#the plot holes so big we can create new plots in them

[howlionj]

i have a lot of free time so i think about ghost introductions in game and additional content. isn't it strange that we got only three ghosts in rorke's files and only one story about gabriel? even though there's literally five of them who's active in a plot: elias, hesh, logan, rorke, keegan.

like i think in second part there should've been a keegan's and ajax's files. keegan because he played a big part in several operations and considered qualified enough to do single missions plus rorke's question about him was suspicious. ajax because rorke mentioned him in his vendetta list (ajax, elias, merrick*) and i guess before odin he was second-hand man of elias because rorke was so sure that it was him who shot him.

if remastered version or sequel ever happens i would love to see new rorke's files and additional information for one we already have.

*he kinda forgot about him in the end lol poor merrick

[liz-on-leash]

Since today is baemon pharita's birthday, can you please give us a pharita birthday noncon smut?

The plot i think about is pharita is having a birthday party with baemon members when a bunch of her drunk fans crash the party and grab her, they end up nonconing her while keep chugging her with alcohol so much, her belly starts to bulge, when one of her fans saw em, he step on it, making her shoot out all the cum and drinks in her belly from all her holes

Crushed Birthday

BABYMONSTER Pharita

Gang rape, Anal insertion, Forced drinking

2,986 words

Last fic before I will disappear to finish a new commission. I hope I did well following the anon's request, if not, well, still read it, lol.

It was Pharita's birthday, and the BABYMONSTER girls had gathered to celebrate with their vibrant, fun-loving friend. The party was in full swing; music blared out from the speakers, creating a vibrant, energetic ambiance as colorful streamers hung from the ceiling and the air was filled with the excited squeals and laughter of the girls. 

Pharita, the center of attention, glowed with happiness as she laughed and chatted excitedly with her friends. The girls had adorned her with a playful, feathered boa and a sparkling party hat, and she looked adorable, her big eyes sparkling with joy as she embraced her friends, clearly feeling loved and special on her big day. 

However, as the sun set and the night wore on, an unexpected, sinister turn of events was about to unfold. A group of drunken male fans, who had been loitering outside, had somehow gotten wind of the private party's location, and now they crashed the scene, their eyes gleaming with dark intentions as they spotted Pharita. 

The girls were startled by the sudden intrusion, and a few of the members let out startled screams as they realized the fans' less-than-innocent motives. 

"Hey, you girls! We heard it was someone special's birthday!" One of the fans called out, his voice already slurred, as he leered at Pharita, who took a cautious step back, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. 

Before anyone could react further, the group of fans had rushed forward, their eyes fixed on Pharita as they surrounded her, cutting her off from the other girls. 

"Whoa, easy there, guys!" One of the staff overseeing the party called out bravely, trying to diffuse the situation. "It's just a birthday party. I-I know, why don't you guys join us and celebrate-" 

But his words were cut short as one of the fans grabbed at Pharita, pulling her close and breathing alcohol-tinged breath right onto her face. "You're damn right it's someone special's birthday. And we're gonna celebrate alright..." his eyes fixed on Pharita's frightened ones, a dark, hungry look in his gaze. 

Pharita let out a scared whimper, her eyes flitting to her friends, pleading for help. But the fans were quick to separate her from the pack, pulling her away and effectively cutting her off from any potential rescue. 

"Please... don't..." Pharita whimpered, her eyes filling with tears as she realized the fans' indecent intentions. 

But her pleas fell on deaf ears as the group dragged her further away, their hands roaming roughly over her body, tearing at her clothes. 

The other BABYMONSTER members, realizing the danger, sprang into action, trying to fight their way through the crowd of laughing fans to reach Pharita. However, they were heavily outnumbered and soon found themselves restrained, held back by the drunken men who were determined to keep them from interfering. 

"You girls can leave us alone! She's ours now!" One of the fans shouted, his voice harsh and triumphant. 

Pharita struggled desperately, kicking and flailing as she tried in vain to break free. But it was of no use; the men were too strong, and soon they had her pinned down, their hands holding her in a firm grip. 

"Stop... struggling, bitch..." One of them hissed, spitting right onto her face as she continued to squirm. He raised his hand, slapping her hard across the face, the sound sharp and vicious, making her cry out and finally fall still. 

The fans laughed cruelly, clearly enjoying her fear and desperation. They took their time, their eyes roaming hungrily over her trembling form, taking in the sight of their beautiful, famous captive now completely at their mercy. 

"Look at this pretty little whore..." One of them breathed, reaching down to grab at her feathered boa, using it to pull her head back and expose her throat, which he proceeded to choke, his other hand pinning one of her wrists down.

Pharita made a desperate, gurgling sound, her eyes bulging as she tried to breathe, her body arching and twisting futilely. 

The fans found this extremely amusing, laughing and jeering as they watched her struggle. They took turns choking and slapping her, enjoying the power dynamic and clearly getting off on her fear. 

"That's enough!" One of them finally called out, and the others seemed to agree, stepping back and releasing her. 

Pharita gasped for breath, coughing as she finally got air into her lungs, her body trembling. She lay there, her eyes wide and frightened, her chest heaving as she took in panicked gulps of air, clearly still in shock from the brutal treatment. 

The fans, however, were far from done. They stood in a circle, leering down at her, their eyes dark and hungry as they discussed their next moves. 

"Yah, I got an idea…" One of them started, a malicious glint in his eyes. "Let's play some drinking games, his, with our birthday girl here." 

The others seemed to like the suggestion, their eyes lighting up with cruel anticipation. They started rummaging through the shelves in the room, pulling out bottles of alcohol. 

"Now, now, birthday girl..." One of them cooed as he approached, holding a bottle of soju right under her nose. "Let's see how much of this you can take..." 

Pharita shook her head desperately, her eyes fixed on the bottle with clear denial. "No... please... I don't drink..." 

The fans laughed, clearly finding this amusing. They grabbed her arms and legs, holding her down as they forced the bottle to her lips. 

"Drink, bitch!" One of them snarled, and they tipped the bottle, the alcohol spilling into her mouth. 

Pharita choked and coughed, her body instinctively trying to reject the liquid, but the fans were relentless. They held her firm, forcing her to swallow, their hands gripping her jaw as they poured more alcohol down her throat. 

The girl's eyes watered, her throat burning as she swallowed, clearly not used to the harsh liquid. Her breath hitched and caught, her lungs feeling like they were on fire, but the fans were merciless, not letting up until the bottle was drained. 

They finally released her, and Pharita lay there, her chest heaving as she coughed and spluttered, her eyes watering from the stinging burn of the alcohol. 

The fans, however, were not satisfied. They wanted to see her belly bloated and distended from the alcohol, a cruel, twisted desire taking hold. 

So, they forced more bottles upon her, holding her down as they poured, their hands gripping her tightly as they made sure the alcohol went down her throat and nowhere else. 

Pharita's eyes bulged, feeling like they would pop out of her head as she desperately tried to keep up with the influx, but it was too much. The alcohol burned and stung as it went down, and her throat felt raw and abused. 

They kept forcing her to drink, and soon, her belly started to show signs of their cruel intentions. It swelled and protruded, the skin stretching tight as the alcohol took effect. They found this hilarious, laughing and pointing as they admired their handy work. 

"That's what you get, bitch!" One of them shouted, clearly enjoying the power trip. "A nice, fat belly! Now, we can have some real fun..." 

Their eyes gleamed with malicious intent as they reached for their flies, unbuckling and unzipping with haste as if they couldn't wait to get to the main event. 

Pharita, seeing their actions, let out a terrified whimper, her eyes flitting to her friends, who were restrained and helpless, clearly unable to provide any aid or comfort. 

The fans didn't waste any more time; they pounced upon her, their hands rough and eager as they grabbed and tore at her undergarments, ripping them away with brute force and leaving her completely exposed. 

The idol let out a high-pitched keening sound, her body trembling as she tried to cover herself, clearly embarrassed and ashamed by her nudity. 

But the fans wouldn't have that; they grabbed her wrists, holding her down as they admired her trembling, naked form, their eyes roaming hungrily over every inch of her exposed skin. 

"Look at this tight cunt..." One of them breathed, reaching down to grope at her, his fingers tracing along her slit and making her squeal and buck. 

They laughed, clearly enjoying her discomfort, and one of them spoke up, his voice harsh and demanding. "Get this bitch ready to fuck. She's gonna take all our cocks now, nice and deep..." 

Pharita let out a scared whine, her eyes pleading as she shook her head desperately, clearly not wanting what was about to happen. 

But the fans were relentless; they held her down, their hands firm on her wrists as they positioned themselves between her legs, their hard cocks pressing against her virgin entrance, making her squeal and struggle. 

"No! Get off! Ahh!" She shrieked, her voice high and desperate as she tried to buck them off, terrified by the size of their cocks and the savagery with which they were handling her. 

But her pleas fell on deaf ears yet again as the first fan thrust forward, his cock breaching her tight, untouched folds and penetrating deep with a harsh force.

Pharita screamed, a high-pitched, agonizing sound that echoed through the room. Her eyes widened in pain and shock as she felt herself being stretched and filled in a way she had never experienced before.

The fan above her grunted, his eyes rolling back in pleasure as he savored the tightness of her virgin pussy. He began to thrust in a brutal rhythm, his hips slamming against her sensitive flesh, causing a sharp smacking sound to fill the air with each impact.

"Oh fuck, she's so tight!" He grunted, his hands gripping her thighs as he pounded into her relentlessly.

Pharita's screams echoed through the room, her body trembling and bucking beneath him as she tried to adjust to the invasive sensation. Her belly still distended from the alcohol, rippled with each violent thrust, the liquid sloshing around inside her, adding to her discomfort.

The other fans watched with hungry eyes, their cocks twitching in expectation of their turn. They cheered and taunted, encouraging their friend to fuck the birthday girl hard.

"That's it, destroy that tight Thai pussy!"

"Make her scream, show her what a real cock feels like!"

The fan above her was lost in his own pleasure, his face contorted in ecstasy as he slammed into her with abandon. He reached down, grabbing a handful of her hair and forcing her head up to look at him.

"You like that, bitch? You like getting fucked by your fans?"

Pharita could only whimper and sob, her body shaking uncontrollably as she endured the continuous thrusting inside her pussy. Her eyes squeezed shut, tears leaking from the corners as she tried to escape the harsh reality of her situation.

But the fans were far from finished. One of them stepped forward, his cock hard and eager as he pulled his friend away, taking his place between Pharita's spread thighs.

"My turn to taste that sweet Thai pussy," he grunted, positioning himself at her entrance.

Then he plunged into her, eliciting another piercing scream from the girl. This fan was even larger than the first, and Pharita's eyes rolled back in her head as she felt herself being stretched to her limits.

The fan above her laughed, a cruel, mocking sound as he watched her struggle. "Oh yeah, she's loving it! Look at that pretty face, boys, she's in ecstasy!"

Pharita's cries filled the room, a mixture of pain and humiliation as she felt herself being impaled over and over. The fans took turns, each one thrusting into her roughly, their cocks slamming against her cervix, causing sharp jolts of pain to shoot through her body.

The alcohol in her belly sloshed and churned with each violent movement, and soon, she felt an urgent need to relieve herself.

"P-please… you're hurting me… hnggg…" she whimpered, her voice hoarse from screaming. "No… I-I need to pee..."

The fans just laughed, their eyes gleaming with cruel amusement.

"Aww, does the little bitch need to pee?" One of them mocked. "Well, go ahead, let it out! We want to see it!"

Pharita shook her head desperately, her cheeks burning with shame. But her body betrayed her, and as one particularly large man ripped her pussy with his thick cock, she lost control.

A warm stream of urine began to flow from her, soaking the fans. They howled with laughter, clearly enjoying the added humiliation.

"That's right, piss for us, you dirty slut!"

Pharita sobbed uncontrollably, her body shaking as she continued to release her bladder, unable to stop the flow. The fans just laughed, enjoying the show.

But one fan, who had been particularly cruel, had an even more degrading idea. He stepped forward, his eyes landing on Pharita's swollen, alcohol-filled belly.

With a crooked smile, he raised his foot and brought it down hard onto her distended stomach, his heel pressing into her bloated flesh.

Pharita let out a startled cry, her eyes widening in horror as she felt an intense pressure building inside her. The alcohol, along with the cum that had been pumped into her, had nowhere to go but back out.

The fan ground his foot into her belly, and with a wet, explosive sound, Pharita's body began to expel its contents. Cum, alcohol, and urine shot out of her in a violent gush, spraying the fans around her.

The fans who had been laughing suddenly found themselves covered in the foul-smelling mixture, their faces and clothes soaked. They stumbled back, cursing, their eyes wide in surprise and disgust.

Pharita, meanwhile, lay there, her body spent and trembling, her belly deflating as it released its contents. She sobbed weakly, her eyes closed as she tried to block out the horrific reality of what had just happened.

The fans, their initial amusement now turned to anger, glared down at her, their faces twisted in rage.

"You fucking bitch!" One of them shouted, wiping the mess from his face. "Look what you've done!"

They advanced on her again, their eyes dark and vengeful, clearly intent on continuing their brutal assault.

One fan noticed her clenching, virgin asshole, and an idea sparked in his twisted mind. He reached for a cold beer bottle, one of the many that littered the floor, and approached Pharita, who lay there, her eyes glassy and unfocused, still whimpering from the relentless pounding of her pussy. 

The fan smirked, his eyes gleaming with malicious intent as he held the bottle by the neck, the cold, wet glass a stark contrast to the heat of the room and Pharita's flushed, sweaty body. 

"This tight little asshole needs to be stretched," he said, his voice harsh and cruel. "Let's see how she likes this." 

Pharita, who had been struggling weakly, her strength waning, suddenly froze as she felt the cold glass press against her most intimate rear entrance. 

"N-no... please..." she whimpered, her voice a mere breath as she tried to squirm away, her eyes widening in fear and denial. 

The fan laughed, a dark, sinister sound that sent shivers down the spines of those who heard it. "Oh, it's begging for it. Let's give her what she wants." 

With that, he applied pressure, the cold, hard glass pressing against her resistant sphincter. Pharita's eyes rolled back in her head, and she let out a high-pitched keening sound, all mixture of pain as she felt the bottle push past the tight ring of muscles. 

“Oughhhhh!”

"Fuck, that's tight!" the fan grunted, his eyes fixed on the bottle as he slowly inserted it further, watching with fascination as it disappeared inch by inch into Pharita's ass. 

The girl beneath him squirmed and writhed, her body instinctively trying to reject the invasive object, but the fan held her firm, his hands gripping her hips as he continued to feed the bottle into her ass. 

"Take it, bitch! Take that bottle like a good little slut!" he demanded, his voice harsh and commanding. 

Pharita's scream echoed in the room, her body convulsing uncontrollably as she endured the treatment. The cold glass stretched her, and she could feel the hardness of it pressing against her sensitive rectal walls. 

The fan began to thrust the bottle in and out, a cruel, mocking fuck as he watched her reactions with glee. "Yeah, that's it, work that bottle, you dirty whore!" 

Pharita's eyes went all white, tears leaking from the corners nonstop as she lasted the painful insertion on her most tight sensitive hole. The men’s voices were harsh and cruel as they encouraged their friend to continue the anal violation. 

The fan picked up the pace, thrusting the bottle in and out with force, his hands slapping against Pharita's ass cheeks, making a sharp, lewd sound fill the room. 

Pharita's cries became weaker, her body going limp beneath him as she slipped into unconsciousness, her mind unable to cope with the aggression on her body. 

The fan, noticing her passing out, smirked. "Looks like the bitch couldn't take it," he said, pulling the bottle out with a wet, sucking sound. 

He stood up, zipping his pants and adjusting his clothes. The other fans, who had been watching with glee, also began to disperse, their eyes roaming over Pharita's naked, abused form one last time before leaving the venue, satisfied with their brutal gang rape of their favorite idol. 

Pharita lay there, motionless, her eyes closed and her breath slow and steady. The only signs of life were the gentle rise and fall of her chest and the occasional twitch of her muscles, remnants of the brutal assault her body had endured. 

The BABYMONSTER members, who had been restrained and helpless, finally broke free, their eyes falling on their sister, who lay there, naked, abused, and alone.

[pastorfutureletthembe]

I love YINGDU as it is

I don't think I'll read these interviews everyone is talking about :/ I thought hard about it, I've read the general points of it, but I don't think reading them will make me enjoy YINGDU more. Quite the opposite actually.

Me: thank you but no thank you. Later maybe. Love you, still.

I don't understand why they had to get interviewed to clear things up. By why, I mean, this situation is fucked up and I don't get how things got like this in this industry.

First. Can't the fans just wait and see? We're grownups, stop treating us like children who cried to get a lollipop. We'll still be here next year. Trust your fanbase.

Second... in what kind of world were the animators under pressure to the point they created plot holes and new timelines by accident? I'm extrapolating but, for real, how fucked up is it that they decided to rush a show that popular for the sake of airing it early? I'm sorry, was the money we spend on merch every few weeks not enough? I'm just mad at the production, honestly. Because they made a big mistake.

They're rushing in like bulls in a china shop. The character PVs were a mistake as well. They should have been released after YINGDU, to manage our expectations on characters that were yet to be introduced. I used to think it was an actual teaser, a window on how Lu Guang saw them or what they will become because of Lu Guang's meddling with the timeline. Now, I'm starting to think they needed strong marketing to get people's attention.

The whole thing makes my viewer experience less than optimal. So I'll keep writing meta but I won't take these interviews into account. 🧩Meta is for fun🧩, mere interpretation, only fanon, and that's okay. Meta is gamble. Meta is character study and theories on plot twists.

✨And that's okay✨

We're not suppose to write season 3 in advance. So it makes sense to me to keep having fun on what the show and the official content bring us. But as far as I'm concerned, the interviews didn't happen. It's not denial, just-

When I was studying cinema in university, my teacher once told me a very harsh truth: if you have to explain the sequence you filmed, then you didn't film it right. Sadly, in this context, production limitations were at fault but the lasting impression is the same.

Do you realize how insane it is that a creative team has to spell their work out to their fans? How humiliating it must be? There's revealing easter egg, teasing next season, spilling spoilers on accident, and then there is whatever that was. I feel for the creators and animators who worked themselves to exhaustion to bring something as beautiful as YINGDU to life. Because this season? It isn't perfect and it's inconsistent and different but no one can call it ugly. I would lick my screen because the image does look tasty lmao. My heart bleeds for all the people involved in this season.

Meta is trying to understand and noticing easter eggs, honouring the writers and animators' work X

Of course, that's only my stand on the topic. I might take different directions in my interpretation than others, that's all. Aaaaaand? Yes. That's okay 🥰

As an artist myself, I feel like the situation is kind of disappointing for the people who worked on YINGDU. That's why I'll take the canon as it is. I don't want to mourn what could be or should have been. I want to enjoy what is.

Meta is diving in the depth of symbolism X

As a fan, I get that we're happy with every nugget of information on what's coming next. The lore in Link Click is still blurry and while I honestly want to believe it is an artistic choice and will stay under control, I can't help but fear it's the result of bad writing. But. What if it is? Meh, I'm still here, enjoying myself. Because I love this show as it is, I see the flaws and the beauty in it. I'll be there.

Meta is love and each of us expresses it differently X

[frownyalfred]

Question, cause I have an idea I can't shake and I wonder how you think it'd go because your takes are always immaculate, in an injustice style world where Supes goes off the rails and the JL follows him what do you think the Bats would do if Bruce was the one who died?

All of the batkids are alive (none of the kind of weird Damien accidentally killing Dick stuff) and Bruce goes to confront Clark about it and somehow it ends in him dead.

Very distinct scene in my head where Bruce sees it all unfolding and tells the kids he's going to go talk to Clark with very little expectations of success and the next time they see their father it's Kal-el delivering his body to them. Telling them he's sorry, but Bruce didn't understand. He's sure they do though, he's heard them argue with him. They understand sometimes death is necessary.

How do you think they'd react?

(saw some stuff from Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League and was thinking about the Bats and somehow this was born)

Personally I think there would maybe be some murder but you know it's just a little idea

Idk if I'll ever get around to fleshing it out and writing it but it's been plaguing me. I think Alfred deserves to get the final blow, you know if Kal killed his kid. He should be the one with the long range sniper rifle and a clip of kryptonite bullets. He deserves it you know?

I think it all kind of depends on the type of Clark here (is he really Injustice-y yet? is he a straight up dictator when Bruce goes to talk with him, or just warming up?) AND it depends on how Clark explains Bruce's death to the League and the Batkids.

Does Clark kill Bruce out of anger? Is it an unfortunate accident? A little bit of both? If Clark is really falling down the Injustice rabbit hole, he can explain it away as a Joker plot to save face. If he's still Clark, I think he would tell people the truth -- either that it was an accident, or he hit Bruce but didn't mean to kill him, etc.

Sometimes, getting revenge for a loved one's death is about making the person responsible feel your pain and devastation. The Batkids and Alfred will need to evaluate if there's 1) a way to hurt Superman that doesn't end with all of them hurt/dead too and 2) any hope of making Clark feel more guilty/devastated than he already is over Lois, his kid, AND Bruce.

There's nothing like showing up with a big kryptonite blade to kill Superman and him just...agreeing with you? And hating himself for what he did? But a Superman who's falling into that dictator role, who denies responsibility or some responsibility for Bruce's death, who tries to capitalize on it all for his new worldview -- that's a Superman worth fighting against.

If we take the Batkids as Bruce's substitute during the main events of Injustice, then yes. They'll create the insurgency and fight against the regime, in Bruce's memory. But it's an interesting upend of Bruce and Clark's dynamic, since part of their regime/insurgency was always underlaid by the fact that they were/are equals, and once very good friends.

These are Bruce's kids Superman would be hunting down, one by one. Does he restrain himself from killing them, out of some misplaced sense of guilt? Does he want to recruit them away from their insurgency because he knows even one Batkid alive is a huge threat?

All really good questions. Injustice AUs are so much fun, I don't know why there isn't more fic about them!

[kathaynesart]

I remember when you first started Replica and I haven't been here in a hot minute!

May you please do a debrief of what it is, the characters and their relationships.

I want to be able to give my friend (who I finally dragged down into this TMNT rabbit hole) a good explanation of your wonderful comic!

(⁠.⁠ ⁠❛⁠ ⁠ᴗ⁠ ⁠❛⁠.⁠)

Aw thank you so much! Hm… I suppose a summary would be good to have on hand. For the uninitiated with no context, here is the basic elevator pitch:

The year is 2044 and the last remaining Resistance of Earth has just fallen to the alien invaders known as the Krang. In a last ditch effort to save the planet, Casey, a freedom fighter is sent back in time to undo the events that first led to the invasion. While he is ultimately successful in his mission, the state of his original fallen timeline remains unknown. The last of the freedom fighters, his family, perished to ensure his safe escape, leaving their world to the mercy of the Krang.

Which brings us to the ultimate question: when you already know the heroes are doomed to fail, what can be gained from being told their story?

For the rest below, I’m going to write with the assumption that the reader has some basic knowledge of the series and the film because I feel that this story is best enjoyed with proper context.

SUMMARY

Replica is a story meant to answer many of the questions the first 4 minutes of the movie left us wondering. It’s to explain the basic history of the bad future timeline and how it came to be. The plot focuses particularly on the later half of the apocalypse, all with the intention of leading up to the opening scene where the Krang wins and Casey Junior is sent back in time to fix the mistakes that Leo and his family could not.

It’s to answer questions like:

How did Leo get injured?

Why is Mikey so old looking?

What were these characters like in the future?

What happened to Raph, Donnie, and April?

Where is big bad Krang Prime in all this?

How did the Resistance finally lose to the Krang?

Did they plan to send Casey back in time in advance?

What happened to this world/time-branch after Casey Jr was sent into the past?

MAIN CHARACTERS

For the most part, the cast is comprised entirely of characters from the series. My goal is to keep this as canon as possible, so no new OC's... save for one (kind of).

Omega Bootyyyshaker 9000 is where this story starts and ultimately where it ends. He is a brain scan AI of Donatello, created to act as both a support system for the Resistance after the turtle’s untimely death and also a key component in a plan that will hopefully put a stop to the Krang should the Resistance fail. Omega is great because he adds some much needed levity to the story, acting a bit more like the aloof but silly teenage Donnie (a side affect of not having to experience the usual physical weariness that comes with being an organic, aging organism in an apocalypse). However, he also adds more weight by being the thing that is supposed to outlast all of them and act as the last line of defense for the remainder of the universe. He claims to merely be a "replica" of Donnie's mind, but whether he's just a digitized scan, his own AI person, or somehow connected to Donnie in a deeper way has yet to be seen.

Leonardo Hamato: the man, the myth, the legend. Casey Junior spins tales of how great his sensei was in the movie, but in this story we really get to see Leo go from his lowest point as a pawn for the government, crushed by the shame of his past actions, to his greatest height as the leader of the Resistance. He is going to fail a lot in this story... but ultimately his greatest success is overcoming his own inner demons and coming to terms with being the father figure he had never asked to be. He cares deeply for his family and Casey... but he thinks he'd be a horrible dad.

Michelangelo Hamato: the only other surviving turtle to see the end of the world. He is the emotional bedrock of the family and a stand in therapist when he's not being a silly little guy. His mystical powers are unparalleled, but in his attempts to regain his lost Ninpo he taps into something far deeper, leading them down a path that intertwines the destiny of their doomed future and a past that has yet to occur.

Casey Jones Jr: a sweet boy taken in by the Hamato family. He strives to become a great warrior like his mother (Cassandra) and his Sensei (Leo). We are going to watch him grow from child to teenager as he slowly takes on the roll of being a fighter in the resistance. Through it all he must walk an unsteady line that allows him to find the strength to weather the storm but retain a certain spark of hope that helps keep his family going.

April O'neil: Commander of the Resistance and another honorary Hamato family member. She is the voice of reason and most emotionally stable of the family. Even after dealing with so much loss, she keeps a stiff upper lip as well as cold and calculating mind that always puts the colony's wellbeing first and foremost.

Donatello Hamato (deceased): The story begins shortly after Donnie’s passing during an infiltration mission against the Krang. He was dead set on planting a probe behind enemy lines that would allow them to spy on the Krang’s movements. However it seems that he had a secret agenda in planting something that would work as a final doomsday weapon against the Krang. What that is exactly, we do not yet know. The man self-destructed in a last ditch effort to avoid being interrogated by the Krang as well as a final attack to injure Krang Prime.

Raphael Hamato (deceased): The eldest brother who sadly passed away many years ago in the fight against the Krang. A boisterous but considerate man whose death sapped a great deal of the fighting spirit out of his brothers. His absence is greatly felt, but he might not be as far gone as he seems.

Krang Prime (One): Our big bad of the story. He is the leader of the Krang that has latched onto this planet like a cancer, using up its resources and assimilating its population. However, unlike the hundreds of planets that have come before this one is particularly personal. He doesn't want to merely assimilate but utterly destroy the descendants that caused his imprisonment thousands of years ago. His current state is unknown after being last seen with Donatello at the time of the man's self-destruction.

NEED TO KNOW DETAILS

All Resistance fighters have tiny self destruct bombs in their brains so that the Krang can not probe their minds to find out the Liberty Colony's location. They go off automatically after Krang infestation reaches a certain percentage, but can also be set off via voice command.

Donnie's brain bomb was far more potent because of the amount of information he knew. He did not want to risk the Krang getting any part of his mind.

The Krang have been searching for the resistance in a frustrating game of cat and mouse which has only become more difficult now that the Resistance easily knows their every move by using Donnie's probe.

Central Park Colony: now destroyed, but was once the last massive human colony in North America, housing both the EPF (Earth Protection Force) and US Government. Racism was a huge problem as most yokai and mutants were either quarantined, tested on, or used as living weapons in the fight against the Krang. It has since been destroyed.

Liberty Colony (aka the Resistance): grew from the ashes of the Central Park Colony. It is comprised of the survivors and lead by Leonardo, April, and several others. It is much smaller and more militaristic, but treats yokai, humans, and mutants equally.

Artificial Intelligence (like Omega and Shelldon) are able to fend off the Krang assimilation that people and tech would normally succumb to. It is for this reason Omega is used as both a protector of the Liberty Colony and operator for a majority of the vehicles so that the tech can no longer be easily taken over by the Krang during attacks.

Leonardo and Michelangelo (as well as Donatello's) Ninpo have all been stripped from them by this point in the story. While Leo can not tap into his family connection at all, Mikey at least has regained the ability to use some of his mystic powers.

Mikey's mystic abilities however come at a price. Since he can not tap into his Ninpo and the fountain of energy from his ancestors, he is instead using his own life force to cast his spells. It is slowly draining him.

TIMELINE Can be viewed HERE

SOURCE MATERIAL The video that inspired this all can be viewed HERE

Hope this helps! Sorry it's a bit long, tried to break it up with images. At least there might be a few interesting bits of information other readers may not have noticed. I snuck in a few things that haven't been mentioned yet, hehe.

[cartoon-cass]

Murder Drone episode 7 & 8 trailer analysis

This is the first bit of Murder Drone news we've had in a while so I'm biting at the chance to do some analysis. I'll do new dialog first as there isn't much of it.

"hahaha thanks for giving me the planet. Fricking idiot."

This is said by CYN or Absolute Solver, which ever one you want to call them. At first I thought this was a thing that happen in present time but that seems like a pretty big plot twist to put in the trailer so more then likely it's either what happen when Copper-9 core collapsed or what happened to Earth.

"All I know is I need you. [We'll] figure things out, together?"

I put the "We'll" in square brackets as I'm not a 100% sure that's what he says, theirs a loud crash right before it and there are no subtitles so can't be sure. N is not having a good time, poor baby. I'm guessing Uzi found out about the whole kill all infected worker drones and N is comforting her that he won't kill her.

On to the images now.

This shot is pretty dark and we get no context about it but it appears to be some sort of man made cave system, with wooden support beams and a wooden crate with what appears to be an old timey gas lamp. The hole in the wall is made out of fleshy growths with human skulls and rib cages, the fleshy growths are reminiscent to other fleshy stuff the Absolute Solver has made and the human remains are likely from the scientist or other types of workers unlucky enough to be in the blast radius when the hole was created. My money is on one of those Null black holes like the one Uzi made in Episode 6.

Uzi and N hug UwU. All jokes aside they appear to be in some sort of church, surprisingly clean for what I have to assume is god knows how far underground. The hug seems pretty desperate so they seem to have been separated from each other, as shown in the next shot, also Tessa or Doll are nowhere to be found.

This is the best shot I could get of this scene. N is being dragged on the floor into the hole by eldritch hands, this seems to be the same spot as the first image. N is grabbing something and for the life of me I have no idea what it could be but N seems to think it's important, It's not a core, maybe a human heart but that is a big maybe, but it's my best guess.

Here we see 2 sentinels chained up and a giant church, the sentinels are probably guarding it. At first I thought it was raining in this scene but on closer inspection it's actually stalagmites and stalactites, which means their definitely underground. there's a human skull on the bottom right and in red, possibly blood, is written null, there other words on the column right behind it too but it's to hard to read it.

In this frame you can better see that there's a banner on the church that says, "Lab space for rent" there seems to be red tape on it with other text but that's way to small to even guess at what it's saying. There's also a miner helmet and a bloody pickaxe, given the blood I'm guessing this was for a human and not a drone.

The sentinels seem to be reacting to some sort of light but the source of the light is not seen but it's from above, which is why I first confused it for lightning but given their underground that seems unlikely.

The only thing we see of Tessa and it's slamming Nori's locker closed, there was nothing in the locker if you were wondering. I love the little drawings, hopefully we get to see more of Nori she seems to be an interesting character .

Something weird I noticed is that thing in the bottom left corner it's not there for one frame and the next it's there and I have no idea what it could be. It's probably nothing and maybe just a result of editing for the trailer but I thought I mention it.

Look at them their so cute. I think they heard something and turn around to see what it is, likely after the hug but no idea. the light there facing is red and it persists throughout the next few shots too, maybe it's Doll, the eldritch thing from earlier or both, eldritch Doll.

Uzi is holding a crucifix of all things??? Also Uzi does not seem ok, she seems to move weird.

This frame shows that Uzi has some sort of image on her screen, or her screen is off with no eye lights and it's reflections, it's really hard to tell, but I think it's the first as the frames before this where her head is down has the same thing which wouldn't be if it's reflections.

At first I thought there was a disassembly drone in the background but it appears to be a light fixture, though it doesn't seem to do a lot of help as it's dark as hell down there. Also Rip N's hand. I think there might be a N and Uzi fight but I doubt either of them wants that.

It's interesting their leaning heavily on the Christian theming, it's always been there, the disassembly have wings and halos, head band lights, and where even referred to as sky demons, but they've never been so upfront. If I'm reading them right N is meant to be an angel or a fallen angel and Uzi a demon but what that means for the episode I'm not sure.

[aamy2100982]

So, like last time. Just some thoughts on All New Venom #2 (Spoiler Alert)

☆ I always start off on the wrong foot, so I'll start by saying that I don't like the amount of characters in this comic.

Obviously the important ones are the symbiote, the suspects, Dylan, MJ and Paul. But for some reason in just this issue they gave us 3 groups of enemies

These guys here seemed to want Venom to join them, but when Venom didn't accept they tried to kill them

These ones here, because apparently one of the members has beef with the symbiote because the zombiotes killed her family or something like that. They are from the government and they want to get rid of the symbiotes by removing them from the planet. Understandable, really.

And finally this last group who had some score to settle with Madam Masque

I thought this comic would be like, one villain while the fights gave us little clues that would tell us who the new host is, but it seems not. At least not from what I've seen in these two issues. I guess there's no villain to defeat and the whole plot revolves mainly around the mystery of who the host is.

It's okay I guess. But it's a little weird, because there are so many characters and half the time I'm just wondering "Who this guys are? What does they have to do with anything?"

Especially the ones at the beginning, I didn't see a purpose for their interaction other than to give us some panels that I found a little funny.

☆ About all new Symby. I think being piss yellow now gives it new powers or something. They can now create and stretch limbs to levels the symbiote was not as good, in addition to being really resistant to explosions, because, the main weakness of the symbiotes will be fire and sound, but nobody is unaffected a little by an bomb explosion in your throat

and they seem to have better regenerative power... or maybe not

I mean yes, but I think Symby and this new host could be almost in perfect symbiosis, to the point that there is no one under the "suit" they are all just Venom, I don't know if I make myself understood xd

Especially for the last panel. Where they were shot.

Because I don't know about you. But I don't see anything, no face, no flesh, no blood, no bones or brains sticking to the wall. Nothing, just a hole. We already know that Symby had a hard time healing a host's heart, but now they heal brains like it's nothing? damn

So either Symby got a lot better at this or they're literally molecularly fused. They still don't get along as well as I thought.

☆

Okay, first of all, how dare they, huh? Do this to my poor little heart. How fucking dare they?

I feel like this is more of the symbiote talking. It's a little confusing. They could also both be talking at the same time, the host experiencing the symbiote's grief for thinking about Eddie, who Symby thinks is dead.

But what surprises me the most is that I thought they were friends, but apparently they still aren't. They're just "stuck together", whatever that means.

I don't think it's like what I said before about the perfect symbiosis, there must surely be a reason why they joined together and now they are working together on... I don't know, fighting people here and there

☆ About the suspects

Robbie is still very big in my suspicions. He's just too convenient all the time.

Luke moved down a bit on my list, because he's a little more concerned with getting rid of the symbiotes.

And this Rick guy... I don't know, I don't really think anything of him.

I guess it could be, just because he talks about Venom a lot, but he always points fingers at everyone but himself. Which could be a way of getting rid of the blame.

And about Madam Masque, we didn't even see her face in the whole issue. The thing that would make me most suspect that it's her is that when the guys had this meeting Venom was on the other side of the city, so technically it would be impossible for Venom to have gotten to the other side of the city so quickly if it was Robbie. And that Venom went to fight these people who were looking for Madam Masque without anyone calling them or telling them that weird things were going on there.

Which is solid. I mean, why would Venom butt into matters that don't concern them or suit them just because, who do you think their host is? Eddie Brock? Nah

☆ And finally, let's talk about the most important thing about this comic and the only thing that really keeps me hooked.

My baby boy♡

MJ and Paul's entire appearance is them arguing because Paul can't stand Dylan's attitude.

I can't 100% agree with MJ here because "Violent Alien" is one of Dylan's parents and the main reason he's acting so desperate to find Venom and "Father stabbed on live TV" was in a bigger context.

Plus, I just don't care about these two arguing.

Just guy upset because kid didn't like his dish

and a kid who probably has as much of an aversion to vegetables as his daddy Symby.

And this, which is the delight for MJ x Peter fans

I feel like it's a little forced... Very very forced.

Because Dylan is mean, but he doesn't say directly hurtful things to you, more like making comments that challenge the authority of whoever he's arguing with.

I think Al Ewing knows he's not getting that much attention to this comic with this whole "All New Venom" thing. So he had to put on a little glitter to attract more readers. That little shiny glitter thing being Paul and MJ arguing and Dylan being really mean to Paul. Talking trash so the fans are like "HELL YEAH! You tell him!"

☆ Whatever. Let's move on to the next thing, which is Dylan escaping from MJ and Paul's house to go find Venom.

Honorable mention to this

And that Dylan is so precious to me

Next Issue:

Symby: Help me, dude, what do we say to the boy?

New Host: Nah, man. It's all yours.

I hope. My only expectation, I HOPE that their reunion is not bad, please, Al Ewing. The only thing, THE ONLY THING I ask of you

☆ We still don't know where Sleeper is. Some said it was just sitting outside the window in the previous issue, but no. They're just not there, although there is a mention of them.

"Traitors" Who, why? Huh?

Are Venom, Sleeper and Flash among the traitors? Or are they separate? I don't even know what that means. Is Normie and Bren?

Those are the traitors? Maybe because they didn't let Dylan stay with them and he ended up with MJ and Paul.

I don't even care, where's Sleeper!? Where's my baby?!?!?!

The only thing I could perhaps assume is that it is looking for Eddie. Because Flash said in Venom War that he was going to look for him, maybe Sleeper decided to go with him.

☆ That's all I have to say, I think. Kisses kisses

[bladekindeyewear]

HS^2 bloggin’ mainline 2024-08-14 continued #2

(Previous post - current page 587)

We ain't STOPPIN WE AIN'T STOPPIN (well okay we are at the end of this post for a couple days)

==>

SO ANYWAY HERE THEY ARE IN THEIR MATCHING OUTFITS THEY'RE SO FUCKING CUTE AND THE SPIRAL ON CALLIE'S CHEEK ON HIS OUTFIT AND THE SPIRAL ON ROXY'S HAIR ON CALLIE'S OUTFIT THEY MATCH SO WELL AND THEY'RE A WONDERFUL COUPLE IT'S GREAT, WHAT ANDROGYNOUS SLASH GENDERFLUID SLASH TRANS ICONS YESSSSS

JADE: roxy, calliope, and is that kanaya? KANAYA: Calliope Roxy And Is That Jade

It's possibly been a bit since they've shared a proper Dream together without Feferi's earlier help having persuaded the Horrorterrors to set up a set of stable dream bubbles for them all to dream together in, but between Roxy's powers being able to knock people out and Calliope's powers of imaginary construction, a space like this in the Void for them to share asleep like this ends up being something they can do and it's sweet and wonderful. :D

==>

The image is nice and all but I'm mainly posting it for my own sanity as a confirmation that Calliope still has the Ring of Life on like we knew she would.

JADE: roxy ROXY: yo JADE: where... are we? ROXY: this is a special dream bubbie callie set up! JADE: i dont even remember falling asleep ROXY: yea i used callies special magic sleep dust on ya ROXY: sorry for conkin yall out also but callie said we had to do this tonight

Hm, something special about the here and now? Also I can buy that Calliope used special sleep dust, I think she's used that before to wake someone up FROM a dream (distantly recall?), but I still blame Roxy for being the vehicle this time due to her hero role.

KANAYA: I Thought The Dream Bubbles Had Been Destroyed CALLIOPE: i thoUght so too! CALLIOPE: the origin of these new bUbbles is Unclear, thoUgh it seems like they might actUally be emanating oUtwards from oUr destination, bUt i mUst admit i'm happy to see them back!

WHAT THE FUCK

OKAY THAT'S A BIG RED FLAG THAT THIS IS THE REBIRTH AND ORIGINAL CREATION OF THE HORRORTERRORS THANKS TO DIRK AND ROSE CREATING THE ORIGINAL SESSION THAT GAVE BIRTH TO ALL SUBSEQUENT BRANCHING UNIVERSES IN PARADOX SPACE. THE FRESHLY BORN HORRORTERRORS ARE CREATING BUBBLES AGAIN. ALL THAT'S LEFT IS FOR (god-tier?) KANAYA TO SEW UP THE BREACH IN PARADOX SPACE SO THAT THE BLACK HOLE IS LOCKED OUTSIDE OF IT FOR GOOD AND FREEDOM FROM CANON AND THE PLOT IS IN THE HANDS OF THE NEWLY STABILIZED TIMELINES OF FANDOM IN A NEW REALM OF PROMISE FREE FROM LORD ENGLISH'S INFLUENCE. Gosh I know it was all pretty obvious from the very start of Homestuck^2 but I'm still surprised to see confirmation SO QUICKLY LAID ON SO THICK

They're really doing this! They're making this hapen! The session to shape and begin all sessions!

==>

ROXY: ladies ;)

Smooth as always

Alright, what has Callie prepared for this dream and why is it not just for fun but also she's implying it's so important that it happens NOW???

Does this have to do with the activation of the Plot Point outside canon?!?

==>

Nothing?

KANAYA: Wow KANAYA: I Must Say That This Vast Expanse Of Nothingness Was Well Worth The Minute Inconvenience Of Being Majyyked To An Untimely Slumber KANAYA: Via A Substance That I Am Still Not Altogether Sure Isnt Actively Harmful To Biological Life CALLIOPE: a-hem. CALLIOPE: tUrn aroUnd!

I bet it's another stage

==>

WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING

What a daring dream.

==>

JADE: whoa ROXY: intense right JADE: so what exactly are we looking at here :o CALLIOPE: oUr Cosmic Canonical Correspondent. CALLIOPE: yoU coUld call it a visUal representation of oUr... CALLIOPE: well, oUr everything! KANAYA: Forgive My Ignorance But I Recall Our Universe Looking More Um KANAYA: Amphibian KANAYA: This Looks Vaguely Closer To The Door We Took To Claim The Ultimate Reward KANAYA: Albeit More Fucked CALLIOPE: this is trUe! bUt this diorama exemplifies something far grander than any single Universe.

Is it a "diorama" of Paradox Space, of the Alpha Timeline... or of their story? Of Homestuck itself? Or of the Game that creates sessions?

ROXY: i think it wasnt all crazy like this last time KANAYA: The Last Time KANAYA: Youve Been Here Before ROXY: yea it was like a million years ago by now but i came out here once on my way out a dream looking for my boo thang CALLIOPE: u///u ROXY: and it was more or less just a regular lookin block house back then CALLIOPE: i believe its cUrrent appearance is dUe to the work of oUtside inflUence

So is this the story Dirk is building, alt!Callie is building, or Calliope herself is possibly-unknowingly building, or all of it put together? The way it represents how HS^2 and the Epilogues built atop the original Homestuck would be a good reason it only looked like a block house when Roxy rescued Calliope back in the original story.

==>

I LOVE ROXY, HIS DETERMINED GRIN IS SO FUCKING ADORABLE.

JADE: you're saying he did this? CALLIOPE: i'm not entirely sUre! CALLIOPE: bUt yes, that is my cUrrent working theory. U_U CALLIOPE: i broUght yoU here together so we can discUss what is to be done aboUt this KANAYA: Is There A Reason You Neglected To Add Karkat And Dave To This Socratic Slumber Seminar CALLIOPE: while the knights will no doUbt prove invalUable in the impending conflict... when it comes to these erm... finer points of discUssion their chins do tend to wag... KANAYA: What ROXY: love em to death but they cant shut the fuck up CALLIOPE: in so many words.

Hahahahahah true.

CALLIOPE: oUr trUe goal with this endeavor has been rather vagUe these last few years and as oUr time on this ship begins to draw to a close i believe we shoUld start a serioUs dialogUe aboUt what we plan on doing once we toUch groUnd. ROXY: god i love seeing u boss up

We all do! <3333

KANAYA: I Understand That KANAYA: But Couldnt We Just Talk Normally KANAYA: Without All This Chloroform Ninja Shit JADE: it was a bit much! CALLIOPE: i apologize for my draconian methods bUt i needed to make sUre oUr discUssion coUld be held free from the prying eyes of oUtsiders.

OH COOL IT'S A VOID BUBBLE, if it works as well as they're saying it does then it means Dirk can't hear what they're planning!!! Not even Rosebot with her ultimate Seer of Light powers because this is as far from the Light as you can hide!

ROXY: yeah cuz this is about us! our family, our future KANAYA: What Is There To Discuss KANAYA: I Thought My Plan Was Well Understood ROXY: ok sheesh well thats hella badass and vengeful but like ROXY: damn shawty idk maybe theres other options then just goin in slicing his shit to smitheroons ROXY: and also like ROXY: COULD you, even?? KANAYA: Id Very Much Like To Try ROXY: lets maybe try something less fucked up first?

Oh wow, they want to SAVE Dirk from himself? That's about as ambitious of a plan as I would expect of Roxy in the full swing of his hero role! :D

I've been thinking more and more about the "Soul-powered Jujus" idea I keep linking to from earlier, and how alt!Calliope's narrative and possession powers were STUNTED when she was splintered in two... which could mean that they could save both Ultimate Dirk and Ultimate Rose by sealing away parts of their broader souls or powers into VESSELS. Possibly creating Skaia itself with fractured shards of Rose's Seer of Light nature or sealing it in the Cueballs, possibly creating Crowbar's Crowbar with part of Dirk's soul-- basically depriving them of their ULTIMATE powers and the corruption that comes with ultimate power, while still leaving enough of them left to be an individual self, see sense and survive.

There's almost no question left anymore with that latest revelation about the returning bubbles from their destination that the nature of the competition between Skaia and the Horrorterrors that forms the nature of the game itself is going to be established in this new Delta/Omega session or whatever you'd like to call it, and that means that the guidance and storywriting potential of the Great Powers that are Skaia and the Horrorterrors must be created, and only an absolutely incredible power could possibly become such quiet yet nigh-omniscient guides. Countless hints like the Orange/Purple "tick, tock" when Jade bet on alt!Calliope freeing her are hinting that the color themes of the Prospit/Derse alignments are retroactively the responsibility of the wills of Dirk and Rose in the first place, somehow diluted and conveyed all across Paradox Space to write these "stories" for every set of heroes and the challenges they have to face. The fulcrum between which the heroes' wills are the only force capable of finding hope and new life from the seeds of the doomed conflict. To quote Aradia back in Act 5:

FAA: a pr0duct 0f c0llusi0n between the disparate f0rces at play FAA: a bargain struck between what skaia kn0ws already and what the g0ds demand up fr0nt FAA: t0gether they 0rchestrate trials sufficient t0 ensure FAA: that in 0verc0ming them we w0uld be pr0ven w0rthy FAA: 0f inheriting the ultimate reward

Dirk is one of the only people with the power to divide a soul such as his, however... unless the awakening of Brain Ghost Dirk out in (Candy) land serves as enough of a fulcrum to partially disarm him like alt!Callie was disarmed earlier. (Or unless that taxidermied body Jade dropped wasn't just Dave's as would have been most obvious, but possibly Dirk's too...) Maybe things can turn so disastrous that they can convince Dirk to shatter HIMSELF, as he may be one of the only ones who can possibly do it, not just Ultimate Rose? Maybe seeing what he's wrought can eventually change a mind even as stubborn as his to some extent? Or maybe fracturing himself to become responsible for EVERY STORY THAT EVER EXISTS IN PARADOX SPACE is at the same time a core part of Dirk Strider's endgame plan, and by that point he'll have already won from his perspective, except to realize that the reality they've sealed OUTSIDE Paradox Space is more free and worthwhile to the readers than the one stuck inside it?

KANAYA: Im Not Sure If Youre Aware Roxy KANAYA: But We Are More Or Less The Foremost Experts When It Comes To Being Quote Unquote Fucked up KANAYA: Anyway He Started It KANAYA: Nothing Remains But To Finish It JADE: yikes! JADE: why don't we all cool off for a second, i wanted to ask calliope something. JADE: who did you mean by "outsiders?" CALLIOPE: er, yes. CALLIOPE: well, CALLIOPE: i began prepping my Dreamly Majyyks as soon as you were released from *her* hold. we needed to do this before she comes back.

Right, because alt!Calliope DID SAY that she would be taking the original Jade back over when they neared too close to their destination. So Calliope and Roxy are helping form a plan to earn an even better ending than what alt!Calliope can direct them to achieve alone...

==>

"Before she comes back." It seems this constellatory quartet doesn’t quite understand.

Oh SHIT. I guess Calliope can't actually hide from alt!Calliope.

==>

calliope: i never left.

YOU MESSED UP THE MEME

CALLIOPE: GAAAAAHH!!! ROXY: callie chillax ROXY: how did she sneak up behind us like that while shes glowing like a christmas tree calliope: i do not sneak. i was always behind/before/alongside you. calliope: i am always alongside/behind/before you. calliope: i simply made my presence known to you. JADE: what are you doing here! calliope: to make a correction to my counterpart's assertion. calliope: you believe the current appearance of the Home is due to the actions of the prince. calliope: that is a half truth, the root of the issue is far deeper than that.

Ooh, so we get some exposition from the source herself, who may actually be on-board with their planning, hopefully, as much as her hijacking of Jade Harley for so long put them at odds with her and her tendency to try and dominate with her power.

Explain what we just figured out to them, will ya, with juicy more details for us to boot? :)

==>

Oh yeah you have pissed EVERYONE off, miss alt!Callie. Might need to defuse things a little so they'll listen.

calliope: though the prince's actions have exacerbated the damage, they are not its origin point. calliope: it's due to the beliefs and desires of those far beyond even my grasp. calliope: it is all that we are/were and its current form is representative of what those outsiders think we are/should be calliope: this Home, in its current form, has become abominable. ROXY: idk i think it looks kinda cool calliope: it is not cool. calliope: it is an eyesore and worse, its purpose has become obfuscated, form plagued with an ever-expanding amalgamation of wings, and rooms, and atriums, and winding exhibition halls. calliope: all uncurated, thoughtlessly tacked on to accommodate garish, self-indulgent new installations. ROXY: and stairs calliope: and stairs. ROXY: it keeps happenin huh calliope: yes. calliope: it keeps happening. JADE: (har har har)

So we're picking up again and continuing to run with the theme that the READERS' need for loops to be tied up and satisfying conclusions to the story the kids successfully ESCAPED, at the end of Homestuck original, is what DRAGGED THEM BACK IN and is keeping them tortured by being "stuck" in a story other people are telling? Like the Monkey's Paw analogue Andrew originally described in his Q&A after the Epilogues about them always having been meant as a flawed wish because the readers wanting to know what happened next, by necessity, trapped the characters in a plot again instead of leaving them free? Daring for this to be brought back again along with all the other themes Dirk as the author avatar who must be stopped, who must be outdone by the fanmade story (Candy) outside canon, needing to be defeated.

calliope: although i doubt it can be restored to its original state, the growth can be curbed. calliope: with or without your assistance, these antics can be brought to a satisfying and hopefully timely conclusion. calliope: the prince thwarted, the renovations finished, and the rest of the recalcitrant furniture bolted neatly back into its place. JADE: are you calling us fucking furniture? ROXY: whos the couch KANAYA: Shut Up ROXY: sorry

Yeah this is a very alt!Calliope view, and the reflections of a different but similarly somewhat villainous sort of author avatar to mirror Dirk Strider -- alt!Calliope reflects the author's need to close every loop, patch up every hole, get all these fanmade additions under control and create a story that wraps up in a neat bow... even if the characters would still be better off FREE of said story. There are extents to which she's as much the author as Dirk, and can't be certain she's not another villain, having done so much damage to shatter the Green Sun and Paradox Space in the first place by leading her brother around in a shitty circle.

KANAYA: Calliope CALLIOPE: hm? KANAYA: No Not You The Dead One KANAYA: The Alternate Calliope ROXY: we gotta come up with a different name JADE: how about bossy dead bitch ROXY: oh snizzap calliope: you can call me al ROXY: aw thats almost cute KANAYA: Is This Cryptic Expositing Truly Necessary KANAYA: Al KANAYA: Actually No Im Not Calling You That calliope: for you, no. but there are other invested parties. KANAYA: We Were About To Engage In A Rather Important Discussion

"AL" is an ominous name, reminiscent of Cal, Hal, LE. Is it for "ALternate!calliope"? Or is there a deeper meaning?

==>

calliope: yes, you were. however, to make it simpler for you i'll tell you this. calliope: ultimately, what you plan here has very little bearing on what you will do. calliope: we will arrive on Deltritus and i will move this story to its conclusion without further complications. calliope: little else matters.

The emblematic author avatar choosing complete dominion over their characters...

ROXY: what the hell is dometriosis KANAYA: And Why Should We Believe Any Of That calliope: it is my duty to tell the truth to those i protect. JADE: well i think we're all better off without your "protection" ! calliope: you can choose to believe that. but my duty grants me authority that surpasses the need for your consent.

...And the emblematic hero OVEREMBRACING their hero role in a way that stomps on the wills of those involved and necessarily leads to a Just death.

==>

ROXY: im sure he thinks the same way

FUCKING EXACTLY, SPILL THAT TEA DUDE!

==>

snap.

calliope: meeting adjourned.

I wonder if and when events will finally convince alt!Callie that she may have chosen wrong.

Perhaps when the Plot Point does its thing and she finally sees the story that the original Calliope, the one she has always overlooked, and how the readers are more compelled by it than by the author-forced march of suffering alt!Callie and Dirk are forcing the story through to tie things back to the beginning, necessary as it SEEMS to them.

==>

*wake*

Dirk: Say hello.

Oh look it's this douchebag again!

Well, well, well. Look who comes crawling back. Had your fill of splashing around in the narrative kiddy pool? Sick of its sterile, chlorinated, artificial reek, its mind-numbing placidity punctuated only by the occasional thrashing tantrums of whiny fucking crybabies and the shrill rebuke of the lifeguard? Ready to take the floaties off and dive back into the depths of the churning, primal ocean from which everything that matters in this story evolved, and to which it must inevitably return? Of course you are. Come join me, the water's fine.

I still love how the moral of this ENTIRE sequel is supposed to be that we're finally shown the origins of Paradox Space's propagation system itself and every loose thread that could have ever been tied up in the entire story, and we're all going to care infinitely more about Yiffany Longstocking Lalonde Harley and all the characters and their unlikely children finding happiness in a ridiculous fanfic timeline than any of that LORE SHIT. What a cool Death of the Author moral for a story to have. --I forgot for a moment that alt!Calliope, one of the competing authors, is literally DEAD and still trying to maintain absolute control of the story from beyond the grave. Moving beyond HER too sounds like it may also have some meaning.

==>

Smug prick and his too-wide smug prick panel

As you've hopefully gathered by now, things are happening again. They've been happening again for a while now, since a certain handsome somebody decided to get off his toned, muscular ass and ascend to godhood for the sake of getting the narrative and all his friends' lives back on track (you're welcome, by the way), but they're especially happening again here and now. When last you left us, our Contest had just begun. Rose and I were beginning the lengthy and convoluted process of engineering our own races to populate Deltritus, meticulously tweaking their genetic profiles and respective collective unconscious-es in an effort to create a species fit to conquer the next session of the Game. 

Blah blah blah, recap recap recap. Guess it's been so long that you feel like you need to outline the whole premise of the contest again for us because we've been too busy having fun seeing everything else that was going on, and you needed to hide the two alien races you'd set up from us a while longer. (Are Rose's the necro-something?)

Well, I was. Rose dipped pretty early on in that visual montage to spend some quality time trading barbs and bumping uglies with the supposedly impartial proctor of said Contest, next to the vacant meat-sack that once housed her consciousness. Irresponsible, sure, but to give credit where due, it was irresponsible in a poignant and symbolically weighty sort of way. Classic Rose shit. Rest assured, however, that since then she's spent at least as much time throwing herself into the work as she has cruising for the occasional caliginous bruising.

He's really tailor-made his tone of voice to piss everyone off, hasn't he.

It's been a pretty good time, to be honest. Every now and then I can feel her interest waning, but she's done an incredible job cooking up a witty retort of a race to the deep rhetorical questions posed by my equally-if-not-even-more-bombastically-inspired offspring. She's proven herself a worthy rival, and a worthier collaborator. Her patience for this particular stage of our grand designs is starting to fray, but it's just as well; both of us have essentially done all we feel we can do to lay down solid bio-physio-psycho-sociological foundations for our chosen peoples. Rose's growing discomfort with and desire to move on from this process helps to curb an urge of mine that she's correctly identified as a deep-seated need to micromanage things I care about. A few days back we both agreed that it's high time we get this fucking show on the road, so we've put the finishing touches on our scions and are just about ready to drop them kicking and screaming into the wilds of this beautiful, doomed planet.

Time to stop dirkblocking us and show us your "fantastic" pair of alien races then? Are they going to have any characters we actually begin to care about? You'd better hope so for your sake.

Odds are the whole races either transform to some other force in the eventual game that becomes Sburb or simplify themselves into the white and black Chess People, but you (Dirk) probably knew that already.

==>

Seahorses, connected with pipes to white and black ichor, looking much like the Meteor biological engineering labs, huh? White and black like Life (white (reproductive?) bio-fluids) and Death (ashen ink), the chess and Order colors?

Actually, give me a moment. I need to fix something that's been bugging me.

Huh.

Dirk: Render yourself in a more age-appropriate manner this instant.

Makes sense, with the depiction movement we've been seeing lately. And embraces his awful older bad-parent-to-Dave self more. Reflecting that facet of his broader Soul/existence more.

--Alright, phew. I should pace myself a bit and actually stop here for the day. As much as I'd love to get back to Vrissy seeing Yiffy for the first time, there isn't TOO much of a rush back there yet it looks like, and whatever is between there and here seems to be too wide and juicy, and I've been liveblogging for something like eight hours straight, so I probably shouldn't push myself too hard. I'm definitely coming back to this within a few days, though, because Homestuck^2 is hooking me more and more.

We'll probably see those new races finally this next time!

[welcome-to-cell-hell]

Time to take this new blog for a real spin! Have some cell lore. Might wanna save this one for later, it’s a fuckin doozy. I’d do more designs soon i prommy

WORLDBUILDING NOTES: SOCIETY + FIC EXCERPT

Cells being weird blobby anthros isn’t the only thing I have fleshed out. As sapient beings like ourselves, they’ve established quite the post-industrial society, and the whole Body has evolved with THEM, not the other way around!

INFRASTRUCTURE: The cells live in a world that’s about as technologically advanced as ours, and reflects modern human society in a lot of ways. One big example being the fact that the circulatory system is represented as a giant network of roads. And if you want to see the Heart, I pasted a couple pages of my fic under the cut! Capillaries are the exception, those are foot-travel only and have places to park where cells can come in from an artery and go out through a vein and vice versa. Only blood cells have their own vehicles (they have virtually no public transport *cue U.S. National Anthem with gunshots and explosions and eagle screeches*), but other cells can hitch rides with them simply for plot conveniences in most cases. This doesn’t make them malignant, though- you have to turn evil and sprout wings for that!

LANGUAGE: obviously an advanced species needs some organized way to communicate. But they don’t canonically speak human languages, because that implies either 1. They learned it from the Body, or 2. They just randomly came up with a perfect human language. So they speak a fictional language called Cytolic (name pending), and its whole idea is to be easy to learn, specifically to read. Written Cytolic is a lot like hieroglyphs, and have as little ambiguity as possible. Say, if you’ve never seen the symbol for “Liver” before, you can probably figure out what it means just by looking at it, or even accurately guess what it would look like before seeing it. This is because little cells have a lot to learn already about their future jobs, and more time spent teaching language is less time spent teaching that. Spoken Cytolic is all about memorization through repeated exposure, and is usually learned on the fly. And speaking of speaking, cells don’t have vocal cords like we do, so they vocalize by forcing air through a temporary “throat hole” in their mouths and manipulating the membrane to make sounds. Cell speech features huffs, garbles, and a LOT of whistles, as well as a ton of body language when it comes to face-to-face convo.

MEDIA: If you’re stuck in a tedious job all day, would you rather do it listening to this, or a true crime podcast?

It’s no wonder that all forms of writing consistently rank as the most popular hobbies, with music always close behind. Not only do the masses consume this media all the time, WAY more than TV at that, but artists are left with tons of time to come up with ideas while they work. And since they don’t get much time off from work, the little that they do is spent creating, which is usually just dumping all their ideas onto paper and straight into the mic. And in turn, most celebrities are writers or musicians instead of TV stars!

MISC:

-culture is pretty dynamic, but does take elements from the Body itself. For example, in the fic I’m writing, its mom is from the U.S. and its dad is from China, so a little bit of both cultures are sprinkled in a largely ambiguous setting.

-despite advanced technology, cells are actually evolved to do all of their work with no help from it. Tech, like weapons, smartphones, cars or machines, only exists to accelerate what they could already do naturally. Except maybe TikTok. Yeah that’s canonically a thing.

-gender is much less of an emphasized thing in cell society, and is more like fashion in a way with a “just do what feels right for you” kind of attitude. The lack of sexual dimorphism never provided that basis for the concept of “this is a man and this is a woman.” The ideas of masculinity and femininity are actually pretty new, but are treated by the cells more like aesthetics or “cores” than boxes to put yourself in, only WAY more popular and recognized than like cottagecore. This is because they’re easier for a lot of people to identify with and find comfort in because you can really make it your own. But of course enby cells are still everywhere because they always have been.

-they still use “codes” for names, which are the numbers and letters, but cells commonly give each other nicknames as a sign of companionship. The medium between these is calling them by the last two numbers of their code (ex. U-1146 becomes 46).

THE FIC

CONTEXT: Verdant is a lactobacillus (she/they, but I literally forgort to use any they/them for them till the legit last paragraph, it usually alternates) and Joe (S̵͈̗͙͠Ȯ̷̬͖̲̘̑̈́Ḑ̸̦̞̽̃͌̚ͅÄ̸̗̥̮́̚̚͜!̴͚̇̉͗͘!̷̢̟̦̗̀̆͆!̵̨̩̽̈́ͅ!̸̧̝̻̞̓͐̉!̶̛͈͓͈̤͛͗) is a killer T cell (she/her). They’re friends, and it would take six chapters to explain. They’re actually the guys on my banner!

About twenty minutes after their departure, Verdant realized that the road seemed to be… growing? It had happened so gradually that she hadn’t noticed it, but there were now so many lanes that she couldn’t see the edges of the road! She wondered if the blood pressure had gone up… But before she could ask Joe for some insight, a giant green sign swooped overhead, and it unmistakably read:

“HEART: 1mm”

Verdant sat up and tried to see into the distance. The short little Honda they were behind allowed for some clearance, but beyond that was only a sea of glistening crimson. Red blood cells were packed into their lanes bumper-to-bumper, but this was no traffic jam- everyone was cruising down the highway as if they were a single, unstoppable mass.

“Oop! Heart’s up there,” said Joe. She pointed at the horizon, where a distant sliver of a building had come into view. It sure looked like they were heading towards it, and fast.

“Are we, like, going there?” Verdant asked. “I thought we were going to the- the sino… yeah, wherever it was you said.”

“Oh! No, we are!” Joe said. “The way the roads are set up, everything going between the North and South’s gotta’ go through the Heart. Once we’re outta’ there, it won’t be much longer to the Sinonasal Region.”

“Everything?” Verdant repeated. That’s why there were so many cars! The Inferior Vena Cava was drawing them in from all over the South and squeezing them into the Heart like a massive, exhaust-choked funnel. She had no idea what to expect from the Heart itself, but as it crept closer from up ahead, she saw that she wouldn’t have that problem for very long.

The Heart was, without a doubt, the biggest thing Verdant had ever seen. From the outside, it looked almost like a combination of a temple, an airport, and a chaotic tangle of highway bridges. Towering stone statues guarded its entrance; a muted blue one resembling a white blood cell and a cinnamon-colored one of a red blood cell flanked the gateway. A relief sculpture of a godlike cell the color of buttermilk also peeked out from behind the great arch.

Then, the music from the stereo cut out, and a man’s cheerful voice took its place.

“Welcome, hematocyte! You’re listening to iHeart Radio! I’m going to help you as we navigate through the Heart, and your radio station or Bluetooth will resume once we’ve exited safely,” it said. “Please do not text, eat, stop, open your vehicle, or change speed unless otherwise instructed, and don’t worry about changing lanes either; our wonderful engineers have you all covered! Our current blood pressure is: 112 over 80. Please keep your speed at a steady: 45 millimeters per hour, for now.” The real-time data were given in a computer voice that was far different from the man’s, meaning that much of the message had been pre-recorded. Joe let off the gas and reduced her speed to match the other cars. As the engines slowed down, Verdant heard a sound coming from inside the Heart.

*THOOOOMMMMM…..THOOOOMMMMM…..THOOOOMMMMM…..THOOOOMMMMM…..* The menacing rhythmic drum got louder as they drew nearer. Joe looked like she was about to say something to Verdant, but the radio voice broke in once again.

“You are about to enter the Right Atrium. Please maintain your speed and jump onto the ramp nearest to you! Be wary of other drivers, and be sure to stay in your lane as cells from the other half of the Vena Cava rejoin us!”

“Hang tight!” said Joe. “It’s time for some fancy driving!”

When they drove under the looming arch, the glare of the nighttime sun was swept away, and they were let into a cavernous cylindrical chamber. Smack in the center of it all, sudden and striking, was the scariest thing Verdant had ever seen. Before them stood a spire of winding bridges, and their Zygote-knows-how-many-lane freeway led them straight towards it. As the radio had said, their expansive road began to split off lane-by-lane like perfectly-peeled string cheese. Then, they all circled the perimeter of the room and began to thread themselves into the ascending vortex of asphalt.

Just as Verdant was gripping what she guessed was the hold-on-for-dear-life handle on the cabin ceiling, the sounds of engines and rushing tires were starting to seep in. She tried to peek at the windshield for just a second, but her eyebrows shot upwards when she saw another flood of cars swirling into the hectic spiral.

“Where did THEY come from?!” Verdant squawked.

“We’re mixing with blood from the Superior Vena Cava!” Joe yelled over the noise. “They’re the guys from the North!”

Verdant tightened her seatbelt and held on like a kid in a car wash. She tried her best not to look as they continued up and up, but the nearby sound of a Gotedamn SEMI TRUCK kept testing her strength. Before long, the radio man came back.

“Alllllllrighty folks, it looks like all of our deoxygenated blood is on the same track now! If you could please continue to follow the road ahead of you out of the spiral and down to the Tricupsid Valve where you will enter the Right Ventricle. The valve is already open, so you can go right on in!”

“We got this, Verd! We’re almost out!” Joe assured. Verdant could feel the car straighten out, and then angle downwards as the convoy departed from the Right Atrium across a terrifyingly lofty bridge. She hesitantly opened her eyes once Joe said they were back on the ground, and she saw that they were coming up on a another big arch in the wall. They passed under it, and it led to a short, roomy tunnel with lights along the top. Beams of fluorescence swept over the cars as they thundered on like rain through a gutter. Then, they approached a giant, double-doored gate that had already been pried open to let them through.

On the other side, the next chamber felt much more empty and full of light than the Atruim. Looking up at the sky-high ceiling, Verdant saw the source of the booming sound from earlier. Hanging in the center was a six-sided drum, each face being beaten in unison by what looked like heavy battering rams that swung by fibrous tethers. Each time they struck the drum, the force from the impact sent shock waves through her cytoplasm.

“Weeee have now moved through the Tricupsid Valve and made it to the Right Ventricle! Please gently bring your vehicles to a stop as we wait for the Aortic Valve to open, and then it’s a straight shot through the Pulmonary Artery to the Lungs. Red blood cells, ready your CO2 tanks! Everyone else, just follow along and enjoy the ride!”

The legion of cars slowly lost its speed as everyone covered their brakes, but that didn’t stop a few snappy beeps and honks from escaping the metal horde. Even though the deafening thrum from overhead and the grumbling of the engines lingered in the air, the chamber still seemed to fall silent.

Then, there was a different boom, separate from the skyward drums. The huge, elaborate gate in front of them shifted, then gradually opened away from the cells. This time, there was no chamber on the other side- open road and a sprawling yellow sky showed through the doors’ widening gape. Everyone watched in anticipation as the gate scraped along the road and prepared to lie parallel to the verges.

“Alllllrighty folks! As you can see, the Aortic Valve is opening, and in a few moments, you will exit the Heart!” said the radio. The gate was almost open at this point.

“Get ready..”

The bottoms of the doors were only a few degrees off from the edge.

“Get set…”

There was another thunderous boom as the gate settled.

“Aaaaaaaaaannnnnd….”

Verdant heard it lock in place.

“……FLOOR IT!!!”

Immediately, the chamber exploded with roaring engines and screeching tires. A few cells whooped and cheered as the cars blasted forward and shot through the Aortic Valve. When Joe slammed the gas pedal, she triggered a savage *VRRRRRRMMMMMMMMM* from under the old Tahoe’s hood. As they accelerated, it felt like the car might lift off the road and fly away into the sky, but they stayed firmly on the ground as the storm of blood cells revved down the highway.

“Thank you for circulating with us, we’ll see you again soon! Safe travels, worker!”

After that, the stereo glitched out and Joe’s Bluetooth came back. Verdant sat back in shock.

“Holy shit,” she breathed.

“Yeah,” Joe said. “We’re not outta the woods yet though. Hang on!”

“There’s MORE?!” Verdant asked. She wasn’t sure her mental batterery could take more.

“Actually, no!” Joe explained while she coasted and watched her left-hand side. “Those guys are going to the Lungs, and then back to the Heart to get that oxygen out. We don’t want that, though.”

As soon as she safely could, Joe merged to the far left lane. A few other immune cells seemed to be waiting there as well. What was she up to?…

Then, a neutrophil up ahead jolted off to the side and… disappeared?! The others followed suit, and Verdant’s fins stood up when she realized that Joe would be one of them.

“What is HAPPENING?!?!” Verdant finally squealed.

“It’s okay! I’ll explain when we get down there!”

“Down WHERE?!”

They didn’t have time for any more panicked back-and-fourth, because the Tahoe drove straight into a tunnel in the ground. It was only wide enough for one car, and cheap-looking light strips were fixed along the top corners. As they sped through, an echoing *th-THOON, th-THOON, th-THOON, th-THOON-* trailed along behind them.

“Okay, sorry! I had to get in here quick!” Joe loudly said through the rumble. “This is a transmigration route! Immune cells can use them to skip through tissues and get places fast! We would’ve had to detour to the Lungs if it weren’t for these bad boys!”

Verdant wanted to say something smart, but she was so tired at this point that all she could manage was an anguished “Guh-”

The friends barreled through the underground tunnel for a few minutes, but if you’d asked Verdant, they would’ve said it took forever. This was fine- just as they’d said, “fine” would be just-… just fine. It’s fine.

[yuukei-yikes]

the good ending of kagerou project! EXPLAINED :3

hello kagebody. no one asked for this but i felt like talking about it for 2 reasons. 1. it seems like a lot of people DONT KNOW kagepro has a good ending. it does. in september, summertime record will have been out for 10 years. 2. i felt like talking about it cuz i love kagepro :3

as we know kagepro’s big characteristic is, it’s complicated and deals with inconsistencies and already convoluted concepts, it’s also written by 1 guy across different types of media in the course of many years. that’s to say let’s not shit on it for being complicated let’s love it for it. also to say... some of what i will explain contains MY OWN interpretation based on what we are presented. because what we are presented with is Not in anyway clear.

okay. the good ending of kagerou project appears in THE ANIME. the novels and the manga contain doomed routes that end in resetting. the songs contain endless routes, but it also contains SUMMERTIME RECORD. that is a good ending, though it has no hiyori or ayano. nor an explanation. but the actual Good ending we all go by, AND the official post str content (lost day hour comic released in 2018) also goes by, is the ending of the anime. that’s what i will be talking about!

kagepro isn’t a stranger to plot holes. but the way it gets a good ending is essentially, there’s a HUGE important change from usual routes. which is saeru not killing everyone. for anyone who doesn’t know saeru is clearing eyes. clearing eyes is the snake possessing kenjirou and later konoha/haruka’s body. “kuroha”, for the golden years kagepro fans.

usually, saeru just shows up, kills everyone, forces mary to reset. the big big BIG thing with the good ending is.... saeru doesn’t kill anyone. let’s go over why saeru even kills everyone in the first place. it wants to create a new medusa and end the world basically: the dan possess snakes, their eye powers, and when they’re killed, they release the snakes, giving them back to mary. mary possesses COMBINING EYES. this is the eye power that makes her float and get the short hair. she is given this power when she passes away with her mother shion, while she possesses locking eyes since birth.

so, when the dan dies, mary gets all their snakes and Combines them, activating Combining Eyes, which she can use to reset the world and also control the daze, meaning she can merge the two worlds (what saeru wants her to do) (this would end the world), and also open it and close it.

so, in the kagepro good ending, saeru doesn’t kill the dan. yet mary is able to activate combining anyway. this is something i really like, though it needs a lot of Filling It In Yourself for it to make sense.

the anime shows the snakes leaving the dan members’ bodies when mary starts activating combining, and the dan doesn’t immediately die from getting their snakes taken away. we could argue they’re all weak and on the ground is bc saeru just kinda punched everyone across the room, not because mary took their snakes, BUT i like the idea that it’s mary slowly killing them herself through taking their snakes. i think it speaks to how high the stakes were, and how obsolete resetting was getting. the routes were getting inconsistent to a point where mary herself is killing her friends, not saeru, through her despair of keeping them alive and resorting to restart so she doesn’t have to deal with what’s going on. this can also be about a deeper motive of mary’s, which is that even if they all survive, she will lose them to old age eventually. restarting, she can avoid this fate. it also makes sense, because saeru CAN remember resets and mary CAN’T. so saeru deciding not to kill the dan this time can also speak of how wicked saeru is, maybe getting confident in what it’s doing, and manipulating mary into it like it’s been doing but this time forcing her to be the one to kill.

moving on: in this window of time where the dan is slowly dying and mary’s about to reset, she also opens the daze, which is when shintaro and ayano show up. earlier, shintaro had killed himself because retaining eyes, shintaro’s eye power, had been activated, and he knew he had to go to the daze. that’s the scene he goes get ayano and together go see haruka. SO. when mary opens the daze, shintaro and ayano walk right out of there, ayano having been there for 2 years and shintaro having been there for erm, 1 hour or something.

here’s when we’re all like yeah shintaro&ayano come save the day!! what shintaro and ayano do is use a combo of their eye powers. they go through a plan they made countless routes ago. shintaro’s power is retaining, he was born with it. retaining is a snake fabricated by mary herself in another route. this snake is also an ayano from another route who sacrificed herself to become shintaro’s eye power. isn’t that fun. SO, what retaining does is remember past routes, so when shintaro activates her he immediately Knows everything. ayano’s power is favoring, The Empath power. she can transmit thoughts, memories, emotions. and then they play a game of telephone: shintaro’s knowledge of the resets existing goes to ayano, and then ayano transmits them to mary.

mary, now being aware of what she’s doing and what she HAS been doing, doesn’t reset, shitting all over saeru’s plans who is beginning to despair and start acting pathetic. now here’s when we’re all like omg the power of friendship solved the rest. NO!!!!

now here’s my... personal interpretation to a huge part of it. mca is Very unclear. but basically: haruka and konoha are actually the ones to save the day, not shintaro and ayano. shintaro&ayano are keeping mary from resetting, but they aren’t FIXING the issue that is making mary reset in the first place which is this GUY TRYING TO KILL EVERYONE. despite everything saeru is STILL HERE, STILL IN HARUKA/KONOHA’S BODY.

mary temporarily takes everyone to the daze. no one is dead, theyre just There. who else is in the daze. haruka’s cute little spirit!!! while saeru is kicking and screaming about the route differing and the power of friendship getting a little strong, it’s finally acknowledged that despite saeru is in a hostless body, this body still has an owner, and as of late, it’s got owner(S). through its time in haruka’s body, awakening eyes/konoha became its own person. being its own person, it’s got the right for a wish. saeru is the very snake that grants all those fucked up wishes.

saeru, while possessing kenjirou, alienated its plans with kenjirou’s wish of seeing ayaka again. because it needs a wish to function. kenjirou’s wish was perfect for what saeru wanted, since ayaka was in the daze, seeing her again implied opening it which implied killing everyone. easy. but now saeru jumped from kenjirou’s body to haruka/konoha’s, and these 2 souls have very different, individual wishes that saeru is now forced to face: haruka reclaims his own body. and konoha wants hiyori to live.

for haruka, his wish had been ignored since the beginning, it’s the one that was the most twisted of all (u want a strong body? ok u didn’t say u wanted to be IN the body, right?) so, saeru is forced to grant this wish finally and is forced out of the body and puts haruka back in it. for konoha, saeru is forced to be a surrogate life to hiyori. haruka, being the original host, is now alive, and awakening eyes/konoha, is within him, playing the role of an eye power it was always meant to play. meanwhile, hiyori also gets to get out of the daze alive, through the forced “sacrifice” of clearing eyes. this serves a very interesting bit for hiyori since she possesses power over the most fucked up snake of all but that’s for post str headcanons sweetness.

basically! mary activates combining and opens the daze, letting out shintaro&ayano who are like stop🛑 do not reset. instead they all go to the daze where haruka is like💖GIVE ME MY BODY BACK to saeru. also allowing awakening eyes/konoha a moment of control again to be like hi. i am also person now and i have a wish as well and my wish is that hiyori lives :3

so, saeru’s gone, haruka&hiyori are alive (+ayano, whose death has always been a plothole that ignores the rules of the daze, so to keep it on theme her survival also has no real basis+shintaro, who basically had x2 lives from being born with a snake that also works as a surrogate life), they get out the daze and mary gives back all the snakes so no one dies. hurray!

bc of all this, the mekakushi dan is alive, members from 0 to 10. they do get a happy ending. ....but we could also say it was the power of friendship. that works too!

[officialthiamlibrary]

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Sign Ups are from July 21st - July 28th. (5PM EST)

Welcome to the Thiam Big Bang 2023!

It’s that time again, Thiam Lovers - due to popular demand, we’re hosting another Big Bang Event! 

How does this work?

We’ve decided to try something different this year! We all know what it’s like to struggle with muse and many of us have unfinished works collecting dust, crying out so that they may one day be finished and released to be devoured by readers. It’s time to dust off those plots and bring new life to them! Introducing: Something Old, Something New!

There will be two tracks for this Big Bang: creating a brand new work or completing an unfinished work. Writers will create/update an original Theo/Liam work. About halfway through, writers will submit a rough draft and summaries of their work. During this time, there will be a claiming phase for artists to claim a writers’ summary that they want to create art for. You will then work with your writer/artist/beta to create amazing works for the Big Bang!

What are the rules?

There is no word limit! We just ask that you produce a finished work by the final deadline.

Artists, create to your heart’s content using whatever medium you prefer.

The main pairing must exclusively be Thiam - poly relationships including Thiam are not allowed. Side pairings/relationships are still allowed. 

Your fic can be any genre; canon, AU, etc. The floor is yours to write what you want! Take your prompt and run wild with it!

WIPs that are already posted to the public can be used for the Big Bang. However, it cannot be a work from a previous Big Bang event or any other event that had a partnership between artists/authors that was created by the OTL team. 

Additionally, if you have started something that you would like to use, and it has not been posted to the public, you can do that.

During the Big Bang, works must not be made public before final posting dates. If you are doing the WIP track, you are not allowed to post updates/new chapters to your fic during the course of the event. You must wait until the end to post your updates. You can of course talk with your friends, beta, and artist, for plot points, ideas, etc. Please also keep details about your story a secret during the course of the event. This keeps it a fun surprise for everyone when works are posted!

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Schedule:

Sign-Ups Open: July 21

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First Mandatory Writer and Artist Check-In: August 19

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Posting: October 2-8

[palant1r]

my ideas for rewriting fallout 4

So, I've been thinking a lot lately about what writing changes I'd make to Fallout 4. Disclaimer that I've only finished the game once, siding with the minutemen, and I'm currently on a BoS playthrough. And I haven't finished any other Fallout game. So my knowledge is quite limited. But I still have ideas.

(This is gonna be sparse on precise details. I'm going big picture here)

Main problems to fix:

-Main plot is very railroaded, with little influence over how it goes, and lots of plot holes

-Missed potential with companions and NPCs

-Doesn't feel like an RPG. On one hand, it's clear Bethesda wasn't trying to MAKE a full RPG — they wanted to make it more of a first-person shooter exploration game. On the other hand, this is a fucking Fallout game. We're making it an RPG.

-Factions are very one-dimensional

-Little to no meaningful moral choices

GAME MECHANIC CHANGES

We're using the skills, perks and traits system from New Vegas, because different options for using different skills in dialogue is so fucking choice. And yes we're also using the New Vegas dialogue system where you can see what you're saying, there's no percentages, and you get a stupider thing to say if you can't make the check — no more of this four keyword bullshit. Also no more Radiant quests. We never needed those and they suck.

Also the reputation system from New Vegas. So you don't instantly become a faction enemy by shooting a guy once if you've helped them out a lot. (Cute minor detail: becoming friends with Piper increases your Diamond City reputation as she spreads pro sole survivor propaganda)

This reputation system should come with different raider factions. No more generic raiders. You should be able to be chill with the Gunners.

MAIN THEMES

Fallout 4 is set in Boston, arguably the birthplace of America. There's backstory of the Minutemen trying to start a sort of coalition Commonwealth government, which was ruined by the Institute. This is the perfect opportunity for the main plot to center around trying to build a government. How can these disparate factions of the Wasteland be brought together to create a nation? What sacrifices/compromises will you make? Who will you accept as allies, and who will you destroy? So that's one main idea: the creation of a new nation.

The other main idea: technology. What is the right way to use technology to build something new? What are the dangers of technology advancing too fast? How can government ethically use emerging technology to build itself, without misusing it in exercises of power? This meshes well with the synths. Which brings me to...

SYNTHS

Synths are no longer robots per se. They're genetically engineered clones with cybernetic components — pretty sure that's what they're like in canon, but it's made more explicit here. They existed before Shaun's kidnapping, but this resulted in mutations because they were using irradiated DNA, and the Institute was obsessed with creating the perfect human. The Super Mutants are an offshoot of that effort.

So. You start the game. This goes pretty much the same, except Kellog is slightly more fucked up physically — he has some sort of very obvious and distinct mutation, maybe looks a bit like a super mutant. This makes it a lot more plausible that people would recognize him by description alone.

Then things proceed as normal until you meet the minutemen.

THE MINUTEMEN

The Minutemen aren't a disparate collection of settlers + Preston anymore — they're the last remnants of the provisional Commonwealth government. Preston has lost hope that peace in the Wasteland is possible, and is just looking for a safe place to hunker down.

The Minutemen fill a similar role as canon, in that they're a faction who's most compatible with other factions. However, this should be framed as a flaw. Preston believes that stability is the highest good, and is willing to sacrifice other values for that goal.

The Minutemen quests should be less black and white. Each quest to gain a settlement should have a complication. Maybe a settlement leader values their independence, and you can threaten them into joining the Minutemen. Maybe a settlement will only join you if you chase away a nearby band of ghouls — but it turns out those ghouls aren't feral, and have finally found a place to settle down. Do you try to broker peace? Do you chase off the ghouls? Do you chase off the settlers?

Minutemen quests are no longer radiant, and offer opportunities to run across other factions. For example, maybe a settlement wants you help rooting out synths in their community, which brings you in conflict with the railroad. Maybe a settlement has been defending itself with pre-war technology which you can grab the blueprints for and use to defend other settlements, which attracts Brotherhood attention.

The ultimate goal of the Minutemen is to make the Commonwealth into a proper country, or as close as you can get to that in the Wasteland. To that end, they want to bring Diamond City and Goodneighbor into the fold, and get as many factions on board as they can.

Speaking of Diamond City and Goodneighbor...

DIAMOND CITY AND GOODNEIGHBOR

You come across Diamond City and quickly learn that the city used to have a population of ghouls, super mutants, and even synths. However, they were all recently run out of town by Mayor McDonough as a direct result of Piper's journalism pressuring him into taking action to divert suspicion from himself. Piper didn't like that this happened, but refuses at first to acknowledge the harm that her synth fearmongering causes, even though one of the people run out of town was a friend of hers — Nick Valentine, a prototype synth who once looked human but had a mechanical skeleton and brain. His biological parts have since worn away, and he's replaced them with robotic ones.

There are several ways to go from here to find Kellogg. You can track down Nick in Goodneighbor. You can get help from Piper and the information she's been gathering on the Institute. Maybe even the Minutemen will have insight, because Kellogg had a role in the failure of the previous government effort. Whichever way, you find Kellogg, and...

He has no idea who you are or why you're after him.

KELLOGG

Kellogg is, like Nick Valentine, a prototype synth bridging the gap between meat and machine. He seems like a mutated human, but his brain is mostly cybernetic. However, unlike Nick, he wasn't built from the ground up. He started as a normal human. He came across the Institute when he still had a wife and daughter. And in exchange for his skills, the Institute promised him immortality for him and his family. Kellogg didn't realize that what the Institute really wanted was willing subjects for experimentation.

As time went on, though, Kellogg and his family began to deteriorate and mutate. Their cybernetics got side effects. His daughter was unable to properly age. So he jumped at the chance to help acquire better DNA, thinking the Institute would use it to help him and his family.

Once they had Shaun, though, the Institute no longer had need for Kellogg, and they certainly didn't waste their effort using that DNA to save his family. His wife and daughter succumbed to the horror that had been wreaked on their bodies, and Kellogg himself went into hiding. He went to the Railroad, who wiped his memory and gave him a new identity and shelter, where he now lives as a recluse.

When the player finds him, he doesn't know who they are. He has false memories. You are given a choice: do you let the man who killed your wife and is the only lead you have on your son live a peaceful life, forcing you to go far out of your way and do some other shit to find leads? Or do you bring back his memories and make him the murderer he used to be?

There's a third option: you can copy his brain, basically, and upload those memories into Nick in the memory den like you do in canon. But doing this permanently damages Nick, and you have to reckon with Kellogg slowly assimilating into his personality like canon was GOING to do and DIDN'T.

THE RAILROAD

The Railroad is pretty boring in canon. "Slavery Bad" is a noble motivation for a faction, but it doesn't offer a lot of opportunities for interesting moral choices. Moreover, their conflict with the Brotherhood is so laughably forced in canon I can't believe the game shipped like that. But I came up with a simple change that I think makes them better.

They're a bunch of Super Mutants. (With some synths and ghouls sprinkled in)

Due to their lack of bloodlust, they're not exactly welcome in other Super Mutant communities. But they also share the belief that super mutants are the next stage in human evolution. They believe that humanity should be free to evolve into many different forms, and see synths as an extension of this. After all, they say, it's clear that humanity can't progress in the Wasteland by clinging to its current form. They don't seek to destroy the Institute — they seek to take it over, to offer super mutants and synths the ability to make more of their own. This makes them an inherent threat to the stability of the Commonwealth, even though they are sympathetic with a coherent ideology.

There's varying opinions within the Railroad on wiping synths' memories. Some object to it, believing it's unnecessary and dangerous. Some are idealists, believing that synths should have the option to live the normal life that Super Mutants can't — maybe some of the railroad mutants wish they could become human again. (Maybe you even have the option to give them Virgil's serum). Some believe the memory wipes are necessary to cut off the synths' loyalty to the railroad.

(If you take Synth Shaun with you at the end, you can have the Railroad wipe his memory and replace it with memories of you as his father. Fucked up!)

The Railroad keeps records of synths they've relocated. You can access these records, either through gaining their trust or through bein' a little stinker. That's one way to find Kellogg. But the records are scattered and encoded.

So. You've found Kellogg. You've Dealt With Him. You've probably made contact with the Railroad. How do you get into the Institute?

I think there need to be more options for how to do this. But I don't know what they are. We're moving on.

TO THE BROTHERHOOD OF STEEL!!!

When you first meet the Brotherhood in the police station, you quickly learn that they've changed their secluded ways. They've decided that there will be no future society that will need their technology if they don't interfere now, and the Institute, which actually develops technology instead of hoarding it, has lit a fire under their asses. But they've overcorrected and overstretched themselves. Paladin Danse believes it's their duty to secure the Commonwealth to protect its citizens, but acknowledges that they don't have the manpower. Knight Rhys has beef with Elder Maxson, thinking that the Brotherhood needs to focus on securing its existing territory before expanding. And Scribe Haylen?

She's a ghoul. The first in the Brotherhood. She's pre-war, and got her way into the Brotherhood because they saw value in having someone who could actually remember the origin of the technology they seek...and because Paladin Danse vouched for her despite his own hatred of ghouls. That's why she's so loyal to him. Danse still obviously doesn't like ghouls, but trusts Haylen in spite of that.

The Brotherhood storyline I want is a McCarthyism allegory. When they start causing too much trouble for the Institute, the Institute strikes back. But not with Coursers and synths. No, the Institute works in the shadows. They "accidentally" let slip data that shows there are synths planted in whichever factions they're enemies with at that point (which depends on the players' actions, and if you side with the Institute, you help them do this). This includes the reveal that there's a synth in the Brotherhood.

Cue the witchhunt. Everyone's suspicious and paranoid. The Brotherhood can't get anything done, because they're self-cannibalizing due to their synth hatred.

Because the player isn't part of the Brotherhood, Maxson and Danse know that you can't be the synth. So they trust you to root them out. Even if you're not in the brotherhood but you're on good terms with Danse, he asks you to help him. He says that synths are tearing his organization apart, and he can't bear to see his trusted comrades in arms turn against each other like this. (If your speech score is high enough, at this point you can start convincing him that it isn't the existence of synths that's a problem, it's the brotherhood's own attitudes that have led them to this point)

That's right: Maxson doesn't find out Danse is a synth offscreen. You figure it out. Maybe you take that Institute data. Maybe you find out from the railroad. Maybe you get Nick or Piper's help. And then you get to decide what to do with that information. You can keep it to yourself and watch the Brotherhood tear itself apart. You can tell Maxson, initiating a more canon version of Blind Betrayal as Haylen tips Danse off. You can tell Danse...but unless you talk him out of it, he'll reveal his true nature to the Brotherhood, hoping to end the witch hunt. But if Danse is caught, it doesn't stop. Now that one synth is exposed, after all, who's to say there aren't more? To save the Brotherhood, there are a few options. You can kill Danse and convince Maxson there are no more synths. You can expose Danse and make him the new Elder, changing Brotherhood policy on synths. You can lie to the Brotherhood, saying there are no synths after all and the Institute was just starting shit.

If the truth about Danse becomes known, you and the Brotherhood find out that it was the Railroad who wiped Danse's memory and planted him as a junk dealer. If Danse was exposed and killed, this leads to the Brotherhood going after the Railroad, believing it's too risky to leave them around as they could plant synths in the Brotherhood again. If you change the Brotherhood, this is a possible way to ally them with the Railroad, if you can convince them that they should ally with the peaceable faction of their enemies and that their policy of super mutant/synth genocide isn't tenable for maintaining control of an area.

But yeah, Danse's arc is a microcosm of the Brotherhood's arc: blind hatred of the Other is incompatible with their continued existence. In the Wasteland, you either change or you die. Cling to the remnants of the old world, and even if you surround yourself with bunkers and power armor, you will be destroyed from within.

Anyway. That's all I have for now — I'm still thinking about what to do with the Institute, and there are a lot of companions I haven't met, so I don't know what to do with them. But I think this is a good start. Feel free to add your thoughts/questions.

[jessequinones]

Writing Advice: Lore Chapters

I’m sure we've all read them before, an entire chapter dedicated to just lore, they aren’t normally fun to get through and you might even skip them (don’t worry, I won’t tell). However, despite the hatred for these chapters, why are they common? I think these chapters are common because we writers tend to get stuck in our lore and we forget what's important, and what's made just for us.

You see when creating a new story, there’s gonna be a lot of lore. However, much of the lore which gets created isn’t needed for the reader and trying to figure that out is a bit challenging. This all depends on how much of a world-builder you are. If world-building comes naturally, then you could create everything from the flora to the weather system which will help determine what your islands look like.

If world-building isn’t something you enjoy, then the lore you create might just be enough for your story but that’s it, however, there’s still gonna be lore that’s not necessary even if world-building isn’t your forte.

You’ll need beta reader's help to determine which part of the lore feels necessary and which feels filler but let’s continue.

Lore chapters are most of the time created as an afterthought. When a writer forgets to add in some lore, and they go back to a spot where it’ll be prevalent, stick it in the book and move on. You can figure out when this happened because if you skip these chapters, you won’t miss much. If you, the writer forgot to mention some lore, and none of your beta readers are confused, you probably don’t need to add in the lore if no one else asked for it.

Lore chapters also aren’t what people tend to care about when reading your story. In fact, from my point of view, people only start to care about the lore at certain points. One, if there are blatant lore mistakes. While reading a story for the first time, the reader will get a basic understanding of the lore. Just enough to follow the story, but not so much where they’re an expert. If there’s an obvious plot hole within the lore, they’ll notice and care about the lore a bit more as even from their basic understanding, some parts of it aren’t making sense.

Two, when they’re invested in your story. If you have dedicated fans, who read each of your books, talk about your books, make fan-fiction, art, etc. Those fans will start paying more attention to your story's lore. These fans are great, but sadly, don't make up the majority of your reader's base. These fans might not mind the lore dump chapters as they’re already invested so if you want to write for them, go all for it. If you still want to keep your average reader engaged you might want to change a few things and I got a few things you could try.

Spreading out your lore: This will take practice because it’s also easy to figure out when the author adds a paragraph of lore that can be easily skipped through. However, having lore sprinkled throughout your story will do a better job of keeping your readers engaged with your world, instead of having it all in one chapter.

Try to avoid big paragraphs of text: If you have a paragraph that takes nearly half of the page if not more, a lot of readers, myself included will probably skip over it. I’m not dyslexic, but I need separations in my paragraphs. Reading a wall of text does tend to make me start to blend words together and I won’t absorb anything. While there’s no rule on how big a paragraph should be, I’d try not to make mine no more than four sentences long, keep in mind a sentence can be as short as three words, or twenty.

(Now for a wall of text after I said I try to avoid them).

Try and explain the lore over multiple chapters: If it’s important to know the history of your story, and world, don’t put all of that history in one chapter, spread it out, and even retell it a few times to make sure there’s a better chance your readers will know what’s going on. While it’s the reader's fault, if they skip over sections of your story and get confused. They won’t blame themselves for what they did as they’ll believe they were justified in skipping parts of your story. I’m not saying you need to change how you write to appease these readers, but try having the lore be told in a few chapters might help. The best thing about this method is even for readers who don’t skip over lore chapters and would've read the same lore a few times now. They can skip over a section they already know and won’t have to worry about missing anything important because they already know it. This kind of writing is a bit more advanced as you have to juggle between people who skip lore chapters and people who don’t. Beta readers are great at figuring out where to cut or add your lore.

Make those chapters interesting: This might seem a bit harsh, but lore is history, and not everyone likes history. When they read lore, they're reading history and not what’s going on in the story. It doesn’t matter what kind of lore you have, or how important it is, if it feels dry compared to every other aspect of your story, people will skip it. Not to mention if it feels like the plot of your story gets halted in these chapters, people will skip them because they want to continue with the story. Beta readers are a great way to figure out where the lull is coming from and tell you what they found exciting leading up to the lore dump. You can figure out where to go from there. What I normally do is have character growth in between those lore chapters. Have the characters discover something about themselves, have a relationship grow, or even have it break during these sections. Just add something in the background to keep the reader engaged, but make it where they can’t skip over the lore because if they do that, they might skip something else.

Try not to have lore chapters near the end of your story: If your story is building up to fighting the big evil, and there’s a lore chapter just slapped in the middle...yeah, that's not great. Even if it’s really important. If the readers are gearing up for a fight, or whatever the ending is and it gets paused...readers won't be happy with it. These lore chapters are normally important because it’s where the main character will discover something that’ll change the outcome of the climax of the story...but if it’s halting the buildup, it doesn’t matter how important it is, people will skip. Think of it like riding a roller coaster, if the coaster is slowly reaching its highest point, you don’t want it to stop just before it gets there and have it explain to you the history of said coaster.

Overall, there are multiple ways of dealing with lore-heavy chapters, and again, beta readers are your friends. If you’re unsure if the lore chapter you have is needed or not, send out different versions of your text, one without the lore-heavy chapter and one without and see what the reaction you get. If the people who didn’t have the lore-heavy chapter were able to follow along just fine, but those who did have the lore chapter said they skipped over it and were still able to follow along, unless you really want to keep the lore, you probably don’t need it.

[mygloviesme]

cool about it. || myg

no. 1: tell myself one day i'll forget about it

predebut/debut!yoongi x female idol

summary: kanako is an established idol with a growing career and a secret relationship with a producer from her label, haneul. when she’s asked to work with yoongi and rm to create a track for her, she gains unexpected feelings for a certain upcoming rapper. with her increasing fame, her controlling boyfriend, a set of six boys who seem to have grown an attachment to her, and a new boy who’d give her the world, how will she figure out a way to balance it all?

(definitely inspired by boygenius)

word count: 2.9k

genre: ANGST, friends(?) to lovers, slow burn

overall warnings: toxic relationship (not w/myg), verbal abuse, mentions of alcohol

notes: this is my first body of work ive ever posted on tumblr. as you can see from the warnings, it’s pretty heavy and that theme will linger for a while. i wrote this while recovering from an abusive relationship i was trying to heal from and never intended to publish it but i feel I’m in a better place to continue it. I hope you guys like it. not a rough draft but definitely feels like it lmao.

Updated note: like I said above, this is my first official body of work. this story is very very flawed with probably so many plot holes and errors. this was my first time writing in YEARS. clearly some parts are self-indulgent and i wasn’t the best storyteller or writer or editor lmfao. i basically skimmed the chapters before publishing so excuse the big mistakes for my piece of mind and so i can sleep at night ♥️ok enjoy

inspo song: cool about it by boygenius

JANUARY 17TH, 2012, 5:12 PM.

The air was thin, dry, and coated with frost. The tip of my nose kissed with a small blush from the biting cold, I attempted to warm it up by pressing my palm to it. Of course it’s no use, as the weather doesn’t spare anyone. I bring both hands to my coat pockets and walk towards the building doors, one street lamp after another. There’s a slight flurry today but I try to romanticize it rather than hate it like I usually do. I’m the stereotypical person who gets hit with S.A.D every year as the daylight gets shorter by month and windows get frostier by day. I bring my hand up to the door handle, opening it swiftly to get inside the heated structure. 

It’s mid evening so I still have work to do. I head towards the studio where I’m expected, and of course, late. Bang PD had told me I would be working with some trainees/idols-to-be. I signed both of them on as producers, but I think by next year I’ll be rounding them up for a group. 

The man had a tendency to be cryptic, so whatever he knew about this supposed new K-pop group he was forming, I had no idea. I take a deep breath before opening the door to the studio. I never liked meeting new people and first impressions were something I had an unusual amount of anxiety for. I plant a smile on my face and twist the knob, seeing three bodies sitting casually on individual chairs, turning around. 

“Ah, Kanako,” Bang PD stands up, and I bow quickly. I haven’t yet met the eyes of the two boys sitting on the other chairs, and I wait for an introduction. 

“This is Kanako, you two. Kanako, this is Suga and RM.” He says, and my head follows where he points his fingers. They smile sheepishly, obviously as anxious as I was which made me feel slightly better. We bow as a group quickly and I let out a small huhaha that’s meant to be a laugh but it sounds more like a sigh. Bang PD’s hand floats over my back, leading me to the chair behind the boys. The distance is sort of awkward. 

We all take a seat and Bang PD clears his throat, shuffling with some papers. 

“So, this is going to be a slight trial run. We’re in the midst of your new album,” PD-nim faces me, “And I thought it might be good to have some new minds create a track for you. We had a song brainstorming, Kanako.” He says and passes me the paper with lyrics on it. The song title is Full Moon. 

I read the lyrics and they’re more sensual than I expected. I assumed that’s what was happening with this album as I expressed I wanted to steer away from the whole ‘girl next door’ facade I had going on. I had already been named South Korea’s little sister, so the implications and expectations people had of me was something I felt rubbing off on myself. I couldn’t let myself fall into that, I knew that much. 

As I get done reading the lyrics I nod, “This is great. You got a beat for me?” I say confidently. 

Suga, which I assume that’s his stage name, turns around and presses a few keys before clicking on a track. The beat is almost mystical, like a foggy night. There’s a guitar that flutters throughout the song and I find myself humming the lyrics, trying to place them where I think they belong. 

RM smiles as he hears me, “That’s how we were thinking it’d go too.” I reply with a grin and we all bob our heads as I sing. There’s a few blanks that I couldn’t figure out, but I love the overall feeling the song is. 

“We thought of putting a rap verse in,” Suga says. “Of course.” I reply, since every K-pop song seems to have a rap verse. 

“We thought the rapper should be female, just to fit the sensuality of it.” Bang PD says and I let out a small laugh. Sensuality. That seems to be all it is, most of the time. I’ll explain later.

My lips part slightly to release a small sigh, and I fiddle with my fingers, moving up to itch the back of my neck. “How about you, Suga?” I ask. The boy turns around in his spinny chair, his posture curved. “Uh,” He looks to Bang PD, “I don’t see why not.” PD-nim nods slowly, almost thinking to himself.

“That…could work.” he mumbles and gestures towards me. “Why don’t you go inside there and we’ll see how it all works out.” And I nod, heading into the recording room. 

JANUARY 17TH, 2012, 8:52 PM. It’s been nearly four hours we’ve been in the studio, and I lay back in my chair as Yoongi finishes his verse. “I think that one was it.” he says through the mic. Everyone looks towards me, “What do you think, Kanako? Was that it?” PD-nim asks, as if I was the one demanding we be here for nearly four hours. Yoongi, whose name I learned by RM and his casual calling of him, was the one assuring us we needed to do one take after the other. But for some reason, he only asked me to do very little takes when it came to my verses.

“Y-Yes, that was great. I think it’s good to call it a night.” I say, and RM gives the go to Yoongi which has him entering back into the studio. There is a subtle curiosity I get when looking at Yoongi, his mysterious and quiet demeanor made me want to know more. Is that too soon to think? I shouldn’t even have those thoughts. 

His rapping was undeniably good and it made me want to hear it over and over again. And over and over and over and over. Fuck. 

Everyone picks up their things and I reach for my coat until Yoongi grabs it for me. 

“Oh, thank you.” I smile and our fingertips graze each others as he passes my coat to me, causing a small hiccup in my stomach. We all bow to each other goodbye and I head out to my dorm, seeing the two boys heading into the other direction where the trainees' dorms were. I feel a sense of excitement, hoping I get to work with them again. With him again. 

I hear a voice behind me that makes me jump, “Hi honey.” the voice says. I turn around to see another producer, except this one was my boyfriend. I look around quickly to make sure the boys and Bang PD were out of sight before swinging my arms around him. I snuggle my face in his neck, trying to keep my balance since I’m on my tip-toes. I can smell his Calvin Klein cologne that’s been stuck on him since I’ve known him. It’s almost his natural scent at this point. 

I’ve been dating Haneul for nine months, all months being an absolute secret. He was the one who urged me to keep us a secret, and I obeyed. I wanted him, needed him, to the point I’d do anything for him. As long as I was his I would do anything. Most days I would only think of him, how can I please him, how can I make him happy? How could I change myself to be the girl of his-

“I heard you were recording with Yoongi and Namjoon today.” He says, his embrace loosening. His body morphs back from leaning down to hug me, to standing straight up. He towers over me, looking me in the eyes. I can already sense what he’s feeling. He’s not controlling, he’s just worried. (I know what it looks like.) 

I look down to my shoes, “Yes but it was just working. Nothing weird.” I whisper. His hand trails to my chin, lifting it softly. “Are you lying?” He asks. (He’s not usually like this, he’s just protective.)

“No, Haneul. I promise. I only want you.” I say as I meet his eyes nervously. I feel his fingers let go of my chin and he smiles. “I love hearing you say that.” He says. I attempt to laugh to break the tension but it doesn’t help. Sometimes he makes my stomach drop in a way I can’t explain, in a way where if I really thought about it, I’m sure it’d make me feel horrible. (What else is he going to think when you’re alone in a room with three men, it’s not his fault. It’s yours. Why did you wear this skirt today? Why did you thank Yoongi for giving you your coat? Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.)

Haneul reaches down to peck my cheek, trailing kisses down my jaw and neck. My eyesight gets cloudy and I manage to forget about that pit in my stomach. It’s just us. Just him and me, forever. And he wants me right now. That’s all I need. For someone to want me like I want him. His lips graze my collarbone before sucking for a moment and letting go. “Just wanted to remind you.” He teases, and I smile. (This is good. I deserve this.) 

My hand travels to my collarbone where the slight pinkness of a hickey lies, “Hopefully this doesn’t get any worse.” I joke. His eyes darken, “Maybe it’ll give those boys a reminder that you’re mine.” He says. (He still thinks something happened. He was in a bad relationship before me, he just needs to heal. I promise.)

“I should go. Someone might see.” I say before snaking my hand to caress his. He interlocks our fingers and gives me a soft smile. He slowly moves his fingers up to my face once again, this time planting his lips on mine. It’s aggressive, heated, making me inch a little backwards so I’ve almost met the wall. He’s always like this. Gripping my hair so he can control the way my head moves, moving so quickly I can barely keep up. He loves control. He feeds off of it. I know he likes that he towers over me, that he can lift me up or bring me down whenever he’d like. 

In more ways than one. 

NOVEMBER 12th, 2011, 8:23.

My birthday is slowly coming to an end. I have friends and a few people from the company who came to celebrate my birthday with me and we all sit at the restaurant, picking at the crumbs left while bursting with laughter. Everyone is of age to drink but I’ve settled happily with a fizzy sprite, attempting to enjoy the company of others. 

The whole time we’ve been at this restaurant I’ve been glancing at my phone, checking the time and texting Haneul when he’d come. Although we’re a secret, people only assume we’re just good friends. You and Haneul work great together. Was Haneul the producer behind that amazing song? Oh Kanako, you both are a dream team! They all say. But even with how good of a friend, boyfriend, whatever it is, he has yet to show up to my eighteenth birthday party. He told me he’d come, he told me had a gift for me, he told me he’d be here with me. 

He knows how hard it’s been for me to celebrate my birthday ever since my mothers death, how lonely and debilitating this day could be. How ever since recently I’ve refused to even talk about my birthday. Up until her death, I’d only spend it with her. She’d bake me the same German chocolate cake, give me the same kiss on the cheek, the same hug after I had blown out the candles. It was only ever us in our own little bubble. 

But now it’s been bursted. I’m reminded why I never do it. Even sitting at a table full of my friends they still feel like strangers. Nothing can compare to her. I though Haneul being here would make it easier, but he still hasn-

“Kanako! I’m here!” A voice says from across the room. My cheeks flush and my eyes widen. He wobbles over to our table, clutching a bottle in his hand. The hand that should be carrying my gift. Everyone at the table quiets and the silence is deafening. No one knows why he’s acting this way, why he made it such an announcement that he’s arrived. That he’s my boyfriend. 

But I know one thing for sure, he’s fucking drunk.

I sit up and clasp my hands together, “Okay everyone, I think it’s time to wrap up. I have rehearsal tomorrow.” I say quickly. Everyone's a little dumbfounded before muttering to themselves, awkwardly picking up their things. Some give me a quick hug and a happy birthday, others simply wave and exit the restaurant. This is so embarrassing. 

Haneul watches as all the guests leave. I refuse to make eye contact with him, fiddling with my wallet to place a good size of cash to pay for the dinner. He grabs my wrist, “Baby don’t do that, let me pay. It’s the least I can d-do.” He slurs, and the strong scent of alcohol lingers on his lips. And the perfume I'm choosing to ignore. I jerk my wrist away and look at him with venom in my words. 

“Don’t even touch me.” 

“Kanako…”

“Where were you?” I ask simply. 

He straightens his posture, his eyes glistening with something I’ve never seen before. “Don’t make me feel more like shit than I already do.” He says and hangs his head. 

“I’m not trying to.” I respond, placing my hand on top of his. He pulls it away, “No, you’re trying to make me feel fucking guilty. You always do.” He says and I shake my head in confusion and shock. “Haneul, you missed my birthday party. How is this my fault?” I scoff. He lifts his finger to point at me, his eyes hazy and his mouth ready to hurt, ready to see me crumble. 

“You always make me feel like a shitty boyfriend! If you don’t like it then don’t fucking be with me, alright?” He spits. How can he say this? I part my lips, ready to speak, but he’s quick to shut me up. 

“This is me Kanako,” His face gets closer to me, his breath caressing my face. His voice is almost a whimper, a plea. Like a child. “Who the fuck are you?” He breathes. I inch my face away from him in disbelief. 

I feel tears well in my eyes and scoot beside the table to escape him. “Yeah Kanako, leave! Go fuck some other guy.” He yells from our table and I hang my head in an attempt to hide my face. Anyone could recognize me, any worker could tell the tabloids what happened tonight. My twenty-three year old boyfriend yelled at me. Kanako, in a rocky relationship with her producer, leaves the restaurant in tears. I can see the headlines now. They flash in my head and I breathe heavily and push the doors to meet with the chilly autumn air. 

I speed walk away, not wanting Haneul to catch up with me, to make this any worse. I feel a burning shame in my chest, a heated embarrassment arises in my stomach ready to release itself in the form of chunky liquid. Instead I hide in an alleyway, falling to my knees and covering my mouth to muffle my sobs. This is the worst I’ve felt ever since my mother died. This feeling, this is so much bigger than me. It hurts my heart, it pains my stomach and all I want to do is to evaporate. 

I don’t have a single thought besides to hide my cries. Besides replaying the moment in my head over again, still smelling the soju on his lips and that fucking perfume. It has to be the end of us, right? This has to be my final straw. I can’t handle this any longer. The public shaming, the drunk insults, the control. My sobs sound loud and sharp, like a cat who’s been cornered. I hide my face in my palms, hearing footsteps beside me.

A single finger gently caresses my hand, and I uncover my eyes. “Haneul..please..” I choke out, unable to catch my breath. He crouches in front of me before taking me in his arms, my hands float on his back, knowing if I touch him, it’s me inviting him back. 

“I’m sorry, I-I’ll change. I promise, Kanako.” He says. My hands float there for a little while longer, my head buried in the nape of his neck, my cries much quieter and defeated this time. 

But, I touch him. I hug him back. I hold his cold, yet warm body in my hands. 

And I stay, for the apology. 

JANUARY 12TH, 2012, 9:15PM

We stay like this for a little, him devouring my mouth and his hand with a fistful of my hair. He moans into my lips and uses his other hand to press me into the wall. His tongue demands entrance and I let him, but my mind is still scared we’ll get caught. Haneul seems to mind much less than I do. 

His hand that was previously in my hair travels to my chest, torso, and then my skirt.

“N-No, not here.” I breathe. My eyes plead with him, but he has sin in his eyes. A part of me likes that he’s so eager to touch me, but another part…

“O-Oh, sorry!” A voice from the hall is heard. Haneul moves his hands away from me and we part our bodies, looking over to see who it was.

I see a familiar figure walking briskly, his back facing towards us. 

Yoongi?

click here to read more of this story!

an: the first chapter of cool about it. hope you liked it and thank you for reading!

[crispy0nion]

takes a deep breath. ik it hasn't even been a day but we need to talk about the umbrella academy season 4. obviously spoilers ahead. and a long, long fucking post full of complaints.

this season got me shinji chairing so hard. what the fuck. six episodes that last barely an hour each and all for THAT ending? don't get me wrong, the ending itself is... not the worst possible outcome, ig, but like. plot holes so big i can fit five's ego in there and still have spare space.

yeah, let's start from there. what the fuck was that? a half-assed five/lila romance was the last thing we needed. call me a hater, tell me i don't know how to appreciate complex stories, idc. that sucked ass. not only is it creepy in so many ways, but it also brought absolutely NOTHING to the story. "oh but if that didn't happen then five wouldn't have accidentally wandered into the station's coffee shop and met himself" I DON'T GIVE A SHIT!!!! IT COULD'VE HAPPENED IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS!!!!!! AND FIVE KNOWS BETTER THAN TO THROW HANDS WITH HIS BROTHER OVER A GIRL WHILE THE REST OF THEIR SIBLINGS ARE FIGHTING THE DAMN BLOB OF DEATH!!!

moving on ig. i don't like how allison's past actions seemed to be simply forgotten. i know they acknowledge it a couple times and that it's been six years, but lord almighty she assaulted luther, got him killed, and betrayed her entire family for a father that never cared about any of them. i don't think i could forgive that so easily (i'm looking at you klaus).

about the plot holes. first off, i would've appreciated even just a slight explanation of what the fuck reginald and abigail are? are they aliens? are they robots? are they alien robots? also, side note, what the fuck did reginald even do to grace atp? did he create a robot in the image of a human lady or did he turn the human lady into a robot???? and back to abigail for a moment: ?????????? and also the obsidian hotel????? AMERICA EXPLAIN. EXPLAIN

more plot holes: the solution to the cleanse problem. five said that the only way to fix the timelines is to let the cleanse happen, aka absorb them, so that the marigold inside them is destroyed since that's what split the timelines, no? and they made a big deal out of lila leaving because they needed all of the marigold holders to partake in this. except that YOU EIGHT IDIOTS ARE NOT ALL THE OCTOBER 1ST KIDS IN THE WORLD. THERE'S MORE, THAT WAS LIKE 43 WOMEN WHO GAVE BIRTH YOU DUMB FUCKING CUNTS. WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER 35 KIDS. uhm. sorry about that. moving on.

did not like how jennifer's character was treated at all. no time to develop, no time to get us to know her. straight to the blob of death without even explaining what was going on. how did the durango end up in her body? who even created that anyways? how did she end up in a damn fucking giant squid? why was she talking about the cleanse? what the fuck? listen im sure the comics explain this and ik this show is supposed to be a bit... confusing and nonsensical, but this is info you can't just leave out. feels like lazy writing.

and how the fuck did the cleanse cult even know that this nonesense that a kid coming out of a squid was blabbering about was connected to them having dreams of other timelines? how the fuck did jean and gene know? what?

yk what, im also gonna throw in some more personal points of view in here. i did not understand a single thing about the timeline/universe/whatever they ended up in at the end of s3. is it a new universe? if so, why is everything the same and WHY is the timeline still fucked? and where's the academy in this timeline? does it not exist? why? why and how is abigail still alive? was she even dead in s1, on the moon? or was that a cryo capsule? if so, why keep her there?

and there's more folks! why did the timeline train not stop at lila and five's stop? that was random and never explained, and feels like lazy writing, again. or like an excuse to get a specific two people to mingle just to create an unnecessary and unwanted love triangle? perchance?

lastly, how can claire and lila and diego's children still exist if their parents were erased from existence? and since they still exist but their parents never did, how does it work? do lila's parents just look after these random kids? without reason? wouldn't not having existing parents at all create legal problems?

overall, i have a lot of issues with this season. it feels extremely rushed, and honestly quite boring in comparison to the other three. and the lack of explanations makes it so hard to enjoy because i'm busy being confused. im not so mad about the ending, i kinda saw it coming (my choice was between they all die or they get stuck in a loop), and I don't think it's necessarily a bad ending for a story like this one. i am a bit sad, yes, and i will miss these characters and regret the fact that they didn't get the lives they deserved, but i think it's an ok ending. not the best, but ok. but the rest of the season? ass. yet another show absolutely ruined by netflix's inability to see past money and actually produce a good ending instead of rushing things. peace ✌️

[script-a-world]

Submitted via Google Form:

I have an idea that instead of very fast spaceships in my story, the spaceships are kinda slow and the main way to get places is via teleports. However there is also max range for these teleports so they have to have a relay of them, especially the oens in deep space that stretch between galaxies. Installation is slow of course - they had to wait many years between dropping each teleport off as the spaceship had to use the previous teleports to the latest location and travel slowly in the spaceship to drop a new one off. Then here's the question of objects in space moving all the time, so these teleports are obviously moving. What exactly is keeping them where they are supposed to be? Or can we say that doesn't matter as much as long they are still in range and these teleport systems are on platforms that have an engine and can get arranged properly? You might think there is a big hole here since the spaceships are so slow, how did they know what's out so far, and why is there even a need to build quicker travel. That's because there is someone else with even better technology that initally got them there, and they now know about it but they had to design their own system to get there themselves without the help of that someone else. Note that my story starts after the teleport systems are in place and there is regular transportation via these teleport systems across several galaxies so this is basically history.

Tex: Stargate stargate stargate- ahem. There is a very well-known set of TV series about this exact subject (with some occasional plot, of course): Stargate. The three main series are Stargate SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis, and Stargate Universe, and each deal with a different environment of technology created by a group of people known in-universe as the Ancients (later known as the Alterans) as they are used in different galaxies.

The eponymous technology that features most prominently in all of these shows are stargate, which stabilize wormholes generated between two gates and can be connected to via a series of addresses based upon celestial constellations. These addresses are dialed via something nicknamed DHDs (Dial Home Devices - yes, jokingly after the movie E.T.), and the Milky Way and Pegasus galaxies (the latter of which is the setting of Stargate: Atlantis) have different gate systems that cannot connect to each other - the protagonists were only able to do so with a huge boost of energy from a device called a ZPM (Zero Point Module) that draws power from subspace.

The gates themselves are relatively stable, and can - through a lot of legwork - be operated without a DHD; Samantha Carter in SG-1 figured out how to do so via an Earth program to use Earth computers, whereas in contrast the puddle jumpers in Atlantis (a type of ship small enough to fly through the gates) have their own dedicated versions of DHDs in the pilot’s console.

Although it’s not explicitly stated in canon, each galaxy’s gate system seems to be manufactured differently from each other, given the differences in their appearances. Realistically speaking, since these connect via wormholes, there should be no issue connecting any gate to any other gate, but it’s possible that each gate has a hardwired address array paired with its DHD that’s specific to a given range of its position in spacetime, thus giving a self-limiting range.

In SG-1, the Jaffa and Goa’uld would be of most interest to you, and in Atlantis, everyone not from the expedition would be of interest to you, as these groups of people have used their stargate networks for thousands of years on a regular basis.