#And then by that point he's just so used to everyone ignoring it that their concern for him is barely even a factor weh ZEX ;;

[unpopularly-opinionated]

I can respect that. I myself often struggle with simply existing in between what is and what should be. Ideally yes, the presidency shouldn't be decided based on who is better at selling snake oil, but that's also the reality we live in. So the question becomes: "Do we stoop to the level of making our candidate a showman/woman over an intellectual, or do we keep pushing the intellectual and hope it works one day?" And mind you, I'm using "intellectual" as more of a personality identifier than a compliment. An intellectual can have dumb as rock takes, so long as they talk smartly, they're going to come across as "intellectual". But this isn't an exact science, just my own thoughts on it, I suppose. Don't take this binary too seriously, I sure don't.

My take on why Kamala lost is somewhat of a long one. Since I feel this element of it is all but guaranteed to get me sidetracked, I'll push past the business about how she was unfairly thrust upon us as a candidate, thus proving the primaries are essentially "rigged" and pointless (at least as far as the DNC goes, but for all I know, the RNC could be the same. I'm not a Republican so I couldn't say really). This is a big reason against her though, so it shouldn't be ignored. There was no hand-waving this issue away, and we can sit here and discuss what alternatives did or didn't exist until we're blue in the face, but as I said, that would sidetrack us.

Beyond that, I believe her biggest issue is one that the Democrats have had for years now and that's just a blanket assumption that Dems will just "Vote Blue No Matter Who", the idiotic phrase I will argue against until the day I die it seems. This is most evident by her inability to work her own base to vote for her, and instead she's out parading around Liz Cheney in some feeble-minded attempt to try and win over people who do not want to vote for her.

I mean she had 7,000,000+ less people vote for her than Biden, meanwhile Trump has gained 13,000,000+ since 2016. We consistently hear about how "if everyone who didn't vote voted, statistically most of them would vote Democrat" and yet it never seems to click with Democrats that they should be currying favor from non-voters as opposed to Republican voters. I don't understand why they're so insistent on trying to flip voters when there are tons of undeclared votes just sitting there. There were around 90,000,000 people who didn't vote. Even just a few million of those in the right states would've won her the election.

And to jump back to my point about trying to flip votes, they don't even do that right either, not that there's much hope of it working to begin with. They send out completely mixed messages like sending Liz Cheney out to campaign with Kamala, indicating that yes, even some Republicans are voting for her, while simultaneously telling you that if you don't vote for her, you're an idiot, uneducated, etc.

Like I know this sounds obnoxious, but I also fail to see how it isn't just common sense. You can believe in your heart of hearts that Republicans are dumb backwater hillbilly hicks all you'd like, but when you're in the midst of an election and for some idiotic reason your candidate is trying to appeal to those dumb backwater hillbilly hicks, perhaps you should reserve your opinions of them until after the election. When applying for a job, maybe you shouldn't call the guy interviewing you a dumbass until after you've left the interview, even if he was in fact a dumbass.

I also disagree with the sentiment that Republicans are the only ones voting based on emotion. Did you not hear Democrats leading into, and post-election? They genuinely believe the end of the world was at stake. Republicans may have voted on the hope that Trump will be their savior, but Democrats voted on the fear that Trump would be their doom. Fear is just as much an irrational emotion as hope is.

To summarize because I feel like I probably didn't get my point across too clearly:

Forced on us as our candidate, completely disregarding democracy, proving once and for all the primaries are pointless and it's all rigged.

Blanket assumption that Democrats will vote Democrat regardless of candidate, their platform, or the way they run their campaign.

Complete disregard of their own base, in favor of flipping votes.

In addition to the last point, would rather fail to flip votes than work on getting any of the millions of non-voters involved.

Indecisive attitudes of "we are better than you, Republicans" but also "please vote for us, Republicans".

Scapegoating minorities not voting for them as why they didn't win, on top of just in general lacking understanding as to why they didn't win.

The entire DNC needs to be ripped up from the roots and replaced.

[redrose10]

Hello ! How you doing ? 😊

For prompt game: a hybrid au, with n° 25. "No strings attached" and n° 27. "You're mine".

Basically, Jungkook is this super popular lion, and kitten reader is his favorite fling, but she wants more and he doesn't.

That is, until she ditches him and starts dating someone else (maybe a bear hybrid Namjoon ?); and he absolutely loses it, ruining her date and making sure she'll take him back: this time for a real relationship, he is pretty much still jealous, so now reader has him trailing behind her at all times.

Have a lovely day, hugs and kisses 🥰

Hi! I really hope this is okay.

< Do You Want Some Ramen? >

Lion Hybrid Jungkook x Female Cat Hybrid Reader

Warnings: Swearing, possessiveness, hints of smut

Hybrid Au

#25 “No strings attached.”

#27 “You’re mine.”

*******************************************************

Jungkook had his much larger hand firmly wrapped around yours as he lead you through the crowd of people. The holiday season was in full swing meaning people were out and about shopping for gifts, stocking up on groceries, and checking out the city filled with lights and music.

You watched as couples walked around looking much like you and Jungkook only you knew the truth. The two of you were not a couple, not even close. He simply wanted to make sure that your much smaller kitten frame didn’t get separated from him.

The lion hybrid was on a mission to find a new jacket and had asked you to come along and help him pick one out. Of course you knew he also had additional plans which meant you would end up underneath him at some point during the evening.

At first it was great. You guys were friends with benefits with no feelings or commitments to worry about but unfortunately as time went on you started to fall in love with him. Then one evening you found out you weren’t his only girl. You don’t know why it surprised you. He was young, attractive, and wanted by nearly everyone woman that saw him. It should’ve turned you away but it only made you want him more.

So a few weeks ago you confessed. Told him that you wanted to be more than his fuckbuddy. You wanted a relationship. You wanted to feel like something more than his prey.

The laugh that he let out made your heart sink. It seemed like he thought you were a joke, “Y/N…I told you from the start that this was just going to be sex between us. I told you I wanted nothing serious. Just sex, No strings attached.”

You nodded, “I know. I know Jungkook. I just…I don’t know if I want to keep doing this any more. Why keep wasting my time?”

You were surprised when he reached out and cradled your face with his hand. He placed a soft kiss to your lips., “You’re my favorite girl, you know that right? Kitten, you’re my favorite girl, but I’m just not looking for anything serious like that.”

Things between the two of you changed after tha. You started distancing yourself from him more and more. This shopping trip had been the first time you saw him is two weeks which was unusual.

You were just returning from getting some coffee when your ears laid back, your tail angrily swayed behind you. You found him no longer in the dressing room, but talking to one of the sales people at the register. You saw him eyeing her when the two of you walked into the store but you decided to ignore it at the time.

But seeing him leaning up against the counter…smiling and talking up a big game, something about coming over later tonight, made your blood boil. Just this morning he was telling you how much you meant to him and he never wanted to go that long without seeing you ever again and then here he was talking to some Cheetah hybrid seemingly forgetting that you were even there. So you turned and walked out of the store lazily making your way to the mall exit.

Your eyes were teary making your vision blurry. You kept your head down not wanting to draw the attention of anyone which somehow may have been your biggest mistake of the day.

You crashed straight into what felt like a solid wall. Your warm coffee spilled down your chest and onto the floor.

“I am so sorry!”

“Oh my I’m so so sorry. Are you okay?”

You both exclaimed at the same time.

That’s when you looked up to notice the man standing in front of you. He had broad shoulders, a solid chest, and was quite a bit taller than you. Peaking out of his caramel colored hair were two ears which told you he was some kind of a bear hybrid.

“I’m so sorry. My mom always yells at me for walking and reading at the same time. I guess I should start listening.”, he awkwardly chuckled, “Please let me buy you a new a coffee and a new sweater.”

“No it’s really okay. It’s my fault too. I wasn’t looking either. I don’t even like this sweater that much anyways.”, you smiled knowing that was a lie. It had been a birthday gift from Jungkook. He loved you in the color red. But you thought maybe it was a good thing that it was ruined.

“Okay well…at least let me take you out for a decent cup of coffee. There’s this cafe a few blocks away. They have the most incredible chocolate chip muffins.”, he said smiling and giving you a glimpse of his dimples.

You wanted to decline but you could feel your phone vibrating meaning Jungkook had finally realized you were gone and you were reminded about how you were going to try and move on.

“Yeah okay, that’s sounds nice.”, you nodded as he pulled out his phone.

“Oh my name is Namjoon. I guess that would’ve been nice to start with.”, he chuckled.

You typed your contact information into his phone and handed it back to him.

“Y/N, that’s a really pretty name.”

“Th-Thank you.”, you whispered feeling your cheeks heating up.

“I have to get back to work but I’ll call you later.”, he smiled as he walked away.

“Who was that?”, a familiar suddenly annoying voice said from behind you.

“Namjoon.”, you simply shrugged.

“Okay and why were you walking to him?”

“Because I can? Just like you were talking to that woman earlier.”, you spat feeling your irritation growing. Jungkook was silent the rest of the afternoon except for some mumbles any time Namjoon would text you.

You had questioned your outfit choice the entire day. It wasn’t until you had gone on a few dates with Namjoon that you realized that all of your clothes were some shade of red…because that’s what Jungkook liked. You didn’t really have the money to buy something new so you did the best that you could. You just hoped Namjoon would like it because tonight was your third official date.

Your phone rang for the fourth time and it was once again Jungkook. Things had been a little tense between the two of you ever since Namjoon came into the picture. You had ignored the first three calls not wanting him to change your mind or somehow convince you to cancel your date with Namjoon, again. But now you were starting to get a little worried. He was never one to beg for anyone’s attention so the fact that he called you four times in a span of fifteen minutes had you worried that something bad might’ve happened.

You called him back and he answered on the second ring, “Y/N I need your help. Please! How fast can you get here?”

“Umm I can’t. I have a date with Namjoon tonight. Isn’t there anyone else you can call?”

You knew he had a contact list as long as the dictionary of friends and flings that could help him with whatever he needed and you were tired of being the one he always called for nothing in return.

“Please Y/N, I need you kitten. You’re my girl, remember? I really need your help. It’s an emergency.”

If it wasn’t for the very slight crack in his voice you would’ve told him to fuck off and hung up but he hooked you. He never sounded desperate, at least not in that way.

“Okay I’ll be there in fifteen.”, you whispered before quickly hanging up. You called Namjoon and profusely apologized for having to cancel last minute. He said it was okay but then he suggested that maybe the two of you should put a pause on whatever was forming between you both. You didn’t want to but you couldn’t blame him. You could tell he was annoyed and then he which only made you feel worse but you grabbed your bag and headed over to Jungkook’s.

“What’s the big emergency?”, you questioned after he opened the door.

“I’m so glad you’re here Y/N. Come in.”

You followed him into the familiar apartment which was always surprisingly warm and cozy.

“Okay I’m here. Now what is the big emergency?”, you questioned with your annoyance obvious.

“Do you want some ramen?”, he asked innocently. Your mouth dropped open, “Seriously Jungkook? This was the big emergency! No I don’t want to have sex with you.”

He shook his head, “I didn’t call you over for sex. I mean we could…but I made too much ramen and wanted to share with you.”

“No Jungkook! That’s even worse honestly. I had a date tonight. A date with a nice sweet guy who actually seems interested in me and you ruined it.”

“Where are you going?”, he asked as you were walking towards the door.

“To call Namjoon and apologize and see if he’ll let me take him out to dinner.”

“Seriously Y/N? What’s so special about him?”

You rolled your eyes, “I don’t know Kook. Maybe it’s because he asks me about my day. He buys me flowers. He doesn’t expect me to fuck him just to spend a little time together.”

You finally got your hand on the door handle and had just gotten it open when his hand came and slammed it shut. He spun you around so that you were looking at him and he used his arms to cage you in. You had forgotten just how much bigger and stronger he was than you.

“Please don’t go Y/N. I don’t like seeing you with other men. I hate it actually.”

“Oh please. Don’t worry…you’ll have another woman here on her knees in no time.”, you spat feeling angry.

You yelped a little when you felt Jungkook grab ahold of your tail that was angrily thrashing behind you. He ran his fingers over the soft fur as he thought about his next words.

“Y/N…I want…I want to be exclusive with you. I want you to be my girlfriend. I’m sorry it took so long for me to realize that. I guess I was just…I was just fighting my own feelings but seeing you with him. I h-hate it.”, he dropped your tail and placed his hands on either side of you. Leaning close until his face was centimeters from yours, “You’re mine. Not his. You’re mine and only mine.”

You stared up at his big doe eyes. He had always hated them saying they made him look too soft for a lion but they were your favorite part of him.

“What do you say kitten? Will you be mine? Only mine?”

“A few weeks ago I would have been yours in a heartbeat, but now you have to earn the right to call me yours. BEFORE I say yes… you will have to prove to me that you mean that. Prove to me that you want only me.”

You weren’t expecting him to smirk but that’s what you got, right before he grabbed the back of your thighs hoisting you up and pinning you up against the wall like it was nothing., “Oh kitten. I’ll more than prove it.”

[rekino2114]

Could you do the same thing you did with the female hashiras but with the female upper moons and fem!Muzan

Female upper moons x male reader incorrect quotes

Fem!muzan kibutsuji

Y/n:...........

Fem!muzan:That will show everyone what happens when they disrespect you

[She says while tossing the head of a demon away]

Fem!muzan:And before you ask, yes, that was necessary

Y/n:they just asked who I was

Fem!muzan:That worm should have already known, you're their king

Y/n:........o-ok

Fem!muzan:Great

[She kisses your cheek and grabs your hand]

Fem!muzan:Now let's bathe together, I need to get this blood off of me

Fem!kokushibo

Y/n:[breathing heavily] sorry but could we take a break from sparring for now

Fem!kokushibo:Of course darling, I'm sorry, did I go too far?

Y/n:n-no it's just.....You're way too strong for me

Fem!kokushibo:Don't say that. You're improving greatly y/n, I'm sure one day you will reach my power level

Y/n:Thanks I really appreciate it

Fem!kokushibo:Don't mention it, how about we get some tea to relax now?

Y/n:I'd love that

Fem!douma

Fem!douma:darrrrrrliiiiiiing! Look at what I got you

[She hands you the decapitated head of a human woman]

Y/n:oh you don't need to worry, I already ate

Fem!douma:.....well you can still use it

Y/n:For what?

Fem!douma:......no, actually now that I think about it, I want to be the only woman that ever looks at you. You can ignore that, dear

Y/n:......s-sure

[She throws the head away and hugs you tightly while grinning]

Fem!akaza

Douma:Oh my akaza, I didn't think you could be so indicent

Fem!akaza:.....what the heck are you talking about now?

[Douma covers his face with his fan dramatically]

Douma:Look at you, thinking you can show off your relationship with your boyfriend so crudely around everyone

Fem!akaza:ok, if you don't tell me what you are talking about, I will actually punch you

Douma:look!

[He points at you holding hands with fem!akaza]

Fem!akaza:ok scratch that. I will punch you either way

Y/n:p-please calm down

Namike

[Nakime is sitting in the infinity castle looking bored]

Nakime:[sighs]

[She strums her biwa, making you appear in front of her]

Y/n:Oh,hi babe, why did you summon me?

Nakime:I.......missed you

Y/n:oh really? We can hang out then

Nakime:you....don't mind?

Y/n:of course not, I'd love to

Nakime:do you mind if I play a song for you?

Y/n:Oh yes, please, your music is amazing

Nakime:......thanks

Daki

[You're walking casually when you suddenly get pulled by some sashes that you recognize immediately]

Daki:Hey y/n, what do you think you're doing?

Y/n:nothing I was just-

Daki:Don't play dumb, I'm talking about that woman

Y/n:....babe, she was just asking me for directions

Daki:then why did she need to get that close to you?

Y/n:it was just to look at the map. You know i'd never cheat on you. Can you let me go now?

[She pulls you even closer to her and hugs you very tightly]

Daki:No, I gotta keep an eye on you now

Y/n:.....I guess I don't mind this

Fem!gyutaro

Fem!gyutaro:Thanks for helping me with the kill, by the way

[You stop eating to look at her and smile]

Y/n:it's nothing, I love helping you

Fem!gyutaro:uh thanks

Y/n:especially after what they said about you

Fem!gyutaro:hm? What did they say?

Y/n:oh you didn't hear? They called you ugly

Fem!gyutaro:oh really?

Y/n:Yeah, can you believe it? You're the most beautiful woman ever, how can they say that is beyond me

[She looks at you with a slightly shocked expression before smiling too]

Fem!gyutaro:.......thanks.....really

Y/n:Don't mention it, I'm just telling the truth

[mvrkieboo]

Old Bloodhounds

P48 | damn 😭 still not over her huh

Mark couldn't help it, but his eyes were all on you throughout the whole post mortem meeting. He could sense you were a little uncomfortable, and your late arrival only caused more negative attention focused on you, since everybody in the room was aware you had been kicked out of the MNA Week Committee prior for your negligence. Seeing you squirm next to Xiaojun—Mark only felt sorry for you. He sincerely thought that forcing you into this meeting was a sick move on the lecturers' part, but he didn't have the power to go against it.

Thankfully, for you, the lecturers' never singled you out, and neither did Minjeong and Hendery. Sure, because this was a post mortem meeting, they also had to discuss the near disasters that happened during the MNA Week, but they quickly moved on to the quick responses of the other committee members that saved the whole situation.

Asides the meeting's topics, the very people in this meeting were bothering you. Yangyang was making it a point to openly ignore you, Aeri tried to play oblivious but was also ultimately ignoring you, and Xiaojun who had once been your close friend is nothing more than just cordial with you. Mark had been livid seeing you walk away from Jaehyun's performance three weeks ago, but his heart still broke seeing how the people who had once been your closest friends were treating you. It didn't really matter whether you actually deserved it or not.

When the meeting was over, you had been pulled over by your committee advisor, Prof. Jonathan Suh, and committee president, Hendery, to stay back in the meeting room for a while. Everyone else who was clearing the room could obviously tell they were reprimanding you, despite their best attempts in keeping their voices hushed. Mark's heart constricted at the guilty and remorseful expression you wore.

"Dude, she's officially Junyoung's girl now. You need to get over her already." Haechan groaned, hitting Mark's shoulders lightly.

They were loitering just outside the meeting room, standing and talking with each other. It wasn't just them too, even Yangyang, Xiaojun and Aeri were with them.

"Hyuck's right. You're wasting your feelings on her, Mark." Yangyang spoke rather dismissively, scrolling his phone besides Haechan, but his words quickly earned a harsh slap on the shoulder from Chenle.

"Shut up, Yangyang. Mark's clearly not comfortable enough to talk about this. Let's just drop it. So, heard from the grapevine that Jaehyun's got an offer from an entertainment company—is it true?" Chenle was quick to change the topic, and Mark was grateful for that.

"Oh, shit, already? That's kinda quick." Aeri exclaimed, and Ningning giggled at her words.

"Well, his performance did go viral. Everyone's been begging for him to officially drop the songs he had performed at the MNA Concert. And I mean everyone, not just his fans." Ningning nudged Aeri's shoulder with her own, humming to Smoke right after.

"It's actually a wonder on why it took three weeks for a company to reach out to him." Xiaojun shrugged, genuinely wondering why.

"But Jaehyun hasn't released any statements yet, so it's probably just a rumor?" Minjeong pondered aloud, and Mark finally found his perfect segue in inviting them over for the party.

"No, it's true. SM actually offered him a contract already, but Jae wants to sign it after his modeling contract with IMG expires—which is in a week anyway. He wants to hold a party to celebrate the signing, and he wants to invite you guys over."

"Wait, us included?" Xiaojun pointed at himself, Yangyang and Aeri, and all three looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"Of course, dude. You guys worked hard on the concert too, why wouldn't he want to invite you over?" Mark laughed, and Yangyang dabbed him up.

Everyone was beginning to gush on Jaehyun's kindness and humility, but the doors of the meeting room suddenly burst open, and everyone shut up momentarily when you walked through it. You froze in your steps too, but feeling ashamed, you quickly resumed walking, taking a turn and walking down the hallway away from them. Mark patted Chenle's back as he began to walk towards you.

"Talk to you guys later." He hurriedly said before going after you.

He practically had to run, because you were already at the opposite end of the hallway by the time he could catch up to you, making a turn to go down the stairs. Mark felt like he was actually, legitimately, chasing after you now. You were already running from him too. How did it get to this point?

When Mark reached the stairway too, your panic caused you to slip a step. He quickly reached out and slithered his arm around your lower torso to hold you back from falling down the stairs—but considering Yoonsu had just kicked you in the stomach last night, and the pain was still raw, Mark's arm coiling tightly around your front made it hurt so fucking badly.

He heard you gag at the gesture, so you quickly found your balance again and practically clawed at his arm to wrench away from you, your erratic actions causing your tote bag to drop on the stairs, as you quickly latched yourself to the stairway railing just a few steps below where Mark was at. At first Mark was a little offended at your visceral reaction, but when you turned your face to him, he was a little scared at how pale your face had gotten.

"Are you oka—" He was cut off before he could finish the question.

If Yoonsu heard the question through your bugged locket, he was going to go berserk. Who knows, maybe he was going to beat you up tonight for making Mark suspicious over how you were acting. Yoonsu also said someone asking 'Are you okay?' to you was enough to warrant him releasing your photos to the public for all to see.

"What do you want, Mark? Why were you chasing me?" You asked with faux anger. Your voice coming off harsher, your face twisting unrecognizably.

He was taken aback at the sudden anger.

"Why were you running away from me in the first place? Did you come to hate me that much already? That you don't even want to talk to me anymore?" Mark countered, raking through his hair at just how quickly your exchanges would turn into an argument.

You scoffed and began to bend down, taking your tote bag and its contents off the stairway. If you crouched, the pain would become unbearable—you were feeling lightheaded already just from bending over. However, you bending over in front of Mark was a little provocative in his eyes though, so he quickly snapped his head upwards to avoid looking at you for the moment.

"Whatever. Did you want to speak to me?" You sighed deeply as you stood up straight again, trying to make your arms hugging around your waist seem inconspicuous in front of Mark who was already suspecting you were in pain from something.

You cursed at how he knew you so well. In a way it made you glad too, because it was heartwarming to know he knew so well. How you wished Yoonsu hadn't stepped into your life again to ruin you. You mourned and loathed the circumstances you were stuck in right now.

"Jaehyun's holding a party for when he officially signs as a musical artist under SM Entertainment. He wanted me to extend an invitation to you." He spoke rather bashfully, a tinge of red on the tip of his ears because all he could see in his mind was you bending over for him in front of him.

"...when is it?" Your faux anger slipped away momentarily, obviously shocked but also in awe at the news. There was a little sting at hearing the news too, because you had to hear it from Mark instead of directly from Yuno himself.

"Friday next week. You coming? You should, you know. This could be a way for you and Jae to sta—"

"No. Can't come. I have plans that night." You cut off heartlessly, only because you can't bear listening to Mark spouting some pipe dream at you.

Of course you wanted to attend. Of course you would—but you were already dead set on the path in getting your revenge on Yoonsu. It wasn't a pretty path, it wasn't lined with marble and flowers—you were realistic enough to foresee that the end of the path was going to be violent. You didn't want anyone you loved to get caught in the crossfire.

Mark blinked at your immediate answer, before his shock turned into disdain right after.

"Let me guess; you made plans with Junyoung?" When his voice took on a derisive edge to it, you began to turn on your heels, turning your back to him again (how many times had it been? Mark lost count).

"Why ask when you already know?" You spoke in an equally withering tone as you walked down the stairs. It was honestly exhausting you, using this excuse again and again. Junyoung, Junyoung, Junyoung. Everyone else was getting sick and tired hearing it too.

"Because you should at least be frank in putting some other guy above your family, you coward." You completely froze at his answer, when your question had been purely rhetorical. You didn't really expect Mark to answer that way.

It broke your heart.

You felt your eyes water as your grip on the railing tightened, but you quickly raised your head and took a deep breath, before continuing going down the stairs. Mark had honestly forgotten how many times had you turned your back and walked away from them at this point. He was getting real tired of the sight of your back becoming smaller and smaller into the distance.

He felt his heart froze over.

Maybe Haechan and Yangyang were right.

He should get over you, because his feelings were definitely getting wasted on a coward like you.

When you reached the bottom of the stairs, you felt your main phone in your pants' back pocket vibrate. You knew it was Yoonsu, and you knew his text was only going to serve to make you angrier than you were right now.

But you opened it anyway, because you always needed the drive in pursuing your revenge against him.

You hated when that fucker would mock you.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

You stared at the latte on the table before you. It had a swan latte art on it, and it was gorgeous. Memories of preparing for the pop up coffee stop you did with your friends for an entrepreneurship assignment emerged inside your head, reminded of the time you had to hold back from laughing at Aeri's swan looking like a—as Yangyang eloquently put it—a deformed dick. Before you know it, a tear drop made its way into the latte. You sighed and covered your eyes, not really in the mood for crying in a public setting.

You turned to people watching to take your mind off the pain and anguish, finishing your cup of latte while you were at it, but you stopped when you spotted Detective Lee Taeyong inside the very same café you were in, sitting across a middle aged couple. His parents maybe? Besides, this wasn't an unusual sight at all, Seoul and Gangnam were right next to each other.

This was a rare chance in seeing Detective Lee, because you had only been communicating with Detective Do this whole time. You opened your notebook, scribbling something on it and quickly downed your coffee before tearing that page out, then clearing your table. You walked up to Detective Lee, who was obviously shocked at seeing you here. You put a finger to the lips and pointed at your locket, reminding him that Yoonsu was always listening.

You handed him the torn page of your notebook, and he took it. Reading the contents as you left him and exited the café.

"What was that, Yongie? Did she give you her number? She was quite pretty." Taeyong's mother softly teased her son, well aware his face attracted many kinds of women to him.

His father wanted to join in on the teasing too, but both him and his wife dropped it when Taeyong snapped his head up from the piece of paper, standing up abruptly—but you were already gone, blending in with the crowd outside. Taeyong looked spooked.

"No, that's a collaborating witness for a case I'm working on, and I think...I think she just gave me her will."

On the torn piece of page, it wrote;

If anything bad happens to me by the end of this investigation, please contact these people and tell them the truth of what happened.

They deserve to know. I won't leave them in the dark anymore.

Kim Soyeon (XXX) XXX-XXXX

Jeong Jaeho (XXX) XXX-XXXX

Jeong Jaehyun (XXX) XXX-XXXX

Kim Geonwoo (XXX) XXX-XXXX

Hong Woojin (XXX) XXX-XXXX

Lee Minhyung / Mark Lee (XXX) XXX-XXXX

Liu Yangyang (XXX) XXX-XXXX

Xiao Dejun (XXX) XXX-XXXX

Uchinaga Aeri (XXX) XXX-XXXX

prev | masterlist | next

A/N : that torn out page is gonna tear y'alls heart out in P51 LMAOOOOO

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• taglist • [CLOSED]

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[gaywineauntsstuff]

My favorite thing about reading Dicks thought process vs literally how everyone else views him.

This is the least exaggerated version of this I will willing produce.

-older gen JL: thinks wing is dependable, charming, intelligent and a great leader, impressed how much he’s grown and how well he’s done in the hero world

Heroes his age: the golden standard that everyone tries to match up to and fails at one point in their sidekick-hood before accepting yeah I’m not Dick Grayson and having him lead them in a hero team. The defacto person to look towards in a crisis situation, manages tasks efficiently and doesn’t let personal details affect him. He’s cool, calm and collected while still being the most empathetic man on the planet.

Heroes younger than him: straight up awe. if the heroes who saw his awkward teenage phase, discowing and are privy to his love life info. How do you think people who just saw ‘Mr perfect’ without any of the painful growth to get there and since about 9 billion things have happened since Dick was Robin people have too much to talk about to ever bring it up. I see their thought processes going something like this

-oh my god is that nightwing like THE nightwing like Robins big brother nightwing like the leader of the titans nightwing is he looking at me oh my god he smiled at me wtf wtf wtf until they hyperventilate

(Source how Kow talks about dick Grayson like 99% of the time- ignore all Dan Dido works )

Batkids: awe with a side of insecurity bc that’s the gold standard and how tf are you supposed to get there. Even if you’re an amazing fighter like Cass, the leadership skills, ability to talk people down, make more allies than enemies, infiltrate, lie, cheat, steal, put on a million different masks and come out whole.

How does he know what he’s doing? How does he look so calm and collected when the worlds ending

Batman and Superman (remember when they co-parented in the 60s yeah me neither): like uncomfortable amounts of pride like the type of pride that feels too big for your chest as well as implicit trust.

For B specifically Dick is his crowing achievement as Batman

VS

Dick Grayson at any given moment pre Tom Taylor run: everything is my fault, I suck at everything, I’m never good enough to stop bad things from happening to the people I love it’s all my fault and I will never be able to stop it. My life is an accidental trolly problem except I didn’t know it when I started, I didn’t mean to press any levers I didn’t know what I was doing I am a burden who must make himself useful as an apology.

Like Dick is in a constant spiral of how much he hates his limits and how he just isn’t ever going to be strong,fast,smart or good enough while everyone is staring at him with heart eyes like omg it’s nightwing <3

[littlemissstel]

For Your Safety- Shiu Kong

Toxic(?)Exbf! SHIU KONG who started to limit the amount of missions you were sent to after one of his closest companio- co-worker got killed on the job.

He knew it could happen, it wasn't completely unheard of but throughout these last few months it seemed the amount of fatal injuries had risen, and that was his last straw.

It didn't matter whether you were specifically commissioned, he would lie if he had to, get someone else to do it, whatever it took if the stakes looked too high.

You had started becoming increasingly suspicious but when you asked him about it there always seemed to be an excuse. Either way it just didn't make sense, there was never a lack of demand for assassins, as concerning as it was, and even if business was slowing down- it wasn't exactly an over saturated profession. You'd be fine no matter what.

You had managed to slip it into a few conversations with your other co-workers who had Shiu as a handler, everyone seeming surprised at your lack of jobs. Even Toji who was renowned for spending his money the same day he got it hadn't managed to run out yet and that's when you knew something was seriously wrong.

You decide to bring it up to him on a ride home after another pointless day of coming into "office". At this point you only used their training facilities which was somewhat beneficial as you became more agitated by the day. You explain that nothing has changed in the pacing of commissions, no one else seems to have suffered a loss of jobs nor money- that there is obviously something he is keeping from you and you need to know what. And yet, with all your knowledge, he deflects and denounces the whole thing.

Every dismissal felt like a personal insult. Did he think you were stupid? A child even, with all you had said gone out the window as quickly as you could bat an eye.

Your anger had risen tenfold, mind going back to the countless arguments that resembled one. All the times you were left in the dark, the hesitation to let you in on basic knowledge, you felt stuck in an endless, perpetuating cycle. And yet, never had he been so quick to disregard your feelings. Maybe it would've been more mature to re-approach the topic in a sensitive light, to explain to him how it made you feel but in the moment you let go of all of sensible reasoning and blew up.

Everything that was on your mind unloaded unto him like the storm surge of a hurricane, going back and forth from present and past you unleashed the wave of harsh words that would make anyone's' ears curl up into themselves.

You could tell Shiu was become irate. Good. That was what you wanted. For him to feel the transfer of anger that he caused would be the only thing to relinquish you of yours, and it only motivated you further. Seeing his hands seize on the wheel and his muscles tense through his shirt. It was like a physical trophy of your work until he snapped.

"ENOUGH, (Y/n)."

"Enough--?! --Who do you think you're talking-"

"It was to keep you safe."

"Safe?" You boom with faux humour, "I'm an assassin and damn good at my job! I don't need you to keep me safe- i need you to tell me what the hell is going on!"

"People have been dying if you cared to fucking notice and they were 'damn good' at their jobs too! So yes it was to keep you safe and no i wont apologise." He's raised his tone to match yours and you had to stop yourself from trying to cut into him again.

You've been in this situation too many times before but in a brief moment of clarity you could assess the true meaning of his words. The true meaning of his bearing.

Of course you weren't ignorant to the increase of complications during missions- hell, the agency was becoming quick to let go of anyone who made the slightest mistake, but that was just the way of the world and you weren't close with anyone who was affected. Shiu was though, and he had to fill the paper work and inform your bosses of the ones who didn't come back. He had to bear the brunt of all the loses which wouldn't have been anything more than an inconvenience until the wrong person got caught up in the mess. And the wrong person did, his friend - not that he'd ever admit it.

The anger of his voice turned to sorrow as you remembered it, his stance into fear and you realised, that pitiful truth, Shiu was scared. Oh how your words came back to haunt you, the silence in the air left room for regret and you took a deep sigh in, unsure of how to continue. You were still mad at him, regardless of his good intentions but the guilt you felt escaped into your voice as you started,

"I need the money, Shiu."

He kept his eyes trained ahead, resting further into his seat.

"I know, I'll give it to you."

"No, I need my job back."

And there was a pause. You waited, each passing second your doubt increased that he was going to respond.

"Okay...But, please, start off again with the smaller ones."

"For a week."

And the silence continued. You didn't argue on it again, the conversation ending without a verbal agreement because that's what you and Shiu did.

Create problems from silence and resolve them the same way.

[socialjusticeinamerica]

This is outrageous. Kennedy is a Qanon, anti-vaxxer, and deranged kook. He is not a scientist, a medical researcher, or a doctor. In fact he has no expertise at all regarding drugs, vaccines, or nutrition. He was a pretend attorney hired because of his family connections.

The common man thinks all rich people are smart and everyone with a degree is automatically an Einstein level genius. Studies have shown that the public has been conditioned to follow the lead of any tall man in a suit, or woman in business attire.

Just because someone dresses like a business person and knows a little more about issues than Joe Sixpack doesn’t make them a f—king expert. It’s easy for the ordinary person to believe in conspiracy theories when they don’t know how anything works.

The Dunning-Kruger effect doesn’t literally mean too stupid to know you’re stupid. Rather it is a cognitive bias in which people with limited competence in a given field overestimate their abilities. Neil deGrasse Tyson on his podcast Star Talk describes this as a hobbyist thinking they are on par with highly educated scientific researchers.

We have the entire MAGA movement thinking they understand everything because they read a blurb on the internet from random strangers with no credentials. Worse yet most of this “I did my own research” crowd are unwittingly being strung along by professional propagandists.

The Joe Sixpack crowd thinks Trump and Musk are highly educated and have a grasp of everything under the sun. In fact they each possess a bachelor’s degree in economics and nothing more. You couldn’t teach elementary school or be a librarian without a master’s degree. They are totally outclassed by the majority of politicians, statesmen, world leaders, financiers, scientists, medical professionals, and virtually everyone they come into contact with. They each have only two things going for them. One, they were born rich and two, they promote themselves endlessly to the masses as stable geniuses when in fact they are drug addled fools. Again the lower class thinks they are rich so they must be smart.

RFK Jr thinks because his law firm handled some environmental cases, mostly unsuccessfully, he is an expert on medicine and science. In point of fact he is merely the hobbyist Neil deGrasse Tyson has described. The hobbyist who doesn’t understand the big picture or the finer points of how anything works.

Public, and private education, hasn’t failed us. In red states which are now the majority, Republican politicians and oligarchs who own for profit charter schools have deliberately dumbed down education in their states. It is not the fault of the teachers who are mostly well educated and good intentioned fighting an uphill battle against the willful ignorance of Republicans who want an electorate of sheep that simply obey without question. Pile on top of that the radicalization of the red states masses by right-wing propaganda outlets and you have a recipe for disaster. For profit charter schools are underfunded, have lower paid staff (unqualified) and are not held to the strict standardized testing criteria public schools face.

[tinfoil-jones]

Gravity Falls: For Your Own Good, Ch. 11

Summary: A few years after moving to Gravity Falls and having his lab built, Stanford Pines happens upon his estranged twin brother, Stanley. He mentally prepared himself to be suffocated by his brothers neediness all over again - what he wasn't prepared for was Stanley walking right past him like he didn't even notice him.

Rating: M for language, violence, and adult implications

Preface: Dialogue only, but some actions will be annotated for clarity. Cross-Posted on AO3 Here

First - Prev - Next

CH. 11

“One paddle-paddle, two paddle-paddle-.”

“HEYYY! Miss me, little brother?”

“...What the f-”

“It’s ironic! You used to smother me, with your dependency and lack of originality. Now I’m smothering you, by keeping you in a cage. It’s poetic, in a way.”

“...What are you supposed to be?”

“It’s just me, Stanford Pines. I’m definitely your twin brother, and not a maniac who kidnapped you because I can’t admit when I’m wrong or accept that I push people away.”

“Naw, you’re not him.”

“I assure you-.”

“No. Whatever you are? You’re not the guy who's been keeping me down here. You’re something else.”

“Oh?”

“This some… Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde situation? You one of those hive mind aliens that possess people? Or…?”

“Sixer was right to not underestimate you, conman. Let’s just say I’m a friend.”

“I’ve heard that before, but I recognize another wiseguy when I see one. What do you really want?”

“Why are you in denial, Stanley?”

“Denial is my fourth best skill, actually. It’s right above hoeing, and right below theft.”

“...Ignoring that. Why do you keep insisting you’re not Stanley Pines?”

“Show me the proof, guy.”

“You and Stanford have the same face.”

“Some people are just like that.”

“You have no memory of having a family, but Fordsy here has a gap in his, a gap you could slot into so easily.”

“Lot’s of families ‘lose’ members to homelessness.”

“Sounding a little bitter there, conman. Got personal feelings about that?”

“People aren’t ‘lost’ to homelessness, they’re forgotten. For the comfort of everyone else; for people who love to wax poetically about how other people struggle, but don’t have the stomach to look at it with their own eyes.”

“Well, well, well, well, well-.”

“Buddy, you get a nickel every time you say that?”

“Funny. What’s also funny is your ‘deep insight’. You’re so mad about people like you being forgotten, and yet… You forgot you.”

“What’s your point?”

“Why are you afraid of remembering? Are you afraid that you’ll remember loving people who couldn’t be bothered to remember you?”

“You seem to think you know a lot about me. Why don’t you tell me?”

“I think you cling to this ‘hardcore vagabond with no past’ persona because it’s convenient for you. Because it’s less painful for you. I think you wanted something so bad at one point that it consumed you, and when you couldn’t have it, there wasn’t anything significant left of you.”

“Wow. That’s quite a theory. Wanna hear the one I have about you?”

“Hit me, conman.”

“Oh, I wish I could. My theory is that you’re a lonely, nosey, parasitic little bi-.”

*‘Ford’ presses the mute button*

“Sorry Stanley, but I’m getting the last laugh here- and you’re giving me the bird. No, two birds. The audience will never know if you’re actually doing that, or if I’m just saying that you are.”

(...)

“Hey, Doc?”

“Yes, Stanley?”

“You know how I normally don’t ask you questions about your life because you’re crazy and I’m here against my will?”

“...Are you about to ask me a question?”

“Did you make a Faustian bargain with some eldritch abomination?”

“...What?!”

“Or… Do you use cocaine? I’d believe either, but I can help you with that second one if that’s it; you see, the key to kicking the habit is-.”

“Stanley. Why are you asking this?”

“Because last night something possessed you and tried talking to me about my feelings. But it failed because I don’t have any. What was that?”

“...Nothing possessed me.”

“PhD, you are terrible at lying.”

“Nobody possessed me! You must have just been dreaming.”

“No, I don’t have dreams. I only have nightmares about being suffocated. Or the IRS. Or the IRS suffocating me.”

“...What?”

“Are you a Warlock?”

“A- a what?”

“There’s this game that dorks play - and there's elves, and wizards, and stuff. Warlocks are those guys who use magic, but they have to get it from otherworldly entities. Are you that? Is that what you are?”

“...You are talking about the tabletop roleplaying game, Dungeons, Dungeons and More Dungeons?”

“Yes.”

“You.. play that?”

“No. I never played it.”

“But you know the mechanics?”

“Some of it. Just the basic stuff. None of the actual- I don’t know, rules? Something something something D38; something something something THAC0.”

“How do you know?”

“I dunno, I don’t think too hard about it. Anyways,  so you’re a Warlock and you’re hiding it because your patron, boss, eldritch pimp, or whatever you wanna call it is gonna be mad at you? Is that what this is?”

“Stanley, please. Stuff like that is simply… fantasy.”

“Oh really? This is coming from the guy who has an anatomically accurate poster of a dissected fairy that you drew yourself.”

“...You can see that?”

“Why wouldn’t I? It’s right over there.”

“Stanley, you should not be able to see that. It’s too far away, and you’re not wearing glasses or contacts.”

“Doc, I don’t need glasses.”

“You have needed them our entire lives, just like I do. You have a bad habit of breaking them, or not wearing them because you think you won’t look cool.”

“Shows just how much you know. Are you gonna tell me what that thing last night was? Or are you going to keep changing the topic and hope that I get too distracted to follow up?”

“Nothing happened last night. I’m not a warlock. I can’t believe you lied to me all those years ago when you told me you ignored all of my long talks about the finer mechanics and lore surrounding DD&D. And you should need glasses.”

*Ford goes upstairs*

“Well, guess I have nothing better to do than to take a nap. I wonder how the IRS is going to suffocate me this time…”

To be continued…

[butchvamp]

i finished the game last night, here are my unpolished thoughts about the final act and what i liked & didn't like. this is very long and probably incoherent lol

what i liked:

the whole final battle was awesome, i loved the combat, and i really enjoyed the huge cutscenes of everyone fighting together. i had been really disappointed earlier about the lack of a battle scene at weisshaupt a la ostagar in origins, and this definitely made up for it

i liked the suicide mission and actually getting to assign people their roles in the battle

i LOVED Solas's betrayal, that whole section in the fade prison with the statues was one of the strongest scenes in the game, i think the entire relationship between Rook and Solas is really well developed. as the player, we know Solas is manipulating them, but i think they did a good job making it so it's still believable for Rook to fall for his tricks, especially with the Blood of Arlathan quest before this. (also it's very obvious Solas is Weekes' favorite, wish they would have just stuck to him and not all that other dogshit...lol)

i liked the idea of Varric's role here, but not the execution. i'll come back to this lmao

the giant dread wolf and archdemon fight was cool as fuck. no notes. that's just classic rule of cool, baby

also i had Davrin in my party while fighting alongside Solas and i really enjoyed his banter with him and how hard he laid into Solas's ass. it was very satisfying. yippee go Davrin!

okay. now. what i didn't like (sorry not going to bother with bullet points, it's going to be longer down here lol):

while i liked the suicide mission structure, i hated how the game all but told you who to assign where. there were no stakes at all, there was no way to get it wrong unless you did so intentionally.

this also brings me to. The Choice. between Davrin and Harding. i understand the need for a "fallen hero" here, it ties into the entire theme of regret with Solas as we see in the fade prison, it was necessary for Rook to be the person "at fault" (aka directly make the choice that ends with someone getting killed) but this choice was dogshit. it also was really fucking stupid to see Harding climb up and stand atop a giant stone pillar, and then NOT use her stone magic!!! i don't hate the idea of someone dying here, but this was just a series of failed choices over and over again. we should not have pitted returning fan fave Harding against the single Black companion (who comes in late and barely even gets his own story outside of his damn pet)-- it should have been Harding (narratively satisfying, she's been here since the beginning and dies for the fight) or Lucanis (he is literally the guy taking the shot), we also shouldn't have tied all the dwarf lore revelations to a character that can just fucking die at the end, and we shouldn't have had her stand on a giant stone pillar when she has STONE MAGIC!! i knew this choice was coming but her death still caught me off guard cus i was fully expecting her to collapse that stone pillar on her, not use her stupid puny bow 😭

i think this choice is also weakened by the fact that it's THEE only choice. it's obviously an echo of the earlier Treviso and Minrathous choice, which also didn't really seem to affect much outside of potentially losing the corresponding factions (and i think Lucanis's romance gets locked out?) i saved Treviso, so i got the Treviso questline later, and i assume that you get a Minrathous specific questline with the Shadow Dragons if you save the other instead (haven't seen myself tho so i'm not sure, just guessing). but it's very easy to recover the Shadow Dragon's reputation, and the final battle takes place in Minrathous no matter what. the only way for companions to die or the battle to fail is to just straight up ignore quests. you can't lose a faction's support at all unless you intentionally try to do so. i don't even think you can lose companions at all unless you intentionally ignore their quests and place them in the wrong spot. though the game still holds your hand through the battle and basically Tells You who to put where so they survive.

and to be fair. this is true for the suicide mission in mass effect 2, but the thing is, there is so much more dialogue and variations with how you can play your character and interact with the companions and the world than there is in veilguard, it makes it feel like you do have more control over your character and the narrative, even if it's just the illusion of choice.

and then with Solas, it doesn't matter, he always ends up trapped/linked to the Fade, it just changes how he feels. (they also do this with the First Warden. i was excited for a potential variation between punching/not punching, but all it changes is his attitude when you find him later in Davrin's quest) okay.... well. is he going to return again after that post credit scene? and are they really going to write 3 (or 4, with lavellan i guess) different branching personality variations?

i think the powers that be just wanted to get rid of him in a way that would still leave the dragon age setting ultimately unaltered and open for more games in the future. especially given the secret post credits scene. which i also have an issue with. we're going to go from "it was all the Evanuris fault" to Actually, it was this secret third thing and everything we did was for nothing! AGAIN! if they want to make more dragon age games, they can just... start a new story. do they know that. (the fact they're implying Loghain was influenced by some outside force to do what he did at ostagar actually has me livid lol. leave origins alone!!!!)

anyways. now the fade prison. i have two issues, my main one being Varric. i actually started to suspect early on something was up with him, because he just sits in that damn infirmary the entire game, no interactions, barely any dialogue. i think Varric was horribly underutilized in this game, and it results in all of the emotional beats around him falling flat for me. of course, it's emotional for ME, the player, because Varric is a fan fave returning character and one of my own personal favorites. as far as i've seen in game, though... Rook has no relationship with him at all. i think this game would have been vastly improved with short playable origins that showed the two meeting and developing a relationship, and also he really really needed to have more scenes and dialogue in general. he's barely in the second half of the game, literally just sitting all by himself in that damn room, and even when he is in the cutscenes he has one single line that everyone obviously just ignores. it sucked. very disappointing finale for a really beloved character... it could have been so good if it was good....

because i DO love the idea of Solas using him to manipulate Rook (and i really like Varric and Solas's relationship & the way they contrast against each other), and also the idea of how being tricked in that way would actually affect Rook-- what's real, what's not, can they even trust what they're seeing at all anymore? especially when Solas "glitches" between Varric and Lucanis (idk if it's always him or your LI? would be cool if it's your LI, that's what i assumed) after slaying Ghilan'nain-- this could have tied in with the final romance scene. but of course the game doesn't get into any of that at all.

and now issue 2. how the fuck did Solas do that LOL. how did he switch places, how did he get out, how did it take Rook in his place when it was designed for elven gods? where are the other elven gods (did i just miss this explanation? did the other two just kill them in there)? 🤷 when did this place suddenly turn into a prison of regrets? was that Solas's presence influencing it, or did he do that intentionally for Rook? dont know! who cares. moving on...

i romanced Lucanis, and i was really disappointed with his romance. the final scene was sweet, but.... i think particularly with Lucanis you can tell so much of his story and arc ended up on the cutting room floor, it feels disjointed and as if we're missing pieces, and you can feel it in his romance, too. i also really didnt understand the "keep flirting (not a lock in) or end it now" choices that didnt feel like they did anything at all. why was i given like 3 different times to break up with him when we weren't even dating yet lmao. the romance was a bummer, of course i love the setting and the story but i go into these games expecting strong romance along with it and i was really banking on that being the highlight in this mess of a game but. alas

this also segues me back into the whole "trapped in the Fade prison" section. why was there no reunion with both your LI and everyone else? apparently Rook was in there for WEEKS!!! they hardly communicate this and Rook just reappears and jumps straight back into leading the team, no tears or questions asked about how they found them, how they got out, what everyone was thinking while they were gone... we also get a deus ex machina knife, how convenient that they did all that while i was gone and no explanation is given as to how it could possibly fool Solas, just trust us bro! 💆 i feel like trying to craft our own copy of the knife should have been something actively happening in the background throughout the entire game, and it gets finished while Rook is in the Fade. but this truly came out of nowhere lol

again i think it's obvious things were cut and rewritten and maybe this was the result of a frantic scramble to come up with something that would work, and i'll be generous and blame it on that, i guess...

when we finally get to the final confrontation with Solas, i was very excited, because again i feel like Rook and Solas's relationship is the best in the game, Solas's writing is consistent and strong, i knew this scene had to be good.... and i guess it was? but it felt so unsatisfying. i chose to fight him (my Rook would do anything to get him to shut up) and i was hoping for. an actual fight. you can do it with Mythal earlier in the game, and we already saw his giant wolf form, i was so excited. and then. no<3

okay! sure. we beat him with the power of friendship (not surprised and not even making fun of it here, it makes sense narratively, i knew some version of this was coming after the whole comparing Rook versus Solas bit in the Fade) but come onnnnn i wanted to fight the giant wolf.... sigh. i did check out the other endings as well, and it's clear the redemption ending is the "true" ending and also the best written one imo.

overall. this was a bad dragon age game. i had a lot of fun playing it though, so it's not a bad game game. the gameplay loop never got boring, i never got tired exploring or doubling back, i loved the maps, i loved the combat, and i did love the companions. but the writing is atrocious and racist. this is a horrible dragon age game. i don't know where i fall on recommending this. again, i've had a lot of fun playing and dissecting it, but i dont know that i could recommend this to dragon age fans. this would have been way more successful as a completely different fantasy game. the changes to the lore, disregarding the majority of the games that came before it, the horrible depictions of returning characters (the inquisitor and isabela were the worst offenders for me) the setting and characters feeling watered down and incomplete, the complete lack of the classic "grey morality" shtick (even if it's not always been implemented well)... idk man. bummer! it's obvious there was a cohesive vision at one point, i do think this game is a casualty of the current state of the gaming industry (i was honestly surprised it was functional on launch. not shade at bioware just in general that is rare to see now) we know EA thrashed bioware throughout development, and bioware made a lot of really bad choices, too (the racism is absolutely their doing, they made that choice back in inquisition). but we can see, particularly in the artbook, that there were good ideas & an intention to actually tie everything together and give this story the finale it deserved... but it all got lost along the way in a very ugly, chaotic development. and the game really suffers for it.

[superpowereddonut]

Sirius Black x Reader

This came to me in a dream and I had to write it down! I've never posted any of my own works anywhere, but figured it's a short little one-shot that I may as well put out there even if no one ever reads it! If I feel inspired I might turn this into a proper fic, but idk yet.

Pairing: Sirius Black x Female!Reader (No use of Y/N)

A/N: set at Hogwarts, fake dating trope

Warnings: Sirius isn't gay (even though Wolfstar is obviously canon lol)

Word count: 1401

*****

Barely catching her breath enough to mutter the password, the Gryffindor girl rushed into the common room, all windswept hair, flushed cheeks and wide eyes. She spotted the Marauders all lounging by the fire (except Peter - he was always off snogging Dorcus in a closet these days) and made a beeline straight for them. Remus was squashed awkwardly in an armchair, a book open against his long legs where they were draped over one arm and his back resting on the other. James was sitting up on one end of the adjacent couch, his transfiguration homework in his lap, with Sirius sprawled at the other end, long legs stretched out in front of him, head tipped back and eyes closed, listening to the music emanating from the record player nearby.

She felt a twinge of regret when the cosy atmosphere broke as she stormed over, her gaze flicking over each of them before settling on Sirius, who had cracked an eye open to look at her, now standing on the carpet in front of the fire.

“Black, I need you to be my boyfriend.”

James and Remus both snapped their heads up at that, and Sirius’ eyebrows rose. “Excuse me?”

“Lucas Davis just asked me out again!” The three boys in front of her seemed to let out a simultaneous groan. They were almost as sick as she was of Davis, the irritating Gryffindor two years above them who had been hellbent on wooing her for almost four months now. Unlike James, who had been smitten with Lily since they were eleven and asked her out at least once a week, Davis was aggressive - cornering her in half-empty hallways only to speak over her, invading her personal space whenever he got the chance, and making creepy sexual innuendos anytime a teacher was out of ear-shot. At this point it didn’t even seem to be about her. He just liked the chase and enjoyed making girls squirm. Even girls who hated his guts.

“Just tell him to piss off”, James suggested with a shrug

“Oh jeez, thanks James! Why didn’t I think of that?” She rolled her eyes, “I’ve told him to piss off a hundred times, in a hundred different ways! But he’s relentless- convinced I’m playing ‘hard to get’ or some bullshit like that. The only thing I think would actually get the misogynistic bastard to leave me alone is if he thinks I’m already seeing someone. So,” she said, turning again to Sirius, “can you just pretend to be my boyfriend, Black?”

“Why me? Ask Remus - you two already spend all your time together, surely dating isn’t that much of a stretch!” She shook her head impatiently, “He’s gayer than Bowie and everyone knows it!”. The boy in question huffed a laugh, “Cheers, love.” She ignored him.

“Get James to do it then!” Sirius exclaimed, and the messy-haired boy next to him opened his mouth, sitting up straighter. He probably would do it, she thought, because he would do just about anything for his friends. The noble idiot.  “Oh please, you think anyone would believe that this lovesick fool has moved on from Lily?” She retorted, making a vague gesture towards James, who just grinned ruefully and relaxed back into his seat, nodding his head in agreement.

“And you think anyone would believe we are a couple?” She paused for a second, unsure of how to answer. Although she and Sirius had always been… sort of… friends, it was largely only because of her friendship with the other Marauders - mainly studying with Remus and playing quidditch with James. While they inevitably spent a lot of time together due to their mutual friends, it was true that they were at each other’s throats more often than not, she supposed. Remus was complaining just last week about their constant bickering and their incessant need to outcompete each other in every little thing. 

She was saved from answering by James. “Actually, a Ravenclaw in our charms class - you know, Macmillan? - asked me if you two were dating a couple of weeks ago.” 

They both turned to look at him, shocked, and he just shrugged, “he said he wanted to ask you to Hogsmeade but wanted to make sure nothing was going on between you and Sirius”. Before she could unscramble her thoughts enough to answer, Remus piped up from his armchair. “A girl in the year below asked me something similar recently. Thought she might have a shot with Sirius, but wasn’t sure. She said something about you two having ‘chemistry’ at that party after the last quidditch match.” She fought the blush that spread across her cheeks at the memory. They’d thrashed Slytherin last month and she’d gotten pretty drunk at the party in Gryffindor tower afterwards. She always got a bit flirty when she drank, and Sirius was a shameless flirt even when he was stone cold sober. They’d traded a few harmless remarks early in the night, and later, though she couldn’t really remember how it happened, she ended up dancing to some ABBA songs with her back pressed against Sirius' chest, his arms around her waist and his hot breath on her neck. It hadn’t led anywhere - in fact she had been pretending it never happened - but she still felt a burning pit in her stomach whenever she thought about the way he had felt pressed against her, or the way he had grinned and licked his lips when she turned around and they danced chest to chest.

She shook herself slightly and forced herself to look at Sirius, who was frowning at Remus. “Plus,” she said bitingly, “you’ve established a pretty solid reputation for fucking anything that moves”. Sirius scowled at her before roughly shoving himself up from the couch and strolling past her to the record player that was now sitting idle, the last track having finished. She watched his tense shoulders as he carefully selected a new record and switched them over. She softened her tone, “I’m sure Davis will move on and start pestering some other poor girl before long. I just need you to play the overprotective boyfriend role until he backs off.” She shared a glance with Remus and James when he still didn’t respond. “Please,” she finally relented. When Black still didn’t answer, now decidedly fiddling with the tuning knobs on the record player, she sighed. She’d have to find another way to deter Davis and it’d have to be soon - she didn’t know how many more times she could hear his sleazy “hiya sweetheart”, before she’d resort to hexing him. And that would probably just make him re-double his efforts.

She barely noted the sound of the gryffindor portrait opening to let someone into the common room, but then- “There ya are sweetheart! Bin lookin’ all over for ya!” She gritted her teeth, turning around to see Lucas Davis stalking towards her, that stupid fucking smirk on his face. “Can’t think why, given that you saw me an hour ago and I told you to ‘leave me the fuck alone’”, she snapped. She could see both Remus and James tense in her peripherals, probably preparing to tell Davis to ‘fuck off’ themselves, but Sirius remained silent behind her. Davis either didn’t notice the two boys glaring at him, or didn’t care, and he only smiled wider, “aw come on princess, don’ be like that!” He whined, “I think you just need-” 

But she never found out what he thought she needed, as Sirius suddenly stepped up to her side, casually slung an arm around her shoulder and drawled, “You heard my girl, fuck off and leave her alone.” Davis visibly recoiled, and she might have laughed at his shocked expression had she not been entirely preoccupied by Sirius' comforting warmth as he leant against her. “Your girl?” He sputtered. 

“My girl.” Sirius repeated, and she could hear the mocking smile in his voice, “Girlfriend, paramour, lover, whatever. The point is: fuck. off.” Even Remus seemed to be hiding a grin as Davis stood there, dumbstruck, his eyes darting between her and Sirius as though stupefied. She relaxed into Sirius embrace and intertwined her fingers with his where they hung over her shoulder. “Bye Davis”, she crooned, with a smug smile. He seemed to struggle for another moment before turning on his heel and striding out the door without another word.

[night-night-stories-before-bed]

Partners in crime

Warning ⚠️; Blood, murder, mention of child murder.

Pairing; Ghostface/Gn!Reader

Summary; People never learn from the past and you use it to your advantage. Because what’s better than one killer? Two.

~~~~~~~~~~~

The police station was eerily quiet as you sat on a plastic chair facing the detective behind his desk. The man had crossed his hands under his chin and closed his eyes, his face showing how heavy the burden of his investigation was. The man grinded his teeth before opening his eyes to stare at you.

Legs crossed and back pressed against your chair, you weren't impressed by the situation. You felt no remorse nor fear, knowing how safe you actually were. They had no proof, not enough evidence to lock you up in a cell. Not after the new murder. Not after Ghostface had slaughtered two more people while you were being interrogated and manhandled by the man in front of you.

- “I think I deserve an apology, detective.” You said, tilting your head to the side. “Probably even more than that after you humiliated me in front of everyone and ruined my fucking life.”

- “Listen here, everything pointed to you. I don't have to give you an apology or anything just because I was doing my job.” The detective snapped, almost throwing himself back against his own chair as he raised his head, his ego bruised by what you said. “Besides, now everyone knows you are innocent and were just some kind of scapegoat.”

- “Is that supposed to make me feel better? Give me back my job, the salary I lost or erase what my family and friends told me?”

To that, the man had nothing to say. There was no way for him to rewind time and do things correctly. He had wanted fame for catching the killer and forgot your were human. Forgot that you were innocent until proven guilty. Now he was the one being humiliated and ridiculized for messing up and a part of you hoped he would lose his job.

Because he had been right.

You were the masked killer. Or rather, one of them. There were two of you and no one seemed to have realized it, but it was true you and your partner had been more than careful to not leave any proof behind. You had been the careless one and now your partner had to save your ass.

That pissed you off because you knew he wouldn't shut up about it and would tease you relentlessly for the foreseeable future. What a mess.

And the fact the detective had identified you drew a target on his back. You needed him gone. Fired at least, dead at best. He was a threat and you needed to take care of him now.

- “Anyway, you are free to go.” The detective said, turning away from you and faking focusing on his screen.

Free, you got up from the chair and collected your things back. On your way out, you began texting your acolyte and told him to pick you up. You two had a lot to talk about but of course, not on the phone nor by texto.

Outside the rain was pouring like crazy and it took less than a minute for you to be soaked to the bone. In the middle of autumn, it wasn't the best thing to happen to you, but better than to be in the police station. You could feel the eyes and judgement of the people who walked by. They knew who you were and what you had been accused of. But they weren't important so you ignored their staring.

Your partner soon arrived and you quickly jumped on the seat next to him. After slamming the door he drove away in silence. Eyes closed, you rested your head and tried to calm your racing heartbeat. That had been a close call. Too close.

You could still feel your bones shaking as adrenaline still filled your veins. You smiled weakly when you felt your partner’s hand on your thigh, squeezing it gently in sign of support. Having him there, right by you was the only comfort you needed. Your friend, your soulmate, your partner in crime. Together you were unstoppable.

You opened your eyes and turned your attention to your partner. His eyes were staring at the road and you could see anger and determination in them. He was as pissed as you about what had happened, but at least he had the decency to stay quiet and not say anything about how you fucked up.

- “So. What are we gonna do?” He asked, hands grabbing the wheel tighter. “Your call.”

- “We fear him apart.” You simply said, resting your head against the cold window. “Tonight, we are going to make him and his whole fucking family pay.”

- “Good for me. I leave the kids to you.”

You nodded, eyes watching the scenery pass, the rain blurring the window but still allowing you to see.

- “First the kid, then the wife and we finish with him”

- “Aye, going to drive him mad! Oh, can I deal with his wife please, please, please!”

- “You saved my ass, do as you wish.”

You loved the terror you spread in town as much as the fear in your victims’ eyes as life left them. Tracking and playing with them, was your partner’s favourite but you two hated the same thing; waiting. The wait was definitely the worse part about being a killer. You had to observe and wait for the perfect time while the only thing you wanted was to paint the whole place red.

Hidding in the woods behind the detective’s house, you watched as his wife came home before him with the kids. His little spawns ran around, laughing and screaming as they played unsupervised, their mother too busy preparing dinner inside. It would be so easy to just scoop them up and make them disappear.

And that exactly what you did.

They never got a chance to scream, your gloved hand clasped shut on their mouths.

The sun set quickly and soon the woods were filled with cops and volunteers who hoped the find the kids. Little did they know, it was already too late. You had made quick work of sending them to see their grandparents but had put them in a mise en scène just for their father to find.

Obviously, you weren't part of the searching party.

You went back home, savouring the fruitful night by rewatching the Stabs movies with your partner. After all, you weren't supposed to know the detective’s kids were missing and after his accusations you had no reason to help him. You ignored your phone as long as you could until you had no choice but to reply to your “friends”, reassuring them you were fine and relaxing with your partner and didn't know anything.

It was predictable that the detective would come and confront you, but you still almost jumped off your skin. The pounding on your door almost scared you to death, but it was your boyfriend who confronted him through the door as he called the cops.

You listened to your partner and the detective screaming match, a knife in hand. If things escalated you wouldn't hesitate to guts the fucker and throw the plan out the window. Thankfully, two cops’ car showed up and the detective left with them.

You didn't need to talk for you and your boyfriend to understand each other. You both knew what was left to do that night. It was time to finish your business with the detective.

You waited in the woods, satisfied to see not only the yellow tapes but also the absence of any police cars. No one was there to watch over the house or their colleague, you had made sure of it with your partner. You didn't want to get caught, not now, not when you were about to get your revenge.

Once the sun as fully disappeared and the house was wrapped in darkness, you acted. In silence, you broke inside the house and split to be able to find the woman quicker. It was your boyfriend who got his hands on her first and he didn't give her the time to scream. He walked in the living room, her unconscious body on his shoulder and you could imagine the grin under the mask.

He dropped her on the floor with a loud thud before he gaged her. You gave him the rope and let him tie her like a saucisson while you walked around the room. Pictures of a happy family hang on the walls and the sight made you sneer. There was also pictures of the detective with his boss and other important people. You chuckled. Where were they? Not here, not protecting his wife.

You sat in the armchair after turning it to face the sofa. Legs crossed, you stared at the woman without words as she woke up. Her whimpers and tears didn't do anything but amuse you. You raised a hand and pointed at your partner, making her turn her head. She screamed, but the gag prevented the sound from coming out, as your boyfriend stabbed her in the belly.

He didn't stop there. Over and over again the blade fell on the woman like a brush on a canvas and her blood became the paint. It soon formed a puddle around her and after a long moment, she stopped moving. Yet, your partner wasn't finished. You shiver in disgust as he opened her up like a pig and cuts out her heart. He left it on a plate with a fake flower he grabbed somewhere in the house.

- “Done?” You asked and he nodded. “Good, let's go. I don't want to be inside when he finds her. Once he gets inside, we need to act quickly. He will call the cops and they'll be here in minutes.”

And so the waiting began again. You sat outside in the woods on a bed of dried leaves and sticks, back against a tree. Your partner watched, mounting guard, his back against the same tree as you with his arms crossed. Neither of you spoke, not wanting the risk to be spotted.

But you still interacted with each other.

Sometimes he would nudge you to get your attention, then make a small dance or just flip you off for the heck of it. You weren't better, hitting him with sticks or throwing dead leaves at him.

Then, the Detective came home.

It was time to finish the night in beauty.

You followed inside, quiet, as his scream echoed in the house. Under your mask, you smiled and pulled out your knife. With careful steps, you made your way to the living room and found the Detective cradling his wife’s headless body while crying. Behind you, your partner sneaked into the shadows and went hiding in a dark corner in silence.

You entered the living room and stepped behind the grieving man, resting your blade against his neck. You smiled as you saw him tensing in fear.

- “What's the matter, Detective? You didn't expect me tonight?” You asked, your synthetic voice filling the room.

- “You son of bitch! Why?” He asked, slightly turning his head as you took off your mask. “You! You… how…”

At the same time, your partner revealed himself, toying with his knife and slowly dancing. You saw surprise and shock appear on the defective’s face and you laughed.

- “Surprise! I am not alone, I never was.” You said, quickly sinking your knife in his throat.

You didn't wait and pulled out the blade and stabbed him again, but this time in the chest as he grabbed his neck trying to stop the bleeding. Gurgles left his mouth while blood rolled down his chin. It wasn't long until he laid dead in a puddle of his wife's and his own blood.

You stared at his corpse, tilting your head. He went down quicker than expected, but you were happy it was over. No one would suspect you anymore.

You slowly lifted your head and shared a look with your partner. He was there, applauding you as if you gave him the best spectacle in the world. You chuckled and put your mask back before bowing to him.

You two left the house and made your way back home. You hid your costumes in their usual place and went for a long shower. Under the warm jet, you savoured your boyfriend’s kisses and tender caress. Tonight again you had been the perfect duo and it only made you feel pride. Unlike any other Ghostface, it seemed that your duo might actually win.

And who knows? Maybe one day you'll feel bold enough to go after Sydney Prescott herself but until then, you'll enjoy your victories.

[just-a-little-silly]

Ikemen Sengoku: Arundhati☀️

A Character Profile (Sort of)

Taglist!

@queengiuliettafirstlady @ike-garden2024 @sh0jun @welp-back-on-my-bs @colourless-hydrangeas @oda-princess @obeymetalesandikemen

Thank you guys for liking Arundhati <33 It means the world!! And as always please let me know if you want to be added or removed from the list!!

Name: Arundhati Ayyadurai

Brief Profile.

Meanings:

•Arundhati- Washed by the rays of the sun

•Ayyadurai- Clever

‘Aru’ - [A shortened version of her first name.]

A name she allows those who struggle to pronounce ‘Arundhati’ call her + used by most (if not all) acquaintances and close friends.

Date of Birth: December 5th.

Place of Birth: Kerala, India.

Positions/Occupations:

[Former]: Undergrad at California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

She got a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry with a minor in Aerospace Engineering.

[Former]: Model.

An international ambassador for luxury brands [ie. Chanel, Dior, Prada, etc]. Her responsibilities included participating in model campaigning for companies, attending shows and managing brand publicity. She enjoyed her work quite a bit and started working at the age of 20.

[Current]: Kunoichi.

She’s worked for several spy masters of the Sengoku Era. Notably, Mochizuki Chiyome and Takeda Shingen. She currently serves as one of Shingen’s famed Mitsumono.

Current + Most Notable Relationships with the Canon Cast:

Sarutobi/Mikumo Sasuke: Her canon partner.

Arundhati’s main ship is with Sasuke.

Takeda Shingen: Shingen is a father figure to Arundhati and in turn he sees her as a daughter.

Uesugi Kenshin: Kenshin and Arundhati come to see each other as siblings. Oftentimes he will call her his kunoichi (much to Shingen’s ever so slight displeasure considering she is one of his Mitsumono).

—> In truth, Arundhati is both a Mitsumono and a Nokizaru (unofficial but everyone who knows her also knows that she’s just as loyal to Kenshin).

*More will be added later on.

• Alternate AU ships: There are alternate versions of events where Arundhati ends up with the following warlords/characters:

Oda Nobunaga and Date Masamune.

Admittedly, these ships are yet to be explored in depth (I just think the dynamics are interesting.)

More Notable Details:

• Arundhati’s main titles are “Bronze Blade” (her more initial title) and “Kunoichi of The Shining Sun” (what people call her the more prolific she gets).

• Arundhati wears a mask when in her ninja attire for the sake of total anonymity.

A sketch of her mask:

• Arundhati is very proud of being Indian and almost always tries to incorporate her culture into her attire and accessories.

• She speaks fluent English, French, Tamil and Japanese

• Arundhati’s main motifs and symbolisms all relate back to the sun.

• Since all the canon IkeSen characters have animals, Arundhati’s would be a lioness named Mihira.

Brief Background (pertaining to how she traveled back in time):

Aru’s story starts in Paris where she was finalizing arrangements for her marriage to one of her closest college friends and Michelin star chef, Gaël.

She’d been dating Gaël for a few years at that point and didn’t think twice when accepting his proposal. However, their relationship hadn’t always been the best but both parties were trying to ignore how fast it was all falling apart in lieu of focusing on their respective careers.

It all truly burns down when Aru gets a message from her manager informing her of a particularly amazing opportunity to take part in a modeling campaign and establish her own makeup line based in Kyoto. She found it absolutely perfect since both her father and elder sister Ichiyo were based there (context: Aru’s mother, Janaki Ayyadurai, divorced Aru’s father and remarried a Japanese businessman, Harue Akiyama, when Arundhati was eight. Harue coincidentally had a daughter named Ichiyo. Arundhati and Ichiyo became two peas in a pod in record time and have been each other's closest confidants ever since). Ecstatic, she ran into Gaël’s arms when he came home from work that day to tell him the news. Yes, it would mean pushing back dates of their engagement by a few months, potentially close to a year but that wasn’t too much to ask, was it? After all, the opportunity Aru had in front of her wasn’t likely to pop up again. To her it was now or never and she thought Gaël would be supportive.

Gaël was not supportive.

Gaël was furious.

He lashed out at Aru with venomous words, questioning why she refused to get a “legitimate job” with her degree that she’d worked so hard for. In the end, he proposed an ultimatum: the job or being his bride. Heartbroken and rather furious herself, Aru was forced to realize just how awful her relationship with Gaël really was, how little he valued her and how unhappy she was through it all. She ended up breaking off the marriage, the engagement, all of it, then and there.

She booked the next available flight to Kyoto and was off.

She arrived in Kyoto in the wee hours of the morning, entirely unaware that by midnight of that very day, she would find herself 500 years in the past.

But before that, a party.

Arundhati had texted a group chat of her closest, most valued people in her life (apart from her parents) about the situation. She needed good drinks and her loved ones. And thus, she found herself surrounded by friends and cheer in the penthouse apartment her father had bought for her and her sister, overlooking the sparkling cityscape of Kyoto.

That night, after a few too many drinks, the group found themselves wandering the city. They come across the Honnoji monument when thunder claps in the distance and lightning flashes across the sky. A torrent of rain whips down upon them all and in a matter of moments, they’re gone, separated, sent tumbling through time and space- spread far and wide across the Sengoku Era (also yes, the others in the group are all my other OCs for this verse).

Arundhati arrived in the province of Iga in the year of 1578.

(this would be roughly around the time Sasuke arrives in Echigo and four years before Mai in Azuchi).

Now, “arrived” is a rather plain way to put it. You see, she actually happens to crash straight through the roof of one Mochizuki Chiyome’s home. Chiyome would go on to become one of Arundhati’s very first mentors. She teaches Arundhati all the ninja arts in her possession, shaping her to be a legendary kunoichi. While her life is an undeniably dangerous one, it’s also quiet, still and on a good day, tranquil.

That changes two years into her time in the Sengoku Era.

Takeda Shingen, a famed warlord characterized by his brutality in battle and vast, interconnected network of spies, the Mitsumono, comes to hear about some “bronze blade”.

In all honesty, he thought it to be some funky, insane new weapon at first until he heard various accounts and realized they were just about an insanely talented ninja. A ninja who was ridiculously hard to find.

Yet the second the tracks point towards Iga, he’s able to contact someone who most certainly knows quite a lot about this “bronze blade”.

To keep it brief, Shingen and Chiyome are contacts of one another and he manages to get Chiyome to introduce Aru to him. Rather, he gets Chiyome to let him spectate a training session she takes part in anonymously.

It's worth noting that by this time Ichiyo had started a life in Echigo and had mentioned a few times that she had a sister who looked nothing like her, a foreigner and thus, Shingen knew right away that he was looking at Arundhati.

Things go very quickly from there. Shingen reveals his identity, the fact that he knows where Ichiyo is and that he is willing to take her in as a Mitsumono. She accepts and begins the new chapter of her life in the Sengoku Era in Echigo under the banner of the Takeda.

Aru is reunited with her sister and is a crushing, humongous, gargantuan disappointment to Kenshin who thought Shingen was going to bring back a funky blade to spar with. Arundhati responds to this by saying she would very much like the opportunity to kill him. Kanetsugu then recoils in horror and Kenshin has found an addition to his very small collection of favorite people.

—x—

Something I admittedly do not touch upon as much as I should is the effect that such a drastic life change has on Arundhati. This feels like a rather obvious point but I do want to mention it. Aru is light, she’s naturally a warm, welcoming, magnetic person. People find themselves drawn to her because she is charismatic and is able to charm a crowd with ease. At least that’s how she was before traveling to a much darker, much colder time.

Her experience as a ninja obviously reshapes her, changes very core things about her. Here, Aru is otherworldly, distant, detached- just as bright and eye-catching but unreachable, ethereal. Only a handful of people (the court of Echigo, and a few others) can see past that veil.

It’s also worth mentioning that Arundhati is not always a kind person, nor an understanding one (she tries to be but does fail at times), at least not right after the events of traveling back in time.

Even though she is perceptive and loyal, she can be equally as ruthless, have tunnel vision and has lost a part of her compassion throughout the years as a result of what she’d been through herself and what has been done to others. That being said, Arundhati grows. She learns to find the light she once lost and slowly becomes a new version of the person she once was.

[discordiansamba]

kou feels like he's in the middle of some kind of bad joke.

that's the only reason fate would drop the avatar right into his lap years after it became obvious that his father wanted him dead. what would capturing him and bringing him back to his father even accomplish at this point? everyone in the fire nation thought prince zuko was dead.

and as far as kou was concerned? he was. his father had failed to finish him off, but he'd killed the prince himself.

he watches with a bemused expression on his face as the avatar tries to haggle with the captain over the waterbending scroll. the kid only had two copper pieces to his name- it was never going to work. he also pretends he doesn't see the water tribe girl quietly slip the waterbending scroll into her clothes. his father might have burnt out his left eye, but kou has learned how to position himself where he has the best field of vision.

hey, he gets it. everyone knows the northern water tribe doesn't teach their girls any bending outside of healing- he'd been just as desperate to learn as her at one point. if she can get away without them noticing...

...she doesn't, of course.

the captain merely gives him a long look. kou merely shrugs and says he didn't see it. the man doesn't believe him for a second, but kou has long since been dubbed 'the one most likely to stab you in the back' in the crew for awhile now. it's a badge he's learned to wear with honor.

the captain's not letting them go, of course.

they travel upstream- the girl's a waterbender, probably, so they'll likely find her on the water. sure enough, they do- and sure enough, she's trying to teach herself using the scroll. judging from the pitiful excuse of a water whip she'd tried on him, it's not going very well. if he didn't know any better, it's like the girl's never even seen anyone else waterbend before.

(he knows, because that was him once.)

the captain decides to take her and the scroll.

kou questions it. what? you think her parents put out a bounty for their runaway daughter or something? but the man's smile is just downright unpleasant. look at her clothing. she's from the southern tribe, boy. do you know how much the fire nation will pay for the last southern waterbender?

...he's not so sure he likes that idea. he might be a pirate, but he has standards. he knows all too well how his father treats waterbending children- and if it was bad for him, he knows it'll be even worse for the girl. but if her traveling companion really is the avatar... he thinks it's only a matter of time before he catches up to them.

the waterbender- katara, he learns- glares daggers at him when it's his turn to guard her. you're a waterbender, she says, like its an accusation. it makes kou think of his father, in a way- he'd spat out the word like just saying it disgusted him. he's pretty sure katara's just angry that someone who looks like him is a waterbender.

kou just shrugs. so what if he is?

katara doesn't say anything. she just glares at him.

halfway through his ship, there's a loud commotion from the deck. kou huffs and looks at katara. hey. i think your friends are here. sure enough, the avatar comes bursting through the door- and probably isn't ready for the pirate holding his friend captive to simply hold up his hands in surrender.

he lets them go.

(katara's still glaring at him when she leaves.)

the captain will give him the stink eye later. kou will pointedly ignore it. he's not going to do anything to him- a waterbender is too valuable an asset to their crew for him to even really consider it. besides- what's a little backstabbing between pirates anyways?

something something au in which zuko one of the pirates that katara steals the waterbending scroll from. but it's also an au in which zuko is a waterbender. classic 'sometimes descendants of the avatar are born bending different elements from their parents' type story. or: how to make zuko even more of a failure in ozai's eyes than he already is in canon.

he discovers his waterbending after azula discovers her firebending, so not only does he bend the wrong element, he's also late to it. fire lord azulon makes the decision to spare his grandson's life, as he has heard tales of the avatar's descendants sometimes having wonky bending, but he is forbidden from learning any waterbending.

he learns the dual dao instead, hoping to still find a way to serve his nation and prove himself loyal despite being a waterbender. he's not even a factor in the royal family's line of succession anymore, which takes a little of the pressure of him- but not by much. he still wants to be a good prince, so he still ends up in that war meeting.

...his father still challenges him to an agni kai.

it's absurd. everyone knows it. most assume prince zuko is a nonbender. he can't fight an agni kai- but that doesn't stop ozai from putting on a farce of one anyways.

he's not a firebender. he loses the eye.

ozai still banishes him and sends him on a mission to search for the avatar- but it's all a farce too. he forbids iroh from accompanying his nephew, and pays off the sailors that he hires to sink the ship once it's out of fire nation waters, so he can finish off his failure of a son for good.

except zuko doesn't die.

he wakes up on a pirate ship. they dragged him out of the water- and with nowhere else to go, and sinking realization that his father absolutely wants him dead, zuko joins their crew. he pretends he's lost his memory so he can avoid any uncomfortable questions, and renames himself kou.

he starts to teach himself how to waterbend.

as prince zuko of the fire nation, he'd been forbidden to. but prince zuko is dead- he's just kou now. there's nothing stopping him from learning the element that he was born with- and the captain is more than happy to have a bender on the crew. he keeps up with his dual dao practice as well, and three years on, he's made himself into a formidable member of the crew.

he feels... free.

(he also gets first dibs on any waterbending scrolls they... acquire.)

then one day, a pair of water tribe siblings and an air nomad walk onto his ship- and make off with a waterbending scroll.

[eldritch-alicedoll]

It’s been 4 almost 5 year in Twst and now it’s might be a good time to summarise twst TL for my baby girl again. I’m aware that Yana sensei did mention that we can all decide the TL of the event by ourselves. Some event can’t be overlapping like Fairy Gala and it is fine cuz I want the second one to happened for my girl. (Sorry Leona senpai XD)

I try to make a road map for my girl since her growing from a clueless small punny to someone with a strong backbone happens through an experience share with the boys.

The way she start on the left and slowly transform to the right (ignore that bat they exchanged hair clip after officially date…….) with confident and cheerfulness……I want to tell that kind of story next year

Start > Prologue : like most Yuu she wake up here in the sourcing house ceremony but get amnesia and get blast by Grimm Fire which result on her have to cut her hair. Couldn’t say we here for 2 days…….more like thing happen in 24 hour 😂 drop in to Ramshackle at night , Grimm join the party. Then first thing after task to clean the street by Crowley then Ace shit us and detention after detention almost get expelled. Rolling from hill and we get to face the first blot monster. Retrieving the crystal and back to Crowley. Become the student then Bamm!

Book 1 happen in the same day we become student…..like 2 am? Idk my girl can’t say no to Ace bumb into the bed and being bully by both Grimm and Ace. The first day (for us) at school so we now student…..

The first time my baby girl get to talk to Lilia but briefly. Then she get summoned to Pomfiore because Vil can’t stand her hair cutting skill. It’s look terrible like unwash puppy…..thing in Heartslabyul keep rolling then while go get an egg with Deuce. Sam san give her a girl uniform but she refuse to wear skirt since Ace tease her. (That uniform had been untouched since here in Ramshackle wardrobe) She pick grey waistcoat and tie reflecting her mental state at that point……..

She try to return Riddle’s ceremony robe she borrowed and I think her puppy love episode start here. Later on at some pint Trey think it’s a good idea to cheer for Daia since it might be good in a long term if Riddle got something other than study to focus on while Ace is try to sell his bud to distract Riddle……He care about Daia okay but it’s win-win situation too

The day after is the unbirthday party which turn chaos….end up challenging Riddle and face our first Overblot. I think Riddle might need a day or two to heal up before turn up on the next unbirthday party where he fall for Trey joke and put oyster sauce in the tart.

The gap between the Overblot and second unbirthday party probably be the they when Cater ask Daiya and gang to live up their light music club performance . The boys pick their club so do Daiya where she get to become the 4th member of Light music club. Grimm does not recruit in since they want alone time from each other and club activities doesn’t require magic…….may be Grimm would start his own Grimm sama club (unofficially club that Crowley just don’t wanna fuss about)

Book 2 happened during the official magift tournament between dorm. She got bully by everyone 😂 and often sulk in the club getting help from the 3 easy going senpai. Kalim start feeding her crazy (cuz Daiya eat Tamago gohan for as a coping mechanism from her stress 🤷‍♀️ and Kalim……being Kalim see his junior eat raw egg on rice = she is broken. Ofcause Kalim will try feed Daiya like that parrot in Alladin) so she likely know Jamil for a while (but not his true colours until Book 4) the 4 of them end up chit char in Scarabia. Lilia had been consulter (And probably psychiatrist too) for her so they grow closer. But he won’t know about Tsunotarou incident yet from both Mal and Daia.

Metting the Savannaclaw and face another overblot she start to realise that she’ll die if she still being the same. So around here instead of Book 3 she meet Mal for the second time. And she Copy Ruggie habit of athletic between the broom in Magift and likely ask Mal for help. Yeah……..the nick name little Crow start here cuz she hang on Mal broom while he playfully speed to the sky teasing her)

Then it should be nice where Bean day 1-2 happening: I think it’s the first time she stand up against other at the end of bean day. Where Rook start call her Trickster and Floyd call her starfish chan……..and likely during Bean day Lili could found out thing between Mal and Daia so he kinda plan on having Daia get close to all his boys especially Sebek. Since they close in year and they got opposite traits. That kind of smile at the end of Bean day might be something Briar Valley need hmm…….

(Idk if Bean day suppose to be Zetsubon in jp which should be happened in January right. And some say this could happen before Book 2 but for the development of my baby girl. It’s should be here)

Book 3 happened during first test right? (I grow up in very traditional school…..like 130+ year boarding school full of haunted story……similar to Ramshackle but better condition so idk how other school divide the test) so during the deal with Azul. A big commotion happen while the gang first visit the merfolk museum. Daia drowned…..well technically she not since Azul’s potion work perfectly fine but being under water stirred her memory so the Leech twin and Acdeuce combined drag her back. Riddle out burst to Azul and the light music club isn’t quite happy. Azul break off the deal since he was ensure to provide the potion but the potion is failing and he take full responsible in it. Ace Deuce Grimm go back in slavery work in Mostro lounge but Daia secretly go back to make a deal with Azul again. This time with secret guide by Mal and a help from Leona gang to do the same of what happened in Book 3

They live happily for a while in campus until they got bomb bath by Ghost marriage event. Daia is send with the second team to fakely cry to the princess that Idia is her lover but being too scared to she end up congratulating to the princess and stay as Idia’s guest instead…….fucking traitor 😂 Leona push her to move them into more comfortable positions and demanding thing around. Lilia also join in teasing and kinda have a good time. Almost ignore Idia until Ace team arrive to save the day. Then Lilia card story happens when he show off to Daia and get freak out by the price of Kalim’s treasure…..they almost get in a dance so Cater start aware of this two chemistry. He start to act as third wheel to make sure Lili doesn’t fully win the girl before Riddle.

May be another event take place here likely to be wish upon the star since Daia is closer to Deuce and Trey now. Ortho get to talk to Daia and they talk more about her amnesia symptoms. May be future event can be here as well cuz it’s sound like a big gap until the break

Daia & Riddle relationship probably at peak around here. It’s a wrong call from both end since Heartslabyul gang encouraged her too soon so everything fall apart before the break. They don’t get to clear thing up as much as they wish to. Thing between Mabu and Daia also get affect cuz she sulking and avoid the topic. And they part way on the break with all that angst

Book 4 happen on school break……so yeah except what happen in Scarabia. Jamil finally exploded with Daia habit of eating raw egg on rice 😂 in his point of view. He had to make extra potion for her since Kalim ask for it but instead of being grateful. This little shit go back to eat garbage food so he had enough. But does he still cook for her ..? Yes! But he doesn’t shut his mouth anymore. He even laugh if she get stomach cramps if she eat raw egg. So Daia learn how to shout back from Jamil lol in the most stupid way ever. Oh and Azul claim that whatever he own Daia is now clear off. They are in good terms

Mal card drop in my Lilia. He fully aware of their relationship now. Mal also accidentally become a consult for Daia staying in Twst. And encouraging her to take after Trappola and Spade to talk thing out….kinda like Sebek and Silver.

They make up and white rabbit fest happening introducing Silver to Daia.

Book 5 : it run for a month if I still correct…. I’m hesitant to put Harveston Sledathon here since I’m not sure if Vil will let Epel off for couple days. May be Daia and Epel need to beg hard and accept the consequences. But January should be a snowy month and it’s good for Daia to get to know Sebek too

Then another overblot happen. Tsunotarou identity revealed. And Lilia drop a bomb on her telling how he had a thing for her. I think what’s going on between Lilia and Daia. He was going to play match maker for Daia and one of his boys for a while. He thinks she’s adorable and her presence in Briar Valley is something he looking forward to. And Mal talk some sense into him. The girl already hesitated about belonging to twst since her break up? With Riddle. Mal barely hold her so whatever you want to do just do. Lilia confesses to her. He say he can wait since he had no idea his time is too short than what he had expected. And being selfish for once. Being honest for once isn’t that bad. Even if he plan to part way with her at some point before graduate. He can teach her a thing or two about love and being loved. Bonk him bonk himmmmmmm yeah Daia is very sweet to him then she will punch him at the end of book 7.

Book 6 : and happen right after book 5

Firelit sky : over the sand happen so I got a sibling moment between Mal and Daia here

And cloudcalling on the Savanna can be here to so Daia and Lilia get more time tgt before the nuclear bomb in book 7

Book 7 : so at the beginning Lilia broke up with Daia and about to leave forever in a week 😂 my girl fight back. She face 7 overblot and almost the end of the world. There is nothing to fear……..she ask to spend time with Lilia as his gf only to break down at the end and Mal know it. She is another reason why Mal overblot for sure. And regardless of how thing going in end of chapter 7. She will get her memory back and her relationship with Mal bloom into Big brother - Little sister thing. Unofficialpart of Diasomnia family at this point. But thing with Lilia oh please do i need to say that he need a lot of make up for it?? And after Book 7 she change her uniform. She finally wear that NRC girl uniform she get since book 1

(Idk where book 8 gonna be we have to wait)

Port fest happened here cuz I want my girl to team up with Ortho and open her Japanese traditional sweet shop.

Fairy Gala if (Sorry Leona your one not happen in this TL) I revisit the event recently and I think it’s quite nice to summarise the relationship between the 1st year. Othro had grown up as a person. Sebek is open up for friends that not from Briar Valley. Daia could lay back and be a supporter for once and the whole thing how she view Fae kin affect her relationship with Mal and Lili. Especially if Season 2 of Twst coming up in a few years (i hope)

Camp Vargus

Stitch event can happen here too cuz it’s kinda wrap up thing between Riddle and Daia.

Then All the Halloween is happen here. I want Halloween to be the end of their year

Masquerade first

Lost in the book with The nightmare before Christmas

Then Halloween 1-2

Playful land might be push further back between book 4 and 5 it’s not that affect and it’s give more event for Daia & Ace + Daia & Lilia

Cooking class would be scattered around all year so whatever it’s sound like an on going class…..

And whatever I rant about might be scrapped and rewrite to whatever I come up with again when I write it for real lol 😂

[bigskydreaming]

Imagine looking at a character whose entire premise is that in every stage of his life, he's made every version of himself into someone that inspires people to such a degree that EVERY SINGLE VERSION OF HIM has people wanting to literally follow in his footsteps in some way or another.....

And coming to the conclusion that like.....the most important things about him are the sum of all his trappings. His entirely homemade developed from scratch could not exist if not for what he already was and brought with him BEFORE crafting this newest version of himself trappings, with his greatest trait throughout all of it being his adaptability; his ability and willingness to roll with the punches and not try to simply weather any opposition or changes to his life but instead reshape himself as needed to better fit INTO whatever new shape his life and the world around him takes. All while managing to carry the most innate, fundamental and necessary aspects of himself from one version to the next. Thus every single version of himself is different but simultaneously every single version of himself is also undeniably the same person.

The strength of this character, to me, will always be that he can be so many versions of himself, he can become so many things, all without ever actually losing or discarding any of the aspects of himself he considers most essential, the things he's not willing to lose or give up just to keep going. Finding that road not taken by most, usually because most never even think to look for it as an option. But one that he's always able to find because the one trick he's mastered in his tumultuous life is threading that needle of not just digging in his heels in an unproductive way but rather being selective about when and where he makes a stand and decides "this is not a thing I'm willing to compromise about" but here are places and ways I can and will change and evolve and adapt in order to make it possible for me to hold onto these parts and keep them as they are.

And that's why its always so mind-boggling to me that so many writers can't seem to think of anything else to do with Dick Grayson other than invent some new reason for him to just....not be that person, or to like just take the character whose most basic fundamental trait he's NOT about to compromise on is willingly giving up his spot in the driver's seat of his own life.....and make him just a passenger in his own life and stories.

Dick Grayson at age nine....at age nineteen...at age twenty nine....the one core thread running through all versions of him is the only way he's standing back and letting you call the shots for him or putting him on the sidelines in some way is over his dead body.

HOW he goes about that, what that looks like, who he becomes and what aspects of himself he plays up at some times and what traits he lets fall by the wayside at other times when they offer less in service to his primary goal here....that changes constantly. He changes constantly.

But those changes are almost always (or at least they used to be/should be IN MY OPINION) made with the intention of keeping certain things about him or his life as consistent as possible.

That's the duality of Dick Grayson that I'm here for. The inherent contradiction of him that COULD allow for endless conflict and breaking new narrative ground in all sorts of ways if mined properly:

His eternal willingness to compromise....but only ever in pursuit of doubling down on the ways he's not willing to compromise.

Forever walking that tightrope in ways that only a kid born and raised in a circus could ever hope to.

[toubledrouble]

You know what we should bring back?

Older christianity. I mean the anti government, anti military, community based christianity. The one that cared the most about peace, equality, mercy, kindness, and radical love. The one with shared property. The one that didn't conform to society but instead existed mostly outside of it. The one where noone considered one sin worse than another because in the end, we are all sinners trying our best to be better.