#all just lost and found fodder i guess

[nyansequitur]

contender for worst wish fulfilled of all time

[incorrect-ikevamp-quotes]

Comte Drama CD Translations, Track Seven: "To You Who Are So Lovely" - Ending

I'm not a professional yada yada yada, these are just my rough transcriptions of each track in the CD because I need fodder for my simping.

This one reads a bit like a love letter left for MC, it's another sweet one:

…Indeed, the sand in the hourglass has fallen. It appears my day with you is over. (I'M DISTRAUGHT TOO DW BEAUTIFUL) In this way, every moment trickles into another ceaselessly…yes, forever. Even now as I say it, the word “forever” drives a painful wedge in my heart. I often wonder at the essence, the weight that word carries--so often spoken with admiration and yearning by humankind.

I think this is the first time in my life I ever went "philosopher (affectionate)" 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I could listen to him all day [contented sigh]

I know very well…just how heartbreaking it is. I was shaken by that never-ending, pathless darkness…until you gave me the hope of “now.” A vampire who lives forever, and a woman who lives a finite life, hoping for a better tomorrow. I’m not sure what will become of my love for you that sprouted at the boundary between “forever” and “now.” …But I promise you this. I will never let you go. When I give you eternal love… Let’s spend that time together.

Man the way I act up when I hear fictional man say "I will never let you go" [INSERT LOUD BARKING] it's a promise, Abel 🥺💜

It may turn out to be a bumpy road…but, don’t worry. We’ll take every step of the way hand-in-hand. When I get lost…you’re so kind and strong It makes me sure that if we do ever get lost, we’ll worry about it together, and find answers together. Like a waltz, let’s take each other’s hands…and live together.

Okay all my usual court jester energy aside, I really am so fond of this motif throughout his stories. This idea that being in a relationship is about being there for each other, about promising the other will never be alone. I guess they really just embody what marriage is at its best, for me? Like not necessarily that there's only one way to be married, but that it should be about helping each other and caring about each other? Building a life and sharing that happiness, an enduring love that grows the more two people are together.

Holding hands and dancing, I'm so...

And one day, I’m sure I will… …I’m sure that I’ll turn you into a vampire. At that time, let’s live together forever. From the moment I met you that day, in Paris of the 21st century…it felt like the frozen hands on the clock of my life began to move. I was determined that I would never fall in love with a human again. I was moved by your pure and single-minded thoughts, and I wanted your love. A year later, ten years later, one hundred years of accumulating this “now” I’ve received from you… In the far distant future, I want to see you beside me. I found you in eternity…I love you, and I will dedicate my pureblood life to your fate--

If y'all need me I will be wasting away, ty--

"In the far distant future, I want to see you beside me." I WANT THAT TOO, GORGEOUS

Man the way my brain is just so: the only kind of man I want is one that can go "I wanted your love 🥺👉👈" and "I wanted her blood to run down my mouth." AT THE SAME TIME

It's about the multi-faceted yearning 🤌🏼

[van-yangyin]

TW tw: mental breakdown, tw: illness, it's abour our dog (Lea and me), just in case

A month and a few days ago I guess you have seen how I've done practically nothing on this blog, just writing challenges and little else. That's because some time ago Yuka, the puppy of our family (me and @lea-heartscxiv among them) didn't eat any fodder, and started scratching the wall with her mouth. At first we didn't take it as something so serious, in fact we thought it was the fodder, because she did eat the homemade food. But the night of the 6th to the 7th July, during the night she became very immobile and only breathed (although the first thing shouted was that she was dead, which was something quite shocking, before seeing her breathing) so we decided to take her to the vet, first we went to one and she told us that Yuka was anemic, that she ate very little and that lacked red blood cells, she needed a blood transfusion and they referred us to another vet. We went to the other vet and they did the same tests as at the other vet because the information they sent to them was insufficient and poorly done. They did an analysis and an ultrasound, in the analysis they found insufficient red blood cells as in the other vet and in the ultrasound they found that she has a fairly large tumor in the stomach which is what causes anemia, as the tumor causes the vitamins in the food to reject the vitamins provided.

The first operation is very expensive, of the three options we were given from $1600 to $2600 the most expensive (more or less) and it is also the first of many, not counting chemotherapies. It's a hereditary disease, she's 10 years old and her father died when he was 13 years old because of the same thing, so surely it was something that had to happen to her. In the end, much to our regret, we have decided not to operate her, because of the financial issue and because we don't want her to spend the last years of her life with operations and all that entails both physically and psychologically. This week until next week we're administering pills and liquids that protect her stomach so that she can eat again, the problem is that it's decisive that she eats, otherwise we will have to go back to the vet and see what we can do. And just today she doesn't want to eat anything and has vomited the pill along with the food we have given her. We have already had another dog with tumor in the past, in fact she had threetumors and died at the age of 15 without any operation, in fact she died because got lost and her condition when she was found was very weak (I was still a toddler). Although we know that every dog is different, when it has to happen it will happen and in the meantime she will be surrounded by lots of love and lots of cuddles, be it one, two, three, four, five years or whatever.

Lately that's why I haven't had the energy to sit down and start organizing posts of Custom Content to share. I've only been able to draw, write and create half-made custom content that isn't even well done, because of this lack of emotional energy.

I hope you can understand my situation. It's not that I'm leaving everything half done, it's just that my mental energy is only focused on Yuka, just like it's with Lea. We're starting again to publishing but for Costum Content part I don't want to share anything at the moment, because I can't do things in mood I'm in and then later regret what I've shared because I hated the final result.

I'm already starting to process everything that is going on and waiting for this week to see how everything progresses and if Yuka will finally eat or not, and get the energy she's missing. It's so heartbreaking to see how she wouldn't stand still before and now she's not even able to walk down a step from the door to go into the house. All she can do is just lie in the yard. But unlike the other day, now every time we go to her, she gets up and wags her tail, which was very difficult for her the pasts days.

[piracytheorist]

a few things about Ethan I think Miranda was underestimating his power inside the mold AND with Donna and Lady D (and the other two) I wonder how much of the Cadou intergreated with the mold AND (even though i don't give a damn about their feelings on the matter) how much they're aware of what Miranda actually thought of them (she called them her false children)... and how would Rose transport Ethan's ring? or was it recreated from mold?

Oh, Miranda definitely underestimated Ethan. Both in the main game and the DLC. Ethan wasn't infected with a Cadou, and compared to pretty much everyone else, he was the most "symbiotic" with it, let's say. Like, in re7, if you choose to save Zoe, even after she gets the serum shot Eveline is still able to kill her from afar. Instead Ethan, at this point is all mold yet Eveline can barely hurt him through their connection. You could say that he had become an entire independent strand of mutamycete all by himself!

And yeah considering that, and that pretty much all of the Lords' powers came from the Cadou, which was a modified part of the Megamycete, and still received changes in their bodies, while Ethan had an almost perfect symbiosis when directly infected by Eveline. He's just Build DifferentTM. I'd say Miranda could have found the Lords' essences and used them with the Rose copies, but then why wouldn't she do the same with Ethan? Did his Built Different nature allow him to escape her, until he manifested in the deepest stratum and faced her directly? AAAAAHHHH I need answers!

About Ethan's ring... so apparently he died with it, because Rose isn't wearing it in the beginning of the DLC. I had thought he'd put it in a pocket inside his jacket which he covered Rose with in the end, but I was wrong. At the end in the mold she holds Ethan's left hand (the one that has the ring) in her right hand, and when she wakes up his ring is in it. That kinda reminds me of the end of Atlantis: The Lost Empire, tbh XD Ok look inside the mold it was not the real, physical ring, that one was destroyed when the bomb went off, along with Ethan's body. The ring that Ethan wore in the mold was just a representation of his form, so I'm guessing Rose recreated it, or it's all Ethan could give of himself outside the mold... and that's fanfiction fodder about how she'll grow strong enough to slowly bring back her dad in full :D without torturing and killing an entire village

[skorchinq]

Bows Only: Third Time’s the Charm

[IDs in alt text]

Not only did we have a free Faruzan and a Ganyu banner in 3.6, but 3.7 brought the Ibis Piercer bow in the event and the third Yoimiya banner since this account began. Which of these banners will prove fruitful? Will we get Ganyu? Will Yoimiya finally come home after dodging us twice? Let’s find out...

First thing’s first, finally did the ascension quest! It brought us up to world level 7 and AR 52-- but nearly 53.

and of course, it didn’t take much longer to actually reach 53...

After this, I did something I haven’t done on this account in a long time... I actually played the Archon quest.

Excuse me sir... sir?

Got this crazy screenshot with two Paimons. Woah

Omgoose Hi Kujou Saraaaa hi hiiiii :3

I once again forgot my name was DavidBowie and choked

But anyways look at this incredible Ganyu piece I got!!

Our first max ascension character has got to be Amber, of course. And we’ve finally done it!

We even made some progress in the Abyss!

And after ages, I finally got the Inazuman craftable bow. It’ll be good for Yoimiya... one day...

We got the Liyue statues all the way up to Level 9! Which means we can finally complete chapter 8 of the adventurer’s handbook!

We’re pretty close to finishing chapter 9, too...

Oh I forgot about this until I found the screenshot making this post... this had me cackling. Someone joined my world, asked one question, and left...

idk guys, they may claim to be a simple wanderer who idolizes Kaeya_bulge26 on tiktok, but I kinda get the feeling that... do you think they might actually be Kaeya_bulge26 on tiktok??? I dunno...

Anyway I finished chapter 9

And got Tartag to max ascension!

And Kujou Sara to max friendship!

I then got a 5* on the standard banner! Can you guess who it was?

I hate everything

Back to the Archon Quest! Hi Teppei!!!

Bye Teppei I left to do the Brewing Developments Event

Ok we’re back! Hi Gorou!

Also this guy...

Don’t lie to me Nathan. I know what you are

Yes that’s right. Our time to fight side by side with Gorou has finally come. Not like he’s been here since the very beginning or anything

Venti’s max ascended!!

And I got a northlander billet fighting Boreas! since we already have all 3 bows that use it, we’ll use this to refine Amber’s weapon.

Teppei you goof

Gorou is max friendship as well!

It was then... that we finally got Ganyu!!

and a couple Fischl cons to boot!

And oh Archons we are at World Level 8.

Well, it should be no issue now that we have Ganyu. She’s strong, graceful, and most of all...

She’s great for collecting pigeon meat :)

Anyway. I got another gold on the standard banner, but unfortunately it ended up being nothing more than weapon fodder...

After that, we did the Interdarshan Championship event and got our free Faruzan!

I scrambled to get that event done in a single day... and in 3.7, the King of Invocations event was the same. tbh I was pretty burnt out w/ genshin for a while, I probably would have skipped the 3.7 event entirely if it weren’t for the fact that it gave a bow. I didn’t even bother to screenshot it cause it was late and I forgor. I did get it tho. It’ll be a nice Tighnari weapon when we get him.

And of course, given my pity was reset when I got Ganyu and I wasn’t playing much, it should come as no surprise that... yeah, I didn’t get Yoimiya on her banner. I did get her somewhere else, though!

You can’t escape me in TCG, at least.

Hey, we’ll get her next time. Fourth time’s the charm, right?

Now, 4.0′s coming up, and we’ve got both Yelan and Lyney to go for... I’m going to pull for Yelan first, but should we manage to get her I’ll pull for Lyney after! Since starting this account a year ago, we’ve lost every single 50/50 to Jean... but this patter will finally change on Fontaine. I believe it! I’m manifesting it!!! We WILL get Yelan!!! ...or at least lose the 50/50 to Tighnari instead!

Look, my standards are really low at this point. I just want bow characters man

Also fun fact! I’ve been trying to post this update for literal weeks, but I was experiencing some uhhh. technical difficulties

See, the post editor on web doesn’t let me add alt text. Everywhere on the internet says that there should be an icon with three dots you can click to add the alt text but there. is not. It doesn’t matter if I hover over or click the image, it doesn’t change, there is no icon to click on the image anywhere. But that was fine because it still worked just fine on mobile! So what I’d do for previous posts in this series is make the first draft of the post on web (because that’s where all the screenshots are), save, and then go back and edit the draft on mobile, adding alt text IDs then.

And here’s where the problem arises: recently, for no apparent reason, I can no longer edit or post drafts on Tumblr mobile. I can view my drafts. I can open them. I can change things. But no matter if I hit save changes or post now or anything else, Tumblr then experiences an error, it doesn’t post, and none of my changes are saved. It just goes back in my drafts the way it was before I edited it.

So, if I can’t edit drafts on mobile, I’ll have to do it on web. I quickly tested to make sure it worked, and it did! But I still. can’t add alt text in the tumblr post editor.

Until I had the idea to add alt text not through the post editor but through the Inspect element! Once again, I tested it out and it seemed to work. Adding alt text through the inspect element on web and then saving caused that alt text to show up when viewing the draft on another device! So, I finally was able to finish the post! Literally the day Fontaine drops!

I’m thinking of liveblogging my Yelan pulls. Which will be in like half an hour lol. So! Stay tuned for that!

[erdarielthewhumper]

1, 6 and 12 for the ask game!

- @whump-kia :D

12 I have already answered here, but let's see about the others... :D

1. What was your whump awakening(s)? - honestly I don't recall really having a specific "oh" moment in terms of realizing I liked whump, I kind of just already enjoyed it. I'm not sure I quite processed as a kid that it was something not everyone liked or something to be considered shameful either, tbh. But like, as long as I can remember, when I was a kid I had like barbies and legos (well, legos were shared with my brother) and LPS, and Schleich fairy and knight figures (the knights belonged to my brother, really, as did the dragon and the phoenix; the ones that were properly mine were fairies, some of them came with horses, plus then I had a princess, and a unicorn and a pegasus. But my brother let me play with his ones too, and honestly that just made splitting them into factions very easy, the knights were always the bad guys and enemies with the fairies. Also Schleich's newer fairy figures look really boring and for some reason all their mounts are like pastel blue unicorns and I don't like that, but I digress), and I'd play kind of a lot of relatively like, violent and dark scenarios with this. One of my barbies was second-hand and was missing a leg, and I always came up with such dramatic scenarios as to how she'd lost it, lol. To say nothing of that one lego spaceman figure (it was, looking at the design, part of one of the older space-themed lines, it matched old ones we had that had once belonged to my mom and her brother) that mom found in the garden that was partly melted, so that our theory is that someone had once tied it to a new year's firework rocket and shot it with that and it had fallen to our garden. Anyway, visibly damaged toys were good fodder for my darker stories I played with them :D Like looking back, I honestly was probably largely replicating tropes that came up in the stories mom read us, but like, some of the classic children's books she read us definitely had darker elements (as in, like, Brothers Lionheart. if you haven't read it... i mean honestly, just read it, it is actually a very good book, but also like. it legitimately ends with the titular brothers committing suicide. And it is a beloved and classic children's fantasy book), battles, spy stuff, that sort of thing, so like. I picked up that sort of thing, and I guess I liked the dramatic fantasy tales because it's definitely what I was replicating when I played with my toys, a lot of the time. And I certainly leaned a lot towards elements that i might now consider whumpy, when I did that.

6. Favorite whump genre (sci-fi, fantasy, historical)? - I've always been partial to fantasy, tbh. I like scifi too, and sometimes semi-historical adventure stuff if I get into a fandom like that (like BBC Musketeers, although it's not even trying for historical accuracy), but at the end of the day, fantasy is really the one I love most. I blame my mom, tbh

Thanks for the ask! Sorry the answer got a bit long ':D

[aflyingcontradiction]

The Magnus Archives Relisten: Episode 190 - Scavengers

Laverne: Besides, you know that they sometimes go to a side tunnel for “private contemplation”. I think it’s sweet.

... is that what they call it these days?

Martin: Celia? Celia: Probably. The, um… place I was trapped in, they took my name. I never got it back. But I like Celia, so… yeah! Celia it is.

So Martin clearly knows Celia from before the apocalypse but I haven't even the slightest clue who she is supposed to be (having zero ability to recognise voices probably doesn't help with that). Somebody refresh my memory?

Jon: Well, that’s a fair point. I suppose, technically, ‘saviours’ would be the correct –

Jon is having way too much fun with the whole "cult" thing.

Georgie (angrily smashing tape recorders): I can do this all day!

You clearly cannot!

Georgie: There are seven with us now. It used to be more, a lot more. But… um, we got greedy, pulled too many out. We… attracted attention. And… well, now there are seven.

Have I mentioned how I love the way TMA evokes horror (or, in this case, tragedy) by circling around the actual events rather than actually describing them explicitly?

Jon: I promise… I promise that they’re not here for you. They’re here for me. And maybe a bit for Martin. They seem to like him.

Not getting Web!Martin was still a lost opportunity, tbh. There was SO MUCH SETUP.

Jon: I did wonder about the ‘Ennui’-brand coke bottles. Georgie: Yeah, it’s convenient, not subtle.

Okay, that one made me snigger.

Georgie: He’s, uh… he’s fine. I guess. He’s enjoying himself, at least. He wasn’t immune, not like me and Melanie. And he’s a predator, pampered piece of fluff that he is. Turns out, there’s a place full of cats. And their prey.

I know this is being played for tragedy here but Admiral-the-Avatar is just ... kinda funny. (Not if you're a mouse, I guess.) Also I suppose there's not really any other way Johnny could have gone with Admiral's fate in the apocalypse, given that he had already promised the cat would be fine!

Melanie: I’m actually one of the prophets chosen to walk the end times unscathed. (...) Martin: Oh, I’m the antichrist’s plus one.

The banter in this episode is deeply, deeply enjoyable.

Melanie: Well, we were, we were out, and we found this Spiral maze, uh, and who did we find inside but Laverne, my therapist.

Okay, that makes perfect sense - the therapist being the perfect fodder for the Spiral.

Melanie: Um, and she’s, and she’s far, far too good for me. And I, I only hope she doesn’t realise that while there’s an apocalypse on.

Yeah, I've been THERE (except replace apocalypse with more mundane crises. Obviously. Though those still feel pretty apocalyptic at times.)

Martin: Oh sorry! Didn’t mean to sit on the prophet’s throne.

What is it with Martin and CHAIRS? This is a whole THEME now!

Arun: I-I, I realise that you dislike that k-kind of thing, your humility is… humbling. - Melanie makes a squeak of distressed exasperation -

I just ... I love that noise. I can't quite describe it, but I love that noise.

Georgie: We generally err on the side of caution and sleep in.

Wise choice!

My impression of this episode

The tone of this episode is, obviously, a bit different from most - no statement, for one. A lot of banter but with an undertone of exhausted sadness. Not really what I came to TMA for, but definitely suitable for this point in the series, and I did really enjoy the moment of sort-of-but-not-quite-respite for the characters.

[thekingwhereitallends]

Can i just talk about the amount of respect kishimoto held for akatsuki members?

The first akatsuki member to die was yahiko. Yahiko founded akatsuki,to achieve global peace and gave up his life to save konan,and passes his dream onto nagato and konan.

Sasori was the legendary ninja who killed third kazekage,the strongest kazekage of all time. After very long battle,sasori decided to take a fatal hit just to die with his parents' puppets. He was capable of overwhelming sakura and chiyo if he wanted to.

Then we had kakuzu and hidan. Hidan killed asuma sarutobi,lover of kurenai and team 10's supervisor jonin teacher. Kakuzu was a known as a shinobi who survived a fight against god of shinobi. Hidan and Kakuzu had to be separated from each other bc as a duo, they were just too damn good. They were defeated after weeks of planning and considering different possiblities. Hidan was throwing hands with kakashi in a physical battle,i mean he's supposed to be the slowest akatsuki member,and eventually he was buried alive. Kakuzu was handling team asuma and kakashi quite well until naruto came with a jutsu he's just created. If kakuzu knew what kind of jutsu he was going to get hit by then he'd have dodged it. Kakuzu again proves to be quite durable guy as he survives the rasenshuriken and was killed by kakashi. Kakuzu is def no match for hashirama but he's still a force to be reckoned with.

My boy deidara was playing just as smart as sasuke. Sasuke,a reincarnation of demi-god and with power of curse mark which multiples his power by 20 times,was pushed to his absolute limits. Sasuke barely survived that fight.

Itachi,on his deathbed,was toying with sasuke. He was almost blind,and fodderized orochimaru,the strongest of sannin and stronger than five kage, massively stronger than the orochimaru who fought against hiruzen. When reanimated,he was able to break edo tenseo control,found rinnegan'a weaknesses on spot,seal nagato away,defeated kabuto who claimed to be second only to sage of six paths,and proved to be still superior to EMS Sasuke. He still remained a legend,praised by likes of hashirama,tobirama,hiruzen,and even madara who said itachi is a capable ninja(just like obito).

Pain actually showed to be one of if not strongest characters the time he showed up. We learnt that he killed hanzo the salamander,which scared the hell outta jiraiya. Pain goes on a rampage,kills jiraiya;the mc's godfather,kakashi;the mc's teacher,destroys the village,defeats sage naruto, seals six tails beast mode naruto and finally falls on his knees due to using extreme amounts of chakra he used.

Nagato was probably capable of surviving rinne- rebirth,but again when he was low on chakra,he was able to revive thousands of dead people. When he was reanimated,he was beating the hell outta naruto and bee,two of strongest characters at time with raikage level speed,and brought down thanks to itachi.

Kisame? Kisame captured bee,and was betrayed by samehada and defeated by 7th gate guy,the same guy who was destroying susanoos in war arc. He bit off his tongue,to prevent himself from leaking info,and gladly gave up his life and let water sharks eat him alive. The amount of loyalty here is unmatched.

My lady konan. She was practically fighting a powerhouse who has surpassed fourth hokage, and kills him for 10 minutes straight. Obito survives thanks to izanagi,but still lost an arm and a sharingan in doing so. Konan was strongest kunoichi in entire series imo.

Obito was fighting against minato at 14, controlling mist village in teen years,killing uchiha,starting fourth ninja world war,holding back and still remains superior to guy,kakashi,bee, and naruto. He became a god that could only be defeated by talk no jutsu,and even as a half-dead man,he was one of key factors in battle against kaguya. Guess who made kakashi powerful enough to give naruto and sasuke the chance to seal kaguya?Obito did.

Black zetsu was the mastermind in shadows, fooling everyone. Hid from sage of six paths and manipulated madara and obito. He was strong enough to paralyse juubi madara and six paths narusasu. Dude was a menace.

Orochimaru impacted the story as it was just getting started. He killed third hokage,tempted sasuke and pulls him toward darkness,remained a threat to both akatsuki and shinobi world,was defeated only in his worst day and still came back to life. He is still relevant in story and a parent to two of best boys:Mitsuki and Log.

We should have seen more of them,kishimoto could've done better with them,but he still successfully created most iconic anime villain group in history. Kishimoto is the G.O.A.T. and akatsuki is my all time favorite faction in fiction.

[heximagines]

@starthelostboys said that Paul had a terrible sense of direction and that was all the fodder I needed for this.

Paul's head whipped around as he scanned the boardwalk for anything that looked familiar. "So if the balloon darts are here… and the ferris wheel is over there… then… hmm…" He stared, utterly dumbfounded, at the small record store that should have been the Chinese food restaurant they all liked. At this rate the food they ordered would definitely be cold by the time he made it home. So he may as well pick up a new record right? He slipped into the shop and weaved through the shelves waiting for something to catch his eye. And something did. Paul stared at you from the middle of the stacks, mouth hanging open. The neon sign just behind you left a red and purple haze over your features. Your soft lips pursed in thought as you sorted through a milkcrate worth of vinyl a guy was trying to sell you. Your clothes clung perfectly to your figure, accentuating everything Paul wanted to see. Dining! Ding! Ding! "Total babe," he said to no one in particular.

He lingered just within earshot of your conversation, pretending to browse through the vinyl. "Alright man, here's the deal. Give you 20 for the lot and," you hummed, "9 for this." He glanced over to see you holding up a copy of Bad Music for Bad People. Hot and good taste? Paul was sold. He waited until money exchanged hands before sliding up to the counter. He easily came between you and the guy who glared at him. "Hey there, gorgeous. I'm a bit lost. But I'm feeling much safer now that I found you." You snorted out loud at the ridiculous line and he grins widely at you. "What that wasn't good?" You tried to stifle your laughter with a hand and shook your head. "No, no it was terrible." He folded his arms over the edge of the counter and leaned in to catch your eye. "Do you know where the Chinese food spot is? Golden Dragon. I thought it was here but I guess not." You sat up on a small stool behind the counter, one leg outstretched and the other bent at the knee. His eyes gladly drank in the shape of your thighs and calves as you thought. After a moment you finally spoke, "Golden Dragon sucks. You should try Lucky Star. The owners moved here from the Bronx and no one knows how to do good Chinese food like New Yorkers." Paul snapped out of his daze with a scoff and shook his head. "Have you tried the moo shu pork? Nothing can compete." You pursed your lips once again before leaning forward, elbows on the counter and hands cradling your face. You looked so cute he was tempted to reach out and touch you. "Well I think there's only one way to settle this." 

Paul watched with a dumb smirk as you stuck a paper on the door to the shop that promised you'd be back in 15 before locking up. "Keep up, wouldn't want you to get lost again." You winked at him and slipped into the crowd of the boardwalk. He was hot on your heels, following along like a dog. But his short attention span had other ideas. A chorus of bells and whistles sounded from one of the booths and Paul whipped his head around to look. He watched as the game operator pulled down the largest teddy bear and passed it off to a cheering kid. When he turned back you were gone. "Shit." Paul whirled around and searched the crowd for you with a frown. Great now he was more lost than before. He scratched the back of his neck and turned back to the game that had distracted him. "Okay, okay. So there's the water guns." He searched for anything else familiar when suddenly he felt a warm softness between his fingers. He looked back to find you slipping your hand in his. "I told you to keep up. C'mon." You tugged him along though the crowd until it thinned out around the demure entrance of the Chinese store. It was practically a telephone booth with a door on either end. One way in and one way out. "So you think this is the best on the boardwalk?" Paul shook his head. "There's no way." You tapped your fingers lightly on the counter as you waited for one of the 2 people in the kitchen to come up and take your order. "As a good friend of mine always says, try before you deny." And well, Paul couldn't argue with that logic. 

The two of you sat at a bench that faced out towards the ocean, the sounds of the boardwalk fading into background noise as you talked and ate. "So then," you gesture wildly, noodles clinging for dear life at the end of your chopsticks, "the dude who started the whole riot in the first place is crawling on his hands and knees though the crowd trying to get away! Like between people's legs." Paul cackled, his hand over his stomach, as you shoveled the noodles into your mouth. "Did he get away?" he wheezed. "Hell no!" You covered your full mouth with your hand. "I grabbed him by the back of his stupid members only jacket and yanked him up off the ground. And then when everyone else realized what was happening, they all picked him up too. Next thing you know we're crowd surfing the guy right back into the fight he started." Paul fell against your side as he tried to compose himself, fits of laughter wracking his body. You easily fell back against him and laughed along. "Anyway, it was a wild show. Really good bands too. Sorry, I didn't mean for that to be like, a whole story." You waved at yourself, a bit embarrassed for going on too long. Paul took this as his opening, he snaked an arm around your waist to keep you against him. Good Chinese food, a quick make out session, and then the real meal? Sounded like a solid plan to him. "Hey, no worries. I like your stories." He looked down at you, grinning, but was suddenly struck by your eyes. He watched how the moon reflected off of them like the surface of the ocean. And how the corners crinkled cutely when you smiled. And the way they searched his own eyes. Paul found himself a bit nervous. He couldn't remember the last time someone made him nervous. "Paul," Your voice dragged him back to Earth. "Yeah?" "Are you going to keep staring at me or are you going to kiss me?" 

Marco wandered into the main room where everyone was lounging around. Waiting. "Paul isn't back yet?" Everyone turned to look at him, confused. "Marco, we thought you were with Paul," Star answered. News to him. He stared vacantly back at his friends. "What? No, no Dwayne you were gonna go with him." Dwayne balked, "I wasn't even here when you all ordered the food." Marco puffed up and pointed at him. "That's bull-" "Everyone stop!" David sat up in his seat and scanned the room, making everyone look to him. "So no one went with Paul to go get the food." There was a long pause before Star stood up. "I'll go get a pizza. We'll find Paul after we eat." 

[horrificanalysis]

Dorohedoro

Q Hayashida (2010-2019)

Synopsis: The setting for Dorohedoro takes place sometime in a post-apocalyptic future, were life is divided across three ‘realms’. Our main protagonist Caiman, lives in the dreary human realm ‘Hole’. Life is miserable in hole, as people are constantly under attack from magic users crossing over from the sorcerer’s realm. These sorcerers see humans as nothing but cannon fodder for their magic experiments. Caiman is one of these magic experiment victims. Someone has transformed his head into that of a lizard, and he has lost all knowledge of his true identity. Together with his best friend Nikaidō, the owner of the local dumpling restaurant, they track down magic users in the hopes of solving the mystery of Caiman’s existence, and to enact their revenge. 

Review: This manga is more of a horror comedy or ‘splatter comedy’ than something traditionally scary, but it definitely doesn’t disappoint in the gore department. Hayashida somehow manages to make the fun and whimsical mixed in with the extreme violence seem tonally consistent. The actual plot was an enjoyable ride that kept me guessing. The fantastical and almost absurdist elements probably contributed to this, as you can never tell what is coming next. You will never underestimate a mushroom again. Another reason why this Manga is super popular is that every single character is enjoyable. Even within the villain group I truly loved every character. Also, you don’t come across many Manga’s that have complex female characters, and buff ladies as well! (although there is still some sexualised fan service). 

Art: Super interesting and unique art style with an aggressive and scratchy aesthetic. I would say it’s a lot less ‘clean’ looking than typical manga style and  more detailed too. I still enjoyed it though, and was actually disappointed that the Anime developed from the Manga wasn’t able to fully replicate the art style. 

Recommend: Yes, one of my favorites. It might be one to miss if you are gore sensitive or prefer fully serious horror. 

Spoilers Below----------------------------------------------------------------------

I really loved that there were no ‘true’ villains in the Manga, or really a clear divide in ‘morality’ between the two groups. The way the story would change the way you felt about the villain characters by slowly feeding you new revelations as the story moved along was super fun and interesting to me. I started thinking about how the main reason we view Caiman’s actions as justified was only because we were seeing things from his point of view. It kind of made you question what is actually right and wrong in the context of the story. 

I liked that the characters all had flaws and there was no true hero, yet the story was still felt sincere. It manages to avoid the cringe, 'the main hero is cool because he’s edgy’ tropes you can sometimes get with similarly themed stories. 

I guess maybe Chidaruma could be argued to be the true ‘villain’ of the story, but he was still an enjoyable character. 

I also liked how the romance plots were more background implications in the story. Any ‘romantic chemistry’ between characters was just enough to keep things interesting without overshadowing the main plot. It felt more natural to me because they didn’t follow too many typical romance tropes. 

The only thing that really lets this manga down for me is the obvious fan service scenes with the female characters. I was so happy to have found a manga that has even one good female protagonist that actually contributes to the action of the story and is badass in their own right, and this manga has more than one. Unfortunately, there were some sexualised nudity scenes that were just kind of add ons with no real plot relevance except, ‘look a naked girl with boobs’. Luckily, these scenes are not constantly barraging you throughout the story like other similar Manga’s I have read. 

If anyone else loves this manga, let me know what you think. I would love to know who your favourite character was and why. 

[innytoes]

For your Vampire Reggie/Werewolf Alex AU, please more oblivious Julie who doesn't realize she can see ghosts, if you're so inclined 👀

Okay so you totally have insider info and I am glad you are using it for good.

It's a Songwriting Day, which means it's just her and Luke in the studio. Alex and Willie were going for a hike ('walkies', Willie had joked like usual, and now that joke made sense) and Reggie was probably sleeping half the day away before heading to the animal shelter to help clean cages and walk dogs.

During one of their snack breaks, she paused and looked at Luke. "So you didn't have any idea Reggie was a vampire or Alex was a werewolf when you guys started the band?"

"Nope," Luke said, popping the p before going back to his granola bar. "I thought Reggie was just like, really into sunscreen and the gothy-punk look. He used to wear a lot of eyeliner." Oh. Oh that was one hundred per cent something they were going to talk about later. She wondered if Luke had photos... no, focus.

"And Alex?"

"Didn't realise until I went to his house and crawled through his window to discuss the drum beat for Late Last Night and found an enormous dog on his bed." Luke paused. "Okay that's not true, I didn't realise until the next week when I told Alex 'you never told me you had such an awesome dog' and he freaked out."

"I guess we really are both kind of oblivious," Julie said. "Reggie's been pretty sweet about it, but Alex and Willie have been dragging me every time they see me."

"Yeah, what's he like, anyway?" Luke asked. "Is he really as hot as everyone always says? I mean, Alex is clearly biased to hell, and I can't tell if Reggie is messing with me because he thinks I'm jealous."

“What?”

“Yeah, you know, they can see him ‘cause of the whole vampire and werewolf thing,” Luke said, like that made any sense. 

“And you... can’t?” Julie asked, hestitant. Like she didn’t actually want to know the answer. Because she was pretty sure she didn’t.

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool you can see ghosts,” Luke said. “And I mean, it’s pretty funny that I really am the only one who doesn’t have any special gifts. That’s going to be great red carpet interview fodder at the Grammies, you know?”

Julie wasn’t really listening to him anymore, though, instead thinking back to all the times her dad talked about her imaginary friends. That time she and her music camp friends got lost in the woods and she was able to get them back to the trail because of the ‘nice old man’ that none of the other kids claimed to see. 

The times she’d joked to Carlos about how many cosplayers were out, and how he’d stared at the one guy in a Captain America shirt and asked her what she had against nerds, completely ignoring the man in an honest to god tophat and cape walking by. 

This explained so much. This explained so much and now that she thought back, she’s not sure why she hadn’t thought of it before. She’s not sure why any of the ghosts she’d spoken with hadn’t brought it up. Maybe because her mom had taught her not to stare or be rude to people who dressed differently.  

“Julie?” Luke asked, a little unsure. She blinked, zoning back in. 

“Willie’s a ghost?” she whispered. 

“Oh.” Luke blinked, before his face broke out into the biggest grin. “Ooooooh.”

And then he grabbed his phone, opening up a video call to Alex and Reggie. Oh no.

“No!” she shouted, chasing Luke around the studio. “Luke, stop!”

“Guys you’ll never guess what Julie just learned!” Luke crowed, vaulting over the coffee table and onto the couch, holding the phone up high so he could get her into the shot as well. Oh god, the jokes were going to be even more insufferable now. She was never going to live this down. 

(Set in the Rulie Vampire AU universe as found here on ao3, of course.)

[ariverrunsviolet]

Hostage Situation (Bucky Barnes imagine)

Summary: A surprise attack has left you captured and under interrogation by an unknown enemy. Only one thing brings you comfort; a certain soldier is out there looking for you.

Gif @ gifbuckybarnes

Pairing: Bucky x Reader Timeline: Post The Falcon and The Winter Soldier Reader is a fellow Avenger that has teamed up with Sam and Bucky. Warnings: Violence, sexual assault, language Words:  2158

Songs I listed to while writing this: Opus by Hoity-Toity, Next Contestant by Nickelback, Protecting Me by Aly & AJ Let me know what you guys think! I have ideas for a part two *Please don't repost this anywhere! Especially without my permission!*

“You’re a stubborn one, ain’t ya?”

You managed to pool a mouthful of spit and blood and hocked it in the direction of your captor. Your breathing was heavier than normal after their relentless interrogation efforts. Time was lost to you; it could have been 12 hours or a whole week since you had been separated from the group and captured.

It had been a surprise attack; Torres’ intel didn’t account for the blitz that struck and took you away from Sam and Bucky.  It had all happened so fast—the smoke bombs, a harsh tase to your back, and you woke up here. In this hellhole.

The greasy interrogator lit a freshly drawn cigarette between his fingers and took a deep inhale, blowing the smoke out in your face. “How much longer do you think you can hold out love?”

You refused to look him in the eye as he took another puff. With a screech of his chair and a few steps forward, he yanked the back of your hair and made you face him. As you gasped in surprise, he plunged his mouth into yours and exhaled again. He planted himself firmly against your mouth and nose; you couldn’t release his breath at all. The smoke burned your nose, throat, and lungs as you choked on it.

He finally, finally, pulled away and you struggled to breathe as tears streamed out of your good eye—the other was swollen shut—and down your bruised face.

“I can hold out as long as you, darlin’. Trust me, I’m enjoyin’ myself.” He said, eyeing your uniform. He unsheathed a dagger from his belt and did a quick and clean slice up the center of the clothing, leaving you exposed in just your bra. With your hands chained to the seat behind you, there was nothing you could do to cover yourself.

You kept up your stone-faced resolve. It was an intimidation tactic, and you wouldn’t give him the pleasure of watching you squirm.

“Yeah…Yeah, I think I’ve found some more to enjoy.” The dozen lackeys spread throughout the big, empty room either snickered or stayed eerily quiet.

Before you could manage to spit at him in disgust a second time, you heard a clutter of noises down the hall. They were stifled through the thick walls, but consistent and growing closer.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, a warmth of relief spread through your stomach and you managed a small smirk.

“The hell is going on out there?” One of his henchmen by the door grunted as he pulled out his gun.

“Don’t ask me you moron, go check on it!” The lead interrogator barked. The one by the door nodded to the man next to him and they entered a code into the keypad. With a hiss, the door slid open, and the two rounded the corner to search.

As the door slid back to a close, the leader of the group finally seemed to register the look on your face. “And what the fuck has you looking so giddy?”

“The last mistake you’ll ever make.” You rasped out, giving a full bloody smile, counting down in your head.

By the time you reached down to one, there was a slam against the door to the room, a large, rounded dent showing in the thick metal. The pounding continued, each time adding a newer, thicker bulge to the door. It only took a few more punches until the door flew into room, knocking down one of the men.

And there he was in the doorway, with his shining arm and clear blue eyes. There was just a moment as he locked his gaze with yours and you saw wave after wave of relief, rage, and an assessment of the room all come through his face in that brief second.

The lead interrogator started screaming for his men to attack, but they were already at a critical disadvantage. Bucky was on a warpath, and everyone else in the room was just fodder when it came to his end goal: you.

One of the men dangerously close to the avenging soldier stuck his assault weapon right in Bucky’s face. Gripping the front of the gun, the ringing of bullets stopped at his vibranium palm and jammed the front of the weapon. Yanking it out of the henchmen’s grip, Bucky swung out with it and clocked the aggravator clean across the face, knocking him out cold. These weren’t super soldiers they were dealing with; just sneaky men with big guns and smoke bombs trying to play in the big leagues.

And Bucky was tearing through them like tissue paper. You couldn’t help but feel growing satisfaction; the only thing that would’ve made it better was being free to do it all yourself.

As you watched him move through the room, calculating, quick, and aggressive, the average eye could assume The Winter Soldier was active again. He was snapping guns in half like they were twigs, flipping through the air, and throwing men into each other so hard that they crashed into the wall and laid dazed on the ground. All of this while deathly silent and his eyes glazed over in a look of duty and fury.

Except when he sparingly glanced back at you. Quick looks, making sure you were still there. In those quick, apologetic glances, you could see what he was saying. ‘I’ll be there in a second, hold on.’

He was taking care of the last of the lackies when you felt a hand grip your chin and cold metal shove into your temple. You could feel the slight shaking coming off the leader, as he whistled loudly to get Bucky’s attention.

After an effective punch to the solar plexus of the last of the henchmen, Bucky spun around and set his sights on the handgun rammed into your face. His muscles tensed and for a second, you saw terror flit through his blue orbs before rounding back to steely resolve and rising to meet the gaze of the man that held you captive.

“Drop your weapon.” A demand, with a wall of threatening anger standing tall behind his words.

“Not a chance, Barnes.” The man squeezed your face, making you hiss in response. Bucky’s fists tightened. “If you come any closer, her brain turns into confetti.”

“You do that, and nothing will stop me from breaking every one of your bones into splinters with my bare hands.” Even though you were currently held at gunpoint, Bucky’s threat made you go cold, and a shiver ran up your spine. You didn’t have to be close to the super soldier to know he sincerely meant every word coming out of his mouth.

“You won’t risk it. Not on her life.” His finger hovered over the trigger. “I know that arm comes off your body. Remove it.” Bucky didn’t move a muscle until the man jammed the gun hard into your face, making you wince and causing a quiet cry to escape your throat. “Now!”

Bucky’s resolve broke for an instant, his face panicked until he locked eyes with you. You tried to make it as apparent as you could with just your facial expressions; you had a last-ditch effort ready. Your pupils flicked down to the man’s hand holding your jaw, and you gave a slight and quick head tilt back and looked to Bucky’s face to see if he knew what you were plotting. He understood you like no one else, and with a hesitant, affirmative nod from him, you moved with haste.

Your teeth gnashed down into the man’s hand as you shoved your feet into the floor and launched your chair backwards into the goon behind you. Natasha had taught you this move way back when. The man yelped in surprise and started shooting wildly. You fell to the floor as you watched Bucky cover himself with his arm as a shield, the bullets showering off his vibranium buffer as he surged forward.

You couldn’t see what happened after Bucky had rushed past your line of sight, but the noises you heard told you that he was giving a thorough, yet justified, beating to the man that had haggled with your life.

Even though you were sure Bucky could go at it all day, it wasn’t long until you felt his arms around you, gently pulling your form and the chair upright. He twisted his metal fingers into your shackles, attempting to safely free you, all the while saying “It’s alright. I’m here, you’re safe.” You guessed he was reassuring himself as much as he was reassuring you.

You wanted to jokingly ask “What took you so long?” But you knew he was probably internally beating himself up, asking the same question. Instead, you settled on a quiet but sincere “my hero.”

Your bindings fell to the floor in a flurry of metal clangs and even after singlehandedly dismantling an entire room of kidnappers, Bucky was unprepared for the way your arms whipped up and around his neck, pulling him down to you. His arms instinctively enveloped you, and you knew, you were certain, that you could never feel safer than you did in that moment.

He breathed in all of you, and briefly closed his eyes, relaxing into your hold like warm putty. Both of you needed this more than the other realized.

You pulled away briefly, feeling tears run down your face in warm streaks again, this time in relief. His thumb gently padded them away, careful to avoid your bruised eye, and then rested on your lips. You had no idea how long your eyes were locked into each other until you heard a groaning behind Bucky.

Your stomach, currently swirling with relief and pulsing with adrenaline, felt a hot stab of anger strike through you as you made your way to the man angrily grunting on the floor; Bucky hovered protectively behind you as you moved.

The man’s left arm had been dislocated, and you saw some of his teeth sprinkled on the floor around his face. Your arms stiffened with growing fury as you remembered all of the hell he had gleefully put you through—all of the pain, and embarrassment. You started to reflexively pull your torn clothes around your torso until you felt the warmth of Bucky’s leather jacket cover you. It smelled of pine, and fire, and gunpowder, and just—him. It made you tingle from head to toe as your arms found their way into the sleeves—well, one of the sleeves. Your left harm hung out the gaping hole that was normally meant for Bucky’s vibranium extremity as you zipped up the front.

“We gotta get moving. There are probably more coming that’ll be here any second.” He looked back over his shoulder to the open doorway as he debriefed you, his hand lightly tugging at yours.

“Just give me a second.” You squeezed his hand in response and knelt to fully tower over the shell of a man that had once joyfully taken part in torturing you.

It looked like he was about to say something, probably snarky and condescending, but you beat him to the punch with a swift uppercut into his solar plexus, like Bucky taught you. All of the air left his lungs in a pained shout and he curled into a fetal position, wrapping his one good arm around himself and groaning.

You stood quickly and turned to Bucky, who nodded approvingly and looked impressed, but not surprised, at your aim and the power of your strike. “Okay, I’m good to go now…” your voice faded; the adrenaline flushed out of your system like water running from a faucet. The strong wall that you had put up to survive the interrogation began to dissolve, and it suddenly took everything you had to stay standing, or even keep your eyes open. Your knees gave way and Bucky’s arms were around you in an instant, breaking your fall.

“Hey, (Y/N).” He carefully tapped your cheek a few times trying to rouse you. “Hey, c’mon, stay with me. Please. (Y/N)!”

“Mmmm so sleepy…” you mumbled. “Quick nap, then I’ll be…” you trailed off unwillingly from the dizziness and heard him curse as he hastily called into his earpiece for Sam, demanding he fly his ass and shield down to our location, pronto. His arms swiftly and surely lifted you up into his chest.

‘Thank you for finding me…Bucky’ You would have sworn on your life, in that moment, that you had only thought those words. You had no strength remaining at this point, and darkness was closing in around you. But you must have either said it out loud, or you and Bucky truly had an impenetrable connection. Because he gave your form a light squeeze and the last thing you heard was him mumble assuredly.

“Always.”

[an-army-of-nightmares]

Porcelain Jekyll au

-

This is gonna be long so heres a tldr

TLDR: Jekyll gets taken to a sort of real nightmare party full of dolls, if he misbehaves they'll kill him and if he's a perfect gentleman he'll turn into a doll. There's a branch where he's rescued and two where he turns into a doll

--

•The au starts with Jekyll going to sleep, timeline honestly doesn't matter as long as Frankenstein, Jasper, and Jekyll are all around. Could start where tgs currently is? But Jasper doesn't accidentally wake Jekyll up in his panic

•"The Party of Dolls" is basically a supernatural nightmare? I haven't found a better explanation but basically it's a nightmare that's real and happening, while still "just" being a nightmare. It takes you to like a different dimension while you sleep basically? (The party of dolls isn't the only one but that's not relevant)

•The dolls invite specific people, they invite people who want to be perfect. People who dont want anyone to hate them or find a flaw. Jekyll fits this perfectly

•Jekyll is taken to the party. He tries to be polite despite being unnerved. There's another human at the party, he doesn't learn the man's name before the man gets ripped apart by the dolls for shouting

The dolls target specific people, but they can still take "fodder", people they know will immediately break the rules. So that their actual guests can learn what happens if they are impolite. The dolls also surround guest on all sides, and have them in the exact middle, so that the guest cannot just run out

•Jekyll is terrified, now knowing he'll die if he does something wrong, he tries his best to be perfect

•Unknown to Jekyll, if he's "perfect" he'll start turning into a doll. Ultimately it's a die or die situation

•Jekyll does start to notice the porcelain creeping up him, its be hard not to. He is very much (silently) panicking. But,, the more porcelain on him the more calm he becomes, the more he acts as if this is a simple party and nothing is wrong

•Eventually he reaches a point where he'd actively resist being taken away from the party, but still not fully covered by porcelain

A quick note, Hyde can't do anything about the situation. He wasn't invited and the dolls are suppressing him so much he can hardly even tell what's happening, or leave the mindscape. He's absolutely terrified about this because he can Feel something is wrong and everything is just becoming more and more suffocating

Now onto the branches! There are 2 and a half branches for this au!

Branch 1: Jekyll gets rescued

(Assuming this takes place at Chapter 11 Page 8)

•Jekyll is asleep on the couch, Jasper rushes in the room like his panic on the page except this time Jekyll does not wake up at Jasper's sudden entry. Jasper, noticing Jekyll is asleep, silently contemplates on if this problem is really worth waking Jekyll. Because on the one hand he's probably overreacting in his mind, but on the other Jekyll is really the only person he can panic to?

•He decides not to wake Jekyll, and wait until it's properly morning or noon?, now that the panic is a bit subdued he probably still has stuff to ask Jekyll

•He goes up to find Jekyll is still asleep, and Zosi frantically pawing at Jekyll's chest, occasionally nibbling him, and seemingly really wants to wake Jekyll up. Jasper tries to wake him up but it seems no matter how hard he tries Jekyll stays asleep

•Seeing how Lanyon probably isn't in the Society at the moment (and besides Jasper is pretty sure Robert dislikes him) and he's currently avoiding Rachel. Jasper cant ask Jekyll's friends if this is normal behavior. Why doesn't he ask the lodgers? Maybe a combination of they all seem busy and still being a bit intimidated by them? So he goes to his last best bet, Frankenstein. She's, kinda a doctor and has traveled quite a bit, so she may know whats up with Jekyll and why Zosi is panicking

Note: This whole decision happens in like a few seconds while Jasper is panicking

•Frankenstein does not ease Jasper's worries

•Ah, I guess there has to be some sort of tell, something that makes it clear someone is in one of these "supernatural nightmares" and that Jekyll is specifically in the party of dolls. Idk yet what that tell would be. But Frankenstein knows and thats all that matters

•They take Jekyll back to the attic, lock the entry, and make preparations for a rescue mission

•Frankenstein will be going in to try and distract the dolls while Jasper will be looking for Jekyll. Creature is there as plan B in case the dolls get hostile towards them (as Creature is fully capable of lifting them all up and running out of there. And the dolls are very likely to get hostile towards them)

•They get in, how? I have no clue. But they do. Probably a potion?

•Jasper quickly finds Jekyll and tries to convince him to leave. Much to Jasper's concern, Jekyll doesn't want to leave, and keeps brushing the danger off

Frankenstein and Jasper dont know much about the nightmare. Its likely all they know is that its filled with dolls and people who are "invited" are never seen again/found dead

•Frankenstein's distraction consists of pointing out flaws in how the dolls act. The dolls keep finding excuses, but eventually become agitated with her

•Japser notices the porcelain on Jekyll and loudly panics, attracting the already agitated dolls attention

•Creature picks them all up and runs towards the doors. Jekyll is greatly struggling against this rescue attempt, but once they get out of the building and onto the stretch of yard before the exit Jekyll calms down significantly

Jekyll did not actually calm down, but rather Hyde managed to weasel control after they left the building. Hyde absolutely does not want to be at this party, and Jekyll's struggling could've jeopardized the rescue

•They get back! Whatever porcelain was on Jekyll falls off him with ease. He's angry for maybe half a day or more. But when the doll's control completely leaves him, he's nothing but relieved

Sidenote: It seems reasonable that this whole experience would leave Jekyll with a fear of going to sleep. Perhaps give him something that can deter these types of nightmares? A desire for the comfort of another person, at least in the room, while he's asleep?

Branch 2: Jekyll fully turns into a doll

•Well either Jekyll went to sleep at his own home or some place where no one would think to look for him, as if he was right in the society they'd certainly take notice that something is wrong

•Jekyll fully turns to porcelain. Once he's a full doll they give him new clothes (the sand/beige colored suit I tend to draw porcelain Jekyll in)

Previously, Jekyll had been wearing the suit he wears at any formal party, like the ball in An Army Of Nightmares

•Porcelain Jekyll gets back to the real world. This is not entirely out of the ordinary for the dolls to do. If a guest was reasonably young or famous they'll be returned once a doll, to make themselves more known or respectable before they "die" and go back to the party full time

•Zosi notices something is Wrong while Jekyll is asleep and tries to wake him up to no avail, Zosi can't bark for attention and he's scared of leaving Jekyll alone, the few times he does go out to find someone he's largely ignored or avoided, or they misinterpret what the zombie pup wants. When Jekyll does wake up, Zosi immediately notices that it's not Jekyll, at least not anymore. Zosi knows he's supposed to get rid of any evil creatures, but this was once Jekyll. So the pup runs away and avoids him instead

•ooo I dont want to describe this whole branch? This has already taken way longer for me to write then I want XD, just check out this reblog chain about it bsksndks

•

Branch 2 ½: Jekyll dies

•Jekyll fully turns into a doll, however instead of entering the real world his real body simply dies. He's found rotting in bed. "Jekyll" however, is still in the party. (Fun fact, this was the original plan for the au)

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Extra notes:

▪All the dolls in the party were once people, except for maybe one or two? A handful? But it has long since been lost who's who. And it never mattered

▪Lanyon would not have ever been invited to the party. He doesn't seem to want to be a gentleman, and he knows too much about etiquette to be fodder either

▪Jasper is a proper candidate to be invited, and in branch 2 "Jekyll" is giving him alot more lessons on how to be a proper gentleman, planning to invite Jasper to the party at some point

▪The party always has a host that they cycle though, the host talks to guests a bit more than everyone else

▪Porcelain Jekyll gets to keep his new clothes when returning to the real world

[cblgblog]

Sorry I’m advance but one of my other favorite accounts just reblogged a Tony scene and people are talking about Civil War and how it made them Stan Tony, and how when they watch that movie they hate team cap👀 Then someone was all about how he was sleep deprived and how much pressure he was under and couldn’t understand how people didn’t like Tony because. Someone literally said that when someone says they don’t like Tony in Civil War they say “did you watch the same movie as me.” I’m baffled. Oddly enough someone else said, “he just wants to help everyone.” Sorry for the rant but I think people forget about what the accords are and what it would mean for people. Side note, I hope you’re having a great day/night 😀

No sorry needed!

I feel you man, I do. Honestly, I’ve unfollowed people based on similar posts when I was in especially Done moods, so.

Look on the one hand, the movie would’ve been a narrative failure if everyone was in favor of one side or the other, right? The whole point of the damn thing—besides giving the Mouse overlords more money—was to spark discussion, debate. Which, yeah, we’ll call that the tame description for what actually happened. But just, the thing was meant to split the fanbase so in that regard…winning? Thanks, I guess?

Film is also very obviously subjective, different strokes for different folks, so yeah, ten people can watch a movie and none of them are gonna see the exact same film. Let’s try to remember that this is, in theory anyway, a good thing. I just read a professional film review yesterday where I had the same reaction. What film were you watching, dude? Incidentally his reviewing partner said the same thing.

So honestly, no, they weren’t watching the same film as you or I or anyone else, because everyone brings their own biases and experiences and knowledge and interests into a thing, and that’s always going to flavor how it’s viewed. Again, let’s try to remember that this is good. In theory. Heavy on the theory.

That out of the way? Let’s get into Tony specifically so his uber stans can find this and scream at me on anon as though I just shot RDJ with a nuke.

Oh yeah, he was stressed. Oh, he was sleep deprived. Yeah, I’ve heard that. And that it’s Pepper’s fault, if she hadn’t left the poor baby, if she was there to rein him in, he’d be fine dammit, leave the baby alone!

Here’s the thing. You know who gets a pass on their shit behavior when they’re upset or tired? Actual babies. Actual babies and toddlers, and children, up to a point. Because they actually cannot always help themselves. Their bodies and brains are different, they have not learned better.

When you’re a 50-year-old man who’s supposedly the world’s bestest superhero, who wants, wants to be in charge of protecting the whole world? You need a little more self-control than that. The sleep deprived excuse works if you snap at someone before you’ve had your coffee, not for this. Roseanne Barr didn’t get to blame Ambien for her racism, Tony doesn’t get to handwave CW away because oops, I was tired.

Really? You’re a superhero, dude. Most of your teammates are tired too, that’s part of the gig. If you crash and burn this badly without your afternoon nap, fucking hang up the armor and go back to your billionaire playboy lifestyle.

Speaking of that, sure, right. It’s Pepper’s fault because she left him. Put aside the argument on whether that was justified or not (cough, it was and she should’ve stayed away even though they are adorable together). It’s not Pepper’s job to keep Tony sane. It’s not any partner’s job to do that for anyone. If she wants out, she has a right to that, without Tony going off the rails and blaming it on her. Seriously, he says part of the reason he backed the Accords was to “split the difference” with Pepper.

Dude. You were an asshole and you lost your girl. You destroyed all your suits, turned an emotional and mental corner in IM 3…and then relapsed 4 minutes later I guess because Whedon. Either way, Tony admits himself that he does not want to stop. So instead of doing that, or finding another partner who can accept that, you back an unjust international law that pits you against your team, your supposed friends? Go to therapy, have a pint of ice cream, cry into your pillow, send her more of those strawberries you sent her in IM 2 that she’s allergic to. You don’t go trying to change international law in ways that could ultimately affect millions of people because your girl left you.

Honestly—and thank God they didn’t do this but—the only way the Pepper excuse works in excusing his behavior in any way is if she’d died. Or been severely injured like Happy in IM 3. Still wouldn’t be okay, but, like Quill messing up their chance to stop Thanos because Gamora died, it would’ve been more understandable. Understandable, not excusable, and the way the MCU treats their women as manpain fodder, we’re probably legit lucky we didn’t get this.

As for him wanting to help everyone. He does in fact want that, I think. The problem is that his need to feel like he’s doing that is stronger than his rational mind, or his want to actually help in a constructive way.

Tony is too smart. He’s dumb as hell in many instances, mostly involving people and relationships, but he’s also too smart, and he’s been told for too long that he’s smart, and he’s bought into it. Ultron. Suit of armor around the world, protects the world, no more alien threats. It’s a simple concept on paper that fails in execution. So there are people with dangerous powers. Okay, we’ll make a set of laws to keep them from being dangerous, problem solved. But again, it isn’t.

Tony is not used to problems he cannot solve. He’s a genius, right? He can fix anything. He should be able to fix anything. That’s how he feels. But not everything is zeros and ones and circuits, things that can be fixed mechanically like his armors can. The people he wants to protect are not built that way. But he needs to feel like he’s doing something, because he’s terrified of what happens to the world if he doesn’t. So he creates these simple solutions to complex problems. The suit of armor, the Accords. They sound good in theory, but the problems they’re trying to solve are bigger than they are. And Tony, way back in IM 1, he sat back for years, clueless that his weapons were being used for bad things. He says it to Cap in CW. When he found out what his weapons were being used for, he went in and stopped it. Whether or not he should’ve known that already is a separate issue here. The point here is that when he found out, too late or not, he went in and did something about it.

Tony needs to do something about it. Again, go back to Cap in AoU, Tony’s nightmare sequence. Steve asks Tony why he didn’t save them. Tony’s ultimate nightmare is that he sits back and does nothing, and his inaction causes everyone to die. Which is where you get Ultron. Something he came up with because of what he saw in space in Avengers 1, then doubled down on in AoU. It’s where you get the Accords. Oops, he caused someone to die, he killed Charles Spencer. Must do something about that right now so it doesn’t happen again, and he won’t have to feel this guilt. He should be collaborating with others to come up with solutions (no Bruce in AoU doesn’t count because Bruce was dumb there), or at the very least, taking more time to think through the repercussions of the things he puts out there. But he doesn’t, because he’s got his savior complex that tells him that he alone can and must fix this, and because he’s too dumb to realize how not-smart he is in certain areas.

“We need to be put in check. Whatever form that takes, I’m game.”

Isn’t that what he says in CW, or something very close to it? Whatever form that takes. That’s the issue, right there, whatever form that takes. Realistically, yes, there should be laws regarding people with powers, the same way there are special laws pertaining to people who carry guns, or people who are licensed to fly planes. You have a thing/can do a thing that not everyone else does, so there are regulations pertaining to that thing. Laws change with the times, they always have. Some new technology comes up, eventually there will be laws that regulate it. As there should be, honestly. The issue with the Accords, Steve’s issue with the Accords, was not the basic idea. He says as much. He says that it could work, but there would have to be safeguards. Safeguards that are not in the Accords that Tony wants him to sign.

It's not a matter of oh, fuck the law, there should be no law governing these people, they’re above it. The problem is that the law as it’s presented here is unjust. There’s what, a month between Lagos and Ross coming by to tell them about the Accords? A month is not enough time to properly analyze such a big issue, Especially when you’re reacting out of fear, which is what happened with Lagos. People died because of an Enhanced person, an Avenger, in this case. Lawmakers don’t want that to happen again, they especially don’t want the political shit storm that comes with it. Damn, we look like we were asleep at the switch here, not having anything to throw at this problem earlier. Quick, let’s throw together this thing so no one can say we’re not addressing the problem.

Patriot Act of 2001, anyone? 9/11 happened, the public were rightfully terrified, the US said oh man, these are unprecedented circumstances, we’ve never had this before. Don’t worry though, we’re on this, we’re protecting you. The reality being that that bill simply gave the government too much power, most of it being used against people who were not actually threats, and it’s debatable, to say the very least, whether or not that law helped more than it hurt.

No law is perfect. No law ever will be. It’s not possible. We still have to strive for perfection though, have to aim there so that the laws we get are as close to fair as possible. Tony’s a big deal. If not for his “whatever form that takes” attitude, he might’ve been able to use his influence to pressure lawmakers into coming up with a fairer bill. Hey, I’m me, the public loves me, I will endorse this bill publicly and work on getting the rest of the team to sign, but you need to change this and this and this first, or no deal. Instead, he took the easy way out, the quickest, easiest way for him to feel like he’s atoned for his sins without actually doing anything. Whatever form that takes.

Tony’s not wrong because he backs the creation of a law that addresses these things. He’s wrong because he says himself that he does not care what that law does, specifically, so long as it exists. He’s wrong because he violates said law upteen times during the movie, while preaching to team Cap about what assholes they are for not backing it. He’s wrong because he cares more about feeling as though he’s tackled a problem than he does about taking the time to make sure that the thing he’s proposing is actually a good idea. He’s wrong because of what he does with Bucky, though that’s honestly a separate issue, for the purposes of this discussion.

Anyway, that was longer than I ever wanted it to be. Damn. Next time you see a comment about CW being the reason people stan Tony, just remember there are other people out there who stopped stanning Tony because of that movie. Everyone’s entitled to see a piece of media however they see it, and although the Tony stans are often the loudest, there are plenty of like-minded people out there who share your take on events. Block who you need to, unfollow who you need to, blacklist what you need to, and don’t let them get you down.

Hang in there, and have an awesome day :)

[is-it-art-tho]

This is Chapter 9!

Chapter 1. Chapter 2. Chapter 3. Chapter 4. Chapter 5. Chapter 6.   Chapter 7. Chapter 8.

Summary: Dick begins the healing process.

By all accounts, Dick should not have survived.

That was what he gleaned from murmured conversations between nurses and snippets of news coverage. His medical records had filled in some blanks, too.

Concussion, multiple fractures, internal hemorrhaging, lacerations, cardiac arrest.

Cardiac arrest. The words had played on a loop in his head ever since his doctor had first said them, and even now Dick couldn’t quite make any sense of it.

The doctor had smiled at him afterwards, informed him of how lucky he was to be alive. “Usually when someone goes into cardiac arrest in the field, they don’t even make it to the hospital,” she’d said. “Good thing Batman was there, huh?”

“Batman?”

“Mhm. EMTs saw him. He must have been doing CPR before they got there.”

“Hm,” was all Dick had offered in response, but internally he had clung to those minor details like a drowning man grasping at driftwood.

The majority of that night was lost to him. Listening to the news helped somewhat, but reporters only knew so much. And none of the others – Barbara, Tim, any of them – had been very forthcoming, either.

Dick hadn’t pressed, though. The haunted look in their eyes whenever they came to visit him in the hospital had been enough for him to decide never to bring that night up again. He already hated that he might have inadvertently become added fodder for future nightmares; no need to throw gas on the fire.

He could live with not-knowing what had happened if it meant keeping them from reliving it.

“Richard?”

The young voice dragged Dick’s gaze away from the curtains he’d been staring at to the doorway. He’d been back at the manor for nearly two days now, in bed mostly, and in that time he had yet to see Damian except for the ride back from the hospital.

Now the boy was standing at the threshold with a tea service in his hands, his mouth curled in an uncertain frown. “Am I… interrupting?”

Dick smirked and made a show of looking around the empty bedroom. “Yeah. I’m pretty swamped here, as you can see.”

“You know what I meant.”

“I know, but it was a dumb question, anyway. You know you’re never interrupting, Damian. C’mon.” Dick waved him in with a jerk of his chin then froze and winced as a jolt of pain shot up his spine and into his head.

Damian entered stiffly and set the tray on the bedside table, shoving aside pill bottles and a glass of water.

“Damian?” Dick asked after what felt like a long pause. Damian’s eyes were locked on the tea set, his face scrunched in a way that made him look nervous and uncomfortable and young.

Dick reached out with his good hand and tugged on the boy’s sleeve. “Hey, you okay?”

“Of course, I am,” Damian snapped, pulling his arm out of reach. He scowled at a bookshelf. “Drake is having a difficult time.”

“Tim?” Dick tried to push himself more upright and quickly aborted that mission with a hiss when he felt a sharp tug at the sutures across his abdomen. “What do you mean? What’s going on?”

“He blames himself for what happened. For not locating you sooner.”

“He told you that?”

“I overheard him talking to Stephanie.”

“Aw, Tim.” Tim had been noticeably distant, it was true, but Dick had interpreted it as general anxiety about the whole situation. Never in a million years would he have guessed that Tim had managed to convince himself this was his fault.

Damian muttered something, hands now shoved into his pockets.

“What?”

“I said he is a fool. To act as if he is the one who…” Damian swallowed hard, glowering at the carpet.

Birds were gathering and chirping in a bush by the open window, and though the curtains were drawn to protect Dick’s concussed brain from harsh light, hazy beams still found their way in, spilling across the floor and along the foot of the bed.

“He is not the one to blame,” Damian finished.

“No one is.” Dick couldn’t tell if it was the drugs or his injuries that were making this conversation so hard to follow, but he felt like he was missing something, straggling two steps behind. “At least, not any of you.”

Damian looked at him with open disbelief. “I failed you, Richard. If not for my ineptitude, you wouldn’t have– I should have gone with you when you left that night. None of this would have happened if I had just–”

“Stop.” Dick had meant it to be firm, but the word sounded more like a plea. His head was really pounding now, and keeping the pain out of his voice was becoming increasingly difficult. “You can’t let yourself start doing that or else you’ll never stop. It was a freakish, sucky thing that none of us could have anticipated and therefore probably couldn’t have avoided, either. And yeah, maybe if you had been there it wouldn’t have happened. Or maybe something worse would’ve happened instead. We don’t know and we never will, but what I do know is that you did the best you could in the moment.”

“And it was not good enough.”

“Damian–”

“It is my job to be good enough,” Damian maintained. “If I can’t protect you then…” He let the rest go unsaid, his lips pressing together as his eyes glistened. “I am supposed to be able to protect you.”

Oh. So that’s what this was about.

“Damian,” Dick tried again, and what was meant to be a sigh turned into a low groan as his ribs refused to cooperate.

Damian tensed, wide-eyed.

“We’re good. I’m okay,” Dick promised before the boy could sound the alarms. Then, “I’m not Batman anymore, Damian. You’re not my Robin. You don’t have to put that kind of pressure on yourself.”

And again, Damian gave him a look like Dick still just wasn’t getting it, like he missing something glaring and obvious and not worth explaining except to say, “Yes, I do, Richard.”

Dick started to say something, but Damian continued, “You are saying that excessive self-reproach is counter-productive. I understand the sentiment. And I appreciate it. Thank you.”

He turned to the tea service and begin pouring a cup, his entire demeanor changed, suddenly casual . “How is your pain?”

“I…” Dick paused, once again feeling off balance and too slow as the tone and subject of the discussion switched so suddenly. “A four.”

“So, a seven,” Damian deduced, taking one of the pill bottles from the nightstand and opening it after checking the label. “Alfred said if it is above a five then you are to take two of these.”

Dick considered fighting him on this, reluctant to lose the rest of the morning to a drug-fueled haze, but the pulsing ache beneath his skull and the one radiating through his ribs made it difficult. He let Damian tip the capsules into his open palm and threw them back without complaint.

“You got anything planned this morning?” Dick asked, accepting the cup the tea Damian held out.

“Nothing important.”

“Great.” Dick reached across his chest with his good arm to pat the open space in the bed beside him.

After a brief hesitation, Damian circled the mattress and climbed in, his movements so careful that Dick hardly jostled at all.

“What language are you on right now?” Dick asked, settling back into the pillows. It might have been psychosomatic, but already he was feeling drowsy.

“Hungarian.”

“Huh. What happened to Korean?”

“Too easy. I finished that a week ago,” Damian said dismissively, though there was a self-satisfied smirk tugging at his lips.

Dick chuckled. “Show-off. How far along are you?”

“More or less conversational.”

“Nice.” Dick’s eyes were closed now. “Show me something.”

“I am not circus monkey, Richard.”

“Y’know, I grew up in the circus,” Dick mumbled. “The monkeys were my favorite. Miss those little guys.”

He thought he heard Damian sigh – or maybe it was a laugh – before the boy asked, “What do you want to hear?”

“That song Bruce hums all the time. The one he sings when he thinks he’s alone. What’s it called?”

Damian’s voice sounded muffled and far away when he answered, “Am I Blue.”

“Yeah. That.”

Damian cleared his throat and began to recite the lyrics in near-perfect Hungarian. He paused occasionally to search for a word, at times reversing to correct a conjugation before moving on.

Dick was almost completely gone now. The bed had fallen away, and he felt like he was floating through the air with Damian’s voice as a welcome backdrop.

He didn’t notice the quiet chatter had stopped until Damian asked, “Richard?”

“Mm…?”

“You’re not just Batman to me. I mean, that is not why I feel responsible for your wellbeing.”

“’Kay. Y’too…”

After a brief pause, the gentle half-singing began again, and Dick slipped away on the familiar melody.

______________

All of the lights were off in the den when Alfred breezed in with a tray of hot chocolate just as A Charlie Brown Christmas began on the TV. Cass and Stephanie’s arms sprang up from their spots on the floor like weeds, and he placed mugs in their waiting hands before circling around to the others. Tim, curled up on the sofa, accepted his with a muttered thanks without looking up from his phone. Bruce took one for himself and one for Damian who was smushed into his side, mouth hanging open in dead sleep. When Alfred got to where Barbara and Dick were sharing a blanket on the couch, he smiled and set their mugs on the end table.

“Thanks, Alfred,” Dick whispered, glancing over at Barbara’s head on his shoulder to find that she had fallen asleep.

“Of course,” Alfred said. He set the tray aside and took a seat in a nearby chair. “How are you feeling?”

“Good,” Dick answered, perhaps a bit too quickly because Alfred raised a dubious eyebrow at him.

“Honest,” he added with a rueful grin.

“Well, I’m glad to hear it.”

They sat in silence for a while, the only noise coming from the TV and hushed laughter and whispers between Cassandra and Stephanie on the floor.

The air was thick with the ghost of Thanksgiving dinner and fresh hot chocolate, creating a warm bouquet that was at once comforting and nostalgic. Bruce had a faint smile on his face as he watched the movie, colors and lights splashing across his face. He had one arm draped over Damian’s small frame as if holding him there.

At some point, Tim had stowed his phone and turned so that his legs dangled off the armrest and he could see the screen better, hot chocolate clutched between his hands.

It was one of those admittedly rare moments where there was no clock ticking anywhere in the background. There was work to be done, for sure, but it was not a looming obligation. Tonight, the city for once was quiet. Dick couldn’t remember the last time he had passed an uninterrupted holiday in this house.

“Something is on your mind,” Alfred noted, taking a small sip from his mug.

“I was just thinking about today.”

“Nothing short of a miracle,” the older man said, instantly understanding.

“No kidding. It almost feels suspicious. Like the calm before the–”

“Don’t,” he said firmly, his face illuminated just enough by the TV for Dick to register the stern frown there. “I will not allow you to sully this gift with your dark premonitions. Just enjoy this for what it is: a welcome and much needed respite after the events of the past few weeks.”

“You’re right, you’re right,” Dick conceded, cringing a little in self-reproach. “Sorry, Al.”

The old man nodded, his face softening. “Now, would you mind telling me what is actually on your mind?”

Dick let out a breathy, half-hearted laugh. “You’re good.”

“I am indeed.”

With a sigh, he looked toward the TV. A Black Friday commercial was advertising half-priced gaming systems.

“Hey,” Tim whispered, waving his arm at Stephanie.

“What?”

“Get me that.” He pointed at the commercial, and Stephanie scoffed at him before resuming her muted conversation with Cass. After a few days and a much-needed conversation, Dick was happy to see Tim back to his normal self.

“It’s been a while,” he admitted now, returning his attention to Alfred who was watching him patiently, “since I’ve heard from Jason. Over a month, actually. Not the longest we’ve gone without speaking, but it’s the longest in a while.”

The cup paused halfway to Alfred’s mouth, his brow creasing. “Over a month?”

“Yeah,” Dick sighed. “We went on patrol together in October and things got a little rough. I said some stuff and we haven’t spoken since. I’m not even sure he’s still in the city.”

When Alfred continued to look at him, Dick asked, “What?”

“If you don’t mind my asking, how has your memory been as of late?”

Dick adjusted himself, gingerly repositioning Barbara’s head on his shoulder when he felt her beginning to slide off. “Fine now. I can’t remember much of that night. Or, pretty much anything, really. But otherwise I’m all right. Why?”

“And the others? What have they told you?”

“About what happened? I haven’t asked. I didn’t want to... Well, you know.”

“Indeed,” Alfred said with a somber nod, setting down his mug. “It is a night, or a week, rather, that I’m certain we would all like to leave firmly in the past. But even so, I believe there are at least a few details that you ought to know.”

[star-wars-scribbles-ff]

Click for better quality 👀 (ref photo)

IN SERVICE OF THE REPUBLIC

Art depiction from Where I Belong of my OC CT-1917/Lucky

Sneak peak scene snippet from chapter 13 of Where I Belong below!!

The sound of the nearest set of blast doors opening does little to pull a reaction from Arwen as she feels a presence emerge from the interior of the base and out onto the walkway where she was. She didn’t need much time at all to guess who it was. After that speeder-wreck of a conversation, General Kenobi was the only one who’d likely try to speak with her.

Despite having had almost half an hour to think about the conversation she’d just had with the Jedi Council members, Arwen could feel the anger bubbling back up to the surface. She was angry with them, but even more so with herself for thinking such an arrangement could actually be authentic.

“I don’t mean to interrupt,” General Kenobi announced himself, despite knowing she was aware of his presence already. 

Arwen let her eyes shoot to the left as the Jedi came to stand a few feet away from her before he turned to face the view of the Cruiser Staging Area. His aura was relaxed but his tone and posture gave away the most subtle hesitation he was bringing with him. He definitely wanted to say something; he wasn’t just coming for small talk. It’d be awkward if he did.

“I feel that our conversation took something of a wrong turn.”

“Wayii (good grief)- Just spit it out, General.” Corcer turned abruptly, pushing off of the railing her forearms had been rested upon to face the Jedi. His expression was calm, only a slight furrow of his brow indicated his reaction and potential concern or perhaps consideration to her anger bubbling over. “You used me to get what you needed for your investigation. That blasted contract was just a load of fodder-”

“The Council is still deliberating on your greater role, Corcer.” The General responded. “The contract is genuine, I assure you.” He sounded just as genuine however that did little to convince Arwen as she shook her head and looked out over the railing once more, hands grasping the railing tightly. 

“You must understand that the Council simply needs time to evaluate and consider the situation.” 

“All due respect, what else is there to consider?” She shot daggers over her shoulder before throwing the look ahead of her. “My service record? Jobs I’ve taken as a merc just to get by and survive in the mere months since my team was-” The abruptness of Arwen cutting off her own words had to have caught the Jedi’s attention as he physically shifted where he stood.

“Your team,” He stated the phrase with a casual quietness that made Corcer tense.

“Wer'cuy… Jetiise ke nu suvarir (forget it/it doesn’t matter… Jedi don’t understand).” She muttered under her breath with a shake of her head. 

“I beg your pardon?” The question seemed to be one of surprise more than anything.

“A Jedi wouldn’t understand!” Arwen finally barked, not bothering to look towards him. She only kept her gaze ahead, forearms coming to lean back on the railing as she looked down over ledge towards the lower deck where a small airfield was.

After everything; all that had happened. She didn’t know if she had the right to feel insulted or even upset about the position she was in. Granted she did everything in her power on that mission- gave everything she had and intended to give her life if not for the fact that she was somehow still here despite the odds. She gave everything. Herself. Her team- the only family she’d ever known - for the Republic… Was that not enough?

Arwen wished the sound of the ion engines of one of the Republic’s Venator-class cruisers powering up was loud enough to drown out any further conversation that could take place. She felt oddly trapped with this Jedi, despite having plenty of space to move away from him as he stood idly by a few feet away. He was being more civil than she’d like. Mentally trying to stomp out the crumbs of guilt sitting heavy in her stomach at her behavior around this General - a superior - didn’t seem to be working. 

He’s done nothing but be genuine so far. She had no reason to be angry with him specifically. But then again he was a Jedi. Jedi didn’t deal with emotions like other people did. They were cold, calculated individuals; weighing life rarely by worth but by majority… unless you were weighing the worth of a Jedi against Clones of course. Then the worth of one outweighed that of the majority. Jedi were just like everyone else… viewing this army like nothing but canon fodder; easily disposable and replaceable. Her team was nothing but numbers on a spreadsheet to them. She could count the number of Jedi she trusted on one hand. That number was even smaller when considering how many she trusted that weren’t already dead.

The Jedi General was quiet in his movements as he came to stand by her side, posture straight as he rested his hands upon the railing and eyed the view before them. Moving his gaze subtly he eyed the mercenary, noting her eyes had fallen and her expression, for a brief moment, appeared more exhausted and broken than any he’d seen in some time. 

“The Republic owes you and your team a great debt.” He’d considered the proclamation before coming to find Corcer. It was true after all. He’d read the details on the file; what she, as well as her team, had been a part of; how their actions may have very well saved the Republic just months prior due to the information they’d obtained and kept out of Separatist hands. However, that victory came at a cost.

Arwen shook her head at his words. Whether it was out of denial of his words or something else, Kenobi wasn’t completely sure. He was reluctant to dig deeper into her aura, but wanted to at least attempt, if not to get a better understanding of her. 

“Nice payback.” Arwen muttered before crossing her arms over the railing, risking the action of resting her chin down on her forearms. Her back was still tense, and she was ready to act at any time, however this Jedi posed no threat to her. Not at the moment at least.

General Kenobi considered her response before he nodded to himself.

“I understand you feel betrayed, and I apologize for what took place and- has… since taken place.”

Arwen could tell by the split second hesitation at the end of his sentence that he was treading carefully, however she didn’t plan on holding him to his words. She wanted to just knock his statement up to him sweet talking to get her cooperation however she could feel his sincerity. It was clear as day in the air and she couldn’t deny or ignore it.

“I’m sorry about General- Kazar and- Padawan Vorruk… sir,” Her voice lost its confidence rather quickly as soon as she uttered the names. She hadn’t said the names of the Jedi General and Padawan she’d worked with on that last mission since… the mission itself. “I-...” She couldn’t bring herself to continue as her throat tightened and suffocated the words before she could utter them.

I did what I could.

She hadn’t said it out loud, but she knew she didn’t have to.

“I know,” The response didn’t surprise her as much as his tone did. His voice held emotion, despite his professional output. He projected a sense of understanding and mentorship. There was also certainty to his tone.

He must’ve watched the holorecording. 

Arwen closed her eyes, brow knitting tightly as she tried to push the images from her mind. She could almost feel the weight of the Jedi padawan in her arms sometimes; when she’d held his half conscious body, clinging to life, while she tried to relay coordinates and need for extraction to the nearest Republic fleet and simultaneously fend off incoming hostiles. 

And now the Jedi had the footage of her message. 

It angered her that it was memorialized as a recording, but it enraged her that they’d seen it and still saw her as a threat. Like nothing that happened that day held any weight. 

A slight shift in the Jedi’s aura caused her to look subtly out of the corner of her eye and she evaluated his posture as it straightened and he cleared his throat quietly.

“I am currently negotiating with the Council to have you ship out with General Skywalker and I.” 

Arwen’s brow scrunched together at the Jedi’s words and she pushed off of the railing to stand straight and face the Jedi.

“Sir- the Council said-”

“I am proceeding to try and convince them otherwise.” Kenobi responded, hands coming behind his back as his gaze arched over the view in front of them once more before it returned to her. “I read your file and reviewed your training as well as completed missions. Your skillset will be of the most use in the field. Now, it will take some time before we can have you operating openly if this pans out. But for the time being, I am going to do my best to get the Council’s permission to have you work in the background of any ongoing operations within my battle group.”

Alright… This Jedi isn’t half bad.

Corcer eyed him for a moment, overall uncertainty written in her expression before she swallowed and let out a quiet breath through her nose.

“Thank you, sir.” 

I feel like a di'kut now.

The General eyed her quietly for a time before glancing away towards the blast doors down the walkway. 

“0700 tomorrow there will be a meeting on standard operating procedures in the east wing for new clones joining the ranks of the 212th. You’re welcome to attend.”

The offer surprised her, however that surprise was quickly overshadowed by solace. Corcer’s hands swung around behind her back subconsciously, posture straight and attentive as she gave the Jedi General a nod.

“I’ll be there, sir.” Arwen’s tone voiced assurance and even confidence.

Giving her a curt nod and a hint of a professional smile, General Kenobi excused himself and turned to head back inside. 

Corcer watched him leave and once the blast doors closed behind the Jedi, she found herself mulling over the breath sitting in her chest before she slowly let it out and returned to her spot leaning on the railing.

The sense of reassurance was starting to leave a subtle bitter taste in her mouth. On the surface she felt relief, knowing this Jedi appeared to be coming at her from the right direction; easing her into situations where she’d be surrounded by the troops. However the deeper she sifted through her mind… she was terrified. 

How the kark am I gonna fit in with these troopers? I don’t know the first thing about Infantry SOPs.

Then there was the matter of how she would be received. The last thing she wanted was to be on the bad side of these troopers. Then again her very presence was already proving a negative to the 501st troopers as they’ve had to cart her around twice today. If things kept going down the same road, she’d have a difficult time fitting in.

Until she knew exactly what her job would be, if the General could square something away for her, she couldn’t get too comfortable with anything on the base, and especially not with any of the men. That was the only thing she’d need to be sure to do. Don’t let yourself care; don’t get attached. If it’s one thing her past had taught her; it only ends in heartbreak and it leaves you more alone than ever.

Not one of my best arts, but I’ve had it sitting on the shelf for a long time so I figured it was better to share it sooner rather than later. Check the story out if you’re curious for more! Feedback is always appreciated 💕