#anything can be a book if you aren't a COWARD

[homopopsie]

[Sif has been looking at you weird for a while...] "Isa." [CRAB!!!] "Uhh, Yeah Sif?" [He's looking straight at you, his eyes piercing you to your bones. He looks kinda creepy like this... Reminds you of all the times you found him reading late at night with his flashlight eye.] "You mind if we talk for a second? Alone." "UMM. YEAH SURE SIF." [CRAB CRAB CRAB CRAB CRABBBBBB] "Are you alright, Isa? I've noticed you doing some... things. You're acting more- There's really no other way to say it, Isa you've been acting dumb. Acting like you're just 'really lucky' whenever you find a key that we need. I know you, Isa. I know you aren't stupid. You're really smart actually, and I know something is up. So what is it? Can I help?" [CRAB CRAB CRAB WHY IS HE ASKING THIS NOW????] "What do you mean? I really have just been getting lucky?! I don't know how I would know where the keys are, I've never been here?!?" [You feel awful lying to them.] "Right. So you finding the switch to the Death Corridor trap instantly isn't something strange? You always trust me to handle traps, and yet you immediately put your hand out in front of me and stopped me before I could look around, and then hit the hidden switch. I know I only have one eye, but that was really well hidden." "But how would I know where it was beforehand? I just had a feeling."

"I don't know Isa, but I know that people with 'a feeling' still jump at massive falling rocks! And I know that people with 'a feeling' don't just nonchalantly strut into The King's chambers and talk before Odile gets a chance to talk to the man who froze her entire home. I know people with 'a feeling' don't grit their teeth hard enough to shatter. Don't act like nobody noticed that either, maybe the others didn't but I did." [!!!] "But, that'd be impossible, right? It's impossible to have been here before-" "Is it? Because you sure seemed to have a few theories! You knew to ask me about Wish Craft, to ask me to read those books! You knew that I could wish properly, you didn't have an inch of doubt on your face when you said how I taught you. You knew that a wish could have given The King the ability to harness Time Craft. Don't think I believed you when you said you didn't wish for anything. I know you're indecisive, but you aren't going to just ignore something I told you either. I know you wouldn't just listen to me tell you how to wish and not bother with it. You aren't callous. [If only he knew... If only he knew how callous you were!]

"I..." "Isa, I know you're not stupid. And you know I'm not stupid either. If I see something, the only thing I can do is observe for more. And all signs right now point to you. Did something happen? Is that... Is that why you're looping in time? Did-"

"Oh Siffrin... Why? Why did you have to figure it out now? Why couldn't you have figured it out before? Why couldn't you have never figured it out?" "Isa, I-" "Can't you see? It's too late now. Nobody can help, now. It's already too late. Because I was too much of a coward to try and ask for help. Because I was too much of a coward to tell anyone about the loops! Because I was too much of a coward to say anything! Because I was too much of a coward to tell you how I feel! Especially you, Sif. I'm too much of a coward to tell you how I feel about you. And I'll never get that chance. Because it's already too late. "..." [He's just staring at you with a scared expression. Or at least its probably scared. Whatever. It's too late anyway. You coward.]

"...So what is it? Can I help?" "Nope! Was that all?"

[Sif seems... sad, at your response.]

"Alright. I'll miss you Isa. Come visit me sometime on your travels, okay? It'd be a shame if I couldn't look at the stars another time with you."

Roleswap Sus event combos Everybody gets a turn being the suspect and the suspectee! Nobody enjoys the experience, though.

[happysharkintensifies]

Booktok makes me sick, not just because of all the shitty books. It's the prevalence, no, the celebration, of toxic masculinity. Every single booktok book features some variation on the same man. And without fail, against all sensible reason, these characters are portrayed as handsome and charismatic and desirable.

It makes me sick when these authors hold up these toxic, predatory traits and put them on a pedestal as some kind of Ideal Man.

It makes me sick when their aggressiveness and possessiveness is treated as romantic. It makes me sick when these shitty men forcibly grab women, invade their personal spaces, and render them helpless by 'purring' in their ears, every. single. fucking. time.

It makes me sick that these misogynistic, heteronormative, and hypermasculine social conventions keep appearing in so-called feminist literature.

Strip away the idealized elements and you have what is basically the rich, white, cishet, alpha-male archetype. He's tall, usually six feet, physically fit and muscular with obligatory six pack abs, and conventionally handsome, with a chiseled jawline. He's usually clean-shaven, and any hair he may have on his body is minimal. He maintains composure at all times and rarely shows anxiety or uncertainty. He exudes raw charisma and charm and navigates social spaces effortlessly.

His hobbies, if he has any, are stereotypically masculine. When it comes to sex, he's confident, skilled, exclusively dominant, and always knows what to do without communicating with his partner. The sex he enjoys is usually rough, animalistic and overpowering. He may have been with several women in the past, and he may be regarded as a sex god, both in-universe and out.

His toxic traits are rarely portrayed as negative. But when they are, they're usually held up as some edgy, anti-hero persona and the reader is inevitably manipulated into sympathizing with him. He'll be portrayed as a tortured, wounded animal, and his female love interest (and, by proxy, the reader) will decide on some variation of 'I can fix him'.

He is essentially the unrealistic standard the ideal Proper Man; the one that men are expected to emulate, and that women are expected to swoon over.

But what really irks me is the lost potential.

If there are men who don't fit into this mold, they are depicted as pathetic, ineffectual, or any number of negative traits.

The narrative quietly and passive-aggressively mocks them and portray them as boring and un-sexy.

After all, is this the kind of man who will bravely swoop in and sweep a helpless woman off her feet? Of course not. Such men are boys. Wimps. Cowards.

These books are supposed to be fantasy: a genre in which easily anything can be explored. If faeries, magic, and contrived mating bonds can exist, then why can't we also have male characters who exist outside the stereotypical, hypermasculine mold?

Why is it that we can have so many fantastical, impossible, and wondrous magical forces, creatures, and peoples, but we can't have men who aren't possessive, abusive, or controlling?

Why is it that male characters, have to be so innately dominant, abusive, and violent? Why do they have to be so fit and muscular and strong?

Even worse, why is it treated as something that is so natural, so inescapable, even in the realm of fiction?

Where are the men who aren't tall and fit? Where are the men who don't have sculpted abs or chiseled jawlines? Where are the men who aren't lean and muscular?

Why can’t we have men who are skinny or overweight? Why can't we have men who aren't handsome or attractive, but just average looking? Why can't we have men who are shorter or just average height?

Why can't we have men with non-stereotypical hobbies? Why can't we have men who love to read, or paint, or write, or sing, or dance, or build model kits?

Why can’t we have men who are timid and shy? Why can't we have men who feel anxiety, fear, and sadness? Why can't we have men who aren't afraid of crying openly?

Why can't we have men who aren't sex gods? Why can't we have men who aren't confident in bed? Who are anxious, or even scared, at the prospect of sex? Who are passive instead of dominant? Who want to experience intimacy and affection?

Why can’t we have men be kind and gentle and sweet for once?

I'll tell you why we can't. Because booktok says men like these are not 'man' enough. Booktok says men like these are the 'boring' option, and completely devoid of interesting quirks, traits or personality. Booktok says men like these are underserving of attention, and only fit to be background noise.

As far as booktok is concerned, men like these can't exist.

[soulprompts]

THE SURPRISING HERO ( A PROMPT LIST! )

hello my beloveds!!! an absolutely incredible nonnie sent in a request for prompts based on the idea of someone becoming a vital part of saving the world through unanticipated events, and i hope i managed to achieve what they wanted in this list! basically i got a tonne of inspiration from comic book movies and the more fantastical vibes of high fantasy franchises, and i was going to make these more amusing, but i think there's something so hard-hitting about the concept of being thrust into greatness and heroism when you feel you aren't ready for it! anyway! enjoy, and as always: DO NOT ADD TO OR EDIT THIS LIST, AND DO NOT CLAIM AS YOUR OWN!

FROM THE UNEXPECTED HERO:

“ i’m not supposed to be here. i’m not like the rest of you; i’m not special, or blessed, or gifted. i’m just… me. “

“ you’ve got to be joking! i can’t save the world! i’m just an ordinary person! “

“ it’s funny. all these years, i’ve wanted so badly to see the world. now… i think i’ve never wanted anything so much as to go back home. “

“ so that’s it, then? i’m just supposed to sacrifice everything to save the world, all because some ancient prophecy says so? “

“ i still can’t quite believe we were doing laundry yesterday. now our biggest chore is traveling across the world to save it. “

“ i miss home. i miss how safe and boring and fine it all was. i never would’ve wanted adventures if i thought they’d be as scary and dangerous as this. “

“ they’re right to be angry, you know. everyone has a purpose here; i’m only joining you all because of some insane twist of fate. “

“ surprised? don’t worry, so was i. i don’t think it’s a normal occurrence for people like me to be part of massive quests like this. “

“ look. i’m not the chosen one, alright? i don’t want any part in any prophecy or ancient dictation. i just want to live an ordinary, safe, boring life. “

“ you think i don’t acknowledge what’s happening?! every mistake i make has costs, and those costs are often the lives of innocent people! “

“ you know, last year my idea of a grand adventure was going up the mountains for a picnic with my friends. funny how fast things change, isn’t it? “

“ i’m not a hero! i don’t know how to fight! heroes are special and unique and trained, and i’m none of those things. “

“ everyone looks at me like i’ve got the answers, but i don’t. i was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. “

“ you ever stop to question the solidity of this prophecy? because if the wording is that vague that it could name me as the savior of the world, then maybe we ought to revise it. “

“ this is stupid! putting the fate of the universe on some million-year-old prophecy! “

“ i’m not what you think i am. i’m not a hero. i’m sorry, i know you want me to be one, but… i’m just not. “

“ so you’re telling me, because i happened to overhear some weird out of context conversation, that the safety of the world relies entirely on me? “

“ don’t you see how daft this whole thing is?! i’ve got to save the world now because i happened to take a wrong turn on my way home! “

“ why can’t i just give you guys what i found, and you can go and rescue the world yourselves? “

“ i want to clarify that i’m not a coward. okay? i’m not running away from this. but i’m not exactly save-the-world material. so thank you for the opportunity, but… i think i’ll stay at home. “

TO THE UNEXPECTED HERO:

“ i get it, you know. it’s a huge responsibility for someone who’s only just realized what’s at stake. “

“ the others think i’m utterly mad for even considering you for this task. but the fact is, you’re the only person i genuinely believe to be capable of fixing this mess. “

“ would you like to know the mark of a true hero? it’s courage. not an absence of fear, not an ignorance of it, but rather, the choice to persevere in spite of it. you’re still here. that makes you one of the bravest people on the planet. “

“ don’t let anyone else tell you what you are and aren’t capable of. everything happens for a reason, and it wasn’t dumb luck that put you in our path. “

“ i don’t believe in prophecies, personally. i think the universe is far too chaotic for them to survive thousands of years. but i do believe that you being here is not a coincidence. “

“ fate only accounts for part of what happens in our lives. the rest of it is all choices. and despite how scared and inexperienced you are… you’ve chosen to stay. that tells me an awful lot about you. “

“ how selfish can you be?! running away from this destiny, this task! the world will fall into darkness if you don’t step up, and here you are, hiding from your fate like a coward! “

“ you need to learn to ignore the opinions of others if you’re going to stand a chance at doing this. this is the cost of being a hero. people will judge, not based on truth, but on a limited perspective. “

“ don’t be stupid. we’re not special or talented either; i was trained from childhood, i can fight men twice my size, but that’s not the mark of a hero. “

“ if you like, i could teach you how to fight? you may find it useful. even if it’s just to comfort yourself against these ridiculous self-doubts. “

“ heroes aren’t always massive muscle types. the inventor of new defense measures against attacks, or someone who discovered a cure for a disease, or perhaps someone clever enough to use new fuel sources in the winter… heroism isn’t always found in warzones, you know. “

“ fine. don’t do it for the fate of the world. do it for your family. your friends. do it for the ones you’ll return to once we settle this for good. save this world, not for the world itself, but for the ones you love, so that they may live on. “

“ you should know some things. most people, if you somehow perform outside of the very specific expectations they have for you, will be very quick and harsh in their judgment. it’s not something one can avoid. but you can learn to rise above those critics. remember. they don’t know the real you. “

" fear is normal. okay? we all fear things. the real killer is when you try to fight that fear. you're no lesser a hero for fearing things. expect it. accept it. embrace it. and once it's with you, work with it to fight even more. "

" you keep saying you're not a hero. tell me. what exactly is it that you believe a hero to be? "

" people make the error of assuming heroes to be golden, flawless, immaculate in both thought and strategy. it's never the case. heroes are the most flawed of all. that's what makes us admire them so. "

[khaire-traveler]

Idk if this sounds really weird but I'm getting a bit tired of greek myth retellings for books bc like, yeah some are pretty good and others get really creative, but they all do the whole "the gods are kind of assholes" thing that the original myths do and it really pisses me off after a while. I keep seeing people try to tell the stories in modern prose but they don't modernize the Theoi while they're at it. In the myths, they're just characters to do plot stuff so the myth can tell the story its trying to tell. But how they did characters back then is different than now. Maybe it's just because I know the gods aren't actually like that, and its the helpol in me speaking, but I just wish they put more nuance to the gods in these books like they do for whoever the (usually mortal) protagonist is. It makes me really wanna write my own modern greek myth inspired story, change this pattern up a bit.

Also part of me kind of wishes that more people would write their own myths bc thats such an interesting way to tell a story, but tbh I don't think I'd trust anyone who just has a casual knowledge of the theoi and such to do it just bc misconceptions are so prevalent, yknow?

THIS. Nonny, you have put into words a feeling I've had for a long ass time. They always talk about modernizing Greek myths, yet they forget to modernize the gods, instead just opting to villainize them because it's "more interesting" (forget the fact it's been done a thousand times by now and is no longer an interesting twist, really). It's so incredibly frustrating to come across these uninspired stories where the gods are just another Big Bad Evil Guy™. GIVE ME SOMETHING WITH SUBSTANCE, COWARDS!!! MAKE THE GODS REDEEMABLE IF YOU'RE GOING TO VILLAINIZE THEM!!!! GIVE THEM THE ABILITY TO LEARN FROM THEIR MISTAKES AND CHANGE AS CHARACTERS!!!

I demand more interesting content about the gods than, "Ooooo, wouldn't it be sooooo cool if the gods were actually the bad guys??? Wouldn't that be sooooo original?" No, it wouldn't; kiss my ass (clarifying that's not aimed at you, Nonny lol). You wanna be original in this day and age? Make the gods cool, modern, and intriguing. Give them actual purpose outside of "being immoral and evil and corrupt", as if all they are are wealthy billionaires who don't give a shit about the fact that they have world-ending abilities. THEY CONTROL THE ENTIRE PLANET, BRO; MAKE IT INTERESTING!!! Hephaestus leading the world in amazing technological and industry advancements with cool futuristic shit that would blow your mind. Athena providing counsel to political leaders to steer them on a path AWAY from corruption and TOWARDS improvement. Apollo cultivating new healthcare techniques that eradicate certain illnesses entirely and even inspiring humanity to blossom creatively through means of divine inspiration. Hermes doing quite literally anything other than mail services would just be fun to see, tbh; have him domesticate wild beasts and terrifying monsters - he's so much cooler than Mail Man™. It took me a few minutes to come up with that; it's seriously not that hard to come up with literally anything besides "tehe, gods are evil". For the love of all that is creative and fun, do something FUN with Greek gods instead of just making them immediately antagonistic. Lame. Boring. Unoriginal. Be daring, and strut your creative muscles. Show me what you're made of, authors.

[confessionsofa-roleplayer]

There's exactly one problem I have with the concept of 'friends warning friends' in the RPC, and it's this: anyone can say anything when they're in private where they know the subject can't defend themselves. It doesn't matter if 'evidence' is provided; you realize how easy it is to fake things or take screens out of context these days? You're in the RPC. Everybody and their cousin knows how to use photoshop. Don't be fucking gullible.

'B-b-but they're my friend, they'd never mislead me!!' Until one day they do. People change, and not always for the better. And sometimes they're just very, very, VERY good at covering up their true intentions. You really think a bully's friends realize they're friends with a bully? Of course not. Every ringleader's cronies think they're friends with the right people. I guarantee that if you think you're so much smarter and can just tell based on 'vibes,' you're probably not. The most dangerous people in the RPC aren't the ones who wear their cruelty on their sleeve; they're the ones who know how to get away with it and still look like the hero and/or victim. They've learned that the winners write the history books, and over the years they've gotten very, very good at making sure they always win.

And even when the intent isn't consciously malicious, I'm gonna tell you a secret: a lot of people in the RPC are insanely ableist against any mental illness they don't share, and sometimes even against each other too. Any symptom of neurodivergency is a 'red flag' and they'll twist it every which way to make it so. These are the people that'll pounce all over someone with anxiety and then screen-grab what they say in the midst of a panic attack, or keep needling someone autistic until they say something that can be misinterpreted, dogpile someone with a mood disorder in a group chat to force them to fight back, or what-have-you. You don't know what your 'friend' did before those screens were taken. Blind trust doesn't make you loyal, it makes you a chump ripe for the picking.

Have a healthy dose of skepticism and ALWAYS ask yourself: is this NECESSARY? Is this person actually DANGEROUS, or would their behavior be better explained as a sign of neurodivergence? Am I likely to even actually cross paths with this person, or is this 'warning' just an attempt to witch-hunt a stranger? Does this happen often? If this friend has a new enemy every week, what aren't they telling me?

If doing right by a stranger doesn't matter to you, then think about it like this: do YOU want to get taken advantage of? Are you okay with being complicit to bullying campaigns and actively aiding in the systematic isolation of a victim? Does it bother you to be weaponized against other people by those you trust? If the answer to ANY of these is no, please for the love of god stop just going with the crowd. If the 'evidence' wouldn't be acceptable for a public callout, it shouldn't be enough to warrant a private one either. The consequences are the same; there's no moral high-ground here. The only difference is that in private, the victim can be safely dismantled and defused before they even know they're under attack. It's cyberbullying for cowards, plain and simple.

Sincerely, someone who's seen this high-school-mean-girl shit too many times across too many different communities to ever take it at face value anymore. Stop being the reason that these bullies win.

[the-lying-heavens]

"All Those Years Ago"

[The Maze Runner Book, Newt and Sonya]

Masterlist

Summary: Newt and Sonya remember

Warnings: angst, suicidal ideation, mental health, loss and grief, childhood trauma, violence, hurt/no comfort, the Flare, canon divergence, character death(newt)

Word count: 980 words

A/N: I finished Fever Code and it hurt. I changed Newt's dead scene a bit. A birthday present for myself!

Newt just wanted to die. Why couldn't Tommy just give him that? Why couldn't the Cranks, WICKED, the world give him that?

They wouldn't in the Maze, and now they wouldn't when he was becoming his worst fear. He wanted it to stop. Letting Thomas see him like this was horrible enough. What if Lizzy saw him like this? What would she think?

Lizzy. Sonya. His sister. The one WICKED forced him to forget. The one WICKED took away from him after stealing them from their parents. The parents WICKED killed.

He remembered everything now.

He hated it. Hated it hated it hated it-

"Make amends! Repent for what you did!" His throat hurt as he yelled at Thomas to do it, to kill him. He had only so much shucking sanity left. "Kill me, you shuck coward. Prove you can do the right thing. Put me out of my misery."

Thomas shook his head, looking distraught. "Newt, maybe we can—"

"Shut up!" he yelled, "Just shut up! I trusted you! Now do it!"

"I can’t."

Hated it hated it hated it. "Do it!"

“I can’t!”

Did he not understand? "Kill me or I'll kill you. Kill me! Do it!"

Thomas said his name softly despite the situation. It made him angrier.

If I kill you, you can't tell Lizzy anything! Do it before I become one of them!"

"Lizzy?"

Thomas doesn't know. Of course, he doesn't. He doesn't remember.

He doesn't remember sneaking around the WICKED compound with Minho and Alby and then Chuck later on, doesn't remember being sent to the Crank Pit, doesn't remember helping him see Lizzy that last time after Newt had spent years watching her from behind a wall of glass.

“Sonya..." he says quietly afterward. He hated that name—Elizabeth. Her name was shucking Lizzy. They made him forget his own, but he would never forget hers.

"What?" He shakes his head. "You can- you can tell her yourself-"

So much. He wanted to tell her so much. He could go on for years if he wanted to. And he did, but he didn't have the time.

"Sorry. Tell her that..." He breathes heavily. One word that wouldn't change anything but maybe Lizzy would understand.

"Newt-"

His head was clearer, one strand of sanity left. He had to get it done.

"KILL ME!" he gasped painfully. "Please, Tommy. Please." Thomas was his only hope.

He saw the gun shaking in his friend's hand. Thomas closed his eyes.

Newt went to thank him but didn't get the chance.

He was finally dead. As he should've been all those years ago.

------

Sonya paced impatiently around the Safe Haven for the umpteenth time she had been there as she waited for the others to come. For her brother to come. She could hardly believe it when she remembered him.

Newt was her brother. She has a brother! The idea made her giddy.

Sonya would be lying if hope wasn't part of the reason she wanted her memories back. Her family being alive was next to impossible but she still wanted to know. She had to know.

And her hope had paid off. Her older brother was still there, still alive. Though she hadn't had the chance to tell him who she was yet. So she hoped once again. She knew he wasn't immune, Janson had told them and, well, she remembered. But Newt was the strongest person she had ever known. He'll be here. He will.

"Are they here yet?" She asked Harriet. Again.

"No. They aren't. Just like they weren't here 15 minutes ago. Or before that. Or-"

"Okay, I get it!"

"Why do you wanna know anyway?" Harriet frowned. "Is one of the boys your boyfriend?"

"What?" Sonya stared at her dumbfounded. "No!"

Sonya hadn't told her about Newt yet. She didn't want to, not until she told him.

"Right. Well, whatever, stick." Harriet walked off. What was up with her?

Doesn't matter.

------

They were here.

People had started coming from the Flat Trans for a bit now. Every time she didn't see Newt and his friends she panicked but tamped it down. He would've stayed behind, made sure everyone else was through before he went himself. But he would come. She told herself that again and again.

And when he did they would make up for all that time they lost because of WICKED. They would talk about their childhoods before and about when they were in the Mazes and-

Sonya's heart raced as the familiar figures walked from the shack with the Flat Trans. And then the shack lights on fire. Huh. Better safe than sorry.

She squinted, desperate to catch a glimpse of her brother, to make sure he was really there.

Brenda, Thomas, and Minho finally came into view.

Something was wrong.

"Newt!" she shouted, breaking into a run. She pushed past Minho, searching the faces for the one she longed to see. "Where is he?"

Surprise was written on all of their faces as she looked around them.

"Why do you want to know?" Brenda's brows furrowed.

Sonya ignored him as she looked at Thomas. She wasn't an idiot, she knew how much Newt cared about him even before her memories had returned.

"Thomas...where is he?" He would know. The look on his face told her he did.

"I-the Flare-he wasn't..." he trailed off.

Immune. That's what he meant, wasn't it?

"Where is he?" Her voice wavered.

"He's..." Minho started, his voice thick. "He's gone."

The word hit her like a punch to the gut. "What do you mean gone?"

"He—he didn’t make it," Thomas stumbled over his words, "We- I tried to help him, but—"

"No!" She shook her head violently as if denying the truth could change it. "You’re lying! He can’t be gone!"

What was all that hope for? She knew better. She lived in a world that knew better.

"He called you...Lizzy?" Thomas phrased it like a question.

Lizzy. Yeah, that was her name, wasn't it? All those years ago.

[yanderes-galore]

Romantic/Platonic Chol 'Von (Halo) with a human trader darling, who lives on one of the colonies that does unsavory business with pirates like her. Don't care which format, whichever is easiest to write.

I'm going to be honest, I've never read Mortal Dictata or any of the Kilo-Five books yet. However, I did do my research on the character so I hope I get her character right. Sorry for any inaccuracies! As a result this may be short. When I find time to read the book maybe I'll rewrite this, I'm happy to take feedback!

Yandere! Chol 'Von with Human Trader! Darling

(Halo: Mortal Dictata)

Pairing: Romantic/Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Manipulation, Possessive behavior, Violence, Threats, Dubious companionship.

I wouldn't doubt Chol comes in contact with human traders.

With her ambitious goals and fondness towards human phrases and ideologies it isn't too far off to think she'd buy from you.

She needs supplies for her Kig-Yar navy and Kig-Yar have been known to ally with humans if it benefits them.

To you, Chol is merely a client when she visits your colony to discuss affairs.

She feels like an egotistical shipmistress T'vaoan Kig-Yar who enjoys intimidation.

Chol is also easily impatient and temperamental, very quick to be stressed when things don't go her way.

She's been known to be persistent in her goals and is stubborn.

To make some money you trade with her.

It isn't too new to you, you've traded with Kig-Yar and Sangheili in the past.

Yet this one is important... she's a feared shipmistress and knows it.

You've heard vaguely in Kig-Yar culture that females of the species tend to have a lot of power.

As a result you are always very respectful in your deals.

You supply fuel, weapons, all sorts of cargo.

In return you're given other valuable items or some sort of currency in return.

You're just in it for the connections and money.

Kig-Yar are pirates... but you feel they can be good allies if you provide them what they like.

Which is what Chol likes about you.

She likes your human ideologies and picks up certain phrases and info about you.

You aren't part of any major faction... just a human trying to get by.

In a way she relates due to her species culture.

Chol sees you as the key to seeing her goals through.

With your wares she can make that navy she wanted and maybe even convince the other Kig-Yar to listen to her.

Chol is more likely to be a platonic yandere to her new favorite trader.

However... toying with the romantic idea is a bit interesting albeit not plausible.

After all... she sees her current mate as a coward who fled from her and her chicks.

Maybe a human will provide much better... even if nothing can happen between you.

Chol is demanding towards you at times due to her egotistical nature.

It's an honor to help her as a human.

She respects you and is a fearsome T'vaoan shipmistress.

Can't you see you're special if she's interacting with you?

Having her as your ally will make you strong and protected.

So you better keep providing for her, yeah?

In fact... you only need her as your customer... she'll give you much better equipment in return for your services.

Her ego is definitely what makes her try to control you.

She promises you good things in return if you just make her your primary client.

If you don't do so willingly... she can threaten you.

Do you doubt her? She could cause so much trouble for you if you refuse her.

Chol feels she can control you.

After all she often boasts that she can get whatever she wants.

Any mate, any valuable, anything.

If not... she doesn't mind the ensuing bloodshed.

So when she makes an offer with you... one that makes you loyal to her on one of her ships by her side and under her protection as her primary merchant/negotiater...

She expects you to accept when she tells you.

[sweetmariihs2]

Cedric and Wormwood at Hexley Hall - Bullying (+Greylock's help)

I wish I could write this as an one-shot but I'm not feeling like it. Feel free to do it though. Just send me so that I can read it too hehehe

Tw: bullying

Imagine Cedric as a child walking through Hexley Hall with his new familiar, Wormwood (a baby crow, on top of his head or his shoulder simply because he can't fly yet- while Cedric is reading or even studying during the day to day activities, minding his own business with his new crow) after a spell class, where they were studying self-defence spells (foreshadowing) and Cedric still needed a little bit more of practice after the class, as he couldn't do it during the time again.

When a group of bullies finds them and try to (clearly) bully them, or better saying, Cedric. They push him to the floor, say bad stuff about him being a bungler, being useless, good for nothing, destroying his sister's hair, being the worst future royal sorcerer that Enchancia has ever had and saying he must be an embarassment for his parents, which hurts him deeply, trying to answer them by saying "That's not true!", "What I did to my sister was an accident!", "I AM a good sorcerer!" and "I will be a great sorcerer in the future, I just need some practice!" but no one there even cares about him or his feelings, just making fun of each one of his lines.

Cedric tries to protect himself and Wormwood from these bullies, maybe they got Wormwood into their hands and threatened to do something to him, harassing both of them. Cedric tries to use his wand, but he's too nervous and he's still studying the self-defense spell, so he can't do it, and they grab his wand too. Maybe they got his books and supplies to destroy them or read what he was reading, making fun of his notes, tearing them, burning them with a fire spell while Cedric can't do anything about it. When suddently the bullies are hit by an attacking spell, looking behind to see the future royal sorcerer from the Rudistanistan kingdom, Greylock.

Greylock say some things to them, like "what do you think you are doing with my friend Kendrick? Didn't you hear that he told you to go away? Leave him alone!", or "Don't you have anything better to do, you cowards?" or in his sarcastic and unbothered personality saying "Bedkick! There you are, I've been looking for you in the whole school! Oh, hello to you too! Am I interrupting something?", or "I know you're all too busy now, but can I ask you to excuse my friend Kevik for a moment? We have potions to study! Ah, thank you, thank you, I'll return him to you as soon as we finish this" while grabbing Cedric's hands and getting him out of the floor, and his bullies sending him a dead look, Cedric swallowing, the tension still lingering in the air.

Greylock got the little Wormwood out of their grabbing hand "Now return this boy for now- lemme just- ugh- you're really strong aren't you? haha, I got it, thank you my friends, see you tomorrow class" and Wormwood giving a uncomfortable "caw" during the impact of getting out of their hand. Greylock immediately returned Wormwood to Cedric's cupped palms, dying out of worry for his little bird, with a saddened/worried expression, checking if he's alright or if he broke a bone, opening his wings with his fingers while Wormwood caws out of stress/because he's beeing too touched and he doesn't like it. Cedric holds him close to his face saying "I'm so glad that you're okay, Wormy" as they are already far from the bullies, walking away now.

Greylock advises him to stop walking so distracted, practicing spells in the corridors, because they can get him again and Greylock won't be there to help. Greylock offers his help to learn the self defense spell, maybe later in their dorms or in the library, maybe at tomorrow's class.

[pianapplez]

Hello there 👋👀,

So I just found your blog and had a lot of fun scrolling through all the pjo show crit😂 I couldn't help but notice that one tag you left on a post where you said you had some beef with Annabeth's portrayal in the books 👀 Would you mind elaborating on that if you're comfortable with it🙈? Because I absolutely share that sentiment, but it's sooo veeeery rare that I see other people express anything like it... I've found that trying to be a part of the fandom can be pretty alienating most of the time, if you're not exactly the biggest most devoted Percabeth shipper...😅 And often any criticism leveled at Annabeth just gets you a smack with the "internalized-misogyny" hammer... it's even worse in the tv show now due to... obvious reasons...

Again just if you're comfortable with answering of course🙈 There is a reason I stayed on anon after all...😅😂

Really glad you asked because i finally get to ramble about this heheheh (going forward, know that i skimmed over The Last Olympian to have a clearer sense of what I meant because that's the book where Rick fumbles her character more than the others)

i'm gonna try to make as much sense as possible but short answer would be, she's underdeveloped. Long answer:

She really got on my nerves in the last two books, with the whole Rachel debacle and then the Battle of New York. I can't really remember a single moment in those books where she and Percy aren't bickering or having heated discussions, which really made me question their friendship status. Of course, it's not like friends can't fight and it obviously builds up the (romantic) tension between them, but it got unbearable at one point.

I understand she's a teenager in an incredibly stressful situation that didn't even get to have a normal upbringing- she grew up way too fast (run away at 7, head counselor at 12) while also not really maturing, which is not a problem for a character, if it is handled properly. Given the fact that I am writing this, Riordan did not.

On the surface, my biggest beef is that Annabeth is not exactly held accountable for her actions (ie. treating Rachel a bit like shit and going off on Percy for a bunch of stuff.) I know Percy is to blame a bit here: as far as we know, in TLO he basically cuts the greek world out of his life as much as he can as a coping mechanism. And while yes, he never apologizes either, he doesn't give her nearly half the hard time she gives him: always either giving him the cold shoulder (there must be at least one example of this in the entire series but i cant be bothered to look it up sorry) or starting an argument only to then storm off (see the "you're a coward, Percy Jackson!" scene, which is not the fairest example since she was confronting Percy about ignoring camp but also was a bit too harsh about it) (especially after finally reading the prophecy and being under the impression that he was absolutely going to die when he turned 16 lmao) or just straight up storming off (see, Annabeth reacting when Rachel shows up for the first time during the battle of new york). While most of these feel, at least to some degree, fairly justified given how the entire situation does an absolute number on her emotions, she comes off a bit brattish and like she's trying to rile Percy up, especially when it comes to Rachel, which in the context of a battle that could mean the destruction of the world.... Well, it reads as a bit childish to me, and i wouldn't exactly have that much of a problem with it if it was dealt with in some way (a two-way apology would be nice).

After that first impression, i realized that Annabeth is barely ever anything else other than a plot device (when relating to Luke) or a love interest (when relating to Percy). This might be because the books are on Percy's POV. Hell, on the third book he's even conflicted when Annabeth is considering joining the Hunters of Artemis, aka, when making a choice for herself would mean he loses her (which is fine and dandy but it feels like Percy is more upset about her choosing her own path rather than being sad about not seeing her as often); we really only get a few glimpses of her, as in, actually her when she's on her own.

Obviously it's impossible to talk about Annabeth without touching on percabeth, which also is, in my opinion, what hinders Annabeth's character the most. On paper they sound great. The guy whose fatal flaw is loyalty falls in love with a girl whose been let down by people over and over, and she decides to never give up on the boy whose always had people give up on him (can't find one of the million posts that talks about this right now but it always goes something like that) And yeah, the bickering is really well written! But that's literally as far as it ever goes: they don't ever seem to have fun together, because 8 times out of 10 the bickering ends up being passive aggressive, and mostly done by Annabeth. My biggest gripe about percabeth is that their friendship seems to be based off... shared trauma. Literally. Other than going on quests together we are given no examples of them hanging out, nor a reason why they would want to spend time together in the first place, not even a shared hobby. Yes, in the fourth book they had a movie "date" planned but of course they didn't even get to it, and surprise surprise, they had a minor discussion, and surprise surprise, Annabeth was passive aggressive again. It's hard to picture them having fun together when even the author doesn't write in any scenes in which they get along smoothly (and before you say anything, a scene in which they get along where neither of them is about to die, and they're not talking about previous adventures. Gets a bit hard then, doesn't it?) It's even harder to picture them as a couple when the moment she gets upset about something, she starts coming off as emotionally manipulative (see, again, literally any conversation with Rachel or about Rachel)

To be fair, the books are relatively short and don't allow many "filler" chapters, if you will; there's always something happening to keep the main plot or a minor plot point moving forward, but it's not like there is no room to develop the characters' relationships, especially when we're talking about the main char and what is essentially his endgame. As an example we have Percy and Clarisse, or Percy and Beckendorf. Their interactions are brief but still hold so much weight.

Worst of all, Annabeth could be one hell of a character; what's most interesting of all is how being a daughter of Athena she is still incredibly emotionally driven, which is displayed very clearly with her fatal flaw being pride: her telling the Sphynx that her questions were too easy was not smart nor strategic: it was completely impulsive. I seriously think she wasn't far from being the best character in the series had she been given more time.

I guess i have as much beef with Annabeth as i have with Rick for doing her dirty. I really could sum this up with: while her emotions are justified, she acts upon them quite poorly. And this is what i mean when i say she's underdeveloped, because it would've been nice to see her come to her senses a bit.

Would love to read anyone's opinions on her character though, feel free to comment, even (or especially) if you don't agree with me!

[penny-the-pissed-poltergeist]

RWBY volume 2 episode 1 rewatch thoughts

.Bold move starting off with two new characters, especially ones that attentive viewers would know are villains

.Something really weird is that the old shopkeep never speaks past volume 1 even though he does in the first episode

.Considering how a lot fairy tales that are mentioned in show turn out to be foreshadowing lore, I'm kinda bummed that none of the books mentioned here seem to be linked to anything

.The window darkening switch things are really cool

.And Emerald and Mercury just straight up kill a guy, how many people have they killed and why did Emerald not even get a slap on the wrist later?

.Society if the text on Blake's notepad was decipherable and you could see her thoughts on Adam at that point

.Nora shooting cherry tomatoes(?) into Yang's mouth is weird and stupid and I love it. Let them be dumb teens

.Is Ruby calling her team (minus Weiss) "Sisters" where that one quote of Monty wanting team RWBY to be a sisterhood comes from? Because that quote has no other source to my knowledge.

.Ruby why are quoting Richard fucking Nixon, and why do I think that's the funniest thing ever RN. Oh god she a gun nut who fight protesters, did you vote for Trump Ruby? Did you? (this is all a joke before someone takes that in bad faith)

.Ah yes, one of the two real puns Yang actually makes in the whole series. And every fanfic author proceeded to have her be pun machine anyway.

.Wow Didn't expect them to show Weiss getting Creampied, that's kinda inappropriate don't ya think :)

.Neptune looks like what would happen if someone tried to combine Rex Salazar (Generator Rex) and Ninja (The Fortnight guy) genes into one clone body and it turned out defective (Can you tell I don't like him?)

.Shout out to whoever yeeted Jaune

.Whichever writer said that the foodfight isn't "100% Canon" or whatever is fucking coward. I get it's ridiculous but so is lot's of other stuff in this show

.Wouldn't putting turkey's on your hands get really fucking gross with all the meat juice

.Ruby surfing with a lunch tray gets a hell yeah from me, let her do Sonic the hedgehog type bullshit. Also shout out to that one animation someone made her breakdancing with Crescent Rose. I might dig through tumblr to reblog that later

.That one joking shot of Ruby holding Weiss was edited to remove the silly stuff in this volumes trailer, which can be argued to be straight up queerbait. Whiterose being teased as a joke is oddly thing in this volume and only this volume (also the anthology manga's but those are written by fans so that's not surprising)

.The first time Ruby becomes the rose pedal sphere thing is a scene you aren't even supposed to take as fully canon, also they should have let her do the giant vortex thing as part of her "real'' moveset

.I like to think the one of the reasons Ozpin didn't get mad is that this shit is kinda normal for Hunters

.God I fucking love Roman

.Emerald please, she doesn't care about you

.Eme and Merc are blood thirsty enough for Cinder of all people to tell them to keep their hands clean

.I forgot how funny Mercury can be

.Cinder he's a committed man, that's not gonna work

[ohmewhatsthis]

Persona and Project Moon crossover things

because we need more persona project moon crossover stuff hot dang

the well and the sea of souls are like. if they aren't the same thing, they're right next to each other. joker has a fusion accident and ends up with mountain of smiling bodies instead of legion.

give me a plucky teenager who summons One Sin and Hundreds of Good Deeds as their starter persona.

NETZACH QUEST IN PERSONA 3 IT FITS SO MUCH DAMN (if you're a Sufficient Velocity person you know what i'm talking about)

Post Persona 5 bad ending AU where after getting absolutely wiped from existence, the PT wake up in The City. It's just the logical conclusion to that bad end, where no one is free and only thinks about surviving to the next day. No one hopes, no one dreams, no one believes in anything. The strong crush the weak, the weak gang up on the weaker, and the cycle goes on and on and on. Literally their worst case scenario nightmare.

On that note, Carmen and crew really saw the Fall of Humanity and went "I can fix them!" (they could not)

Considering The Library is made of Light, which is like, concentrated enlightenment and hope, I think Morgana would be drawn to it (and then they all get booked lmao)

Carmen's Palace. Just in general. If she even has one; it's not that her desires aren't distorted, it's that SHE IS THE DISTORTED/ING DESIRE INCARNATE-

Joker manages to capture an Abnormality as a Persona somehow. Shenanigans ensue.

Speaking of shenanigans, considering the way the mind manifests in The City, I wonder if the PT's guns would do that thing they do in Royal where they automatically reload after a fight. On that note, I feel like that trick would fail against higher level humans since their augments likely let them see past the fakeness

JOKER 👏 AND 👏 AKECHI 👏 GONE 👏ANGELS 👏 ANI 👏MATIC👏 YOU 👏 COWARDS 👏👏👏/lh

add more if you like, i would love to discuss further

[hotxcheeto]

❥ 𝐕𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐭

"𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝘁, 𝗰𝘂𝗽𝗰𝗮𝗸𝗲."

❥ 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 - 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁

❥ 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜

❥ Ace of Spades | Angst + Fluff - An old friend comes back from the dead, and you just so happen to using everything she taught you. Even if you hate her at the moment, her tactics aren't half bad.

❥ My little Angel | Fluff - After becoming some ones science experiment, you grew wings. You like them sometimes, but you girlfriend Vi, she likes them all the time.

❥ My Dead Girlfriend | Angst + Fluff - You loved her, and then she left. Dead and gone you thought, until she comes back. And then you realize, damn, you still love her.

❥ The Nameless Drink | Fluff + Very Slight Angst - You love to sing in a bar you own, running it to keep yourself a float. A song that means so much to you is sung, and a girl in the crowd just so happens to recognize your lyrics.

❥ Painting & Panting | NSFW + Fluff - You just want to paint but your mischievous girlfriend has another idea.

❥ Brains and Brawn | Angst + Fluff - You always did the talking, she did the punching. You were a coward, and after you ran away from her, somehow she'll always find you. Even when you blame yourself, she'd never blame you for a second.

❥ Boring Books Filled With Blurry Ink | Tiny Angst + Fluff | MODERN AU - Studying for important exams can take a lot out of a person, but don't worry, Vi's here to make sure you take care of yourself. She'd do anything to make sure you're alright.

❥ Sorry Won't Cut It | Angst - You're reckless and you know it, and you're girlfriend? She freaking hates it.

❥ The Girl With Nothing but a Name | Fluff - You're a reckless writer who loves a story. You meat an equally as cocky girl who just so happens to take interest in you. But all you know about her is her name. And she'd love for you to learn more.

❥ The Letters I Left for my Love | Angst + Fluff - You'd write a letter to her everyday, leaving them in a box you designed. Only you and her can open it, and when she finally finds it, she finds you. Her lost love that never stopped writing her letters.

❥ For You To Be Okay | Angst + Fluff - Vi would do anything to make sure you're okay, even if you think you're being ridiculous.

❥ Scarred Skin | Angst + Slight Fluff - You have burns across your body, scars that will never go away and you hate it. Gods you hate them. But Vi, she loves you. And she loves them, even when you don't.

❥ Sweet as Sugar | Fluff - You're Viktor's sister, a well known inventor ranking high. But you're also a cocky bastard, and that catches a certain girl's eye.

❥ Pressure for the Pain | Fluff + Very slight Angst - You don't get hurt often, but Vi makes sure that if you do, you'll be okay just as long as she's your caretaker

❥ My Only Sunrise | Angst + Fluff - You lost your Sunrise when she died, but now she was back and you could truly see the sky.

❥ Doctors Orders | Fluff + NSFW - Vi makes sure to patch you all up, but of course she has to have some fun with it.

❥ Prison Wife | Fluff + Slight Angst - Vi and you are in prison, you're her prison partner, she's your prison wife. It just makes sense.

❥ Intruder | Fluff + Slight angst - You hadn't seen your best friend in years, going from thinking about her to hearing a knock at the door. An intruder deciding to pop into the house. But thinking about it, why did they knock? And why do they know your name?

❥ Tension in the Air | Angst + Fluff - Vi and you have an equal hatred for each other. Jealous of the other. Angry at each other every time you have to interact. That's until you say too much, and she begins to realize, maybe you aren't so bad. And maybe, the anger hid just a bit too much tension in the air, and maybe she liked you a bit, or a lot... yeah definetely not. Right?

❥ High Spirit | Slight Angst + Fluff - You were too sweet for the world and Vi knew it, some people were assholes. She just there to always remind you of that.

❥ Late Night Routine | Fluff - Vi has been working her life away for you, more then you could in an entire week to give you a safe place to live. So you decide to treat her with a nice dinner and a whole lot of cuddles.

❥ Teenage Dream | Slight Angst + Fluff - You've know Vi since the beginning of the end. Teenagers forced to grow up in a world that has everything against them. But you have each other and that's all that matters. From beginning until end, Vi is your forever

❥ Going Nowhere | Angst + Fluff - You were dragged from home a long time ago. Your step-dad not being the nicest. Vi believed you left her, and now that your back and the air has been cleared. You make sure to tell her you're not going anywhere.

❥ Hold Me | Fluff - You haven't been feeling the best, good thing Vi is here to take care of you.

❥ Graceful | Fluff - You're a ballerina, Vi loves to help and watch you practice. Even if she doesn't listen.

❥ The Boxer and the Bubble Bath | Smut + Fluff | MODERN AU - Vi comes home to you very nicely sat in a nice hot bubble bath. Sore from training she doesn't need an invite to get in, and then you make sure you take good care of her, and she always does the same for you, since your her perfect little wife after all.

❥ Seven Sensitive Minutes | Suggestive | MODERN AU - Everyone is playing seven minutes in heaven and hoping to make your ex jealous you play along, until it lands on her and another guy. And you have to make a choice that you end up not regretting.

❥ Countdown | Fluff | SOULMATE AU - You expected and dreamed of meeting your soulmate in a cute and romantic way. Well Vi makes sure to crush that idea, along with a few ribs.

❥ Pretty Nurse | Fluff - You're Vi's lover, that sometimes doubles as the pretty nurse that takes care of her when she's sick.

❥ The Three Times Vi Wasn't Sure, and the One Time She Was | Fluff - Vi didn't know if you were gay, you were just always so open, so free, like a fairytale character that spoke in riddles. But at some point, she figures it out. With a little help from you of course.

❥ Fragile as Glass | Angst + Open Ended - You have taken care of Jinx since Vander died, protecting her. But she brings all of the mess right to you as usual. Though this mess, is a bit nostalgic.

❥ Street Affairs | Smut - She can't wait to have you, literally, her jealousy can't wait. See that alleyway? Exactly...

❥ Dinnertime | Smut + Fluff - Vi loved to care for you, especially after you've been working yourself away to keep you guys afloat. And seeing her after so long spent away from her arms makes you feel... excited, to say the least.

❥ Old Memories | Fluff? + Slight Angst - You run into an old friend.

❥ 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬

❥ Vi With a Short Big Spoon | Fluff

❥ Spicy Piercings | Fluff + Kind of NSFW

❥ Cheek Kisses | Fluff

❥ Tracing Her Skin | Fluff + Slight Angst

❥ SFW & NSFW Headcanons | NSFW/Smut + Fluff + Slight Angst

❥ Enemies With Benefits w/ Her | Angsty + Smutty + Slight Fluff

❥ Having an Affectionate Girlfriend | Fluff + Slight Angst

❥ 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬

❥ smut drabble #1

❥ 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬

❥ Fight Club | Part 2 | Angst + Fluff - You fight to survive, and then you see an old friend again. But you aren't too happy about who she's with.

❥ Better Than a Prison Wall | PART 2 | Angst + Fluff - Anything is better than staring at a prison wall. Including seeing your family that casted you away. Or so you thought they did.

❥ Thief Vi and Her Princess Masterlist | Fluff | ROYAL AU - A princess meets a thief, and just so happens to fall in love.

❥ Beachy Beauty | Part Two | Fluff | SEMI MODERN AU - You're the adopted Kiramman, the notorious for being sweet and great with the kids of the family. And while taking care of them on the beach vacation the family annually takes, you just so happen to meet your sisters new friend. Who she forgot to mention, was very attractive.

❥ 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜

❥ I Don't Know You... Yet | Fluff + Slight Angst - You're Vi and Jinx's sister, and you meet and enforcer that just happens to catch your eye, but you guys aren't very close just yet. But she'd like to be, now will you let her?

❥ 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐲𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬

❥ 𝐜𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐲𝐧

❥ Out of Reach | Fluff - Your girlfriends love to put your potion ingredients higher then your arms can reach.

❥ Sleepy Morning Light | Fluff - You and Vi want to sleep, Caitlyn however needs a bit of convincing.

❥ Welcome Home | Fluff + NSFW - You and your dominance wasn't what they were expecting, but they aren't complaining.

❥ Busted Face | Angst + Fluff - You'd run into some people from your past you just happen to have a rough relationship. Punches are thrown on both sides, and the girls are left to help you pick up the pieces.

❥ Predicament | Fluff + Suggestive - Your girlfriend just got out of prison, and brings a friend who just so happens to be an enforcer. Oh, and did I mention you kill people for a living?

❥ 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬

❥ Poly Relationship W/ Them | Fluff + Slight Angst

❥ NSFW Poly W/ Them | Fluff + Smut/NSFW

❥ Dealing with Their S/O's Inner Child | Fluff + Slight Angst

❥ 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐤𝐚

❥ Them With a Pregnant S/O | Fluff + Slight Angst

❥ Relationship With Vi & Sevika | Fluff + Slight Angst

❥ Having a Teeth Insecurity | Angst + Fluff

[fuzzydreamin]

What The Companions Say About... Gunners!

I'm posting these just because I find the companions in-game reactions to things rather interesting. You might be surprised by what some of them have to say about certain things.

These are just their dialogues for during combat and after combat or walking through areas inhabited by this enemy type. It does not include anything from specific areas, quests, or other dialogue.

⌨ Ada

⌨: Gunners carry serious military-grade hardware. We should gather whatever we can. ⌨: Gunners favour laser weaponry. Perhaps we can find fusion cells among the corpses? ⌨: Judging from the skull-like markings emblazoned everywhere, Gunners are exceedingly territorial. ⌨: And here I thought that Raiders were the lowest form of humanity in the Commonwealth. ⌨: I trust you'll never associate yourself with these mercenaries, ma'am.

☘ Cait

☘: Mixed it up with these nobs before. Not exactly the please and thank you types. ☘: Gunners. I hate these guys. ☘: Remember, Gunners don't take prisoners so give it everythin' you've got. ☘: Tattooed cretins. ☘: First there's trash, then there's the Gunners. Easy to remember, eh?

⚙ Codsworth

⚙: Gunners incoming. This should be fun. ⚙: Angry mercenaries up ahead.

(All of these lines have the {bravado covering nervousness} note) ⚙: I dare say, Gunners are scant more than Raiders with shinier toys. ⚙: {Nervous} Eyes out, mum. This may be Gunner territory. ⚙: Are they called "Gunners" because they fancy guns? Seems a smidge obvious. ⚙: Gunners, little more than murderous thugs in my book. ⚙: Gunners must make a healthy sum for all their murdering.

⚕ Curie

⚕: These Gunners should be careful. Some of their actions, I think, are illegal. ⚕: I would stay clear of the Gunners. They seem a most surly bunch. ⚕: Gunners. Common mercenaries. Of little interest to science. ⚕: I do not like the Gunners. They have no thirst for science. ⚕: Why aren't these Gunners in prison?

♞ Danse

♞: Gunners are extremely dangerous. Kill on sight. ♞: {Disdain} The tattoos on their heads make for a nice bullseye. ♞: Remember, Gunners can't be reasoned with, and they don't surrender. ♞: These fools are nothing but cold-blooded murderers. ♞: If you have a Gunner in your sights, pull the trigger. They won't hesitate to do the same to you.

🕶 Deacon

🕶: Gunners are one step above raiders in my book. 🕶: Don't underestimate the Gunners. 🕶: Who's pulling the Gunners' strings? No one knows. 🕶: Gunners give mercs a bad name. And that's saying something. 🕶: Gunner's have had bounties on me. Well, me under different names and faces. I want to see how many slots I can fill on their most wanted list.

☣ Hancock

☣: {Neutral} Gunners. All firepower, no finesse. ☣: {Neutral} Always thought those letters on their foreheads was how much of the alphabet they'd learned. ☣: {Neutral} I'll give 'em this, fightin' Gunners is rarely dull. ☣: {Neutral} Not a lot of folks make me question Goodneighbor's open door policy. But Gunners… ☣: {Neutral} These guys have some serious weaponry. Lots of caps to be made from a Gunner camp.

☸ Longfellow

☸: {Derisive} Only difference between trappers an' gunners is that gunners ain't realised they're crazy yet. ☸: {Derisive} Think all them weapons an' tattoos make these gunners feel safe? ☸: {Derisive} Gunners like to think they're tough, but they die just as easy as everythin' else. ☸: {Sarcasm and derision} Best thing about killin' gunners is all that ammo they kindly donate. ☸: {Sarcasm and derision} Guns an' armour can't hide cowardice, and that's just what gunners are. Cowards.

⨁ MacCready

⨁: I can't believe I was stupid enough to run with these idiots. ⨁: What was I thinking joining these clowns? ⨁: Doesn't get much crazier than these jokers. ⨁: Killing these morons is doing the Commonwealth a favour. ⨁: So nice of them to paint that bullseye on their heads.

♥ Nick

♥: {Question} Safest way to deal with Gunners? A rifle and distance. ♥: {Stern} You kill a Gunner or they kill you. ♥: {Neutral} If they were willing to see reason, they wouldn't have joined the Gunners. ♥: {Amused} Bet these dolts weren't expecting to get wiped up by the likes of us. ♥: {Neutral} Gunners pack more bullets than brain cells. Though they do pack a lot of bullets.

✉ Piper

✉: {Neutral} Gunners. All the combat training of the Brotherhood of Steel, all the moral character of your neighbourhood bully. ✉: {Neutral} Oh, story idea. I get a tattoo on my forehead and cop a bad attitude. "Gunners Undercover." It'd probably actually move some papers. ✉: {Neutral} Gunners pack a punch, but they're not coordinated. They're like Super Mutants without the charm. ✉: {Irritated} Gunners are all based out of the GNN Building downtown. What a waste of a newsroom. ✉: {Neutral} Gotta have some serious issues to think an organisation requiring facial tattoos is the place for you.

☀ Preston

☀: {Angry} I still owe those bastards for what they did to Quincy. ☀: {Disgust} Cold-blooded murdering bastards. ☀: {Angry} Gunners don't deserve mercy from us. ☀: {Disgust} I'll be happy to help you kill some more of those Gunner bastards. Just point me to them. ☀: {Disgust} We should wipe out every last one of those Gunner bastards.

☢ Strong

☢: These humans use tough armour. ☢: Strong smash puny human gunners. ☢: Gunners good fighters. ☢: These humans worthy foes. ☢: Maybe these humans have milk of kindness.

☾ X6-88

☾: {Hard-edged} Shoot to kill, ma'am. You can't reason with Gunners. ☾: {Disgust} These guys are vermin, the lowest of the low. ☾: {Disapproval} I've heard stories about what Gunners do to their prisoners. Yeah, you don't want to know. ☾: {Disgust} Gunners… they're all the things I hate about the Commonwealth, rolled into one. ☾: {Urging caution} The best-armed Gunners are usually the leaders. Watch out for them.

-----

My notes:

Cait spent time with Gunners. At the Combat Zone? Before then, sometime after killing her parents? Doesn't sound like she ever joined them, just hung out.

Danse and Mac both making the comment that the Gunner tattoos make good targets. Nothing to say, really. Just amusing.

Deacon likes keeping things to himself, but as someone who makes information gathering his whole life his statement that no one knows who is behind the Gunners noteworthy. If the Institute were connected to them he'd probably have a small idea of it -additionally, the events of Hunter/Hunted within Greenetech make it rather unlikely that the two organisations are working together.

Hancock's bit about Gunners being allowed in Goodneighbor. We already saw this with Mac and his encounter with Winlock and Barnes, but it's nice to have confirmation that those two weren't outliers and that Gunners may make regular appearances within the town.

Gunners are one of two enemies Preston claims to actually enjoy killing. The other being Super Mutants.

Strongs comment about them having the Milk of Human Kindness is negligible. He says the same thing about raiders, and just seems to be a response to seeing humans work together in any form.

Cait says they don't take prisoners, but X6 implies that they do and we do see them holding the synth Jenny hostage during the Hunter/Hunted quest. Probably just a rarer occurance, they'd likely need some reason to want to take a hostage over just killing you, like a bounty specifying taking you alive.

Additionally, the fact that X6, the guy who loves terrorizing and torturing his enemies, is put off by how the Gunners treat their prisoners? Horrifying.

[hel-phoenyx]

Kaizarz belongs to @corneille-but-not-the-author, Oli to @thal-ent and Domhildr to @soupedepates

Meili (mentioned) belongs to @azeler

There aren't many people that can make the bear gets out of its cave. In fact, it's limited to one. One, since the event ; the one that bears the crown.

Heh. Making an unintentional pun in my head probably is proof that I drank too much.

It's the night. Oli and Domhildr decided to relieve the king of his royal duties for the evening. I guess the reasoning would be that for once, he would be our friend, and not the Kraken king, hero of the tournament, and, even if I may be the only one here that knows that, future killer of the Tyrant. I appreciate there's still people that care that much.

However, deciding to string me along was a very poor move.

I'm tired. i'm annoyed. I'm pissed. By Gods I don't wanna be here. I may have wanted to, or Kaizarz convinced be gods know how, but right now I just wanna go back to my books and my alone time.

Why am I so irritated, some might ask ?

Guess whose idiots started a truth or dare while severely intoxicated. AGAIN.

And of course no one let me run away. Because it's not funny to play with only three people. So I'm sitting here, choosing dare after dare after dare and drinking my penalty for more than two thirds of them.

So I'm probably very drunk, I can't activate that damn spell because I can stay focused for five secs, and I have to look at those three idiots laughing at my expense and calling me a coward.

Well, to be fair, Domhildr is the only one to do so. But that's Domi, so she's noisier than five people combined.

Worse is that they're fucking audacious with their dares. Like, right now. Domhildr just dared Oli to do a strip-tease, and of course Oli did, though they stopped at the top. Luckily for everyone's cheeks. Kaizarz is avoiding that part of the room since Oli's shirt flew away on the middle of our circle.

I'm not looking either.

But now it's my turn, and Oli turns towards me with a big smile on their face.

"Tyr, truth or dare ?"

I roll my eyes.

"How about neither."

"No fun. Com'on, Tyr," adds Domhildr. "Don't be a bitch."

Ugh. Either I be a bitch and run away right now, but Kaizarz who is looking at me with big doe eyes is gonna get sad and I don't want that, or I subject myself to another humiliation with a potential bonus drink.

Choice is quick to be taken.

"Fine. Dare."

I hate how weak I am.

Kaizarz's face tints itself with a hint of worry, probably noticing that I reached my limit. Yet, he doesn't say anything, and Oli is the first one to answer, their big smile still on their face.

"Dare huh ? Then kiss Domi."

"Huh ?"

"On the mouth."

"Huh ?"

"For at least five seconds."

"HUH ?"

Are they fucking serious right now- yeah. Yeah they are. They're laughing like a little gremlins, their smile even wider than before. I doubt they think I would do that, it's probably a ploy to make me drink and loosen up, it's not gonna have the desired effect.

Kaizarz has a little frown.

"Hey maybe we shouldn't go that far-"

"Oh com'on, Kaizarz, don't be a galiant knight, Tyr knows how to defend himself !" Shouts Domhildr, now up on her feet. "And we all know anyway he won't do it !"

She turns towards me and stick her tongue.

"Right, mister I chicken out every time ?"

"With how daring you get ? Of course I "chicken out"."

Domhildr smiles even more. That little shit is getting on my nerves.

"Well, you get the same thing than Oli and I, even Kaizarz drank less than you ! I say it's not because we're daring, more like you're a coward~"

She's really getting on my nerves. Gods I miss Meili. He would be able to put some sense in her bonehead. And for the love of Harkyr stop smiling, it's making my blood boil !

Why are you taling so much pleasure in my annoyance ?!

"So Tyr, what will it be ? Beer or serpent's liquor ? Or you just step out of your comfort zone for once, you prude-"

"Fine !"

That was too much. I saw an echo in her voice, her words, and not the type I enjoy. Plus, I had my fair share of her vicious mockery. So if I have to put my lips on her to shut her up, so be it.

She looks dumbfounded, like she didn't expect that. All time for me to catch her by the shirt, pull her toward me and mark a pause before joining our lips together.

I hear a little sound of surprise probably coming from Kaizarz, but the countdown started by Oli covers it, sung on an enthousiastic voice. They're drunk, I can hear it in the little slurring, and the absurdity of the situation is enough to break their composure.

Five.

Domhildr feels surprised at first, but I only need less than a second to feel she's letting loose. Her face is too close, her eyes too wide. I close mine.

Four.

I'm still holding her shirt. I don't let go, but my grip gets weaker. I don't need to keep her in place, anyway. Rather to stop her from snuggling up to me.

Three.

She answers the kiss with an audace I suspect is for pushing me to my last limits. She's still standing, I'm sat, so even with our tremendous height difference I have to keep my head raised, and I feel a hand on my shoulder.

Two.

It's getting hot in here. Alcohol, probably. I don't deepen anything, but I can still feel her booze breath. We're both wasted at that point. It doesn't bother me the slightest. I have kissed drunker people. Somehow it adds to the appeal, probably because I am, myself, drunk.

One.

Her second hand is on my cheek. It's soft. It's warm. Her lips are softer. She's a good kisser. I guess she's used to it. Not judging. I'm no better.

Zero.

I let go a second too late.

They all look flabbergasted, everyone. Kaizarz, looking at me with a very weird expression, Oli, still smiling despite the surprise, and Domhildr, eyes wide, cheeks rozy, blinking once, twice, thrice.

She opens her mouth. Close it. I can't restrain a slight, victorious smile.

"So who's the coward now ?"

"........ Okay," Oli ends up answering. "I won't say anything, anymore."

"Good bird."

Yeah, I'm pissed. And maybe Domhildr's dumbfounded face is making me vicariously happy.

She runs her thumb on her lips.

"Wow. Didn't think you would do it."

"What, after getting on my nerves all evening ?"

"Yeah but. Did I get your first kiss or what ?"

She winks, Kaizarz blinks, eyes squinted. I just sigh.

"Absolutely not, as much as you wanted to."

I still remember their lips on mine.

Domhildr laughs.

"Oh, if only you chose truth, I would ask who was your first !"

"And it's exactly the reason I don't. Alright, either we keep this game moving or we do something else, because I am not saying anything about either my love or sex life, you motherfuckers."

"You have a sex life ?!"

"I said, not saying anything. Gods."

That's not details I wanna share anyways, godsdamnit. Luckily for me, they don't insist, and Kaizarz probably himself at his limit pulls out a game of cards. Oh, se we're doing kraken-king and peasant.

Good. I've always been good at this game.

[your-neighbor-in-the-northblue]

Coward Trio With A Barbarian!Reader

➼ Word Count » 0.6k ➼ Warnings » None ➼ Genre » Romantic/Platonic

Nami

She thinks you're a slob and uncivilized, but you help defend her in battle, and she couldn't be more grateful for it.

You and she have similar personalities — being more fiery and assertive than most usually are. The two of you are a powerful duo when together, but it always gets tense when one of you disagrees with the other.

She makes you do a lot of laborious tasks. Mostly carrying chests of gold or doing little things around the ship, but every now and then she'll have you carry her bags and stuff when she's out shopping. You're strong, aren't you? You can carry MUCH more than she can~

Honestly, she might just "hire" (she says hire but it's just her cashing in favors) you to be her bodyguard whenever you've stopped on an island. She feels a lot safer around you.

Nami loves buying you little trinkets and such to show her appreciation for everything you do. It's usually just like a scarf or something (since you don't ever wear anything but rags) but it's always meant to be genuine and not to trap you into more debt.

She's always leaning over to whisper things she notices to you just to keep you aware of the smaller things you might not have detected.

The two of you work really well together actually, with her stealth and thieving abilities and your raw strength, you guys end up doing a considerable amount of damage to anyone you come across.

Usopp

You're one of the coolest people he's ever met. He can't get enough of your extroverted attitude toward everyone you meet and the way you seamlessly massacre marines. He wants to be just like you and would beg you to train him.

He adores how adventurous you are and will always puff out his chest and follow you around whenever you go anywhere.

He loves crafting different weapons for you to use in battle. He always gets so excited whenever you win with the gear he made for you. It fills him with so much pride to know he helped in some way.

As great as he thinks you are, he also thinks you're stupid and will beg you to let him do all the talking.

"Please... let me do this, you can't get us into trouble again, Nami will kill me."

He'll turn into somewhat of a mini-you and is the biggest supporter you've ever received. Just humor him please, you're his role model.

You and him are another duo that works really well together. With him snipping from afar, and you on the front line, there isn't really anything preventing the two of you from doing anything.

Chopper

Bro is NOT sticking around you. He's booking it the second you start getting aggressive with people. Sure, he thinks you're neat, but he refuses to get caught in any crossfire. You scare him, and he'd rather go to anyone else besides you.

He does, however, rush to heal you whenever you take a particularly heavy hit. He might think you're intimidating, but you're still his crewmate.

It takes a while for him to really start to grow on you, but when he does, he rarely leaves your side.

Robin's told him stories of characters that sound a lot like you and how they're uneducated savages. So, he'll do his best to sit you down and read to you in hopes that you'll end up a more civilized member of society.

He also asks you a ridiculous amount of questions about your heritage and where you come from. He finds it so weird how you can be so naturally powerful, without you being any unique race or having a devil fruit.

A lot less common than the other two. It's usually just him "sneakily" following you around and taking notes, while you mind your own business.

[perfecteggpartyland]

but thats my point.

there's no objective idea of what being a coward or being brave is. to some people, kevins refusal to explicitly stand up to riko when in his presence vs neils ability to stand up to riko/nathan/others will come across as cowardice.

and they're not inherently wrong for having different ideas of what cowardice and bravery are to you.

neil criticises kevin for the fact that he has a chance to make his life his own, by defying riko in a way which allows him to do that. Kevin relearns how to play with his left hand, but until the end of the series he still hasn't decided he doesn't want to live in rikos shadow anymore. it's part a defiance of riko to relearn and part not when until the end he doesn't intend to actually do anything with that defiance to make it his own. he will just go back to riko being able to play but still being 2nd. neil does in the books explicitly call Kevin out for playing this "middle ground". Neil's frustrations aren't that Kevin is afraid of Riko, his frustrations are that he won't push through it to live by his own means.

And these frustrations are mostly born out of the fact that Neil is jealous that Kevin has a chance when he (he assumes) is going to die. Neil is afraid of his father, yes, but he ultimately chooses to defy that fear by making himself a sitting duck so his life can be his own, even if for a short while. To face certain death so you can live your life in a way you find your own and meaningful, for a lot of people will be seen as bravery.

Kevin learns at the end, in part through multiple conversations with Neil about this, that playing middle ground won't get him what he wants.

That's the core difference between them. Neil loves his mom, true, but he recognises at the start of the series she is a monster. And he defies her by breaking her rules for him to keep running. He loves her, and Kevin loves Riko, but he doesn't let that love control him in the way Kevin let's his love for Riko.

I don't see Neil as hypocritical. I think you misunderstand what Neil criticises Kevin for. He never criticises him for loving Riko, he criticises him for refusing to defy him despite it. He doesn't criticise Kevin for being afraid of Riko, but rather his issues are with the fact Kevin won't commit to pushing through the fear to live his own life.

Got it but once again kevin IS traumatized and like Neil he fears for his own life rightfully so also. My point is that in the end he does pushes through so even if people thought he was a coward I don't get why he's still called that? After seeing the end? But I do think as much as I love Neil that's he is a hypocrite; but I love that feral gremlin to death so🦋