#and thinking “surely not but mayhaps???”

[awkward-walking-potato]

Mayhaps I request a Remy x stoic-like!reader whos secretly good at playing cards, so when both the reader and Remy decide to play cards, maybe poker(?), he doesn’t expect them to be THAT good at playing cards nor that they win immediately after.

Poker face

Remy LeBeau was grinning like the Cheshire Cat, shuffling a deck of cards with ease as he sat across from you. You’d agreed to a game of poker—a suggestion that brought out a flash of mischief in his red-on-black eyes. He probably thought he’d be schooling you in a game he’d long mastered. But you, with your usual calm, didn’t give any hint of what was to come.

He dealt the cards, his movements smooth and practiced, and you observed each flick of his wrist without a word. To him, you looked the same as you always did—stoic, unreadable, as though the world itself couldn't faze you.

Remy leaned back, flashing that trademark grin. “Hope you don’t mind losin’, chere. I can take it easy on ya.”

You raised a brow, keeping your voice level. “You don’t have to go easy on me.”

That seemed to intrigue him. He chuckled as he glanced at his hand, confident as ever. “Well, well… we’ll see about dat.” He tossed a few chips into the pile to start, looking at you over the top of his cards with a spark of challenge in his gaze.

It wasn’t long before the game picked up, with you matching every one of his moves, meeting his raises without a flinch. Round after round, he tried new tricks, little bluffs, small tests to feel out what kind of player you were. But you didn’t rise to any of them. Your face stayed perfectly composed, your gaze steady, giving nothing away.

By the final hand, Remy looked less sure of himself, but he threw down his cards, certain he had the winning set.

“Full house,” he announced with a smirk, glancing up at you, that confidence still hanging on. “Think dat’s enough to win, non?”

You merely blinked, then, with a calm smile, laid down your own hand. “Straight flush.”

The silence that followed was golden. Remy stared, eyes widening, his usual cockiness dropping like a stone. He hadn’t expected that.

“Well, damn,” he finally muttered, leaning in closer, his grin breaking through his shock. “Where you been hidin’ dat talent, cher? You play better den me.”

You shrugged, your face showing only a hint of satisfaction. “Guess I’ve had some practice.”

“Guess so.” Remy laughed, still staring at your cards, clearly impressed. “Y’know, not many people can keep a straight face against ol’ Gambit. You’re somethin’ else, I’ll give ya dat.”

You felt a flicker of warmth in his praise but kept your response cool. “Does this mean I won?”

He looked up, mischief dancing in his eyes. “Ain’t sayin’ you didn’t… but maybe I’d like a rematch sometime.”

“Fine by me,” you replied, a hint of a smile tugging at your lips.

Remy’s grin widened as he gathered the cards, looking at you with a new glint of admiration. He didn’t mind losing—for once—if it meant he got to spend another night like this with you.

[absinthe-of-midnight]

Rolls over

So Wolfwood may allude to a Psychopomp,

Psychopomps (from the Greek word ψυχοπομπός, psychopompós, literally meaning the 'guide of souls') are creatures, spirits, angels, demons or deities in many religions whose responsibility is to escort newly deceased souls from Earth to the afterlife.

Their role is not to judge the deceased, but simply to guide them. Appearing frequently on funerary art, psychopomps have been depicted at different times and in different cultures as anthropomorphic entities, horses, deer, dogs, whip-poor-wills, ravens, crows, vultures, owls, sparrows, and cuckoos.

One notable Psychopomp is Charon(which is also one of Pluto's five moons) the ferryman who collected coins as payment, whose name is a poetic form of χαρωπός (charopós) 'of keen gaze', referring either to fierce, flashing, or feverish eyes, or to eyes of a bluish-gray color.

bluish-gray...

Another Psychopomp is Mercury, guider of souls to the underworld and "messenger of the gods", planet and metal named after him, noted as “both destructive and creative”.

“The elusive, duplicitous Mercurius who consorts with the devil

is at the same time a redeeming psychopomp”,

“The fact that he can freely participate in both light and dark worlds without taint makes Mercurius the perfect meditating bridge."

The metal known as quicksilver for being fluid and because of it's colour:

Silver...

(Wolfwood I love you but finding a good shot of your eye-colour is a pain in the ass!)

Now in Stampede he doesn't have any of these eye-colours but his role as a Psychopomp is still alluded to via the undertaker title(those who were given burial rites are able to meet Charon and cross the river Styx) and of course, being outright called a guide(btw Saint Peter was also considered a Psychopomp:)).

Still with me? Now let's discuss Legato for a bit, This is still part of the Psychopomp thing because Orange might be doing something that's making me go crazy(in a good way).

In the manga Legato is Not a Psychopomp, he does have death imagery but invokes it via war and destruction, thus it associates him with Mars and iron, one well known iron-cyanide complex often used as a pigment is Prussian blue(Berlin blue, Paris blue) or "ferric ferrocyanide", and it looks like this:

Now reason I'm pointing out that he's not a Psychopomp in the manga is because one of the lovely participants in Tristampparty had pointed out in their rewatch that Legato's eyes are

a greyish-silver and that surprised me and got me thinking, is Orange trying to give him Psychopomp allusions too? How? *Rolls over again* through Charon? He guide souls deeper into the underworld through the river Styx which could be referenced in how he "guides" lost souls into EOM.

And then hit it me, hehe, he's–, guys, he's the fucking Archangel Michael, chief of the angels and archangels, "stand ready and enter before the glory of the Lord". Meditating the "law of god" and standing at the right hand of the throne of god(right hand man, get it?).

Given permission to bring "righteous judgment" on the souls of the damned and bring those who are "worthy" of god to the gates of heaven.

"Bring them to the afterlife" would make him a Psychopomp as michael does guide souls but if you recall earlier they do not and cannot judge souls in the end so while micheal is theoretically a Psychopomp he does not embody it in its truest form, Micheal's role is a judge, jury and executer.

“The Lord punish you.”

And That’s it, the difference between Wolfwood and Legato's roles as Psychopomps, it is guide vs. judge, which uh, could also tie back to the twins.

(muttering, guide vs. judge, guide vs. judge... *tosses this into the steadily growing pile of "Orange might be foreshadowing a Wolfwood v. Legato fight in the future."*)

[snekdood]

so uh

for 1. most people are gonna take advantage of black friday and wont see your specific niche tumblr post, I hate to say it

2. the us isnt running out of money for war any time soon, so...

3. this is just antisemitism???????? all we need is some (((echoes))) around the us and israel and then I'd have no reason to suspect otherwise from op...............

[6sleft]

oh boy,,, so a nutcracker oc, huh 🥲 more below!

based off the past drawing of the scooped beast! (the masked one is unrelated btw) i've made a bit of plot for this lil guy, it's name is octo! it's a nutcracker specimen that somehow grew up in the wild (factory, maybe on assurance?) unlike a lab and was rescued by a crew and grew attached to them

so, they start saving scrap to give it new shells as it grows (which is quite quick for how big it gets to fit in a nutcracker animatronic). they feed it meats of snare fleas and loot bugs if they come across any, though it stays at the ship so it's not in any danger. all is good with the crew, they witness the baby grow and even teach it some tricks and words!

..until the last day of quota, when they, just like every other crew working for The Company, fail to get enough scrap to sell. they know they're doomed, so on their last day before they're fired they leave octo on one of the later moons (probably dine) and say goodbye, giving it a chance at life, though it doesn't fully understand why they left it behind :[

after that, i'm not sure on the rest of the details if it grows to somehow attain a nutcracker vessel or continue to live as a scurrying lil creature, hiding behind scrap and avoiding most monsters. maybe it'll have a mentor who takes it under its wing and teaches it how to survive? like a jester or another nutcracker, though i'm not sure how they'd react to such a vulnerable thing.

when i think of the nutcracker fleshy creatures i can't help but think of octopi cause of the tendrils, hence the name octo xp i like to think the nutcrackers are quite intelligent like irl octopi though, and flexible, so for a wild nutcracker creature it's probably more prone to hide than hunt, akin to a hermit crab, whereas other nutcrackers are raised to hunt due to human influence. (coughwildwarandapocalypselorecough)

anyways, if you read this far then thanks! i'm not particularly good at making fleshed out and detailed ocs like a lot of talented people here are but god looking at them all made me want to adopt my own <3

oh and here's a variant for shits and giggles based on a friends drawing hdjg

[lucabyte]

transfem loop + siffrin... you agree

i does agree.... i does in fact ... write a 7k word essay on the subject..... if you would like to perhaps click that link and read it if you were not already aware...... kisses u on the forehead......... sorry its that long but i had to cover all of my bases you know how it is with textual analysis when you're trying to draw a distinction between "headcanon" and "reading of the text" because those are different things.... to meeeeeeee.......

[a-dragons-journal]

the realization that while dragon is not my gender, it is my (ideal) sex, is a fun one, as is the supplemental realization that those two things are apparently utterly unrelated for me

[too-young-to-fall-in-love]

Don't You Try and Make Some Fool of Me

summary:

With his world on the brink of collapse, he knows there’s no easy way out, except how maybe there is. He can only hope it’s worth the sacrifice he’s about to make. Or, the ending events of chapter 9 of Love is a Losing Game, but from Illya's perspective.

notes:

inspired by Love is a Losing Game by @cha-melodius <3 The fic may or may not make sense without the original, I really can't say, but REGARDLESS I think everyone should read Love is a Losing Game because it's LITERALLY SO GORGEOUS AND SO AMAZING I am in love with it, probably, and there aren't enough words for me to express how much I absolutely adore it.

tags:

Falling out, Emotional Hurt No Comfort, Angst, inspired by another fic, competitive chess au, Napoleon Solo Needs a Hug, Illya Kuryakin Needs a Hug, Mutual Pining, Angst without a happy ending, but there is a happy ending in the original fic, POV Illya Kuryakin

excerpt:

Anger courses through him, thick and revolting, a nauseating combination of fire and ice that shakes him to his very core. He isn’t even certain what he’s mad at, nor who. Napoleon, for putting him in this position? Oleg, for causing this to exist in the first place?  As he lifts a trembling hand to Napoleon’s door, it’s really impossible to say what the true source of his anger is, because upon seeing Napoleon, it’s gone as though it were never there. The relief in Napoleon’s eyes leaves him breathless and for a moment his resolve is shattered. There’s something in Napoleon’s ocean eyes that preemptively shatters his heart. Chest aching, he wonders how he could’ve ever thought he’d be able to do this.

read more on ao3

[autism-alley]

if any of y’all know of a pjo/pjo show crit friendly discord server hit me up or so help me i might make one myself

[gallaghersgal]

good morning (see: afternoon) planet gallaghersgal! if i havent answered your celebration request it is more than likely that i am NOT ignoring it! i have 37 asks rotting in my inbox rn, but over the next few hours i'm gonna try and get through some of these requests!

[musubiki]

We stand (sit in the sand) with comrade Lime on this one

we all do...hes too valid

[miseria-fortes-viros]

guys if u were irl famous how long do u think it would take ur mutuals to figure it out

[icewindandboringhorror]

I have found a beautiful perfect humble rock specimen that is light yellow with a weird dark yellowy brown lining, somewhat resembling a chunk of smoked gouda cheese... effervescent

[batsplat]

come on there’s gotta be at least 3 sete/vale rivalry appreciators (you me and pedro acosta)!! haven’t seen 2003-05 seasons in full but mugello 2004 alone was so great.

vale and gibernau finished 1&2 on the same podium SEVEN times in 2003, the only ppl who did it more in a single year (since 2000, was too lazy to look back further) were lorenzo/pedrosa in 2012 when they swapped 1&2 places 9 times on the podium.

I love you anon

listen, I know some people need their rivalries to be more balanced than this, but in terms of actual on-track battles it's like. one of the very best this century. (I'm trying to hold back from calling it the best this century but I don't not believe that?) also some might argue that the 1-2 achievement is even more impressive in 2003 than in 2012, given more riders were capable of fighting for wins and the field spread was way less dramatic. sete's 2003 season in particular is so underrated, man's scoring an average of 17.3 points per race, four wins, 10/16 races on the podium, only two races where he was worse than fourth... serious pace plus consistency! out of nowhere!

anyway, here's every notable on-track encounter between sete and valentino, with * to **** asterisks by how worth watching it is for the fight between those two specifically. (for most of these, of course you can find more details in the sete post and the valentino race recs post.) using italics I've indicated which races are available on youtube (or on facebook, in the case of phillip island 2004):

welkom 2003**: the first race after kato's death, and the one where sete secures his unlikely emotional victory. valentino applied heavy pressure on sete in the late stages, but sete stood firm

le mans 2003***: yes, valentino was unlucky when the race was interrupted by rain - but the resulting battle between sete and valentino in the last few laps in tricky conditions is fantastic. multiple overtakes on the last lap and both riders off-track at the final corner

catalunya 2003*: valentino looked locked-on for the victory until he made two mistakes, the second of which has him go off-track and drop several places to hand capirossi the win. vale finds some crazy pace to catch up with biaggi and sete and pass them both

sachsenring 2003****: valentino gets a big enough lead you think it's surely over... but then sete catches him, leading valentino to let him go by so he can study him from behind. a dramatic final lap that prompts a bit of an existential crisis from valentino

brno 2003****: valentino shows up after the summer break with red hair, a determined smile and a mission. this race is a thriller, a proper dogfight between 3-5 riders with plenty of twists and turns - before the whole thing distils into an all timer of a final lap duel

rio 2003*: valentino sticks behind sete for a while, but it feels like he was just biding his time. once he gets past, he pushes hard and pulls away for a comfortable win

sepang 2003*: the match point race, after valentino had run away with the season post-brno. valentino gets a middling start and has to hunt down sete, but once he does he again pulls away

mugello 2004***: MY BELOVED. this is where the momentum in that season really shifts, courtesy of one hell of a chaotic race. there is an excellent sete/valentino duel in this race, but it's far from the only thing going on. all of it's brilliant

catalunya 2004****: a race long duel! I love catalunya duels because so much of it is about tyres getting chewed up and the riders wobbling and sliding more and more. sete's home race and psychologically a very important race... one hell of a show

assen 2004****: the turning point of the relationship! I still FULLY believe this set up everything that happened next, even if nobody talks about this race any more. the fight slaps!! the last lap slaps!! the podium with bad vibes slaps!! valentino in that presser!!

brno 2004*: sete badly needed a win here, and in the end it's not particularly close. the early battle with those two and biaggi is fun, but eventually sete's newly upgraded honda has the clear edge

phillip island 2004****: the first duel post-qatar curse - so these two now hate each other. it's also a match point race! banger of a start, sete is proper feisty here leaving valentino to hunt him down. banger of a final lap too

valencia 2004*: last race of the season - and even though the title's been sealed up, wouldn't it be nice to get a morale-boosting win to take into the new year? at sete's home race too? ah, you know how this goes. the way valentino gets past sete is pretty funny

jerez 2005****: well of course! again, fierce start, and it takes a bit to get rid of everyone else so it's just those two again. the last lap is something special, as is the post-race drama

catalunya 2005***: back on sete home turf!! and sete rides such a good race, he's really doing his very best - except of course valentino is hunting him down again. there's a brutally dismissive quality to this victory

le mans 2005***: edwards streaks off in front until valentino catches him - and vale's content to sit on his teammate's rear tyre until sete catches them both. the race from there is a joy

sachsenring 2005***: another goody! hayden features quite prominently in this one, and crucially valentino never manages to make a break for it. sete leads going into the final lap

brno 2005***: the fun of this one is in remembering it's sachsenring // summer break // brno... and the duel here immediately picks up again with valentino brusquely cutting past sete on the first lap. really makes it feel like sete is trapped in some sort of a hellish time loop... the end to this one is proper CRUEL

qatar 2005***: one year anniversary of that race and of course sete is desperate to repeat his success. the more of these you watch the crueller they get, not least when it really does look like he's built up enough of a lead. melandri also plays a big part in this one

mugello 2006**: you just know how badly sete would have loved to win this (and so did the commentators). entire race is excellent but sete mainly features in the starting dogfight, not the latter stages

phillip island 2006**: this is a chaos bike swap race and there's a lot going on, all of which is very relevant to the title fight. relevant to this post is that sete and valentino end up fighting for the last podium place on the very last lap. their last duel before sete's career was cut short by injury

obviously, if anyone's looking to watch the full sete/valentino story, there's a few more races you'd have to add in like 2004 welkom, qatar and sepang. anyway, this rivalry slaps. hopefully soon a fourth person can be recruited to the cause

[exopelagic]

WHY DID NOBODY TELL ME BURROWS END WASNT FREE

[csoisoi]

!! ITS VINE AND SYLVIA

GOOD TO SEE THEM A PART OF THE POPULAR MUST-HAVE IN YOUR BATRA LIST

poor iruarmy</3 a part of the danger list

its nice to see the magical tools research batra go from a storage-room batra (its kirio era) and the batra where it was like, a delinquent's hide out (Baal era, i forgot what the batra was known for in his time), to a batra that's now popular due to the fireworks last year and also a dangerous batra that other batras have to look out for

also jazz is a part of the new magic development batra if i remember correctly! i wonder how he's gonna fair as a member of the 2nd batra in the danger list!

[stevethehairington]

so like. i may or may not have a SUUUUPER rough 1 ish k of terror fic written out currently...........