#some of the parts are short because I lack the words and knowledge to write them properly | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

paranormaltaro · 15 days

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Shoutout to all Selfshippers.

Shoutout to the women who selfship, to the men who selfship, to the intersex people, to the nonbinary people and other trans people who selfship. Shoutout to the Xenogender Selfshippers and those who prefer to stay unlabeled.

Shoutout to the black Selfshippers, to the white Selfshippers, to asian Selfshippers and to all the other people of color in the community. Shoutout to those of you who speak english, those who don't, those who only speak one language and those who speak multiple.

Shoutout to the Selfshippers who don't use she/her pronouns, to the ones who use she/her pronouns! Shoutout to the he/him, they/them, it/its, neopronouns and no pronouns using Selfshippers.

Shoutout to Selfshippers who date men and those who date women. And Shoutout to Selfshippers who date both men and women, or even anyone that isn't either. Shoutout to the Selfshippers whose F/Os have no canon gender or are canonically genderless.

Shoutout to neurodivergent Selfshippers, to those of you who have personality disorders and dissociative disorders. Shoutout to those of you who struggle with social interactions, who need a constant reassurance, to those who feel safest in their relationship with their F/Os.

Shoutout to disabeled Selfshippers, to those who don't always need their aid and to those who do always need them! To Selfshippers who have learned to live with their disability and embrace it the best they can, and those who struggle daily with their disability.

Shoutout to Selfshippers who are Aromantic or Asexual, to Selfshippers who are Fictosexual and Fictoromantic. Shoutout to the staight, gay, lesbian, bi, pan, omni and poly Selfshippers. Shoutout to the Selfshippers whos Orientation can't be tied down with those words and to Selfshippers who refuse to label themselves.

Shoutout to monogamous Selfshippers, to polyamorous Selfshippers, those who are ambiamorous and those who don't label themselves in this regard.

Shoutout to the Selfshippers who are also Plural or Otherkin, to the Therians and Fictionkins. A Shoutout to the Selfshippers who are IRLs of Characters and those who heavily identify with certain characters for any reason whatsoever.

Shoutout to the Selfshippers who ship with their F/Os for fun, and to those who take their relationship with their F/Os serious. Shoutout to those whose F/Os have saved them and to those who save their F/Os.

Shoutout to Selfshippers to ship with popular characters, to those who ship with unpopular characters. Shoutout to those who ship with main characters, those who ship with side characters, to those who ship with villains, and those who ship with background characters. Shoutout to those who took their F/Os and made them an OC to save them from their source.

Shoutout to Selfshippers who accept all of their F/Os canon, to those who only accept certain aspects as canon and those who refuse all of their canon.

Shoutout to Selfshippers who have interacted with, watched and read all of their F/Os sourcematerial. Shoutout to those who haven't watched everything, regardless of if you plan to or not. Shoutout to the Selfshippers who have not once interacted with their F/Os source.

Shoutout to Selfshippers who draw Art of their F/Os, who draw Art with them and their F/Os, to those who write about their F/Os and to those who don't do any of this. Shoutout to those who daydream about their F/Os and those who dream about their F/Os at night.

Shoutout to Selfshippers who only have one F/O, to those who have multiple. Shoutout to those who have only romantic F/Os and to those who have not one romantic F/O. Shoutout to the Selfshippers who ship platonically, queerplatonically, romantically, familial or any other way.

Shoutout to the young Selfshippers in the Community, to the teens and the adults. Shoutout to those who only started selfshipping now and those who have selfshipped for years on end.

Shoutout to Selfshippers who feel as though selfshipping saved their life. Shoutout to those who use it as a coping mechanism, to those who beat loneliness and to those who use it as a means of getting through their daily life.

Shoutout to Selfshippers who date someone next to their F/Os, to those who love both their Significant Other and their Fictional Other. Shoutout to those who don't want to date someone in real life because they feel content with their F/Os and to those who can't date someone in real life due to being so committed to their F/Os.

Shoutout to Selfshippers with F/Os from popular media, to those with F/Os from their childhood media and to those with really unknown or obscure media.

Shoutout to Selfshippers who go to school, who work or who are at home. Shoutout to the Selfshippers who struggle with life and those who are secure and happy.

Shoutout to Selfshippers who would give everything to have their F/Os be real and to those who are fine with them being fictional. Shoutout to Selfshippers who struggle to understand that their F/Os are fictional.

Shoutout to Selfshippers who have found their family in their F/Os, to those with two families now, to Selfshippers who have a friendgroup of F/Os.

Shoutout to Selfshippers who are comfortable sharing their F/Os, to those who feel uncomfortable with sharing them. Shoutout to Selfshippers whos boundaries around their F/Os change, to the Selfshippers who feel guilty for their boundaries. Shoutout to the Selfshippers who feel embarassed about their F/Os or feel embarassed about gushing about them.

Shoutout to the Selfshippers who see themselves as pretty and those who don't. Shoutout to those of you that are insecure, that feel embarassed about certain aspects of their looks and those who love themselves fully.

Shoutout to skinny Selfshippers, to chubby and fat Selfshippers. Shoutout to those of you who love their body and those who don't. Shoutout to those of you who have stretch marks, those who have body hair and shave and those who don't shave.

Shoutout to Selfshippers with dyed hair and those who keep their hair natural. Shoutout to those with tattoos and those with piercings.

Shoutout to Selfshippers who own a bunch of merch of their F/Os and shoutout to those of you who don't have any merch at all. Shoutout to those of you who have F/Os that have no merch and to those of you who don't have the money to buy merch. Shoutout to those of you who make their own merch of their F/Os, those who commission others and those who buy their merch online.

Shoutout to all and any Selfshipper. Know that your F/Os love you - because you're the definition of perfect to them.

#some of the parts are short because I lack the words and knowledge to write them properly #so feel free to add your own shoutouts as well #i feel as not everyone was mentioned here but this is a long post already #i just want to spread some love to all selfshippers because positivity and all #[selfship]#f/o community #fictional other #self ship #self shipping #selfship #selfshipping #f/o #proship dni #comship dni

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adeptus-nonsense · 5 months

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humans are poets as well as warmongers

Humans nowadays are well known far and wide in this galaxy. Mostly because they are some of the most chaotic, Stupid or bold "daredevils" around (think i used that word correctly).

While i do recall my first meeting with the humans very V E R Y badly since i served in the contact wars when the Graktuka a well known theocratic empire and very influential and politically strong contender in the galaxy stumbled across human colonies. They saw this as an hostile action since the planet they were settling were a holy world, That however is a story for another time.

Just know that the Graktuka empire shrunk by a significant margin to the point where they asked for militairy support. The humans had apparently developed a kind of magnetic accelerated firing plattform piercing through multiple layers of hull completely ignoring shields. Given that Graktuka empire relied on shields since most of the galactic arsenal is plasma based but their hull wasn't weak at all. Unconventional weapons had to be used to even dent their armour. Realising that the humans ships were massive but rather primitive and slow a ground based invasion was seen to be the optimal way off going.

If you were there you would know why humanity is as feared as they are. Masters of the what did they call it? Art of war? Yeah something like that. Fields of bombs buried into the ground detonating with a light step. Weapons dedicated to injure soldiers just enough to save them but not kill them in order to make the invader spend more resources on saving said soldier.

Even our bases of operations with shields were not safe, let me tell you if you think regular humans can cause damage to stuff by touching things dont even get near trained saboteurs with your stuff. They break things in a ways that seems like a simple malfunction and will work after a simple repair. When the shield generator first broke down i thought i could fix it in a matter of minutes, I still havent fixed it to this day and i have taken that thing apart thousands of times without finding the fault.

safe to say we lost that war and this is just one one planet. This was the short part. Just be glad that they pack bond with just about anything. Saw a human carry a cleaning unit and named it "Ronald the Roomba" And that is apparently our ships mascot. But this is things we all are aware of. Let me tell you of their poetic side

This is not something most of us see as common knowledge about humans, but their cultural aspect besides war is for a lack of better words beautiful. This thing they call music.

for all their wars they know how brutal they are and write songs about everything they did wrong and how they wished how they could change it. But that is not all, according to human Jakob music portrays emotions and ones feelings in a way that regular communication doesn't and you dont even need to understand the words to understand the emotion said piece is carrying. Which i know to be true, it's almost therapeutic

I think My log of it will be a better way to describe since it is honestly hard to describe [alltough be careful their music is quite loud for most prey species]

Year 4574 human sector 456854 log 1 of service leave. I am currently here on a passion project of mine. While the war has ended 6 years ago off now the tensions do still exist. Me and some comrades in service are taking some time off and going to what humans call a bar and apparently there is a human performing. I have no idea of how this is gonna go. All i know is humans are incredibly chaotic especially when intoxicated. Still i should probably record this for the culture scientists at social scientific hub.

Log 2

*murmur and loud talking in the background at the bar*

"for clarifications sake, my name is Groakslo, i am here with my two comrades Kyukla and Telosa. We are currently at the bar only to see that humans are actively drinking poison, i was quite shocked to hear this and asked if it isn't dangerous and the bartender said and i quote "nah we gucci" note to self find out what gucci is."

Log 3

"the humans were beginning to get rowdy and even slight outbursts of violence did occur but nothing the surprisingly loud bartender couldn't handle by a very concerning threat, followed by him saying that the band is preparing so settle down. Telosa and i looked at each other very confused but still awaited this "band"

Log 4

"the band arrived and started to set up weird things, long instruments with metal strings, of varying thickness, i asked the a human who were close by what they were and he said instruments. I asked what they were used for and he said to play music. I was getting nowhere and decided to see for myself what they were gonna do."

Log 5 (i decided to be quiet for this one)

"welcome folks and aliens of all sorts shapes and kinds! Thank you for coming to this bar for our first debut our name is The Lines In between, and for those who dont know human music, we'll slowly lean you into it with this first on and it is namned Memories beneath the stars" [3 hours of music recorded]

Final log (yes i know i could voice record but i want to write while the memory is fresh i'm bad with words)

I never knew that humans could make such songs. Telosa and Kyukla was particurlarly affected. The song was as the name suggest the memories we made sneaking out to watch the stars as younglings, reminiscing about the times when the stars were the most unknown, adventure filled and beautiful place to be in. But also about the connections they've lost over the years, the good times wiped away like a water slowly polishing a stone into sand. It was odd, beautiful calm, sad all at once.

The voices i heard when i fought humans in war can not even be compared to that of the singer in that band, what is most perplexing is that the once borderline rioting bar was completely quiet when the band was performing, almost as if in a trance completely captured by the singers voice, smooth, rough, raspy but controlled in a way i thought impossible. A song about 4 human minutes somehow managed to capture the full emotional spektrum of not only humans but multiple species in that bar.

Humans truly are an astounding species. Truly a species that are on all of the extremes, stupidity, ingenuity, violence, poetry and many many more. For now i'll sign off and hope you at the social cultural exchange fellas have a field day with the music file attached to this.

Grokslo, highly decorated former geothermical shield generator militairy specialist.

#humans are space oddities #humans are space australians #humans are space fae #humans are space orcs #this is my firsy real post and more to come :)

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justabigassnerd · 5 months

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New Home

Pairing - Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell x daughter!reader

Word count - 4,486

Warnings - death of a parent, strained father-daughter relationship, angst, running away, a pinch of fluff

Summary - after losing your mother, custody is granted to your father Pete Mitchell. however, it's been years since you last saw him

A/N - whoa whoa whoa I be swinging in with a new fic y'all! I actually loved writing this anon request and it does have the potential to be a series (the key word here is potential because I am not committing to anything just yet, I need to see how this turns out first). anyways I won't ramble, as per y'all, please send in requests, feedback, and enjoy!!!

You hardly knew your father. You knew his name was Pete Mitchell, that he was a naval aviator, and that your mum insisted you inherited a large chunk of your personality from Maverick but that was the extent of your knowledge. You’ve seen pictures of him, and your mum told you about times he visited when you were a baby, but you held no concrete memories of your own of the man. Because of your lack of connection to him, you didn’t really consider Maverick your father. He stopped visiting when you were a baby, so you didn’t really care to acknowledge his relation to you. Your mum, while understanding your feelings and not wanting to force anything upon you, did try to encourage you to get into contact with Maverick if you could to try and form some sort of bond with him.

Then your mother got sick. You spent a lot of time outside of school caring for her and working your part-time job to keep you and your mum afloat when she had to stop working because her health was declining so rapidly. It was tough for you to try and keep things going and your mum tried to push for you to get into contact with your father, so you’d have someone to go to if she didn’t win the battle against her illness, but you always rebutted, insisting that she’d be fine.

You watched as your mother had to be admitted to the hospital for round-the-clock care. You always visited her after school or work and spent as much time with her as you could, constantly asking the nurses and doctors for updates and hoping by some miracle she’d recover.

But she never did.

Your mum passed away after three months of battling with an illness you could never understand, leaving you alone in the world. You soon ended up in contact with social services as your mother had contacted them prior to her death without you knowing and told them that she wished for you to move in with your dad as opposed to going into foster care. You were still hesitant about the whole thing. You barely knew him; you’d be uprooting your entire life to move to Miramar.

While you had to go home, pack bags and prep things for your mother’s funeral, Maverick received a knock on his door early one Saturday morning.

“Hello, are you Captain Pete Mitchell?” The woman on the other side of the door says, a kind smile on her face as she speaks. Maverick was taken aback by this woman being on the other side of the door, he would’ve put money on it being Bradley on the other side of the door over some random woman.

“I am. Can I help you?” Maverick asks, confused as to how she knows who he is and what she’s doing at his house.

“You have a daughter, y/n l/n, correct?” The woman then asks, eyes flicking down to the file in her hand while Maverick’s expression shifts from one of confusion to one of worry.

“Is she okay?” Is the first thing that comes out of Maverick’s mouth as he thinks of all the things that could possibly have happened to you.

“Her mother, Catherine, passed away a couple of days ago and before she passed, she made it known to us that she wanted y/n to be in your care since she has no other relatives.” The woman explains and Maverick feels his heart sink to his stomach at the woman’s words. His relationship with your mother may have been short, but he never stopped caring for her. Hearing she had passed hit him hard.

“She wanted me to take y/n in?” Maverick asks quietly, searching for confirmation as the woman nods slightly.

“She did. We’re going to help you and y/n with the process and check in occasionally after she’s moved in to make sure everything is okay with the two of you.” The woman says as she hands a card over with her name and number on it. Maverick inspects the card, learning that her name is Holly Fieldman before looking back up at her.

“When is she coming? I know she lives a couple of states away.” Maverick asks as he pushes the card into his jean pocket, watching as Holly silently asks to be let in and he obliges, stepping aside and letting her enter his house, leading her to the living room and sitting down opposite her.

“y/n wants to hold her mother’s funeral before she comes to Miramar.” Holly starts, flicking through the file and double-checking all the information she received from her colleague.

“That makes sense.” Maverick says slowly, wishing he could be there to help you with the funeral, but he was aware he could potentially overstep if he tried to get involved.

“My colleague said the funeral should be taking place within the next couple of days so I will contact you when we have a date set for y/n to come here.” Holly says as she glances up at Maverick who nods slightly in acknowledgement to her words.

“That’s okay, that gives me time to sort things out here.” Maverick agrees as Holly gets to her feet, Maverick quickly mirroring her actions and leading her to the front door and bidding her goodbye. Once he closes the door, Maverick turns around and rests his back against the door, staring into his house before muttering.

“Good thing I have the spare room clear.”

A few days later, after the funeral, you were all packed up and waiting at the airport for your flight to San Diego. Your leg bounced nervously as you stared at the sign above the gate door displaying the location you were flying to. Everyone around you seemed perfectly relaxed and ready for the flight ahead while you were thinking of everything that could go wrong. By the time you boarded the plane and found your seat, you could’ve laughed at yourself for how nervous you were. You were the daughter of a top naval aviator and here you were panicking about flying in a commercial plane which you were sure was much safer than doing whatever it was your father did for work. You were sure you looked crazy with the way you were gripping the armrests when the plane took off into the air, eyes scrunching shut as your stomach lurched at the foreign feeling.

Thankfully, the flight went smoothly, and no one made any comments about your very obvious nervousness. When you were allowed to disembark the plane, you followed the sea of people to luggage claim as you gripped the straps of your rucksack to try and direct your nerves somewhere. Once you grabbed your suitcase off the conveyor belt, you followed the large signs that led to the arrivals terminal where you soon located a smartly dressed woman holding a sign with your name on, so you approached her sheepishly.

“Hello, y/n. I’m Holly, we spoke on the phone the other day.” The woman says, introducing herself straight away and holding out a hand for you to shake which you do, nodding at her words and quietly thanking her when she offers to take your suitcase for you.

“Are you taking me straight to his house?” You ask as you stop outside Holly’s car, waiting as she loads your suitcase into the boot of her car before she turns back to face you.

“We’re going to have you meet your dad in a café first, a nice neutral setting for the both of you and I’ll be there to help ease you guys into everything.” Holly says, her bright smile never wavering when she speaks as she rounds the car and gets in the driver’s seat, with you getting in the passenger seat.

You tried to distract yourself by taking in the views of what was going to be your new home, but you couldn’t stop the pounding of your heart. You hated that you were so nervous. He had never been there for you growing up. He wasn’t a dad to you. So why were you so nervous?

When Holly parked outside a small café that was nestled along Miramar’s beachfront, your nerves were now in full drive and when she moved to open her door, you remained seated.

“Is it too late to ask if I can get a flight back?” You ask, glancing over at Holly who settles back in the car seat to address you.

“It is, sweetie. Look, I understand that you’re nervous. But everything is going to be just fine. I promise you.” Holly says softly, her smile softening as she addresses you and for a moment, you believe her words. You get out of the car, close the door behind you and follow Holly into the café.

As soon as you enter the small building, your eyes are immediately surveying the people that are in the café, searching for whichever one is Pete Mitchell. Then you saw a man stand up, eyes studying you as he looked at you and Holly and you soon noticed Holly moving to approach him. He matched the man in the sparse photos you had of your father so that along with Holly greeting him with the same bright smile she had used on you made you figure that he had to be Pete Mitchell and as you slunk along to meet him, you took a deep breath and made sure to not show your emotions. You already had a feeling he more than likely didn’t want to take you in, he just had to because your mum insisted on it. You just wanted to be prepared for the worst.

“y/n… wow you’ve really grown up.” Is the first thing Maverick can bring himself to say as you stand opposite him.

“Yeah… that’s what happens over time.” You say dismissively, shrugging your shoulders half-heartedly and your gaze flicks away to the table Maverick is sitting at so you could avoid looking at him.

“Why don’t we take a seat?” Holly suggests, not letting the mood deter her as she grabs the back of one of the chairs and pulls it towards her to make room for her to sit down at the table with you and Maverick following her actions. You sit opposite Maverick awkwardly, neither of you knowing how to start a conversation with the other.

“So, y/n, how was the flight?” Holly starts, attempting to initiate a conversation.

“It was okay.” You say half-heartedly, barely glancing at either person sitting at the table with you.

“Was it a busy flight?” Maverick then asks, trying to get a bit more information out of you.

“This was my first time on a plane I don’t know what constitutes ‘busy’, but most of the seats were filled I guess.” Your words came out a little harsher than you intended but you weren’t all that fussed about the way your words came out.

“Well you made it here safely and that’s all that matters.” Maverick then says, a small smile on his face to try and make you feel more comfortable around him. Instead, all he got back was a small shrug and you avoiding his gaze. He knew it must be a hard adjustment for you, especially when you haven’t had contact with Maverick in years but all he wanted was for you to feel comfortable and supported and he was going to do his absolute best to do that for you.

The rest of the interaction that was overseen by Holly went about as well as you expected it to. The atmosphere was awkward and there was a slight tension from you. By the time Maverick was allowed to take you home, Holly pulled both of you aside separately and told you that you could call her whenever and that she’d do a home visit in the next few days to see how things were progressing and left the two of you alone outside the café after handing you your luggage.

“Let’s get you settled in at home.” Maverick says after a minute or two of awkward silence between the two of you, gesturing with his head for you to follow him which you do so slowly, not in any rush to get to this new house. You load up your luggage, ignoring Maverick’s attempts to help you before getting in the backseat of the car, sitting behind the driver’s seat so Maverick couldn’t see you as easily.

“You can sit up front with me for the journey home, you know?” Maverick offers, turning around to glance at you sitting in the back of the car.

“I prefer sitting in the back.” You answer simply, already moving to put your headphones on you can just ignore everything on the journey to where you’d be living from now on. You hated that Maverick was calling it ‘home’. It may be home to him. But it could never be a home to you. Maverick watched sadly as you put your headphones in and adjusted the way you were sat so you were fully angled towards the window before he turned to face the front and began the drive to his house.

When he finally pulled into the driveway of the house, you weren’t shocked by what greeted you. It was an average-sized house in a small neighbourhood. Before Maverick even had time to turn around and talk to you, you were instantly climbing out of the car and heading to the boot of the car to pull your suitcase out, leaving Maverick alone in the car as he let out a small sigh before getting out of the car himself and crossing to the front door of his house to unlock the door and enter the house with you following behind.

As you enter the house, you follow Maverick when he leads you upstairs, opening a door and taking a step back for you to enter which you do. You glance around the room, it is practically bare, with white walls, and nothing more than a bed, wardrobe, and bedside tables.

“I’m sorry it’s so plain. I never really used this room. But you can decorate it however you want. I have a few days booked off work, so maybe we could get some things and decorate your room.” Maverick says, not daring to move an inch beyond the doorway as he watches you place your rucksack on the bed and take in the room. As Maverick had expected, you offered him no more than a mere shrug and noncommittal hum at his suggestion. Maverick was really trying to form some sort of bond with you. To try to make up for the years lost. But you clearly wanted nothing to do with him, and as much as it broke his heart, he couldn’t do any more than extend the olive branch and hope you one day take it. He didn’t want to overstep beyond that, so he nodded at your hum and headed downstairs.

You spent the rest of the day unpacking your belongings, hanging clothes up and storing things away before you finally placed the picture of you and your mum on your bedside table, so you always had her with you. As you tucked your suitcase under your bed, you heard Maverick calling you for dinner and as much as you didn’t want to go downstairs, the smell of food that was travelling up the stairs and into your room was making your stomach growl like nobodies business so you got up and went down the stairs, following the sounds of plates clanking to lead you to the kitchen but as you walked through the living room, your eyes drifted along the photos on the wall and you stopped opposite one particular photo. It was a photo of Maverick with a moustached man, both of them smiling for the camera with an arm wrapped around the other’s shoulders. You regarded the photo quietly, wondering who this man was. Did Maverick have another kid? As if he sensed you looking at the photos, Maverick emerged from the kitchen and approached you carefully.

“Having a look at the pictures?” He muses softly, a slight laugh tagged onto the end of his sentence to let you know he wasn’t upset or angry at you.

“Is he your son?” You ask, your gaze not moving from the picture of the two men.

“No. Not biologically at least. Bradley’s my best friend’s kid. But I helped raise him so he’s kind of like a son to me.” Maverick explains and you can’t help but feel a pang in your heart at his words. This Bradley guy got to have Maverick in his life as a father figure and you didn’t get your dad at all. It wasn’t fair.

“Come on, let’s eat.” Maverick urges softly, noticing the sadness in your eyes and hoping he didn’t just ruin everything between the two of you. You begrudgingly follow Maverick to the small table and eat your food in silence, barely giving Maverick more than a short sentence answer to any of his questions. The second you finished your meal you asked to be excused and retreated back to your room, leaving Maverick alone downstairs. He didn’t bother you for the rest of the night, only sticking his head in your room before he went to bed. Despite everything, he couldn’t stop the small smile that appeared on his face when he saw you curled under your duvet, fast asleep.

“Goodnight, y/n/n.”

Over the days Maverick had off, you tended to avoid as much interaction with him as possible. You’d have meals with him and hold the briefest of conversations but that was your limit. And you never called him dad. You didn’t want to get attached to someone who didn’t want you when you were a baby and was now stuck with you. When Holly came for one of her home visits, you tried to ask if you could be placed elsewhere but she was insistent that you see it through with Maverick. She urged you to give him a chance, and that she could tell he was genuinely trying to form a connection. She could understand that you were upset with the loss of your mother and having to move in with someone who was hardly present in your life, but your mum had picked him for a reason, and you needed to trust her judgement.

After Holly left, you spent the rest of the day in your room mulling over her words. You knew your mum had never steered you wrong before. But sending you to live with someone you hardly knew just felt wrong to you. When night fell, your thoughts were getting too much you decided you needed to head out to get some fresh air and to think some more. You didn’t have a destination in mind, you still hardly knew the area, you just knew you needed to be out of the house. You were able to sneak downstairs and out of the house with zero difficulty, Maverick was napping on the sofa so keeping quiet and getting out of the door was no difficult task for you. Once you made it to the end of the road, you pulled out your phone and searched for directions to the beach.

About five minutes after you left, Maverick’s eyes blinked open and he stretched his arms above his head as he stood from the sofa, wincing as his back let out a slight crack. He knew he needed to stop falling asleep on the sofa, but he couldn’t help it. Deciding it was time to finally retire to bed, he headed upstairs, heading straight to your door. Since you arrived, he always stuck his head in your room to whisper goodnight to you, despite the fact you were always asleep when he did it. This time, however, when Maverick opened the door, he couldn’t see any figure in the bed. The little slither of light that snuck through the crack didn’t illuminate any evidence that you were in bed and Maverick couldn’t help but instantly be in panic mode. He couldn’t find any evidence that you were still in the house, so he was soon grabbing his keys and leaving the house to search for you.

You sat on a little bench overlooking the beach, not too far from where the café you first met Maverick was, listening to the gentle sounds of the waves against the shore, your eyes drifting up to the starry sky and bright moon that hung within it.

“Mum, you wanted me to come here for a reason, right? You think Pete would take care of me and that I’d finally have a father figure, don’t you?” You mutter quietly up to the sky, wondering if your mum would give you some sort of sign that she was listening. Instead, you heard the revving of a motorbike engine and Maverick’s worried voice calling out to you.

“y/n, oh thank god I found you.” Maverick says, relief beyond evident in his tone as he sits down next to you on the bench, leaving a gap between the two of you.

“How did you know I was here?” You ask quietly, briefly glancing over at Maverick before your gaze flicked back to the stars.

“I didn’t. I just drove around looking for you. But I did know you haven’t explored the area much, so my best guess was near the café. I wouldn’t have stopped looking for you all night if I hadn’t found you here.” Maverick explains, watching you under the dim street lamp as your eyebrows furrow slightly and you turn to look at him properly.

“Really?” You ask, your voice timid as you look at Maverick.

“Really. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you. I promised your mother I’d look after you.” Maverick explains, watching as your eyes widen at his words.

“You promised… did you talk with my mum before she died?” You then ask, tears threatening to build in your eyes. In response to your question, Maverick pulls his wallet out of his pocket and produces a small picture, handing it over to you and you instantly study the picture. It was of you; it couldn’t have been taken more than six months ago. It was of you out in the park, sitting on a bench and completely oblivious to your mum taking a picture of you.

“She liked to send me regular updates on how you were doing, as well as pictures. She told me you get pretty good grades in your classes, which makes me proud. The last time I spoke to her must’ve been just before or around the time she got sick because I never heard from her after that. But she made me promise to look after you if something happened years ago. I didn't think anything would ever happen. But I never stopped caring for you.” Maverick explains as you quietly hand back the photo, the tears in your eyes beginning to show under the street lights.

“If you cared so much, why did you stop visiting?” Unlike Maverick would’ve expected, your voice held no harshness to its tone, just defeat. You were just a kid who’s been deprived of a father figure your whole life.

“My job is dangerous. And I know what it feels like to lose your parents when you’re young. I just couldn’t put you through that, so I thought it was best I stayed away to protect you. It hurt so much to say goodbye knowing I probably wasn’t going to see you again.” Maverick says truthfully, fighting back tears of his own as he looks at the picture, knowing he was the reason you grew up without a father figure in your life. He couldn’t help but beat himself up over it every day. He had stepped in for Bradley when Goose died but the second, he had a kid of his own, he backed off and abandoned you.

“Did your mum ever try to move on?” Maverick then asks quietly, a sad tone you’re not used to hearing from him in his voice, as you watch him.

“No she didn’t. Truthfully, I don’t think she stopped loving you. She always spoke so highly of you.” You admit, shrugging lightly as you remember all the times your mum had told you about Maverick and never spoke a bad word about him. At your words, a tear or two escaped Maverick’s eyes and he let out a shuddering breath.

“I don’t deserve that. She deserved to be happy.” Maverick says, more tears escaping him as you wipe at your own eyes.

“She was happy. The time she had with you was clearly all she wanted and needed.” You say, not wanting Maverick to feel guilty or upset for something out of his control, a complete turnaround from the way you had been acting prior.

“I’m going to make it up to you. I promise. If you need me at all, I will be there. You’re not alone anymore.” Maverick promises, and you nod at his words, finally believing his words before you move closer to him and carefully wrap your arms around him for a hug. At first, he was tense, but soon he reciprocated the hug, holding you tight as you tried your best not to cry on his jacket.

“Can we go home now?” You ask as a small breeze blows by, making you shiver slightly, even in Maverick’s warm embrace.

“Of course, sweetheart. Let’s go home.” He says softly, helping you to your feet and leading you to his motorbike where he instructs you on how to hold on safely before taking you back home, making sure he goes a bit slower than he usually does when on his bike. When you make it home, you’re stifling yawns as you trudge upstairs to get ready for bed and by the time you finally crawl into bed, your eyes are already closing but you force them open when you hear Maverick quietly asking if he could enter your room. For the first time since you arrived, Maverick crosses to your bedside and smiles down at you.

“Goodnight, y/n.” He says quietly, leaning down and pressing a small kiss on the top of your head, smiling as a smile covers your own face while you snuggle further into your bed. Just as Maverick reaches the door, he hears you speak up.

“Goodnight, dad.”

Maverick swore that the large smile that appeared on his face didn’t shrink until the next day. Until you called him ‘dad’ again the next morning.

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popponn · 7 months

Text

the ins and outs. [itoshi rin x reader]

notes: for some reason, i really have a hard time with writting rin. but in the end, he feels like a sincere person. so i think it's hard for me not to get soft on him. i want to write more of him. think of this as an attempt to imagine how he will love. headcanon-ish, character study-ish. gn!reader.

Rin loves in a very complicated way.

He loves deeply, yet there is always a trace of childishness in it. He loves silently, yet sometimes his actions speak so loudly it might be noted as ‘too much’ by some people. He loves in a way that is hard to understand by many, perhaps even by himself.

Rin’s heart is a rough, rigid thing that is very hard to slip into. But the moment you get inside it, your name and everything will be etched into it forever. And perhaps it’s because of that too, Rin is not exactly the most knowledgeable whenever it comes to feelings, emotions, and such as. There are very few things and even fewer people that he let into his life, so it becomes unsurprising to see him struggles to process something as soft and unpredictable like love.

There is a chapter in his life where Rin was filled with anger that resembles obsession. In a way, that part of him would always have remains. When that chapter came to a close and his life moves on to a chapter that is filled with a gentler kind of emotion, where a simple smile from you makes Rin wishes he is kinder—he reacts to it with a grace of a fish on a dessert.

It’s hard to miss it when he is interested in you—Rin’s insults and harsh comments lacking the bite they usually carry whenever it’s you, Rin bothering to listen to you without interrupting, Rin almost actively seeking out your company—whether by purpose or not, he is good and clear when it comes to giving the signal. His team is not exactly helping with their teasing and indiscreet attempted advices either. It’s so obvious it almost feels like seeing a middle school boy having his first crush.

But, it definitely starts really awkward. Rin genuinely tries to be kinder to you, yet the fact that he is a seasoned egoist that is very hard to approach and to socialize with still stand. For one, he gets jealous a bit too easily sometimes, all while having a hard time communicating with you. Combined with his tendency to spit out words that are both scathing and hurting, the first few steps with him is, without a doubt, really hard.

Nevertheless, once those first steps are done, it get much easier. Rin is a quick learner when he wants to be, especially when it comes to something or someone he has his focus honed into. Perhaps even faster than how you learn his, Rin will learn the rhythm to keep going with you. While it will take extra efforts to talk and get through him, the moment he gets it, it took him almost a terrifyingly short amount of time to know the dos and don’ts. Though, acting on them might take a little bit of time. Practice makes perfect after all.

And on communication, there might even be signs, which many people could easily miss, that act almost like a secret language between you and him. Rin glancing at you repeatedly during a conversation? He is getting uncomfortable. Rin staring at you silently somewhere private? He wants to be spoiled. Rin not responding whenever you get touchy with him? That’s his green light, go hug or hold him however you want, he is all yours. ‘Words’ are not exactly Rin’s expertise—and it might take him a pretty long time to learn—but, eventually, this is a man who is ready to give many, many things including his best for you.

Starting out with Rin is hard, but when he decides he is for you—he will do everything in his power to make sure it will be the best choice for both of you.

#bllk #bllk imagines #blue lock #bllk x reader #bluelock x reader #blue lock scenarios #blue lock x reader #blue lock headcanons #rin itoshi #itoshi rin #rin itoshi x reader #blue lock rin itoshi #bllk rin #im facing a block and deadlines but i itch to write #there is something about this guy that is hard for me but i think im getting somewhere #might expand this later someday after deadline is done #drabbles #blue lock imagines

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rad-batson · 8 months

Text

THIS IS FOR FANS OF CASSANDRA CAIN! PLEASE READ! I WANT YOUR THOUGHTS

(skip to the bottom if you just want silly headcanons about her :D)

Hello! So first, I want to thank everyone who read the Wayne pilot I made :) I appreciate your feedback, and I love you all.

As I'm preparing to post it on AO3, I decided to make a few (admittedly small) changes to the script, primarily around Cassandra Cain, because I haven't quite fleshed her out yet.

I don't have much experience with writing Cass, so I decided to do a bit of research on her yesterday, and wouldn't you know? I fell in love. 10/10. She didn't play a huge part in the pilot, but she will have a bigger one in the second episode, and there are a few things I think can or should be added so she doesn't feel too one-note.

There wasn't anyone who told me this, by the way. (In fact, I actually got some nice comments about her so thank you.) I just had it in the back of my mind while writing, and now that Cass is getting more screen time, I'm finding that my lack of knowledge might lead to mischaracterization.

SO TO COMBAT THIS, I MADE A GUIDE FOR MYSELF ON HOW TO WRITE CASS

Is this overkill? Probably Think of it as a silly headcanon list for my version of her. And I'm posting it here because I want your feedback before it's set in stone. (I know Cass isn't written well a lot, so this is my attempt to right these horrid wrongs.)

If you're going to give criticism, please be constructive. Tell me what you like or don't like. I'm all ears. Have fun :)

Writing Cass

(Btw I still gotta read Cass’s first Batgirl run by Kelley Puckett)

Has some sass, has a lot actually

Used to be awkward in social settings. she’s better at it when she’s with people so she can match their energy but she still prefers to just dip

Speaks in short-ish sentences, trying her best tho

I WILL BE ADDING THIS INTO THE PILOT, I JUST WANT TO KNOW TO WHAT DEGREE?? OR IS IT REALLY FINE

Mostly just relies on body language though

I WILL BE ADDING THIS INTO THE PILOT TOO, ESPECIALLY WITH THE ASL SCENE (BUT IT’S NOT REPLACING THE ASL)

also yes i know her using ASL isn't canon, it just works best for the scene, it would have been written the same whether she was in it or not, it is still a cute nod to fanon tho

Steph and Cass are extremely close BUT ALSO HAVE SEPARATE LIVES (I HAVE BEEN TOLD TO STRESS THAT AND I AGREE)

Messy, low-key gross. Bad-ish hygiene but she’s good at looking put-together so only those close know this about her (this is just my headcanon)

Often forgets bigger words so she occasionally uses the wrong one, she ALSO mixes up proverbs but no one corrects her because 1: it’s cute and 2: they don’t want to discourage her from speaking with them more casually (also my headcanon)

Cass: So I pulled the door off its…*makes motion with hand*…metal books. Steph: Do you mean hinge— Cass: Metal books.

Dick: Well that was a surprise. I didn’t know The Penguin would be here. Cass, nodding: Well life gives you grapes Dick: Wut Cass: You make grape juice. Get on the same book, Nightwing

I'M ON THE FENCE ABOUT ADDING THIS ONE BECAUSE IDK LET ME KNOW PLEASE

Is a cinnamon bun AND a little shit, it’s a balancing act

Production: She’s Wayne’s darling Princess Cass: *will break your fingers*

She does appear behind the camera crew to scare them on purpose, she thinks it’s funny, she likes seeing them freak out

She is super competitive, but she's always like "Oh I'm not that competitive" *proceeds to be very competitive*

Because she isn't super confident in her writing or speaking (or just uncomfortable communicating without seeing the other person's body language) she prefers to Facetime or simply reply to texts with selfies of her reaction. It is a thing now. when you need an honest opinion about an outfit, text a photo to Cass. She will either give back a photo of a thumbs up or a photo of a grimace and some not-so-flattering emojis

Her princess persona is her public cover persona in this show, parallel to Bruce’s “Brucie” and Dick’s “born for the cameras” thing

Is surprisingly vocal (and sometimes snippy) about her distaste with things but she mostly gets a pass because her morals align best with Bruce’s

Is most snippy when her family uses methods other than violence when violence is clearly the faster option, god they're such pacifists

Tim: *trying carefully to pick a lock* Cass: Just break through the wall? Tim: We can’t do that. We’re trying not to be noticed. Cass: Wimp

Bruce: Cass, why did you have to dislocate that man’s shoulder? Cass: I put it back. Bruce: That’s not the point. Cass: Fine, I’ll dislocate it again.

Is the best fighter, none of this “oh she’s the best fighter so when people do win against her, it makes them look cooler” thing, shut tf up, she could break their bones (not important to the show ofc but I need to add this because it is important in general)

Horrible at drawing, wretched (again a headcanon but I did see someone else mention it somewhere)

Also bad at writing, refuses to study to improve out of principle (i.e. she told Babs she doesn’t need to and now she refuses to admit Babs was right)

(AND SIDE-HEADCANON IF SHE IS HORRIBLE AT WRITING AND ACTIVELY HATED STUDYING HER ALPHABET THEN WHAT IF LIKE ONE DAY SOMEONE SAYS “hey can you grab me one of these files from last week’s case, it’s under M” SHE’S LIKE “fuck you, how could you do this to me” WHILE SEARCHING FOR M OR MORE SIMPLY *throws something at them*)

That's all I have right now. If you'd like to give me any recommendations, please do. I can't promise I'll add in every single one because this show is still about the whole Batfam, not just her, but I want to do her justice, and that definitely involves more fine-tuning on my part

OKAY THAT'S ALL LOVE YOU BYE

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lu-vin-it · 1 year

Note

Hi! I’m not sure if requests are open (if they aren’t, so sorry to bother you!) I just wanted to know if you could maybe write another part for the Baby Mommy au? Maybe Sarah’s first word? Or her first time calling Joel grandpa and his reaction to it? Maybe both?? Idk, I just love this fic too much atm and I need more 😭😩

Have a great day!!

Papa

── ⋅⋅⋅ ────꒰ ୨ ♡ ୧ ꒱───────

Baby Momma AU

Summary: Sarah calls Joel ‘Papa’. Ellie and Joel have a short, heartfelt, conversation.

Pairings: Ellie Williams X Reader

Pronouns Used: She/Her

Word Count: 669

Warnings: All my baby knowledge is secondhand/from babysitting my little cousins so if something is incorrect please let me know!

A/N: As always, thank you @stqrfishluvr for proofreading, I love you!

Also! Join my discord server if you are 13-25 yrs old!! I have something for literally everyone because this server is more for fun then looks. It’s very very lacking in looks. Like, really lacking in looks.

After Sarah turned two, you and Ellie made the decision to move back to Jackson. It was easier that way, you guys could get some more help, and when she was school age, she could attend the makeshift school.

Sarah began talking months ago at this point, but she was just starting to learn more words than ‘Momma’, ‘Mommy’, ‘Hi’, ‘No’, ‘Yes’, and ‘Where’. Neither you nor Ellie were worried about her progress, she was right on track. However, as Joel’s birthday got closer, Ellie was desperately trying to get Sarah to call Joel “Papa”. She already taught her how to say Happy Birthday— well, “Happy biday” anyways. Sarah had the hardest time with T’s and Th’s.

“Come on baby, you can do it, say Papa!” Ellie begged your daughter, pointing at a picture of Joel. Sarah just squealed and reached for the picture. “Come on! Pa-pa!” She over enunciates her p’s.

“Pa!” Sarah exclaims back. Your girlfriend glances at you with a smile.

“Yeah! Papa!”

“Pa!” Sarah reaches for the picture again. “Papa!”

“Yes! Yes! It’s Papa!” Ellie plants a kiss on her cheek making her giggle and grab onto her hair. “Oh— ow, okay, let go of my hair.” Ellie scoops Sarah up and grins at you. “We have to go give Joel his gift!” You laugh and stand up. “You wanna go see Papa, Sar?” The two year old nods.

“Hold your horses, my love, let’s get her a jacket first, hm?” You walk to the kitchen—Ellie in tow— and grab Sarah’s jacket, you then put it on her. “Okay, come on.” Ellie practically ran to Joel’s house.

“Okay, remember what to say? Happy birthday Papa!” Sarah giggles. “Yeah you remember what to say, my smart girl.” Ellie knocks on the door and after a few moments, Joel walks out with a smile.

“Hey!” You wave. Sarah immediately reaches for him, he takes her happily.

“Come on, say it Sarah!” Ellie encourages softly.

“Happy biday, Papa!” Joel’s face melts into a soft smile.

“Oh, thank you sweet girl!” He kisses her cheek and Sarah squeals, wrapping her arms around his neck and hiding her face in the crook of it. “Come in you guys.” He moves out of the way and you guys all walk in. “You stayin’ for dinner?”

“If we can.” You intertwine your hand with Ellie’s.

“Of course you can!”

“Okay, well let me go change Sarah’s diaper, and then we’ll eat?” You ask, reaching for your daughter.

“That sounds good.” You grab onto Sarah but she resists.

“No, Mommy! Papa!” She cries out. You gape at your daughter.

“Baby, I just have to change you, then you can stay with Papa.” You try to grab her again, but to no avail.

“No. Papa.” You scoff in mock offense.

“I can change her if you would set the table?” Joel offers. You nod.

“That works for me.” He nods and then walks into the bathroom where he kept extra baby stuff for her.

“I think Joel just has some kind of effect on kids. They all love him.” Ellie says, shaking her head with a smile. You nudge her arm.

“Yeah, I know, you used to be one of those kids.”

“Yeah yeah, let’s set the table now.”

After dinner, you all sat on the couch and watched a movie. Sarah was fast asleep in your lap, and you were getting tired yourself.

“Thank you guys for coming by.” Joel whispers to Ellie.

“Of course, we wouldn’t miss your birthday.” She pats his shoulder with a smile.

“How’d you get Sarah to call me Papa? Why’d you get Sarah to call me Papa?” He asks. His eyes were tearing up.

“‘Cause you’re her grandpa and she can’t make the ‘R’ sound yet so Papa was the next best thing.” A tear falls down Joel’s face.

“I’m her grandpa?” Ellie gives Joel a crazy look.

“Of course you are. Quit talking nonsense.” She waves her hand. Joel smiles at her and then returns to the movie.

#ellie williams imagine #ellie williams x female reader #ellie williams x y/n #ellie williams x you #ellie williams x reader #the last of us x reader #the last of us fanfiction #tlou x reader #ellie tlou x reader

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somedaylazysomeday · 6 months

Text

Good Intentions Part Seventeen

A surprise visit in the middle of the night isn't what you had assumed it would be...

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 5,900

Warnings: ongoing references to sex as a form of payment, implied violence, non-consensual drug use, paranoia, cuddling, threats

That's right - no sexual contact in this chapter! Sorry if that's not what you're looking for here. But enjoy the knowledge that this is the first time I've ever had to write a warning about a lack of sex in a fic!

Previous | Next | Masterlist

---

It was never a good sign when you were awoken in the dark hours of the morning by a frantic tapping on your bedroom door.

Granted, the situation wasn’t as rare as you would have preferred. You ran an outreach, after all. The Haven’s patients struggled, relapsed, went through withdrawal, and even needed medical attention on occasion. Everyone had strict orders to tell you when things like that happened, no matter what time of day it was or what else you were doing.

Everything and everyone had seemed stable when you went to bed, though, so it took you a moment of blearily blinking at the door before you rolled out of bed and went to answer it. When you peered out into the hallway, you were expecting to see Arunn. Perhaps Steel or Yi, both of whom had been on night watch.

Nothing had prepared you to see Sevika.

“What-?” It was all you had time to croak out before she had shoved the door open with a strong arm, sending you stumbling backward until you finally lost your balance. You fell directly onto your ass, staring up with all the grace of a newborn bird as Sevika hustled over to your bed.

It wasn’t until she carefully spread Silco’s limp body across it that you even registered she had been carrying him over one broad shoulder.

“Silco?” you demanded, voice harsh and shaking as you struggled to your feet and rushed across the room. “Silco?!”

Silco didn’t respond to you. He didn’t even move. His stillness let you focus on him with the intensity you were feeling. He looked paler than usual, his scars standing out in stark contrast against his hollow cheek and the blankly staring darkness of his eye. His clothing was rumpled and spattered with dark stains that you knew would be blood in full light. The same shadow marked his neck and chin, but turned from a fine spray to a dense coating on his hands.

You unbuttoned his shirt, worried about the way that blood trailed from his neck downward into the darkness of his clothing. If he was wounded, you were just wasting time that could be used getting a doctor to the Haven…

“He’s alive,” Sevika assured you, looking grim. “But he’ll need some time to recover. The biggest problem is that they drugged him.”

“They?” you asked. “Who is ‘they’?”

“That’s none of your business.”

The harshness of Sevika’s answer did nothing to reassure you. In fact, your worry and fear flipped to anger in a moment. You gestured sharply at the unconscious chem baron sprawled in your bed. “Really? Because this seems like you’re making it my business!”

Sevika’s lip curled and you braced yourself - either for some harsh words or a physical blow, you weren’t sure which - but you both pulled up short at the small, pained sound that came from the direction of your bed.

“Sev-” His voice faded out, the tension slowly easing from his body only to return in full force a moment later. “You must find him. You must- Do not allow him to-”

“I know, boss,” Sevika told him, and Silco’s body went lax with the reassurance. It seemed to be the truth. Silco’s mutterings were just gibberish to you, but Sevika looked resolute as she turned to you. “I have to go take care of that. I need to know that you’ll keep an eye on him.”

“What was he drugged with?” you asked - not avoiding the question, but side-stepping it for the moment. “Shimmer?”

Sevika scoffed at you. “Do you really think Silco wouldn’t know how to avoid being dosed with Shimmer? Or that it would take him out this badly? No, princess, it’s not Shimmer. Now, are you gonna take care of him or not?”

“Why here?” you asked nervously. “Is he safe? I can’t do much against whoever is trying to hurt him-”

“Most of them are dead,” she told you, the short explanation cutting through your worries in an instant. “He wouldn’t go back to the Drop. Said it was safest here. I agree - most people wouldn’t think to look for him here, but there’s plenty of his guards around if they do.”

You nodded. “What do I do about the drugging? Does he need something to help it?”

“Only time.” Sevika’s metal hand settled heavily on your shoulder. “Just keep him in here, away from people and away from the windows. The best thing for him is if no one knows he’s here.”

It seemed uncharitable to point out that would be the best thing for you, too, but Sevika didn’t give you time to consider saying it. With a short nod, she left your room. When you hurried to the window, you could see her leaving the Haven only moments later, giving a list of instructions to Raka.

When Raka had returned to the Haven, you shut the curtains tightly and went back to the bed. Silco still wasn’t conscious, but he looked uneasy rather than completely relaxed. His natural eye moved behind its lid and his long limbs were stirring. You winced at the blood smearing across your tangled sheets. If he truly wasn’t in danger, there was nothing for it but to get to work.

You soothed Silco with gentle words and gentler touches, smoothing hair back from his face and loosening his tie. When he was lying still once more, you unbuttoned his vest and removed his tie completely.

Stripping the bloodstained fabric away helped minimize the continued damage to your sheets, but you couldn’t help a wince at the fast-forming bruises on his pale skin. A particularly nasty one spreading across his sternum looked like it might end up as a sprain, if not broken bones.

You risked leaving the room for a few moments, retrieving a new set of sheets, a loose pair of pajama pants, and a few old towels before you darted back to your room.

No one had seem you, of course. No one would be awake in the Haven for hours yet, with the exception of the staff members watching over the Haven’s patients. You took a moment to be grateful that the treatment floors of the Haven were all on the upper levels of the building.

Removing the rest of Silco’s clothes was a surprisingly simple task. Apparently, you had absorbed more than you thought from watching him undress during all of your meetings. When his clothing, shoes, and accessories were in a neat but bloodstained pile next to the door of your room, you wet a towel with warm water and set to wiping the blood from Silco’s skin.

That was the most difficult part of your task by far. The blood on Silco’s hands, arms, neck, and face had been there long enough to grow tacky but not long enough to begin flaking off. He woke several times as you worked to clean him up, but you were able to calm him back to sleep easily enough.

He was dressed in comfortable pajama pants and quietly resting as you stripped the sheets from the bed. There was no way for you to change the fitted sheet beneath Silco, not without calling someone who could lift his weight. Since that was a rather incendiary idea, you contented yourself with propping pillows behind Silco’s head and using an old towel to cover his bare torso. You hated the idea of him being cold or uncomfortable.

It was ludicrous, an assessment Silco would probably share if he were awake… but he wasn’t. He was lying injured and drugged in your bed, and you found yourself close to tears for some reason you couldn’t quite identify.

Maybe it was because he was so still. Silco wasn’t a large man. His height paired with the scars and menacing personality made him seem so much bigger, but he was slender and graceful - far more like a thief’s dagger than a soldier’s club.

But laying flat on his back with a towel draped over his chest, Silco looked more delicate than ever. His scars were still fearsome and that eye glowed like an ember in the dimness of your room, but without the personality to back it up, there was no denying that he had lost his imposing nature.

Temporarily.

You hoped.

A knock at the door made you jump and glance over. When you saw it begin to open, you hurled yourself against it with every ounce of energy you could muster. Who would come in without knocking? Was it someone trying to hurt Silco? Had whoever attacked him managed to track him down here? Where were the guards?

“Is everything okay?” Arunn called through the door. You relaxed slightly at his familiar voice. “Fletcher said you haven’t come out of your room today.”

Your eyes jerked toward the covered window. Sure enough, you could see sickly sunlight seeping around the corners of your curtains. “It’s fine, Arunn. Everything is okay.”

There was a pause that managed to sound skeptical. “Are you sure about that?”

With as much hoarseness as you could pack into your voice, you told him, “I don’t feel well today. I’m trying to rest and work on paperwork when I’m not sleeping. I’m probably going to be in here all day. Can you manage things without me?”

“Yeah, we’ll be okay.” Arunn seemed concerned and you felt bad about that, but at least he believed you. “I’ll bring you something to eat later.”

“Thank you. Please just leave it outside the door and I’ll bring it in myself.”

“And you’re sure you can get it?”

You nodded, knowing he couldn’t see it, and faked a cough. “Yes, I can. Thank you again.”

“No problem, boss.” Arunn sighed. “Rest up today - we need you back as soon as you’re feeling better.”

“I will,” you promised weakly.

When Arunn’s footsteps faded, you locked the door before you pushed away from it. There were good odds that no one would disturb you in your room, but it wouldn’t hurt to be certain.

If this were any other business, you would probably need to worry that someone would come to check up on you. However, one of the most difficult parts of treating Shimmer withdrawal was that it often left the ex-user immunocompromised for a few weeks. With a constantly rotating roster of people who couldn’t be exposed to sickness, you could nearly guarantee that your “rest” wouldn’t be interrupted.

As you approached the bed, you noticed that Silco’s natural eye was open slightly. You would have assumed it was a trick of the light, or a slackening of his facial muscles, but his mouth was also moving.

“Silco?” you asked. The movements of his lips didn’t falter or change, and you suspected that he couldn’t hear you. You spoke anyway, just in case he could: “Silco, if you can hear me, you’re safe. You’re at the Haven with me. No one knows you’re here except me and the guards. You’re safe.”

The inaudible murmuring slowed to a near halt, but Silco’s mismatched eyes stayed fixed on you. You risked reaching out to smooth a strand of hair back from his forehead. “The only reason Sevika isn’t here is because she went to hunt someone down.”

Silco’s face tightened, and he struggled to sit up. It was a mark of how bad he was feeling that you could keep him lying flat with only a hand braced against his shoulder.

“You need to rest,” you informed him. “Everything is fine, you’re safe.”

You had hoped repeating that he was safe would soothe him, but Silco seemed unconvinced. “Threat- Need- go…”

Chills danced up your spine and teased at the back of your neck. You fought a shudder, trying to look serene instead of concerned as you slowly shook your head. “No, Silco. You’re safest here. Sevika went to go take care of the threat. No one is going to hurt you as long as you’re here-”

Silco caught at the front of your sleep shirt, pulling you down toward him as he hissed urgently, “Not- hurt me. Hurt you.”

That made your stomach tighten with foreboding. Before you started following the demands of a drugged man, you needed to check some things. “Silco, did you tell them about me?”

“No,” he denied, hands shaking as they released your shirt.

You nodded. “Good. Did you tell them about the Haven?”

“Never,” he spat.

“Even better.” Your look of serenity was finally legitimate as you said, “It seems like we don’t need to worry. Between Sevika and the guards we have at the Haven, the people chasing you won’t be able to find us here.”

“Not people,” Silco said, shaking his head. At least, you assumed that had been his intention. The muscles of his neck didn’t seem to work properly at the moment, and his head rolled languidly across the pillow. “Person.”

“You’re this worried about one person?” you asked, bewildered. “Wait, a single person did all of this to you?”

“No,” Silco said again, baring his teeth. “More. I… all- Killed them all.”

“Except one,” you concluded.

“Coward.” Silco may have been drugged and injured, dressed in borrowed clothes with a towel as a blanket, but the one-word insult made his disdain clear. “Hid while-”

He cut off mid-sentence, seeming transfixed by something behind you. You stood from the edge of the bed, where you had sat to hear Silco better, and whipped around. Your hands came up, ready to defend Silco from who or whatever had snuck into the room.

There was nothing behind you.

When you turned back to the bed, Silco had fallen asleep once more.

Since you were stuck in your room for the foreseeable future, you started working on the paperwork you had mentioned to Arunn. A lot of it consisted of reports for various parties who had a stake in the Haven and the way it was run. Once that was done, you had payroll to do, accounts to track, and appointments to make for the patients. While you had a doctor on staff, you liked to bring in a psychologist every month to speak with anyone who wanted to talk.

As you set aside the last piece of paperwork, several hours had passed without a sound or movement from Silco. You approached the side of the bed, nervously noting that his chest was either rising and falling so evenly that you couldn’t see it… or it wasn’t moving at all.

You checked his pulse. It beat strong and steady against your fingertips and you felt ridiculous for thinking the worst. But before you could pull your hand away, Silco nuzzled against it, brushing your touch over the angles of his cheekbones. It was lucky his eyes didn’t open, because you couldn’t help the softness of your smile.

As if that had been the final straw toward convincing you, you decided to get back into bed as well. After all, if you were going to take today off as a rest day, you should actually look rested. Sevika and Silco had interrupted your sleep and, despite the worthiness of the cause, you were starting to feel tired as the adrenaline finally ebbed.

And since the sheets were stained with blood from Silco’s clothes, you pulled an extra blanket from your closet, covering yourself with it. If part of it covered Silco as well, you weren’t responsible for that.

Your sleep was shockingly sound considering the strangeness of the situation. Silco was in your bedroom, Sevika was planning to come back as soon as she killed whoever Silco hadn’t managed to, and you were keeping all of it from everyone else who called the Haven a home.

The counter arguments were that Silco was warm and his steady breathing provided the perfect metronome to time your descent into slumber. Your blanket was soft and the blood on the mattress cover hadn’t quite reached your side of the bed yet. The shades were still drawn, turning your room into a shadowed cavern, and the noises from the rest of the Haven were muted by the earliness of the hour and the knowledge that you weren’t feeling well.

The conscientiousness made you smile, but it also made you sleep easier.

You didn’t wake until a pair of hands clasped roughly around your shoulders. Jolted unpleasantly out of your sleep, you could only stare around the room to find the cause.

Silco was apparently in the grips of a nightmare. His natural eye was half-open, the lids parted but slack. His lips were parted as well, as if he could not get enough air except through gasping. Most directly important to you, his hands were locked on your arms, keeping you from trying to touch him to bring him out of the nightmare.

“Silco-” you tried, shimmying your shoulders as much as you could in his hold. “Silco, it’s fine. You’re safe. You’re at the Haven. No one knows-”

“Quiet,” he hissed, shaking you roughly.

You fell silent.

Silco’s eyes were wider then, the lids almost fully open over his natural eye as he stared around the room. He was lying on his side, facing you, so his view was limited to what he could see past you.

Even with the frantic visual search of your room, Silco apparently couldn’t stay awake. His face slackened slightly, grip loosening before his hands and his expression tightened again… only to fall slowly slack. This cycle repeated a few more times as you watched, fascinated by Silco’s struggle against whatever had been used to drug him.

At last, he slumped back against the mattress, hands falling away from you. You relaxed, too, though you kept your gaze trained on his face. Whatever he had been dosed with, it was bad. For Silco to be knocked off-balance so thoroughly… Well, you were grateful Sevika had been there to get him out. If Silco had been in this state surrounded by enemies, you were certain he wouldn’t have stayed alive for long.

You had been thinking through the situation, wondering about how long Sevika would be gone and how you would smuggle Silco out of the Haven without anyone seeing him. You had intended to stay awake, to keep watch over Silco and soothe him when he got restless again, but you must have fallen asleep. Or so you assumed, because Silco was on top of you in the span of a blink.

The jerk you gave was reflexive and worthless. Silco had planted himself on top of you, a hand pressed over your lips. “Stay quiet.”

You nodded in response to his order. His position on top of you trapped your hands by your sides, but you tried tapping his hip to signal that he didn’t need to gag you. He didn’t even seem to notice your touch.

“Someone is outside,” Silco breathed. His eyes were wide, no signs of the involuntary laxness that had marked them since he arrived, but the pupil of his natural eye was blown wide. “They’ve found me.”

You listened intently, focusing your attention so strongly that you started to hear the faint whine of a totally silent room. The words you had been repeating all morning seemed trite, so you opted for something different: “You’ve been hearing things all morning…”

Your explanation - thoroughly muffled by Silco’s palm - cut off abruptly as you heard a scraping shuffle from the hallway outside your door. You froze.

Silco nodded, eyes focused on your face. “We need to be ready. If they know I’m in here-”

There was no sign he had heard your first explanation, but you tried to speak again, to tell him that he needed to let you up if you were going to be ready. You hadn’t said more than a handful of words when the shuffle came closer and Silco sprang into action.

In a single move, he had rolled you to the other side of the bed. You were further from the door then, with him planted firmly between you and any possible intruders.

Silco had been lying in bed all morning, wracked with illness and poison, but he looked utterly capable as he crouched facing the door. He was just in front of the bed and you had to take a second look to verify that there was a knife in his hand. You weren’t sure where he had gotten in from, but you guessed it was one of his. He was clearly used to handling the weapon, holding it like it was an extension of his arm.

You tried to stand up, to move past and protect him, but a firm shove from Silco’s shoulder sent you tumbling back onto the surface of your bed. It didn’t hurt, obviously, but you were left with the options of sitting back and letting a drugged and injured Silco handle whoever was at the door or doing something stupid…

“Who is it?” you called loudly.

Silco’s body didn’t move, staying poised between the bed and the door with the knife held ready in his hand. But his head swiveled, glancing back at you over his own shoulder with a hiss through bared teeth.

To your unending relief, Arunn’s voice came through the door. “Sorry, just leaving some food and water out here. I also brought a hot drink. It might make you feel better. The steam, you know. Sorry to wake you up. Try to eat and drink when you can, but I’m glad you’re getting some rest. You work too hard… Anyway, let me know if you need anything.”

And then you heard the unmistakable sounds of Arunn walking back down the hallway. You relaxed so much that you flopped to your back and sank into the bed. All that tension returned in an instant when you felt someone looming over you.

When you cracked your eyes open, you found Silco glaring down at you. “You are a stupid, reckless little fool. You had no way of knowing who was outside.”

“And neither did you,” you pointed out. Silco didn’t seem to appreciate your reasoning. “I could probably defend us better than you could right now.”

“Ridiculous,” he sniffed. A moment later, his face turned an interesting shade of gray and his green eye rolled upward. He swayed - hard - but caught his balance. “You are not capable-”

“You need to lay back down,” you interrupted. He was going to refuse, you could see it, but you grabbed his arm and gave a light tug. He crumpled instantly to the mattress, looking startled. Then he went grayish again and his face slackened once more.

Your first reaction was, understandably, panic. But when you collected yourself enough to check things out, you felt far more confident that Silco was going to be okay. His breathing was easy and regular, his heart beating steadily. His muscles were relaxed and his fingers were warm. Even as you watched, his face slowly started gaining color again.

Calling a doctor was your first instinct, but that would inarguably put Silco in danger, and you weren’t willing to do that. You had to trust that Sevika knew what she was talking about when she said he would recover from the drugging. So you chalked the reaction up to overexertion and did your best to move on from it.

Of course, you also weren’t willing to be woken up that unpleasantly a second time. Instead, you retrieved the tray Arunn had left and set the glass of water by the bed for Silco. Then you retreated to the small makeshift desk you had set up in your room. After you ate the food Arunn had brought, you began filtering through paperwork.

Every few minutes, you studied Silco, but he continued to rest easy, so you left him alone. If he was anywhere near as busy as you suspected he was, he probably could use the chance to sleep. He certainly seemed to need it.

You didn’t really know how much time had passed when Silco began to get restless. He tossed one way, then the other. He twitched and frowned, scowling without waking up. And then he began to talk.

They weren’t full sentences, even when you got close enough to hear them. There were bits and pieces of muttered warnings sprinkled with threats. It made you smile despite yourself. Even in drugged sleep during a weak moment, Silco was still trying to be in command of the situation.

“Leave… You will walk away. No. No. …an error… She will not… If you even attempt…”

The mention of a nameless ‘she’ made your heart skip a beat. But you were too pragmatic to misinterpret that fierce, protective tone. That, more than anything else, helped you fill in the gaps of what had happened: someone had threatened Jinx. One of the other chem barons, most likely. That was why he had come here and not to The Last Drop. Jinx presumably lived at the Drop while Silco didn’t mind if anyone at the Haven was in danger from him being here.

The tightening in your stomach at that must be irritation that he had callously disregarded the safety of your patients. That was the only explanation. The only one that made sense, anyway.

Had Silco been ousted as the head chem baron? Were you hiding the recently deposed leader of Zaun in the Haven? What would they try to do to him? Silco kept a tight lid on the violence in the Undercity - public violence, that was - but if he wasn’t in charge, anarchy could reign. It wasn’t terribly long ago in the Undercity’s history that public beatings and executions had taken place…

But if Silco was really being overthrown, the coup hadn’t been entirely successful. You could vividly recall the way Sevika had said most of the people who had attacked Silco were dead. If you had interpreted their little exchange correctly, she was currently hunting down the last antagonistic survivor of the attack.

With any luck, she would be finished before Silco recovered from his drugging.

You returned to your paperwork, working steadily through the pile until you had a neat stack of completed forms, applications, and grant requests sitting on the corner of your desk. You flexed your fingers around the pen, trying to ease the cramping in your overworked muscles. As you gave it a final shake, your eyes drifted over to the bed.

Silco was watching you.

The sight of him awake and looking back at you made you startle, and the pen clattered loudly onto the desk.

“Are you awake?” you asked softly.

He didn’t respond immediately, but when he did, it was with a wry expression. “Do I make a habit of sleeping with both eyes open?”

That certainly sounded more cognizant than anything else he had said since he’d arrived. “I don’t know, I don’t spend a lot of time around you when you’re sleeping. Do you?”

“I do not,” he informed you. He gave a sharp wince as he rolled onto his back.

“There is a glass of water on the bedside table for you,” you told him. “How much do you remember?”

“More than I care to.” Silco stared up at the ceiling, a slight frown crossing his face. “But nothing since the attack itself. How did I come to be here?”

“Sevika brought you.” The explanation seemed insufficient, so you pressed on. “Apparently, you told her to bring you here. Neither of you ever said if there was a reason for that.”

“Where is Sevika now?”

You frowned. “I’m not really sure. She brought you here and then left to go finish the last one off.”

Silco’s head turned slowly toward you. “The last one.”

“Whoever it was who attacked you,” you said with a shrug. “I never really caught who that was.”

“Ah.” He left it at that, letting you both simmer in the silence for long enough that you thought of a dozen things to say and discarded them all. He slowly sat up, movements ginger, then took a deep draw from the glass of water on the bedside table. “Do you have a shower I can use? I feel the need to rinse the blood off.”

You opened your mouth to tell him you had already taken care of it, but decided it seemed too intimate. More intimate, somehow, than having cleaned the blood from him in the first place. “Through there.”

As Silco made his way shakily to the shower, you vowed that you would never again feel guilty for having a private bathroom attached to your bedroom. It was worth every bit of second-guessing you had done while choosing your room.

There was a strange sort of serenity in the moment, you decided eventually. The sound of water raining down from the showerhead was muted by the door and the Haven was quiet. The shades were drawn and the light from your desk lamp spilled gold over the room. With Silco out of the way, you finished making the bed with fresh sheets. It was homey and warm, private and peaceful.

Certainly not what you would have expected from having an injured drug lord in your rehabilitation clinic.

A short, sharp knock on the door made you jump. You moved toward it quietly. “Who is it?”

“Raka.”

You pulled the door open slightly, leaving only a small gap between the door itself and the frame. If this was some sort of trap, you could hopefully close it before anyone could force their way inside.

But Raka was alone, holding a scrap of paper. “Is he awake?”

“Yes.”

Raka nodded. “Sevika sent this.”

He handed the note to you before disappearing back down the hall. The abruptness left you staring after him, but you closed the door when you heard the water shut off in the bathroom.

When you smoothed out the wrinkled paper under the light of your lamp, a few terse words met you: Send him out when it’s dark. - S

You glanced at a clock, surprised to find that it was far later than you had expected. It would be dark in half an hour, maybe a little less.

Silco stepped out of the bathroom with no warning. You averted your eyes when you realized that he was naked. “Where are my clothes?”

“By the door,” you told him. “They’re still very bloody.”

“Good.”

You decided not to look too deeply into that. Silco shook them out, presumably in an attempt to dislodge any wrinkles, but you winced as the blood crackled and fell in flakes to your floor.

He dressed in a series of efficient motions. He looked very comfortable when he was finished, though you couldn’t imagine feeling at ease in clothes that were crusted with blood and other fluids.

You cleared your throat. “Sevika is outside. When it gets dark, I’ll escort you out.”

“How long?” he asked, checking his cuffs.

“About fifteen minutes now.”

Silco nodded. He stepped toward your freshly made bed, then seemed to think better about sitting down in his bloody clothes. You appreciated his restraint, but you appreciated it a bit less when he began pacing around your bedroom.

Every item not hidden away was paid special scrutiny. Silco examined every picture on your wall, every knick knack, the books on your bedside table, the pile of clean laundry you had yet to put away. It made you nervous, enough so that you were counting the minutes until you could safely urge Silco out of your private space.

“It’s time,” you announced, peeking through the shades to double-check. The haze of twilight hung heavy over the Undercity, the neon signs only just beginning to be lit. The streets had cleared of anyone who had been doing business in the light hours of the day, but the nighttime bustle hadn’t truly begun yet.

You slid your feet into a pair of shoes, gesturing toward Silco. “Follow me.”

The hallway was empty, and you led Silco to a little-used staircase without any risk of being seen. The stairs took longer to navigate than you had anticipated with Silco’s injuries.

“You may count this as our next meeting,” Silco told you abruptly, his voice clearly strained as he lowered himself down another step. One hand gripped the railing so hard his knuckles were white while the other clutched protectively at his injured ribs.

You shook your head, arms outstretched to catch him if he stumbled. “I appreciate that, but I can’t count the meeting if we don’t do anything more than sleep and talk. Not without feeling like you’ve been cheated.”

Silco smirked, and there was only a little pain in it. “I don’t mind having Sevika wait, but I doubt I have the energy for anything more at the moment.”

“Not what I meant.” You did your best not to smile at his teasing. It wouldn’t do to encourage him.

Silco didn’t have time to respond before you reached the bottom of the staircase. He leaned against the wall and let out a trembling breath. “Finally.”

“Is Sevika bringing a vehicle of some kind?” you asked. “I don’t know if you can walk back to The Last Drop. Not in this condition.”

“I must. To do anything else would be to show weakness. Weakness is death in Zaun.” Silco’s jaw tautened and he pushed away from the wall. There was a moment in which he swayed and you reached out, but he caught himself. He stood straight, let out a single noise of pain, and strode confidently forward.

It wasn’t his usual strut, but it was close. Certainly close enough to fool those who didn’t see him on a regular basis.

“Are you sure you don’t need anything else?” you asked, pushing out of the door and following him onto the near-deserted street.

Silco glanced back as if surprised to find you behind him. “You shouldn’t be out here. You do not want to be seen with me.”

You gave him a stubborn look. “I’m not going anywhere until we see Sevika.”

“Very well,” he agreed, inclining his head graciously. “This way.”

Carefully, Silco worked his way toward the front of the Haven, adjusting course along the way to stay as deep in the shadows as possible.

“There you are, boss.”

Sevika’s low greeting made you jump. Silco’s reaction was less obvious, but he must have reacted somehow, and he hissed as his hand lifted back to his ribs.

“Will you be able to get him back to The Last Drop safely?” you asked Sevika.

She scoffed at you, but you kept your gaze steady. Eventually, she nodded. “I’ve got some trustworthy people keeping a lookout on the way. We’ll get him there in one piece. Preferably without any more bruises than he’s already got.”

“Thank you.”

You started to turn away, but Silco caught at your shoulder. “Thank you, pet. I won’t forget this.”

You just smiled and returned to the Haven.

---

Author's Note - Thanks for reading and I hope you weren't too disappointed in the lack of spice in this part!

I don't offer a taglist on this account, but you can find other works on my masterlist!

#arcane netflix #arcane 2021 #arcane silco #arcane reader insert #silco #silco x reader #silco x reader fic #silco x you #reader insert #reader insert fic #reader insert fanfiction

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perplexingluciddreams · 1 year

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Using the internet and technology with high needs autism

I have been trying to put this into words for a while, but due to the exact thing I am making the post about, it has been very difficult.

First of all, a short (ish - I am not the best at concise) background of me and technology: Used to play games on dad's phone, and later watch YouTube videos on family tablet (with parent restrictions). However, ability to navigate devices was very limited, and if something went wrong I just panic and give to an adult.

We used computers a bit in school for work and educational games. Every time we went to the "computer area" I would cry because I knew I wouldn't be able to find the webpage on my own, or sign in to something, or type in a word document. At these times in school, usually another pupil would just sigh loudly and then come and do the computer thing for me over my shoulder.

I had an MP3 player that I got for I think my 8 or 9th birthday. The only thing I knew how to do, was play music and google search. But I still didn't really understand what a "link" was, or how to find important information. We were supposed to learn online research skills in school, but nobody ever explained the most simple stuff to me, so I lack the basic knowledge.

I got my first phone at age 10. This was when I also first get Instagram, my first social media (parents set up for me). I was in a group chat for my school year, but the only time I put a message there is when mum asked me to ask a question, about a non-uniform day for example. Nobody interacted with me in there, and apart from the messages I don't know how to navigate the app. I posted a few pictures a few times, but only when someone else recommended, and I didn't interact online.

I have poor language comprehension, slow processing and take longer to learn new skills. My computer skills and especially typing skills are majorly behind my peers. I have slowly learned some skills allowing me to be even on Tumblr in the first place, but I still need a lot of support and it makes me very anxious. Part of my difficultly on social media, is the social interacting part. Mostly due to low interest.

But my biggest challenge is poor comprehension. I get very anxious and upset when I come onto Tumblr and all the posts I try to read don't make sense to me. Especially when the post is about a topic I care about - if I read it and I can't know what people mean, then I will just be very upset for the rest of the day.

Second biggest challenge, not being able to express opinions on important topics. Often, I can't even understand something. Then, I can't form an opinion because it's too complex. Or, I have an opinion, but I don't understand if someone agree or disagree with me from what they write.

I work so hard to gain skills and learn enough to even be here, and then all I can find about people like me is other people arguing about our existence. Want to express my frustration at this. To even write this post I had support from mum, and it takes all my mental energy.

It is true that I have low interest in socialising - direct impact of autism. So social media maybe not best place in the world for me, by default. But I still want to understand and be included. Not be treated like place to just ask "am I counting as high support needs". I don't understand even my own needs enough to answer this for myself - I definitely can't answer for anyone else.

A lot of my challenges, come direct from autism. That's just a fact. Wish it was easier, very often. But also wish it was easier online - I can't be part of outside community, only online.

I post here to express thoughts and feelings, that is also just what this post is doing. I did less big big edit on my words this time, wanted words to be closest to how I think it (don't think in words so not possible to show abstract thoughts direct, but closest to first translation).

#autism #autistic #nonverbal #nonspeaking #high support needs #nonverbal autistic #nonverbal autism #language comprehension #language disability #language disorder #technology #accessibility #from the chaos of my mind

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mintmechs · 1 year

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why the knuckles prologue was perfect

( + my ramblings and analysis of his character as a whole ) in just six minutes, this short animation was able to show off each and every one of the main characteristics that make knuckles KNUCKLES. six minutes of phenomenal writing did arguably more than (without counting the movie, which did so much to restore honor and respect to our favorite echidna) two whole decades of being pushed to the sidelines, made into a punchline and pulled away from where he should be in the first place! and we start with the obvious: 1) HIS ROLE. KNUCKLES IS BACK ON DUTY, PERFORMING HIS FATED ROLE! he's guarding the master emerald and not only do we get to see him standing at the altar again, but we also get to see him introspecting about his responsibilities in a manner very reminiscent of his story mode cutscenes in sonic adventure (1998), yet building off from their foundation:

knuckles is tied to a responsibility without a clear reason, a fated one. he doesn't know the answers or the reasons behind why things are the way they are, only seeing things as objectively as possible because it's all he can truly be certain of; he's had to grow up accepting that no matter what, he will continue to stand guard by the emerald, because it's what he was chosen to do. he's alone in the present, as he always has been, and he's grown used to that independence. he prefers it over anyone's help or company, in fact. that doesn't mean that he doesn't question it, even while seemingly powerless in the face of his destiny. i think having knuckles reflect upon his duty is an excellent service to his character and a necessary one to really have the chosen one trope and its full potential shine. recent years have shown us countless fanon (and canon, thanks to SEGA!) misconstructions of knuckles as dumb, stupid and laughably clueless when that couldn't be further from the truth. he's ignorant, yes! naive and gullible and ignorant but only because of his years of isolation, clueless only because he lacks the knowledge as someone who's been, for the greater part of his existence, firmly dedicated to fulfilling his sacred task as a guardian to angel island. and there is a WORLD of difference here. his ignorance shouldn't conflict with his intelligence. his introspection shows just how much of a deep thinker he is, how curious he is by nature, being born into a land and a civilization enshrouded in mystery. with so much time to oneself, who WOULDN'T question the status quo? 2) KNUCKLES EXPLORING HIS OWN ISLAND! expert treasure hunter knuckles who, thanks to his curiosity and the endless hours of solitude confined to his island, is always seeking to learn more about his home. he's shown to be highly in touch with his surroundings, going above and beyond to perform as its guardian and gaining some knowledge along the way. he may not have all of the answers, but each day he knows more than the last. he's so familiar with angel island, while having so much in it left to uncover.

3) HIS EMPATHY. knuckles has ALWAYS been meant to be empathetic, driven by a heart of gold to help others fulfill their own goals in a very selfless manner and seeing the best in everyone, EVEN when they choose to act upon their worst. this is part of why he's tricked over and over by eggman! he can't deny someone in need a helping hand, and eggman, knowing this, takes advantage of him. he's one of the most selfless characters in the entire franchise, and his selflessness is once again put on the spotlight:

when he sees someone in distress, the empathy is written all over his expression! he's highly sensible to people's emotions and emotionally aware of them, perhaps more than he is of himself. he cares so much and so deeply about others! in spite of having nobody to care for him while he watches over angel island, he doesn't think twice about being there for everyone else.

his tenderness is more important than i can put into words. he's a sweetheart, through and through. power comes from the heart. and speaking of power... 4) HIS PHYSICAL STRENGTH. not only do we get a glimpse of his mind and his heart, but the power of his fists. the rough, brash, badass knuckles we all know and love is BACK full force, and this short makes sure to highlight once more, right along with his mental fortitude and the force of his kindness, just how STRONG he is on a physical level:

these images speak for themselves. knuckles means BUSINESS. and his fists are NOT to be meddled with! he is NOT here to be underestimated! he breaks off a significantly large portion of a CLIFF with just one punch. this fight scene was AMAZINGLY choreographed, 100% serious knuckles, rougher than the rest of them and hard as nails as he always has been. this side of him shouldn't conflict with his introspective side, his inquisitive spirit or his golden heart—they are ALL essential parts of him that can and should exist in TANDEM. exaggerating one or another would be unfair to representing his truest form. a big part of knuckles' character is about keeping things balanced, outside of himself as well as within, and though his temper can flare when provoked, though he can be impulsive and ruthless, he is just as calm and collected and merciful. and if you ask me? this short achieved just that. it struck a PERFECT balance between these traits and in doing so gave us such a careful and true picture of knuckles being knuckles. i hope that frontiers will be the start of a new era of sonic fans, old and new alike, appreciating knuckles' character like he deserves to be appreciated, starring in all of his glory and developing beyond the broken image of him that many people were left with for far too long.

to everyone who worked on this animated short, you have my highest kudos and respect—with just one week before the release of this game and such stellar writing on display ALREADY?, i have such high hopes that this story will deliver something great.

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ddwcaph-game · 7 months

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We're almost there...

Hello again! I'm glad that the majority didn't mind the lack of updates, but since I just finished the most troublesome scene of Chapter 4, I thought I'd post another update.

The only big scenes left I need to write are some conversations with Rosie's parents and Lily's mom, and a short extension to the Chapter 5 preview.

There's still a lot of stuff I need to clean up (like missing code and flavor text), but that shouldn't be as hard as writing a whole scene. Part of why it's taking me so long is because Chapter 4 has LOADS AND LOADS of new secrets, and it's hard to figure out how to structure the scenes around them, especially when I keep adding new variations as I write the scenes.

As much as I hate trudging through Chapter 4, it did flesh out a lot of the subplots and backstory that I've been ignoring.

To finish off this update, here are some of the new stuff I've been working on (on top of what's already in the beta):

2 new traits, 1 new heritage passive, 3 new trinkets, 3 more status effects, Outfits now grant bonus effects

Unlockable Lore/Knowledge Codex in the diary!

New diary entries and updated the old ones with more detail/variations

Choose MC's preferred interjection/swear word (with limitations of course)

B has been added as a crush option in Chapter 2

Revamped the whole crush confession scene with your twin in Chapter 3 (each crush option including B has now their own scene)

Roselyna's BFF scene!

Alternate way to receive The Leap Day Lady sidequest

Reworked "In denial" crush option mechanics

Reworked heritage passives

New setting to toggle background color transitions

New character art

Chapter 5 preview extension

I don't even know how many new secrets I've added

and TONS OF OTHER THINGS

#ddwcaph #chapter 4 #ramblings

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angevinyaoiz · 2 months

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saw Dune 2 (2une?), and since I don't have my dune blog anymore I'll post here, since blah blah this is my place for posting about Dynastic Weirdos. This is long but NO MAJOR SPOILERS, except about like, small detail things that aren't plot things but whatever

Tbh it was disappointing. It had all the correct elements to be liked but one thing grated on me the whole time...the Bad Dialogue and lack of Elevated Speech! Why the hell were all these characters saying stuff like "these guys" "we're ok" and "literally" it took me out of the fantastical world sOOO bad. Super bummer because what I loved about Dune 1 (D-uno?) As someone who went into it before reading or knowing anything was how much it didn't explain, how it let the visuals and the world unfold before you, and how serious and somber it was in a way that gave it a sense of scale and time.

I can only wonder if WB saw all the complaints and tweets about people being like "we didn't understand the first movie!!! It wasn't funny and quippy!!!" And decided to simplify it down so characters just SAY things really obviously and inelegantly. The writing has some competence in moving the story forward but there's no poetry or rhythm to the way characters say things, it's serving "Rings of Power" scriptwriting to me lmao. And it's not like any of the actors are bad? I've seen them do well in the previous movie and in other things, so wtf was going on with the direction. I know people complained Abt Villeneuve saying that whole thing about being more into visuals than dialogue but maybe he was right...there needed to be LESS WORDS. bc much of the words we had were NOT GOOD.

Positivity: the middle and latter part was where the movie picked up for me. The Harkonnen Freak Villain behavior was everything I could have wanted! Finally instead of EXPLAINING everything obviously we got to see a LOT of character building, for Feyd specifically in a very short amount of time. I know a lot of us complained about Bald Feyd-Rautha but Mr Elvis did a very good job. And we got Madame Fenring and weird scifi femdomming finally, which is Essential for the Duniverse! Wonderful fantastic no notes.

Of course, getting back to our heroes, I anticipated this 2 years ago sadly and it was true...the Fremen were badass but SWAGLESS. More Learned ppl have already written about the frustration with the erasure of the Arabic/North African cultural presence so I won't reiterate that here since I'm not super knowledgeable about the specifics of that but even as a casual watcher there was a weird emptiness to the way I feel the society was portrayed. There were individual good character moments, such as fun bantering among the Fedaykin etc, but for Pacing or Whatever they cut out the community aspects that served to make them feel more like well, a People rather than just either Grizzled Soldiers/ Religious Fundamentalists aka Marks/Panicked refugees. I have to guess this was ppl were like "we can't show a culture too cool and colorful and the part with Harrah (Jamis' widow) would feel too ORIENTALIST!!! But the result is something sadly very dry. At least in more older orientalist works, the interest comes from when the ~exotic~ stereotypes figures are able to have charming personalities and personalities and be known as people despite the cliches sometimes but this sadly wasn't even like that....

Jamis' funeral is a good example of this; in the Book, it's a moment where you first get a good look of what rituals are like in this world, and how people relate to each other and to the dead. In the movie, the funeral is looks more foreign and even a little creepy as the water is extracted from the body. There's not really a Personal or community connection aspect to it at all.

The ending was pretty good as it satisfied all the Cool Dune Moments I think we all wanted to see, and also did literally the end of The Godfather Part 1 Framing which was hee hee heh. Anyways, Messiah is MY favorite book of the series personally so curious how they get to that.

Maybe I've been too spoiled by Cool Historical Fiction lately? I've been watching too much of The Devil's Crown where action happens mostly off screen but the dynastic drama is written and acted so compellingly, the historical mindset and setting so alien and yet so human and relatable, it's frustrating to see when works try to do the opposite? Idk??? Dune books themselves is fun in how action is mostly an "offscreen, offstage"' thing.

*if ANYONE in the Universe is a quippy Bastard, it should be Leto II esp in God Emperor where he literally has nothing to do all day but quip all day to terrified acolytes

#Dune 2 #dune part 2 #dune 2024 #2une #Long post #My writing #Not really spoilers in this?

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secretsofthestorymakers · 5 months

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Translating the Runes in Secrets of the Magic Makers

Ok, so I already said in my previous post (X) that I love Secrets of the Magic Makers and the runic writing in Frozen in general, but now I’m going to actually talk about the translations of the runes.

Most* of the runes shown in Frozen movies and shorts are historically accurate and translatable. They are Younger Futhark runes, used in Nordic regions beginning around the 9th century. The Younger Futhark alphabet has 16 runes and is a simplification of the Elder Futhark, which had 24 originally. The Younger Futhark alphabet was used throughout Scandinavia in the Viking Age and declined after Catholicism was introduced. (Source: Runes Illustrated by Rachel Newcombe)

* I say most because the runes in Olaf’s Frozen Adventure on the bell are not historically accurate. They are simply a direct English transliteration of the words “Ring in the Season”

Disney worked with Old Norse language expert Jackson Crawford (you can find his YT channel here (X)) to ensure that the runes in F1 are historically accurate.

Ok, history lesson over, let’s actually talk about how these runes are relevant to the Frozen story.

I did not translate these myself, although I have kind of taught myself how to now. These translations come from Panya on this website. If you are interested in the detailed translations, I would highly recommend checking it out, as it is truly fascinating!

Here is the cover of the book. It translates roughly to Runes of Knowledge, but I believe this book to also be Secrets of the Magic Makers (see my previous post for full explanation).

The inside of the book is 9 lines of text, repeated twice. It appears to say something like

Someone (subject is unclear) was turned to stone (ice?) by the power of the moon. The trolls from the dark mountain realm have healing hands. A soul wounded from cold will heal if brought very quickly to the field of them (the trolls). Trolls have such a nature that they can get sorcery out of the body to save it. Such action done in true love is the only one which can thaw a heart stoned (frozen?) very quickly.

It isn't exactly clear or easy to read, but I think that it tells the story of an ancient Arendellian (possibly Aren, but that’s mostly just a headcanon) whose heart was frozen by some power of the moon. It goes on to say that trolls have the power to remove magic, but that the only way to thaw a frozen heart is an act of true love.

This is VERY interesting as it implies that someone in the ancient past had a frozen heart. It could just be an old story, something that never actually happened. I personally don’t believe there was ever a single person who was the fifth spirit before Elsa and by extension no human who ever wielded ice powers like hers before. Another option is perhaps whoever it was that angered the spirits in some way or ventured too far into Ahtohallan and began to freeze? Or it could be a figurative frozen heart in the sense of a lack of love and compassion. I suppose only Ahtohallan knows this answer.

The other thing that makes this interesting is that it directly says that an act of true love will thaw a frozen heart. Which means that the answer was right there all along. The entire message of love will thaw was summed up here in runes at the very beginning of the movie. This also means that this was part of an Arendellian myth or story at some point and has been forgotten by the time Elsa is born.

So yeah, not really a big revelation or anything, but it is certainly interesting. I would love to know more details about this story and its origin, but again, only Ahtohallan knows. Overall I do think it's fascinating, as it gives us more information about Ancient Arendellian beliefs and traditions that still hold relevance in the time Frozen is actually set. As someone who is OBSESSED with the ancient myths and stories of Arendelle and the surrounding areas, this is so so intriguing to me and I absolutely love it!

#frozen #frozen 2 #frozen analysis #arendelle history

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misscammiedawn · 7 months

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Penlight Spoiler Reviews (Sayori Part 1)

Alright... Welcome to the Sayori segment of my spoiler reviews for Penlight. Sayori route was originally going to be one post but I had to split it in half due to Tumblr limitations.

Download Penlight (Pay what you like) from Itch.io here

My other Penlight reviews: Quick Review - Nozomi Routes - Sayori (Part 2 - Alter)

Turq's reviews: Hiroko Robot - Hiroko Tickling - Nozomi Zombie

So if I've learned anything about these posts it's that you gotta lead with a hook, so... Doll Route and "Alter" Route or Personality Play if you prefer.

I make no secret of the fact that these are my favorite paths in the game.

@spiralturquoise and I are still going back and forth on the route reviews and at present he has done reviews for Hiroko Tickle - Hiroko Robot and Nozomi Zombie and I know Sayori Doll is on his shortlist, so I'll yield a bit more space for him and be brief in my thoughts so I may devote more words to Alter path.

Because of course I have opinions on Alter path. They're glowing opinions, by the way. I mean playing through that route inspired me to write my recent blog entry on ethical personality play.

So-- let's begin.

The first choice in the game, as noted by my original short review, is essentially "are you going to be an ethical hypnotist" will you speak to the girl or just try to brainwash her. Villain and redemption paths are there for if you try to brainwash. Ethical hypnosis paths open if you try to speak.

From there you can either engage Nozomi in her hypnosis obsession or be a coward and miss your opportunity. With a missed opportunity you are given the option to go to other parts of the school.

In other words "go bug Sayori" or "go bug Hiroko"

We'll visit the pink haired gremlin on the next review.

Let's go see why my Penlight tag is "Sayori is best girl" instead...

Sayori is the smartest girl in school. She runs the study club and she gets about 3-5 hours of sleep per night.

In many of the routes she will appear as an observer of the shenanigans that are going on. She knows everyone's characters remarkably well (with one observation I find she is completely blind to, which I may mention during my Hiroko review) and her resentment for Kyou comes from the fact that she sees a focused and attentive person inside of Kyou but he is so self-pitying and uninterested in his future that he does not tap into his ability to succeed at things with focused effort.

For someone who is under pressure from two successful parents to get into medical school, she resents that someone close to her has the makings of brilliance and no drive to attain it.

But she also admires Kyou's potential for brilliance. She wants to coax it out of him. She just cannot reconcile the man she knows he can be with the person he actively chooses to be.

This is what makes the route work in my opinion. Sayori likes Kyou in theory but is so aggravated by him. Their connection is the most organic of any in the game because it would work without hypnosis. They actually have innate chemistry before the events of the game and this is highlighted by some of her actions in routes such as Redemption where she is one of only two people in the entire school (neither of whom had seen the penlight) who remain friends with Kyou after a significant incident.

But in the Doll/Alter pre-routes, Kyou goes to Study Club and meets with Sayori there. There he sees her knowledge and passion at play and recognizes that she is there purely to tutor other students.

She also falls asleep midway through the study session. She's that exhausted. After everyone else in the club has left Kyou sticks around and Sayori...

...sees right through him.

But he notes that he's worried about her lack of sleep (she admits she cannot get on a good sleep schedule because she will just sit up in bed stressing out and has trained herself to "make use" of time she'd be awake anyway) and, after hearing she intends to spend an hour before cram school napping in the study room, offers to help.

He mentions his hypnosis interest and Sayori does a number of things which amp her to the top of my Best Girl list.

1: She identifies why Kyou learned it instantly but decides that giving him shit about it would dissuade him.

2: She notes that helping her with sleep is not hobby hypnosis but therapy and should be performed by qualified professionals.

3: She refuses to engage with this until she has done some research on the topic and can provide informed consent that doesn't rely on being educated by someone who has an unknown motive.

The main three girls of the game come from different levels of trust and knowledge and I find it remarkable how the routes explore that. Nozomi knows the most about hypnosis and is wary enough of Kyou that she calls the shots for most of her routes. Sayori is learning about hypnosis as we go but is inclined to trust Kyou when his statements match her research. Hiroko knows nothing about hypnosis and all her information comes from Kyou, a person she actively hates.

I had described it to Turq as this "Sayori is the only route where it feels like two people on even footing explore hypnosis together". The foundation feels more stable in this scenario.

The next day after school Sayori has lost a couple further hours of sleep in study for hypnosis and agrees that it is safe and can be a good aid for her and so she is willing to give it a try.

Kyou pulls out his trusty penlight and...

Sayori reacts instantly to it.

Intensely.

Kyou gives her a suggestion that the moment her head hits the pillow at night she would fall into a deep and restful sleep.

And it works.

So well that Sayori doesn't wake up in the morning and is several hours late for school. Her perfect attendance record ruined forever.

She explains to Kyou that the moment she hit the pillow she just fell asleep. She didn't even think to set an alarm. It just happened and there was nothing that she could do to prevent it.

Kyou brushes her concerns aside. It was clear that her sleep schedule had been ruinous to her mental health and so her body was just taking the toll. But Sayori is freaked out because she is an over-controlled individual who is striving for medical school and with a single hypnosis session Kyou has invoked a change within her that undid years of self-conditioning.

And with that note we are left to choose between Doll route and Alter route.

I'll start with Doll for two reasons. One, Turquoise is going to say things a lot more eloquently than I could.

Two... this is the route map for Doll

THIS is the route map for Alter:

Even if personality play wasn't a huge topic of personal interest for me, there's just so much more to talk about with Alter.

With that having been said, here's my "I promise I'm trying to be swift" analysis of Doll.

DOLL ROUTE:

This route leans heavily on Sayori's self-advocacy. Kyou wants to start training for the culture festival and Sayori is coming at a base of mistrust from having been freaked out by the sleep suggestion. When Kyou asks to do the doll suggestion Sayori is very firm about what levels of touch she is willing to engage in (she also notes that the concept of "doll" is a malleable term and shouldn't be treated as a universal, something Zombie Route Kyou could have stood to consider).

Not that her mind going straight here could be foreshadowing or anything...

I have resisted labeling routes by their aesop. I think there's so much more to every route than the focus topic. But if NozoZombie is the Abreaction story then Doll is Boundaries and Alter is Lingering Programming.

With boundaries as a theme this route begins with Sayori refusing to let Kyou hypnotize her until she has enough information to consent and her being firm about what Kyou is and isn't able to do. Kyou says that hypnosis cannot make you do anything you don't agree to, but Sayori knows herself and knows her body and...

...she is terrified of the level of control she is surrendering to Kyou. So she refuses to allow him to have any more, even to deprogram her, until she has had time to think things through entirely. Her boundaries are firm and unlike the Nozomi Trance route where Kyou is being shut out by someone who treats him like a trance dispenser, Sayori and Kyou have an open conversation about consent and respect and Kyou has to live with the fact that this is Sayori's mind and he cannot subvert her will without breaking her clearly defined boundaries.

Which is why I like that this route boils down to "pick a good ending or a bad ending". We aren't given options to break Sayori's boundaries or consent because to do so would subvert the story being told. Even the bad/good ending choice is a matter of whether Kyou believes Sayori is being honest or projecting her insecurities. He never betrays her. Not in this route.

Note this isn't a case of "more story has not been written yet" there are many paths on the route tree which are grayed out as a manner of "wait until future updates" but there is only one option in this route and it is fully written.

Though Sayori is skeptical about the penlight and Kyou's hypnosis she is remarkably friendly towards him in this route in a way which she never appears to be with her friends. Sure she is snarky and has a dry wit but consider this CG from early in the doll route.

There is nothing hypnotic happening here. Sayori is just having fun. She enjoys being with Kyou. She's making fun of him for staying up too late in this scene, joking that Kyou is grumpy when he lacks sleep and that maybe he should consider turning in early.

See... as we will learn in the Alter route... Sayori actually does have a light and soft personality. She just doesn't have time for being frivolous and wasting time on friendship nor fun and games.

I'll talk about it in more depth in the Alter half but Sayori's personality shift in that route is treated so well because all the attributes that would make up her alter persona do exist within her, she just has different priorities and perspectives in her unaltered headspace.

I am spending a lot of this Doll route write-up talking about the other path, aren't I?

In parallel to the Nozo-Trance route, Kyou complains about how he is not getting what he wants from this deal (practice for the culture festival) and he accuses Sayori of being unfair in her boundaries. Unlike the Nozo-Trance route, however, Kyou is being unreasonable here. Sayori notes that she wishes to know more about the penlight and firmly refuses to commit to anything until she has reached a level of comfort.

I love her.

Kyou, falling into his worst habits of only caring about a thing while he can maintain his temporary fascination, starts to think of quitting hypnosis and focusing on tech but his (im)patience is rewarded when Sayori calls him after Hiroko's Sunday Tennis Tournament and tells him that she has no wish to go to karaoke and instead summons him to her home.

In which we get a little more on the level of boundaries, power difference and control that this route has to talk about.

Kyou offers to have Sayori at her home but she summons him to her house. She says she will help with the culture festival and put in the application but on her terms. She wants to create the script and she wants to ensure the application is prepared in accordance to her comfort.

...see, Nozomi is the class rep and must handle all applications for the culture festival and thus would learn there is a hypnosis event that will happen.

And Sayori knows Nozomi has a hypnosis fetish. And Sayori knows Kyou is interested in Nozomi.

So she manipulates the situation to lock Nozomi out of the proceedings because she does not trust either of them enough to do otherwise.

A lot of the trust and boundaries of this route isn't just Kyou having to earn Sayori's, it's about Sayori being able to trust herself and her situation enough to lower her guard. She is a rigid woman who believes she can control all the variables. She does not trust herself and that is explored in both routes.

Kyou and Sayori's time together is not so much about Sayori learning to trust Kyou but about Sayori trusting herself to let go and fall into another's hands.

At this point of the story she is not able to do that and she hurts people because of it.

What's worse is... well. I have to stop talking about the Alter route... but suffice to say it serves her purposes to exclude Nozomi in this path.

I wonder how much she will treat Nozomi in another timeline...

And so, at Sayori's house, she agrees to amp up the doll play from just being a arm catalepsy suggestion to feet and invites Kyou to touch her body to test it.

This isn't important but I should note this is one of the only Penlight induction sequences without a dedicated CG.

Turq once said he enjoyed how Angela DeMille treated sitting down as rising action within the context of a hypnosis scene and I feel the absence of a CG is notable, albeit I cannot quite say why.

The leg catalepsy suggestion, brought about by the trigger "booksmart"

As with all penlight suggestions the trigger is so binding that she cannot stand up after Kyou activates it.

They have such fun rapport.

But this route is not a straight line. It's rising and falling in terms of the pairs exploration into hypnosis and with mock exams coming up Sayori wants to get back to study and is frustrated she's allowing herself to be distracted.

Another reason to highlight the choice not to give the player choices here. Kyou's frustration with waiting is never met with an option to force Sayori into further play. He will always yield to her requests.

He is once again rewarded for his patience by Sayori dragging him to the student council office where Student Council President Akiko, a former friend of Sayori's, takes the application for the cultural festival herself.

Akiko is an oddity within the game. I look forward to discussing her route.

Sayori bombs the mock exams and freaks out, returning to Kyou's house and explaining that she was so distracted by how wonderful hypnosis feels and how she wants to stop what they are doing, deprogram. She wants to stop falling asleep the moment she hits a pillow, she wants to stop exploring this frivolity.

The pair fight. Leaving nothing held back. Kyou accusing Sayori of being terrified that she may have fun for once in her life and Sayori stripping down Kyou's character from years of watching him.

My headcanon is that Sayori has a crush on Kyou and I treat this headcanon as fact.

It is at the height of the argument with Sayori and Kyou both having said things that they regret that you can select your ending:

So my praise to the endings of Doll Route is that they inform one another.

Kyou's hypnotic patter has been programming anyone who he aims the penlight at. Including innate suggestions that hypnosis feels wonderful.

She has become addicted to that wonderful feeling and Kyou can realize that if they have a conversation or he could say "Book smart" and remove her ability to argue with him. Because no matter how careful and well planned Sayori was, her lack of trust in having Kyou go in and remove programming such as the sleep and "book smart" suggestions did leave her vulnerable to lingering programming.

Lingering programming... we should talk more about that later...

In the bad ending if Kyou bullies her into admitting how much she desires hypnosis she will cry and talk about how much she enjoys the wonderful feeling. Kyou is the only one who can make her feel wonderful.

Where in the good ending he realizes that the penlight is actually reprogramming her and maybe they should remove the programming and start again.

And so... they make a trade.

Sayori offers to perform Kyou's original doll suggestion, no caveats, no limitations beyond what is appropriate for the pair. She is willing to trust him to be a good man... and in exchange, Kyou can perform the hypnosis with her full trust.

Kyou even tailors the session, knowing how her mind works.

In the NozoDom "Reversal" route, I had mentioned how the deprogramming scene was the longest in the game and how it treated the trust and intimacy of Nozomi (arguably a better hypnotist than Kyou) taking her time and really earning the scene that we the audience got to experience from a first person perspective.

This is the most emotionally intimate scene because it's the payoff to an entire route of rapport building. This is the initial suggestion. This is what Kyou wanted at the start... and it's being given now and it's SO much more valuable for the journey between the request and the honoring of it.

Sayori's trust in Kyou is desperately intimate.

This is just romantic.

One of my girlfriends is not just into doll play. She's famous for doll play.

Treating someone as a treasured toy, brushing their hair, putting them in poses, treating them as pretty and letting them lean all their trust into the intimacy of your touch, letting themselves be posed and used and cared for...

Sayori is a being who needs to feel in control of her life. Even in matters such as the culture festival (we'll get there) she couldn't bare the flexible variable of Nozomi's involvement.

Her trusting Kyou like this is such a big deal and Kyou respecting her and treating her trust as a gift?

I don't have to imagine that as a romantic action. I feel it every single day with one of the humans on this planet I love the most. THIS is what hypnokink is. Power exchange, scene play, shenanigans. It's all fun and games but at the end of it hypnosis is built on a foundation of trust and a big part of that trust is learning to turn off and let someone else lead.

There's a difference between putting your body in the hands of someone else and putting your mind in them. Your identity. It's a malleable thing after all and not everyone on the planet is willing to be vulnerable, open or allow themselves to be altered by the effects of it.

So to find a person you can give and take that trust? It's romantic beyond my ability to define.

The culture festival is a one woman display of full body catalepsy spreading Sayori between two chairs. Nozomi and Akiko are invited to help run the show and it goes remarkably well.

Unfortunately after the event Nozomi is hurt that Sayori locked her out. Hurt and confused because she cannot even explain why it hurts without revealing her fetish and when explaining she cuts Sayori off and excuses herself.

This ending reveals a side to Sayori's behavior. She tries to control variables and is rigid in how she treats people. She refuses to be involved in any social engagement out of school hours (though she shows up to help Hiroko at her tennis tournament and any route that requires her assistance such as NozoZombie. She shows up for her friends but she does not hang out with anyone) and views all connections as temporary. She knows she'll move on from school and never see these people again, she considers her time valuable.

In talking to Akiko, a person she abandoned when student council became more time than reward, and Nozomi in the ending it is revealed how much this cost her in the end.

Sayori's kind of a bad friend.

The doll ending concludes in the study room with some mundane hypnosis.

The bad ending is where Kyou takes responsibility for a toy and makes all decisions for her. Both students crash and burn and Kyou finds himself burned out taking care of another human being, but she is just too reliant upon him and his penlight hypnosis and so he'll just have to do the thinking for both of them.

Another interesting thing about the bad ending is besides the "wonderful" note that you need context for the good ending for, the hypnosis show is stiff and not quite as successful in the bad ending route. Kyou's display of Sayori as a toy is met with more confusion and mild hostility than the display in the good ending.

...and so... let's switch rails and go back to that original choice.

What if Kyou said Make You Think You're Someone Else.

To be continued in Alter Route... (click for the second half)

#dawn posting #sayori is best girl #penlight #visual novel review #itch.io #hypnokink #hypnosis #media essays

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oddella37 · 11 months

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Uprooted an Adjusted: Part One

Neteyam x Metkayina!Reader

This story is/will be a more long term story because I can't write short stories but I will try to post quickly

Summary: Colonel Quaritch is impatient, rather than continuing to uselessly interrogate the Island Na’vi who are starting to fight back, he decides to take one aboard his ship to guide him to Jake Sully.

Part 2

It was a peaceful day when the sky demons attacked. We had been warned of their attacks, of their brutal destruction. They were searching for a man named Jake Sully. Formerly known as Toruk Makto. He was currently seeking safety with the Awa’Atlu Clan. We were asked not to say where he was located as he only wanted peace. Part of me boiled that while he seeked peace others were being brought war because of this Jake Sully.

The killer sky people came and they took. They questioned looking for the man ‘Jake Sully’. We couldn’t understand many of their words, but many of us recognized the former warrior Toruk Makto. I knew I did. My father died fighting with him. Last I heard we had banished these Sky Demons but, of course, they came back like the demonic plague that they were. This time they disguised themselves like us. Well, not like us from the islands, but like Na’vi. Their leader looked similar to the forest Na’vi, tall, skinny, and a darker brighter shade of blue. He was likely one of those demons who inhabit an avatar body while they sleep.

There was a young human boy who seemed to speak our language and translate as they tried questioning our people. We weren’t the first tribe they invaded, and from what we were hearing each attack was worse than the next. Our homes were blazing behind us as each of us had weapons pointed in our direction. A gun was pointed at both our Olo’eyktan and Tsahik as they were yelled at by The Sky Demon Leader.

After a lot of yelling back and forth and translating from the Na’vi speaking boy, the Demons were getting impatient from our lack of knowledge. Suddenly, the tall leader spoke some unknown words and our Tsahik was shoved face into the ground with one of the deadly weapons shoved into the back of her head. The young boy began screaming and crying and with a loud bang our beautiful Tsahik’s body went limp.

Chaos broke loose as our Clan tried to escape and protect themselves and their families.

I let out a war cry as I turned to my captor who was distracted by the others who were trying to break loose. His grip on my Queue came loose enough for me to turn and bite him with all my might. Once he released me, I took off towards this leader of these Sky Demons. Luckily, I was not far away as I pulled my blade from its sheath at my side and leaped at the demon.

I did not get far as a fiery jolt was sent through my entire body. It burned and every nerve seemed to go stiff as I cried at the pain. My body hit the sand and just when I thought it was over I was stung again by the powerful, painful jolts.

My vision blurred and I could not make out any sound but muffled cries from my people, my family. My eyelids felt heavy and although I fought the exhaustion that took over my body, I could not stop its effects as my consciousness left me.

I awoke in an all metal room. The floor was hard and so was the seat I was in. I stood to free myself when I found resistance from my own hands. I found they were bound to the table I had been laid against and began pulling at my restraints.

I stopped when the noise came from behind me and I looked up to see a reflection of the human boy. I hissed and jumped onto the table, turning to the demon boy.

The demon held his hand up in surrender, but I refused to back down.

“I do not want to bring you harm,” he tried to defend himself. His Na’vi was skilled, not awful like the other men who looked more like Na’vi. I did not believe his deceitful words for a second, though, and hissed once again, bearing my sharp teeth at him. He bared his teeth back at me and I couldn’t help but feel impressed by his stance. Almost like he was raised by Na’vi himself.

I examined him further and noticed the faded blue stripes painted on him, he seemed so much like us, but a completely different species.

“These men want to know where Jake Sully is. He is a friend of mine, but their enemy. They think you can guide them to him,” The boy explained to me, “I do not want to help them, but in order to stay alive we must give them what they want.”

“I will give these Demons nothing. I will not betray my people,” I seethed at the boy, “If you are truly friend of Jake Sully you would not help either.”

“I’m only a translator. I am trying to convince them not to hurt more people, but I can only do so much. Please, if you just tell me a direction I can convince them to let you live.” He begged and I scowled at the boy. He had a good reason but not enough for me to help.

“What did they do to my clan?” I asked the boy, my heart filling with dread at the endless possibilities.

The boy was silent. His nonexistent answer, telling me all that I needed to know. “If my family dies for this Jake Sully, let me die with them,” I seethed, sitting on the cool metal table, my arms placed between my legs.

The boy bowed his head and stepped out of the room and as soon as the door closed behind him I began chewing at my bindings, trying to get them loose.

After a bit of my chewing and pulling at my restraints, the door opened again. I looked up to see more of the Demon-Blooded Na’vi in their ugly clothing. My wrists were freed and before I could act they were bound again by the demons.

I hissed as I was pulled off of the table and all but dragged out of the room. A cool metal was pressed to my temple as we walked. Well, they walked, I was pulled.

When we arrived at our destination, I felt as if my heart was ripped from my chest. I saw a beautiful Tulkun, killed by these sky demons. She was being pushed off of the ship to be left back into the water. I felt my legs go weak at the sight. One of our mighty sisters murdered.

“How many must die,” I whispered, a soft sob escaping me as I looked into the lifeless eyes of the beautiful Tulkun floating in the water. I sobbed harder when I saw a young calf swim up beside her and nudge her, looking for his mother to move, make a sound, anything. I stupidly wished she would make any noise as well.

The familiar cool metal was pushed into my temple once again which only made more of my tears fall. The large Demon Na’vi who seemed in charge approached. “Tell us where Jake Sully is or more die,” I was able to barely understand the monster.

“You talk like a baby. A demon baby,” I seethed out as I choked back my sobs. The weapon was pressed harder into my skull as I felt my sensitive Queue get pulled.

“Please just tell them,” I looked over at the familiar voice through my blurry vision. The Demon boy looked so sad, almost like he understood my pain, or tried to.

My lip quivered at the thought of more Tulkun dying. My head fell in defeat. “He is hidden in the Awa’Atlu Clan. East.” I spoke softly.

I listened as the human boy translated my words and the metal was removed from my temple. My body wracked with more sobs as I knew this would just lead to just a much death, but hopefully this death would have an end.

Hopefully the mighty Toruk Makto would defeat these monsters.

#awow x reader #avatar #neteyam #neteyam x reader #jake sully #lo'ak #neteyam sully #reader #avatar the way of water #na'vi #reader x na'vi #neteyam fanfiction #avatar 2 #avatar twow #neteyam x y/n #y/n #fanfiction #part1 #reader x sully

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invisibletoothpasteman · 8 months

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Batman Day Comic Recommendation List

In honour of this day, I've compiled a list of 9 batman, or batman adjacent comics that I think everyone should check out (specifically fans who aren't super familiar with the comics yet). They're my "Batman Necessities" so to speak:

Batman by Grant Morrison: While there are certain some interesting things in this book that aren't really my favourite (a consequence of Morrison writing it), overall it captures such, for lack of a better word, camp. It's has the kind of creativity that makes silver age comics so fun while still remaining modern and serious. There are some great stories, it introduces Damian, and overall is just such a compelling run. In the same vein we get to...

Batman and Robin by Grant Morrison: Ok yeah this pretty similar to the above but I had to include both. I actual prefer this short series to Morrison's run on the main Batman book. It features Dick Grayson as Batman and Damian Wayne as Robin and is a great role reversal of the traditional Batman and Robin. The two of them have such a great dynamic and it takes place during such an interesting time in the Batman mythos with Bruces "death" (which I'll admit I wished lasted for longer. Honestly, any book from this era is a blast because of the brief change in the status quo.

Batman Vol. 1 #408-416, #421-425: If you're new to comics don't be intimidated by all the numbers! Batman 408 introduces Jason Todd's Post Crisis backstory and then the issues roll right up to his death. It's a pretty self contained story, and super easy to fly through. I think these are some of the most painfully underrated batman issues. Speaking of Jason's death, my next recommendation is...

Death in the Family + A Lonely Place of Dying: I won't say much because these are just classics and probably the most impactful comics for the Batman mythos ever. Read them.

Batman: Year One: If you want a good ol' Bruce Wayne Batman comic, this is the one. Beautiful art, timeless story, what's not to enjoy? It's also very influential for other Batman media(like The Batman movie) so if you liked that and want a good entrance into comics, this is a great place to start. It's a contained story too, which is really nice if you don't want to have to piece together stuff you missed from other comics. Definitly my favourite Frank Miller Batman story.

Nightwing Vol. 4 #78-: Sure, it's not Batman, but like it or not, Dick Grayson will always be an essential Batman character. Tom Taylor's and Bruno Redondo's run is a big hit for a reason. It's simultaneously fun, heartfelt, and impactful and the writing and art work so well together. It's such a treat to read every month and while it starts great, I feel like as it goes along it starts ironing out and issues I had with it. Great if you want to get into something ongoing (or even if you don't, read it anyways)!

Scott Snyder's Batman (specifically Batman vol 2. #1-12): New 52 was a tumultuous time in DC comics. On the bright side we got the court of owls out of it! Another really good Bruce Wayne Batman story that doesn't need any outside knowledge. I'm in love with Greg Capullo's art, it suits the series so well. The court of owls is such an interesting addition to batman, and honestly it feels like it's a much older part of the batman mythos it was added so seamlessly. If you want a taste of just a solid, simply batman story, this is it.

Batman and Robin by Peter J. Tomasi: This is some of the best New 52 has to offer. I love how Tomasi writes Damian, and I'm a sucker for his dynamic with Bruce. It's a just gives off the best, action packed comic fun vibes. When it's written well it's written WELL and even when it's not quite as perfect it's still solid. Lots of sweet moments too, which I am such a sucker for. And finally we get to the last rec on my list...

Robin: Son of Batman by Gleason (especially issues 1-6): Ok, yes yes I know it's not really a batman book. But just like Nightwing, Robin is an essential part of Batman and how could I leave out my favourite comic ever. Seriously, this book fundamentally changed me when I first read it. Gleason writing, Gray's art, and Kalisz's colouring all combine and complement each other so well. Honestly it's such a joy to look at, and get's even better when you read it. They get Damian, and he shines in this book. The story is tight and impactful and after only 6 issues you'll have such a deep appreciation for the character (and feel like you've been punched in the gut). I recommend everyone take a little bit of time to sit down and give this a read.

And so concludes my great batman recommendation post! Honestly, there's so many more that could be on here that aren't that the best piece of advice I have is pick up any Batman comic that looks interesting to you and give it a go. In all his years, Batman has had such range in his books that there really is something for everyone. Please feel free to add any necessities of your own!

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adultswim2021 · 10 months

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China, IL: “The Funeral” | May 26, 2008 - 12:45AM | S00E01

This one feels daunting to me, and it’s not just because I cried while watching this. It’s more because I don’t know exactly how to adequately praise this one. I will say, I was excited to revisit this one, and it fuckin’ holds up. In fact, I was surprised by how much of this I remembered, because it’s been quite a while since I’ve revisited it.

Brad Neely was maybe the best thing about Super Deluxe, excluding Tim & Eric Nite Live. I honestly feel remiss not including his Super Deluxe work somehow in a more chronologicalized way.

It wouldn’t be until much later until this became an actual weekly series. When it became a weekly series, it underwent a cosmetic overhaul, with actual animation instead of a rapid succession of stills which this special and Neely’s Super Deluxe shorts used. I always wished they’d stuck with this more minimalistic format; though I may be alone in that. I remember some people saw this show as a harbinger of bad things to come, animation-wise. People who couldn’t hang with Tom Goes to the Mayor for it’s limited-animation probably REALLY hated this.

The plot of this episode: Baby Cakes finds a diary belonging to a woman. She was a professor at his college, where his father works, as well as the professor brothers Steve and Frank. She dated Frank, and secretly despised him. She hated a lot of stuff about her life, and spilled her truth on the pages of her secret book.

Baby Cakes finds out that he’s dead, and in fact the diary was taken from just outside the site of her fatal car crash. Baby Cakes begins to cope with the fact that he’s in love with a dead woman, and also harbors the secret knowledge that Frank, who is despondent, but also oblivious to the fact that she hated him. Eventually Baby Cakes, in an act of posthumous love, dramatically reveals the truth at the woman’s wake. Frank runs naked towards the graveyard where she’s buried his friends all come to his rescue.

I know this doesn’t all exactly sound like a hilarious romp. But Neely has a way with words and funny drawings that somehow make the material hilarious. Nearly every turn-of-phrase in this is meticulously written to be funny, and there are many expressionistic/imaginative tangents from these characters to keep it lively and interesting. There are subtle, blink-and-you’ll-miss-them sight gags. The imagery has great comic and dramatic timing. There’s references to the previous shorts thrown in there for those of us who’ve been along for the ride. It manages to be deep, soulful, hilarious, beautiful, and unpretentious.

It’s frankly incredible that I never got fully obsessed with the original shorts. I think that’s because I didn’t really like watching these on the Super Deluxe website. Sad! As a comedic influence, I underrate Neely drastically. There are all kinds of moments in this where I thought to myself “oh, I try to write shit like this all the time”. It’s sad to say that my barrier for appreciating him fully was a technical one. If I were able to buy these shorts on DVD and watch them in order on my television set, I probably would’ve repeated them into the ground. But.

The shot of the three kids on bikes, sorta apathetically watching the funeral party bury the teacher. It’s a small detail and they show it for like, a second. This bit might be the single strongest memory I have of this show. It’s just so great. Sorta sums up what makes this great, at least in my mind.

Anyway: This originally began airing on Super Deluxe in four parts, with a few extra title cards. It flows great as one long thing, though. It seems like it’s supposed to be one long thing, in my opinion. I watched both versions, curious to see if there was a lack of censorship in the one scene where Frank freaks out and starts cussin’ up the wake of his lady love. The version I saw was still censored. It’s on Brad Neely’s Youtube channel. The thing is, these probably wound up on Adult Swim’s site as well in this format, so maybe the shorts got bleeped too, and and maybe that’s what survives. Not sure.

Hey! GUESS WHAT? I have a wonderful surprise for you.

What follows is my attempt to piece together a complete listing of Brad Neely videos that were ever uploaded to Super Deluxe, along with upload dates and times. I’ve also included the descriptions from Super Deluxe. Where available, there are YouTube links. Shortly after this special, Super Deluxe was absorbed into Adult Swim’s website, where they offered a fraction of the Super Deluxe library with additional censorship to meet Adult Swim’s standards and practices.

NOTE: The running times listed are as they appeared on the Super Deluxe listing. I included them on the off chance that they would be required to help identify a particular video that may or may not have been retitled. For the most part it was unnecessary, but I don’t feel like deleting them. A few of the videos had a 0:00 running time attached, which is why some of them are not noted. I assume that was a glitch, because none of these videos are 0 seconds long.

ALSO NOTE: first there was a non-Super Deluxe short: Washington. I was trying to pin down a date, but the best I could do was I found an article from December of 2006 that said it played as part of the Spike and Mike Festival of Animation. I went to re-find this article and couldn’t. I guess that’s what I get for haphazardly closing tabs. A Brad Neely interview from the Super Deluxe era reveals that he sold the rights to the short to Spike and Mike along with the characters of Cox & Combes, which lead to him creating the Professor Brothers. I think they were characters from Creased Comics.

January 4, 2007 - 10:41 AM EST Professor Brothers - Bible History #1 Who says the Bible is boring? Our favorite scriptural scribbler, Brad Neely, breathes new life into the Sodom and G-town yarn, complete with sexy angels, ca-ca eating and lots of things that'll send you to straight to Hell.

January 13, 2007 - 11:53 AM EST I Am Baby Cakes - Diary #1 The soon-to-be-popular myth of Baby Cakes begins here. In his very first diary entry, Baby Cakes introduces us to his wizard father, his role-playing friends and expounds on what it's like to be a man-child still living at home.

January 19, 2007 - 4:40 PM EST Buh Buh (0:16) I Am Baby Cakes commercial for Super Deluxe [dot] com.

January 19, 2007 - 4:49 PM EST Good Person (0:16) I Am Baby Cakes commercial for Super Deluxe [dot] com.

January 19, 2007 - 4:50 PM EST Party List (0:16) I Am Baby Cakes commercial for Super Deluxe [dot] com.

January 19, 2007 - 4:56 PM EST Cat People (0:16) I Am Baby Cakes commercial for Super Deluxe [dot] com.

January 19, 2007 - 4:58 PM EST Doors (00:31) I Am Baby Cakes commercial for Super Deluxe [dot] com.

January 29, 2007 - 8:43 AM EST Professor Brothers present History Lesson #1 Who cares who shot JFK? Brad Neely's Professor Brothers know the real story behind the slain prince of Camelot. And they've got a single-bullet sing-along that's guaranteed to silence all the other crackpot conspiracies.

February 5, 2007 - 8:45 AM EST I Am Baby Cakes - Diary #2 (3:32) We all have to start somewhere, and Baby Cakes is no exception. Our favorite rapping role-player takes a trip down the family line to bond with his pops and grandpops over King Drunk beers, dysfunction and fire.

February 12, 2007 - 8:45 AM EST The Professor Brothers - Late Date (3:32) If you're late for a hot double date, you'd better have a good excuse-like Frank's. It involves explaining to the Professor Brothers' boss, the Dean, why there are two soiled condoms lying in the backseat of his car.

February 20, 2007 - 8:49 AM EST I Am Baby Cakes - Diary #3 (2:48) A day in the park makes for some strange diary musings in Baby Cakes' world. In his darkest entry yet, Mr. Cakes reflects on death, dream girls and the dreaded Brain Fuckler that he sometimes sees humping people's faces in public.

February 26, 2007 - 8:58 AM EST I Am Baby Cakes - Baby Cakes Sees a Play (2:18) For hundreds of years, Shakespeare's King Lear has asked, "Who is it that can tell me who I am?" Now we have an answer, courtesy of Brad Neely's beloved man-child creation, Baby Cakes. He's not afraid to get excited. Or to see a play.'

March 5, 2007 - 8:49 AM EST Professor Brothers - Office Hours (2:41) The Professor Brothers both like to make time for their students - they even schedule their office hours together. This helps when Steve wants to get Frank caught up on the new Kenny Winker tune. Haven't heard it yet? Let Steve handle the monotone singing and you just rock out.

March 14, 2007 - 8:49 AM EDT Brad Neely - Bring the Gold (1:00) Blime us! This little bastard might be the first rapper in the age of bling to disavow real paper money. That's because Brad Neely's lil' leprechaun only wants you to bring the gold this St. Patrick's Day.

March 19, 2007 - 8:57 AM EDT I Am Baby Cakes - Diary #4 (3:08) A lovelorn Baby Cakes tells his diary, "When I was around her, I felt like a goblin made entirely out of wicked genitals." We ask: who hasn't felt that way about their dad's girlfriend? Especially one named Shirley Moats.

March 26, 2007 - 8:39 AM EDT The Professor Brothers - Substitute (3:11) The Professor Brothers are always there for each other. When Frank needs to skip his US history lecture to run an errand, Steve comes through in the clutch. By offending each and every student with his utterly f*cked up take on America's past.

April 29, 2007 - 11:47 PM EDT I Am Baby Cakes - The Role Play Tournament (2:34) In a perfect world, this jam would stay perched on top of the Billboard charts longer than "Dark Side Of The Moon." Mic in hand, Baby Cakes spits some mad lyrics about D&D role-playing and his two-word philosophy: be aggressive.

May 6, 2007 - 11:25 PM EDT The Professor Brothers - Future Thoughts (2:33) What's the future going to be like? Find out in this bizarro symposium curated by the Professor Brothers. Features cameos by Kenny Winker, Chimmy Chummy and Baby Cakes!

May 13, 2007 - 11:54 PM EDT I Am Baby Cakes - Lies (2:48) Oh, cruel and deceitful world. You have tried to deceive Baby Cakes for the last time. And he's not going to take it anymore (without singing about it).

May 28, 2007 - 1:05 AM EDT The Professor Brothers - Fliff Night, Part 1 (2:39) Oh, what a night Frank had! Seems the Professor Brother was the life of the science department's big Oppenheimer piñata party. That is, until the fliff throwing came to an abrupt end.

June 3, 2007 - 11:21 PM EDT The Professor Brothers - Fliff Night, Part 2 (2:17) Oh, how the fliff has fallen! In the second half of this Professor Brothers saga, Frank recounts how his big boozy night out turned ugly. And left him single again.

July 1, 2007 - 10:36 PM EDT Brad Neely - American Moments of Maybe (2:14) US history? Boooooring. Brad Neely's alternative takes on America's past? F'n yeah! Heck, he had us at the mere mention of Nat Turner's Punchout.

July 12, 2007 - 1:45 PM EDT Kenny Winkler: Now We Can Make Love (1:41) Coming fresh off the success of his hit single, "Don't Trust Me," Kenny Winker presents the music video for his follow-up banger, "Now We Can Make Love."

July 29, 2007 - 10:38 PM EDT I Am Baby Cakes - Diary #5 (2:06) Everyone needs a little time on their own. To wear wigs. To chronicle paranatural sightings. And to catch a Brain Fuckler.

August 12, 2007 - 10:41 PM The Professor Brothers - Movie Talk, Part 1 (2:36) Great news, students! Frank and Steve are now holding a lecture series on the great films of our time. First flick on the syllabus: "A Secret Place To S#!t."

August 26, 2007 - 10:56 PM The Professor Brothers - Movie Talk, Part 2 (2:36) Seems Frank and Steve's film lecture series is a smash hit. Next up for discussion: “Kitty Karloso,” “Ad Nauseam,” and an amusing animated feature.

September 27, 2007 - 8:38 AM The Professor Brothers - Jesus F**king Christ (3:38) Take your seat and prepare thyself for the Gospel of Frank. For whatever reason, the Professor Brother has decided to testify to his American history class about that magical carpenter from Nazareth.

October 14, 2007 - 10:07 PM I Am Baby Cakes - Group Therapy (2:38) Holy crap! Baby Cakes is finally back on the mic. And he's got a laundry list of complaints to spit about. So, just close your mouth when you eat sh*t.

November 25, 2007 - 10:10 PM I Am Baby Cakes - Diary #6 (1:40) What is the meaning of life? That's what Baby Cakes wants to know. But mostly, he just wants to know about human sexuality. In this latest diary entry, Baby Cakes explains it all.

December 7, 2007 - 3:45 PM The Professor Brothers - The T.A. Interview (2:48) Let's talk about real sh*t. Frank and Steve need a new teacher's assistant. One who'll be prepared for after the bombs drop.

December 16, 2007 - 12:26 PM I Am Baby Cakes - The In-House Carol (00:48) Ho, ho, ho! Baby Cakes wants to share a very special Christmas carol with you this holiday season. And take his shirt off.

December 20, 2007 - 8:53 AM The Professor Brothers - Prisoner Christmas (2:50) Prepare yourself: This Christmas, the Professor Brothers are breaking out of academia and into a lil' ditty about jailbirds.

January 22, 2008 - 8:46 AM I Am Baby Cakes - The Coffee Line (2:53) Next time a barista asks you "Grande or Venti," do as Baby Cakes does and ask them right back: do you believe in God babies? Or magic spells? Or nothingness?

February 10, 2008 - 10:47 PM A Valentine From Eva (1:42) Everybody loves somebody sometime. Even if they're one of the most universally despised figures in human history.

April 14, 2008 - 8:52 AM Fxck The Humans (1:24) It was bound to happen. All of the woodland elves, satyrs and hobgoblins are finally coming together for a ragtime protest ditty against us Homo sapiens.

May 5, 2008 - 8:55 AM China, IL: Part One - Romeo & Romeo (3:38) In the first installment of this four-part series, Baby Cakes delves into the diary of a fellow resident of China, Illinois. And discovers death.

May 12, 2008 - 9:16 AM China, IL: Part Two - Lives After Death (2:56) In the second installment of this four-part series, Professor Frank sounds off about Helen Keller and learns the fate of his ex.

May 19, 2008 - 8:38 AM China, IL: Part Three - Cruel Duel (3:15) In this third installment of Brad Neely's four-part series, Professor Frank laments the lust, and Baby Cakes sets him straight.

May 26, 2008 - 8:49 AM China, IL: Part Four - The Lovers Reconcile (2:03) In the final installment of Brad Neely's four-part funeral, Baby Cakes and Frank finally come to that final stage of grief.

AFTER THIS: Adult Swim commissioned a 12-part series called America Now. You can click that link to watch all of them. I don’t have dates for those yet, but I’ll poke around at some point for those.

BEFORE ALL OF THIS: Wizard People, Dear Reader, which I think is from 2005.

#adult swim #adultswim2021 #china IL #brad neely #baby cakes #professor brothers

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