#who isn't human or ghoul

[ozzgin]

You're a musician who isn't exactly the most popular among fellow humans, yet your songs seem to be a hit for unholy creatures. It appears you're unwillingly summoning ghosts and monsters each time you play your beloved instrument or sing.

You've had demons track you down by the notes struck during your practice, and vampires knocking eagerly at your window, begging to be let in. Your last concert was cancelled due to bizarre, unexpected malfunctions, yet everyone left with the feeling that you must be haunted.

"Won't you come and play for me," a pallid ghoul asks, flashing his razor teeth at you.

"You just drained my two biggest fans of their blood," you reproach with an annoyed huff.

"Nonsense," he shouts, wiping the crimson liquid smudging his face. "I'm your biggest fan."

[stealingyourbones]

Silently slides you this.

Cryptid Danny is only just a kid fighting ghosts and ghouls who are smarter than him and has been doing this for far, far longer. Cryptid Danny goes out to search for an older, wiser cryptid to mentor him into becoming a better, stronger cryptid who can take care of his territory better (Amity Park) and also protect his family and friends.

Bruce, who has this kid show up on his front porch, and asks him to mentor him. Bruce is confused at first, trying to play it off and see just how much this kid knows, and the kid just goes "I know you're batman."

It's like the Tim situation all over again. Except, Bruce doesn't realize at first that this kid very much isn't human. And Danny doesn't realize that Bruce *is* human.

— ( ≧∀≦)ノ / emoticon nonnie

OOOO thats such a fun angle. Could be a really good normal or 5+1 format fic.

To be honest… Bruce isn’t what one would call a Normal Person. Being able to handle crazy toxins, his strength, intellect, just so many many things could cause Danny to think he isn’t human. Understandable mistake really.

[aayakashii]

How would they react if you received a confession from some random student?

Warning: yandere behavior, possessiveness, A LOT of manipulation etc etc you know the drill

Gasp! You received a confession! A human student fell for you and confessed that they have had a huge crush on you ever since they saw you in the admission ceremony. They even invited you on a date! You're so excited! But... wait... how will your ghouls react to that...?

Fuji Kaito

Absolutely distraught.

He knew you first! He was supposed to be your first option!

He doesn't try to hide how desperately jealous he is.

Bombards you with self-deprecating messages that do more harm than good because it gets super annoying after a while.

Stops eating properly and pays even less attention to class, which makes him take even more remedial classes.

Asks you for your help immediately. He's so insistent on you tutoring him, that you end up saying yes just so he'll stop whining.

He happily creates a schedule that eats up most of your time, so you can only see him every single day. After all, he has such a hard time learning! You gotta help him a lot 🥺 and no, Luca isn't an option.

It's almost like he planned this... but nah, that's Kaito we're talking about. He wouldn't do this, right

Right?

Lucas Errant

He doesn't really understand what he's feeling at the moment

At first, he has a positive reaction – after all, you're an amazing person! It's only obvious you'd have admirers.

But then he finds himself thinking more and more about it.

Is that person capable of protecting you? Do they possess any type of skill in combat so they can fend off anomalies? Will they pay attention to your needs? Will they hold your hand when they walk you home? Will they actually walk you home when it's late??????

He starts worrying more and more about your safety until he can't brush off his concerns any longer.

He will not approve of this relationship. He's pretty sure that person isn't capable of providing you with all you need and deserve.

At least not like he can. He knows he can protect you. So... stay with him instead, will you?

Ishibashi Tohma

Hm... Really. So you have a little admirer. How cute.

Tohma couldn't be more obvious with the disdain and contempt towards the person who confessed to you.

He always manages to spot you wherever you are, just to steal you away and drag you with him to do something 'important'.

"Why yes, you must come with me to pick up this order of tea leaves I have put on. Of course I can't do this alone, you have to learn the ropes of my work since you're my dear helper."

You better not be thinking about going on dates. Tohma will ruin all your plans by summoning you to his side as soon as you step out of your dorm.

He will control your time and your schedule until you forget entirely about that silly little person who tried to take you away from him.

And when you hear the first whispers of awful rumors about that person, Tohma already has his hands on you, permanently dragging you away from them and their terrible influence.

As if he wasn't the one that spurred the gossip in Frostheim from the very beginning.

Kamurai Jin

No. Just no.

Don't even think about it.

You just aren't allowed any distractions from your work for him. You're his servant.

Actually, sratch that. You're his, period.

The fact that someone would be so bold to try and take you away from him is unbelievable.

And you're CONSIDERING their confession? Are you insane? What do they have to offer you? How can you even begin to think of them as more important than him?

You're crazy if you think he'll just let you go and date some peasant.

Jin WILL bribe the person who confessed to you to make them go away in a heartbeat.

He's convinced that everyone will fold when they're faced with money. Everyone but himself, because he already has it all.

All except you, apparently.

Jin will offer them a life changing amount of money just to keep them away from you.

Don't worry, he'll be right there to see your little heartbroken face when you're walk back to him after all that.

He'll take his sweet time picking up your pieces and putting you back together.

Mido Alan

Alan stuffs his hands inside his pockets and scowls as soon as you let him know about someone confessing to you.

Oh, he despises that idea.

At first, he wonders whether it is because he might see you as a little sibling or... some other platonic thing... that activates his protective instinct.

But then he sees you crack a little smile as you talk about actually going on dates, and the jealousy he feels is simply undeniable.

Alan may be stoic, but he's very well acquainted with his ugliest feelings.

And this jealousy is simply the most hideous thing.

Do you know that person? Do you think they truly care about you? No. They don't. At least not like him.

Alan doesn't say all that openly, but he hangs around you for longer and longer, like a guard dog. Arms crossed and scowling, ready to pounce at anyone crazy enough to invade his space.

And obviously, you're in his space. You're the only one allowed in it. The only one he wants attached at his hip.

He eventually wins by wearing down his competition. After all, no one is brave enough to poke this lion with a short stick.

You're just not worth them risking their lives like that...

Don't worry, Alan is right by your side to pet your little head and comfort you.

He'll always be by your side.

Haizono Sho

Well, look at you. Being popular and shit. Gotta be feeling good, huh?

Kinda upsetting that the one who likes you is a loser that definitely doesn't deserve you.

Who said that.

Sho immediately bans you from eating at his food truck.

If you're gonna play these dumb games, then he has his own cards to play, too.

Even if you have zero intention of making him jealous and genuinely just want to go on a cute date, he WILL see it as a challenge.

He would rather get hit by a car than see you taking some random ass dude to HIS food truck to eat HIS food during a date. You're supposed to eat his food only if you go on dates with HIM.

He's gonna make you choose between him and your stupid new guy as soon as you tell him about the confession.

Are you going to abandon him? Are you really going to choose some dude instead of a friend? Someone who needs your support and ideas? Someone who ACTUALLY cares about you and didn't just randomly appear out of nowhere?

There is a correct answer for his ultimatum, and you better choose wisely.

Kurosagi Leo

???????????

Some people do have awful taste, huh.

Cannot fathom why someone would ever fall for you.

You're plain and boring, just a stupid NPC. That person must be just as boring as you, if not worse.

He makes sure to tell you all of this so you know your place.

But then you decide to give that person a chance and begin to ignore his messages.

How fucking dare you answer him only in the end of the day. You're supposed to be at his beck and call. You're supposed to be by his side whenever he needs you, like a good NPC.

He gets antsy. He's bouncing his legs, biting his nails and feeling his stomach flip flop inside him.

Okay he GETS it. You can stop trying to make him jealous now, god. You're so fucking desperate for his attention, aren't you?

Just... answer his fucking texts for once, okay?

Otherwise, he's gonna have to handle that rando that's been glued to your side on his own terms, and you don't want that.

Don't make him do something both of you will regret <3

Sagara Haru

Of course someone would fall for you! Who wouldn't?

You're so sweet, strong, patient, helpful, comforting, and you always do your best to spend time with him so he feels less overworked and...

Oh.

If you have a s/o, this means you won't be able to help him and spend time by his side, huh...

...

That is a problem.

Haru needs your company. He needs to know your whereabouts and what you're doing. You won't leave him hanging behind on his own, right?

He knows that you care for the animals and you wouldn't abandon them, but what about him?

Will you really leave him behind?

Haru is busy with everything in Jabberwock, so it's not like he can neglect his job to follow you around, but... Maybe he can keep an eye on you through his little gps.

Whenever he sees you out and about, he'll shoot you the cutest, most heartwrenching message about how he the animals miss you.

It never fails.

After all, you're so sweet. He knows exactly how to tug on your heartstrings until you run back to him.

Otonashi Towa

No.

You're not going to date anyone.

Towa loves romance, yes, but only if it doesn't involve you with someone else.

You're his Dandelion! You're his. You're not going to leave him, ever. Why are you even thinking about someone else? You're so silly, Dandelion.

Towa doesn't try to be subtle. He will threaten the other person and kick them out of your life immediately.

If he needs to strike them down with a dozen lightnings, he will do it. Do not doubt him whatsoever.

Don't be sad, though. If you wanted to go on dates, you should have just said so!

He will take you to every pretty place he finds in Darkwick – cave systems, flower fields, dense woods, and anywhere else you feel like going!

As long as you go with him.

He's not letting anyone steal you from him, ever.

Shiranami Ren

Whines and whines and whines and whines.

He becomes actually insufferable.

"You're actually going to become one of those disgusting people that flaunt their relationship everywhere, aren't you?"

"Ren, I don't even know if I'll accept the date..."

You don't get it, though. He thought you were different. He thought you weren't like everyone else! But you got A CONFESSION?

EUGH

That's like the most normie thing in the whole world...

And who's gonna watch B-horror movies with him now? Who's gonna play his mobile games and do his dailies with him?

You're gonna be just like those assholes that forget their friends when they start dating, aren't you?

He knew you were just too good to be true. That's on him, though. He was stupid to believe you would stick around.

Wait, no, please don't go. Please don't get mad at him.

He just doesn't want you to spend your time with someone else... but also, he would rather die than straight up tell you that.

Maybe read between the lines of all his whiny ass messages and forget about that other guy, how about it? It's almost time for a raid anyway.

Hoshibami Taiga

Oh honey. I don't know why you think you can even leave Taiga's side for long enough to receive a whole confession.

Although, if someone is crazy enough to mess with TAIGA'S little kitten, they are very brave.

Taiga may let them shoot their shot just to amuse himself and see how the dumbass would try to woo you.

But if they got even a little bit closer, his gun would fire immediately.

It would either end in someone getting terribly traumatized and/or wounded, or in death.

Getting away is just not an option if you're Taiga's.

You're always in his reach. No reason to think about silly little scenarios like "receiving a confession".

Pffft. Don't be stupid.

Romeo Lucci

Are you fucking insane? Shut up and go fetch him a face mask.

Of course he's not letting you date anyone. You're his assistant. You dont have time for shit like that.

What do you mean you don't need permission? Oh that's RICH.

Romeo isn't very patient about this whole situation.

If you try to argue too much, he just pushes you into his secret room and then inside one of his cages until you understand your place.

He's never letting you just walk away and spend your precious time with some broke asshole. Your time is HIS. YOU are his. Don't get any funny ideas.

It doesn't matter if you get mad at him. He will keep you locked up until you're sweet and compliant again. Just the way you're supposed to be.

And if that doesn't work quickly enough, he can always order his men around and beat whoever tries to get too close to you.

No one fucking steals from Romeo. Much less what is the most valuable to him.

Shinjo Ritsu

?

Ritsu is incredibly confused once you bring up going on dates with someone who confessed to you.

Did you forget you are legally bound to him by the terms of your partnership?

You have no time to go on dates. During working hours you have to be fulfilling your part of the contract right beside him.

It's not his fault that there's so much work to do that you end up needing to work overtime...

Yes, he IS very against unpaid overtime, obviously.

But it's not like you're not getting anything from this! You'll have the best lawyer in Japan always ready to help you.

But you'll only have this rare privilege if you stop being foolish and forget about dating that silly student.

You have to focus. Focus on your partnership.

Focus on him.

Focus on Ritsu alone.

Kusanagi Haku

Oh, so you hesitate to accept his invitations, but you're quick to go on a date with some other random person?

Ouch. Yikes.

Immediately lets you know that the person a very nasty spirit posessing them.

But you'd be a bit silly if you believed what he says because Haku is going to blatantly lie.

If that's what it takes to keep you far from anyone trying to get their hands on you, you BET Haku will try to manipulate you.

"Exorcising them? Nah, can't do it. Too strong of a spirit, you know? Better just keep your distance ;)"

He's honestly shameless. Doesn't stop following you around for a second and always manages to barge into every conversation you have with a general student, even if it's not even the person who confessed to you.

Can't be too careful, you know? After all, you're so sweet, what if more people fall for you?

He hates competition, so it's best to just cull everyone that gets too close to you. Makes things a lot easier for him.

And you know, since you're so eager to go out on a date with someone, why don't you choose him for once?

It's not like he'll ever let you have another option besides himself after all.

Kagami Subaru

Oh, he's guilt tripping you right away. All those years of acting are SHOWING.

Have you watched a kabuki play? There are some SAD ones, you know.

And you best believe Subaru is going to look like you've just ripped his heart apart as soon as you tell him about the confession.

You're the only actual friend he has besides Lyca... Do you really want to leave him in the dust like that? All for some dates? He really thought he mattered more to you than that...

It doesn't matter how much you try to reassure him you won't abandon him, he'll only stop being gloomy once you tell him word for word that you are not going to date anyone else.

And as soon as you do that, it'll be like clouds letting the sun shine again. He'll smile and cling to you like a magnet, gently feeding you the softest daifuku.

All while subtly touching you and checking your memories for the face of whoever dared to confess to you.

His good relationship with Darkwick will definitely come in handy to keep them far away from you.

Kotodama Zenji

He is having such a hard time with this!

He is more than happy to know you're appreciated! You are such a wonderful person! His lovely little human!

However... he can't help but feel awful about it all too. What if you stop talking to him?

After all, besides you, only Haku and Subaru see him. He knows you wouldn't be able to talk to him if you had someone unrelated right next to you. Much less someone who isn't even a ghoul!

His late night visits become more frequent. He stands at the foot of your bed, looking at your sleeping figure, very conflicted.

Is he allowed to be a little selfish, even though he's a spirit?

Soon enough, you stop hearing from the person who confessed to you. It's not that big of a deal, but you ARE curious as to why they up and vanished.

You'll never know how they suddenly got prophetic nightmares about how they shouldn't date you, complete with some bloodied messages on their wall...

Mizuki Rui

He's absolutely distraught. Not only he cannot touch you, now he must be tortured by the sight of you touching someone else?

Even worse: someone else touching YOU?

His days just keep on getting worse.

Will you still please visit him at his bar then? You won't completely starve him of your company, right?

Maybe he should just touch this crush of yours.

Haha, just kidding! He wouldn't do that.

He will, however, hide in the darkness for as much as he needs until he's sure that he approves of that date of yours.

Spoiler: he will never approve of anyone that isn't him.

Rui will bombard you with messages until you understand that his jealousy will never subside unless you reject that person once and for all.

And maybe, for some peace, you should. Because Rui is nothing if not insistent.

From the corner of your eyes, you see the way he lurks in the shadows of every place you visit.

Give yourself a break and mend the shinigami's heart for once, please?

Edward Hart

Oh dear. Who's going to take care of him now 😔

You're heartless, you know. Wasting your finite human time with a pointless date, instead of helping an old man when he needs you... You wound him so...

Ed is the king of emotional blackmail. He will moan and groan on and on about how weak and alone he is (even though Rui does everything for him) and how cruel you are for not spending your days in his room, tending to all his whims.

It doesn't matter if Rui can help him with this malware-riddled website. He wants YOU to help him. His plain but pretty little thing.

Didn't you learn you must respect your elders, love?

Then go lay down on his bed with him, thread your fingers through his hair, and shush him when he's tired and in pain. You're his walking balm, dear.

Don't leave him hanging. That would be so rude of you.

Lyca Colt

No no no no no no no no

NO!!!!!!!!!

You're not gonna date anyone!! You're not going to hang out with anyone else, ever!!!

Lyca is another one that's not subtle.

He'll just cling to you 24/7 and growl at the person who confessed to you until they run away.

He'll NEVER let you spend a single minute longer with some boring human. You have to spend time with him and teach him more about... well, about everything! You're his caretaker, aren't you?

The fact that he used to protest every time someone called you his babysitter does not matter anymore!

He is going to stay by your side and chase everyone away. How dare they try to do those disgusting things with HIS human!

It's overwhelming how clingy and possessive he gets – even more than before.

Lyca won't let you breathe peacefully. He'll be clinging to your arm, your hand, your neck, your shoulders, anywhere he can grab just to show everyone that you belong WITH HIM ALONE.

It's best if you just accept it. They do say it's hard to teach older dogs how to behave, don't they...

Isami Yuri

He didn't expect much from you, but to waste your time with meaningless endeavors... Disappointing!

You better never sleep then! Because he's not letting you off the hook! You're still spending more than half of your day in Mortkranken, under HIS watchful eye!

And if he sees you texting some random guy, well. He'll just have to snatch your phone away from you.

How dare you think of anything else besides your apprenticeship under him?! Him, Isami Yuri, the best doctor in Darkwick. You're so ungrateful!

Yuri will wring you dry. He's so merciless, it'll be honestly best if you just focus on him...

He wants your full attention and focus. If you go on... *retches* dates... your mind won't be into your work.

Stop this insanity, worm, and pay attention to him. Pay attention and praise him. Don't go praising some random, worthless person. They don't deserve it.

But Yuri does. Yuri deserves your praise.

Praise him.

Please.

And forget all about anyone else.

Kirisaki Jiro

Hm... will going on dates affect your health positively? Your mental health, maybe? Huh.

Jiro doesn't really understand what he feels about you spending time with someone else.

What he does know is that he likes having you around, as much as he can process how "liking something" feels.

He likes how you take care of him after he showers and how you worry about him, no matter how many times he tells you it's pointless. He likes your reactions and how you try to be helpful. He likes you.

If you spending time with someone else means he won't have you doing all this anymore, or at least not as much as he'd like, he can't say he approves it.

Jiro straight up tells you he doesn't want you to go on dates and why.

It'd be wise to listen to him. Otherwise, he'll try to get his fix of you by following you around.

Not sure you'd want the tallest and strongest man in Darkwick following you around like a shadow... but you do you.

[whereserpentswalk]

They're executing your freind today. She's a werewolf and she accidently broke into a federal building while she wasn't in control of her wolf form. It's been awhile since creatures like ghouls and werewolves and vampires were killed on sight in the United States, but everyone is always looking for an excuse it seems. What she did was technically treason, but it feels like this is the way of things.

One of the police officers that caught her destroyed her hand with a silver bullet. He says they didn't even know they were going to fight a werewolf when they were called in, that they were just given silver bullets and told to stay safe. The officer that shot her says that he thinks that silver bullets are cruel, and targeting certain groups intentionally, but that he doesn't know if there's another way, and that he's happy to have used one.

Before the execution she was sent to a place specifically meant to hold monsters, instead of a normal human prison. Everyone says it's for her own good. Monsters don't need a trial to end up there, and they're let out whenever the staff says they're supposed to be let out. It's not treated as a place of punishment like when humans are imprisoned, it's treated as somewhere for their own good, and when you talk to people with monsters for children they'll always at least consider sending them there. The person who runs the institution claims that he's against such things, that he knows they're abusive, but that it's not really his fault, someone's going to run them. He says things will improve with more funding. Institutions like that are beginning to be allowed to euthanize monsters who are unable to reintegrate with society up in Canada, you're sure he'll allow the same if he's ever allowed to in the states.

When the jury was interviewed after the trial they all said the same types of things. They said they were personally against killing someone for something so small, but that they were just following what the law told them all to follow. They all said it wasn't really anyone's fault. They said that they personally wanted to vote to set her free but they didn't think they could convince any other members of the jury. They said their ruling wasn't really up to them. Killing a monster isn't ever really something someone does anymore, it's just something that happened. One member of the jury mentioned that she had a sister who was a werewolf, so that it weighed heavily on her when she chose to convict, she still chose to convict of course though.

They hired a wizard to kill her. They had to search far and wide, because most wizards who knew the spells that could permanently kill a werewolf wouldn't want to use the spells to intentionally take a life. But eventually they found one at a university upstate. He says he is an advocate for the rights of monsters, but that he's willing to do the execution because someone has to, (and because they gave him a large sum of money to do it). He says that it's not his choice to make, that the law has been settled.

And after all that has happened, and she is only ashes and burnt bones, the governor of your state will give a speech. And she will talk about how this kind of thing should never happen, though she didn't pardon her or do anything to intervene. And she will talk about how much the werewolf community is in pain from this, and yet still nothing will change. And in the end the message from those who claim to fight for such creatures rights, will be that nothing could be done, and that werewolves should work to be more careful as to not upset creatures so happy to see them dead.

[socksual-innuendos]

What are ghouls?

we just don't know....

Some ghoul biology headcanons and some review of the two different ghoulification methods (as supported and not by canon)

This was initially sparked by how I hate the implication of all ghouls being obligate addicts to prevent going feral (as seen from the show). However, given what we know of the themes of Fallout and some confirmations in both FO: Prime and FO4, I've decided there might be some interesting implications here, along with further looks into what makes ghoul go ghoul.

Please let me know what you think, I love this sort of meta talk.

Edit Log:

Edit 1 (4/25) - Spelling, phrasing, and additional Glowing One information made to "Biological Quirks" section in Radiation

So what are ghouls?

Well, a short description from what we see from the wiki/games/canon is that ghouls are those exposed to radiation that don't die of radiation poisoning and instead mutate. Exposure means vary from accidental exposure from the bombs/irradiated areas to outright deliberate exposures via experimentation, hopes for immortality, or simply listed as....."serum/drug".

The games have shown us that the process of ghouling isn't just novel to humans, nor is it just novel to humanoid shapes (see; Harold). However I am going to specifically cover humans and how they ghoulify.

There isn't a set reason on what exactly predisposes someone to ghouling vs dying, nor is there parameters on what makes them go feral. Risk factors, yes, but nothing set in absolute stone (aside from that inhalant withdrawal) This leaves room for the fun, and boy did I have fun writing this.

So lets start with the obvious;

There are two subsets of ghouls,

This is actually implied by canon and outright stated in the meta material. One set is directly radiation induced. These are the ones we are most familiar with.

The other is biochemically created, induced by drugs. These we have a few examples of, however with little to no explanation of....why is there a ghoul drug. More specifically, no direct reason is given for "Drug that turns you ghoul". I however have some ideas on how this came about.

In this post I will cover a few topics relating to ghoul qualities and how they vary between the two sub-types. These will be;

I. Modes of Creation: How We Go Ghoul and What This Implies II. Biological Quirks III. Ferals. What Are They, What Causes Them, And Why Aren't They Attacking Each Other IV. The Rotting vs Chem-Heads: Interpersonal Politics Within Non-Feral Ghoul Populations

I. Modes of Creation: How We Go Ghoul and What This Implies

Ghouls Created by Radiation Exposure:

So you've just survived the nuclear holocaust. What's next? Well, if the onset of radiation sickness is anything to go by, then not much....

Unless you're one of the lucky few who ghoulify.

But what causes one to ghoulify and another to succumb to the radiation? What exactly in the genes make one turn while another simply dies. The exact answer does not seem to exist, however we are shown in several cases that Pre-War was not afraid to experiment with radiation.

While in some instances these experimentation involved medications or chemicals (see: next section), there is mention of controlled exposures to radiation being something studied.

This experimentation can be seen through Vault-Tec Vaults (Vault 12) and implied in a few pre-war medical buildings/holotapes (Robco Buildings, the accounts of Control Subject Peters) and with outright accounts, such as Eddie Winters and Desmond Lockhart.

In short, while we don't precisely know if Pre-War knew that ghouls from radiation exposure were truly and properly immortal, or even considered them as a "successful" rabbit hole to pursue for immortality, we know that experiments to study the effects of radiation sickness were performed. In some cases, the exposure was to test for serums and medications that would hopefully prevent/reverse radiation sickness (And likely how we got Rad-X/RadAway. See: FO4s Control Patient Peter's Logs).

We do however see that irradiation is likely the most common mode for many of the ghouls of the wastelands. Pre-War ghouls that were not part of radiation exposure experiments were often times implied to be those not from areas directly in blast range and rather came into radiation exposure after they crawled out through the falled-out, baby (kill me). However, those directly in the blast that weren't vaporized are often implied to immediately be turned feral (Camp Searchlight, and other similarly directly hit areas), though sections such as Lonesome Road and certain in-game ghouls prove that some do not immediately turn feral.

These ghouls are described as experiencing radiation sickness that never got around to killing them before...it almost seeming to get better. They experience the GI upset, hemorrhaging, "illness" (fever), confusion, sloughing of necrotic tissues, and so on, before stabilizing into what we call ghouls. It is assumed that they eventually hit the "regenerative" stage of ghoulification after their bodies succumb to these symptoms. This may be evident due to radiation exposed ghouls having the intense healing potentials as ghouls, but never "gaining back" normal, non rotting appearance.

Ghouls Created by Biochemical Means:

We know through Hancock that there is an "experimental radiation drug" that can ghoulify people. We see something similar in FO:Prime, with Thaddeus taking a "healing serum" from the Chicken Fucker and how it looks (both in color and method of using) similar to that of the chem that The Ghoul uses/depends on. We are given both The Ghoul and one of his acquaintances (Ass Jerky) as direct examples of being dependent on this chem to prevent going feral.

According to the wiki, there are implications of two different types of chems that can cause a person to ghoul, directly quoted with "This does depend on the type of the drug"

While I am not too certain that these drugs differ all that much in how they cause ghouification, I have a theory about why the wiki needed to state multiple types of chems that ghoulify an individual.

Firstly that there is mention of experiments for immortality. I believe that this may be an "all roads", a converging of methods to one end, type scenario. Multiple drug types, one outcome. One or more of the major corporations was trying to unlock the secrets to immortality, however in this world that usually comes to the end of "ghoulifying" in some manner. I believe this is the drug-type that those like Hancock had found and used. This is the rarest of these types of drugs (as supported by canon) and also does not cause dependency of its users.

Secondly, I believe there are other handful of instances where some tried to create failed (or even prototype) Rad-X like medications (or even some kind of advanced form of Stimpaks) prior to the war as a "Keep this in your prep-kit" first-aid. This would be the direct medication (and in long post-war scenarios "Copy Cat" medication) that those like The Ghoul and ghouls in Fallout: Prime are dependent on. This would easily explain how some people, pre-war (such as Cooper Howard, as we know his personality pre-war) who may seem resistant to the idea of experimental or even promised immortality, would accidentally become a ghoul who is obligatorily stuck taking this medication. This being an assumed Rad-X/Immediate big wound healing-like drug would also allow for easy accidental (or deliberate) manufacturing post-war selling of it. Home brewed variations of a radiation resistant/Stimpak-like medication can sometimes have opposite effects, and this may be how some people "accidentally" become biochemically created ghouls.

We can however see that there is a market created for biochemical ghouls and their stabilizing medications as both F76 and FO: Prime show that these drugs are manufactured post-war and specifically for ghouls.

The wiki mentions that biochemically created ghouls retain their appearances longer than radiation created ghouls, however ultimately they begin their own process of becoming what we know more traditionally as ghouls. We can see this illustrated with Thaddeus from the show.

Now let's move on to how they differ as ghouls;

II. Biological Quirks

Ghouls are defined by a few qualities;

Extended lifespan (functionally immortal), enhanced healing factors, immunity to disease, radiation perks, nourishment requirements, and issues with sterility/reproduction.

We will dive into each of these topics and discuss that while both ghouls may share these qualities, there may be some variance into the extent or modes of how these qualities present.

Extended Lifespan:

We have come to understand and observe that ghouls will live, functionally, forever, unless killed. This point is fairly straight forward, however going feral is an ever present fear amongst both irradiated ghouls and biochemical ghouls. While we will explore ferals later on in this post, we will note that this can be seen as its own form of "death" within certain ghoul communities.

Enhanced Healing Factors:

We are both shown and told that ghouls have incredible healing abilities. While they cannot regrow limbs, it is shown that they can reattach missing body parts so long as one is available to graft.

We will get into nourishment needs in its own section, however I believe that the healing factors also extend here. Ghouls can sustain themselves longer without food or water due to some work of their healing factors, however this creates a strain on the body that makes injury recuperation dampen slightly.

However, while ghouls tend to be able to regenerate from bodily injury with ease, we can see some examples of preexisting conditions not being healed (a directly given example is Hugo Stolz in F76, who remains blind even after ghoulification). This may be explained with the same reason as to why ghoul skin is necrotic and does not seem to heal itself. My personal justification is that anything that happens prior to a ghoul "stabilizing" is almost always permanent.

Another thing to note is how this regeneration is an imperfect process. This may be best illustrated with how biochemical ghouls have a slower "ghouling" of their appearance. It is mentioned that "accumulating damage will change the ghoul's appearance over time". This implies that sometimes healing from an injury is not done perfectly or appropriately. This could also explain why some ghouls have different disfigurements or gain degenerative conditions such as arthritis, loss of vision, or hearing.

Immunity To Disease:

We know that ghouls have an amazing ability to regenerate, however it is not gone into detail about how they are "unaffected by most common diseases". I personally believe there is some nuance to this between irradiated ghouls and biochemical ghouls.

Irradiated ghouls no longer have an immune system. This was something destroyed and not gotten back (much like how areas of skin will slough off and not regen). However, due to their body's base radiation retention there are very few ailments that can actually infect an irradiated ghoul to being symptomatic. Their bodies are generally inhospitable to outside invading organisms.

Biochemical ghouls on the other hand retain some of their immune system and have a lesser resistance to disease than an irradiated ghoul. However they have a better resistance than an unmutated human to diseases.

Both ghoul types rely on their bolstered resistance to disease and their healing factors to protect against diseases as most medications do not work on them, or at least have a lessened overall efficacy. Again this goes off the logic from the wikia that a ghoul's healing factors provide some dampening effects to chems. Also through this logic, poisons tend to also need to be administered in much higher doses for a ghoul to even feel the effects of it.

While most medications do not tend to effect ghouls or only work at higher dosages, there is a special interaction they have with Rad-X and RadAway. We will explore this in the next section.

Radiation; Resistance To And Effects Of:

Ghouls are especially known for their resistance to radiation. This is a quality that is as associated with them as the potential of going feral is. However, I believer there are some key differences between the ghoul types and their interactions with radiation.

Irradiated ghouls stand to gain the most from radiation, for obvious reasons. While traveling through the warm glowing fields of areas still emitting high levels of radiation is a perk in and of itself, they also stand to gain some physical benefits from this as well.

With the example of the Marked Men, it is shown that ghouls can subsist off radiation alone. I also believe this bolsters their base healing factors. Toss a bag of meat pulped ghoul into a nuclear waste spill and he'll join you for dinner in a few hours. They may also experience boosts in mood and endurance.

Irradiated ghouls are canonically mentioned to also hold onto their radiation exposure, where some even become glowing ones. I do think that a ghoul must have moments of "recharge" to remain glowing ones, as over time radiation decays off the body. While the short term doesn't seem to be effected by this, for beings who can live hundreds of years, some can see fluctuations of internal radiation retention.

There is also mentioned for glowing ones being somewhat eccentric. With this idea I say continued radiation exposure and retention can produce almost a high or destortive effect to cognitive function if left unchecked.

Almost comically, while ghouls have no direct use for RadAway, they can use it to drop this retained radiation. This however is dangerous for Irradiated ghouls...

There is however mentions that radiation exposure can be a risk factor of feralization. We will go into further detail later on, however I will slightly touch on this now.

Concentrated blasts of radiation can be dangerous for both ghoul types, however high radiation exposure over time is more a risk factor for biochemical ghouls going feral than irradiated ghouls. On the other hand, irradiated ghouls using RadAway would put them at a higher risk for going feral. Thankfully this later issue is not something most irradiated ghouls need to consider. Most documented RadAway use in ghouls is for retained radiation regulation for those choosing to stay within human colonies.

Nourishment Requirements:

The wiki seems to be pretty inconsistent with this, so I take this as an invite to shoehorn my theories in. The wiki says that ghouls do need to feed and water themselves to stay alive, however we are given a few instances where this is heavily not the case.

Outright, we are given exceptions to the rule with Coffin Willy, Woody, Billy Peabody (fridge kid), and The Ghoul, all of whom had scenarios of being deprived of food and water and survived for extended periods (and most egregiously is Billy, who was trapped in a fridge starving and thirsty for over 200 years).

This is justified however by them being in "a hibernation like state", however other examples are also the Marked Men, who are said to be sustained off radiation alone. These ghouls are shown to be in an active and alert state. Raul Tejada himself mentions baking in the sun for several days, and while unmoving, had to trek three days back to civilization afterwards. We may see other examples of this through dialogue implications where ghouls may be deprived of food and water needs for durations that would kill a regular human.

I believe however that this can be dangerous for ghouls, especially given our next discussion of feralization.

It is worth noting that the wikia says ghouls have lost their sense of taste. While this may be a common phenomenon, we see it may not necessarily hold true for all ghouls due to comments from ghoul companions regarding flavor preferences. (See: Raul's sweet tooth)

Sterility/Reproduction:

While it is broadly understood that ghouls cannot reproduce, the wiki does not dive into much more detail here. I, however, propose that while radiation as a whole is detrimental to the reproductive system, coupled with the regenerative effects of ghouls, there are some...unfortunate outliers within this topic.

In regards to spermatogenesis, sperm count is at a constant low. Assuming there is anything produced, it is almost always malformed in someway.

In regards to ovum, almost all remaining eggs within the ovaries are considered mutated and non-viable. While menstruation is not unheard of in ghouls, it is more likely to occur in biochemical ghouls. However, all cycles are highly abnormal with next to no regularity. Ghouls will eventually hit a 'menopause' and 'post menopausal' state, however this is not conventional in timeline as with humans.

While viability of either gamete is near non-existent, this doesn't prove absence of fertilization. Most common cases of fertilization is that between human egg cells and ghoul sperm cells. While this often ends with miscarriage in the blastocyst stage, implantation has happened in even rarer cases. Intervention is usually needed as this often is ectopic or produces continual hemorrhage. In even rarer cases, these can produce teratoma type "pregnancies".

Very rarely does a ghoul egg cell get fertilized. It is almost undocumented and it is believed this is due to every instance of fertilization is miscarried before or soon after implantation.

Within the realm of sexual disease, there is few directly infectious agents to worry about between ghouls. However, for ghouls with human partners it is encouraged to use barrier-type protection or other means to limit radiation exposure. Necrotic tissue is also a concern, especially when exposed to mucosa membranes. Exposure of irradiated semen to these membranes is also another large concern for human partners. Condoms are highly encouraged, with rad-checks and use of RadAway being another measure to facilitate healthy measures for these relations.

III. Ferals. What Are They, What Causes Them, And Why Aren't They Attacking Each Other

So let's talk ferals. Aside from the rotting flesh smell and appearance, the threat of going feral is among one of the biggest factors that non mutants use for ostracizing ghouls, and one of the biggest internal threats that ghouls face.

While we understand what causes feralization and know risk factors, what precisely triggers one to turn feral while another doesn't is about as well understood as what makes some go ghoul in the first place.

Feralization is described as a degenerative process of the mind and, in late stages, the body.

In this section we will cover a few things;

1.) Risk factors and how they fluctuate between ghoul sub-types. 2.) Behaviors of ferals 3.) Inter-community treatment of ferals

Risk Factors: What Are They And How They Differ Between Ghoul Subtypes:

We are of the understanding that ghouls can turn feral when experiencing certain physical or mental stressors. These stressors are reported as follows;

Social Isolation Poor Mental State/Intense Emotional Stressors Exposure to Intense Radiation Genetic Factors

While the above are wiki provided risk factors, I have included some of my own accepted risk factors below;

Intense Physical Stressors Extended Periods of Fasting/Dehydration Sudden Decrease in Retained Radiation Substance Withdrawal

First we will address the risk factors that effect both sub-types and discuss how these can pose higher or lower threats based upon the specific biology of said ghouls.

Social isolation, poor mental state/intense emotional stressors, genetic factors, substance withdrawal, intense physical stressors, and extended periods of dehydration/starvation are all things that can trigger feralization in ghouls, however the threshold for such will vary among the individuals.

For irradiated ghouls, exposure to intense radiation is unlikely to be a trigger for feralization unless it is a direct, concentrated blast of radiation. However if there is a sudden decrease in their retained radiation, such as if RadAway is used in high enough doses, then feralization is a much higher concern.

Irradiated ghouls have somewhat of an advantage against starvation/dehydration, as being in areas with a higher ambient radiation can mitigate the ill effects of not eating/drinking.

Biochemical ghouls, however, struggle more with going longer periods of time without sustenance. They are also more vulnerable to continued exposure to high doses of radiation. While it is unfair to include their serum under substance withdrawal, it is also their main means to prevent feralization. However both ghoul types are vulnerable to withdrawal causing them to turn.

Behaviors of Ferals:

It is well known that feral ghouls are a dangerous type, however it is also well known that they do not seem to attack each other nor other ghouls.

If feralization is a degradation of higher cognitive function, how is it then that most feral ghouls know when they are in like company? This is not so well understood, however it has been observed that appearance does play a role but is not a sure fire way to pass through a horde of feral ghouls. One theory I have is that ferals are drawn to radiation and by extension can feel it off other ghoulified beings. This keeps them in a calmer, more contented state. Surprisingly, super mutants seem to also bypass the ire of feral ghouls. The precise reason for this is less understood, however FEV may have some play here. It is known that ferals have heightened senses, perhaps even FEV created mutants have a specific smell that does not trigger a hunt response in feral populations.

In regards to their dangerous behaviors, ferals seem to be driven by hyper aggression and hunger. I will take liberties and a page from the lobotomite handbook, as well as reference how some extensive cognitive degeneration causes hyper sexuality/aggression in some.

However, the less observed side to ferals is one more human. While they never truly seem to know what they are doing, some ghoul colonies that tend their feral population note domestic-like behaviors such as; attempting to clean, cook, perform yard work, tend dolls, or perform duties and adhere to schedules relating to those they had prior to turning feral. Some have even reported that certain ferals "remember" actions such as smoking and will perform this in rudimentary fashion.

Inter-Community Treatment of Ferals:

So now that we know more about feral ghouls, how do they fit into the world? While most of us know them as residing in city ruins, content to stay hidden away from the harshness of the burning sun and light, some have found home amongst ghoul societies.

While non-feral ghouls within mixed colonies may hold less compassionate views of their feral brethren, certain ghoul societies dedicate care and inclusion of ferals into their society. Their exclusion may even be seen as betrayal, and they are as valued and protected as much as any non-feral member.

IV. The Rotting vs Chem-Heads: Interpersonal Politics Within Non-Feral Ghoul Populations

While most people view ghouls as ghouls, and acceptance of them can vary from being seen as equals, to indifference, to outright hostility, the nuance between irradiated ghouls and biochemical ghouls is almost entirely understood exclusively within ghoul populations (or with those that study them).

Unsurprisingly, this has caused some conflicts. While feralization is something that is an assumed inevitable end for all ghouls, the more immediate threat of turning plagues most biochemical ghouls near constantly. This has given some irradiated ghouls a complex that biochemical ghouls are the poster child for why most non-mutant societies fear unprompted feralization.

On the other end, biochemical ghouls will often criticize their irradiated brethren for their appearance and smell being a determining factor for why most people do not welcome ghouls into most spaces.

There is also the discussion of who has suffered more, with irradiated ghouls often citing their endurance of radiation sickness and often continued effects while biochemical ghouls often quote their substance dependency as a constant struggle.

V. In Conclusion:

So surely with all that we have learned so far we understand that there is much more complexity to ghouls than initially thought. I hope you enjoyed my compilation of ideas and stuff I got off the wiki/from gameplay as much as I enjoyed writing it.

If you have any ideas or compilations for ghouls, feel free to drop them in the replies! I look forward to reading them and perhaps even working on another post regarding ghoul social and cultural structures!

[provalencockfucker]

Goodneighbor headcanons. Because I think canon Goodneighbor is kinda...idk underwhelming?

- the Third Rail has an entire band down there, with a rotating set of acts. Magnolia is the most famous and most prominent, but there are others, the aforementioned jazz band (who also serve as Mag's backing band), a comedy duo, and the WRVR acting trio (before Rex gets kidnapped rip)

- the city's residents live in the apartments that are being taken over by the Triggermen. The reason Hancock asks you to clean em out is because they caused a housing crisis in the city, and there isn't enough room in the Rexford and Old Statehouse to accommodate them

- the food and water Daisy sells are supplied on caravans from the Slog. In exchange, Hancock sends some Neighborhood Watch members down that way to keep an eye on things, especially with the Forged moving into the iron works and quarry nearby

- Kent Connolly was an EMT prewar and serves as the very anxious and reserved doctor of Goodneighbor. Fred Allen is his "pharmacist" (more like harmacist heyo). PTSD from the bomb and following 200 years of radiation make him less than optimal at his duties

- while there are some kids in Goodneighbor, Hancock doesn't like it, and tries to steer them towards DC if they're human, and towards the Slog if they're ghouls or god forbid supermutants

- related to the above, Daisy was a school teacher before the bombs dropped and houses kids in the apartment above her store. Whenever she can, she takes orphaned human children to DC, specifically to Edna and Zwicky, and ghoul children on caravans back to the Slog

- synths and supermutants are allowed in Goodneighbor, but there is animosity. Mostly anti institute animosity. Even a synth like Nick or Glory, people who are very clearly not spies, are treated with hostility. Spies, or suspected spies are shot on sight. And Supermutants are basically treated like the synths' bastard siblings, being a biproduct of the institute's kidnapping experiments. Even if a kidnapped person survives and comes back as a supermutant, they aren't treated like a brother coming home, but as a shadow of their former selves

- Goodneighbor is a safe haven for railroad members, as in the Neighborhood Watch won't kill them, but the "stealth and secrets" style of Deacon and some of the others puts Hancock on edge. He wants them to get their business done quickly and leave

- there are tunnels leading from the Third Rail and the Memory Den to Bunker Hill, the Old North Church, and the Switchboard, but the Switchboard tunnel was destroyed when the Institute attacked. After the Institute is destroyed, the railroad tries to put that tunnel back into use and use it as essentially a refugee highway

- Whitechappel Charlie was originally the waiter at the Colonial Taphouse but left when the ghouls were kicked out. He had his voice physically changed from the standard Mr Handy British accent to a Cockney accent as protest

[inthekitschen]

Frostheim and Vagastrom Ghouls when you tell them you're pregnant

How I think the ghouls would react to having a baby with you, part 1.

Note: even if I personally believe a ghoul wouldn't want kids, I did my best to write the circumstances in which they would possibly want a child. I hope they don't read as too forced! Some are a little longer than others, I'm battling a pretty hard writers block and am just focusing on writing what inspires me.

*reader can get pregnant but is not given gendered pronouns

The King, regrettably, has a negative reaction to your initial announcement that you're pregnant. He thinks about his relationship with his own father, his shortcomings as a ghoul, and tries to push you away. When he comes to his senses, he'll make it up to you tenfold. Jin treats you like royalty, like he's your servant.

He's a very involved parent. Jin makes sure you and your child are both taken care of. They're his little prince/ss, after all.

The Advisor is not having a child with you before you're both ready. There are no surprises with Tohma, not really. So when you do announce your pregnancy, he probably already expected it. He's very attentive to you during your pregnancy, attending all of your appointments with you and building everything in the nursery.

If any parent could be 100% on top of everything, it’s Tohma. When the baby arrives, he's already created a schedule that your child miraculously follows. Part of you wonders if he's bribing them in some way.

The Archer panics when he sees the positive test. He definitely assumes you're pranking him, and when he realizes that he's actually going to be a dad, he cries. He does everything he can to be as supportive as possible, but he's definitely terrified.

Kaito is a mess when you bring the baby home. He doesn't want to leave their side, or yours. He's a hoverer, for sure. He asks the same questions over and over because he's so scared he'll mess up your kid.

The Knight is ecstatic when you give him the news. Lucas already treated you like a princess before you were pregnant, but now it's increased tenfold. Good luck trying to do any heavy lifting.

Being a father suits him. Something shifts in him, he's happier. Before, he was happy, but restrained. Around your child, he laughs and smiles more frequently.

The Ex-Con is terrified. He loves you, of course, but it took him long enough to overcome his fear of hurting you — now he has a tinier, more defenseless version of you to worry about. He joins you for your appointments, a silent warning for anyone who might mean you harm. He may not always know what the doctors are talking about, but he knows he'll do everything in his power to keep you safe.

The first time Alan holds your child, he cries. He isn't willing to give them back to the doctors and nurses, and when he does, he watches them like a hawk. He's kind of clueless when it comes to appointments, but he makes up to it with effort.

The Influencer doesn't want kids. He calls them brats, makes faces when the topic is brought up, and tells you to forget about it. What he doesn't tell you is how terrified he is of the idea of being responsible for raising another human being when he knows how fucked up he is — because, let's be real, he knows. He knows he would respond terribly to the stress. He knows he would take it out on you. He knows the kid would grow up to hate him, and he knows he would deserve it.

Leo would have to put in some serious work to ever be ready to have a kid, if he decides he wants one. If that day ever comes, he'd actually be pretty good at it.

The Rider isn't expecting the news of your pregnancy, but when it comes, something clicks into place for him. It feels right. He's a natural when it comes to managing your mood swings and your weird cravings. If you ever get insecure about your weight gain the farther along in your pregnancy and after the baby is born, he lifts you effortlessly. The man can lift a fridge, he's got you no problem.

Even before the baby arrives, Sho locks in. He's done with Leo's schemes. He'll still go out with you on date nights, and he loves taking you and the baby out to experience life.

[halflifebutawesome]

BEHOLD! FOR THE SECOND TIME, THE GBVRAI LINEUP! now with another weird old dude!

waves my hands around vaguely I wanted to make a nicer looking lineup and more coherent post actually explaining the au. I've now made 2 gbvrai lineups but never a plain old hlvrai lineup. Whatever.

There's a complete AU explanation and individual character profiles (?) under the cut! check it out! ASK ME ABOUT IT !!! SMILES!!!!!

The basic gist of this au is that the science team, are a group of ghost hunting paranormal researchers. The Ghostbusters. You mightve heard of them. This isn't a 1 for 1 au where certain characters take the role of others, it's more just. What if the science team existed in the Ghostbusters universe. They're just the Ghostbusters now.

On a particularly odd case, they bust a ghost that seems... off. It's sentient, it's talking back, and it's psychokinetic energy is off the charts.

Thinking nothing of it, they return to the firehouse and prep the trap for containment disposal. Gordon's the new guy, so he's the unlucky dude who's been assigned the job of disposing of the traps. All the while the ghost will NOT shut up. It's weirdly powerful and seems mostly unbothered. It's name is Benry, and he's a little freak.

the ghost containment unit has been unstable for a while, overfilled with ghosts, but they have to dispose of Benry somehow, so they go ahead with it.

In this AU I'm kind of combining the Resonance Cascade with the Manhattan Crossrip (the Manhattan crossrip is the big scary ghost event that happens at the end of GB1). Basically what happens is that Benrys weirdly powerful ghostly energy, combined with an unstable ghost containment unit, tears a big rip in the fabric between the ghost realm and ours, letting all sorts of ghouls and specters free.

Imagine the Resonance Cascade, with all the aliens getting out and ravaging Black Mesa, but it's a bunch of ghosts getting out and ravaging New York. Gordon and the rest of the team have to fight their way through the ghost filled streets of NYC, and close the crossrip.

Heres some closeups and more individual info/thoughts for the gang!!

GORDON FREEMAN! The new guy. Again, this is less a direct 1 for 1 swap au kind of deal, and more just putting these guys in situations. Gordon's HEV suit, tho, I wanna talk about.

In Ghostbusters canon, they DO have a weird fucked up hazard suit. It first appears in the TRGB episode "Xmas Marks The Spot", where Egon uses it to travel into the ghost realm. I know it makes another appearance in the comics, in a way that's more HEV-esque, but I never finished the comics so idk. It's real tho.

I imagine here that the ghost containment unit is more like the reactor in half life, where it's hazardous to be around for too long, probably bcos of like. I don't know. Concentrated psychokinetic energy. Sure. In any case he needs to wear the HEV to use the containment unit.

My design here is taking the chest piece, helmet, gloves and belts and modifying them to look a little more HEV-esque.

Bennyyyy. Benrey benry beny. He's a ghost, as far as they can tell. It would be more appropriate to call him an entity of sorts.

He's not a ghost simply for the fact that he wasn't ever human. He wasn't ever a living person that died. He's some pure, really powerful, concentrate entity/being that leaked through from the ghost realm. He looks like. A guy, for the most part, but he's a mimic. Something pretending to be human. He's been around for a while, and has settled into this form. He's mostly corporeal, but can phase in and out as he pleases (noclipping) Switching from corporeal/incorporeal when it's funny.

He met Tommy when they were both a lot younger, Benry being fresh out of the ghost realm, and have been bestfriends ever since. ☝️ my au my weirdly specific tommybenny dynamic. Dw about it

TOMMY & SUNKIST!!!! Tommy has grown up around ghosts his whole life, and is pretty in-tune with them. This is proven with his bond to Sunkist, who's decidedly not a real dog, and his longtime friendship with Benry.

I gave him the goggles cos. Tommy's my fave and Ray's my fave and I think they're fun. Also cos if it WAS a 1 to 1 swap I would def have Tommy as Ray. Anyway. He's been a part of the Ghostbusters since he was little, like I said he grew up with them and around them. He's really knowledgeable about ghost types and physics. He knows all the ghost rules.

Sunkist isn't like. His dead childhood dog cos that seems. Kind of sad. Instead she's kind of a church Grimm or hell hound. An entity taking the form of a big huge dog that Tommy befriended when he was a kid, and has now kind of bonded to him. She's pretty corporeal as far as ghosts go, and can interact w the physical environment pretty well.

DARNOLD ^^ my friend darnold. Darnolds not usually super involved in the actual ghostbusting, and prefers to stay behind. He's more of the research and tech kind of guy, he studies the readings and takes measurements.

He's interested in psychokinetic energy and ghost residue and all sorts of like. Ghost sciences. Why some people stay behind, why some people just seem to die and disappear, the properties of the ghost realm and the ghosts themselves. Corporeality and degradation of personhood the longer someone's been a ghost.

When the Resonance Crossrip happens, he opts to stay behind and observe the effects of the insane amounts of ghost energy on the corporeal world.

Hes also a transfer over from the ghost engineers! That's a fun thing for me. I love the ghost engineers idc frozen empire gave me everything I wanted

FORZEN. Forzen is... the same thing as Benry. A mimic, something taking the form of a normal ghost to blend in or hide in plain sight.

He came through with the Resonance Crossrip, but obviously like. He knew Benry before (we WERE bestfriends..). He's not as powerful, which is why he wasn't able to sneak through when Benry did. He's also not super corporeal. He can only interact with the physical world if he's exerting a LOT of energy. Prone to flickering in and out of vision.

Upon coming thru the Crossrip, he kind of just. Decided to hang around the firehouse. Didn't wanna go much further, for fear of being ghostbusted and sent back into the containment unit. The source is the last place they'd look for him!

Darnold, who's holed up in the firehouse, is more than delighted to meet a ghost who's sentient and willing to cooperate to do some tests and experimentation to get never before documented results. They bond and they're cutesit. ☝️ DARZEN WIN. hi splash 👋

Dr Coomer and Dr Bubby are two of the three original founders of the Ghostbusters! They've been around for a looooong time. They're also married obviously but that's like a given.

They helped found the Ghostbusters, having met in college while both were studying parapsychology. I imagine their like. Parapsychology -> Ghostbusters pipeline was very in line with how GB1 starts, where they used to work in an academic environment before getting kicked out and founding the GB.

They're also both. Psychic. Because frozen empire has once again given me everything. Coomers got some like. Idk something that lines up with his self awareness in HLVRAI, maybe prophecy? Vauge visions of the future? Bubby has pyrokinesis. Duh.

and... Mr. Coolatta..... Tommy's dad...he was one of the founders along w Coomer and Bubby and at some point he. Died. And is now a reeeally really powerful ghost. maybe from the exposure to ghost energy or smth?

Now hes got gman powers and just kinda hangs around. Pretty corporeal and solid and. Present. For lack of a better word. But he IS a dead guy. Used to be human.

This is why Tommy kind of grew up around ghosts and knows alot about them :) Mr Coolatta is pretty benevolent, and mostly just kind of spooky and fucked up.

And that's. About it? I believe?? PLEAAASE ASK ME QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS I have so many thoughts. I've been working on this for like 2 months now. Lol.

[lets-try-some-writing]

Since you said Jack sometimes does a whistle to purposely get Arcee’s attention and Miko would try to, would these two take advantage of other human things bots don’t yet understand how it works? Like Jack telling Arcee that if Arcee don’t take him on a drive he might start aging much faster from being upset, and Miko telling Bulkhead that her brain will downgrade and go numb if she don’t get enough stimulation.

Oh heck yeah. The kids would absolutely abuse the bots relative lack of education and make the best of it.

Jack is by far one of the nicest in his manipulations and generally keeps it to things such as having Arcee take him to see cool new places with the groundbridge because, quote: "A human adolescent who doesn't travel and experience new things will have their brains begin to rot and turn into creatures we call ghouls."

Arcee has no clue what a human ghoul is, but she knows the stories of ghouls back on Cybertron. Flesh eating creatures that devour not only energon, but also organs and pieces of the frame. The idea that a young human may turn into something like that absolutely terrifies her, at least if that human were to be Jack. She makes it a point to take Jack out once a week with her on patrols around the globe in order to protect him from that fate. Ratchet and Optimus are fully aware of the fact that Jack is full of slag when it comes to that particular tidbit, but they let it be since it gets Arcee out of the base.

Miko abuses the ever loving crap out of the bots ignorance. She has firmly made Bulkhead believe that if she isn't allowed to fight, her instincts will deteriorate and she will become braindead. Bulkhead, terrified of that outcome, has now been forced to set up sparring sessions for Miko to compensate for lack of actual combat. Wheeljack for his part has been roped into believing that if Miko isn't allowed to use weaponry and train with it, she will quite literally become thin as a reed since humans need tools to grow (her words, not the wreckers). Smokescreen has also reached a point of fanaticism when it comes to one of Miko's ploys. She told him one time that if she doesn't get at least one lollipop a day, her blood sugar will drop and she will fall into a coma. Smokescreen carries around a bag of candy just to be safe.

Rafael is a little nicer, but he will fight for more screen time by making it clear to Bumblebee that computer lights actually help improve his vision. The more computer light he gets, the better his vision will be temporarily. Bumblebee doesn't know how that is supposed to work, but humans are weird. So he just kinda... lets Rafael abuse his computer rights in base since it supposedly does good things for his eyes. Ratchet hasn't caught on yet. Ratchet also hasn't figured out that Rafael is totally playing him when he asks Ratchet for stories in order to help him retain his memory. Rafael has woven quite that tale that essentially boils down to him needing stories in order to keep his memory top notch. Ratchet hasn't figured out its a bunch of slag yet.

Optimus is one of the few bots no one can pull any fast ones on...

Except Fowler

Fowler has convinced Optimus that he should be allowed to drive Optimus's alt-mode at least once a month in order to keep his joints from withering away. Optimus has wondered why Fowler can't use another vehicle to work his joints, but Fowler always says its easier with Optimus just because if his joints give out, Optimus will be there to help him out.

Optimus questions this logic more and more when Fowler urges him to drive FAR over the speed limit on back roads.

[linkspooky]

The Next Gojo Satoru

As you've probably guessed I have a lot to say about this chapter. However, right away I want to start out by pointing out once again that the fandom is taking a mostly gojo-centric view of this chapter. Which I understand it's Gojo's body that's being puppeteered around and dehumanized in the exact same way that Kenjaku one of the sickest and most inhuman characters used Geto's body.

However I think it shouldn't be understated how shocking it is to see Yuta betray all of his values like this. The most human character who represents love in the cast has given up on the cast and betrayed someone he loves. So let's talk about what this all means for Yuta under the cut.

GOJO GETS AN F IN TEACHING.

I understand why most of the focus is on Gojo, because yes Gojo's body is the one being violated here. He's not even allowed to rest in death after fighting on the front lines against Sukuna to the point where his brain was hemmoraging in the middle of battle and he was brutally cut in half.

Considering how much horror Gojo experienced when he saw Geto's body taken from him and made into Kenjaku's pupet. Cosidering the horrible pain that Nanako and Mimiko endured just seeing Geto's body still moving around denied a good death (Nanako and Mimiko were tellingly willing to let go and not try to take revenge against Gojo for killing Geto because of their friendship even though Geto was their whole world, but they'd never forgive Kenjaku for taking his body). Considering that Gojo even went out of his way to say he wanted to kill Kenjaku / Geto on Christmas Eve again in order to give him a proper burial it's understandable how horrifying this update is.

This is also a series where the two main antagonists are parasites who take the bodies, and steal away all bodily autonomy from characters like Yuji and Megumi and then force them to do horrible things they would never do and bear witness to it, such as the slaughter at Shibuya, or the murder of Tsumiki at Megkuna's hands.

It's understandable how people had such a visceral reaction to this chapter. However, I think the fandom has a tendency to paint Gojo like he's the central victim of all of Jujutsu Society when he's both victim and perpetrator.

Gojo is someone who has only been regarded as the strongest his entire life, and been used as a tool to keep Jujutsu Society stable his entire life. Gojo is also someone who never tried to be anything other than the strongest, never tried to empathize with anyone other than those who were just as strong as he is, and who raised all of his students to be tools too.

To illustrate my point here's an incredibly similiar character from Tokyo Ghoul: Arima Kishou. They are so similiar that they're both white haired mentor characters to the protagonist, they're both the strogest in their respective worlds, and Gege straight up copied this section of panels from the Tokyo Ghoul Manga.

Arima is a breeding project, who was bred by the Washuu Family who mxies blood between humans and ghouls through a series of controlled marriages for the purpose of creating hybrid ghoul human children. Arima isn't the ideal hybrid they were looking for, but he was so ungodly talented he quickly rose to being the most powerful and well-respected investigator in the CCG.

However, this is how Arima reacts to the fact that his entire purpose in life was just to be a weapon to kill ghouls.

Arima loathes violence, he loathes being an investigator, he loathes himself most of all and designs his entire political revolution around him finally being killed by Kaneki - to punish himself and also to relieve himself of the burden of living a life where he was only meat to kill others.

Gojo on the other hand loves being the strongest, he lives for Jujutsu. Arima's death is tragic and nihilistic believing his life had no real worth because all he ever was was a weapon to hurt others, whereas Gojo died satisfied.

Arima's last battle against Kaneki is grim, silent, and tragic, he does everything he can to make Kaneki despise him, to force Kaneki to kill him by being the worst version of himself and when Kaneki still wants him to live he just slits his own throat because even if Kaneki forgives him he can't forgive himself. Gojo laughs his head off and has the time of his life fighting against Sukuna, and going out in a blaze of glory.

Gojo dies smiling, Arima dies finally breaking into tears after a life of pretedig to be cold and emotionless. Gojo's dying regret is 1) that Geto wasn't there to say goodbye to him, and 2) that he wasn't able to draw out all of Sukuna's strength. Arima's dying regret was all the pain and suffering he caused throughout his life and how he was never able to rise above his circumstances and be anything other than what he was born to be.

These two characters are incredibly similiar, they are both the strongest, and they were both made into tools by a dehumanizing system they were born into. However, their attitudes are entirely different. Gojo enjoys being strong, and yes part of it is that Gojo himself doesn't realize he's a victim or what society has groomed him into becoming, but the other part is just because it's an ego trip for him. Gojo doesn't see himself as the tragic victim his fandom makes him out to be.

If you were to transplant him into Tokyo Ghoul Gojo would be happily killing ghouls, and he would think killing ghouls is fun because he's the strongest and best at killing ghouls. This is the complexity that is Satoru Gojo, he has been dehumanized and put on a pedestal his ow life, but Gojo also enjoys being on that pedestal and won't ever step down from it willingly.

I'm not saying that Arima is a better person than Gojo. I think the fact that Gojo doesn't think of himself as a victim is tragic in its own right, because he lacks the self-awareness to actually grow and change as a person. In the end both Arima and Gojo believe they couldn't be anything better than what they were, and their only release is death which is just insanely sad to me because as long as the future exists people always have a chance to get better no matter who they are. To give up on the future, to see an early death as a good thing simply because you can't endure life any longer is one of the most hopeless things imaginable.

Gojo's not sad because he was born to be a tool exploited for society's benefit, he's sad because he was lonely. He doesn't even realize it's his own darn fault he's lonely, because not only has Shoko said that he's not alone she's always been right there, but this chapter we get a repeat of Gojo's students begging him to let them in and Gojo himself decided to draw that line between himself and others and thinking an enlightened, godlike being like himself can't possibly be understood.

All of this to say I think Gojo is the sole victim here, but he's the middle of a chain of of victimhood. I think ultimately the biggest victim here is Yuta, and yes I will not only play trauma olympics here I'm going to win.

If this chapter goes to show anything it's that Gojo has completely failed in his ideals of protecting the youth from the dehumanizing system of sorcerers that takes children and reduces them to cogs in a machine.

A lot of people criticize Jujutsu Kaisen for dropping basically all of its political elements and themes of reform in the second half after Shibuya, and while I understand the criticism I think Gege intentionally shifted away from politics because Gojo's political revolution was never going to succeed.

From the beginning Gojo's solution to reforming Jujutsu Society and it's habit of taking away the youth of children and raising them up instead as child soldiers is... to make stronger child soldiers.

This is Gojo's blindspot and it has always been Gojo's blindspot.

It's why Gojo is completely okay with someone like Mei Mei who at the best uses her brother as a human shield to get out of curse domains and has stolen his entire childhood away to make him own pet little shoulder, and at worst actively molests him.

It's why Gojo is stated in the databooks to have only taken an interest in Megumi and Yuta because they were strong.

Gojo understands that he's being exploited by Jujutsu Society, but doesn't understand you need to deconstruct unfair systems of power and exploitation in order to build something better. Gojo from the beginning only had one plan, and that was to replace the people at the top with his own allies who'd support his agenda. He just thought waiting for them to die out and the children to grow up was the more peaceful way of doing it.

Gojo's political revolution was doomed from the beginning and that's why we see him go back on his word this chapter and just slaughter everyone at the top. His choice of a new leader for Jujutsu Society is hardly better than the elders, the person who executed Gojo's teacher and tried to get all the children to kill Itadori early on. Good choice.

This is what Gojo said would happen though, if he just wiped everyone out at the top no real systemic change would occur because they'd just be replaced with someone who wasn't that differet. Gojo's just given up on the notion of lasting change out of pragmatism.

Which is why Gojo himself is not that different from the elders in the first place, not because he's a bad person but because he was shaped by that same society and he's the pinnacle of that society.

I think the thing is and this point often gets ignored - a lot of the choices the elders make are because of outdated traditions like choosing to oppress Maki and Toji just because they challenge the traditional notions of cursed energy.

However, some of the decisions they make are out of cold hard pragmatism. Gakuganji actually turned out to be right in his assassiation attempt against Yuji Itadori. If they had succesfully killed Yuji, then the massacre in Shibuya would have been prevented and likely Kenjaku's plans would have been pushed back. The elders didn't sentence Yuta to execution just to be cruel, or just because they're superstitious but because he's already had several incidents of nearly killing people because he can't control Rika.

It's easy to dismiss the Elders as evil because they're just faceless entities, but then we witness in this very same chapter the main characters making the same heartless decisions out of the same sense of pragmatism.

Gojo understands Jujutsu Society is flawed, but doesn't understand exactly why it's wrong. He doesn't raise his students to be independent free thinkers because then they might question him, he raises them to be very powerful because that's more pragmatic.

Here are the next generation of sorcerers who are going to bring about the change to Jujutsu Society that Gojo so desperately seeks.

Nobara Kugisaki: Dead

Hakari Kinji: His greatest ambition is to start a fight club

Yuji: Actively calls himself a mindless cog and just wants to kill whatever society points him at and tells him to kill.

Maki: Mass murderer.

Yuta: Just stole Gojo's body and said he had to become a monster i Gojo's place.

Megumi: Begging to be killed.

Inumaki: Tuna Mayo

Panda: Is a Panda

(Joke lovingly ripped off from @kaibutsushidousha)

I understand that fighting Sukuna takes precedence now, but do you think once the dust settles any of these characters are going to do anything to make lasting change?

Are we going to see anything for them at the end of the road other than a mountain of their fellow sorcerers corpses?

Gojo didn't nurture his students to grow into healthy adults, he raised them into stronger child soldiers and yes that's the pragmatic thing to do to help them survive in the Jujutsu World, but the elders make those decisions out of cold pragmatism as well.

MHA is also showing a story where the children are failing to learn from the previous generatio's mistakes, but it's far less frustrating to watch in JJK because it almost seems like that's the point?

Maki sacrificed Mai for the sake of becoming someone strong enough to reform the Zen'in Clan, only for her sister to die and Maki to slaughter the rest of her family failing in both her goals to reform her clan and protect Mai.

Yuji became the host of Sukuna in order to help others, because the total deaths of people in the world would go down if he ate all the fingers. Not only did that decision lead to the death of thousands in Shibuya, but he's even lost his role of being Sukuna's host to Megumi.

Yuta wanted to find a reason to live and a purpose in protecting his friends, and also wanted to pay back the man who saved him, not only is Yuta choosing to die in a way that breaks his friends heart he's also violating his beloved teacher's bodies.

There's a lot of arcs like this where characters fail in what they set out to accomplish, because like in most tragedies they don't try to grow as people they only care about getting stronger. It's the same choice over ad over again, a decision made of cold pragmatism that brings about their tragic ending.

I think it speaks to why systems like this perpetuate themselves, because it becomes so hard to hold onto your humanity that even trying gets you actively punished all the while people like Mei Mei crawl to the top. However, even if you throw your humanity away purely as an act of survival you're still helping perpetuate that system instead of fighting against it.

Anyway, that's enough hating on Gojo, onto the main event.

THE NEXT GOJO SATORU.

It's almost masterful how perfect the foreshadowing for this chapter's twist was. Yuta sharing a common ancestor in Sugawara with Gojo.

The irony that Kenjaku said out loud that someone like Yuta could never become Gojo, on top of the fact that Yuta's true power comes from detaining his loved ones soul. He's turning Gojo's body into a weapon the same way that he once used Rika's vengeful cursed spirit as one (he even channels her strength into a sword, the same way Maki uses the sword that Mai gave her life to create in battle).

The way that Yuji's first impression of Yuta from his powerful presence and cursed energy alone was calling him someone even creepier than Gojo.

The idea that Kenjaku has been trying to get his hands on the six-eyes for years, which is what led most of the fandom to theorize a possible Kenjaku return by stealing Gojo's corpse. The fact Tengen said the six eyes, himself and the star plasma vessel are all connected and one time Kenjaku killed the six-eyes from a child only for another one to appear right away.

Yuta being told he could never reach Sukuna's heights because he lacks the selfishness of a calamity.

Even Yuta trying to tell a nameless assassin Uro to be less selfish, only to be chastised by her for not understanding because it's impossible for someone as blessed as he is to know what it's like to not have a name, to not have a face, to not be someone important.

Now here Yuta is, not only is he making the selfish decision to use his teacher's body as a tool, he's also most likely in five minutes going to die in someone else's body, having sacrificed not only his name, and face, but also his personal values in order to become a monster.

This arc makes it seem like Yuta's gone against everything he's stood for, making his arc a complete circle from Jujutsu Kaisen Zero and that's kind of the point. Heck, even something as small as Yuta's decision to show mercy to Ishigori was rendered pointless because Sukuna immediately killed him soon after taking Megumi's body.

If Yuta's regressed in his character it's because Gojo's purpose was not to raise these children into healthy adults, but strong soldiers.

What happened to Yuta is a direct consequence of the way Gojo recruits these children, and the underhanded motivations he has behind those recruitments.

Yuta's decision to take Gojo's body is more tragic on Yuta's part then it is on Gojo's, because Yuta is a child, and Gojo is an adult.

It is sad that Gojo is all alone, that he's forced to become a tool to society, but Yuta shouldn't be the one who feels responsible for that. Gojo is supposed to protect Yuta, he's the adult, the teacher, the one with power and Yuta is the child. Yuta is not the one who should be making this speech because it is not Yuta's responsibility to do any of this - but Yuta thinks it is because he owes Gojo.

However, when Gojo recruits people it's with the unspoken implication that they now owe him. He wants them to feel indebted, because then they'll be easier to use as pieces in his intended political revolution. We see this blatantly with the way he recruited Megumi.

I'll make sure you and your sister don't starve but you owe me in the form of labor later on in your life.

Gojo saved Yuta because he thought Rika was powerful and the elders were foolish for executing a potentially powerful sorcerer for THE GREATER GOOD instead of teaching him to control his power out of fear. Gojo recruited Yuji, because someone with Sukuna's power and who could eat his fingers as a vessel had the makings to be an incredibly powerful sorcerer. Gojo didn't even think of Megumi until after Geto defected, and Gojo decided he needed to start making changes to Jujutsu Society.

While Gojo's pragmatism is understandable to a point it also poisons his more nobler intentions. Since Gojo expects payment in return when he sticks his neck out for people, because these children are assets first and children secod.

I think Gojo likes Yuta. I think he gets along with him well. Yuta clearly respects him as a mentor. He did in fact go to great lengths to save Yuta from execution. He was right that it was more ethical to teach Yuta to control his powers rather than execute him for the danger he might represet. He even gives Yuta emotional advice a couple of times.

However, if Yuta was just like a grade 4 sorcerer with no special talent I doubt Gojo would have blinked at his execution. He sees Yuta for his talent first, and his potential to become someone like him. If anythig there are clear comparisons to both Megumi and Yuta. They're both prodigies born with incredible techniques, but Yuta is a lot more receptive to Gojo's grooming than Megumi is who's too traumatized to function. Gojo's not just grooming Yuta into being a powerful sorcerer, but another version of himself.

So it's almost karmic that not only does Yuta basically turn his back on everything that makes Yuta himself (his love for people, his desire to live and be surrounded by others), he also does so by literally becoming Satoru Gojo and transplanting his brain into Gojo's body.

Because Yuta is despite possessing a similiar level of talent as far from Gojo as possible. Gojo is not well liked by his comrades, he's there because he's needed due to his power. Yuta on the other hand has everyone vehemently disagreeing with his backup plan in the event of Gojo's death because they don't want to lose him.

People need Gojo, they want Yuta because of the connections that Yuta has made with them and because they care about Yuta as a person. Gojo is someone who deliberately draws a line between himself and others because he believes the strongest can't be comprehended, Yuta only fights for the sake of being accepted by others because he needs their approval in order to live.

Yuta's now turned his back on those two things, his tendency to put his loved ones first, and his desire to live, both because he feels he owes Gojo.

This comes about because of two factors, number one Gojo helping him with the implication that this help means that Yuta owes him something which makes Yuta desperate to pay him back and therfore easy to mold, and number two Gojo's intentions to begin with to take Yuta and make another Gojo out of him. To make a successor who would carry on the same burdens that Gojo did.

Gojo succeeded one hundred percent in making his successor as opposed to Megumi who turned out to be too different from Gojo i the end. He took what make Yuta unique and ironed out all those wrinkles until he was left with someone willing to make the same inhumane, pragmatic decisions that Gojo was.

I think it's tragic that as much as Gojo wanted to make things better for the next generation, he basically led Yuta down the same road he did, to make the same choice to throw his humanity away along with all of his loved ones. Especially since Yuta started out in such a different place.

Yuta has learned to become selfish like Gojo, because selfishness is apparently now the only way to get by in this world. A cycle that has been started with the elders, and continued on with Gojo, remains unbroken as Yuta becomes just another link in the chain. Yuta's likely going to die in a stranger's body, leaving all of his friends behind to mourn him, but even if he lives what life will that be exactly?

It speaks to the arcs in Jujutsu Kaisen that they're all kind of circles at this point. We have this heartwarming goodbye of Rika telling Yuta to live, and Yuta's whole arc was to learn to try to live without Rika and make new friends, but it's now likely goig to end with Yuta dying a year after Rika finally moved on.

Choso was told to try living on as a human and Yuki even sacrificed her life to give him the opportuity to escape the fight, and he only lived a month longer to die right in front of Yuji's eyes.

Gojo put all of his hope in the next generation, but now not only did he put all the power in Gakuganji's hands but he ended up dying a year after Geto did just like Yuta will likely die a year after Rika.

I think these character arcs are turning out to be circles because the characters aren't actually doing anything to try to break the cycles that they're trapped inside of - they're only trying to get stronger. Which is why they end up resembling the actions of the villains, Yuji becoming more curselike, Yuta stealing Gojo's body the way Kenjaku did with Geto's.

It reminds me of a quote from Critical Role that I absolutely adore.

“I have just taken an audience with the Raven Queen who has snuffed any hope of my redemption, for which I am truly grateful. With new clarity, I can finally see my life as a series of compounding, poor choices.” Vax winces. “There was nothing I could’ve done to save my family, yet I still sold my soul in search of vengeance. Later I allowed Ripley to leave, knowing full well she was a greater threat to the world than the Briarwoods would ever be. I traded the world’s safety for the belief that I could murder my way to peace; that if I could be a greater horror, it would bring my family back. And once this lie was shattered I scrambled to find asolution, to make a deal, to undo my mistakes and balance the scales. I nowunderstand that there are no scales, there is no redemption, and no ledger that judges me good or evil. I am free to simply be myself and live with the terrible mistakes I’ve made."

Especially this sentence: I believed I could murder my way to peace; that if I could be a greater horror, it would bring my family back.

Maki is a character that I have not found all that interesting in a while because she committed such a huge mass murder, only for it to have no consequences in the narrative and never be mentioned again, but this chapter she suddenly became an interesting character again.

Maki who lost everything but gained strength, doesn't seem all that bothered by the loss. People compare Megumi's reaction to losing Tsumiki to Maki's reaction to losing Mai, but Megumi's reaction is much more interesting because it's always better to see a character be weak and fall apart then to be strong and power through things.

However, maybe the reason Maki hasn't experienced any grief at all towards Mai and has instead delighted in her newfound strength and independence is because of this, because she still had Yuta.

Maki is a character who's not really said anything other than exposition the past like twenty chapters, but now she's the most vocally against Yuta sacrificing himself for the greater good. Yet this is against Maki's own ideology of doing everything you can to be stronger, to win. Maki was always about individualism, not about friendship or the bonds between others, she severed her own bonds to be free. Yet, she can't stand to see Yuta do the same thing as her, to become more like her.

This might be the consequence of Maki's continued choice to value freedom and the power to achieve that freedom over all else. Now, the one time Yuta is trying to throw away the same things that she threw away she can't say anything meaningful or convince him to stop him.

Which reminds painfully of this chapter as well.

Mai killing herself in order to free Maki from cursed energy is an obvious parallel to Sukuna devouring his own twin in the womb, but the difference is in this situation Maki didn't want Mai to go, she begged her not to. However, just like with Yuta there was nothing Maki could ahve said or done by that point to convince Mai to stay. Maki has always chosen power over her sister, she's always abandoned Mai, so what exactly can she say to convince her that she cares more about Mai more? That her dream of defeating the Zen'in and having revenge against them isn't worth the price if it comes at the sacrifice of Mai?

Maki didn't want to abandon Mai, or for Mai to sacrifice herself, but tragically her every action indicated otherwise. It all comes down to this: I believed I could murder my way to peace; that if I could be a greater horror, it would bring my family back.

Maki seems to have achieved peace by murdering the Zen'in, but we see the same kind of circular arc that we have for Yuta.

Maki gave up on everything for strength, but Maki's not strong enough to finish Sukuna then and there, forcing Yuta to sacrifice himself the same way Mai did.

Maki can't talk Yuta out of making that sacrifice, or come up with any convincing argument with why he shouldn't because of all the choices she's made before this.

Maki chose to murder her way to peace, but it came at the cost of her humanity and growth and thus she's faced again with the exact same situation with Mai and she's forced to watch her heart be taken from her again.

It goes to show that we think these characters are getting stronger but they're actually sacrificing something vitally important.

These characters are just going to keep going around in circles and you have to wonder just when is it going to stop?

[dreadpiratesilas]

I think there's something to be said about this line and Danse's worldview during his tenure in the Brotherhood.

He's someone who was promoted to Paladin under Elder Lyons. Paladins are held to a much higher standard than Knights regarding ethics and conduct. Elder Lyons shifted the East Coast Brotherhood away from preserving technology and more towards actually helping the people of the Capital Wasteland. Danse has shown that he does, in fact, care very much about humanity, and this was probably what made him stand out and be promoted under Lyons. The Brotherhood may not have been perfect, but their cause under Lyons was noble.

There's no reason to think Danse joined the Outcasts who split due to ideological differences with Elder Lyons. He was on his own mission as a Paladin elsewhere when the assault on Adams Air Force Base happened and Kreig (his mentor) was killed. Danse most likely genuinely believed in the Brotherhood's mission under Lyons.

Once Maxson became Elder, the priorities of the East Coast Brotherhood shifted more in line with the West Coast's BoS in preserving (hoarding) technology. This is what helped Maxson broker a peace with the Outcasts. Because of this, the Brotherhood took a much harder stance not just on technology but also on civilians. They're not a charitable organization anymore.

This was probably a difficult transition for Danse. He probably still very much wanted to believe in the Brotherhood's mission, but he still needed to be convinced. Maxson and those aligned with him justified their stance by amping up the strong man rhetoric while doubling down on getting technology out of the hands of the people. Danse reluctantly took to it. What else could he do? Maxson was the Elder now. For him it was the same Brotherhood as before. He wanted to believe in the Brotherhood so he chose to believe in Maxson.

Danse still clings to an outdated version of the Brotherhood. He knows the BoS is capable of immense good because he's seen it. He's one of the old guard who remembers what it was like under Lyons. The problem is it's not the same Brotherhood anymore.

The thing about Danse is, as much as he tries, he's not a true believer. He'd probably never admit it, but he's not loyal to Maxson. He's loyal to the Brotherhood. Unfortunately, with Maxson's cult of personality, Maxson IS the Brotherhood of Steel. Some of the indoctrination did slip through and took hold of Danse, make no mistake. But every once in a while, that little bit of doubt creeps up.

The first instance is when he tells the Sole Survivor about Cutler. If you tell him he did the right thing putting Cutler down, Danse says it's what he was taught. He doesn't know if it was right. If you walk through the Prydwen with Danse as a companion, he expresses his discomfort with having children aboard an active war vessel but concedes, saying Maxson thinks it's important to train them under fire. (Siding with the Institute or the Railroad more or less proves him right for being concerned.)

Make no mistake, Danse bought into the rhetoric because he wanted to. His biggest character flaw is that while he has a very strong personal code of ethics and strives to be an honorable person, he still chooses to go along with the Brotherhood even when he doesn't agree with it or knows it's wrong. While I think he'd still hold the same prejudices towards synths and ghouls outside of the Brotherhood, it probably wouldn't be any more than any other (presumably) human wastelander would have. It certainly became more pronounced because of the Brotherhood. (This isn't to excuse it, but more to illustrate the effect that indoctrination has had on him)

By remaining loyal to the Brotherhood above all else, he's betrayed his own ethics. He's become a hypocrite. Danse is a very good example of the phrase “you are the company you keep”. You can have your principles, but when it's attached to an organization that does bad things, it ultimately reflects back on you.

There's probably a part of Danse is very jaded under Elder Maxson. There have probably been several instances over the years where his personal morals were at odds with Maxson's orders and he chose to follow orders every time. During Blind Betrayal Danse says “After all I've done for the Brotherhood... all the blood I've spilled in our name, how can you say that about me?” I can't help but wonder if Danse has regrets.

So when he mentions the lion being a noble and majestic creature, it's a shame they're extinct, I almost wonder if that's Danse expressing his own disillusionment. Seeing a lion reminds him of the previous Elder and a time when the Brotherhood was a force for good. Too bad that doesn't exist anymore.

[monstersdownthepath]

Was rereading Dungeon Meshi the other day, and a thought but how controversial do you think eating sapient creatures on Golarion is? Most of the 'normal' races tend to have cannibalism taboos in their mainstream societies, but that only applies to each other and isn't a sure thing either. And plenty of monsters have basic / complex societies of their own and are sapient but eat the flesh of other sapient creatures, such as giants. Not to mention 'wild' monsters that are maneaters but are also still sapient, like dragons.

-------

Sapients eat sapients all the time on Golarion. Like you said, you can't really throw a rock without hitting another creature with 3+ Int (who will then start swearing at you for hitting them with a rock). If you restrict your diet to only nonsapients, you'll... well, you'll probably be fine, because there's still lots of common wildlife, but you're really missing out.

Eating dragons is basically a rite of passage in many cultures, and many Magical Beasts and Aberrations have entire paragraphs in their lore describing how people cook and eat them regardless of their intelligence... but there's no talk of humans eating giants regardless of how often giants eat humans, nor do you really see lore blocks talking about how people snatch humanoid fey out of the air and shovel them in their mouths. In general, I think it boils down to "the more human a creature looks, the more uncomfortable it becomes thinking about eating them."

It's probably controversial in most human societies to eat more humanoid creatures, if only because of the discomfort it can cause, but in my personal opinion even commonfolk would probably not turn up their nose at the idea of eating something inhuman that was still capable of speech, because while such a phenomenon exists only in ethical thought experiments on Earth, on Golarion intelligent wildlife has lived alongside humanity since humanity's dawn, so the culture around it is likely wildly different. Who cares if they can talk, those are just animals! And they're real good fried!

Note: cannibalism is taboo amongst humanoids for reasons beyond mere spiritual/religious concerns, because the act of eating raw humanoid flesh can sometimes cause Ghoul Fever, which can quickly spiral into a whole host of problems.

[rottenzombrainz]

Tokyo Debunker; silly headcanons for each ghoul!

Just little silly traits for each ghoul. They're not meant to be good or bad, just silly!! :3

Frostheim

Jin Kamurai - Jin has a one-of-a-kind limited edition Hello Kitty lighter with a pink flame.

Tohma Ishibashi - Tohma's the type of guy to say "it's a quarter to one" "it's half past nine" "It's three eigths past six" etc.

Lucas Errant - Luca has absolutely no grasp on satire. Like, imagine Kaito showing him one of those "blink if you need help" videos and Luca is just like "Kaito?!? Why are you laughing?!? This person needs help!!"

Kaito Fuji - Kaito unironically likes "I'm 14 and this is deep" content.

Vagastorm

Alan Mido - Alan wears the same Halloween costume every year. Every single year. If it gets damaged or doesn't fit anymore, he just buys a new one that's the exact same.

Shohei Haizono - Sho would be really into collecting designer shoes. Bro probably has an entire wall of fancy basketball shoes.

Leo Kurosagi - Leo will just randomly say "*sucks teeth* Don't worry I'll edit it out in post" during normal conversation. You'll never know if he's actually recording or not

Jabberwock

Haru Sagara - This is already kinda canon, but Haru definitely falls for any and all scams. He probably buys things like dehydrated water and a treadmill even tho he's running around Jabberwock all fucking day.

Towa Otonashi - Towa loves gnarp gnarp alien cat videos. He loves them. immensely.

Ren Shiranami - I feel like Ren would have a really hard time pronouncing certain words like "anomalous" and "anemone" (just like me fr)

Sinostra

Taiga Hoshibami - Taiga would really easily fall down YouTube rabbit holes. Like he'd start off with watching a firearm review or something... and two hours later he's seventeen parts deep into SpongeBob conspiracy theories

Romeo Lucci - Romeo is deathly afraid of piss. human piss, animal piss, dirt ( he thinks it's all just worm poop...which it kinda is).

Ritsu Shinjo - Ritsu is one of those people who can't sleep if there is a single spec of light.

Hotarubi

Subaru Kagami - I feel like Subaru would have one mobile game on his phone that he's reached level 844 on or something. Something like a word puzzle or match three game.

Haku Kusanagi - Haku fucking loves cunty scene crunkcore music. S3R3L, Millionaires, 3OH!3. Inside, he's just a pretty rave girl.

Zenji Kotodama - Whenever he plays online games, Zenji would mistake NPCs for real people. I feel like he'd also say "thank you!!" to virtual assistants too.

Obscuary

Edward Hart - Ed would fucking love those Tiktok videos with the TV show clips and subway surfers gameplay at the bottom.

Rui Mizuki - Rui has an uncanny obsession with the Sims 4. He has all the dlcs, an entire hardrive of mods, hundreds of save files, and is a top creator on the Sims 4 Gallery

Lyca Colt - I think it'd be really funny if Lyca had a pollen allergy. Especially since Obscuary is full of plants.

Mortkranken

Yuri Isami - Yuri is incredibly bad at ice skating and roller skating. He always falls on his ass, bruises something, takes a bad fall, etc. Which is the real reason he hates going to Frostheim!!! /j

Jiro Kirisaki - I feel like Jiro has one thing that he just absolutely loves that isn't medicine. a special interest, one might say... And it's probably the most niche thing ever too. Like sea cucumbers. imagine - he just fucking loves sea cucumbers. You're getting your health checkup and you ask him "read any good books recently?" and he's like "Yeah, I read this book on sea cucumbers the other day" and then you just have to listen to him talk about sea cucumbers for the next 20 minutes.

[whereserpentswalk]

You will be given a new body that fits in with this plane don't worry. You can also still stay in contact with the people who you meet there once you return home.

Reblog to go to the plane you chose when next available. Like to take a little gift from there home once you get back.

[danieyells]

Who do you think the ghouls are???

I wrote this out between my trip to work(an hour or so) and my entire shift(three hours) with some breaks between to actually do my job. LET'S SUS THIS OUT TOGETHER KIDS

First thing of note. According to B's Log, this is an Inter-house Squad mission. According to Episode 9 Chapter 1 when they're first introduced, those require no doubling up on house members. This is to ensure that students can be evaluated individually when considering the Laurel Crown's winner in the future.

So there's one ghoul from each house except for one of them. This is important because it means that our guesses, if they're really going to make sense, probably have to conform to that. While it's possible that they break that rule on the second inter-house mission, I kind of doubt it. Nonetheless, my final guess is pretty dependent on that capacity to narrow things down.

Sinostra may be your immediate exclusion because they just had their episode but remember that Sinostra's second episode was the one before the first Inter-House Squad episode, and he lead the Inter-House Squad mission. That means any house is applicable.

While the show is supposed to feature celebrity guests it's important to remember that that doesn't necessarily mean that the ghouls chosen for the mission should be celebrities. Darkwick can and will make shit up to get people where they need them. This means we can't narrow things down based on that.

Finally I saw someone say that we can't rely on the nature of the outfits since there's probably a crew styling them. In real life that might matter but as artistic choices they're much more likely to show the character's nature in their clothes. So I think the clothes are a reasonable thing to examine.

Onto my guesses!!!

First one. Suit is very properly done, even has a tie clip. Hands are hidden, either behind back or leaned on something behind him. My first guesses are Rui and Subaru--covered up and closed off. But the suit is too fancy and decorative for Subaru. Too sparkly. The flowers fit Ruinfor his romantic nature and that Obscuary has a botanical garden and he tends to the garden in Obscuary all the time. Rui's also notably very attractive and could easily be excused as a little known celebrity or upcoming actor or something. While he'd be wary of going on such a mission, I feel like Rui would be a good candidate both for his nature and the power of his scythe, and he might agree to go to ✨win the pc's heart✨ or something(but actually have some other intention.) Almost certain the first ghoul is Rui. If it's not Rui it's Subaru.

I say if not Rui then Subaru because of the closed off and neat outfit and the pose which might be arms behind his back. Very Subaru fitted. Both want to avoid physical contact with others, so it's hard to say.

Others have claimed Towa because of the flower--Towa would never have his clothes so tightly done. He needs freedom, he needs to breathe. Towa may love humans for their fragility now but I don't think he'd tolerate humans fussing over his clothes and trying to keep them all closed up. There's also that they're on an island and surrounded by camera crew and he can't talk during the day--Towa surely wouldn't be nominated for a mission like that. He's too. . .obvious. The pose isn't lacadasical or natural enough either. If he were dressed like that he'd probably look uncomfortable.

I've also seen Ed as the first one and he has a similar loose, sloppy style as Towa most of the time. He's also very fragile in sunlight--and I don't think Darkwick would trust him to be on a mission with cameras either, and if sunlight can either kill him with extended exposure or weaken him he'd be really obvious on cameras too. . . .

Saw Jiro for the first one too and. Same issue. Jiro's uniform is too sloppy. The pose doesn't fit him either. While he'd probably sit still and let himself be done up cleanly I wonder if such tightly done clothing is safe for his circulation. . . also the character doesn't look big enough? Jiro is very tall and this character doesn't really look that way

Saw Jin as well and. Again. The outfit is too tidy to be Jin. Jin wears his clothes comfortably. Even his masquerade outfit was loosened. The pose doesn't suit him either.

Romeo wears a tie clip like that and wears his uniform neat and closed up and thus comes to mind--I don't know enough about fashion to say whether or not that would fit him though. The pose also doesn't feel confident enough. . .with whatever's going on with his leg I'm not sure he'd want to be on a mission that involves being out on a beach like that or something, not to mention Sinostra's current plans against Hyde. . .he was also in charge of the last one which, on one hand, was kind of a failure so maybe they'd want him to observe how someone else leads the mission. On the other hand would they double up on him? Would he accept another mission so soon after the last one when they're plotting? I'm gonna say it's not him.

Second one. The pose is much more open and loose, although it looks like he's getting out of the limo so it may be that? The suit isn't as fancy as the first one, but it does still have the vest. The bow tie, friendly pose, and simpler outfit of the second ghoul strikes me as Haru. Not really a ton of notes, I don't feel like it really could be anyone else.

My other thought briefly included Luca, whom I've also seen other people guessing. But the skin we do see is too pale--that's a shadow on the neck, not an attempt at a dark skintone. You can tell because the surrounding area also has shadow on it. The suit also doesn't really look like something Luca would wear, or rather it doesn't look the way Luca would wear it. He also doesn't strike me as a bow tie guy. . .and the pose seems too un-serious for him as well.

Towa and Kaito fit the more open pose, but I've already ruled out Towa being on this mission at all(imagine the tempermental romance guy who controls the weather on an island where people are supposed to flirt with one of his favorite people. . .don't think it'd go well.) Kaito I'm ruiling out mostly because I'm certain Jin is also here, so that'd be too many Frostheimers. Also surely he'd be rubbernecking the whole time, unaccustomed to luxury and interested in celebrity stuff as he is. (Although that'd be so cute. . . .)

Ed being the second one. . .honestly, with the way the head is shaded, I can kinda see that if they were going to allow him on the show/he were to agree to go on the mission? Because he'd probably have his umbrella. . .but since I'm pretty sure the first one is Rui that rules out Ed because it'd be too many Obscuary students.

Saw Ren too and. . .honestly I can see him too. The pose is loose enough snd if he's like pulling himself out of the limo or something that'd make sense rather than it being an open, friendly pose. . .Ren is a pretty good guess too I think.

Third makes me pause. That is the exact way Tohma has his handkerchief folded. The looseness doesn't fit Tohma now but Vagastrom Tohma? Maybe. Maybe he'd be letting loose here. The pose feels confident, the style of dress is relaxed, the visible hand is un-gloved, unlike most of Tohma's appearances. The shirt is loosely tucked. Again I also think that another one is Jin. So that'd be too many Frostheim students.

My current guess for the third ghoul is Sho. The loose style and pose kind of suit him. His uniform shirt is loosely half tucked in, so the loose tuck suits him. The chain around the neck also resembles the one Sho wears with his uniform. Sho is physically strong and athletic so the somewhat larger looking size would fit too.

I already explained my doubts on Tohma. But if they're breaking the one-person-per-house rule that would make sense. Although if not for that rule and being certain one of the others is Jin I'd 100% say it's Tohma.

Alan is another great guess. The confidence of the pose could be stiffness/tension. The skin is too light though, unless they're making him look pale. . . .

Saw Taiga and honestly the posture feels Taiga enough to me! Like Taiga when he's in Quiet Mode and just kind of staring at nothing and not saying much and annoyed? The fit is kind of Taiga too, with the loosely tucked in shirt. . . . . Can't see his nails to see if they're painted though. But I think Taiga is a good guess, except I feel like they wouldn't trust Taiga Hoshibami in a situation like this. On the other hand I feel like he'd be great for a 'people are going missing' mission. He already makes people disappear--but also his stigma would be helpful.

Saw someone guess Yuri and. Yuri is definitely too neat of a dresser for it to be him. The outfit completely overrides any other evidence I think.

Ed also fits the sloppiness, but the hands being exposed and ungloved tells me probably not. And my previous points about Ed still stand too. Also the pose isn't. . .dynamic enough for Ed imo.

Man the pose here is a strong one. Loose clothes, jewelry, loosely worn vest. . .it fits a lot of the more slovenly and relaxed characters, but the pose. . .it doesn't fit all of them I think. I think the fourth ghoul is Haku. I think. Maybe. I feel like he kind of doesn't fit the pose tbh, but also kind of does?

Ed would fit here very well. The clothes are a mess and they match the way his uniform was a mess when the pc went into his room. The pose is pretty Ed to me. But I've also explained why I don't think Ed's in this one earlier. If the first isn't Rui this one is definitely Ed I think.

I've already attributed the second one to Haru. And I think the second one could be Ren too, he keeps his uniform surprisingly neat compared to this. He is a good candidate because of the laziness, but the posture doesn't suit him

Taiga would fit the outfit with its looseness and chains(his family name, Hoshibami, also means 'star eater' which also kinda fits the star necklace--Romeo's second name, Scorpius, is also the name of the Scorpio constellation) but less so the pose. Taiga also always has his nails painted and the pinky ring doesn't match the one he always wears. Aside from that I explained my thoughts on Taiga being on this mission already. I kind of feel like they wouldn't want to put Taiga in another mission right after the last one. But they doubled on Romeo in the first inter-house squad, so it's not impossible.

Ritsu fits the pose but not the outfit. God Ritsu would never dress so sloppily.

Same with Yuri.

Same with Tohma.

Same with Romeo--also the pinky ring does not match his either. He has that ring in all of his outfits except the Jade Pavilion one which he didn't choose. I doubt he'd hesitate to flash his style on national television, especially since it seems to be a signet ring so it's a family thing.

I don't think Leo would dress quite as sloppily. He'd have a loose style but the vest is too loose and messy, the shirt feels too loose--a little loose and unbuttoned like it is fits, but it's not stylish looking enough. If it were a touch more orderly I'd consider Leo more likely. Also feels like this one is too broad for Leo.

Sho has a sloppy enough casual style that I could see this as him. But the pose doesn't fit him either I think. . .I guess it'd depend on the expression or situation--I mean all poses are like thst but. If I think too much like that I'll get ahead of myself.

The fifth ghoul is Jin. No questions asked. Aside from the blue shirt it's the pose and the pasty white skin and the open but kind of loosely tucked in shirt. Very obviously Jin to me. If that isn't Jin I will be stunned.

The sixth ghoul is the real toughie. . .but we've only got Sinostra and Mortkranken left for the ghouls. It's definitely not Taiga--too put together--or Romeo--not stylish enough. The pose feels very Ritsu to me, as does how put together the wiole outfit is. Romeo was in the episode before the first inter-house squad so it's not out of the question for Ritsu to be in the episode following the last Sinostra one. He's also the son of a well known lawyer--he'd fit the celebrity vibe to some degree. While at first the character looks wide, I think that's because the left side if the pic is cut, giving an impression of girth. At first I took the car as a clue too, but they're all getting out of the limo from the preview I think. So the car isn't a clue.

It's not Jiro because the clothes are too orderly and the hand doesn't appear to have Jiro's scars. Also Jiro on an island sounds like a medical emergency waiting to happen.

Yuri would be more nervous in a situation like this. . .while the posture of the hand adjusting the tie has a Ritsu feel, I think the sixth ghoul is Yuri. The rest of the posture is hunched over and a little uncertain-looking, seemingly leaned forward rather than stopd upright. While Yuri is very proud and holds himself high and is happy to be admited, he's also very emotive in general and would be out of his element here on top of the nature of the game being about dating/pursuit of/getting the interest of a woman. I feel like the suit isn't stylish enough for him--he seems to have high quality tastes--but I don't know anything about fashion so. Grain of salt or whatever.

While I initially understood the guesses of Alan because of the perceived size and the car part in the background, like I said I think the size is because the pic is cut off and the vehicle is because everyone is getting out of/stood near the limo and some angles show the limo in the bg more clearly. Also the suit seems too tightly wound for Alan.

Same with Tohma as far ss the size theorizing goes.

Same with Sho.

Ren is another good candidate here tbh. Uncertain posture, kind of neat suit. . .but since I already chose Haru as my guess he's not applicable.

Ritsu, while I reslly think fits, I think would be standing taller and more proud than the image appears to be showing. The wrinkles in the vest make me think the person is leaned over. Of course they could still be lesned over from getting out of the limo.

Uuuuh I think that's it for my guesses. But we'll learn in uuuh 5 days!!!!

[bones4thecats]

TFP Ratchet x Fembot reader, where on Cybertron they both had a sparkling, but when the war started the Sparkling was taken away from them along with other Sparklings to train them for war, on earth the reader is pregnant, and when the episode where Bee are taken away from her C-cogs, Ratchet wants to give him his, but when Bee goes on the mission, and Ratchet goes for him, the Reader ends up telling why Ratchet wants to save Bee, since their Sparkling died in Ratchet's arms due to a Decepticon attack in the war from Cybertron. , Ratchet had to try to save his son in the infirmary only for him to die due to lack of energy, Ratchet still blames himself for his death same as the reader

TFP! Ratchet and S/O w/ Deceased Child

Character: Ratchet (Transformers Prime) Requester: @zinnia1506 A/N: This was so much fun to write. I love this guy so much!! By the way, the ending may be a hint rushed, but I need to start planning for my Q&A here soon. I also know the titles kinda clunky, but I tried making it sound good. Anyways, enjoy!!! ⚠️ Trigger Warnings for: Mentions of war, death, human organs (like once, not even that descriptive), and loss of a child ⚠️

╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗

╚═════ Ratchet ═══════════════════════════════╝

⚕️ As the Decepticons neared their goal day by day, you grew more and more worried for your sparkmate's stability. He hadn't been recharging as much as he should and the amount of injuries coming in certainly weren't helping any

⚕️ You were helping Ratchet out in the med-bay when you heard Bulkhead come inside while Bumblebee... walked? Why wasn't he in his vehicle mode instead?

"Bumblebee, Bulkhead? What's wrong?" You asked, making Ratchet look up from the screen and cock an optical ridge like you.

"Bee said he couldn't roll out. I don't know what's wrong with him."

⚕️ Looking from the large green-mech, you looked at the young yellow one and nodded, motioning for him to take a step onto the metal 'bed' for him to lay on for a scanning

⚕️ You were concerned as Optimus stood beside you, resting a servo on your shoulder pad and attempted to keep you from bursting with emotions. He understood why you were acting more worried than ever

"You can fix Bee, can't you?" Rafael asked, looking up at the medical bot with a matching concerned face.

"Bumblebee was hit pretty hard. The stun-blast may have fried his T-Cog." He answered, resuming with another scan.

"Is that like a T-Bone?" Miko asked.

"Not exactly. It's the organ that allows us to scan vehicles and transform." Arcee answered while you busied yourself making sure nothing was outwardly wrong with Bee.

⚕️ The beeping of results coming in made you all look up at the screens behind Ratchet, and you pat Optimus' servo with yours to reassure him you were fine, allowing him to nod and take it back to his side

"By the Allspark..." Ratchet began, "Bumblebee's T-Cog isn't damaged. It's missing."

"But the Decepticons transform too. Why would they steal that?" Jack asked, saying what you all were thinking.

"Megatron may be known to raise zombies but he's no ghoul."

"If Megatron wasn't behind this... then who was?" Raf asked again.

⚕️ As you began to wonder just who, any Decepticon, or even a rogue Autobot would do such a thing for greed, Bulkhead gave you the one group you wouldn't think of

"The ones who cannibalized Breakdown."

"And tried to gut me." Arcee added.

"M.E.C.H. And it would appear their knowledge of Cybertronian bio-tech has grown sophisticated."

"But why would they want Bumblebee's part?" The youngest human once again pried, being followed by Bumblebee's impaired beeping he used for speech.

⚕️ As Bumblebee stood and began to walk away, Optimus moved slightly from your side and laid a servo on his chest plate, making him stop walking forward like he once planned

"Bumblebee, please. You are not presently equipped to handle this." He said, making the youth bleep back at him.

"You are mistaken, my friend. I do know what it's like to lose a vital part of ones self. And, as a result, I know the value of putting ones faith in the strength of those around you. We vow to do everything in our power to make you whole again."

"And if not, Ratchet can just make you a new Cog-thing, right?" Miko asked.

⚕️ You could feel the frustration radiating off of Bumblebee as he groaned glitchily and sat back down on the berth, his helm in his servos

"What'd I say?"

"Miko, a T-Cog is a bio-mechanism not a scrapyard find. If it were that easy, don't you think I would've replaced Bumblebee's voice box by now."

⚕️ You made your voice known among the others as you replied with your own response

"Losing a T-Cog is like you humans losing your liver. You cannot just make a new one from scrap after losing it and put it inside you like nothing ever happened."

⚕️ Bee's beeping became more erratic as he spoke, making Raf step forward and begin trying to make the mech's mood lighten up a bit. After all, he was still the same adorable Cybertronian without such an important part of his biology. Unfortunately, Bee was having none of it and began moping heavier by the second

⚕️ As the others spoke of ideas for helping out Bee, you just hoped this nightmare would be over soon

»–•–«

⚕️ Everyone in the base could tell that Bumblebee was beginning to lose his patience, he had been far more snappy and acting like how Miko would call it, 'a typical earthly-teenager' would, which only upset the bot more

⚕️ You noticed how protective Ratchet had grown towards Bee when he tried leaving for a 'walk'. And while normally you would just sigh and chuckle at the actions, this time, you saw how deeply this was hurting Ratchet and Bee. Bee was hurting for more obvious reasons, but Ratchet was one only you and Optimus knew about

⚕️ And after the... predicament with Ratchet being unconscious while the rest of the group, minus Bumblebee, you, and the kids, went off to find an Iacon relic, everyone was shocked when he yelled about Bee going off on his own

⚕️ It was only days after Bee's T-Cog got repaired after being blown to near-scrap by Starscream that the kids asked you why Ratchet seemingly lost himself worrying after Bee

⚕️ You currently had the three kids in your alt mode, an Koenigsegg CCR, and were telling them a short story of your first day on their home planet, making them laugh at how oblivious you once were

"Hey Y/N, can I ask you something personal?" Raf asked, shifting nervously in the passenger seat while Miko took her headphones out and sat up to listen.

"Go right on ahead, kiddo."

"Ratchet cares about the team, and I know that! But, why did he seem so much more- protective over Bee while his T-Cog was gone?"

"Yeah! He acted like he was Bee's dad or something!" Miko chirped in.

"Miko!" Jack yelled.

"It's alright, Jack. I suppose you kids should know since you're practically members of our small family." You began, making the two boys and girl look at your radio with curiosity.

⚕️ You shook off any feeling of nervousness and began to speak your story, radiating everything off of your spark, allowing the kids to back out of hearing the tragedy any time

"Back on Cybertron, there were two Cybertronians. And in a similar way you humans do, they had a what you call 'child'. The two were very happy to bring such a cute and valuable part of their kind into the universe. And, swearing on their sparks, they would make sure they lived a happy life."

⚕️ Raf could hear your voice drop at the mention of a 'happy life' and so, in an effort to save you some pain, he finished your sentence

"And then the war broke out... right?"

"Yeah... the carrier, or mother in your terms, had taught him how to fight whilst the sire, or father, taught him how to heal himself and others if the time came. And it did, unfortunately."

⚕️ Flashbacks of watching an orange and white mech teaching a smaller, and more fragile one, how to weld an injury together began to come back to you, making you slow down more while driving

"While they tried their best to keep their child out of any major danger, when the Decepticons launched an attack on the building they were staged in, he ended up getting severely wounded, to the point where it took nearly ten medics and doctors to help the large number of harmed members heal quick enough for a rebuttal."

⚕️ Jack looked down while Miko looked visibly saddened and Raf tried to stay calm as you continued

"The father Cybertronian had tried healing the young one, attempting to close up any major wound until he could receive proper treatment... but that... didn't work that well."

"I'm gonna guess that the father Cybertronian was Ratchet and the mother was you, right Y/N?" Jack asked.

"You'd be correct. Ever since the day that Ratchet and I lost him, I couldn't stand the mere mention of his name."

"What was his name?" Miko asked kindly, attempted to sound far less curious then she was.

"We named him Ultrasound. Since he seemingly could hear so much more than he should have when he was young." You said, a small laugh coming from you and the kids.

"Hey Y/N... do you think Ratchet sees Ultrasound in Bumblebee?" Raf asked.

"It's quite possible. I see him inside him as well. The way he pouted reminded me of when Ratchet would tell Ultra to go to his quarters because he did something bad. I believe that Ratchet does see our offspring in Bumblebee, though, you may need to ask him yourself." You finished, before telling them it was time to get them home for the night.

⚕️ They all nodded and sat patiently as you began to drive them home, dropping off Jack, then Miko, and finally Raf off at their homes

⚕️ But, before Raf went inside and probably to bed, he looked at your radio again and said something that would stay with you until the end of your time living

"I think Ultrasound is always with you, like what my mother always told me. Someone isn't fully gone, there's always a part of them with you. Whether it be in your heart, or I guess spark for you guys, or in your memories."

⚕️ You hummed and giggled at Raf's maturity before opening your door for him to get inside his home

"Thank you for the advice, oh wise Rafael. Now, get in your home. Your mother's probably worried."

"No problem, and thanks again Y/N. You must've been a great parent."

⚕️ You were shocked as he stepped out and ran into his house to speak to his mother about why he was slightly late home, he was probably going to say that his friend needed some help understanding some homework

⚕️ Once you arrived back at the base and looked at your sparkmate working away, the memory of him holding Ultrasound in his arms, smiling down at the newly-made Cybertronian, made you give a matching one and walk up to hug him

⚕️ Ratchet looked at you and smiled, wrapping an arm around your back, pulling you into his grasp. Oh he wished this war would be over so you both could live once again like normal beings and not helpers in such a violent time

"I love you, Ratchet."

"I love you too, Y/N."