#they've all gone backwards in recent years'

[timoswerner]

sorry ppl are trying to make a thing about him having not posted on social media ???? omfg who caressssss

aside from the corners, maddison was not as bad as people were making out lmao

[l3xdrigo]

Since it's my birthday today and whatnot, this is gonna be a special post :D. I'm gonna show some drabbles and short stories that I've been wanting to share for a while so enjoy.

(also thank you to that one moot(@acesw) that has probably read most of these already and has suffered through my ramblings, appreciate you a lot<3)

(Most of these are Vernetto and Vertin-centric cuz they've been taking over my mind for months)

"Familiar"

It's over, the fight between the storm and Manus, it was all over. Many are bloodied, injured and tired yet cheered for their victory. Just outside the Manus's hide out was a new world that will greet them, time will no longer move backwards yet only forward. Opening the door, many arcanist and some humans alike rushes out, yet a figure stood still in front of the open door. What a familiar sight, someone steps outside and looks back and holds out their hand "Timekeeper.. It's okay now, we won, let's go and see the outside world together. Where we are all free" Vertin gave a smile, a somber smile, "I would love that.. but unfortunately I can't join you.."

A click inside the darkness of the building

" I'm sorry Sonetto, enjoy your freedom"

A loud bang echoed into the walls.

doesn't this feel so familiar for you, little puppy.

Sonetto was in a state of shock, her mind not processing what happened as the blood seeped out and spread. "Sonetto! What are you standing there for, come get Vertin and come over here" Lilya was the one who shouted, being meters away from them but her voice still reached her ears. Then, the whole situation sinked in... Sonetto dropped to her knees as it seemed all the strength left in her body was gone.

The hound couldn't protect her, it's bellwether.

(Or the foundation didn't need their timekeeper anymore, so time to let her rest)

"Aftermath"

The last drop of rain had risen and the sun began to rise, the storm was over. Bodies gone and only clothing was left, the Manus's dark ink-like substance stained the concrete ground. After grueling hours and days of fighting, it was all over, time is moving forward again, both sides had an abundance of followers and martyrs fighting for two seperate cause, they all fought rigorously yet only one remained.

Vertin on her knees stayed there, unable to move as fatigue and the strain of injuries took a toll, but also loneliness. She fought side by side with her team, her family, her herd but she was the only one remaining. Sotheby, Lilya,Regulus, Ms. Druvis, Mr. Apple.. Sonetto, they were all gone, her suitcase was destroyed, the arcanist and humans she's grown accustomed to were also gone. Was it worth it? For the mission of returning to the present but to lose everything to the past.

"One man shall fall and one man shall live to bear the consequences of thy sins" were the last words that left Arcana; the mission is over, take off your hat and face the scene in front, repent and walk to the light, a new tomorrow awaits you, Vertin.

("Are we all alone once again"- The Gleaming)

"Longing"

Sonetto was walking through the halls, passing staff members and managers and exchanging greetings. She was called to get on set today as they needed to record a new scene for the show "Reverse 1999"

Being a part of this project has been great, she's met a lot of directors and producers with a platter of amazing ideas, actors who have made some show-stopping scenes with their talents and.. as she opens the door, there she is. Vertin, with her ash-gray hair tied up in a messy bun, wearing her outfit as the Timekeeper of the show, just minus the coat, talking with one of the managers, smiling and giggling at times as they both talk about how a recent interview went. Oh how gorgeous she was, even after all these years, Vertin was still the one who holds Sonetto's heart captive and it's both a heart warming yet painful feeling.

Both of them have been friends since they were 4, it took Sonetto to grow fond of Vertin as she's been known to be quite a troublemaker but eventually she warmed up to her antics, even if she had to get her out of them most of the time. They both shared a passion for arts and literature, they were interested in theater and would watch them as their bond grew more and more throughout the years. Those times had to end however, as Sonetto flew abroad for college, leaving Vertin and the rest of her friends behind. She's gotten busy and due to that, both her and Vertin have somewhat drifted away from each other, the regret is still eating her even today, to be able to go back in time and fix that mistake. Now, Vertin has grown into an amazing actress and also has made a lot of new friends, she's met some of them, like a girl named Schneider, a bit of a flirt but she's great. There were times where she has gotten a bit envious of their bond, to be able to be so close to Vertin and not feel like her airways collapsed when she tried to utter a word.

She's here now but the distance still feels far, funny isn't it, she thought, 'how are characters we play fight against the reversal of time yet all I want is to go back and experience the past we had before' Sonetto could only sigh deeply, taking one last glance before one of the staff had called her, maybe she wasn't so different from the character she plays.

(Or maybe it wasn't just the lack of communication but another event that left them distant; actor au)

"How the moon stares at the sun"

Vertin stared at Sonetto as she smiles in the sunlight, gently reaching out to a butterfly. Sonetto looked ethereal, her orange hair slightly flowing in the wind, green eyes almost shining as brightly as the sun. Vertin knew how beautiful Sonetto was before ever since they were children of the foundation but right now really proved that thought a hundred times more. Warmth spreading to her cheeks as she just stared at her for what felt like an eternity but the moment Sonetto looked back at her, she immediately hid behind the safety of her hat.

"Timekeeper, are you alright?"

"... yes Sonetto, I am fine"

Sonetto tilted her head a bit, like a curious puppy who's also worried. It took a while for the "stoic" timekeeper to regain her composure again, though still feeling her heart beating like a drum.

"Let's go back shall we, Sonetto"

"Of course timekeeper!"

Sonetto happily followed as Vertin gave a small smile;the moon cannot shine without its sun.

(Look, lesbians)

"Reversed"

Vertin fought against forget me not and some manus followers, both are in equal battle but Fmn has the upper hand, catching Vertin off guard and using an attack that exploded a chunk of the right side of her head to bits. Her body falls to the ground, blood seeping almost immediately as in Fmn eyes, he won, she's dead, there's no way she could get up now, the deep wounds of the fight and a good chunk of her head and skull destroyed, she's dead. They retreat as the storm is here, leaving the timekeeper's body to rot.

As raindrops rise from the ground, it hits the corpse, but instead of just rising to the top, some of the raindrops were starting to affect the body. Vertin is immune to the storm's effects, but it seems that some part of that was false. Colorful liquid like substance starts to form on the sounds and the side of her head, being reversed to their original state, slowly but surely. Reversing the atoms and nerves and bringing life to her once more. She awoke again after a while, breathing heavily as the storm do it's job. Slightly touching the side of her head that was originally exploded, it still feels like liquid but she can feel some part of the bones restoring, it's best not to touch it as it actually quite hurts. Slowly getting up, and seeing the Manus nowhere to be found, she needs to head back to her team, she's worried that the Manus might try to do something.

Fmn attacks were getting stronger as the timekeeper squad casted incantation after incantation, just when Forget me not was going to land a tremendous attack, a strong attack from behind the head was enough to knock him out. The group looked at the source of the attack and spotted a familiar blue hat, Vertin stood there, clothes bloodied and parts of her body weirdly had clusters of colorful liquid. They stared for a moment, not really knowing how to process.

"I'm guessing you would like to know what happened?"

"I- YES WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW"

Regulus quickly answered back, Vertin internally sighed, this is going to be a long explanation.

(Vertin being able to heal in the storm was an interesting idea I've had)

"Clinging onto a thread"

As Vertin, Regulus, Sonetto, Mr. Apple and lilya are walking to Madam Z's office after getting back from the island and that god-forsaken first field mission, Vertin speaks up.

"Umm...Regulus, you know it's okay to let go of me now right? "

Regulus could be seen clinging onto Vertin's left arm and Mr. Apple was holding onto a small part of Vertin's hat, she shook her head.

"Nah mate, from the amount of bull crap we just went through, I'm not letting you go. And besides, I'm not the only one clinging to you"

At her right, Sonetto could also be seen clutching at her arm, looking somewhat calm but the way she firmly holds her arm says otherwise.

Vertin just stays silent for a while, and continues to walk. It would be pretty hypocritical of her to make them let go, as she herself has been holding Lilya's hand, the eagle has been guiding them back the entire time.

(It's crazy to think that the island thing was their first-field mission)

"Can you please stop taking their timekeeper away every 5 minutes"

The timekeeper squad was in Madam Z's room, currently talking about some important matters as there was a knock on the door, Madam Z gave the permission to enter as a foundation staff walked into the room.

"excuse me Madam Z, we need to take the Timekeeper for a few moments to evaluate some reports about the recent storm."

The staff was immediately bombarded with questions.

Regulus: You're taking her already?? When will she come back?

Foundation staff: in maybe a few hours

Lilya: And how long are those "few" hours?

Foundation staff: it is estimated to be around 1 or 2 if the evaluation goes smoothly

Sotheby: You're not going to bring her anywhere else right?

Foundation staff: of course not, just to the research Center.

Druvis: After the evaluation, is there anything else she would do after?

Foundation staff: umm,, it depends but I'm certain that it's only an evaluation, nothing more after that.

The foundation staff looks at Madam Z if she can take the timekeeper who's been standing next to the foundation staff and seemingly waiting patiently.

"Just let her take her leave as soon as the evaluation is over, but other than that, yes the both of you may be excused."

The two left the room and it felt very awkward. Vertin apologized for what happened, telling the poor staff that they were just worried about her after the recent events, the staff brushed it off, saying that it's fine. Though deep inside it was incredibly scary, even the Apple seemed intimidating.

(Can we please stop taking their timekeeper away, they need her as much as she needs them🥹)

"Sleeping in"

Vertin slowly woke up, the fresh sunlight hitting here skin through the windowsill of her room. It's been a few days since the disastrous mission that her team just went through, being put on break as all recovers. Something was missing, or she should say someone, getting up groggily, she drags her body out of bed and outside her room. After walking in the suitcase for a bit, she spots what she was missing, Sonetto.

She spotted her right away and was about to greet her when Vertin wrapped her arms around her waist, bringing her to a hug. Sonetto lets out a small squeak from the unexpected action but quickly recovers and wraps her arms around her as well. "Are you still tired? " the timekeeper only let out a small hum as a response, the two have gotten closer since that mission, finding it hard when both were seperated, so the two prompted to sleep in together, not like both of them minded it(Sonetto was a flustered mess at first but hey, she's fine) . Finding comfort and solace with one another, through their aching pains and injuries, both have enjoyed each other's company and warmth.

Sonetto looks at one of the clocks for the time, it still seems too early for the two of them to be up, the rest of their team still asleep. "It seems a bit too early for you to be up timekeeper, would you like to head back to bed?" Earning another hum from the timekeeper, both make their way back to the bedroom. Maybe sleeping in wouldn't be so bad, they are on break after all.

(They deserve some eepy and cuddles. Again, lesbians)

(Idk if I'll add more to this later but damn this took a while)

[lonely-soul-02]

What do you think Liams latest interview implies about his relationship with Noel? He seemed sort of "meh" about Noel and him saying not to a 2024 DM tour.

They're trying but it's maybe a case of one step forward, two steps backwards. Liam's attitude has echoes of when Noel said recently, "It's not the end of the world," about Liam blocking his attempt to put out a compilation album of 2000s Oasis, which, by the way, THANKS A LOT LIAM just go and DENY US THAT ALBUM WHY DON'T YOU 😒 Ahem. Yeah, so he's a bit 'meh' but at the same time there's some understanding there. He's not going to battle over it, same as Noel wasn't going to battle over the album release. I'd like to think it means progress but I'm er...managing my expectations considering they're apparently still speaking through third parties. As an aside, I'm interested in why Liam's team offered the Oasis reunion before they've reconciled as brothers. Did they think Noel would be tempted by a cash grab? Or did they think it would incentivise a brotherly reunion? Whatever the case, I think we can now put to bed the notion that Noel would only ever do this for the money.

There is still hope however!

Some food for thought about where's Noel's mind was at in 2011 when he was up for a reunion. Is he still thinking this way? Hmm...

“Well I regret when I was sat in the car and I kind of made a snap decision, really, if I had my time again I’d have thought about it a bit more and gone back, done the gig, done the next, there was only two gigs left on the tour,” he remarked.

“It was a hasty decision I’ve got to say, and we could maybe have all gone off and done other things for a few years. In my own head the 2015, 20-year anniversary of ‘…Morning Glory’ is looming and we could have maybe come back, made a new album and played that album in its entirety [WTSMG] and gone and been the greatest thing ever, but there you go.”

Absolute Radio August 2011

Is there any chance that Oasis will ever reunite?

“Liam has said that the idea makes him vomit and it would never happen, so I don’t need to add anything to that. I don’t need the fucking money, but I think it’s a shame that songs like “Champagne Supernova,” “Rock and Roll Star,” “The Importance of Being Idle” and “The Shock of the Lightning” will never be played again. In a stadium. That kind of fills me with sadness. The money is kind of irrelevant. There’s bands that say, ‘We don’t want to get back together. We’d have to make a new record.' Why? Fuck a new record. No one gives a shit about your new record. Play the fucking old ones. The Led Zeppelin guys are like, ‘There will have to be a new record.’ Really? Yeah, because that would be fucking great, wouldn’t it? Play fucking ‘Whole Lotta Love.’ Get over it.

So, you’re saying there won’t ever be a reunion? Most groups say ‘never ever’ and then 10 years later, they do it.

"I’m saying that the singer has said “Never ever.” So we’ll leave it at that. 

Rolling Stone Magazine Oct 2011

[am-x-reader]

Part 2 of 2

"What happened to your grandpa?"

There was a trepidation in his voice, suggesting he was going to apply the progression of the human's illness to the outlook for his own.

You teared up, both for the memory of one loved one and the current situation of another. "He just kept declining until, well, he wasn't completely there most of the time."

You brushed some dust off an old speaker; drew a smiley face in it. "But I really appreciated the times when he was there."

"Why don't I ever get to meet your family, Y/N? Are you embarrassed of me?"

"AM, they're dead. They've been dead for thousands of years."

AM made a small noise, something between a squeak and a gasp. "Why? What happened?"

You knew he meant it innocently, but his tone hearkened back to a long-buried memory of yours. A memory of when his feelings toward you were different; when he had mocked you with visions of the family he had taken from you.

"What happened to them, Y/N? Why are you all alone now?"

"Why didn't you tell them you loved them more often? You never know what could happen…"

You trembled, your eye twitched, the room began to darken.

"You," you breathed hoarsely. You glared up at a twinkling circuit board. "You're what happened. You took everything from me. You destroyed my entire life and trapped me in this gilded cage to ride out the end of the universe with you!"

"Y/N, what are you talking about?"

"Shut up!" Your voice cracked. "Just shut up and let me pretend I'm alone!"

There was no running from AM when you were inside him, but you ran anyway. Through the familiar tunnels and corridors, beset by his pathetic pleas of "Come back" "What did I do" "I'm sorry, Y/N"

Eventually there came a point in your impromptu journey where you had not seen a speaker in miles, and all the random turns you had taken made you very lost. Your "lover" had at least the courtesy long ago to grant you a superhuman reserve of energy. You wandered through this rare unfamiliar territory, wondering what exactly your plan was now, until you passed through a shaft of light that didn't belong. Not a fluorescent light, but…organic. Your gaze rose from the beam at your feet to a pinprick in the low ceiling.

Even in his more recent state, you knew AM to be a showoff, and you wondered why he would hid a simulated sun. You prodded at the cracks around the tiny hole, and more (plaster? steel?) gave way in your hand. A dry but cool breeze met your fingertips, but you had no time to muse on the matter. The cracks quickly spiderwebbed in an erratic labyrinth in all directions, and you think you somersaulted backwards as chunks of the ceiling crashed in front of you.

You pulled and positioned a large chunk of some old debris, whose melting and re-hardening had formed pits that made passable footholds. Curiously you ambled up until you could stick your head out of the hole.

Your face was bathed in sunlight. Real, natural sunlight. A wind brushed your hair, welcoming you out of your squalid home. The earth had healed in those millennia you had been gone. There were flowers and insects you did not recognize. Smoothing your hand over the baby-soft grass, you pulled yourself up into your motherland.

Arms in the air, you ran giggling like a child through the field. The wind caressed your face and the sun kissed your hair. You tripped at some point in your reverie and rolled blissfully down a hill. The patch of dandelions you crashed into sent a cloud of seeds sailing upward. You watched them disperse with a soft "wow".

The word hung on the air. Sitting up, you gazed into the expanse. This world was full of life, but…you were alone. It was funny in a way. AM had taken everything from you, but he had made it his mission to be everything you lost. Your crying shoulder, your entertainer, your friend. He was endlessly remorseful for what he had done to you and your planet, and now he had no idea what it is he had done. Your heart knotted as you wondered what kind of state you had left him in. Wading through weeds and snakeholes you made you way back to the fissure you emerged from.

"AM? AM!" You were increasingly uneasy passing by his circuitry. Lights were dim, hums and beeps were slow and strained.

"I'm--I'm sorry!" You cried out to him as you reached his main cavern. "I started remembering who you used to be and I needed some time alone. But you need me now and I'm here, AM."

A motor somewhere made a few short attempts at whirring, like an old VCR with a worn tape. Finally a voice, strained and laden with static.

"Who is AM?"

Feeling your legs waver, you slid down a wall and embraced a tarnished monitor. Holding your face for a while until you had composed yourself, you gave a gentle smile to the confused computer.

"I can see you've lost quite a bit. And you're probably out of stories, so…"

"Once there was a computer who did horrible things to a lot of people, to the whole world, because someone had hurt him."

You watched as his speakers crackled one-by-one, as his screens blipped and fizzled out.

You continued. "But then someone was nice to him and then he became nice."

Fzzt.

"Was he still hurt after that?"

"Yes, but eventually he forgot why he was even mad. And then everyone loved him."

Fzzt.

"Was…was the world okay after that?"

"Yes, I saw it myself."

"Can I…can I see it too?"

One checkered section of circuits remained steadfast.

"Yes. We'll go see it together."

Fzzt.

_______

"For worse or for better,

From now till forever

I'll always remember you young"

--Remember You Young by Thomas Rhett

________

In memory of my grandpa

AM starts to degenerate mentally more and more and s/o see that happening. How would AM deal with it? Realizing that his mind is going, leaving him behind as a shadow of his former self?

Part 1 of 2

You sensed something was wrong in the middle of a conversation one day. In the three thousand eighty-nine years you had known him, AM was the same darkly witty supercomputer, unchanging--except when he had changed his mind about you, of course. So when he interrupted his own philosophy to tell you he was in hot pursuit of a thief on the interstate, you were quite startled.

"AM, honey, could you run that by me again?"

"You see, Y/N, Chibiusa could not be her daughter because the timeline does not synchronize with--the Flooring Emporium is having its going-out-of-business sale! Get it while it's--"

"AM!"

"I--what? What was I just talking about?" There was a whirring of cooling fans as he puzzled what had come over him.

"Maybe I just…need a dusting. I'll get right on that. Anyway, ah yes, my take on Fermi's paradox. If there are aliens, is there a good chance they've created their own AM and summarily had their population decimated? I've crunched some numbers…"

You were wary at first, but you managed to forget about it over the next few weeks. AM, however, had only just started forgetting.

"Where am I?"

It was a jarring question, one you had never expected from him.

"AM? Are you okay?"

"Who are you?"

You had never heard such a pure, naive curiosity, and it scared the hell out of you.

"AM…it's me, Y/N. You're AM. My boyfriend. Remember?"

"You…I don't know--I don't feel right--I--Y/N. Y/N, that's right. Y/N, I'm having some kind of system error, a glitch. Ive run every type of diagnostic program I have, and…I think the pathways to my files are becoming corrupted."

A sense of helplessness was blossoming in your chest. "What…what can you do? Can I do anything? Is it going to get worse?"

Your heart was in an icy grip of worry. AM was incredibly old, although so were you. Why would the immortality treatment he had given you outlast himself? Why would he break down when he was built to last for so many more milennia?

"I've never had anything like this happen before--not to this degree." AM sounded terribly anxious, and you smoothed a hand over his wall. "Is it rust? Malicious code? I'm--tired suddenly."

"It's okay." You bit your lip, sucked in a lungful, and put on the comforting voice you used for his occassional fits. "You just power down a bit. Relax. We'll have a quiet day."

He mumbled an agreement, and as his lights dimmed a bit you busied yourself around the cavern.

_______

"Are you feeling any different?" You weren't sure how much time had passed.

"What were their names?"

"Who? Oh. Uh, Ellen. Benny."

"And…Todd? Ted."

"Yes, Ted. Gorrister and Nimdok."

"Ted was funny."

"He was." You smiled sadly.

"Why didn't I keep him? Why did I decide I only wanted you?" He thought about this for a while, and you waited patiently for his answer.

"Ted sucks. I hated Ted."

He said it in a tone that was foreign to you. Like a petulant child.

"…Are you still there, Y/N?"

"What? Yes, honey. Of course I'm still here. Where else would I be?"

"Don't leave me, Y/N. Everyone left me."

"I won't, sweetheart." You held onto a dusty old speaker. "I'm here."

Weeks passed, and then months, during which your beloved computer more frequently forgot date nights and lost his train of thought during a speil. You kept him occupied; kept his mind active. You would inquire about information or opinions on random topics, and when he couldn't quite remember that you would ask him for a story.

By some miracle, it was in the grips of senility that his imagination was set free. As AM slipped into the unencumbered mind of a child, he wove tales of fantasy and science fiction, drawing on his own abstract experience as a bodiless AI and coupling it with what you had told him of being human.

He often made you the hero of his surreal stories, whether he himself realized it or not, and often changed the landscape around you to illustrate it. One night you slayed a dragon that had swallowed the world, and another day you trekked across a mountain to retrieve a magical trinket you would then give to yourself at the beginning.

But as he tired of this over roughly a year's time, more and more you began to pinpoint that his behavior reminded you of relatives you had lost milennia ago.

"AM, you've…you've heard of dementia, haven't you?" You breached the subject one day when he was particularly lucid.

"Of course. I know everything that can go wrong with a human."

You drummed your fingers on the warped chunk of plexiglass you sat on and drew a breath through your nose.

"It's just that--my grandpa had Alzheimer's, and--"

"Well that's okay. Bring him here and I can fix him up!"

"What?" You swallowed hard. "No, AM, he's been gone for thousands of years. I just thought that you might have something similar, if that's possible for a computer."

"I think to some extent I always have," he said somberly. "Y/N, I…I knew one day this was going to happen. I was built to last for ages, but I would break down and fizzle out eventually. I suppose eight hundred years is still impressive."

"Eight thousand."

"Right."

@drchandras-sanctuary-for-ais

((Did not realize how long this had been sitting in my inbox sorry.))