#I COULDN'T HELP BUT ASK ; ( meme )

[eyrieofsynapses]

hey, Leverage peeps, I've got a thought. I've seen a lot of posts and memes joking about Nate's inability to understand that his clients do not want money, they want revenge. I also find this funny. but I was thinking about it and I realized something: there's a personal reason behind it. there is a very, very good reason why Nate doesn't get that.

Nate's drive to lead Leverage, outside of the crew, originated from his son's death due to his insurance company's refusal to cover the bill for the required treatment. we all know this. if his company had paid for Sam's treatment, everything would've been fine.

…or, if Nate had been a little wealthier, had a little more change to spend… maybe he could've paid for it. maybe Blackpool never would've had a say in any of it. maybe Nate would've had everything under control from the start.

we've discussed at length in the fandom how money equals safety for some of the others in the crew (Parker and Hardison grew up with little to none and know its importance to survival, Eliot needs it to stay ahead of his old enemies, etc.), but I don't know that I've seen any discussion on how it's relevant to Nate. for him, however, money equals security in healthcare and in housing (he lost the house, remember?). Nate's older than the others. he remained in the same place for much longer, and he had a stable life for a while. the others haven't been in that position before. many of their clients, however, are at that place in life.

yes, for the others, money keeps them ahead of the game and it keeps them secure. but none of them ever lost a kid because they couldn't pay for healthcare. none of them risk losing the life of someone who is completely dependent on them when they don't have enough.

(Hardison, perhaps, has the closest understanding, considering he hacked a bank to pay for his Nana's healthcare. but he never lost her.)

Nate thinks ahead, you know? he has a long-term view of things. I imagine that for him, when clients refuse the money, they're not just refusing a month's worth of groceries, or a place to stay the night, or the ability to keep running. for him, they're refusing control over their hard-earned, stable, long-term living situation. they're refusing the potential to save a family member's life.

I dunno, guys. I think that's a pretty good reason to not understand why people don't want the money.

[kirby-the-gorb]

[bogbutteronmycroissant]

Luke: *betrays Percy, something I've known would happen for more than seven years* My honest reaction:

[aleksanderscult]

If Aleksander could restart his life with the knowledge he now has, what essential changes do you think he would make?

Ooh! Now for some reason I imagine Aleksander witnessing how Alina and her friends fucked up his life, being like "Fuck go back!!" and pushing a restart button 😭

So. I think he would take more drastic actions to ensure that his plans would go well (this time).

He's a patient man so he would wait to find the right opportunity and the right King to begin. But, the truth is, that he would still need a Sun Summoner. But knowing that Alina is the one he awaits for, I imagine him going to Keramzin while she's still a child (7-8 years old), taking her to the Little Palace and training her according to his wishes. Nurturing his thoughts in her. Making her reveal her power, embrace it and become strong with it.

It's one thing to struggle to change a person's views when she has already made her own and another to shape her the way you want to while she's young and oblivious.

So yeah, he would make sure everything would go to plan. And by having Alina at his side and close since her childhood then there wouldn't be too many problems for him after it. Since Alina was the one, big obstacle he couldn't get over in the trilogy.

(Also Aleksander if he went to Keramzin to get Alina and saw Mal)

[sigyn-foxyposts]

I just found out horses can grow moustaches so can you please draw Sleipnir with a moustache!

OH MY GODS- That's absolutely hilarious anon! This was so much for me to draw honestly, thank you so much for sharing this with me! Please feel free to anytime <33

[supercantaloupe]

happy sleepover saturday! any thoughts about Beetlejuice the musical (positive/negative/etc)? I've really liked what I've seen/heard but I'd be interested to know what you think. additionally, as a guy who rarely listens to any kind of classical music because he is bad at remembering the titles 😫 what are some bangers i should put on tonight while i assemble a gerbil cage? (preferably the smaller... songs? numbers? please no longer than 10 minutes per. concerto???? idk what they're called im so sorry. last thing these are my three beautiful boys im adopting tomorrow!

OHH THREE BEAUTIFUL BABY BOYS. i like that that two of them appear to have airbender arrows on their heads

i! don't have very strong opinions on beetlejuice the musical, to be honest. i haven't seen it and it's been a few years since listening to the soundtrack. i remember it being decent, a few clever lines and composition moments here and there, there was clearly some creativity and heart put into it. it didn't seem to have like the kind of lazy cashgrab project vibes that other movie-to-stage musical adaptations sometimes, like sure the original movie here was a cult classic already but the team turning it into a musical seemed really interested in making into its own thing that adds to the creative idea. it's not really my cup of tea these days but it seems like a fun time, and you can absolutely do worse

HMM...well i am very much at heart a symphony girlie and symphonies tend to be quite a bit longer than ten minutes, But i shall try to come up with some shorter selections...

the overture to die meistersinger is genuinely a work of genius. i regret having to recommend a wagner piece because philosophically (and also at times musically) i disagree with the man intensely, and he was a massive piece of shit. but damn could he write an overture. he should have been a symphonist. and left it at that.

in that vein actually opera overtures are gonna offer a lot of great options for exciting classical music pieces that don't go on for too long. rossini has a ton of classics to choose from, many of which are very famous and also might be recognizable, like the barber of seville, la gazza ladra (the thieving magpie), l'italiana in algeri (the italian girl in algeria), la scala di seta (the silken ladder) and william tell.

some of my other personal favorite overtures are mozart's le nozze di figaro (the marriage of figaro) and the magic flute, weber's der freischütz, donizetti's la fille du régiment (the daughter of the regiment), and bernstein's candide.

also! the dance of the hours is a classic, it comes from the ballet la gioconda and also was featured in the original fantasia so it might be familiar!

finally i'll recommend some concert band music which i think is often overlooked in the classical music world. and no one does concert band better than brits and americans. holst first suite in Eb and second suite in F are both great, same for vaughan williams' english folk song suite. and william walton's crown imperial coronation march.

OH and arturo márquez's danzón no 2. okay love you bye

[ask meme]

[tathrin]

5. …where it doesn’t hurt.

Oh what a tender choice, thank you for asking! Prompt taken from this; anyone can feel free to send other numbers in at any time.

Legolas was pacing. That was the first thing Gimli became aware of when he woke for the third time, his head finally clearing of the fuzziness of healing potions and injuries enough for him to focus properly on the world once more.

Legolas was pacing, which meant that he was worried.

The elf was almost never still, Wood-elves being apparently as prone to rustling as the leaves of their beloved trees, but it was a gentle, casual sort of motion, instinctive and subconscious. If called out on it, Legolas often evinced confusion, as if he had not even noticed the slight but unceasing motion of his lissome body.

Pacing, on the other hand...

Gimli tried to speak, and a groan emerged instead. Instantly, the elf was at his side.

"Gimli?"

The sound of that bright, cheerful voice drawn in to such a tight, tremulous trill of a word made Gimli's heart ache almost as much as his bones did right now. The sight of the elf poised on his heels beside Gimli's bed, his long fingers frozen halfway across the distance between them as though he was afraid of reaching closer; afraid of actually touching the dwarf, was even worse and the shadow of terror that flickered across his pale eyes was utterly unbearable.

Gimli forced himself up from the dregs of his drugged sleep and into enough consciousness to rasp, "I am well, Legolas."

It came out rougher than he intended, more of a hoarse croak than as actual words. He opened his mouth to try again and found the rim of a cool metal cup pressed to his lips instead.

"Drink," Legolas commanded.

It hurt, lifting his head enough to do so, even with strong elvish fingers supporting him from below, but Gimli forced himself to swallow the cold, mint-laced water. He flopped back to his pillows after a few gulps and cleared his throat. The results were pleasantly akin to a rumble of stone rather than a creak of brittle wooden timbers, so Gimli decided to brave the effort of speech again.

"I am all right, Legolas," he said.

"You are not," the elf retorted. "You are banged all to bits, and the fact that none of your bones are broken is nothing short of a miracle."

"Dwarven bones are strong," said Gimli.

Legolas snorted. "Yes, and their heads are hard—a fact with which I am both beyond irritated, and exceedingly grateful. Gimli, what were you thinking?"

"I did not expect the stone to break," Gimli murmured. Dwarven stone would not have broken beneath his feet; or if it had had no choice but to do so, then it would at least have warned him first. But the shoddy white stone with which the masons of Minas Tirith had built some of their more recent, less elegant and less impressive structures, apparently had no such concern for the beings what walked upon its pale surfaces, even when said beings walked with dwarven feet.

"No!" Legolas exclaimed. "No, I am sure you did not! Nonetheless, it did, and you took quite a tumble as a result!"

Gimli grumbled, and made to swing himself out of the bed. The world reeled around him and a hand like a splay of twigs against his chest stopped him as firmly as a block of granite.

"You are not getting out of that bed until Aragorn himself says you are well," Legolas declared, his lilting voice gone suddenly fierce. Then it cracked open like a wound as he added plaintively, "Gimli, you nearly died!"

"Poppycock," Gimli retorted, trying to hide the fact that he was panting from even that slight abortive effort. He sank back into the pillow and forced himself to breathe slowly.

"You fell almost twenty feet and landed on solid stone."

Gimli grunted. "Well, then of course I am not dead," he said. "Good stone would never break a dwarf that landed on it."

Legolas made a noise of exasperation that sounded comically similar to an angry bird scolding an interloper away from its nest.

"Hush," Gimli said. "Your point is made; I will stay in the bed and await the word of the healers." He was not sure that his body would allow him to do anything else anyway, but there was no reason to admit to that. It would only worry Legolas more if he did, and he would be surely be more mollified by Gimli's apparent surrender if he did not know that he was only acquiescing because he had no choice.

"Good," Legolas snapped, and dropped onto the floor beside the bed.

They sat there in silence for a few seconds as the aches in Gimli's bones throbbed and pounded, as though he were an anvil in Erebor's busiest forges. Either the draughts he could dimly remember being coaxed to drink by Gondor's kind were wearing off, or the pain was simply becoming more noticeable as his thoughts cleared.

He could not stop himself from groaning, although he clamped his lips tight over the sound as soon as it escaped—but too late.

"Does it hurt terribly?" Legolas asked. His voice had gone gentle again, small.

Gimli nodded, and regretted the motion with a wince. He screwed his eyes shut. "Yes," he admitted.

"Where?"

Light elvish fingers ghosted over Gimli's arm and up across his shoulder, their touch no more than the slightest breath of wind amidst slim treetops. The pain still seemed to dull a little at the touch, as though Aragorn's hands were not the only ones that held healing in their palms.

"Everywhere," Gimli moaned.

Legolas's fingers retreated at once, and Gimli could not help but sigh in regret.

"Well," he said, after a moment, "perhaps not quite everywhere."

"No?"

There was a faint rustle of movement, barely audible. Gimli could not bear to open his eyes and let the light in again, but he pictured the elf leaning closer and smiled at the imagined sight.

"My nose," Gimli said at last. "I think my nose is all right."

Legolas let out a surprised laugh, a burst of silvery mirth like the sudden ringing of clear bells.

Gimli's smile settled more firmly behind his beard. "Yes," he said. "My nose is definitely unharmed."

"And well that it is," Legolas agreed, gliding the faintest touch of his fingers across Gimli's cheeks and forehead before finally coming to rest against the side of his nose. "I would be grieved to see such handsome features mashed by such a fall."

"That's why I made sure to land on my back," Gimli teased. "To save my pretty face for you."

Legolas laughed again. The sound was watery, but stronger; the tremble was gone. "You are very kind," he said.

There was another, longer rustle of movement, and Legolas's hand fell away to be replaced by the light touch of warm lips upon the very tip of Gimli's unbroken nose.

In the darkness of his pain, Gimli smiled.

[curiositymemes]

LYRIC SENTENCE STARTERS : EUPHORIA.

a selection of lyrics taken from my personal gender euphoria playlist, specifically focusing on love, validation, and encouragement! feel free to change wording and pronouns and provide context as necessary. do not add to this list.

“he knew it was time, he’d made up his mind.”

“boy, you’d better begin to get those crazy notions right out of your head.” 

“nickname, who do you think that you are?”

“pull yourself together, you know you should do better.”

“this could be my last chance.”

“you’re always dreaming.”

“you won’t get very far.”

“don’t you know who you are?”

“honey, spread your wings and fly away.”

“you’re a free man.”

“come on, honey.”

“he left yesterday behind him, you might say he was born again.”

“it keeps changing fast and it don’t last for long.”

“they say that he got crazy once and he tried to touch the sun.”

“his life is full of wonder but his heart still knows some fear.”

“won’t you let me go down in my dreams?”

“ten miles behind me, and ten thousand more to go.”

“maybe you can believe it if it helps you to sleep.”

“singing works just fine for me.”

“i’m alright, nobody worry ‘bout me.”

“can’t you just let it be?”

“do what you like.”

“it’s your life.”

“who you gonna be tonight?”

“who is it really making up your mind?”

“listen to your own heart beating.”

“everybody let me be.”

“i don’t need you to worry for me ‘cause i’m alright.”

“i don’t want you to tell me it’s time to come home.”

“i don’t care what you say anymore, this is my life.”

“i still belong, don’t get me wrong.”

“you can speak your mind, but not on my time.”

“do you ever wonder why i feel i have to hide?”

“others’ perceptions give me panic attacks.”

“i’ll hide in the forest where i can be free.”

“maybe to you it sounds a little strange.”

“maybe i wanna be a cryptid.” 

“be who you are.”

“maybe my ideal body is bigfoot’s.”

“so when i feel sad i’ll screech into the night.”

“they think i’m a little strange.”

“maybe my ideal body is mothman’s.” 

“when i’m ready, i will fly us out of here.”

“i’ll figure out a way to get us out of here.”

“will everybody please give him a little bit of space?”

“the stars welcome him with open arms.”

“strangely he feels at home in this place.”

“sing me a song, tell me your thoughts.”

“I could listen to you all night long.”

“tell me about the things that you love.”

“the world simply needs more affection.”

“i don’t care about what people think of me.”

“we’ve got so much time to kill and so many things to see.”

“life’s too short to worry about things that we got wrong.”

“you don’t know what it’s like to be nothing at all.”

“it’s nothing i can’t change.”

“like a vision she dances across the porch as the radio plays.”

“hey, that’s me, and i want you only.”

“show a little faith, there’s magic in the night.”

“but hey, you’re alright, and that’s alright with me.”

“roll down the window and let the wind blow back your hair.”

“come take my hand.”

“hey, i know it’s late, we can make it if we run.” 

“and i know you’re lonely for words that i ain’t spoken.”

“tonight we’ll be free, all the promises’ll be broken.”

“you know you can’t hold me forever.”

“i didn’t sign up with you.”

“this boy’s too young to be singin’ the blues.”

“i’ve finally decided my future lies beyond the yellow brick road.”

“give him a fire in his heart, give him a light in his eyes.”

“give him a hand that he could lean on and a strength to call his own.” 

“he came to turn the pages and to make a brand new start.”

“we’ll try to carry on.”

“what else could i do?”

“i’m so inspired by you.” 

“now i know that happiness goes on.”

“the greatest miracle of all is how i need you and how you needed me too.”

“maybe i’ve been hoping too hard but i’ve gone this far and it’s more than i hoped for.”

“i’ll take my chances.”

“now i know the woman that you are.”

“you’re wonderful so far and it’s more than i hoped for.”

“i’m so in love with you, honey.”

“everything is gonna be alright.”

“and now, i smile and face the girl that shares my name.”

“just give yourself some time.”

“that’s just growin’ up.”

“don’t overthink it, boy.”

[sinestrosmind]

color pallet meme let's goooo

memes, adopts, challenges, you name it grab some colors here

it's your usual for color pallet challenges; throw a number and a character in the askbox

[rena-yume]

Railgun for the ask

Also Bocchi the rock if u want

Yes

Toaru Kagaku No Railgun

Fav female character: either Mikoto or Kongou I genuinely can't pick they're both amazing

Fav male character: Gunha? Or Icchan's cat

Fav season: T, it was full of random nonsense but I don't remember S enough to judge (also Touma was in S more which is annoying), and T gave us Kongou and Misaki and Fre/nda screentime so kudos

Fav episode: don't remember the number but the one with Mikoto bonding with the clone then it died

Fav cast member: Mikoto, sorry Kuroko but not this time

Fav ship: Mikokuro!

Character I'd die defending: Mugino (the one that didn't get butchered by the writing)

Character I can't sympathize with: Accelerator. oh my god you annoying plot device

Character I grew to love: Misaki, thanks to T I hated her so much at first but now she's one of my favs lol

Anti otp: Kamikoto (Touma x Mikoto) it's super unhealthy and the fans should stop pretending it's not, also cringe thanks to Index being a thing.

Edit because someone reminded me: Kamikuro is THE worst ship to ever exist and I wish whoever made it a happy fuck you Kuroko is a lesbian (before anyone jumps at me literally across all LNs and 3 Index and 3 Railgun seasons and the manga she's only expressed feelings for females and more specifically Mikoto, there's no "she could be bi" it's been 19 years since the series came out if she's bi it's too late to show it)

Bochi The Rock

Fav female character: Seika aka older dorito

Fav male character: the doggo and mr. Mango box

Fav season: only 1 came out so 1

Fav episode: 11 I think? The festival one

Fav cast member: Ryo or Bochi

Fav ship: Seika x Pa-san x Hiroi (sorry Bokita but you're in 2nd place)

Character I'd die defending: Nijika our beloved sunshine Dorito

Character I can't sympathize with: thankfully no one, I like all characters

Character I grew to love: also no one XD, I immediately liked everyone

Anti otp: Ryo x Kita? I don't necessarily hate it but it does have toxic aspects so

Gimme a fandom

The ship part got salty in the Railgun one sorry about that lol

[minamorsart]

Acxa had a crush on Lotor (same tbh)

That dialogue where Allura says aloud "stay calm" and Lotor : "I am calm" , Allura : "I was talking to myself" STAR WARS : THE FORCE AWAKENS REFERENCE!!!!!!! YEAH BOIIII !

I strongly believe Count Do Tarn is responsible for planting both Altean and Galran bombs ! Especially from the previous chapter when he told Allura "Hope it doesn't bore you to DEATH"

If Alfor is ready for war , how's fire power looking on Lotor's side 😏

(That reference to DOtu is cool tho)

And KOVA IS THE CUTEST ALIEN CAT EVER EVER 😭🥺💫✨💞

Also there's hand holding , smiling between our beautiful princess and our handsome emperor , I wonder what more awesomeness and beauty do you have in store for us 😎😍👌🤠🤗🙌❤️❤️❤️❤️

Am I spilling the tea with this ask 👀☕

AHHH YOU'VE JUST MADE MY DAY THANK YOU SO MUCHHHH 🤧🤧😭😭😭🙏🙏🙏🙏

Yeeess I'm so glad you caught the Star Wars reference! At first I was worried it might be ooc for Allura, but then I remembered she does the exact same thing in S3E3 "The Hunted"! When she's hiding from Lotor in fact 😏 heh

It is a huge compliment and relief that the mystery details in this story are noticeable, whew! I can neither confirm nor deny Do-Tarn's actions yet 👀 And I'm so happy that you love Kova too! I love him and the generals, and they are going to play a big role in chapter 7! I can't wait to share it with you!! 🥰

Thank you again for your kind words and support, it really means a lot!!!! 🥺🥺💖💖💖💖💖

^^^^ in which Allura is all of us lol

[miyakuli]

I've been tagged...

...by @oo-mi-ru-oo for my fav type of game, music tags :))) thank you sweetie <3

Rules: shuffle your ‘on repeat’ playlist and post the first ten tracks, then tag ten people 🎶

Very various once again x')

I'll tag if you want : @rainbowravioli @gojosattoru @story-kat @sajou-rihito @fismoll7secinv <3

[riddle-me-ri]

Hello!! :D Hope your day has gone well!!

What are your thoughts on various Mad Hatters? Which one is your current favorite??

(Also could you recommend a Jervis comic mayhaps?? Been wanting to try read Batman Rogue comics ^^)

💤

Asdfghh where how where how...where do I begin with the mad lads asdfghh I'll give a tiny explanation as to why I love the versions I write for, that's a decent place to start lol. So, sorry not sorry you've opened the floodgates lmao, because of that there's a read more tab, sorry if you weren't quite expecting this lengthy response.

Arkhamverse Jervis: Definitely one of my favorite voices for him by far (Roddy for BTAS/TNBA is still a huge favorite). Also, his voice tapes with Strange in City absolutely twist my heart every time (not to mention the end of his mission when you go back to see him. He only wanted a friend hng), I think they could've done a lot with him, his short mission in City left much to be desired. The Wonderland hallucination in Origins and the storybook from Knight where amazing. While the writing is a wee topsy turvy, I do adore how they showed progression to his unyielding mental state (via, rhyming, literally Batman or anyone being Alice, and any word associated with Wonderland must be a part of it in Knight). And in City hinted at just how unnerved Jervis can be about himself and how he feels when he's lucid. I definitely get inspired by a lot of his character beats and traumas for sure (in my writing btw lmao)

BTAS Jervis: Ahaha the golden mad lad, my first Hatter encounter! I've always been a fan of Alice in Wonderland when I was watching BTAS (wanting to know what the hype was about as an animation student) so when I saw an episode called Mad as a Hatter I was intrigued lmao. I had no idea Jervis even existed and what a super strong intro episode too. Again Roddy is probably my favorite voice for him. Just...it's so warm and pleasant to listen to. I also appreciate that they didn't make this Hatter a one-trick pony? Nowadays a lot of DC writers sorta stick to the kidnapping/murdering women thing but BTAS Jervis literally tried to stop Batman before Batman could even do anything, so he can get Batman out of the way, he stole from Gotham's elite so he can run away on an island of his own? Also probably one of the more mentally stable of the Hatters and definitely the most romantic.

TNBA Jervis: Aww Ratter, sweet mad lad. I love rodents so the fact that the fandom has dubbed this version ratter and for the right reasons makes me so incredibly giddy. He's supposed to technically be BTAS just a different design, and as jarring as the changes may be, I think it still works, and again we see different motivations of Jervis other than him finding an Alice.

Secret Six (2006) Jervis: Hehehehe definitely one of my favorite Jervi. I absolutely love this mad, brilliant, druggy, powerful, silly nudist. This version is a prime example of just how powerful Jervis can be and why he should be depicted more as a threat (I have a thought that most of the time, Jervis leans more into his whimsy/playful attributes as a way to catch enemies off-guard, that's not to say he isn't that way in general, but I can see him using it to his utmost advantage). Also just wanna point out that this version was written by a woman, Gail Simone, who has canonically pinned Jervis to having amazing rizz and not to mention fangirls/fanboys that wanna marry him (and has an incredible "head" game) and I will forever love her for that.

Joker's Asylum Jervis: Aww, ohh, dear sweet mad lad, gotta grab tissues for this guy. One of the stronger of the Mad Hatter-centric comics. This comic delves into Jervis' psyche which a lot of DC writers almost refuse to even look at or consider (like...guys, I can do it...if I can do it I KNOW you can too). This comic shows what the Arkham games hint at, and that's that Jervis has/feels REMORSE. Probably one of the few rogues that do, he genuinely can't help it. He wants to get better, he wants to not be a threat. He wants companionship but fails miserably every time and the cycle continues. When I read this comic, it wouldn't leave my head for days. It is definitely what inspired my fic Love and Suds because my story is somewhat of an "what if" scenario like what if he did have someone there when he was spiraling and trying to fight off the delusions and madness.

Gotham Jervis: asdfgjkjj it...it took some time for me to like this one lmao. I have grievances across the board with Gotham as a whole. What they did to Jervis is no exception to that, he's interesting that he's a pure hypnotist and how apparently there are rules to that. It's one of the first (if not the only time?) Jervis isn't a scientist, but purely a hypnotist (before becoming a hypnotist criminal, it happens). I won't go too deep into him, esp. if you haven't seen this version but yeah just...he has potential he really does, he's just another example of a Jervis done dirty (and not the fun way)

Harley Quinn The Animated Series Jervis: red-head jervis, red-head jervis, red-head jervis my beloved. I love Jervis with red hair almost as much as blonde (and that's just personal preference cause I'm blonde lmao) From an artist stand point, his design is just really, really appealing to me. The bright complimenting colors, the wild spiky hair, the teeth, and the coke fingernail was a neat added detail (a buddy for S6 for sure). He was so criminally underused I will never forgive the show for what they did (him and other rogues as well). He's also very giddy, fun, but also still demented and violent.

To say the least...I can't choose just one current solidary favorite, I have grown to love them all in various ways, from their design to their personalities and voices. But my top three will definitely have to be; BTAS, Arkhamverse, and Secret Six. Joker's Asylum is also a super super close fourth. When I write for my "general" Hatter, I usually borrow traits, traumas, and mannerisms from these four.

As for comics I would recommend, here's a couple Jervis-centric ones to get you started. Also be weary and make sure you have an ad-blocker just in case. You shouldn't have to know too much backstory from other comics to understand them.

Secret Six (2006) Issue #1

Joker's Asylum: Mad Hatter

Sorry this got so long lmao, but thank you for letting me infodump and fixate on the Mad Lads, I've been having a rough time lately, and this has definitely lifted my spirits thinking about these guys lol.

[ssolessurvivor]

Send 🌳 for our muses to admire the fall foliage together from Nyra

Logan's fall era - always accepting! - @incissam

Their first date, so to speak, was a picnic on the lake's edge watching the leaves changing colors. Admiring their beauty for the turn of the season, the little heaps of blankets underneath them comfortable and gaining that scent of fall in their fibers. They'd just finished their food, setting the plates back in the basket and now spread out against the blankets, soaking in the warmth of the sun peeking through the clouds.

Or at least Logan was, similar to some of her favorite animals basking in it.

"That jam was delicious, I know I keep saying it." He adds a little chuckle there at the end to accompany his smile, leaning back on his elbow to peek up at her, his hair framing his temple. "Thank you for making it." The breeze shifts and takes a few leaves prematurely across the lake, and their eyes turn to watch them patter against the water.

"Is fall your favorite time of year?" He was simply curious, reaching with his free hand to gently take hold of her own, his fingers threading under her palm, tracing those lines there softly, memorizing them. Once he's curled his fingers around her hand, he brings it to his lips, kissing her knuckles quietly in the meantime.

[thunderboltfire]

For the oc ask game -- I'm curious about Yrreth. How about "glance", "motion", "stillness", "road" -- any or all of those, if you'd like.

glance: At first glance, what stands out most about your OC's appearance? What's their distinguishing feature?

Yrreth's characteristic feature is his way of carrying himself - he carries his head high and has what one could call a good posture. While he's not especially tall, this makes his silhouette stand out clearly among his kind and almost automatically commands respect.

motion: How does your OC move? How does their clothing help or hinder their range of motion? Are they flexible, coordinated, clumsy?

Yrreth's moves are very precise amd deliberate, most of the time they seem almost calculated in advance, which can come from him being a wizard. Mountain elves' school of casting spells differs from one practiced by most other people, and gesture plays an extremely important role in it. While Yrreth freely borrows elements of foreign schools of magic, this tendency seems to be a remnant of his early training. Even out of combat, he often surveys the situation at hand and moves when he already knows what he wants to achieve and how to go about it. Yrreth prioritises practicality in clothing. His armor provides a great range of motion.

In fight, he gets to the point quickly - he's aware of the danger of dragging out a fight and once he actually decides to turn to violence, it's usually to the death. He strikes like a serpent and kills quickly.

stillness: How does your OC act while still? Are they fidgety? Do they have any common gestures or tics? Does their clothing affect how they hold themselves while at rest?

Yrreth's body language is guarded - there's only a few people with whom he's more free to express what's on his mind, and even then, his gesture and face expressions are rather subtle. He's prone to walking in circles if he's deep in thought, and if conflicted or undecisive, he'll blink slower than usual.

road: What does your OC wear while traveling? Do they have high-quality equipment, or are they making do? What does their gear look like?

He often appears in armor, which is equally a status symbol and a practical solution, however, in spite of the fact that it's relatively light (it's made mostly out of compound of scales, keratin and enamel), he physically cannot wear it all the time. He isn't the kind of a leader who would cede wartime duties to someone else, but also not a kind who would charge headfirst into the battle. He oversees many projects personally from behind the lines, so he travels quite a lot. He probably has at least a few sets of travel clothes - very good quality, as he can afford it. Not all of his clothes are dark in colour - his culture uses light colors for ceremonial purposes, but I'm pretty sure that Yrreth's travel clothes are either black or in hues of dark purple, decorated with embroidery. Dark colors have lower visibility, which provides more safety should someone be stupid enough to attempt an assasination, and plain cloth without addition of steel allows for better flow of magic during casting. The clothes are not overflowing with rich ornamentation, but the quality of the materials and craftsmanship shows clearly that they weren't cheap and are surely tailored specifically for his use, to provide a wide range of motion should he need it and the highest possible comfort during his travels.

He probably has his sidearm on him at all times - it's equally a status symbol of him as a high-ranking noble and a mean of personal defence.

[shivunin]

🙤 Unusual OC Associations 🙧

Tagged by @greypetrel---thanks for the tag! This is so cool :) I also might do this for all of them gradually---I enjoy this unique way of thinking about these characters. I added Arianwen under the break here, and I'll likely make a separate post for my bounty of Lavellans. (Also--I'm just putting this out there--I'm adding a Tarot section for mine because I kept thinking about cards for them as I was writing these, but it wasn't part of the original list c: )

Maria Hawke

Seasoning: Something warm and sharp, like ginger or cinnamon. The kind of thing you can add to a hot drink when it's cold outside.

Weather: Snow that falls in big, puffy flakes that make you feel grateful to be inside and warm. Not a storm, but snow that makes everything feel a bit closer than it was before.

Colour: The crimson of heart's-blood, vivid and unmistakable

Sky: When it's very cold and clear outside and there are ice crystals shining in the air. You can only see them when they catch the light, but they're there nonetheless, like clouds scattered at ground level

Magic power: Fire that soothes and sears: a healing heat that is like knocking back a finger of whiskey in the bitter cold, or a blush on a first date.  The agonizing pain of reaching for a pot too fresh from the fire or overlooking the burning candle you've just tipped over in your negligence. 

House plant: Aloe vera: you can forget about it, it can withstand too much sun or rain for a time, and as long as it’s cared for every so often it’ll keep taking out the sting of your hurts

Weapon: A staff made of dark wood and bronze, polished to a gloss by decades of use and her father’s hands. 

Subject: History—but mostly the salacious or embarrassing bits. Hawke loves a good story, and she definitely tells the bawdy ones when she’s tipsy.

Social media: Despises it. Has a hard time reading tone on the internet. Probably runs a personal blog about her life Kirkwall that she never updates, and rarely responds to comments; she’s too impatient to work to understand a format or website culture. 

Make-up product: An anise oil treatment she rubs into her hair before she sleeps at night to keep it glossy and tangle-free

Candy: Chocolate-covered roasted almonds; a study in contrasts, with the sweet, melt-in-your mouth richness of chocolate and the crunchy, faintly bitter and salty almonds. 

Fear: Failure; that it was actually her fault that Malcolm and Bethany died, and that it will happen again if she isn’t quick/clever/good enough

Ice cube shape: Perfectly square, rattles nicely when you shake it in a glass

Method of long distance travel: Carriage; she can nap, read, and take in the sights exactly as much as she’d like to. 

Art style: Impressionism; trying to capture the fleeting through the suggestion of detail, but ultimately only capturing the impression of what it once was. The finished result is still beautiful, if full of nostalgia. 

Mythological creature: A church grim; guardian of its domain and foreteller of death. 

Piece of stationery: Handmade paper with pieces of dried rose petal or herbs pressed into the paper itself; slightly ragged around the edges but thick and sweet-smelling. 

3 emojis: 👀 💅🏽 😶

Celestial body: The harvest moon on the horizon, golden and full and looking impossibly close despite the distance

Tarot Card: The Hanged Man; Intuition, trials, and self-sacrifice

Tagging: @star--nymph @zenstrike

(and really, anyone who wants to do this--I know these things have the power to make one feel like the kid picked last for dodgeball, but I feel like I'm overstepping if we've never really interacted. Tell me if you want to do these things and I will tag you forever. Really.)

(I put Wen under the break, insert "nobody puts Baby in the corner" joke)

Arianwen Tabris

Seasoning: Oh, salt, hands-down. No elaboration.

Weather: Gathering cumulonimbus on the horizon, with that especially purple-grey tinge to the bottom that tells you it’s going to be a really brutal storm. There are streaks of lightning every now and then, and you can see the streaks where rain has already begun to fall in the distance. (It leaves destruction behind, but come back in a season or a year---the fallen trees grow moss now, and house animals, and the fields have grown back all the greener for the rain)

Colour: Gunmetal grey; dull at first glance but lustrous and brutal nonetheless. 

Sky: Red at first light

Magic power: Reopening hidden hurts and forgotten wounds

House plant: Cactus in a terracotta pot. Sometimes you wonder why you’ve still got it on the shelf there, when all it does is poke you and look menacing. But then you look at it after a multiweek depression fog and it’s still there, unwilted, kicking ass. 

Weapon: a throwing knife, painted matte-black, all but invisible at night until it hits you

Subject: Applied physics; she likes the practical reality of numbers, and the application of an object in motion can really only benefit her. 

Social media: Has a private Youtube account where she saves all her favorite Lockpicking Lawyer videos. If anyone posts a picture or video with her in the background, she hunts them for sport. 

Make-up product: Cover up/foundation; if all your scars and tattoos are covered, it’s more difficult for people to identify you

Candy: Rebanaditas (watermelon chili powder candy) (and hey, this is how I found out that lucas powder contained high levels of lead and that’s why it was discontinued?? If you ate a bunch of it like I used to, just a heads-up.)

Fear: Loving someone as much as her father loved her mother (as much as she loved her mother) and losing them anyway.

Ice cube shape: Circle K ice (the little crunchy ones people like to chew on)

Method of long distance travel: Foot. No chance she’ll have to climb off or down from something and get taken by surprise. 

Art style: Charcoal sketches; they seem straightforward, even simplistic at first glance, but are capable of unexpected depth and dimension

Mythological creature: Cŵn Annwn; a hound of the Wild Hunt in Welsh lore. Their howls were a death portent that grew quieter rather than louder as they approached. Sometimes regarded as guides to the afterlife.

Piece of stationery: Scrap of paper torn off a larger text for convenience

3 emojis: 🔪 🤨 🐺

Celestial body: Mars

Tarot Card: The Tower; a symbol of abrupt and violent change, for better or worse