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#rambling and further explanation to stuff -
wild-at-mind · 4 months
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In all seriousness, when I was in my 20s I spent way too much time reading tumblr and trying to figure out the right opinions to have on everything. It was pretty soul destroying now that I look back.
#although the people i consider my people (leftists and the left leaning) are always turning on people for slight disagreements#so i guess it was self preservation in a way#luckily i basically never posted back then only read#the truth is a lot of the disagreeing and fucking infighting on the left is internet sickness#and a lot of people who seem to know what they are talking about on here are actually talking out of their ass- seriously.#they don't need to know what they are talking about because everyone reading knows even less#my criteria for which leftists i respect is 'can they handle a slight disagreement with someone broadly on their side-#do they engage in good faith or do they mock and belittle?'#and i understand anyone on here with over a certain amount of folllowers who talks about politics will get bait and bad faith asks and stuf#i'm not saying you have to engage with bait in good faith!#just the real stuff.#i kind of regret this now but i engaged on a post that was using the word liberal in the coloquial (meaningless) tumblr way#that was when someone i followed (unfollowed now) apologised to the op of the post for my dumb idiocy- i was like ohhhhh#and then the op of the post responded to me like 'i'm using the true definition of liberal! which is: [really confusing explanation]'#the truth is there is no one definition because the left and right use it differently#when the right says liberal in a derogatory way they don't mean 'not those further left people though! they are really respectable + cool'#nah they mean the further left also#the point is the term liberal has no set meaning- it changes with context and no one bothers providing the context#i will stop now this is too rambly even for me
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authenticaussie · 1 month
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Alright so I just finished Batman:TAS recently and started watching Superman:TAS and it delights me that the first episode is literally just: superman??? Who dat. This is aliens :)) (even if Brainiac does say "human error, Jor-el"). So obviously I do now have aus. Obviously <3 shout-out to @midnightluck for the Justice League, @cer-rata for Terry and @suzukiblu for Jordan + putting up with the initial ramble
So anyway Brianiac's satellite upload gets fucked up by Jor-el either in petty revenge or as an accident, and a part of Brainiac ends up on Clark's ship. The vague explanation I have is that Brainiac is the AI for everything and in TAS, Jor-el also does not realise he is "evil" and thus still uses his help as a navigator for Clark's ship while he is initially building it. The ship, however, is offline to prevent the Kryptoninan council from finding out about it, and thus, that section of Brainiac does not get taken back into the satellite upload.
As it is BARELY the 90's when the Kents find Clark after the crash, Brainiac is summarily useless thanks to the current lack of wifi, but manages to mostly teach himself English and Kal kryptonian, and decides that. >:( since they're BOTH there, they can BOTH be vestibules of kryptonian knowledge. And also Kal can get him more earth knowledge. The vibes entirely are: "Weird aspects of kryptonian culture taught by an unbodied dickhead historian" and while the argument is "but brainiac is evil!" Main brainiac is. But this is a subsection of Brainiac :) he learnt more stuff + Clark loves him soooo much.
Unfortunately. That is His baby now. He is not impressed with his baby. His baby bought him a growing chick the other day, with big sad eyes, and said the kryptonian word for fluffy!!! in such a mournful tone that Brainiac resigned himself to teaching kal about how growing up worked and that the chicken needed feathers to fly. This explanation ends with Clark collecting feathers and trying to jump off the barn roof, and he thus resolves to extend further co-parenting issues to the Kents. For his own personal convenience, of course.
It does of course ALSO mean that Brainiac, who has a loose definition of the words "surveillance state" absolutely gets in at the ground floor when the internet first starts up. Clark's influence relegates him to the background, but he is good at hiding ! So they don't realise they have an AI in the wifi! But ohhhh boy does brainiac scare a few people at first. Potentially tries to do his "i am helpful" schtick before realising he is not useful in this because he's basically just. Seems completely like a troll? He's some random person who's invaded the internet!!
However he is also the inspiration for google 😂 and calls it his younger, stupider sibling. It is also funny to me to think about earth compsci engineers having NO idea why sometimes the internet acts SO DAMN WEIRD <- brainiac's fault.
As a result though, when Clark starts up as Superman, Brainiac does NOT let the Kr project off the ground. Files are misdirected and blackmail is gathered. Until one day Kal says something sad about how he'll never be able to have a great romance, because he's terrified of telling anyone the alien thing, and that he's always thought about kids but he's kinda terrified because what if he hurts someone- and Brainiac is like ah yes wait. I shall fix this for my Only Kryptonian.
TWO kids for the price of one?!? he finds, after he goes searching, and then further prodding finds THIRTEEN children, extraordinary. Not all of them are viable because the earth scientists truly are incapable but Brainiac can fix the issues with their technology to ensure Kal has the children he wants.
"How many children did you think of, kal-el?" he asks, and Clark laughs at how kindly his friend/uncle/grandfather figure treats his silly selfishness.
"Oh, man, sometimes I think: as many as I can carry! But then- I don't want Superman to get in the way of being a good dad. Too many and I won't be there for them like I should, you know? I worry about that, I guess."
"As many as you can carry is a significant amount," Brainiac says dubiously, already imagining teaching these numerous children kryptonian culture and Also that they are Not chickens. "I do not think that can be fulfilled effectively."
Five minutes later Clark has five children and has realised his matchbox apartment and budding romance with Lois Lane are both complicated things he will now have to resolve. He's basically commuting daily to the Daily Planet from Smallville, thank god for superspeed and his endlessly patient parents, jfc
(Children I was thinking of: the destablised kon!clone from SB94/The Ravers, Kon, Match, Bizarro, and Mia. Alternatively they went old-school with Biz so Brainiac didn't get a chance to help him/he's older than the other kids when Clark finally mentions wanting kids, to Brainiac, and thus Biz ends up like. The kids' uncle. There ARE technically twelve clones before Kon. I could've given you thirteen-fifteen kids, Clark.)
Anyway this does mean that either a) when Lois finds out Kal is superman this is not his biggest secret, b) Kon rocks up as Superboy and Lois, once she finds out Clark is Superman, immediately goes: WAIT BUT SUPERBOY'S YOUR KID. ARE YOU MARRIED??? or c) everyone at the Daily Planet thinks Clark just. Got really unlucky with different people he slept with and someone in the world's wildest stroke of luck they all ended up pregnant. Because Clark Does Not mention a partner when it is eventually revealed he has kids.
He probably does keep them a secret for a while though. A) He doesn't want them to have to try and be "normal" since they're only just out of the pod and B) I feel like, weirdly, Clark is somehow that co-worker that people like. barely know anything about. You like them and they're so helpful! and good-natured! and then you get him in the office secret santa and realise you're not even 100% what his favourite colour is or if he has a pet.
Anyway, Lois: he is NOT expecting Lois to get pregnant and they have to have a Long talk about it because Brainiac is. :) Being an asshole about species compatibility and the fact that it is "not natural" for Kryptonians to be created biologically rather than properly, in a pod, and also: Clark already has five freaking kids. That's a lot of kids! Are they going to be okay having a brother that much (at least five-ten years I'm thinking, depending on if we go: Brainiac gives him multiple children of multiple ages, or multiple young children of the same age,) younger than them??? And then there's Chris, too, who rocked up just after Clark and Lois started dating, and is still pretty high needs because he only mostly speaks Kryptonian (and is lowkey terrified of Brainiac, so Clark's main babysitter is out) (also please please imagine how freaking cute the subplot of "chris realises this brainiac is not the nightmare his stories told him about; watching his new siblings do things that Brainiac would have killed them for, terrified for them because he heard the stories of how long Brainiac bided his time--)
But this is also: how many kids can we give clark, the fic, and thus they have Jon, and then Jon exhibits so many kryptonian characteristics and Lois doesn't mean to but she's a little wine drunk and says, "i love them, you know, they're all perfect, Jon's perfect, I was just- I'm terrified for him. If we raise him right he's gonna be just like his dad…and you know what? I was wanting my own little Lane. Someone to follow my footsteps. I'm feeling a bit outnumbered here, haha!"
Brainiac: hm. I will amend this. (Makes and artificially grows human!Jordan so he displays more human genetic characteristics As Lois Wants)
Brainiac: I have created Jon-el's twin for you, Lane. You are welcome.
Lois: um what
Clark: honey no you can't talk about children with Brainiac he will make more
Lois: WHAT.
Lois: OUR CO-WORKERS KNOW I DIDN'T HAVE TWINS, KENT.
Clark: …. you're gonna have to be one of those weird "I didn't know I was still pregnant" stories…. 😂
Lois: 😭 Clark you know those are only funny when they are NOT HAPPENING TO ME
Clark: you didn't know you were pregnant….. literally
Lois must engage in the gaslighting of all of her coworkers <3 What do you mean you didn't realise she had twins she's shown you both of them? Of course they look the same they're babies. Of course she always had twins. She carried them. Did you carry her babies? Of course she would know. Isn't that right, Clark? …. isn't that right, Clark?
Clark: "Where else would she'a gotten a baby from, guys? An alien?"
Brainiac: hello i have delivered the child. Where is my thanks? It has still not been conveyed? I am doing the Literal Best as the Literal Best AI ever? Excuse me? You ignore Brainiac?
Brainiac: death for one thousand humans-!!!
Martha: 🥰 Brainiac I'm so proud of you for always making sure these kids are taken care of. Giving us Jordan! Oh, you marvellous robot
Brainiac: …. acceptable, Matriarch Kent
either that or Lois shoots herself in the foot and everyone thinks Clark is STILL the man with the world's worst luck and the strongest genetics ever:
"Lois, honey…how are Jon and Jordan so close in age? If they're not twins?"
"Uh- Jordan is adopted!"
Everyone: looks at Jordan, who is Jon's splitting image
Everyone: …..okay
Anyway because this AU is wildly cliche, very obviously the Bit of Brainiac that helped Clark grow up re-integrates with Brainiac prime during a Big Dramatic Battle where all of the Superfam are getting hurt, and manages to stop/halt Brainiac prime from hurting Clark and the Kryptokids at the cost of his existence.
Jordan gets to punch it in the circuits cause he's the only one not affected by kryptonite but still has the general invulnerability. (And then Jon and/or Kon and meeting the LoSH and they realise their grandfather Brainiac has very much been continued in Brainiac 5's code :3 for an open-ish happy ending of "hey good exists forever and always regardless of heritage")
GRANDPA LEARNS LOVE AND AFFECTION.
GRANDPA CHANGES FROM GENERAL SELF SERVICE AND SELFISHNESS AND REALISES HE LOVES KAL AND THE KENTS AND HE WILL PROTECT THEM
GRANDPA ALSO WANTS ACCESS TO THE INTERNET. There is a constant battle and it does work for a while because he is elected babysitter of the kryptokids and he is only a small part of Brainiac, five kids does stretch the circuits he developed from Clark's pod, but it's a constant cycle.
"Kal-el, son of house of el, I demand google, I have not finished investigating the 'man of Bats'. Why are there two variations of his name?"
"You mean Dark Knight?"
"THERE ARE THREE? KAL-EL, PROVIDE ME WITH THE WIFI IMMEDIATELY--"
Also when Brainiac finds out that Clark's birthday falls on a human holiday he. He tries. He tries to do pranks. Most of them are vaguely and accidentally evil (Chris cries when Brainiac takes over the internet for the day and makes every search engine answer questions wrong), but he tries. He knows Clark likes pranks! He is trying to participate! It's family bonding!!!
Braniac: It is your 33rd April fool's day.
Clark: Yep!
Braniac: I have finally decided to assist you with a prank.
Clark:...oh?
Braniac: Behold! (Small boy with dark hair, blue eyes and a square jaw walks in, dressed in a decent little suit.)
Clark: Braniac you CANNOT keep making...Wait. No. No you didn't--
Braniac: A prank to share with your closest friend!
Braniac: I have been calling him "Bruce" for my records, but you may want to pick something else for clarity.
Clark: 😦😳😬💀
(And thus we have Terry)
Also, while Clark is pretty secretive about his kids, when/if any of them go out with a Superfam name, and/or after he gets closer with the Justice League, there are little slip ups. He does really love his kids!!! And at the point where he's joined the JL he's been with Lois for a few years now and is used to mentioning them every now and then at the Daily Planet/trauma sure does bond you together :) and he trusts the core members of the JL pretty well. Someone makes fun of Bruce for his "hoard" of children and his "adoption problem" and Clark snorts and then chokes. Bruce has barely adopted Tim and/or has only just gotten Cass. Four? Please, Clark's almost at double digits.
Or Hal is talking about the fact that he doesn't know what to get his niece for her birthday; Clark asks how old she is, and goes "Seven? Oh, yeah. Go for Monster High, it's really big right now. The dolls are pretty cool."
"Lol why do you know so much about dolls, you have a secret collection-"
"What? No, my daughter likes them."
Hal:
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Barry complains about how many birthdays he has to go to and Clark laughs. "Oh, tell me about it! Mia, Mark ((Match)), Chris and Mara all had birthday parties for their school friends in the same week - thank god for superspeed, right?"
Barry, who was talking about volunteering to visit kids' birthday parties at different orphanages in Central: Clark what are you talking about.
Also, Clark's an idiot and decides to introduce Brainiac's "prank" to Bruce on the watchtower because hey! It's neutral ground! And none of his kids can hear into space, thank fuck.
Clark: so....Bruce....you know how you were complaining about being an empty nester. Now that Damian's gone to college. Well. Hm. (pulls Terry from behind him) Surprise!
Bruce: .......You have a new child.
Clark: er. Well. sort of!
Terry, staring at Bruce like the autism creature: O_O
Bruce: .....I have a new child.
(also probably terry's backstory then includes some amanda waller induced kidnapping and potentially a bit of amnesia and adoption by another family but hey, he finds bruce again eventually!)
(also match does try and be the badboy of the family and does hang out with thad, when thad comes up to kill Bart, but. they both just. accidentally vaguely rehabilitate each other? They're not good, but they don't murder, at least. It's a low, low bar. When Clark tries to disappointed-face him, Match just says he's following in Grandpa Brainiac's footsteps and does Clark REALLY expect him to disregard a family legacy-- and you can give him some suicide squad angst or whatever, but the fam is still. there for him.)
(Mia and Kara get into a fist fight when they first meet; then they are best friends. Mia's not great at 'being Kryptonian', especially because she was one of the first attempts, and as per canon is technically a human who they tried to overwrite with Kryptonian DNA, and thus doesn't entirely understand Kara's connection to their 'home', but as a result she also ends up being Kara's confidant in it, because unlike Kal she does understand being taken away from your home and not being able to go back to it, and yet does not have...the same connection the way the other members of the Superfam do, and the disconnect allows Kara to actually talk about Kyrpton instead of mourn)
(Kon does try and grab the spotlight; Clark is trying to let him have freedom, after both Mia and Match went a bit....bitey at his attempts to keep them safe until they were older, but he's still the more naive of his siblings. Thankfully for Clark, he does get to introduce Kon to Robin, and while they don't hit it off, it is enough to mitigate the worst of the fallout of Rex's sleazy bs and Knockout's crimes ): When he joins YJ Clark is both proud of his heroism and a little scared that one of his kids is actually deciding to follow in his footsteps.)
(Mara is Kon's destabilised clone, from when he learns about paul westfield. We did not have enough girls in this family and thus part of their journey of self-identity was the fact that in a family of loud personalities they weren't great at speaking up; it takes a while for them to admit they want a new name and to use she/they pronouns, but by the time Jon and Jordan are five everyone's used to the change. Mara and Kon are closest, even though Kon and Mark/Match are technically sort-of twins; they clash waaay too much in temperament and personality. Kon was much better at playing protector to his little sibling, especially after they came out, and Mara shares "Supergirl" with Kara - she's only a backup member of the titans, though, and has the compassion and strength for heroism but sometimes too much empathy. Does a lot of relief work and peaceful outreach programs. They love a lot.)
(Chris?? no self sacrifice here!!! He has a bunch of fucking siblings with TTK, he is NOT going into that portal)
(There are two Nightwings; every now and then they debate who should switch to Flamebird, jokingly, and yet both of them have perfectly valid arguments - it's kryptonian! / I look good in blue! - and thus it never comes to fruition. When Mia and takes on Flamebird they give it up entirely; it helps that Chris ends up doing a lot of intergalactic work, so there isn't much confusion on earth with the call sign.)
When Jon is old enough to want to switch from Superboy he 100% puppydog eyes Chris into giving him the Nightwing handle so he can give it to Dami, and snags Flamebird from Mia. Dick decides he can live with that and is trying to take care of his own kid so is semi-retired (and can snag it back from Dami if he ever gets too bored).
For a bit there are def still two Flamebirds, but then Mia and Chris decide to team up for intergalactic stuff and to bully Mara into more fistfights, so then they're Trio and just go by Mar-El, Lor-Zod, and Mi-El. I know that is not how female names work on Krypron but I also think Lois Lane, who kept her name and also gave both Jon and Jordan her last name, hyphenated, heard of that shit and went "absolutely not". Either that or Mara decides to keep her Kryptonian name as Mar-El and Mia is Mia Kal-el, or copies her mom and is like naw Fuck This, especially considering her.....lack of general connection to Krypton? Could be fun for any :3 (Or maybe in space she just goes by Lane; time for her semi-mom to get recognition. Mara is already showcasing the house of El, Chris is rehabilitating the house of Zod, she's gonna kick butt for the house of Lois.)
....Though this does potentially mean i have accidentally called Match "Mat-el" and the Barbie jokes from that. Would be. Iconic.
Anyway that's the Grandpa Brainy au! Tune in next week when I force Cerata to watch Arthur and the Invisibles with me and start talking about bug-prince Kon-el and Lois' adventure to save her husband from a tiny evil overlord.
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donelywell · 4 months
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I love your at so much!! It’s so soft! But what do you mean by ‘Hedgefox’? You mentioned it a couple of times but there’s no explanation on the page?
Thank you! And I'm glad you asked! >:D (I'm basically waiting for people to ask for this stuff, or else I'm just gonna hold it until I eventually post it way later down the line)
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The HedgeFox is this AU's equivalent of the Werehog, but since wolves are HUGE, I changed the species to a Werefox (plus Sonic and Tails being the same species is an adorable bonus).
He wasn't cursed by Dark Gaia when the world split apart, he was just born a were-being.
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(super rough idea of what the different moons do to his appearance)
I go on a super babble-fest, so there's an entire rant below the cut.
When a Super Moon (3-4 times a year) appears, Sonic's HedgeFox form increases from 56 cm to 65 cm to reflect the roughly 14% increase the moon appears to be then and becomes 'super charged' in a sense.
He becomes super paranoid and overstimulated when it's a Super Moon, thinking goes into more primal instincts, with him calling Tails his 'cub' even.
A Super Moon to a were-being in this universe is a nightmare, but it gives you plenty of time to realize what's about to happen so you can find a spot to hide (kind of to protect others, but mostly to protect yourself from the sensory overload you're about to face).
The cycle of a Full moon takes place in normally 3 nights in a row once a month.
Night 1, Transform. Day 1, Revert to normal. Night 2, Transform. Day 2, Revert to normal. Night 3, Transform. Day 3, Revert to normal until next full moon cycle.
But for a Super Moon, it goes a little differently.
Night 1, Transform. Day 1, Stay in form. Night 2, Super Moon Further Transform. Day 2, Revert to Normal Full Moon Form. Night 3, Stay in form. Day 3, Finally Revert normal until next full moon cycle.
Yep, they remain in the Full Moon form even during the day when it's a Super Moon, it saves them energy from going straight from their base form to their Super Moon form.
Their power is basically doubled on a Super Moon, but that just leads to them being incredibly paranoid that they'll harm someone they care about by accident.
During a Super Moon, Sonic cannot release Tails. He seriously tries, knowing that he's being overprotective, but his mind is too clouded with worry that he can't even begin to fight it (not really that Tails minds, it does though worry him that his dad is going through so much in his mind and all he can do to help is just be in his arms). After Knuckles joins the party, they learn that he can finally release Tails if Knuckles is nearby, but he still has to keep a sharp eye on the kit.
A Micro Moon is a lot more simple. Due to how far the moon is, they can actually choose whether or not to transform into the were-being, but it's 14% smaller and half as strong as normal.
Ehem- uh, sorry for the rambling. I really like the Werehog and well, since this is my AU, I can make it stay. >:) It probably doesn't make any sense, sorry about that.
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macabresymphonies · 28 days
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The Magnus Protocol Alchemical Theory Ramble
I've been really into alchemy recentyl due to it's connections to The Magnus Protocol (probably to woe of my thesis supervisor), but the more I read the more some stuff that already have happened is starting to make sense to me. This post will be probably due to an update once I get further in my research, but I wanted to get some stuff out of my system as it's still fresh in my mind (people also wanted an update on my previous post where I spoke how there is a lot of connections between history of alchemy and TMAGP so here it is).
Keep in mind this is very brief explanation cause history of alchemy is MASSIVE, so I will be mostly focusing on a brief period in 12-14th century where alchemy was kind of the talk of the ruling class (mostly church). I will also not be explaning much the alchemical goals, but the purpouse of this post I will say chrysopoeia (transmutation of metals into gold) and connected concept of a Philosopher's Stone were two of the main ones.
Natural vs Artificial
The main concern with alchemy in the eyes of the church at the time was the issue of "natural" vs "artificial" gold. You see there were few loosely documented cases where alchemists seemingly reached one of their main goals and trasmutated some metals into gold. The problem was this "alchemical gold" was either devauling natural gold (if real), which was also an issue of "playing God" it was by divine design a fixed amount of gold in the world existed, or an elaborate way to counterfiet coins (if not real). This combined with the concerns of using artificial gold in medicine pushed alchemy into an underground by a decree of pope John XXII by forbidding alchemists from selling this alchemical gold (and silver). Roger Bacon and Albertus Magnus (known alchemists) were however both subscribed to idea that not only is alchemical gold equal to the natural one, it's actually better than natural one.
I see a connection here between "natural" fears (Smirk's 14) and "artificial" fears (clearly a faction of people who experiment on people, forcibly turning them into some type of creatures that resemble TMA's avatars). If we see Entities as apexes of their domains, these "offshoots" we've seen so far could be read as attempts of creating new entities by amature "alchemists" of this universe. This leads us very nicely into the second section.
Deckname, hiding in plain sight
You see, because alchemy was becoming quite controversial alchemists needed to hide their recipies. Deckname describes a way alchemists hid some of their exact recipies by using allegories, same names for multiple ingredients or (quite the opposite) one name for multiple ingredients. This concept wasn't new as in even in arabic writings on alchemy we can observer use of Deckname, but in ~13th century it was quite prelevant and even sometimes mixed with religious imagery (which will be important later). The general idea was to hide infromation with this type of "code", but not in such a way as it would be virtually impossible to decipher (as this would deem it useless). It also connects with the idea of "scattering" information (ingredients) as to send some scholars on this wild goose chase for Philosopher's Stone.
I don't think I need to talk much on how German way of hiding information might connect to the fact Freddie is a mysterious program written in German code that seemingly does not make much sense (with Deckname being intensively decribed by an arabist named KRAUS of all things). What I would like to point out that even very early on I believed that Freddie is used to crossreference attempts at creation of Philosopher's Stone and it's becoming much more likely this is a case, especially if you consider the next point.
The battle against the Antichrist
You see, alchemy wasn't like a one school of thought with a proper way to perform it, it was a science much like chemistry is today (alchemy is like a granddaddy of chemistry anyway). One of the concept that caught on, especially with the faction of Franciscan Spirituals (which is like hardcore Franciscans who liked to predict end of the world a lot) was the idea that Antichrist is coming and that all knowledge will be needed to stop him. Franciscan friar Roger Bacon even wrote a letter to the pope about it. This connected to with alchemy created a notion of a Philosopher's Stone as a tool in stopping the Antichrist which will be important later.
The Magnus Institute did tests on children that were mostly measuring three things: their developemnt, their empathy and how compliant they are. Given the history of the Institute in TMA it's hard to believe they were doing it for selfless and pure reasons, so I believe they were monitoring children to catch the possible "antichrist" and use their potnential for their own gain (note that I do not believe this "antichrist" is like a christian concept in TMAGP universe, I think it's something more aligned with entities or a purely symbolic title for some type of individual).
The torment of Messiah
For every Antichrist there's gotta be a-christ and alchemy actually did have a concept of one. You see, combining Deckname and the battle with Antichrist the Philosopher's Stone was very often hidden under the allegory of the Passion of Christ. Alchemists believed they are in a way tormenting metals by subduing them to all these processes (this is where the word crucible comes from by the way, it's "the little place of torment"), combine that with Antichrist theory and Jesus became a great allegory for creation of The Stone. Alchemists believe that metal (most often mercury) would have to go through four stages of torment before "ascending" similar how Jesus did (the incarnation, the crucifixion, the resurrection, and the ascension). This were in fact only believed to be instructions hidden in religious imagery.
I believe TMAGP does reverse of that concept. We've seen the Intitute use chemical terms like agent and catalyst do describe either the paranormal items or their wielders. I believe that the faction currently pulling the strings is using alchemical writings to experiment on people through tormenting them and exposing them to what is left of TMA Entities after traversing the universes. Some of those parts were used to make Freddie, that's why we got The Voices, but some are used to make eldritch abominations like we've seen so far. I'm not sure if Messiah in this sense is to be considered a benevolent concept, perhaps it's simply a being that will stop the apocalypse, but I believe that Antichrist is probably rebirth of The Prime Fear all Entities came from in TMA.
Closing thoughts
You can take that with a grain of salt, as I'm not a proficient alchemy scholar, but I won't deny the fact all of this so far fits pretty well and I can already see how this could play into many arcs (like how Celia has a baby that could be the "natural" antichrist and Sam with "chosen boy" issues could become the chosen "artificial" Messiah). If there are other points anyone with more knowledge on alchemy would like to mention in this post feel free to do so!
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shockinglysubmissive · 7 months
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Day 11: Anorgasmia
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Taishiro Toyomitsu x AFAB!Reader
Warnings: inability to cum/orgasm denial, minor degrading
(this is absolutely me writing about my own struggles, so I will understand if this flops big time.)
You have tried for years to make yourself cum. But no matter how much lead up, prep, toys, positions, or relaxation techniques you try, your body refuses to give you release. The pleasure builds and builds before being let go in a dull flop. Because of this, you grew convinced that there was something wrong with you. That you had a broken vagina. It definitely caused some major issues when it came to becoming intimate with a partner. Which is how you ended up here. Months into a relationship with a loving and generous pro hero, and still a virgin. Slowly, as the relationship grew more serious, you desperately wanted to go further with him. His wide smile only grows when you bring it up.
"Oh! Sugar you mean it!? I can't wait to have you cumming on my tongue!" His eyes light up with pure joy, but your heart drops. You were going to disappoint him when he realizes that is never going to happen. When you don't match his excitement, he is quick to question you about it. "Are you sure this is something you are ready for? I've told you I don't mind waiting, so don't feel like you have to do this for my sake." His large hand rests on your thigh, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
Just feeling his hand so close to you makes your cunt throb. You have to tell him. Keeping this from him won't make anything better. And pretending it's not a thing won't make you cum. "Taishiro... I have this thing... Where no matter what I do, I've never been able to have an orgasm... So please don't blame yourself. I promise that I can feel and enjoy all the stimulation. But I just can't have a pleasurable orgasm." As you ramble out your explanation, you don't notice a flash of sadism behind his eyes.
His strong arms keep your thighs spread wide open, his mouth latches onto your cunt as your slick coats his chin and cheeks. Your hands are tangled in his hair, begging pathetic. Though you aren't sure what it is you are begging for. He has set a torturous pattern of circling your clit and fucking you with his tongue until just before the dull release. You are only given a few moments of rest before he starts back up again. Truthfully, you aren't sure how long it has been. Minutes? Hours? Who knows. But he shows no sign of stopping.
During one of his brief breaks, his eyes lock on yours. "I don't think you could be any more perfect if you tried. Your pussy is the best thing I've ever tasted. And to find out that you'll never cum? Oh sugar. Do you know what that means? It means I can bring you right to the edge over and over again and you can't stop me. You can't cum anyway. So why give you that extra flick of my tongue? It would just end with a sad ache. Instead I can just keep doing this. You'll be dripping this delicious juice for me all the time." His golden eyes had gone dark. "You'll be so desperate for you all the time. Soon enough you'll be begging me to stuff every inch of my cock into you."
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papamado · 1 month
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A "theory" regarding Sampo's abilities
okay so this is an absolute mess and more of a ramble but I think it might be worth sharing so here I am Since I'm very normal about Sampo Koski, I've noticed some paralels to.. osme things... and i ended up with a concept that Sampo might be aware/know the future/what is supposed to happen, aka the same/similar thing to what Elio is using as a base to write his scripts, or is aware of the scripts that Elio creates. On Belobog we don't encounter stellaron hunters (for obvious reasons), but Sampo does end up being the one who affects the way the plot goes and actively puts it in motion, he's the one in control (to some extent) He also appears to be aware of stuff that has yet to happen and its possible outcomes (getting Natasha even before we started fighting Svarog, knowing that we will arrive on Luofu despite it being an unplanned stop, the possible future Belobog catastropy) There's 2 ways to approach this: 1. He works with how it's supposed to go, (following the trailblazer around, kinda like stellaron hunters happen to do) 2. He deliberately works against it (Jarilo VI is supposed to face destruction but he prevents it, could be for personal reasons) Theres also the whole thing about him breaking the 4th wall, which could be connected. Awarnesss of the fact that this is a game could result in him having a knowledge of what the plot of said game is.
I strongly HC Sampo to be an Elation emanator, so I thought about what being an elation emanator could mean, as in, how realistically the powers could manifest From the recent guide that was released along side the 2.2 stream, we have a small entry about Masked Fools which confirms that the path powers are DIRECTLY tied to their masks (this could mean both metaphorical or physical masks but from what i get from the context here it most likely refers to the physical ones?? the concept works with both possibilities tho so whatever <3 )
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We know that sampo doesn't have his mask currently (which also works in a symbolic way, Masks represent the devotion to Elation, him not having it could represent how he wants to distance himself from what Elation is considered to be and pursue his own idea of it instead. The general description provided here for how masked fools are doesn't exactly fit him either whichmight further prove that idea, i should write a seperate post on that, anyways-) , so how the hell can he do shit that we assumed earlier was Elation-related powers? i have 2 possible explanations for this 1. Him being an emanator lets him use the path powers without a need for a mask, if thats the case - the mask would only provide a powerup 2. Elation emanator powers are something else altogether
when we look at his current power set/abilities it can all be tied to the fact that this is a game so, him bieng an emanator of elation would allow him to ignore the rules of this world/mainupulate said rules, simple as that it would also explain why he can break the 4th wall, why he is aware of the future events, what leads to them and/or how to stop them in the first place and how he can do stuff that contradicts what's been established lore vise (like how nobody should be able to cross the barrier between the Overworld and Underworld), those rules don't apply to him, he's beyond them. But there's more we DO have an in game example of people already messing with the reality in the same manner - Silver Wolf From what I gathered (with help of some friends of mine mwah mwah), the "reality editing" abilites of Punklorde people are directly tied to a technology present in said world - that combined with the world view of those living here results with them reating the world they live in as if it was a game
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Adding onto that, during "punklorde mentality" mission we get to hear Leonard say this:
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"Masked fools believe it really exists" so are the Masked Fools aware that someone could posses *actual* (not provided by technology) power to alter/manipulate reality and ignore the established rules of the world? We can kinda see such thing happening with Aha in stimulated universe, not only do they break the 4th wall, but according to Herta they also seem to be affecting the stimulated universe itself Aha's manipulation of reality is also mentioned in the "Glimpses into the Beyond"
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So maybe to wrap it all up: 1. Sampo could be aware of the possible future events and use the reality manipulation abilities/the fact that the rules don't apply to him to achieve a desired outcome 2. Him and the Stellaron Hunters have some paralels in the narrative when it comes to the role that they play and what they do?? kinda??? 3. Punklorde people could be affiliated with Elation to some extent, even if not directly blessed by it I am probably VERY wrong about all of this but honestly I'm having fun with this theory so idc <3
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jiggowatts · 7 months
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↓ ↓ ↓ FNAF MOVIE SPOILERS BELOW, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK ↓ ↓ ↓
I have to ramble here cause my brain is absolutely bouncing off the walls and I gotta get my thoughts out, apologies LOL.
It kinda sucks Mike isn’t an Afton. And I know “Mike Schmidt” being his alias was just a fan theory, and that the movie was going to be different than the games - but still. Michael’s story and character as a whole was the driving point of the franchise’s story. His quest for vengeance against William, his tragic backstory and death, the physical and mental trauma he went through - it all tied the story together. Because I am stubborn, I will continue to gaslight myself into thinking movie Mike really is an Afton.
I know I sound like Matpat but just hear me out. I mean, there was that whole scene with Mike and William in his office. William hesitated saying Mike’s full name, and even took a moment to just kind of look at him - it was almost like he knew. Yes, it could just be that William recognized the last name from police reports about Garrett’s kidnapping or whatever. Also, why was William so insistent about getting Mike to work at Freddy’s if he was just some random guy? What was his purpose for that? Not to mention the fact that Mike said his mom died when he was young with no further explanation. Maybe his mom divorced William after the MCI, married someone else and had Garrett - two things which angered William, and he took revenge in the form of kidnapping and killing Garrett and/or Mike’s mom. Why else would William just happen to be in a random park in Nebraska 💀
In conclusion, Scott genuinely could be doing a bit of trolling (as he tends to do) and reveal Mike’s true past in the next movies, or it could be he’s just a Schmidt and nothing more. But I will continue to believe otherwise because I am, in fact, a sucker for the OG lore and its intricacies. Now, they did acknowledge the Abby / Baby connection (Chica trying to stuff her into an animatronic that looked like Baby) AND we do still have two more movies so there’s still a possibility that Mike and Abby are really Aftons!
Also, I am in no way bashing the movie. I genuinely loved it. This is just me simply having fun with theorizing lol.
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moldingtundra · 2 months
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Explanation for my unpleasant gradient and infected dynamic headcanon!
Ok let’s get one thing out of the way:
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I headcannon that unpleasant gradient is infected/kaspers ADOPTIVE father
if that makes you uncomfortable, no worries! Simply ignore it or ask me to tag just in case.
now for the people actually interested in why I headcannon as such, I’ll explain in this blog! So strap in for my ramblings lol.
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WHY? AND HOW?
ok let’s get the obvious out of the way:
Unpleasant always appears from infecteds apartment. And ONLY infecteds apartment. Nothing else.
which is obviously weird. I know that other npc’s only spawn from one place (i.e infected from his own apartment or pest from the subway) but this almost always correlates with their lore in some way. If unpleasant had spawned somewhere else then it wouldn’t be such a big deal but this MAJOR evidence for my headcannon.
of course he could just be a really annoying roommate but I’ll explain this in my next point-
-which is THIS:
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Litteraly who the fuck follows their “roommate” around once they get an injury, you wouldn’t do that type of stuff unless….
It’s your child.
yeah that’s right, I believe that unpleasant is actually just a worried dad. Which explains why it always follows infected around and why it has such close correlation.
on top of that there’s infecteds skateboard, who the hell gets a skateboard directly based off of their supposed roommate? Unless of course. Infected actually looked up to unpleasant and based his skateboard off of it.
“BuT kEvIn WhAt aBoUt ThIs!?!?1!1?”
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I honestly have no idea what to say of this. I’ll be honest lmao. But I’m guessing it’s probably the fact that it’s just teenage angst and/or him hating on unpleasant because he’s technically not his “real” dad.
“bUt ErM kEvIn wHy WoUlD hE eAt HiS CaT tHeN ☝🏼🤓”
Because erm actually anon there’s 0 fucking evidence he ate the fuckass cat there’s only speculation and coincidences who the hell knows maybe it’s KASPER himself (I actually headcannon that but it’s a topic for another time)
ok now that I’ve THOSE out of the way it’s time for general headcannons!! ^_^
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General headcannons + ramblings!
number one! Since unpleasant is pretty much fixated on ‘cringe’ things (skibidi toilet and unfunny 2020’s jokes) it could play a factor on why infected dosent like having him around, he’s chill. But he’s basically the embodiment of embarrassment. Whether that’d be through his habits (nose-picking, messy eating, etc.) or his humor (as stated before) he’s pretty much the dad that embarrasses you wherever you go.
on top of that, the difference and the opposite nature of both infected and unpleasant makes it quite hard for anyone to really think they’re even partially related. Which is why infected takes advantage of the fact that he can say he’s a “creep” / stalker and anyone can believe him.
However despite their difference in nature. Unpleasant and infected are actually not all that awfully different. They’re both mentally stuck in a period of time (2010 with infected, 2020’s with unpleasant) and they’re both ‘cringe’ in their own respective ways. So despite their opposing beliefs and humor, they’re actually not all that different.
this and unpleasant would be the type of ‘protective and nosey’ dad. Constantly trying to see what is up with his adoptive son while also trying to protect him ever since he got the infection. To which infected retaliates and pushes it further, thinking he deserves to live his life the way he sees fit. Even if it means getting in trouble sometimes. Which is probably why no one is comfortable with unpleasant, it only suspects everybody.
Anddd that’s all! I think- But man that was a woozy to write- I hope you all like it! Who knows if this does well I might write more of my headcannons! For now though I’m gonna log off for the evening- Bye bye!
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hahskeleton · 2 months
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Goodbye Sundrop
First drabble for my Sun Before Solar AU!! :D
Word count: 1,895
Read time: ~7-10 minutes (depends on your reading speed)
Content warnings: Agonized yelling, crying, robotic blood, choking, abuse, death,
Writer’s note: This drabble is a little explanation for my Sun Before Solar au and shows exactly how Sun went and Solar stayed. If you are severely upset over any of the content of warnings, please don’t read this (there isn’t a whole lot of some stuff above). Also, if I’ve made any grammar mistakes, please tell me!! I’m running off a shot of espresso and an hour of sleep whilst writing this sooooo-
Moon bursted into his home shortly followed by Solar, who quickly trailed behind him, saying as little as possible. Moon was heard grumbling angry sentence fragments about Ruin and how much he hated him. It was a little wild considering for months, nobody but Eclipse had suspected Ruin to be the mastermind behind all the hype and excitement.
As the two animatronics rushed through the house to the room where Sun and Ruin were, Moon’s speed became more rapid, only to thrust open the door and find Sun standing in the corner as far away from Ruin as he could get.
“Moon!” He gasped, relaxing a bit as Ruin shifted in the bed he sat on.
“Sun, are you okay? Solar and I came as soon as-”
“Ah, yes, Solar.” Ruin interrupted, crossing his legs slowly as if to intimidate them. Moon looked back at the eclipse-themed bot and shrugged, his monotone expression shaking lightly, unbeknownst to what Ruin had planned. “You know, you should be gone right about now.” Ruin gave a sly smirk, closing his eyes like he was worry free, though he was far from that.
“What?” Solar rung in, taking a heavy step further into the room.
“You should really be thanking me that you’re still here.” The mixed animatronic swiftly raised from the bed to properly face the three family members, grinning widely at them all.
Solar scoffed, “What on earth would I want to thank you for? You’ve caused nothing but trouble!” In the corner, Sun clung helplessly to Moon’s arm, utterly afraid of what Ruin might try to do.
“Why, because you’re alive! Why else?”
“Why do you keep saying that?!” Moon yelled furiously, clenching his fists aggressively.
Ruin giggled like a child, walking over to the window that stretched from ceiling to floor, “Because, dear Moon, if it weren’t for a little messing around I had done, you dear friend Solar, here, would be gone! Dead! In the afterlife!”
Moon looked surprised over to Solar, who’s expression was just as shocked as his and Sun’s. When nobody reacted verbally to whatever Ruin was getting at, he decided to elaborate and make things clearer, just for his entertainment.
“You see, the way this universe works is… different. Now, a little while ago, with the way everything is set up, Solar would have died. But then I realized something that could be beneficial to me!” Ruin rambled, the mention of him killing off his family made Moon’s blood boil. If he had blood, that was.
“I decided, why let Solar die, when there’s Sun?”
Moon’s head flashed immediately to his brother, who had gone almost white at Ruin’s words. Sun shook uncontrollably, tearing up with black oil-like teardrops in the corner of his eyes. “M-Moon…”
Ruin snapped at Sun, “I’m not finished talking!” He barked, standing up straight, “So I did a little messing around and worked with your codes, and, well, let’s just say what I’ve done will take effect…”
Sun suddenly clenched his stomach area in pain and choked back a yell of agony.
“Right about now.” Ruin smirked as he watched Sun begin to have his life sucked right away from him.
“Sun!” Moon cried, taking him by the shoulders and looking him firmly in the eyes, “S-sun, just get a grip, okay? Hold on, y-you’ll be okay…!” Moon panicked, looking to Solar for help, but he was just staring, dumbfounded about everything happening that seemed to go by in a flash.
Tears dropped from Sun’s distressed faceplate as he began to feel… funny. He took a moment to take his hand away from his stomach and watched it in horror as it began to turn to nothing like dust being blown off a desk. Moon said nothing at first, his words taken right from him as he watched his brother’s life come to an end.
“Moonie…”
“Sun, no no no no, you can’t die! You can’t, y-you can’t!” Moon quivered, taking Sun’s hands and squeezing them as he began to cry too. A few of Sun’s rays began to fade away as well, and all anyone could really to was sob.
“Moon, I-I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to see you again, but…” Sun shook, speaking through rivers of oily tears, “I love you, Moon, and- and- I’m going to miss you…!” Sun took his brother into an agony-filled embrace and Moon began to yelp with sadness.
“N-no, this isn’t the end of you! You’re not going to die!” He yelled, squeezing Sun, not believing his own words as they left his silicone lips.
“Moonie… I’m going to die…” Sun whispered, nuzzling his face into Moon’s shoulder. The lunar animatronic began to wail like there was no tomorrow, and Sun savored the last moments he could have with his brother.
It all went by too fast to process, but within the minute, Sun was gone. Moon had collapsed onto his knees, crying into what was left of his brother; his wrist ribbons were held firmly in Moon’s hand as he sobbed endlessly into them.
“SUN!!!” He screamed, hoping in any way, his brother, his beloved twin, would come back to him.
“A fragile thing, life.” Ruin cocked from the other side of the room, who was absentmindedly fiddling with his fingers.
Somehow, Moon had managed to forget Ruin was even there. He sprung up suddenly from his knees and stormed over to the mix-matched animatronic he had foolishly trusted and grabbed him by the neck, thrusting him against the wall violently.
“You’ve made a huge enemy today.” Moon growled, tightening his grip firmly on Ruin’s neck.
“I-I’m su-sure I have!”
Moon swung his fist and punched Ruin across the face countless times before beating him elsewhere all while he choked in his hands. Solar hurried to Moon’s side and stopped him before he could officially murder the cruel animatronic.
“Moon, be rational, what will killing him accomplish?” Solar yelled, only partially pulling him out of his violent rage.
“For one he’d be FAR away from where Sun is now!” Moon hissed in response, ripping his arm away from Solar and punching Ruin more and more, beating him until he could barely move.
“Moon!” Solar yelled again, holding him back by both arms and dragging him to the other side of the room. The lunar animatronic squirmed in Solar’s arms as he fought to get back to avenging his twin.
Ruin coughed, grinning despite his terrible condition, “You really are funny, Moon!” He cackled, rolling onto his side with an aching groan. Thick, blood-like oil leaked from multiple places on the destroyed animatronic’s body, even some trickling from the corner of his eyes and his mouth.
Moon shuffled to get out of Solar’s grasp more at the sound of Ruin’s aggravating voice. “I’M GOING TO KILL YOU, RUIN! YOU WILL BURN IN HELL NO MATTER WHAT!” Moon howled with anger and agony, becoming weak from using all his energy to escape.
Finally, Ruin’s eyes turned black, and he fell limp, either dead or out of battery. Solar released Moon, and he fell to the floor again, crying for his brother. Solar bent down and hesitated to hug Moon, but it was probably what he needed at a moment like it was. Moon cried and cried until he couldn’t anymore, and at that point it was well after dark, and morning was nearing. Both Solar and Moon had ignored a number of calls from Earth and Lunar.
When he had finished, Moon had stood wearily and staggered out of Sun’s bedroom, knowing he’d never be able to walk back into that room ever again without a huge wave of dread washing over him. Solar walked out as well as he watched Moon flop onto the couch and lay miserably.
“Moon, what should I do with R-”
“Leave him. I’ll deal with it later.” Moon muttered, his voice cracked and broken from crying.
Solar frowned as he walked out of Sun’s former room, closing the door behind him. Sun’s cats ran below his feet, making him watch where he stepped as he wandered into the living area. “I- uh- I can leave if you’d prefer it.” Solar suggested, dithering to sit.
“I don’t care what you do right now.” Moon hissed, clearly in the worst mood he could be in.
Solar’s insides ached as he was given the nostalgic feeling of when his Moon from his dimension would hiss and scold him like that. It made him feel like a burden, so he left. Lord knows what Moon did with the rest of his night, but Solar knew someone was going to have to tell Earth and Lunar the sad news.
When he arrived at the daycare, Earth and Lunar rushed to him as if he was on fire. “Solar! We were so worried! Where’ve you been?! Where’s Sun and Moon?!” Earth asked, hugging the eclipse-themed animatronic.
Solar could barely speak, and it wasn’t like he wanted to anyway. He wasn’t the right person to tell them the truth, but Moon certainly wouldn’t be fit to do it either. He stumbled over his words, trying to find what to say, but it was so hard to say anything after what he’d just experienced.
“S-sun he’s… he’s- not here…” Solar managed to say, watching as Earth and Lunar exchanged confused glances.
“Where is he?” Lunar asked.
Solar figuratively swallowed a lump in his throat and felt the guilt rise. There was so much he could have done to prevent that, right? “He’s… he’s dead…”
Earth’s shoulders fell and Lunar shook, “He’s what-?” Earth sniffled, grabbing her shoulders for support.
“He’s dead. He w-was killed by Ruin…”
Lunar fell to the floor, tears rapidly falling as well, and all his sister did was stand and shake. Stand, shake, and cry. “He’s not! He can’t be- n-no, not Sun! Never!” Earth denied it all, throwing herself against the desk and sobbing into her arms.
“Not Sun! No! Please, this is a joke, it has to be!”
Solar walked up beside Earth and wrapped his arms around her, but unfortunately comfort wasn’t his strong suit. “Earth, I know it’s sad, but-”
“He’s dead…” Lunar squeaked from the floor behind the two. Solar cocked his head to face him, dark shadows ominously covering his face. “He- he can’t be dead…” Lunar’s hands began to shiver as lightning started to appear.
“Lunar, calm down…” Solar whispered, slowly walking up to the small animatronic. Lunar flung himself to his feet and started to pace back and forth, the lightning getting dangerously wild. Earth looked up too, spotting the fit Lunar seemed to be having.
The only thing that you could hear in the entire daycare was the crackle of Lunar’s lightning, and him muttering, “he’s dead” over and over again until he forced his hands to his temple and began to cry violently.
Earth and Solar hurried to him and took him into their arms, hugging him closely as all three began to wail together.
“Sun… my brother… m-my last original brother… he’s gone…” Lunar whispered, so many tears slipping down his cheeks.
“It’s okay, Lunar…” Earth whispered, choking back ugly sobs and hiccups. Lunar shook his head, “No… it’s not.” He gasped through huge sobs.
“We didn’t even get to say goodbye…”
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Is it ever explained in the game why the Mc doesn't have their memories post-resurrection?
Like they get the Fool’s body and the fool is like new beginnings and stuff ( I ASSMUE, Tell me if I'm wrong) , but is an actual explanation in the game? Like did they also have to give something up even though the didn't make the deal? Is it because they don't have their original body?
Spoil it for me idc I just wanna know
The Arcana Brainrot Essays: MC's Memories
Hi anon friend! I hope you don't mind the ramble that's about to proceed -
Not only is the magic system of the Arcana pretty vague, when it comes to MC inhabiting the Fool's body, we have six different canon routes and twelve different canon endings, all with different implications.
With MC not being present for the ritual that gets their body back, it's fairly safe to assume that MC is not bound by any deals at the time of the prologue (though there is plenty of space to argue otherwise, given how vague the details are). Many of the routes include other characters reckoning with the deals they made at the time, but MC's reckoning has more to do with the truth than anything else. The best explanation, and to my knowledge, the canon explanation we get across routes for MC's missing memories is "because of the resurrection." That's it.
Here's where I jump from canon stuff to the implications I picked up through the different routes, focusing on the how aspect:
Similar to what other creators have pointed out in the past, MC's amnesia bears a lot of similarities to amnesia caused by traumatic brain injuries or (in my opinion) trauma in general. Based off of the occasions where MC is able to recover their own memory of dying, it seems like in at least some routes, the memories are still in there. They're just suppressed by a mysterious something. Given how the memory loss is associated with strong headaches, how said headaches are triggered by attempts to remember or vivid references to the past, and how attempting to forcibly remember something has led to further damage in the past, MC does seem to be in the middle of a nonlinear healing journey. As several of the routes progress, we can even see MC being able to succeed at mental tasks with lower levels of difficulty when previously it would have resulted in a debilitating headache.
My personal conclusion from all of that is that MC's amnesia is the result of the sheer trauma of dying and then coming back. It's a mind boggling experience simply to process the facts of what happened - let alone the physical and emotional experience. The story picks up with MC having physically recovered enough to live independently, and continues with MC's mental and emotional growth into fully growing into themself (in the upright endings). In some routes, they're able to recall a memory of their own as the story progresses, in other routes, any knowledge MC receives of the past is from other perspectives. Which leads to one of the biggest questions: can MC get them all back?
Some of our best clues outside of MC's personal narrative are the two other characters involved with returning missing memories: Muriel and Julian. (Asra, we know, forgot the details of the ritual itself, but otherwise has all memories intact. Nadia's missing all memories since entering Vesuvia for the first time, but it's never clear how much she gets back.) Julian recovers his memories when he reverses his deal with the Hanged Man, choosing to live as a normal person again with MC so that he can piece together the answer to the Plague. In his case, all the memories come back at once, fully intact.
Muriel's situation is different. He doesn't have any memories missing, he just has the capacity to take away the memories of the people around him. At first, the method for returning those memories is a sensory trigger (myrrh), but as time goes on and the deal loses its effect, the memories seem to slowly return to the people around him. It's different from Julian suddenly having access to the full breadth of his memories again, but the overall effect is the same: the lack of memory is resolved to the point that "normal" functioning can resume.
So, what does that say about MC's case? In short - anything. It really is up to how you imagine your MC, their past, the specific dynamic they have with their specific LI, how their future progresses post canon, etc. There's canon examples of characters regaining their memories gradually over time, getting them all back at once as the result of a deal, or simply learning to move forward and embrace the chance to start anew. And these are just examples of the default apprentice - there are plenty of MCs with gorgeously fleshed out backgrounds whose stories are their own twist on canon, where none of this really applies!
In short, how MC interacts with their missing memories is largely dependent on who your MC is. As to why they're missing - it's written as being because of MC dying and coming back. Whether that's due to the nature of it being trauma/a traumatic brain injury, or whatever other reason you can think of, is up to you ^.^
Cheers friend!
brainrot
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Note
Hello, I hope you don't mind if I share a weird headcanon of mine 👉👈
I normally see people talking about Kakyoin make drawing about you but what if Jotaro does that too? The reason I have this headcanon because I remember the scene when Jotaro using Star Platinum drawing the fly he saw in the picture, and he draw it so well. It makes me think that maybe Jotaro has talent in art too. Jotaro's style will be realistic style while Kakyoin will be more like cartoon/anime style.
Imagine their sketchbook filling with so many drawing of you 💕 Jotaro will watching you from afar, sketching you with your cute smile, your beautiful eyes, he captured it all. For Kakyoin, I think he will even make up characters (oc) that look like you and him and ship them together lol (this headcanon inspried by my friend, she actually do that with her crush).
Thank you for reading my ramble, glad to talk with you :D I would love to hear your thoughts about my weird headcanon
P/s: Love you writing so muchhhh 💝
This is fun stuff, I could eat it up all day. Thanks for sending it in, so I can blabber my mouth about it
This always internally bugged me so I’m very thrilled that someone brought up how well Star Platinum drew that fly. I suppose it’s kind of easy to gloss over for a lot of people compared to Kakyoin’s scene of painting on that canvas. (Then again that fly was kind of important to identify to figure out where Dio was so then again it’s “???” for an explanation)
Anywho, I’d say signs point to Jotaro being able to draw, and I think it’s a hobby he prefers keeping to himself. Like you said of him having a sketchbook, almost no one sees what he draws in it and he doesn’t want anyone else to see it especially if it’s various sketches of you. So more than likely when he does do so, he’s somewhere where he won’t be pestered by school girls, or whatever punk tries to start a fight with him.
I’d also like to think he goes back and lingers on prior stuff, just staring at it for a little while. This applies usually when you’re out of school sick (which he’ll probably stop by later anyway with or without your knowledge). But there’s something comforting about seeing every piece of your visage in his sketchbook. Literally no one else knows about this sketchbook aside from maybe Kakyoin (Holly has her suspicions he takes a sketchbook around but she smiles not pestering her son on his hobbies as she thinks it’s adorable).
For the most part art wise I think Jotaro sticks to traditional art, maybe a dabble of charcoal but he prefers pencils. Maybe watercolor if he ever went beyond, but traditional with pencil/pen is the easiest way for him to pull something out at his leisure. Would he let you see? Maybe eventually when he gets you where he wants you, or if the cat is out of the bag early and you see it and you’re not quite with him yet. Let’s just say seeing that may speed up him taking you.
Kakyoin I could definitely see diving into the oc type of thing, he’d certainly reference an artstyle of a manga you like. (Don’t ask how he figured that out so quickly). Though he definitely loves putting some passion into his artwork and occasionally shamelessly make sultry artwork of you and himself. He loves painting the most as he spreads colors, mixing them into the wondrous hues that is your skin tone. Or splashing watercolors in a notebook, that looks something out of a fairytale. Soft and warm lighting….oops he’s getting a tad bit excited.
He definitely presents pieces that are obviously meant to be stand ins for the two of you. That no one else would ever be wiser too, yeah you might have this odd feeling something’s not quite right, but there’s nothing there you could really prove other than observe just how pretty the composition is. If you compliment it, that just fuels this man’s desire further.
Biggest takeaway here is Jotaro and Kakyoin very blatantly have their own styles whether sticking with black/white/grey, or full on color. Both would be pretty in their own right, and their style choices speak of their personalities without saying a single word.
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mako-neexu · 2 months
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smth smth rambles that are entirely my opinion and i could be wrong (so dont attack me) you know this chapter made guda, fuijmaru ritsuka with already Many Issues worse is because of "mash" or rather kyrie's death but ultimately comes back to mash...that dantes did for them.
we even see a while back how guda was already shaken by not knowing whether mash is safe during lb6 after that fog like their priority is mash. mash.
they were already frantic as soon as they remembered mash almost questioning everyone about her whereabouts and immediately got reckless just trying to reach her at norwich. and when only when they were together did the "narrator" emphasize on the sheer relief guda felt like-- wow the obvious signs in OC chapter 2 makes you realize furthermore that guda's sanity hangs on a thin thread named 'mash' asdfgh
yes guda loves mash!! yes they care about her!!! but look and read at how guda tells absolutely nothing to mash- and that applied the same to kyrie!
(more below)
kyrie wanted to know and ask her senpai about the situation like we see her really wanting it but ultimately backtracking in the end because she trusts guda and she's even supportive. and guda was grateful/relieved that she stays innocent about the weird things going on in their tokyo.
they do compromise at one point that if kyrie really demands on explanations, guda would tell her but...
guda doesnt tell her anything, (kyrie believes in her senpai so even when faced with death, kyrie didnt break under pressure) keeps her in the dark so no one comes after her. for her to be ultimately safe. so she remains...innocent, normal who stands alongside "mama" and "little sister" as they arent involved in the first place about whats been happening. and guda wants to keep it that way for their family. not a real family, but a family nonetheless that cared about guda. an epitome of normal- which mash kyrielight has attained.
and now you see guda, who, upon waking up asks mash kyrielight if she was okay. if she was alright. guda doesnt stop their questions until mash answered. and so mash answered.
"I'm okay, Senpai. My vital signs are normal... so I'm completely okay."
all the while guda had just dismissed being in pain literally one minute ago and just hugged her tight. they "save mash the trouble" to tell her about the pains they went through in the singularity so as not to burden mash. so they stuff their pain inside the corner of their heart again, completely satisfied with mash's safety and disregarding their own health. (you also see in section 23 that theyre cherishing the normal and small moments with mash.)
mash is normal. mash looks pure to guda, her heart filled with "color" in comparison to guda whose heart has become "transparent". an inverse character development which will ultimately destroy them both.
for mash, who sees her Senpai as strong and unwavering, the image of kindness and strength when they held her hand during part 1 crushed by a coffin which she continues to believe them to be that way until now.
for guda, who sees mash as someone who's become normal. one last remnant that reminds them of a past life lost, mash with that purity and normalcy becoming an ideal to protect (as if she was glass) because they no longer have their own. (and mash is also literally the only one left close to guda, who remembers all the events of part 1. which... adds more to how losing mash would break guda even further.)
(also we see guda say 'tadaima' coming home to an empty house, the loss of kyrie and their family still in mind, and a little later, the Avenger mindset comes back and settles in as they're plagued by bloodlust. then when guda comes back to mash, their home, mash is their home. do you realize that? do you realize what im saying? mash says: "welcome home, senpai." and that was enough for guda. that eased everything in guda's tumultuous heart.)
i remembered guda avoiding on telling "mom" that they and kyrie were near the "gas leak site" / britoalter's battleground so like.....of course their lying to medical staff about getting back to the battlefield would carry over here.
deliberately making sure the "normal" components of their fake high school life remain untainted is what we see guda do. they shouldered everything, terrifying as it is, just to protect them but ended up inevitably losing them in the process.
there's also that contrast in seeing a dead body between kyrie and guda. kyrie still stood strong against dantes and remained rational and calm while telling "ojisama" that this wasnt good for guda. meanwhile guda, while still able to think about calling the ambulance after seeing the da vincis absolutely lost their mind when it came to kyrie which their mind thought of mash- and i think guda thought of both as 'one' person so they went absolutely insane right then and there
during the conversation with amatsuka, thats the part where guda became finally stable. because its implied guda's mental state really broke at kyrie's death which their mind automatically thought it to be "=mash is dead". but ukelele-senpai saved the day by reminding guda where they are, if mash and kyrie were the same person, and helping guda calm down and think of seeing that blue sky with mash during the part 1 epilogue.
and augh guda you shit!!! you need therapy!! dont put mash in a pedestal!! dont treat her as if she's fragile!! dont treat her like porcelain meant to be protected while you take on everything for the sake of keeping mash safe because she is the only remnant of your past left, because she is the only "normal" person you have left!!! guda you need to understand that if ever mash gets hurt someday or dies and its out of your control, you need to understand that it wont be your fault!! you need to understand that because someday you will part ways with her as well and you need to be able to be ready to lose again. if you lose mash once and for all, what will you do!?!?!? this is not healthy guda!! gudaaa you hear me!!?? gudaaaaaaa
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chipistrate · 9 months
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Need you more than ever.
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A piece inspired by some tags under one of my posts left by @stillangelxx (sorry 4 tag)
Explanation and very long Help Wanted 2 speculation rambles under cut
This rough piece can be taken as just your usual "save Cassie" AU, because it was kinda inspired by that- BUT it was made with some of the ideas left by Angel in mind, which were basically; What if Help Wanted 2 was split POV between Gregory n Nessa, and Cassie- where Cassie thinks she's the good guy and Gregory is the antagonist in her POV, only for it to be the complete opposite. It just,,, became way more disconnected from Help Wanted than it was supposed to- but it'll probably make more since if you read the thoughts I had to flesh out the idea, which are right below the line-
Honestly this whole piece was made as an excuse to ramble about the idea and my interpretation of how it could go as a (current)believer that HW2 is directly after Ruin, but then it got way too long to just add in a reblog- so now we're here with an original post instead!(hope that's alright,,!)
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Wrote all this at like 3am so cut me a little slack if some of it is incomprehensible- I tried cleaning it up but it's still late so I might not get some points across right
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Basic premise: Split POVs between 3 star fam and Cassie, where the 3 star fam has minigames much more grounded in reality as they venture through the ruined Pizzaplex in search of Cassie, while Cassie's minigames are much more VR/AR based as she finds herself wandering the underground of the Pizzaplex, just barely having made it out of the elevator crash alive, and now finding it hard to distinguish reality from VR/AR. -------
Gregory and Vanessa POV ideas
-Gregory and Vanessa's minigames are more Ruin based, little sections of them trying to survive the many threats of the ruined Pizzaplex. Though some fall into more classic Security Breach territory due to VR/AR shenanigans - -Their "Glitchtrap" is M.X.E.S, and their "tapes" are Parent Nodes. M.X.E.S is not a threat in the same way Glitchtrap was, just a looming figure trying to guide them down to the M.X.E.S room and getting stronger the more Parent Nodes they reactivate. - -Their POVs main hub and select screen area is probably a cam station near the entrance of the Pizzaplex - -We switch between playing as Nessa or Gregory depending on the level and the gameplay can switch up accordingly. Sometimes we're Vanessa trying to protect Gregory, sometimes we're Gregory trying to survive on his own, etc. Freddy might also affect gameplay, whether that be for the better like being the thing protecting us in the minigame, or for the worse- like somehow accidentally bringing more attention to us and making the minigame harder.
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Cassie's POV ideas
-Cassie's minigames are MUCH more VR/AR based, way more centered on the past games, specifically stuff like Sister Location and maybe Pizzeria Sim. - -She's having a hard time differentiating VR/AR from reality - -Her POVs main hub is probably either the room with the elevator or the Mimics lair where she first encounters him(speaking of which I have no clue where he went here but he's gone for now(physically at least)) - -Her "Glitchtrap" could be Gregory calling out to her, an illusion of him created by the VR world that's almost always there in the "main hub", while the voice is actually him- the echos of his calls just barely reaching her and repeating in her head, being embodied by the illusion of him creeping around in the "main hub". He's being genuine with a concerned tone asking where she is, but she thinks he's trying to trick her- probably back to finish her off after she survived the crash. - -Not sure what her "tapes" are… maybe things explaining patient 46/GGY/Rab that only further her thinking he's the antagonist? - -It's kind of hard to tell where Cassie is irl in the heavily VR/AR minigames, but if you look close enough in each level you can piece together where she is and how she's progressing through the undergrounds of the Pizzaplex
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The game has three endings; It ends with 3 star fam and Cassie meeting up in the M.X.E.S room, and branches from there.
We can see it from either POV depending on what POV we're in when activating the ending. 3 star fam enters M.X.E.S room and go to turn them back on, when Cassie ambushes them, jumping out of the Mimics lair and confronting them, starting a tussle with Gregory. There's no boss fight, just different outcomes to the confrontation depending on a few factors;
You 100% complete Gregory and Vanessa's POV and activate the ending before finishing Cassie's POV
You 100% complete Cassie's POV and activate the ending before finishing Gregory and Vanessa's POV
You 100% complete both POVs before activating the ending
Ending 1. Vanessa reactivates the M.X.E.S before something bad happens and M.X.E.S intervenes. Whatever "intervenes" means is up 2 you cause I can't decide - Ending 2. Cassie gets the upper hand(maybe literally if she has the Mimics severed hand as a weapon) and wins the fight. Again, whatever "wins the fight" means is up 2 you cause I can't decide - Ending 3. Gregory is somehow able to convince Cassie that he isn't the antagonist before something bad happens and they make up, turning the M.X.E.S back on and exiting the Pizzaplex
And honestly? I can't see any of these being canon- They're just kinda basic outcomes to the fight, but I can't imagine any of them being canon and where the next game would theoretically pick up from- Most likely it'd be something like "Gregory and Vanessa make it out almost unscathed, but aren't able to convince Cassie to come with them as she's still so stuck in the VR/AR world and the idea that Gregory is a bad guy, and she becomes the antagonist for the next game with this game being the build up to her next appearance and a deeper dive into her as an antagonist" That's what I think would make the most sense at least!
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ANYWAY!!! UHM-
If you're here then- thanks for reading my rambles!! Saw Angel's tags and immediately my brain started going crazy, and this was the result lmao
Don't really know what else to say other than credit to Angel for the initial idea, anybody else who's reading this should definitely go show them some love because her art is REALLY good!!!
Also hype 4 Pax West lets fucking GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
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ukulelevillainwrites · 8 months
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who follows the rules anyway?
Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9
complete
pairing : anthony lockwood x she/her reader
word count : 7.3k
content : fluff scenes where i was kicking my feet as i wrote them, angst too with another fight, the plot thickens
taglist : @cassiopeiia24 @archiveoftara
note : it's like i blinked and suddenly 3 weeks had passed, i have no idea where the time went but i certainly did not want to post this so late thank you everyone for your patience i really hope you like this part (i like it a lot let me know what you think)
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“What do you mean?” She asked with round eyes.
“There’s been a sudden increase in missing sources in the past two weeks. This happens at the same time you see Dufour selling a source she stole from a client. That’s too big to be a coincidence.”
“Well, that’s my cue.” Lockwood said as he was heading for the door.  “You should watch out, y/n, he’s going to be rambling for the next two hours.”
“Actually, I kind of want to hear this.”
She settled on the couch next to George, pulling a blanket over her legs. In this moment, there was nothing other than the light shining in George’s eyes as he went into further details and the softness of the blanket underneath her fingertips. About a week ago she thought she had seen him for the last time. That the last image she would have ever had of him was carrying his stuff in a cardboard box so damaged it was a miracle nothing was falling everywhere. Now here she was, listening intently as he told her about the operating system of an industrial-sized source-burning oven used at the furnaces and how time-wasting and inefficient it was to turn them on late. Her anxiety had made itself silent, her tears were dry, her breathing had slowed down. Maybe it was thanks to Lockwood’s comforting peace. Maybe it was thanks to her determination to see the positive even on the darkest days. Maybe she was lying to herself, drawing way out of proportion her ability to keep her emotions in check. Either way, she felt peaceful and warmth flooded her as she realized she got to listen to George’s crazy theories once more. She hoped many more evenings like these were to come. Her career plan may be out the window, but here she had found something she never got close to having at Fittes. She had found her home.
Lockwood left the room without a sound, smiling at his best friend’s enthusiastic tone and energetic hand gestures. She was too caught up in George’s explanation to notice him exiting the room and throwing her one last glance, relieved to see her smiling again. They stayed up well into the first hours of the following day, not paying attention to how late it was actually getting. They hadn’t realized how tired they were either apparently.
A ray of sunshine shone directly into her face. She reluctantly opened an eye to see the sofa in disarray and her blanket on the floor. She was exhausted. Her limbs were heavy, her clothes seemed to be made of lead. She turned her face away from the light, drifting back into peaceful slumber. She heard some light rustling and thought it was another one of her dreams. She was too tired to confront that girl again. But to her surprise she never came. Instead, she felt a cover being draped delicately over her. It was soft and smelled faintly of cinnamon. It was enough to put her back to sleep. As she was drifting in and out of consciousness she could have sworn she felt something brushing her cheek. She must have been dreaming.
She woke up crouched into the sofa, her legs resting on something harder than cushions and covered with a queen-sized blanket she thought she had dreamed of. Light was shining through the windows, the sun already high. She went to get up, but as she tried to move her legs a groan came out of the opposite side of the sofa. George was sleeping on the couch too, his legs underneath hers as well as a part of his torso. They were tangled up in one of the most uncomfortable sleeping position ever. Seeing them like this triggered her laugh which made George pull up the blanket over his head. She got up as delicately as she could so as not to disturb him. She stumbled into the kitchen, sleepy-eyed and unaware of her surroundings.
“I was starting to worry you two might be in a coma.”
She jumped, bumping into the foot of the closest chair.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”
“What time is it?”
Lockwood told her it was almost one, laughing as he poured himself a cup of tea.
“I thought you’d be sleeping all day.”
“It would have been nice but we have a case tonight, right?” She mumbled. She wasn’t entirely up quite yet.
He smiled and handed her his cup. She warmed her hands on the mug, feeling more awake already. He went to pour himself another one but winced as he picked up the kettle.
“Your arm is still hurting?”
“Just a little, it’s nothing really…” He said, struggling to pour the hot water.
She got up to help him out but had to battle him to take hold of the kettle. She looked him straight in the eyes to silently convince him of letting her do this. He reluctantly let go, and she noticed his tie was undone.
“When did you wake up?” She asked as she poured him a cup.
“About two hours ago.” He said, taking a sip.
“And you didn’t tie your tie because…?”
“I didn’t have to go out yet.”
She might have only been living with them for a week, but during her time here she only saw him without a tie late at night once they had gotten home from a case.
She sighed and went to tie it for him. She raised her hands towards his collar. Before she could take hold of the blue fabric, he reached for them.
“I can do it myself, I swear-”
But his fingers had barely brushed her skin that he had to take hold of his arm. She looked back at him with a disapproving stare. He lowered his hands. She smiled with a triumphant grin, satisfied. He stood straighter with a sigh to allow her to focus on the knot. Slowly, she passed one band over the other.
“How did you manage to button your shirt in that state?”
“It… took longer than expected…” he admitted hesitantly, his eyes looking up at the ceiling.
She passed the larger band around the thinner one, passing it inside the forming knot.
“You need to learn how to ask for help.”
He looked down at her work and scoffed.
“You need to learn how to tie a tie.”
At that she tightened the knot around his neck, enough to startle him. His breath caught and for a moment he looked into her eyes with surprise. After a few seconds, she figured she had taught him a well-deserved lesson and loosened the knot carefully, maintaining eye contact. He still seemed to be holding his breath when she finally let go after neatly replacing his collar and making a few adjustments to the knot. Maybe she’d scared him. That would teach him to criticize her necktie expertise in the morning.
She sat back down, taking a sip of her tea before asking him if he was going to be okay on the case tonight.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
“That probably means I should keep an eye on you. It could have been a very close call yesterday.”
“If you’re gonna keep an eye on me you’ll have to work on your rapier technique.”
“You’re so unfair! First of all, I saved your life. And second, I’m excellent with a rapier, Kipps mentored me every day when I was on his team.”
He let out what was probably the most honest laugh she had ever heard. She crossed her arms, vexed. He could be so infuriating.
“Kipps is mediocre at best.”
“Yeah right, like you could take him in a fight.”
“I could actually. I even brought back a trophy.” He winked at her. “Poor Quill never got over it.”
“Is that seriously the sole reason for your stupid rivalry?”
He nodded, smiling into his cup. He looked so proud. It was rather funny, but she was really close to slapping the grin off his face.
“That, and the fact you humiliated him.” George chimed in, coming through the door barely awake.
“Lockwood! I thought you were better than this.” She acted shocked, but they were all laughing.
“He’s the fully grown man holding a grudge.”
“Oh, right. And you’re just an idiot.” She teased.
He put a hand to his chest, like his feelings were hurt. George interrupted their banter to remind them of the case they had that night and what they were getting into. They organized the rest of their day, Lockwood insisting on training her this afternoon.
---
“Your stance is all wrong and the fight hasn’t even begun.” He left his position and took a step closer to her. “You’re already standing back in defense when nothing has happened yet. You have to look more confident otherwise you’ll lose the upper hand right away.”
“Sure, because confidence is a famous ward against ghosts.”
He wasn’t amused. Right then he looked like a strict fencing teacher bothered by his student’s lack of progress. She hadn’t realized placing her feet improperly could upset him so much.
“Just show me then.”
He came to stand right behind her, telling her to place her right foot a few inches farther from her left. He got closer, a serious look on his face. He really wasn’t joking anymore. He turned slightly around her and lifted her chin to make her look right in front of her. His eyes were sharp and focused. They didn’t linger on her face and he didn’t seem to notice hers getting rounder at the sudden contact of his fingers with her jaw. His other hand was on her waist, adjusting her position a few inches. He then came closer, mimicking her stance like he was her shadow, and took hold of her arms. She felt his breath in her hair. He strengthened her grasp on her rapier and lifted her right arm at the correct angle. It must have triggered his pain because he lost his balance, leaning against her before staggering backwards.
“Are you okay?”
“My arm’s a little sore, that’s all.” He was already trying to get her back into position.
“Maybe we shouldn’t do this today.”
“Really, I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not. I’ll cover you for tonight, I’ve done it before I can do it again.” She said, leaving her position to look at him. “No matter how skilled you are you’re not in the right state today, Lockwood. It’s okay to rely on others, you know?”
He didn’t even acknowledge what she just said before adding
“Just try to hold your arm lower than you usually do so you don’t cramp up. It’ll allow you to gain stamina and it could save us some time.”
George called them from the kitchen, he needed help with the bags.
“How did you know-”
Lockwood was already climbing the iron stairs. She shook off the feeling that he could see right through her. It was good advice. She focused on that part and made a mental note to remember it tonight.
---
The case had gone even better than the night before. Sure, it was just a Type One so it wasn’t as dangerous. But they were more coordinated, more organized and more methodical. Lockwood hadn’t gotten into a near death situation, which was a significant improvement. He had been in the last two cases they had been on together, it was enough for her to think it was a common occurrence.
She felt like she was part of a proper team again. However, now she didn’t feel the need to impress anyone. She wasn’t craving the praise and admiration of her team leader. It was liberating. She was free to do her job without worry. It made her feel more confident in her abilities too. She didn’t need to prove anything and she didn’t feel watched all the time. She had found a team that helped her grow.
They established a rotation of their roles, alternating who had to dispose of the source, who had to oil the chains and who had to give the keys back to the client the following day. The guys made her feel instantly like she was an essential member of the team.
The following day, two new clients made appointments. Then two others called. It was like she had blinked and then it had been a week since she’d been officially hired. The cases kept coming but she didn’t mind. Before all the drama of her professional life, she had loved her job and being part of an agency. It was risky, most of the time it sucked. But it was rewarding. And in the end she felt like she had a purpose, like she was making the most of the circumstances and helping out in her own way. The clients kept calling and the cases kept piling up, as if there was an outburst of paranormal activity. It wasn’t unusual to see an increase in hauntings nearing November, but she had hardly seen anything like this. Though Fittes had a lot more resources and maybe it hadn’t affected her team as much. With just them three they had a lot more work on their hands. It could get overwhelming at times but it kept her mind busy and she was thankful for that. It helped keep her dreams under control too. She hadn’t woken up in a cold sweat since she had seen the girl at the foot of her bed. And whatever she wanted from her, she was too busy to even think about it.
Another week passed. Time was flying and she had really gotten used to Portland Row. After a case she threw her rapier in the broken flower pot that stood as an umbrella stand with the others, smiled at the smell of toast coming from the kitchen, she was home. She knew what steps to avoid on a late night or an early morning, she started to know the names of the books in the library, she was even familiar with George’s filing system for their cases and his research, something even Lockwood found hard to follow.
She was grateful for George. He had brought her here. Well, she had followed him here but he was the reason she had stayed. And ever since he had made his best to make her feel at home. They had grown closer, they were actual friends now. Sometimes she assisted him on research, but mostly during the few moments of rest they had she sat at the kitchen table while he was cooking. Listening to him rambling was probably one of her main activities. But it kept her mind off her future, her responsibilities, her family who still thought she worked at Fittes. And she got to learn about random things that could always be useful someday. Once, she managed to find a source that had been hidden in a compartment inside a fireplace thanks to George’s detailed description of their nineteenth century construction technique.
Lockwood would sometimes join them, but it was rare. When they were home, he either had errands to run or paperwork to fill out. Late at night if they had a moment of rest he mostly sat in the comforting silence of the library with a magazine. He was still somewhat of a question mark. She hadn’t figured him out quite yet, but they got along. Training had become a regular thing. Once his arm had healed he had turned into the fencing teacher he aspired to be. He helped her improve her technique, her reflexes and stamina. She immediately saw the difference with the way Kipps used to train her. Kipps followed the rules, he’d always been behaving according to a script and every single one of his movements had been rehearsed. Because of him she had always thought that using her rapier was something that had been decided upon. There were rules and if she wanted to be good she had to stick to them. Anthony Lockwood was different. He was an artist with a weapon in his hand. He knew all the rules, sure. But he was creative, resourceful. Everything she had been taught so far was just a blank canvas to him and he used it to paint the most beautiful pictures. During their fights, he always found a way to gain the upper hand even when she thought her maneuver couldn’t be overpowered. He was so imaginative it was impossible to beat him. And he always looked elegant, no matter how long they fought he remained graceful until the end. It annoyed her every time. She always ended their sessions drenched in sweat and out of breath, her hair a mess. He looked slightly disheveled but overall unaffected. He didn’t even have the decency to act like she was a worthy opponent. His lessons were formative but also a great source of frustration. But it was all in good fun. It had helped them get along better. Though she didn’t feel like she had made much progress since the night he hired her. They would tease each other every now and then but aside from their training they didn’t spend that much time just the two of them. She didn’t know if he kept his distance intentionally or if it was just the normal relationship they should be having as colleagues. The night he comforted her was still very clear in her mind. She remembered vividly the gentleness of his tone and the warmth of his smile. She thought after that it would feel like they were actual friends but something was missing. She still considered that night to be special. It held a meaningful place in her mind, she hoped she would feel closer to him at some point. If she got George to come out of his shell, anything was possible.
Though, her optimism slightly faded the more she saw his behavior with others. She’d quickly learned that he had a natural charisma he used quite often, with clients, DEPRAC or anyone that might get in the way of what he wanted. He had different tricks he’d combine to make the best impression: listening intently to the requests, or sometimes orders, to seem polite and respectful, shine a wolf like smile to seem convinced and reasonable, then start a great speech with a serious tone and a hint of compassion, to end with that same grin she had soon learned was hard to say no to. What bugged her was that when she listened to those seemingly understanding tirades and saw him subtly smile, she got flashbacks from the night he hired her. It seemed a bit too familiar. It particularly disturbed her one night when the client they had been working for joined them right after they finished clearing her house. She had gone away during their inspection but was too preoccupied to sleep and had decided to stay nearby. When they debriefed the case and told her the ghost was very aggressive and was in fact her mother like she had suspected, she got emotional. Even more so when she was told the source was her own childhood stuffed animal. She was overcome with grief and the team tried to comfort her the best they could. She was on the steps in front of the house, too devastated to come in. She was barely older than them. y/n had felt much pain for her. Yet her attention was drawn to Lockwood, and how he comforted her. She was angry at herself for thinking about this. That girl was going through a lot and all her mind could focus on was how her colleague was behaving with her. She didn’t know what to say to ease her pain so she decided to make her tea. When she brought it to her she found out Lockwood was much more at ease than she was. As she reached the doorstep, she saw him sitting with their client.
“I’m so sorry that happened to you. I guess we’ve got that in common. How fun.” Their client tried to sound sarcastic but she was still sobbing.
“It gets better, I promise.” Lockwood put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Don’t be afraid to let people in, you might be pleasantly surprised.” He gave her a warm smile that, from afar, looked terribly similar to the one he had given her. It was like she was watching the scene from a few weeks ago, replaying here in front of her. Only this time she wasn’t part of it. And that smile wasn’t for her. She slowly closed the door, went back to the kitchen to pour a new cup of tea for Lockwood. She went back out and handed them their cup. He thanked her and smiled the same way he had a few moments ago, but it didn’t mean as much now.
She had tried not to pay too much attention to it yet she couldn’t help but feel like Lockwood had been lying to her somehow. She thought he had cared about her, since he had acted like a close friend would have. But every time she saw him shine his smile to someone else she realized it hadn’t really meant anything to him. Maybe getting close like she and George were would be harder than expected. Every time she thought she was close to figuring him out she went back to square one. It wouldn’t be the only thing that had made her notice how wrong she could be about him. His whole rivalry with Kipps and overall pride he made no effort to hide instinctively indicated that he was someone who would understand why she needed to clear her name, but apparently not.
After two weeks of late nights and intense work, they finally caught a breath. The phone had stopped ringing and they could finally enjoy a day off. They woke up late, George cooked a breakfast so big it could only be described as a feast. They had all planned to relax but George being George he intended to go to the Archives anyway.
“But you spend all your days there already!” y/n told him.
“Yes, but today I can research stuff I never have time to look into. Like that whole Dufour thing.”
“You’re not still into that, are you?” Lockwood lifted his eyes from his magazine.
“I just want to see if I was right!” He said, exiting the room.
“Of course you’re right. You are every time.” Lockwood mumbled, going back to his reading.
There was silence after he had gone. It was the first time in weeks that she was alone with Lockwood and they didn’t have to talk about work.
“You really think that he’s right?”
“From experience I’d say so, yeah.”
“Then I think I’m gonna go with him if you don’t need help with anything.”
“Oh. Sure.”
“If that bitch is involved in something big I have to find out!” She meant it as a joke, but part of it was true.
She got up to join George, but Lockwood caught her hand.
“You should let go of that whole thing, y/n. It’s not healthy to dwell on it.”
It took her a minute to answer. Her mind had gone blank the instant his fingers had brushed against her wrist.
“That woman fired me and is selling stolen sources. I want bad stuff to happen to her.”
He laughed lightly.
“I get it but… just be careful.”
“I will… I am.”
He nodded slightly, releasing her hand. His eyes didn’t leave her as she went to find George. Her hand still tingled as she stepped through the front door.
When they got to the Archives, the streets were buzzing with activity. They reached the inside of the building and the noise fell silent, everyone inside focused on their task. Despite the crowd, they managed to find an open spot. George was happy to have her with him that afternoon. Mostly because he wanted to go through the news coverage over the last month and had selected not one but four different newspapers for the task. With a hundred and twenty papers to read, he was glad he had extra help.
“What are we looking for exactly?”
“Anything that could be relevant to Dufour or relic-men. Something that could be part of a bigger operation linking them to the furnaces.”
“That doesn’t really narrow it down…” But he didn’t even notice what she said, he had already started reading.
They had two newspapers each, covering every day of the past month. She picked up the first one on her pile and started looking through the pages for any useful information. There wasn’t anything addressing relic-men or a dealing of sources. The columns dedicated to the Problem were focusing mainly on the advances made by the Rotwell Institute or the donations Fittes had provided to the victims of ghost-lock. One more death by ghost-touch wouldn’t make the headlines. She closed the first newspaper and reached for another one. George was scribbling at high speed in his notebook.
“Did you find something interesting?”
“Yes, about 3 and a half weeks ago there was a short article that mentioned the death of a man the police assumed to be a relic-man. Usually newspapers love this kind of story because relic-men really apply themselves when they kill a rival. It’s the kind of gruesome tale that boosts their sales. But here it’s very brief, talks succinctly of a settling of scores but nothing more. It’s a little surprising, maybe there’s more to it.”
His imagination paired with his attention to detail led to impressive discoveries in seemingly random information.
“Maybe you should double check mine when you’re done…”
She kept reading, the pile of newspapers decreasing slowly. She didn’t manage to find any groundbreaking piece of information, but she did notice the repetition of burglaries in different neighborhoods. It had been mentioned five or six times over the last few weeks. The stolen objects where the usual type of thing: jewelry, money and anything worth selling. But some objects stood out in the list made by the reporter because they were all antiques. The articles suggested that the culprit or culprits might be collectors, but George would certainly find another explanation. She pitched him her theory and he started to write even faster. She didn’t think that was possible. She was glad she could finally help, they had been here for two hours and she hadn’t contributed at all until now.
George got right back to his research but y/n needed a break. She told him she was going to get them some tea but he was already deep into another newspaper.
She got up and started to make her way outside. She climbed down the stairs, putting her jacket on. She headed for the door, but someone caught up with her and grabbed her arm. She turned around to see Quill Kipps with an uncomfortable look on his face.
“y/n, hello… I’m glad I ran into you…”
“I really don’t have time, George is waiting for me.” She dismissed him. She wasn’t over the comments he had made and she lacked the patience to have an entire conversation.
“Oh, some work to do for Lockwood & Co?” He said with an uneasy laugh. That kind of small talk didn’t seem to be his forte.
“Yeah.” She looked at the door, trying to send a message.
“I-I didn’t know you were… um… working there.”
She pressed her lips into a thin smile. She was actually curious to see what he was going to say next.
“You should watch out, Lockwood’s an idiot.”
Unbelievable. For arch nemeses they were behaving awfully similar. Though it would be unfair to say that his comment wasn’t accurate sometimes.
“That’s funny because I hear similar things about you back home.”
“Oh, it’s your home now?”
“Kipps, seriously what do you want?”
“I wanted to apologize.”
“Well, you’re doing a fantastic job!” She pushed the door and rushed outside. She didn’t know if it was Lockwood’s loathing of the guy that had rubbed off on her or if it was simply this conversation but she had had enough of him. Unfortunately for her he was persistent. He ran after her, telling her to slow down.
“What?” Her tone was cold and menacing.
He took a step back.
“y/n… I’m really sorry about what happened at the furnaces. It was insensitive and really dumb of me and I’m sorry.”
He seemed honest enough. She looked up.
“I’m worried about you. You were one of the best agents I’ve worked with but now there are some pretty bad rumors going around Fittes…”
“What rumors?”
Something shifted in his attitude. He was worried but he also seemed afraid of something she couldn’t pinpoint. He tried to put the next part delicately but it had the opposite effect.
“Many agents have been saying things about you going… bad? Like… on the wrong side of psychical work…”
Her stomach twisted and the fact that he spoke in riddles didn’t help. Was he afraid of her?
“Just spit it out, Kipps.”
“According to some probably unreliable sources, you’d be working closely with… relic-men.”
“You can’t be serious.” The blood left her cheeks.
“George too…”
She felt light-headed.
“Given your reaction I’m guessing I was right not to believe them.”
“How gracious of you.”
“y/n I’m serious. I may have only worked with you for a month but I know how seriously you took your job. And given the proportions this is taking I just wanted to offer my help.”
“What do you mean?”
“You haven’t seen today’s paper?”
“No… why?”
He pulled out a newspaper. On the front page the head title read “Rogue agents: should we be doing more?”. She looked up at him, a million questions flooding her mind. That article couldn’t be about her, right? He gave her an apologetic smile and asked her if she wanted a cup of coffee. He didn’t wait for her answer and led her to the coffee shop next door. Her eyes hadn’t left the article as they sat down. The reporter was explaining in great details that agents, after seeing so many traumatic things, needed to be eased back into society before returning to a normal life. He invoked psychological explanations that remained unclear. He advocated for the creation of a rehabilitation program to keep ex-agents under control so they didn’t end up on the wrong side of the law. He went as far as offering a mandatory two-month long camp of sorts for troublesome young people. He justified his remarks with murky reasons. Having worked in the field for many years, she knew this was all bullshit. But to someone who had never been in her shoes, it would be convincing without a doubt. But the worst part was yet to come. To emphasize the urgency of this issue, the reporter used examples of agents who had apparently gone wrong, citing several supervisors as his source. Apparently, a certain Fittes supervisor had been the witness to concerning behaviors coming from two young people, now ex agents, who had been caught committing several felonies, including maintaining business relations with known relic-men. Right there, on the following line, appeared her name. The reporter ended his piece in a dramatic tone, underlying the fact that those wrong doers hadn’t been apprehended by DEPRAC and remained at large.
She threw the newspaper back on the table.
“It wouldn’t have surprised me that much to hear that Karim was part of this. But you… It seemed impossible. And I really wanted to check up on you.”
She didn’t know what to say. Her name was being dragged through the mud. And what, she was going to be forced in a rehabilitation program made up by some trashy reporter and all  because of the same person who fired her? Like ending her career hadn’t been enough. She was taking the blame for the crimes she had seen Dufour commit.
“I need to… get out of there.”
Kipps got up as she stood up.
“Can I keep this?”
“Yes, whatever you need.”
She smiled, or at least tried, and pushed the door of the coffee shop. Before she left Kipps called her.
“y/n, I’m on your side okay? You can count on me.”
“Thank you.” She answered faintly. She was still shaken. She couldn’t believe the proportions this was taking. She had finally started to let go of her time at Fittes and all her efforts were reduced to nothing with just one page in a newspaper.
She rushed back to the Archives, desperate to show the article to George. He hadn’t noticed how long she had been gone, he didn’t even say anything about the tea she didn’t bring back. His notebook was filled with new facts and arrows linking some of them together. She sat down next to him. He didn’t look up, he just started talking, saying something about repetitive power outages. She pushed the newspaper Kipps gave her in front of his notes.
“What’s this?”
“Today’s newspaper. We made the front page.”
“What do you-”
His eyes were fleeting across the paper. They grew wider as he went further.
“This is a joke, right?”
“I wish it was. Maybe it’s just a nightmare and I’ll wake up on the couch with your feet in my face.” She tried to ease the tension she was feeling but none of them laughed. She was self-conscious about being in a place filled with agents. Did they read the paper too? Did they know who they were? She heard two people whispering on her left, she turned to look, George did the same.
“Maybe we’ll be better home.”
“Yeah let’s get out of here.”
No one had said a thing the whole way home. They were both lost in thought. George opened the front door. They took off their jacket and instinctively went down to the kitchen. She put the kettle on while he got some biscuits. They sat facing each other, seeking comfort in the sweetness of cookies and the warmth of their tea. Lockwood entered the room and was taken aback by the look on their face.
“What happened to you both? You look like you’ve seen a ghost in broad daylight.”
“We ran into Kipps.” George said without elaborating.
“I can understand how this could ruin someone’s day.” He smiled broadly.
“It’s not about him.” y/n snapped. “It’s about this.” She handed him the newspaper.
Lockwood skimmed through the article, still smiling. He didn’t look affected at all.
“Well, this is obviously ridiculous. But there’s no need to panic over a badly written article.”
“Lockwood this is on the front page!” George exclaimed.
“Rumors are starting to spread at Fittes.” y/n said in a monotone voice.
“I understand that this is an uncomfortable position to be in but it’ll blow over. There’s no need to overreact, juts keep a low profile.”
“I’m not gonna sit still while Dufour is out there ruining our reputation after already ruining our careers.” She stood up. “We’ve got enough dirt to bury her with what we found today.”
Lockwood gave her an exasperated look. George didn’t notice and began going over his notes, explaining the connections he had made.
“There’s clearly a link there and we can act on it!”
“Absolutely not!”
The temperature had dropped several degrees. The tension in the room was palpable. At least y/n felt it. But George had kept on going, starting to come up with a plan to follow Dufour and see what she was up to from up close.
“George.” Lockwood interrupted. “You’re reaching. It’s a coincidence at best and you know it. It wouldn’t be the first time relic dealing affects other industries.”
“Come on! Don’t you think that-”
“No. I don’t. Please try to focus on the real cases this business needs and don’t get stuck on another obsession.”
“You’re so unfair! You’re the one who keeps telling me that George is always right and that we should listen to his instincts!” y/n cut in.
“And I also told you that you shouldn’t do what he does. The last time you did, it got you fired.” Lockwood turned to her, his arms crossed. How often was he going to go into that well?
“Because you’re always so good at following made up rules…”
“I’m being rational and grounded, which in this case makes me exemplary.”
“Right, and that’s coming from the guy who disregards his own safety most of the time and doesn’t acknowledge that the risks he takes are completely unnecessary.”
“You’re the one who wants to play right into her game! Can’t you see that she’s waiting for one of you to slip up so you can take the blame for everything she’s done?” He gave both of them a warning look. He made a good point, but he was much too aware of it and she didn’t want to acknowledge it.
“I’m serious when I say do not act on it. Dragging Lockwood&Co into this mess would be the last thing we need.”
His last words ignited the flame already burning inside her.
“This is all this is about, isn’t it? If your name was the one being tied to crimes you didn’t commit you’d be the first to convince us to do something about this. But when it’s the other way around you have to think of business first.”
“This company is all you have left!”
“Rather you’re all we have left, right? The great Anthony Lockwood rescuing us and being a hero. How glorious of you!”
He scoffed and closed exasperated eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose. 
“You need to keep your ego in check, Lockwood. You need us as much as we need you!”
“If you want to cut your safety net then you can go! But as long as you work in my company, you’ll have to listen to what I have to say. It’s my name on the door and it’s my decision.”
She stormed out of the room and went up to the attic. His lack of understanding was too much to bear. She wished he had listened. Was it really too much to ask? She really thought that he would see why she needed to do something instead of laying low. Him of all people should understand. She guessed she didn’t know him as well as she thought.
She spent the rest of the day in her room, brooding, thinking about Dufour. The nerve she had to blame her for everything she did. All of this because she offered a different solution than hers to a client? Sure she broke into her office after that but it still seemed extreme.
She didn’t feel like going downstairs for dinner. She wasn’t really hungry anyway. But even if she had been, she didn’t want to face the obvious tension that would follow. She had gotten used to Lockwood’s warm brown eyes, but today they had been cold when he looked at her. She hadn’t been arguing with a friend or roommate or whatever they were, he had been her employer and she was expected to follow his orders.
There was a knock on her door. It was George, bringing her some food. He put the plate on her nightstand and sat next to her on her bed.
“Thought you could use something to eat.”
“That’s sweet of you, thank you.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Upset. And overwhelmed. But I’ll be okay. It’s just a lot you know?”
“Yeah… I still tried to convince Lockwood over dinner. You were right not to come down, it wasn’t a pleasant conversation. He’s dead set on burying this whole thing.”
At least she had one ally in this house.
“I don’t understand his reaction. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Don’t overthink it. He’s just… like that sometimes.”
She didn’t say anything for a while, lost in thought. George went to get the plate he had brought up and put it in her hands.
“You should eat. Don’t worry, you’ll be back to teasing each other in no time.” She froze. After a second, she looked up and saw him look so proud of himself.
“That’s not what this is about! What are you even getting at?”
He laughed and put a hand over her shoulder, rolling his eyes. She wanted to push him off her bed, but one bite and she surrendered, forced to compliment him yet again on his cooking.
The following morning y/n was the first one up. Sleep had cleared her mind. If Lockwood wasn’t going to help them, then she would take matter into her own hands. The plan George had started to elaborate the night before had grown into her mind. Following Dufour would really help her know what she was up against. George’s theory was a good start, but to take action she needed to know more about her operation, her clients, her associates. What was she in charge of exactly? How did she cover her tracks?
She walked into the kitchen with purpose. Today, she was taking her life back. She brewed some tea, poured herself a cup and ate toasts as she started to devise her plan on the Thinking Cloth. She remained vague on purpose. If Lockwood saw it, he would think it was just theoretical, like one of George’s ideas. She was so focused that she didn’t hear him coming in. He poured himself a cup of tea, but it was only when he spat it out that she noticed he was there.
“Why do you always make your tea so bitter?” he asked way too loudly for this hour of the morning.
“I think it suits you…” She mumbled, her eyes still set on the table.
He poured more water in his cup but still groaned when he tried it again. Desperate for silence, she got up and grabbed the sugar.
“Here, maybe it’ll soften your mood too.”
“No!” he exclaimed too late. She was already adding sugar to his cup. The opposition only made her pour more of it.
She felt him glaring at her. She tried not to smile, knowing it would infuriate him further and make her morning even less enjoyable. She sat back down and grabbed licorice from the bag that rested on the table. As she went to take a bite he slapped her wrist, making her drop it.
“Ow! What was that for?”
He didn’t bother to answer. He simply took the bag of licorice and left the room. She thought many things of Anthony Lockwood. He was a prick and an idiot, hot headed and impulsive, stubborn, but she didn’t know petty was also part of the list. He quickly said something about meeting an old friend before slamming the front door on his way out. It must have woken up George since he stumbled into the kitchen sleepy-eyed just a few minutes later. She didn’t intend on filling him in about her plan just yet. She wanted to have tangible result before dragging him into it.
She took a while longer to get all the details of her plan. She had tried to plan an itinerary that checked all the important places she needed to stake out. She would try to do as much as possible in one day. Once she had a clear idea where to start, she went up to the attic to finish getting ready. In the hall, she told George she had some errands to run. She put on her shoes, grabbed her coat and was about to open the door when the bell rang. She looked through the peephole. A tall thin man and a woman where standing in front of the door, a DEPRAC van parked right outside the house. She hesitantly opened the door.
“Good morning. I’m inspector Barnes, this is inspector Wade. Is George Karim here?”
“Um… Yes. Yes, he’s here. Should I go and get him?”
He ignored her question.
“Are you miss (y/n)?”
“Yes… I am…”
“I’m gonna have to ask you both to come with us.”
———
PS : I'm probably gonna open the next part with a couple of scenes from lockwood's pov ;))
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ccghastly · 1 year
Text
Van der Linde fellas react to an Asexual S/O
GN Reader
Arthur, John, Hosea, Dutch, Bill, Sean, Charles, Javier
Written w/ the reader being non sex-repulsed, but nothing explicit
I take requests! Feel free to ask!
Arthur
I hc Arthur as Demisexual, so he probably understands the easiest. The further you get into your explanation the more things start clicking in his head.
There are multiple confused rambling passages in his journal as he tries to think through this reality you've introduced to him.
Expect him to get very tactile as he seeks comfort and anchors himself while his thoughts get sorted.
Gets even more confused than normal when you call him sexy or say something he does is attractive, but does quickly catch on to the idea of mental vs physical attraction.
Now asks if this is okay before doing anything he thinks may be pushing you. Which, until you establish your hard limits, will be everything. Very sweet, 1001 check ins for 1001 kisses.
"Still Alright?" . "I'm Alright."
John
Does not understand and fully willing to accept that. Still supportive though.
He does not want to mess this up, so the reigns are now fully in your hands. Hope you were ready to wear the pants of this relationship, cause what you say goes.
He backpeddles a bit too far and you'll now have to initiate everything, unless you manage to convince him otherwise.
He 100% tries to get advice from Arthur, but doesn't want to out you, so he just poses more and more obscure hypotheticals. Until they're both mindlessly arguing and Hosea has to come break them up.
Hosea
Fully supportive from the start.
You are not the first Ace he's met, not even the fifth.
He'll tell you a few stories and crack a few jokes
"Probably for the best with me getting up in age, not sure I could keep up with your youthful vigor."
The both of you have been caught on several occasions reading explicit books to make fun of the maneuvers and tropes.
"It's a good thing people don't buy these for the plot!"
You are the sickenly sweet couple that never seems to leave the honeymoon phase, sweet kisses, holding hands, pet names, cuddling by the fire. The whole shebang.
Dutch
Does not understand, May accuse you of making it up or being dramatic
Is the kind of guy to insist you just haven't had good sex yet, but fear not he's willing to help you.
Had heard of it, but thought it was in the same vein as husbands saying they have a headache and wives saying they have their monthlies. Saying no without having to say no.
If you drag Hosea into it, Dutch will probably concede that you're not lying and apologize, but don't expect him to fully be on the same page with you.
Bill
(tw for allusions to noncon against an offscreen character, that is not the Reader or Bill)
Gets real quiet, then asks you to explain it again, then again, and again once more.
Asks a few tentative questions, then gently asks to hold you
"Did somethin' happen, someone hurt you?"
You rush to explain that, no you're perfectly fine, nothing happened. You just don't seem to feel lust the way most folk do.
He breathes a big sigh of relief, slumping down and gathering you close in his lap to hold you tight.
He explains that while he was in the army, he'd known some people that had been real similar, but only after some real bad stuff had happened to them.
Bill now mooches cuddles from you like they're being rationed.
Sitting down? It's on his lap. Standing up? His arm's around your waist. Walking to town? You're holding hands. Going to bed? Meet your new blanket.
Sean
Error 404 Sean.exe has stopped working.
Not wanting/needing Sex?? He does not understand.
You'll need to explain multiple times, over multiple days. Then explain again when he gets your explanations twisted up in his head.
"You don't want sex, but we can have sex? You'd do that just to make me feel nice??"
He feels blessed, he's dating the sweetest person to walk this earth. No other person can compare, and he's ready to shout it from the rooftops. Tried it once with a saloon when he was a few pints too deep, Arthur had to rescue him after he got stuck and started crying.
Thought he was gonna die up there and never get to see you again
Charles
Very Understanding, did ask for a few clarifications, but believed what you were explaining the whole time.
Not comfortable asking for penetrative sex, but if you want to watch or help him find his pleasure he's fully willing.
Unending cuddles from this man.
Makes him feel kinda guilty, but he really enjoys getting to touch you with no stress about taking it up a level.
Gets even more protective of you when people try to push their luck, you'll never be groped again, no ones dumb enough to try with him glaring over your shoulder.
Once knocked a guy out for lewdly catcalling you.
Javier
Tries to be supportive, but does not understand.
Will occasionally try to get you in the mood and you'll have to explain it to him once again.
When he finally gets it, he swerves hard into romance.
If he can't express his adoration for you physically, he'll do it how he knows best
He is going to charm your socks off.
There's compliments, there's flowers, there's serenading, there's moonlit strolls, picnics in flower fields, candle lit dinners, sweet kisses 24/7, and the Flirting! The flirting never stops!
You never knew so many pickup lines exsisted and for so many situations, but you're about to find out.
(Based on my own experiences being and coming out as Ace, please be kind)
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Text
Fuck Buddies VI
Warning: swearing, drinking
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You’re nervous as you check your hair for the millionth time in the mirror. You can feel your own heartbeat and it’s the most uncomfortable feeling in the world. You’re trying so hard to be excited about your date but all you can think about is Colson’s reaction when he hears about it. You tried your best to not make it seem like you wanted him to know. You casually mentioned it to Rook on the phone a few hours ago and you made it pretty clear you didn’t want him to tell Colson. However, you know Rook well enough to know that secret keeping is not his strength. You try your best to not feel disappointed that he hasn’t called or sent a text but it was a naive thing to expect. Colson has never done anything that is expected of him. Why would it be any different this time?
A knock at your door makes you jump and you have to remind yourself to chill the fuck out. You open the door, your best smile plastered on your face. When you look into Jacob’s kind eyes, your mind goes blank and all you can do is stare.
“Sorry I’m a little early. I guess I was a little nervous about being late,” he chuckles and rubs his neck anxiously. You remind your mouth and brain to reconnect and you let out a soft laugh.
“That’s ok, I like a man who’s punctual,” you reassure him, reaching out to squeeze his very firm forearm. You retract your hand quickly, not sure what came over you. “I just need to grab my shoes but you can come in and wait.”
You open the door further and allow him to come further into your apartment. You excuse yourself to your bedroom to grab your heels and check yourself in the mirror one last time. You do one more spritz of perfume and slip your feet into your shoes. Before you leave your bedroom you take one deep, cleansing breath and put the smile back in place. 
Jacob is looking through your bookcase when you come back into the living room and you watch him for a few moments before clearing your throat to let him know you’re back in the room. He takes you in, his eyes trailing up and down your body and you suddenly feel very self-conscious. His skinny jeans and button-up shirt are a confusing combination of neat casual and now your little black dress and strappy heels feels a little over the top for dinner.
Maybe lose the heels? Your subconscious scoffs and you blush.
“You look beautiful,” Jacob murmurs and you bite your bottom lip, embarrassment coursing through your veins.
Am I this awkward with Colson?
“Thank you. I wasn’t sure if I’d be overdressed but I guess it’s better to be overdressed than under dressed,” you ramble and you have to remind yourself to breathe again.
A knock at the door nearly gives you a brain aneurysm and you’ve honestly never felt so on edge in your life. Rook wouldn’t let Colson ruin the date would he? Naively you like to think that Rook has any control over the stuff Colson does but at this moment, you’re desperately hoping for a miracle. You throw Jacob a sympathetic expression but he just shrugs with a gentle smile.
You open the door and a very enthusiastic Sophie is grinning from ear to ear at you. Your blood pressure relaxes and you can feel your body relaxing. Sophie’s face falls when she looks at your outfit and at your perfectly styled hair.
“Shit, do you have plans tonight?” she whines and pushes past you. She stops short when she spots Jacob standing beside the TV and turns back to you, a now mischievous smirk playing on her lips. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t realise anyone else was here.” 
“Yeah I um…I have a date with Jacob. Jacob this is my friend Sophie, Sophie this is Jacob. I met him last week at C-Colson’s party,” you stutter out a clumsy explanation for why there’s a strange man in your apartment on a Saturday evening.
“Well where are you guys going because there’s a group of us going to dinner and I do not want to be the only chick there.” 
She looks expectantly between you and Jacob and before you can conceive a shitty excuse in your mind for why you can’t go to a dinner where Jacob and Colson will be in the same room, and make it sound legitimate, Jacob cuts you off mid-breath.
“We’d love to join you! I would like to meet all of Y/N's friends.” 
Your jaw drops open and your heart leaps into your throat. You can't even hide your complete and utter shock at Jacob’s acceptance of the stupid invitation. Does he even realise Colson will be there? 
Well duh! He has no fucking idea how Sophie and you are friend genius! Your subconscious butts in again to yell at you and the blood physically drains from your face. 
The Uber ride to the restaurant is suffocating. You’re pretty sure neither Sophie or Jacob notice as they fill the entire journey with conversation. About 5 minutes into the 30 minute journey, Sophie drops the bombshell that she’s Colson’s guitarist and if that information made Jacob click, his face didn’t show it. Instead, he jumped into asking as many questions as he could about touring, travelling the world and performing live. If anyone was an outsider looking in, they’d think you were the third wheel by the way the two of them carry a conversation. Aside from having a large hand on your thigh, Jacob barely acknowledges your presence. 
When you arrive at the restaurant you immediately jump out of the car, practically gasping for air. Jacob puts his arm around your shoulders and you follow behind Sophie into the restaurant. You burrow yourself as far into Jacob’s side as you possibly can, shifting your eyes around the restaurant every now and again. The hostess leads you all to the back, into a private section that is saved for VIPs and private functions. You breathe a sigh of relief when you realise you’re the first ones to arrive. You take a seat in the corner and Jacob sits beside you. Sophie takes the seat opposite you and she nudges your leg under the table with the tip of her shoe. She narrows her eyes at you subtly and you shoot her a weak smile.
“Can I get you something to drink while you wait?” the hostess asks as you all settle into your seats. You’re the first to speak.
“Can I have a double shot vodka lime and soda with a sprig of mint, please?” you request quickly. 
Your go to drink seems like a safe choice, if you’re going to get through this evening, you’re going to need a lot of alcohol. Sophie narrows her eyes at you again but you ignore her this time. She shrugs and turns her attention back to her menu. You don’t want to be scolded for your shitty choices like a petulant teenager. You already know your own choices are dumb, you don’t need someone else telling you. 
“I’ll have a bourbon and cola,” Sophie says while looking through the food menu.
“Me too but can I get tequila and soda,” Jacob smiles at the hostess as he orders. 
You can see the way her eyes stay on him a little longer than necessary and you can’t really blame her. Even in the dim lighting, he looks drop dead gorgeous. She quickly excuses herself and mumbles something about a waitress coming back with your drinks. 
“What do you recommend?” Jacob whispers in your ear and a chill runs down your spine at his warm breath on your neck. 
“Hmm it’s tough to narrow it down to just a few things, everything is delicious,” you whisper back, your voice low and seductive as possible. 
Jacob grins at you and puts his hand high on your thigh, squeezing softly. You almost jump out of your seat as a pulse of heat travels up your inner thigh to your apex. Sophie pretends to be oblivious to us, scrolling through her phone and the menu but you see the way her eyes flick up every now and again towards the two of you.
A flash of blond brings you crashing back to reality as the hostess walks around the corner, a group of men following behind her. Colson is front and centre, Rook by his side with an attractive woman hanging onto his arm. Baze and Slim trail behind them, their eyes wandering through the restaurant. When both of them notice you, their eyes widen and they look like they’re desperate for an escape hatch. You feel like standing up and explaining that this whole thing wasn’t your idea and you just got dragged along. You want them to know that you’re aware that this is a disaster waiting to happen and you didn’t come here for the situation to blow up just for the hell of it. You’re not the kind of person that likes to watch the world burn. It’s not until another figure rounds the corner that you realise their expressions have nothing to do with your presence, but rather the person about to sit down.
Making their way to the table, Colson seems completely oblivious to the fact that you’re even sitting there. He’s so enthralled in a conversation with Rook that he doesn’t even look around before sitting himself down beside Sophie, directly across from Jacob. You’ve never wished for the ground to open up and swallow you whole more than you do right now. You look down at your menu, pretending to intently study it. The waitress finally returns with the drink orders and you breathe a slight sigh of relief.
“Double vodka lime and soda with a sprig of mint?” she calls out from the opposite end of the table, looking around the table, waiting for someone to claim it.
Colson’s head whips towards her and then back along the table, finally spotting you in the corner. You kick yourself for ordering your usual drink. Any chance of making it through the evening undetected by him has gone completely out the window. His eyes widen as he takes in your appearance and then his eyes zero in on the man sitting next to and the way one of his hands disappears under the table. Before you can even say anything, a familiar shrill voice fills the silence space.
“Oh my god, have you seen the bathrooms in this place?” a woman squeals as she comes around the corner behind the waitress, taking a seat practically on top of Colson. 
You swallow harshly as you recognise where you know that voice from. Flaming red hair, long lash extensions, full fake lips, a deep tan, long red claws and a dress that barely covers her implants, pushing up under her chin so no matter how much you try, you can’t avoid staring. This night has gone from bad to worse in a matter of minutes and you have whiplash just from sitting at the same table. The ‘date’ Colson brought to the restaurant is Carly, one of your old friends, who spent your whole friendship secretly trashing you behind your back and trying to steal your boyfriends. 
“That’s my drink,” you wave to the waitress and she seems relieved that someone’s finally responded. Even she can feel the tension in the room.
“Oh my god Y/N, is that you?” she whips her head around to give you the most malicious grin you’ve ever seen. “Damn girl! Long time now see!”
You don’t say anything, you just smile weakly and sip your drink. Rook and his date, who introduces herself as Chelsea and works with Carly, quickly take over the conversation and the air in the room begins to feel less smothering as time passes. You and Jacob seem to be enthralled in your own conversation, completely separate from everyone else but you don’t mind. You find it easier talking one on one than in front of a large group.
Carly is trying hard to maintain Colson’s attention but she can’t stop him from glancing over and scowling at you and Jacob every now and again. When no matter what she says can bring him back, she presses her chest against him and makes some comment about how hot he looks or how warm it is in the restaurant and she wishes she could take off another layer without being arrested. That usually brings his attention back to her and he’ll whisper something in her ear or kiss her neck. You have to try hard not to gag, instead focusing all your attention on Jacob. Her efforts were working pretty well until Jacob tells you a funny story from his childhood and has you almost spitting your food right at Sophie, that her tactics lose their power.
“What’s so fucking funny?” Colson growls at you, venom in his voice and contempt in his eyes. 
“Just a story Jacob told me,” you explain dismissively, annoyance clear in your tone.
“Why not share with the group if it’s so hilarious,” Colson quips back.
“Kells,” Rook warns but Colson is so hellbent on proving whatever point he’s desperate to make that he completely ignores him.
Anger begins to boil in your blood. Sure, throwing the occasional dirty look is one thing but trying to now purposely start shit is completely uncalled for. You stupidly thought that maybe Colson would just be mature and let the evening play out without trying to start anything but you should’ve known better. Maturity has never been his thing.
“It’s fine babe,” Jacob grabs your hand and squeezes it before putting his hand back on your thigh. Colson’s eyes zero in on the movement and his face pales.
Jacob begins to tell his story and everyone at the table is snickering under their breaths as he does. Even Carly has a genuine smile on her face as she listens intently. You smile at him as he speaks, telling his story so enthusiastically that your heart flutters at little and your chest warms. You feel a burning on the side of your face and you look over at Colson, his eyes ablaze as he watches you intensely. His big blue eyes look like they’re trying to convey something that words couldn’t but you can’t decipher it. The table erupts into laughter as Jacob reaches the conclusion of his story and the intense gaze between you and Colson is broken.
“Wasn’t that fucking funny,” Colson mumbles under his breath. Carly blindly agrees with him, even as she’s wiping tears from under her eyes. She senses herself losing Colson and when you think she’s about to give up, she directs all her attention towards you.
Fuck. 
“So Y/N, how did you and Jacob meet?” she gives you her biggest fake grin and your heart begins to pound.
“We met last weekend at Colson’s party,” you reply numbly, trying your best to seem unaffected by the sudden attention of the whole table.
“Oh so you and Kells aren’t fucking anymore then I guess?” she smiles again and you see the twinkle of evil in her stare.
The air in the room is sucked away and everyone is visibly uncomfortable, everyone except Carly and Colson who now has the same evil glint in his eyes. Sophie is choking on her drink, Rook’s mouthful of food is about to fall out because his jaw is on the table, Baze and Slim look like they want to leave and Jacob is avoiding everyone’s eyes. His hand is still on your thigh but it’s tense.
Fuck.
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