#//combat will probably be necessary. but death less so

[hyliasblame]

So who are you anyway

I Don't Know.

All I know is I am Angry and Terrified and I am Link's Fault. But he either Won't acknowledge it Or is Too Stupid to realize.

But I know if I Kill him I will stop Feeling these Things.

[kindaasrikal]

When Ninjago writes side characters who don’t have elements, they execute it incredibly well.

Characters like Ronin, Arin, Wu (since he doesn’t use his element, and since there’s no confirmation of him having any physical enhancements (from what i know)), Vania, and probably a few others I’ve missed, have been written to have experience in combat and are good at it.

They’re shown to be capable of defending themselves and are on par with the ninja in combat, capable of being their equals when necessary.

And then you look at the ninja when they lose their elements.

Before the ninja were even capable of controlling their elements in the early seasons Wu specifically taught them how to fight using weapons and skills alone. They didn’t have their elements to rely on.

So honestly i always found it to be horrible writing when the ninja would lose their elements and would then be written as way less stronger despite knowing how to fight without their elements. Like yeah no i agree they would be mopping around and losing confidence about it, but being completely incapable in a fight isn’t something I’m expecting.

Some theories i made up (right now on the spot forgive me) is that when the ninja lose their elements is effects a deeper part of themselves.

Obviously theres the natural way they lose it is by either death or having it passed down onto their kids, but its the unnatural ways that actually effect them. Specially when they’re unwilling to give them up.

The masters of each element is deeply intertwined with them, and when having something that is practically apart of your soul be ripped away from you when you’re actively trying to hold on is like ripping a damn limb off for them.

I think when they lose their elements unwillingly, or is unable to use it, they’re left unbalanced and in some weird version of pain. They feel a loss they don’t want and feel as though they are useless now having lost something so important.

But thats just a theory so if the writers keep making the ninja unbearably weaker when losing their elements I’m gonna sob in a corner and the pretend to be a writer to fix it myself

Yeah no this is just a whole rant of a thought i had about why the ninja are written the way they are each time they unwillingly lose their elements (written as how they behave physically, how they behave mentally each time is actually fun to watch i lose the angst if losing something precious to you and now you feel lost without it)

[starlostlix]

Fukuchi is a 'tragic hero' and how his narrative on the page parallels that of the current manga narrative

[Sorry for the bulky title I didn't know how to phrase it with any less words.]

Anyone who has seen my post probably knows how interested i've been in the writing of Fukuzawa and Fukuchi in recent chapters, and I've just recently had an idea (inspired by a post by @starlightshadowsworld about Fukuchi and Fukuzawa) that Fukuchi is in some ways a 'tragic hero', mostly inspired by Macbeth (I have studied Macbeth like 3 separate times in school I think it may stick with me forever in some way).

So a tragic hero is usually a central character of a story, someone who is noble yet experiences a tragic downfall linked to a fatal flaw in their character. But some antagonists can also be tragic heroes. A tragic hero has to be virtuous to gain audience sympathy, have a tragic flaw that leads to their downfall, and suffer a reversal of fortune.

- So where does this apply to Fukuchi?

Fukuchi can be considered virtuous - he has goals of world peace, he's portrayed as a hero in his movies and to the people of the world, and he has his willingness to give up his life as part of his plan - which can all lead to the anime audience/manga reader and the people of the BSD universe feeling sympathy for him.

He also has his fatal flaws - he works with untrustworthy people like Fyodor to try and make his plan work (ultimately leading to his plan failing and him being turned into a weapon), and he displays a sense of cruelty despite his personal limit of 500 deaths for his plan. I do think that his ability itself is also a fatal flaw - his ability (being able to strengthen any weapon by 100x) is inherently made for combat and destruction, and goes directly against his ideals of world peace. In fact, the reason Fyodor needed him in the first place was his ability. In universe, his bloodlust and his own friendship with Fukuzawa would be seen as his fatal flaw, as may be written on the page.

Then the reversal of fortune. His original plan was to die and world peace to be achieved via the page from that. Instead Fyodor uses him as part of the Tripolar singularity and he is now the vessel of the Divine being that threatens to destroy everything around it - and goes directly against his ideas of peace. But that is OUR narrative - the people of the BSD universe were to have the narrative of Fukuchi being defeated in battle by his own friend, his bloodlust luring him to his own defeat.

But being a 'tragic hero' is to mean that his actions are inherently flawed, much like Macbeth being willing to shed so much blood for his own gain. Fukuchi's actions put the world in danger, even with his noble goals of world peace, and it is his flaws and actions that have led to the world being in such a dangerous situation - leaving it vulnerable to not only manipulatiors like Fyodor, but possible corruption via a potential dictatorship. His ideas were overly optimistic and doesn't account for these potential disasters enough (and no, placing Fukuzawa as leader does not solve this issue - what about who comes after? will they be as kind? and even then he's just shouldered his dear friend with a huge burden he didn't want in the slightest. i'd argue that's also another flaw of his - not having the necessary compassion to consider the effects his plan may have on fukuzawa, teruko and others involved and seeing that his goals may not be worth those.)

- So Fukuchi clearly hits all those boxes, but why do you keep mention the in-universe BSD population?

Well the main idea is that the narrative we see in the manga parallels that of the one the people of the BSD universe would see.

Fukuchi (his body now possessed by the Divine being) is creating all out destruction in Yokohama, with no reason or remorse for it. It is likely that this is how Fukuchi, if the page took effect when he was defeated, would be viewed by the public for his actions with the Vampirism and the One Order. Nothing more than a mindless monster, where his bloodlust is his fatal flaw, rather than his ability and his trust in the wrong people.

This is why i theorise that the final blow to kill the Divine being/Fukuchi will be done by Fukuzawa - preserving the effects of the page and playing out exactly like the page would have predicted. Essentially I also see the narrative of the page being applied to defeating the Divine being instead of just Fukuchi.

In addition, the people of the BSD universe would have had sympathy for him until this point. Not just Fukuzawa and Teruko, but all his fans who enjoyed his movies and the soldiers and politicians who idolised him. Whilst the current manga narrative has some attempts at evoking sympathy for him, most of the fanbase don't feel sympathetic to him (which flips the narrative presented in-universe).

[So essentially the current narrative we the reader see is possibly mirroring the one already written on the page - at least that's what I'm trying to say (i'm kind of confusing myself trying to write this, I had a point but it's kind of slipping my mind when I try to explain better). I hope this makes sense to at least one person lmao. This has been in my drafts for a bit so I hope it still makes some sense.]

[allen-kunekune]

Day 6 : Cigarettes - Flowers - Knives

Leon wasn't surprised by the smoky taste against his lips. Anything else would have shocked him; he was sure his lips couldn't taste of anything other than a fire both powerful and reassuring.

Leon didn't know why he got so close to the other man, risking ruining a rare moment of calm. It wasn't something he should do, whether on a mission or elsewhere. Leon shouldn't have done it now. But he felt that death could come at any moment, whether from the parasite pulsing in his chest or the endless hordes of infected since his arrival.

The mines seemed to descend ever deeper. Leon began to doubt there was a second exit, but Luis promised another way out, and Leon had no choice but to believe him. It became more than an obligation to follow the other man.

The American agent didn't know when trust had developed between him and the former scientist. Maybe it was from seeing Luis act as if everything would be fine and genuinely believing that Leon would stop the horror unfolding there. As if he would save Ashley and Luis.

Leon relied on Luis to watch his back as they fought against the nameless hordes of former villagers. The man proved useful in combat. Leon even started laughing at his jokes while waiting in a cabin for a particularly strong rain to pass, hindering their search. Perhaps because, despite his doubts, Luis was one of the few who seemed to care about their survival. Luis kept promising to do everything to save them, believing Leon could help.

How Luis remained so optimistic, making the trials less burdensome, was a total mystery to Leon. Despite the situation, Luis managed not to panic as any civilian would. Leon didn't know why, but it comforted him. He wanted more.

As the mines dragged on with numerous rocky passages, another break was necessary. As usual, Luis pulled out one of his cigarettes, letting the tobacco smell fill their makeshift shelter. It was a real addiction. Leon had seen many veterans unable to manage stress without a cigarette or a beer. This was probably the secret to Luis's optimism. Leon watched him, realizing he wanted to get Luis out of there, regardless of his connections with Umbrella.

He truly wanted to leave with Ashley and Luis. He wanted to know the other man beyond brief rests in shelters, which were too short to even ease their muscles before running again.

That's probably why he didn't use the moment of calm to count his ammo and reload his weapons. Leon watched Luis’s lips close around the cigarette, drawing in the smoke and wondering if his skin would taste of nicotine. Could Leon become addicted with just one kiss? He barely realized he had moved forward when Luis exhaled smoke, setting the cigarette aside.

Leon was the first surprised to feel other lips on his.

The kiss was just like Luis: warm, tender, with a hint of tobacco as the cigarette fell to the ground. Leon didn't expect Luis to respond. It went further than he could have imagined. They were interrupted by cries and footsteps. Visitors were arriving, and they couldn't afford to ignore them. Leon could think about why he did it later.

The smoky taste was drowned out by blood as Leon kissed Luis a second time. This time there was no hesitation. The bleeding had to be stopped, and Luis was no longer breathing. There was nothing tender or sweet. Leon should have reacted faster, not gotten lost in Luis’s smile after finding the exit, and stayed alert. Leon should have protected him from that knife.

Regret wouldn't change the amount of blood staining Leon's hands. Regrets wouldn't bring back the dead.

The flowers in his hands would never match the vibrant tones of Luis, so Leon chose perfectly white lilies. He hoped Luis would like them despite everything. Some said flowers held as many meanings as there were people in the world.

They weren't really the kind of flowers to give to a man once wanted by several countries and barely cleared of all charges. Nor to a man recovering painfully from multiple surgeries. But Leon was rewarded with a kiss as the flowers were placed in a vase beside the others.

Another kiss that always had that unique smoky taste, despite the absence of a cigarette this time.

This is probably my longest story for this week. At first I wanted to make a little story for each theme, and finally I merged everything.

I hope it will please, and thank you for all the previous feedback! I am so happy to see that it pleased!

[secularprolifeconspectus]

I notice a lot of pro choicers tend to think banning abortion would prevent other healthcare? And possibly remove birth control. Do you know where they might be getting that from? When abortion was illegal did people get denied care for miscarriages or other complications?

I think the "prevent other healthcare" thing is the result of a coordinated disinformation fearmongering campaign by the abortion industry; they literally workshopped this messaging and were prepared to disseminate it if Dobbs overturned Roe. Remember, everything they do is to promote abortion sales and protect profits. The Pro-Life Movement proper — far smaller, less funded, and more grassroots — was simply unprepared to combat this fallout.

"Removing birth control" I think is the fault of some socially conservative and religious pro-lifers who see abortion as an abberation in sexual morality, rather than a life-or-death human rights violation. For this reason, they often conflate birth control and abortion as one-in-the-same, or at least as having the same root causes. So to them, restricting both is the same game. I think it's an incorrect perspective and very harmful strategy.

On the pro-abortion side, they see abortion and BC both as healthcare used to prevent reproduction, so they also conflate them. Combine this with the perception of those anti-BC pro-lifers, you get a tenacious myth that the entire movement intends to revoke BC and that the issues are inseparable.

Unfortunately, there are also forms of BC that are abortifacients (cause abortions), and yes, to be consistent, pro-lifers "from conception" have to see those as ethically impermissible. So yeah, even I hold that some BCs, such as IUDs, probably have to go. I wish it weren't the case that they can kill tiny people, but they do, and it's wrong to risk people's lives by using them. And don't get me started on all the issues with IUDs aside from abortion; they're terrible devices with a fucked up history.

I'm not super educated about reproductive health prior to 1973, but from my understanding, it was similar to how it is in states where abortion is restricted now: sometimes, regrettably, people having pregnancy, miscarriage, and abortion complications were denied appropriate standards of care, by mistake or by incompetency. Medical malpractice is not new. But, I believe that for most people, necessary care was accessible. A book like "The Story of Abortion in America" might have more research on this that would be enlightening.

[blackjackkent]

If Rakha were a sensible person unmoved by compulsions beyond her understanding, she would get out of Lorroakan's vault with the Annals of Karsus while the getting is good.

However, she is none of those things, so instead, numerous doors and even more traps later, she winds up staring at:

I think on some level, Rakha knows this is not a smart idea. Her earlier attempt to read the Necromancy of Thay left her with a hell of a headache and took basically every ounce of mental fortitude she possessed not to let whatever power it contains run roughshod over her.

But still... she's curious. And she's certainly gained more control of her power in the intervening months, perhaps enough to make use of whatever new answers are to be found in this new book.

Gale, bless him, is almost certainly all for this ill-advised venture. Minthara could not, I suspect, care less one way or the other. Wyll and Jaheira (who just got finished listening to Rakha and Gale having an academic discussion about overthrowing the gods) are both Displeased and each angling themselves into a position to tackle Rakha to the ground and knock the book out of her hands if it should become necessary.

The actual process of reading the Codex, though, turns out to be mildly anticlimactic:

Oops.

("Very well done, cub," Jaheira says sardonically. "Did I not tell you this was a path to trouble?"

Minthara gives a casual wave with one hand; radiant energy spills from her fingertips, dispelling the curse. "She is alive and has gained the knowledge she needs," the drow says casually. "I fail to see the problem."

"Of course you do," says Jaheira sourly.)

Having read the codex, Rakha can now, after two full acts, finally once again examine the book she's been carting around in her inventory (the game won't even let me put it in a container!) since Moonhaven.

Narrator: The book radiates power, but the words you read in the Codex echo in your mind, guiding your eyes safely across the page. The once-indecipherable glyphs now feel dangerously familiar, promising unholy power to those who can take it.

Once again, Rakha's interest here is not really about power (holy or otherwise) for its own sake. But this is a tome of magic, one that has been taunting her with its secrets for weeks on weeks. Her magic is the one thing that is hers, with no touch of the beast. And she will bend this bit, too, to her understanding.

[SAVING THROW] Read on and wrest the book's power from it.

Narrator: As you parse the strange glyphs, you can feel the book resisting. Ghostly voices whisper at you from the dark, probing and fighting your mind. But your will is iron and you brush past these shades of the past, devouring every secret the book has to offer. You see now, life and death are malleable as clay, to be bent and reshaped by your will. By your power.

Narrator: But as you close the book, a nagging doubt whispers in your mind. What consequences will there be for calling the dead from their rest?

-----

Interesting.

I had to check the wiki to figure out exactly what we got out of this. We actually get a couple of buffs from managing to read the book fully.

Rakha has unlocked a spell called "Danse Macabre" that allows her to summon four ghouls into combat with her:

She also now has a permanent buff called "Tharchiate Vigor" which appeared when Minthara dispelled the "Tharchiate Withering" curse, which gives her 20 temporary hit points on long rest.

So. Pretty damn good for a book we've been hauling around for two acts.

I don't really think Rakha is deeply enthused about using this spell - at least not to any degree more than she's enthused about the rest of her arsenal. I did speculate, a while back, that the beast urge in her head probably has a natural dislike for necromancy, since reviving a dead body is the opposite of killing a living one. So in that sense, using a necromantic spell like this is an act of miniature rebellion against the dark corners of her own mind.

But she still prefers throwing fire at people's faces. XD

[yuri-for-businesswomen]

do you think disabled people of any age should be sterilised if they might die or need more assistance raising kids? like i half see your point about geriatric fathers, but i really disagree with most of it having seen parents who use powerchairs or have a higher risk of premature death. some choices are bad and that's fine to point out and discuss, but not to remove the ability to make that choice. don't accuse me of defending men please, i'm really referring to things that will primarily be used to hurt women.

i see where you are coming from. first off, i was half joking, because giving the government this kind of power (to legally sterilise groups of people meeting certain characteristics) is something that we have to be very careful with because it borders on eugenics so its not really something i see myself advocating for. it would probably be better if this was just a bigger conversation with more social pushback.

however, im generally of the conviction that child safety and wellbeing is more important than a lot of other things and that we dont prioritise it enough. in the case of disabled parents i feel like it would be more useful to support them accordingly, maybe appoint another legal guardian as an additional parent or something.

im generally leaning towards antinatalism but not politically, i dont think the government should intervene with birthrates, but i think we need a radical cultural shift when it comes to childraising. i think a lot of people should refrain from having children for various reasons and we should move away from treating having children as some sort of necessary milestone/obligation/calling/next logical step/personal fulfillment or something everyone is destined to do at some point in their lives. and we need to move away from that idea that parents are the ultimate authority/the nuclear family model. how other people raise their kids IS everyones business because these kids are members of society first of all, and secondly this model enforces inequality because it makes children fully dependent on their parents which fosters abuse and is also unfair because different people have very different parenting skills, abilities and approaches. i think society would be a lot better if less people decided to have children and childless people would be supporting them, a more community based approach to childraising. its good for kids to have trusted adults outside their family and its good for parents to have a strong social network alleviating the pressure and effort of childcare, especially if the relationship does not work out.

to sum it up, no i dont think legally taking away the ability to have children is feasible, but i think a lot of people have kids for egoistic reasons and i find it irresponsible. to combat that, we need a radical change in how having and raising children is promoted and practiced.

[primalsouls]

Inner Visions

i'll protect you from

all the things i've seen

tighnari x gn!reader

themes: general (for now)

warnings: mention of death, description of a death (poison mushrooms), ooc Tighnari (heavy possibility), let me know of any warning...

summary: Tighnari saw his life flashed before his eyes, once again, but it wasn't from the newly growing poison mushroom he had almost taken a bite out of.

notes: written after the Archon Quests. but im so forgetful 😭 i also did finished his story quest... but probably forgot about that, too lmao so ill definitely look into all that haha also tried to do a little layout thingy for this fic lmao

⌑ reblogs & feedback are appreciated here! ⌑

✿ some reader info ✿

has a third eye - uses to see future visions when activated, atm the third eye is a ◉ᵕ◉.... third eye is closed one haha...

a "deity"

third eye makes them lose energy

wields a polearm mainly but can use more than one weapon - hand-to-hand combat mostly preferred

more will be added once i remember haha

(divider (c) firefly-graphics)

A new series of poisonous mushrooms began to invade one of the cave systems in the Avidya Forest. As one of the Forest Rangers in the sea of grand trees, Tighnari took it upon himself to seek these new species out and pray to the Dendro Archon for the empty-headed adventurers to heed his warnings and lectures about these fungi once he got his hands on them and study them before anyone else come across them. 

"Master Tighnari, are you sure you could handle this on your own?" Collei asked, worry laced within her tone as she watched the fennec fox-hybrid ranger prepare himself a travel bag with all the necessary equipment he needed. Tighnari nodded his head towards the question, not sparing the green-haired girl a look as he dug through some cabinets for empty jars.

"Of course I can, Collei. These new specimens are a true hazard for anyone less experienced than me." Tighnari answered, stuffing the empty jars he found in one of his cabinets carefully into a new travel bag. Collei pouted. Brown-green eyes finally spare a single look towards her, a soft sigh leaving his lips as he slowed his movements. "I promise I won't try anything rash." He added, turning his body to face her completely. "And if I do need any help, I'll let Iraj know as he is near the cavern, afterall." Tighnari reassured the young girl before returning back to his preparations. 

Despite the reassurance she received from the forest watcher, Collei's mind was still not at ease. There was a deep feeling inside her chest, urging her to stop the other vision user from going to investigate the mysterious mushrooms. Though, part of her believed Tighnari would be fine. He was the forest watcher after all, having to study the forest and its ecosystem. There was no reason to doubt him. "Alright… Please be careful, Master." Collei said quietly, bowing her head before leaving the hut of the fox-hybrid. 

Tighnari let out a deep sigh. He appreciated Collei's concerns. She wasn't the only one worried about his sudden decision to investigate the growing problem within the Gandha Hill cavern. Aether and Paimon were the first to come across the fungi when they entered the cave for some lousy treasure. They were thankful Tighnari caught sight of them before they ventured further into the cave. 

It was the horrendous smell that caught Tighnari's attention when he first entered the cavern after spotting the traveler and his small flying companion head in. Just from the sight of it above the cliff looking over the ground of the cavern was enough to tell it was a new species of poison mushrooms along with the nauseating aroma.

"Hopefully this scarf could keep the smell away." Tighnari muttered as he picked up the two travel bags he prepared, pulling the scarf over his head, careful with his long ears, and pulling it over his nose. 

"Tighnari! There you are! Collei said you planned to go investigate the weird fungi we found. Do you need help? Aether here can come along!" Paimon exclaimed as she floated over to the forest watcher with the traveler walking up behind her, an apologetic look on his face. Tighnari winced at the loud voice of Paimon, his ears twitching down in displeasure. 

Shaking his head, he waved the duo off. "No, no, it's fine. Like I told Collei, this is a mission for me rather than those inexperienced. We don't know what the mushrooms and their effects do, which is why I have to be the one to check on them. Please, I appreciate your concerns but I would rather you guys stay safe here than follow me through with this investigation of mine." Tighnari stated firmly, giving the pair a small smile. "Just stay here with Collei, I promise I'll come back before the night falls." With those words out, Tighnari didn't wait any second longer and headed down the path leading towards the entrance of the Gandha Hill cavern. 

"Alright, Iraj, if anything happens in Gandharva Ville, please come get me." Tighnari said, looking over his shoulder towards the forest ranger who gave a firm nod. "And if anything happens to me, keep an ear out." 

"Yes, Master Tighnari! I'll do my best." Iraj declared with another firm nod.

Tighnari gave him a quick nod before turning to the entrance of the cavern. "Here goes nothing…" He muttered under his breath. 

The path leading to the ground of the cavern was shorter than he thought it would be. Tighnari peeked over the cliff. There they were. The new set of poison mushrooms huddled together in the small pool of water in front of the cliff. With careful steps, Tighnari made his way down to the ground level of the large cave. He looked around for any other potential threats in the area, his long ears seeking out for any small sound. Determined there was no other danger, Tighnari set a camp a few yards away from the pool of water. The equipment he had brought was set out nicely on top of a blanket beside the notebook and pen he brought to document any behavior from the fungi. 

With a huff, Tighnari sat on the rug he set up. He wanted to take the scarf off but he doubted he would be able to handle the stench of the fungus. Despite the short travel between the cave under Gandha Hill, it still exhausted the fox-hybrid out. It didn't take him long to rest well, either. Tighnari stood up from the ground and walked over to the starting crowd of the fungi after picking up his pen and notebook. "Hm… Aside from the horrible stench, it stands out with a rosy pink cap and a lilac stem. It seems to be covered with moss as well." Tighnari told no one, his eyes shifting between the notebook and the mushroom as he scribbled down his observations. 

"I wonder…" His words trailed off as Tighnari placed his pen and notebook down beside him. A gloved hand reached down and plugged one of the mushrooms out of the ground. Pulling the scarf down to his mouth, Tighnari grimaced at the aroma of the fungi invading his personal space, trying his damndest not to gag. "C'mon, Tighnari, tough it o-out…" He said through gritted teeth. His tail swung to get rid of somewhat of the stench as his hand neared the mushroom towards his slightly parted lips. His eyes were squinted. The top of the fungus looked weirdly spiraled. 

A flash pierced against his vision. Tighnari let out a yelp as he dropped the mushroom and quickly got back on his feet after backing away hurriedly from the small group of fungi. His eyes were widen with alert, his body tensed as he held his bow out to defend himself. He panted, his heart ready to jump out of his throat as it raced against his chest. 

"Wha—what…" Tighnari swallowed dryly as he glanced down at the mushroom he took out. There was no bite on it, so why did he see his life flashed before his eyes. Did the terrible smell finally get to his head!? Was he hallucinating from it? Tighnari was confused but upon closer observation he noticed the mushroom was pierced by a sharp… point of a trident… What?

Tighnari tensed his body once more. Where did the trident came from? There was no one here but himself. His fingers tightened around his bow. His ears were high alert for any sound.

"My, that was a close one, wasn't it?" An unfamiliar voice said above him coolly. Tighnari whipped his head around, his wide brown-green eyes landed on a figure who sat on the edge of the cliff. A frown creased his features. The forest watcher kept his weapon, taking a step back away from the new intruder. 

"Who are you!? In fact, what are you doing here!? This area is off limits at the moment." Tighnari stated, his eyes narrowed towards the figure. 

"What a strange way to say thank you…" The new face said as they raised a hand and snapped their fingers. Tighnari blinked as he glanced at their hand and towards the silver trident, which was no longer stabbing the mushroom he had in his hands moments before. "You should be lucky I was around the area to stop you from eating that deadly fungus." They added, hopping off the cliff and huffed when they landed a few feet away from Tighnari. Confusion swimmed in the forest watcher's eyes towards their words.

"What are you talking about? Were you the one who attacked me with that weapon?" 

"Attacking is a strong word… I like the word helping more."

Tighnari scoffed, not a single trace of his weapon being lower down. 

"Once again, who are you? Why did you atta—"

"Helped."

"Whatever! Why did you do that!?" Tighnari was growing frustrated. The figure tilted their head to one side, their disinterested eyes staring at Tighnari unnerving. 

"You were about to eat a deadly mushroom. I've saved you from meeting your end too soon." They stated with a shrug, a bored look on their face. Tighnari frowned. 

"How do you know they're deadly? What if it would just upset my stomach?" Tighnari retorted, his weapon faltering a bit.

"I've seen it… Your body wouldn't be discovered until further into the nighttime. By the time they find you, you'll be nothing but a wide eyed, purple lifeless body with moss growing out of your mouth." They said, their eyes glancing down at the mushroom which had slowly died out, withering away. Tighnari stared at them with a disturbed expression on his face. 

The forest watcher couldn't believe what he was hearing. There was no way any of that could happen. Letting out a laughable scoff, Tighnari put his weapon down. "Hah! Ye-yeah right… There's no way that would happen. What, did you—did you try it yourself and come back to life?" He mused, not believing a single word that came out of their mouth. The other stared at Tighnari, leaving him feeling uneasy. 

"No, I'm not stupid like you." Their words caught Tighnari off guard, his perplexed frown increasing further. "I figured you won't believe me… I've planned to just save you from your early fate and create a diversion to throw you off but I decided to stay and let you know what happened instead… I regret it now." They added, looking over at his small campsite. "By the way, Tighnari, do you always go around eating strange mushrooms?" Hearing his name rolled out their tongue made Tighnari freeze on the spot once more. 

"How do you know my name? I've never told you…" Tighnari said quietly, raising his bow once more. 

"Ah, how rude of me…" Ignoring his question, the figure crossed their arms over their chest. "I'm (Name)." They said with a small grin, . "And I can see your future." 

[aristoteliancomplacency]

Here’s an excerpt from my definitely real forthcoming book: The Fucking Academic Shade I Have Stumbled On Whilst Making Wikipedia Marginally Less Shit:

‘The Greeks attributed to Thales a great many discoveries and achievements. Few, if any, of these can be said to rest on thoroughly reliable testimony, most of them being the ascriptions of commentators and compiler who lived anything from 700 to I,000 years after his death-a period of time equivalent to that between William the Conqueror and the present day. Inevitably there also accumulated round the name of Thales, as round that of Pythagoras (the two being often confused), a number of anecdotes of varying plausibility and of no historical worth whatsoever. These and the achievements credited to Thales have, of course, been painstakingly brought together by Hermann Diels in Der Fragmente der Vorsokratiker. Useful and necessary (though not entirely comprehensive) as this work undoubtedly is, it nevertheless has probably contributed as much as any other book to the exaggerated and false view of Thales which we meet in so many modern histories of science or philosophy, and which it is the purpose of this article to combat.

[belovedcorvid]

“For one human being to love another human being: that is perhaps the most difficult task that has been given to us, the ultimate, the final problem and proof, the work for which all other work is merely preparation.” ♥

❣︎ 𝓑𝓮𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓭 𝓒𝓸𝓻𝓿𝓲𝓭 :: an independent, head-canon driven, semi-selective portrayal of Donquixote Rocinante - code name Corazón - from Eiichiro Oda's One Piece. 18+, please read rules prior to reaching out. Loved to Death by Rabbit / Rory (31, he/him). Explores themes of:

defining love and family; breaking cycles of violence; sacrifice for others; how trauma lingers; defining the self outside of the expectations of others; and careful plans breaking apart.

❣︎ EST October 2023 - Remodeled July 2024

❣︎ 𝓐𝓯𝓯𝓲𝓵𝓲𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓼 ::

gumpistol / cptnslog | mingos / code01746 | sleeplesswork | aamaranthiine | onepiecc | intothewildsea | ryathenautykitsune

❣︎ | Meme Tag | Verses ( Mobile Friendly ) | Portrayal Notes | Promo | Thread Tracker |

❣︎ 𝓜𝓸𝓫𝓲𝓵𝓮 𝓡𝓾𝓵𝓮𝓼 𝓤𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻 𝓒𝓾𝓽 ::

| mun |

Rabbit (or Rory) :: he/him :: 31 :: someplace in the northern US Activity Level :: Low and Random ( medical field + chronic illness )  I’ve written intermittently on Tumblr for the last 10-ish(?) years, so if we’ve met before then it’s great to see you again! If we’ve never met, then it’s nice to meet you! I like getting to know the people I write with, so hit me up if you’d like. In my spare time when I’m not doing this, I enjoy TTRPGs and building miniatures.  I’m probably sick right now.

-

| speed and posting style |

Anyone who’s played with me before knows that I’m the slowest guy. I used to worry over this a lot, but this most recent bout with illness has made me re-evaluate how I want to look at time here and stress about this less. I’m going to answer things when I can and keep a tracker so I can see everything and not drop things on accident, but I’m going to treat it less like a deadline. If you want to carry on a thing and don’t mind if I take weeks, let’s do it! If you prefer a partner that’s quicker, I’m not the guy for you.

I tend to write multi-paragraph style, with small text but otherwise minimal formatting. I use icons sometimes, but not always. If you would prefer I use normal text size / no images / etc, let me know - I can accommodate these things. 

-

| breadth of work |

One Piece is huge - I’m not fully caught up, but I am through Rocinante’s bit! I’m still very sad we only got to have him around for a little while, and may or may not make verses to explore alternatives to that.

But! If you want to chat about the manga or the anime in general, I’m all about it.

-

| fundamentals |

I’m not even sure if it’s necessary to add any more, but of course: it’s not cool to godmod, control other people’s characters, kill each other without discussing combat first, badger people for speedy replies, engage in callout culture, etc. Please be a nice human.

Not interested in interacting with people that engage in racist or homophobic / aphobic behaviour. Also not interested in looking at ships for this character that involve incest or large age gaps. I will not write Doffy and Cora as a romantic relationship, and I will not write Cora and Law or any similarly aged characters that way either.

-

| tags and content warnings |

I will always, always, always tag triggers for you, especially if you list them in your rules page. If I miss one, or if you’d like me to tag something new, shoot me a message so I can add it to my tags! Violence and other NSFW content types will always be tagged and thrown under a cut.

Triggers for me: Please tag all images of dental injuries with ‘teeth tw’ or something similar. I have just about every iteration blacklisted. Additionally, please tag all content involving a/b/o threads/art/etc and, for lack of a less loaded word, ‘x humanoid character has/gets/is ‘cursed’ with x animal traits/whatever now’ threads/etc as well. I have just about every iteration of both of these blacklisted (I think). Any general a/b/o tag will work just fine; for the latter, I suggest ‘animal traits tw’ or ‘zoomorphism tw’. If you post this that’s fine, but I might not be able to follow you. Deeply personal reasons for me as an individual and as a professional / animal advocate - For clarity: hybrid or shapeshifter characters that actively deal with their hybridity and its consequences are not the same thing. I have a problem when humans put on animal characteristics like costumes for aesthetic purposes / kink / amusement / etc.

-

| shipping |

Writer and character are both of age, so shipping is fine as long as the other character and writer are of age as well. I will not write with underage muns at all, full stop.

I don’t really foresee myself shipping this character much, but if we’ve interacted and you ship a thing, whether it be romantic or platonic, you should let me know. I usually can’t see that sort of thing.

-

| asks |

Asks are neat. I try to answer them all, but again : I’m a slow guy and Tumblr eats them sometimes. If I can’t come up with a good response for what you sent me, I’ll let you know so we can do something else instead.

If I answered an ask of yours and you’d like to respond / make it a thread, that’s awesome! I just ask that you put your reply in a new thread and @ me rather than reblogging the original ask.

-

| memes |

I have a complicated relationship with writing games. I love them in concept and love getting to send my friends things and answer questions / draw prompts / etc, but the havoc they bring to my notes can make it impossible for me to run a blog. Please don’t reblog memes from me if you don’t follow me, or if we don’t interact - makes it too easy to lose replies when notes are a mess.

[ridiasfangirlings]

Hi! So I've seen a lot of people call Munakata "manipulative" and I was wondering why he's called that? i've seen the anime, the movie and 7 stories and i didn't get that impression from him. the closest thing i can think of is when he is being kind of cruel about kusuhara's death to zenjou, saying how it was necessary for s4, but i don't see that as him being manipulative? it's definitely not a scene where he is portrayed as a nice person- he is disregarding zenjou's feelings by saying that kusuhara's death was necessary for s4's progress, which i personally see as cruel, but not manipulative.

(just gonna put a small disclaimer: i haven't read the k novels completely yet. i've read some chapters, though i definitely read them out of order)

When it comes to Munakata I think of him as manipulative in the sense that he’s good at reading people and turning situations to his advantage, he’s not necessarily sinister in his motives but he does know how to make things go his way. In Side Blue the novel originally did seem to dance around the idea of Munakata being responsible for or planning Kusuhara’s death and I don’t think that was the case, while he does turn it to his advantage (as he discusses with Fushimi in DOB, he’s made his S4 ‘more complete’ thanks to that missing piece) I don’t think it was at all his intention in having Kusuhara join the Special Forces. That said I think Munakata does show his manipulative tendencies in Side Blue with the entire rest of the Kusuhara situation. We know Munakata wanted Zenjoh in S4 — the only members of Habari’s S4 who he not only wanted but wanted in a combat position — and Zenjoh himself chose to go to the Records office. When Kusuhara presents the opportunity though Munakata uses that to get Zenjoh to be more active in S4, in training Kusuhara, and at the same time I think Munakata’s ulterior motive here was that if Zenjoh wouldn’t be his contingency then Kusuhara could fill that space. He doesn’t inform either of them of this (though I think Zenjoh probably suspected) and uses Kusuhara’s sincere desire to follow him in order to move that piece to the space he wants it. 

For another more clearly laid out situation there’s also what happens with the twins in LSW. At Fushimi’s installation he notes that Munakata deliberately says some words which stir up dissatisfaction in the ranks (when Fushimi mocks the pledge he’s supposed to say and Munakata notes that those who just said it out of duty without thinking may be the less trustworthy ones). Later on after the twins are captured it’s mentioned that Munakata used this situation to both root out the enemy factions within S4 and secure his hold more strongly as its head, basically deliberately provoking the remnants of Habari’s clan that were dissatisfied with him and using that to be rid of them. In this case it’s pretty clear that he was manipulating his enemies in order to get them to show themselves, because Munakata decided this was the best way to kill two birds with one stone.

I think you could argue he also does manipulate Fushimi to some degree, not necessarily in a malicious way but more that he recognizes Fushimi isn’t happy in Homra and uses that to his advantage to get Fushimi to make a choice that he might not have been actively willing to do otherwise. There’s technically no reason Munakata needs to meet with Fushimi in the S4 van for example — Munakata gives one, but it’s not something he couldn’t have discussed more officially with Kusanagi — but Munakata pretty clearly has a reason for wanting to speak one on one with Fushimi beyond any official business. That Fushimi fits better in S4 and was unhappy in Homra doesn’t really change that Munakata was the one most actively trying to get things into position where Fushimi would be comfortable admitting he wants to change clans. This doesn’t make Munakata a bad person and he certainly didn’t ‘make’ Fushimi do anything but again, Munakata looked at the situation and carefully moved his pieces so that everything would turn out the way he considered most advantageous. 

[paladin-of-nerd-fandom65]

Pretty good answers, you can take a break from answering my questions they aren’t going anywhere lol take as long as you need :)

1: some ppl give the superfamily different “abilities” instead of the typical kryptonian power set to separate them, besides Chris does the rest of the family have different powers? For example I can see Jon having super saiyan red/orange hair that can boost his heat vision or can create a mini sun to heal or boost his family’s power.

2: since Chris likes spider-man, does he ever “web swing” across the city using his dark powers? Plus tie up bad guys using the dark powers too? I can see him tying up bad guys by the feet upside down hanging from a lamp post and spinning them around XD

3: any thoughts of making the duo wear matching outfits with the starburst name/logo on the front?

4: does mar’i do the same stuff as Jake like in previous asks? Does slapstick like the three stooges, aims for the crotch on a 10, uses the Nightwing sticks, etc…

5: let’s say Kon/Tim is sleeping on the couch, what would they do as a prank? Draw on their face, fart on their face, put shaving cream on their hand and tickle their nose with something, belly flop on top of them, etc…

6: not a question but a fanfic idea: overusing the Nightwing entity causes Chris to act similar to Spider-Man while wearing the venom suit creating a meaner & maybe evil Chris; Jake and Chris battle it out in the rain with Chris brutally hurting Jake close to death. Right before he delivers the killing blow, Chris has flashbacks of him and Jake doing fun stuff, Chris at the last second takes back control and holds Jake and cries that he is sorry.

1. Well Conner canonically has what’s called Tactile Telekinesis which allows him to hold a whole variety of objects and items with his mind in mid air, Kara can also probably channel a bio electric aura around her for an extra layer protection against energy or even magic attacks even though it can mess around with her heat vision abilities and finally to say Mon El, he had the ability to detect points on either a humanoid body or on select architecture that he can use to either strike or climb up (akin to Karnak from the Inhumans). The sole one whose powers are somewhat either enhanced or a near copy of Clark’s power set is Jon.

2. More likely it’s Jake who uses his grappling hooks akin to swing Spidey style as his ability of flight isn’t as pronounced as his sister’s. Any flight he achieves has to have a running and dropping start to them; basically any short flight he gets being a sort of natural wing suit on him. Now as for Chris webbing up crooks of all sorts via the shadows on their legs, I can probably see that in addition to a sticky note left for the cops to pick up says crooks that reads “Bad Guy(s)” just like how his teacher Dick does it

3. While a certain possibility for very rare occasions like say an actual multiverse Crisus event, they wear enough blue on their individual outfits already and yet those respective splashes of burnt orange and yellow keep them distinct. So, matching outfits is possible but not entirely probable and necessary.

4. A little bit but she has her own tiny touches and takes things that distinguish her from her brother. Mainly shed lean more on sitcom snark and ‘high brow’ comedy akin to what Grandpa Alfred showed her (Probably shows including “Blackadder” and “Are You Being Served?”) as opposed to slapstick. For her combat prowess, less likely to go from hits below the belt but a tad bit more vicious in taking down villains and she primarily uses her starbolts and enhanced strength along with Tamaranean fighting styles her Mother taught her and back

5. Jake’s go to mischief technique in these cases is a trick her sister and him have learn from their Father since the latter was all too fond of doing it during his days at the circus; take a small marker and doodle of silly and funny drawings on any part of the sleeping person that’s sticks out of the blankets. Chris quickly picked up on it ever since he was about 8 and anytime either of them happened to be awake first thing in the morning can their respective Uncle for Jake and Big Brother for Chris are dead asleep, they’ll wake up later to find some ink on them. And it’s not just the faces either….let’s just say if they to wear socks that night, there’s a 50/50 chance that those socks would be off them and sure enough there’s some doodles there as well.

6. It’s certainly a tempting enough story arc I can see happening with a minor tweak or two. Mainly, it’s the Flamebird entity being tapped into by Thara Ak Var that tends on being the berserker of the two ancient deities due to its more appropriately firery nature as opposed to the more cold and dark Nightwing. That said, I see Chris losing control of his powers and temperament being a consequence of all of the Nightwing entity’s bearers since mere mortals, even Kryptonians, aren’t immune to the entity’s presence affecting their minds with continuous overuse overtime. So with that, Chris after the battle makes a vow to no longer solely rely on the Nightwing entity for emergencies during superhero fights. The entity itself understands this and even encourages Chris to find other ways to save the day of possible.

Thanks for your patience, friend. It’s appreciated @gothicghost2000

[nightiingaled]

Warning Sign | Tae-mi & Cass

Blackwatch Years Tae-mi when a mission goes awry. Trigger warnings for mentions of blood, momentary gore & near-death. @quick-drawn

The desert is alive with the sound of gunfire.

“One left!”

Tae-mi Jin is in the process of placing her final clip into her gun, licking her lips and whispering a soft prayer. She has her back against a collapsed stone wall, long worn from time.

“You’re talking about targets, right?”

Across from her – on the other side of the crumbling entryway into the long-destroyed building – Jesse McCree aims and misses one of the remaining soldiers creeping closer and closer to their position.

“Not with that aim!”

“You’re one to talk!”

Sure enough, the moment Tae attempts to take a shot at one of the soldiers, they open fire in her direction, and she misses her shot as she takes cover once again. She grumbles something to herself, but she knows that of the two of them she is the weaker link here.

Gunfights have never been her thing. Hand-to-hand, close combat has always been where she excels, if her continued wins in the fighting rings had anything to say about it.

“You think if we ask nicely, they’ll line up easy to let us punch them out instead?”

She can hear him thinking across the space between them and it almost makes her laugh.

“Can you two take this a little seriously?” Commander Reyes’ voice cut through their radios with a crackle of faint static.

A tight-lipped smile stretches across Tae’s features despite everything. “Not to rush you, Commander, but how’s it coming?”

“We’re in the clear. Light them up!”

Tae gives Jesse a thumbs up, Jesse returning the gesture. Tae thumbs the detonator in her other hand, pressing it with more force than probably necessary. The ground rumbles around them as multiple bombs go off in a location less than a mile east. Tae can see the haze that has erupted in its place as she dives into her hideaway.

 There’s the sound of screaming and shouting of orders and suddenly the soldiers assaulting them are leaving hurriedly in two vehicles towards the direction of the compound in the distance.

“Can’t believe that worked.”

Tae laughs, having crawled out of the crevice in the wall and crossed to Jesse’s side of the entryway. She offers him a hand up which he accepts with a smile. “I owe that man a dri—”

Gunfire breaks out once again, shattering the moment. Tae throws herself back to the wall, dragging a startled Jesse with her. “Damnit,” she spits.

“What was that?” Reyes clips through.  

“They left someone behind. Can’t be many we got—Jesse!”

Jesse is semi-conscious, flopping over as his body struggles to hold itself upright.

“Flesh wound, sweetheart,” he murmurs, his eyes flickering open and then closed again.

Crimson red is seeping through holes in Jesse’s vest and Tae swallows thickly.

“Stay still.”

The building around them has gone quiet. Tae is sure they couldn’t have left more than three behind. They would send as many as possible to see to the supposed attack on the compound and the two agents had done their best to leave few to spare.

Tae slips her knives from their sheathes.

The first comes through the entryway – poor thing was practically bait. Tae takes him out at the knees, quite literally taking her knives and slicing away at the back of his legs. He lets out a wailing scream and collapses as the second comes around the right corner. Tae knocks the soldier’s aim down towards the ground with one arm, using the other to slice up under and into his jaw. She lets him keep the knife as she turns the other on the third soldier hurrying through the entryway to help. Again, and again and again she thrusts her knife into his chest until he’s blubbering blood all over her.

“Three,” she tells herself, “They left three.”

The fourth doesn’t exactly take her by surprise so much as uses a different approach than the others. He rushes through the doorway and subsequently towards Tae herself. Smaller than him and more practiced, she manages to dodge to the side. It isn’t enough. He launches himself at her and throws her to the ground. Tae doesn’t realize his hands on her throat until they suddenly aren’t she’s breathing fresh air again, ears ringing from the nearby gunshot.

She rolls the body off her, looking over at Jesse. The man is sheet white, but the grip on his gun is surprisingly steady.

“Thank you,” he says softly.

“What?”

“You say, ‘thank you’, sweetheart.”

“Don’t call me sweetheart,” she grumbles as she picks herself off the ground and hurries back over to his side. It’s at this moment that she realizes Reyes is still trying to make contact. His voice had become a distant buzz, a distraction she had to ignore for the time being.

“Jin, I swear to God if you don’t answer—”

“Sorry, sir. The pickup crew is cleared out, but McCree is injured.”

“Stay put. We’ll evac you as soon as we make the rendezvous.”

“Sir, I don’t think we have that kind of time. You still have miles ahead of you – we have a shorter distance we can hit the rendezvous at the same time.”  

While she’s talking, Tae is tearing spare fabric from the soldiers’ uniforms and her pants, wrapping the bandages around Jesse’s stomach, and tying them tight.

“Jin, don’t tell me you’re thinking of—”

“This isn’t a viable rendezvous point, sir. You said so yourself. We just blew up the safest landing zone for miles. And it’s going to be too Hot to land. It’s not worth the risk.”

“Jin, I mean it – do not leave your position.”

“Sorry sir, I’m getting nothing but static. I’ll meet you at the rendezvous.”

And then the line goes silent as she turns off her comms. Tae-mi reaches down, pulling Jesse up by both arms with a grunt and leaning him over her shoulder.

“Come on, Jess – we got a long walk ahead of us.”  

& & &

Tae didn’t doubt her logic, but she realizes that she might have misgauged how quickly she would be able to move with Jesse.  For what it was worth, he tries to help as much as he can. When he’s awake. But the man’s consciousness comes and goes. Here and there she catches him muttering to himself and wonders what delirium he finds himself in. She remembers him saving her so many years ago and it feels like only yesterday. To think she finally gets to return the favor – she hopes it’s worth it.

It's sad that even after all this time, she’s barely let him in. Barely let anyone in. It’s just her and her sister. The two of them have grown together in Blackwatch, different in multiple ways but so similar in so many others. What would it be like to lose him?

Tae swallows. No, she tells herself. Stop thinking like he’s dying.

But he is. He is dying. He’s dripping crimson through the makeshift bandages. He bled through the bandages, even after she ripped more of her pants to add to it. He’s bleeding into the remainder of her shirt, just bleeding and she can’t stop it. He’s paler than he was at the start and that is saying something. His sweat is almost drowning her.

“Gonna be sick…”

“Not on my shoulder you’re not.”

But she hopes it bodes well that he’s saying anything at all. He doesn’t get sick. They keep moving on.

There comes a point – as much as she hates it – that she must stop again, simply to rest. If she doesn’t her shoulder will give out. The two of them are covered in blood. Jesse has soaked through every bandage she’s thrown at him and down his pants. Tae has sacrificed everything but her tank top and enough of her pants they’ve become shorts. There’s no point making herself naked at this point – it’s not going to help, she knows.  

“…Behind…”

She has Jesse leaned against a rock ledge and she leans closer to him. “What’s up?”

A tongue licks slowly over his chapped lips. “Leave me…. behind.”

“Over my dead body.”

She reaches out to grab his arm, but he catches her wrist and holds it. His grip isn’t tight – he didn’t have the strength, but she doubts it would be even if he did. “Don’t die here….with me.”

“Neither of us is going to die, Jess.”

A crack creeps into her voice and she notices her fingers are starting to shake. She needs to get moving again before she can’t anymore, but Jesse’s other hand is touching her hair.

“You’re really pretty with this haircut, you know?”

“Jess – stop talking nonsense okay, let’s get out of here. You’re going to be okay. You’re gonna –”

He cups her jaw and leans forward, and Tae sees what comes next. She doesn’t stop it. It’s not the right time – it’s NEVER going to be the right time for her, but this is next level of not right. But what if they never get another chance?

Their lips meet and it’s so soft and weak on his end, but there’s still a fire behind it that she returns. Tae wraps her now free hands in his hair and leans him forward into the kiss, tears tracking down her worried features.

And then it’s over, but it remains abuzz within her. She thumbs his hair away from his eyes and sighs.  “I hope you didn’t think that was going to convince me to leave you, Jess,” she murmured. “Come on.”

& & &

She turns her comms back on the moment she sees the form of the helicopter growing nearer in the distance. To her surprise, Reyes does not immediately proceed to curses upon hearing her voice back on the radio.

“How’s he doing,” she hears instead and smiles softly to herself.

“Holding out.”

“We see you. We’ll meet you halfway.”

The group of agents do indeed meet them halfway with a stretcher. Jesse’s weight is transferred from her shoulder to someone else and Tae almost loses her balance at the loss. The realization of her own exhaustion settles on her, and it takes everything she has to keep walking towards the helicopter.

“Jin!”

Tae turns to see Commander Reyes approaching her at a brisk march. She swallows.

“Never ever and I mean ever pull that shit with me again, do you hear me?”

“Yes, sir.”

She turns away and keeps walking towards the ship before he calls her name once again. “Tae-mi…”

The woman turns back, and the Commander has a half-smile on his face. “Good job.”

She smiles back at him. “Yes, sir.”  

They pile into the ship as the medic works around them to try and stabilize Jesse.

Tae-mi clutches his hand the entire time. Tae-mi doesn’t care who sees at this point and no one says anything.

[archesa]

have 1, 6, 13, and 15 from the gw2 asks for anwen, if you’d like! :) @kerra-and-company

Thanks for the ask 💜 I'm also working on your pens, promise! 🖊️ Time for Anwen loving-hours💙

Your character is now the leader of their species, whatever that looks like for them (Arcane Council member, Imperator, Royalty, etc). How do they govern and what sorts of changes would they make if any?

Oh would she not make a resplendent queen? 🥰

As a successor to Salma's line, she'd probably have to prove herself over and over again. Sure, she has a reputation, as a viscountess and as the Commander, but she is not exactly beloved by her fellow nobles and she's made a few enemies amongst the ministers.

So the first few months / years of her reign would be very hard on the Shining Blade's nerves, for as Queen, Anwen would endeavour to purge the corruption in her government, and install a strong parliament, with representatives of every trade, every social class, every village and settlement in Kryta, to discuss and decide on the politics within her borders.

She would personally take great joy in working on foreign affairs, especially considering that she's on first-name basis with more than half of the rulers of the world.

And she'd be very adamant about Orr keeping her independence.

They're now a heart NPC/part of a string of quests. What does that involve?

Help Anwen Evergreen tend to Caer Aval :

Defend the garden plots against Risen threats, prune the fire orchids before they invade the greenhouses, use seed pouches to grow new plants, bring aid to the stranded botanists.

What is the worst/funniest/dumbest article that could be written about them in Tyria's trashiest gossip mag?

Let's start with worst! Since Anwen's got a... reputation in Divinity's Reach... She's probably rumoured to be a brute (defenestration of a suitor, breaking and entering a minister's property with the Seraph, killing said minister in trial by combat, killing Zhaitan, leaving a trail of embers in her wake through the Heart of Maguuma, slamming the door of the Pact... etc.) and some people would tend to vilify her less than dainty appearance. She's strong, tall, bulky with robust shoulders and big thighs, and overall does not care about her appearance as much as would be expected from a Lady. So the most mean-spirited slander-sheet will gladly publish something along this line :

Centaur-face menace is back in ton!

As for the trashiest...

The Commander's stretching routine! (It works!)

What is their favorite and least favorite part of being the commander (or whatever role they play in your canon)?

Not that she'd admit it but... she enjoys being in charge. Preparing an assault and seeing it go perfectly according to the plan, working on the supply lines so the soldiers are well fed, well armed, well healed, and the civilian populations won't suffer too greatly from the tragic events at hand. Providing hope when there is not much to be found.

Her least favorite part, of course, is being the one to shoulder all the blame when things go awry, and the difficult decisions that are the burden of leaders. Announcing their loved ones that soldiers lives were lost. Sending an unit to certain death to further the advance of another so they would gain some ground and hope one day to secure complete victory. The necessary sacrifices have always felt bitter. And no longer being in charge of the Pact felt like a relief because neither her not Trahearne would have to live with the consequences of such decisions. (or so they thought)

The decisions she has to make as Aurene's Champion are... different. They feel different. But the price to pay for one mistake is higher than ever. The people who die, who sacrifice for their cause are no longer distant faces in a crowd and names on casualties report. They're friends, and siblings, and mentors, and innocents...

They're Vlast. They're Blish. They're Soo Won.

[spookyheaad]

New KenUno AU!

@p-riama @girlwiththepapatattoo

Ok, my fellow Kenpachi lovers, I need you to read this because I’m about to pass on (context: I’ve convinced my parents to watch The Mandalorian with me & I got them hooked):

Then read the caption here:

I lost my fucking mind.

I became very enamored with Mandalorian culture after finally getting towards watching season 2 of Mando, and I’m actually kinda shocked as to how much it is reminiscent of the whole Kenpachi lineage in Bleach (Much less severe tho).

So yeah, KenUno Mandalorian!AU

Mandalorians aren’t a species, they’re a creed, so anyone can be a Mandalorian. Their lifestyle revolves around combat, I just got more info abt this stuff the other day and I’m actively looking more stuff up. Admittedly as I grew up watching the clone wars animated series, I wasn’t too interested in the arcs that dealt with Mandalorians (mainly Pre Vizsla & Death Watch. Thought they were cool & all but I was still in grade school and wanted to see cool lightsaber fights).

But now that I’m older and much more interested in the lore of SW, I’m fascinated by them; I’m also going to rewatch all Mandalorian centric episodes because there was a lot that was put into both clone wars & rebels (for research, and because I still need to watch Rebels, this might give me my reason).

I’m still thinking on solid designs for Unohana and little Yachiru, I have an idea of Kenny’s armor and what he looks like.

My whole idea is that both Kenpachi & Unohana have been longtime Mandalorians, have followed the creed for years; found one another through the creed. They follow a branch of Mandalorian belief that allows them to remove their helmets (compared to Din Djarin, who was raised in The Children of the Watch, who refuse to remove their helmets to any other living being unless necessary). Bo Katan even Tells Din that The Watch is an old Mandalorian belief system, bordering on cultists. Zaraki & Unohana adhere to a more lenient form of Mandalorian lifestyle in that sense.

Of course, Unohana found Zaraki (not as a child, though, he’s an adult when they meet.) and she offered to show him the ways of the Mandalorian creed; he accepted. They grow an incredibly strong bond both on and off the battlefield, wandering the galaxy together. Eventually they fall in love, and declare themselves a clan of two (Mandalorians refer to family units as “clans”).

Then, they find a lost little girl, that being Yachiru. Knowing what this entails, they both accept that the child is their responsibility, and must take it to more of her own kind or raise her until she may choose her path. So then, they become a clan of three.

I’m still trying to determine what faction they both belonged to & some other AU related things but, uh yeah, I could cry rn at how perfectly this fits.

I’m probably going to stick to the short hair for him because it just makes it easier. With Unohana I plan to give her a typical pulled back braid; she doesn’t really have a need to wear it in the front, and also it would restrict her head movement if she wore her front braid and her helmet. Much more convenient.

More head studies for Kenny

Started planning his helmet design. I gotta give his helmet horns, that’s just a given. Not sure if I want to add any sort of designs, and I’m also unsure of what color both of their armor sets should be, I have to look up if the colors have any connotation.

Final head study. I plan to do more variations in expression digitally.

Very basic head study with helmet on

Mando Kenny defending his foundling, Yachiru!

I’m also gonna change what Yachiru is wearing, I just wanted to do something full body for Zaraki & I gave Yachiru the typical robe since it’s easy and drawing kids is a bit of a challenge for me (they just end up looking like small adults lmaoo).

[therealchromodynamic]

@i-looktothe-stars Absolutely! Now, this was a full LL12 build at the time, made for a simple combat-based one-shot. I therefore feel the need to preface this by saying you're very, very unlikely to get a full campaign character to this level, but you can definitely tap into some of the Mimic Gun's real potential. This build used a little bit of homebrew (which I made myself actually; table-approved) but that homebrew stuff isn't really necessary for the build itself. The build was made very casually and somebody way smarter than me could probably make a way better version. Nevertheless: For the build's raw stats: LICENSES: Pegasus 3, Echolight 1, Silvershield 2, Death's Head 3, Napoleon 3. The standout unusual ones are the aforementioned homebrew ones; Echolight (Support/Striker scout frame focused on applying Lock-On) and Silvershield (Defender frame specialising in taking hits, absorbing AOE attacks, and removing debuffs), but the build easily works without their systems. CORE BONUSES: Lesson of the Held Image, Full-Subjectivity Sync, Superior By Design, Universal Compatibility HASE STATS: HULL: 2, AGILITY: 6, SYSTEMS: 6, ENGINEERING: 0 WEAPONS: Autogunx2 (Both Flex Mounts), Mimic Gun SYSTEMS: Sisyphus NHP (Pegasus 3), System Reinforcement Banner (Silvershield 2), Stasis Generator, Stasis Barrier (Napoleon 1 and 2), Intelligent Multitarget Module (Echolight 1), High-Stress Mag Clamps, Core Siphon, Kinetic Compensator (Death's Head 1, 2, 3). Our main focus is that MEME GUN. This bad boy counts as all weapon Types at once apart from Melee; CQB, Rifle, Launcher, Cannon, Nexus. Do note that the Mimic Gun CANNOT be modified by Weapon Mods or Core Bonuses; no Overpower Calibre or Paracausal Mod. Accordingly, to do as much fuckery at once with a single shot, you need to focus on the weapon-specific talents; Vanguard, Crack Shot, Stormbringer, Siege Specialist, and Centimane respectively. Mimic Gun is also the Heavy size, which means it can also benefit from Heavy Gunner. I personally would NOT recommend taking ALL of these Talents, as you won't be left with any points for anything else. The ones I took were Stormbringer 2, Centimane 3, and Heavy Gunner 3, which left me with Talent points left over for Brutal 3 (for those extra benefits on Crit) Leader 2 (for planning out manoeuvres with teammates for extra accuracy), and Spotter 2 (you'll be skirmishing a lot, leaving a Quick Action open for Lock-On shenanigans). My HASE stats ended up being 2/6/6/0; focusing on evasive survivability with high Evasion and E-Defense, but frankly the HASE stats matter less than usual with this build as it's almost entirely based on just the combination of Mimic Gun and those Talents. Lean into Systems more than anything else, though; with Mimic Gun's Skirmish taking up only half of your typically-available Quick Action economy, you have wiggle room for tech attacks, and the 10 Sensor Range of the Pegasus allows for tech attacking from a good distance. Core Bonuses chosen were Lesson of the Held Image (1 free Lock-On per round, works well with Spotter), Full Subjectivity Sync (stack that evasion on baybee), Superior By Design (Immunity to Impaired and +2 Heat Cap is a good buff for literally any build), and Universal Compatibility (couldn't quite work out what else to take) As with the HASE stats, these could easily be shifted around for something that works better for you, especially if you have Homebrew options available. ...this is getting longer than I anticipated so I'll have to split this into two posts. whoops

fondly recalling the time i stacked like 5 talents onto Mimic Gun and applying four different debuffs at once as well as knocking a bitch around