#because i fucked up the tenses

[peace-hunter]

tfone au where OP is created as the last of the primes but way after them, a sparkling born at what were thought to be the last days of the war against the quintessons, the beginning of a new generation of peace after eons of war. a child meant to be loved and raised knowing nothing of war nor sacrifice.

he's kept mostly out of the spotlight by his siblings, who don't wish to expose him to everyone's optics so young, and want to wait until the war is done and over to properly introduce him to their people.

except of course the primes are betrayed and murdered by sentinel, the war is lost and everyone who knows and cared for the truth is either banished or outright killed in order to suppress it.

and the high guard, the ones the primes trusted the most, the ones that were supposed to protect them, the ones who failed in their most important duty, have to make a choice. to take the last prime, their last hope, with them to the surface, a hostile environment where there's little to no supplies and where they'll be hunted down by both sentinel and the quintessons as the biggest threat to their regimen.

or hide him in plain sight. place him where sentinel won't think to look for him. one more sparkling among many. and hope it will be enough to keep him alive. pray to primus that he'll protect his last child long enough for them to come back for him when it's safer (even if most of them have already lost their faith on him when he allowed the rest of his children to be massacred like that)

they almost lose their resolve when they realize they will have to take the little one's cog away in order to make him blend in with the rest of the newborns (and oh do they burn with murderous intent when they see what sentinel has done to their people but it's not the time yet-) but in the end they decide an impaired little prime is better than a dead one.

and so in the chaos of thirteen dead primes and a sudden energon crisis, a little sparkling who very few mechs really knew about and even fewer had seen completely vanishes. and in the depths of iacon a mech in charge of a new batch of newborns scratches their helm in confusion as they realize they must have miscounted the first time.

optimus prime is quietly erased from any official records by sentinel, written off as dead when they find a sparkling's frame mangled beyond recognition after an attack on the base of those rebels that insist on being a thorn on his side. killing the sparkling hadn't been precisely in his plans, he probably could've found some use for it after all, but he's not particularly upset about it either.

and orion pax grows up with an ache on his spark that tells him he's missing something far more important than a t-cog and dreams of gentle and loving hands, cradling him against the frames of mechs he cannot recall the faces of.

[tls123]

thirty-one days of jiujiu(ly) — 2024 edition // day twenty-nine + with bonus lan wangji ! + find the 2022 edition here

[snazzi-strawberri-artz]

AUGHH CLASS ASSIGNMENT YIPPEEE!!! Had to make cut out silhouette designs for 3 of our characters!!!

[myrmica]

its so funny that all minute—the guy who once upon a time hoped to redeem zam—'s team has accomplished is getting him to consider giving up his remaining honor in order to match the level they're playing on ?

[undead-moth]

I know I've been on about this for a while now and I'm being a hater but you're telling me SydCarmy was "always meant to be platonic" even though there are two seasons of writing making use of tried-and-true explicitly romantic tropes, themes and writing signals, and SydLuca is going to be romantic because...he was nice to her on screen for a few minutes?

I don't even care if people ship SydLuca, or if they just prefer it, but you can't honestly tell me that you believe Carmy was always meant to be a friend but Luca is an obvious love interest.

Just because Syd and Carmy haven't kissed or confessed their love to each other doesn't mean that isn't very obviously the direction this show is going. The Bear has already shown you who is endgame. It has shown you every episode of the show so far.

Honestly I really don't think The Bear fanbase understands this show or cares about these characters or the story being told here, which is unfortunate because this show is shockingly well-written in comparison to most shows right now, and we should be so grateful for it but all we're doing is complaining that the writers led us on by not making a ship canon fast enough. It's just. Sad.

[poisonousquinzel]

"a dude in Texas legally changed his name to "Literally Anyone Else" and he's attempting to run for President against Biden & Trump" [source]

okay, but putting aside the comedic aspect of this, it is concerning the amount of people who are prompted to vote for candidates just because it's funny. I'm not the biggest fan of how his policy about the boarder sounds [Site], but I do implore anyone who is able to vote in the 2024 US election to please research other candidates.

The media is only going to continue pushing the idea it's inevitably going to be Trump vs Biden 2.0 and we have no other options, that we have to vote for Biden again because of Project 2025. Is that whole thing terrifying?

Yeah, fucking absolutely.

But voting for Biden will not solidify our safety from that. Biden is exactly like the rest of them. He always has been. You can't make the lesser of two evils argument when they're both just plain evil.

You cannot say that Biden is even mildly a better choice than Trump when he is currently directly involved in a genocide. That is not some little fucking thing. That in and of itself disqualifies him as a lesser evil. Biden is just as bad as him and he will not save us because he doesn't fucking care.

Cornel West [Site] is an Independent candidate running for President in the 2024 Election. [Policies]

Claudia De la Cruz and Karina Garcia [Site] are running for President and Vice-President as the candidates of the Party for Socialism and Liberation in the 2024 Election. [Policies]

There are options.

There are people trying to change the corrupt foundation our system is built on, but we have to help amplify them because the mainstream media will not.

[manderleyfire]

kick in the teeth

@thefudge | rpf | walton goggins/ella purnell; mature (2, 744 words)

And he feels the minty coolness of an ice cube melting on his tongue and he shares it with the girl who is twenty-five years his junior, because he wants her to swallow this ice cube, he wants her to feel that yellow shade of summer inside her very throat.

[quadrantadvisor]

Sometimes I still think about The Owl House Gang all trying to watch ATLA together but then Zuko's backstory in The Storm retraumatizes Hunter so bad they have to stop

[lokh]

someone needs to make a workout routine to the guilty gear soundtrack. PLEASE

[longagoitwastuesday]

I am liking Jujutsu Kaisen, way more than I imagined I would, but I foresee it will let me down and it's keeping me from enjoying this as much as I could haha

I think the characters and dynamics are well set, and I think many of them have an incredibly good and deep potential, but I would be willing to bet they'll not get a proper development, enough for them to really hit. A well assembled set of gears is not enough to make the movement go, you have to wind the clockwork.

I think Gojo and Megumi have a fascinating and very complex dynamic, but I doubt it will be given the time and care that imo it needs to actually work. And it is going well enough for now! One could see the intimacy between them was deeper than the one Gojo had with, say, Yuji and Nobara ever since the very first few episodes despite the fact Fushiguro too was a first year. But the pieces forming what they have are extremely complex, and it just wouldn't be realistic if it doesn't show, even if in a not showing way, or if it doesn't have consequences or implications.

It's one of those dynamics that shape one's life, the way one regards the world, the way one establishes or not relationships with other people. It's one of those dynamics that could be full of fondness, gratitude, resentment, admiration, trust, and that imply intimacy, the good kind or the bad, even if in just the knowledge of someone who's been a constant through your life. It could, and would, imply a myriad of feelings, and probably in such a mix it could imply contradictory feelings too. Even the nothingness would weight, even the nothingness would be significant and meaningful.

Gojo took Megumi and his sister under his wing, the son of a man who murdered him, because of both selfish and selfless reasons. Megumi looks like Toji. What does Gojo feel about this? How does Gojo deal with this? How does Gojo go about taking care of Megumi? Would he walk him to school? Make him breakfast? Celebrate his birthdays making him blow candles? Did he take him to the zoo? Does the relationship between them feel professional or is it something more? Gojo appreciates his students, but is Megumi to him just another student? When Gojo faces Sukuna in Megumi's body, did he see the kid he raised, or does he just see Sukuna in one of his students' body? Did he have one faint wavering instant? And how does Megumi feel about this? Is he resentful of him? Resentful of the situation? Of the selfishness behind his actions? Does he feel like a pawn? Is he grateful? Does he resent feeling grateful? Would he rather not? Does he love Gojo? Does he feel nothing about him other than what he could feel about a teacher that sort of annoys him but knows he's reliable in his strength? Does he think it unfair, cruel or unfeeling that Gojo is close, closer perhaps, with Yuuji or Yuta, considering their story? When Sukuna slices Gojo in two, does the remnants of Megumi's soul tremble?

And not just Megumi and Gojo. Yuuji and Nanami, Gojo and Nanami, Yuuji and Fushiguro, Nobara and the boys, or Nobara and Maki, Todo and Yuuji or Yuta, Gojo and Yuta, Megumi and his sister. Gojo and Geto, even! If the pieces are well set, the dynamics are intriguing, interesting, and have potential to be deep, but then the characters have like two plot relevant scenes that punch you hard, but little more, it's not nearly enough. Especially not nearly enough for the enormity that is shonen dynamics and situations. And the potential existing at all, and then not delivering, makes it all the more frustrating when you're left with something mediocre that could have been so good.

The development of dynamics through not only a few plot relevant gut wrenching moving scenes, but also the smallness of life, is important. The friend who recommended this to me said that those things were just unnecessary filler, but I disagree. I think there's a big difference between a large amount of anime-only filler episodes whose existence is based on the fact they had run out of manga chapters to animate, and moments of quietness. The low stakes character-driven moments of quietness can be so telling and so insightful, and they are so satisfactory when brought back later in higher stakes situations. My friend teased me there was no scene of Gojo making breakfast to Megumi, that it would be an idiotic idea, but it would be so telling. How he makes breakfast, what they eat, if he tries hard or if it's all mechanised, if they have personal bowls or if they use whatever, if he just buys them some pastry on the way to school, if the way they have breakfast changes through the years, or if he doesn't make them breakfast at all! All that would be very insightful on their dynamic and its evolution. All that would give a glimpse on how they regard each other and why, even in the present. All that could become meaningful in tense situations and high stakes scenes.

These moments also let the plot breath; if a lot is happening all the time, if every character is always experiencing trauma after trauma, the entire story is so emotionally draining that at some point you don't even care all that much. Besides, these nothing moments or low stakes plot arcs, besides deepening and developing dynamics, also let some in-world time pass, which would make the intimacy and bond between characters more believable imo; between Yuuji eating Sukuna's finger and their last confrontation in December how much time has passed? A few months? Am I truly to believe these characters are so everything to each other in only a few months?

Without some smallness, some repetition, some daily life, some low stakes not plot-centric development, the dynamics don't hit, they don't truly feel fleshed out, and dynamics as complex as the ones Megumi and Gojo have, or as supposedly meaningful as the one Megumi has with Yuuji or his sister, should be fleshed out if they're going to exist at all. Otherwise they'd risk making the writing feel awkward and fake. Besides, if the dynamics felt well fleshed out and realistic, they would shape the way the characters interact and act, and how they deal with situations, thus being plot relevant.

The shonen genre has so much happening all the time, the stakes are so high, the dynamics are so rooted in big events and the relationships carry enormous weight and implications. Yet they barely get developed, and it feels so stupid, so plain, the absence of something so important noticeable like a constant void, a shapeless nothingness present in every scene. It makes the characters feel like cardboard figures. Jujutsu Kaisen is already getting a better job than many, but I doubt it will do enough for what I've heard, and I fear I am bound to feel let down, and bound to feel unmoved.

After all, if not enough time and care has been given to develop a dynamic, I am not going to feel pressured by the high stakes; if not enough time and care has been given to develop the dynamic between Megumi and Yuuji, as good potential as it has I am bound to feel little for this last confrontation between Sukuna and Itadori, and his effort in getting Megumi back.

[dullahanblorboposting]

Hmmm I do enjoy the large amounts of feral toxic and obsessive violence flavors of durgetash around but its not my preference, like. I crave the 'horrible awful worst people youve ever met are soft for (ONLY) eachother' dynamic. What if, given the opportunity, they really WOULD rule together side by side, and they really do secretly and shamefully yearn for that comfort together. What if they almost indulge in it sometimes. AAAAAAAAAA

I really love the star-crossed lovers, forbidden romance, mutual yearning, tragedy of the only person to ever know you, and even openly like you being a temporary co-conspirator but ultimately your sworn enemy you you know you must kill.

Maybe it's just circumstantial. Maybe in another life you really would have hated him, or worse, had no feeling towards him either way at all, but that's not your reality. Your reality is that he's the ONLY ONE that offers you a painful glimpse of normalcy. Or as close to normal as someone like YOU could get. And it's so tempting (comforting even? Is that comfort?) That you can't ignore it. No matter how much guilt and shame it brings, no matter how much fear you hold towards your Father. You can control your urges, but not this? This feeling, this longing is stronger than even your deepest nature as child of Bhaal, so much so that you can't control it. So you ask for forgiveness instead. With promises that in the end, the result will be the same. You will kill him all the same. He will die at your hand, before only you, yourself.

You justify it this way. To the temple. To Father. To yourself.

Death is the only way this could end anyway. Because could you really go on living the way it was before? Before being known, accepted, liked as you were?

[moongothic]

Do wanna say, I am actually really curious how Iva-chan would feel if the Dragodile Divorce went REAL BAD

'Cause they didn't know the two were in a relationship at all, right. (Otherwise, like, if Iva-chan knows about Crocodile having a kid then surely they'd realize that would've also been Dragon's kid and like. Understands that's Luffy etc) So as far as Iva-chan understands the situation, Crocodile may have been secretly slightly involved with the Revolutionaries for a period of time, had a kid out of the blue, transitioned, and either immidiately broke ties with the Revs entirely and fucked off to Alabasta, or kept on assisting the Revs in secret (possibly monetarily, being a sugar daddy and all 💰🐊💰) for however long in secret, only to pretty much betray them out of nowhere by attempting to take over Alabasta 17 years later Either way, surely Ivankov would've been deeply confused by this turn of events, right? Like what happened to him, why would Crocodile do any of this?

But if the straw that broke the camel's back and shattered Crocodile's psyche was the Dragodile Divorce going really bad, either from Dragon not being that accepting OR due to things going violent over a miscommunication... How would Ivankov feel about that?

Keep in mind, we've only ever heard Iva-chan talk about Dragon with nothing but adoration and respect. They sincerely hold Dragon in such high regard, can you imagine how badly either revelation could change how Iva-chan's views Dragon? 'Cause like, sure if Dragon's straight then that's one thing, but lashing out at his loved one? When he came out? At what might've been the most emotionally vunerable time of Crocodile's life (between the transing and the baby and having to leave his son forever. Y'know. Heavy shit)? Yeah, frankly speaking, Iva-chan would be completely justified in slapping the shit out of Dragon and giving him some choise words. Perhaps even some 💉 Karmic Punishment 💉 to teach a lesson Feeling disappointed in Dragon would be an understatement. But even if The Divorce happened due to a tragic accident (of Dragon attacking the strange man he has never seen before out of instinct when going to see his wife and child), it's been nearly two whole decades. Have the two even spoken since then? Like presumably not considdering Crocodile didn't even know who Luffy was. So if they haven't spoken at all-- did Dragon ever apologize? Or was he that much of a coward he couldn't face Croc and take responsibility for what he did? If so, that is absolutely pathetic and frankly irresponsible considdering the feelings he would've left Crocodile festering with.

Like either way, I'm deeply facinated how Iva-chan would take the news. How that could impact their relationship with Dragon, as well as how they've viewed Crocoboy for the past few years as well.

Because suddenly Crocoboy didn't just go bonkers out of nowhere, abandon and betray the Revolutionaries to try to do something monstrous for selfish gain. Suddenly, it was Dragon who abandoned Crocodile and left him all alone for nearly two decades, believing obtaining an Ancient Weapon was the only way to take down the World Government. Countless innocent lives that perhaps could've been spared in Alabasta had Dragon just fucking talked to his ex--

Yeah. I'm curious how Iva-chan would feel

[veth-brenattos-mental-state]

Still fascinated that the m9 TV shows current official description talks about the beacons + the way they keep bringing up how excited they are to show offscreen political stuff when they're still working on s1. Is the plan to show the assembly (and possibly the dynasty) having political discussions seasons before the nein know or care?? Ik people have been talking about this for essek reasons but im much more interested in the narrative implications of that choice. Early c2 would have a much different feel to it! I'm not sure I'm fully on board with it but it's a very bold choice and I'm really curious how things will work out if they do go down that path

[manticoreimaginary]

I just watched Lovely, Dark, and Deep and was so deeply unnerved and thought it was so good, and then went to look up some reviews and it turns out everyone fucking hated it. Damn son, me and my basic-ass taste I guess!

[meadowsofmay]

first winter:

legolas' first winter on a battle field was... terrifying, to say the least. thranduil still shudders when first snow covers the ground because he can't just erase this empty, tarnished look in his son's eyes from his memory.

even though, he would do anything to erase legolas' memory of the first winter on a battle field.

when his first summer came and he joined his father's king's guard as a mere soldier, legolas was young and eager and full of energy to protect. and the moment legolas went out of the doors of his halls and dissappeared into the woods on his first mission — thranduil knew. he knew he won't be able to hold him back, to hide him behind other, more skilled warriors and more so to pull him back into the safety of their stronghold and save him from the fate of those who pledged their life. he can force him to learn about diplomacy, assign him teachers and make him sit through councils behind closed doors but nothing will stop legolas from coming back to the woods. not when the danger is so near, breathing down their necks and pushing them further and further north.

legolas painfully reminded thranduil about his mother.

and it was easier for legolas, thranduil knows, when summer's grass covered all the blood and century old roots hid dead bodies from the sore eyes. it's easier because you don't always see the damage on darks of brown and green that prevailed in their armor. but the white doesn't hide anything. it's merciless, cruel, — on clear canvas of the field it makes the colors pop, — and it took alot for thranduil to learn to wear it graciously.

and yet, there's nothing gracious in every day battle east or west, or even south, of their woods, for orcs and spiders flood in hoards like a mudslide, dirty and ugly and barely stoppable.

legolas couldn't move when he saw it. his company were staying at the south-eastern base, an order came to check the paths and help in clearing the spider nests, simple and basic as that, and they were halfway done with the day when the horn came. and then, bone-shaking, chilling roar somewhere from below the hill they were on — it made them stop in their tracks, terror chaining their legs to the fresh cover of snow. they were five minutes, no more, away from the gates of the base. but the ground was shuddering for an army marched on them.

their captain yelled at them to run, a sudden sound in the deafening silence of the approaching battle pulling them out of their stupor, and the next legolas knew — his lungs were burning as he did exactly what he was told.

an arrow took the first elf down and then it began.

thranduil ran. he ran as quickly as he could to the healing wards, his robes tangling in between his steps, slowing him down in the haste. the news got to him fast — the south-eastern base was destroyed, orcs has slain almost everyone, barely any were left alive. the only thing thranduil was able to manage was chocked legolas before he ran, not waiting for a reply. he needed to see him, needed to make sure himself that his son is the one who got out alive. he needed...

legolas was here.

he was sitting on the bed and commotion surrounded him — thranduil looked at all the white clothes stained in red and purplish-black, torn apart beyong repair on the floor, healers moving swiftly in between beds doing their job with herbs and stitches and bandages, and it felt like fever overtook him, the king, himself. legolas was alive but he wasn't moving.

pale and weak, he was looking somewhere beyong the walls on the room, his body fully in the possession of the healers that were bandaging his arms and his chest. thranduil heard them murmuring, calling legolas by name, asking but getting no response. and the fever that overtook the king's body just a moment ago was washed over, as if someone dumped a bucket of cold water on him, with a chill running down his spine.

legolas wasn't moving.

healers looked at thranduil, standing across the room as if to not get in the way, and he had to physically force his face to keep the mask of utter calmness even when his heart broke somewhere down between his ribcage. he moved slowly forward, afraid to see what he feared the most.

shock. as if the moment orcs launched at them now forever imprinted on the fair face of his son. legolas was unresponsive. healers were still working on his wounds. thranduil sat in front of him, squatting down on the floor, his own robes covering what was left of an armor legolas wore, and took his cold hands in his own. he called softly, testing waters, and brought legolas' palms up to his face, blowing hot air on the stiff fingers. legolas didn't even blink. his breathing was barely noticeable.

legolas was one step away from completely shutting down and thranduil felt like his heart won't handle it happening. so, he talked. gently, rubbing his son's fingers bringing blood to movement again, taking a seat by legolas' side when a healer leaves and turning his head towards his own.

please, little one, follow my voice...

legolas looked at him more like through him and his eyes were lifeless, the gentle blue of his faded, reminding thranduil more of a wet greyish clouds that spread across the sky during winter months.

don't let the grief take you, come back to me...

cradling legolas in his arms, thranduil nuzzled in his tangled, stained with blood hair. he kept calling him back, again and again, praying that father's voice will reach the further corners of his son's being where he hid himself from all the terror he went through. like a beacon, he wanted to let legolas know that he is safe now and to lead him out, help him heal.

because there was no time for thranduil to heal after his first big battles, after ones that left him scarred not only physically but also mentally, haunting him at night like dogs would hunt a beaten animal and making his waking hours a living nightmare. thranduil promised, swore right there and then, — when legolas finally took a deep, gasping breath and grabbed his clothes to steady himself, — that he will do anything to prevent legolas from going through the same.

legolas babbled, choked on his tears, forgetting all the shame that mature warriors sometimes implant in the heads of the young ones because he needed to tell. to tell his father about the snow, the crisp, fresh snow and the blood, angry red and bright, so bright it made him nauseous right in the middle of the battle.

i am so sorry...

thranduil held back his own emotions, running his fingers through legolas' hair in vain attempt to calm him down. he knew already that those nightmares will be vivid.

none of this is your fault, you did your best.

h-he made me leave, the captain of legolas' company, thranduil had already heard, sent horses with whatever was left of his warriors to the stronghold, but stayed on the battlefield himself, i didn't want to... he is still there...

thranduil knew that he is there. thranduil knew for a fact that he was already dead. thranduil was greatful that he saved the only family that he has left and yet. no words managed to come out of his mouth, no consolation good enough for a soul that was, still dancing on the edge of sorrow and guilt. he could say nothing but silence spoke enough for him.

is this how it's going to be now?

thranduil will never forget the red dawns of the winter when his son looked the death in the eye and accepted his fate.

[ndostairlyrium]

Shuffle your favorite playlist and post the first five songs that come up. Then copy/paste this top ask your favorite mutuals. 💛

Tagged by @greypetrel <3 Thank you so much dear!! Hopefully the playlist I've chosen gets me diverse genres °-°''

"Unbroken (Hotel Baby)" by Monster Magnet

"Breaking Me Down" by Soil

"A Secret Place (2004 remastered)" by Megadeth

"Descent - Aftermath" from the DAI Descent DLC soundtrack

"Tooth Fairy" by Nanowar of Steel

...and it didn't. hahahah I mean, except the Descent suite which is like, my favorite soundtrack throughout the games << at risk of being controversial, I prefer it to the Trespasser one. They're both gorgeous of course, but I can't really command my preferences

I'm tagging: @underneathestars @daggerbean @layalu @m-bj @n7viper and whoever feels like sharing some music u-u