#the most main character main character to ever main character
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
celestiamour · 2 days ago
Text
‧₊˚✧ ❛[ me & my husband ]❜
Tumblr media
ft. the salesman (gong ji-cheol) x f! reader — squid game
╰₊✧ you don’t need your husband to be perfect, you just want him to be honest┊3.3k words
contains: written before s2 came out!! probably ooc or inaccurate, angst with spots of fluff & a bittersweet ending? reader’s pov mostly, suspicions of cheating, lack of communication, mentioned age gap, random inaccurate lore for the salesman
➤ author's note: yeah, i saw the sudden uptick in notes on that gong yoo post i made and realized season 2 came out which i completely forgot about. i intend to watch it soon as possible and write fics for it as well as (probably) add new characters to my writing list, but for now, please be content with this!!
₊˚ʚ 💌₊˚✧ this fic was heavily inspired by “emotionally intoxicated” by aurasaurora!
Tumblr media
gong ji-cheol is the poster image for the ideal husband. he’s always been like that from the moment you met him, and you can’t help but feel like you’re the luckiest woman in the world when he calls himself yours. he’s tall and handsome, someone who catches everyone’s eye despite his only being focused on you. he’s wealthy and hard-working, able to call a luxurious mansion your home, and willing to buy you anything your heart desires as long as you ask for it. he spoils you rotten with that money, gifting you expensive things even if you didn’t ask if it reminded him of you. he’s doting, always sure to smother you in affection with kisses and cuddles whenever together to make it known how much he adores you. the sex is great too, he makes you feel wanted and desirable without ever leaving you unsatisfied. 
most importantly though, you love him, and he loves you. the last two years of marriage have been so blissful, and there isn’t a single thing you would change.
at least that’s what you believe most of the time.
you like to think you know a lot about him, and in a way, you do. you know his favorite color, how he likes his coffee, what he usually orders at restaurants, the type of wine he prefers over beer, the exaggerated shocked fasces he likes to make, how his favorite chore is folding the laundry, how his least favorite is doing the dishes because he doesn’t like getting his hands dirty, the name of his childhood pet, what positions he likes to cuddle or fuck in, the names he’s thinking of giving to your child when they are finally born— there are so many little details you know about him, yet at times you feel like you don't know anything at all.
you don’t really know much about his childhood aside from a few random stories, he claims there’s nothing really notable and that it was as standard as can be. you don’t know who his parents were or what they were like because he said they died when he was young, but surely that’s an important loss which must have impacted him and made youth difficult in some way? you don’t know about his past partners if he even had any, but you doubt you were his first as he was yours with a face like his. you don’t know any of his secrets, like an embarrassing moment or something sinful he might have committed in the past. 
he knew all of these things about you and the little details of your life, so why don’t you know any of the most basic things regarding your own husband?
these periods of uncertainty are few and far, but once the icy tendrils of doubt creep in, it’s difficult to shake them off when you realize you only know these things through observations and not him actually telling you. it’s a miracle your stupidity allowed you to make it this far in falling head over heels for him, getting married, and carrying his child (not that you completely regret it, you still love him, but you wish you had given it more time).
they say there are no such things as stupid questions, yet the main question you have is exactly that as it’s something every wife should know even before the marriage. it would be impressive how long you’ve been clueless about this matter if it weren’t for how often and how skilled he is in managing to evade your curiosity and steer the conversation elsewhere. you didn’t want to press on it since he seems to shut it down every time the topic is brought up and you don’t want to fight over something you technically didn’t need to know, but it weighs on you and presses into your chest with the knowledge you were being kept in the dark. 
what did your husband do for a living, exactly?
his schedule is always unpredictably changing with little rhyme or reason and it confuses you. sometimes you’ll go an entire few days without seeing him, sensing him wake up in the morning before the sun is even up, feeling him kiss you on the cheek before getting ready, and not coming back until long after you fall asleep with no communication aside from a note on the table telling you he’ll be gone for the day along with a wad of cash for you to treat yourself while he’s gone. other times he’ll be chilling at home for an entire week, waking you up with aggressive cuddles (or morning sex), making you breakfast with the morning news on in the background, and taking you out to wherever you want to go on his card in his rare casual clothing and messy wavy hair rather than the typical fancy suits and hair styled with gel. 
as far as you’re concerned, he’s a businessman of sorts, although you don’t know what company he works for or what position he has in terms of hierarchy or how an occupation of that type allows such flexibility in hours or anything at all. 
“what if he’s having an affair?”
you paused for a second before continuing the motion of slicing the cheesecake with a fork and savoring the taste in your mouth. “that’s ridiculous,” you stated simply after swallowing. “he loves me very much, and it doesn’t explain his weird schedule either.”
today was spent with some friends you met back in high school, but honestly, you were only attending out of politeness and tradition since you honestly feel like you’ve disconnected from these girls long before the current. still, you treasure the memories shared in your more formative years and wouldn’t ever say no to them if they wanted to hang out like old times. ji-cheol doesn’t bother to hide his distaste for them, calling them a miserable lot who try to drag you down at every opportunity out of jealousy for your happiness. you laugh it off, but you know deep down he’s right and yet you’re still sitting here at the cafe with them with bright smiles like their words don’t cut deep. 
“maybe he’s dating the boss— a sexy office siren type— she gives him plenty of days off and he stays with her at her beach house at jeju island or something to keep her company, and then she gives him lots of money in exchange.”
“oh my god, could you imagine?”
“can you be realistic? it sounds like you’re just writing a plot for a new drama,” you giggled, not allowing the feeling of a twisting blade in your abdomen to show on your face or the venom to drip from your words at the mere thought of the man you loved being stolen away a faceless woman who was everything you wished you were more of: more beautiful, more wealthy, more experienced, more intelligent—
“you don’t know because he’s your first love or whatever— and you’re so lucky to have been able to marry him��� but men are dogs, and i don’t see why he would be the exception.”
“but he treats me so well—”
“maybe he only treats you well because you’re pregnant— he probably just feels guilty. i mean, when i was pregnant and had my first, my husband wasn’t attracted to me anymore and demanded a divorce unless i lost the baby weight.” she shrugged like it was so simple, so common, like the notion of marriage wasn’t something so deeply important and could be thrown away so easily.
“we aren’t suggesting you get a divorce, but we’re just saying you should keep an eye on him— you know? a handsome guy like him was always bound to get a lot of attention…” her laugh was shrill and high-pitched, making goosebumps erupt on your skin.
“right… thanks guys…”
that night, you couldn’t stop twisting and turning on the large sectional couch with thoughts rushing through your head of your husband with some other woman. the jealousy from these fictional scenarios without evidence of existence plagued you. it made you want to vomit up the negative feelings and go back to the person you were a few hours ago without the images of him cheating planted in your mind, which didn’t go unnoticed by him and caused him to ask what was bothering you as it wouldn't be good for the baby.
you hesitated for a moment, “could you tell me about your exes?”
“why are you suddenly curious about that?” he chuckled, knowing damn well that it was because of those stupid snakes masquerading as people (it truly takes one to know one) running their mouths again, but still feigning obliviousness for your sake. 
“just wondering,” you muttered. “i mean, you’re the first person i’ve fallen in love with, but you’re a bit older than me so…”
“and i hope to be the only one too,” he smirked confidently, making you laugh as he plopped down on the ground and rested his head on the cushion next to yours. 
it was such a casual setting in such a vast space, bringing you back to the days in your little apartment inviting him over for chicken and beer before you knew about your immense wealth and got embarrassed over your cheap dates when he was so used to expensive restaurants. he found it very endearing though, knowing you liked him for him and not his money.
“well, if you’re so curious…” he trailed off, but you weren’t quite sure if it was because of hesitation or because he simply didn’t know where to start. you can’t remember the last time a conversation like this was held to learn more about him since it was usually about you, maybe back when you first started dating and briefly discussed his late parents.
he started with his crush when he was in middle school since that was his earliest recollection of feeling love, who didn’t really count as a girlfriend or love because nothing was established and because of their age, but she was his first kiss that he ran away from right after because of how nervous he was, and it was never addressed again. apparently it was his second girlfriend who taught him everything he knew before he met you, saying she basically “trained him like a dog” to create a gentleman out of an inexperienced boy who still wasn’t quite sure how to treat a woman like a queen. she was a bit mean though, and he didn’t realize he dodged a bullet until later after realizing she was unnecessarily cruel to him for no reason multiple times if he didn’t do things exactly her way.
you suppose you always knew your husband wasn’t always the suave charmer you know him to be, but the image of younger him being clueless on matters of romance made you burst out laughing because of how you could hardly picture it.
he reached over to pinch your cheek affectionately, “are you of all people really making fun of me when you were too scared to hold my hand for me to escort you out of my car?”
“oh my god, that was on our first date, i can’t be blamed! i was shaking like crazy on that day— you had to tell me that you didn’t bite.”
“i was actually thinking about calling off our date last minute because of an emergency at work,” he confessed, “but i’m glad i didn’t and met the love of my life instead.”
“aw, you flirt.” the memory made you smile and feel all giggly inside, all the fears you had about him possibly having an affair falling away, yet there were still some lingering at the back of your mind with the mention of his job. “what happened at work?”
“nothing that important,” he said instantly like clockwork. “just some boring business things.”
you didn’t push it, not wanting to ruin the mood, but once again, your curiosity was just itching to ask more questions about his work life even if it was truly as boring as he says. you wanted to know every mundane detail whether it was what his office looked like or what the annoying co-worker did on a daily basis, anything to satiate your need to know more about this mysterious man you had made life-long vows with.
it all came to a head one night while you were cooking dinner, you heard the doorbell ring a dozen times in quick succession and answered it to find an older man with fiery red hair that seemed to match his temper. when he addressed your husband by name and verified your relationship with him, he began spewing all kinds of insults about the blood he had on his hands by luring innocent people to their deaths and you felt your heart drop. you tried to reason with him that there must have been some sort of mistake, barely able to get your words out in a fit of confusion and surprise at the absurd accusation, but he wouldn’t hear you out and pointed a finger in your face, asking if you had any idea what gong ji-cheol was doing behind your back. 
at that very moment, he was suddenly seized by two anonymous men in all black, causing him to yell out in panic as they dragged him away and stuffed him in the back of a car before quickly driving off into the night without a trace. it all happened so fast, you just stood there with your mouth open in shock, wondering if you should call the police on what looked like an abduction. 
then your husband comes running up the steps with his locked briefcase in hand, shouting out your name, asking you if you’re okay, pulling you back inside the comfort of your shared home, and checking you all over to make sure you aren’t harmed in any way. when you ask about who that man was and what he was talking about, he simply told you he was some crazy customer who was dissatisfied with the company, was looking for someone to blame, and promised to tell you the details later. 
you didn’t tell him that you didn’t believe him, just pursed your lips and furrowed your brow for a second then let go of the topic like you always do, taking his coat off his shoulders with a peck on the lips asking how his day was. he reciprocated the kiss, said it was fine without anything special, and that he would shower before having dinner, something he didn’t really need to say since you already knew but stated anyway as per evening routine. 
as he headed up the stairs and disappeared from sight, you stared at the locked briefcase resting crookedly on the little entryway table and paused for a moment. if you did this, it would be a breach of privacy and a sign of growing distrust in your husband, but it could also answer all of the questions that never cease. 
your hands wouldn’t stop shaking involuntarily as you felt the cold black metal underneath your fingertips, marveling at the smooth material clean of any scratches or dents. fidgeting with the built-in combination lock, six number sequences started rushing through your mind as you started to hastily run through your options with a focus on dates. you were determined to only do this three times since you had no idea if an alarm would be set off or if it would close off permanently.
his birthday?
an electronic beep went off indicating you were incorrect, making you nervous.
your birthday?
wrong again, you only had one attempt left. you swallowed, shaking the accumulating sweat off your hands.
the date of your wedding?
you gasped as the locks suddenly flipped open and lightly knocked against the briefcase. it was undone, you could open it at any moment now and see it all.
and yet you still hesitated during this golden opportunity. was it the fact that the passcode to his most secret possession was the day you got married? was it guilt for going behind your husband’s back for answers instead of directly asking him? was it because you were afraid of what you would find if you discovered the red-haired man was telling the truth?
whatever it was, you let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding and locked it again, leaving it looking untouched and went back to playing dinner.
there was a heavy tension present at the dinner table that night, the only conversation present being him interrogating you about what the red-haired man talked about word-for-word. not really interrogating since his tone of voice was still calm and gentle as he asked questions, but you could see him fidgeting with his fork and not leaving much room for any other topic until he was sure you told him everything. he then sighed and claimed the man was insane, a gambling addict who was too deep in debt to afford treatment and was trying to drag him into his misery after meeting at the subway station. 
“ji-cheol?”
he froze for a second, not used to hearing you use his real name rather than a pet name. “yes?”
“what do you do for a living, exactly?”
a pause, you watched him fidget with his chopsticks and shift the grains of rice around. “you know, business stuff— nothing you need to concern yourself about—“
“but i don’t know! that’s the thing!” you felt tears starting to well up behind your eyes, letting two years of frustration trickle through. “i know it doesn’t seem that important for me to know, but is it really so important that you leave me in the dark about it for the three years we’ve been lovers? and now some guy comes to our doorstep and tells me about how your job is playing games with people at the subway station to make them participate in death games?!” you took a deep breath, calming yourself down, “please, be honest with me, that’s all i want…”
“i-i…” that was the first time you’ve ever heard him stutter, and if the situation wasn’t so tense, you would be proud you finally got one-up on him. “i can’t say… it’s for your own safety and mine.”
“so he was right?”
he remained silent, trying to think of some way to counter what seong gi-hun had told you, but if you didn’t believe the elaborate lie he already told you and wanted to learn more, then he knew this was the end of the road. 
“i-i need some time to think…” you looked defeated and it broke his heart. “i’m going to my mom’s house tonight, i’ll be back tomorrow—“ you got up, not bothering to pack anything aside from your phone and your wallet.
he had prepared for you to start screaming and crying (not that he would blame you, i mean, who would willingly stay with a man who was complicit in mass murder), demanding a divorce and packing your things to shut the door for him never to be seen again with your unborn child. the strangely calm reaction was both a relief and extremely unsettling to him.
“i won’t be mad if you decide not to come back” he stated plainly, defeated in a state you’ve never seen him in before. “whatever choice you make, i’ll support you, just know i love you— more than anything else in this world.”
you stared at him blankly through the open doorway. perhaps your husband isn’t the perfect man you believed him to be, but he was as honest as he possibly could have been with you regarding the matter, and that’s enough. 
“i love you too, i’ll be back in the morning.” that’s how you feel at the moment, but you don’t know if you’ll feel the same way tomorrow morning when it sinks in.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
978 notes · View notes
astrow1zar6 · 17 hours ago
Text
Big Slay Placements to have in your chart
Tumblr media
Jupiter in the 10th house: big boss placement, these people are usually so hardworking and ambitious at whatever job they do & have the ability to climb the financial ladder very quickly. Gives good luck in finding a career & making money. A lot of big business bosses & CEOs have this placement.
Jupiter in Leo: oh you’re the main character, this is such a lucky placement to find in your chart. Grants amazing level of confidence and charisma that can get you very far in life. Usually have good luck in dating as well & can be very good with children. This person will be very generous & big hearted, usually the party starts when they walk in. Very loud & unashamed of themselves. If afflicted however it can be big narcissists & have a hard time saving money. But overall these people are pretty lucky.
Venusian moon/degrees (Taurus + Libra, 2,14,19,26 degrees) gives a very pleasant personality and a charming mannerism. Bestows beauty on the native as well. I’ve never met anyone with these placements/degrees that are unattractive I swear. These people also have an easier time finding their soulmate than most. Can have very satisfying relationships that are usually long term. Their partners are also usually pretty attractive as well. These are truly bad bitches!
Venus in the 5th house: can charm the pants out if anyone. Even if they aren’t that attractive they can get anyone in their bed I swear. Although I notice their relationships can be rather short lived it’s usually not long till they have another admirer waiting to date them. They love to flirt.. and are usually very good at it. They see flirting & seduction as a game & have a lot of fun with it. It usually makes the native very physically attractive & have very beautiful children as well. U ever see those families where all of them just look so perfect?? 9/10 one of the parents got Venus in the 5th house. However they can struggle with addiction easily whether it be sex, gambling, dating ect.. so be careful you can get very overindulgent!
Venus/asc or in 1st house: a classic bad bitch astro placement. These people are just super pretty. They get noticed for their beauty and lot and usually have a lot of admirers. These people are easy to get along with and are agreeable (they hate arguments and confrontation). They can get popular easily on social media for how they look. Have a very ideal feminine body type (usually hourglass figures with a big 🍑). They can be love addicts as well just like Venus in the 5th house people. Tend to be interested in dating and had crushes at a very young age. They also attract pretty partners and friends as well (they do not fuck with ugliness😭). They can come off as pretty vain and superficial but it’s hard to fully hate these people even if they are a lil surface level. Also very blessed career and financial wise most of the time. (Their appearance helps them get jobs they aren’t normally qualified for) super blessed imo.
Venus conjunct Jupiter: idk why but I think of Santa Claus when I see this placement, just super generous & have big love for others. This placement also screams POPULAR. Your social life is always booming and really busy. People are just really drawn to you and you have amazing social skills. U attract all different people from all walks of life. Anything Jupiter touches it expands so when it touches Venus everything associated with Venus is multiplied in your life meaning you can attract nice things easily, attract a lot of wealth, partners, friends ect. They can have a very exotic look or be attracted to others with exotic looks (people from different cultures/ethnicities). They also can be very spiritual and have strong beliefs and a good amount of faith which gives them confidence and optimism. Beware of overindulgence and laziness because they can become pretty lazy if they don’t challenge themselves.
Sun in the first house: they are usually very flashy personalities (even the introverts). Every one I met with this placement had a big star quality about them like you can tell they have the skills to be very well known. They have a great amount of confidence & and lot of people I see with this dress soooo nice & are really good at taking pictures on social media. They love attention which is why a lot of celebrities have this in their chart they attract others to them like a magnet. This magnetism however attracts a lot of jealousy from others, you can have a lot of haters as well as admirers (it’s cuz you’re popping💋). These people can get too lost in the spotlight and become really egotistical & arrogant if they don’t watch themselves which can cause a lot of chaos in their life. But overall these people usually have a big fan base (even if they aren’t famous). Very good placement for the sun.
Neptune in the 1st house: they all look like they came out of a vintage Hollywood magazine. They are so naturally glamorous and glossy looking. They can have features that look very ethereal or out of this world like in a mystical way. When I think of this placement I think of lady Amalthea from the last unicorn. Many models and celebrities have this in their chart. They tend to take perfect selfies as well. These people actually can benefit from plastic surgery (not instigating it at all) but they can make themselves look even more unreal if they get it. (Ex; Kylie Jenner lips). These people can be big trendsetters too and can notice a lot of people try to copy them (it’ll never be the same effect however) they look so naturally cool and glamorous it’s hard not to copy. Most have very creative original styles that people admire so much. These people however can fall into addiction & mental health problems if they don’t take care of themselves… they have very fragile mental states due to their extreme sensitivity so it’s important for them to take care of themselves instead of using escapist tendencies. But overall these people are real life mermaids/fairies🥺
If you guys want a part two I will be willing to make more of these☺️ cuz I have a list of placements I find super cool to have. Lmk in the comments 💋
272 notes · View notes
ojbrush · 1 day ago
Text
I find OJ and Papers mischaracterization in the fandom really saddening. Its a main reason im not a big fan of payjay myself— Paper isnt a soft, uwu boy or whatever people call it. Shes shown to be physically strong (withstanding things being thrown at her, carrying a piano, etc.) and mentally strong. She's awkward and anxious but it doesnt make her a baby that needs to be protected? And don't even get me started on OJ. Sure , i do enjoy whenever people push his flaws and recognize them and incorporate them in his relationships with others (trust me, i do the same. I exaggerate them sometimes, even.) BUT its either they make him the most EVIL and Abusive guy ever, or they make him absolutely one-note with no personality. It makes me really upset.
I know its bound to happen in a fandom, especially with a ship and characters THIS old, and their fanon appearances are going to stick forever (I've done the same thing with both of these characters when i was younger) but i just wish there was some improvement on the understanding of their characters. And maybe some appreciation of them without the other. Let them have time to breathe by themselves. Not all paper content has to be with OJ, and not all OJ content has to be with Paper.
Thats just my little thought on it all, i suppose. It's just something I've noticed over the years
79 notes · View notes
mymoshangthoughts · 3 days ago
Text
oki look im back on my "binghe and airplane are similar and i love it" bullshit
except this time i want these two whiny cut-throat bastards to run a cafe together
like binghe is the chef, obviously, and airplane handles the business side of things, and between the two of them, they absolutely make the cafe succeed through underhanded means
like
could they succeed as a business with just binghe's talents as a cook and qinghua handling the bills while the both of them charmed their way through customer service with their fake ass smiles? abso-fucking-lutely. but would they? oh no
qinghua is like releasing rats into the neighboring cafes and salting their sugar in espionage to make sure that everyone knows that the surrounding coffee is shit and the only place for Good Coffee is their cafe. he's making multiple alts online to just destroy their competition through online reviews and switching out the labels on dairy milk with non-dairy milk so that all the lactose intolerant customers are throwing fits on the regular because look, qinghua knows that a small lil cafe cant stand up to the big chain restaraunts, but he CAN destroy the reputation of all the closest chains to him like an absolute bastard
and oki, maybe binghe doesnt NEED to mansplain, manipulate, and manslaughter his way through everything, but gosh darnit, it's second nature to him. he is absolutely gonna hunt down any threats to their establishment and break their arms. and literally everyone who looks down on his establishment or leaves a bad review or otherwise gets in the path of his vengeance trail? loooookk, he cant be blamed for the way he smiled to their face while stabbing them in the back. they had it coming! they insulted his mothers lemon square recipe and thats an arm breaking offense oki
between the pair of them, they have the entire area quaking in confused fear. cuz okay, something i wanna talk about, the pair of them are two-faced and terrifying but like... 99% of people dont know that lmfao
(off topic but a personal pet peeve of mine is when fanfiction has characters immediately notice that binghe or qinghua are lying liars who lie. like "he smiled but it didnt meet his eyes etc" and im just guys. it's VERY established that the pair of them are VERY GOOD lying liars who lie. binghe's main character trait is that he can lie so convincingly that even shen yuan isn't always sure when he's sincere or not. and qinghua was literally a double agent for HOW LONG without getting caught? dude HAS to have a convincing fake smile. so all im saying is that people wouldnt immediately be able to see through that)
so like, yeah, all the bad luck and shit started happening when these two chuckle-fucks opened up a cafe in the area so like, logically it has to be SOMETHING to do with them but binghe and qinghua are literally the two most harmless and charming lil dudes ever? qinghua looks like a harmless pathetic hamster and binghe will thank you tearfully if you like his lemon squares and these two are literally the most wholesome and sweet business owners in the area so clearly they're not behind it
like i just need people to losing their minds a little bit because bingplane have gaslighted them all into submission like the evil cut-throat two-faced fuckers they are.
i honestly cant decide whats better tho. the pair of them having a drink after work together where the vibes are "lmfao we're so evil lets bask in our victory" glow OR the two of them actually only have a faint idea that the other is ALSO an asshole x'D
oki i think i lean toward the latter bc i think thats funnier.
like binghe doesnt pay much attention to airplane bc, as stated, airplane is a pathetic lil whining worm and he legitimately could not care if the twerp lived or died so long as the taxes are filed on time. but tbh, even then, he's competent enough that he doesnt /need/ qinghua around. it's just kinda convenient to keep him around. so mainly he's just apathetic and ambivalent to qinghua, but like, he does sorta notice because they spend so much time together that theres a distinctly... ratty quality to the dude. like, qinghua disappears for an hour and no less than five minutes after his return theres a roach infestation found in their closest competition? sus as fuck. and theres a little bit of a game recognizing game type of energy, but bc binghe could not be paid to care about qinghua's existence, he doesnt really look into it
similarly, qinghua is like 80% sure that pathetic crybaby of a chef is just that, but also, look, he's not dumb and the last three customers who insulted his lemon squares came back to the cafe in casts and binghe is a little too quick to turn off the customer service charm sometimes. and qinghua has basically decided "i actually really dont wanna know". ignorance is bliss, whatever level of psycho his coworker is, he honestly does not care so long as the crazy fuck continues to bake like a god. he absolutely 100% does not get paid enough to know whether his coworker is a serial killer and he also has the self preservation to understand that the less he knows, the better
so they both kinda have vague hints that the other is a two-faced motherfucker, but it's something that they figured out over time. there was no immediate meeting and "oh i know what you are" it was like "oki we've been working together for a year and yeah, im starting to think this guy isnt what he seems". slowburn them into realizing that they have similar personalities, if you will
now as tempting as it is to taking this au in a bingplane direction bc im ngl, i am multishipping trash, i am much more interested in slowburning this as a friendship. or like, grudging companionship LOL because also that gives the opportunity for:
"i just had to ask the worst person i know for love advice" shenanigans
followed by "the worst person i know gives good love advice, fuck" shenanigans
maybe they're having a drink and it's friendly and binghe kinda jsut wants to go home because again, he does not give a fuck about the fact that qinghua is alive, and qinghua also sorta wants to go home but they've both sorta committed to the "we're friendly coworkers" bit so here they are at a bar and trying to map out the Soonest Possible Good Time To Leave when binghe unthinkingly asks
"how do you get someones attention?" because he kinda ran out of pointless weather-related topics and it was on his mind and he really didnt expect qinghua to give him a half decent answer but then qinghua DOES and also knows who binghe's crush is and also is tactfully NOT saying that he knows who binghe's crush is with the casual "look, as an example, that specific person might like~" type of thing
havent decided on a binghe ship tbh lol. like bingyuan is obvious but also would be fun to do some bingliu or bingmo instead lmao maybe bingning? look im a happy multishipper and binghe is shippable with Many Characters. tho for the purposes of this freeform au thoughtless drabbling, the binghe ship doesnt actually matter so i'll keep it vague lol
the point is that qinghua gives really good fucking advice and binghe is just Not Ready for that because he's absolutely seen what a Nightmare scene it is when qinghua tries to flirt
which is somehow how the two segue into a relationship where they talk about flirting and love interests and that sort of shit in the most "we are two stereotypical gossiping middle school girls on the planet who are giggling and playing truth or dare about our crushes" type of way lmfao
because yeah, they're both cut-throat two-faced assholes, but they're also both utterly Weak in love
might be fun if they cycle through a few different failed crushes, but still kinda have fun at each others houses in like pillow forts with martinis that binghe made and gushing about "omg he was like so cute, did you see the way that he brushed me off? ahh imma die, so hot" because also they realize that they both share a Type. they are both absolutely into the Cold Beauty type, altho luckily they haven't crushed on the same person at the same time Yet, but like, it's only a matter of time okay and they know it and they are fully planning to Destroy the other when the time comes bc it's not bros before hoes for them, ohno, it's "to get that hoe, i will bury my bro in concrete" between them and they both lowkey know it LMFAO
and look, mobei jun did not ask to be the culmination of that particular building battle between them. he just came for coffee okay. what the fuck is happening. why is this is life now.
because okay when the pair of them were crushing on individuals who popped into the cafe or people they met outside, there wasnt any sense of urgency to it because they'd just shoot their shot and usually it wouldnt work out, well, it worked out for binghe whenever he went after chicks but he quickly figured out that he was like Cursed with "women simp after me" virus and while it can be flattering to have a simp, it really isnt fun to DATE a simp, ya know? so those relationships usually ended badly. qinghua just has no game with men or women lol
but see, when they realize that they're BOTH after the same guy, then theres the realization that if they fail, theres actually the chance the other one will Succeed and that would be Bad because then they'd have to see the object of their affections dating a coworker and NOPE NO CANT DO IT, WOULD MURDER HIM, I NEED TO GET THAT MAN JUST TO SPARE MY COWORKER FROM BEING MURDERED. THIS IS REALLY ALTRUISTIC OF ME ACTUALLY
so now they're just A LOT more persistent than they've ever been before lmfao they are pulling all the stops, they are using every weakness, they are ready to fucking WRECK the competition
maybe i should aim for a bingyuanmoshang ot4 endgame lmfao. mobei jun and shen yuan are just a happily married poly couple and shen yuan is having the time of his life laughing his ass off every time his husband comes home from the coffee shop like "i dont know whats going on but im scared and weirdly horny" and when bingplane realize that the solution is that mobei jun has two hands (and a very attractive husband), things calm down lmfao
or alternate route for this path, instead of them both thirsting after mobei jun, shang qinghua just has the most pathetic crush in the world, so luo binghe decides to have mercy on his coworker and be a wingman. only he Very Accidentally catches mobei jun's attention instead and now airplane is actually kinda lowkey ready to kill him bc he thinks that binghe snaked him but for once binghe is innocent! he didnt mean to do it! and it's moshang endgame when mobei jun gets over his crush on binghe and notices the angry hamster desperate for his attention
OR OR OR WAIT I THINK I THOUGHT OF THE VERSION I LIKE BEST
oki instead of bingplane actively seeking out love at every corner, what if they're just not. like they do bond over crushes and stuff but actually they're kinda too busy with the cafe and life and hobbies to really think about romance more than a "omg he was so cute~" kind of way. so neither of them notice when they have customers who are just Actively trying to ask them out
like mobei jun has been desperately trying to flirt with the oblivious barista for MONTHS now and he's actually dying because qinghua will just say shit like "wow you're literally the most handsome guy ive ever seen" but then brush him off when mobei jun tries to ask him out bc qinghua just assumes he isnt serious and he's busy with the expresso machine and he has no idea that this man is just PINING behind him while he sighs pathetically to binghe later abt "man it's fun having crushes but dont you just wish someone could like you instead?" and binghe just like "look im actually desirable, cannot relate"
thinking bingliu route for this version bc i feel like liu qingge is just a lot more fitting for Uselessly Pining After The Barista than shen yuan is lol. also his attempts at flirting are basically just picking fights with binghe and he always loses and binghe has absolutely no idea how far gone qingge is for him LMFAO
also now that i think about it, mobei jun should be kinda bad at flirting as well LOL so shang qinghua is like 90% sure that mobei jun sorta wants to kill him
bingplane having their weekly gossip sesh in a pillowfort like "man oki idk why they keep coming to the cafe if they hate us so much... but also man they make for good eye candy, if they werent such assholes, i could see having a crush" and then maybe a terrible game of truth or dare results in both of them daring each other to flirt with the Mean Eyecandy Man and now moliu are about to get Wrecked LMFAO
look basically i think that this sort of au could go in multiple very delicious directions but at the base, i just want evil comrades bingplane running a cafe together with all of the gap moe in the world LMFAO
100 notes · View notes
lucygraysboy · 1 day ago
Text
“hey, i’m just sharin’ this important advice with sundance, didn’t know it was confidential,” billy laughs, finding the whole conversation even more hilarious because the horse is very much ignoring them. “hmm, maybe it’s too late for you now, lucy gray. your growin’ days seem to be over and no amount of veggies will help. you’ll stay this small forever.” teasing lightly, he has to admit that her garden is very impressive. all of his favorite vegetables are there, and snakes… can’t forget her tiny helpers. a shiver races down his spine at the mere thought. “exactly what i’ve been thinkin’. after all, who wants to get attached to the main character and root for her only to end up with a broken heart by the time the story’s over?” he doesn’t enjoy love stories without a happy ending. too many of them can be found in real life. fairytales are supposed to have that magical feeling about them. “of course. tristan the pirate prince would never marry some random girl. he’s going to fall in love with rainmist who’s the most beautiful, sweetest mermaid in the universe, and live with her for the rest of his life, and no one will ever come between them,” he insists, chin high up as he proudly brags about being a much better prince than the one from andersen’s book.
billy, too, has to stifle a laugh when lucy gray lets out a dramatic shriek and falls off the imaginary rocks. her small hands framing his face, tugging him towards the surface. there’s water in his nose and ears, and his eyes sting but he still opens them and looks at her as though she hung the stars. “our ship!” he stands up, pretending to be the pirate prince now, abandoning his role as the ranger. “it’s grounded! we’re too far from the shore and there’s rocks everywhere. did anyone else hear this? what was that sound?” he shields his eyes from the sun, pressing his hand to his forehead and looking around. “over there! there’s someone in the water! stuck between the ship and the rocks! it’s a girl! don’t worry, madam! help’s comin’!” he calls out before diving into the water again, swimming dramatically, arms and legs thrashing until he reaches her. he scoops her up bridal style and stands up, grinning but refusing to laugh. his eyes widening in feigned shock, as though he’s been expecting to find a human being and is holding a mermaid instead. “you’re — you’re… you’re not a lady. you’re a mermaid,” he gasps, hand gliding up her leg as if admiring the scales of her tail. “and you’re hurt!”
“oh, you tellin’ on me to sundance? that ain’t fair.” those two teaming up on her. “well, i’m a little better at it these days. i do like more veggies than i did as a youngin. i like growin’ ‘em and eatin’ ‘em. green beans, tomatoes, potatoes, there’s a long list.” she softly laughs, which he should know by now since he helped her garden them. “there’s not much right sounding about that story. i think the real goal this person was getting at— was wantin’ to upset us all.” lucy gray’s brows scrunch then a laugh sounds from her. “well, you’ll show ‘em how it’s done hm?” a smirk curling her lips, depending on him to prove what a better prince he can be. he already is doing so and he isn’t even in character yet, it makes her find adoration more and more each time he displays this thoughtful and attentive side to him as he ensures she’s in a safe zone of the lake. “that’s a good name.” smiling in amusement, thinking it’s creative and cute; both the ship name and his pirate prince name. giddy laughter already spilling over, a hand quickly stops herself from ruining the scene as she listens to him playfully cry out about the ‘rocks’ his ship is hitting. biting back laughter especially when he dives under and she’s still brushing her long hair, then letting out an ‘eek!’ when the ship — his head nudging into her belly — ‘knocks’ her over. she playfully falls side ways while hands reach under to bring his face back up so she can hear, “ow, ow! i’ve been struck by a ship! my tail! it’s hurt and i’m stuck under the ship!” feigning pain and a frown, knees bent, flopping her legs in and out of the water to make an injured mermaid tail. playfully frantically rolling around in the water, arms tossing around, pretending she’s trying to get out from being stuck between the ship and the rocks. “someone please help, please save me,”
383 notes · View notes
lost-romantique · 3 days ago
Note
I am trying desperately to figure out why parts of this fandom WANT a Stolas/Blitz/Vassago love triangle.
First of all, I thought we as a society have agreed that the love triangle trope is one of the worst romance tropes out there and that we’re all ready to retire it.
Second of all, it would be such a fundamental betrayal of both Stolas’s and Blitz’s character journeys for that to happen. Stolas would roll back his progress in making choices for himself and owning up to his mistakes, and Blitz would have every dooming fear he had about love validated and he’d shut down again.
Even if it’s just coming from the perspective of loving Stolas and thinking he can do better than Blitz, making Stolas even CONSIDER something romantic with Vassago, after everything he and Blitz went through, would be such an audacious display of character assassination.
And even if you don’t care about the characters, with all the other conflict going on, throwing a love triangle in there would just make the story bloated and irritating.
No matter how you look at it, adding a love triangle would be a dooming decision for the show.
I could understand the sentiment of Stolas and Vassago being a possible thing if we're referring to Apology Tour Blitz.
Back in Apology Tour, Blitz in no way was ready for a relationship and no matter how hard he tried to put that mask down, he wasn't able to open up completely without looking pained.
However, Sinsmas Blitz is genuinely the very best version of Blitz there is (so far).
Attentive
Caring
Fun-loving
Caretaker
Protective
Patient
Happy Cuddly Lizard 🦎
Suave and Romantic
And this version of Blitz is only able to exist because of the intensive character growth he went through in Apology Tour, Ghostfuckers, and Mastermind.
But the main reason why this Blitz is able to exist right now is because he has completely opened up his heart and soul to Stolas, and knows that without a doubt that he is genuinely loved by him (Stolas), Millie, Moxxie, and Loona.
Of course, Blitz has some more character growth to do, but right now, he's at much more healthier mindset than he ever was, and that's a miracle.
Stolas, right now, needs help and assistance and has some growing to do. And Blitz sees that and knows that. There is no better person to care for Stolas right now than Sinsmas Blitz.
Tumblr media
I know Stolas is confused, lost, depressed, and is in desperate need of his antidepressants; but he is going to be fine as long as he is able to grow and adjust to his new way of life.
Right now, the man is now dealing with the fallout of every wrong thing he has ever done in the course of the series in genuinely the most fucked up way possible. Actions have consequences, and Stolas is now learning the gravity of that.
But I'm going to be blunt, the man made his bed, and now he only has Blitz. They don't owe each other a relationship, but if Blitz is giving 110% of his love and devotion to Stolas, and Stolas repays him by literally going, "I am now magically in love with Vassago who I have never had a fucking conversation with once in the entirety of two seasons."
That is going to ruin Stolas' character for a lot of people, and that is going to break Blitz in a way I fear he won't ever be able to recover.
Also, these guys are endgame. You can't get anymore endgame than the gayest- cheesiest Disney duet in the universe.
Tumblr media
56 notes · View notes
Note
Hi have u ever met any players and if so who was/is your favourite
yes, i have met quite a few. especially in the old days when only a few hundred people would come to matches, it was a lot easier to interact with the players. you could have conversations after matches, and people were generally chill and not creepy, rude, or acting entitled with the players 😅
so i don't have a favourite per se, but some categories:
the most fun to chat with: andrea pereira and jenni hermoso, the biggest clowns and always down to joke around with fans 🤡
the most surprising: mariona is quite charming and has a lot of rizz in real life and irene paredes is so tall 😎
the most shy yet always polite and adorkable: alexia 😄
bonus: i have met several international players too, but two encounters that stood out:
meeting the uswnt legend briana scurry (who was at my hotel for the women's world cup in new zealand last year) and who is the most down to earth and chill human was so cool. 🥹
also, i had brunch next to abby wambach and her then wife, sarah huffman, in vancouver back in 2015, and wow what a larger than life personality! main character energy 😂
56 notes · View notes
sailorrhansol · 17 hours ago
Text
The Syndicates Collection
Tumblr media
Collection Details: This collection contains individual fics with each member of SVT paired with a different reader that occur in the same universe/AU and timeline. Each story is a stand alone, but three of them do have a connected/overarching plot. You do not need to read all of them to understand what's going on, and all of the fics can be read as standalone one shots.
Rating: 18+ Minors are strictly prohibited from engaging in and reading this content. It contains explicit content and any minors discovered reading or engaging with this work will be blocked immediately.
Collection Warnings: Criminal behavior, morally gray characters, murder, depictions of violence and murder, general violence associated with mafia/criminal activity, recreational drug sale and use, depictions and mentions of death, recreational drinking and drug use - each individual fic will be heavily tagged and warned appropriately.
Tumblr media
Main Masterlist | Tag List Request Form | Ask
CONNECTED WORKS
Baby | Omertà | Menagerie
FULL COLLECTION
Baby | Coming January 1, 2025
↪ Soonyoung has been in your life for as long as you can remember. You haven’t spoken since your wedding to someone who isn’t him, but when you uncover your husband’s plans to turn against your family, you don’t know who else to call. 
Ride or Die | Coming 2025
↪ You always knew you were different from a young age. The only person who has ever been able to understand you is Vernon. When things take a turn for the Choi Syndicate, your long-term relationship is put to the test.
Til Death | Coming 2025
↪ Being the heir of a powerful family has it's benefits - you get to go to whatever parties you want, vacation places people only dream of, and meet all the powerful entities of the city. It also has it's struggles, like being forced to marry a man you don't know - except you do know Minghao, who was your one night stand only a week prior.
Cherry Sours | Coming 2025
↪ Nothing in your life ever comes easy. Not family, not money, and certainly not jobs to pay the endless stack of bills. The only thing easy are the smiles you give Chan when he comes into your convenient store the same time every Saturday to buy his cherry sours. And then one day he arrives late, and everything changes.
Street Demon | Coming 2025
↪ You've been street racing since you could reach the pedal of a car - it's the only thing you've ever been good at. When a rival decides they're tired of losing to you, Seungkwan steps in to show he's more than just a street racer.
Omertà | Coming 2025
↪ Omertà (n) /ˌōmerˈtä,ōˈmərdə/ - code of silence, honor, and conduct that emphasizes remaining silent when questioned by authorities or outsiders. Or Jeonghan makes sure you stay on top of paying off your father's debts by making you betray everyone you've ever known during a Syndicate war.
Kerosine | Coming 2025
↪ Jihoon knew growing up he would be expected to practice law like his mother, protecting the assets and the associates of the Choi Syndicate. He's had no problem doing that so far - until he gets you as a client.
Stituation | Coming 2025
↪ Working the late night shift at the ER in the dangerous part of town sucks. Finding out the two repeat patients you've been flirting with are roommates is worse.
Corrosive | Coming 2025
↪ Trying to unravel the Syndicates that run the city isn't what Seokmin ever dreamed he'd be doing. Turns out he's good at it. At least until he meets you and everything he knows about the city's criminal empires is turned on its head.
Gin & Tonic | Coming 2025
↪ There is little benefit to working the underground fighting ring that belongs to the Choi Syndicate besides good pay. Another one? Getting to watch Junhui in the cage most nights and serving him his gin and tonic after he wins.
Dead to Me | Coming 2025
↪ You and Joshua ended things on a terrible note and you haven't seen him since, doing your best to avoid him - that is until he comes to your untimely and most annoying rescue.
Menagerie | Coming 2025
↪ Choi Seungcheol has been struggling since he stepped into his father's role leading the family syndicate. Nothing has been easy, fighting a war against both known and unknown enemies. You're easy though, making all of his troubles float away. And then those troubles come knocking on your door.
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: All members of Seventeen are faces and name claims for stories. Any scenarios or representations of the people and places mentioned in works are not representative of real-life scenarios. Moreover, none of my works accurately reflect, represent or take a stance on the nuances of Korean culture, cities, people etc. Seventeen members are not Seventeen culturally, intellectually, physically, or representationally in my stories, and should be considered name and face stand-ins for made up characters.
49 notes · View notes
invested-in-your-future · 2 days ago
Text
It's almost like the Arcane was never used as a deus-ex-machina mcguffin that overshadows the main conflict in S1. To most people, the title refers to the change in status quo brought by the creation of the arcane and how its (over)use might play a role in a developing class conflict.
It's almost like lore concepts thematically tied to the nature of power can be used in ways OTHER than literal mcguffins empowering a character-turned-jrpg-villain.
The shift in focus from class conflict and exploration of the nature of violence to a magic zombie robot fight, evil secret other countries, and LOL Cameos is one of the most jarring aspects of the changeup between S1 and S2.
It's the show's biggest mistake.
Vi got zero proper focus, zero development screentime, zero growth, zero actual development of her and Caitlyn's relationship (which was the highlight of S1), and zero proper conclusions with her sister.
Jinx almost instantly abandons all the setup from S1 and, while she has arguably the strongest characterization out of the entire cast here, is relegated to a B plot and Sequel Tease.
Viktor and Jayce lose any complexity and nuance of character as Viktor turns into a generic villain whose motivations are way too rushed to make sense. Their whole subplot could have been done perfectly almost EXACTLY the same way without the magic robot messiah nonsense via just the escalation of class conflict and arcane use's role in that.
Caitlyn suffers some of the worst character assassinations ever, and then the subplot of her GASSING THE POOR gets no proper progression or resolution! This could have been THE Caitvi subplot of S2, with Vi actually growing as a person and getting Caitlyn to snap out of the lure of authoritarianism as the two pick love over power. Instead, the show's most prominent lesbian power couple is treated as an afterthought who gets a truncated, easily removable bunch of scenes that prevent the natural and well-paced growth the relationship deserves.
S2 is filled with nonsensical things that it did not need, like whatever the blackrose was, the entire separate evil country, the revival of characters who should have stayed dead (Vander), over-use of Deus Ex Machina to resolve core subplots over natural growth (ex: use of Vander to truncate Vi and Jinx subplot, use of hilariously-pointless-traitor-extra-girl to truncate the need for Caitvi scenes, use of Magic Robot JRPG Villain Viktor for final boss), and a bunch of extras who feel like pale imitations of extras in S1, which had gravitas and meaning to their roles. \
Oh and whatever the hell Mel's storyline ended up being, where a character whose strongest aspect is her intrigue and politicking and ability to navigate the power struggle is removed from the plot altogether so she can get MCU powers for the Big Finish. Yes, this deserved a separate bullet point altogether because it epitomizes the issues with Arcane S2—the focus on superficial and literal over the core conflict and characterization which were the show's strength, turning Arcane into "Please Play League of Legends: The Show".
"#nevermind that the finale is also all about class conflict and you just dont like that it wasnt totally fixed and wrapped up in a bow#like the class conflict is literally given a hopefully uncertain ending#it's not gonna be fixed dude it's called the cycle of violence for a reason"
This part is hilarious, though. Because it was. It literally was. The show pulled the ultimate MCU cliché: "Everyone puts aside their differences to face the giant laser in the sky."
The War of Two Cities plotline is "closed"—Jinx "somehow" broke the cycle of violence without ever getting a proper subplot for the role the end of S1 set for her (but don't worry, the showrunners broke the fundamental rule of narrative to have Silco rehash and TELL what the show had already SHOWN despite the limited screentime they had), and the two divided cities came together for magic zombies, so there's no need to resolve the plot threads and tension of pesky things like police brutality or Caitlyn literally GASSING THE POOR.
The "meat and bones of the show" is treated as a secondary subplot to, basically, the third act of an MCU movie where centrists pat themselves on the back because "look, unity because of zombies.".
Don't you just love it when the actual meat and bones of the narrative—the class conflict and the nature of privilege and wealth—get dropped because the show wants its MCU magic zombie fight?
432 notes · View notes
the-voldsoy · 23 hours ago
Text
Alrighty it is almost the end of the year so, in no particular order, here are podcasts I recommend of the ones I've listened to this year! (let me tell you picking favourites for this was So hard) (Unfortunately I can't just do all of them because there are almost 50)
Hello From The Hallowoods: The world ended, but we're still here, and shit's weird. (Has made me cry; even the trees are queer; my comfort show<3)
Camp Here And There: Good morning campers! The time is 7:63AM and Cabin Magpie Moth has spontaneously combusted! Whichever one of you little woodworms can put it out first can come get a puffy sticker from me in the Nurses Cabin! (Is it a horror? Is it a comedy? I don't know, you'd have to check to be sure)
Wooden Overcoats: Funn Funerals used to be the only funeral parlor on the island. It isn't anymore. (Sitcom, the main characters are the most miserable wet cats you ever did see)
Re: Dracula: Maybe this year, they'll be okay. Maybe this year they'll all live. Maybe this year he won't go, and she'll be alright.
Magnus Protocol: TMA's louder, bolder, less serious younger sibling.
The Silt Verses: Oh boy. Let me tell you, you will look at crabs differently after this. (WET horror, genuinely the best pod I've ever heard)
Archive 81: Dan, a newly hired archivist, has to listen to and catalogue a set of old audio tapes. The tapes contain interviews conducted by someone Dan has never heard of. Dan is in an isolated bunker in the middle of the woods. Surely nothing will happen to our dear friend Dan. (What is it with archivists and getting snatched by The Horrors? Ignore the tv show it doesn't exist)
Red Valley: Just a couple of guys with an interest in research station Red Valley, whose focus was cryonics. It's completely defunct now. I wonder what happened. (Ethics? What's that?)
Woe.Begone: Some say it's about time-travel, some say it's about keeping yourself and those close to you alive, some say it's about online safety. All can agree on one point: What the fuck why are there cowboys now
Midnight Burger: Midnight Burger is a time-travelling, dimension-spanning diner. Dunno how it works or where it's going next. We open at six! (The episodes are an hour long minimum but it's worth it. Comedy sci-fi, lighthearted fun :)
Old Gods of Appalachia: The Appalachians are spooky y'all. (The narrator's voice is so comforting in this, it feels like campfire stories)
Dreamboy: Went into this pod being told it was made by the people who made WTNV and absolutely no other information. Let me tell you I did not expect the main character to tell us that he got a hard-on in the first episode. (The most sexually explicit pod I've listened to)
The White Vault: Nice little trip to Svalbard to check on the remote research station, surely nothing will go wrong :) (Holy Fucking Shit What Is That) (Recommend 1st season especially to The Thing (1982) enjoyers)
Camlann: Ever wished that you were apart of Welsh folklore or Arthurian legends? Or perhaps some of the last people left on Earth? No? Ah well, you'll pick it up soon enough. (Three idiots and a dog in Wales, fighting for their lives)
Breaker Whiskey: Imagine. Being the only person on earth. Just you. Just you, and someone on the radio. Just you, the radio, and a woman you absolutely do NOT have sexual tension with. (This one looks really long because it has 260+ episodes, but they're like 4 minutes long each so it's not really)
Ethics Town: Don't worry about it. (Cannot recommend enough, it is a mindfuck)
Tell No Tales: What if ghosts were a thing that could infest a place, like rats or roaches or mold? What if it was your job to exterminate them? And the million-pound question, do ghosts deserve rights? (I am waiting so so patiently for the rest of s2)
Remnants: You wake up in a place you recognise. You have always been there. You have no idea where you are. You see a stranger's life. You recognise them. You knew them once, you think. Discard or reshelve? You don't know what that means. It does not matter. Discard or reshelve, that is the question. (I am going insane over this pod)
Not Quite Dead: Vampires! Alfie is an overworked A&E nurse who does not have time for this shit. Unfortunately, he does not have a choice in this matter. (A really interesting take on vampirism, going into the biology. It is fascinating, and an exciting story)
Travelling Light: Space Quaker! Listen to the Traveller tell you about every new planet and civilisation they visit. Whattttt noooo they don't have a crush on one of their crew members what are you taaaalking abouttttt (Very comforting pod, beauty in the mundane in a way? But not mundane because yk. Aliens)
Someone Just Like You: Brilliant horror, just really well written. I don't even have words for it. So far there are only 6 episodes and the concepts/plots of each seem cheesy, but my GOD the execution.
The Bright Sessions: People with powers get therapy! Thank God, they need it so bad. (I love one particular antagonist so much, I need to put him in a microwave)
Poe: Evermore: It wasn't until I started this that I realised that Edgar Allen Poe would have had a Boston-ish accent. Reallyyy interesting story of his life, and I keep getting jumpscared by VAs I recognise. Faulkner Silt Verses what are you doing here.
Witherburn After School News: Your school radio host getting WAY more involved in the news than they should. Really hope they're still breathing. Love the folklore section though!
Before The Tone: Voicemails from someone who just got a job they probably shouldn't have. (Brilliant idea for the format, and great execution)
I Am In Eskew: What if you were trapped? What if you had a home, a wife and a child? What if they aren't real? Are you sure? Go and check. What if your city tried to kill you? What if it loved you very much, more than anyone else? (Horror but the narrator is the saddest wettest man you've ever heard)
Sherlock & Co: Modern day Sherlock Holmes, and John Watson is a true crime podcaster. Dear God I did not think it would be as compelling as it is.
43 notes · View notes
yuikomorii · 2 days ago
Note
i've been a fan of dl for years and i still don't understand how time works in this universe 😭 like how are ayato and yui getting married so many times? and in routes where someone dies (like when yui stabs shu in his MB route and they die together) how do they come back to life for the next game? i've heard it's karlheinz resetting the time but idk if that's true
// Good endings = Time doesn’t get rewinded and characters live happily ever after.
Brute/Manservant endings = Karlheinz rewinds time.
All the main games, except for HDB since its timeline was erased, are directly connected. However, the characters only retain memories up to the final chapters of Ecstasy. For a new game to be created, it would need to begin shortly after those Ecstasy chapters.
One of the most messed-up things in DL, if not THE most, is making Ayato the only Sakamaki capable of rewinding time even after death, which is essentially Karl’s defining ability. The irony of "I'm nothing like him," only for the writers to give him Karl's signature trait is wild. It's like they had it out for him or something. :P
43 notes · View notes
theresattrpgforthat · 24 hours ago
Note
Any low improv TTRPG's? as in low on the GM part, i would like to try some and see how it compares as I'm part of the improv scary crew
THEME: Low Improv Games.
Happy holidays folks! I'm going to try and get the last recommendation posts of the year out quickly, so you might get some more rec posts in the next two weeks!
As for this one friend, I tried to mix things up across game and genre, so I hope you find something you like!
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Tunnels in White, by MeatCastle GameWare.
Old money siphoning new money from every corner of your city. An aging mansion, quiet and worn. An old corporation shifting its gaze from development to development, always hungry, always growing.
A warehouse bearing the name Singleton Solutions, small and unassuming in one of a hundred industrial parks like any other, takes in truckload after truckload but never sends anything out. It’s the same for the people. Sometimes, they arrive in towncars, other times in shuttle vans. None come out. Ever.
What you know is something strange is going on inside that warehouse and you are determined to discover what it is. What you cannot know is where and how far the mystery may take you.
Tunnels in White is an adventure for Liminal Horror, a modern-day horror OSR game about normal people being subjected to terrible things. A good number of adventures and mysteries written for these games come with locations, maps, factions, enemies and consequences for you to use as needed whenever your players enter a new location or attempt something dangerous.
I’m really interested in the use of these adventures for various OSR games, as the adventures seem to be what have most of the meat, rather than the rules. If you really want these games to sing, you’ll want your players to create characters that fit the kind of adventure that you’re presenting to the table - in this case, perhaps your characters all have loved ones who have gone missing recently. Once your players have character buy-in, they won’t need much prompting to delve deeper into the mystery, and the fact that Tunnels in White doesn’t have one single “correct” solution to the main problem means that your players’ actions will mean all the more.
I think I see this module as a stepping stone towards improv in that it gives you options to choose from, rather than a singular railroad to follow. What you’ll get out of this is a location that feels logically consistent and real to the players, while the story that happens will feel organic, and heavily dependant on what the group decides to do.
You can find more modules for Liminal Horror in the Tales from the Void Liminal Horror Jam.
The Doom of Macbeth, by leozingiannoni.
Famine. Execution. Oppression. Supernatural longevity that no one seems to quite understand or question. As King Macbeth’s reign approaches its 100th year, your knights receive a revelation in a dream.
It does not have to be like that. 
As an answer to prayers and cries, the god Lugh reveals to you the alternative realities that could be, if Macbeth is not allowed to move on with his coup. You wake up to 100 years in the past, before you were born. What will you do to stop this horrible future?
The Doom of Macbeth is a deep-dive into one of the most iconic plays of all time, where you fight  your way to avoid a future that seems inevitable. Using the Doomsday Clock mechanic found in Arc:Doom by momatoes, you simulate the feeling of the play creeping upon your characters, and must fight against it— or towards it. 
Using a narrative that is familiar to the GM and the players might be another way to enter a game without having to worry too much about improv. Even though this setting is only the size of a brochure, you and your crew can lean on your knowledge of the Scottish play to make things happen the way you want them to. In this version of the game, Macbeth succeeds in becoming a mad king, but you know that this can change, if you tweak the story.
One more thing: I think you might need Arc, by Momatoes, in order to play this game.
Kiss Me If You Can, by sdunnewold.
River is a notorious international art thief and cat burglar. Jules is a well-respected special agent in charge of art crimes. Jules is determined to find and bring River to justice. But maybe along the way… they'll kiss?
Kiss Me If You Can is a simple print and play two player cat and mouse romance game that you can play in under an hour. It features two unique decks of prompt cards, one for each character. Each turn you play a prompt card, answer its questions, maybe talk about a famous artist or painting, and get a little closer to justice and/or love.
Another two-player experience, Kiss Me If You Can feels very similar to games that are Descended from the Queen, in that the bulk of the game revolves around drawing cards and answering the prompts provided. You’ll come up with locations, personal motives, and reasons for your characters to end up getting closer to each-other, but the cards provide a lot of direction, so I don’t think I’d necessarily classify it as improv. If you want a cute romantic story about a will-they-won’t-they scenario, you might like Kiss Me If You Can.
Exalted Order of the Mystic Moose, by Jacob Marks.
The Mauvewoods. You can’t hope to see the crown of a mauvewood tree from the ground. It took a day just to climb to the top of the oldest trees. Look past the undergrowth and ghosts can be spotted on the old lumber paths. Every ghost you see used to live in a mauvewood tree. Knock on a healthy tree, and you just might hear a hollow wooden knock in answer.
This zine details a forest, a town, and a dungeon, all intended for use with the tabletop roleplaying game: Cairn. Explore a forest full of lumberjacks, maple syrup, and strange ghosts. Delve into an old mansion sinking into a marsh. Confront the Exalted Order Of The Mystic Moose.
Cairn has a few editions now: the link I’ve added to this entry is for the 2nd edition Warden’s Guide, and you can check out Yochai Gal’s creator page for both the Player’s Guide and the First Edition. This adventure has oodles of locations, three main factions, and a 20 room dungeon for your players to explore. Cairn feels like a very traditional fantasy game at its roots, but the Exalted Order of the Mystic Moose feels like like a unique take, with some flavour that feels very Boreal Forest to me.
Like many OSR adventures, this isn’t a linear adventure - instead is a series of connected locations and a broad description of things that are happening when the player group shows up. The setting has a natural conflict that is happening separately from the players’ choices or decisions, which will make the setting feel more real and important to your play.
If you want to explore more adventures for Cairn, you can check out the A Town, A Forest, A Dungeon Jam!
Totally Killer, by bloodygorgeous.
When you were kids, all the girls—and, certainly, some of the boys—wanted a Chrissy, the only fashion doll to give Barbie a run for her money. Chrissy was designed to be the woman every girl dreamed of becoming: stylish, smart, independent, and, most importantly, a total smokeshow. For a while, shelves exploded with Out of This World Astronaut Chrissies. Protect and Serve Policewoman Chrissies. ’80s prom queen Totally Killer Chrissies. Chrissy could do anything, all while her boyfriend Ben waited at home. Chrissy could have it all. Decades later, as Chrissy fever descends again on Deep Lake, a murderer stalks the night. The police have their theories, but only the Latchkeys suspect the truth: that this killer has long legs, an unstoppable smile, and a passion for fashion. Chrissy has come to life, and she’s come to slay.
Public Access is horror-mystery found-footage style game that relies on pre-written mysteries to give the table an organic approach to role-play. While typically PbtA games are considered very high in improv, I think the mystery format of these kinds of games takes a lot of weight off of the GM’s shoulders. Typically these mysteries provide a very strong starting point, introducing the table to the mystery and some key characters to look to for hints and clues. The GM is also provided with a series of clues to drop into the game where relevant - perhaps a headless doll is found where one of the victims went missing, or a mysterious silhouette lurking in the distance.
These kinds of games also typically come with some kind of track to help monitor both the progress of the latch-keys as well ask heighten the stakes to encourage the story to keep moving. In other games, I know that this track is called the mystery clock. I’m not entirely sure what Public Access uses, but the core rulebook looks to have quite a bit hidden within its pages, so I’m confident that it contains everything you need to run your first game.
You can find more mysteries for Public Access in the Degoya County Public Access Jam.
Auctōrātus, by M. Allen Hall.
You know why you are here. You are not a criminal. You are not a slave. You are an auctōrātus, a volunteer, and you will be paid well for your performance. Make sure your mech is ready. Select your components. Charge your batteries. Be prepared for the fight of your life.
Auctōrātus is a 1- or 2-gladiator game of mechs vs. monsters. The 3 files include the one-page (2-sided) rules sheet, the character sheet, and the map of the arena.
Battle monsters over six rounds to win the tournament. From the lowly Scale Wolf to the monstrous Crescent Wyvern, you will need to carefully choose your mech's components if you want to survive. 
Featuring a diceless, zero-luck mechanism,  Auctōrātus is an experiment in tabletop combat. Since this is a one or two-player game that focuses primarily on strategy, you might find a lot of satisfaction in simply immersing yourself in strategy. You can play the game solo and manage everything yourself, or play as two players who take turns playing the monsters in each person’s respective arenas.
A Good Plan Never Fails, by Deric Bindel.
A GOOD PLAN NEVER FALLS is a one-shot, gm-less roleplaying game for 2-5 players focused on infiltrating a TOWER and making off with THE GOODS held within. The group builds up with a tumbling block game, with each move taking everyone closer to collapse or success!
Over the course of play, everyone will create a member of the Crew from a set of Archetypes and receive a special Secret Agenda, dictating how they get their BONUS. You'll be bulding up the TOWER, dictating each obstacle and how you overcome them. When the TOWER inevitably COLLAPSES, it's time to shift from the HEIST to the GETAWAY!
A really strong feature of pulp-action genre games is that they’re typically heavily inspired by movies, like heists or cons. This means that the game has a pretty familiar structure, such as the infiltration or the getaway. You can rely on the hallmarks of these genres when playing these kinds of games to fill in the blanks, and it’s easy to figure out what happens next because the game builds each phase onto the last. In the case of this game, that means that the first part of the game, building the tower, leads into the second part, when the tower collapses.
Kill Him Faster, by Korvidae Games.
On May 8th, 2068, scientist Elisabet Rosenzweig answered the most pressing question in science fiction – “what’s the first thing you would do if you could travel through time?” - by killing Hitler. It took her precisely 5 years, 137 days, eight hours, and 12 seconds.
Fifteen years later killing Hitler is the hottest sport on the planet. The record stands at two weeks.
Competitive games are another great structure for play groups that want to build on something without needing a lot of heavy improv. In Kill Him Faster, the game is divided into three phases: pregame, game, and post-game, each composed of press conferences, the competitive portion, and interviews. There’s various additional phases for a longer game, including Trade Day (where athletes swap teams) and off-season vignettes, which allow you to slow down and focus on individual characters.
If you want a taste of the game before you buy, you can get the rules preview here.
Other Notes
A Complicated Profession by Always Checkers Publishing has a lot of guiding questions and a very structured order of play, and follows reformed bounty hunters running a cruise ship.
Tournament Arc, by Biscuit Fund Games, focuses on sports competitions, which may provide a structure that is easy to follow, as well as a more collaborative experience.
If you like what I do and you'd like to send me a token of your appreciation, I have a Ko-Fi page!
51 notes · View notes
the-far-bright-center · 23 hours ago
Text
I understand your perspective, and I agree that the post-RotJ EU doesn’t really succeed as a worthy continuation of the story (mainly because it was always trying to continue a story that was still itself only half-completed —see the discussion below re: the fact that the Prequels were what truly completed the Original Trilogy). Personally, I was never into the EU books set after RotJ for this very reason. No offense to those who enjoy the Thrawn series, but the whole Thrawn thing is my personal nemesis. Not in a 'villain you love to hate way', but in a 'I can't stand the entire concept and I've always thought he was totally out of place and felt more like a Star Trek character than a Star Wars villain' way. 😅
So, with the exception of the Original Trilogy novelisations, I've never had any interest in the OT-era or post-RotJ Expanded Universe material. The only EU I've had time for has been the novels, comics, etc that were released concurrently with the Prequels and were set during the Prequels/Clone Wars time period. There are some rare exceptions, but none of the above that you describe is my 'thing' and I've avoided most of it like the plague; therefore, I fully admit that a lot of discussion of the specific details of the EU is out of my wheelhouse.
I can only really offer my personal perspective here, and I understand that other people's experiences in the Star Wars fandom may differ. That being said, I am not of the opinion that the current fandom view of the Skywalker saga as ‘tragic’ story is to blame on the Expanded Universe. And even in previous times, I remain unconvinced that it had such a widespread negative impact on people’s views of the saga. I grew up watching the Original Trilogy in the era before the release of the Prequels, and no one I knew back then ever expressed the sentiment that 'oh, Star Wars is so sad' or 'Star Wars is such a tragic tale'. At most, if anyone mentioned the EU, it was simply to say 'oh that part was really dumb, I don't see that as canon', lol. Even people I knew who were big fans of the EU never expressed the view that it somehow overrode the heroism and overall hopeful and redemptive message of the Original Trilogy. Mainly because 1) the EU was not that well known outside of nerdy circles, and 2) even when it was known, it was simply not viewed as canon.
To address the first point: in the pre-Disney era, the Expanded Universe was hardly ubiquitous, it was still rather niche. People who were uber fans and read all of it might not relate to this, but there were plenty of die-hard, lifelong Star Wars fans (such as myself) who never engaged with that material. We still had all the merch, action figures, did cosplay, knew all the info we could about the films, we just stuck to the Original Trilogy material (prior to the release of the Prequels). I'm not saying the EU wasn't popular in its own way— it was. There were entire sections of bookstores devoted to it, and I distinctly remember having friends who were super into it. However, this was something only 'Star Wars nerds' were into, and even then only a particular subset of Star Wars nerds. Even at its height, the EU was not mainstream, nor was it widely known amongst general audiences, which is in direct contrast to the current Disney material, which is more widely available and more well-known for the simple fact that it's largely live-action stuff and available either in cinemas or via streaming.
Secondly, the Expanded Universe, regardless of how well-known it might have been, was never actually CANON on the same level as the PT x OT films. Again, that is in direct contrast with the current Disney material, which is currently claiming to be 100% canon. The EU existed as 'tiered canon', so that the Lucas SW films were the main canon at the highest level, then followed by the animated tv series, then the books, comics, etc. So even if the concepts and characters from the EU had entered into the mindset of certain fans, this was not viewed as 100% set-in-stone, unassailable canon. Especialy not the stuff that was released prior to the Prequels, so much of which was rather, uh, 'out there', more sci-fi than space opera, and also was often self-contradictory. And importantly, a lot of which ended up being joss'd BY the release of the Prequels.
As for the pre-canon (pre-Prequels era) Expanded Universe.... I will just say that, in my opinion, any seemingly perpetual Jedi vs. Sith war that is supposed to have happened prior to the six Lucas films doesn't negate the PT x OT saga having an uplifting outcome. In fact, the longevity of the conflict only makes the fact that Anakin returns to his True Self and fulfills the Chosen One prophecy all the more meaningful. He ends the millennia-long struggle and brings Balance to the Force.
Now, it's true that Lucas had his own ideas for a sequel at one stage, but logistical issues (and difficulty getting the original cast back at the time) prevented him from seriously pursuing this. So, starting in the early 1990s, he focused on creating the Prequels, with the intended purpose of answering many of the questions left lingering by OT (such as, how did Anakin fall to the Dark Side? Who was Luke and Leia's mother? etc), and to explore Anakin/Vader's backstory and cement his status as a tragic hero. And imo, in doing so, Lucas seems to have understood that, more than any sequel, this backstory was the truly compelling 'continuation' to the OT's storyline. Indeed, he has repeatedly stated that the Prequels completed the saga:
"The original idea for Star Wars was one movie about the tragedy of Darth Vader. But as the story grew, it ended up being three movies and the backstory was never explained. I decided it would be important to finish it off and do the backstory because things that I thought would be self-evident about the story, the audience didn't get. Over the 10 years after Return of the Jedi, I realized people misunderstood a lot—such as where Anakin came from. So it was a way of finishing the whole thing off." —George Lucas (from 'All films are personal: an oral history of The Phantom Menace')
He's also made it clear that the PT x OT saga is supposed to be viewed as one, single story (Episodes I through VI), with the resolution of said story being the uplifting happy ending of RotJ:
"You have got to remember that this is one movie, and it’s meant to be seen I through VI. So, I think when you watch the actual movie in order, the story will become very clear: that Anakin is the Chosen One. And even when Anakin turns into Darth Vader, he is still the Chosen One." —George Lucas
and finally, he's also stated that the saga is ultimately Anakin's story:
"It’s a certain story about Anakin Skywalker and once Anakin Skywalker dies, that’s...the end of the story."   —George Lucas 
My purpose in bringing up these quotes is simply to emphasise that the saga as created by Lucas can and does stand on its own as a single, completed story. And a story that is very clearly a tragedy in the first act, and a hero's journey in the second. Together the two form a 'divine comedy of redemption'. Something with tragic elements, but which ultimately transcends that tragedy.
There was a brief golden period in time (approximately from the late 2000s to the early 2010s) when people began to analyse the PT x OT saga on its own terms. And even began to appreciate it for what it was. See the fandom’s increased interest in the 'Ring Theory' concept, as well as the rise in popularity of the Clone Wars tv series at this time. There was also some academic level analysis of the PT x OT saga going on, perhaps most famously seen in art critic Camille Paglia's appreciation of the Mustafar duel and her perspective on RotS as ‘the greatest artistic masterpiece’ of our time.
This growing fandom appreciation and critical analysis of the saga as a single completed story was sadly cut short by the Disney-era.
Obviously, this is all just my own perspective. However, I feel quite strongly that the EU, whatever its issues, is not the source of the current fandom’s misunderstanding of the nature of the Skywalker Saga. The only thing that is single-handedly to blame for this is the Disney Sequel Trilogy, and specifically the very first film, The Force Awakens.
Why do I say this? Because the entire premise of TFA was that nothing that happened in the entire six-film saga mattered or had any lasting positive impact on the galaxy. It negated the entirety of Anakin's arc and erased the positive impact of Luke's hero's journey. And it was in the aftermath of that horrendous film and the subsequent two sequel films that I observed a distinct shift in the overall fandom attitude towards the Skywalker saga. I began to see people here on tumblr lamenting 'why is Star Wars so sad!' and other similar sentiments, whereas I had never before seen this. Even previously with the existence of the Prequels themselves, no one had claimed that all of Star Wars was now tragic. Anakin/Vader had been reframed into a tragic hero, it's true, but nothing about the Prequels had negated Luke's Hero's Journey. If anything, it had made it shine all the more brightly.
Likewise, whatever silly stuff was supposed to have occured in the Expanded Universe, being primarily relegated to books, comics, and games, it had never actually had the prominence or 'household recognition' that the current Disney material has had. Add to this the fact that the EU was never intended to be on the same 'tier' of canon as the PT x OT films, and thus never had the same level of destructive power that the live-action films and tv series series by Disney have. The problem with the Disney material being that the very first live-action entry into it, The Force Awakens, had a premise so destructive and disrespectful to the entire Lucas saga that said saga might as well have not even happened. Anakin's entire arc might as well have not even occurred, it has so little lasting positive impact in the Disney version of events.
Whatever the EU did or did not do with this same subject matter isn't the point, the point is that Disney put their destructiveness on the big-screen for mainstream audiences to see, and that's why it has permeated the fandom culture and mindset much more thoroughly than the EU material ever did.
Star Wars isn't a tragedy. Only the Prequels are. Disney (and most of tumblr it seems) may think all of Star Wars is supposed percieved in a sad or tragic manner, but it's not. Return of the Jedi is triumphant, redemptive, and uplifiting. It's the fairytale ending that bookends the greek tragedy. The combination of fall and then redemption of the human soul is the entire point.
Anakin is a tragic character, but the Skywalker saga itself NOT meant to be tragic, neither in its tone nor its actual outcome.
119 notes · View notes
seventhartandothers · 12 hours ago
Text
Forever tired of hearing people calling Helluva Boss misogynist, I'm so frustrated, why can't you just say you don't like the show and move on and not find "actual reasons" to dislike it, it's not that deep in this regard. This is an MLM show, in which one of the main characters is a repressed gay man who has lived most of his life in a toxic place with an abuser and who has depression, whose worst thing you hate him for was cheating his ex abusive wife, cheating fucking sucks but damn can't you stop projecting your ex cheating partners upon Stolas and seeing yourselves as Stella? Not everything is written on your life experiences, and Stolas story certainly wasn't ever meant to be written having in mind any of you.
Not to say Stolas is perfect, he is deeply flawed in many ways, but honestly by the way some of you talk about him, you do not see him for what he is or what he did but as your ex partner who cheated on you and how much they made you feel miserable, or sometimes as your own father throughout a divorce and life.
But Stolas is neither your ex partner, nor your father. And he has never meant to represent them in the show.
27 notes · View notes
nekropsii · 2 days ago
Note
what internet space do you think has the worst characterization of mituna? like 4chan, tumblr, wattpad .. i was reading the most painful mituna fic ive ever seen on quotev earlier, so im curious about your experiences as The mituna guy
I don't actively seek out Homestuck fan content these days, and I wholly do not read fanfiction (anymore), so it's hard to speak on this. I know for a fact that 4Chan doesn't really have a whole lot of Homestuck posting these days, but... Back in the day, at least, some of the most Normal About Mituna people were also 4Channers - which is kind of a shock. So that's definitely off the list for me.
I've read some absolutely fucked takes on here, especially from the types that swear up and down to be good little leftists who hate ableism, and some god awful posts on Amino... If you pointed a gun at my head and made me choose, I'd say probably those. Maybe. I don't doubt that Twitter's pretty bad, though. Twitter's always a cesspit. And fanfiction authors in general... There's good ones and exceptions to this, certainly, but the main reason I do not read fanfiction is that it tends to be wildly out of character popcorn media that doesn't have anything new or interesting to say. Whole lot of agonizingly vapid yaoi, bad characterizations, and equally agonizingly vapid abuse porn. So, I guess put AO3 on that block, too.
I don't know. Again, not only is this hard to quantify because I do not seek out Homestuck content... But also because... Nowhere really has good takes, you know? There is not a single website on this Earth that has consistently good takes on Mituna. Or Homestuck in general, for that matter.
33 notes · View notes
miserymet · 2 days ago
Text
Tragedy - Reploid Bass AU
Was digging through my old WIPs and found this bad boy. It’s technically unfinished (because I didn’t know how to end it) but it gets the main point across and establishes the where the plot is at post MMX7. Thought it might be interesting to those who want more details on the AU.
(quick timeline context; Bass gets his memories back post mmx6, disappears off the face of the earth and shows back up again halfway through mmx7)
Summary: Zero and Bass talk about one of Bass’ many regrets. In the process, Zero tries to connect the brother he knew as Forte to the stranger wearing his face.
“I wasn’t supposed to be here.”
The words are quiet. Not soft, as nothing Zero’s brother does is soft anymore, but they lack the usual bite. It’s enough to draw Zero’s attention to where Bass now sits. 
The chair holding him is old, a mundane relic of the furniture that was commonplace over a hundred years ago. It’s a miracle that it hasn’t crumbled under the weight of its occupant, but Bass had mentioned that the entire base was designed around its mechanical residents. Perhaps its creator imagined one of his robots might need to use a chair. Even if there’s not much of a difference between sitting and standing for them.
Zero’s surprised to see that Bass has his back turned to him. His brother isn’t too keen on letting Zero out of his sight nowadays, but his gaze is firmly fixed upon the screen in front of him now. Another uncharacteristic behavior. Zero sets aside the spare parts he was examining, all interest gone, and approaches the screen that has his brother so transfixed. It casts a dim light even in the darkness of the base, but the image is clear enough.
It’s an old contact log. A few lines of text sit at the bottom of the screen and for some reason, Zero feels the need to read them aloud.
“Bass. I made a mistake. I created something that I can’t control. You’re the only robot strong enough to stop it. Please help me.” He furrows his brow as he speaks the final line. “I’m sorry.”
“Six lines. Twenty six words. A hundred and fifteen characters.” Bass mutters.
“What does it mean?” 
It’s a genuine question, and maybe that’s why Bass laughs as though it’s the stupidest thing he could have asked. Zero waits with bitter patience for his brother to finish. This is typical of Bass’ new personality. Brash, abrasive, rude, all of these words and more fit the new image Zero’s brother has made for himself. Even his name is new. “Bass.” It’s been a bit of an adjustment to say the least.
Eventually, Bass manages to pull himself out of his laughing fit. His next words are the last thing Zero expects to hear.
“These are the words that killed me.”
“…I thought I did that.” Is all Zero can say to that. Bass laughs, much quieter this time.
“In the end, yeah.” His brother leans back in his seat. “But fighting you wasn’t-, I didn’t…”
“You ‘weren’t supposed’ to?” Zero volunteers.
“…I shouldn’t have.”
Bass goes quiet, lost in whatever old memories are haunting him today. Zero can’t help but feel frustrated. He used to know what to do when Bass…when Forte was upset. Whether it was about his lost memories, his weakness, his outdated code, Zero could always help. It’s different now.
Everything’s different now.
“Do you remember what I told you about our creator? How we didn’t really get along?” Bass starts, gaze still stuck on that old log.
“Because of your penchant for rebellion, yes.”
“That was only half of it. Yeah, I disobeyed him whenever I felt like it, but he wasn’t some doting father.” His brother turns to glare at him. “He was the most selfish, stubborn, stupid old man I ever met. Full of himself, too. You would have hated him.”
“That sounds a lot like you.” Zero can’t help the bite to his words. Maybe X was right. Maybe all this is getting to him. “Where are you going with this?”
“I was loyal at first. The old man had a lot of expectations for me, and I was determined to meet them. I didn’t. No matter how hard I tried, how strong I was, it was never going to be good enough if I couldn’t beat-,”
He stops abruptly, almost letting something slip. Something important. Bass is always vague about his old memories. He’s hiding something, but Zero can’t tell if it’s because it’s too risky or because he’s hoarding all that’s left of his past. It could really be either one. Zero isn’t sure he knows Bass all that well anymore.
“The point is, I was a failure to him. So he tried to move on. Build something else.” Bass shakes his head. “I couldn’t accept that. We fought. First it was just arguments, but it escalated. Before I knew it we were trying to kill each other.”
“What did you do?” Zero asks, though he’s not sure he wants to hear the answer.
“I left.”
Oh. Zero wasn’t expecting that.
“It sounds obvious, right?” His brother rests his head against his hand, expression flat. “But I wasn’t a reploid. I didn’t have the programming X or Axl did. It wasn’t as simple as changing my career. I was leaving my creator.”
“Bass…”
He doesn’t let Zero get a word in. “I agonized over it for days. What was I if not his robot? What could I even do without him? I was practically one foot out the door already, but I couldn’t move the other one. I…cared about him.”
Zero tries to imagine it. Bass, in his original body, standing beside a vague figure. His gaze sweeps across the room and Zero sees Bass sitting on a table full of junk, swinging his legs as he speaks to his creator. What did his face look like? Was it flat and cold, speaking in an even tone about plans or progress or whatever a man like that saw fit to discuss with his creation? Or was he annoyed, brow furrowed with one dipping lower than the other and mouth pulled into a small pout? Maybe it was a face Zero had never seen before, a soft smile, a wry grin that so clearly spelled out his amusement. 
He can only imagine. When he turns back to his brother, Bass wears the grimace he’s grown so used to.
“That was how I convinced myself to leave, in the end.” He breathes an empty sigh. “If I stayed, I might have hurt him. Might have let my anger take me to far and…”
His hands move in front of him, digits curled tightly around an invisible enemy. They hang in the air for a moment and shake. Then they fall. Bass lets his head follow them.
“You came back.” Zero speaks softly, trying for a gentleness he’s never been good at. “Why?”
Bass doesn’t pick up his head. “Same reason. I cared.”
“He made a robot, couldn’t control it and called you for help.” It feels both more and less real when he says it aloud. “He called you to your death.”
“And I came. I came because I am a fucking idiot.”
Zero blinks at the harsh language. Bass is far from the composed brother he knew, but even he didn’t use that language regularly. It feels strange. Forte would never, but Bass…it fits him a little more.
“He didn’t even have to apologize. The moment he came to me for help, the moment he called me strong-,” Bass grips his head in his hands. “All my conviction disappeared. I walked into that lab, this lab-!” He throws out his hands, nearly hitting Zero, “and I died for the man that tried to kill me!”
Zero doesn’t know what to say. What can he say? This is something he’s just learned, a grief he can only imagine. Bass has lived with this knowledge since the day he got his memories back. How did he feel, waking up and knowing that he lost everything to a man long gone? How do you live with that burden? How do you keep fighting?
Bass shoots up from his chair, gaze now fixed on Zero. There’s so much behind his eyes that Zero can’t see. A world no one alive has any hope of understanding.
“I was so close to being happy! To having something other than a worthless creator who only tolerated me as long as he could use me!”
His brother takes a step forward, the light of the screen illuminating every tear that falls from his face.
“And he took that from me! You took that from me!”
“I’m sorry-“
Zero sees the punch coming. He almost dodges. It’s what every self-preservation program in him begs him to do. He doesn’t. He takes it. The punch is hard, snapping his head to the side quite painfully. He doesn’t flinch. Not even when Bass’ fist splits the synthetic skin of his cheek. All he does is look back at his brother.
Bass stands there, eyes wide and mouth open. His arm hangs in the air. He can see the grime left on his hands. Can see the tension in every part of his body. Then, it shifts. Bass drops his hand and closes his mouth. That glare returns, fierce as ever.
“Don’t pity me. It’s too late for that.”
Zero tries to find his words. “I don’t-,”
“That hit only landed because you let it.” Bass casts his gaze to the side. “Everything I do to you is because you let me. Even in this body, I’m not strong enough.”
34 notes · View notes