#and a version of themselves they can't quite reach

[banana-together]

just thinking about house. just thinking about house and wilson's offices and how their decor choices reflect how they display themselves.

just thinking about how house keeps all sorts of random crap lying around his office: his guitar, his lacrosse balls, random antique-looking pieces, little trinkets. stuff to play with. he's always fidgeting or trying to master new skills like the juggling and playing lacrosse with his cane on the wall. he does it loud and obviously like with the guitar and his music on the radio. he wants his items to be seen as personal, as the things that make him up. he displays them so loudly so everyone knows that through being the best at what he does, he's earned the right to be himself as loudly as he wants. to do whatever he wants. it means he makes the right choice by sacrificing relationships, human connection, niceties, because now no one stops him from being 'free'. it's a performance to convince himself that it's all worth it.

just thinking about how wilson keeps a pretty neat office, but the 'personal' items he keeps around as decor are mostly gifts from patients. he struggles to put things around that represent himself, so he represents his relationships with his patients instead. he shows off how caring and connected he is, but doesn't show much about himself at all. he displays them to prove to himself that as long as he has all these relationships, he doesn't need a 'self'. it's a performance to convince himself it's all worth it.

tl:dr- house displays his 'self' to prove he doesn't need relationships, and wilson displays his relationships to prove he doesn't need a 'self'.

[save-the-villainous-cat]

"You're quitting?" the villain asked and the hero nearly jumped out of their own skin. They had had quite the day and the last person they had expected to see in their own living room was the villain.

"Jeez- yes-" They felt their pulse in their throat and when they set down their plate, their fingers shook. Right. They hadn't told the villain.

It was stupid that they felt - to some degree at least - obligated to tell their nemesis that they weren't interested in wearing the cape anymore. In all honesty, that feeling of obligation only existed because the hero wanted some comfort.

"You're quitting?" the villain asked again and the hero only frowned softly.

"Yeah."

"Bullshit."

"No, I am done. I am done with this." In return, the villain let out a huff and crossed their arms in front of their chest.

"You can't just quit," the villain said, as if they had any say in this. It was refreshing, though. Most people had encouraged them. Hell, their parents had begged for years, colleagues called them incredibly lucky and friends only sighed in gratitude.

But the villain didn't seem to accept this.

"I did. I did quit," the hero said. "I signed the papers and everything. They wanted to throw a party but I declined."

They stared at their wine glass. It was difficult not to feel like a total loser. Because, in the end, this was much more "giving up" than it was "quitting."

"Why?"

The hero took in a deep breath and a sip from the glass. The wine was a gift from their boss, but it tasted much too sour.

"Why are you here? Was it that necessary to break into my apartment?"

"Why are you leaving? We were just starting to..." The hero stared at the villain. Starting to...? The villain rolled their eyes. "The people love you."

They came closer, every step taken urgently. The hero was flattered but also slightly overwhelmed. They could feel their cheeks heat up when the villain was right in front of them, their hand nearly reaching for the hero's arm.

Only now, the hero realized that they had never been in their home together and moreover, the hero had never looked this revealing, even though they were fully clothed.

Their gaze was glued to the floor.

"This stupid city needs you. Most heroes are total assholes with no consideration of anyone's feelings, including citizens. Do you want that to be your legacy? The perfect hero who gave up?"

"I'm just sick of all the blood. And the violence. About not actually making a difference. Once I defeat a bad guy, two more appear like hydra heads. I'm just...I'm not good enough. I can't deal with it anymore," the hero admitted. They stared at their toast on the plate and wondered what their next move would be. For most of their life, they had trained to be a hero. They had given everything. "It just hurts. A lot."

Getting a job, probably. That seemed to be a good move.

And then, the villain laughed. It wasn't a chuckle, it wasn't a snicker. It was a loud and honest laugh. As if the hero had just made the most ridiculous joke.

"You're funny."

"You know what? I don't have to tell you anything."

"You are the best thing that has ever happened to this city," the villain said. Now, they seemed quite aggravated, quite serious. "And you're quitting?"

"Like I said, I...I am just not good enough."

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard you say."

"I am not saving enough people, okay?! People keep dying and I can't...I can't..." The hero bit their bottom lip but it was still trembling. "I can't save everyone."

The villain was quiet and the hero could see how hard they were clenching their fists. When was the last time they had ever seen them this angry?

"You know what? Screw you." The villain frowned, almost as if their own words pained them. "No one can save everyone. But a hero, a true hero, inspires others to be the very best version of themselves. They rise to the occasion and others follow them, not out of obligation but because they...because you...because you touch the very soul of others. You're the light in the darkest cave, you are the water in the driest desert, you are the hope the people crave."

The hero hadn't noticed how their jaw had dropped. They didn't know what to say, all they could whisper was the villain's name.

"Ugh. And now I am making a fool out of myself again because of you." The villain crossed their arms in front of their chest but the hero still saw the soft blush on their face.

"No, you...listen, I..." Why was it so difficult to say anything?

"I'm leaving. And you-" the villain pointed at them with an angry index finger "-better show up tomorrow."

With that, they climbed out of the window and the hero stared at their toast for the next 20 minutes in silence.

[tottentz]

DROWNED AND DREAMT ── aventurine ◟1.3k w.c ◟sfw, hurt + comfort.

the first time you hug aventurine is months after his disappearance. 

you are there when he wakes up, crouched in front of him. it's 3 AM, and you're still disheveled—hair tousled, clothes askew—but he finds you beautiful. you are bright, brighter than the cosmic spark that ignited existence, a single bang setting in motion the events leading to your first meeting.

he should have slipped away before you stirred, fled like always. his bag is in here somewhere. you are the last thing tying you to this version of his life. but he is also tired, and weak, so now he is here with you looking at him.

there's a furrow between you eyebrows. he could reach out and poke it. he knows you would have left him, he stay still

"aventurine," you say, kind of rough, kind of... something. disbelieving, maybe. you don't speak. not for a long, stretching moment, so he musters up the strength to clear his throat.

"hello, friend," he says, and it comes out like a terrible croak. it hurts, the way the words rip through his throat. your face does this complicated thing, and then you lean into his space and hugs him. you hug him so hard it actually hurts.

he tries to come up with an explanation other than this, because he is not the kind of person you would hug, but there's nothing else it could be. he doesn't need to restrain you or hide you from something. there's nothing to protect him from. which means this can only be that. a hug.

your warmth envelops him, one arm around his shoulders, the other cradling his head. he presses his mouth to your shoulder, eyes closed, inhaling the scent of olive oil soap and jasmine. it hurts, a sensation long forgotten.

"missed you" you whisper, and there it is. his raw, sore throat tightens. his eyes doesn't quite well up with tears, but there's wetness, there's something. he wonders if he is supposed to hug you back.

"if i didn't know any better, i'd almost think you cared about me, friend," he wheezes. it hurts. your hair tickles his cheek. you smell like olive oil soap and jasmine, and his ribs feel cracked and broken under your touch.

you are gentle, inexplicably so. he breathes again, unsure how to respond when you pull back, still frowning. "are you alright?" you ask, and this isn't— he can't— he doesn't get it.

he looks at you. weariness and tension and adrenaline pouring themselves together to form one temper to be in, and his mood instantly soured in empathy when he felt the telltale hues of sadness rearing your gaze.

"i'm okay," he tells you, and you open your mouth, frowning, so he raises his hands in surrender. "as okay as someone who just escaped "death" can be, i swear—"

you don't say anything, you don't question it. what is he meant to do with that? someone else's trust—care? delusion? is that dangerous? it feels like care, in your concern, in the tight, hurting embrace, lingering on his skin. what does that say about him?

"okay," you say after a moment. you squeez his hand. vile impressions of himself brought swells of water to flood the cursed well of his glassy optics, something bubbling to the surface that you have to be very delicate with. you sit next to him on the edge of the bed. close enough that if you reached out you could touch your fingers to the center of his chest, feel the warmth of the skin there. he wants to. he won't. "should i ask what you plan to do from now on?."

nothing, he thinks. running away, maybe, away from here. away from you.

"you're so sure I won't just leave again." is not a question, it is a statement, a possibility.

your wrist shook in resistance, and aventurine began to fear his resolve would expel you. unspoken words sat impatiently on your tongue, but you kept the syllables suppressed with a heavy sigh breathed through your nose.

 "no," you say. "but will you consider—"

you stop. he feels like everything suddenly stops. he is doused in cold, cold water and burning at the same time as his stomach suddenly twisted in knots.

"me?," you whisper, the width of your squared shoulders caved and folded your figure into a timid recoil "will you consider me?."

he wants to hear your heartbeat, discern truth. he'd reach into your chest if he could. you're not a liar, not like him

he is not used to wanting. that's a lie too; he used to wanting, to needing with every bit of himself. what he isn't used to is being allowed to want. being encouraged to want. being wanted to want.

you could reach out and touch him. you're almost certain he would let you. the odds are in your favor. it's hardly even a gamble.

he tips, slowly, until his head lands on your shoulder. you don't stop him. you wouldn't. he warms up to you in steps, stages, like he has throughout the time you've known him. his heart sits like a small bird in his throat. he hesitates for a long moment before he wraps his arm around you. something settles with a certain kind of fragility. you are not soft with him. he is not soft with you. but you are trying, and the least hee can do is try too.

he closes his eyes. you smell like olive oil soap and jasmine. it's a clean smell. a safe one. you are warm. sturdy and stable in a way he hasn't been all his life. you squeez him to you with a gentleness he didn't realize you were capable of. that he didn't realize he was capable of receiving. he wonders, for a long moment, if he can really have this.

"don't lie to me, friend." you tell him.

you take a breath. there is a moment between that and when you lift your hand from his upper arm to rest it on his head. you comb your fingers through his hair like you are just as unsure about this as he is. it's been a long time since anyone touched him like this. your fingers trace the shell of his ear, and something in jim trembles. he has ached for this. he didn't realize until now.

"i would not lie about this," you say. he wonders if he can count it as a promise. he wants to. he wants you to mean it when you says kind things to him. he wants you to mean it when you treat him gently. he wants to deserve it, but he doesn't. and yet, you allow him to be greedy.

"okay," he tells you. your fingers run through his hair. he can't afford to make promises like you can, but he can do this. he can offer you this much. "i'll consider."

he is tired. he is weak. the world thinks he is dead. it can wait a little longer. he can stay here a little longer. and if it hurts him? well, he'll take whatever comes.

. ࣪✦ ៸៸ tottentz ▐ © 2024 ､ ? 𓄹 ܵ ۪

[finniestoncrane]

Could you perchance write for Zero Year Eddie + learning to love soft touches/cuddles? I know in other version written by Snyder, he doesn’t like to be touched (Batman 23.2, namely) probs bc of trauma from being touched mostly unkindly all his life. Also love your work!! Thank you 💗💗

Capullo!Riddler x GN!Reader, word count: 600 ok i know i write him like the piece of shit he is but i'm sorry i also think he deserves soft love and kindness so i absolutely love the idea of him learning to enjoy soft touches and snuggles and kisses URGH💚 request info • prompt list • send me a request • kofi • masterlist minors DNI!! 🔞 cw: mostly fluff with a little bit of sex referenced, do you cringe at babycakes as a petname? i do. but i kept it in here, because that's just the kind of bean he is unfortunately

Edward dropped himself heavily onto the mattress with a thud, a deep sigh pouring out over his lips as he caught his breath. The aftermath of his feral lovemaking had caught up to him, and you could tell he was trying to regulate himself as his pale chest rose and fell, the tiny tuft of red hair in the centre drifting upwards and then back down as you watched in delight. And without thinking about it, you reached out and placed your palm against it, only to have Edward's fingers quickly curling around your wrist and lifting you away.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm... resting my hand on you."

"Well, don't. It's suspicious."

You didn't have to ask the question, the raised eyebrow and confused grimace were enough to encourage him to continue.

"I don't like to be touched. You know that. You're in my personal space."

"You were just very much in my personal space."

"That's different?"

"Different how?"

He stopped for a minute, the gears in his head grinding to a halt as he failed to find a suitable answer to your actually quite easy question. But then, as per usual, he found his words.

"Because I'm in control then. I'm on top... You can't sneak attack me or hurt me when I'm weighing you down and have your wrists pinned above your head."

It was a fair point, annoyingly. But that didn't mean it was valid.

"Edward, why are you so sure I'll hurt you?"

"Because everyone does, babycakes. Everyone wants to. That's how powerful I am."

Every fibre of your being urged you to make a sarcastic comment, to roll your eyes at his ego which was able to stick it's chest out even in the face of overwhelming negative response to his very person. But that would only make the next step harder. How could you convince him to be vulnerable if you were going to mock him relentlessly at every turn?

"You know, it's a skill. Learning to open up. Learning to be loved."

"You learn it?"

Hook. Line. Sinker. If he thought he was missing out on something of educational value, on knowledge, then you knew it would be too difficult to resists.

"Of course! It's a learned skill to suppress the notion to fight out against it and to take it with kindness. Trusting someone is difficult, but if anyone can master it then-"

"I can."

He lifted your hand and placed it back on top of his chest, taking in a deep breath and trying to calm his oh so obvious nerves. You could feel his heartbeat against your palm, but you decided to push on. Like pushing a kid into a pool and letting them struggle, the fear might help him develop his skillset a little bit faster.

His entire body flinched when you leaned forward and kissed his bare arm. The miniscule muscle, built up from carrying his ridiculously heavy cane, tensed immediately, but relaxed as your fingers soothed over his chest, tracing wide, slow circles around the patch of fiery red hair that had drawn you in originally.

it was clear that he was trying to keep his breathing quiet, but you could feel his body moving, working hard to keep himself calm. With a slight tremble in his voice he spoke up.

"How am I doing?"

With a deep breath of your own, you curled in closer to him, your free arm wrapping around his back, fingers lacing themselves into the shaggy hair at the nape of his neck. His chest rumbled, almost as though he were purring with affection.

"You're doing great, Eddie. Someone as amazing as you? You'll have this mastered in no time."

[jweekgoji]

Hello! So I read your sentinel/starscream x reader fic and was absolutely devastated to check the tag and see it was one of like…maybe 3 other TFO!starscream fics on here? So I wanna request NSFW of my boy TFO!Starscream. The lack of content is killing me 🤕 Thank you! (Specifically a high guard!reader x starscream if you do end up see this)

Starscream/High Guard!Reader [TFO]

tw: NSFW (minors don't read, don't interact), praise kink, commander/subordinate relationship. word count: ~740 a/n: I think this version of Starscream will be more popular if only the writers decided to keep that scene where Starscream helps the main trio to rescue D-16 and the others. :(

It was no secret that the well-known leader of the High Guard was quite popular among the citizens of Iacon. Compliments came from all over the place, from the citizens to the Primes themselves.

“You've been so great today, I don't know who else would lead a mission against Sentinel so well like you do.”

“Mhhm.”

“There is no one else, a better commander than you.”

“...Continue.”

“I think you're far smarter and stronger leader than this false Prime wannabe, Lord Starscream.”

Starscream's servo clamps his mouth shut as your words reach his audio receptors. You notice his optics dimming a little, a slight shiver running along his spine. Did the mention of the title capture his attention that much? Or perhaps it was your confession that he was better than that greedy liar leading Iacon now? Either way, it doesn't matter at this moment.

“You're unbelievable...” Starscream says through gritted teeth, holding back from letting out more shameless sounds. Someone might hear.

Fragging you on the throne while your comrades are unaware, seemed a tiny bit risky, don't you think? He knows that, of course. If Skywarp or Slipstream spot the two of you like that, they will never miss the chance to tease him about it for cycles.

You meet his thrusts with your hips, feeling his spike pushing even deeper inside you. A slight smirk sparkles on your face in response to an earned muffled groan from your commander.

Who would have thought so? Starscream, of all the mechs you've ever met, melts in your optics with praise. At first, you hardly even noticed it. A brief ‘you're so strong, Commander!’ or ‘wonderful job, sir’ every time made him immediately drop whatever he was doing, only to realize what you had just said.

Receiving a lot of compliments was never unusual, but for some reason, it was you who made his spark beat a little faster.

“Don't even think...about telling it to someone,” his clawed servo snakes around your waist, pushing you lower onto his lap, digits pressing tighter with each deep thrust.

You purr softly in response, enjoying the lovely view of your leader sitting directly beneath you. At a steady, lazy pace, you felt his spike buried deep inside your valve, every tiny movement causing you to hold onto him tighter.

So, so painfully slow, it almost makes the red-and-white jet hiss in annoyance. Any other good day he would have appreciated your desire for something so vanilla, but right now, all he can think about is flopping your back down on his throne, taking you right here and there how he wants it now. But that would be too good to ask for, wouldn't it?

“If you want to do it faster, just say ‘please’,” you coo, rocking your hips against his own. “It's not that hard.”

“No,” he huffs, shooting you a strict glance. Him? Begging? How funny.

“Come on, boss,” you lean a little closer, his bright red optics narrowing at the sight of yours.

“Don't be ridiculous.”

Now that's your turn to huff. Maybe if you try to use your big, charming optics on him, to make him finally give in and admit to what exactly he wants from you. You want it too. Why can't he just use his words instead of giving you these longing looks? Your commander is so unfair and childish sometimes. He can't even look you in the optics right now, perhaps, so you wouldn't give him that puppy optics of yours even he can't say no to.

“If you weren't so moody all the time, commander,” you trace your digits around the edge of the jet's wings, rubbing the small circles around the sensitive spot. “I'd let you frag me on this throne any day of the week. Just so our comrades will know that I belong to you.”

For a moment, you see him stop. A sudden sense of panic runs through your processor. Was it too forward? Now things will be awkward. You've been so caught up at the moment, you barely had the chance to think about what slipped from your mouth.

Not like anyone had the strength not to fall on their knees for Starscream, though...that is, until you feel his wings twitch at the touch. A soft, pleased hum coming from his chassis. His servo slowly wraps around your own, only to catch your wrists together, pulling them in front of your center.

“Prove it then.”

[twilightkitkat]

Do you ever just sit there, thinking about Logan and Wade and them together and what it means?

Thinking about why they're so big right now. Why it took THIS version of them to finally get that formula right?

Because it wasn't like they hadn't interacted in previous universes. It wasn't like they hadn't had crossover comics or episodes where they interacted in animated series of other Marvel characters. It wasn't like this was the FIRST time they'd been together, like it was a new concept.

They'd interacted before. They have a whole backstory together, both Weapon X experiments gone wrong (and right, in a fucked up way). They both had similarities. They both put on a metaphorical mask to hide their emotions, to keep others from seeing how desperately they needed to feel human connection. They both have low self-esteem and low expectations. They both were the ones people turned to when they needed to get the gritty, morally grey, dirty work done that nobody needed to do.

They always had a kinship. In some of the comics, it caused them to become friends. To reach a sort of mutual understanding.

But now?

It took THIS version of Logan—exhausted and grieving and borderline suicidal, closed off from the world—and THIS Wade—desperate and aching to matter like it'd eat him whole—for them to finally come together into something greater. Into not just Deadpool and Wolverine, teaming up for a one-off, but Deadpool and Wolverine, where they're a set. Where Wade takes him home and makes a place for him in his family and Logan accepts it. Relishes in it, even.

They'd always had similarities. But in a fucked-up, high-stakes situation, they were finally able to let down their masks and see them. They finally saw the void reflected in each other's eyes and realized they were one and the same. And they fight over it, sure, but they understand each other and it's so evident in the way they interact. In the way Logan knew just the weak points to hit to piss Wade off. In the way Wade understood why Logan would want to sacrifice himself but refused to let it happen.

It took two men at the end of their ropes, reeling from loss, to see each other at rock bottom and yank each other up and climb together.

And isn't that beautiful?

To meet someone who sees you at your worst, at your lowest, and still decides you're worth it. Who easily shoves past your facade and sees the real you—the grief-ridden, terrified, clawing animal that begs to not be alone—and welcomes it.

Who agrees to make a home with you, in the aftermath of it all, even when one of you gets back what you'd had before. Because you realize that you found what you'd been working so hard all along to save: a home.

And you wouldn't have this without them. You can't go back to your life before, even if you love the people in it. Because you can't imagine going back to feeling cosmically alone, to feeling like people care but don't get it. To going back to starving after finally getting used to eating well.

There's something special about this Wade and this Logan. Something that their other versions wanted, yearned for, but never quite achieved. They were their own individual people with their own lives and friends, but were they ever more than content? Were they ever truly happy with themselves in the way we see these two at the end of the movie?

It's like meeting your soulmate.

You were destined to cross paths in different universes, temporarily entering each other's orbit, but always left unsatiated. Until, finally, finally, you get the push you need. To reach out. To take that outstretched hand.

To latch onto each other and let your orbits shift to accommodate. To push past Wade's cheerful, crass mask and Logan's gruff, closed-off exterior to finally let each other in. Let them be seen.

A relationship is a series of choices. Regardless of your chemistry, regardless of the similarities in other Logans and Wades, it's the choices that matter. You can want for something and still not have it, you can realize you relate to someone without reaching out.

That's why this Logan and Wade are so special.

Because they chose this. Wade chose this Logan, out of all of them, and stuck with him. Logan chose to believe Wade, to not abandon him even after realizing he'd lied. Wade chose to be emotionally vulnerable and reveal his history with Vanessa. Logan chose to break free from Cassandra to help save Wade's World, even if she could silence the voices in his head. Because Wade was more important. Wade chose to show Logan his family, instead of just claiming that he was being noble and saving the world. He chose to be honest, to show Logan who he was. Logan chose to sacrifice himself and Wade chose to do it in turn. Wade chose to call out after him, to not let him go, and Logan chose to turn around, to listen, and to come with him. To come home with him.

They finally chose each other.

[doctorho]

i'm writing more viktor x chronically ill reader and -

it started as the reader feels insecure and viktor is so used to fighting against a world that wants to break him that he knows how to help.

and the reader sees viktor as this smart, confident, capable-and-disabled-guy, and it really is and and not but, he's had to fight tooth and nail to be where he is and he holds no illusions about what some people think about him, but now he's at the top, he's the best at what he does, he has one of those brilliant once-in-a-lifetime type of minds and the heart to go with it, the passion that comes from wanting to make things better-

and he's confident! he knows he's good! he knows he's smart! he had to fight twice as hard as the others in the academy just to get in but now he's running the whole show and he's deserved it, gods, he has a right to be there and he's not going to apologize to the people who don't like it, because they're not worth the time of day!

he knows he's good at what he does.

and he wants the reader to value themselves too. even just out of spite if it comes to that, because the world is hard enough for people like them already, other people are mean enough already, and it should be their given right to rise above that and say no, actually, i'm good and i deserve to be here. i deserve good things.

they've both seen enough cruelty already. they don't need more of it from inside their heads.

and he truly does believe that! he does. it feels like a truth running all through his bone marrow.

he knows he's good at what he does.

he knows he's smart.

and it's easy to tell the same things to someone else. because he believes them. he really, truly does.

but there's still that little kid somewhere at the back of his head, that too-little version of him that got left behind, and there's still that innate feeling of being not-quite-right, being weird and not fitting in and - yes, he's accepted it, that was just a thing about him, he was always going to be a little weird, but-

at the core of it is the feeling that he never really felt like people wanted him around. even after he climbed to the top of the business, the top of the stupid social circles, out of the undercity, and stood his ground there, he never really felt like he belonged there. like any of them really wanted him around. jayce was one of the few exceptions, but in the grand scheme of things, one exception didn't shake his beliefs much. jayce was an anomaly in the trend, and not a breakthrough.

so when the reader really does seem to want viktor around?

he doesn’t know what to do with that.

it's easy to tell other people they're worth it, but viktor still can't shake the feeling that it doesn’t apply to him.

except when you want him around for more than just his work? more than just as a solution to a problem? when you seem to want him, with his quiet humor and broken body and all, and then his heart is falling through his ribs as he tries to hold it together, because he didn't think that was possible. not for him. not this. nothing like this, and certainly not with someone that understands.

and suddenly he is a raw nerve, looking for lightning. he has no idea what to do with these feelings, because he's still not sure he trusts them, but he's not about to let the opportunity slide. so he has to push his trembling doubts aside and reach out, for the first time in his life let someone see his heart the way it truly is, soft and shivering and left-behind, because as afraid as he is he's also craving for the connection. even if he doesn’t really believe he deserves it, even if he doesn’t really believe in it, he still has to try. even with shaking hands, he has to try.

it's an off-beat dance on both parts, when neither of you really knows how to trust it. it's careful and tentative and sometimes just holding on to something feels like a lifeline, because neither of you really thought you'd have this. that anyone could want you like this.

and over the years, viktor's pushed his feelings so far aside, that when they snap right back into his chest it leaves him gasping for air. when you touch him he crumbles, all composure gone, and he grips your hand like it's keeping him anchored into his own body, like he might float away into the ether without it. and it's with shuddering breaths and gentle touches that he learns how to trust, slowly, finally, and it is delicate and messy and raw but it's honest, the truth of it warm and solid somewhere close to his chest, and he wants to keep it there. wants it to take root there and grow into his whole being until it surrounds him.

it's easy to tell other people that they're worth it. harder to believe it about yourself, especially when it feels like you're shouting alone into the dark while the whole world seems to quietly disagree.

it gets a lot easier if someone shows you that they think you're worth it, bruised heart and chipped corners and all, and fuck what the rest of the world thinks, you are good.

[chuckeroo777]

Laios got Eaten AU Chapters 53-85

Chapters 1-52 <- Be sure to read part 1. Falin being alive does cause some ripple effects which will continue in this part.

Welcome back! Today we continue where the anime cut off. We'll be going all the way to right before the final confrontation. (Mainly because I haven't figured out how to resolve that yet. I might do two versions, a good end, and a bad end.)

Let's get going! Massive spoiler warning for canon, if it wasn't obvious.

Chapter 53-54:

Same as canon.

Chapter 55:

Everything is mostly the same except Laios shows up instead of Falin. When escaping, Laios is much less gentle with Thistle.

Falin gets turned into a gnome by the giant changling. She is quite smitten by ogre Marcille, though she tries to hide it.

While Seshi and Chilchuck prepare the burgers, Falin assists with the ointment. With her healing expertise, it turns out even better, and she prevents Senshi from using it to cook.

Chapter 56:

Chilchuck has been noticeably grumpier than usual. Not only has Marcille been bugging him about his wife, but the tension between Marcille and Falin is really getting on his nerves. As before, he claims to have cheated to shut her up.

They spot the bicorn and Falin looks it up in the guide. They come up with the plan to be sinful.

When doing envy, Marcille can't help but be annoyed how Chilchuck has been giving her and Falin such judgemental looks, but then he goes and flirts with Senshi.

Without Laios, greed is a little tricky. Falin yoinks Ambrosia, and plays keep-away for a bit. She's giggling so much, she nearly forgets about the bicorn.

Then Lust gets brought up. Chilchuck and Izutsumi stare at Falin and Marcille, but before they can defend themselves, Senshi points out that it isn't lust when it's between two people who respect each other. Marcille then tentatively suggests that maybe Chilchuck's infidelity counts.

After Chilchuck gets attacked, Falin and Senshi rush into action. Falin can't body check it, but a mace to the face has the same effect. They manage to restrain it, then Senshi beheads it.

Falin is very impressed by Marcille's romantic acumen. Chilchuck is mostly left wondering why the romance expert is having such trouble admitting her feelings.

Chapter 57:

The dullahan is a type of ghost, so Falin has no trouble warding it off.

Much to Marcille's chagrin, Senshi decides to start with the head, since those parts don't preserve as well as the muscle.

Chapter 58-59:

When Senshi is discovered, it's Chilchuck who fills the party in about succubi. Unlike Laios, Falin doesn't rush off to grab milk, but she does start sweating profusely.

Thanks to there being three of them conscious in the room, they last a bit longer against the succubi, but when a succubus appears targeting Falin, things quickly break down.

Falin's succubus... is Marcille. But not merely Marcille. Due to a rather lonely childhood, Falin has a few fetishes she had been repressing. The succubus reflecting them for all to see. If she hadn't had her life force drained, she would probably have fainted from the shame and embarrassment.

Izutsumi saves the day, and everyone slowly recovers.

Marcille and Falin are mortified, and can barely even look at each other. Chilchuck finally reaches his breaking point and demands that the two of them talk about their feelings instead of continuing to bottle them up.

They end up having a heartwarming conversation where they confess their feelings. Marcille confesses that she always felt caring and protective of Falin, but the strangely fluctuating age gap made her way too uncomfortable to admit she was developing romantic feelings. But now that they are both adults, she wants to give this a try. Falin confesses that she always admired Marcille and wanted to get closer, but Marcille kept (unintentionally) rejecting her advances, so she just assumed she wasn't into her, which is why she stopped trying. Falin is so glad she was wrong. The two share a loving hug.

Chilchuck is happy for them to finally have these feelings out in the open, and they don't seem to be the sort that used to cause issues in his old groups. However, as the resident dad, he puts his foot down and insists that until this adventure is over, no sleeping together.

Speaking of sleeping together, that reminds Marcille of the dream she had while unconscious.

Chapter 60:

Marcille's dream with the Lion is similar to Laios', but with a few key differences.

Instead of appealing to Laios' care for the monsters and environment, the lion talks about how it IS the power of the dungeon. The power that the ancients discovered and misused. The very power that Marcille has desperately been looking for.

This is all very tempting for her, but she's still uncertain about becoming queen of the golden country, so the lion creates the hypothetical dream.

Marcille 'wakes' to find herself in bed with Falin. After changing out of their pajamas, they explore with the lion. Marcille's kingdom is a place where all the races are treated equally, with magic prolonging their lives to match hers.

She has also incorporated her ideas about a 'safe dungeon', expanding on the golden country's monster domestication to allow the harvesting of all sorts of useful things. Laios is in charge of this program.

Overall, it's all very nice and reasonable. As the audience, we know the lion will actually convince her to try and envelop the world, but for now the scope is realistic.

Marcille doesn't remember most of the dream, but relates that the lion is watching them through Falin's pearlipede. She talks a little about the 'safe dungeon' stuff, but keeps the whole age equalization thing close to her chest. And of course, beware the canaries.

Chapter 61:

Mostly the same, though Kabru's reaction to having to eat monsters is a little less severe. He hates it, but Falin and her group seemed sane enough. He isn't worried about going insane like Laios, he's just severely repulsed by it.

Kabru's nightmare is about the Laigon, stalking and hunting him down before eating him whole. Somehow, despite the massive changes, Kabru still manages to be disgusted yet intrigued about Laios.

Chapter 62:

The first half is identical, with Mithrun's story.

But when they start talking about Falin, that's when they get a bit confused. Despite Kabu's skill, he couldn't get a good read on Falin's desires. She is friendly and kind and thinks monsters are neat, but he's really unsure what would happen if she became lord of the dungeon. The only strong desire Kabru could identify was her unyielding determination to save her brother.

Mithrun begins to suspect that Falin isn't the one the demon is targeting, but unfortunately, Kabru doesn't know enough about the rest of the party to deduce who it could be.

Once the bell goes off, Kabru isn't worried about Falin, but with the demon involved, and so many unknown variables, he decides to go after them.

Chapter 63:

Falin's pearlipede leads them to Thistle's house, and they cautiously make their way in after shooting the bird.

The phoenix proves difficult, but Falin's flame wards buy them enough time to realize it's keeping its distance from the table with the bodies. They manage to weaponize Yaad and defeat and eat the bird.

Chapter 64-65:

Marcille wrenches open the book and they meet the lion. They begin thinking of a way to take down the Laigon.

Falin points out that if the Laigon is hanging out with Thistle, then it hasn't been sleeping or hunting, so her brother is probably really hungry. Senshi points out that flight is very energetically demanding too, and his mouth is real small.

They quickly get to work. The rest of this chapter and chapter 65 are skipped, since they still have plenty of bicorn meat. Notably, due to the Laigon being able to fly, they will arrive quicker, but the gang doesn't need to hunt, so it works out.

Chapter 66:

Between his panicking and self-harm, Thistle takes a bit longer to figure out what to do, since the Laigon doesn't comfort him like the Faligon did.

Chapter 67:

As they watch Thistle and the Laigon arrive, Falin is having second thoughts. Seeing him again is making her think about the plan to eat the dragon parts later. After all, isn't this exactly what Laios always wanted? But can he even survive on the surface like that? What if they save and restore him... and he's furious with her for ruining his dream.

The Laigon takes the bait and excitedly (and messily) devours the bicorn curry and rice. He then curls up and goes to sleep.

Unlike Laios, Falin doesn't consider that the chimera might have more than one brain. Tears in her eyes, she carefully approaches, and swings her mace-staff with all her might.

Falin breaks down crying. Marcille sees the results, and heals Laios' fractured head without reviving him. Now he's just sleeping. After a group hug to comfort her, Falin redoubles her determination, and they go to confront Thistle.

Chapter 68:

Identical, other than some slight name-drop changes.

Chapter 69:

Marcille has long term plans for being dungeon lord, but for now they plan to just use it to help Laios.

Falin isn't surprised to hear that Marcille is a half-elf. She suspected for a while. However, Thistle's callous taunting quickly pisses her off, and when he mentions the sterility, he nearly falls over as a stone spike erupts through the table and nearly impales him.

Infuriated, Thistle warps the room and unleashes the dragons.

The rest of the chapter plays out the same, with everyone getting separated. Falin escapes to the shelf, but everyone else gets got.

Chapter 70:

As the dragons begin fighting each other, Falin hides behind some bowls and starts chanting something while keeping an eye on Thistle.

Once he is distracted shouting orders at the dragons, she takes careful aim with her staff, and unleashes her spell, teleporting right behind Thistle, and disarming him. She may not be as burly as Laios, but Falin is a tough girl, and is easily able to overpower the elf twink.

Chapter 71:

She ties him up to her back and starts retrieving everyone's bodies.

Thistle cries fraud, and Falin explains that teleportation is actually a fairly recent invention. No wonder Thistle was terrified of Mithrun. This is the sort of magic not even the ancients were aware of.

Falin is still furious at Thistle, but decides to make a deal with him. He may choose. Either she kills him, and the party does as they please, or he may dispel the dragons and restore the room, and remain as their prisoner. If he does this, he has her word that they will do nothing to harm the people of the golden country.

Chapter 72:

Thistle, terrified what they may do to his people (An empty implied threat, but Thistle doesn't know that), reluctantly agrees. She lets him have his book just long enough to dispel his magic (Under threat that she'll teleport a rock into his head if he doesn't return it right away. Another empty threat), then she ties him up again, using proper rope, so he can't even move.

Falin revives the rest of the party. Marcille is very distraught that she died, and hugs Falin tightly. They are all very impressed that Falin managed to pull it off.

The lion is miffed that it can't feed on Thistle's desires while its current marks are watching. To make matters worse, Marcille is in no hurry to unseal the book, slamming it shut so she can rest after being revived.

Marcille and Falin talk about half-elves while Isutsumi and Chilchuck go grab drinks. Thistle continues to seethe.

Senshi prepares the tiny green dragon. He doesn't have the plant nectar, but it still turns out great. They feed some to the tied up Thistle. He reluctantly admits it's pretty good.

The gang take shifts over the night to watch the prisoner. As a curse of immortality person, Thistle doesn't need to sleep.

Chapter 73-74:

Marcille wakes up with a massive hangover. For a moment, she conflates a dream she had with last night, and panics that her first 'time' with Falin wasn't in her right mind.

Kabru arrives with the canaries. No one knows about Marcille's black magic, and Falin is pretty reasonable, so Kabru is optimistic about this meeting between them and the canaries.

Izutsumi and Marcille hide upstairs, Senshi prepares tea stuff, and Thistle sits in the corner, still seething.

Negotiations... go shockingly well! The canaries are impressed they were able to capture Thistle alive, and after a little questioning, it's clear Falin hasn't fallen under the dungeon's spell. They are a little grossed out by the bavarois, but most adventurers are a little weird.

When Falin mentions the lion, Kabru asks for permission to explain the danger. After all, the reason demon discussion is banned is to hide the existence of wish granting, and they already know about that part.

With Chilchuck and Kabru's help, Falin ends up coming to a very satisfactory deal with the elves. They will hand over Thistle and the books, on the condition that the canaries' forces provide all the assistance they can in preserving, transporting, and eating Laios. Falin is even able to cite the phoenix as evidence that this plan is viable.

Falin and Pattadol shake on it, and everyone is excited that the danger has passed.

Unfortunately, this premature happy ending is disrupted by something everyone forgot about.

Falin's pearlipede is privy to this entire conversation. And so is the lion. It manages to pop out of the unsealed half, and warns Marcille about the canaries, fueling her fear, and when Mithrun breaks into her room as the negotiations are being finalized, Marcille panics and unseals the lion.

Chapter 75:

Chaos erupts in the house as no one is quite sure what is going on. The canaries rush upstairs to help Mithrun, but they fail to stop Marcille before she declares her lordship.

The canaries are attacked by giant spiders while Marcille absconds. She vanishes before Falin or the others can see her. Falin's party heads upstairs to find Marcille, but only find dead spiders and wrapped up elves.

Chapter 76:

They help Lycion and Kabru carry everyone outside, including Thistle. Lycion fills Falin in on what happened upstairs and she is mortified. They leave Thistle with them, and head out into the remixed dungeon to try and find Marcille and talk her down.

Chapter 77-78:

Everyone receives word that Falin has taken down the lord of the dungeon.

When the chaos starts to unfold, Flamela receives an update from Lycion. Negotiations had been going well with Falin, but a member of her party went rogue, and is now the lord.

With Falin's party confirmed to be working to stop Marcille, the canaries do not attack them, instead focusing on finding Marcille.

Worried that the elves will kill Marcille, Namari, Toshiro, and the Orcs head out to try and find Marcille or Falin first.

Chapter 79-80:

Marcille has approximately 25% less longing in her eyes as she stares at Laios frozen in ice.

Not being in quite the same rush as canon, they don't accidentally fall in the water, instead running down the stairs.

They find the mushrooms and retrieve their stuff. The familiars are disconcerting, but at least they are ostensibly on their side.

They attempt to head in the direction the mushrooms were heading, but don't get far before hitting a dead end. As they try to figure out what to do, a massive flying snake pounces and gobbles them up.

The party panics as the long thin chamber begins to slowly fill with fluid. With the mouth clamped shut, they decide to run as far back as they can. Falin is pretty sure intestines don't have acid, right?

After a harrowing few minutes, they are pooped out in Marcille's front yard.

After reuniting and bathing, Falin tells Marcille about their deal with the canaries, and implores Marcille to reconsider.

Marcille refuses and reveals her dream. Falin doesn't laugh at her, but is concerned. She remembers how miserable the people of the golden country were. Surely the dungeon's power can only extend lives through that same curse.

Notably, due to not eating Thistle, the lion is still in its quadrupedal form. The lion does its best to convince Falin and the others, but after what Kabru told them about the demon, it rings pretty hollow.

Falin refuses to help the demon, not wanting Marcille to become another Thistle.

Marcille is upset, and decides she can make her dream come true by herself. She has the gang confined to the kitchen. She'll do it herself, and they'll see how lovely her dream is later.

Chapter 81:

Falin has no idea what kind of monster Donato is.

Operation Hometown Cuisine proceeds as normal, though Falin doesn't have the realization about Marcille's fears, since she didn't pry into her nightmare.

After failing her persuasion roll on Marcille, Falin gets fed up and grabs Donato's hand, then teleports the doppelganger out of the tree.

Chapter 82:

Identical.

Chapter 83:

Mostly the same. Kabru isn't a prisoner. While the canaries prepare to fight the monster army, they have Kabru escort Thistle to the entrance. Thistle is mostly just resigned at this point. He spots the golden country as part of the new patchwork dungeon, and notices it is off in the corner away from the action. At least Marcille isn't putting them in danger.

Kabru meets up with Toshiro, Namari, and the orcs.

Chapter 84:

Ofc Falin also comes up with the mushroom disguises. Toshiro isn't sure how to feel seeing Falin dressed as a big dumb shroom.

Falin frantically explains how she's pretty sure the lion had been grooming Marcille to be the lord the whole time. That's why she's so out of control.

Lycion explains that when things get this bad, the only solution is to kill the dungeon lord. Thistle calls bullshit. He lost the position without being killed. Lycion clarifies that as long as the demon supports them, there is no other solution.

So Falin proposes they deal with the demon itself.

Lycion shoots that down too. As everyone heads out to fight the monsters, Falin is left despondent.

At Marcille's behest, the lion possesses the pearlipede, engulfing her arm, and speaks to Falin. It tries to convince her to join Marcille. After all, don't they love each other? Chilchuck retorts that if you really love someone, both sides have to be willing to compromise.

The lion tries another tactic. It asks about their favorite foods. Falin's favorite food is ice cream, particularly a swirl of orange sherbet and vanilla ice cream. (If she had been given the chance, she would have discovered exorcism sorbet to be her favorite.)

Unlike Laios, who realizes the lion's weakness in this fight, Falin is just left feeling even more hopeless. But ultimately, she decides to head for Marcille, not knowing what else to do.

Chapter 85:

Falin is quite delighted to see Laios, and is sure it means Marcille isn't too far gone.

Things proceed mostly the same, except Falin again poofs the doppelgangers away. As the party keeps climbing towards Marcille, Falin throws out the armor piercing questions. If Marcille is so callous to create fake versions of her parents, why not just create fake versions of her friends that agree with her dream.

Because a fake isn't the real thing. And what Falin wants is Marcille. The real Marcille.

Marcille starts to break down, admitting that the whole reason she's doing this is because she can't stand the thought of losing Falin and the rest of her friends.

Falin gently embraces Marcille, and explains. If Marcille spends all her time worrying about when their time together will end, then they won't get to enjoy the time they do have together. As they look deep into each other's eyes, Marcille's eyes swimming with tears, she leans forward and-

Senshi ruins the moment by explaining that they already know how to live longer healthier lives. A BALANCED DIET! A HEALTHY CIRCADIAN RHYTHM! AND MODERATE EXERCISE.

The moment is ruined, but it's okay. Marcille clings to Falin as she can't help but laugh as she sobs. Falin smiles and gently rubs Marcille's back. Everything finally feels like it's going to be okay.

Right?

Chapter 86-Finale

[krems-chair]

Daily Dose of Solas-Posting Time/just a love of what love can achieve I guess?

I think a lot of people in this fan space struggle to distinguish the apparently very blurred line between "oh look, this poster likes Solas and must therefore condone murder to achieve one's goals", and "rad, she understands that this is a game in which characters do things she would never approve of in real life but given the fact that these are all tiny people on a screen she enjoys extrapolating larger themes"

And for those of you in that second camp how freaking beautiful is it that we get to see one of the oldest saddest elves go on an absolute bender and still get the chance to make things right because he has a friend/lover who knows his heart and refuses to let him hide from it any longer.

Varric disapproves of trying to save him at the end of Trespasser and clearly at some point within the next eight years goes "you know what? This sassy nerdy passionate guy was my friend once and I believe in what he could be if he gives up on the self-destructive path he's chosen"

Harding struggles to fathom what the Inquisitor sees in a disingenuous clefted egg but knows that if nothing else she trusts her friends and for all my critiques of Veilguard I do think Bellara gets a baller of a line with the "trust your heart, it is a good one" banger. Harding may not know exactly how she feels about Solas (and yeah that is so fair) but she knows the Inquisitor's heart is a good one, and if they're trying to save him, she trusts it. She chooses to believe that in an ever-darkening world there is power in restoring a little bit of light.

Your Inquisitor has the option to be like "wow this guy was my friend, occasional confidante (and potentially the most brutal love of my life), fought alongside me and guarded my life as I guarded his, and spoke so wistfully of things I did not understand at the time but now realize came from a place of deep grief. The way he's acting now stems from hurt and trauma and I know it'd be easier to just stab him with his own dagger but what if what if what if..."

And if you're able to look at his story at its simplest (if you're able to see past the broken man and into the spirit of wisdom he once was, if you will) it's really just the grandest version of pre-EA Bioware's bread and butter theme for at least a few companions per game: even the most broken people are capable of changing themselves and ultimately the world for the better if those who can reach out a hand do. And the Inquisitor only has the one hand to reach out, in fact they only have that one hand because of the very man they're hunting down, but if they can find it in themselves to extend it, damn. It brings a broken man back to his feet after an absolutely brutal confrontation of his past and helps him stand tall and face what's coming next in a way he wouldn't have been capable of otherwise. It lets Solas, who is at his absolute lowest, know that someone he strongly admires, who can relate to the challenges he once faced as the young leader of a massive movement, sees the parts of him that just want to do what's right but can't quite remember how anymore.

And to someone who hasn't fought in a war or forged the tools that wrecked entire civilizations, sure maybe that wouldn't hit as hard. But who amongst us hasn't betrayed the core of who we are to make others happy and regretted it? Who hasn't charged down a path that sent thorns digging into their skin with every step because to stop and turn back means facing everything they've done to get there? Means admitting they were wrong? Who hasn't hit a low and crawled their way back to themselves again because that hand came down and refused to let go?

To someone like that, like me, it can make all the difference in the world to see it go down on that tiny little screen.

Mmmmm there's just so much power in having even one person who sees you self-destructing at your worst and goes "not on my watch" and I love that most of these games have brought us such beautifully simple yet meaningful ideas in so many different ways.

[ravixen]

heyy! may i ask for vocal term ver of svt meeting your friends? 👉🏼👈🏼 (btw i am the same anon who asked for the performance team ver of it hehe)

svt + meeting your friends (pt 3)

➔ requested || reaction || vocal unit

➔ warnings: none || 0.8k words ➔ notes: fluff ; heya! i hope you liked the performance unit version of it; it was fun to write, so i hope other people love it, too. here's the vocal team version of the same prompt. please reblog if you enjoyed! i love reading all of the comments. thank you for sending in my last request!! :)

JEONGHAN: he was just going to drop you off and head home, but your friends needed someone for their pick up basketball game—just until the last person of your friend group got out of traffic—and they heard that he's pretty athletic. "just a little," he allows, stretching his limbs. he doesn't have to stay, but he doesn't have much else to do at home and this is the perfect chance to make a good impression on your friends. everyone goes around quickly introducing themselves in a circle, and that's all the team-bonding they get before finding positions on the court. for the first game, you and jeonghan are on opposite teams, so he takes it easy, jogging around and making simple plays to get a feel for his team's rhythm. it's so laid back that it annoys you, the one who knows what he's capable of. respect you and your team enough to put in effort? he gives you a cocky grin. sure. when his team huddles during the break, he tells them his plan and your best friend whistles lowly. "I mean...they did ask for it," they say with a shrug. the second game immediately puts him on his team's good side and your team's bad side. maybe he'll make a better impression off the court.

JOSHUA: posted in part 1!

JIHOON: they know that he's famous, but man, are all celebrities this effortlessly cool or is it just him? he's not doing anything in particular, and in fact, he's quite friendly; he made sure to shake everyone's hand with both of his when they introduced themselves, and he said that he's lee jihoon, as if your friends haven't seen his name plastered on billboards across the city. he doesn't talk too much about himself, preferring to sit in the background, but the way his simple t-shirt stretches around his shoulders, the way his pushed back sunglasses act as a headband for messy black hair, the way he puts his arm on the back of your chair and leans in to share a menu...hot, humble, and sweet with an unmistakable aura. you really snagged a good one. and when you ask for the check only to find out that jihoon's already paid for the table? you whirl around and level him with a look, but one of your friends, the one across the table from you, laughs. "dude, I thought you looked suspicious on the way to the bathroom. did you even go?" hot, humble, sweet, rich, and generous. they'll keep an eye out next time to prevent him from paying in the future, though.

SEOKMIN: it takes him a long time to meet your friends, and they're getting antsy. but no matter how much they pester you about seeing the golden retriever boyfriend himself in real life, even jokingly accusing you of hiding him from the world, you can't do anything because he's refusing to meet your friends. it's the reason he gives for not guesting on lee mujin's show...he doesn't feel like he's good enough, and there's so much to unpack in that simple admission. that's why the first meeting inside a newly opened bakery and cafe is entirely accidental. you see the nervousness in his posture as soon as they recognize you and wave. then they turn their gaze to him, and he reaches for your hand, clasping it tightly to his side. "hey guys," you say, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. "this is seokmin." there's something in the glint in your eyes that reminds them to play nice. luckily, this is the icebreaker needed to get him comfortable with a planned second meeting that goes so much better. he doesn't wander from your side, but he fully participates in the conversation, and your friends conclude that you're right. they do need sunglasses to look at his mega-watt smile.

SEUNGKWAN: he's professor boo of kpop for a reason; he's got room in his pretty head for all sorts of niche information, so of course, he's been filing away facts about your friends over time. when he actually meets them, he ends up bringing the perfect gift. "oh wow," your friend says, gaping at the bag he handed over. "I've actually been eying this for a while but didn't tell anyone! how did you know?" he shrugs as he kicks off his shoes at the door. "it just seemed like it would suit you," he says easily. the world can't sing his praises enough. there's a reason why so many people love him and invite him everywhere. he uses the information he's collected to perfectly navigate conversations: what topics make people light up and lean forward in interest? what topics should he avoid to prevent awkward silences? deep down, he feels like he has to make a good impression because you chose him and he wants to prove to everyone that he deserves you, even though no one is thinking that in the slightest. (in your eyes, it's him that deserves more than the world can give him.)

[pillowfriendly]

tagged by @nongunktional BOSS FIGHT TAG GAME YAAAY

you find kethry off the corner of the map, fishing on a small boat a ways out from an island. you have to take your own boat out to get to her. no music, just the sound of the ocean and her singing an old shanty as you get closer.

once she sees your party has rolled up in full raid gear she'll scoff and reel in her line, then jump to the deck of your boat. an orchestral version of the shanty she was singing will start, and the title card says KETHRY AMENT. RETIRED.

phase 1: she is wearing a tank top, shorts, and no shoes, so it is very annoying that you can't seem to damage her very much. fortunately, she is wielding a fishing rod and does not do very much damage either. instead this phase is mostly about dodging knockbacks to avoid being kicked off the boat. your limit break gauge fills rather quickly, though, and will continue to do so for the whole fight.

a dps LB1 will stagger her. she'll shake it off, then jump skyward. get to the edge of the deck nearest the island before she lands, sinking your boat (sorry) and launching you to the beach.

phase 2: kethry walks up out of the surf, armored and carrying a scythe (how did she do that). she says "okay." the shanty cuts to something that sounds a lot like the bloodborne lady maria theme but is entirely legally distinct.

healers immediately receive prey markers, and every 30 seconds she will cut a portal and jump to one of them, killing them if the attack isn't shared and mitigated. swipes from voidsent claws add cone aoes to her attacks, and when an Enshroud meter is full she will merge with the voidsent and attack each player in a flurry that must be mitigated with a tank limit break.

the voidsent cloak dissipates and with the party still standing, she'll drop the scythe and summon a lance. rapidfire mechanics section ensues: she jumps to each player, targeting them with a flare marker dealing dragonfire proximity damage. tankbusters that launch you--fall into the sand, not the ocean! a snapping sound will freeze everything for a second and all players will find themselves with line/circle/cone/cross indicators that must be quickly arranged to not hit others. if that doesn't work, untelegraphed stack on the healers or they die again.

survive and your limit gauge will be full. dps LB3 to kill her.

phase 3: her body catches itself and rises jerkily. the sun is not setting, but it's growing dim. kethry's lance melts into a greatsword, and the beach arena shrinks into a small dome bound by darkness.

kethry's health doesn't rise above 0%, and healer hell starts now. she attacks in slow but wide cleaves. bubbling, reddish aether spreads over the ground and deals damage over time. sometimes a half-formed figure reaches out from the wall; players touched by it receive the terror condition and are immobilized. spikes erupt from the ground at regular intervals, dealing damage and a heavy bleed that must be esuna'd if not dodged.

while this happens, in a voice quite different from the one she'd been singing in earlier, kethry(?) hurls invectives and insults and general abuse at the players. each role gets their own limit gauge, and at least one player in each role must survive to limit break when their respective gauge fills.

the party's combined LB3 blasts kethry(?) out of the arena and rezzes all downed players. a ray of sunlight shines through the newly made hole in the dome, and gradually the dark lightens back to day. kethry, laying on the beach, raises her head to look at you. "sorry about him," she rasps, then drops her head back onto the sand. "what do you want."

[poopfartlesbian]

Oooo can we get knockout with a reader who's a total fashionista and and who takes pride in how well kept they are maybe they could even talk about how different beauty standards are between humans and Cybertronian and what similarities they share I think it could be really interesting and maybe reader could try and do his makeup maybe causes he's got a date with breakdown later I'm also gonna be a regular on this blog so I'm dubbing myself 🦔anon ✌️

YESSSS I LOVE WRITING ANYTHING THAT INVOLVES KNOCKOUT!!

Human, GN!Reader and Knockout friendship things, Reader is a stylist

Flawless Reflections

The whir of polishing drones hummed in the background like white noise. Knockout stood in front of a towering mirror pane bolted into the far wall of his personal workspace. A warm, luminescent gloss shimmered across his cherry-red plating, gleaming with effort and precision.

You lounged nearby on a sleek countertop, legs crossed, flipping through a digital fashion magazine you’d downloaded onto your tablet. When Knockout stepped back and made an admiring hum at his own reflection, you glanced up, grinning.

“Breakdown’s gonna short a few circuits when he sees you tonight.”

Knock Out turned his helm slightly toward you, optics bright with amusement. “Of course he is. As if I would present myself in anything less than perfection.”

You set your tableg down on the counter and stood up, walking towards the area of the counter that was closer to him to get a better look.

“Hmm... I’ve gotta ask. Do Cybertronians have makeup? Like, real cosmetic stuff? Not just polish and detailing work.”

Knock Out smirked.

“You mean like your powders and creams? Not quite. Our version of ‘makeup’ is more about finishings—electro-lacquers, nano-gloss, energon-reactive detailing pigments. Some bots even use microprojected surface modulations for dramatic effect. But all of it’s tailored for our materials and sensory feedback.”

“Figures...”

You stepped around him, studying the smooth lines of his armor. “Human skin care would probably melt off your faceplates anyway.”

He chuckled. “And your eyeliner would fry if I applied it to my servos.”

“Hmm...” you thoguht for a moment, then, reaching into your tote, you pulled out a compact palette. “Wanna see how a human does it? I can't really use any of my products but I can use this paint over here.”

Knockout tilted his helm, visibly intrigued. “Why not? I do love a muse with taste.” He bent at the knee so his face was closer to your level.

You smiled as you stepped up to a rolling stool and climbed on for height. With a small paint brush by the large bucket of silver chrome paint, you traced along the smooth line beneath his optic.

“You know,” you said, working with a practiced hand, “beauty’s kind of a battlefield here on earth. For humans, I mean. There’s this endless pressure to be effortlessly perfect, to be symmetrical, flawless, young… And the irony is, perfection isn’t even the goal anymore—uniqueness is.”

Knockout hummed thoughtfully. “Sounds familiar. We judge based on polish, functionality, frame work… but there’s still that pursuit of individuality. I’m admired because I make style the standard. Others just chase practicality.” He glanced at your hand. “This paint you’re using—not exactly my usual gold accent but I like it.”

You nodded. “It’s meant to bring out your optics. If I had your kind of canvas, I’d use something with a chrome shimmer or ultraviolet underglow. Something that reflects movement. Afterall, you are all about the drama.”

“Flattery gets you everywhere,” he purred. “Tell me, would humans ever paint themselves entirely in one color, like we do? It seems efficient.”

“Not usually,” you said, stepping back to admire your design. “Think monochrome fashion, or full-body paint. But we also obsess over contrast. Complexion, undertones, hair, texture… Humans are all about combining layers and highlighting flaws as features. It’s chaos, but it works.”

He thought for a moment, picturing that in his head. “Fascinating. And yet here you are, painting me like a canvas.”

You grinned. “Because you’re beautiful, Knockout. And I’m a stylist. It’s what we do.”

He straightened, optics glowing with something halfway between pride and soft amusement. “Breakdown’s going to fall over himself when he sees this.”

“Tell him I charge for full face beats." You teased, putting the brush away with the paint. Knockout turned slightly to admire the design in his mirror—sparkly silver contouring, a subtle sweep up like sharp eyeliner wings, dramatic but elegant.

“You know,” he said slowly, “I should bring you along on more missions. Keep the aesthetic standards of this faction from falling into the gutter.” You smiled, flattered that the fashionista of the Decepticons was flattering your work. "Only if I get hazard pay for working around all the unpolished scrap metal you call coworkers."

He laughed, full and genuine, and for a moment, the sterile, med bay felt like the inside of a luxury salon.

I hope you like it! I'm still figuring out my writing style but I'm getting the hang of things! <3

[scrunglepaws]

I hope you like worldbuilding. 83 If you mostly just want to know about his personality, you can skip to the second part (though some bits will be confusing without context of part one).

== Part One: Oshi's Origin ============

Oshi and his sister, Starfish, are a pair of Kit x Tails kids, but they also aren't. Because they weren't made with a particular version of Kit and Tails in mind (they have no AU) they technically were never born. They were just spawned as concepts with no purpose and thus went to the dimension where all unused concepts go. This place, called Mwezi, is a chaotic metaphysical plane. Over time it has become more stable as the concepts that formed it wove themselves into something more tangible. Its laws of physics are basically the same, but not quite. And unfortunately, the laws of nature generally ended up being overall horrible and inhospitable for sapient creatures to live there. From the shifting environment to the monstrous inhabitants, most everything there is trying to kill you. Thus, it's generally a place that one would want to escape from, if possible.

Most entities that make up Mwezi aren't sapient, as it tends to get filled with a lot of concepts and ideas. But for those that are, ie scrapped character ideas… Crackship pairing kids that will never actually come to fruition… There are certain innate rules embedded in their consciousness upon arrival. It's kind of like a video game. You spawn in at level 0, age 0. Every time you die, you gain one year of age and one level. Once you get to level 100, it's game over and you cease to exist entirely. As you go up in age and level, more information is inately and automatically understood regardless of lived experience. Things like how to walk, how to talk, ect. Like any living thing, people also gain knowledge from living and learning in the environment. They can also age normally via just existing.

So… What's there to do on Mwezi? The main thing is essentially survival, but there are also quests to guide the inhabitants towards various goals. Generally, noncanon kids have the same main quest: to make themselves canon. To be canon would mean to exist, which would mean escape from Mwezi! But how could a concept, existing on a different plane of existence possibly affect reality? Like a video game, hints as to where to go next naturally spawn for the person. As they travel about Mwezi, they discover various things that tell them about who they are, who they could have been irl, and about their should-be parents. Sometimes there are windows that quite literally give them glimpses of the real world, where they can see thier parents in the past, present, or future. With this information, the noncanon kid is further equipped to try to make their ship canon. To get their parents to get together. By completing quests and uncovering secrets, they can create little nudges and effects that pop through in the real world to try to accomplish this goal. Typically, it's fruitless and unobtainable before the person reaches level 100. But the drive to complete them- the drive to escape and be complete… It's basically all these people have going for them.

With Oshi and Stafish, they obviously can't affect the real canon, though. They're just fancharacters. However, this is almost better, because they have more options: endless fanmade AUs! Lots of Kits and Tailses to try to nudge into being their dads. But it can also be a bad thing- with too many options, how do you pick which direction to go in? That's where fan events come in- external events outside of the creator's (in this case, my) control that give a reason for the kids to interact with the world. Gives them a gateway to actually temporarily leave Mwezi and directly interact with other peoples' worlds! But oh, it's a tournament where they're supposed to be fighting a bunch of other kids? Not really an opportunity to fulfill their quest? Well, beggars can't be choosers. Any chance to pop into the real world is a chance to gather further information. Despite the premise, perhaps allies can be made? At the very least, it's a nice repreive from the hellscape that is Mwezi. Fighting some other kids? Pshawww! Did you hear where this kid just came from? Despite his cheerful and mostly clueless demeanor, he has a few tricks up his sleeve.

After the event passes and Oshi no longer have a reason to be highlighted, back to the pit he goes… Unless he somehow is able to complete their quest during this event? Find some dads to have them? Unlikely, but you never know. Either way, Oshi gets to have fun being a real boy for a while.

Did this all sound like a garbled mess of nonsense? Well, it kind of is. A bunch of weird rules for a weird place between existence and nonexistence. Mwezi was created as a consequence for all the joke crackship babies my friends and I made between our ocs back in the day. And since I never completely throw away ideas, it persists to this day. Because I'm an author, and therefore inherently evil, this is just how it is. Now all must suffer. Including this adorable orbular fox that never did anything wrong in his life (or did he?!). Enjoy. :3

== Part Two: Character Bio ============

For the most part, Oshi is your typical energetic, curious, and friendly little eight year old. He lives with his older sister, Starfish, in the Mwezi wastelands. They're always on the move, on their quest to escape the inhospitable land. He mostly just listens to what Starfish tells him to do because she's very smart and makes sure he stays safe. He loves her very much! But he also likes to tease her, calling her stinky and a werewolf (she has a very pronounced snout). Little does he know she actually freaking loves werewolves, but pretends to be insulted so he won't come up with worse "insults."

His attention span is small, but his love for making arts and crafts is huge! It's about the only thing he can focus on for any length of time. He finds various bits and bobs throughout his travels in the Mwezi wastelands to craft with. He particularly likes making jewelry because he can stick it on his body instead of having to store it away in his backpack. He oftentimes gives his crafts away to nonviolent creatures they encounter, pretending to "make friends" with them since they rarely encounter other people. Unfortunately, there are very few nonviolent creatures and Oshi often gets himself in a pickle, presenting gifts to things that actually want to eat him. Starfish has her work cut out for her looking after this small idiot.

Oshi has a spark of Kit and Tails' ingenuity, but at the same time is mostly an airhead. He might be able to think of creative solutions to problems in the moment, but he's not good at storing that information away for later use. See above: him constantly trying to "befriend" things despite it going badly more often than not. It's quite miraculous that he hasn't died more often. In a way, it's almost like he's just lucky.

Despite all his shortcomings, he's reasonably self-sufficient for his age. His agility and small size aid him in getting out of tricky situations. He is physically weak and not skilled with any sort of short range weapons (blunt objects, knives, his fists, ect). However, he has an inexplicable knack for efficiently using ranged weapons, specifically firearms. And bombs. Gee, wonder where he got that from? Such weaponry (and resupply of ammunition) doesn't turn up all that often in Mwezi, though. His most reliable weapon is his trusty slingshot.

It may seem odd that he has such a sweet and innocent personality when he spends half his time fighting to survive, but… He's eight. He doesn't really comprehend what's going on around him. Dying and respawning is traumatic, but it's also his norm. Once he gets older, all the horrible things will have a chance to sink in and probably mess him up terribly. But for now, he's pretty much oblivious and carefree.

@sonic-fankid-showdown

[vectorisheree]

"You ever wonder what it would be like to wake up outside your own body?"

Holy shit!? Holy fucking shit????? Very surprised that they're actually acknowledging the fact that Eclipse was apart of Moon- practically was Moon (or is Moon, he was at least a fragment of old Moon, are we counting fragments as equal to the person, or ai, themselves?), since he definitely sees himself as Moon, referring to Moon’s body as his 'own'. Eclipse was discarded part of Moon, an unfavourable aspect of Moon that, instead of accepting it as a part of himself, Moon tore and ripped Eclipse, his killcode, from his code and abandoned within Sun, quite literally dumping his main problem on him (in him?)

And like, old Moon had some serious issues and anxiety over losing his bodily autonomy, being trapped in Sun again (to the point that another dimentional version of him literally ends up killing Sun for his, perceived, freedom) , and I'd like to assume that this trait is shared with Eclipse, who was once promised his own freedom through Moon's, only to have it stripped away, only to find himself still stuck, fragmented and alone. Abandoned, disposed of. Betrayed at the very least.

How could Eclipse ever forgive the man who discarded him and left him to rot? Personally, with the way things are going now, I don't believe he could, not on his own, not without some serious intervention (through Earth or new Moon, or whoever really) or guidance. Old Moon is dead, replaced by a convincing replica, nothing that new Moon says or could say about old Moon's actions would really get to Eclipse, both because of his current general distrust of Moon, but also because new Moon is a completely different person to old Moon, he can't apologise and atone for the actions of another, not in anyway significant, its just not the same. Eclipse holds a grudge against a dead man and he'll never reach a satisfying end for himself. What can he do? (Even in a dimention where Eclipse does get the star, his previous main goal, he never seemed too happy) I think that Eclipse will have to accept what has happened to him and that he can't do anything about it before he is able to move on and grow around his past.

"...Horrifying."

I was already working on an Eclipse rant from like last week as well, what a coincidence, so I'll keep this short (will post at some point this week or month or year) (My wording was pretty bad in the last part but I do think that an Eclipse redemption could be possible, just that it would take a lot of work from multiple parties)

[leroiestmortvivelareine]

The Night Kevin

I think I figured out the whole Kevin thing. It's a strange and twisted tale, so stay with me.

Kevin Day is the haunting mystery at the heart of aftg. The story might be about Neil and Andrew but he brings this almost mystical dimension, sensed rather than seen. Like Edgar Allan Poe's poem - on the surface it's about grief for the loss of Lenore, but the presence of the raven takes it into an unknowable place.

So trying to solve the puzzle of Kevin becomes an addiction. The answer feels tantalisingly just out of reach, if only you could figure out the right questions to ask. Same with all those polycule connections that won't show themselves but won't go away... it's the great unknowable; kandreil isn't supposed to exist in the canon version yet it defies all attempts to erase it. We all know it's there. We can feel it, even if we can't see it. What's driving it? Why does 1 + 1 keep adding up to 3?

Perhaps the clue is in the name. Kevin Day. What's the word that immediately comes to mind when you hear the word 'day'? The word 'night'. Maybe it's a hint that we're only seeing half the story.

Which is how I've always felt about Kevin... that he's only partly real, maybe 30% of a person. I mentioned before about the Perfect Court feeling like splinters and Kevin reminding me of Rei Ayanami, an incomplete soul.

But there's an even better analogy. Pratchett's 'Thief of time', which is brilliant by the way, imagined Time as a female spirit who became trapped in a glass clock. Kind of like Kayleigh, a uniquely talented free spirit who stumbled into something sinister. (Strange that we only ever perceive Kayleigh as a spirit, never a real person. It's even called the Day Spirit award.)

In the book, Time as a not-quite-woman eventually gave birth in a sort of time loop, so her son was born twice. Two bodies but only one soul, split unevenly between them. One boy was almost normal, but the other was so cold and distant he didn't seem fully human. They were both obsessed with time and highly skilled at it, time was their thing; one created clockwork devices and the other could bend time with these weird time-bending monks.

That idea of a split soul is how Kevin always feels to me. As though part of him is missing somehow, or lost.

So where is it? Is there another half of Kevin Day, a Night Kevin, a lost son, if not of Kayleigh, then of the Spirit of exy... who walked in the shadows while Kevin Day was always in the light? Someone with the other half of his soul, with all the fierceness and independence that Kevin lacked?

Someone else whose life also revolved around exy, who was obsessed to the point of singlemindedness, with a gift for exy - but passionate and instinctive, not coldly intellectual.

Someone who was also incomplete, but in reverse. Who was missing all the things Kevin could do... the ability to form bonds with people, depend on them, even ask them for help.

Neil is a knight in Nora's chess symbolism. He is also the night half of the lost boys story.

Look how much they were drawn to each other. Neil who needed to evade capture at all costs but not as badly as he needed to carry around an 'I heart Kevin Day' scrapbook. Kevin who dismissed half the young hopefuls in the country so he could go bullheaded for that kid in Millport.

Even the way they were both attracted to Andrew. That's why kandreil feels so real even in the canon version. It's not Kevin + Neil + Andrew. It's [Kevin/Neil] + Andrew.

An unexpected piece of corroboration is something that always sticks out to me - Riko telling Neil 'I'm going to love hurting you. Like I loved hurting Kevin.' Because if he wanted to intimidate why not mention Jean, who suffered far worse torment? There's many explanations but I think he meant exactly what he said: it would feel the same with Neil as it had with Kevin. Because Neil and Kevin are split souls.

We all understand 'misplaced forever partner' to be a bond outside of all labels we've ever heard before - friend, lover, partner. I think whatever binds Neil and Kevin is in the same category - entirely unique, only existing between those two, and impossible to properly define except to say they're the mirror halves of something broken.

It's beautiful that neither of them could heal until the other did, and that they found the missing parts of themselves almost at the same time.

The queen tattoo was the moment when Kevin became whole. No wonder Andrew was smiling - Kevin had found his independence. That was Andrew's true role in Kevin's life, whether he'd realised it or not, and maybe this was the moment he realised.

And Neil was also feeling complete that night, having learned to depend on someone.

Which is why the final game was the finale, it was the completion of their story, Neil and his mirror soul, no longer broken but healed.

[starrywangxian]

my clematis: mizisua ver vs. ivantill ver

i've noticed a lot of people comparing ivan and sua so i thought i'd take a look at the difference of their versions of my clematis to see who sings which part - over the cut!!

i also ramble about the parallels/similarities/differences between the four characters after.

(i'll be looking at the english translation because i can't speak korean T^T)

(if i get anything wrong, please let me know!!)

till / sua: oh my clematis

till / sua: hope bloomed from the abyss

ivan / mizi: oh my clematis

ivan / mizi: always be by my side

till / sua: you bloomed from

till / sua: the huge black wall

ivan / mizi: the galactic starlight

ivan / mizi: in your eyes spreads out

ivan / mizi: in the endless darkness

ivan / mizi: i find you with your scent

till / mizi: even if i sleep in infinity

till / sua: don't leave my universe

ivan & till / mizi & sua: oh my clematis

ivan & till / mizi & sua: hope bloomed from the abyss

ivan & till / mizi & sua: oh my clematis

ivan & till / mizi & sua: always be by my side

ivan / mizi: do you believe in god?

till: no! stop talking

ivan / mizi: once upon a time, mankind believed in god and had religion

till: sigh...

ivan / mizi: they believe that things that cannot be solved by human strength

ivan/ mizi: are the will of god

ivan / mizi: believed that the entire universe revolved around the earth

ivan / mizi: thought that the place that connected with the sky, which they could not dare to reach

ivan / mizi: was the place where the gods lived

till: that's just ridiculous.

ivan / mizi: from the moment humanity left the universe, we all forgot god

ivan / mizi: but if belief in god is human

ivan / mizi: if all i can do as a human is to believe

till: why are you staring at me?

ivan / mizi: my god

till: hey, hey! wait!

ivan / mizi: my universe

till: ah, go away!! ahhhhh

till / mizi: oh my clematis

till / mizi: hope withered in the abyss

ivan / mizi: oh my clematis

ivan / mizi: please stay by my side

ivan: my clematis / mizi: oh my clematis

alrightyyy so i decided to do this because i feel like it's the best way to see how mizisua and ivantill compare. these particular characters covered these songs for a reason, right?

just to mention, i find it very interesting how till thinks the speech is ridiculous. does he say that because it's ivan that's saying it? or does he genuinely think it's ridiculous. because these words were originally mizi's. would he still think it's ridiulous if mizi was the one saying them? hmmmmm

but anyways to conclude. most of mizi's lyrics are covered by ivan and most of sua's lyrics are covered by till showing that, at least for this song, mizi and ivan are more similar than sua and till are, and if you think about it, it makes sense.

mizi saw sua as her god ("my god, my universe") and i think from how ivan only allowed himself to touch or show his feelings for till when he wasn't looking/unconscious has that same feeling, that ivan saw till as a god who was unattainable, untouchable in all circumstances except for when till was unaware. much like when you pray to god, you don't necessarily get a response back, you pray and hope that god hears it.

i know that most people compare sua and ivan because they have similar appearances and they both sacrifice themselves for their loves but i don't think that's quite the case.

for one, mizi and sua sang together and mizi only won by one point. their round was on equal footing as they both sang, complying with the rules of the game. they both accepted their fates, i feel like both were prepared to die for the other but mizi was unaware that sua was planning to sacrifice herself to make sure that mizi won. whereas, ivan and till sang separately and till won by 19 points. ivan could not bare the thought of till dying and manipulated the score which till was completely unaware of, even thinking that ivan was going to kill him right until the moment where he opened his eyes (which is AHHHHH). ivan and sua are opposites here and mizi and till were both unaware what the other was planning.

and i can see why people compare mizi and till together (i mean i judt did it ksdjksjd). mizi and till both win due to the others' sacrifice but if you think about it, these songs are about being left behind, right? we haven't seen how till feels about ivan's sacrifice yet but we know that ivan feels unseen by till. like he's been left behind. and he quite literally was left behind by till when they tried to escape on that night with the meteor shower. mizi was left behind by sua because she died but ivan was left behind by till because he cared about someone else more.

and, i mean, mizi is the one who covers black sorrow, not sua. and black sorrow is a song about not being able to reach someone (ï can't reach you"), about standing next to someone who shines (ÿou who shine, i stand next to you" <- this also adds to the idea that ivan/mizi see the other as a god), about waiting for someone (ivan waiting for till to notice him and mizi waiting for sua to return to her). so are sua and ivan really that similar?

and i mean mizi dyes the ends of her hair blue, which is ivan's colour, not green (till's colour)...

anyway i'm rambling at this point but hopefully you can make sense of what i'm trying to get at lmao

(feel free to add your own thoughts!!)