#none are totally intolerable to me

[clearcloudlesssky]

LEAST favorite genshin character? (if you say diluc i will sob)

ok you know who it really is, but for your sake i’ll pick someone else

zhongli.

QUICK PREFACE I’M NO EXPERT ON TRADITIONAL CHINESE CLOTHING — THIS IS MY UNCULTURED TAKE. PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I SAY ANYTHING INCORRECT OR LORE INACCURATE.

also no hate to people who do like him, this is just a personal opinion

first off, he evokes one of my character design pet-peeves, the rat tail. again. he looks as if he was intended to have short hair, then some hoyo dev looked and said “no, we need him to have long hair.” and so they took a ponytail glued to a pin and rammed it into the back of his head. it makes no sense. if he’s going to have a ponytail, make it work with the rest of his head. i don’t mind short locks in the front, but not like this.

secondly i just. kind of feel like his design in general is a bit boring? like not nahida level boring, that’s near impossible to beat, but boring considering his character.

like yes, there’s the classic genshin detailing and elaborateness, but it feels a bit detached to me? ultimately it just boils down to a suit. they try to make it look more interesting via the geo patterns, and they hint a little bit towards the inhuman (dragon?) elements of his character via the scales, but just. that’s it?? boring. there’s character designs by hoyo that do so much better at connecting the details to the character, while tying in culture and making it interesting.

plus, i get that his thing is that he’s “trying to blend with modern humans”, and that can sort of justify the suit? like maybe you can explain it away with themes of modernization and moving away from the past/into the future, but still. it’s really boring the way they did it. this is a fantasy game, and they slapped the geo archon in a boring suit. it just doesn’t feel like it meshes well with his story at all.

i’d kill for some more dragon to peek out of his design. also just, if he was really trying to blend into modern day liyue, why a suit? literally 99% of native liyue NPCs that we meet and see are wearing clothing that orients more towards traditional wear, so in my opinion, zhongli’s (seemingly western) suit actually makes him stand out.

also hoyo is capable of blending traditional outfits with suits and make it sort of work (ex ayato. the sleeves are kinda goofy though), so zhongli’s suit kind of makes me want to laugh. plus like, what does it reflect about his character? why that particular suit? like you can argue that it makes him look gentlemanly, and hints towards a non-physical trade, but what else? why a suit? ANSWER ME HOYO.

also this is why zhongli is never beating the cockroach allegations.

i’ve rambled about design stuff for awhile so i’ll just wrap it up by saying that his actions during the archon quest kind of turned me off. i’m aware that literally everyone says that “he was watching, if anything went wrong he would have stepped in” but like. it doesn’t really change the fact that he placed liyue into danger. “he was on the sidelines” doesn’t reassure me.

tldr his outfit doesn’t really make sense to me, and his archon quest actions kinda turned me off

ok i just remembered dori exists and i also somewhat dislike her but i already wrote this so…

#zhongli #genshin impact #genshin liyue #rex lapis #zhongli kinda sucks… #to be fair though i can’t actually find it in me to hate any genshin characters #mild dislike at most #none are totally intolerable to me #sorry zhongli this is a objective design take #i dislike dori’s design more than yours but i remembered that she exists after i wrote this so oh well #answering asks #ash!! #zhongli genshin impact

[hersterical]

I’ve put a little too much thought into atla slang for gay people tonight so here’s this.

Kyoshi Island:

Speaks about sexuality openly on Kyoshi Island but knows to be more careful around outsiders.

“Is she, you know…a student of Rangi?” (gay/lesbian)

“No. But she does follow in the footsteps of Avatar Kyoshi. She prefers the versatility of the fan over the sword or the shield.” (bi)

Water Tribe:

More “traditional” than the other nations so it’s a bit more subtle and reliant on accompanying eyebrow movements, hand gestures, and tone of voice.

“He’d rather go sailing than stay in the village.” (mlm)

“She’s shown some interest in ice fishing.” (sapphic)

“I personally prefer to fish in the same waters as Avatar Kuruk.” (bi)

“He’d rather spend the winter months alone.” (ace)

Earth Kingdom:

“Are you a member of the Flying Opera Company?” (lgbt+)

No one, including the Kyoshi Islanders are aware of the origins of this particular phrase

Fire Nation:

“I’ve dabbled in dragon’s fire before.” (This phrase specifically would be something like ‘I did some experimenting in college’ but the reference to dragon’s fire/breath would mean lgbt+)

“He wears a crown of fire lilies.” (lgbt+)

Even before the hundred year war they were one of the more intolerant of the nations (based on the Kyoshi novels) and they probably only got worse during the hundred year war. I’m sure they would’ve come up with more slang by the time we get to Korra’s time but I’m out of ideas for the Fire Nation.

Air Nomads:

As they are totally open and accepting to all genders and sexualities they wouldn’t feel the need for coming up with specific labels, let alone weird secret codes and slang. When nomads begin exploring the world and start to learn about the other nation’s ideologies and slang and everything they’re always confused but respects the other nation’s traditions and cultures.

bonus

Swamp benders:

Even more open about gender and sexuality than Kyoshi Islanders. They’re super casual and blunt about it without being disrespectful but also not trying to be respectful because why would anyone be disrespectful about this? There’s a polycule consisting of roughly ten people who all connected through an asexual tribe member that each member of the polycule has a qpr with. Darryl over there is interested in folks of all sorts. His spouse is all the genders. Not to be confused with Jim over there who is none of the genders. Not to be confused with Junjun who is the third gender… (etc)

I didn’t do a big deep dive into each nation’s culture and history. This is just from the top of my head and is just for fun. Let me know if you guys have any other ideas!

#avatar the last airbender #atla #kyoshi #rangshi #rangi #avatar kyoshi #avatar kuruk #legend of korra #lok #atla slang #korrasami #zukka #kyoshi warriors

[iceunhie]

[6:21 PM.]

you hate dr. ratio. you hate him; he's pompous, narcissistic, disagreeable, utterly intolerable. you can't tolerate him at all. out of the numerous possible reasons why you despise him though? its how he never fails to get you all up in a bind about him.

mhie's notes: i got l+ratio'ed by dr ratio insert laughing emoji anyways reader is so me (we're haters /silly)

If someone would ask about who in the Intelligentsia Guild is the number one Dr. Veritas Ratio hater, chances are someone from said guild will promptly give them a shake of the head, a pat on the back, and direct them to none other than you.

The reason why?

"Well, isn't it obvious? He's an asshole!"

It's no secret to anyone in the Guild, actually, scratch that— to anyone in the universe that you absolutely despise the dark-haired genius that is Dr. Ratio. Loathsome man that he is, you've never enjoyed just how biting his words have been to fellow members of the Guild have been; would it kill him to be just a little more encouraging to them?

It doesn't help that he's horribly attractive, and he knows it. It's how most of the members in the Guild get tricked into entering one of his 52 lecture courses in his various academic programs at the premise of being able to be taught by his oh-so-radiantness, only to absolutely end up getting their self-esteem crushed into stardust. What's more, he can get away with it! Despite his notorious reputation for being a strict and short-tempered teacher, people still flock to him in droves. It's irritating, annoying.

"Did you think that this subject would be a mere place to ogle at me? That's the very picture of idiocy."

It's totally annoying to you because of that, and not because there's this sickening churn of discomfort in your stomach whenever a colleague of yours fangirls over him, no. You were most definitely just irritated because he was just that insufferable, and not because something about his well-kept hair and sharp eyes didn't draw you in like a moth to a flame, nope. Definitely not.

And you most definitely hated him solely for the fact that he was just a genius who prided himself above others, and not how he sometimes, rarely, once in a blue moon at that, lets his more amicable personality traits slip beneath the no-nonsense facade of his. How sometimes, he would often sigh at his students, voice still chiding, as he would reluctantly teach them another lesson. How he would smile, a genuine one, not like a sarcastic and lifeless smile of his - when his students would complete their task flawlessly and thank him profusely.

How sometimes, you can't help but be awed at how diligent and just how much he does want his students to succeed, as hard on them as he is. How he doesn't want them to go down the path of 'ignorance,' so he makes up for it by brutally scolding them and bringing them up from their slump. How no matter how challenging he may seem, he relishes in the pride he feels to be able to help others pass on and gain knowledge.

He's a complete enigma to you, and yet you can't help but feel drawn to him anyway.

So if someone would ask about who in the Intelligentsia Guild is the number one Dr. Veritas Ratio hater, ten times out of ten, that title would go to you.

Oh, you definitely hate him, alright. Definitely.

#mhie's spirals #hsr x reader #hsr x gender neutral reader #dr ratio x reader #dr ratio #honestly hate him so much (i wanna kiss him so bad)

[ohnomytummy]

Hi, I have a story from this Thanksgiving that I thought this community would like, and I don't have a kink blog to post it to so I'm gonna share it here cause I know your box is always open. Lol

I'm relatively thin, severely underweight for a good chunk of my childhood, have always been poor so I've never gotten to indulge too much in feasting, not in this economy. But long backstory short, I had the house to myself for pretty much 4 days straight for Thanksgiving break, along with all the leftover food from the entire family thanksgiving.. I was asked to toss most of it because we didn't have room in the fridge and it would go bad, but I didn't want any of it to go to waste.. you can probably tell where his is going..

I have a pretty sensitive stomach since I get full pretty quick, and I'm also lactose intolerant and most meat makes me gassy (and sweaty for some reason?), but for some reason none of that mattered to me, I put a YouTube series I've been itching to watch on my phone and munched on everything that was in front of me which included:

-almost half of a turkey that had been sitting out on the table for a day

-a platter of cheese and cube/slice things and pepperoni/some other meat I forgot

-I wanna say maybe 20 small sugar cookies (the puffy Walmart ones with frosting)

-about 2 litres total of a miz of lemonade, sprite, ginger ale, and coca cola

- 5 bread rolls with melted cheese and butter

-uncounted handfuls old candy I still had from Halloween....

I didn't even realize I'd been eating so much, but I guess since it was all over the course of about a day (9 hours-ish?) It was gradual enough that I didn't realize I'd gone overboard until the end. I remember reaching for the next thing getting ready and thinking "wow i wonder how much ive eaten" and seeing that the answer was all of it. I was wearing an elastic tank top, and I looked down and holy shit I looked pregnant. The tank top is kind of long but there was maybe an inch of belly sticking out from underneath naturally, and the tank top itself was like vacuum sealed tight to my skin!

This is where stuff gets crazy. I put my hand on my stomach to rub it and I could feel it churning under my hand, from the inside ofc and through my belly. I'd been burping throughout the whole stuffing absent-mindedly, but now that it was all setting in, I felt like I was going to puke. I couldn't even feel nauseous at first, it was just PAIN in my middle and I could barely get up. I'm so glad I was alone because I was moaning and rubbing my belly with both hands, holding it as I tried to get up. I could feel myself bringing up burps with every exhale, they were like.. soft and quiet but also really deep and sick, coming out with every breath, like "... urrrrrrp.. hic-hurrrrrp... uurppp. ur-urrp... hic-hUuuurrrrrrrrrp..." and with groans after each one lmao. I made my way to the bathroom eventually and sat by the toilet, sure I was gonna be sick, but I wasn't. I almost wanted to be, but I think I was just too scared to puke. So I sat back against the tub, facing the toilet, my whole body was covered in a cold sweat atp and i was rubbing my belly, and I could feel every single rumble as it ripped through my stomach and rose up as a belch. I couldn't stop burping like I was just about crying on the bathroom floor, bloated as a tick, belching helplessly. After a few minutes the burps started slowing down, but they were much more wet when they did come up. I think the meat and lactose was probably digesting now because I actually started to feel queasy. I started holding in my burps in fear that the food might come up, but then the air started xoming out the back. Starting with small short toots, leading to nauseous farts that, much like the burps, WOULDNT STOP. I was uncontrollably farting, small short bursts every few seconds and idk how to describe it but the farts felt pukey somehow. My stomach was churning like crazy and I could hear it from the outside (still felt intense as I rubbed it too). All the while the original belches never really stopped, so I was just on the floor, gas from both ends pouring out. My stomach was so hard and tight it felt like a bowling ball attached to me and my shirt was so tight it was so hot in hindsight but I felt like I was dying in the moment. Anyways I eventually fell asleep on the floor, woke up feeling sick, burped and farted next to the toilet again and tried doing the doggy-style yoga pose (best that I could, anyways, with my bloated upset tummy still filled with rotting undigested Thanksgiving leftovers) and kept farting until out of nowhere I almost shat myself, I think the position I was in moved the air along but the air took some stuff with it, so now I had to abandon that and sit on the toilet with a trash bin next to me because I couldn't fit it between my legs (my tummy took up the room lol) and it was mostly just me being sick from both ends, along with super uncontrollable rumbly burps and farts that just would not ever fucking stop.

Once it was all out things went back to normal, other than me being really gassy for a few more days.

I will let my uh *cough* community have this 😳🥵

#thanksgiving #ask #wowowowowowoeow #your poor poor belly #but also not….whoopsie

[inawearyworld]

free if you truly wish to be: chapter iii

plots are half revealed, and willy "mr accidentally steal yo girl" wonka gets his sorry ass saved by a woman wearing one of those "oh no my husband mysteriously floated away died" robes you see all over pinterest. (now there's a sentence i never thought i'd write.)

2023!wonka x oc, this chapter ~2.5k

i would like to thank mr mathew baynton in that one bts interview for those bits and pieces of fickelgruber analysis that will totally now be used here. and also for being generally wonderful. thanks mat ilysm

also i thought it would be sort of funny for at least someone in this world revolving around chocolate to be lactose intolerant and then of course i had to turn it into something sad and poetic bc of Who I Am As A Person

enjoy!! and thank you for all the support on this fic so far!!

part two fic masterlist part four

She had a lot to think about that night.

Felix hadn’t returned home yet, and she started to worry that the fateful flying chocolates weren’t quite as harmless as advertised. The young man who’d made them, too, was swirling about her mind in a haze of schoolgirl blushes and piercing guilt.

Florence Fickelgruber had chosen her lot when she agreed to take on that name. Who was she to imagine a freer life, one of candy-coated dreams and a clear conscience, of gazes and banter with someone her own age, of running her hand through curls that weren’t slick with expensive gel? Who was she to foolishly wish for anything different, when so many people were counting on her?

She missed her home, her family, and it hadn’t been lost on her that Felix had never told her about his own background. Their wedding was attended mainly by those surrounding the Fickelgruber business, as well as another flood of press. She’d had to blink so much that day, unused to being in front of cameras after a youth spent on the stage, but her new husband had preened next to her as if this focus on appearance was where he felt most at home. She remembered the crowd’s polite cheers fading in her mind as he had slowly lifted her chin while she accepted a forkful of the most extraordinarily decadent chocolate cake.

For that day, she had allowed the feeling of his hand on her face to eclipse that of the too-rich frosting stuck in her throat.

Then he came through the door, humming a jaunty tune, and she blinked, torn out of the memory that she felt an entirely different kind of guilt for indulging in.

“Felix? Darling, where have you been?”

“Oh, don’t you worry your pretty auburn head, my songbird. The boy’s finished, absolutely finished. No one will be flying about the Galeries Gourmet if the police have anything to say about it.”

“What-what do you mean?”

“He’s disturbed the peace, made a commotion, even encouraged the-the-the unfortunate to disgrace our sacred sanctuary of chocolate. And the Chief is none too happy about it.”

“Is he?” she said suspiciously, stepping in front of him-because, up until this point, he hadn’t looked her in the eye.

Felix was silent for a moment, cacao eyes darting. His wife’s gaze was strong and unyielding-don’t lie to me again, I can’t take it-but her head tilted innocently to the side, a sort of plausible deniability.

A sort of protection.

“Yes,” he breathed with a curt nod, and took her hands in his. “I promise you, it was a solemn thing.”

“Then what were you singing as you came in?”

The chocolatier blinked again, falling into an absolutely done sort of expression, and Florence’s head tilted to the other side.

“You’ve had another musical number without me.”

“I’m terribly sorry, pet.”

“You know you can’t hide from me, Felix,” she said, something that would have been playfully teasing but held an edge of desperation that he refused to pick up on.

“It of course wasn’t the same without you,” he drawled in that ever-dramatic way, bringing her into their living room. “We’ll make it up now. Dance with me, Florence.”

He snapped his fingers, and some unseen yet attentive servant placed a needle on a record. A crooning melody started to crackle and bounce across the high golden ceilings, and Felix spun his wife into him, twirling her about with a smirk that she could only imagine to be the result of a monopoly saved.

She swayed to and fro in his arms, trying desperately to sink into the music, unable to focus on anything but the wrenching pull of her battling guilts.

~

Florence spent much of the next day in a state of ping-ponging worry. She’d looked intently out of the mansion’s sprawling windows over the town square, wondering whether her forbidden new friend had taken her advice.

“Just…don’t give up.”

“I wasn’t planning on it.”

And who knows what they’ll do to him now?

The hours had passed in a blur, and then she was laid limp, unable to sleep, and mentally exhausted, next to her husband and his piccolo snore.

She had screwed her eyes shut and burrowed into him, trying to force herself to feel as secure as she did two years ago; then, the slight sound of a little girl’s singing voice lifted itself into her consciousness, followed by the blare of a police car.

Puzzled, Florence carefully got out of bed and went to the window once more. The girl she’d heard was the one with the sweet smile that she’d seen in the Galeria yesterday, and Willy Wonka was next to her, warning her to run. The Chief of Police and Officer Affable faced them, but this wasn’t to last-the former seemed to tell the latter to leave, and the latter obeyed.

It wasn’t as if a switch flipped at that moment.

More like…

An extinguished candle was finally relit.

Before she could overthink herself into inaction, Wren was grabbing her robe and slippers and bolting downstairs, the snore that echoed after her serving as reassurance that she wouldn’t be found out. In her haste, she had the passing realization that this would be the first time she’d leave the house with her hair down and uncoiffed in over two years.

Through this rush, she heard the plunge of something in the town square’s fountain along with the shouts of the Chief, and she ran faster, throwing open the door just in time to see him about to club a drenched Willy over the head.

“OFFICER!”

Both men turned to her in an instant. She let out the breath she’d been holding since first hearing the girl’s voice, rolled her shoulders back, dropped into the character she’d played for the past two years, and stepped forward.

“What on earth is going on?”

They stared, each with a different kind of shock, as she walked toward the fountain. The Chief returned his nightstick to its holster.

“Mrs. Fickelgruber,” he stammered, “I thought you would have thought-well, I guess he didn’t tell-you aren’t-”

“No, I’m not thrilled about you clobbering this poor young man in the middle of the night,” she said, placing a hand on Willy’s shoulder. He looked at her, still touched with the fear of the past minutes but now grateful, and she tried not to be struck by the freckles she saw behind his water-plastered curls.

“Who said anything about clobbering?” the Chief laughed somewhat nervously. “We were just having a chat. An impactful, memorable chat. Right, Mr. Wonka?”

Willy dragged his eyes to him and held them there, a bit speechless.

What was probably three seconds but felt like an eternity of strange silence passed.

“Memorable indeed.”

“Right, then,” the Chief said. “You’ll do good to continue to remember it. Goodnight, Mrs. Fickelgruber.”

With that, he entered his car and drove away, his tail lights fading in the distance as the remaining pair stood, a little shell-shocked, her hand still on his shoulder.

“Thank you,” he said after a while, his gaze still trailing the receding police car.

“You’re welcome,” she replied, giving his shoulder an awkward pat, which made her realize just how cold he was due to the impromptu fountain bath. “Oh, God, you’re freezing. Let me…”

As he turned towards her, she looked up, trying to see through her window in the dark. She could barely make out the shape of a sound-asleep Felix, still in bed.

“Come to the office, I’ve got the key. There’s a fireplace there; you can stay as long as you need to to warm up.”

“Are you sure?”

His eyes moved up the same way, then back to her, and she shook her head as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Of course.”

~

“Do you want anything to drink? Water, tea? Hot chocolate?”

She hadn’t turned on most of the lights so as not to draw attention, but she’d started a beautiful fire, which Willy sat by in a plush emerald-green chair. She’d rattled off the drinks on habit, but she turned to him upon saying the third, sharing his smile.

“The last one, please. But I’ll make it.”

“No, you need to rest-”

“I insist,” he said, moving to join her by the small bar in the office and searching through ingredients. “Unless that’s some sort of corporate sacrilege.”

“Making chocolate in enemy territory?”

He took a small jar of powder from his sleeve and shook it into two mugs, considering this, and his smile faltered a bit.

“Is it really that bad?” he asked. “That they’d…that they’d send the police after me? That business rivalry is thought of like a war?”

She pursed her lips and nodded solemnly.

“They…feel threatened,” she said slowly, “and, despite how professional they seem, they can’t be mature or rational about it. Apparently, you really do have the best chocolate in town.”

He neither confirmed nor denied, but gave half of a smile as he looked down at the drinks he was stirring.

“And I, for one, am quite looking forward to trying it.”

“Here, then,” he said, pulling something out of a coat pocket that had managed to escape the frozen flush. “Nothing too dangerous about this one. Just some good old Wonka magic.”

He opened his hand to her, revealing a small, wrapped treat, and she sighed.

“I’d love to, but I really shouldn’t. Not even the drinks.”

“Why not?” came the stunned reply, and she nearly laughed at just how sweetly scandalized the boy seemed to be at the idea of anyone denying themselves that pleasure.

“Milk has never really…agreed with me. Bad for the throat, and I’m a singer besides, as you know-I mean, I-well, it’s just…”

PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER.

“I shouldn’t.”

He took a moment, and she watched his eyes widen as he processed the shocking injustice of being genetically predisposed against chocolate.

“Does your husband know about this?”

“He does, but he doesn’t care. Says I’ll ‘grow out of it with time’, which I haven’t.”

“So he’s…”

“Essentially poisoning me, yes.”

They laughed a little, because, surrounded by echoes of Fickelgruber’s power, it was the only thing they could do.

Willy stared at the table for a moment, then pulled another vial, this one containing a liquid, from yet another pocket.

“Lucky for you, then, I’ve got milk made from the product of the finest almond trees on the islands of Seychelles,” he said as he deftly poured the liquid into her glass. “Guaranteed to go down sweetly, both on the taste buds and after.”

“...Thank you,” she murmured, touched by the gesture.

With a final flick of the wrist, he deemed the hot chocolate finished, and they each carried their mug to the fire.

“Wren,” he said thoughtfully as they sat down.

“Hm?”

She was instinctively flooded with warmth in the same way she was yesterday, though whether it was due to the stunningly perfect cocoa or hearing her name in his voice she wasn’t sure.

“Is it a nickname? Songbird, right?”

She saw in the fireglow that his face darkened a bit upon the memory of how Felix had always referred to her in the press, taking that potentially sweet title and spinning it in an almost dehumanizing manner. So someone did notice.

“Well…sort of. That was what my parents intended. They say a wren sang when I was born, so they gave me that name, and I loved it. But Felix assumed it was a nickname and suggested I should expand it; to sound more sophisticated in my performances, he said, but I knew half the reason was to fit with the alliteration. He’s always valued aesthetics above anything else.”

They were silent for a while, and the massive painting seemed to stare down at them, making the Fickelgrubers look almost menacing in the fireglow.

“That’s you?”

A moment passed.

“No. No, that’s not really me.”

Her voice was quiet, but decisive. Willy looked at her, really looked at her, and she felt more seen than she had in years.

“I want to help you,” she said.

“Hm?”

His head tilted to the side, a little stunned, and she nearly giggled as his now-drying curls flopped in front of his face.

How could anyone want to hurt him?

“I don’t know exactly what Felix and the rest have planned against you, but I know there’s something. He never really tells me anything, but I’ll…I’ll try to find out what I can, to distract him when needed. I don’t want you to be alone in this.”

“I’m not,” he said. “The others where I’m staying right now, we’re all in a rather precarious situation together, and I’ve got a few ideas, but…”

She watched the wheels turn in his mind, and after a few moments, he looked back up at her, for once lost for words.

“But thank you. Again. I’d…I appreciate it.”

“Thank you. For bringing some much-needed heart into this place.”

“I think you’ve done that rather well yourself.”

This was news to her often-guilt-wracked brain.

“...Really?”

“Well, of course. You clearly care, Wren…you’re kind, you’re poetic and talented, and far smarter than it seems they give you credit for. It’s in your eyes, too, I think. You can always tell the truth by a person’s eyes.”

Her heart had nearly stopped.

Somehow, though, she could tell that he was unaware of the full effect he had on her.

“Mr. Wonka-ah, Willy, I mean…”

“Forgive me if-I didn’t intend to-”

The clocks around the city chimed the hour, interrupting the two just as they had the day before, and the young man’s expression went from its dazed dawning to a startled realization.

“They’ll need me. Back where I’m staying, I mean.”

“Of-of course,” she said a bit awkwardly as they both stood up.

His hair had dried by now, falling in perfectly imperfect swoops around his face. He’d undone his necktie to keep its cold away from his neck, and his jacket was folded over his arm, and he was looking at her as if he hadn’t had a conversation quite like that with someone in a very, very long time.

And neither had I.

Or…ever, I suppose.

Until now.

“Thank you. Again.”

“You’re welcome. Again.”

She took a breath, let it out, and folded him into a hug, which he returned in an instant.

After two years of jutting angles and sharply possessive grasps, it was remarkable to simply, softly, hold and be held.

They bid a last goodnight before parting ways, and as she took her time walking back to the mansion, the moon seemed brighter than ever before.

#wonka 2023 #wonka movie #wonka x reader #willy wonka x reader #wonka #willy wonka #timothee chalamet #timothée chalamet x reader #timothee x reader #timothee chalamet fic #timothee chalamet fanfiction #timothée chalamet #wonka fanfiction #wonka fanfic #mat baynton #mathew baynton #mathew baynton x reader #mat baynton x reader #fiytwtb

[horizon-verizon]

Userhttps://www.tumblr.com/witheredoffherwitch/747550490833928192/as-i-continue-to-spend-more-time-in-this-fandom-i?source=share

"Her descendants exclusively blame her for the extinction of their dragons - and not a single descendant carried her name thereafter. Her surviving lineage brands her as a traitor and that same line went extinct mainly because of the Dance."

This is a lie, right? Only Stannis recognizes Rhaenyra as a traitor, and Arianne recognizes her as the true heir. It's not known what her other descendants think about her or the Dance and succession. There isn't a single quote where they exclusively blame her for the extinction of the dragons."

Stannis Baratheon

Stannis--who is trying to make claim for the throne through male primogeniture himself and is a rigidly unlikeable guy besides...like this is what he's known for, being intolerable to be around--from what I researched is the only one to be so vitriolic towards Rhaenyra in a way that this user you're linking me to is making her legacy and the cultural feelings are towards her. It serves him to brand her as a "traitor" specifically because he's trying to invalidate the Lannister-Baratheons that are on the throne; to default to the traditions of having any trueborn male come before trueborn girls gives his claim credence. btw, he also names his daughter his heir and he will never have a boy. We can say that he could still set aside his wife but he hasn't bc he needs/needed her family and no family has come forward to offer him any of their daughters at the right time, so...he delulu. And not the fun kind, the really sad and annoying kind. Even if he did have a son, he still used his daughter to "warm up" the spot and try to get others to support him--similar to Viserys naming Rhaenyra (except he had the decency to be serious abt it) just so he can make use of potential allies. Rhaenyra needed heirs to solidify her claim? So did Stannis, and he used Shireen.

Thereby, with that and his disbelief in any religion but continued use of Melisandre to scare people, he's much more dishonest with himself about what is the "right" thing to do. And we already know that in Winds of Winter, he will burn his own daughter. So let's not take the words of the only descendant we definitely know calls Rhaenyra a "traitor", yeah? Typical hypocritical extreme nihilism. Total opposite of Dany, who locks away her own "children" to preserve the lives of others' children and contemplates family betrayal as negative in relation to power-grasping [down below].

Oh, and Robert, his brother and the person of whom he's saying he is the true heir to? Robert made use of their shared Targaryen mother--Rhaelle--to add more legitimacy to his reign. Thus to Stannis' potential reign as well.

Other mentions of Rhaenyra both in the main series and in the Hegde Knight series (so PoVs, not written histories) are:

None blame her for the extinction of dragons specifically; they mostly mention the how the "rift" or rivalry between "sister" and "brother" tore the realm part and plunged it into a devastating war. That's more the OG poster projecting their ideas onto those people outside of the Citadel.

And this is really emphasized by how Dany remember her own brother (abusive and once said he'd tear her own son from her womb, hah!) relating the tale of how Rhaenyra's son had forced his dragon into eating Rhaenyra right in front of her son (in contemplation of the "price of power" when she learns that a young girl is killed by presumably dragonfire, by one of her own dragons, the source of her ability to rise to power and protect those she wants to protect).

So here's the thing about Fire & Blood and even A World of Ice and Fire...both are books written by people who have not witnessed most of the things they write about AND are doing their best to BOTH record historical events AND push out propaganda or propaganda-like material to maintain a certain status quo. For Gyldayn, it is anti-female rulership/women in higher positions of power and with similar or close-to-traditionally-male-assigned positions.

Fire and Blood

Not only is Gyldayn already a man who has lived within the re-affirmed stigma against female leadership the Dance left Westeros in its wake, Gyldayn is trying to tell us how a woman, at all, being the heir to the throne of Westeros was itself catastrophic, and is using the war to affirm that idea. Meanwhile, when we really look at the whole of Westerosi history we realize two things:

much more women been used up, tortured, killed, etc. by men in any sort of position of power than those have been actually used their power for evil and selfish destruction once they had it or were close to it THAN IN THE REVERSE---ancillary as a Consort or the "highest"/central: Queen Alyssa, Queen Alysanne, Aerea & Rhaella's isolation and removal from the line of succession, Ceryse Hightower, Alys Harroway, most of Aegon IV's mistresses and certainly his sister wife Naerys, Daena, Elena, and their sister Rhaena, Argella Durrandon, Cassella Staunton, Shiera Blackwood, Rhaena the rider of Dreamfyre, Helaena, Jaehaera, Jeyne Arryn, Mysaria, Cassandra Baratheon, Saera, Viserra, Daella, *Princess Alyssa, Myrielle Peake, Lucinda Penrose, Jeyne Westerling, Elinor Costayne, that unnamed Lannister woman who married the man who would inherit her family's lands after taking her family name, Marla Sunderland, etc. Truly, the system already takes care of women who either just want a little bit more protection and agency or are ambitious or just want to protect their ancestral lands. (Except in Dorne, even though you can make the case of nonDornish people inflicting cultural violence against Princess Meria Martell's legacy by calling her a "toad" and saying she was a witch, but that doesn't affect the Martell women as much as nonDornish women...unless they are lowborn--Sylvenna Sand & Obara's mother).

even in his own telling of the Dance, him being a maester (the Hightowers have funded the Citadel for years and socially benefit from doing so by reputation of being pillars of the Faith), he fails to obscure just how greedy, traitorous, and destructive the green/green supporting males were...more so than most of the women he's recounting---INCLUDING Aegon, who was told to have been convinced of becoming king only to avoid Rhaenrya's wrath...which was quickly disproved by her explicitly stating that she wouldn't hurt him if he just gave up...and he responded by saying that he'd kill or seriously injure her...which he eventually did, as well as traumatize/nearly mutilate her 10 year old son as a deterrent to her many supporters

If there are descendants blaming her, they are mainly men AND they tend to be cruel, foolish, or otherwise men who should themselves never rule over a group of people for hos irresponsible they take to power. Fire and Blood rather shows us what happens when you let misogyny rule the world; it's liable to burn with how degrading you keep your women, esp those who already have dragons that you can entrust power rather than stifle and oppress. "Rhaenyra" is not a name used again for two reasons, one Doylist and the other Watsonian:

Doylist: she is mean to be a sort of "marker" between two periods of Targ history: no dragons vs the dragons...as the "peak" of the ruling Targs, when they were at their most powerful. not because she herself was so special or unique, but because of her position in the timeline

Watsonian: again, she is blamed, sexistly, for the Dance even though it was the greens who usurped her, etc....the council that convened after the Dance were full of men who didn't learn the real lesson and decided, esp after Baela's actions, to not place a woman on the throne bc "it causes too much trouble"...so the name itself is probably "cursed" in the sens that no Targ wanted to bring disfavor to themselves like how Aerion named one of his kids "Maegor"

It's a case of a man almost getting the real point, and skipping right over it. That person you link? They also missed the point entirely.

And yes, Arianne, one of her blood descendants, attributes her as the true queen...which she was. But remember, it's not so much that Rhaenyra wasn't the "true" heir, but that having a female ruler "causes chaos" so we shouldn't do it anymore.

AWoIaF

On the other hand, Yandel (AWoIaF) has several subtle exotifications & interpretations of foreign people's that come from Westerosi-Andal distaste for magic and suspicions of non-Faith practitioners. But more importantly, he was writing the book in dedication to first Robert, then Joffrey, and then Tommen and to the new Lannister-Baratheon alliance/dynasty that replaced the past Targaryen one, which had ended with a mad man but for the most part had non-mad people. The book really capitalizes on the Targaryens' boldness and possible link to power and mystery to paint the Baratheon-Lannisters as the best for Westeros, as the most righteous set of people to rule...(*cough, cough).

And you can see it when he's describing Robert's role in the Rebellion, the Lannisters, Tywin in particular, and how he characterizes the rebellion:

#asoiaf asks to me #rhaenyra targaryen #westerosi history #fire and blood writing #asoiaf writing #westerosi women #westerosi queens #westerosi sexism #stannis baratheon's characterization #rhaenyra's characterization #fire and blood characters #agot characterization #awoiaf writing #agot #awoiaf #fire and blood #asoiaf themes

[suzannahnatters]

OKAY I finished Love Like the Galaxy today so here are my live reaccs to eps 28-42 (originally posted on Bluesky). Putting them under a cut because they run long!!!

oh man this scene!!! I've seen the same kind of scene play out so often with all the apologising done by the fml and none by the mml…but in this one she tells him her attitude towards him will depend on HIS future actions, and then HE GIVES HER A SNACK our boy is Doing the Work I am proud of him

and now: he will quietly support and encourage her while she seeks to deal with her social enemies in her own way??? I LOVE IT SO MUCH ?? exquisite

we get a look at poor Wang Ling's family and this really could be Overbearing Asian Mothers: The Historical Drama

I can sympathise with NN and Murder General because if I too had someone share a forehead kiss with me I would not be able to sleep all night either

deeply thrilled that NN now gets to do the Dramatic Swooping In To Save Someone - and oh look she's got a maternal figure who's actually kind and loving to her now :')

Oh my, I love how every time he tries to tell her not to get involved in something bc of deep waters, she makes the point that she really needs to do the thing, and he LISTENS. Every time he says "this is for your own good" she claps back with why it's better for her to know & be involved.

This is the platonic ideal of cdramas for me

I'm not sure whether I'm supposed to find Consort Yue to be awesome or intolerable but she's leaning intolerable for me with this public haranguing of all her children (and some of other people's). Glad NN bagged the Empress as her etiquette mentor

Well I didn't expect the money counterfeiting subplot to peak so early but that's terrific, I can do without coinage plots lol

Truly puzzled as to what the show means by all this imperial family drama. The parents seem just as toxic as NN's parents but we're supposed to think it's okay because a) their children had every advantage and some of them still wound up rotten at heart? and b) the town children aren't just committing crimes against family - they're crimes against the empire? I'm afraid the parallels ring a bit hollow to me because I truly think the Emperor and Consort Yue are also terrible parents

Interestingly, Murder General says the Emperor will not treat the counterfeiting as harshly as the law provides "because of fairness". We saw Bad Mum also using "fairness" as an excuse to deny NN things that would benefit her as compared to her cousin. Again, wondering what the parallels are saying.

Bad mum is now having sad violins because NN is finally learning that being a parent is hard…but she's learning from the Empress lol the only thing I have to say to that is SUFFER, MA'AM

NN is now reassuring the Empress that parents who patiently teach rather than criticise their children are the best, & she's been commending the crown Prince for being gentle & compassionate rather than a cold politician, so I'm beginning to wonder if there's a muted critique of the imperial family

This Tiger Tally thing is totally going to be stolen within the next two episodes isn't it

Thanks a lot murder general

ooohh she lied to him and he's big mad about it

"here are all the reasons why your actions have made things worse for me and the people you care about" maybe you should have told her those things first, GENIUS

AHAHAHAHAHAHA now she's saying that exact thing herself I LOVE THIS SHOW

annnnnd the Tiger Tally is gone and it's time for Murder General, Boy Detective! to save the - wait, what is Niao Niao doing here

*ancient Chinese man falls in love with woman for independent spirit and quick wits, horrified when she insists upon using them*

did she,,,did she forge the Tiger Tally lol

Murder general realises he needs to let NN do all the things he fell in love with her for. Congrats Niao Niao you've levelled up and unlocked Tragic And Highly Disturbing Family Reunion

wheeee NN says being filial is only possible if the parents earn it by conducting themselves well if I was murder general I would also be kissing her at this point

pov: you're sitting at your betrothal feast and someone comes in with a message from your absent beloved: "whatever happens next, don't be flustered. shout and scream however you feel is appropriate" the hEcK Zisheng

one of the things that absolutely staggers me about Smug Scholar is that HE doesn't want to get married, least of all to NN, he just wants to make sure nobody else can marry her either

ahhh first Qiqi and Bad Mum are defending her now - and then the Empress turns up? I'm sure murder general had something to do with the Empress, but I love that he's now helping NN solve problems in her own way

all the elders are squabbling and our leads are just chilling affectionately in the background it's hilarious

I mean after they stole the spotlight at Snacks' betrothal feast it's probably fair

Oh no NN is now the Empress' adopted perfect daughter who gets all the attention…and Fifth Princess is NOT happy. More parallels!

"tonight, I'll teach you how to recognise acupoints" is that what they're calling it these days

Murder general is highly trained in the Romance Novel Cover Clinch school of self defence

"from now on, my Gate of Life will be yours" V U L N E R A B I L I T Y

NN is a darling who is determined to protect her Empress' favourite son but girlfriend,,, you do realise you can't babysit this disaster couple through ruling an entire empire don't you

ahahahahaha he's doing the "what am I going to do if you get hurt" thing and she's not having a bar of it

this show just speedrunning all my least favourite tropes with a heroine who Won't Be Flim Flammed and it's BEAUTIFUL

it is time for murder general to go a little unhinged, as a treat drinking tea while listening to the shrieks of his enemies, as you do

I am loving so much, so very much, about this show…but I'm finding the humiliation of the antagonists to be a little too thorough and mean-spirited to enjoy, even tho I can see how it is intended to fit in with the themes of fighting for yourself.

Where does the line between justice and vindictiveness lie, especially in a social setting with injustice hard-baked in? One of the principles of justice (at least in the west) is that it must be proportionate to the crime. But the humiliation dealt out in this show often feels excessive to me.

ep38: every single last one of these people is absolutely bonkers insane, except the Empress

I laughed way harder than I should. I love that NN told two different people to shut up in the emperor's presence. I love that NN has this moment of piercing identification with murder general when she sees him being beaten the way she was. I think the emperor is rubbish, & I think the show knows it

He promises NN that he won't ever lie to her and I have every expectation that this promise will be broken, just like every other cdrama hero breaks that promise

except that I also trust NN to make sure he doesn't get away with it, which is what makes this drama so MUCH fun

murder mystery break!!!! there's all sorts of interesting thematic stuff going on here about communal/family responsibility to educate and socialise children, as well as the difference in appropriate behaviour in the private vs public spheres. But it's fun that our leads are doing it together.

I could not ask for a better Exasperated Watson to NN's Sherlock Holmes than Smug Scholar, whom she now diagnoses with Extreme Sour Grapes in two seconds flat

NN telling the murderer that murder general will naturally let him go in return for NN's safe return…she sure is a tricky one

Of course she had a knife, she's not an IDIOT, Zisheng

Emperor: out of consideration of your family's reduced circumstances I will not be executing you for your part in the cataclysm that left murder general an orphan

murder general: truly epic side eye

all of them are definitely dead

I love murder general because he can turn anything as simple as buying sweets for his fiancée into a production of SPARTACUS

Our girl is dressed as a boy, sneaking around the army camp looking for murder general. Murder General's personal army of beefy warriors is sneaking around the camp trying not to catch Niao Niao while dropping loud hints about where to find his tent. Cdramas, man.

"from now on, you can leave the needlework to me" ling buyi is officially the man of my dreams

well, just as the military expedition around eps 11-12 signalled the end of the first act, so this new expedition feels like it signals the start of the final act. NN and her murder puppy have reached such a situation of love and trust that I can feel the pin approaching the balloon.

he's about to catch peng kun and find out some things, isn't he??? murder party revenge WHEN

#love like the galaxy #lltg #ling buyi #cheng shaoshang #cdrama #asian drama

[kikie-e3]

Rottmnt Headcanons?? More likely then you think

- Donnie is a percy jackson kid.

- He got the lightning thief from a library trip one day and fell in love

- from that day he was obsessed

- That obsession soon lead into a general mytholgy phase

- Mikey has a habit of drawing on himself

- You will rarely see him not covered in little doodles and drawings

- or paint smudges

- Raph is a really good baker

- He cant cook to save his life. But a plate of brownies? Sign him up

- He is the only brother who hasnt been terminated from the kitchen more then once

- (the first time was an accident and Mikey was sympathetic)

- There is a Leo ban on the kitchen

- Forever remember the kitchen fire of 2017

- Hes only allowed in if he wants to make tea

- Leo can make some pretty banging tea

- Donnie can cook... To an extent Usually to accommodate his own tastes

- He has been banned for weird food concoctions

- and blowing up the microwave

- (which come on mike i fixed it let me back in)

- A good portion of Raphs bandages are for show

- None of his brothers know why he does this

- Aprils mom actually does know about the turtles

- But they dont know that shes know and she doesnt plan to let them know until April and the Bros are ready to tell her

- Donnie met April first

- Then Leo and then she met Mikey and Raph at the same time

- Donnie and Aprils meeting included a school text book, oatmeal cookies and a sewer grate

- Donnie likes oatmeal and raisin cookies

- April doesn't

- They have had heated debates over this

- They are eachothers favorite siblings

- Leo ate soap when he was a tot

- His only excuse was that "it looked good"

- He threw up 20 seconds later and was sick for the next two days

- Splinter was very stressed during that time

- Leo came out first in the family, though everyone kinda knew at that point

- April also came out to, though she thought that the bros had already known and was confused when they said they didn't

- (she literally had pride pins on her bag and she was so confused as to why they didnt notice)

- Raph came out last

- Draxum totally had a thing for Lou Jitsu and is in denial about still having a thing for him even as a rat man

- Donnie collects bottle caps

- Mikey collects those little can caps and steals the colorful monster ones from donnie and leo

- Donnie and Leo have made quite the colorful monster can collection over the years

- Raph is worried over how much they have

- Raph is an avid tea and water drinker

- Though he is also a chocolate milk enthusiast

- He is lactose intolerant

- Its worth it

- Leo is fucking illiterate

- He cant read to save his life

- Its genuinely so bad

- His brothers (Donnie mostly) have offered to teach him

- But he refuses out of spite

- Donnie can recite most all of the fnaf lore

- Mikey and Raph are mlp enthusiasts

- Mikey's fav is Pinkie Pie

- Raphs is Apple Jack and Fluttershy

- Leo was a MCYT kid

- Leo also plays Roblox

- Mikey plays animal jam

- Leo doesnt know the order of the rainbow

- Which is ironic sense-

- Leo is also slightly color blind

- Raph keeps a diary

- His brothers dont know about this

- even if they did a good portion of it is written in Japanese

- Mikey has an on going webcomic with a pretty steady fanbase

- Leo and Donnie read bad Y/N fanfiction together when their bored

- Donnie has written x Reader fanfiction before

- Leo has listened to a recording of a Jupiter Jim, Lou jitsu crossover fic before

- Donnie knows this and keeps it as blackmail

And thats all for now. If I make another one of these ill throw in some more April and actually add some about the Casey's. But thats all for now

#rottmnt mikey #rottmnt leo #rottmnt raph #rottmnt donnie #rottmnt #rottmnt april #rottmnt headcanons #rise of tmnt #rise of the tmnt #tmnt 2018 #tmnt #headcanon #headcanons #tmnt mikey #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #i love them #rise of the turtles #leonardo #tmnt disaster twins #baja blast

[alyjojo]

Past Life 🪡 Karmic Spread January 2024 - Aquarius

Character Card: The Poet (past), The Pilgrim (present)

Gender I’m Picking Up On (in the past life): Male, a soft & romantic one that embraced their feminine energy (quietly). Either that’s the same story now, or you’re a woman, I can’t tell. It’s a beautiful energy either way.

Who You Were: 5 Wands rev

What You Did: Knight of Pentacles rev

How It Ended: Strength

What Karma Was Brought With You: The High Priestess

Who You Brought With You: 10 Cups

Additional energy: The Tower rev

Past Life Oracle: Asia & Egypt (past), Celtic (present)

Dreaming Way: Bouquet (past), Anchor, Ship & Tree (present)

Charm:

Racquet 🎾 on Bouquet

Lips 👄 on Strength

Lips 👄 on The Tower rev

Bat 🦇 on The High Priestess

Dress 👗 and Music 🎶 on Celtic

So far your reading has led me down countless historical rabbit holes that don’t give me any answers, it’s a fruitless endeavor, and that’s kind of the whole point to this past life. Everything you did was a fruitless endeavor. Not by choice of course 🙏 Who you were as a person and what you did were two totally different things, you could say you were two totally different people. There may be an lgbtq aspect to this identity, I’m not picking that up specifically, but it would explain the love area, and maybe some of this gender bendy energy.

There is a major lack of historical records that combine Egyptian & Indian cultures even though they were close trade partners and very similar in religion and practice. It was a common occurrence for the two to intermingle, one lives in the other, or in your case works there. You were an Indian man, with an Indian name, it wasn’t “John” and you were a bit intolerant towards white people, because they had a way of waltzing in and taking credit for everything, which made you bitter. You were an archeologist, or some kind of scientist, and what you did specifically, I’m not sure. You never published anything, never spoke your findings out loud, because your life was more of a you vs. the establishment battle, a constant fight for funding, for others to have the same priorities as you and work as a team. You didn’t have that team, or if you did, it disbanded before you could come to any solid conclusions. During the preshuffle I just kept hearing “I have been forgotten”, like you are just wiped from history, and Wiki has a whole list of archeologists that have worked in Egypt specifically, none of them are you. I did find a British woman born in India and heard a clear NO, with the name thing, your name is not John, you are not a woman 😆 The irritation is crystal clear. But you didn’t publish anything either, or maybe you weren’t the lead person I’m not sure - thus got no credit. It burned your ego, which was otherwise healthy. I kept hearing “a white guy took credit”, and with every British archeologist on the list (most of them), I just felt an energy of squirm & disgust. Yeesh 😅

The subject you were studying is the only thing about you I can actually lock down. The Unfinished Obelisk, said to be built by Pharoah Hatshepsut - the longest successful ruling female pharoah, that liked to be depicted in male ways, with a beard, or certain markings, to assert her dominance - that I’ve found anyway. You felt a strong connection to her, possibly identified with her in some way, both of you could toe the line of gender based identities, or maybe it’s a past life within a past life 😆 That would be pretty cool. I spent a lot of time researching her thinking maybe that was where this was going, or I’d find a trail, and kept hearing no, male, Indian, everything I’ve said.

You uncovered something you either never gave to a higher up, the lead boss man, the university or whoever was funding this, etc., or it was just information you kept to yourself due to the fact that you wouldn’t get credit for it. 7 Swords is Aquarius energy after all, very strategic, but along the lines of fairness for you, and either race, titles, hierarchy in “the system”, personal bias for sure, something prevented you from achieving success in the way you wanted to. You stole the sword before someone else did to use it against you. I call this side of Aquarius “going all Darth Vader”, because regardless of loyalty, titles, positions, responsibilities, you’re intelligent, and can smell problems a mile away. And right is right, wrong is wrong, fair is fair - King of Swords. This behavior is probably why you’re an Aqua now, if you weren’t before.

Now for the softer side of you, which was quite dreamy and romantic, head full of fantasies. The Poet falls in love with anyone and everyone, love at first sight may have been a regular thing for you, you were full of inspiration and it didn’t take much to stir your affections. I’m getting this being due to a lack of genuine emotional expression, you didn’t have a partner. I’m not really sensing one, ever. Bouquet with the racket describes one person in particular that either played an Indian racquet sort of game, or you played together, again showing it’s possible this was an lgbtq sort of connection/situation. Because you never ended up with this person, or any, you were very quiet, dreaming, fanciful, obsessed with the idea of love but afraid to take action, ask, even flirt to some degree. I get no energy off of them, you may have just watched from a distance, or this was a friend, they probably never knew that you were madly & obsessively in love with them. You may have been a literal poet, as a hobby. This life is described as Knight of Pentacles rev, there never was any progress, nothing ever became of anything you did, and it burned your soul. You never said word, about love, discoveries, your life, you returned to India after failure and “gave up”, didn’t do anything significant, you didn’t care anymore, and eventually contracted some sort of painful disease, I’m getting this lasted for quite a while, 10 years or so, before it finally took you. If you wrote anything, you tore it up, burned it, got rid of any “evidence” of your feelings, inner nature, confessions, etc.

In this life, you’re already older, The Anchor here shows you’ve already completed your soul mission where *this* life is concerned, which seems to be centered around family trauma or generational healing. Your healing is, you’ve pushed them all away. The circumstances aren’t mentioned specifically, except that you are defensive and have the high moral ground for an argument where you could justify your position on things and *know* you’re right about it - regarding childhood, the past, possibly with a mother or female figure in particular. You could also be someone who does not want children, because you feel like your bloodline is toxic or something, you wouldn’t do that to a child. There’s also a note of possible adoption/abortion that could be being kept secret, only you’d know. Whatever was done was supposed to be done, or has already been done, and it was done in a similar Aquarian way of handling a problem before it’s a problem, stealing swords that could cut you, avoiding Towers before they fall - which is here. That’s a part of you that isn’t as negative as you or others may perceive it to be. You know what you’re up against, and how to handle it, others can either join you or not…I’m getting you’ve left a lot of people behind. A whole family possibly.

Celtic is here, with the dress, music, and I’m seeing bright red flushed cheeks. You could be Irish, and when I say Irish I mean like you go to a St. Patrick’s Day parade and actually belong there, not like the rest of us browner/tan people just having a good time 😆 Ancestral heritage may be very important to you regardless of the specific people in your life. You could listen to Celtic meditation music or dancing could be involved in this too. Your intuition is a gift that you often question but is actually quite powerful, this is saying it only grows with time, but The Pilgrim is exhausted. You’ve done it all, seen it all, escaped or dodged the worst of it, and now you’re at the point you just keep going with no real inspiration, spark, you’re just passing life by with no notice, and The Fool is at the bottom showing it’s time for a new beginning. You’ve done it, you’ve made it, whatever “it” is.

What is The Fool and this new thing: Strength, Justice & 2 Swords

That’s very cryptic, you already know what you need to do, you just know that it’s not going to be easy for you. Strength shows up when it’s required, Justice is finally making a decision that’s kept you in 2 Swords for awhile, unsure of which path to take or what to do. Idk the what, but you can take it as confirmation that whatever it is, YES, it’s what you need to do 💜 If you beat yourself up over family dynamics, did you do the right thing by holding back from this or certain people, the answer is yes. And you’re free to start all over with something else - The Fool, enjoy your life.

#Aquarius #past life reading #january 2024 #past life #karmic lessons #karma #tarot #tarotblr

[tarnishedxknight]

🦉- Is your muse a night owl or an early bird? ((All three))

🦁 - Does your muse think themselves lionhearted? Are they right? ((Basch))

🐌 - Is your muse an ‘old soul’? Why? ((Ashe))

🐜 - Does your muse think they are doing right for the greater many? ((All three))

🐍 - What reputation does your muse think they have? Are they right? ((Noah))

{out of dalmasca} Below the cut for length! ^_^

🦉- Is your muse a night owl or an early bird? ((All three))

Ashe and Basch are early birds, for sure. As Dalmascans, they both are up at least with the sun every morning. Basch is up before the sun in pre-invasion Dalmasca, because of his work. Ashe rises with the sun because that's natural for her. She's Dalmascan, a "child of the sun." She loves the sun, the light, the warmth, everything. It invigorates her and charges her, so she'd definitely a morning person. Basch became conditioned to be a morning person by his work, but through becoming Dalmasca (at least by culture), he's learned to love the sun too.

Noah... is absolutely not a morning person at all. The sun is bright and garish and hurts his eyes, heh. He feels more clear-headed at night, is more productive, feels better physically, just all around he prefers evening and night to morning and afternoon. Darkness, night, and coolness relax him and make him feel calmer. Over the years he's been forced to rise with the sun as he worked his way through the ranks of the military, but when he's free to set his own schedule, he becomes a total night owl. XD

🦁 - Does your muse think themselves lionhearted? Are they right? ((Basch))

No, he doesn't. He thinks he's just a guy doing what he has to, what's right, what anyone else would do. But that's the problem with Basch, if it even is a problem (it can be for him, heh)... He assumes that other people have the same tendencies towards bravery, altruism, and honor as he does. If he's called honorable or a hero, he'd be quick to downplay it by say, "Anyone else would have done the same as I." And it's like... no, Basch, heh. Most people wouldn't have. So no, he doesn't think he's lionhearted with regard to being brave, strong, driven, determined, etc., he's no more so than anyone else, he feels. But he absolutely is, more so than most.

🐌 - Is your muse an ‘old soul’? Why? ((Ashe))

So first of all, what "old soul" means to me is... someone who seems wise, patience, peaceful, thoughtful, etc. beyond their years, almost as if their soul has lived before and already learned life lessons previously that they've carried over into this life. Like, they seem older than they are in an existential way because of how they think or behave. It's something innate that they display at a very young age. Ashe, I believe, is not an old soul. By the end of the game she does seem that way, but that's because of all the life experience she'd gained in the previous three years. And maybe not even that long because at the start of the game she still behaves like a child sometimes. She's quick to anger, intolerant, arrogant, impulsive, and unwise, none of which are traits of an "old soul." So yeah, I'm gonna have to go with no on this one. XD

🐜 - Does your muse think they are doing right for the greater many? ((All three))

Ashe, at first, does not, heh. She's doing what's right and good and just for Dalmasca and screw everyone else, haha. It takes her the whole game, meeting Larsa, seeing the world, seeing the war, etc. for her to realize that things have to change, and how. It takes all of that for her to realize that a good future for Dalmasca means a good future for all, like one can't exist without the other. By the end of the game she is working to end the war and to bring peace to all of Ivalice because she knows that's necessary for Dalmasca too. And I think becoming friends with Larsa, finding out Basch has a twin in Archadia, finding out Balthier used to be a Judge, like... she's brought out of her "Dalmasca-only" bubble and comes to see that people are people all over, and everyone needs/wants peace.

Basch... hopes he is. He strives to. But a lot of times he feels he falls short. He wanted to protect Raminas, and failed. He wanted to protect Rasler, and failed. He wanted to defend Dalmasca, and failed, so it's like... he strives for a good that is greater than himself but feels inadequate at it. Yet... that doesn't stop him from trying. He doesn't let failure stop him, he internalizes the pain and the lessons learned and moves on to the next task. Because at the end of the day, the greater good is always worth fighting for in his opinion, no matter what the odds stacked against you are.

Noah... knows he is doing wrong for the greater good, haha. He fights and kills and destroys and does all these horrible things so that Larsa doesn't have to. He does them because... the end justifies the means. Because peace does not mean pacifism, it has to be fought for and then maintained. And because in order to outsmart and defeat one's enemies, you have to meet them on their level or they'll roll right over you. So Noah knows he's doing a lot of really unforgivable things, but in all honesty... he doesn't expect to eat the fruits of his labor. He doesn't expect to reap what he's sown. And he doesn't. He dies before seeing the results of his part in bringing about an end to the war, and that's really sad. But building a future for Larsa, for the Archadian Empire, and for all of Ivalice was more important than himself. An end to the war was worth his suffering and having blood on his hands. And making sure no other nations ever suffered what Landis and Nabradia did was worth his eventual life.

🐍 - What reputation does your muse think they have? Are they right? ((Noah))

Noah thinks his reputation is as that of an absolute butcher. He thinks he's feared, hated, or both, by everyone who knows anything about him. He thinks he's intimidating and off-putting, and that people find him abrasive and unlikeable.

He's... right with regard to Dalmasca and Nabradia. His reputation there is pretty much as he thinks it is. In Archadia, however, although people certainly don't want to cross him, he's come to mean a sense of security and safety for a lot of people. With the exception of maniacs like Bergan, heh, Archadian civilians view the Judges as the keepers of the law, the maintainers of order, the protectors of society. That's... not a bad thing. What Noah thinks is intimidation and horror is actually a sense of stability and that "he's got this." Like... Archadians trust their Judge Magisters, even if they might think them imposing. So for civilians in their day-to-day lives, they view the Judge Magisters as the strong, intelligent, capable folks that handle the big stuff for them so they can live their lives with security and predictability.

And Noah is not as abrasive and unlikeable as he thinks he is. Larsa adores him, admires him, looks up to him, and I dare say even loves him. Drace loves him as well, respects him, and respects what he's been through and how hard he's worked. She also admires how he is with Larsa and all that he's done for the Empire and the Archadian public at large. And even Emperor Gramis respects him and views him as an adopted son in many ways. So he's not this hated pariah that he thinks he is, not by a long shot.

#{ out of dalmasca } ᵒᵒᶜ

[careforacuppatea]

“I'm not just anti Billy I'm also an anti racist.”

So we all agree that this is just y'all being super performative?

We can all agree this is just so y'all can have a little circle-jerking over y'all's totally being anti racist like damn give these people a medal for being so damn not racist!!!

We can agree y'all being so ~not racist~ performative about your vitriolic hatred towards Billy as a character, but also at the fans who like him as a character, because y'all can't fathom it, or refuse see yourself as ever being intolerant/prejudice or holding LEARNED INTOLERANCE/PREJUDICES because again you're out here loudly screaming proclaiming how you could n e v e r like a character like Billy Hargrove! You're just too pure as the driven snow!

Y'all act as if none of you once held or currently hold any picked up or learned intolerant behavior or prejudices towards others, by friends or especially by family. Y'all act as if denouncing this character's actions so loudly and proudly and clearly much more better than the other fans, that clears you of being an innately flawed, fucked up, and most likely holding a bit of genuine intolerance and prejudice towards whoever for whatever reason you believe might justify it.

Listen fuckheads not liking a character who is clearly flawed+abused+fucked up+raised by a fuck-up douchenozzle+thus acts out and acts fucked up, does not actually make you morally superior and a Good Person!

You loudly screaming about Billy and how Billy is evil terrible the worst does not, in fact, make you not a racist, or not an intolerant and prejudicial person.

Maybe y'all are so pressed about him because he's a mirror for y'all to confront the fact people all people even the abused and the battered and the abandoned, are all capable of being bad, perpetuating bad behaviors, capable of holding intolerant and cruel feelings or views.

YOU are just as capable, and that scares y'all to have to actually face that part of humanity and your upbringing. A character like his forces y'all to face the worse about yourselves too, to confront the uncomfortable facts that you can be hateful and you can be intolerant and you can be prejudice and you can be just downright unapologetically mean.

But instead of confronting those parts about yourself, being honest about it, then try to address what you've been made to see and confront as a flawed person yourself, and calmly and critically assessing a character like Billy Hargrove, y'all just lash out and project out onto others who like him or can sympathize/empathize with his character.

I don't need to feel like I have to denounce everything Billy has ever done every second I like him because 1. I'm not him 2. He's a fictional character 3. I know who I am and what I'm all about and I know my demons and me liking this fucked up little guy isn't going to change that for the worst 4. I just feel it's fucking obvious anyway that what he's done is fucked so why do I even need too?

Y'all don't even LIKE him, so why is it y'all feel like you gotta loudly on a soap box denounce denounce denounce proclaim you aren't racist that really it was the Billy Stans who were the real racists all along because you could never be—

Bruh you're all as obvious as a fucking toupee.

Y'all performative as fuck y'all fake y'all fake.

Stop projecting. Face up to yourselves. Y'all pathetic ass wanna-be bullies.

Stop using your personal disdain towards an antagonistic, flawed, silly but straight up complex fictional character from a silly little TV show to try and wash away your own sins and white knight up on your high horses of faux-moral superiority all up in this bitch.

#billy hargrove #stranger things #harringrove

[thatiranianphantom]

Yeah, I think Toni sucks, and here's why.

Okay, god, finally. I have been dancing around this for so long, and am finally expanding on this.

The kid gloves that subsets of the fandom treat Toni with, the carte blanche, the absolutely free pass that she gets for things other characters would have been raked over the coals for murders me.

And that's kinda the main issue? None of these characters are without flaw. I'm certainly not claiming they are. Just about all of them have done some pretty fucked up things in the course of the show, and been rightfully called out by both the show and the fandom for it. Except Toni. Toni, for some reason, gets absolutely no consequences from fandom or show.

And make no mistake, Toni has done some shitty things too, including but not limited to....

Kissing a guy she KNEW had just broken up with his ex and was clearly vulnerable and heartbroken. Imagine if Toni had been a guy doing that to a girl? That was not okay.

Being extremely rude to Betty in earlier seasons for no reason (the kids are not their parents is kinda the entire theme of the earlier seasons?), but apparently Cheryl and Veronica are fine?

Jughead being persona non grata when he gets back, but the Serpents are totally cool with Archie!

The fact that she and Fangs got married on what was entirely a lie, a lie that she told that determined the custody of their son?

The fact that Kevin the social worker's concerns about *deep sigh* Baby Anthony's safety were, you know....not unreasonable?

The fact that she was unwilling to have the baby take a DNA test to acknowledge what could very possibly have been the baby's biological father?

Using she and Cheryl's past relationship to coerce a LOT of money from a very unwell Cheryl.

Asking her ex to come to her bachelor party, and worse, to officiate her wedding? Her ex that was expressing feelings for her not a year ago? Even if unintentional, that borders on cruel to Cheryl.

Again, have all characters done shitty things? Absolutely! And they've been called out for it, and faced consequences for it, as they should have. But Toni still seems to come out consequence free. Nobody is willing to criticize her, and that makes her a pretty intolerable character to me. Not a fan of unchecked self-righteousness in a character. And remember, if Betty or Cheryl had done anything like this, we'd STILL be getting asks about, telling us what a shitty person they are. Call me insane, but I am not willing to treat Toni with the kid gloves that nobody else seems to get.

#Riverdale #Seriously come at me #This is a hill I'm very willing to die on #People will write essays about how much Cheryl sucks and Toni gets off scot free #Nah miss me with that

[pandemic-info]

In the second in a series of personal perspectives, the John Snow Project talks to [a successful, active early-thirties professional] based in California, who developed Long COVID after his third SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Perspective: I Did Everything Right and Things Still Went Wrong - John Snow Project

NOTE: “did everything right” in this headline is not in terms of what COVID-informed people know and do, but rather the average person who follows CDC & govt. guidelines: the “vax and relax” approach.

Excerpts:

—

Salvatore was Covid cautious and followed public health advice from the outset, including with regard to the vaccines.

“I completed my first vaccine series in May 2021 with two doses of Pfizer. Believing I was protected, I lived normally and was infected in September 2021. I had a known exposure and lost my sense of smell and taste. I was sick for about a day and went to bed early that night, but I didn’t even take time off work. I went back to my remote duties the next day and felt fine after a few days. I had my third Pfizer vaccine in March 2022, and was infected for a second time in September 2022 and for a third time in January 2023.”

Salvatore wasn’t initially concerned about his subsequent infections.

“I tested positive on a Cue at-home test for the second and third infections. Both infections were even milder than the first, maybe because I took Paxlovid. Within a week of the second infection, I developed heart palpitations, which were not initially linked to Long COVID. After the third infection, I began to develop many more Long COVID symptoms, and was diagnosed with the condition.”

Looking back, Salvatore had experienced persistent symptoms since his first infection, and developed new ones with each subsequent infection.

“I was aware of Long COVID since I had persistent loss of taste and smell going back to my first infection, but I never really considered it to be Long COVID, as it did not have a major effect on my life. The third infection is really what tipped me into Long COVID. Since then, I've had intermittent chest pain, heart palpitations, various neurological issues (face numbness, buzzing in the feet), joint pain, anxiety, issues with my vision, fatigue, complete alcohol and caffeine intolerance. I alternate between good weeks and bad weeks, with the bad weeks slowly becoming less severe. Some symptoms have totally resolved, while new ones occasionally emerge (the neurological symptoms did not arise until 3-4 months after my third infection). Although I have been able to keep my job and parent my daughter, this year has been one of the worst of my life. Where previously I was having fun on the weekends, for the last 8 months, I have basically spent my weekends laying on the couch and trying to recover. This year, I had two vacations planned, but cancelled them both because of how bad I've felt. My wife and I have delayed having another child because of my health. Even if I do recover fully, I have read so many stories of people relapsing back into Long COVID, that I am afraid I will never be fully healthy. For that reason, we may not have any more children because of Long COVID.”

Salvatore emailed Dr Bob Wachter, after the noted physician said booster vaccinations or infections will protect people from Long COVID. Dr Wachter posted on Twitter that boosters or infections “will protect you from severe infection & Long Covid – I give them 1 year of credit in this regard.”

Salvatore asked Dr Wachter to delete his erroneous tweet, saying, “Just reading it has caused me immense anguish knowing that someone might believe you and wind up in a similar situation [to me]. I hope you can appreciate how someone could reasonably hold you responsible for their Long COVID in the future.”

We asked Salvatore how the medical profession has responded to his Long COVID.

“Most doctors have believed me, but none have offered any substantive treatments. For example, my cardiologist at UCSF ended our last appointment by encouraging me to take CBD oil, telling me he hoped I would get better. The CBD oil seems to help a little bit, but I haven't gotten better despite his hopes. An ER doctor I saw after my face went numb was kind and caring, but described me and people like me as a "science experiment" that no one really knows how to help. Primary Care Providers have been hit or miss. Once I brought in a document with my list of symptoms to a new Primary Care Provider. He ignored it, then suggested the only explanation was that I was suffering from HIV. I have no risk factors for HIV. Once when I was feeling really bad, I visited urgent care. When I told the doctor that I had caught Covid three times, he implied that it was my fault, and told me not to catch Covid again, as if I hadn’t tried, or could somehow wave a magic wand to prevent it in the future.”

—

[ Comment: The PCP’s explanation is unsurprising. It’s been said repeatedly that Long COVID is similar to HIV and AIDS — the latter can also start as a “mild” or asymptomatic HIV infection and becomes much worse later on. LC affects the body / immune system and presents in some similar ways.

“If they are not treated, almost all people infected with HIV will develop AIDS (Stage 3). Some people develop AIDS within a few years of infection. Others remain completely healthy after 10 or even 20 years (called long-term nonprogressors).“ - Penn Medicine ]

—

CONTD.

Salvatore isn’t alone in his experiences of Long COVID but wishes more people would pay attention to the risks.

“My friends and family have been broadly supportive. It might be because I have several family members and friends who also have Long COVID, or who had it in the past and recovered. I don't think my experience has actually influenced anyone else's behavior, except my wife, who masks diligently because of me. When I talk about Long COVID, people who were already behaving in a COVID-cautious manner see it as validating, while those who weren't react with a sort of hopeless indifference. Long COVID isn’t rare. It affects many people who catch Covid even if they caught Covid before. Even if they are young and healthy. Even if they are vaccinated or not vaccinated.”

Salvatore has a message for people who don’t think about the risks of Long COVID.

“You probably won't develop Long COVID after your Covid infection, but there's a good chance that you might. The only way to avoid Long COVID is to avoid catching Covid. The vaccines and Paxlovid seem to help but aren't a panacea. If you get Long COVID, it will probably be somewhat mild, but it also could be so severe that it will derail your life entirely. Doctors will not be able to help you -- there are no cures or even approved treatments.”

Salvatore is concerned about the failure of governments to respond to the danger of Long COVID.

“Government officials that downplay or ignore the risk of Long COVID are directly responsible for the suffering of millions of people. Even if there's nothing to be done about it, at least telling people the truth would give them a chance to make a decision about the amount of risk they're willing to take. Be honest with the public about Long COVID: stop downplaying it.”

He is also concerned about the systemic risk Long COVID poses to social and economic wellbeing.

“Long COVID is the biggest, most mispriced risk facing the United States. Based on the latest studies, it's entirely possible that as many as one-third of Americans could be struggling with Long COVID in just a few years. Many of these people may be too sick to work, which poses a huge risk for the economy, and may already be manifesting in the form of the persistent labor shortage. As the number of people with Long COVID grows, health care and disability systems will come under even more strain. Long COVID should be treated as seriously as the initial COVID outbreak.”

#covid #long covid #john snow project #commentary/opinion #summer 2023

[arrogantsuggestion]

I honestly think you should be called smth more like ‘assertivesuggestion’ bc honey these are not arrogant, you’re just spitting facts all the time! It’s true, we are all inherently worthy as people and none of us need to put up with shit 😌

first off— thank you sweetie!☺️ and you are deffffinitely right on that last part too. I do have my reasons though! (warning: this shit ended up pretty lengthy… get a snack or smth)

So I’ve gotten a lot of asks like this over the years, and my main response has been: it’s called arrogant suggestion because if you live this true to yourself, the insecure & mean people in life WILL call you arrogant. And personally, after escaping various abuses, I straight up was not prepared to be seen as arrogant when I had just started genuinely loving and prioritizing myself. so I call this blog arrogant suggestion, and always have, because I am wary of people who come at me, and now I try to be prepared for it. Like, go ahead, call me arrogant, but I know who I really am. I know the effort I put in to loving myself and the people around me.

And from another perspective, some people who have submitted posts in the past have reallly used this platform as a venting ground for all sorts of stuff, and I wanted to leave the original intention pure, in a way. As if to say something like: if you can go through everything you’ve gone through, make it out, and STILL get called names for pulling yourself outta there, you have complete and total permission to disregard your haters. even and especially when they call you arrogant. (Like this blog is not solely positivity. It’s got the other halves to it too. Like it’s more about trying to empower kind people [like you] to not be torn down by other people being assholes. cus their intolerance is most likely not about you anyway)

also calling it arrogant suggestion, to me, is almost a nod to the ethos behind our individual self-preservation. Like, by calling myself arrogant, I’m challenging You to think critically about what I’m saying. Some people have gone in the replies of hyperspecific posts and been like “this is not a healthy way to live your life” but like.. not every post I make (or some stranger sends in) is true and endemic to the entire world. Sure I have some posts that are like “every day is beautiful!” But even if you go around to everybody on the street with that, you’re eventually gonna find someone who wants to combat you on it. Not necessarily because you’re wrong, but because they can’t see you’re right. And they might call you arrogant when you leave that conversation. But I want anyone and everyone to be prepared to go home, look themselves in the mirror, and know who they are (without those rudeass opinions clogging up their minds!).

So I suppose, (because I’ve gotten so many asks about this,) if you find that the blog title “arrogantsuggestion” bothers you, may I suggest that perhaps you can let that go, as practice to letting go of the things that are actually legitimately hurting you?

And guess what? if that thought experiment is irrelevant to you, you can totally dismiss all of that too! Shit if you want you can even call me arrogant for assuming shit—whatever! idc! It’s up to you! just like everything else! :) this blog to me is like an experiment or a lesson or practice for and in critical thinking & decision making. god that’s complicated. but if I said I was assertivesuggestion I think people would assume I’m just Right more often (which is the opposite of what I want). I ACTUALLY want people to do that thinking of “do I agree with this? or do I think it’s bullshit? because that decision is personal and entirely up to me.” (honestly because I never got that practice enough and I think it set me back. Led me into abusive relationships where I couldn’t figure out what was bullshit or not. So like ya I’m not gonna change my thing to assertive suggestion just because you think I’m right. Even though I am right sometimes, defending one singular moral truth all the time defeats the purpose of the blog imo.)

Fuck hahaha that shit is sooo complicated. I can’t believe this turned out to be such a long explanation too lmao like normally I just don’t answer these… BECAUSE ITS SO COMPLICATED HAHA ! anywayyyyy thank you for all the kind words you said💖💖 & I hope you have a great day💕💝💝

#if anyone fucking gets what I’m saying please feel free to say more about it and we can have a conversation :) #long post #wall of fucking text

[g0nta-g0kuhara]

i dont have many gonta headcanons, yet, but i do see him as lactose intolerant, demiboy who uses he/they/gent, autistic, and he's bi. Also that none of the lizard people stuff is true, that was just young Gonta’s coping method when he was lost for so long, what kid wouldn’t invent a race of super cool Dino people that are totally real based off a video game he played before that love him very much in that situation 

I LOVE THESE!! what a powerful set of pronouns too he's (almost) Just like me fr

Oh my god the reptites... Yeah I agree with that interpretation fully. I usually just ignore the whole lizard people thing and opt for "literally raised by wolves" instead because its not like its outside the realm of DR backstory weirdness and animal lore for that to be possible, but the idea of him genuinely being alone for that long and making up the stuff about the reptites to cope is a heartbreaking Idea. I love it

#also I need to know where the lactose intolerance headcanon comes from gdshjfsdf #pluto answers #Look I dont use neopronouns but...... if i was going to :eyes:

[angelofrainfrogs]

Spend the Night: Ch. 16

~Coauthored by @zeitghest~

Fandom(s): Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach

Description: The familiar melody of Grandfather’s Clock chimes through the echoing halls of the Pizzaplex…

Charlie wakes up in her Puppet’s vessel yet again with one goal in mind: to stop William Afton’s reign of terror for good. She enlists the help of Glamrock Freddy, the emphatic leader of the newest iteration of the Fazbear Band. But there seems to be more to this bear than meets the eye—and the same goes for the mysteriously familiar kid the duo find tinkering with animatronics down in Parts & Service.

With some help from friends new and old, Charlie’s journey into the bowels of the Pizzaplex will unravel mysteries none of them ever expected. 

Rating: T

Read on Ao3

I’m gonna bleed, I’m gonna stay

I’ll never leave ‘til night becomes day

Whatever happened to the others that came?

~Total Insecurity by Rockit Music~

Today was the day that Gregory learned he had zero impulse control when left with pizza and soda. Charlie had to stop him from sucking down the last can of pop and encourage him to drink at least one bottle of water instead. Half the pizza was gone in two hours, leaving Gregory in quite the state. He laid against the cool floor, on his back and holding his stomach. Charlie, feeling bad for the kid, would periodically rake her fingers soothingly through his hair.

“I told you. I said this exact thing was going to happen if you did it,” she remarked grimly.

“Thank you, captain foresight.” Gregory groaned. He was starting to think he was lactose intolerant after the umpteenth time this same scenario has happened to him. Yet Charlie would disagree, saying it's the volume and speed at which he decided to eat.

“Michael—we're going to have to put the kid out of his misery,” Charlie teased, holding out one of her hands as Gregory laughed and rolled from her lap to get away. “Hand me a pillow, I'll make it quick—”

“She’s right, Gregory—we can’t stand to see you suffer like this,” Michael said with a dramatic sigh as he picked up a bowtie-shaped throw pillow. Then without warning he threw this at Charlie, not hard enough to cause damage but with enough force to knock the Puppet backwards with a surprised yelp.

What ensued next was the quietest “pillow” fight known to man, wherein the animatronics tossed any soft, stuffed object they could find at each other in an attempt to push someone off-balance. Gregory joined in once he’d recovered enough, and despite their excitement the group did their best to keep the volume down to crazed whispers. Only the occasional, muffled shriek got through when a plushie collided unexpectedly with someone’s face.

Minutes after a truce was called, the door to Freddy’s room began to slide open. Michael instantly jumped to his feet, ready to run to the back as he saw Charlie snatch Gregory up out of the corner of his eye. To his relief, it was the bear himself that slipped inside the room, now fresh and squeaky clean with his normal paws intact.

“Oh no… what happened?” Michael groaned softly as it seemed like part of their efforts last night were for nothing.

“I could ask you all the same question,” Freddy replied, looking around in disbelief. The half-empty pizza box was left open on the table, and the remnants of soda cans and snack wrappers were littered around it. Additionally, every soft object was scattered throughout the room—he even saw his prized throw pillow hooked on top of the star light that protruded from the ceiling.

Gregory had long gone limp in Charlie's hold, his arms in the way of completely sliding from her grip as she took the reins in explaining the state of things.

“Impromptu pillow fight. Gregory ate too much and he needed to work some of it off. Right, buddy?” the Puppet asked, bouncing him in her arms.

“—Don't shake me,” he groaned in response. “I'm gonna freaking pop.”

The bloat was still getting to the kid and Charlie let him down to move of his own accord, where he started to clean up the scattered garbage. She hoped that they hadn't gone routing around too much for answers in Freddy's coding. Although she knew better than to think the bear would rat them out at this point, there was still the paranoia that the human staff possibly knew more than was necessary.

“Well, I am sorry I missed the activity,” Freddy said with a small laugh, unable to be frustrated at the situation. They’d clearly been having fun and bonding, which is exactly what the bear hoped would happen when they got rare a moment alone together.

As Gregory busied himself with cleaning up, Freddy explained his trip to Parts & Service. He told them about the sad state of the other animatronics and the fact that Monty’s torso couldn’t be found. He relayed how he’d been cleaned and “reset,” though still kept in Safe Mode—and how he’d seen Vanessa sporting a sling and tired eyes, but otherwise back to herself again. Freddy finished up his speech by regaling the others of how Monty’s claws were replaced with his usual limbs and the suspicion now upon him.

“I believe everyone thinks that I decommissioned Monty,” the bear concluded, then blinked and tilted his head slightly. “…Which I suppose I did, but they think it was done maliciously so I could steal his claws. We must be wary of any other parts we upgrade, because if staff sees them I will be sent right back to Parts & Service.”

Michael groaned again, raking his a paw through his mane. “Great… just great. So much for that plan…”

Gregory seemed particularly frustrated at the situation. Not only did they have heat from administration on them now, but the upgrades he’d stolen for Freddy were taken, undoing his hard work. This anger was apparent in the way he cleaned, now just a little more aggressively than before.

“At least they won't fix Monty right away if they can't find him. That's one less crazy robot to deal with,” he grumbled, tossing a pillow up for Charlie to catch.

“Hey—” She snagged the pillow, only to gently lob it to the back of Michael's head. “—let's look at the bright side! We learned a lot from our first night here. Tonight, we'll be better equipped for dealing with everyone.” Charlie spoke with a more optimistic attitude attached, watching with satisfaction as the cushion met the back of her friend’s metallic skull.

Michael let out an offended noise as the pillow made contact, turning to glare at Charlie. There was no venom in the expression though; he knew she was just trying to cheer him up.

“No fair striking when someone’s guard is down!” the fox exclaimed, then pointed to the cushion high out of reach. “Help me get that, will you? I’ll lift you up.”

“Tonight will be much better than the last,” Freddy reassured, trying to manifest this into truth by saying it aloud. They could not have a repeat of all the terrifying things that went down the previous evening, for all their sakes.

As Gregory threw the final bit of trash away and crossed Freddy's path, the bear ran a hand through the boy’s hair. That was one good thing about Monty’s claws being replaced, at least—there was no chance of Freddy accidentally scratching anyone or anything with sharp appendages he wasn’t familiar with.

“We should make a plan for tonight,” Michael suggested, letting Charlie’s comparatively light body rest on his shoulders. “Or at least figure out what we need to do besides just ‘get rid of my psychotic father...’”

“I have an idea, but… I'm not sure you guys are gonna like it,” Charlie murmured cryptically. Just a little farther up, she had to really work to grasp the pillow from the edge of the light. When she couldn't get a hold, Charlie would bat it down and let it bonk against Freddy's head. “Oops—my bad, Freddy.” 

“What's your plan, Charlie?” Gregory asked with morbid curiosity, laughing as the pillow squeaked when it impacted with Freddy's little top hat.

There was a dark light in Puppet’s pinprick eyes. “Lure everyone but old man Afton outside at 6 and burn the place to the ground."

This place could rot for all she cared... Though, retrospectively, this didn’t solve the issue with Freddy's charging pod situation. He'd still be forced to shut down after sometime, as would all the others.

There was a beat of silence after this declaration. Michael was the one to break it as he slowly set Charlie back on solid ground.

“A few years ago, I’d tell you that was a fantastic plan,” he said, giving her an amiable pat on the back. “Unfortunately… I’ve been semi or wholly responsible for at least two fires that burned down an entire Fazbear building with my father inside, and look how that’s turned out. Somehow, the bastard ‘always comes back.’”

Michael said this last bit in an obnoxious, mocking tone to imitate the line he’d heard his father repeat at nauseam. Frankly, the whole situation was starting to get as old as his crusty dad.

“Additionally, as I stated last night I will not be able to stay active outside of the Pizzaplex for long.” Freddy had to point out the obvious, choosing to ignore Michael’s curse and arguably more concerning admission of committing arson on multiple occasions. “This goes for all other animatronics as well—even if we wrest them from William’s control, they will not survive long without the Pizzaplex’s charging capabilities.”

Once Charlie was set back down, she immediately felt herself tense as she caught Gregory's expression. Apparently, they’d completely forgotten to clue him in on the charging pod situation. With wide eyes, he looked between Freddy and Michael, fear and apprehension in his gaze.

“Freddy—” Charlie nodding her head sharply in Gregory's direction while the kid's gaze was momentarily diverted. She gave him a nudge with her elbow, watching as Gregory's face relaxed into one of defeated sadness.

There went Gregory's plans of stealing the Fazbear Entertainment's animatronics to be his new family... With his arms crossed, he glanced up to the bear, clearly trying not to wear his sudden disappointment on his sleeves yet unable to shake the pout on his face. “So all we can do is try to find this guy and kill him for good, right? More kids will just go missing if we don't...”

It seemed to be their only chance. The real question was how?

“Oh dear… I am sorry, superstar,” Freddy apologized, crouching down to pull Gregory into a hug. Despite the boy trying to be strong and act like the situation didn’t bother him, he folded into Freddy’s embrace rather quickly. “I did not mean to distress you. We are trying to think of a solution for how we can stay together, do not worry—I promised I would look after you no matter what, and I do not break my promises.”

That look of utter defeat on Gregory’s face had been short-lived but poignant. Michael knew it well—the dawning realization that your father might not be able to take care of you like he promised he could. He and Gregory had completely different circumstances to prompt this, but the sinking, hole in the chest feeling was the same.

“Charlie came up with a crazy idea that we might just be able to pull off with my amazing mechanical skills…” Michael grinned, making a show of pushing up a billowy sleeve to show off his nonexistent muscles. “And we’d also need your coding abilities—”

“That is not our top priority,” Freddy reminded gently before Michael could start spouting off about new robotic bodies. He didn’t want to get the boy’s hopes up for a scenario they’d barely worked out basic logistics for. “Gregory is right—we must focus on stopping William Afton first and foremost before he can hurt anymore innocents.”

While this was true, the prospect of solving the issue still intrigued Gregory. Even if it was false hope, he’d cling to it. Charlie watched his frown lift into a more neutral and relaxed expression, calmed as Freddy held onto him.

“I hope I could code well enough to help,” Gregory remarked, blunt but eager. “I promise I'll do whatever you guys need after we kick your Dad's ass—butt. Sorry, I-I meant butt.”

Gregory corrected himself, much to Charlie's hidden amusement. The kid was hanging around Michael too much, and it showed. Mike’s rebellious behavior was infectious. It probably even took root within Freddy in ways they didn't understand now. She supposed that’s what it meant to be such close friends with people.

“Well, your heart's in the right place, kiddo,” Charlie began, deciding to take a seat back on the couch, legs crossed as she gathered her thoughts. “I think the real issue is—will this be the last time we get rid of him? It's annoying to agree with anything he’s said, but he does always come back...”

“Oh, it's going to be.” Michael's reply was quick and left no room for argument. There was a hardness in his eyes that only came from decades of exhaustion from his father's constant resurgence. He gave a short, wry laugh, his gaze shifting to Charlie's. “Isn't the definition of insanity repeating the same thing over and over again and hoping to get different results? Well, William's clearly insane for multiple reasons, but I'm not going to fall into the same category as him by trying to get rid of him only for him to return for the hundredth time. This is going to be the end.”

Michael's impassioned speech left the room quiet for a moment. Freddy released Gregory and stood with a nod.

“I agree wholeheartedly. Regardless of whether we are able to leave the Pizzaplex, I cannot in good conscience do away with William without assuring that he is truly gone.”

Michael snorted at this, and to Freddy's questioning look he replied: “Sorry, sorry—I appreciate the enthusiasm. It's just... sometimes easy to forget you're a robot, Freddy—especially when you talk about having a conscience. It's weird, but not in a bad way.”

Michael would never get over the morality programmed into these machines. He really hoped he'd get to see the others in a non-infected state, although he had to admit that after what they'd already been through he wouldn't be too cut up about it if he never got to check out their inner workings.

“Yeah,” Charlie agreed, looking from Michael back towards the face of Fazbear Entertainment. “You're so aware.”

She was still slightly shaken from the strongly put musings Michael spouted forth, and silently went to work on figuring out a way to remove William from the picture. Leaning on a thin hand, Charlie watched as Gregory meandered towards the arcade machine... And then it hit her like a pile of bricks.

Why didn't she think of this before?

“Cassidy!” she shouted, abrupt and loud.

How could she forget her? The one who'd originally trapped William away in the first place would certainly have another idea of how to put him to rest for good.

“Cassidy?” Freddy questioned with a tilt of his head. “That name does not hold significance in my memory banks.”

“Of course it wouldn't—she was one of the original kids to go missing, way back when William started this whole thing. You're not going to have that kind of information in your database,” Mike explained, mirroring Freddy's head tilt as he looked at Charlie curiously. “Do you think she's still here, too?”

“If she's not here, I wonder if there's a way to find her,” Charlie mused. Though she never saw the girl upon waking up in the Pizzaplex, that didn’t mean she wasn’t hiding around in some dark corner. After all, she and Michael hadn’t remembered exactly how they got up top; after so much time wallowing in limbo, memories started to get a bit fuzzy. “I'm sure if she finds out the guy that stuffed her into an empty suit was wandering around, she'd gladly help us...”

“There's more ghosts?” Gregory asked, surprised at the amount of pissed-off dead kids that Michael's dad seemed to accumulate grudges with. He held back from cursing again, reeling from the fact that he might be meeting a fourth ghost not twenty-four hours after learning that they were just as real as everyone else.

“I am just as surprised as you are, superstar,” Freddy murmured, going to stand by the arcade cabinet and watch as Gregory refocused on his attempt at beating the high score. The bear's eyes might be on the lit up screen, but his ears were still tuned into Charlie and Michael's conversation.

How many children had William sacrificed for his twisted ideals? Freddy heard rumors of children going missing in the Pizzaplex, of course. One or two might be pushed under the rug, but nine was too much to keep out of even the animatronics' knowledge. All they were told was to keep an eye out for these specific kids registered in the guest book, but the how and why of their disappearances remained under wraps.

Freddy clenched his fists as he thought about this. Even now, the company still tried their best to appear like nothing was wrong.

“Don't you have some... I don't know, ghostly connection powers or something? Could you reach out and see where she is?” Michael asked Charlie, plopping down on the floor to face her. He shrugged with a soft laugh. “Sorry, I'm still comparatively new to this vengeful spirit thing.”

“I... have no idea, actually,” Charlie remarked. “I’ve never tried a remote connection before, but it's worth a shot! I wonder if this’ll work without a vessel to touch, though…”

Gregory had tuned in again, momentarily distracted to say: “If you guys are summoning ghosts, I'm staying turned around! I almost had a heart attack when I saw Michael.” Gregory huffed lightly when he overstepped on the side-scrolling platformer, losing a life and growing one step closer to failure.

“Alright, Gregory—if you really think little girls with overalls and pigtails are scary, you should definitely stay turned around,” Charlie teased, watching in amusement as his face darkened in a blush.

“Horrifying,” was all he could muster as he begun Level 3 all over again.

“Hey, I wasn't that ugly!” Michael exclaimed, scoffing in mock offense.

His looks were certainly a point of contention within his own self-confidence, especially at the time they were “frozen” in his ghostly form. He didn't have to use a mirror to know that his face matched far too closely with his father's for comfort. It was the whole reason so many animatronics had gone after him in the first place after all, and a huge factor in why he'd gotten scooped...

But Gregory didn't need to know that. If he learned that Mike had the true face of that psychotic rabbit with the hypodermic needle forever etched into Gregory's nightmares, Michael feared the boy would have a heart attack.

Charlie busted out laughing. Of course she didn't think he was ugly—it’d just been unfortunate that he inherited his murderous father’s face to a tee. Though Charlie liked to think that William simply copied his son, rather than it unintentionally being the other way around.

Curling around the fox once more, Charlie placed a gentle hand to Mike’s cheek, only to abruptly turn it away.

“Hush—your face is scary, Mike,” Charlie remarked in a deadpan, seeing Gregory's shoulders bounce with a silent laugh in the corner of her vision.

“No—” Gregory snorted, jumping past an obstacle in his game. “—just his head passing through solid freaking metal was creepy!”

Michael rolled his eyes, grinning as he gently shoved  Puppet's face away just as she'd done to him. He then shook his head with a dramatic sigh. “Consider yourselves lucky you don't have to get a load of Charlie here... now that's terrifying.”

This pulled a chuckle from everyone, even Charlie herself. Once the moment died down, Freddy quietly cleared his throat.

“As much as I would like to make progress immediately, we should wait for night shift,” he said. “Though the animatronics are docile for now, there are too many staff members walking around—I do not want to risk anyone seeing Gregory, or potentially another ghost.”

More time to rest and recharge before the inevitable harrowing night again?

Yeah—no one had an issue with that plan whatsoever.

***

The group stayed in Freddy's room for the remainder of dayshift, talking quietly about anything and everything while avoiding harsh topics when they could. They were enjoying the calm before the storm, needing to get in as much pleasant time with each other before the clock hit 12 am and their world devolved into frantic chaos yet again.

Too soon, that time arrived. An alert blinking across Freddy's vision signaled the official start of night shift. Cautiously, the bear peeked out of the curtains to find Rockstar Row empty yet again. He assumed the other animatronics were currently in their rooms, though surely they wouldn't stay there for long. Hearing no updates on Monty, Freddy could only presume the gator was still missing.

With a slight frown, Freddy turned back to the rest of the group. “Alright, the coast is clear. Charlie, you may go ahead and try whatever you would like.”

This was going to be interesting.

Gregory had long since made himself comfortable on the couch, arms crossed as he sunk far into the soft cushions and watched as Freddy made sure that no one decided to crash their séance. It would quite literally be the last thing they needed that night. Hopefully, they'd have the time to summon whoever Cassidy was. Though as Gregory turned his attention Charlie, he had a feeling she was already on the right track.

Becoming comfortable and sitting cross-legged on the ground, the Puppet appeared frozen. Quiet as she looked ahead, Charlie's sudden stillness caused the warmth to be sucked from the room. Tiny, silver pinprick eyes formed in the center of the mask’s empty sockets.

Charlie hadn't even spent that long concentrating on bringing Cassidy back, when suddenly two hands emerged to grasp Puppet’s shoulders from behind.

As a head of light, strawberry-blonde hair peaked out of the darkness, Gregory jumped slightly at the sight. The girl couldn't have been much older than him—when she died, that is. With an annoyed look on her face, she shook Charlie vehemently.

“It's about time!” Cassidy snipped, tongue catching against a pair of colorful braces as she spoke. The ghost glanced around the room with subdued interest, unimpressed and merely observing her surroundings. “This place is weird. Charlie, what took you so long?”

Charlie's eyes had returned to normal, surprised at how fast it was to summon the feisty spirit. “Uh—sorry, Cas! I didn’t realize you were waiting on me.”

“Oh my goodness...,” Freddy murmured from next to Gregory, instinctively placing a comforting hand on the boy's head.

The little ghost wasn't scary—far from it, in fact. The sight of her made Freddy's mechanical heart squeeze in a wave of sadness he hadn't thought possible. All of these children were so young...

“Holy shit,” Michael breathed, effectively pulling Freddy out of his reverie to glare at the fox.

Michael paid him absolutely no mind, completely focused on Cassidy's ghost. He was sitting on the couch too, although he was leaning so far forward it was a wonder the whole thing didn't tip over due to his weight. At the sight of Gregory's corner lifting slightly off the ground, Freddy clamped a hand down onto the back of the couch, using his counteracting strength to keep it in place.

“Whoops—sorry.” Michael flashed an apologetic smile, bright eyes still locked onto the tiny ghost near Puppet. He recognized her from the missing posters plastered all around town upon her disappearance, as well as the few times he'd seen her in the Pizzaplex. Ironically, most of their interactions happened after her death, the memories of which caused Michael to let out a stilted:

“Uh, heh... Hey, Cassidy. Long time no see? Ah, it's... Michael.” He pointed awkwardly to the fox face. “In here, I mean.”

Cassidy gave Mike a screwed-up frown, glancing him up and down before her eyes widened in realization. Pointing at the Glamrock fox, she stepped out from behind Charlie.

“It's the limey guy's son!” Cassidy exclaimed. The strangely aggressive reaction, on top of Michael's strong response to her made Gregory try unsuccessfully to hold in a few giggles.

“I didn't recognize you there—what with you wearing Foxy's skin and all,” Cassidy continued, hands placed firmly on her hips. She seemed not to hold any ill-will towards Mike. Scanning the room further, her eyes soon locked on Gregory, who seemed to be watching her with intrigue.

Her mouth dropped, and for a moment all the little ghost could do was stare. How this very alive, flesh-and-blood kid could bear such a striking resemblance to Cassidy’s old suitmate, she had absolutely no idea. The shock didn’t last long though, and soon her lip curled in a defensive scowl.

“What are you lookin' at?” Cassidy snarled with all the ire she could muster.

“N-Nothing! I mean no one! I mean—” Gregory was choking socially. Unable to make eye contact with the apparition, he settled for staring at her shoes instead of her face. Talking to other kids was hard regardless if they were dead or not, especially speaking to such a confident one. At least his dad was here...

“—I'm Gregory,” he managed to force out, causing Cassidy to roll her eyes.

“Uh huh,” she replied facetiously, unbothered and unaware—or uncaring—of Gregory's own inner meltdown.

“'Limey guy's son...'” Michael grumbled upon Cassidy's recognition, eyes narrowed in mild annoyance as he tracked her movements around the room. Her personality was a force to be reckoned with. There was a reason she'd been the angriest one besides Charlie; the one who led the charge against any night guard that dared try and intrude on their tormented afterlives.

Speaking of that—Mike realized too late that they hadn't thought to prepare Freddy nor Cassidy for their meeting. They should’ve split them up, brought Cassidy up to speed on the situation, and then introduced the bear. Freddy might be completely innocent regarding her past, but surely the girl wouldn't react well to any sort of Fazbear model, no matter how sleek.

It’d taken Michael a long time to figure out whose ghost was in which animatronic. Admittedly, he still struggled with some of William's later victims, if only because he hadn't had nearly as much interaction with them as he did with the original five. Cassidy inhabited Golden Freddy—Michael remembered that clear as day. She was the first victim he'd connected the dots with, although unintentionally. He realized that, to his complete horror, his brother's soul was also inside the animatronic that took his life... But there was another, stronger personality that far overshadowed Evan's soft-spoken demeanor.

Michael couldn't even count the number of times he'd cautiously tried to interact with Evan, only to be snapped at—literally and figuratively—by Cassidy instead.

Now, Mike could only watch as the strangely sentient Glamrock Freddy crouched down to be at eye level with the little ghost, holding out a paw for her to shake. His smile was open and sweet, eyes sparkling with genuine interest and compassion as he greeted her:

“Hello, Cassidy. I am sure you already know this, but I am Freddy. It is nice to meet you.”

The bear. The damned bear.

Cassidy had tried hard not to associate the image of Freddy Fazbear with hell or imprisonment. While she hadn't been in this bright, ursine-themed room for long, she assumed that because Charlie was calm around this uninhabited Freddy robot he’d been friendly enough. That didn’t stop Cassidy from giving the bear a scathing once-over, visually patting him down.

“Hi Freddy. I would shake your hand, but I'll be honest—the last time I touched one of you I got trapped in it for, like, 35 years,” she said with a rather polite nod of her head as she walked the floor, circling the Glamrock like a tiny shark.

“I think you guys found something that belongs to me,” Cassidy remarked in a somewhat calculated way. She glanced across the room, eyes flicking to Gregory as he decided to try to speak up again.

“Uh, what do you mean, exactly?” he asked, confused. He hadn't remembered finding anything that looked pre-owned or thrifted. Though Cassidy gave Gregory a sideways smirk, he didn't feel like she was exactly being friendly. Or maybe that was because the girl just intimidated him too much.

“Not a what—” She corrected herself as she trounced over and took a seat next to Gregory, propping her feet up on the star-shaped table. “—a who. I'd like William Afton's soul back. The asshole slipped out of hell while I was distracted, and me and the others aren't very happy, as you can imagine!”

“Join the club,” Michael commented, riding a wave of relief that Cassidy hadn't tried to dismantle Freddy on the spot. He peered around Gregory to look at the ghost. “That's exactly why we called you here—we need your help. William is at large in this place and we're trying to stop him. We figured, if you were around, you'd be more than willing to assist.”

Freddy decided to observe for the time being, slowly standing up and trying not to let his growing horror show outwardly. He knew the children had been bonded to animatronics, but the information hadn't quite sunk in until now. Not until the way Cassidy looked at him with fire in her eyes, as if she wanted nothing more than to rip him limb from limb and burn the pieces. Thankfully she'd resisted the urge, but her following words shocked Freddy into silence.

35 YEARS.

The bear couldn't imagine such a fate, being trapped inside a body that wasn't your own for so long. Not for the first time, he was thankful Michael hadn't unintentionally gotten stuck inside his head—for both of their sakes.

Gregory scooted away closer to the end of the couch. Fear wasn't quite the right word to describe the feeling when talking to Cassidy, but it was certainly irrational. She didn't seem to have an interest in hurting them—though she came across as if it was entirely possible for her to do it, in the way she walked and talked. How she directed her gaze and carried herself spoke of a confidence some people chased their whole lives.

“Can't have that turd floating around...,” she replied crassly to Michael, lazily turning her head to face him. Her voice dripped with attitude. “I've already got a plan. I'll need you guys to help, and I'll need you try and not mess it up.”

“We're all ears,” Michael replied, listening intently. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Freddy place a hand on Gregory's back, reminding the boy of his presence and silently reassuring that things would be okay. Charlie by now had come to sit between Cas and Gregory, seeing that the boy obviously needed a buffer.

Mike was curious to know this plan the vengeful ghost had already cooked up, and he also had a very important question for her once they'd settled on the details.

She'd mentioned “the others,” and Michael needed to know who these souls belonged to. His hope that all the children were freed after the last fire had been dashed upon Cassidy's appearance in the room, and though he was grateful for her help, he still felt a gnawing sense of guilt about the whole thing. The deaths of William's victims weren't Michael's fault in the slightest, he knew that, but... it still felt like this whole thing was started by his actions way back in '83.

“I don't know how, but he left the game I made for him.” Cassidy sighed, looking up towards the ceiling as she gave context for her plan. “I thought it was so clever. Create a mind-bendy version of one of those stupid security offices, take William's wandering soul and shove it in there… Kill him over, and over, and over again.”

Cas recounted the ways they'd done it. Strangulation. Exsanguination. Bludgeoning. She was positive that she and Evan—mostly her—had personally springlocked William thousands of times before his escape. The methods didn't matter; what mattered was when someone found that rotted old golden Bonnie suit in the bowels of the burned-out fake diner. When they stole pieces from it, taking William’s soul away from Cassidy’s homebrewed prison.

At first, the spirits had been overjoyed to see him go—they thought it meant they could finally rest. Turns out, like everything else William was involved in, the whole thing was a big fat lie.

“I'll need him distracted. Weakened. Lure him into the basement and I'll have a surprise waiting just for him.”

How she already had something set up for William was unbelievable. It made Gregory skeptical, and he'd finally grown the confidence to speak his mind. “That's cool and all, but why should we trust you again?” 

Cassidy's hard glare relaxed some as she reached over and calmly socked Gregory in the arm. It caused him to yelp and rub the assaulted area, honestly shocked she could even touch him.  

“Look, Evan clone, you might not be totally aware of the shit that guy put me through. I would never help him. If you wanna live to still feel anything tomorrow, you better listen!” the ghost warned.

Gregory felt the need to suck up the pain dolled out to him. It was a reminder that he was still alive—and to Cassidy, that was a gift.

“Weakened and brought to the basement—we can do that,” Michael confirmed, choosing to ignore Cassidy’s physical assault on Gregory and get her to focus on someone else instead. Gregory was clearly uncomfortable being the center of Cas's attention, though Michael knew he’d be fine since his robotic dad was already fretting over the new blossoming bruise on his arm.

If anyone were to ask Freddy in that exact moment what was on his mind, he’d simply respond: “Too much.” Listening to this child describe so many ways to torture a soul and getting pleasure out of every one of them was not something Freddy expected to ever hear. He wouldn’t deny that William deserved it—even if he didn’t have the full picture of everything that man had done, he knew enough to agree the ghosts’ revenge was fully justified.

“Sorry for the billionth time that you got roped into this, Freddy,” Michael apologized, knowing the bear’s circuits must be on overload. Chancing his luck, he decided to pose another question to Cassidy. “So do we get to know what this ‘surprise’ is, or…?”

He wouldn’t be shocked if she wanted to keep this under wraps from them too, but he had to at least try.

Hopefully, by getting rid William Vanessa would eventually go back to normal. The news of Will having been loose in the world for that long made Charlie’s blood boil. She curled her hands in anger, distracted only when Cassidy bounced from her seat and threw her hands up.

“It wouldn’t be a surprise then, dummy! Buuut, I’ll give you a hint though—your families are gonna help me out,” she replied in a sing-song tone. “And I'll tell you one person that’s down there for sure. Henry finally decided to come out of his little saferoom when he realized Charlie was gone—”

Cassidy was interrupted, lifted quickly off the ground as Charlie picked her up and shook her before the ghost girl could react.

“My dad’s been here the whole time?!”

Without thinking, Charlie practically dropped Cassidy and made a mad dash for the door leading to the back storage rooms. The girl was desperate to find her own father now that she knew he’d lingered behind with the rest. The fact he was waiting for them made her soul ache just thinking about it.

“Charlie, wait!” Moving fast, Michael managed to grasp one spindly hand just as Charlie reached for the door. He tightened his grip as she fought against him, holding fast. “Wait. I want to see him too, but we can’t just run out there. There’s too many things that are trying to get us.”

Michael couldn’t believe he was actually being the voice of reason—usually he was the impulsive one, ready to sprint towards danger without regard for his own well-being. He wanted to see his family, too, if they'd decided to linger as well—wanted to scoop his siblings into his arms and apologize for everything that’s happened to them, for all they’ve suffered, all the years trapped and scared and alone… It hurt to imagine them so close yet so out of reach.

But they couldn’t go to them; not yet.

“We can’t leave Freddy and Gregory alone,” Michael pointed out softly, gesturing to them with his hook as he slowly pulled Charlie away from the door. “They need us, too, remember?”

Charlie was trembling, skinny endoskeleton rattling inside her soft, cotton-stuffed casing. It was clear that she wanted to throw responsibility to the wind for once in her afterlife, but her friend’s dutiful reminder—and physical hold—had anchored her.

She allowed Mike to slide her away from the door. The empathetic words he spoke helped the impulse leave her as she grasped onto his hand.

“I got carried away…,” she admitted. The rare lapse in decision-making left her sheepish and uneasy.

Gregory hadn’t ever seen Charlie so crazed before. She usually kept a calm face about everything. Maybe it was the way Cassidy had gotten everyone riled up, it had Charlie acting like… Well, a kid.

Technically she still was, in a way—an old kid. A dead kid.

Gregory felt uncomfortable while lost in that thought train, and even more so when he found Cassidy staring at him. To avoid her gaze, Gregory decided to stand and hide behind Freddy now. He didn’t care if Cassidy thought he was weird or too reliant on the robot. She hadn’t seemed that interested after all, her stare fixated at one point like she was really just lost in thought.

“I wouldn’t let each other out of your sights,” she warned, lazily walking about the room. “He already knows you’re here. Probably making plans to dismantle you all, make you dust for his immortality soup…”

“He wants Gregory,” Michael revealed bluntly, finally releasing Charlie’s hand once assured she’d calmed down enough not to bolt for the door again. There was no point hiding this from Cassidy—hell, maybe knowing his intentions would somehow aid her in capturing William faster once they got him to the basement. Mike glanced at Gregory, looking so small and fragile hiding behind Freddy’s leg.

“He’s convinced that Gregory is Evan reincarnated,” he went on bitterly, acid spewing from every word as his anger towards his father grew. “He tried to… to inject him with some glowing shit—I don’t know what it was, but he was ranting about it ‘strengthening Evan’s body’ or something. I just—”

Suddenly, orange eyes snapped to Cassidy, widening with realization.

“Oh… oh my god… The Remnant. That’s what his research said, something about…” Michael wracked his brain for every tiny detail, trying to piece things together. “He… gathered something called Remnant from the lost souls, and it… kept people from getting hurt. No, not hurt, but… killed.”

He felt sick to his stomach, vaguely wondering if he was about to throw up some random wires and internal parts—it wouldn’t be the first time in his life that happened. In a low voice, he concluded: “He’s trying to make Gregory immortal like him… like he wants to do with all his family.”

Cassidy waited patiently as Michael finally worked out all the morbid details for them. Things like that had stopped fazing Cas a while ago. The lengths William went to trying to unlock the key to his family’s tragic deaths, as if the lives of unfamiliar children were mere tokens one could exchange for a prize… He traded souls until he’d gotten his wish.

“That sparkly junk in the jars...?” Cassidy made sure they were talking about the same thing, scratching her scalp nearest her left pigtail. “Yeah—I’ve seen him use it on himself. It’s why he didn’t die when he locked himself in the rabbit.”

She rolled her eyes, letting them settle back to her suitmate’s lookalike. The news that Gregory was being mistaken for Evan had hatched another idea in her brain.

“Him?” she asked, now taking the time to gingerly approach Gregory. “Eh… The worst that Remnant stuff will do is make sure he doesn’t die. Pretty sure it’s made out of the culmination of our beings, plus our crushed hopes and dreams.”

Even just talking about that creepy junk had Gregory scared. He lashed out, hiding his fear with anger. “Shut up—that’s not really what it is! It’s probably just, like, poisonous or something!”

“Keep telling yourself that, clone-Evan,” Cassidy remarked, knowing the boy’s fear kept him from telling her to shut up a second time. “Don’t know why you wouldn’t want to believe me. I’m one of the only things in here that doesn’t want you to die…”

There was a heavy pause, before Cassidy flashed a wicked smile.

“Maybe you should just let that old creep stick him with the Remnant,” Cassidy suggested, turning to Michael as she jutted a thumb in the direction of their newest friend. “He’d survive longer, at least.”

“Stop this.”

The sound of Freddy’s sudden, commanding voice caused everyone to freeze in their tracks. The bear had been silent for so long listening in to their conversations, it was mildly shocking to hear him finally speak again. However, that was nothing compared to the look on his face—one of hard-set determination, underlain with a hint of… yes, there was definitely some fear deep in those electric-blue eyes.

It wasn’t fear for himself, though—it was fear for his new family and what might lie in store for them should William have his way.

“Gregory is not going to be injected with this so-called ‘Remnant’, he is not the reincarnation of Evan Afton, and he is not going to die!” Freddy ranted, pulling the boy in close to rest against his leg, one arm wrapped protectively around his shoulders. The bear looked around the room with narrowed eyes, as if daring anyone to challenge his conviction. He’d been trying to contain his mounting frustration at the situation, and the direct suggestion of letting his son fall victim to the man who destroyed so many lives was the final straw. “We are going to find William Afton and get rid of him and this virus he created for good—then all the souls like Cassidy can finally rest. Do I make myself clear?”

Despite the delivery, it was an uplifting claim. Freddy’s unquestionable tone caused Michael to nod in agreement.

“Loud and clear, Freddy. We’ve got this.” The fox’s flashed Gregory a grin that hid his anxiety as he thought how hard they’d need to work to make this next claim true. “Nothing’s going to happen to you, Gregory, alright? You’re safe with us.”

Gregory was quick to hold fast to Freddy's arms. The words of strong-willed encouragement felt real enough to him. The determination set in Freddy’s voice brought a smile to his face after Cassidy speaking on his impending doom had begun to get him down again. It was like she had a grudge on him for simply being alive still.

“Yeah; I'm still here,” he said, trying to feel confident in himself and control of the situation at hand. “What's one more night?”

Their plan was simple enough. Whatever trap Cassidy had in waiting in the basement was cryptic though… and Gregory still wasn't entirely certain she could be trusted. But it didn't matter, as they’d run out of options besides relying on a snippy ghost girl.

Cassidy had gone quiet at Freddy's outburst. She was still a child at heart—and the sound of an adult's voice yelling still gave her flashbacks to her own father's laid-back temper, though the image of his face had been blurred with time. She crossed her arms and listened to Freddy rant, feeling a little bad for having poked the bear too much. He clearly deeply cared not only for Gregory, but all the lost children.

“...Okay. Give us a little time to prep, and then you bring the bastard down to the old diner. Michael? You know where it is. I'll see you guys then...” Cassidy spoke calmly, evenly. Then, she drifted downwards, passing through the floorboards and calling out to her comrades: “Smell ya's later...”

Gregory shuddered. How could one sad, little dead girl be so creepy?

Maybe all of them were like that. Gregory looked to Charlie for proof, though she was more lost in thought than the rest of the group.

Michael sat heavily on the couch, resting his elbows on his knees as he hung his head. He’d learned a lot of information in the past half hour, the most pressing fact to him being that Evan and Lizzie were in all likelihood still here.

Cassidy and Charlie staying to make sure William was put in his place? That was expected. Even Henry lingering around wasn’t completely surprising after the last stunt he tried to pull to get rid of his once dear friend.

But Michael’s siblings didn’t have a reason to stay—not one that he could think of, at least.

He wanted to see them, of course; the urge was so sharp and painful he was still shocked he’d managed to reign Charlie in instead of following her right out the door. But surely they were tired after all this time… There’s no way they’d stay just to have another conversation with their big brother. So caught up in decades of self-hatred, Michael refused to believe that.

“…Are you both alright?” Freddy asked softly, his voice now back to normal.

He felt bad for snapping earlier, though at least it hadn’t seemed to distress Cassidy too much. The last thing Freddy wanted was William and the vengeful ghosts coming after them… Letting Gregory cling to him, the bear looked between Charlie and Michael. He couldn’t even begin to fathom what emotional turmoil they must be going through right now.

Charlie quietly nodded, her demeanor far away and dreamy. Her dad had been here the entire time—she wasn't even aware that his spirit was still tethered to this place. Did he stay for her? For Sammy?

No. It was likely for William, she thought. Their strange cat and mouse obsession with one another was less fascinating and more something that deeply disturbed her.

“We'll see—let’s focus on dismantling William and making this place safe for children again,” Charlie said, dismissing her own feelings in lieu of how strong they were. Cassidy would've left far into the underground of the Pizzaplex by now, telling her friends both new and old, that she’d enlisted the help of a few certain ghosts.

The tides of this strenuous battle would shift. With hope, the ghosts would have retribution.

“Right… I have a suggestion,” Michael started hesitantly, sitting up straight as he met Freddy’s questioning gaze. “You’re not going to like it, Freddy, but it'll help us in the long run.” He took a deep unneeded breath before letting out the next words in a rush. “I think we should decommission the other animatronics. Roxy and Chica definitely, maybe Moon if he comes after us again… but the Glamrocks pose the biggest threat.”

There was a moment of tense silence before Freddy shook his head. “No, I… I cannot do that. Roxy and Chica do not deserve it… they are under William’s control—”

“So was Monty, and you told me that you watched him almost rip Gregory apart before your eyes.” Michael grimaced at the wide-eyed fear on Gregory’s face at the stark reminder of one of his near-deaths. Honestly, this kid must be part cat or something—he certainly seemed to have nine lives. Although with the way things were going, those were running out quickly.

“I’m sorry, Freddy, but… we have to do this,” Michael pushed on, looking at the bear imploringly. “I hate to say it, but William is smart. We’ve got to be even smarter to take him down—and eliminating as many other threats as possible before we confront him is a good start.”

Gregory found himself subconsciously clinging to Freddy just a little harder. He’d been riding on luck and the skills of his friends the entire night. If he wanted to survive, Gregory was going to have to get more resourceful and be smarter than an old, crazed scientist. Whether Gregory believed in himself was out of the question; he learned quickly that having confidence in what you did could only get you so far. Just as Michael felt their luck slipping, so too did Gregory.

“I'm sorry Freddy... I don't want to hurt them. But they'll hurt me if I'm not careful...,” he pointed out bluntly. Honestly, taking down the Glamrocks may even be the easiest part of tonight. Avoiding William until it was the right time to strike and bring him down to the basement was another task entirely.

Freddy glanced down at his adoptive son, so small and fragile compared to everyone else. He understood Michael’s point, but hearing Gregory spell it out while looking up at him with those big, brown eyes solidified his decision. This boy trusted Freddy to keep him safe, and if that meant temporarily taking down his robotic bandmates in favor of preserving a human life, so be it.

After all, isn’t that what this iteration of Freddy had been designed for—to keep children happy and safe? A swell of protectiveness from deep in the bear’s core said yes.

“…Alright,” Freddy agreed, squeezing Gregory gently. He offered a smile to show he was on board with the plan and harbored no ill-will towards those who’d suggested it. “I agree that this is the best path forward.”

He paused, not believing he was about to offer advice on decommissioning his friends. Eventually, he continued in a softer tone: “Chica will be easier to take down than Roxy—she does not have hunting instincts like the wolf.” 

“Right! She's just a chicken. We might not even have to hurt her!” Gregory agreed. Considering how ditzy the virus had made her act, it’d be a certain win on their part.

(Once again, Gregory took to underestimating his enemies. While Chica was a soft, sweet person by day, the destruction of Monty created turmoil inside her AI. William would use that to his advantage now.

No, chickens did not hunt like wolves. But once they tasted blood, the old instincts of a raptor came forth...)

Charlie nodded her head in agreement at the plan.

“We'll go for Chica first, then,” she said decidedly. “Might be best to lure her as well. We could use some of that pizza Gregory didn't finish yet!”

Charlie tried to sound uplifting, though it was becoming harder and harder as the creative burnout with her ideas turned into something tangible. She lifted up the pizza box, shaking it to make sure there were still a few slices left. Upon seeing Gregory pout, Charlie rolled her pinprick eyes. “That’s why you should’ve rationed them. Along with your snacks. After we get rid of Chica for the night, we'll make you a new pizza.”

“Good plan!” Michael agreed, quickly getting to his feet. Now that they had a way forward, he wanted to move. The faster they could get this over with, the better.

“If pizza does not work in luring her, there is an alternative,” Freddy chimed in, still in that quiet tone of numb detachment at betraying one of his closest friends. “The company recently created a slushee flavor called Monty’s Mystery Mix. For whatever reason, Chica cannot resist eating it when it is placed in her vicinity. Staff had to temporarily ban it until a solution is discovered… I believe they hid the excess in the food storage pantry of the bowling alley.”

“Huh… if the mystery mix is that powerful, maybe we should just use that instead?” Michael suggested. He flashed Gregory a grin, gesturing his hook towards the pizza box in Charlie’s hands. “Plus, then Gregory can eat his last slice—if you can stomach it after everything you ate earlier, that is.”

The heavenly slices of grease coated cheese that was a Fazbear pizza would always have room in Gregory's stomach. Without saying so much as a word, Gregory snatched the box from Charlie's hands and devoured the last slice.

“Gregory!” Charlie shouted before it devolved into laughter at the boy’s antics. “No, little man, you're going to get a tummy ache!” She warned him again, though it was ignored by Gregory needing elaboration on this particular slushee flavor.

“Is the mystery mix pizza-flavored, by any chance?” Gregory wondered out loud. The possibilities were endless. As he lapped the bright orange oil and crumbs from his lips, Gregory held Freddy's hand again. He was ready to go in search of this particular, highly sought-after slushee.

“It is—good guess, superstar!” Freddy replied, unable to stop himself from chuckling a bit as well. Thank goodness they could still find enjoyment in the little things…

Freddy spared a side-eyed glance at Michael, his smile softening. The man really was quite good with children. Freddy didn’t know the details of Mike’s relationship with his own siblings, but if his interactions with Gregory were any indication, Evan and Elizabeth were lucky to have such an attentive older brother.

“Who thought of a pizza-flavored slushee?!” Michael asked incredulously, then made an exaggerated gagging noise. “Those two things should never be combined…” He paused, then added in a quieter mutter: “…Not that wouldn’t try it if I could.”

Charlie looked to Mike and laughed openly at this. “I was going to say—I figured you'd try it at least once!”

She thought of Michael's thoughtful nature as a hard-won battle. There was a period of time where this kind personality slipped in the worst sort of way and led to disastrous consequences. But as he matured, Charlie had grown proud of her friend. He could’ve so easily turned out for the worst. In fact, it was one of her many fears after both Evan's and her own death.

Michael also just happened to be full of surprises. His determination to be better made him more attentive as a caretaker, it seemed.

“Okay, so—we'll each have a sip and the rest will be for Chica,” Gregory said as Charlie became lost in her thoughts, though he certainly hoped that there would be more of this Mystery Flavor slushee to go around. Y’know, on the off-chance this was the pinnacle of all slushees. He wanted to make sure they wouldn't starve the rest of the night.

No one had the heart to remind Gregory that he was the only one who could take partake without the sweet instantly damaging his internal systems… Well, not as much as the animatronics’, at least. The question of what was actually in those slushees to make them so addictive was questionable enough that it probably should warrant a doctor’s note before a kid could consume one.

It would be safe to assume that after this long week, Gregory's gastro tract would be forever ruined by all the sugar, greasy food, and soft drinks... Or at least ruined for a while. He was still young, after all. Nothing like a few months of vegetables wouldn't fix.

“Let us not waste any more time,” Freddy prompted, giving Gregory’s hand a squeeze as he started for the door. “Everyone keep your guard up—if you see anything suspicious, let the group know. We will still try to keep out of the others’ sight as much as possible.”

Michael simply nodded as he settled into place behind Freddy and Gregory, alert and ready for the night ahead. He shook out his arms and legs to get out whatever metallic stiffness had sunk in after a day of lounging around, then looked to Charlie with a set expression. “Ready for another go at this?”

“I've been ready since the 80's,” she said with finality. She didn't seem touchy, exactly. Perhaps sensitive, as the encounter with Cassidy had given her much to reflect on.

“Don't worry, Freddy. If we need it, Michael's still got the Faz-glock,” Gregory remarked, cheerful and nonchalant. The bear's eyes snapped accusingly to Mike.

“What in the world is a ‘Faz-glock?!’”

***

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