#but I wanted to keep the time period ambiguous and I have no idea when some of these styles and techniques came to be

[slashify]

We all love tattoo artist Eddie, but consider tattoo artist Steve.

He has an American Robin perched on a trumpet on his bicep for Robin. He gave her a brightly colored ice cream cone on her shoulder in different shades of pink. She rambled about cultural tattoos and the history of tattoos in America when she wasn’t bitching at him (‘Ow! For the love of all that is holy, Dingus!’ ‘Do you need a break?’) the whole time he was doing it.

He finds one of the kids (Max) attempting a stick n poke and gathers them all around for a lecture on safety and cleanliness. He promises the kids he’ll tattoo them for free when they’re old enough.

He and Will have art sessions where they’ll pick a subject and draw it traditionally and then Steve gives him pointers on how he would make the design better for tattooing. Will ends up apprenticing with Steve when he turns 18.

Steve still wears blue jeans and polos. His work is good enough that his customers don’t give a shit how he dresses.

He’s compassionate about coverups. He knows what it’s like to have changed so much that who you once were doesn’t fit anymore.

He’s very versatile, switching between outlines, black and grey shading, subtle highlights, and bold coloring with ease. He can do cartoon work as well as he can do realistic plants, or big cats, or lettering (he checks the spelling five or more times. He’s never messed up, but it’s one of his biggest fears). He has a whole list of referrals from people who like how he does scales. He’s lost count of how many fish, dragons, and snakes he’s done. He’s comfortable with a lot of styles, but he doesn’t do portraits. When Will starts at the shop he excels at portraits. Steve’s happy he’s found his niche.

Steve’s at a tattoo expo to network and check out new techniques when he finds himself stopping to watch an artist doing a tattoo of a demon. The artist has long, dark hair pulled back in a ponytail, and a grin like sunshine, and manages to make something grotesque and beautiful at the same time. Steve checks out the guy’s portfolio and sees a lot of fantasy stuff, dragons and wizards and a familiar looking set of dice, and he knows he has to go grab Will from the food court.

[kneelingshadowsalome]

prefacing this by saying I have absolutely no information on this period of history, but Rome was sacked and ultimately destroyed by Germanic tribes.

And naturally, the first thing I thought of upon learning that was Invader!König X Roman Maiden!Reader. Similar to your story, I’m thinking he decides to take the Reader as a trophy of war similar to his comrades. You and plenty of other maidens are tied up, thrown across horseback or across shoulders, and dragged off back to Germania. Depending on how dark you want it, König could wait for his little prize to want his cock, or he could have no patience at all and fuck her as soon as he gets a chance. Of course, he’s still somewhat of a gentleman, he’ll make sure she enjoys it, but like it or not his cock’s going in her.

I think this is an opportunity to lean even further into the barbarian König idea, with varying levels of darkness.

Save me dark barbarian!König... 🖤💋

CW: dark content, noncon groping, noncon cuddling, fear of SA, König's idea of hot sex is problematic to say the least, reader's level of enthusiasm/consent is ambiguous

He doesn’t care about your delicate sensibilities or noble background, he’s here to bring your Empire down and your weak men to their knees. It’s about time someone burned Rome to the ground; no amount of foreign perfume can cover the smell of shit in these streets…

But he won’t say no to gold or jewels, they might some day decorate his future wife's neck and wrists perhaps. Neither will he ride homeward without a slave to keep him warm. He hasn’t had a woman in months, the only thing closest to a cunt has been his calloused fist and he’s grown tired of that, nothing can compare with the real deal so a soft little female is exactly what he needs to keep him company when he and his warriors return North.

Your options are either freezing to death or crawling inside this giant’s cloak when he holds it open for you come nightfall, the voyage to Germania bringing with it the first snow and cold winds straight from Hades. You have no option but to go to this man for some body heat, the low rumble in his chest resembling the pleased purr of some untamed beast as he envelops you in wool and a hungry embrace.

He never speaks to you, only talks with his hands that roam all over your body as you cling to him with clattering teeth. Examining the wideness of your hips, the plumpness of your ass and tits, he serves himself a handful and some pinches as if he’s sampling fruit at the marketplace. Rubs your nipples between the pad of his thumb and pointer until you flinch from pain, mutters something pleased when he sees your skittish reaction. He won’t allow you to pull away however, not when you’re finally here, so back to his arms you go as he crushes you against his chest.

He’s amused at your attempts to both huddle closer and squirm away: why are you being so difficult when clearly, you want this too?

He saw how you looked at him back there when he was drenched in blood, that’s the reason he chose you. You’re sweeter than an apple, didn’t even scream when he swept your hair from your face to have a better look at you, you only eyed him with challenge when he inspected your lips, waistline and hips. A scared female would have avoided his eyes and begged not to be killed or worse, but you only lifted your chin and spat on his face, practically begging to get fucked…

And now you’re acting like you don’t want his cock while at the same time, you continue to stare at him like a deer in heat. If you don’t want him to fuck you then you should stop making him hard, but in truth König is only glad that he chose you out of all women. The ride back home won’t be dull with a fiery fox woman like you, he has to be careful that he doesn’t get bitten and bruised… How his men would laugh in the morning if they found out that the vixen he stole has made him hers, little teeth marks decorating his skin and betraying everyone your claim.

He would only be proud of you if you did that; women are quite adorable when they have some fire in them. But make no mistake, he won’t let you go no matter how hard you act like you hate him… Everyone here knows you want to jump on his cock; had he decided to inspect your pussy too while covered in your husband’s blood, he could’ve bet all his fortune along with his horse that you were already wet for him.

He could take you right now on this cold, hard ground, try to see how long it takes to make you wet and pliant. The only thing really keeping him from doing so are his men, no doubt wanting to see how a Roman lady takes their giant leader's cock. But he’s not going to give them the satisfaction of seeing you naked, let alone watching him fuck you, he'd have to kill them all afterwards...

So he settles for making his naughty little slave warm, and both of you a little breathless. He can find a more discreet place for you tomorrow, order a break or two to ease the heaviness of his sacks, the aching hard ons he’s had ever since he saw you. He has to be careful not to break you, and remember to kiss you on your neck, he heard that that’s the key to make women wet and willing.

You seem so fragile and frail when you fall asleep, finally surrendering to him, your body yielding and molding against his. In the morning, you whimper sweetly when he squeezes your now warm, plush body, and plants kisses on your face, your neck. You have no idea that the warriors are already mocking him for “making you wait so long”, that he has listened to stupid jokes all morning with you securely tucked inside his cloak. You bite him when he tries to come too close, all the brutes around you burst to laughter as he howls from pain.

Not feeling at all sorry for him when he rubs his neck and looks at you with drowsy curiosity, you rise and spit again on the ground as if you had just tasted something vile. He can’t stifle his smile then, your idea of foreplay is much more fun than what he had in mind…

And you aren’t flung over his horse, but actually get to ride it with him, the arm around your middle like iron as he keeps you as close to him as possible. You don’t know that he’s reluctant to take an unwilling woman, and that this preference makes him the laughing stock of the group. Neither do you know that König has already pictured you inside his hut, baking bread and scolding children like the firebrand that you are, giving him a naughty little wrestle and a fistfight every night before bed... Shuddering from want like you do now on his horse as he exposes your breasts to the approaching winter.

You are about to faint as tiny snowflakes land on your nipples, melting instantly as this man starts to fondle your tits. Slumping against his blazing form, you can do nothing but accept your fate as the horse keeps walking and the men around you shout and whistle at the sight of your breasts. The rough barks of your captor quickly end their excitement upon seeing your exposed tits, the whistles stop and the men turn their eyes quickly away from you.

The man behind you is now perfectly content, riding in the crisp morning air while pawing your breast with one hand and holding the reins with the other, his groin grinding against you with the movements of the horse, making it clear that he might soon stop this torture altogether and take you to the nearby woods for a quick fuck…

[lolahauri]

I am in desperate need of more sdv dilfs....

Now hear me out, chubby!Farmer breeding.

Maybe they left their wives or are still with them or possibly poly (can't remember if you said you do that) but regardless they love chubby!Farmer and want babies with them.

❤️ anon

ugh YES i LOVE YOU!! (this probably didn't turn out as sweet or lovey as you wanted i'm sorry 😭 but as soon as i saw breeding and sdv dilfs i thought of this idea and had to run with it)

-> F/M, Chubby! Reader, Breeding, Ambiguous Relationship, Drabble <- (MDNI)

Omg imagine all three of them competing with each other on who can knock you up first...

Your body is just so plump 'n pretty 'n young... they can't help but have that primal urge to fuck you full of their offspring. That soft round tummy, those thick thighs and arms, those chubby cheeks. You're like the goddess of fertility herself. You're like a drug to them.

~

Kent is persistent with it. He fucks you any chance he gets. I mean, he figures if he fucks you the most, he's the most likely to get you pregnant, right? So you've learned to just always wear easy-access clothes incase he happens to stop by for a visit.

His go-to is doggy style, he wants to bury his cock as deep as he can inside you before he cums. He also likes to wait a minute or two before he pulls out, not wanting his fresh load to leak out too soon.

Pierre listens to old wives tales on how to conceive the quickest. Some insist that the woman having an orgasm increases the odds of pregnancy. So, he does just that. He makes sure you cum at least twice before he does. Ideally, he also wants you to cum with him as well.

Others might say keeping her legs lifted after sex is the move. So, he does that as well! He loves to fuck you with one leg over his shoulder and the other wrapped around his hip, making sure to keep your legs propped up for a while after he's finished too.

Demetrius is logical, he tracks your ovulation and menstrual cycles. You know that time of the month is nearing when he shows up on your doorstep in the morning.

To make sure it takes, he visits nearly every morning during ovulation and the week after your period. Always with a hearty breakfast in hand too. After all, you have to make sure your relaxed and well-fed if you want to get pregnant!

So let's hope you have a high sex drive, cause with these three, you won't be leaving the bedroom anytime soon. Or at least until that test comes back positive. 😋

[rey-jake-therapist]

Those who know me know I'm not usually a shipper, because fictional romances tend to bore me or make me roll my eyes lol So it's interesting how the only two ships that got me obsessed enough to write multiple posts about them, Hannigram and Saurondriel, both involve a male character that's literally the devil incarnate, and a "lover" who's revealed to be very complex, as far from perfect and "all pure and good".

Spoilers of Rings of Power S2 after the line!

The universes they originate from are of course very different, but I recognize similarities in the dynamics between Will Graham and Hannibal, and Galadriel and Sauron. Especially now that The Rings of Power season 2 is airing.

In Hannibal, Will keeps saying that he hates Hannibal and wants him dead or in jail, but he can't help being irrevocably drawn to him even knowing what he is. At some point it's very clear that he uses his "duty" as an excuse to get closer to Hannibal, because he can't find peace if he can't reach him. Part of him still believes Hannibal is the devil and must be slayed as the monster that he is, but he also recognizes the darkness in Hannibal as being in him as well, and is torn apart because Hannibal is the only being who truly knows him, and understands him. Hence why in season 3, he knows the only way to be free of his torments is to die with Hannibal (for the record, I still refuse the idea that they survived this. It was the perfect outcome!).

In Rings of Power, I feel the same thing happening to Galadriel. When in her first vision, she asks "he has returned already?", it's unclear if she's afraid of hopeful; actually, she looks and sounds as if she's both. I don't talk enough about Morfyd's flawless acting, she's amazing!

Her attitude when she talks about Sauron has changed from season 1: he's still the enemy to defeat, he's still the devil incarnate. But he's also still Halbrand in her heart, as the slip on the tongue she makes proves when she's discussing him with Gil-Galad. She won't admit it, but she's conflicted now. Worse maybe (from her point of her view), vulnerable. Despite everything, he's still the only being in the world who understands her, who knows her, just like for Will and Hannibal. She let him in because she felt seen at last, maybe for the first time...

Again Morfyd's acting... flawless. WOW.

Elrond is no fool and has figured her out better than she did: the problem is not that she might let him in again, but that "he never left". The darkness in Sauron resonated in her, they're now bonded. There's no turning back from that.

In season 1, there was no ambiguity: she wanted to find Sauron to destroy him, period. But now? Sure, she wants to prevent him to do damages in Eregion and all the Middle-Earth, so it's a good reason to go after him, but I think part of her also craves this precious connection she lost, and wants to find it again. I mean, the way she's always touching her ring? She acts like a drug addict always coming back for more. And we know there's no way Sauron couldn't have corrupted these rings. When the ring tumbled at her feet, it may have been a move made by Sauron himself, from afar. It also can be no coincidence that the vision she sees in Episode 4 is Sauron masquerading as Halbrand: it's a calling.

Now, of course there's no way Galadriel and Sauron's story end like Will and Hannibal. Galadriel will overcome this, she'll soon tell Sauron to fu*k off for good and they'll both spend the rest of their long lifetime sulking in their corner and being forever miserable content with what they have. Still, while it lasts, I'm enjoying the hell out of it!

[drawnfamiliarfaces]

I didnt watch rc9gn (sorry), but that question anon asked got me thinking:dont we already have amnesiac boy? *points at rex*?

Anon dont ever apologize for not having watched something, we all consume media/content at our own preference and pace!!! (I speak as a person who as of yet have not watched at least 5 major cartoons/shows of last decades lol) So its totally cool, always!

But YES you are totally right, Rex is another resident amnesiac in accordance to his canon show. It's actually one of the big bonding moments for him and Randy in HoM AU! ;D

However, the major difference between them is that Rex - started his 'hero' career after he lost his memory (the second time) and Randy - will canonically loose his memory at the end of his 'hero' career (or more like it ends his hero career). So you see their similar problems are also wildly different lol.

(um i went on a bit of a random rant about mostly Rex below, so you can read it of u want because im too lazy to delete it, but like, the point of the answer is above, so ye)

Technically Rex's amnesia is supposed to be a sort of 'chronic' debilitation that happens when he 'overloads'/ enters Titan mechabot state lol. But the show itself kind fibbled greatly with it (which annoys me to no end), because it seems that after the Nanite Event he periodically lost his memories so often, he kept a journal (when he was in the 'gang' with his friends) to keep track and later on Holiday and Five kept a close eye on him (i think it was implied he lost his memories at least once more at the care of Providence but i might be remembering wrong) in case his amnesia happened again. So, it seemed that his amnesia incidents got better with time, since we don't touch on the subject of him having another amnesiac episode almost throughout the whole show (and he even recovers several small memories!), until that damn finale.

At the end after the big fight, there was this sort of 'scare' of "Oh no! Rex saved the world but he forgot his family and friends!' but SYKE NO HE DIDN'T! And like... it wasn't completely explained, but i think it was implied that in that brief moment Rex was the Nanite Jesus Deity he somehow cured himself of amnesia i guess?? I was literally so mad about it, we were kind of building up to Rex making an ultimate sacrifice of his 'self' and it would have been such a great idea if he did loose his memory and have been allowed to (at least temporary) retire to his family home (of ex-werewolves) where he wouldn't be viewed as a weapon anymore, but... we get an ambigous 'some major villains escaped and are now at large' and thus Rex is still needed on the job and since he isn't amnesiac we dont even need to coerce him to fight! yay!

(can you tell im a little bit bitter about the end lol)

I mean I know the show was left in this sort of 'nothing changed' ambiguity for (im guessing) future possible continuation and/or for the GenRex brand, but its like my biggest annoyance from this show, which otherwise had such great storytelling! (in comparison to Ben10 AF&UA run lol)

That aside, what's up with Randy is different in a manner that his amnesia is something canonically inevitable and really scary if one thinks about it. 4 years of very life-changing experiences, of being a hero, just taken away would certainly reflect somewhat on him afterwards? I mean Im not sure how exactly mind-wipe work, (i dont remember all the details rn) but assuming it literally leaves you with gaps in your memories, without replacing them or something similar. So one of possible outcomes would be of post- mind wipe Randy feeling that he misses something from his life so keenly that it hurts him. Or perhaps human mind would work wonders of sort of 'filling' the gaps with vague false memories to not go insane, and after Randy would be constantly questioning that part of his life?

Many possiblities, but man I dunno, like, since rc9gn didnt have much in form of continuation so there is no extra info to explore.

But it does give me so much freedom to go completely bonkers in hom au (which i did man i went a really weird route ngl), because who's gonna stop me?? canon?????

...sorry this came out of nowhere, apparently i had a lot of feelings about Rex and his amnesia.

[edennill]

@eri-pl

So, you asked me about my interpretation of Varda on Ao3, and I actually wanted to reply in an ask, but decided maybe it's better to have it here. At the same time, I'm afraid... I do have a fairly strong idea of her, but it's mostly focused on the early days of Arda, and maybe a little nebulous (and perhaps doesn't really add anything to what I've already said). Still:

One of the most specific headcanons that influence the way I see her is that, well, she was the fourth being in existence, thus had by necessity been fairly close with Melkor before he went bad, and consequently she has a very keen sense of betrayal later on. I think the few who came directly 'after' (...I have no idea what time before time even is, but never mind) were some of the Ainur who did not enter Eä, and so, the Valar who came next (probably Ulmo, Namo, Yavanna and Vairë, in some order) did not necessarily have this experience, and certainly not to such extent. This later period would have also been the time during which Melkor started really disappearing into "the Void where he once walked alone"... and from some point on he was hiding a lot of wrath and resentment whenever he returned among the others — so ultimately, I think a lot of the Ainur actually only came to really know him when he started disrupting the Music. Which. makes for a very different sort of disappointment than Varda's.

The second thing (and I'm sorry for always circling back to Morgoth here, though on the other hand you find him interesting so maybe you won't mind), is that well, canonically she's the person he fears the most. Now, she's not actually more powerful than Manwë, but her power is more... focused, I'd say, if you know what I mean (I don't entirely lolll). And since he usually hates in proportion to fearing, she often bears the burnt of his sabotage efforts in those early days, which again, leads to a lot of anger on her side.

...You might think it strange how much I focus on anger for someone who's among the morally purest characters in the Legendarium, and well, I'd call it righteous wrath in her case, but your mileage may vary. Certainly, it's not only (or even mostly) that she's disturbed by his wrongs towards her in particular, but she's not allowed to forget by the circumstances.

On the other hand, I don't particularly like the theory that she rejected him romantically, I think it's reading too much into a phrase that's very ambiguous and likely wasn't intended to mean this, given Tolkien's track record with similar phrasings.

But yes, she's this kind of dichotomy in which... on the one hand, she's beauty, she's art, she's gentle... but stars burn, and she can be sharp at other junctions. Sorry, I keep using words in some weird abstract sense, I might not be able to explain it better.

She would have — in time — forgiven Melkor if he had ever given her reason to think that he regretted his actions rather than the fact that he lost the war, which he never really did. There was nothing especially damning in whatever he said in hearing after his release, but none of it was reassuring either, and I think she believed the knowledge of his defeat would keep him from acting up, but nothing much more conclusive.

[nostalgiachan]

I totally didn't realize I didn't post these guys after they were done almost a year ago, but we're back on the 100 OC Challenge train!

As always, new designs up top, old below, and character info below the cut.

#61: Sirno Idea: Queen of the BONE ZONE Story: Dragon Tavern

Sirno is easily the least developed of the Seekers, and quite possibly the least developed out of all of the Dragon Tavern characters period. Seriously, I never got her beyond "She's a Bone Lord," even with the 2016 redesigns. Luckily, the Idea Machine got chugging while I was working on this sketch.

Growing up, Sirno was a military brat; both of her parents were enlisted in the Deadlands military, and her father became a recruiter after his first tour through the swamps. Thanks to them moving between garrisons every few years, Sirno was frequently a new kid in town, so it was difficult for her to make friends and nearly impossible to keep them. On top of that, thanks to her permanent new-kid status, her offbeat looks, her imposing height even at a young age and her quiet nature, she was frequently the target of bullying; she particularly remembers kids either asking her out or trying to set up their friends with her as a joke. Eventually, once she reached adolescence, if anyone approached and asked her to "say something funny" or if she wanted to go to the ball that weekend, she'd cut the bullshit herself and whip the asker's ass.

Of course, all this did was turn the direct bullying into exclusion and get her kicked out of more than a few academies. But at the time, it made her feel a little better that she could kick the ass of anyone and anything.

By the time she was sixteen, she decided school was for losers and she wanted to join the military like her parents; she enlisted and soon went on a few tours through the swamps. About five years into service, it was determined she'd be a perfect candidate for Bone Lord training.

Bone Lords pilot ten-or-so foot tall constructs of bone and alchemically-treated gore, their bodies ensconced in the torso and connected to the construct via magical wire. This connection allows the pilot to control the construct through conscious thought alone, as though they are one organism.

Sirno took to the program with flying colors; when she was first interred into her armor, she felt as though she had finally become what she was always meant to be. When she wore her armor, she was no longer some lanky, awkward walking target for people to start shit with, a fragile creature of blood and meat and feeling; she was a towering, terrifying monstrosity, and any dumb enough not to treat her with the respect she was due would feel her might. The more time she spent in the suit, the more she wished she never had to take it off.

When the search for the Champions kicked into high gear, she jumped at the opportunity to see the world outside of the Deadlands and show new people she was not to be fucked with.

#62: Vermire Idea: Transing Your Gender Through Superior Alchemy™ Story: Dragon Tavern

19yo Nost wanted her own version of Gren from Cowboy Bebop and had no notion of transgender issues, so cut her a little slack on this one.

Vermire is the first of the Seekers of the Steel Empire, and was built around the fact that I accidentally set his gender to "female" when I meant to make him "male". Vermire is a sanctioned alchemist - in short, he can craft potions without getting branded as a heretic and put to the sword because what he's doing is definitely not magic, it's science. One day, he was trying to craft a potion to improve his eyesight so that he wouldn't need glasses anymore. He succeeded, but there was a serious side effect - the potion acted as a massive dose of estrogen and gave him curves. He was already a fairly androgynous looking man, and he didn't want to have to explain his downstairs mix-up, so he started presenting as sexually ambiguous, female leaning.

Over the years, as the Dragon Tavern characters sat in the box, I kept revisiting his character; in his first major revision, I got rid of the silly "comedic gender bender" aspects and turned his story into more of a commentary on male privilege and sexism. Vermire adopted a female presentation to protect himself while he searched for a cure, taking on the role of his own sister as his sudden development of a more feminine form would very likely be seen as heretical magic. However, while the quality of his alchemical work didn't change, the perception from his peers absolutely did; colleagues were far more harsh to his "sister", critiquing "her" work far more than they ever did his and overall treating "her" with much less respect.

Between his work being severely hamstringed by his sexist colleagues and the danger of his physical situation being potentially found out, Vermire was quite eager to take up the hunt for the Champions of the Steel Empire; it would be much easier to hide his body with heavy coats and field wear, and besides that, even in the rare chance some foreigner was to see his body, they probably wouldn't try to immediately execute him for it...right?

Overall, the gender story will need quite a bit more workshopping, especially to make it interesting, but not exploitative.

#63: Maer Idea: a very big steam powered giraffe what smokes The Steamest Punk Story: Dragon Tavern

Maer only slightly ranks above Sirno as least developed of the Seekers, and the worst part is I didn't have the big flash of inspiration to retool him like I did her. Thus, poor Maer's stuck in development hell at the moment.

What I do know about the fellow is he's a Steam Crafter, an engineer that builds steam-powered machinery. Steamworks are seen as the more reliable scientific field in the Steel Empire compared to Vermire's sanctioned alchemy and the "mad science" of the Outcast Engineers, being responsible for the Empire's rapid industrialization. In recent years, the reach of steam power has expanded to the military, and a subsect of crafters have gone to work building various walking suits and automata in the hopes of supplementing - and possibly replacing - the likes of the Cavaliers as defenders of the homeland.

Maer is part of that subsect, having been inspired to take up the sciences after learning about Paz's success as a young teen, though he wasn't fast-tracked to academy like she was. When he learns about the reward for Paz's capture, though he's still enrolled at the time, he packs up his primary automaton, Twiggy, and heads into the field, hoping to meet her for the first time and learn what the hell she's been up to.

And unfortunately, that's all I know about the man at present. We'll get there.

#NINTENDO64: Terinelle Idea: Badass old knight woman Story: Dragon Tavern

Terinelle, much like Arlein, was the subject of a massive overhaul back when I first redesigned these characters back in 2017; she was originally a much younger woman, like most of the other characters. But during the redesigns, I became much more interested in representing older characters, and in particular, older women; badass old men, after all, are pretty common, but badass old women, much less so. She also underwent an ethnic update, being changed from vague "anime" ethnicity to specifically inspired by Armenian women.

Terinelle is a Cavalier, the classic knight in shining armor atop a noble steed. When she first began her career fifty years prior, she was the lone knighted woman, fighting doubly hard as her compatriots to rise in the ranks; now, she stands among the upper echelon, and has inspired other young women to join the knighthood. Unfortunately, even now, she and those who joined in her wake still face discrimination from their male peers and superiors, and on top of that, younger knights tend to question her competency due to her age.

Of course, those brazen enough to attempt to duel her to increase their prestige or "put her in her place" quickly learn their lessons. See, among Cavaliers, rather than displaying their rank and prestige through medals or armor decoration, they display it through their hair; a Cavalier only cuts their hair if they are defeated in battle, with the cut-off locks becoming a trophy for the winner.

Terinelle has not cut her hair in fifty years.

After putting her boots to another whippersnapper's throat and it still doing little to shut up her detractors, Terinelle had finally had enough of Imperial society. She had pretty much everything she could possibly want - a rich estate, a loving husband, children she adored and a litter of grandchildren on the way - but she wanted to seek glory in new lands. So, when the call went out for people to seek out the Champions of the Steel Empire, she jumped at the opportunity. Sure, she would miss her family dearly, but surely, she wouldn't be gone for that long. There were only so many places those kids could be, right?

[earlgreytea68]

As a certified FOB/Peterick scholar, I was hoping that I may please present to you a lyric-related question that's been bugging me for a bit: In "What A Catch, Donnie", do you think the Miss Flack in the line "Miss Flack said I still want you back" is Pete, or Patrick? I believe Pete has referred to Patrick as his Roberta, as in Roberta Flack, but if the song is supposed to be from Patrick's POV, it wouldn't make sense for Patrick to be referring to himself as Miss Flack in that context. I can't tell whether Pete chose to cast himself as Miss Flack in this instance, and he's the one cutting through Patrick's negative self-talk in the verses by telling him "I still want you back", or if the verses are Pete talking to Patrick, and Patrick is the one saying "I still want you back". It 's a devastating line either way, but I'd love to hear what you think!

WARNING: DISCUSSIONS OF SUICIDE BELOW. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out.

~~~~~~~~

I have also often puzzled over "What a Catch, Donnie" because yes, they both say the song was Pete writing pretending to be Patrick, but I don't think it completely lines up.

First, the reference to Donnie in the title is clearly to Donny Hathaway. That would seem to be the Pete equivalent in the Donny Hathaway/Roberta Flack friendship, and that lines up with the idea that the song is supposed to be Patrick talking about himself. If "Donny" = "Pete," then the title of the song is effectively Patrick being like, "Look what a catch I am," self-deprecatingly (the way the line shows up in the rest of the song)?

But I've long thought that the song isn't really as straightforwardly about Patrick as they claim it is, because none of their lyrics are as straightforward as that. We know that Patrick picks and chooses lyrics from all over and that Pete doesn't sit and write a whole song from start to finish, and I really have no reason to believe that "What a Catch" went through a different process. So I have long thought that what they mean when they say Pete was writing from Patrick's POV is really the song's chorus and verses. That wry, self-deprecating chorus really does seem like it suits Patrick's thoughts about himself, in Pete's voice. But I think the bridge (which stands out in several ways) is from Pete.

So the chorus is Pete writing from what he supposes to be Patrick's POV. That fits that last line in the chorus: "All I can think of is the way I'm the one who charmed the one who gave up on you." If the "I" in the chorus is meant to be Patrick ("I've got troubled thoughts"), and we assume that's still true of the last line in the chorus, then Pete is the "you" there (c'mon, they're always singing to / writing about each other, they're always each other's "you"). And that makes perfect sense: The one who gave up on Pete ("you") is Pete ("I've already given up on myself twice"). And who's the person who charmed Pete? Patrick. Like, if this chorus is all about Patrick, then it's about how Patrick thinks he's no big deal but he cannot get over the fact that Pete keeps insisting he IS. And this is the truest encapsulation of their dynamic ever, this comes up again and again in their interviews. Pete keeps insisting Patrick is so great, and Patrick must sit and turn that over and over in his head endlessly in those times when he just Doesn't Get It.

But, even though this is a song written from Patrick's POV, I still think it's mostly about Pete. Which kind of makes sense in its own way, especially for this time period of their relationship, that the person Patrick is most preoccupied with is Pete. Patrick muses about captains going down with the ship, but that's a thought about Pete: Pete literally casts himself as the captain going down with the ship in the video. If Pete is the captain of their band, does he have to go down with the ship? Even the first verse is ambiguous enough to make it seem like it's Patrick talking about Pete. It doesn't say who said, "I'll be fine 'til the hospital or American embassy." Patrick swallows the pronoun. That feels like something Pete may conceivably say to Patrick, at least in some guise: I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine, don't worry.

So, as I noted at the beginning, I have always interpreted the dichotomy of the referenced relationship to be Patrick being equalled to Miss Flack. So when Patrick sings that Miss Flack still wants "you" back, I do think he is in effect referencing himself will talking about Miss Flack, and the line is meant to be sung from Patrick to Pete: Patrick still wants him, he always wants him, Roberta Flack was devastated by Donny's suicide and would presumably give everything to have him back. To me, that's exactly what Patrick is saying to Pete, couched in a layer of remove by claiming that it's "Miss Flack" saying it. And, since Pete wrote the line, since Pete established the analogy of Patrick and Roberta Flack, it is Pete recognizing that this is also how Patrick feels. Which I'm sure they discussed. To me, that line always feels like he put it in as a concrete reminder: people would miss you. Patrick would miss you.

And it connects so nicely with the overt promise of the bridge, which I think is definitely a shift to Pete being the "I": I will never do that to you. Keep a calendar so you will know. There's an acknowledgment that he came dangerously close ("I already am") but also an acknowledgment of the different outcome he had. They literally give the bridge to a different singer, as if signaling the pronoun change there (in a Broadway show, this would be the bit sung by the other calendar, acknowledging the love and affection being shown toward him). And we know Patrick keeps a detailed calendar, it's been referenced a few times in interviews, so that "keep a calendar" line seems tailor-made to be an exhortation from Pete to Patrick. (Plus, we know for a fact that the bridge either got reused OR was borrowed from another song, we don't know the order they were written, but that reprisal has always made that bit of "What a Catch" stand out just that little bit more as being just Different from the rest of the song).

All of which is to say, I think part of "What a Catch" is Pete writing from Patrick's POV (and, according to Patrick, getting it right), and that inevitably includes Pete recognizing not just Patrick's troubled thoughts and low self-esteem but how vitally important Patrick is to Pete and how much worry he causes in Patrick. And, of course, how much Pete wishes he didn't worry him so much. This is a song supposedly about Patrick's low self-esteem, but it's Pete who really reveals how little he thinks of himself as a friend, freaking everyone out by giving up on himself.

And I guess what this really means is that this song about Patrick is really a song about Patrick and Pete. Because of course it is.

[cailynwrites]

Writing Patterns

Rules: List the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there’s a pattern!

Thank you @squibstress for tagging me in this. Though I’m not a writer (publicly, anyway), there’s clearly something about first lines that draws me to recording a podfic. This is such a fun idea. Working backward from my last posted podfic today (!), here goes …

1. “There was certainly something amiss with the temporal forces that morning, for Sybill Trelawney awoke with a splitting headache.”

From Ambiguity (podfic) by @vermin-disciple, Rated G

This is a perfect encapsulation of what’s to come. I already waxed rhapsodic about this character study in another post, but this first line crystallizes the dichotomy of the character and the world view, the tragedy and the comedy, the ethereal and the mundane, the two warring factions inside Sibyll Trelawney. She prances around dispersing her gift of Sight and great wisdom while at the same time completely wrapped up in the lowest level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. It’s so hard to tell what’s real and what’s a sham with her, because she doesn’t even know herself. And all of that is in the first sentence! Masterful.

2. “The summer after Draco’s first year at Hogwarts was perfectly lovely.”

From there and back again (podfic), the 3rd installment in the dogfather AU series by @nonasuch, Rated G

Of course, the unspoken part is that nothing every would be again after that point. Draco fares much better in this AU than in canon or in many other fanfics. He reads The Hobbit, gets support from cousin Sirius, and ends up more or less on the right side of the war, though definitely not unscathed. @nonasuch is a whiz with a turn of phrase and leaves so much unsaid to be inferred. This fic in particular is almost like a series of interludes; it’s never telling the story as the exciting parts are going on, but rather it gives Draco's version of (semi-)canon events in the calm denouement periods after. As a reader, it keeps you on the edge of your seat because you don’t know when the next time jump will be or what things will have radically changed when you see Draco again on the other side.

(I’m going to cheat here and also give the first lines of the other fics in the series that I’ve recorded thus far, because I think they’re similar in an interesting way and I just want to celebrate every day what a masterful writer @nonasuch is.)

“Remus woke up warm and comfortable, and that was all wrong.”

From the black dog (podfic) by @nonasuch, part 2 of the dogfather AU, Rated M

A prequel to the original story, the dogfather, in which Sirius breaks out of prison and meets up with Remus much earlier than in canon. Again, this first line leaves us to infer so much and imagine what has changed, why Remus hadn’t been warm and comfortable before, what is to come. The first line presages all the angst and hurt/comfort to come.

“To begin with: this is a version of events where, on the morning of November 1st, 1981, the police are called to a house in Surrey.”

From the dogfather (podfic) by @nonasuch, Rated T

This one is slightly different and although this story also has very economical prose, it is much longer than its prequel and sequel above and has more room for details. The author spends a lot of time giving details and breaking the fourth wall, so to speak, to explain character motivations. But it’s all so blunt and bittersweet and funny. As I said in my original post, I think it might be my favorite wolfstar of all time, even though it barely wolfstars at all (especially compared to its M-rated prequel above).

3. “Looking at his watch for perhaps the twentieth time, Ron sighed loudly.”

From Libiamo! (amor fra' calici più caldi baci avrà) (podfic) by @khasael, Rated E

What better way to start a story than to drop our hero in media res at a restaurant with his future enemy-to-lover, Pansy Parkinson? And this is such a pitch perfect Ron characterization in my mind, all rough edges and a gooey, melty vanilla and caramel center.

4. “You can’t be serious?” The words were out of Hermione’s mouth before she could stop herself when Minerva broke the news about Hogwarts’ new Arithmancy professor.

From Stay (podfic) by vendettadays, Rated T

Another in media res and another pairing with Pansy. (I’ve been devouring Pansy fics since I recorded ‘tis the damn season (Pansy's version) by @the-francakes - podfic during the holidays and I can’t get enough of her, paired with just about anyone. I recorded this for @femslashfebruary and it really only features female characters, even the students.

5. “Poppy could feel sweat building around her temples as she continued to cast.”

From The Anniversary Quilt (podfic) by @vdoshu, Rated G

More in media res, with Poppy trying to heal her long-time partner, Minerva, after she gets hit with all those stunning spells. Throughout, we see Minerva through Poppy’s eyes and through the lens of their decades-long relationship.

6. “Severus found Hermione in the kitchens.”

From Mating for Life (podfic) by Arsenic, Rated T (sequel to Care of Magical Creatures (podfic), Rated E)

It may not be fair to compare a sequel opening line to the first in a series because it doesn’t have to do the same work. A first work needs to exert itself immediately to draw the reader in. But presumably, if you’re reading a seven-years-later sequel to a beautiful, pro-werewolf Remus/Hermione/Severus polyamory fic written almost 20 years ago before the book series was finished, you’re already hooked to the characters, the relationship, and the premise. You are drawn in by a desire to see a story you loved continue. And it does!

7. “Oliver Wood had one single year left at Hogwarts.”

From messin’ up my mind (podfic) by SkyRose, Rated T

This one is so nice and simple, but it sets up the stakes for the whole fic, a mutual pining story of Oliver and Percy finally getting together, with a little help from some of their Quidditch teammates. A lot of this story is Oliver’s internal monologue, so it’s fitting that this first sentence lays out what governs Oliver’s motivations - that this is the beginning of a series of “lasts” and that he still has so much he wants to do before leaving school.

8. “What are you doing?”

From The Cat With The Stars in Her Eyes (podfic) by @peachonified, Rated G

The first line isn’t spoken by the main character, Luna, but rather Ginny as an audience proxy to lead us into the story. We also want to know what, in fact, Luna is doing. Turns out she’s creating beautiful magic tattoos and therapizing all of Hogwarts (and later all of the Wizarding World) at the same time. 

9. "Well, that's the last of them," Arthur said musingly, over breakfast on September second.

From Empty Burrow (podfic) by @copperbadge, Rated T

When I was looking for a little fic for Arthur’s birthday, I found this little gem, also written pre-Half Blood Prince. All the dialogue in this fic is sparse, like is so often the case with an older married couple who no longer need words to communicate most of what they want to say. 

10. "I must ask one more time," said Dumbledore, the picture of grave concern with his fingers steepled on his desk, "If you are entirely sure about this decision."

From the stranger in the shell of a lover (podfic) by @slashmarks

Once again, the first person to speak is not the most important to the story, nor even the second most important. But it sets the tension and has a good hook, and once you find out in the next line that he’s talking to Lily, you’ve got to wonder what he’s so worried about …

Looking back over my recent work, I think a few things are clear:

I like fics that start with dialogue. I work hard on my voice acting and my accents, and though they are by no means perfect, I think they add something to the work. Being able to come out of the gate with a Dumbledore or a Ginny voice is a joy.

I also like jumping into the action of a story. It’s easier to tune out audiobooks or podfics than a story you’re actively reading (at least that’s true for me), so making sure that I have a story with a good hook is important to me.

Ever since I did A Very Pair-y Christmas in December, I’ve been branching out with different characters and ships, as opposed to doing mostly Drarry and Dramione a year or two ago. It’s been an absolute joy, I’ve discovered so many amazing new authors, and I welcome any suggestions for future recordings, especially if they’re different than what I’ve already done.

On the other hand, as I've moved away from recording Dramione and into more queer pairings, I worry that a lot of the fics I record wouldn't pass the Bechdel test. I'm pleased to see that in the start of 2024, the majority of my protagonists have been women.

On the other other hand, there's only ONE Explicit-rated fic on this list?!?! What have I been doing? Well, I promise there's some smutty stuff coming very soon ... 😉

This ask was so fun! I love gushing about other people’s writing. Thank you @squibstress for tagging me. Send me more of these so I can procrastinate on the Spanish paper I’m supposed to be writing.

Tagging @teledild0nix, @sweatersinthesummer, and @theselittleponders.

[outofangband]

@camille-lachenille sent this ask about Maedhros post Angband and I wanted to address it in two parts!

This first one deals with the possibility of brain damage post Angband

cw: aftermath of torture, discussion of brain damage, brief mentions of ableism (both in universe and out)

Angband World Building and Aftermath of Captivity Masterlist

I hc Maedhros really struggling with speech and communication in the years following his rescue, and he has to basically relearn how to speak properly. Even centuries later, it still takes him a lot of energy to make complex and long sentences, or understand a long speech, and that’s why he’s so often silent or just barks orders to his troops without much ceremony. And he tends to muddle the words when he’s tired or very emotional, or forget altogether how to speak Sindarin/Taliska/Khuzdul, and he can only speak Quenya, so his land is the only beside Gondolin where Quenya is still spoken on a semi-regular basis despite the ban. Before important events he will prepare what to say as to reduce the chances of getting stuck on his words. He also has "cheat cards" in his pocket with prewritten sentences in Sindarin for emergencies.

He also has to relearn how to read and his writing is awful because he has nerve damage so he struggles with fine mobility tasks. For official papers, he has Maglor write for him so it’s readable.

He gets better until the Nirnareth but the trauma of losing both the battle and his dearest friend makes him regress in his speech abilities.

First I should say I really like your headcanons! I think way way too much about the profound effect of Angband on the body, mind and soul, both generally and for certain characters in particular, Maedhros being one of them!

And Angband does have a profound effect. 

with regards to brain damage, first I should note that while I have some brain damage myself though obviously from considerably less severe circumstances than Maedhros’s and while I have done my research, I am by no means an expert

Though there is no canon evidence for Maedhros suffering brain damage there is absolutely a veritable wealth of circumstances that could have caused it at least for a human during his time in Angband; hypoxia/lack of oxygen to the brain, malnutrition and poisoning, actual physical damage from directed violence, etc

As I’ve talked about in many places (I think here is one of the more recent ones) we must assume at least some intervention and difference to human anatomy for Maedhros whether that comes from differing elven physiology or intervention by Morgoth to keep him alive or as I believe, likely both. 

That being said the conditions of Angband are devastating and effect the bodies, minds and souls of elves (and humans) in ways that rarely occur on the outside

One thing that’s fun about The Silmarillion is that it a, takes place over a long period of time and b, there’s a lot of ambiguity in the text in places. Maedhros does conceivably have longer to recover physically and emotionally 

Though the few bits of dialogue we have for Maedhros during the time between his rescue and the Nirnaeth do not seem to show him struggling with speech It is notable too that while he seems to have much skill as a diplomat, a lot of his recorded communication takes places through letters he could have spent much, much longer drafting, revising and consulting on rather than in face to face discussions where significant difficulties in communicating would have been harder to deal with. 

I like the idea of him having cards to consult with! I think that makes a lot of sense!

I do think Maedhros had specific issues with speech and communication. Some I think were due to physical damage and some I think were due to psychological. I know I’ve said almost exactly this probably more than once but I really cannot understate how profoundly damaging it is to be in an environment where your ability to speak, advocate, communicate and express yourself is just completely oppressed and stolen. I do headcanon that Angband severely limits and in some places/circumstances outright bans many elven languages (It can’t completely because some communication between especially newer prisoners learning the tongues of Angband is necessary during labor and such but that’s other posts...) Anyways Maedhros was in an environment where he was actively punished for speaking up, for using his own languages, for daring to act in any way that suggested that his words have meaning. 

This does not lift just because he is outside of its walls. 

That’s also absolutely not to say that brain damage couldn’t be a confounding factor as well. The combination of physical and psychological factors complicate his recovery in many ways especially in the beginning where these sorts of injuries were almost unheard of among the returned Noldor

(I should also note that even if it’s not fully supported by canon, it’s still a good and interesting headcanon/perspective and I share much of it!! unfortunately while Tolkien did seem to have a compassionate understanding of many aspects of trauma, the depiction in The Wanderings has always struck me as especially profound, due to when he was writing and such, it’s not surprising that many aspects of disability might have been overlooked or dismissed. It’s always worth considering these aspects, I think)

I also personally headcanon that writing especially took him decades to relearn properly. Even alongside brain damage, having to write with a completely unfamiliar hand while likely dealing with chronic pain and other symptoms! Due to my own neuro issues I have enough issues writing with my dominant hand! I can’t imagine having to relearn with the other. 

Finally, it makes sense both medically and in universe that Maedhros experiences a regression in his symptoms post Nírnaeth. The body-mind-soul connection is so strong for elves and symptom regression following severe physical or psychological trauma can absolutely happen.

Also on a similar note I headcanon that Húrin has severe neurological damage from Angband too

Anyways I hope this is an ok reply! As I said I also get super fixated on the effects of Angband on the body, mind, and soul of elves and humans

[cringecompanionapologist]

Two Ideas That Would Make Good Fanfics If I Could Think of More Than the Basic Premise

I've already done a "what happened to Jamie about season 6b" fic, but I had another idea, one that's a bit more gen/ambiguous.

The Doctor knows that the Time Lords will erase Jamie's memories again when they're done with him and doesn't want that to happen. So, he decides to hide Jamie somewhere, so even if they can't be together, Jamie can still keep his memories and be himself.

The Doctor also knows that he's going to be exiled to the 20th century, to a time and place where he has a lot of friends. Victoria is in the 20th century. She's probably the only person Jamie would willingly leave the Doctor for, so he sends him off to live with her. Jamie knows about regeneration, so if the Doctor wants to check in on him later, he'll be recognized. So, Jamie is safe and the Doctor can still see him.

But, the Time Lords wipe the Doctor's memory of season 6b, so the Third Doctor doesn't know that Jamie is in the 20th century. So, he never visits like he said he would...

Until after The Two Doctors. Six regains some of his memories of season 6b, remembers where Jamie is, and that Jamie has met him as Six. Six and Peri go to visit Jamie and Victoria in a point in the timeline where it hasn't been too long since Jamie last saw Two. Maybe they all celebrate Christmas together or something like that.

When Six loses Peri, he visits Jamie, who knew Peri and had had his own troubles with the Time Lords, so he understands.

2. An AU of Time in Office. Time in Office takes place in this weird period at the end of Frontios where the Doctor and Tegan take a few extra trips in the TARDIS on the way back to where Turlough is in the far future. The TARDIS is being a bit uncooperative as it often is. (My headcanon is that it was just rebuilt by Tractators and is trying to rid itself of "Tractator vibes" or something so that Turlough won't be tormented just by being in the TARDIS. Because the TARDIS loves Five's companions)

Anyway, in Time in Office, the Time Lords catch the Doctor and Tegan and take them back to Gallifrey so the Doctor can be president. They plan to mindwipe Tegan and send her back home, but Leela intervenes and has her made an ambassador of Earth so she can stay.

I assume that the reason Turlough isn't in this story is probably scheduling issues, but it would also be a bit difficult to keep him on Gallifrey here. He's an exile and hasn't even mentioned the name of his homeworld to the Doctor, so they can't make him an ambassador of Trion. The Time Lords have actually had contact with Trion before. They'd find out. But, as much as no companion wants to be mindwiped, Turlough would put up more of a fight than normal. The Time Lords don't just send the Doctor's companions home after mindwiping them. They send them back to where they first met the Doctor. In Turlough's case, that would be Brendon. And he'd rather die than go back there. And this is just after Frontios, so Turlough's already not doing so well mentally. He'd probably snap.

So, how do we keep Turlough on Gallifrey? Well, one of the things Leela suggested to keep Tegan on Gallifrey was marrying a Gallifreyan and becoming a citizen by marriage, which is basically what Leela did. The Doctor does not approve of this idea in Tegan's case, but it might be the only way to keep Turlough on Gallifrey/sane/alive. The Doctor is the only Gallifreyan Turlough really knows. It would probably be a PR nightmare if the Lord President married an alien, but basically Turlough has to marry the Doctor to avoid getting sent back to Brendon and hilarity ensues.

[anxious-ace]

New Au (TF2: Respawn):

Disclaimer:

In this au, the respawn machines are up and running

Because the respawn machines are up and running, there's no need for clones, and thus the 2 teams are separate people

As the 2 teams are separate from each other in the AU, they have different names and stories (the mercs I'll be talking about are the red team unless specified) 

Not sure if them being separate from each other is true in canon but this AU rocks with it (it's less confusing that way, more work sure but less confusing)

Also, the time period has been shifted from the '60s-70s to 2024 so keep that in mind 

Let's get into the ideas:

Sniper is Māori (indigenous Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand), no one knows though (white passing with a tan from Australian outdoors)

He also has 4 cousins (2 sets of twins, one set is older than him and the other is younger)

Sniper is an only child so the cousin thing is to give him someone to spend time with (as he’d probably be kinda lonely)

Actually, he'd keep to himself either way (as he does)

He’s been dealing with some, sleep problems, thanks to the respawn going wacky (there’s “another red spy” walking around, and let's just say, it's not good)

(I mean it doesn't seem to be human)

No one knows why it seems to be only him that's dealing with this but hey, it hasn't killed him yet (seems friendly enough)

(he is kinda paranoid so that's probably part of it)

Pyro is albino (this is me trying to keep him as ambiguous as I can)

(Also it's my au so I can do what I want)

Medic’s name is Marius Ludwig (Mr. not Dr. as he lost his license)

Blue Medic is Fritz (gotta love Emesis blue) Schädler

Like Pyro, Spy’s name and place of origin are unknown (I say as if I didn't spend most of my free time in between classes trying to come up with names and places of origin)

Let's see: yeah I'm not posting that yet because I want to keep their main characteristic which is mystery (but I have stuff written down in a separate list for later)

Scout’s name is Jeremy (canon) Prince (my au, this is because I think it’d boost his ego, which could be why he thinks of himself as one now that I think about it)

The reason the respawn machines are up is because both Engineers got alerts that Gray Mann was planning on sending his robots (the teams got time to prepare so might as well build the things that’ll keep the war going by endlessly respawning)

Cheaper than constantly cloning them but still, Jesus Christ

Also, the respawn machine might be why Snipers a bit, off, so Medic and Engineer have to figure that out and deal with the robots

I think the idea I have for the creation of the Spy copy is that something was leaking from Spy’s machine while he was still in it, the leaking created an eldritch copy of him, the copy escaped before he could tell anyone, and now its somewhere in the base

(I really should do a comparison of the 2)

Also, the respawn machine showed Sniper some shit and now he can't sleep (he and Spy were respawning at the same time)

When he first saw the Spy copy, he thought he was just seeing things so he didn't say anything

(paranoia + sleep deprivation isn't a good combo)

The team has what they call "base pets" or “the (animal) crew” that just kinda hang out on base while the mercs are working

(Archimedes and Lieutenant Bites are prime examples)

But going off of this, Sniper has a hunting/service dog named Lana

(he got her back when he hunted with the Mundy's, before he went off to work for Mann Co.)

The team knows about her and she's even a part of the crew (he took her with him when he went to work)

The breed is either a labrador retriever, a bull arab, or a mix of both breeds

(I think the mix would be better at solving the indecisiveness so I'm going with it)

Engie and Sniper were weird about each other when they first got to Mann Co. (they knew each other from before and couldn't believe that the other person joined this kind of thing, they didn't get that vibe about each other when they met)

Sniper's parents are still alive because I've already given him enough problems as it is (phobias, general paranoia/anxiety, insomnia, all mercs have PTSD of some kind so that counts, and more) and he needs some happiness

(and also I love them too much to just kill them off like I can’t bring myself to do it)

I feel like whenever they don't have any direct orders from Mann Co., the mercs will just give themselves/each other things to do

like Medic or Engineer will need supplies but they’re also busy, so they’ll ask whoever’s available to get it for them

(it's usually Sniper as he has a van and I don't really think he has much to do except for being on the lookout so it makes sense)

They will sometimes ask Spy to go with him just so he isn't in his smoking room all-day

The only ships I've really thought about are Engie/Sniper and Medic/Heavy (mostly the former)

Engie and Sniper met in college (Engie was studying abroad for whatever reason), Sniper was eating alone (as he does) and Engie was like “fuck it, let's talk to the loner”, they got talking and exchanged names, numbers, and other info (and so a beautiful relationship was formed because someone gave a lonely kid a goddamn chance for once)

I want to say they’ve been dating for like 8 years (so they've been together for about 4 years when Mann Co. sought them out)

(this is probably why they were weird about each other when they first joined)

Spy, Sniper, Engineer, Medic, and Heavy were all sought out by Mann Co. for their skills and had no choice but to join because of it

On the other hand, Soldier, Pyro, and Scout all joined on their own accord (Demo did too kinda but he was mostly pushed by his mom)

Sniper is allergic to rabbits and certain kinds of alcohol

He's also selectively mute and easily overstimulated/overwhelmed so he has moments where he just spends the day with Pyro or Heavy (as they’re pretty quiet too)

The reason Sniper constantly wears sunglasses is because his eyes are photosensitive (bright lights give him really bad headaches)

This is because of migraines and an eye surgery he had when he was younger

I'll probably be making “identity sheets” in lieu of their files at some point but I need to gather the rest of the canon lore I want to use and find a good template to put the information in

Hold on, was anyone going to tell me that Sniper was canonically suffering from multiple organ failure, or was I just supposed to find that out through a Reddit post about Red Jarate?

Link 1: There's blood in my Jarate: r/tf2

Link 2: TF2 comic page about Jarate

Since Respawn takes place in 2024, I had to figure out when Soldier was barred from joining the army

I took his age (45) and subtracted 18 (when he would've been able to join the army) and got 27

Then I subtracted 27 from 2024 and got 1997 as the year he was barred

But I realized that I had to figure out what war he might have been barred from and to do that I looked up a list of wars from 1990 to 2002, I also had to make sure that the US was actively fighting or at least sending troops

The answer I got was the Afghan civil war (1996-2001) which was between the Islamic State of Afghanistan (supported by Iran and India) and the Taliban, the Islamic emirate of Afghanistan, and al-Qaeda (supported by Pakistan)

America, the UK, Canada, and Australia joined after 9/11 on the side of the Islamic State of Afghanistan so it works

So yeah Soldier was barred from joining the army sometime around 2001

There's an original character called “the Contractor/Informant” that I'll probably be designing soon (I'm also working on her character sheet which will be posted after this goes up)

She works with Miss Pauling to make sure that the information on the contract is right, that the mercs actually get them and get them done

She also has burns on her left arm and near her right eye (references to Kate’s prosthesis) either from a work incident or one involving a Pyro (so still a work incident)

Either way, this injury is part of the reason why she's not a merc (she might’ve been at some point but I have to figure it out)

Sniper was in nature documentaries and he was also doing some kind of commentary-type deal before working for Mann Co.

Scout worked at both KFC and McDonald's before joining Mann Co., he also did some professional baseball games but he got pulled from them at some point

Sniper's parents are housing a kid named Javier who is about 6 years old

Now I still need to figure out the reason why they're housing him or what's going to happen next (like are they going to keep the kid or will Sniper and Engie adopt him?)

(the second is likely but they need to figure out how to balance it with their jobs, and if their bosses would let them in the first place)

Sniper can determine whos who just by their footsteps (something he learned in his childhood) and can mimic them convincingly

Pyro might be the only one who actually knows whos a Spy or not (good for spy checking)

I feel like since Sniper, who was a literal infant at the time, was in a fucking spaceship that landed in someone’s yard, he’d be a literal spaceship baby (termed coined by Scout during a discussion about this) and most likely would've made at least national news

(because come on, if I found a fucking baby in a goddamn spaceship and it landed in my yard, I wouldn't shut up about it)

Now I wonder if his birth parents would've reported him missing or not, probably not given how self centered they are but i have some hope that they would

Engineer made a program with the sole purpose of keeping pyro distracted while hes working

[awlimagines]

Hello! I‘m a big fan of your works but unfortunately I am extremely shy and can‘t muster up the courage to really comment or anything. I just wanna say I appreciate your stuff a lot, a wonderful life is one of my biggest comfort games and unfortunately I don‘t see as much content for it as I‘d wish there was, so seeing you write about it always brings a smile to my face :^)

Also while I can‘t say I wanna kiss him badly I‘m glad to see more Daryl appreciation, I love my best friend Daryl he deserves more appreciation LOL (we love weird freak men here)!

Sorry to drop off a request like this but if you‘re still taking rqs: Bachelorettes & Bachelors helping the farmer with painful period cramps? I know this kinda takes out the ambiguity of the farmer‘s assigned gender at birth sorry haha ^^“ (I myself suffer from painful cramps unfortunately hence I‘m a fan of this type of x Reader stuff haha)

Have a good day and keep on going, but remember to take breaks too from time to time (•w•)/

Sorry, it took me a while to get to this!! It made me really happy to see when I was feeling so sick though!! <3

Fortunately, I've never experienced period cramps to the point I couldn't function. I've been blessed that mine have always been relatively manageable without many issues. My husband is very supportive of anything I need (even if I just want something and not actually a need). Having said that, these might be pretty vague and light on details just because I don't have a ton of specific experience beyond friends who had conditions that made theirs terrible.

Also, I don't mind writing for a specific gender. It just seems fair, for the most part, to keep it as vague as possible so everyone can enjoy it. So, I keep it as gender-neutral as possible by default. Please, please send me any requests you have! I do my best to write the ones I receive and enjoy them greatly. :3

Anyway, enough rambling from me. Each bachelor/bachelorette is below the cut!

How They Help You with Painful Period Cramps

CELIA / CECILIA

She only vaguely understands the pain you feel. Cecilia was blessed with light periods devoid of cramps. But, what she lacks in experience, Ceci makes up for in sympathy. During your periods, Cecilia divides her time between working at Vesta’s farm and helping at yours. If you try to protest her working so much the young woman chides you about learning to accept help when needed. Ceci also quickly gets Vesta on board, and you join them for meals each time to limit your cooking. Both women offer you suggestions to help alleviate your pain.

CODY / GORDY

When Gordy encounters you curled in a ball, his first instinct is to fetch Dr. Hardy. You quickly explain that it’s unnecessary; this is a regular occurrence. The silent artist stares at you momentarily, absorbing your explanations before quietly excusing himself. While the thought of his abandoning you during such a time stings, you try to comfort yourself. You’re surprised when Gordy returns within a few hours and apologizes for taking your horse. He was in a rush and didn’t think to ask first. Gordy asks about pain medicine and a heating pad as he unloads various snacks and drinks from the Mineral Town General Store. He insists you tell him immediately if you need anything else.

DARYL

At first, you feel annoyed with the scientist as he rambles off the biology behind your pain. You soon realize the lecture is helping to keep Daryl calm as he assesses the situation and how to assist you best. Beyond some measly chocolate he had on hand, he is not much help the first time. Daryl makes up for this the second time and is prepared with various remedies that might help you feel better. Before long, he has your cycle memorized better than you and is always ready with the things that help you best. He doesn’t offer much help with your cattle but rambles ideas about a watering system to reduce your work for crops.

FLORA

Despite your pain, you find yourself more concerned about Flora. You were explaining how terrible your pain was through gritted teeth when Flora agreed. You couldn’t help but blink in shock at the archeologist. She said she felt the same during her period but just focused on work and tried her best to ignore it. Flora seemed surprised when you offered suggestions and shared your resources to help her. She doesn’t want to take from you. This soon becomes the most extensive argument of your relationship before you both eventually agree on a system to support each other. Flora dotes on you and consistently makes sure you have everything you need while you gently remind her it's okay to take breaks and take care of herself as well.

GUSTAFA

It hit unexpectedly when you were spending time with Gustafa at his yurt. Even through the pain, you felt embarrassed and stuttered out an apology, planning an exit to your farm. The musician caught on quickly to your pain and offered supplies. You were shocked to find the man so well prepared, and he explained that having female friends and keeping extra became a habit to try and help. Gustafa steps outside to give you privacy. He soon offers to have you stay, and he can fetch you anything you might need from home. Regardless of your decision, Gustafa is supportive. He admits to being a bit hopeless in the kitchen but does his best to wait on you hand and foot. He insists on handling any errands you need to be done and hovers if you want to do farmwork in case he’s needed.

LUMINA

You quickly learn that the life of the rich is different from what you expected. At the first mention of your intense period pains, Lumina has already arranged a meeting with Dr. Hardy to guarantee there are no medical causes of your pain. Lumina also insists on you staying at the manor under her care, and with Aunt Romana as backup, it doesn’t give you much choice. They both casually tell you Sebastian will tend to the farm with Takakura until you recover. It isn’t until you explain the guilt of putting more work on the butler makes you feel worse that she relents. Instead, Lumina focuses on learning your favorite dishes and bringing them to you throughout each period. She also masters the art of getting you to accept expensive remedies.

MARLIN / MATTHEW

Despite living with two women, you can tell Matthew is uncomfortable talking about your period. It doesn’t stop him from assisting however he can. Like Cecilia, he does more work to help you at the farm during your periods. While he seems most comfortable helping with the physical labor, Matthew does his best to cook meals for you. He’ll also mumble out suggestions to try and help with the pain. When you discover Matthew has been asking other female residents on your behalf, his face turns red like a tomato. He avoids looking at you as he grumbles about it not being a big deal if anything helped you.

MUFFY / MOLLY

Molly experiences cramps, though she admits they’re not quite as painful as yours. She shares remedies and methods to help from the vast social network of her city friends. You weren’t thrilled with her idea of spa days when Molly first arrived at your farmhouse. The blonde gently bullied you into giving them a try with an adorable pout. They quickly grew on you as you sank into the hot springs and relaxed with Molly. The worst days of your period soon become filled with the hot springs, good food and drinks from the cafe, and plenty of conversation with Molly. While your pain may not be gone, her support and company help make it more bearable.

NAMI

You both slowly realize there are times you never see each other. It turns out Nami suffers similarly to you and essentially just holes up at the inn as she becomes irritable. You tentatively offer suggestions for the things that help with your pain. A sigh of relief escapes you as Nami returns the gesture with her solutions. You’re surprised when you drag out from your bed during one to find Nami at your door. She offers to share the homecooked food the doting Lou made. Nami and you soon have a system alternating between the farm and the inn. You both find comfort in knowing someone else understands your pain and struggles and can provide support.

ROCK

Rock has the best intentions, but you can tell he never paid attention to sex education in school. The blonde surfer understands almost nothing about periods. You're annoyed at his appalled look when you have to explain the menstrual cycle and the source of your pain. The feeling doesn’t linger long when he calls asking if you prefer lemon or lime at the store for your products. You can’t help but laugh as you hear a female worker lecturing him in the background. Rock has to be gently reminded not to eat all your snacks, but he always comes around with new movies from your favorite genre to watch while you cuddle together.

[all-pacas]

I should clarify my previous ask, a world in which only cameron works for house but chase doesn't, would they date? Because we both know if they start dating AND are the only members of houses team, he'd fire them both.

a) I'm not actually sure House would fire them. He makes a big deal about Foreman and 13, and Foreman himself brings up this point:

FOREMAN: You were fine with Chase and Cameron dating. You obviously don't actually have an issue — HOUSE: You're fired. FOREMAN: How long are you gonna keep this up? We know you're not — HOUSE: Wrong. Again. In fact, in the last few weeks, it's hard to remember a correct call you made. If Chase had compromised his professional judgment to help Cameron, I’d have fired his ass, too.

Now, Cameron and Chase did have unprofessional sex all over the hospital while not-dating, but it's also the middle of Chase's S3 hot streak and he manages to solve a case by himself during this period, so by House's standards, no problem. He had more of an issue with them when they were bickering after 'breaking up' in Act Your Age, but actually Cameron and Chase got it together pretty quickly, so again, didn't approach the firing threshold. Hell, even in S6, House says (or at least pretends) he wants to hire them both after Dibala. Maybe he's a shipper!

But I do think it means that House is being sincere with Foreman here. He does not give a shit who is sleeping with who if it doesn't interfere with work or standards. So Chase and Cameron could date in an AU where it was just them on the team. I don't think they would, because Cameron would lose her impetus to act on her feelings. But they could!

b) They might date in a world where Cameron stays and Chase is fired, though. It was Chase leaving that triggered Cameron to pursue him, after all — they have their kiss before she resigns, I think it was the idea that she genuinely might not see him again that pushed her to act. And especially once Chase moves to the OR, there's absolutely no reason Cameron should have to make a choice between Diagnostics and Chase; Chase himself isn't actually bitter or angry over his firing, even if he uses his summer vacation to grow House Boundaries, and in S6 he mentions (without bitterness) that Cameron always liked diagnostics more than he did.

Whether the relationship would last, though… Chase has always felt pretty insecure about House in terms of their relationship. Part of it is his own issues, but Cameron really doesn't help at times. I mean, it's basically confirmed a big part of their FWB relationship was an attempt to provoke House into jealousy. While I don't think it's as simple as "Cameron was just using Chase to make House jealous," wanting House to care was a factor, House's opinion has always really mattered to Cameron. She might not be 'in love' with him, but he's someone she sees through the lens of romance if that makes sense: he's a potential romance, not just boss or colleague, and she kind of acts like the possibility always exists, even if it's unlikely. So she gets way too flustered when accidentally saying she loves him, because she's thinking it could be misconstrued (where if someone like 13 said the same thing, it wouldn't feel ambiguous to her). As late as the episode where Chase and Cameron get engaged, Chase has "is she dumping me for House" in the back of his mind — he doesn't seem to take the possibility that seriously (he's more upset about the ghosting), but it still exists. So in a world where Cameron is spending every day working with House, gushing on her lunch breaks to Chase about their current cases, I think the insecurity would get way stronger, and probably lead to the relationship falling apart pretty abruptly, even if/though nothing is actually happening with House.

[tobiasdrake]

After much chasing, what do we have for a boss?

Is the lifesaver Wentworth? I want Wentworth to like me. I want so bad for Wentworth to like me. He's so cool. ._. And I would like for the Warrior Cook's efforts in taming him to not end in stabbing.

Oh, that will be a piece of cake, then. I'm good at stabbing fireballs.

Uh. H... Heeeeeeey buddy... Uh... Are we... are we cool?

WENTWORTH NO I NEED THAT FOR STANDING

Dragon fighting pro-tip: DO NOT DO WHATEVER I'M FUCKING DOING RIGHT NOW HOLY SHIT THIS IS A TERRIBLE IDEA

Oh so this is what he meant by "attack the fireballs". Easy enough to forge a path via twirly-doos!

Gotta remember to write that down. "A dragon's greatest weakness: Excessive twirly-doos".

IF YOU'D STOP GETTING BACK UP I WOULDN'T HAVE TO KEEP DOING IT

This hurts me a lot more than it hurts you, Wentworth. So, so much more. You've killed me three times.

OH FUCK ME Did I just kill him?

It's okay. I don't think Luana cares as much about you as the Artificer so I should be in--

...or I uncursed him by hitting him really hard. Huh. Guess that's all you needed to do.

That the Warrior Cook was able to tame him without actually breaking his curse in the process honestly makes that accomplishment even more impressive.

Ago. You were watching me a long time ago. It's been Ambiguous Length of Time since the halcyon days of you stabbing me in the junk.

Things are different now. I have a cool hat. Care to try your luck?

...disguise?

<.< >.> Do I... Do I know... anybody? Monkshroom? Necromancer?

Are you the Shopkeeper? Him and Quarble are the only people I have a close, personal relationship with. Have you been popping out of the shop to stab me in the junk periodically?

Because that... does sound like something he'd do. Between you and me, I don't think he likes me very much. But it's okay because he might be an assclown.

...

Aephorul? Are you Aephorul? Because if you are, you've seriously let yourself go if you're having a hard time throwing hands with me. Did Luana, Solen, and the Warrior Cook beat you so hard that you're still broken and battered to this day?

Oh. Butt gravy. No, uh... *finger snap snap snap* Bug raver. You were an inspiration to Luana until you ruined her birthday party. You were basically Erlina's +1, more than a significant participant in events yourself. Kinda like Solen; At least, according to Luana's telling of the story.

Vaguely? Honestly, I don't know why you bothered disguising yourself, man. All of you demons blur together. And it's not like we've been doing anything different from what we would be doing if you'd come after me openly.

Wait a minute, you said you're "now certain" that you can take me. Does that mean you were on the fence before? I know I might be ninja trained and all that but I cannot stress enough how just some guy I am.

I actually had you quaking in your cloven hooves, that day at the ninja village? You needed all this time to work up the nerve to fight me for real? Because man, that does not speak well of your abilities. Luana wrote that you two traded down when you became demons and I'm starting to see it now.

In any case, you made mistakes. You should have come at me full throttle when you had the chance. But now, I'm more than some guy. I'm some guy with a hat. And I'm going to carve out your throat you miserable piece of--

FUCK. Gravity. My hat is powerless against its iron grip!

Okay, I was in freefall for about 2-3 minutes and I'm still not sure how I managed to go straight from the stratosphere to Hell without running into anything, land or ocean, between.

...I'm sure this is fine.

[langernameohnebedeutung]

Im rewatching season 1 how crazy it is that liv could have- probably not, but it would have definitely changed things- stopped blaines brain business by supplying him with brains herself. It would have been nice to have another zombie during those early days to talk to, esp if liv still believed blaine was making a change in his life or whatever he said. Kinda like what lowell was to her but less british

(I actually have this very similar AU-idea that I like to explore at the bottom of my hindbrain 'what if Liv hadn't seen Blaine in that alleyway and had been willing to buy into his 'repentant drug dealer' persona and they had been on semi-friendly terms for the first season)(though I kind of like the angle that he still does the brain business thing. And Ravi and Liv (and Major, separately) catch on to the fact that a brain business exists and try to find out who is running it - and even clue Blaine in case he can help and perhaps he delivers them wrong information or otherwise manipulates them) so it's a bigger personal betrayal when they find out that it was Blaine all along)

The thing is, I think it's a bit of a veeeery soft retcon they did at the beginning of season 2 (or perhaps just a clarification) because when the cast talks about Blaine's original return in the second episode, they talk about how it was supposed to be very ambiguous where he's standing.

But at the start of season 2, Blaine mentions that Angus was his 'first customer' - and since the first person we see him infect for his business is Jackie (we don't really know when he infected the Meat Cute gang or when he stored Julien and the others in his freezer), season 1 leaves the option that Jackie was the start of his business and that he used her money to expand OR that she was just one of many in a row. Saying Angus was the first means he would already definitely have been at it for a while when he found out about Liv. (On the other hand, it could be argued that infecting and 'owning' Angus is so personal that it doesn't really count as part of the bigger brain business scheme. That maybe he just infected him to keep himself afloat AND to get back at his father and then only later decided 'hey, actually I can do this to everyone I want!' (or perhaps he just told Angus that he was the first, but personally, I like the theory that he went straight to Angus the moment he had a shot at revenge. Plus, I don't think he would tell Angus that he was the first if he wasn't - because that would be admitting how much power Angus still has over him.)

Though, I also think that the way in which Blaine infects Jackie...seems pretty routined and pre-meditated. And when he did that, it was before the alleyway scene so at that point, Blaine still thought Liv was going to give him brains. So to me that certainly always felt like the plan was to x two birds with 1 stone:

a) check out the people who are looking for me online and who are working at a morgue and stay in touch to keep an eye on them (and the cops by extension)(after all, he even does a similar thing in season 2, when he wants Liv to keep an eye on Dale for him)

b) do hapless remorseful drug dealer and fellow zombie act, secure brain, secure customer, play grateful that Liv is giving you brains but sell them off behind her back. Profit! >:)

(that's my personal interpretation though)

But I also definitely would have enjoyed if there had been a longer period of just...uncertainty about what Blaine's deal is and more time in which to perhaps explore Liv's feelings about Blaine's part in her infection and everything that happened at the boat party at large and also perhaps the way her feelings on the matter conflicted with Ravi's, who was a lot more willing to give Blaine the benefit of the doubt. (and you know who could have given us that??? the old 24-episode format!! ...but that's another passion topic of mine)

(On the other hand, it's also a topic that I feel a bit conflicted on because I've seen some people (cough reddit! cough) literally blame Liv for the bullshit Blaine does à la "ohh, surely Blaine wouldn't have gone and built a giant business on the back of murdered orphans if Liv had just shared that brain with him in ep. 2" ...which. nah. I think that is an obstacle that could be overcome without going full Mrs. Lovett.)