#and that's bound to be something that's resolved in some huge way

[hivemindscape]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHOU!!!

Fluff for the occasion!!! set in 2015; in the current day and age he's turning 25 which is crazy, hope mans nailing adulthood

bonus air kiss to my fellow queers and especially aspecs:

[absolutelynotsanebaby]

Hey in you villian au I had a few questions about Kai if you don't mind.

First you talked about kai and him being a cult leader, whats the gist of that, something similar to chen? A death cult, a fire worshiping soceity, a volcano conclave?

And secondly, whats his relationship with his sister, ambivilance, getting along in the 'Oh lets go on a pilaging and raid together thats sounds like top tier sibling fun' sort of way or a bipolar could be fun or could be fatal depending on the way the wind blows kinda way?

Finaly (and sorry for being long winded) you talked about his main thread / power came from societal manipulations, is this more cloak and dagers or populism / manipulation, the steel in the dark vs the gilded spider web so to speak?

PS fun au, realy cool designs my favourts are probaly kai pixal and jay, all just fab :)

Disclaimer: long ass ramble about my Villain AU.

so many questions today, not that I'm complaining! I love to talk about my aus. Kai's an interesting one too.

Kai's cult doesn't actually have a big base or anything, at least not in it's fully developed form. It's not ironed out but, I have the thought that the basis is that by joining the cult, you protect yourself from the end of the world snake of fire (definitely not it's actual name lol). By joining, you get into it's good graces, it won't eat you when it returns to Ninjago. By worshiping Kai, who presents himself kind of like a human-form of the snake, you fully ensure your safety. It's a complete lie of course but by the time the AU officially starts, it been over 200 years since canon, so it's had a long time to marinate. That's another thing, because of that time span the cult is huge. Functions more like a society than a small-time cult. Whole generations of families have been born into the cult, it's really soaked into the population. One thing I like to think about how you could walk into a random, harmless looking town and be completely unaware it's cult territory. That everyone in it is a member. I like to call them snake-dens (also what they're called in story).

(also note: since you mentioned Chen, Kai's cult does actually have similar snake imagery if that isn't clear lol.)

As for Nya, well, that's kind of complicated. See, Nya isn't a villain in the same way Kai is. Most of the art I've posted about her have been of her post-reformation design. Essentially within the two centuries since sea-bound, she'd developed into a sea monster. More akin to a destructive force of nature than a traditional villain like Kai. A lot of her destructive stemmed from anger, people abusing and polluting the ocean. Namely, Zane's kingdom would throw a lot of oil, trash, and broken/old tech into the ocean before an event where Sea-Nya had thrown it all back over the walls of the kingdom down onto it through a huge wave (hugely destructive, had a death count, just plain disgusting). Sorry for the ramble about her but I thought some context would be important lol.

So, Kai and Nya didn't actually talk like at all during those two centuries. Pre-seabound but post ToE their relationship was -- very bad. Nya was very, very angry at Kai for leaving them behind and becoming so awful. They never resolved that before Seabound. Kai felt guilt about that, what happened to her and that he never went to fight for hr or save her. But he never changed, so how bad he really felt is -- up to interpretation. it's a big part of why he and Jay fight/fought so much. After Nya had returned to (mostly) human, their relationship is interesting. Nya kind of hates him but it's -- muted. She can't stand the person he's become, how he threw everything away and never changed. That he had a real choice when she didn't and he used it to be -- a violent, cruel cult leader. When he comes around, she doesn't tell him to go away. She thinks he's pathetic. Kai wants his sister back, but he's not willing to change. They're complicated.

I'm going to say it's a 'gilded web' type thing but it also is very shady. He has a lot of connections and is just a plain focal point within the underground crime scene (or overground because this ninjago is really fucked up and dangerous lol, the entire land. ninjago city itself is completely gone). For instance, in Zane's kingdom, up in the ranks an advisors runs a smuggling operation for citizens to 'escape' (before Zane was de-overlorded anyways, after that he opens up the borders). Only about 50% of the time would those citizens actually get out of the city, the other 50% of the time they'd be sold to someone/somewhere or killed. Kai's allies with them (I haven't figured out exactly who that is yet lol). Another ally is Wen Xia (oc talk sorry) who's just a general power. Usually runs a fighting ring(s) but does a bunch of other stuff. Very dangerous and very rich. Kai just has a lot of connections and a strangle-hold on a lot of ninjago. MAN this got LONG. thank you for the questions I love the chance to info dump, haha!

(and TY!! Jay's one of my favorite designs too)

[infiniteeight8]

IronStrange/Steter crossover prompt? Peter knew Tony through some charity thing before the Hale Fire (they were fairly chummy, well as chummy as two neurotic-in-very-different-ways guys can be) and he ends up going to some Avengers charity thing because Stiles is a /FAN/ of SI's green energy initiatives. Peter ends up introducing Stiles and in the middle of his praising rant (we all know Stiles rants), Stephen asks Stiles who bound his magic and who needs an ass-kicking.

Crossover prompts are always fun! 😀

-

When Stephen spots the crisply dressed man with a rather smarmy smile making a beeline for Tony, ushering along his much younger and less crisp date with a grip on his elbow, he braces himself for another round of pseudo polite, empty social chatter. At another event he and Tony might shamelessly roast the man, but tonight they’re both representing and seeking support for a charity; ruffling feathers would be counterproductive.

To his surprise, Tony breaks into a genuine grin when he catches sight of the man. “Peter! Where the hell have you been? It’s been a dog’s age.” The young man snickers at that, for some reason. “The level of snark at these things took a huge hit when you up and vanished,” Tony goes on. 

“A psychopath burned down my home with my family inside and I spent six years in a coma,” Peter said, so airily that Stephen immediately believed it was true. Some things hurt so badly that the only way to talk about them was to pretend they meant nothing at all. “But nevermind me, I’m here for Stiles.” He moves his date forward a step. “When he found out I knew you, he let me have no rest until I agreed to an introduction.”

“Okay, in my defense, Peter is very stubborn about sharing his contacts,” Stiles says. “I learned ages ago that if something’s really important, I should just go for the nuclear option of constant badgering and withheld sex. Saves us both time. Hi! Stiles Stilinski,” he holds out his hand and Tony shakes it, looking a little bemused at the rush of words. “Your green energy initiatives are awesome, and I don’t just mean the arc reactor, even if it is the shiniest jewel in the crown. The innovations in energy storage and transmission—”

Stephen tunes out for a moment. There is something off about Stiles. Frowning, Stephen taps into his magic and immediately stiffens so sharply that Peter, Stiles, and Tony all cut themselves off and turn toward him. Stephen focuses on Stiles. “Who bound your magic?” he demands.

Stiles blanches. “Who did what?”

“Bound your magic,” Stephen repeats. “And poorly, too. Have you been having insomnia? Difficulty concentrating? Headaches? A constant sense of deja vu?”

“All of the above,” Peter says, placing a protective hand in the small of Stiles’ back. “Explain.” 

“Stiles,” Stephen says, “you have a deep well of magical potential. Someone has blocked it off, but incompetently so. Your talents have been battering at the block, which is putting strain on the rest of your mind. If this was done with your permission—”

“No,” Stiles replies, scowling. “Definitely not.”

Stephen presses his lips together. “The block needs to be removed. Immediately. And then we need to find out who did this so that they can answer to the Masters of the Mystic Arts.”

“Not if they answer to me, first,” Peter says coolly, his eyes flashing electric blue. 

“Answers first, queuing up to kick ass second,” Tony puts in. He turns to Stephen. “I’ll make our excuses and meet you at the Sanctum?”

“Yes,” Stephen affirms, and leans in for a quick, grateful kiss. As Tony moves off, he turns back to Peter and Stiles. “Come on, I imagine you want this resolved immediately.”

As he leads them to the ballroom’s exit—portaling in the midst of a crowd is rarely a good idea—Stephen hears Stiles murmur, “A magic user who doesn’t talk in circles. Mark this day on the calendar.”

Apparently the Order has more than one rogue mage to deal with.

[careshub]

𝑶𝑵𝑬 𝑪𝑯𝑰𝑪𝑨𝑮𝑶

basics.

age: 32 - 36

occupation: detective @ chicago 21st district, intelligence unit - badge number 58771

faceclaim: candice king

caroline elizabeth forbes was born and raised in the quiet town of mystic falls, virginia, where life was blissfully ordinary. known for her bright personality and determination, caroline originally pursued a degree in drama, dreaming of a life on stage and her name on big screens. that dream came to a crashing halt when her mother, sheriff elizabeth forbes, passed away unexpectedly when caroline was just nineteen. devastated but determined to honor her mother’s legacy, she switched majors to criminal justice and set her sights on following in her mother’s footsteps—joining law enforcement. the road to the badge wasn’t easy. despite her resolve, caroline was met with relentless doubt from nearly everyone around her. branded as “too sweet” and “too girly” to survive the intensity of police work, her classmates—and even some instructors—openly placed bets on how soon she’d drop out of the academy. caroline, however, turned every sneer and snide comment into fuel. determined to prove everyone wrong, she graduated and wasted no time leaving mystic falls behind to start fresh somewhere no one would expect her to succeed: chicago. landing in chicago with nothing but her curling iron and her dream, caroline crashed on elena gilbert's couch, who was attending medical school in the city. the arrangement lasted three months before caroline landed her first position with the chicago police department, starting out as a patrol officer at the 21st district. it was a tough job in an even tougher city, but caroline never flinched. her relentless optimism, sharp instincts, and surprising grit slowly earned her the respect she had to fight so hard for. now, after several years in the field, caroline is the newest member of the intelligence unit. though she lacks the hardened edge of some of her colleagues, caroline has a gift that sets her apart—she’s a natural at interrogations. with a disarming smile and those wide, trusting blue eyes, suspects find themselves opening up before they even realize it. she doesn’t intimidate often; she connects. and that connection has made her one of the unit’s most unexpected secret weapons.

random tidbits.

gets way too emotionally involved in cases that involve children and women, and will clash with others when they’re dealing with anything like that

volunteers at a domestic abuse shelter whenever possible

wants to adopt a huge dog but lives in a shoebox apartment

always wears black boots with a slight heel, neatly tailored trousers, and a concealed vest under a blouse. yes, she learned how to run in heels and no, she will not demonstrate

keeps her mom’s old badge in her desk drawer at work, and has a picture of liz in her uniform in her locker

known for her color-coded case files and aggressively organized workspace,

drinks three cups of black coffee a day but claims she doesn’t “need caffeine.”

keeps a list of all her closed cases in a leather-bound notebook, color-coded by outcome

^ more on that: she also has a tiny, private notebook where she writes down the major wins—just for herself. it has the names of the cases she’s cracked, the people she’s helped, the days she proved someone wrong. it’s her way of remembering how far she’s come and to remind herself she's doing something good, even when it doesn't look like it

has once threatened to tase a lieutenant for mocking a rape victim during processing

keeps painkillers, granola bars, and hand sanitizer in her desk. she notices when someone’s having a rough day and will show up with coffee without needing to be asked. aka she's the unofficial mom of the team

nicknames include: detective barbie, justice girl, commander cute, the valkyrie

[ourstoriedinsight]

Audio Drama Sunday IV

Alright! Back again! Skipped last week as I went on a binge of Non-fiction history podcasts as is my occasional habit. This week however I resumed my audio fiction engagements with a fervor.

Edge of my seat week to week listens wise this was another win for @innbetween where I have to be a bit sneaky about spoilers since most y'all won't have access yet. This one gave me some chills as Max's character brought to mind some bosses I worked for in the past whom I am glad I am not working for now. Whereas previous adventuring parties were faster to making solid friendships of fate and circumstance this bunch remains first and foremost co-worker relationships which has opened the door wonderfully to working with themes of different types of ableism. I come from a decently cut throat industry myself and that whole "What good are you if you can't..." is a huge thing we need to talk more about as a society. Having party members we feel a little more gray about is a neat shift of dynamic too which I wholeheartedly approve of which has left me hoping either the arc carries everyone to a better wiser place ... or delivers some much needed kicks to the gems for bad behavior by way of catharsis.

My binge listen continues to be Spirit Box Radio where I have hit season 3 at last! The Host/ Creator/ Voice Actor of the show seems to be going through a testosterone based transition which I got to admit I am enjoying vicariously more than I probably should. My circumstances have taken a T transition off the table for me personally so when I encounter someone going through one I get fairly excited myself noting the changes. How deep Sam's voice will be by the end of the series is like an added bit of delightful mystery. On it's more narrative based merits however Spirit Box Radio continues to delight. There's an evolving ruminative quality to the story with leaps and bounds of development just when the slow drip of progress in the mystery starts to stretch the tension to the breaking point. Big changes in the status quo that then must be weighed and understood and considered starting the cycle anew. Pacing wise it's the cautious and moderate person's approach to danger which feels fairly true to life. It's something that works best in podcast format which makes it feel more fresh than the more common arc of act/react. Things must be digested in their own time and lately particularly I have been finding that slower pace is a welcome change from instant gratification.

Editing log of the week is fairy empty as I have finished the second draft of the season Finale and am taking a breather before doing the finalizing process. After this I get a nice two month vacay from all things audio to sharpen up my resolve for the next season and start making our backlog for the airing of season 2. I'm so close to relaxing I can feel it!

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[krakrac]

fun fact for the longest time i was genuinely miserable, depressed even, just because i couldnt write my kélas stories. and perhaps the whole time the story was telling me to let it be and come back to it once im older because otherwise i would be rewriting the same thing constantly, and it might be paying off because i have the space to worldbuild and play dolls with my ocs in my mind. which helps me set up for the future because some of the characters now feel way more complex and "right" compared to their old selves, even though all of their character development happened only in my thoughts. as "right" i would describe briel since she was originally an extremely boring guy that ive grown to hate and it would be a torture to write a story with him.

also, lately im feeling the story needs a genre shift, i would love to lean more into horror aspects with it. which were already there i guess but if i could straight up write a fantasy horror it would be so awesomesauce. this includes keeping the conflicts between characters somewhat small-scale because. in the original version that i managed to finish writing, there was a kélas-wide war with tens of thousands soldiers involved and it honestly felt shallow to me (or maybe, just maybe, a fifteen year old simply didnt have the skill to write a full-scale war conflict well). but in any way, i definitely vibe more with the plot being a personal beef between some random guy (nyr) and a ruler of the largest empire on kélas (rivalis). and even though the huge war is probably inevitable, it wouldnt be the main focus and i would keep nyr as the protagonist away from all that. #antiwar

in conclusion this story will need even more time to passively cook unless i learn how to forget about the original plot so that i can start writing without its shackles bounding me. because thats probably the thing thats holding me back, the need to preserve the skeleton of the original story finished by fifteen year old me and build upon it instead of completely deconstructing it and building a new thing.

(btw this was about the main story, yrsk's story is in a slightly different place as i have it all thought out but i genuinely cant get myself to write it, it bores me unless im in a highly specific mood, even though i like the plot and everything 💀 so that might be a problem that will also have to get resolved if i want to do something with the main story)

[poeoliverwood]

A concept of a Scott Pilgrim spin off has been whirling in my mind ever since I saw the movie adaptation in College, and I’ve realised that there were some characters that were so irrelevant or were so completely pointless that they ultimately served as nothing more than a plot device, in which they were replaced or straight up retconned in future media, but there was one character that I thought could be a brilliant character if she was given a better role and something to be part of in the main storyline. While I was thinking that, I also created my own character who is supposed to be similar in dynamic with Scott as Shadow is to Sonic. A character that may have started in the same setting, but was given the short end of the stick, a big “screw you” that has tainted the way he views the world and the people around him.

The character I was thinking in my head I finally gave a name to:

Alex Birchwood

And the character that I thought of making more relevant is Hollie Hawkes, who is Kim Pine’s co worker and some-what friend who abandoned her trust by stealing her boyfriend, making her fall down back into a depressed state, yeah, not the best character, but I have a better way of writing her that doesn’t feel so cold-blooded, and it has to do with Alex.

Now, Hollie was never really given any proper personality, outside of being lazy, laid back, and doesn’t really think things through, but one detail I’ve noticed is that Kim is definitely not someone who’d be easy to work with during to her attitude, so maybe Hollie has some sort of resilience and can understand people in ways that they themselves wouldn’t think. That’s important because that plays a huge part in Alex’s story. Alex is similar to Kim, but unlike her who doesn’t really give a damn about anything, Alex is deep down one of the most caring and considerate people on the planet, and is willing to step himself down in favour of the people around him, even if he doesn’t get along with them. This is because Alex has been though a lot. Abusive Parents, absent hospital bed-bound step-parents, a sister he lost from suicide, and a broken heart of a woman he loved so dearly, he has a lot that goes on into his mind, but the biggest of them is guilt. He believes that it is all his fault and that he’ll have to do anything to make sure no one has to go through his pain or else he’s a waste of fresh air. He’s in his bargaining phase.

This doesn’t get properly resolved until later, but Hollie is able to see the good in him, even if he doesn’t see it in himself, and in a way, Hollie is a guiding light to his eternal darkness, and his character is the shadow that comes to form.

They start off as just friends, but rapidly, they form a bond stronger than a Coconut Crab’s grip on that poor pilot back around WW2(I do not condone this belief, this is just a joke I thought I’d make after searching up what has the strongest grip). It doesn’t just become romantic, sexual and soulful in a matter of a few days, it also comes completely out of the blue and is just the two of them, like soulmates, putting full trust in each other, and this quick, intimate relationship not only helped Alex feel more confident in himself, but he also was given some form of reason to continue on and be something beyond his past, he had Hollie, and he’ll protect her and the people she cares about until the heat death of the universe. It’s not the most realistic outcome, but honestly “realism” is just a way of people saying “I personally don’t think it should exist that way” when time and time again, our expectations were blown out of the window, like nobody back in the early 1900s could’ve ever predicted the technological advancements that brought us here today. In this world, the impossible can become possible, maybe in a few decades, maybe in a few years, maybe even a few months, we just don’t know.

I’ll continue this in another post.

[bizlinedirectory]

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[sfznyxio]

-ˋˏ REBIRTH OF AEGIS ˎˊ

SYNOPSIS. cracks on shields leave the protected vulnerable. the shield of the business world named aegis shatters when a certain scandal rises after the death of the family behind the company. you as their child and witness of their goodwill take the initiative of attesting their innocence. this case has a huge toll on your mental health, so your household staff hires bodyguards as safety measures, much to your annoyance. but who knew that they are the most helpful assistants to your mission?

CHARACTERS. sakura haruka, suo hayato, nirei akihiko, umemiya hajime, hiragi toma, kaji ren, togame jo

CONTENT. f!reader. bodyguard, rich kid au. angst, fluff. 1.6k wc. reader ranges from a menace to a misanthrope - basically hates everyone living in this world and literally wants to fight them. banter and arguments here and there, with some swearing. formal titles and nicknames (suo & nirei - milady; umemiya & hiragi - young miss; togame - princess). harassment (sakura & hiragi). betrayal (nirei). implications of being kinky as a joke (kaji). kidnapping (togame).

VERA. we’re getting keel arc next year. so that means… feral furin… ehe. ohhh, we’re eating good, fellas.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. SAKURA HARUKA

“what part of ‘get outta here’ don’t you understand? i could handle these bastards myself.” you are going to argue that you’re capable of defending yourself, but falter when sakura cradles your bruised hands as if they are glass. it’s the feeling of helplessness, what you have despised your entire life. it stings a lot more than the impact of your fists to the mob of dudes who harassed you earlier.

“and have you take all the glory? no thanks.” you wince at the brushes of his thumbs over your wounds. if news reporters catch sight of this fight, there goes efforts of proving your family’s innocence. the public already considers you guilty by association. sakura is familiar with rejection for something beyond his control, so he doesn’t reprimand you any further. you’re stubborn as a mule, so you won’t take him seriously anyway.

“you’re such a pain in the ass. fine, stay close to me next time.” he whips his head to the side to hide his red cheeks. sakura doesn’t admit to many things, but what he just said is his belief in your confidence in resolving this case. also, he isn’t joking about staying close to him when he holds your hand on your return to the mansion. your bodyguard has your back when the world has their back against you, through bruises and all.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. SUO HAYATO

“not so fast, milady. patience is a virtue, remember?” suo has the guts to remind you as if he never acts the opposite. the other day the two of you caught a guy who possesses critical information about your parents, but instead insults you to the point your bodyguard knocks him out without a second thought before spilling the details. however, he is right to wait as you lack the evidence and mental capacity to move forward. 

“only because we’re back to square one. so, do you have a plan or what?” suo flashes that infamous smile of his. ever since the beginning of your partnership in this investigation, you are constantly on guard, unable to discern what his intentions are. yet his suggestions save you a great deal of headaches that you can trust him somewhat. he is not your enemy, for now. it’s the people behind your family’s downfall. 

“of course i do, milady. but please be patient with me, alright?” suo just lied for the purpose of taming your hastiness. you hate that he does well at his job, so relying on him to do his part is the least you can do at this point. he leaves your room with a grave expression on his face, hearing you swear in between sobs. anyone who dares to hurt his lady won’t be spared by his wrath.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. NIREI AKIHIKO

“milady, please calm down. don’t let their words get into your head.” you glare at nirei with the raging urge to punch anything that stands in your way, but are stopped with your wrists bound under his grip. he’s shaking like a leaf, a justification of a former associate’s observation of how your behavior toward the case affects the people around you. tension releases from your body, and so is the energy to face your bodyguard.

“my parents and i trusted them. what the hell is going on?” betrayal is a godawful experience, notably from someone who was practically family. a former associate reveals their true colors — how they truly feel toward you and the business. you’re shocked, pissed, and confused, you collapse against the wall. they’re right about you having nothing left. everyone is gone, and nirei will eventually be sick of you and quit.

“how much do you believe what they said is gospel truth? your resolve is why i have faith in you, milady.” nirei may not be a strong fighter, but he sure knows how to snap someone awake from their nightmares. he pulls you into a hug, and you don’t sense his shakiness anymore. it’s never the time to give up. one day, this case will have a happy ending, an outcome that the two of you believe in.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. UMEMIYA HAJIME

“ah, the young miss looks wonderful as always. an angel who descended from the sky.” if anything, you are a demon in disguise in the eyes of the public. umemiya religiously worships the ground you walk on with high praises, but this time you aren’t sure if he is just doing it out of habit or to quell your arising anger issues. you had lashed out at your household staff, who probably asked your bodyguard to talk things out with you.

“my current predicament with this investigation has nothing to do with any of you. it isn’t an excuse to get mad at everyone, so, sorry.” you reach a dead end, and you’ve been stuck there for a while now. it’s frustrating to tread on a path of treasure troves but actually tricks you into coming to nowhere. umemiya recognizes the feelings of shouldering the burden alone and the impatience to get everything over with too well.

“give me a few minutes to get ready, young miss. why don’t we go on an adventure together?” umemiya treats outings as anything but ordinary, when you are just hanging out with him. this adventure in particular is magical. the sights and sounds of the bustling city that you rarely attend to are the real treasure troves. he wishes that his lovely angel can live in this world without pain and misery.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. HIRAGI TOMA

“the young miss went overboard again. i think i’m going to puke.” hiragi fumbles in his pockets for his pills to regulate himself. if looking after a group of rowdy troublemakers at the mansion already drives him crazy, its lady gives him mini heart attacks whenever she joins in a brawl. this particular mob of dudes struck deep into your nerves that your patience flies out of the window.

“same here, their flirting was atrocious. i seriously need an audio palette cleanse so, hm… can you think of awesome pick-up lines or something?” hiragi can feel his soul leave his body. this is not in the job description, but entertaining the idea can ease your mind from the investigation. he traps you on a nearby surface, positioning his forearm beside you. your bodyguard is dangerously close you melt into a puddle.

“you’re gonna kill me if you keep this up, young miss. is this enough for you?” more than enough, in fact. you can always count on him to satisfy your requests, no matter how ridiculous they may be, though sometimes hesitant. this is the lady hiragi protects when she isn’t taking a grain of salt as evidence or cursing at the world for abandoning her. when this is all over, he hopes that your years of suffering will be gone for good. 

𝄞༉‧₊˚. KAJI REN

“alright, my guys caught the bastard. and no, it’s not your job to torture them because that’s mine.” kaji scowls at your whines. the investigation loosens your restraints, testing your patience more than ever as it thins out by the second. torturing your prisoner is a joke, but not to a serious person like your bodyguard considering how merciless you can be when it comes to your fallen family, so you relent.

“easy, i was kidding. i promise i’ll keep my hands to myself and leave the physical stuff to your division like we agreed upon.” kaji responds with a sarcastic ‘sure’ as the both of you prepare for the interrogation. for some reason, you have a hunch that what is behind the double doors won’t go as planned. gaining the upper hand is the only thing in your mind right now. if you have to use scare tactics on the enemy, so be it.

“it’s so obvious that you’re already thinking about it. if you can’t control yourself, i’ll also tie you to the chair.” you cover your smirk, causing kaji to immediately shut down your teasing insinuations. now he’s the one to relent, taking your word that you’ll behave. your prisoner should also be on their best behavior, or else hell will definitely break loose. this is way beyond his paygrade, as well as keeping your impulsivity to kill in line.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. TOGAME JO

“cute… your hits are barely hurting me, princess. resisting won’t get you anywhere at this rate.” togame carries you around over his shoulder like a towel. you soon sag as if you got soaked in water, and your bodyguard sets you gently on the ground. lady luck is so rude that you can’t enjoy a normal day in this forsaken economy. you expected gossip and ridicule, but getting kidnapped is definitely far from the usual.

“give me a fucking break. what, is it illegal for a girl to eat her dessert in peace?” grimace crosses your face from slashes on your legs. fortunately the henchmen were weak as hell so kick techniques were enough to take them down in one go. the boss was a nuisance, cheating in battle with a pocket knife, and togame arrives at your location with a powerful tackle. the tracker you install in your phone as a precaution works wonders.

“as expected of our princess, those guys have no chance against you. i’ll bother the bakers to make you desserts as a reward.” your ears only perk up at ‘desserts’. finally you’ll be at heaven. perhaps you already are when togame lifts you with one arm under your legs and the other supporting your back. it seems like he does not need to ask the kitchen staff. you’re dozing off in contentment, nuzzling against his chest.

[valkyrieandstrangeridingaragorn]

I dont get it Santa. If thor and loki are just best messed up and its not a healthy relationship that can be resolved ever. Why does the marvel fandom want them back together?

Well, for starters you're assuming it can't be resolved... but it can be.

Their relationship wasn't healthy because they were caught up in the middle of Odin's triangulation but since they were both incredibly lonely they still gravitated towards one another which kind of ended up causing some form of co-dependency. Add to that their respective roles in the family and their relationship is bound to break.

But that doesn't mean it can't be resolved, and in fact I think if Feige hadn't chosen to go for a full retcon with Ragnarok they would have been able to fix it post-TDW.

Fans take that and want them back together because there was a lot of love between them and the reason it didn't quite work out for them was no more than external forces they couldn't control getting in the way. From what I have seen a lot of fans write them talking, being honest with one another, maybe even fighting over it but actually listening to one another... it's the kind of thing we should have gotten in the movies but we never did.

The "reconciliation" we were sold in Ragnarok wasn't real, it wasn't genuine and it only showed Loki accepting his role, submitting to it and Thor retreating to who he used to be pre-TDW which was a huge character regression for him. So can we really blame the fans for asking for something real where they can move on from their past?

[basedkikuenjoyer]

Usually wait until I have two chapters but who cares? Break week upcoming and I have feelings about this chapter. Starting with the easiest, nonspoilery one. Not a huge deal, but said something about it last time. The idea that Egghead might be the same island Oden met Toki, which has a lot of cool potential implications. It’s not the signature spotted rafflesia flowers that’d make it obvious, but this shot does show the similar trees we already noted this time with the right type of coconut-looking fruit. So one more point.

There’s some amazing stuff going on in this chapter from the angle we’ve been looking at. Luffy straight-up taunting Lucci so blatantly Zoro’s spelling it out. A certain redhead knocking around with less cool alternate versions of Luffy & Makino. That whole segment offers a lot obviously, but let’s go ahead and wait for 1077 to do em in pairs like we have been. I want to think on it and see our next step, but this chapter pulled the neat little trick of dangling something I was juuuust starting to seriously wonder about. This time, I only want to offer a plausible answer on the table to that finicky question; isn’t it past time to give it up? What on Earth could justify a newbie hanging out in the ship this whole time?

Aww, Shanks has a doofy Grand Fleet who decided they were his underlings too...

This was honestly on the short list of ideas from the start, hell I might have even mentioned the base logic before Wano ended, it’s a layup if you’re pitching an opening for a Quartermaster. Either way, at least back when we were just saying hey...arc could theoretically fit this rough sketch and build around a twist. We’ve done well sticking to that even if it was kinda vague. Vegapunk got the lore dump out of the way early and now this is devolving into chaos all while we’re keeping some of those big cards like X Drake back and still nailing the right themes.

Drifting away though, our goal at the moment is to lay out a hypothetical for how where we’re at on Egghead could be resolved through a quiet new addition working behind the scenes unbeknownst to us the readers. It’s the Fleet. Got 100 Marine ships in bound? Scary, sounds like a good use for Luffy’s ~70 backup ships. You just have to get Kizaru away from them, and him leaping into the fray on Egghead early is the perfect moment to turn the tables. Unfavorable, but not insurmountable odds at a perfect rate to justify the upset through smart command. Especially when you have guys like Orlumbus and Sai who can be your seasoned field marshals familiar with naval combat, it’s really a perfect stage for a Quartermaster who’s bringing social/speech skills. Less naval tactics, more balancing the egos. “Now Cabbage-kun...I’d expect a star to know the value of waiting a little to build tension.”

We have this big Chekov’s Gun loaded, look at what’s possible. Think taking a Gorosei hostage would count as historic proportions? The beauty is how it all just...flows. Luffy’s vivre card probably was going haywire over the past few weeks. Say they trusted Luffy and let it smolder from being thrown in Udon, but when it snuffed out and popped back for the Awakening or whatever decided they should probably move in. That’d give almost two weeks to get in the area, especially with the three days post-Wano. What if they’ve been trying to constantly call for a while now? Snails pick it up as they’re leaving Wano...there you go, that’s a perfectly fine excuse for someone new who gets the value of numbers spending a lot of time for a few days in the hold coordinating. It’s a great way to rapidly get up to speed on the wider world and could end up keeping a bit of mystery on the enemy end. You could even spin it into a killer Tokyo Rose-type vibe.

I feel like that type of propagandist, something like Gen in Dr. Stone, plays absurdly nice with what we’re seeing floating around this story. Don’t tell me it wouldn’t suit that little drama queen more than swinging a sword.

[ikkleosu]

The case for Roman and Gerri actual intercourse

Loathe as I am to disagree with J (because she is queen) but I can see HOW Roman and Gerri could - nay, should! - have the sex. And I feel I should post it before 3x08 and RomanGerri is blown out of the water by something hideous. LOL

First of all, the idea that Roman couldn’t do it, even if Gerri agreed.

The way I see it, Roman’s issue with sex is that he can only perform with another person when there’s an element of “wrong”. Thus him asking Tabitha to pretend to be dead. Tabitha is on paper perfect for him, so there was nothing “wrong” in his psyche when it came to her sexually, so he had to try and manufacture a wrong thing to be able to perform with her, although even that didn’t work.

With Gerri, the “wrongness” is inbuilt simply because of who she is. She significantly older than him, a contemporary (in a way) of his father’s, his sister’s godmother. He SHOULDN’T see her sexually - according the polite rules of society he’s meant to be bound by. So her evident sexuality, chemistry with him and indulging in his kinks makes every non-business interaction they have “wrong”.

She’s the forbidden fruit, and him getting a bite of the fruit wouldn’t make it any less forbidden - in fact, it would only be more so, particularly if it was an utter secret. His kink isn’t the chase without the catch. It’s not the not having her that arouses him, it’s the idea of business perfect, smart but dull filing cabinet Gerri being sexual and dirty and raw that is what arouses him. Her real persona compared to how everyone else sees her is “wrong” enough for him to be able to sexually perform with her, without any additional kink needed. 

And as for Gerri, obviously J is right Gerri is too clever, too careful to let herself get involved in something like that. Except, she already did the minute she started her berating in the bedroom and sending him into her bathroom.

Even the slime puppy call halfway through she knew exactly what he was doing and didn’t hang up on him, she knew what words were getting him hotter and she gave them to him.

And more than that, Gerri needs a flaw. All of the other characters are hugely flawed people whose greed, need for power, personal insecurity etc makes them make big mistakes. So far Gerri has made none. She NEEDS a flaw to be a true part of this game. She’s not a perfect human, we need to see her weak spot. Roman is it.

Having Gerri lose her resolve with Roman would show that she is as flawed as everyone else, but what makes her a better person than some of the others is that her flaw isn’t a thirst for power or approval, but the magnetic pull of another person. It’s a more understandable, relatable flaw for most people.

Everything about Gerri is controlled, careful playing of the game, keeping herself free of mess - that seemed like a pointed thing they brought up at the start for the season. To me, it’s a bit Chekov Gun, and that at some point she’s going to let herself get messy, and thus drawn further into the Roy web of power-play. It’s the perfect way to draw the outsider in and complicate her situation in an interesting way, that also makes the audience delighted

[accio-victuuri]

Recent Reads Part IV.

Here I am again listing stuff I’ve recently finished. I’m pleased to find short novels ( less than 75 chapters ) that I enjoyed. If you’re looking for something like that, then you can peek at this list. I gravitate towards fun and light reads ( mostly ). I placed the NU links for the summary/warnings/other people’s comments as well as link to the english translation of the novel. (ෆ˙ᵕ˙ෆ)♡

1. Outside the Law | NU LINK | English Translation

I’ll start with my favorite then. This novel impressed me with how much you can give a reader with just 15 chapters. Yes, 15. You can finish it in one sitting and it’s amazing. This was written for me. Smut, Violence, Angst, Love to the point of Obsession and a Happy ending. I’ve re-read this right after I finished it cause I can’t believe how good it is. Please read the tags tho cause it’s not a “light” read. There is also a Manhua! I really wish someone will make an AU of this for Wangxian. Lol.

2. Restricted Area | NU LINK | English Translation

The setting of this is in a prison and I don’t think I’ve ever read one with this setup. Violence is expected in this type of story but it’s tolerable and it adds to the plot. MC/ML dynamic is so good because they treat each other as equals. MC is not some helpless damsel in distress. The pacing of the story is good too and it blends the “plot” and romance really well.

3. Do you Remember My Name? | NU LINK | English Translation

FLUFF. Absolute fluff and I drowned in it. It’s the perfect example of love making you a better version of yourself. 🤍

4. Marriage Agreement | NU LINK | English Translation

I don’t think this needs much explanation— arranged marriage. just be warned of the huge age gap tho. I am a sucker for this trope in fiction only and it’s almost always guaranteed to keep me entertained. nothing ground breaking about this novel tho.

5. I got marked by A Shadow Guard | NU LINK | English Translation

Another one that doesn’t need much explanation, it’s A/B/O. A prince and his guard. *swoons* It may be short but it’s not really all about the dynamics, the author was able to lay a solid foundation for court politics.

6. Everyone thinks that I like Him | NU LINK | English Translation

It’s the kind of rom com that I can’t stop reading. It’s simple, funny and heartwarming. I like how the MC slowly realized his feelings for the ML because he got to know who he was. I have a thing for Love At first Sight stories but the way you can see how the MC views the ML from chapter 1 till the end was special. It also is technically an enemies to lovers trope, so that’s a huge plus.

7. Ex Husband’s Call | NU LINK | English Translation

Ohhhh. Falling in love with your ex-husband, such a spicy trope! 🌶 The thing is they agreed to get married for a year and if things don’t work out, they will separate. but they ended up falling in love with each other. I love it because this is what I look for when people say “mature relationship” in a story. MC/ML are in their 30s and while they do make some dumb decisions, I understand it and things work out. There is a side plot cause ML is a policeman and some other personal issues they have to resolve. I adore the MC’s kinky tendencies ! Good for him! We don’t kink shame in this house! 😂😂😂

8. Love Stops Rumors | NU LINK | English Translation

This novel solidified the fact that I enjoy reading about two dumbass characters fall in love. The situations here made me cackle because of how people misunderstood everything. It’s a fun read. ✌🏼

9. The Daily Life of being the Campus’ idol Fake Boyfriend | NU LINK | English Translation

Look. I don’t care of you give me 10 different stories with the same trope of fake relationship and I would still enjoy it. I will still angst and hold my breath, knowing they are bound to end up in a real relationship. I liked the characters here, especially Ling Ke. The disaster of him being gay but pretending to be straight, yet he has to “act” gay for this fake relationship is gold.

Stuff on my TBR, meaning I have a tab opened for it : Don’t you like me / New Times, New Hell.

Feel free to rec me your short novel favorites too! 🤍

[rampagingpoet]

My Philosophy of TTRPG Design

Prompted by some recent discussion on a TTRPG Discord server.

Fundamentally, a tabletop RPG is a Stuff That Happened generator.  Events occur within the game, and the game’s mechanics either prompt additional events or contribute to how those events unfold.  Players (including game masters as applicable) make decisions that feed back into the shared list of Stuff That Happened.  The eventual story of any given session or campaign is then assembled from the Stuff That Happened, events of meaning and import elevated while less memorable or impactful ones are glossed over in the retelling.

Different RPG systems will produce different Stuff.  Well-designed RPGs consider the shape of events they wish to generate most often, and the designers tailor their play advice and mechanics accordingly.  Poorly-designed RPGs have mechanics that do not generate the play experience they purport to provide - and there are a lot of ways to fall short.

At this point, the game designer’s work is done.  An RPG system exists, replete with mechanics and procedures of play.  Played by the book, it will tend to generate certain kinds of events.  Preferably the events it describes in its promotional material, but certainly something.

From there, it’s up to individual groups to evaluate whether RPG systems are fit for their own purposes.  They’ll decide what kind of stories they want to experience. Hopefully* they’ll settle on an RPG system that generates Stuff That Happened in an appropriate shape.

Choosing an RPG system is an immensely important part of any table’s social contract for the game.  By choosing a system, the table has agreed to be bound by that system’s rules for generating events and resolving actions.  Systems describe what actions are possible, likely, or reasonable to attempt.  That’s has a huge impact on the choices available to each participant, and how they’ll evaluate those choices.

Fundamentally, changing the rules changes the social contract.  And that’s OK!  Social contracts are mutable, unlike the words committed to paper in a print run of ten thousand.  But it’s important to recognize that that’s what’s happening every time the rules are modified or disregarded.  Change too much, and it’s not the game everyone agreed to play.  If it’s not the game everyone agreed to play, some participants may drop out.

Finally, roleplaying games have a “Game” aspect.  Some parts of the game will inevitably test player skill.  Players make decisions, and those decisions will have outcomes.  Skilled players will tend to make decisions that are more likely to produce the outcomes they’re looking for.  This varies massively between systems - D&D rewards finding ways to add the biggest number to a die roll, Chuubo’s Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine rewards good acting and improv to evoke specific emotions in other players.  Totally different contexts, but they still involve player skill.

If there are no mechanics to adjudicate what choices are available, you are either free-form roleplaying or collaboratively writing.

If the mechanics are frequently changed or ignored, the agreement to play a particular game has been violated.

If there are no decisions to make, then you’re not playing a game.

These last two are why fudging the dice (in games with randomization) and railroading other players (in any game) are bad.  Everyone at the table agreed to play a particular game - that’s why they’re there.  Fudging tramples on the (existing) social contract by disregarding the other players’ agreement to play a particular game.  Railroading tramples on the social contract by attempting to unilaterally skip the whole “game” part everyone agreed to and substitute the railroader’s personal vision instead.

There’s some other cases with eg safety tools or deliberately modifying the social contract I’ll get into in a later post, but that’s my Platonic Ideal of How RPGs Function.

Also, I don’t think any of this conflicts with the statement “The GM is also a player” or prevents the GM from having plans or desires?  They just shouldn’t use their vast GM powers to remove all the other players from the Stuff That Happened loop.

In summary:

RPGs are a Stuff That Happened generator

Different RPGs will produce different Stuff

When you agree to play an RPG, you agree to be bound by its methods of producing Stuff.

Changing the rules requires modifying that agreement.

Ignoring player decisions grossly violates that agreement.

* Sometimes groups end up using systems that don’t support the events they actually want to experience.  This is especially common with eg people trying D&D as their first RPG and finding its mechanics don’t fit the experiences they’re looking for.

[red1culous]

Oh part 1

Part 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7

Standing in front of that imposing building you felt your resolve falter slightly. It looked as though nothing had changed in years. Even the grove of trees that lined the driveway, tall and graceful, seemed to be frozen in time.

One foot in front of the other, you coax yourself. 

You suck in a laboured breath and walk into the large courtyard stopping once again as you take in your surroundings. You had hoped to be able to come and go without notice but the gravel covering the courtyard was doing a great job in announcing your arrival. 

This is new, you think to yourself slightly amused at your naivety thinking things would have stood still just because you left.

You hadn’t been back in over a decade after that little incident and if anyone had told you you would be standing where you were right now, you would have laughed in their faces before smacking them across it. 

You walk through a smaller sylvan courtyard of blooming orange trees. In its centre you see a fish pond. Smiling you look into it and search for the red and gold koi you had put there when you built the pond as a birthday present for Tony. It swims up to the surface as if it recognises you and if it weren’t for the boxes you were lugging about you might have even bent down to poke at its mouth.

For a split second you consider turning around and walking, no, running away. Screw the freshly baked muffins that were precariously balanced on you. You could just head back to the shop and sell them off at half price. You didn’t need the huge commission that the Avengers had agreed to pay for them. No you definitely didn’t need it…

…you also definitely did not need your business partner chewing off your ear about passing off said commission. 

Think of all the rich people eating your food? you can hear her clawing voice bounce about in your head. 

In truth you knew that the Avengers could easily afford a better baker. The best pastry chefs this side of the globe would happily saw off their left foot to be able to cater for them. But Pepper rings your mobile phone, claiming she meant to actually dial the shop, to place an order…a significantly large one…one she knew you would not be able to resist.

“Shit…” you mumble under your breath seeing the cause of your stress marching towards you a huge smile on her face.

“Is that how you greet an old friend?” Pepper says holding onto your upper arms and leaning in to place air kisses on your cheeks.

“No of course not…it’s just…umm…” you stutter as your heart thumps so hard it rattles its ribcage.

“I know…it’s a little weird being back” she says hands still holding you in place as if she knew you were about to bolt right out of there.

You shrug chuckling a little. “It’s stupid isn’t it?” you adopt a wide smile which had always been effective when dealing with difficult customers.

“Don’t give me that look” she swipes at your chin, “and it’s not stupid either. Just so you know, we’re all on your side.” She adds giving you a sympathetic look and you calm slightly at her words. 

“Thanks Pep.”

“Ok you head in. I’ll meet you inside in a bit, you don’t mind do you? Tony ordered a grand piano and it’s just arrived…” she trails off.

“Sure, I know my way around” you say smiling as she squeezes your arms before letting you go. Of course you knew your way around. After all, this had been your home too for over 5 years. 

5 years of bliss with her. 

You mentally chide yourself. Nope, not gonna go back there. 

As you climb the white marbled steps that led to the main door of the mansion you steal a glance at the silent looming windows glinting in the early morning light. You hesitate a little seeing a shadow pass quickly across one of them. 

Shit. 

Shaking your head, yet again, you finally reach the large oak doors. The bright and zesty scent of your lemon muffins waft into the air and as you are about to ring the doorbell the solid doors open revealing a tanned and muscled man in a shirt way too small for his body.

“STEVEN!” you shout whisper as his face splits into a wide grin.

“Y/N! Wh-what are you doing here?” he almost engulfs you in a hug stopping at the very last moment realising your arms were occupied.

“I-I…umm, muffins?” you return his grin looking down at your packages.

His eyes widen a little before taking some of the boxes from you. He balances 3 with ease in one hand as he pulls you inside. “No I mean I knew we had ordered from you…,” he says walking with you towards the kitchen, “…but I thought you said you were going to send a runner or something.”

“Well I was but our regular guy called in sick” you say gently placing the boxes onto the kitchen island.

“Well isn’t that unfortunate” he eyes you winking when you catch his gaze.

You roll your eyes at him. “No Steve, it’s the very opposite of what you mean.”

“Oh come on Y/N,” he shuffles up beside you to bump your shoulder, “it’s been so long.”

“It has...but hey! I get to see you again!” you bump his shoulder back and he pretends like it hurts him. “Ok so these need to be consumed within 3 days…”

“Woah woah woah now…” he cuts you off, “…you’re talking like you’re about to leave.”

He gives you a sad pouting face. His crisply parted hair makes him look like a choirboy albeit a very well built one. You almost feel sorry for him. 

“Steve you know I don’t belong here” you say fingering the hem of your shirt.

Your answer seems to baffle him. He straightens up and stares at you for a moment narrowing his eyes slightly. “I’m skipping my morning run just to hang out with you, so you can at least spend some time with me.”

“Steve…” you protest before he cuts you off again.

He raises a hand in your face. “Not hearing any of it” he says grabbing yours and leading you out of the kitchen, “…we’re going to take a walk and you’re going to meet some of your family.” 

You knew there was no use arguing with him. The death grip he had on you meant that you couldn’t even try to make a dash for it. “Steve if she…” you add and he cuts you off. Third one in a row. This was getting ridiculous.

“Shh!” and that was final. He leads you into the giant library where that vapid painting by Albert Ryder still hung on the wall. You hated that massive eye sore and always wandered what Tony liked about it. You’d always pegged him for the colourful extravagant type and this painting was just so out of character.

“Sam! Look who’s here?” Steve’s voice bellows out interrupting your thoughts. Your eyes trail up the curving mahogany spiral stairs that Steve is looking at and onto another floor of bookcases that were bathed in sunlight pouring in through a round skylight on the ceiling. 

“OMG Y/N?!” Sam almost shrieks as he bounds down the steps at a dangerous pace to collect you in a massive bear hug. “What are you doing here?!” he adds still crushing you in his arms.

“I came with the cupcakes…” you giggle as he picks you up and twirls you around. “Th-They brought me as their plus one.”

He puts you down to really look at you as if committing you to memory. A large smile sits on his face. “I see the sass is still there?”

“It never really left, big guy” you raise an eyebrow smirking as he hugs you one more time. 

“Pleaseee tell me you’re here for the party?” he groans wrapping an arm around your shoulders looking at you hopefully. “Parties here have been so sad since you’ve been gone.”

You hum about to answer as out of nowhere two slender arms wrap around you. It knocks the wind out of you and you instinctively hug back letting the smell of cinnamon and spice invade your senses. “Wanda!” you yelp.

“You didn’t tell me you were coming” she squeals smacking you across the arm.

You giggle at her pout. “I didn’t know I was coming, malyshka.”

She grins at your use of the word. “Ok let’s go” she says to a chorus of groans. 

“Excuse me! You are not taking her any where!” Sam blurts out grabbing your free hand.

“Sorry guys but I found her first” Steve adds standing in front of you and placing an authoritative hand on your shoulder his fingernails biting into the flesh there. 

“Guys…” you cough nervously, “how about we take a walk…together” you say quietly and sigh in relief as everyone starts smiling and pestering you with questions again. 

I guess nothing’s really changed after all.

---

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