#but I try to give every chosen ship its own time

[norry-yippee]

This is just a little snippet of my fic since it will be a while till it’s out

inventing something together-hehenorahhehe

"That was hilariously stupid." Dorcas laughs.

"Whatever. You gonna tell me what's going on between you and Marlene." That shit her up real quick.

"She is an annoying moron." She shrugs.

"Who you fancy."

"Regulus, how many times do I have it say this. We aren't primary school children, I don't 'fancy' anyone." She uses air quotes. Regulus rolls his eyes, Cassie has always been very stubborn. And for Regulus to think that someone must be very stubborn.

"I don't know what you want me to say."

"Cas, I am saying this with all the love in my heart I have grown for you. I see the way you look at her.

“Cas, I am saying this with all the love in my heart I have grown for you. I see the way you look at her. I see your eyes, the way they are intently fixed on each other. You may think she is annoying, she is, but there is something else in there, I know it. I’m not an expert in romantic feelings, im actually pretty shit at it. But the way you look at her, the sheer desperation in your eyes. She might as well be sleep to the restless. I’m not telling you to show up with a boom box and confess your love. But please think about it, I have a feeling she feels a similar way to you.” He isn’t sure is she was actually listening, her eyes are blank and her mouth in a straight line.

“Cassie?”

“Fuck.” She whispers. “Damn it, Reggie. That was beautiful.” A sign escapes her.

“Well I’m not just beauty, I’ve got brains too.” She laughs and shoves him.

“You’re also entirely right, goddamn it. What do I do now?”

“I don’t know, talk to her, flirt a little. She has feelings for you too.”

“No she doesn’t.”

“Yes she does.”

“How do you know?” She counters.

“Yesterday, when you were braiding that little girls hair, Lizzie? She was watching so intently, there were stars in her eyes. It was the picture of romance. And I should know, I get paid to paint romance.” He shrugs and her eyes go a bit wide. “I’ll leave you to this.” He pats her shoulder and walks over back to his cabin.

[penkura]

last forever [9/13]

Summary: Zoro only offered to marry you to keep you out of an arranged marriage with a man much older than you. You agreed with the caveat of ending it via annulment once you received word from your parents regarding the original engagement, despite your growing feelings for your close friend.

Pairing: Zoro x Fem!reader, mentioned Sanami later (like epilogue later so chill)

Warnings: Marriage of Convenience, Fake Marriage, referenced sex (waaaaaay later on), mutual pining, Zoro is bad at feelings but what's new there, eventual romance I promise, mention of past attempted assault (I'll warn in that chapter), creepy older dude later on

Note: Post-timeskip, go let's go. Of course, they're a little older now, we know Zoro is 21, so Reader is now 20. :) This chapter IS shorter than the others that are left, but that just means we're getting into the better parts of the story. I really can't wait for you all to see what's next. :)

Taglist:

@misfits1a

[Ch. 1] ● [Ch. 2] ● [Ch. 3] ● [Ch. 4] ● [Ch. 5] ● [Ch. 6] ● [Ch. 7] ● [Ch. 8]

It’s been a long time since you’ve felt such strong anxiety about seeing people, not since the last time you’d met with your parents’ chosen fiancé for you, but it’s come back in spades at the thought of seeing your crew again after two years.

At the thought of seeing Zoro again, more than anything.

The thought of him deciding to dissolve your marriage when he sees you again is the main source of your anxiety, what you try to push away as you leave the lovely group of swordswomen who took care of you for the last two years, those who you’d told about your situationship with Zoro wishing you the best as they dropped you off. You hope no one is jinxing anything, but still feel nervous every time you see someone or something that could be Zoro as you go about, looking for things to purchase and for your friends.

When Nami and Usopp find you, the happiness between the three of you makes all your worries and anxieties dissipate for the time being. Both hug you so tightly, a three-person group hug, you almost cry out of happiness at seeing them again, before Nami starts fawning over how you look so much stronger yourself. She can’t believe how different you seem! She adores your outfit of course, a fitted tank top with knee-length shorts to match and ankle boots, your beloved sword from Elias still attached to your hip. You tell her how wonderful she looks, giving Usopp the same compliment as the three of you start making your way towards Sunny, running into a distraught Chopper who you’re able to calm down after an explanation of the fake Starw Hats on Sabaody.

Chopper gives you a big hug and lets you carry him the rest of the way, its like you have a child but you don’t mind it. You’ll baby Chopper all he wants, it’s the least you can do after he’d taken such great care of you all as your crew’s doctor before you were separated.

Once you make it to Sunny, you’re glad to see your ship and home is safe, and receive compliments from Franky and Robin regarding how more grown up you look. You are twenty now, after all, but it makes you smile shyly and your face feel warm as you thank them both.

After Chopper leaves to retrieve the missing members of your crew once Brook arrives, you start to feel your anxiety creep in again, Robin noticing right away and giving you a soft smile.

“Zoro will be glad to see you again.”

“You,” you gulp a bit, smiling nervously now, “you think so?”

“I do. You two have been close since I’ve been with everyone, I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you’re well.”

You really do hope Robin is right, especially when you hear Chopper calling for you all, the large bird he’d left on returning now with Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro aboard as well. You surprise yourself by not crying when you see Zoro, instead grinning brightly and joining Usopp at waving widely to the three of them, shouting their names.

It slightly catches Zoro off guard to see you so happy, but still makes him keep his own smile on his face when he sees you. Robin is correct, though Zoro doesn’t know that, but he is truly glad to see you’re fine, you look so much stronger than two years ago, and seeing how you keep yourself up on your feet when Luffy flings himself down to give you a hug, he’s even more impressed. He wants, needs, to talk to you alone, but after making it on deck, Luffy still hasn’t let you go, Zoro realizes its going to be a bit before he can take you elsewhere to talk, especially so once Sanji recovers from his nosebleed and also gives you a hug. He turns to fawning over you like Nami did, telling you how lovely you look.

Zoro can’t disagree with that statement.

He gives you time with Sanji, who continues to talk to you and tries to tell you about his own two years, until he notices you’re constantly glancing past him, and he knows exactly why.

Sanji smiles at you, before taking you by the shoulder and pushing you towards Zoro, essentially telling you to go see your husband already, he’s been waiting for you to be free so you could talk maybe. It makes you smile at him before you finally walk over to Zoro, who had turned to leaning against the rail with his arms crossed and eyes closed, until you tap his shoulder and he opens his one good eye to see you.

“Hey there.”

“Hey.”

You feel nervous, for some reason, before you notice the scar over his left eye finally and tilt your head.

“What happened with your eye?”

“Training accident,” Shrugging, Zoro stands up straight and you realize he’s gotten slightly taller in the last two years, he notices the same for you but you’re still shorter than him, “Come with me for a bit, yeah?”

Nodding, you follow Zoro up to the crow’s nest, the two of you briefly talking about your two years. You’re amazed to hear he trained under Mihawk, while Zoro is beyond impressed you ended up in a village for swordswoman. He knew you looked stronger, he can’t wait to see how much better you’ve become with your sword.

Once you’re both in the crow’s nest, before you can say anything else, Zoro surprises you this time but hugging you as tightly as he can, which you return once you’ve shaken off the shock that he’s initiated this. You thought the two years would make the two of you drift apart, not being around each other or anything, but perhaps you’d just been paranoid the whole time.

Don’t cry, I don’t want to cry right now…

“I missed you.”

He’s making it difficult for you not to cry, so you just nod a bit, biting your tongue to keep from crying.

“I missed you too, Zoro…”

Neither of you say anything for a while, you’re impressed the rest of your crew hasn’t tried to bother and bring you both back down with everyone, but you’re also grateful for it. You both need this, just some time together, time alone, it’s probably not enough time to discuss your marriage and what’s next, but you don’t really care that much.

“I…I love you…”

Zoro nods, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead briefly.

“I know.”

That’s enough for you right now, it still makes you smile up at him, before you frown a bit, causing Zoro to raise an eyebrow at you.

“My parents…they still want me to go back and marry him…”

“Oh yeah?”

You nod, staying quiet for a moment before you sigh and lay your head back against his chest and gripping his top while he strokes your hair a bit. He may not agree with what you’re about to say, but after two and a half years, your marriage could only be ended by divorce, a thought you’ve hated since this came into being. You even hated the thought of the annulment plans, and now, you two only had the choices of divorcing or staying married.

“I don’t want a divorce…”

“We’re not gonna. Not now,” Zoro hugs you a little tighter, one arm around your shoulders and the other around your waist as he gives you a kiss on the top of your head, “I won’t let anyone take you away from the crew, even if we stay married forever.”

“Thank you…thank you so, so much, Zoro…”

“Of course. I’d never let anyone force you into anything, wife.”

+!+

You think Fishman Island was one of the fastest “get to city enter battle” events you’ve experienced do far, maybe second only to Sabaody. Your crew was separated almost immediately, you ended up with Nami and she took you to the shops right away, demanding discounts and trying to put cute clothes on you, things she swears Zoro would probably like to see you in with a grin while you shy away and push her off a bit. Admitting to her and Robin that you’re in love with Zoro might have been a mistake, but at least you have people to talk to about the situation.

Of course, though, nothing is easy as a member of the Straw Hats and you all quickly are defending the Ryugyu Kingdom from Hordy Jones, fighting off masses of Fishmen to protect yourselves and the innocent citizens of the kingdom.

While you don’t take out anywhere near as many enemies as Zoro or Sanji, you still fight enough to help keep them at bay, getting some compliments post-battle from your crewmates and some of the citizens. It makes you feel both shy and proud at the same time, your two years of training weren’t a waste after all, even Zoro can see the changes in your fighting style and how well your attacks land now. You don’t look as nervous as you used to either, despite the confidant air you’d put on back then. The little bout you two had when you asked to stay with him, he saw you shaking so badly because you were scared but also still recovering from being sick, you tried your best and Zoro could see that, it’s part of why he had no problem with you following him, especially once you let him start teaching you more about swordsmanship.

You’ve definitely improved from the shaky, scared girl he met four years ago.

You feel like Zoro hasn’t changed at all, despite the scar over his left eye and definitely becoming bulkier, he was still the same to you. Still makes your heart flutter when you watch him fight, he still checks on you after fights, it makes you happy to see he’s still the same. He’s still Zoro, of course he wouldn’t change.

“Hey, come with me for a minute.”

During the celebration that’s being thrown for you all as thanks for saving Fishman Island, Zoro takes your hand leads you off again, just the two of you. It makes you comment that if he keeps taking you away from everyone, someone is going to get the wrong idea, but Zoro just shrugs it off. He doesn’t really care what others think still, you’ve always known that.

Once you’re far enough away from everyone, he guides you to sit beside him before surprising you with what he says next.

“We should talk about our situation.”

The fact Zoro actually wants to discuss what’s going to happen next is the surprise, but you still nod, agreeing with him.

“Change your mind on us divorcing?”

“No, I haven’t,” Zoro brushes a bit of hair behind your ear, placing his hand on your cheek which makes you smile at him, “We’re not divorcing unless you want to, but…I think we should try, you know, dating, or whatever you want to call it…”

You blink a few times, completely confused and shocked before tilting your head.

“…huh? You…what?”

“What, you suddenly going deaf or something?” Zoro pinches your cheek a little which makes you wince and pout, before giving him a glare that makes him smirk at you, “We should try a relationship, forget your parents and our original deal. I…I want to try being your boyfriend.”

You really didn’t expect this, you first thought,  like you asked, that Zoro had changed his mind and decided he was done with your fake marriage, but instead, he actually wants to give the two of you a try. Wants to see if this might be something that really could last, not a temporary solution to your personal problems.

While you think it through for a moment, you barely register that Zoro is starting to look nervous, something you’ve never really seen before. Once you make up your mind, before he can say anything more, you lean up and kiss him, pulling away with a smile that Zoro returns.

“I’d love to give us a real try, Zoro.”

Everything is going to be okay, you’re sure of it.

+!+

Sanji and Nami can see a difference in your and Zoro’s relationship quickly after you leave Fishman Island. As you approach Punk Hazard, Zoro doesn’t really let you go, keeping you near to him even as you all draw straws and you end up being one of the group to stay on Sunny and keep watch. Neither of them say anything when he pulls you aside once again, but the smile you have while you talk to Zoro tells them both everything is fine, especially when you nod once more and hug him, which he returns to their surprise.

The two look at each with questioning glances, trying to see if you’ve said anything to the other, but both shrug. Truthfully there’s not been time to talk to either of them, and when the group Zoro’s a part of leaves, the two drag you to the kitchen and start asking questions, which causes you to laugh, but Nami doesn’t really think it’s funny.

“Come oooonnnn,” Nami leans against your arm, giving you a pout, “You guys are acting weird, you can’t tell us something isn’t going on.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Nami.”

The blush on your face starts to give you away, and Sanji figures it out, giving you a slight grin.

“Did he finally tell you he likes you back?”

“Mm…something like that.”

“Are you guys dating then?”

“Maybe~” You’re not very good at being coy, to the point Nami gasps and shouts that she knew it before hugging you tightly while you laugh and Sanji sighs, still smiling.

“About damn time. That stupid mosshead, taming two years to tell you anything.”

“Well, all he said was that he wants to try a relationship, so that’s what we’re doing.”

“So he’s your boyfriend!” The little squeal and giggle from Nami makes you join in. “Finally, I told you he liked you back!!”

“Yeah, yeah, you were right!”

Sanji is quiet while he watches the two of you for a few moments. He really does hope that you and Zoro are going to be okay one day, that he’ll stay your husband and neither of you has to deal with the divorce papers or anything like that. He doesn’t want to watch another couple in his life break down, even as you two are just starting out.

Well, minus your two and a half years of actually being married, even though it hasn’t been a real marriage yet. It still isn’t, as you explain after a bit, but your friends seem to get it. You still want things kept under wraps, until Nami brings something up.

“Yeah…umm…about that…”

You give her a confused look as Sanji sighs again.

“Luffy kind of told everyone that didn’t know. It was the day Franky was making comments about you and mosshead being in his bed.”

Groaning, you lean back in your seat before nodding.

“All right then…let’s keep me and Zoro dating between the four of us then?”

“A good idea.”

“At least we can keep a secret.”

[shigayokagayama]

Could you do Teru for the ask game?

oh boy. ok.

Sexuality Headcanon:

gay. specifically. ok. maybe my most strange and specific take. but i feel like teru being into girls would kind of make his character arc... weaker? bizarre sentence i know but. hear me out. of the shots we get of him before mob enters the picture, 2/3 of them involve him flirting with girls. post mob we never ever see him with a girl again aside from one omake where there are a crowd of them trying to ask him out on valentines day who he is turning down. i feel like we are supposed to see these relationships as being a part of his fake, "perfect" persona he sheds rather than anything that came out of general interest. he's dating them because he's the handsome popular guy and that's what he's supposed to do, not because he's actually interested at all.

Gender Headcanon:

i like bigender teru a lot

A ship I have with said character:

terumob GIANT ASTERIX in the very specific context of being post confession arc. i see heart eye panel as the exact moment his false, idolized image of mob fades away and he sees him for what he truly is and still chooses to love him flaws and all. i really do think they are able to understand each other on a much deeper level than most people because they have both seen each other at their lowest and still chosen to continue wanting to be in each others lives. they both coped with their powers by creating these perfect masks to show the world (teru's as the prodigy and mob as the nice guy who will do anything for you and never ask anything in return) and were the first to be able to identify each other's facade because they recognized themselves in them and 💥. they mean a lot to me. also i do think the "they dont hang out much post canon" thing is a slight misconception, teru says they dont plan hangouts much and usually just run into each other and hang out from there. that with teru's "you should ask me to hang out more" gives such "im so used to other people making the first move that i havent developed the skills to let people know that i want them in my life" energy it makes me a little insane. anyway.

A BROTP I have with said character:

i need him ritsu and shou to run in circles hitting each other with rocks. i think any two of them on their own hang out normally and if you have the three of them + mob its normal but just the three of them and they start inventing games like "powerline volleyball"

A NOTP I have with said character:

pre confession arc terumob. like mob would never because tsubomi but if they did date it would last one month and they would never speak again itd be so bad (spoken from experience by a person with similar attachment issues who has dated people ive been hyperfixated on before)

A random headcanon:

HES SUCH A FILM BRO I KNOW HES A FILM BRO. this kid's letterboxxed is comprised solely of 1960s horror films made on a budget of 2 dollars and if you watch any of them with him he will provide trivia the entire film. also he has npd source fucking look at him

General Opinion over said character:

hes my favoriteeeeeeee the first time he showed up with the wig i went "alright this is gonna be my favorite character" and i spent the first half of season 2 mournfully going "i miss haystack boy :(" every episode he wasnt in. and then i read the manga and i got crazy insane over him. i really do feel like the anime dumbs him down a lot manga teru is a completely different person and hes so interesting i need to like. tear holes in my drywall. god. teru.

[monstersdownthepath]

Monster Spotlight: Cetus

CR 13

Chaotic Neutral Colossal Dragon

Bestiary 5, pg. 54

Among the cruelest creatures a DM could send after their players, the Cetus (I prefer to think it’s a singular, legendary creature rather than a species) makes for an excellent quest objective or even BBEG for a seaside campaign, its impossible power making it essentially unassailable by sea and capable of harassing an entire city on its own, and its only weakness difficult for some parties to take advantage of (or even know about, if treated as a singular legendary creature). Players may have to go on an entire separate quest to gain a weapon capable of harming the Cetus, and all the while the dim-witted but demanding dragon is free to take tithes from terrified townsfolk in the form of food, gold, or even sacrifices if it’s feeling particularly peckish or lazy.

But so long as the people within its territory keep up their side of the lopsided bargain, they see some benefit, however indirect. With Control Weather available to it 1/day, the divine serpent may gift its chosen beneficial and beautiful weather, free of storms or chaos. Cities protected/tyrannized by the Cetus is also all but invincible from the ocean, because the serpent has Quickened Control Water at will, letting it create an endless number of ship-swallowing whirlpools and destructive water spouts of truly tremendous size. If that weren’t enough, then an at-will Control Winds allows the beast to create cyclones 600ft wide to obliterate entire fleets at once and render it all but immune to ranged attacks, even those launched from cannons. With a caster level of 15, that gives the serpent just enough juice to raise the winds from Strong to Tornado-Force (or lower them by the same amount in case it wishes to protect its home from a storm), the 200 MPH winds reducing all but the largest of ships to toothpicks impaling screaming sailors. Or, should the beast be offended, wiping entire sections of its chosen city off the map. 

The “protection” offered by the Cetus is ephemeral at best, granted only to those who show it utter supplication, and its rage is downright apocalyptic. Thankfully, the creature’s gravely low Intelligence (7) and lack of any ranks in Sense Motive make it incredibly easy to trick and mislead, one of the few means a clever party (or desperate NPC) will have of defying the beasts and giving them time enough to find a way to beat it. This creates a tense time limit to gather the materials needed to combat it, because a straight-up brute force fight with the Cetus is nearly impossible.

The oceanic tyrant is practically built to thwart just about everything players can do. Its total control of wind and water makes assaults with war machines and heavy ships useless. It has Deflect Arrows for whatever reason, just in case something manages to sneak through its walls of wind. Its 30ft space and 30ft reach combine with its 120ft swim speed to give it a tremendous threat radius, nearly unmatched in the underwater combat the party will have to grapple with if they want to fight it toe to toe. And if you try to come at it from above? It has a unique ability called Impossible Leap, allowing it to use a full-round action to stretch its body to 1200ft and make a bite attack against any creature within that radius before returning to its former space. Yes, this creature can go from sea level to kissing the top of the Empire State Building in six seconds!

I hope whatever means you were using to stay aloft weren’t magical, either, because the Cetus is hard-coded to disrespect every method of flight and freedom. Its Dispelling Bite automatically targets any effect which would allow a creature to avoid being grappled or which would allow them to fly or hover. While this, thankfully, doesn’t strip creatures of their ability to swim, breathe underwater, or walk on water, that’s of little comfort to the unfortunate creature that just plummeted 100+ feet straight into the ocean.

But I’ve spoken of its ability to bite and what happens if it bites you without describing the bite itself! What does that look like? 6d6+27 plus Grab. That’s only when it’s swatting flies with Impossible Leap and striking fleeing foes with its Combat Reflexes, though; on its turn, its bite damage is actually 24d6+27 because it has Greater Vital Strike and literally no reason not to use it, so its average damage per round is hovering around 105, which is eyebrow-raising on its own even if it DIDN’T have extra bells and whistles. At the level a party can combat the tyrant serpent, that’s typically enough to knock a d8 Hit Dice haver from full to 0 unless they have some level of protection. Though it has 24 Spell Resistance, it has no status immunities aside from paralysis and sleep, so slapping it with as many debuffs as one can to drag down its otherwise monstrous +28 to attack rolls is one perfectly viable way to cut down its extreme DPS. With only one attack each round, if it misses that intimidating pile of d6s goes to waste.

if it hits, though? Whoof. Not only are victims potentially grappled, but the Cetus can Constrict such poor souls for 6d6+27 damage each round, and if that wasn’t enough? It can Rake grappled victims as a free action with its little arms for a not-so-little 4d6+18 damage. This is, of course, if it doesn’t simply Fast Swallow them into its gullet for 8d6+24 damage. Greater Vital Strike into a Grab to trigger Constrict, then Rake to follow up... Well that’s uh... That’s a very demoralizing number.

38d6+90 damage, or 230 on average, well over enough for a Cetus to kill even d12 Hit Dice owners.

It would be fine if the Cetus were a glass cannon, but it’s not. It has insurmountable DR 5, 28 AC, high saves for its level, and everyone within its 30ft reach is subject to Mariner’s Misfortune, a terrifying and terrifically powerful aura that forces every non-aquatic creature inside it to make a DC 26 Will save every round... which they must roll twice and take the lower result on. If they succeed, they cannot be afflicted by the aura for a full day, but if they fail? Oh god, if they fail? That’s disadvantage on ALL d20 rolls. Attacks, saves, skill checks, all of them. And this effect lasts for a full minute! And rounding off its defenses? Regeneration 10 that cannot be suppressed by any form of damage, making it unkillable even if the party managed to fight through its aura.

Thankfully, its Regeneration has a very specific weakness. Remember what I said about having to go on another quest to defeat this creature? I meant it. Much like its mythical namesake, the easiest way to beat the Cetus isn’t to fight it, but to kill it instantly. It has no resistance to instant-death effects or Polymorph effects, but more importantly it’s Vulnerable to Petrification. It takes a -4 penalty to any save to avoid being petrified, and even if it succeeds its saving throw it takes 1d4 Dexterity damage. What’s more, whether it passes or fails its save, it Regeneration shuts off for a full minute, allowing a party with the means to fight it on even terms and survive its damage 

Though its CR is low in comparison to heavy shakers like the demigods, the Kaiju, the Spawn of Rovagug, and others, it nonetheless shares the same role as an almost epic, ‘setpiece’ style monster one must go on special quest to find a means of defeating. Discovering the weakness is extremely hard on its own (especially, again, if you play the Cetus as a unique creature), likely requiring some form of divination or bargaining with a knowledgeable force, but then there’s finding the right weapon! Preferably one which can bypass its SR to assure there’s no room for failure. The head (or cooperation) of a Medusa, a tamed Gorgon, the gaze of a Basilisk, scrolls or other means to cast Flesh to Stone if desperate... or perhaps supplications to the extremely powerful Euryale are all means a DM could have players face off against the Cetus, possibly after the party found out the hard way just how hard it is to harm the thing in the first place, let alone kill it.

It is, however, endlessly amusing to me that this great and powerful serpent, blessed and protected by the ocean itself, can either be a nightmarish, down-to-the-wire DPS race against a foe that counters every reliable player tactic... or have the epic fight end in a single round, if the party caster guesses correctly with Flesh to Stone.

You can read more about it here.

[dancingacrossthemilkyway]

i have no idea what kind of drabble prompts you prefer tbh but here: jmart but in space. like sci-fi, maybe star trek-y

“Ow!” Jon flinches as a thick gel is applied to his reddened arm, freshly scraped free of the spores that had attempted to embed themselves in his skin. The gel itself feels relatively good against his skin, a soothing cool against uncomfortable heat, but the gloved hand rubbing it on is anything but gentle. “Are you trying to cause me more pain, Dr. Blackwood?”

The doctor in question grunts from behind the full-body suit he’s wearing as he treats Jon, but Jon doesn’t need to see his face to picture the severe expression residing there. Pinched brows, wrinkled nose, pursed lips: the trademark disapproving scowl Martin likes to fix Jon with whenever he comes back from an explorative mission that has gone somewhat sideways. 

It’s probably far more displeased than normal, considering the personal protectice equipment he’s donned and the fact that every member of the on-world team has been quarantined in their own separate rooms until Martin’s convinced they’re safe to be around.

“Will it keep you from doing something like this again?” Yeah, Martin’s definitely grumpy. His voice is pitched slightly higher than usual and filled with a mixture of sassy irritation that he only gets when particularly peeved with whatever stupid decision Jon’s made. “Christ, I thought having Sasha as your second-in-command would make you less likely to get into trouble, but she’s as bloody impulsive as you!” 

Sasha was promoted recently from Communications Officer when Manuela had finally had enough of Jon’s brand of spontaneous decision making and requested a transfer to a different ship. It wasn’t necessarily much of a surprise that they didn’t get on, even without Jon being the way he is; disciples of the Dark rarely worked well in close quarters with those of the Eye. It was one of the risks of having a crew contain an officer from each of the Fears: there were always going to be inherent disagreements that weren’t easily resolved due to a difference in beliefs. 

Jon hasn’t had much contact with Manuela’s replacement, Basira Hussein, but this mission proved that she can definitely hold her own. It shouldn’t be a surprise, given her high recommendation from Daisy.

Slowly they’re settling into a team Jon thinks he likes. Even if he doesn’t get along with all of them on a personal level, they’re good members of the crew and they work well with each other. That’s what matters - that’s what he remembers being emphasized at the academy. 

“Yes, well,” Jon replies, giving Martin a blank look as he speaks in his typical deadpan. “If I were less impulsive, we wouldn’t have as many successful missions under our belt already.”

Martin scoffs. “I’d take less successful missions if it meant you stayed safe. Or do you think I enjoy having to dig worms from your skin, or, or, make sure you don’t end up sprouting fungus, or stitching you up when you decide to piss off something with knife hands-”

Jon waves a hand between them, relieved when Martin finally stops aggressively rubbing the gel across his arm and steps back to survey him. “Yes, yes. That’s why I was chosen to be Captain, not you.”

Another scoff. “No, I chose to go to medical school, not the academy. Honestly, I don’t know why Space Marshall Bouchard chose you over all of the other far more qualified options-”

“Love you too, Martin,” Jon interjects with a soft laugh, having heard this spiel a million times before. And perhaps, if not for knowing it comes from a place of affection and concern, he’d take offense to it. But Martin worries; that’s part of who he is. He worries, and even if Jon were the most qualified individual for the job, he’d worry. 

“-I swear the man is just out to give me a heart attack when you go charging off into the dens of literal space lions. What did I ever do to deserve this?” Throwing his arms up in the air in an exaggerated gesture - which loses most of its effectiveness given the way the suit squeaks against itself as he moves - Martin moves to put away the supplies he used. “Christ. You know, it’s a good thing I love you, or I’d be done.”

“Done… with me, or on the ship?” Jon prompts, despite the fact that they’ve had this discussion before. Sometimes it’s fun to egg Martin on a little - god knows the favor is returned. 

“Both!” Martin groans, dropping the disposable tools into the hole that leads to the medical waste fires. “You’d better not grow anything and miss our date tonight.”

“I’ll do my best to not grow anything on this arm.”

“Anywhere, Jon! You’d better not grow anything anywhere!”

[tygergm]

One Shot Recs

I've either run or played these all as one shots, and are ones I recommended to a friend recently. I also have links at the bottom to a bunch of free quickstarts for more games to look at that might be good for one shots too.

Blue Rose - AGE system from Green Ronin. Romantic fantasy where royalty is chosen by a magical stag and the rich are appropriately taxed. Cool Stunts mechanic to do extra abilities during a turn, easy system to get used to but has that crunchy feel too. Sentient animal race that forms bonds with people is an instant love every time. Free quickstart.

Heart: the City Beneath - Resistance system by Rowan Rook & Decard. A dungeon crawler where the dungeon is an NPC. Take stress until you can't, go out in a blaze of glory with one time Zenith abilities, such as summon a train to wipe out everything in its path - including you. Heart's the love of my life and the first RPG to make me cry(in a good way). It's earnest and grotesque and something about going in knowing you will End, and choosing it, does something to me. Also you can be full of bees(on purpose). Quickstart is PWYW($3ish suggested) but you should give them 1 million dollars actually.

Bones Deep - Troika! system based by @technicalgrimoire. The other love of my life. Be a skeleton on the ocean floor! What happened to your skin? Not important! Do jobs for witches, get credits from the crabs, join the cephalopods in their nefarious plans. The classes are fun(shapeshift your bones, or carve spells into them), and the mix of horror and humor is immaculately weird. Many random tables and a couple scenarios to make it easy to start swimming walking. Also not free($15 for digital), but worth every cent and then some(and the website is awesome resource!).

Index Card RPG - d20 system from Runehammer Games. It's 'simple enough to fit on index card'. There's actually lots of stuff, but it's easy to get a game rolling fast! Be a gerblin, get a bunch of loot. If you're a chronic low roller like me, a nice mechanic is when you fail you get to put points in a pool to use for later rolls. Probably the easiest one on this list to jump to from DnD. Free quickstart.

Wildsea - Wild Words system from Mythworks(took me awhile to find the name for it lol which isn't important just play it xD). You can be a mushroom person piloting a giant whale bone ship with a chainsaw on the front above a sea of trees. The world is so cool and unique. Health is measured in stuff to lose/break and there's a sliding success mechanic(you succeed, you succeed BUT- etc.). Free quickstart.

Tales from the Loop - Year Zero engine by Free League. Be kids in an alternate 80s-90s Scandinavia(or US) setting trying to navigate growing up alongside strange tech and apathetic adults. I really like how they tweaked the system to make it fun being kids for this, with iconic items and luck points, and it's very collab focused. I used this scenario as a one shot. There's a starter's set for $4.99.

Old Gods of Appalachia - Cypher system by Monte Cook. Face horrors man-made and monstrous in the haints and hollers of an alternate 1930ish Appalachia. Based on the podcast(don't know anything about the podcast? Even better imo). Cyphers are neat one-time use items you find during game to make you stronger/invisible/etc. Free quickstart.

Under Hill, By Water - OSR hack by Rise Up Comus. Hobbits! Okay, "halflings" for copyright but...it's hobbits. While some are off saving the world, your greatest worry is finding the lost pig before your wife realizes it's missing. It's not a boring life, just a quiet one. Random table generators for Events to happen each season make this easy to pick up, or come up with your own! $10. We loved this one so much we turned it into a mini campaign.

Mörk Borg - OSR-ish by Free League. Last but not least in the amount of shelf space in my room! The basic rules fit on one piece of paper, but the books are packed with amazing art and delicious disgustingness. It's easy, quick and deadly, with so many random tables for generating baddies, loot, etc., and usually each version of it has a doomsday countdown calendar with horrid new things to add, and then a final horrible event to end the game. It IS very dark and gloom, and I don't normally play it as rough as the OG, which works out fine! You can get a free version of the core book on the website linked, and tons of other free goodies there. My current fav hacks are Pirate Borg and Ork Borg.

List of free Quickstarts I found(and some I'll be playing soon!):

Coriolis

Dune

Fabula Ultima

City of Mist

Rapscallion

Fifth Season

Symbaroum

Dragonbane

SCP

Root

Fantasy AGE

Modern AGE

Myth-Stakes

Dead Air: Seasons

Broken Tales

Legacy: Life Among the Ruins

Heckin' Good Doggos

Star Trek Adventures

Flabbergasted!

Familiars of Terra

Daggerheart

Coyote & Crow

7th Sea

Candela Obscura

Fallout RPG

Happy Gaming!

[antihibikase-archive]

a nate for a nate,,, tell me abt all of his team :D

and also maybe some blightblur rosa stuff too if youd like!!!!!!!!!! aspertia time ^_^

A NATE FOR A NATE ... SO TRUE 🤝

I love talking about his team the most since I think! It's the one I put the most effort into, and it's one of the teams I've established first! :D

It gets a little long, so I'll put it under read more!

Though his final character sheet says he has Zekrom in his team, that's because that's his Hall of Fame team at the end of BW2! For most of his journey though, Mingming the Skitty/Delcatty had his place!

Hero the Emboar - Naughty nature with a hidden ability, initially chosen because Nate really looked up to Hilbert. He's more mischievous than Hilbert's Emboar when he was a Tepig, and tends to pull little pranks up until he evolves and matures! Though Nate definitely leans more on using electric type Pokemon as the Hero of Ideals, Hero is still very much an important part of his team. Additionally, I typed this out awhile back in an old fic, but he has a little quirk while battling!

Embarrassingly, it takes a few turns before both Hilbert and Cheren notice there was something peculiar about Nate's Emboar, Hero. Cheren was the first to notice. When he battled Hero as a wee Tepig, the little fire type had a habit of stomping its right leg twice before charging for a physical attack. When it does a special move, it lets out steam from its nose before it does the stomping motion. He thought it was a cute quirk back then, and he noticed it carried out into its final evolution as an Emboar, when they faced one another at the PWT before they infiltrated Team Plasma's ship. Hero wasn't doing such quirks. Rather, Hero was doing odd gestures with his fists, as if he was trying to sharpen the claws he didn’t have. Hero didn’t charge with all his might. He calculated each of his moves. His suspicions were confirmed when Nate accidentally orders Hero to use Foul Play against Cinccino, in an attempt to turn her own physical strength against her. It misses, and Cheren immediately decides on his next move. An Emboar does not learn Foul Play. But something else does. “Cincci,” She readied herself when she heard his voice. Not for a Tail Slap, no, because even she’s figured it out. Nate was a good trainer, no doubt, but he still made slips every now and then. “U-Turn, full force!” Usually, he uses U-Turn to deal a little bit of damage and get her out of harm’s way. He was just lucky that her opponent for today happened to be weak to bug type moves. “Pave the way for Cincci, Brav!” Hilbert’s Braviary opens a path for her, getting Hugh’s Flygon out of the way with a Whirlwind, forcing Hugh to recall Flygon in exchange for his Samurott. Cinccino lunges at Hero, landing a super effective hit as she too was forced to be recalled into her ball in exchange for Cheren’s Stoutland. In a puff of smoke, the image of Emboar disappears, and the audience gasps and cheers at the sight of Nate’s Zoroark, stumbling a few steps back and collapsing. “Crap!” Nate curses, and Cheren laughs at the sound of Ingo’s yelling, all the way from the waiting room, chiding him for his language. “Sorry ‘bout that, Rogue! Right, here’s the real deal! Hero, come on out!”

Luminary the Leavanny - originally caught by Cheren in Pinwheel Forest during his own journey, he gives her to Nate when he notices Nate has difficulties properly catching his own Pokemon, as well as a way to hit two birds with one stone; to teach him about friendship and type advantages. Chipper as a Sewaddle, reserved as a Swadloon, and motherly as a Leavanny, she is the most down to earth in Nate's team, and is very quick on her feet, though she acts as support!

Mingming the Delcatty - a kitten from the Blake household, she was just a housecat that followed him all the way to Castelia City while the trio and Cheren were trailing after Team Plasma. She's a little dumb and bad at battling at first, but she' good at finding stuff! Later retired from the team pre-Giant Chasm events, as Nate wanted her to remain safe at home with her own mom and his mom. She did enjoy her journey though!

Rogue the Zoroark - N's Zorua, given to Nate by Rood upon visiting the Driftveil Safehouse. Nate and Hugh don't trust Team Plasma, and Zorua initially doesn't trust Nate either, viewing him too immature to match up to Hilbert's heroism.. but finding his ideals to shine more than N's. Nate earns his respect at some point, just as Nate learns that some members of Team Plasma are in need of saving too. Even when Nate leaves Rogue the choice to follow N post-BW2, Rogue chooses to stay with Nate and fight by his side from here on out.

Big Guy the Eelektross - a funny little name for a tiny little Tynamo; fun fact, the reason he's named like this is not only to allude to the "big guy" roles in RPGs, but also to mirror Subway Boss Emmet's Eelektross, who is named Tiny! Big Guy, alongside Bishop, becomes the aces in Nate's team when he starts utilizing rain more, mainly because he finds it fun to spam Thunder. Big Guy was a clumsy Tynamo at first, and didn't win too many battles as an Eelektrik, but upon evolving and finding his footing in battling alongside Bishop, he's improved considerably! Nate's mom treats him like a dog though,,

Bishop the Jellicent - The Hero of Ideals, Felix, had a Jellicent of his own. It had a single egg, given to The Warrior of Ideals, Grey, who took care of it and released it to the sea to guard The Heart's temple. Many years later, Nate befriends and catches this Jellicent, who thinks he looks like the splitting image of Felix! No one knows what Bishop is thinking, but perhaps, he's overjoyed at the thought of traveling again and being surrounded by such lively individuals. Nate rides him like a cloud as soon as he catches him, and he becomes his main source of transportation; who needs fly when you have a ghost jellyfish! Also, this Jellicent knows Energy Ball for reasons.

[suugrbunz]

Hi!! I’d like to request a mota ship, please :)

I’m an anthropology and linguistics double major, minoring in history and French (it’s a lot, I know). Hoping to go to grad school and eventually get my PhD. I just love to learn! My family even jokingly calls me the Human Dictionary because I like to know about so much. Some might find it annoying or snobby, but my intelligence is truly one of my favorite things about myself! Reading is one of my favorite pastimes. Sci-fi is one of my favorite genres of any media: movies, tv shows, books, comics. I’m just a big nerd. I listen to just about all kinds of music, except country. It’s just not for me lol.

I’m an extroverted introvert of sorts. Being with my friends and family is fun, but I love having time to myself, you know? I’m a very touchy person by nature, physical touch is my most important love language (giving AND receiving). I’m VERY opinionated and can be very blunt at times, which can come off a bit awkward, but most people are cool with that (I think?). I’m also very ADHD. My brain function is the equivalent of a laptop with twenty internet tabs open, five podcasts, a movie, and three songs playing all at the same time. But it’s nice when I can get my brain to slow down every once in a while, usually by reading or listening to music. Naps are also a wonderful method as well.

I don’t drink coffee, but I love tea. Just recently got into baking as a hobby. You’d be hard pressed to find me in a dress. I take my hair and skin care so seriously, it’s a whole regiment for me. I love to sing and dance (but that doesn’t mean that I can😭😂). Most of my teenage years and early twenties were spent not really liking myself, and that’s hopefully improved!

I know that was an endless rambling, thank you so much hahaha 💕

no because tell me why im majoring in anthropology and also want a phd + im in middle of trying to relearn french + Im into baking and cooking, like i love cooking for people mmm yes let me feed you!! anyway, I ship you with...

જ⁀➴ Harry Crosby

Honestly.... harry is probably into nerdy people (because he probably a nerd as well)

like he is probably the type that finds intelligence to be attractive

he's probably so happy to tell people his s/o is getting their phd like mmm yes theyre my smart cookie

anyway

no not anyway because what if he just asks you for a daily word like... that'd be so cute

you two probably met at a bookstore, can't even convince me otherwise.

he asked you about the book you had chosen, asking if you'd recommend it which he then realises is dumb because obviously you've not read the book if you're buying it??? and so he picks up a copy

Whilst you're in cue for the cash register, he manages to end up behind you, wow what a coincidence

more small talk

its awkward

He's awkward

BUT HE SOMEHOW GETS YOUR NUMBER?!

miracle frfr

first date is probably something lowkey

like lets just go eat at this family-owned restaurant he's been going to since he was a teen or something like that

people know him by name because obviously with my previous statement hes been here many times before!!

wanna share a milkshake? That might be fun, have fun kiddos

harry definitely falls in love first btw

first kiss? uh, happens on accident.

he thought of kissing you

didn't actually want to

You were dancing to some jazz whilst at home

he merely thought of it for like half a second

Next thing he knows, he actually is smooching you

apologising, profusely

so red in the face

mans made himself embarrassed to no end at this point

song song song !!!

My funny valentine by chet baker

you two were dancing to it and that's when he kissed you so it became important to him even though it makes him red in the face

[powdermelonkeg]

@argentleif Starting a new post from this one!

So by gryphs wanting the leftovers, does that mean they have cannibalistic tendencies? Or rather they want the leftovers of non gryph meals?

They're opportune cannibals. They won't hunt each other unless they're infringing on territory, but they will eat any dead gryph they come across.

Wow that is a terrifying werewolf. How long do they tend to live with their new way of life? Like what's the survival rate of the first transformation, as in how many two foots are waiting for the transformation to revert so they can take out the now very naked and very person sized werewolf? Do they flee society? Or try and act like it didn't happen? Mixture of both? In two foot form do they congregate? Do they fight eachother while transformed because food is food? Do they all transform at the same time i.e 'the 15th of every month is werewolf night' or 'every full moon' or is based on when they got bit and thus a two foot werewolf and a transformed werewolf can co-exist (until the two foot is probably eaten)?

It varies as to how well they survive--are the two-foots good enough at hiding from a starving predator to not get eaten? Do they have any experience hunting werewolves? The belluan still regenerates while in two-foot form, so it's difficult to kill them.

Fleeing society is the best bet one has at surviving, unless they know they have a steady supply of fresh blood. A particularly savvy belluan can drink from a victim, eat the evidence when next they change, and act perfectly normal otherwise.

Most belluans operate solo; those that stick together are more often familial ties--ie, one of them turned the others and has cobbled together something of a cover for them all. I have a pack that operates almost like a mafia, where the "disappearances" for getting on the wrong side of the wolf in charge wind up as food. Outside of that, a blood-fed belluan isn't hungry, so it won't care about another one. A starving belluan (as most are) will still try to kill and eat another on sight.

Transformation is more of a biological function than a supernatural event, so it doesn't care what time of the month it is. Each strain has its own rough cycle--for example, one with an average cycle of 53 days could turn as low as 50 days post-bite, or as high as 56.

Ooh I see, how are knightwardens chosen? How benevolent are they? And what do the public and political leaders think of them?

There's a sort of exam taken every few years among young children. 2% of the population are spark-eyed, meaning they're capable of using magic. They get taken and shipped off to the Elemental Colleges to learn how to use that magic.

If you're not spark-eyed, but you score high enough in cognitive and coordination tests, you're sent to the Knightwarden Academy. Generally speaking, the public loves them and the leaders are glad for their services; knightwardens are meant to be cordial, kind, and the heroes that stop the horrors from happening to you.

Oooh that's cool. So by not intermixing is that full stop as in the only way they're interacting is via battle, uneasy truces, and interacting like the other has the plague?

Or is it specifically that they can't have offspring or live in the same house, but could hypothetically live in the same town and work together in a field?

Specifically, they cannot have offspring. They're different species that experienced convergent evolution (it runs a little deeper than that but that gets into historical lore on where everyone came from), so they're genetically incompatible. Nobody cares if you go and marry one, or adopt a handful of different two-foots, but a human can only have a child with another human.

Oh wow. So doppels could be kind little old ladies who give out cookies but will punch your lights out if you try to do the same, as well as horrifying beasts of destruction all based on how they're treated? Damn. What happens if two blank doppels see eachother? How are doppels made?

Doppels that stay in one place for awhile drip silvery liquid onto the ground. Give that puddle enough time undisturbed, and a new doppel will eventually form out of it.

Blank doppels don't generally last long. There's always something around to try to mimic--if not a person, a wild animal. If you were to theoretically leave one in a vacuum for ages, then somehow introduce it to another one without any sort of interference that could be copied, they'd probably endlessly copy each other's ripples and look like watery mannequins until interrupted. They just stare until they find something to copy.

Oh gods, those poor dragons, and potentially dragon riders depending on how they are chosen (i.e. if they choose to be, they're horrid, if they're tricked or just yoinked from the street because the makers of dragon riders are already into the unethical, they also get some pity, though less than the dragons). What do knightwardens think of dragonriders? Are they the one's doing it?

So, back to the knightwardens, remember how I said if you pass high cognitive and coordination tests, you get chosen? If you aren't spark-eyed, you don't pass those tests, but you ARE red-threaded (part of the magic system) AND you pass a very narrow physical margin, you're sent to the Dragonblood Citadel. No choice in the matter.

Knightwardens generally think of dragonbloods either with pity or with disgust--depends on the warden. They aren't scared of them, so it's a tossup between "you're a monster, and I'll kill you the second I'm ordered to" and "you were chosen for your job, just like me. You got the short end of the stick."

Is ocheon the country? Or an entity? Or the name of the people of said planet?

Continent! The planet is Ater, the continent is Ocheon, and the country on the continent I've developed the most is Abrylia. I gave a full rundown here!

How are the now mutant dragonblood riders treated by society? Are they heroes with dark secrets the public doesn't know? Or a viewed necessary evil?

People are generally afraid of them. Dragonbloods are tall, built like brick walls, with claws, patches of scales, draconic eyes, fangs, and the ability to breathe fire. It doesn't matter how they act, society is going to see them as a monster, something to live with to keep the dragons in check, and, if the aggressor is feeling cocky, an easy way to rid the world of another dragon.

The unfortunate thing is, for how imposing dragonbloods are, the mutations were never designed to strengthen them. They've got chronic pains, dehydration, blood that feels like it's on fire, and a general weakness to them; they're seldom ever trained in their own combat, only in how to direct their dragons, so a few two-foots could easily gang up on a dragonblood.

How often are dragon nests raided?

Whenever they're found. It's a public duty to report any wild dragon sightings so they can be monitored and eventually raided; the end goal is to have ALL dragons under the killswitch of a dragonblood eventually.

[dogstarblues]

20 Questions

got tagged by @artemis-devotee. seemed like fun! ty botan!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

i have 11 works and i can tell you four of those are poetry.

2. What’s your total AO3 words count?

17,831

3. What fandoms do you write for?

on ao3? used to write for the ch**tiverse, still write for Victoria Goddard's Nine Worlds. well, okay im on hiatus from participating in fan stuff bc i got too much going on and i have complicated feelings abt fandom. but. on ffnet? naruto, inuyasha, bleach, fairy tail, danny phantom. i think.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

we have time (love this one - much needed natural hair content in that fandom, much needed)

you can't even see how much you're mine (i'm really proud of this one)

before we have time

just for now

gazing at the sun

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

i respond to everyone's comments if i can remember LOL

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

you can't even see how much you're mine. really exorcised my polyamory baggage with that one LMAO

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

mmmmm none of them end poorly but they end heavily, if that makes sense? but also they don't. like most of my fanfiction as an adult in my 30s is discussion of wants and needs in a relationship and hashing out things that need to be talked abt

8. Do you get hate on fics?

i have on ffnet when i was a teen and giving every naruto character in my biopunk fanfic like 4 codenames SDKVDFLVMS

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

yuh. "just for now" is smut (old man yaoi). and there's another i think. i wanted to really confront my sex repulsion and explore my own boundaries around what i write.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

naur i never understood crossovers v well. i love an AU tho

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

probably not. on ffnet it was SO goth edgelord and now it's extremely poetic prose. (and when i say POETIC prose i mean it tend to be concise and abstract, not that its purple) who wants that LOL

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

naur

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

yes! my first fanfiction was with my childhood friend Sunshine and we posted a double-self-insert absolute MANIC fanfic set in the world of Inuyasha posted to ffnet. one of my fondest memories. i dictated, she wrote.

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

i don't have one these days but i shant say what it used to be only that it made me insane from the time i was 14 to the age of 25.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

i had an old man yaoi urban fantasy au wherein a character who used to be the chosen one had been imprisoned and was surviving the trauma of that as a music teacher and i read a ton of prison literature for it and watched documentaries and watched interviews and spent WEEKS researching trauma from incarceration and what it means to be incarcerated (part of this was because my birth father was about to be incarcerated and i was trying to write through my understanding of what he'd be going through) and researching what town councils do. and then a (now former) friend had torn apart the fic paragraph by paragraph during beta and wrote how boring parts were and no one wanted to hear abt me talking abt poetry in the fanfic and it was my FIRST fanfic since i was in my early twenties and i basically deleted the whole thing out of embarrassment and hurt. iykyk who it was. idk if i can ever go back to that. i just don't. i want to but. even strangers in workshops aren't that cruel LOL

16. What are your writing strengths?

i'm a pretty/poetic writer good at relationship shit i think. i'm good at grounding the reader in a sense of place and my writing is very tactile. it's embodied.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

i am a pretty/poetic writer

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

i know some spanish and a little french and even less russian (i'm like learning that one through osmosis) but it's not v applicable. hmmmm i wouldn't try unless i was fluent.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

inuyasha

20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

either the naruto biopunk fanfiction on ffnet (i turned that one into a fanfic from a biopunk short story i had written in high school it's v close to my heart even if edgy) or "you can't even see how much you're mine" bc i put a lot into that or "we have time" because your partner doing your natural hair IS a love language.

if yall wanna hop in i'm tagging @toopunkrockforshul @cadencekismet @markeyverse

[draconiclotus]

This blog was established on May 31st, 2023 at 5:25pm by Iris/Jess.

Hi welcome to my Dan Heng rp blog! I go by Iris/Jess. She/Her Pronouns for ooc. I'm in my 30s. This is an 18/21+ only rp blog.

Under the cut are my rules (again mostly due to my laziness, I don't wanna make a doc or caard and this is the fastest way).

𝖘𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖞𝖙𝖊𝖑𝖑𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍 𝖒𝖞 𝖋𝖆𝖛𝖔𝖗𝖎𝖙𝖊𝖘: @malumae, @luzofstars (Jing Yuan & Caelus), @mamoritxi (Jing Yuan), @draconicfool, @niopham (Caelus), reallyrandomtj (Meilu), dasniichts, be777oved, astrxlfinale, mercyburned (Stelle), stellaronheart (Stelle/Aeyanira), dawnbrst, tenebriism (Baizhu), more to be added

This itself explanatory, but treat people how YOU yourself would want to be treated. I will not tolerate ANY type of hate towards anyone. if I see it (in the form of anon hate, hate in general or callout posts) I will block. This is a hobby. Remember that. • Due to a certain SOMEONE not being able to just let me live in peace in the same RPC, I have posted a callout against them here. Honestly I DID NOT WANT to post it, I originally wrote it for catharsis, for healing, however after the events of 8/12/2024 it’s come to my attention that this person will never let me live in peace. I do not want to be blamed by them for "stalking" or "poaching their mutuals/clients" or any toxic/manipulative behavior they claim I have when I've done nothing of the sort. I'm tired of the manipulation and the guilt trips, the gaslighting, them refusing to take responsibility for their own actions and behavior. This callout is the ONLY one I will post, because it affects me greatly. I do not want to talk to them, I don't want to try and mend fences with them. I've tried over in the past YEAR AND A HALF to make them see how much they hurt me, but they just cover their eyes and ears and refuse to listen. Their apology and past apologies are fake as they don’t actually acknowledge all the harm they’ve done and caused.

This blog's activity is medium-high. But I do have other blogs in other RPCs. No I will not be giving them out. Discord is quicker than Tumblr IMs I've found in the past so if you need me, ask for my discord. But if you don't have discord then I can do Tumblr IMs, just expect some delays because of the lack of notifications.

I like shipping (who honestly doesn't lbr), but please let's have chemistry between the muses first. I can ship hetero, homosexual or polyships. No big deal. NSFW/Smut will only be presentable for those muns who are 18/21 and over. I do not want minors on this blog, I'm sorry. That's just how it is. Obviously, dark themes will occur so I will be tagging any and all triggers for those who do get trigged by stuff like smut or by dark themes. • Another thing: because I multiship, EVERY ship is in its own little bubble, it's own little universe within verses. Unless agreed upon by all muns, there will be no cheating. Polyships MUST be agreed upon by all muns as well. I don't play exclusives or mains. And while I understand that I can't rp with everyone, I don't want to turn away people who want to ship with me and my Dan Heng, regardless if I'm already exploring the ship with someone else. • Please note that I have headcanoned Dan Heng/Yinyue as having both male and female sexual reproductive organs, though he IS male, the female stuff is usually hidden thus won't come into play unless it's with a cis-male partner or a trans woman who still has her male reproductive organs and wants children with Dan Heng. He does lay unfertilized eggs after his heats/ruts. And he is capable of cross-species breeding/having kids. If this is not your cup of tea, please ignore this character development choice of mine. I won't ever force you to do this, I just want my followers to know that this is the route I've chosen to take.

headcanons will not be rebloggable. This is mostly to save me time and effort as I know from past instances that personals will not always listen to the RPer. Also please reblog threads that you are tagged in. To keep things orderly.

No god-modding for major stuff. Small instances of 'she took his hand and led him to xyz' are fine as they move the plot along.

This is a personal preference, but I will be coloring some things blue and bolding them in terms of text. I use the small/sub texting format as well. I also am forced to the new editor/beta editor so if you haven't done so already, please switch for my sake.

credits: the icon border, my header/promo, dividers are all made by me. The icons themselves are either found and made by ME, @swordstance or @dawnbrst.

I do run a GFX blog, both free and commission based: @silvermoongfx if you wish to have something made by me, please let me know. You can either run it by me here or over at my GFX blog.

[shaanks]

Zoro and Sanji for the ask game <3

You are a wonder and a dear, thank you for this <3

1: sexuality headcanon

Zoro: I think Zoro is like. THE posterboy for demisexual. demisexual, demiromantic, the whole thing, I don't think gender makes much of a difference to him in terms of attraction but he's gotta know you and trust you, he's gotta be invested first or he just doesn't think of folks that way.

Sanji: the ultimate bisexual disaster case. He and Ace and Shanks all attend the same "gorgeous pitiful bisexual disaster" support group, as a small aside.

2: otp

other than x me...

Zoro: I think probably ZoLu or ZoSan, tho likely leaning more in the direction of Luffy based solely on ration of Fics I Have Chosen to Read lmao. There is just something about the way they met and it took Zoro exactly 24 business hours to be like "my life and my sword for your cause," the way they just. get each other, half the time without even needing to speak, the softness and solidarity of it all. Just gets me, ya know.

Sanji: SanLu or ZoSan (are you sensing a pattern lmfao). In general maaaybe SanLu bc like. I think Sanji is very much inside himself about his own worth and place in the world, and Luffy is like. Relentless (as he is with everyone he loves and cares for) about reaching down into that pit and pulling Sanji out into the sun over and over again and there's just smth really lovely about that. Monster Trio OT3 is lovely soft times I feel.

3: brotp

Zoro: Chopper oh my god. He's the lil dude's big brother, his dad, his bestie, please listen to me every MOMENT of their interactions breathes new life into my rotten dusty soul. Also Nami, they met and were like "ah. my long lost sibling. what if I killed you" and have such a wonderful dynamic.

Sanji: Chopper also, tho not quite to the degree that Zoro is. Also, altho probably a controversial opinion, I really like his relationship with Robin. I don't wanna spoil anything (in case you or anyone reading is watching/gonna watch) but there's a particular arc in which the only person more relentless than he is about bringing her home is Luffy, like. I think he's a wonderful sweet boy all around but smth about his gentleness with Robin really warms my heart.

4: notp

Zoro: Nami, they are just. SO so sibling coded to me like. Perona for the same reason tbph, they're Mihawk's adopted goth siblings and I can't really extricate that from my brain. Mihawk. For that matter. That's basically his dad. (Not yucking anyone's yum idc what other people ship tbph but I don't like these ones personally)

Sanji: I've just sat here staring into space for like five minutes trying to think of smth. I haven't seen much of anything for him that really yucks me out (unless I'm just blanking which like. happens. I have the brain of a 90 year old), but I guess like. Not notp-levels exactly but I don't really get SanUsopp or SanLaw? The latter might just be a "wait til you get to Wano" situation like so many other things, but yeah.

5: first headcanon that pops into my head

Zoro: saw a post a while back that was someone's headcanon about Zoro lending out his earrings to his crewmates for like. especially dangerous missions, or to give them a lil confidence boost, or as a promise that he would make it back from something scary, and that's stuck in my brain so hard its basically canon for me, so yeah.

Sanji: I think he's basically a nutritionist in everything but paper certification, above and beyond just making sure his crew is fed and goes to bed with full tummies he is SO dialed in to what they like and what their systems are sensitive to and what they need for training/devil fruit powers/etc like. It's not just "here I have made this hearty delicious meal that covers all the food groups" he makes a bunch of different meals catered to everyone's needs, he gets it.

6: favorite line from this character

Zoro: "That's what it means to be Captain, isn't it. Don't lose yourself. If you waver, who can we trust?"

Sanji: "Leave this guy's key to me, I'll do what you cant do; you do what I can't do. Think carefully! Read the situation. If you're here, there's got to be a way Robin-chan can be saved! Usopp!"

7: one way in which I relate to this character

Zoro: TERMINAL sleepyhead disorder. Tired all the time, sleeping in the background of every scene.

Sanji: I'm capable and competent while simultaneously having no sense of self-worth whatsoever. ya know.

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character

Zoro: Where!!! Is he ever going??? He gets lost while MAKING EYE CONTACT WITH THE SHIP. MULTIPLE TIMES. Babygirl beloved I'm BEGGING you rn...

Sanji: I mean. I'm just gonna say Fishman Island and leave it at that. (They brought him back from the timeskip a completely different person and I'm STILL waiting for him to return from the war...)

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?

They're BOTH cinnamon rolls in my heart, but I am aware like. Sanji technically falls into the problematic fave category for like. myriad reasons.

[culttvblog]

The Guardians: Part 2 - Pursuit

The cliffhanger at the end of part 1 of the series was that there was an attempted assassination of the Prime Minister. This episode opens with the cabinet secretary telling the PM an outright lie that the assassin has died from a weak heart while at the headquarters of the Guardians (or the 'G's). This, and the PM's succeeding ethical discussions with an old friend in his club, are juxtaposed with footage of the Gs torturing the assassin, who actually dies from a drug overdose administered by the Guardians. One of the Gs later lies to Mrs Weston about what her husband is doing and why he has disappeared.

The theme of telling or withholding the truth, and a rather philosophical discussion on the part of the PM, rather dominates this episode. It is striking that such debate society material would be played on prime time television.

We are also given the nod that there is something going on within the ranks of the Guardians; it is mentioned that the assassin was a Guardian, and the Guardian called Tom Weston, who with his wife provided much of the human interest in part 1, has gone missing. We see him on the phone to a contact trying to get out of the country, and the contact arranges to contact him again in Disraeli Road.

Of course this road was perceptively chosen, because Benjamin Disraeli (Prime Minister February to December 1868 and 1874 to 1880) is a signifcant figure in British political history. I think the association intended in a show depicting secrecy, duplicity and fascism, is that by contrast Disraeli is remembered as the creator of old-style 'One Nation' Conservatism, which was paternalistic but still based on the best interests of everyone in the nation, and the idea that the privileged should pass on their benefits. This is the sort of Conservatism which was replaced by the current sort which emphasises the benefit of the 'elite' and business classes only: in the show this is indicative that government in the interests of the populace has been replaced by government in the interests of the shadowy 'General' and the suggested shadowy forces behind the puppet Prime Minister. You can tell that this is some serious television when I tell you that it is the only thing which has ever made me have any sympathy for One Nation Conservatism.

On a completely personal level this episode reminds me of how my own mother was what is called a 'shy Tory', one of those ones who mess up the opinion polls before every election because they won't admit to it. She was so obsessed with keeping it secret that even as a very small child when I would have had no understanding of what it meant, she would take me to the polling station which was my school and make me wait outside the booth while she marked the paper. I thought of this when I happily put my cross in the Green Party box earlier this month (I've jumped ship), and think that she would be so disappointed and can't help laughing a bit. Incidentally I know she must have voted Conservative because of the opinions she expressed over various things, and she was definitely an old-style one.

I have no way of knowing whether this was the intention but I'm finding one of the effects of this show is to make you take sides: with the right side, of course, and in fact reflection on what would make people side with the General and Guardians is one of the things mentioned in the Prime Minister's discussion. Among these things are personal and economic motivations as well as political ones, naturally. The show gives both sides of the censorship discussion quite evenly, and it may only be my own political orientation which makes me think you could only possibly side with the resistance in this show.

If you want a criticism of the show it is that I think its quite heavy political and ethical references and attempts to give human interests with Mr and Mrs Weston, may mean that it is attempting to please all of the people all of the time. If you approach this as either Yes, Prime Minister, or as an Open University lecture, you will be disappointed.

As a fictional show which still makes people think about politics and ethical issues, I don't think this could be bettered.

This blog is mirrored at

culttvblog.tumblr.com/archive (from September 2023) and culttvblog.substack.com (from January 2023 and where you can subscribe by email)

Archives from 2013 to September 2023 may be found at culttvblog.blogspot.com and there is an index to the tags used on the Tumblr version at https://www.tumblr.com/culttvblog/729194158177370112/this-blog

[gludgenbell]

I need a new niche interest to obsess over and I’m not able to pick. Can you infodump about your own hyperfixations so I can adopt one of them?

Gosh

At the moment I'm extremely fixated on another au of genshin impact and I'm not too sure you'd be entirely interested in it but here we go (single image included)

So!! The au!! :D

It started with a miscenallious ship of Diluc × Ayaka × Thoma and its devolved into a sort of

Royalty-type reality with multiple ships and a lot of fun

In all the 4 released nations of Teyvat we've noticed the trend of that one person who's favored by the archon/people and I wanted to capitalize by sprinkling something like "royalty"

Especially because Ayaka is somewhat regarded as the princess of Inazuma

Anyways, the jist is this

Every 6 months to a year, the archons send their princess/prince (a high-ranking citizen voted and/or favored by the people) and a guard in their steed to discuss these political things

In Inazuma, the princess sent is Ayaka, accompanied by her chosen knight Thoma (it was supposed to be Kujou Sara, but Ayaka wanted Thoma so a training montage ensued)

In Mondstadt, the princess wanted was Barbara- but she insisted Jean go instead, and as Lisa was busy she found herself taking Diluc as her knight

In Liyue, this is Ningguang and Xiao (I don't have too many thoughts about them)

In Sumeru, the prince is Scaramouche and the knights are both Lumine and Aether

(I'm still in debate as wether or not they're trapped in Teyvat together and chose to stay in Sumeru (where they became sages) OR if they wound up here those 500 years ago and are also trapped here and got stuck with nahida)

From Snezhanya (this is liable to change) the princess is typically Rosalyne (or La Signora), but after several meetings she opted out

At the same time she wanted out, Childe was asking the Tsarista to be in, as a knight of course

She sent him as the prince, instead, with an army as his guard

He finds this out at the meeting

From Khaneri’ah is prince Kaeya and knight Dainsleif

Kaeya, who was sent to mondstadt and found his way back home (as a child), regarded as "lost" and "likely dead" by his Mondstadt family

Needless to say, Diluc is more than a little surprised to see his little brother so very alive

Anyways!! The politic thing meeting getup is about helping each other, after the main Khaneri’ah incident (I demand people don't suffer consequences of God's greed against their own hopeful ambition in the form of everlasting scars and corruption >:/ so the attack plays out very differently), this kinda goes about to prevent that from happening again

Trades and treaties are discussed, and if a country is in need that can be helped, too

Or war can be declared

But either way, this is up to these people, and typically the representatives from Khaneri’ah aren't involved (they are a struggling country 😞)

And yet, they show up on the second day of the meet anyway, and tension rises

On the fun (shipping side) note though;

The first day is essentially just a meet and greet/get to know you type of shindig

Ayaka introduces herself to Jean and they (emphasis on try) TRY to hold a conversation but Jean is socially awkward and Ayaka doesn't talk to people on her level very much...

Beside them Thoma is chatting up the also socially awkward, stoic Diluc who is only giving one-worded answers and it's horrible

Ayaka becomes a little wary of him because of his standoffishness when she goes to introduce herself, but she doesn't wanna disregard him completely it's just offputting

Cut to Scaramouche and Aether, who are the most couple ever (kind of) in the sense that they can't get a second alone to even look at the other affectionately without body guard Lumine standing in the way

She has three girlfirends in the form of Candace, Nilou and Dehya (I told you, I'm having fun + this was my wife's idea (as well as scaraether)), so it's not jealously or malicious intent

She's just a little shit

Move to Childe and Kaeya (😀) who are the kind of "antagonists" or viewed that way in the beginning part anyways

Their relationship blooms from the fact that nobody really likes either of them so why not chat?

Uhm uhmmm as for canonical game events I'm still iffy on them and I need to hammer out those details...

[arobinwithoutbatman]

"I have never lied to him. If he asked a question, I answered it. He knows everything I know or rather, everything I choose to share." Each word slow and rasping; the death rattle of thousands, the groan of shipping containers being pulled open, every rusted hinge and sputtering vent. Yet still the warmth of every parent and teacher.

She shrank down, no longer towering and taking up most of the cave. Like Tim, She is shadow but unlike Tim She is more. She is living history, She is every cobblestone, every moment of innocent and malevolent laughter, She is the stubborn heart of every Gothamite that knows the danger of this cursed place but stays anyway because it's their home too damnit. She is every curse and toxin that is in the poisoned waters and soil, every spirit that had yet to move on and the dust of long decomposed bodies. She is every single imagining of Lady Gotham in one frightfully old amalgamation. Beautiful once and still is in a dark almost Eldritch sort of way. Her people imagine her these ways, place importance on certain things and so She is. She wonders sometimes how She compares to the older cities in Europe and Africa, how long did it take for their history to sink into their foundations and coalesce into something aware and sentient.

"It wasnt a quick death. I was already lost in grief. I couldn t bear to lose another Bird. You to vampires, Jason to that monster and Tim to the masked life." Her veil, was is a mourning or wedding veil, thinned slightly to let Dick see a skeletal bittersweet smile. "I am old in many ways and young in even more. It was flattering to have some of my people so earnestly and staunchly choosing to defend me. You're my favourites. My darling Bat is out there somewhere you know, still haunting the night when people silently call for rescue and comfort. I did nothing to him, that happened on its own."

Fingers oh so gently wove through Tim's shadows the way one would comb through hair. A mother's love, deep and eternal.

"Taking his memories was Tim's idea. He died in pain, that pain carried over. He couldn't hold a form, he was so distressed. We tried simply removing the memory of his death, then his final moments, then the mission altogether. And still he would remember. Too quickly. He would scream and fight and panic. So many times, I almost lost him. He's always been a clever boy, my Clever Bird. He wasn't happy with the possibility of losing his memories of his chosen family but if it meant he could stay and still protect me and the people and you then he would do it."

Her other hand started moving through Dick's hair again. The proud maternal smile now turned on him.

"He loved you in life. All of you. He was looking forward to meeting you all over again. I hated taking all of those memories from him but was glad to know that you would shower him in the love he should have had before he was my Clever Bird."

Her expression shifted from warm and proud to stern.

"Don't force him to remember. Let the memories come to him slowly. His death was painful and traumatic, he wasn't able to even consider accepting his death. He needed time. Surrendering his memories gave him that. It gave you and Jason time to grieve. You won't try to resurrect a dead boy that is no longer human, you will be emotional but I would like to think my First Bird would be able to allow his beautifully strong emotions to simply be and have the intelligence not to act on every single emotion driven impulse."

She tilted her head, staring Dick down until she finally relaxed again and smiled.

"You were always more than a pretty face." She crooned. "A brilliant mind and a stubborn heart given to so many and you still find more to give. A piece of you is forever with your parents and the circus and still you call me Home. I was proud to welcome you to my city, Darling Bird, even before you considered me Home."

The shadows feel... off tonight. Winding around Nightwing's fingers like always when he returned to Gotham but somehow slower. Almost sluggish. It's usually fluid like smoke. They don't gather into a solid form tonight, simply drift back to the ground, choosing instead to curl up by his ankles. Even its little chittering sounds have a sleepy tinge to them tonight. Can shadows get sleepy? -arobinwithoutbatman ((have a cryptid Timmy))

A step in the dark, a clattering of lids as some cat escaped a trash bin. It was eerily quiet in the streets of Gotham tonight, but Dick hasn't been afraid of the dark for a long time now.

He stepped through shadow, feeling the thickness of it wrap around its fingers as he marched the dark alleyways of Gotham, clad in his vigilante attire. He could almost feel the dark mist's drowsiness as it gathered around by his ankles, how tired the gloom felt.

He reached up, cleaning a speck of blood that had persistently stuck to his chin. He feasted not too long ago, the pair of razor sharp fangs glinting in the dim street lights protruding from the main street, noticeable for only a moment as he opened his mouth to run a finger across his lower lip before his tongue passed over it as well.

"Come out, Timothy." Dick's voice lulled across the alleyway, satiated by his last meal, feeling the presence of his brother. The pulsating shadows, the caressing flow of the darkness. "I know you're there. I know it's been a while, but you didn't really think I can forget the embrace of my own sibling?"

@arobinwithoutbatman

[thedailybullshit]

Am I the only person who gets kinda annoyed when people say that Willow & Hunter are the new Caleb & Evelyn?

Before I get into this, I just wanna make clear that this isn’t Hunter/Willow negative. I don’t have a problem w/ the ship & none of what I’m about to say alludes to the ship being bad. However I’m not gonna refer to it by the ship name so that it doesn’t show up in the ship’s tag, bc I want exactly zero smoke w/ the shippers.

W/ all that being said I’m not fond of people saying Hunter & Willow are Caleb & Evelyn bc 1) that feels like a huge comparison to make. Caleb & Evelyn’s relationship is the only reason that anything in this show happened the way it did. Their relationship is the only reason Philip killed Caleb in what is the inciting incident of the entire show. They’re the only reason the Clawthornes exist. They’re the only reason that Luz was able to get to the Boiling Isles in the 1st place. They’re the only reason that Hunter exists as he does. Caleb & Evelyn are the catalysts for this show’s entire conflict.

Hunter & Willow, on the other hand, are a footnote in the second half of season 2 & what we have of season 3. The last time they had an individual conversation exclusively w/ each other that we’ve been shown was ASIAS, the episode they met. Anything else has been offscreen. We don’t even know if Willow reciprocates Hunter’s feelings for her. Very much like how we didn’t know if Luz reciprocated Amity’s feelings.

So saying that Hunter & Willow - a minor aspect of the later episodes - parallel Caleb & Evelyn - the reason that everything in this show happens - feels like a prematurely huge comparison to make. Even if Hunter & Willow do become canon, their relationship will be nowhere near as pivotal to the events of the show as Caleb & Evelyn.

Building off of that, 2) it doesn’t match up w/ the already established parallels. Hunter’s entire arc has been about learning to be his own person out of the shadows of Philip & Caleb. & while drawing parallels between Caleb & Philip & Hunter & Luz, TOH has gone out of its way to show the different ways that Hunter & Luz are similar to BOTH Wittebane brothers. However, if you were to insist on finding exclusive parallels, I would argue that Luz is a better parallel to Caleb & Hunter is a better parallel to Philip.

Don’t believe it? Fine, let’s look at it through the eyes of the 1 character who knew Caleb, Evelyn, Luz, & Hunter: Philip. Despite taking the time to point out that Hunter looks the most like Caleb out of every grimwalker he’s created, Philip has made it abundantly clear that he doesn’t see Caleb in Hunter. In fact, the only element of Caleb he sees beyond looks is the betrayal. Which we know bc the only time Philip calls Hunter Caleb is when Hunter betrays him. & even then, he doesn’t do so completely, he still uses Hunter’s actual name. & the fact of the matter is that if Philip actually saw Hunter as Caleb, then he would’ve planned to take him to the human realm. But instead, he branded Hunter to die of the Day of Unity.

You know who Philip DOES try to bring to the human realm? Luz. Bc when she went back in time to learn from him, when she fought to save Eda from petrification, when she essentially declared war against him within his own mind, Philip looked at Luz’s affinity for the Isles, her protective nature toward her chosen family, & her heart made of sunshine & saw Caleb. & it’s her continuous loyalty to witch & demonkind over humankind that drives Philip to attempt to kill Luz multiple times - even claiming to do so out of mercy as people have theorized he did to Caleb. Better to kill them now than to let them wither under a witch’s spell, right?

In the same line as that, Hunter & Willow’s relationship has very pointedly never been what turns Philip against Hunter. What gives Philip the idea that Hunter’s betrayed him is Hunter’s questioning of him. Philip is perfectly content to keep Hunter as his right hand in Hollow Mind, right up until Hunter asks an accusatory question: “ What did you do to the other Guards?” THAT is Hunter’s betrayal, not his relationship w/ witches. & in Thanks to Them, it’s Hunter’s embracement of Wild Magic & rejection of Philip’s work as a witch hunter that makes Philip see the Caleb in Hunter & accuse him of stabbing him in the back. You could make an argument for the reverse, that Willow is 1 of the reasons that Hunter ultimately goes against Philip, but even after they meet Hunter’s still incredibly loyal to his uncle. It literally takes learning the fates of the previous Golden Guards & Philip attempting to kill him for Hunter to defect from the Emperor’s Coven. The half a day he’d spent w/ Willow at that point had nothing to do w/ it.

So yeah. I’m not sure why people started comparing the ship that’s the catalyst for the entirety of The Owl House’s story w/ a relationship that might not even be canon. It’s like comparing a sapling to a sequoia & it sounds to me like narrative understanding has been sacrificed for the ship.