#whatever. whatever! screw this entire family then i guess

[kreumiya]

★・ i'd let you read my mind!!

A short scenario if you and Sunday were both Halovian and he reads your mind while communicating telepathically when you deny that you were ever going to take him on a date as a joke when he comes late. :) 

Perhaps asking Sunday out on a date wasn’t the best idea. After all, you were a part of the family and had to uphold some kind of values. Asking your pretty boss out on a date was definitely not one of them. Not like you cared anyway. 

Holding a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a box of some mystery cupcakes that you had bought from some kid on the bustling streets of penacony, you walked through his long and winding hallways, solved the weird puzzles he had set up (they were actually quite hard but you’d gotten used to them) and into his office. Not many people were able to go into there unless they had a special appointment, but you were an exception. The only exception. 

“Sunday!” you called out. Somehow he was always cooped up in this office, it ought to be lonely sometimes – well maybe all the time… You paused. No answer. “Excuse me? Sunday…?” You yelled out again. Any longer and you were going to get quite annoyed.One of the only times when you could meet him and he’s out somewhere? You’ve got to be kidding me… “Uh-hum,” you cleared your throat, “Mr Sunday, leader of the Oak family and Representative of Penacony you have a visitor!” A few minutes passed and … no reply. You had specifically told him you were coming in 3 system hours. 

Screw it, you sighed, placing your gifts behind your chair and taking a seat on one of his plush velvet chairs. “If you don’t come now, I’ll eat all these cupcakes…” Pause. Silence. This room was genuinely like a prison, you couldn’t fathom how he could spend all of his days locked up in this place by himself like a bird in a cage. An hour passed by… 

And all of a sudden, the doors opened wide. “I’m so sorry, I’m late. I got caught up in some business.” 

“Late by an hour?” you sighed dramatically, “oh whatever shall I do? All my plans have been cancelled because I’ve waited here for so long.” You sulked, knowing full well that you did not have any other plans lined up for the entire week. “I had something planned for the two of us to do, but I guess not anymore…” you averted your gaze while suppressing a grin. 

He took a seat next to you, “what did you plan for us to do?” he asked thoughtfully, taking your hand in his and placing a kiss on it. 

“Ah well, since you came so late, I’ve had to cancel the plans,” you wistfully shook your head, trying to hide the fat bouquet of flowers behind your chair. “There’s not much I can do…” you began to get up before you heard something in your head. Sunday hadn’t been speaking but you had heard him trying to communicate with you telepathically, Damn Halovian powers… you smiled. 

So what is it?

Now all your thoughts would be relayed to him…

It was a date!! I wasn’t actually going to cancel it. I saw that you were pretty scared when I said I cancelled all my plans. I definitely tricked you didn’t I?

You shot him a beaming smile. Knowing full well that you did not trick him, you definitely forgot that Halovians were able to communicate telepathically, and that bouquet peeking out from behind your chair definitely didn’t help at all.

“Here you go,” you passed him the bouquet and then the box of cupcakes. “Now let’s go! We’re already running behind schedule by 1 hour and 14 minutes, we still have a lot to do you know!” You held his hand as you ran down the hallways while his other arm carried the bouquet and the half melted cupcakes. 

“Today will be a long day,” he laughed. 

i am actually so starved of sunday content and leaks its so sad

#sunday x reader #sunday hsr x reader #sunday hsr #honkai star rail x reader #hsr #honkai star rail #star rail #fluff #sunday #hoyoverse #hsr x reader

[mrs-kmikaelson]

04| The Tribrid

Pairing: Klaus Mikaelson x daughter!reader, Elijah Mikaelson x niece!reader Summary: A while after the party, you're approached by Elijah at Rousseau's who has a request that you would've never expected. Warnings: none Words: 3.1K

Masterlist | Part 5

I shook a cocktail shaker vigorously before pouring whatever pink liquid it was into a glass and sliding it over to the customer on the other side of the counter, running a hand through my hair right afterward as I glanced around at the full bar.

Full fucking bar and I'm the only person here.

Camille had a date with Marcel tonight, but there was no one else who could possibly take her shift tonight because there was no one else working tonight. I told her I could cover for her because I had experience bartending in the eighties, but I didn't know it was gonna be like this.

I guess there was some sort of festival going on tonight, but in New Orleans, when isn't there?

It's been a week since the Mikaelsons through their party, a week since I had my 'family reunion', and I haven't seen any of them since. Don't know if I'm happy about that or not.

I sighed, tossing back a shot of my own before moving onto the next customer. I'll overthink later.

"Drinking on the job?" Or not.

Speak of the fucking devil, because I looked up and, sitting in the stool in front of me, was Elijah Mikaelson. He had a small, playful smirk on his lips, leaned back in his chair nonchalantly, but not in a way that made him look like he wasn't alert, but in a way that showed the world he wouldn't even dream of someone stepping to him.

I forced a laugh, wiping down a glass while I responded, "Yeah, well it's a little hard to be surrounded by all this and not get any." He smiled, nodding while I threw the rag over my shoulder. Inside, I was shaking, but I tried my hardest to treat him like he was any other person so he wouldn't take notice. 

I raised my brows. "Let me guess, whiskey? No- bourbon?" I didn't wait for a reply and grabbed the bottle while Elijah chuckled.

"Bourbon would be nice, thank you, Y/N," he said. I wonder if he had an inkling how freaked out I was that he remembered my name.

Half of me was hoping they'd forget all about me. The other half, well... I tried not to give that one a microphone.

I handed him the glass in a hurry, hoping to get away from him as fast as possible, but of course, the universe wasn't so kind because he stopped me, calling my name when I turned around. 

Fuckkkk. I screwed my eyes shut before spinning back around with that perfect customer service smile on my face. 

"Good luck," he said, and my brows furrowed. He saw the confusion on my face and nodded to the rest of the bar, elaborating, "With the customers." I held in a sigh of relief and smiled to him in thanks, moving on.

I'd normally ask customers how they were doing, what brought them to Rousseau's, but not only did I not have enough time what with all the customers, but I also did not feel like making conversation with Elijah Mikaelson after I've been drinking.

So, to resolve my frazzled state that was typically caused by drinking, I drank some more. And I continued to work, per usual, trying to bring my mind back to positive memories of me in the past instead of the dramas of my present.

I was in auto-pilot, serving customers while drifting off into a world of my own, thinking about a time when I wasn't so obsessed with finding my family. The reason why was that I already had one.

My mother and I were very close when I was young, and she did everything she could to protect me before the world took her from me, taking me in the process. Niklaus, obviously, was never in the picture.

He and his entire family did not even know I existed. For all I knew, Klaus just had a one-night stand with my mother and never saw her again. So there was no way he could ever find out who I was, not on his own. But Elijah... Elijah was as smart as Klaus was strong. I didn't want to talk to him too often and have him put together any puzzle pieces.

The night went on without any interruptions. I periodically checked the clock. Rousseau's closed a bit later than usual bars since it was in the middle of the Quarter, but I only had about an hour left before both my shift was over and the bar closed. Thank the heavens. 

Things were going as smoothly as far as I could tell what with me half listening to everything going on, but suddenly, I was brought back to my sense by someone yelling. 

My head shot up and, on the other side of the bar, I saw two people I recognized almost immediately, a man and a woman. The man was a member of Marcel's crew, and the girl was a witch I was familiar with since Marcel left the witch dealings to me back when practicing magic wasn't punishable by fucking death. 

The vampire, Dimitri, was yelling obscenities at Talia, the witch, as she yelled over him. He went to shove her and, without thinking, I rushed over in a blur and blocked him with my arm, separating them both. 

"Break it up right. now," I ordered, glaring at them both but mostly Dimitri. He always bugged me. The bar was less full now and I could tell that people had stopped to watch the encounter.

Talia crossed her arms and Dimitri glared back at me. "She's being a fucking bitch, Y/N-"

She scoffed, "Oh, would you just-"

I raised my voice. "Both of you, enough!" They both stopped and stared at me. "As far as I'm concerned, neither of you should even be talking to each other right now, much less arguing or physically fighting. That's violating so many different agreements at once." This time Dimitri scoffed and so I turned to him, raising a brow, feeling the annoyance in me bubble. "What, do you have something to say?"

He looked at me and smirked in a way that made me want to bite into his neck or turn his blood to acid, and responded, "Yeah- those were your rules when Marcel ran the city and let his bitch boss us around-"

I cut him off, an incredulous look on my face. "His what?"

He ignored me. "But the Mikaelsons are in charge now, and he is not," he boasted. "Which means- neither are you." His smirk widened like he'd just made some huge declaration, like he was in the one in control here.

But he couldn't be more wrong. You see, Marcel left negotiations to me, knowing I could talk to people a little better than he could. And since I kept the peace for him, he let me make a few rules. I was in charge, and I'd be damned if I let some newbie vampire think he bested me. 

I took a step closer to him, ready to fucking tell him how it is, but before I could even get a word out, someone had sped right next to me and cut me off.

I looked up, startled, and was even more surprised when I saw that the man that had sped over was Elijah. Fan-fuckin-tastic.

Talia took a step back, wrapping her arms around herself while Dimitri swallowed. Elijah smiled a tight-lipped smile, staring at Dimitri in a way that would be perceived to be friendly if it were anyone else, but with him, it just looked condescending. With one gaze, he was saying he was better than you without ever really having to say it.

"Forgive me for interrupting, but I would rather not stand and watch this altercation from the sidelines," he expressed. "See, in my time, you'd treat a woman with respect, and it looks to me that you are treating both of these young women with anything but." I held back a snort at the 'young' bit. I'm older than Dimitri by a long shot, but I get the memo.

Dimitri stuttered back, but couldn't form a response. "I-"

"You what? You think that because the Mikaelsons are in charge now that you can run amuck and act as you please?" Elijah paused as if he was waiting for an answer and scoffed when he didn't get one. "Well, I am a Mikaelson," he announced, "and right now I am granting you the privilege of walking away from this because, from what I can see, Y/N holds more relevance than you do or ever have." Not once did he glare at Dimitri, simply holding his stare strongly, and Dimitri most definitely tried to hold that stare in challenge, but after a few seconds, he gave up, swallowing, and walking away quickly.

Elijah's lips curved slightly before they were forced down as he held back a smirk, turning to me and Talia. She nodded at Elijah--in thanks, I'd assume--and he reciprocated the action before she, too, walked away, leaving just me and him standing there.

I looked around at the rest of the bar and realized that everyone left was supernatural in one way or another, or at least knew about it because everyone had returned to their own conversations, not even batting an eye at the inhuman speed displayed.

Elijah glanced around too before looking back to me and nodding towards the door. I quickly understand the motion and nodded back. He wanted to get away from the prying ears, but I could do him one better.

I raised my voice and exclaimed to the crowd, "Sorry guys, party's over!" I heard a few groans and Elijah raised a brow at me, but I ignored it. It was closing time, anyway. "You can go home now! Like right now." I saw some people about to protest, but one look from Elijah and they were silenced. They did not want to fuck with that. 

The clear-out was one of the fastest ones I'd ever seen, especially on a night like this, but in minutes, the bar was empty. When I was sure no one else was around, I finally looked at Elijah and felt my previous nervousness return, but still chastised, "I had that handled."

Instead of being offended, he gave me that same smile he's been smiling all night and told me, "I know. But I couldn't help myself." Although that was meant to be somewhat of an apology, there was a smugness in it that I couldn't stand.

I hummed in a way I hope 'bullshit' was conveyed, turning around the clean up the bar. He chuckled. Good, message received then.

Even I was a little surprised with how bold I was being, but I guess that, even after 500 years, alcohol still gave me a little courage.

I picked up the glasses people had left scattered, putting them into the sink and tidying everything up so that, tomorrow, Camille wouldn't have to deal with any of it.

"So you handled business for Marcel?" I glanced at him to see his hand casually tucked into a pocket of his slack. Again, it was such a small, insignificant stance, but there was just something about it that made you want to fold into yourself.

I looked back to the glasses I was scrubbing, affirming, "Yeah, I'd negotiate with all sides to come to agreements we could all, well, agree on, I guess."

His lip quirked up as he sat down on a barstool right in front of me. I wordlessly handed him a glass and a bottle of bourbon, and the small quirk of his lips became a grin.

While he poured himself a glass, I kept working on the dishes and decided to make small talk so I didn't look like an alien creature that didn't know how to communicate with others.

"You've been here a while, and it's just after closing now. What's the occasion- or is it more of a you just needed a drink kind of occasion?"

Even though my back was turned, it was still like I could sense him smirking. "It's the latter," he revealed. "In fact, I'm drinking because of the disagreements within the factions."

"Oh?" I kept scrubbing.

He continued, "Yes. It's the same story every time: everyone wants power and no one is satisfied with what they have."

I snorted, "Yeah, Tears For Fears wasn't kidding. Everybody really does want to rule the world." And that was a joke, but it was completely true, especially in a city like New Orleans. 

"Precisely that, Y/N. And Niklaus-" I refrained from taking in a breath. "Oh, my brother is not handling it well." I'd imagine he wasn't. From what I've heard about Klaus, he didn't take kindly to people trying take what he thought was rightfully his. That's why he tried banishing Marcel, even though he was meant to be like a son to him.

I scoffed at that in my head. Klaus was a father to Marcel, raised Marcel, and was gonna raise another child in the near future, and yet he'd never even met me.

My brain was bombarded with the thoughts I tried to keep in at that moment. I wondered if he knew about me at all, if he knew and just didn't care, or if he had no idea of my existence. I wonder what he'd do if he knew. Would he care?

I pushed back those thoughts and shook my head, bringing myself back to the conversation and replying, "That's pretty expected. I mean, it took Marcel years to create what he had, and he also had me to keep the peace, too, so it's different." 

Elijah hummed, briefly reminding me of Klaus. For a few seconds, all that could be heard was the scrub-a-dub-dubbing I was doing and the steady response I was getting from him stopped. Until he resumed with enough fervour to knock me out.

"And what if we had you to keep the peace for us?""

I dropped the glass I was scrubbing in shock, quickly using my speed to stop it from hitting the sink and breaking. I put the glass down and turned the faucet off, turning to face him fully. I was half expecting to see a smile on his face, for him to tell me he was joking, but he had a completely serious look on his face.

If I didn't know any better, I'd see he even looked hopeful.

I looked at him, analyzing his face for a few seconds before lowering my guard slightly for the first time around a Mikaelson and whispering, "Oh my God, you're not kidding."

He smiled a little. "No, Y/N, I'm afraid I'm not." I blew out a breath through my lips, feeling the gears in my head turn 70 miles an hour.

What the fuck?

He's asking me to work for them.

My family.

Me.

Klaus' daughter.

But they don't know that.

No, they don't know about my relation to them. But Elijah does know that Marcel's my friend. I made this known, just in case he forgot in the few seconds it'd been since it'd been brought up. "You do know Marcel's my friend, right? Maybe even my best friend, if you want to get technical."

He took a sip of his bourbon before responding, "Yes, I'm aware."

I nodded. "Right, so then you know why I cant accept that offer." I wasn't thinking about the opportunity or power or really anything important at that moment. I was thinking about Marcel. And I was thinking about how coincidental it was that, a week after I got back to the city, Elijah takes interest in me of all people.

Maybe it's not a coincidence, my subconscious reasoned.

Oh, but hell, I really hoped it was.

Elijah took another sip of his drink. "You know these people, they trust you." I gave him a look, but hid my skepticism at the way he phrased his sentence. He said it like he already knew about my history with the factions. Honestly, knowing him, he probably did.

He used my silence and went on, "Arrangements could be made about Marcellus." My brows raised at that. "I'm fine with negotiating, Y/N." 

I narrowed my eyes. He was to trying to broker a deal with me. Smart. But a Mikaelson choosing to negotiate for someone with as little 'relevance' as me is odd, to say the least.

I stared at him for a few seconds before stating the obvious. "I have a feeling your brother wouldn't like what exactly you're offering me."

Elijah chuckled, shaking his head. "Believe me, Y/N, I don't have much care for what my brother does or doesn't like at the moment."

I pursed my lips, running it all over in my head in disbelief that I was even considering it. The offer alone was suspicious, but the situation was riskier than many situations I'd put myself into in my lifetime, and that was saying something.

I'd been chasing after the Mikaelsons for ages, watching the family I never got from a distance, the always and forever I wasn't apart of. Right now, Elijah Mikaelson was offering up the opportunity to see them up close on a silver platter, and I was hesitant?

I held Elijah's stare, contemplating. And perhaps it was the alcohol that made the decision for me, but soon enough I found my mouth opening, words spilling out of it. "Marcel is allowed back into the Quarter, and him and Klaus call a truce." He didn't flinch. "You agree to that, and you have yourself a deal."

Elijah continued to stare at me in silence for a few seconds after that, and as time passed, I began to think I royally fucked up, trying to order him around, but he proved me a wrong by holding a hand out. I looked at it in bewilderment.

"You have yourself a deal, Miss Y/L/N." I held back any surprise at the fact that he knew my surname when I never gave it to him, but really, there was nothing to be surprised about. 

I reluctantly reached out and clasped my hand in his, ignoring the rush of power I felt when my skin made contact with his and tried not to show it on my face. 

What the fuck have I gotten myself into?

#klaus mikaelson x reader #klaus x daughter!reader #klaus mikaelson imagine #klaus mikaelson #tvd #tvdu #tvd fandom #tvd fanfiction #the originals #elijah mikaelson #elijah mikaelson x reader #camille o'connell

[y-rhywbeth2]

Something I love about BG1+2 is how it simultaneously plays and subverts the demigod/chosen one narrative (which continues in BG3, except with only the subversion. (And Halsin is not joking when Durge tells him what they are: Do NOT advertise that you're a Bhaalspawn.))

I've always been fond of the set up in Saradush in ToB, where the surviving children of Bhaal are being corralled into the besieged city under promise of protection against the entire world - because basically literally the entire world is trying to kill the Bhaalspawn: Your more powerful siblings want you dead; your mortal neighbours, and likely your nation itself either thinks you're inherently evil and are ready to kill you, or you represent such a threat that they're ready to drive you out and/or kill you just in case. Case in point: the aforementioned siege outside the city walls with the army that wants you dead currently raining giant flaming rocks of death over your head.

Some of these guys have no idea what they are, or what's happening, until attempted murder happens.

Like this discussion with one of your random brothers, a guy called Alexander:

Alexander: "You don't look like one of the locals. Are you a child of Bhaal as well, lured here like the rest of us to face our inevitable end?" Charname: "As well? What do you mean?" Alexander: "I myself am one of Bhaal's progeny - or so I've been told. I guess Bhaal's blood runs thicker in some of his children than in others." Sarevok: "By your snivelling manners, I would say Bhaal's blood runs very thin indeed in your veins. Bah-why do I even waste my breath tormenting this cowering cur?" Alexander: "Uh... is there anything else I can help you with?" Charname: "How did you get here exactly?" Alexander: "I wasn't brought here by Melissan, like some of the others. My home village was burned to the ground by a dragon who claimed to be hunting me. My friends... my family... they threatened to give me to the dragon if I didn't leave. So I did. And I heard a lot of other Bhaalspawn were coming here. *sigh* Now I almost wish I hadn't come."

Spoiler alert: He dies. Every single Bhaalspawn in that city dies*, along with everybody except a handful of commoners (*except maybe Viekang, who was not particularly inclined to murder me, so Murder in Baldur's Gate is weird.)

You, a simple peasant from a farming village one day come of age and learn that your absent father was a god, and you are forced to flee forces that are trying to kill you (in this case, your much more powerful half-brother)... it sounds like the start to some kind of fantasy epic, but instead of any fancy destiny you end up in a war torn city surrounded by castoff divine bastards just like you, terrified and unwanted, and then you die, and are forgotten.

And that's what being a Bhaalspawn is!

Whatever grand lies Bhaal tells you in your dreams about how you're special and great power awaits you (if you behave and do his will), your job is: sow death, faith, fear and chaos wherever you roam, strengthen Bhaal's power, and then be a good child and die for Father. No exceptions, save perhaps one, who is explicitly a special prophecy child, and even then is supposed to be doomed by future FR canon because they're still Bhaal's "pawn". There's also Imoen, who might be spared simply by proximity to said prophecy child keeping her alive. Non-game "canon" screwed her over hard. (FR canon and I have a complicated relationship, it must be said. All copies of those books are to be ritualistically burned.)

idk where I'm going with this, I just love how bleak the situation in the city is. No grand destinies, only a discardable pawn to be used, abused and consumed.

...And also that part where Tethyr sends an army to kill you because obviously you are guilty of "crimes against [Tethyr] and, indeed, all of humanity!" by supposedly killing a whole city: They admit they can't prove it, but you're a child of murder, you were born guilty even if you didn't actively do anything.

No, really:

General Jamis Tombelthen: "You are guilty, [Charname]. Of this there is no doubt. And we will not risk your further endangerment of us all. You are a spawn of Bhaal and responsible for the destruction of the city of Saradush*. Your execution has been ordered, [Charname]. May the gods have mercy on your soul."

* I implore you to move with great urgency to intercept the Bhaalspawn before they can do any more damage. Whether or not they are responsible for what occurred in Saradush, we cannot allow them to continue and cannot afford the time for trial... - Tombelthen's orders, courtesy of the Queen of Tethyr

#No I am not done obsessing over the Children of Bhaal: I just love these poor fucks ok #(I have an hour or two's spare time will I use it on anything important? No I'll babble about a decades old game and then get back to work) #This has been Original Baldurs Gate Propaganda Hours #Also don't hire any sex workers in Saradush: they only want to eat your blood #bg2 spoilers #babbling #long post #/durge #/charname

[ckret2]

Hey, do the Henchmaniacs actually consider Bill a friend and vice versa or just a means to an end, in Weridmaggedon it didn't seem like they were actual friends but more like he controls them through intimidation and they follow him because they have a similar goal. Does Bill just not know how to act towards friends in a healthy way but still consider them such? Love your fic btw.

It varies from member to member.

Most of them, if not all, did consider him a friend—often their best friend—when they joined.

Some still consider him a friend, some call him a friend because they desperately want him to be, some call him a friend because of the sunk cost fallacy ("if I've done this much and gone this far for him, and I CAN'T even count him a friend, then what was it all for??"), some call him a friend because they fear the consequences if they don't, some call him a friend because it's convenient and he wants them to but they solely consider him a resource, a boss, an ally, whatever.

He both does and doesn't see them as friends; he can change his mind twice a sentence without changing it at all. It depends on how he feels at any given time. Yes they're his friends because he's desperately lonely and he craves friends; no they're not his friends because he's above them and they're idiots and they're useful but he certainly doesn't like them. He loves none of them; but he loves how they love him. He tells himself they love him, except when it's useful for him to tell himself they fear him.

But: if they ONLY feared him, they wouldn't stick around. There's a mix of fear and admiration, fear and camaraderie, fear and affection. Something to balance out the arm-twisting, the feeling of always being watched, the ever-present psychological pressure.

Intimidation is a tactic of last resort. Intimidation doesn't mean he's lost his temper; it means the Henchmaniac screwed up. It's an effective punishment but it's a poor way to maintain long term control.

It's a lot easier to control people by convincing them you're the best thing that's ever happened to them and you have their best interests at heart.

You can see how he controls them in the last chapter. His power is laced through the entire scene.

A side-effect of growing up in the Henchmaniacs was that Paci-Fire regarded The Authorities as a nebulous bogeyman that was personally out to get him and all his family and friends. Do you think he picked up that belief accidentally?

"Oh, yeah, pretty much every world in my galaxy was still ground bound when Bill recruited me." Go after someone who isn't knowledgeable about the multiverse; who doesn't know Bill's reputation; and who can't call on the people he left behind to help him get home...

"But the rent's really reasonable for a place this size in this part of the Nightmare Realm." ...then minimize the resources he has to get out—finances included—and make him think you're doing him a favor.

"Bill Cipher was always a most droll prankster." Get the people around you to laugh off your cruel, controlling behavior as "just a joke." Do you think they'd call charging just one guy rent a "prank" if Bill hadn't done similar things in the past and gone "C'mooon, relax, it's just a joke!"?

"I mean—I was paying it to Bill. But I dunno who took that over, so I guess, kinda... no one?" "You were supposed to give it to me now." Keep people close by who will back up your bull. (Useful if they tear each other down; they'll be more likely to resent each other than you.)

"I don't know... Bill and I were talking about them once, and I realized they're as bad as Mom was. Bill said probably the only reason they didn't treat me as bad is because they never got the opportunity—" Make him believe you're the only one who cares about him. Cut him off from potential support networks.

"Face it: the only reason the rest of us didn't leave the Nightmare Realm millennia ago is because Bill couldn't leave." Keep them all isolated.

"Bill's not a liar!" The people who have been around him the longest have sunk so much into trusting him and following him that they can't afford to think it might have been lies.

"The only reason we've stayed so long is because everyone's too starstruck or too scared to ditch him!" 8 Ball's hit the nail on the head. To some extent, he's figured out how Bill operates and he's gotten past the stage where he tells himself it'll be all right if he just sticks it out...

8 Ball, he'd tried to split four or five times before crawling back, but Kryptos didn't care about him anyway. Bill had always been right about him: he was too selfish to care about the rest of the gang but too stupid to make it on his own. They'd taken in losers like that before. ...and, not coincidentally, Bill's been badmouthing and undermining 8 Ball to the others. "Selfish," "stupid," "loser." Also: 8 Ball, too, has been unable to make it out—do you think Bill offered any help any of those times he tried to leave?

The shapes were here because Bill had promised to make them a new home. He was the only one in all of reality who could do it. They'd held fast to Bill's promise for a trillion years. Who would they be if they lost it? Hell of a sunk cost. If you've been waiting one trillion years for somebody to fulfill a promise, any rational person would assume they'll never fulfill it; but, after waiting one trillion years, how can you possibly leave? When you've waited an eternity of eternities? Was it all just a waste? But it'll all be worth it, if—when—he keeps his promise.

Yet he was still here, and still waiting, because he didn't know what else to do. And who was it that convinced the shapes to pin their every single hope for the future on Bill?

You didn't get many chances to be the star of the show when you lived around a supernova like Bill. And what do you think being kept down like that so long does to somebody's sense of self-esteem and self-sufficiency?

Be their protector; keep them dependent on you; keep them isolated; convince them to give up everything (time, money, family, freedom) for you; ensure they have nowhere else to turn.

And that is how Bill controls the Henchmaniacs. His friends will never leave him if he's given them no other choice!

Because when he does leave them a choice, inevitably, they do leave, and it breaks his heart. They leave him quickly, and angrily, and never come back.

Gee, I wonder why.

(I've said before I headcanon Bill's backstory as a former cult leader. Honestly? I shouldn't be saying "former.")

#anonymous #ask #about my writing #bill goldilocks cipher #(thanks for giving me an opportunity to highlight all the little sinister threads subtly laced into the chapter)

[kanerallels]

Finally, I have a fic worth posting for @jacensyndullaweek! (although I do have one thing that I'm gonna end up posting late that I want to share)

Prompt: Culture/Heritage

Rating: G

Read here on AO3!!

1. Sabine

“Are you sure Ezra’s gonna be okay with this?” Jacen frowned at Sabine as they headed into the cockpit of the New Dawn.

“Rule number one of art as a Mandalorian,” Sabine said. “Never ask. Just do. Unless it’s Hera’s room. Then you ask. Besides, the Dawn needs a little brightening up. No ship should be entirely gray.”

The boy wavered for another second, then grinned. “Okay, cool! Where are we starting?”

“That’s more like it.” Sabine paused, turning in a circle. “That wall,” she said, pointing. “You start there, and I’ll start on the other side.”

“What should I paint?” Jacen asked as she passed him the box full of small finger paint cans she’d bought just for this— it was a good place to start for a beginner.

Pulling out her paint guns, Sabine said, “Whatever you want. If you don’t know, start with a feeling. Or something you know. Just don’t hesitate. When you’re doing graffiti, you need to be confident. Got it?”

Jacen nodded, his eight-year-old face screwed up into a serious expression as he pulled out green and blue paint. “I got it.”

“Good. Let’s get started.”

2. Zeb

“Okay,” Hera said, pinching the bridge of her nose. Zeb recognized this expression— she’d worn it about a thousand times while lecturing him and Ezra back in the day. “Run it past me one more time. How in the name of the Force did you break your arm, Jacen?”

Wincing, Zeb said, “It was an accident, I swear.”

“It was!” Jacen agreed earnestly, struggling to push himself upright in the hospital bed and wincing slightly. Hera pressed her lips into a straight line— never a good sign.

“Why don’t you start from the beginning?” Kanan offered from next to Hera. His expression was serene, and he brushed a gentle palm against Hera’s arm, which seemed to calm her a little bit.

“Right,” Zeb said. “So, I was talking to the kid about some of the old sports they had back on Lasan.”

“And there was this one where the greatest warriors would jump from rock spire to rock spire, show off their climbing skills,” Jacen said, his eyes gleaming. “So I asked Uncle Zeb to show me—”

“—and he asked to try it out—”

“—and I fell,” Jacen concluded.

Throwing her hands in the air, Hera said, “And you didn’t even think about the fact that Jacen could get hurt doing that?”

“Well, Lasat cubs usually didn’t,” Zeb offered. “I guess I forgot that humans have more fragile bones. No offense.”

Kanan let out a choking noise that Zeb immediately knew was a snort of laughter, and hastily disguised it as a cough. Hera shot him a sideways glare, but her expression softened a few seconds later as she sighed.

“Thank you for trying to teach Jacen, but you do need to be careful. Next time, maybe start with something a little easier? Or make sure Kanan or Ezra are there to catch him?”

“Absolutely,” Zeb agreed. 

As Hera turned to talk to the approaching doctor, Jacen leaned towards Zeb. “Can we try it again when my arm gets better?” he whispered.

“Only if you get better at not falling,” Zeb whispered back. “I don’t want your parents to skin me alive.”

“Deal!”

3. Kanan

“Hey, Dad?”

Kanan lifted his head, pulled out of his meditation trance by his son’s voice. Tracking him to the doorway to his and Hera’s room, he waved for him to come in as he said, “What’s going on, kiddo?”

He heard Jacen move into the room and drop down into a similar posture in front of him. “I’m doing this school project— we’re doing family trees,” he explained. “And I need your help.”

Kanan chuckled. “With this family, I’m not surprised. Where’d you get tripped up? Miss an aunt or uncle?”

“Nah,” Jacen said, his matching grin clear in his voice. “Grandparents, actually. I got Grandpa Cham and Grandma Eleni on Mom’s side, but I don’t really know any on your side.”

Nodding thoughtfully, Kanan said, “Well, you and I are in the same boat there, actually. I never knew my biological parents.”

“Okay— so should I just leave it blank?”

Kanan frowned, stroking his beard. “You could,” he said slowly, turning the question over in his mind. It might have been easier just to leave it that way. But the point of these family trees— he assumed— were that the kids didn’t forget where and who they’d come from. The people who’d shaped their lives before those lives had even really begun. “Let me show you something,” he told Jacen, getting to his feet.

He knew the layout of the room well by this time, and it was a matter of ease to step over to the shelf nearby and pull down one of the holodisks stacked there. Turning it on, he let it rest in his palm and held it out to Jacen. “What do you see?”

“Um, two people— a man and a woman. Looks like they’re posing for a picture,” Jacen said. “The woman has braids, and she’s laughing. The guy’s more serious, but he’s smiling a little. He’s taller and bald, looks like he has darker skin than the woman.” He paused, then said, “They’re both wearing Jedi robes. Are these—”

“The woman is my master, Depa Billaba,” Kanan said, turning off the holodisk. “And the man is her master, Mace Windu. A friend recovered this holo for me a year or two ago. It’s the only thing I have left of them.” Reaching out, he pressed it into Jacen’s hand. “They are as close to family as I ever had.”

Jacen was silent for a moment, and Kanan waited, knowing his son was thinking. “Thanks for showing me, Dad,” he finally said.

“Any time, kiddo.”

4. Ezra

“Why are we going here again?”

Ezra glanced at Jacen, who was bouncing on his heels with impatience. “I thought you said we were going to do Jedi stuff,” the fifteen year old pointed out.

“We are going to,” Ezra said truthfully. “We’re just making a stop first.” Looking both ways, he started across the street, keeping one eye on Jacen as he followed him. The kid had finally outgrown his habit of forgetting to look before he leapt— mostly. At the very least, he looked both ways before he crossed the street now.

He was still willing to throw himself headfirst into situations, though, not unlike both of his parents. That included Jedi training, and Ezra knew that he should be just as excited as Jacen was for this.

And he was, really. He was just also pretty sure Kanan had chosen wrong, and that his old master should be training Jacen himself. 

But that wasn’t the point. Right now wasn’t actually about that. Right now was about visiting somewhere he hadn’t been since he’d gotten back from the Unknown Regions, and showing Jacen a new piece of Lothal.

Turning a corner, he spotted the old warehouse. Even just the outside looked different than it had in the years during the war— no guards, and the door was wide open.

He looked at Jacen. “Did your mom and dad ever tell you about this place?” When the boy shook his head, Ezra explained, “During the war, this was where the main black market congregated, particularly around Life Day. I used to come here all the time— mainly when I was by myself, but I came with Kanan and the others a couple times.”

Starting towards the entrance, he continued, “But Lothal doesn’t really need a black market any more— so now it’s just a regular one. One of Lothal’s hidden treasures. I thought you should see it.”

They stopped at the entrance together, and Ezra took in the familiar sights. He recognized some faces— the elderly owner of the stall selling woven blankets, the Gotal who pretended not to notice when he’d stolen a few kebabs every now and then— and noticed others missing. 

The war had changed everything, but they were putting it back together, slowly but surely.

He looked at Jacen, who was taking in the place with wide eyes. “So. Lunch, then training?”

“Sounds good,” the boy said with a grin.

5. Hera

“And you’re sure you’re ready for this?” Hera checked as she, Kanan, and Jacen headed towards the small building awaiting them.

Her son gave her a grin. “Mom, we’ve talked about this like twenty times now. I’m seventeen— I’m ready. You got your tattoos way younger than this.”

Wincing at the memory of the needle’s sting, Hera said, “I know. That’s why I’m checking. I don’t want you to do it just because someone said you couldn’t, like I did. It was terrifying—”

“And you were like eight,” Jacen pointed out. “Of course that would be terrifying. But trust me— I want to do this. I already got Dad’s looks, and I want to honor your side, too.”

Kanan, who’d been silent thus far, spoke up. “He’s right, Hera. Besides, he’s almost eighteen. Even if you put your foot down, he’d only be delaying it for a couple months.”

Letting out a sigh, Hera said, “I suppose I can’t argue with that.”

“Nope!” Jacen said cheerfully. “Besides, you let Dad get the tattoos.”

“Your father is a full grown man,” Hera said. “And incredibly stubborn, I might add.”

Kanan let out a snort. “I think we all know who the stubborn one is in this relationship, Captain Hera.”

Grabbing the door handle, Jacen said, “Yeah, I know better than to get involved in this argument. Come on— Ivri’s already inside!”

Hera followed his nod to where Jacen’s friend, the half-Mirialan boy with a perpetual smile, was waiting for them next to the Twi’leki tattoo artist. “Alright,” she said reluctantly.

“Go ahead, Jacen,” Kanan told him, catching hold of Hera's arm. “Your mom and I will catch up with you in a minute. Don’t choose anything obscene or too embarrassing while we’re gone, okay?”

Grinning, Jacen said, “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

As he ducked inside, the door swinging shut behind him, Kanan lifted an eyebrow at Hera. “What are the odds of him listening to that?”

“Well he has your genes, so about fifty-fifty.”

“Harsh.” Kanan paused, then said, “You okay about this?”

Unable to hold back a wry smile, Hera said, “You know me well, love. But… yeah, I am. Mostly. It’s just…” she looked through the window where Jacen and his friend were chatting with the Twi’lek. “Our little boy is growing up,” she said with a sigh. “It’s strange.”

“You’re telling me,” Kanan said with a sigh. “At least he’s less likely to shoot himself into the Unknown Regions than the last one is.”

Hera snorted with amusement. “He’d better be, or we’ll be having words.”

“I believe it.” Offering her his arm, Kanan said, “Shall we?”

Taking a deep breath, Hera looped her arm around his. “Okay. Let’s do this.” She let him lead her into the tattoo parlor, trying not to think about just how much her son was growing up.

We’re proud of him, though, she thought with a twinge. And he’s still our son. 

+1. Trill

(set a few weeks before the last chapter of Disproving The Love At First Sight Theory)

Jacen sensed it as soon as Trill woke up. Generally speaking, he wasn’t terribly skilled at sensing living beings— not the way his dad or sister were, and definitely not the way Ezra was. His master was one with the living Force in a way Jacen never had been.

But this didn’t seem to be true for Trill, for whatever reason. Jacen could always sense it when she woke up, and could track her pretty easily throughout the ship. It was like he was attuned to her, more than he was to anyone else.

Sometimes he wondered why that was, but since he was currently living in close quarters with not only her, but also the galaxy’s nosiest Kalleran, he decided not to spend too much time on it.

It was about ten minutes after she woke up that she made her way into the New Dawn’s kitchen. Stifling a yawn, she said, “Morning— what’s that smell?”

“Good morning,” Jacen said cheerfully. “Remember that mysterious package I… picked up on Cantonica yesterday?”

Trill arched an eyebrow at him. “You mean the one that you stole from the hotel and smuggled out under your poncho?”

“That’s the one,” Jacen said. “But the people there are corrupt and tried to kill us like four times, so it doesn’t count. Anyways— behold! Our new waffle maker!”

He flourished a hand at the maker, which stood on the counter, emanating the delicious smell of cooking waffles. Trill frowned at it, then directed the expression at Jacen. “You stole a waffle maker?”

“You’re focusing on the wrong thing here,” Jacen told her. “Remember, they tried to kill us. But also, yeah. Now we can have waffles for breakfast!”

Settling at the table, Trill swept her loose hair out of her eyes, and Jacen tried to pretend like his gaze hadn’t followed the movement, and lingered for just a moment. “Okay, I’ll bite. What’s so important about waffles?”

The iron beeped, and Jacen turned towards it. Rolling up his sleeves, he flipped it open and started to remove the waffle with a fork, responding to Trill’s question as he did.

“It’s a family tradition. My dad makes the best waffles in the galaxy— Uncle Zeb makes the second best, tied with me. We always used to eat them whenever my mom would get back from a dangerous mission, or before Ezra and I would leave, or any special occasion like that.” Maneuvering the waffle onto a plate, he slid it towards Trill. “And I guess… I wanted to share that with you. If you’re interested.”

She looked surprised, in that way she always did whenever Jacen said something like this. It was the kind of surprise that made him think maybe, just maybe… she’d stick around. 

For a minute, Trill held his gaze, then offered him a smile. “I— I am. Thank you.”

Don’t read into it, Jacen ordered himself, ignoring the way his heart skipped a beat at her smile. Aloud, he said, “Good. Cause I have a feeling Kasmir’s gonna be here soon, and he’ll be hungry. So you’d better get started on that waffle.”

“Will do,” Trill said, hopping up to grab a fork. Turning back to his work, Jacen felt himself grinning. Starting out a day with waffles and Trill? It really couldn’t get much better than that.

#jacen syndulla week #jacen syndulla week 2023 #jacen syndulla #sabine wren #garazeb orrelios #kanan jarrus #ezra bridger #hera syndulla #trill gedyc #jacen syndulla x oc #star wars rebels #swr #janus kasmir #star wars rebels fan fic #swr fan fic #writing stories is a kind of magic too

[sushis-wild-imagination]

New Years With You (SeungCheol x reader)

Part of the Over a Decade Series.

Summary: Its New Years and Y/N is wasted.

Seventeen Masterlist <3

“Yah, y/n’s knocked out, how are we gonna get her home?” 

“I can get home” you slurred and almost passed out.

“We’re screwed”

One of your friends puts her head in her hand. You were drunk as hell laying on the floor of one of her friends' empty house. It was New Years and you and your friends were drinking, you were too excited you ended up drinking even before it was 12 and you were also out before it was 12.

They were pacing around while suddenly one of them clicked on one of your friends. 

“Choi Seungcheol is in town”

On the other side of the neighborhood, Choi Seunghcheol, who came back from uni to celebrate Christmas and new years with his family, receives a distress call from your friends about you being completely wasted. It was one of your first times getting drunk. You didn’t even know your capacity.

The girls greeted Seungcheol as he was their senior in school. He squats down to your level and you sit up.

“Yah Who is this?” You ask, you weren't even sure who that was because your vision was so blurry. You poke his cheek with your index finger to feel his dimples.

“He’s handsome” you say and this bring sone giggles in the room.

“Y/N calling me handsome? Oh, You’re a goner” he sighs.

“Let’s get you home” he pulls you by the arm and up on your feet.

He ends up helping you out of the house. It was a small neighborhood you could just walk home it was that close.

You were singing some random kpop song really loudly and could hear him say “we’re screwed” under his breath. You stumbled while he helps you not face plant into the concrete.

“Is it 12 yet?” You ask suddenly and you stop singing.

“Not yet, 5 minutes more” he looks at his wrist watch.

“Quick make a wish” your drunk self says.

Your drunk self joins your hands as you try not to wobble and lose balance. You start a monologue.

“I pray for eomma, I hope she’s healthy and happy, I hope she gets a million customers for her restaurant”

Cheol giggles at that.

“Appa... don’t have one”

His heart sinks listening to what you had just said. He was not sure if you were sentimental or just straight up stating facts.

“Next is..... the number one friend in my entire life” she does a little twirl when she says the ‘entire.’

“Choi SeungCheol, my best friend of more than 10 years, I wish him happiness and success, but we fought, a few months ago” you say, tearing up a little. Boy, Alcohol really did a number on you.

“I miss him”

His heart melts hearing it. He puts his hand under your chin to lift it up to see your eyes. “Yah, you're crying?!” He asks you chuckling and fixing your jacket that was almost falling off, it was freezing outside.

“He’s so nice and kind, I’m so thankful that he’s constantly looking out for me, I wish allllllll his problems go away and he’s always happy,” you continued covering your face with your hands.

"Wait" Confusion took over your face.

“Would being happy all the time drive him insane?” You ask the air. 

“Ah whatever” You brush it off and that makes Cheol laugh out loud. “He’s my best friend” you drunk cried.

Seungcheol found this adorable. He pats your hair saying ‘aigoo aigoo aigoo’ while you hold on to his bicep trying not to trip on your feet, it felt like the road beneath you was floating away, like you were on a treadmill. He had gotten a lot more buff since he started going to uni. A lot more manly. He became a lot more attractive than he already was.

The sudden fireworks really scared the shit out of you and you jumped.

“Is it 12 now?” You ask confused. “I guess so”

Your drunk self pulls Cheols by his jacket to press your lips against his. Seungcheol froze under your touch but snaps back to his senses like a second later. You could hear the fireworks behind you. He pulls away not knowing if this is something you want or you were just being drunk. 

“You have to kiss someone at 12, its a rule! You don’t know the rules?” You say after you pull back but still close.

Seungcheol was frozen, he never fully realised these feelings that come and go. It drove him nuts that he could never figure out how he felt about you. His eyes don't leave yours.

"I don't, I don't know" he responds softly.

#svt #svt fanfic #svt seungcheol #svt scenarios #seventeen #seungcheol #seungcheol x reader #scoups #scoups x reader #seventeen x reader #seventeen imagines #seventeen fanfic #caratland #carat #carats #idol!reader #idol x reader #svt dad #scoups dad #scoups fluff #scoups scenarios

[genderisareligion]

Sorry for all the personal posts lately but I'm legitimately scared for my life and can't leave the state I'm in right now. I have no idea what to do, pretty much no one I've ever known is helping me because I'm under a conservatorship I don't even remember agreeing to and can't possibly afford the lawyer to get me out of this. Not trying to be dramatic at all, I want to live, I don't feel suicidal, but I'm literally out of options, can't afford to feed myself the way I need to with this horrible eating disorder from Autism and childhood neglect, and feel death is imminent unless I agree to go back to these strange psych wards she can send me to where they can break the law freely like she can for some reason.

My mother is content to have me drive around in a giant van full of my things and my 5 year old cat, days after just being thrown into solitary confinement for no reason I was aware of (see pinned post), days after being denied not one but two public defenders that I am legally owed, because she's too immature to open the garage with MY LOCK AND KEY ON IT to just let me either put the rest of my things in there out of her sight or take everything and take it somewhere else. Where though??? She's spoken to almost everyone I know somehow, family friends anyone and told them whatever the fuck she wants about me, I guess, I don't get to speak for myself or correct it, even my "best friend" last year has completely blocked me. For some reason they believe her despite her ugly ass "son" (excuse for a living being) being a fucking rapist who she will protect to the death. HUH? Were you all faking the feminism allyship that entire time, like the 9-10 years you knew me, some of you? I'm about to start posting names because that's fucking insane.

I have the video and will post it, she called the police last night because I was parked behind her house out of necessity. Fresh out of the illegal solitary, spent like 8 hours getting "home," only for my landlord via the snake filled women's center (long story) to try and kick me out immediately and attempt to call the cops again if I'm not fast enough. What happens when I get to my mother's? Same shit, she's talking to me like I'm the r-slur they still say willy willy so I put my headphones in. That's illegal too, now I can't be anywhere near her house or she will have me arrested. Last night, and just about an hour ago (what my video is from).

THIS MORNING I CALLED THE POLICE ON HER because I wanted to know how the fuck she can do this and keep me away from the rest of my shit and my shit in her garage and refuse to give my cat a home even though she adopted him, when she is obviously my conservator and my disability checks have to go there and she has unnecessary financial and social control of everything right now. The only reason my address isn't where I've actually lived on the ID is because some other woman my mother spoke to got me drunk and stole my ID so that I had to put my ex's address on it. Collectively trying to isolate me out there to... what? FOR WHAT? Be trapped with the "woman" who's planning on beating me and choking me?

If you have it in you please boost this to let people know what's going on with me and why I'm not posting the same at all. Does anyone have any idea what the fuck I do??? Cannot afford a lawyer whatsoever would have to be entirely pro bono, so I'm screwed.

I don't want to die. My own mother wants me to. Unsure what to do

#shadow.txt

[youcallyourselfafilmcritic]

Musing on the Shermie Timeline Controversy in Gravity Falls

I love that Hirsh and the rest of the Gravity Falls staff being so bad at maths to realise depicting Shermie as an infant when Stan was being thrown out of the house as a teenager said some troubling things about the Pines Twins' existence so fans have had to argue thus:

1. Shermie AND Shermie's kid were teen parents

OR

2. The baby IS Shermie's kid (so one of the Pines' parents) and he can't take care of them for whatever reason (fans usually headcanon Vietnam)

(Another possibility is that Stan is stupidly inaccurate on describing the story but you think Ford would have impertinently corrected him lol)

Two issues with the "It's Shermie's baby" theory:

1. Principal says the Pines only have two sons-This wouldn't add up if Shermie was already in high school which the whole "fighting in Vietnam/infant son at home" would imply he's older than the Twins

2. So the Pines erased Stanley entirely from their lives-pretend he never existed.

Dipper and Mabel don't know he exists at all-they just have one great uncle hence why the Ford twist can even happen (and they didn't know about the car crash where Stan faked his death until Not What He Seems)

Ford keeping that charade up makes sense as it's heavily implied he barely interacted with his family after going to college and he was still angry at Stan-but Shermie?

Like Stan's parents suck but it feels a little weird that Shermie would never mention this to his own kid unless he actively despised his brother or is a terrible person (or maybe terrified of his parents who swore him to secrecy).

And like he wasn't involved in the scenario where Stan got kicked out and everyone outside of Stan's father seems to be on good terms with Stanley.

It's not entirely out of the realm of possibility but the timeline has a lot less wonk in it and it's a lot less adding stuff to the timeline (like Shermie hating Stan/Shermie being terrified of his parents or whatever headcanons you want to rationalise this i f Shermie never knew Stanley existed and he only had one brother who he barely spent time with.

So I'm leaning towards baby Shermie very young teen father and father of very young teen parent. Guess this family had more issues than a screw up like Stan

#Gravity Falls #Shermie #That Damn Baby Destroying Timeline Analysts for nearly a decade now #This is an obvious continuity error ah well still love this show #Pines twins #Stanford Pines #Ford #Stanley Pines

[gloriousmonsters]

what is the new book concept?? (if you don’t mind sharing — but if you do mind it’s ok not to reply)

also what is that font you used btw? is there a full alphabet somewhere and if so would you mind sharing the link? i like that it’s a very understated gothic-looking serif. or very calligraphic looking i guess

sure thing!! with the understanding it's a lot more half-baked than most of the ideas I've been talking about, so i'm going to briefly walk you through the few ideas that went into it before explaining (also briefly) what it is so far, lol. Also, the font is Fondamento - it was one of the fonts available in Photopea (free online photoshop-like) which I used to make the cover, but it looks like it's also on Google Fonts. If you want to know how I did the bronze metallic-ink-ish look for the text I can expound on that as well, btw, or you can just enjoy the font :)

So I've been having a resurgence of my Tempest emotions

(for those who are unfamiliar. i would summarize it, but it would take a long time. just. find a summary and read it with a MASSIVE grain of salt that's labeled 'prospero is an asshole and nobody understands Caliban but tumblr user gloriousmonsters and the poet Robert Browning')

and this time reading it was especially having fun with the parallels between Caliban and Miranda's characters and also thinking about how EXTREMELY weird and screwed up their relationship would have been growing up.

Despite interpretations/stories based on it sometimes having it otherwise, in canon neither of them seem to have ever seen or spoken to Ariel (at least in capacity as A Person You Can Talk to; Caliban is more aware of the spirits Prospero commands in abstract, at least). Aside from Prospero, who is notoriously not good at being present for what he's supposed to be looking after, they are the only human being the other one knows. It's serving twisted Eden vibes. It's serving tmg's 'the last man on earth'. it's serving 'not that Prospero would have encouraged it, but to an extent they must have seen each other as family, right? especially in Miranda's case, considering she grew up her entire life with him. the psuedoincest is off the charts'. Then shit goes bad (in whatever way you want to interpret) and now suddenly they're in a place of seeing each other daily, because Caliban does literally everything around the place, but having an uncrossable rift of mutual hurt and betrayal between them* that has little choice but to curdle and get worse because neither of them can do anything to change their situation. Depending on how lines are assigned, they never speak to each other in the play. And they have nobody else to talk to save for cursing out Prospero (Caliban) or trying to get in two words between Prospero's monologues (Miranda). And then the play events happen and they just part ways because Prospero has decided it, after probably expecting they'd be stuck in this forever. And then the next-to-only person you've ever known is on a different landmass and you're probably never going to see them again. it's So fucked.

Anyway I was revolving all of that with quiet awe in my head, and going 'man, I want to write a fucked up Caliban/Miranda book, but I don't have a non-play plot and I don't want to just write a prequel'

Then I encountered Caliban upon Setebos for the first time, and despite the fact i could still nitpick some things it slaps insanely. Only good Tempest fanfiction. It's a long poem consisting of Caliban theorizing about Setebos--a god his mother supposedly got her witch powers from, but that Caliban knows very little about. He theorizes that Setebos is either indifferent or malignant or both--impossible to predict, driven by whim. The only other divine force is 'the Quiet', an even more inhuman and incomprehensible force that doesn't do anything at all; cosmology is cruel, the world a sandbox under the eye of a god with as many arms as a cuttlefish, capricious and sadistic, whom we can only hope will someday grow decrepit and sleep, which is the closest to it being dead we can pray for--

It was about this point I realized Caliban/Browning was inventing the Lovecraft mythos 50ish years ahead of schedule, and got hit by the lightning bolt of 'PUT ELDRITCH BEINGS IN IT' and, five seconds later 'CALIBAN DESERVES TO BE A MAGICIAN' and five seconds after that 'miranda deserves to break out of being her father's Perfect child, let's set it in the future and kill Prospero off'

So Bitter Heart (taken from a line in the poem, 'Caliban/a bitter heart that bides its time') is conceptually a dual perspective novella/short novel focused on how about nine years after the conclusion of The Tempest, Miranda (unmarried, I'll handwave it; Ferdinand bores me so much sorry dude) finds her father dead and surrounded by rambling half-incomprehensible notes, remnants of a type of magic that's far different from his old ways, and a creeping sense of Wrongness that begins to slowly manifest in distortion, mutation and decay of elements of reality. People search for solutions while Miranda tries to find the source of the bizarre power in her father's notes and what hidden books she can unearth from his study, but she hasn't made it very far before a man comes to Milan at the behest of someone who's decided we should throw magic at the magic problem--a man she's heard rumors of as the hot new 'guy you keep in your court for a bit to show him off at parties because he's learned and also Moorish or something, he has this crazy backstory that's probably fake but is a lot of fun, also he does magic probably' in other cities, but never met.

A man who, when they meet face to face, turns out to be Caliban, who after about a year of 'finally peace and quiet' realized that living completely alone on an island was going to drive him insane and also he still really wanted revenge on Prospero (and had a lot of ambiguous ideas about what he wanted from Miranda) so he scraped together what Prospero had left behind and taught himself magic for the next few years until he could figure out a way off the island. He's extremely annoyed that after that, and after spending more years building himself up and finding his footing in the outside world, Prospero had the nerve to die RIGHT before he showed up, even if he wasn't promised a reward if he can stop people's arms from turning into fishes and shit he'd find out what did it so he can give it a piece of his mind. Miranda understandably never planned for this scenario and has a really hard time knowing what to feel about it, but she and Caliban form a tentative truce in order to try and figure out wtf Prospero was doing before he croaked.

There'll be intercut flashbacks to their past and the time they spent becoming incredibly codependent and eventually tipping into confused romantic attraction and sexual experimentation, which both of them have tried very hard to convince themselves was a bad idea for one reason or another, it clearly wasn't and will never be good for them, etc; and of course in present day they both immediately resume having bitter gothic sexual tension and trying to ignore the instinct that, now they've met each other again, they're the only two real people in a world of dreams and spirits.

Also they have to find the entrance to an eldritch realm and figure out what's coming through and how to stop it, and have a lot of insanely weird and pretentious thoughts/conversations about God and sin and abuse and vengeance/hatred and so on. So that's the mess Bitter Heart is at the moment :P

*ymmv may vary on how justified on either side depending on the situation, obviously

#vic talks #some do it for enjoyment; others for employment #bitter heart #this is SO long and messy i can't look at it any longer -_- hopefully it's semi comprehensible

[thehylianidiot]

Pet peeve with Alvarez Arc time. (I swear there are parts I enjoy with the final arc [an entire country led by the immortal death mage against Fairy Tail while there's also a dragon king that screws everything up with every onscreen appearance on his way is such a cool setup] there are just lots o' parts that bug me)

Gray vs. Natsu

Because Gray, this is the final arc. Why are you going into rage mode against Natsu? I know there's the demon thing, but why are you ignoring the whole family values thing of your guild right now? Use that power of friendship where it counts dangit!

So here's a thought. The END part of Natsu activates. It has one goal: kill Zeref. Let's let him get real close to succeeding.

So the first one to make it to the guildhall is END. And you can guess how one unstable suicidal immortal is going to react to a surefire death method. Probably not suddenly want to live.

So END charges forward, a raging inferno with one target in mind.

And a pillar of ice stops the demon.

Because when Gray found out who END was, he put two and two together. If Zeref dies, Natsu also dies. And he's not gonna let Natsu throw his life away like that, even if that means pissing off the unstable death mage.

So he's using his devil slayer powers not to kill a demon, but to save one of his family.

Now, we have the setup for an interesting three way battle. Because not only does Gray have to stop Natsu from attacking, he also has to defend himself from whatever Zeref's throwing his way. And he's basically the only sane one here.

This not only gives Gray a moment to shine, it also is a parallel to when Natsu stopped him from using Iced Shell on Galuna Island (and demonstrates that he moved on since then). And the stakes are certainly high, because Gray both has to stay alive and keep Natsu alive. And since he's handling a battle on two sides, the odds are stacked against him.

But in the end, he is able to trap END and carry him out of there. And someone else enters the ring to deal with Zeref for the time being (maybe Lucy? She got a lot of backstory reveals in this arc, so maybe take this opportunity to get the full scoop on Anna).

Here, Gray wouldn't need to do lost iced shell because he got his moment here. (and since his arc is living instead of getting held up with his figurative and literal demons, wouldn't attempting that spell be counterproductive to his growth, or is it just me?)

I low-key might be slowly trying to work on a one shot on this, but only work on it when inspiration hits, so it will probably take like a year to get 1,000 words in.

Thanks for reading this post. Any thoughts?

#oneshot ideas #fairy tail #fairy tail au #gray fullbuster #natsu dragneel #zeref dragneel #fairy tail gray #fairy tail natsu #fairy tail zeref #what if #sort of in progress #i swear i will finish a oneshot #one of these days

[12timetraveler]

All Hallows Eve

I can't find the damn post from last year so guess I'm making a new post

Some of the VDL boys react to having a witchy SO who is celebrating samhain (sah-win) or All Hallows Eve.

Notes:

The October full moon for 1898 was on the 29th, just before All Hallows Eve. So that year would have been a little extra crazy. So this takes place before Blackwater.

Note: I'm a firm believer that one's craft is very individual and no one is going to practice the same, so I tried to keep things general but there's no way I could cover the many ways people practice Samhain/All Hallows Eve.

Arthur

Arthur has seen enough crazy supernatural shit in this world that he doesn't even question anything about your craft. He's even taken you out a few times to try and help him understand the ghost in the swamp.

So when you tell him All Hallows Eve is a night where the veil is paper thin, and all sorts of things can happen, he takes it seriously.

The weeks leading up to it, send him out to gather any herbs or ingredients you need for your spells or ceremonies. he'll come back with saddlebags full-to-bursting.

He approaches you a week before and asks if you can lay some protections around the camp. He's seen too much shit and he doesn't want anything happening to his family. You assured him the odds are slim-to-none, but he still asks you to, just to be safe.

The afternoon of All Hallows Eve you and he ride out to a space far away from camp where you can do what you do that night. If you don't mind him watching, Arthur will sit nearby and respectfully watch. If you prefer to practice in private, he'll step away but stay nearby to keep you safe.

He refuses to participate in any sort of contact with the other side however. He may not be smart, but he knows not to mess with that shit and he's afraid he'll mess it up, even with your guidance.

If you're the type who needs rest afterwards, he'll take you to the nearest hotel and bundle you under the blankets and hold you close, protecting you from the worldly dangers after you've spent the evening dealing with the otherworldly.

If you're feeling like you just chugged an entire pot of coffee, he'll happily follow you across forest and meadow, staying with you and doing anything you ask (and I mean anything ;) sometimes after a spellwork you just gotta screw like rabbits)

John

John's a little quiet at first when you explain the upcoming day. He's always known you walked the path of the ancient ones, but it never really hit him that you were an actual witch.

After he gets over the initial pause, he asks if there's anything he can do to help with your preparations.

Be specific when you ask him to get you things. Mention you need crystals and he's probably gonna bring you back a shiny river rock.

He's got a lot of heart, just not a lot of knowledge on plants or stones. He'll happily get you other things that you may need. (Rabbit bones and the like)

He gathers a whole crate of empty beer bottles for you to fill with moon water. He takes you down to the river where you cleanse your jars and then fill them.

With Abigail's permission you painted Jack's face to keep him safe from evil. Jack thinks it's great.

That night John will happily take you wherever you need to go to do your practice. He'll keep guard, but he feels a little weird watching so unless you have something you specifically need him for, he probably won't watch.

If you're tired afterwards, he'll make a nice little fire and keep you warm.

If you're feeling your oats afterwards, he'll happily go do something. Rob a shop, get a drink in the saloon, whatever you're feeling.

Charles

Charles is immediately focused when you begin explaining the importance of the upcoming day. Having lost most of his culture, he knows how important it is to hold onto one's roots, so he'll do anything he can to help.

Tell him what herbs you need and he'll bring back huge bundles full.

Ask for a pelt to use for casting or an alter cloth, and he'll find you the best pelt he can, of whatever creature you need (rabbit, deer, racoon, fox, anything). The meat can go for your stew that evening.

Lament that you need your crystals and he'll take you out riding to local quarries, river banks, anywhere that you might find some.

Mention that you need something to carve, and he'll come back with saddlebags full of wild pumpkins and squash to carve.

He's super supportive. Anything you need from him, he's there.

He keeps track of the moon for you and helps you set up your jars to make moon water for your work.

The two of you leave camp early in the morning to find a good place for you to do your craft that night.

He's very respectful the whole time. Asks a lot if he can stay or if you need him to take a walk.

If you let him watch, he's mesmerized by your practice. It's so beautiful to watch. Whether your dancing naked among the trees or kneeling over a ouiji board, whatever your practices are, he thinks they're beautiful.

He does ask that you don't try to contact his mother on the other side, and you promise not to. He's not sure why, he just doesn't feel like she'd want to be disturbed. He also believes that she and his other ancestors watch over him so it's not really needed.

If you need rest afterwards, he'll bundle you up in a big warm pelt and curl up by the fire with you, holding you close as you drift off to sleep.

If you're wired after you're done, he'll do whatever you want to do. Though he does try to help you settle eventually so the two of you can get some sleep that night.

Hosea

Hosea certainly doesn't believe in magic. But he had a healthy respect for others beliefs and cultures.

So as Samhain approaches, he begins doing as much research as he can. He asks a thousand questions. What can he do to help? What herbs do you need for your spells?

You ask if you can put up some protections around camp, and he says of course.

Swanson may try and take them down, but Hosea swats him away, lecturing about how disrespectful it is.

"How would you feel if she went around pulling down your crosses?! They serve the same purpose, to protect."

Hosea surprises you with a box full of small, different colored candles which he bought from a traveling witch. And yes he actually bought them. You'd warned him about stealing from witches.

The night of Samhain, he takes you out to a secluded spot to practice your craft. He is fascinated, whether or not he believes in it.

If Bessie is waiting to pass on a message, he'll love to hear it. But he asks you not to call for her specifically.

"Let her get her rest. I'll see her again one day."

If you're the type to get tired after practicing your craft, especially on a day like this with so many spirits around, Hosea will make camp and wrap you in blankets before pulling you close and telling you scary stories.

If you're the type who will frolic in the forest all night, energized by all the power around you, he'll gladly follow, though he may doze off from time to time.

Dutch

Dutch is a skeptic for sure. He's a little patronizing about your practice at times. However when he sees how important this is to you, he's all business.

When you explain some of the more celebratory traditions of Samhain, he's more interested. The gang could always use something to keep spirits up.

He gets everyone involved. You all carve pumpkins to ward of spirits. The women make Jack a mask to wear on the day to hide him from evil.

Dutch sends Arthur to town to get some candy and you set up a little trick-or-treating route in camp for Jack to go tent to tent and get candy.

Dutch encourages you to do your practice in camp for everyone to see. If you're comfortable with this he'll be very excited.

If you're not comfortable with that, explain that it's very personal and he'll let it go, very understanding that some things aren't a spectacle.

That night, after Jack finishes trick-or-treating, the gang throws a party.

If you elect to slip out of camp to practice, Dutch will happily go with you to protect you, even if that's just standing with his back to you.

Yeah Dutch is a skeptic. Contact his mother on All Hallows Eve though and his tune will change.

If you're tired, he'll bring you back to camp and tuck you into bed before doing his rounds at the party.

If you're wide awake, he's happy to dance with you until the wee hours of the morning.

Javier

Javier was raised a good Catholic boy so he balks a little at first when you tell him you're a witch. But he knows you. You're not of the devil. So he agrees to help, though he's a little nervous about it.

Slowly he starts to notice similarities between Samhain and Día de Los Muertos.

The veil is thin and those from the other side can cross over. It's the same basic idea.

He helps you gather what you need for your practice, and you help him set up an ofrenda for his mother and father.

You manage to find some marigolds for him. And he finds you the herbs you need for your work.

The two of you opt to stay relatively close to camp, finding a nice spot in the trees just outside of camp. You spend the evening together, practicing your craft and celebrating his family.

Certainly Samhain and Día de Los Muertos aren't the same. Not at all. But the two of you find a certain harmony with the two, and enjoy celebrating in each other's company.

Sean

Sean gets really excited when you mention Samhain.

He may have been raised Christian, but his family was that wonderful Irish mix of Christian and traditional. He knows not to scoff at something like this.

If you celebrate Devil's Night, he's more than happy to go out and cause mischief and mayhem with you.

He "helps" you make soul bread. And by help, I mean he watches you, stealing bits of dough and wiping flour on your nose while talking non-stop.

The two of you head into town to buy pumpkins and turnips to carve.

Sean of course tries to stick his head in a hollowed pumpkin and gets it stuck. It takes John, Charles and Arthur 30 minutes to break it off of him.

But as the sun begins to set, Sean settles down some. He helps you set the jack-o'-lanterns up around camp to ward off spirits. Scuffs some dirt on Jack's face to keep him hidden.

When you leave camp with Sean, he's very respectful, keeping quiet for the most part except for the occasional "keep us all safe from the wee folk and anything else that's out tonight."

If you do any work contacting those on the other side, try to find his parents. He'll weep openly if you get a message from them.

If you're tired afterwards he'll snuggle you around the fire and tell you spooky stories until you fall asleep.

If you're wide awake, he'll happily get up to more mischief with you. Go get drunk or rob a house or anything really.

Bill

Bill tries. He really does.

But he's barely wrapped his head around "normal" traditions.

Witchcraft is above and beyond him.

Ask for crystals and he'll bring you a stolen diamond necklace.

"Diamonds is crystals ain't they?"

Yeah you'd better just go out and gather everything you need yourself.

He is remarkably good at wrapping herb bundles though. After you dry your herbs, you have him tie off your bundles.

When you invite him to come with you to keep you safe during your practice, he blushes 50 shades of red.

"Don't you... Ain't you gonna be... nekked?!"

Yeah Bill believes the stereotype that witchcraft is dancing naked in the woods.

If that is part of your practice, remind him that he's seen you naked plenty of times in bed.

If that isn't part of your practice, just explain and he'll calm down.

He's a bit jumpy when you go out that night. If you only do some spellwork, he'll settle.

If you start contacting the dead, he'll piss himself. He is very afraid of ghosts.

If you're tired, he'll carry you back to his horse and let you sleep on the ride back to camp before carrying you to bed.

If you're wide awake and horny after your practice, he'll chuckle and pull you close.

"Now I see what you dragged me along."

Micah

Micah thinks it's totally sexy that you're a witch.

He sees it as another form of rebelling from the norm.

He's probably not going to go pick your herbs for you.

But he'll ride out with you to gather anything you need.

I'll be honest, Micah thinks it's some sort of sex thing.

The image of witches dancing around in the woods at night while naked is definitely stuck in his mind.

Explain and he'll get it. Sort of.

Okay he'll probably never understand but if he likes you enough for you to be his S/O, he'll play along.

He might whine about it though.

He'll gladly go with you that night to keep you safe.

He's still half-expecting some sort of orgy.

But he'll keep guard and let you do your craft.

If you're tired afterwards he'll gladly snuggle with you by the fire.

If you're wide awake he'll gladly get up to some mischief with you.

#all hallows eve #rdr2 hcs #rdr2 headcanons

[average-chat-noir-stan]

okay. i just made an entire side blog just to say a few words about feligami (felix, really, i love kagami <33) and i fully hate myself for it.

i’m going to organize this in a list. feel free to agree, disagree with me, whatever, but just please be polite about it. i know how this fandom can be.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT HATE FELIX’S CHARACTER. HE’S AMAZING AND FRANKLY HE SLAYS AS ARGOS. MY PROBLEM IS THAT HE’S TAKING ADVANTAGE OF MY GIRL KAGAMI.

#1: Felix is a manipulator.

Felix has been a manipulator since his introduction in the series. It was…kinda the whole point of his character up until recently. I understand that now they’re trying to rewrite him as “good” or at least as an anti-hero, (and don’t get me wrong, it’s great) but he is still completely manipulating Kagami.

When he says that he’s been “watching her” that fully gives me the creeps. Also, he keeps butting into her business and into Adrien’s. Like, he manipulated Adrien into DISAPPEARING and then took his place, which was originally, I don’t know, a BAD THING during his intro episode? And he literally kidnapped Kagami after having ONE conversation with her because she was attractive??? Hello??? Red flag, anyone???

AND THEN THE EMOTIONAL MANIPULATION WITH THE “SENTIBEING, NOT SENTIMONSTER” MONOLOGUE??? HE KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING.

#2: Every other character that is a manipulator is seen as a villain.

Lila and Gabriel have both been manipulating others this entire season and THEY don’t get a sudden “redemption” arc just because they suddenly have a tragic backstory.

Lila’s been manipulating Kagami too, and that’s CLEARLY being seen as a bad thing. How is what Felix is doing any different? He can’t possibly be in love with her, he doesn’t KNOW her! Just knowing that she’s a sentimonster isn’t nearly enough to know her circumstances.

#3: Kagami is being manipulated, and she isn’t corrected by the writing.

Bro, an entire episode was centered around how Kagami needed to learn not to immediately trust, or at least jump to conclusions about Lila. Again, WHY IS WHAT FELIX IS DOING ANY DIFFERENT??

Why is she allowed to decide that Felix is good for her?? She decided that Lila was good for her, and that’s a bad thing, because Lila’s a villain.

Well, Lila might be cunning, but she’s not a TERRORIST WHO KILLED EVERYONE ON THE ENTIRE PLANET IN A SINGLE EPISODE. JUST SAYING.

Lila may be a villain, but at least we know her motives are to screw with everyone and have power for herself. We know NOTHING about Felix that could justify this. From what I understand, his qualms are with his family. Why can’t he just go to therapy if he wants to reform them?? Or only target them in his schemes?? I mean come on, going for the Miraculous of all things?? He’s got to understand that has GLOBAL consequences, based on how smart the writing is trying to make him.

this has kinda devolved into rambling. i’m just now watching pretention, so if it gets better, i guess i’ll figure it out. gosh, i hate this show.

#feligami #felix salt #not really #just feligami salt #but i figure i should put that in there #kagami tsurugi #felix graham de vanily #felix fathom #miraculous ladybug

[gethoce]

Project Halberd, Chapter 1: Jailbreak

[Next]

Shivering nervously, Axe Knight approaches the futuristic tall iron walls that house the GSA headquarter, carrying a strange treasure chest on his back along with his trusty axe. He never thought he'd stoop as low as to ask them for help. Their reputation amongst his friends and family in the Underworld has always been extremely low. Based on what he has heard they may not even help him, but his friend needs him. Mace Knight needs him.

He has read his message over and over again. They locked the workers within the factory. They can't get out. Prisoners. Forced to work forever. Mechanisation. Part of him wished he could just reply I told you so and mock him for not leaving when he himself quit, however Mace Knight is still his friend and the idea of him suffering like he described makes his stomach turn. It turned out to have become worse than Axe Knight ever could have imagined.

At long last he builds up the courage to approach the entrance and takes a closer look at it. It is that moment he notices that the entire building's security system seems oddly familiar. It's unmistakably a Haltmann Works Co. construction. Shrieking Axe Knight sprints away from the entrance around the building. They're working with them. The GSA is working with the HWC! They're never gonna help him fight against them. Mace Knight is screwed.

Pacing back and forth for a while Axe Knight attempts to come up with a new plan. Perhaps he should ask his friends from the Underworld for help after all. It'll be extremely embarrassing and only some of them are able to enter the overworld, yet they at least would be guaranteed to be willing to help.

Then suddenly he begins to notice something shuffling about nearby. He jumps startled looking around nervously until he discovers the source of the noise. There is a blue Matterborn wearing a cape and a mask oddly close to the security systems in place around the area. A small terminal for typing in a pin code catches his eye. Carefully Axe Knight approaches the stranger.

"Are you trying to break in or something?"

Startled, the stranger swiftly turns around drawing their sword from their cape as it flares out behind them. Their eyes glow a threatening amber. Waving his arms around Axe Knight approaches while leaving his axe on his back while explaining himself.

"You know, this is a Haltmann Works Co. Security System. I used to work for them until very recently… I'll let a little secret from us low level workers slip."

Lowering their oddly shaped weapon the stranger allows Axe Knight to come beside them and he begins to type a special code into the security terminal.

"There is a code that opens every single unlockable Haltmann product without fail. We workers programmed that in for our convenience."

To the stranger's surprise the door suddenly opens allowing them to go in. They briefly take a peek inside before turning around upon hearing voices coming their way. "Someone's coming. Come this way." Quickly they take hold of Axe Knight's hand, drag him along into the building and the door shuts behind them.

Axe Knight feels a sense of dread crawling up his back as the stranger pulls him along. He doesn't want to get involved with whatever struggle this criminal has going on with the GSA, yet at the same time he must admit he just dug his own grave right there approaching them in the first place.

They pass by a few rooms until the stranger pulls Axe Knight into a storage room so quickly he wonders how they possibly could have guessed this chamber wouldn't be occupied. Either their perception is excellent or they know exactly where they're going. They press themself against a wall along with Axe Knight to hide while two Matterborn pass by them, one green with a bright red mohawk, the other a dull purple with an orange ponytail. As they talk to each other Axe Knight recognises the voices as those he just heard outside.

"I'm telling you, Falspar, if Dutch has truly shown up in this area of the Galaxy something bad is going to happen very very soon. We need to be on the lookout."

"Ah, come on. Maybe the old guy is just passing through. It must be boring living like he does for so long."

The stranger waits until the voices have become quieter and then peeks out the door to ensure the warriors are a decent distance away from them. They begin to whisper with a deep voice with a slight halcandran accent.

"I need to find out where the jail and the port are located. There should be some sort of control room or a map of the building's layout in general that could help us."

Jail? The stranger is here to bust someone out perhaps? Also they seem to intent to hijack a ship from the port, which is almost certain to alarm the entire army in the area. That is unless someone with the right skills is able to disarm all the security systems. Perhaps the stranger came in prepared or maybe they're lucky a random guy with intimate knowledge of this kind of technology just happened to pass by.

"The control room is your best bet. It should allow us to see what purpose each room has. Layout maps usually only number their rooms without naming their purpose."

Axe Knight explains and the stranger responds with a silent nod and begins to make their way across the hallways again. Their eyes quickly dart from door sign to door sign scanning for the word control room or something akin to it. With a surprising amount of stealth they move past each room while carefully listening for each and every subtle noise. They truly are skilled. Moreover they must have noticed just how nervous Axe Knight is, though who wouldn't be? Breaking into the headquarters of the largest army in the galaxy isn't something you do everyday.

After what felt like an hour the stranger pulls Axe Knight into a room with monitors decking out an entire side of it. They point their sword towards the security camera watching over the area and its lights begin to fade as it breaks without requiring a single touch. Curious Axe Knight watches the golden blade with its odd prongs and crimson gem in its hilt. With swift steps they enter the room and approach the computers.

"Can you hack into these as well?"

The stranger whispers again after a long period of silence. Nodding Axe Knight closes in on the table and begins to type away under the watchful eye of his new weird companion. It only takes a couple minutes until he has figured out where the rooms are located. With their eyes glowing up in delight the stranger takes a mental note of the layout, only for their gaze to turn grim as they notice noise coming awfully close to their location.

Quickly they tap out of the window, take hold of the other knight and jump up into the air clawing themself onto the ceiling with one arm while lifting Axe Knight along with his luggage with the other. He holds his breath in anticipation as the green warrior with the mohawk from earlier, Falspar, enters the room clueless and begins to type away on the keyboard.

A communication window pops up showing the interior of a spaceship along with its crew. A warrior with an unusual spiky haircut is front and centre. They begin to speak to one another.

"Yo, Falspar, you want anything from StarBuns?"

"Joe, you're not supposed to call in for that or make a detour for fast food for that matter."

"So what do you want?"

"... get me some fries and a cheeseburger with extra cheese and a strawberry milkshake, please, thank you."

"Got it. See ya!"

Then Falspar logs out of the computer again and leaves the room while happily humming a tune. The stranger waits listening as their steps become quieter, while Axe Knight hangs in there with different things on his mind. "We should get some fries as well when we're done here…" He whispers seconds before the stranger drops down onto the ground again, startling him.

"We head to the jail cells. There you will need to open another door for me. Then we go for the docks and make an escape." They whisper as they begin to lead the way once again. Nervously Axe Knight looks left and right wondering where that warrior with the mohawk might have gone and also where the one with the ponytail might be. Luckily his companion seems to have everything under control.

Another couple of minutes that felt like hours later they made their way downstairs, discovering the door to the jail chamber. As they come near, the door begins to open on its own and the masked stranger swiftly yet silently moves themself and Axe Knight behind it, watching the one who just opened it walk past them without ever noticing the suspicious duo.

The stranger grabs hold onto their cape and swings its inside around Axe Knight and themself in a turning motion, which teleports them inside the jail chamber before the door can fully close. Nauseous from being dragged in and out of a small pocket dimension within just a couple seconds, Axe Knight drops onto the ground face first.

Meanwhile the masked knight begins to scan through the cells with their eyes until they come across a bird-like figure sitting within one of them. Upon noticing the warrior a wide grin begins to form on their face. "Took ye long enough, Meta Knight. Now let me outta here, quick." The bird greets the stranger by name with a rough voice. Meta Knight motions towards Axe Knight with a nod. "Would you kindly unlock this door?"

Patting dust off of himself, Axe Knight approaches the door and enters the same code as before into a terminal near the jail cell to open it. The bird person watches sceptical at first, yet once the door starts to move their face lights up again. "'N who do I 'ave the pleasure o' meetin' today?" They say as they walk out the cells.

Meta Knight looks back at his new companion in anticipation. "It's Axe Knight. Glad to meet you." He introduces himself semi-confidently, to which the bird replies swiftly. "The name be Cap'n Vul. Now let's get outta here afore that guard comes back here." The knights nod in agreement and make their way back towards the door as a trio.

Cautiously, Meta Knight opens the door peeking out of the opening with one eye making sure nobody stands behind it who could notice them. "Quick. This way should lead to the docks." He rushes down the hall until he reaches a crossing and has to look out for obstacles again. Captain Vul's feathers lean back as he hears the word docks. "Ye did come here wit' yer owns ship now did ye?"

Without looking back at him Meta Knight continues to walk ahead. "It crashed." Clenching his fists the Captain whispers angrily. "O' course. Wha' did I expect." Then he follows the caped knight alongside the skull-faced warrior. His eyes lock onto Axe Knight's odd treasure chest for a moment, yet he decides to leave the topic to another time for now. The escape is more important.

Dodging a few more instances of GSA warriors passing through the halls, the small group finally reaches the port. Meta Knight scans the area with his eyes yet again while addressing Axe Knight. "We need to hijack one of their spaceships. Do you know how to do that?" While he's willing to use force the swordsman would prefer to keep things as quiet as possible.

Chuckling Axe Knight pats Meta Knight on the pauldron. "You see, it was my job to assemble these very same models of HWC ships. I know exactly how they work." The captain's face lights up once again as he hears this. That's exactly the kind of person they need. Not just today but in general. He can't help but wonder where Meta Knight could possibly have found him. Certainly not in front of the gates of this very building.

"Any recommendations?" Meta Knight whispers, keeping an eye out for trouble, followed by Axe Knight pointing at a specific ship. "The HAL GS3811 should be able to carry us three outta here in record time. I just need to remove the tracker once we're in there so the GSA won't be able to follow us that easily." Nodding Meta Knight begins to sneak into that direction followed by his companions.

Once they reach the vehicle Axe Knight once again unlocks it and they silently slip inside. There he unloads his luggage and then heads straight to a location within its cockpit and begins to disassemble a few parts. "Just a moment." Meanwhile Meta Knight keeps an eye out towards the harbour. "We heard a soldier speak to one of their scouts about returning soon. We should wait for their arrival and stay low until they're gone. I don't wanna run into them in the air."

Captain Vul gives him a thumbs up. The two appear to have known one another for a while. Long enough to work together smoothly as a team. Axe Knight hands them the tracker he disassembled. "Drop that somewhere nearby so they don't notice the machine has been moved. Do not destroy it or the GSA will be alerted as well." Taking hold of it Meta Knight nods and carefully climbs out the door, placing the tracker on the ground in the shadows where it can not be spotted easily, but also doesn't get caught on the ship.

The small crew then lays low waiting for the arrival of the other ship. They watch as it docks and four warriors step outside holding fast food boxes, one of which being the one they saw on the control room monitor. "StarBuns bags. We shall head thar as well when we be done here." The captain mumbles, to which Axe Knight replies. "Man after my own heart." Meta Knight sighs in defeat.

Once the area is clear the trio takes their seats. At first Meta Knight attempts to take the driver's seat, only to be glared at by the Captain. Rolling his eyes he switches to a passenger seat and allows Vul to properly fly the ship into space and they finally make their escape relieved. For now.

The GSA will notice that a prisoner and a ship are both missing eventually. Axe Knight fidgets nervously thinking about his friend Mace Knight who still needs rescuing. Perhaps his new companions are willing to return his favour?

#Axe Knight #Meta Knight #Captain Vul #Mace Knight (mention) #Sir Falspar #Sir Dragato #Eon-Eon Dutch (mention) #Knuckle Joe #GSA #Galaxy Soldier Army #Kirby Fanfic #my terrible writing #Gethoce #Don't know how to name this yet uuuuuh #i wrote that real quick while taking a break from drawing wooooo

[lumiidragon]

This is spoilers so if you haven't watched it yet pass this by. But watching them causally destroy and deface thousands of year old artifacts that belonged to the original gang is making me go ballistic

Ok ok ok ok ok ok ok, so here's my thoughts on that entire part there.

First off, I know some fans might get upset at the fact that TNR shows that it's canon that the gang (or at least Hiccup and his family) have been down in THW and did not, indeed cut contact off for good. I say, 'good for them'. Screw the whole nonsense that Hiccup and the others never saw another dragon in their lives because what a miserable existence. Imagine living in a world where you have ACTUAL. DRAGONS. and then all of the magic is sucked out of that world because one dragon hooked up with a chick and decided that all dragons needed to pack it up and move underground to better fit HIS lifestyle and call it "being safe". However, that's an issue I've touched up on countless times, so I'll leave it at that.

Now onto what happened. Note, if you have not watched season 4 yet, here is your SPOILER WARNING:

I lost my shit mentally when I saw the mural of Hiccups family because I thought "Oh my god, they didn't separate after all! Hiccup might have still actually had the chance to have his kids grow up in the same dragon-populated world he did and that's fantastic!" and it was great that Tom is now certain that he comes from Hiccup's lineage (granted, it's not that any of the fans weren't expecting it. It's pretty obvious and they sure made it that way). However, then Tom finds Hiccup's, I'm guessing, last prosthetic leg. Obviously, they don't know exactly what it is, but I can forgive that. They're kids. However, I was expecting this iconic wonder they found to have more of an impact but TOM FUCKING THROWS IT INTO THE MOUTH OF A SNOW WRAITH FOR IT TO GET DESTROYED CASUALLY AND HE CRACKS A COMMENT ABOUT IT AND THAT'S IT.

We're talking HICCUP'S. PROTHETIC. LEG. This is the most iconic item next to Toothless's tailfin, and it's just CASUALLY munched and nothing else is thought about it. That...I dunno. That felt like a genuine slap to the face for the fans and a spit on Hiccup's grave. Tom couldn't have kept it as another clue? An artifact? ANYTHING?

Why??? What was the reasoning for that? Why bother showing the leg at all if it was going to be used as a non-important throwaway object????? Why couldn't he have just grabbed a rock or something?? Watch, when they find Toothless's tailfin, they'll either use it for shirt tear patches or will display it like God's trophy because Toothless and "cute" night lights matter more than Hiccup and whatever accomplishments he made that were long forgotten these days, I guess. Why does everything THW+ hate Hiccup so much??? /rant

#how to train your dragon #httyd #httyd the nine realms #the nine realms salt #Toothless #Hiccup #Tom #the nine realms spoilers

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece Chapter 1084 - Initial Thoughts

And we're back

Answers are being told that they'll come, but we're still waiting on them. We've back in Reverie hours for the death of a king

but let's see how this unfolds

Spoilers for the Chapter, Support the Official Release

No, I will not engage in the Yamato discourse from the colour spread. Yamato was also in the men's onsen so whatever satisfies your narrative, keep it to yourself

Otherwise I love the colour spread; Baeju, Carrot, Tashigi, Boa, Bonney, Vivi, Ulti, Tama, Koala, Rebecca, Perona, Shirahoshi, Mansherry all with the crew ladies, plus Sugar for some reason

Plus the shirts; Nami's 'Weather Queen' should be her new title, Perona has a Kumancy shirt, I think Bonney's shirt resembles another character outfit, probably Robin's coat in Punk Hazard, Vivi gets Oda's love of tigers for her shirt, Ulti with 'Devil Sister'.

I can't tell if Carrot's shirt is just a rainbow or is meant to be Chopper's hat, but she's got the Zeus floatie, also can't decipher Tashigi's shirt, but she, Sugar, Rebecca and Mansherry are on a Merry floatie

Also Bonney do not eat the fish! It ain't cooked

Five points later...Sabo being pretty ruthless on the guardsmen

Bonney and Sabo were quick to join up, thanks to their common cause in wanting to free Kuma

Sabo surmises that Bonney's Kuma's daughter too, while Bonney kept tabs on the Army to explain how she knew to trust Sabo

Plus they're stealing the slaves' collar keys, which is given to Karasu's soot bird

As we know, Bonney states her plans to go to Egghead, which I guess means that Sabo and the Army will know she's there with Luffy when Morgans breaks the Big (albeit fake) News

Bonney getting the princess carry too, I'm sure Ao3 has already got some fanfics

Guards have 'disappeared' because they saw the 'Phantom Room', which I guess is the Giant Straw Hat room too. Sabo impaling a bunch of guards between cooking them isn't helping either

Out of the castle, Sabo and Bonney part ways, meaning that unfortunately Bonney isn't entirely clued in on the main incident

Back with Cobra meeting the Gorosei as we get the recap of the World Government formation

So the successors to the nations were handpicked, and stay in power to this day. Which means that the Doldo family were at one point chummy with the Donquixote family enough to succeed them right?

'Previous Dynasty'? The Ancient Kingdom was indeed in charge, and it was a Dynasty? One family to rule them all...

Alabasta's ruler of the 20 was Queen Nefertari Lili, whose appearance is very similar to Vivi's

Lili was the one who chose to stay in Alabasta BUT there's no mention of her name in the records, she never made it back!

Cobra wants to know if they have info on Lili

Saturn seems to shrug it off '800 years is a long time'

Imu is listening via the Den Den Mushi too

Am I getting a vibe or could Imu be Queen Lili? 19 Swords set down to declare the Empty Throne, the only sword of the 20 that didn't is Alabasta's, she who sits on the throne? Alive through the Op-Op Fruit's immortality power? Think about it

Cobra's shaking the hornet's nest even more asking what is the D.

Lili may not have her name in history, but a letter she wrote mentions the D., and it may be the oldest mention outside of the Void Century

Shirahoshi has been grabbed again! This time by Kuma

Spineless, the nobles pretend not to see Shirahoshi in danger and run away

Fukaboshi my boy fuck shit up!

Kuma launches a blast but it misses, as Charloss disregards all status anyway

Rebecca and the Tontattas are here

Sai and Mjosgard too, the latter giving approval to attack

What? No Let Fukaboshi smack that bitch Mjosgard! Screw royalty status

Double screw status I mean Charloss is ordering Kuma to kill a fellow dragon after all

But Mjosgard is thinking more about escape, which is easier for the pirates Sai and Leo

SATISFUCKINGFACTION

They Accordion'd him XD

I'd love it if they did kill him, but since the chapter title says 'attempted murder' I think somehow he survives...hopefully to get folded even more

Also we have to talk about how this is probably the 'big incident' the Grand Fleet did, they attacked a Celestial Dragon just like their captain but this time on their home turf

And then out comes Morley to grab Kuma, saving the Grand Fleet members in the process

AHAHAHAHA Oda really did the 'Look how they massacred my boy!' meme XD Fucking hilarious

HO SHIT IMU IS HERE IN PERSON TO SEE COBRA!

They Speak too, as they sit on the Empty Throne

Of course there's a break -_-

Oda is cooking something big for 1085

Last chapter I talked about while it was entertaining, we didn't get much development that we didn't know, but this one paid much of the setup off.

Bonney and Sabo's buddy adventure probably could've used some more time, they did just kinda run into each other and escape the palace, but there is the irony that she meets the polite but slightly unhinged brother before meeting the no filter completely unhinged brother - and that's also before meeting the stoic very unhinged first mate. I wonder what of note she intended to mention to Luffy but it also opens the door to the Revolutionaries showing up in Egghead.

I mean I still miss my boy, my merry band of merry crew, but my missing Bonney hours were satisfied a little, still waiting on the Let Tashigi do something hours, also Carrot4Nakama because the colour spread has reawakened it (yes I know it's likely not gonna happen but she deserved better than what she got at the end). Major satisfaction of seeing Charloss get accordion'd, we need the meme of the round table of characters folding Celestial Dragons. But yeah I get the feeling that this is the major incident the Grand Fleet caused that shook the world, no doubt Morgans will use creative license too. Fukaboshi should've gotten a hit in though he deserves a treat and the Fish-Man royal family deserve something other than more trauma.

We're still waiting on some info, but we got answers on Bonney, Shirahoshi and Kuma, while also offering us more.

I don't think Sabo intended to reach the Empty Throne to see what he's about to see, if anything I think he was after this 'Phantom Room'. But still, Oda's gotten bold with Imu directly approaching Cobra and sitting on the throne.

I've convinced myself that Imu is Lili, perhaps there is more to the story too like maybe Lili had a godlike Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit like Nika that took over her mind, but I am eager to hear how this develops, more word on the Dynasty, the Void Century, the 20 Families, I am ready to consume it all.

Oda, let us feast!

#one piece #one piece spoilers #op spoilers #egghead island arc #reverie #sabo #flame emperor sabo #jewelry bonney #bartholomew kuma #shirahoshi #fukaboshi #saint charlos #nefertari cobra #nefertari family #gorosei #imu one piece #revolutionary army #morley one piece #sai one piece #leo one piece #straw hat grand fleet #donquixote mjosgard #will of d #yamato one piece #world government #jaygarcia saturn

[thegeminisage]

IT ISSSS tng update time. sunday we caught "captain's holiday" and "tin man" and last night we did "hollow pursuits" and "the most toys."

captain's holiday: so, i'd heard ahead of time that this was one of the worst star trek episodes Ever, and admittedly it wasn't great, but it wasn't THAT bad. i could name you 10 worse episodes in tng alone and that's without even getting into tos and the other bad episodes that are surely in my future. actually catherine liked it more than i did which is only the second time this has happened in tng

funniest part of this episode to me was riker setting picard up with the little fuck trinket and then picard coming back and giving riker woodshed vibes. don't text. hilarious to send picard to the fuck planet when he wanted to read a book or whatever but at least he got some in the end. i'll never forget patrick stewart telling that one writer that tng's captain didn't do enough shooting or screwing

second funniest part was that the little device they were all fighting over could have saved romulus. "stop the nuclear reaction in a sun" THEY COULD HAVE SAVED ROMULUS AND PICARD DESTROYED IT. THE KELVIN MOVIES ARE ALL HIS FAULT. i guess romulus wouldn't have been that much better off with NO sun but at least its people could have been evacuated. there would have been a little more time.

that said most of this ep was very boring because i'm not actually invested in picard's sex life or his slutty little outfits and definitely not enough to have a whole episode be about him and none of the extended cast

tin man: i liked the concept of this much better than the execution. most of my problems came from the fact that the guest character (hello mister mayor) is annoying. so i was unable to be invested in whatever happened to him

also, i know it;'s her job, but i am soooo tired of deanna getting stuck with all the weird broken men and having to fix them. she's like star trek's manic pixie dream girl sometimes

that said i LOVED their concept of the new biomechanical life because it's JUST like moya from farscape and i like to think the farscape writers were inspired by it <3

also i like data being a boon to overwhelmed telepath because androids dont broadcast thoughts...i like when people are nice to data

i did like riker being kind of righteously mad in this episode too. i was JUST saying we never got to see that from him...it wasn't enough here and it also wasn't Great but i still enjoyed what we got

hollow pursuits: this was the worst episode this entire seaosn easily. i felt like i was watching s1 tng again

IT IS. MASSIVELY UNETHICAL. TO RECREATE REAL PEOPLE IN THE HOLODECK

first of all i hate despise LOATHE any and all holodeck activities. secondly i know they hadn't had to grapple with AI yet in 1990 but surely SOMEONE in that writer's room had to see that it's a huge infringement on deanna's personal rights safety, and dignity to make a fake version of her to fuck in the holodeck

I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS GUY COMES BACK LIKE 4 MORE TIMES.

i feel like what tng was TRYING to do here was "very special episode about anxiety" but what it actually managed to do was make that guy look autistic but like in a bad way. like charlie from tos. and then everyone bullied him and you have to be like. well making and fucking a fake deanna is bad but bullying is also bad

wait actually you know what this is like. this is like that time when i was in public with my family and a man touched me inappropriately. and so after he was gone my mother, jumping to my defense, made some disparaging remarks about this man's race (he was not white). and then i was put in the position of defending this guy who had just been a huge creep to me because you can attack him for being a creep but not because of his race. and my family was baffled that i would defend someone who'd just done that to me. that's what watching this episode felt like.

like, absolutely nobody had a problem with the actual creepy part (holodeck deanna) and everybody had a problem with him stammering in public and being socially awkward. and bullied him accordingly. DOWN TO THE MEAN NICKNAMES.

anyway, 0/10, one of the worst episodes Ever, it literally made me wish i was back in captain's holiday watching picard slut it up. if this episode had been on "am i the asshole" the judgment would have been "everyone sucks here" except deanna, who literally did nothing wrong and suffered the most anyway

hollow pursuit: THIS ONE POPPED THE FUCK OFFFFFFFFFFFFF

10 out of fucking 10. one ZILLION stars. i would have loved it even if i wasn't a data fan but i am a data fan and i had a WONDERFUL time

you spend this whole episode wanting so so so bad for data to kill this guy. data is kidnapped and debased and coerced into playing his captor's games and you want data to kill him SO BAD. and in your mind you're like, yeah but they won't let him KILL the guy kill the guy, it's gonna be like some disney villain stumbling or having an accident and he winds up dead due to Circumstances. there's no way data is gonna fucking kill a guy

and then there's like 30 perfect seconds where you're like: oh fuck. data is GONNA FUCKING KILL A GUY

let me find the exact moment that sent me over the edge. mister captor: "Go ahead. Fire. If only you could feel rage over Varria's death. If only you could feel the need for revenge, then maybe you could fire. But you're just an android. You can't feel anything, can you?"

AND THE ENTIRE TIME. DATA'S FACE IS TWITCHING. AND I SAID ALOUD TRULY GENUINELY BELIEVING HE HAD FINALLY UNLOCKED EMOTIONS I THINK HE CAN FEEL IT ACTUALLY??? LIKE HE LOOKS LIKE HE IS FEELING IT

anyway it counts. data DID fire, and just because they couldnt have him do that on tv and had to transport him away first, he fired (in spite of his program! it was in defense of other life), he meant to kill that man horribly, it counts it counts it COUNTS

furthermore, his mic drop at the end - why would i come see you just to gloat, after all i'm just an android - made me YELL out loud. data is hard as FUCK

i can't take credit to this thought because it was catherine's thought first but it's so fun that both androids we've seen unlock emotion so far - raina unlocked love and lal unlocked fear - were immediately destroyed by it. and what a fun contrast it would be if raina unlocked her emotions with love and data unlocked his with HATE. and i agree because it contrasts so strongly with data's normal loving nature. it's very "anger of a gentle man" of him if that makes any sense. like he is always so unfailingly polite and considerate and forgiving even to people like maddox but enough is Enough.

also, everyone mourning data was really very good. i simply love when people love him...

anyway, that episode fucked. i'm thinking about making it a must see on my spreadsheet <3

TONIGHT, FINALLY: "sarek." i cannot WWWWAIT to see him

#personal #star trek blogging #tng lb