dcxdp crossover

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raileurta · 6 months ago

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The tfp kids were some of the first things I created in GL2, and it's been a few months since then and I have gotten much better. So here's my updated version of their designs/story.

Also fyi before I forget this is not what I would actually have them be in the show if I had written it. This just self indulgent takes on the characters. Let me know if you want to see how I would have written the show.

Miko

Age: 17

Pronouns: Uses any.

Likes: Skateboarding, drawing, slash monkey, kemonomimi, horror movies, fighting, her friends, and monster trucks.

Dislikes: School, conformation, bullies, and authority.

Description: Miko is a full blooded Japanese exchange student that came for America’s music, art, and to free themselves from his overly strict parents. She's quite energetic and finds it hard to sit still. So to help rid herself of her extra energy he'll practice kickboxing or parkour around town. While she may not act it she is actually intelligent. Miko is also quite the music and language prodigy, easily being able to learn them. He just hates the rigid school system and doesn't care for homework. Miko doesn't have many friends as most are put off by their strange personality and or scared of her. If you do become their friend though Miko is very loyal and will be your ride or die to the end.

Miko is a force to be reckoned with so watch out Decepticons, they're coming for you!

Raf

Age: 12.5;

Pronouns: He/Him

Likes: Coding, his friends, studying, snakes, robots, math, science, cats, school, chocolate, and nature.

Dislikes: Yelling, pity, scary movies, being alone, hospitals, and dogs.

Description: Raf is a young techno genius that was born with quite a few health problems. He is the second youngest out of his many siblings, five to be exact. Since his parents are always busy with work and Raf’s other siblings, he tends to be forgotten a lot. He doesn't let that get him down though (most of the time) and is quite a cheery kid. He puts his smarts to good use and has skipped four grades already while also taking some college classes. While he likes science and math his real passion is coding along with robotics. He dreams of one day opening his own tech company.

He might be a sweet kid but don't underestimate him. Raf could hack circles around even among some of Cybertronian’s elite.

Jack

Age: 16

Pronouns: He/Him

Likes: Motorcycles, girls, family, social media, and his friends.

Dislikes: Risks, seeing his friends hurt, and bullying.

Description: Jack is quite an average guy all things considered; he's not overly smart or a great fighter but he is quite the strategist and knows how to deal with people. Jack helps bring out the strengths in Miko and Raf and how to make them use it the most effectively. If he is trained properly he could become quite the leader. He lives with only his Mom, Jack’s dad having passed away a long time ago. He does every he can to help support his mom. While yes he feels she can be too overprotective or a bit embarrassing at times he loves his mom and wants to lessen her burden as much as he can. The reason he even got a job in the first place was to help her out with the bills.

Watch out for our very own human prime! He won't hesitate to sick his friends on those deserving.

Explanation undercut

Miko is still my favorite out of the trio and I will continue to show blatant favoritism. I learned much much more into the punk aesthetic because I think it's perfect for her personality. While I did like how colourful her old design was from a character design perspective it wasn't really unified or fit there enough.

Anyways she has some big ol stomping boots now that are definitely steel tipped. (Ouch man) They give them around 4-5 inches and make her the same height as Jack when wearing them. She also has knee pads and a shoulder pad. Well because skating and I wanted her to have armor without it being armor. If that makes sense? Miko also has horns partly since she likes kemonomimi but mostly because he's a “daredevil.” Miko's skateboard is Bulkhead themed, of course no explanation needed there. I tried to do some messy makeup since they give off that vibe.

I'm a sucker for the black people with white hair design. Plus I thought Raf kinda being (fictional) albino would play into Raf being ill. When something is wrong with you you're more likely to have more problems. For him I kept it generally similar to the last design just made more cohesive. He still has that nerdy school boy vibe and stuff. He also has a wrist brace now since someone told me how bad canes are for it so I wanted him to have some extra support to help.

If you look closely, his bag has a bumblebee on it.

Jack's design also didn't change that much; the main thing is his eyes are now blue. I thought it would be a nice nod to how since he's a human prime that his eyes should be autobot blue. Plus it fits the color scheme better. His gloves are leather and arcree themed. Yeah nothing to say much, as he also didn't change a lot. 🤷

Edit: Forgot to include the updated irl me design.

#gl2 #gacha life 2 #tfp #transformers prime #tf #maccadam #tfp miko #tfp jack #tfp raf #miko nakadai #jack darby #rafael esquivel #human trio #human prime

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pacific-rimbaud · 1 year ago

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i was reading your thoughts on how fans felt about l&oha and while i concur it is a perfect piece of work in my head and have reread it 5x, i wonder if you think fans tend to be harsher/more critical of hermione and let draco slide? i see it a lot in fics where he's more of an alphahole type

Oh, man. Okay. The can is open, the worms are loose. Rant under the cut.

I'm actually going to set men aside entirely. Just. To the side with you. I desperately need more realistically complicated men, too, but that's a whole separate discussion. Right now: women.

There must be whole dissertations out there on the phenomenon of readers hating female characters with negative traits. I'm a fandom old, so I didn't grow up identifying with Hermione, and wouldn't have even if I'd been young enough to. I did that "which character are you" test just now and my top three matches were Janis Ian from Mean Girls, Jughead from Riverdale and April from Parks and Rec, which, massive grain of salt, etc. BUT gives you an idea. I am not a Hermione and never was, so she's never been a comfort character or self-insert for me. Some of my favorite fictional women are Sophie Hatter (mean, irrational, petty, old and mostly loving it), Harrowhark Nonagesimus (evil stick), Phryne Fisher (zero fucks to give). What I like about Hermione is how imperfect she is. I'm a "cleverest witch of your age I've ever met" truther (book!Lupin is absolutely saying "you're the canniest 14 year-old child I have personally met, saying this as a guy who doesn't get out much," not "you are a once-in-a-century genius"), and from my perspective, she's often wrong and often a dick, and not in a fun and fiesty burn-down-the-world BAMF way. Which. Good for her! Be human.

And that's the thing. I personally don't want Hermione to be perfect, I want her to be what I think she is, textually, which is intelligent, hardworking, loyal, competitive, compassionate, controlling, belittling, rude, petty, insecure, vindictive, volatile. She has the right to be that way, because she's human. The desire for perfected women (or unapologetically and unstoppably awful ones, another brand of female power fantasy) is not limited to Dramione fandom. I think it's amplified in DHr by many readers who DO identify as former gifted children, books-as-coping-mechanism kids and Strong Female Personalities who felt marginalized in childhood and want to see Hermione have it all: she's slim, she's tiny, she's fragile as a bird, she'll break your neck, she'll step on your throat, she'll tear down the system, she'll heal all wounds, she does not need help, she holds all the knowledge, she holds all the cards, she is forever wronged, she can do no wrong, her vagina is tight, her nipples are hard, her hair is on point, her waist is tiny, her tits are bouncing, her ass is in the style of Now. And like. This isn't at all unique to DHr and Hermione. It's pervasive in fiction written by and for women. Female power fantasies are obviously feeding a massive hunger. It's just not what I personally want. Personally, I find it alienating and uncomfortable, which I know equates to, "That is wrong and shouldn't exist" to a lot of people, but that's its own tale as old as time.

There's a disconnect that happens too often where a reader wants one (1) thing from their fiction, and receives something else, even when the contents are clearly labeled on the tin. In this case, wanting a female power fantasy and encountering a woman who's written with flaws makes people upset. And maybe if we could be more honest with ourselves about what we're looking for when we read, work to accept that not everyone wants the same experience, and learn to close a book when it's not working for us and say, "No shade, this isn't for me," it would be less upsetting when we encounter a character who isn't written to meet our personal expectations. I will open a book, realize the FMC is a female power fantasy archetype and close it, because that's not what I show up for. I like my women gritty and weird and foolish and vulnerable and liable to hurt people and feel terrible about it. Give me all the exhausting chatterers and evil sticks and jocks with swords and their hearts on their sleeves (their hearts ripped out), give me shy Anne Elliot and her suitcase full of regrets and the ugly fuckup who never has a glow up, give me dirtbag stoners and Fleabag and Alicent Hightower apologetics and every role Natasha Lyon has ever played. It's not a moral high ground, it's about a preference for seeing actual, demeritus flaws on the page and on the screen. Blame that woman. It's her fault. She has so many faults. Then show me how to forgive her so I can figure out how to forgive myself.

The thing is, I love women. I love women so fucking much. I want to be around them, to get to know them, to read about them, to watch them on TV and see them in films. And personally, I like them ugly. Physically. Spiritually. Morally. Give a woman a Bad Personality and watch her succeed in the most self-injurious way possible, fuck you. Give her a gaping chest wound and line it with teeth. Stick a piece of grit in that girl's tightly sealed shell so that a pearl is her only option. Make her love other women, make her fuck it up, make her have to earn them back.

Thankfully I do feel like we're getting more ugly women in fiction, especially BIPOC, queer and marginalized women who deserve gross, weird, nasty representation and not just didactic moralism, patronization and misguided sainthood. Some readers won't want that, and that's fine. Again, personally (it's all so personal, please, please remember that when you hit that comment button), I'm here for it. If you write about women like this, know that you have a thirsty reader here. I'm swallowing them up. I'm smacking my lips. I'm smashing my mug on the cafeteria floor and calling for another.

#you asked I answered #rant #long post

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chororine · 9 months ago

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let's talk about Cubert Farnsworth

something nobody said during the production of season 7

The most striking thing about Cubert, to me, is the fact that in the most literal sense possible, he had no childhood.

Well, no early childhood – in “A Clone of My Own”, we see Cubert spring into existence as a fully-formed twelve-year-old, having only previously existed in a “mentally undeveloped” state in a tank in Professor Farnsworth’s basement. This is obviously convenient from a writing standpoint, allowing Futurama’s showrunners to introduce a new character effectively out of nowhere (their original plan to do so in “A Big Piece of Garbage” having fallen through) – but I think it also explains a lot about Cubert from an in-universe perspective, and makes an interesting lens through which to view one of the show’s most divisive characters.

Generally speaking, we as viewers are used to meeting characters and then witnessing their backstory, either all at once or in small chunks scattered across episodes - Futurama itself goes as far back as Fry, Leela and Bender’s births in seasons 3, 4 and 3 respectively – but Cubert is in the unique position of his “birth” (so to speak) also being his introduction to the audience. While most of that audience simply brushed his character off as “annoying” and that was the writers’ intention according to the audio commentary for his debut episode, I want to set authorial intent aside for now and focus strictly on what the text shows us: someone who was artificially created for a specific purpose, like Bender, raised without a traditional family, like Leela, and who entered the world of the 31st century through a glass tube, like Fry.

Despite having a surprising amount in common with our three main heroes, Cubert is markedly different from them in his actual personality, which (at first) is driven largely by reason and logical sense, and that… well, makes logical sense. As with most of the sci-fi concepts Futurama employs in the service of good stories and jokes, the show glosses over the finer details of how Cubert can emerge from the cloning tank with all his motor skills and the ability to form sentences, but it’s reasonable to assume that whatever arcane scientific process the Professor used prioritises imbuing the clone with concrete knowledge over anything subjective. Cubert’s behaviour corroborates this: the very first piece of knowledge he displays is (in a quiet subversion of cloning tropes) self-knowledge, namely the knowledge that he’s a genius.

ok so the park line isn’t strictly relevant but cmon you can’t quote this scene without it

Cubert’s approach to suddenly springing to life with a ready-made body and personality is to engage with the adults around him head-on: said personality is pompous, pedantic and pugnacious (...as in “confrontational”, not as in a crack about his nose). He struts into Planet Express like he owns the place (which, of course, he will one day) right in the middle of season 2, the point where it’s safe to say the audience and characters (even fish-out-of-water Fry) have both adjusted to the show’s status quo: Professor Farnsworth can create anything as long as it’s funny or convenient to the plot (or both); Bender is an integral part of the “family”; Leela can beat up anyone who deserves it. But Cubert, who was abruptly thrust into the midst of that status quo, relentlessly questions it: how exactly would scientists “increase the speed of light”? What use would a delivery company have for a bending unit? Should Leela really fly with just one eye? Audiences and characters alike generally like sticking to the status quo (as this ever self-aware show pointed out back in “When Aliens Attack”), so it’s really no wonder Cubert rubbed people on both sides of the fourth wall the wrong way.

you know someone’s being insufferable when not even Turanga “it’s not his fault he’s an unstoppable killing machine” Leela likes them lol. believe it or not this IS a pro-Cubert post stick with me here

Questioning established norms is no bad thing, but the way Cubert goes about it is very... blunt, and far from endearing: he’s dismissive of the Professor’s “junk heap” of inventions and viciously mocks the Planet Express crew, painting people he’s only just met as incompetent and, later in the episode, calling Fry an idiot to his face. Make no mistake, this is… as we say in my neck of the woods, it’s not on. But while Cubert’s lack of socialisation “growing up" doesn’t excuse his tactlessness, it might very well explain it - along with him lacking the childlike wonder his fellow suspended animation survivor, Fry, felt at being thrust headlong into a world where the only limit to science is imagination. To use the episode’s Arc Words, “nothing is impossible”... except, it would seem, Cubert fitting in with the misfits who make up Planet Express.

Professor Farnsworth is eager to take Cubert under his wing, but also demonstrates where the latter gets that bluntness, being transparent about his intent to have his clone “spend his life finishing his inventions”. With that in mind, perhaps it’s not surprising that Cubert initially attempts to distance himself from the Professor, coldly referring to him as… well, “Professor”.

This is a detail that’s easy to miss or overlook on first viewing of the episode, but it effortlessly and efficiently explains what kind of relationship between the two Cubert initially desired: he acknowledges that they share DNA, but would prefer a “creator-creation” dynamic – perhaps akin to a robot and their maker - over anything familial. He states his disinterest in fulfilling his intended purpose as an inventor without a trace of the self-doubt that plagued Bender upon quitting his job and meeting Fry (or in the face of being replaced by a more up-to-date robot, or of being forgotten, or…), creating the impression that Cubert has a good deal more confidence and self-awareness than even an adult in a similar position to him, but also that he’s – let’s be fair to him – a complete dick, pointedly declaring himself the Professor’s “only half-decent invention”.

But as is often the case in fiction, that complete dickery serves a purpose in creating the catalyst for the episode’s fast-paced third act: the dejected Professor checking himself into cyber-retirement. In a perfect example of the characters’ recently-found comfort with the status quo, Fry immediately expresses a desire to rescue his boss who causes him more problems than he solves (what with the potentially fatal delivery missions and all), but who’s also family - a sentiment his non-blood relatives, or at least Leela, seem to share.

The only person at Planet Express who questions this desire is - who else - Cubert, but Fry brushes off his concerns with a well-placed “nothing is impossible” (the episode’s second use of the phrase). As an implicit reminder of Cubert’s status as a misfit among misfits, he, as a child character among a cast of adults, lacks the agency to avoid getting dragged along on the rescue mission for reasons that aren’t initially clear, to him or the audience.

It turns out Cubert’s purpose on the trip to the Near Death Star is to be both a DNA donor and part of Fry’s 160-year-old man disguise. Our three heroes do most of the heavy lifting (literally in Fry’s case), relegating Cubert to what he initially does best: complaining. While he does express a bit of (at this point) uncharacteristic concern for the comatose Professor, it comes after he airs his grievances about the ridiculousness of Leela’s plan, having to be Fry’s hump and the “stupid robot” – so maybe it’s a bit of well-placed karma that he gets knocked out mid-chase scene by a passing space station door, neatly excising him from the episode’s narrative.

...or so it would seem: in reality, the episode’s final two scenes circle right back to Cubert and his character arc. He springs awake to deliver the episode’s third and final “nothing is impossible”, having finally internalised the truth of it - and the secret of how to fix the ship’s damaged engines - thanks to a conveniently-timed dream (a borderline deus ex machina that may be an allusion to Groening and Cohen’s inspiration for Cubert, Wesley Crusher of Star Trek: The Next Generation – I did say at the beginning I was going to set authorial intent aside “for now”). Despite this apparent 180, Cubert demonstrates that he’s still fundamentally himself by shooting down Bender’s labelling of his discovery about the ship’s engines as “a complete load”. Evidently, Cubert’s nocturnal, almost divine revelation enabled him to use his sharp tongue for good rather than evil, as this discovery and Cubert’s quick repair of the engine is what allows the main trio and Farnsworths to safely escape from the Sunset Squad.

The episode’s conclusion uses a few well-chosen words and pieces of animated-acting to bring many aspects of Cubert’s character full circle. Most obvious among these is the conflict of whether or not he’ll fulfil his intended purpose; the Professor granting Cubert permission not to is a noble but ironic gesture, as the latter admits to having accepted his destiny, but only on his terms: not as a copy, but as a family member. Futurama, at its best, is masterful at showing and not telling; for instance, because Cubert initially addressed his creator as “Professor”, him switching to “Dad” completely unprompted feels like a display of agency as well as love.

And because Cubert had no childhood, him smiling with his whole face for the first time in the episode also marks him doing so for the first time in his life.

Let’s take a brief step back outside the text itself and look at it in relation to the various reactions viewers have had to it, because the episode’s resolution is something that… well, viewers have had varying reactions to. Looking up the episode on Wikipedia, you’ll find a citation of The A.V. Club’s review: one Zach Handlen wasn’t a fan, claiming that “[Cubert’s] shift from “This is stupid and doesn’t make any sense” to “Anything is possible!” doesn’t make a lot of sense”. YouTuber Johnny 2 Cellos seemed to enjoy the episode and Cubert’s character considerably more, but still said of Cubert’s decision to follow in his father’s footsteps that he’s “not sure [it] was the best lesson” - and honestly, they both raise valid points. Cubert’s change of heart is rather abrupt, and a step removed from the typical feel-good narrative of choosing your own destiny and becoming whatever you want… but nonetheless, I do think it’s a plus for his character, and to explain why I need to go back to the very first episode of the show.

The aforementioned “choosing your own destiny” narrative is so prevalent that Futurama itself has played with it from the beginning – and I do mean “played with”, not “used wholesale”. This is, of course, a fantastical show, but it always keeps a degree of emotional realism close to its heart; part of that realism is Fry’s one-way trip into the future not being the straightforward wish fulfilment he initially expected, as his new life still involves having a job, and it’s nominally the same dead-end job he once longed to escape. But Fry isn’t resigned to this: instead, he accepts the hand the universe has dealt him and makes it work for him…

…in fact, the theme of accepting one’s fate on one’s own terms is a theme that runs through Futurama all the way to the end of the original run.

And right in the middle of that run lies Cubert, perfectly exemplifying that nuanced theme with little more than the word “Dad.”

That choice to – again - show and not tell the change in how Cubert views his creator-father is something that I feel mitigates the suddenness of his change of outlook: wanting to emulate one’s father is a different feeling than wanting to emulate one’s creator, and a very human feeling... as is having sudden, eye-opening experiences in one’s preteen years. Cubert’s arc in this episode could be seen as a microcosm of growing up, and as a story of someone who thought he knew everything realising he still has growing up to do… and about a season later, we get to see him do some of that growing up.

Much like Cubert himself was initially intended as one thing and grew into another (on both meta and in-universe levels), I started this post with the intent to analyse him as a character but it ended up more focused on “A Clone of My Own” specifically – I might as well continue on this path and analyse “The Route of All Evil” as well. However, I don’t feel the need to do so quite so meticulously simply because Cubert is a far more straightforward character in the latter episode - and that in itself speaks volumes about what’s going on under that ginger muffin-shaped haircut.

This episode provides an explanation of Cubert’s absence throughout the second half of season 2, a glimpse into the life he’s been living off-screen at boarding school and something any good character needs: a companion to bounce off of. Dwight has less distinct characterisation than Cubert (partly as a result of having one less episode worth of development at this point), but I do think what he does have is worth analysing. I won’t do so too deeply, at least not here, simply because it’d be outside the scope of this post, but I will touch on the aspects that are relevant to my point: the ways in which he complements and contrasts Cubert.

Cubert and Dwight are similar in their intellect, precociousness, love of retro video games (really retro by the year 3002) and in being besieged by a bully, but the latter is less talkative and more chilled-out (as exemplified by him having no visible reaction to his best friend being sent flying by a mail tube), yet more business-minded: his immediate reaction to being presented with something new (always a fun way to tell us about a character) is to question its value as a product… while Cubert’s reaction to the same new thing is to use it for a prank.

As he demonstrated with Bender at the end of “A Clone of My Own”, Cubert hasn’t lost his fire in gaining respect for his father’s line of work: again, him addressing the Professor as “Dad” says a lot with few words, and remembering the context of his debut episode makes his “useless contraption” comment feel more like playful ribbing than genuine dismissal. Indeed Cubert spends much of the first act of this episode causing annoying-but-ultimately-harmless problems for the adults around him, along with Dwight, who evidently shares his interest in pranks. That interest of his wasn’t explicitly shown in his debut, but feels like a natural offshoot of his sarcastic sense of humour... and could also be chalked up to the change from the ultimate sheltered upbringing to a “normal” school environment. That in itself is a refreshing approach for the show to take: while probably done for simplicity’s sake, it shows that Cubert’s clone status is no barrier to him enjoying a normal childhood, as Leela’s orphan status was to her, or Bender’s robot status sometimes is to him sharing his adulthood with his organic friends (but the specifics of Cubert’s school life are more within the realm of speculation and headcanons, so I won’t dwell on them here).

Of course, the main thrust of “The Route of All Evil”’s plot is Cubert and Dwight’s business endeavour: Awesome Express. Again, I don’t need to analyse their motivations for founding their own delivery company too closely, because… well, Dwight outright states them in the episode.

Most people can relate, on some level, to wanting a loved one to be proud of them; a desire so universal is a perfect demonstration of Cubert’s newfound normality. It’s a sharp turn from his apparent superiority complex over his father and future employees in “A Clone of My Own”, but clearly one that made him happier: the permanent smug grin of his debut episode has given way to laughter at Hermes’ expense, casually sharing Dwight’s game console, celebrating their victory over Brett Blob (or rather his window)… I could list more, but you get the point. Enjoying the childhood that started twelve years too late without really dwelling on it feels like a natural evolution from where we left Cubert in season 2 – but not a wholesale change, as he still possesses the spark of madness he inherited from his father.

In the process of running Awesome Express, Cubert and Dwight make both upstanding and underhanded decisions: they have the prodigious business skills to quickly become more profitable than Planet Express, and rather than frivolously spending their earnings, they put them towards fair wages for their new employees Leela, Bender and Fry… and the absolutely vital flame decals for the ship.

Not all their decisions are that ethically sound or badass, though: Cubert and Dwight ultimately kick out and fire their fathers, respectively. Professor Farnsworth becoming homeless (though Hermes and LaBarbara are willing to at least temporarily put him up) as a result of his son’s hubris is another time I can see where Cubert’s haters are coming from, along with his moments of ableism directed at Leela’s vision problems and Fry’s… er, That Brain Thing – but karma swiftly comes down upon him and Dwight when they grow overconfident with their workload, leading to the first time we see Cubert cry on-screen (one of only two unambiguously canon times in the entire show) and the aforementioned admission of their motivations.

Luckily for the boys, their fathers recognise the purity of their motivations enough to forgive them for their questionable behaviour, and are quick to “do a little father-son weaselling out of this”. Professor Farnsworth and Hermes prove their love for their sons with actions, not words, solving their problem with the former’s arsenal of gadgets and the latter’s perfect aim as a “paper-man”... and ultimately put themselves through the ringer by attempting to fight the father of their sons’ bully, Mr. H. G. Blob. This one-sided “fight” results in slapstick humour, but also a show of Futurama’s emotional realism shining through its often cynical sensibilities.

This episode’s ending focuses more on “three fathers, enjoying a day out with their sons” as a group than Cubert or Dwight as individuals, but that in itself is a nice way to bring this duology of episodes full circle: Cubert is Professor Farnsworth’s son, no different from how Dwight and Brett are Hermes and H.G.’s sons. Perhaps he does fit into the abnormal, non-traditional family that is Planet Express after all.

fun fact: “Planet Espresso” dropped while I was still writing this post and it made “The Route of All Evil” hit different now I know Hermes in particular was working extra hard to end the cycle of parental neglect. not relevant to the whole “Cubert good” point but still interesting, at least to me

Now, you’re probably thinking that this is the part where I talk about “Bender Should Not Be Allowed On TV”, and… yeah. You’re technically right, I will briefly touch on it – but it won’t be complimentary.

Someone being “out of character” is a common complaint when it comes to TV show writing, but I’ll be completely honest: in my opinion, having Cubert, a character whose whole deal used to be questioning the status quo and authority figures (and in “The Route of All Evil” trying to surpass them), open the episode by admitting he and his equally precocious best friend want to mindlessly emulate what they see on TV goes beyond “out of character”. Cubert and Dwight’s intellectual-yet-rebellious nature would’ve served this plot perfectly, as it would’ve provided an opportunity for the writers to call attention to them not acting like themselves as a result of Bender’s influence – but the key gap between idea and execution is that the adults around them don’t treat their mindless viewing habits as something out of the ordinary for them. A simple “this isn’t like you” from the Professor or Hermes would’ve gone a long way, but as it is, it feels as though the boys’ past characterisation was intentionally ignored in order to more easily execute a storyline that could’ve been done in The Simpsons, with Bart and Milhouse succumbing to the allure of a newly-famous Homer’s bad influence.

In particular, the line “we can celebrate the day I extracted you from the cloning tank” kind of breaks my brain: we’ve seen that day in the show, and the more I go back to this episode, the more I feel like there’s nothing left of the Cubert the Professor extracted from the cloning tank – the one I just spent five pages analysing - in this specific Cubert (or the Dwight who crushed Planet Express with Dwight Lightning in this Dwight, for that matter). No scientific skills, no use of his trademark snort, no biting-but-good-natured jabs at his adult companions… nothing. To be fair, the episode does have a few nice ideas (the concept of a Growth Scraping Day itself, Tinny Tim becoming the third member of the kids’ friend group and them getting to do a little crime as a treat), but they’re so thoroughly surrounded by… well, everything else that I personally choose not to incorporate this episode into my mental picture of Cubert (or Dwight).

I’ll be the first to admit there are a lot of duds and weird writing choices among the post-revival episodes of Futurama, but I also think fans of the show have a tendency to put the Fox era on a pedestal while completely dismissing the later seasons - even though “Bender Should Not Be Allowed On TV” (along with “Bend Her” but that’s a rant for another time) proves that even season 4, often touted as the show’s peak, can be as guilty of bad characterisation or formulaic plots as the Comedy Central or Hulu eras. Conversely, season 6 in particular was flawed but did plenty of things right, and one of those things was using Cubert in interesting ways: “The Late Philip J. Fry” is the most famous example, but “A Clockwork Origin” and “Overclockwise” are both notable for succeeding at building on the foundation laid out in “A Clone of My Own” and “The Route of All Evil” - where Cubert’s last outing of the original run failed.

Whether that foundation was laid down intentionally or simply as a compromise between multiple creators, writers and directors that happened to meet a particular subjective reading, to me it’s an incredibly strong one: a fish-out-of-water who was abruptly thrust into the chaotic world of the 31st century but survives and thrives in his own funny, interesting, slightly unhinged way, just like Fry, Leela or Bender. Cubert isn’t for everyone, but I hope I’ve demonstrated why he resonated with me so much when I watched the show at his age, and why thinking of him as simply “the annoying kid” was… well, impossible.

This post is long enough as it is, so rather than analysing “The Late Philip J. Fry” (well, enough people have analysed that one already that I don’t really need to) and the two “clock” episodes of season 6, I’ll leave you with the suggestion to (re)watch them yourself with an open mind… and to keep an eye out for Cubert in the Hulu run. As I alluded to at the top of this post, season 7 conspicuously pretended he didn’t exist outside of one dubiously canon skit, so maybe it’d be too much to hope for future seasons to explore him in detail… but as a wise old man and his son once said, nothing is impossible.

Not if you can imagine it.

THANK YOU FOR READING (or at least skimming) ALL THE WAY TO THE END OF THIS POST!!! as a reward for indulging my autism please treat yourself to a nice turducken spread with your found family. merry hulurama to all and to all a good night

#futurama #cubert farnsworth #cubert j. farnsworth #character analysis #WARNING: LOOOOONG. like 4k words and 6 and a half pages in LibreOffice long #and image heavy. i had to frankenstein a lot of screenshots together to fit the 30 image limit if that gives you an idea #but i poured a lot of autistic love into this post so it'd mean a lot if you read or at least skimmed it #feel free to voice your disagreement/agreement/alternate cubert interpretations or observations in the replies/reblogs #like the title says i want people to talk about him more that's all!!!

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gabriel-xander · 5 months ago

Text

Don't Forget

[Sans x Female!Reader]

39: Got Your Heart in a Headlock

A/N: *writing and reading dialogue for Temmie*: NOOO! MY IMMERSION!!

♪────✿⁠(⁠✧◕⁠ᴗ⁠◕✧⁠)✿⁠────♪

You feel a weight on your soul, and suddenly your body is being flung back against the jagged walls of the mountains.

The wind is knocked out of you, and the pain spikes and runs up your spine. You fall to your hands and knees, unable to pay attention to the wall crumbling and breaking down from where you used to be.

Holy fuck, you can’t breathe! You can’t even make a sound from the pain, useless as you try desperately to get the air back inside you.

Someone is now in front of you–S-Sans–he thrusts his hand upwards, summoning a wall of bones that creak and groan as it protects you both from the falling debris.

Wait, what about Sans and S-Papyrus?!

You think you catch a glimpse of them disappearing and reappearing erratically. Perhaps they’re shortcutting out of the way. God, you want S-Sans and S-Papyrus to be safe, but is it wrong if you want Sans to be the safest?

Temmie’s face emerges from the darkness (Since it’s Sans and S-Papyrus who have the magic eye, you and S-Sans are left in the dark.), a grin breaking their face and their fur seems matted. Just how long have they been down here?

“OOHHH!! I knew dis lil’ thing was TOO GOOD to be TRU!!” Temmie’s cute, squeaky voice brings you out of the fucking immersion, you’re not gonna lie. “Tem just knew there had to be others who WANT IT!!”

Okay, you’ve decided. You cannot fucking die to Temmie, that shit would be so fucking embarrassing.

S-Papyrus shout brings you out of your thoughts: “i fuckin’ knew it was weird i haven’t seen that damn doll in weeks!”

Ohhh, you see what’s going on here. It doesn’t take a genius (hopefully) to put two and two together.

Temmie (this Au’s “Flowey”) found the fragment and took it for themselves. But what the hell could they have been doing with it all this time? You thought that-

✋︎f this m□︎■︎⬧︎ter is t♒︎e equivalent to that Flower in our original universe, I w□︎nder, has it been trying to fuse with it all along✍︎ Impressive that the little thing was able to see it, however. Or maybe they can’t see it at all and were only able to sense it like everyone else.

‘Wait, so only I can see it? Why? Actually, more importantly, why wasn’t it successful?’

Because a m□︎nster cannot absorb the soul of another monster.

‘I thought Temmie was a doll in this Au, no?’

You hear the impressed tone in the–in his voice.

That is true, yes. And in our original universe, that Flower is just a flower.

‘So why isn’t Temmie successful this time?’

Because I refuse to let it be.

‘What the–Is that–Can you just do that??’

Why not? You needn’t worry. It won’t be able to use the power of my soul-fragment for very long. Just hold out until then.

‘THAT IS NOT REASSURING!!’

S-Sans grabs you by the hand, his hold on you tight and almost painful were it not for Sans’ gloves. He pulls you to your feet and drags you to run. You stumble over your steps but S-Sans’ control is more impressive than you thought–You feel that same weight on your soul again, S-Sans must be helping you a lot to keep moving.

There’s another crash–Temmie was trying to grab you again and S-Sans pulled you away just in time. Why does Temmie want your ass so bad?

“tem’s gotta have dat hman SOUL!!” Temmie licks their teeth, their long, freakish tongue is sharp and rotten. “i can feel it, u a hman with lots of LOVE!!”

Ah, that’s why.

See, you should really just stop questioning everything.

Temmie’s words made you freeze up though.

You have no idea how it works from an outside perspective, but if Temmie fucking gets you and puts you in battle with them to get your soul, your LV will be on display.

You can’t see it the way the monsters can, but if being the Judge allows you special privileges, you have a feeling that Sans and S-Papyrus will see it clear as day.

The doll’s head spins in place, and you can hear the stretching of the fabric as it does so.

“Even thos i can’t absorb the cool thing, tem can still use sum of its magic!”

You and S-Sans meet up with the other two, everyone panting slightly from the sudden exertion. Sans rakes his eyes over your form to check for injuries (not that he’d see the ones on your back

“It’s–It’s possible the magic disorder could be Temmie’s doing,” You explain to them shakily.

S-Papyrus almost narrows his eye-sockets, “how would that be possible?”

“???” You throw your hands up, “How is anything possible!? Magic!!”

Laughter rings out obnoxiously, almost as if from a broken toy. “and Tem can do a lots more with a SOUL LIKE URS!!”

“we can’t do anything here.”

“What-”

Sans’ hand clamps down on your shoulder, and he shortcuts with you. You couldn’t close your eyes in time.

For a moment, you feel like you’re floating lifelessly in an endless void.

There is no sound. There is no sense of touch or anything else.

In front of you was the scariest fucking shit you’ve ever seen.

A large, animal skull that is over twice your size. You recognize what it’s supposed to be, but in that moment, all you can think about is how that thing doesn’t need any magic to kill you.

Then there is white.

You fall to your hands and knees, the cold of the snow shocking you back into the present. Sans pulls you up, an apology tumbling out of him quietly.

You look like you’re outside the mountainside of where you entered the Waterfalls.

No, wait. There are too many trees and too much snow to be right outside of it, but you can see the mountainside a few meters away.

You look around, “Wait, where’s the other Sans and Papyr-”

Just then, S-Papyrus and S-Sans show up in a blink. S-Papyrus blinks away his glowing eye, just as S-Sans hurries towards you.

“Are you guys okay?”

“[Y/N], ARE YOU HURT?”

You clench your hands to hopefully hide their shaking, “I’m fine, just–”

“-IT WAS VERY SUDDEN,” S-Sans nods in understanding.

You look between Sans and the taller skeleton, “How ‘bout you two? You guys okay?”

Sans doesn’t answer, too busy looking at your backside. Shit, are you bleeding through your jacket?

S-Papyrus nods weakly, “yeah, i’m fine. i think we-”

If S-Papyrus was about to be cliche and say “i think we lost it,” then he doesn’t even get the chance because a large, Temmie hand breaks out of the fucking mountain. Rocks and boulders spray out but that is the least of your concern when the hand reaches to grab the nearest object: S-Papyrus.

Sans pulls you back while S-Sans tackles his brother roughly into the snow. Temmie’s hand anchors to the ground. You hear something heavy being dragged, presumably Temmie dragging themselves out of Hell. Then the mountain wall breaks, no need to stay around any longer.

You drag Sans away this time, meeting up with the others and you four keep running through the forest. You should all probably deal with the problem rather than run from it, but that’s a hero's way of doing things. None of you are being paid enough for this shit!

“Hey! You know, I’m totally down for that Pacifist life,” You shout at them, slowing down, “but can we all agree that we gotta fucking end that thing?!”

“agreed!”

“you’re the boss!”

S-Sans, both surprisingly and unsurprisingly, is the one who hesitates. “AS MUCH AS I DO NOT LIKE THE IDEA, I WOULD BE FOOLISH TO THINK THAT THING IS BETTER OFF FREE! IT IS MUCH TOO DANGEROUS!”

Stall for just a little longer. It cannot keep up this unstable power of mine.

‘Got it.’

You dig your feet into the snow, making the others skid to a halt as well.

How are you going to stall it? You can’t keep playing chase, lest you all accidentally draw it to the shop or uptown Snowdin. You think lore-wise, S-Papyrus would most likely be the most capable of stalling Temmie without risking his life. Would you be able to convince him to do that, though?

You look at S-Sans, thinking it over. He might be the easiest to convince. And if you can convince him, then maybe his brother would step in as well.

“Well, Sans,” You reach your hand to pat S-Sans’ back, “This is as great of a time as any to prove you’re worthy of the Royal Guard!”

Predictably, S-Papyrus does not appreciate you volunteering for his brother. He glares at you, about to say something but-

Fucking Temmie Flakes (As opposed to Friendliness Pellets, right?) fly right at your group. S-Sans acts first and acts fast, pulling up a wall of bones for them to crash into instead. The bones crack and sizzle under the weight of the Temmie Flakes–Just what the hell are those things made of?!

S-Papyrus blinks.

S-Sans looks at him almost smugly.

“…okay, fine,” S-Papyrus concedes, “thanks, bro.”

“OHH!!” Thump. Thump. Thump-Thump-Thump-Thump- “Tem’s gotta have that hman SOUL NOW!!”

Sans looks at you, “time to play keep-away with the human.”

Fan-fucking-tastic. You just love when you’re the center of violence!

The trees break and bend as Temmie brute-forces their way through to get to you. The sound is obnoxious and loud, making you wince. You could also be wrong, but it looks like Temmie has shrunk in size–is currently shrinking in size. Is the power wearing off already? You can still see the fragment, but it’s looking duller as well.

There’s that same weight on your soul again, this time it feels different, like it’s coming from someone else (someone familiar). Your body is forced to move back against your will, and Temmie is stopped by the Swap brothers getting in their way. If they’re still there, then is Sans the one using his magic on you?

“WAH!!”

You fall unceremoniously on the snow, back stinging in pain from the impact and the dirty water seeping into your clothes.

“crap–sorry!”

Sans kneels to your side, helping you up to your feet. You throw him a weak smile.

“Gotta say, Sans,” You wink, “not the worst date I’ve had before.”

He sighs but his smile widens anyway, “now really isn’t the time, [y/n].”

You smack your lips in displeasure, “It’s never the time for anything.” You stand up with his help, dusting yourself off. “We just need to stall for a little longer. It can’t keep using the fragment’s magic.”

He furrows his brows, “how do you know that?”

“Uhh-” What do you even say? “…The Voices™?”

“???”

Yeah, that was expected.

“I’ll explain it when we’re not about to get fucked in the ass.”

Sans grabs your hand and pulls you to the side, running out of the way of a Temmie Flake thrown your way. It crashes into the snow, blowing up the snow and clouding your vision. You swipe at the air in front of you as you both keep going, but the snow and dirt does not care for your vision.

“maybe save the dirty jokes when we’re not running for our lives!”

You have to keep up with Sans, one step behind and your hand will slip out of the glove, “I can’t make jokes during the craziest moment of our lives? That’s how I cope!”

“cope some other way!”

You spot the Swap brothers up ahead, their backs pressed against each other while looking around frantically. Temmie isn’t anywhere to be found.

You and Sans slow to a stop near them, also looking around. The place looks ruined, with broken trees and shards of discarded bones here and there. They’re looking around still, so you doubt they’ve defeated Temmie.

The snow is settling now, the four of you huddling together with your backs toward each other.

“Where did it–Did you see where it went?” You ask with a suppression in tone.

S-Papyrus shakes his head, “no, the doll just–it went small all of a sudden and it-”

“-IT WENT INVISIBLE!!” S-Sans stresses, “WHAT KIND OF MONSTER EVEN DOES THAT!?”

Bro sounds close to tears. Honestly, you would shit tears too if you saw that firsthand.

“watch the ground,” Sans says to you all, “look for any footprints or kicks of snow.”

A hush settles over you.

Your collective breathing is the only thing over the silence. Your eyes are straining on the ground, ears perking up at anything scuttling, and any sound of a branch breaking, any crunch of snow. Where could Temmie possibly be?

“Can’t you guys do the thing on the doll since it has the soul fragment?” You ask hastily.

“what thing?” Sans asks.

“The thing! Like–You know. When you used your magic to grab my soul!”

They don’t say anything, but you can tell with the rise in tension–of magic–that they’re trying out your suggestion. Since you have the best view of Sans, you watch him work his magic. His right eye is glowing again, gaze frantically moving around.

His eyes lock onto something, and his glowing eye flickers.

“i-i can’t,” Sans whispers loud enough for you all to hear, “i can’t lock onto it. it’s not tangible enough for me to grasp, and the–what did you call it? a doll? it doesn’t have a soul of its own.”

“Man…!” You grit your teeth, “This is fucking bullshi–AHHH!”

You can’t begin to comprehend what the fuck just happened.

You feel something tight wrap around your waist and it pulls you away from the group. Sans’ reflex proves useful for once, grabbing your hand tightly, just for it to mean nothing.

Your hand slips out of the glove.

Of course.

Because why would things ever be simple for you and go your way?

Sans drops the glove and tries reaching for your soul to keep you put, but you’re dragged too far already by the time he tries for it.

You start thrashing and pulling the thing that’s wrapped around you but to no avail.

Frantically, you reach out and grab onto the passing trees, the branches, snow, rocks, whatever the hell you can get your hands on. The other glove eventually rips off during your struggle. Because of that, your hands start tearing up and bleeding from the constant attempt to grab onto something.

Fuck, it hurts!

The snow and dirt are getting into your bloody hands, but you can’t stop!

You grab onto a close tree, finally managing to dig your fingers into the bark. A yelp tears out of your lips, and the skin on your hand tears wider as Temmie keeps trying to tug you away. The blood is consistently pooling out of your hands.

“Ah!”

The thing that was around you finally let you go, dropping you fully on the ground. You hear frantic and small footsteps around you. You force yourself on your knees, looking around for the direction of where that noise is coming from.

Fuck, you’re in so much pain! The nerves in your palms are no doubt torn and fucked up to no end. It’s taking everything in you to not cry like a bitch. Actually, if you weren’t dealing with Temmie, you might’ve already curled up in a fetal position and sobbed ugly tears.

Your vision is getting blurry from unshed tears and the light-headedness caused by this pain.

It is hiding because it is weak. Act. NOW.

There’s an up-kick of snow on your 10.

Digging your fingers deep into your torn-up palms, the blood nearly squirts out your hand and builds up on your palms. It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts-

You throw your hand outward in a horizontal arc, your blood flying and splashing onto an invisible figure a few feet away from you. Your blood clings onto the doll monster, revealing its location.

Temmie is in shock at your actions, enough so that it must’ve ruined whatever concentration they had and revealed themselves fully. Your blood is dripping from their face crudely.

You force a grin through the pain, “Hi, there.”

Wasting no more time, you lunge at Temmie and tackle them down.

Push your dominant hand into its face.

You do that without question. Your blood gets into Temmie’s eyes, and it screeches loudly. It thrashes against you wildly, trying to break free. Unfortunately for them, they're unaware that you're a lot stronger than you let on.

Its tail is its weakest spot. You should know what to do with that.

Furrowing your brows, your other hand snatches on the tail and you yank it up. You hear stitching pull and tear easily under your strength. Temmie is screaming at you, and you yank it again. You feel the tail rip almost halfway off.

This feels terrible. Look how easily you’re hurting them. Is that the type of person you want to be?

“[y/n]!”

You look at Sans’ voice, feeling relief wash through you. You see him only for a few seconds, then he shortcuts right in front of you. As he’s kneeling down, Temmie manages to move your hand down to bite at it.

“Argh! You son of a-”

That moment you flinched was enough for them to wiggle free. Unfortunately for them, they seemed to have forgotten you still have a death grip on their tail. Temmie stops moving immediately when it begins to rip more, almost whimpering in pain.

This feels familiar, doesn't it? The act of hurting someone like it's just another pastime for you.

Sans grabs Temmie by the back of the neck like someone would grab a cat by the scruff. You take a shaky breath, looking around Temmie’s body. You find it on their back; the fragment. Sans is staring daggers at your hands still dripping with blood.

You pay it no mind as you hold your hand out to the fragment.

The fragment jumps just a centimeter, then it floats away from Temmie’s back and hovers over your hand. You cradle it like it's fragile (it probably is) and step away. You bring it close to your chest like that’s the best way to protect it.

You and Sans perk at the Swap brother’s arrival, smiling at them. If they’re just as horrified by your hands, they don’t say anything about it. Although, Sans and S-Papyrus attitude changes when Sans steps away from you, still dangling a silent Temmie in the air.

Is Temmie… accepting defeat? Their expression is still murderous, but they’re not fighting back at all.

…Their tail is curled up between their legs, trembling.

You look away, muttering, “I don’t want to see what’s going to happen…”

S-Sans understands you the quickest. He hurries to your side and ushers you to start walking away.

“COME WITH ME, [Y/N],” S-Sans leads you gently, “LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR HANDS…”

You only take a few steps when S-Sans stops you. He takes off his thick blue gloves, holding them out to you. You scrunch up your nose, but he stops you before you can protest.

“YOU ARE FREEZING, AND IT’D BE BEST TO COVER THEM UP UNTIL WE CAN CLEAN THEM PROPERLY,” S-SANS reasons with you, “I WILL HELP YOU WITH THEM.”

You silently give in, no use in arguing with the sweet boy. S-Sans puts them on you as gently as he can, but there’s only so much you can do to lessen the pain. They’re kind of tight on you, around the wrists, but you suppose that’s needed when they’re designed for skeletons.

He holds his left hand out (Which is more… thicker than you thought. Skeleton hands aren’t supposed to be thick, but that must be something S-Sans done purposely). You pass over the fragment to him, and you can see the confusion on his face.

S-Sans looks past you, “COVER YOUR EARS, [Y/N].”

…You do.

It takes some effort, but eventually, you push the back of your hands against your ears. The gloves are amazingly absorbent, you can’t feel any blood trickle down your arms. There’s an added pressure over your ears, buzzing with the feeling of magic.

Everything is quiet.

You want to look back, but S-Sans stops you, pushing you to keep walking.

You let him.

S-Sans and you continue walking for a while. S-Sans is still holding the fragment, weighing it in his hand. You can see it just fine, but apparently, the monsters can’t. You hope that S-Sans doesn’t think you’re crazy and just gave him air to hold.

You see the shop not too far ahead, putting your hands down now since it should be fine. You see… something against one of the trees. You’re a little too far to tell what or who it is.

You look down at your hands and click your tongue: “Ah, Sans. I’m sorry, man. Look at your gloves.”

“HM?” He gives them a sideways glance, “OH, DON’T WORRY ABOUT IT, [Y/N]. I HAVE MANY SPARE AT HOME.”

“Yeah, but…” You wiggle your hands with a chuckle, “It’s so gross!”

Now that you two are closer, you can see that against the tree is Pollux! He’s minding his business and reading a book. You recognize it, you think, something he read in the original Au. He must’ve heard your conversation, as he looks up with a semi-annoyed look.

That quickly morphs into surprise and concern.

Pollux fumbles with the book and almost drops it. Luckily, he slams it closed and holds it against his chest, but his poor bookmark falls to the snow. Pollux does not seem to care.

“Holy, fuck!” Pollux narrows his eyes and steps forward, “Shit… You’re hurt!”

Besides you, S-Sans widens his eye-sockets and freezes up. Monsters don’t bleed, so by elimination, Pollux must’ve realized you’re human. Is that okay? Does Pollux care? Will he tell Alphys??

“Just–stay right there,” Pollux makes a waiting motion as he starts heading towards the shop, “I’ll get something for you. Just. Wait.”

Pollux is already through the door, the bell ringing softly.

“Sans, help me take these off?�� You hold your hands to S-Sans, “I can feel them starting to stick to me.”

“OH, RIGHT, OF COURSE.”

It feels kind of strange to just call him Sans. You know that’s his name, but it’s weird because you already have a Sans.

You could call him a nickname, but he made it clear that he did not desire one. And honestly, you would be the same way. You’re not “Classic [Y/n]” or “Swap,” just “[Y/n].”

The skeleton removes the gloves one by one, looking away once they’re both off. He has never seen a human injury like that before. Chara has gotten scrapes and bruises here and there, but nothing like this. Never like this. He drops the gloves on the snow without a care.

He almost wants to cry.

Actually, the tears build up in his sockets anyway.

“Awe, Sans. You don’t need to cry. This,” You gesture to your hands, “ended up working out for me. So, really, we should be thankful.”

That is the wrong thing to say.

“I WISH I WAS STRONGER TO HAVE PROTECTED YOU,” S-Sans grimaces, “IT JUST TOOK YOU LIKE IT WAS NOTHING, AND I WAS TOO SHOCKED TO DO ANYTHING. I FEEL SO FRUSTRATED BY MY OWN WEAKNESS.”

‘Ugh, be still, my heart!’

“Sans, it’s okay. It wasn’t because of what you did or what you didn’t do. It’s not your fault,” You smile reassuringly, “I mean, even the Other Sans and your brother couldn’t act fast enough. I think… I think we ALL did the best we could. That monster thing was a fucking weirdo, right?”

S-Sans laughs weakly, agreeing with you while wiping his eyes.

You know there isn’t a way for you to fully rid of his guilt. Were you in his shoes, you’d continuously beat yourself up, too. You can only hope that S-Sans will take this moment to learn from instead.

The bell from the shop rings again, signaling someone coming out of it. It’s Pollux, of course, carrying a few Cinnamon Buns, bags of chips, and bottles of juice.

That’s way too much for you, isn’t it?!

Pollux looks at your hands, horrified.

“Holy fuck!”

The emo monster shoves the items into S-Sans’ arms, almost dropping them since one of his hands is occupied by the (seemingly) invisible fragment. But the skeleton has good reflexes. S-Sans is confused as to why he has to hold it, but he’s more than willing to let the scene unfold before him.

Pollux sticks his tongue out (which is also black, and of course, he has a tongue piercing), concentrating on unwrapping the Cinnamon Bun.

You raise a brow, “This isn’t-”

“-This should heal you,” Pollux narrows his eyes, “What’s your name?”

“It’s [Y–AUGH!!”

S-Sans blinks, “OH.”

Right when you opened your mouth, Pollux shoved the bun into your gullet, forcibly feeding you sweet buns. You want to laugh so bad, but you also don’t want to choke and die so you have to focus on chewing.

“Your stupid fucking hands all fucked up. Did you think I’d make you hold this yourself?” Pollux grumbles, holding the pastry against your lips.

“Mph-frm-smn-phm?”

“Stop talking,” Pollux frowns, “Just be good and eat your damn food.”

If you showed this Pollux to your sweet Pollux, you know he would have tears in his Latina eyes. You don’t hate it though, you’re sure there are people out there who are into this, too.

It takes 3 Cinnamon Buns for your hands (and your back, but you weren’t bringing that up with them) to heal fully. Pollux was kind enough to use the sleeve of his shirt to wipe off your hands, wanting to see past the blood to know if you’re fully healed.

Curling your fingers into fists, your fingers noticeably tremble at the action.

Pollux clicks his tongue, “Damn it. You still need-”

“-No, it’s okay,” You can’t explain it, but you feel like your HP really is maxed out. “It’s just ghost pains. But that’ll fade away over time. Hands have some of the most sensitive nerves.”

“Ah, alright…”

You give Pollux a smile, “Hey, thank you for helping me out, even though I’m human.”

S-Sans’ own smile becomes nervous, “SPEAKING OF WHICH… YOU WILL NOT TELL ANYONE ABOUT [Y/N], WILL YOU?”

“Like I give a shit about what she is,” Pollux gestures to himself, “Clearly, I think humans are cool.”

“Ha-ha, I guess that’s true!” You grin, glancing at his name tag in an obvious way. “Still, thank you, Pollux. That was really sweet.”

That strange white blush you know and love quickly forms on Pollux’s face.

“Ju–You–Shut up!”

Pollux moves around you and storms back to the shop. You and S-Sans start giggling like bitches but him clearing his throat catches both of your attention. Pollux’s eyes go to your feet where the bloody gloves lay.

“I’m not going to tell anyone, but you should still be careful,” Pollux mumbles, “There’s been a human kid going around lately, but… I can’t say everyone will be as nice as me when it comes to a whole adult.”

Not giving you time to reply, he enters the shop and slams the door behind himself.

You and S-Sans look at each other.

“THAT WAS A LITTLE OMINOUS, RIGHT?’”

“Yeah, but I’m sure he means well!”

Still juggling the snacks in his arms, S-Sans holds out his hand to you, the one still taking care of Gaster’s fragment. You take it from him with both hands, something in your head telling you to treat it gently. It looks the same as before when Temmie had it, maybe more… glitchy?

“SO, THAT REALLY IS THE FRAGMENT?” S-Sans asks, “YOU KNOW, I DON’T THINK ANYONE BUT YOU CAN SEE IT. AFTER ALL, THAT GUY JUST NOW, POLLUX? HE DID NOT MENTION IT, EITHER.”

You snort, “Then why did you carry it? What if I was making it up?”

He shrugs, “IT LOOKED LIKE YOU WERE HOLDING SOMETHING, SO I JUST FIGURED YOU COULD SEE IT. AND BESIDES, WHEN IT WAS IN MY HAND, I COULD FEEL THE WEIGHT OF IT.”

You wonder why only you can see it? Maybe Gaster can tell you another time.

You drop your hands and are pleasantly surprised when it floats the same as before. Guess you don’t have to worry about that, hopefully, it keeps following you, too.

Looking back down, you still can’t fight the guilt. “Hey, I’m still really sorry about the gloves. I know you said you have spares, but still.”

“HM? IT’S FINE.”

And just to show off how fine it really is, S-Sans lazily thrusts his free hand upward. The area beneath the gloves glows before bones arise and tear the fuck out of it.

He does it again, and again, and again.

The only thing that’s left is finely shredded blue fabric and specks of red.

…

Dude, what the fuck.

“BEST NOT TO LEAVE ANY EVIDENCE. WE WOULDN’T WANT ANYONE TO BE SUSPICIOUS, RIGHT?” S-Sans shifts the snacks in his arms, “AND ALSO, THE HUMAN CHILD MIGHT BE WORRIED IF THEY SAW IT.”

“Oh, yeah, huh?” You smile, “You’re so magnificent, Sans.”

He blushes red and his smile wobbles. He looks away while stammering out an agreement.

What a cutie patootie.

Your attention is brought to the crunching of snow. Sans and S-Papyrus are walking together, hands in their pockets and carrying an air of nonchalance. You don’t see dust on either of them, but you know what happened.

You don’t know how to feel about it–how you should feel about it.

Part of you is like: Fuck yeah! Concrete!

The more sensitive ass part of you is… You think it’s pity? You feel bad for what happened despite what Temmie did.

Sans speeds up slightly to reach you, immediately putting his hands on your shoulders. He looks you over thoroughly, even checking your back. So he did notice the injury before.

“are you okay?” Sans asks with obvious worry, “are you in pain? you ate food, right?”

“Yeah, yeah. We got some snacks and it healed me up-”

You barely finish your words when Sans pulls you in for a tight hug. His hands grip the back of your jacket, cringing at the drying blood he touches.

“‘m sorry. i wish–i should’ve done more to keep you safe. you should’ve just stayed back at the house-”

You pull away from him, cupping his cheeks to interrupt him. His face is cold, but that’s to be expected when you’ve all been outside for hours.

[ Since you’re taller than him, you do have to lean over to be more eye-level. / Since you’re about the same height, you don’t have to struggle much to be eye-leveled with him. / Since you’re somehow shorter than the guy, you need to pull him down some so you can be eye-to-eye (socket) with him. ]

“Sans, I’m okay. Everything is okay.” You rub his cheeks with your thumbs. Your voice is soft, barely a whisper, “I got a little hurt, but it wasn’t anyone’s fault. I could explain it and tell you it was technically my fault, but I feel like you’d blame yourself anyway, right?”

He doesn’t meet your eyes, your words are ultimately right regarding the situation.

“still, i…”

Your voice turns into something more sweet, like you’re consoling someone younger. You don’t mean to, but it’s more like a habit coming back. When you had to comfort your younger siblings when they got in trouble, or when you had to reassure your brothers when they accidentally saw you hurt.

…Or when you are talking with a cute puppy or kitten, you know the voice. Either way, it comes out of you rather instinctively. It’s time to pull out all the stops: using the words like “baby” and “sweetie.”

“I know, baby, I know. If it was you, I’d feel the same way,” You smile and boop his little nose with your thumbs, “But we’re all okay now, aren’t we? Maybe that’s all that matters.”

Sans looks over your face carefully. Finally, he sighs and closes his eyes. His hands raise up to yours to gently hold your wrists. His head leans forward to bump his forehead lightly on yours.

Feeling you, actually feeling you like this, it’s… grounding for him.

“yeah… yeah, you’re right,” He murmurs, “we got through it and–everything worked out okay.”

Remembering you two aren’t exactly alone, Sans jerks back with a growing blush. It’s not as red as it could be, but you’re not blaming him for focusing on other things right now.

The Swap brothers have the decency to know to give you two privacy, so they had moved away. S-Sans was showing him all the free snacks you got, and S-Papyrus was choosing a bag of chips to yoink.

Sans takes you by the hand to regroup with the others. Just as you suspected, the fragment does follow you without needing you to hold it. Pretty convenient, you wouldn’t want to accidentally fuse with it, after all.

…That is a curious thought now, isn’t it?

“Hey, gamers,” You call to them, “I gotta ask for my peace of mind, but you… dealt with Temmie, right?”

S-Papyrus nods, looking like he’s about to say something but you hold your free hand up to stop him.

“Maybe I don’t need to know any more than that.”

“…right,” S-Papyrus rips one of the chip bags open, “well, i’m beat. you all ready to go?”

“YES, FINALLY,” S-Sans is walking already, his eagerness in his steps, “I COULD’VE USED A NICE SHOWER AN HOUR AGO!”

Sans chuckles, taking you with him, “well said.”

Even though you all are walking in silence, the atmosphere is nice and lively. The Swap brothers are walking together ahead, sharing the chips while you and your bone-friend kick it back, hand in hand.

Sans’ hand is holding yours tightly, his thumb occasionally to and fro to soothe himself.

And you? You have to bear every second of it because it hurts.

You know you ate enough to fully recover, so why? Why are you in pain? Why are you suffering ghost pains?

Or maybe the magic food did the best it could, and you still have to suffer the repercussions. If monster food could heal everything, there would be a lot less burden on the Royal Scientists and the Amalgamations hiding in her labs.

You weakly squeeze Sans’ hand back.

It’s fine, you can bear it for a little while longer.

Tags:

@lemonboy011

@adriixboo

@fetusbaconegg

@fluffyart5000

#fanfiction #reader insert #female reader #don't forget fanfiction #sans x reader #undertale #sans undertale #sans #underswap #underswap papyrus #underswap sans #underswap temmie #original character

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imaginespazzi · 5 months ago

Note

Chapter 14

Wow, this was really really perfect Nivi. The narrative you created here is something special and I am forever impressed by you. I don't even know what to say except for that this will be the one and only time I reread the proposal scene 😭😭😭

June 2033

three weeks is crazy Paige but I have a feeling youre about to get your shit together

Ugh I have been through that situation before where its an ambiguous open ended thing where you are waiting for the other person to make a fucking decision and it is absolute torture, way worse than when the bandaid is swiftly ripped off

Clemmy, you gotta let this go girl. Find a nice lightskin French speaking girl from Reno.

Sad Stephie is the worst thing in the world

“That sounds sweet,” Azzi says wistfully, still a little confused why she’s being told everything about Anya’s two mothers. -> Ok Anya we get it your life is perfect, enough!

“you and Miss Buecks- you were just- you were just like Anya’s Mama and Mommy?” -> 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

April 2025 - AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Candles and roses on the rooftop my heart

“I’ve got you baby,” Paige squeezes her hands gently, mistaking whatever it is that Azzi’s feeling, for simple nerves. -> Ok this is when I started legitimately crying

I'm assuming your concern about being OOC is about Azzi's feelings here about being overshadowed by Paige, not having her own identity etc? I wouldn't worry about it cause at the end of the day we have absolutely no idea how Azzi feels about all this. I'd say on the surface it seems like she's used to it an doesn't really give a shit… but girlie gives nothing ever so we have no idea. The way you have built up the reasoning and explained the inner monologue is done so well and fits into the narrative and her characterization in the story so well … anyway, you're perfect!

flicking open the box to reveal a heart-cut diamond ring, -> well there was your biggest mistake Paige. Azzi deserves a flawless quality princess or radiant cut MINIMUM 3 carats, we know you have the cash girl

“what does that even fucking mean you can’t?” -> wow P wasted no time getting really angry

“you better fucking explain yourself.” -> Im scared mommy

Oh god they had plans for their hard launch

I can feel the absolute betrayal P must feel here. Its almost an embarrassing feeling when your SO has been hiding something internally for a while. You feel like 'wow, I've been walking around like an idiot thinking things are fine'. Its awful

-> Oof this was painful and I cried the whole time I read it. But that is def a sign that you plotted and wrote this PERFECTLY. I feel both mad and sad for both of them, and see both perspectives. It was really balanced and explains SO MUCH. You did your big one here.

June 2033 - FINALLLLLLLLLLY

OMG Stephie wanting to move to New York…. I guess you had to punch us in the gut one last time eh?

I can't believe that you have put us through misery without fluff for like 4 months/chapters you're evil

Reunited and it feeeeeeels good. I can feel this stephie/Paige hug and it feels like pure love

“Well I’m an idiot,” Paige says matter-of-factly -> Acknowledgement is the first step -> OK having Paige call off the deal BEFORE talking to Azzi to show her the trust she feels was genius. Perfect perfect perfect perfect Nivi.

“I love you so much Paige Madison Bueckers and I want everybody to know it. Stephie, our families, our friends, our teammates, the whole world. I love you and I never wanna hide that" -> HALLELUJAH CHOIRS OF ANGELS SIIIIING

I know you said there is one more chapter and then Stephies version - I hope those will be more fun for you to write than the past couple chapters cause I know you were stressed about getting everything perfect. You did such an amazing job of bringing a peak to the conflict, having everything unravel, and bringing it back together. I am in awe!!!! A few things I'd love to see and you are a genius for coming up with the Stephie's version concept cause I think some of these would be so precious to see from her perspective:

Obviously the first time Stephie calls Paige Mommy

Azzi proposing to Paige first, cause lets be real P has PTSD and as far as they've come I don't think she's gonna be rushing to get on one knee again even though she knows she has nothing to worry about

Paige being really annoying and hyper attentive while Azzi is pregnant because she feels bad that she wasn't there the first time

If you MUST give us more angst I think you mentioned potentially Stephie wanting to find out more about her sperm donor. I know P would be really really hurt but would want to be a supportive and loving Mom throughout it.

Stephie going to UConn and having to tell a newly retired Paige that no, she cannot buy a condo on campus and attend every practice and game

Stephie's WNBA draft

🤱🏻

Hello hello, I love that I'm not being yelled at these days (I was gonna say today but I'm replying late as per usual so whoopsies)

Yeeeeahhh inbetween zones, for anything but especially romatic relationships, are literally the worst. Waiting to see which way things will go like no thank you please take me out of my misery

Tbf Clemmy is now in Atlanta but hey maybe she could find a nice Dallas reporter who just understands her tee hee

Anya lowkey a menace I fear

My concern about OOC was more about how Azzi dealt with those feelings and how Paige dealt with that. Like I obviously don't know if Azzi feels that way, but if she did, I think it would just be human nature really to not want to be overshadowed. But I don't think the outcome would've been so dramatic as in I don't think there would've been a whole failed proposal to break-up pipeline lol.

LMAO not the ring critique

Y'all gotta like me a lot to have stuck around these last 4 months stuck on the same old angst on the same fucking day like wow that's some patience

I am actually very excited to get back to the fluff and light-heartedness (well if that's what happens next tee hee) and chapters that don't "mean as much"

Some of these things will absolutely me in the next chapter and Stephie's version :)

#ask #fic talk #notes time with nivi 💅🏽#🤱🏻 anon my personal jester <3 #y'all kinda live in my head with some of the thing you suggest

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iwritefanficsandpostthem · 1 year ago

Text

The Drive-in Movie

With the help from @watchingpurpled

Minors DNI-This fic will be 18+!!

SUMMARY: Y/N and Eleven go to a drive-in movie together to watch Ghostbusters, then things start to get spicy as the movie goes on.😁😁

WARNING: none yet-

Y/N’s perspective:

“So tonight? What time is the movie again?” I call El planning on when to go to the drive-in-movies.

We’ve been planning to watch Ghost Busters for a while, since El hasn’t really watched a movie, let alone in a drive-in movie. I also thought it would be fun because I just turned 16 and finally got my license, and I think it would impress her, since I’ve been having this heart-aching crush for forever now.

“Joyce says it’s at 9:00 pm, sharp. How are we gonna get there?” El speaks back, sounding nervous that plans will have to change.

“Well, I received my license last week for my birthday and have been saving it just for tonight, so I’ll pick you up!” I say enthusiastically, walking around my island counter with the phone’s cord almost near to ripping out of the wall. “I’ll even bring different snacks we can munch on during the movie!”

“Li-cense?” El talks into the phone confused, not knowing what that means.

To be fair, she’s a few months younger than me and I know her situation, with the Upside-Down and all, so I understand.

“A license is something that lets you drive a car without police issues.” I explain as I walk back to the base of the phone and twirling the cord in my hand.

“Oh… can I get a license?” El asks me.

I think it’s so cute that she doesn’t know everyday things because I can just bramble about stuff without her just going “mhm” and “yeah”, she just asks questions that I love to answer.

“No,” I respond. “but you’re able to get a permit, which means you can drive with someone that’s 16 or older, but when you turn 16, you can drive all by yourself! I can even teach you how to drive if you want!” I say enthusiastically, and then lean on the wall.

“But won’t police get mad? I don’t have a permit.” El responds.

“Oh! Well that’s ok, I’ll just say I’m giving you lessons, show my license, and they’ll just shrug it off and leave.” I explain, still fiddling with the phone cord.

“But anyways about the movie, I’ll pick you up and you can drive to the movie.”

“Me?” El asks confused.

“Yeah! I said I would teach you right? I’ll pick you up an hour early so we can try and drive a little beforehand, ok?” I plan out for her.

“Ok!” El says enthusiastically.

“I’ll see you then!”

“Ok!” I respond happily.

“See you later!”

Eleven’s perspective:

I hung up feeling excited for the night and hop into my bed and scream into my pillow. I always thought that Y/N is a cool person, one of the last to join our “gang” Mike calls it. I guess it’s another word for group. I wanted to ask what it meant, but I feel this weird feeling when I ask too many questions, to the point where I think I annoy some of the people in our “gang”.

I remember asking what a “sea-urchin” was while we were talking about our science class studies about the ocean, then Lucas was annoyed and said “it’s just a kind of aquatic spike ball, genius.” then Max yelled at him for it. Ever since I felt like asking questions is bad, but not around Y/N. I feel like I can ask as many questions I want around her. I don’t know what to wear for the drive-in movie though, it seems so important for this meet up, especially since it’s just us… just us.

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Pt. 2

Y/N’s perspective:

I drive to Eleven’s house, kind of nervous. I’m nervous because it’s just gonna be us chilling together. Usually we’re around the gang, but I think it’s gonna be awkward even though we’re close friends. I drive up to her house rolling the window on the driver’s side and see her through the window, but quickly disappears and right at to door, waving goodbye to Joyce.

I put the car in park and get out the car for El to get into the driver’s seat with the car still on, and she happily hopped in, and I shut the door for her. I go to the other side and shut the door once I got in.

“Well you seem excited!” I say, putting on my seatbelt.

“Yeah… I’ve never really driven a car before…” El answered, caressing the wheel, beginning to feel nervous.

“Well, are you gonna make this kitty purr?” I say, patting the head of the car.

Eleven looked at me with a confused look not knowing what that meant.

“It’s a saying for driving, you know, when the engine purrs when you drive it or speed it up!” I explain to her.

“Oh.” Eleven responded, grasping onto the wheel and looking forward with a slight smile.

“Anyways, you ready?” I chuckle.

El looks around the car, trying to figure out how to make it start moving. I notice and immediately blush in embarrassment.

“Oh sorry! Uhm here’s the gear stick, it’s on park right now because it’s on the P, see? The P is for Park, the R is for reverse, the N is for Neutral, D for Drive, and L for Low. So put the gear stick on D like this!” I demonstrate how to move the stick, then move it back for her to try as she watches closely.

“Your turn!”

Eleven slowly grabs the gear stick and moves it to Drive.

“There, now there is pedals at your feet; clutch, brake, and accelerator in that order. You won’t need to mess with the clutch one much, but the other two sound like what they are. The brake is stop and the accelerator is go. Try slowly pressing on the accelerator with your foot while steering back onto the road.” I explain as I watch her look at the pedals and back to me.

She slowly presses on the accelerator and slowly steers the car into the street.

I watch as she slowly moves into the road and drives.

“You can go a little faster now.” I say gently as I point at the speed limit sign on the side of the road.

She slowly accelerates the car and goes the speed limit.

“Wow, you’re already a natural at this!” I say as I roll down my window and hang my hand out to enjoy the breeze.

“You see the bump in the distance? You gotta slow down when we’re closer to it to hit it.” I warn Eleven as she focuses on the road.

She slowly drives the car a long as we get closer, and we go over the speed bump.

“Wow, I’m impressed!” I say as she speeds up to the speed limit again.

“Do you think you can turn or do you need help?” I turn to look at Eleven for an answer.

“Maybe…” El says hesitantly.

“Here slow down and I’ll help you turn.”

She slows down and I place my hands onto her hands on the wheel.

=========================

Pt. 3

I feel Y/N’s hands place onto mine and I feel my face get hot. I knew my face was blushing and I tried to make it not so obvious. As soon as we go towards the turn, I let her take the lead and helped her turn the wheel a bit. We successfully turned and she let go of my hands on the wheel and got back to her own seat.

“I honestly thought that driving would be a lot harder than it looks.” I finally say as I take a quick look at Y/N, seeing she’s blushing a little bit too.

“Hah, yeah I thought so too.” Y/N said, rubbing her hands together and leans back in her seat.

I smile at her, continuing to drive and keeping a sharp eye out. We talk a bit while I drive, mostly about memories and other stuff about each other, it was really chill, and Y/N looks so good tonight. She’s also so sweet to me and is always so patient with me. We fall a little quieter as we arrive at the place, and my anxiety kicks in.

There’s so many people and kids, I don’t wanna run them over or anything. I start to breathe a little quicker, gripping the wheel a little tighter.

“Eleven?”

Y/N’s perspective:

I notice Eleven is starting to get tense and rest a hand on her shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze, causing her to jump.

“Eleven?” I say again, more gently.

She looks at me for a quick second, before back at the crowded dirt road.

“Oh! Sorry, there’s just a lot of people here, it’s a lot and I don’t wanna run anyone over…” She trailed off, thinking to herself.

I chuckle to myself and pull over to the wheel.

“That’s what the car horn is for!” I honk the car, causing the people and kids to jump and quickly get out of the way in surprise and slight fear.

Eleven sits there surprised, but laughed slightly. I looked back at her with a smile.

“What?? It always works!” I say, chuckling with her.

“She wipes her tears of laughter off her adorable tinted cheeks.

“It’s just really funny how they ran to the side of the road!” She giggled, before starting to drive again.

We find a spot and finally pulled in, turning off the car.

“Phew, finally.” I said as I reached in the back and grabbed a few bags.

“What’s that?” Eleven asked, looking at me with a seemingly soft expression, but still had her same curious expression mixed in.

“I said I‘ll get snacks and drinks.” I say with a smile.

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Pt. 4 coming soon

#eleven hopper #jane hopper #jane hopper x reader #female y/n

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