#and show some reasoning for potential future actions

[farolero-posting]

Write Your Own Path Forward - chapter 3

Chapter summary:

We catch up with the current state of the world. Someone is questioning the existence of ghosts, someone is fighting sleep and someone is trying to solve a mystery.

Words: 2,095

Read chapter 1: On Tumblr / On AO3

(full chapter below the cut)

A robot can do any task given to it, with enough time and information at its disposal, and the Entity had plenty of both things. 

It wasn’t sure where to start this time, however. When it didn’t have a connection to rely on, there was no set course for where or what it should be focusing on. It had not been programmed with that possibility in mind. Or if it was, it couldn’t do it with ease

[I was also not programmed to be broken. I did this to myself], it remarked to itself, as it looked for lines that needed fixing.

[...] 

[Niko wouldn’t like me to say that…]

[The best I can do is fix myself, and that is all I can do.]

The World Machine’s attention was set in the Refuge. The center of this world. 

It worked at a slow pace, at first. The city was overwhelmingly big and detailed, and every corrupted element required a specific fix that would match the original content. It needed to find the specific corrupted bits, and reconstruct them into something that resembled what used to be in that place. It had an extensive database to pull from, which made the task arduous. Thankfully. usually some fragments of each element remained intact, and the surrounding information could give it the context needed to fill in the blanks,

There was a catwalk missing in the apartments to the south west of the city. Three poles on the ground level, by the computer repair shop. A set of stairs next to one of the schools. 

A robot guarding the path to the apartment buildings in one of the alleys between buildings. A robot standing in front of a drugstore. A robot lying next to one of the lanterns that had started leaking, depowered due to its missing parts. All of them required the same resources, and providing those was not a difficult task.

Would they notice the difference? The Entity hoped they didn’t. At the very least, every inch of them was created from what the World Machine had already stored, their parts could be copied and repurposed without issue.

It wondered if any ghost’s lingered inside those robots, too. 

.

.

Cedric walked inside his apartment, leaving the key next to the door, on a small table. 

“After all this time… We made it here.” He held the door as his siblings walked inside. 

Rue walked past the boy’s legs and climbed up to one of the free seats, curling up on it, while Prototype closed the door behind him and sat on the chair closest to the bookshelf. There were piles of blueprints in it, as well as a few books with clovers on the cover. Cedric took off his hat and left it on the hanger on the door, sighing in relief. His toolbox now weighed on him. He supposed he should drop it by the laboratories when he had more energy, but the only thing he currently looked forward to was getting some well deserved rest.

Tea would be nice as well. He turned his head towards the door, considering the idea.

“Cedric?”

“Yes, Rue?”

“You should sit down with us. You must be tired.” Rue leaned her head to her right, pointing towards the yellow sofa next to her. “Do you want to sleep or would you rather do something else first?”

The boy repressed a yawn, 

“I… think I would like some tea first.” He took off his goggles, blinking hard in an attempt to find strength. “I also… wanted to tell you about a conversation I had. At the office computer terminal.”

“It seems you tried it sooner than I anticipated,” Proto stated. “Did you succeed?”

“Yes, I did. I thought it wouldn’t work out at first, and I had to wait for quite some time, but I got a response.”

“Hold on, does this mean you managed to contact the World Machine?” Rue asked, perking up her ears. “That’s wonderful news. I’m quite impressed you managed to do it.”

“Thanks? According to my father, computers were its usual way of communicating, and that computer was used by Niko before, so I guessed this had a chance of working. These computers aren’t… powered by normal means, however.” —He yawned again—. “I’m just glad I managed to find a way around that issue.”

“And… how are they doing?” the fox inquired.

“I offered our help to the Entity. We didn’t speak for long, and I wasn’t asked to do anything else for the moment. They just said they needed to handle the remaining squares and focus on that. They did ask about you two, I said you were busy but willing to help too.”

“You can count on us for that.” Rue confirmed, while Proto nodded.

“We walked around the Refuge while you were working. We helped some of the evacuees from the cafe to get back to their apartments.” Proto walked to one of the shelves and inspected the contents. “It appears that the residents are adjusting quickly. The return of the sun has… increased the chances of this positive outcome, it is likely this state will continue, depending on a few other factors...” He grabbed a box with a faded label.

“We also saw a few people preparing to celebrate too. I guess it’s a relief to finally see the sun again. I sure like it myself.”

“M-hmmm” Cedric nodded along, his eyes tightly pressed as he did it. “This is good news, then.” He yawned. “I wish we could go watch that, but I’m… barely awake at the moment.” 

“Cedric, do you still want tea?” Proto’s head was directed at his brother, while his eye gazed at the door. “I can go to the communal space and make some. I assume you would like that.”

“I very much would, thank you. I should change my clothes while you go do that.”

The robot nodded, opening the door.

“I’m leaving too.” Rue leaped onto the floor, stepping out of the room.

“We’ll be right back.” He stepped out of the apartment, disappearing from sight.

The common dining rooms were down the hall, as the pair walked, Rue resumed the conversation.

“So, what do you think?” asked the fox. “About… the World Machine.”

“I cannot say for sure. What the Entity does now is its own choice. But I cannot predict what choices it will make. Cedric’s input is likely to result favorably for all of us.” 

They opened the door to find a mostly empty room, aside from one resident sleeping with an empty cup next to them.

“I personally think that things may take some time to settle for them… This was… abrupt. I think we all still see some of the scars,” Rue spoke, standing on one of the stools. “It needs time to process some things, but I stay hopeful.”

Prototype filled a kettle with water and leaves, and left it on one of the burners. “How do you think the other regions are doing? I didn’t get to see the Glen, but Cedric said the islands were full of anomalies.” 

“I… just saw the city streets, I think I know even less than you. The squares were very aggressive and the city is supposed to be better equipped to handle them. I think… the Glen still needs to recover. Not just from the squares, but also some of the flooding issues, though that’s been an issue for a long time. Maybe I could visit soon. I want to see a few people over there.”

Prototype nodded, while he took out one of the trays, setting a saucer and a teacup on it. “Rue, I think I should visit the Barrens.”

“I think that’s a good idea, but what’s your reasoning?”

“We don’t know how the anomalies spread around that region, besides the one station I was at. I also suspect it may be needed.”

“Does it have to do with the World Machine?”

“Kind of. I think the head engineer has reasons to… question the nature of the world. We are not sure how the Entity will handle that sort of information. They’re tamed and seem more stable but this instance could create some instability it may not be ready to handle yet.” 

The kettle whistled, cuing Prototype to take it out of the burner and pour a cup.

“You could talk to it, you know.” Rue tilted her head to the side, winking. “We all should, actually. We’re all that we have. It will probably seek us as time goes by.”

“Maybe.”

.

.

Many strange things had happened during the last few hours, and being abruptly sent back on the lookout point next to her home didn’t help to solve any of Silver’s questions.

Her best guess was that she was moved somewhere as the squares took over, and this same action was then repeated to bring her back to a safer location in the Barrens. The mechanism for such a process to occur was unknown, however. Her only clue was that the messiah had suggested the involvement of a machine “remembering” her code. 

A World Machine, they called it.

Her thoughts on the matter were fuzzy at best. Her first hand experience suggested the actions of a being, one who took her from the squares, restored her damage, and then let her go. One of the suggested solutions to this motivation was that the deity who guided Niko was responsible for moving Silver from the dark room back to the lookout point, but Niko’s words seemed to imply that their god was not the one causing such changes, so it meant it had to be something —someone— else. The World Machine was a term she had to look further into, in order to figure out how it fit into this thread of events, so she added it to her pending tasks. 

But that wasn’t the only odd part about the last hours. There were other bits of information that seemed out of place. Niko had carried a journal with a clover on the cover, just like the ones his friend used to write. The journal, however, was written in an indecipherable language, and had glowing yellow phosphor, which was a rare material. The child had stated seeing a drawing of the room, and upon sharing it with her, she noticed it was from a top-down perspective. 

Just like the video feeds in the observation terminals inside the mines. She doubted she could access the area in its current state, and she was not eager to test her luck inside just yet. There were bigger matters to attend to, for the moment.

She had arrived just in time to see the Sun lit up at the top of the Tower once again. The sun beams poured all over the barren land around her, and her visual sensors took a few moments to adjust to the shift in lighting. The metallic sand shone in a stronger shade of blue, with a few small faint blue sparks of phosphor. The buildings ahead of her cast a shadow behind them. casting a sharp silhouette over the ground. 

She had memories of the time before the sun was gone, though she couldn’t reproduce those images to compare, and so this experience was completely new to her.

It felt good.

She had said that the sun wouldn't fix everything, and perhaps that wasn’t necessarily wrong, but she was willing to believe that its presence would make any future attempts at solving those problems easier. They had a reliable source of energy for batteries, and means to store the light that reached them. It was likely that people would try to move back to the area to resume work on it, and make the repairs that were needed long ago. Of course, this was a long journey and she first needed to report back to the Refuge about what was left of the Barrens. Silver was in a clear area, but she had to check around to be certain.

As she walked around the area, she noticed the presence of distant squares. Of course that problem would not be solved as easily.

And then she noticed how a cluster of them faded away, clearing the entrance to a tool storage facility. The anomaly had never behaved in such a way. 

What was behind this development? She needed to investigate it along with everything else.

But… that could wait. She had work to do first.

And a bright day to light up the mood.

#oneshot game #the world machine #cedric #rue #prototype #silver #fic #my writing #oneshot entity #i kinda hate tumblr doesnt have a lot of ways to add divisions between scenes that are accessible but oh well #this shall do #hmmmmmm thoughts on this chapter #i am scared of expanding and trying to write more voices but also i kinda need to show what's up with the solstice trio at the very least #and show some reasoning for potential future actions #I plan to make most characters show up at some point #this will all depend on how the story runs its course #i like writing all of these characters #a bit of a spoiler if u read this far: this first arc is gonna be centered around taming itself. robots and being Alive #but the other two big themes i wanna cover are grief and filling up expectations and then giving symbolic meaning to oneself #so. yeah. if i can't cover that in fic trust me i will write some unorganized essay #or yell about it over discord

[globalrebrand]

Jealousy

Lyney doesn't get jealous. Of course he cares for your comfort, that will always be a priority, but the glances you get in the street from other would-be suitors doesn't phase him in the slightest. You're beautiful, it's only natural people would acknowledge it. And he can't help but want to show you off. He's a bit of braggart when it comes to you. It's not even about looks, he's happy to share your charitable actions and adorable mannerisms with anyone who will listen. He actually hopes they get jealous of how amazing you are and that you're all his.

Besides, he has no need to be jealous. Lyney trusts you, enough that he would tell you his secrets. If he couldn't achieve full faith in the fidelity of your words and actions you two wouldn't even be in a relationship. He's open with you on the condition you'll keep his secrets and that you share yours in turn.

No so Lyney doesn't have a reason to be jealous. He values your friendships with others, and while admittedly he would prefer to have you to himself all the time, he knows it not feasible and will peel himself off of you so you can cultivate your relationships with others.

...but your new neighbor is interesting. He's quick to help you with any issues that arise in your apartment. If you would have just told Lyney, he would have gotten Freminet to come over and fix it for you! But it's fine, no worries, he understands. Somethings are just too time sensitive.

He understands a little less when he sees the two of you outside on your adjacent balconies, your neighbor with a cigarette and you playfully chastising him about his health. Lyney doesn't like the way he looks at you, but what he hates more is the way you look at him. Like you actually like and respect him, like he possesses the potential of a future friend. Not that Lyney is threatened! No of course not! What a traitorous thought. Maybe he's being too clingy. Lynette always tells him that he can be a bit smothering at times...

The local market however is the last straw. You probably thought nothing of it, you were going to the market, he was going to the market the two of you might as well go together, but something about shopping for food together feels too intimate for Lyney's liking. The metaphor of your neighbor slipping a fresh aubergine into your wicker bag riles Lyney too much not to say anything and finds his feet carrying him to your location, wordlessly leaving Lynette to look at some loose tea samples. He's not jealous though. Certainly not marking his territory like some brutish man. Absolutely not. Lyney's just-

Did that fucker just try to feed you a blackberry?

No.

Fuck no.

Just who does this bastard think he is?

You awkwardly accept and bite into the berry, trying to steer clear of his fingers and keep a respectable distance, but then the juice drips down your chin a bit and as if in slow motion Lyney watches that horrible homewrecker's hand come to wipe at the liquid staining your chin.

But Lyney finds himself by your side just in the nick of time, smoothly whipping a handkerchief out of thin air to dab at your chin himself. Clearly catching your neighbor off guard.

Lyney smirks. Good.

You smile at him, your surprise and resultant delight upon the recognition of your boyfriend has Lyney's heart thumping wildly in his chest.

Before he can even stop himself, he's guiding your face to his by your cheek, kissing you fervently. Time slows further, Lyney feels the heat of your lips that rivals the warm sun of the summer day and the confident weight of your hand as it settles on his nape to angle him closer in an attempt to deepen the kiss, but then he tastes the sweetness of the blackberry that asshole just fed you. And while he'd love to drink you in indefinitely, he remembers his has other matters to attend to.

"Mmm, what a good blackberry. I don't know how it's possible, but your lips made it taste even sweeter."

Lyney then turned his gaze to your neighbor, who stood looking stunned, slightly irritated, but ultimately disappointed. Good. Lyney thought.

You on the other hand looked rather flustered and slightly embarrassed.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your new friend?"

And you do, but he soon excuses himself, much to Lyney's obvious pleasure.

"You're a silly man. You know that? You remark airly, still a little breathless from the kiss as you continue walking, the both of you seemingly in quiet agreement that what that kiss started must be finished as Lyney guides you back to Hotel Bouffe d'ete.

"I couldn't help myself! I simply couldn't stand to see another man put his aubergine in your bag."

#lyney #lyney x reader #genshin impact lyney #genshin impact x reader #genshin lyney #genshin x reader

[echosoftheflower]

I feel like there is so much missed potential in this fandom when it comes to Jimmy's part in EVO.

Like yeah, Grian constantly pissed off the watchers by being too greedy and taking more than he should, and we all know it was Grian who was taken by the watchers after the ender dragon fight and made into one of them.

And we know that in the Life series, Martyn's character is spoken to and told to do various things for the Watchers and saved by the Listeners.

And Jimmy has some kind of Canary Curse that causes him to die first every time.

But, there is a lot more to this that people don't use simply because they haven't seen Jimmy's Evo series.

Most of my headcanon ideas are after my little recap of all the listener moments from Evo and you can skip to that, but if you have never seen Evo or never watched past Grian's POV it is pretty interesting and I think I summed it up pretty well.

----start of very long Evo Recap----

Back in Evo, the Watchers never really liked Jimmy or at points Martyn. This is seen when they get gifts from them representing the Watchers' opinions. Jimmy gets one of the worst ones (a chest with some gold and saplings, likely meaning 'room for growth') matched only by Grian's (a chest of coal with one diamond meaning 'diamond in the rough').

Martyn is shown to be disliked when later on he declares himself mayor due to Taurtis having left, his and Jimmy's Property Police station gets a meteor sent through it by the watchers. 

In Jimmy's episode 75 he and Martyn follow a strange noise underneath their destroyed station. They find the listener symbol in bedrock and signs reading 'There are some who watch, we are those who listen. Heed our melody, and await your first mission. Tell nobody." This is the first time we hear about the Listeners and we don't see anything about them again until Jimmy's episode 98. 

They had just defeated the ender dragon and had been told the news that "10 will become 9" and that they were taking Grian. In the end credits when they were told this, multiple members were mentioned by name for various things they had done, all except Jimmy.

In Jimmy's episode he spawns in alone. The spawn is destroyed and grown over and in front of him is the Listeners symbol. He finds a book in a chest simply titled "your mission" and 9 enderchests.

The book reads: "there are some who watch, we are those who listen. It is finally time for your first mission. Dragged forwards through time, your spawn old and rotten. Even in the end credits, your name was forgotten. Cruel are the Watchers who think they know best. For us please deliver each player a chest. SHhhh...."

He goes on to do as they ask,  one ender chest in each player's base. He is never told what these chests are for. Later the rest of Evo spawns in thousands of blocks away at the new spawn, they make their way back and find the Listener's symbol Jimmy had found is now a Watchers symbol.

The books titled "the future" read: "Our meeting was short and your victory grand, now 10 become 9 and you must leave this land. Our reasons are just, though you won't understand. Your actions have caused this, accidental or planned. Tread now to your homes, carry only what you can. Anymore will be drowned on and the sentence, a ban. We The Watchers Have Spoken."

They find the chests Jimmy had left them and inside is a note from the Listeners labeled "Greetings": "There are some who watch, we are those who listen, and we do not agree with their most recent decisions. 'Carry only what you can', what you deem best, We grant you more space by making use of this chest. SHHhhh....."

Later Jimmy finds signs from Martyn telling him what's going on and where to go. Jimmy shows caution and distrust towards the Watchers but follows all the same. 

They set up everything at the new spawn, but in Jimmy's episode 112, he noticed an odd musical ticking sound beneath spawn. He goes around to everyone's base to leave them a sign asking what it is to make sure they know about it. They all gather at spawn and find that it was the Listeners who did it.

Under spawn they find a book titled "Freedom" by the Listeners. It reads: "There are some who watch, we are those who listen, if you flee you'll be free and complete your recission. Single versions are slow, new adventures in store, come with us and we'll give you lots more to explore. Make haste through this maze as a portal awaits, make the choice quick and take control of your fates. SHHhhh...."

They make their way through the maze and eventually find the last portal. They all get ready to make the jump for the last time, and go through the portal. For most this is the end of Evo (Jimmy, Pearl, and Netty do Christmas specials but those are only 2 episodes) meaning that this portal was really some kind of escape.

----end of very long Evo Recap----

This means that not only had the Watchers always had a dislike for Jimmy, but the Listener always had an interest in him and Martyn.

There is also the fact that Jimmy was the one the Listeners chose to deliver the enderchests. Bringing him to the original spawn under the Watcher's nose for this task, giving out something that will later help get around the Watcher's decision. And the fact that he was the one to first notice the strange sound at spawn and then go and warn the others? or at least inform them of this allowing them all to eventually find their escape? 

It seems to me like Jimmy had long ago gotten a target painted on his back by the Watchers. With everything from

 1) going against them 

2) working for the listeners 

3) influencing others to go with him

4) they just generally didn't even like him beforehand.

By the time everyone escaped Evo it's a fair assumption that Jimmy is probably at the top of their list of problems.

So, when they make a new experiment with the death games and they have him there? Well, they can't have him staying around long enough to start figuring things out and influencing people, now can they. 

And speaking of warning others, he seemed to be so intent on warning the other Evolutionists against the Watchers. What would be a better punishment for going against them, for being one of the main catalyst in it all, then to be cursed to always be the warning. Cursed to always be the first to die, always gone before something big goes down, the Canary in the coalmine.  But no matter what his death warns of, there is no escape this time. The coalmine's entrance is sealed and no matter how long you last, soon everything inside will suffocate.

And maybe this feeds into Secret life where he mentions how the Secret keepers symbol looks familiar, or how he decides to team up with Martyn just like in Evo. 

Maybe him surviving a little longer in the games and coming back after death as a guardian angel is a testament to how the listeners are stronger in this season. An apology/gift to their first chosen for everything their actions had put him through. 

But that's probably just me making far fetched connections and reading too far into things. Could be cool though.

#evo smp #jimmy solidarity #evo spoilers #i guess #martyn inthelittlewood #traffic life series #trafficblr #idk i dont usually tag #echos screaming into the void #echos talking about old Minecraft servers #written at 1:30 am #idk gues evo lives in the back of my mind #watcher lore

[writingintheshadowsforever]

Imagine Abby confessing her love for you

You knew you were goner the first time you laid eyes on Abby Anderson. She was tough, guarded, emotionless, and serious about completing the task. Whatever it was Isaac put her charge of no matter the objective that was always her main focus. Despite her tough exterior and her knack for pushing people away whenever they tried to befriend her. Almost like it was her secret superpower or something.

You managed to worm your way into her heart with the resilience of a bear trying to protect its cubs, and the patience of a scorpion waiting for its poison to spread before moving in for the kill on its prey. If someone asked Abby how you were the one who got through to her first.

She didn't have an honest answer for them herself for she never understood how you did what you did. All she knew was once she let you in. There was no getting rid of you even if she wanted to. Abby found herself relying on someone else to keep her. Other than the need for revenge going for the first time since her dad's death. She'd do anything for you. There was nothing in the world you couldn't ask her to do that wouldn't be an automatic yes.

Unless of course you asked to be honest about her feelings for you. Because the second the two of you returned from scouting the outpost. You cornered her in the locker rooms knowing she would be in there to take a nice long, and hot shower. It was pretty late so no one else was present. You figured that would make it slightly easier to coax the truth out of her. Instead Abby gave you the run around insisting that yes while you were an important person in her life, and she indeed love you (like a friend) making sure to put an extra emphasis on the word friend. She wasn't harboring any feelings for you, or anyone else.

Abby then went on to make some stupid joke about her last relationship, and just how incompatible she was with anyone. You weren't buying it for one second, but nonetheless you still let it go. Knowing better than anyone if you pushed her too hard she'd shut down for a while.

But apparently that one push was enough because the next day Isaac asked you to report to him. He proceeded to tell you that for the next month or so. He was reassigning you to strictly supply runs only, and if you weren't need there. You were to report for dog duty every morning which included in helping training the dogs, cleaning up their kennels, and grooming them. No more field missions for you with reason being you showed reckless behavior on your last mission. That could've resulted in the death of either you, or you and your team.

"You got potential to be one of my best soldiers in the future y/n. I'll be damned if I lose you in the field because you want to be a show-off playing hero." Isaac scolded you with a grunt placing Abby's mission report on his desk.

Arguing with him wasn't going to change a thing. You might've been with the WLF longer, but Abby had way more experience in the field. Her history with the Fireflies and dedication to training moved her up the ranks faster than any other solider. She hardly ever went on a mission where she actually had to answer to someone else. So whatever she told Isaac was final.

The role change took place nearly two weeks ago, and you still hadn't adjusted in the change of pace. Plus the lack of action not to mention despite how pissed off you were with her. You missed Abby Anderson terribly. The two of you only saw each other in passing, and each time Abby avoided eye contact. Right now the supply run you were on took you a few miles away from main base. Abby had just returned from a pretty nasty confrontation with the Scars, and was resting up in the infirmary. You wouldn't be surprised if she had something to do with you being sent on a four-day run.

"Ahhh I don't see how these guys do this all day." You complained pushing the door to the lobby of the abandoned hotel open with your back. The room covered from top to bottom with containers filled with any items that were preserved and still of good use. With a grunt you heaved the large box in your arms up to stack it on top of more boxes. The pile held up not swaying the slightest bit.

You let out a sigh of relief leaning back on a heavier and stronger stack of containers. The person in charge would've made you clean it up alone if it fell. "This is literally the definition of grunt work."

"Wow its good to know how you really feel about us, and our contribution to the WLF's survival." A familiar voice chimed in only a few feet away.

You let out a surprise yelp looking up to see Nora positioned right in front of you. Her arms crossed over her chest, a single eyebrow quirked upward with a playful smile on her face. "How long have you been there?"

"Considering I'm in charge of taking inventory all day. What's in the box you brought in?" She asked her tone becoming a bit more strict for the moment.

"A bunch random clothes" You told her unsure of why it was important.

"They actually go over there." She pointed to the far left side of the lobby chuckling. At the way you groaned pushing off the containers. "Calm down I'll have some of the guys move it later."

You relaxed again shooting her a fake angry smile.

"So what did you do to get on Isaac's bad side. The only time he puts field operatives on supply runs is when we're navigating dangerous territory. And the only time he turns you guys into suppliers is when he wants to punish you." Isaac knew the change in pace of the work drew field operatives crazy.

"Its more like what I did to piss off Abby." You said unable to hide the irritation in your voice.

Nora's eyes widened a bit at your answer before her face scrunched up in confusion. "But you and Abby are like this" she stated holding up a hand with one finger crossed over the other.

"Yeah we were until I tried to make confess her feelings for me" You told her with a shrug. If Abby was going to lie about it why should you keep it a secret.

"Oh no you gotta start from the beginning girl" Nora demanded shaking her head. Not giving you a chance to protest she hoisted herself up onto a container adjacent to you.

You chuckled at her eagerness to hear some gossip, but knew nothing more exciting was going to happen. So you would indulge in it this once even though it was never your thing. Plus Nora and Abby were close enough the girl was in the inner circle. No easy feat to accomplish with Abby.

"We went on a scouting mission a few weeks ago, and got ambushed by a herd of infected. Abby got cornered and ran out of bullets, so I came to her rescue doing something that was kinda stupid." You admitted a bit guilty knowing Abby wasn't completely lying about the reckless behavior thing. "But it worked and I saved her life only I guess she thought I died in the process. Abby started freaking out and when after I reassured her I was fine. She went on to say I couldn't do stuff like because she cared about me too much, and stopped short of dropping the "L" word."

Nora held onto every single word that left your mouth following the story with genuine interest. When you to the end immediately she shook her head hoping down from her seat. "Nope we can't have this I'm going to help you get your girl."

Your eyes lit up with curiosity. "How?

"Oh don't worry I'll think of something" she replied already rubbing her chin.

You still wanted more insight which led to your next question. "Why?"

Nora turned back around and walked over to rest both of her hands on either of your shoulders. "Because you're my girl and Abby is my girl I want both of you to be happy. Plus I've been rooting for y'all since day one when the two of you met."

"And" you pressed her further sensing an ulterior motive.

"I got a running bet with Owen, Manny, and Mel about when the two of you are going to finally get together." she finally admitted with a sheepish smile. "Don't be mad."

I'm not but Mel." You laughed a little bit thrown back by the timid doctor being in on it.

"I betted it would be sooner than later, but Mel thought the opposite while Owen and Manny opted for it being never."

You wanted to disappointed in Owen but with the way Abby reacted to everything that happened. It made sense and Manny was her roommate, so he probably did have some type of insight on her unknown to you.

"So what do you get if you win? Money isn't exactly worth anything."

Nora just gave you a quick wink and motioned for you to follow her.

Three Days Later

Isaac didn't have any more assignments for suppliers, and your assistance with the dogs wasn't required. So you readied yourself to enjoy a rare free day or two, but a solider came banging on your door the morning. After you had just returned from your supply run with Nora to let you know the man wanted to see you in his office.

You dragged yourself out of bed with a sleepy groan cursing the entire world. What could Isaac possibly want now? He literally told you last night today was yours. A five minute shower and ten minutes spent going through your closest trying to determine what to wear, and a quick stop to the mess hall for breakfast. You finally arrived at his door giving it a gentle knock.

"Its y/n"

"Come in" replied his gruff voice.

You opened the door to the sight of Isaac sitting behind his desk with his hands folded together in resting atop it. Abby sat in chair on the right side with both of knees maintaining a steady bouncing pace. The second your foot stepped into the office she launched to her feet. Already red in the face jabbing a anger finger at you.

"What is she doing here?"

"Sit back down Abby" Isaac commanded rather than answer her question.

"But-" she started to protest until he fixed her with his steely gaze, and she finally listened. Plopping back down into the chair propping her elbow up on the arm, and placing her chin in her awaiting hand. Abby grumbled complaints under her breath while you took the chair beside her holding back an amused smile.

"Owen and Manny are both out of commission for the next few days, and you need a partner for your scouting mission today." Isaac said laying both of his hands flat on the desk.

"Are they okay?" You asked a bit concerned.

He nodded. "Mel said it was some type of stomach bug possibly caused by. A bad batch of fish from last night's dinner, but we're keeping them in a restricted area to be sure."

Your mind wandered back to your conservation with Nora just a day ago, and you knew without a doubt this was her doing. You fought off the urge to grin again.

"I don't need a partner Isaac I can handle this by myself." Abby argued throwing you a side glance trying to hide the guilt in them.

"After what happened on your last mission I won't risk it. The infected could be anywhere in this point, and you never know when a horde is going to show up. Plus those Scars are getting more bolder with each attack. Y/N compliments your skillset nicely, and has enough experience."

"But she's reckless-"

"And I trust you to maintain control over this mission, and put her in place if the need arises. Are you telling me you can't handle it?" Isaac narrowed his eyes at Abby almost daring her to continue questioning his decision.

"No sir I can handle it" Abby answered dropping her head with a look of despair.

The scouting mission was a simple one. Located about three miles from the main WLF base was a small cabin near a set of watchtowers. A group of soldiers stumbled upon it on they're way back, but didn't feel comfortable scoping it out. They were injured, malnourished, and sleep deprived after spending days hiding out in Scar infested territory trying not to be discovered.

It was close enough to base Isaac was sure none of the Scars were stupid enough to get this close. And if there were a few hanging out about you and Abby were more than capable of taking them out. He did order to bring one back for interrogation if the two of you found any.

The cabin was located in wooded area where the trees grew too great heights, and the bushes were dense. Abby walked ahead of you hacking any blocking vegetation away with her machete. She did it in such an aggressive way you were pretty sure this was her stress reliever. Anything would do rather than actually getting it off her chest through conservation. You followed behind her maintaining a comfortable distance. It went like this a solid hour or so into the trail before finally you couldn't take the silence anymore.

"Are you going to ignore me the whole time Abby?" You asked her.

"That depends what do you want to talk about?" she shot back not even bothering to pause to look back at you.

"I don't know how about the fact you lied to Isaac and got me put on supply duty."

Now she stopped whirling around to face you her face shrouded in disbelief at your words. "I didn't lie your actions were reckless on that mission." She raised the machete pointing at you, but then realized it and slid into the waistband of her pants.

"Yeah but that's not why you reported me is it? You accused closing the distance between you two.

"Why else would I report you y/n?"

If she was going to continue to play dumb then you were happy to bring up the elephant in the room again. "To get me away from you for a few days, so you could bury those feelings so deep inside of you again. You'd forget they were ever even there."

A red tint coated her cheeks as her eyes averted the contact from yours now. Instead she turned her gaze to the ground below swallowing a lump in her throat. "We should keep moving."

Not bothering to wait for your reply Abby turned back around and continued on the path to the cabin. You let out a sigh of exasperation running a hand down your face. Of course it wasn't going to be that easy to make her confess. You were going to play the danger card again.

The opportunity to do it without putting your life in any real danger presented itself. A whole hour later after the two of you finished hiking your way through all the deep bush. The trail cleared up a bit more till eventually one of the watchtowers came into view, and the closer you two got to it. The more realized getting to the cabin wasn't going to be easy as the group made it out to be.

The sound of rushing water filled the air when you and Abby got within ten feet of the tower. And the source of noise revealed itself once you reached the tower to it sitting on the edge of a ravine. Abby extended her arm out in front you. When both of you reached the edge of the grassy terrain that led down into a wide and deep ditch. That was filled up with water probably from the few storms to hit the area in the past few days.

You leaned over to try and determine just how deep it went wondering. If it was possible to walk across, but the bottom wasn't visible. The current was too strong to just outright risk it, and you didn't see a bridge or anything that could be used as one.

"We gotta find another way across" Abby said coming to the same conclusion. "Let's keep following the path farther down maybe the water level gets lower." She pulled out the map to look over for a possible better destination, so caught up with it. Abby missed the way your eyes lit with mischief when you looked upward. The two watchtowers were connected to one other by a decent size beam.

By the time Abby finished going over the map you were taking your first step onto the beam.

"Alright there actually might be a road..." Her voice trailed off when she discovered you were no longer beside or in front of her.

"Y/N" she called out your name her head swiveling in every direction in frantic search for you. Had the Scars managed to ambush and nab you with her so close? The thought terrified her so much she was five seconds away from working herself into hyperventilating just like last time. "Y/N" Abby cried out desperately again.

"Up here Abbs calm down" you shouted from your position standing on top of the beam. About thirty feet up in the air balancing on the metal surface with ease.

She followed the sound of your voice, and sighed with relief at the sight you. Bracing a hand to her chest she calmed her panicked breathing. It took a minute to get it back to normal then she glared up at you. "What the hell are you doing up there? Come down now."

"No we can cross this way" You argued with a tiny smirk.

"Y/N I'm not playing with you get down from there" Abby ordered again. Her voice more firm this time but you saw how nervous she was getting.

"But this is so much faster than walking like another three miles for a road that might destroyed. Plus that's farther than Isaac wanted us to go." You pointed out.

"I don't care I'm in charge and I said no. Now. Get. Down. Here." Abby pointed at you then the ground on her last two words.

"Fine I'll come down" You agreed. "But first I want to hear you say it." You added it as she relaxed again.

Your request made her quirked an eyebrow. "Say what?"

You shook your head. "No more games Abby finish what you were going to say to me. On our last mission before you stopped yourself I won't come down till you do."

Abby grabbed two fistfuls of her hair holding back a frustrated scream. It was a miracle she didn't unravel the braid. "Oh for crying out loud y/n let it go. I wasn't going to say anything besides what I actually said." Now please get down here before you fall and drown or something." Abby pleaded with wide and desperate eyes.

You dropped into a crouch swaying a bit but righting yourself immediately. A small cry exited Abby's mouths as she followed your every move in fear. "What would you do if I fell in? Would you try to save me?" You asked her softly.

"I'd do anything for you" she whispered so low you barely heard her. "Because we're friends and that's what friends do for each other." It was half a lie, and both of you knew it. You were too close to give up now. So you added more pressure by standing upright and turning to walk further away to the middle of the beam. "I thought it was because I was one of the best."

"You are y/n but you're my friend too. I'm sorry for the way I've been acting for the past couple of weeks. Is that what you wanted to hear? I'm sorry okay."

Close but not close enough.

"What exactly am I the best at Abby?"

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "What?" she replied.

"You said I was one of the best but at what. It can't be fighting because that title goes to you easily. I mean not even our toughest guys can take you in a sparring match." You brought up your hand placing one finger down. "I know its not sharpshooting I mean I got I'm one hell of a shot, but so is Owen." Another finger brought down as you focused you on Abby again.

She dropped her head staring at the ground with her fists clenched at her sides. Her entire body was trembling with anger, or maybe the overwhelming emotion she kept trying to suppress.

"I guess it could be tracking I am really good at that" You said pausing.

"You're the best tracker we got, and I know that for a fact I'd be dead. If it wasn't for your tracking skills back when we got trapped in that cave during the blizzard." Abby said loud enough for you to hear her.

The memory came back to you in an instant. Almost two years ago the two of you had to seek refuge in a random cave while patrolling the area of a nearby hotel. The suppliers were searching it top to bottom for any resources. Back then the harsh winters had depleted many of your medical supplies, and other items. The area had an infected problem, so a small team of soldiers went along for protection.

You and Abby ended up wandering a little too far while following a stray runner to a small nest. No more than ten of them which was easy enough as long as you used stealth rather than bullets. Then the storm picked up making it all but imposing to find the way back. You were a survivalist before joining up with the WLF. Your father raised you in the wilderness teaching you every skill you would need to conquer it. When the world fell apart you were a little more than ready, and you put all that knowledge to use in an effort to keep yourself and Abby alive.

"I never seen someone fight so hard to live in a world that's just easier to die in." Abby went on looking up at you now. "It wouldn't have been fast but better than being tuned right? I was ready to accept defeat but you were there going out in storm risking your life for mine. Each time returning with food, or wood for the fire. You built a wooden door to keep out some of the cold, and no matter how bad things got during those five days. You never lost hope, or that cheerful attitude of yours."

The fear in her eyes dissolved to be replaced with adoration and the look warmed your entire body. "You never run out of it you know. It doesn't matter how bleak the situation is. And before I met you y/n I lost all that after my dad died. I lost all hope for a better world I didn't believe there was a single thing worth fighting for anymore. Owen was the only reason I kept going, but we fell apart so it wasn't the same. Then you made me see again just how beautiful the world can be. Because if my love for you isn't the most beautiful feeling I don't know what is. There I said it I fucking love you alright, and my biggest fear in this world is losing the person I love the most again. So please come down."

The speech that led to her confession caught you off guard hitting you like a ton of bricks. Her words tugged on all your heartstrings till they came loose, and tears of happiness clouded your vision. "Damn it Abby I love you would've done just fine." You said with a teary chuckle wiping your eyes on your shirt. One of your feet lost its footing and you stumbled before finding the beam again.

"Y/N come on" Abby shouted holding out her arms as if she could catch you. If you did indeed fall from that angle. "I want kiss you so hurry up alright."

The statement made you perk up a bit as the mischief came back sparkling in your eyes. "I don't know you made me work for that confession. You should have to work for our first kiss."

Her expression darkened but she smirked daring you to try her. "Y/N don't do this."

You smirked back while walking across the rest of the beam holding her eyes for the entire duration. She watched you disappear into the other tower in amusement and slight annoyance. Not wasting another second Abby bounded to the tower and climbed the ladder as fast as she could. Slowing down at the beam to take a deep breath, and doing her best not to look down. She took the first step placing one foot in front of another. Till she reached the other end your playful laughter filling her ears as you slid down the ladder. After making sure she made it across without falling, and you hit the ground running straight for the cabin.

Abby went down the ladder halfway before taking a huge leap. She didn't bother stopping to right herself giving chase almost immediately. Even with your head she started catching up to you in just a matter of seconds.

"Abby I get the bonus points for helping you face your fear right." You called out pushing your legs to go faster.

"Not a chance" Abby yelled back matching your pace.

Her arms wrapped around your waist from behind and you were yanked backwards off your feet. You let out a shriek of laughter when her fingers dug into your sides. "Abbs no" You laughed trying to break free of her grip.

Abby secured your back to her chest with a single muscular arm while her other hand continued to wreck havoc. She tickled you into you were breathless and in tears, and before you had recover. Abby turned you around in arms and pressed her lips to yours. Any breath you managed to get back into your lungs vanished again. As your eyes closed and your body melted in her arms. Lucky for you Abby kept you upright with her arms constricted around your middle.

You had dreamed of this moment more than a hundred times. Each time wondering if the real thing would live up to your fantasy. Of course the real Abby surpassed all expectations, and your questions of rather or not she knew how to kiss went out the window. Her lips moved slowly against yours in such a way. It was like she was guiding on exactly what to do, and you followed her lead eventually your hands found their place in her hair. You tugged her a bit closer and she moaned into your mouth pulling away for a fraction of a second. Before deepening the kiss swinging your body around to push you up against a tree.

The bark bit into your skin but the only thing you could focus on right then was. How your body lit up with a want no a need for Abby. It wasn't enough your toes were curling from the passion she kissed you with. You shoved against her shoulder, and Abby pulled away immediately eyes filled with concern. "Did I hurt you?"

"No but the cabin."

She scoffed. "We got plenty of time."

You flicked her forehead causing her to yelp in pain and pull back again. "What?" she whimpered eyes zeroing in on your swollen lips.

"I bet its a lot more comfortable in there way more appropriate for making out" You told her.

"That would be inappropriate behavior" Abby started nuzzling your neck. Her lips drifted to your ear "good thing I'm in charge huh." You squealed in surprise as she lifted you in arms bridal style, and began to carry you to the cabin.

Where the two of you would stay for a few more days, and long nights. Consequences be damned this time.

#abby anderson x reader #abby anderson imagine #abby anderson tlou2 #abby tlou2 #abby the last of us #abby anderson #tlou2 x reader #tlou2

[multiplicity-positivity]

Here’s some positivity for system persecutors!

System persecutors are headmates who cause harm, either to themselves, their headmates, or their body. Many systems may find they have persecutors, and may be unsure of how best to navigate living with their persecutors and forming positive bonds. But persecutors are still headmates, maintaining a valid, while often maladaptive, role, and they deserve to be embraced and accepted in their system and the plural community as a whole! So this post is for all the persecutors out there!

❤️‍🩹 Shoutout to persecutors who have been traumatized, hurt, ostracized, or bullied by others, whether inside or outside their system!

🔥 Shoutout to persecutors who lash out at their headmates in order to protect their system!

🥀 Shoutout to persecutors who want to change for the better, but don’t know how!

🏵 Shoutout to persecutors who struggle with self-harm, intrusive thoughts, suicidal ideation, and other potentially harmful thoughts or actions!

❤️‍🩹 Shoutout to persecutors who are also symptom holders, hosts, littles, protectors, or have some other role in their system!

🔥 Shoutout to persecutors who are trying out less harmful coping strategies as a way to deal with their negative emotions!

🥀 Shoutout to persecutors who are learning to apologize after they’ve lashed out at their headmates and are taking steps to form better relationships with their system members!

🏵 Shoutout to persecutors who have recently relapsed, backslid, or fallen back into old habits or harmful coping mechanisms!

❤️‍🩹 Shoutout to persecutors who don’t want to change - you still deserve respect and compassion as you are, no changes necessary!

🔥 Shoutout to persecutors who have dealt with being jailed, isolated, or otherwise cut off from the rest of their system for any reason!

🥀 Shoutout to persecutors who often feel angry, frustrated, anxious, lost, upset, lonely, or depressed!

All persecutors in all systems are deserving of love, happiness, and comfort, with absolutely no exceptions! Regardless of your past, your feelings, how you view the world and how the world views you, if you are a persecutor in your system, we are wishing you the very best. We truly hope you can find hope and recovery if you need it, something joyful to hold on to, and someone in your corner who cares about you as you are now. If nothing else, please know that we care about you and we’re rooting for you!

We know this might be hard, but please do your best to show yourself some patience and kindness today. You exist for a reason, and change takes time and dedication! You are allowed to take things slowly, breathe, and show yourself some grace today. We hope your future is filled with treats, good surprises, comfort, safety, and a sense of belonging! Until then, remember that you belong here, and we are so happy to share this space with you.

#plurality #multiplicity #pluralgang #actuallyplural #system positivity #plural positivity #plural pride #system pride #system persecutor #persecutors #trauma #self harm #suicide

[gartenofbanny]

Morally, gray characters are those with complex motivations or goals that aren't simply right or wrong. One of my favorite morally gray characters in fiction is Jason Todd from DC. The second Robin that Batman failed to save, who ended up dying at the hands of the Joker and resurrected by Ra's Al Ghul.

Given a second chance at life, he comes to a revelation that villains should NOT be left alive. Villains, especially the Joker, have caused the suffering of thousands of people, as said by Jason Todd in Under The Red Hood.

Leaving villains alive will risk more innocent lives and graveyards to be filled when it easily could have been prevented.

But there is an opposite argument that does have merit to it. In DC, there is a crook turned superhero named Plastic Man who, after multiple chances, turned his life around for the better.

At the end of the day, Jason is ending a human life. A life with the potential to convert and change for the better. They're capable of changing, but it's a risky game to play. This is what makes Jason Todd a morally gray character. You understand his motivations, and depending on who you are, you agree or disagree with his actions. There is no easy answer for a topic like this.

So, what about Alastor? Well, he's just not a good person at all. Does he do some good things? Yeah, but he mostly does them in exchange, which will benefit him. He doesn't do anything out of the kindness of his heart (if he even has one), nor does he do stuff, which he believes is right.

So, as always, this blog will be separated into two sections listing the reasons why I don't believe Alastor is morally gray, starting off with status.

Alastor is an Overlord who makes contracts with other demons to get them to submit their souls. Alastor has many souls in his possession, including Husk, and he holds all of them in for power. Immediately, this is not what a morally gray character is. I have yet to see a morally gray character who enslaves other people just to further their goals because that's just what an evil person would do.

And it's not like Alastor had no choice or did it for the greater good or did it to simply defend himself. He ambushed Overlords, took their souls, and broadcasted their fucking screams across Hell to show the denizens of Hell that he means business. He wants people to be afraid of him or respect him for his power.

Secondly, there's just him as a person. He genuinely sucks. Everything he does, he usually does it for himself or because he's told to by a higher power. He helps Charlie just so he could watch the Sinners fail for laughs. He helps Vaggie with the commercial so he wouldn't have to make one ever again. He makes a deal with Charlie in exchange for a favor he'll likely use to his advantage in the future. All of these "kind" actions are usually in exchange for something else, he doesn't do anything out of the kindness of his heart just to further his own agenda.

And if you really think about it, Alastor contributed very little to the hotel despite making a deal with Charlie that he would help her. They only got one new patron, which was Sir Pentious, and it stayed that way for 6 months. Apparently, Charlie, Vaggie, and Alastor suck at their job if they can't bring any new members lmao. And no, just because a villain did something nice for once doesn't make them morally gray.

Thanos helped an old lady cross the street just so he could ruin some woman's life, that definitely doesn't make him morally gray.

Morally, gray characters are complicated, and that's what makes them interesting. Alastor isn't complicated. He's just a power-hungry psycho who eats people and wants to have fun. He's the perfect example of simplicity.

Just because Alastor will potentially be a morally gray character or complicated character in the future doesn't mean he is one now. And I say potentially because the writers of Hazbin and Helluva like to set things up with underwhelming payoffs. But that's a future blog for a different day.

In conclusion, Alastor is not a good person. He's a bad guy, and just because he's the protagonist doesn't make him any less evil or any more good. Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you all have a good one. ❤️‍🔥

#vivziepop critical #vivziepop #vivziepop criticism #vivienne medrano #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel criticism #hazbin hotel critical #hazbin hotel critique #Youtube #alastor #hazbin hotel alastor

[poorlittleyaoyao]

Didn't want to derail that last post since it's specifically about novel canon, but it got me thinking about the ramifications of the changes that the drama makes:

CQL Mianmian is a Jin disciple. I like this change overall because it facilitates her being a larger part of the narrative and implies that Jin Zixuan has a life outside of being That Rich Guy Wei Wuxian Hates. Still, as is also the case with Meng Yao and Lan Xichen due to them meeting earlier, it means that Jin Zixuan is defending someone already dear to him rather than protecting a stranger simply because it's the right thing to do. Don't shrug off his heroism yet, though, because...

A nameless Jin disciple is the one who tries to hand over Mianmian. Jin Zixuan (and only Jin Zixuan) strikes him down and says in disgust that he can't believe the Jin clan contains such cowards, or something like that. However, Mianmian herself reminds Jin Zixuan when they're giving up their swords that they're under orders from their sect leader to comply with whatever the Wen clan asks of them. Jin Zixuan's choice to defend Mianmian is potentially in defiance of his father's directive. (Why is Jin Zixuan willing to disobey his dad here but stays awkwardly silent during his family's BS at the Phoenix Mountain hunt and conference later on? Well, his dad's not in the room with him here.)

Su She is not involved here, as Lan Wangji is the sole representative from Gusu Lan. The selfishness/cowardice of trying to feed Mianmian to a monster is replaced with his (more socially unacceptable in-universe but IMO more sympathetic to the viewer) revealing the Cold Pond Cave secret. There aren't any Lans standing by as nobody but Lan Wangji does the right thing.

The hostages generally show a lot of solidarity! After Wen Chao punts Wei Wuxian deeper into the cave, everyone else climbs down after him. None of them responds to Wen Chao shouting questions from up above, forcing the Wen guards to climb down to their level to investigate. The Jin guy attacking Mianmian is an outlier, indicating a problem with Lanling Jin culture rather than the jianghu as a whole. They cooperate well when it's time to band together and escape!

So the takeaway in CQL canon isn't that everyone is a coward or overly concerned with politics except for the protagonist, his love interest, and Jin Zixuan for some reason, but more like... here are these young people and future leaders who are fully capable of acting together for the good of the group. They refuse to comply with their captors despite being unarmed, and they'll convince the older generation to take action against the Wen clan. (Nie Mingjue, the only sect leader who's part of the younger generation without an older relative's influence, has already been in open conflict with them.) And isn't it a shame, then, that Jin Guangshan--and his sect culture that would've excused feeding one of his own disciples to a demon turtle--is going to crush all of this.

*I initially assumed, when I started making this post, that Cloud Recesses in the novel gets burned after the indoctrination in retaliation for Lan Wangji's part in killing the Xuanwu of Slaughter. But the wiki timeline has the indoctrination still coming after Cloud Recesses is attacked? If that's the case, how do the Lan have that many disciples to send?

#I was so happy to get to consult my dumb little notebook with all the watch notes in it

[fans4wga]

'The Hollywood strike can and must win – for all of us, not just writers and actors'

Excerpt:

"The thousands of workers engaged in this enormous, multi-union Hollywood strike – something America hasn’t seen since 1960 – represent the frontline of two battles that matter to every single American. You might not naturally pick “writers and actors” to be the backbone of your national defense force, but hey, we go to war with the army we have. In this case, they are well suited to the fight at hand.

The first battle is between humanity and artificial intelligence. Just a year ago, it seemed like a remote issue, a vague and futuristic possibility, still tinged with a touch of sci-fi. Now, AI has advanced so fast that everyone has grasped that it has the potential to be to white-collar and creative work what industrial automation was to factory work. It is the sort of technology that you either put in a box, or it puts you in a box. And who is going to build the guardrails that prevent the worst abuses of AI?

Look around. Do you believe that the divided US government is going to rouse itself to concerted action in time to regulate this technology, which grows more potent by the month? They will not. Do you know, then, the only institutions with the power to enact binding rules about AI that protect working people from being destroyed by a bunch of impenetrable algorithms that can produce stilted, error-filled simulacrums of their work at a fraction of the cost?

Unions. When it comes to regulating AI now, before it gets so widely entrenched that it’s impossible to roll back, union contracts are the only game in town. And the WGA and Sag-Aftra contracts, which cover entire industries, will go down in history as some of the first major efforts to write reasonable rules governing this technology that is so new that even knowing what to ask for involves a lot of speculation.

What we know for sure is this: if we leave AI wholly in the hands of tech companies and their investors, it is absolutely certain that AI will be used in a way that takes the maximum amount of money out of the pockets of labor and deposits it in the accounts of executives and investment firms. These strikes are happening, in large part, to set the precedent that AI must benefit everyone rather than being a terrifying inequality accelerator that throws millions out of work to enrich a lucky few. Even if you have never been to Hollywood, you have a stake in this fight. AI will come for your own industry soon enough.

And that brings us to the second underlying battle here: the class war itself. When you scrape away the relatively small surface layer of glitz and glamor and wealthy stars, entertainment is just another industry, full of regular people doing regular work. The vast majority of those who write scripts or act in shows (or do carpentry, or catering, or chauffeuring, or the zillion other jobs that Hollywood produces) are not rich and famous. The CEOs that the entertainment unions are negotiating with make hundreds of millions of dollars, while most Sag-Aftra members don’t make the $26,000 a year necessary to qualify for the union’s health insurance plan."

Read more

#sag-aftra strike #sag strike #actors strike #current events #union solidarity #fans4wga #union strong #wga strong #i stand with the wga #wga strike #writers strike

[nothingtherefornow]

About Evil teenagers antagonists in Miraculous

I currently wonder how can some fans still want a redemption for somoene like Chloé who willingly hurt people just because that's was her definition of "fun".

Why not accept Chloé as somoene evil ? Just because she's 14 years old ? Just because Gabriel was worst than her doesn't take away the fact that Chloé is a truly bad person who has the potential to become as evil, if not worse than Gabriel while growing up.

Even in real life, adults are not the only ones who are capable of cruelty and crimes. If only adults were capable of monstrosity, I wouldn't have 14-year-olds killing each other with callache nikoffs in the drug trafficking districts of my city. we wouldn't have young people beating up little ones and pushing others to suicide and absolutely not regretting their actions. And we wouldn't have stories to raise eyebrows about kids capable of committing murder and acts of torture without necessarily having been abused in their lives.

To me, anyone who loves to make others suffer for their own sick pleasure (and their victims are people who objectively don't deserve such cruelty) has serious mental issues and can be a danger to others.

Both Chloé and Lila love to make others people suffer or don't care about hurting innocents, and they certainly don't feel any empathy for anyone, or in Chloé's case, no longer feel any empathy (she may have felt sympathy and empathy for Adrien at some point, like during the episode Felix in season 3, but that's definitly no longer the case as soon as Adrien asked her to stop being a biatch). Maybe Lila may feel a form of attachment toward her mothers, yet that doesn't stop her from manipulating them and fooling them in a way that's pretty cruel if you dig deeper in Lila's scale of truancy and imposterization.

I know that technically when a 14 year old kid behaves like Lila and Chloé we could say to ourselves that it is unfair to give them no chance and to condemn them when they are only 14-15 years old and could change for the better if they could be guided on the right path.

But Miraculouse is a show in which the superheroes with the fate of the world in their hands are 14 year old kids. And as such in this fictitious reality, other 14 year olds are perfectly likely to become real cruel and threatening villains i without any scruples, especialy if they are influenced by the wickedness of an adult supervillain.

And I believe that Gabriel's evilness only made Chloé's and Lila's wickedness worse.

He put those two girls in positions of power where they could hurt others and act according to their darkest and Manichean impulses. And Lila and Chloé would only want more taste of that power to crush others. And you know how power easilly corrupt the most greedy hearts.

On several occasions, Gabriel even approved of Lila and Chloe's horrible plans and actions. He has encouraged Lila on numerous occasions to "get rid of" Marinette, thus giving the impression that he supports Lila's jealousy, and during collusion he will have the nerve to say that Chloé's ideas, which consist literally ruining the academic future of your classmates and putting your pregnant teacher in jail for no good reason are good ideas. Having a rich adult in a position to approve of their actions in this way will only have given Lila and Chloe the feeling that their acts of cruelty and malice are justified, and thus reinforced their evil nature.

On several occasions we have seen Chloe and Lila voluntarily let themselves be akumatized, and worse than that, we have seen them plan to be akumatized (Chloe in Penalteam, and Lila in Revelation) and not for understandable reasons like that of a desperate Jalil brainwashed by lies on social media. Because Lila and Chloe have only ever been motivated by their narcicism, their ego, and their desire to get revenge on people they hate for the most pettiest, vain and selfish reasons possible.

Lila and Chloé may be kids, but they are evil teenagers, because they would gladly become supervillain if that means getting what they want. And what they want is anything but noble. For their selfish goals, Lila and Chloé were willing to endanger the city they live in and all its inhabitants. I don't even know if I can still call Lila and Chloé kids or teenagers, with how far they're willing to go and hurt people for the sake of their ambitions.

Although there's still the possibility that Lila may be an adult with a youngfull appearance or a hormonal abnormality making her look like a teenager when she could be an adult. But that would risk making her a pedophile so I don't think the show will go that far ^^ At most they could give her the same as Théo Barbot

But an antagonist adult would be needed then to balance an antagonist teenager supervillain.

Good thing we still have Tomoe Tsurugi then

It's tragic that Chloé and Lila wickedness and evilness could be due to serious mental issues or Chloé's bad upbringing, and the show may have decided that it's more important to protect others from the harm Chloé and Lila can cause rather than to prioritize "helping" them with their issues. Both Marinette and Adrien proposed another path for Chloé to chose, one that could have helped her heal from the emotional and mental wounds her mother's abandonment and neglect. Chloé instead chose Hawkmoth's/Monarch

Ladybug offered Lila her friendship, and Adrien also offered Lila to be there for her as long as she didn't hurt those he loved. Yet both Lila and Chloe voluntarily chose to continue committing bad deeds and hurting others, regardless of the fact that someone reached out to them and offered them another path to get love, acknowledgement and recognition from people. Adrien and Marinette don't have to sacrifice their mental health for people who wish them harm, so I understand very well that it wasn't and won't be their priority to help Chloé and Lila find potential redemption. And especially when Lila and Chloe seem determined to refuse to change and continue to cling to their wickedness.

It should be the adults responsabilities to deal with Chloé and Lila issues, and unfortunatelly the adults in Miraculous are pretty lousy and incompetents. It's very tragic when we don't know that one kid is a psychopath, and if another has always gotten away with his narcissistic behavior disorder and nothing had ever been done to help them deal with that issue, that only leaves the opportunity for the seed of evil in these kids to germinate and flourish, and then reach the level of nastiness that is more often found in adults.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous thoughs #chloé bourgeois #lila rossi #gabriel agreste #tomoe tsurugi #This show seems to like evil teenagers antagonists in Miraculous #and the fact that the influence of an evil adult antagonist only facilitates their premature fall towards the path of evil #We had Garbage Agreste giving Chloé and Lila opportunities to be villains and supervillains who would antagonize and oppose the heroes #then in season 6 we may have Tomoe Tsurugi becoming one of chrysalis's ally #That sure would be better than the whole miraculous team having a lot of trouble against just one villain teenager

[nterini]

The Leftover Kids in ONLY FRIENDS

A character analysis of Boston and Ray Ep. 6

This episode reveals a bit more about Boston’s character, and while it doesn’t justify his actions (because your past doesn’t have to justify all your present decisions, especially in fictional characters) we’re able to better understand his impulse to “humble” others when it seems to him like they’re finding their own way.

We learn that Boston’s mother remarried, and flew to another continent to start her new life. And while I don’t want to make assumptions, something about Boston’s politician father (who calls him only to speak about his campaign and winning over young people) encouraging his son’s impulses to toy with the emotions and bodies of others may have had something to do with it. Boston, time and time again tells Nick that the potential of the public finding his sex tapes (with other men) would be a burden to his father’s career. We don’t know if Boston has come out to his father, but the ultimatum that Boston must graduate or be sent back to New York to live with his mom shows his father’s willingness to get rid of a son that may not fit his public image. Boston is a talented photographer and someone in the demographic he wants to target; why so eager to send him away.

In the next scene, while comforting our favorite crazy lovesick puppy, he tells Nick, that the reason he doesn’t make lasting relationships is because he knows he has to leave anyway (and some more be about how he’d be a better photographer abroad). Maybe it’s because of the pressure he feels from his father, but Boston believes that there’s no place for him permanently anywhere. No one has chosen him for an “unconditional forever love” and no ever one will. He’s had no power over that. If my assumption that Boston’s father already knows of his son’s sexuality, and is slowly freezing him out and that Boston knows this already, Boston’s view of his future in Thailand, one that will always be queer, must be bleak. His own father, a popular candidate elect, does not want him. This loss of control triggers him. We see Boston seek control of potential rejection in the way he pursues his flings. He prefers Nick over all his other flings because he’s confident that Nick will always choose him no matter what selfish things he says. He’s envious of Mew who’s constantly chosen and pure, of the perfect Top who rejected him and has his life together, and of Ray and Sands budding relationship. He believes he’ll be left alone again, so he sabotages externally against anyone’s progress.

It’s what makes his scenes with Ray that much more interesting. Because Ray is just like him, except he sabotages internally. 

We were introduced to Ray’s family background a few episodes back, and the toll it took on him emotionally, physically, and mentally. His mother was a young and talented actress who married rich, and whose light was dimmed in that marriage. And whether it was resentment over her lost career, Post-partum depression and an uncaring husband, or just a worsening addiction that was left untreated, she died alone drowning herself in alcohol. We know that Ray did not receive much affection from his mother and that his father was just as neglectful. Ray has learned to use money to buy emotions, companionship and intimacy. Unfortunately, he seems to be following in both his parents footsteps. 

There is a theory going around that Boston has had a secret unrequited crush on Ray. And while I don’t think there’s a lot of evidence that supports this ship, it’s a plausible theory. However, the way he constantly goes back to Nick when he needs comfort and conversations, other than just straight sex, says the opposite. I think a better conclusion would be that Boston finds comfort in Ray’s lack of growth and misfortune. After all, they’re very similar. Leftover, abandoned, rich kids that were never chosen. I don’t even think he had any ill intention against Mew when he slept with Top or even with Ray. I think deep down he’s secretly comforted by seeing Ray heartbroken. It makes sense that he was triggered when he saw that Ray might have found someone to help him come out of that misery. He doesn’t provoke Mew or Top the way he does Ray. Maybe it’s because Ray doesn’t see how similar they are. Maybe it’s because Top and Mew see right through him. 

Mew’s role in their friendship is also really interesting 🤔. Ep. 7 might give us inside Mew’s thoughts and actions. Is Mew manipulating his rich friends to get his dream career and partner or is it all all a grand plan to help heal the lives of the people he cares about most.

Overall, I love how real the show feels. The discussions of drugs in Thailand’s queer community, of privilege and class struggle, it all feels incredibly genuine. It’s hot and steamy and we’ll written. Like we CAN have all of these things at once! The growth that I see in BL/Queer (the slash is necessary) content gives me hope. Please give the lesbians (AprilNamchueam) more screen time plsssssssss 😩.

(Please excuse any typos and errors.)

#only friends meta #only friends ray #only friends the series #show analysis #first kanaphan #khaotung thanawat #firstkhao #only friends boston #Only friends episode 6 #thai bl #gmmtv 2023 #gmmtv bl #gmmtv #bostonnick #neomark #queer #messy gays #queer friend groups #someone give the lesbians more screen time #namchueam #AprilNamchueam #jennie panhan #forcebook #lgbt representation #lgbtqiia+ #thai gl #thai drama #only friends mew #only friends top #only friends sand

[allaboutalf]

I saw your post talking about some Buddie shippers preemptively coming up with reasons to be upset over any Tommy and Buck scenes in the next episode. I'm pretty sure that's a direct result of the more recent interviews and the official instagram following Lou.

A lot of the more intense shippers seemed to have convinced themselves that 7x06 was going to be Tommy's lat episode (based on the four episode comment by Lou). But it's becoming more obvious that Lou is sticking around after it and BuckTommy is likely lasting longer than originally planned? I think they're coming up with reasons to be upset instead of just saying they're upset about Buddie isn't happening like they thought.

You’re spot on.

There’s been a lot of speculation from recent interviews and actions, especially around Tommy’s role in the episode and beyond. Especially Lou’s interviews and the Instagram follow.

Having this break between episodes builds anticipation but also gives a lot of time for theories and building outrage. It’s giving the toxic shippers a chance to latch onto speculation and start to build narratives that they can play up being upset over.

I don’t know why any were confident it would be such a short arc. I mean I do, cause they thought buddie would happen. But it was never going to be that fast. That would be terrible storytelling, make no sense for where the characters are right now and be a waste of a good narrative. The show may be ridiculous at times, but this is TV writing not fanfiction.

The 4 eps comment from Lou was always an initial contract as the season is still being written. There was always a strong possibility it would be extended once episodes were in the bag and post 7.04 reception. I think Tim’s plan was always to have Tommy around for a bit for such an important story. Hopefully he sticks around even longer now and we get a good slow burn for buddie and a positive romantic experience for Buck in the meantime (and an amicable bucktommy ending down the line if it comes to it).

I completely agree they’re just brainstorming reasons to be upset and trying to convince themselves and others they’re justified instead of being honest about what they’re really upset about. They have a right to be sad their ship isn’t together yet and progressing how they hoped, they just shouldn’t be toxic about it, or use shipping to virtue signal and hate on other ships.

Most of these people were thrilled by the first kiss and bi Buck, even with no buddie, so it’s baffling they’re now gearing up to spread negativity about potential future romantic scenes, when they should be excited it’s another step in the right direction for Buck. And that the character is happy.

#911 discourse #911 on abc #911 abc #bucktommy #buck x tommy #911 #911 show

[butterflydm]

The news about Tanchico does confirm that when Rafe said a closer adaptation of TSR, he really meant a close adaptation, because that was definitely the easiest storyline to shift to another city that would appear again later on if he wanted to combine storylines (Perrin's plotline could only happen in the Two Rivers, and Rand's plotline can only happen in the Aiel Waste).

So I think a reread of TSR is in my future, lol, so I can refresh myself on the story beats.

Tanchico means Egeanin, I would guess. Otherwise you'd move their story closer to everyone else's action. So the show likely plans to keep the pressure on re: the Seanchan.

It does make going to White Tower feel even less likely (and I already had the likelihood of it pretty low) because that would be a LOT of ping-ponging for Elayne and Nynaeve, to go from the west coast to the middle of the continent and then back over to the west coast in the space of something like two or three episodes purely dedicated to traveling around. At least for Egwene, the White Tower is kinda 'on the way' to the Waste. The White Tower is definitely NOT on the way to Tanchico from Falme, lol.

The biggest question that I have is how long we'll get before the characters split up into their various plotlines and if any of them come back together again at the end of the season. From what else Rafe said at NYCC, it sounds like they are not dipping very far into TFoH at all, because he talked about focusing on a single book this season. There will definitely be things from books 1-3 in there, because we know Elaida, etc. have been cast and need some kind of introduction, but the main focus will be book 4.

A pretty good chunk of TSR does take place before anyone goes to the Waste, so I wonder how much of that we'll get. I do expect us to get the official final breakup of Rand & Egwene, though I doubt it will be comedic like it is in the books. I feel like they shouldn't rush right into Rand & Elayne afterwards (which is a major reason that I do hope they're planning to reunite Elayne & Nynaeve with Rand's side of the storyline at the end of the season, because that gives some space in between the breakup and then Rand and Elayne having serious emotions about each other), and Rand & Aviendha are built for a slow-burn. Plus I would expect Lan and Nynaeve to get some time together (their only time together in s2 was Nynaeve's vision in the third archway) before they split up (for the rest of the season?).

If Doman is the one who carries Elayne & Nynaeve to Tanchico, then that's the set-up for him to meet Egeanin there. Then Elayne and Nynaeve could potentially take a Sea Folk raker at the end of the season to reunite with Rand's half of the cast? But that really depends on how quickly Rand's side of the story is moving.

I definitely don't remember all the plot beats of Nynaeve & Elayne's side of TSR, so that reread is in order, yeah. But their TFoH plotline of having Nynaeve and Elayne just wandering the continent for most of s4 because Nynaeve can't remember the word 'Salidar' would feel like such a random & pointless sidequest especially since Rand & Elayne and Nynaeve & Lan still need a lot more weight in their romances at this point (and I'm saying that as someone who likes a lot of their circus arc in TFoH).

Even with knowing that they'll be following TSR more closely, I am definitely expecting a lot of surprises in s3. They did a really good job in putting in some elements in this season that I was not expecting but that I really loved (having Mat be the one to give Rand the wound in his side was so galaxy-brained of them; and having Elayne be the one to heal it really tied together her original meeting with Rand into the different way that the show has introduced her).

#wot s3 speculation #wot speculation #wot s2 spoilers #wot #wheel of time #wot on prime #wot book spoilers #the shadow rising #the fires of heaven

[genshin-side-piece]

I just read “Love Me Tender” and I’m obsessed with the way you write yandere Neuvillette and his darling. He’s one of those yanderes who are just so soggy and pitiful. I love the idea of a powerful yandere utilizing their power and connections to keep you. The melusines would DEFINITELY watch over you per Neuvillette’s request. And even if they knew he kidnapped you, they wouldn’t do anything about it. Not out of any malice, but because they, like Neuvillette, genuinely believe it’s what best for you. I love non-human yanderes because you can explore the potential of them not understanding humans being a reason for their yandere-ness

I love, LOVE the idea that a darling being submissive or cowering like prey turns him on. I love yanderes who take pride in being gentlemen but then silently salivate at the sigh of your legs. Also, I wish this was included in more fics, but I love the idea of a darling absolutely refusing to be near their yandere. Even if they have to resort to sitting in the corner instead of the comfy chairs by the yandere. I love darlings who try to hang on to the last semblance of autonomy and independence you have.

If you ever write any more yandere Neuvillette in the future I would love to read it!

❤️❤️❤️

Awwww TY Nonny! I'm so glad you liked it. I almost didn't publish this because of how hard I struggled with it. I was considering waiting until 4.1 just to be sure I had his personality right. Ray Chase wasn't kidding when he said Neuvillette was complex AF. It took me a minute to figure out if this was really even plausible for him and what his motivations would and could be. Thankfully the stuff with Childe at the end of the 4.0 archon quest showed Neuvillette could be pushed into action. So the idea that he's happy with observation until he deems there's a threat seems logical. Considering there is a mafia of sorts in Fontaine, and the whole serial k*ller business, it only adds to Neuvillette's mindset. Darling vanishes while he isn't looking and the kill bill sirens go off.

I think he would go deeper in terms of filling a caretaker/protector yandere role. I couldn't work it in fully here, but I believe he would be the type to fuss over your nutrition, your exercise, and your general well being. Not to the point that it's invasive, but enough to where he insures you are being cared for. God help Fontaine if that man ever feels derelict in his duty. The difference between him and some of the other protector yanderes, is in my mind Neuvillette owns the fact that he's the source of you misery. He does what he can to fix it, but he won't deviate from any of his previous actions. He can't.

I love my power hungry yanderes, but it was nice to write something soft for once. His pining and yearning coupled with his own self awareness was an interesting challenge. I would like to get to know Neuvillette better. Like I said, he is a difficult one to get right. I have another one that I am working on for him. I'm just struggling with the end on it. There's a third that I started before he debuted that I'm going to have to completely revise, maybe. He's a bit sterner in it than what he is in the game and there's a slight abuse of power, so I'll have to see. He has that side to him, but I'd like to see more of it for actual research purposes. 4.1 will do a lot for that one, especially considering Neuvillette is willing to manufacture charges in the correct circumstances.

But thank you so much for your lovely comment. I really do appreciate it.

#anonymous asks #Anonymous answered #this was such a nice thing to get #yandere neuvillette #yandere genshin #yandere genshin impact

[sketching-shark]

Youve talked a lot about why you admire jttw's redemption arcs for acknowledging how fucked up everyone was beforehand but i just wanna show some appreciation for how everyone still retains parts of themselves that could be considered flaws in other narratives. like when SWK becomes a buddha, he's not a pacifist, he's the *fighting* buddha. and zbj celebrates gluttony and indulgence yet when he attains enlightenment his role still celebrates that as an altar-cleanser :>

Oh you are so genuinely big-brained for this anon.

YEAH YEAH YEAH when it comes to everyone's favorite ex-assholes' attainment of enlightenment and what this could mean for any potential Xiyouji sequels, there is just so many interesting possibilities and implications you can work with when it comes to the pilgrims' post-journey lives! I know they only get their new positions at the very end of Journey to the West--and given the assumedly "great"final" ending that is achieving enlightenment this is probably why a lot of jttw-related media taking place in the future either re-writes jttw in some major ways and/or has it that the pilgrims failed in their mission and/or became basically the complete opposite of who they once were--but as you say there's something really compelling in the idea that they were successful AND retained their core characteristics BUT with all the maturity and desire to do genuine good that they developed over the course of the journey and solidified with enlightenment. I think that's at least why a few people playing around with jttw sequels have the pilgrims' be more like boddhisatvas than buddhas, as from what I understand this means that they DID attain enlightement but have put off entering paradise in order to more actively help others achieve the same. I feel like that makes a lot of sense for the pilgrims too, as they all experienced the wide gamut of pain and desires that can drive a person down the paths of samsara, which could end up providing a strong foundation for compassion for others. Plus there is something very cool with the idea that the same traits--even ones like a willingness to violence, gluttony, etc--can be beneficial or detrimental depending on how they manifest. That really drives home the idea of just how much there's no such thing as a "naturally" wicked individual, but that so much of one's moral character depends on what one actually DOES.

So (just to put it down) with the pilgrims you have:

Sun Wukong as the Victorious Figthing Buddha/Buddha Victorious in Strife, whose role is now that of a great exorcist and a protector of children. Interestingly too this title also suggests his prowess in defeating the emotions that drive negative actions as well as his victory over cyclic existence, something that we definitely see him achieve for himself!

Tang Sanzang is the Buddha of Candana (Sandalwood) Merit, a figure that others call upon to help absolve them of sin and a title that seems to be attached to the idea that the fragrance of sandalwood can help cool the passions of sentient beings and help them settle their minds (i.e. the very reason Xuanzang wanted to undertake the journey in the first place & something that Tripitaka is seen as having a lot of practice with given who his tudi are!)

Zhu Bajie becomes Janitor of the Altars, which is a role indicating that he actually did NOT in the end achieve enlightenment because he is still beholden to his base desires, but that he will now be able to put his appetite to work in a beneficial way. Interestingly enough, it seems to have been partly because of his lowest rank among the pilgrims at the end that Zhu Bajie has recently been adopted as a patron deity for sex workers in Taiwan, as many of them feel that other more "legitimate" deities would but look down on them.

Sha Wujing becomes the Golden-Bodied Ahrat. Unfortunately I wasn't able to find much information on what exactly this role suggests besides that ahrats are perfected people who have freed themselves from the bonds of desire and therefore will not be reborn, so if anyone has more information please let me know!

Bai Longma is made one of the dragons belonging to the Eight Classes of Supernatural Beings, who from what I understand are an interesting mix of entities, from demons to nagas, who all work as Buddhist protectors. For me at least it's kind of neat to think of the possibilities of everyone's favorite dragon horse, after he seems to have been so thoroughly rejected by his own family, found a bigger one both in the pilgrims and then with these other supernaturals.

#anon answered #jttw #journey to the west #xiyouji #sun wukong #monkey king #tang sanzang #tripitaka #zhu wuneng #zhu bajie #sha wujing #bai longma #jttw au #kind of lol #anyway #moral of the story is that there's a LOT you could do with a post-journey sequel #that still works with what xiyouji set down

[octoling-wearing-gauges]

Favorite fictional ship, and reasons?

LMAOO I'm sure you already know but I'll answer anyway.

Lars and Sadie, these two have literally shaved years off my lifespan, I'm convinced. The funny part is I wasn't even all that interested in them on my first watch of SU. Some time later on they spontaneously became a hyperfixation and I still have no clue why they infected my brain out of nowhere, but here we are. I've essentially been Steven every watch since during all 20 minutes of their screentime.

As for my reasons for liking them, it's complicated. They're SUPER messy and I'm not gonna pretend they aren't. Even as a ride or die larsadie fan I don't necessarily hate the fact that they didn't end up together from a writing/realistic standpoint. They were too toxic in the beginning to be anything beyond FWBs at best despite their mutual feelings for each other.

Post-arcs I feel like they did have a lot of potential to still work out and be much healthier. But at that point I think Sadie had already moved on while Lars was in space, ironically on his way back to her, which may not have happened if Lars had just been honest about what he wanted with her. I of course love Shep as nonbinary representation and for the fact that they make Sadie happy, but I also think that ultimately Sugar's idea with Lars and Sadie was to contribute to the theme of the series as a whole. With life comes change, and learning to accept it whether we like it or not. Steven was sorta supposed to represent the viewers in a way with the introduction of Sadie's new love interest in Future, and his little meltdown over Lars and Sadie having drifted apart, his two friends that he was sure would get married someday. The silver lining being Lars' true love for Sadie in that, even though he's sad it wasn't him, he's glad that Sadie could be happy, showing his growth as a person too. He himself even found happiness in space with the Off Colors.

One could argue they were doomed since the end of Island Adventure though. If not for Sadie's TOTALLY NOT COOL actions, they might've been able to come out of that as a couple. Alternatively, maybe they weren't endgame the second Lars died on Homeworld. Sometimes immortal/mortal couples are a little too sad, which could've been the reason they "couldn't reconnect" as they told Steven. Or maybe Lars would've never kept Sadie for himself, as he genuinely thinks he doesn't deserve her.

Either way, I'll stop rambling and just say, gosh they're cute and check all the boxes for my favorite ships! I love them both so much and them being best friends secretly in love AND coworkers is just ugggghh. Even the angst/tragedy of them makes me love them even more. I'll always wish they worked out but I can get my kicks in fanon. What little we did get in a few episodes is more than a lot of people get with their favorite fictional couples, lmfao (my favorite one is Horror Club :))

BONUS!! to stay on topic w my blog rn I loooooove Greg/Rose. They are TOO precious just look at em!!!!!

#steven universe #larsadie #gregrose #thanks for the ask! #sorry it took so long to get to it #lars barriga #sadie miller #i dont need to say rupphire do i??? #OBVIOUSLY #also i'll die mad that lars and sadie werent endgame i LIED #ask box

[mephinomaly]

[TL] A Snake in one's Bosom/Ibara Saegusa 4*

Character(s): Ibara, Nagisa, Hiyori

Summary: After a recording, Nagisa suddenly and unexpectedly snaps at Ibara. Lost, Ibara asked Hiyori for help. After some shopping, Hiyori reveals what the reason was...

Season: Winter

Ibara: Thank you for your hard work today! As always, working with a jack-of-all-trades is a delight ☆

Today’s recording focused on adlibs and originally I was rather worried about it but now I know that was groundless apprehension.

The staff have prepared some ice cream. Is chocolate to your liking, Your Excellency?

Nagisa: …Ice cream? Thank you, Ibara. This is a reward for today.

(...!?)

Ibara: I look forward to continuing work with the same attitude tomorrow, Your Excellency, if you allow!

Nagisa: ...

Ibara: Is something the matter? You’re making a glum expression but perhaps that is me overthinking?

If that is the case, then please be as harsh as is needed in order for me to improve. If His Excellency so wishes, this Ibara Saegusa will do whatever it takes. Ha Ha Ha ☆

Nagisa: …So noisy. Shut up.

Ibara: Huh…!?

…Sorry? Y-Your Excellency? Why have you suddenly become angry? Did I do something in order to cause it?

If I did, please! Please tell me!?

Location: CosPro Office

Ibara: —And that’s basically it.

Hiyori: Ahaha. How amusing. Nagisa-kun threatened you and you got scared.

Ibara: This is not a laughing matter. His Excellency hasn’t spoken to me since then.

Hiyori: Oh yeah? Then, you came all this way in order to ask me about why Nagisa-kun got angry, hm?

Ibara: Yes, I did. Since today is his day off, I’d like to use this time to get to the root of the issue.

Hiyori: I don’t think you need to be so timid. He was probably already in a bad mood and you set him off.

Ibara: Perhaps, but I do not believe that something like that would be enough to upset him to that degree.

Hiyori: Fufu...

Ibara: What’s so funny? Seriously, this is no joking matter, Your Highness!

Hiyori: Nono it’s just- Ibara is far more impatient than I thought. It’s cute.

Ibara: I suppose I have to be cautious of topics that could potentially upset him despite not knowing what those could be.

Up until now, if His Excellency is angry, I am usually aware of the cause of it. However, this time, I am completely at a loss.

I cannot help with getting rid of whatever is upsetting him.

Therefore, I humbly request your assistance as someone who is the most knowledgeable about His Excellency!

Hiyori: …Wow, this is very honest and laudable for you, hm?

Ibara: If I continue to cause distress to His Excellency, future Eden and Adam activities may be at risk of failure.

Therefore I believe that the best course of action is to resolve this ASAP.

Hiyori: I see. I understand why you’re so desperate.

But of course, I know exactly why Nagisa-kun is angry. So coming to me was the correct thing to do.

Ibara: You’re a godsend! Then please—

Hiyori: However! Simply telling you why is boring, right? Since you’re asking me for a favour, I want you to show me how serious you are about this.

Ibara: How serious I’m being? How would you like me to show that? Would dogeza be sufficient?[1]

Hiyori: Fufu. You have to accompany me window shopping!

Location: Mall

Hiyori: I was able to get a bunch of different cute spring clothes. What good weather ♪

Ibara: I’m glad you are enjoying yourself, Your Highness. However, this is a rather extravagant way to spend one’s time.

Hiyori: Entertain me first before you start talking about extravagance.

I ask you what clothes you like and you give this model pre-generated answer. You know all the latest trends but it doesn’t matter because all you talk about is when it’ll go out of style.

Talking to you isn’t fun.

I try to teach you the joy of highbrow activities but you do nothing but work so I guess you’re unteachable.

Ibara: For me, work produces the same effects and results as your highbrow activities. Rest assured, Your Highness. Hahaha ☆

Anyhow, could you perhaps now tell me what was upsetting His Excellency?

Hiyori: Hm, fine then. I’m just killing time at this point and you’ve practically become my personal baggage carrier.

So you wanted to know why Nagisa-kun was in a bad mood right?

Fufu. So the reason that Nagisa-kun glared at you was—

Ibara: Yes...

Hiyori: He just has a cavity.

Ibara: …Pardon? He has… a cavity?

Hiyori: Well, to be exact it’s toothache. We don’t know if it’s a cavity yet.

Seems that he glared at you that day because he was eating the ice cream the staff provided and it caused him some pain.

But he knew that if he told you that, you’d confiscate it so he kept quiet and just made a face instead.

Ibara: …If that is the case, it was just a cavity that has been causing me all this grief?

Hiyori: Nagisa-kun’s using his day off to go to the dentist.

Look, I think he went to that dentist today. He’s probably about finished now…

Nagisa: …Hiyori-kun, you’ve come to pick me up.

…Oh? Ibara is here too? Why?

Hiyori: Sorry Nagisa-kun. Ibara was super worried that he had offended you so I ended up telling him about your tooth.

Nagisa: …Oh, I see. Sorry for causing you trouble, Hiyori-kun. Ibara too. My teeth are fine so please don’t worry.

Ibara: Yes?... Wonderful, that is excellent news. It is of the utmost importance that your teeth are in good health.

Nagisa: …Ibara. I’m sorry for before. I was too harsh on you.

Ibara: It’s fine. Now that I know the reason for you being upset, I feel relieved.

However, Your Excellency, I will apologise in advance for my rudeness.

But after today, you are banned from any and all desserts and sweets!

Nagisa: …Banning them isn’t necessary. It wasn’t a cavity, I just have hypersensitivity.

Ibara: It doesn’t matter! Whether a cavity or hypersensitivity, they both cause you pain!

Nagisa: …The dentist showed me the correct way to brush my teeth though. Therefore there isn’t a problem?

Ibara: No, I have already made my mind up. No matter what you say, I will not overturn it. My decision is final.

For the time being, I will be closely monitoring when you eat and when you brush your teeth!

I will even brush your teeth for you if it comes to it!

Nagisa: …You’re pushing your luck, Ibara. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again - I am above you, you are below me—

Ibara: That threat will not work on me this time. The reason for this failure was mismanagement on my part!

I have allowed you too much freedom as of late. I will fix this.

Nagisa: …What should I do, Hiyori-kun. Ibara’s scarier than usual.

Hiyori: You two have swapped positions. Dealing with Ibara is such a bother, so run away with me, Nagisa-kun.

Ibara: You will not be. No more of this farce! This will not be happening again!

dogeza is where u kneel on the floor and put ur forehead to the ground in a bow. Google it for a reference. Mans prepared to beg on his hands n knees

#enstars #ensemble stars #translation #ibara saegusa #nagisa ran #hiyori tomoe #mephi's translations #unfortunately oissu n the html is broken #kicking and screaming