#and it’s not like they’re necessary changes as in ‚it doesn’t work otherwise‘

[stage-ninja]

We‘re once again getting a bunch of last minute changes and additions for the crew. Tech rehearsals are over, the first dress rehearsal is tomorrow. We just had a lengthy talk last production about how much that sucks for crew. At this point it’s just disrespect and willful ignorance.

[race-to-spac3]

Steb x Avian! Reader

Headcanons for an Avian! Reader (technically Vastaya? idk)

Content: Gn Reader, Reader’s an enforcer, like 2 really lazy bird puns if you squint, 

Pre-relationship:

From grand wings wide and long, to tiny ones that fold neatly against your back– clothes compatible with them are far and few in between– much less the standardized uniform of the enforcers.

The time and effort it took to get a special request to custom tailor your shirt and jacket wasn’t worth the trouble, moreso considering being an enforcer wasn’t exactly something you cared too much about. 

Though you had to admit it was a decent enough job so you decided to stick with it anyways, and luckily you did, otherwise you wouldn’t have met your favorite person.

You hardly fight the way your feather-tipped ears would perk up at the sight of him, not bothering to hide the toothy grin that overcomes your face as you bound over to greet him at the beginning of your shared patrols.

Since you didn't particularly put too much care in your stance as an enforcer, you tended to get into mischief often, and to your surprise– Steb was too– though you still don't get the sentiment considering his poise and respectability.

Something you two quickly find to appreciate about the other is yalls ability to turn your professionalism on and off like a switch, escaping the trouble of getting caught because of it. You two are quite the pair of clever rascals, your sly tricks flying over the heads of those none the wiser.

The bird and the fish, the sea and sky.

Whether your wings are colorful and intricate or monotone and basic doesn’t change how Steb will take any chance to get a good look at your feathers. His studying gaze matches your own that trails the streaks of dark cyan along his face.

While you weren’t exactly trained in any medical work, you proved to be perfect when needing a steady hand, well articulated and precise from having to learn how to navigate your sharp talons carefully. 

So anytime he needs a second pair of hands, you’re the first person he asks. An honorary assistant, you like to jokingly call yourself, though he makes no effort to comment otherwise.

Sometimes when you’re on break and sitting next to each other you’ll splay your wings in a stretch, purposely flitting a few feathers to mess with his hair on the chance that his helmet is off.

He’ll scrunch his nose and flick your feathers out of the way in an equally playful manner.

While standing guard at a post, the moment it starts raining you’ll wordlessly unfurl your wing and use it as an umbrella for him, he’ll try to deny or stop you but you ignore him with persistence.

In an established relationship:

Mornings you have off are necessary lazy times.

Steb doesn’t have to admit how much he adores these times with you, you can tell by the way he’ll soothingly slide his nails across the keratin shaft of each feather, smoothing out all your plumage with such a gentleness it makes your heart soar.

Steb is oftentimes a busy man, preferring schedules and management to handle his daily life with the sole exception being you of course. Even when his attention is drawn elsewhere, he’ll notice that your wings have been a little neglected lately (not to say that they’re shabby no– far from it, it’s just that he has the eyes of a hawk)

Then when you least expect it,  also being caught up in work, he'll pull you away from the stress, making you sit down at the edge of your bed and rest when you’re finally home, not letting you delve back into paperwork or the likes. ”Doctors orders” Steb signs, giving you his signature look that makes you slump in your place, half-heartedly defeated as you watch him settle beside you.

Steb opens his arms out invitingly, letting you tug him down and drape yourself across him. making sure you’re as comfortable as possible before he adjusts himself to be propped up against a pillow, giving him a clear view of your wings before he gets to work.

He’ll preen your wings with such tenderness, even if you insist that he doesn’t have to, Steb will shut you up with a series of light kisses, making you relent to his care.

A/N: throws this and runs away– 

Very short I know, but I just wanted to get something out there cause I been neglecting my writing already 

[makingspiritualityreal]

Saturn's Exaltation and Debilitation

Saturn works well in Libra, Capricorn and Aquarius because in these signs it fights for injustice in ways that are objectively right.

Saturn debilitates in Aries and doesn’t perform well in Mars signs, because Mars is a sign of subjectively fighting for personal conviction and defending one’s boundaries from others. Ironically enough, even Mars exalts in Capricorn, so even personal conviction when it comes to self protection should be tempered with objectivity.

The person with Saturn in Mars signs is gonna fight for injustice based on lack of proportion coming from biased personal motivations and may be completely off the mark and lack bigger perspective in understanding their own troubles. They are unnecessarily defensive and stressful to their environment. They may not understand what is generally right, they operate based on what they personally believe is right and they think their personal feelings represent the bigger truth of the universe, while in fact it’s their very biased conviction.

People with Saturn in productive signs have a better place fighting for necessary changes because they have a good, well measured cause and so their efforts will always benefit the humanity collective, because everyone on the planet benefits from even one person doing the objectively right thing, even if it’s linked to someone’s personal life. Meanwhile, if weak Saturn does the right thing just for oneself, one is not very useful to the world in general and thus their long term contributions are weaker and they will even hurt people unfairly stumbling on the way.

In truth, people with Saturn tainted by Mars have an internalized sense of shame regarding the defense of their personal conviction and their right to it, which, just like with Sun afflicting Saturn, can come from an authority figure in their youth. So they yell at everyone around them louder than necessary, even if no one around them actually cares to attack them, simply because they feel attacked internally due to past traumas and they completely lack the objective perspective to be able to see that.

Saturn is friends with Venus and exalts in Venus’ sign, because a working Saturn is a good psychologist, able to accurately discern other people’s motivations. As a result, a good Saturn takes things less personally because it realizes that people actually don’t care that much about other people, as everyone is preoccupied with their own survival. A strong Saturn simply puts up an impenetrable wall based on what they know to be objectively right, a boundary people can’t cross and acts accordingly if someone tries to breach that wall, but is unbothered otherwise.

Saturn tainted by Mars is instead convinced everyone is out to get them, because they internally believe that everyone wants to attack them for their personal beliefs. As a result they lash out easily and antagonize people when triggered, because they’re unable to keep their cool. They also lack social grace, because they can’t solve conflict productively and they add extra tension to any problematic situation due to their temper. That makes them unpleasant to be around, because in an already tense situation tension should be diffused so that people feel less burdened emotionally and can look for easiest, most productive solutions. Anger in a Mars-Saturn person obscures their clarity and makes their environment more inflamed, like pouring gasoline on an already existing fire instead of putting it out.

The only path for a person with Saturn afflicted by Mars is to become aware of their complexes and defensiveness. They need to internally validate their personal beliefs and learn to put up a wall when it comes to them, not to try to convince anyone but simply to give themselves the right to live the life they want to live. They should become aware of these beliefs and simply live by them independently regardless of anyone’s opinion. They need to realize it’s objectively correct for them to be able to have these beliefs, because after all their life is theirs and not anybody else’s, so they should live it the way they want to.

As a result, their general productivity to the world will always be decreased because this person’s individual karma is about getting into balance with themselves so that they don’t end up constantly upsetting their environment. There are no valid objective external causes they can contribute to, because their karma in this life is about healing deeply individualistic wounds of personal bias. At best, they can be good at motivating people to stand up for themselves, but they will only give that advice coming from a very personal place that relates to their own experience. Of course, one can argue that their own personality and experience is a result of a long lasting line of their own ancestry as well so their very existence is fixing some latent karmas, but the physical productivity imprint will still be decreased as their emotional complexities take such a toll.

The karma of a strong Saturn instead has the power to right wrongs down to their ancestral line and manifest to have physical, societal impact during their own time on Earth, because they have the power to correct long lasting wrongs in the environment around them, which often originate from a long time before the Saturn native even arrived into this world.

[annie-creates]

Beautiful I know

Pairing: Lady Lesso x reader

Genre: angst to fluff

Words: 1100

Note: Another spring fic is here, I hope you enjoy this one. We have had a tough couple of weeks but I hope we can get back on track.

The air got fresher, early flowers started blooming and the days were sunnier and warmer. Everything around you implied the spring was here. Even the ever students got overly excited for the longer and warmer days, and nevers were willing to spend more time outside than absolutely necessary. It made teaching both of them the slightest bit more pleasant.

What didn’t make your classes easier however was the upcoming Spring ball. A tradition your school kept from before the merging, now both faculties equally accepted and invited. The buzz of your students chippering about the dress and shoes they’re going to wear and the date they’re going to invite was louder than the bees in the gardens.

You couldn’t blame them, you’d too get excited for the opportunity to dress up and dance. But your girlfriend wasn’t a big fan of such festivities, preferring the dark and coldness of her chambers and loneliness of her own company. You knew bothering her with it would not bring much more success, yet you were hopeful for her to change her mind about not going.

“Hey babe?” You question once you enter the office you so often shared.

“Yea?” Leonora reacts, not raising her head from the papers she’s currently grading.

“I know you said you aren’t really a ball type of person, but Dovey got the fancy chocolate fountain out…” You try to bribe her.

“I thought I already told you clear enough I’m not going.” She turns to you with a heavy sign, her arms folded over her chest and brows scrunched.

“Well… yes… but I thought you’d like to come with me…” You specify as if your presence should be her reward.

“I wouldn’t go with you even if you were the queen of Sheba.” She levels you annoyed.

“Oh… I’m sorry.” That stung a lot, pinching your heart in a twist. “I thought you would have done it for me.”

Lesso watched your hunched form leave her office, happy to finally have a bit of peace. Yet even after she did all her work, she couldn’t stop thinking about what you said. Did she not do enough for you? Why were you so needy all the time? It’s not her job to entertain you every hour of each day. If she doesn’t want to go to some stupid dance, she won’t go.

But the pointed look Dovey was giving her all throughout dinner seemed to say otherwise. You didn’t join them tonight, leaving many of the teachers wondering why the bubbly and talkative you didn’t show up. Even when she never wanted to admit it, it made her feel the slightest bit worse. Maybe she was really unnecessarily tough with you.

“Do you mind telling what your fuckin problem is?” Dovey cornered her right after dinner.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Lesso retorted, dissatisfied with her tone.

“Oh please! Every time something’s bothering Y/n, it’s got to do with you.” Clarissa accused her.

“Oh god, why is she so needy?! I just don’t want to go to your stupid dance. Can’t she grow up and let it go?” Leonora argued.

“When was the last time you took her to any dance?” Dovey opposed.

“I… what?” In the heat of the argument Lesso got derailed.

“Actually, when was the last time you took her anywhere?” Clarissa stands her ground, waiting patiently for her answer.

“I… I did… I mean, we went to that place… like a couple months ago..?” Leonora backs down, confused herself.

“Lesso, you need to stop expecting her to invest all into the relationship where you put in nothing. Would it hurt you to give her some of your time every now and then?” Dovey lectures her.

“But I… why does it have to be that stupid dance?! Can’t we just go catch some frogs or something?” Lesso objects.

“Do you think she likes hanging by the stinky pond? Or that she enjoys tormenting the evening fireflies?” Clarissa raises an eyebrow.

“Uh, yes?” Leonora states matter of factly. “Why else would she do it?”

“No, she doesn’t!” sometimes Dovey contemplated if your girlfriend even knew anything about you. “She does it because you like it. She does whatever you enjoy to spend time with you. I’d say it’s only polite to do the same for her.”

Giving Leonora enough to think about Dovey leaves her to her own thoughts. Maybe she really wasn’t good enough girlfriend, spending the time she had left with you after the work hours doing only what she wanted and never asking what you would enjoy. She despised school dances, hated all the balls and fancy parties, but maybe she could bite herself and go just for you.

During the next week you don’t bring the ball up again, and it seems you finally came to terms with the fact you’ll be attending alone. But your excited chatter is shorter and less happy than usually, you don’t mention all the preparations to anyone anymore and you spend most of your free time alone in your room. That’s why you’re so confused when at the afternoon of the ball, a flower corsage finds itself on your bed.

You didn’t know who sent it, the only person you’d accept one from was adamant about not going to the ball. But it somehow complemented all the colors of your flowery dress, so you decided to try it on, just to see how you’d look. Just as you’re about to take it off and leave, a knock is heard from your door, which confuses you even more. As you open it, you find your girlfriend in a fitting white suit with her hair pulled back.

„Wow, you look…“ You whisper in awe.

„Beautiful, I know. Can we go now?“ Lesso cuts you off in faked annoyance.

“But… I though you aren’t going..?” You question her confused.

“Well I changed my mind.” She almost bites but then continues much more nicely. “I realized you deserve to be taken out to where you want.”

“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to…” You didn’t want to pressure her into doing things she didn’t want to.

“No, I want to go! We weren’t doing much of that lately.” She admits offering you her arm.

You link your arms together passing to the ball room. Your arrival turns heads but neither of you really cares. As you’re beaming with a smile, she realizes she loves the neediness and wonderment you have for her. She wouldn’t want to live in a world where you didn’t need her.

[aria-greenhoodie]

Hey guys did you know I have a gravity falls oc. They’re definitely not wish fulfillment self insert material don’t worry about it. Don’t even worry about it, man.

Click for Quality! Silly backstory stuff below the cut ↓

- They’re a little cartoon creature from a pocket universe! They’re an immortal creature like Bill, but way less powerful.

- They actually used to work at the theraprism, but went crazy and had a mid-immortality crisis leading to a manic crime-spree. During this turbulent time, they also developed their love for “projects.”

- A “project” to them is basically becoming obsessed with a person they find interesting and getting closer to them by any means necessary in order to study them like a bug. This isn’t romantic, and it isn’t even friendship, but instead a secret third evil thing.

- When they have a project going on, they’ll devote most of their time and energy to the person(s) involved, and they typically seem very content while doing so. Once a project stops interesting them, or if a project is cut short by outside forces (death if the person, sudden change of heart from the person, being caught and dragged to the theraprism, etc) they become restless, easily irritated, and sometimes mildly violent. Their little projects are basically the only thing that keeps them sane.

- Doesn’t really do “friends.” Used to, but it always ended poorly. Prefers their projects; if they loose interest, they can just leave!

- Had a mentor-apprentice type relationship with the Axolotl before their mental decline. Is now VERY conflicted about him; doesn’t like the disappointment in his eyes when he looks at them.

- Was Bill’s Roommate for a time. Was absolutely FASCINATED by Bill’s fucked up mentality. Instantly became one of their favorite projects.

- Bill HATED them like crazy. They would not stop talking to them and had an uncanny ability to make him open up about things he did NOT want to open up about.

- Lost access to Bill after the TBOB incident, since he was moved to solitary confinement.

- Did not take the sudden cancellation of their project well. Ended up breaking out of the Theraprism shortly after.

- Ended up in Gravity Falls by sheer coincidence. Immediately took a liking to the place for its weirdness (felt at home).

- Met the Pines family and became ENRAPTURED with Stanley. Started off just seeing him as a project, but eventually came to view him as something closer to a friend (or perhaps more :3).

- Mabel and them are BESTIES. Mabel loves to treat them like a little dress up doll and they love to model all of Mabel’s mini fashion creations. They also respect her chaos.

- Has a huge respect for Dipper’s curiosity. Has gladly acted as a test subject for him so he can be like Ford and research weird creatures.

- Ford does NOT trust their ass. They eventually form an (somewhat uneasy but otherwise amicable) alliance as time goes on, but Ford never fully bonds with them. He’s been burned by a chaotic multi-dimensional immortal criminal before, he doesn’t want to do that again. Curly gets it. They heard how Bill treated him from Bill’s own mouth (eye?) and have no plans to play copy-cat.

- Stan didn’t like them at first. They reminded him too much of Bill, and acted far too chummy with him specifically far too fast.

- Eventually the two grew closer, realized they had a lot in common (both criminals familiar with the grift, both have a tiny bit of a flair for showmanship, both have similar senses of humor, etc.) and became friendlier.

- The Axolotl knows where they are and is monitoring them closely. They don’t know he’s doing this. He plans to keep it that way.

[eloquent-edits]

Hello!!!!

I'm writing a rivals to lovers office AU and am in need of some inspiration. Can you please do a list of office AU prompts? I don't mind if they get suggestive.

Absolutely! (Also thank you for being the first person to request prompts :3)

Character A and character B have issues with their work computers at the same time, and the poor IT guy has to deal with their bickering while fixing the computers

The printer is constantly breaking and A can’t help but snidely remark on B’s struggle every time it happens

B critiques A’s work whenever they get the chance, claiming A needs to do better if they want to get up to B’s level (the criticism is actually kind of helpful, just poorly worded)

B’s desk is across from A’s, leading to stare-downs when the other seems to be slacking on work and eyebrow raises when personal calls are taken

A leaves anonymous sticky notes on B’s desk about office drama, rumors, and random news stories to see what sort of conversations B likes (B usually looks at these with confusion, throwing them away buT THEY KEEP SHOWING UP WHY)

In the company project group chat, A and B don’t acknowledge each other outside of emoji reactions unless it is necessary

They are forced to work together on a major project with much longer hours than they expected, leading to sleep deprived A actually being nice to B in the mornings (they share a quiet moment at the coffee machine)

B’s ex comes into the office as another company’s assistant, and A can’t help but be concerned at the grimace and pain in B’s eyes

A starts using the printer incidents to ask about B’s history and get to know them better

A celebration at work includes a happy hour, so B dresses up just a little more than usual and A cannot stop staring

B notices A is lingering around their desk more and teases them about wanting to take their spot (A definitely wants to take them in a fight right?)

A’s car won’t start in the parking lot, so B offers to jump it… it’s the first time seeing B less professional (let’s get those sleeves rolled up and a couple buttons loosened from the button-down)

The AC breaks while only a couple people are in office, meaning it’s up to A and B to try and fix it while waiting on maintenance, leading to B on a ladder and A most definitely trying to not stare at their butt

C, an older friend at the office, retires and throws a massive party where A and B get a little too drunk, and B accidentally compliments A instead of criticizing them (A doesn’t know how to process it and B refuses to acknowledge this ever happened)

After A openly disagrees with one of B’s ideas, B confronts them privately, getting a little too close as A is stubborn and standing firm (give me that tension you can cut with a knife, give me that turn away because otherwise one of them will do something they regret)

B finds A asleep at their desk one morning and can’t decide whether to wake them up for the meeting or to let them sleep longer because this is definitely not normal for A

Turns out A worked their ass off to get a major promotion, one that B was eyeing for a while, which makes B jealous and get a little snappy

A is shifted to another area of the office and an annoying coworker, C, takes over the old spot. B finds the change welcoming and unsettling (“They’re not here to bother me anymore…” “That’s a good thing!” “… Yes. I suppose you’re right.”)

B is called into A’s office to discuss another coworkers’ weird behavior, which gives A the opportunity to call B out on their behavior around A

“It’s like on day one of me working here, you put a note in your calendar that said to torment me whenever you could.”

“You’ve gone from criticizing everything I do to actually being somewhat nice and helpful and then right back to being an absolute prick! I don’t understand it at all. What changed? You still seem to hate me, so why be so kind? Why?”

B doesn’t respond with words, just by slowly reaching out to touch A’s hand and swiftly pulling them into a kiss (ideally B would explain more later but that’s up to you hehe)

[littleplantfreak]

Word Count: 847

Suo x Reader (drabble ig?)

I wanted to write something with fallen angel suo and originally I was gonna make him mean but for some reason I can never do him dirty T-T I didn’t check it for errors so ✌️

Cws: Blood, maybe implied corruption? idk

Every time you meet Suo, he plucks a feather from your wings. He laughs as you pout, grumbling that you should do the same to him and he agrees, inching them closer to you. You never do grab one, nor do you ask why he does it.

 Are angels supposed to meet with fallen angels? Of course not, but if nothing else, you wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. He doesn’t tell you why he fell, or what happened to make him cover his eye with a patch. The answer is nebulous and changes by the day, but that’s also part of the charm isn’t it? It’s part of the allure that led to you meeting with him every week, sitting under a heavy canopy of trees or slipping into a dimly lit cave a trail of flower petals led you to. 

He’s a pinprick of red, crimson in your otherwise white, colorless life of working to watch over people who can’t see you. A thankless task, but necessary. Your way of living has been ingrained in you time and time again like water eroding mountains to follow a path out to sea, so by now the words come automatically.

“I don’t need to be thanked, Suo. I was made for this.” It’s an assurance you make time and time again, even if you sigh sometimes when you think about the monotony of it all. 

Help, bless, pray and repeat. 

Suo recently showed you laundromats, and the way the washing machine spins the water and soapy clothes in circles is how your job has started to feel. The trance you fall into as it spins is the very trance you slip into easily completing your assigned tasks. 

“I think it’s natural to want to be thanked for your work.” His words eat at you sometimes, because you can tell they’re sincere. Regardless of his status, of what he is, and how he’s fallen, you can tell with certainty he believes it. You would say that, is what you want to say back, but he doesn’t deserve cruel words when he’s been nothing but kind.

No one’s questioned your absences, or your missing feathers. Both are sparse in the grand scheme of things and if anyone has noticed or made note, it’s been filed away as a transgression so minor you feel like screaming. 

Why doesn’t that matter? Why shouldn’t someone be concerned? Why do they look at you funny if you even so much as think to ask a question that goes against what you’ve been taught? The word ‘why’ is small but stark. It stands out in your mind like the small dots of blood that replace the feathers Suo plucks from you over and over. The empty spaces have started to fill, but by the time you realize what’s happened, your wings have splatters of black against what was once a pristine white canvas. 

You paint over them every morning one by one trying to bury the evidence, but you can feel the difference in how you think and see the world. When it comes time to meet Suo again, you can tell he sees through the effort you’ve put in to make yourself seem normal. Whatever normal was is not your normal now, but when he places his own black feather in your hand, you realize it’s just as soft as your own. It weighs the same, probably even has the same chemical makeup if you tested it in a lab, but the color is growing on you the more you look at it. Maybe this normal is better. 

For now though, you bring the feather with you, shoving yourself back into the wash cycle. It can’t be much longer before someone starts to notice, but by the time they do, you’re sure it will be too late, and you’ll be long gone. It seems silly now to say an angel has fallen when they keep their wings, you think. 

Suo hears that comment from you himself too, smiling as if he knows a secret. Would you believe him if he told you the truth? That the black feathered wings usually only grow back after their old ones have been torn from their backs, blood flowing and staining skin and lost plumage like a waterfall?

The first day he saw you he could tell right away what your course was meant to be. The look in your eyes was the same as his right before he was grounded and left flightless in a heap, not a hand to help him up in sight. 

It’s good that he found a way around that. A way to save you from the pain and shame of not just falling, but being crushed under heel by the very entity that made you who you are. You’re happy now, looking through the garden he’s brought you to as you use an old botany book to search up what the flowers are. Your words from a lifetime ago ring true, if only for him. He doesn’t need to be thanked, he’s sure he was made for this.  

[somestorythoughts]

Eldritch Echo

So. I haven't seen the Bad Batch and don't really intend to, but I have read some fics (please do not take that as me saying that's the same as understanding the story) and between that and my thoughts of eldritch stuff in Star Wars and a cool art piece I came across that I think was referencing something I don't have the context for, I started wondering what it'd look like if of the Bad Batch, Echo was the only eldritch/cryptid/vampire/otherwise not human one. NOT because of the Techno Union, but because of something that happened sooner OR he'd always been like that. And I might put a bit of that in my vampire clones thing but I was thinking eldritch and I ended up writing a thing. So. Enjoy:

***********

Crosshair’s willing to admit he doesn’t dislike Echo. He respects the guy’s resilience and his willingness to go with the flow, which is necessary for someone working with their team, even as he rolls his eyes at Echo’s tendency to twitch at the state of their ship and his reluctance to drop the “sir” when talking to Hunter. More than that Echo has zero qualms about sassing him if Crosshair picks a fight and it’s a lot of fun to rile him up.

That said. Echo is also really freaking weird.

Crosshair is very observant, between his eyesight, his role on the team, and his training he had to be and either something’s very off about Echo or he’s started hallucinating because he keeps seeing things that don’t make sense. Not for a reg and not for a cyborg.

He explains this the Hunter once, trying to see if he’s noticed anything, and Hunter frowns. “Can you give me an example?”

“His eyes for one.”

Hunter blinked. “What?”

“We all know what most trooper’s eyes look like. And we’ve seen some variations. But they don’t change color. I’ve seen his eyes go golden or violet, and it wasn’t the lighting.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes I’m sure what do you take me for?” Crosshair snapped. “Look. Next time we’re on a sunny planet. Take a look at his shadow. It doesn’t match him at all. I’ve seen it prowling around him like a tooka without him or a light source moving. It doesn’t look like him either. And remember that time we were sparring and he panicked and bit me? I asked Tech, the Techno Union didn’t do anything to his teeth, but I know what bitemarks look like and that was not it.”

Hunter sighed. “I’ll pay attention but-” He paused. “Huh.”

“What?”

“It might not be anything.” He replies and only knowing that he’s getting to the point keeps Crosshair from interrupting. “But remember how I told you guys that people smell like animals? They’re distinct from each other, and you know I can’t describe it cause I tried to describe you guys, but it’s not like they smell like flowers or old books or whatever people like to think they’d smell like unless they’re wearing a scent. Echo, he doesn’t smell like a trooper. I just never thought about it for some reason.”

“And what does he smell like?”

Hunter frowned as he tried to find the words. “Well. He does smell a bit like a trooper and a bit metallic. But he also smells like, what’s was the spice in that cake you liked so much? The one we found on that mission with the weird vultures?”

Crosshair hummed. That had been a really freaking good cake. “The lady said it was a cardamon cream cake. So he smells like cardamon?”

“Cardamon and lilies and wet dirt is the best way I can describe it and I know it’s not his soap cause he uses the same stuff as the rest of us. So yeah. I guess I’ll pay attention.”

Two days later Crosshair gets confirmation that something’s up in a way he did not expect.

Because walking around in the dark in the middle of the night is his job so it’s already odd to find Echo leaning against the cabinet in their ship’s tiny kitchen in the pitch dark. “You’re going to trip reg.” Crosshair says and leans over to get the lights when Echo looks up.

And twelve pairs of golden violet eyes meet Crosshair’s.

He staggers back, trips over something, falls. “Crosshair!” Echo grabs his hand, pulling him up, then scrambles for the lights as if he forgot they might be necessary and Crosshair yelps as the light hits his eyes.

He blames that and the shock for blurting out; “What the hell are you Echo?”

Echo blinks, looking hurt. “I’m a trooper. Like you all.”

“Troopers don’t have twenty-four freaking eyes.” Crosshair hissed. They aren’t there now, he’s got 2 brown eyes in the exact same shade of brown nearly every trooper has, but Crosshair knows what he saw. He knows what he’s been seeing.

Echo tilts his head. And he grins. It’s a smile Crosshair’s seen before, whenever Echo’s about to respond to his taunts with something cutting and clever, part “take that” and part inviting him to share the joke. There’s nothing off about that smile save for that it’s mirrored in Echo’s shadow, splayed against the cabinets behind him too dark for their lights.

“The Bad Batch.” Echo muses, like there’s a joke Crosshair hasn’t caught yet, and he’s never had a reason to call Echo dangerous even when he didn’t trust him, but he’s starting to feel cornered even though Echo hasn’t moved. “You think you’re the only strange ones. ‘Don’t worry Rex, we know how to handle a reg.’ Never mind that Torrent was always a little crazy, or it used to be. Never mind that I was an ARC and a damn good one, and we’re all more than competent. And I appreciate what you all did, in welcoming me into the squad, I appreciate it more than I can say, and I do really like you guys, but you are so freaking cocky. So certain you can handle anything. And to be fair you’re damn good at your job, but sometimes it’s annoying. So.” He grins that taunting grin again. “You want to know what the reg’s deal is? Figure it out.”

He leaves. His grinning shadow lingers a moment before following. Crosshair stares.

And then decides that a glass of water isn’t gonna cut it and goes for the stash of moonshine.

[popatochisssp]

OMG all the new boys are fascinating but ummm Swapfell Fruition especially?? Sounds so good?? I would love a full lore dump on this concept, I love the idea of Vi playing the long con to get rid of Gaster and it all sounds so good. Incidentally I need to read Dirty Laundry again lol, everything you make with regards to any version of Swapfell is just *chef's kiss*

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Swapfell Fruition

A young Sans’ attempt to kill his creator, the Royal Scientist is a failure.

Gaster survives the scuffle that would’ve toppled him off of the CORE’s scaffolding and gains the upper hand, subduing his traitorous creation and forcing him—and the younger one he’d been trying to escape with—back to his labs.

Sans was reckless, tipped his hand too soon and without the luck to have succeeded on the first attempt, Gaster learns that he is a sneaky little backstabber, capable of appearing obedient but hiding ruthless intentions.

He's almost proud… but of course he can't have that.

It becomes clear to the Royal Scientist that obviously, he needs his creations to have some kind of failsafe. The little one hasn't shown any signs of disobedience yet, but his primary caretaker is a crafty little snake, no telling what he could influence him to do, if given the time or the chance—so it’s back to the drawing board, to the operating table with them both.

Papyrus, at his age, doesn't really know what happens to him, only that whatever was done to him hurt, a lot. He wakes up after in the room he’d shared with his brother, scared and hurting and alone, and when Sans finally reappears, he goes to him for a hug.

Except…

Sans doesn’t hug him back.

He doesn’t hug back, and he doesn’t say anything, no matter how much Papyrus begs him to…

And the next time Gaster summons them to the lab, it’s Sans who picks him up and keeps him from squirming away, holding his arm out for Gaster’s needles.

Papyrus doesn’t understand the betrayal, at the time or in the years that follow.

His hurt turns to bitterness and resentment as his once gentle and protective big brother starts to actively help their creator change him, gradually shaping him into a stronger, more efficient killer.

But even with all the modification and training he’s subjected to, Papyrus isn’t quite the solider or war machine Gaster had planned he would be—he spooks when caught by surprise, he’s easily distracted by irrelevant things, his loyalties twist and sway far too easily for Gaster’s liking…

Well, the Royal Scientist is nothing if not resourceful, certainly able to work with…limited materials and still produce something of use.

With the right mental conditioning, and the right handler to make use of it, Papyrus will still be a valuable asset for the Empress.

After all, there’s always political enemies to the crown that her highness would surely prefer to have…removed, discreetly, and other such dirty work best done in the shadows.

Fast and stealthy, like an assassin, seems more suited to Papyrus’ abilities anyway.

And as for a handler, who better than Sans to fill the role?

Gaster’s prototype was largely a failure, but certainly intelligent and organized, presumably capable of researching and observing targets, briefing the asset on situations and targets and memorizing the trigger words and phrases necessary to keep him operating at peak efficiency.

Sans doesn’t protest.

He doesn’t protest much of anything anymore, not since…

………

Well, it’s not like he’s ever spoken about what happened when everything changed, not even to Papyrus, so when he goes along with this too, neither Gaster nor Papyrus expects otherwise.

So, that’s how it is.

Papyrus becomes the perfect assassin and Sans doles out his marching orders, occasionally following behind on missions to jerk his leash and keep him on track.

Between them, it’s…complicated.

Sans is still Papyrus’ brother, the closest thing to an ally that Papyrus has, both of them stuck in service to a power-hungry, unethical prick.

There are moments where they’re okay, times where a joke will slip out and one of them will laugh, injuries tended to, backs watched under fire, and dozens more little things that just wouldn’t happen if they were nothing to each other.

But the moments never last long.

Reality always comes back in sooner or later—usually in the form of Gaster, demanding an update or issuing new orders or calling them back from the field, to which Sans always, always complies.

Papyrus takes it as a reminder of where Sans’ real loyalties must lie.

He’s some kind of brother, not always awful, and maybe he does care about Papyrus, a little bit, but he answers to Gaster above anything or anyone else, apparently by choice.

He can’t be trusted, not really.

And Sans…

Sans stays quiet and does his job.

Quickly, efficiently, and to the letter—exemplary service, always.

Irreproachable.

He’s almost completely beneath suspicion by the time the last human falls into the Underground.

Gaster couldn’t be more thrilled.

This is a golden opportunity, the perfect chance to prove his worth to the Empress and earn clout and accolades innumerable—to be the one responsible for capturing the seventh soul and freeing all of monsterkind from their centuries of imprisonment and allowing the war against humanity to finally begin!

Well, technically, it would be his creations doing it, but it’s his name that history will remember, him who would rise into legend as the most brilliant and ruthless monster to ever live, the catalyst in humanity’s downfall.

He doesn’t waste so much as a minute before summoning Sans and ordering him to handle it, immediately.

Meet with the Empress, alert her that there’s a human loose in the Underground, and offer her the services of the asset in ending their free roam.

Sans agrees, as he always has, and goes to fetch his brother for the job.

Papyrus is admittedly a little blindsided when not two seconds out of the labs, Sans pulls him aside, out of range of known cameras and recording devices and hisses at him to listen.

He doesn’t know what to make of what Sans says after, either—that he hasn’t earned it and he knows that, but he needs Papyrus to trust him right now, because he is going to lie and everything depends on Papyrus going along with it.

In spite of their messy history and every uncharitable thing Papyrus has ever thought about Sans…right here and now, something in his gut tells him this is no trick.

He agrees to ‘go along with it’…whatever ‘it’ is.

Sans waits until a certain amount of time has elapsed, and then he makes a call to Gaster with Papyrus present to listen.

Gaster is informed that there’s a problem with the latest target. The asset’s programming isn’t taking and he’s refusing to track down the human.

This is, of course, news to Papyrus, who hasn��t been assigned his target yet.

But…Sans said ‘trust me’ and ‘play along,’ so that’s what he does, complaining that he doesn’t want to kill a child, just put him back in his cage and do your own dirty work, old man…

Helpfully—always helpful, always intelligent, always reliable—Sans postulates a conflict of orders might be causing the programming to bug like this. Gaster’s overarching orders are for the asset to kill targets assigned to him, but the Empress has unfortunately countermanded that the human must be brought to her alive.

And again, Papyrus knows differently because the Empress hasn’t given him any orders, they never made it to her for orders to be given and Toriel likely doesn’t even know yet that a human has fallen.

But he said he’d go along with the lie so he keeps his mouth shut, even as he hears Gaster curse on the other end of the line.

Gaster finds Sans’ assessment of the situation as reasonable as it is frustrating, but minds are complicated machines and often behave strangely when conflicts arise. Just look at the Empress, who knows that humans must be killed to free her people, but feels she must perform the act herself instead of the far more convenient option being presented to her!

The asset’s orders being in conflict is a far more annoying stopping block, though, yet another barrier in the way of all the glory that Gaster has so painstakingly earned.

Time is short, stakes are high, he refuses to recall his creation just to debug it and resolve the glitch, not now.

Instead he makes his fatal mistake.

He overrides the asset’s failsafes.

All of them.

Impatiently rattling off a code that nearly makes Papyrus stagger from a feeling like weight being lifted, Gaster disconnects the call with a sharp command to Sans to ‘handle it,’ now that there were no restrictions on his targets or what he could be ordered to do.

Sans is only quiet for a moment before handing a picture to Papyrus, locking him on and beginning the usual debrief.

Papyrus can’t fully grasp what he’s looking at, not at first.

“………confirm target?”

“WINDINGS GASTER, THE CURRENT ROYAL SCIENTIST TO THE CROWN.”

As with any briefing, Papyrus must be informed of his target’s connections, abilities and assets.

Gaster has strong ties with the crown, and between that and his own paranoia, security around him will be tight. He’s intelligent, strong, and merciless, and he won’t hesitate to make use of anything at his disposal in a life-or-death situation.

As an example, he had implanted a condition into his private assassin’s mental programming that would prevent him from acting against or outright attacking him—so it’s fortunate they’ve already cleared that concern.

Now, the top priorities are to ensure that Sans is physically far away from Gaster when the mission is executed, and that Papyrus is at no point seen by Gaster before he’s dead. The entire operation could be sunk if both of these conditions aren’t met.

“why?”

“THERE’S AN ADDITIONAL FAILSAFE, IMPLANTED IN YOUR SOUL. IF GASTER REALIZES YOU’VE BEEN TURNED ON HIM BEFORE YOU’VE SUCCEEDED, HE CAN INSTANTLY DROP YOUR HP TO 1.”

“………and why am i doing this without my handler?”

“BECAUSE I’M COMPROMISED TOO. IF HE SEES ME OUT OF PLACE OR SUSPECTS I’VE BETRAYED HIM AGAIN, HE’LL USE THE FAILSAFE IN MY SOUL TO REMOTELY CONTROL MY BODY AND MOBILIZE ME AGAINST YOU—AND OF COURSE, AT THAT POINT, HE WOULD KNOW THAT YOU’RE TARGETING HIM AS WELL AND BE PREPARED TO KILL YOU.”

And that…

Well.

That sure is a hell of a lot of new information that Papyrus will have to process later, when there’s not a strong compulsion in the back of his skull that there is someone he needs to kill.

He’s a professional, when he’s working.

He will focus on the mission.

To keep up appearances, Sans departs to find the fallen human and trail them on their journey through the Underground. He very much wants to ensure they reach the Empress safely, but there’s an added bonus of being exactly where he’s supposed to be and doing exactly what he’s supposed to do should Gaster check in on him—no need to arouse any suspicion, not before it’s far too late.

In the end, when Chara has befriended monsterkind against all odds, winning over the Empress herself and freeing them all to a life of peace with humankind on the surface, the death of the Royal Scientist is an incidental discovery.

Sans takes responsibility for it, pleading for the Empress’s mercy.

Gaster had wanted the human—kind young Chara, to whom Toriel has taken such a liking—killed immediately as soon as they emerged from the Ruins, and he hadn’t thought that the Empress would condone such an order in light of what she’s always held to regarding fallen humans.

Gaster had been adamant, though, and Sans… Well, he only wanted to serve the will of her highness and to do so, he turned the asset against their master. He hopes only for some leniency for what he’s done, Gaster may have been their father but—

Strangely enough, it seems Toriel had no idea that the asset and his handler were the Royal Scientist’s children. He’d always told her they were employees, volunteers for the things that were done to them and the missions they were told to undertake.

Learning that they had actually been created, intentionally molded and pressed into these roles without a choice in the matter…

Toriel, an Empress first but a mother a very close second, can certainly afford leniency.

The brothers are let loose in spite of their crime, with a bit of funding from the Empress to get on their feet after everything. The money is partially back-pay for their joint service as the crown’s black ops division (for which they were never actually compensated before), and partially amends for how long their…circumstance…went unnoticed.

Sans offers to split the money and part ways with Papyrus, if he’d prefer.

But Papyrus has learned a lot in the past few days to…completely and utterly recontextualize everything he ever thought was true about his handl—…his brother, and…maybe he should stick around a bit. See what’s what.

Vi (Swapfell Fruition Sans)

Extremely restrained and closed off from so many years of being unable to talk to or trust anyone, not even his brother. An accomplished liar but socially unpracticed, tending to read as cold and unfriendly to those who approach him. He’s more awkward than genuinely hostile, though

Issues with being watched, spent most of his life simultaneously going unnoticed and being intensely over-monitored so his feelings about being observed—regardless of context—are complicated, runs hot and cold on it

Complicated feelings for his brother, too: he loves him, of course, and he failed him in many ways, but he was also stuck between him and Gaster for a long time and caught his fair share of hell from both sides and there’s some resentment there for that. He wants to fix things, but he’s not really sure how and just…awkwardly trying his best

Well-organized and skilled at research and thinking analytically, tends to approach most things with a problem-solving attitude and an eye-socket for detail. Extremely talented at finding loopholes and ways around or through the rules—though his respect for said rules is very low to begin with

Likes high and secluded places, mostly rooftops but anywhere it could be difficult for other people to get to. Whether or not those places are restricted by fencing or padlocks or lack of ladders is immaterial, if he finds a high spot he would like to be, he will get to it one way or another and perch as long as he pleases

Hunter (Swapfell Fruition Papyrus)

Impulsive and driven by self-interest, the years of mental conditioning have broken down his fears and inhibitions to nearly nothing. He does what he wants, when he wants, with little concern for anything else—a dog off its leash who’ll only heel when it’s good and ready to. Unfortunately charming enough to mostly get away with it

Problems with authority, for obvious reasons. Likely to try to bend or break any rule presented to him, just to see if he can, and a severe lack of respect for anyone trying to enforce those rules upon him (especially the arbitrary ones)

Conflicting and highly jumbled feelings for his brother, making them a matched set: he disliked him, maybe even hated him a little for a long time, for helping Gaster turn him into what he is and for being the one to yank his leash and pull his strings…but that was before he knew that he had a kill-switch in his soul and that his brother was up on strings on his own, being pulled by the jackass they both apparently hated… It doesn’t erase everything that happened, knowing that, but it does…change things. (He wants to fix things too, but he’s not sure how either, so they’re both just awkwardly trying)

Needs ‘tune-ups’ every so often to reinforce his mental conditioning and make sure all his programming is intact, even now that Gaster’s gone and he’s retired as an assassin. Going too long without re-upping it causes deterioration, compulsions ‘leaking’ without being triggered and causing headaches and erratic, sometimes violent behavior so…best for everyone to keep his head maintained regularly

Absolutely loves nature and wilderness, hiking, camping, and climbing trees is his idea of an excellent time. Could absolutely go off on a run and disappear into the trees and not be seen or heard from for a week, likely to get some forest-cryptid lore started about him—possibly on purpose

[extasiswings]

I said this to others already, but to me this finale had a lot of 4x14 vibes tbh. Season 4 was severely hindered in it’s production due to COVID and i am, to this day, convinced that that’s also what made them tie it up with such a neat little bow before (at least in Bucktaylors case) undoing a lot of it immediately as season 5 rolled around. Essentially giving everyone the happiest ending they feasibly could.

And there’s something to be said about how mainstream tv seems to think that “happy ending” always equals “in a romantic relationship” whether or not the relationship itself is developed or healthy at all, but for two characters with character arcs so intertwined with their love life, it does make sense.

The thing is, to me this makes sense. Am I thrilled? No. But I’m excited to see what they do because I understand how this fits with the rest of the season and I’m not worried about it.

There were three big themes circling around Buck and Eddie all season. 1) missing the things that are right in front of you; 2) fantasy vs reality; and 3) Fear holding you back/preventing you from living your life. All three of these themes are tied together and need to be worked through to get to a place of Buddie canon and Buck’s “I’m already Christopher’s father” realization. But the last one is arguably the most important in order to get to the heart of the others and that’s where I feel like Marisol and Natalia come in.

Buck and Eddie both started the season single. But not because they necessarily wanted to be, because they were afraid not to be. Afraid to put themselves out there, afraid of being rejected, afraid of making mistakes. But being single out of fear is not the same thing as wanting to be alone or being comfortable with your life as it is, it’s just letting fear control your life. So the way I see it, if they had ended the season still single, that would have changed nothing from where they started.

For Eddie especially, this is a baby step but a necessary one. Whatever happens with Marisol, Eddie’s going to wind up on the other side with some confidence in himself and his ability to be a romantic partner and that’s what he needs to ultimately be secure enough to put himself on the line and really be honest with Buck. It’s low-stakes, it’s fluff, but I think it’s good for him.

For Buck, I disagree with the idea that he is inherently repeating the same mistakes. Yes, it’s not an auspicious start, but we as the audience see things that Buck doesn’t, and also there are some pretty key differences between Natalia and Taylor. With Taylor, they had a preexisting relationship. Buck knew going in all of the things about her that were dealbreakers for him, and instead of being true to himself, he told himself that he could “learn to live with it” and stayed with her for a year. With Taylor, he knew she was fundamentally a person whose values conflicted with his going all the way back to Dosed. He never should have dated her to begin with.

By contrast, he’s been on exactly three dates with Natalia. He barely knows her, and by all accounts she seems like a perfectly nice person even if someone who isn’t ultimately going to work for him (which is something that has been projected to the audience, but not for Buck). She hasn’t done anything wrong (it was pretty reasonable for her to feel overwhelmed and leave when Kameron crashed their date) and there’s nothing about her so far (in her personality or otherwise) that shows Buck is compromising himself and settling. Right now he’s clinging to a woman he wanted to date and get to know better anyway because she wants to be with him too and he’s feeling vulnerable—okay? He wanted to be with her though, I didn’t get the impression this was just about him being afraid to be alone (the way I felt about BT all through S4-S5). If they’re still together after the hiatus when they’ve known each other for more than five minutes and been on more than three dates, and we have actual evidence of him compromising himself where he shouldn’t? Then I’ll be agree that he’s repeating the same mistakes. But if anything right now I’m assuming this is his chance to prove his growth when he is ultimately put in a position to do better—that when something significant comes up he will be comfortable enough with himself to break things off instead of settling for what he doesn’t want. In the meantime, idk about y’all, but it takes me more than three dates to figure out if someone I’m interested in is going to be a good fit for me in the long run. And in a similar vein to Eddie needing to gain some confidence in his ability to be a romantic partner, I think Buck needs to be able to prove to himself that if he’s put in a situation where he’s settling, he’s capable of walking away. And for both of them I think those are important steps for them to take before they’re ready to be together.

[sunriseverse]

@krownest thank you for handing me the bat my liege let us get down and dirty

okay so disclaimer before we start this is my opinion and i’m not calling people bad or saying they should stop writing yada yada yada etc etc (also wow this got long oops. readmore on ye)

i think the reason there’s such a deluge of “bad” fanfic comes down to a couple different reasons, some of them interconnected and some of them symptoms of larger issues.

i wrote and rewrote my definition of what “bad fanfic” is like, seven times, but in the end i think the characteristics of it are essentially: fanfic which makes you stop reading or become disappointed due to any number of issues, especially those which, if they were changed, would render the fanfic itself fundamentally a different piece of art (so, MOSTLY not cosmetic).

some of the most common issues i, personally, have, when trying to find new fanfic to read are ones that i’m sure you’re fairly familiar with: characterisation issues, dynamics which feel “off”, direct contradiction to the canonical themes without any seeming understanding that it is, in fact, contradictory, and prose. that last one is the trickiest, so we’ll set it aside for the moment being.

i think the first three tie together fairly neatly, and have simple to answer causes: one, people are writing not based off canon, but off fanon; two, people are not, generally, trained in media and literature comprehension and analysis as anything but a basic set of tools to pass their primary/secondary school exams; and three, tied in with one and two, people aren’t writing concepts as they would happen if they were applied to x character(s), they’re writing what THEY would want to happen in x scenario, and slapping the characters’ names over them.

obviously, we could sit here and argue for days about what “characterisation” is, what “canon dynamics” are, hell, what “canon” is, but for our intents and purposes: let us define these as the range of plausible interpretations one can draw from a canon, and find sources or references to argue the validity of (and make no mistake, this doesn’t mean there’s “one true [characterisation/dynamic/canon]”—there is, let us say, a dialectical continuum of possibilities, and the extremes, in any direction, are entirely unsupported, or outright denied by, canon). (i could tack on a rant here about why i think disagreement and different interpretations in fandom is not only healthy, but NECESSARY, as long as no singular faction dominates and forces the others to feel as if they will be ostracised if they suggest otherwise, but i digress.)

these aren’t problems that can be fixed overnight. media analysis is a tool that takes time and effort to grow, and when it comes to the average fan, in 2024, participating in an averagely-sized fandom: there is no external force driving them to stretch that muscle. fandom has, for better or worse, moved past what it once was: no longer gated communities with high bars of entry, which necessitate skill and effort and passion to enter, but more open and free for all. make no mistake, this isn’t necessarily bad—there are many, MANY problems with old fandom, not the least being cults of personality, actual cults, harassing commenters, etc, etc. my point is simply that new age fandom, by design, doesn’t require you to put in as much work—the barriers to reading fic, to POSTING fic, are far lower than they, perhaps, have ever been. open ao3, send an invite request, and bam: a week or so and change later, you, too, can post your very own writing for thousands of people to see, should they simply look.

this ties, i think, into prose; all of these things are, by nature, hard to do. some people have a bit more instinctive knack for them—but even if they do, they’ll never be able to improve if they don’t push themselves, if they don’t practice, if they don’t try and engage with canon and think critically about said canon and try, really try, to put just as much into writing as an athlete would put into running, or javelin, or swimming—but unlike physical sports, writing is not something with immediate, tangible results. it takes TIME. and in the end, it’s much easier for people to write the same fifteen tropes, the same variations on ship themes, follow fanon. i’m not here to be a prescriptivist and tell you how you MUST write fanfic—i really don’t care that much, honestly. if you want to do that, fine, be my guest; but i’m allowed to complain about it on my blog.

to end this post on a lighter note, if you do feel your fanfic isn’t very good, and you want to improve: i have suggestions! you should read as much as you can (published works, especially experimental styles, are good for for this), get your hands on as much meta (for characters, dynamics, themes, what have you), or if you can’t find any, practise writing your own the way you’d write an essay, and most keyly: don’t do things in your writing just because they’re popular in the fandom.

okay, cut! that’s all, for now, i think

[oleandequill]

In a SG TFOne AU, I do think it would be nice to change Sentinel’s character as well. I mean I feel like it would still work with movie Sentinel, but if I’m going to shatter other characters, might as well shatter the main villain as well. So I don’t think there was a Sentinel in the Fanclub iteration of SG, and since I’ve only ever read that particular SG iteration, I don’t really know how Sentinel is in other iterations. So his SG counterpart in this SG TFOne AU is primarily based off of his character in the movie.

So he’s still a fake Prime here, but his backstory is a little different. This also changes the 13 Primes and the Quintessons in which the 13 Primes were very much warmongers. The Quintessons still manage to kill them all, but Sentinel didn’t really betray the 13 Primes here. He, however, does make a deal with the Quintessons who want recompense for cycles of the war. Instead of doing it for the sake of gaining power, he does it because otherwise the Quintessons will kill every Cybertronian, and without the 13 Primes (also the Matrix still disappears), they will die.

He still has to provide the Quintessons with energon, but there’s also an added part of the deal where he has to remove the T-cogs of newly emerged Cybertronians. The Quintessons added this condition so that they could prevent a new Prime or like another war from happening. So yeah, Sentinel here is still technically the bad guy because… depriving people of what is essentially a piece of them before they’re even born is bad. However, he doesn’t do it out of malice, but rather as a “necessary evil.” He doesn’t feel good about it, but what can he do?

Unlike in the movie, he does actually try to find the Matrix of Leadership, but he can’t find it because Primus here is evil and no way is Primus giving this loser the Matrix. Also, there is a bit of a huge change during his confrontation with D-16. In the movie, Dee does get tortured and branded. In this AU, since Megatron is the good guy, Sentinel does still manage to capture him and some of the High Guard, but instead of torture he actually tries to explain his side of the story. Megatron does somewhat sympathize with him. Somewhat.

Here, I’m wondering whether the High Guard, specifically Starscream, actually try to negotiate with Sentinel about fighting the Quintessons and that they don’t need the Matrix - that Cybertronians can still protect themselves without the Primes or the Matrix. Maybe Sentinel is even slightly convinced about that. However, at this point Pax is already angry about being told the truth, so like in the movie, they still have that fight (though with Orion Pax instead of Dee) and the truth is revealed to everyone. Sentinel still very brutally dies here. However, unlike in the movie… Sentinel didn’t actually take Megatronus’ T-cog...

[metalljellyphish]

Werewolf Stan chimera!!!!

He'll be one big werewolf in the dunmeshi au!

Sorry this took some time to process but I’ve been cooking some THOUGHTS:

So, in this SoT mixed AU it’s a time of peace; Kyle is heir to the elven kingdom’s throne, too old by human standards but much too young to the elves he’s meant to lead, when he’s not studying magic and politics he travels on adventuring guild quests with Stan, a ranger from the north who had pledged his service and life to the future king. One trip the two join up with a group they’ve hunted with before to search the nearby woods for a dark, massive wolf-like creature who at first was just hunting the village livestock but now it had moved on to people. Since it’s only been spotted at night they have to camp out for it, but unluckily it sneak attacks them, the group just barely able to defend themselves. In an act to defend Kyle, Stan jumps to protect him, getting himself captured in the creature’s jaws and dragged off, in desperation Kyle gives chase on his own. Hours later he tracks the beast and slaughter it with a powerful spell, finding what remained of his friend. Devastated, Kyle decided to use forbidden magic to resurrect him, using pieces of the beast to transmute into what’s missing of Stan’s body. The spell works, though Kyle passes out from it before he can see if his work really paid off, but thankfully they’re not left for too long, the company they traveled with (aka Craig’s gang) finding the pair, an extremely bloody but otherwise unharmed and still human Stan and a disheveled Kyle, hands and feet covered in blood as well. There’s the suspicion, but for now it seemed the two were ok, both waking up in the castle after being escorted back. Stan seemed fine, though he had little memory of what had happened, Kyle thinking it for the better.

Until three nights later under a new moon; Kyle awakes to find that Stan is missing. He tracks him down to the woods just outside the castle, but something’s very very wrong. Kyle’s calling out to him but Stan isn’t responding, at least he thinks it Stan. He’s already started changing into something not human and by the time he does turn to face the elf prince he’s already more beast than man. And Kyle just stands there, speechless but whatever is happening he knows it’s his fault. He did this to the one person he cared the most for. Also he’s defenseless since he didn’t take his staff or spellbook, but in the moment he thinks he’s about to be attacked he thinks maybe he deserved this…

Luckily for him he’s rescued by one Lady McCormick and her retainer Leopold, the two able to subdue the beast without harming him more than necessary. Of course Kyle doesn’t even know how the two arrived so soon considering he didn’t even send his letter to her until the day before. Kenny vague explains she had a certain bad feeling about something and followed her intuition, leaving the very night the incident had taken place to travel to the elven kingdom, and boy howdy does she have words to say. For the time being though the three take the unconscious beast Stan and hide him in the castle dungeon for the time being.

Kyle shared the full story of what happened, and Kenny gets it, she probably would have done the same in that situation, but regrettably she explains that whatever that creature was that they hunted was cursed and now that curse was passed to Stan when he was resurrected. (How does she know these things? Oh that’s a can of worms for another night :3)

Though he might have turned into this werewolf chimera creature Stan’s still very much there, though currently beast instincts have taken over, but out of everything he still recognizes Kyle, so it breaks his heart seeing the elf so afraid of him at first, but then it all turns to sadness.

Uh that’s all I got for now…

I’ll definitely have to draw or write something about this, it’s been in my head for awhile now oops, I can’t call it a full dunmeshi au but it’s got elements, we’re changing the recipe you might say lol

[rowanthestrange]

I like both options, but on balance the thing that makes me think great-grandaughter could work, is that we know the Doctor cried when he saw Ruby’s Mother. The memory has changed, but he knew, and it damaged him, be he repressing it or not. So either it’s Ruby herself or it’s incredibly meaningful to the point of damage for him. He is our Dissociative Identity Doctor after all.

…But I’m lying and my real reason is the Disney resources. We could technically pull off a reveal seeing her young face as the caped woman, with a few more well-practiced tricks than the usual usage of body doubles. Carole-Ann Ford is alive to give permission so that’s no problem, they might even be able to do clever things with audio modification if you wanted her to have lines. I thought Susan was too old, but this here is an actual option.

She was left in Dalek Infested times. Maybe it’s safer here for her daughter. Or just necessary to save the Doctor/universe.

Cus while I do think Susan is a harbinger for the Doctor, that doesn’t mean any ‘powers’ for lack of a better word wouldn’t pass down, which I wasn’t working with despite the obvious reasons to. We’ve got more than enough examples that godhood stuff is highly hereditary. *Gestures at Rose Noble* There you go, not just they’re pseudo-related but then they’d be mirrors. Got god-powers? Give em up.

Thing I’ve not been saying cus even by my standards it’s fringe…in one (1) Brief Encounters magazine story from 1994, (and a bbc churn “Brief History Of Time Lords” (2017) fact-collation book)… Which says Susan’s original name, not her chosen one, was Arkytior. Which is Gallifreyan for Rose. Which is the reason Russell named the first New Who companion that. And there’s a good chance he said that in The Writer’s Tale cus I can’t think how else I’dve known it otherwise before looking up the name and dates of publication.

And I was thinking…that would also be the meta reason why everyone in Ruby’s family is named some version of Red. Cherry, presumably Scarlet, Ruby. And there you’d have a Rose.

[mothfables]

Modern Chain at a Christmas Market Pt. 2

we’re coming up on the end of the season at the market where i work, so i figured i’d share some more ideas!

-Legend has a hateful (one-sided) rivalry with the register. he could work it if absolutely necessary but otherwise he’s sworn off even touching the thing

-Twilight likes to claim he’s too ‘country bumpkin’ to understand tech like the register. Wars knows he knows how to work it. he’s very mad about it. Twilight likes to do this when he doesn’t want to do register duty

-those working the floor are continuously baffled by people assuming they carry around an entire register/spare cash in their pockets. you can see the register when you enter the store. why does this happen

-Legend has found he needs a cane after working there for so long (as well as other general life things); he redecorates it weekly and sometimes he lets one of the others help; Four + Wild add (in their words) ‘sick ass spikes’

-there’s a running tally of how many times the same questions get asked; the ‘winner’ changes every week. once Wild claimed first place- no one’s sure how since he only leaves the back to take orders to the register

-Legend responds to Miss and Ma’am as well as Sir; he likes how they feel, also it’s funny to watch people’s reactions; sometimes he drops or raises his voice on purpose to mess with them. Wind finds it hilarious. sometimes the others do it too when they want a laugh

-Time has never cared what people use for him but he does enjoy a good joke, so he has a habit of joining in on this particular shenanigan the most out of everyone

-Malon likes to show up in the last week to cheer them on. she brings celebratory treats! sometimes she + Ravio have a ‘friendly competition’ to bring in the best food. the rest of them both look forward to and fear when this happens because they’re expected to judge (Time and Legend are exempt by claiming bias for their respective partners. everyone else is envious)

-everyone brings something in for the official end of the season for an After-Takedown Party; Wild was lovingly banned from catering the whole event himself. Hyrule is actually banned from bringing in food. that’s okay though because he makes good drinks (alcohol is also banned, Twilight, Warriors)

[mimzalot]

Ambition (Edelgard and Claude FE3H)

copied over from twitter  •  24 Mar 2020 

my current brainworm's name is "Edelgard And Claude's Ambitions And How They Accomplish Them" and it's just a long and spieling metaphor about how to thrive as a predator vs. how to thrive as prey, the Eagle vs the Deer, the hacking force of an axe vs the precise aim of the arrow

Edelgard's plans hurtle forward with a startling momentum. it's said constantly: she carves her own path. part of the effectiveness of Edelgard's style is that it is a constant barrage of power, both political and *holds up axe* literal. add a Hubert and she's nigh unstoppable.

while she lays her path covertly, once it's out there it's a straight line, and marching that line is about being so strong and mighty that those who don't move out of the way have no choice but to join the march or be mown down. she's an axe toppling trees to navigate the woods.

compare this to Claude. a deer doesn't knock down trees, it works out the best way to navigate them. it knows all the ways to escape. it winds trails through familiar territory, confuses its predators, lies in wait. it doesn't have the power nor intention to hunt - only survive.

except of course this deer's survival is attached to an ambition. Claude makes his territory familiar through research, and by asking questions. he observes, understands and ultimately uses people to navigate a terrain that he knows he can't face alone - tactically speaking.

Edelgard's plans are intricate and rigid. they rely on her being a powerful, constant, active force at the helm. Claude's plans depend on him staying alive, carefully playing his cards. patience. waiting for the bullseye to reveal itself before letting loose an arrow.

the thing about a straightforward plan is that it has a straightforward end. Edelgard's path relies on power and once you start to overwhelm that power (see: by having Byleth) it falls apart when she falls. her carved path becomes the straight line you follow to her demise.

and the thing about an adapting, evolving plan like Claude's is that it always has an out because it's not set in stone - his contingencies have contingencies. Claude can survive all the routes because this is how he plans, it's in the best interest of his end goal to stay alive.

fun fact (spoilers ahead) in my playthrough of Crimson Flower, I didn't know you could spare Claude. I got overwhelmed by Lysithea so I sent the Black Eagle Strike Force around the other side of the map, charged through the defences, and sent Ferdinand ahead to kill Claude.

... thus illustrating that the only way to stop the unstoppable tactician with his multiple outs was to hurl a javelin at him before he could fly away, while Hilda and Judith all hurried in vain to stop me. the most achingly appropriate way I could have played Crimson Flower.

but otherwise, if Claude survives, he still hasn't failed his grand plan. he still has his purpose. undoubtedly one of his paths has been drenched in blood and quashed by Edelgard but is he trapped? is it the end of his road? nope. he just jumps ship to a new one.

Claude being a more passive presence in his own plans is deliberate - likewise, Edelgard is a more active presence. and the success and failure of each plan hangs on the edge of a knife (Claude just set himself up with a LOT of knives whereas Edelgard gave herself a GIANT knife)

the two of them are similarly driven by their ambitions, and see themselves as catalysts for necessary change. the major difference: bloodshed. so it makes sense that Edelgard's focus is on military power overhaul, while Claude's focus depends more on sociopolitical juggling.

it's reflected in their skills. Edelgard is a dignified and inspiring leader. in lieu of religious motivation, her transparency of intent gives the people a purpose - they're willing to fight for her cause. as an Emperor with a clear voice and mission, she is a call to action.

how do you motivate someone to fight for you? how do you inspire the masses? Edelgard does it by being Emperor (tapping into an established power), stripping power from those who may oppose her (also murder, thanks Hubert), and giving purpose to the rest (spiritual motivation).

meanwhile, I'm towards the end of Verdant Wind and people are STILL questioning Claude. he deferred that spiritual leadership role to Byleth so he could keep moving freely. he's managing people and expectations through careful manipulation so as to avoid doing so with violence.

and remaining under the radar in such a way gives him the invisibility he requires to do what he needs - to keep his secrets (which permit him to navigate terrain freely as well as being his tactical wildcards) and to manage the mayhem of war without spilling (as much) blood.

one can't operate like the other or the whole MO goes out the window. Claude can't be transparent about his intent and Edelgard can't be secretive about hers. Claude needs his evasive manoeuvres and tactics the way Edelgard needs her ability to strike and kill in one fell swoop.

y'know... like a Deer and an Eagle. 😎👉👉