#// setting this post whatever our last thread was

[retrograderesemblance]

@honorhearted

Rising to her full height, Molly moved habitually to wipe her hands on her apron before remembering that she wasn't wearing one over her petticoats; she made do to brush her damp palms against the material, not much caring if the light fabric darkened. The dress was an engagement present, from Anna.

"I suppose the leaking roof was your idea."

Glancing away, she finally attempted to take in the interior of the schoolhouse; it might've been in good repair, if not for the early winter, the rain turning to ice and collapsing in - not fully but enough to leave dents and gaps in the wood - sections of the roof. The bucket she'd placed on the floorboards beneath the worst of the leaks was already near full but she didn't see another object to replace it with.

"One of your lessons plans?"

[runabout-river]

Thoughts on JJK chapter 267 (spoilers)

We're coming to the end of the manga 😭

But our girl has come back! After 150 chapters? Nobara enters the fight with the predictions everyone had about her coming true: she has an eyepatch now and she used Resonance on Sukuna's last finger.

Last December I made a meta post outlining every piece of information we had on the situation and how those come together to facilitate Nobara's return. So if you're confused about that, read the post to get a feel for the mechanics that are at play here before they get revealed in the next chapters.

It's so funny how you could instantly tell that Yuta is inside Gojo and vice versa 😂

We get new information that switching souls unlike possessions doesn't grant the user access to the memories of the host. The same is true for Rika ingesting body parts to use copy on others.

We get info on how Yuta's copy works and it's not as overpowered like that but how did Yuta use copy on Inumaki before he lost his arm? It could be that Yuta, as he said, made BV to limit his usage but it could also be that Yuta can use copy without cannibalism but his count is limited to 3 or 4 CT as Yuki told us once.

Using Rika to copy more CT after that might be why body parts are required now 🤔

It's cute how Ui Ui is just sleeping while leaning on Yuji.

Yessssss!

The thing why this works so late in the manga is that Nobara didn't have open story plots left over after getting "killed". Outside of meeting Saori (which will happen when she's alive) her character arc was complete which was why the setup of her death itself was the biggest reason why we didn't believe she died.

For Megumi this is another thing though. He's full of incomplete character development, open plot threads and set ups. And I'm not gonna lie it's making me nervous how Gege will resolve all of that.

Even Sukuna still has open stuff going on: what were his origins? Why did he look sad in Yorozu's flashback? Why did he decide to turn into 20 fingers?

The last chapter will be extra long so with that and the three other chapters there is enough space at least to tackle Sukuna and Megumi together, but man...

Is it just me or do others also think that Gege has enough material and support/fame to just... make Jujutsu Kaisen 2 when he wants to? Like straight up give the manga a Shibuya like ending with the merger wreaking havoc and then make a time jump to 2024 and start JJK even more Kaisen...

Resonance

It's not shown but Utahime and Gramps might have used their support again to increase Nobara's CE output.

Also why was it just now that she woke up? Did sth happen that triggered it or was it a double effort from those around her to get her out of her coma?

And what if they actually did switch training with Nobara? Nobody told Yuji of course but it could've happened to get a healer inside of her and to get her up to speed to what was happening right now so she could make an effort to properly wake up again

When Nobara uses Resonance Yuji has a tear in his eyes 😢

And it's another blink and you'll miss it panel but after Dismantle with Yuji's next punch Sukuna pukes out his fingers again! 4 or 5 are on the ground now

So they will defeat him by literally ripping him apart from Megumi until he's 20 fingers again.

The thing is Sukuna has consumed his old body too and it might not be possible to get that out of Megumi. Megumi will not only carry mental scars from this, as well as whatever the Bath might've done to him, but part of Sukuna's essence might very well stick with him until he dies.

But also this fingers puking out business very well guarantees that Sukuna won't die by the end of the manga... jjk2

What will happen to Tengen and the merger is another big mystery right now.

The three-fold visual of Sukuna getting hit by Resonance, Dismantle and then Black Flash is awesome and shows how Sukuna is at the end of his rope. As said at the end of the last chapter, this might've very well been the last Shinjuku chapter.

I can see next chapter starting with a Sukuna flashback that should (!) turn around until we land back with Megumi.

Overall an awesome comeback for Nobara with all our she's alive theories confirmed. Now the only things left are a deep dive into Sukuna and a Megumi resolution...

[blakbonnet]

AUTHOR OF THE WEEK: @clairegregoryau 💕

Everytime the topic of fandom kindness and community comes up, of helping each other out and fostering a quiet corner where people can be themselves, most people in our little fandom think of Claire. She's written over a million words of OFMD fic and read even more, and you can always see so so many recs over on her twitter. Incredible good vibes, and an author who truly lives to lift other authors up. She also does SO SO much for fic authors over on the OFMD Fic Club server <3 And she was incredibly kind and shared her entire writing process with me:

What's your writing process like? Do you start with the beginning or the end? Do you write in order or as the scenes come to you?

I’m a huge advance planner, which is a process that has developed for me over more than 25 years of writing original fiction. I’ll get whacked with a story idea, then I’ll sit down and set out the central kernel of that idea, and where it needs to start, where it needs to end, and what the turning points need to be to get there.

A lot of the time I use a three-act structure, largely because Jenkins has talked about OFMD using that structure (one example here). So that makes it easy for me to hold to the canon beats when I’m writing AU stories, or to mirror them in canon-era stories, which is also something I try to do most of the time. With long experience (and now 1.7 million words of OFMD fic written (!)), I find this part of the process really easy. I’ll usually do that plotting by hand-writing out my notes, because it really fires up a different part of your brain.

Because I am such an advance planner, I do tend to write in a completely linear way from start to finish (I also pretty commonly post my long-fics as I write- each chapter goes up as soon as it’s finished and has a final editing pass). Punching through it in a linear way, knowing the ending that I’m working towards and being enthusiastic to get there, really keeps me motivated.

I do all of my writing in 30-minute sprints at the OFMD Fic Club Discord, where we’ve built a lovely and LOUDLY enthusiastic writing community that anyone is welcome to hop into 24/7. For those who find the constant chat a bit overwhelming, we also have a Quiet Focus Sprints channel. Again via long practice, I’m a very fast writer, but that’s accelerated a lot more over the last couple of years, paradoxically because I couldn’t write the way I used to anymore.

I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that includes some fun brain impacts at times, and it’s really hit my working memory especially. I used to be able to hold all the strands of a complicated story together in my head as I wrote, but now I can’t do that as easily. So that’s why the outline is important for me, so I never lose track of the idea- I’ll also do a quick outline at the start of each chapter I’m writing that notes what needs to happen, and then I’ll write in what I call layers, getting down whatever I can first, and then doing sweeps back through it to add internals, narrative detail, sensory details and so on. I make a LOT of notes and square brackets as I go to remind myself of things to look at later.

I also use a plot matrix [Twitter thread, Example Matrix] that you may have seen floating around- I mostly use it to keep track of plot details that have already happened within a story, so that I can check it out at a glance, but I will sometimes plan certain elements in advance (as in the case of Tree Change, which covered 87 of the 93 Kinktober prompts last year across 12 carefully planned chapters). There’s always space when I’m writing for the characters to surprise me within that plot framework- as a final plotting thing, once I’m at the halfway mark I’ll often plot backwards from the planned end to make sure that I’m on course, and to see what I need to adjust.

Favourite trope or headcanon you like to explore while writing?

I really like to dig into the friends-to-lovers trope that sits at the heart of the show. The Ed and Stede relationship reminds me immensely of my own- like Rhys and Taika as friends, we’ve been yes-anding each other for over 25 years (all of my least hinged fic ideas come from bouncing thoughts back and forth with my husband), and it’s been a steady mix of constant silliness, curiosity, and care. We’re best friends first and that’s one of my favourite things about Ed and Stede, that they are, too.

What I really love about it is the vulnerability of these two people who’ve been hurt so much by others in the past, who’ve never been fully appreciated for all the things that they are, and in each other they find the one absolutely perfect person who just gets them, and it makes all the difference. It’s always fun to play with that and variations on it in fics, and it’s usually the beating heart of my stories.

Whose voice is easier to write - Ed or Stede? Why?

I want to say that I find them both equally easy depending on the story. Ed as a character speaks very much the way I think- he has that ADHD buzz, the high swear level, and a very AoNZ turn of phrase that’s also very familiar to Australians (like me). Writing Ed is like turning the inside of my head out and it always flows easily.

But I have always said that I see myself in both characters in equal parts, so I find Stede pretty easy to write as well. I feel like I pretty solidly understand him as a person, with his history of rejection and his commitment to trying anyway, and trying to be kind, and letting himself be fascinated by things, from piracy to books to moths to Ed (that one’s not hard).

Your personal favourite thing you've written that you'd like more people to read

This is a near-impossible question with 69 OFMD fics up on AO3 😅 I really do love them all, and I have a lot of smaller one-shots that haven’t been read as much, but overall I’m incredibly lucky with readership and so so grateful for everyone who enjoys my work.

But my recent Reverse Bang fic The Broken Lines is hugely important to me and I think it’s probably one of the best things I’ve ever written anywhere. It’s set in the aftermath of the First World War (my professional zone of expertise), and features a Stede who’s lost his voice, his memory, and as far as he knows, his Ed. He gradually remembers what happened with the help of the crew and another Ed, who appears in his mirror from 1719, searching for his own Stede. It was a beautiful collaboration with artist Gerlinde to begin with, but I also got to work with one of my longest-term writing friends Jill @followedmystar as my beta, and then with Boy, who made a truly transcendent podfic that I can’t yell about enough.

What is the one word that you think you use a lot?

I think the word I have to zap more than any other is “actually”, and there are still a million of them in there when I’m done. The main reason is that to stick close to canon voice, I try to incorporate a lot of the less iconic/ more ordinary turns of phrase that the characters use a lot in their speech (I’ve watched every episode of the show… way too many times), and both Ed and Stede actually use “actually” a surprising amount. I just use it an even more surprising amount 😂

(This just sent me on a QUEST to find a specific number because I am that kind of nerd- Stede says it 15 times in S1 and 12 in S2, and Ed says it 8 times in each, for totals of 27 and 16, many of them in distinctive moments; it just gives that little buzz of recognition for me. I started out screenwriting before I moved to prose, so my writing tends to lean pretty strongly on having a recognisable, almost audible voice to the dialogue, as well as a cinematic visual style for the big adventures especially).

Do you have a beta reader? Have they made you a better writer?

I quite deliberately don’t use a beta reader for most of my OFMD fics, because being in this space is an exercise in recovering from lifelong paralysing perfectionism around writing especially. I’ve spent so many years not finishing original work because it never feels like it passes the invisible bar for perfection that exists in my own head. So when I started writing OFMD fic, I set out to accept good enough as good enough, and to get back to enjoying writing as fully as I can.

Obviously this means that my work could be better, but I’m actively working on letting that thought go and loving everything I’ve made just as it is. When I have worked with beta readers on projects that require them, like the Reverse Bang, it’s been with friends who I trust and adore, who I know will listen to what I need (cheerleading, mostly), and will do their best to work with me on improving the story without letting me spiral into hating it all because it wakes the perfectionist beast back up.

That doesn’t mean I’m without regular support, or that I’m not trying to improve my writing! I read an absolutely insane amount of fic, and I’m always in awe of the talent we have on this ship, and always learning from what other people do well. In lieu of beta readers, we share snippets of work all the time in our sprints team, so I get feedback there; I also get it from readers in progress, who often give me a sense of what’s hitting the way I hoped and what needs a bit of tweaking. I also have lovely group chats and individual friends like Kerry @communionnimrod and Lis @ghostalservice and Jill who I can run to if I need an opinion on whether an idea feels right or not, which I will often ask.

I’m very very careful with my writing, but in a couple of rare instances readers have also DMd me to note spots where I’ve inadvertently included something that doesn’t reach the sensitivity standard I’m aiming for. I’m always grateful for that gentleness and bravery in reaching out and I’m always happy to change something or to add tags or notes as needed.

Why OFMD 🥹

I watched the whole show in one hit a week after the final episode aired, and I loved it immediately, but I thought I was going to be normal about it. The unravelling into complete, unrelenting obsession happened gradually as I rewatched it with my husband and teen, then again, and again, then started to read fics and hunt up art, then started joining fan spaces, and then dived into writing my first fic in two and a half decades (all original writing between The X-Files and here), thinking it would also be my last.

I’m still here, still writing constantly, and a major portion of it is the show and how distinctly it reflected all the many parts of me, some of which I’d never seen so clearly before. I had a tough childhood in a few different family respects. I didn’t understand that I was neurodivergent until I turned 40 and my own kids were heading for diagnosis, and I’d been rejected constantly throughout my life for being too much. I was a high achiever who was in the process of crumpling under pressure right when I watched it, and while I’d been figuring out my sense of my own queerness for a few years, I’d never had a community that helped me feel at home with that.

And in the end it’s the community that’s been the reason I’ve been fully sucked into fandom for the first time since my teens- the writing in this space is top-tier wonderful, and the community is such a found family, just like the Revenge. Being able to write and have people actually want to read that writing, being able to cheer others on and hype their work, being able to help set up the OFMD Fic Club Discord and make it a safe spaceship for so many people, has been incredibly fulfilling and lovely. 

Please head over to @ofmdlovelyletters (who also made the header) and send your love to all your favourite authors (and authors of the week 😈 watch that blog for some special letters coming your way)

[inukag-archive]

do you know any nsfw stories that are set immediately after kagome comes back after the 3 years? It can be a chaptered story or oneshot

Thank you!!!

superpyku asked:

Hello, I love a good post-canon fanfic where it describes what happened when Kagome came back from the well. Doesn't need to be a long fic about their life thereafter but one about what happened during and immediately after their reunion will be good. Would love to know your fav list of such. Thank you

-------------

We love a good reunion fic! The list below is full of stories that take place right as Kagome returns to the Feudal Era and immediately after, split into NSFW and SFW for whatever mood you're looking for. There are a lot of fics like this out there, but we capped ourselves at 20 to keep the list at a reasonable length. Feel free to add your favorites in the reblogs/replies!

If you're looking for more post-canon goodness, you can also check out our other post canon lists:

Post Canon

Post Canon NSFW

Post Canon / Canon Fluff

Happy reading!

[NSFW]

Dearest by @kitramune (M)

After Kagome returns to the Sengoku Era, Inuyasha and she explore how deep their devotion really goes.

--

Linked by Alyxandra (E)

Inuyasha and Kagome experience their first night together three years after the disappearance of Shikon no Tama.

--

When She Comes Back by Karaumea (M)

The story of his wait, her return, and their reunion. One-shot lemon that takes place during and after the last chapter of the manga.

--

Her Time by @keichanz (M)

All he wanted was some of her time, but as it turned out, so did everybody else. He'd have to make it clear that while they merely borrowed her precious time, he stole and hoarded it for himself, because in the end, she and everything about her belonged to him.

--

The Return by Sweet Inu Girl (M)

Kagome has returned to the feudal era after three years. Finally feelings are revealed and a new life begins for our favorite miko and hanyou.

--

Coming Home by @ruddcatha (E)

The day Kagome returned to the Feudal Era, Kagome and Inuyasha came out of their long nightmares. When they are finally alone, confessions are made, feelings are revealed, and a decision is made that impacts the rest of their lives.

--

After the End: New Beginnings by @splendentgoddess (X)

Welcome to my official post-manga universe! This introductory story takes us through Kagome's return to the past, and her developing relationship with Inuyasha. The first installment of what will be my "After The End" series!

--

To Fight For Tomorrow by @sarah-writes-stories (E)

The shard hunt...the battle with Naraku...it was only the beginning.

Their past held a terrible prophecy. Her future, the terrifying result. Kagome had finally been allowed to return through the well...but it wasn't luck that granted her wish.

The red threads of fate had always tied them all together, had always guided them towards each other. Now, as new powers are revealed and souls are healed, their destiny becomes clear.

Theirs is a quest that requires everything they have to give.

Theirs is a battle they cannot afford to lose.

Theirs is a fight to protect tomorrow.

--

Come Back To Me by jyvonne13 (M)

After defeating Naraku, Inuyasha and Kagome were separated for three long years after the well closed. What happens on that fateful day when Inuyasha catches her scent after so long? What do the two of them promise each other and how do their lives change from this point on?

--

With You by Animetey (E)

“Kagome, did you come back to see me... and to be a priestess? Cause I thought...or, I’d hoped... that you came back to be with me.”

Everyone has their own version of what happened the night Kagome returned, this is mine.

--

[SFW]

White Dogs on Blue Cotton by @artistefish (T)

Caught up in the rush following her unexpected return to the past and to the man she loves, Kagome realizes a little late that some of her wardrobe choices aren't quite as private as they used to be. Post-canon, InuKag reunion, super-duper fluffy.

--

Hearts Returned by @mrfeenysmustache (M)

A sweet moment alone after a long day of welcome backs.

--

Love Language by @shikonstar (T)

When Kagome returns to the past, a love-starved hanyou is hoping for some words of affirmation.

--

One Day With You by @hanmajoerin (G)

After spending three years in the world she grew up in, Kagome is able to return home.

A three years later reunion fic.

--

Inukag Fluff Week 2022 (Chapter 3: Hot Springs) by @inukagbot (T)

inuyasha is a thoughtful, soft little puppy who missed his girlfriend very much so he decides to do something nice for her like the Good Boyfriend he is. confessions ensue.

--

Clashing Emotions by PureKagome (K)

Kagome has finally returned after her three year absence. And what is the first thing Inuyasha does? Screw up.

--

Stay By My Side by PotatoButt (G)

Kagome finally gets to return to Inuyasha's time after three years.

--

A Not So Modern Convenience by doggieearlover (T)

Post Manga Canon. Kagome is worried about InuYasha's happiness while he has the same concerns about her and tries to do something about it.

--

Kagome's Got To Go by @ajoy3fanfics (NR)

The way Yuki and Suki saw it, this Kagome woman needed to go.

From the first day she came, they knew she was trouble. They had been playing a perfectly fun game of 'who can annoy uncle the most' (It was always Suki), when he suddenly stood up, passing them off to Shippo with a distant look in his eyes. Uncle was fast, there was no question about that, but unless there was a reason for him to be on high alert, he was downright lethargic. Still, Uncle Inuyasha needing space wasn't anything new, so it wasn't terribly worrisome that he took off at high speed; It did, however, raise a few red flags when Shippo shook them off and headed in the dog demons direction, screaming "it's her! She's back!"

--

Snapshots of Life After the End by ananova (T)

A collection of post-canon after the anime and manga end interconnected drabbles that show bits of Inuyasha and Kagome's life together. Not posted in any particular order.

--

Feel free to add your own recs in the comments or reblogs! Check our Masterlist of previous lists to see which topics we've covered.  After reviewing our submission guidelines, send us an ask (here).

[sgiandubh]

Out of the OL bubble

Sidenote: this post owes everything to the incredible sleuthing skills of an already longtime trusted friend, who wishes to remain discreet. All credit goes entirely to her - this is such an idiotic topic, yet the Ur Troll insists.

I answered one of you in the comment threads yesterday, that once you get the hell out of the OL bubble, things begin to make sense. Why? Well, because of distance and context, I suppose. And also because this always was the dirty little secret of our Dedicated Manipulative Trolls: to make you believe in a terribly poor narrative, fit for a linear world. A world without compromise, drama, secrets and lies. Collective lack of time, perspective and/or Internet research skills did the rest and gave birth to this monster: the OL Fandom.

We are now told and are supposed to believe that because Scottish Xena apparently chose on purpose (with this and only this, I could agree, but for opposite reasons) to show us she trains in a Cumbernauld gym, that means... well, you know the rest and it involves The Magic Golden Dirk. That troll was never exactly subtle, was she, bless her heart?

That mother and entrepreneur has a life of her own and an entourage of her own and business collaborations of her own and her own agenda. Some of it is shown on her Instagram account, most of it can be speculated. Connecting dots just for the sake of it is neither productive, nor remotely interesting.

Let's see, for example, how she reacts to a very insistent fellow German athlete, whom she is going to meet at the Hyrox Cologne event (13-14th of April, during the Landcon week-end):

😬😱

What is Flamingos Club? Nope, not an ikebana society, no:

Tee-hee.

They were there before, in good company, last year, when they actually first met (rings a bell?):

(April 2023, ok? I am still waiting for my own DeLorean)

Who is this guy?

Fellow athlete, HYROX Ambassador (something I bet the farm she wants to achieve) and a contestant in this year's German reality show First Dates Hotel, on VOX (https://www.vox.de/cms/sendungen/first-dates-hotel.html):

The concept is simple: a renowned German chef, Roland Trettl (no idea!) now takes his blind date cooking show to the next level, with singles from all over the country parked into a Spanish dream holiday resort (Mallorca), shake, stir and see whatever happens. The classical Endemol recipe, now produced by Twenty Twenty. It also has an UK version, running on Channel 4 (coincidence? I doubt that very much, thank you!).

On set, Max's 'love interest' is a certain Linda. He recently wrote her ' a sweet love letter', taking the good advice of his namesake cast friend Max-the-Bartender:

(I swear to God, I feel like I am prostituting my 🧠, right now).

There is obviously nothing to see, here (or is it, such as two wannabes desperately wanting limelight?). She leads the typical no strings attached life of a single mom and he is still looking for a real job:

Since VOX does not give his full name, neither will I. It took five minutes to find him, with a bit of luck.

Why on Earth would one connect that woman to S, rather than to this nice, ambitious Bavarian?

I know why. It's almost too damn easy.

Two words: Channel 4. Truman Show. Ginger and Fred (oops, these are Our Couple).

Is it anything we haven't seen before?

Nope. We've seen way worse. But gone are the Days of Flukenzie Floozy.

[Edited] - there is no need to further expose our people.

[mewkwota]

Goo'morning I got a tag from @emeraldthelynx, thankyu very much!

I wasn't sure if it was necessary to add-on to the previous thread but to avoid mobile users from being overwhelmed by an oncoming Text Train I'll make mine a separate post.

--

Favorite Color: Cake Yellow. I find the bread parts of a cake to be the very appealing.

Last Song: I just came across this song, it's "Toki no Kakera" from Dream C Club. The instrumental immediately caught my ears, so now it's going into my "things I listen to while I drive playlist". :D

Currently Reading: I haven't been reading much. ( . _.);

Currently Watching: Vinesauce is constantly infused into my veins. I also like to watch the occasional spooky thing like NightMind I guess.

Currently Craving: Onigiri. It's a long story. On my last day in Japan I wanted to take one last stop at a konbini, but we were rushed to our departure (even though it turns out we were very early). But our gate was so far from the shops I didn't bother to run back. So I've been having many different dreams where I'm suddenly back in Japan and am this close to a konbini and then I wake up before I realize it, but to this day I've never been able to buy one even in my sleep.

They may not be the most fancy things, but I really liked how they tasted and my homemade ones don't entirely fill that hole. ( ; v; )

Coffee or Tea: Tea I guess? I like milk teas more, since most teas I've had on their own give me headaches. I know some can have bits of caffeine which I don't really need, so I wonder if that is the root of it. Otherwise, I love the smell of coffee but not so much their taste.

A Hobby I'd Like To Try: Probably animating. I've dabbled in it a couple times before, but it was never anything super crazy. Still, I liked seeing the results come together and I'm sure I'll slowly improve on it as I try more things (albeit very-very-slowly, and that's okay). :)

An AU You've Been Plotting: Whatever I have established in my general fanworks can be considered AUs as they are-- I mean, I crush canon/timelines together so particular families can interact closely... I don't have any huge AUs cooking in my brain anymore-- my last one was set aside indefinitely ages ago and no you get no remnants as to what it is other than the continued existence of One Character.

Other than that, everything I work with is set with crossing over of multiple series by default too. I just think that's a really cool thing, whether it's done for humor or not. If I needed to give an example there is that Animal Crossing one with Juste, I can think of things that aren't just "the sillies" with it too, but I'll get to it when I can. It also revolves around the idea of "that man needs to learn to rest".

--

So those are the answers to my simple-something self, I never really have much to say anymore. But! I can still tag people hoo-hah-- @indygotcha, @the-crow-binary, @sapphirestarz11, @rosiemissfandomchaos, @rubyrosevalentine

And of course you are never obligated to do the tag if you don't want to. You could also see this is a passing hello. So hello! ( ' v')b

[its-in-the-woods]

The Woman Who Couldn’t Die Part 5

master list

Part 1 , Part 2, Part 3, Part 4,

Pairing: The Ghoul/Cooper Howard x Original Character 

Alternative Universe where I make things up cause I can only research so much

Synopsis: Getting out of town can be tricky, but is out of the settlement any better? Murmurs in the woods have both our traveler's ears perked.

MINOR GET OUT. Rating/Warning: This is based on fallout except typical: Canon divergence, hints of SH/SA/NONCON, Slow Burn,

Note: These will be spaced out as I am heavily editing and researching them. Each chapter will be 2-3+k words. Tags will be edited based on the chapter, please make sure you read them.

Also, note that I will not be spoiling any of the reading. I will keep my tags relevant without spoiling what is happening in the story.

Thank you all for the love <3 You're likes, reblogs and comments keep me posting.

***

It was so warm, as light poured into the room. Jade tried to move but found herself completely enclosed in arms. Panic set in and she froze her breath caught up in her chest. Opening her eyes she took in her surroundings, peeled water-stained paper, and a duster hanging on a hook. Her eyes looked down to see large red hands wrapped around her, the Ghoul. Sometime in the night, he had pulled her tight against his chest. She could feel and hear the sound of his breath at the back of her neck. A small whistle every time he would exhale, he was incredibly warm. Like a small furnace against her back, Jade figured that was due to the radiation. Just like a sunburn would feel hot, a Ghoul was permanently sunburnt. Trying to relax Jade untensed her shoulders and shifted slightly, as she did this his hands pulled her in tighter. It was almost hard to breathe. She knew that Ghoul had mentioned having excellent hearing, but when was the last time she saw him asleep?

There was also a huge chance that if she did wake him, he’d be out the door faster than she could roll out of bed. If the way he had moved the previous night was any indication. Ideally, she didn’t want a repeat of the kiss incident, she also would greatly appreciate breathing. Jade wanted to continue whatever this was, her learning how to bounty hunt from him. At least that’s what she was chalking it up to be, a companion, a friend, or something. Though right now, her mind lingered on ‘something’, she could feel how ridged his body was. Tight lines of muscle could easily crush her, but at the same time, she felt safe. Why? She wasn’t going to dwell on that. 

Her head felt foggy and the decision to wake him was taken away when his arms loosened and he rolled away from her. Jade didn’t move waiting to see if he would be the first one to get up. After a moment she let herself slide to the edge of the bed and stand up. Jade tried her best to be as quiet as possible. Her bones ached from lying in the same spot, but it was the best night's sleep she had in weeks, probably months. Stretching she made her way to the bathroom, at least it had a bathroom, not some hole to squat over. She only briefly glanced at the Ghoul, who had already placed his hat over his face. At least he hadn’t taken off this time. Sometimes you had to take the tiny victories where you could. 

***

The Ghoul heard the door close and was immediately up, waking up wrapped around Jade was not planned. Hell he had slept for the first time in months, usually he dozed, maybe drifted a bit. But actual unconsciousness was not normal for him, he grabbed his inhaler and took a breath. The numbing sensation fills his lungs, and he relaxes rolling his shoulders with a few clicks. Grabbing his pack he sat on the bed dumping the content beside him. He moves through the stuff mentally going over what they need. Ammo was a top priority and a good amount of it. Thread, stimpaks, chems, maybe see if someone in town sharpened knives. There was also food. He went over in his mind how far they would have to go. Maybe they’d go north a bit, hit more of the central area, and see what had been happening up there. He hadn’t ventured that way in years. 

He grabbed his cleaning kit, dismantling and cleaning each weapon with practice ease. It felt good to do something with his fingers, to be moving. It didn’t stop his mind from drifting to the morning. Shifting slightly in his seat, she smelt nice like the herbal soap bar. The way her body fit against his, molded tightly against his, the sound of her breathing. Feeling her move against him. Swallowing, he pieces his weapons back together feeling tension run down his spine. 

It felt nice.

“Yeah you can fuck right off,” He muttered to himself, starting to put all the various pieces back into their place.

You are allowed to feel lonely

“Not lonely with you rattling around in my brain,” He cussed, as he grabbed his inhaler. The Ghoul wanted the voice gone, the last thing he needed was a second opinion from his mind. 

Stop lying to yourself

“The only person lying is you,” He spat, anger sneaking out as Jade entered the room.

“You okay,” She said, standing there looking at him confused, her hand laying on her weapon that rested against the set of drawers. It was unloaded but he got the gist. 

“Fine,” He bit out, his words harsher than he meant them to be. “We need to get going, wasting daylight.” 

He grabbed his inhaler and took a drag, rolling his duster onto his shoulder the heavyweight felt comforting. He grabbed his saddle bag and headed to the door. Jade had wrapped her jacket around her waist with her backpack, gun, and machete on her as they made their way out of the INN. 

The town was bustling, and Jade kept close to him moving more like his shadow than a person. The place was a constant buzz of people moving back and forth, so many eyes following them around. The girl had adapted to things quickly, probably why she had made it this far. In some ways, she was like him, adapt or die, kill or be killed. Maybe she would outdo him as a bounty hunter one day. That is if she lived long enough to get to that point. 

The first stop was to drop off their knives and machetes. The blacksmith gave them a deal on them as they had so many. Then it was over to the armory, they swapped out their weapons for something with a wider selection of ammunition. Meaning they could buy in bulk for less. Ghoul had grabbed a handful of explosive rounds just in case, one never knew what one might run into out in the Wastes. Next, it was off to look for meds and chems. 

The Ghoul pushed open the door, the place was just as pieced together as anywhere. He walked over to the counter, taking in the man standing there. He wore what would have once been a white doctor’s jacket. The name tag had long faded away, the wisps of hair sticking out the top of his head as he looked at the ghoul over his glasses. The man snorted as he took in the Ghoul and his companion. 

“Not welcome Ghoul,” He spit gesturing at the door dismissively looking back up from his papers. 

“Say who,” Piped Jade, pushing right up to the counter, and standing in front of the Ghoul. She was small but her voice carried. She crashed some caps onto the counter, more than a fair amount for what they were interested in, “Caps are all the same from everyone.”

The man rolled his eyes, moving to leave the counter, “Yeah, yeah, monster fucker. Get out too.”

“Or what?” Jaded snapped, glaring at the man, placing her gun on the counter. It was enough to stop him in his tracks. “You give us what we need or we will take what we want.”

The Ghoul felt a grin tug at the corners of his face, the girl was not taking no for an answer. He leaned against one of the shelves watching her get into the man’s face. She stood near tiptoes, gun aimed right at the man's crotch. Despite the baggy clothes Jade still looked good like this. 

“I’d listen to her, girl is small but she is five ferrets in the bag when she’s pissed.” He smirked, making sure that the wannabe doctor saw his sidepiece. The man’s eyes went between the two of them.

The doctor grimaced, looking between the two of them, he huffed and raised his hands in defeat. “What do you want then?”

“Some of that snazzy Ghoul Jet, make it twelve we got a long way to go, and half a dozen stims for the lady.” The Ghoul spoke, making sure to watch as the man moved, if the good doctor tried to do anything he had no qualms about blowing a hole through him. 

The doctor busied himself grabbing what they had asked for, before slamming the meds onto the counter, nearly crushing the vials, “I should have you rounded up, no better than raiders.”

Jaded cocked her gun, the Ghoul wasn't looking to be sidetracked so he grabbed the meds and stuffed them into his bag. Adding a few more caps to the pile Jade had already left. His free hand worked on moving Jade out the door. 

“There you go asshole, a few extra for you to keep your mouth closed” He clicked his tongue, Jade keeping her weapon and eyes on the man as they moved out the door. The street outside was busy enough that they blended in with the crowd. 

“Well, fuck, Tiny, didn’t take you for the hold’em up kind, ” the man grinned making sure to stuff the stim-paks into Jade’s bag. 

“Guy was being an asshole, had no reason to be treating you any different from anyone else,” Jade's face set sternly, as they moved towards the food vendors. 

“Used to it,” The Ghoul shrugged as they went over to grab some food for the trip. Ghouls had always been outcasts of society, humans didn’t like anything different from their box. A noseless, rotting, talking corpse was well outside their box. There was also the feral aspect of things, it wasn’t until recently that there were even chems that could stave off the feral process. It wasn’t perfect, nothing was out here, but it sure took the edge off. You didn’t live this long without side effects, but if the chems staved off those effects so be it. 

***

Once outside the town, the Ghoul felt himself relax, his companion seemed to do the same. She had still been pissy about the Ghoul hate comments, to the point where she almost stabbed a lady for looking at him wrong. He wasn’t sure why she was so adamant about it, but he didn’t mind. Something about her getting so pissy over him made him, well it made him feel something. He wasn’t about to dwell on that, nope, the wasteland had enough complication without adding in some fluffy fuckin’ feelings. Make his teeth rot faster than they already were. 

He watched his companion walk ahead, her clothes baggy and loose. Pocket loaded with various bits and bobs, her black hair braided and curled into a small bun. Her backpack was just as heavy, yet she walked with her head held high. She didn’t care about people commenting on her scars and never tried to hide them either. How she was okay, he wouldn’t have known. Then again how was anyone okay here, the whole world was one big dumpster fire. Kill or be Killed. Adapt or die. She was adapting, surviving, and maybe even enjoying herself. The Ghoul let himself enjoy the moment, it would only be a moment. Before long something would crawl itself out of the dirt looking to kill anyone that crossed its path. 

They camped out in a big field high on a ridge, it was a good spot for the evening. Jade didn’t seem to mind, besides the wind blowing through the clearing. She had inquired about sleeping closer to the tree line, but the Ghoul had heard things moving through there as the light had fallen. Even with the wind, it was best to have a quiet camp for now. 

“Fuckin cold,” Jade grumbled bundling herself up and laying the other coat over her legs. Trying to make herself as small as possible. 

The Ghoul chuckled, “No fire tonight, pip-squeak. Somethin' been moving around out there.” 

“Doesn’t mean it isn’t cold,” Jade mumbled from beneath her layers. It was almost hard to see her underneath the mountain of material she had buried herself under.

Sighing the Ghol scooted over to her, he took the duster and draped it over her. Jade’s brown eyes looked up at him as he sat closer to her. “You gonna freeze to death old man,” 

Ghoul raised his non-existent eyebrows at her, he pulled off his gloves and placed his hands right beside her face. “Radiation keeps me warm,” 

He watched her eyes follow his fingers as he moved them around in the dirt before she snuggled in closer. “If you’re dead in the morning I am keeping the duster.”

Wheezing slightly the Ghoul pulled his hand back placing it in the glove. He watched the last of the light disappear, more rustling came from the woods. Something was moving through there, he took a hit of the inhaler and continued to watch. Without the moon as full, it was hard to make out exactly what it was, west of Appalachia could have a world of weird shit. He hoped it wasn’t those giant toads, they were big slimy, and took a lot to kill. He was loaded up on ammo, but it would be a while before they saw another town. Another disadvantage of traveling north was fewer settlements. The scorched plague had left a lot of places empty, which meant more critters and taking up residences. He had heard about settlements pushing in and trying to take back space, but it was slow. 

He dug around in his side pocket, checking that all his vials were still there. If he wanted to stay up, he’d need to hit more chems. Humming he continued to listen, the place had gone quiet. Crickets and other bugs buzzed but besides that it was silent. He lay down looking up at the stars, a little napping couldn’t hurt. 

***

He woke up when he heard buzzing, his hand immediately tapping Jade’s shoulder. Looking around he couldn’t see anything but the trees were swaying. It was not in the direction of the wind either. Either something big or a lot of things were moving through the trees at a good clip. 

The Ghoul wanted to be in the other direction of whatever it was. 

“Time to go, Tiny,” He spoke, Jade sitting up grabbing her bag and swinging it on before standing. How did she have all the clothes tucked away so quickly? His duster pushed into his hand. 

“What yah think it is?” Jade said swaying a bit, her eyes a bit glassy from sleep. Eyebrows knitted as she tried to peer into the forest. 

“Not sure, but I think we shouldn’t wait to find out,” The Ghoul said, swinging on his duster and saddle bag and heading in the opposite direction. 

They decided to backtrack northeast, skirting around the forest. The buzzing was starting to fade, but it was still there. The Ghoul wasn’t sure but it seemed like they were heading south, what it was he didn’t want to find out. There was going to be enough trouble anyway.  The road they were on was going to be entering into the forest. Something at the back of The Ghoul’s neck perked up. 

“I do not like this,” He said, the woman beside him slowing down a step. She looked as concerned as he felt, her goggles pushed into her hair. The two of them looked at the destination ahead of them.

“Something wrong isn’t it?” She replied with her hand resting against her pistol. “Felt it all morning, like something is watching us. But I can’t see it, or hear it.”

The Ghoul nodded, the little lady’s instincts were correct, something was wrong. Something was waiting for them to enter that forest. He gritted his teeth, normally he’d reroute, maybe head back east then circle south, but it wasn’t like they had endless supplies. Plus whatever critters had woken them were heading that way. Go too far north they’d end up near Reavers or Slavers. None of it was good. 

“We don't got alotta options here, we can go south but probably run into whatever woke us up. Go too far north, reavers or slavers. Back east maybe find a place to hole up in. Or we go there.” He stated, he knew there weren't many options. 

“Well let's go kill some forest mutants,” Jade said, her hand resting on the pistol. 

Ghoul nodded, as much as he liked her confidence he was worried. The emotion felt almost surreal.  After years of looking out for himself and himself alone, he was worried about her. About the tiny fragile human, who couldn’t just shrug off gunshots like he could, who could easily be killed by a falling tree. 

“Jade,” He said quietly as they started into the forest, his heart hammering in his chest as he watched her move ahead. 

“What?” Jade asked her eyes looking forward to scanning the roadway. Always on the look for whatever was coming next. 

“Nothin’, ladies first.” He bit out, he wanted to tell her to turn around. Go back east and find a place to hole up in. That if something happened to leave him, that if she needed to run to, to run fast and far. But he didn’t. Instead, he made a sarcastic remark and pushed forward. 

“Pretty sure it's Ghouls before girls,” Jade smirked striding along the road with a small smile.

“Keep with me and you'll be both,” Ghoul chuckled, his jaw clicking as they took steps towards whatever was next.

part six

*little plot-heavy, in next chapter we have some action coming

*as always thank you so much for reading, let me know what you thought of it.

[elegantmusicdragon]

Adventures in Bravo-Sitting

Pairing: Dieter Bravo x Babysitter!Reader (f!Reader probably? Can be gn!Reader for now)

Rating/Warning: Just some language! Words that rhyme with certain swears. Me being a menace. You know how it goes.

A/N: Okay so this is for @blueeyesatnight who just went a on a Dieter/Babysitter journey with me and inspired me to crank this fic out in two days. Haven't written a fucking thing except a fic I won't post and THIS. Blue, you're the best and Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas (if you celebrate) and thank you so much for the inspo! Our Dieter/Babysitter thread is my favorite thing and also if you wanna write some of these two or your own version PLEASE DO IT. I encourage it! Much love to you.

To anyone else who may read this: thanks for sticking around and checking this not beta'd dumpster fire. I have no clue what this is. It came out of my brain and onto the page in a frenzy. But it's fine. I'm fine. Everything's fine. Enjoy! And Happy Holidays!

You are terribly confused. 

"We know this is highly unconventional." 

Well, that's putting it mildly. 

"In all honesty, I've seen weirder." A nightmare child smearing his feces all over the baking appliances and a cake his mother had made takes the trophy as of now. Though this situation is a close second. 

The woman, Amanda, smiles at you - relief flooding her features. She readjusts herself on the ridiculously fancy chair she's sitting on. Behind her, a small cluster of people in suits and business skirts gather. And between Amanda and the group? A man. Well, not man. Celebrity. A celebrity who seems to be grumbling something close to the words “ducking shooshes”.  

You never thought you'd end up babysitting Dieter Bravo but, you guess, things could be weirder. 

"Can I just...ask...um...why does a grown man need a babysitter?"

Dieter rolls his eyes and cuts in, "I don't." 

Amanda talks over him, "I'm sure you've seen the...incidents...on the Cliff Beasts set." 

You nod. "Absolutely, who hasn't? A drug overdose, quickie marriage, annulment - all within the span of a year. And the giant bender in Vegas with the showgirl last month? It's been all over the news." 

Amanda nods, tension lining her face. Behind her, Dieter rolls his eyes again. 

"It wasn't that bad." 

Amanda finally graces Dieter with an irritated glance. Her voice raises slightly, “Not that bad, Dee?? You almost destroyed the MGM Grand’s lobby, casino, and the penthouse suite you were staying in! That showgirl almost lost an eye!” 

Dieter rolls his neck back to face the ceiling, “Yeah, but she didn’t. She was fun,” he chuckles. “Liked to party. We still got her number?”

You see a vein throb in Amanda’s forehead. You’re not quite sure if you should butt into their conversation. Amanda grips the planner she holds so tightly, her knuckles begin to turn white. 

“No, Dee. We don’t have her number. You know, since she ALMOST LOST AN EYE??” 

Dieter sighs. “Oh my god, she was fine. It was safe. I was totally able to handle that machete. That lobby guy was just scared.” 

You raise an eyebrow. 

Amanda fires back, “He was the manager!!! And you were swinging a machete at one of his showgirls!” 

“I wasn’t gonna hurt her, god it’s like you think I’m irresponsible or something.” 

Oh god what have you gotten yourself into???

You reach down and attempt to subtly get your belongings. You’ve decided you want no part in…whatever this is. To your utter disappointment, you’re apparently not subtle enough. Amanda’s eyes dart to where your hand is resting on the strap of your bag. Her eyes widen just a fraction in desperation. 

“I know we’re not giving the best impression here. But I promise, this is going to be a very rewarding experience. Dieter is special!” 

She had said that on the phone too, but it was your fault you had misinterpreted it. Dieter clearly is special just…not in the way you were expecting. He’s special in a super-fuckin-entitled-wealthy way. 

You swallow and your eyes dart to Dieter, who hasn’t looked at you once since this whole meet and greet started. 

“Listen, Amanda, I’m really flattered that you and your…” You peter off, realizing the entire group of people behind her are now listening to you basically say no to this insane job. Are they really surprised you’re not interested in this? 

You clear your throat and continue, “team…want me to do this. I just don’t quite think I’m what you’re looking for.” 

Amanda looks behind her at a gentleman in a neatly pressed suit. He leans forward and whispers something in her ear. She nods, and turns back to you. Dieter remains absorbed in the ceiling. 

“Alright,” Amanda starts, “how about I show you what your pay would look like and we’ll take it from there? Maybe we could do a trial run if the amount is to your liking?” 

Dieter snorts. “It’ll be to her liking, I’m loaded.” 

Amanda rolls her eyes. Despite that, she keeps her focus on you. “Well?” She asks. 

You sigh. You know you’re caught between a rock and hard place. Money? Or no money? Well, even if this job isn’t what you necessarily thought it would be, it couldn’t hurt to look at the amount. Why the hell not? 

You shrug. “Sure,” you reply back to Amanda. “I guess looking at the number can’t hurt.” 

She smiles and nods, turning to confer with the gentleman behind her again. They whisper to each other for a few minutes before Amanda turns back to you. 

“Okay! I just want to clarify that we’ll be starting with a trial run of a week. If just you, or both you and Dieter-” 

He snorts at his name. Amanda studiously ignores him and continues on. 

“Are interested in keeping this arrangement going, we’ll re-discuss and go from there. Is that amenable to you?”

You nod. “Sounds good to me.” 

Amanda smiles widely, looking truly relieved for the first time since you stepped into the room. 

“Great!” She replies. She reaches behind her to grab a small piece of paper from the suited gentleman (who is he???) and hands it over to you. You surreptitiously glance over at Dieter. For the first time, you find his eyes on you. You shiver slightly. His eyes sparkle with…something. 

You look back down at the folded piece of paper in your hands. You’re more nervous than you thought you’d be. You open it slightly and see the number written down.

WOW that’s a LOT of zeroes! Holy crap. 

You look at Amanda.

“Trial run it is.” 

P.S. Banners by @firefly-graphics

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Anyone else want a tag? Lemme know!

[magicalgirlsirin]

hi rly enjoyed ur post on elysian realm! ik ur a new fan (i am too) but i heard that before retcon, elysia was a lot more morally gray. would you happen to know how exactly?? im rly curious bc i think it would be a severe improvement obviously. we deserve complex women who do wrongs

So when I say retcon in relation to the elyrealm arc it's less so "things they changed because of the story evolving and wanting to expand previously established events" and more "things they straight up forgot about in service of making Elysia a herrscher". It's not like hi3 is a stranger to retcons though?

For example, Durandal being the "original" Kiana is a retcon. The fact that our Kiana was a clone remained the same, but it's clear from older story stuff (iirc it's Everlasting Memory/Theresa's chronicle set?; second eruption manga doesn't focus on the Kiana part) that Durandal wasn't originally there. Otto refers to Kiana as K-423, and that Theresa needs to retrieve her, which implies that Theresa knows it's not Siegfried and Cecilia's kid, but her distress remains the same. The later game retcon by Thus Spoke Apocalypse is that OG!Kiana and Siegfried were going to go retrieve K-423, but OG!Kiana ended up injured and so Siegfried only left with K-423. And if you're confused then so am I because the details don't really super line up with the presentation, but it's like, fine, because at the end of the day the current writing intention and trajectory is for Durandal and Kiana to be sisters, and to both be Siegfried's daughters.

Anyways, for Elysia, a lot of her retcons occur in a very rapid pace from the first realm chapter set to Elysium Everlasting. Like I mentioned in my last post, the herrscher reveal is nonsense just going off of basic information like the fact she received MANTIS surgery like all the other Flame Chasers. However, there are other plot threads that are completely dropped for the sake of making Elysia a very special good girl who you should love because she's so nice and never did anything bad.

[About Betrayal 1 - Chapter 2]

[About Betrayal 2 - Chapter 2]

Elysia the traitor plot is something I was, well not hopeful for (a friend had already warned me that the game wouldn't do anything interesting with it] but I still ended up mulling it over a lot because it was such an interesting hinge piece for her initial presentation.

What stands out to me is the phrasing. Kevin says she never endangered humanity even if she was a traitor. Kevin says that Elysia made a decision. This implies agency, like Elysia was actively choosing to do something dangerous for the sake of the Flame Chasers. However, if Elysia was a herrscher from the beginning, then none of this makes sense. She doesn't choose to be a herrscher if she was one from the beginning, so why even make it seem like her betrayal was her choice at all?

[Traitor - Chapter 1]

It doesn't stop there though. Mobius' active disdain implies that whatever choice Elysia made, it was enough to make Mobius of all people consider her a lost cause. Mobius, who body mods and injects honkai energy into anyone with a pulse (hyperbole) to try and make humanity last just the slightest bit longer.

[Traitor - Chapter 1]

Mobius wants us to doubt Elysia's intentions. If you go through all their shared information, you'll find that the worst Elysia really does is just... coerce Mobi to wear pink dresses, and while that is obnoxious, it wouldn't warrant utter contempt for Elysia as a person.

There's actually a lot of stray text that implies there's something wrong about Elysia's existence, which I guess in generous terms could be interpreted as setup for the herrscher reveal? But it just feels like it's just there to add to the mystery that won't go anywhere.

[The Blind Spot - Recollection]

This right here nags at me. Deeply so. Elysia isn't so much a character as much as she is just a concept, the idea of a story that could be told. Not even in the canon-compliant weird endgame hook meta-textual breakout in Transcending Finality about the power of stories... Although, there's a way to introduce it here and tie it to Elysia to give some semblance of connectivity.

I went this long without actually giving my thoughts on how to make Elysia's writing good though. Disclaimer for clarity sake I know not everyone will agree with the changes I want to make and I'm also not claiming to be a more skilled writer than anyone in the hi3 team, they're all people with enough talent to be employed by the company.

That out of the way.

This isn't so much about making Elysia morally grey as much as it is about giving her an emotional core, because right now she's pretty hollow. Rather than a pristine girl who never did anything wrong, I'd rather cast her as a romantic, tragic heroine who would move heaven and fate just to seem noble.

Elysia was born human. Maybe she loved stories, and how they transported her to far off places, far far far away from the tiny town she was growing up in. When she was old enough, she traveled the world. Honkai descends. Because she was a globe trotter she ended up connected to many people, and was given the chance to join the MOTH organization. She gets MANTIS surgery. As the number of soon-to-be Flame Chasers grow, discussion begins about if the strength of the soldiers is enough.

'Maybe, if I had power comparable to a herrscher, we could fight with less casualties.'

She doesn't say this out loud, of course. It's a dangerous thought, a line that shouldn't be crossed. But she's curious. She breaks into Mobius' lab [Miss Pink Spy - Pristine Memory] to find the information she wants. Mobius figures out her intentions and warns Elysia off. It's not even in consideration, so keep whatever plan you have in mind off the table before you do something irreversible.

Mobius thought that Elysia gave up on the plan after the seventh erruption. The haunted look behind Kevin's eyes, the sadness creasing Elysia's face, all of it makes it seem like a simple consideration forgotten by the sands of time.

Elysia doesn't have a discipline. She told Dr. Mei it wasn't needed since her combat performance was well above standard margins anyways. (She is on par with Kevin in strength, after all.) At least, we all thought she didn't. A deal is made with Aponia.

Aponia, Aponia, apostle of fate, I offer you my 'humanity' to become a 'story'.

Elysia cannot receive any more disciplines. The target has to be "human". Elysia as a story, unchanging, pristine, capable of remaining as she is without blemish, can reach out and become a herrscher while remaining herself. She's desperate. She wants to help. She reaches into the deep, the start of the universe, and gathers the power. She names it Origin, since it's something she found at the source.

She's a herrscher.

Herrschers are an enemy of humanity.

Kevin runs her through with Shamash.

Elysia is still herself though, talking like she would as usual.

-Oh Kevin, I wanted to know if your tears would freeze, but I was hoping it wouldn't be like this. They're so warm, though. Thank you for crying for me.

-I see no herrscher here, just... the flame chaser, bearing the signet of ego.

The Elysian Realm keeps a secret. Aponia keeps it, the fact that Elysia gave up her humanity. The final banquet? A polite way to refer to Elysia's own demise.

It's sad, isn't it? That strength she wanted to give fell right through her fingers. Her own undoing, the desperate plan of a foolish girl who wanted to be a hero, but only ending up as a villain to oppose. It's so much more meaningful, then, that Elysia's gift, the power of sapience, is kept on to the next cycle of humanity. Held again, the power of ego, of humans, to someone with a kind heart to move beyond the past she's trapped in. Thank you, Raiden Mei, for carrying on the ideals of the thirteen trailblazers, the moths who chase the flame.

so anyways yeah i think elysia couldve been interesting whos to say

[dduane]

Hi! This might end up a super weird question, sorry in advance!

So just came across your twitter today and seeing your profile pic my brain is now convinced that you were the person who years ago shared this one really good bread recipe with oven baked garlic in it? Is it actually you? I tried to look through your tumblr but I didn't find anything so I'm so sorry if it's not you? But man that was the best bread I ever ate so I really want to find the recipe again! Thank you so much in advance... QvQ

No, it's not weird at all! Don't sweat it. :)

I've been baking for a long time, and have posted enough recipes now, here and there, that it's hard to keep track of them all sometimes. So I feel your pain. :)

...That said: I don't think I've done a recipe that involves actually baking garlic in the bread. ...Roasting garlic and then squeezing that into or onto already-baked bread, that I've seen around... though not in any of my own recipes. (Not that it's not a good idea: I just haven't been down that road myself.)

... @petermorwood just sent me this really quite sensual-looking garlic bread TikTok that does involve the roasted and squeezed-out garlic approach. I'll reblog it after this post, as I'm not sure how to pull the embed out of his.

Meanwhile, here's a garlic bread thread I did on Twitter some time back. (Pulling the images and contents into this post, because who knows what's going to happen to Twitter in the medium term...? But the thread starts here for those who want to link to that.)

"Tonight's garlic bread. Method follows. :) "

"...RIGHT. So this is based on many warmed-over/reheated Manhattan-based pizzeria dinners back in the 70s, when I was still doing hospital work and you were glad to either (a) reheat what you had from last night, or (b) make something very like it, but hotter and fresher.

"The basic approach: Buy in small cheap store-baked baguettes. (There is no POSSIBLE point in you using good homebaked bread on these. Buy cheaply made spongy bread that will SOAK UP THE GARLIC BUTTER SOONEST.)

"Slice each one more or less into five or six thickish slices (NOT all the way through, just 5/6 of the way to the back of the loaf.) Warm them a bit in the oven or microwave if they're cold.

"Mix together: Six to eight cloves of freshly chopped garlic: at least 300g but maybe more like 500g of butter. Some coarse-ground pepper: some salt: a little bit of onion powder. Herbs to your preference (oregano, parsley, whatever...).

"Additionally, as we did tonight: brown 6-8 slices of bacon by your preferred method. (I did it in the microwave because I could *not be arsed* to get involved with the frying pan.)

"Set up each sliced baguette in a piece of foil big enough to fold loosely around it (to keep the butter in) and undo without a whole lot of trouble. Pry the bread slices apart and stuff at least a teaspoon of butter or two between each pair of slices. (OR MORE.)

"(In our tonight-variant: Stuff a crumbled slice of bacon into the garlic butter between each slice.) Preheat the oven to sort of 180C/375F. Put each baguette and its foil in a baking tray. Shove the whole business into the oven and give them 10 minutes or so with the foil on.

"Pull the garlic breads out and unfold the foil from around them. Shove them back into the oven and give them another 10 minutes, keeping a close eye on them so they won't burn. (f you want to put some cheese on top of one, this is your time.)

"Pull them out and let them cool enough not to destroy the human beings intending to eat them. After they cool (if anything's left) put a *faintly damp* tea-towel/dishtowel over them to keep them nice. If coming to them again later, heat them gently at first, then FIERCELY.

"...And now the pics. Mine:

"His (with the cheese):

...The roasted-garlic garlic bread follows in the next post. :)

("Why is this shot like a porno?" someone says plaintively in the comments. Well, why indeed? And why not.)

[cetacian]

The Fall and Rise of Orca: Orca Joins a Furry Gang Part 2

Warning: This post contains spoilers for Batman & Robin Vol 3 Issue #5 "School Daze."

Note: I missed a bit of info in Issue #4 that Damian suspected his school principal to be Shush, formerly Mistress Harsh, one of the trainers for him when he was being raised by his mother with the League of Assassins.

And now, back to our story already in progress:

Batman and Damian caught up with Orca, hoping to gain more information regarding Man-Bat's plans, though she was anything but cooperative, fearing Man-Bat's wrath should she give anything away:

Okay, so apparently Orca being able to breathe and speak underwater is still a thing. I'll chalk it up to a parting gift from the late Lord Chondrakha/Kamo for helping out his son over in the King Shark miniseries until and unless another explanation is given. Her leaping and smashing abilities however are much more in line with what we've seen before.

Interestingly, this the first time Batman has used a variation on the famous "Let Me Help You!" line on Orca. Which I thought would've happened much sooner in either the New Earth or Rebirth continuities, but still. XD I personally think a fight between Orca and Man-Bat would be much more evenly matched than she realizes, though it would depend on the given terrain and other circumstances.

The fight ended shortly due to Daman's quick thinking and Orca was left to be arrested:

I know last time she got fried by sound waves, but insert your "two nickels, weird that it happened twice" meme here. Also, thank you, Batman, for saying that about Orca being better than this, because it sure seems like the writer didn't. Ugh, more self pitying backsliding. I get so tired of seeing it because it's very shallow: it doesn't go into the real roots of her poor self esteem and it feels like whatever progress she makes falls by the wayside as a result in order to keep her in the position of sniveling goon. It's fine if they want her to remain a villain, but there has to be more going on then "poor me" for Orca to feel like an actual developed character. Also is this how she ended up in jail during the Punchline backup over in the Joker book? I don't know and it seems like the writers don't care to give any conclusion to that plot thread.

I'm really hoping this isn't the end of Orca's involvement in this storyline because it would just be another example of the writer not planning ahead, getting bored and rushing things. If you as the writer don't give care about you've set up, you can't expect your readers to either.

If Orca shows up again in this book, I'll make a part three. If not, I have a certain clip waiting to be used.

Bonus: Variant cover art for Issue #5 by artist Nikola Cizmesija:

[kakairu-rocks]

Hey guys! Our Creator Spotlight is back, but this time we’ve changed things around.

Firstly, we’re no longer seeking out individual creators for interviews, as the process of finding someone willing to participate, interviewing them, and then sharing their answers in our posts was particularly time-consuming; and whilst we’re glad that we were able to highlight some amazing people and their creations, it just wasn’t a sustainable thing for us.

So now, we’d like to open up the Creator Spotlight to all KakaIru creators, to find out a bit about everyone; and hopefully (most definitely) find more creations to add to our bookmarks & indulge in!

We will be doing this every three months, as opposed to monthly; and unlike last time, when there was a standard set of interview questions, this time, the questions will be themed!

And the theme for our very first Creator Spotlight of the year is… Firsts!

What was your first ever KakaIru creation? Do you like it, or is it at least meaningful to you in some way? How long ago did you create it? And how much has your style changed since then?

Let us know HERE!

You don’t have to answer all the questions, they’re only a guide - just tell us whatever you like about your first creation! And please, please don’t hesitate to link anything!

Note: if yours is NSFW or Dark, as per our guidelines, and you want to share it, please do so on our 18+ thread!

[merrock]

event: End of Summer Beach Bash

location: Merrock Swim Beach

date & time: August 23-25, 2024

ooc duration: August 18-25, 2024

Welcome to the End of Summer Beach Bash! This party is for everyone in Merrock who is absolutely dreading school starting soon, and the perfect opportunity to have one last hoorah with all of your friends and family before the weather changes. Everyone is welcome. If you bring the kiddos, please make sure to be responsible for them, and pets must be cleaned up after if you bring them along, too.

This time around, the beach has been 'staged' with different areas to enjoy different facets of the party and get involved in fun things, they areas are:

CLUB MERROCK -- a dance floor has been set up, as well as a DJ booth and some tables and chairs, with lights strung above, and potted palm trees for ambiance. bartenders will be serving mixed drinks all night, as well. this area will be open from sundown until 12AM Friday and Saturday night.

CAMPGROUND -- an area further down the beach where you can pitch a tent (or lay out a blanket) to camp for the night if you wish. Fires will be built, as well!

THE BONFIRE -- perfect for just hanging out, singing songs, making s'mores or anything else that you want to do with your night; the bonfire will be lit from sundown until late into the night, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

THE FEED TROUGH -- food trucks, drink stands, grills, picnic tables, everything that you need to keep yourself well fed while you party! feel free to bring whatever you would like to eat, as well.

THE ATHLETIC PIT -- this area has been set up with horseshoes, quoits, a volleyball net, and has direct access to some of the best surfing and boogie boarding spots at the beach. perfect for getting a game together with your friends!

The rest of the beach is fair game -- stretch out on a towel or blanket, build sandcastles, do some reading, hang out, do whatever you want to do! There will be lifeguards on duty to make sure that you are safe and sound should you decide to go jump into the ocean, as well. Alcohol can be consumed (it can only be purchased & will only be served in Club Merrock, however; otherwise, you must provide your own), but do drink responsibly in common areas!

Let's have a great weekend to end our summer vacations! xx

MOD NOTES: there will be a thread roulette for this event (pinned in our OOC blog!). you're still welcome to make your own plot calls (but please comment on or reach out to others first!), and open starters are highly encouraged. if you would like to post outfits and starters, feel free! use the #merrockfashion and #merrocksocial tags, as usual.

[softsnzstuff]

OF/MD - Kraken!Ed with a Cold

Based on this post thread. Have a snippet of what myself and @snzsnchillz-afterdark think menacing Kraken!Ed would be like when he’s got the worst cold and is trying to still be threatening. This one goes out to my OFMD buddies - @friv0lite @peach-plumb-pear2 @sniffles-and-tickles @softersteve

Based on the new promo pictures because Taika could choke me and I’d thank him Ed looks so good 🫡😍

Set between seasons 1 and 2 (before canon S2 has come out if anyone finds this post 10/05/23)

CW: intentional contagion

The crew of the Revenge were well used to Ed’s overnight personality changes at this point. At first he’d been all weepy and switched to being one with the Earth and musical and personifying his soul…whatever that meant.

The second switch happened a few days later. Over night. When he had reached the point in his breakup that condoned anger and violence. He’d cut off Izzy’s toe and fed it to him in the night, also tossing plenty of Stede’s things overboard - partial crew included.

He’d been in full swing as Blackbeard for a couple of weeks now - ravaging ships, looting them, and leaving men for dead in ways more unimaginable than skinning them with the snail fork.

This third personality shift happened when he came down with the cold from Hell… or rather - tried to convince everyone that he hadn’t.

Ed had been up Izzy’s ass the the last day, quite literally screaming orders in his ear, pausing occasionally to cough wetly. Izzy would just close his eyes and force a smile before responding with, “Yes, Captain.”

This morning, Izzy had awoken the crew early - somehow managing to be both yelling at them and quiet as not to wake Ed.

“Alright listen up, dogs! Blackbeard is… under the weather… and is more irritable than usual.” Izzy started. “I want you lot to just do what he says and try not to fucking upset him.”

“Why is that our job? He’s the one being a dick.” Jim muttered, twirling their knife.

Izzy sighed, having known Ed the longest. “Because the sooner he is well again, the sooner he stops being a cunt.”

“Yeah, that’s a good enough answer for me I feel.” Frenchie looked around for agreement. Everyone stayed silent, but Fang gave a single nod in solidarity.

“I want you all to keep your heads down and stay out of his fucking way. If he asks anything, you say ‘yes captain’ and fucking do it. And you-” Izzy points to Frenchie, “I want you find what’s left of any medicine that Bonnet left on board. Is that understood?”

There were some silent nods.

“I SAID IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?!?” Izzy screamed.

“Yes, fucking Christ.” Jim grumbled, bringing some hands up towards their ears.

“H’iszzzSCHEW! K’tCHuh!”

Just as they were finishing up, Ed kicked the door in, sniffling thickly against his gloved hand.

“What the fuck are you all doing down here???”

Izzy quickly came up with a lie, “I was just telling these fucking idiots that it shouldn’t take this long to clean the floor!”

Izzy shot Frenchie a glance and he immediately dropped to his knees, using a piece of his shirt to scrub at the floor.

“I’m sorry captain Blackbeard sir, it’s just hard to clean the floor without any.. water?” He tried to play along with the charade.

“Hmm. You’re right.” Ed hummed thoughtfully before spitting on the floor right in front of the younger man. “There. Now you’ve got something.”

Frenchie held back a gag as Ed stormed out the other door to the deck of the ship, Izzy and crew following behind. Jim have Frenchie a hand up and he scurried off to go find Stede’s medicine stash.

*****

One thing about the gentleman pirate is that he was bound to have loads of the unnecessary - books, fine fabrics, and medicine. It only took a few minutes for Frenchie to find the bottles in the Captains’ chambers bathroom, but seeing as he couldn’t read, he just grabbed everything and shoved it into a crate to bring to Izzy on the upper deck.

Hands full of different bottles and vials, he turned on his heels to leave the Captain’s chambers. Slamming into the chest of the captain…

“The fuck are you doing in my room?!” Ed hissed, looking the man up and down.

“I uh… you see Mr.Blackbeard sir… I just.. I was…”

Ed’s scowl gave way momentarily to something more relaxed. He turned to the side out of habit, sneezing openly at the air.

“Eh’tSZzZiew! Snlrff”

“Shut up! You’re fucking taking too long.” Ed held up a hand, making Frenchie stop.

The crew member was frozen, staring wide eyed, his eyes locked on the small trail of mess leaking down Ed’s upper lip.

Ed had him pinned against the wall. “The fuck are you staring at?”

“You’ve just…. You’ve got a little…on your face…” Frenchie stammered, gesturing towards Ed’s nose.

He watched in horror as Ed’s nostrils flared once again right in front of him. He squeezed his eyes and hoped for the best.

“H’ekTSZZZuhew!”

Frenchie scrunched his face as he felt droplets hit his cheek.

“Well now you’ve got a little something on your face too.” Ed released his grip on the man, throwing him against the wall and rubbing his own nose again.

“This is so unsanitary.” Frenchie whined quietly.

“What was that???”

“I said uh… sanctuary! Thank you for providing us with such a great… sanctuary….” The fake enthusiasm trailed off at the end before he scurried away to the upper deck.

When he arrived topside, he looked like he’d seen a ghost. Jim was standing at Izzy’s side.

“Jeez what the fuck happened to you?” They asked.

“Here’s your fucking medicine.” Frenchie aggressively dropped the crate of medicine on the barrel in front of Izzy, pausing to wipe at his face and swiping one of the bottles, “this one’s for me now.”

Izzy huffed a knowing sigh and rubbed at his temple. “He sneeze on you?”

Jim made a face of disgust as Frenchie nodded. “Yup…”

“He’s worse than I thought.” Izzy groaned. “Never thought I’d say this but we need Stede back.”

[extraterrestrialechos]

I've really enjoyed reading your meta on Ed (and the show as a whole.) Do you have any predictions/expectations/hopes for how his arc will play out in s2 and s3?

I’ve tried not to set too many expectations on S2 and hopefully S3 so I can just be surprised by and receptive to whatever rolls through.

The fundamental, primordial thing is I'm a big horror fan so of course no one would want me to write a second season of a comedy! Even my jokes are...

Me, making a crazy wall about how Ed and Frenchie are gonna make it work in the end.

Pointing to the mess of red thread and smiling with gleaming-eyed fervor as I corner you and tell you this is so obviously the endgame.

My smile is too wide I have too many teeth.

And clearly my one aspiration will be fruitless!

.

Rhys isn’t in the writer’s room obviously but I was saying in some reply I thought this bit of meta in an early Collider interview was really solid on his part:

Even in his most romantic sequence of thinking about everything he loves about Ed he thought about Ed threatening to stab a man through the eye (I mean it was very sexy of him, I feel you Stede), but obviously the last shot of Ed we see is a man heartbroken from crushed visions of a future denied him.

So, maybe I would like to see a dark but funny reunion, like Stede exulting that Ed has recovered from the awful (shudder) sock folding state Stede reduced him to etc etc and then looking down like “Oh. That’s a knife!”

But have we reached our impalement level with Stede? He’s already been stabbed twice! (Luckily this doesn’t seem too serious for him, but is more impalement a narratively fruitful direction? But then, a third beat can land hardest.)

I want to be entertained as it is impressed upon Stede that no, in fact, Edward does not feel refreshed and un-ruined and zesty about events as they transpired.

.

The show was, ofc, extremely careful to show that Ed didn't just fall apart because one man left him, but gave us a strong confluence of events where his new beau cut out on him and his professional partner and attack dog of however many years (in the post-S2 filming Insta interview series it was said they taught each other swordsmanship) was spooked by getting himself about drowned when left alone for five minutes.

(This was Izzy's own fault for being insufferable at people and open to the wiles of anyone including Black Pete who has like one (1) wile if any, but obvs the impact of the isolation after a season of Unattended Henchman Anxiety Syndrome was acute.)

So I guess my biggest hope is we really see Ed as his own man and being positioned to plot his own course with a clear head.

Which doesn't mean not forging healthy, re-negotiated relationships, but also doesn't mean being rescued by love or something unless it's Frenchie's that Episode 10 already psychological realism'd us out of.

Love by itself doesn't mend a lifetime of unaddressed trauma. Wherever you go, there you are.

[artbyblastweave]

Currently on episode 3 (2?) of MAWS. A few notes: One interesting thing about S:TAS is that you got an excellent sense of what the post-Superman status-quo was displacing. The first episode after the pilot involved Bruno Manheim, a conventional mob boss, running afoul of the Toyman, one of the first of the new crop of supercriminals, in a way that reminds me of The Long Halloween. Whenever Bruno Manheim shows up for the rest of the series, it's in the context of his struggle to remain relevant until he's killed while trying to be a cats paw for Darkseid. In the S:TAS pilot, Lex Luthor's big plan was an under-the-table attempt to evade an arms embargo and sell the combat robots to a post-soviet state; a very ripped-from-the-headlines plot for the 1990s, interrupted only by the abrupt injection of an out-of-context problem in the form of a Superhero. The show had a lot of nods like that, to the way in which Superman and company were beginning to upend a world that was, in terms of its economy and geopolitics, at least a little like our own. Justice League took it further- demonstrating that Superman has a positive impact on nuclear disarmament policy, but then further demonstrating the government's antsiness about the overall shift in the balance of power towards the Justice League, with their secret killsat and so on. However. The series was aware of how the world was changing, but didn't advance a precise mechanism for why all the disparate weirdness happened to kick off all at once, in time for Superman to encounter and fight it. Because that was pure Doylism- Now that Superman exists, wacky stuff needs to start happening so he can have something to fight each week. MAWS patches this from a watsonian perspective- there's a common (Kryptonian) origin of most of the supervillians Superman is going up against. However, there's a level on which this has made (all two episodes) feel siloed away from the world at large, in a way that the first two (four?) episodes of S:TAS didn't. Intergang goes from an established Mafia-style crime syndicate desperately using alien tech to remain competitive in a post-Superman world, to three comically-incompetent crooks who could barely knock over a convenience store. The robots go from a human technology built for war profiteering reasons to (implicitly) salvaged Braniac-tech. The arms-dealing plot is still present but it's a bit less clear on the face of it who's bankrolling this and who was supposed to be buying it. Cadmus is the strongest tie that this show has to the sense of realpolitik or the balance of power or whatever it is you want to call it, which was threaded through the older shows at a pretty deep level.

There's a level on which I'm being extremely unfair, because I'm comparing 60 mins of worldbuilding to a continuity that ran 15 years and probably close to a hundred hours- this could plausibly go anywhere. Indeed. One aesthetic criticism I had of the show, which I'm walking back before having even made a post about it, is that with the kryptonian tech meta-origin, I thought they were getting dangerously close to doing the MCU thing of villains who show up in costumes-that-are-barely-costumes, street-clothes or military-wear augmented by a few gadgets, with some aesthetic signifiers referring to the more costume-like costumes they had in the comics. Then I did a quick scan of S:TAS and noticed that very few villains in that are actually wearing costume-costumes- instead, it's altered physiologies, experimental bodysuits that look like skintight spandex in the abstracted artstyle of S:TAS, or clothing that's just the style in the alien society that they're from. Villains who are clearly wearing considered costumes are much more prominent in Justice League- set years after S:TAS, when the precedent for costumed villainy has had time to solidify. This last paragraph was what this post was originally going to be about, incidentally.