#though they're doing better (for a given value of better) than they were after 'the sacrifice'

[isa-ghost]

I see you have hcs, do you have any for mr fitmc?

Yes!!

Here's some ones of his relationship with Phil past and present too bc I don't think I have Fit standalone ones until now.

Obviously these will apply to AMFMN Fit too!

Fit is extremely observant and perceptive. Years of roaming a wasteland, spending every minute of every day documenting, chronicling, exploring and witnessing so much really sharpens those kinds of skills. Not much gets past Fit unless he simply wasn't there or doesn't know. All it takes is an inkling and he'll start connecting dots and making theories.

It's why he Hates the Federation. Not only is he an anarchist, he hates the way they make it so easy to keep him in the dark. It's why he weaseled into it in the first position he could get. Being a janitor sucks, but it's something. Anything to get a foundation for making next moves.

He struggles with trust though. He trusts people, but very few if any does he trust whole-heartedly. Pac & Phil are likely the only ones he trusts that much. And even then, he doesn't confide in anyone nearly as deeply as he does Ramon. Spending so much of his life in 2B2T has taught him to reserve trust for people who prove without a doubt that they're ride or die with you. He wishes he didn't find it so difficult to trust more people though.

Okay complete 180 in vibes here but I'm very passionate about this one: Fit has a giant warhammer that's his weapon of choice. Chainsaw, scythe, potato cannon, whatever other stuff he's got is good. But big fucking hammer. With those muscles? Oughoughouhgh.

By the way he never in his life had experienced people simping for his muscles or flirting with him prior to being on QI. It was whiplash and it's changed him for the worst /pos

On the surface it seems like Fit is pretty cold or at least disinterested in stuff that leans on the vulnerable side. It's not entirely wrong, he's spent so long in a place where vulnerability gets your base blown to smithereens or gets you robbed blind or both. But he Does enjoy such things. I mean, just look at the Fitpac date! And hugs? Hugs rock! He'd be so much worse off if he didn't let loose or let himself lower his guard every now and then. It takes a lot of energy to keep those walls up, it'd be unhealthy to never let them down. Especially in a place like Quesadilla Island, where it seems like it's a bit safer to do so. Honestly, he's the opposite of disinterested in letting walls down. He wants that more than anything, and it took being put on QI, becoming a dad, and falling in love for him to realize it.

Which makes keeping up this facade really hard. Not just the whole "snooping for data" thing, just Everything Fit has built himself to be over the years altogether. He doesn't want to keep holding people at arm's length and looking over his shoulder all the time anymore. It's exhausting.

That's not to say he wouldn't relapse right back to how he was before QI softened him up, though. Again, those trust issues. Purgatory really fucked with his head for a while. And plenty of things that happened after, like the whole Phil Ender King thing, really didn't help either. What he's going through is a form of healing, and healing isn't linear.

He isn't afraid to get his hands dirty. Be it with dirt, blood, or otherwise. His motto is you gotta do what you gotta do. He's a very means to an end kinda guy. And despite wishing he could shed being so hardened by the 2B2T Wastelands, he does value that it's given him this kind of strength. It takes a lot to be willing to do whatever it takes to get what you want.

The reason Fit loves fofoca is not only because he enjoys indulging his inner drama whore. He's spent most of his life roaming a place where secrets were as good if not better of a trade than actual currency. When he first arrived on QI, he wasn't entirely sure how to just. Casually socialize. There's little to no risk in it. It was incredibly foreign to him. But it turns out that gossip is like trading secrets in a different font. He's good at that. So collecting and spreading fofoca is how he taught himself to appear kind of "normal" to the other islanders.

Most if not all of the above is also evidence to support the fact that Fit in general is a very adaptive person. You can put him in any environment, as soon as he gets the gist of the status quo and what kind of stakes he's dealing with here, he'll manage no problem. Chances are he's experienced worse. Purgatory and the prison are 2 good examples.

Calling back to the wanting to be vulnerable + confiding in Ramon the most things, GOD is he grateful he got such a brilliant son. Ramon learned a lot from him, but even so, he already had many of the same traits Fit does. It did wonders for bonding, and it's part of what made trusting Ramon come so easy. He's glad he got a son that's so understanding of the way he operates.

The only thing stopping him from taking a page from Cellbit and just starting to kill Feds for information or other reasons is because he knows he'll get more out of playing the long con and letting himself be strung along. Infiltration goes further than outright brutality in his eyes. Brutality is saved for something you no longer need anything from.

Btw his stealth skills are fucking insane. In 2B2T your detection is life or death, and it'll only end in your favor if you can talk sweet enough or have something worth bargaining with. He often did one or the other, but even so, a historian like him typically lacked anything of much value to most bandits and the like. He was simply charismatic and lucky. Which means staying hidden, laying low, and moving with more calculation than a math class is more beneficial to him. And boy has it come in handy on the island too.

In his time on QI, once The Horrors all started, he's learned he really likes having intense intellectual talks with other islanders. Strategizing, theorizing. It feels like the survival he's so used to but with less imminent threats on his life. Bagi especially is an absolute delight to get into these kinds of talks with. It feels like casual socializing and the kind of talking he's used to at the same time. Very much his jam.

#qsmp #qsmp fit #qsmp fitmc #q!fit #q!fitmc #fitmc #qsmp headcanons #AMFMN things

[kerra-and-company]

I'm currently turning Kerra's PoF experience over and over in my brain, so I shall now share those brain thoughts with you :)

Each of the expansions highlights a very important experience for Kerra. HoT is the culmination of the Wyld Hunt that's haunted her since she awakened. EoD is ending a cycle and fighting for the future that she's started to build. PoF, on the other hand, is her dealing with an enemy who manages to hit character pressure points, and proving she can get back up every time.

The second she gets to the Crystal Desert, Kerra has to deal with the Herald, who deliberately targets innocents--mainly to acquire more souls to make Forged with, and it's obviously horrible regardless of specific character context. But it's also a very easy button to press to fuck with Kerra, who's only a couple years past her I'm responsible for any and all deaths I couldn't prevent mentality.

Vlast's death is devastating on multiple levels. He's a lost potential ally and friend, a lost protector of Elona--and Aurene's brother, dead before she could ever meet him. Kerra, who almost died in the process of saving her own brother, is knocked down and helpless to save herself. Helpless to stop her daughter's brother from sacrificing himself for his sister's Champion.

And then she's helpless to stop the war god from killing her and taking Aurene.

Kerra is a character who is defined by her determination to pull out all stops, to find alternatives, to jump in front of the bullet if she has to in order to protect the people and things that matter to her the most. PoF is a pointed barrage of no, sorry, you can't, that's a god and he'll make sure you know it. And Kerra hates feeling helpless.

(There's a reason Balthazar is the enemy Kerra's proudest to have defeated.)

#pof spoilers #gw2 #kerralind #not that there's not pride in some of her other triumphs as well #but zhaitan was obligation and kind of a set thing that she always figured would happen #mordremoth was inevitable. that's how she sees it. #balthazar comes after a whole bunch of character growth and whacks at the spots where it hurts most #and kerra grits her teeth and says 'fuck you; i'm still standing' #and she's proud of that #also: this is why she is...not on the best terms with rytlock to this day #though they're doing better (for a given value of better) than they were after 'the sacrifice'

[666writingcafe]

Satan's Object

The House of Lamentation (8)

MC: I am going to have to return to the human world soon, but before I go, I would like an object from each of you that I can take with me and use to summon you.

Content Warning: implied nsfw in the last paragraph

Solomon must have told them about the ritual. It makes sense, actually; none of the pacts were made traditionally, not even mine. Still, I am honored that MC asked, because it means that they value the relationship they have with each of us.

Thankfully--and surprisingly, given how messy my room is--I find the perfect gift for MC in fairly short order. Now, I am waiting for them to arrive to accept it.

A knock at the door interrupts me from my thoughts.

"Hey," MC greets as they enter my room and plop down on my bed. "How are things?"

Better now you're here.

"They've been okay," I reply. "Nothing out of the ordinary, really. I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Me too. I'm still trying to get used to this thing, though." MC glances down at their hands, forcing me to notice the black metal ring on their finger. "I wasn't one to wear a whole lot of jewelry in the human world, and even when I did, I was able to take it off at the end of the day. This, however, has literally attached itself to my finger."

"Magical objects can do that sometimes." I sit down next to MC, gently grasp their hand, and bring it closer to me in order to get a better look at the ring. "I've always pictured the Ring of Light to be gold. I wonder why it's black."

"I haven't gotten a clear answer on that yet." MC gazes at me, and I momentarily lose my train of thought. Their eyes always have a tendency to put me in a daze.

"So, you mentioned that you found something I could take with me?" MC asks. I clear my throat as I remember why they're in my room in the first place.

"Right, yeah." Standing up, I walk over to a nearby shelf and pull down a simple-looking book with a worn cover.

"Do you recognize this?" I ask, turning the cover towards MC.

"Isn't that the book that caused you and Lucifer to switch bodies?" I nod my head, causing MC to develop a worried look on their face.

"Don't worry: the magic's faded now. Some might say it's worthless now that it doesn't work as originally intended, but for me, this represents something greater than that."

"Oh?"

"It made me realize that I am more than just a fragment of Lucifer's emotions, that I am in fact my own individual. I used to be so angry at him because I felt so inferior to him. No matter how hard I tried, I could never compare to him." I pause. "Those series of events also mark the time when I really started developing feelings for you." Silence. MC seems shocked. I take the opportunity to set the book down on their lap.

"I wish you didn't have to leave," I continue, sitting back down. "I know that you have your own life up in the human world with responsibilities to tend to, but..."

Why do I suddenly feel the need to cry?

"Satan." When did MC scoot this close to me? "I won't forget you. Just say the word, and I will summon you to me. I promise." They lean in and kiss me softly.

"You are quite the sadist, MC."

"How so?"

"You know it's going to be even harder for me to say goodbye to you now." This causes MC to smirk.

"Well then, I suppose we'll just have to keep kissing then." What? "It's going to take me a bit to learn summoning magic, and I can't risk you forgetting about me."

Fair point. Time does move rather quickly in the Devildom, especially compared to the human world. Plus, I'd be an idiot to deny MC's request.

Of course, we'll probably end up doing more than just kiss. After all, I've not been able to properly thank MC for helping me when I was under the influence of the syrup. I need to reciprocate at the very least.

#obey me shall we date #obey me mc #obey me satan #i thought about adding actual smut to this but couldn't come up with anything solid in my head #and i didn't want to push something that didn't want to come out #so you are free to imagine the specifics of what happens

[landinrris]

ohmygod you have GOT to write a drabble about the norrix shirtgate of march 2024 ™️ please

Oh ho ho something like this? Last night Taylor wrote some dialogue that popped into my head (as I have been doing lately), and this afternoon Taylor fleshed it out a bit. This is more in line with a reaction to the shirt + the Instagram photo, but still, same idea and same crazy.

Lando’s just finishing toweling his hair when his phone starts ringing. It’s nine in the morning— probably Max calling to see where he is and if he can have another fifteen minutes on their scheduled meet-up time.

The caller ID isn’t Max though. It’s Martin, a selfie of the two of them from Australia smiling up at Lando from where his phone is sitting on the bathroom counter. Lando quickly counts back the ten-hour time difference and is surprised Martin’s even still awake after the long day he’s had.

Beggars can’t be choosers though. Lando slides his finger across the answer button and presses the speakerphone before Martin has a chance to say anything. “Hello?” 

Lando directs his attention back to his reflection in the mirror and sets about sorting out the tangled mop on top of his head.

“Are you trying to get me to out myself?” Martin asks point-blank, sounding semi-serious. Given the hour, he could also just be tired.

Lando’s fingers pause in his hair, and he glances back down at the phone as if it holds all the answers. “In what way?” It clicks in the few seconds between Lando finishing his question and Martin speaking again. He could easily correct himself but finds he wants to hear Martin admit to whatever embarrassing reaction he had to Lando’s post.

“Those pictures? In the shirt you stole from me? You did that on purpose.”

Lando can’t help the self-satisfied and questioning hum that makes it past his lips. Because Martin's right, almost. He didn't originally set out with the intention to take the photos wearing that shirt, but Lando woke up missing Martin a little harder in his jet-lagged state than he was prepared to. So, he shrugged on the shirt he’d stolen on the tail end of their France trip even though everyone would inevitably trace the origin of it. (Lando had caught Max trying to pretend he wasn’t looking at first, but rather than put him out of his misery, Lando let him stew.)

And then they'd stumbled across the new art that hadn't been in the graffiti alley last year. Max had looked at him knowingly, suggestively, this time not hiding what he was trying to infer, and Lando had taken the bait. 

Only later, as he was looking through the photos, up early again because of jet lag, did Lando decide fuck it. 

He and Martin talked about their plans for the year while they were in Vietnam, zipped inside their tent for the night and alone with their thoughts. They're not hiding anymore per se, themselves or their relationship. Lando’s finished with not just posting whatever the hell he wants because of what it’ll eventually look like. 

Hide in plain sight, Martin agreed.

Now Martin groans somewhat dramatically. “Menno had to take my phone. My fingers were hovering over the keyboard for too long and he caught me.”

“They were not.” Because there’s no way. If Lando didn’t know better, he’d think Martin was reacting to the more blatant thirst traps in his .mov post.

“Lando, baby, have you seen the photos? And you didn't warn me. What do you expect me to do when you’re sitting there looking comfortable and proud like that?” 

Just the implication makes Lando's face warm and his chest ache. It’s at least another month before they see each other in China, and the days feel exponentially long looking at a calendar. “I expect you to be a normal human who doesn’t feel like risking it all over an aesthetic picture. At least wait until I post another thirst trap,” Lando muses. He turns to prop his hip up against the counter and picks up the phone to bring it closer to his face to pull up Instagram.

Most of the comments are normal, taking the aesthetic at face value. A few people play into the tone of the bubblegum pink hearts. A few more seem to have the nerve to call him on what he’s trying to do.

“Post a thirst trap and see what happens.”

The smile that spreads across Lando’s face hurts his cheeks. “Maybe that’s in tomorrow’s dump. Guess you’re gonna have to go to bed to find out.”

A huff of laughter from Martin’s side of the phone might as well be music to Lando’s ears. “Fine, you freak. You can tell me about everything when I’m not about to fall asleep. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Can’t wait. Talk to you later.” The line goes quiet, much to Lando’s disappointment. He swears he could talk to Martin forever and not get bored— about everything and nothing at all. When Martin calls him at the end of his day, rested and recovered, Lando’s sure he’ll hear all about how the half marathon went. He’ll be on the brink of passing out himself, but he won’t care. He’ll lay there listening and counting down the days until next time.

#don't ask me why i just like writing their phone conversations but i have approximately 5 (including this) snippets of just convos #I think the idea is to maybe do something with them eventually but here's this one for now #norrix #writing tag #lando #martin

[lanawinterscigarettes]

Five dating someone who's insomnia is always kicking their ass so he pops up at night to make sure they're in bed and asleep and when he sees they arent he lovingly threatens them to go to bed lmao

He would so do that too I love him sm I swear

Late Bedtime (Five Hargreeves x reader)

Warnings: reader suffers from insomnia, swearing, references to assasin! Five, slight sexual innuendo, slight angst maybe I guess?? Idk, better safe than sorry

It was late at night, and you were curled up on the couch flipping through the channels to see what was on the television. There wasn't much worth watching, just infomercials and reruns of old sitcoms. Sighing, you settled on some random trashy reality show as you wrapped your blanket tigheter around you.

"Darling, why are you still up? You're supposed to be in bed," you heard a voice suddenly ask.

Normally, a random voice talking to you in the middle of the night would have given you cause for concern and understandably freaked you out, but you knew your boyfriend well enough at this point to know he didn't care too much about using doors. You'd tried to introduce him to the concept of knocking before in the past, but after awhile you figured it wasn't worth the fight and gave up.

"Couldn't sleep," you replied, turning to face him. He was in his usual Umbrella Academy uniform, one that you often teased him for, saying that he looked like he went to a private school for rich kids. He detested it, though he agreed you weren't far off the mark. "What are you doing here?"

"I just thought I'd pop in to make sure you were asleep, which you clearly are not," he said accusingly, narrowing his eyes at you.

"I told you already, I'm not tired," you said, the ending of your sentence cut off by a sudden yawn.

He raised his eyebrows at you in an "I told you so" fashion.

"Alright, that's it. Bed, now."

"But Fiveee," you whined.

"No buts. Now, go get ready for bed, unless you want me to use some of my knowledge in disabling targets to get you there."

You gasped mockingly. "Five, are you threatening me? Your loving partner, who would do anything for you?"

He smirked. "Isn't it obvious?"

You put your hand over your heart, and began to fake cry for good measure. "How could you? Just when you think you know a person."

"I used to kill people for a living. It's pretty naive of you to think I wouldn't threaten you with acts of physical violence just to get you in bed."

Perking up, you gave him a knowing look. "Oh, so you're trying to get me in bed now, are you? In what ways?"

He let out an exasperated sigh. "Okay, look, first off, you know that's not what I meant, and second, I'm just trying to make sure you don't wake up tomorrow morning utterly sleep deprived."

"You wake up every morning utterly sleep deprived, so I really don't see what the big deal is here. In fact, I'm quite certain you've never actually gotten a full night's worth of sleep before, have you?"

You questioned him with such certainty because you knew it was true. Five did as well, even if he didn't want to admit it.

He pinched the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb, knowing he'd been beat. "That's... not the point. If you don't go to bed soon, you're not going to get enough sleep, which means you're going to be really pissy when you wake up; and I, for one, hate when that happens, so would you please just go to bed?"

The last part came out as less of a question and more of a plea, which caused you to realize that, as much as he loved staying up late with you, trash talking his family and drinking coffee as the sun came up, he valued your mental health and stability more.

Obviously, it wouldn't do anything to help his agenda in stopping the apocalypse and saving the world if you were constantly dozing off from lack of sleep; but more than that, he cared. He cared about your general wellbeing, far more than you ever did. It wouldn't do you any good in the long run if he let this behavior continue, and he knew that.

You knew that too, as much as you hated to admit it. Which is why you gave in to his requests, surprising him in the process.

"Okay, fine."

He appeared to be in shock, as it took him a couple minutes to process what you'd said and a few more to actually respond. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I said fine. It's over, Hargreeves; you win," you said, throwing your hands up in defeat. "I guess I'll just go to bed, like you wanted."

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at you. "That's it? You're not going to protest anymore, or give me a hard time?"

"Yup."

"You're going to go to bed, just like that?"

"Just like that." You nodded your head in agreement, turning off the television while you got up and stretched. "It's just not worth it to argue about, y'know? Especially since you're right."

"Um, do you think you could repeat that?" He asked, a smirk appearing on his face. "Because it sounded to me like you just said I was right."

You groaned. "God, you're such an asshole. Yes, you were right, okay? Can I please just go to bed now?"

He shrugged his shoulders, still giving you a cocky look. "Go right ahead, I'm not stopping you."

You playfully rolled your eyes at him as you made your way into the bedroom. He followed you, watching as you got ready to go to sleep. Once you'd finished your nightly routine, you climbed into bed, slipping under the blanket.

Finally satisfied, Five turned to leave, but not before you spoke.

"Five?"

He turned back around, raising his eyebrows as he silently urged you to continue.

"Will you stay? Please?"

Letting out a soft sigh, he walked back over to the bed. "Scoot," he commanded, gesturing for you to move over.

You did, making sure he'd have plenty of room as he laid down next to you.

"Is it okay if I cuddle with you?" You softly asked, knowing how unfamiliar he was with physical intimacy and not wanting to make him uncomfortable by accident.

He didn't say anything at first, but when he patted the space beside him, you took it as an invitation to move closer.

You cuddled up beside him, wrapping your arms around his waist and pulling him close as you buried your face in his chest. "I love you," you sleepily mumbled, causing him to smile.

Once he was sure you were asleep, he responded. "I love you, too," he whispered into the dark of your room. "So much."

~

Taglist: @anxiously-sad @iloveentrapta @ghot-girl @your-next-daydream

#the umbrella academy #the umbrella academy imagines #the umbrella academy x reader #the umbrella academy fic #tua #tua imagines #tua x reader #tua fic #five hargreeves #five hargreeves imagines #five hargreeves x reader #five hargreeves fic #the umbrella academy angst #the umbrella academy fluff #tua angst #tua fluff #five hargreeves angst #five hargreeves fluff

[mal-urameshi]

Chronicles of Mama Okoye and Riri! VII

Friendships

Okoye and Riri walked hand in hand towards The Citadel. The Palace where the Golden Tribe resided and where her mother reported for duty. Riri had only been there a handful of times and usually she'd wait outside where the other Doras were while making conversation.

Riri was familiar with many of them, her mother being General and all.She knew while on duty they couldn't talk to her, but that didn't stop her from talking to them, though. When waiting for her mother, Aneka or Ayo to be relieved she would walk up and down the hallways where each Dora was stationed and list off random facts to keep them entertained.

"You know, four seconds is the perfect duration to keep your oreos dunked. Well, that's what the amateurs say. But 3.774563 seconds is the exact value. I checked." Riri crossed her arms as she made huge steps down the hallway again. She then walked in front of another Dora whose name was Ashei.

"You know when you go into a really dark room, it isn't really pitch black. It's really called eigengrau. Basically it's just a reeaaalllyyy dark grey! Personally, I think it's funner to say eigengrau, but to each their own I guess." She shrugged while doing a little spin.

Riri then grinned and looked at the line of warriors, "Does anybody want to see me do a flip? I bet I can do it better than you guys!" She was met with silence but she knew that they were paying attention to her.

Riri got into position before she maneouvered into a back hand spring. She repeated the action ten times down the hall before she held herself upright in a handstand and then dropped to her feet again with a smile. "Don't tell Mama, but I do it better than her. She gets dizzy after eight and she turns off her axis by 2.0032 degrees. It's not perfect but I'll allow it. Nobody can be perfect like me."

The Doras weren't able to stifle their smiles at Riri's antics. They loved seeing Okoye's child entertain herself and by extension them as well. Riri was too adorable for her own good.

"Fun Fact, my favourite snacks are Shuku Shuku these days, so if y'all feeling generous, you can send them my way via Umama."

Loud clapping caught Riri's attention and she bristled, "Ah, ah! Riri! What are you doing trying to weasel snacks from the Doras, hm?"

Riri gave a light shrug, "They love giving me snacks! It would be blasphemy if I didn't take advantage!"

This caused a collective smile to come from the Dora Milaje before Okoye shooed her off and waved goodbye.

Riri added a skip to her step as she entered the Palace walls and left to her own devices with the Doras in their leisure lounge. Okoye had informed Riri that she just had to make a report to the King and Queen and then they'd leave for their Mommy-Daughter date.

Riri was greeted with hugs and kisses from the Doras on duty and given a bag of treats to which she excitedly accepted.

"Okoye said she was stopping by, so we had to get our favourite lecturer some snacks." Ashei informed as Riri kneeled on the ground and rummaged through the gift bag with feral vigor.

"Yo!! You guys got me Spicy Bigfoot?! I always wanted to try these!" Riri excitedly ripped open the feet shaped snacks and munched into them. "They're so good!"

T'Mara opened the fridge and clicked her tongue to catch Riri's attention, "Heads up!" She threw a bottle of soda at her, which Riri expertly caught and cracked open immediately and chugged a few sips. Riri then let out a large belch which made everyone laugh.

"So Riri, what new inventions have you come up with now?" T'Haylet queried.

Riri grinned, "It's for my own leisure, but I made some water guns! But not that dumb super soaker nerf stuff. I'm talking about Pokemon style hydro-pump attacks! All the other kids like it so much! You full a pack full of water that's connected to the gun and you shoot! Pray you don't blast off like Team Rocket though." She snickered.

The pinging of someone's kimoyo beads caught Riri's attention.

"I have to go relieve Aneka from her post. See you later, guys!" K'Maria announced as she started to walk out the room.

"Aunty Aneka?! K'Maria! I'll walk with you to go see her." Riri swiftly got up from the floor an put her bag of snacks on the table before following the Dora out.

Riri followed behind K'Maria at a decent distance until she saw Aneka come into view. K'Maria stood in front of Aneka where they both gave each other the Wakandan salute before switching places and finally tapping their spears on the floor, which resounded through the halls.

Aneka the briskly turned away from K'Maria and started to walk down the hall in the direction of Riri.

"Aunty Aneka!!" Riri rushed forward with open arms.

"Umtshana!" Aneka closed the distance and scooped Riri up into a hug and spun her around, "Did you come all the way here just to see me?"

"Of course I did, Aunty! You know I'd never miss a chance to see you. You should really tighten security though. I was like a shadow behind K'Maria and she didn't even suspect a thing! I should be a War Dog at this point." She brushed invisible dust off her shoulder in a display of haughtiness before they both broke out into laughter.

"Well, I should inform the General of that then. No, would it be considered a plus that her daughter can infiltrate the palace in a show of her expertise? Or a negative that a little girl waltzes in without being caught?" Riri put her hands on her hip, "Definitely a plus, duh. It means General Okoye is doing something good."

Aneka rubbed her hands over Riri's cornrows, "Aye, aye. Watch the merchandise, Aunty! These are fresh from last night!"

Loud footfalls and laughter came running down the hall and Aneka turned around to see what all the commotion was about. But was nearly bumped backwards.

"Princess!"

Shuri grabbed her arms around Aneka's waist while her body shook as she tried to quiet her laughter.

"Princess, what did you do?" Aneka asked in a knowing tone.

Shuri pulled back with a smirk playing on her lips, "I may or may not have poured some slime on top of T'Challa's head while he was trying to make a move on Nakia."

Aneka gasped, "Princess! That's not nice!"

Shuri shrugged, "What! Nakia thought it was cute! She even wiped his face while he gave her googly eyes. Those two are so adorable it makes me sick." She faked a gag before laughing again.

Riri peaked out from behind Aneka as she regarded the Princess. She never interacted with Princess Shuri before, but her mother said that she was a sweet girl. And that she loved to invent stuff to boot.

Shuri caught sight of Riri and walked around Aneka to better look at her, "You're so small I didn't see you there. If you were any shorter you'd be squished." Shuri joked.

Riri looked Shuri up and down, "And you look like you'd topple over should the wind blow too hard."

Aneka folded her lips to stifle her laughter at the exchange.

Shuri laughed and circled Riri," Oh, really now?"

Riri smiled, "Yea, beanpole."

"Beanpole?! You have some nerve, half-pint!" Shuri snapped back, but there was no animosity in her tone.

Riri shrugged, "I just call it as I see it, Princess."

"What's your name?" Shuri inquired.

"Riri."

Shuri gasped, "You're Okoye's daughter! She talks so much about you!"

Riri smiled, "Yea, she does that a lot."

"I'm so glad I finally get to meet you! You're a scientist too! Kindred spirits!" Shuri grabbed Riri's hand in hers. "Do you want to come see my lab?" Riri's eye lit up, "I can?" She bounced on her toes at the offer.

"Yes! It's my own personal space! My brother helped convince Mama and Baba that I can have one, thank Bast! Big Brothers are great for something."

"I wouldn't know. I'm an only child."

Aneka looked on as the girls got lost in their own world, forgetting that she was there. They were so cute! "Riri, aren't you supposed to go out with your mother?"

Riri looked over at Aneka and then back at Shuri and then Aneka again, "Yea, but I think she's still talking with the King and Queen. It'll just be quick, right Shuri?

Shuri grinned and nodded, "Yea, Aneka! It'll be quick! I'll even walk her back to Okoye when we're done!"

Shuri didn't even wait for an answer as she pulled Riri down the hall.

"Woah!" Riri spun around and looked around at the lights overhead and then at the art painted on the walls. "You decorated yourself?"

"Yea! It's my space, so I did some personalization."

Riri smiled as she placed her fingertips along the tabletop of one of the work stations, "You're so lucky! I wish I had a lab like this to work in."

Shuri hopped on a vacant work station, "Where do you usually work?"

"I just build a bunch of stuff in my room, or the backyard, depending how big it is, or the living room. But Mama gets so mad when I do that. The amount of times her feet drew blood because of my scattered parts...I lost count." Riri allowed her eyes to wander again, marvelling at the apparatus that lined the walls along with unfinished and completed inventions alike.

Shuri kicked her feet and smiled, "You can come use my lab any time you want."

Riri almost gave herself whiplash with how fast she looked over at Shuri again. "You're being for real right now?" She ran over to the older girl's side and leaned on the table.

Shuri nodded, "But under one condition."

Riri shifted all her weight on her forearms and she balanced on the tabletop, "What's the catch?"

Shuri tapped her chin and hummed, feigning contemplation. She then looked back at Riri, "You have to be my friend."

Riri fist pumped. "Heck yeah, I can do that! We're friends now!"

They both high-fived each other before Shuri hopped off the table to show her one of the projects she was working on.

It wasn't even a proper hour before Okoye was ringing Riri on her kimoyo beads.

"Riri, where are you? I thought I left you with the Doras?"

Riri opened her mouth the answer but Shuri butted in, "I kidnapped her, Okoye. We're holed up in my lab, but I'll walk her back to the entrance."

"Oh and Mama, can you stop by the lounge area to pick up my snacks please? I don't want to forget it." "Hm, I can. But I'm taxing you one snack of my choosing for picking it up for you!"

"Wha! Mama!" Riri couldn't even get any other words in because Okoye had already cut the call.

"I'll race you to the entrance!" Shuri said before taking off out of the lab. "Yo! You're a cheater!" Riri gave Shuri chase as their laughter reverberated through the hallways.

They both were neck-a-neck as they rounded a corner but they both ran into someone.

"Shuri." Queen Ramonda's motherly tone was laced with silent warning.

Riri balled her fists at her sides as the Queen's gaze fell on her. Uh oh. Was she gonna get in trouble?

"Sorry Mother! I was just having a race with my friend, Riri! For someone so short, she's surprisingly fast!" Shuri lightly jabbed.

Ramonda smiled at the shorter girl, "Okoye's child. It's a pleasure to meet you again, Riri."

Riri smiled in return, "Hello, Queen Mother. It's nice to meet you again too."

Shuri spoke up again, "Mother, since I have you, I want you to know that Riri will be coming over more often. She loves my lab! And we already started building something! She's an absolute genius! Second to me anyway."

"Hey!" Riri shoved Shuri which caused the other girl to laugh.

Ramonda looked at the exchange between both girls and she clasped her hands, "The both of you seem to have hit it off really well." The Queen looked over to Riri, "Well Riri, you are welcome at the Palace whenever you like."

"Thank you, Queen Mother!"

Shuri held Riri's hand and walked off, "I have to get her to Okoye before she gets a spanking or something!"

"I do not get spanked. But if that's what Queen Ramonda does to you, I won't snitch or nuthin'." Riri teased.

"Oh, please! Do I look like I do anything to warrant spankings?" She faked an innocent face.

"Pray your brother doesn't tell your Mom what you did." "T'Challa isn't a 'snitch'. So I have nothing to worry about!"

Soon enough, both girls met Okoye at the entrance.

"Mama! Me and Shuri are friends now!" Riri ran up to Okoye and gave her a hug. "What? You are? That's good news!" Okoye smiled over at Shuri who looked proud of herself.

"Yea, she did it proposal style at everything. Talking 'bout 'Will you be my friend?" She snickered.

Shuri tackled Riri's ribs with light jabs of her fingers, "Hey! I let you use my lab and that's what I get?"

Riri giggled while trying to swat away Shuri's hands, "And the Queen said that I'm welcome to come by any time I want to hang out with Shuri, Mama!"

"That was awfully generous of her. Well, as long as Shuri's available, you can come over."

Riri turned to Shuri and gave her a big hug.

"Wait, wait, wait! Before you go, gimme your kimoyo ID! That way we can talk!" Shuri urged and held out her hand. "For sure!" Riri held out her own wrist and touched their beads together which logged the necessary data.

"I'll call you when I get home, okay?" Riri promised.

Shuri nodded and hugged her again, "I'm holding you to that."

Okoye smiled at the girl's exchange before waving Shuri farewell.

Riri and Okoye had sat down for dessert after they had their lunch, Riri scooped some ice-cream out of her mother's cup as she prattled on about Shuri, "And she's so hilarious, Mama! She's got jokes for days! And did I tell you she has plutonium? How come you never let me play with plutonium? I could do some serious stuff If I can get my hands on some plutonium." She gobbled up what was on her spoon before she went for her mother's cup again.

Okoye pulled away her cup, "You have in your cup, Riri."

"But Mama!" She whined, "Your flavour is better!"

"You should have thought of that before getting boring chocolate." She chided lightly but extended her cup towards Riri so she could have her fill.

"I called her a beanpole too." She laughed at the recent memory.

Okoye leaned closer to her daughter, "Were you being mean to her for no reason?"

"Nuh uh! She started it first, saying I would be squashed 'cuz of my shortness. So I just told her what it was." She stuck out her tongue playfully.

Okoye smiled and took a spoonful of Riri's chocolate ice cream, "I'm really glad that you found a friend in Shuri. She's a very nice girl. And bright like yourself, as you've seen."

"Definitely. She's trying to make a molecular Ant-Farm. I asked her if she liked bugs. She said not really, but she said that she could definitely do it better than the Pym-Particle guy. She's cocky, but I like it! She talks a big game and can back it up, that's for sure." She plucked the cup from Okoye's hand and pushed her chocolate ice cream over to her mother.

Okoye was happy that Riri had a new friend that could stimulate her mind as Shuri could, but she never realized how obnoxious it would have gotten. She would make sure Riri went to bed by 9 and she would hear Riri up talking and tinkering with her machinery at almost one in the morning.

"Riri!" Okoye pushed open the bedroom door to see Riri with thousands of sheets of blue prints lining the floor and a hologram of Shuri talking a mile a minute.

"Ma! This is important! I went to bed and the calculations just hit me like a bag of bricks! Shuri is helping me out." She quickly scribbled another sequence of numbers on a cluttered sheet of paper.

"Riri, you have school later. You need to rest."

"I'm already top of the class, I can miss a day." She muttered, half listening to her mother.

"Oooh smarty-pants doesn't need school." Shuri egged her on.

"I mean, the other kids are good of course, I'm just better." She shrugged.

"Bed, now!" Okoye gritted out.

"Mama, please! Just gimme 10 minutes!" Riri rummaged through her blue prints and told Shuri another series of numbers for her calculations.

Okoye wiped a tired hand down her face. "Five."

Riri nodded her head in understanding and continued her discussion with Shuri as her mother closed the door.

A few moments later Okoye came back through the door.

"You said five minutes!"

"Yes, and I gave you six! It's currently 1:38 am. Tell Shuri good morning and give me your kimoyo beads."

"What? Mama! No!" Riri cradled her wrist.

"Do not make me tell you again, Riri." Okoye said sternly.

Riri sighed and looked at Shuri, "I have to go but I'll talk to you when I wake up again."

Shuri smiled and waved, "Okay Riri, good night!"

The next morning, Riri barreled into Okoye's room and flopped onto the bed. "Mama! My beads! I need my beads! It's morning!" She jumped on the mattress until Okoye paid her some attention. Okoye deeply inhaled and took Riri's beads from her bra and handed it to her. She couldn't be too safe.

"Thank you, Mama!" Riri grabbed them and zoomed out the room.

Okoye finished making breakfast and Riri was on a call again with Shuri.

"What are you eating?" Riri asked as she bit into her eggs.

"I'm eating a bowl of mangoes." Shuri showed off a piece of the fruit on her fork.

"That's it?"

"Yea, what are you eating?"

"Pancakes!"

"What? Your Mama makes you pancakes?" Shuri marvelled.

Riri nodded vehemently, "Yea! I convinced her to try it some years back and she likes it." Riri shows off her own piece of pancake on her fork.

"What are you gonna do today though, Shuri?"

"I have lessons from 9:30 am to 2:00 pm. Then I'm free for the rest of the day."

"What! You're lucky! I have school from 7:45 am to 2:00 pm."

"Maybe we can talk during our break times today and then when we're done with our lessons!" Shuri offered.

"Okay, cool! We can do that!"

Okoye ended up having to confiscate Riri's beads every night so the girl could get a decent night's rest, much to Riri's annoyance.

But soon enough, they found a way to combat that problem!

"Mama! Mama!" Riri rushed into the backyard where Okoye was tending to her garden.

Riri smashed into Okoye's back and hugged her neck, "Mama! Shuri wants me to come over to have a sleepover."

Okoye looked over her shoulder and pressed a kiss to Riri's cheek, "When are you to leave?"

"She wants me to come over tonight!" Riri shook her mother's shoulder in excitement, "Can I go? Can I go please???"

Okoye smiled, "Yes, my love you can attend her sleepover."

"Yes!" Riri turned on her beads to call Shuri and ran to her room.

"Do you have your toothbrush, Riri?" "Yes, Ma!" "And your washcloth!"

Okoye smirked when she heard a loud groan and then Riri's rummaging through one of the drawers for a new washcloth.

Riri bounded out of her room with a backpack full of her essentials along with a few of her blueprints that she quickly spread on the table.

"Are you carrying all of that?" Okoye queried as she put on her shoes at the door.

Riri tapped on her kimoyo beads a few times as she scanned the blueprints, "Nah, these are the last of my designs that I needed to download for the thing me and Shuri are working on... Okay, done!" She grinned before running out after her mother.

Okoye threw an arm around Riri and hugged her closer as they walked, "I can't believe it. Your first official sleepover! Are you excited?"

Riri grinned and pumped her fists in the air, "Yea I'm excited! Shuri has it all planned out! We're going to eat a bunch of junk food till we pass out in the lab from burnout!"

Okoye shook her head, "And who has to take care of you when you make yourself sick, small girl?"

"You, Ma! That's what you're here for! I do stupid stuff and you scold me after and you make me feel better."

Okoye affectionately caressed Riri's neck, "Try to get at least some sleep, okay?" Riri nodded, "No promises though. We're scientists. So sleep is for the weak!"

Okoye and Riri arrived at the Citadel where Queen Ramonda and Shuri were waiting at the entrance. Shuri jumped and waved at Riri before Riri ran up the staircase to meet her friend.

Ramonda greeted Okoye with a smile. "She's in good hands."

"If she gives any trouble, don't be afraid to get her in line." Okoye reminded.

Ramonda waved Okoye off, "You know me. I won't hesitate. Now go home and relax or something. I can handle the girls."

Okoye nodded and called Riri over. "One more kiss goodbye."

Riri gave her mother five more kisses, an 'I love you' and a hug for good measure before running back to Shuri, disappearing further into the palace.

And thus began the start of an unbreakable friendship between the two girls.

Taggies: @somethingcleaverandwhitty @karimwillia @neptoons1998 @pantherheart

#general okoye #okoye #riri williams #princess shuri #shuri udaku #mama!okoye #daughter!riri #black panther #wakanda forever #ironheart #mama okoye and daughter riri #fanfic #shuri fanfiction

[elvisabutler]

Can we have just dating vampire aus in general headcannons plsplspsl

i mean i suppose since it's labor day weekend here in the states y'all deserve something nice. no, i'm kidding, i got you darling, this is kind of very basic mostly because i haven't thought about it excessively. so, apologies it's not better/more fleshed out, anon. tw: blood drinking, it's about a vampire austin what were you expecting. brief mention of his mom. also brief comment about hurting him and passing out due to blood loss. i think that's all? also thank you for the ask, anon

hands down the most protective creature on the planet. like- basically take normal austin valuing his privacy and times it by 11. paparazzi tries to take a pic, nope they're getting growls or at the very least the lowest tone of voice he can manage. usually scares them off pretty quick.

never actually wanted to drink your blood because he was warned by his sire that once he did that separating the two of you was gonna be pretty damn painful.

still did it anyway because you were really insistent but decided drinking from a bag of your blood was better for him than from the vein. after the events of heart's got teeth, he definitely realized the error of his ways.

lives for going out during the day even if it hurts him a little when he doesn't recharge fully that night. he will swear up and down though that you give him extra energy/strength. you call bullshit.

never uses any of his powers ( super speed, super strength, turning into a bat ) without warning you. the exception is his hearing but he can't really turn that off. swore on his mother's grave that he would never use his power of suggestion/control on you. he has kept that promise.

when you first found out you made twilight jokes for 2 weeks. you also changed his name to lestat in your phone. it has stayed that way. it will always be that way. you still think it's hilarious.

"does this mean i have to stop eating garlic?" "you saw me demolish a bag of garlic knots last week. what do you think?" "that you're like most lactose intolerant people and ate something you'd regret later." "i love you but i'm regretting telling you this now."

you guys have had the conversation about him turning you multiple times. you're still undecided. he respects it.

he watches you sleep when he doesn't at night. specifically he just watches your chest rise and fall to make sure you're still there and breathing and all his.

despite being a vampire his hair grows really fast. after elvis you've kind of banned him from cutting it off again.

he keeps it long purely because you asked.

he rarely interacts with his sire and their coven. it causes friction but they also never wanted him to date you. so, sacrifices had to be made.

once turned into a bat and fell asleep on your chest. it freaked you out you realized he just wanted to be close to your heart. nowadays you let him do it once a week.

always makes sure you eat after he's drank from you or you've given blood for him. you once tried to argue that you felt fine and passed out. he does not take any chances.

he told you to stake him if he ever loses control of himself and made you promise. you're still not 100 percent sure you're ever going to be willing to do it.

#vampire!austin #vampire austin butler #austin butler headcanons #austin butler x reader #austin butler x y/n #austin butler x you #did i do this instead of focusing on other things? maybe. #am i 100 percent satisfied with this? not really. #austin butler #ally answers asks #ally writes #for real anon i do enjoy asks like this even if i wasn't anticipating them. #actually probably more since i wasn't.

[crookedorel]

zinnia : how has the loss of fallen comrades and/or loved ones affected your muse ? has it taught them anything or given them any new perspectives ? >:)

Okay let's talk about loss, actually. Loss is such an important theme in Shadows of Valentia, and in the character arcs of its entire cast. If I were feeling ambitious I'd argue that loss and the way that it's handled is The Theme, which shaped the forming of the nations, to kicking off the plot, and the negative space of each of the cast's loss is so visible and apparent in every action they take, like an embrace of those they don't want to or can't forget. 

But that's an essay for another time. 

Berkut being one of the major antagonists, and foil to the two protagonists, his losses affect the plot just as heavily. There is of course the obvious, and we'll discuss those in a minute, but I actually want to discuss a loss that doesn't get brought up in-game but has such clear and disastrous ramifications for Valentia as a whole. 

Because you see, when Berkut was a boy, his father died. 

(Cut for length. You know how it goes. SOV spoilers as well)

Now, I know what you're thinking. "Oh, boo hoo, this is Dead Father the Series, and you don't see anyone else letting themselves get possessed by a war god and sacrificing their loved ones' souls for greater power." And you're right! But bear with me, because there's more to it than that. 

To start putting this into context, I'm going to pull from Valentia Accordion (the Berkut entry in which was translated by our very own Ree, here's your crown regent 👑). We learn from Berkut's section that before his father's passing, Berkut was a timid boy, to the point that even riding horseback made him cry - and after his father's passing, his mother raised him quite strictly, to harden him up so that none could tease him for growing up without a father. 

As with most things Valentia, this is such a dense sentence, so let's unpack it a bit.  

Obviously that's a fucked up thing to expect, that your child will be harassed for having lost a parent, but kids are cruel, and from this sentence we learn that Rigel values patrilineal lines, and to an extreme extent. Since they're the imperial family with very few heirs, it seems incredibly unlikely that Berkut's father married below his station (bordering on impossible – this is no Meghan Markle situation) - and since Berkut obviously ended up the crown prince, the heir to the empire barring any usurpers, his mother clearly retained influence within the imperial court during her time there, as noble and mother to the future Emperor. 

And yet, a single mother, even widowed, still casts a shameful shadow in Rigel. We do not learn how Berkut's father died, but I'm of the opinion it was illness, for a couple of reasons: first, we have historical precedent. Generally in monarchical families that have multiple sons, the first (the heir) learns military affairs and politics, the better to ascend the throne or position when the time comes – the second (the spare) would then learn ecclesiastical affairs and gain a position in the religious affairs of the state, the better to support his brother further down the line. 

Secondly, his death is implied to be something to be ashamed of, something that children would tease Berkut for. Though misogyny runs strong in many cultures, it doesn't seem enough that his mother would be concerned that his father dying on its own would be enough that Berkut would need to toughen up. Given that Rigel has such a strong martial culture, and the hard turn that Berkut's mother imposed upon him after her husband's death, it would follow that for men, there is one acceptable death: battle. 

As we know, I don't put a lot of stock into Heroes' characterization, but occasionally they give us nice little nuggets, such as this one, from A Splendid Soiree level 40: 

Unlike his older brother the emperor, my father was a kind, gentle man. He passed ere I was 10 years old. My mother smiled often when I was small.  

If nothing else, it seemed, Berkut's mother was determined to ensure that, for better or worse, Berkut did not end up like his father. 

And he didn't. Kind and gentle are not words that I would associate with Berkut, except specifically when he's interacting with Rinea – but even with that influence, we see that he is definitely a young man shaped by his upbringing, and by the culture around him. He's eager to fight, even to the point of what I would consider emotional immaturity – he's unable to see human lives for what they are, and when he first meets Alm he refers to the battle as practice, as sport, as exercise, like it's just a game that he's playing. 

I think it's this disconnect that he has, this inability or the inexperience to actively practice empathy (decidedly not a value in Rigel), that makes him so susceptible to outside influences: be that Rigelian people or culture as a whole, or Rudolf's or his mother's, Duma's or Nuibaba's, or even Fernand's. 

Yes, Fernand's. Despite the fact that Fernand is a political prisoner, it is undeniable that he has more worldly experience (in and out of wartime) than Berkut by the simple fact of his age. We don't have an official age for him, but we can get a good guestimate based on Clive and Mathilda's ages – 27 and 28, respectively. A full decade, at the very least, older than Berkut.  

Now, this is not to say, of course, that Fernand knowingly exerted any influence over Berkut, or manipulated him – but it is to say that teenagers of Berkut's general disposition are eager to show off, and will adjust the behaviors they display in order to impress the people around them, especially those who are older or more experienced. And with Fernand himself leaning so idealistic, wanting to see something specific, it seems clear to me that natural showman Berkut was eager to mold himself into that, and to show it off at any opportunity. 

Which, by the way, is something that Berkut is shown doing throughout the game, in each of his appearances – mirroring the expectations presented to him, molding himself to fit into whatever those opposite him have decided he should be, and being so proud that he gets a good grade in being manipulated. 

Now, I know it seems like we're getting off topic, and that I'm trying to avoid the elephant in the room, but I promise I'm not – this is all incredibly important context for what comes next, which of course that he, under the influence of Duma's possession, sacrifices Rinea. 

 By this point, he has lost to Alm multiple times – with an audience, no less – he has called upon the magic pushed on him by breaking the mirror Nuibaba gave him, and he has learned that this stranger who has been defeating him all over the country is actually the one who is supposed to be the emperor's heir. Not only has Alm beaten him in battle in front of someone Berkut wanted to impress, but he has, seemingly without any of the effort Berkut has been putting in over the last several years to gain Rudolf's favor, jumped the line of succession, and is coming to take not just Rigel, but Berkut's father figure. 

The second father he has lost. 

Watching the scene wherein Duma fully possesses Berkut, or even just reading the script, you can feel that the ground ready to open under his feet, and his grip over his own mental autonomy is tenuous at best. He is paranoid, he lashes out, and most importantly, he's confused. The scene begins by explicitly telling us that he does not know how he arrived at Duma Temple, and he is immediately beset by Duma's presence, the voice of a god offering the power that Berkut has felt slipping from his fingers. 

Whether he explicitly accepted Duma, or whether Duma forced his way in, we do not know. What we do know, however, is that the change in his personality is immediate and obvious. Both Rinea and Fernand clock that whoever is speaking, it isn't the Berkut they know – by this point, though, it's too late, and he attacks and heavily injures both of them, with Fernand making it far enough to warn Alm, and with Rinea being sacrificed to Duma. 

However much of Berkut remained during his battle of Alm, it's clear from his battle quote that all of these losses, one right after another, lined up in a perfect queue of dominoes, and gripped him until his death: 

You… You took…everything from me. You will SUFFER for what you’ve done! 

Then, after his defeat: 

Alm: Why, Berkut? To have finally found family after all this time… Why did it come to this?!  Berkut: Heh… I have no family…nor do I want for one. 

To put a bow on the series of tragedies that shaped Berkut into a man he didn't want to be, the family and companionship that he so desperately needed had arrived, had knocked the sense back into him just in time for him to die. 

But not before one final chastisement, from the one person who had never asked him to be anything except himself: 

Rinea: Dear, proud Berkut… Even without crown or throne or castle… You were ever my emperor. A just, right, and noble man…  Berkut: Rinea…  Rinea: You were born to lead… This just wasn’t your empire. So come with me now. Let us find our empire together. If you’ll still take me for your empress?  Berkut: You’re right… You were always right. The moment I turned to a power beyond myself, the man you loved was dead. Rinea, forgive me… If you’ll have me, I’d be honored to…set out with you… 

For better or worse, from his mother's influence, Berkut had not ended up like his father in his death – but, in the matter of the woman he loved, perhaps he wasn't so different. 

#out of character #ask memes #botanical ask meme #meta #i've been sitting on this since i received the ask #like i knew how i wanted it to be structured #words were just really hard to word fdjkfld #anyway mirae :baseball:

[blackjackkent]

Quick and rather entertaining/interesting little chat with Gale:

"Even in such fraught times as these, there is peace to be found in the stillness as evening draws in. I used to while away many hours just like these with my companion - though in far comfier surrounds. She preferred it when we were alone, curled up before a crackling hearth with some ancient, esoteric tome between us, ink glinting in the firelight..."

"Are...are you talking about your *cat*?"

"By Ahghairon's lost nose - no! Tara is not any cat. She's a tressym. And given your confusion, I'm guessing you've never met one. They're brilliant creatures - fine company for any self-respecting wizard. She'd be proud to see me keeping such fine company, the saviour of those poor tieflings no less. And I've given her precious little to be proud of recently.

After I was afflicted with my condition, I locked myself in my tower for an entire year. I was inconsolable, wallowing in my self-inflicted tragedy. I'd given up on myself, but Tara never did. It was her encouragement, her research that led to my treatment. Once we knew that magically-infused items were the key, she went out to find them for me. She saved my life.

She has a good heart, and she would recognize the same in your actions here. I'm sure she'd approve of me lending myself to your efforts."

"She must be very smart, to have done all that."

"Smart does her a disservice. She's a fine wizard in her own right, though somewhat held back by her lack of opposable thumbs. You remind me of her somewhat. There's a steeliness to you, an unwavering tenacity even in the face of, to be frank, quite dire odds. I wish she were here for me to make a formal introduction, but I would never ask her to undertake such a journey. She is safer at home. Besides, she was always telling me I needed to spread my wings, so to speak. Find mortal friends, instead of hanging onto Mystra's coattails. So that's what I'm doing. I hope."

"What if she doesn't like me?"

"She'll love you - so long as you don't rub her belly. She *hates* it when anyone does that."

(A/N: One of the options here is "Do you like having your belly rubbed?" which is a) apparently treated as an open romantic overture and b) hilarious.)

"She sounds great. But I was hoping I meant more to you than an animal companion..."

"I assure you, were you to meet Tara, you would see the comparison for the flattery it is. But perhaps that's not a point worth laboring further. Suffice it to say - I think rather a lot of you. And there aren't many on this plane who I'd give such high praise."

"I'm flattered. Is your good opinion so hard to come by?"

"One doesn't become the most powerful archmage in Waterdeep *and* lover to the goddess of magic herself by having low standards. I assure you, when I tell someone they're wonderful, I mean it. And you...are wonderful."

Gale's tone here is really interesting. Their conversations since the party have been tinged with flirtation, and with this it becomes quite clear that whatever Hector feels, Gale...is definitely falling for him. A bit unfortunate for Gale, given the current state of play. I think if Karlach hadn't come along, this would have proceeded to something deeper.

Honestly, I think Gale and Hector are a bit too similar. They're both private people, both cautious, insular, and simultaneously brilliant academically and awkward as hell socially. Both of them would do best with someone to draw them out of their shell, rather than encourage them to further introspection.

But...Hector can feel the pull there, nevertheless. And he's treading around it carefully, because he values the man's friendship deeply already and isn't at all sure what to do with all the other feelings.

"The feeling's mutual. You're a wonderful friend. Though usually more...erudite."

"Wine is to wit as meat is to... to... oh, I can't bloody remember it. There I go, then, proving your point. Perhaps we'd better leave it at that. My ineloquent tongue isn't worthy of your ear at present. Go - enjoy your evening. Nothing better for the heart than a good night's rest. And mine is gladdened to know I'll have the pleasure of your company again come morning."

#bjk plays baldur's gate 3 #hector carlisle #poor gale #he's trying his best and honestly not doing a bad job #wrong place at the wrong time

[koppiki]

I was wondering, so Saori feels like she's having a very normal reaction to finding out magic exists, with that mix of awe and feeling of isolation from her peers. What I don't get is why she isn't more apprehensive towards Enaga? I mean I'm not sure how much was explained to her off screen but she realizes she was basically poisoned right? & a bunch of other people? Or is the feeling of finding someone [like her] overriding that a bit? (Also I was a bit confused when I read the last chapter. So Saori was basically worried that she was enacting her own desires on friend? And was upset by how excited she was over it bc she's scared of being manipulative? Though im sure the "choosing your high school" thing is much more serious in Japan). Sorry if it seems like I'm asking you to explain the manga to me, I was just wondering how you interpreted the most recent chapters?

I think a lot of this can be answered by the concepts that outline the fundamental relationship between a practitioner and their Repository. One of the most important ones, and one that has been visited multiple times now (with Kuraki and Fuyugare, albeit with the latter more as a joke, alongside of course Saori), is that of the sort of... soul read that a repository gets on the person applying their magic when the magic is applied. A soul read that, notably, tends to indicate a deep sort of connection between the two parties.

Kuraki and Hazakura both have their great desire to feel wanted and as though their efforts are valued, Fuyugare and her repository both had... a shared fetish (among other things, but that's for a later chapter), and Saori and Asashimo both desire to feel as though they're in control of a situation and that their efforts are meaningful (at least, that was how I read it).

Tsuzuki and Konpeito both deal with feelings of inferiority and alienation... feeling as though everyone else is better than them, and that their own desires are somehow lesser. For Konpeito at least, I think it's pretty obvious to see how the ability to read people's minds (and seemingly, the inability to not read a person's mind, given that it's stated to be habitual) would mess you up. You'd constantly see other people's drives and desires, how much they care and how much joy and pride they have in what they do... and find yourself horrifically lacking in comparison.

There's also the second factor of consent, which is Completely Necessary for Repository-ification. You cannot turn someone into a Repository without their consent, full stop. I also think you can't trick someone into it- there's the bit with Konpeito feeling as though they tricked Tsuzuki, but as Tsuzuki stated it was "obvious they were lying" and so that doesn't really hold. Pretty sure you can't trick someone into it, is all.

As a side note, figuring out What Exactly Shinozaki's Deal Was is a pretty big plot point for the manga as a whole, both to do with the soul read aspect and with the consent aspect. It's pretty interesting to see how his and his practitioner's qualities and aspects mesh together. I honestly don't really think it's as clear there as it is with the other ones, but I haven't really read/translated enough to say for sure. I'm sure it'll get done.

ANYHOW, while I would say that Saori and Asashimo's definitions of "control over another person's life" are quite different between the two of them, there is still a shared factor there. Saori's just a kid, after all- it makes sense that she wouldn't have the same sort of... y'know, damage. I think that Saori feels pretty bad for Asashimo, honestly- she seemed to get a pretty good understanding of her in the whole soul read zone, and her push for "sticking within the bounds of the law" (as well as her repeated visits to her in prison, which are noted later, not much of a spoiler but it is from later chapters) indicates to me a sort of desire to help her out. I think that's understandable.

Side note (again), I think the way chapter 30 was framed was very interesting, in a "what part of that was real" sort of way. It's implied pretty heavily that everything from Kusunoki half-dropping the glass takes place entirely within her head (or within the shared conceptual Repository-space that has been shown previously) by the fact that when she comes to again the glass is actually on the floor (as well as the back cover of the mango under the sleeve showing her passed out with the glass askew). Pretty neat, huh? I think it is.

With regard to "what Saori felt bad about" I think some of it can be attributed to just... children feeling as though the things they've done are a lot worse/more impactful than they are. She probably felt like her desire to have her friend go to the high school she noted was selfish, and the fact that a complete third party that she didn't know about ended up deciding her choice made her feel guilty partially because of it. It's sorta similar to Asashimo's statement of "as long as it works, I don't care what happens" in that Saori felt bad because it didn't work. She was wrong. So did she feel relieved because she thought she was being selfish, or because she felt like it was the wrong choice to make? I think it's a bit of both.

I would say she's a bit scared of being manipulative, sure, but more importantly she's scared that her manipulation (if you can even call it that) will make someone worse off than they were. She feels responsible for it, and that's why she feels bad about it having a chance of going wrong (because the choice she made was actually the wrong one, or whatever).

I think it's a confusing chapter, generally. Confusing in that it feels as though Saori is making a far bigger deal out of things than is sensible, and equating herself and Asashimo in a way that feels like a bit of a stretch (because asashimo is, in a sort of legal sense, much worse than her, on account of the poisonings).

Speaking of, as for why the poisoning probably didn't bother her too much, it's possible that the soul read she got (as well as a general understanding of Asashimo as a person whose drugs work Exactly as They Are Designed To) told her that she meant no harm, and so she felt okay about it. It was just some sleeping medication, after all.

I don't know if choosing your high school is a bigger decision in Japan. I can say that high school is not part of compulsory education there, at least. So, it probably means more, since you're not required to do it. Kinda like college/university in the states (where I am).

Anything else...

I dunno, I think she just trusts enaga a lot. It's possible that there was more interaction between them that we didn't see that made her trust her more (in fact, there was more interaction, as is revealed in chapter 32), or it's possible that she's just got absolutely no sense of stranger danger (due in part to her father's peers). Either one works.

In short, I just think she's just kind of a weird kid. Simple as that.

Also, there is absolutely no need to apologize about asking me questions about the manga. I love this dang thing. I love talking about it. I have several friends that can attest to me gushing about it (and its plot points) for several hours straight when given the opportunity. Which you have now done. So, thanks for that!

Always feel free to ask me anything!!!!

#shinozaki kun no mente jijou

[autistic-sidestep]

uno_reverse_card.gif im cheating and using a few ideas from the meme bc i have No braincells but i DO crave that suranga lore SO--

favorite color to wear AND favorite color in general, if they're different things; favorite genre of any media AND what his favorite type of media is (music, movies, shows, etc), favorite person, AND what he thinks abt the rat king :3

k lets finally fuckign answer this

favourite colour: phthalo green! namely why it's a very core part of the argos suit. they like wearing blacks/greys/dark greens and blues, those tend to lean into the more professional/conservative look they're angling for as a mob step, but i'm sure if they weren't having to worry abt staying lowkey in civilian cover they'd love to dress up in more bright colours, jewel tones n such. as for now, most of that's reserved for when they're juno (pre-debut) and argos.

their cuckoo training's given them an aversion to opera and ballet, given those featured heavily in the functions they were meant to infiltrate as a cuckoo, sometimes as a dancer themselves. but! musicals and plays, for sure. The COSTUMES. THE EMOTIONS. tia elena probably invites sura to come with her one time and they're hooked (i want to believe wicked's in the fh verse, they'd be all over that. misunderstood outcast tarred as a villain? YEAH. post-hb it'd have even more resonance; no good deed is SO fitting cos of past-self rivalry. defying gravity, too.) then there's 70s-80s rock, esp queen (ofc the lead singer is the purrcury's namesake), sharing the same taste in music as pelayo and joes lol.

they're a classics/shakespeare nerd too, (hence why sura's puppet was named juno), and they'd especially enjoy viola's genderfuckery in twelfth night (and honestly, the mental image of argos going "it's SHAKESPEARE you HEATHEN" after quoting something from one of the tragedies at a clueless hero is too funny to pass up. they're just bringing some class to the villain scene.)

they like movies, though they do find it a little less engaging w/o the minds to read. a good few hollywood golden age, but animated ones are probably their favourite thanks to themmy. they binged a bunch of cartoon movies together, and lilo and stitch is their favourite cos of the BIG relate to lilo being a weird autistic girl and stitch being an escaped experiment that was made to be evil, but learned to love,,,,,

favorite person: pre-hb, it was a tie between ortega, tia elena (she nicknamed sura pollito, and she's the Only person sura will allow to call them that) and, as expected, themmy, in no small part due to the fact they all kept feeding sura. and he kept coming back like a stray cat lol. they made sura feel safe and loved and valued, and not just a little kid. themmy (in my hc) being openly autistic especially helped sura be less insecure about how young he came off, especially when the farmhands infantilised the regenes so much (and by extension, learning to mask and suppress his autistic traits). part of hiding his face (and lowering his voice) was so people would take him seriously, cos he was well aware how babyish he looked. it was a huge relief not to do that anymore, or at least do it less.

themmy: so what did you think?

t:

t: are you crying?

sura, sniffling and very obviously holding back tears: no

throughout rebirth, it was just mortum, largely cos they felt like the friendships they had as sidestep, being able to relax in someone else's company, this time, in juno's body. they love nerding out with her on tech stuff, critiquing peoples' suits, and just generally having someone that Gets It about just sitting in silence hanging out (mortum reads as neurodivergent to me).

it's a tie between her and chen now, to the surprise of both sura and chen, given how much friction they used to have lol. turns out that they have a lot in common (better at bonding with animals instead of people), more so than before hb, of course. (i am also pushing my autistic chen agenda, and that was part of the friction between the two was that step was trained to understand allistic inclined people. chen operates on different rules. but also given chens scepticism about the suspiciously well-trained young vigilante thing, i'll give him a pass for that too.)

rat king opinions: SURA ADORES THE GIRLS. sorta filling the void fred did, but not quite. i like to think of them as like… a telepathic equivalent of a service dog. if sura wasn't a mob step, they'd be a lot more dependent on them for interaction, but as is, they're a reliable supportive presence that sura knows will always have its back. it's nice to have another telepath to communicate with! routinely gives them mental scritches and treats for being the best telepathic rat brains in the whole world. they deserve it!!(and an added bonus, that also involves some self-care for herself. can't disappoint/let them down. it's a win/win.)

#ramblings #oc: suranga fernando #YAY ONLY TOOK 5 MONTHS THANKS FOR WAITING VAL

[enchantedunderland]

Tom Riddle as a Muggle

I keep wondering what Tom Riddle would be like if he were a muggle in this day and age.

What job would he do?

What interests/hobbies would he have?

How would he channel his fear of death with no solid means of immortality?

Would his personality be different at all given the change in dynamic?

I've tried to find others' ideas, but it seems to only be written about in fanfiction.

I mainly want to know what other people think his job would be, as I can't make my mind up.

Since his initial goal was to become Minister for Magic to gain power and change the wizarding world, I assume he would want to get into our political scene instead, given that it is in no way better than the magical one.

But I also think politicians don't really get anything done, so he might have wanted to focus on another route leading to power and wealth, and influence/take control of the government that way?

So if he didn't want to become the British Minister, and our Royalty doesn't have much on our everyday lives either, I think he would create a business (or usurp one from someone else) in an attempt to become a Billionaire (or rich enough to get shit done).

As he was a halfblood, I'd assume a muggle counterpart would be someone whose mother was from a prominent family, but she fell in love with a commoner, drugged and raped him into staying with her, and never went back to her family after he escaped.

So this Tom would have the blood of a prominent family running through his veins, but they would never acknowledge him, forcing him to get by on his own means. (He would definitely still kill them, and potentially be able to claim their name as long as they didn't know about him prior to writing their wills).

He wouldn't have a reason to work retail as there would be no prominent family heirlooms required for horcruxes, but given where he starts in life, he would probably have to do so to get himself by whilst studying. Which would do nothing to quell his murderous urges.

I think he would pick a career path that works with his academic skillset, but wouldn't require much altruism or manual labour, as he definitely suits an office/business environment more, so I don't think he'd become a specialist doctor or lawyer, etc.

Honestly, I think he'd make the decision to work in Tech, or one of the other industries you know will just keep evolving and always be required on a large scale. Some type of data analytics company, big product corporation or the like, and he would definitely know and gather a lot of shady acquaintances as he goes.

He would prefer the traditions and lifestyle of old money, though definitely not the type who live on their ancestors money and do nothing for themselves, since they're just the unemployed on a much larger budget.

I'd like to think he wouldn't be traditional in the sense of thinking a woman should stay at home, as he tends to only value and surround himself with useful people. Bellatrix and Narcissa are the only examples I can think of - though the Wizarding World isn't known for being very forward thinking either.

There was never any mention of him dating someone, and I still can't understand why he chose to have a child given his plans to never die, but I believe he might have a partner for the sake of his image, so they would have to be someone he could tolerate and that was useful to him in some way.

He would learn and follow etiquette, know the hidden meanings behind flowers, wording, etc, and find his way into high society one way or the other.

I can't imagine there not being a group of the higher classes with a 'prestigious' bloodline believing we should move back to more antiquated forms of society, where the differences between social classes were very clear and they were given the proper respect for their positions.

Tom would probably change his name to Thomas, or some other more old money name, though I don't think he would take the Gaunt name if he had the opportunity, given their behaviour and position in society, it may make him more of an outcast than before.

He would place his people into the political and legal fields, ensuring they sway things over to his own agenda, whilst being in a position to overlook everything at once.

Given the lack of magic or the ability to have a lot of 'personal power' without being wealthy, I can't imagine him managing to enter into these groups or sway them and rely on their money the way he could as Voldemort, so breaking off into a dark faction and starting a war wouldn't really be an option, though he would make a very good mobster.

He would want to live in a mansion, and potentially have a goal to live in a castle, but would need to ensure it could be properly heated and have access to the internet so he could still work whilst he's there. From what I've read, the very rich don't tend to differentiate their work and personal lives, so he would want somewhere he would still have access to everything he needs as fast as possible.

TL;DR: Muggle Tom Riddle would be a (very) wealthy businessman, and want to go back to Victorian social classes and etiquette, but I can't figure out which exact 'job' would suit him (and I'm absolutely trying to figure out something that would keep the dark magic vibes).

#tom marvolo riddle #tom riddle #muggle tom riddle #muggle voldemort #voldemort #lord voldemort #the knights of walpurgis #death eaters

[angorwhosebabyisthis]

five's character suddenly makes a lot more sense when you look at it as a metaphor for a kid indoctrinated into an abusive evangelical church, who has been convinced that hell is real.

[longpost, talk of religious abuse--mainly the evangelical christian variety--after the cut.]

he's convinced that everyone who doesn't comply with the church's rules will go there; that leaving won't save you, because hell will be waiting for you in the end; and that everyone who claims to believe differently is lying and knows better, they're just pretending they don't because they don't like the idea of acknowledging authority in the time they have before hell catches up to them. and as much as he's been taught to be self-righteous and unsympathetic about people who '''choose''' hell, in practice he's the kid who goes around trying to have the 'so have you accepted jesus into your heart' speech with everyone he even remotely cares about, and won't back off about it even though it goes over Absolutely Fucking Terribly and he's being an asshole, because if he doesn't get them to convert when (he thinks) there's any chance they might have done so they will go to hell and it will be his fault.

and like, this adds a lot of layers to his hatred of nine and what he thinks (and in some ways is correct 🙃) that he stands for. but one of the big ones is that as far as he's concerned, nine can and will snipe people to send them to hell out of spite for converting to save themselves. one of the things that made him hate him so much--decide he Needs and Deserves to Die--is that he was told sandor made the decision to comply with the mogs because it was the Smart Thing to Do... and that nine punished him for it by murdering him brutally. and that given half the chance nine would do it to him.

for all he's been indoctrinated to value Having Power Over Other People and Deserving It Because You're Special, at heart five has major just world fallacy going on because he desperately wants to believe that everyone can be safe, and happy, and understand each other. that all that needs to happen for them to have that is to make the right choice. he doesn't actually believe the mogs are inherently Superior; he thinks they have the same fair shot as everyone else and that the only difference is that they will take that shot, and are honest that they're doing so.

whereas what is one of the other big things he hates nine for? the one that fills him with so much rage he has to stop reading about him? the idea that nine is inherently superior to him and the others, and deserves a better life, regardless of any choice they ever could have made.

he's told that the elders saved nine for last because he was strongest, and that the earlier numbers were cannon fodder because they were weak. he's told that he and the lower numbers were forced into hiding, made to suffer, to buy nine a little more time. and he's told that in the event he managed to survive that far, he would be nine's inferior--his servant--because he's a lower number.

five talks about how he's superior and deserves to rule everyone else because he has 'potential,' but it's not about how powerful he is because of his legacies; it's that he thinks he's willing to make the right choice. he thinks the idea of treating someone like they don't have a right to that choice because they're inherently worth less than others is absolutely fucking repugnant. and where the mogs get him is by twisting his idea of what constitutes Everyone Being Happy so far that they convince him their cause, which is doing exactly what he hates most, is the one that's fair.

add onto that that he's terrified of the idea that you can in fact just be completely fucked no matter what choices you make, and just gets more and more invested in coping via denial the clearer it becomes that he is the one who is utterly royally fucked no matter what he does, and... well, you get some real unfortunate end results to say the least. but like, that's where he's coming from.

so to wrap this back around to the evangelism metaphor: if you believe what five believes, the idea of someone being willing and able to do what nine does by sending someone to hell regardless of their own choice would be Existentially Horrifying to begin with! but it also goes against one of five's deepest core beliefs, both reasonable and Unfortunate Coping with Trauma. and when you pile that on top of the immense suffering he's gone through over it, the result is going to be visceral burning hatred.

anyway this post is already Long and i've got a lot more thoughts in me about it, but suffice it to say five absolutely is a metaphor for evangelical trauma, and how victims get weaponized into extensions of their church's abuse. and it's an evangelical survivor's nightmare, because the version of hell he's been taught to base his entire worldview around fearing is objectively real. 🥲

(the real smoking gun here? not only is the Great Book a really obvious analogy for the bible, but the name is a retcon. what was it called before that, while he's evangelizing about it no less?)

(the Good Book.)

(welp.)

#lorien legacies #LL number five #LL number nine #LL sandor #LL tag #cws in post #looking back at the characters and parts of the worldbuilding i got most invested in back in the day i am seeing a Pattern #and that pattern is called It's Religious Trauma All the Way Down #on both an individual and community level #the mogadorians and five /could/ have been a really good raw painful narrative about the grief; ugliness; and difficulty holding onto hope #for the culture you grew up in and the people who escaped it and the people who haven't and the people you couldn't help #and for the people who never wanted any part of it to begin with and are having to suffer for your community's systemic upfuck #it's why rereads have left me increasingly soured on adam; and made me appreciate rex more despite his own moral dubiousness #i thought adam represented grief and hope for the culture and community that traumatized you while refusing to go back to them #and instead he represented violent dehumanizing fuck-you-got-mine hatred and victim-blaming for Every Other Victim #instead of 'i recognize that the work of engaging with the community to help the victims inside of it is important and worthwhile' #'but i cannot be the one to do it because i cannot and will not have that community in my life anymore; therefore i will focus my efforts #on helping and protecting people who are targeted by the community from the outside when internal damage control isn't enough' #his narrative was to pull the ladder up after him; then torture every other survivor for the rest of their existence to atone for their sin #which...... hmmmmm....... sounds familiar.............. #whereas rex represents being able and willing to go back into the burning building as many times as he needs to #because there are children in there #anyway. subject for another post #dyn: lost boys #dyn: but i'm helping you anyway

[kiisaes]

Quick! Tell me about your OCs! (I just really like hearing about people’s OCs)

!!! WAAUAUAUSDUHUS OKAY!!!

and to everyone who doesn't care about my ocs, u can ignore this ask bc i'm gonna be like this for the remainder of this post

u have been warned.

my ocs that i mostly post about here belong to a future comic i intend to write, draw and post online called "chimera kingdom"! this is the tag on my blog -> #chimera kingdom <- it's comprised of art of my ocs as well as some miscellaneous stuff

it's a story that means a lot to me and one i definitely want to write in its entirety .. someday .. bc some of my oldest ocs are here!!! kimberly is my oldest oc i still use!!! she is a decade old!!! buzzer and ry are also almost as old, they were made like. idk. a week after kimberly ??? and fun fact but atticus is technically the oldest oc of the bunch but he's not technically my oc since i'm borrowing him from my friend. but i was given permission to write him my own way for this comic so YIPPEE!!!!!

it's a humble project with a lot of sentimental value, so i post about it occasionally even though this is mainly a fan art blog, i haven't illustrated it all, and don't know when it'll be done. not sure if i necessarily have "big dreams" for this thing, but it'd be cool to see it all come together ....... someday

BUT ANYWAY! some general lore and worldbuilding of "chimera kingdom" bc that's important!!!

the short synopsis: "in the near future, a government-funded lab/secret service/school conglomerate called the Chimera Kingdom experiments on humans. chimeras are the newest step in human(?) evolution, individuals with the added survival skills of a specific animal. they primarily exist to kill off monsters— dangerous, soulless creatures set to destroy humanity if not combated."

so basically chimeras are the merging of a human body and the strength, survival skills, and instincts of one animal. they still maintain their human body throughout unless their animal limbs serve as part of their survival (like bird chimeras with wings, big cat chimeras with claws, etc.). chimeras have to manually tap into their chimera states, meaning that under normal circumstances they're just regular humans. when a chimera's chimera state is active, a symbol on their inner wrist will appear and glow. that's what these are!

chimeras are like. fantasy science basically. they're definitely scientific creations in-universe but leave some breathing space for fantasy too, so u don't concern urself with the specifics. the further this story goes, the more reality will be suspended as well

so how does this relate to the characters ?!?!

i won't go tooooo in depth with the individual characters since that would make this ask way too fucking long and i doubt anyone would want to read that. so i'll just link this post and this post which have the basic run-downs for the 10 student characters. these posts are a bit outdated now but i haven't had the time or the luxury to remake them so ..... they'll do for now =v= i also don't have everyone's bios written, so there's more characters than just these 10. if anyone i draw catches ur interest feel free to ask me! i WILL scream about them

anyway all 10 of them are chimeras attending Chimera School, a part of the Kingdom. the 10 of them make up the elite class, aka the "best" class due to everyone's potential to be very strong and useful chimeras. this class ignores grades since it's more focused on chimera missions and other stuff directly benefiting the Kingdom, less on actual academics (though they still learn the basics, dw). so they're of different ages but still on the same level playing field

the protag is kimberly, she's a rabbit chimera and her goal at the Kingdom is to become the strongest chimera!!! she's been in her twin brother ry's shadow since she can remember, so she has a bit of beef with him though it's not inherently malicious. he's good at everything so she wants to be better than him in just one thing. like .. u know when siblings are a little fucked up? yea :D

she acts as the audience surrogate for a bit before more perspectives are introduced. everyone has their own goals and motivations, and develop as the story moves forward. i intend for "chimera kingdom" to delve into war, love, grief, vulnerability, reclamation of power, and what it means to be human. and what it means to be an individual being when u can't even feel like u're worthy of being anyone. ya feel ?!?!?!?!

every character deals with one or multiple of these themes! in some kind! so lmk if there's a specific character u're interested in !!! i will word vomit for HOURS. i just don't want to crowd this already-crowded ask when there's a good amount of characters in my comic. and again i implore u to check out the links above for some quick info :)

SORRY THIS IS SO FUCKING LONGGGGG

#someday i'll be normal about my ocs but until they have a solid source material i legally can't. #I HOPE ... THIS WAS A FUN/ENGAGING READ ?!?!?!?! IDK MAN #i'm always down to answer and talk about stuff about chimera kingdom heh heh #asks for becki #chimera kingdom

[munsons-maiden]

I feel like eddie isn't a hard person to get to know once he let's his guard down which I feel like he does pretty quickly with certain ppl he also seems like he's very easy going and just someone who's easy to befriend and I bet once you become friends with him you're there for life and he'd drop everything to help you out if you needed it

Hm, I partly agree with you. @kedreeva and me talked about this topic a while ago - Eddie has friends (a lot, too, it seems, with Hellfire and the party calling them when he went missing), but he didn't go to them in his time of need. The guys from Corroded Coffin were having band practice without him after news of a gruesome murder at the trailer park was making the rounds that morning (granted, Eddie's name hadn't gone public yet but still, if my friend didn't show up for band practice and there was news of a murder which happened at his neighborhood, I'd sure as hell be on my way to check on him) and it didn't take much for Jason to get Dustin's name out of them, selling a possible hiding place off to Jason when it was clear as day Jason didn't want to have a little tea party with Eddie. And of all his friends, nobody knew where he could have been hiding - it was a logical conclusion to look at the house of his supplier because that was the only lead they had.

Our conclusion was that Eddie wants to open up, but is scared to do so because opening up means making yourself vulnerable and prone to getting hurt. It matches with Eddie's past - he got hurt already in a way, by his father, the person who was meant to protect him. Eddie shows people bits and pieces of himself, not putting on an act because what he shows is his true self, or at least always a facet of it, but never the full picture. And I think most people never noticed they never got the full picture.

But you're absolutely right - he starts to open up, and interestingly, those he starts opening up to first are jocks, the very group of people he was shown to despise (in the cafeteria scene, he was hollering at lots of different groups, but he singled out Jason to actually make it personal. Then again, what I always found interesting, is that Eddie seems to hold a grudge solely to basketballers. He was nice to the cheerleaders passing him by even though they very obviously made fun of him in passing - that whole little interaction told us so much about how he still chooses to be kind, that the guy walking on tables and yelling at people was part of a defensive act and that he's not a prick - and he was ready to be kind to Chrissy as soon as he realized she wasn't mean and scary and didn't pose a threat to him. He even tells her later on that he was scared of her). And he opens up towards Steve in the Upside Down, admitting not one but two "flaws" (jealousy because of Dustin's love for Steve and shame/cowardice (we know he wasn't a coward for running, but he doesn't)) and even telling him to fight for true love (which also tells us a lot about Eddie's character and what he values (love). The two similarities between Chrissy and Steve - apart from them being jocks and part of the popular crowd Eddie should despise, since they're symbols of the forced conformity leading society to ostracize him - are that 1. they are not what he thought they'd be like (mean & scary), challenging his worl view but for the better because them being nice might mean that he's been wrong about putting them in neat little boxes, but it's nice to see that he was wrong because that means there's more kindness in the world than he thought there was and 2. they were the ones to open up first.

@kedreeva summed it up perfectly: Eddie is easy to befriend, but hard to get close to.

But we also see that he wants to open up, given how fast he does as soon as someone shows vulnerability first, especially if that someone is a potential-bully-turned-out-a-Nice-Person.

I keep repeating myself but that's what I first thought when he talked to Steve in the UD: Eddie has the eyes of a cynic, but the heart of a romantic. He wants the world to be good and kind, even though he faced its claws enough times to know they're sharp. And it says so, so much about Eddie that despite having faced and being hurt by those claws before, it didn't make him hard. He chose to stay soft. He chose to believe in kindness, even though he might view the world with suspicion, and he wants to be part of the kindness rather than the claws. That's why he makes Chrissy laugh, tells Steve to fight for true love, keeps an eye out for Dustin so he doesn't follow his curiosity right into a cold, possibly dangerous, monster-infested lake, why he is beating himself up over not having been able to help Chrissy to the point of dedicating a whole guitar solo to her to avenge her, and why he uses his final breaths to make Dustin promise there would be someone to take his place, to look out for all the lost little sheep, to grant them shelter against the wolfish claws of the world. That's the core of Eddie's character.

Which brings me to the final part, which is that I wholeheartedly agree that Eddie would do everything for his friends and those he loves. He proved that the moment he cut the rope, his own way of getting out, to make sure Dustin wouldn't have a way to get back in, into the danger zone.

#making myself cry again #kiki answers #eddie munson #stranger things #stranger things 4 #eddie munson meta

[showmethesneer]

I think because Jane is christain and the book says bigamy is a sin she thinks shell go to hell so starving to her is better then hell its not just her morals

You're absolutely right. 💯 correct. I simply disagree with her reasoning and her priorities.

If she had left because he was abusing his wife and lying to her, I would be all for it. Starving on the streets will give you more peace of mind than staying with a man like that. Love it for you, babe.

But that was not her motivation.

She finds out that her boss/fiancée has been keeping his wife locked in the attic. She's fine with that part. He even lied to her face, gaslighting her about what she saw when she confronted him about the strange woman who came to her room in the night. She's fine with that part, too. Which is like.. weird. Keeping a woman locked in an attic and lying about it and gaslighting her were the things she should have been upset about. But they're not.

He explains that his marriage was arranged by his father when he was pretty young, that he knew nothing about this woman except what she looked like at parties, and that the mental illness that ran in her family was kept secret from him until after they were married. So this marriage literally means nothing to him. It's not like he was in love with her once and then grew tired of her and is trading her in for the newer model now. He was thrown into a business transaction and lied to at every step of the way. And now that he's met Jane and fallen in love with her he thinks this could actually be his chance for true love on his own terms. And even though Jane wants him too-- because she still wants him after finding out he keeps a whole person locked in the attic-- the simple fact that he has a wife, in any capacity, is preventing her from being with him.

And it's like "oh he was keeping her locked in the attic because he genuinely cared about her and didn't want her to get sent to an asylum where they would be inhumane to her" and sure. If that's what he thinks he's doing. But he doesn't really see her as human anyway. He describes her as an animal and worse. Which, i mean, given her Creole background, is deeply unsettling in and of itself. He also describes Jane as not human but he means it endearingly and that is also super concerning, cuz Jane is whiter than white so she's a perfect little magic fairy, not a dangerous animal.

So, he keeps Bertha locked in an attic so she won't get sent to an asylum where they will treat her inhumanely. But... like... was locking her in an attic and hiring one (singular) person to watch her 24/7 (not even treat her, just watch her) and denying her existence for 15 years any more humane? Or is that a backwards Christian idea about sympathy and righteousness?

I am saying all this as a queer WOC living in the U.S., where i have been effectively held hostage by christianity and christian ideology. My same-sex marriage could be struck down at any point by this government in the name of Christian values. My right to an abortion and bodily autonomy in general has already been taken away by it. Christian Europeans came to the Caribbean to colonize and exploit and convert my Puerto Rican and Dominican ancestors. So I'm coming at this from a place of justified resentment for Christian ideas of hell. Historically, what constitutes a sin and what you go to hell for versus what is good and just can be extremely fucked up and hypocritical in Christianity. It's okay for him to secretly keep a woman locked in the attic "for her own good" but it's not okay for him to marry a woman he loves. It is the correct thing for Jane to suffer, leaving her home to beg for food on the streets rather than stay with the man she still wants, because he happens to be married on paper. It's not a problem that he kept a woman locked in an attic, just that he tried to marry someone when he was already married.

Like jesus, Jane, just get the dick. You might as well.

#jane eyre #long rant #domestic abuse tw #racism #liveblog of me reading #bertha mason #mr rochester #charlotte brontë