#themselves heal and rest and work on other parts of their lives

[breeyn]

An essay rebutting the “bad writing” claims of s2 ofmd. Spoilers herein.

I’ll preface this with saying you’re obviously allowed to like and dislike whatever you want. I am in no way opposing that. And your reasons are your reasons. Have at. (Also - this is a collection of observations from the past few days, I’m not calling anyone out)

I AM going to rebut the idea that season two was poorly written and lost the spirit of what the show is about.

My favourite movie of all time is Empire Strikes Back. It’s been my favourite movie since I was four. I’m pretty sure it’s a fave of David Jenkins, too. He and Taika have made absolutely no attempt to hide their love of all things 80’s - Prince, the Princess Bride, Kate Bush, Star Wars, etc.

I have ancient video tapes (that I can’t play because who has a vcr) where Lucas is interviewed by Leonard Maltin? Malkin? I dunno. Who cares. Maltin asks him about the Star Wars (original trilogy) story arc. Lucas says “in act I, you introduce all the characters. In act II, you put them in a situation they can’t get out of, and in act III, they get out of it.”

That’s how it works. This is how stories and literary structures work.

Of course you’re not satisfied with season two. You’re not supposed to be.

The arguments I have read on why s2 loses the spirit of s1 is because no one heals. No one learns anything. No one moves forward properly. The person who makes the biggest move towards healing dies. The two main characters end the show doing the exact fucking thing they had promised themselves and each other they wouldn’t do. Our romantic lead still doesn’t understand his value or make any headway on addressing his tragic flaw. It makes no goddamn sense.

My gremlins in weird: it’s not supposed to. In Act 2, EVERYONE LOSES. This is how it goes.

I’ve read a lot of people saying “but this felt like a series finale, not a season finale.” We all know that outside politics play a part here, the strikes make everything precarious. I remember the last writers strike. It destroyed tv for fifteen years. Anyone remember Pushing Daisies? Some of y’all have never had your fave show cancelled with zero resolution for the characters and it shows.

Daddy J did us a kindness. He softened the blow of a tough season. After the brutal cliffhanger of s1, he gave us a little softness and hope. All those things you’re mad aren’t resolved? It’s because THE STORY ISN’T OVER.

No one on earth thinks “stuff all your trauma into a box and ignore it” is good advice. A way to actually live. This show did not have enough screen time to throw out dialogue for no reason. There was foreshadowing in s1 for s2, and there is foreshadowing for s3 in s2. This is a well-crafted story by very smart people who care very much for these characters. There is zero chance Frenchie explained the box in his head for no reason. The reason people have not resolved their trauma and growth is because they haven’t done it *yet*.

And friends - it’s not thinly veiled. They straight up fucking tell us what they’re doing.

Luke Skywalker spends the first two movies fucking up and desperately trying to prove himself and just generally being an idiot. Sound familiar? He ignores the lessons he is supposed to be learning to go off and do what he feels like doing, and loses fucking badly. At the end of Empire, Han is gone, Luke and Leia wave goodbye to the Falcon that has Lando and Chewy - the rest of their crew - aboard. Everyone has lost everything they care about. Vader is undefeated. Yoda is pissed. Nothing is resolved.

You see where I’m going?

If you think I’m stretching this too far, welp, when Ed tells Stede he loves him - the climax of the finale - Stede quotes Han fucking Solo. Like - *it’s right there*. The story structure. The reason everything is unresolved.

So yeah. They wave goodbye to their ship because they have wounds to heal (like Luke’s hand). The people aboard the ship have things to find. Ed and Stede have *not* learned their lesson about whims and how not to be like Anne and Mary. It’s not stupid that they’re doing the same thing, and it’s not pointless that we were shown Anne and Mary. It’s all relevant.

The resolution comes in Act 3. None of these people are done. The story is far, far from over. And just in case the studios want to be dicks about it, David Jenkins was lovely enough to not repeat my enduring heartbreak over Pushing Daisies.

Thank you, @davidjenks 🖤

#ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd s2 #ofmd s2 spoilers #ofmd spoilers

[y-rhywbeth2]

D&D Vampire Lore Dump #2

"Biology" Their "metabolism" and their physical body, their senses, why they're not aging and "vampires actually make fantastic torture victims, if you're a monster: vampire healing and how to inflict scars on them."

OBLIGATORY DISCLAIMER FOR FIRST TIME READERS: There are two things to note about the lore presented here: First, while the standard stat block in the monster manual is the default, in terms of lore vampires have this annoying tendency to be incredibly, stupidly varied. They are magical monstrosities ruled by the power of symbolism and superstition above anything else.

The next is that D&D is decades old, spans five editions, several settings and hundreds of writers. One guy establishes a piece of lore, and then the next picks it up goes "nah" and writes something else. I collected info from four different source books, all from different editions, which naturally don't entirely agree on how vampires work. Lore never stays consistent and may contradict itself. You may see information somewhere else from a source I don't have that contradicts what I wrote here. If you read this and like some of this stuff but not other bits, take the good and ditch the rest. Larian themselves have not written BG3 totally compliant with some established D&D lore or the original games.

Basically, in D&D, canon is what you decide it is.

Feeding | "Biology" | Hierarchy | Weaknesses and Cures | Psychology

The transformation into a vampire causes little physical change, except for the fangs, and the fact that their facial features seem take on a permanent hardened expression, appearing more "feral" in a way that is likened to a starving wolf. Spawn moreso than freed vampires, and in 5e they have claws despite the fact that freed vampires don't. Sometimes a vampire's eyes turn red upon changing, but this doesn't always happen.

Most of the vampire's five senses are sharpened by undeath. They can see perfectly in the dark, for example, and are very hard to catch off guard. The only one that gets duller than it was when they were alive is the sense of touch - "a blunt, phantom sense of touch, more mechanical than biological. It is a pale, crude approximation of a real tactile sense." They don't feel the effects of physical exertion and their ability to feel pain is dulled (but not nonexistent). They're not particularly bothered by high or cold temperatures unless they're at extremes (like frostbite levels, or "standing by a lava pool" levels). They're also largely unbothered by electric shocks.

They don't breathe, though they do actually have a heartbeat as their blood still gets pumped around their body. It doesn't provide any biological need of a living circulatory system, but is possibly part of keeping the body animated via magic.

Vampires do not produce body heat and tend to be room temperature to the touch unless they've fed within the last 24 hours, in which case they appear alive.

Lacking brain activity on account of being dead, vampires are immune to mind effecting spells and psionics. The fact that Astarion is affected by the tadpole is likely due to Netherese magic. The parasite is canonically modifying his undead state to its needs and has shut down his vampiric abilities, as he observes in one banter.

Their physical abilities massively increase. They have superhuman strength, speed and reflexes and are far more durable than the living.

Vampiric blood looks like humanoid blood at first glance, but takes on a golden sheen when held up to a light source. Also if the vampire it came from is still alive, then that blood can have strange magic properties… which are random! Maybe it burns like acid, or puts you under mind control if you touch it, or explodes into flame when exposed to sunlight! You won't know 'til you find out, it could do anything or nothing.

Vampires are capable of siring partially-undead children with the living (Dhampirs). Dhampirs are alive but as they grow up and their undead heritage starts to manifest they begin to share their vampire parent's cravings and feeding habits and are not terribly fond of said parent, as a rule.

Vampires are the only undead that require sleep. That turned out to be a very long topic of its own though, so maybe I'll focus on the details another time. Short version: Vampires have an instinctive knowledge of how close sunrise is. Some vampires can chose to sleep much like humans, others will immediately shut down the second the sun appears over the horizon and be dead until the moment it next sinks below said horizon, at which point the vampire is 1000% aware and awake again. They are bound to soil from their grave/homeland and must sleep on/in that or be destroyed. In BG3 specifically, looking at Cazador, elves still reverie (trance) in undeath. (In reverie, elves relive their memories of years gone by in vivid real time instead of dreaming. It's how elves avoid forgetting their own lives while living 700+ years) Vampires also hibernate, where they chose to go into a deep sleep for an unknown and uncontrollable length of time reaching centuries in length. Usually due to depression.

A vampire's body is frozen in time, and they will always have the same appearance they had when they died. The magic that keeps the vampire frozen in time, unageing, also gives them regenerative properties as it tries to reset them. Within minutes of receiving a wound, the wound has closed itself as if it were never there. "Wounds close, broken bones reform themselves, even missing limbs regenerate…" Reducing a vampire to 0 hit points also does not kill them, but that's for a later instalment. If one were to torture a vampire one could get both incredibly creative and make it last indefinitely.

They also can't get new tattoos or piercings, as the body heals them over again and pushes out the ink/metal. On the same logic if they had body modifications before they died then they'd never be able to get rid of them - if you scrape off the skin a tattoo is on or tore off a pierced lobe, the skin that grows back will still have the tattoo and the ear will have the hole for the earing still there.

However, there are forms of magical damage that inflict permanent marks on a vampire, which are called stigmata. Sunlight, holy water, holy symbols and the like are known to leave a scar. A silver plated blade might also do it.

There are two energy planes: Positive and Negative. Also known as the Planes of Life and Death, whose energies infuse the Prime Material Plane (which contains worlds like Earth and Toril). Living creatures are powered by positive energy (also called "radiant"), while the undead are animated by negative energy ("necrotic"). It's actually theorised that the undead somehow exist on the Prime Material Plane and the Negative Energy Plane simultaneously, though this seems gets into a lot of planar lore and conflicting information that I'm not going into. Traditionally, due to this difference, the undead are healed by spells made of negative/necrotic energy such as Inflict Wounds spells, but in reverse would be harmed by healing spells. 5e has not included this detail, that I've seen.

#bg3 #baldurs gate 3 #astarion ancunin #astarion #i seem to recall something about Vampire the Masquerade writers also writing for Ravenloft #I can definitely see it #long post

[amuseoffyre]

Since insomnia is kicking my arse of late, I naturally tilted into the thoughts about the nature of the 3-act structure and why S2 of OFMD may have felt off and incomplete to a lot of people.

I am fully in agreement that we lost a lot of valuable time with only 8 episodes and a lot of it did feel rushed, but for the amount of story and set-up and growth and development they needed to fit into 4 hours of television, they did astonishing things.

DJenks has said from the very start that this is a story that has been planned out to take 3 seasons. It's literally a 3-act play and we are currently right in the middle of the worst part of that timeline according to every traditional 3-act structure.

Act one/season one is self-explanatory. Like New Hope in the Star Wars Trilogy or Fellowship of the Ring, this is the set-up. We're introduced to our protagonists and antagonists, the relationships are given a foundation.

The beginning is Stede's journey to becoming a real boy. The inciting incident, the one that actually pushes his change beyond "playing pirates" is meeting Ed. The second thoughts come together in episode 8/9 after his confrontations with Jack and Chauncey and episode 10 is the climax.

Act 2/season 2 is never going to be as smooth and simple as act 1/s1. A big part of the A2/S2 job is set up for A3/S3 and this is what we're seeing and why a lot of story threads seem to have been left dangling.

Again, to call back to Empire Strikes Back and The Two Towers, the structure is much the same: the original batch of people are divided and scattered, the big enemy from A1/S1 is looming, new allies make themselves known. In SW, this meant the introduction of Lando and Yoda as allies plus the hint of the Emperor lurking in the background. In LotR, we have the Rohirrim, Gondor and the Ents as allies and the expansion of Sauron's forces in Helm's Deep, Osgiliath and the winged wraiths.

There's a clear trajectory following the A2/S2 structure:

obstacle 1 - the crews separated and struggling

obstacle 2 - the end of episode 2 and the repercussions of his actions

twist - just when things start to settle, the Ned Low situation happen and Stede kills for the first time

obstacle 3 - Ed's struggle with his identity leading to him leaving

disaster - Ricky's assault on the Republic

crisis - do-or-die battle because they have no other choice

climax - the last 15 minutes of ep. 8 live here.

As with SW and LotR, there's an ending, but weighted with the knowledge of a story that is meant to continue. Each of those act 2 films end with the heroes still aware of the looming threat, some of them heading out on new missions, and some of them resting and healing. There's brief pause, brief respite, a moment to take a breath.

We have all the characters in place now and the battle-lines have been drawn. Luke still needs to confront Vader (I see you, impending Ed and Hornigold confrontation), Frodo still needs to destroy the ring, Aragorn still needs to lead the army against the Black Gate, the second Death Star is still hanging in the sky.

I'm so excited to see what S3 brings because we have so many arcs ready to go: Zheng's vengeance trip, the inevitable enforced out-of-retirement arc for Ed and Stede, Hornigold, Ricky trying to maintain his tenuous control of the republic given how many of his people were killed when the crew escaped, the pirate rebellion gathering forces.

Also how often do we get shows/films where the supporting cast are given this much storyline? We have a named/speaking-role cast of upwards of 15 central characters. That is a staggering amount of people to work with, when most shows would only focus on the leads and a couple of their friends. Six is the average for most TV shows, while comedies can inch higher because ensembles, but most ensembles don't get as much as our crew did.

I know a lot of people aren't happy about Izzy's death. I know I would have liked to see him a lot more, because he's such a grumpy old bitch and I love him and him affectionately roasting Ed and Stede would have made my entire month. But I'm also aware that narratively, as a figurehead of the old ways of piracy and "we were Blackbeard", it was a symbolic death as well - a sign of the death of the old ways of piracy and of Blackbeard as was.

(Also, they Obi-Wanned him. I'm not over that. Gave him the "if you strike me down I will become more powerful" speech. I'm just... guys, your star wars nerdery is showing XD)

So while it was flawed in places and pacing, given the scale of the story they're telling, the number of pieces and characters they had in play, and the arcs they have been setting up while also still keeping the humour, I am giving a standing ovation for a remarkable piece of work.

#ofmd #ofmd s2 #ofmd meta

[ageofevermore]

NEW YORK CITY STREETS

REQUEST — enemies to lovers with either wanda or natasha with new avenger reader, where wanda/natasha for whatever reason just doesn’t trust reader and is wary of her? maybe they think reader isn’t who she says she is while the rest of the avengers just happily accept r, so wanda/natasha try to catch reader in a lie or something?

WARNINGS — mentions of homelessness, anxiety, vomiting, nat being a bit too guarded and convincing herself dreykovs found her, somewhat of a rocky ending because i wrote this in one session

AUTHORS NOTE — i got so carried away with this and tried to reel it back in toward the end but, i like to think after this event wanda and natasha basically become readers parents lol

You were given the hundredth floor when Tony Stark had personally recruited you after clashing on the battlefield dressed in a sheer ski mask and fraying black zip-up hoodie. Your personal disguise hadn’t been much of a disguise with its many holes and thin fabric, but nobody really paid enough attention to your vigilante persona to figure you out. That was before you’d met Natasha Romanoff and her shadow of a girlfriend, Wanda Maximoff. The pair was as equally enthralled with you as they were unamused, and it seemed at every corner one or both of them was working out a way to deconstruct everything you built.

Avengers tower was always warm, even with the windows open welcoming the breeze of winter and the air conditioner dialed down to sixty-five on the second setting from highest. You supposed it was your subconscious way of making luxury feel cheap, connecting you to the streets that you’d grown up on. If nobody had walked in your shoes, they wouldn’t be able to comprehend how you ached for the uncomfortable sidewalks beneath your head at night or the scent of trash lingering around you, particularly pungent toward the end of the week before trash collection when discarded ingredients had marinated in themselves for days. You’d traded homelessness for lavish living in minutes, but still you felt empty, like you didn’t belong here nor there. Wanda and Natasha saw your feelings for what they weren’t. They noticed your every weakness and somehow decided that instead of being homesick to a place that wasn’t really your own anyway, you were working them. That you were the enemy. Not a teenage girl who’d crossed paths with the wrong people at the wrong time and it had left you a mutant with healing powers and the ability to absorb the strength from people around you rather than an orphan with pale skin and no family. You could be both of those things at the same time, and for three years you had been, but to them, in their eyes, you had to pick a path. Your identity couldn’t be one or the other.

Pepper had pulled you away from the solidarity of your floor for a team meeting. It had been weeks since Tony had recruited you, and for the most part, you stuck to yourself. The team had seen you on various occasions, but for nothing longer than a few minutes before the judgemental stares became too invalidating and you surrendered to your quarters for quiet. Quiet that you despised. Quiet that let you sit in all of the wrongdoings that had been imparted on you without your consent. You supposed, that in a way, Avengers tower was just like the streets of New York City. You were judged and outcast all the same, with high-quality satin sheets and water pressure that could melt your skin off with enough time beneath the shower head, or with just the night sky above your head as a ceiling. The people weren’t different, the places were.

“It’s mandatory.” Pepper had told you when you’d first declined her offer at joining the team in the common area for a relaxed evening. You’d heard through the grapevine that every so often the Avengers gathered together for dinner and conversation, admittedly a way to reground them. Remind them that although they’re earth's mightiest heroes, they’re still human.

“I’m not a part of the team.” You’d responded, not meeting Pepper’s eye. You couldn’t handle the way she looked at you. Not when her eyes were full of so much empathy and pity that it made you feel like glass. She could look right through everything you built and find a scared teenage girl at your center without knowing you at all. That scared you. She scared you more than Natasha and Wanda ever could, because while she saw a real person, they saw a treat. An enemy. And you would rather be taken for the worst then seen for what you always tried not to be. Real. If you were real it meant that your parents really did choose to abandon you. If you were real it meant that everything that had happened to you in seventeen years was unfortunate and equally undeserved. It was better to just exist as a vigilante in the night then as Y/N.

“You’ve been a part of this team since you stopped a bomb before it could detonate at Tony’s feet. Don’t let Natasha and Wanda rattle you, they were in your shoes not that long ago.”

Stunned, you hadn’t been able to find the words to respond. How had she known? And if she was aware that Natasha and Wanda were bothering you, did they know too? Were they annoyed? Would they hurt you for stirring chaos and problems where it didn’t need to be. This was their home. They’d been through hell enough times over to make your pathetic life look like a dream.

“Why did he pick me.” You choked out, before Pepper could leave your doorway and enter the elevator to leave you alone.

Pepper smiled a smile that was so maternal it made your insides feel queasy. You didn’t deserve this. You’d just been in the wrong place at the right time. “You jumped into an active warzone without a weapon. You are the only reason that Clint’s not seriously injured. You’re reckless, Y/N. But you’re reckless because you have a good heart. That’s the only thing that makes any of them an Avenger, with or without powers and serums.” Y/N. Pepper was the only one who called you that. Kid seemed to float around your head for anyone to grab at. You weren’t sure if hearing your name was grounding or a new reason for you to spiral with a deep-seeded feeling of weightlessness.

Pepper and Tony were the only ones you’d really had a conversation with since the latter had offered you residence and training at the Tower. Steve had tried a handful of times, but you were elusive out of habit to let him in, and settling into this life wasn’t easy despite that it should have been. You should be jumping for joy to have a roof over your head, and a shower to bathe in, and food to eat that’s not spoiled or out of a garbage bag. There are a lot of things that you should be feeling, but all you can place in the pit of your stomach is a sense of displacement and a very sickening amount of nerves.

“I’ll be up in ten.” You promised, shutting your eyes tightly. You could do this. You patrolled the streets of New York city in leggings and a hoodie for gods sake (it crossed your mind to start saying thors sake, for obvious mildly funny reasons, but you squandered that joke the second it crossed your mind), you could survive a few hours with the Avengers. Besides, it was the least you could do to show Tony that although feeling misplaced and unwelcome, you did appreciate his faith in you, even if you didn’t understand it. He’d been the only one in your life to ever have any positive feelings about you. Losing it now would feel worse than this.

Pepper snickered, eyes light with an emotion she saved for Tony. “You’ll be up in five. I wouldn’t keep Nat waiting any longer if I were you.”

With wide eyes you nodded. This could only go a handful of ways and every outcome you could imagine ended with you feeling worse inside, but you wouldn’t let her and Tony down.

-

There was a buzz in the air that felt familiar to the streets of New York City. It wasn’t as loud, wasn’t as energetic, wasn’t rooted in happiness that same way it would’ve been if you’d been on the streets watching tourists and college students turn the night young like them, but it felt similar enough to put you at the slightest bit of ease. Maybe tonight wouldn’t go as horribly as you anticipated. Maybe you’d come to an understanding with your new mentors.

Dread still filled your belly, but you pushed it down as best as you could manage. Coming tonight wasn’t an option, Pepper had made that clear without saying as much, so with or without your negative feelings you’d have to show your face instead of hiding around a corner.

“We can see your feet, kid.” A new voice called, and although it was light and filled entirely with amusement and not anger, it made you tense. Three deep breaths in were all you had time for before Tony was coming to pull you away from your hiding spot and dragging you over toward the multiple couches and setting arrangements that were almost entirely full with heroes dressed in casual wear. This image of them was so vulnerable. They weren’t assassins and spies here, they were just people, human just like you.

“Kid, you’ve met Wigglywoo, Capsicle, and Bl- uh, Natasha,” Tony had all intentions of calling Natasha some fabricated nickname he’d thought up after too many hours in the lab, but had thought twice about it upon seeing her unamused glare that dripped venom. Under different circumstances, you would’ve let a smile pull at your lips, but instead it just amplified the nerves you were barely handling. “This is Bucky, Legolas, Hawkeye Jr, Underoos, and Maria, she’s not as scary as she tries to be.” Tony’s words had an easy way about them, but it didn’t make you feel any better. Especially not with how closely Maria was sitting to Natasha, and how both of them seemed to be pulling you apart with their eyes. Wanda was no better, but Hawkeye Jr and Underoos (who you knew were really just Kate and Peter) seemed welcoming, bright smiles on their lips telling you as much. “Everyone, this is the kid.”

Pepper rolled her eyes, “Her names Y/N.”

You waved shyly, cheeks a brilliant shade of red. You could feel your heartbeat in your palms, but you pulled the slightest bit of strength from Tony and hoped it would be enough to get you through the night. Wanda seemed to be able to sense your use of powers, and her eyes flashed a threatening hue of scarlet that only you noticed. Pulling your arms tightly around your midsection, you shrunk into yourself and let Tony lead you farther into the room, where you found a space to sit on the far end of a white leather couch, as far away from Natasha and her girlfriend that you’d be able to get, and running distance from an emergency exit to your left. So far, things were not off to a great start.

“So kid,” You assumed it was Clint who spoke, dismantling the static that was filling your head, but your eyes were so unfocused and your belly was so tight, you could only pay so much attention to what was happening around you, and as a result, you weren’t really sure who was talking to you. “Why don’t you tell us about yourself? Ya know, something other than the fact that you wandered onto a battlefield and healed my ass.”

“Oh, um, there isn’t really much.” You said nervously, biting at the skin around your nails that was already raw and thin from how badly you’d been picking at it since moving in. Earth’s mightiest heroes weren’t exactly inviting, no matter what most kids your age believed. These people were heroes, inspirations for a wide variation of generations, but they were proving to be your undoing, even if Kate and Peter were trying to make you feel welcome with their open posture and warm smiles.

“There’s got to be something.” Kate prodded, leaning back on the couch with amusement dancing in her blue eyes. You could feel the heavy emotions around you, no thanks to your enhanced abilities, and the thick aroma of judgment was making you queasy. “Peter thinks you stole a cop scanner and that's how you found it.” She threw her friend under the bus, earning a few chuckles and a deep groan from the spider.

“Um, I was already patrolling the area.” You meekly announced, lowering your hand from your mouth when the taste of blood became too much. Heightened senses sucked sometimes. If you were being honest, they sucked most times.

“I thought you were from Queens. What were you doing in Manhattan?” Natasha quizzed. Even if you hadn’t seen her lips move, too distracted by how Wanda’s fingers were wiggling and the softest hue of scarlet was tangling between her extremities, you knew it was the assassin who had spoken. She was the only one who seemed interested in dismantling your every word. Her tone was biting, as cold as the streets of New York City in winter and you were without thermals or a coat. Another similarity, you’d note.

“I move around alot.” You offered simply, looking at her nervously, afraid that not making eye contact at all would convince her you’d been lying. She would think that either way.

“Aren’t you seventeen?” Steve questioned, though his tone was less inquisitive, more genuine. It didn’t help you to feel anymore at ease though, already anticipating how Wanda and Natasha could spin your response to fit the narrative they already had of you. “Aren’t you in school?” He followed up when you nodded, anxiety curdling in the back of your throat like sour milk. You felt like you were going to puke.

“Um, no?” The squeak in your voice only aided in your downfall, and you could see the gears turning in everyone's head as you announced that you weren’t enrolled in school. Even Kate and Peter attended school still, NYU and Midtown High were the best of the best, and even with Avenging they could fit it into their schedules.

“Why not?”

You were going to puke. You knew that as easily as you knew that Natasha was constructing a narrative of you that was entirely wrong. Sputtering for words, you stood from the couch abruptly, and as you did so, the assassin stood as well, challenging you to take a step forward. You were trapped. You were helpless. The buzz that had been filling the atmosphere evaporated as easily as it was formed, and it wasn’t hard to identify the edge in all of their postures, awaiting the next move and wondering who would strike first. It wouldn’t be you.

Bile was rising in your throat steadily, and the clench in your stomach was becoming worse, but you couldn’t move. Not with Natasha ready to pounce, not with Maria’s glare, not with scarlet filling Wanda’s eyes for everyone to notice. This was bad. This was so so bad and all you wanted was to undo ever stepping foot on that battlefield and helping them, helping Tony and Clint, helping anymore. Anytime you tried to help something worse happened. You were in over your head here. You weren’t a hero, you were just a homeless screw up with powers that even biological parents couldn’t love.

“Who do you work for.” Natasha demanded, and if the atmosphere was tense before, it was armed now. Even without weapons, you felt like with one wrong move you’d be shot dead.

“W-What.” You stuttered, your already pale complexion becoming green as sickness was getting closer and closer. You scrambled to find an exit, knowing the one to your left would be a horrible play as Clint inched closer to the end of his seat ready to stop you from fleeing if it came to it. In three minutes, a civil team meeting had turned into an interrogation that could end your life. You were stupid to accept Tony’s offer. You were stupid to leave your room. You were stupid to think that having powers and an advantage against ordinary criminals in New York City meant that you weren’t still worthless. You should’ve never helped that first night. You should've never continued to help after that. You were in over your head. You were just a kid. A kid that nobody wanted. A kid that nobody trusted.

“Who. Do. You. Work. For.” Natasha repeated.

You tried to warn them that you were about to be sick. That you couldn’t push it off any longer, that you needed a bathroom, or a sink, or even a bowl, but before the warning could pass your lips you were puking all over yourself and the floor, eyes welling with tears of humiliation and pure fear. You were terrified, and it wafted around you in heavy waves. You knew Peter could feel it, his spidey-sense similar to how your own powers worked, but you were too embarrassed to open your eyes and look at any of them. Too frozen to even wipe the vomit from your chin. The sinking feeling of embarrassment didn’t last for much longer, and your knees that had been locked for who knows how long gave out, and you were falling over and into a room of black emptiness, not conscious to notice the guilt that seemed to be creeping up Natasha’s neck as she really got a look at you. As she realized, maybe she’d let her past cloud her judgment. As for the first time ever, she looked at you and saw a kid who was just trying to help. A kid who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

-

When you came too, it wasn’t in the common area, and it wasn’t in your room. Panic spread through your body, and you shot upright to identify your surroundings. The bed was uncomfortable, two plastic guardrails on either side the first hint that you were in medical. Your eyes didn’t wander much farther then the bed before a voice was breaking apart the static in your head. It was a voice you’d heard before, but in a tone so soft it felt new.

“You’re in medical. You fainted.” Natasha was sitting off to your right, with Wanda at her side, both wearing expressions of sympathy and embarrassment. The former, had guilt shining in her watercolor eyes, hands clasped together in her lap to voice her resigned position in a way that words couldn’t. Leaving her hands together, gave her the lowerhand when it came to defending herself. In her own sick way, she was making you aware of the fact that she’d been wrong.

“I-I, I’m not, I don’t, I don’t work for a-anyone.” You spluttered to make that clear, to feel safe in your own skin again because so easily she’d made you feel like maybe you were the enemy.

“I know.” She said softly, “We know, Y/N.” The use of your name on her lips felt wrong, but you allowed her to continue. “Wanda and I, are ledgers are dripping with red. Our pasts are haunting, and… and the people we worked for aren’t known for just letting things go. We’re sorry- I’m sorry for letting that fear cloud my judgment. After you fainted, um, Tony gave me your file to read. He hadn’t shared it with us before. Before shield fell, they’d been keeping tabs on you, making a portfolio to see if you were deemed a threat. I’m sorry I didn’t let you form that image on your own.”

You knew apologies, especially ones as vulnerable and heartfelt as the one Natasha was currently giving you, wasn’t easy for her. You knew enough about her past to know that these moments of transparency were very few and far between, and you could recognize, that for this single moment, she was allowing herself to be as see through as glass. With only a few words you could shatter her, but you saw her genuinity. You saw how horribly she felt, even if she was capable of faking every emotion perfectly. For some reason, you trusted that this was real. That you weren’t dealing with the Black Widow now, or even Natasha Romanoff, this was real. For this single moment with you, she was letting herself be Natalia. She was showing you how vulnerable and traumatized she’d become after everything that had happened to her. For the first time, you could see yourself in her.

“It’s okay.”

Wanda shook her head, sokovian accent thicker than the walls you’d built from years on the streets of New York City cold and afraid, “It isn’t alright. The way we treated you, Pietro would be appalled.” Speaking of her brother wasn’t easy, but Wanda was kind enough to give you the same transparency Natasha was giving you. They were sorry, and they meant it with everything in them. “We hope that you can let us grow from this. Um, Nat and I were thinking, maybe you’d like to move onto our floor? After Ultron, being alone felt weird. I had always had Pietro. I had always had noise and cold cement cells and satin sheets and quiet, it made my head spin. Um, if you want, we really want to get to know you. Outside of your vigilante persona, outside of your file. We’d like to start over, if that’s okay with you.”

A smile, a genuine smile, pulled at your lips at the full transparency and responsibility they were showing you. And, for the first time, their watercolor eyes didn’t send a chill of fear down your bones. For the first time, you could see a future for yourself in Avengers tower. And maybe, you’d find friendships and teammates too.

#wanda maximoff #natasha romanoff #wandanat #wanda maximoff angst #natasha romanoff angst #wandanat angst #wanda maximoff fluff #natasha romanoff fluff #wandanat fluff #wanda maximoff x reader #natasha romanoff x reader #wandanat x reader #wanda maximoff x teen!reader #natasha romanoff x teen!reader #wandanat x teen!reader #wanda maximoff fic #natasha romanoff fic #wandanat fic

[acowardinmordor]

Continuing from This, but definitely not resolving anything yet.

You Left Me, You Miss Me

Part One - Part Two - Part Three

----

Steve’s eyes watered and he pinched his lips tighter, restraining his reaction. But he didn’t break. He wouldn’t. Couldn’t. He refused. 

Robin crammed the next marshmallow into her cheek, barely managing to get her lips back together around the mass of sugar fluff, and kept the game going. 

First one to swallow, chew, laugh, or fail to fit the next marshmallow would lose. 

They hadn't decided what the winner was going to get, but neither of them were willing to lose. Even in stupid games they invented while exhausted and tipsy and giggly after midnight. 

He had Robin, and that made the rest of it easier to bear. 

Painless? No. 

But he didn’t spend his days wallowing in agony and crying into pillows. It ached the way a bruise did; a constant dull throb in the background, and only vivid if something smacked into it. He’d walked off worse. He carried deeper scars. He could grin and laugh and act like it was normal on the rare times he saw the others. 

And he could grin and laugh and be normal around Robin. 

She’d taken a gap year, and was planning to clear some gen ed credits at a community college in the spring, then make new choices. Steve was planning to follow her. 

That was what had them drinking and shoving marshmallows in their faces. She chose a place closer to Indianapolis, they’d called around and had a list of places they might be able to rent, and while any and all ice cream shops were forever banned, there were plenty of places where they could work. 

Steve nodded to acknowledge her successful marshmallowing, and reached for another of his own. 

It was the seventh. 

It was ambitious.

It did not go well. 

An hour later -- after a burst of giggling gave both of them utterly disgusting, half-choking, half-spitting marshmallow down themselves fits -- they changed into new pajamas, washed faces, drank water, and ate a few chips to chase off the sugar coating their tongues, they curled up in Steve’s bed. 

“We should drive up tomorrow,” Robin mumbled. 

“We have work. Birdie.”

“Ugh, fine. Thursday. We both have Thursday off.”

“Sure. Thursday."

"We’ll go find a place to live so we can get out of this town.”

“Anything’ll be better than here.”

“You sure you don’t want me to go over and--”

“Nah, it’s fine Robs. It happens. We’re gonna go live something better.”

“Damn right we… are…” She trailed off as she fell asleep, laying across his chest. 

It wasn’t the end of the world. He knew, in graphic detail, what that was like. This was life. This was kids growing up and finding friends that fit in better. This was all of them letting go of the desperate grip on each other that shared trauma had caused.

This was healing. 

Steve was a bit part in the movie of their lives. An extra who wandered in to keep them safe, sent on his way when the danger passed. It wasn’t their fault that they meant more to him than he did to them. The whole definition of who he was, and who he wanted to become changed because of them. They were everything for him, and he'd give everything to them.

He wished there was something he could give them, but the closest he could manage was departure.

He wasn’t mad at them, so he never let Robin see how it broke his heart. She’d have grabbed his bat and started hunting. She knew they weren’t inviting him around as much. She knew they were being distant. She knew that Steve tried at first, then stopped. She knew he was upset, she just didn’t - couldn’t - know how much. 

It wouldn’t do any good. 

And in a few weeks, top of the new year at the latest, they’d be living in Franklin, Indiana, assuming they didn’t decide last minute to move into the city itself. He would close the book on this part of his life, and start a new one. One where the guy he used to be wasn’t a permanent stain, and he could make friends without tragedy pushing them together.

He'd never find anyone else like Robin, but maybe he could have friends who would want to keep him, just because they liked him.

---

Part Three

there will be more. don't know when. and I'm so bad at Tag lists that I just don't do them anymore. sorry ducklings.

ps if someone has a suggested name so I can tag these blips of story, that'd be great.

#You Left Me - You Miss Me #Steve Harrington #ficlet #my writing #We're headed for Steddie #but it ain't here yet #bc I'm wandering through the dark on this #looking for how to fix it #and my answer is naturally; #to first make it much worse.

[khruschevshoe]

OFMD Critique: Mermen, the Gravy Basket, and Cognitive Dissonance

Warning: this is going to be a bit rambly.

So, I can't stop thinking about the end of "The Innkeeper." (OFMD 2x3, if you need the reminder.) About how I have completely different reactions to the final scene of the episode depending on who's POV/plot I'm considering it a part of.

As part of the Stede/Ed plot, and as part of Ed's personal character arc, it's masterful. The cinematography, the swelling music (and music choice, god is "This Woman's Work" a fantastic pick), the acting, the lighting, everything about it is so well done. It's a story about a man who has hit the absolute bottom of a depressive episode because he believes that love is only meant to hurt, that no love can exist without it dying, and who is pulled from the absolute Darkest Night of the Soul by the man who loves him- in the form of a merman. (I'm not going to harp on the symbolism and the perfection of choosing a mermaid, a rainbow, beautiful, queer-as-hell mermaid, as Stede's form here because others have done it so much better than I ever could.)

This final scene is PERFECT for the Stede/Ed plotline. I will give it all the props in the world for its gorgeous portrayal of the healing, divinely-coded power of queer love.

But from the crew's POV? From the end of a plot that was literally about a man spiralling and taking everyone down with him? From the POV of people who were just forced to shoot themselves, to fight to the death, to amputate limbs, who finally got to stand up to their monster after months of fear, of sobbing when Blackbeard couldn't see, of living on a knife's edge because if they put one toe out of line they'll get shot in the leg or pushed off the ship or worse?

I'm not looking at a man's rebirth; I'm looking at a villain's resurrection.

All I can feel is dread on behalf of a crew that literally just admitted to having been "living second to second" for months now. A crew that was ready to die at Zheng Yi Sao's behest because that's what they had been expecting from the man they just had to kill to survive a storm.

I can't ever fully immerse myself in the scene as I did the first time around, because I know how the crew's subplot is going to go. I know that they are going to vote Ed off the ship, finally gaining some agency, and then Stede is going let Ed back on the ship within a day with a slap on the wrist. Ed is going to give an "influencer apology" and that'll be that, because as Archie says, "they just kinda get away with these things." The crew will get no more agency in their own trauma recovery or their reactions to Blackbeard beyond Lucius' (very questionably handled) trauma recovery arc. This season is going to end with a character dying from a random gunshot wound to the side after Ed survived a CANNONBALL TO THE HEAD. (A character who, by the way, Ed put a gun in the hand of and told him to shoot himself. A man who, by the way, Ed shot in the leg, permanently disabling him. A man who, by the way, dies by apologizing to Ed for Ed tormenting him and the rest of the crew for months on end and driving them to the point that they would kill him.)

I try so hard to remain in the emotions I felt watching the merman scene the first time around, the hope I had for the Ed/Stede storyline, the hope I had for all of these characters. What I thought I was looking at was a sign of hope for all of them, the idea that they could all heal from their trauma, that everyone could experience some version of this love (whether romantic, platonic, or otherwise) for themselves.

But instead, the only other character to get a song died by the end of the season without ever getting a chance at a Gravy Basket of their own. And thus, I cannot ever feel what every possible Cinematic Cue in his scene is trying to get me to feel, because it will always, always be tainted by knowing that every one of those beautiful choices have been denied to Izzy, Jim, Archie, and Frenchie when it comes to their recovery arcs strangled before they could ever be completed.

#izzy hands #ed teach critical #ofmd critical #the innkeeper #ofmd season 2 #meta #please forgive me for the rambling nature #ofmd 2x3 #ofmd 2x03 #archie ofmd #lucius spriggs #not tagging this ed bc i don't want to upset the fans #jim jimenez #frenchie ofmd

[unseemingowl]

Saga Anderson, and Nordic rep in Alan Wake 2

Early on in Saga Anderson’s exploration in Alan Wake 2, she runs into Ilmo Koskela. Fiercely proud of his Finnish heritage, Ilmo gregariously makes note of Saga’s Nordic sounding name and the familiar design of her knitted sweater. Perhaps a fellow Finn?

Alas no, Saga’s mom is Swedish she informs him. Immediately Ilmo’s face falls. I’m not sure if it’s actually just the animated character defaulting to his resting face, but either way the timing is too perfect. Cue uproarious laughter from me. People in the Nordics are on friendly terms of course, but we gotta have the tiniest bit of… scornfor each other. All in good fun of course. It’s traditional.

Now, I’m Danish, not Finnish, but still, I feel right at home in the towns of Bright Falls and Watery in Alan Wake 2. All of the little nods to Nordic culture and mindset feel so wonderfully familiar to me. The melancholia, the irreverent sense of humor, the affection for the Finnish and Swedish quirks of the characters. The game feels all the stronger in tone and narrative for Remedy embracing the Finnish roots of the studio.

Which is exactly why it sucks that I almost immediately saw the charm of those narrative decisions weaponised against Saga.

I first watched the scene between Ilmo and Saga on a lets play when I was trying to figure out if I should finally dip my toes into survival horror and buy the game. Delighted by the writing I took a look into the comments to see if people were vibing as hard with it as I was. They were. But I also saw a comment that made me frown.

Paraphrasing, it basically went, come on, like hell a guy like Ilmo would make the assumption that a black woman is Finnish. There are a multitude of reasons why I think that person was wrong, mainly that Nordic people love it when we run into each other in other countries, but it also just made me sad.

Saga being black does not negate her Swedish heritage. Formally, she is American, sure (I assume, not sure how that works in the US), but she’s raised by her single Swedish mom, of course she’s going to identify heavily with that part of her herself. It’s a profound and essential part of who she is.

But hey, I’m a white potato Dane, so I’m not gonna argue that I know much about the experience of being biracial. I’m gonna stick to what I know, which is that Saga is a very moving and beautiful example of something that I’m actually not used to seeing much of - a story about connecting with your Nordic heritage and roots. And it’s part of why I love her so much.

When Nordic people show up in big, international productions, it’s usually as Vikings, and sure, it’s fun to see our wild ancestors, but contemporary questions of Nordic identity and heritage is not something I often see explored. Not even in our own productions.

So much of Saga’s story is about family. Fighting for her current one, Logan and Casey (and sure, David too, lol), and rediscovering her first one. Tor and Odin.

Her discovering her ties to Tor and Odin is profoundly moving and made me teary-eyed several times over. And sure, a lot of those ties are fantastical in nature, but they still feel very much grounded - and what makes us Nordic if not the ties to our myths and legends that Tor and Odin have made themselves the living avatars of.

While Saga’s mom, Freya, had good reasons for leaving the Anderson seer magics behind, seeing them as part of what made her family fucked up, she also cut Saga off from the fullness of her capabilities. It is only through Saga reforming her family, healing its scars and fully embracing the Anderson heritage that she becomes as powerful a parautilitarian as she is at the end of the game. That’s beautiful.

And in fact I think Saga being black only deepens the richness of those themes rather than negate them or make them irrelevant. Because yes, Saga’s story would have been moving if she was a white character too, but I am very well aware that a lot of biracial people of Nordic ancestry can feel alienated from that part of themselves. Not least because questions of who gets to claim a Nordic heritage can get pretty ugly around here. There are most definitely people who share the racist mindset of that commentator. It adds an extra dimension. Which is why seeing Tor and Odin’s eagerness to claim Saga as part of the Anderson heritage is all the more moving. Through her magics, she’s just so obviously an Anderson, and they’re so damn proud to call her theirs and fight alongside her. Because they all got that wild Viking blood in them. They’re part of her and she’s part of them.

Roger Ebert, the film critic once called movies empathy machines. I think games, when they’re at their best, can be an even more intense variation of that. Which is exactly why it baffles me that some people can play through Alan Wake 2 and still think Saga is a stunt-woke character rather than someone fully and beautifully integrated in the narrative. A narrative which, at its most basic level – in my opinion – is about the mystical bonds we form with each other and the rest of the world through art and love and blood and family and heritage. All the great horror doesn’t negate that either, it amplifies it. Kind of like that clicker.

#I really didn’t mean to write like… a fucking essay #so this is probably gonna flop #but I love Saga so much #and as a Scandinavian woman #I feel so seen by her #and I hate that people are being so vile about her character #Saga Anderson #Alan Wake 2

[athenagranted]

and what if i said that season six has been all about healing? there's been a lot of talk about how season six has picked up seemingly throwaway lines and dropped plot points from previous seasons, and i really feel like this is the season where these threads are finally winding themselves back together. as we know, season five is when a lot of these characters were at their worst mentally, and a big portion of the season was spent with the majority of the 118 and co. in a very fragmented, disjointed state....but with season six, so much of it has felt like the pieces are falling back into place.

athena getting to heal from the very first case that has been haunting her since she was a little girl and find some closure.

chimney healing from the scars that kevin's death inflicted on him and getting to trust himself and his own judgement again after that years-old wound.

bobby getting to finish the work that his old sponsor started and honoring him by living, doing the same thing for another person in need that wendall did for him, really coming full circle from the season one version of him that thought the rest of his life was meant for atonement for the apartment fire and nothing else.

buck starting to heal from the pain that his parents' neglect caused him, and finally facing his trauma and insecurities head-on and answering the question that has undoubtedly plagued his mind ever since he found out about daniel's death - yes, he is enough, yes he does matter, and slowly making his way down the path to finding genuine, true love.

hen choosing herself and her family and prioritizing the thing that will truly make her feel content instead of sacrificing her happiness to pursue being a doctor.

maddie healing from her PPD and learning to love life again, feeling safe and happy with a family that loves her.

and eddie, too, really living and being excited about life after his breakdown last season, not to mention finally acknowledging that he doesn't want to spend the rest of his life alone after shannon's death -- but not in a way where he has to put up some kind of show or play a part.

and this isn't even getting into some of the other storylines this season, such as denny asking about eva and nathaniel and the long-awaited return of ravi. i just wanted to highlight the way that we've gotten so much growth this season and so many of these characters have been able to finally face the issues that have been hurting them for so long and finally heal from them. in my opinion....if there's one thing this show definitely does right, it's playing the long game, and from everything we've seen this season, i believe that everything, even the storylines that currently seem like they're on 'hold,' will come to a conclusion that will feel satisfying and relieving.

i just. i trust this show!! i really do!! and i mean this in the gentlest way possible, but i think some of you could trust these writers to give us a good payoff as well, because i really believe they've earned it ❤️

#sorry if this has been said before btw. i'm kinda new to this fandom #so i have no idea if it's been brought up before #anyway. #pls ignore any potential typos in this #my commentary #rae.txt #911

[imflyingfish]

Finally finished this massive piece with my OCs! this took so much time. Reblogs appreciated

Tag yourself with which middle schooler you were. I was definetly a Pillow lmao

OC info below cut!

Okay so these characters are p much my only OCs. they're a gang of kids (Aged 12-16) who are caught in a zombie apocalypse. Since most of their families have been lost, they decided to reject their old lives and replace their identities with their chosen objects that they use in battle. They call themselves the Knick Knacks. These characters don't have set genders, so pronouns will be thrown around wherever in description.

Backpack - The emo of the group. Backpack's bag acts as a shield, heavy weapon and storage making them the tank. Recently discovered Hatsune Miku. Can be prone to getting down in the dumps (Who wouldn't) but still cares a lot about her friends. Is best friends with Pillow, and the two balance eachother out well. Likes edgy humour and so gets on well with Metrestick

Pillow - The pastel weeb of the group. Watches a lot of anime and DEFINETLY wishes she was a catgirl. The majority of her efforts go to healing her friends using her pillow, which does low damage. She's very emotional and quite high-strung but overall wellmeaning, even if she can come off blunt or jarring. They definetly try their hardest to reduce conflict in the group and promotes unity (or the power of friendship), which can sometimes be too much. She definetly will no longer be a girl in a couple of years. Is the best friend of Backpack and the two balance eachother. Looks up greatly to Megaphone for her ability to support a group and her genius.

Jacket - the shy roadman. Jacket is a bit of a weird character. He wears a large puffer jacket in order to look larger and more imposing, wants to be seen as a roadman, but is overall too quiet and non-threatening for it to work. so they look homeless instead (they all do, its the apocalypse). He has a close connection with animals, and will stuff birds into his jacket to release as one large, powerful attack. They then have to gather the birds again. He was bullied before the apocalypse by classmates (somewhat including Metrestick) which is why he has tried to look more imposing in recent times. Gets on well with Watergun and especially Backpack as they can relate to her more quiet presence. Metrestick has made an effort to get on with Jacket now that there's no longer the pressure of peers around to impress, feeling remorse. The two still clash occasionally, but for the most part work together very well.

Watergun - the sporty "bully". Watergun deals ranged attacks. Metrestick replaced the container of the watergun with carbonated drinks bottles for more power, held together with tape. She can be harsh and hot-headed, but usually means well and can often act as a team motivator. Occasionally though, he can give in to pride and often takes control of the group even if the others disagree with them. He's strong and has a love for sports that he will passinately share with anyone, knowing a great amount of trivia (Sometimes to the annoyance of others) They like to hang out with Megaphone, Jacket, and Metrestick, but is a good friend to the rest of the group.

Metrestick - The hot-headed art kid - Metrestick was in DT (Design and technology) class when the apocalypse started, and grabbed the metrestick on the wall. His specialty is in close range fighting, giving out quick attacks. Despite being generally uninterested in school, she did have an affinity towards design and technology, finding it a good creative outlet for her emotions. Now she shares that outlet with fighting. In school he was also a bully, picking on random kids such as Jacket to impress classmates. Nowadays he instead destroys zombies in combat in order to impress and support his group. Enjoys crude humour, much tto Pillow's dismay. Despite his differences to Pillow, he still gets on well with her and they will often hang out. He enjoys showing his softer side by making gifts for his friends of fixing machinary, such as the wires on Megaphone's wheelchair. Although he generally tries to keep being sappy to a minimum in order to preerve his image. Is prone to fits of anger in which he can be a right dick (But who wouldnt in the apocalypse) Is likely to be an engineer in the future, and may also be a girl in a couple of years idk.

Megaphone - The preppy genius - Megaphone's disability means that she is unable to partake in combat due to difficulties in moving around cluttered battlefields and a general lack of strength. Instead, she has a megaphone that she uses to direct the group, playing support. Her compliments and strategies power up the Knick Knacks and her insults and taunts weaken the opponent. Megaphone is the group strategist, and is usually trusted to make the correct decisions in battle. She's also the oldest, which makes her the defacto leader anyway. She does often get frustrated and has to pass leadership onto someone else, and her disability does mean that she occasionally has to miss battle. She's confident in her intellect, (which can sometimes lead to conflict as she assumes that shes correct, especially with Watergun) but her age makes her more mature than the others meaning that she's trying to work on this. She has an interest in fashion and reality tv, and will often watch anime with Pillow when they manage to find a way to. She also loves chaos, and finds the thrill of battle to be one of her greatest passions. Her love of chaos also means that she loves watching petty drama. She gets on best with Metrestick and Pillow but makes constant efforts to be friends with all of the gang, knowing how pivotal it is in battle.

#imfish #art #original character #ocs #spotlight #illustration #drawing #digital painting #guys im going to need ur help on this one for any reach lmao #anyway yeah welcome to the Knick Knacks #these characters have been super fun to work on #also yeah i didnt say it in the descriptions but most of them are also neurodivergent but i wont say who and how #fun fact Backpack and Jacket are meant to be blue and purple! but i had to change it lol #but no lemme know what u all think yeah

[agentdilfhotchner]

random question.. do you have any hotchniss headcanons? 🫣

// okay, so i do not ship hotchniss as much as jemily, BUT i do think they’d be really good together, soo i wanted to throw my thoughts about this power couple out there. this is also my first time doing something like this so i apologize if it’s ass ✨🫶

MY HOTCHNISS HEADCANONS:

ᡕᠵ᠊ᡃ່࡚ࠢ࠘ ⸝່ࠡࠣ᠊߯᠆ࠣ࠘ᡁࠣ࠘᠊᠊ࠢ࠘𐡏~♡˚॰°ₒ৹๐

- Emily and Aaron both took dance when they were younger. Hotch was kinda forced to by his mother but secretly liked it, especially the being partnered up with pretty girls part. Emily was a full on pro ballerina by age nine. She still takes ballet classes in her free time because it helps ease anxiety. Definitely giving black widow movie vibes, like spy AND ballerina, we love to see it. Anyway, they bond over this when they first get together and decided to take couples classes. They do anything from salsa dancing to tap, Emily even persuades Hotch to take a dirty dancing class, AND HE IS ACTUALLY REALLY GOOD?!? The man is so tender and likes to take his time in a relationship so the intimacy in dirty dancing is like second nature to him and Emily definitely isn’t mad about it.

- They are both very much married to their work so every now and then they have to take a step back and remind themselves, and sometimes each other, that work isn’t the most important thing anymore. Hotch is actually better at making time because he’s had so many years with Jack. I also like to think that Emily is the Unit Chief and Aaron has semi retired but helps consult on cases across the country by the time they get together. Emily is definitely in charge of planning trips for the two of them, plus Jack whenever he wants to tag along.

- very much the definition of ‘touch him/her and i’ll kill you.’ vibes. They are both VERY passionate creatures and do get jealous often. Definitely not in a toxic way, they just love each other so much and never want the other to feel disrespected. Hotch will always have a hand on the small of her back when they are walking together. Emily eats ALL of it up cause her man is completely whipped for her.

- Aaron goes absolutely feral when Emily speaks French or any other language. He literally turns into Gomez Addams and is just like ‘My wife is the most gorgeous, smartest person to ever live!’

- Emily instantly connects with Jack because although her mother is still alive, Emily rarely got to spend time with her. So she definitely feels like she is healing a part of her younger self by being there for Jack. I don’t see Aaron and Emily having kids of their own. Jack being enough for Aaron and Emily maybe feeling as though she wouldn’t be a good mother. Aaron tells her how ridiculous that is because she’s a natural with Jack, but ultimately they decided to just focus on raising him.

- Emily does have five fur babies to take care of though. Soon after her and Aaron got married he gifted her with a cat he adopted from the pound. Little did he or the vet at the pound know that the cat was pregnant, so a couple months later the Hotchner family discovered a little surprise in the form of six baby kittens. Aaron talked Emily into giving two of them away, one to Spencer and one to JJ, but Emily insisted on keeping the rest. Of course Aaron couldn’t say no to her 🫶

- Aaron has a lot of PTSD from what happened with Haley. He has night terrors sometimes so bad that Emily finds him shaking and sobbing in his sleep some nights. If Emily takes to long running errands or maybe doesn’t answer a text over a certain amount of time Aaron’s anxiety sky rockets. But Emily is so patient with him. Staying up late to soothe him and going with him to his therapy sessions just to hold his hand in the waiting room. She’s his number one supporter and he doesn’t take that for granted.

#aaron hotchner #criminal minds #thomas gibson #aaron hotchner x reader #aaron hotch x reader #emily prentiss #aaron hotch hotchner #aaron hotchner x emily prentiss #hotchniss

[wangxianficrecs]

💙 Away from Trouble by Ilona22

💙 Away from Trouble

by Ilona22

M, 15k, Wangxian

Summary: An overheard conversation changes the way Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian part before he ascends Baoshan Sangren's mountain. From that point onwards, things go differently. Kay's comments: The story that made me fall in love with Ilona22 as a writer! I was immediately gone, the story was just too much to my liking. I'm just so weak for stories where Wei Wuxian thrives outside of the cultvation sects. Here, he leaves after the Golden Core transfer, because Jiang Cheng told him to get lost. Luckily, he soon finds his footing again without a trip to the Burial Mounds, since he didn't wait around for Jiang Cheng. Thanks to Wen Qing, he even has the hope to cultivate a new golden core, but for now, he finds a new profession, as a travelling painter. Meanwhile, Lan Wangji pines. I loved how the canon divergence played out in this story and just the found family vibes of it all. Excerpt: The during their conversation, they had all introduced themselves, too. The monk was Lu Lei, the other man was Lu Zhao. The later was an artist and calligrapher of some renown, Wei Ying had admired one of his paintings on Jiang-Zongzhu’s wall in his study. Lu Lei was the abbot of his monastery. The two of them new each other for a long time, and Lu Zhao had painted for the other on several occasions. Though he was more known for his paintings of plants and scenery. Lu Lei was highly skilled in the healing arts. And unwilling to let his patient escape, especially as he had saved both of them. As Wei Ying had guessed, neither was even slightly skilled at fighting. And so, Wei Ying agreed to travel with them. It turned out to be a good decision. Over the next two weeks, he rested and recovered, spending a lot of time talking with the two men. It were long conversations, often about heavy topics, as Wei Ying finally had the time to grieve the friends he had lost during the fall of Lotus Pier, and to adjust to the changes his life had gone through in such a short time. But they also had a lot of fun discussing art styles and philosophy. Lu Lei and him had several long talks about cultivation, and it was fascinating to learn more about the non-martial styles practiced by monks. Lu Lei was interested in his thoughts about talismans. The first time someone was so willing to talk about the branch of cultivation Wei Ying had always quietly hoped to be able to eventually gain his mastery in. In Lotus Pier, that would have been difficult. But now, he had realized during those conversations, there was no reason not to pursue that path. And so, slowly, he had come to look forward to this new chapter in his life.

pov alternating, canon divergence, wei wuxian leaves the yunmeng jiang sect, wen remants live, wen remants deserve better, families of choice, artist wei wuxian, rogue cultivator wei wuxian, golden core transfer fix-it, lan wangji/wei wuxian get a happy ending, mutual pining, developing relationship, not jiang cheng friendly, genius wei wuxian, inventor wei wuxian, sunshot campaign, love confessions

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

#Wangxian Fic Rec #The Untamed #Wangxian #MDZS #Kay's Rec #Kay's Favorite #January 2023 #Away from Trouble #Ilona 22 #Mature #medium fic 15k-49k #pov alternating #canon divergence #wei wuxian leaves the yunmeng jiang sect #wen remants live #wen remants deserve better #families of choice #artist wei wuxian #rogue cultivator wei wuxian #golden core transfer fix-it #lan wangji/wei wuxian get a happy ending #mutual pining #developing relationship #not jiang cheng friendly #genius wei wuxian #inventor wei wuxian #sunshot campaign #love confessions

[trashmoutth]

When I see you again (Fred Weasley x Reader)

PARTS 1. 2. female!reader, Gryffindor!reader Summary: It takes place during the Second Wizarding War, months after Bill and Fleur’s wedding. Reader is on the run after her family has been caught by the Snatchers. Loosely following cannon. Pairing: Fred Weasley x reader (mentioned) Characters: Dean Thomas, Fred Weasley (mentioned),George Weasley (mentioned), Ted Tonks (mentioned), Dirk Cresswell (mentioned) Warnings: war, mentions of death, angst, swearing, english is not my first language so there might be grammatical mistakes, capital letters, etc.

—

During the next couple of days there was a strange feeling of excitement in the air. For the first time in a while, you felt like there was something to hope for, like you had a goal. The sudden burst of adrenaline in your veins had you wandering around this old house of yours all day and all night. It was driving Dean crazy, but you didn’t care. He showed you how to replay old PotterWatch recordings, so you had them playing in the background through the day while searching through your grandma’s old books in hopes of finding something helpful.

Dean was being as supportive as he could’ve been, considering he was also aching to get in touch with his parents and sisters, however, he was reluctant to get his hopes up. You didn’t have the same problem. It wasn’t a choice for you.

“I’d tell her that her family is alive and well and desperate for news of her whereabouts. As are quite frankly, all of us here at the PotterWatch”.

When you weren’t replaying the recording, you were replaying those words in your head.

You had to find a way.

There was another resident in the house who didn’t seem to be too keen on contacting the wizarding world. A goblin named Ricbert. He was badly injured and spent most of the time resting. You couldn’t blame him for not wanting to risk exposure, not after Dean has told you everything they had to go through to get to a safe house. They were travelling with Ted Tonks, Dirk Cresswell and another goblin named Gornuk. They crossed miles and miles being actively hunted by the Snatchers and Death Eaters. Gornuk has split himself while apparating in a hurry and got captured. Dirk went after him while urging the others to run away, but Ted Tonks would not leave anyone behind. Unfortunately, that resulted in Dean and Ricbert having to fend for themselves.

Listening to that story made you shiver. But if anything, it made you even more determined to stop running and hiding. It wasn’t even just about seeing your family and friends again. It wasn’t just about Fred either. People were fighting for their lives! You couldn’t stay put! You had to do something!

When you weren’t practicing defensive spells, you spent your time obsessively collecting herbs and brewing healing remedies for Ricbert. It made you feel a bit better, being useful to someone. You were trying out all kinds of recipes you thought might come in handy.

You made a batch of Polyjuice Potion, Cure for boils, Antidote to Common Poisons, Antidote to Uncommon Poisons. You even tried to make Felix Felicis, but the ingredients for it were way too hard to find even in regular circumstances.

You were brewing so much that Dean eventually had to take you by the hand and force you to sit down and take a break.

“If Snape could see me now!”, you said with a tired smile.

Dean chuckled.

“He’d probably put you in detention for working too hard”.

“Ah, yes! Did you know he actually did do that to me once?”

“What, really?”

“Yeah… I wrote an essay in my third year that was accidentally a little too good. He accused me of using a magical quill and put me in detention”, you rolled your eyes.

“Blimey, what a git!”

“Well, I’ll tell you what, I’ve never tried to work too hard on my homework again!”, you laughed.

It was nice talking to Dean, the two of you became fast friends during your stay in the house. You gave each other space through the day, but in the evenings, you would sit down and enjoy each other’s company. Just like you were back in the Gryffindor common room, chatting about muggle films and sports. You found your grandparents’ stash of Firewhiskey and Nettlewine, so you’d light the fireplace and open a bottle. Ricbert also joined you on occasion.

You tried not to talk too much about PotterWatch, even though that was all you wanted to talk about, and tried avoiding mentioning Fred and George’s name completely. At least until you’ve figured out the way to find them. On the first night, you and Dean went through all the options of how to get in touch with someone from your world. Floo powder was out of question. So was sending and owl, obviously. Most importantly, even if you did find a way to send anyone a message, you wouldn’t know where to send it. Apparating to any location was an unnecessary risk, especially now that you seemed to be perfectly safe and sound for the first time in months. Not to mention the fact that you didn’t want to put Ricbert in danger just because, as he so delicately put one evening,

“You heard your boyfriend mention your name on a radio two weeks ago”.

The word “boyfriend” stupidly made your heart flutter. It wasn’t, strictly speaking, true, but you didn’t correct him. Dean didn’t question it either at the time. However, that evening, after a few glasses of Nettlewine, his curiosity got the best of him.

“So…”, he started, “You and Weasley, eh?”

“Huh?”

“You and Fred Weasley? You’re like… an item, right?”

“What makes you say that?”, you feigned surprise.

He raised his eyebrows and smirked at you.

“Oh, please!”

“No! We are just friends”, you tried to protest, but a small smile escaped your lips and betrayed you.

“Sure you are!”, Dean chuckled, “I also fall asleep every night while listening to recordings of my friend’s voices on the radio”.

“Well maybe you should, it’s very calming”, you teased.

“Besides”, you continued, “How do you know it’s not Georgie I’m listening for?”

“Oh”, he laughed, “You’re right, my apologies”.

“Why do you think they call him Tentacula?”.

He snorted and threw a pillow at you.

“Don’t put images in my head!”

“Well, you’re the one who started this conversation!”, you threw the pillow back at him.

He groaned.

“I was just being nosy, I didn’t want the details!”

“Curiosity killed the hippogriff!”

“Also…”, Dean continued, “Ginny mentioned something to me back when we were dating…”

Your heart jumped in your chest.

“About what?”, you asked as calmly as possible.

“You know… about you and Weasley… Fred, I mean”.

“What did she say?”

Dean looked at you sternly as if what he was about to say is very serious indeed, but then his face stretched into a wide grin, and he burst out laughing.

“Nothing! I just wanted to see your reaction!”

You groaned.

“Oi, Thomas, that was really low!”

“Sorry, better work on your poker face Y/LN!”, he teased you.

You rolled your eyes.

“Well, it’s not like it matters anyway. I mean… who knows if I’ll ever see him again”, your voice suddenly turned sad.

Dean’s expression softened.

“You’ll see him”, he said.

You looked at him with teary eyes and gently smiled with gratitude.

“You think so?”, you asked quietly, before you could stop yourself.

“Yes”, he replied, “We’ll find a way. But then you have to do it”.

“Do what?”

“Shoot your shot”, he said and threw a pillow at you again.

...

You’ve spent the next couple of days trying to figure out how to bring up your newest plan of sending a message to Fred and George. It seemed like a good plan; the only problem was the fact that you had no idea how to execute it.

“Dean…”, you started one afternoon.

“Yes?”, he asked.

“I’ve figured it out”, you said slowly.

“You have?”, he jumped in excitement.

“Yes… sort of”.

“What does that mean?”

“Well…”, you started, “There might be a way to send someone a message without having to know exactly where they are, I think… but it requires a really powerful witch or wizard to do so”.

“I’m not worried about that part!”, he winked at you.

You laughed bitterly.

“I don’t know, mate. I’ve never been able to do it before… that’s why I didn’t bring it up until now”.

“What is it?”, his voice suddenly got a bit more serious.

You took a deep breath.

“The thing is… you can send someone a message using the Patronus charm”.

“You can?”, he asked in a surprise.

“Yes”, you replied, “I’ve seen it”.

The image of a silver, gleaming lynx with a voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt suddenly entered your mind.

“Well, that’s… good news, right?”, Dean asked.

You sighed.

“Yes… and no”.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean… I’ve never been able to produce a corporal Patronus before… and even if I did it, I have no idea how to get it to send someone a message!”, you said, with slight frustration in your voice.

“Oh…”, Dean said.

“Can you produce it?”

He shook his head.

“No… never been able to”.

“Well… that’s why I didn’t say anything until now… but it seems like it might be the only option we have left”.

He looked at you in disbelief.

“What kind of option is that? We’d have to become able to produce a corporal Patronus, and then we’d also have to somehow figure out a way to make it reach someone else for us… it would take us weeks, months, maybe even years!”

“You have somewhere to be?”, you asked sarcastically.

He sighed.

“No…”

“Well, then… unless you can come up with a better plan, I suggest you roll up your sleeves and start practicing the charm!”, you said in a tone of voice that reminded you a bit of Professor McGonagall.

A similar thought has clearly crossed Dean’s mind, because he smirked at you and said,

“Yes, professor!”

You softened your expression and smiled at him.

The following couple of days were spent by your useless attempts to preform the Patronus charm. When you weren’t whispering, mumbling, or screaming:

“Expecto Patronum!”

you were cooped up in your room, reading your grandmas old books, trying to find anything at all about the Patronus charm. It was hopeless.

To be fair, you managed to produce a glowing, silver shield that danced around the room, but there was no sign of fur, tail, claws, hooves, or anything like that. It was driving you mad, which, obviously, wasn’t helpful while trying to focus on your happiest memories.

One evening, as you were lying in your bed and rewinding old recordings of PotterWatch, a shocking realisation suddenly hit you.

Of course you would not be able to create a Patronus, you didn’t have a memory that was strong enough! All your happiest thoughts were somehow tainted by the fact that you were here, locked inside a safe house, completely isolated from the people that you loved the most. But if you could do it… If you could be strong enough to perform the spell…

You didn’t have a happiest memory because all of them were set in the future! And you held the power to make them into reality!

It was a paradoxical thought, but the realisation made your heart fill up with hope, and perhaps, that could be enough to summon a Patronus!

You jumped out of the bed, in a sudden rush of adrenaline, and raised your wand.

You closed your eyes.

What would make you happy? What is the happiest thing you can think of at this very moment?

An image of your parents glimmered in your mind. They were smiling at you while embracing you into a tight hug.

Then another image appeared. Your friends! George Weasley gifting you one of his infectious smiles and congratulating you on a spell well-done! Lee Jordan, shaking your hand and kissing your cheeks.

A small grin appeared on your lips.

It was working!

Then, you saw his face. Fred.

His flaming red locks and glistening eyes. He reached his hands towards you and pulled you in his arms. You knew his scent all too well. He smelled of cinnamon and fireworks. He didn’t say anything to you, and you didn’t say anything to him. You just stood there, embracing. No words were needed.

You felt your heart swell up as happy tears started to fill your eyes. You took a deep breath.

You were almost there!

You raised your wand higher and pictured yourself as exactly the person you wanted to be in this very moment. You were strong enough to summon a Patronus. You were clever enough to reach your friends. You were brave enough to protect Ricbert and Dean. You could do it! You just had to believe in it!

“Excpecto Patronum”, you whispered.

A beam of silver light shot out of your wand. It seemed to be forming into a shape.

Was that a claw? Or maybe antlers?

The beautiful silver light blazing from your wand gave you more confidence, so you repeated, this time more loudly and more clearly,

“Excpecto Patronum!”

This time the light started to form into a shape a lot more distinctively. You watched in an awe as you tried to figure out what animal in reminded you of, still focusing hard on your happy thoughts.

The silver light fell apart once again, but you didn’t get discouraged. You were certain this time you’d do it. You took a deep breath and pictured Fred’s smiling face. His eyes. His voice. His laughter… You’ll see him again! You will! You were so close…

“EXPECTO PATRONUM!”, you yelled out.

The light shooting out of your wand was almost blinding this time. You squinted as you watched it prance around the room, forming into a shape of a beautiful, silvery creature. After it made a circle around the room it stopped right in front of you, looking at you with its intelligent, glowing eyes. You gasped in awe and reached for it to touch it. You recognized it instantly.

It was a (your Patronus).

You did it!

The realisation made a surge of euphoric sensation shoot through your body.

You fucking did it!

You started laughing. You wanted to call for Dean, but you were worried the animal would disappear if you did that. So, instead, you just stood there, trying to get your brain to start working again. As soon as it did, another thought has crossed your mind.

What now?

That’s right! Summoning a Patronus was only a part of the problem. As happy as you were to have succeeded, you still didn’t know how to fulfil the other part.

What if I just… ask?

it was a silly thought. And yet…

It couldn’t hurt!

You struggled for a moment to find your voice. Your Patronus was still looking at you. It seemed like it already knew what you were about to do.

“Can you… help me?”, you heard yourself say stupidly.

The Patronus blinked.

“I need to send a message… to Fred Weasley. He’s… my best friend. Perhaps you already know that…?”

The animal didn’t move or react in any way that would make it seem like it understood you. You groaned in frustration.

“Well, it was worth a shot”, you mumbled.

The frustration in your voice made the Patronus start to slowly fade out. It made you panic for a moment, but then you let it go.

If you could summon it once, you can do it again!

However, the Patronus didn’t disappear, you realized a second later. Instead, it turned itself into a tiny, floating ball of light that began slowly approaching you. Just when you thought it was about to stop, it went straight inside your neck and nested itself at the bottom of your throat.

“What the…”, you spoke in a surprise.

And then you froze in shock. You could hear your own voice, just like it was magically enhanced by Sonorous. However, you had a strange feeling that if anyone else was around you, they would only see you open your mouth and silently move it like a fish.

“Did I… do it?”, you asked.

You were still hearing your own voice inside your head. That must be it! It must be working!

“Fred…”, you started, “If you can hear me… if this reaches you somehow… I’m safe. I’m in a safe location. I can’t tell you exactly where it is, it’s heavily protected…”.

You thought for a moment about what you should and shouldn’t say. You didn’t want to compromise anyone’s safety if this message was heard by someone else.

“If you can reach my parents, would you tell them I’m okay?”, you asked.

There were so many things that you dreamt about saying to him if you got the chance, and now… it felt like there was nothing on your mind.

“Oh, I’m with Dean Thomas!”, you remembered suddenly, “He’s safe too… we’re with a goblin named Ricbert… Fred…”.

You took a deep breath.

“If you can… try to find me… please”.

Just when you started thinking about how silly that sounded, the ball of light nested in your throat flew out. It reached the middle of the room and slowly transformed back into its corporal form. The beautiful, shimmering animal stood before you once again, only this time there was a little ball of light flickering in its neck. You realised, in amazement, that that was your voice.

“Find Fred Weasley… please”, you said pleadingly.

The Patronus blinked at you once again, like it perfectly understood the assignment you just gave it, and slowly began to fade out.

For a second or two you did not move. You were still a bit unsure that what you just saw really happened. You wanted to call Dean and tell him all about it, but before you could do that, you felt yourself slowly sinking into bed. You were exhausted.

You didn’t know for sure how long you slept. Was it five hours or five minutes. You only knew that in one moment your eyes were shut and you were sleeping, and in another something in the room has made you groan out in frustration.

Did somebody turn on the light?

“Turn… it… off���”, you mumbled as you tried to cover your closed eyes with a pillow.

But it felt like the light was burning through the pillowcase. You threw the pillow away and sat up straight, like someone had just pinched you.

Your eyes widened in shock. Something was in the room with you. Through the haze of sleepiness, it looked like another glowing ball of light, only this ball was a lot larger than the one you had summoned. It made a few circles around the room before it finally settled and landed at the top of the pillow you just threw away. It was a bird. A magpie. A glowing, silvery magpie! It was spreading its shimmering wings and looking at you like it wanted your undivided attention.

Another Patronus, you realised.

Your mouth had gone dry from suspense. Then, the bird opened its silver beak and spoke in the voice of Fred Weasley,

“Y/N? Is that really you?”

Your heart stopped.

—

#hp #hp imagine #hp fic #hp x reader #hp x y/n #fred weasley #fred weasly x reader #fred weasely x y/n #george weasley #george wealsey x reader #george weasley x y/n #fred weasley imagine #george weasley imagine #dean thomas #dean thomas x reader #dean thomas x y/n #ted tonks #gryffindor #gryffindor!reader

[hypexion]

I think one of the big missed opportunities with New Phyrexia is how ultimately all the Praetors maybe minus Urabrask are ultimately flattened into a single "take over the multiverse" unit. Elesh Norn dominates the plane, not just in an organisational sense, but an ideological one. Gestures are made towards the idea of disagreements, but the reasoning behind them is fairly shallow. The Praetors are not one big happy Phyrexian family, but why?

Each Praetor should have a specific idea of what Phyrexia is, and these ideas must ultimately come into conflict. Even those who appear to be in alignment should clash as the details of their goals become clear.

So, what do I think each Praetor should be thinking? Here are some brief summaries:

Elesh Norn sees both Phyrexia and compleation as ends into themselves. The purpose of Phyrexia is spread itself across the multiverse, for All to Be One. This is a blessing, a kindness, a way to end conflict and bring unity. Those who oppose Phyrexia are impulsive and selfish, denying themselves and others absolution, in favour of failed ideals such as freedom. Their destruction is a tragedy, but a necessary one. Like the excision of a tumor, it is unpleasant work, but in the end it is an act of healing.

Norn's ultimate goal is a single Phyrexian multiverse. All moves in accordance to its given purpose, a grand, endless machine. But it is not a silent machine. Hymn and prayer will echo through the compleated halls of the multiverse, the song of Phyrexia filling the branches of Realmbreaker. And at the center, Elesh Norn will finally know contentment.

On the surface, Jin-Gitaxias appears to have the same goal as Norn. Both she and the rest of the multiverse have made a critical misjudgement of the Gitaxian mission. When the Orthodoxy says that something will be made Phyrexian, it is an act of replacement. For Jin-Gitaxias, it is an act of consumption, the harvesting of a resource. All that is not Phyrexian will be rendered down, dissected into component parts. The greatest honour that can be given is for these parts to considered worthy of assimilation, to be integrated into Phyrexian perfection. Compleation extracts what is needed, and discards what is not, an endless iteration towards a convergence that may not exist.

For Jin-Gitaxias, there may be no end, no final Phyrexia. The synthesis will simply continue forever, chasing a goal that cannot be found. Or perhaps, once he can see far enough, the greatest secrets of the multiverse will be revealed. In his most fevered moments, Jin-Gitaxias may even consider that Phyrexia itself will become obselete.

As the closest adherent to the ways of Old Phyrexia, Sheoldred sees Phyrexia as a means, rather than an end. She is not superior because is Phyrexian, she is Phyrexian because she is superior. Compleation is a tool, both a reward for the worthy and a punishment for the unworthy. Sheoldred does not need to compleat the multiverse in its entirety. It is simply enough that it bows down before her. As long as the fleshlings know their place and purpose, they can continue to live their worthless lives.

Sheoldred's endgame produces what can, in the most charitable terms, be considered a form of co-existance between the compleat and incompleat. The Phyrexian elite rule, doing as they wish. The rest serve. But the opportunity for compleation is always there, the ascension to a greater form. Those who succeed shall be lauded. Those who fail will wish they had never tried.

Like his closest (?) sister (??), Urabrask sees Phyrexia as the means rather than the end. But while Sheoldred sees it as her tool to subjugate her enemies, Urabrask has come to see Phyrexia and compleation as a path to freedom. To many, it is an alien form of freedom, a freedom from your own limits, from your form and the world around you. You are your own great work, and you define what that means. Phyrexia gives you the tools to achieve it. And if there are those who oppose you? Well. They have the freedom to try. You have the freedom to retaliate until you are free from their opposition.

In the end, Urabrask believes that Phyrexia will be the self-evident choice. There will be no coercion because it will be unecessary. Some will merely dabble with compleation, while others will dedicate themselves fully to Phyrexia. Urabrask claims Phyrexia's victory in this form as an inevitability. Thus, where others claim tolerance, he is truly honest.

Vorinclex claims he has no ideology, no driving principle. He lies, to his followers, to his allies and enemies, and to himself. He believes in the supremacy of strength and violence, a "natural order" that is anything but natural. He desires a world without ideas such as cunning, cooperation or beauty, to him concepts linked only in their lack of worth. Yet these things emerge from nature, a million pressures selecting for their survival. Vorinclex claims thought is the opposite of strength, but he knows in truth it is its own kind of strength.

But the true seed of Vorinclex's madness is that he knows Phyrexia cannot be inevitable or eternal. Change is the only constant, and in time Phyrexia will change until it is no longer Phyrexian. That is if it survives. Like Jin-Gitaxias, Vorinclex carries a forbidden doubt, that Phyrexia can fall, that there is a greater strength waiting in the multiverse. A strength that has no need of Phyrexia.

Other Phyrexian ideologies are available. Perhaps Atraxa's views diverge from her creators, as her child Ixhel diverges from her. Some in the Surgical Bay may find Jin-Gitaxias' arguments insufficent, while the Hunter Maze holds those who reject the brutality of Vorinclex. Because like our own world, no people is a monolith. Every faith has it's heresy, every cause its divisions.

And given how Magic's five colours, well, colour how its worlds exist, so to should they colour New Phyrexia. As Ravnica holds ten guilds, Strixhaven five colleges or Tarkir five clans, New Phyrexia should in truth hold five Phyrexias.

#magic the gathering #mtg #magic: the gathering #new phyrexia #phyrexia all will be one

[stayandot8]

Stay With Me

Genre: comfort-fluff, Depression-Chris

Relationship type: established boyfriend/girlfriend

Important Contents: Chris has depression-like symptoms

A/N: What I would do right now in this current climate of Depression Christopher. It is breaking me inside to watch him like this but this drabble healed a little part it. I hope it can do the same for you. I love you Chris. Take your time. ❤️‍

WC: 1.8k

Part Two l masterlist

His passing seemed to hit him hard. He withdrew from just about everything. He didn’t answer my texts for a few days until I finally went over there and barged into his room. I had heard Chris talk about him a couple times, never anything too in-detail but it was evident that there was affection there. The fans on social media were worried, rightly so. They were conflicted on what seemed to be the new comeback and his strikingly different demeanor in every live he was involved in. 

The other members were busy with God knew what. I wasn’t expecting them to know what to do either, they had their own grieving to do anyways. Some of them buried themselves in their work, others made plans to do exciting things. I didn’t resent them for it, not when they had a busy schedule coming up. 

“Chris?” I knocked on his door, the hallway behind me dark, showing that no one was home. I listened for any kind of noise coming from his bedroom. There was none. I checked my phone for any response to my earlier messages. None. I thought he might not be home but Changbin said he was in his room when he let me into the building on his way to the gym. I decided to brace myself and let myself in anyway, slowly opening the door. 

Chris was sitting on his bed, feet out in front of him, staring at the wall. His eyes weren't really focused on seeing anything and he was hugging his pillow. His laptop was open beside him, still dimly lit and his black headphones discarded near it. His hoodie was pulled up onto his head, covering his (what I highly suspected to be) unwashed curls. No empty dishes anywhere, no faint glow from the TV, nothing. I wouldn’t have known he was there unless he was there in front of me. 

“Chris?” I said softly, gently trying to break him of his stupor. “Baby?” I lowered myself onto the bed beside his feet. He lifted his eyes to look at me, mildly surprised. 

“Oh hey. I didn’t hear you come in.” His voice… Hoarse. Like he hadn’t used it in days. The bags under his eyes were the biggest indication that his insomnia had only gotten worse. I couldn’t look at him for too long without hearing my heart break in my chest. His face even looked thinner. So I stood to clear his laptop from harm’s way, placing it back on his desk, so I could sit beside him. He didn’t speak. He barely looked over at me. 

“I’m not going to ask if you’re okay because I know the answer. I’m just going to sit here with you. I seem to remember you telling some fans of yours that no one should go through pain alone. And since you don’t have a Chan to turn to, I’m stepping in. You don’t have to talk. You don’t have to do anything at all.” I nudged his foot with mine. “But if I can convince you to shower, I can promise that I will join if you want. You won’t even have to bathe yourself.” I tentatively checked his features, just to see if he caught my joke. He did, the corners of his mouth twitched and he blinked slowly to process what I had said. After a longer pause, I softly nudged his shoulder with mine. “Whaddya say?” I brought my chin to rest on his shoulder, trying to keep my eyes on his face. “Because I love you. But you smell like Changbin’s gym socks after a workout.” I got a silent chuckle from that one. He nodded lightly, moving off the bed and heading to the bathroom. I stayed in my place, not knowing if he truly wanted me in there or if had simply convinced him to do it. I sighed as he disappeared and closed the door behind him, silently admitting that I wanted to bathe him. I looked around the room for something to clean, noticing the pile of clothes in his basket. I scooted to the edge of the bed, ready to start a load of laundry to get him some clean clothes when the bathroom door opened again. 

Chris popped his head out of the door, sans hoodie, and looked for me with his eyes wide. “I’m not bathing myself.” A ghost of a smile. My Chan was still in there somewhere, buried by his own grief. I chuckled enough for the both of us, dropping the shirt in my hands and closing the bathroom door behind me.

Freshly changed and no longer smelling like lingering sweat, Chris’s head lay on his pillow as he watched the video I had put on the TV. It was some dumb reality show compilation, something so out of his normal stream of consciousness that he wouldn’t really pay attention to what was happening around him. His brows were scrunched with his frown. 

“But why would she pick him to send home when he voted for her in the last round? That makes no sense.” I pushed my legs one at a time through the pants he had lent me for the night. I rolled my eyes at him. Of course he would get invested in a show meant to take his mind from everything, even just for a little bit. 

“I believe it was because she had a bigger target to take out that round. I don’t remember exactly what happened before this but I know that the next episode was her last. They voted her out.”

“What?!” He looked at me incredulously, like I had just spoiled something for him. I had to laugh at the contrast of his emotions over the past half hour. 

“We can watch the full season tomorrow. I promise.” He nodded, my answer satisfactory. He turned off the television and placed the remote on his bedside table. He turned to face me, laying beside him so we were indeed face to face. His eyes were drooping, looking like it was taking all of his strength to keep them open. He kept them on me, bouncing from my eyes to my mouth back up to my nose up to my forehead. He kept this routine until I had to break the silence. 

“What is it, Chris?” His eyes stopped at mine, searching them for something it seemed.

“You look like you want to say something.”

“Get out of my head.” I smiled at him sadly.. He was quiet while I weighed my words, debating whether to say them at all. 

“Go ahead. Say it.” He took a deep breath, showing me he was ready. I scoured the brown orbs looking back at me for that glimmer he always had. It wasn’t there. That’s when it all came tumbling out.

“I feel helpless. As a friend who knows you, I know that you need space to figure out your grief. I want to grant you that because you deserve it. It’s your given right. As someone who loves you, I’m worried. You worry me constantly but this time is different. I know it hasn’t been that long and you still need time but I can’t help but worry for you. I see what you send to fans. I see what they say. They see you wasting away and they’re worried too. And as someone who wants to spend the rest of her life with you, it's my job to make sure you’re doing everything you can to survive while you grieve. You’re not eating, you’re being distant with the kids and they see it too. They just don’t know what to do. Lean on them, Chris. Lean on me. It doesn't make you weak or small. It makes you human.”

That familiar pinch behind my eyes had me closing them, trying to force them back into the tear ducts they were trying to escape from. I was relying on the darkness of the room, the only light coming from the window and the moon poking through. I didn’t want him to see me cry, not now. Not when he had probably been crying his tear ducts dry for the past couple days. I didn’t want him to feel the need to comfort me when I was there to do this for him. That was just who he was. He would focus on other people all day until he gave out. This insanely unselfish being in front of me needed to be convinced that he was worth taking care of. And that job fell to me. 

“Because I need you here.” I said through my tears. The ones that had forced their way out, at least. “I need you here. It’s selfish and insane but I need you here to be everything that I can’t be for myself. I can’t do this life without you. Please don’t make me live this life without you. I will be whatever and whoever you want or need, just don’t leave me here alone. I am using all of my selfishness here. Right now. To ask you to stay here with me. Give me all your pain. Give me every bad thought you have. I want to take it all away from you. Give me everything. I won’t run, I won’t ask you to stop. It’s not too much. Everything will never be too much.” My eyes were burning from staring at him, willing to see the sincerity and imploring him to believe me. 

He simply blinked at me. A slow hand reached from his side to wipe the droplets from my cheeks. At least, the ones he could catch.

“All this to say that I love you. And there is nothing I wouldn’t do, nothing you could say, nothing could stand in the way of me being right here. With you. You have always been there for everyone else. Let us, let me, be here for you.” 

He took a shaky breath.

“I could never leave you behind.” He whispered. 

He took my hands in his and brought them to his lips. Then he tucked them under his chin and closed his eyes. I watched as his breathing slowed and his snores grew from mumbles to loud inhales. His features looked troubled, but at least he was sleeping, his grip tight on our joined hands. I tried to untangle them without stirring him. I was unsuccessful. He stopped his snoring, taking a deep inhale and squirming back into a comfortable position and taking our hands with him. I heard him mumble to himself, so quiet I would’ve missed it had it not been silent in the room. 

“Stay with me.”

Always.

#bang chan #stray kids #chan skz #chan stray kids #chan x reader #chan x you #skz #skz bang chan #christopher bang #chan angst #bang chan x reader #bang chan angst #bang chan drabbles #bang chan x you #bang chan imagines #chan fanfic #chan scenarios #chan fic #stray kids x reader #stray kids chris #skz scenarios #stray kids boyfriend #skz boyfriend #chris boyfriend #skz chris boyfriend #chan #bang chan scenarios #chan drabbles #chan imagines #stray kids imagine

[leoascendente]

PAC// What do you need to know? 🔮

Hi loves! Welcome to this new PAC, I hope you enjoy it💕

Take a deep breath and choose your pile. This is a general reading so take only what resonates with you and leave the rest. Choose more than one pile if you feel drwan to.

Decks I used: Goddess guidance oracle, ethereal visions tarot, shadows and lights oracle, shine from the inside cards.

Pics are from pinterest, credits to their owners.

Pile 1:

Intuitive message: Be open to speak your truth, you are wiser than you like to admit, but your wisdom is needed in this world. You have something important to communicate that will help many others to get in touch with a part of themselves they left forgotten. You are full of potential and in your future awaits a lot of abundance, your voice needs to be heard, don't be afraid to stand for what you believe is right, don't be afraid to fail and learn, and even less be afraid of other people's opinion about you, someday you''l be an inspiration for other people and an example to follow. You have something important to do in this lifetime, focus on that, you are a living master, trust yourself. Sagittarius season will bring you the close of a cicle, you'll feel a lot more confident entering the new year, use these lasts months of the year to leave behind any fear or work in any blockage you are having.

You are getting a higher level of understanding about yourself, mostly with your emotions and how you deal with them. You are ending a healing cicle and understanding why certain things have happened to you in your past, you are reaching a very high level of wisdom. You are learning to listen to your inner voice and attend its needs, maybe you are even in touch with your inner child (if you are not I really recommend you to do it).

For these few last months of the year try to release the burdens you still carry, stop for a while and focus on your healing because this time will be aligning with you for release you from the pain that still remains. Also try to spend more time with your close and beloved ones, time with them will bring you so much happiness and gratitude, you'll feel very supported and protected by them, they'll genuenly show how much they care for you and how much they want to see you being happy. You will find some new friends or collaborators who will help you with your projects.

Focus on: There are some issues that needs to heal yet and for releasing them you need more introspection and learning more about your emotional responses to some situations, you have left behind a lot of hurt but there are still some wounds, they are not bleeding but you need to let them be healed. I feel you already know where this pain comes and it probably has to do something about an important loss you had in your past, you are missing someone or something and that can be making you feel empty sometimes. Don't worry babe, remember all the progress you have made, this is just the remains of what you've been through, you have bloomed into a beautiful version of yourself and you keep blooming, give yourself this time to let that behind and move forward into the new year without unnecesary weight on your back.

Advices:

Breathe in bliss, exhale bullshit

Awaken your authentic self, unleash your wild side

Slow down and rest, you need it

Pile 2:

Intuitive message: You are like the sound of violins and the singing of birds at the same time, you are realizing your inner and outside beauty and getting comfortable in the energy of appreciating yourself as the work of art you are, you are tuning into your Divine Femenine but for the most of you I feel you already embodying it. You're powerful and your precense feels powerful too, you know your worth so don't settle for less than what you know you deserve. You have made a long travel to be where you are now and this journey has taken a lot of energy and sacrifice, value that incredible alchemy you have made within yourself, the mountains from within are the hardest to climb and you have done it greatly and gracefully, enjoy this irresistible essence you are embodying. PS: I hear something about pheromones, is that relevant for you??

You are having a glow up babe! you shine like the sun wherever you go, you are focused into improving youself and your image or aesthetic and it's giving it's fruits. You'll start seeing how people feel naturally drawn to you and it's all because of your energy of self confidence, I feel dark femenine vibes from this pile. You have learnt or at least I see you in the process of stablish healthy boundaries, you are done being a people pleaser, you've spent too much time thinking about other people's feelings or thoughts torwards you and now you are entering in an state of pleasing yourself, you are giving to yourself the value and respect you know you deserve. I see you are becoming a safe place for youself, you are trying to be your own protector and counselor, you could even be embellishing your home and decoring it at your style to make it feel comfy and warm (you could have Cancer Venus/Moon or have any of those planets in the 4th house)

You are in a lucky and fertility time, you are probably harvesting the fruits of your labor, a lot of inspiration and new ideas are coming your way, would be great if you could write them to keep focused on your goals and avoid forget any of them. Don't worry babe, the Justice card here reveals you are receiving your dharma after a long time of releasing karmic patterns, now you understand the importance of feeling good within yourself to feel good about the world around you, you are taking the reins of your destiny and writing your own story. You'll receive good news soon about something you have been dreaming of or even a manifestation of your desires.

Focus on: Allow change to happen in your life, don't try to force or rush anything, just go with the flow of circumstances and cut off any of them that is not giving you good feelings anymore. Clean yourself from any negative energy, take care of your soul, mind and body and give them what they need to have a good functioning, nurture yourself and your needs, even make a deep cleanse in your home or wardrobe if you need to Try to keep like this at least through the eclipse season, after this season pass you'll feel completely renewed

Advices:

Ask for help, it doesn't make you weak

Step out of your comfort zone and try something different

Surround yourself with your soul tribe

Pile 3:

Intuitive message: My pile of geniuses! Your intellect is so wide and rich, give it their proper value because your mind is able to reach answers that other people aren't capable of. You might have felt misunderstood in your past, it doesn't matter babe, you are ment to be understood by people vibing in your same frequency. You see the big picture of life and that can feel like a too big responsability besides of feeling lonley and misunderstood, don't worry babe, it seems difficult now but in the future you'll be so proud of yourself! Focus onn learning a new skill by now, or instead you can improve an skill you already have, just do what makes you feel motivated and comfortable because soon a member of your soul tribe will appear in your life and you'll never feel lonley or judged again

You'll be going through a deep transformation that will reforce your psychic powers and abillities, you are shedding your skin to evolve into a new whole version of yourself. You are going to feel very empowered in your own skin and able to get anything you want in life, dreams you had will become a possibility in your future, you can even get psychic glipmses of what your future will look like, would be great if you could start a dream journal or write in a notebook all the visions or feelings you get. You'll be more in tune with your intuition and your guides, you'll start having a deeper bond with them and somehow their communication with you will be a lot more clear, for some of you, you can even develop a new psychic gift you didn't knew you had. Your communication skill wil also improve and if you are having any problem related to your throat chakra will be solving too, for some of you I hear laugh, so you could be getting a more positive mindset that makes you laugh of the mistakes instead of punishing yourself for that, you'll be a lot more kind with yourself. If you've been working to make your inner child happy you must be currently feeling better with yourself and with a better mood.

I must warn you babe, there's a negative mascuine energy around you and you are aware of who is this king os swords reversed, this person has a very weird and uncomfortable energy, when I try to approach their energy I see the face of a man who was stalking me a while ago. My love, if you feel intimidated by this person and that's the reason you are not taking the action of taking them out of your life you need to tell somebody close to you about this situation or call the authorities of the place you live in. Depending on the circumstances with this masculine energy you'll take different actions but please, don't keep person like this near you, their energy is consuming like a black hole (I could give you more details but what I feel is really creepy and has me a little shocked reminding me of my stalker, I hope you don't mind me stopping here). If this energy comes from a romantic interest watch it with cold head, you might be projectingg your good traits into them and that's not letting you see their true face, you probably have an important karmic lesson related to this person.

Focus on: Try to look within yourself to understand why you have attracted a person with such negative energy, this inner discovery will be hand by hand with the transformation process you are in, this will give you many answers about yourself too. This might has something to do with understanding the signals and synchronicities that your guides give you and the meaning of all of them, for this I find very helpful learning about archetypes and symbolism, books about the meaning of dreams are great tools for learning this king of things.

Advices:

Change one thing today, start small

Commit to self care rituals

Be bold, don't be afraid to stand out

Pile 4:

Intuitive message: You are so loving and caring, your heart knows no limits when it comes to share love, kindness and compassion to others, sometimes you can feel these traits about yourself are not being valued by the people around you but your guides want you to know they don't forget any of your gentle touch in the life of the people around you. They really want you to redirect that loving energy to yourself, be a little more selfish whenn you need to and learn to say no when it's needed becaue now you ar being called to take care of yourself to enter in a new chapter of your life with your batteries charged, in a near future you'll be so amazed with the person you've evolved in.

😌Another glow up pile! Go read pile 2 if you felt called to, you might find extra messages there. You are entering into an state of unconditional love but fully focused to yourself and what makes you happy, you'll be healing your relationship with your physical body as well, treating it with the love and respect you know you deserve. You'll be getting more healthy habits like a workout routine or a change in your eating habits. You are so loving and caring but now you understand that this energy must be first focused to yourself, you'll be honoring your Divine femenine by taking care of yourself and your physical needs. You'll be receiving good news about something good you did to somebody else, this new will fullfil your heart with joy and gratitude. This is like a response of your guides reminding you how close they are for when you need their help, they want you to know how strongly protected you are.

This good new will also give you a new perspective about your life, you'll be more certain about your self worth and what you deserve, your self esteem will heal in such a beautiful way, you'll feel more confident about yourself and will not be afraid to raise your voice to be heard. Someone from your past can appear soon, you'll have the chance to be honest and tell them what you think (this person can be an air sign) you might expect an argument from this person but they will surprise you for the good. Somehow this person attitude or what they have to say will make you feel awesome about yourself. For some I see this person could hurt you in the past and you were expecting any kind of regret about the way they treated you, idk what plan you have torwards this person but after that you'll feel like a living goddess.

Focus on: Feeling sexy and irrisistible, pamper yourself with the things that makes you feel comfortable in your own skin. You can also change your style, your hair or the decoration of your place, make a sacred temple for yourself and water your inner garden. There's something important related to your sexuality you need to get more in touch with, try to make things to heal this energy, maybe you are a little like me, you have your moments of feeling like a living goddess but you get unconfortable when people stare at you or give you compliments, in my case I had to befriend with the siren archetype, you can try it too or look for the archetype you feel more identified with.

Advices:

Get creative and excite your imagination

Keep your thoughts possitive

Trust your intuition, she's always right

Pile 5:

Intuitive message: You are an strong fighter, my love, you have overcome so many battles and most of them just by yourself. You have trusted the Universe and have accepted its challenges for you even when you didn't wanted to, don't worry, this chapter of your life will bring you a reward, you just have to be patient and keep in the present moment. You are Divinely guided, my love, get close to your spiritual team, they are there to help you whenever you need it.

Well... This is a message of encouragement and recover hope in life, you've been through a lot, a I mean a looooooot in your life. It's pretty awesome that you are able to keep having faith that life has somethinig better for you, value and honor that hope you have within because it will be the compass that leads you to the life of your dreams. Your guides are providing you giving you what you need for the moment, when it's the time they will give you what you really want, this is just a process and a journey of self discovery and it's worthy to transit it. Your guides also tell you to start asking them more of their help, they are just right there but you have been carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders and they want you to know that you don't have to, ask them for guidance and they will give you a sign of their precense.

Your energy has been feeling very low for these past few months, I feel exhaustation and anxiety, maybe you've been even having problems for sleeping. You've been lacking enjoyment in your life, maybe you've felt a little depressive, if you feel like this I would recommend you any kind of therapy you feel comfortable doing, ik some of you might not like it but when we feel like this we need a helping hand that helps us understand what's going on and give us some answers, we can't do everything by ourselves always and we don't have always the answer to our problems. You deserve to feel happy and plenty, don't worry because you will be but first you need to attend yourself and heal from the pain you've been feeling, winter is always a wonderful time to rest, reconnect with our essence and gain strengths for the spring, so would be great if you could work on yourself and your healing journey, I promise that if you do you'll find a lot of relief and your guides will be there to help and provide what you need to keep going on, they will also make you feel you have a good company by your side when you get tired of humans 😊

Focus on: Your uniqueness and inner magic, get in tune with your intuition, try to practice any kind of divination, get a pendulum... anything that helps you develop the priestess you have within. You have psychic gifts and they are jewells waiting to be polished, don't be afraid because nothing bad will happen to you if you listen to your heart. The eclipse season will feel lighter for you but you might see the people around you tense and anxious, just focus on resting and cleaning your energy.

Advices:

Tune into your inner peace, you deserve a break

Trust your intuition, she's always right

You are pure magic

Pile 6:

Intuitive message: You've been projecting your energy outside for too long, it's time to rest and reconnect with your creative side and keep away from the negative energies around you. You have something relevant to do but there are people getting in your way or distracting you, for some you can be even recieving bad energy for making you stop progressing. Somehow you are conscious about these draining people or situations but you are not sure of what you should do. Don't put a mask to fit or be accepted by somebody else, if you have to fake who you are when you are with somebody that person is not giving you anything positive. You need to let yourself just be and enjoy, don't reject your beautiful essence for somebody else because that's cruel to you and you don't deserve to feel that unecessary pressure. If this energy comes from a brunette female, mostly a friend, be careful because there's a feeling of envy and competition coming from this female.

I feel an energy of discomfort from you, maybe this is a recent feeling or you've been dealing with it for a long time, whatever your situation is you are being called to groud yourself and work in your root chakra, probably heart chakra is calling for balance too. Your best skills to deal with this and keep evolving is to reconnect with Mother Earth, reforce your connection with nature and animals, spend more time indooors making a cozy home for you. Creativity is another important skill to improve, I'm pretty sure that the skills you develop related to these 2 themes is going to open a door for abundance in your future and this is just the learning process for you to do something important with your knowledge in the future, also this will help you relief that hard feeling you had.

The word that comes to my mind all the time is pressure and 10 of wands confirms that there's something feeling very heavy in your life, I feel it mostly related to somebody else's attitude torwards you or the relationship you have with somebody. You are not being grounded and this is leading you to be surrounded by confusing energies, you have the artist card too telling you that you are spending too much time in your imagination and not in the present moment, but I want to give you more happy news. Meditate more often, meditation gives you an space for the daydream too and you can use it to visualize the life you want to live, learn about asssumption law and manifesting so you can use your vivid imagination at your favor. Avoid focusing too much in resentment because karma is always working so it's not necessary for you to worry about somebody else's consequences of their actions, the most important thing for you should be have a clear conscience. For some of you I'm hearing something about feeling guilty, if that's your case you should know that guilt is a chatholic construction to makes us feel unworthy and hopeless when we make the "wrong choice", instead of guilt use the word responsability, if you did something that makes you feel uncomfortable with your own behavior take the responsibility of braking that pattern by healing yoursef. Learning to be generous with ourselves makes us understand better how can we be generous with others.

Focus on: Stop pleasing people and keepeng away from dramatic people or situations, sometimes the cost of being truly ourselves is making some people uncomfortable but that is necessary too, if someone to feel happy wants you to be someone you are not they don't love you unconditionally and you deserve unconditional love. this is probably a wound you have, to reject your happiness to make others happy, this is a beautiful trait that talks so well about you, but this also can make you naive and compleisant with insatisfaction. Who really loves you want to see you shine, will get happy everytime you overcome fear to become a greater and healthier version of yourself, don't worry babe, the correct people will come when it's the time and probably you have very good people by your side (mostly family) at the moment, then leave the people that leaves a negative influence behind and keep the ones that want you to succed close to you, you'll feel a lot lighter than before. This will also brings a healing process that feels very loving so I feel that you are going to have an extra spiritual guidance through this time, if you felt called to pile 1 or 5 go read it because it tells you too to approach your guides and ask them for help.

Advices:

Align your intentions with your actions

Stay away from drama today

Show off your sparkle and shine from the inside

#witch #witchblr #tarot spread #leoascendente #pac reading #tarot reading #tarot pac #pick a pile #pick a card #pick a card reading #tarot cards #tarot #divination witch #intuitive readings #oracle cards

[greyskyflowers]

This is kind of rambling because I just really wish I saw more of this but whatever.

I wish I saw more stuff about Zoro's eye and the crew. I'm really interested in how that wound would have been handled by the crew.

The world already thinks the strawhats are fucking nuts, so I have the firm belief that they only let themselves be true, squishy humans with each other. Reindeer and skeleton included.

The rest of the world has seen them cry, bleed, near death, etc but the real stuff is for crew eyes only. The nightmares, the chronic pains, the panic attacks, the depression, the parts of healing that aren't pretty, etc.

Those belong to the crew. No one else gets to see that because being human in front of the world is different than be vulnerable in front of the world. And they love each other too much to let any of them be stripped bare for the world if they have anything to say about it.

I think of Zoro and Luffy as having the first real injuries of the crew. The point of no return injuries. The sealed their fate as pirates in blood and flesh injuries.

No one on the crew has lost anything quite like Zoro's eye. No one has lost any arms or legs, no lost fingers or toes, no lost of the senses like sight or hearing, and no truly horrific scars. Other than Zoro. And after the timeskip, Zoro and Luffy.

So Zoro missing an eye should have been a thing because this isn't something that heals. An eye doesn't grow back. The world changed for Zoro when he lost it (or whatever happened since we don't 100% know).

That's the injury of a human and Luffy and Zoro, and often Sanji, are seen as beyond human by so much of the world. Even the crew.

And that injury must have been fucking wild. Like so much there to unpack. The pain, the recovery, any infection, relearning how to live daily life with half your vision gone. That's a lot of time to be vulnerable.

It bothers the crew that they weren't there to cover his vulnerabilities like they should have been. They weren't there to do that for Luffy or Zoro. But this post is about Zoro, so that's what we're focusing on.

I have been brainstorming how I'd like to see the crew have to deal with this and I think a great way to make this into a hell of an idea for a fic would be way more simple than I was making it. I was originally thinking about shorting the timeskip, ignoring orders to stay separate, the wound happening closer to when they meet, etc.

But then I thought devil fruit. Duh.

What if the crew runs into a devil fruit user with the ability to recreate wounds? It'd have to be some type of time based power that would allow the user to touch the spot of a scar or other old injury and revert it back to the worst stage of it. Maybe it was when it was first received, a infection, etc.

It would work for other things too. The user notices someone doesn't have any glaringly obvious scars to focus on? Try the head, they probably had a concussion at some point. Try the arm, they've probably broken it at some point.

It also requires the user to revert the wound back to it's present state or it has to heal naturally all over again.

And someone who's fighting the strawhats with this power would go right for Luffy's chest scar. Take the captain down in one hit. He probably won't survive the wound again.

There's a couple ways I could see this playing out specifically with Zoro.

Either the user can't get Luffy and goes for the next best, Zoro's eye. (Or chest would be interesting. Maybe both)

Or they almost get Luffy but Zoro gets in the way. Thriller bark all over again.

I think that wound was nasty because I can't imagine Zoro losing an eye with a clean cut. Most importantly though is what stage it goes back to.

It's clearly not when he first got it. The wound is ragged and inflamed. Dried blood is holding the edges and the skin is stained a rusty color. Not that you can tell over all the bruising, big blooms of black and purple and yellow, that creep across his face and even down his neck.

It's a little terrifying.

But that's not even all of it. The wound fucks with a lot of stuff that they hadn't even thought of.

He's got constant, debilitating headaches and ringing in his ears. It makes basic things like focusing, walking, turning his head, etc all very hard and painful.

Loss of appetite due to pain and medication and chewing and even drinking all pull at the wound. So rapidly losing weight becomes a problem.

Sleep is almost impossible. His exhaustion slows the healing process.

Nausea and vomiting from the trauma, headaches and exhaustion. Even further loss of weight, energy, and necessary nutrients.

And once those settle enough, all the other issues become prominent.

Having to relearn balance and depth perception. Both in daily life and fighting.

Having to readjust for having his field of vision cut in half.

The general trauma. Honestly, I just need him flinching away sometimes when he just wakes up and someone comes in on his blind side. Only with them though, that's the only time he lets himself relax enough to be caught off gaurd or allow someone to surprise him.

The body remembers wounds like that. The mind remembers wounds like that. Zoro is a master at mind over matter stuff but even then, sometimes things are so deep and instinctive that it would be very hard to override those responses.

I want to see the crew reacting to it all.

The nights were Zoro stumbles up, pressing a hand to his eye, dripping sweat, and gasping for air because he managed to actually fall asleep, but in doing so forget to take pain medication before it was too late.

The days where getting him to eat something is the hardest battle the crew has had in days.

Chopper near tears with worry and fury. The rest of the crew in similar mindsets.

They find he sleeps best sitting against the wall with one of them, back supported and unable to roll into a painful position accidentally. His head resting on their shoulder and a careful, so so careful, hand to nudge him back if he starts to do something that will hurt.

He lets Chopper have full access to the wound, not even rejecting the pain medication and that alone speaks to the agony he's in.

They want to squirrel him away deep in the ship until he's better, he's too vulnerable anywhere else. It sets their teeth on edge and the idea of anyone seeing Zoro hurt and bleeding like this is unacceptable.

A healed wound to show the world is one thing, like the scar he had before the devil fruit user, and even a wound still healing, like Luffy's when he rang the bell after marineford, is different. Both of those are warnings. I'll come back stronger, you can't keep me down.

This is something else.

Someone hurt their swordsman. And they knew that of course, even when it was just a scar, but seeing it makes it real.

It makes something burn in their bellies with fury, wanting to snap their teeth at anything or anyone not crew.

It's a wild possessive and protective feeling. Vicious, a little blood thirsty, and demanding names. They want to know who did it.

Part of what makes Zoro Zoro is how he handles injuries and protects the crew. When he first got the wound he was by himself and probably hid away for a bit to lick his wounds before pushing himself back into everything too quick and with too little care.

So this time they want to care for it right, they want to care for him right.

The wound will heal with or without pain medication, but there's no reason to not make sure he's comfortable and supported.

He can sleep with or without someone, but if having someone there helps keep him in one spot all night and keeps the nightmares at bay, why would they let him sleep alone?

The bandages will be changed regardless, but if his hands shake less when someone else is helping him with the cleaning of the wound and the new bandages, why would they leave him to do it by himself?

It's not weakness, it's trust. It's love and vulnerability that belong to each other, not the world.

Being loved enough to be vulnerable is a privilege they'd never deny each other.

#lots of half ass ideas stuck in my head lately #one piece #zoro #luffy #sanji #nami #usopp #nico robin #franky one piece #brook one piece #tony tony chopper #jinbei #mugiwara pirates #straw hat crew #mugiwara crew #straw hats #more everyone loves zoro posts because im trash #setting sail with greyskyflowers