#In my defense her design fucks! It fucks so hard!!!!

[empty-blog-for-lurking]

Me: hmmm i kinda want to draw post s8 Lance to have a different design and be a bit less human and more fucked up. Obviously long hair but what else? How about black sclera red eye but only one of it? While his other eye is unnaturally glowing blue? Oh! And one of his marks is grown like Honerva's while the other is gone! Also maybe the mark being a bit more jagged and broken? Oh how about skeletal hand? With a quintessence aura around it? Will go well with him technically being a necromancer-

Brain: That's Melinoë's design.

Me:...

Brain: Melinoë's from Hades 2. That's her design with some added features, you even got half and half theme. All it is missing is some orange.

Me:....

Me:

#In my defense her design fucks! It fucks so hard!!!! #Damn it why is character design so harddddd!!!!!!! #And i am not originallllll!!!!!!! #And now i even want to add orange cause Lance has always been filled with contradictions to me #Like literally blue and orange #This is not even for the au. It's for the au of the au. A crossover au #post s8 au #empty thoughts

[enhanced-operatives-division]

Doodles for you all

#i didn't like that fabby had the same shaped glasses as phoenix so i thought halfmoons would be fun :3 #also that last juniper one im SO SAD abt because the sketch was sm better but because my sketchbook is a monster he would have smudged #by a monster i mean (goes and weighs it) 826 grams. #that is more than i thought #then again #my last one his somewhere over a kilo? so uh. yeah #my one for art was like 4 and a half by the time I was done with it so yeah #ANYWAYS juniper you fucko #AND PRISM!!!!!!! oh i love her so #it's a little hard to tell because the strap on her goggles is in the way HOWEVER i do give her a nose bump #the goggle strap tends to sit on it when i draw it but auuu i love her #me realising im an artist and i can draw her HAPPY as MUCH as I WANT with her ROBOTS which SHE LOVES #also the reason i do all my drawings traditionally is becahse my desk is currently a mess and I don't want to fix ny set up for digital #but i can do artfight this year for the first time ever so I have fucking PLANS!!!!!!!!!!!! #im genuinely kinna excited <- had a singular oc which is my fursona #well ok in my defense i DO have an ieytd oc in the works but i have 0 ideas for a design but it is a funny concept #time for me to shut up #ieytd #i expect you to die #[agent moose's art] #john juniper #roxana prism #robutler #the fabricator

[emmyrosee]

“If I die one more time because you guys say some fuck shit, you’re getting banned.”

Kenma’s been on this boss for hours. Well, an hour and twenty three minutes, to be exact, as his recording time so graciously wouldn’t let him forget. In his chat, there’s a flurry of people who backseat him to tell him how to beat the boss (mods will take care of them later, but it’s still obnoxious), people laughing and a few encouraging comments being tacked on with some generous donations.

At this point, he just wants to end the stream and beat it in the focus of his own company.

But he won’t. Because it’s his job or whatever.

“Kenny?” A voice calls: your voice. Kenma softens and turns to the door, ignoring his character as it dies again. “I bought you some munchies since you didn’t answer my text.”

“Hey princess,” he hums, smiling and leaning his head back against the chair. “Sorry i didn’t get back to you, I’m in the fuckin’ thick of it. How was lunch?”

“It was good,” you say, smiling and bending down to kiss his nose. “The girls say hi and that they’ll watch later; whatcha doin’?”

Kenma gives you a groan of exhaustion, “I’m suffering, that’s what. This game is horrifically hard.”

“I told you it would be, Ken.” Despite your ‘I told you so’, he chuckles and puckers his lips out for a proper kiss, which you comply with happily. In your peripheral, chat spams with orange hearts- your designated emoji amongst his fans- and puke faces for the affection you two just shared.

He hums and pulls away softly, “you wanna give it a whirl? Maybe some new eyes will make this shit easier.”

“You’re the gamer in this dynamic babe,” you snort. Despite this, you scoot to the side so he can get up and switch places with you, watching with a smile as you get settled in his oversized chair.

Chat explodes with an absolute inflation of orange hearts, flowing a mile a second, and it makes you smile to be seen in such a positive light, even if this is far from the first time they’ve seen or supported you.

“Hi guys!” You say eagerly, grabbing the controller while he leans over the back of the chair. The chat quickly fills up with words of wisdom and “GOOD LUCKS!” while Kenma plants a kiss to your cheek. “What do I have to do?”

“Basically just beat the boss; I’ve found that kinda breaking the game by rolling behind the boss and then pressing ‘y’ for the super attack is best, but hey. I’ve also been stuck on this boss since you left, so I don’t really know anything.”

“Thanks for the help,” you snort, but with a roll of your shoulders to get comfortable, you take on the task.

And it goes well! For the first few seconds.

Slowly then after, it turned into you running away from the boss and blaming Kenma- in your defense, he likes his buttons to do certain things, it’s different than you are used to!- while all along, trying to roll behind the boss to swing at his back.

It’s very amusing to everyone but you.

“How are you so bad at this?” He cackles, and you quickly try to shush him.

“Shut up!” You giggle, shaking your head. Your character lays a slash of their sword, but the game doesn’t seem to register it- if anything, your character gets the hit.

“No! Fuck!” You cackle out a whine, while behind you Kenma tugs at his hair in amused disbelief.

“Please- dear god, I will buy you a ring right now if you just get one hit on this boss-“

“DONT SAY THAT!” You whine, hands immediately starting to shake as you tap mercilessly on the buttons, cheeks ablaze while the grin on your face refuses to falter.

This, to your distracted dismay, causes chat to explode, taking your already shaky focus and making it somehow less existent.

dankondits: you’re making the poor lady stressed!

notakodzukenfan: I’ll marry her no cap-

notemmyrosee: 🧡🧡🧡

slobonthyknob: Kodzuken simp, confirmed???

lasagnahypeeee: our baby streamer growing up ;-;

corner.of.internet: when she’s bad at video games but still a 10>>>>

Thank you kuroosassscheek for the 15000 bits: BUY THE WOMAN A RING BEFORE I DIE OF OLD AGE!

“Kuroo, not helping!” You whine, cheeks an absolute scorch while all Kenma does behind you is snicker. Traitor.

Between the absolute unsupportive nature of your boyfriend and all eyes of the Internet being on you as you fail over and over again, you finally cave and give up.

With a pout, you plant the controller back on the desk, letting the opponent hit you with its many attacks, all the while your character grunts in pain. You must look like a child, because the next thing you feel is Kenma’s lips against your cheek, and it causes that pout to finally break up. “You did good,” he praises. “It’s a hard boss; I’m glad you tried it.”

“Me too,” you confess. You lean in to give him a proper kiss, laughing into it as Kenma holds his large hand up, as if to shield the affection from his watchful viewers. You part with a nudge of his nose, and when his hand comes down, you lace your fingers with his. “It was fun, but I think I’ll leave the gaming to you.”

slimesloppy_: EWWWWWWWW

bosscat867: awww dad’s in love 🧡🧡🧡

razzledazzletoes: UR A COUPLE OF SLUTS!!

zedlerlover: use protection kids

anameicantpronouce: 🧡🧡🧡

blitznbawls: 🧡🧡🧡

brucespringsteendaddy: follow for more tips and tricks

tinytivvies: mrs kodzuken 🧡🧡🧡

“Fair enough,” he chuckles, standing back up to let you slip out of the gaming chair. Your eyes avoid chat, you see all the laughing stickers scrolling though, and you shake your head as your hands reach for the headset.

“Alright chat. Here’s Kodzuken. Hope you enjoyed the interlude.” You push up and out of the chair, letting Kenma slip right in and take your spot. As you turn to leave, you offer him one last call- “oh! When you do buy that engagement ring, I expect no less than 6 karats.”

“Yeah yeah yeah,” he scoffs, watching you leave with a cheesy smile on his face. He turns back to the camera and slips his headset back on, “dummy. Got you one with 10, you think this is my first day?”

Chat once again explodes with excitement while Kenma merely smirks and goes back to his game, looking at the boss with new eyes and the chat focused on something else.

#Ray narvaez Jr and Tina wrote this 💅🏼 #kenma kozume #kenma kozume fluff #kenma kozume x reader #kenma kozume x f!reader #kenma kozume x reader fluff #kenma kozume imagine #kenma kozume haikyuu #kozume kenma #kozume kenma fluff #kozume kenma x reader #kozume kenma x f!reader #kozume kenma x reader fluff #kozume kenma imagine #haikyuu #haikyuu fluff #haikyuu imagine #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu x f!reader #haikyuu x female reader #haikyuu x yn #haikyuu x y/n #haikyuu x you #timeskip!kenma #timeskip!kenma x reader

[mswyrr]

more on michelin stars

I genuinely think it's going to be an important plot point in s3 re: why exactly Sydney wants a star and why *one* specifically. I went and researched and discovered something I used in my fic, which is that one Michelin star restaurants are excellent cuisine that normal people can still afford. And that connected, for me, to what Sydney had told Marcus about how going out was so special when she was a kid and she wanted to share that kind of amazing thing with people:

We didn't really like eat out a lot growing up, so when we did, it felt special even if it wasn't.... I wanna cook for people and make them happy and give them the best bacon on Earth (1x08)

I'm so hopeful/convinced that the research they have with, like, Matty (the chef who plays Fak) right there on set, means the writers know that about what one star places can be like. And that it's meant to be part of this - more humane vision of excellence for Sydney, where their spot is AMAZING, but it's not a cruel kitchen culture, it's not only for the rich.

For her, it’s *part* of her vision, where she says: 

“I think this place could be so different from all the other places we've been at. But, in order for that to be true, we need to run things different.“ (1x03)

But Carmy sees a star and all it means (all he’s ever known it to mean) as a repudiation of that kind of humanity. You say the word "star" and immediately Carmy goes "fuck stars" (2x01) as pure self-defense - because stars are just pain and suffering to him. They're NYC chef and everything that mess became.

He's so traumatized by the whole thing he doesn't think to ask the right questions: why do you want one? What is your vision for it? Why do you specifically want *one* instead of two or three? What timeline do you have in mind for getting there and how can we strategize on this together?

Instead, because he wants so desperately to please her, despite that instinctive, self-defensive "fuck stars" he relents and asks - okay, are you sure? Are you positive this is what you want? Really?? It's terrible. It's just dread and fear and throwing up every day before work. You really want me to give you this?

(I’ll give you anything you want)

He never asks the right questions. Just assuming the level of pain which is his only experience of this is what the thing IS--playing into that theme about how people only know what they're taught, only know what they are given, and if we are given pain and patterns of it it is so hard to even imagine things can be different and, when you can imagine it, still so hard to actually get there.

(It’s not a coincidence that the ASL sign is one of the few positive, healthy examples of kitchen culture Carmy witnessed - we only know what we’re taught, and it can be hard work to even figure out what “not shitty” IS let alone doing it)

So he's assuming all of that and it's like - if she's his CDC, does she want him to push her as hard as he was pushed? Push himself that hard again? He doesn't want to do either of those things. But that's all he knows. And she keeps saying this is what she wants. And he wants to give her everything she wants.

(In the same conversation she kept saying yes, this is what I want, she expressed admiration for the designer chef outfit he later buys her as a gift - he wants to give her everything she wants, even when it seems like a terrible idea he’s torn about)

I think this misunderstanding is intentional and it’s going to come out in S3. A one star restaurant fits so perfectly with what we know of Sydney’s goals and love for her work! And Carmy not able to even conceive of something better because of the patterns he’s stuck in and finding his way to her vision makes sense for him.

I think Carmy figuring out how this work can be joyful and humane is going to be a huge part of S3. Sydney not becoming lost in the high stress environment, not following in younger!Carmy's footsteps living a life of pure drive and dread, and Carmy finding that for the first time.

I do think that, given where they both end in 2x10, there’s going to be a period of conflict and a real bunch of issues for both of them - but with themes and ideas like this seeded into the story there’s so many ways to make s3 start out in a bad way and then really end in joy in a beautiful way?

#the bear #sydney adamu #carmen berzatto #sydcarmy #carmen x sydney #the bear meta #my meta #annnnd i'm back to my point that #this show would be utterly miserable and not enjoyable for me personally to watch #without sydney #because like.... she keeps having vision in ways #that this partnership needs #on his own he can't see the way to climb out of the dark hole he's lived his whole life in #and (Sorry i am quoting this verse in a strictly literary sense not preaching LOL) 'where there is no vision the people perish' #the show without sydney (as some reddit assholes seem to want...) is a short season about one guy's awful breakdown that time he tried to #bury his grief in fixing up the family restaurant #and had a breakdown after max 6 months #and then nat sold the place for them both #for both their wellbeing #to like - keep ONE brother alive #looking at it in fairy tale terms #(not my expertise but lemme try for a sec) #the restaurant is also the family #and they're under a kind of curse? #curse of the past #the awful patterns #carmy is under a curse #and sydney is the person #who is able to walk in #and break that

[shuttershocky]

Shutters, in your opinion what are some of the best designed operators? (as in their kit and playstyle)

Gladiia - I've already said in another post that Gladiia is the perfect unit, and I stand by it. She's extremely effective with only minimal investment (E1L1 with skill level 7 will have her do most pulling jobs) but then somehow just gets stronger and stronger AND STRONGER the more you invest into her. Gladiia never learned what 'Diminishing Returns' meant, the economics student that tried to teach it to her got shoved into a locker when he tried. She's a viable M9 unit, wielding utility, damage, tank, and even heal support for some fucking reason. She even keeps getting stronger when you raise other units (Abyssal Hunters). She's fun, she's strong, all of her skills do something unique, she enables strategies absolutely no one else can do, and best of all: she's free.

Saria - Saria is the best case study of how to make a powerful—even overpowered—kit in a genre that mostly cares about DPS without any DPS. Like Gladiia, all of her skills are good and provide unique utility, but unlike Gladiia nothing about her module upgrades or talents or skill numbers is immediately going to tip you off that Saria's incredibly powerful; she just is. You just use her and you realize this is one of the best units in the game, hard carrying your lineups from her sheer versatility and healing power, with some SP utility or debuffs to boot.

Stainless - I would put him on this list for the sheer versatility, fun, strategic potential, and truly clever design his S3 has, but his S1 and S2 are also really fucking good too and stand on their own merits. Like Saria, Stainless is another operator who impresses me by standing out via sheer utility in a DPS-focused game, but unlike Saria, Stainless doesn't bring sustain or bulk, he simply has an array of gadgets that expand your possible map solutions AND operator picks to a wild degree. I finished most of Il Siracusano's EX stages by using Stainless clears—the way this guy enables bad operators with bad skills like Tachanka S1 cannot be matched by anyone. This is my single favorite operator gameplay wise to have come out in the last 2 years, insane how he and Dorothy are the least popular 6 stars when they're both so much more fun than their competition.

Gravel - You know what Gravel does. I think Gravel's kit was a marvel of its time, some truly inspired game design. You see, when Arknights first came out the primary faces of Tower Defense was Plants vs Zombies and Bloons. Gravel's low redeployment time and usage of throwing herself at the enemy team to constantly delay them simulated the feeling of having a mobile character in a genre about putting down towers that don't move, while Gravel also took advantage of enemy targeting priority being based on last deployed unit to act as bait for ranged enemies. She was the best unit to show off how Arknights differed from its competition, by taking advantage of all the design decisions that made Arknights a different beast of tower defense. Simple, effective, and unforgettable.

Hellagur - Hellagur's another example of an operator that does just one job just like Gravel, but approaches it in a way that emphasizes Arknights' unique approach to tower defense: Hellagur holds one spot, often right in front of the enemy gate and without support from his team. As the first Musha, he introduced a highly aggressive playstyle that was all about risk evaluation. You ask "Can Hellagur handle this?" and then see if he can. if he can't, you either buff him or try another approach. If he can, he often solves a big section of the map by himself by simply blocking a whole gate, freeing up the rest of your squad. High risk high reward is a common trope of game design because of how engaging that feeling of ramping tension can be; when Hellagur gets brought down to 1/3rd HP as he's dueling a particularly strong enemy, time slows down a little as you nervously watch him to see if he can handle it, and if he does and reaches back to full health before the next enemy comes, that release of tension and anticipation is its own special high.

I love this ask! Really fun question!

#Arknights

[wndaswife]

Hey!

Could you please write a dark fic with Wanda being very jealous and possessive??

-🪐

wanda maximoff & fem!reader

tags: smut, unspecified age gap, masturbation, squirting, face slapping, dumbification, drugging, manipulation, mommy kink, dom!wanda maximoff, sub!reader. MINORS DNI.

word count: 1042

Wanda avoided bringing up the subject of your old family, your parents and your friends from school. It only confused you when you tried to imagine a life that had taken place before you started living with mommy.

Your first interaction with her was innocent enough. Wanda had seen you move into your new house during the summer, and she simply could not take her eyes away from your pretty face and your cute little body. You were much younger than she was, and younger than her sons, too. They’d grown up and moved away, and hardly ever saw her besides a few days of Hanukkah every year.

It was a lonely life after Wanda’s divorce, and she had nothing better to do than prey on you for the next few days before she finally approached you. She watched you change in your bedroom and snapped photos of your naked body while she bounced on one of her dildos.

With a homemade strawberry rhubarb pie in her hands, Wanda introduced herself to you after timing it perfectly so your parents weren’t home.

‘I’m Wanda, your neighbour across the street,’ she welcomed you with a wide smile, flashing her white teeth at you and crinkling her eyes so she tore down your defensive walls.

Soon, she was driving you to your classes, coming into your house while your parents were away, having you over for dinner for just the two of you. Within three weeks, Wanda pulled you onto her lap in her car when she drove you to get supplies for your school project. She fucked you in her seat until you squirted all over her slacks.

You were so gullible and dumb, letting her pinch your little nipples through your shirt and kissing your neck while you were home alone with her. She fucked you in your bedroom, her little girl, so young and pretty. 

How stupid were you, truly, to have an older woman step into your house and do whatever she wanted to you? Granted, Wanda had allowed you to warm up to her overtime, but it had only worked because of how mindless and impressionable you were.

One night when you were having dinner at Wanda’s house as you often did, she poured a special powder in your warm milk, and within several minutes, you were out cold. She acted quick, because she had everything planned beforehand, and soon had you on the road with her as she drove away from your home and hers, moving away from everything either of you had ever known to live together.

‘Mommy, where are we going?’ you muttered out sleepily as you began to wake up a few hours into the drive.

‘We’re going on a trip together, baby. Don’t you want to get away with mommy?’ Wanda coerced, rubbing your thigh with her hand soothingly.

Sometimes, you were fussy. Wanda understood because of how hard it was for a little girl like you to take in a new home. She knew how to soothe you. Often, you were laying on mommy’s lap while you nursed her breasts, her fingers drawing circles against your puffy cunt. 

Wanda’s limit was reached when you cried to go home and wanted to see your friends and parents again. She didn't like when you brought your old home up. She would drag you by your hair to your playroom and sit on a chair designated just for her. Wanda would slap your face until you cried, then threw you over her lap, her hand still grasping at your hair painfully.

‘Mommy isn’t enough for you, huh?’ she snarled as she spanked your ass. ‘I’m so good to my little girl, feeding her and giving her a home, a bed to sleep in. Mommy gives you cuddles and attention, and that still isn’t enough. You ungrateful fucking bitch. I should throw you out onto the street for how you’re treating me.’

You always begged for her forgiveness, as mommy liked for you to do. You got onto your knees and cried into her lap, apologising profusely while she pet your hair. 

Overtime, you begin to forget your old home- your parents and your friends, schooling, and any life separate from Wanda. You tug at her hand when simply going to the kitchen to get a glass of water or juice, not being able to stand a moment apart from her if you could help it.

Your dependence on her made it easy for Wanda to take over your mind, controlling your every opinion and thought of the world. When you watched television together, sometimes photos of your face, unrecognisable to you, popped up on the screen. 

Mommy told you that bad people were looking for you, trying to take you away from her. At the very thought of being taken away, you cried into her chest and grasped at her shirt and begged for her to keep you safe. 

When Wanda had to go out without you to do important things, as she always told you, you were locked in your playroom with your stuffies and in the corner of the room, your cage. She didn’t like for you to be roaming the house without her supervision, and wanted to make sure where you were, always.

Sometimes Wanda brought you out with her on trips to the park and to go shopping, but it was in different faraway places each time. You felt bad for mommy, who always went to lengths to keep you safe from the bad people trying to take you away from her, so you made a point to always be a good, obedient girl. She didn’t need any more trouble than she already had.

You were hers forever, and no one would ever take you from her. She punished you until you begged for her forgiveness when you mentioned anyone but her. Wanda spoke for you so you wouldn’t be able to talk with anyone else while you were out with her. She groped your pretty boobs in public and pressed lingering kisses to your lips, ensuring that anyone who laid eyes on you knew that you were hers.

You would always be hers, and you’d never want it any other way.

#wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff x you #wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff x y/n #wanda x reader #wanda maximoff fanfiction #marvel fanfiction #marvel smut #wanda maximoff smut #1k celebration ♪( ´▽｀)

[mariaofdoranelle]

Catastrophic Blues - part 2

Part 1

Written for @sjmromanceweek

Prompt: Free Day

Welcome to my part 2!! And probably last. It took me so long to find these two a decent closure, now I wrote it in one day and I feel eMpTy

Warnings: language and innuendos?

Words: 2,3k

Aelin’s hurried footsteps were barely audible on the bustling airport, while the umpteenth last call for her flight to Suria blasted through the speakers. A few aimless passengers curiously watched her, a reminder that this scene would be a lot prettier if she stopped skipping cardio at the gym.

In her defense, the bookstore was too far from her gate, and you can’t rush finding the perfect rom-com.

At her designated gate, Aelin was one of the very few last to arrive. She held her pillow and bag close, rushing through the straight corridor of the airplane. Not minding the passengers staring at her, but trying to ignore a very specific one that followed her with his gaze the entire time.

When Aelin finally found her seat, she didn’t even find time for her muscles to settle before he said, “Still running on your own time zone, I see.”

His deep voice was always quick to soothe her, but this time it brought back a wave of melancholy that haunted her days, way too persistent in comparison to her previous heartbreaks.

“I thought you weren’t coming anymore.” Aelin shouldn’t pry, but she couldn’t help herself. Rowan did say he would still go on the trip with her, but that was before his new relationship. “I’m surprised Lyria let you.”

“She didn’t. We broke up.”

“Oh.” This was unexpected, given Lyria’s annoying loving posts on Instagram.

“We really did.”

“I’m finding it hard to believe you.”

“You should.” Rowan had this boyish grin on, it was hard to believe he was talking about his latest ex.

“Of course.” Fuck, this is awkward. “I’m sorry,” she lied.

“Don’t be. Lyria was… you know—”

“I don’t. Please don’t enlighten me.”

“Fair enough.” He slugged into the airplane seat that was almost too small for his frame, and the lightness of his expression had faded away by now. “I just realized that this trip meant more to me than her.”

“Because of the money we wasted, you mean?”

Rowan furrowed his brows, his gaze unfocused when he said, “Something like that.”

“Wow.” Aiming for levity, she chuckled. “Now it kinda feels like I dodged a bullet.” Well, he did just say that he’d rather lose the girlfriend than waste the money. Aelin had to keep things light to survive this trip.

However, he didn’t seem to find it as funny. “No. Actually—“

“What’s the itinerary again?” She asked, desperate to change the subject from his love life.

Of course, Rowan had a copy of their entire trip plan on his phone. They’d arrive at the hotel too late to explore Suria, but tomorrow they’d have a—

Aelin snatched the phone from Rowan’s hand, zooming in the details of the excursion.

“Did you book us in a tour for seniors?”

“You said you wanted to relax.” He took his phone back. “There’s no tour calmer than one made for the elderly.”

˜˜

“I’M BURNING THROUGH THE SKY, YEAH!” A chorus of the nicest old people Aelin had ever met sang in the small bus, still bursting with energy after several hours of touristing in Suria.

Emrys, the tour guide, had a guitar to entertain everyone during the longer stretches inside the bus, while his husband drove and sang along with them. Most of the passengers were either clapping to the rhythm of the song—which was Rowan’s choice of participation—or singing their lungs out, like Aelin when she put her hands around her mouth to shout, “200 DEGREES, THAT’S WHY THEY CALL ME MR. FAHRENHEIT!”

The initial goal of this trip had been relaxation, but her active little tour group had been a small blessing today.

Rowan paid for a small, extra bed in their room, but last night and this morning were still uncomfortable. Sharing a room and being this close left a hollowing type of ache inside her, but taking a bath after him just to start the day with the smell of his cologne and shaving cream completely ruined her mood for breakfast.

But now, between the tour and singing and assisting cute old people with their phones, Aelin and Rowan didn’t have the time to be awkward around each other.

Or worse, they were easily falling into an old, comfortable rhythm.

The tour’s last stop was on a closed street for pedestrians. The tourists were eager to get off the bus and join the lively street, filled with shops, restaurants, and street artists trying to be louder than the pedestrians’ chatter. Outside, the smell of fried street food lured Aelin like a magnet, but Rowan watched their new acquaintances disappear into the crowd with a surprised grin.

The hand he kept on her back while descending the bus’ small corridor slid to her hip outside, and he whispered on her ear, “I think we are the elderly ones.”

His breath fanning against the shell of her ear sent a shiver down her spine, and by the way his hand tightened around her hipbone, he noticed it too.

“We?” Aelin shrieked, forcing a smile despite the heat on her cheeks. “Buzzard, I’m going dancing with Emrys right now.”

Aelin scurried away, her back already to Rowan when she realized the ease in which Rowan’s old nickname fell from her lips and cringed. It’d only be weirder if she returned to take it back.

Emrys was swaying alone in a small crowd around a saxophonist, and Aelin was quick to join him. The man knew how to lead a dance, and he led her so well her mind wandered back to Rowan.

Turns out she was a lot less over him than she thought. Big fucking deal, Aelin just needed to keep in mind that they broke up for a reason. A jazz version of some trendy pop music blasted behind them, and Emrys twirled her in a way that flared her long green skirt, making her laugh despite feeling conflicted.

She doubted Rowan would want her back after all this time, especially since his breakup with Lyria was so new. But in the few glimpses she took, he watched her every move, leaned against a streetlight, arms crossed with a knowing grin on. When the song ended, Emrys hugged Aelin and smiled at someone behind her.

“You looked like you wanted your girl back,” the old man said to Rowan’s approaching figure.

He just nodded and said his goodbyes before leading Aelin away, a hand on her waist.

Rowan was onto something, he had to be.

His thumb went up and down in unsettling strokes on her waist while they quietly strolled down the street, his arm around her wiring her every nerve. Aelin feigned interest in the boulevard as she tried to slow her breathing. This was a low blow after two months swatting away memories of his bulky arms nestling her, picking her up, yanking her down.

“Where am I buying you dinner?” Rowan asked against her ear yet again, giving her another shiver.

This was getting ridiculous. It had to be intentional.

“Here.” Aelin pointed at a street vendor nearby, heart racing. He wanted to snuck her into a closed, dark place and buy her fancy food? Nuh-uh. Not today.

The break-up happened for a reason, Aelin reminded herself, though it was hard to remember which reason was that. No matter how many times she said it to her mirror.

Undeterred, Rowan found them a bench near the vendor and joined the small line by the cart. With both hands on his pockets, he sent her a small smile, eyes crinkling as if waiting there to buy his ex food was the highlight of his day.

Aelin looked away. This is a trip with his ex he forced himself to go because of the money already spent. No need to overthink what she already overthought two months ago, it wasn’t relevant if her feelings changed or not.

As her treatment worked and Aelin realized she ended a permanent thing because of a temporary situation, the gaping hole in her chest opened further and further, almost swallowing her whole.

But everything was already said and done, no going back now.

Besides, Rowan’s probably over her by now. Maybe he just wants ass and thinks that what happens in Suria stays in Suria. That’s… highly unlike him, but he’s still a man, and that’s what Aelin needs to tell herself to get through this evening.

He sat beside her sooner than expected, coming back with pan-fried trout.

Aelin pouted. “You know I don’t eat fish.”

“Give it a try.”

“What happened to good old french fries?”

“Come on.” He playfully elbowed her. “I’ll get your fries if you at least try.”

She sighed, frowning at the trout. It did look perfectly edible and crispy. She held one and carefully inspected it before taking a bite. After breaking the delicious fried crust, Aelin tasted the most tender and moist flesh, the flavor of butter and herbs exploding inside her mouth.

“That good, huh?” Rowan teased, making her realize that she was practically orgasming next to him.

“You should’ve bought the fries. Now you’re going bankrupt with all the trout I’ll make you buy.”

He didn’t seem to mind, so they silently ate together, only making scarce comments about passers-by—and their dogs, in Aelin’s case. She ate her entire fish, then snuck bites of Rowan’s, to his snarling dismay.

He grabbed one of the vendor’s cheap, thin napkins. “Here, you have a…” Rowan slid it against her lower lip, sending her heart racing. Once done, he still cupped her face and brushed his thumb against her chin, then he smiled. “I think smudged red lipstick might be your best look.”

Aelin’s face faltered. “I think…” She added some distance between them and crossed her arms, feeling mad for him making her feel things she worked long and hard to suppress. “I think you’re using your lowest weapons, and I think it’s not fair.”

Rowan had the gall to cock his head and smirk. “I haven’t even tried using my lowest weapon yet.”

She got up. They were too close, her chest was too fluttery, and… no. She did it for him, and it was a little upsetting if Rowan didn’t recognize that, especially after she worked so hard to not rebel against her own decision.

“Aelin.” He followed her, hot on her heels no matter how much she tried to distance herself, on the crowded main street and then into a quieter side one. “Talk to me.”

She paused, taking deep breaths with her heart still racing, and Rowan knew better than to get nearer right now. “What’re you trying to do?”

“Win you back,” he said, plain and simple.

“Because we’re traveling together and sharing a room corrupted your thoughts?”

“No,” Rowan trailed, looking as if he couldn’t believe he had to explain something so obvious. “Because you broke up with me, but your reasons never convinced me.”

Her eyes narrowed at him, full of disbelief. “Was I supposed to think that while you dated Lyria?”

“Lyria was—“ He huffed. “You know—“

“You won’t get any points if you belittle her or—“

“I’m not trying to do that!” Rowan ran a hand through his hair, looking away for a second to gather his thoughts. “Look, I liked Lyria. She was nice. I only got serious with her because she’s someone I could see myself falling for.” Rowan swallowed, his pine-green eyes boring into her soul as he continued, “But it’s fucking impossible to do that if I’m still in love with you.”

Aelin crossed her arms, looking away and blinking hard so she wouldn’t lose control of her emotions. “You’re not.”

“Seriously?”

She glared at him.

“I love you. Is that what you don’t wanna hear?”

Aelin took a deep breath and sat on the sidewalk curb, not caring about the cute skirt she bought in his favorite color a million years ago. She’d prepared for his hatred. Indifference. Even a hookup, worst-case scenario.

She did not prepare for Rowan still having feelings for her.

He sat by her side, eyes vacant. “Look, you were going through a hard time and I was worried. But you can’t stop me from worrying, and when shit escalates, my worrying does too.”

“I’m still fucked in the head—progressively better, but the trip’s kinda making me forget about it—I just think you’re happier without me.”

“I’m at my happiest when I’m with you.” Rowan sighed, looking up now. “In a relationship, we’re supposed to go through shit together. Not to break up because things are hard, let alone to spare me. Spare me from what?”

“I’m trying so hard not to disagree with my own decision.”

“Then don’t.” He put his hand above hers on the sidewalk, tentative. “Take me back.”

Aelin tried to swallow the thickness in her throat while she fought her own instincts. Trying to distance herself from the memory of Rowan is one thing, but she was too weak to hear him out like this. Besides, he did have a good argument. It kinda added to the little voice in her head saying she ended a perfectly good relationship because of one bump in the road.

“I’m still in love with you too,” she confessed, the words hanging in the air with no closure to them, just that raw feeling.

Rowan reached for the side of her face, his hand slowly cupping her jaw. He stroked it with his thumb, his eyes looking for an answer in hers.

She silently gave it to him.

They hesitantly grew closer, her eyes half-lidded as Rowan grew bolder with her melting in his arms, until he lost patience and took her lips.

Aelin’s body relaxed when he washed her away with the familiarity of his mouth on her, and she had to break the kiss for a second to smile. This dopamine rush he spontaneously gave her was greater than any antidepressant and, right now, the one thing she felt in her bones was that she wouldn’t let go.

You can get notified when I update by either turning notifications on for @backtobl4ck-fics or entering my (sometimes glitchy) tag list!!

TAG LIST

I couldn’t tag the people in bold, sorry!

@aelinchocolatelover

@autumnbabylon

@bookcide

@booksandteaonarainydayislife

@cookiemonsterwholovesbooks

@courtofjurdan

@dreamer-133

@elentiyawhitethorn

@elizarikaallen

@emily-gsh

@empress-ofbloodshed

@fangirlprincess09

@goddess-aelin

@gracie-rosee

@leiawritesstories

@lululululululuop

@renxzs

@rowanaelinn

@s-uppertime

@sarahjswift

@staghorn-mountains

@superspiritfestival

@swankii-art-teacher

@thegreyj

@throneofus7

@violet-mermaid7

@wishfulimaginings

#sjmromanceweek2024 #sjmromanceweek #rowaelin #rowan whitethorn #aelin galathynius #throne of glass #rowaelin fanfiction #rowan x aelin #aelin x rowan #rowaelin fanfic #throne of glass fanfic

[dontmixpaintinyourcoffee]

I have once again just made a new character entirely

Design notes under the cut

Alright so I broke some of my own rules but in my defense this was hard because of the choices I had made of my own free will

So, I wanted to have some bunny traits, and I wanted them to be really obvious. I took some inspiration from the rabbitfolk/harengon in 5e dnd, and I really wanted her to be able to leap like a rabbit while in her humanoid form, so I just said fuck it and gave her full rabbit legs. Where does the human end and the rabbit begin? Hell if I know, I just thought this looked cool. Gave her pale eyes, buck teeth, big ol' floppy ears, all the prime bunny traits.

Outfit wise, I had to get creative. Because of the weird rabbit anatomy I had to make sure that her outfit was very loose, so she's the least Victorian of the wonderlandians. She's got a cowl and a short cape, which I wanted to emulate the silhouette of some kind of royal messenger. This is a bit mean, but I also always was kinda under the impression that the White Rabbit was kind of there to be cowardly under the Queen of Hearts, and that she found it funny. The outfit still needed a complicating factor, so I put an extra layer on the cowl with some bells attached like a jesters outfit. I thought it would also be cute if she made jingle jangle sounds whenever she was running around, so you always knew where she was headed to next. If Maddie gets shoes that go *HONK* then Bunny gets bells that go *jingle jangle jingle jangle*

The goggles and gloves add some value contrast, but they're also practical! Since Alistair is so impulsively curious (both the love and bane of her existence) she's always ready for an impromptu chemical experiment. Eye protection is important, and you really don't want your hands in caustic materials! She loves his curiosity and excitement, but it can be stressful trying to make sure he doesn't die while blinded by the promise of science

They still have a semi-romantic relationship going on, but instead of the obnoxious "oh but they could NEVER like someone like me!" It's more just... Unaddressed? They've been so close for so long that everybody just assumes they're together, but they've never actually put any kind of label on it or talked about it with eachother. It's just kind of irrelevant to their dynamic

I am considering an alternative to that relationship because somehow simultaneously I think Bunny admires and loves Alistairs brilliant curiosity and that their relationship has "he once asked me what the Spanish word for tortilla was and now I dream of kissing him in the moonlight" vibes

She, like most wonderland kids, doesn't really care about or consider the destiny conflict, but she doesn't have more friends on either side, so she's not aligned with either

#eah art #eah #eah fanart #eah redesign #ever after high #ever after high art #yes i have thought about this cartoon for children designed to sell dolls from almost a decade ago for far too long why do you ask #bunny blanc #coffeepaintart

[cardierreh15]

Post Human

hey y'all, this one has been sitting in my drafts/docs for a while now and ive edited and changed and had it beta'd read 85 fucking times lol so I hope it lives up to some of yalls standards and enjoy it.

***I do not give anyone permission to repost or copy my work!!!

Warnings 18+: Cursing , Sexual Situations , Gore , Blood , Clickers & Stalker .

Pairings: August Walker x Roslyn(Black!Female Oc)

Special Guests: Ellie (Sister/Best Friend) , Joel (Father Figure)

Description: It's quite the special day for our beloved Roslyn so August gots something planned for her.

Word Count: 5.8K

Song (in order): Alligator Tears by Beyonce , Snooze By SZA

III

October 21st

Roslyn was standing in line at the mess hall. For once, she was able to just stand there without a yawn or a stretch. It was then that someone came up behind her and tapped her on her shoulder. 

She whipped her head around to look at the individual. It was Ellie, with this goofy grin on her lips and a cupcake in her calloused hands. Then, it dawned on her. 

‘Happy Birthday loser!’ 

Roslyn chuckled and rolled her eyes as she reached out and gave her sister a hug. 

‘How many years have we known each other? You do this every year.’ 

She looked around to see if anyone had spotted them. And sure as the sunset in the west, the attention was on her.

‘Awww shit and you fight me on this every year. Just take the damn cupcake.’ Ellie practically shoved it in her hands.

Ros gave her an unapproved glare before chuckling, ‘You’re hard headed. That doesn’t seem to improve with each year but instead declines!’ She rolled her eyes and turned around in line, ‘Is this what you were up to this morning? Or were you sniffing under Dina’s skirt again?’

Ellie rolled her eyes and gave her shoulder a gentle nudge. ‘Yes, actually! Dina is just a friend. You’re jealous that she's taking up all our bonding time?’ she teased.

‘No. I don’t care.’

‘Oh, I know you don’t,’ Ellie leaned in and whispered. ‘You’ve been too busy mumbling about your own friend in your sleep.’

Roslyn’s eyes grew and she snapped her head over at Ellie. 

‘What? Don't be so surprised Ron, I've told you before you talk in your sleep!'  

She gave her a snarky smirk with a raised brow.

‘You’re such an ass,’ Roslyn chuckled and shook her head as the girls finally made it up to the counter to collect their breakfast.

Afterwards, they began to make their journey to their designated spot in the corner of the cafeteria. As soon as they sat down, Ellie didn’t hold back on the questions. 

‘So! What happened after patrol?!’ she teased as she sprinkled some salt over her eggs.

‘Well, if you must know, nothing happened! We talked and went our separate ways.' She took a sip of her coffee and began to unwrap her breakfast burrito. 

‘Really? That’s it?!’

‘That’s it,’ Roslyn repeated.

‘Hmmm. Well what do you think about him?'

Roslyn pressed her lips together and rolled her eyes, 'Ellie, I barely know him. He and his brother just got here a few weeks ago!'

Ellie broke off a piece of her burrito and placed it on her tongue, 'Well you know enough to be dreamin' about 'em.'

'Jesus Christ would you stop?!' Roslyn gritted through her teeth as she balled up a napkin and threw it at her face.

Ellie laughed and held her hands up in defense and ducked her head.

She wasn't going to let that shit go. Ever

Suddenly, the girls could hear familiar laughter across the cafeteria. Roslyn looked over to see August and Tommy walking through the double doors. 

‘Aw shit. Speaking of the devil.’ 

Roslyn glanced over at Ellie who wore a smug look on her face. 

‘You’re so annoying.’

Meanwhile, her heart was palpitating in her chest.

‘I know.’ 

The men looked over at the girls. August's glare was a bit longer and more intense than Tommy’s as he jerked his head up in a greeting. 

You say move a mountain and i'll throw on my boots. You say stop the river from running, I'll build a dam or two. You say change religions now I spend Sundays with you. Something 'bout those tears of yours,

How does it feel to be adored?

Roslyn fought the grin that was threatening to curl on her lips. She had to hurry and look away before he caught it. She quickly looked down at her burrito to try to hide that smirk on her face.

‘Uh-oh! There it is!’ Ellie chuckled as she reached over and landed a few smacks on her arm. ‘You look so cute when you’re in love!’ she mocked.

Her head snapped up at her sister and threw the balled up napkin at her face. 

‘You talkin’ casanova?’

Ellie laughed and raised her hands in surrender, ‘Nope! Look Roslyn, it’s okay to have a crush on someone. Hell, you used to be infatuated with what’s his name!’ she snapped her fingers together as she thought.

‘You mean Chad?’ A snarl curled up on her lips before she took her first bite into her burrito.

‘Yeah! And now look at ya! Moved on to bigger… and better things! That bigger was just literal.’ 

Roslyn chuckled for a second before their names were called. 

‘Ros! Ellie!’ Tommy called out towards them.

‘Tommy!’ Ellie called out before Roslyn turned to look over her shoulder. 

Both of the men were walking towards them.

‘Sup Tommy!’ Roslyn smiled softly before she stood up to hug her uncle. 

‘Happy Birthday, kiddo!’ he said as he embraced her in a tight hug and kissed her head. 

‘Thanks,’ she grinned and looked over at August who stood next to Tommy. ‘Hey.’

‘Hey,’ he said with a small smile.

‘Aye, y’all mind if we joined y’all for breakfast this mornin’?’

A lump grew in Roslyn’s throat. ‘Hmm?’ was all she could hum out.

‘Of course!’ Ellie grinned cunningly. 

Roslyn snapped her head over at Ellie, ‘Th-they can?’ her eyes were pleading for her to give this shit up. 

‘Of course they can! It’s just breakfast, Roslyn,' she teased. 

Roslyn glared at Ellie with great loathe. 

A smile cracked up on her lips and she spoke through her teeth, ‘Sure… y’all can sit with us!’ 

***

Their morning consisted of hearty laughter and storytelling. 

Roslyn didn’t know why she was so adamant at first. But it felt good to share a good laugh with the people she loved. Even August. 

The four of them walked outside together, all in fits of giggles. Tommy then looked down at Roslyn. 

‘Come by the house later on! Me and Maria got sumn waitin’ on ya. Ellie, be safe on patrol today!’ he said, turning away.

‘I’ll be there!’ Roslyn smiled.

‘You got it, Tommy!’ Ellie added and then turned to look at Roslyn. ‘I gotta go. I’ll be back in a few hours.’

She balled up her fist for Roslyn to pound it.

‘Be safe. Love ya.’ She gave Ellie a pound on her fist and they leaned in to give one another a kiss on the cheek. 

‘See ya later, August!’ and with that, she headed off to the stables.

The pair stood there in silence for a moment before August decided to initiate the conversation, ‘I didn’t know your birthday was today. Sorry, I didn’t bring a gift for you.’

Roslyn looked ahead and smiled softly, ‘yeah. I really don’t like to celebrate it. It’s just another day for me.’

‘Well you should! There's like a one in a million chance of you being here so…’

‘Technically the statistic is one in 400 million…’

‘Yeah but as you can tell, humans are a limited edition nowadays,’ he chuckled. 

She giggled and nodded, ‘You’re right about that.’

‘Anyway though, you should celebrate it like it’s your last. Tomorrow is never promised y’know?’

Roslyn rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips, ‘I’m starting to believe you and Ellie knew each other in a past life or something.’ 

They both shared a small chuckle before she spoke up again, ‘I’ll try to take that advice. No promises though.’ 

She turned away to walk but he instantly followed. 

‘At least you’d try. So, um… you have any plans today?’

‘Nope.’

‘Oh. Do they throw parties?’

‘Mmmm,’ she looked up in thought. ‘Sometimes. They do that for you guys back in Washington?’

August pressed his lips together as he shoved his hands in his pockets, ‘sometimes. More like a small gathering kind of thing.’ He smirked as he looked over at her. 

‘Oh. Cool,’ she gave him a friendly yet small grin this time before she walked up the steps to the library. 

Suddenly, a beeping captured August’s attention. He looked down at his watch. 9:30am. 

‘Damn,’ he cursed and looked up at Roslyn. ‘Hey, I gotta—‘ he threw his thumb back, ‘head back. Gotta go give Mikey his medicine.’ 

Roslyn turned around and gave him an understanding nod, ‘of course! No worries, go take care of your brother!’

August licked his lips, ‘Will I see you later?’ 

‘Why wouldn’t you?’ she asked, her head fallin’ to the side as a smile quirked up on her lips. 

A chuckle rumbled in August’s chest. ‘That’s what I like to hear.’ 

He shot her a wink and took a few steps back before spinning swiftly on his toes and walking back in the same direction they’d just come from. 

With heated cheeks, Roslyn just watched him for a moment before letting out a deep, shaky breath and walked into the library. 

***

Her day was as mundane and regular as she let it be. She did her best to keep herself busy. A few people wished her a happy birthday and thanked her for always being the best version of herself. But nothing out of the ordinary. 

Except that was far-fetched of course. It was 7:43pm now and she was walking up the few steps of Maria’s cabin. She knocked on the door. They barely gave it a second before the door swung open. 

‘Hey! Come in!’ Maria said with a cheeky grin curled up on her face. 

She found that rather odd. Maria was a gorgeous woman but smiling was a rare thing for her simply because she had been through a lot. 

‘Okay,’ Roslyn uttered as she walked through the threshold. 

She began to unbutton her coat but Maria raised her hand, ‘aht! Don’t take that off, we’re going to the pub afterwards. I just wanna give you something.’ 

Then Maria disappeared upstairs.

Letting out a deep breath through her nose, she bit the inside of her cheek and zipped her coat right back up, shoveing her hands in the pockets as she stared at the pictures of Maria and Tommy on the wall.

Sometimes, it seems like Maria and Tommy just dealt with one another. It looked like it wasn’t really love but, in those photos… They looked head over heels. 

Roslyn snapped her head over at Maria who came trotting down the steps with a small box wrapped in old newspaper in her hand. 

‘What’s this?’ Roslyn asked with her eyes narrowed. 

‘It’s a gift from Tommy. I just happened to give you my gift way too early,’ Maria giggled. 

Roslyn rolled her eyes and shook the box next to her ear. She heard a small jingle on the inside. 

‘What is it?’ 

‘Check it out,' Maria reassured as she walked over to the coat rack and threw on her own jacket. 

‘Hmm,’ Roslyn hummed and tore the old newspaper off. Just a plain black box.

‘Alright,’ she sighed, before popping open the lid of the box. 

On the inside of the box was a solid gold rope necklace. 

‘What?!’ Roslyn laughed as she snatched the gold out of the box. ‘Holy shit!’ she continued to laugh hysterically. 

‘A gold necklace?!’

Maria cackled as she zipped up her coat, ‘Yeah. Tommy told me a while ago about you wanting one. So, he and Joel damn near flipped the mall in the east upside down until they found you one. Almost got them killed but, I’m sure they’d do it again.’ 

Well, she definitely couldn’t give it back; especially now that she knew the bullshit that came with them getting it in the first place.

‘It’s beautiful. Could you put it on for me?’ 

‘Of course.’ 

The smile plastered on Roslyn’s face hadn’t faltered. 

She scooped up her long braids and held them up as Maria wrapped the chain around her neck and clipped it together.

‘There,’ Maria said as Roslyn turned around to face her. ‘It compliments you so well, Ros.’ 

‘For real?!’ 

‘Would I lie to you?’ she grinned. 

‘Valid,' Roslyn laughed.

‘C’mon, let’s go have a drink.’ 

***

On their short journey to the pub, Roslyn noticed the lack of people walking around outside. She looked down at her watch. It was only 8:06. So why the hell were the streets damn near empty? Something was fishy. 

Once they made it to the pub, the lights were off there too. Roslyn raised a brow in thought, ‘The pub? Closed this early?’ 

‘Yeah, Seth probably closed up early tonight. But, she pulled out a large ring of keys and jingled them. ‘They don’t call me the key holder for no reason!’ 

‘Whoa— we aren’t breaking in the pub are we?’ 

Maria laughed as she stuck the key in the door and twisted it, ‘Is it really breaking in if I have the key?’ 

She then pushed the door open and jerked her head forward. 

Letting out a breath, she nodded in agreement, ‘Yeah. That’s true.’ And with that, she walked in the dark space. 

Maria walked in behind her and flickered on the lights and everyone jumped out shouting, 

‘SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ROSLYN!’ 

Roslyn jumped as her mouth fell. It was safe to say that she was definitely surprised. Streamers hung from the ceiling with a Happy Birthday banner hanging against the back wall. 

She wanted to be so angry about this considering her thinking about birthdays only brought humans a year closer to death. But everyone she loved and adored was here with goofy triangular hats sitting on their heads. For once, everything felt alright with the world. 

She began to laugh hysterically and looked back at Maria, ‘Whose fucking idea was this?!’ 

Maria gave her a playful shrug as she strapped a pink party hat to her own head. 

‘It was mine!’ Roslyn looked back as August just emerged from the crowd and walked up to her. 

He would. 

‘Happy Birthday, Ros.’ 

I can’t lose. When I’m with you. How could I snooze and miss the moment, you’re just too important. Nobody do body like you do. 

She just looked up into his eyes, her heart raced inside her chest. She was so amazed with him, lost for words! 

‘Thank you,’ she grinned up at him. 

‘Alright, alright. Break this up!’ Joel called out, walking up and putting his arms between them and breaking them apart. 

The both of them laughed in slight embarrassment before Joel embraced his girl in his arms. 

‘Happy Birthday baby girl,’ he placed a kiss against her ear, ‘I’m proud of you.’ 

‘Thanks Joel,' she sniffed as she held on to him tightly, trying her best not to ugly cry. 

When the hug was broken, she carefully wiped the corner of her eyes as she laughed. 

‘Awww don’t cry, Roslyn,' Ellie smiled as she walked up to hug her.

‘Shut up! I’m not crying,’ Roslyn cackled. 

Ellie quickly embraced her in a tight hug. 

‘I love you, sis,’ Ellie said softly in her ear as they rocked in sync. ‘I’ve lost so much… so many. And I’m so glad… My journey has brought me to you, Ros. I love you forever.’ 

Roslyn squeezed Ellie tighter as she clamped her eyes shut, hiding her face in Ellie’s shoulder so no one would see the tear that finally fought its way out. 

This was all a very intimate and beautiful moment with Roslyn and her family. As a child she longed for something like this. And now, her biggest fear was losing them. They were her reason for existing. 

Once Roslyn pulled away, she dried her eyes and let out a deep shaky breath,

‘Okay! Enough of this shit! Let’s get this party started!’ 

The pub cheered happily and the music began to play. Roslyn turned to look up at August who had just put a party horn between his teeth. He paused before giving it a strong blow. Roslyn tried to keep her composure but she just laughed and playfully landed a soft punch on his chest. 

‘You’re. Such. An ass! You know I don’t do this kind of stuff!’ 

‘I don’t actually!’ he leaned in with his hands behind his back. 

‘You do! I told you I don’t like celebrating my birthday!’ 

‘You used to not like it. Since I’m gone be stickin’ around… you might get one of these every year. Now, here!’ He reached behind him and picked up a yellow party hat and carefully put it on her head. 

‘Enjoy your party, princess! It’s your day!’ 

I can’t lose. When I’m with you. How could I snooze and miss the moment, you’re just too important. Nobody do body like you do, you do. 

***

The party was now in full swing. It was almost like something out of a movie. People were dancing, drinking, laughing. It was almost like Mother Earth wasn’t choking them to death. 

Roslyn walked over to the bar where August was sitting and staring at her. 

‘You’ve spent the whole night staring at me.’

August chuckled, ‘Is that a bad thing?’ 

‘Nah. Just a little creepy,’ she said, reaching down to grab the elastic band beneath his chin, and snapped it.

‘Ow!’ he laughed as he covered his chin. ‘What was that for?!’ he stood up, towering over her.

‘No reason. So, you're gonna stop being a weirdo and come dance with me?’

‘Hmmm,’ August thought for a minute. ‘Actually, I got a better idea,’ he reached up and took off the party hat. ‘How about we ditch the party.’ 

Roslyn raised a brow, ‘Ditch the party? That you threw for me?’ She poked herself in her chest with her index finger. 

‘Yeah!’ He sounded so positive. 

‘And do what?’

‘That’s for me to know. C’mon! We’ll be back before it’s over.’ He then took her hat off of her head and stacked their hats together before he grabbed her hand. He grabbed their coats and they left the pub in a hurry.  

First they stopped by his house. She waited outside on his porch before he came back out. 

‘That was quick!’ 

‘Yeah. Mikey is up and moving around so he’s taking his own meds now.’

‘Oh well that’s good to hear! Wait, why didn’t he come to the party tonight?’ 

‘I tried to get him to come but he was complaining about the weather.’ 

Well, she could understand that. The only good thing about the cold was it stunted the movement in the herds. At least that’s what everyone thought. 

‘I get that. Anyway,’ she sighed out, ‘Where we goin’?’

August gave her a sinister smirk and leaned in, ‘just wait.’ 

He walked past her and towards the back of the compound. 

Her eyes grew in shock once she’d realized what he was doing. The cold air burned at her chest as she jogged up behind him. 

‘August! August!’ She ran in front of him and placed her hands on his wrists, ‘What the hell are you doing?!’ 

‘We… are sneaking out.’ 

‘And why the fuck would you wanna do that?! Do you not realize how deep in shit you’d— WE would be in if anyone found out?!’ 

August gave her a gentle smile and his head fell to the side. ‘Just come with me. I promise… if we do get in trouble… I’ll take all the blame,’ he lended out his hand. 

‘Good… because this is your idea!’ she stared up at him and then slapped her hand into his. ‘And don’t count on me to bail your ass out. I’ll just tell them you kidnapped me.’

August smiled as the pair walked over to the fence. He then peeled the fence back and let her crawl through, then he followed. 

‘This better be worth it,’ she said glaring at him. 

‘It will! Promise. C’mon,’ and he began to jog ahead. 

‘Ugh! August, wait!’ she called out in a whisper before she went after him. 

But just like her warm breath in the cool air, he disappeared in a flash. 

‘August?!’ she called out for him. 

But nothing! Just the sound of the wind rustling the dead twigs and branches on the trees. Roslyn shivered as she reached in her back pocket, pulled out her beanie and tugged it over her head. 

‘That’s better,’ she hummed softly. ‘Now to see where this fool has gone.’ 

Roslyn clicked on her mini flashlight that was velcro to her coat and searched for any clues to lead her where he was hiding. 

‘August!’ she walked forward until she came across a pair of fresh prints. 

‘Gotcha. Sneaky little shit. August I’m going to kick your ass for leaving me out here by myself! Actually, I think I may tell Joel! He won’t like that too much,’ Roslyn chuckled softly before the quietness around her began to settle in once more. 

It was eerie and the feeling of being left alone made her heart sink. She heard a twig snap nearby. She looked behind her to see where the noise had come from. 

‘August?’ She said softly. ‘August stop playin’! This shit isn’t funny!’ 

The silence rang in the air. Now she was scared. Suddenly, she was hit upside her head with a snowball. 

‘OW!’ She wiped her face, taking off her beanie to shake out the snow and her braids. 

August came from behind a tree cackling like a menacing child as he walked over to her.

‘That’s not funny! You’re such a dick!’ She gave him a playful shove as she did her best not to laugh too.

‘Awww, come on. It was a little funny. Plus, I noticed how scared you were… did you really think I’d leave you out here like this?’ 

Roslyn sighed, softly tugging back on her beanie. 

The answer was delayed and really, she knew that she was safe with August. But she didn’t just trust anybody. This life was all about surviving and throwing anybody in the way of the freight train just to keep yourself alive. 

‘I don’t know. Would you?’

August’s head fell to the side gently as a small smirk grew on his lips, ‘you never have to worry about me leavin’ you, Ros. I got you.’

Her face grew warm as a smile curled up on her full lips, ‘that’s good to know, August. So,” she let out a gentle breath, ‘Where we goin’?’ 

‘Oh yeah! Come on, it’s not far,’ he jerked his head over and swiftly turned around to walk away. 

‘Mmhmm,’ Roslyn hummed playfully as she squatted down and scooped some snow in her hands and patted it into a round ball. 

Then, she allowed him to walk ahead before she threw it and hit him in the middle of his back. August stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder. 

Roslyn stood there with a sinister grin curled on her lips.

August turned around to face her head on, ‘you really wanna do this with me right now? You’re not gonna win this.’ 

Roslyn laughed out and shook her head, ‘right now is as good as any. Look, it’s cold and I’m already ready to get back to the compound. So if I win… we’re going back home. If you win… we can keep going and we’ll both take the blame for our absence at the party tomorrow.’ 

He folded his arms across his chest and thought for a moment, ‘alright. Cool… first person to 10, wins.’ 

‘You’re on!’ she said as she walked up to him and they pounded fists. 

Once she made it back to her side, August launched a snowball and hit her in the shoulder. Roslyn swiftly turned around with a surprise and was hit in the face with another. 

‘Oh–!’ August called out as he covered his mouth and began to laugh.

‘YOU CHEATER!’ Roslyn growled out before snatching up some snow in her palms and running behind a tree. There, she began to form a ball that was stable enough to throw. 

August ran behind a tree and began to form a few balls of snow and stack them, ‘NOT A CHEATER! JUST AN OPPORTUNIST!’ 

‘A CHEATER!’ Roslyn laughed as she peeked around the tree to find him. Once she knew she wasn’t going to get him at this angle, she carefully moved forward to another tree. But not without him throwing another snowball. Thankfully, he missed. 

‘YOU'RE LUCKY! THAT WOULD’VE BEEN 3!’ 

‘IT WOULD’VE BEEN YOUR FIRST ONE PUMPKIN EATER!’ Roslyn called out.

August laughed out as he scooped up his artillery and moved in position to flank her. Stepping from behind her cover, she started to throw the balls at the last place she’d seen him. But little did she know, he was standing right behind her. 

Roslyn began to craft up more balls in a hurry, a goofy and giddy grin burning at her cold cheeks. 

Taking gentle steps, August moved like a thief in the night! He peaked over gently to see the amount of balls she’d created. Too bad she won’t be able to use them. 

He pressed his lips together before letting out a sharp whistle. 

Roslyn stopped her project once she realized she was bested. Closing her eyes, she lifted her hands, ‘OK! You got me!’ 

She laughed.

‘Stand up.’ August commands. 

She stood up slowly and let out a shuddered breath. 

‘Turn around.’ 

Roslyn slowly turned around and kept her hands up with this smug expression on her face. Her eyes caught a glimpse at the 5 balls that sat in his arm.

‘Hmph.’ August smirked, proudly.

‘Shit.’ 

‘Yup!’ 

‘It’s like that?’

‘Just like that.’ 

She shook her head before she looked behind him and a sunken look cursed her face. 

‘August….’ she whispered as she pointed behind him. 

He didn’t even think, the look on her face frightened him and he immediately looked behind him and dropped his snowballs to the ground. But nothing was there. 

‘Wha— there’s nothing—‘ 

When he looked back ahead, she had already darted towards him. She wrapped her arms around his waist with her head resting on his abdomen. 

‘Ugh!’ He grunted as their bodies collided and he fell backwards.

Straddling his lap in a fast manner, she placed her hands on his chest as she breathed heavily. The both of them began to laugh playfully. 

‘Do you surrender?’ she asked.

‘I’m sorry but this wasn’t part of the rules.’

‘It doesn’t matter! You let your guard down.’ 

August laughed and shook his head before he lifted his knee up and rolled them over in a quick movement. Then, he snatched up her wrists and pinned them above her head. 

Roslyn squeaked in surprise at his sudden movement. 

August huffed heavily as he fought the brisk air that burned at his throat and chest, ‘I never let my guard down.’ 

She let out a shuddered breath as she looked up into his cobalt blue eyes. Taking in the icy-ness of them but finding warmth in that blotch of hazel in his eye. 

In the drop top riding round with you, I feel like Scarface. Like the white bitch with the bob, you’d be my main one. 

The air between them grew thick with tension. August’s tongue darted out to lick his lips. He forced his eyes away from hers to look down at her soft plump lips. Suddenly, his urges and thoughts clouded his brain. Causing him to rush in and place a tender kiss on lips; his grip loosening on her wrists.

Roslyn felt relieved that he crossed that line. Carefully pulling her hand away, she placed her gloved hand on his jaw as she savored the taste of his lips. 

August then gently broke the kiss, pulling back to look down at her. 

‘You’re so warm,’ his gaze never left her face, yet his eyes were hooded with such want and desire. 

‘So are you…’ she whispered as her brown eyes flickered to his lips. 

A devious smirk curled up on his lips, ‘I know of an interesting way of warming up… if you wanna.’ 

Roslyn raised a brow, instantly catching the idea. It had been awhile since she had some. And they were alone, this would’ve been the perfect opportunity but, good things don’t last forever… not in this life. 

‘I’m down if you’re down,’ she said in a sultry tone as she relaxed her thighs so he could lay comfortably there. 

‘Well now is as good as—‘

Then, a twig snapped behind them. August paused for a second, placing his index finger against his lips. Carefully and silently, August pulled himself up and helped her up to her feet. 

He then pulled out his gun and gave it to her, whispering, ‘take this. Just in case.’ 

‘Wha— what about you?’ She whispered back in worry. 

‘I have a spare. Just—‘

And an unsettling cracking and clicking filled the air followed by pained grunting and snarling.

‘Infected. What the hell are they doing this close to Jackson?’ Roslyn asked, perplexed.

‘I don’t know. But we have to get rid of them. You with me?’

‘Do you have to ask?’ she smirked. 

‘That’s my girl. Now… silence.’ 

She gave him a nod for him to lead the way, and she followed him in a stack. 

***

The walk was probably 15 minutes when they stumbled across an encampment. It was vacant. Sort of. It consisted of sleeping bags, a few trinkets and emptied cans of food. They’d even created a fire with stone and wood that was now frostbitten. The intruders were gone for sometime now.

August let out a gentle breath as he stepped over a dead log. Roslyn took a step forward but August threw up his fist for her to stop. She let out a shuddered breath as she kept her gun up just in case. Once he’d finished securing the area, he pressed his lips together as he walked back to the campsite. 

‘Come look at this,’ he sheaths his gun back in the holster and squat down before the sleeping bag.

Roslyn walked around the log and walked into the encampment. She’d taken note of the WLF gear that were engraved in their belongings. 

‘They were here…’ 

‘Yeah,’ he uttered and took a deep breath. This was really fucking bad.

Roslyn let out a deep breath and looked down at him. ‘They’re after you…’ 

August let out a shuddered breath, ‘yeah.’

She closed her eyes as reality began to set in. ‘I knew it. I fucking knew it,’ she said through gritted teeth. 

August quickly stood up and looked back at her, ‘is there something wrong?’ His tone was slightly annoyed. 

‘Yeah! As a matter of fact, there is!’ She placed her hands on her hips, ‘now the well-being of Jackson is at risk all because you decided to come here!’ 

‘Look, I didn’t know they’d follow us OK!? You think I’d purposely bring them here?! To hurt you?'

‘Listen, I don’t know what your motive is! But right now, you are the bad guy!’ 

That stung August in the chest. 

‘You think that lowly of me?! Roslyn, you know me!’

‘Ha!’ Roslyn cackled. ‘You think because you threw me a surprise birthday party you think I should know you better?!’ 

A loud screech filled the air, causing them to look ahead. They waited for a second before the grunting became guttural screaming. 

‘They’ve heard us.’

‘Fuck!’ Roslyn cursed as she pulled out her gun. 

Two runners emerged from the darkness of the trees and stumbling behind them were two clickers. 

‘CLICKER!!’ August shouted as he shot at the runners. 

Roslyn began to shoot at their heads. Pieces of cordycep growth ricochet off of them before she put them down. Letting out a breath in relief, she looked up to see August fighting with the last living infected. 

She aimed the gun at the runner’s head but then August shouted,‘ROS! BEHIND YOU!’ 

Looking back, Roslyn was instantly tackled by a stalker. 

‘Ugh!’ She whimpered out as she fought to keep the infected mouth away from her. She held her arm at its throat as her other hand reached out to search for the gun that flew out of her grasp.

‘ROSLYN!’ August shouted out in fear as he managed to grab his ka-bar and stab the runner in the head. 

The stalker began to chomp down as it stretched its neck to try to get a bite. It was getting harder to hold it back by the second. Suddenly, a gunshot rang in the air and the stalker fell into her chest, dead as a door knob. Her ears rang with an eerie vengeance.

‘Ros! ROSLYN’ August shouted as he rushed over to her. 

With blood and brain fragments on her face, she quickly pushed the dead infected off of her, rolled over and emptied the contents in her stomach. Her hands gripped the snow as she dry heaved. 

August quickly rushed over and grabbed her by her shoulders to look at her, ‘Roslyn! Look at me!’ He grabbed her face so she could look up at him. 

Her heaving had stopped but turned into deep breaths. Her eyes focused on his as they began to calm her down. 

‘Shhh… it’s ok. I've got you remember?!’ 

Roslyn gave him a hesitant nod before she felt a stinging pain in her shoulder, ‘ah!’ 

‘You’re hurt,’ August said as his eyes landed on the ripped piece of cloth. 

‘Let’s get this off of you yeah?’ He then unzipped her coat and dropped it to the ground. 

When he looked back up, he’d immediately saw the torn fabric of her sweater on her shoulder. His heart shattered at the grim sight. 

‘Ros…’

Roslyn looked down to find the searing pain. She’d been bitten. 

‘Ah! Oooh… ooh my god!’ She shuddered out, trembling in pain.

This would mean she'd have to tell her deepest darkest secret. The secret that could get everyone around her killed. 

‘Ros, Ros, Roslyn— it’s alright! Look!’ He said as his breathing began to hitch. 

‘It’s not that bad!’ He began to laugh hysterically, ‘it’s … it’s going to be alright… please. Tell me everything is going to be alright!’ his vision began to blur at the bloodied sight. 

‘August…’ she let out a shuddered breath as she caressed his jaw, ‘I have something to tell you. But you have to promise me not to tell anyone. Only Ellie, Joel and Tommy know of this.’

August’s face softened as he looked down at her. 

He carefully took her small hand in his and squeezed it, ‘I promise… what is it?’ 

Roslyn bit into her bottom lip before hissing at the throbbing pain. 

She placed her hand over her shoulder, ‘I’m immune.’

From The River To the Sea, Palestine will be free. I’d like to make it clear that in no shape or form does this page support Israel or Zionism. The creator of the game, Neil Druckmann is a Zionist and I would like to make it very clear that this page stands in solidarity with the people of Palestine 🇵🇸. Boycott the game, boycott the show! CLICK HERE to find links to support and donate to Palestine & please continue to Boycott! Palestine will be free.

#henry cavill #henry cavill fanfic #henry cavill x black reader #au!august walker #august walker #august walker x black!reader #august walker fanfiction #august walker fic #august walker x black!female oc #x black reader #xblack #x black fem reader #x black plus size reader #x black oc #August walker x black!oc #August walker x black!fem!oc #black!oc #black!fem!reader #tlou #the last of us #the last of us fanfiction #the last of us game #tlou hbo #the last of us hbo #joel tlou #joel and ellie #clickers #infected tlou

[gloriousmonsters]

HECK yes. worstgirl time. (a lot of these are still vague and taking shape and i need to actually figure out when i want to place her death date etc etc...

that said

she had an absent dad (stepped out to buy cigarettes and fucking died) (velvette thinks he just ran off) (all the Vees have daddy issues, this is hers) and a mom who fell into alcoholism due to depression/shit jobs, leaving Velvette to be raised by the TV, fashion magazines and the Internet whenever she got access to computers. so i feel like that explains a lot

I'm toying with the idea she was put in foster care as a teenager, which she was pissed about because she LIKED being essentially a free agent in between the brief moments her mom noticed her existence and they had screaming matches, thankyouverymuch

she was severely bullied in high school for her obvious poverty+being a weird alt girl+the noticeable mental illnesses (mainly anger issues where she would explode and threaten people messing with her, or pick fights with teachers).

was never internet popular or successful in the fashion industry during her life, just an aspirational mean girl who learned a lot about Internet success but didn't have time to implement it for herself, and had a lot of big dreams (mostly involving being handed fashion awards while the bullies from her high school cried)

had turned thirty just a little while before her death, and was experiencing existential terror over how she hadn't found success yet and was going to start becoming a decrepit old maid

owned a lot of ball-jointed dolls who she'd make little outfits for and also be quietly insane with at the end of a hard day (velvette sitting on the floor with two dolls re-enacting a conversation with a coworker: wow, [velvette]! now that you suggest THAT outfit, i see that my idea is stupid and bad! i'm going to go kill myself now!)

(bonus tiny after-death headcanon but. doesn't collect dolls anymore, but will refer to her models as her 'dolls' or 'dollies' sometimes, always in a fake-sweet possessive or threatening tone. it's usually a sign she's pissed with them.)

struggled with ~love~ due to (a) mainly being attracted to guys who were dating other people or out of her social circle/league (b) being a weird little creep whose trouble with conducting normal relationships only increased the longer she went without one and grew more desperate and was ashamed by that and became more cold and aggressive with stronger outbursts of desperation and etc, vicious cycle

ok I've had the vague idea she was killed when she just kind of hit her limit one day and went into her workplace to kill someone (a model or actual designer) she hated--uncaring if she caused some collateral death on the way-- and got killed in self-defense, but now I'm thinking about her working in marketing/advertising specifically because it would both fit her after-death role and because being forced to promote/design ideas around someone you loathed seems like a good source of 'i'm going to fucking murder them' stress

that's all that comes to mind atm 👍

#thnx for the revolving velvette encouragement #hazbin hotel velvette #happy days in hell (hazbin tag) #hazbin velvette #wrt her relationships i love the idea that her and the vees are basically like #yandere4yandere4yandere #(lighter on the 'dere' for some but you know what i mean) #they're all weird obsessive creeps with abandonment issues so it works out

[viridiave]

Spoiler-heavy thoughts about Crick and how the Game Mechanics treat Temenos’s story

So. yeah if you press ‘Keep Reading’ I should probably let you guys know that these thoughts are just a tiny bit unhinged. And again - spoiler alert! You’ve been warned!!

GAME MECHANICS AND UI

- Gonna preface THIS section by asserting that yes, not EVERY mechanic needs to be taken apart under a microscope and re-contextualized into the greater lore of the game. Not EVERYTHING has to mean something to everybody. Some of my classes in game design disagree though and honestly for the genre that Octopath Traveler is, that being a story-heavy role-playing game where the narrative is half the game, I'd say that integrating lore into the mechanics and vice-versa wouldn't hurt - in fact it ENHANCES the experience. The second game does this pretty handily through the EX Skills (the first of the skills being Divine Blessings, and the second being earned at the end of the story.) and the Latent Powers.

Okay the Latent Powers? Honestly that part's mostly for Hikari. Shadow's Hold/Light's Radiance is STILL one of the best examples of Gameplay and Story Integration that this game has

No I swear I don't have a bias for 'other selves'/'deep parts of yourself made manifest' what are you talking about -

I swear I can write an entire separate post JUST about the EX Skills. Mostly for Osvald, Castti, and mOTHERFUCKING TEMENOS AGAIN

aND THIS IS WHY I GO FUCKING BONKERS WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE DEMO VERSION OF THE GAME LIKE WHAT THE FU-

- Literally the fucking emblem for Temenos's story is a staff and a sword over the Sacred Flame like - they REALLY want you to know how important Crick is to this tale

- tHE FACT THAT CRICK IS THE ONE WHO HAS COVER. NOT EVEN HIKARI OR THE WARRIOR CLASS. IT'S CRICK - DOES THIS COUNT AS FORESHADOWING???

I'll like - write here what I should have written in the bath - and that's me being like 'oh it's because he's recklessly protective. OH SHIT IT'S BECAUSE HE'S RECKLESSLY PROTECTIVE'

I fully acknowledge that it doesn't have to be that deep. MAYBE I'm pulling stuff out of my ass. But allow me to go bonkers over Crick and his for-some-reason-worryingly-appropriate moveset

Man I wonder how bonkers I'd go over Malaya if she was allowed to throw hands. I want her to complement Castti's moveset so bad

- Also the fact that both of their kits complement each other. Crick's bulkier build was made specifically with supporting Temenos in mind.

My guy's Sacred Sword reduces the enemy's elemental defense. Wonder if that implies that the Sanctum Knights normally work with magic and/or magicians

aGAIN HE HAS FUCKING COVER which is PERFECT because early-game Temenos can and will faint if a monster blinks at him too hard

Then there's his OTHER skill Godsblade's Shield which RAISES his physical defense to SO HE CAN COVER FOR TEMENOS BETTER LIKE. AT SOME POINT I SHOULD JUST ASK WHY THEY TRIED SO HARD FOR HIM SPECIFICALLY

And I mean. It makes SENSE but I don't think any of the other helper characters really had this level of chemistry in their mechanics as these two do

Emerald and Gus both have healing moves for better survivability considering how squishy Osvald and Agnea are

And it makes sense, Temenos already has access to a healing move because he's a cleric

The thing that separates Crick from them is that neither Emerald nor Gus really have moves to further support their leads on the level that Crick does. Emerald is fast and he breaks well and Gus is clearly meant to be the DPS of Agnea's Chapter 1, but again - Crick has moves tailor-made for Temenos to go off and do his thing

You lose Pirro and Scaracci/ Rai Mei and Ritsu after the intro and none of them really complement the Throné and Hikari and vice versa as much as Crick and Temenos do with each other

The difference with them too is that they have established relationships with their lead characters prior to the story, sometimes even encountered as antagonistic forces

Pirro, Rai Mei, and Ritsu are all bosses that were once considered close comrades of Throné and Hikari

Scaracci displays mutinous traits throughout Throne's Chapter 1

Emerald subverts this by acting mutinous - which, his conflict with Osvald amounted more to a sacrifice of goodwill

He knows Osvald and how he acts even prior to the beginning of Chapter 1, so he's in this category of having an established relationship

Gus averts this completely by just being a genuinely supportive part of Agnea's life

Mechanically, you never have anything to do with these characters again past Chapter 1 - save for Rai Mei and Ritsu being bosses. Hikari's companions also play an integral narrative role in his final chapter, with Ritsu being encountered as a boss again for the final time

Crick is a subversion of all of them in that he doesn't have any direct relationship with Temenos prior to Chapter 1, and though we never use him as a helper character ever again he consistently shows up as an integral part of Temenos's story up until his death in Chapter 3: Stormhail

Weirdly Crick is also the only one out of all of them where the use of Path Actions is required more than once - Osvald has to Scrutinize Emerald at one point

AND GODDAMNIT OF COURSE THE FIRST AND LAST TANGIBLE INTERACTION WE HAVE WITH CRICK IS TO FUCKING GUIDE HIM I'M SO MAD ABOUT THIS BOOKEND IT'S SO MEAN AKSJKAS

And this in itself makes complete sense given that he has larger roles to play outside of Chapter 1 - just not in the same vein as Ritsu or Rai Mei, but the fact is that Temenos's story is VERY good at establishing and building up chemistry between its characters

bUT FOR MECHANICS WE NEVER HAVE TO USE AGAIN AFTER CHAPTER 1?? THEY WENT SO HARD AND I WANT TO KNOW WHY

- It's not as big of a deal as it looks but I also find it funny just how much fun the devs seemed to have with Crick's introduction and entry into the party - using the Path Action to fucking TROLL with him.

- ON THAT NOTE, LET ME FREAK OUT OVER GUIDE AS A PATH ACTION A LITTLE MORE

I saw a post on Reddit earlier about the 'summoning townspeople' Path Actions and it kind of shook my world a little, so I'll just put my response to it here

For a guy who makes it a point to tell people not to follow anything blindly it's INCREDIBLY hilarious to me that Temenos's Path Action is getting people to follow him blindly.

MECHANICALLY, it's because he's the designated cleric. Temenos has Guide, because Ophilia has Guide. But thematically it's interesting to think about just how antithetical it is to his central creed of doubting, and how this specifically applies to Crick.

I did go back and check and yeah - Crick's one of three individual people I was able to find over the course of the stories that has a required Path Action used on them more than once.

Malaya is one other example with Inquire, and she even one-ups him with one use of Soothe. And I'll get to HER when I get to Castti's essay - I mean infodump - because it's like. Somehow even MORE heartbreaking than this instance of Guide

While I'm here I'll also mention Roque, who also has two instances of a Path Action used on him, namely Purchase and Hire in Partitio's Chapter 5

But back to the dramatic aspect of it it's like. I really want to shake the devs because it's so mean of them to have Temenos's relationship with him begin by guiding him towards not only the cathedral but to a healthier way of thinking, and to end with Crick's fucking GHOST leading Temenos to the crucial truth that he's lost so many people to find, including Crick himself

- I won't scrutinize everything about the cleric class itself but I WILL talk about the EX Skills, because to me it's ironic just how mean they are. I'm glad that the irony isn't lost on the fanfic writers like I see you guys use these as fanfic titles - bless you all

First - Prayer for Plenty, the sequel's answer to how absolutely fucking broken Saving Grace was as a passive in the first game. Limiting it to JUST Temenos's natural moveset feels like it should be sending a message honestly - it's a way to prolong the lives of his comrades and he couldn't do that for the ones he held dear in his own story. Can't help but feel like the fact that this is the one he gets from AELFRIC'S SHRINE rubs salt in the wound - no pun intended -

Secondly is Heavenly Shine and it's like. It's a holy nuke filled with divine power that drains Temenos's magic reserves completely. He invokes Aelfric's name when he uses it to and to this day I think the reason it feels cathartic to use is because it feels like a manifestation of Temenos's wrath

Unlike Osvald's own magic kamehamehadouken nuke where he learned it out of a need to protect Elena, Temenos learns this AFTER his story - and maybe it's just my concern speaking but man I really want this to represent his sheer need to go absolutely fucking apeshit like my man is NOT in a good place after his story is done

- This is the part where I go into the tinier, 'definitely stretching this past the realm of MATTERING' details that actually have something to do with the game mechanics

Some of Temenos's class lines are reminiscent of Crick's own. We've drawn the comparison with Temenos's Sweeping Cleave line already and it's adorable

Temenos Sweeping Cleave [insert handshake emoji] Crick Sacred Slash: I'll cleave you in twain!

Reaching even further here. His lines for Lux Congerere and Sacred Effulgence also somewhat invoke Crick's declaration of 'cleaving the shadows from this world', but it's not exact and I'm just indulging

Lux Congerere: Banish the shadows from this world!

Sacred Effulgence: Aelfric, banish the shadows from this world!

I'd also be extremely remiss to NOT mention the recruitment of Ort in postgame and it physically hurts me to summon him because of the way he says 'I will avenge you, Crick!' like DUDE. Oh well at least he's grieving healthily

Sacred Slash brothers let's gooo

There's like. No way that I'll be able to fit all of this in my other thoughts about Crick that are dedicated mostly to his and Temenos's arcs so. It's like not even in a ship sense anymore even if I do think they're fruity as hell

Honestly I'm just glad to get this all out of my system EXCEPT THERE'S MORE, because Temenos's story loves to torture my brain and its themes resonate with me a bit TOO much

#octopath #octopath traveler 2 #temenos mistral #crick wellsley #vir rambles about octopath yet again #this time - FOR WAY LONGER THAN IS NECESSARY #these aren't even like half the overall thoughts i have about crick #let alone TEMENOS #i honestly don't know why it matters to me this much #it's kind of scary lmao #this is why i should talk to people more #shoutout to jae for some of the lines here because there really was no better way of putting it #temenos why are you such a STICK #ot2 spoilers

[antiv3nom]

asuka ask game? pick your favorite one

ok so i do enjoy asuka guiltygear but i have been thinking REALLY hard about asuka tekken as of late so we're talking about her today

also this took me WAY too long to post i apologize but it Is out here so yaaaay

favorite thing about them:

ok so legally i have to mention asuka's tekken 8 design because motherfucker WHAT were they thinking with that one. what the fuck was the inspiration. but i love it so much i cannot lie

other than that, i really enjoy her rivalry with lili and how moderately insane that bit has gotten, and i like how they've kept her a character who is a) defensively focused in her gameplay even among the generally aggressive play of t8, and b) has a generally down-to-earth feel to her despite. Everything. happening in tekken

least favorite thing about them:

so i was actually talking to a friend about this recently and she explained my feelings really well, its like. asuka feels like the protagonist of another story that isnt being told.

it feels like she has so much stuff that COULD be a really interesting plot focus for her but it just. hasnt been? like everything between her and feng COULD be so neat but its just been sort of...by the wayside for the past few games in favor of keeping up with the mishimas (new sitcom there btw)

favorite line:

asuka's quotes are fun but most arent super noteworthy unfortunately? its mostly pretty standard fare for fighting game open and win quotes unforch :( i will say though, i do really enjoy this win line in t8 from her:

It's not good to fight all the time. Well, see ya!

bc like. girl. what do you think youre out here doing rn. girl please

(note: i dont speak japanese so i couldnt say anything towards this, but i wonder if asuka speaks with a kansai accent/dialect in game? her being from osaka and all, itd be a cool little addition)

brOTP:

omg actually ive seen stuff between leo and asuka that's been fun before i really enjoy that, iirc theyre not super close in the main canon but i wanna say in the non-canon webcomic theyre friends? i think thats right? either way its a fun concept

OTP:

asulili...uwoagh........

fellas is it gay to buy your rival's dojo and fill it entirely with roses to get their attention? certainly not. certainly.

i do wish we saw some amount more narrative tension between them since most of it has sort of dissolved by t8 but i do think theyre really cute and as mentioned before i really do enjoy their whole bit its awesome

SHOUTOUT ASULILI WEEK BTW I DONT HAVE THE TIME TO PARTICIPATE BUT I AM HYPED ABOUT ITS EXISTENCE

nOTP:

i do not think i have been around long enough to see another pairing for asuka, let alone one i dislike, so i cannot answer this question LMAO

random headcanon:

spun my mental wheel of headcanon topics and it wouldnt stop spinning for like half an hour unfortunately so im just telling you that i think asuka would play baiken or may in strive

unpopular opinion:

i still havent been here long enough to know whats unpopular regarding her :,) although i think in terms of gameplay i think she's cooler than most people believe, though i do agree that her current iteraiton in t8 isnt very strong within the meta unforch :(

song i associate with them:

i can nigh on guarantee that it's because ive been listening to this song while thinking about her really hard recently but absolute zero by natori (banger btw go watch the music video it goes unbelievably hard), i think the lyrics arent entirely unfitting though!!!

favorite picture of them:

i really like this profile art option for her, the posing is fun and the textures on the clothing are really impressive

and then also i have to mention her preset 3 outfit which i LOVE SO SO MUCH

(apologies as i cant find a better example pic and do not feel like opening t8 at 2 in the morning on this day)

#ask #ask game #electricgnu #tekken #asuka kazama #your honor i think shes neat... #ive been scrolling through her wiki page as of late

[edoro]

What are your opinions about Cytherea and her whole dynamic with Gideon in GTN? I feel like not enough people talk about that.

oh i go insane about it every time. like i already love it when a bitch is terminally ill like PEAK character design is when they're terminally ill and sort of wry and cute about it and like making little comments that make everybody else SO uncomfortable in a fun way but also underneath that is the simmering resentment barely held in check, and the fact that she's actually just BEEN dying for ten thousand years and is at this point absolutely fucking insane from the pain and anger of that is icing on top of the "i love it when a bitch is dying" cake

and then the like. ooh boy. the way Gideon doesn't know jack about shit? like Gideon's defining trait as a character is not knowing jack about shit but she ESPECIALLY does not know jack about shit wrt Cytherea and she is SO gone like she just also clearly loves it when a woman looks like she would die if she sneezed too hard (Harrow, Cyth) and she is helpless to resist Cytherea's winsome manipulations

like Cytherea doesn't even have to try that hard. she just faints and coughs up blood and lays limply around and Gideon would walk over hot coals for her. it's so funny it's so cute Gideon is such a butch. oozing helpless meatheaded chivalry out of every pore.

it's so. the manipulation. the cheekiness. the audacity. the complete and total lack of respect, the utter contempt Cytherea has for all of these little idiot babies that she's just sort of waving the flag of her obvious shenanigans and scheming right in front of Gideon constantly and just so sure nobody's going to pick up on it. (and in her defense, Gideon absolutely did not, lmao. just her bad luck about Palamedes.)

rereading it just made me go "oh my GOD" at every single scene with her in it. every single thing she says or does is so obviously signposting it but nobody knows, and Gideon knows less about anything than anyone! and Cytherea is sooo enjoying herself here. i really love how obviously smug she is about the narrative irony experience she's having.

so anyway yeah. love it! the way Cytherea just smugly toys with Gideon and manipulates her while putting on her sweet and helpless act is just delectable.

#love everything about it #i ALSO reacted to her p much the exact way gideon did on my first readthrough so #same #the locked tomb #gideon the ninth

[strrymko]

Jack Horner headcanons I can’t get out of my head

Honestly I have been obsessed with Jack’s character since I saw Puss in Boots: The Last Wish for the second time. I really want to know more about his upbringing / experiences he had before becoming the head of his pie company. 

Also, I know that Jack relies heavily on his bakers/hireons to do most of the grunt work for him but in several instances he has shown brute strength, precision, flexibility, and wit to get what he wants without them. These are just a few ideas I have had in my head based on his abilities shown throughout the movie.

- Growing up, I assume Jack had lessons in archery / javelin throwing based on his skills with the crossbow and how he threw a spear at Puss and Kitty during the factory escape scene. The dude took time to focus on where he was going to hit before throwing. I really admired the attention to detail the animators / artists had when it came to Jack’s strength and skill.

- I think because Jack was so humiliated by fairytale characters for being a nursery rhyme, he asked his parents to put him in certain sports / self defense classes as back up to stay on top. If he’s denouncing “Little Jack” then he needs to keep up with the appearance of Big Jack. (He may be round in the middle but look at the size of his hands and broad shoulders? He definitely works on his muscles. haha)

- I know some people theorize Jack used magic to make himself appear taller, but I really think puberty hit him hard when he hit his teens, possibly even earlier than usual. It isn’t confirmed the two people standing next to Jack in his flashback are his parents, but I assume Jack is around 8 - 12 here and he appears taller than average for kids his age. 

- Going back to Jack’s upper body strength, I think it’s interesting how the designers for Jack kept his lower body disproportionate to his upper body. His thighs are still thick but below that his legs are rather skinny. I have this head canon that Jack regularly lifts heavy boxes / equipment in the factory because he’s aware his men are nowhere near as strong as him. (Explains the thick thighs and muscular arms.. hehe)

- It has been awhile since I have seen some of the Shrek movies, but I don’t remember any characters who had vibrant colored hair that wasn’t natural. I think Jack is a natural blonde but he dyes his hair lilac to keep up with the pie theme for his business. I also believe he requires his bakers to have some purple theme in their attire aside from their uniforms. Some had purple face paint and one baker even had their hair dyed purple. (And looking back, even one of the unicorns was purple?? I can’t believe I just noticed that! lol) 

- Another headcanon that is common within the Jack Horner community is Jack’s self awareness and the belief that he’s confident despite not being society’s definition of attractive. I really like this one because the only time we really see Jack’s insecurity is when one of the serpent sisters mock his nursery rhyme, back when he was little and dorky. He is referred to as “Big Jack Horner” and keeps up that appearance by killing the people who mock him. (Hence tricking the serpent sister in grabbing the Midas Touch.)

- I found it interesting that Jack didn’t just kill the Ethical Bug after finding out he was useless to him. This makes me believe Jack just kept him around to essentially fuck with him and make him think he could be changed. The smirk Jack made when Ethical Bug recited the symbolism of the phoenix before Jack used her to burn down all the flowers in his way / The next scene where Jack catches Perrito and threatens to shoot him with a unicorn horn w/o remorse / and finally when Jack dramatically expresses his life woes (being a privileged kid with loving parents, stability, and significant inheritance growing up) and then finally getting fed up hearing ethical bug try and change his heart after he let the remainder of his men fall to their deaths. I found this aspect of Jack hilarious only because he drug out the act for so long just to prove a point. 

- Last hc I’ll add on this post for now; I know a lot of people wanted to see what the map path would look like if Jack had his hands on it before reaching the wishing star. (me included) I think this was purposefully avoided because of how fucked up Jack is, and the path to the star would be even more difficult than Puss or Kitty’s paths. The star is clearly a sentient being and knows who has pure intentions, so if Jack obtained the map early on in the dark forest I think he would have figured out who to place the map with and just follow them to the star for the easiest route possible.

(also, this is more of a Goldi hc; but I think the star felt Goldi’s pain and only messed up the path to try and make her realize she had a perfect family all along. This scene made me realize why Jack probably wasn’t meant to hold the map at all within the forest because.. well he’s the most morally fucked up out of the three groups. haha)

I have a lot more hcs for Jack but I think this is enough for now. If y’all have any hcs you should add to this post or link them to me! I really love seeing everyone analyze Jack in their own ways. He’s such a cool character and I’m keeping my fingers crossed he appears in future Puss in Boots features.. hehe

I’m not the best writer so I hope all of this made sense! tysm for reading this far :)

#Big Jack Horner #jack horner headcanons #jack horner #puss in boots: the last wish #strrymko

[melissa-titanium]

Hey, if you were to think up a fankid for N x doll, how would they act and look? (Totally not planning to make one :>)

FUCK. OH MY GOD OK I LITERALLY NEVER THINK OF FANKIDS FUCKING .EVER. I GENUINELY DONT HAVE A SINGLE CLUE INEED TO BRAINSTORM THIS Ok;a.y okay.

i dont see n and doll having a kid. like. okay. i'd have to get into my headcanons for their dynamic for this but essentially POST meeting one another. doll is obviously defensive & protective but more able to have her walls down. she IS very responsible & capable of something like that... but i don't know if she'd necessarily enjoy it ? relying on others is something totally new for her in of itself & having another being *DIRECTLY* rely on her is a whole other realm at the point im imagining. so i dont know if she could handle something like that. you could sort of say uzi had a reliance on her in terms of doll being biased towards. not killing her. but that wasn't an issue for doll because uzi wasnt directly there. okay. FOR N? i mean. potentially. he's plenty responsible and capable of allowing others to rely on him but hes also. kind of a pushover still at this point OK IM THINKING WAY TOO HARD ASBOUT THIS I DONT KNOW. I DONT KNOW. IM NOT. IM. SO INEXPERIENCED WITH FANKIDS UM OK WAIT HOLD ON .RIGHT.ok. name. appearance. riught. ok.

name? not sure. i think they'd be named similarly to yeva -- at the very least starting with a y. cyrillic alphabet offers unique names so... i'll call them Y for now

appearance? god ok. im trying to not go full character design & think about shapes. like. within the canon universe... pilot's hat. like, actual pilot's hat not the weird baseball hat that n has. sort of like doll's dad's hat but with goggles. worker drone, very tall like both their parents. short, scruffy, unkempt hair -- neither doll or n are especially good at taking care of their own hair so neither is Y. usually tied up in a little bun & braided though, courtesy of lizzy coming over sometimes. hair's a very dark grey with a tint of red... like a super desaturated clay-brown

personality? very gentle. probably knows the hardships their parents had faced & is grateful for their life despite everything. a bit shy... took doll's "i dont need other people" and n's "i have to sacrifice myself to get other people to be not mean to me" and mixed it into a "other people scare me, so ill stay in my own little world." they're not outwardly very anxious but shy away from big groups & like to stay on their own. they get along better with adults than other kids their age. they don't have a problem with this, but they usually recieve a lot of grief for it because "kids your age should have lots of friends!" and this made them a touch resentful.

interests... probably pretty sporty and good with their hands. wood carving, trinket crafting (eg; jewelry, bracelets, earrings etc) are their forte. they have the worker-drone innate ability to work with technology, but a distinct knack for *older* in-universe technology, like clocks/watches & compasses or even stuff like automatic vacuums or microwaves. they like taking stuff apart and putting it back together (probably something from their uncle/great uncle??? what the fuck would uzi ((transmasc)) and khan be to them. in my family tree uh. okay) they like solo-sports (hiking, fishing, skiing etc)

holy shit this is longer than i thougjt. oaky

#mel roars #asks

[soullessjack]

fave saw trap?

OOHH oh my god okay I have so many.

Obligatory reverse bear trap mention bc who doesn’t love her, she’s mother. she is the beginning with John and Amanda and she is the end with Jill and Mark, she brings the narrative to a full circle despite her mechanical function being the opposite.

THE BATHROOM TRAP!!!!!! Obsessed with it. The shades of blue and white and the fluorescent lights, the grimy browns and greens and reds, all so absolutely beautiful together. Really pulls you into the dampness and coldness and the filth of it. Obligatory chainshipping mention also. Love those guys. Very normal about them.

the angel trap and its’ fatality is so so visually beautiful to me. she mothers extremely hard (god rest Kerry tho). truly one of the artsiest of the traps. I love the warmish shade of green in the room, and in the acid, and of course I love it contrasting with the red shade of the ribcage gore.

glass coffin for obvious reasons.. mark is soooo delicious in it with his hair all messy and his nose bleeding and his tits propped up I mean what hahah who said that . and I absolutely love the cold shade of blue it gives off, very lovely contrast with marks nosebleed also. and the whole coffinshipping thing. like it’s such a trust-based trap ironically. like, “you know what I’ve done you know who I am you know I am guilty and cannot be trusted whatsoever but will you throw away all of that and trust me anyways, is your will to survive strong enough to trust someone who ostensibly does not deserve it.” so delicious

I don’t like Jigsaw but I will admit the hot wax trap looked pretty cool, definitely one of the scariest of the movie. if you’ve ever seen 2005’s House of Wax it gives the same literally suffocating and uncomfortable feeling as Jared Padalecki’s character’s wax coating (and the horrendous peeling of it) bc you’re watching someone in such a helpless horrible position and relegated only to watching it.

the death mask is another super cool visual trap, love the green tint, love the spikes, even Michael’s eye injury looked cool! the snapping kill at the end was definitely cool too.

the nerve gas house 100% fav. I love saw 2 very dearly, both for Daniel and Amanda and for Mudvayne’s Forget To Remember song in the credits. I didn’t enjoy most of the traps in the house, mostly bc I felt like they could’ve been easily avoided or thought out better (but in the victims’ defense they were actively being poisoned) and also bc I wasn’t very attached to anyone outside of Danny and Mandy. Love the atmosphere of the house, the grime and dim fluorescence and yellow-greens (as a graphic designer warm tints like that are very good at giving off a sense of humidity and feverishness, really adds to the nerve gas poisoning and the claustrophobia of the house, too).

the horsepower trap. quick bonus for the green and yellows tints, but also I’m personally very drawn to settings with mechanical clutter. I’m not mechanically inclined in any way but visually I love looking at them and figuring out what they do. based mark for putting nazis in an inescapable trap also! the kills are deliciously brutal. the skin ripping scene, the windshield crash, the face smashing, and my absolute favorite has to be the arm/jaw yanking (specifically the jaw, idk I just think it’s neat. maybe not neat , per se, but one of those extremely gruesome things that you just can’t look away from. no pun intended it’s like a car crash).

the Mausoleum Trap. love the setting, a trap in a fucking mausoleum is metal as fuck. more traps should have spooky settings like that I think (a morgue trap would go so fucking hard also). love the colors, basically I love the entire concept but the execution could’ve bene way better (which can be said about a lot of 3D’s themes, especially the See/Hear/Speak/Do No Evil ones).

#holdthypeace.txt #sawposting #saw traps #saw 2 #saw 3D #saw 2004 #saw bathroom #glass coffin #reverse bear trap #death mask