#and of course there has to be whump.

[thedragon-and-hisboy]

Thoughts...

[zhuoyichenpretty]

Ep 22-23 Commentary

Ha...I was inexplicably nervous for eps 22-23 and it looks like I was right to be (-: What a rollercoaster. Spoilers below!

I've just come out of ep 23 and uh????? holy shit????? ZYC????

Ok ok but to backtrack, let's do my comments semi-chronologically:

Ep 22:

A carry-over from ep 21 that I have to mention—heck yeah PSJ give WZY hell. She doesn't have all that many lines but she sure knows how to make them count. Also seeing PSJ and WX get screen time just the two of them makes my brain go "yay <3"

Back to ep 22, loved the fake-out sundial ayeee that was a nice Chekhov's gun that also brings the real sundial back into relevance for later. Also me eating up the PSJ and ZYC crumb of an interaction has brought to my attention how starved I am of their screen time together.

This whole ep was a great lament towards the feared inevitable. Every sad downcast look from ZYC, every complicated glance WX gives him. A wonderful, terrible crossroads for these characters. I love that for ZYC especially, it's such an incredible mess of emotion coming to a head. Bad enough that he's come to care about the demon who killed his family and ruined his life, bad enough that he's sworn a blood oath he regrets and tied himself to punishing someone he no longer finds culpable, bad enough that ZYZ's life or death depends solely on his choice and ZYZ is constantly practically begging for death when ZYC wants him to live. How much immensely worse it makes the whole situation that WX is literally ZYZ's soulmate. And obviously the whole team has only grown more and more attached to ZYZ, too. ZYC's personal turmoil aside, how heavy must that responsibility and guilt be? For the finishing blow that only he can deliver to also deeply threaten every other person he cares about? Everyone understands in the abstract what must happen and why, but just like seeing ZYZ lose control firsthand, the gulf between understanding and experiencing is so unimaginably wide. If he kills ZYZ, can there really be no resentment from his friends? From WX?

Also it seems ZYC only wears cloaks so that he can give them to other people lmao

Ah fuck, the farewell drinks. I didn't even factor in how ZYC might not survive the encounter (''': The drama truly was like hm can we possibly give ZYC a worse day than that night his whole fam died? Maybe give him a bunch of new family members and also the blade and the fate and the sole responsibility to potentially irrevocably scar said family members with? And he might die in the process too? (-: haha maybe? (((-:

Oh. Oh. Addendum. I forgot this til I saw it mentioned in another post—ZYC recounting his oath as he watched WX smile when they discussed reviving the tree...I could feel him weighing those words against his own life, against ZYZ's life, against WX's happiness. One way out of this impossible situation is indeed to doom himself. I'm in pieces.

Damn if WX isn't dedicated heart and soul, going into the sundial like that. I'm sad no one could keep her company for those 300 years but also I guess that's kind of an impossible ask (and maybe not survivable for the other non-goddess mortals? I'm admittedly very unclear on sundial time loophole logistics). It would have been nice to see someone offer though, even just to be turned down.

Ooh I like the soul needle fake-out, given this show's penchant for retroactive "actually we had a plan all along" moments. A good subversion of the narrative's own style.

Also I saved this for the end because it doesn't really fit the linearity of my comments but what the fuuuuuuuck oh my god I absolutely flipped out at this scene:

I am at once rabidly intrigued and at the same time not sure if I'll be satisfied with whatever payoff will come for this so I don't want to overindulge in theorizing and setting my own expectations too high. Maybe this is just a fevered hallucination, maybe it means nothing (I hope it means something). But damn!!! What a gorgeous man crazy scene.

In conclusion, ep 22 had some good stuff for me. Plot development and reflection and tension enough that I may have been satisfied with just that one episode. But they gave us two, so onward to ep 23 comments!

Ep 23:

I like how many solid reasons the team has to suspect ZYC being possessed. Even though I withheld judgment during my watch given how quickly the show usually confirms that kind of stuff with a possession mark, just simply casting that doubt made the whole build up that much more intense.

ZYC slowly walking down the corridor with the whole grounds lit a somber and haunting gold—*chef's kiss*

ZYC's monologue to a catatonic ZYZ is so important to me. The closest we'll get to his internal monologue about this whole situation. The kinds of things said when we think there's no conscious listener.

Okay so, having finished this episode and looking back, Li Lun's hands coming up from behind ZYC was not to denote possession (at least in this episode), potentially is a visual from ZYZ's POV, and seems related to the above screencap. I am so, so curious. Once again, I'm stopping myself from further speculation because I want to be surprised but ahhhhhhhhh

PSJ shooting at Ao Yin is so gorgeous. Her action scenes seriously never disappoint—the creativity of her fight choreos!! Also very cool that the whole team is getting to take part in the action, not just the two male leads.

Bai Jiu possession was not on my bingo card but I sure do love that we literally saw the possession take place and I still didn't connect the dots. Good shitttt. Also oh no ): ZYC was telling the truth about the soul needle, he was just tricked ):

Seriously from the Ao Yin case to getting PSJ released to reviving the Divine Wood to getting tricked by possessed!Bai Jiu to making pear soup to fighting ZYZ to fighting Li Lun—when will ZYC get a single goddamn vacation day holy shit.

Also when will WX tear up that contract so ZYZ can stop having a mild heart attack every time he wants to kiss her ): &I love that they saved the 300-year montage for this moment. While their ship doesn't give me brainrot personally, who could be unmoved by that incredible and undisclosed sacrifice? That's soulmatism.

Okay, I'd seen clips of them filming the ZYC and Li Lun fight but damn I did not expect it'd be happening right now!! Right after already taking damage from ZYZ? And my god is Li Lun brutal. The two actors did such an impressive job on this entire fight, what with Li Lun's ease and ZYC's suffering. I really appreciated the extensive hand-to-hand combat after Li Lun literally obliterated ZYC's sword. (Also though, given the origin of that sword, I kept hoping for a flashback to ZYC's brother once it broke, but alas, no dice.) Anyway, the show does not play around about ZYC whump it seems. I was very very shook by that throat punch; that shit legitimately looked like it hurt.

Honestly, I had a hard time with the extended ZYZ and Li Lun conversation at the very end because oh my god someone please heal ZYC lmao. But of course, that's the end of the episode~~

Y'all...check on your local ZYC stans because I was not okay after all that (': I need a heaping dose of comfort after all that hurt, but as always I'm cautious of hoping for much from canon itself. So yeah! Ep 23 was solid, but I would probably be in better shape if today's release just ended on ep 22 ((':

Time to go wait for the cast's Hi6 episode to drop so I can heal my battered heart ;-;

[dyinggirldied]

I have read every single DoD fics available and while I'm thankful that there are more fics than I expected I still need more 😭 😭 😭

[fryeswiththat]

Consider the "I'm the only one who cares about him" but in reverse. Will just being adamant about helping or protecting Mike

Or realizing with dawning horror that he's the "only" one that cares about Mike

[lumpsbumpsandwhumps]

your new bank robber boyfriend kidnapper btw. if you even care.

[thewriterowl]

Luke Skywalker is Mand’alor

Now that season 3 is done and I was able to stew over it, I find myself liking it more than the initial watch (not in love but I know it is that final scene that has made it loads better/worth it)...but I LOVE the idea more on Luke is the rightful ruler of Mandalore due to the ridiculous line of defeat of the Darksaber

Can you imagine?? We’ve had so much fun watching Din “my god let me just be a side character in my own show” Djarin do his thing...but Luke?? The guy who keeps getting pushed as the center of the galaxy? The poor guy. He already has to deal with being a “shared” Chosen One with his formerly very evil father, seen as a galactic hero who “single handedly” (he keeps saying this is not the case) took out the Empire, reviving a culture that was genocide-d basically on his own (his aunt seems to not be very involved in his life???), going on near-death missions still after doing his Chosen One duties...and now is a king by some weird technicality??

Do you know how DONE he would be???

Because he defeated his father, who defeated Kenobi, who defeated Maul? Or because he defeated his father who defeated the Emperor who defeated Maul? OR  because he defeated his father who defeated Ahsoka who defeated Maul? 

Luke would try to say, “The Emperor defeated me!” or “I didn’t win against my father, technically!” or “Weren’t at least one of those previous matches a draw or something???” or “Surely with all the hands it’s been passed around to the line was officially broken?????”. And like all of them have a counter-argument that still leads back RIGHT TO HIM because, even IF Anakin defeated the Emperor who defeated Luke, he still ADMITS that Luke defeated him by saving him from the Darkside with like his dying breath!! Or, even better because it is the words from Din in the season, he defeated the enemy who defeated/captured/cornered Din & Bo-Katan on the cruiser--cause, within the scene, it is heavily implied they were all about to die (aka be defeated) if he hadn’t shown up!

There is like literally no escape from it!

He literally just wants to be a teacher, like a pre-school teacher at this point and do fun flips over rocks while doing things to make people happy and not kill any more.

And he is made to be a king of a “cursed” planet of a former enemy.

Because of COURSE a Skywalker would have that luck.

[whumpbug]

sorry lem today is Not the day these boys will be happy. (but it IS the day i post my first Actual Whumpy drawing)

this is (very loosely) based off this fic i wrote a while ago. i just really wanted to draw simon Pissed and holding his boy because i feel like. theres this supressed anger about how civilians treat archie/vigil

BUT I DIGRESS.

here are The Boys!!!!!!!!!!

(cw slight blood warning)

✮⋆˙

no archies were harmed in the making of this drawing (✿◦’ᴗ˘◦)♡

(pose ref from @/mellon_soup) (shoutout to @/mellon_soup for hard carrying me with pose inspiration)

✮⋆˙

[arsenicflame]

(in general, removed from any specific au's where he needs to swim/not swim for Plot)

(personally, i think my stance is that he has some ability to keep himself afloat in calmer waters- on the shore or in a pool- but not in the way where its a particular skill. hes spend enough time dicking around in the shallows with Jack & Sam & Ed to know how to handle himself in water where he cant consistently reach the bottom, to feel comfortable cooling off by a waterfall, but is also keenly aware that if he goes overboard, even in relatively calm waters, being able to swim isnt going to do anything to save his life if a dinghy isnt sent. hes not gonna drown the second he's in the ocean or anything, but hes screwed if the waters a little too rough or its late or a raid and it isnt noticed before the ships a way away.)

[citrine-elephant]

thinking about the scene in vendetta, where arias does his grand reveal and leaves chris to die? chris seeing his comrade turned into a controllable weapon.

yeah i'm thinking of a tragic chreon moment like that

chris about to face a similar monster like that of arias. and with the cycle of retraumatizing these poor guys, a mirror of those events with another familiar face.

it's not meant to show off bioweapon tech. it's specifically to spite chris. bonus points if this is just after vendetta. leon's recovery leaves him far from that dark abyss and far closer to something hopeful. the edge of spring, of a new sunrise....

and there he is. glazed over eyes, those once intense blues faded into the haze of white, scratched with veins of infection. he doesn't focus on anything. not the man holding the reins of his leash. not his friend on the other side of the way.

his shoulders hang low with his body swaying gently, unsteady on withering legs. he looks as if the underworld was siphoning off his energy by pulling him in closer to hell. his soul, long gone now...

gaunt. whether it was torture at the hands of this new evil, or if its the infection eating him from the inside. to say it wasn't a literal visual embodiment of the saying, "shell of his former self," would be a blatant lie.

to see leon so weak, so frail. a brighter future just out of reach, snatched away. leaving him like this. except, so far as chris knows, there's no coming back from this.

visions of the future torment him more than anything this monster could say. visions of putting down leon. one last goodbye. one last gentle kiss to the shell's forehead. to wonder if leon even understood a goddamned thing going on....

[hyperfocusthusly]

Did anyone else wake up at 4am, frantically write out 1,000 words of plot outline for a Zukka themed Zuko whump or are you normal

[thegreatyin]

sooo... fallen london.... how does one get into playing

you can find the official website right over here! that's actually pretty much all there is to it!

it's free and browser-based, no downloads or purchases required. all you need is to make an account and the game will guide you from there.

i made my own list of tips and tricks a long while back, and i highly recommend the wiki beginner's guide if you feel lost and need some direction! don't be afraid to spam my inbox with questions if it comes down to it. it may come as a shock, but i am slightly autistic about this game (i know, i've been really really really subtle) and any and all opportunities to talk about it make me see red

[threshasaurus-writes]

In Charge, Chapter 29: Honesty

Fandom: Death Note (no Death Note AU)

Characters: Near, Matt, Mello, L, Teru Mikami, a whole bunch of cameos from canon characters as supporting cast

Ships: Shippy Gen with a friendship triangle (whee!)

Rating: M for violence and Mikami (you'll see) Summary:

Summary:

Matt, Mello and Near work under their mentor, world-famous genius detective L, training to become detectives someday themselves. Matt is generally okay with being in third place when compared to Mello and Near, but things are about to change. When Near suddenly collapses while he and Matt are home alone, the redhead finds himself in charge for the first time ever.

Matt rushes Near to the hospital. Just as a friendship begins to form between the two boys, Mello arrives and complicates the dynamic. Things go from bad to worse, as Near's obsessive nurse Mikami abducts him from the hospital, and Matt, Mello and L must work together to recover him.

(Continuing to add to my Death Note fanfic I first published in 2008. it's only a few chapters from finished after this, so I'm gonna finish it once and for all. We have to get Near some closure for all that I've put him through...

Chapter 1 has detailed content warning info, so be sure to read the author's note!)

Read it here on AO3!

Read it here on FFN!

[befuddled-calico-whump]

Hand in Hand (part eleven)

cw: aftermath of whump, hospital setting, adult language

prev // au masterlist // next

~ ~ ~

Fleet soldiers come to collect him with weapons drawn and cuffs to replace his chains. They lift him from the bed and strap him to a stretcher, tight enough that he can barely move. Dan doesn't fight it.

They'll take him aboard and throw him in the brig. Probably interrogate him, probably transfer him to a place he has no hope of escaping once they're done. He doesn't care. Whatever they do to him, it can't be worse than Swift's ruthlessness and cold manipulation. Unlike her, the Fleet has rules.

He isn't so naive as to believe they actually follow those rules, but being an intergalactic organization puts them under a certain level of public scrutiny. And even if the Fleet-aligned public hate Dan, they won't be bold enough to condone his torture. He isn't safe, but he's safer. Wes is safer.

Maybe he can cut a deal with them. Comply and give them anything they want, in exchange for his friend's freedom. Something he'll never know again, but again, he doesn't care. He took his last breath of free air months ago.

He just has to hope they get to Wes in time.

The soldiers lift the stretcher, and he winces as the movement jostles his leg. He's barely left the bed at all since Swift dragged him away from Wes, and the few times he's been pulled from it have been agonizing. He's sure his leg is getting worse, not better. Is it bad enough now that it won't get better at all?

He can't linger on it. There's bigger things to worry about.

Like Wes.

Dan tries to get a look around as they carry him onto the ship and secure the stretcher, but he can barely lift his head.

"Where... where's my friend-- th-the other prisoner? Is he alive?"

He doesn't get a response. Fuck, he can't just not know. He needs to know that they have him, that they won't leave him behind.

"Please, give me an answer," he says, straining against the straps that hold him. "Just tell me you aren't leaving him, please."

"Shit, am I supposed to tell him something?" the soldier who speaks is talking to her teammate, not Dan, but he still picks up her whisper.

"Maybe it's best if we sedate him for the flight. I mean, it's Melchior."

Sedate him? No, they can't. Not until he knows Wes is okay. Not until he sees him being brought onboard. If they can't even promise him that, what does that mean? Is he dead?

"Don't, please, I just wanna know--"

But the soldiers only ignore him as one of them preps a needle.

And as much as he tries to fight it, Dan can't escape the drug as it pulls him under.

~ ~ ~

He wakes to fluorescent light and a low ceiling, metal ringing his left wrist, connecting him to a hospital bed.

A ship. He's on a Fleet ship.

His leg has been heavily bandaged, and he can't feel it. They must've numbed the pain there somehow. For a moment, Dan just stares at the blanket, at his own hands. He isn't free. But isn't Swift. It isn't---

Realization hits him like a bullet and he shoots up, his head spinning and woozy as he looks around the room. Wes. Where...

It doesn't take long to spot him. The med bay is small, and there's only one other bed. Wes lies in it, asleep or unconscious. His skin looks even paler in this light, his many wounds a sharp contrast. He's hooked up to an IV bag. Dan is too, he realizes.

Wes looks awful, looks like he's in so much pain, but he's out. He's here, he's alive.

"Wes," Dan croaks, though he doubts his friend can hear him. Tears are building in his eyes, but for once they're falling in relief. Whatever comes next, whatever sentence he has to take from the Fleet, Swift can't touch them anymore. She can't hurt Wes anymore.

And he'll die before anyone else gets the chance to.

~ ~ ~

@kira-the-whump-enthusiast @kixngiggles @shywhumpauthor @whumpsday @whumpacabra

[whump-kitty]

"What's your name?" Darius asks offhandedly while reading the newspaper, as Allison is setting the table.

"My... my name? Well, you usually call me Allison." Allison stops moving as they ponder the question, clearly surprised.

"I know I do, pet, but is that your real name? Do you even remember what it was?" Darius seems pretty amused, peering at them expectantly above their newspaper.

"I..." Allison trails off, looking somewhat panicked now. "Am... am I supposed to? I-I mean even if I try, I just... can't..." they laugh nervously as they finish setting the table.

"No... I suppose you're not, your old name is unimportant by now anyways, as it's not like you need to listen to it anymore" Darius seems even more amused, smirking, and he pats the top of their head, leaving Allison to their thoughts and the panicked realization that they don't seem to remember anything from their life before meeting him.

[voidwhump]

I need roughly ten billion more fics where some character is seemingly only under the weather because they've been overworking themself and then they wake up with actually serious problems

[chaotic-orphan]

excuse me???? your writing is so brilliant omg?? i've been following your blog for a while now, and your writing somehow keeps getting even better over time.

obsessed with this part:

"I didn't want you to suffer."

"No, you didn't want to see me suffer, and there's a chasm of a difference between them."

you're making us suffer at this point :'(

Thank you so much for this comment, oh my god it made me beam!!! I’m so happy it’s getting better (and you noticed it😍) AND the little gremlin inside me is delighted, knocking over furniture and setting things on fire because a quote stuck with you

I have been making a conscious effort to improve over the last two months cause I want this to be my job, so I have been reading more and injecting my writing here with more oomph that I use in my poetry and contemporary writing and I’ve noticed the difference it’s made, there’s still a long way to go, but thank you for this encouragement and time to drop this comment🥺🥺 it really inspires me further🫶🫰🙏