#an iron born doesn't like it? tough.

[montyluvsjasper]

Ed, Gendry, Bronn or Tyrion were never going to put a kid Ned Stark raised in Westeros to the sword for stabbing Aerys daughter who grew up in Essos after she threw a tantrum and burnt down the capital. Especially not because an Iron Born woman, a bunch guys with no cocks and some savages that just finished SAing their women told them too.

[pinescent-and-gingerbread]

˗ˏˋ Arthur Morgan Modern!AU Headcanons ´ˎ˗

To answer this ask from the lovely @crystalofmoon19 , I got to think a bit more deeply about what a modern!AU Arthur could be. This absolutely stunning Arthur pic is from @arthurmorgan-vp!

JOB ´ˎ˗

Has a job that means a lot to him and is totally dedicated when doing it.

Arthur flourishes when helping others. I saw a Chartur fanart that portrayed him as a nurse and god I love this idea. He's emotionally VERY tough, making him efficient even in difficult and stressful times when a patient's life is in his hands. He's also a practical person who needs to have a concrete, manual aspect in his work. On top of that, we have the whole "service to society" aspect.

Police officer could also fit this dynamic. (I know it's pretty ironic considering he's a criminal in the canon but it's one of these jobs where he could put his strength into action to help others).

Also, without the need to survive and do criminal acts, with a caring family who could push him in the right ways, he also could have a job in arts. Arthur canonically is a curious and inventive person, he draws every little thing he finds interesting around him and cares for places, characters and events most people wouldn’t. I could picture him as an illustrator/concept artist. Or tattoo artist too? Why not.

HOBBIES ´ˎ˗

Sooooo artsy.

If he works at the hospital, he needs to have a sketchbook to just write and draw like in the canon. With other mediums being way more accessible nowadays, I think he could also paint and even sculpt from time to time.

Art helps him to get dark thoughts out of his head and focus on something when life gets hard.

However, if he already works in an artsy field, I think he would need to get up and move after a whole day sitting and would love to just go jogging, hiking, and taking long walks in nature. A combat sport could also do the work, as Arthur has an important code of honor: a discipline like Judo or Wrestling could help him get all his pent-up energy out while respecting his opponent; boxing could work too.

100% have a Polaroid and takes pictures of good times and his close ones every chance he gets. His bedroom/apartment is full of objects that carry an emotional value to him.

MODERN THINGS HE LIKES ´ˎ˗

Barbecues.

Would wear the ugliest apron and cap while doing them btw. And doesn't see what the problem is.

Classical rock music and vinyl. Thinking about Led Zepplin, The Stones, The Doors. Vintage music all the way. Has a secret soft spot for Lady Gaga though. Don't tell John. And (not-so) hot take, it's Hosea who introduces him to his old blues and rock records (Dutch prefers Jazz music.)

Camping and long hiking trips. Trekking when he feels really adventurous.

Going to the cinema. (100% eats salty popcorn and messes with John during the film if it's a family outing.)

In modern days Arthur would have been born in 1988. This means he was a '90s kid: he fondly remembers VHS tapes, baggy jeans, his old PlayStation One, maybe watching the first episodes of Pokémon, too. He's canonically such a nostalgic.

Would 100% make his own mix on cassette tapes btw

Flannels. I picture him with comfy rather than fancy clothes. He would also have a big leather jacket or vintage bomber for winter. And a leather bag like this one where important work papers are mixed with random trinkets found on his hikes.

RANDOM LITTLE FACTS ´ˎ˗

Arthur is so messy (I mean look at his tent). His car (Hosea's old one) is also a complete mess, cups, leftovers from meals, CDs, work stuff and random objects cover every possible inch of it.

Talking about it, looooves to drive. Totally do it with one hand on the wheel. And with good music ofc. (He would put his other hand on your thigh)

Has a dog. Or wants one deeply. A big one. And he definitely wants a lot of animals once he has a bigger house with you.

I said he could be a tattoo artist. I think he would have a tattoo, of an animal. Of course, we as a fandom thinks of the deer, but it has to be something meaningful to him. Maybe the animal who inspires him the most, or one they have seen in the wild with John during a walk in the woods.

Arthur is not a good cook. Buys a lot of food telling himself this time, he will succeed at making this damn dish. Biggest mess ever, ingredients everywhere on the floor, the walls, his body and hair. Pure chaos. Everything burns. Kitchen ends up on fire. Uses the internet as last hope, tries to watch as many tutorials as possible but it doesn't help+his phone ends up covered in egg white, flour, and wet ingredients. Throws away the food and gives up, orders a pizza.

Repeat previous paragraph every time he wants to try a new dish he saw somewhere.

(The phone is okay because he has the strongest and largest phone case ever. The kind of enormous one made to protect phones in building zones, for his hikes. It's pitch black.)

Overall I'd say a Modern!AU Arthur would probably be a bit happier even though still very nostalgic and melancholic at times (without the constant need to run away and kill people, his mental health would be much better.)

Important disclaimer: these are my personal thoughts, they could totally be shitty, I'm not at all claiming this is the absolute truth about him. A character is always subject to a personal interpretation, therefore anyone could picture him differently! Btw, I would love to hear your thoughts about it!

Thanks for reading! I hope you liked my silly little ideas.

I'm thinking about doing a part.2 where we could dive into his habits, his relationships with family, friends and s/o and other little fun facts. Let me know if I should! -Pine 🌱

[dotster001]

Hi lovely! May I ask for the twisted wonderland dorm leaders reaction to piercings. (Nipples, septum, lip, industrial, bridge etc))

A/N: I wasn't sure if you meant on reader or them....so I did all of the above! Hopefully I hit what you were looking for 😂

3k masterlist

CW: religious fear in Riddle's part, but it's an if you know you know kind of thing 😂 😭

 In general, Riddle will always start out as anti piercing. His mother raised him that piercings are from the devil (or the devil equivalent in twst) and should be ever pierce his body with a needle, he would be thrown in the fiery flames for all eternity. So…he's anti piercing

That said, if he had to pick one he wanted, he'd go for a navel piercing. That way, the gods (and his mother) would never know he had it. He'd probably go for a simple ruby.

He doesn't react too much to piercings on other people. He just never thinks about it, even though he's always thinking about it for himself. So your piercings wouldn't phase him.

He's simplistic. A favorite piercing he'd have for you, is a simple nose stud. Maybe a ruby to match his hypothetical navel stud.

I'm totally blanking on what he looks like, but if he doesn't have piercings now, he will as soon as he's out of the public eye. Once Cheka is of age, he knows no one will care about the "delinquent second born" and he's free to do what he wants without judgment.

He'd go for a single stud on one side, a nose ring, a navel ring, and probably one lip piercing so that it glitters when he smirks.

He doesn't care if you have piercings. Obviously, it's sexy as hell if you do, but whatever, it's your life.

His favorite on you is, surprisingly, a basic earring. He likes to gently pull them with his teeth when he's feeling particularly flirty or needy.

He won't have piercings ever. It would affect his businessman facade. That said….if he ever got a piercing, he would want a single dangle earring so he can match the twins. Maybe a conch shell?

Another one who doesn't mind it on you. And his favorite one you? Tongue piercing. Not that he'll ever admit it…because it's his favorite due to him liking the feel against his tongue when your tongue is down his throat…the taste of iron filling his senses along with your signature smell….ahem. He uh he means he likes a typical earring on you. yup yup.

Pierced everywhere. He likes shiny things. There was no stopping him.

He would like you pierced top to bottom, so that he can shower you in even more gold and jewels. He loves to see you shimmer, and hear you jangle. Piercings just add to it. 

But if he had to choose a favorite spot, it's regular lobe and cartilage piercings on your ears. Then he can still see the shimmer 😁 he loves to decorate along your ears with chains and jewels, thinks it's so pretty

He has regular ear piercings. I'm sorry, a man who looks that hot in red heels is ready to wear a set of pearl drop earrings at a moments notice. He's modeled a hundred sexy looks in those hypothetical earrings, and you can't tell me otherwise. Maybe he takes them out for school so that when his fellow students decide to get in a fight, he doesn't have to hand them to Rook Everytime.

He wants you in pearl earrings to….just saying. He thinks you'll be so pretty, so professional, with a set of pearls; pearl choker, pearl bracelet, pearl earrings (does this feed into his desire to dress you like a doll? Maybe)

Out of everyone, he's the one who would get nipple piercings. Probably after watching some anime where the tough guy had gold nipple hoops. Subtle but enough of a character design that Idia snuck past Ortho to go get some himself.

He's gonna think any piercings you have are sexy. Nipple piercings? Bad ass. Navel? Show him that tummy. Lip piercing? Kiss him. I mean what?

Man wears black classy earrings. Doesn't really branch out, but that's fine. He looks hot.

He loves if you have piercings. It adds to his delusions about you, like "look at my rebellious little human". Mal Mal, it's just a nose ring? It's a common piercing in many cultures? Not a big deal? He's never gonna hear you over his delusions, babe

His fave on you? Navel and nipple. Because our Victorian man thinks seeing either is such a scandalous treat, and sends a thrill down his spine. Such intimate places, and he gets to see them! How thrilling! Humans are so brave these days!

[bestworstcase]

"There is no victory in strength."

"And Yang was strength."

I wonder if this is some "subtle" foreshadowing for something later?

oh i have some THOUGHTS about this

first: see this post regarding salem's V1 monologue. the key point to keep in mind for this discussion is that she begins by naming several qualities of mankind—strength, wisdom, resourcefulness, passion, and ingenuity—so her concluding statement implies its own inverse: 

"mankind was strong, wise, and resourceful, but he was born into an unforgiving world […] in time, man's passion, resourcefulness, and ingenuity led them to the tools that would help even the odds […] but take heed: there will be no victory in strength," i.e. "victory lies in these other four qualities." 

so what does this have to do with yang?

in V2: yang gets slapped by the paladin prototype, and when blake calls out to her in a panic, ruby stops her: "don't worry! with each hit she gets stronger, and she uses that energy to fight back. that's what makes her special."

in V3: after her disqualification from the tournament, qrow passes on raven's message to yang ("she saved you once, but you shouldn't expect that kindness again") after she tells him she saw her mom ("i- i was in a lot of trouble, took a pretty hard hit"), then follows up with "you're a tough egg, kiddo; shouldn't let this tournament thing get you down."

in V4: tai tells yang that she, like raven, "act[s] like the easiest way to tackle an obstacle is through it: that strength is all that matters in a fight," which he implies is the fatal flaw of raven's that "tore our team apart and […] did a real number on our family," even though "raven was great in so many ways: her strength, her ambition, her dedication." 

in V5: blake describes yang to sun as "[the embodiment of] strength."

also in V5: yang confronts raven in the vault under haven academy and, when raven calls herself strong, snaps back: "oh, shut up! you don't know the first thing about strength! you turn your back on people, you run away when things get hard, you put others in harms way instead of yourself! you might be powerful, but you're not strong."

in V6: blake reassures yang by telling her "adam's strong, but his real power comes from control."

also in V6: adam taunts yang: "moment of truth, yang! do you think you're faster than you were at beacon? …heh. me neither," and after catching his weapon she retorts, "i may not be faster, but i'm smarter." (<- put a pin in this one, it's important.)

in V8: yang falls, blake fails to catch her, and it's the hit she can't come back from—it doesn't make her stronger, it just plunges her into the void to her apparent death.

in V9: when they catch up with yang, she's performing strength ("i said i wasn't done with you yet!") but in reality she's exhausted, barely able to stand. later, blake describes her like this: "you're an extraordinary person. you're always the first to lighten a situation; you act bravely when you're afraid; you do what you say."

ok. 

there are a few threads to unwind here.

first let's unpin what adam says to yang during their final duel: "do you think you're faster than you were at beacon?" not "stronger." not "tougher." faster.

ruby tells blake that strength is what makes yang special. qrow tells yang she's too tough to let one "slip-up" bring her down. her father thinks she relies too much on her strength. before their reunion, blake sees yang as the living personification of strength.

but just as a younger blake was wrong about adam being "justice" or "passion," she's wrong about yang being "strength," and adam is actually—ironically enough—the first character besides yang herself to notice that strength is not what yang is about. he taunts her for not being fast enough. 

speed. agility. not just in the sense that yang is a very nimble combatant, but she's emotionally agile—look at how she handles herself and her feelings during fraught confrontations with blake in V2 or raven in V5. she's a self-described thrill-seeker, but she also worries about being too rootless. her biggest setbacks all come from rushing—and her big wins all come from outmaneuvering her opponents, whether physically or emotionally. she's strong, but strength is not what she is.

keeping that in mind, the second thread to follow is the difference between strength and power. yang tells raven "you might be powerful, but you're not strong." blake tells yang that adam is "strong, but his real power comes from control," from getting into people's heads and making them feel small. when ruby and tai and blake talk about yang's strength (and when blake talks about adam being strong), they mean raw physical strength—but that's not what yang means when she talks about strength. in yang's terms, raw physical strength is just power. her semblance makes her powerful; it doesn't make her strong. 

yang defines strength as the choice to put others ahead of oneself, even and especially when it's hard. 

in the ever after, blake says that yang uplifts others (always the first to lighten a situation), that she's brave, that she has integrity. between V5 and V9, after reconciling with yang and going through the harrowing experience of of fighting adam with her, blake sees the vulnerability behind the brave mask yang puts on for her loved ones. her perception of yang at beacon was colored both by her adam trauma and by the way ruby saw yang as invulnerable, unshakable. since then she's come to see yang as she truly is: caring, brave, and honest. she sees and loves the kind of strength that yang values.

third thread: the really crucial piece is what kind of strength is salem referring to? 

and the answer is that she's talking about power, explicitly in contrast to what she sees as humanity's true strengths: wisdom, resourcefulness, passion, ingenuity, and hope. in V1, salem credits hope as the reason mankind was not wiped out (again) by the grimm and names "passion, resourcefulness, and ingenuity" as the qualities that allowed them to find a way to survive against the odds. then, "nature's wrath in hand, man lit their way through the darkness, and in the shadow's absence came strength, civilization, and most importantly, life."

in this story salem tells about the beginning of the world, strength is one of the fruits of mankind's triumph, something that could only develop after the darkness had been beaten and pushed back. when she gives her warning—"there will be no victory in strength"—she names "your guardians" and "your monuments" explicitly. 

to be precise, she is talking about the maidens ("a guardian is a symbol of comfort"), amity coliseum("it was decided that the tournament would need a stage equal in greatness to that of its competitors. amity coliseum was the culmination of four kingdom's efforts: a technological marvel and a shining symbol of harmony, capable of making the journey to all the kingdoms of remnant"—but note that menagerie is excluded from the vytal festival), and atlas ("the people of mantle needed a sign of a brighter future, and that sign was atlas; a city in the clouds is as bright as it gets").

those things represent ozpin's definition of strength: technological marvels, shining symbols of harmony and comfort, a girl who is "strong, caring, and intelligent" enough to make the people feel safe. and of course outside of these soliloquies, the word salem uses is power—and she warns cinder, twice, in no uncertain terms that power will not make her strong: "it is because of the maiden's power. […] your newfound strength brings with it a crippling weakness" and "you will have the power i promised you, but remember that it comes with a cost."

now back to yang: she and salem share this mindset, this clear delineation between true strength and mere power. salem tries to impress it upon cinder; yang's power blinds her family to her true strength, which blake learns to see clearly as they become partners, and she is placed in juxtaposition with adam, raven, and cinder—all of whom are powerful but not strong. 

and, like salem, the way yang is perceived (that her power is what makes her special, and she thinks physical strength is all that matters in a fight) does not align with how yang sees herself or what she values: yang takes pride in being able to face her fears, speak the truth, put others before herself, and outwit her foes; she likes that blake has never been intimidated by her, and she admires blake's dedication and willingness to forgive. 

salem values wisdom, i.e. experiential knowledge—yang tells her past self that her losses and failures "more than anything are what have shaped me into who i am, showed me how i need to grow." salem values passion—yang is passionate in everything she does and likewise admires the passion she sees in blake. "you know what matters to you." salem values resourcefulness and ingenuity—yang revels in outsmarting people who underestimate her, as they often do, and flat out tells adam that she may not be faster than him, but she is smarter, then throws his weapon to bait him into running right into blake's punch.

yang values courage—salem fomented rebellion against the fucking gods and vowed to keep fighting even after they crushed her like an ant, and rewards cinder for defying her, and disdains lionheart for being a coward. yang values honesty—salem explodes when people lie to her and loathes ozma for his deceit. yang values compassion—salem built her whole rebellion on the premise that no one else should have to suffer as she did. yang values cleverness—salem cultivates spies and meticulously prepares to stack the deck in her favor before making a move.

"the ability to derive strength from hope is undoubtedly mankind's greatest asset," says salem. "even the smallest spark of hope is enough to ignite change."

"look, blind optimism isn't great, but no optimism means we've already lost; we need hope. we need to take risks," says yang. 

aside from blake, all of team rwby repeat salem in some way: weiss is the girl who frees herself from her tower, ruby the idealist who sees how broken the world is and takes it upon herself to fix it, inspiring the world to strive with her. (blake repeats ozma: the warrior who fights for justice, but her journey is the inverse of his: her ideals are corrupted by adam's spite in the beginning and she leaves him behind in pursuit of true justice.) but yang is salem's heart. 

(<- the reversal in how blake sees yang before/after they reunite at haven and defeat adam together is a fractal-ozlem thing, by the way: the inflection point occurs in 6.5 when yang opens up about her flashbacks and blake sees her hands shaking. the maiden's tears restore her prince's sight—yang allows blake to see how scared she is, and blake recognizes how badly yang needs blake to be there for her, to stay.)

WHICH IS HYSTERICAL BECAUSE,

"all this endless death, because something bad happened to you once upon a time? no one gets a fairytale ending! everything i've lost, every person i've lost, is because of you!"

yang is being deliberately provocative here. her intention is to redirect salem's boiling fury from oscar to herself, to protect oscar. she is trying to piss salem off, and while she succeeds in distracting salem from oscar, she completely fails to make salem angry—instead, salem calms down.

why?

the anger and scorn yang throws in salem's face here are completely genuine, but as i said before, yang's emotional agility—her control over her emotions—is unparalleled. she does not "lose her temper" (and on the rare occasion she snaps without meaning to, she reins it in lightning fast). she lets it out. so in this scene, yang makes a calculated choice to yell at salem. to get angry.

now, we've seen her do this once before—and by "this" i mean specifically the choice to get mad enough to verbally explode at somebody—and that was during her last confrontation with raven. 

"oh, shut up! you don't know the first thing about strength! you turn your back on people, you run away when things get hard, you put others in harm's way instead of yourself! you might be powerful, but you're not strong."

i think yang is not quite as in control of her feelings in this scene with raven, because the wounds are very personal and very raw, but nevertheless she is making a deliberate choice to let her anger come out because—again—she's trying to make raven mad. if raven decides she's leaving with the lamp, yang can't actually stop her. she knows that. she also knows raven isn't going to listen to an appeal to join them, so her only real option is to upset raven enough to make her abandon the lamp (and yang) (…again). 

so that's what she does! yang asks questions and needles raven on her answers until raven starts to react emotionally ("i survived because i'm strong enough to do what others won't!"), and yang pounces on that. shut up, you don't know the first thing about strength. she goes right for the throat, attacks the thing at the center of all raven's rationalizations. and raven fucking shatters.

this is what yang tries to do to salem. "why do you keep coming back?" -> "why do YOU!?"—raven says "i'm strong," yang goes "shut up, that's bullshit, no you're not." salem says "why do you keep coming back," yang hears salem playing the victim and goes "shut up, that's bullshit, your suffering isn't special" because she guesses—based on what she's been told about salem, and what she just heard salem say to ozma—that salem has built her sense of self around victimhood in the same way that raven built hers around "being strong."

only. it doesn't work this time.

because salem is just like yang.

just like yang, salem prizes courage and conviction and abhors liars. she makes the same distinction between genuine strength and mere power, and values power not at all. 

she also, just like yang, keeps her anger firmly in check. when salem yells and slams her hands down or flips a table to intimidate someone, or threatens cinder with the hound, or tortured oscar, that is a choice she is making to let her anger out. the one time salem actually loses her temper, she sends everyone else out of the room, waits for the door to close, makes what appears to be a herculean effort to hold it in (<- the air boils), and then explodes all the windows.

this tactic of yang's depends on her opponent not having her level of emotional control. but that isn't the only reason she completely fails to get a rise out of salem; look at salem's reaction:

<- "why do you keep coming back?"—this is genuine fury. teeth bared, crushing oscar's head with her nails digging in behind his ears.

<- "because something bad happened to you once upon a time?"—she's nonplussed. it's not even that salem's too in control of her anger for yang to provoke her, salem is legitimately thrown for a loop by this line of attack. yang misses the mark by such a wide margin that it knocks salem out of her anger altogether. she was seething about ozma sacrificing children for the god to whom he debases himself in blind obedience, why is this child yelling about fairytales. what.

it's telling, i think, that salem does not, in any way, dispute the premise that her own suffering does not justify the suffering she causes or that she is personally responsible for yang's losses. neither of those ideas challenge or threaten salem's self-identity, and in fact the only response she does make is to ask who she took from yang. (<- implicitly conceding that she is responsible for ruining yang's life, or at least that she might be.) 

she and yang are Very Alike.

(this is also why yang has such pronounced paralleling with cinder. by the way. two halves of salem's psyche. fire as hope, fire as wrath.)

anyway

the point of yang vis-a-vis "there will be no victory in strength" is to clarify and articulate the distinction salem makes between power (which neither character values) and strength (which they do, and define as the sum of many virtues). both of them are positioned in counterpoint to ozpin, who trusted only in power and symbols of power (the maidens, amity, atlas), and ruby, who mistakes power for strength and is on a journey that puts both her power (silver eyes) and her strength (hope) to the test.

[skaruresonic]

The idea of Sonic being Maria’s reincarnation is fascinating to me, I must admit. Though it’s funny to think that she waited 35 years for it after her demise for Sonic to actually be born and then when he is, he’s opposing the cousin and he can’t enjoy Earth and its flowers fully like she also couldn’t because ALLERGIES lol. Comedy value too.

It is, isn't it? Again, I wouldn't push it as canon, but purely as a hypothetical for-shits-and-giggles kind of idea, it definitely is interesting to think about. Particularly with the parallels between Maria and Sonic:

1.) Both admire the genius of those closest to them (Tails and Gerald), 2.) Both are associated with the color blue, 3.) Both have a playful nature, 4.) Both like to race Shadow, 5.) Both are selfless, 6.) Both share immense strength of spirit. Other thoughts: 1.) Sonic can't swim (no pools on the ARK?) 2.) Sonic also seems to have something of an "you play tough, but I just know you'll do the right thing" attitude when it comes to recognizing Shadow's trauma in Battle. Kind of like how Maria recognizes that Shadow isn't the most personable guy around, but is still kind beneath his prickly exterior.

3.) Sonic's hay fever suggests a strong immune system. Overcompensation for Maria's weak one? xP

4.) It would be hilarious if it turned out Sonic continued stealing Eggman's thunder in his current incarnation.

5.) This is the most YMMV point and total fanfic lol, but maybe the spirit "chose" a hedgehog body in order to copy Shadow. Which would make the whole "faker" exchange extremely ironic on multiple levels.

6.) Sonic and Shadow threatening to throw down every time they clap eyes on each other becomes extra hilarious too.

---

Some people have said they aren't fully on-board with the idea because they fear it has the potential to erase or downplay Sonic's agency. While I sympathize with that anxiety, I also view the concept as something akin to transformation. Sonic may very well become someone or something different when he dies, like the blue wind in '06. Nothing is ever permanent.

(And to be quite frank, I kind of find the idea of Sonic being the literal second ULF that got ejected to Earth to be more convoluted than transmigration. You can accept hedgehogs being born as test tube babies, but you draw the line at reincarnation?) It's not that Maria literally is Sonic, but rather, her spirit has moved on and has become someone else. She no longer exists except as the embodiment of the things she loved most: the Earth, full of wonders and as "cool and blue" as Sonic, humanity, and freedom. (In that vein, I like the idea that Sonic helps Shadow move on from the grief of the death of his former life.)

Sonic is, however, at the end of the day, entirely his own person, even if his underlying "substance" is technically the same as Maria's. He would never want to look back, and maybe that's why he doesn't pick up on any subconscious cues about the ARK during his time there except to bid Shadow sayonara.

That is the whole gist driving the underlying idea. There's never gonna be some dramatic grand revelation where Shadow discovers the truth and angsts about it. Chances are Sonic would just laugh it off anyway.

---

Though it’s funny to think that she waited 35 years for it after her demise for Sonic to actually be born and then when he is,

Well yeah, the spirit had to make sure Sonic's buddies would be born at roughly around the same time. Adventure's no fun without friends.

You ever watch a revolving door and try to gauge when you should step inside? That's probably what happened. Can't go now. Maybe now? Oh crap, Eggman's gonna take over the world if I don't go now. xP

---

she’s opposing the cousin and he can’t enjoy Earth and its flowers fully like she also couldn’t because ALLERGIES lol. Comedy value too.

Can't have shit in this transmigration Chili's lol.

This is a potential comedy gold mine. The Commander is ranting and raving about how Maria was slaughtered in the ARK raid, meanwhile Shadow glances over to Sonic, who's hopping from foot to foot like "I just wanna throw hands" xP

[chadhunkler]

FISH INFORMATION TIME YEAYEYAYEYAEYAYEYAYEYAYE

Tagged by @sundered-souls , @oneiroy , and @iron-sparrow ! Thank all of u!!! ♥♥♥♥♥

B A S I C S

Name: Holuikhan Haragin

Nicknames: Holly, Holui, Hol, Fish

Age: around 25-30? But they have no clue, no sun to help keep time.

Nameday: 30th Sun of the 6th Umbral Moon (But they don't know that either)

Race: Au Ra-adjacent fish from the deep sea

Gender: Female

Orientation: What is that (Probably pan, and prefers people she gets to know first)

Profession: Traveling spearfisher, trinket trader (unemployed)

P H Y S I C A L A S P E C T S

Hair: Well contained in a fancy bun, with all the ends just short enough. She didn't like it getting in her face during quick maneuvers undersea. On land, it looks a litle rough, accustomed to the water more. Eyes: Blue, with a variable brightness depending on if she wants them to glow bright or not. Bioluminescence yeyaeyayeyae Skin: Abnormally dark, absorbs light when underwater, also has bioluminescent properties to shimmer and glow, confusing prey. On land, the scales/skin have a hard time with how much light there is, she gets burned easily. To combat this, she has a parasol she takes everywhere! Tattoos/scars: No tattoos, maybe a few bite scars from battling fish.

F A M I L Y

Parents: The two most important people in her life - taught her how to hunt and gather, how to live in the depths she was born in. Siblings: She's probably got siblings, but she hasn't seen them in a while. Grandparents: Unknown. In-laws and Other: None. Pets: A large manta ray, a 'pet' of sorts, more akin to a summon. Helps her travel longer distances underwater by attaching to her back, also providing some protection from the sun.

S K I L L S

Abilities: Expert underwater hunter, using a variety of skills to conceal and confuse - kicking up sand, creating little lights to distract as she zips through the seas. Also able to eat most things with fairly low risk. Living in the deep sea's tough. Hobbies: Exploring and collecting trinkets! She enjoys searching sunken ships for harpoons, gold pieces, bits of armor, anything shiny, along with flowers.

T R A I T S

Most Positive Trait: Always happy! Enjoys new things, nothing scares her.

Most Negative Trait: Stupid fishe, too excited about the new world, will routinely get in trouble because of her instinctual curiosity.

L I K E S

Colors: ALL OF THEM!!!! Sure, bioluminescent blues, purples, greens are pretty, but she's more interested in the colors she's never seen before. Smells: Fish and fishblood. She's also taken a liking to a few underwater plants, keeps some close by both to help mask her scent, and just to smell for herself. (I had to look up if fish can smell) Textures: She needs things to be super smooth, or else it'll irritate her skin. ESPECIALLY beds - if the thing she's trying to sleep on isn't super silky, she'll just go sleep in the water, tying her harpoon to herself and sticking it in the sand so she doesn't drift far. Drinks: Originally it was all water water water. Once she surfaced, she quickly realized the power of fruit juice.

O T H E R D E T A I L S

Smokes: Holly's not come across smoking yet. Drinks: She very recently had alcohol in a fruity cocktail, enjoyed it but felt strange afterwards. She got super dizzy, fell over multiple times. Drugs: She's been stung by a pufferfish once… Not good. Mount Issuance: If you consider the manta ray summon an issued mount, sure, but it can only be underwater. Been Arrested: What's that?

Thank you for reading! aaaah now it's time to tag others uhhh @shroudkeeper @rasenkaikyo @varrok @verysmallcyborg and @miqojak ! If you see this and wanna do it, go for it! I may or may not be doing two more of these for Kasha and Chad, lemme know if u wanna get tagged too!

[terrence-silver]

We know that TIG can sing, and so can some of his characters. If pressed to sing, which songs would TIG characters choose?

---

― Twig, growing up as a rich boy with, if we read between the lines, draconic parentage with possibly high standards and rather perfectionistic attitudes in education, the only things a young Terry would sing is some kind of classic tune instructed by an onslaught of private tutors hired by his parents for the explicit purpose of training their son's voice or the Zemirot sang around the table during Shabbat, Jewish kid that he was. That's it for you. The first vestige of actual freedom and individual expression, came, perhaps, ironically, in the military, in the early 1960's, surrounded by soldiers from all classes and walks of life, everyone with their own flavor of music, songs and tunes of the decade and my god, if the high of that didn't hit a young Terry quick and hard to the degree it re-wired his brain chemistry, I don't know what else to tell you. Self-control and liberty gained, Twig, would, given the chance, sing or hum anything just because and he was pretty damn good at it too. Suppose when it was just him, John Kreese and Ponytail in the bunk all by themselves, a young Twig might merrily sing something while they conducted their chores together; moments of calm before the storm.

― Terry Silver in the 80's gives a mocking and taunting edge to everything he does because he's tough, he's powerful and he's at the top of his game and he's fairly shameless and despicable when he wants to be which means, around this era in his life man could do anything from busting into an operetta with expert proficiency, because if he does something it will be done perfectly or sing into a mic like he was born to sing into a mic, but will do neither seriously because there's veiled cynicism and an ulterior motive behind it. He's always laughing behind the eyes and yes, you're the joke. Imagine him singing We are The World during the height of a famine in Africa (Ethiopia 1983-85) he might've contributed to by having a major factor in the continent's pollution through Dynatox and trying very hard to seem very heartfelt and genuinely empathetic as he does it for a non-profit organization meant to help the poor (Look! He's helping!) or in equal measure, being at a black tie event fundraiser and singing some tune for (reads smear on hand) ah, yes, children in need. Either ways, the audience esthetically clapped and Mr. Silver gleefully ate up the praise being the center of attention like the big, smug snake he is.

― Old man Terry, if prompted to sing, simply wouldn't. He's past the point of singing, regardless of the fact he's a fierce, deep voice that's more than educated for it. Sure, there must've been a garden party or two where some rumbunctious guest must've prompted Mr. Silver charm all those gathered with a song or a tune on the piano but Terry might've responded with an equally charmed smile and had the obnoxious guest singing for him instead (as a very concealed punishment and veiled hazing ritual hidden beneath layers and layers of relaxed politeness) --- yes, who's to tell Emile, for example, didn't end up entertaining the whole party because Terry turned the tables around on him? Or god knows what sort of various humiliations he put Stingray through purely because he could and because it's awfully easy to imagine him saying 'Sing, Raymond.' as he pours himself a glass of Cognac, eases himself into the nearest armchair and has the buffoon shakily sing, for quite literally, his life. Nothing's for free, right? But, see, that's the point: Terry's convinced he's the earned the right sit back and be the overlord. Not that he ever doubted it. He's Grandmaster. He's Sensei. He's Sir. He's Mr. Silver. He's the Dragon. The dragon doesn't sing. The dragon rules. If he sings and plays it's because he wants to, mostly for himself.

---

― Terry McCain undoubtedly sings something Irish, to nobody's colossal surprise because everyone who even vaguely knows the man knows for a fact that this is his go-to choice of music each and every time; some folk tune from the old country passed down through many generations, until the person it originated from is long since forgotten in his family and all that remains is a memory of a memory and Terry's rendition of it, that is, for all intents and purposes, spectacularly good and catchy, especially when he follows up his own song with a tune he plays on a piano --- a thing culturally near and dear to him, and it's surprising with what gusto, passion and emotional charge he does it with, the same way, Catholic boy, born and raised that he is, it is not entirely shocking to find him being very apt and capable of delivering a church melody that could bring a parish choir member to absolute shame and in times like these it is abundantly clear that The Detective is awesomely multi-talented, and that if it wasn't for his career in law enforcement, one in music would've suited him just as well, if not better.

― Cash cannot be persuaded to sing because he doesn't care about the pursuit, finds it a waste of his time and quite frankly, he'd be most likely to glare if it's ever suggested to him --- the most he's willing to do is absent mindedly and very quietly hum some real or imaginary tune while he's waiting in ambush, tapping his gloved finger on the steering wheel, car parked a couple of blocks down as he carefully scopes out a target and patiently lays in wait for his cue, sipping on a cup of black instant coffee --- and even that only if his wait proves to be very, very long. His life is one of excess tension and it's quite literally no song (pun intended) nor is there any time for it and when there is, there's little place for yearning left. In fact, the man undoubtedly doesn't remember when was the last time he genuinely had time or the desire to switch on the radio and deliberately sit down and just listen to music for its own sake. But, if this man ever stalked someone? He's never likely to forget the music he's heard them listening to when they thought they're all alone. Undoubtedly, they're the very tunes he later absentmindedly hums.

― Gus Travis likes his sea shanties because his dream was quite simply put to buy a boat one day and sail out there, live off of the great, wide blue, but it's an ambition that never really came into fruition in the fullest sense, bogged down by the career criminal in's and out's of his dalliances on the wrong side of the law. It is what it is. Nevertheless, he enjoys the notion of a life at sea and everything involved in it, including the associated tunes, songs and music, not that he sings with any positive notion behind it, a full heart and joy either, more like, if Gus ever sang, he'd sing it almost mockingly, yo ho ho, while dangling a live victim upside down over a shark tank, mocking both the poor, unfortunate soul he's about to feed to the fishes down below and mocking himself, in a way, perhaps without even realizing it or wanting to admit that that's precisely what he's doing, because this is what his life has come to and everything he's ever wanted has been slipping further and further away from his fingers with each passing year or has, for the lack of a better word, gone to shit.

― Jan Valek is a medieval Bohemian clergyman, so, utilizing some form of logic, if he ever sang, it could be some old lullaby in Czech that lingers on the very edge of memory, sang to him by who knows who and who knows when, perhaps a mother, a kindly family member, someone from where he used to live when he was human and very young at that, long before he took his vows, or he'd sing some religious hymn in Latin in a voice that could freeze over the full moon with it's haunting beauty; a remnant of a bygone time when he was mortal and dedicated to the service of God, all association with music intricately tied to a more vulnerable time when he wasn't accursed and condemned, now, his song resembling a howl in the dead of night, a phantom's call slashing through the darkness, something chilling and gorgeous that is hard to explain, but certainly not entirely human. The type of thing you hear and you no longer belong entirely to yourself, falling under a vampire's spell, rather, you go out there, looking for the source of whatever it is you heard, mesmerized.

― Jack Blaylock, or rather, Timothy Calloway is All-American; irregardless of the fact that he lives in Japan, made his life in Japan, is embedded in the culture (and its Underworld) of Japan, operates out of Japan undercover with the facade of an Expat like any other, and hey, for all we know, he was born there too, which might make his attachment to all things American profoundly fascinating, no less the fact that if he sang, he'd not only sing something American, but something profoundly anachronistic and belonging to a bygone and nearly idealistic era he never even experienced himself, the same way he either never experienced his actual homeland or experienced it so little and so long ago, one can consider him remotely estranged from it (never say this to his face). So, knowing all of this, it is easy to envision Jack softly singing something by The Harptones, Bobby Darin or The Platters as he cleans his sword, produces his blades, checks his firearms with an immaculate attention to details, puts on a crisp, clean button up shirt, preparing for his next hitjob.

[seiryuuchan]

Back in December, re-reading some of Omega Red's older appearances, I started wondering about the name the Soul Skinner calls him here in this panel of X-Men 18:

Vasyliev Arkady. His human name has been given alternatively as Arkady Grigorievich or Arkady Rossovich, but Russian names have three parts, not just two: Given Name, Patronymic, and Family Name. Technically, Grigorievich/Rossovich would not be equivalent to his last name. EDIT: I wasn't able to resolve the mystery of why the Soul Skinner would call Arkady "Vasyliev" Arkady. The closest I could figure out was that it might actually be Arkady's surname (third name), since it can be either a patronymic or a surname. It might also have been meant as an insult, since calling someone only by their surname is how inferiors were traditionally referred to, or how a teacher might address a student, or ironically as in some modern usage.

Which then led me to wondering how his first name would have been chosen?

Russian first names are, or often were, chosen from Greek Orthodox tradition or pre-Christian Slavic names. Arkady is from the Greek "Arcadia" and there was a Russian saint in the Greek Orthodox Church, Arkady or Arkadios of Novotorsk from the 1600s whose saint's days are June 11th, July 11th, and August 14th.

Now I started to get curious about what kind of natal horoscope would Arkady Grigorievich/Rossovich have?

Buckle in with your drinks and snacks, because this is going to be a bit of a ride...!

Given that his first appearance was in 1992 and it's been stated several times he was in cryogenic stasis for 30 years; that Wolverine stated his team's operation to sabotage Omega Red's program was in the early 1960s; and that Arkady would have likely been in his early-to mid 20s at the oldest the time (likely entered military service at 18 if not earlier - this wasn't uncommon back before networked records, and his abilities would have likely been discovered pretty soon thereafter) gave me a rough likely timeframe of 1936-1943ish to consider for his birth year.

Western astrology doesn't give much importance to, or assign characteristics to, the year of birth, but Chinese/Eastern astrology does. Here's the breakout of the animal zodiac signs for each year in that range:

There's a lot of background I'm going to skip over here for the sake of brevity in what's already a long post, but from a thematic point as well as a likely age point, having a heavenly branch element of metal makes a certain amount of sense, not to mention the personality and characteristics usually ascribed to Dragon or Snake.

This was really a tough call, because with all the force of his personality, you might initially think Yang Metal Dragon is the logical choice for birth year. Both Metal Dragon and Metal Snake are ascribed similar traits of unyielding strength and resolve, really a lot similar between both of them for Arkady's observed traits. What really clinched it for me as his most likely birth year (again, following astrology's ascribed characteristics purely for fun) was the nature of Yin Metal Snakes being described as emotionally distant, suspicious, and absolutely undying in either loyalty or hatred for betrayal. THAT sounds like Omega Red to a T!

So 1941, likely in June, July, or August. Let's turn back to the Western zodiac for his sun sign - those mid-month dates give us the likely choices of Gemini, Cancer, or Leo:

Gemini

Flexibility, balance and adaptability describe the Gemini personality. Their responses can be difficult to predict and they may be prone to mood swings, but they can also be generous, affectionate and imaginative.

Cancer

Cancer people are traditionalists, loving a simple home life. They will usually be composed, but that hides a turmoil of moods going on under the surface. They are easily hurt and can be prone to depression, but they are loyal, sympathetic friends and carers.

Leo

Leo people are exuberant and powerful. Born leaders, they won’t hesitate to let you know what they think and that they are right. Which they usually are. They can be brave and intuitive, but may come across as pushy and overbearing. Their bossiness often hides a sensitive soul and an underlying insecurity.

Oh, our boy is HELLA a Leo, then. Hands down, no question!

So in combination with his official biography on Marvel.com giving his birthplace as Novorossiysk, with an assumed birthdate of August 14th, 1941, and after a little adjusting time of birth for rising sign, his natal chart looks like this, courtesy of Astrolabe:

Rising Sign is in 15 Degrees Scorpio

You tend to be quiet, reserved, secretive and, at times, quite difficult to understand. Others notice your deep emotions and feelings and wonder how to draw you out. Stubborn and tough, you fight for any position you believe in. You are very resourceful and formidable when you become angered or upset about something. You enjoy living life at the cutting edge -- for you life must be experienced intensely and totally. Quite courageous, you are willing to take calculated risks. Easily hurt by others, you often strike back with bitter sarcasm. Sensitive and curious, you are concerned with the deeper mysteries of human psychology. Once you have become interested in any subject, you pursue it with total fanaticism.

Sun is in 21 Degrees Leo

More than a bit of a showoff, you love to be the center of attention! But others do not usually mind because they tend to enjoy your genuine warmth and affection. Very spirited and willful, proud and self-important at times, you demand your own way. You are quite honest, however, and the respect of others is very important to you. You never compromise yourself and you pursue your goals with persistence and dedication. Your regal presence and demeanor draws you to positions of leadership and authority. But beware of being overly hardheaded, domineering, ostentatious or patronizing or you will lose the goodwill and admiration that you enjoy. Very theatrical, you live life on a grand scale wherever and whenever possible. Your strength and energy vitalizes those who come in contact with you.

Moon is in 14 Degrees Taurus

Warmth, comfort, security and familiar surroundings are necessary for you to feel at ease. Very loving and affectionate, you prefer a steady, patterned way of life. Patient, calm and steadfast, you are not easily upset. Others look to you for support. You tend to be a slow starter and a slow mover -- others may try to rush you, but they will never succeed. Emotionally, you are quite stubborn -- your attitudes about people and things were firmly set in your youth and will change very little as an adult. You are also very cautious and conservative about spending money. It is not that you are selfish, you just need to feel secure. Beware of a tendency to become overly complacent and too self-satisfied.

Mercury is in 16 Degrees Leo

You are usually quite convinced that your own ideas are correct and you enjoy persuading others that they are. At times, you are very stubborn and proud of your beliefs and principles, and you get very defensive when they are challenged. You appreciate truth and honesty -- you practice it yourself and expect it in others. You have good talent for organizing, directing and planning. You delight in being asked for your advice and counsel.

Venus is in 22 Degrees Virgo

You express your love and affection through selfless service to people or causes. You have a tendency to underestimate yourself and doubt your self-worth. This is very demeaning and should be avoided -- learn to love yourself as well as you do others. Your standards of perfection are very high -- you are attracted to relationships based on duty and responsibility. You are supercritical of yourself and others and, at times, prefer to be alone rather than deal with any imperfections in yourself or in those with whom you might relate.

Mars is in 20 Degrees Aries

You are very independent and self-assertive, and you have lots of physical energy. You are not satisfied unless you can be the first to do something. As such, you are more comfortable in leadership positions than you are as an underling. When you are challenged by anyone for anything, you delight in the competitive process and will fight long and hard for your beliefs. You are bold and courageous and often act without thinking. At times, in your zeal to get ahead, you are tactless and offensive -- learn that cooperation with others can often bring you nearer to your goals quicker because of the support you will get.

Jupiter is in 16 Degrees Gemini

You have a logical, detached, objective view of most things. Your interests are wide-ranging and you are an avid student, with expertise in many different areas. You love to work things out in your mind -- everything you do is reduced to an exercise in logic and reason. You have the ability to grasp abstractions and to deal successfully with the larger issues of life. Your overemphasis on developing your powerful intellect can cause your emotional and intuitive abilities to atrophy unless you consciously choose to exercise them.

Saturn is in 27 Degrees Taurus

Complete freedom of choice makes you ill at ease. You must have a firm, ordered, secure foundation in your life in order to feel comfortable. You do not adapt easily and tend to fear the new and untried. You constantly fear that you do not have enough (love, property, material things, etc.) and this makes you tend toward being selfish, withdrawn and stingy. If you try to surround yourself with supportive people in your environment, you will become more emotionally self-supporting.

Uranus is in 00 Degrees Gemini

You, and your peer group as well, are attracted to new, unusual and revolutionary thoughts, ideas and lifestyles. You prefer abstract, idealistic solutions to practical, immediately useful answers. You delight in communications, the mass media, electronics, computers and all sorts of gadgetry.

Neptune is in 26 Degrees Virgo

You, and your entire generation, idealize work, duty and responsibility. You tend to be very fearful of anything that would force you out of the protective shell of your everyday routines. You place a high premium on personal pride in productivity and craftsmanship. But in your search for perfection in minor details, you sometimes lose track of the overall purpose of life.

Pluto is in 04 Degrees Leo

For your entire generation, this is a time when the relationship of the individual to society as a whole is being thoroughly re-examined. Major attempts will be made to find a balance between the need to be self-sufficient and the need to honor debts of social commitment.

Happy birthday (maybe?) Omega Red/Arkady Rossovich!

N. Node is in 23 Degrees Virgo

You're usually quite at ease in leaving leadership roles in the hands of others. You would rather tend to the thousand and one details that need to be accomplished to keep any group going. Although you're very fussy and high-minded when it comes to choosing your associates, once your loyalty is given you can be trusted with many of the practical aspects of any project that is being undertaken. Usually quite unselfish, you will toil long hours in the service of any worthy cause that demands your attention. But be careful that your perfectionist tendencies don't get in the way of making real progress. (In other words, don't waste your time dusting clean shelves!)

If you made it all the way to the end of this post, thanks for reading! This was a real labor of love for one of my favorite characters in any fandom, I hope you enjoyed the journey.

[mangoshorthand]

Thing of the Past- [Five Hargreeves x F Reader]. Ch1 (Hard Feelings Part 4)

SUMMARY: You can't avoid it any longer: Five has to meet your parents. It goes more wrong than you could possibly imagine, spiralling to bring up secrets he'd rather stay buried.

⚠️TRIGGER WARNINGS⚠️ Chapter One - Chapter Two - Chapter Three - Chapter Four - Chapter Five - Chapter Six - Chapter Seven - Chapter Eight - Chapter Nine - Chapter Ten - Chapter Eleven/Epilogue

You're getting married. You have a baby. No avoiding it.

Reader is unavoidably an OC at this point. When I tag this as #Number Five Imagine, I never said it wasn't going to be tough. 😜

⚠️Please heed content warning⚠️

Chapter One: Bone Structure

You couldn’t put it off forever. You had a fifteen-month-old daughter and you were about to get married. They’d known you were seeing a ‘famous guy’ since the JUICED scandal. Your mother scolded you for only telling her you’d been pregnant once Aoife was born, but had then quickly forgotten it in talking about how nobody appreciated her at work. You've always thought that your mother seems to struggle with object permanence- she behaves like the stereotype of a beleaguered mother when directly confronted with you, but your existence doesn't seem to occur to her otherwise. She always seems to forget that the phone goes two ways.

Aoife’s asleep in the car seat. In the passenger seat beside you, Five reaches over and removes the pacifier drooping from her mouth. He can’t resist running his thumb down her chubby cheek as he does so.

Your knuckles go white on the wheel.

“Are you ok?”

The familiar feeling of foreboding is rising. You’re a block away and the familiar sights assault you. Home, yes, but not like the Academy, or even like your apartment. The old feeling of resignation comes on you again. It’s not dread, it’s more an obligation weighing in the pit of your stomach.

He senses you’re not okay.

“…You don’t talk about them often.”

“And there’s a good reason for that.”

To Five, you don’t sound like yourself. You're…detached; something hidden behind an ironic cynicism that would have looked better on him.

“Pull over,” he murmurs.

You do, a little way down the street. Though the engine stilling has been known to wake her before, Aoife stays mercifully asleep on this occasion.

“Tell me.”

You breathe in.

“Can you…play nice? For me?”

His brow contracts, “I’ll try. But why would I have to?”

“They’re…weird.”

He tilts his head, “You know I can cope with weird.”

You stare directly out of the windshield. There it is, the modest colonial in which you’d spent the first eighteen years of your life. White picket fence and all. The one you’d left and never looked back. He won’t get it unless he sees it- how to even begin to explain?

“It is what it is.” you sigh and give him a rueful smile, “Just…don’t be as honest as usual.”

He gets it; he has to up his bullshit-taking capacity. He places a hand on your knee, “Babies are excellent meat-shields.”

You nod and prepare yourself.

“Let’s get it over with.”

You get out of the car and unstrap Aoife from her car-seat. She stirs and fusses, so you replace the pacifier. She rubs at her eyes with one clumsy arm and then sneezes suddenly: as always, a blue flash accompanies it and she judders in your arms: a quasi-spatial jump she can't control. Though she has Five's power, she can't use it volitionally yet and the effects she does experience are weak and fleeting.

According to Five, he had been similar, only managing to control the ‘sneeze-blinks’ when he was four. 

"Apparently every time I was sick, I used to blink to random places in the house and throw a tantrum,” he’d explained

“That’s still how you act when you’re sick,” you’d laughed.

Now, with Aoife’s diaper bag over one shoulder, Five takes your free hand and you lead him down the sidewalk, through the front yard and to the door.

You ring the bell. The ding-dong inside tolls with gloomy portents.  The door creaks on its hinges just the way you remember.

“Oh BABY!” Your mother pulls you into an abrupt, rib-crushing hug. “Oh it’s SO good to see you!”

She holds you on the doorstep, eyes closed. Five pastes on his customer service smile, hands clasped behind his back and waits patiently. He looks down at Aoife, struggling under her grandmother's arm pinned to her head.

She is probably in her mid-sixties. She’s angular, hair tied tight in a scrunchie and glasses at the end of her nose.

To Five’s eye, she hugs her daughter for a little longer than is necessary or, indeed, comfortable for an onlooker. He notes your poker-stiff body language.

“Hi Mom. Hi…” you try to extricate yourself, “I’ve brought them to meet you.”

Finally, your mother lets you go and her eyes fall on the baby.

“Oh she’s BEAUTIFUL. Oh, just look at her little hands. Oh, she gets those fingers from me.”

She looks up at Five, shoves past you and pulls him into another of the too-hard-too-long hugs. He recoils a little...but he has to play nice…

“And oh, aren’t you a smart young man? It’s SO good to meet you Five.”

Great. ‘Young man’ again.

“Er- thank you, Samantha, likewise.”

“Oh no,” she says, arms holding him shaking with the hand-gestures she would otherwise be making, “Not Samantha. I go by Geri now. It’s my middle name. Suits me better.”

“Okay. Geri.”

You feel your eyebrow raise. This is new. Her voice as she says it is affected. It reminds you of the time she signed up to an Ancestry site and didn't shut up about how she could trace her lineage back to the Stuart era for roughly five years. She releases a highly uncomfortable Five and holds him at arms’ length.

“OH, and so handsome!”

He laughs politely as she ushers them over the threshold, cooing over the baby and asking inane questions about the journey.

“Oh, your father won’t even drive on the interstate anymore. I’ve said to him so many times- if you can’t drive the interstate, you can’t drive, (OH look, she knows her grandma! Look at that little face!) But will he give up his license? No siree. You know what he’s like, never listens to a word I say. I may as well talk to that wall.”

The house is like something out of one of the Commission’s training videos; a time warp to approximately 1978. The furniture is good quality mid-century. In the right setting, he’d definitely approve, but not so much here. Assorted VHS tapes and saccharine china figures of women in period clothing line the dresser. All along one wall are pictures of you as a little girl. Yearly school photos, horribly staged first-communion photos and many others. He notices there’s much fewer pictures post-puberty.

Your dad sits in an easy chair in front of the TV. He’s older than Geri- has to be pushing eighty. He’s thin, reedy and unhealthy looking. He turns his head with difficulty as they walk in.

“Hello sweetheart. Long time no see,” then he turns to Five, “And hello to you. You’ll have to excuse my not getting up to greet you, I’m a little stiff today.”

Five shakes his hand and sits on a couch nearest to him.

“Nice to meet you sir. Old age. Quite the bastard, ain’t she?”

Your dad laughs.

“Bert,” he introduces himself, “Five, right?”

“Mhm.” Five gives a little nod.

“Yeah. Part of that…Umbrella thing?”

“That’s the one.”

"She had the action figures I think."

Five looks over at you, amused. 

"You never told me that!"

"I'd forgotten. Was it Klaus and Allison, Dad?"

"No idea." he mumbles, his attention span already waning. 

"Not me?" asks Five

"Nah. I was never particularly interested in you."

Five grins, "What changed?"

Geri cuts in.

“Oh FIVE, you have to show us your powers. Are you the one with all the tentacles?”

He sighs, “I’m the space and time-travel one. The tentacles were Ben. He's dead.”

Geri’s delighted expression doesn’t falter as Five mentions this loss:

“You have to show us.”

Five demurs but she keeps trying to persuade him. After his second refusal, you feel obligated to intervene on his behalf:

“He’s not a performing seal, Mom.”

“Leave the boy alone, Sam- I mean, Geri.” Bert’s voice is stern but low.

Geri ignores her husband.

“But you can time travel?”

“Only a little.” he smiles politely.

“Not enough to avoid knocking up my daughter, am I right?” 

This is clearly Bert’s idea of a joke so Five graces him with a strained smile.

“Even if I could, I wouldn’t.”

“Oh! Let me hold her!!”

Geri springs for Aoife with speed that makes her jump and cry.

“Slow down Mom- it’s upsetting her.”

“Oh, don’t be silly. She just wants a Gam-gam hug.”

Aoife begins to fuss and wriggle in the grasp of the unfamiliar and loud person.

"Ma Dada ma!" she protests, as Geri bounces her ineffectively on her knee.

Five looks at her with sympathy. Tell me about it, Bambino.

“So- how do we actually pronounce her name?” asks Bert.

“Ee-fa.” 

Five notices the twitch of annoyance on your face.

“It’s spelled funny,” says Bert, eyes still predominantly on an old episode of Cheers, “You young folk like your kids to be different.”

“It’s an old name actually,” says Five, struggling now to keep the annoyance out of his own voice. His smile has become rather fixed. “It’s Gaelic. I was born in Dublin.”

 “Coffee?” asks Geri, dumping her grizzling granddaughter unceremoniously onto her mother’s lap. There’s a noise of general assent, “can you help me, Five? I don’t know how you take your coffee.”

“Just black, thank you.”

He smiles and gives her the sort of nod that usually quells people…but it’s ineffective on Geri. Apparently, nothing can stop her when she gets an idea in her head. A little like her daughter, he supposes.

“Still, there’s a lot for little old me to carry.” She smiles at him expectantly.

Pasting back on his customer-service smile, he claps his hands to his knees and rises; always in anticipation of old-man back pain that never comes. He follows Geri towards the kitchen.

As you try to soothe the fussy baby, Five exchanges a glance with you. You try to convey apology.

“I’ll get her some food,” he says, shouldering the diaper bag.

The kitchen is more of the same. Formica surfaces, patterned linoleum and miles of wood panelling. As Geri fusses with the coffee pot, Five places his hands in his pockets and leans against the kitchen surface as the puree warms in the ancient microwave. He crosses one ankle over the other. He’s in control here.

“So,” she turns around. “You’re an Irish boy? Top o’ the mornin’ to ye'.”

Five supresses a cringe. Play nice…play nice.

“I wouldn’t go that far. Sure, I was born there but I stayed for less than a week before getting adopted. I'm a New Yorker, really.”

“Oh, don’t be silly. I’m Irish, you know. My paternal great-grandmother was born there."

She steps in front of him. She's uncomfortably close, her feet are either side of his protruding ankles.

"You can always tell an Irish lad…it’s in the bone structure.”

 She places two fingers either side of his jaw bone in a way that reminds him forcibly of The Handler. As with her, he maintains his unfazed demeanor; the only way to win this game is not to play. She runs each finger down to meet at his chin, leaving the skin in their wake to tingle unpleasantly.

The microwave beeps and he’s pleased to have an excuse to step out from in between her and the kitchen surface. As he stirs and tests the temperature against his inner wrist, she lowers her voice to a stage whisper.

“I am so sorry about Bert. So rude. I think it would be nice one day for me to come visit the city and spend some time just us four. Bert doesn’t get out much these days and it would be nice to have a little time away from him. Maybe you can show me the city.”

Something about her tone lets him know that 'you' isn't plural in her last sentence. He searches for a response, but she doesn’t really require one.

“We’ve not really seen eye to eye in over fifteen years now, Five. You know how it is? I stay because of the house but we’re not husband and wife anymore. Not really. He's never known how to treat a woman.”

“Okay.” says Five, his veneer of politeness starting to crack as annoyance at this woman begins to build. What is happening here?

She carries on as if he hasn't spoken:

“I spend most of my time in my room. It’s easier than dealing with his sniping. I got plenty of friends,” she lowers her voice even further, “I even have a guy, Jude. That makes it easier. Of course, you can’t tell her this. She’s tied to her father’s apron strings. She just doesn’t want to understand.” she sighs, looking put-upon.

Are you crazy, lady?

He bites back the instinctive response.

“Coffee’s done,” he says, smartly stepping to the pot and grabbing a tray from behind the microwave.

“You understand how things are, right Five?”

“Oh I think I got that pretty much straightened out,” he says, “Milk?”

She places the carton on the tray while he opens various cabinets in search of mugs. Gotta keep busy.

“So, Five, when’s the wedding?”

"A month, today, actually." he surprises himself with this reflection, "Invitations will be sent later this week. We're a little tardy but it's a small wedding."

“Which church?”

He snorts a little, his resolve cracking, “Yeah, not gonna be a church.”

“But why?”

“I’d guess two more-or-less atheists and their bastard child might be out of place.”

Okay…he has to roll back the sarcasm.

She doesn't react, changing tactic unconsciously- he doesn't think she's aware that she's employing tactics. Finally, he finds the mugs and grabs four. He turns back to place them on the tray to find her nearer to him.

"I take it the dress code is black tie?"

"Not strictly. We'll both be dressed formally though."

"It was nice of you to dress up to see us today, Number Five. You cut an impressive figure." 

It's not her words that get to him, it's the conspiratorial smile she gives as she moves even closer to him, the little flick of her eyes as she looks him up and down. Suppressing a shudder, he steps out smartly from her path. He places the mugs haphazardly onto the tray along with Aoife's finished food. Before she can respond, he blinks out of the door.

He catches your eye as he re-emerges from his spatial portal. His eyes widen, communicating disbelief. You pass a brief, unspoken conversation behind Bert’s back.

What the fuck was that?!

Oh God, what has she said?

He places the tray on the coffee table, tests the food's temperature again and sits down next to you. He holds out his arms for Aoife and begins to feed her. He’s deliberately placed himself in between you and the arm of the couch.

"Hai fame, piccolo? Ti piacciono gli ignami?"

As Geri comes into the room, his efforts to avoid her seem in vain. Unable to sit beside him on the couch, she sits on the arm instead, right next to him, effectively thwarting his attempts to block her.

“And he speaks Italian- what a man!” she simpers and he avoids her eye. Then, turning to you, “You’d better believe I didn’t have any help when you were this little.”

Bert grunts.

“No, I had to do everything myself. ‘I don’t know what to do with babies’, that’s what he said-”

“Well, I didn’t.” he mumbles, still watching Cheers.

“-But Five knows it’s all about practice, don’t you?”

He ignores her, spooning a little pureed yam off Aoife's lip. She turns back to you.

“You girls have it so easy these days. There were no modern men when you were born.”

Five doubts this. The 90s weren’t exactly the dark ages.

“Ooh! Show me the ring!”

Your mother leans over Five and Aoife and grabs your left hand. Sensing this, your father turns over to baseball: you’re thankful- this was one of your past rituals when Mom became too full-on. If you put on sport and comment on the game, you can kinda talk together while having an excuse to not talk to her.

She twists your wrist, looking at the ring in different lights.

“Darling, an engagement ring is supposed to have a diamond.” she says, as if you’ve never heard of the concept.

“I don’t like diamonds, Mom."

“But how will people know it's an engagement ring?"

"I know it's an engagement ring. That's all that matters."

She scoffs, "I just wish you'd consulted me before you chose it.”

“The cubs are doing well this season,” no more than a mumble from Bert.

Five breathes out through his nose, “I chose it, actually. Considering it’s an engagement ring, that would make sense, don’t you think?”

“Oh, well it is lovely, but a diamond symbolizes eternal love-”

“Oh really?” says Five, the dangerous sarcasm you recognize creeping into his voice, “Does your engagement ring have a diamond, Geri?”

“Of course!” she shows him. Clearly, she has not understood the sting in his question’s tail.

“Very pretty." he says, testily.

You draw Five's eye and give him a slightly pleading smile. He nods minutely.

"Well, Five chose perfectly. He knew I wouldn't want a diamond."

“Convenient for your bank balance, eh Five?” grunts Bert.

Geri shoots him a filthy look. “Don't be stupid. Money is no object for Reginald Hargreeves’ son.”

You feel like your brain is about to turn inside out from embarrassment, looking down at the phone in your hand, you send Lila a quick message.

YOU: 🚨🚨🚨INITIATE EMERGENCY PARENTAL PROTOCOL. EXTRACTION NEEDED. GO GO GO.

And, thank fuck, she replies immediately.

LILA: 10-4 good buddy.

In under a minute, she calls you. You owe her flowers.  Five looks at your phone ringing and then back at you.

‘Don’t you dare leave me’, his eyes say.

Still on the couch, you answer the phone and turn the volume way down.

“Hello?”

“Hey sweet. Let’s get you outta there.”

“Yes.”

“So has Five murdered anyone yet? Is that what’s happening here?”

You decide the best way to take advantage of this opportunity.

“Oh no!”

“Huh?”

“Wow that sounds serious.”

She begins to chortle and you answer her pretended utterances,

“You need the whole Academy? Now?”

“Yeah, there’s a shitload of scotch flooding a subway station and we need Five’s particular skills.”

“Okay, I’ll tell Number Five immediately. We’ll come as soon as we can!”

“Tell me everything.”

“Of course, goodbye Police Commissioner.”

You hang up to her laughter.

Five looks questioningly at you.

“It’s terrible news. There’s a…quantum suspension…node back in the city. Spatial anomalies everywhere.”

Five cottons on, you see his mouth spasm.

“Heavens, not a quantum suspension node!”

You give him a look: ‘don’t ruin it asshole!’

He stands up, drawing himself up to his full height and squaring his shoulders in a way clearly designed to make you laugh. 

“There’s no time to lose. Geri, Bert, we’re sorry to leave so soon...but the world needs me.”

You supress a laugh with difficulty. Your mother, gullible as always, looks impressed. Though you can’t see your father’s face, you’re fairly sure this won’t have fooled him. You’ll call him later.

“What the fuck was that?”

Five drives down the street, determinedly avoiding the eyes of your waving mother from the bottom of the yard.

“I told you.” you say, palms of your hands pressed against your eyes, "I need a fucking drink."

Once you’re back onto the main highway, he says,

“Seriously: what the hell?”

“What happened in the kitchen?”

He sighs. He can’t not tell you. He is not equipped for this.

“She…your parents’ marriage. I’m getting the impression it’s a little…unsteady?”

“Oh god.” You put your head in your hands.

“This might be hard to hear. She told me not to tell you but fuck that. She told me she’s been having an affair.”

He braces himself for the hurt, for the shock, but instead you just snort darkly.

“Yeah? Sure she has. What's this one called?”

"Jude." he says, confused.

You laugh fully this time, “Probably just some guy she met over online poker and never in person. She was 'with' this guy from Ontario for years and it never went beyond spicy messages.”

“What?”

“It’s a fantasy Five. Everything is with her. She tells herself whatever story she can to get through the dull-ass life she refuses to actually do anything about. I’ve known about this shit for years.”

 He takes a deep breath.

"She also...kind of came onto me a bit."

"Oh no." 

Again, your face doesn't register the shock he'd expected, you just crumple into a deep cringe.

"I'm sorrrry."

"It wasn't so bad. She was just a little creepy. Touched my face and backed me into the kitchen counter a bit. Called me Number Five."

You make a disgruntled little noise that conveys disgust and sympathy in equal measure. 

"Are you ok?"

"Sure I am. I've dealt with worse than her. Are you ok?"

You sigh deeply, "I don't know why I didn't expect it. I'm sorry. I don't know why I let her get you alone. She did the same thing to my boyfriend in high school. She'll go for any man she can corner. First she'll bitch about my Dad and then she'll go all 'oooh I need a big strong man to save me from my meaaan husband.' "

Five keeps his eyes on the road. How did you come from her?

“Up until I was thirteen it felt like she was the best Mom I could have asked for. Affectionate, loving, supportive…but then she just…withdrew. Pretty much as soon as I stopped being a kid she could dress and project her personality onto. She just disappeared one day- moved into the spare room and sat on the computer for the next five years. Dad was a shit parent but at least he stepped up then; actually spoke to me on my own terms, cared a little about what interested me. With Mom it's a single question about me and then right on back to her bullshit.”

You fall into exasperated silence. He doesn’t know what to say. As trauma goes it’s fairly tame, but it still sucks

“Families, eh?”

“I much prefer yours to mine,” you mumble.

He laughs a little to himself. 

“You’re telling me the Von Trapp Family Killers are the normal ones here?"

"Don't kid yourself Five." a smile breaks through your dour expression, "you could never pull off lederhosen."

Tag list: (please comment to be added or removed.) @dilfjohhny , @sunsunhe, @w4stedtr4sh, @nevbrooke-555, @theredvelvetbitch, @td-miley01, @five-hxrgreeves, @rorygi1more, @jamiebower88

Masterpost

Alternatively, join me on A03.  Here is a link to the whole series

Comments would be appreciated here or on ao3 because I'm a needy ho.

[spiritgenie]

INFO ON SAPPHIRE FOR @sonic-oc-showdown

✨- How did you come up with the OC’s name? so was struggling a bit, the original name was Aurora, but then a friend suggested Sapphire to match silver, and I liked both, so I made Aurora her last name

🌼 - How old is she? (Or approximate age range) around the same age as tails

🌺- Does she have any love interest(s)? no, not right now, still debating on if she gets any once she's able to focus on life more than surviving

🍕 - What is her favorite food? hmmm, initially it was just stuff she could find, so she didnt really have much focus on a favorite food, so not right now

💼 - What does she do for a living? SURVIVE

🎹 - Does she have any hobbies? She is very into arts and such, she did a lot more once she was able to relax and not focus on surviving

🎯 -What does she do best? she is a very skilled fighter, and knows how to use knifes VERY well

🥊 -What does she love to do? What does she hate to do? she love to draw and all that.

she hates being emotional...and an an ironic fashion, doesn't really like fighting, she just has to fight.

❤️ - What is one of your OC’s best memories? it used to be before she was alone, but its been tainted by years of thinking her parents abandoned her, now, its when she met silver

✂️ - What is one of your OC’s worst memories? the day she was alone, when her parents left and never came back, when she was forced to defend herself....

...when her powers appeared

🧊 - Is her current design the first one? nope, her first design was very different, before her powers were all cold and such

she looked very different yet the same

🍀 - What originally inspired the OC? matilda by the tournament runner, it was once brought up that since sonic has tails, shadow has Matilda, who does Silver have, I got inspired, and a month or so later, I thought of it again, and thus, sapphire was born.

🌂 - What genre does she belong in? apocalyptic and action, since she lives in the apocalypse, she fights a lot.

💚 - What is your OC’s gender identity and sexuality? hmm, she never really put much thought into it but.....

she identifies as a girl and is a lesbian, asexual

🙌 - How many siblings does your OC have? she doesn't have any....at least, not anymore.

🍎 - What is the OC’s relationship w/her parents like? she doesn't like them, she thinks they abandoned her and have for years....she doesn't handle it well when she finds out they died protecting her.

🧠 - What do you like most about the OC? that while she acts like a tough girl and tries to be intimidating, deep down shes still a scared little kid.

✏️ - How often do you draw/write about the OC? so far...a bunch, she has infected my brain and i have become obsessed.

💎 - Do you ever see yourself killing off the OC? so the narrative seems to really want her to die, but i outright refuse to kill her so she actively goes against the narrative and lives

💀 - Does your OC have any phobias? shes scared of being alone....fire, and being abandoned.

🍩 -Who is your OC’s arch-nemesis or rival? she doesn't have any yet....but she might have one in the future, mayhaps someone she once knew.

🎓 - How long have you had the OC? hmmm, about 9 days now

🍥 - What age were you when you created the OC?

20, aka how old i am rn, she is really new

[kindred-spirit-93]

Sup, it's me Astron

The Gods in general dont really have a good grasp on love. It's tough to say how much of its because of their alien nature and how much is from the fact of their less then good upbringings and massive egos. In the story Hestia was generally seen as a mother figure to the ones who were swallowed and forced Zeus to prove his loyalty to the family (when they were freshly regurgitated) by making him sacrifice his own nurse (Almathea) to them before she accepted him. This is mainly to give Hestia more of an edge and to show her fierce passion for the family unit.

Most gods are basically nature spirits or cosmic entities that don't really care about humans. However, the top twelve gods - lets think of them as divine politicians - are obsessed with controlling humans and have zero qualms about doing whatever serves their interests. Believe it or not, gods don't need humans to believe in them to exist, but they do crave worship and sacrifice. They gain power from specific human activities, not belief, and maintaining loyal followers is key. Even the kindest gods are super protective of their domains and get personally offended when humans take control without permission. The old nature gods and new societal gods, like the Olympians, constantly clash - especially since the Olympians want to dominate nature and claim authority over human concepts they don't understand. Ironically, nature gods don't need humans, but societal gods desperately do.

By god standards, most Olympians are pretty weak, having created nothing themselves; instead, they exploit existing structures and claim credit for others' work. That's why they're so interested in human affairs - it's easier to bully humans than the natural world. But times are changing, and people are starting to question their authority, which isn't sitting well with the Olympians who want to rule humanity without bothering to understand them. The idea of the gods being less focused on nature comes from how the Roman religion was structured, where the gods served the state, instead how humans served nature compared to the earlier Hellenic religion.

The gods aren't bad and evil, they're just assholes. It happens to the best of us especially if you live for thousands of years. They're just severely out of touch.

Believe it or not but Zeus in this story is the god that loves humans the most, he is completely obsessed with humanity so much so he assigned his family roles and modeld their existence based on elements of human life rather than aspects of nature like the Titans. He even prefers his demigod children and mortal lovers over his Devine born wife and children. But he doesn't actually understand them, it's more like a weird hyperfixation - he views them more as his personal property his passion project if you wish. Dionysus might be the one who actually understands humanity, the highs-lows life-death. Persephone only really relates to the humans who have died because only they know "the absolute embarrassment of death"

This is the world Hera is in.

I hope you feel better soon and good luck with those lectures! I enjoy sharing my old ideas with you and I adore reading yours!

AAAHHH ASTRON IM GOING FERAL OVER THESE OMFG THIS IS MY FAVOURITEST ASK TO DATE >:D

the pleasure is all mine my friend :) also tysm!! I wont be home till a few more hours so forgive the lack of fangirling lol. ill edit the post tonight with any potential notes ideas and additions

[cataclysmic-writer]

Tables, Ladders, and Chairs: A Writing Crawl

I'm nostalgic for good old-fashioned writing crawls, but I'd like to introduce a community element to it, and hence, this was born! Each bolded word or phrase has a corresponding purple writing challenge to it. Tackle the challenge by yourself and work your way through the story, or reblog and let others send in challenges!

Tables, Ladders, and Chairs: A Writing Crawl.

As an up-and-coming new professional wrestler, you've got a long journey ahead of you to reach the top of your career. Think you've got what it takes to hoist the championship? Then step into the ring, if you dare....

Indies: Short for 'Independents' these small wrestling promotions are where wrestlers spend years building their craft and gaining fans before they get their big break. This is your first stop. Write 100 words to warm up while you get the hang of this new profession.

Sell a Move: Wrestling is part combat sport, part dance. You and your opponent must work together so the match looks both realistic and entertaining. 'Selling' is how wrestlers make their opponent's offense look devastatingly painful. In the next 300 words, include a character getting injured (big or small). If it doesn't fit, then write 300 more words.

Entrance Music: Who wants to walk to the ring in silence? No thanks! Like clothes, the theme a wrestler chooses says a lot about them. What kind of theme will you choose? Put your playlist on shuffle and sprint until the end of the song.

Ring gear: Clothing and style are an easy way to further a wrestler's persona. Are they tough? Dark and Moody? Do they wear wrestling trunks that look shamelessly similar to a Speedo, or do they look like they just stumbled out of a frat house? As you work with costuming to select your attire, write five sentences describing a character's clothing.

Heel turn: Sometimes, being the good guy doesn't work out, but that's okay! Being the bad guy is more fun anyway. In wrestling, this is called a heel turn, and it often involves betraying a friend, or beating the shit out of one or more people. While you let the weight of your actions sink in, write 5 lines said by, or about, the antagonist.

Tables: Taking a tough move? Don't worry! We'll break your fall with a nice wooden folding table. Oh, sorry, did I say break your fall? I meant break your bones...common mix-up. While you nurse your wounds, table your current scene and write five lines in a different one.

Ladders: Ready to climb to new heights? Good, because if you want to win this match, you'll need to scale a 20-foot ladder before anyone else. Did someone else get to the ladder first? Just push 'em off! The concrete floor absorbs way more impact than you'd think...As you climb the ladder, do a pyramid sprint (sprint to 100 words & rest, then 200 & rest, then 300 & rest, before returning to 200 and 100).

Chairs: Don't get your hopes up, this isn't to catch a breather. In fact, a folding chair is a wrestler's best friend! A good whack (or 10) with one will take your pesky opponent out of commission for weeks. As you debate how many swings to take, roll a D10 and write that many hundred words.

Extreme Rules: Seems like you've made a few enemies on your path to the top. It's time to squash your rivals once and for all in an extreme rules match. Anything goes, and the only limits are the bounds of your imagination (and your morals). While you consider bringing a gun to a fistfight, welcome the chaos and try to beat the 50-headed hydra*

** The 50-headed Hydra is a challenge to write 500 words in five minutes or less. "Spelling" and "grammar" are optional.

Tag Team: Not every wrestler does a match solo. In fact, wrestlers commonly join forces with one another to form tag teams and fight in a 2-v-2 match. As you search for a tag partner, participate in a ten-minute word war against at least one other person. If you lose, repeat until you win.

Iron-Man Match: This wrestling match is a race against the clock. You and your opponent must wrestle for an hour straight. Whoever gets the most pins/submissions in that time is the winner. Write for an hour. You can halve the time if you work in the words 'iron man.'

Main Event: After all the sacrifices, you're finally one of the top stars in the company, which means your matches are last. It's your job to give the crowd a night they won't forget. As you close the show, look up what time sunset was. Add ten minutes and sprint for that long.

Wrestlemania: This is it, the big night. The Super Bowl for people who think defenders should just choke out the QB. The arena is packed. There's so many pyrotechnics that 4th of July is jealous. Soak it in; this is all for you. At the biggest match of your career, roll a D100 and sprint for that many minutes.

Championship: This is it! After all this time, you're finally booked in a match to win gold. Time to show the crowd what kind of champion you'll be. As you wrestle like your life depends on it, sprint to the end of the current scene or chapter.

Congratulations, wrestler! You've made it big! Tag me in any snippets or asks, or to nurse your wounds. Maybe next time, we'll meet in the ring....

[bl4z33467]

And here's the question list for Novos

Are they a human, ghoul, synth, or something else?

Human

Are they a canon main character? (Lone Wander, Courier Six, etc.)

Not a main character but AU vulpes

What is their SPECIAL?

S 5 P 7 E 8 C 2 I 2 A 10 L 6

What perks or tagged skills do they have?

??

What is their highest skill? Lowest?

??

Were they born pre-war or post-war?

Post war

Do they wish they lived before the war / could go back to life before the war?

Post war would be really nice... its peaceful, and if i need to kill theres always the army

Did they live in a vault? If not, have they been inside of one?

They were grown in a vault using cloning technology

Where did they grow up? Where do they currently reside?

He grew up in the fort and still lives there

What languages) do they speak?

English, barely any latin

What type of education have they received?

Lots of fighting training but barely any actual education

Can they read, write, and/or do math?

Barely any of those

What is the most frightening experience they have endured?

Probably a really tough opponent, im not quite sure

What is their fondest memory?

Meeting Alan

What is their proudest moment /accomplishment?

Successfully winning Hoover damn

What is their biggest regret

Not getting educated (not entirely his fault)

Do they have a job? How do they make a living?

Furmentarii, working for the legion

Do they have any disabilities, mutations, or implants / enhancements? Do they have any chronic illnesses?

Really stupid, but otherwise in very good shape

Who (or what) are they emotionally closest to?

Alan, his "secret" NCR medic BF

Who do they consider to be their family?

Vulpes Altilis, his older brother and clone

Do they travel alone or with a companion?

Usually alone

Do they have any pets?

No

How do they feel about physical touch / affection?

Neutral. He doesn't really care or feel affection through touch but doesn't not like it. Gets annoyed after a bit

Do they have a romantic partner or partners?

Alan his bf

Are they quick to trust others?

No, he was taught not to trust people. But he can make exceptions

How would others describe them / their disposition?

Tries his best to be scary and serious but fails from lack of intelligence

What faction(s) are they a member of / allied with?

Legion

What faction(s) do they despise?

Ncr but... alan... his pookie he could never hate

What is their moral alignment / karma?

Evil

What decisions have they made or actions have they done that affect their canon wasteland? (Did they blow up Megaton, have they killed/spared any major characters, etc.)

Carried out the Nipton Lottery

What is their goal in life? What impact would they like to leave when they're gone?

Serve the legion to its fullest and rule the wastelands

What is their go-to weapon or weapon class?

Swords sword swords swords

And a repeater

What is their fight-or-flight response?

Fight

What armor / clothing do they typically wear?

Classic furmentarii fit. Coyote hood, skirt with tassels, red shirt, football pads, armoured boots, Also a coyote tail because hes a furry

Do they have power armor training? (° j°)

No

Have they ever saved someone's life? Have they ever killed someone?

He spared Alan, killed many many others

What is the worst injury they have

Fractured his left arm from a blow from a bat

What is their favorite radio station?

Black mountain Radio

What is their favorite song?

Big Iron

What is their favorite type of weather?

Clear and crisp

What is their favorite time of the day?

Morning

What is their favorite wasteland creature?

Coyote

What is their favorite meal and drink?

Gecko on a stick and some fresh water

What is their favorite smell?

Blood in the morning The smell of the arena before a fight, a mix of sweaty men and dirt

Do they have any specific hobbies or talents?

Do they play any sports? How about board games or card games?

He loves sword fighting and loves a good game of go fish... if anyone would want to play...

Do they enjoy reading?

No, he cant read

Do they collect anything?

He takes jewelry and accessories off of people he's killed in battle

What items do they always have on their person?

Your lucky if he's even brought a snack for a trip. He usually travels empty pockets

Do they travel by foot or by other means?

By foot (he dreams of having a steed of sorts

Do they own a Pip-boy? If so, how did they get it?

Nope

Can they swim?

Yes, fairly well

What do they think of the ocean?

A what?

Do they prefer showers or baths?

Rarely washes, but baths. Usually bathing in the river

Are they past, present, or future oriented?

Present

How do they feel about robots? (Eyebots, Mister Handys, Sentry Bots, etc.)

He doesn't really trust them... what are they hiding. He hates secuitrons

What is a sensation / texture they cannot stand?

Jagged rocks, weather its a cliff, the ground, or the river bed, they seem to find him and bother him

Do they believe in luck? Do they have a good luck charm?

Never thought too much about it

Do they idolize anything / anyone?

His brother and clone, Altilis! Hes so smart...

Are they religious? Spiritual?

Not at all, never pays it to much thought.

What are their thoughts on chems and alcohol?

Only profligates use that stuff!! He wont touch it

Do they have any weaknesses or struggle with any vices?

He's easily distracted and stupid

Do they need / wear glasses?

No

How / where do they generally sleep?

He sleeps in his private tent in a hammock

Describe their living space. (How do they decorate it? Does it have running water and/or electricity? Etc.)

Devoid of nearly anything other than his hammock, a foot locker of loot he's taken from people, and a lot of swords. Dirt floor tent

Describe their eyes.

Light blue

[prideraiised]

RUBY HEADCANON: THE CHAMPION THAT NEVER WAS

Alright as promised. Ruby lore headcanon time. If he's going to exist I gotta have this written down (sorry to Victor who is one of my main trio and doesn't have lore written down) So to TL;DR it for the general audience. Ruby's vibe is 'Protagonist that is desperately trying to not be the protagonist anymore'. He did the standard ORAS protag route up until team Aqua/Magma were dealt with and finally broke down the under the stress and revelation that he doesn't even like battling and hard u-turned at the final leg of his journey into contests.

I don't know if I have the spoons to make a big long artsy post like I always do soooooo I dunno we're just gonna word vomit for a bit here. First off like I said, Ruby is Normans son! He's the protag. He follows the main story up until the defeat of team magma/aqua.

Ruby was somebody born with all the talent in the world, more than any other Pokemon muse on this blog. It frankly isn't even close. He takes after his father in everyway and even managed to pick some things up from 'Uncle Steven' through osmosis. By all metrics he should have been a champion. He intended to be as well, he was the son of a gym leader, after all. He'd inherited everything he needed and more, it was only natural he'd take on the role.

It wasn't until he first set off and really started to battle for himself that he became familiar with his discomfort with violence and seeing his Pokemon getting hurt. He didn't like it, actually, somewhere deep down he hated it. What was he supposed to do though? He was the son of a gym leader, he had an obligation to make use of all his talent and follow in his fathers footsteps.

But the battles only got more intense, and the danger only escalated. Even for a regular trainer it would be tough but he wasn't a regular trainer. He was the guy that people were keeping an eye on. The Champion held him in high regard as a challenger, not only that but he was embroiled with Team Magma and Aqua, and eventually he was the one who faced off against the Primal legends.

After that he realised that he just couldn't do it anymore. He was more talented than anybody who had come before him and anybody that would likely come after him as a trainer, but it didn't matter. He just wasn't cut out for it. All the talent in the world couldn't stop him from hating battle. An ironic gift for something he loathed.

So , after Groundon and Kyogre, he called up Lisia to take her up on her earlier offer to sponsor him in his Contest debut. In that too, he had talent. He was met with scorn, in a lot of circles. 'Whats the gym leaders kid doing coordinating?' 'is he trying to mock us or something...?'

'Isn't he supposed to be the next champion'

He never forgot that comparison. In the end though, those open critiques fell to the wayside, merely a quiet whisper. He found his stride in contests. Nobody needed to get hurt, nobody needed to fight. He enjoyed the spotlight, enjoyed showing off the team he loved so much. And so , within that spotlight is where he made his home.

A champion that never was.

[vespersposts]

KNB: a scented story /part 2

I am really glad you liked this idea and thank you very much for the feedbacks and suggestions.

Today let's talk about some other nice guys, thank you so much for asking me for their profiles, they are wonderful characters and I am happy to be able to discuss them with you.

@fellow-deviant, @lamnwar, @0214letters, @officialparentofadrien

For GOM, Momoi, Teppei and Kagami I refer you to part 1

🧡 Takao

He is the friend who always saves you, the one to whom you don't have to say anything and who understands you on the fly, the one who takes care of you without ever taking himself too seriously or even taking credit. Ironic, intelligent, charismatic and deeply good and protective, he is the playful version of Shin-chan, his perfect sidekick (and vice versa). When I think of him I think of a summer toast, mojitos, bare feet in the sand, the comfort of a hug around a campfire. My choice for him is a citrusy but non-trivial cologne, with the accent of mint and the warmth of liquor, let the party begin!

Guerlain Homme- Guerlain -> Mojito, citrus, ventiver

💜 Himuro

One of the most sensitive characters in the whole series, but also one of the most melancholic, in my opinion. He experiences the same discomfort as Taiga in the opposite way, in silence and almost caring for Musakibara, because he is a giver.

But then he tries to hide everything under a tough exterior, just like his little American brother. The image I associate with him is that of the praline, which has a chocolate shell on the outside protecting a smooth heart (it's a bit funny Himuro praline, I know). I think he would love a perfume a little smoky or with leather notes but with a warm heart, an alpha male fragrance, because like Taiga, he has to disguise himself and be brave.

A*Men Pure Havane -Thierry Mugler -> tobacco, honey, cocoa, amber

💙 Kasamatsu

Yukio is sexy. He can't help it, he can act tough all he wants, but in my opinion there isn't a girl at Kaijo who hasn't given it a thought. Reflective, deep, committed but always in for a good laugh, a born leader but also someone who doesn't want to make others worry, and in my opinion he suffers a lot on his own, as I said here. He plays the guitar so I know he's incredibly romantic as well, wothout losing his rocker guy appeal. He reminds me of the beauty in the everyday things, a ray of sun hitting the room and creating a magic setting, a unexpected kiss, a tight hug. I think he'd love something clean, direct but wholesome like this one where the fresh bergamot meets the sparkling pepper and the soothing woods.

Hero- Burberry -> bergamot, pepper, juniper, cedar wood

🤍 Mayuzumi

Enigmatic, shy, seemingly disinterested in what is said about him or to him but actually very careful that no one underestimates him or treats him without respect. He has little presence, but in a different way from Tetsu, a little more passive if I may say so. I associate him with the sea in winter, partly because of its colors, partly because like the sea he seems still but in reality he is always moving. I chose a scent I know well because I use, which smells like saltiness on a cold day.

Sel de Ventiver- The Different Company -> Cardamom, ylang-ylang, iris, salt, bourbon ventiver

Hope you'll love this as well!

Lots of love,

V.

[dojae-huh]

It’s speculation, but Doyoung really doesn’t possess youngest sibling qualities. As someone who’s the eldest of two I naturally gravitate to last born friends so I’m used to their behaviors more.

Like Taeyong is clearly the baby in his family and Johnny and Jaehyun are only children and all of this is obvious from an outsiders perspective. Even Haechan gives off eldest sibling energy, but Doyoung to me seems too driven, stubborn and critical of himself which are trates I hardly ever see in youngest siblings. More especially since he always seems to take on the role of a care taker or leader. If I didn’t know anything about him I’d think he has really young siblings at home. Well maybe it’s just a Korean thing I guess.

Anyways it’s all just thoughts, I wanted to know what you think?

Doyoung does possess younger sibling characteristics. For example, his competitiveness, his urge to be better than his brother. (He talks a lot about how his brother was super popular in the school, "he can't sing, I'm the singer in the family"). The way he is bratty. Maybe even the way he cajoles instead of demanding "by right". Do is not used to having a higher status, be listened to without resistance. He fails to use "I'm older" card with everyone but Jungwoo maybe.

The order of being born has influence, however, it is a statistical thing, one own's character plays a bigger role. Be wary of judging others following your own situation/example. Gongmyung was a soft and timid teen, Kim father sent him to a model school to teach him socialising. I think if GM were more strict, agressive, the brothers would have had a more classical older-younger brother relationship. Doyoung is a very hierarchy oriented person. He is ready to follow, but he is always looking for a way to climb the ladder and break the rules he doesn't approve of. If a person is weaker, less dominant than him, he instinctively takes control. The situation with Baekhyun still cracks me up (Baek is more dominant and a sunbae on top of that). GM, Yuta talk about feeling like Do is older than them.

If anything, the firstborn son carrying the family name and the role of taking care of the parents should have a bigger influence in a Korean family. As all children are pressured to get a nice paying job, succeed. The scores of students are openly compared in the school.

Up untill the last year of middle school Doyoung was a class rep. He took care of others and organised events. Remember the story about the chore competition in high school. Even without younger siblings he had experience of working with others before coming to SM. He invited his friends home, cooked for them.

Do also obvioulsy copied his mother a lot. Who is evidently the boss in the house. He once talked about his mother preparing for a marathon and running everyday for 2 hours for 2 months or so. He was very impressed, it taught him that effort is needed to achieve anything. His father takes a break in the middle of the dinner to go and pump iron, lol, he keeps to a strict exercise regime. And his mother seems to be a very Korean mom: finding a way to earn money with small business (vegies delivery in her van), making kimchi, taking her youngest for trips to helo him get over the ostricizing in school. History sidenote, the wife of the older son had the worst fate in old Korea. She entered the family of her husband and took care of him, his parents, his siblings, the wives of his brothers, basically was a slave to everyone. And there was the tradition of children eating after the parents, with the youngest kid standing last in line. Koreans had it tough, their mentality and workaholism are understandable.