#amplifier setup

[techdriveplay]

How Can I Improve My Car's Audio System?

How Can I Improve My Car’s Audio System? Improving your car’s audio system can transform your driving experience, turning mundane commutes into enjoyable journeys filled with high-quality sound. Whether you’re a casual listener or an audiophile, there are several steps you can take to enhance your car’s audio setup. Key Statistics: 67% of car owners believe that an upgraded audio system…

[moz1505]

Amp Setup

If anyone (1 follower) is curious, this is my setup for any and all guitar showcases that I do

I use an Orange Crush 20 Watt combo amp, with the following settings :

Treble - 9

Mids - 5

Bass - 6

Gain - Maxed because I can

Also yeah, that is my Mic stuck into an ugg, and that's also my custom made lasercut crocodile stand that I made for it. If anyone is interested in buying please DM no lowballers I know what I've got

[musicianfiend]

Play it: ZZ Top's "Just Got Paid"

Getting the guitar tone from ZZ Top’s “Just Got Paid” requires a specific setup and attention to detail. This iconic song features Billy Gibbons’ distinctive guitar sound, which is characterized by a combination of factors including his guitar choice, amplifier setup, effects, and playing style. Here’s how you can try to get close to that tone: Guitar Choice Billy Gibbons is known for using a…

[comatosebunny09]

clumsy | astarion a.

genre(s): romance, erotica (kinda sorta) warnings: blood drinking, dry humping, steaminess, terms of endearment (petal, sweetling), language summary: you get hurt. astarion helps the best way he knows how. spoiler: it's with his mouth. now playing: shirt - sza notes: based off the results for this poll. hope you all enjoy! thank you so much for reading! ❤️❤️❤️

It’s an accident.

Happens when your attention is siphoned by Shadowheart bidding you a “goodnight” over the firelight as she moves to retire to her tent.

You look up from your sword, the whetstone warm and textured in your hand, grinding across your blade in your lap as you offer her a smile.

You’re usually so attentive. So careful. Yet, tonight, you grossly misjudged your ability to multitask.

Shclink!

The cut is inevitable. Tears a hiss from betwixt your lips, and the whetstone plops to the ground along with the weighted thump of your weapon. You’re on your feet, nursing the angry, red line marring your palm. It buds with crimson, a pretty contrast to your skin.

“Hells!” cries Shadowheart, scrambling to your aid. She gently peels your hand away from your chest. Winces at the blood lazily spurring from your cut. A clean slice. Her voice holds concern when she looks up at you. “You’ll live. Would you like me to take care of it?”

Your lips quirk despite the pained knit of your brows. You draw your hand back, cradling it in your other. “Nah. Wouldn’t want you to waste your magic on something so small.”

“You’re sure?”

The tearing of your shirt fills the stilled space between you. Shadowheart blinks as you haphazardly wrap the scrap around your wound, mustering a reassuring smile. “I got it. I’ve had worse. You get some rest.”

Shadowheart smiles something unconvinced. Squeezes your shoulder. “You’ll come find me if you can’t staunch the bleeding?”

You nod, wary of the exhaustion hanging below her eyes. She examines you a moment longer before stepping around you and away from the warmth of the fire.

You watch Shadowheart retreat behind the flap of her tent. Left with the idle crackle of the campfire. Your hand throbs, your blood coloring the fabric you dressed it with.

You suck your teeth. Bend to retrieve your sword, cautiously setting it on the log you once occupied. You feel the hot trickle of your blood coasting down your fingertips. Hear it drip against the soil, the sound amplified in the stillness swallowing you.

You’ll need more than a bit of cloth to manage this.

Your gaze flits to your pack. You worry your bottom lip between your teeth, contemplating downing a potion to mend your hand. Then, you spot Gale’s tent. You could trouble him for some help. But, again, you see no need to waste your companion’s magic on something so contrite. You won't die, after all. It’s just blood.

Just…

Blood.

Your mind suddenly sparkles with an idea. A mischievous one, but an idea, nonetheless.

You wipe your hands on your breeches, starting towards a familiar setup. And somehow, devilry sets your face alight along with the coppery glow of the moon.

You find him silhouetted by the moonlight. Curls of white mulling over the deckled pages of a book, seated on a stool at the mouth of his tent.

You’re not trying to be discreet. Feet crunch soundly through the dry grass, alerting the vampire to your presence. Though, you’re sure he could hear you from eons away.

Astarion doesn’t look up as he acknowledges you, concentration nestled amongst his features whilst he turns a page. “Well, hello, sweetling. Fancy a cud—dle?”

The book, once cradled in his palm, clatters to the ground.

His expression is bemused as you slide onto his lap, your legs dangling on either side of his waist. Your arms sluggishly encircle his neck, and your chests brush together, coaxing an undignified sound from his throat.

Astarion intuitively wraps your hips in the circle of his arms to keep you both from toppling over. Angles his neck to stare up at you. His mouth hangs open with an unasked question.

Your voice is light. Twinged with something seductive. Manipulative. “Astarion,” you sing-song.

“Petal?”

“I need you,” you state plainly.

His brows quirk. Quads tense beneath you. “You—what?”

You bite back a laugh. It isn’t often you catch Astarion so off guard. Typically, he’s the one dismantling your resolve with his forwardness.

“As much as I enjoy beating around the bush with you,” Astarion’s nose twitches as he samples the air with it. Vermilion eyes land on you, shining with the slightest bit of apprehension. “You’re bleeding.”

“Keen observation.” You shift upon his lap, thrusting your bloody hand into his face until he goes cross-eyed. “Mind cleaning it up?” It’s more of a demand than it is a request. Damn your innocent face.

Astarion’s mouth twitches. His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows. Hunger wades below the depths of his irises whilst he glances between you and the blood seeping so enticingly through your impromptu bandage.

“Not going to tell me what’s happened?”

You shake your head, that devilish smile still twisting up your lips. “No time. I’m dying, Astarion. Save me. Saaave meee.” You drape your hand over your forehead and lean back to turn up the drama.

He scoffs at your theatrics, feigning aloofness despite his muscles twitching beneath you. “Fine.” Mumbles about being the cleanup crew as he unravels the cloth from your palm. Attentive and meticulous.

You flinch at the sticky pull of the dressing. The sting is immediately replaced by curiosity surfing along the shoreline of desire as Astarion appraises your wound.

He holds your hand between his. Looks at you with parted lips, saliva puddling in his cheeks. He licks his canines. His gaze holds a question. Offers an out as it chases the viscous fluid dribbling down your wrist.

Is this truly alright?

You nod, your breath held in your sternum.

Astarion studies you a moment longer before he delicately shackles your wrist in his hand, and his mouth pans in. His lashes shutter, and he groans something hoarse and feral as he presses his lips to the veins of your wrist. You flinch as if scorched by burning coal. How something as simple as a kiss could feel so sinful is beyond you.

You haven’t much time to linger on it because his tongue is sweltering and moving. Languid and obscene as it laps at the trail of crimson marring your skin. Astarion exhales appreciatively, his gaze sifting through his hunger to capture yours. He peppers your wrist with kisses, lips glistening a pretty red amid the moonlight.

You throb. Through hooded eyes, you watch your lover, your mouth parting with shallow breaths. A shudder filters through your bones, his lustful stare purposeful and unyielding.  

He licks a torrid stripe up to your palm with a flattened tongue. Your fingers twitch with the need to touch. Thighs quiver. His wet mouth closes around your laceration with a raspy sound. Fangs graze the worn lines of your hand, and he sucks, drawing a bitten-off groan from your throat.

He feasts like he kisses. Stripping down your barriers, leaving you lightheaded and wanton. Swaying, and Astarion snakes an arm around your waist to keep you tethered to him. And a devious hand finds the globe of your ass and squeezes.

Your unoccupied hand curls around the base of his skull. Fingers comb through soft curls, and you press yourself impossibly closer to the rigid pane of his body. Your stomach spumes with heat. Somehow, your lover gorging himself on you turns your innards to mush.

Astarion moans. He fucking moans amid his sticky suckling, and you feel the sound stir something between your legs. He feels it, too, and he springs to life beneath the thick layers of his clothing, twitching against you.

Mindlessly, you bear your pelvis down on his. Sluggish like the drag of a tide, and Astarion hums his praise. He feels good. So wonderful, and you can’t help how your body instinctively writhes against his.   

A few more languid rolls of your hips, and Astarion breaks away from your hand all too soon, heaving a breath as if resurfacing from water, his lips crooked with a smirk.

His mouth shines with your blood. Your ichor. And he greedily licks it up, not leaving a single morsel behind. The notion siphons your breath, and you feel like the most exalted thing. Hardly notice your skin gradually mending itself thanks to your lover’s attentiveness.

Once the lustful haze somewhat abates, Astarion’s chest rumbles with a chuckle as he draws you ever closer, sealing your body to his. “Tell me, petal. Surely, you didn’t come all this way just to provide me a midnight snack.“

His mouth drags along the slope of your neck, sending little warning shocks throughout your lower extremities. His throat crackles with a groan at the quickening of your pulse, teeth pinpricking your flesh.

“Don’t know what you’re on about,” you husk, craning your head back to allow him more access. Still playing innocent as if you didn’t charm him into this wicked dance of bodies and tongues. “But whatever it is, I like where it’s going.”

Astarion chuckles, lips sealing around your throat and sucking.

Your responding gasp is wet and wanton.

And you find yourself thanking the Gods for your carelessness.

[dearodair]

anything for you. theodore nott.

in a universe where voldemort won, you and theo risk everything.

reposted from my old account.

warnings: graphic death

pairing: theodore nott x ron weasley's twin sister!reader

“You can’t possibly love him, y/n. He’s a bloody Death Eater!” your brother had jeered at you. Hot tears ran down your face but you refused to wipe them. You wanted everyone in the room to see how deeply this was hurting you.

“I have never been more sure of something in my life. While you were gone – while everyone was gone – he was the only constant. He isn’t who you think he is.” The room broke out into a chorus of repulsed sounds. The Order of the Phoenix wasn’t much these days, the predominant members being the Weasley family. Harry Potter’s death loomed over everyone. Numerous other deaths piled on: those who died at the beginning of the war, but those who have died recently like your older brothers, Percy and George, and your father, Arthur.

“He thinks we’re scum! He would kill Hermione on the spot. How can you stand there and say this shit?” another brother had chimed in. Voices were starting to overlap the more trapped you felt.

“You’ve never given him or myself the chance to prove that’s not true! If you remember, Theo was the one who told me about everything Draco was doing back in school. He has already given us so much information. He’s climbing the ranks, but he is doing it for us!” you fell to your knees, exhaustion and frustration getting the best of you. “Can’t you see that even if he’s not doing it for all of you, he’s putting his life on the line trying to help secure a world that I feel safe in? You know how my beliefs align!”

“Has he stopped killing innocent people? Does he still partake in Voldemort’s plans that don’t necessarily target us? If he’s climbing the ranks, I can’t begin to imagine what he’s doing to do so,” your mother inquired, shooting daggers at you. You couldn’t look her in the eyes.

“He’s doing what he can to survive, too. If he dies, we will lose so much.” Without missing a beat, you added, “If he dies, I am as good as dead.”

This conversation, over a year old, still rings in your head every time you meet Theo. Your current setup in an old warehouse allowed these thoughts to amplify. The only sounds keeping you from spiraling were the rhythmic tapping of Ron’s foot and Bill’s pacing. You never got to see Theo alone, but that wasn’t a horrible thing.

Though you wanted nothing more than to have one evening alone with him, as selfish as that sounds given the climate of the world right now, the positive came in the form of the people who joined you on these exchanges and started to see through the cracks in Theo’s character. This hardened soldier who bears the Dark Mark turns into someone else in your presence. He is more patient and gentle, as compared to the man that numerous members of the Order have seen slaughter people in cold-bold, just to laugh at their frozen-in-death facial expressions.

You had noticed changes in Theo throughout the last few times you’d seen him. He was much more focused on you than the information they were there to exchange. He’d almost become frantic – dark circles that got darker every time you saw him circled his eyes, and his face had become much more caved in. He was starting to look as though he were actively being tortured. He didn’t look better this time around.

You sprang up from your spot when you heard the metal door grind against the floor, opening quicker than anticipated. Ron and Bill quickly put their wands up and took aim at Theo, refusing to put them down even when you yelled, “It’s just him!” Theo didn’t respond much better, raising his wand and aiming at Bill, who you knew Theo saw as more of a threat than Ron.

“Are you being followed? What made you come in here like that?” Bill growled, eyes flickering between Theo and the entrance. Theo narrowed his eyes at the older man.

“You think I would lead them straight here if I was? If it was just you two, sure. But, I would never do that with her here. Consider yourself lucky,” Theo spit.

“That’s enough. Are you alright?” you stated, briskly walking to your lover. Up close, you noticed faint bruising around his neck, as if he’d been choked. Theo didn’t say anything and instead, kept his eyes locked on the two men standing behind you. “Theo,” you trailed off, putting one hand on his cheek. You searched his eyes for any type of response, but you couldn’t find one.

“You don’t have much time,” he said, only loud enough that Ron and Bill were barely able to hear. You took a slight step back, still close enough that you could hold his hand – the hand that he couldn’t even bring himself to grasp in return.

“What?”

“The Dark Lord knows there’s a mole in his closest circle. He knows you are not dead, despite me telling him you were,” Theo said, finally making eye contact with you. Your mouth fell open and you held his hand tighter.

Theo lost his will to fight at that exact moment, letting his hand holding his wand fall to his side. He pulled you into him and rested his forehead against yours. “He knows you’re the mole?” you whispered.

“Not yet, but I can’t imagine it taking much longer. His eyes are set on Berkshire – thinks he’s gotten scared now that his mother died. I was able to ward him off me for the time being. I told him that I wasn’t the one to kill you, I just saw you get hit with a nasty spell.”

“Come with us before it’s too late, Theo. How many times do I have to beg you? Turn your back on it all. We can keep you protected.” you pleaded, looking back at your brothers for reassurance. Bill shook his head before Ron chose to speak.

“He is not coming back with us. Do you know what kind of target that would place on us? It would be a death sentence,” he spit. “With that Dark Mark, I’m sure Voldemort could summon you back to him at any given second,” he added. You spun around to confront him but Theo was quicker – he grabbed you by the arm and pulled you into him.

“I wasn’t planning on it, Weasley,” Theo said with such spite behind his words that it made you want to cower away from him. He looked down at you, asking you a silent question. You bit your lip in thought, looking over at your brothers. 

“Could you guys give us a minute to ourselves? Just stand guard at the door.” With a few grumbles, you were able to convince them to leave. As soon as the door shut, you wrapped your arms around Theo as tight as you could, reassuring yourself that he was here with you and still alive. For how much longer he would be alive, no one was certain.

“You can leave them. Even if you don’t take refuge with us, you can escape,” you pleaded. Theo softly shook his head and pressed his lips to your forehead.

“No, y/n, I can’t. I’m bound to him until one of us dies. I…” he trailed off. You frantically started shaking your head at him and he sighed. “We knew this was going to happen.”

“You might have known. I held out hope,” you cried. Theo grabbed your chin gently, using the other hand to wipe away the stray tears. “Promise me you won’t die.”

“Y/n…”

“Promise me, Theo.” 

His response never came. Theo pulled you into him and kissed you so tenderly, that it was beyond out of character for him. You knew this was the end. He softly ran his hands down your sides, over your back, anywhere they could grasp. It felt as though he was trying to remember the exact shape of your body. He eventually tried to pull away, but in return, you softly bit his lip and pulled him back in. 

Theo couldn’t bring himself to let go of you. You were intoxicating in a way that no drug or drink could replicate. Not breaking the kiss, Theo hoisted you onto a table that was just behind you. Laying you down on it, he kept kissing you. Along your jaw, down your neck – Theo kissed you anywhere with an exposed bit of skin. You couldn’t stop yourself from crying, to which Theo then kissed away your tears. When he was finished, he pulled you up into a sitting position.

“Love, you are the only thing in this short existence of mine that I’ve ever been sure of. When I die, I can die happily because I knew you. I got to love you.” Theo whispered, his voice cracking as he professed to you. You leaned your forehead against him, looking him straight in the eye.

“Try to survive, Theo, please. For me,” you pleaded. Theo nodded briefly but was interrupted by a banging on the door. 

“Hurry up, it’s getting dark. We need to leave,” Bill’s voice called out. Bill and Ron both reappeared in the room, looking at the two of you expectantly.

“We need to leave, and you still haven’t given us what we came for,” Bill sighed. Theo tensed and pulled himself away from you, putting his facade back on as if it were a costume. Part of you wished he didn’t, just so they could see the real him.

“The Dark Lord plans to raid Hogsmeade, again. You need to make sure everyone is evacuated. He doesn’t plan on ever having to raid them again. In two days, if you don’t create a plan, everyone still living there will be dead.”

“And will you be one of the Death Eaters killing those people?” Ron inquired.

“If it means that it keeps me alive, and keeps a steady stream of information coming to you, yes. I have never been unclear with my intentions.” Theo said. He was significantly taller than Ron, forcing the redhead to look up at him as Theo walked closer to him, slowly.

“We don’t have time for this,” Bill said, getting visibly anxious. “We’re leaving,” Bill added, grabbing you and Ron both by the arm. 

Everything happened so fast after that – you reached out for Theo, but he backed away from you and you could’ve sworn you saw a tear run down his face. Just like that, you were whisked away, Bill choosing that moment to apparate. You didn’t get to say goodbye; you didn’t get to tell him you loved him for the last time.

Three days later, after their failed attempt at raiding Hogsmeade, you and your family watched in horror as Voldemort was broadcasting yet another round of executions. This wasn’t the first time this had happened – the first time being with his son, Mattheo, a boy you had known in school. You can’t recall the exact reason for his death, but it set a standard. If Voldemort would kill his child in such ways, what would he do to others?

You held your breath as the camera view panned down the small row of people awaiting their death. You felt the wind get knocked out of you when you caught sight of him.

The boy you loved was there, his eyes already dead. His appearance was, somehow, much worse than when you had last seen him. The bruising around his neck that had almost been healed was now back in full display, accompanied by bruises all over his face. He had blood dried around his mouth and nose, and his left eye was so swollen that it looked completely closed. Something told you that death was merciful compared to what he had been put through.

Voldemort rambled on about the first three men, killing them quickly. His smile never failed, especially when he turned to the last victim: Theo.

“Theodore Nott, what would your father say?” He teased. He pulled a wand out of the box that a servant of his carried at his side. Raising it, you recognized it to be Theo’s. Voldemort snapped it in half, causing a slight flinch to radiate off Theo.

“Stupidly fell in love with a dirty blood traitor, one of those Weasleys. He’s acted as an agent for them this entire time, but of course, I knew from early on. We’ve played a brilliant game of cat and mouse, haven’t we, Nott?” Voldemort, again, laughed. Every muscle in Theo’s body was tensed up and he never lifted his face to look at the crowd that had gathered or the cameras broadcasting the event.

Noticing Theo's aversion to looking at the crowd, Voldemort ran his fingers through Theo's hair before yanking it back, forcing him to look up. Theo grimaced but finally looked straight at the camera. His good eye bore through you, sending your heart straight to the bottom of your stomach.

You started sobbing, sliding off the couch and crawling towards the hologram showing the entire scene. “Please,” you gasped. Hermione sat behind you, pulling you into her, but you fought her off. 

“You were special to me,” Voldemort sighed and raised his wand. You grabbed whatever was closest to you – in this case, a plate someone had been eating off of earlier – and threw it through the hologram. The sound of your sobs and the plate exploding against the wall ricocheted around the hideout.

Another one of your older brothers, Charlie, moved Hermione aside and restrained you. Without doing so, you would’ve hurt yourself or someone else. “Get off me,” you repeatedly screamed, thrashing around on the ground.

Charlie was able to hold you in place on the ground, holding you facedown on the carpet with your arms pinned behind your back. To your horror, you turned your head to the side just in time to see a green light encase Theo in its grip. 

The cry you let out was movie-worthy. Using all of your strength, you burst out of Charlie’s grip and jumped up, turning on your surviving family members. “He died for us. He died for us and our cause. You never gave him a chance and never wanted to offer help in return,” you sobbed. Hermione came back to your side and held you in her arms. 

You didn’t fight back this time. You sat in her arms and sobbed. You couldn’t stop sobbing as you looked back at the hologram and it was panned to Theo’s dead body. It zoomed in on his face as if to hurt you even more. You watched as Voldemort whispered a simple charm, and flames consumed Theo’s body.

“I hope the Weasleys watching this enjoyed the show. While you watched this we have surrounded your hideout. Even Nott’s Occlumency he worked so hard on for you couldn’t keep me out. Perhaps it’s good that you never trusted him with your exact location, or else this would’ve happened long ago.” Voldemort smiled, and the hologram shut off. There was no noise in the room other than your silent sobs. 

Then, the first window exploded.

[thewertsearch]

You have been completely hornswoggled. This whole thing was a setup from the start. A trap deployed by a cunning mastermind. All of the clues are adding up. The blood. The note. The flagrant displays of tricksterism and japery. The identity of the puppetmaster behind all of this is now painfully obvious to you.

Glad you've caught on. Now let's-

Spidertroll.

The fuck?

I understand why you'd be tunnel-visioning on Vriska here - but come on, girl. Gamzee's literally waving a puppet in your face. You're actively deflecting the damn thing, so who do you think is holding it?

Why is the normally astute Terezi so blind to Gamzee's presence - and, more broadly, the telltale signs of his influence? She's clearly capable of perceiving the signs themselves - the blood, the note, the japes - but for some reason, she can't connect them to the obvious culprit.

This feels like an unnatural lapse in Terezi's judgement, which makes me wonder if Gamzee's using his as-yet-unrevealed Aspect power on her. Maybe he's amplifying Terezi's 'rage' against Vriska, to the point where she's psychologically incapable of focusing on anything else.

That said, I'm not sure if this interpretation of his powers is compatible with Karkat's description of the Black King fight. Gamzee clearly dealt an enormous amount of damage to the King, rather than inflicting some sort of Rage debuff...

...but at the same time, John's recently expressed his Breath powers in multiple different ways. If his Title ability can be this flexible, then who knows what the Bard of Rage is truly capable of.

[shaunamilfman]

Me when I see your domestic Shauna hcs and immediately decide I need a Nat version so this is my formal request for some

If you want to ofc no pressure I just love your writing

-📝

Domestic Nat Headcanons

pairing: Nat Scatorccio x Reader note: no crash au. nat in her 20's. idk why i answered this so quick tbh

in my mind, Nat's a bartender. maybe opens her own bar one day in the future so she can get away with giving a few free drinks to people that aren't assholes. she charges the assholes double, of course. 

sleeps till like 2 every day and has black-out curtains over every window in her apartment. if you like natural sunlight, your ass is going to have to go outside. 

if you're asleep by the time she gets home, your ass will be waking up. she never does it on purpose, she just has no idea how loud she really is. humming quietly in the shower after work and not even thinking about the fact that the wall would amplify it. you don't have the heart to tell her to stop. 

on the flip side, she never really gets that annoyed if you wake her up while she's asleep. just rolls her eyes as you get up, and pretends not to be pleased when you kiss her forehead. immediately rolls back over and falls right back asleep. it's almost impressive how quick she is. 

blasts music while she's getting ready, or doing just about anything that allows her too. you're always coming home to her gaming and blasting music on her days off. 

night owl even on her days off, always has been. it's a rare sight to see her up before noon, and it's only if you or one of her friends specifically asked her. leaving the house with her sunglasses on and almost hissing at the sun. 

Nat can't cook for shit except for a few staple foods that she'd eat every meal if you'd let her. she's not necessarily bad at it, she just doesn't really have the patience for it. 

her space constantly looks like a hurricane came through it, but she always miraculously knows where everything is. if you try to organize it for her, she'll be so lost. messes it back up the second your back is turned. 

You constantly catch her in the middle of the night making the weirdest snack combination known to man. If the sight of her eating it doesn't make you want to gag, then she's not doing it right. 

has a half feral cat with some mean ass name like ‘bastard’ or some shit that she leaves food out for. she saved his life when he got stuck and almost starved, and got permanent scars as a thank you. the cat comes and goes as he please, and neither of you are sure how he's getting in or out. 

she always pretends the scars were from something much cooler whenever somebody asks. it's a different story every time. you think she must have a list somewhere she adds to when she gets bored. they're starting to get really creative. 

you witness the cat getting into a nasty street fight with another cat and Nat's just like “hell yeah, go bastard!”

the first time you visited Nat's apartment, the only furniture she had in the living room was a beanbag chair and a TV setup propped up on a box. gallantly offers you the bean bag chair as she eats on the floor cross-legged next to you. 

she insists that she was always going to get more furniture and that it was just temporary, but you're not so sure. the first thing she buys is this beat to shit couch that's somehow the most comfortable thing you've ever sat on. she's so proud of it. 

if you didn't force her to get more, Nat would only own one fork, one spoon, one plate, etc. insists that she can just watch them.

likes going out with your or her friends, but isn't as much of a fan of hosting the events. makes it harder to just leave when she starts getting tired of them. always tried to make you be the bad guy whenever she wants to go. “sorry guys, she's tired.” meanwhile you're wide awake. 

Nat's really good at fixing things, mostly out of necessity. still, if something’s busted, there's a good chance Nat's already on her way to the hardware store to get parts before you've even noticed. she really enjoys the process of fixing shit and ends up getting really into cars because of it. if it wasn't for the hours, she'd consider being a mechanic. 

absolute coffee fiend. you rarely see her without a cup. only drinks it black and will turn her nose up at the sugary stuff. she's not pretentious about it though, it's just how she likes it. 

Nat randomly comes home with little gifts for you, tossing it at you without really acknowledging it. if you press her on it she'll say some shit like “saw it and thought of you.” 

she's not a big fan of surprises. she has a bit of a routine and whenever there's a major interruption to it she gets a little antsy. with the way Nat grew up ,she really appreciates knowing just about how her days going to go before she starts it. 

Nat really enjoys watching movies with you. it doesn't really matter what it is as long as she can just turn her brain off and watch. she likes physical contact, but isn't super big on cuddling per se. the type to lift your legs up into her lap when you're laying across the couch.

[httpvomitello]

Happy to see requests are open! I’ve got one for ROTTMNT if that’s okay!

So Raph in the show, in mystic library in particular, can casually just pick up his brothers. So could you write a scenario of Raph just effortlessly picking up his s/o who is a bit self conscious about their weight? 

You can throw in the other rise brothers if you want to but idk if they’d be on the same power level as Raph 

Hello, hello! Hope you like it ~ ♡♡♡♡

I Love You Just The Way You Are *⁠.⁠✧

rottmnt raph x gn!reader

Raph was always a big guy—towering, muscular in ways that made his presence impossible to ignore. But one of the things his brothers always teased him about was how gentle he was with you, his lover. His hands, so often used to smash through walls or pummel bad guys, turned careful and soft when they touched you. His voice, usually loud and booming, dropped to a soft rumble whenever he spoke to you.

You loved it, but sometimes, your insecurities would get the better of you.

It wasn’t that you doubted Raph’s feelings for you—he was the most loving and attentive boyfriend anyone could ask for. But you couldn’t help it. You’d always been a little self-conscious about your weight. Being with someone as strong and physically impressive as Raph only amplified it sometimes.

You tried not to show it, but Raph wasn’t stupid. He noticed how you always hesitated before sitting too close to him on the couch, or how you deflected compliments about your appearance. He didn’t push, but it was clear he was trying to figure out the best way to reassure you.

The perfect opportunity presented itself one evening during one of your usual hangouts in the lair.

It started with Mikey’s idea to turn the living room into a makeshift theater for movie night. Blankets, pillows, and snacks were spread across the floor, and everyone was settling into their spots.

You were about to sit on one of the pillows near Raph when you hesitated.

"I think I’ll just sit over here," you mumbled, gesturing to the edge of the setup.

Raph’s brow furrowed. "Why? There’s plenty of space right here."

You shrugged, avoiding his gaze. "I just think I’d be more comfortable over there."

Raph didn’t buy it for a second, but he let it slide. For now.

As the movie played, you tried to focus on the screen, but your mind kept wandering. You were too aware of how close Raph was to you, even though you’d purposely put some distance between you.

About halfway through the movie, Donnie made some sarcastic comment, and you laughed. But when you leaned back to steady yourself, your hand brushed against Raph’s arm.

"That’s it," Raph said suddenly, startling everyone.

"What’s it?" Mikey asked, his mouth full of popcorn.

Raph ignored him and turned to you. Before you could ask what was going on, he reached out and effortlessly scooped you up in his arms, cradling you like it was the easiest thing in the world.

"Raph!" you yelped, your face heating up. "What are you doing?"

"Getting you comfortable," he said matter-of-factly, settling back into his spot with you in his lap.

"I-I’m fine! You don’t have to—"

"Y/N," Raph interrupted, his voice gentle but firm. "You’re not fine. You’re sittin’ way over there when you should be over here with me."

You glanced around, your embarrassment growing. Mikey was grinning like an idiot, Donnie had raised an amused brow, and Leo was pretending not to notice, though you could see the slight smirk on his face.

"Guys," Raph said pointedly, "mind your business."

Mikey snickered but turned back to the movie, and the others followed suit.

Once they were distracted, Raph looked down at you, his expression softening.

"Y/N," he said quietly, "you gotta stop this. I know what’s goin’ on in that head of yours, and it ain’t true."

You swallowed hard, avoiding his gaze. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"Yeah, you do," he said, adjusting his grip on you. "You think I can’t handle holdin’ you or somethin’? Babe, I bench press cars for fun. You’re not heavy to me. Not even close."

You blinked up at him, caught off guard by his sincerity. "It’s not just that," you admitted, your voice barely above a whisper. "It’s… everything. I just… I don’t feel like I match you, Raph. You’re so strong and… well, amazing. And I’m just… me."

Raph’s face softened even more, and he tightened his hold on you slightly. "First of all, you’re not ‘just’ anything. You’re you. And you’re everything to me. I don’t care what you think you look like or how much you think you weigh. You’re perfect to me, Y/N."

Tears pricked at your eyes, and you bit your lip to keep them from falling. "You really mean that?"

"Course I do," he said without hesitation. "And if you don’t believe me, I’ll prove it to you every day until you do."

You couldn’t help but laugh a little, despite yourself. "You’re kind of a sap, you know that?"

"Only for you," he said, grinning.

The rest of the movie passed with you comfortably tucked in Raph’s lap. He kept an arm securely around you the whole time, occasionally giving your hand a reassuring squeeze or a kiss on your forehead.

[demilypyro]

So after playing the game and turning it around in my head for several hours as I went back over all the info I gathered... here's what I personally think happened in Signalis.

This take isn't entirely comprehensive. There's a lot of elements I don't feel I'm smart enough to fully understand, and I acknowledge that the story being open to interpretation is the point. But this is what I took from the game.

During the war on Vineta, two soldiers of the Nation fight together against the Empire. Alina Seo and Lilith Itou. Spending many years together, the two fall in love.

Lilith dies in battle, and the Nation uses a backup of her personality to create the LSTR units. A heartbroken Alina is transferred to the Sierpinski mining facility on Leng.

On Rotfront, a young painter with latent bioresonant abilities named Ariane Yeong wishes to get away from it all. After completing her compulsory military service, she applies to the Penrose Program and spends many years in space, alongside her assigned Replikant unit: LSTR-512. Elster. Spending many years together, the two fall in love.

However, the Penrose Program was a setup. The ship was never intended to complete its mission. The Nation had become aware of Ariane's latent abilities and had assigned her on a doomed mission, shooting her off into space to die on a ship that would eventually break down. On the 3000th cycle of their mission, the pair learned that they had been abandoned. Unwilling or unable to do it herself, Ariane made Elster promise to end their lives rather than suffering. However, Elster couldn't bring herself to do it. As time passed, radiation began to leak from the ship's engines, and Ariane and Elster both developed cancer. Elster died from the illness before she could bring herself to fulfill her promise.

Strangely, Ariane did not die. Possibly by some mutation from the radiation interacting with her bioresonant abilities, she was unable to die. She would survive at least another 2000 cycles after the Penrose was set to run out of supplies, all the while in constant suffering. The ship eventually crashed on Leng. Ariane's uncontrolled, mutated bioresonant abilities came into contact with the various Kolibries inside the Sierpinski facility, and her suffering was shared and amplified exponentially as it spread and repeated itself along the bioresonant hivemind. A psychic feedback loop spread like a disease. All gestalts died. All the replikants who weren't mutated or destabilized were left fighting for their lives, but none could stay unaffected forever.

Meanwhile, an accident had occurred in which all backups of the original mental template of Lilith Itou were lost. As a substitute, the Nation started creating new LSTR units using the latest backup of a decommissioned LSTR unit belonging to the Penrose Program: a copy of the mind of Elster, decommissioned after 3000 cycles. However, having never read the instructions, Ariane had taken zero precautions to avoid destabilization. All new LSTRs put into service after that time were affected. They were prone to hallucinations, had trouble distinguishing the present from the corrupted memories of their lives as Lilith Itou, and were consumed by one thought: fulfilling her promise.

As time passed, dozens of LSTR units came to the Sierpinski facility. Their destabilized minds were unable to distinguish Ariane from Alina, the two loves of their two lives. Every time one of them entered the facility, their destabilization further worsened the cascade of bioresonant mutation affecting the people within, and Falke in particular found herself affected by Elster's memories. Adler tries his best to stop this, by killing any Elsters who appeared, but it was just delaying the inevitable. Ariane's memories and Elster's hallucinations combine with Falke's supernatural abilities, causing the facility to become warped by images and places from Ariane's past, even turning an entire area into a replica of Rotfront and conjuring apparitions of Isa, a long-dead childhood friend of Ariane's. How much was Elster's hallucinations and how much was Falke's reality bending abilities is unclear.

Finally, one of the Elster units successfully makes it through the impossibly warped facility, kills Falke, and fulfills her promise. By ending Ariane's life, the feedback loop of suffering is stopped, and the cycle finally ends.

[churino]

Design for wing saber , mugen , ichibi and hyakurai the caliber minicon team

Assasins for the functionist council that belived in prima's cause, they aided in the revolution that created the autobots and decepticons and gave up their lives to create powerlinxing, bringing the transformers closer together, neither wing saber nor his minicons can naturally fly on their own but when united they can soar together

During the functionist era, cybertron was rulled by a functionist council of rich and powerful transformers that acted out of the city of iacon. To enforce their rule over the planet they had assassins and soldiers built to be bigger, stronger, more alive, and as their projects grew in scope the material left for cybertronians to build regular people out of shrunk, which led to a minicon population boom

Already dissatisfied with the state of the planet many people decided to leave and settle elsewhere, facilitated by the fact they don't need to breathe cybertronians were able to create a permanent settlement on one of cybertron's moons even though their technology in this era was similar to what we on earth have today

Wing Saber was built as an assassin for the functionist council, but he was a flawed weapon. always compassionate to the downtrodden and oppressed, he would fail many of his tasks, only able to work well enough to be kept around, but that's because he masks his true potential

Because such a thing is impossible to measure comprehensively, he doesn't know, but wing saber is the greastest swordsman in the entire universe, this ability coming from his conection to his minicons, the first to coin the oddly spelt term "powerlinxing"

The four of them are the first followers of prima, and after a betrayal left the early leaders of the revolution banished to the planet dominus, they worked together with the native nebulans of the world, to sacrifice themselves granting prima the power of the star saber

The caliber minicon team are brought together by their connection to wing saber which turned romantic at some point before they met prima but they each have their own background

Born and raised on the religious temple of the torchbearers on one of cybertron's moons, Mugen came down to cybertron during the functionist era to spread word of the enigma of combination only to find herself engaged with the social struggles on the planet Mugen was a mystic who believed in prophecy and magic, and it was her powers amplified by her partners, combined with the nebulan's technology that allows powermasters, headmasters, and target masters to come about through the creation of the dominus system and the masterforce that allows transformers to merge with and upgrade technology foreign to them.

A serious and scientific bot, hyakurai saw the fight for rights and freedom of his era through a logical analytic view, reasoning that the system was inefficient and the ideologies it's founded on misinformed, and that's why it must be torn down Wing saber and mugen had something of a savior complex, and hyakurai worked hard to make sure they didn't put their noses where they don't belong. The care he showed for them was reciprocated, and the relationship between the three of them turned romantic,

A master of misdirection, ichibi was a fellow assasin of wingsaber, and his closest friend, ichibi loves playing with emotions and getting reactions out of people, his flirting with disloyalty being what gets wing saber to consider intentionally failing at his job, Ichibi is not part of the little relationship between the other three. Although they wish he was, he liked being a tease and was genuinely friends with all three of them enough to live together, but for some reason or another, this setup just seemed more interesting to him

The caliber minicon team was entombed in the disaster planet dominus within a star harvester that their bodies modify to broadcast the masterforce throughout the dominus system, bouncing the energies to cybertron's moons and back to dominus creating a triangle of space where the transformers are empowered,

Their bodies have been crushed into a black disk that slots into the star harvester called the black star matrix, it's power creating the titan fortress maximus and his brother grand maximus.

[linuxreinstall]

KDE 6.1 Review!

When immersing oneself in the sonic landscape of KDE 6.1, one is instantly enveloped by a symphony of precision and elegance. This latest release from the venerable KDE community is nothing short of an opus, each element finely tuned to harmonize in a resplendent orchestration of functionality and aesthetic.

Visual Fidelity:

From the very first glance, KDE 6.1 presents an interface that is both visually stunning and meticulously crafted. The new Plasma desktop environment resonates with the clarity of a high-end DAC, delivering crisp, vibrant visuals that seem almost tangible. The attention to detail in the design is akin to the craftsmanship of a bespoke amplifier, where every pixel is placed with purpose, resulting in an interface that is both beautiful and intuitive.

Performance Dynamics:

KDE 6.1's gaming performance is akin to the dynamic range of a top-tier audiophile system. It handles intensive tasks with the effortless grace of a well-balanced turntable, spinning with unwavering precision. The responsiveness of the system is immediate, akin to the attack and decay of a perfectly tuned electrostatic headphone, providing an experience that is both powerful and nuanced.

Feature Set:

The suite of features in KDE 6.1 is reminiscent of an all-encompassing, high-fidelity audio setup, with HDR and Adaptive Sync that cater to the needs of both casual users and power users alike. The integration of new technologies and enhancements feels as seamless as the signal path in a purist audio chain, ensuring that each component works in perfect synergy to enhance the overall experience.

Customization and Control:

Much like a tube amplifier with endless possibilities for tube rolling, KDE 6.1 offers an unparalleled level of customization. Users can tweak and tailor every aspect of their environment, creating a bespoke desktop experience that mirrors the audiophile's pursuit of the perfect sound. The control KDE 6.1 affords is both deep and intuitive, allowing for fine-tuning that would satisfy even the most discerning connoisseur.

Stability and Reliability:

In terms of stability, KDE 6.1 stands as a rock-solid experimental preamp, delivering a consistent and reliable performance that might crash once in a while. The robustness of the system is evident in its ability to handle a multitude of applications and processes without faltering, akin to the unwavering steadiness of a high-end, belt-driven turntable.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, KDE 6.1 is a masterpiece that embodies the same passion, dedication, and meticulous attention to detail found in the finest audiophile equipment. It offers a rich, immersive experience that is as satisfying to the user as a meticulously curated audio setup is to the listener. For those who seek a desktop environment that delivers both form and function with unparalleled finesse, KDE 6.1 is the definitive choice—a true testament to the art of computing.

Reinstall tonight to experience this unparalleled blend of beauty and performance firsthand.

[sensualnoiree]

astro notes: daily transits & horoscopes 11/17

Sunday’s celestial setup amplifies the flow of information, with a Mars–Jupiter semi-square igniting sensationalism and an insatiable curiosity among the public. The Gemini Moon’s early opposition to Mercury and conjunction with Jupiter drives an intense hunger for knowledge and connection, though clarity wavers by nightfall as the Moon squares Neptune, creating mixed messages and foggy perceptions. With high energy early on and haziness in the evening, the day calls for discernment in navigating facts versus exaggerations.

Rising Sign Delineations:

Aries Rising With Mars in your house of communication, the Mars–Jupiter aspect stimulates bold ideas but may also lead to overstatements. The Moon’s early morning aspects heighten curiosity, especially around learning or travel, though the evening’s Moon-Neptune square may blur the lines between fact and fiction. Taking time to validate information today can prevent misunderstandings.

Taurus Rising The Mars–Jupiter influence activates your financial sector, stirring ambitions around resources, though there’s a risk of impulsive decisions. The Moon’s interactions with Mercury and Jupiter inspire ideas for income or budgeting, yet the evening’s Neptune square may cloud financial clarity. Double-check plans and avoid major investments until clarity returns.

Gemini Rising Mars–Jupiter energizes your self-expression, making this a day for sharing your thoughts with conviction. Early lunar aspects enhance your charisma, but with the Moon-Neptune square tonight, personal intentions could be misinterpreted. Communicating with extra clarity, especially in relationships, can help ensure that your message lands as intended.

Cancer Rising Mars–Jupiter stirs up subconscious restlessness, especially regarding old beliefs or hidden desires. Early morning insights may arise, yet the Moon-Neptune square in the evening blurs personal boundaries, making introspection more valuable than action. Today is best spent journaling or reflecting rather than drawing final conclusions.

Leo Rising With Mars–Jupiter lighting up your social sector, this is a day of heightened interactions with friends or communities. Conversations flow early on, sparking ideas for group projects or collaborations, though Neptune’s influence by evening suggests mixed signals. Stay mindful of boundaries to avoid misunderstandings in social dynamics.

Virgo Rising Mars–Jupiter activates your career, fueling ambitions and public communications. Morning lunar aspects bring clarity to professional connections, but Neptune’s influence at night may obscure workplace dynamics or goals. Today favors clear articulation of ideas and holding off on big decisions until there’s greater clarity.

Libra Rising The Mars–Jupiter aspect energizes your thirst for knowledge and broader life perspective. Travel or study plans may come into focus, and morning’s lunar aspects enhance learning, though Neptune’s influence by night introduces confusion in beliefs or plans. Engage with curiosity, but avoid firm commitments until details become clearer.

Scorpio Rising Mars–Jupiter stimulates your transformative eighth house, stirring intensity around joint resources or deep conversations. Early in the day, the Moon’s contacts with Mercury and Jupiter support insights into shared values, though Neptune’s influence by night calls for caution in emotional discussions. Approach sensitive topics with care.

Sagittarius Rising With Mars–Jupiter in your partnership sector, conversations with loved ones or colleagues can feel charged. The Moon’s early opposition to Mercury highlights communication, though Neptune’s influence later may create confusion in close relationships. Being clear and open-hearted in dialogues will help mitigate any evening misunderstandings.

Capricorn Rising The Mars–Jupiter influence energizes your routines, sparking ideas for productivity or wellness goals. Morning lunar interactions support practical communication, though Neptune’s influence by evening may blur daily details. Focus on grounding tasks, and reserve major decisions for when clarity returns.

Aquarius Rising Mars–Jupiter activates your house of creativity and romance, bringing excitement to self-expression and personal connections. Early on, conversations flow easily, but Neptune’s influence by night could introduce mixed messages in love or creative projects. Staying grounded in your intentions will help avoid misunderstandings.

Pisces Rising The Mars–Jupiter aspect energizes your home and family dynamics, amplifying household discussions. Early interactions feel inspired, though Neptune’s influence by evening may bring emotional fog. Clarifying intentions within family dynamics today will ensure mutual understanding amid shifting perspectives.

follow for more astro insights like this and head on over to @quenysefields or my etsy --> sensualnoiree to grab my new astrology guidebook on reading your own natal chart :)

[turn3tifosi]

Requessssst

In the middle of the race weekend arvid gets a call from his gf and starts to worry cos she normally doesn't want to distract him but it turned out she just really missed him or wanted his opinion on smth

emergency phone calls

arvid lindblad x gf!reader

masterlist

Arvid is deep into a debriefing session when he glances at his phone and notices your missed call. His heart leaps. It’s unusual for you to call him during a race weekend. He immediately feels a surge of worry, wondering if something might be wrong. Trying to maintain composure, he decides to call you back as soon as he finds a moment alone.

However, as he reaches for his phone, one of his teammates bursts into the room. “Arvid, we need to check the car setup immediately. The tire pressure adjustments are off.”

Groaning inwardly, Arvid slips his phone back into his pocket, his anxiety bubbling beneath the surface. “Alright, I’m coming,” he says, following his teammate out of the room, his mind still fixated on your call.

Hours tick by, each one feeling like an eternity. Every time Arvid finally manages to grab his phone, someone else swoops in with another pressing task. Whether it’s a media interview, a press briefing, or a quick strategy meeting, there’s always something pulling him away. The frustration of not being able to call you back grows, interspersed with fleeting moments of dread about what might be happening.

In the middle of a media session, he sneaks a glance at his phone during a brief lull. With trembling fingers, he starts dialing your number, only to be interrupted by a flurry of questions from a journalist about his performance. He forces a smile and tries to focus on the questions, all the while his mind is preoccupied with thoughts of you.

Later, while he’s heading to a quick strategy meeting, he sees your name flash on his screen once more. He quickly presses the call button, but as soon as he’s about to speak, another team member approaches him with a clipboard. “Arvid, we need to review the race data for tomorrow’s session.”

With a resigned sigh, he puts his phone away and nods to his colleague, all the while desperately wishing for a break.

As the day drags on, his frustration turns to worry. He feels like he’s on the brink of a meltdown, constantly juggling his racing duties and his growing concern for you. Every time he tries to reach out, something else comes up, amplifying his anxiety.

Finally, after what feels like an endless day of racing, interviews, and press events, Arvid collapses onto the bed in his hotel room. Exhausted and relieved to finally have a moment of peace, he pulls out his phone with a sigh. He dials your number, his heart pounding with a mix of worry and hope.

When you pick up, his voice is tinged with urgency. “Hey, it’s me. Are you alright? Is everything okay? Do you want to break up or something?”

Your laugh is a soothing balm to his frayed nerves. “No, Arvid. I’m fine. I just needed your opinion on something.”

He exhales deeply, his tension easing but his curiosity piqued. “What’s going on then? I was really worried when I saw your call.”

You chuckle softly. “I just needed to know if I should wear the green dress or the blue one for my friend’s party tomorrow.”

Arvid’s face lights up with a wide, goofy grin. He’s always been your biggest fan, and the thought of you asking for his opinion on something as simple as a dress choice brings him immense joy. “You look gorgeous in anything, you know that?”

You roll your eyes, even though he can’t see it. “Cut the bullshit. Blue or green?”

He swallows, a playful glint in his eye as he makes his best guess. “Uh… blue?”

There’s a brief pause before you respond, “That’s what I was thinking too.”

Arvid’s smile widens uncontrollably. “I’m glad I got it right.”

“Of course you did,” you tease, your voice warm and affectionate. “Thanks for always making my decisions easier.”

He chuckles, feeling a wave of contentment wash over him. “Anything for you. I’m sorry I couldn’t get back to you sooner. It was a pretty hectic day.”

“It’s okay,” you reply softly. “I understand. Just glad to hear your voice.”

As the conversation drifts into light-hearted banter, Arvid regales you with stories from his chaotic day. You share updates from your end, and the connection between you two is evident. Despite the chaos of his race weekend, Arvid feels grounded and content, knowing that you’re there for him.

As he ends the call, he looks at his phone with a grateful smile. The whirlwind of racing seems a little less intense, and the promise of a peaceful evening with you on the other end of the line makes everything worthwhile.

[playedcrowd5610]

Keep Away - Danny Phantom x Transformers Prime

Summary: The Decepticons have to hide Danny from Megatron.

---

Set in a series where Danny finds Starscream one day and decides to start haunting the Decepticons. That's basically all the context you need but if you want more here is the rest of the series:

Haunting the Nemesis

Part 1: Chasing Stars

Part 2: Burning Rubber

Part 3: Adventures of the Decepticons' Pet Ghost Or Tumblr Master List

--

Danny found himself once again hanging out in the medbay. After a lot of convincing, Knockout had begrudgingly allowed the human to commandeer a small corner of the lab for himself. Danny used it to work on his tech and small experiments he liked to do to pass the time. Danny hummed to himself before quickly glancing over at the Decepticon medic, who was running one of his own experiments on a large table on the far side of the room. Danny didn’t see what it was, but he was too preoccupied with making sure his current work didn’t blow up in his face to go and check.

Danny focused back on his work, sticking his tongue out the corner of his mouth as he lifted a human-sized beaker that the Cons had somehow acquired for him—he wasn’t sure he wanted to know where from—that had been filled with energon. Carefully, he poured one drop into a larger beaker of ectoplasm. Ectoplasm that he had provided from himself, of course. 

Danny tilted his head as the concoction hissed for a moment before the ectoplasm seemed to absorb the energon, charging it in some way. The ectoplasm started to glow brighter, and Danny could feel its power amplify slightly. He tilted the beaker under the light. “Interesting,” he hummed to himself.

On the other side of the room, Knockout glanced up from his own work, curiosity finally winning over. “What are you doing?”

Danny glanced up with a smirk. "I thought you didn’t care about my 'boring organic experiments.'"

Knockout crossed his arms over his chest with a scoff. “I just want to know what you are doing with that energon I graciously supplied to you."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Graciously supplied? You guys have an entire hangar full of the stuff."

Knockout was about to retort when a ping echoed throughout the room. They both glanced up at the monitor to see a message on the screen from Soundwave: ' Megatron: Approaching.'

Knockout’s optics widened. "Scrap," he muttered, his gaze darting between the human and the door.

Danny didn’t have time to prepare himself before Knockout snatched him up in one servo and turned to open the door of a cramped storage compartment filled with medical tools. 

Danny pulled back, incredulous. “I’m not a wrench you can shove into a toolbox!”

Knockout gestured toward the door. "Well, unless you want Megatron to crush you beneath his pede, I suggest you pretend to be one. The Nemesis has a strict no-pets-allowed policy!" 

Before Danny could argue further, Knockout shoved him into the compartment and slammed the door shut. Danny’s muffled protests were cut off, leaving him crammed inside with barely enough room to move. He sighed, crossing his arms and leaning back before suddenly remembering that he was half-ghost. Tuning to his invisibility and intangibility, he poked his head through the door to watch the scene unfold.

Knockout turned back around to face the door, his optics darting to Danny’s experiments still laid out on the counter. He grabbed a cloth and hastily tossed it over the setup, barely concealing the beakers and glowing ectoplasm before the medbay doors slid open with a hiss.

Megatron strode in, his bright optics cold and calculating, sweeping the room. Danny felt a shiver run down his spine. Knockout stiffened immediately, his usual confidence replaced with a strained smile. 

“Ah, Lord Megatron!” Knockout greeted, his voice a touch too high. “What brings you to the medbay today? Not another injury with the Autobots, I hope?"

Megatron stepped closer. “I was informed that repairs on several warriors have been delayed,” he said, his tone sharp. “What excuse do you have this time, Knockout?” He sounded almost bored. Danny felt slightly uneasy.

Danny hadn’t had the chance to be around Megatron often. The Cons constantly tried to keep him as far away from the warlord as possible for fear of what he might do.

Knockout’s smile faltered, and he scrambled for a response. “Delays? Oh, no delays, my lord. Simply… prioritizing! Yes, prioritizing critical systems over minor repairs. We need our strongest soldiers at optimal condition, after all.” 

Megatron’s optics narrowed, his gaze piercing. “You seem… tense, Knockout. Is there something you’re hiding?”

Knockout forced out a laugh, his plating visibly tightening. “Me? Hiding something? Perish the thought, My Lord. I’m merely… under pressure, as always. This medbay doesn’t run itself, you know.”

Danny shifted slightly, accidentally knocking against a metal tray. He cursed under his breath, glancing back up at the two of them. Megatron’s head snapped toward the noise, his optics narrowing. Danny’s eyes widened as he felt Megatron staring right at him. He pulled back slightly. The warlord took a step in the direction of the noise.

Knockout’s optics widened as Megatron got closer to Danny’s hiding place. He surged forward, putting himself between Megatron and the storage compartment. “Ah, that? Just some unstable tools rattling around. I’ve been meaning to fix that. Medbay maintenance is so unpredictable, wouldn’t you agree?”

Megatron paused, his optics boring into Knockout. The medic held his ground. Suddenly, Megatron looked off to the side, and Danny surmised he was listening to or reading a comm message. Finally, with a low growl, Megatron stepped back. 

“Unpredictable, indeed,” he said coldly. “I would expect nothing less from you, Knockout.” He started turning toward the exit. "Unfortunately, I have some matters to attend to elsewhere. We will have to finish this conversation at a later date."

Megatron left the medbay with heavy footfalls, and finally, the doors slid shut behind him, leaving the medbay in tense silence.

Knockout slumped against the storage unit, relief flooding his field as he let down his mental shields. He then spun around and slammed open the compartment, catching Danny as he tumbled out.

“That was close,” Danny said, brushing himself off.

Knockout glared at him. “Too close. Next time, try not to knock over half the medbay while you’re hiding.”

Danny smirked. "Aww, it’s like you care."

Knockout scoffed and turned away, his optics flicking over the human one more before heading back to his work.

-

Danny perched on Steve’s shoulder as the Vehcion mined at a vein of energon with a handheld drill. Sitting on Vehicon’s shoulders while they worked was now a common place you could find Danny. It was more fun than reading datapads in Starscream’s room anyway. Danny swayed a bit with Steve’s movements but didn’t fall once. The con was careful not to move too quickly, which was thoughtful.

Suddenly, Danny’s attention was drawn to F-368, one of the other Vehicons Danny didn't know too well. He knelt beside a large, hulking energon drill. One of the panels opened as the mech tinkered with the machine, muttering to himself as he worked. Danny’s curiosity flared. He hopped off Steve’s shoulder with practiced ease, landing on the rocky ground with a light thud. Steve glanced down at Danny to check if he was okay before Danny waved him off.

“What’s wrong with the drill?” Danny asked, appearing next to F-368. 

F-368 startled, visor tilting towards the tiny human next to him. After realizing who it was, he turned back to his work. “It’s… just a calibration issue,” he explained.

Danny got closer and put his hands against the drill's frame, trying to get a closer look at the mechanisms. “Huh, I can work on you guys all day, but this is still a loss to me. Can you show me how it works?”

F-368 hesitated, looking the human up and down again as if considering it is a good idea. A sigh echoed through his vocalizer as he started explaining. “The torque alignment in the additional rotator is off. I’m resetting the—"

Before he could finish his sentence, a mechanical sliding noise echoed from across the mine. The elevator platform was descending. “Scrap,” muttered one of the Vehicons, who immediately straightened up to look busy.

Roddie glanced around the mine frantically to try to spot Danny. He quickly saw Danny with F-368 and sent a com message: " F-368, hide the human.”

F-368 didn’t need to be told twice. He reached down next to him and snatched Danny up, standing at attention while pulling the human behind his back out of sight. 

“Human,” F-368 hissed, his voice low. “Stay still.” 

The elevator platform ground to a halt, and heavy footfalls echoed through the mine. Megatron entered the chamber, his massive frame looming over everyone.

Every Vehicon in the mine stood at attention, their movements stiff with fear. Even the ever-talkative Steve clamped his mouth shut.

F-368’s plating tightened as Megatron’s piercing optics swept over the mine. Danny, still hidden behind the Vehicon’s frame. He peeked out just enough to catch a glimpse of the towering warlord, and he immediately regretted it.

Megatron stalked forward, his gaze passing over the workers like a predator scanning for weakness. When his optics fell on F-368, the Vehicon tensed further, his servos twitching slightly, making Danny grip his fingers harder for support.

Megatron stopped.

His gaze bore into F-368, catching the slight stiffness in his frame and the way his shoulders seemed to hunch ever so slightly.

“Is there a problem, drone?” Megatron’s voice was low and dangerous.

F-368’s spark nearly seized. “N-No, Lord Megatron,” he stammered. “Just—focusing on recalibrating the drill, my lord. The—uh—output has been… inconsistent.”

Danny could feel the bot trembling slightly. He pressed himself tighter against F-368’s back, hoping to give him comfort in some way.

Megatron’s optics narrowed. He stepped closer, his massive frame looming over the smaller Con. Danny noticed how all optics were on them now. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Roddie shift on his pedes and send a worried glance to his partner C-27.

The silence stretched, suffocating.

Finally, with a low growl, Megatron stepped back. “See that the issue is resolved. I expect no further delays.”

“Yes, Lord Megatron,” F-368 said quickly, his voice strained.

Megatron looked over a few more things in the mine before returning to the elevator. As soon as the sound of the elevator faded, the entire mine seemed to release a collective sigh of relief. F-368 slumped forward, his servos shaking slightly.

Danny jumped out of his servo and onto the drill again, looking over the equipment. “So… you were saying something about rotator alignment?” 

F-368 stared at him incredulously for a long moment before sighing and continuing his explanation. Danny noticed that his servos still shook slightly. He frowned at this, but let himself get absorbed in learning about the new equipment.

-

The flight back to the Nemesis was peaceful—something Starscream rarely experiences these days. The human had been in his Cockpit throughout the journey and had made some not-unwelcome company. Starscream was finally starting to enjoy the human's idle chatter—not that he would ever admit that out loud. 

The large outer doors opened and he landed in the Nemesis’ landing bay. Starscream transformed with his usual grace, stretching his wings after the journey. The movement was smooth, and Danny ended up in his servo.

Starscream glanced at the human in his palm and let out an amused hum; a rare sense of calm settled over him. “Another dull mission complete.” He rolled his optics.

“Yeah, well, let's submit these locations to Soundwave before he gets annoyed.” Danny smiled.

“I guess we should,” Starscream smirked but froze at the sound of heavy pede steps.

Megatron.

Danny must have heard it too because he muttered to himself with a sigh, “Great. This guy again.”

Starscream’s optics widened, and panic coursed through him. “Quiet!” He hissed.

Without another word, Starscream’s chest plate transformed open, and with a quick motion, he shoved the human into his subspace compartment. Danny let out a surprised yelp as he was unceremoniously tossed inside.

Just as Starscream snapped his chest plate shut, the doors across the bay slid open. Megatron’s looming figure entered the room. Starscream hiked his wings up on his back as a show of false confidence.

“Starscream,” Megatron said, his voice a low rumble. “Where were you today?”

Starscream forced his expression to neutral, though tension buzzed through every joint in his frame. “Ah, Lord Megatron. I was simply scouting potential energon deposits as per… Soundwave’s request.”

Megatron’s optics narrowed. He circled Starscream slowly. “And yet, you return after such a long time. Were you preoccupied with something?”

Starscream’s wings twitched. He maybe took a bit longer of a route than he should have. But that shouldn’t matter. “I was merely taking more detailed scans. I intended to report them for further analysis—”

“ Excuses, ” Megatron growled, cutting him off and stepping forward with a clenched servo.

Starscream stiffened. His plating felt too tight, and his processor was spinning with anxiety. What if Megatron tried to beat him right here, in the landing bay?

…With the fragile human in his subspace. 

Starscream's spark suddenly stalled. The seeker would survive anything Megatron threw at him. But would the human? 

Though Danny could phase through things, Starscream has seen it in the past. He just hoped that the organic would be smart enough to get away rather than try to defend Starscream. That would be the worst outcome. 

The human couldn’t possibly do anything to defend him, and anything Megatron would do to the Human or him after the fact would be horrific—worse than any punishment that Starscream would have endured. Maybe if Starscream could convince the human to leave, Starscream could distract Megatron.

Starscream paused, surprising himself with the fact that he had been considering the health of the human. What was getting into him?

All those thoughts, though, he could unpack at a later time when he was not standing in front of an easily triggered aggressive warlord. 

Starscream held his servos at his sides, keeping his tone even though his spark pulsed erratically. “I assure you, Lord Megatron, the information I gathered will prove valuable.”

Megatron leaned closer, his optics narrowing. “It had better be, Starscream. Do not disappoint me again. Or there will be consequences”

With that, the warlord turned and exited the landing bay, his footsteps reverberating through the chamber.

Starscream didn’t move until the doors slid shut behind Megatron. Nothing happened? That was... strange. Beyond unusual. He vented hard before, processor spinning. He was suddenly snapped out of it when he heard the metal clang of knocking against his chest plate. He quickly opened up his chest plate again.

Danny tumbled out into his waiting servo, rubbing his head. “Geez, a little warning next time, huh?”

Starscream ignored the human’s quip and brought him closer, his optics scanning Danny with uncharacteristic care. “Are you injured?”

Danny blinked, startled by the question. “Uh, no? I’m fine. A little rattled, but nothing major.”

Starscream sighed, his frame relaxing slightly as he inspected Danny one last time before setting him on his shoulder. “Good.”

The human tilted his head, frowning. “You okay? You seem… off.”

Starscream’s wings flicked, and he averted his optics. “You’re imagining things,” he said curtly. “Now, let’s get you out of here before something else happens.”

Danny didn’t push further, but his frown deepened as Starscream strode out of the bay.

-

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[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

Fruzsi and the Importance of Her Character in Season 2 of Shadow and Bone

Okay I feel like I have been continuously teasing this post for a ridiculously long time and I have finally gotten around to writing it, I also feel like the fact that I talked about it so much might have built it up to sound bigger than it is but honestly I think that Fruzsi is a FASCINATING character study; I'm very excited to talk about her and have finally found the time (yay!) so hopefully you guys will find this at least a little bit interesting too

Tagging people who registered their interest here but please don’t feel pressured to read <3 @merlinxmagic @girasoljpg @atmosphericwrites @naushtheaspiringauthor @lunarthecorvus

SHOW AND BOOK SPOILERS AHEAD + TALKING ABOUT GRISHAVERSE SETUP & THE CHARACTERS' BACKSTORIES/EXPERIENCES (Mostly Zoya, Genya, Alina, Fruzsi, and Inej)

Super quick recap since of her story so we're on the same page as we begin: Fruzsi first appeared in Season 2 Episode 2 of Shadow and Bone and is a Grisha Tidemaker loyal to the Darkling. Her parents sold her to the Darkling when she was a child, its unclear how old she was, and we should take into consideration in this matter that there is no indication whatsoever that she was ever at the Little Palace since none of the other Grisha seem to recognise or know her and vice versa. She is instrumental in the Darkling's army and receives one of the amplifiers made from Baghra's bones, subsequently learning to manipulate water molecules into ice shafts that she can use as a weapon. She is responsible for Dominik's death towards the end of the season and is subsequently killed by Nikolai.

So right off the bat whenever anyone talks about Fruzsi I tend to see two things: "wannabe Zoya" and “the power of her amplifier was a problem because it will be too difficult to differentiate between amplifiers and parem". I've taked before about my thoughts on amplifiers and parem and why I didn't think it was going to be a problem for the Six of Crows spinoff show (*sobs*) but the general consensus seems to be that not only was Fruzsi an unlikeable character because of her actions, but because she was seen as a only being there to provide an enemy and a hand of the Darkling, and I think that's a real shame because she is a fascinating character and she tells us SO MUCH about the Darkling and other major characters. My personal favourite details about Fruzsi are her parallels with Zoya and the point from which they run opposing, the parallels she has to Genya and Inej and the subsequent parallels that her introduction creates between the Darkling and Heleen Van Houden, and the setup of Fruzsi, Vatra, and the Darkling's other Grisha to create genuine empathy for villainous characters for the reflections of the protagonists we can see in them.

Fruzsi's introduction in episode two begins with the Darkling arriving to see her and saying that she made it in good time - now we don't know where she travelled from, so yeah it could be the Little Palace (he was travelling from the base he set up in episode 1) but personally I don't think that there's much implication she ever lived there considering she doesn't know any of the other Grisha and she doesn't wear a kefta until the Darkling has new ones created for his new army. She's wearing pretty typical clothes that we see of the Ravkan population when we first meet her; a blouse and ankle-length skirt with a long coat, and from the very start is in dark shades that visually connect her to the Darkling in the audience's eye. Although she isn't hesitant to speak to him she shows consistent discomfort around the Darkling, making small steps away from him when he raises his hand and acknowledging non-verbal orders from him with immediate effect, as well as confirming that she never broke her promise to not open the Journal of Morozova without prompting and somewhat hurriedly. The Darkling is actually pretty quiet throughout most of this scene, cutting of Fruzsi's sentences and instructing her but not following any attempts she makes to initiate real conversation. When he tells her to reveal Baghra from behind the waterfall she asks him if he's sure, one of few instances in which she questions him, and after barely a second of maintained eye contact between them she turns away, physically bunching her shoulders and seeming to shrink in on herself, before turning to the waterfall and completing the task in silence. Everything we see of Fruzsi in this scene seems to contradict Baghra's later description of her as "deranged" and I think that this is really very noteworthy, because we start to develop this idea that Fruzsi's actions are different in front of the Darkling than when he isn't present - particularly since we know in this scene that Baghra has not seen the Darkling in weeks and has been alone with Fruzsi during that time. We actually don't see Fruzsi without the Darkling until very late in the show (episode 7), when her anger at the world and her easy ability to command the other Grisha are revealed ("First Army did this [...] If they wear the uniform they are all the same. Kill them all!"). We get this brilliantly foreboding image of her marching so confidently through the carnage with soldiers of both sides running and shouting and fighting and dying all around her while she barely shows any kind of response but to calmly begin her own method of very direct attack against Nikolai after walking through the battle completely untouched. If anything, Fruzsi seems quite unbothered by the entire thing until she fails to kill Nikolai, killing Dominik and several others instead, and screams her frustration before being forced to run for cover from approaching soldiers. After this her attacks are arguably much more emotional because she feels challenged and as though she has failed (relevant as I'll cover later because of the way the Darkling manipulates her), but all of this seemingly culminates only when Vatra dies, and in that moment we get this wonderfully clever shot of them holding each other's hands so that we can see the tattoos (I'm going to rant about the tattoos in this post) and then we see Vatra smiling in her final moments (that's gonna come up again as well). This moment is the most emotional we ever get to see Fruzsi; she looks down at Vatra, sheds a silent tear, and begins to exhibit more power than we have ever seen in her before. It is bare moments after this that she loses her fingers in an attack from Jesper and mere minutes afterwards that Nikolai shoots her in the throat and she dies.

It's confirmed in s2e7 that Fruzsi's parents attempted to sell her to the Darkling and arguably this is where her parallels with Zoya begin - "You remember when your family first brought you to me? The price they demanded when they discovered you were Grisha?" "Perhaps now I can repay the debt" "I would have paid it 100 times over". Ugh this angers me so much. He bought her and she believes, she genuinely believes, that she owes him for that. I'm going to talk about the structure of this relationship really strongly echoing Heleen Van Houden later on but particularly in this moment we understand that there is something here very similar to the Kerch indenture system that I'm actually really glad to see included as part of the worldbuilding and development in the show since we didn't get the opportunity to explore it as much in Kerch (*screams frustrations into the wind*)

Although we sadly didn't get the chance to explore Zoya's story in the show (*cries in cancellation*) it's explained in the final duology of the book series that her mother attempted to sell nine-year-old Zoya as a bride to 63-year-old, very rich, and twice-widowed Valentin Grankin. When Zoya's aunt, Lilyana, attempted to stop the wedding Grankin attacked and nearly killed her; in fear for herself and her aunt Zoya experienced a massive, terrified outburst of power, which was how she discovered she was Grisha, and Lilyana was able to rescue her and take her to Os Alta. My absolute favourite take on Fruzsi is that she is Zoya's Shadow, which is an idea that my friend voiced whilst we were watching the show and we discussed together at length at the time, but that I have never seen anyone talking about online.

The idea of having a Shadow comes from Suli culture and is explained to us in Crooked Kingdom by Inej; whenever a person does wrong it gives life to their shadow, with every action making the Shadow stronger until they are stronger than the original person and the person is defeated by the wrongs they've done - or learns to overcome them and defeat the Shadow. Inej's believes that her Shadow is Dunyasha and she fights her in Crooked Kingdom. I FREAKING LOVE the theory that Fruzsi is Zoya's Shadow because their stories parallel each other very well; both are abused and sold by their families only to be taken in by the Darkling and manipulated into believing that he is their saviour. The Darkling very much works by making others feel that they owe him something for any action he completes, just as we see in his manipulation and abuse of Alina, and Fruzsi and Zoya are prime examples of this. We even have two very similar scene setups between season 1 and season 2 that show us just how similar the Darkling and Zoya are in terms of the pent up rage that they keep private - in season 1 where the Darkling leaves Zoya alone in his room whilst she is trying to initiate intimacy because he is manipulating her and Alina against each other and wants to make Zoya feel like she has been abandoned in favour of a newer, shinier toy and once he's left Zoya screams her frustration and releases a gust of Squaller power that disrupts his chamber, and in season 2 when Fruzsi, in her second appearance (now wearing the new dark kefta design) hesitantly informs the Darkling that David stole Morozova's Journal and is immediately dismissed before the Darkling screams his frustrations and uses the tether to find and haunt Alina. Although this comparison between the Darkling and Zoya is of course more obvious it also gives us an idea of similarities between Zoya and Fruzsi because it extends this implication we have that Fruzsi acts very differently out of the Darkling's presence than in - and considering that at this point we have never seen her without him we have this gathering sense of intrigue about her backstory and her character. In a similar-ish manner we also have the scene in s2e5 when we get another example of the few times Fruzsi attempts to stand up to the Darkling, in this case openly telling him that they would do better to redirect their efforts North because it would be "the more strategic move"; the Darkling's response is to threaten her with his Nichevo'ya and manipulate her in a similar way that he does Zoya by replying "Alina Starkov is worth more than any army. So at the risk of sounding repetitive... find her", actively diminishing Fruzsi when he's been purposefully making her feel important and like she matters to him so that she feels she must redouble her efforts for him to notice and appreciate her and therefore desperately hopes to do a better job of bending to his will, especially since he's basically turned her entire purpose and usefulness to him into brining Alina back to him. Ugh this man i swear. I'm going to go on to talk about parallels between Fruzsi and Genya pretty soon so in this respect as well I want to add emphasis to the fact that when she disagrees with him on a point - and mind you not that she makes any suggestion of betraying his cause but only that she thinks they should take a different tactic to be more successful in it - he uses the presence of the Nichevo'ya to scare her into submission. The next time he gives her an order (to take down the First Army encampments) she agrees immediately and barely speaks to him except to ask "And what of the Sun Summoner?" - And note this is after she has taken Genya to the other Grisha because she was told to show her off as an example.

I have to say that at this point in time I was not expecting her to be the gold mine she became, and it's looking back on it knowing more about her backstory that I notice a lot of smaller details in the way she acts around him that consistently suggest she is afraid of him and I think that is shown really well in Reford's performance, I don't see her getting enough of the praise that she deserves - she was great!

Am I even making sense? Anyway

Fruzsi and Zoya are consistently presented with these similarities and I really love the idea that she represents what Zoya would have become without the influence of our other main characters, particular Alina and Genya. I really like the idea that she's Zoya's Shaodw and a literal, living embodiment of the wrng that Zoya did under the Darkling's command, but the only place that I think this theory falls short is in Fruzsi's death. If Fruzsi was truly Zoya's Shadow then they would have to face each other for one of them to die, but Fruzsi was killed by Nikolai in the aftermath of Dominik's death. However, I also think that there was standing there to start developing something truly, truly poetic in Nikolai killing Zoya's Shadow and Zoya later killing Nikolai's (or maybe even metaphorically doing so in trying to help rid him of the demon??) BUT I GUESS NOW WE'LL NEVER KNOW (*screams*) (*cries*) (*curses Netflix’s name*)

Now moving on to her parallels with Genya and Inej. I think that the loss of Heleen from season 2 (which I’ve shared my thoughts about a bit in the past so won’t go on about now) left a hole that was, in a way I didn’t quite expect, filled more by the Darkling than it was Pekka Rollins. There are multiple quotes from the Darkling this season, mostly directed towards Fruzsi and Genya, that I find to have very specific reminiscence of some of Heleen’s quotes from the the Six of Crows duology and this was the most obvious one for me, and the one that originally made me think of this particular comparison:

"I have always known your worth. Now show me," - the Darkling, s2e7, in the conversation where he specifically states that he bought Fruzsi and she specifically states that she owes him a debt for that

"I know your worth, little Lynx, right down to the cent" - Heleen, Six of Crows, to Inej when torturing Inej with the implication that she intends to find a way to bring her back to the Menagerie ("You'll wear my silks again, I promise")

(Also as a quick addition I think that so much can be said about Rachel Redford's acting in this specific moment of season 2 episode 7 after the Darkling delivers that line. She looks up at him, and the proxemics + their actual heights I must admit have a brilliant added effect to this, with what starts as such genuine sorrow but so quickly turns to such fierce determination before she shows him what she's capable of now that she has the amplifier. After her demonstration she is almost in shock at the revelation of what she was able to do but the pure exultation, the relief, the triumph in her expression does not even come close to existing until the moment that the Darkling says "extraordinary". He's not even looking at her - in fact, I don't doubt it possibly that he wasn't complimenting her herself but simply the creation of the amplifiers and their strength - but the expression on her face then is absolutely unmatched and it speaks VOLUMES) (I genuinely recommend rewatching that moment with this in mind because I cannot stop thinking about it)

And then layered on top of this, we have the tattoos. THE TATTOOS.

I made a specific post about the costuming in season 2, which you can read here if you’d like to, and that covers my thoughts on the new keftas but I didn’t go into detail on the tattoos at the time and I have a lot of thoughts about them. The Grishaverse, mostly the Six of Crows duology, uses tattoos incredibly symbolically and places particular emphasis on choosing to take the mark, creating a massively important bond to something that you deeply care about and will never want to break (gangs, Kaz’s ‘R’ for Rietveld), and being forced to take one on (the pleasure houses, of course most primarily Inej’s Menagerie tattoo). Although we don’t get as much emphasis on this since the show didn’t get the opportunity to explore the gang tattoos yet thus far (and I guess now it won’t *shakes fist at Netflix*) we did have focus surrounding Inej’s Menagerie tattoo and it’s removal in this season and, as much as I wish we’d been able to see her book canon tattoo removal (cut off by a butcher), this side by side comparison of the Grisha being given no option but to take on the amplifying tattoos and Nina using her Grisha power to remove Inej’s tattoo is absolutely fascinating and really well done.

So this for me creates an ongoing comparison between Fruzsi, Genya, and Inej - and taking on what I said about Fruzsi’s apparent absence from the Little Palace despite clearly having an established relationship with the Darkling and having been with him for some time, we can consider the earliest pieces of information we have about Genya’s life. Now it’s a long time since I read the S&B trilogy so I can’t remember if this specific detail is true to book canon but in the show Genya states that the Grisha testers found her when she was seven but that she was gifted to the Queen when she was eleven. We have no information about what happened to her during these four years, and yeah maybe she was at the Little Palace training but we don’t have confirmation of that and I wouldn’t trust the Darkling as far as I could throw him (which probably wouldn’t even crack a metre let’s be real). This also adds a really interesting layer to things with Fruzsi being the one instructed to show Genya off to the other Grisha as an example of what will happen if they try to betray the Darkling because we get this moment when she kneels down to take hold of Genya's chains and they are both sitting in the cage together that I think is really powerful in everything it says about how easily either of them could be in the other's position in that moment but we're also still very aware that Fruzsi has the far more power - or at least an illusion of it. In this same scene Baghra, about Genya, states "she served you loyally since she was a child, endured years of abuse on your orders, and you reduce her to an example? Oh Aleksander, where does this stop?" and honestly that is so brilliantly written (and so brilliantly delivered in the scene) that I don't think I need to say anything on top of it but when we consider this side by side with Fruzsi's position I think that this really is a very powerful parallel and a constant reminder that no-one who places their trust in the Darkling is ever safe, and that pretty much everyone on his side is there because of manipulation and because of abuse - be that abuse from the Darkling or abuse from others that the Darkling has so well learned how to manipulate in ways that are very, very similar to the way Jarl Brum manipulated and abused Matthias (I have written a lot about that too. I have strong feelings.)

I have so much fascination and I feel so much sympathy for Fruzsi and I think that this is one of the things that the show did so fantastically well in her and in the other Grisha on the Darkling’s side who are all manipulated and controlled by him in just the same way our protagonists were, who were ultimately still all very young people who had been attacked and threatened and made unsafe in their home for who they were and who were offered what they believed was the only solution. I think one of the greatest examples of this, other than Fruzsi, is seen in Vatra, the amplified Inferni who is so proud of herself when she brings the Hummingbird down - "Yes! I did it" and btw she says this with such an expression on her face I don't even have the words I would just genuinely recommend you rewatch the scene to get what I'm saying it's s2e7 around 24:30-50 she actually looks so proud of herself she's like a little kid and it's so soul-crushingly clever and incredibly well done and it breaks my heart she's been so successfully manipulated - because she so genuinely believes that she is doing the right thing and she is making a difference for her people, and even when she dies with her hand clutched in Fruzsi's she dies smiling. That girl breaks my heart every time I rewatch, and honestly even though she is presented in a more unlikeable way Fruzsi breaks my heart as well because I can see so much of our beloved characters in her and effectively what could have happened to them and what could have become of them if they hadn’t managed their escape. This duality and constant cause to question the morality of the characters is so brilliantly done and one of the biggest successes of the adaptation considering how well it was done in the books as well but could have been something difficult to translate between medias where exposition is concerned, and I think that Fruzsi was an incredible example of this and that we really should talk about her more

Thanks for reading my nonsense ramblings if you got this far, I hope that it made sense and was at least somewhat interesting <33