#the burden arc

[forthedancingandthethriving]

Revamping what started this whole AU..

Factory Reset In Progress

(Reminder that Factory Reset is/was a collaborative effort between me, @fandomandangstlover , @duckapus , and several anons on Engie's (fandomandangstlover) blog! Credit and huge thanks to everyone who pitched in that day to help make this AU what it is now!)

(Orignal arc post!)

This isn't that huge because I'm just making major changes. Everything else is left alone, mostly because I see no need to change it. But ideas and suggestions are always welcome!

Efficiency Arc

A reminder that this is the first arc that kicks off the AU, and this is pre-character development for nearly every character. That, and the Higher-Ups/Admins/Code World have not been introduced. This revamp, however, is being made with the new world building we have!

The beginning of this Arc is relatively the same, with SMG4 being shown as more spacey, almost like he's in a trance. A change, though, is that some scenes are shown with SMG3 experiencing similar things, being spacey, and generally having a hard time focusing. When the two are together and like this, they work together scarily well, letting everyone know something wrong.

Like the old arc, it goes from 0 to 100 incredibly fast with The Coding where both SMG4 and SMG3 are reset. A big change, though, would be showing just how different they are now. They work together absolutely flawlessly, rarely voice any complaints, and are generally very distrustful of the others.

In Please Wake Up, stuff is massively changed. SMG1 and SMG2 don't know what's wrong with 3&4 this time around, but they are able to deduce that it's almost like they've been reset. But they do tell the gang their best bet of figuring out what's went wrong is by finding either 4 or 3's Pod.

The WOTFI goes the same, except we would get to see a scene of Mario meeting with Domain (but at the moment he doesn't know his name) after finding 3's Pod. Mario explains everything (he's shitting bricks the whole time) and we don't get Domain's answer, except for his eyes narrowing.

Of course, come when everyone looks lost in the battle, Mario arrives with the bow and arrows Domain and Forum gave him to give Singularity its just deserts. It's code crumbles away, but a few stray pieces manage to hide away and sneak their way back to the Pods..

There'd be a lot of emphasis on just how scary this is for everyone because this is completely different from everything that's happened, and it's giving Mario and Meggy some serious flashbacks to the Lawsuit Arc when everyone didn't remember them.

This also gives time for SMG4 to reflect once he's been freed, and he realizes how badly he's been treating Mario, and he decides that he needs to start being a better friend before something similar happens again.

When Mario gets asked how he managed to get that bow & arrow, he says the "Mario recolor in 3's Pod gave it to me-a!" Everyone goes to investigate, Domain isn't present. Everyone's very confused, but.. decide that, presently, its not something they should worry about.

As they leave, we get a full look at Domain, who only crosses his arms with a stoic face.

New Hope Arc

The arc that changes the most. There's still tons of aftereffects from Singularity's rampage, SMG4 and SMG3 being the most harmed. Their code is still incredibly fried and damaged, and SMG1&2 are clueless on this and how long it'll take for them to recover.

There's a lot of focus on recovery in their arc, and Lil Coding doesn't get introduced as early as he did last time. It's midway through the arc that he does, and it's because 4&3's code has gotten to the point where he actually needs to step up and intervene. Everyone is understandably suspicious, but the Code Manifestation simply does the code repairs and leaves as soon as he can.

It always bothered me how quickly everyone grew to trust Lil Coding, so it takes a while longer for them to come around to him. LC takes most of the initiative, coming around and helping his SMGs code and repairing it. It takes a while, but they do slowly come around.

Singularity hiding in Lil Coding's own code stays the same, and him progressively getting weaker as it takes his own code as well. The overflow command happens just the same, with Singularity coming back.

The Burden Arc

It's actually Lil Coding this time that says they need to go to the Pods, with him saying that this is something far out of his control and permission range, and they need the Admins. Everyone is confused (save for Mario), but they head to the Pods. There, we finally get the proper introduction of two of the three Admins for SM64: Domain and Forum.

We get some lore from them, them explaining that they're the Admins of 3&4 along with what Lil Coding is. Not everything is explained, of course, but we do get what's relevant and necessary to the plot.

Lil Coding and Singularity being linked stays the same, and of course, not wanting Lil Coding to end up dying, everyone looks for a way to separate them. Domain and Forum could do this, but they don't because remember. This is before all of the chatacter development everyone has had, so they're nowhere near as attached as they are now.

Eventually, Lil Coding does his thing to go and get rid of Singularity, but this time, instead of the whole stone statue thing, he's just in an indefinite power down mode until he heals. The electricity overload he does nearly completely fries his own code, but it does end up killing Singularity.

I think this is a good starting point for Domain and Forum's actual character development and to also plant the seeds of them being the SMG Prototypes. They are both incredibly confused by how upset everyone is and why they feel like something is repeating with how everyone's acting. So they decide to help out and speed up Lil Coding's recovery. I'll say that this is the start of their actual relationship with everyone.

[caramellody]

Yall i dont think im gonna be able to stop thinking about usha and g13, actually.

Ushas an old old woman, clueless with tech. Lived long enough to develop various bonds with a LOT of people and relies on them a lot for help. In turn, shes VERY loyal to her close conpanions (a great example would be how she tends to back paula up a LOT, the way she sets up russel and paula to 'fake date' wink and all). She's very warm and very emotionally intelligent even if she's a bit clueless sometimes. Her logic is borderline incomprehensible, but it has heart.

G13 on the other hand, is a hacking prodigy. Hes young, hes sought after for his skills for better and for worse. But in turn, he's essentially lost himself in the process. He may be able to scrape nuke codes, but he'll never make a friend. He lacks any loyalty for anyone and anything except for himself and his interests, and if they dont satisfy those two points, then its worth nothing to him. His logic may be sound, but its cold.

[shitpostingkats]

Yugioh went "gardeners are actually inherently a little Fucked Up In The Head and Crave Violence." and they were so real for that.

[lamina-tsrif]

the new one piece chapter goes so unbelieveibly fucking hard. however. i genuinely think that was the meanest thing sanji could have ever called zoro ever

[tossedout]

on being touched in the head, on "she's really weird", on knowing too much

frank bidart // edited wikipedia page for Jester's privilege // joan of arc, john everett millais // the sharpest lives, my chemical romance // x // from the book of time, mary oliver // x // back to life, mother mother

I feel some shame in not having as sophisticated or underground titles to pull from (many of these are sourced from Pinterest and later clawed at for their origin). Not to create excuses for my literary squalor, but I WILL be expanding my studies in the future.

[fullscoreshenanigans]

The Promised Neverland 8th Anniversary Art by Posuka Demizu [Complementary piece]

[note-boom]

See here. BSD is a story about how all of our characters were once children. How the scars and wounds and secrets of their past will always haunt them to the present. We see it with Chuuya, Yosano, Ranpo, even Odasaku briefly, Atsushi, Tachihara, Akutagawa, Kyouka and Kenji right now, even Kouyou just a little bit. They've all overcome it or they've allowed it to consume them. And yet that brief glimpse into a past where they were young and scarred shows us once again just how human they are...every criminal, ever person, was once a child wounded by or protected from the world and doesn't that count for something even if it doesn't excuse the atrocities they commit today?

[angelsdean]

Dean remembering Hell in Supernatural: Bobby Singer's Guide to Hunting.

(for context they're up against a Greek Goddess that is feeding on their memories--preferring the good ones--so Dean starts remembering all his worst ones to hurt her)

[welcometogrouchland]

I miss them so bad (Dick and Damian)

[delawaredetroit]

This is an underrated moment of character development for Iida. Remember, in the entrance exam, the character with the second lowest amount of rescue points was Iida. He saw Izuku and Ochako in trouble and turned his back on them and kept running.

In the provisional licensing exam, despite his classmates technically being his competitors, he stood back and made sure every one of them he could reach passed before passing himself.

Iida learned that staying true to his values so that he can become the kind of hero he wants to be was more important than the score on any particular test.

[forthedancingandthethriving]

Efficiency Arc

Mario Goes To Italy

The first sign of trouble would be during a sponsor, when SMG4 goes quiet a couple of times and almost thinks too carefully about his words before going back to normal.

Mario Forgets He's Fat And Has To Lose Weight.. Again

Another sign of trouble. SMG4 seems really out of it, often zoning out of conversations and all that. But everyone else chalks it up to the effects of 'ITS GOTTA BE PERFECT' and all that.

Dead Meme Travel Service

Mario and Meggy, after accidentally releasing a bunch of dead memes from the Graveyard, are sent by SMG3 to go find them. But something seemed off about 3. He was muttering at times and almost seemed like a robot..

Mario's International

Mario gets roped into Interpol. Somehow. There's a few cutaways to SMG4 whenever Mario is in trouble and the Guardian.. isn't looking too hot. He keeps on 'zoning out'.

SMG4's Free Day

Everyone thinks that getting SMG4 out of the newly rebuilt castle may help him out. It does! Until the end of the episode, where for a second, we see his pupils flash to the arrows of his USB.

The Coding

The episode where everything goes to shit. We witness SMG4 get factory reset and beg Mario to find the USBs before being reset. Hoping that SMG3 is okay, Mario goes there with 4 in tow, only to see that 3 is now also factory reset. The episode is mostly Mario trying to reel the two of them in and not just go ham on everything that's a 'threat'.

Please Wake Up

The gang goes to SMG1 & and SMG2, desperate for answers. They're shocked to see that these two haven't been factory reset, and it's alluded to the fact that their USB might not have given the Coding (Singularity) any permission. The two SMGs tell them that their best bet is to find 3 and 4's USBs. Just as they do, the two of them being to wake from the factory reset. Singularity also strikes, taking the two Guardians and dragging them away.

War Of The Fat Italians 20XX

Basically the same until the challenges are done. SMG4 and SMG3 have been under the control of Singularity this whole time, and it's been speaking through them. Everyone is unaware of the fact that the USBs are watching. When time comes for the rap battle, it's Mario desperately trying to convince Singularity while the rest of the gang are focused on getting it's ass and getting 3 and 4. 3 and 4 would basically be arguing against anything said by Singularity. Mario sneaks off towards the end of the rap battle, leaving Luigi to take his place. All hope seems lost until an arrow designed to shut down coding like Singularity is suddenly shot into his chest, and the shooter is revealed to be Mario. The two USBs can be seen behind him, death staring at Singularity. But both seem.. a little mournful.

The episode ends with everyone reunited and happy, and Mario stubbornly refusing to leave SMG4 because of the stress scream.

New Hope Arc

The Picnic Friend

The episode where Lil Coding gets introduced! It can be seen following everyone through the tree and all that, and sometimes, there are even scenes that cut to them following. It kinda misleads the viewer into thinking it's a threat, when in reality it's just a code kitty wanting to be friends :D

Mario Goes To The Pharmacy

Everyone's come down with a bad cold except for Mario, and now he has to go get them medicine. Though he.. doesn't exactly know how and isn't the most reliable. While he's away, Lil Coding is earning everyone's trust by caring for them while Mario's away.

The Motorboat Race

By some ungodly means, Mario has gotten himself roped into a motorboat race. Problem is, he doesn't have one. So what does he do? Asks Lil Coding to help him get one, roping the little one into his antics. It goes as well as you expect.

Lil Coding's Cooking Show

When Lil Coding decides to make breakfast in bed for SMG4! It spirals out of control when Mario decides to join in and make the best breakfast for his best friend! The kitchen becomes a huge mess, but they end up making SMG4 a nice breakfast, so that's what matters.

The Rainy Day

It's raining out in the Mushroom Kingdom, and it's actually not too bad! Heavy enough to make puddles but light enough to warrent people going out with umbrellas and raincoats. Mario decides to take Lil Coding out, and after doing some heavy convincing, he ropes SMG3, SMG4, and Meggy into it.

Mario Tries To Get Rid of Nightmares

SMG4 has been having some pretty bad nightmares ever since the incident with Singularity. Mario, with Meggy, Bob, and Fishy Boopkins, decide to figure out ways to help him. Meanwhile, Lil Coding realizes all he needs is some platonic TLC.

The Bet

Despite it sounding serious, it's just Mario making a bet with SMG4 that he can go a whole day without messing a single thing up. Lil Coding is bribed by both SMG4 and Mario with grapes to help them out. Ultimately, SMG3 shows up and bribes Lil Coding with enough grapes to backstab both of them. The betrayal,,,

Double Mario?

One of E.Gadds' inventions accidentally spilts Mario into two; his old, smart self and his new, stupid self. The whole episode is the team trying to wrangle them up so they can be fused back together. Lil Coding is present, but doesn't have much of a speaking role.

SMG4 Gets Bitches?!

Episode where Lil Coding decides that SMG4 is its dad! Mario happens to overhear this conversation but doesn't realize it's Lil Coding. Leading to many, many hilarious misunderstandings.

Two Idiots Need To Train More

SMG4 and SMG3 both realize that they really need to train their abilities more, but SMG1 and SMG2 aren't available at the moment. (Foreshadowing for the beginning of The Burden Arc). So, it's decided that Lil Coding will help them! Despite being a kid in every way, the coding does a good job! But of course, Mario is being himself and they have to deal with him.

The Burden Arc

Wikihow: Can Codes Have Nightmares?

Everyone suspects that Lil Coding is having nightmares, as it's getting less and less sleep. From its perspective, we can see the eyes, similar to the ones from 'ITS GOTTA BE PERFECT', watching it always. The resolution to this episode doesn't happen as the eyes pressure Lil Coding into not saying anything.

How To Get Info From A USB

It's a very lore heavy episode. It focuses on SMG3 and SMG4, along with a bit of Lil Coding, as they got to the USBs to find out more about their origins. The USBs explain all that they can to them, being completely honest in the fact that it was partially their fault for the Efficiency Arc. Relations become slightly strained before being repaired

Mirror Mystery

The giant mirror has been completely shattered, and SMG4 is starting to suspect that Lil Coding might be involved because of how nervous it's acting. Many shenanigans later, we see from Lil Codimg's perspective of Mirror, its stone statue self. Its freak out makes 4 realize something isn't right, and he does his best to talk to it. Despite it not being able to tell him, it manages to promise it will at some point.

The Foe Show 20XX!

SMG4, SMG3, and some of the others are kidnapped and forced to watch, in real time, holograms of their past enemies fighting Lil Code. The power Lil Coding has is shown here, but we also see the first signs of trouble; Lil Coding overheating and struggling to stay awake after all the fighting.

A Normal Game Of Uno

You know the drill, this is anything but normal. As the gang plays, however, Lil Coding seems to get progressively more.. out of it. Not dazed but finding it hard to concentrate due to their body aching, for some strange reason. When they excuse themselve to nap, we see ominous foreshadowing of the upcoming horrors as Lil Coding's shadow shows Singularity's eyes before vanishing.

The Day It Returned.

Lil Coding is sick, and no one knows it, but it's Singularity's code trying to find a way out while abiding by the rules. Unfortunately, Mario says the command 'burst' unknowingly, causing Lil Coding to release Singularity from its body. It's coding forces itself into emergency shutdown, and everyone is forced to flee to the USBs. There, they come up with their plan to hide where they first fought it before heading back to the USBs.

Google, How Do You Hide From A Villianous Code?

Montage of the gang hiding underground, having multiple close calls with Singularity, and Lil Coding gradually getting better. Lil Coding learns of what happened during the Efficiency Arc and becomes more resolved to not let history repeat. Once the two weeks are up, they leave their underground base and head to the USBs. There, it's revealed that killing Singularity would kill Lil Coding, as Singularity purposely linked them together. The episode ends here.

Mario Tries Coding

Everyone, obviously not wanting Lil Coding to die, does their best to come up with different ways to take down Singularity. Mario tries his hand at coding a new arrow that would harm Singularity but not Lil Coding. Admist this all, Lil Coding sneaks out. This is only realized towards the end, when SMG4 is looking for it and everyone comes to the horrible realization it managed to sneak out.

The Burden You Must Bear

It's a movie episode instead of a WOTFI. Focuses on the gang trying to stop Lil Coding from sacrificing itself while Lil Coding becomes more and more resolved to do so. This all culminates at the climax. Lil Coding manages to hold everyone in place with its coding and is tearfully thanking them for everything they've done, for accepting it into their family, for being nothing but kind, and for giving it the best life it could ever ask for. It antagonizes Singularity into grabbing it before overloading its code, destroying Singularity and turning itself to stone.

I didn't really like the idea of SMG4 mentally breaking from this, so I decided to change it to him being in denail for a while before accepting that it's gone. On the day he accepts this, the stone statue cracks and breaks, revealing Lil Coding inside of it, with all of its memories intact. The end. :)

[vote-gaara]

The majority of the Naruto fandom disregards Gaara as if he didn't carry the entire war arc on his back.

[taiturner]

This is all because of you, you know.

[maskedchip]

I wanted to share this little comic I’ve had in my folder for a while, it was actually one of the first mini comics I planned right after finishing the game but I battled with the perfectionist demons so I never posted until now 😭

But yeah, I think Susato is really sweet and caring and deserves little breaks :’) 

[shima-draws]

Actually genuinely started crying when Luffy almost said he wanted Usopp off the ship and then Sanji interrupted and yelled at him. What the hell. This shit is so sad what the FUCK bro

[suffarustuffaru]

omg reinhard and friends!!