#and for that you have my eternal gratitude

[inkformyblood]

a diplomatic incident, steeped (CWFKB25)

Forehead kiss, @codywanfirstkissbingo Canon Era

Cody’s expression doesn’t crack as Obi-Wan extends the invitation as he would hand over a live grenade; fingers firm against the hard plastoid edge, and with no small amount of trepidation. The image flickers through the bright pixels once more, a not inconsiderate amount of some Senator’s budget going into the plausible deniability of the wink of the figure plastered along one side. The rest is static, displaying a name, a date, a time, and a place.

”Sir?” Cody’s inflection is flat, the invitation held between two fingers. He raises it, watching Obi-Wan through the scattered pixels, his head tilting to the side a damning ten degrees. Lesser men have wept in the face of such a stare, Obi-Wan leans in closer. 

“It’s an invitation, my dear.”

Cody’s expression doesn’t move an inch, becoming somehow more unobtrusive through utter stillness, a judgement devastating enough to level a planet. He blinks once. 

Obi-Wan shifts forwards in his chair, braces his hands against Cody’s knees instead of his own. There’s scant space between the plates that extend over his calves and the plates on his thighs, barely three fingers wide, the fabric of Cody’s blacks stretched threadbare enough that Obi-Wan can follow the harsh edge of a scar up over the curve of Cody’s kneecap, moving up his thigh. He bumps his fingertips against the plastoid plate, tracing the edge of it. “It is a distasteful event but one we are mandated to sacrifice one of our number to every year. War or no war, someone attends and tries their best to not create a diplomatic incident.”

Another blink. The pixel image repeats the same staggered motion, every third repetition blurring into a damning wink. “And they are sending you, sir?” 

“Noted.” Obi-Wan blunts his grin with a laugh, noting the slight dilation of Cody’s pupils, dark against dark. This close, Cody’s breath catches on Obi-Wan’s skin, the tear in his lower lip that rips open anew as Obi-Wan’s grin widens. “And that, my Commander, leads me nicely to my request.”

Obi-Wan has tackled planet-wide negotiations with lower stakes than this. Cody’s eyebrow raises, his scar curving and indenting with the motion. He breathes out carefully, deliberately, his shoulders flattening. He doesn’t move away from Obi-Wan’s touch, Obi-Wan’s hands still braced on Cody’s thighs as they sit together, bracketed at the single desk in Obi-Wan’s room. It hadn’t been a deliberate choice, just a continuation of a decaying orbit that they are unable, unwilling to tear themselves out from. There’s empty space in Obi-Wan’s drawers where Cody’s blacks sit neatly folded, a deliberate gap next to his door that didn’t look complete until an armour stand filled it, and when he slows his steps walking the corridor of a ship that is, somehow, his, Cody’s footsteps layering over top in the spaces Obi-Wan has spent a lifetime listening to. 

“Come with me?” Obi-Wan murmurs. His nose bumps against Cody’s, the gentle huff of his breath leaning closer to fond as his eyes soften. Between them both, the invitation flickers, a blur of variegated black and gold, a damning wink. Obi-Wan’s fingers twitch against Cody’s thighs, bringing them a matter of heartbeats closer. 

Cody closes his eyes, his lashes a dark sweep against his cheek. “If I go, sir—”

“My eternal gratitude and love,” Obi-Wan answers immediately. “Although, you already have both.”

“I know, sir.” Cody opens his eyes, his gaze catching on Obi-Wan immediately, no foggy confusion or hesitation. “I’d like to wear a suit.”

Obi-Wan smiles, wide, blood beading on his lip. “Of course. I’ll ensure I match you well.”

“You will,” Cody says like it’s that simple and when he says it, Obi-Wan knows it to be true.

Obi-Wan tips his face upwards, pressing a kiss to Cody’s forehead, the furrow between his brow. Cody’s hands brush over the spaces between Obi-Wan’s knuckles, circling the jut of bone and tendon with the same aching devotion he tends to his own armour, his blaster. When Obi-Wan retreats, there’s a smear of blood across Cody’s brow, copper on Obi-Wan’s tongue, and it suits them both down to the cracked and splintered core. 

[hartwinorlose]

first of all i will actually never be over daniel saying he will get on his knees and then armand bringing him right to them, so jot that down

[sluttyhenley]

And he goes straight to Victory Lane.

DAYS OF THUNDER (1990) dir. Tony Scott

[jovenshires]

the right side of my neck (6.17.23)

happy one year, spommy nation <3

[wisteriaphyte]

we're long gone, in that eternal flame

[doink-boink]

I love Aviva so much you do NOT UNDERSTAND!!! She's so silly dude!!

[croftersforlife]

Wanderlust: Rosebud, you love me right?

Jack Rose: Normally, I would say yes without hesitation, but I have a feeling this is going somewhere I won’t like

[luna-loveboop]

I like how Jojo said they can have one (1) eye with colour

[revenantghost]

Please, I beg, does anyone have that post about the nuances of the translation of some of Vash and Wolfwood's final lines on the couch and how they call back to some of their earlier moments in the manga? Help???

[fabaceous]

a fucked up shaunanigan cant be shauna doing something that has actual intelligible reasoning behind it. beating up lottie was not a shaunanigan because it was an understandable (if incredibly violent) expression of grief and anger. eating the ear WAS a shaunanigan because what the fuck? like a shaunanigan has to have an element of “hahah im so randommm teehee :3” and it has to originate from some ridiculously repressed part of her or else its not a shaunanigan its just like. a thing she does.

[scenegraph]

“I promise I’m going to find a better way to remember you than this, okay? Something I can do to make the world a little better, the way you did.”

[vinelark]

survived a Meeting on a Friday so i’m diving back into my inbox to give more recs soon 🫡

[punkrockisafulltimejob]

For those who are unsure of whether or not they really have the "sensitivity to cold" symptom of fibromyalgia, because you think that it's just you not being able to handle colder temperatures like other people, that's one way of putting it. The other way is, when it's winter and the temperatures start dropping, do you feel your pain more intensely? Do you feel like you have more problems with your joints? Is your partner always commenting how cold your fingers and toes are, but it somehow gets more frequent in winter? Those are other ways to consider being sensitive to the cold.

[glorfindel-of-imladris]

You mentioned ballads as inspiration. Do you know Heather Dale? She has so many great ballads!

I love 'As I am' for example.

'The Trial of Lancelot' says so much as well..

There is 'I follow my king' or 'The Old Duke' (such good songs!)

She has one song about Tristan and Isolt that often leaves me in tears..

If you don't already know Heather Dale, I hope you enjoy 😊

Hello! Thank you so much for these recs. I haven't heard of her actually, but I have looked for the songs in the list and they are lovely. I did have a period in my life when I really enjoyed listening to music like this, so this brings back wonderful memories. 🥰

Honestly though, when I said my works were inspired by ballads, I meant really cheesy Asian love ballads! 🙈 But! Please hear me out! Asian ballads have a precious place in my heart because—okay, because I'm Asian, yes—but also for me, they reach a level of emotion that I never seem to get from Western English songs. I'm aware it could be cultural, but I also think it's because Asian languages in general are not straightforward and so they have a unique way of phrasing emotions, which also affects the style of melody (e.g., notes sustained longer, high emotion in chorus). It's truly an experience. I know the styles are very different from what you shared, but in case you're interested in what they're like, here are some examples (all with English lyrics translations):

Love You With All My Heart - Crush (Korean, my latest love and the song to which Helcaraxe!Glorfindel was drawn 😆)

Kilometer Zero - Ian Pangilinan (Filipino)

The Pain You Never Knew - Joker Xue (Mandarin)

Moratorium - Omoinotake (Japanese)

Love in the Ice - DBSK (Japanese, but by a Korean band - the Japanese version just hits different for me)

Why Don't You Stay - Jeff Satur (Thai)

214 - Rivermaya (English! But by a 90's Filipino band, so still cheesy and heartfelt in that very Asian way 🥹)

[sexynetra]

Which of you bitches can do art I wanna pay you to draw Plazzy at the finale like please take my money I need her on my wall of stunning divalicious divas 😭

[bluebudgie]

So... what's up with these two?

(I love recycling old pictures.png)

You may or may not have seen me draw these rats repeatedly and you may or may not care what's up with them.

Well, in case you do... buckle up, we'll be here for a while.

Just in case: very vague ableism mention. I'm cutting down on pretty much all details, but just so you know the general topic comes up at some point. Don't want to make anyone uncomfortable.

Unrelated disclaimer: words are difficult.

It's probably smart to start with a general character introduction so you get an idea of who you're dealing with.

So, Petthri.

(Shared most of this stuff about him before, now it's gathered in one place at least.)

The outgoing guy, grew up in a supportive family, always been the popular kid among peers, and later a pretty popular professor with his students (less so with some other colleagues, but hey). Very passionate about animal bioacoustics. Very hands-on when it comes to research and teaching. Infodumps a lot.

He's got his heart in the right place, but he's obviously not flawless. Has his thoughts constantly drifting in twelve different directions at once, can definitely not read the room, and has absolutely said and done things that hurt others just because he didn't think (and probably never realized). Likely to nervously laugh his way through most dangerous situations, but does manage to pull himself together and get things done if things turn really bad.

He got – at some point (precise date TBA, sometime around PoF events) – kidnapped by the Inquest because they wanted some of his research but didn't manage to sort through his mess. So they just took the entire man to the CoE and decided to keep him. Niche knowledge could always be useful after all. They were even kind enough to gift him an additional facial scar during the welcome interrogation! (The other one was a field trip accident). True hospitality.

Not sure if it's incredible optimism or naivety, but he's generally been doing alright during this whole prisoner situation. He's not locked up, they let him work on things he actually cares about (albeit not for the right cause), and overall he's had enough hope to believe he'll get out of there one day. Make the best out of the present, it'll be fine somehow.

I'm sure if you were to dig deep enough he'd find out he's actually less alright than he thinks he is. Oh well.

Let's talk about the other guy. Lahpp.

Me. I created you. (I've said barely anything about this man on here so far bc while I could fill the 20k essay with him alone, writing about him intimidates me lol. Also in case you're ever asking yourself this, no I did not realize his name sounds like 'lab' until weeks after I created him. Unfortunate coincidence. So, anyway...)

Obedient Inquest scientist, questions but doesn't oppose orders, has been doing the same work for the better part of the last two decades. Day in, day out, getting up early and staying up late. Somewhere in the middle of the pyramid scheme, he's definitely got a bunch of heads above him but he's nowhere near the bottom end of the chain. Got his own little lab space. Enjoys music theory in the little free time he allocates. Assertive, lets people know when not to bother him, but very polite nonetheless. Has mastered the art of superficial small talk. The guy who holds open doors and pulls your chair back for you with an acted but convincing smile. Truly employee of the month material.

He's never known anything but this perfectly ordered working drone life so he's fairly content with his current position.

....

Yeeaah you guessed there's more below the surface.

So this man's life started with being the subject of a failed genetic dragon magic experiment, first one in a handful of infants that actually lived, but ultimately he got nothing out of it but a fair share of various health conditions and disabilities. The initial project was dropped after a few years of surveillance with no results, and instead he got handed over to one of the medical departments so they could "at least make use of him" and test some cutting-edge medical tech. No wasting ressources, am I right? (:

Fastforward some years, a miserable childhood full of abuse and ableism (and by extension just as much of it internalized) essentially left him with the obsession of wanting to fit in with everyone else, wanting to be like everyone else, never having anyone find out anything about his conditions and his past. Worked his ass off in college so it wouldn't be apparent he struggled when others didn't. Created a work environment for himself that he knew would be accommodating to him while not raising any possible questions.

He's been doing fine for some time now; while he definitely hasn't gotten rid of his insecurities he has somewhat accepted that he just... is who he is. Some days are worse and some days are better. His brain has done a very thorough job suppressing pretty much all his early childhood memories. He has also convinced himself that being a perfectly exploitable asset to the corporation that abused him for years is definitely the right way to stick it to the system. They said he'd never be useful for anything and die an early death? Ha, showed 'em! (I am saying this with a lot of sarcasm. He is genuine.)

He's definitely a product of the environment he grew up in, which is a shame because if he hadn't been indoctrinated by the Inquest since birth he would have probably turned out a pretty decent person. He doesn't have the absolute worst inner moral compass. Alas, as it is he has contributed to [some fucked up things] and has [some fucked up views]. And he's not about to change that.

So... at what point do the stories of these two actually connect?

Petthri and Lahpp first met within a larger group of mostly scientists from mixed divisions that were sent on a trip to Rata Primus.

I won't go into the full details of The Rata Primus Odyssey now because that is a whole different story arc involving a total of six of my characters, but the relevant information is that they arrived in the wrong place at the wrong time (A Bug In The System says hello!), and got trapped in the main complex together (alongside Phlish and my charr engineer Leto) when Awakened shit hit the fan.

In short, the following escape mission lasted way too long, and made for an incredibly exhausting 0/10 experience for everyone involved. Cooperation between our two relevant asura actually went surprisingly smooth for the most part, at least way better than with the rest of the small group.

(Bringing that old edit back. Two criminals actually getting shit done in the back while the others are about to snap each other's head off.)

I did once offhandedly mention that Lahpp held Petthri at gunpoint exactly one time – that was here. He was not going to risk getting onto HQ's watch list for letting a prisoner slip away while he's even remotely involved.

Ultimately exhaustion and having no access to important medication for a prolonged amount of time got the better end of Lahpp, and while the other two would have probably just left the "dead weight" behind, Petthri made sure he made it out with them. Not a great time for the little Inquest criminal, both physically and mentally given his inclination for secrecy regarding certain topics.

A few days after they returned to the CoE Petthri checked up on Lahpp to make sure he's recovering, but afterwards... radio silence from both sides for the next few years.

–

Fastforward, it's now Cantha time!

If Lahpp had a piece of gold for everytime HQ sent him away on a "business trip" that'll end up nearly killing him, and likewise Petthri had one for everytime he'd be witness to that, they'd both have... two pieces of gold, which isn't much, but it's still weird it happened twice.

Once again as part of a larger group, our criminals find themselves in New Kaineng City. And because I am a mere human being that is not above resorting to overused tropes, they do of course end up having to share the same room for the time of their stay. I never claimed to be a mastermind storywriter.

At least this time the trip starts out fairly unspectacular, with mostly guided group tours through the city and its labs. Lahpp is not feeling too great (understatement) during all of this for reasons he can't quite grasp, but he's got a really bad gut feeling. Petthri actually notices he's lingering a lot and falling behind, so he suggests they split off from the rest of the group and go back to their room early. Get some rest, the journey to Cantha was long after all.

The next days are pretty calm, the Inquest is snooping around while our two heroes actually have some time to talk and get to know each other a little more. Petthri finally gets to tell someone his whole 'and this is how I was kidnapped!' story. Petthri's questions are getting a little too personal for Lahpp's taste, but overall they get along alright. It's almost like two people that have been way too lonely for several years are actually finding a bit of comfort for a moment. (Side note: Petthri warms up to people very quickly, and he might be (without realizing it) getting a little too comfortable with the idea of having found someone "redeemable".)

Now wouldn't it be great if a nearby reactor blew up and an elder dragon escaped?

The event itself isn't really affecting them (yet) but I do think Lahpp must be questioning the Eternal Alchemy at this point. Thaumanova. Multiple near-meltdowns in the Crucible. Rata Primus. Now this. Seriously, at some point it's just ridiculous.

With each new information surfacing, the "bad gut feeling" is slowly but surely turning into mild but continuous panic. Something is off and it clearly has something to do with dragons. Now, Lahpp never really cared about the whole elder dragon business. Whatever sort of magic experiment he was used for, it's the outcome that affected his life, not the source of it. Still, the thoughts are starting to occupy his mind more than he'd like to admit. Petthri is entirely unaware of any of this.

Oh wait – what's this? A new unknown form of raw magic rapidly spreading and threatening to destroy Tyria? Obviously this is something to be investigated, so the larger group coordinates an excursion to Dragon's End. And obviously they end up getting into the battle for the jade sea.

I guess at this point you see where my art is coming from.

Petthri and Lahpp never get to fight Soo-Won herself (no canon meta participation alas), but they are busy enough fending off Void creatures on ground level anyway. It's unclear (to me) if or how much the Void actually affects Lahpp on a physical level, but regardless he is not having the best time being confronted with something that is so unknown to him and yet so closely connected to his very being.

Some resurfacing traumatic memories combined with a not-so-pretty panic attack (and the physical stress of fighting) later, it's poor Petthri's task to once again take a blacked out criminal to safety. Meanwhile he's got absolutely no idea what is going on, but he's definitely going to demand some explanations.

For some days after this Petthri's playing bedside vigil in a New Kaineng medical facility. The two have a lot of time to talk. Personal topics. Uncomfortable topics. Lahpp does tell Petthri to go back to Rata Sum, he's beyond caring at this point. Quite frankly he thinks HQ won't care either. Petthri refuses to leave just like that. Asks Lahpp to come with him, he'll be better off away from the Inquest. Obviously Lahpp is not having any of it, he's very well aware the Inquest is as corrupt as it gets, but so is Rata Sum. That's just how the world functions. The Inquest has the meds and tech he needs to survive. He's not leaving. And he certainly doesn't need anyone acting self-sacrificial out of pity. It's degrading.

He tells Petthri to sleep on it and make up his mind the next day.

–

Aaand that is pretty much where the somewhat coherently planned part of my current rat-timeline ends. A glimpse into vague concepts for the future:

Enter a third character to the roster! It's Luqqah, Inquest medic-turned-biochemist. She happened to be in Cantha for a while now, doing her own research. She gets involved treating the injured after the whole Void mess. Naturally she ends up finding Petthri and Lahpp. Lucky for the latter, because she obviously has better knowledge dealing with asura than any of the human medics. And... in fact... she has pretty detailed knowledge about what's up with Lahpp specifically. Dealt with his medical papers in the past. Oh, also... they're exes. Don't worry, parted on good terms. Haven't seen each other since shortly after the Thaumanova meltdown. What a reunion.

So... yeah. It's gonna be trio time from now on. I don't know yet for how long the three of them stay in Cantha, or if they're going to get involved with the whole Gyala Delve storyline (or whatever comes out of it). Lahpp's not doing great, he'll need a while recovering. If he ever fully recovers. Petthri has a few of his own inner demons to fight. Time will tell.

As a conclusion... Petthri's saviour complex sets him on a good path towards a corruption arc while Lahpp's as close to a redemption arc as he'll get. They're both questioning their life and views a lot. Spoiler from the Omniscient Narrator: Both of them will be back in the Crucible. But with more thoughts to think than before. And more time to spend together.

And that's what's currently up with the rats.