#theorize who’s causing the chaos

[rainbowpufflez]

@hauntinglyghostie hey remember ur reblog on my comic, welp

Team RR fridge

[loading-excuses]

ok i really love how a lot of the character redesigns in hades 2 are clearly a direct nod to what the gods are experiencing with the war against the titans in the game

like demeter is in full battle armor, her daughter is unreachable in the underworld and she is not messing around. she is ready for battle.

aphrodite wears war paint/makeup that directly mimics that of ares’s war paint/makeup in the first game.

the one i find the most interesting though is chaos. their redesign has them looking much more human. which some may think is odd considering they are essentially an extra planar being of creation. but i think it makes perfect sense. nyx who is their child, is one of the deities who is unreachable in the underworld. and as we know from the events of the first game, there’s a whole quest on the fated list that involves fixing the relationship between nyx and chaos. the fact that nyx is unreachable is most likely taking a toll on chaos, which in turn is making them feel more “human”/mortal thus causing them to present to appear more human. it makes sense if you think about it

i could go on and on about the new character designs and how they’re indicative to the war with the titians but these are the ones that have stuck out the most to me

edit; i am choosing to ignore the fact that chaos’s new design does look a lot like meg bc if it does mean anything i want to see it play out in the game without trying to theorize about it too much

[threeacttragedy]

Entry 14 – The One Where They Call It Chaotic but We Call it Predictable

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Yes, I am fully aware my entries have been sparse of late, and, no, I am not planning to stop my general Lukola ramblings any time soon. In fact, once I run out of material, I’ll probably dabble with fan fiction because, meh, why the hell not? Any ways, the reason for my slight absence is that I’ve had a special guest staying at my house – one by the name of “Dad.” Yes, that dapper gentleman has been roosting on my porch for the past few weeks (because that’s the only place I allow him to smoke), drinking an ungodly amount of Coca-Cola and holding my shih tzu like she’s a human baby. He did pry himself away long enough to be my date to see “Wicked” (he loved it, by the way). Oh, and he was obliged to my incessant babblings about Lukola. In fact, he even opened my mind to a few theories of his own and made me laugh hysterically at his reaction to the Jakolas.

It has always been my intention to delve into a certain section of our timeline – the part where Luke seemingly ran off into the Summertime Sunset with his friend group, which included Antonia. That period in time is the cavity of my Lukola table puzzle. The left side isn’t connecting to the right side because there’s this gaping hole in the center called Hot Boy Fucking Summer! Before June 12, things made sense to me. Even with the muck we find ourselves in now, just about everything after July 30 has made sense to me. So, of course, Hot Boy Summer was a topic of discussion with my dad. Actually, it was an “all afternoon” one.

I originally presented the Before, During, and After of Hot Boy Summer in chronological order to my dad only to get blasted with, “Stop doing that shit!” after I mentioned “Bless the Telephone.” His gripe was that – like the Claddagh ring – I had failed to disclose to him information that may alter his opinion about the event for which we were theorizing. Specifically, if I knew that the Claddagh ring preceded June 12 and I knew Nicola’s aptly named “Chaos Week” followed July 30, then disclosing those details to him before asking him to theorize about what happened in between those two dates (i.e., Hot Boy Summer) was necessary and even critical to his final opinion.

I don’t believe there is much explaining to do on the front-end of Hot Boy Summer – at least not to my well-versed Lukolas. We presumably all watched the same World Tour (including that trip over to Galway so Luke could meet Nicola’s mother) and I’ve already discussed the Claddagh ring in Entry 6 of my blog. That leaves us with the tail-end of Luke’s summertime jaunt, which steers us into Chaos Week. For those of you who thought I was going to discuss Hot Boy Summer in this entry, I’m sorry – this one is dedicated to that erratic period of Nicola blowing her war horn, beckoning all Lukolas within a worldwide radius of London to commence at her feet. And, commence we did!

Have you ever heard of “chaos theory?” Broadly speaking, it’s the idea that small changes can result in major changes over time – like cause and effect. That’s kind of how I’ve looked back at Chaos Week. We’d spent most of the summer on one bummer of a vacation, with Luke and Nicola (presumably) spending time apart from one another. Sure, we’d had few fireworks explode here and there with pap pictures, and we saw JVN enter the ring as the fan favorite best friend but, on the surface, Hot Boy Summer was, well, rather static. It had carried on with a monotonous “blip…blip…blip…” until suddenly our radar detected a quiet but distinct “blip-blip,” which didn’t register in any of our minds until we had a torpedo coming straight for us!

I don’t believe we can attribute Chaos Week solely to Nicola. Yes, yes, I know, Nicola’s online presence in early to mid-August was chaotic, hence the name “Chaos Week.” But, I do not believe Nicola started Chaos Week. She sure as shit drove it home but, in my opinion, it wasn’t her actions that set everything in motion. Nicola wasn’t the “blip-blip;” she was the torpedo.

So, what was the “blip-blip?”

Luke returning to London – alone – on August 2, of course.

The friend group, which had included Antonia, was nowhere in sight.

Hot Boy Summer had come to an end (I imagine this to be the reason Nicola started blowing her war horn).

In my opinion, Luke’s return set everything else into motion. He was that second pendulum that caused the first one to spiral out of control.

But, we ate that shit up, didn’t we? Yeah, we sure did, and we loved every day of Chaos Week. What’s funny to me is that everyone remembers bits and pieces of Chaos Week, but they never seem to get it in the right order (how chaotic, right?). This happened, then that happened. No, no, that happened first. No, this happened first. The only way to really look at Chaos Week is to give order to the disorder. And, we’re going to do that via a very generic captain’s log, so…

Welcome aboard!

Mission: Chaos Week

Origin: Somewhere in Mayfair.

Destination: Happily Ever After.

Time of Departure: Fuck, I don’t know. When did you board this ship?

Expected Time of Arrival: Hopefully before we all wither up and die.

Log Entries:

August 2. Luke returned to London alone. Yeah, yeah, I know, I already told you that, but I had to add this:

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August 4. Nicola decided to wake us all up from our somber summer with a plate of French toast. Umm, okay, that’s fucking random. I’m going back to bed – but wait, didn’t Luke say brunch was his “fav meal of the day?” Yeah, I swear I have that polaroid around here somewhere.

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August 7. Luke – after being absent on social media for what seemed like a lifetime – suddenly popped into his Instagram stories to post some delightfully cute Bridgerton Bloopers. The entire fandom rejoiced at Luke’s return to social media! And, let’s be honest, we only cared about the bloopers with Luke and Nicola. Hmm, Luke always has this intriguing, yet subtle way of surprising us. Did you hear that?

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August 7. Shortly after Luke posted his Bridgerton Bloopers, Nicola swooped in and dropped a very loud Wordle anvil on her Instagram stories. <clang!> Was she clocking people for making fake social media accounts using her name? Did she really solve the Wordle in two? Actually, most of us ignored that part of the post entirely and went straight to Mr. Google to ask, “What does ‘anvil’ mean? Okay, how about in the Urban Dictionary?” You know you did, too! In all seriousness, though, when this first dropped, I considered whether she was directing the “anvil” at Luke. After all, let’s face it, Nicola was the one who promoted Bridgerton post-Papsmear while Luke disappeared from the limelight. It’s only natural that she might be a bit peeved at him suddenly promoting Bridgerton. However, in hindsight, I believe this to be nothing more than Nicola calling out the person making fake social media accounts under her name. During this time, there seemed to be an influx of fake social media accounts using Nicola and Luke’s names (Luke would address this same topic on his Instagram stories on August 24). And, as fun as it would be to theorize that the “anvil” was directed at someone (other than Luke, of course), it was, in fact, the Wordle for August 6. That said, I do believe that “Wordle” has become synonymous with “Luke” at this point. So, I’ll give you that.

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August 8. JVN reposted their “[w]hen you catch someone trying to sneak a pic but you were born for these moments” to his Instagram grid. Did you think JVN wasn’t going to be included in Chaos Week?! They produced some of their best shit during this time! Any ways, Nicola liked this grid post, which confirmed my belief that Antonia played some part in the Italy pap pictures (for a full explanation on this, read “Entry 11 – The One About the Heart of the Ocean”). Thanks for the recap, JVN, although most Lukolas probably didn’t need to a reminder as to why they disliked Antonia.

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August 9. Nicola posted the Scrabble board to her Instagram stories. Whoa, hold up, Jakolas! Yeah, we know Jake played Scrabble with Nicola and – guess what – we Lukolas don’t care. I mean, I’ll even throw the Jakolas a small scrap of meat and say that Jake could (emphasis on could) have helpedNicola with the Scrabble board. Why am I being so charitable? Because that just makes me more confident Jake has always supported Lukola. You will not convince me (or probably any Lukola) that this Scrabble board was directed at anyone else but Antonia. In my opinion, there are only two things in this picture that matter – the central word “HEYA,” or “HEY A,” and the Guinness coaster. In fact, if I had been playing on the opposite side of this Scrabble board, I would have challenged this word. That alone says exactly what it needs to say. This is not to dissuade you from theorizing on every other word on that board, though. I’m simply saying I do not need any other evidence to persuade myself into believing the board was directed at Antonia. Now, if you want to take the two corner words and speculate that Nicola was having “SEX” with “DAD,” go right ahead – I won’t argue with you.

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August 10. Nicola posted to her Instagram grid the now-deleted birthday greeting to her friend, Camilla. The caption read, “…Remember the time paparazzi took a picture of us and to protect me you grabbed my face?” If that’s not an indirect jab at Luke’s friend group, I’m not sure what it is because it sure as hell doesn’t scream, “Happy Birthday,” to me.

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August 11. Nicola decided to get out her blow torch and light every beacon fire she could find starting in Bowral and ending in London by posting the “Drink Your Milk” shirt to her Instagram stories. You could practically hear her rallying every last Lukola still standing: “Rise, Lukolas, rise!” In fact, I think some even rose from the dead that day! What was the crisis? Well, only that the “Drink Your Milk” shirt was exactly like the one Luke was seen wearing on or about June 22. Now, now, this was a charity promoted by Jonathan Bailey so it’s entirely possible Nicola was gifted her own shirt. But, guess what? The Lukolas didn’t give a shit! They deep dived into reflections on sunglasses and creases in t-shirt sleeves! And, no, I’m not speculating on that hot mess (if you’re interested in learning more, I promise you there’s plenty of TikToks for that). In truth, it never mattered to me whether the shirt belonged to Luke or not. What mattered was the perception that it was Luke’s shirt. It blew up the Internet and I would stand by my belief that, if the fandom’s perception of something was detrimentally incorrect, Nicola (or Luke) would have corrected it. Nicola did not correct this. And, no, Jakolas, don’t even talk to me about that scrap of green blanket in that picture. I don’t care if Jake played Scrabble with (presumably) Nicola at some point over the summer while sitting outside on a goddamn green blanket. The “Drink Your Milk” post was not a secret coded message to Jake. I would stand on a hill and argue that all afternoon. Why? Because – again – Nicola did not correct the “Luke’s shirt” narrative. She let the fandom run with it. In fact, we all got our own blow torches that day. Mine’s turquoise and engraved with my initials.

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August 12. JVN posted a “Special announcement” to their Instagram grid. Right about now, you might be, like, “What the fuck does this have to do with Chaos Week?” I told you, JVN has this way of slipping shit into to their posts that make you do a double take – usually a day later while you’re daydreaming during your drive to the office. This was one of those posts. The announcement was: “I’ve been waiting for this announcement until after the Paris Olympics had finished, as to not take away from the incredible success of USA Gymnastics…@teamusa has been following my journey and growth as a gymnast and showed up at my house to personally invite me to train to be a potential member of their 2028 team. While I hate taking a slot away from 2028 potentials like @simonebiles & @stephen_nedoroscik (as it appears quite obvious I’ll make whichever team I attempt to)…” What made this post stick out is that it is, in fact, bullshit. As in, it is a completely made-up story. Team USA did not visit JVN at their house; they’re not joining the USA gymnastics team. It’s not even that funny, to be honest. So, what was the point of it? It’s confusing as fuck when you read it at face value; however, when you drop it into the Lukola timeline, I’m convinced it alludes to something bigger. On August 11, we had Nicola posting the “Drink Your Milk” shirt – which sent the fandom into believing Nicola was wearing Luke’s shirt and that Luke’s reflection was in her sunglasses. On August 13, the day after this post, a torpedo was launched at us (warning, warning, anyone got a phone I can use?). When you look at this post as the middle piece connecting Nicola’s August 11 and August 13 posts, I believe it tells a story. Let me rewrite it for you but imagine it now coming from Nicola’s perspective: “I’ve been waiting for this announcement until after the Paris Olympics Hot Boy Summer had finished, as to not take away from the incredible success of USA Gymnastics Luke’s friend group, which included Antonia…Luke @teamusa has been following my journey and growth as a gymnast and showed up at my house to personally invite me to train to be a potential member of their 2028 team [choose your own adventure on this one]. While I hate taking a slot away from 2028 potentials like @simonebiles Antonia & @stephen_nedoroscik Rory (as it appears quite obvious I’ll make whichever team [“girlfriend” or best friend] I attempt to)…” Huh, at the very least, this post is starting to get the side-eye from you, isn’t it?

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August 13. Oh, my God! My hair is on fucking fire!!! Nicola dumped “Bless the [Goddamn] Telephone” on her Instagram stories. Whose voice is nice to hear again? What is she trying to say?! Maybe nothing. No, it’s something. “It’s nice, the way you say my name; not very fast or slow, just soft and low; the same as when you tell me how you feel; I feel the same way, too; I’m very much in love with you. I’m very much in love with you.” I don’t need to elaborate any further on this post. It speaks for itself. Chaos Week had officially launched its massive torpedo (full of firecrackers and pinata candy) and the entire Lukola fandom was hysterical – in the best way possible. However, I will interrupt this happy moment with – Jakolas, please don’t start trying to link this song to Jake because Jack Rooke used it in an episode of “Big Boys.” Yes, we are aware Jake played a minor role in that show as a love interest to the main character, Jack. Again, Nicola did not shut down the fandom’s perception that the song was for Luke. Sorry, not sorry, Jakolas. If any part of Chaos Week was for Jake, I believe Nicola would have shut the entire thing down after realizing the fandom was associating everything with Luke.

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August 15. After giving the fandom 48 hours to process “Bless the Telephone,” Nicola posted to her Instagram grid, “Very demure, very mindful.” In my opinion, Nicola was acknowledging that her recent posts (ahem, “Bless the Telephone”) were intentional, and she was aware of how they were being taken by the fandom (ahem, that they were for Luke).

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August 15. JVN posted to their TikTok account “Slick Back Bun.” Hands down a fan favorite moment with JVN. “Sometimes I just need a very demure slick back bun…I don’t do my slick back bun like all the other girls. Here I’ll show you how to do it…I’m just going to take the hair and twist it around itself, so I just have a little cinnamon roll bun…” Do I need to elaborate on this one? Seriously, do I? Slick back bun – Antonia – yeah, okay, got it, we’re still going knives out on Antonia. If you haven’t watched this, it is still on JVN’s TikTok and Instagram grid. It was clever how “demure” JVN and Nicola were being that day.

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August 16. Nicola posted another song to her Instagram stories. This time it was Clairo’s “Juna.” It was not just a sweet, romantic song; it was full on sexy. “You make me wanna try on feminine; you make me wanna go buy a new dress; you make me wanna slip off a new dress…With you, there’s no pretending.” Alright, alright, enough! Wait – no, no – come back! I didn’t mean it! Please, please bring back your music to Instagram, Nicola!

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At this point, in my opinion, Chaos Week ended; however, I’m going to reference one more log entry mainly because, if I don’t, it will get overlooked in the small gap between Chaos Week and when the Jakolas enter the picture on August 25 (see “Entry 8 – The One About the Adjacent of Convenience” for that side show).

August 22. Nicola posted the picture of Luke and herself from Bridgerton Season 3 to her Instagram grid. And, no, I do not consider this to be a “Polin” picture. The picture appeared to be an alternative version of the polaroid Nicola carried with her throughout the World Tour. She captioned the post, “I thought I’d already shared this but I hadn’t so here you go now it’s all yours.” She also shared this in her stories and captioned that “with the lovliest pal a gal could have” and tagged Luke’s crotch. The story would disappear after 24 hours, but the post itself is still on Nicola’s Instagram grid. This post can be taken in several ways, depending on your mood. Was she friendzoning Luke because she used the word “pal” in her Instagram story? No, I don’t think she was. The “lov[e]liest pal?” That’s about as confusing as their “unique relationship.” Was she telling the fandom to support Luke because she supported Luke (i.e., stop hating on him)? Yeah, probably. Was she telling the fandom that she thought she’d already made it very clear that everything she had been posting was about Luke? Yes, I believe this to be the most reasonable answer, especially when you consider her previous posts. The reality is, that man fills a hefty chunk of her Instagram grid – and not dressed like Colin Bridgerton. But, I also believe that this post may have been a preemptive strike against the narrative that would surface three days later on August 25. It’s entirely possible Nicola knew that the pap pictures of Jake at the festival would be released by DeuxMoi (after all, it took DeuxMois over a week to release them), and Nicola was reminding fans that her narrative involved Luke. Note, that Nicola would repeat this in October when she and Luke simultaneously posted their “Polin” picture to their Instagram stories, which was followed a few days later by DeuxMoi dropping pap pictures of Nicola and Jake.

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Oh, a few honorable mentions post-August 22: (a) Nicola posted a picture from her Stylist Magazine photoshoot – the one from the back seat of a car (i.e., the “modern day carriage”) on August 23; (b) Luke posted about how he only had an Instagram account on August 24; and (c) JVN posted his “two finger” hair straightening demo on TikTok on August 25 (yes, I only listed these honorable mentions to get to JVN’s “two finger” demo because that was some laugh-out-loud funny shit – and it’s literally on the heels of Nicola’s “modern day carriage”).

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August 25. What in the hot fucking kittens is that? Well, thank God, it’s not an iceberg this time. Whoa, they didn’t just pull that Non-Player Character from that group of guys and name a ship after him, did they? Hahaha, dumbasses. Oh, shit! It’s coming straight for us!

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End Log.

Well, how was Chaos Week? Did you have a good time? I’m honestly friggin’ exhausted. Seriously, even just writing all that down was exhausting. Like, my brain is fried. Oh, yeah, feel free to ignore that part at the end of our log. That shit happens every time the Lukolas are given a bit of fun. You’ll get used to it.

I took you on this excursion through Chaos Week today because I believe it is important to develop an opinion about what happened before and after Hot Boy Summer, especially if we’re going to theorize on it at a later point. And, as I mentioned earlier, the before played out in front of our eyes and the after, well, if we have the information available, why not peek in its direction? It’s almost like reading a book from back to front.

There are three things that happened during Chaos Week that have kept my feet firmly planted on the USS Lukola. One, Nicola wearing the “Drink Your Milk” shirt, alluding to the still uncorrected perception that it was Luke’s shirt. Two, “Bless the Telephone.” We started Hot Boy Summer with The Frames singing, “I’m gonna wait for you…” and ended it with Labi Siffre answering, “It’s nice to hear your voice again…” And, three, Nicola posting “Very demure, very mindful,” confirming – in my opinion – that she was very conscious of what her posts were telling the fandom – i.e., that they were for Luke.

But, as I was sitting here typing out my thoughts about Chaos Week, I found myself – oh, no, word vomit! – annoyed.

Yes, annoyed.

It’s not Chaos Week itself that has left me feeling annoyed. That was one hell of a “Bridgerton Ride.” It’s that Chaos Week set in motion this predictable pattern which solidified my opinion that “Lukolas can’t have nice things.” Seriously, we can’t have nice things because something always comes in and fucks it up.

You know how I mentioned at the beginning of this post that Luke’s return to London was the “blip-blip” that led to Chaos Week? Luke was the “cause” and Chaos Week was the “effect.” Well, Chaos Week was the “blip-blip” that led to the current state of the fandom. We now have three ships – the Lukola, the Jakola, and the Lutonia – sailing the Fandom Sea, and every time the Lukola finds itself flying high, it gets hijacked by one or both of those motherfucking side ships.

Every.

Single.

Time.

Somewhere in this hot mess, the chaos that originated from Nicola’s August social media spree found order! In fact, we’ve fallen into such a predictable pattern of events that the ebb and flow of the sideshow antics barely “blip” our radar these days. When bullshit starts bullshitting, I just breathe a deep sigh of unadulterated annoyance and think, “I’m so over this shit.” Honestly, I’m getting the vibe that many of us are over this shit. We’re not playing Scrabble anymore. We’re playing that never-ending game of Risk.

Sometimes I wonder if the fandom would have been better off if Chaos Week had never happened. That Pandora’s Box had never been opened and that the fandom had simply allowed the USS Lukola to sail off into the sunset. But, then I think about the people I have met along the way. The Ones that have made me laugh until my stomach hurts. The Ones with whom I’ve gone so far down a rabbit hole we’ve come out on the other side as different people. The Ones that I’ve rescued from the riptide. And, the Ones that have stopped me from rowing my dinghy to shore (because, yes, I’ve had rough days, too). You all know who you are.

So, I find myself putting up with the day-to-day humdrum of the Life of a Lukola, chatting with the people I now consider my friends, and waiting.

Waiting for something different to happen. A disruption to the current cycle. A new kind of chaos – preferably, the kind that mortally wounds the Jakola and Lutonia love triangles and finally allows the Lukolas to have (and keep) nice things.

But, in the meantime, I am still sitting here – listening for that quiet but distinct sound – but also contemplating knocking the Risk board off the table.

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[hoonieyun]

it's scooby doo time

pairing: sim jaeyun x reader x park sunghoon

warnings: mentions of death, murder, blood, profanity, stalking, like overall slasher movie vibes, 18+ not proofread

this chapter is written and all chapters moving forward will be as well

wc: 2685

your breath quickens at the text message notifications on your phone. the streets were still bustling with students enjoying their weekend and people finding something to do on their days off but it was all drowned out by the ringing in your ears. you felt like you were going to be sick as you read the text messages over and over again, like it was a giant slap in the face to everything you and your friends have survived the last few months. 

like it was all a joke and the killer knew what games to play to get you all to drop your guards. 

“yn? everything ok, you look like you saw a ghost. what’s on that phone of yours that’s got you so spooked?” jay asks, garnering everyone’s attention as they all avert their gaze over to you who had fallen behind as they all walked forward. sunghoon walks over to you, reaching for your hand as he reads the worry in your face. “ yn? whats wrong?” he asks, taking your phone from your hand to see whats got you frozen in fear. 

sunghoon’s face instantly drops as he reads the texts on your phone; turning towards the group with a deadpan face– worry transferring to them as sunghoon’s expression mimics yours. they all huddle over to see what the cause was and soon worry washes over the street. like once bustling streets on a busy saturday night has suddenly turned into darkness, leaving all of you as the only people left out there. 

“is this some fucking joke?” daniella asks, frustration in her voice as she releases an aggravated sigh. none of you could believe this was happening, just a month ago detective taeyong and irene had told you all that gong ilhan has been arrested and charged for the murder of your friends and attempted murder; it seems that the nightmare has not come to an end– but was just dormant. 

“we need to tell detective taeyong and irene– no! shouldn’t we wait until something happens? what if this is just a prank?” heeseung interjects. everyone staring at him and waiting for an explanation. 

“think about it– what if this is just a prank? ilhan is still in jail right? there’s no way he could’ve sent that.” 

everyone processes heeseungs words and although it makes sense, what if ilhan was just a red herring; and in fact, not the killer. “what if its not a prank and he’s just been waiting for us?” sunghoon’s words hang heavily amongst you and soon your friends have begun to theorize any possibilities, arguments and bickering erupt as they all talk over one another– no one listening to what the other has to say as panic disrupts the once peaceful and joyful night you were all having. 

“babe, are you ok?” sunghoon whispers, pulling you aside from the group as they continue to argue amonst themselves. this is exactly what the killer wants, chaos. he wants all of you to disagree and argue so that you don’t stand united– falling apart– to make it easier to pick the rest of you guys off one by one. 

and you weren’t going to let that happen. 

“enough!” you shout, your voice ripping through the empty streets of the night– causing everyone to fall silent. “if this fucker wants to come get us so bad– that we’ll give it to him.” you mutter, everyone’s gaze glued onto you as they all try to figure out what you’ve got planned. 

“here’s what we’re going to do..” 

your plan seemed outrageous but everyone followed along quite well– you wanted to make sure that if the killer was going to come back– that it would be the last time. 

“we’ll meet at jay and heeseung’s new place, since it’s the biggest, it'll give us enough space for all of us to camp out there. it’s also the only one that’s not an apartment– we don’t want to have to involve any of the other residents and put them in danger.. 

if the killer is going to come after us, which we know he is, if we’re all at the same place at the same time then it’ll be easy for all of us to fight him off– whoever it is. 

we can take turns sleeping in shifts just in case he doesn’t attack right away, keep each other safe and accountable to ensure that we survive.” 

“how do we know he’s going to show up?” heeseung asks. 

“we don’t.. but i’ll make sure he does.” you mutter and heeseung just asks why but you tell him that it’s nothing to worry about and that you’ll take care of it. “all you guys need to do is to show up… and live.” you left it at that and soon you all parted ways. heading back to your new homes as you all prepare for that night. 

“baby, slow down. talk to me, where is this all coming from?” sunghoon asks, jogging up to you as you speed walked away back to his car. “yn, slow down.” he huffs. “i can’t! i can’t, okay? this i has to end..” you were on the verge of tears and sunghoon could tell this was affecting you greatly– even more than it used to. 

“everything will be fine.” he says, pulling you into his arms as he softly hushes you. you weren’t sure if it was going to be fine but you were going to try your damndest to make sure you and your friends survived. 

during the ride home, sunghoon asks how you came up with that plan of yours on the fly, to which you explained that it wasn’t on a whim and that you had planned it before they had arrested ilhan. you explained that if there was one way to identify the killer and have him fall into your trap– it would be to gather as a group somewhere private: one of your homes. and spend the night together, leaving you all vulnerable. 

it was too big of an opportunity for the killer not to take and even though you were taking a risk by only assuming that the killer will show up without full certainty, there was a feeling inside of you that just said he would. 

“where are you going?” sunghoon asks as you step out of his car and walk to yours when he arrives back at your new home. “i need to go do something– okay i’ll come with.” he interjects but you decline. telling him that you needed to do this alone and that you’ll be fine. 

“it’ll only take 15 minutes, trust me, ok?” sunghoon is reluctant to just let you go out alone in the middle of the night but he eventually agrees– watching you speed out of the parking lot and trudging his way back to your new apartment. 

later that night, when you returned you found sunghoon sitting in the living room with all of the lights on, waiting for you. you sat next to him as he waves you over to the empty spot beside him on the couch; “where’d you go?” he asks and you tell him that it wasn’t anything to worry and that you just needed to do something really quickly but that wasn’t enough for him. 

“you can’t hide stuff from me, especially now– when we know the killer is still out there? yn, come on..” he probes and as much as you wanted to tell him and as guilty as you felt from looking into his eyes and all you could see was love and longing– you knew that you couldn’t tell him. at least not yet. 

“do you trust me?” you ask and sunghoon immediately nods his head, turning his body so that he was fully facing you. “of course i trust you, do you trust me?” he retorts and your mind suddenly goes back to the day at the hospital, when you were attacked when visiting jay after he woke up and sunghoon miraculously appeared as if he had been there the whole time– claiming he was just attacked the same way you were. 

you wanted to trust me with every fiber in your body but you couldn’t tell him that there was a tiny sliver of disbelief inside of you because you knew that the small doubt could create the biggest rift between the two of you. so– instead of answering him, you pull him into a hug paired with a small peck onto his cheeks and you could feel sunghoon relax instantly. relief washing over you as you realize your avoidant response was enough. 

“come on, let’s go to bed.” you say, standing up and pulling him into your now shared bedroom. sunghoon must’ve been more exhausted from the day than you were because he instantly falls asleep while you’re left to wonder if you’re currently lying in the bed with the very man that has been a terror on your life since the beginning of the school year. 

college was barely even any of your focus these days, your grades were doing just fine enough to sail by and although nothing had happened for the last month, you’re constantly on edge; as if there was a looming danger just hiding in the shadows for the perfect opportunity to pounce. 

🗡

“hey! you made it!” heeseung greets as he opens the door, revealing you and sunghoon who are seemingly the last two to arrive. “well yeah, i kind of did plan this whole thing.” and sunghoon just laughs while heeseung nods in realization, a shy smile on his face. heeseung grabs your bags and sets it into one of the closets in the hallway, “i can take that too.” he says, referring to your bag that was slung across your body. you recoil when he reaches for it, causing everyone to notice your reaction. “woah–” 

“sorry, uhm– its fine. i’ll hold onto it. thanks.” you say, taking a seat in the living room next to daniella, sunghoon telling heeseung that it’s cool and not to worry, “she’s just been a bit on edge.” heeseung nods as he sets your bags down into the closet. 

“alright, so now what?” jay asks, emerging from his room with extra blankets and pillows for everyone. 

“we wait.” you simply respond and again, they question your plan; “is this even going to work? i mean– what if he doesn’t show up.” daniella utters and you can’t help but sigh because you weren’t sure that he would and all you could do was hope. obviously the killer showing up would lead to bloodshed one way or another, but doing it like this ensures that you’re all together meaning you could keep each other safe. 

when the sun dips below the horizon and the only thing providing light in the dark night was the moon, your friends have begun to fall asleep. heeseung and jay sleeping in their respective rooms while daniella slept soundly on the couch in the living room. you and sunghoon were currently outside on the balcony, it was your turn to stand watch but sunghoon didn’t feel comfortable leaving you alone so he was by your side. 

“do you think he’s coming?” sunghoon asks, voice just above a whisper. you shook your head with a shrug, “is this stupid? what if they’re right? and he doesn’t show up? then we’d just be sitting ducks for the rest of our lives! i just–” sunghoon cuts you off with a kiss on the lips. 

the once uneasy atmosphere soon dissipated as your lips connect, the tenderness swelling inside of your chest as sunghoon’s hands find the curvature of your body, pulling you closer to his body but you’re soon interrupted when you hear daniella scream from inside of the house. 

you and sunghoon instantly pull yourselves off of one another and run inside, afraid that in your moment of vulnerability that daniella was attacked; worry and guilt building inside of you as you run inside only to find daniella standing in the middle of the living room, with all of the lights on and no killer in sight. 

“what the fuck? what happened?” you ask, out of breath with sunghoon trailing behind you. 

“i thought i felt a bug crawling on me..” daniella explains shyly and although you were annoyed, you were glad that she was fine. lights emerge from the other side of the house as jay appears, eyes half shut, “what’s going on? who yelled?” he asks, rubbing one of his eyes. 

“nothing, dani just thought there was a bug on her.” to which he groans, clearly upset that his sleep was interrupted. 

just before you’re all about to return to what you were doing; the lights in the house suddenly go out and you’re left in the darkness, prompting daniella to now scream with actual purpose while sunghoon instantly reaches out and pulls you closer to him. 

“fuck– he’s here.” you breathe out, “jay, go check on heeseung.” sunghoon instructs him and the two twin brothers bicker for a moment as jay is too frightened to go alone and eventually does what he’s told. 

“dani? where are you?” you ask, trying to call out to her but there’s no response; like she had just vanished with the light that once filled the room. “hoon, where did she go?” you ask, panic laced in your voice. sunghoon does his best to calm you down but it only works momentarily as you soon realize the bag you once had wrapped around you was gone. 

you tried to recall your steps and figure out when you could’ve taken it off but your mind was filled with too much worry and panic that you could barely think straight. “he’s gone! heeseung isn’t in his room and his window is wide open.” jay announces. 

two of your friends have gone missing in the last five minutes and now you were all left in the dark. to make matters worse, only one of you could find your phone to use as a light but in the midst of the chaos, you had forgotten to charge it. “fuck, what do we do?” jay says, carefully finding his way over to you and sunghoon who are positioned in the far side of the room. 

“we need to split up..” you whisper and sunghoon is quick to shoot your idea down. “baby, i love you but that’s a terrible idea..” explaining that he doesn’t want to leave you alone, “bro what about me?” jay gasps in offense. 

“you’re a man, you’ll be fine.” sunghoon retorts but you cut them off before their argument goes any further. “baby, look at me.” you say, holding sunghoon’s face parallel to yours, the small sliver of light coming from the moon was enough for you to look into one another’s eyes. 

fear instilled in the both of you but all you could do was mask it with courage. 

“we need to split it, find heeseung and daniella and meet back here, ok?” sunghoon nods, a sigh of defeat leaving his body as you turn to where you assume jay is standing. “jay, you know this house better than us, go look for heeseung and i’ll look for daniella. 

hoon, stay here just in case one of them comes back. just shout if you’re in trouble but try not to make any noise in the process, we don’t know where the killer could be lurking..” 

“i mean– i’ve only lived here like 2 weeks so i barely know the layout of the house– ow!” jay exclaims, sunghoon had punched him in the arm during his ramble, cutting him off from making excuses. 

“okay, okay! i’ll go..” he says with a pout. you tell jay that you’ll take the upstairs while he takes the main floor since it’s a bigger space. before you could leave, sunghoon pulls you by the wrist and gives you one last kiss before letting you go, leaving you with just a simple phrase. 

“don’t die.”

back - masterlist - next

detective's notes: our final five are left to their own devices as y/n's plan comes into action. her assumption that putting herself and her friends in one place to lure in the killer seems to have worked as they now find themselves navigating in the darkness; hoping to see the next light of day.

copyright 2025 - present © hoonieyun all rights reserved all writing here is fiction & not in any association with characters mentioned. if you enjoyed reading this please consider reblogging and following <3

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[autisticshadowthehedgehog]

yes the plants take the gem but what does that have to do with sonic and tails can you explain I'm very intrigued

i'm assuming you're referring to this post!

In the anime Sonic X, the third season was dedicated to a completely original story. (also obligatory "please watch the subbed version, the dubbed version got censored heavily" mention) The spoiler-free version is that group of aliens in fucked-up robot armor, led by Dark Oak, descend on Mobius to try and steal the Chaos Emeralds. In attempt to save the universe from these freaks, Super Sonic scatters the emeralds across the galaxy before crashing to the planet (he's fine tho). The aliens, known as the Metarex, then attack the planet and steal something from its core, causing the plants to slowly wither and die.

Around this time, a refugee from space crashes on the planet, looking for Sonic. An anthropomorphic plant, her name is Cosmo and she is the last survivor of her race after the Metarex attacked her ship. She knows Sonic as the only person who can control the chaos emeralds, and begs him to help defeat the Metarex. Turns out these guys have been planet-hopping and genociding as they go, but their main goal is to steal the Planet Egg, which is a magic thing at the core of each planet that keeps it alive and thriving. She currently doesn't know what they're using them for but it's not for anything good. And, well, now they're hunting chaos emeralds... and, as we find out later, making fake ones.

Tails happens to have a spaceship so the whole gang goes into space to fight the Metarex. This takes up the entire season and it fucks severely. Again, the English dub was heavily censored; the og Japanese has constant death and shit. In the last of the spoiler-free bits, I will say that if you have ever heard of "Dark Sonic"... this is where he appears.

The entire season is extremely dark but extremely well-written, which makes it very popular in the fanbase. Ian Flynn has previously stated he wanted to adapt this arc to comic but Sega wouldn't let him; us seeing the Chaos Emerald surrounded by plants, along with fake chaos emeralds and Dark Sonic-implications, is making us wonder if Sega's let up and we might get this arc after all.

Now, spoiler version, though I really do suggest you watch the subbed version of this season bc it's a fucking masterpiece:

We find out late in the season that Cosmo and the Metarex are the same species. In this species, the sexual dimorphism is a different "final stage" of their life cycle. The "male" plant-creatures enter their final stage as basically a kaiju, in order to defend their society from threats; the "female" final stage is turning into a giant fuckin tree in order to reproduce with seeds. The downside is that once you enter this final stage, it is FINAL, and you die shortly after.

However, when their planet was attacked by an unseen threat (it's never clarified, but a lot of people theorize it to be the Black Arms considering Shadow 05 was about to drop), they were all about to get wiped tf out. Dark Oak started experimenting with the Planet Egg in order to stay permanently in kaiju version without dying. His wife, Earthia (or "Ashia" in Japanese, but it just translates to "Earthia") is fucking horrified that he's fucking with the life of their planet like this. While he convinces the "males" to join his side, Earthia escapes with the girls and bombs their planet to kill Dark Oak and his new monsters. They survive though, and Dark Oak starts leading them to steal more planet eggs.

Turns out their plan is to use the power of the eggs and chaos emeralds (fake or real) to do a full-scale attack on the entire fucking universe, which will kill all animal-people and turn every planet into overgrown plants. We actually see some characters from a Shadow one-off episode being killed and violently turned into trees in one scene. Fucked up. That's what they want to do to everything.

And Cosmo? Well she didn't just happen to be a survivor; turns out Dark Oak spared her from the attack on her ship, semi-possessed her in order to spy through her eyes and ears, and yeeted her down to Mobius. He's been using her to spy on the Sonic Crew this entire time, against her will and without her knowledge. It fucks everyone up a WHOLE lot.

Anyway there's like a three-part finale where Super Sonic and Super Shadow are desperately trying to keep these fuckers from Mass Genociding. Finally, Cosmo realizes that she's the only one who can stop this and sacrifices herself; she goes into her Final Stage, turning into a tree but trapping Dark Oak in there with her (it's a long story, he kinda turned into a meteor). She then appears to Tails, the ship captain, and tells him to fucking shoot her to kill both her and Dark Oak, saving the galaxy.

The problem is, Tails and Cosmo have had a bit of a romance over the course of the season. It's been fucking adorable, and Tails became extremely protective of her after Shadow tried to kill her (long story). There's an uncomfortably drawn-out scene (and I mean that in the best way) where Tails is like. Emotionally broken and trying to figure out any way to do this without killing Cosmo. Eventually, he has to give in and fucking shoot her, blowing her and Dark Oak up. It saves the galaxy but traumatizes the hell out of him.

Super Sonic and Shadow contain the blast, and Super Shadow chaos-controls it away and disappears (this is likely bc they were setting up for the Sonic Heroes arc, where Shadow would have to appear out of nowhere again). When Sonic returns to the ship, Tails meets with him, desperate for him to say he saved the day last-minute and brought Cosmo back. Instead, all Sonic could find was a single seed– considering how the Metarex reproduce, it's probably Cosmo's child, but it's never clarified. This causes Tails to have a complete fucking breakdown.

The season p much ends there. They show everyone starting to heal on Mobius, have a bit where the anime-exclusive character Chris has character development and leaves to go home, and then go "and now we're going to have more adventures!! yay!!" before panning to a potted plant in Tails's workshop, showing that the seed has sprouted.

As I said, it's very dark, but VERY good, and thus we all really really hope that it's what Sonic IDW is building up to. They've been building up fake Chaos Emeralds, Tails blaming himself for things outside of his control, and Sonic being 110% done. I didn't even get into the Dark Sonic stuff, cause it only appears briefly in one episode and then is never mentioned again, which you'd think would be bad writing but no it just raises so many questions and you know that was what was intended by it.

The arc is really beloved but because it only appeared in a 2005 anime (which was heavily censored in English, and the og Japanese didn't air officially until a couple years ago), not a huge chunk of the fanbase knows about it. Which means we really want to share it and get more people into it and how good a character Cosmo is. So yeah that's what we're excited for.

[kadextra]

this is about !bad and his mission

AHHH WHAT IS IT

what we factually know is that

it requires chaos & conflict

he’s unable to see his kids again until its completed

which implies it’s ordered by heaven since they have the power to cast him out. if that’s true it raises questions of what sort of place this heaven even is to begin with, and what their morals (or lack thereof) are like to want this to happen. conflict as a catalyst for growth?

it could possibly be 4th horseman related like ppl have theorized. or maybe a form of punishment for !bad specifically? idk I just wonder if there are stakes to this, like they might be holding his kids over his head. “we have something so dear to him— perfect to use as a reason to send the guy out to work!!” that kinda thing? but it could also be self-imposed mission, maybe one as simple as him heading back down to continue being the embodiment of death among mortals.

the titanic story from the other day got me thinking about all that again… him who just so happened to be laying on the iceberg that caused the crash, him summoned into Atlantis which sunk it, being there during the plague, him as the meteorite that wiped out the dinosaurs- !foolish is right to say death follows wherever he goes. !bad causes disasters even if it’s not in his intentions to. mr grim reaper over here built a cathedral that isn’t even a place of worship, its to bury the dead. you gotta wonder if he was born with this grand purpose or it was acquired after he fell

but anyways yeah he’s SO confident he will succeed. he’s intentionally making bold/blatant moves rn to push it along, nothing is personal, it’s a means to an end, down every path he sees himself winning. death does lie at the end of every mortal path after all so he isn’t wrong...

he regards this mission as so important above basically all other things. really makes me wonder, would a hitch to it cause him to crash out fr? could anything be considered as *against* the mission? can he get too overconfident and slip up…? so many questions

[ficsinhistory]

Hello everyone! This is one of a few posts I'm thinking about doing theorizing what we might see in Sonic 4. The topic of the day: Amy Rose's origin in the movies. 

I've mentioned it in other posts, but our dear pink girl will need a stronger backstory, so here's my two cents.

I think Amy Rose will be a native of Little Planet.

For those who don't know what it is, Little Planet is a planetoid with special properties that appears punctually above Never Lake for approximately one month each year and disappears completely for the remaining eleven months. It first appears in Sonic CD.

It is so mysterious that it travels through space never specified where it can be found for the rest of the year, without being bound by gravitational fields, described as "a world that defies time" and "where past, present and future collide”. 

You heard right, Little Planet is a place where TIME TRAVEL is a reality. I even think that Ivo didn't die, but the explosion of the Eclipse cannon, with so much chaos energy, ended up sending him there, but that's a theory for another day.

The point is that Little Planet is extremely powerful and full of life and energy, to the point of creating its own flora and fauna and, in the context of the film, it can be filled with chaos energy and use it to mess with time and space. 

Not only does Little Planet have innate powers, but it is also where the Times Stones reside, which also appeared in Sonic CD, which is probably the reason why the place never stops.

The Times Stones are similar to the Chaos Emeralds in the “jewels with insane powers” ​​category. They are relics that allow their user to travel through time and re-write history to cause miracles to happen. No, you heard right, the Times Stones are 7 gems that can completely rewrite history, able to command time itself in order to cause miracles to happen. And yes, it is an insane power.

Knowing this, I theorize that, in the movies, Little Planet is inhabited by a population that learned to use the energy of chaos for temporal manipulation, such as the ability to see the future, the past, travel through time, among other things.

They would also have advanced technology, since in Sonic CD there are industrial hubs, high-tech cities on Little Planet and Amy's hammer is clearly technological in the post-credits.

I also believe that the people of Little Planet have a cultural philosophy of actions and consequences and the common good, similar to the honor and struggle of the echidnas that Knuckles possesses, rooted in the Times Stones and their social importance. Perhaps believing that one should not interfere in how life is and avoid selfish decisions in the name of a good future for all. This would give Amy a personal conflict, who is probably in a race against time to change destiny.

This next one may be a bit morbid, but I believe that the natives of the planetoid, and Amy, may have a very melancholic and beautiful view of life and death. After all, everyone's time comes to an end and this would be more present in a civilization so collectivist and guided by time.

The people of Little Planet may be great valuers of memories and, although the end comes for everyone, death should not be feared because it is natural and the memories, the love, will always be there. And love may even be one of the most important feelings for the people there. The Little Planet civilization may see love as the only thing that transcends time, perhaps wanting to spread it throughout the world the planet is in. In general, a balanced and pacifist society.

Which makes the eventual domination that it will possibly undergo in the fourth film even worse and more brutal.

[stagnatedunicorn]

I made an SCP slice-of-life idol girl anime AU because I can and I like to laugh at what I create sometimes. It’s about Gears getting randomly selected to become the next idol girl and chaos ensues. This AU isn’t supposed to be taken seriously, very much for shits and giggles. I’ve been working on and off of this for about..4 months maybe? Info and art under the cut!!

Also abbreviated as: H!ITIAIG (not too catchy but it’s a work in progress I guess)

Some of this info is a work in progress, some characters will be more developed than others!!

Now here’s our beloved goobers:

Idol!Gears: She/They

She is of anxiety and has a slight fear of the stage. Can be considered clumsy and is having a hard time adjusting to being in the spotlight and preforming life. They’re self critical and conscious about their performances. She’s more comfortable with being in group shows than by herself. They’re utterly clueless about show business.

Idol!Bright: He/She

He’s a very high energy persona, usually causing trouble or getting into situations she shouldn’t be in. Blaming a different type of fish for his actions every time she gets in trouble. He’s been an idol for a while and has a LOT of fans, she also takes Idol!Gears under his wing. Her solo shows are usually very loud and colorful.

Idol!Clef: He/It

An anomaly in itself. He sneaks his way into performances and somehow on the roster last minute. Rarely seen in public, some fans theorize that it’s actually another idol just doing a double show..but they don’t know who that would be. It does stand up comedy before shows and he isn’t that funny. Does a bunch of special effects during his shows.

Idol!Berg: She/Ze

Uses a lot of pyrotechnics! I still need to develop zim more.

This is going to be post one of a few since tumblr likes to limit the amount of photos I can add in a post ;-;

[tboom-but-weird]

So some people have been theorizing as to why Zooble found a mask thats looks specifically made for Gangle in their parts box. Here are some theories I've found (split between crack theories and actual proper theories):

Actual theories (a lot of them are ripped from somewhere else, I'm here to list possibilities, not to fact check if they're right):

Caine is known to re-use assets, so if he's the one who generates parts for the Zooble box, maybe he used one of Gangles mask assets for one for Zooble despite it not fitting them (or maybe its another head or something, I mean, one one of the consept arts Gooseworx made, Zooble can be made out of entirely different materials if they so choose (but maybe doesnt because the triangle and peanut body works for them and also reconizability)).

As kind of an alternative of the previous theory, Caine / whatever makes it so Zooble has infinite parts generates a bunch of stuff that doesn't even fit Zooble.

Speaking of the infinite, if there truly is no end, there was prone to be a mask for Gangle eventually.

Zooble actually made it for Gangle (possibly with some of their own parts they tried and didnt fit). I mean, it does not look to be for them and it even has a spiral and a star on the cheeks. Although some parts have patterns, I dont think any of them have been all that deliberate. They did appear pretty bashful when Gangle thanked them (might be crack theory worthy, but I think it has enough going for it to not be a full shot in the dark).

Plot.

In case Zooble wanted to look more like one of their fellow humans, Caine made some assets that look more like them. Its possible Theres also a button eye like Ragatha's and ears like Jax's for example.

Crack theories:

It was meant for Gangle, but Caine forgor to give it to her (considering its explicitly stated to be from plastic, its probably not true, but its fun to imagine).

Caine ships them and wanted to make them interact (basically pulling a Bezel from Chikn Nuggit).

Caine wanted to cause chaos. Actually that one might be true.

Do I think this will end up mattering? No. Is it fun speculating? Yeah. If you have another theory or want to add anything, be my guest.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

kos at Daily Kos:

Conservatives' big bet on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to backfire on them.

Last year, Steven Bannon, a former adviser to Donald Trump, encouraged Kennedy to challenge President Joe Biden in the Democratic primary, according to CBS News’ Robert Costa. Bannon reportedly thought Kennedy would create chaos and stoke anti-vaccine sentiment. After his Democratic bid fizzled, Kennedy kicked off an independent run. And the whole time, he was bankrolled by conservative millionaires, who no doubt hoped Kennedy’s family name would cost Biden enough votes in battleground states to hand the 2024 election to Trump. Democratic voters mostly didn’t fall for it, though. Even worse, Kennedy’s QAnon-adjacent conspiracy-theorizing began attracting support on the right, imperiling Trump’s electoral chances. So Trump got Kennedy to drop out and endorse him in late August, promising Kennedy who-knows-what.  But now a slew of womanizing revelations are swirling around Kennedy, causing chaos for Trump. And it’s freakin’ hilarious. 

On Wednesday, Mediaite reported that three women claim to have had romantic relationships with Kennedy within the past year. Those three women do not include New York magazine journalist Olivia Nuzzi, whose own alleged affair with the brain-worm-afflicted conspiracist seemingly destroyed her impending marriage and career. Kennedy, it should be said, is himself married to “Curb Your Enthusiasm” actress Cheryl Hines.

RFK Jr. and Donald Trump do have one thing in common: womanizing.

[auramgold]

On Acht and Romance

going into side order, from the september direct trailer where Acht was first revealed i remember the joke at the time clearly being "and now Marina's ex is here".

the way this line [image description in alt] was written was basically the only evidence for this kind of idea, when the theories were kind of "Marina's order tantrum is sucking people in from her past and the DLC will be about going through her memories", so ellipses in a line like this is basically all theory crafters on no info need to go for shipping.

i'm not one who's super into plot theory crafting, i know full well the tendency to theorize something that's cooler than what you actually get and being disappointed that the story didn't live up to your imagination. the things i was obsessed with in side order promotional material was the obvious bleached coral theme, the symbolism of coral ejecting it that which keeps it safe out of stress being mapped onto Marina, the idea of her pushing those she loves (and those that keep her colorful) away out of a spiral (and it does turn out that was basically exactly what the prologue was going for)

so the whole "Acht and Marina exes" thing was kinda just a joke to me, wasn't even on my radar as something they were actually going to lean into, frankly i was still scared nintendo was going to make them kill pearlina by sending Marina to superhell or smth and we'd end up with a splatoonified destiel meme

so when the DLC comes out and it is legitimately a "they knew each other since childhood" thing, and the running bit is Acht feeling awkward third-wheeling pearlina, and it's explicit in text that one of the reasons they're coming back after the DLC is over is to scope out Pearl as the girl who took down the NILS statue who is now dating Marina... it struck me as really interesting.

at first it was me keeping up the "Marina and Acht are exes" as a joke, but as i kept reading dialogue lines, it slowly became less of a joke, they were to some degree dating because opposite but complimentary autisms, and then drifting apart as Marina got pulled away on the big girl assignment with DJ Octavio, and then the despair of knowing Marina left without even saying goodbye to Acht... it fits well into that reading, it slowly became less of a joke to believe that

but the thing that really makes me think this is intentional subtext is the final Acht diary entry you get from clearing Eight's palette. through the rest of side order talking about Acht's backstory, it seemed like they were retconning the OE lore that Acht had gotten themself sanitized intentionally, losing themself so they could explore their music deeper. but in the final diary, where Acht directly says they drifted into the deepsea metro to fall into their music, because, and i quote

"Hey, Marina. You can guess the chaos your desertion caused. I ended up without much to do except make music. "

they fell into a depression spiral when their girlfriend deserted their society without so much as saying goodbye, falling into their music deep away from interacting with everyone else, to the point that, as the old lore implies, they chose to give up their identity to escape the depression, but sanitization so thoroughly did it that they forget even making the choice.

so when they get brought out of that haze back into being themself again, with the only the barest strung-together horrified memories of what happened in the half a decade interim gap in their life, only to find themself replaced by some inkling they don't know at all, of course they're gonna be awkward seeing the two flirting.

they put on a stoic face because that's clearly their coping mechanism within this damaged body they barely recognize, hiding their eyes behind their tinted glasses so they can't be seen beneath. but the only time they let themself be vulnerable, the only time their eyes can be seen, is when they charge out in the climax when the world is at stake, diving in to try to save Marina, leaving the elevator and its protection behind to help the only person they remember ever caring about.

it's why i don't really like the aroace reading that much, because i think this reading is even more tragic and fits into the themes. the world has changed, it can't go back to how it once was, you can't put the octolings back in the canyon bottle. Marina abandoned Acht to the point they got their identity destroyed willingly to escape the pain, and when Acht came back they were replaced by the inkling whose voice they remember even through the haze of sanitized memories.

the lingering effects of sanitization have changed how they relate to everything (i think there's a fair argument to be made for the idea that sanitization took their gender can't have shit in the deepsea metro), but Acht clearly still cares for Marina and still, the slightest bit, resents having to be reminded repeatedly every time pearlina flirts in front of them how they were replaced.

[ecargmura]

You and Idol Precure Episode 5 Review - Every Idol Needs A Manager

Here’s an updated list of Purirun’s crimes:

`Mooching off of Uta

Uploading a video of Cure Idol

Sneaking into school grounds and exposing herself to Nana.

Uploading a video of Cure Wink.

Suffocating Tanaka twice (NEW)

A new character joins the story! It’s essential that an idol needs a manager, and that’s where Tanaka comes in. Despite his appearance, he’s actually from Kirakiland and was once Purirun’s neighbor named Tanakhan. If he’s able to manifest a human form on Earth, does that mean Purirun will be able to as well? I honestly dread the day Purirun turns into human because that means she will cause more chaos.

To be honest, I do like Tanaka a lot! I assumed he’d be super strict and prevent the Idol Precures from wanting to take up a job offer, but he was cool with it and the experience did help him see that the Idol Precures’ job isn’t just to stop Makkurandas, but it’s also see how the Precures radiate when doing their duties, whether it be to stop Makkurandas or help people who need their help. I also think having him as a waiter for Cafe Glitter will be a good way to have him be around.

Also, the fact that the Precures are transforming for more trivial reasons and not just the usual transformation intrigues me. I think this might be one of the cases where the the formula is broken now? The last time I saw Precures use their power for random tasks was back in Hirogaru Sky Precure where Sky and Prism were trying to take a lady to the airport to meet her family.

Kaito also appears in this episode as he and Uta have some nice moments, but it does get interrupted when Kyutaro sees another dog passing by. Judging from his words at the end, it feels as if Kaito is aware of them being Idol Precures, but that’s just me theorizing.

Is it just me or is the animation a little wonky in this episode? Some shots have the girls have lines for their eyes and some have their faces look a little uneven. Maybe it’s just me…?

Tanaka is voiced by Junichi Suwabe. He’s famous for his distinct baritone, but he uses a more softer voice akin to how he voices his more softer, handsome characters like Viktor from Yuri on Ice or even Eliot Moriarty from Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions. I’m sort of curious if he’ll use the same tone once he turns into a fairy…

Also, I’m surprised that Koharu or anyone in the Pretty Holic staff isn’t questioning why middle schoolers are working as managers in training. Are fourteen-year-olds even allowed to work part-time in Japan? If they aren’t, Tanaka is gonna look even more dead when answering possible serious questions on child labor law violations… Serious stuff aside, Kokoro appears towards the end. Since the preview will focus on her, I am curious about her. The episode title doesn’t seem to indicate she’ll transform, but who knows? What are your thoughts on this episode?

[brilliantorinsane]

The Case of the Pennsylvania Gun

Hey what if I pick up this series I barely started six years ago and post it on my abandoned blog?

The Pennsylvania Gun is loosely (emphasis on loosely) adapted from The Valley of Fear. It was written and directed by producer Sheldon Renyolds, who also wrote the first two episodes. I was unsurprised to find the first three were written by the same person, as they have a more cohesive sense of character/relationship development than your average episode string in this series.

Introduction, Ep1 Pt1, Ep1 Pt2, Ep2, Ep 3, Ep 4

As in the books, Howard Holmes and Watson have personas they perform for the world, and often for one another. These personas are driven by opposite social desires and insecurities. Watson performs the Normal British Gentleman, anxious to be seen as a sane and respectable contributor to society. Holmes performs Eccentric Genius, driven by a horror of being perceived as normal, aiming at a persona of mystery and infallibility.

This episode demonstrates their temptation to cleave to people who reinforce their cover stories about themselves, contrasting this to the way they see and ground each other in their truer, more joyful, and far more embarrassing selves.

We begin in Baker Street, where the pair have already settled into the delights and annoyances of knowing one another all too well.

Here Holmes attempts to put on his performance for Watson: introducing Birlstone Manor, to which he means to entice Watson for a case, through absurdities about place names and the British national character. He then pretends his only interest in Birlstone is the fishing prospects, waving about tackle he will later employ to catch a clue. But already Watson knows him too well to fall for the show—he’s read about the Birlstone murder and guesses that Holmes means to investigate, and he clocks Holmes' lack of fishing knowledge at once.

Meanwhile, Watson is already forgetting to play 'normal' around his flatmate. If either of this pair was to be accused of being a little too excited over murder it would be Watson, and his understanding of his eccentric flatmate is just a little too complete a little too quick. Watson rattles off train times like a good little boy recites the Bible, and if you wish there is plenty to read into the domesticity of their mutual behaviour as they lounge about in bathrobes.

And so the conclusion of the opening shenanigans is entirely unsurprising. The pair harass a poor messenger boy—and I love these menaces to society, but the episode doesn't quite nail the pitch in this moment and their behaviour lands more as bullying than good-natured chaos. Still, I adore the messenger boy's final declaration: "mad as March hares, that's what you two are!" The boy leaves, and—they laugh. And so Holmes the madman and his friend the madman set off to investigate a murder (fishing pretense abandoned, but tackle in tow), stripped of their masks and delighting in themselves and each other all the more for it.

But that is at home.

Out in the world, for the third episode in a row Watson is tempted by the socially sanctioned approval of law enforcement, attaching himself to local Inspector McLeod. This is even more pronounced than his earlier affinity for Lestrade.

There are several potential causes for this. Perhaps Lestrade’s buffoonery was too pronounced. Perhaps Watson has a bit of a crush on McLeod (there are some moments that register in that way to me). It may even be a jealous reaction—the peak of Watson’s new allegiance occurs directly after Holmes develops his own affinity for a new player on the scene.

In any event, Watson increasingly sides with McLeod as the episode progresses, until at 11.15 - 17.50 he is positioned shoulder to shoulder with him while Holmes sits well across the room, Watson and his new crime buddy theorizing, laughing heartily, then biting back at Holmes’ contrary deductions with twin reactive pride.

As though to punctuate that this behaviour is a reversion to the facade of normality, McLeod echos the messenger boy’s declaration, “mad as a March hare” (21.9)—only now the jab is aimed only at Holmes, exempting Watson.

To my fascination, this alliance predicated on the performance of normality also involves performance of heterosexuality. At the peak of their allegiance, the inspector gives his theory that the murder was committed out of jealousy over a woman. After they hem and haw together over how the immutable species of Men and Women do be like that, Watson quips that he should call this "the case of the other man"—then he and McLeod laugh heartily, and at length (15.23 - 16.10). It's an odd exchange, stilted and socially scripted, with laughter that pushes longer than the weak quip justifies.

And I am not the only one to think it—in the middle of this laughter Holmes cuts in at last, unusually patronizing in his tone towards Watson as he mocks the vacuousness of their theory.

In the meantime, Holmes is constructing his own small drama. While I could be persuaded to read Watson’s behaviour around McLeod as a small crush, I find myself unable to read Holmes’ interactions with Morell, the suspected (but not actual) murderer, as anything but. I'll not go so far as to claim Doylist intent here, only that my brain refuses to process it otherwise.

(Holmes and Morell are rarely framed in a shot together, but this is them making eyes at one another at 23.46):

And if McLeod enables Watson’s preferred perception as stable and ordinary, Morell certainly elevates Holmes’ as an inscrutable and infallible genius. Consider this sample of lines from Morell: “At your service, Mr. Holmes”, “A very brilliant piece of deduction Mr Holmes!”, “An excellent application of applied psychology”, “I haven’t been tricked many times in my life [except by you]”.

That Holmes enjoys this is transparent—indeed his responses put me much in mind of Watson’s note in A Study in Scarlet: “I had … observed that [Holmes] was as sensitive to flattery on the score of his art as any girl could be of her beauty.”

But just as Holmes yanked Watson to earth when his and McLeod’s performance of normality turns gauche, Watson tugs Holmes from his heights. Holmes lets Morell’s praise go to his head, to the point of responding to Morell’s compliments by rather lording it over the man (24.39 - 24.55). Then Holmes makes the mistake of mentioning fishing, and his disinterest in it. Calling back to the opening scene, Watson cuts in and reminds him of the grand claims he never officially renounced on the topic of his fishing prowess (24.55 - 25.06).

Poor Holmes is caught out, magic trick deflated in the eyes of his travel crush and work husband in the same beat, and the quick retreat he makes from the room may well be an embarrassed flight. But also there is this: “I think we better start back to Baker Street immediately”, and a hand on Watson’s back, and glances towards Watson overflowing with fondness (25.12 - 25.17).

(Holmes' best smiles are always the blurriest 😒 )

Despite Holmes’ clear embarrassment, it puts me in mind of the start of the episode, when Watson’s fear is realized and he is seen for a madman, and safe with his friend he laughs. I like to think that in his turn, Holmes is realizing that he has something far more mortifying and nevertheless superior to worship: a home where he is known.

In the episodes to come neither will stop performing, even for one another. Some days the performance will seem a mere farce they engage in for mutual amusement; some days a genuine attempt at deception. But neither will they stop seeing through one another in the end, calling each other back to themselves.

Additional Topics

A few topics I didn’t have space for here but may touch in separate posts (I'll link them here if/when I do):

Data Gathering (explained in the linked post)

The Pennsylvania Gun as a Valley of Fear adaptation

Holmes and “throwing back the little ones”

A queer reading of the case they're investigating. Not because I think it was intended that way, but because I can and the past six years have not taught me self-control.

My Story

I’m realizing most of the story I built in my head was based on actual moments in the show, however far I blew them out of proportion for personal enjoyment, and I end up referencing most relevant points in the main analysis and highlights of these posts. So for most episodes this section will just be for shamelessly linking to the relevant chapter of my fic. Great news for the length of these behemoths!

Highlights

Okay look. It's just that at some point it occurred to me that the phrase "mad as a March hare" is specifically in reference to the mating behaviour of hares during the breeding season. It's a phrase typically used without thought for this connotation, so I'm not saying Reynolds considered this. But I've considered it, and it is used a). in reference to Holmes and Watson's behaviour with each other, and b). by McLeod in reference to Holmes after a period of he and Holmes sparring for Watson's attention. So I shall continue to consider it.

I love Holmes fiddling with fishing tackle throughout the episode, trying to pretend he knows how it works while trying to figure out how the fuck it works.

1.55 - 2.20: Holmes and Watson are bickering, and in the meantime Watson gets up for more tea and refills Holmes' as well without a thought. Married already.

3:48 - 3:58: This very average utilization of personal space:

6.59: Mrs Hudson mention! She sadly never appears in this series, but she at least gets a shout-out.

13.04 - 13.38: This image is this post's header. The context is that Holmes' crushes pay attention to each other instead of him for like four seconds, and he responds by being just so normal about it:

Please know he had to circle fully around Watson to do that 👆

10.15 - 10.24: Holmes is always talking to groups while only caring about Watson's attention. Some of my favourite instances are cases like this, where he tosses in a 'Watson' right at the end of the sentence as a twist 'surprise! I was only talking to my special person'. Single-minded detective is single-minded.

16.10 - 17.11: Another iteration of the above, this time regarding the deductions he uses to interrupt Watson and McLeod's 'i'm straight! i'm straight' laughter fest. He tosses in two 'Watsons' to specify his audience this time, because even though for case reasons its more relevant to convince McLeod of what he's saying, what's actually happening here is Holmes and McLeod competing for Watson's attention. Holmes doesn't acknowledge McLeod until he seems to have lost this round, when he resignedly says that "if you two are convinced ... I'm going fishing" (17.12 - 17.19).

He hasn't lost; McLeod storms off, but Watson as ever lets curiosity win over pride—he stays and questions Holmes, and in moments is promising with all delight that "of course" he wants to help with whatever the hell Holmes is up to (17.30 - 18.19).

Even Watson seems to read Holmes' behaviour in the above exchanges as having a touch of jealousy, for when Holmes asks him to get McLeod out of the way for an hour, he says teasingly that he might enjoy himself and stay out longer with the inspector—and then he winks (18.19 - 18.40). As I can't find anything he could be teasing Holmes for besides his vying for Watson's attention, to me this reads as a flirtatious acknowledgement of dynamics at play, and a promise of where his final loyalty lies. And if Holmes looks a little uncertain in his farewell, he needn't have worried—upon their return dialogue assures us that Watson and the inspector have been punctual to the hour (19.10 - 19.21).

18.28: "I don't know what you're talking about but I'll do it"—Watson thesis statement.

20.20 & 23.38: Holmes slides down the banisters, straight-up just for fun. He gives a case-related reason and it's the flimsiest excuse you've ever heard. He's not embarrassed. He doesn't give a fuck. And I love him!

Special shoutout to this exchange about the banister sliding: Watson - "What have you been doing while we were away?" Holmes - "Well first I fished, and then I slid down the banisters." Watson - "Why." Holmes - "Why not?" Watson - "Huh." - (20.14 - 20.29) Holmes' "Why not" is so pointedly delivered, and Watson's "huh," is such a genuine 'well when you put it that way'. It's a great entry into the genre of Holmes offering Watson freedom from the illogical barriers of convention. And I love them both!

21:42: Hand touch!! My favourite thing about this is that it is so extraneous and unself-conscious. Watson also holds the touch for a beat before removing his hand just a hairsbreadth; then as they get up Holmes taps his hand against Watson's in turn.

[paul-the-delivery-guy]

Deconstructing The Destructress

So. This was quite the episode. Where do I begin? By concocting a crazy conspiracy concerning children's cartoon characters, of course. Perhaps I should start off by saying that I'm surprised. The Destructress is no longer into evil. Now, I've been hoping to get a villain redemption arc for The Destructress. What surprised me is how early it happened. I had suspected that if The Destructress was to have a change of heart, it would either happen near the end of the season, or in a future season. This turn also felt out of the blue. The last I saw, The Destructress relished her villainy. All of the sudden, it makes her feel bad. What could've caused this inexplicable heel-faced turn? Well, I should point out that FistPuncher has definitely displayed more evil tendencies than The Destructress. Surface-level, they seem to be equally villainous, but look closer. Think of her hesitancy to attack a powerless Gretel in Exclamation Strikes Back, whereas Lyle showed no qualms. This doesn't show that she's a good person, but it does show that she has at least some moral dilemmas.

Now, allow me to turn your attention to this very telling line from "The Great Pillow War": "I actually have a ton of aggression to get out." Perhaps this is the answer. The main reason Lauren commits crimes is her blowing off steam. She clearly has some deep internal issues and she lashes out by causing chaos and destruction. What about how she gleefully livestreams all her misdeeds to her morally questionable fans? That my friends, is her seeking validation. She wants to feel good about what she's doing, and it works for a while, but as we see in Evil Upheaval, it's lost its fun.

Whatever the issue is, teenage angst, bad home life, etc, The Destructress has a very unhealthy coping mechanism. In truth however, she knows that what she's doing is wrong, and I imagine that she's been inwardly struggling for a while. I hope her seeing a therapist (who I just realized was Bailey's mom) isn't a one time thing. She needs it. Actually, both of them need it.

In light of Lauren leaving villainy behind, where does this put us? Will she become a superhero? I don't see it. As she said in the episode, she just wants to be a normal teenager. I do, however, believe that she's going to be an integral character, key in defeating the big bad. In fact, I've theorized for some time that Hamster, Gretel and some/all of the villains may have to join forces in the end to defeat a common threat. I also believe that there's going to be a very upsetting conflict with her brother.

[randoimago]

Hi I had this really funny idea but can I please have headcanon reactions from yuji megumi nobara gojo JJK with a first year reader who is their friend/student in gojo's case but also a friend on how do you think they'd react to the reader believing in stuff like the paranormal magic and aliens i.e. the strange and fantastical

I like to imagine the reader has the logic/mindset if things like curses and cursed energy existing it means it doesn't rule out the possibility of other strange and unnatural things existing as well

Fandom: Jujutsu Kaisen

Character(s): Gojo, Itadori, Megumi, Nobara

Note(s): Okay but this is a really funny idea.

Gojo

Gojo is very amused at the concept of aliens existing. Space is huge so he wouldn't be surprised if something is out there. Probably contemplates if he could fight an alien and win.

He would inquire about why you believe in such things. He never really paid much attention to the idea of aliens besides in movies and stuff so listening to you explain would be a good way to pass the time.

Might try to figure out a way to incorporate this in training. Gojo would have you go on a tangent about aliens and magic while also focusing on using your own abilities on something, just to test how much control you have.

Itadori

Oh he's so with you. He doesn't know lots about space and stuff, but he loves movies. He thinks it'd be cool to see little aliens. So long as they don't try to harvest everyone.

Would sit and theorize with you what aliens would even look like. He's seen so many movies and there's all kinds of iterations of them. It becomes less of agreeing that aliens exist to, "Okay but hypothetically, what does their food look like?"

Itadori would never question anyone's believes (unless it harms someone else). And the idea of aliens isn't as far fetched as other conspiracy theories he's heard. He's just happy to have someone to geek out with a bit.

Megumi

He kind of gives you a look like you're a bit dumb. People are dying and curses are running around causing chaos. How are you spending time thinking about aliens?

Megumi isn't trying to discredit your believes, he just thinks there's better things to focus on than if aliens and magic exist.

He is a bit relieved that you think magic is separate from what jujutsu sorcerers are able to do. He already had lengthy debates with Itadori about how it's not the same thing and he would get a restraining order if he had to deal with that from you too.

Nobara

She isn't too sure about aliens. If they exist, then she fully believes they would've invaded by now. What she does believe in are cryptids. I can fully see her saying that kappas are real.

Nobara also knows for a fact that tanuki also exist. If you ask how she knows, she'll say that Maki's sister looks like one.

It is a nice break away from things to just talk about aliens, cryptids, and other things people believe in.

[nerdlydelicious]

Chapter 6 of ‘The Ultimate Protector’ is still underway. I was away from the house the week before last, and my girlfriend was visiting this past week, so I haven’t had many chances to sit down and write. But here’s yet another sneak peak of the chapter! Enjoy!

Shadow weaved through traffic as Amy squealed gleefully, arms tight around his waist.


The motorcycle may not have been as fast as him, but there was a feel to driving a vehicle that you couldn't get on your own two feet. The rumble and roar of the engine, feeling it move as you guided it. Shadow enjoyed moving under his own power, and if he ever needed to get somewhere quickly then there was little substitute for doing it himself. But when he wanted to take it easy and enjoy his journey Shadow took his bike out.


That was something Sonic would never understand. The Dark Rider wasn't about speed. It was about the peace that Shadow found in riding.


If nothing else, Amy seemed to be enjoying it too.
"Shadow!" She squealed as he slipped through a gap between two cars, narrowly avoiding clipping either by scant inches. "Be careful!" Despite her words, Amy's tone was far from scolding or worried.


So he smirked, pushed a little more power into the engine, and went even faster. He was rewarded with an excited scream from Amy as she clung tightly to him.


Shadow would be the first to admit that he held road safety laws in mild disdain, much to G.U.N.'s chagrin. That wasn't to say he was completely dismissive of them, or of other drivers or pedestrians. It was simply that those laws had been written for people who didnt have the reaction time of a picosecond, and couldn't casually run faster than the speed of sound. The Dark Rider's top speed was roughly a hundred and twenty miles per hour. If he pushed more chaos energy into it he could get it up to over two hundred. He theorized he could go faster than that, maybe even get it close to his own top speed with enough power. Though the bike likely would not survive that.


For most other people, over a hundred MPH was blisteringly fast. For Shadow, that was a casual stroll. So he weaved through traffic with little care, confident he could avoid causing a collision.
Still, he did usually show some level of respect for road laws. He (sometimes) stopped at a red light, for example.


But not tonight. Shadow blazed through a four way intersection and narrowly avoided four different cars with deft movements. Amy's giddy laughter in his ear urged him on, so he drove faster and put aside what little regard he had for road laws in favor of earning more of her happiness.


He could feel how close she was to him. Her chest against his back, her arms around his waist, and her lips a hairs breadth from his cheek, every gasp and shriek of delight as he pulled a breathtaking maneuver egging him on.


Shadow was showing off for Amy. He wanted to impress her, and do so in a way Sonic couldn't. He almost forgot where they were going, so focused was he on her that he nearly missed his turn. He realized at the last moment and turned hard, tires squealing and kicking up smoke as the bike went almost parallel with the street before righting and roaring down the lane, popping a wheelie just because he could, much to Amy's delight.


Five minutes later Shadow reached his destination. He hit the brakes and spun a perfect one eighty into a parking spot. Amy giggled wildly, still clinging tightly to him. "S-Shadow, that was... wow."


"I'm glad you think so," he replied, glancing back at her over his shoulder. His eyes met hers, scant inches between them. Her eyes shone with glee, her lips curled in a bright smile.


He suddenly felt the powerful and foolish urge to close that distance and kiss her.


Before he could act on that urge Amy untangled her arms from around his waist and leaned back from him, glancing away. "Here we are!" She exclaimed awkwardly. "Where is here...?"


Shadow looked away to hide his blazing embarrassment. What had he been thinking?! Amy had agreed to come out with him, and he had nearly ruined their good time on a stupid impulse decision. All that Chaos energy I absorbed must have fried my brain.


"It's a burger joint. I like to come here after a successful mission. If you want good food, you won't find better in Central City."


"Sounds delicious." He glanced at her as he got off the bike and was rewarded with a shy smile. "Lead the way."