#the bizzare road trip of a missing family

[cartoonspeedruns]

Amphibia Speedrun

Welcome to Cartoon Speedruns™ , for those who only care about the main plot!! or are simply tired of friends nagging you to watch it!! Amphibia (2019) Edition 

Option A: Pure Speedrun

Gets straight to the point, only covers episodes that directly correlate with the plot, you’ll definitely be confused if you don’t watch. You might miss out on bits of lore and introductions to new characters, but you’ll still know what’s going on. (Estimated watch time: 8 hrs)

Option B: Speedrun + Recommended Episodes

Includes episodes with heavy character development and lore without necessarily progressing the main plot, plus episodes that are just fun, based on my personal bias (Estimated watch time: 11 hrs.)

- - - - -

Pure Speedrun Watchlist

Season 1

Ep. 1a: Anne or Beast

Ep. 10b: Prison Break

Ep. 13b: Trip to the Archives

Ep. 20: Reunion

Season 2

Ep. 6: Marcy at the Gates

Ep. 10b: Day at the Aquarium

Ep. 13b: After the rain

Ep. 14: The First Temple

Ep. 17a: The Second Temple

Ep. 18b: The Third Temple

Ep. 20: True Colors

Season 3

Ep. 1: The New Normal

Ep. 2b: Turning Point

Ep. 4a: Fight at the Museum

Ep. 6a: Mr. X

Ep. 7b: Olivia and Yunan

Ep. 8b: If You Give a Frog a Cookie

Ep. 10: Escape to Amphibia

Ep. 11a: Commander Anne

Ep 14b: The Core and the King

Ep. 16b: The Beginning of the End

Ep. 17: All In

Ep. 18: The Hardest Thing

- - - - -

Speedrun + Recommended 

Season 1

Ep. 1: Anne or beast/best fronds

Ep. 7a: Dating season

Ep. 8a:  Family Shrub

Ep. 10: Toad Tax/Prison Break

Ep. 13b: Trip to the archives

Ep. 16b:  Bizzare Bazaar

Ep. 19b:  Anne of the year

20. Reunion

Season 2

Ep. 4: Quareler’s Pass/Toadcatcher

Ep. 5: Swamp and Sensibility/Wax Museum

Ep. 6a.  Marcy at the gates

Ep. 7: Scavenger hunt/the planters check in

Ep. 10:  The sleepover to end all sleepovers/day at the aquarium

Ep. 13b:  After the rain

Ep. 14: The First Temple

Ep. 15. New Wartwood/Friend or Frobo

Ep. 17. The Second Temple/Barrel’s Warhammer

Ep. 18b. The Third Temple

Ep. 19. The dinner/Battle of the Bands

Ep. 20. True colors

Season 3

Ep. 1: The new normal

Ep. 2b: Turning point

Ep. 4: Fight at the museum/temple frogs

Ep. 5:  Fixing Frobo/Anne-sterminator

Ep 6:  Mr. X/Sprig’s birthday

Ep. 7b: Spider sprig/Olivia and Yunan

Ep. 8b. Hollywood Hop Pop/ If You Give a Frog a Cookie

Ep. 9. Froggy little Christmas

Ep. 10. Escape to Amphibia

Ep. 11a. Commander Anne/Sprivy

Ep. 12. Sasha’s Angels/Olm Town Road

Ep. 13. Mother of Olms/Grime’s pupil

Ep. 14b: The root of all evil / the core and the king

Ep. 15:  Newts in Tights/Flight or Fight

Ep. 16: The three armies / the beginning of the end

Ep. 17:  All in

Ep. 18: The Hardest Thing

*Disclaimer: this is targeted towards those who struggle to get into new shows or catch up on major events but don’t really care about getting emotionally invested, if you are upset that certain episodes aren’t listed then this watchlist isn’t for you 

[flappy-spookster]

The Bizarre Road Trip Of A Missing Family by @icantwritegood​ (ao3) - (68,014 words) “A hunt for a missing family + one determined detective + one ex-conman + past beef = one hell of a road trip.”

This is one of the best fics I have ever read and if you haven’t read it yet, please do. Everything by this author is seriously amazing but this fic is one of my all time favorites (from any fandom) and I cannot express how good it is. There are so many amazing characters, scenarios, plot twists, and details that all come together to make a compelling story. There is a second part already out and completed (i’ve already started it, it’s amazing as well) and I can’t wait to see where this goes. All of that being said, I am so enamored with this fic that I made a playlist that I will explain further under the cut. If you haven’t read the fic, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER BECAUSE EVERYTHING FROM HERE ON OUT CONTAINS EXPLICIT SPOILERS.

Music is something that’s very important to me and helps me to better put my ideas together, and this fic really inspired me to try to put together something that represents this fic. In this post I’m going to explain why I chose each song and how it fits into the plot. I love symbolism, so I’m super excited to share everything that I put into this. I would recommend listening to each song as you read the analysis to get the Vibe. I’ve never explained my thoughts like this, so hopefully it goes well. 

1. “Gossip” by Sleeping With Sirens

I chose this song for the beginning of the fic because it captures a lot of the tension and chaos that enters when Shane comes back into the picture for the case, but also has some underlying themes that continue throughout the whole thing. 

“I wanna live fast, I wanna die free My blood is pumping, why can't you feel my heartbeat?“

This lyric really captures the chaotic energy that Shane brings into this whole situation right off the bat, especially “I wanna die free” because in the end I think that he’s just the type of person who needs to be in charge of a situation and needs to get free.

“To play the game, honey, you have got to roll the dice I could be bad luck, you might be crazy Yeah, I've got 9 lives, you only have 3 You're like my technique, I'm on a winning streak So watch that pretty mouth before you go and try to speak”

Once again, these lines have big Shane energy. It shows his need to be in charge of the situation, how he wants to control Ryan, and honestly just his outlook on the situation. It shows a little of how he has this sort of superiority over Ryan (real or not) and how he is convinced that he will be able to rule the situation. Also shows how Shane “taunts” Ryan.

2. “Chasing Rainbows” by Bring Me The Horizon

I mainly chose this song because it captures the near hysterical “hate” and competition between Ryan and shane at the beginning. It fits especially well with the whole finding a hotel situation as well as what occurs over the next few days (I think days, it may have just been one, time is hard). 

“Are we just dreaming in the city that never sleeps? 'Cause I can't be seeing what my eyes tell me Am I just dreaming? This can't be in my veins Everything I ever knew will never be the same”

These lines capture both of their initial reactions to the whole, “wtf they’re actually super hot what” moments they have. 

“Yeah, I feel it in my blood I can't fight this anymore I've given up”

I would count this as the moment where Ryan gives up on everything and just walks out the door only to have Shane pull him back in. It covers the defeat (and passion) they both feel in that moment.

3. “Feel Something” By Jaymes Young

Okay so this is one of my favorite artists and I struggled a lot to decide which song of his to use for this. If you want to get some really good kinda chill vibes but with a lot of darker undertones, this is your guy. I chose this song for their night in the hotel because everything about it just fits. I would highly recommend looking through all of the lyrics if you’re interested because they could all apply.

“Touch me someone I'm too young to feel so Numb, numb, numb, numb You could be the one to Make me feel something, something (2x) Show me that you're human, ohh”

I think this is fairly self explanatory, they both just really need to get it out of their systems. It also works because Shane has just gotten out of prison (and I am by no means saying that he wasn’t doing the same thing to people in there as he was outside) and is just now seeing Ryan in this new light and they both really need to work through this. 

“I never thought I'd miss the bittersweet I gave those years away”

This could refer not only to the 3 years Ryan spent trying to get Shane but also to the time Shane spent working against Ryan. It also pulls in the way they both have this weird sort of nostalgia for the chase.

4. “Ignorance” by Paramore 

This entire album (brand new eyes) captures a lot of the intensity and conflicting emotions that come with this fic and i would have used everything on here if I could. I chose this song because it captures of lot of the anger that they both feel.

“If I'm a bad person, you don't like me Well, I guess I'll make my own way It's a circle, a mean cycle”

Throughout the whole fic Shane constantly brings up the whole “was anything I really did that terrible thing and this just gets that. It also brings in how he’s kind of just using this to get out. 

“What's my offense this time?“

Pretty straightforward, but I mean the literal crimes he was charged with and how he’s constantly taunting Ryan. 

“I guess I'll go I'd best be on my way out“

This brings in how he’s literally leaving and that whole situation.

5. “Mama” by My Chemical Romance

If you don’t follow my main blog or haven’t guessed it yet, I’m a big fan of that emo shit and love those bands and nobody does it better than My Chemical Romance. This song has good vibes, good lyrics, good style, all of it, for this fic. It captures the feelings of betrayal but also just flat out chaos surrounding Shane leaving and abandoning Ryan in the middle of the road.

“Mama, we all go to hell”

One of the recurring lines throughout the song, this song really just captures the absolute insanity in all the shit going down. It also ties into Shane’s attitude to the whole situation.

“Stop asking me questions, I'd hate to see you cry Mama, we're all gonna die“

Hints at the underlying feelings that still remain despite everything that’s going on.

6. “Miss Jackson” by Panic! at the Disco

This song just gives off some vibes that I feel with the whole fallout. 

“You've got them wrapped around your finger Watch them fall down”

This brings in the other characters/Shane’s “friends” from before prison and how Ryan plans to take them out before Shane can get to them.

“Found another victim But no one's going to find Miss Jackson”

Refers to how Shane has taken advantage of so many people, including Ricky (and Ryan, but not quite the same, you know), but nobody has ever really made him feel the effects of that (yet). 

7. “Novocaine” by Fall Out Boy 

This whole song has a lot of the same intensity/energy/passion as the fic and that’s really why I chose it to put in here, but there’s also song good lyrics.

“I’m just a problem that doesn't want to be solved“

This is literally just Shane throughout the entire fic, but after Shane leaving him Ryan really wants to make him pay. 

“So don’t stop, don't stop till your heart goes numb Now I’m just numb I don’t feel a thing for you”

How Ryan is repressing those feelings and just really wants to catch Shane and redeem himself but also just wants him to be held responsible. 

8. “God Damn Liar” by Get Scared

This song is pretty loaded and there’s a lot to look at here. Overall, the passion and anger in here pretty much sums up there entire relationship tbh. 

“You'll never take me alive Cause god knows you've tried I once was blind but now I see the light Maybe I should cut my wrists You know I've never been fucked like this You've ripped my heart apart You know who you are”

This is a pretty long chunk, but I think the whole thing really just sums up their whole situation. They’re both wrestling with their feelings, and both really caught off guard by how much they enjoy everything that’s going on. It also is there for the turning point where Ryan and Shane are on the phone (all of the content in this fits for that part) only for Ryan to reveal that his team is almost to Shane’s location and the betrayal he felt. 

“You're a god damn liar I don't want to care Like I want to care“

This sums up how they’re both caught between overwhelming hate and some much softer emotions here. But throughout it all Ryan still really fucking hates Shane. 

9. “Careful” by Paramore 

This song has so much in it that I like in relation. Overall, it captures a lot of the feelings but also the situation. One of my favorites for this in the end. After putting together a rough draft of everything I wanted in here I realized that I had more Paramore songs (all from the same album) than I really wanted but they all just work so well. 

“A twisted up frown Disguised as a smile, well You would have never known I had it all But not what I wanted“

Works both ways, but I see this lyric more in relation to Shane and how he had been free but now has realized that maybe he’s in a little deeper than he thought. It also works really well for Ryan as he realizes that even though he’d worked so hard to put Shane in jail, maybe he’d be much happier with him

“The truth never set me free So, I did it myself“

Shane literally set himself free, it’s pretty straightforward. Also works with the whole “say you thought my sentence was unfair” debacle. 

10. “The Last One” by Black Veil Brides 

This song fits a lot for the whole competition to see who will apologize first. Honestly, this song is pretty self explanatory as well. 

“All the love all the hate, feel like one in the same“ 

I think this is pretty much their entire relationship honestly, but could also be used as a reference to the time before this case. 

“I swear this time is gonna be the last one Gonna be the last one, oh woah ho“

Refers to how they’re both so sure that they can just get out of this if they just do it one more time. Captures a lot of the tension between the two of them. 

11. “It’s Not A Fashion Statement, It’s A Deathwish” by My Chemical Romance 

Things are heating up with Ricky and Shit Is Going Down. Full of anger and emotions, I’m not sure this is the best song for this part but if you want to get that intense anger, sadness, and passion just go listen to the whole three cheers for sweet revenge album. 

“This hole you put me in wasn't deep enough And I'm climbing out, right now You're running out of places to hide from me“

A little reference to how Shane used Ricky and the anger and betrayal Ricky still harbours over their whole situation and how he wants Shane to pay for that.

“When you go Just know that I will remember you“

A little reference to those good ol’ feelings hanging in there. With what comes next, these words fit. However, it also brings in the way Ricky felt after he realized that Shane was already gone for Ryan. 

12. “The Two Tongues (Screaming Salvation)” by As It Is 

I agonized over what song to put here, and in the end settled on this one, but there’s any number that could go here and I’m still not sure if this one is perfect. Capturing the sheer pain Shane felt over leaving Ryan there is not easy and I’m not sure if this song does it justice, but at least a few lyrics do.

“Until the very end us dying hand-in-hand Death is whispering his answers to my fears But with consequence I'd have to leave you here”

Captures how conflicted Shane is over what to do. He thought that maybe, just maybe, him and Ryan would be able to work things out somehow but now he’s forced to either leave him behind or face the consequences. 

“When I think of him there's comfort in the cold He gives me solace when I offer him control Her voice so beautiful will find me and explain That life is agony but worth it all the same“

Oh boy those soft feelings are back and Shane is suddenly torn between everything he’s worked for and the police officer who’s been trying to throw him in jail. A little reference for his need to control the situations, but also how he wants a little more than he’s been able to fully except in the realm of feelings. Also the fact that Ryan is literally in agony and Shane is kind of struggling here with dealing with that but he has to go to live. 

“I'm not sure I'm right But I'm not sure I'm wrong I’m just desperate to belong“

Everything just got way harder when feelings got involved and Shane is having a Very Bad Time of it.

13. “The Only Exception” by Paramore 

It’s sad boy hours over here for both of them. When Shane left, things kind of went to hell emotion wise. This whole song is a great one if you want to just cry over all of the lost potential and romance because boy is it Rough when you start applying the lyrics.

“And that was the day that I promised I'd never sing of love if it does not exist But, darling You are the only exception”

Things are Not Going Well and Shane cannot deal, but Ryan can’t deal either. This song is for both of them. For Shane, that breakdown on the plane is when most of this comes into play. For Ryan, things come later. 

“Maybe I know, somewhere Deep in my soul, that love never lasts”

A reference to all of the brief “relationships” Shane has had in the past leading up to him thinking that maybe this was just how things were going to be.

“And up until now, I had sworn to myself That I'm content with loneliness Because none of it was ever worth the risk“

This one’s for Shane because he’s put himself in a position where he thought that things were just going to be what they were but now that he’s finally found someone he really fucking likes he’s a cop and everything is very complicated and suddenly the risk seems so much more worth it but it’s too late.

“I've got a tight grip on reality But I can't, let go of what's in front of me here“

Another thing that’s mostly for Shane. He has to let go of Ryan and it’s fucking tearing him apart.

this is so long i am so sorry I hope this shows what I was going for when I made the playlist. I’m not always the best with putting my thoughts into words, but I hope you guys can at least see what I was going for. 

also, some songs that don’t quite fit into the playlist but i associate with the fic:

“Dark On Me” by Starset

“Props and Mayhem” by Pierce the Veil

“The Reaper” by As It Is 

“Hourglass” by Motionless In White

“Fragments” by Jaymes Young

“Tied Down” by Jaymes Young

[ficsandcatsandficsandcats]

Okay so this might be a bizzare request but I feel like it could have some both angsty and fluffy potential. So I was thinking that the reader is a student at Oxenfert uni and is trying to become a witcher, and is somehow being chased by thugs and ends up stealing a horse. But what she doesn't realise is that the horse she steals is Roach. So when she gets a very angry Geralt storming after her she gets absolutely terrified and accidently puts a spell or curse on him?Cue Yen coming to the rescue

Fandom: The Witcher Pairing: Geralt x Yennefer, Platonic!Geralt x Reader Word Count: 1,853 Rating: G Taglist: @heroics-and-heartbreak​ @whatevermonkey​ @mycat-is-mylove @mynamesoundslikesherlock​ @kemmastan​ @magic-multicolored-miracle​ @writingstudent​ @mlleecrivaine​ @coffee-and-stories​ @amirahiddleston​ @ultracolorfulnerdcollection​ @astouract​ @your-not-invisible-to-me @daydreamer-in-training @morelikebyesexual a/n: I just kept picturing that scene from Ever After where Prince Henry tries to steal Danielle’s father’s horse and she pelts him with apples. Sadly, no apples here, but I hope you still like it.

In hindsight, breaking into the Dean’s office and trying to steal the mushroom that had been excavated by Kaer Morhen wasn’t the best idea you’d ever had. This thought came to you the moment the guards walked in and upon seeing your hands hovering over the fungi, immediately drew their swords. They didn’t care you were a student. They didn’t care you hadn’t succeeded in touching it. They just chased after you and you bolted out the door, casting a spell over your shoulder that would slow them down but not keep them at bay forever. You fled past the nearly empty corridors, through the courtyard, the sounds of clanking metal and heavy footfalls always just behind you. You spotted the stables and, to your great relief, a horse was tethered to the post. Giving a silent offer of thanks to whoever had left the horse, and a little apology and promise to whoever owned the horse that you’d give it back, you leapt on its back and with nearly no prompting it took off running.

-----

Geralt finished Jaskier’s lecture and though the bard had invited him out for a drink, the witcher had declined. He didn’t like leaving Roach at the university alone for very long. People tended to spoil her and then she’d demand oats and apples for a week straight. There was another lady he was supposed to be meeting up with soon as well and if he headed out shortly he’d be able to catch her on her way over. A small smile crept up on the witcher’s face as he thought of her but when he looked in the direction of the stables the smile fell away. A figure sat on Roach, that was trouble enough. Then Roach began to gallop away and Geralt’s blood went cold.

-----

Yennefer enjoyed the walk to Oxenfurt Academy. It was quiet and peaceful and the trees were especially lovely in autumn. The turned leaves, golden and bronze, reminded her of a certain witcher’s eyes and she smiled fondly. A copse of trees broke apart somewhere in the distance as birds scattered from their branches and Yennefer could sense something was very wrong. She reached out to the weave as she approached cautiously, listening for signs of what lay ahead and hoping against hope that Geralt hadn’t gotten himself into some sort of trouble again.

-----

“I’M SORRY!” you cried, craning your neck to send the words to the man who ran after you. Not a man, though. A witcher. The irony was not lost on you but you didn’t have time to tell him about your aspirations or dreams. You didn’t have time for anything but clinging to the horse’s neck and praying that you could outpace him, though he drew ever closer. You’d felt confident you could outrun the guards on this horse but a witcher was another matter entirely. You of all people knew how tenacious they were and though you tried to call back an explanation or more apology, the angry snarl on his face didn’t waver. Your words only seemed to fuel his ire and you wondered idly if he would even take the time to grab the correct sword or if he’d even use a sword. The look on his face was one of a man who was prepared to rend someone limb from limb. His labored breathing drew close and you felt a hand snatch at your ankle. Reacting on instinct you lowered your hand and grasped at whatever the weave would provide.

“I’M SORRY I PROMISE I’LL RETURN HER I’M SORRY,” you called back to the now prone witcher whose amber eyes still watched you as you retreated deeper into the forest.

-----

“GET OUT OF THE WAY!” the girl screamed the words at Yennefer who had been hurrying up the road, narrowly missing her by inches. Yennefer sent a few choice epithets her way and then continued her pursuit of Geralt. Because by now she knew it had to be him. Few things would stir such a strong impulse within the mage who usually tried to keep her head down and mind her own business. Her suspicions were confirmed when she broke through a small copse and saw Geralt lying prone in the distance. She’d never seen him look so angry but as she rushed to his side to undo whatever the magic holding him (shoddy work but still effective, likely an adept mage who’d had to work in a hurry), a look of relief came over him.

“Geralt what the gods have you gotten yourself into now?” Yennefer sighed. As soon as he could the witcher bolted upright, nearly bowling her over in the process.

“Someone stole Roach,” he bit out as he helped her to her feet.

“What?”

“I left her in the stables and someone took her,” he snarled.

“Why?” Yennefer asked, drawing an incredulous look from Geralt.

“Doesn’t matter,” he snapped, and immediately began to set off ahead, Yennefer rolling her eyes and following suit, admittedly worried about the horse herself.

When they caught up to you, you were standing beside Roach, wringing your hands and openly crying as you spoke aloud to the horse.

“Oh gods, oh gods, what am I going to do? I’m dead, I’m not getting out of this. Even if the witcher doesn’t find me I have to go back to school sometime and then the guards will cut me down and I’m probably going to be expelled and I’ll never become a mage let alone anything else and my family is going to have to identify my remains from whatever scraps get left behind oh gods how did this happen…”

Your words bled together, muffled by sniffling, but Geralt was unmoved. Yennefer held him still as they watched you from some bushes and the only reason the witcher hadn’t broken through despite the mage’s wishes was because he could see that Roach was very calm. The horse didn’t seem concerned in the slightest, sometimes butting her head against the girl – and it was just a girl, young and scared and hardly matured into adulthood. Still a dark scowl was etched on Geralt’s face and Yennefer knew it would not be easy convincing him to remain calm.

“Let me take the lead on this,” Yennefer said. He sent her a withering side glance, eyes squinted so hard they were practically just a sliver of amber, but he didn’t argue. She rose and entered the little clearing where you stood and you screamed, nearly tripping over yourself in surprise.

“Who are you?” you cried.

“Yennefer of Vengerberg, much more powerful mage than you so I’d put that hand down if I were you,” she said, eyeing your fast moving fingers pointedly.

“Are you with him?” she asked. In another, the witcher rose, pulling another scream from you and a censuring glance from Yennefer. You ran behind Roach but Geralt didn’t move past Yennefer.

“Why did you steal Roach?” Geralt asked.

“Her name is Roach?” you asked.

“You’re in no place to criticize names,” Yennefer said.

“I was being chased. They were going to kill me, I would never have laid a hand on her otherwise I swear,” you insisted emphatically, eyes dancing between violet and amber.

“Who was chasing you? And why?” Yennefer asked.

“Guards. I didn’t recognize them, they wore full armor and brandished longswords, but I was trying to… borrow the mushrooms brought from Kaer Morhen,” you replied, properly sheepish.

Geralt and Yennefer exchanged a brief, confused glance and then Geralt moved closer. You shrank back against the nearest tree but Geralt simply took Roach’s head in his hands and looked her over, muttering quietly to her and petting her mane. When he seemed satisfied that she was alright he turned his attention back to you.

“Oxenfurt University was not given permission to collect those samples. And the school doesn’t have guards, not guards with swords who will chase down students at least. We’re taking you back and when we get there you’re going to show us where these mushrooms are kept,” Geralt said plainly, jumping onto Roach’s back and holding out a hand for Yennefer to climb on in front of him.

“Um… what about the people who are trying to kill me?” you asked in a small voice.

“They weren’t trying to kill you because you were stealing it, they’re trying to kill you because you know it’s there. But that’s another point – why were you trying to steal it?” he asked.

“I… thought it might turn me into a witcher,” you admitted, willing the earth to swallow you whole.

“What?”

“I’ve always wanted to be a witcher and I know about the process and that it’s basically always from childhood but I thought maybe if I trained really hard and had access to some of the things you did, like the mushrooms, then maybe…” your voice trailed off under Geralt’s incredulous gaze and Yennefer’s barely restrained laughter.

“Get on the horse,” Geralt sighed, looking like a worn out, bedraggled father trying to wrangle his prodigy. You did as instructed, climbing behind him, and he pulled your arms around his waist to ensure you were secured. Roach began the walk back to the university and you tried to remain quiet, sensing that would be the safest course of action. For about five minutes.

“What about them, though?” you asked.

“What about what?”

“The people trying to kill me.”

“I won’t let them kill you,” Geralt said.

“Why are you helping me?” you asked, suspicious but also deeply grateful. Another sigh and another barely muffled chuckle from the mage in front.

“You’re clearly in over your head. I’m not in the business of abandoning people to their fates. Even if they’ve been foolish and some would argue they deserve them,” Geralt said crossly. Yennefer gave a skeptical snort but otherwise held her tongue.

“Thank you,” you said, squeezing a bit tighter and feeling safe for the first time all day.

“Why do you want to be a witcher?” Geralt asked, not able to keep from asking any longer.

“Witchers save people,” you answered quickly, “I want to do that. I want to help.”

Geralt thought for a long moment, the sound of leaves crunching under hooves breaking the silence.

“There are many ways to save people,” he said finally, “Find one that won’t get you killed as quickly.”

“You’re not dead,” you pointed out.

“Hmm.”

Nothing else was said for the rest of the ride and for once you let the silence remain, certain that before long there would be more noise and fighting and fear. Right now you would let yourself enjoy the brisk autumn breeze and the strange but exhilarating company you’d found yourself in. You also worked on your pitch to the witcher for taking you along on his travels. University was all well and good but you’d certainly learn better in action. Yes, that would be your first argument. Now to find the seventy five others you’d need before you could wear him down enough to accept.

[wellsandwongdetectivesociety]

What was the episode of the video you posted

It is The Bizzare Road Trip Of A Missing Family: Here’s the link: https://youtu.be/0pIx4z_yosQ

[the-honey-bear]

ZERO DAY

BIG SPOILERS FOR HORIZON ZERO DAWN BELOW

I just finished this game today, and couldn’t stop thinking about this fascinating world, and Elizabet Sobeck in particular. What an inspiring woman. I spent most of the game wanting to know more about her, and also about GAIA. This kind of wrote itself.

--> ao3 link

- zero day -

The project makes it by the skin of its teeth. GAIA is installed in her new home--- in your new home, you and the rest of the Alphas. The bunker is sealed and sealed again. You're safely squirrelled away inside the heart of the mountain, ready to hibernate away global extinction. Or, entombed-- as Travis Tate cheerily put it-- as you close the final bulkhead.

Still, you can't deny there's a truth to his words. None of you will see the new world you've spent the last two years painstakingly designing.

There's no windows in the bunker-- nothing to see anyway but barren ground and burnt sky, burnished an unsettling red by the collapse of the biosphere a fortnight past. The Hartz-Timor swarm has crawled across the face of the globe, devouring everything in its wake. And it feels like some sort of bizzare wake. Zero Day-- and you're drawn by some grim compulsion, yourself and all the Alphas, gathering in the community room. You balance a cup of hot blandless coffee between your thighs as the final blips on the radar vanish. Life on Earth erased, as neatly and tidily as sand swept from a mezzanine. Show's over. That's all folks. The Earth is dead, and the coffee in your hands feels stone cold; a chill has crept into your body you can't shudder away.

Still so many calculations to do. Final tweaks, code adjustments. Easier to do as you've always done and submerge yourself in your work. But nobody in the community room moves. Samina looks as though she's frozen solid. You can't stand the silence-- the absolute stillness of a dead world. You're almost grateful, then, when Travis reveals the bottle of 2019 brandy he smuggled from who-knows-where.

“A toast,” he says. For a man who always speaks carelessly, there's a grandiose thrum to the words.

“To what?” Ron says, scoffs at him.

“Planet Earth.”

Ron looks to you. Expects you to shoot him down, probably.

Instead, you hold out your glass.

“To planet Earth.”

The send off ends when Travis passes out. Samina is singing some 20th century song about country roads and as you stumble back to your cabin, rum bottle in hand, you join your voice to hers.

-take me home – to the land-- where I belong –

A hiccup on indignation interrupts you. Home. Isn't that hilarious?

What a fucking funeral. A dozen nerds who can't hold their liquor poisoning their livers for planet Earth.

Well, there's nothing else left to ruin.

You remember, now, that there was a reason you stopped drinking after college.

A voice emanates from the speaker by the bed. GAIA.

“Elizabet, you appear to be intoxicated.”

“Tell me something I don't know.”

“Very well. The smallest breed of penguin is the Adélie penguin, which reside solely along the Antarctic coast--”

A snort of laughter. GAIA is still learning. She's mostly got down the paradox of human language but once in a while rhetoric trips her up.

“You ought to drink some water before you go to bed, Elizabet,” GAIA says.

“Sure, Mom.”

She's a dab hand at detecting sarcasm, however. Probably has spent too much time with Travis.

“If I was your mother, you might listen to me more and start getting the required number of hours of rest.”

Well.

You do as you're bid, however. You drink a pint of water. You're almost about to crawl into bed in your clothes before GAIA reminds you to at least take of your shoes.

You wrap yourself in your duvet, but sleep doesn't come. Something had been bothering you, watching the blips disappear from the screen-- other than the global extinction.

“GAIA, are you still there?”

“Yes, Elizabet?”

She responds immediately. The past few months, your talks before bed with the AI have become routine. Sometimes, it's just about the project. More often, lately: about art, history, music, family. Your family. There are a dozen human beings at this facility, but isn't it funny that the only one you feel comfortable talking to is an artificial intelligence?

Sometimes you wonder what that says about you.

“Do you think... human beings really deserve a second chance?” you ask.

GAIA's processors can answer two thousand queries simultaneously. And yet, here, she pauses.

She poses her own question back: “Do you not think your race worthy of one?”

“I did,” you say. You speak a little breathlessly. The words tumbling out. “I mean, why else would we have worked so hard these past eighteen months on Eluthia? But watching those lights flicker out... I couldn't help but think, we did this. The entire cradle of existence, millions of years of evolution, wiped out by the foolishness of one man. Just one man. And what if... what if...”

Your tongue is thick from drink-- you're still slightly tipsy. It's probably why you've decided it's a good idea to voice your concerns about humanity’s continued existence to an omnipotent AI in the first place.

GAIA tries to reassure you.

“There are a dozen failsafes in place, Elizabet.”

“That's not what I mean.” Frustration, thick in your throat.

GAIA waits, patiently. She's always patient. In her you've programmed all the qualities you feel yourself to lack.

The fact that the AI has become a dear friend to you, however, was not something you'd programmed, nor could have anticipated.

“What I mean is, maybe the new world we're creating would be better without us in. Without men like Ted Faro.”

There is silence for a long time.

For a moment, you fear you could be right.

But when GAIA responds, it's with your own voice. An audio clip. A speech you'd given. It doesn’t take you long to recognise it-- you'd rehearsed it long enough, pacing the length of your dorm room, shedding sticky notes in a trail. Back during the start of the claw-back, back when you were an impassioned college student furious at the corporates who had traded the Earth's jungles away for cold impartial dollars. Later, one of your professors had caught you by the elbow. “Determination as sharp as the point of a spear,” she'd said.

“This world belongs to all of us,” GAIA repeats.

“That's... kind of embarrassing to listen to. I mean, I didn't even know anyone kept those old recordings...”

GAIA ignores you. Rightfully so.

“I want to do this, Elizabet. Not for the Ted Faros of the world. For the Elizabet Sobecks.”

You mumble a reply. Now you're really embarrassed.

“Besides, Elizabet. You don't really mean this; you're just drunk.”

And damn it, she's right.

“I guess I'm really just mad I won't be able to see this brave new world of yours.”

If only humanity had a few more years. Could have perfected cryogenics. What you wouldn't give to walk among GAIA's new Earth.

“Jealous?” GAIA teases you.

“As hell.”

You twitch the duvet up around you. “I suppose it's not too late to switch to Hinduism. I'm starting to see the appeal of reincarnation. To be reborn... a clean slate. To start again. You could catch me up on I'd missed over the next few centuries.”

Sleep tugs at you. A latent effect of the rum. You know you're rambling.

“I would like that, Elizabet,” GAIA says.

The alcohol feels like a warm cocoon. The Earth is dead; this mountain is your tomb. But cradled by GAIA's warm, comforting voice, you feel a safety you haven't felt in years, before the plague, before the madness. Almost like being home.