#That is assuming i survive to the point of doing that. Considering how stupid his big stupid head is.

[loveletterworm]

Awesoem

[tojiscumdumpster]

CHAPTER ONE - TOJI

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  I usually don’t become swoon by seeing attractive women. Working security at a luxury club, I come across them almost every day. At one point in my life, I even slept with them for money because I needed survival after the Zen’in Family disowned me about twenty years ago.

But when I stare in the direction of the bar, I’m convinced I’m looking at one of the prettiest women I’ve ever seen in my life. 

 She’s fucking gorgeous. The deepest and richest shade of brown. Thick curls falling to her shoulders. Full thighs that are being constricted by the material of her denim mini skirt. 

 God, I don’t fucking care if I sound like a pervert, but every time I saw her cross and uncross her legs, I hoped to see a sneak of her panties. 

 I don’t care to be in a relationship. 

 I just had to fuck her. Hard and slow until she’s screaming my name. 

 Insta lust isn’t really my thing. However, my cock is feeling extremely uncomfortable in my pants right now. 

 “Fushiguro!” Shiu Kong’s voice blares through my ears. 

  Shit, I forgot I wasn’t alone. 

 He continues, “You heard anything I said or you’re too busy drooling over that pretty girl at the bar?” He points with his chin, taking a drag of his third cigarette tonight. 

 That fucker needs to give it a break. 

 “I’m not fucking drooling, Kong,” I answered. “And what did you say?”

  He chuckles. “I asked, are you going to consider that contract I gave you?”

 “No. You know I don’t do that kind of shit anymore. I have a kid.”

 “And how’s your relationship with Megumi going?”

 I hate using the term friend , but Shiu Kong would be the closest thing that I would have of that sort. We met back in Tokyo after I left the Zen’in Family.

 Our friendship consists of business, banter, and talking shit to one another. He’s not a bad guy. Pretty decent and not as annoying as other people. And I guess you can say I kind of owe him since he helped watch Megumi after his mother passed. 

 He’s been in the States for a few days now to visit, trying to convince me to take this damn contract. But he knows I left that part of me back in Japan.

 “It’s going,” I finally responded. “He’s still adjusting to being here.”

 “English working well for him? You’re helping him I assume.” 

 I give him an annoyed look. “Trying to make sure I’m being a dad?”

 “Someone has to,” he says, boringly, while putting out his cigarette to like another one. “Maybe you should get a girlfriend. Make her a housewife. Being a single parent to a fifteen-year-old boy isn’t the easiest.”

 I let out a mixture of a scoff and chuckle. “And how would you fucking know?”

 “Considering that I helped take care of your boy, I would know.”

 “Hm,” I say. 

 “And I’m frankly tired of having to babysit your old ass, too. You’re forty-two, Fushiguro. I can’t be your lover forever.” 

 And here goes the shit talking. 

 “Funny. I don’t remember you having anyone.”

 He smirks. “I have my options.”

 “Yeah, whatever.”

 My attention is back to the woman at the bar, and this time she’s not alone. Some guy occupied the seat next to her, and by the looks of it, she’s annoyed. I’m almost positive that he’s hitting on her. I mean, who wouldn’t? Her beauty steals the attention of the bar. Still, even I know when to read the fucking room. 

 If a woman isn’t interested, then she isn’t interested. You can tell by their body language and how they engage with you. 

 Her body is telling him to fuck off, and she’s doesn’t look like she’s engaging either. And despite that, the fucker can’t keep his hands to himself. 

 You would think the other men seeing what’s happening would be decent enough to fucking defend her but they’re just sitting around with stupid grins on their faces. 

 Kong was talking some type of shit before I got up from the table and walked toward the bar. 

 I had two reasons to go over there. 

 One, to get that motherfucker away from her, and two, my selfish intent to see how pretty she is up close. 

 The closer I got to the bar, their conversation became more coherent. 

 “Come on, sweetheart. Why are you playing hard to get?”

 “You don’t know how to fucking take no for an answer?” 

  Her voice… 

 Get it together, Fushiguro. 

 “I do, but this feels like a game of cat and mouse.” He’s definitely drunk. 

 “If-”

 “She’s not interested,” I interrupted. 

 The moment I uttered those words, it’s like on cue, her and I locked eyes. Her hues are the color of coffee with a touch of milk. I drink them in. The almond shape. The small creases underneath. The length of her lashes. I don’t think I could ever get tired of looking at them. 

 Then, her face. It has this type of softness yet definition. Those full lips that are brown and pink, even prettier up close. 

 No. She’s more than pretty. 

 She’s beautiful. Sexy. Tempting. 

 It’s like I almost forgot what I came here for before this shithead opened his mouth again. 

 “And who the fuck are you?” He’s trying to remain calm. Confident, even. But I’ve been told how intimidating my presence can be for people. It’s clearly affecting him. 

 “The guy that’s fucking telling you she’s not interested and to leave her the fuck alone,” I bit out. “You look desperate.”

 He gets off the stool to buck up to me. 

 Funny. 

 “What happens if I don’t?”

 “I don’t think you want to find out.” Is all I say to him. 

 This guy is about three inches, maybe four inches shorter than me. He’s intoxicated. He is barely confident in the words he’s saying to me. But somehow he thinks he wants to find out if he doesn’t listen to my warning. 

 The other pieces of shit that didn’t say anything listen into our heated conversation. I even feel her eyes still on me. Why am I being overprotective over a woman I don’t know? Like she’s mine? Not sure, but I am. 

 Though, it looks like he made the right decision by walking away, his friends going right along with him. 

 “You okay?” I ask her, after the drunken fuck leaves. 

 “I am. Thank you for defending me.”

 Velvety. Smooth. Soft. Raspy. Mature. All the words that come to mind when I hear her voice. I feel the fucking hair on the back of my neck standing up. I just know she would sound so sweet while taking me. 

  Fushiguro .

 I know. I’m a pervert. Fucking shoot me for being attracted to her. 

 I nod and say nothing else to her, beginning to walk away but she stops me. 

 “What’s your name?” she asks, smiling. 

 “Toji Fushiguro.”

 “Do you usually give out your full name like that, Toji Fushiguro?” 

 Charming, I think. I give her a small smile. 

 “And yours?”

 “Y/N. Just Y/N, for now.”

 I quip a brow. “You say for now, are you suggesting there will be a later?”

 “Hm, it depends. Do you want to sit down and keep me company? Your scary boyfriend demeanor can probably keep away the rest of the creeps.”

 “Scary? Do I scare you?”

 She laughs, and it’s like music to my ears. “No, Toji. You don’t scare me.”

 My name from her lips sounds like pure sin. It drips like honey. I want to taste how it sounds when she’s moaning it. 

 “I wouldn’t mind, but I have a friend-” I look back to the table where Kong and I were at to see that he left. 

 And I’m pretty sure he didn’t cover the fucking bill. 

She shrugs. “I don’t mind your friend joining. As long as he’s not weird, which I’m assuming he’s not since you associate yourself with him. The more, the merrier.” 

 “Looks like he left.”

 “Then it looks like you’re going to keep me company.”

 Now, she’s not asking me. She’s telling me. 

  Shit . 

 I have no reason to protest, so I fill the seat next to her. The bartender comes to me to take my order, but I tell him just a refill on ginger ale and remind him I have a tab open. 

 “You don’t drink?” 

 “Nah, not really. I don’t like the taste of alcohol. It’s not the type of burn that I like,” I tell her. 

 “What kind of burn do you like, Toji Fushiguro?” Is she…

 “You flirting with me, Y/N?”

 She smiles. “Just making conversation. That’s all.”

 “Hm. Well, to answer your question, the workout burn feels good. Help clears my mind.”

 “You have a lot going on in your mind?”

 “I’m a forty-two and a single dad. My mind feels like a Formula One track.”

 She giggles. “I can only imagine. How old is your…”

 “Son, and he’s fifteen. 

 “I don’t have kids, but I teach at a high school. Teenagers are definitely not a walk in the park.”

 “A classroom full of kids sounds like hell.”

 This time her laugh is louder and clearer than before. 

 “I swear it’s not that bad. I used to teach elementary school kids. They are a bit more handful since they’re younger. I was their temporary mom for the day,” she explains. “Teaching isn’t the easiest, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

 “I see you’re very passionate about it.”

 “I am.” Y/N takes a swig of her martini, licking the sugar off her lips that coats them. And like the creep she doesn’t think I am, I stare at that pretty mouth of hers. 

 A visual of Y/N on her knees with her full lips wrapped around my cock plays in my mind. It’s like she knows what I’m thinking because when she looks at me after putting down her drink, she shies away but quickly gathers herself. 

 “So, uhm, what do you do?”  

 “I work at a luxury club. VIP security,” I answer. 

 “Very fitting.”

 “How so?”

 “You ask me if you scare me. I said no, but you give off protective vibes. It’s only right to put a good trait to use to make money, no?”

 I hum, taking a sip of my ginger ale. “I guess you’re right.”

 Over the course of hours, Y/N and I carry conversation. Talking to her feels… nice. Easy, almost. Like the more we talk, the more familiar she becomes. I’m not into that artificial crap, but I feel like I’ve spoken to her before. 

 Like I knew her in another lifetime. 

 Usually, I talk about myself when I’m talking to people, especially women. However, with Y/N? I listen to her. The words she says. Her opinions about insightful topics. She’s breathtaking. Smart. Addicting. 

 My cock isn’t aching only from her looks, but also from the high I feel from her mind. 

 I sound like a sap. I know I do. It’s just… I haven’t felt this way since my wife died seven years ago.

  Maybe you could try again.  

 Absolutely not. My heart and any kind of decency I had left was buried in the grave next to my wife. 

 There’s nothing wrong with a good conversation before an attempted fuck, so that’s all I’m doing. 

 That’s what I’m trying to convince myself, at least. 

 “So, Toji, you from around here?” 

 “Nah. Born in Japan. I’ve only been in the States for three years with my kid.”

 “What about your son’s mother? She didn’t move with you?” She questions. 

 I toy with the black band that I still keep on my finger. “No. She moved somewhere I can’t go, unfortunately.”

 “Where is—Oh…” Before asking her question, she realized what I meant. “I’m so sorry, Toji. I shouldn’t have invaded like that.”

 “Nah, it’s okay. It… was a while ago.”

 “Is that why you said your mind feels like a Formula One track?”

 I manage to let out a hoarse chuckle. “Yeah. Her death affected me and my son badly, but we’re handling it differently.”

 “Not everyone's grieving process is the same,” she reassures. 

 “Right, but does it normally cause your kid to hate you?”

 Why am I saying this? Why am I showing my vulnerability to a woman I just met two hours ago? In the middle of a fucking bar for Christ’s sake. I can’t even blame it on the alcohol because I don’t drink. 

 All I wanted to do was fuck Y/N until she’s screaming my name, but that sole intention went completely out the door the more we talked. 

 My slight insecurity from my vulnerability isn’t even because of Y/N. She doesn’t look bothered or taken off guard from my confession. She just waits for me to talk… like she wants to listen to me. 

 She turns her body around to face me and while doing so, our knees brush. I don’t know if she felt that slight electricity when making contact, but I did. Hopefully she just has a good way of masking her reactions. 

 “Why do you think your son hates you?” 

 I shrug. “We’re just not as close as we used to be. It feels like his mom was the glue that kept us together. Then, when she died, so did my bond with Megumi.”

 A soft smile of pain shows on her face. “Megumi… that means blessings . She picked it?” 

 “I did, because that’s what he feels like.”

 “Hm, I see,” she says, simply. “I’m not a therapist, but I wouldn’t automatically assume Megumi hates you. Like I said, grief is different for everyone. I’m pretty sure it can cause distance between loved ones, too. I would say he’s still adjusting. Just like you are.”

 “Sure you’re not a therapist?”

 She pats my thighs without realizing what that does to me. “Nope, just a high school reading teacher.”

 “Sorry guys. We’re about to close. Mind paying your tab?” The bartender says to us. 

 Were we talking for that long? Guess that happens when conversation is good.

 “Ah okay.” Y/N reaches for purse to pull out her wallet, but mine is already out, giving enough cash to cover both of our bills with a tip. “You didn’t have to do that, Toji.”

 “Maybe I wanted to?”

 She doesn’t bother to argue with me. “Well— thank you.”

 “Let me walk you to your car?”

 “Oh, I don’t drive when I go out. Never know how much you’re going to drink.”

 “Okay, call your ride share and I’ll wait with you.”

 Y/N nods and starts walking towards the exit. I can’t help but take a look at her ass. So fat and naturally shaped. Her legs look so smooth. Thick. I want them to wrap around my waist while I pound into her. 

 And don’t fucking get me started on the top she’s wearing that shows a peak of her belly. I can tell she’s not wearing a bra.

Fuck, Y/N. 

 Why is looking at her making me sexually frustrated?

 Typically, I’m direct about my intentions. If the woman wants to fuck, cool. If not, also cool. But for some reason I can’t open my mouth to ask. My dick presses against my pants and I’m glad I wore black tonight rather than my normal grey sweats. 

 “Looks like my ride is about five minutes away,” she says. “I had a really good time talking to you, Toji. Your company wasn’t bad.”

 “Better than that motherfucker from before?” I ask.

 She rolls her eyes at the thought of him. “Way better. Gosh, that guy was so fucking annoying. He does that every time I come here. I’m hoping since you showed up, he won’t be an issue anymore.”

 “He won’t.”

  She arches her brow. “Why so sure?”

 “I think I made my scary boyfriend message clear,” I joke. 

 “Ha, ha, real funny.” Silence is now between us. We look at each other, and on her face is a soft smile while mine is probably the same. 

 Unlike before, Y/N doesn’t shy away. Instead, she speaks. 

 “Can I be honest?” 

 “Sure.”

 “I want to kiss you, but I’m not sure if it would be appropriate,” she admits. 

 “And why wouldn’t it be?”

 “Well, you vented to me about your late wife, which is perfectly fine. I appreciate you being that comfortable with me. I just don’t want to take advantage of your vulnerability.”

 I chuckle. “You can’t take advantage of me.”

 She places her hands on her hips, shifting her weight onto one leg. “Is that your way of consenting to a kiss?” 

 “Can I be honest, too?” She nods. “I want to do more than just kiss you, but I would be no different from that shithead.”

 “No, you would. The difference is you’re not a creep and I’m consenting to your honesty, which I’m attracted to.” Y/N closes the space between us. Even with heels, she still looks up to me because of my height. “Consent is sexy.”

 “I agree,” I affirmed, cuffing around her chin to tilt higher. The whiff of her sweet alcoholic breath fills my senses, and that alone can make me drunk. 

 Her breath hitches. “Do you?” 

 “I do.”

 “Kiss me, Toji.”

 And I do. I kiss her hard. Aggressively. Passionately that has my blood rushing straight to my groin. Y/N’s lips are so fucking soft, sweet, succulent, every descriptor you can think of while kissing someone as pretty as her. 

 I force her mouth with my own, licking around to explore and get a better taste of her. She whimpers and I utter fuck from how sexy she sounds. That alone can tell me she’s probably needy, proving my point that she would take my cock in her pussy like I’m all she knows. 

 Like I give a fuck about us being in the middle of the street, making out like we’re horny college kids. I want to feel more of her, this fucking body of hers that I know I will have wet dreams about and fist my cock to in the shower when I wake up the next morning.

 “Y/N, can I–” 

 “Stop talking,” she whispers. It’s like Y/N knew what I was going to ask because she cut me off by grabbing my hands to place on her ass so I could squeeze.

 Fuck, it’s so soft and big. It feels jelly and perfect in my hands. While I busy myself with my own, her hands slip through my locks to deepen our kiss. Her full lips overpower mine, sucking and biting on my bottom lip.

 It’s not a want, but I need to fuck her.

 Now. 

 “Let me fu-” And before I was able to ask, the honking of her rideshare interrupted our heated kiss, reminding us we’re not alone.

 We break apart and ogle at each other. Those pretty fucking eyes roars with pure lust and hunger. Her lips are swollen, gloss completely gone from my excessive sucking. 

 My hand is still at her ass while the other feathers along her collarbone and the mountain of her breasts, causing her breaths to shallow. I pull her closer to me so she can feel what she did to me.

 Again, the driver honks the car and I’m two seconds away from breaking his window if he doesn’t fucking wait. 

 “I can come over?” I ask.

 “I want you to, but I can’t. Not tonight,” she declines. “School night. I’m already out later than I planned. Now it’s going to be harder for me to go to sleep after-”

 “This.” I wrap my hand around her throat to give her a quick sensual kiss.

 “Yes,” she breathes, squeezing my arms. “After that.” 

 Y/N hesitantly breaks away from me to head into the backseat of the car. I open the door for her, but before she goes in, I grab her arm to pull back into my chest so I can kiss her–again. 

 She’s just so fucking addicting

 “Toji, I have to go,” she tells me with a smile on her face. 

 “Alright, alright.” I let her go so she can get in the car and roll down the window. “You say not tonight. So when? “Hm, I’ll let you know,” she teases. The driver got sick of our shit, so he slowly started driving away but kept close enough for me to hear Y/N. “Good night, Toji Fushiguro.”

 “Night, Y/N.” And she’s gone, leaving me in front of the bar with a hard dick and pornographic thoughts. 

 Y/N is so fucking sexy, and she’s a good woman. Has a career that she loves. A good listener and honest without coming off as judgemental. Not like it would hurt me if she did, but I didn’t realize how calming it felt to talk to a stranger about my lack of confidence with being a single dad. She’s almost like a ray of… sunshine. 

 Too perfect for me.

 We didn’t even exchange numbers, so the likelihood of me fucking her is slim to none. 

 Oh well. Maybe I was only meant to meet her to hear her reassurance and taste her lips… feel her ass… 

 Shit, my dick is harder than before.

 Jacking off isn’t going to work. Not tonight . 

 I pull out my phone and scroll through my contacts to see who can help alleviate my pleasure. 

 Maybe I’ll run into Y/N someday. Hopefully in this lifetime. 

NEXT CHAPTER

[isa-ghost]

Yea, undying duo if phil and foolish! Because phil is mr hardcore survival minecraft and foolish is a totem of undying :D

basically, both cubitos have a wack relationship with death (and, I think, aversion to using totems? I know phil for sure but I'm a bit unsure about foolish)

I've done some qFoolish ones before!

qPhil headcanons masterlist

Phil would take another "vacation" with Foolish any time. Especially since the second time around, he actually got to know him really well. He'd like to see him again the next time they're in the same realm. :')

If he wasn't so Fuck The Feds he would consider doing some kind of huge cool build like the kids wanted them to so badly. Maybe in the next realm they'll do it because they won't have some kind of government hovering around. It's just too bad the kids won't see it.

He wishes he could've actually had time to actually enjoy having the titan by the wall but the Feds relocated them all like right after. After the way Foolish and his builds were disrespected last time they shared a realm, Phil is PISSED the Feds had the audacity to basically do the same. Especially when Foolish (kind of) worked for them!!!

Of everyone he got close to on the island, Foolish is one of the ones he wishes he had more time with. He feels like they were weirdly in different worlds despite them both being present so often. That's,, probably kind of Ender King's fault, honestly. He feels like he fell away from multiple people when things got bad.

Tbh he kinda wanted to ask Foolish about wtf he was up to in the last realm they were both in (aside from building) but decided against it bc a majority of his memories from that one are awful. So either Foolish was suffering too, or Phil wouldn't trust himself not to envy him for not having a horrid time.

Insert "MCC is some kinda canon interdimensional death games" hc here. Phil has SEEN Foolish kick ASS in a way that wasn't hysteria-driven Bolas rabies.

I'd like to think there's been at least one event or something where they just sat together and gave each other building tips.

The historian part of Phil's brain wants to talk to Foolish about what his Literally Undying ass has seen and lived through. How long has he been alive?? As long as Phil? Longer? He needs to know.

He's not sure where the eternal banana came from and at this point he's too afraid to ask.

Phil thrives on being a bystander of Foolish and Bad's find each other in every universe curse. He's not sure if the last realm before QI started it or if they've crossed paths even More before QI, but boy does he love getting to watch their beef.

See, Foolhalo might find each other in every universe (derogatory), but Phil knows the REAL one is Foolish and Tina finding each other in every universe (affectionate).

Something something Foolish totem something something Phil refusing to use totems when he's home in Hardcore. Is this anything. Someone cook for me I'm too stupid.

Phil is never gonna understand when or how Foolish became "King of the Capys" or why they chose him specifically. He assumes Foolish just hung out with them the most or something.

He barely got to know Vegetta but he just KNOWS he was Foolish's type. Which is wild bc prior to getting government assigned spouses, Phil didn't even think Foolish was fruity. Somehow. Looking back, it actually kinda makes sense to him. From what little he knew of Foolish before QI.

Inversely, Foolish was absolutely STUNNED to know Phil is some flavor of poly let alone fruity at all. Which is hilarious bc Phil is too tunnel-visioned on other things to try hiding that fact. But no, shark man beyond baffled that Phil lowkey adjusted to having a government assigned husband almost instantly. AND became possessive of said husband over time.

[seeker-ophelia]

Nothing in any lore connects my people to the Old God Dragons who became Archdemons.

Spoilers below, you've been warned, heads up, #Long Post

In the rotunda with Solas, you have the options to ask him some questions about Corypheus.

Inky: Tell me about his orb. I would like to know more about the orb he carries. As I said, that must be the means by which he created the breach. I suspect the blast that destroyed the conclave was more accident than anything. The result of unlocking power that had sought release for ages. What I cannot understand is how he managed to survive such an explosion. Inky: (Is the orb Elvhen) You said you believed that the orb is Elvhen? *Solas in the most snooty, condescending tone: I never would have believed a Tevinter mage could unlock such a powerful Relic. It clearly enhances his abilities, giving him access to power he should never have known. Inky: Like the power to control the archdemon? Indirectly, one assumes. Nothing in any lore connects my people (Ancient Elvhen) to the Old God Dragons who became Archdemons.

What? Why wouldn’t it? You got 7 Evanuris (+ Mythal), 7 Old Gods. People wernt stupid. Why wouldn’t you make a connection? THEY ALREADY MADE THE CONENCITON IN THE ASTRARIUMS.

And he doesn't say THERE ISNT or THERES NO CONNECTION… he says NOTHING IN ANY LORE… Did he scrub the lore?

Why would he? To prevent others from trying to ascend to godhood like he had?

Nothing in any lore connects my people (Ancient Elvhen) to the Old God Dragons who became Archdemons.

Sidebar: Im super mad at how a Dalish Inky DOESN’T question him more about this. Who are HIS people? We know at this point Solas does not consider himself Dalish. But he’s not a city elf. So what is he? WHY doesn’t the Inquisitor, especially a DALISH Inquisitor, ask him more about this? It makes me big mad.

And as of the leak today,

We absolutely 100% know that, if the Old Gods were not 100% The Evanuris, they are at last a third the Evanuris.

(OP why you making me do math, why a third? Why not half?)

Lets rewind.

Long ago, when time itself was young, the only things in existence were the sun and the land. The sun, curious about the land, bowed his head close to her body, and Elgar'nan was born in the place where they touched. As a gift to Elgar'nan, the land brought forth great birds and beasts of sky and forest, and all manner of wonderful green things. —From Codex entry: Elgar'nan: God of Vengeance

Lets take this to mean, not the literal birth of the man, but the creation of a God. The Sun bowed his neck (like a dragon neck), to touch the land (like a titan), and the first God was born.

Interesting Thing 1) He just called his clan leader a keeper. But a Keeper is the mage leader of a Dalish clan. We assume this is a dwarf because we find it in the Deep Roads, but this might be an elf. An elf who's whole clan was decimated and is going to join the Qun.

Codex entry: Torn Notebook in the Deep Roads, Section 2 Many of these pages are filled with sketches of elven statues matching the ones found in the area, along with notes and what look like attempts to practice Qunlat: They say the agents of Fen'Harel caused trouble in the Crossroads. I wish I knew. I wish whoever fights in the name of the old wolf was around to fight when the darkspawn took my clan. Mine is not to question. I have chosen the Qun. The Qun will protect me. Rethost: You all protect Rethadim: They all protect Rethsaam: We all protect These statues are older than anything I saw in my days with the clan. The area's dwarven, though. What were the ancient elves doing down here? Mining? Where were the dwarves? Easier to have them mine it. Not a trading post. You don't go into a friend's home, knock over their gods, and put up your own. War? I don't remember any legends about our people fighting the dwarves. Though I remember my Keeper telling a story about how the dwarves fear the sun because of Elgar'nan's fire. A metaphor for the elves of Arlathan driving the dwarves underground? The Qunari like metaphors. I should share that.

Interesting Thing 2) the dwarves fear the sun because of Elgar'nan's fire.

Codex entry: Dwarven Inscriptions: Hissing Wastes Fairel, Paragon, fled from the strife his brilliance created, the strife that destroyed thaigs, sundered houses, from weapons that clan used against clan. His own clan and his two sons followed Fairel to the pitiless surface, the surface where they would hide from the war that took their home.

"Oh yeah, I remember that. Fuck I hated the Hissing Wastes."

Codex entry: A Journal on Dwarven Ruins (Excerpt) … The statues here were chiseled thousands of years ago, I'm sure of it. … The writing talks about "the sad parting from the Stone." … … It's a Paragon. The man who lead the people here, who built this city, was master smith Paragon Fairel…. ... I was tracing heraldry etched on a wall when I noticed pictures of weapons with winged lizards worked into the decoration. I spent the rest of the day translating the inscriptions. This verse was apparently passed down through Fairel's house, through his father to his father's father and so on for hundred of generations: "From the Stone, have no fear of anything, but the stone-less sky betrays with wings of flame. If the surface must be breached, if there is no other way, bring weapons against the urtok, and heed their screams." "Urtok" means "dragon." Why was it part of an ancient crest? Why were these dwarves so worried about a monster they'd never see that they worked it into their weapons? This place becomes more impossible each day.

Lets Assume then, that the Elgar’nan’s fire, is Urtok fire. Dragon fire. That’s the Sun. It’s the Sun in dwarven legend, AND, it’s the sun in Elgar’dad’s story.

OK. We got Dragon and Titan.

Sun and Stone.

Sun + Stone + Elf/Mage = God?

Blue and Yellow?

Remember the Flemyth/Kieran Scene. (In my headcannon, these are called Navi-bitches)

We KNOW with 100% certainty that Urthemiel is a blue navi-bitch.

I think it is safe to say that all of the Dragon Navi’s are blue because of the last Flemythal scene in DA:I. A blue wisp goes through the mirror (Urthemiel we assume?) and another blue navi-bitch goes from Flemyth to Solas, effectively killing Flemyth.

So let’s assume ALL dragon Navi-souls are blue.

Blue and Gold waves (probably magic). – with the 8 pointed star (right elf) in light green, and the "sun" in red (center).

(I think its safe to assume now the center red sun is either a red lyrium grove or blighted lyrium)

The Gold Titan heart, with Anruils spear.

Only thing I cant figure is why the 8 pointed star in the gold elfs arms is green.

Its not blue, its not gold anymore.

And Corypheus’s orb is red:  (maybe because it got infected with red lyrium/the blight?)

OUR Mark (The Inquisitors Hand) is Green… so maybe when a Titan heart is taken out of the mountain it turns green?

Looks like Corypheus tried to overpower the orb and that’s why it fucked him in the face?

See green and green? And Corypiss is red.

“Dumat! Ancient Ones! I beseech you! If you exist, if you ever truly existed, aid me now!”

And the orb smack-fucks Corypants in the FACE. Get fucked scrub we don’t like your tainted power.

And the orb is green again.

Are ALL orbs green? Or only THIS one?

I mean, basic colour theory tells us that blue and yellow make green, but we already know the old gods were separated from their orbs because of Kierans blue Navi-bitch.

What happened to the rest of them? What happened to the rest of the Blue Dragon Navi’s? Does putting them into a warden and then killing the warden actually kill the blue spirit?

This is a screenshot from Varrics voiceover (Spoiler Alert).

Looks like an orb to me.

And she’s gold. Maybe slightly green.

SO, where does all of this lead.

Five Gold semicircles missing - 5 Blights. 5 Archdemons. 5 Old Gods. 5 of the Evanuris. But we KNOW their Navi's were blue. Why use Gold? [To erase the Elf-Dragon aspect, Solas you sly fox?]

And where are they now?

We can assume Morrigan has a Dragon-Navi. Solas has a Dragon-Navi. That still leaves 3 or 4 (if Solas has Mythals Navi or a different Old God Navi).

... It really really bothers me that the star outside of the titan is green.

“Emerald water of the Fade”? Is it because the fade itself whenever we’ve gone in it is green-ish? Is the Fade just green? Is magic green?

Fuck it lets go full circle.

Nothing in any lore connects my people to the Old God Dragons who became Archdemons.

Ok Solas. Why?

Solas painted the Trespasser Frescos. He catalogued the evidence of the Evanuris Sundering Titans.

WHY?

Why “remember” the killing of the Titans and NOT that the Old Gods were the Evanuris?

He wanted the Evanuris gone because he wanted to free the elves from the tyranny of the Evanuris (I’m assuming they were using slaves for blood magic-that’s another lore rant). He was angry that they “killed” Mythal.

Solas wants Him freeing slaves, and Him removing vallaslin, remembered. He wants his creation of the veil to be remembered, but he doesn’t want anyone to know the Old Gods = Locked up Evanuris Navi’s.

WHY?

Why show people essentially how to become gods, sundering titans, but ignore the dragon part?

Honestly I don’t know at this point my brain hurts. And I have so many questions now.

Where are the rest of the Evanuris?

Where my Shadow Twins at?

Looking way more likely now that Ghilly is actually Anduil-Ghilly Hybrid, w/ a bit of parasitic-twin-syndrome going on.

Sylaise and June? I have so many questions for you, we didn’t even get to meet you.

WHERE ARE YOU?

Yavana is an infamous Antivan (biiitch we're going there in DATV) Witch of the Wilds known as the "Beast of the Tellari swamps".

Yavana Quotes:

"The blood of dragons is the blood of the world."

(to Alistair) Your heart beats with the old blood, as well. Where do you think it comes from? It sings of a time when dragons ruled the skies. A time before the Veil, before the mysteries were forgotten. Can you hear it?"

Alistair: "You and Morrigan and Flemeth...all you do is manipulate and lie."

Yavana: "That is our craft, but not our purpose. Mankind destroys without understanding, yet I preserve."

Yavana, my girl. Hunny. Girlboss. What are you preserving sweetie? And WHERE ARE THEY NOW THAT ALISTAIR KILLED YOU? WHO HAS THE NAVI’S, YAVANA??

And WHY is it so damn important for SOLAS Mythal to stop the rest of the world from figuring it out?

[tora-the-cat]

How would you have preferred Inner Sakura as a concept to have resolved? Honestly, I think no matter what the idea, it would've been so much more impactful than just having her quietly drop off like she did in canon!

I always kinda assumed that, canonically, Sakura came to grips with her inner self the same way Naruto did in the "Waterfall of Truth", except it took place off-screen in her brain somewhere. Though the DID/Ino Mind-Transfer Shenanigans is waaaaayyyyyy more interesting a thought, in my humble opinion. Maybe Ino even helping Inner Sakura and Outer Sakura compromise and live together in one body? The possibilities...

Speaking of Inner Selves, wouldn't it be kinda funny if Kabuto also had one too given his hefty identity issues? Maybe for his sake it's better if he didn't, because his brain would be like a bumpin' nightclub lmao😅

(Also, please feel free to speak on this matter as much as you'd like! I love reading through your posts while I'm drinking my coffee! :>)

Okay. Okay. So. There are like....several answers to these questions lmao.

CANNONICALLY, Inner was resolved in the most annoying way possible. Sakura never referances having an 'inner self' in shippuden (to my memory), but she does say that training with Tsunade helped her work through her 'emotional issues'. I've always taken this as implying that the INTENDED reading is that Inner was just an inner diolouge Sakura had with herself of all the thoughts and emotions she repressed due to social pressure, and Inner is gone post time-skip because Sakura doesn't repress those anymore, she punches mountains in half. No longer having Inner is supposed to symbolize character growth.

But this, of course, would ALMOST make sense, were it not for. Ino Yamanaka. Who, after doing the mind transfer jutsu in the premils, confirms something that most viewers weren't even really considering until that point; Inner is NOT a personified inner diolouge in Sakura. She's a seperate mind. She is another soul INSIDE Sakura's body that operates even without Sakura's input.

And girls have to be strong to survive.

SO. That said. My read on cannon is that Sakura realized Inner wasn't normal and basically locked her in a mental box in the back of her brain for the rest of her life and refuses to think about her, because she's worried that Tsunade wouldn't see her as a worthy student if she was Crazy (because she thinks. she's Crazy). I don't think she had a waterfall of truth moment, cause that would require Sakura THINKING about Inner, which she. does not want to do.

As far as how I would have PREFERRED Inner Sakura being handled?

Kishimoto could, tomorrow, wake up and write a chapter of Boruto with my propisition that Inner is in a box and, once let free, would kind of just chill while Sakura lost her shit, and have a little side arc where Sakura works through that and DOES reconcile with Inner and stuff. He never WILL do that, but, yeah, I think that would work fine enough for finally tying off the 20 year old loose thread of Inner's disappearance. They've resolved stupider shit for less in Boruto.

This may be a surprising take from me but, honestly, I don't hate 'sakura realizes inner is real and immediately banishes her to the darkest corner of her mind so she never has to actually confront her existance'. I think that's ETREMELY in character for miss 'will DIE if she takes responsibility for ANY action EVER', especially at 14 years old. If I could rewrite naruto JUST to sneak Inner more neatly into it, I think I would still have Sakura box her away during the timeskip, with the caveat that we would like....actually get a vauge flashback scene of her actually repressing Inner just after she starts her training with Tsunade, and occasionally Sakura would say and/or think something a little weird that just gently reminds you that Inner is a thing, every once in a while- kinda like what little we see of Gaara before he looses shukaku but after him and naruto become friends. We would only get the Inner release/full reveal of what's going on with Sakura after she's hit an emotional breaking point and needs to let Inner out to help her regulate her emotions- I'm thinking around the time she does the whole fake confession scene with Naruto, but if we wanna give the plot point some breathing room it could just be an emotional spike as sharp and sudden of her hearing one too many people talk shit about Sasuke WITHOUT getting hit, or Ino daring to ask 'hey. what happened to the second soul in your body? how's she doing?' and Sakura trying desprately to change the subject because she has been NOT THINKING ABOUT IT for like 3 years thank you VERY much.

Honestly, I'd settle for Inner just continuing to be a running joke. Sakura fighting with her internally now that she has the confidence to ALSO be loud and angry, Inner having more emotional intelligence and transparency and Sakura never listening to her cause she's still in denial about Inner being a Person with anything worth listening to. Sakura thinking she's SO normal even though she's been muttering to herself about how she does NOT want to kick Ino's ass (Inner does. a lot) on and off for like 3 hours. Things of this nature. I think a lot of this is repeating what I've said about already so I'll stop here but like....I love you forever inner sakura they can NEVER make me hate you inner sakura <3

As far as what I think Inner 'is': it being a training mishap where Ino accidently split Sakura's soul in half as kids is SO much fun and especially has some steller InoSaku potential, but I personally just....Like the idea of sakura just. being like that lmao. I usually write it as Sakura being born a twin and Inner being her stillborn twin sister who's soul went into Sakura cause it had no where else to go (it's a LITTLE more complicated then that cause I think about her. a lot. but basically). Sakura WAS just born this way!!!! NORMALEST GIRL EVER!!!

On a similar note; I don't really EVER write Inner as a DID alter, because DID is like....real. DID manifests (to my understanding, I'm obviously not a doctor or anything) when a child is in such traumatizing circumstances during their developmental years that they dissociate frequently enough to fracture their psyche into different conciousness, so they can compartmentalize their trauma and remain a mostly-functioning person. You almost always have more then one alter, and often (without therapy) can't clearly draw the lines between 'you' and your alters cause. well. the point is that you're so chronically disocciated that you have trouble being 'all there' in the first place. LOTS of people have DID and don't recognize that's what it is for a long ass while, cause they think it's as simple as, like, that one stupid shamalan movie.

Canon Sakura almost CERTAINLY does not have DID, unless she went through some SHIT that was never even mentioned in cannon- which, to be fair, WOULD map on to DID because. she would NOT remember it lmao that's probably what Inner is FOR. But, for the story that Naruto is and the character that Sakura is, it doesn't really read. Sakura's supposed to be an insanely driven girl who drags herself from the mediocrity of her civilian upbringing to be the second coming of Tsunade, so, for all that you can read into and joke about Inner's existance and Sakura's low empathy generally and how Sakura seems concerningly releived that her parents are dead in RTN (all of which I LOVE doing), in order for her to work as a character she can't have too much of a tragic backstory in canon. Outside of canon is another matter of course, but idk. you can write an interesting plurality dynamic without calling it DID, especially in a world of ninja magic bullshit.

ON THAT NOTE THOUGH. Yeah. Kabuto has DID <3 <3 <3 LOOK AT HIM. LISTEN TO HIM TALK. ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME. YOU ARE RIGHT. HIS BRAIN IS BUMPING LIKE A NIGHTCLUB. AND HE IS NOT INVITED TO THE PARTY!!!!!

[radioactivepeasant]

Snippets: Free Day Friday

Aka "you've ruined a perfectly good Damas is what you did. Look at him, he's got anxiety"

(For context, I gave Damas a backstory of being last in line for Haven's throne, but also Last Man Standing. This had something to do with Praxis hating "the default king". Long post warning, it's a whole one-shot again)

At some point in his life, the Precursors had decided that Damas was their least favorite Maridius. Any time something went well for him, it had to be immediately balanced by something awful.

He found acceptance and camaraderie that he never had from his elder brothers among the Forward Guard in the war.

And then Menelaus and Nicostratus died stupid, pointless deaths trying to seize glory, leaving Damas the sole focus of his parents' hopes.

He found an escape from the pressures in running the numbers, working out which districts needed food more than soldiers, and which districts needed more protection than most.

And then Father died and Mother shut herself in a convent, no longer interested in anything to do with her disappointing youngest son.

He actually had support from people for focusing on them and not the nest-

And his eldest brother's childhood friend literally stabbed him in the back and left him to die in the desert.

For a time, he'd assumed things would never get better. That the Precursors were tired of reeling him in and out like a fish on the line. But the hook pulled once more and he found himself using the skills he'd learned from the guards who raised him, joining a rebellion against a tyrant and defeating him against the odds.

And then the Precursors let him have ten good years. They let him find love, and family. They let him become a father. And then they ripped it all away in the cruelest way possible.

Damas knew it was foolish to hope that Mar was alive. He knew Phobos had been right to move on from him -- from them -- and throw herself into operating the orphan barracks of the Cliffside district. But he couldn't let go yet.

So he'd endured. Two bitter years he'd endured. And when he found that scrap of a boy in the desert, only to watch him outdo warriors twice his age, he'd thought maybe things were getting better.

Jak was...hard to define. The kid had seen more combat than some of his most experienced scouts. He carried scars on par with the surviving child-soldiers of Atys's reign. And while he shared their distrust of authority in general, he had none of their understanding of ranks and rulers. He just...treated everyone like they were his equal.

And after the kinds of things he must have experienced in his short life, Jak probably had every right to consider himself the equal of any senior Wastelander.

And for a moment, Damas had foolishly let himself hope that the Precursors could leave well enough alone. That they'd just...let him have this-!

Annnnd then Jak had to go and break the one rule. The one law Damas had given him.

Do not compromise the Arena.

Six other candidates had been doing their third trial against the Leucas Freebooters in that Arena. Six other candidates whose results had to be thrown out, who had to wait for full citizenship, because Jak refused to fight, and Sig had decided to waltz into a trial without checking to see what the purpose of the trial was!

Damas was either going to lose his mind, or go fully rogue and declare war on the Precursors. He couldn't discount either option yet.

Deep breaths, Damas. Deep breaths.

Jak knew not to mess with the purity of the Arena. He knew that, didn't he? He couldn't have gotten this far without understanding how important it was to keep the trial balanced for all candidates! He had to have known the consequences for not only compromising the others' trials and putting them at risk of the Freebooters getting the upper hand on them, but open mutiny-!

He wanted to shake sense into the boy. Maybe smack him upside the head and hope it jarred his common sense loose. But he wasn't likely to get that chance.

Even if Sig had caused this, he had all three amulets. Jak only had two. Those two protected him from a lot, but not public mutiny. A challenge in private Damas could have handled.

He knew Jak -- he thought he knew Jak -- enough to make him understand whatever instruction or decision he had a problem with. He knew how to phrase things to make it sound like all Jak had done was ask for clarification.

He couldn't cover this one up. Not with this many witnesses.

Damas knew the name of the creature thrashing beneath his ribs. Terror.

It clawed at his lungs, coiled around them until he couldn't breathe. Kicked at his heart until he felt every beat like a hammer.

I can't lose him too. I won't lose him too!

He didn't know when, exactly, things had changed between them. Was it before he'd admitted that he'd never had a father to teach him- well, anything? Was it before his second trial, when Phobos had pointedly compared the boy to her own students? Was it her less than subtle hinting that he find his closure in helping the boy he'd dragged out of the mouth of death?

Did it even matter?

You've taken enough from me! You can't have him, too!

It was depressingly easy to mask fear with anger. He had been doing it all his life.

In hindsight, so had Jak.

Damas wondered later if that was why the boy didn't seem afraid. He glared at Damas the whole time, but in those eyes was a challenge: I see through you. You don't fool me.

Damas hoped no one else saw through him.

"What have you done?" he demanded, slamming the butt of his staff onto the stone with a ringing clang.

"One of those Freebooters could have shot you in the head -- shot your comrades -- because you threw down your gun! You placed yourself and them in danger!"

I stopped the trial because of you! Do you not grasp how serious this is?!

"Freebooters?!" Sig exclaimed in surprise before cutting himself off.

"And you, you're a veteran of the Arena! You have no excuse for this!" Damas snarled.

He knew he was going to have to set a punishment. If he didn't, the legislative council would. And he knew which of the two offenders they would favor.

"I shouldn't have to tell you the penalty for sabotaging citizenship trials!"

Sig risked a glance at Jak, then set his jaw.

"You're right," he said in a voice as artificially calm as Damas’s was artificially angry. "I don't have an excuse. I take full responsibility. Don't put this on Jak. He didn't know I'd be there."

Interesting. Sig was trying to protect Jak.

But in doing so, he was trying to force Damas into an impossible decision. One that would haunt him the rest of his life if he carried out the known sentence. After everything Sig had done for him, exile felt like blasphemy.

Damas clearly wasn't the only Spargan who thought so.

"Sire, think about this!" One of the Arena guards set foot on the pathway as if he intended to join the offenders.

"It can't end this way, it can't! Sig is one of us!"

One of his comrades, emboldened by his courage, joined him.

"He just came home from assignment!"

"Stop," Sig warned them, but was ignored.

"Lord Damas, Sig’s served faithfully as your spy in Haven two years! Surely it's not that surprising that he might forget to check a roster!"

"Char is right!" The first guard cried, "It's the newcomer who deserves no mercy!"

You'd better shut your mouth-

Damas knew they were just standing up for a fellow Spargan. He knew that if Jak had all three amulets, they'd be rallying on his behalf, too. But it rankled to see them turn on the boy so quickly.

"Sire, if anyone must be cast into the desert, it's him!" Rikard pointed a shaking finger at Jak.

The words were out before Damas had time to plan his next move.

"Absolutely not! I'm not letting him off that easy!"

Oh rot. He had to follow that up with something.

Think, Damas! Use your shiny, spiny, head for once and think like Obed taught you!

He thought of the old captain of the Krimzon Guard -- when that had meant something, when only the king’s honor guard wore those tattoos -- the man who had raised him when his own family hadn't been interested in such a weak channeler.

There's always another way, whelp."

Then you tell me, Obed! I don't know what to do!

He reached for that memory desperately.

*Sometimes, you face your enemy head-on. And sometimes, you wait until you see a weakness. A loophole."

"You're talking about my brothers again."

"Now, did I say that? Clean the gunpowder out of your ears, whelp, before you get me in trouble!"

A loophole. I can do that. I can still save them-!

Damas sucked in a calming breath through his teeth.

"You do make a point about Sig’s record of service. I would not be king if I did not try to keep you all alive."

Let this work, please, Obed, if you're still watching over me, let this work.

"This once, I will give you the opportunity to salvage this. In your absence, metalpedes have settled in Turquoise Canyon and begun harassing our artificact carriers."

He leaned on his staff and hoped no one saw the tension in his jaw for what it really was: fear.

"I want you to drive into the heart of the nest and take out anything that moves."

He turned on his heel to send a hard stare Jak's way.

"Unlike Sig, you get a choice right now: stay here and forfeit your second amulet, or go with Sig and repay the damage you did today with something that benefits your community."

He prayed Jak could hear the emptiness of his threat. That he would know what Damas needed him to do.

Jak was not technology-friendly. Anything that required precision or aiming was more likely to be used as a blunt force weapon. But put him on a turret gun and the boy was a prodigy. If he went with Sig, the odds of them both surviving skyrocketed.

Jak's glare melted into something uncertain, even a little fearful. He was weighing his options. Good. That would sell the act more to the guards -- who were, like all watchmen, incurable gossips.

Damas saw the moment the light clicked on for Jak. He knew that glint.

Jak nudged Daxter, almost too quickly to be seen, and Daxter nodded. To anyone else, it would seem he was responding to Jak.

Damas knew that Daxter was answering him on Jak’s behalf.

Message received.

"I'm not gonna let you send Sig in there alone."

Damas almost smiled. Defiant to the last. Never change, Jak. Unless it's to learn some common sense-!

"Then perhaps something good can come of this debacle. But understand this, boy: coming back from destroying that nest does not mean this discussion is over. I expect you to turn over your gate pass when you return. You're off scouting for three weeks."

"You're grounding us?!" Daxter shrieked.

"Keep talking, I'll make it a full month."

That one wasn't an empty threat. If he'd thought it would keep Jak out of harm's way, he'd keep him off missions indefinitely!

"We're going," Sig said quickly, and grabbed Jak by the arm before he could protest.

"I'd say good luck," Damas said dryly, "But then, luck won't help you."

which is why I'm sending Jak.

The second the elevator was out of sight, Damas dropped into his throne with the most long-suffering, exasperated groan he'd ever made.

"Someone tell me this is a dream and I'm actually dying of boredom in a financial meeting right now," he said sarcastically.

When no such reassurance arrived from the guards, he dropped his head into his hands with another irritated sound.

In the silence that followed, even over the water wheel they both heard him mutter,

"What am I going to do with that boy?"

Rikard was...not a bad guard. He did his job, and he stuck by his comrades. But he had a big mouth sometimes.

"You...favor the newcomer then? Is it his age?"

Damas aimed a tired glare at him over his fingers.

"Boy, if I told you some of the things I did at his age...."

He groaned again.

"This is boundary-testing. I've seen worse. Rot, I've been worse!"

Silence enveloped them again as the two guards stared at Damas, and Damas stared back. He hadn't meant it to come out like that. After several seconds of owlish blinking back and forth, he said simply,

"Crap. I think I adopted him."

Char turned her head quickly to hide the fact that she was trying very hard not to laugh at the king’s slightly stunned expression.

"Do you...think this will be an adequate lesson?"

Rikard winced. At least he knew he was questioning Damas’s choices in parenting. Er, ruling.

"The nest? Perhaps. It's the confinement that's going to get him." Damas snorted. "You know how Wastelanders are about adrenaline. You ground a kid like that? End of the world."

Mar was exactly the same. Gods, if he's as stubborn as Jak at that age, I'm done for. Might as well write the epitaph now: "died of a heart-attack from idiot sons doing idiot stunts".

"As long as he doesn't set anything on fire in the Arena, sounds good to me," said Char, raising her hands in mock surrender. "Are we clear to return to our posts?"

"Can't set things on fire if I don't let him get two yards away from me, right?" Damas grumbled, but he waved a hand in dismissal.

Once alone, Damas dragged his fingers down his face and muffled a scream in his palm. He was going to get Sig for this. Babysitting. Indefinitely. Or maybe make him handle Arena trials for a while, let him feel that stress! And Jak? Jak was grounded. So, so very grounded. If he had to make Jak sit through meetings with him in the throne room to get it through his head, then so be it. No stunts, no racing, no "the Precursors made me do it" nonsense.

Briefly, he glanced up at the statue of the Oracle in his throne room. Gaudy thing, but it did house a lot of parts of the water wheel.

Damas flipped it off.

[dracocheesecake]

Wondla Theory: Infected Redimus

Redimus is asymptomatic of the Vitae Virus- or it infected him at some point, but he somehow "recovered" and so didn't get the cool powers Eva did- but he was still mutated, to a far lesser extent.

How so?- Let's see:

Redimus is far more empathetic than most of his people, to the point that he cannot kill prey for sport like the rest of his kind. Even Rovender and Antiquus find that somewhat shocking behavior for a Dorcean, and it's not too far out to assume that other races might find the idea shocking as well:

In fact, Redimus was so empathetic towards his prey that his own father labeled him as a disgrace and an embarrassment to the entirety of their people:

Judging from this text, I don't think Reddie's dad was just entirely exaggerating: Redimus actively paused to consider the motivations of this extremely dangerous animal he was supposed to kill- instead of callously doing what needed to be done- and that moment of empathy cost his eye, but he doesn't even seem to be bitter about it. He understood that it was just trying to survive. We can assume that this wasn't the only time that he hesitated to act in such a manner.

He even considered his brother a monster for killing for sport, and himself even worse for what he did in the menagerie- Besteel (and maybe any other Dorcean) would have felt no such shame or horror- but Redimus did, and sought forgiveness for his actions.

There's even a few hints that Redimus has some of the ability- the "feeling really hard" that Eva described. Look here:

"Oooh but those are just his naturally sharp Dorcean senses!"

Is that so? We know Dorceans can sense heat, that they have a good sense of smell, maybe even sharp hearing- but not that sharp. Now, this could be a bit of a reach- but Redimus is able to sense things others cannot- he can read people and animals well.

...Maybe something about Eva felt familiar to him?

Besteel may not have felt it just because he was wild and reckless...or maybe because he didn't have the ability to. He would have been more careful, otherwise (but then again, this is the same guy who somehow nabbed a giant sandsniper, who did a bunch of other stupid stuff just to have a chance at getting Eva, so who knows?).

And here's another kicker:

Concept art of Eva Nine:

"Leaf symbol of peace tattooed on forehead"

...Look at Redimus' forehead:

Where did Redimus say he grew up?

"The forest north of Lake Concors. The woods there are wild and untamed, full of beasts unlike any you will ever see."

You mean like the Heart of the Forest? Full of strange, new beings no one can imagine?!! Because of the Vitae Virus generator mutating everything?!!

Alright, again, that part could be a bit of a stretch, because it's not that north of Lake Concors, but this is the Wandering Forest, and this is just a fun theory so bear with me a bit: obviously because of The Mother they weren't born/raised there, there- but probably close enough to it to matter. Close enough to it for it to have some sort of effect, for the virus to spread.

Perhaps even to infect a young Dorcean? If it could somewhat infect Eva Nine when she was still an embryo, is it all that improbable to believe that the virus has infected much of the water supply throughout the forest? Or maybe it was even being carried by some of those creatures that Redimus' family were hunting and eating. Redimus, for whatever reason, was just more susceptible- but not enough for it to change him in a major way. He hasn't been "purified", but only partially mutated- enough for him to have a heaping helping of empathy.

And that's my crack theory that I came up with with only a scrap of supporting evidence to stretch paper thin over an expansive imagination.

Mind you I've barely read the books yet so bare with me a bit.

[imaginesbymonika]

“Shame” (Part 6)

A Pedro Pascal x fem!Reader fan fiction

Plot: For the last four years, y/n and Pedro have been dating in secret. The fear of rejection has turned them into a mystery that could only be encountered in yearning looks on red carpets or hands that are touching one another briefly. However, for the longest time, things have been working out that way just fine. But now Pedro's agency wants him to have a PR relationship with another woman and neither y/n nor Pedro is sure if their love is going to survive that.

Warnings: none other than sadness

A/N: you guuuyssss!! hi!!! i was gone for so long (?) i was really busy with university and life, but yeah, im back, i guess <3

Masterlist

Y/N stares at the front door. Her y/e/ced eyes move up and down the black wood until she believes that she must know everything about it. That no one in this world could possibly know more about this one door. She could be wearing a blindfold and be presented with countless different doors- but she would still be able to distinguish between them.

The woman chuckles softly and shuts her eyes. If someone would be able to read her mind, they would most likely assume that she was going crazy. And maybe they were right, maybe she was losing her mind.

After the award show, Y/N immediately hurried home. She informed everyone, that she has to walk the dog. Which is… assumably the most overused excuse in the entire galaxy, and also really stupid considering how she doesn't even have a dog. And also everyone knows that. However, she didn't give anyone any time to think about her words or ask any follow-up questions. As soon as the curtains closed, she rushed out of the venue.

And now she was waiting. For Pedro, of course. For their fight, which was inevitable at this point. Her phone vibrates and when Y/N turns it around she sees that her manager has texted her. "Matthew Gray Gubler reached out to me, apparently he wants your number. Do you know anything about this?" Y/N sighs and tosses the phone across the brown leather couch. She could deal with all of that later, right now the only thing that mattered was Pedro.

She wonders if he is on his way home right now. He hasn't texted or tried to call her yet, so maybe he is at the after-show party. Or maybe, just maybe he went home with his new girlfriend. Y/N wouldn't be surprised if he did. Who would desire to fight for something that seems damaged beyond measure? The actress waits for the typical pain in her chest that always followed her train of thought.

One time Y/N thought that she was experiencing a full-on heart attack. She was sitting at the breakfast table, right next to Pedro who was reading the Times in peace. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a little black and white picture of Melissa, with some text underneath it calling her "the new It-Girl". Suddenly, this unbelievably powerful and painful feeling hit her like lightning. She blinked a few times and swallowed thickly. But she didn't say anything. Perhaps at that moment, she was silently hoping for one, but it didn't happen. Instead, she just reached for the milk.

Y/N lifts her head when she hears the keys in the door. She remembers when they picked out the door. She was the one who wanted a wooden door, while Pedro on the other hand said that he was a big fan of metal doors. Merely because they are able to withhold much more than wood. "You know, I just want us to be safe.", he had told her. Back then it made her heart feel light, now it just makes her want to gag.

The keys turn and a few seconds later, Pedro stands in front of her. "We have to talk."

[moongazeonastarfillednight]

Been reading the Franklin Conspiracy again because I had some times on my hand and I had never gone past the first third of it... I just couldn't get past this passage because it was so ludicrous.

Like what do you mean "wondering what autopsied John Hartnell" 🙃

But also this about James Clark Ross.

"hOw diD hE KnOw?!!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?"😂

And I'm reminded how easy it is to make up a conspiracy:

(Warning, the rest of this post is just me going on about how stupid this book is...

TL:DR, it IS stupid and I think the author was a coward for never actually saying the A-word when that's clearly what he wanted to say)

1. Ignore that time is linear (like... excuse me 😂 how was my man JCR supposed to know that this was were Franklin would go? More like... the cairn was visited BECAUSE the expedition knew it was there... not the other way around. What?

Also, maybe he stopped there and went no further because he was running out of supplies or because it looked like the end of the western shore and not more land to explore and not because... aliens?)

2. Set yourself on one hypothesis and never consider anything else (like... he keeps asking why they hadn't gone to KWI in the first search... and I could come up with a hypothesis that did not involve aliens so easily: how about they thought that Franklin would have attempted to go further west and not go toward known land. He was there to explore, after all...

Also, why would he wonder why so many people searched around the Boothia Pen when he himself keep bringing back the Fury Beach stores?)

3. Ignore what we know of physics (that whole chapter about pretending that sundogs and aurora borealis are something else than light refraction...????)

4. Ask questions and not think to hard about the answer (The whole accusation that JCR had purposefully made the search slower by using man-hauling sledges instead of dogs... my bro... even if he used dogs in 1830 for his first go at KWI, those were not his Uncle's dogs... they were purchased from the Inuits... bold to assume that after 3 recorded hard winters the Inuit would have dogs to spare...) or (asking why the bones were cut off and skulls had holes in them... man, I sure don't know what you think your butcher does but you do know that you need to make cuts to get meat, right? Also that brain is edible?)

5. Making a point and omitting details (he goes at great lengths about how "convenient" it was that JCR and Abernethy were in the Arctic together for the wreck of the Fury (which, of course, was caused by aliens) and the trip to Victory Point and what they saw there was the reason why JCR and Parry refused to lead the expedition... but Crozier was also part of the voyage that wrecked the Fury AND was a notable close confident to Ross... why would Ross not discourage his friend from going if there was something too terrible to go back and why would Crozier not have been aware from his own experience? Blanky was also on Ross's sledge party to Victory Point. Surely, he knew.

Also, lmao... if Ross somehow did not want the "truth" to come out and that's why he sabotaged his rescue mission... and if the Admiralty knew also, why did they even sent someone else out there?

Also, you'd think that hundred of seaman having been around on the Parry and Ross voyages in around the Boothia Pen. would also have something to talk about for the newspapers to catch on fire with when the news of Franklin was the talk of London...)

6. Just going around like a compass in the arctic circle (In one chapter, John Ross is the only one who wishes to TRULY save Franklin and the next he is in on the conspiracy)

7. Making it so much more complicated than it needed to be (If JC Ross floundered his mission by getting rid of the evidence... would it have not been all the way easier to "hide" whatever by forging evidence? Such as... "oh, look! I found one of those cannisters we were looking for! They say the ships were crushed by ice and only a few men survived without having been able so save much supplies two winters ago! Well, I guess they couldn't have survived so far north! That settles it!" Instead of, idk... hiding evidences that would just make people go on more and more and more search expeditions)

8. ... never actually naming what he thinks happened. It's always like... "historians think this... but this would only be so IF what So-and-so said was true!" Ok... genius, what do you think happened? Say it, coward, say the A-word.

And FURTHERMORE... why would this guy keep pestering JCR for not exploring KWI more on his third Parry voyage (the one where they had to survive a bad winter with little ressource on 1 ship and hope for the best and there wasn't that much time or extra men power to spare when it was an unending crisis?) Or after John Ross abandonned the Victory (see same reason above also, they were starving?!) Or going on about how the Admiralty should have heeded the Native's words about Boothia being a peninsula only to just call in question every stories they had about the Franklin Expedition? Brother, your hyprocrisy is showing.

ALSO! Somehow there was X-files level of bs going on in the Arctic from John Ross' first voyage in 1818, up until 1848, and it all ceased to be noticeable when hundred of people just went on their merry way to pick up bones and buttons?

ALSO! Somehow we're at once praising the Inuit's knowledge of their land, dismissing their stories of Franklins AND never questionning why none of their oral tradition ever mentioned visitors from the sky 🙄 guess the little green men only make themselves known when white men are fresh for the picking.

ANYWAY. It's a... book, I suppose... fun enough get a summary of all the search expeditions that went on but! I think my doctor would object to what it did to my blood pressure 😂😂

Only part I found interesting was the dates analysis and review of the added note about going to Back River on the Victory Point Note. That was a refreshing view on the thing because I also agree that the plan to go to Back River was insane but it's just another interpretation of the document and looking at how much the guy jumped to conclusion (or dug his one trenches just to be able to jump) I think it be more prudent for me to research that third ink story than start taking it as fact 😂

[broodwolf221]

People keep insisting that Solas ‘killed Flemeth/Mythal’ in that last scene but I don’t know if that’s actually true? I feel like what happened in that scene was more ambiguous than that.

We don’t actually know how involved Flemeth/Mythal is with his plans, only that she’s deffinetely in on it. We know the because Flemeth herself insists that she intends to avenge Mythal in ‘a reckoning that will shake the very heavens.’ Idk about you but to me that implies very violent intentions.

It contrasts directly with what Solas intends. He wants to restore the world to its natural state for the sake of his people. Whereas Flemeth simply wants to punish. She wants to punish The Evanuris. And there’s some dialogue between her and Morrigan which implies that she wants to punish Solas as well, she just needs him to complete his task first.

Flemeth is basically unkillable. She knows that, and there’s every possibility that Solas knows that, too. The way I read that scene, I think this may have always been the plan. At the very least it was a contingency, one the two of them were both aware of, and which Solas clearly wanted to avoid. I think the reason he was so upset when The Orb was destroyed may have been because he knew he’d have resort to that contingency.

Flemeth isn’t stupid. And she’s not particularly selfless either. In fact she is explicitly very selfish, as well as being a manipulator. Whatever went on in that scene—I have my theories—Flemeth was well aware it was coming. She was counting on it. It somehow benefits her that this took place, otherwise she’d have never allowed it.

Before it happens, she says, “I’m sorry, too.”

What is she sorry for? We don’t really know, but my interpretation is that she’s apologizing for what’s about to happen. This was her plan. Solas didn’t want to do things this way, but the events of DAI have forced his hand.

One of Solas’ greatest flaws is his assumption that he has more control over any given situation than he actually does, and I think that applies to his relationship with Flemeth/Mythal as well. Again, Flemeth is a manipulator. She’s been manipulating the people and events of Thedas for centuries, maybe longer. I think Solas is no different. When I look at that end credit scene I don’t see two equals. I see one person who clearly has the upper hand, and another with a deeply mistaken idea of what their relationship actually is.

I agree, although for a long time I definitely thought he 100% killed her, but she has a way of surviving and is just... too big to have just been quickly killed in a brief epilogue?

oooh I didn't know about/catch that dialogue! that's so interesting... changes the dynamic a lot if she actually wants him to fail on some level. running with that, one might even go so far as to assume she aided corypheus' surviving opening the orb. letting him wreak brutal havoc across thedas and tear open the veil (vs. solas' pulling it down) is a good way to 'shake the very heavens'.

yeah, her apologizing doesn't really fit as a response to letting solas kill her, but apologizing for what she's about to put him through? the chain of events she may well have incited somehow? that seems more apt. and I do believe she cares for solas to some degree, but not enough to not use him for her own ends. as you said, she's a master manipulator, that's a core part of her character. she's not going to drop all that just because a sad wolf comes to her door.

and I love your point about solas' assumptions of knowledge and control, because that's so accurate. he always assumes he has the power in a relationship because of his knowledge, his age, his experience... he thinks he knows more, understands more, and sees more, and he trusts his interpretations of events, but even within dai we see him have to face that those interpretations are flawed a number of times. he didn't expect the inquisitor to care about spirits - understandable, considering the general opinion of them, but still an assumption. the whole balcony scene, whether or not you romance him, is about confronting his assumptions not only about the inquisitor, but their entire species - and by extension, all people. the banter between him and the companions, particularly the man on the island banter with varric... there's so many times he's forced to confront his assumptions, but he continues to subconsciously hold that he still knows more, that his initial interpretations are right unless/until they're plainly proven wrong

he's so interesting i love him so much... and ty for this! such a thought-provoking ask, i love talking about him <3

[aitchnkay]

Jiang Gunian Made A Change Part 7

“You weren’t joking about that talisman,” Jin ZiXuan grumbled. He and his disciples were the last group to reach what was hopefully going to be their safe haven for the next few months. “Luo QingYang activated her talisman while we were discussing logistics. I looked away because my horse nudged me, and she was gone.”

Wei WuXian grinned, unrepentant. “I did say it was imperceptible to every spiritual tracker I know of. You thought I would leave the ability for someone to just... follow you by watching you? How stupid do you think I am? You did still see her, you know. Your brain just... sort of... was told to ignore what it was seeing or something. There’s no way I wanted anyone from your families or a Wen spy to be able to track us.” Jiang YanLi sadly noted that her brother did not consider himself a part of the ‘your’ in ‘your families’. For a long moment, anger at her mother and father burned deep in her chest. It would have been so easy to make Wei WuXian a legal part of her family without disinheriting her other brother.

“You mean we could have used our swords and flown here?” Lan XiChen didn’t shout, but he spoke in a tone that dictated one should perceive it as such.

“I never said you had to walk, Lan Gongzi,” Wei WuXian looked insulted.

“Enough,” Jiang YanLi tried to soothe her brother’s and the Lan’s hurts. “We’re all here now. Jin Gongzi, you and your cohort will be over there.” She pointed to a series of houses with the Jin flag already waving from the roofs. “Please take care of the spaces as we’re renting them from the locals.”

“Renting?” Jin ZiXuan had a look of distaste on his face.

“You may try to purchase them if you would prefer.” Jiang YanLi retorted. “Please excuse me,” she said in a gentler tone. “I have to see about dinner.”

She didn’t. Not yet. They would be having fish again, as they would probably be having fish as their main source of meat for a long time. And fish didn’t take long to marinate or to cook. Instead of walking to the kitchen, she detoured to the beach and let the sand and wind and waves wash over her and release her tension. Well, the sound of the waves; she stayed well behind the tide line.

A few days later, a Lotus Pier disciple flew in to the camp. “Jiang Guniang, Jiang Gongzi... the letter arrived.” He handed over a piece of paper. “I was able to make a copy before I activated the talisman.”

Jiang YanLi read it, almost dispassionately, then handed it to her younger brother. “I assume the other sects are receiving the same message,” she sighed.

Lan XiChen read the letter next, then Jin ZiXuan. “I honestly thought....” the latter sputtered. “I honestly thought this whole....” he waved a hand at the small coastal town now bursting with cultivators, and let his voice trail off. “I didn’t think the threat was real.”

“It’s very real,” Jiang YanLi kept her gaze steady. “Lan Gongzi? I assume you also left someone to report back to you?”

“Of course I did,” the sect heir replied. “Assurance that your warning was real, and that Cloud Recesses is as protected as we could make it. The library contents and major artifacts were moved to a new, heavily protected, location along with everyone who isn’t a fighter. Cloud Recesses may burn as you said it would. Our people will survive.”

It would be another week before a Lan Cultivator stumbled into the village. “Lan ZongZhu... Cloud Recesses has been destroyed. Fifteen senior disciples were captured and take for indoctrination. Forty-three disciples were killed, including your father. Lan Qiren remains safe with the rest of the sect. Fifty-one disciples were allowed to live and rebuild after swearing allegiance to QishanWen.”

“Forty-three,” the newest sect leader sighed. “More than I hoped for, but less than I feared. Who led the attack?”

“Wen Xu.”

Lan XiChen looked at Jiang YanLi, who raised her chin and looked right back. “The fifteen who were taken?” he asked his disciple.

“They did not take their own swords with them to the indoctrination center, as you requested. We exchanged their swords with ones from the dead.”

“Excellent.” He bowed slightly. “Please excuse me. I wish to mourn my... our dead.”

Nie HuaiSang cocked his head as the Lan sect leader disappeared into one of the houses. “It appears we are at war.”

“It appears so, Nie Gongzi,” Jiang YanLi agreed.

[freckledjoes]

how do u think st5 will end? i think eleven will sacrifice herself for will, before he dies, probably mike dies?? her powers would be strong enough to sacrifice and save hawkins. nancy stays single and travels away for a job/collage or something, steve gets himself a girlfriend, finally. please. he wants to be the stay at home mom with his kids. nancy clearly didn’t look like she wants that life cause she doesn’t, i really don’t understand why he’s still stuck on her even after so many years after their breakup, it’s silly. max wakes up. jopper will get married!! pls i need that to come true.. dustin survives vecna’s curse, idk will nancy get possessed too? and who’s the new lady that’s been introduced as a new character?? steve’s mom maybe?? or the mayoress of hawkins?? i want all the town to help the main group but still i don’t want it to be the second avengers endgame pls… omg could vecna possibly use his victims against our main characters? alsoo, i don’t want the ending scene where nancy and steve are in the car saying we’ve seen stranger things, it’s too corny for my liking pls no… and i like the time travel thing idea.. (going back in time so vecna would turned on his dark side.. this would be really easy way out, tho i hope it won’t happen lol?).. i’d really want eddie returning as a vampire, not really like coming from the dead, that would ruin everything probably (even tho i’d wanted it in heartbeat) buuut yk what i mean right? something like billy came back in max’s visions so eddie would come like this to dustin’s visions. the worst possible ending, is blood bath, there’s been a lot demand for a body count. i feel like modern audiences are more into stuff like game of thrones, walking dead.. stuff like that… killing characters casually. i’m not saying i don’t want a character or three dying tho! i’d be happy if they’d killed off two or three of the main characters finally, they always kill a new character that the audience like and then the audience is always mad. why is that?? we’ve already lost bob and eddie. should it be that way?? i’m really scared steve is going to die bc he was supposed to die in s1, if he does die i’m gonna riot against their stupid writing (that brings me getting stancy back together again). pls get him a girlfriend, a happy life he dreams about and don’t let him hang up on nancy anymore, he deserves better.. he’s changed.. also it needs to stay to the 80s show vibes and has the happy ending as well.. what do you think?? what are your thoughts? :D

I had to write down all your thoughts as bullet points so I could acknowledge them in my reply lmao. Loving this elaborate thought blurb! Alright, so I do think there will be some sacrificing going on, I'd see either Will or El doing it for Mike. Part of me thinks one of those two might die, but on the other hand I don't see them doing it. Why? 'Cause it would fuck up Jopper. And they spent a lot of time on Jopper. Hopper can't lose another kid and we've seen how Joyce handled Will's missing. Not saying this is logical, but it's what I think anyway. Maybe an almost death. Like one of them going in knowing they will probably die and saying goodbye- maybe, and then surviving. I feel like Max might get a more important role than we anticipate. Something about her showing up for El at the moment she needs her the most. Like in the mind thing. I'm worried for Lucas, that poor boy is suffering. :( Assuming Jopper survives - which I do think they will - I wouldn't be surprised if we get a Jopper wedding as a way of a corny happy ending. I don't expect anything mindblowing if I'm very honest, the fan theories have been so good that I fear disappointment for most of us lol. And well, considering many things - I also don't really care if it flops. I'll just enjoy seeing some of my sweet characters one last time before their actors go off into bigger and better projects. <3 Anyway, back to it. If they bring back Eddie, it's definitely gonna give us more pain than gain. He'll hurt Dustin, bet. As wonderful as the Kas ideas are, I don't see it happening considering what I mentioned in the previous paragraph. It's too good. I either see him show up in a Vecna vision or some kind of undead army thing. Both will suck. Imagine Dustin, who is literally embodying Eddie right now, is face to face with his dead friend. Yikers. Idk about the new lady, I'm honestly bored out of my ass that they added a new character for the last season. "Here's a new character to care about - or not - but they're gonna die once you get attached!" - so yeah, not many thoughts there. It'll be too brief. I don't see the town doing anything other than vandalize Eddie's grave and somehow find a way to blame the goddamn earthquake on him honestly. Steve and Nancy... fingers crossed it doesn't happen. For me anyway! For those that ship them, good luck getting it your way~ But yeah, I don't see the appeal, but I do feel how they're pushing it onto us hard. It wouldn't surprise me if Steve dies trying to protect Nancy and that we'll get a stupid nugget speech similar to Eddie's sheep speech. I really need that all to not happen. But don't wanna get too deep into ships, I just don't think that outcome would be sensible for either character. That said, Steve getting a partner (an unknown character) would be nice, but if I'm really honest I'd much rather they all leave it open to our interpretation. If we're getting a cliche ending of some future thing, just throw me the Jopper wedding or Steve and Robin (platonically) moving out of Hawkins together, away from that hellhole. This has become a mix of what I think might happen vs what I want to happen I guess, but these are my thoughts! And anyway, no matter what happens, we will always have a 1000+ fixit fics :)

[honestlyvan]

(Reposted from DW)

So I try not to make these rambles too powered by salt but considering Impactor is very near my favourite character in the franchise and as a result I read a lot of badfic featuring him out of sheer desperation for something, I'm seriously devastated by the way I've never seen it explored just what a harrowing and accurate description of moral injury and reflexive self-loathing he is.

Like, it's wild to me that we have it in the text, actually on page, that Impactor outright thinks he's a monster. We see it on page! It is written with plain words! He's stuck thinking like "can't survive if the other guy doesn't die", "your life is bought with the blood you spill, and you want to keep living so you best learn to like killing" to the point where he doesn't even want to live anymore and yet he can't stop, he's stuck, there's no safety for him to retreat back to because nobody taught him to value himself in any other way except in balance against someone else.

Like we know. Exactly what Impactor considers horrible, what he considers ugly and unseemly and corrupt. And it's all stuff that makes sense. It's all stuff the most of us probably find a little bit horrifying. We know that his perception of the world is so utterly bleak that there is no way but down, the only trajectory he sees for himself is to slip further and further from that surface because this is just his life now, this is what he is now, this may be what he always was, so isolated in his self-loathing that he can barely see the surface of where the horrible things end, and sure as hell doesn't think he can reach it. He's been cut off from his access to the sublime, to the fortifying, to the beautiful and wonderful and safe, this is all he has left, this is just what he is now.

I think the massive overriding misreading is assuming Impactor has any regard for himself. He may have the ability to act confident and move through the world with intellectual assurance over his own skill, and it's easy to take that as a sign that he has some kind of a core, undivided wholeness of personhood that lets him keep acting like he knows what he's doing. But I don't think that's it at all. His sense of self has been so completely fractured and damaged by the horrors he's committed and been isolated with that they've attached themselves to the space where his sense of self would otherwise be. Again, I'm not even extrapolating -- this just is the text of "Escape".

And then there's the negative influence of Guzzle, another person who thinks the way to deal with your trauma is by committing massive violence on it who has no idea this should maybe be something to discuss with people -- like, we see the way his abandon and reveling in having power and returning the violence drags Impactor down, too, because it's familiar, it makes sense, and then Impactor locks him in a box and goes "I can't fucking do this anymore". It's literally the most unsubtle death wish, it's a textbook flight arrest response, he doesn't want to keep doing the thing he's doing but he doesn't know what else there is, he sees no way out other than down.

And IDK I don't want to cast blame, honestly as a recovering abusive asshole myself, the terrible things he does to other people out of a sense of "this is how it has to be, don't be naive, don't be stupid", the loop of self-justification and grasping for value in his identity as an anonymous source of violence and ruiner of lives is a big part of why I love him so much, and his victims are really visible in the text, their mess deserves exploration and their pain deserves narrative validation, if only for completeness' sake

but like goddamn I just feel for this trash mech so much. He was left locked up with only his own bad thoughts for company, forced in a situation where becoming a worse person was the only way to escape further pain to the point where he's just completely cut off from his access to the sublime, to the fortifying, to the beautiful and wonderful and safe. Like where is there to go when the only things you know what to do are all fucked up? What do you do when all you've been "taught" is that living means killing, but you're getting extremely sick of the killing, when you're tired of your whole life being stained in blood and gore and the traces of the grotesquerie that is living with the knowledge that having power over other people is the ultimate act of survival when you never wanted that?

[uncle-dusknoir]

Mild, serious and hardy for the ask game!

- @withoutatrace-pkmn

this took way longer to answer than i expected it to

mild - on a scale of 1 to 10, how patient are you?

uuuuh like a fucking. 2, maybe?? i am not patient. i don't think i am, anyway. not with other people, at least. with pokemon, usually (thyme and skorna do not count) but if i dont have to be patient i will not be

serious - what kinds of topics do you never joke around with?

questions i assume they ask in therapy #27493

i... don't... know? i joke about a lot of shit. if i don't joke about things i think i will go actually insane. i guess, like... i dunno, basic safety. don't get crushed inside of old collapsing ruins kids

hardy - what's a pretty tough situation that you and/or your pokemon managed to get out of?

... it's not too late, yet. i think i have enough time for a story.

this is when i was... eighteen, i think. at that point i had toothy and skorna, and Toothy was still a Linoone. this is very late in our traveling- right before everything happened and i moved back to Unova.

we were in sinnoh, funny enough. the last major city we were in was Eterna, but we had gone to the underground- so we could have been almost anywhere at that point. Thyme had heard rumors that there was some sort of ruins under the city, and as always, I was gonna go with him.

by giratina, we were exhausted. even back then when i was still in shape, it was just... though thyme never showed it. i hated it, sometimes, that stupid grin on his face. i guess that's the one good thing about him being a dusknoir, he can't grin-

that's. off topic.

We'd set up a little camp in a small cave we found; I thought it was something left from the stream of miners. It just looked like it had been torn from the side of the wall, as if something had reached into the earth and pulled it out like a child digging holes with their hands. it seemed safe enough, stable enough; and after all, barely any pokemon lived down there. we were fine.

we woke up to the sound of something rumbling, and for a minute, i thought that we had fallen asleep in an onix's mouth, because the cave looked like it was starting to close in. which is, you know, Not Fucking Great, considering at that time all we had was my linoone, thyme's banette who was asleep in her pokeball, and a shitty dead bird that lived in my brain; so i do, you know, the first thing i could think of, which is try and Stop The Cave In With My Bare Hands.

(my shoulders are still a little fucked up from that)

toothy, my son, suddenly DARTS past me like a bullet, and right before me and thyme are caved in, manages to escape. he's my son so my first thought, obviously, is 'well at least one of us is gonna survive' before i hear the sound of something getting its ass absolutely whooped, and then something really bright flashing through the rocks, and then the rocks shattering into god damn dust

little motherfucker whooped the ass of what i can only assumed to be someone's released Rampardos before Evolving and Brick Breaking us out of there!! the only thing im sad about is that i didnt get to see him actually evolve, but a small price to pay for Being Alive

[perelka-l]

Do you have any HCs about Proton or Petrel? Weirdly, I have brainworms abt them today, akin to hurt/comfort shipping, but idk if I consider their relationship platonic or what. I definitely think of them as close. Proton is an evil little freak who’s gone through the wringer, and Petrel is so laid back + morally grey that he literally doesn’t care what an evil little freak Proton is. (Other people read it as Petrel being THAT dumb and unaware…but that ain’t it, he’s just consciously giving Proton a pass because Whatever)

I’ve been playing around with this HC that Proton lowkey hates Giovanni because he more or less wants to BE him (power-wise - like he’s just got so much rage in there, and subconsciously, he has decided that having MEGA-CONTROL will fix it), but it’s starting to..become apparent + difficult to suppress. Like he’s toeing the line of like bEEFING with Giovanni which is obviously incredibly stupid…but Proton may be incredibly stupid…like that is not going to work out well for him, but he’s such a spiteful dude that he can barely help himself

I like to think that if you squint, all Executives are at the very least platonic towards each other. They've been through some proper shit together and there is definitely some bonding stemming from that. Brothers in arms, so to speak. But you know. More mafia/yakuza-ish. They maybe wouldn't die for each other, but kill? Sure.

With Petrel, 100% of my headcanon about him stems from this fic on pokanon kink meme (which, as a side note, nicely matches Pokemas portrayal as well. I like his consistency). Well, ok, 80%. I have some more thoughts about him that stem from nowhere.

First thing is that I see him as oldest out of the bunch. Maybe not as old as Giovanni (maybe) but old enough to possibly even remember Madame Boss. I like to think him getting as far in the ladder as he did stems from survival instincts and capabilities but also that he just was in TR for quite a while, and his slow climb just happened over time. And yeah, he is very morally grey, he can be nice but it would be dangerous to assume he is nice.

And Proton is... yeah. Youngest of the bunch and I saw him once described as a both a rabid dog to sic at target and most spoiled little cat which both match him, I think. He does feel a bit spoiled, but I think it is tied with the fact that he can be quite violent (I also have a Formative Kink Meme Fic for that, but this one I will not link. It's Proton/Silver and ngl, it was one of the most uncomfortable things I have ever read for sheer amount of triggers. Formative but MAN was it uncomfortable. Feel free to ask me but. Uh. Yeah.) and TR serves him to satisfy that. In some other fic, don't remember which one now, I saw someone theorize that possibly Proton's loyalty sides more with Archer, since Archer know how to use him well, as well as after when Giovanni was gone.

By the way, what do you mean by "gone through wringer"? I know what it means but I am unsure what you mean by that.

Proton, in pokemas at least, claims that he admired Giovanni due to him being "ruthlessly decisive". But at the same time Proton is made a bit more into a joke which... I can see why they would do it, it's easier to make him funny than make him serious in that particular franchise, and I politely ignore that bit while nodding in understanding. Though OK, bootlegs is vile shit. But back to main point - I can see where you come from and I think following that line of thought that what would make Proton envious of Giovanni is his, in a sense, freedom.

Giovanni has plenty of responsibilities that, I would imagine, Proton wouldn't ever wish to shoulder (I like to think his executive task first things first is to be a scarecrow to keep grunts in check...) but at the same time Proton could burn for the way Gio has enough power to handle it all and control and decide freely what to use, even with Proton, and do so effectively. And Proton could probably wish to have that, freedom to do as he wished, to decide what to do. He is young (I wouldn't say he is older than in his early 20s), so he wants all the power without responsibilities coming from it (gah, sudden spiderman!). I could imagine that when Giovanni leaves, Proton is hit with injustice of it. Giovanni can just leave. Can just go, drop everything that Proton thought he desires and vanish into thin air. And Proton is tied to TR because this is his protection and this is where he can do what he wishes to do (as in, violence) and be protected for that from police and such. He wished for that. He can't ever have that.

Everybody being aware of Protons issues could be amusing, and Petrel being the one to keep him in line is a nice thought. Petrel seen it all, knows how TR works better than most, Proton being a bitch is honestly not the worst he's seen but he is aware what the result can be, maybe saw such a few times. And he likes Proton, he's a skilled kid, would be a shame to have him disappeared if Giovanni's amusement over his antics turn into anger (And that would probably fall to Archer and Petrel knows Archer likes Proton as well but Archer's loyalty overrules literally everything else and wouldn't even blink if Giovanni decided enough is enough). (Also, now I ponder on Giovanni personally manhandling Proton when he gets a bit irked a bit and whoa oh erm whoa)

Thank fuck Proton is as reliable as he is, dangle a task in front of his nose and he'd follow, a rabid dog eager to sink his fangs into something. Petrel though knows how to handle the leash so Proton won't bite the hand that feeds him.

[time-bone-swap-au]

(Destiny’s Lament) so what do you think about MBK?

Uhm- so you didn’t specify the character, I’m assuming you’re talking to all of them.

Bai He: I do think that what he did had a reason, but it still doesn’t make it right…on the other hand I do blame myself for what happened…

Tang: Oh he was hella scary! How the frick did the Celestials allow this guy to run loose and not Sun Wukong?! No offense.

Pigsy: I have the same opinion as Tang, in fact I’m surprised how powerful the kid was. Not many demons could ever lift the Monkey King’s staff I remember…

Sandy: He seemed nice at first, he even knew how I liked my tea!…Then he went and uh…tried to destroy the world…

Mei: Oooooh! I swear, if I had the chance, I woulda kicked his ASS! He just HAD to survive being walloped by a giant staff huh?! 

Well he died afterwards but you get me!

Macaque: I would’ve liked him, really, I would’ve, till he started possessing my body and toying with the brotherhood saying that I betrayed them. And really, I would’ve if I wasn’t actually stupid. The only ass I wanna kick in the brotherhood is Peng, DBK is hands off!

Red Son: It’s stupid to think that a monkey with bone powers could ever get so powerful, but then he started having mind control, possession, soul control, at this point he’s more of a ghost demon. Then again, Wukong was the same so I can’t really judge…

DBK: I hate them…

PIF: We’re both sworn brothers (siblings sound weird) with Macaque, he’s basically the reason we even got together in the first place…when MBK possessed him and tried to convince everyone that he’d betrayed the brotherhood, we knew at least something was wrong…

Wukong:…

Mayor: My King had a vision of the future, they had everything she could ever want…but…it wasn’t enough…I knew he was suffering I just…I should’ve helped more…

Nezha: We used to consider him a being of order, but then he started causing chaos and destruction for no apparent reason other than ‘destiny’ we tried to see if his soul had any implications of premonition, but so far we have been unable to locate it.