#I have to use Legacy text for it and it's just a pain

[royalarchivist]

Tubbo: I swear to God, Chat - I promise you, if it's the last thing I do, I am going to break up Fit and Pac.

Mike passed the crown of #1 Hideduo hater to Tubbo, and Tubbo took that title very seriously.

[ Full Subtitle Transcript ↓ ]

-

Pac: I have a date with Fit tomorrow! You know the news, Tubbo?

[ Tubbo's Homophobic Arc ]

Pac: I got a date with Fit tomorrow!

Tubbo: You're - no... You're kidding..

Pac: Yeah, for real! Look - Mike shaved my hair you know, and gave me a new outfit so I can be like, sharp for tomorrow. ...You guys like it? You like it, Sunny?

[Judgemental silence]

Tubbo: That's so cool man, what he hell. That's fckin' sick.

Pac: Yeah, thank you! I knew it, I knew you'd- Oh, thank you, Sunny! I knew you guys were gonna love it, you know? I knew it.

-

Tubbo: I swear to God- I swear to God- We need to add homophobia to the QSMP, I swear to God- I swear to God-

-

Tubbo: Guys, I have to do everything in my power to break them up. What do you mean "no"?! This is awful, Sunny! This is awful!

Sunny: But why Pa?

Tubbo: THEY WERE NEVER MEANT TO GET TOGETHER! The stars told me so! They were never meant to actually get together!

Sunny: WHY PA

Tubbo: It's just wrong, Sunny! It's just wrong! I dunno how to explain it to you. It's just wrong!

Sunny: But it's loveeeee

Tubbo: ...If that's what you want to call it.

-

Tubbo: HOW IS THERE GONNA BE ENOUGH SPACE BETWEEN THEM FOR ME NOW, SUNNY?!

Sunny: You're telling me you've never been in love Pa?

Tubbo: Listen, it's just not right.

Sunny: But I like bodyguard Fit and driver Pac :(

Tubbo: I like them too! They're my best friends! But they can't be together.

Sunny: I think you are projecting

Tubbo: PROJECTING WHAT? HUH!?

Sunny: I will find you someone, Pa.

Tubbo: I DON'T WANT SOMEONE! I DON'T WANT SOMEONE IT ONLY SERVES TO DISAPPOINT ME AND GET MY HOPES UP AND LEAVE ME- LEAVE ME NOTHING BUT A SHELL! A SHELL OF A MAN!

-

Tubbo: Sunny - They're gonna hurt each other, Sunny- they're gonna hurt each other! And how will there be enough space between them for me now?

Sunny: Why would they do that if they care for each other?

Tubbo: People that care about each other, Sunny, hurt each other all the time! ALL THE TIME!

Sunny: But I care about you, and I don't hurt you.

Tubbo: No, that's different! That's different! The love that we have for each other is unconditional. Ok?

Sunny: Pa, I think you're just scared.

Tubbo: I'm not scared, I'm logical. All flags look red when you're wearing rose-tinted glasses.

-

Tubbo: [In response to Sunny talking about Aypierre's agreement to build her a statue] You already have a statue! [Sunny hits him] Ow!

Tubbo: What about the one Fit and Ramon made you for your birthday? [Tubbo has an idea] See? Do you think Fit would have time to do stuff like that if he's too- if he's too preoccupied with his little shag buddy? I don't think so! I don't think so!

Sunny: Wait.

Tubbo: See? You see what I'm saying? You see what I'm saying!

Sunny: You have a good point now

Tubbo: See? You under- yes, exactly! We HAVE to break them up! They can still be friends! Fck it, friends with benefits! But they cannot be together. We cannot let them.

Sunny: OK I'M IN

Tubbo: [Claps] I KNEW I COULD COUNT ON YOU! I knew I could count on you!

-

[Looking at fanart of Pac, Fit, and himself]

Tubbo: We- we have to split them up. We have to fckin' split them up. Oh, but I'm in this one! Oh, that's so-[Realizes it's him crying as a third-wheel] SEE?! SEE?! THEY KNEW! THEY KNEW! THEY FCKIN' KNEW! THEY FCKIN' KNEW!

-

Tubbo: [In a thick "red-blooded American" accent] Wha- I just don't understand why they have 'ta keep shoving it down our throats! Goddamnit! I JUST WISH IT WASN'T MY SMP! [He hits his desk and laughs]

-

Dono: Streamer becomes homophobic 'cause he can't get any

Tubbo:

Tubbo: Sunny, I'm just gonna need to brb for a moment.

Tubbo: [Stands up from his desk, walks away, and screams]

-

Tubbo: I swear to God, Chat - I promise you - if it's the last thing I do, I am going to break up Fit and Pac.

#Tubbo #Hideduo #FitPac #QSMP #Edited #Subtitles #January 8 2024 #I have a Hideduo edit I'd like to share too but it's a bit different #I want to get it done before tomorrow but aaaaaa I'm running out of time #Hope you guys like this compilation! #I like this font wayyy more but it's more time consuming to do it this way #I have to use Legacy text for it and it's just a pain #it does look way better though #easier to read #and accessibility is what I always aim for #That's the last time I'm transcribing subtitles my neck back and hands hurt. aghhhh #Tbh some of Tubbo's comments here are so sad #poor guy #also ''They're gonna hurt each other!'' oof #Portfolio

[mysterycitrus]

I'm forever thinking about persephone pt2 when dick talks about robin as a mantle and how mary grayson's death haunts it and how now so many kids have used the name and died with it, and so when I was reading through New Teen Titans #55 recently, kory's thoughts about dick when he goes to bruce after finding out about jason's death really just ripped my heart in two in a whole different way...

"He hasn’t been the same since he found out about Jason. Oh, Dick- I know you were Robin. I know what this means to you that the new Robin died. I know you feel like part of you died, too- but it wasn’t you, honey. Robin died. But you didn’t. You’re still alive!"

yes!!! yes!!!!! im very very happy that connected with u — death in the family + lonely place of dying + new teen titans + war games were big big rereads for me when i was writing that part. my regret is that i haven’t been able to include an interaction with steph (im committed to keeping her as far away from bruce as possible) but yeah it was so crucial for dick to know that robin had literally gotten children killed. partially because it proves that bruce is a hypocrite, and partially to show how divorced robin has become from its original meaning and purpose. my intention was the same as my version of the pearls falling — to change the context enough to give the actual text new meaning!

i did a lot of reading about romani funeral/practises of mourning, because i think how dick and bruce grieve differently are big parts of their respective characters, and also a significant factor in their estrangement post-robin and post-jason. bruce is trapped in the alley metaphorically, but he also maintains his family home as a mausoleum. he spends a lot of time looking at family portraits, thinking about the pearls, seeing himself as a child in the house. jason’s suit remains in its glass box. he is unable to process his grief, nor does he want to. that pain is the driving force behind his desire to do good.

dick is transient by comparison — he’s never shown to have a lot of worldly possessions (he arrives in bludhaven with a duffel bag and nothing else) and his one point of physical connection to his parents is usually just the poster that shows up sporadically in canon. i didn’t want to misinterpret romani practices for a gd batman fanfic, so i tried to introduce different motivation for how dick utilises his own grief to take action. he uses his family to create a legacy for himself to protect their memory.

with that in mind, it becomes even more devastating that bruce has taken that and given it to others, without explaining the reasons behind its creation. literally, like what if dick used the wayne portrait for kindling? that’s probably the closest point of comparison.

dick actually explaining to donna and roy what robin meant vs its legacy that is totally out of his control was also really important. they still call him robin a decade later! he’s their robin! it’s so important to know that that name persists for him, no matter how many others have worn the cape!

#YEAH PERSEPHONE META!!!!!! #dick grayson #bruce wayne #robin #batman #dc comics #the ask and the answer #persephone tag

[besaya-glantaya]

Thoughts on Alex being wrong and loving it

Red White and Royal Blue (2023 movie)

Remember the little quip Henry makes about admiring Alex's willingness to admit when he's wrong? It's such a great moment of foreshadowing, especially since Henry has no idea just how right he is.

Alex prizes himself on being someone who is skilled at reading people, at seeing the person beneath the surface, but he's never come across anyone quite like Henry before.

Alex must be used to people hiding who they truly are - he's been steeped in American politics for years - but he probably isn't expecting anyone from such a legacy of historic power and entitlement to be, at their core, an actual cinnamon roll.

Their initial meeting also comes at a time in Henry's life when any chink in his armour reveals only pain and anger, leading Alex to assume that what lies behind the carefully controlled façade isn't pleasant.

This assumption is only reinforced by further antagonistic interactions, fuelled by Henry's attempts to balance civility while protecting his heart as Alex consistently pulls Henry's metaphorical pigtails.

The fallout from cakegate forces them into extended periods of proximity and we see Alex start to glimpse pieces of the real Henry beneath his bland public persona. Each further piece that's revealed surprises and delights Alex and it's a joy to watch Taylor Zakhar Perez bring those moments to life.

Allow me to ramble about some of these:

1. Alex's pause of panic followed by surprised relief as Henry suavely responds to the interview question, "How did you end up on the floor of Buckingham Palace, covered in cake?" Alex's relief is two fold: he was floundering with no idea what to say (shouldn't have rebuffed Henry's request to prepare for this interview, Alex...) and Henry's answer is not at all what Alex was expecting. Henry could easily have attributed the event to clumsiness or tomfoolery on Alex's part - even just by subtle implication. That wouldn't have been out of line with some of Alex's answers (e.g., "Three words to describe Henry? Um... White, blond and British.") but Henry chooses a more protective route, deflecting attention from Alex, which comes as a pleasant surprise. [Of course he can't show this, so instead retaliates with something as annoying as possible. Cue side eye from Henry.]

2. Alex's big-eyed expression of sympathy as Henry tells him the Palace insisted on parading him around while he was grieving for his father. It's the key moment Alex realises he's built a lot of assumptions on a misunderstanding and has probably treated Henry rather unfairly.

3. Alex frowning at Henry talking and laughing with the little girl in the hospital bed. He's seeing Henry through a new lens and realises this picture doesn’t fit with a lot of his previous assumptions.

4. Alex shaking his head at Henry's joking attempt to decline an invite to his NYE party that most people would kill to get. "That's perfect, you kill me and then I won't have to go." It's the first time Henry uses his sharp wit to share a joke with Alex, rather than directing it at him in a fit of pique. It's an olive branch and I don't think Alex was expecting such easy forgiveness.

5. The sublime series of text based interactions where Alex is surprised and charmed by Henry flirting (under the guise of gentle ridicule).

6. The iconic "I can't believe how wrong I was about you," while he and Henry are as close as two people can get.

7. My all time favourite: Alex's reaction to Henry pointing out the yellow roses on his tie. Henry employs this in a sweet distraction during a moment of all encompassing anxiety for Alex. It's enough to bring Alex out of his fog, to realise how much strength he draws just from Henry being there to support him. The way Taylor says "Oh my god. I'm so grateful you are here," is perfection.

I'm a gooey mess thinking about all the future moments where Alex is surprised and overwhelmed by Henry's kindess.

[Sobs]

On a related note @mulderscully has a great post titled: Alex's headshake of Love™, which captures several of these moments, and more, in perfect gif form.

#red white and royal blue #rwrb #nicholas galitzine #prince henry rwrb #alex claremont diaz #rwrb film #rwrb thoughts #first prince #henry fox #red white and royal blue movie #taylor zakhar perez

[psychicreadsgirl]

Can you do jungkook as a boyfriend? Thanks 🥰

He's similar to the one I did for Mingyu. You can check that reading out.

Jungkook would brag more about his partners to his friends and some colleagues and show their photos/videos to them. Jungkook likes the feeling of being popular.

I'm honestly seeing mostly physical aspects of relationships, so ... this reading is rated R. Read at your discretion.

Jungkook also has this strong desire to make the partner have his baby. He doesn't want to actually raise the child though and be a father. He just wants his legacy to continue, sort of like Elon Musk. Jungkook doesn't like to use protection because he enjoys that feeling of releasing into his partner.

Jungkook also has very strong physical needs/desires so nearly all dates will have some physical aspect to them. He likes embarrassing his partner and seeing them struggle/squirm. He also likes filming these things. I see that he likes to choke his partner and do some intense/extreme play involving pain. He should be careful because someone could end up really hurt/dead during sex. He likes to test the extremes and push the limits so safe words aren't really implemented. So many things that are rated R he probably has all done - whatever genre you think of he probably has done.

He doesn't really gift his partners much. He gives them stuff from his brother's company or gifts that he receives from others like PR stuff etc. He does say some sweet things like you're so cute, you're so pretty, you're the one I'm going to marry, you're my only one, to his partners.

He has very specific "targets". He's the type that the harder you play to get the more he'll want you. He can do a lot to make you fall for him like mold himself into your type. He can cook for you. He can send you tons of caring text messages and be your morning alarm. Then once he has conquered you and has experienced you/knows all of you, he'll move on.

Oh one thing I suddenly am having pictures in my head of is that he likes to go on weverse live or IG live or something live and then he also likes to have a partner somewhere in that live. They'll probably be like in the room that he's doing the live. There'll be some implications of rated R stuff ; he may say some stuff that's actually meant for the partner to hear. This sort of riskiness excites him a lot.

Most of his dates are going to be at his place or his partner's place or another friend's place or at some party/club. I do occasionally see some dates outdoors like at a park very late at night or at some mountain very late at night and those also involve some rated R stuff. I'm pretty sure H&be has done a lot to cover up his tracks.

He does like to give each of his partners some token or some little gift to symbolize that they are his. He'll also want them to post/wear those items like on IG or tiktok or whatever social media platform. Or he likes to make them have a piercing or tattoo on them like prove you love me then you tattoo or pierce yourself. He does like to take some item that's precious to the partner as his. Perhaps it's a stuffed toy or a piece of clothing or jewellery or a picture etc. Even when the relationship ends, he'll revisit that item to trigger memories of the rated R moments.

He isn't really the type to text much once he and his partner are dating. He also isn't really the type to call much too for deep conversations.

I do see a lot of his partners thinking that they'll be his only one and that he'll marry them. Some who have realized that they are not his only one are very upset and frustrated. They feel very powerless because even if they were to reveal what happened, no one would believe them and in a way they feel like they consented to everything bc they loved them at one point.

#psychic readings #kpop predictions #celebrity readings #kpop readings #celebrity predictions #relationship readings #love readings #jeon jungkook #jungkook #bangtan boys #bangtan #bts #relationship predictions #love predictions

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

For Matthew

One of our dear crewmates, Stephanie, lost her son back in 2022. They both watched S1 together, and tragically he passed away not long after. Stephanie has been an active member of our crew for years now, and she reached out to Rhys and he made a lovely Cameo for her.

Some of you may have already seen it as she's been kind enough to share it with us previously, but after talking with Stephanie and hearing about who Matthew was, I wanted to put together a small dedication to him, and share Stephanie's words with you with her permission. 

-- Dedication --

Matthew was 39 years old when he passed away, one of the original OFMD crewmates. He was a quirky, deaf, funny, and talented man who gave the world kindness despite the struggles he went through. He loved theatre, movies, video games, local art, and independent restaurants, and made a positive impact on everyone he met.

Matthew made his debut as a professional backyard wrestler in 2002 in the Phoenix New Times, and he worked on many well known video games in the industry doing development and quality assurance. He was truly a child a learning, and a true pilar of support in the community, and spent a great deal of time laughing and bringing light and joy to the world.

With his last wish, he donated his body to science, continuing on his loving and supportive legacy. Matthew was a wonderful man that was lost far too soon and his mother Stephanie, as well as anyone who knew him miss him so very much. Below is his obituary if you'd like to learn more about this wonderful crewmate of ours. 

We salute you Matthew. You are the embodiment of all the kindness, acceptance, support, and loving things that embody Our Flag Means Death as well, and we're honored to have you amongst us in spirit. You are greatly missed, but never forgotten. 

--- Stephanie ---

"...I wanted to share something with the fandom about my journey with OFMD and wondered if any of you have experienced some personal growth right along with Ed and Stede (and of course many others in the crew).

My 39-year old son told me there was a show we had to watch that just dropped. He says "you'll love it because Taika's in it and we love pirates.” I laughed and said, “I’m in.”

I had no idea what it was about, but he and I had watched Black Sails together and he’s right—we love pirates. Within minutes of the pilot, I was completely won over and enjoying every moment of piracy on the Revenge. “What we’re about to do will be perilous . . . . “. From that moment on, I was in deep. We binged the first 3 episodes, rewinding to replay scenes and went mental when we realized that we had to wait a full week for 2 more episodes. My son and I would text about it non-stop and we both started quoting lines and getting even more invested. He was sending me meme's and screenshots and we started living our best pirate life.

By the end of the season, we had laughed, cried, and thoroughly discussed every aspect of Ed and Stede's growing relationship. We felt the pain of the cliffhanger and became “mentally devastated by what [we’ve] witnessed” and we certainly didn’t bottle it up.

We talked non-stop about the show. It became a daily thing. Articles, interviews, pictures and joining in the quest for renewal. Once it got renewed (PRIDE month), we were on the lookout for any posts or information about signs of filming, etc. We couldn't wait for the second season and were counting down the months after we knew filming wrapped.

Then the unthinkable happened. My son went into the hospital after having a slow recovery to multiple surgeries. Cliff Notes version: He was admitted and within 24 hours, he was in ICU on life support. My son had an extensive medical history beginning when he was an infant. 42+ surgeries and many air-evacs to Children’s Hospital so it was kind of the norm to go in and be out within a few days or week and be on the road to recovery again.

If you met him, you wouldn’t even know he had all the medical issues he had because he worked full time and carried himself like a stand-up comedian--always laughing and telling stories. He was a video gamer who had worked in the industry for 7 years until he had to take a leave to handle his medical issues and have a job that didn’t exceed 40 hours.. He was really a character and had a lot of funny mannerisms. 

This time was different. He didn’t rally and 10 days later he tragically died from a fungal infection that they couldn’t identify until it was too late to treat.

He died in June, 2022, and the grief has been unrelenting and unbearable. I have literally shut down and spent the months grieving and in so much pain that I can barely leave the house and see anyone. It has broken me. When I saw the actual date that S2 would drop, my emotions were so intense because I didn't know how I could possibly watch it without him. I finally went on and rewatched Season 1 to prepare for Season 2 and found myself crying through the entire 10 episodes every time I thought of his witty banter during the season.

I wasn’t sure I could handle Season 2 without him. I talked about it a lot in Grief therapy and decided I would watch it with him and for him. I would try the first episode and see if I could do it. I would imagine all the conversations we would have had.

Matthew understood being different. He was Deaf and spent so much time in and out of hospitals and was bullied and teased his whole childhood. Even with all of that, he grew up to be loving, kind, accepting of all, and a VERY FUNNY guy.

On the day I started S2, I remembered that Matthew enjoyed being on the groups on Reddit for OFMD. Having never done Reddit, I was nervous, but decided I would see if the online community would be something that would give me the thing I missed so much . . . his commentary.

I couldn't believe how it opened my world up. Everyone was so nice and open to discussion about OFMD. The banter, information and excitement has been so restorative for me. It has given me a lot of healing to say the least. 

I binged the first 3 episodes for S2 and went through it with all of you watching Blackbeard fall into the worst version of the Kraken that he had been and felt every emotion during the s2e3 Merman scene. Laughing and crying, laughing and crying, I waited for each week craving their reunion would finally happen and celebrated on-line with the entire fandom as we shared our analysis and thoughts.

Having a show that means so much to me has truly made me so happy. I loved that Ed and Stede are a middle aged couple and that they both had to grow so much to get to the point where they could be together in life as a beautiful and loving couple. I appreciated the writing so much because DJ and crew did really give us what he said he would, but in a far better way than I could have ever imagined.

I still need a s3 because I want to see Ed and Stede mature even more as a couple--no more leaving each other! I also want to see them meet up with their found family.

I want to see the new Revenge adventures, Spanish Jackie and Swede, Izzy legacy moments, Zheng, Oluwande, Wee John, Jim, Archie, Fang, Frenchie, Black Pete, Lucius, Buttons the sea gull, the perfect music and emotional parallels to past episodes and, of course, revenge for Minor Prince Ricky, Is that asking too much? I'm sure I left out so much else I want to see, but you all get it because you are stuck in this vortex right along side of me.

I dream of HBO/Max renewing this sooner rather than later so I can start thinking of when they will be filming and following all the hints that unfold. This show means so much to me and I am grateful that it exists. 

I feel like I can be a better version of an ally to the community I love so much by immersing myself within all the representation in this treasure trove of storytelling. I learn so much by seeing these relationships develop into deep and committed love and have such respect for all of us who just want to see these relationships normalized everywhere in society. We all benefit from inclusion and I am very very grateful for this show. It means more to me than I could ever explain.

I'm sorry I rambled, but I am just so appreciative of all the people in this group who just share and talk and roll around in all our in-depth chatter.

I celebrate this series and everyone that worked so hard to provide this beautiful story. I feel my son's presence every moment I watch it (on repeat) and discuss it every single day.

Izzy's (Con's) death scene touched me deeply . . . thinking about losing my son and how that felt and how I held onto him for as long as I could so I wouldn’t forget how it felt to hold him. Taika's commitment to the pain of losing Izzy felt like it paralleled all my feelings since the loss. Izzy's deathbed voice and words have lived in my heart ever since.

Con and Taika were top tier and seeing all the crew's emotions as they watched what was happening felt so raw and touching. I also felt so much from s2e3 when Ed is dead and Stede is begging him to live . . . I lived that as well, convinced that my son would somehow prove them all wrong and open his eyes. I said it over and over and when Ed opened his eyes, I just felt every single emotional hurdle.

Yes, I was a bucket of tears through it all, but I also felt a lot of healing. I’d love to hear from any of you who have had some kind of evolution or growth from this gift of a show."

----

You can reach out to Stephanie here on twitter if you'd like to discuss some of your experiences as well.  SRC: Stephanie's words per her permission. If someone doesn't have access to tumblr, they can read about Matthew on the Repo:

Cameo: Rhys Darby - For Matthew

#ofmd #ofmd crew #cw: death #our flag means death #our flag means us #cameo #rhys darby #dedication

[homestuckexamination]

okay, you do homestuck, right? ive got this project idea in the works. basically, its homestuck, but thematically inverted. i havent actually finished homestuck, but I made it a long way in, to around Dirk's Derse Coup. i have some questions if you dont mind.

first of all, ive observed thus far that Homestuck id about discarding yourself. characters gradually lose defining traits and get closer to the platonic ideals of their classpects. strife specibi seem to represent that which ails our heroes. to become a god, you must sacrifice your earthly waking body on a magic bed, succumbing to an endless sleep to live forever within a dream. for my version, I wanted to do the opposite, having characters become more of themselves instead of less, and kill their dreamselves to truly "wake up," but first i need to know if these observations are actually valid if you read the whole story, and more generally, how valid is this idea?

any help would be appreciated, thanks!

Now let me preface this by saying: You can do anything at all. You're not restricted by anything other than your own creativity, and largely speaking, so long as you think it's cool/works, any approach is valid. Similarly, Death of the Authro, yadda yadda, there's all manner of divergent readings on a text. So anything regarding personal projects is really largely up to the taste of the author.

That being said, if you're asking me on my take on this theme in the text of Homestuck, I'd say that while you've definitely noticed one of the Big Themes of Homestuck, I'd argue the way Homestuck goes about it is the inverse- Taking the 'Platonic Ideal' of a character, while some characters that achieve Ultimate Self status are in fact better off, namely the Sprites or those sidelined in some way, the loss of self that comes with it is largely showcased as a Bad Thing in the instance of those who already were more important/relevant to the main cast. Even then, and while intrinsically tied to their Classpect, the characters still have their own particular spins on the Classpects- A Classpect is too broad a concept to have a singular 'Platonic Ideal', just as often times the Platonic Ideal of their character can contain contradictions in the 'whole' of their existence!

Homestuck is, first and foremost, a Coming of Age story about Teens growing up into Adulthood, with all the pain, trauma and baggage of carrying the legacy of their world, and their families, on their shoulders, in one way or another. SBURB wants the characters to go through an Arc, develop, and become worthy gods, but as we see time and time again, this is not always necessarily in a character's best interest, and the idea of the Self, what makes you You, if you're still You as time passes, as your body changes, as you become something metaphysically completely detached from what you used to be, and how this affects your interpersonal relationships and your relationship to the world around you, is far more complex than simply 'discarding traits to become closer to your Classpect's Platonic Ideal'.

You succumb to sleep in the Quest Bed, but simultaneously, you do wake up as your Dream Self. Whether you take this as being taken by this Platonic Dream, or truly Waking Up to the true nature of your existence, that's a matter of taste and views. Likewise, this doesn't make the characters that didn't God Tier or die and become their Dream Self any less likely to undergo changes to their Self and 'wake up' in their own right.

It's a complex story! It tackles a lot of themes of the self, agency, growing up and the like, and that is always messy. Some are happier becoming something else. Some cling to what they were. Some were always hiding what they truly were. Some are still figuring out. And that's fine. The metaphysics of SBURB are a device to explore the different ways all of this affects the characters! So the most important thing I'd say is less the validity of the observation in regards to an Inverted Version of Homestuck based on your views, and more:

How would this scenario affect the characters differently, and what new hurdles/feelings/predicaments would this create in their development and the story?

#Homestuck #HSE #Dream Self #Class #Aspect #Prospit #Derse

[see-arcane]

Do you have any writing tips that work for you?

I acknowledge that the first draft's probably going to suck.

There are probably holes in it and the same sentence repeated ten times and enough typos to make the dictionary gain enough sentience to cry in despair. That's fine. That's how first drafts are supposed to be. Future drafts exist to fix that. me @ me: Do Not Worry About the First Draft.

If I don't have to write in cold blood, I do not do it.

Unless I'm writing something on the clock for a job, I am writing for me, me, me. Scribbling is my hobby. My beloved terrible sandbox to play in. If I am not having fun building X Sandcastle, I pivot to Y Sandcastle. Because sometimes it's not always a matter of, 'Oh, you just want to get through the boring part to get to this neat scene!' Sometimes a story just loses its flavor in the moment. And if I'm not having a good time with it, oftentimes I'm writing garbage I'll end up deleting anyway. Not worth throwing that time away. No Fun? No Write.

I get inspired! (positive)

Reading or watching something with the Vibes I want for my current project gets my brain battery going. Sometimes I'll even catch myself going into 'parrot mode' to break through a writer's block by going, "Well, if it was happening in X Universe and using X Style of storytelling, what would it sound like?' And then I'm off.

I get inspired. (spite. loathing. hatred and bile unending.)

Being inspired to make something new in the footsteps of your most beloved storytellers: uwu🌸

Being inspired to make literally anything without inhibition, be it a story or a bowel movement, because either one would be a step up from the flaming legacy of horseshit inflicted on you by a Particular Piece of Media: owo 🔪

I can't stop. I can't stop.

I have two Word documents open right now. I have ten notebooks in use. I cannot go one (1) day without writing unless I am physically paralyzed with illness or pain, and even then I am thinking of Things I Will Write once I'm upright. My Muse is the most giving one around, but said giving is hitting like a waterfall and I am perpetually flattened into the Earth's crust by the sheer abundance of WRITE WRITE WRITE blasting into my head at all hours.

But on that note, one of the best things for my writing?

Forcing myself not to write.

Seriously.

Taking a break that involves Absolutely No Creation of Text is vital. Reading. Drawing. Watching a new movie. Making a meal that takes more effort than 'dumping some Cheerios and an apple in a bowl to eat next to the computer/notebook.' It all helps me unplug and not go insane with making scene after scene after scene. Writer Brain needs to cool off with Non-Writing things or it'll catch on fire*.

*Read: Lead to full burnout on a story that I genuinely wanted to work on. What a waste.

#my writing #writing about writing #may some of my nonsense help you in your own scribbling :3

[americanbrffan]

On September 8, 2022, the world lost a beacon of light. And while sad for our loss, her earlier words were a reminder of those she was reuniting with, and who could be sad at that.

On this first anniversary, I'll be reflecting on her legacy. I'm pasting the text of her 2020 speech because so many facets of it are just as important today. And how amazing is it that she mentions the NHS rainbows in her speech, when the universe marked her own passing with a double rainbow, which appeared before any public announcement had been made. [I still believe the second rainbow was Philip welcoming her.] 💕 💕

“I am speaking to you at what I know is an increasingly challenging time. A time of disruption in the life of our country: a disruption that has brought grief to some, financial difficulties to many, and enormous changes to the daily lives of us all.

“I want to thank everyone on the NHS (National Health Service) front line, as well as care workers and those carrying out essential roles, who selflessly continue their day-to-day duties outside the home in support of us all. I am sure the nation will join me in assuring you that what you do is appreciated and every hour of your hard work brings us closer to a return to more normal times.

“I also want to thank those of you who are staying at home, thereby helping to protect the vulnerable and sparing many families the pain already felt by those who have lost loved ones. Together we are tackling this disease, and I want to reassure you that if we remain united and resolute, then we will overcome it.

“I hope in the years to come everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge. And those who come after us will say the Britons of this generation were as strong as any. That the attributes of self-discipline, of quiet good-humoured resolve and of fellow-feeling still characterise this country. The pride in who we are is not a part of our past, it defines our present and our future.

“The moments when the United Kingdom has come together to applaud its care and essential workers will be remembered as an expression of our national spirit; and its symbol will be the rainbows drawn by children.

“Across the Commonwealth and around the world, we have seen heart-warming stories of people coming together to help others, be it through delivering food parcels and medicines, checking on neighbours, or converting businesses to help the relief effort.

“And though self-isolating may at times be hard, many people of all faiths, and of none, are discovering that it presents an opportunity to slow down, pause and reflect, in prayer or meditation.

“It reminds me of the very first broadcast I made, in 1940, helped by my sister. We, as children, spoke from here at Windsor to children who had been evacuated from their homes and sent away for their own safety. Today, once again, many will feel a painful sense of separation from their loved ones. But now, as then, we know, deep down, that it is the right thing to do. While we have faced challenges before, this one is different. This time we join with all nations across the globe in a common endeavour, using the great advances of science and our instinctive compassion to heal. We will succeed - and that success will belong to every one of us.

“We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again.

“But for now, I send my thanks and warmest good wishes to you all.”

- Queen Elizabeth, April 5, 2020

#queen elizabeth #we will meet again #one year anniversary #her majesty #qeii #queen elizabeth ii

[sjhhemmings]

“Happy Birthday”

kelly severide x platonic fem!reader, andy darden x sister!reader (idk if i’m using the exclamation points right sorry guys)

a/n: i thought this would be cute, i don’t know if im going to do very many love interest kelly stories bc i rlly just see him as a big brother figure so majority will prob be y/n under platonic and sibling pov’s. I also figured I should write for someone other than Otis for once, but dw those are still coming ;)🤎

^^ continuation: idk if his birthday is correct I honestly did one google search and couldn’t find anything so i just made one up because i feel like he’s a capricorn LOL. also i basically completely made this timeline up because i don’t know if the seasons qualify as one whole year so im gonna say season 6 is 6 years after Andy’s death im so sorry if im wrong haha.

warnings: angst, fluffy, swearing, alcohol, not proofread so anything i missed?

Y/N’s POV:

January 3rd, six and half years after Andy’s death and everyday still feels the same without him, dull and empty. I’ve worked through it though, just trying to take life one day at a time. The pain began to feel less prominent as I’ve learned to live with it. But today is my birthday. Which is a never ending reminder of who I don’t have with me which is Andy. Another reminder is that today is also Kelly’s birthday, so today feels like pouring acid salt into a cut so deep I can see bone.

Kelly and Andy were best friends growing up, and since Andy was friends with Kelly, I was friends with Kelly. They always brought me along everywhere with them, even when they didn’t want or have to. It was funny growing up because they would pretend to be firefighters and talk about how they were going to save the city one burning building at a time, and me being the 6 year old I was when I started playing with them, I decided that being a paramedic would be easier. You know because fighting fires is only a man’s job according to 6 year old me. So when Kelly and Andy were off to the academy to fight fires, I was off to a school of my own to help them when they get hurt. Now after what felt like a hundred years i’d finished becoming a PIC and craved more in life. So I met up with both Andy and Kelly and told them I was also going to go to the academy to become a firefighter. Andy was thrilled, he talked about how I could continue working at 51 with both of them and it would be amazing. Kelly however did not feel the same. He thought I was making a mistake, so when I went to school and finally graduated, Andy died. This only made me more determined to finish out his legacy and finish the job he wasn’t able to do. 5 years later I was a lieutenant at firehouse 90 since I could no longer bare the pain of working with Kelly anymore, and I was offered a job to go fight wildfires in California. Now a year and a half later I’m back.

I was two years younger than my two older brothers even if only one of them was really blood related. Kelly and I’s birthday landed on the same day though and that made Andy go all out every single year. So yeah, it truly sucked when Andy died and the extravagant parties, and food, and people died along with him too. Today marks 6 and half years of our brother being gone and Kelly and I haven’t spent this day together since. I miss him, I really do but it hurt so much without Andy. Our birthday was just another reminder of him being gone. But now 6 years later I’ve finally decided to put my big girl pants on and celebrate with him.

Kelly was never a birthday boy. He hated all of the attention and gifts, and if it weren’t for me at least sending him a “happy birthday ❤️” text every year to fill the radio silence every other 364 days of the year, he probably would’ve forgotten that he has a birthday at all. But today that will change.

Since Kelly is still a firefighter at house 51 and that happens to be the house i’m transferring to now that i’m back in Chicago, I decided I would surprise Kelly. It’s the least I could do since we practically haven’t spoken in almost 7 years.

One week prior, Third Person POV:

“In exactly one week we will have a female transfer on squad 3. She’s been in California for the last year in the wildfire division of L.A. You guys will welcome her with open arms accepting her back into the 51 family. It’s been a rough year, wildfires are very different from the typical structure fires we see almost everyday. You will be patient, and understanding, and treat her with never ending respect. The only reason she isn’t a superior officer to the lot of you is because she declined the offer…That’s all. You’re dismissed.” After Boden makes his announcement almost the whole house is confused due to the nuclear bomb he basically just dropped on them.

“Um what?” Otis says out probably the most confused of them all.

“A female on Squad 3? Who is she the she-hulk?” Cruz adds on with a joke no one laughed at.

“Do you have a problem with that Cruz?” Boden asks furious at his blatant sexism.

“No sir.” He says in response and sits lower in his chair.

“I’m just confused that we don’t even know who this chick’s name and she gets to waltz in here like she owns the place. How does Severide feel about this?” Someone from the back asks with each word just pissing Boden off even more.

“For your information, she worked at house 51 for 7 years as the PIC then transferred to house 90 to become a working firefighter. After two years of working on Truck, she quickly became Lieutenant, then after three years she was offered a position in California. So yes, she does get to ‘waltz in here and act like she owns the place’. Now for your information her name is Y/N Darden and I don’t give a damn how Severide feels because it’s my goddamn house and what I say goes!” Boden says with complete rage which shut the rest of them up.

After what felt like an eternity of awkward silence Casey spoke up, “She’s family Chief and we’ll treat her as such, we won’t let you down.” He says half serious to scare the rest of the men and women in the room, and half excited because he gets to see you again. Luckily for your surprise to work out, Severide wasn’t on shift that day.

Present Day, Third Person POV:

You stood nervously outside the conference room awaiting your grand entrance to surprise Kelly. As the seconds count down to break the six year technical no contact with Severide, the nauseous feeling in your stomach continues to rise. God you’ve missed him.

“Now please welcome your new Squad 3 member…” You hear Boden’s prominent voice say as he approaches the door to open it for you, “Y/N Darden.” He finishes as you walk through the door and immediately all of the old faces that you’ve missed from your past become familiar again. You can only spot a few new faces, but before you fully process that your eyes land on Kelly’s in the back.

You watch as his face morphs from complete shock and excitement to anger and disappointment. Before you get a chance to say anything though he speaks up.

“What the hell is she doing here!?” He shouts at Boden which immediately pisses him off.

“Severide, calm down! You can either welcome your new team member as her lieutenant professionally, or you can walk out and talk to me privately in my office. We’re not causing a scene in front of my men and women right now.” He says patiently like he’s talking to a toddler throwing a tantrum.

“You know…this is bullshit! Hell no!” Severide shouts once again with all eyes in the room on him he waits a few seconds before he approaches you.

“You need to leave.” Is all he says as he walks out the conference room doors and you’re now standing there in the front of the room embarrassed as ever. Your face would be emotionless if there wasn’t tears falling down it so you quickly wipe them and mutter something along the lines of “this was a mistake” as you rush out of the room.

Boden stands there angry and everyone else doesn’t know what to do. Before anyone does anything though, Casey quickly goes to follow you and tells Boden he’ll handle it.

“Um…as for the rest of you, you’re dismissed.” He says walking out slowly while rubbing his jaw. This was going to be a long day.

“Hey Y/N, wait up!” Casey yells as he runs after you, you stop dead in your tracks at his voice and you turn around now showing your red and puffy face.

“Hey c’mere.” He says as he pulls you into a hug causing you cry a little harder, “Hey, shh, the birthday girl shouldn’t be crying on her special day, okay?” He says as he pulls you away from his chest and wipes your tears himself.

Surprised he remembered your birthday, your hands rest on his biceps as he does so and you sniffle and chuckle as he still treats you like a little sister. God you’ve missed him. And everyone here for that matter.

A little while later Casey brought you to his office so you guys could have a safe place to talk and not be overheard by the others. “I don’t know why I thought he would be happy to see me…” You say as you sip some hot cocoa. It was your favorite winter beverage and since it was your birthday he made you a cup of his famous recipe. Matt always made the best cocoa.

“I wouldn’t worry too much about it. He’ll come around, it’s a tough day and seeing you unexpectedly probably added onto that. Not saying that you’re the cause but just the reminder you know?” Matt says leaning back in his desk chair and tapping his pen on the top of his desk you give him an unsure smile showing you understand what he said.

5 hours into your first shift back at 51 it has definitely not gone the way you were expecting. From the blow up this morning and a winter weather advisory deeming it unsafe for you guys to attend to non life threatening emergent calls you guys were stuck at the house. Not that there was a lot to do, it’s just despite being locked in a building with Kelly, you have no idea where he’s gone.

Sitting around the table in the common room you were telling stories about some wildfire calls in California catching up with the others.

“So there I was dangling out the side of the Helicopter hanging on with one hand over about 30 acres of straight fire, I had barely any grip but my chief advising that call had figured out how to stabilize the helicopter with resources around him so he could get 30 free seconds to help me back in. It was probably the most scary and exhilarating feeling of my whole existence-“ You say but trailing off as someone caught your attention out of the corner of your eye you finally see Kelly.

“Wow! That’s actually insane Y/N i’m glad you’re okay-“ Otis said a little too intrigued in ur story, but you cut him off as you get up to talk to Severide. “Sorry excuse me Otto, I’ll be right back.” You say running off towards Kelly.

“Yeah Otto, she’ll be right back!” Cruz says dying laughing at you not knowing his name.

“There is no way she doesn’t know who I am or my name! We worked together for four years, I mean yeah I was only a candidate but still!” He says genuinely hurt you don’t fully know who he is when he’s had a giant crush on you for years now.

“Hey Kelly wait up!” You shout following him to his office.

“Go away.” Is all he says before shutting the door in your face.

“No! Please can you just hear me out?”

“Go away Y/N!” He yells again but this time louder with his voice cracking.

“Let me in Kelly. Please.” You finally beg rattling the now locked door handle.

Ignoring you he shuts his blinds which only causes you to be more stubborn. Sitting outside of his not-so-soundproof office you start annoyingly knocking on his glass door.

After about 3 minutes of this he opens the door. “You have 5 minutes.” He says surprising you so you jump to your feet and follow him inside.

You sit on his bed and don’t exactly know where to start your explanation so the two of you just sit in awkward tension for about 30 seconds of your 5 minutes.

“I meant it Y/N you only have 5 minutes. Start talking.” he says breaking the silence and starting a real timer at which you roll your eyes.

“Happy birthday.” You mutter watching his eyes go wide.

“What!? You said start talking so I did. I’m paying my respects to my lieutenant!” You raise your voice a bit at his aggression defending your actions.

Still met with silence you sigh and begin explaining, “I only had a year contract in California. I was always planning on coming back to Chicago.” You first admit trying to clear the air unsure if he was mad that you went there, or for any other reason.

“I’m sorry if this was a mistake, I just thought it would be nice to see you again.” You admit starting to feel guilty.

“You know what would’ve been nice? A goodbye. A notice. Even a text just saying, ‘Hey I’m going to California for the next year, see you when I get back!’ Or maybe before that a goodbye saying you’re leaving 51 and transferring to 90, that would’ve been nice. Not just showing up to work a week after your best friend died and finding out the only tie you still had to him left too!” He shouts at you almost triggering your waterworks again, but you can see he definitely triggered some of his own.

“You know what Kelly, I get that, and i’m sorry!” You shout back but taking a deep breath before continuing. “I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye, you didn’t deserve that. I’m sorry your bestfriend died. You didn’t deserve that, but I want you to know, my fucking brother died! and I didn’t deserve that! I’m sorry you were just another reminder of what I didn’t have and I couldn’t even think about you without wanting to throw up! You know you two were so similar? Basically the exact same person, but when he died, that part of you died too. He died in all of us, so it’s not like I just lost him! I lost both of you and it broke my fucking heart. I love you Kelly, I truly do, but please don’t blame me when I had to take the measures to fix me before I could be there for you. You weren’t-aren’t the same person you were before and neither am I! But I’m back now, ready to start again, and be there for you if you need me, if you are too.” You finally finish your rant and see the tears falling down Kelly’s face as yours once did only a few hours ago. He sniffles a little bit leaving you on heard so you get up to leave but he grabs your hand and points for you to sit back down.

“I won’t stay if you don’t want me too. I can leave at the end of shift and go back to 90 just say the word that you don’t want me on your squad.”

“I don’t want you to leave, Y/N. But I can’t be responsible if you end up dying too…” Kelly finally breaks down after getting the last sentence out and you stand up pulling him into a hug.

Pulling him away from you and cradling his face in your hands you wipe his tears just as Matt did for you earlier and you say, “Kelly, I won’t die. and if I do it won’t be your fault, just like Andy’s death wasn’t your fault either. It wasn’t anyone’s, it was his stupid mistake for not listening to a confirmed order before going in. I know it’s bad of me to blame the dead for his death, but it’s true and he can cry about it from his grave if he has an issue.” You chuckle at the last sentence as does Kelly and you both smile.

“You’re just gonna have to trust me Severide, okay?”

“Okay.” He whispers back and places a kiss to your forehead then resting his forehead of yours. God it was nice to have your brother back.

At the end of shift Kelly brings you to Molly’s where Herrmann had set up a surprise party for the both of you. It was a good night. After a few drinks and being separated from Severide he finally comes and talks to you again.

“Hey there’s the birthday boy!” You greet Kelly with a hug and kiss on the cheek.

“Hey, um, Otis just told me earlier on shift you called him Otto?” He says dying laughing.

“Yeah and?” You say genuinely confused?

“That’s not his name! It’s Otis!?” Kelly continues laughing at how you could’ve screwed that up and your jaw drops.

“You’re kidding!” You say feeling horrible now.

“No i’m not! You worked with that kid for four years before you transferred how did you fuck it up that bad!” Kelly exclaims as the both of you are dying laughing.

“Omg, I feel so bad! Do you think he’d forgive me?” You say looking around searching for where he was only to find him already staring at you.

Kelly looks in his direction then looks at you and nods his head yes. “Something tells me he’d forgive you.” he says knowing about his love struck elevator guy.

#chicago fire #one chicago #brian otis zvonecek #kelly severide #kelly severide sister #andy darden sister #cute #angst #fluffy

[warwickroyals]

PSA: You do not need to combine multiple screenshots into one long image if you are using or have access to the new post editor. You can post up to 30 images instead of 10. It also now works better than the legacy editor (generally). I can't imagine 30 slots not being enough, I've never come close to exceeding that limit and my posts sometimes tread on the longer side. Either way, you can always just break the post up into multiple parts.

To be honest, when I used to combine my posts this way it was always a pain in the ass. Not only is it an extra editing step, I thought the gap between screenshots looked like shit and it reduces the quality of the text/screenshots. Please save your beautiful eyes and use the new editor instead 😚

#warwick.text #also it's more accessable to readers this way #although i now most people include transcripts anyway

[fallout-lou-begas]

I feel like you've shared your thoughts before on why you don't relate to settings/stories where the process of transitioning is 'solved' through what is functionally a instant button or spell etc and the character then proceeds to not need to interact with their transness again and you much prefer the approach you've taken in IKROAH, but I can't seem it find it. Any chance you know where it is or feel like elaborating on it again?

the short version is that i don't enjoy depictions of trans people who have undergone some form of sci-fi futuristic full-body transmogrification or have taken some fantasy magic transformation potion to become the person that they are (in the context of IKROAH, I used to get asked a lot, "why doesn't Agnes just get a lifetime supply of hormones/her whole body replaced by an auto-doc?") because it's a depiction of trans people that has had transition completely excised out of it. a single perfect procedure that just makes you into who you would have been if you'd been born as the other one instead. this is, to start, really boring. it makes me feel like the author views early transition people, or visibly trans non-passing people in general, as unpleasant or unsavory or otherwise worth just glossing over. meanwhile, i love such people. is there room for them in this world you've created where a perfect cis-congruent body is just one potion away? or where "transition" exclusively happens somehow conveniently off-screen, and when they come back they're all "done"? if you're going to go this route then at least tether it to some very real familiarities: how are these procedures gatekept; what structures exist that allow them to continue being gatekept; what happens to the trans people who cannot access these procedures; how do the people who get these procedures feel about this disparity; etc.

because the defining condition of my life as a trans woman is artificial scarcity. my hormones are constantly getting delayed. electrolysis costs $10,000 and is one of the most excruciatingly painful things on the planet to undergo. i feel like a silly pervert even just thinking about how i'll one day have to explain to an uncaring insurance company that a breast augmentation is actually a necessary procedure. in the meantime i just keep living. sometimes it sucks. it's a lot better than it used to be, because i've got years of experience now, but it still sucks sometimes. this is transition. the constant, perpetual process of becoming and stabilizing where your personal needs and material conditions intersect. it's beautiful and frustrating and means everything to me. these magic sci-fi/fantasy solutions that just "solve" the "issue" of being trans with no drawback, no difficulty, no viscerality, no fragility, they just leave all of these things that mean so much to me completely on the table. shapeshifters and fantasy solutions can make for interesting subtext but trying to make it text just seems so hollow because, like, i'm sorry, but no, this bears zero resemblance to how transition works for real people on the planet earth right now, you cannot have your cake and eat it too

like, in Star Trek, Jadzia Dax can stand in for a lot of trans stuff. she even has to deal, often, with the legacy of her "past identity." but before saying "she's literally trans!", what if the woman's body that the trill was put into was a trans woman, who was transitioning, who is actually literally trans. what if there was an actual literal trans woman on the ship that she could interact with, "compare notes" about such significant "life changes" as it were. i've got huge transsexual feelings about a ton of characters from random shit that just give me vibes or things to think about. and to reiterate i absolutely love transsexual subtext. but i also love it when characters in genre fiction actually put hormones in their bodies sometimes or otherwise live transsexually in settings where that isn't possible with whatever it takes. but the final thing, and this is the most crucial, is that i also don't want any of these literally transsexual characters in genre fiction to ever talk like they know what a BLÅHAJ is.

#asks #gaysteland #louposting

[zalia]

The Continuing Adventures of a D2 Player in D1

I am partway through the Taken King expansion now! I have comitted Regicide, explored the Dreadnaught, and even bribed Shaxx to make me a sword. And I have more thoughts about it!

The Bad

Killing Oryx was... kind of anticlimactic tbh? I know the real death is in the raid, but it genuinely felt like just one more mission. There's no real feeling of completion like there is in D2's DLCs, at least partly because D1 is very sparse on cut scenes and character interactions. It feels like you kill Oryx and no-one gives a damn because there's so few character moments to round it off. 'Oh, killed a Hive god? Must be Tuesday.'

The trend of not explaining anything continues. Several of TTK missions leading up to killing Oryx involve Eris shouting at us repeatedly that 'you must become ascendant to follow Oryx!'. No, she will not be explaining what it means to be Ascendant or why it is so important (I mean, I know because it's been nearly 10 years and I have read the lore, but if I hadn't it would be utterly baffling)

There are these patrols you can randomly get where you pick up a mysterious signal. They have several steps and require you to do random things to progress them - the patrol text is (deliberately) glitched and resolves as you get closer. For example, I had one where one of the steps was to do an emote, another step was to kill hobgoblins etc. I love this idea, do not get me wrong! I like the idea of picking up this random signal. But as far as I can tell, these patrols don't lead anywhere. At the end, Ghost says 'At least we know what the message says, even if we don't know who its from'. AND THEN NEVER TELLS YOU WHAT THE MESSAGE SAYS. I have to wonder if this was something that was meant to lead to content that got cut, or was a hook left that could be used for something in future. Possibly something to do with the Nine would have worked, given the random nature of the messages.

*sob* Getting good armour is such a pain. And confusing.

The jump down to the area with the first secret chest in VoG is *horrendous* especially since you can't mantle. There's no ledge to jump from opposie the entrance. (I have not run the whole D1 VoG, but you can break in by doing certain things without having to do the plates).

Who the hell decided that the destination material for Mars, a planet which is predominantly a red-brown colour, should be a RED-BROWN ROCK?!

The Good

One of the missions in the lead up to killing Oryx involves you having to stealth through Crota's End raid area to steal a piece of his soul. The enemies have a red ring around them you need to avoid or you'll be seen. It's actually pretty cool! very atmospheric too, and nice to have a mission which isn't about brute forcing your way through enemies. I think the stealth system would need some tweaking to make it genuinely fun for more than a one-off thing, but it was a nice change of pace!

The Dreadnaught is a really awesome patrol area. It feels huge, there are lots of nooks and crannies to explore, hidden bridges you need Ghost to see, tunnels to crawl through. Plenty of secrets. Gloriously creepy. I am not even close to finishing exploring (at least partly because I keep getting lost - my sense of direction is garbage in games)

There are different Vanguard Strike playlists available: Legacy, Taken King, and SIVA crisis. Vanguard strikes are different depending on where you are in the story!!! I did not know this going in. There's one strike I've done a few times on the Legacy playlist, where a Fallen Archon escapes from the Prison of Elders. I got it yesterday on the Taken King playlist. Starts out the same, then partway through you go into a cave system. Previously, those caves have involved fighting Vex. Went in last night and it's full of Taken! That was a shock. And progressing, the rest of the strike is full of blights and when you reach the Archon fight, the Archon has been taken! It was a really cool thing to experience, especially going in without knowing beforehand. Doing something I thought I was familiar with and having it change up on me was great. Similarly, the Omnigul strike (the one the Disgraced strike is based off). The dialogue has changed up to kind of move the timeline and have it set after Oryx's fall, and the first room, which has previously contained only Eliksni... now you get ambushed by Hive too! I really love the idea of Vanguard strikes evolving with the storyline - it makes them feel more connected to the world state. I know we've had updates for Lake of Shadows and Arms Dealer in a similar way, but god i would love more!

The vault is split into sections so you can see just your armour, just your weapons, just your other assorted junk, instead of one 600 space mess.

I am getting so much practice using Golden Gun. In D2 I have used Blade Barrage almost exclusively, but since starting D1, where Blade Barrage does not exist, I've started using Deadshot in D2 as well and I'm having fun with it! I even got into a crucible match in D2 and got several golden gun kills which was nice!

I'm more willing now to use supers in D2 instead of always saving them for the boss XD It is a space magic game and I should use the space magic more.

Other Thoughts

I cannot decide how I feel about the currencies+destination materials On the one hand, I am constantly running out of glimmer. It's much more scarce and hard to get and the amount you can carry is much much lower (25K I believe) and you need it for levelling up weapons and armour just to get the perks. Collecting destination materials is necessary and can be kind of a slog (also you need different Ghost Shells to get the trackers for different materials). I know getting the exotic swords later is gonna be painful because you need to get a material that has a low drop rate. Legendary Marks are random drops from doing activities too, and you need them to buy any legendary gear. You can hold 200 of them at a time, and some of the stuff costs 175 Marks. On the other hand, it makes acquiring weapons and armour something a bit more special and valuable. In D2 I can just go to Banshee and buy whatever I want, and make that glimmer back in approximately ten seconds on any destination. I currently have max engrams with all the seasonal vendors, and a whole lot with the ritual vendors and I decode them just to junk whatever comes up a lot of the time. Destination materials... exist. And have no real use. I feel like the ease of acquiring weapons in D2 means I don't appreciate them. And I don't branch out and try new weapons much. I junk the majority of the random drops I get without even bothering to look. In D1 I end up trying out pretty much any purple weapon that comes my way because I don't have that many to choose from. Needing to acquire destination materials means that I spend more time exploring and poking into places I wouldn't normally bother to in D2. Will that side room on the dreadnaught have Hadium flakes for me? IDK, better check it out because I need them! So my rate of play feels more leisurely - wandering a patrol zone without any real purpose feels more rewarding, even when I'm returning to places like the Cosmodrome. So yeah, conflicted about this. We'll see how I feel later on when I have played many more hours of D1

y'know, I would love it if they brought the Dreadnaught back as a destination, maybe for Episode Heresy (the Hive one) after Final Shape. But not the Dreadnaught as it is in D1 - the Dreadnaught after 10 years of being derelict, picked over by scavengers, fought over by different Hive factions, slowly rotting after the death of its master. I think there's a lot that could be done with it - new Hive cults forming in the depths? Taken monstrosities? Some of the descriptions of areas on the Dreadnaught also talk about how Oryx kept specimens from conquered/destroyed species there, and tortured and experimented on them. Ghost at one point comments that there are things even the Hive fear and have yet to be able to weaponise. So... what else is still trapped on the Dreadnaught?

Shaxx has a line when you bring him Oryx's sword Shaxx: That sword shard you carry... is that the dreaded Willbreaker, Sword of Oryx? I have not seen such a blade in many years, Guardians.' I know it doubtless means 'hey, I was on the moon during the Great Disaster. I saw some shit', but the way it's phrased is so specific that it's a great jumping off point for fic ideas XD

#destiny 2 #destiny the game #destiny 1 #meta #gaming #video games #the taken king #ttk #my thoughts

[hollowknightinsanity]

baby. fuck you

[Image ID: A black sketch of an infant bug, curled up on the ground with its eyes closed, drawn on a dull pink background. There is an arrow pointing at the child’s head with text that says, “Full of leaf”. /End ID]

This is Somber, the newborn child of Holly and my self-insert, who i still haven’t made.

Said self-insert is a silkworm moth, and I’m thinking of making him half-wyrm, but I’m not sure if I’ll actually do that

Anyway, logistics and uh. Lore ig? Under the cut

Ok, so. In my AUs, Holly (THK) is a hybrid between a Rootkin (White Lady’s species) and a Wyrm (Pale King’s species). Rootkin are strictly an egg-laying species, but Wyrms are capable of both laying eggs and giving live birth — it mostly depends on the environment/subspecies the Wyrm belongs to.

PK is part of the subspecies that gives live birth, but using his Soul magic, he’s capable of fertilizing eggs from laying species, such as Rootkin and Weavers, hence Hornet and the Vessels.

Holly takes after their mother — this is true across all my AUs — and as such, they adopted her reproductive system, so they lay eggs.

They had a condition that caused them to begin producing and laying eggs early, and started laying when they were 14. Now, this sucked for them in various ways; for one, early egg production and laying is very painful, and considering the state of their (mostly missing) organs, their pain was amplified tenfold when they started.

Secondly, if their parents found their eggs, they would immediately be outed as impure, and they did not want that. At the time, they thought that if they were outed, their parents would literally kill them — which isn’t true, by the way, but they had no way of knowing that — so they kept it a secret.

Initially, Holly attempted to just hide the eggs, but after a while, they started worrying about the hiding place being found, so they began destroying the eggs instead.

They laid once every two months, and every egg they laid was broken and thrown out. What exactly they did I’m unsure of, but I feel like they’d crack the eggs into some type of disposal area they made/found, and crush the shells into dust.

Anyway, they destroyed all the eggs they laid, except for one.

When they were 16, about a week before their sealing, they started thinking. They thought maybe, if they did get out alive, if they did escape the Black Egg, then maybe they could have a family. Keep the Pale King’s legacy going. They knew he was poisoned with Void and destined to die, so they thought that maybe if they survived, they could keep Hallownest alive by birthing an heir.

So, they took the last egg, and made a nest in the Queen’s Gardens, where they decided they would hide it, and they placed two Seals of Binding on it to protect it in case the nest were found by the Mantis Traitors.

The egg and nest were very well hidden, though, so nobody ever found it. Holly was sealed, and that was that.

Decades later, after escaping the Black Egg (which they heavily doubted they would, but hey, a bug can hope), they and my self-insert (who I’ll just call K here, I’m still trying to figure out a name for him) met and started a QPR. They ended up getting very close in their relationship, and Holly decided to carry out their plan from when they were 16. Though, instead of wanting to continue Hallownest as a kingdom, they just wanted a family.

At some point, after Holly gets quote-unquote “outed” to PK about their impurity (he knew since they were 10, but they didn’t know that), they ask K to come with them to the Gardens, as they had something important they wanted to speak to him about in private.

Some conversation happens, and Holly shows him the nest and tells him that they want to start a family. Because I need to be super self-indulgent when it comes to my writing sometimes, he of course agrees, and the 60-year-old binding-protected egg is fertilized, and later hatches into the itty bitty baby in the sketch, who Holly named Somber.

Google’s definition of somber is “oppressively solemn or sober in mood; grave,” and I believe that would fit the AU perfectly, so the child is named Somber.

For an in-universe explanation for the name, Holly would name their child after themself, I think. According to Google, a similar word to somber is solemn, which could mean either “not cheerful or smiling; serious” or “characterized by deep sincerity,” which both fit their life to a T.

As for when exactly this takes place, all I’m sure of is it happens after they out themself to PK. Maybe it’s somewhere around the same time the rain oneshot happens, or maybe a bit before or after — I’m not sure. It’s just around that timeframe.

Anyway thank you for coming to my ted talk, I will now sink into the fuckin. Swamps of Sadness from The Neverending Story.

#hk #hollow knight #hk au #hollow knight au #au #my au #hk art #hk fanart #hollow knight art #hollow knight fanart #art #my art #digital art #hk oc #hollow knight oc #oc #my oc #self insert #selfship #oc x canon #cc x oc #fankid #hk thk #hk hollow #the hollow knight #funny silly art #hk normalcy #*normal sounds* #ORIGINALLY I WAS SUPER EMBARRASSED ABT SOMBER BUT I LOVE THEM SM NOW #THEYRE MY BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY BABY

[knightsteapot]

☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ COUPLE TIME +1

Chap I | Chap II

Dick Grayson x Latina!reader

SMAU | fluff

Light mentions of +18 activities, nothing explicit.

Author's notes 🌞: Don't expect a big plot out of this series, I just want to give you guys some comfort after a long day of working hard at whatever you're doing. Remember that taking breaks is healthy and necessary.

Don't forget I'm writing a Jason Todd's series too, that one has an interesting plot, action and soon... Some smut. Thank you for reading!

Also,I won't be using the line layout anymore, I love it but it shows the time and it breaks the fantasy hahahaha. I hope you don't mind. Comments and reblogs are super appreciated.

The hotel was charming, of course, Bruce's money could pay something more luxurious but the rustic vibe of the place was enough for you, it was warm, private and nice. Dating one of the Wayne kids was a whole new thing for you, it came with a perfect picture experience; galas, cocktails, luxury brands, champagne, gowns but despite how tempting that sounded it wasn't what you were looking for when you started dating Dick, actually, you ignored who he was the first time you two met in the line of a concert in Metropolis city.

You remembered that day perfectly, and always wondered why a rich boy would be in line for a concert instead of paying for VIP treatment, later on you discovered he wasn't exactly fond of the typical rich boy's life, no, he was a good person, a bit of a show off and dangerously charming, but a good boy in general terms, a funny one as an extra plus. As it was magic things between you two developed in something more than a cool friendship and soon enough you found yourself sharing with him the Wayne experience, after the first year of relationship you started sharing the Batboy experience, you'd never become a vigilante but you were there to help in any way you could. You became part of the family as if it was your destiny.

The life you built with Dick was like that hotel; simple yet beautiful in its own way. You couldn't ask for more. Settling into a new country was one of your greatest challenges, it was hard, scary but in between the loneliness and the uncertainty, Dick held your hand making you feel at home.

Your phone rang waking you up. You felt tired, your body hurt, you needed more sleep and probably some food... After a deep sigh of resignation you checked your texts only to find yourself red and dizzy. The current situation was embarrassing.

You convinced yourself that it was entirely Dick's fault and that Damian believed your dirty lie. Unable to sleep more you decided to take a shower, today's activity didn't involve Capybaras but it involved hiking, a beautiful scenery, some nice food and quality time with your boyfriend... and his baby brother.

Time went by quickly, Damian, Dick and you were eating a light breakfast before starting your journey into the beautiful Perú with the promise of a wonderful experience once you arrive to some secret river with a wonderful story, probably related to the indigenous communities and their legacy, you hoped.

Perfect location, great company, stunning scenery, awful body state. Your legs were screaming for you to stop and rest, you couldn't help but feel heavy, sleepy, did you regret it? No, who'd regret fucking Dick Grayson? And the fact that he was walking through the natural landscape with so much grace was bad for your mental health. On the other hand Damian looked like the happiest kid in the world, and he probably was, it made you smile because following your show off of a boyfriend and having general body pain was absolutely worthy of it meant Robin himself had the chance to act like a child.

And just like your first adventure took place. Dick was, oh, so nice that carried you on his back, guilt acting most definitely. You couldn't make it to the river, that was an experience for another day, but you had a great time exploring a cave, sighting exotic birds and having typical Peruvian food for lunch, it was heavenly.

You loved Gotham but moments like that made you think of the day in the future in which you'd have a normal life with Dick, far from the danger, the villains, the constant threat of death.

"A penny for your thoughts"

"It's nothing, it was a nice day, isn't it?"

"It was. It always is when I'm with you and Damian."

"How charming, Mr. Grayson."

"By the way, sorry for being so rough lat night. I didn't mean to hurt you. We can take a bath when we arrive to the hotel."

"It's okay, I asked you to be rough, I liked it. It's just I wasn't expecting to wake up so early and well, hiking wasn't a good idea."

#☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ knight of the peony #nightwing x reader #dick grayson x reader #dick grayson x female!reader #Nightwing #dick grayson #batfam x reader #damian wayne #batfam

[celestiall0tus]

Miraculous Paradise - Chapter 20 - Get Out Free

Beginning || Previous || Next

            Zoe moved around her room as she tore it apart. She gathered her personal possessions into a backpack along with the saved allowance that Andre had given her. Silkii materialized and watched Zoe.

            “What are you doing, spiderling?”

            “Opportunity knocks, Silkii. I have a chance to escape.”

            “Escape?”

            “Yes. I’ve waited for a chance to get away from these wretched people and now I can. With your power and someone out there who understands me.”

            “The fox woman, right?”

            “Correct. You should have seen her eyes. I wouldn’t believe a word out of her mouth, until I saw her eyes. She’s known pain. She’s been an outcast. She understands me.”

            “So?”

            “So? So, it’s huge. I can finally be with people like me. Just like back in the States. I can finally have a new family.”

            “What’s the point? People always betray in the end.”

            “You’re wrong. My people would never betray each other. We had each other’s backs through thick and thin. No one was left behind or stabbed in the back.”

            Silkii laughed. “Yeah right.”

            “Look, these blue bloods may not understand a lick about loyalty and family, but us ‘peasants’ know the true value of it. The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.”

            “Oh, please. You mortals tell yourself that, but in the end, even that is false. You all betray each other in the end. Loyalty means nothing.”

            “You’re wrong, and I’ll prove it.”

            “Yeah? How?”

            Zoe put the backpack on. “Silkii, sever the thread.”

~~

            Felix threw the front doors open to the Agreste mansion. He charged for the stairs while Adrien trotted in after him.

            “Felix, wait! I want to talk to you,” Adrien called.

            “Not until I do,” Colt remarked.

            Felix froze on the steps. He looked up at Colt at the top of the stairs.

            “Uncle Colt? Is Felix in trouble?”

            Colt attempted to maintain a neutral face but cracked a smile. He stepped down the stairs with his phone in hand. He held it out for Felix to take. Felix eyed it suspiciously but took it. Colt grinned and pressed play on the video. Adrien ran up to see what it was while Felix’s heart dropped. The video was an amateur recording of Void’s illusions beating him up after chasing him around the city.

            Adrien grimaced. “Felix?”

            Felix sneered and pushed the phone into Colt’s chest. “If you’re just going to mock me, do it through texts like you usually do.”

            Uncle Colt, you know Felix is Cat Noir?”

            “Of course, I do. I’d recognize my son anywhere. Granted he didn’t hide it that well to begin with.”

            Felix sneered. He looked up to face Colt when he heard Emilie’s shrill voice.

            “Good afternoon, my baby boy! How’re you doing?” Emilie asked Adrien.

            “I’m great! I went out to have breakfast with Felix, then he took me to his friend’s house where I got to meet other people my age.”

            “You did? Were they-?” Emilie started.

            “Colt, what are you doing with Felix?” Amelie interrupted.

            “Nothing. I was just-,” Colt began.

            “Colt was informing me that Grandmother and Grandfather had found a bride for me,” Felix cut in.

            Amelie paled. “What? What did you say?”

            “A marriage has been arranged for me, and I accepted it,” Felix answered.

            Tears welled in Amelie’s eyes. “No. No, please. You can’t, Felix. Is this really what you want?”

            “What I want has never and will never matter. Not when I am the one responsible for carrying on the family’s legacy. Everything must be done for the good of the family.”

            Amelie’s face contorted between desperation, despair, horror, and rage.

            Emilie moved out of the way with Adrien. “Now, let’s be reasonable. Felix, I’m sure you can still find happiness, right? What you want does matter.”

            Felix laughed. “Thank you, Aunt Emilie, but I will not fool myself. I was reminded that isn’t true and after having a taste of any kind of escape, I’ll take whatever has been chosen for me as I always have.”

            “But-!” Amelie yelled.

            Gabriel cleared his throat and got everyone’s attention. “I apologize for interrupting, but, Emilie, I must speak with you.”

            Emilie gulped and nodded. “Right. Adrien, we’ll be back.”

            “Ok. I’ll be in my room.”

            Emilie hugged Adrien as she went with Gabriel. Gabriel led Emilie to their room. He shut the door, then sat on their bed with Emilie.

            “Emilie, I saw the news broadcast last night,” Gabriel said.

            “O-oh? What news broadcast?”

            “Emilie, I know it was you. That fairy woman. I would recognize you anywhere.”

            Emilie forced a smile. “I… I suppose you would, wouldn’t you? Well, what now? Are you going to stop me?”

            “I know better. I don’t agree with the course you are taking, but I am here for you.”

            “You… what?”

            “I don’t think getting involved with magic and miracles any more than we already have is worth what comes after, but I know why you do it. And, at this point, it’s a little late to back down. Not with the cult following you’ve gathered after a mere night.”

            “I see. Well, what will you do, Gabriel? If you won’t stand against me, will you stand beside me?”

            “Yes. I am here for you through this endeavor.”

            “You are? Would you maybe then accept a kwami and fight with me if the opportunity arises?”

            “Yes. For you, Adrien, and our family. I will do what it takes to keep you all.”

            Emilie smiled as her eyes misted over. She fanned herself before she hugged Gabriel. He smiled and hugged her back.

            “I love you, Emilie.”

            “I love you too, Gabriel. So much. So very much. Hey, Gabe, perhaps we should check on Adrien. I hadn’t seen him all morning,” Emilie remarked.

            “Give him some time to rest. I would rather we check on Amelie and Colt and to make sure our home isn’t running red with his blood.”

            Emilie stiffened. “Oh, shit! You’re right. Let’s go.”

~~

            Andre sat at his desk as he worked on paperwork. There was a knock on the door, but he ignored it. He assumed it was Audrey coming to him about some trivial problem or just to make demands of him. The knock came again, but he ignored it. There was a third knock before the door opened. He sighed and looked up, expecting Audrey’s shrill voice, but there was silence. He froze seeing Widow advancing towards him. He reached for the phone, but she threw a dagger into the machine.

            “Who are you? What do you want?”

            Widow remained silent. She pulled up a seat and made herself comfortable.

            “Please, I have no real power. I’m just the mayor. I’m sure-.”

            “You’re exactly who I’m looking for.”

            Andre’s blood froze. “Zoe? Is that really you?”

            “The name’s Widow.”

            “R-right, Widow. What could you want me for?”

            “Adoption papers and any other paperwork with you and Audrey signing over custody of one Zoe Lee.”

            “B-b-but I don’t have those papers. I’m afraid-.”

            Widow lunged for Andre with a dagger at his throat. She slammed the necessary paperwork on his desk.

            “How did you-?!”

            “Get to filling them out.”

            Andre nodded. Widow moved her dagger away as she watched Andre fill out the papers properly. Her heart leapt seeing him complete them. He moved to put them in a professional folder when Audrey stepped into the office.

            “Andre! Why haven’t you been answering my calls? And who is this?”

            “Audrey, darling! We can discuss this after you sign all these papers.”

            Audrey approached and looked over the papers. Her face lit up. “Oh! We’re finally getting rid of the deadweight? Why didn’t you say so? Give me a pen.”

            Audrey snatched a pen from the desk and filled out every page with her signature. She closed the folder and handed it to Widow.

            Widow’s eyes sparkled as she held the folder close to her. She ran out as Audrey ordered room service to clear out her room. She didn’t care anymore. Everything left in there was garbage. Now a new life awaited as she headed to Bridgette’s apartment.

~~

            Marinette’s eyes fluttered open. She blinked as she adjusted to the darkness. She looked around, surprised to see Alya and Bridgette sleeping around her. She shifted as a dim light glowed. She glanced over to see Trixx in fox form, staring at her. She raised her index finger to her lips, and he nodded.

            Marinette moved to stand. She stumbled but found her footing. She grimaced at the pain that shot through her, but she soldiered on as she made it to the bathroom. She turned on the light and froze. She stared at her reflection and the visible scars. She lifted her hand and ran it along some burn scars. She gulped as the feelings from before surfaced.

            Marinette wished for release from her hell. She wished she never survived the car crash. There was nothing left after that day. She lost her amazing, loving parents that she missed every day and whose absence was too noticeable. She hated her body that was a shell of what it was. All her strength was gone, she couldn’t lift her arms overhead without horrific pain, she walked with a painful limp, and her voice was gone forever. With the cherry on top when all her friends abandoned her save for Alya, Mylene, and Ondine.

            Marinette could live with most of that, save the worst of it. She couldn’t draw the way she used to. The magnificent designs and drawings she used to make are mere scribbles a toddler could do better. Then there was her family that disowned her where her parents and Bridgette had accepted her and her desires. Part of her wished Bridgette never let it out, but it was better this way. The moment Bridgette did, all talk about her value and worth went out the window and she was left alone. Despite it all, the whispers didn’t stop.

            Marinette hugged herself and sank to the floor. The whispers of her family played through her head that always cut her deep. They called her defective, worthless, unlovable. That no one in their right mind would want “damaged goods.” Her father’s side wasn’t much better. Her grandfather refused to acknowledge her just because Sabine was her mother. Aside from him, she had no idea about any of her father’s family. Perhaps it was for the better so she wouldn’t have to endure their slights as well.

            “Marinette?” Alya asked.

            Marinette looked up at Alya and Trixx. She attempted to hide her heart, but tears poured from her eyes. Alya sat beside her and held her tight.

            “It’s alright. I’m here.”

            Trixx watched Alya comfort Marinette before he faded away. He stepped into the Unseen world. He searched the apartment until he found Tikki as a pink lipstick ladybug kwami, hiding in the kitchen.

            “You’re just going to let this continue, aren’t you?”

            “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

            “Tikki, there’s a fine line.”

            “I… she’s… she has me. What more could she need?”

            “You know, you’re right. What more could she need? Thankfully she can’t open a pill bottle or have the physical strength to harm herself. But, no, you’re right. What more could she need?”

            “She hasn’t… has she?”

            “Would you believe me if I told you the truth?”

            “I… I wouldn’t want to.”

            “Then don’t ask questions you don’t want an answer to.”

            Tikki scoffed. “And why should I believe any of this? You are nothing more than deception.”

            Trixx snickered. “Oh, dearie dear. Have you forgotten this talk already? What is truth? What is false? Even if I know it to be true, would you not cast doubt? Would you claim every word from me is false just to suit your whims, even if the words are true? What is true then? What is false? I mean, who better than I to know how the girl is feeling after spending the last three years with her. But, no, you’re right. Every word from me is a lie. Or is it? You may never know.”

            Tikki opened her mouth, but a knock interrupted her.

            Trixx looked towards the door. “Visitor? But who?”

            Trixx materialized as a fox and crashed into Bridgette,

            Bridgette woke with a start. She frantically looked around, then down at the couch. She panicked when she didn’t see Marinette.

            “Where is she, Trixx?”

            “Bathroom. Alya is with her.”

            Bridgette deadpanned. “Is this the day you tell me they’ve hooked up?”

            Trixx’s ears perked up and he grinned. “Yes.”

            Bridgette rolled her eyes. “Nice try. What’s up then? Why the wake-up call?”

            “Someone is a-knocking.”

            Bridgette furrowed her brow. She headed for the front door as another knock came. She opened the door to see Widow.

            “Uh, what brings you here? I thought I wouldn’t be seeing you until tonight. Or is it night? What time is it?”

            “It’s still early. I just wanted to bring this to you.”

            Widow held out the folder. Bridgette took it and gestured for Widow to step inside. Widow took a seat on the couch while Bridgette turned on the lights and examined the documents.

            “Hold up, are these adoption and custody forms? And they’re already signed?”

            “Well, except for your signature.”

            “Excuse me? We met once and you think I want to adopt you?”

            “Well, no, but you understand me. I looked into your eyes and saw my own. That’s why you did it, didn’t you? You wanted me to understand, and I did.”

            “Well, yes, but-.”

            “Exactly. And I saw the perfect opportunity to escape. With Silkii’s power and someone who understands, I had to capitalize on it.”

            “Ok, hold up. Why are you trying to escape your home?”

            “Because it isn’t my home. I’m just a pawn in the games of blue bloods. My real home is back in the States, but after my coward father killed himself, I was shipped off here because my harpy mother lives here. For the past few years, I’ve lived with people that don’t love me. That would easily toss me aside once I served my purpose. So, I’m running away now, legally. That way no one gets in trouble.”

            Bridgette sighed. “You’re putting me in an interesting position here, kid.”

            “I mean, what’s one more?” Trixx butted in.

            “That’s not the issue. I’m all for taking in strays at this point with Mar-Mar’s friends, but I don’t know her.”

            “Oh! That’s right. My name is Zoe Lee. I’m thirteen years old. Born and raised in the States until the incident I mentioned earlier. I’m extremely stubborn and hot-headed but will kill for my family.”

            “Oh, look! A mini you,” Trixx teased.

            “I don’t know if that’s a compliment or an insult?” Bridgette remarked.

            “Why not both?” Trixx said.

            “What’s that supposed to mean?” Bridgette and Zoe said in unison.

            “Didn’t realize you had an echo, Bridgette.”

            Bridgette deadpanned. “Fine. Look, Zoe, I will consider signing these, but only if you get along with Marinette. She is my dependent first and foremost. As long as you two get along, I will sign these. Understood?”

            “Ok. Well, where is she?”

            “Give her some time. She’s having a moment with Alya,” Trixx answered.

            Bridgette stiffened. “What kind of moment?”

            “What kind of answer would you like?”

            Bridgette panicked. She threw the folder onto the table and ran to the bathroom. Widow de-transformed and crept towards the room. She peeked inside at the scene. Bridgette fussed over Marinette, whose face was red and puffy from crying. Alya sat beside Marinette, patting her back. Her eyes widened when she saw the unfathomable pain in Marinette’s eyes. She started towards them, but a gentle hand held her back.

            Zoe looked up at Fang as a tall woman with olive skin and silver hair styled in an undercut ponytail. Fang shook her head and guided Zoe away from the bathroom.

            “That girl is in pain,” Zoe whispered.

            “I know. It hurts to see it. Hurts more to feel it. Just, let them help her. You can meet her later.”

            “Well, what do we do in the meantime?”

            “Why don’t we go grab a bite? Ayla pointed out some of her favorite haunts to me.”

            Zoe smiled. “Sure. Let’s go.”

~~

            Adrien looked at the time. It was nearly dinner time, several hours after he and Felix had returned. He decided to go talk to Felix now, wanting Felix to have had time to collect himself after all that. He headed out of his room and towards Felix’s door. He knocked on it.

            “Felix? May I come in?”

            Felix sighed. “Yes.”

            Adrien entered the room. He eyed Felix on the bed, reading a book.

            “May I take a seat?” Adrien asked as he pointed to the bed.

            Felix nodded.

            “I hope you don’t mind, but I wanted to talk.”

            “About what?”

            “The deal you made for me. For me to live.”

            “What about it?”

            “I just… I don’t know if it’s possible.”

            “How so?”

            “Because I made a deal with the kwami that was responsible for allowing Mom to have me, but also the source of my illness.”

            Felix put a bookmark in his book and set it down. “Go on.”

            “Well, I spoke to him yesterday while in the hospital. He told me I would die in three days unless I accepted his deal. He would give me a year to live with near perfect health, but I wasn’t to allow Paradise to happen. If I did, I would die on the spot.”

            “Only a year? Sass, you can better than that,” Plagg remarked.

            Adrien looked around as Plagg materialized as a kwami by Felix. Sass hissed and materialized beside Adrien as a kwami.

            “Zip it, cat. What’s been done to him was set at his birth. Even allowing this is more than I’d normally allow anyway,” Sass spat.

            Plagg rolled his eyes. “Fine. You won’t help him, me and Tikki will.”

            Sass laughed. “Yeah? How? The most you and the little red bug can do is destroy and recreate him, but he’d still retain the venom in his veins. The only pair that can help him is Terra and Psyche. However, you still need a willing donor of flesh to ensure the boy is still human and not a living golem.”

            “Really? Is that all? You seem to be forgetting another pair.”

            “I don’t think-.”

            “Gimmi and Vana.”

            Sass stiffened. “You wouldn’t. They wouldn’t. They made it clear they wouldn’t get involved unless necessary. Have you even talked to them yet?”

            “No, but we will be soon. After all, Paradise cannot happen yet. In time, yes, but not yet. I know they’d agree with this, and seeing as Adrien is the root cause, I’m sure they’d make an exception. They have before.”

            “Those were dire circumstances. This is not.”

            “I suppose we’ll see, then won’t we? I mean, we have a year, right, Sass? And I may not be Orsus, Moirai, or Oron, but I know a lot can happen in a year.”

            “If I may, Felix, why did you make such a deal for me?” Adrien interjected.

            “What do you mean?” Felix asked.

            “Well, I don’t mean to seem ungrateful for the gesture, but I don’t understand it. If it was Mom or Dad, that’d be one thing, but we don’t know each other that well. I’ve rarely spoken to you in the past and only ever saw you on my birthday. So, I’m just curious. Why?”

            “Well, I’ve been thinking on that here and there. My first answer would be because you are family. It doesn’t matter our relationship, but that you are family. Always remember, blood runs thicker than water. But, and this stays between us, I want someone to be happy. I want… to experience that.”

            Adrien’s face fell. “Felix?”

            “It’s… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be forcing my petty problems on you, Adrien.”

            “Felix, are you unhappy?”

            Felix gave a harsh laugh. “Happiness is not a luxury I can afford. I must be what is expected. Want and happiness are not part of it. But you can have all that. Emilie got it, Gabriel got it, so can you.”

            “And you.”

            “No. It’s not for me, but I can get it for you. I can play my part, put on a show, all so you can be free to have a life I couldn’t even dream of.”

            “Felix, I wish you could have that too,” Adrien whispered.

            “Yeah, well, it’s a nice, albeit empty, sentiment. Now, run along. I’m sure Aunt Emilie is looking for you.”

            Adrien bowed his head and left. Sass flicked his tongue at Plagg, then vanished.

            Plagg sighed. He looked back at Felix, who went back to his book. His tail twitched and his fur bristled. He hated seeing this destruction. It wasn’t the fun, chaotic type of self-destruction. Rather Felix went down an isolating and desolate path of self-destruction. Any fight he might have had, extinguished already.

            Plagg looked back to the door as he reflected on Adrien’s wish. He could feel the desire, though it was small, but enticing all the same. He gave Felix one last look, then vanished.

#miraculous #miraculous ladybug #miraculoustalesofladybugandcatnoir #au #miraculous au #alternate universe #mlb fanfic #fanfiction writer #fanfiction #fanfic #paradise au #paradise #zoe lee #widow #bridgette cheng #marinette dupain cheng #alya cesaire #adrien agreste #felix fathom #gabriel agreste #emilie agreste #amelie graham de vanily #colt fathom #tw sui ideation #cw sui ideation #tw sui implied #cw sui implied

[reikiajakoiranruohoja]

W5 ranting again ft. Fenrir issues

I want to preface this by saying that W5 has good parts and with a bit of work the setting is much better than Legacy for new players. Why W5 bothers me is how some of its mechanics are extremely poorly thought out (quitting garou life for one, heightened senses giving you HUMAN SENSES IN LUPUS??) or are made to punish creativity (ritual frenzies.) But also, how one man's quest to make one tribe evil basically hurt the entire game.

To those not in the know, the Get of Fenris was a tribe that had some unfortunate symbols and sub-groups. It also sadly attracted players who wanted to actually play out those groups. To not mince words, neo-nazi were attracted to the tribe. Before the truth came out, I was miffed about losing the Fenrir but I understood why. I was confused why a tribe like Red Talons was kept, when they were a tribe that was just generally banned. It was only when a person working on a version of W5 came out and explained that the Fenrir were made bad guys NOT due to concerns of right wing players. No, because one guy high up wanted the whole tribe to be neo-nazi. Not only had the Fenrir in canon destroyed the neo-nazi camp, but the same writer wanted to kill off one of the indigenous tribes and remove the feminism from a tribe literally dedicated to sacred feminity. Luckily, the indigenous writers hired managed to talk him out of killing Younger Brother/Gale Stalkker/Winter's Teeth. But Furies lost their feminism and all cultural ties to tribes were removed. Well, that is not true, the Fenrir kept their ties to Nordic cultures. To the point of having gifts renamed to suit the viking image. Now, I must be fair and say that the person who pushed for Fenrir as antagonists is called Karim Muammar and he lives in Sweden. Given his name and general racism issues there, I am sure his vitriol came from a place of pain. Yet, there are better ways to handle including your own experiences to a game than the way Muammar went about it. For one, it says a lot that you want to include fascism in the game in a big way yet that you also want to remove feminism and destroy an indigenous tribe outright. Second, the laser focus on the Fenrir meant tribes like the Red Talons, Silver Fangs and Shadow Lords were kept as they were. While Fangs and Lords are generally popular, Talons whole deal is that they want humanity gone. Because humans hunt wolves and pollute nature, yes, but most people still felt uncomfortable with the tribe. It really seems like the only thing Muammar wanted for W5 was to have Fenrir as fascists. Otherwise, I can't really see Red Talons staying. The way the newly dubbed Cult of Fenris is used is also very clumsy and going against their whole ethos. In a free adventure, a pack of Fenrir are torturing another werewolf to make them join their cause. The problem with this is, that it goes against what the text in W5 has said about the tribe; That Fenrir see other tribes as weak and they are removed from the rest of Nation because THEY will still fight the Wyrm head on. A tribe like that would not torture someone to get them to join. They would see torture and breaking someone as weakness. This method of recruitment is more the wheelhouse of the Black Spiral Dancers. Corruption worshipping torturers who live by Zerg Rush rules. So the Fenrir have been given the MO of another tribe, just so they appear villainous. (Also, as a personal aside, sure was fun to read that the ONLY Finnish character in W5 is a neo-nazi. As in, outright stated to be one in the text.) The way the Fenrir are handled and how their reason of being foes is stated to be mental illness fascism all hurt W5 as a game. The focus and push to make them foes also meant other tribes of shady nature were ignored which adds to the disjointed nature of the game.

#w5 #werewolf the apocalypse #wta #nazi mention // #rant