#(but no that one specifically. that one is your monkey in this circus most of all.)

[the-weeping-dawn]

Emperor I'm sorry but sadly this is your circus and worst yet, that is your monkey about to die immediately.

[taylor-titmouse]

"Are there any characters as evil as Atra Menta? And does she have any rivals or enemies?"

[i posted a long-ass answer to this question on retrospring so i want it here too]

powerscaling the evil of my characters. lucky for you i have thought about it.

first of all we have to determine what we mean by evil. there's what i'd consider real/dark evil, as in evil that's too real--racism, -phobias, rape, murder, capitalism. the kind of stuff that, unless you're Into It Into It, you wouldn't want in your porn. then there's cartoon evil, pomp and schemes, devices, costumes, tricks and banter and sexy predicaments. the fun stuff.

realizing slightly too late i could have just pointed at the difference between a villain and a supervillain bit from megamind. anyway.

i would categorize atra menta as a mature cartoon villain. cause she's obviously committing what are unambiguously sex crimes, but we're all having fun playing in the space. she's doing what she wants when she wants and how she wants it, and she has the power to back herself up. the limits of what she would and won't do are unknown on the basis we would simply never see her do any especially horrible stuff, and any work she appears in won't treat her acts as so unbearably horrible. like maleficent puts a curse a baby to die an early death for nothing, and that's awful when you put it that way, but we don't really think of it like that, because we know, tonally, it'll be fine. it's that sort of thing.

so she's The Most Evil because that's her shtick but i wouldn't consider her the Darkest. like i would think of osmund as a darker character because his goals are more specific and personal and therefore more likely to be real to an individual reader. "go my minions! burn down a village!" is, in an objective sense, a worse crime than grooming one man. but one of those is less likely to be upsetting on a personal level.

as for rivals/enemies, none that i've settled on as like, a distinct part of her narrative. osmund is closest to her in power and could hold his own in a conflict, but i think she could still defeat him on the basis that she needn't hold back for the sake of appearances the way he does. romick fantasizes about fucking her and likes to think he could win but she'd beat him easily. she'd actually be more threatened by the doll, with her control over the tower, than she would be by romick. and cadogan and jerund have zero interest in her or her business. not my circus not my monkeys. i'm good over here.

[writingmeraki]

i. bravery or stupidity ?

a roronoa zoro series !

SERIES MASTERLIST | NEXT

chapter summary : you thought surely you were going to die a coward that day but little did you know, you'd be braver than you ever thought you were.

chapter warnings : canon violence and mentions of weapons, cuss words, descriptions of injuries and bruises ( lmk if i missed anything )

TAGLIST ( open ! ) :

@smolracoon25 ; @dimplewonie ; @hearts4zoro ; @katiemrty ; @emelia07 ; @hopefulrascalstatesmantoad ; @tfamidoingwithmylife ; @chims-kookies ; @stevenknightmarc ; @yoong1c0re ; @sseleniaa ; @lovefooi ; @alotofrandomfangirling ; @multifandomedsimp ; @taiwan0618 ; @nadlx33333 ; @ye0nvibezzn ; @candyquokka ; @blossomedfloweroflove ; @qalable <3

word count : 8.08k ( whew so much for an intro wtf )

The repetitive circus music began, flashing lights and the clapping, oh the clapping echoed in your mind, your head hung low, not wanting to look up even though you heard harsh whispers through the music to follow as the signs say. 

How could you when your hands were constrained behind you with a rope? 

Well, a rope you were almost through with cutting off with a very small blade you always hid under your tongue that wasn’t taken away with your knives and weapons. 

But this time, you decided to look up, something in your gut told you that this was worth seeing, worth paying attention to as you saw three figures in the middle, the lights shining on them but from where you were, further at the back, you could not make out their faces. 

Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, you peeked ahead trying to see if you knew them, though you were pretty sure they were new, perhaps not even from your town because surely you knew almost everyone.

You could see a guy with a straw hat, hair seemingly curly or just simply messy in a white t-shirt, you saw a redhead to his left who was looking around and from her body language, you figured she was just as confused as most of you. 

When your gaze landed on the last figure, immediately you thought before you could even properly figure him out,

That is such an ugly hair color, looks like mold green good gosh!

You wondered as you continued to squint at him, somehow even from afar, you could tell he was the most nonchalant regarding, whatever the fuck was going on. He seemed taller compared to the others and stronger as you scanned his muscles. 

One of the flashing lights caught onto something shiny on his left ear,

Ah earrings, maybe mold green does know about fashion huh?

Suddenly the music stopped as you heard the voice of the psychopath you hated more than you hated losing your knives. 

“-top stop! No stop!” You tore your gaze away from ‘mold green’ as you nicknamed and looked at the clown.

He was once again, blabbering about how everyone had messed up his entrance and you couldn’t help but clench your jaw in anger as you saw him spit in the face of a guy dressed up as a lion.

It’s all wrong, it’s…wrong.

“Hey! I know you,” Everyone’s attention including yours shifted to the voice,

“I saw your wanted poster in Shells town. You’re the clown guy.” Now you were more than curious as to who exactly this character was, briefly pausing your excruciating task of slowly cutting the very firm and strong rope with all but a tiny blade. 

“Um uh, Binky right?” Lightly snorting at the mispronunciation,      

“Buggy” “Buggy the clown.” You scoffed at his words, already more than fed up with this nonsense, more specifically of your entire situation.

He continued introducing himself, but you tuned him out as you focused on the three before you. You had an instinct that they weren’t any ordinary townspeople or some sort of tourists.

You flinched when you saw Buggy leap forward as the audience gasped, you felt a sort of anger when he grabbed the Straw Hat’s face. 

Cringing at the way he slapped straw hat’s hand when he was about to touch his nose, rolling your eyes at his pathetic attempt to assert his power.

“Hey! I am not a nobody, I am Monkey D. Luffy.”

“And I will be king of the pirates.”

Now, you were caught off guard, you didn’t think out of everything, Luffy was a freaking pirate. And what did you think of pirates? You hated them. 

Your hatred sprouted from the scar that ran through your right eyebrow to your right cheekbone, it healed over time but it was always a reminder of what was once a past incident you’d never wish on anyone. 

Buggy seemed to take that as a joke, countering with his own supposed accomplishments as a pirate which were making you more annoyed than you already were as the rope tying your hands seemed to make no difference in losing up even though it’d been a while since you started trying to cut them.

Though you must admit, all this blabbering Buggy did about the map to the treasure that will make one the king of the pirated had you more curious than ever. You knew about it, heard it through stories told in what was left of your town. 

The One Piece. 

And if it did exist, you’d rather it be in any other person’s hands but the boon of an existence clown and well…ex-pirate you suppose.

Even if it had to be in the hands of Luffy.

Somehow, your gut was able to tell, that he was…different. A different pirate from the known rogues that you knew and had encountered in your life. You preferred to trust your gut after one too many instances where you did the opposite and ended up regretting it.

“-said don’t make me laugh!” You snapped out of your thoughts, once again blocking out what was happening in front of you. You were never one who lost focus, you knew better as a fighter how important it was to pay attention to every detail but also who could blame you for not being fully conscious when you’d not even had food or simply water for the past two days? 

Besides, your hands were your priority right now, freeing them would ultimately lead you even closer to freedom. Fortunately for you, you felt one part of it loosen up, allowing your left hand to wiggle.

“All right, listen up.” Suddenly it was silent, which for once stunned you as the spotlight shifted to one of the three “pirates”.

It was mold-green-headed guy, and of course, he had to be even better looking than you’d even guessed. 

“I’m Roronoa Zoro.” He moved forward as he spoke, towards Buggy. And you had to admit though, it was the first time since a long time, you’d seen someone so-

“Drop your weapons and I may let you live.” 

Now there goes the image you’d made of him. You felt he’d be rational, maybe try to negotiate something with the crazed clown but here he was, threatening a bunch of armed minions while he stood defenseless, his only weapon being well…his threat. 

Though you must admit, it’s brave of him, as your father once taught you, there’s a thin line between courage and stupidity, you ought to know where you fall into, and taking in the situation, Zoro over here definitely was not passing into the brave territory much. 

As you expected, Buggy didn’t take it lightly, he taunted Zoro and his minions were now preparing to attack.

“Wait, wait what if I have something else to offer you?” The redhead spoke up, your eyes darting back to her as they’d been previously been unknowingly staring, not that you wanted to but it was like you couldn’t help it. 

“Something more valuable than the map, what if I give you a new freak for your crew?”

“A rare talent. The most spectacular act in all of the East Blue.”

“Besides you, of course.” 

She began to move beside Luffy, and abruptly she pulled off his straw hat and threw it in the air.

What the actual fuck?

You thought as Luffy screamed and now it was your turn to become more surprised when all of a sudden his arm…elongated and stretched up up in the air to grab the hat.

You blinked once, twice to make sure you were not hallucinating due to malnourishment but then it struck you. 

He consumed the Devil Fruit. 

Your gaze shifted back to the redhead and you promptly got another realization that it was a distraction to allow her to escape.

But, aren’t they in the same crew? 

She…betrayed them?

You didn’t know what to think, and how could you possibly conclude if they even cared for each other because you didn’t even know them, barely their names and well…superpowers now. 

Her attempt was a failure as she was dragged back in.

“What did you do?! What did you do to their town?! You destroyed everything!” She yelled as she stood in front of the clown again. 

This hit you in a way it hadn’t in a while, you knew your town was ruined, destroyed but it also reminded you of how you weren’t able to do much to save it before you were held captive.

You’d fought and you’d fought hard, alas your defeat wasn’t truly because of not being able to take them down, instead, you were threatened. 

A life for a life.

Buggy promised if you’d take down any more of his lunatics, he’d end up killing the children he’d held captive. 

Giving up wasn’t a choice, you had to surrender before he could get through with his sickening words. 

You gulped as you felt the familiar taunting in your head, chanting the repetitive words of how you failed to be a ‘hero’. How you failed to protect those who you loved, those who were innocent.  

And that voice only felt louder as you saw two of the three being taken to the forbidden green room named by Buggy. 

No, you couldn’t let more people suffer, you had to find a way to end this. You had to save your people. 

Taking a deep breath, you concentrated on the blade cutting each fiber of thread as swiftly as it was possible. 

Your left hand being more free was a huge benefit, letting you cut it more quickly. 

And finally.

Finally, you felt the rope tug off completely. 

You were in disbelief that your plan worked, the tiny blade you hid under your tongue being able to cut through the rope. 

Moving your hands in front of you, you closed and opened them, trying to bring back life into them. Your shoulders ached, and you rolled them trying to ease the cramps.

Now all you needed was a plan.

But what plan? 

You stood up firstly, quietly as you could without drawing anyone's attention and you looked sideways to see if anyone was observing you. 

No one seemed to have noticed you, likely far too scared probably from not following what was on the signs, and that fueled your anger more. 

In front, Luffy was being chained up, a sick feeling once again rising in you as you stood there helpless on how you could help him. 

You weighed your options.

It would be quite frankly risky to just oppose Buggy from where you were, weaponless too, and not that you didn't trust your own fighting abilities, you did know it was a risk to count on stamina that was running on adrenaline purely out of survival at the moment. 

You figured the first step was to find your weapons. Certainly, you'd be able to gain an upper hand, even if a small one that is.

And so you thought about where could they have possibly hidden your knives.

Then it hit you,

The green room.

You knew what it was, having been held there when you were first held captive. 

"Now, now, you don't need to become so violent sweetheart, you just need to compel and everything will go smoothly."

Buggy taunted you as you glared at him with the intensity, if it could, bury him under the dirt. 

He held your knives in front of you as you yanked your arms to try and get them back, impossible because the chains were glued to the chair. 

"I'll store these for you safely, maybe one day you'll get it in your head that it's better to be on the right side with me." 

You watched as he removed a box, shaped like a treasure chest, opened it, and threw them inside.

Shutting it harshly, he kept the box in a black cupboard which was near the corner.

"Now you'll know, you shouldn't pick a fight you'll lose."

Groaning when you registered that now you had to figure out how to get to the green room. 

Another realization came to you when you remembered Zoro and the redhead were getting dragged there. 

That's it! I just have to follow where those fuckheads drag them,

You felt a small wick of hope light up as you now had a sort of solid plan. 

Once you'd be able to get your weapons, you'd also be able to free the other two and….

All you could hope was that they were willing to help you out, at least if it involved being able to save their other friend too. 

Chances were low, remembering how redhead almost ditched the two, but you had a hitch that Zoro might be more willing.

With a deep breath, you focused on what direction they were getting dragged to, noticing it was to the left while you were on the opposite end. 

You'd have to slowly creep your way down to the left of where you now saw them disappear. 

Your heart did feel like it was in your throat as you took cautionary steps, hitching your breath if you made an unintentionally loud noise when the circus got quiet from the forced claps and unenthusiastic laughter. 

Lucky for you, you didn't have anyone look at you and if they did, they'd chosen to ignore you. 

It was taking longer than you hoped, seeing as you'd been all the way up the top row, and you had to keep ducking to avoid the flashing lights suddenly shining on you but you made it.

As you reached a few feet away from what seemed to be a made-up door, leading down a…hallway? You froze up and ducked as you saw a guy, from his ugly haircut you figured it was Cabaji, cycling on a unicycle down the path. 

You thought you'd been hallucinating possibly, thinking your mind was playing jokes on you because this seemed ridiculous, a supposed dangerous guy, on a fucking unicycle. 

You snapped out of your thoughts and followed your way, making sure there was no one else and fortunately, they all seemed busy doing what Buggy told you as you saw Luffy being strapped down to a table. 

You were in contemplation, whether you should just say fuck it and free Luffy but the rational, or what was left of it, part of your brain knew it'd get worse for the both of you. 

The hallway was quite narrow, and it reeked out ashes. It reeked of burnt-out items. 

It was dimly lit and you walked on your tiptoes as quietly as you could. 

You saw him enter a room to your right. 

Bingo.

You knew this was the green room. 

Slyly moving forward, you paused before you could enter the room. Now it was where the real part of the plan began. Having to take down one minion pirate, possibly by yourself.

And oh, of course, only using your combat skills.

You heard two people talking, it was subtle since they were likely murmuring, but you could make out one voice and that was Cadaji's.

The other was a bit deeper, with a lower timbre to it, so obviously it wasn't redhead's.

Then you heard the sound of something slicing through the air and hitting a hard surface, piercing into it. 

Your eyes widened, praying that the insane pirate hadn't actually stabbed any of the two and that you didn't really want to witness a murder right now. 

You moved forward, now standing in front of the open door leading into the room. 

Firstly, you made eye contact with the redhead who was trapped in a cage and facing the door. 

Her eyes held surprise when you made an appearance, obviously not expecting anyone else other than the idiots she spotted on the stage. Your face was definitely not in that crowd. 

You put your finger to your lips, a desperate look on your face, enough to have Nami somewhat not show more reaction which would make Cabaji suspicious. 

Luckily, Cabaji's back faced you as you took a minute to scan your surroundings. Gulping when you recalled the last time you’d been in here was also in a worse if not similar situation.

The next thing catching your attention was the tied-up man to a sort of spin wheel.

You also noticed the knife right next to his face and realized that was the stabbing sound.

His face though, seemed as nonchalant as it had been since you first saw him. Now that just made you wonder if he even felt any emotion. 

You didn't have time to wonder though as you scanned your surroundings for something that could knock out the pirate before he knew of your presence. 

Spotting a baseball bat near your side, you lunged towards it, now Zoro’s attention turning to the new presence in the room as he said nothing but just raised an eyebrow in question.

Before Cabaji could look towards where he had a sudden stepping sound and where Zoro’s gaze was now, you concentrated all your force in one place and swung forward. 

Splinters of sharp wood and splatters of blood flew through the space as the man groaned in pain, caught off guard and falling on his knees to the ground. 

It was enough of a hit to have him collapse in heaves, the knives in his hands falling as well, blood gushing from the back of his head, down his neck. 

You threw the baseball bat to the side, lunging forward and wrapping your right arm around his neck. You tightened your upper arm around the area and he began to scratch it, trying to free your hold. 

You were breathing heavily, having to use more strength than what you had at the moment and you knew if you didn’t push yourself and end this, you’d end up going back to square one. 

He was choking on his breath, you could sense he was losing consciousness, and you knew within a few seconds he’d be out. 

And out he was, as you let go of him once his whole body weight leaned into you. He dropped face down, quite an anti-climatic ending to his life considering what they’d been putting your town through. 

It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off your shoulders, being able to take the sort of revenge you’d been wanting since you’d been held captive. Exhaling in relief with deep breaths, also took a lot of your energy which was draining, very quickly now.

“...What the fuck ?”

“What just happ-”

Your gaze snapped towards the others in the room and your eyes widened in shock when you remembered it wasn’t just you in the green room. 

The redhead seemed more shocked than Zoro did, you think you’d even seen a bit of fear in her eyes, but it may have been just her being surprised. 

Zoro on the other hand, you think this was the first time you saw any emotion, well not that there were many other times considering this was your first time being this close, but he seemed surprised as one would be in that situation you suppose.

You opened your mouth, wanting to say something, and then shut it when you tried to figure out what you should say first.

“Y/N.” You turned towards redhead and then Zoro,

“Uh, my name’s Y/N.” You gulped as you now felt conscious, considering they were scrutinizing you as if you were some sort of experiment gone wrong. 

You suppose there was no point in feeling nervous, also remembering they just saw you kill someone. 

“I’m not a part of you know, Buggy or whatever’s crew, if that wasn’t obvious enough.” Turning your gaze for a second towards the dead body in front of you. 

“I live here, this- this is my town, hometown to be more specific.”

“I came here to find my own weapons and maybe you could help me out too?” 

Figuring there was no point in beating around the bush, also knowing you may just get caught if someone had heard the commotion. But also the lives of many were once again, in your hands. This time though, you would do anything to free them.

“How, how do we know you’re trustable?” The redhead asked to which you wanted to scoff, wasn’t the dead pirate enough to prove you weren’t definitely with Buggy? Perhaps she thought you had other motives.

“Look. I don’t care if you trust me or not, what matters right now is if you’re willing to help me so that we can all get what we want yeah?” Stating firmly, you spoke sharply, secretly hoping they would help you.

As if on queue, you heard the screaming of what sounded like Luffy. Talk about perfect timing.

“Fine.” This time, it was Zoro who spoke, in a gruff tone as if he’d rather be anywhere but having this discussion. 

“We’ll help you and if you do anything suspicious,” Rolling your eyes at his empty threats, you reminded him of his position.

“You’re the one in captivity right now, aren't you? Consider it a favor that I’m also freeing you.”

 You looked around, and you spotted the knife beside the deceased pirate. Picking it up, you held it tightly and moved in front of the moss head. 

“I could just leave you both here, but I won’t.”

 Now you were only a few inches away from him as you narrowed your eyes at him, his eyes going back to being stoic yet you saw a flare of irritance as if he hated how inferior he felt due to his current position. 

“Hold still.”

Without waiting for another second, you moved your hand with the knife to his right one held up. And in one swift movement, you sliced off the rope wrapped around his hand. 

It was quick since the knife was pretty sharp and then before you sliced the other one, you warned him.

For the other one, you had to hold his arm in place as you moved, repeating the same movements. It wasn't like you paid attention to how your hand could barely even wrap around the size of it-

“There.” You stepped back, gulping slightly from the proximity, as he threw away the cut ropes.  Rubbing his wrists as he stepped forward, not really paying any attention to you now, he just nodded as if to say thanks. 

You did take note however how much taller he was compared to you. Possibly, half a head or say six to seven inches. His larger frame did not help in making him seem less intimidating and maybe you really shouldn’t have almost threatened him.

Jeez, it wouldn’t hurt to say it verbally. 

Ugh, whatever, why do I care anyway? 

“Zoro.” He said which made you turn towards him in confusion, “My name,” He said nothing else to which you wanted to let him know you already knew after his marvelous introduction earlier but you just nodded. 

“Mine is Nami.” A voice spoke up, and you remembered what you were going to do next. Ah, the redhead.

“Oh, right.” You smiled sheepishly as you felt a tinge of guilt for almost forgetting she was still trapped in the cage. It wasn’t like you were only freeing them for your advantage, you also didn’t want more to be held captive too. 

She seemed like she was going to chuckle, but she just shook her head, not wanting to further emphasize anything she’d observed the past few minutes. 

“Well, it looks like it’s pretty loose, did- did you, wait were you picking it with a lock picker or some sort of sharp object?” You’d moved towards the cage, holding the lock and shaking it around to which it did feel a lot lighter than it should, only a few more picks and it would be open.

“Then I don’t need to do much,” You stepped back and decided a small kick would probably break it. 

“Just hold on to something.” She nodded as you took a deep breath, raising your right leg and swinging it with as much force, as you did a low roundhouse kick. 

The sound of metal falling was heard, as you grinned lightly seeing the lock on the ground. 

“I hope that didn’t shake you up too much?” You didn’t know why you’d felt the instinct to be more polite towards her as you rushed forward to open the cage door, considering she was probably the reason they got held into captivity in the first place.

The impact of your kick did shake the cage but since you didn’t put much force into it, Nami’s body weight was able to hold it still in one place. 

She stepped out and you saw the relief on her face, she stretched out and groaned in satisfaction due to finally feeling…free.

“Here,” Zoro said as he tossed a sort of stick to Nami. You turned towards him and saw him holding three swords. 

Ah, their weapons. I forgot they are pirates. 

You saw him put the swords in their sheaths and it made you wonder,

One for each hand, but where does the third one go? 

Then you also remembered something,

I came here for my knives-

“So what-”

“Wait!” You interrupted Zoro who was looking at Nami, now they both looked at you, one almost slightly irritant while the other curious. 

“I uh- I need my own…knives. They took them from me when they caught me. It’s here somewhere, they hid them here.” You paid no mind to them as you looked around for the stupid box that had them.

It was in a black cupboard, that’s where I saw him keep it, now where else would it be? 

Your frustration was slowly turning into panic as you saw no black cupboard. It was as if fate had chosen to make a fool out of you with passing time.

“Do you remember where they were? We-” Zoro was about to protest before Nami looked at him pointedly, “We’ll help you find them.”

“I do remember! I-I do! It was in a box, and a- black cupboard!” Looking around, Nami went ahead passing through the few cupboards, breaking them open to find them empty or with useless items, sitting the urge to grab what mght eventually help in the future. Zoro sighed, deciding he’d get done with this so they can get out quicker. He wasn’t particularly fond of the idea of wasting time but with the small decency he had, he figured he’d help you out since technically you did free them. ( even though he was positive he’d have freed himself soon enough). 

You on the other hand, were frantic. It was horrible when they were taken away, but the thought of them being actually thrown away or perhaps even sold to someone else was terrifying. They were the last symbol of what your father was, what your father left left for you.

The thought was about to make you cry until you reached one specific cupboard that didn’t seem to budge open. It was locked. 

“Here! I think. I think they are in here.” All movement paused as the other two stopped looking and turned towards you, “But it won’t budge, it’s locked.” 

Contemplating how to break it, you didn’t notice Zoro was beside you until his voice startled you out of your daze. “Move.” 

He gruffly ordered which made you wonder if he’d ever been thought on how to be polite, but nonetheless you followed as he said and moved behind. 

Pausing for a moment, you wwondered if it was now he realised it was nearly impossible to open the firm doors without a key, but before you could voice out your thoughts, you saw him put his hands(making sure not too stare much at the veins that were very much visible and definitely not noting how large they seemed-)  on the handles and in one swift motion pull it open with ease. 

You just stared in disbelief as they came off their hinges and he tossed them aside as though they weighed nothing, they probably didn’t actually.

 “Yeah he can do that, don’t worry, it’s not a big deal for him, atleast.” Nami said as she looked at you, amused a little at your comical shock expression.You just blinked and nodded slowly,

“This ‘is it?”  Zoro asked as you looked into the cupboard.

 Right, knives. Your knives. 

Fate seemed to pity you as you realised lo and behold, there laid your knives, out in the open and in fact not in a box. Quickly going infront, pushing Zoro a little as he mumbled ‘ungrateful brat’ which you chose to ignore as your hands brushed over your set. 

Seven. All seven were there. 

You took one scanning it thoroughly until your eyes fell upon the initials. Your initials to which, for the first time in a while, you felt the corner of your lip rise into a tiny grin. With another quick scan, you put them in their respective sheaths. 

Foolishly enough, the knuckleheaded pirates didn’t think to remove your sheath belt or other sheaths, deeming it unnecessary as they were empty so they wouldn’t be of any use.

Holding one dagger in one hand, you were fairly ready…for whatever would occur. 

Zoro was silent, as if it was anything new, but for a brief moment he wondered just how much they meant to you. 

Perhaps as much as his katanas did to him?

He didn’t give it much thought, instead turning to Nami. “What’s the plan now? You did come up with a plan right? That’s your thing, plans.”

You figured she was likely a navigator, given from your knowledge of pirates, they’d be the ones who could come up with plans for routes and all other…pirate related stuff.

Nami eyed you for a second, to which you nodded at his words, realising you did not object, but then again what were the options. Her gaze turned towards Zoro and she spoke, a light smirk forming on her face,

“I say, we beat the hell out of every clown we see.” 

Since the time you’d spotted Zoro, you think, this was the first time you’d seen a grin on his face, a chuckle being another first. 

And you had another realisation, that, it suited him more. 

Wiping the sweat of your face as you kicked the limp arm of one of Buggy’s idiot that hit your leg as he fell from your punch. Turns out, you still had it in you to punch and boy did you use all your strength. 

Nami was ahead, while Zoro was…behind her as well considering you couldn’t see him anymore. 

Pausing for a much needed breath of air, you rubbed your aching hands together. Suddenly you began to feel the adrenaline slowly draining, your head feeling light. 

No,I can’t pass out. Not now. Please,

You leaned against a wall, deciding you just needed to sit. For a few seconds at least. You figured everything might be handled by the other two considering you could hear a lot of muffled shouting and talking. 

Sighing forcefully, you rubbed your eyes, wishing how life would stop treating you like a scapegoat for all bad omens. You missed your old life, your youth, your joyful town, its people and most of all…you missed your father. 

You wondered if he were here, would he have let the people reach to this point? 

With that thought you stood up, more determined than ever as you knew what the answer was. He wouldn’t have, he would have fought till his last breath to protect his people. And…and he did. 

One thing you knew, you couldn’t let more people suffer. And with the newfound will and strength you stepped slowly into the opening.

The benefit of the dark circus with only flashy lights was that there was a lot of shadows and dark spaces. You, discovered how beneficial it was since you first escaped to the green room and even now as you hid behind what seemed like a chest. 

Fuck, fuck I forgot he also has eaten the Devil Fruit. 

Helplessly staring as you saw a hand, presumably Bughead’s, strangling Luffy. 

Hearing a groan from your hiding place, your eyes widened when you realised Nami had fallen in front of you. 

Your eyes moved to Zoro, finding the swordsman in a similar position. 

You gulped as you called out to Nami in a low voice, “Hey!” Whispering in a panic, “I forgot to tell you he’s eaten the chop chop fruit, any sort of weapon would be pretty useless!”

Nami looked around in confusion wondering who was speaking, when she saw you she realised it was you and she rolled her eyes, “Well yeah, clearly.” “Now isn’t really the time for sarcasm don’t you think?” 

Think quick.

Clenching your hands as you saw the hand strangling Luffy, your eyes darted around clenching your dagger harder. 

An idea struck you when you spotted empty craters. 

“I think I have an idea-” You whisper-yelled out to her, wanting her to hear before she chose to do anything, “His parts, trap them- trap them into those empty crates!” 

As she stood up, her gaze fell upon them and darted back to the body parts around. She realised it was worth taking the chance. 

“Luffy! The crates!” She yelled out to him, to which the straw hut guy understood, very quickly you thought. 

He rose up still trying to free himself from the hand strangling him, and with one harsh pull he yanked it away from his neck and tossed it in the air like a ball and as though her stick was a bat, Nami flung it across in the crate, trapping it. 

Zoro seemed to get the hint, as he moved to the place and you were glad it seemed like the idea worked. 

The next moments felt like blur as at one point when Nami tossed a part of the clown in a crate, you remembered rushing to shut it close and putting your weight on it. 

It ended. It actually did. 

Nami turned towards you as she closed the barrel, a grin on her face as she knew everything was over…for now. 

But all you could see was a slow darkness, darker than what was in the circus, legs weighing like anchors as you sank down and finally, you dove head first, into uncocnciousness. Lucky for you, the redhead had faster instincts and before you bust your head open, she caught you.

The last thing you heard was a yell of your name and then it was as though you were in deep waters, mind blank. 

The weight of the world got heavier, quite literally as you realised how abundant your limbs felt. 

It wasn’t until your eyes began to open when you got the clue that you were indeed alive. 

The familiar smell of sandalwood with hints of cinnamon was what hit you first as you inhaled. 

“Am I dead?” The brief murmuring was what you registered as your ears felt unclogged, pausing as your croaked voice rasped. Your tongue felt like stone, mouth sandpaper like. 

“Wa-water.” You could briefly see a familiar room. Everything seemed familiar, you knew you knew where exactly you were but it was taking some time for your memories to catch up with you. 

Get up, get up.

“Now, now what’s the rush child?” A warm voice spoke up to which you turned your head to the man. As you took in his features, you recalled who he was.

“Da-dada?” The old man smiled, his wrinkles deepening as they always did. You noticed his hand holding a glass of water and before you knew it, you took it and gulped it down before you could even say anything.

“Aish- always impatient.” He scolded wanting, ready to yell to slow down so you don’t choke but he knew you’d pay no mind. 

Dada was your guardian. He took you in as his own when your father was no more and considered you his own grandchild,because seeing he’d never had any kids to experience grandchildren, he felt the universe was giving him a chance that one night when a ten year old you, came to his door drenched in the rains, shivering as you asked if you could have something to eat. 

“Am I dreaming dada? Am I dead?” You said as you scanned your surroundings, noting it was the living room of his hut, feeling as though what happened in the past few hours or even days was all dreams. Surely, it wasn’t that a damn crew of pirates had trapped your entire town and another bunch of pirates, different ones, apparently the good kind ended up saving you as you helped them too. 

It seemed like one bizarre fever dream. 

“Kid, why do you always insist on me dying! I am old but not too old-” Comically he coughed after his nagging to which you held back your laughter, knowing you’d only get scolded more.

With a half hearted glare, he shook his head, “You weren’t dreaming, at least not until you fainted in that rotten circus-”

“It was real?!” You looked at your hands and noticed faded blue-purple bruises around your wrists, the physical proof needed that yes indeed, everything was and is real. “Is everyone safe? I- are the people okay?” You were in a panic realising your memory that was slowly coming cut off the moment you last heard a yell of your name from Nami, not knowing what happened afterwards. 

“Supposing I am here, you’re here in this room, yes i’d say everything is going back to…normal.” He knew it wouldn’t be right to say it was normal, it would take a while to get back to what the town once was but for now they got their freedom back, so with time, he knew it’d all be back. 

“So- the- the ‘good’ pirates are also real?” You paused as you tried to frame the proper words and Dada just nodded in amusement, finding your brief amnesia moment hilarious.

“In fact, they are waiting for you.” 

“Me- but why?” You wondered why they’d still be here, figuring they’d leave once they got what they required, a little sad knowing you couldn’t thank them but the sadness turned to curiosity and confusion once you processed his words. 

“Come on in,” In stepped in the straw hut guy —Luffy— you recalled, a wide grin on his face, as he tipped his hat in greeting. 

“Hello! I see you’re awake.” Raising your hand to wave back, your eyebrows furrowed on what exactly he wanted. Nami next stepped in and your gaze turned towards her as she smiled at you.

A light grin on your face forming on your face as she waved a little. “I hope you’re feeling better?”

“I think yeah?” You felt out of it still, but now you were beginning to feel a little grounded to reality.

You noticed a figure stood in the doorway leaning against it, arms crossed as he looked at you. 

Zoro. You recalled and rather than any words he just nodded to you to which you just gave a tight lipped awkward smile and turned back to Luffy. 

Yeah he’s still attractive in the daylight.

Back there you figured maybe cause you were loopy and distorted you were finding him more attractive than he actually just because he was the only decent male you’d seen in a few months but now you realised you were wrong.

He was definitely more than decent. And yeah more attrac- no stop.

“I-” “So-”

Speaking up at the same time as Luffy, you shut up and gestured for him to continue. 

“So you see when we were leaving, sailing away to continue on our mission, I realised something.” You tilted your head at him in confusion as raised an eyebrow. Sitting up on the small bed was the good thing you’d done because at least you got a clear view of everyone. 

You turned to Nami, eyebrow still up as you gestured ‘What?’ to which she rolled her eyes and pointed towards Luffy. You knew Zoro wouldn’t help as to what Luffy was saying so you didn’t even look towards him. 

“I felt we were missing some thing and really I thought hard as to what we were possibly leaving behind and then it struck me.” You were beginning to hate his dramatic pauses because you did not know what to expect.The unexpected was something you hated. 

“It was not some thing we were missing, it was rather someone and that someone is…you.” As he finished his sentence, he looked at you with still the same grin, merely observing your reaction.

“What?” Being taken aback was probably the only way you’d describe what you felt. It confused you, to the point you wondered if he was just fooling with you. 

“Haha- um you got me there, nice joke?” You awkwardly chuckled suddenly feeling the stares of everyone in the room piercing through your soul as though they could see right through you. 

“What no- pfft! It’s not a joke! I’m serious, join us, join my crew,this time it always seemed there was someone missing and I think finding you in this island was not just a coincidence but it was meant to be.”

You gulped as he looked at you in anticipation, finally turning your attention towards Dada as you observed him, his reaction. It was calm, a calm as if he knew this. You clenched your hands nervously, the bandages bunching up in the palm as you looked back at Luffy and then Nami as she looked at you nonchalantly. 

“Luffy.” A deep voice resonated through the brief silence and your eyes darted towards Zoro who looked at Luffy. “Come on, come out, I think you should let them think of their answer”

Before Luffy could protest, he shot him a look that showed he wasn’t going to argue and to follow what he said. His eyes met yours for a moment, nodding in gratefulness as he spoke no further as he shut the door behind.

As they left, you looked back at your hands that laid in your lap. Wrapped in bandages and hints of dried blood. Your mind in a flurry of questions.

“Kiddo?” You were startled out of your thoughts as a hand laid on your shoulder, “Tell me, tell me what’s going on in that little head of yours.”

“I don’t know. I don’t know what to do. I don’t think I can do something. I- they are pirates! I can’t join them and- and leave this town, who would- who would take care of the people, who would take care of you? I just- I don’t think I can-” You spoke up what was in your mind, your heart tugging as you thought of how you could become a protector if you left?

“You know what I think? I think this is your chance. Darling, people like you are destined to do great and so far you have been doing that but this, this is a chance to accomplish your dream…your father’s dream. Do you trust me?” You nodded at him as he finished.

Each of his words sunk deeper into your heart as he spoke and you knew what he spoke was in full honesty. Dada would never lie to you as he’d always look for the best for you, so each word in what he spoke held full weight to it. 

“You’ll be doing even greater things, and who cares if they are pirates! They saved us didn’t they? Perhaps just like how there’s two sides of a coin, there’s always more than just horrible pirates. Go for it child, this is your bigger fate that you deserve. Besides, the kid seems too adorable to be menacing”

You couldn’t stop the laughter that arose from his last remark. Though as you realised the choice you were knowing your laughter got less and your smile slowly faded.

“And who will take care of you old man? Will you be able to stay without me?” Your eyes held a mischief yet knowing you since you were a pestering child, he could see the underlying sadness of being separated. 

“Don’t worry about me yeah? And who are you calling old man?! I can take care of myself just fine alright, I’ll show you!” He moved to ruffle your hair to which you whined at him, knowing how you hated it when someone touched your hair but this time you let it slide, feeling perhaps it would be the last.

“What will I take though- will they give me time to pack-” Pausing briefly as you threw your legs off the bed ready to get up and scanned around. Dada pushed your legs away and dragged a bag from below.

“Already done.” “You-! you were just waiting for the moment to get rid of me-!” You accused him as you looked at him in mock betrayal, the small grin on your face not wavering the slightest.

“I’ll miss you. Don’t die old man, stay alive until I’m back as what I want to be.” He was grinning up until you mentioned his dying once again and the change to a glare made you giggle slightly. 

“You should let them know now, green head doesn’t seem like a patient one. Just like you.” You nodded at him as you slowly got up, the feeling in your legs coming back as you stumbled a little, glaring at him at the remark he made about you being impatient. 

“He’s a swordsman Dada, I doubt he lacks patience.” 

“And aren’t you the same?” 

“I use dagge-”

You shut up when you stepped out, choosing to not let the outside audience know you’d been arguing about them only. More specifically, Zoro.

When you stepped out, you didn’t expect Luffy to be right out the door, raising his hand to knock,so you were startled when he was almost right in your face as you looked up. He took a step back, startled himself as a blush rose to his cheeks from the sudden proximity. 

Coughing awkwardly, he looked at you in anticipation yet a small part of him was preparing for the rejection because as Zoro had kindly ( as kind as he can) explained, he shouldn’t expect a stranger, nonetheless one who sort of saved them, to be ready to up and about from their life with them but him being the optimist he was, he hoped that his anticipation was right. 

You wore a blank expression as you looked at the three.

Dada was right, they are for sure not the regular pirates.

“So-?”

You took a deep breath as you shut your eyes, preparing for an answer,

“Sure. I’ll join you on your…mission.” Out of pure excitement, Luffy seemed to be a touchy type as he leaped into you and wrapped his arms around you as he screamed out while you squealed in surprise. 

“Yes! YES! Thank you!” You awkwardly chuckled as you didn’t know what to do with your arms seeing they are trapped. Your eyes darted to Nami as she shook her head and grinned, her blue eyes gleaming with excitement, “Glad you made a choice, probably the right one.” 

Zoro’s reaction was pretty questionable because it was a mixture of disbelief— how could you agree— and another you couldn’t quite put a name to it. You weren’t sure if you were still in a daze but you swore you could see a light smirk. 

And as you looked back at the straw hut boy, you couldn’t help but fill a newfound sense of hope— the thought of looking forward to something new—  filling your heart and leaving you with a wide toothy grin and a glint in your eyes. 

Off you began with a leap in your life, only time your teller of what would enfold but honestly, you were more than ready for what would come because afterall only the bravehearted would dare to be stupid by risking it all. 

author's note : omg it's out, after five-ish whole months, i'm beginning this series. i was very excited for this when i first thought of it but due to reasons i wasn't able to get into it and stopped midway in the intro chapter/first chapter, nonetheless today i finished the first chapter and officially this series begins! i thought if i'm coming back after so long why not with something nice :) i may or may not have another thing coming in a few days (don't count me on that but i feel motivated to write so who knows!) let me know your thoughts on this !!

all written works as well as images and edits (unless credited) belong to pri.do not plagiarise, repost, re-edit or claim as yours. pics mostly found on pinterest. I don't own any of the characters from the movie, rightfully belonging to One Piece creators and the Netflix franchise and also this is a fictional work, not relating to any of the cast in real life.

writingmeraki Ⓒ 2023-24

[littlemissmentallyunstable]

why’d you only call me when you’re high

🤍 100 follower event 🤍

hey I’m bella!! if you’re new my intro post is here

I genuinely cannot believe I’m at 100 followers, it’s literally mental!! like sorry, how on earth did that happen?? anyways I want to thank each and every one of you for following me, for all the support and comments and likes, just basically for everything. so many people have just been so so sweet, making my days for a while now!! I didn’t even expect to have 10 followers when I started this blog, let alone 100 so THANK YOU 🤍🤍

if you have requested a fic, it will probably be put on hold or take longer due to this event!! sorry for the inconvenience but I will get around to writing them all I promise

followers:

potion approaching // oh, but if we're gonna escape though, we really ought to think it through

I’ll write a short one-shot of your request (nothing weird and be specific please)

teddy picker // let’s have a game on the teddy picker, not quick enough can I have it quicker, already thick and you're getting thicker

I’ll give you an arctic monkeys song based on your blog

do I wanna know? // do I wanna know, if this feeling flows both ways

ask me something and I’ll answer (nothing too invasive please)

I bet that you look good on the dance floor // I don't know if you're looking for romance or, I don't know what you're looking for

I’ll give you a fantasy-like ballgown based on your blog

fake tales of san francisco // yeah, but his bird said it's amazing though, so all that's left, is the proof that love's not only blind, but deaf

I will try, notice how I said try and give you a good book recommendation based on things you love (please be specific with genre or mention a title that you want to find something like)

fluorescent adolescent // like her gentleman not to be gentle, is it a Mecca dauber or a betting pencil

I’ll ship you with a fictional character I think you’re most compatible with (please tell me your type, personality, sexuality and any other facts you want me to know, if you’re comfortable with that)

pretty visitors // all the pretty visitors came and waved their arms, and cast the shadow of a snake pit on the wall

I’ll write down the first word that comes to mind when looking at your blog aesthetic

do me a favour // and do me a favor, and ask, if you need some help she said, do me a favor, and stop flattering yourself

I’ll give you a sweet treat based on your blog

moots only:

this house is a circus // this house is a circus berserk as f*ck, we tend to see that as a perk

a moodboard and headcannons of what we’d do if we met up in real life

knee socks // well, you cured my January blues, yeah you made it all alright, I've got a feelin' I might have lit the very fuse, that you were tryin' not to light

I’ll tell you my favourite thing about you

old yellow bricks // she said, "I want to sleep in the city that never wakes up and revel in nostalgia"

I will write a one shot for you about whatever you want and specify with your name (if you want that)

D is for dangerous // you should know you're his favourite worst nightmare

I’ll tell you anything you want to know about me

R U mine? // I go crazy 'cause here isn't where I wanna be, and satisfaction feels like a distant memory, and I can't help myself, all I wanna ever say is, "are you mine?"

a paragraph describing you how much I love you

rules:

one request or ask per day

only followers and moots please

I might not be able to get loads and loads done in one day so please be patient with me

ends on 3rd of september

if you send an ask/request that is rude or weird or I feel uncomfortable with, it will be ignored

tagging:

@wish-i-were-heather

@heartwithsimplenotes

@never-enough-novels

@tornqdowarnings

@maybxlle

@inmyheaddd

@arias-archive

@nqds

@lxvebelle

@whatsamongus

@emelia07

@jkriordanverse

I know I don’t know some of my moots that well but hopefully I can’t get to know you more through this 🤭🤭

[skenisasleb]

Heya Tumblr doomscrollers!!

Here’s some stuff about me you should know. :>

Rick Simper Alert 😇

(and very big tone tag user)

Socials:

Character.ai acc: @skenisasleb

Or here’s one of my bots to find me easier:

YouTube: lilypad

Toyhou.se: XSkenIsASlebX

Artfight: skenisasleb

Identification:

Gender: Agender!

I can be called whatever you prefer me to be. You can use any pronouns for me. Including Bingus. Especially Bingus./j

Age: 17; which means I am a minor.

Tone Tags I Use:

/j = joking

/jbiw = joking but i wish

/srs = serious

/nsrs = not serious

/ot = off topic

/sms = save my soul

/silly = being silly

/q = quote

/lyr = lyric

/idk = idk whats wrong with me lol

/p = platonic

/isimdrnlnmjakeiafbifb = I sit. In my desolate room. No lights? NO MUSIC?? JUST ANGER!!! Killed everyone…. I’m away forever….. BUT IM FEELING BETTER— (mostly a dumbass joke tag)

Mental ailments (😔): Neurodivergent; ADHD and autism (I only suspect it though; I am not professionally diagnosed)

Though my ADHD is much more apparent, so sorry if I make no sense sometimes LMAO

Interests:

My interests change way too fast. Sorry if anyone follows me for a specific thing; I will most likely bail on that thing eventually 😭😭 (hyperfixations go brr)

Toilet Bound Hanako-kun

South Park

Raggedy Ann & Andy

FNAF

Evil Dead

Camp Camp

Invader Zim

Bravest Warriors

Cult of the Lamb

Rick and Morty

Moral Orel

Adventure Time

Over the Garden Wall

Smiling Friends

Ok Ko

Scott Pilgrim

Steven Universe

Good Omens

Popee the Performer

The Fifth Element

Craig of the Creek

Bluey

Friday Night Funkin’

Kick Buttowski (guilty pleasure show fr LMFAO)

The Amazing Digital Circus

Lackadaisy

Ranboo Generation Loss

Cuptoast

That’s Not my Neighbor

Mob Psycho 100

Roblox Regretevator

The Stanley Parable

Yaelokre

Music:

Wargasm (UK)

Lovejoy (Not a DSMP fan; just like the sound and Wilbur)

Kings of Leon

TV Girl

Mac DeMarco

The Killers

Arctic Monkeys

Paramore

Vacations

The Strokes

Fwango

Yaelokre

See my profile description for current hyperfixations and current status on art requests!!

Also, you can ship my OCs, canon or not, as long as its not sexual ^^

I ALSO HAVE THE RIGHT TO DECLINE CERTAIN ART REQUESTS, WHETHER BECAUSE IT’S INAPPROPRIATE OR SIMPLY BECAUSE I AM NOT INTERESTED. These are art requests, not commissions.

(I will add anything new to this if I feel the need to add more!)

[vodika-vibes]

Round 6 *ding ding ding*

(This is where I stopped last time...)

Tup and "No one's ever going to hurt you again. I promise you that on everything I believe in."

Please and thank you, my love 💚💚💚

Never Again

Summary: You make a promise to Tup that he never asked for.

Pairing: Clone Trooper Tup x Reader

Word Count: 1745

Warnings: Reader is shot, Tup is Angry/worried, reader celebrates Diwali though I don't attach any specific ethnicity to them

Tagging: @trixie2023

A/N: I have an AU problem, I can't not make AUs they're so fun. Anyway, this was fun to write, and I think I'm happy with it. Also, I kept my description of Diwali very vague since I researched for five minutes rather than a deep dive.

Divider by Saradika

Alright, let’s do this one more time.

10 years ago, when you were just a little teeny-bopper from Manhattan, you were bitten by a radioactive spider, and you became the one, and only, Arachne. You saved some people, like your adoptive mom and your grandma, but you weren’t able to save others, like your adoptive dad and your brother.

The most important thing you learned in 10 years as Arachne is to always, always get up. No matter how hard you get hit. No matter how much pain you’re in. Staying down means death.

Three years ago, while in the middle of a fight with Kingpin, something weird happened.

Well, weirder than usual for New York.

A portal opened beneath you, and you fell. And when you landed, you weren’t in New York anymore.

Hell, you weren’t on Earth anymore.

It took you three months to determine where you were (Coruscant), and another two months after that to determine that there was likely no way to return to New York. 

You’ve always been pretty good at adapting to new situations, so within a year of arriving on Coruscant, you had a new identity (well, the same identity, just all your documents claim you’re from Coruscant now, rather than New York) as well as a pretty good job (ironically, the tech in your world is more high tech then the tech here, which is so, so depressing-), the the friendly neighborhood Arachne is officially retired.

After all, Coruscant has the Jedi, it doesn’t need a web-slinging superhero.

And then the war starts.

And at first you weren’t going to get involved. Not your monkeys, not your circus. Plus, you’ve read enough science fiction about tampering with things that are supposed to happen, and the last thing you want to do is make things worse for people-

And then you met Tup.

Sweet Tup. Kind Tup. Gentle Tup.

Tup, who smiles at you like you confuse him a little, but laughs at your bad jokes. 

Tup, who you teach to bake cookies in your too small apartment with your side pressed against his.

Tup, who’s destined to die.

You remember the day when you realized you had to get involved like it was yesterday. It was Diwali, and it wasn’t your first time celebrating it here, in Coruscant, but you invited Tup because, well, celebrating Diwali alone is just depressing.

You cooked all of your favorite foods, or, well, as close as you could with the food available to you on Coruscant, and you sat across from Tup and you watched him try all of the food, while you regaled him with the stories you grew up with, the stories your mother and grandparents told so enthusiastically-

And he grinned at you, a lopsided smile, and asked if he could invite some of his brothers next year. He asked if you minded if the Clones adopted this holiday for themselves-

And you remembered that Tup was meant to be dead within a year.

So you smiled at him, and told him that of course he could, and that you’d be more than happy to share other holidays from your culture. And by the time Tup left at the end of the night, with an entire tote filled with leftover food, you had come to a decision. 

Tup will not die. You won’t allow it.

And, well, you’re from a world where all of this stuff was a movie. You know what’s supposed to happen. You know when it’s supposed to happen. And you have the ability to stop it.

So you pull your suit on, and strap your web slingers to wrist, and you pull your hood on, and for the first time ever, Coruscant meets the one, and only, Arachne. 

Of course, back on earth you had a team of people who helped you. And the people of New York loved their spider person.

You don’t have that support network here.

And it only took a few days before you were listed as a threat to the people of Coruscant. 

It takes three months. 

Three months of hard work. Three months of skipping sleep in favor of investigating to find proof that Palpatine is as evil as you know he is. Three months of anxiety that you don’t have enough time to save Tup.

And then you have it. The proof of the chips. The proof of Palpatine’s plan.

And then you’re shot with a slugthrower.

Not your first time getting shot, but it’s not like you develop an immunity to bullets. You use a web to stop the bleeding, and you make your retreat. You stick to the shadows, clinging to walls and only swinging from building to building when you know it’s safe.

And you eventually make it back to your apartment.

You zip through the open window, and land on the ceiling, your hand pressed over your side, where the bullet ripped a hole in you, and then your spidey sense pings.

You lift your head and your gaze locks with Tup’s.

“Oh. Shit.” You breathe out under your breath.

Tup grabs his blaster and immediately takes aim, and you swear, “Wait! Waitwaitwait!” You say quickly, and then you rip your mask off, “It’s just me, Tup.” You say, “Please don’t shoot me. I’m already holy.” You giggle at your own joke, “Get it, because I was shot?”

Tup’s jaw is slack, “What the actual hell, cyare?”

“Because I have a hole in my sid-”

“Not about that! What is this?” He gestures to you and the ceiling and the suit, “Are you wearing spandex?”

You look down at your black and purple suit, and then look back at him, “I look amazing.”

“You…” Tup takes a deep breath, and folds his hands in front of his face, “Cyare. Get off the ceiling. Now. Please.”

You flip off the ceiling, and land lightly on your feet, “Ta-dah?”

“You realize that every single member of the GAR is hunting you, right?” Tup demands.

“Yeahhh-”

“There’s a shoot on sight order!”

“That does explain why the Corries shot me-”

“Cyare! What’s going on? What is all of this?”

You fold your hands in front of your face, “Uh…okay.” You smile brightly, “Chancellor Palpatine is a Sith Lord who is orchestrating this entire war from behind the scenes. You and your brothers have biochips in your brains that are designed to overwrite your free will. Palpatine’s plan is to use those chips to order the clones to murder all of the Jedi, including the babies, and create an empire where he’s the absolute ruler.” You say, very quickly, “I have proof.”

“...what.”

“Oh, also,” You add, “Your chip is degrading. You’ll get decommissioned for the murder of a jedi, and I refuse to let that happen, so I got involved.”

Tup’s complexion has gone a little gray, “What?”

“I spent the last three months looking for the evidence I needed. And I was worried that I was going to run out of time, so I asked Rex to keep an eye on you-”

“Is that why my brothers have been hovering around me so much recently?” Tup demands.

“Yeah. Sorry.”

Tup closes his eyes, and sighs again, “You said you have proof?”

“I’m bringing it to the Jedi as soon as I finish stitching myself up.” You reply.

Tup stares at you, “You’ve lived on Coruscant for over a year, but you only recently got involved…why?”

You hesitate, and then you flash a small smile, “No one’s ever going to hurt you like this. I promise you that on everything that I believe.”

“You’re doing all of this…for me? Why?”

You meet his gaze evenly, “Because I love you.”

Tup’s hand falls to his side, “Oh.”

“And I want you to be alive more than anything else.” You continue, “Even if you don’t feel the same. Even if you hate me because of the whole…Arachne thing. That’s what it means to love someone.”

He stares at you for a long minute, and then he laughs, “You’re so…stupid.”

“Yeah…I’ve heard that before.”

He crosses the room in several large strides, and he brings his hands up to cup your face, “You could have asked for help.”

“Didn’t want to get you involved.” You admit as you close your eyes and lean into his touch. “Didn’t want you to get hurt.”

“Well,” He replies, “I am involved, and I don’t want to see you get hurt either.” Tup gently strokes your cheeks, “You said you were shot?”

“Yeah,” You gesture to your web coated side.

“Let me call Kix-”

“I have a fully stocked first aid kit in my bedroom, Tup. I can stitch myself up. I can’t…he’ll recognize a bullet wound, Tup. I can’t risk that. Not when I’m so close.”

“...fine. But I’m helping.”

“Deal.”

You allow him to help you into the bedroom, and you gratefully sit on the bed as he vanishes into the bathroom to grab your first aid kit. You strip the top part of your costume off, and you grimace as you poke the hole in your side. 

“Cyare-” Tup pauses when he sees you sitting on the bed without your top on, “This is a full trauma kit,” He continues.

“Yeah, I know. There should be a sterile needle and thread at the bottom.” You reply.

Tup sets the box next to you, his gaze darting from scar to scar on your torso, “Cyare…some of these injuries-”

You smile at him as you dig the needle out of the crate, “At some other point in time, I’ll tell you about some of my greatest foes.”

“Including the one that tried to skewer you?”

“Which one?” You ask with an amused smile.

“Babe-”

“Sorry, sorry. Not funny, I know.” Your smile becomes soft and warm, “Thank you for staying, Tup.”

“Yeah, well…” He takes the needle and moves behind you, “I’m still angry. This is stupid and reckless, but…well, you do what you have to when you love someone, right.”

“Yeah…wait-” You crane your head to look at him, “Tup?”

“Hold still, I'm trying to give you stitches.”

“Yeah, I get that, can we talk about-”

“Absolutely not.”

“But-” You stop when you feel his lips, warm and soft against the back of your neck, and you feel your entire body heat with sudden embarrassment. 

“Later.” Tup promises with a small laugh, “Now. Hold still, this is probably going to hurt.”

[pearandpinapple]

I thought I'd follow up my previous post by differentiating amongst the types of clown meat products i could find. This is not a full list by any means, clown meat products are popping left and right as of lately, and new patterns and flavors are being put out into the market almost every month.

As always, be safe in clown consumption, check producers and laws before purchasing and eating.

A quick disclaimer, this blog isn't affiliated with Carnival Cuts Co. here on Tumblr, but will feature some of their products, giving an honest review of their meat selection . As far as I'm aware, they're the biggest corporation working with clown meat, so it's only fair they get mentioned.

This is what most of you associate with Carnival Cuts Co. Products, this is the "Meat Clown"® variety. As far as I'm aware, it's made from free range clowns that live a happy life, and you can taste the happiness in it. It's overall a refreshing cut of meat that brings a smile to your face. Overconsumption of this product (more than 5 slices per adult person, as per label) does cause some mild hysteria and uncontrollable laughter, and discretion is advised, but in comparison to the other products they're much more manageable and curable. 8/10, honestly one of the best mass produced clown meat product.

Now this. This is NOT a Carnival Cuts Co. Product. The difference is clear. The white border, the sinister smile. DO. NOT. PURCHASE. THIS. PRODUCT. You'd think it's a cheaper, more affordable and maybe blander version of the "Meat Clown"®, but this is just. Terrible. You'll find it marketed as "Clowns' Face" or something like it to avoid copyright, and i do think it's made from clowns' faces specifically. Tastes horrible, even a slice of this made me paranoid and hyper aware. -3/10

Now this. This is a baffling product. It's a mass produced meat cut, by KR Castlemaine, which confuses me on where the clowns are kept. Are they in a farm? Are they roleplaying as jesters? As you can read from the label it does say it's Gluten Free and marketed towards children, and that may explain why i found this sickly sweet. It's pasty, it's an overall a divisive product in my opinion, you're either going to love it, or hate it. And i found it... just confusing. ????/10

Another "Meat Clown"® off brand, but this time, it's actually edible! It somewhat tastes more like the plastic, with a rubbery and springy texture, but for those two recommended slices per day, boy is it good. Eating too much of it seems to make you think clowns are frogs and viceversa, which is...weird 6.5/10

Now this. This may look like another "Meat Clown"® offbrand, but it's actually a brand new cut! It's called "Happy Monkey"® (as you can see on the label) and it's specifically made from circus clowns! Its flavor keeps you on your toes, wondering if you're going to throw up or greatly enjoy it, so I'm going to give it 5/10. I deducted 2 points from my original opinion for the flavor russian roulette you'll be subjected to.

-48638283627203/10 I don't need to explain this one. This is the worst.

This I've come to find out since my last post is the most common type of clown meat that's commercialized in Southern Europe! And i think it's like that for a very good reason, it's flavor is different from everything I've tasted, it's salty, it's savory, it goes well with fruits and best paired with honey. A great marketing gimmick to put a bear instead of a clown to suggest food pairings. This is a strong 8.5/10 for me.

Let me know if you see more clown meat products out in the wild, I'll be happy to sacrifice my taste buds to give you a honest opinion about clown meat products.

:D

[writinglyra]

For the Pride Themed OC Asks: 4 & 17?

Thank you!

4. Is your OC's environment supportive about their identity? How does this impact them?

For Isaac from Project Ichor, it's a mixed bag. The general attitude toward him being gay is a "not my monkeys, not my circus" sort of deal. The higher-ups care about as much about his sexual orientation as they do about his favorite color--which is to say, only when it's good for marketing. And his dad is sort of the same way. He just chooses not to mention it and silently hopes he'll somehow "snap out of it". Amongst his friends, it's definitely more accepting. Asuka is super supportive and is the one always asking him about Alex or any other guys he might be interested in, and Leyla understands more than any of them the pain of having to bury parts of yourself. Jack is a difficult one, and he isn't exactly supportive, but his issues with Isaac have basically nothing to do with him being gay. It's just an easy target for him to poke at, and Isaac mostly doesn't mind, except for when he drags Alex into it. Jack can be abrasive and make homophobic comments, but everybody knows that he doesn't really believe them. It does get to Isaac, sometimes, though.

17. Do you share identity with any of your ocs? Which ones?

This is a difficult question for me to answer because it requires knowing my specific identity, which I don't. I know for a fact that I am cisgender, and some brand of queer when it comes to attraction, but anything more specific than that is difficult for me to say. I joke that all my characters are "aroace until proven otherwise," but that's how I sometimes feel about myself, too. I've recently felt like I'm somewhere on the aromantic spectrum, at least, and I've headcanoned Jack as aromantic before. And Zoey, from one of my projects on hiatus, is explicitly aroace. I've also called myself bi and pansexual before, which covers a lot of my characters, too. In Project Ichor, Alex is bi, as is Indigo (though that one doesn't really come up), and the aforementioned hiatus'd project has more in Luke and Evan. But, the label I mostly use for myself these days is just "queer", and that vagueness is sort of what I write most easily. Probably over half of my characters are some kind of queer, even if I don't align perfectly with their exact identities or experiences. And I find that writing has been helpful for my own journey of untangling my identity.

[marigoldbaker]

hello!!!! things to pontificate about. angel. i would just love to hear your thoughts about angel. and the rest of the fanged four. and know that im waiting for that jennyangel fic i really am. but yes! specifically i would love to hear any thoughts you have on the dynamic of jenny/angel/darla. because i think thats just. yeah. darla created angel and angel is such a huge part of jenny's life, and just. yeah. plus the attitude darla has about her soul is so different from angel's

ok so first of all this is such a hilarious question because -- i need you to know this -- i have a jenny/spike/drusilla vamp polycule fic in the works. so just the energy of you asking me about jenny + how she'd interact with the couple in the fanged four that i am NOT currently drafting a vamp polycule fic for is SOOOO FUNNY and also so wonderful bc it gives me an opportunity to really think here! i love you for this.

long wordy answers under the cut!

my thoughts on angel. hmm. i think i am mean to him a lot on this blog but i hope everyone here knows it's out of love. i think i want to see him and jenny have a Gothic Romance that is really fucked up. i think he and cordelia rewired my brain at 14 and i've never recovered -- there's no other love story with that specific friends-to-lovers energy in the buffyverse, and i LOVE that it grows out of the people we see them grow into! i love that btvs s1 angel and cordelia are not even remotely compatible long-term but ats angel and cordelia develop this incredible friendship that blossoms into a loving connection! and actually maybe a lot of this is just how i'm not normal about angel and cordelia, ever. i think angel on btvs and angel on ats are two different characters so when i'm beating angel on btvs over the head with a stick that has nothing to do with angel on ats and i hope we all know that. world's most favorite manpire. mr. dad. sings barry manilow and wants cordelia to say she loves him as a friend and colleague. is soooo normal.

i don't spend A Lot of time thinking about the fanged four simply because, again, not my circus not my monkeys, but i have a softness for them!!! spike i have mentioned i sorta steer clear of lately, but i would literally fucking kill a man for drusilla, who is done so dirty in canon and fanon alike, and i think all the time about jenny/drusilla because they would be so insanely obsessed with each other as vampires.

and darla...hmm. i have never quite felt like i know how to capture her voice in a way that's particularly nuanced, though that's never been a problem within my writing bc she really only cameos in, like, nocturne for two seconds? i think? i'm not usually writing things set in a time/place where darla would be around so she just kinda never shows up.

iiiii think jenny's take on darla would be one of just intense crushy interest, because darla holds absolute power over the man who has held absolute power over her. like there's something super aspirational about darla to jenny. darla meanwhile would probably initially harbor a lot of resentment towards jenny, but actually getting to know her would probably have her do a complete 180. (i think darla n drusilla would both be super fucking interested in jenny, who grew up in this family surrounded by every reason to hate them and still tried to find a way to forge her own path. they'd want her in the family.)

i also think though that IF turned, IN a situation where darla's still around, jenny and darla would be in a really intense competition for control of the family dynamic that would slowly but surely transition into a really intense romantic connection. so there would be a lot of Romantic Weirdness when it comes to jenny/angel/darla because both of them want his attention, and both of them want each other's attention, and both of them think that they should be the one in charge, and the entire time they're probably both having a lot of fun with it because it's a Sexy Slightly Violent Power Struggle. also angelus likes pretending that he has the capacity to put jenny in her place and jenny likes crushing him under her heel and darla really will look at that situation and go "that is 100 percent my baby girl" (and i do mean that in a sex way.) though i wonder if in this situation drusilla and jenny might have some weird vibes a la jenny and buffy? where there's a lot of similarities and so drusilla has some Older Sister resentment, because SHE had it hard, and now mom and dad know how to parent better and the baby is just getting SPOILED, and how is THAT fair?

[anon-horsey]

end of freshman year reflections

August 2022-May 2023. That was my freshman year of college. Also my first year as an adult in the US; my first year as an adult living, in a sense, on my own. As cliche as it sounds, I feel like a different person than I was when I came here in August. First point to note, college is not like the movies and YouTube videos. Its most likely going to be significantly sadder, lonelier, and shittier.

That YouTuber who got paired with a random roommate and now they're going to get married or something? Yeah, well most likely not happening. My roommate for most of college was, well, a narcissist. Now, I'm not an expert on the matter and I most certainly can't diagnose someone as a narcissist but that girl had her head so far up her behind that it was coming out the other side. She would often clean my side of the room, blow her paychecks on useless crap, and eat my food claiming not to have money. She barely put in any effort into her work, would not stop talking, and was generally an insufferable, disgusting human being. Now, she dropped out of college (not that I'm surprised) and I have no real reason to care about her anymore. Some part of me feels bad for her poor boyfriend, though. From the few times I met him he seemed like a decent person and I do not know what he sees in her. My only question for her is: how many friends and relationships do you have to lose before realizing that maybe you're the problem? But, not my monkeys not my circus.

Here's the other thing about college. There is a lot of politics. Most of the people on my floor, I'm quite certain, don't like me. Hell, I don't think most of the people in my uni like me. In most cases, I wouldn't care. But considering that I have no real friends, its really lonely. College is really bloody lonely.

Another thing to note, your university most likely doesn't care about you unless you're a specific kind of student. As a vegetarian, there's pretty much nothing substantial to eat on campus. The cafeteria is rife with cross contamination, not to mention food I'm not used to eating as an international student. The retail stores cater to meat-eaters, and the campus store is an overpriced sack of shit. Oh and, you're likely paying more than $2000 per semester for a meal plan you likely will barely use. My meal swipes were only used when I craved fries, waffles, or ice cream. So not often. Additionally, if you're an international student, good luck getting a job. Be prepared to spend more money than you thought you could without an income. Because on-campus jobs are reserved for federal work study students and American citizens. And your visa won't let you get a job elsewhere.

Now, because you don't want to spend more money that you absolutely need to survive, you can't go out. If you can't go out, you can't really make friends. It's a huge circlejerk is what it is.

The social aspect sucked for me. Well, it didn't suck, so much as just not exist. But honestly, it isn't all that bad. This semester was my favorite, in terms of the classes I took. Calculus, I'm surprised to say, wasn't a shitshow. My professor was amazing, and I actually did well. All my classes were super interesting, my professors were quite alright and I did well academically.

Personally, I don't miss home as much as I miss the life I used to have. I miss being able to pursue my hobbies to some extent, being able to hang out with my friends, small stuff like that.

All in all, it wasn't a great first year and I hope to god (if there's one out there) that it gets better because this is not how I want the supposed "best years" of my life to go.

[yokelish]

Not only Childe picking the right side feels right, he is a warrior. He is not Hero of Justice or Warrior of Light. He is a silly little dude who wants to fight, hit, spill blood, and become The Warrior. It also makes sense. He wanted for so long to try himself against a few Harbingers (not Pulcinella and Columbina), so

Now look at him and this opportunity he is putting on his best shoooow

Dottore wouldn't leave a single cell in Traveller's body unstudied. What is in the blood? How many teeth? What's the lung capacity? How many kidneys? What's in our bone marrow? Like he would have an absolute field day for months, researching, like mad Albedo. (We know your voice lines, Albedo, don't deny your shit).

See, Arlecchino just doesn't like to fuck around. She doesn't give a fuck what you did to anger Dottore or Pantalone and how many times. You fucked with her once and that's enough. And, as they say in Snezhnaya, fuck around and find out. She will skin you and not even think about it. She is Yelan of the Dark Side.

I think Tsaritsa is the voice of reason because everyone else is very much fucking insane. She is too, in a way, but she has more grasp on her trauma and mind. Because look at what we have:

Mad Sadistic Scientist

Disney villain Elon Musk

Bloodstained Knight 2.0

A girl with Biblically Accurate Angel vibe

A girl who would crucify you if you served her coffee a little too chill for her liking

A girl who gives I Go To Cemeteries for Body parts vibe

A dude with massive PTSD

A kid who says in canon "The world looks glorious in the snow. Pure white like the light of the moon. A perfect backdrop for bloodshed."

She HAS to be the voice of reason. The only other one who'd give that would be Pulcinella. I think Pierro has his own agenda, and is in alliance with Tsaritsa because they share a goal, not because he is just so, so loyal to her. He is a Khaenri'ah survivor. He wouldn't bow down to a god in devotion. No. He has something he wants to achieve, Tsaritsa has something to achieve. Why not achieve it together if it makes sense? I actually believe she isn't as involved in Harbinger dealings as we'd like her to be. I think their deal might be much simpler.

I give you my country to operate in, I give you my support as a Nation's leader and diplomatic relations, I give you basic infrastructure, I give you financial influence, I give you manpower. You give me Gnosis. How you give it to me? Couldn't care less. Just get it done. You have everything in my power to support you in this goal.

She wouldn't be sitting down with them for a weekly meeting on how things are going. That's Pierro's job. That's his monkeys and his circus. He can decide who gets to be a Harbinger, who doesn't. He deals with their disagreements and squabbles. And I think he is the one who reports to her most. Not because he is just in awe of her, but because she is CEO and he is COO. And I wouldn't be surprised if Snezhnaya operates on a very Emotionally Unavailable Parent ground when it comes to citizens and their Archon. In a manner that Tsaritsa takes care of her people, her country is rich despite the cold and harsh climate, Snezhnayan merchants are everywhere, they hold the banks, but whether or not they love or worship her - doesn't matter. I wouldn't be surprised if you fell down before her and said you worshipped, she'd be like Ew, why?

Inazuma and Liyue have shrines. Mondstadt has a church. Sumeru has the Akademia. Some specific and significant place dedicated to the worship of the Archon, one way or another. I bet Snezhnaya doesn't have shit. There will be Statues of the Seven for the game mechanics, but when you ask people about it, they say "Oh yeah those.... those are for the original Archon. Not current one. Don't worry about it. We don't."

Considering how three nations had a warrant out for our arrest yet failed to do so, what if one of the future nations just issue a kill on sight order to avoid the head ache? I think it would be funny if we were hunted for sport in, let's say, Snezhnaya. It kinda would be a long time coming since we keep meddling with their harbingers.

[hypergamyconfessions]

“a lot of hypergamy girls don't realize that these men aren't stupid, they can see right through some basic literature quoting and posturing, and a lot of these circles also don't value intellectual rigor.”

So with regards to this point mentioned by anon let’s primarily keep in mind that all affluent circles are different. What they value will differ based on location, culture, upbringing, age demographic, often their religious views or lack there of. We can debate on this point for days on end about what we’ve encountered in different affluent circles and what rules we feel apply. There will be commonalities, but also a lot of differences in terms of what is valued.

Especially when we get niche specific, what I mean by niche specific is when you’re targeting affluent circles within different industries such as (business, tech, finance,science,medicine) or weather you’re wanting to break into clubs centred around hobbies such as (sailing,golfing,horse riding,art,academia, cycling) Different sets of rules will always apply from one circle to another for example if you become a member of the explorers club, you’ll come to find out that the people there value intellectual rigour and a curiosity for knowledge, because that is their ethos so you’ll easily build relationships there if that is a genuine interest of yours.

Anon is 100% correct though they can see through posturing. So in conclusion the key to overcoming this hurdle and successfully breaking into certain affluent circles in my opinion is to

1.) Get niche specific so that you’re building relationships with like minded people initially based off of your shared interests.

2.) Ensure this is a genuine interest and passion of yours, if it isn’t it will be easily detectable. You don’t have to know everything about what you’re interested in just a willingness to learn.

3.) Observe. Observe. Observe, humans are easily readable and what separates a unsuccessful social climber to a successful one is the ability to observe, learn and understand the environment you’re in to avoid making certain faux pas.

4.) If the circle you’re attempting to break into aren’t looking to expand their network to more people and are intent on gatekeeping, do not embarrass yourself by trying mold yourself to fit in with them. Just move on it’s never that deep

5.) Remember that every single person is or was a social climber in high society, they presently might not be but their great grandmother was. So there is absolutely no reason for you to be intimidated by them when most of them are just masking their insecurities underneath their Burberry coats.

6) Focus on finding your tribe of both affluent men and women who’s company you enjoy, rather than performing like a circus monkey to appeal to a group of people you don’t even like. Start with yourself and think about the kind of people you’d enjoy socialising with. The world is evolving at an extremely rapid pace. As someone in both business and tech, I can tell you that the number of millionaires keeps increasing by the day, so there is a man and a circle out there for you!

Thank you for coming to my Tedtalk 😂

THIS. IS. THE. BEST. ADVICE. EVER.

And I agree with absolutely everything you said. 😊

Very very true that every single circle is going to have its nuances so flexibility and ability to read a room is so incredibly important!

Also LOVE that you mentioned the importance of actually socializing with people you have shared interests with! Getting invited to exclusive events is great and all but if it means surrounding yourself with people you have nothing in common with, it's going to feel like torture.

Thank you for your Tedtalk. I loved it. It was incredibly enlightening.

💙

[viterbofangirllovestheuntamed]

CQL Character Sorting Hat, part two!

(part one here!)

N.B.#1: This analysis is based on @sortinghatchats’s aMAZEBALLS system so if you have any confusion, please reference their site! (Please note that as far as actual house segregation goes, a character would usually be sorted into their Primary house, though being sorted into their Secondary house is not impossible if those traits are particularly prominent.)

N.B.#2: This is EXCLUSIVELY based on characterization from The Untamed/CQL series, as I am still in the process of reading the novel and not in the original language anyway.

Part Two: The Jiangs

Jiang Cheng: Ah, my favorite meow meow. My most precious wet paper towel man. Love of my life human disaster. This boy is a TEXTBOOK Slytherin Primary. His moral compass is firmly calibrated around those dear to him-- namely, his family and his sect. If it endangers these people (either physically or via damaged reputation) then it is Bad. Whatever is deemed Good for these people is pursued with grim determination. And if the matter doesn’t involve these people whatsoever? Not his circus, not his monkeys; he can’t be bothered to care.

And as for his Secondary? I’ll be honest, for a while, I was distracted by his anger issues and thought he was the heedlessly-charging Gryffindor secondary. I was hella wrong. Jiang Cheng is a very solid Hufflepuff secondary: toiling, hard-working, and even community-building... albeit only directed to building his sect’s community.

Jiang Yanli: I’ll be honest, I find her a pretty even split between Hufflepuff and Slytherin for her Primary house, so she’s either a Hufflepuff with a strong Slytherin Model, or a Slytherin with a strong Hufflepuff Model. Both are Loyalist houses focused on people and their wellbeing, with the Hufflepuff’s attention directed to humanity in general and the Slytherin’s more focused on a smaller group of “their” people. The issue is, Yanli definitely does have “HER” people, whose importance is paramount... but does she have the same disinterest in those not directly important to her that her brother does? She is so very sweet and loving that I legitimately don’t know. My gut says that she’s a Slytherin Primary with an abnormally sincere Hufflepuff Model, but it really truly could be vice versa.

I found myself wrestling with the same dilemma regarding her Secondary house, but that one is a little more clear, I think. While I firmly believe that Yanli is capably of being subtle and canny in her approach, I think it is in the more shallow framework of a Performance than a Secondary. While too frail to physically toil, she is nevertheless tireless in her attempts to build loving infrastructure and encourage harmony in those around her.

Jiang Fengmian: His character/characterization is a little nebulous, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say that he is a mirror image of his daughter-- namely, a Hufflepuff Primary with a Slytherin Model. The thing is, Jiang Fengmian, for all his faults, truly is very egalitarian and welcoming (or at lease tolerant) towards those on lower societal rungs in the way of true Hufflepuffs. However, his personality is so wholly phlegmatic that it manifests in sort of lackluster Slytherin patterns; if he isn’t specifically interested, then he doesn’t bother exerting himself to engage. Interestingly, this means that his Model isn’t a mode of living that he has deliberately chosen or decided was worth emulating, but rather a result of his extreme passivity.

This same passivity makes it difficult to determine his Secondary house, as that house involves how you react to external stimuli. The two obvious contenders are evade-your-problems Slytherin or analysis-paralysis Ravenclaw, but as he does not seem to particularly exert himself to try new paths when the old ones don’t work OR amass skills or knowledge for later use, neither is a precise fit. I’ll pick Slytherin because they also have a “neutral” mode that is perhaps the best fit, but I could easily be wrong.

Yu Ziyuan: Buckle up, my dudes, because the Violet Spider is one of the nastiest examples of a double Gryffindor in the series. Both Slytherin and Gryffindor Primaries have moral frameworks that are internally-calibrated. But whereas a Slytherin knows that their morality is based on their people and therefore knows their own sense of right-and-wrong is subjective (not that they care), a Gryffindor’s morality is based on their instinctual inner-gut sense of right-and-wrong and is perceived to be objectively moral. If Madame Yu was a Slytherin Primary, she would know that she and her children were her most important people and, while still mistreating Wei Wuxian, would not be as emotionally invested in crushing him beneath her heel. But. She is a Gryffindor, and her inner gut’s calibration is not egalitarian, it is hierarchical and a no-name orphan being raised above her children is WRONG and her children’s father doting on said orphan over his own children is WRONG and since those things are WRONG then she is RIGHT-- nay, morally justified-- in doing whatever she can to fight against this interloper.

Combine this with a Gryffindor secondary that acts/reacts first and thinks later if at all... yikes.

[jmflowers]

Top 5 quotes or 5 of your fav quotes ever.

1. “Not my circus, not my monkeys.” Some of my mom’s friends supplied me with this one probably close to a decade ago, but I’ve said it to myself a lot in the last couple of years. It’s super beneficial in work environments, when my tendency to want to control and shoulder burdens really goes wild; muttering it to myself reminds me that if I’m not the one in charge of a situation and I don’t need to solve every problem unless I’m asked to (especially if it’s not a problem yet for other people). Also, it makes other people reassess when they’re trying to get me involved with something that doesn’t and shouldn’t pertain to me.

2. “This too shall pass.” / “You will never be given more than you can handle.” These come from two separate people (an old friend and my mom), but the sentiments are the same. They remind me that even when things feel impossible and insurmountable that the struggle won’t last forever and that I can handle it. My mom said the second phrase a lot throughout my childhood and teen years, but I cherish it more now as an adult looking back on what all I got through. She’s a well of great quotes and power phrases.

3. “It looked good on paper, so I sparked a match and lit it on fire.” This is actually a song lyric that a friend wrote several years ago and while I love the song so much, this line is my most important part. I think the way I’ve lived my life thus far is really a testament to the idea that just because something looks or sounds like it should be a certain way, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right thing. (I’ve definitely altered the meaning a bit, as the song around this line is about not wanting to be with someone who thinks you should be More Than Friends. Also, knowing her, she was probably saying something about the tendency to make things implode when they seem too good to be true. But, whatever.)

4. I’m trying to choose things I actually repeat to myself for the majority of this list, so I’m gonna toss something a little silly right here. At a certain time of the day, if I spot it on a clock, I utter a single phrase a specific number of times and I’ve been doing that since I was about 17 (when everyone started talking about 11:11). There’s a lot of significance in all of it, but I think I hold onto it now mostly because it’s simple and reminds me to find gratitude in the little pieces of life. “I wish for something good to happen.” It’s never not come true.

5. More than half the things Andrea Gibson has ever written or recorded - I can’t possibly pick just one as the meanings and importance to me have changed as I’ve changed. I go back to their work over and over again when I need comfort or I’m confused or need my hope renewed. I shared their stuff with a friend this year who now follows them on Instagram, too, and I love stumbling across a post that really resonates with me only to see my friend has already liked it. Feels like a big, important connection to the universe and our tiny space within it.

[onetuffbunny]

Offerings

Ed had once been a young, hotshot regulator agent ready to protect Earth from secret threats and learn all he could about the cosmos and its inhabitants. Maybe he shouldn’t have come into all of this with the assumption that he’d become Captain Kirk instead of a nameless, faceless Men in Black agent. Maybe he should’ve gone into IT like his parents wanted instead of throwing himself into membership with a secret agency. Maybe he shouldn’t have done an unauthorized memory restoration but listen, he still stands that it wasn’t that big of a deal, it would’ve happened anyway, other people got away with way more with barely a slap on the wrist, the only reason he got into as much trouble as he did was because certain people in management had it out for him, you could hardly fault him for it, it shouldn’t hang over his record even now, he didn’t actually do anything wrong, actually.

That young, eager regulator was replaced by a bitter, caustic man approaching middle-age with little to show for it other than a management position in a department no one else gave a shit about and a truly ridiculous amount of hours spent on ADAM Online. Was he burned out? You betcha. Did he really believe in this great mission anymore? Look, the regulators weren’t anything more than people and most people just kind of suck. Was he bad at his job? No, actually, he still remained an overachiever despite everything, so he was fantastic at job and his progress in MMORPGs wasn’t too shabby either. It’s just that he did not give a single, solitary shit about anything outside of the very specific project he managed, so field work, glamours, the whole “welcome to vampirism” thing, making the messy moral decisions on whether or not a fledgling could still see their family? Not his circus, not his monkeys, even if he stepped back into it sometimes depending on staffing issues.

Someone else was better suited for dealing with an anxious Brux fledgling and it wasn’t him because he was too busy getting paid to watch cartoons all day. Managing the Egregori project had its perks...but also, like, when your greatest professional and personal regret is the fact that you went against the rules to restore the memories of someone that the higher ups had eyes on, subsequently wiped them again because Jackie was not ready for that information in the least and that ended poorly, and sort of, accidentally, kind of fucked up his headspace...well, he figured it was best for everyone not to get too involved in that again.

So he sent off a message to that weird fish or whatever living in a lake to be on the lookout for anyone unglamoured in the woods because he’d seen some weird tracks, which was technically not untrue. Satisfied that was probably good enough, he, not bothering to verify if said message had even been received by aforesaid weird fish, then proceeded to immediately fuck off for a week or two to one of the Egregori communities that didn’t have cell reception where he would run an experiment on seeing if they could make a new Beatles album but, like, for science.

Bunny, of course, remained blissfully unaware of any of that. In fact, he barely even remembered being visited by a █████████ previously, rationalizing it as a weird dream and he usually forgot his dreams shortly after. His mind had a funny way of censoring itself when  ████████ and ██████████ were involved, perhaps as a last-ditch self-preservation tactic. Ed? Didn’t know anyone by that name, though he did know a Ned and by knowing Ned, he mostly means that he once had an existential crisis in her pumpkin patch, which was totally, totally embarrassing or would be if he were capable of being embarrassed anymore because he’s not really sure if he is or not. Maybe? But who knows!

He was, in fact, off to make an offering to the goddess in the lake. He, of course, always knew that there were spirits in the trees and the rocks and even seashells (though of course sometimes little critters were in those seashells instead) but learning that aliens were definitely, for sure, absolutely real (haha, his brothers used to make fun of him because he believed that, but who’s laughing now?) cemented the fact that he existed in a universe of possibility and endless wonder and he was just a bright little butterfly floating around to see all he could or maybe a dragonfly or maybe even a bee or a cicada if he was lucky. He wasn’t sure why he had to be an insect in this metaphor but they were cool and he wanted to be cool, so there you go.

Anyway, the goddess? He had been pretty sure there was a goddess in this lake for awhile. He had plenty of evidence for this fact, such as general good vibes and the uncommonly large rats in the area (or maybe they were normal sized for a rat? He heard that some fish just keep getting bigger if they’ve got enough room, so maybe free of the constraints of a cage, rats keep growing. That’d be nice.) and also the fact that there was a giant eel all decorated nice and pretty with coral in that lake. Bunny (who can move uncommonly quiet when he wants to) was pretty sure he wasn’t supposed to see the giant eel and maybe the big rats too but he hasn’t been stricken dead yet, so maybe it was fine.

The offering, by the way? Honey cake (which is really hard to make when you’re still not used to the dimensions of your new and unusual body), milk that he’s going to pour into the cool goblet he got at the ren faire that one time, some dried flowers, an apple, a piece of quartz, and a conch he collected in Florida before everything went to shit. He wasn’t sure if that was a suitable offering for a lake goddess but he figured it was definitely better than no offering. He just hoped that he didn’t offend her sensibilities by looking really and truly ugly. Some of the raw patches started healing and he tried to feel a little more like himself by putting a little lip gloss on but there really was no getting around the fact that he was a nine foot tall werewhatever with teeth like knives and a body like a nightmare, which, by the way, great for his goth cred but deeply horrifying on a personal level.

Bunny, cautiously and carefully, emerged from the trees and limped towards the lake.

“Goddess of the lake, I come bearing libations, seeking nothing for myself,” he said because even though he 100% didn’t expect an answer, if you didn’t announce what you were doing, you were just leaving perfectly good snacks in the woods instead of giving them up to the spirits.

“I’m, uh, just going to leave them on this rock here. This rock is an altar now, okay? Mad respect for what you do, ma’am.”

[writingsofmax]

Tag 10 people you want to get to know better!

shout out to @finniestoncrane and @mietko for tagging me!

relationship status: in a relationship, honestly my claim to fame here is that I feel like I'm living the edward nashton dream bc my boo has messy wavy brown hair and the same glasses. They genuinely look like how people draw Eddie on here. They always have to stop and play those weird claw drop games you see in restaurants/malls/grocery stores and try to win it. They make me play the Wordle every day lmao. They're a huge fan of retro gaming and work as a computer IT specialist like..... anyway I'm so in love with them. OH ALSO when I first saw the Dano character Klitz, I thought it was a picture of my partner when they were younger, like they looked EXACTLY like that. They looked so identical to Klitz when they were younger that it freaks me out and I have not watched the movie bc of it lol

favourite colour: favorite color of all time is blue, favorite color scheme is blue, purple and pink, but I am also a big fan of blue and green. we love cool tones in this house. favourite food: icecream, candy, hot chocolate, regular chocolate, I'm like... Queen Sweet Tooth 😅 song stuck in your head: Decatur, or, Round Of Applause For Your Step-Mother! by Sufjan Stevens bc I am a sad sad girl that loves folk music. Runner up is Moon I Already Know by Mount Eerie Bc (see above) time: 8:23 pm! dream trip: Ireland or Scotland (specifically Edinburgh) or Oregon/Washington Pacific Northwest Rainforest area

last book you read: Goodnight Pun Pun by Inio Asano (manga) I've read the whole series before years ago but I'm slowly collecting the physical copies of it. last book you enjoyed reading: I love Goodnight Pun Pun but since that's technically a manga I’ll do a diff one, I really liked reading Lovely Dark and Deep by Amy Mcnamara. It's about a girl that's really depressed after a significant loss and goes to live with her artist dad in a remote area of Maine.

last book you hated reading: Little Weirds by Jenny Slate. There's some good moments in there that shine but I feel like the rest of the book is trying really hard to be quirky/weird and indie and it doesn't come off as genuine at all.

bonus! favourite thing to cook/bake: since I got sick I haven't been baking or cooking much but it used to be making pies. I loved making pies. favourite craft to do in your free time: painting and drawing/making comics, but also now: writing :) most niche dislike: I hate the saying "work smarter not harder" because 9 times out of 10 when someone has said that to me they proceed to do whatever they are talking about in the most half-assed way and then you have to do it over again anyway from scratch to do it the correct way and I just. I hate it. opinion on circus(es): I don't like how they treat their animals, l feel like I see so many horror stories about how monkeys, bears, elephants etc are treated in circuses. The aesthetic fucking slaps though. Also? I love clowns they are supposed to be fun and cute and I like them and they have cool makeup.

do you have a sense of direction: Yes, I'm pretty good with a compass and a map too! I used to love doing wilderness navigation and things like that.

I’m tagging @thelychee and @enigmacorps and @teenagezombiekryptonite ((but feel free to ignore if you don’t want to obviously!!!))