#i wrote this very late at night

[hoperaypegasus]

I thought up random stuff for Beyblade... again

Bladers call their beys by nicknames or shortened names instead of their actually names outside of battles (like Storm Aquario might be called Storm or Hades Kerbecs might be called Kerbie).

Bladers who travel on their own a lot often train their beys so that the avatar can accompany them. This technique is also more common in performer spheres as it does drain energy and wouldn’t be smart for a battle blader to constantly be doing.

Beys tend to listen to people who are close with their blader as well (for example Toby and Zeo can command each others beys if they want) and generally all beys being willing to listen to a mechanic if they’ve been to them numerous times before and trust them.

Some beys can alter their avatar if what they are based on has multiple forms (like Horuseus can be a falcon as well, or Aquario can take on the form of a wave and a water spirit).

When bladers get to a really high level of strength and control, they can temporarily embody the power of their bey (as seen by Pluto at the battle of Nemesis and Ryuga’s teleportation). This power varies in form from bey to bey and can be built up over time (Kenta with teleportation and a bow, Gingka with wings, Kyoya with creating wind currents, nile with shields etc).

Even if they stop battling later in life, former bladers often still carry their beys with them, often hiding bey boxes in professional settings in increasingly creative ways.

Tag team partners who battle together a lot typically end up mimicking each other subconsciously and usually have some form of matching item in their appearances (tattoo, jewelry, etc).

DJs often got into fights about "blader custody" during the world championships, aka who got announce for them since they were DJing for them the longest. And it wasn't just National DJs with each other, regional ones jumped in too. It was chaos.

Different types of bladers value and aim for different things in their beys, so comparisons between different groups by each other tend to fall short as they hold them to their standards. Because of this, there are sheets on the WBBA websites of what is common goals of each groups for reporters who might not be fluent in these.

#mfb #beyblade metal saga #metal fight beyblade #i wrote this very late at night #so im tired #but in my defense i forgot some of these werent canon until i was talking to my friend and completely confused them #but yeah hypothetically HYPOTHETICALLY mechanics could wield every bey they work on #after said bey reaches some level of sentience #so that could be fun #you cannot convince me a bunch of kids do not give nicknames to their prized possessions #and dj fights are essentially custody battles or turf wars during the world championships #everyone else was so confused #i really need to write out my blader and bey sentience levels don't i? #oh well

[common-grackle]

highlight from the speech and debate au

#i wrote this very late at night #newsies #gracie writes #sarah jacobs #david jacobs

[cirusthecitrus]

Thinking about the portal incident again How it was never explained what caused the portal to appear, was Light Hope involved, was it someone else or was it wild magic. Was it planned or was it a pure random and luck How it saved Hordak from certain death. How it saved him from Prime How it appeared at the right place at the very right time. And had this happened a day late or anywhere else on the front lines, he most likely wouldn't have survived

How in that moment on the battlegrounds Hordak probably no longer believed he could be saved and just accepted his fate

How he might've as well been mere weeks/days old and his life could've ended before it even began. And he was ready to accept it

How in his mind he might have thought he was dying. And how confused and defeated he must have felt once he realized that he was still alive. That this portal did not kill him, but rather took away his chance at doing something "right", the last chance at pleasing his god. How he might've saw himself as an even bigger failure, because he couldn't even die right

How this sudden brutal separation from Prime and the Hive Mind was necessary and, in retrospect, was the best thing to ever happen to Hordak. How by physically cutting all the ties he had to the Horde and the known universe, some random portal did more to protect Hordak than most people in his life ever did

How Hordak himself viewed his situation not as a miracle but as fate worse than death. How at first he only felt immense pain, fear and grief, like a very young child whom was forcebly taken away from their abusive family. How he did not understand that it was good for him and only wished to return home and see his brother again. How Hordak wasted years of his life trying to find him. How his indoctrination, loyalty and love were stronger even than such powerful magic/technology

How Hordak had no idea what to do with himself at first, for he never thought he would've lasted this long. For he was not meant to live that long. And yet, he no longer welcomed death and once again found will to live. He did not let himself give up this time

How he's been looking for a portal home, hoping that one day it's going to appear again. How eventually, tired of waiting, he decided to create a portal of his own. How it became his life's work

How it was a portal that sent Adora to Etheria, someone who will one day free Hordak and the entire universe from Prime. How, if he wasn't waiting for another portal this entire time, no one would've come for her and Adora could've died on that field. But Hordak was there, and (as best as he could) he took care of someone who ended up in the same situation he was in

How it was a portal that brought Hordak to Etheria, and into Entrapta's lonely life. How they would've never met each other if it wasnt for that incident

How it was a portal that invited Entrapta into his life and helped him connect with a person who will forever change his life. How it was a portal that became a catalist for their friendship (and love)

How the "natural" portal that sent Hordak to Etheria can represent real connections and the painful process of growth and change (seeing new places, meeting new people, trying new things, distancing from harmful enviroment, learning independence, being responsible for oneself and others)

How the "artificial" portal Hordak created himself can represent desire to return to this false safety of the past, where everything was simple and familiar, as well as his desperate wish to rebuild his connection with Prime. A connection that was never there. How it was falling apart from the start, how at first Entrapta was so eager to help her friend succeed, but eventually realized that the portal was dangerous. How in the end it only hurt Hordak and everyone around him

How the portal that appeared "naturally" gave him not what he wanted, but what he needed. A safe place, people who understand him, a chance at better life, his personhood. How, after the "artificial" portal gave him something he thought he wanted, Hordak went back to square one. How, in reality, it only took everything from him

Portals, man...

#ramblings #hordak #spop #shera #spop meta #it was very late at night when i wrote this and it shows lol #the portal being light hope's doing and her trying to snatch a future shera and failing makes sense and works for the story #but the idea of it being uncontrolled magical phenomenon or its own entity is fun to explore as well

[goodday-goodmorn]

Alright! Starting this shitshow of a blog off strong with a platonic yandere Bruce Wayne fic!

Heavily inspired by- @blughxreader and their batman stuff! Go check ‘em out- (specifically the one with poor reader and the rooftop escape, those are my fav’s <3)

———————————————-

Also inspired by this qoute:

'They can't do that,' she said finally. 'It's the one thing they can't do. They can make you say anything -- anything -- but they can't make you believe it. They can't get inside you.' (Gorge Orwells, 1984)

“You know, i’m pretty sure that you helping me right now would be going against natural selection.”

Bruce sent you a look, something dark in his eyes. You knew it was coming however and shamelessly avoided looking at him for that exact reason. Under normal circumstances you wouldn’t have said that, he never was one for jabs or jokes that hinted in any way about you dying.

“You’re kind of a mother hen ya know that? I mean, i knew before but this is really solidifying it ya know?”

It was a deflection and you both knew it, usally Bruce wouldn’t let you get away with those. But once again, these were not the usual circumstances. Truth be told he was probably just glad you were talking again, that you had some life back in your eyes, albeit only a small amount.

“Your soup is getting cold.”

Ah damn it. You were hoping he wouldn’t notice. A stupid hope, consdiering he notices fucking everything.

“So it is.”

…

A sigh, “Kid, you need to eat.” You knew what it meant. It was a silent question, ‘are we gonna do this the easy way or the hard way?’, because either way, you would be eating.

You swallowed, truth be told, you didn’t have the motivation to eat. Nor the appetite, but the alternative was him talking you through every bite and you really didn’t want that right now.

So with a sigh of your own you picked up the spoon, at least you didn’t have to cook anything, all you had to do was eat what was in front of you. You could do that. Barely any effort. It was simple.

So simple.

The spoon stays in the bowl, your hand resting on it as you stare at the soup.

It’s delicious, you know it is, Alfred's food always is, and he’d made one of your favorites too. Something nice and hearty so you would be full for a while and wouldn’t have to go through the effort of eating again too soon.

Bruce was watching you when you looked up, ever watchful, ever observant, waiting to see if he had to intervene.

You swallowed, you never liked it when he stared too hard. His gaze was always so intense. With heavy limbs, you scoop a spoonful of soup and start eating.

Bruce’s gaze softens and he lets out a soft, “Thank you.” He ruffles your hair and you don’t have the will to stop yourself from leaning into it right now.

Give and take, give and take…

You eat in silence, you’re propped up on some pillows on the bed, Bruce is sitting next to the bed on a chair.

Maybe it had been a stupid idea to ask for him, a very stupid idea but at the time you couldn’t help it. You couldn’t deal with the boy’s clinging, not like this. Not when you woke up feeling like anything but a person.

See, a few hours ago, you woke up and felt fatigued, and apathetic. Two oncoming signs of a depressive episode.

It only got worse as the day went on, you tried to be alright- you really did but, you just couldn’t do it. This whole act of playing house with the Wayne’s was already tiring enough, but for your own sanity you had to keep it up.

After all, if you fought hard against all their afflictions they would only dig their heels in and make your situation a lot worse so- you always figured from the beginning it was better to give in early.

At least, on the surface anyway. Not resist their affections, hell you hadn't even once pulled any sort of escape attempt, or tried anything. You’d barely even argued either.

Your lack of resistance was met with open arms and eagerness. Of course- they knew you were only pretending, that you didn’t view them as family, but they knew it was only a matter of time until you came around.

After all, if you act for something long enough, your brain will eventually start to believe it.

Alas, you were a stubborn little shit, and giving in voluntarily had only seemed to help you keep up this mentality longer.

Until this morning anyway.

When you woke up, feeling like shit and simply couldn’t deal with playing house with your ‘brothers’. So, in your moment of weakness, when you didn’t want to do anything or let them drag you around or cuddle or watch movies, you had done something rather unexpected.

Which of course, was to simply shut down.

They were worried as shit, but when they finally did manage to get you to talk, your shaky whisper of, “I want dad.” -Had been shocking, worrying and exciting all at once.

(It had also been a touch too real, your voice had sounded so small, so far away, and in that moment you really did just want the comforting presence of Bruce.)

So now you were here, so deep into the throws of not being a person you barely felt like moving; sitting in your bed with none other than Bruce Wayne by your bedside, stroking your hair lovingly.

You were done with the soup now, as much as you could eat anyway, before Bruce could even say anything you reasoned with him, “I’ll eat more later. Promise.”

Promises held a lot of weight here. Something practically unbreakable, Especially with Bruce. Especially with you, maybe that’s just because you liked when they had weight. It was nice; To have a concrete thing to swear on that you knew would not be broken.

Bruce probably used them to build trust in his words or something, you didn’t know, and quite frankly you didn’t care right now because well- you got to use them too so…

He thinks for a moment, and then nods, agreeing easily, “Okay.” And with that he takes the bowl from you. He’s… he’s rather agreeable right now, usually he would confirm or try and fight you more on that.

Maybe he was being more lenient because you willingly came to him? Or because you were being open right now, or maybe because he felt bad for what you were going through or-

Gods you don’t have enough energy to ponder this.

You nod and lay back down, he guides you down most of the way. Now you’re back like before, lying in bed, cheek smushed against your pillow, starting at him blankly.

You break the silence as he pulls the blanket over you.

“What type of bird do you think everyone would be?”

He looks back to you, a small upturn of his lips and eyes crinkled slightly in an amused manner. “Why do you ask?”

You shrug, “Bored.”

A partial truth. In reality you were thinking about all that poetic shit about you being like a bird in a fancy golden cage. A very very well cared for bird with access to some deep fucking pockets but you know, still in a cage. Even if the cage is real fancy and has amazing food, even better wifi, and a home movie theater.

(You think Bruce would let you install an indoor pool? Or a jacuzzi. …He probably would. You should ask sometime, ah- you’re getting off track here.)

So anyway- fancy bird poems and then you started thinking about what type of bird you would be and then it kinda spiraled from there.

“Hm. Well, that depends, who do you wanna start with?”

“Mmm… Alfred, cause i think he’s the easiest.”

A little amused quirk of his brow, “What bird is he then?”

“Penguin. Cause he’s always dressed all fancy, and penguins got that sleek fancy vibe about them. They are kinda short for Alfred though…”

Bruce nods, as if taking your words into consideration, “Emperor penguin then. They’re the biggest penguin species.”

Contuiting on just to have something to blabber about you confidently say, “Jason is an emu.”

——————

After a very engaging deep dive into what types of birds everyone was-

(Tim was a woodpecker on account of all the times you’ve seen him slam his head into his desk while working; Dick was an ostrich because if Jason was an Emu then those two had to match; Cassandra got the honor of being a crow; Damien was a kinglet, a ruby crowned kinglet, purely because they are small and for some reason you only recall pictures of seeing those bird look annoyed, Bruce was a harpy eagle because they look big and grumpy, And finally you were a pigeon.)

-You were now half asleep as Bruce read to you like you were a little kid.

It was… nice. Like all the other times you were forced to hang out with the Wayne family. (Only this time you hadn’t been forced, you had called for him.) Nice but with that ever present little weight in the back of your mind, reminding you of just how much these people had taken from you.

Right now though, that little weight was… it was a lot easier to ignore.

You let Bruce’s calming voice wash over you, you were barely listening at this point but he paid no kind to your lack of attention.

This was nice.

No one had ever taken care of you when you went into one of your episodes before. Usually you had to suck it up and work yourself up to go get some food and water before laying in bed until the feeling went away.

It was a terrible feeling, a staggering sensation just on the edge of emptiness. But not there enough for you to not feel anything, it was almost as if everything was muted. All sensations dull, your thoughts weren't but you were apathetic to them.

In short, it sucked. Majorly.

But now, here you were, tucked into bed, fed a warm hearty meal, and being read to with such tenderness and care.

You didn’t even notice that your eyes started to water. But Bruce did. He noticed everything.

Gently, so gently, he wiped away the tear about to fall from your eye. His own were soft as they stared at you. Soft and filled with a look you couldn’t decipher, a look you didn’t want to decipher because the closest thing you could even begin to compare it to was- …was love.

Love.

Fuck- love.

You knew there was something wrong with this family, of course you did- they kidnapped you for pete’s sake, but- but they also had been unconditionally kind to you didn’t they?

You… You couldn’t-

“-do this anymore.”

Your voice was soft, just barely above a whisper. A quiet confession.

‘I can’t do this anymore.’

Bruce sighed, his voice level, but quiet, fitting of the atmosphere. “You don’t have to, it’ll be so much easier if you just give in kiddo.”

He cupped your face in his hand. His own skin was scarred, rough, callous, and yet he held you with such care. It was almost reverent. He gazed at you with an almost sad look, as if your passive struggle hurt you more than him.

(It probably did. He didn’t have anything to worry about after all, you would break eventually. You could only keep telling yourself this was pretend for so long.)

“…”

Stubborn. Always so stubborn in the most muted way; silence. You weren't one to make large outbursts, or outwardly resist, but even so, passive stubbornness. It was something Bruce was fond of; how resilient you were.

You look away from his gaze, not meeting his eyes. His eyes, always so intense, always so much behind those icy blue scaleras.

“Is it-“ You start, the chemical imbalance in your brain making you honest right now.

You realize suddenly that this is the first real conversation you’ve had in months. There was no keeping up the act here. No holding your tongue or dancing with your words, no overthinking about what response would make you the perfect sibling, the perfect child. No catering, no push and pull of deciding how much of you you want to put into your words.

This was honest. The most honest you’ve been since you were kidnapped.

Bruce tilts his head slightly, patiently waiting for you to continue. He could sense a breakthrough, and he always did know when it was better to hold his tongue.

“…Is it worth it?” You say, eyes filled with so much emotion simmering just under the surface.

Bruce has a good idea as to what you’re asking. He knows you. Knows the way you think, the way you come to conclusions, your speech patterns, he knows you well.

(And yet it’s not nearly as much as he wants to. He wants to know more, to know everything, he wants for you to share such details about yourself willingly. He wants you to come to him after a rough day and listen to you rant. He wants to hear you laugh as you discover a new interest. He wants-)

“Yes.”

He strokes your hair gently, voice impossibly soft.

“It’s worth it.”

He answers your asked, unasked questions without a moment's hesitation.

‘Is it worth it to do all this? To keep me here against my will? To have me locked away like some canary in a gilded cage?’

“If it means you are safe and happy.”

“Is this really happiness?”

“It can be if you let it.”

“…”

“Don’t you like it here? You have a loving family, a nice house, you never have to worry about food or safety ever again.”

“…”

He cups your face with both his hands now, making you meet his gaze. Always intense. Too intense. You can’t handle the weight of his love for you.

Flicking your eyes to the wall you mumble, “There’s a saying. If you love something, let it go.” It’s weak, half hearted, you aren’t even sure you really mean it. (You aren’t even sure if you want to be let go anymore… you can’t imagine returning to a life before all this.)

(And Bruce knows this.)

You look back at him, meeting his eyes because you- you just- you know it’s stupid to ask but you can’t stop yourself-

“Why?”

You don’t need to explain any further. Bruce always seems to know what you’re asking.

‘Why me? Why do any of this? Why go through all the trouble just to keep some random kid?’

“Because I love you.”

He says it so easily. So simply, so calmly, as if it is undeniable fact, so once more you ask with more feeling this time,

“Why?”

You can’t stop yourself from leaning into his hold as he gently presses a kiss to your forehead. It’s childish, it’s stupid, it’s dumb, it’s humiliating-

He wipes away new forming tears, still cupping your face, “Because you’re precious.”

You choke out, “You don’t even know me.”

“So then, let me know you.”

Weakly, you shake your head, his hands fall from your face as you choke out, “I- I don’t- i can’t.”

“Hey, look at me sweetheart.”

You do, looking up at him and seeing only the love of a father. You don’t know how to handle such a sight. It’s foreign and it burns and yet, you are drawn in like a moth to a flame.

“We already love you kid. Nothing could change that.”

“You love the idea of me.” You counter, shuffling to prop yourself up a bit because laying down for this just seems too- too vulnerable.

He sighs, “If you think that then we seriously should have had this talk sooner.” He mentally tsk’s, he knows he’s been putting it off for so long because well- you’ve been good. And the family was happy and you were adjusting better than anyone expected you to.

It seems his negligence has resulting in this problem growing however.

He says your name, folds his hands and looks at you calmly, “-If the family wanted another child, then we would have gone to an orphanage.”

You swallow, he continues, “But, we didn’t want just any old person. We wanted you.”

You try to deny his words, no one’s ever wanted that before, and yet you can’t. Because it’s the only thing that even begins to make sense in your head. The only logical reason any of this would have happened.

You can’t deny it.

They love you.

They’re insane, they kidnapped you and yet- yet they- it doesn’t-

“-make sense.” You whisper, even though it’s the only thing that makes any semblance of sense.

“I know, you’re confused and not used to this and scared, but you’re the only thing holding yourself back. If you just let yourself believe we’re a family, you’ll feel so much better. This mindset is only hurting you sweetheart, you need to let it go.”

You look at him, eyes wet and so vulnerable as you whisper in a small voice, “I don’t know how to.”

And he pulls you close now, into a hug, it’s a bit of an awkward angle because he’s on a chair next to the bed and you’re on the bed, but you barely even notice with the way he’s pressing you to his chest. He’s warm as he wraps his arms around you and gently strokes your hair, consisting, comforting.

“We’ll be there every step of the way, start small.”

You shudder. The weight in the back of your mind is back in full force. He's asking you to give up your last bit of resistance. Your last act defiance. He’s asking you to give yourself up voluntarily. To fully endorse the idea that they are your family.

The worst part is, you don’t find yourself all that horrified with the idea.

If anything, you’re more scared that you’ll mess up somehow and piss them off with the real you and end up locked in a basement or something.

You don’t- you don’t know how to have a family. How to have siblings, a father- you don’t know how to interact or what to say and what to do- what if you fuck it up? what if you aren’t acting enough like a family and-

“-breathe with me kid. Com’on, in for 5.” He’s stroking your hair still, talking with you as he counts. You find yourself unconsciously following the deep rumble of his words.

“That’s it… hold for 4. One, two-“ It’s actually really nice to listen to him. Pressed so close like this you can hear the purr and rumble of his words in his chest. You can feel his chest expand with his own steadying breaths.

“Exhale for 6. One, two, three-“ You repeat his number sequence until you find your breathing is back to normal. Not that you had noticed how frantic it got to begin with.

Bruce hums, you feel the vibrations. You can hear his heartbeat like this. It’s nice, being held in his arms. “Good job kid, better?” His voice is a smooth rumble.

You nod weakly against him.

The two of you stay like that for a bit, him holding you as you listen to each other's heartbeats. You ground yourself with his and find your eyes drooping once more with sleep.

You make a noise; a hum of sorts and he sends you his own in return, soft, questioning.

“I-“ You clamp your mouth shut, thinking about what you’re about to say, thinking about if this is what you really want.

In the end you settle on this being the best choice, “I’ll try.” You swallow, mouth suddenly feeling dry, Bruce doesn’t give you any time to regret it though. He presses his face to your hair, affectionate.

“I’ll make the transition as comfortable as possible.” He promises against your hair, not being able to hide the smile in his voice.

You swallow again, starting up with slight nerves clear in your voice, “B-but i told you i’m not exactly very likable s-so don't regret it when i start speaking my mind and-“

That gets a laugh out of him, an amused kid huff, “You can’t possibly be any worse than Jason or Damein.”

You give a weak smile, “I dunno old man, think I could give ‘em a run for their money in bluntless.”

Bruce is smiling, you see it when he pulls away and looks down at you with such adoration. “We’ll have to see then.”

He’s happy, more than happy at finally hearing you be you. As much as he wants to keep you in his arms and listen to you for the rest of eternity however, that was a rather exhausting conversation. You look more than ready for some rest.

Gently, (always so gentle with you, as if you were somthing to be treasured), he laid you back down on the bed.

You let yourself be tucked in. You let him press a kiss to the top of your head. You let him turn off the lights.

“Um hey B- D-Dad?”

Bruce notices the slip up, but he lets it go. You’ve just made a lot of progress, and you’re clearly trying.

“Yes?”

“Do you uh- can i call you something else? Dad just feels really weird and kinda artificial at times so I was thinking maybe something more natural like maybe Pops? Or something like that i don’t know i just-“

“Of course you can.” He cuts off your nervous ramble easily, “You can call me whatever feels most natural, kid.”

You suck in a breath, soothed by his clam tone.

“O-okay. Cool… cool cool cool. Uh well then, could you maybe- maybe er- read to me? If that’s- if that’s alright..?”

Bruce was so proud of you. So much progress was made not too long ago and you were already trying to push yourself out of your comfort zone. You were trying so hard, bless you, you precious darling child.

He turned on the bedside lamp and took his seat on the chair once more, picking up the abandoned book.

Truth be told, Bruce was a busy man and he should be leaving because he has patrol in an hour, but he’ll be damned if he can’t carve out time for you. Especially when you asked to see him today.

(Especially when you were finally willing to view him as a father.)

“Would you like me to continue this one or do you want a different book?”

You jerkily nod, “That one’s fine.”

So, he begins to read once more, his voice a calming drawl that washes over you. Your eyelids grow heavier and heavier, and soon you are yawning and drifting off.

Once Bruce is sure you’re asleep he closes the book. With such a soft gaze he gently brushes the hair out of your face, smiling to himself. Then he gets up and turns the light off, walking out of your room and letting the door close with a soft click.

He isn’t surprised to find all of his boys camping out at the door.

He sighs, looking over the lot of them. From the looks of it they’ve been camping out here all day, or have been continuously coming back.

The only one who even has the decency to act sheepish that he’d been caught is Dick, and even then, he barely looks sorry.

Bruce shakes his head fondly at his boys, ushering them all out of the hallway to your room to let you sleep in peace

#reader insert #fanfic of a fanfic #fiction #bruce wayne #platonic yandere #Dad Bruce wayne #i can’t believe i’m posting this #this is very self indulgent #inspiration #Wrote this after reading some of Blugh’s stuff late one night #fanfic #Erm- Blugh if ur seeing this hi? #platonic yandere batfam #Darker undertones #(?) kinda #dark themes #not super tho

[tleeaves]

Folks going "WHAT they made a show about the Fallout franchise?? I've been hearing people say Bethesda messed it up, but I haven't watched it myself, so I'm going to trust the word of other people -- some of which also haven't finished watching it" is driving me insane.

Being a hard core fan of something obviously brings with it a lot of passionate feelings when adaptations come into play. Of course, there's going to be people going "but in 8 episodes of the first ever season they made, they didn't explore Theme C or D, didn't introduce factions E and F and G, and because the source company is notorious for its scams, we and everyone else who's a TRUE fan should hate it".

The Amazon Original series Fallout follows the videogame franchise of the same name. It is a labour of love and you can tell by the attention to detail, the writing, the sets, and YES THE THEMES ARGUE WITH THE WALL. It's clearly fan service. I mean, the very characterisation of Lucy is a deadringer for someone playing a Fallout game for the first time. She embodies the innocent player whose expectations drastically change in a game that breaks your heart over and over again. Of course, she's also the vessel through which we explore a lot of themes, but I'll get to that.

There're some folks arguing that the show retcons the games, and I gotta say... for a website practically built on fandom culture, why are we so violently against the idea of someone basing an adaptation on a franchise that so easily lends itself to new and interesting interpretations? But to be frank, a lot of what AO's Fallout is not that new. We have: naive Vault dweller, sexy traumatised ghoul that people who aren't cowards will thirst over, and pathetic guy from a militaristic faction. We also have: total atomic annihilation, and literally in-world references to the games' lore and worldbuilding constantly (the way I was shaking my sister over seeing Grognark the Barbarian, Sugar Bombs, Cram, Stimpaks, and bags of RadAway was ridiculous). Oh, and the Red Rocket?? Best pal Dogmeat? I'm definitely outing myself as specifically a Fallout 4 player, but that's not the point you should be taking away from this.

The details, the references, and the new characters -- this show is practically SCREAMING "hey look, we did this for the fans, we hope you love it as much as we do". Who cares that the characters are new, they still hold the essence of ones we used to know! And they're still interesting, so goddamn bloody interesting. Their arcs mean so much to the story, and they're told in a genuinely intriguing way. This isn't just any videogame adaptation, this was gold. This sits near Netflix's Arcane: League of Legends level in videogame adaptation. Both series create new plots out of familiar worlds.

Of course, those who've done the work have already figured out AO's Fallout is not a retcon anyway. But even if it was, that shouldn't take away from the fact that this show is actually good. Not even just good, it's great.

Were some references a little shoe-horned in to the themes by the end of the show, such as with "War never changes"? Yes, I thought so. But I love how even with a new plot and characters, they're actually still exploring the same themes and staying true to the games. I've seen folks argue otherwise, but I truly disagree. The way capitalism poisons our world, represented primarily through The American Dream and the atomic age of the 45-50s that promoted the nuclear family dynamic -- it's there. If you think it's glorifying it by leaning so heavily into in the adaptation, I feel like you're not seeing it from the right angle. It's like saying Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck glorifies the American Dream, when both this book and the Fallout franchise are criticisms of it. If you think about it, the post-apocalyptic world of Fallout is a graveyard to the American Dream. This criticism comes from the plots that are built into every Fallout story that I know of. The Vaults are literally constructed to be their own horror story just by their mere existence, what they stand for, what happens in each of them. The whole entire show is about the preservation of the wrong things leading to fucked up worlds and people. The missions of the Vaults are time and again proven to be fruitless, unethical, plain wrong. Lucy is our brainwashed character who believed in the veritable cult she lived in before she found out the truth.

So then consider the Brotherhood of Steel. I really don't think it exists in the story to glorify the military. We see just how much the Brotherhood has brainwashed people like Max (also, anything ominously named something like "the Brotherhood" should raise eyebrows). Personally, I don't like Max, but I am intrigued by his characterisation. I thought the end of his arc was rushed the way he "came good" basically, but [SPOILERS] having him embraced as a knight in the Brotherhood at the end against his will -- finally getting something he always wanted -- and him grimly accepting it from all that we can tell? Him having that destiny forced upon him now that he's swaying? After he defected? If his storyline is meant to be a tragedy, it wouldn't surprise me, because Fallout is rife with tragedies anyway. And a tragedy would also be a criticism of the military. That's what Max's entire arc is. It goes from the microcosm focusing on the cycle of bullying between soldiers to the macro-environment where Max is being forced to continue a cycle of violence against humanity he doesn't want to anymore because a world driven to extremes forces him to choose it to survive (not to mention what a cult and no family would do to his psyche). Let's not forget what the Brotherhood's rules are: humankind is supreme. Mutants, ghouls, synths, and robots are abominations to be hated and destroyed. If you can't draw the parallels to the real world, you need to retake history and literature classes. The Brotherhood is also about preserving the wrong things, like the Vaults (like the Enclave, really). They just came about through different method. The Enclave is capitalism and twisted greed in a world where money barely exists anymore. The Brotherhood is, well, fascism plain and simple.

Are these the only factions in the Fallout franchise? Hell no. But if you're mad about that -- that they're the main ones explored, apart from the NCR -- I think you're missing the point. These themes, these reminders, are highly relevant in the current climate. In fact, I almost think they always will be relevant unless we undergo drastic change. On the surface-level, Fallout seems like the American ideal complete with guns blazing that guys in their basements jerk off to. Under that surface, is a mind-fuck story about almost the entire opposite: it's a deconstruction of American ideals that are held so closely by some, and the way that key notion of freedom gets twisted, and you're shooting a guy in-game because it's more merciful than what the world had in store for him.

I mean, the ghoul's a fucking cowboy from the wild west character he used to play in Hollywood glam and his wife was one of the people who helped blow up America in the name of capitalism and "peace". There are so many layers of this to explore, I'd need several days to try and keep track and go through it all.

The Amazon Prime show is a testament to the Fallout franchise. The message, the themes? They were not messed up or muddled or anything of the sort, in my opinion.

As for Todd Howard, that Bethesda guy, I'm sure there's perfectly valid reasons to hate him. I mean, I've hated people for a lot less valid reasons, and that's valid. We all got our feelings. But the show is about more than just him. My advice is to keep that in mind when you're judging it.

#fallout series #amazon prime fallout #amazon prime video fallout #amazon fallout #prime fallout #fallout #besthesda #todd howard #fallout spoilers #some light analysis #the american dream #militarism #lucy mclean #maximus fallout #cooper howard #the ghoul #I know they're not planning a skyrim adaptation and that's fine #I prefer it remaining in its videogame medium while I write fanfics #so if they had to adapt any of their games I'm actually glad it was fallout #also please forgive me I wrote this very late at night so there's probably a bunch of mistakes #and I've played fallout for like six years and still don't know anywhere near as much as the hard core fans but I'm also not a newbie

[you-me-we-04]

Here’s my (very dumb) pitch for Mamma Mia 3, it's Harry's wedding there is just one small very very tiny issue no one can work out who Harry’s marrying and at this point, they just feel weird asking. So much like the first film, three men are running around a greek island while Sophie, Sky, Cher, Tanya, Rosie, Bill, and Sam try to work out their connection to the plot, I mean their relationship with Harry. So let us meet the potential Grooms: 

First up we have Elijah Thatcher played by Taron Egerton, at first, he seems the most likely to be the groom despite the age gap since he seems very close and connected to the wedding and is really stressed out about the wedding. However, we later find out the reason he is so stressed about this wedding is that he is the stressed-out wedding planner, and let's just say Harry’s Groom is a bit of a bridezilla

Then we have Peter Beckett played by Hugh Laurie an American lawyer who is very close to Harry, he also knows a lot about the other dads and Sophie, and he also has the habit of flirting with Harry, in truth while he and Harry did have a fling back in the day, they are now simply best friends and he’s the best man. The reason he flirts with Harry is that he enjoys getting a reaction out of Harry's actual partner. 

This actual partner is Nathaniel Hawthorn played by Hugh Grant a music professor at Cornell, they push each other buttons but at the end of the day, they still love each other. At the start of the film, they think he is the wedding planner since he seemed a bit too into the table setting. But he actually just enjoys getting a rise out of Elijah, who at this point is considering a career change.  Hijinks, misunderstandings, and ABBA take place before the reveal but in the end, the reveal is simple with Nathanial asking if Sophie would walk down the aisle with him, since he's kinda either step-dad 1 or dad 4 plus he knows it will mean the world to Harry, she agrees they hug and she welcomes her new dad to the family.

We end the film with their wedding it's big, it’s fun, and it goes perfectly much to the joy of Elijah's mental health, Peter gets a killer best man speech that ends in him and Nathaniel hugging it out. Just as the night is coming to an end, all seems to be going well Bill finds his boat has been stolen by none other than newlyweds. Harry yells something about being spontaneous, while Nathaniel yells about going on the honeymoon of their dreams. As they sail off into the sunset.

We close with Elijah and Bill sharing a drink and rethinking the life choices that got them here. We then find out Cher knew who the groom was the whole time and just found the whole thing very funny hence why she told no one.

#this is all one big inside joke with myself #i also wrote this late at night while drunk for fun #i may have not seen either mamma mia film in awhile so sorry if I got the lore wrong #mamma mia #mamma mia 3 #give harry a bf #also feel free to add ABBA songs as you like #taron egerton #hugh laurie #colin firth #hugh grant #i believe them play boyfriends would be a very full circle moment #abba

[sygneth]

Echoes lore time! (And also my random DE thoughts about Harry's place!)

Reading the last page, you might have had a feeling we're going to see the inside of Harry's place soon, and you were right!

So to make everything clear (and because, in the first place, I had a place with a very specific plan in my head when I've been writing scenes at HDB's) i drew a lil cheat sheet.

(Yes. I like to make building plans. A lot.)

I believe Harry inherited this place, and thus he owes it. And also, this is why it's in a not-the-worst of tenement houses and in not-the worst standard. It was a place where they used to live with Dora, and I think he made it a sanctuary of a kind after she left. He never moved anything from its original place deliberately, and so the place slowly started to become a decaying memorial of a nonexistent relationship.

Harry's place is a whole big meta topic to explore and I feel like there is a lot to it in terms of the psychology of a place.

Assuming that he is still living in the same place as he used to when with Dora, oh boy. The bad days, when every single thing reminded him of her. The remorse, the memories, the past. A scratch over the floor, where she tripped while dancing. Her favourite mug, or rather the few pieces of it, after he broke it in a fit of rage. An empty space after a painting that she loved so much. The scratched wall over the bedhead. The bed itself.

Then, the better days, when he tried to take care of his apartment, but some things were already damaged beyond repair. The plants died, he could buy new ones, but he knew that, sooner or later, they'd share the previous one's fate. The ripped carpet, stained furniture, cracked tiles. Could be replaced, but sooner or later they'd share the previous one's fate. A scratched floor. The scratched floor.

And then, rather sooner than later, the days become bad again.

I don't think Harry liked to spend time at his place. Especially in the bedroom. Especially when he wanted to quit. There was too much past in there, staring at him from every corner, every crack of the floor. I think a good deal of his past relapses might have been caused by this place. Sometimes a forgotten something he found while cleaning it up, sometimes just the space itself, soaked with memories.

(And to all my faithful readers of Echoes, I just want to let you know I read every single one of your tags and comments and it always makes my day <3 Thank you for that everybody, and if I don't always reply to the comments, I want you to know I do read them and I do appreciate them a whole whole lot, life is just very overwhelming sometimes)

#echoes of elysium #echoes talking #lore #disco elysium #my art #harry du bois #or his apartment rather #and kind of #disco elysium meta #? i guess #very late night thoughts #it's 2;27 omg i should be asleep #i hope this makes sense what i wrote here i am actually very tired #again thanks for being here and reading this you're da best #(also drawing flats from this perspective is as rewarding as fucked up ya know)

[magpigment]

the thematic parallels of martyn picking his battles and staying out of certain conflicts/having the upper hand because he listens in on conversations compulsively and frequently, versus grian getting INTO conflicts and battles and shenanigans because he can’t help but watch constantly and usually gets caught, and when he doesn’t get caught he ends up meddling anyway and causing even more chaos.

 fundamentally, martyn does joke around, he does things for the hell of it, but ultimately he always has some plan, is always wary, and is willing to do whatever it takes to see the games through to the end; his goal is just making it out, no matter the cost. martyn only listens as a means to an end- he’s more than capable of surviving in other ways, as he’s proven by being one of the last four players on the server the past Three Life Games, but he’s compelled to listen, to play it safe, to be underestimated. martyn doesn’t really care about any of his allies, not truly. he’d betray most in a heartbeat, honestly, if we don’t count ren. and even then, if it came down to either martyn or ren, while martyn would pick himself any day, ren is the one ally i think he truly, deeply cared about. it’s a life or death situation, and martyn treats it as such, picking his loyalties but never dying for them. 

grian, however, does what is interesting, what is appealing; a lot of what he does is a performance, progressing the plot; he’s both the consumer and the producer of the entertainment. grian loves watching, it’s a part of who he is, but he loves playing the game for what it is, loves influencing the outcome, far more. grian treats the world like the game it is, but his loyalties run deep

martyn the listener trying to survive v grian the watcher in it for the ride. 

#dandy talks #trafficblr #traffic smp #this is very half baked and not entirely finished but i wrote this very late at night several months ago and just remembered it #hope this makes some sort of sense tho lol #life smp grian #life smp martyn #martyn itlw #grian #watcher grian #listener martyn #dandy writes

[separatedleoau]

Hey! Dystopia Crew here bearing gifts for you! We may not have gotten past the prelims, but we're sure as heck stickin around!

Here are some Turtle stuffies to get you through the next leg of the competition! (They're weighted and have a neet lil pocket for ice packs if needed :3)

(PS: pay no mind to the stuffatello, there are no evil schemes here :3c)

World domination

@tmntaucompetition

#slau art #slau crossover #edit: i just realized i wrote nomination for for reason???? #lmao #in my defense it was very late at night and i was eepy

[lilislegacy]

i wrote a whole rambling analysis of my thoughts on piper calling percy unimpressive and i can’t decide whether or not to post it

#should i? #idk #i wrote it very late at night hahaha #percy jackson #piper mclean #heroes of olympus #percabeth #annabeth chase

[palmofafreezinghand]

Since the summer before kindergarten, when Charlie Swan tripped over his two left feet and fell into an unaware Billy Black — changing the course of both their lives forever — the two had only spent one summer apart. 

Nowadays they didn’t speak of the disastrous three months they threw themselves into the arms of others, in the hopes of ignoring the fact their friendship had, without either intending it — in fact both fighting desperately to prevent it — morphed into something that could no longer be defined as merely friendship. 

The two did not speak of the woman traveling through their small town who wore Charlie’s grandmother’s engagement ring for two whole weeks before she broke up with him on a sticky note. They did not mention the woman Billy had grown up with, who he had politely courted through the summer only to lose her to a full-ride scholarship to a school five hours away. 

Shortly after being utterly embarrassed and broken-hearted — although the hurt had not stung quite as much as when they had stormed out of each other’s lives months prior — they bumped into each other in the only bar in town, Charlie tripping over his own two left feet and spilling Billy’s beer over both of them. It was the first time either had laughed in days. 

By the end of the year the two men had pooled every cent to their name and bought a creaky old fishing boat together; it was a reasonable decision, Billy coming from a long long line of fishermen and Charlie having the worst case of sea sickness in history. 

The little ship would disappear into the vast ocean for a week at a time, away from prying eyes and the hushed whispers of shore. When the boat finally sputtered back into port it was full of enough fish to feed the entire town for weeks, they gave most of it away to those who could use it, selling only enough to pay the slip rental and the occasional trip to the laundromat to keep their shared collection of flannels somewhat clean. 

One day a scraggly orange cat wandered on-board, greeting the men on the swim step as they came back from their monthly breakfast at The Lodge. Old superstitions of good luck forced them to keep the stray, arguing only over what to name the thing. They landed on Anchovy. 

The two odd fishermen, and their cat, lived on that dilapidated boat, together, long after they could both afford apartments to themselves. 

They did not mourn the lives they could have had. They lived the one they had never dared to hope for amongst the choppy seas and the constant smell of bait, cursed the fact they had ever spent even one summer apart, and thanked everything they would never be just friends.

#billy black #charlie swan #charlie swan/billy black #this is indirectly the most pathetic edge marquis’ fault because they feed into my obsession of these two #I hope this is readable I wrote late at night and did very minimal edits but I have so many thoughts about these fishermen #if you saw this the first time no you didn’t I got in my head about it deleted it and then decided I did indeed like it

[residentfurry]

Death Island: Jill's Character Arc

So I've now watched all the official resident evil movies (the animated ones) in order, so I just finished Death Island. I have a few thoughts on it!

(Disclaimer: DEATH ISLAND SPOILERS! this is not a hate post made to diss anyone who likes the movie! I just like media analysis and I want to open a discussion about this movie!)

For having such a big cast of characters that we know and love, I have to say that Death Island is my least favorite movie out of the bunch...I feel like the pacing is a bit weird and I don't really feel immersed or engaged with the story. A lot of that has to do with how they handle the character arcs.

A downside of the big cast is that they don't focus on individual characters as much, and I really felt that this should've been Jill's movie. As much as like Chris, Leon, Rebecca and Claire, I think that if the movie had a focus on Jill (her trauma, her feelings, etc) it would've made a much more solid movie. We get little tastes of it in the movie but I would love if it was expanded upon; with Jill realizing that actions in trying not to feel helpless/guilty/in control is only going to put others in danger.

A good scene to reflect that would've been the scene where everyone was infected by the drones. I think it would've been really interesting to see Jill shut down in a way, or maybe have her actions be the cause of the others being infected (instead of those drones) because that would solidify the message that her actions she took to make herself feel better and more in control ultimately ended up in her friends getting hurt. (Which I feel like was kinda the message they were trying to go for in the movie.)

This would also reflect better with Dylan Blake, the villain, as a foil. He feels helpless in the face of "good and evil" and he felt helpless when his team got turned in Raccoon City. Everything he does after that is to "atone" for what he did and make everyone else feel as helpless as he did as a pawn of Umbrella. You know who also feels like she has to atone for being a pawn of someone else? Jill! They both feel guilty for doing something that was ultimately out of their control and deal with it in unorthodox manners.

(I think even Jill sees how ridiculous this thought process is by the end of the movie, where she says something like: "You're gonna kill the whole world because you feel sorry for killing your friend?" Which, funnily enough, reflects exactly what Jill was doing athe the beginning of the movie; possibly getting herself and others killed just because she felt bad that she tried to kill Chris when mind controlled.)

But the difference between Jill and Dylan would be that Jill would be able to realize her risky behavior is only making herself MORE at risk and helpless, even if it means having a bit of control. That she has to rely on her friends and move past the guilt in order to do what is right. Relinquish a bit of control and put some trust in her friends hands. Forgive herself. Dylan is unable to do that, which separates him from Jill and ultimately leads him to be a villain (and his demise).

I think it would be a wonderful message for Jill to forgive herself and decide that she WANTS to heal. Healing from trauma is one of my favorite things to explore in a story (especially if it's messy) and I think it would fit within the story of Resident Evil so well... And their characters definitely deserve it LOL

But what do you guys think? Do you like the movie or do you think it would've been better if it was more Jill-centric?

#resident evil #resident evil death island #jill valentine #chris redfield #leon kennedy #claire redfield #rebbeca chambers #character analysis #media criticism #discussion #sorry if this isn't very cohesive I wrote this late at night #also it's extremely frustrating that the movie falls into the “disabled villain” trope. the fact that his cane is used as a tool of fear. #RAUGH. banging my head on the wall #but alas that is a post for another day

[emissary-of-the-moon]

Midzelink Headcanons (at 3am)

Link is a bit of an insomniac and ends up doing anything other than sleeping, does a lot of cleaning at 1am type shit

Midna is a really heavy sleeper and tends to headlock what or whoever is closest

Zelda is a decently light sleeper and half the time ends up saying awake with Link for a while before passing out again, has woken up on her couch more times than she'd like to cause of this

-

Midna doesnt dream, like at all and even if she does she doesnt remember them

Zelda has really vivid dreams to the point that when she'll wake up in the morning she has a hard time distinguishing between the two for a good few minutes (gaslit by her own dreams type shit)

Link's just kinda there, doesn't remember any unless they were really weird

-

Zelda and Midna are not morning ppl whatsoever, Zelda's a bit better but would rather not wake up before 10am

Link's used to being up with the sunrise so he doesn't actually remember if he is or isnt, he does pretty regularly take a nap in the middle of the day tho

-

Midna can't cook for shit and was banned from using anything more than a toaster and microwave

Zelda's one of the can make really good looking food but it tastes bland as hell kind of people, do to that Link has to do all the prep work and Zelda actually cooks otherwise Link tends to burn stuff trying to multi-task

-

Midna and Zelda are childhood friends troupe

Link and Midna had a enemies to lovers shit for a little bit

Zelda and Link were a forced proximity and/or they have a homie pact to cordial for the sake of Midna

-

Link has a southern country accent, but not like deep south yk?

Zelda has that kinda british kinda not thing BoTW Zelda has going on but a little more subdued

#twilight princess #modern au #midzelink #late night rambles #shitpost kinda #idk i just had thoughts #i like thinking about them #side note midna is definitely a freeloader #tbh i dont even remember what i wrote at the start anymore #im in the i need to see but the brain wont shut off thing rn #very unrelated coyotes just started howling and it scared the shit out of me for a sec #i hate being in the coyote side of the countryside #theyre so loud for no reason #like if youre going to be annoying do i regularly #my autistic ass like consistency damn coyotes #moon emissary thoughts #moon's “modern” au

[beenovel]

I hate the prevalence of the "people in the past smell terrible because they never took baths" thing. Just because they didn't take baths (bc who wants to heat bucket after bucket of water to fill a large tub every couple days) that doesn't mean they were unhygienic. No one in the history of the world has enjoyed the smell of sweat and built up grime. It's like everyone has forgotten about sponge baths, like seriously, what do you THINK those water basins on all Victorian vanities were for?????? They didn't drink the water, they had carafes for that, and they didn't just feel like slashing their faces a little every morning

In case you've never seen one this is what I'm talking about:

Used to clean bodies and wash hands

And this is a water carafe, typically placed on the nightstand (bc hydration is important):

The lid on top doubles as a glass to drink from

#history #history misconceptions #victorian #i wrote this very very late last night please forgive any inaccuracies or grammatical errors

[silenthillbunni]

🧸🧃⛈️

#so like late last night i started to get rlly panicky nd upset #bc it's v much looking like im gnna fail my english class. i need to be done next wednesday which means i need to work rlly hard #nd go to school extra to have a presentation nd do tests etc etc #nd im still in pain after surgery nd im rlly depressed bc of my physical health so i just dont think i can be strong nd make it this time #in my almost breakdown i wrote a self referral to the clinic/psych department for personality disorders.... #it usually takes them around 2 days to answer you but this time at like 8am they sent me a message AND called me #(i think. im not certain it's them bc i havent checked the voice message or the reply lmaooo. but it should be them) #the thing abt having avpd is now im immediately stressed af nd i regret sending it. i donr wanna check their reply #also it might be bc i wrote a lot abt killing myseld etc etc nd now im worried theyre gnna be like girlie get checked in!!!! lol T-T #i just needed to be very clear nd act frsutrted nd desperate bc i have never gotten treatment in 10yrs nd im TIRED!!!! #my initial reaction is to avoid at all costs nd just pull my covers above my head nd pretend like i dont have to check their reply lol #i dont wannaaaaaa. i take it back i dont want help!!! its fine i dont wanna try or work hard let me rot #why did i do this!!!!! fml. anyway... i'll check later today bc since its early i can still use the excuse of sleepinf thru the days #many ppl working w mentally ill ppl understand that it's normal actually to switch the day around nd sleep during the days sksksk #but also i have no idea how many typos r in here bc im not wearing my glasses whoopsie #yeah.. anyway im gonna try to go back to sleep nd not think abt it #hopefully it wasnt even them calling 🤡 i know i HAVE to check later but not now i can take a few hours #then today i need to figure out if im gnna make one last attempt w my eng class or give up idk what to do

[scream-mans-friend]

oboro is a gaslighting king for faking his death to become a resurrected monstrous shell of his former self, aizawa gatekeeps oboros memory/grief over his dead friends, mic girlbosses to hell in back to make sure he can keep track of all three of his jobs plus his friends drama

#erasercloudmic #rooftop gang #wrote this post very late at night when i was sleepy lets see how it hits for daytime audiences