#the Foxes playing the Murder game would be hilarious | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

c-e-d-dreamer · 7 years

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Happy early Valentine’s Day! This is for @whimsyalice as part of @aftgexchange!!! Yay!!! I wanted to include all your fave ships/characters, so this is more Foxes nonsense than ships! Hope you enjoy! :)

Use this post for reference

It starts on a Monday. The locker room is a cacophony of chattering voices as the Foxes all arrive for afternoon practice, everyone still thrumming with excitement from Friday night’s win. Neil follows the group in and past the lounge. Allison and Renee have their arms linked and heads bowed together as they make their way into the girls’ changing room. Dan and one of the freshman girls are close behind them, not even pausing their lively conversation as they disappear behind the door. Andrew pushes past the door for the men’s changing room, Neil behind him. Matt and Nicky are hot on their heels and arguing about some television show as Neil makes his way to his locker.

“I’m telling you,” Nicky says. “He’s dead.”

“No way!” Matt argues. “He’s gonna pop up next season. You’ll see.”

“Are you sure we watched the same episode?”

“They can’t just kill off a fan favorite like that!”

Neil tunes them both out and spins the combination into his locker lock. When he pulls the door open, something falls out and clatters to the floor. There’s a moment where Neil’s heart stutters to a painful halt in his chest, his breath clogging up his throat. Somewhere in the back of his mind, memories he’s long buried try to sink their claws back in. He has to close his eyes for a moment before he can focus again. Neil slowly looks down only to find a plastic knife at his feet. He blinks a few times in confusion before reaching down and picking it up. He turns it over in his hand and sees Justin Mattews scrawled in sharpie across the handle. As far as threats go, this one definitely makes the least amount of sense. Neil gives his brain another minute to come up with a possible explanation, but when it comes up blank, he holds the plastic knife out towards Andrew in a silent question.

“Neil! What’re you doing? You’re not supposed to tell anyone who you have!” Nicky exclaims from across the row of lockers.

“Murder season is finally upon us,” Matt says. “Let the chaos begin and may the best person win.”

Neil turns to find that both Nicky and Matt also have a plastic knives in their hands. He glances down at the one nestled in his own palm again, feeling even more confused.

“Um… murder season?” Neil ask.

“It’s this game where—”

“Let’s go, maggots!” Wymack’s voice cuts Matt off from outside the changing room. “If you’re not on my court in five, I’ll drag your asses onto it.”

“We’ll explain it later,” Matt assures before turning back to his locker to get his gear out.

Neil can still feel endless questions swirling around his head and gnawing their way to the forefront of his mind, but he figures they will just have to wait. He shoves the plastic knife into his jeans pocket and turns back to his own locker.

Unfortunately, later ends up being much later. With spring championships right around the corner, Wymack and Dan work the Foxes hard between drills and scrimmages, leaving little time in between for chatting. And once practice ends, Neil needs to be fast out of the locker room for once, so he can head back to campus and catch the tail end of his professor’s office hours.

Practice had helped supress the lingering confusion over the plastic knife and apparent “murder season”, Neil’s mind focused on drills and footwork and helping Dan get the new freshman ready for championships. Once on campus, though, those thoughts are back in a flash. It’s like between morning classes and now, the entire campus has done a 180. He watches a group of girls pass him, arms linked and huddled together like some sort of pack. Across the Green, there’s two guys he recognises as members of the basketball team walking around in nothing but towels wrapped around their waists. Neil’s almost made it to the languages building when there’s a war-cry from his right. He looks over just in time to see a girl jump down from a tree at an unsuspecting student, a plastic knife brandished in her hand. No one else around Neil seems concerned—some students even cheer at the spectacle— so Neil just shakes his head and pushes inside the building.

By the time Neil makes it back to Fox Tower, it’s well into the evening. He takes the elevator up to the third floor only to walk straight into a sheet hanging from the ceiling. He splutters around the fabric and pushes it aside only to be greeted by a dark hallway. After a few blinks, Neil’s eyes adjust, but he still uses the wall to help guide him to his room.

Inside him room, most of the Foxes are scattered about and waiting, Neil remembering belatedly that it’s their turn to host movie night. Renee and Allison have claimed the armchair to curl up in, their legs layered over one another and shoulders pressed together. Kevin is sitting on one edge of the couch and Andrew the other. Matt has taken up space on the floor with his back against the couch, but Dan isn’t beside him. Instead, the team’s captain is perched on Neil’s desk by the window, her eyes occasionally narrowing and sweeping across the room. Before Neil can ask, the door reopens behind him and Nicky and Aaron come striding in. Much like the basketball players on campus, Nicky is wearing only a towel.

Neil doesn’t even know where to begin.

“So this murder season is…?”

“Murder is a game that happens every year on campus,” Dan explains. “Everyone gets a plastic knife with someone’s name written on it. You have to ‘kill’ the person.”

“Basically just poke them and say ‘you’re dead’,” Matt chimes in.

“Once you’re dead, you have to hand over your own knife to your killer. Eventually, one person is left standing alive with all the knives. They win.”

“What exactly do they win?” Neil asks.

“A bottle of top shelf vodka and infinite bragging rights,” Nicky says.

“There are rules, though,” Renee says. “You can’t ‘kill’ someone in their own room or in the dining hall. You also can’t ‘kill’ them when they’re naked.”

“Which is why some people cheat and walk around in a towel so they can drop it at any time and be immune,” Allison adds with an eye roll.

“It’s not cheating. It’s called using my resources,” Nicky argues.

“Whatever you want to call it, it didn’t work. You’re dead.”

Everyone turns to see Aaron pressing a plastic knife into Nicky’s arm, his cousin’s face a mix of shock and appalment.

“Ha! Serves you right!” Allison calls. She quiets down when Renee places a placating hand on her arm, but her expression is still smug.

“Et tu, Brute?” Nicky says, pushing the knife away from his skin.

“Just hand over your knife,” Aaron says.

“So people take this pretty seriously?” Neil asks, turning back to the upperclassman.

“Oh, yeah,” Matt says. “It gets intense. I’m sure you noticed how the soccer team unscrewed all the lightbulbs in the hall.”

“That’s for this murder game?”

“It’s hard to ‘kill’ someone if you can’t see them,” Renee points out.

“It’s part of their strategy,” Matt continues. “Everyone has a different one. Dan is a firm believer in the lone wolf one.”

“Trust no one, kid,” Dan chimes in.

“Or you could be like Renee and Allison who team up every year. Tell each other who’s on their knives and help one another. They actually almost won last year.”

“Stupid fucking Riley,” Allison mutters.

“You have to admit, her plan was quite clever,” Renee says.

“What did she do?” Neil asks.

“Bought off Rocky Foxy,” Nicky, who is apparently done sulking, answers. “Dressed up as the mascot herself and then got both of them after a game.”

“It was actually kind of beautiful,” Matt says, his tone going a bit wistful.

“And it’s why you can trust no one,” Dan adds, giving another suspicious sweep of the room as if emphasizing her point.

“Right…”

Neil decides to retreat to the kitchen after that. He hears the movie start up, and starts rooting around in the fridge for something quick to whip up. He’s just pulling out cheese and butter when Matt comes in, tugging a slightly reluctant Dan behind him.

“Listen,” Matt says, pitching his voice low. “I need both your help.”

“With what?” Neil asks, pulling out a skillet and grabbing the bread.

Matt casts a look over his shoulder before he pulls Dan even closer, crowding Neil in against the stove.

“I got Andrew,” Matt whispers.

Neil is confused until he glances down. There in Matt’s palm is a plastic knife with a now familiar sharpie scrawl, only the name is different. When Neil looks up again, Dan has her lips pressed together and her eyes are wide with pity. She reaches out and gives Matt a gentle pat on the shoulder.

“There’s always next year, babe.”

“No! I refuse to lose. I just need a good plan. That’s why I need you both.”

Dan’s face is a perfect mask of scepticism, one eyebrow raised and mouth pinched at the corner. Matt lets out a sigh at her reaction before turning his pleading eyes on Neil, but the striker merely shrugs and goes about preparing his dinner.

“Aw come on! You’ll help me, Neil. Won’t you? Maybe you could like be the bait or something. Bros before hoes, right?”

“What?”

“Never mind. Why did I think you would get that reference?”

Another sigh falls past Matt’s lips and then silence blankets the kitchen. Neil uses the opportunity to finish making his grilled cheese. By the time he’s grabbed a plate and a glass of water, Matt’s face is still scrunched up in thought and Dan has retreated back to the others. Occasionally, Matt’s eyebrows shoot up and his mouth opens before he shakes his head and goes back to the same expression. Neil gives him a few more minutes to see if the backliner will say anything else before returning to the living room with his food. He’s halfway done before Matt finally returns.

Once Neil is finished, he takes his dishes back to the kitchen, but when he returns, Andrew has abandoned his spot on the couch. Neil takes one glance at the film playing on the television before heading for the door. He feels like he should be more surprised than he is when Matt follows him out. And more surprised still when he pushes open the door to the stairwell open, only to find a member of the soccer team crouched just inside with a plastic knife clutched to his chest. Instead, Neil takes it all in stride and takes the stairs up to the roof. Andrew is in his usual spot perched along the edge, the only light coming from the end of the cigarette balanced between his lips. Neil only casts one last glance behind him at Matt before he heads over to take up his usual spot, accepting the cigarette Andrew holds out to him.

“You even think about it, Boyd, and I’ll push you over the edge,” Andrew says once Neil is seated.

“Right. Yeah. Leaving,” Matt mutters, before the slamming of the roof doors signals his exit.

“You know he has—” Neil starts.

“I know.”

They fall quiet then. The only sound the low hum of students still on campus and the cars from the interstate wafting on the breeze. The smoke from their cigarettes swirls around them, and Andrew is warm and solid at Neil’s shoulder. After a few more minutes, he finds himself pulling the plastic knife from his pocket and thumbing over the name there.

“Planning on participating?” Andrew asks.

“I haven’t decided yet. I think I’d do quite well. This kind of skill set is right up my alley.”

“Survived enough real murder to take on fake murder?”

“Exactly.” Neil turns his cigarette over between his fingers. “I’d split the prize vodka with you.”

Andrew doesn’t say anything, just takes another drag of his cigarette. Neil is content to sit in comfortable silence, so he turns his attention back towards the campus and the twinkling of the street lamps there.

The Foxes were right in that the rest of week descends into chaos as the Murder game takes over PSU. Some students have taken to running across campus at full sprints to avoid being ‘murdered’ while other creep along the halls sideways with their back pressed along the walls so that no one can sneak up on them. Neil isn’t sure why his teachers even bother teaching with the numbers of disruptions during class. One student even ninja rolls into his math class to take out someone. The only place that seems relatively sane is the dining hall, and even there, students huddle anxiously by the doors, afraid to leave the safety of immunity.

And yet there’s something almost calming buried underneath the insanity. Like some sort of normalcy where murder really is only a game. So Neil decides to join in. And he decides to play to win.

Neil uses the break between his morning classes and afternoon practice on Tuesday to track down Justin Mattews, and he’s able to get him right as he’s leaving the fine arts building. His next mark, Rachel Watters, is easier to find, and Neil is able to ‘kill’ her in the café by the library.

On Wednesday, Dan takes out Kevin during morning workouts. She ignores her lone wolf strategy long enough to jump into Matt’s arms in victory and to high five the whole team. Neil has to use his hand to stifle his smile at Kevin’s glower. The rest of the day is filled with more chaos, and by the end, Neil has taken out two basketball players, a Vixen, and a student in his writing class.

Neil takes immense joy when he gets to corner Aaron on Thursday and ‘kill’ him. But at the end of that day’s afternoon practice, Allison and Renee take out Matt and Dan respectively before striding out of the locker room hand in hand.

On Friday, Neil takes out another Vixen after their win at home, and by the time Saturday rolls around, he has a comfortable pile of plastic knives on the dresser in his room.

Neil shakes away the excess ash from his cigarette before he twirls it between his fingers. He and Andrew are once again up on the roof. This night is the coldest it’s been all week, so Neil presses in closer than usual, hoping to leech off some of the goalkeeper’s heat.

“I finally got the knife with Allison’s name on it,” Neil says. “I think it’s getting down to the last few people. I might actually win.”

Andrew hums noncommittedly and takes another drag of his cigarette.

“I’d still share the vodka with you.”

“Or I could just have it all to myself.”

Neil opens his mouth, about to ask what Andrew means, when he feels the press of something against his hand. He looks down to see a plastic knife pressing into his skin. It takes a moment and a couple of shocked blinks before Neil drags his gaze back up. Andrew is gazing right back at him.

“You’re dead.”

“Does this mean you finally fulfilled the percentage of time you want to kill me?” Neil asks, trying to swallow down the teasing lilt that tries to bleed into his tone and hold back the smile tugging at his lips.

“Now you’re at 218%.”

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theravenkin · 3 years

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the foxes and social media pt. 2:

so most college sports teams, if they have social media like tiktok, post edits of really good plays, some boring game day hype stuff, etc; some of the teams that get less publicity have some more relaxed, easy going content. now in my head, exy is culturally equivalent to college football--so exy teams usually have pretty tame social media, countdowns to big games and clips of nice plays.

but the thing i find hilarious about the foxes is that there are only two staff members, wymack and abby. most high school teams have at least three or four coaches, big college sports like football will have a lot more, and teams which receive a lot of publicity will have PR people and social media coordinators. but the foxes? nah. guess who their PR/social media coordinator is? nicky hemmick, everyone.

nicky (and dan, since they already make a bunch of tiktoks together) make a team account (and somehow it gets verified eventually??? who is in charge here)

they aren't too careful about what they post--there are already plenty of rumors and criticism surrounding them, so who cares? what could be worse than neil on press duty? wymack also doesn't really give a fuck--when they ask him for permission he just wants them to stop talking to him asap so he's like yeah whatever sure (without knowing what the consequences of this might be)

the first tiktok on the account is a "full house"- style introduction of all the foxes, many of them looking beyond irritated and uncomfortable--but nicky and dan make sure they get everyone's consent to post it; they won't post anything without the consent of the people that are in it. somehow, everyone says yes--none of them really care, and/or don't think anybody will see it.

it blows up. the foxes' fanbase is way bigger than they think it is, especially after their victory against the ravens and all the publicity around neil's past. everyone on campus who has tiktok sees it. it makes its way to exy fan accounts on instagram and twitter. nicky and dan are kinda scared, because agh we put andrew minyard all over the internet will he murder us?? but they're also super excited because people care???? people like them that much????

unfortunately, the debut post causes a bit of a stir in the ever-present exy/palmetto state discourse. people start up the criticism and the rumors and the hate. so in response, the second tiktok on the team account is dan and nicky strutting around the locker room lip syncing "rumors" by lizzo and cardi b with some flawless transitions, it looks so professional. they address some of the rumors (some of them true) that have plagued the foxes for years: dan was a stripper? yep. kevin day has never been skiing? you bet. this video gets them featured in the Palmetto State student-run news/gossip accounts, and then it's featured on certain exy blogs--it of course causes more of a stir than the last one.

one of the hate comments on the second video says something homophobic in response to nicky's flamboyance in the videos. he responds to the comments with a video he and dan convinced matt to star in:

nicky: nah, all of us foxes are straight, super straight, no gay shit. right matt?

matt: yeah, bro, super hetero.

*intense eye contact*

*pretend to lean in for a kiss*

(also, side note: i have another hc nicky's flirting is completely returned by matt because he knows it's not serious, that he would never come between matt and dan, and they all think it's hilarious)

the exy dude bros are Not Happy--so everything is going according to plan

that video's comments are filled with an equal amount of both raging homophobia and wild support from fans who are queer or allies. by now, the other foxes are having fun with this account, too.

to be continued, this already got WAY too long but trust me there's more (lmk if y'all even want more, this took me way too long to put in coherent words 😭)

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testingcheats0n · 3 years

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Massive Dream SMP Fic Rec!!

Hey- Hi, I just feel like there are a ton of fanfiction that's really underrated in this fandom- so I'm going to dump it on your dash!!! Most of it is going to be Tommy-centric or SBI-centric, but they are very good!

Source: Me

Finished Fanfics:

Multi-chaptered Fanfics:

that's, like, a hundred miles by No_one_you_know

Dream would kill him. Dream was going to kill him- he was going to- no, he wouldn’t. Dream was his friend- friends don’t hit each other- Dream was supposed to take care of him- Dream /was/ taking care of him.

It hurt to breathe. It hurt to think. He couldn’t clear his thoughts as he stumbled to the family computer, pulling up a tab on google and frantically typing the name into the search bar.

The words Technoblade Watson stared back at him, the little black bar at the end of the letters blinking slowly, mocking him.

Why, of all people, did it have to be Technoblade?

in short: the one where dream sucks as a parental figure, tommy runs away, and visits his least favorite family member technoblade

Hard-hitting, but has a happy ending, though I recommend reading the prequel (in the same series) first, otherwise, it's lowkey depressing.

MORE RECOMMENDATIONS BELOW THE CUT!!

you’ll rise above (crowned by an overture bold and beyond) by azvremoon

Tommy is not sixteen. He has faced too many open wounds, dripping ichor onto blood-stained warzones, to be just a child. He is Blood and War and needless Death, an all-in-one special of everything that can ruin reality.

(Tommy is the blood god. No one should know, but this server can't stop pushing him over the edge.)

+2 more Works that were Inspired by this one

Tommy is a BAMF and Dream, Technblade, and Phil get fucked it is what it is.

Responsible Forever by SilverWing15

“You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.” /////

“So,” Techoblade says, slow and deliberate, his face shows clearly just how unbelievable he finds all of this, “you saw a boy last night, in the middle of the night, living with raccoons and eating our garbage?”

“I know how insane it sounds,” Phil says, “but I know what I saw. We need to help him, who knows how long he’s been out here?”

“Okay,” Wilbur interrupts, “let’s say that raccoon-boy is real. What is it you want us to do? We can’t go searching the woods for specific bunch of raccoons, I don’t know if you’ve noticed Phil but there are a lot of them out there.”

“Going out and hunting him isn’t going to get us anywhere,” Techno says, “we have to let the raccoon-boy come to us. He’s already come once, you know how tenacious raccoons are. If they came to the garbage pit once, they’ll come again. We just have to set a trap.”

“Those raccoons aren’t gonna know what fucking hit them,” Wilbur mutters.

Or: RaccoonInnit taken well beyond its logical conclusion

Tommyinnit is a Raccoon boi that lives with other Raccoons

Protecting the Traumatised Youth by spookyserpent

Sam blinks. “What?”

Even behind the mask, Sam has the distinct impression that Dream is grinning at him. “A week and he was begging for my attention, even after I stole and burnt his armour, even after the beatings. He couldn’t stand me leaving him because I was the only one to show up, to pay him attention. It was hilarious.”

Sam is going to be sick.

Or, Sam decides to ask Dream about his intentions and ends up becoming a big brother to Tommy and Tubbo. All the while, Dream and George fight, Niki and Jack plan child murder and Ranboo is slowly getting adopted into the SBI.

Awesamdad written back when it was possible... ahhh

Chaos In a Bottle by Lovetribable

After a realization, Tommy leaves the pillar, but instead of going to Techno. He just disappears, leaving everyone to think he's gone.

It takes a war to bring him back.

+2 Sequels and an Alternative Ending

Dadinnit!! + A Sympathetic Dream

Absolutely Anything For Them by Numanum

“There’s a lot you don’t understand, Tubbo,” Dream sighs, meeting his eyes cooly. Tubbo, back against a tree, shudders at his tone, at the look on his face.

The sword at his neck skims across his skin as Dream shifts his grip on it, and he flinches back into the rough bark behind him. Dream smiles at his reaction, seeming pleased- like the cat that’s been toying with a mouse that always tries to run no matter how many times it’s caught. And, despite this being his first encounter alone with the man, he thinks that the comparison is fairly accurate; Tubbo has never felt smaller than he does now. There’s supposed to be a buddy system to prevent things like this- he shouldn’t be alone here, stuck in this situation.

Or: Tubbo becomes a traitor to save everyone and has to struggle with his choices

Traitor Tubbo, but it has the happiest ending possible since it follows the rest of the story.

Where Did You Come From, Kit? by KadeAK (zacixn)

Hybrids are an ancient species of humans crossed with animals, blessed with the favour of nature. They used to live in peace on the SMP’s land, but ever since the dawn of humanity’s modern culture, they have become ostracised and hunted by their once-brethren. Now, the once-thriving subspecies of hybrids have been reduced to ashes, the majority of their peoples struggling to survive in a city capital that can't stand their presence.

To the members of L’Manburg, General Wilbur Soot is just another mildly prejudiced human being, stuck with a hybrid fox kit for an adopted child. However, that assumption could not be farther from the truth. As it turns out, there's a reason why he is the man he is today.

This fic is entirely pre-L’Manburg.

Part of a series, very good.

Take It Easy by sweet_magnolias

Five times Techno scared Michael, one time Michael scared him, and the resolution of those fears.

AKA - Techno learns how to be an uncle.

Technoblade's POV, so expect some Tubbo bashing on the margins of all that Michael fluff.

I suppose it’s never my time to die, is it? by Birb_Whale

The first time it happens, he barely remembers. The second time is when he realized. The third... Twice is a coincidence, three times is a pattern

“It’s not your time to die yet, Tommy”

Messed up, but not unrealistic. Purely for the Hurt/Comfort lovers.

This Wasn't Planned, But It'll Work Out by Anonymous

Dream isn't sure what to think when he finds a kid on his doorstep, but he can't just leave him there, now can he?

(He doesn't know what he's getting into, or what he's gotten the kid into, either)

Long, and angsty, with a bittersweet ending Imo.

let's play a game by Aria_Cinabun

Tommy was once a slave. That's gone now - shoved in his past with the memories of blood and gore and death. He wants to forget who he was; what he has to do to survive. Of course, the Elementalists will always come back to haunt him. They aren't the ones who killed his mother, but they're close enough. And now he and his brother have been dragged into the mess, as Elementalists with their own, separate covens, to find the Pit - the place where he'd lived and killed and hurt for the first twelve years of his life. His coven can't know. Can't know who he really is, what he can really do. Can't know anything about his past. He doesn't want a coven full of Elementalists who don't trust him; one of whom he's pretty sure despises him. He doesn't want that life. He wants the life of a pickpocket, on the streets, because nobody questions street kids, and nobody comes asking about his past and pushes him to tell his secrets that he holds closest inside. Tubbo tries to tell him to trust people. But trust is how you die.

Good fantasy AU, has SBI, and is thus fluffy.

Turn of the Tide by SilverWing15

Tommy’s fins twitch at the mention of Dream’s ancestors. Dream talks about them a lot, how they made their fortune hunting down mer pods, how they were cruel and greedy. Nothing like Dream is. They’ve both overcome their roots he says.

Tommy is nothing like the wild mer out in the ocean, who spend their lives scraping by just to survive, who kicked him out of the pod when he was a baby because he was too small. He’s also better than the pit mer, who can’t overcome their wild instincts and know nothing but fighting.

He’s different from them, he’s better than them. He’s Dream’s. //// OR: Change is like the tide, when it comes, you can only sink or swim. You would think that a mer would be better at keeping afloat.

Mermaid AU Pooog. Part of a series.

One-Shots:

Snapped by AmberRunnel

“You don’t know what I went through in that prison cell.”

Jack burst out laughing, blinded with rage and the overwhelming urge to hurt Tommy, to give him everything he deserved. “Oh, is the poor child traumatized? You want pity now?” He twisted his blade, and Tommy’s axe was sent clattering to the ground.

“If the prison was so awful, why don’t I send you back there?”

-|-

Jack doesn't handle Tommy's revival well. There's a simple solution, though. Kill Tommy, and Dream revives him right back into that cell. Problem solved, kid dealt with.

It takes a few confrontations for Jack to realize he's an asshole.

It's fucked up, but god does it hurt in a good way.

the sky is coming down blue by salinesolution

An imagining of New Milo's perspective throughout the Skyblock Randomizer adventure. What did he think of the world he found himself in, and how did Wilbur's feelings and actions change things for him? Here's my way of answering those questions.

He made the fish think, funniest shit I've seen.

You told me to be a hero (so let me die like one) by spiromachia

"You told me to die like a hero," the blond interrupted, spinning on his heel to face the others, holding his arms wide open, "So why not fulfil the ending that was always meant to be."

Across the battle field, through the chaos and destruction, a tree burned.

Even the sound of explosions and cries and bloodshed felt distant enough for the world to become silent for a few moments, each individual slowly coming to the same conclusion, each of their bodies tensing.

Tommy's face broke out into a grin as he lowered his head, glowering at the people around him, and Philza's face flashed with recognition.

"Kill me."

Or... In the middle of Doomsday, Tommy decides to ask Technoblade to be the Lycomedes to his Theseus.

Heavy and dark, but at least Dream gets it.

tomorrow night by meridies

Tommy is desperately searching for his missing brother. Techno is the reluctant psychic who unfortunately got dragged along.

or, two people, more alike than different, learn what it is to have a family at their side.

It's cute what can I say :]

maple syrup by itisjosh

"We could run," Tubbo stares at the sun. "We've got everything we've ever wanted right here. We could run."

"Yeah," Tommy agrees, feeling his head swim. "We could."

(or, tommy and tubbo run away together)

Children get away from toxic adults :)

Why’d it have to be so sunny? (The sun shouldn’t shine without you.) by AToZRainToBe

‘A realisation hits Phil in the face like a truck. “Wi- Ghostbur,” Phil says, turning to his grey-scale, translucent, actually-dead son. “You definitely told Tubbo that Tommy’s alive, right?”’

To get away from Dream, Tommy agrees to fake his death, going with the cover story that he jumped from the pillar in Logstedshire. Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell Tubbo.

Misunderstandings are one of my favorite tropes.

sugar and ice by princedemeter for Aenqa

“He is my son,” Philza says. “Mortal or not, I would see him grow strong.”

Technoblade looks down on earth, at the tiny, angry bundle of cloth and pinking, wrinkled skin. This mortal child, he thinks, lungs filled with breath from the king of gods himself, will not grow strong.

It's mostly centered around Technoblade and Wilbur with Phil being a shitty dad. Pog Gods AU.

a matter of time by meridies

Tommy is twelve years old when his wings first appear, and he is twelve years old when Phil tells him, "All it takes is time and patience, Tommy, and soon you'll be flying even better than me."

or, Tommy grows up feeling like a failure, and it takes him a while to figure out where he's happiest.

Tommy is just finding his place in the world. Powers AU.

That Time a Baby Decided to Raise a Baby by Scitrust

Tubbo wasn't good at making excuses, so when Schlatt asked him why he was leaving in the night, he made something up on the spot. That had been months ago.

At least he sort of had an alibi for that, now.

Or, in which Tubbo finds a baby in the woods on his way to see Tommy, and promptly adopts it.

Part of a collection!! Read it all.

spider lily by blue000jay

Wilbur has a body.

The freckle on the base of his left pinky finger (shared with Techno). The scar on his chin from when he was twelve and over ambitious, diving into too-shallow water. The scar on his throat from the final control room, and the puckered skin on his shoulder from the poisoned arrow that killed him next. Various other nicks and things that litter his skin from years of rebellion and living wild, a kid thrown into a vicious world with too little self-preservation.

(Resurrection AU, for when/if Wilbur comes back.)

The author knows how it's like to live with chronic pain, and it shows :(

Hands tied loose by rabiddog

"Let's run away, Tubbo." Tommy breathed; a wide grin split across his face as his hope grew. "Let's get out of here – far away. We can go anywhere, can't we? Let's just go, you and me right here, right now."

Tommy needs to leave. He has to get out of L'Manburg, he has to leave the Dream SMP for his own sanity, and he wants Tubbo to come with him.

But Tubbo has a family now, a better life - something that he can't give up... not even for his best friend.

Unhappy ending :(

The serpent underneath by rabiddog

Tommy and Techno sit at the memory-filled bench and talk. Technoblade reminisces, he talks, he admits his pent-up feelings, he cries. And Tommy? Tommy listens. (That's all he can do.)

“I’m sorry for everything, you know? For all of it. I’m so sorry about... about the first war, about the withers and the fighting, about...” Technoblade's fingers began to curl around Tommy’s blonde locks. “About Wilbur and everything after. I'm so, so sorry.”

:((((((((

Damning choices by rabiddog

Ranboo would have never expected to find himself in a horrifying situation such as that one - quite literally sandwiched between a rock and a hard place, with three lives dangling over his head and the answer on the tip of his tongue.

Tubbo, Michael, Tommy.

It's his choice. He chooses who lives, and who dies. His new family, or his first friend. But Ranboo... Ranboo already knows.

"Ranboo," He hissed out, voice cracking and somewhat staticky, "It's not your fault. It's not. You had no other choice; I know that, okay? I- I know that- I know- I know..."

:(((((((((((((((((((((((((((

Jealousy is a disease by rabiddog

Tommyinnit isn't new to the idea of jealousy. He understands it completely. He understands the way it runs rampage through his body each time he catches even a glimpse of Tubbo and Ranboo's new relationship, he understands that the emotion makes his heart clench uncomfortably from time to time. He sees it, feels it, and yet he doesn't care.

He doesn't care at all.

"You took Tubbo away from me. You took him away. You took my best friend, and now he's- now he's not my best friend anymore, and I-!"

Word of Honour by rabiddog

Tommy could only stand and stare as Technoblade agreed to hand him over to Dream - as his brother traded him off like he was nothing. Like Tommy wasn't important.

Technoblade was a man of honour. He was a man of pride and sticking to his word. He knew that he owed Dream a favour, and no matter what that favour might be, he'd be compliant with it. Nothing would change his mind. (Not even Tommy.)

Almost canon. F.

Sweet Repentance by rabiddog

Perhaps Tommy should have told Phil about his arguably life-threatening injury the minute his father had opened the door. But of course, Tommy being Tommy, did not.

Dying seemed like a nice enough option as long as he was with his family.

Tommy just wanted acceptance, forgiveness, and peace. He wanted to close his eyes for the last time and finally be able to let go.

Tommy dies painfully.

A White Tulip by astervoid

He picked the white tulip from the bottom of the stem, standing up carefully as he held it pinched between his fingers. It would die now, inevitably, but Tommy relented and held the flower to his chest. What a silly, stupid thing to ground him. He almost hated that it made his breaths come easier and his steps feel lighter. Almost.

Tommy & Ranbooo chill on the bench.

lying to the authorities (again) by touchgrass

"Please tell me that my right-hand-man, my soon-to-be vice president, one of the people I trust the most on this godforsaken server, did not lie straight to my face and tell me he was twenty-fucking-years-old.”

Tommy opened his mouth to protest, but then closes it shut at the furious look on Wilbur's face. Oops.

It is the day of the elections and Wilbur Soot could not have chosen a worser time to realize that half his staff is underage.

The ONLY fic with this premise I've seen on Ao3.

Dear Theseus by rabiddog

Tommy had thought that they'd won - thought that they'd finally beaten Dream, and that everything would be okay. As it turns out, however, apparently Dream had called in that favour from Technoblade after all.

“Please,” Tommy whispered after a beat, quivering hands edged upwards to hesitantly press against the tip of the sword striking through his chest. Why, why, why? Why him? Why now?

Tommy almost wins.

A Shifting World by AplusIsRoman

How was Wilbur supposed to know it would end like this?

The smoke hung in the air and soot clung to his skin. His brother - adopted, but older by two minutes - stood back-to-back with him. The chilling cries of people and the calls of the withers rang through the air above the chasm that was once his home.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

How could he have known this would happen?

Sequel to A Child's World

Age-swap AU. Has a prequel.

heart of the sea by RyDyKG

Here is the secret that he barely thinks about, a secret that he shoves deep and far down in himself:

Wilbur Soot is a siren, and he’s not exactly proud of that fact.

Wilbur-centric. Urban Fantasy AU.

He knows, ok? by Ralli

By some means, Techno has given his raccoon younger brother some cotton candy. It doesn’t end as well as either of them would like.

Very, very cute :)

that's it, it's split (it won't recover) by Jk_Kat

Tommy has always been the fighter.

He has never been the fought for, and he knows it, with every whisper Tubbo directs at Ranboo, with every glance thrown his way- Tommy knows, the way he wishes he didn't, that they think he's dead.

If they're so convinced he's still dead, maybe the one good thing left he can do for them is die.

---

Or, Tommy gets addicted to being dead and thinks that nobody cares about him. The people who very much do try to pull him back from the brink before Dream can't resurrect him anymore.

Messed up, but with a happy ending.

Hugs 'n PTSD by rabiddog

Ranboo knew from the start that the recovery process would be hard - that moving on from quite literally being beat to death would be something hugely difficult to step away from, and that's if Tommy could even manage it at all.

He knew that it would be stressful and arduous, demanding and tough... he just hadn't expected to be holding Tommy through a PTSD-induced panic attack only days after his release from Pandora's Vault.

Ranboo isn't typically an overbearingly protective person. But for Tommy? He just might be.

I love this author if you can't tell.

Big Men don't cry by Shiny22Snivy

The room is small and warm, almost stifling compared to the cool openness of the ravine. It’s cosy and candlelit, and a chest sits open in the corner, full of what looks to be burnt rags of a former smart suit. And sitting in rumpled blankets on a bed, cradling a mug of something steaming, sits Tubbo.

At first, Tommy forgets all about Niki’s vague warning. He’s just so happy to see his best friend again, alive and well and all in one piece. Tubbo’s okay. Tubbo’s okay, and in front of him, and suddenly everything bad in the world is gone, if only for just a moment.

“Tommy?”

And then Tubbo turns to look at him.

Clingyduo fluff.

sins of the father (i broke all my bones that day i found you) by ryter

The thing that hurt Wilbur most was when he saw Fundy tear down the walls of L'Manburg. After all, those walls had gone up to protect his son. But in this world, Fundy trusts his father just a little bit more, and it ruins him.

Or: there's only one way Wilbur never becomes the villain. It's unclear whether this was the better path.

SOME VIOLENCE WARNINGS/BLOOD MENTION. CHARACTER DEATH. SO MUCH ANGST.

Sad, but cathartic.

REVIVED TOMMY HEADCANNONS AHAHAHAHA by racooninnit

i’m dropping ALL the fucking revived tommy headcannons on you guys today get ready for some ANGST

this is different from what i usually post but it was fun

i don’t think there’s a lot i need to put warnings for, obviously there are mentions of the way tommy died and the aftermath of that (i.e. injuries and trauma), but if there’s anything that needs a warning please tell me!

What it says on the tin- not really a fic.

Unfinished Stories:

Ongoing (Less than a month since the last update):

Over the River Styx by CorpseArt

I feel like we should name him.

There’s a scuffle at the back of his mind as he rolls up, curling tight with a shiver despite the heat of the flames licking up his back.

I mean, he’s like – us, but like a worse version clearly because oh man, this is just weirdness. There’s a flare of a tangle of emotions, complicated and fearful, resentful and livid with anger. I can’t believe this is what I’ve been reduced to, stuck in the mind of this- this child.

He’s like your age, Tommy. Are you calling yourself a child?

I mean, I am one so fucking duh. Child murderer.

Or: trauma bonding in the most unconventional of senses.

Just- Read it. Show the writer your support, it's unique, it's amazing and there needs to be more of it.

If history is dead and gone by iregretallmydecisions

“Don’t come any fucking closer,” Tommy shouted, startling Phil into stepping back. Tommy was still looking around wildly, like a trapped animal “Don’t fucking do it.” ---- In which Tommy finds himself faced with his splintered family, while it was still mostly whole. The past is not an easy place to be when the future was not kind. His family is forced to deal with the fall out.

It's better than Rewind, but you didn't hear that from me.

Wilbur Soot's Redemption (OR Ghostbur's Retry) by luckykitty0523

Wilbur had many regrets in his life, being lost in his madness and the urge for revenge drowned leaving a shell of who he once was. It was only in his dying moments that he regained himself but it was already too late for him leaving him drowning in wishes and regrets. However waking up in another different universe where wilbur was never born and family soulmates exist, so when wilbur said he wanted to fix the mistakes he never expected this turn of events.

In one world wilbur dies and he would return as a ghost missing his memory and trying to fix what he did in life but in this one wilbur dies and wakes up in another world where soulmates exist and the wilbur of that world was never born so wilbur/ghostbur takes his place and tries to make up his mistakes to the other version of his friends.

Wilbur adopts SBI + Fundy + Dream.

A Talk Long Overdue by penink

Tommy has his first therapy session with Puffy.

Tommy gets therapy.

Into the Night by Interjection

“Don’t touch me,” Tommy hisses, leaning against the railing. “I will - I will-”

They’re a hundred stories up. Wind lashes against Phil’s face. Next to him, Sam makes choked noise.

“But why?”

Tommy looks up to meet Phil’s eyes, terror struck so deep in those pale blue irises Phil thinks they must hold all the world’s fears within them.

“You’ll die,” he whispers. “And then I’ll die. But I’ll come back.”

“And I don’t want to come back.”

Others have the freedom to live. Tommy doesn’t even have the freedom to die.

But maybe they can teach him that living doesn’t have to be so bad.

---

(Superpowers AU where whenever someone touches Tommy, they both die. But Tommy will always come back to life eventually. He just wants it to end - but instead, he’s on the run, terrified of how his power will be exploited if he’s caught.

A few people reluctantly team up to save him.)

Funky SBI dynamics + a Sam that cares. Also a lot of angst.

#dream smp #dream smp fic rec #fic rec #sbi #wilbur soot #tommyinnit

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niallloverontheloose · 3 years

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"Stiles made a divine move, but he was only capable of doing that because Scott refused to let Stiles sacrifice himself or anyone hurt Stiles"

Look at what well known harasser and rabid Scott Stan - Derek/Stiles/Peter/Sterek/Steter hater Claude Frollo just posted in the Stiles Stilinski tag on purpose:

https://princeescaluswords.tumblr.com/post/661308239644868608/stiles-played-a-deadly-game-of-goo-and-chess

Hello @princeescaluswords

Aren't you tired of obsessing all over a neurodivergent character you claim to hate and of using every single ableist trope and stereotype to belittle and demonize Stiles in an attempt to prop Scott up?

"Peter claimed that chess was Stiles game, but Peter does tend to exaggerate" Funny how Scott stans are so bothered by Peter praising Stiles and pointing out that chess is Stiles' game to Derek that they need to lie and make shit up in order to belittle/invalidate it, isn't it? And by funny I mean ABLEIST

The most hilarious thing though is that according to antis' own logic, Peter exaggerated when he said he was impressed by Scott's ingenuity in Season 2, too. Everyone who watched Teen Wolf knows that Peter Hale was being blatantly sarcastic and only did it to manipulate Scott into going to Jackson (which Scott did by the way), since Peter never even bothered to hide the fact that Scott can go die a miserable death in a ditch alongside Gerard for all Peter canonically cares and openly mocks Scott "my plan is to get Stiles to come up with a plan" McCall's stupidity throughout the whole series. Thanks for proving a point, Escalus!

"Yes, Stiles did pull off a divine move in the episode of the same name, but he was only capable of doing that because Scott refused to let Stiles sacrifice himself or anyone hurt Stiles in order to save others. He found a way to save everyone, by doing the right thing"

Scott/Posey fans really love to erase canon and give Scott all the credit for his friends' heroic actions and achievements, don't they? Another trait they have in common with Canon Scott McCall

1• Stiles played a deadly game of Go against the Nogitsune AND a game of chess against himself (Void Stiles) simultaneously, repeatedly outsmarted and outwitted the Fox Spirit that chose him as his vessel, and then defeated it by making a Divine Move. Scott didn't do shit except whine, growl, obsess over Allison, make out with his new girlfriend, get his ass handed to him by everyone, be his usual useless self and throw jealous fits/temper tantrums somewhere in the background. Where he belongs

2• Scott McCall doesn't have any claim or authority over his friends outside of Scott stans' self insert power fantasies and delusions. Scott also threw a tantrum because he didn't want Stiles to sacrifice himself and lock himself up in Eichen House to save his friends and everyone else. And yet Stiles ignored Scott's whining and did it anyway. Stiles found a way to save everyone, figured everything out, and did the right thing. And he did all that without conspiring with Gerard behind everyone's back, or lying to everyone, around him, or dehumanising werewolves, or selling the Hales out to the hunters, or violating rape victims. Unlike Scott, who did all those shitty things and still failed miserably at everything

3• No one hurt Stiles in Teen Wolf Season 3B because everyone loves Stiles and no one wanted to hurt him. Not because a whiny, pompous, narcissistic fuckboy with a dumb true alpha title ordered them not to lol

4• Scott McCall doesn't have the authority to allow/or not allow anyone to do anything. Much to his and his fans' eternal chagrin

"You probably would have figured something out. And Scott did. Repeatedly"

Again, that was sarcasm. Both Stiles and Theo used Scott's own narcissism, inflated ego and delusions of moralistic grandeur against him and mocked him for his self righteous hypocrisy to his face. And neither Scott nor his fans even noticed. Also: when did Scott ever figure something out exactly? When he tried but failed to assassinate Gerard? When he thought that he had gone from being utterly shit at lacrosse to being a star athlete in the span of a day because he was just naturally talented? When he threw Derek Hale under the bus and framed him for murder so that he could be free to stalk Allison and play lacrosse? When he claimed that Kira was a werewolf? When he accused Morrell of going around murdering people? When he assaulted and kidnapped Liam and then called Stiles because Scott can't even clean up after his own mess, let alone take responsibility for his own failures and shitty actions? When Theo played him like a cheap kazoo throughout Season 5? Seriously, when??????

As Peter, Lydia, Malia and everyone else have pointed out, Stiles is the clever, super smart one who always figures it out and never takes advantage of his talents.

Meanwhile, Scott is just a self righteous, judgemental, below average hypocrite who always takes the credit for his friends' heroic actions and accomplishments, judges and/or condemns others for things they never even did and conveniently gives himself a free pass for, and can't even plan his way out of a paper bag without his friends' constant help and support

"They portray Stiles as chafing chained to a sub-par relationship with Scott, but Stiles literally has a break down when he thinks he’s done something for which Scott won’t be able to forgive him"

Nothing demonstrates Scott fans' ableism and utter lack of empathy more than them trying to cheapen Stiles' trauma and make it all about their fav. Stiles Stilinski got mentally and physically violated by a Fox Spirit who chose him as his vessel; sacrificed himself and locked himself up in Eichen House - supernatural prison/mental institution - to save everyone else; got abused by the wards; repeatedly forced to kill people; couldn't sleep; has been suffering from panic attacks since he was a child; remembered when his mentally ill mom abused him and called him a monster during his childhood; was stalked and brutally assaulted by Donovan; had accidentally killed his abuser to defend himself; and then got gaslit, dehumanised, judged and victim blamed by Scott for it; got blackmailed by Theo and abandoned by the abusive best friend whose ass Stiles risked his own life to save throughout the whole series ("You need me! You trusted him, too!") And yet Scott Fans will try to make it all about Scott instead... which is another trait antis share with Canon Scott

Scott/Posey fandom's jealousy, ableism, hypocrisy & obsessive hate boner for Stiles and Derek specifically are as blatant and as creepy as ever. Teen Wolf got cancelled due to shitty ratings years ago, and Posey's career followed it down the drain immediately after. But his stans are still out there foaming at the mouth, spewing ableist garbage, and throwing tantrums just because people don't like their shitty fav and have the audacity to prefer Stiles and Derek to Scoot

BUT SCOTT FANS ARE NOT OBSESSED

#submission #anti scott mccall #anti tyler posey #spill that tea

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thebestbookrecommendations · 2 years

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Six Books to Make You Laugh

Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

When her daughter Bee claims a family trip to Antarctica as a reward for perfect grades, Bernadette, a fiercely intelligent shut-in, throws herself into preparations for the trip. But worn down by years of trying to live the Seattle life she never wanted, Ms. Fox is on the brink of a meltdown. And after a school fundraiser goes disastrously awry at her hands, she disappears, leaving her family to pick up the pieces--which is exactly what Bee does, weaving together an elaborate web of emails, invoices, and school memos that reveals a secret past Bernadette has been hiding for decades. Where'd You Go Bernadette is an ingenious and unabashedly entertaining novel about a family coming to terms with who they are and the power of a daughter's love for her mother.

Type of Humor: Heartwarming

Damned by Chuck Palahniuk

The novel concerns Madison, a thirteen year old girl who finds herself in Hell, unsure of why she will be there for all eternity, but tries to make the best of it. The author described the novel as "if The Shawshank Redemption had a baby by The Lovely Bones and it was raised by Judy Blume." And "it's kind of like The Breakfast Club set in Hell."

Type of Humor: Dark

John Dies at the End by David Wong

STOP. You should not have touched this flyer with your bare hands. NO, don't put it down. It's too late. They're watching you. My name is David Wong. My best friend is John. Those names are fake. You might want to change yours. You may not want to know about the things you'll read on these pages, about the sauce, about Korrok, about the invasion, and the future. But it's too late. You touched the book. You're in the game. You're under the eye. The only defense is knowledge. You need to read this book, to the end. Even the part with the bratwurst. Why? You just have to trust me. The important thing is this: The drug is called Soy Sauce and it gives users a window into another dimension. John and I never had the chance to say no. You still do. I'm sorry to have involved you in this, I really am. But as you read about these terrible events and the very dark epoch the world is about to enter as a result, it is crucial you keep one thing in mind: None of this was my fault.

Type of Humor: Absurdist

The 100-Year-Old Man who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

After a long and eventful life, Allan Karlsson ends up in a nursing home, believing it to be his last stop. The only problem is that he’s still in good health. A big celebration is in the works for his 100th birthday, but Allan really isn’t interested (and he’d like a bit more control over his alcohol consumption), so he decides to escape. He climbs out the window in his slippers and embarks on a hilarious and entirely unexpected journey. It would be the adventure of a lifetime for anyone else, but Allan has a larger-than-life backstory: he has not only witnessed some of the most important events of the 20th century, but actually played a key role in them.

Type of Humor: Heartwarming, Quirky

Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

When Meddelin Chan ends up accidentally killing her blind date, her meddlesome mother calls for her even more meddlesome aunties to help get rid of the body. Unfortunately, a dead body proves to be a lot more challenging to dispose of than one might anticipate, especially when it is inadvertently shipped in a cake cooler to the over-the-top billionaire wedding Meddy, her Ma, and aunties are working at an island resort on the California coastline. It's the biggest job yet for the family wedding business—"Don't leave your big day to chance, leave it to the Chans!"—and nothing, not even an unsavory corpse, will get in the way of her auntie's perfect buttercream flowers. But things go from inconvenient to downright torturous when Meddy's great college love—and biggest heartbreak—makes a surprise appearance amid the wedding chaos. Is it possible to escape murder charges, charm her ex back into her life, and pull off a stunning wedding all in one weekend?

Type of Humor: Heartwarming, Absurdist

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Seconds before Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor. Together, this dynamic pair begin a journey through space aided by a galaxyful of fellow travelers: Zaphod Beeblebrox--the two-headed, three-armed ex-hippie and totally out-to-lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian (formerly Tricia McMillan), Zaphod's girlfriend, whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot; and Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student obsessed with the disappearance of all the ballpoint pens he's bought over the years. Where are these pens? Why are we born? Why do we die? For all the answers, stick your thumb to the stars!

Type of Humor: Quirky, Absurdist

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enigmaticxbee · 3 years

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✖️✖️ 7x13 First Person Shooter

The one where... Mulder and Scully get their yayas out in a murderous - video game? virtual reality game? joint hallucination? virtual LARPing? 🤷🏻‍♀️

Best: Scully showing up to kick ass and rescue her man.

Worst: Those tiny sunglasses are an abomination. On second thought they’re hilarious - squint on Mulder!

❌ Flashlights

❌ Woods/Desert

❌ Slideshow

✔️ Autopsy

✔️ Evidence Disappears

❌ Scully Misses It

✔️ Mulder Ditch

❌ Sunflower Seeds

✔️ Voiceover: Mulder closing VO

❌ Catch Phrase

❌ Scully is a Medical Doctor

❌ Mulder is Spooky

✔️ Muullllderrrr!

❌ Fox/Dana

❌ Inappropriate Touching (that I am here for)

❌ Casual Scully

❌ Casual Mulder

❌ Trench Coats

❌ Bad Tie Watch

✔️ Glasses Watch: Mulder’s tiny sunglasses 🕶, Scully’s got glasses of some sort too

50 States: California x16 (39/50)

Investigate: Together & Apart

Solve Rate: 61%

✔️ Bechdel Test

MSR: 🐝🐝🐝

Goriness: 👽👽👽

Creepiness: 👽👽

Humor: 👽👽👽

Rewatch Thoughts:

SOSS: Scully leaning over to block Mulder’s view of the departing Ms. Afterglow. He’s so over the top, he has to just be teasing her... right?

Think they were already in CA on their COPS case? That body looks really fresh.

I can see Scully not really being into video games and Mulder playing them occasionally with the LGM but it feels like the show has assigned them sides in a debate over the dangers of video games. And the stuff about testosterone and the misogyny of the video game industry is just raised and then goes nowhere. And the gender dynamics in this episode are 🙄

I... Have these cops never seen a woman in a bikini on a beach before?

Not loving Mulder’s spiky hair look. If I was Scully I would constantly have to quell the impulse to run my fingers through it and just flatten it down.

This episode makes no goddamn sense 😂

Ok his arms tho 👀

So... the only thing they accomplished on this case was forcing the game designers into using the kill switch (fun fact: the only other episode by these writers was... 5x11 Kill Switch!) to rescue Mulder from his own stupidity. I guess Scully buys them time. But playing the game did Nothing!

Is that supposed to be Scully at the end? If so thanks I hate it.

Episode-Related Fanfic Recs:

Bite Sized Love by @malibusunset - Read the whole thing, it’s great, but I always think about Chapter 6 when I watch this episode. Post ep night on the town with the Lone Gunmen, just delightful. NSFW.

#xf rewatch #xf fanart #msr #txf #xf #xf motw #i want to believe #truth is out there #the x files #the xfiles #thexfiles #xf review #fic rec #7x13 #first person shooter

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jq37 · 3 years

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The Case File – Mice and Murder Ep 2

The Case of the Dismal Dinner

Summary

Welcome back to our flashback/Tisch fight already in progress where we learn what Daisy and Sly’s shared look was about while Rekha and Grant go for the proverbial jugular emotionally. It’s 12 years ago and Sylvester is tracking down a stolen diadem, the very same diadem that he sees Daisy swipe off the thief who has it (a jackal named Roscoe McCoy in case that matters). Sly swipes it back from her and, when she notices, she sniffs it down to his train car where he is sitting in the dark, waiting for her. He doesn’t turn the lights on, opting instead to dramatically strike a match to light his pipe, illuminating himself sitting in a big chair, holding the stolen item.

Daisy tries to bluff like she’s Virginia Chase, the owner of the diadem, but Sly knows that’s not true because he was hired by the real Virginia to track it down. Daisy is usually a better liar than this but she is insta-smitten by this figurative and literal fox and it’s throwing her off her game. But before they can continue their little tete-a-tete, they hear a gunshot ring out from Daisy’s room and know Roscoe and his guys are coming after her. Sly stuffs Daisy in a trunk before the boys show up and they actually seem a little impressed to meet him, him being a famous detective and all, but a Nat 1 deception means they hear Daisy being huffy in the chest and a fight/escape scene that Brennan takes over narration for ensues.

After that, Sly and Daisy become close really quickly and partners in both senses of the word. Daisy tells him she’s an American PI and they work together on cases, travel the world, and become engaged within the year. But, the day before the wedding, when Sly is alone, he discovers all the documentation proving that Daisy lied about who she is, is actually a criminal, and has been using their partnership to sell information to other criminals.

She shows up and tries to pretend like she’s being set up but he replies, “You being duped is the only lie you’ve told I can’t believe.” He says that being with her changed him. He didn’t think he had it in him to actually love another person. He forgives her. He still wants to get married. Daisy is thrown by this reaction. She tells him she’s not gonna change for him and he might as well leave her. She’s being all unapologetic femme fatale about it but he gets the sense that under her bravado she’s low key pleading with him to give up on her. He doesn’t want to. He can’t. He still shows up the next day in his wedding tux. Daisy is nowhere to be seen. When he goes home, there’s a deerstalker cap on his porch and a note that just reads “-D”.

And we snap back to the present where Daisy is trying to figure out if she can take advantage of Lucretia’s fascination with the occult and all the rich vulnerable people present to make some money. Meanwhile, Sly has been totally rocked by seeing Daisy and is drowning his sorrows at the bar with Ollie, the otter bartender. Squire Badger (which is what I’ll be calling William) shows up and, in not so many words, threatens Sly for having not solved the case and making a fool of him. He says, “You’re not gonna rub my nose in this.” Move your nose then bitch, says Sly on a dirty 20 intimidation check. He’s sad about girl problems, not you! Squire Badger is scared off, but he looks like he knows something that Sly doesn’t. That someone is coming for him.

Buckster (and Ian too btw) clocked the above conversation and sidles up to Sly at the bar. See, not only does Buckster know about Sly and Daisy’s history, he knew it was happening *while* it was happening. Sly used up all his cool swagger on the Squire so by the time Buckster shows up he’s a whole mess over Daisy. Buckster starts implying that maybe they can help each other out since they both dislike the Squire and with Sly’s Nat 20 Insight, they can totally clock each other’s double meanings perfectly. It’s a very cool game thing where Sly and Buckster are having an innocuous conversation about the weather or whatever but Grant and Sam are just saying what they mean. It’s like they’re having a telepathic conversation. Sly agrees that the enemy of his enemy is his friend and he’ll go along with Buck’s plans as long as he can keep his hands clean, even if he doesn’t really care for Buck himself.

At the same time Gangie is in the kitchens getting fed (see the notes for a full list of kitchen staffers and other NPCs) and after the staff leaves, Gangie is told by Ambrose Harding (the Squire’s turtle valet) that there’s is business for him to attend to after dinner.

Buckster talks to Lawrence Longfoot--the rabbit photographer from last ep who we learn runs a trash newspaper. He and Buck bond over being trash and he gets a pic of Sly and Buck together.

Vicar Ian goes to talk to the Squire and basically tries to (openly) suss out whether the money was a bribe or a setup or what? Like, people are fully there (including the Lady Fawnbrook and her gossipy cat wife Tabitha). They snipe at each other a bit and then the Squire reveals that he’s talked him up to the Cardinal and the Cardinal agreed that he’s such a good vicar, he should be moved to Siberia. The decision has already been made and Ian doesn’t have the pull in the church to do anything about it. Yikes.

Before dinner, the rat butler catches Buck and asks if he has time to talk to Squire Badger. Buck agrees to go with him and he’s taken to the billiards room where the Squire is along with Harding and James Hawkins, Squire’s Hawk war buddy (a literal war hawk). Buck immediately puts his foot in his mouth by messing up the Squire’s title with his American ignorance of British peerage rules which annoys him, the elitism of it all. The Squire’s friends leave and then Buck starts talking about PR and how this whole situation has been bad PR for the Squire and it would be a shame if his PR got even worse. The suggestion of blackmail sends the Squire into a full honey badger don’t care style rage and he knocks TF out of Buck, flips the pool table, and then catches himself and scurries off. Daisy, Sly, and Gangie all hear this conversation from their positions in the house via the pipes running through the manor. Buck picks himself up and, on a 25, realizes that two of the mouse maids were hiding behind a curtain, hearing the whole thing (specifically, Edwina Thimble and Carolyn Dickory--oh like hickory dickory doc, BRENNAN) . They were playing hooky so he flips them a coin each and they all agree that no one saw or heard anything. “Two blind mice, see how they run,” he quips as they leave (sidenote, what a morbid nursery rhyme to exist in that world--to be fair, it’s pretty morbid as is).

Lucretia decides to turn the séance into a post dinner séance but still brings Daisy and Lars to see her occult room which is full of crap from, as Rekha said, “1800s Party City”. Lucretia does a hilariously vague read on Daisy and says that there’s something happening with her involving a man she knew or maybe still knows but she’s in her feelings about Sly so it kinda shakes her up. She tries to get Lucretia to charge for her “””incredible gift””” (so she can skim off the top of course) but Lucretia thinks it would be a misuse of her ~talents~. She does give Daisy an incredibly broad as to be useless even if magic exists blessing before she leaves.

Once she does, Daisy scopes out the room (which she realizes must have been retrofitted for Lucretia and wasn’t previously a séance room) and sees that the one thing in the room that doesn’t really match the aesthetic is a giant portrait of one of the previous squire badgers. On a 24 she notices two things: (1) the painting has recently been restored with new paint and (2) the frame is bolted to the wall. She wants to check it out but Lars is right there so she makes a note to check it out later and leaves.

Lars, being a very ride or die friend for Sly, bounds after her and basically calls her trash and tries to tempt her with garbage so she’ll lose composure and start chowing down. She drools at the sight but keeps it together and leaves. Lars runs off to tell Sly that they were a good good dog and gives him a full play by play.

Gangie meanwhile is watching a small argument between the butler and Harding in the servant’s quarters hallway and he realizes that he’s being talked about in veiled language. The butler is questioning Gangie’s employment and Harding says that, as servants, they shouldn’t question their master and that Gangie is employed for reasons that Squire Badger is aware of and reasons he is not. Hmm. Gangie realizes that Harding knows about his past which is weird because Gangie’s criminal record doesn’t follow him. There’s no internet. So what reason would this guy have to know about him?

Gangie doesn’t like this and decides to dip and steal some silverware on the way out. Mrs. Molesley (who I’ll be calling Mrs. M from now on) helps him (lol I’m not entirely sure if she didn’t know what he was doing or if she’s just down with stealing) and says that she’s been working there since Squire Badger was in diapers (she was his nanny) and if anyone bullies Gangie, she’ll take care of them. She also offers to make him a sweater so he doesn’t get cold and she’s just so nice that Gangie has to say yes. He looks to make sure no one is around and gives her a dandelion he picked. Cute!!!

And now it’s time for dinner and our very first box of doom roll for the most terrifying encounter of all: how close you have to sit next to your bitter ex! This is of course for Sly and Daisy with higher than a 15 meaning they don’t have to sit next to each other and anything lower meaning they have to sit pretty close. It is the first BOD roll I’ve ever wanted them to fail (mmm, except maybe Adaine’s werewolf roll but that’s a different conversation).

It’s in the 6-10 bracket which means they’re sitting across from each other (below that would have been them next to each other). Everyone is seated based on how on Squire Badger’s shitlist they are. So you have Ian at the absolute back. Sly to his right and Daisy on his left. The Buckster and Lars to the right and left after that. Then Armond (armadillo lawyer guy) and a snail guy because Brennan is a madman who cannot be stopped. Constance (Squire’s daughter) makes a toast to her dad wishing him well even though they haven’t always seen eye to eye (hmmm).

Buckster fills in Daisy on his confrontation with the Squire quietly enough that no one else hears. Daisy then turns to Sly and says she hopes they can be civil. Sly is like, “Sure Ms. DUMPSTER.” They’re the kind of exes who know exactly how to hurt each other but are also super open to being hurt. Emotional glass cannons is how Brennan describes it.

Buckster is given a note by Harding from Squire Badger and, once dinner is over, he takes Daisy off to the side to read it. Gangie follows, unseen. Ian, who recently prayed to God and got not super clear results goes to talk to Luecretia to see if maybe ghosts can help him instead. She is, as usual, not super helpful but does rush out to get her very necessary ritual dagger and declares to everyone that if anyone sees a ghost they have to tell her. As she says this, there is a flash of lightning and, through the window, Sylvester sees just for a moment the form of his nemesis, Fletcher Cottonbotton (who is by the docks).

Anyway, Buckster reads the note. It’s a document from the Squire selling his interest in BB Industries (Buck’s oil company) to Hazel Hogswallop who is another small shareholder in BB Industries. But, in doing so, it names Josiah Jackrabbit (one of his competitors) her proxy which means he’ll be able to vote on things (and with a lot of power with all that stock). The contract was written in fresh ink which means (1) it was probably written after their fight and (2) hasn’t been mailed yet (I smell a heist attempt). Buck rolls insight on the writing (mastermind rogue ability) and with a 27 senses that the Squire has gone off his rocker. This isn’t going to make him any money. Josiah doesn’t have enough liquid cash to pay him what this is worth. And the thing with Hazel would have taken time to set up. This has been in the works for a while and he’s been sitting on it until the time was right. And he senses, like Sly and Gangie did earlier, that someone besides the Squire is pulling the strings.

Then Gangie suddenly hears Constance’s distressed voice through the pipes from upstairs: “Father you’re possessed! You’re a mad man! This will never work. Speak of this to me never again.” And she slams the door (Buck, Daisy, and Gangie all hear). Constance comes downstairs and Squire Badger follows, looking upset. Mrs. M checks in on him too see if he’s eaten and he kind of gruffly has her follow him (along with Mr. Harding) into the drawing room.

There is a scream. Something drops. Silence. Footsteps. A door opens. Then a voice, “My God!”

Everyone rolls initiative. Ian moves first and, upon hearing all the commotion, gathers everyone together to go towards the sound (interesting choice but sure). Daisy recognizes that the scream heard was Mrs. M but barely knows who she is. She goes towards the commotion anyway. Gangie also goes towards the scream. Buckster grabs his gun (well he says “weapon”, but it’s gotta be a gun, right?) and makes like he’s following her but actually hides. Lars and Sylvester go towards the scream.

With everyone gathered, Ambrose opens the door. Inside they see Mrs. M, her hands covered in blood (my guess? From trying to stop the bleeding), kneeling on the ground over the dead body of the Squire. The room is a mess and stuff is scattered everywhere. There is a bloody knife in the Squire’s hand and a stab wound over his heart. Ms. M, who is distressed as hell, says there was something wrong with him. There was a flash, and she looked down and he was stabbing himself. Everyone thinks this is suspicious as hell. She was the only one in the room. Everyone looks to Sly, the famous detective who is not in the presence of a murder case in progress. What does Sly say? “Lady Lucretia. I’ve seen a ghost.”

Case Notes

I have to acknowledge how ON FIRE Grant was this episode. Like everyone was. Buck was great with the Squire. Daisy and Lars sniping at each other was fun. But man Grant had so many good lines. The “move your nose”. The heartbreak with Daisy (ugh, so sad!) And that blackout line!!! I am biased towards foxes as you can see from my avatar so I am very here for this great fox rep.

Based on the way their staredown went last ep I kinda thought Daisy was the wronged party but ugh. Slyyyyyyy. He forgave herrrrrrr. And he still went to the alter. Daisy how you could youuuuuuu?

Also, sigh, Fox and the Hound. I keep getting hit with these after the fact.

I loved Rekha’s “Of the Chase Sapphire’s?” improv.

That racoon/mink line was so sleazy. Weird compliment but Brennan is good at being animal-racist. Sidenote, Daisy makes a comment about being careful being a fox in England which I presume is a ref to fox hunting and like the implication of that are como se dice troubling.

Here are all the new NPCs for this ep and here’s a full NPC guide that also includes the list of names Gangie gave Buck which Buck shares with Daisy this ep.

And on that topic I can’t get over the concept of a married couple named Millie Molton and Mollie Milton. Like, did they get married solely for the bit???

The best Ian-ism of the ep was him talking about getting rejected from Siberia. Poor guy.

Fave OOC moment was everyone at the table getting aggressively patriotic in response to the Squire being dismissive to Buck. There is nothing funnier than someone singing a purposefully overwrought version of I’m Proud to Be An American.

“It’s 2020 for us bitch!”

The moment Mrs. M said she was gonna make Gangie a sweater I was scared for her. Sweaters take a long time to get made. I was like oh no. The plot is gonna stop you from making that sweater isn’t it. I’m willing to be proven wrong (Brennan loves his maids with secrets, see: Cathilda) but she seems super sweet and if anything happens to her I’m going to be upset.

What’s behind the painting Brennan. I know there’s a door. I know this house is full of secret tunnels and revolving bookshelves and all that. Let me see it!

One great little moment was when there was a flash of lightning and the minis for Sly and Lars like stop motion moved to look at it. Just great attention to detail. The work that gets put into this show is incredible.

Edit: A note I forgot to mention. There’s gotta be a secret door in the room where it happened, right? Like, creep in, flash of light to mess up her vision, do some shenanigans, peace out.

#dimension 20 #dimension 20 spoilers #mice and murder #mice and murder spoilers #the case file #(just under the wire! I had a busy week guys.)

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technomaestro · 3 years

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Oh? Tell us about the characters on that list then

*slaps character sheet* this bad boy can fit so much of my own repressed trauma in it

This one could be fuckin *all* of them, but it's probably Kelarvia Arana, aka Kel. Poor dwarven fighter exile from Orzamar who turned to the Qun, was trained wrong as a spy, failed her family, failed the qun, failed her friends, and kept trying to do right. She was... not bright. She took a face full of acid breath for her troubles, got repeatedly stabbed by everyone around her, and still kept fucking trying. She was not in a great place by the end of that campaign.

Closeted Trans Person Gender Envy Character™

So, while I'm very much cis, I did toy around with the idea of genderfluidity and transness at one point. And the closest character to that would have been a major NPC that I had in my pokemon game, Claire deVire. She was a literal illusionist / Fairy Type mage, and honestly one of my favorite NPCs to use in the game. I played her as a confident and experienced trainer who had an air of mystery, was clever and flirtatious, and who had a very accomplished team including trans icon Sylveon. She is/was one of the main *villains* of the campaign, but that's besides the point. If I was a girl, she's who I'd want to be - but I'm pretty solid in my gender at this point.

sexy

That would be Lucas Maignard, the Silver Lion. Not just your average silver fox, but a nobleman who absolutely could rock it. Think Rollo from Vikings except salt and pepper hair. He was power hungry, a staunch revanchist of his family's ancestral title and he would go to every length it took to reclaim it, including trying to seduce the King's consort. He, notably, caused at least one if not more international incidents by insulting the soccer abilities of a neighboring kingdom.

He may have had the highest charisma of any character I've played.

idealized version of myself

Allow me to introduce you to Broderic Gullet, a 6'6 tall constantly drunken scotsman Barbarian with a hammer who was unkillable. Literally - he actually died at one point and came back to life because he was too damn stubborn to leave before his friends had gotten to safety, and some passing spirit possessed him and turned him into an abomination. He was jovial, friendly, could talk to his cat Mr. Pickles, and wonderfully buff enough he could hug all his friends at once. Plus he was a trained chef.

As Fruity And Extra As Possible

Oh this is easy. The Satyr Diplomat Cheldric delWolpertinger, a man who *honestly* should have read the recommended reading before being sent to deliver very important documents (these were actually talking frogs!). He was supposed to board a new train on the mountainous passage to Westport, but forgot his ticket. When the train left, he literally jumped (and I mean I cast "jump" and specifically was a Satyr for their Mirthful Leaps feature which adds 1d8 to my jump distance) onto the back of the train. Unfortunately, the murder of the conductor was a bit of an issue, but Cheldric and some other passengers put their heads together to solve the mystery.

furry

So, allow me to set the stage for Albie, Traitor to Crowkind. A Kenku that was as much benefit to the party as he was walking, curse triggering hazard, this absolute buffoon would do what he could to simultaneously help the party while also doing his best not to piss of Strahd too much. A lighting bolt cast into the middle of melee that hit everyone totally gives him plausible deniability for who survives.

I think my favorite memory though is when one of the other party members just opened his beak and he started reciting the Book of Strahd like Stitch plays that record in Lilo & Stitch

A good runner up here would also be Nilbo, a Kobold Druid who only became a druid because it let him wild shape into progressively bigger lizards and dinosaurs. No other animals, just scales.

I Saw One Of The Extra Fantasy Races That Aren’t In The Player’s Handbook And Almost Had A Stroke

Listen. Listen to me. I fucking love Warforged. I will *always* go to bat for magical robots. They're amazing and I've played so many, from psions to storm domain clerics to the most recent one, Hymn, a gender-neutral Celestial Pact Warlock Warforged who got his abilities because he was a socialist. No, I'm not joking - he was made for usage by the Church of the Sovereign Host, but when a wandering heretical priest came by wondering why the church didn't do more, Hymn started going out at night to perform direct action and mutual aid. Being not that smart, he accidentally wandered into a cult's base and released a captive celestial, who gifted him the power to help more.

a race + class that typically would not go together

I'm of a tossup here - the Halfling Artificer Posco Harfoot, who was a member of the Justicars and in order to even the playing field, built himself a goddamn magitek mech in order to go toe to toe with the other peacekeepers, or of Tiberius Vanderwhinn, an elven Path of the Zealot barbarian who was *extremely* keen on getting his libraries late fees sorted, and gods help you if you dared shout in his library.

sexy criminal

Very few things are sexier than a tiefling, and that would be Boreo Lieran, the Tiefling Bard. Boreo was a staunch contender for the "As fruity as possible" but this pansexual beast is much more in line here because the man seduced half the party prior to or during session 1. Having a prehensile tail and the ability to pick up the gnome lass in the party by it for him to tease probably helped.

Of course, such a man was hilariously illegal, because not only did he smuggle and steal like, 90% of his luxury goods that he used to pamper himself with, he would absolutely flaunt a total disregard for property rights and find himself making grand entrances into peoples homes and lives as part of his wayward caravan, leaving a trail of chaos in his wake.

himbo

One of the more recent characters I've played. Cadmus, Son of Abraxes! A "human" wizard on the plane of Theros, this man is the half-divine son of the literal personification of the pride of a polis that was wiped off the face of the world by the gods for their Hubris. So, an active devotee of the god of victory, and actively blaspheming the goddess of destiny at every turn (As he would put it, we hold the pen in our hands, she merely hoards the ink), his goal was to perform deeds good enough to earn a place as a constellation under the stars. He would only *ever* sleep outside at night, even in cities, because he wanted to rest with them as he knew one day he would for eternity.

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mostlysignssomeportents · 3 years

Text

All the books I reviewed in 2020

I know it's a little late for Xmas shipping, but I'm FINALLY getting around to publishing a roundup of all the books I reviewed in 2019!

Part 1: FICTION FOR ADULTS

I. AGENCY by William Gibson: A sequel to The Peripheral for the Trump years, about seductive bitterness of imagined alternate timelines, filled with cyberpunk cool and action.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2020-01-24/agency-william-gibson

II. RIOT BABY by Tochi Onyebuchi: An incandescent Afrofuturist novella that connects the Rodney King uprising with contemporary struggle, pitting supernatural powers against dire politics.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/04/23/riot-baby/#Tochi-Onyebuchi

III. OR WHAT YOU WILL by Jo Walton: A metafiction about the desperate attempt of a character to pull his writer into a fictional world to save the both from human mortality.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/07/little-bro-with-snowden/#metafiction

IV. A BEAUTIFULLY FOOLISH ENDEAVOR by Hank Green: Sequel to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing - a madcap and sometimes brutal tale of social media influencers, alien invaders, disinformation, and runaway capitalism.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/08/absolutely-remarkable-thing/#carls

V. FAILED STATE by Christopher Brown: A legal eco-thriller that imagines the end of capitalism without imagining the end of the world - cyberpunk meets ecotopianism, with anarchist jurisdictions, show-trials, and rewilding.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/08/12/failed-state/#chris-brown

VI. AFTERLAND by Lauren Beukes: Eerily well-timed road-trip novel set after a prostate-cancer plague wipes out nearly every man on Earth, except for the protagonist's teenaged son, who is now being hunted by the (all-female) US government.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/28/afterland/#XY

VII. BALLISTIC KISS by Richard Kadrey: Sandman Slim confronts the worst demons of all - his own trauma and self-doubt.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/08/25/anxietypunk/#bk

VIII. SQUEEZE ME by Carl Hiaasen: Hiaasen was writing comedic whodunnits about improbable Florida Man types decades before the memes, and his Mar-a-Lago gator plague novel is a hectic and hilarious tale for our times.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/10/05/florida-man/#disappearing-act

VIII. The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson: KSR says it's his last novel and I say it's the book he's been training to write all his life. If you like your climate fiction wrenching but still uplifting enough to move you to tears...

https://pluralistic.net/2020/12/03/ministry-for-the-future/#ksr

IX. SET MY HEART TO FIVE by Simon Stephenson: An absurdist robot-romp in the mold of Kurt Vonnegut about a robot who catches the disease of emotions and tries to treat it by moving to Hollywood to write screenplays about robots.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/09/01/cant-pay-wont-pay/#robot-rights

Part 2: NONFICTION FOR ADULTS

I. A PUBLIC SERVICE by Tim Schwartz: An incredibly practical, detailed guide for would-be whistleblowers (and journalists who work with them) to staying safe while spilling the beans.

https://memex.craphound.com/2020/01/08/a-public-service-a-comprehensive-comprehensible-guide-to-leaking-documents-to-journalists-and-public-service-groups-without-getting-caught/

II. THE MONSTERS KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING by Keith Ammann: A sourcebook for RPG game-masters explaining how different kinds of monsters can use a variety of combat tactics that add depth, texture (and challenge) to your games.

https://memex.craphound.com/2020/01/10/the-monsters-know-what-theyre-doing-an-rpg-sourcebook-for-dms-who-want-to-imbue-monsters-with-deep-smart-tactics/

III. SNOWDEN'S BOX by Jessica Bruder and Dale Maharidge: The incredible, true tale of how trust among friends allowed Snowden's leaks to safely transit from his home in Hawai'i to the hands of Laura Poitras and the journalists who reported the story.

https://memex.craphound.com/2020/03/31/snowdens-box-the-incredible-illuminating-story-of-the-journey-of-snowdens-hard-drive/

III. ABOLISH SILICON VALLEY by Wendy Liu: A personal journey from a fully bought-in believer in Silicon Valley's meritocracy to a ferocious critic who demands tech to serve humanity, not a human race in service to the tech industry.

https://memex.craphound.com/2020/04/14/abolish-silicon-valley-memoir-of-a-driven-startup-founder-who-became-an-anti-capitalist-activist/

IV. THE CASE FOR A JOB GUARANTEE by Pavlina Tcherneva: A fierce little book setting out an economic program to rescue the nation and the planet from a system that insists we can't even hope for a better world.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/06/22/jobs-guarantee/#job-guarantee

VII. SUBPRIME ATTENTION CRISIS by Tim Hwang: What's worse than having our lies destroyed by surveillance to manipulate us with ads? Having our lives destroyed by surveillance in order to fuel a fraudulent market in ad-based manipulation.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/10/05/florida-man/#wannamakers-ghost

VIII. MONOPOLIES SUCK by Sally Hubbard: There are plenty of *great* books about monopolies and the resurgence in antitrust, but Hubbard's is the most practical, providing the reader with excellent advice for actually *doing something* about monopolism.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/10/27/peads-r-us/#sally-hubbard

IX. BREAK 'EM UP by Zephyr Teachout: The most lucid, readable, infuriating, energizing book on the rise of monopolies. Teachout never loses sight of the systemic nature of the problem, even as she uses individual stories to tell the tale.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/29/break-em-up/#break-em-up

X. BOUNDLESS REALM by Fox Nolte: There has never been a better book about the Haunted Mansion (indeed, this is one of the best books ever written about environmental design in general). Nolte goes *way* beyond trite wisdom about "storytelling."

https://pluralistic.net/2020/11/09/boundless-realm/#fuxxfur

PART 3: GRAPHIC NOVELS

I. YEAR OF THE RABBIT by Tean Viasna: A graphic memoir of Viasna's harrowing boyhood during the rise of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. It's a tale we've rarely seen through the eyes of a child, and brilliantly realized.

https://memex.craphound.com/2020/01/22/year-of-the-rabbit-a-graphic-novel-memoir-of-one-familys-life-under-the-khmer-rouge/

II. FEMALE FURIES by @misscecil: Castellucci uses an obscure and anachronistic all-woman cast of DC Universe b-characters to tell an incredible, smart, pitiless story about #MeToo, comics, solidarity and betrayal.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/06/29/female-furies/#apokolips-now

III. LONELINESS OF THE LONG-DISTANCE CARTOONIST by Adrian Tomine: A memoir of intensely felt impostor syndrome, a forceful reminder that comparison is the thief of joy - and that the traits that keep an artist going at first go toxic over time.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/21/the-thief-of-joy/#tomine

IV. CONSTITUTION ILLUSTRATED by R Sikoryak: The Trump years were an unhappy crash-course in Constitutional law, but Sikoryak's genius adaptation of the Constitution in the style of dozens of cartoonists is a pure delight.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/27/ip/#r-sikoryak

PART 4: KIDS AND YA

I. SEND PICS by Lauren McLaughlin: A YA novel that's a thrilling revenge-play about "revenge porn," a cyber-heist novel that's also a sneaky and forceful book about teen girls' sexuality.

https://memex.craphound.com/2020/04/21/send-pics-ripping-brutal-amazing-novel-about-teens-sextortion-revenge-and-justice/

II. IMPOSSIBLE MUSIC by Sean Williams: A YA novel about a music-obsessed kid who loses his hearing is the frame for a book about ability, adaptation, music theory, family, Deafness and what dreams are really for.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/06/30/deafhood/#impossible-music

III. HARD WIRED by Len Vlahos: A 15 year old discovers the truth behind bizarre dysfunction of the world around him: he's an AI in a sim, and the guy he thinks of as his long-dead father is actually the research scientists who created him.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/08/31/ai-rights-now/#len-vlahos

IV. ADVENTURES OF A DWERGISH GIRL, by Daniel Pinkwater: Like every Pinkwater novel, it defies description, it is brilliant, and it is his best to date. Ghosts, Revolutionary War fleshbots, papaya juice, and supernatural beings from the Catskills!

https://pluralistic.net/2020/09/25/dwergish-girl/#you-are-a-pickle

V. WITCH by Finbar Hawkins: A beautiful debut novel about a pair of 17th century sisters who avenge themselves against the witchfinders that murdered their mother. A superbly told historical.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/10/01/the-years-of-repair/#witch

FINALLY: I published *four* books in 2020!

I. POESY THE MONSTER SLAYER: My debut picture book, about a little girl who turns her toys into weapons and torments her parents by hunting monsters all night, with wonderful art by Matt Rockefeller:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781626723627

II. LITTLE BROTHER/HOMELAND: My multibestselling YA novels were reissued last summer in a gorgeous package with a (fantastic) new introduction by Snowden.

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250774583

III. ATTACK SURFACE: A standalone, adult sequel to Little Brother and Homeland. The New York Times called it "vocal and unflinching" and "ultimately optimistic"; the Washington Post called it a "riveting techno-thriller."

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250757531

IV. HOW TO DESTROY SURVEILLANCE CAPITALISM: A long pamphlet/short book that makes the case that Big Tech manipulates us and spies on us because they have monopolies - not because they've developed devastating, data-driven mind-control.

https://onezero.medium.com/how-to-destroy-surveillance-capitalism-8135e6744d59

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ask-my-twisted-creations · 2 years

Text

FNAF AU Fun Facts/Headcanons

(It’s long, so it’s under a cut)

-While Security Fox Ilima is more than willing to murder Gregory, even without being hacked, he does back off after Chica gets smashed.

-Ilima doesn’t really talk to or care about the other active animatronics, besides Mini Fox.

-He thinks a random child wrecking the other animatronics is hilarious. Which is why he’s willing to spare Gregory afterwards.

-Before he backs off, the only way for Gregory to escape him is to hide inside Freddy.

-He can, and has, gotten away with murder, and not just on intruders. As long as he covers up the crime so that it can’t be linked back to Fazbear Entertainment Incorporated, and the victims, if they’re employees, are easily replaceable, he’ll receive nothing more than a slap on the wrist.

-The main animatronics registered to the Pizzaplex are not “replaceable employees” that he can get away with damaging. Most S.T.A.F.F. bots, however, are.

-The Glamrock Foxy from this au, like Mangle and the original Foxy, was never part of the band. He had the Fazbear Theater, which used to be Foxy’s Treasured Theater and was once plastered with Foxy’s face. This is why Ilima isn’t particularly aggressive towards Roxy like he is the Comedy S.T.A.F.F. bot.

-Security Fox Ilima doesn’t really remember much from his days as Sneaky Ninja Foxy. A part of him does miss the rest of his old location’s animatronics, though.

-His scarf is the only remnant of his original design. Everything else, even his coloration, was changed.

-He would, on some level, recognize Burntrap/Glitchtrap/Afton, in an “I feel like I’m supposed to know you but I’m very certain I’ve never seen you before in my life” way

______________

-Unlike og Niu, Baby Bat uses he/they pronouns

-Baby Bat’s target demographic is depressed, anxious, and lonely 8-15 year olds

-He does, actually, love the Daycare. However, he does not like being referred to as younger than his target demographic.

-His favorite game is dress-up. However, he doesn’t get to play it often because the dress-up supplies are in the Daycare area, and he rarely gets to go there before closing

-He’s programmed to be slightly above average at all non-arcade games. He’s meant to be good enough to give kids a challenge, but not so good that it discourages them.

-He’s the only unique animatronic allowed in Fazer Blast.

-He has a custom Fazer Blast helmet specifically designed to protect his eyes from the blasters.

-He is programmed to be extremely tactile. He enjoys all kinds of contact, especially hugs and headpats.

-His suit has a thin layer of fabric, to make him more comfortable for the kids.

-Only words trigger the glitch in his voicebox.

-Rather than fix his glitchy voicebox, they gave him a bunch of other noises to use instead of words.

-He is programmed with sign language so he can better play with mute, nonverbal, or deaf kids.

-He also has protocols for identifying and helping with sensory overload and meltdowns.

-His primary function is customer satisfaction. Seek out kids who aren’t having fun, and help them enjoy themselves so they want to come back.

______________

-The Backup did have a learning AI to help it with it’s tasks. Namely the backup DJ task. The AI just happened to upgrade to sentience on its own.

-It is very attached to Baby Bat. Its feelings could be described as parental, or as that of an eldest sibling.

-It takes its job as Baby Bat’s personal technician very seriously, and gets upset when someone else does maintenance on them.

-When not busy with its other tasks, it will usually be somewhere near Baby Bat.

-It’s headphones are just for show, but it does actually enjoy vibing to music when it can.

-It likes DJMM well enough, but it’s very fond of the days when it can perform its Backup DJ function.

_____________

-Mini Fox originally had nine tails, back before the Pizzaplex. Now they only have two.

-They used to have a scarf that matched Ilima’s. It was not included in their new design.

-Besides the tails and scarf, the only changes to their design were a new paint-job and their Security Badge symbol earring.

-They know all the gossip, and might spread some around to cause chaos

-They’re function was always to assist Ilima, even before the Pizzaplex. As such, they’ve developed some sadism, and enjoy assisting him where they can.

#headcanons #fun facts #fnaf verse: security fox ilima #fnaf verse: baby bat niu #fnaf verse: the backup cry #fnaf verse: mini fox #oc ilima #oc niu #oc battle cry #oc unassuming fox

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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How the Jaws Scene in Back to the Future Part 2 Predicted Modern Blockbusters

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Back to the Future Part II is a strange movie. As a sequel that director Robert Zemeckis and screenwriter Bob Gale never intended to make, the ambitious follow-up to one of the greatest sci-fi comedies of all time was put into production simultaneously with Part III, which may have ultimately hurt the middle chapter since Zemeckis was still shooting scenes filmed in the Old West while editing Part II’s trippy vision of the then distant future…of 2015.

Even so, there are elements in the second Back to the Future that still play like gangbusters today, particularly in the sequences set during 2015. To be sure, part of the charm now is what those wild guesses about the future got wrong—such as the idea we’d all be driving around in flying cars, or even simply own cheap cars that didn’t run on fossil fuels. There were no real hover boards in 2015 (or 2021 for that matter), nor even automated Texaco pumps. Yet what Back to the Future Part II got very right is the numbing horror of something like Jaws 19.

Indeed, one of the best bits in the whole film is a slight dig at BTTF’s own studio, as well as the legacy of the film’s producer. The original Jaws is of course the first modern Hollywood blockbuster and it put Steven Spielberg on the map. With its innovative storytelling of leaving the monster to the imagination before finally providing the spectacle in the third act, Jaws is a masterpiece in narrative restraint that could still play for all audiences.

…Which is something no one would say about the three cash-in Jaws sequels that Universal Pictures green lit in the span of 12 years after 1975. In fact, when Back to the Future Part II was released in ’89, it’d only been two years since Jaws: The Revenge, the one where the ghost of Jaws went Bahamas and chased the Chief Brody character’s widow to the Caribbean while on a vendetta for what happened in ’75. It’s kind of hilarious.

As is the scene in Back to the Future Part II. In that sequence, Michael J. Fox’s Marty McFly stands slack jawed in the middle of Hill Valley’s town square, the same space that was so memorably used in the first BTTF film where Marty was forced to finally accept he’d traveled to the year 1985. In the sequel, he comes to realize what it means to be in 2015 when he turns around to face the local multiplex, which has only one film on its marquee: Jaws 19. And then to demonstrate to Marty the state of 21st century special effects, the “HOLOMAX” release teases its thrills as a holographic Great White Shark emerges from the building and descends on Marty’s head.

Perhaps like many an audience member who choked on their popcorn kernels in ’75 with fear, Marty screams bloody murder—and then realizes it’s just a movie and scoffs, “The shark still looks fake.” Yes, it always did, but at least in the first movie that didn’t matter so much.

At the time, the scene was a nice dig at Universal’s expense as well as the Jaws franchise as a whole. What was once the most revolutionary Hollywood movie of 1975 had become a punchline by 1989: a once glorious title that’d been run into the ground with endless cash grab sequels. And the joke is even funnier because of the “19” in the title. Nineteen movies of the same franchise. Could you even imagine?!

Oh, how sweet the irony is, then, that one of the most absurd notions in Back to the Future Part II turned out to be the most true! No, there haven’t been 19 Jaws movies (yet), but that might be by virtue of the studio churning the franchise’s mystique into putty before Gen-Xers and Millennials could grow up with it beneath unsullied nostalgia glasses. Nevertheless, the future where Jaws 19 could exist came true.

Consider that we scoff at the idea of 19 Jaws movies being made in 40 years, but Marvel Studios has released 25 pictures in only 13, with two more due out before Christmas 2021. And that doesn’t even include the television shows that are now coming to dominate Disney+.

I know what some will say: Marvel movies are a series of interconnected franchises, as opposed to one amorphous content farm. But that’s not entirely accurate. There are exceptions, of course, which stand out as singularly distinct from other MCU efforts. There’s Black Panther, for instance. That 2018 Oscar nominee is totally removed from the events of The Avengers, you might say. Then there’s Guardians of the Galaxy and its wacky space opera shenanigans occurring literal light years away from the events of Iron Man 3.

And yet, the appeal for most moviegoers, and the brilliance of Marvel’s marketing strategy, is that they all seem like the same thing to the undiscerning eye. And even to the discerning one, there is a pat familiarity to the formula, story beats, and sitcom-esque ability to wink at the audience at its own silliness. Tonally, they all feel of one piece. Hence why the first Shang-Chi movie was gladly welcomed by the industry last month as Marvel’s latest blockbuster hit—a feat borne in large off it being the next Marvel movie, as opposed to a new original property without a built-in audience.

It’s an aspect to the whole series which caused Dune director Denis Villeneuve to suggest that some Marvel movies are “cut and paste.” It’s also a formula which aids the studio to force its millions of fans to see it “as all connected” and be encouraged to go see the Ant-Man sequel they might otherwise skip in order to discover how its post-credits scene will set up the deus ex machina for Avengers: Endgame.

And that aforementioned Black Panther originally had its protagonist introduced in Captain America: Civil War, an Avengers movie by another name. It’s also the only “Cap” flick to cross $1 billion because they stuck Iron Man in it. Similarly, James Gunn’s Guardians films are genuinely auteur-driven, yet they still worked as a years-long tease of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame’s big bad: Thanos. Hell, Infinity War’s biggest selling point in the trailer was seeing the Avengers and Guardians meet face-to-face for the first time.

The methods and talent being used to produce these endless sequels are far more sophisticated and entertaining than the hack work which produced Jaws: The Revenge, but then that’s why Jaws only lasted four movies and Marvel’s already mapping out its 30th “event” in the next few years.

This is not meant to only criticize Marvel, however. They are simply the most successful studio at exploiting their intellectual property in the 21st century. Universal’s own Fast and Furious movies aren’t half bad at that game, though. This summer just saw the 10th “Fast Saga” movie when you count Hobbs and Shaw. And while Vin Diesel claims the 11th main line Fast and Furious movie will be the last, you just know with its own Avengers-sized cast that Hobbs and Shaw will be merely the first spinoff franchise from “the family.”

Even Spielberg, who was reportedly never happy with the Jaws sequels and what they did to his first masterwork, has been much more ready to “open up” later successes like Jurassic Park. Considered a “smart” blockbuster entertainment in 1993 that inspired genuine awe from millions of moviegoers, that film’s fourth sequel (which was produced by Spielberg, like all the follow-ups) reveled in watching dinosaurs stalk around a haunted house, as if they were Frankenstein and Dracula. Next year’s Jurassic World: Dominion is supposedly intended to be the “final” film of the three most recent, Chris Pratt-led sequels, as well as another sendoff to the original 1993 movie’s cast. Yet it seems dubious that it’ll be the last film set in that “universe.”

After all, the “Skywalker Saga” ended with a whimper in 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but Disney is preparing to churn out more Star Wars movies and TV shows than ever before in the next decade.

This is not to say you should feel ashamed for enjoying any of these movies or franchises. Folks like what they like. But what Back to the Future Part II perhaps unintentionally predicted was that audiences would have an appetite for a proverbial Jaws 19.

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When BTTF became a trilogy, sequels were still seen as a creatively risky proposition. Filmmakers often maintained artistic credibility by attempting to turn sequels into a larger thematic whole—often as a trilogy. Lucas set that standard with Star Wars, and only after his buddy Francis Ford Coppola claimed he’d never make another Godfather movie after Part II. Spielberg originally walked away from Indiana Jones after three movies, and many likely wish he’d stayed firm about that in retrospect. Meanwhile, Zemeckis and Gale have done the near impossible thing: refuse to allow Universal to make a fourth Back to the Future movie or reboot the series entirely.

But equivocations in the industry about a proverbial Jaws 19 are long gone. What was once a cheeky riff on the dystopian Coca-Cola billboard ads in Blade Runner have become a modern day reality in 2021. And hey, there’s now a real holographic Times Square billboard ad for that, too.

The post How the Jaws Scene in Back to the Future Part 2 Predicted Modern Blockbusters appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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levi-ackerham · 3 years

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i see you post a lot about the foxhole court and it looks so cool, what is it and how do i get into it 0-0

OOO hi anon!!

Ok so I'll try to summarize it but it's a Lot 🤣

So, it's a book series with three books. The Foxhole Court, The Raven King, and The King's Men.

So the main character, Neil, plays this sport called Exy. It's basically a combination of lacrosse and hockey and it's really violent lol. And he's on the run from his dad, because his dad is a murderer 😳, and he's been on the run since he was a kid. He ran away with his mom, but his mom was killed so now he's all on his own, and he is constantly having to change his identity to avoid being caught. So!! He decided to enroll at some small high school in Arizona and he joined the Exy team there. He ended up getting noticed (oopsies!) by the coach at a university called Palmetto State University, and also by this guy on the team named Kevin Day, who Neil actually met when he was a kid. They show up one day at his school after an Exy game, and Neil is freaked out because he thinks they recognize him, and they try to recruit him but Neil is having None Of It and tries to run away, but in the end he ends up getting suckered into agreeing to go to that college and play for their Exy team. So Palmetto State's Exy team, the Foxes, is made up completely of players who come from bad pasts. Former drug addicts, kids from gangs, etc. Very different from the other "normal" college Exy teams. And so Neil pretty much fits right in with his crazy past of being a runaway, but he also has that Exciting Major Secret of his dad literally being one of the most infamous murderers on the East coast, so Neil is trying to hide his identity and not get found out by his team and also to not get found by his dad (because the Foxes are featured in the media a LOT because of how the team is structured), so he tries really hard to stay low and not really get close to anyone on the team. But, surprise!! He ends up making friends. And he also gets really close (wink wink nudge nudge) with one of the guys on the team, Andrew, and he can't just run away like he originally planned on doing. And then because Neil is Neil, and he is actually really bad at keeping himself on the low lmfao, he ends up making a big name for himself in the college Exy community because he always winds up getting himself involved in drama. So now Neil is stuck between staying there at PSU and being caught by his father, or running away again and leaving all of his friends and found family on his team.

There's also a ton of other stuff too (like one of the opposing teams actually being a front for the Japanese mafia?? And that team is also basically a cult so there's that too) but it's just soo hard to summarize lmfao.

I will warn you though, there is a LOT, and I mean a L O T of sensitive content in the series so it may not be for you! There are graphic scenes involving torture, a rape scene, and also heavy drug and alcohol use. The series does a pretty good job of handling most things respectfully, but you also have to keep in mind that the characters are college students so they do drink and go to parties and clubs and that kinda thing too. There are characters who use homophobic language in their regular vocabulary. One character is heavily medicated for the majority of the series due to violent behavior, and also has a history of being sexually assaulted. One character suffers from PTSD and is an alcoholic. There's a LOT of triggering content so just be warned.

Here is a really good list of the trigger warnings for the series.

And I will say, I'm not trying to add all those things in like they're an afterthought because they are all important and shouldn't be just glossed over, it's just realllyyy hard to summarize it all without spoiling major plot points either because the entire series is a clusterfuck. So just go into the books knowing ahead of time that there is basically content warning for... everything. 😬

The series is really really good though and the found family is just so sweet, and Neil is literally my FAV!! He had a very rough past, and he is kind of awkward when it comes to social situations. His brain is also like 99% Exy which is hilarious and adorable. Seeing his development over the course of the books is really cool though because he goes from just wanting to run away all the time to having a family and wanting to stay with them. He goes from being really anxious and stressed to being confident and comfortable. And his relationship with Andrew is really freaking cute too. Neil is demisexual so his relationship with Andrew starts off really slow at first because Neil has NO idea what Feelings are and has pretty much no idea what the difference is between friendship, which he literally just recently discovered for the first time in his life, and a romantic relationship. So he's trying to figure that all out because he knows what he feels for Andrew is Different But Good, and he's trying to figure out how to manage that type of relationship on top of Exy and also running from the freaking mafia. There is also a HUGE focus on consent between them, and they are both very respectful of each other but they are also not afraid to call each other out on bullshit when it's needed either! And Andrew is just... a very complicated character. You'll see what I mean once you start reading. He suffers from depression and most of the time he comes across as very uncaring, but underneath he actually has a lot of feelings that he just doesn't really know how to express since he's never been able to open up to anyone before since no one has ever actually cared enough to get close to him because sometimes he is kinda... scary. For the majority of the series he is on prescribed medication, kind of like mood stabilizers? He was put on the medication because of an incident outside a club where he nearly killed some guys for assaulting his cousin, Nicky. The medicine was supposed to stop his "outburts" but they don't actually help him, they just make him manic and anxious, and so he's constantly on a pendulum between feeling nothing and feeling on edge. It's like... they put him on the meds for the wrong reasons, so it's not even the correct kind of medication that he would need, and it really messes with him. It's pretty sad to see. He can also get really violent at times and has a history of physically attacking people. But despite all for that, he really does care for his family, even if he has trouble actually expressing things. Neil plays a pretty important role in trying to help Andrew feel like a human again, and the best thing about it is that Neil isn't trying to FIX Andrew either. He sees him as he is and he cares for him despite Andrew's flaws, and they are actually a really healthy couple despite their uh.... rocky start... in the first book. They're both very different people with very different opinions on things sometimes, but seeing them work things out together and grow closer is just so sweet.

Anyways I'm done now LOL I just really really love the books ok

#THIS GOT SO LONG BUT IT'S TOO HARD TO SUMMARIZE IN A FEW SENTENCES #anon asks #asks #the foxhole court #andreil #also I am bad at explaining but this series is also very hard to explain lmao

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ereawrites · 4 years

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Batfam x Game Of Thrones AU

under the cut bc it’s long lol

HOUSE WAYNE:

An ancient house, which is held in high esteem both in the royal court and by commoners. Although House Wayne no longer holds a great deal of land (the border cuts through the Kingswood, just south of King’s Landing), they still act as lords over a large stretch of coastline in the south. The ports here allowed House Wayne to build their fortune, cementing their status as a high house.

In recent years, the Waynes have maintained and built their wealth through a combination of loans and investments. Often, they loan money to the Crown or the Iron Bank, and they control much of the trade of silks and spices from Essos.

The Waynes are known to be a proud family, and very honourable, similar to the Starks in the North (for example, there are almost never rumours of bastards). They are known to treat the common people on their land well, and are well-bred and well-liked at court - however, the family is also somewhat reclusive, and little is known about their business.

Furthermore, in contrast with many of the great houses of Westeros, the Waynes tend not to have many children. This may be because of their isolated nature, or perhaps due to a lack of ambition - many lords of this house will only have one or two sons in their lifetime.

Good relationships with the majority of houses in Westeros, as well as connections across the Narrow Sea, but their main allies include the Tyrells and the Tullys. House Wayne also commands some bannermen, including House Kyle.

Traditionally, the Wayne’s colours are silver, grey, and deep blue - these are the colours of their armour and banner (a silver moon, partially obscured by a stormcloud).

House words: we are the night.

BRUCE WAYNE (THE BAT):

Bruce Wayne is the only child of Lord Thomas Wayne, and his parents were killed in front of him by bandits as a boy, while the family was travelling to King’s Landing.

Following his parents’ death, a young Bruce was sent to foster with the Starks in Winterfell - here, he began to train harder than ever in swordplay, archery, and riding. Soon, Lord Stark allowed Bruce out with Winterfell’s guard to hunt down bandits roaming the land: even as a boy, Bruce was a natural leader, and often convinced his fellow soldiers to use non-lethal force. This sat well with Lord Stark, who encouraged Bruce to continue his training after leaving the North.

Bruce returned to his own lands aged eleven, ready to become Lord Wayne and take command of the lands back from the family steward, Alfred Pennyworth. Although Bruce took well to managing the estate, the lands were not large or particularly difficult to run, and so he soon left again to train. Command of his lands was once again left to Alfred.

Over the next few years, Bruce trained in a variety of styles, often fostering with other houses. Wherever he went, he would always sit in on council meetings about criminals and traitors, and took a particular interest in their punishments. He quickly built a reputation for being strong-willed and passionate, but very much against sentencing men to death: many lords took his advice to send criminals to the Wall.

By the time he officially took the title of Lord Wayne aged 17, Bruce had trained with the Dornish, the men of the Night’s Watch, Braavosi sellswords, the Kingsguard, and a khalasar of Dothraki. He also returned with a new master-of-arms, Lucius Fox, who came from Qohor and had the knowledge to rework Valyrian Steel.

As Lord Wayne, Bruce is an excellent leader, even if he rarely deals directly with his subjects. He ensures the safety of his people, and commissions a new port on the coastline - he is also renowned for charitable donations, and opens the castle gates to commoners during winter.

Very well-liked amongst the other houses, and in the royal court; lords and ladies pity him for his parents’ death, and find him perhaps a little boyish, but Bruce is undeniably charismatic. He builds a playboy reputation in his later teens - brothels always make more money when he visits King's Landing, and he refuses to even discusses betrothals - but this is as a cover for his true intentions.

With the help of an enthusiastic Lucius Fox, and an exasperated Alfred, Bruce takes up the identity of the Bat, a mysterious vigilante in a black cowl and cape who roams the south on a black stallion. At first, the Bat is dismissed as a low-born playing at being a knight, but people soon begin to take notice when a notorious group of bandits is found, disarmed and tied up, outside the gates of King’s Landing.

The Bat never kills his victims, and always leaves clear instructions that they should either be thrown into jail, or sent to the Night’s Watch. Other lords will generally respect his wishes - after all, this vigilante is saving them a lot of work and trouble, and it’s easy enough to send a few bandits North.

Single-handedly rebuilds the Night’s Watch, halves petty crime in the South, and does it all without anyone other than his steward and Lucius Fox knowing his identity.

He doesn’t know why people started calling him the Bat, but he assumes it’s because of the black cape, which can look like wings in the night. He had a special cowl, with pointed ears, designed so he could play into the role. Also, people often assume that the Bat is one of the Whents, as their coat of arms is a bat. Bruce finds this hilarious.

As Bruce ages and his children begin to take over his work, Bruce begins to relax into the role of Lord Wayne more. He even begins to discuss the potential of marriage. Currently, he’s courting Selina Kyle, an only child who took over leadership of her house after her father died under mysterious circumstances. He also is taking the opportunity to travel more, since he can trust Dick and Tim to run the lands in his absences.

DICK GRAYSON (NIGHTWING):

Originally from Pentos, Richard Grayson (called Dick by his family members) was born into a large and successful circus - when he was young, the circus travelled across the Narrow Sea to Westeros, where he grew up performing in King’s Landing and Highgarden.

It was at one of these performances where his parents died. The Lannisters were implicated in the murder, after the circus accumulated unpaid debts to them, but nothing was ever proved. Young Dick was comforted at the scene by Lord Wayne, and later taken in as his ward.

An incredibly skilled acrobat, and, as Bruce soon found, a natural at fighting, Dick thrived as a ward of a great house. He missed his parents greatly, and vowed to hunt down the hired thugs who killed them (as well as all other criminals), but he also grew to love Bruce Wayne as a father.

Became Robin - a vigilante dressed in a signature red cape - aged 12. He would have done so sooner, if Bruce had allowed it, but he’s incredibly eager and loves the role. He incorporated fighting styles from Essos, as well as his acrobatic skills, into his fighting, which made him incredibly difficult to predict during sword fighting. He preferred a one-handed longsword, but he was equally as likely to use a staff.

The people of the royal court loved him. Dick quickly learned how to navigate high society, and as a naturally friendly and charming person, also learned how to make people like him. This was necessary, given people’s tendency to dismiss him as a lowborn foreigner, and after a few years of lessons, Dick managed to wrap half the lords and ladies of kings landing around his little finger.

Officially adopted and given the Wayne name in his late teens, as a result of Bruce’s long-term efforts to convince the King to allow it. However, Dick chooses to pass over the line of succession, and hates when people call him a lord. He can often be found playing with local children, teaching them somersaults or learning songs from them.

As a foreigner, he wasn’t permitted to officially join the Kingsguard, but he did spend a brief stint as Commander of the City Watch in King’s Landing. It was after Jason’s death and during a time of identity crisis for him. He enjoyed the role, but felt that he couldn’t overcome the corruption within the City Watch.

Became Nightwing after this time, and currently uses this identity. Nightwing wears black and blue leather armour, and fights with a distinctive staff inspired by his ancestors in the East. Nightwing roams the South, sometimes venturing as far North as the Neck - he has a talent for sniffing out assassins and hired thugs - but always returns to Wayne lands.

When he isn’t covering his lengthy absences as training, Richard Grayson-Wayne spends most of his time with his family in Gotham. He’s particularly good at teaching the others the finer points of high society (people always wonder why he rejected the chance to become Lord Wayne) and is deeply protective over his family. Dick also travels across the Narrow Sea on his father’s trading ships often, as he misses Essos.

If Dick doesn’t receive at least 3 proposals per week, it’s a slow week. Every woman (and half the men) south of the Wall have fallen in love with him. However, Dick has no particular interest in marrying or creating heirs, and he’s currently focusing on eradicating crime, where he can, as his own person.

JASON TODD (THE RED HOOD):

A low-born boy, Bruce found a young Jason trying to steal his black stallion in the stormlands. Although Bruce was of course frustrated, he saw potential in Jason, and followed the boy back to his home at the local village. Here, Bruce saw that Jason had no future, other than the likely path of being forced into joining a local gang of thugs.

Bruce returned to the stormlands the next week, as Lord Wayne, and pretended that he was searching for a new stablehand. Jason jumped at the opportunity to leave his village, and took full advantage of Gotham’s master-at-arms and armoury. He could often be found in the dead of night, hacking at training dummies with a greatsword he was too young to lift - soon, Bruce intervened and began to train Jason himself.

Jason built a close relationship with Bruce, who allowed him to become Robin after two years of intense training (and the realisation that Jason was going to get into fights either way), and Dick, who accepted the younger boy as his brother after a frosty first impression. He would never have admitted it, but in his first few years with House Wayne, Jason craved their approval and did everything he could to fit in.

Although officially the stableboy, Jason was treat as a ward, and was eventually adopted in a similar manner to Dick. Jason pretended not to care, and Bruce kept it a quiet affair, but it meant more to Jason than he could manage to put into words.

Did well as Robin - beyond a few thugs ending up with severely damaged ribs - but, upon finding out that his birth mother was actually a prostitute from the Vale, decided to take a temporary break in order to track her down. With Bruce’s blessing and House Wayne’s money, Jason left Gotham and travelled for months, eventually finding his mother in Volantis. It was here that she sold him out to the Joker, a sadistic man whose origins were unknown, and Jason was killed in an explosion of wildfire.

Resurrected by Talia Al’Ghul, an ex-Red Priestess who once knew Bruce Wayne and had followed Jason’s journey in Volantis. Jason experienced a temporary madness from this resurrection, however, and ended up leaving the city to train with a Dothraki horde for some time - these were the only people who could manage his newfound strength and lust for violence. After this, Jason took up the mantle of Red Hood (a red cowl, with silver-plate armour) and worked as a mercenary in Essos.

Upon finding out that Bruce Wayne hadn’t avenged his murder, Jason returned to Westeros as Red Hood, now an extremist vigilante who killed the Bat’s targets and left them waiting to greet the Bat. This behaviour continued for years, until Dick managed to track Jason down and talk him down.

Now, Jason works more closely with his family. He still kills the worst of criminals - rapists, serial killers, etc. - but takes great measures to hide this from them. He fights with a silver greatsword, and is feared by bandits across the kingdoms. Jason is also the most likely of his family to venture into the North, and has even travelled beyond the Wall.

His absence from Westeros was easily explained away by House Wayne - Jason never appeared much at court as a child, so his disappearance was hardly noted - and Jason has taken somewhat more of an active role in the house since his return. He takes the title of lord, but passes over succession and still feels a little uncomfortable dealing with other lords, and instead keeps mostly to studying and dealing with the affairs of the Wayne’s land.

Builds a reputation as being harsh, but fair. No one even bothers to ask for a betrothal. They know what the answer will be. Even if his identity as the Red Hood is a secret, Jason Todd-Wayne still carries a greatsword with him at almost all times, and he intimidates even the mightiest of lords.

TIMOTHY DRAKE (RED ROBIN):

Tim was born into a noble house, distantly descended from the Targaryens (hence the name, Drake). However, he was part of a branch of the main family, and therefore was not expected to inherit all the lands and titles. Instead, Tim spent much of his childhood studying at the Citadel, and had the potential to become a great maester.

However, he had been transfixed with Richard Grayson since attending one of his performances as a very young boy, and seeing Bruce Wayne comfort Dick after his parents’ death. After following their exploits for many years, and reading Citadel reports on the Bat and Nightwing, Tim deduced their true identities. When Jason Todd was killed, Tim travelled to Gotham and confronted Bruce and Dick.

He was accepted as the new Robin at the urging of Alfred and Dick. Tim gave the role of Robin a new meaning - although he was a skilled fighter and trained just as hard as Bruce and Dick, Tim was particularly good at following clues and setting clever traps for his targets. Many of his victims were lured into easy crimes, for example robbing a lonely woman on the side of the road, but were disarmed and subdued before they even realised they had been tricked.

Tim chose to fight with a staff, similar to one he once saw Dick using (he never quite gets over his admiration of Dick Grayson). He was physically very small until his late teens (where he experienced a much-anticipated growth spurt) and preferred to avoid physical confrontations where possible.

Disguised his time in Gotham as fostering with the Waynes. This is common amongst the sons of great houses, and when his parents died, Tim was officially taken in as a ward of House Wayne. Tim was not close with his parents at the time of their death (he resented them for essentially abandoning him as a child) and he saw the Waynes as his true family.

As he grew older, Tim took more of an active role in the House affairs: having grown up as part of a great house, he was a natural at diplomacy, and had a talent for manipulating lords and ladies without them being any the wiser. He single-handedly doubled the Wayne’s exports in the course of two years. Similarly, Tim was an expert at court, and therefore was often chosen to escort Bruce to King’s Landing (Dick was a little too over-friendly, and Jason was impossible).

Became Red Robin in his late teens, around the same age that Dick became Nightwing, and currently uses this identity. Red Robin still works closely with Batman, but he enjoys the freedom to experiment with his methods. He also regularly visits the King’s Landing dungeons, to interrogate prisoners and learn more about their minds.

He still spends at least a month of each year at the Citadel; he is hailed as one of the brightest minds in Westeros, but he doesn’t care for flattery or fame. Tim is purely focused on research, and bettering the Kingdoms as much as he can. If that means studying agriculture so he can ensure the people on Wayne lands will have enough to eat in winter, so be it. If it means taking on the identity of Red Robin and hunting down human traffickers, so be it.

Arguably the most dedicated vigilante in the entire family. Trains harder than anyone to make up for his smaller frame, reads and plans all night, and never gives himself enough time to recover from injuries. Bruce has a constant headache from worrying about his ward.

Tim is never officially adopted - his House name is too valuable to give up - but is generally referred to as one of the Wayne children. He is seen as a great potential marriage by many other houses, but always manages to slip away from meetings about betrothals at the last second. Some in Gotham suspect he has a secret lover (no one knows who, but it’s Kon Kent).

DAMIAN AL’GHUL-WAYNE (ROBIN):

Born to Talia Al’Ghul, who seduced Bruce during one of his visits to Essos to discuss trade. Talia used her powers as a Red Priestess to ensure that Damian would be genetically ‘perfect’, and she originally intended to induct her son into Ra’s Al’Ghul’s League Of Assassins - however, she later had a change of heart and sent Damian to Westeros for his own protection.

Damian, considered a bastard in Westeros, was given the surname Storm. Although raised by Bruce and treated just as well as a true-born son, Damian struggled greatly with this perceived rejection, and often fought with his adoptive brothers: he tried to elevate his position by justifying himself as the only ‘blood son’ of Bruce Wayne.

Thanks to Talia’s intervention, Damian was aware of the Wayne’s vigilante identities from as early as he could remember, and therefore he fought hard to become Robin as soon as he landed in Westeros. This caused initial tension between him and Tim, but the two reconciled as Damian grew and began to understand the importance of the role of Robin.

Became Robin within two months of coming to Gotham - Damian had spent much of his life training under Ra’s Al’Ghul, and he was arguably the most skilled Robin of all. He chose to fight with a simple curved sword, but was not opposed to using daggers and was equally comfortable with a broad range of weapons.

At first, Damian was very violent, and even struck out on his own and attempted to kill a particularly troublesome bandit leader in the Westerlands. The rest of the family never really directly addressed this, but gently continued to steer Damian away from his intensity. It was very difficult for him to learn to be merciful, but as he grows, he’s beginning to become more compassionate and less of a brat.

Thanks to Bruce’s high status and close relationship with the King, Damian was recently legitimised, and therefore is the heir to House Wayne’s lands and trades. As a result, he tries to take a decently active role in family affairs, even if they bore him with their ‘mundanity’ at times - Damian admits that he has a lot to learn from Tim in this regard.

Struggles with diplomacy. He’s already making a name for himself as a harsh lord: he doesn’t take kindly to people who rely too heavily on help from the Waynes, and often argues with other lords who try to take advantage of his family. It falls to Dick to apologise on Damian’s behalf. However. Damian is fiercely protective of the commoners living on Wayne lands - no one really knows why, but Dick suspects it’s because Damian believes he can protect them and better their lives.

Damian is one of the only high lords in Westeros who believes in the Lord of Light. He’s seen the Lord of Light’s power first-hand, through his mother’s powers and his grandfather’s Lazarus Pits, and he openly rejects the Old Gods or the Seven. This causes some tensions with older families, but people in Gotham are beginning to come around to the religion of the Lord Of Light, and this is further cementing Damian’s position as the future Lord Wayne.

Currently, Damian has no desire to stop being Robin. He’s still young, and has a lot to learn; plus, he appreciates the good he can do working with his father. Although he’d never admit it, the time he spends with Bruce in their vigilante identities is among his most treasured memories.

Accepts that he will be expected to marry one day, for the good of the family. Damian has a strong sense of duty. Betrothals are often discussed, but Bruce and Dick are strangely reluctant to allow their baby boy to marry just yet.

EXTRAS:

Stephanie Brown - a low-born girl living in Gotham, whose father was running a low-level crime ring at the docks. Steph, with a strong sense of morals, took on the identity of Spoiler to defeat her father: this caught the attention of Tim Drake and Bruce Wayne. After some time, Steph managed to convince them to allow her to be Robin - Tim revealed their identities to her during a short-lived secret romance - and this led to her near death at the hands of Black Mask. Now, Steph operates again as Spoiler. She can often be found in House Wayne’s castle, posing as a serving girl or handmaiden, causing general havoc and training with Damian or Tim.

Barbara Gordon - Barbara is the daughter of Jim Gordon, who once served as Commander of the City Watch in King’s Landing. She grew up with a close relationship to Bruce, and when she deduced his identity as The Bat, she decided to take up the mantle of Batgirl. After a fight went south and left her crippled, Barbara used her connections at the citadel to get a wheelchair designed, and she now works as Oracle. She has many connections across Westeros and Essos - both through her father’s work, and her own - and uses these informants to keep the rest of the family up-to-speed on crime.

Cassandra Cain - Cass was born into the Faceless Assassins, and was raised to be a perfect killing machine: illiterate, mostly mute, and trained to read emotions precisely. However, this skill caused her to become extremely emotive, and she fled the Faceless Assassins after making her first (and only) kill. Bruce Wayne found her in his ports, stowed away on a ship, and decided to take her in as his own. Cass currently fights crime with her brothers and sister, but prefers to stay in Gotham painting or drawing. She’s known to be soft-spoken around strangers, but comes out of her shell around her family.

Duke Thomas - Duke and his family emigrated from the Summer Isles, in order to avoid piracy and raids for new Unsullied soldiers, when he was very young. The family came to Gotham due to its reputation for being relatively welcoming - Duke grew up idolising Robin, and later joined and led the informal We Are Robin movement: a group of low-born boys, trying to clean up their villages and create better lives for themselves. Duke experienced an awakening of his meta powers in his early teens, and sought out Lord Wayne for advice, knowing he had travelled and likely encountered similar powers. Duke now works with the Waynes to control and hone his powers, and has a close relationship with Jason in particular.

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