#but getting those 4 normal hits is so tough

[dravidious]

You're more amazing than skulls

You're more amazing than a 2-for-1 special

[werecreature-addicted]

I always wonder how many werewolf pups a woman could realistically carry since werewolves are always like, “You’ll give me a litter of pups.” Think about it. Are the pups the same size as human babies? Making werewolf x human pregnancies a big strain on the body carrying 3-4 in the womb at a time. Or are the pups drastically smaller than humans, and would be like 6-8 in the womb?

I know this is a stupid thought because it’d also imply that 3-8 eggs were released from the ovaries to get fertilized (excluding identical twins), and twins in humans are already pretty rare. Rarer with triplets and higher, as those don’t usually occur naturally without medical aid (fertility drugs/treatments).

Then you gotta think if werewolves are born in werewolf form, human form, puppy form, or even a new combination, looking human with wolf ears and a tail. I am thinking way too much about this. I blame your lovely blog for corrupting me with werewolf content <3

Thoughts? Or just what you’d wanna personally headcanon? I’m struggling obviously and needed to share my thoughts and opinions to the world. Sorry it’s a lot what I wrote.

I think realistically it would depend entirely on who in the partnership is the werewolf. If the person with a womb and carrying the babies was a werewolf then something like 3-5 pups at a time would be reasonable to expect, even if their lover was human. If the person carrying the baby was human 1-2 is much more likely.

I do think werewolf babies would be around the same size as human ones, but werewolves are huge so in comparison they're much smaller and easier for a werewolf to carry multiple at a time, but humans are shit out of luck with that one.

In my personal head cannon born, werewolves start to transform around 12-13 with puberty hitting, so they're born and spend most of their childhood in a human form. Transformations can be painful and difficult at first, you need to have a slightly more grown body to handle them.

Also- if Twilight has taught us nothing else it's taught us that humans could not survive giving birth to a monster baby. When their teeth grow in they are sharp fangs instead of normal baby teeth, and their razor-sharp fingernails are tough enough to dent most nail clippers. But other than that you have a cute baby who can pass for a human!

[bucksbluescarf]

alex recs fics

wanted to do @middlingmay 's alternative fic recs questions too! there's so much great writing in this fandom, way too much to mention here, but:

1. The fic that's made you laugh the most?

i think the most recent one is take me home, country roads by @feyd-meowtha, sorry for laughing at your misfortunes gale but they are hilarious

2. What's a fic that makes you cry?

the only one time i can remember a fic making me cry is the phone reunion scene in jump the gun by @swifty-fox. idk what it is about those outlaw boys but they just get to me

3. Your fave comfort, silly fic?

idk about silly but my absolute comfort fic, to no one's surprise, is looking for eight by @weimarweekly. it's a fic with quite a bit of comforting, so maybe that's why. or maybe i just like thinking about gale in his cunty little cowboy outfits

4. The fic that made you try a genre or a trope you wouldn't normally read.

was never a big age gap au guy but tough and sweet by @johnslittlespoon is so good that now i'm a convert and i'm writing one myself, ha. callum turner in leaving you've done so much for the culture

5. An author that's inspired your own fic writing (if you're an author), or your TBR list (if you're a reader).

i'm sure i get influenced by so many people but one thing i really admire is @whirlpool-blogs ability to execute such strong concepts in pretty short fics! their android au and pet sematary au are amazing, really inspiring writing

6. Your fave "underdog" fics/authors in your fandom(s). Those that you feel are underappreciated and deserve some love.

let us not desert one another; we are an injured body by @irregularcollapse has less than 500 hits?? c'mon guys we can do better, don't be afraid of a little cannibalism this fic is gorgeous, gourmet eating

7. What's one thing you wish writers/readers/the fandom did more of when it comes to fanfiction?

f/f, obviously. for every fic where marge has a girlfriend an angel gets its wings

8. What's one thing you wish writers/readers/the fandom did less of when it comes to fanfiction?

conversely, please stop throwing my girl marge under the bus for the sake of clegan. ofc it can be done in narratively compelling ways but sometimes it is. not.

to end off on a positive note, a thank you to everyone who creates stuff for the mota fandom and makes it such a fun place to be! and please never stop promoting your art/recommending others', i constantly come across amazing things that i missed previously!

[danceswithsporks]

Awake-Part 4

Crosshair x f! Innkeeper

*Not canon to Season 3*

Parts 1 2 3

Chapter Summary: Crosshair begins to try and settle into life on Pabu while dealing with his feelings.

Authors Notes: It’s another long one folk! This one was tough for me to write for whatever reason. I think I hit a wall and I’m slowly getting over it. Think of it as a 60ft wall and I’m using two little daggers to climb over it because I can’t find a ladder. Does that make sense? Idfk. All I know is this took me longer than intended and I’m so sorry for that! I still hope you’ll enjoy this chapter! ♥️

Spotify Playlist has been updated with the new song!

Awake, he was fucking awake again. The entire inn was asleep and yet here he fucking was. Wide awake and lost in thought. Ever since he’d arrived on this island he’d barely slept. When he did sleep she wasn’t there anymore. Instead, she was replaced by those he’d lost like Mayday and Tech. They haunted his sleep. They berated him and reminded him of their deaths. Tortured him with the knowledge that they’d both died and he was in some way connected.

It had been a week since they’d returned to Pabu and Crosshair had scarcely left his room. In the last seven days, he’d left twice. Once, on their first day there to try and interact with the others, and then on day four to go with Hunter and Echo to check on Wrecker and the kid. He couldn’t even make it to their home before he turned back. He couldn’t do it, he couldn’t face the kid right now. 

During his walk back to his room, he ran into you. You smiled at him and it made his heart beat fast. He still didn’t understand how you could be real. You used to run rampant in his dreams and then suddenly you’d stopped. Your voice, your laugh, and your eyes, it was all the same. How could this be possible? He still hadn’t mentioned to the others about his dream in fear they’d write him off as crazy. Deep down he knew they never would do that. But his mind kept telling him they could. 

“Good evening, Crosshair.” You said sweetly to him as he walked by. The flowing sundress you wore blew in the breeze of your opened patio doors. “Will you join us for dinner tonight?” You looked hopefully at him. 

He shook his head no as he neared the stairs. He felt horrible for not speaking to you. He’d dreamed about you so much before meeting you and now he couldn’t even face you. What would you think of him if you knew everything he’d done and what he’d gone through? Would you continue to be this nice?

You watched in silence. The way he was acting reminded you of how Stitches had acted after losing her parents. It had been months before she was back to normal. From what you’d heard from Stitches, Crosshair had made the call to the boys to warn them. Could he possibly blame himself for them leaving the safety of Pabu and the avoidable death of his brother? You sincerely hoped that wasn’t the case. That was a dark deep pit to be stuck in. It took you and many others months to get Stitches back to normal. Maybe you should reach out to him? Talk to him? The sound of the door opening drew your attention away from the clone and back to your business. 

-*-

The second week came and went in a haze for Crosshair. He barely left his room and barely ate the food you brought up. He could hear his brothers in the hall talking to you on different occasions and the concern you felt for him was clear. It was only when he was sure everyone was out of the hall did he ever open his door for food. He wanted to leave his room, he did, but it was like there was a weight on him preventing him from doing so. It chained him to his room and anchored him to that space alone. Every time he attempted to leave his chest would get heavy.

One night at the beginning of the third week, when the moon was full and illuminated the island in a gentle glow, he found himself compelled to leave his room. He wasn’t sure why he was compelled to leave, he just was. He crept down the stairs quietly in hopes of not waking his slumbering brothers or you. To his surprise, you were already awake and sitting on the patio in one of the chairs overlooking your garden with the door wide open. A gentle breeze blew through the room carrying the scent of lavender and roses in the air. Crosshair inhaled slowly and let out a quiet sigh. He’d been stuck in his room for so long that he’d forgotten the smell of fresh sea air. It reminded him of Kamino. He, surprisingly, missed the water planet. 

He stepped towards the patio door and the floor creaked beneath his feet. You turned in your seat and smiled softly at him. 

“Crosshair, I was wondering when I’d see you again.” Your voice was gentle like the ocean air. You didn’t stand from your seat but simply looked over your shoulder at the mysterious clone. You’d briefly seen his hands poke out from his room to grab a tray of food before the door would shut again. You could hear him moving around from the first floor and you’d heard him cry out a few nights prior. 

He didn’t say anything to you as he stepped out onto the patio. A cup of tea sat on the table in front of you with steam swirling from it. You motioned to a chair near you and after a moment of hesitation, he sat down. 

“Here.” You whispered. “I’ll go make another cup. Don’t worry, I haven’t drunk from it.” Carefully the cup was passed to him before you stood and went back inside.

Crosshair hadn’t expected you to give him your drink. He hadn’t expected anything from you, he didn’t deserve anything from you. Not after the things he’d done. His hand wrapped around the cup and the warmth from the drink spread across his body making goose flesh scatter his skin. Behind him, the sound of you in the kitchen could be heard. The clink of another mug being placed on the counter, a cabinet opening, the clang of the kettle on the stove, and the sound of a metal spoon stirring in the mug. It all rang out in the silent night air to his ears. After a few minutes, you returned with a happy hum and sat back in your chair. 

A silence hung in the air between the two of you as you both stared at the night sky. Every few moments Crosshair would shift in his seat or take a drink of the tea. A cool night breeze danced through the air and against your skin making you shiver. “Should have brought my sweater.” You joked lightly before moving to go inside and grab a blanket. Instead, Crosshair stood and motioned for you to stay in your seat. He moved inside quickly and after a minute returned with a blanket. “Oh, thank you, Crosshair.” You spoke gently as he laid the blanket around your shoulders. You watched as he returned to his seat and the two of you fell back into your silence. 

An hour later you finally let out a long sigh and broke the silence. “I should get inside and get some sleep before I have to make breakfast.” 

Oh, you were leaving already? He was kind of enjoying this quiet time. He watched as you stood from the table with the blanket still around your shoulders. Words seemed to fail him as you stood in the glow of the moonlight in your pajama shorts and tank top. 

Grabbing your empty mug of tea, you began to head inside before stopping in the doorway. “You should take a walk down to the docks. There’s a sea wall you can sit on and just breathe in the crisp sea air. It might help you clear your mind.” 

“How do you know I need to clear my mind?” Crosshair stood from his chair. 

“My apartment is below your room.” You pointed over your shoulder. “I hear you moving around at night. You have trouble sleeping, don’t you?” Reaching up, you pulled the blanket tighter around your shoulders as you tried to fight off the chill of the night air. 

“I” he hesitated. You were right, he was having trouble sleeping. 

“Take the walk, Crosshair. When you get back you can take a long shower and I’ll have breakfast ready for you.” You passed him a sweet smile before turning and heading inside, not giving him the chance to argue. A plan was forming in your head.

He watched you place the blanket on the back of the couch in the living area before disappearing into the apartment behind the door marked ‘Private’. A shower and breakfast? Did he smell that bad? He gave himself a sniff and frowned, it had been a few days since he’d last showered. 

Crosshair looked out at the vast star-filled sky and chewed his lip. Perhaps you were right, a long walk in fresh air might do him some good. No doubt the shower later would help as well. Grabbing the same blanket you had used, he wrapped it around his shoulders and headed out the front door. 

You stood watching from your balcony as the quiet clone began the descent down the island. It would take him some time to reach the docks at the speed he was walking. But perhaps that was a good thing. You’d never gone through a big tragedy like they had. Your life on Pabu had been perfect. Two parents who loved you fiercely, grandparents who adored you, and an inn that, before the empire had taken over, had been doing great. 

Your mother had passed from sickness a few years prior and your father soon after from, what the doctor had called a broken heart. It was sad and you’d cried your eyes out for nearly a month. But you knew people like Stitches had had it harder. Your grandparents took over raising you but then they passed the year before, your grandmother in spring and your grandfather in winter, and thus you were on your own.  It wasn’t some tragic tale of loss and heartbreak. You hadn’t been traumatized from any of it. In short, your life had indeed been close to perfect as perfect could be. The only bad times you could think of where you truly were upset would have to be the bad breakups you’d had over the years. That was to be expected when you dated customers. 

With a sigh, you thought about your family. You’d been sad when your parents passed, that much was true. But your grandmother had always told you to take walks and let the sea air calm you. It worked too. Perhaps it was one of those old wives' tales mixed with a placebo effect. But you believed in it and hopefully so would Crosshair. If your grandmother was still alive she would have dragged him from his room on the third day and forced him to eat a big bowl of her homemade lentil soup. He probably would have outwardly hated it, but it would have warmed his soul and no doubt it would have helped him. You’d once tried to make the soup in hopes of honoring your grandmother, but it didn’t taste anything close to hers. You hadn’t tried to make it since then. Maybe you should, perhaps the boys would like it. 

They were still your only customers, more like tenants at this point. You’d had conversations with both Echo and Hunter since they’d first arrived and you’d seen Stitches, Wrecker, and Omega just a few days ago when you went to pick up the clothes the seamstress had made for the boys. One night, a few days ago, Hunter and Echo explained what happened. Your heart hurt for them. To lose a brother in such a terrible way was one of the worst things imaginable. You’d offered your condolences to them and they’d taken it. Now you understood why Omega and Wrecker were having nightmares and why Stitches was so worried. You’d asked if anyone had told Chai what had happened and both men shook their heads.

“I offered to explain it all to her. But she said she wasn’t ready.” Hunter had told you solemnly. 

You wondered if the girl would ever be ready. With a long hum, you pushed off the balcony wall and stepped back into your room. The worry for your friends ran through your head as you laid back into your much too-large bed. Perhaps you’d visit Chai in the morning? Check on her before checking on Stitches and her little family. Whatever you’d do, Crosshair would come first. You fell back to sleep thinking about your plan. 

-*-

The walk down Pabu was surprisingly nice. The cool night air mixed with the sea air and blew through his skin in a way that had him closing his eyes and sighing. Memories of Kamino danced through his mind. Sure they were ignored and on the receiving end of insults from the regs but outside of that, it was his home. The place he grew up with his vod at.the place where he’d made the stupid decision to wait for the empire instead of going with the batch. Whether the memories were good or bad, that ocean scent would always transport him home. 

He followed the cobblestone path to the base of the hill where a waist-high seawall sat. A figure shifted on the wall making him realize he wasn’t alone. Instinctually, he moved to grab his blaster but realized he didn’t have it. He moved to turn and head away from the potential danger when he kicked a loose pebble across the cobblestones. The sound seemed to echo in the quiet night air. The figure shifted and turned to face him. It was her, Techs girl.

“Oh. I thought I was the only one up this late.” Chai tried to force a smile but found herself still unable to. She’d last smiled before they returned. Back when she felt like everything would be okay and Tech would come back to her. Now it felt like she’d never smile again. She looked at his brother with tired eyes and found the same exhaustion looking back at her. “Couldn’t sleep?” 

“No” What was he supposed to say to her at this moment? It was clear she wanted to be alone. He’d heard Hunter talking to Doll and Echo about how the woman didn’t want to know about what happened to Tech. Seeing as he was the cause of his death, Crosshair was the last person who should be talking to her. “I’ll leave.” 

“No!” Chai nearly jumped off the sea wall. Perhaps having the company of one of his brothers would help calm her. “Please. Join me?” She patted the space next to her. 

Crosshair swallowed as your words rang out to him. The sea air would help, hopefully you were right. He nodded to Chai before moving to the wall and boosting himself onto the stone wall. His feet dangled next to hers and he wished he hadn’t worn shoes so he could feel the spray on his ankles. How they were sitting reminded him once more of Kamino and how he and his brothers would sit and watch the Aiwha fly around. 

“We haven’t been introduced. I’m Chai.” She released the datapad in her lap with one hand and offered it to the clone before her. A burn scar could be seen on the right side of his head and she wondered how he got it. Tech had never mentioned a burn scar. 

“Crosshair.” He shook her hand gently before looking down at the familiar datapad. “You look yet?” The question left him before he could stop it. 

She shook her head solemnly. “I tried a few days ago. But it’s locked and I don’t know the code. I tried his clone number but it didn’t work.” Talking to him was almost refreshing in a way. This was the most she’d spoken in days. 

“Check his goggles. He wrote the code in one of the rims.” Just in case he forgot it for whatever reason. Crosshair was the only one to know of its location. It was his job as Tech's twin to know these things. Twin, he wasn’t a twin anymore. Now it was just him. Tech understood him deeper than anyone else had and now he was on his own. 

“Oh.” She looked down at the device in her lap and sighed softly. She’d look for the code when she went home. Maybe today would be the day she’d look through it. “Thanks” 

Crosshair nodded before looking back out over the ocean. It was nice here, just the sound of the ocean waves hitting the rocks below and their breathing. Maybe a sigh here or there but that was it. 

Chai had to admit, she appreciated the silence that fell. For the past two weeks, people had been offering their condolences and sympathy for her loss. Her brothers and father had tried to talk her through the grief and both Hunter and Echo had tried to explain what had happened. But so far Crosshair was keen to not say anything about the topic. She liked that. For these last two weeks, she’d felt so alone. But having someone just sit by her who wasn’t trying to talk about anything seemed to be just what she needed. 

After an hour, Chai turned and hopped off the wall. “I should go back and get ready to open the shop.” A shop owner's job didn’t stop, not even for the death of one they cared for. Crosshair nodded to her, not moving to stand. “I come down most nights. Feel free to join me.” 

He looked over his shoulder at the girl before nodding once more. He had barely any words to say to her. His mind hadn’t stopped running over what to say to her or discuss with her. But according to Shaak Ti, sometimes saying nothing was just as important as saying something. She offered for him to join her another night. Would she hold that offer once she learned what he’d done? That he was why Tech was gone? “Thanks.” Was all he could think to say to her. 

-*-

You woke up to the sound of Crosshair's door shutting and his feet crossing the room. Perfect. You checked your clock and found it had been three hours since he’d left. Hopefully that time away did him some good. Humming softly, you pulled yourself from the warmth of your bed and back into the cool air blowing in off the ocean. You’d left your balcony doors open and that cool crisp air had filled your room. Pulling on your long robe, you stepped out of your room and over to the main kitchen. Stitches would be dropping off breakfast and lunch for them soon enough, but you wanted to do something more traditional and hearty for him. Something to truly welcome him to the island. 

While two eggs were boiling in salted water, you pulled fresh yogurt from the conservator that had been delivered the day before from one of Pabu’s sister islands. A merchant fleet of ships traveled to all the islands on your planet, even Pabu had two ships that were part of the fleet. 

You poured the yogurt into a small dish and added a drizzle of honey over the top of it with a few figs on the side before moving over to start the gliko caf. Maybe he wouldn’t like it so sweet but you loved it that way and so he’d have to at least try it. You poured the sugar and cream into the cups and waited for the delicious dark liquid to pour from the brewer. Now you just needed the kalathaki, prozimi, and the amygdalota. You had the feta, gruyere, and nuts already. 

As if on cue, there was a knock on your front door. After a moment the door opened and Chai’s older brother, Vino, came in with your daily order of sweets and bread. He was always kind enough to swing by the bakers and pick up your bread order. Chai had let it slip that he had a crush on you and while you found it sweet, you didn’t feel the same way back. He was your best friend's brother after all. 

“Thank you, Vino.” You stepped around the island in your kitchen and over to the basket in his hands. 

“Anytime, Doll.” He smiled at you the same way he always did. With a twinkle in his eye and a smile that reached his bright blues. “Your orders have been bigger since the clones arrived.” 

You took the basket from him and shrugged. “They eat a lot. Well, two of them do. Plus I split with Stitches.” The smell of the prozimi wafted through the air and made you sigh. The sourdough always smelled amazing. “How is she?” You hadn’t heard from your dear friend in a few days and you worried. 

Vino shrugged. “Some days are better than others. She’s been going out at night when she thinks we’re all asleep. Goes to the seawall and just stares.” 

“They had a lot of moments there.” The seawall, huh? You wondered if Crosshair had run into her a few hours ago. “I’ll swing by and talk to her later today. That okay?” 

“You know you’re always welcome at our place, Doll.” You were like family after all. He reached out and placed a hand on your shoulder gently. “Maybe talking to you will pull her out of her funk. I haven’t seen her this bad, ever. Not even when mom passed.” 

You nodded to him while patting his hand. “She’ll be okay. Just give her some time. We all grieve in our own way.” 

Vino stepped closer to you and looked down into your eyes. “Are you grieving as well?” He raised his hand to stroke your chin but heard someone clear their throat behind him. Damn. One of these days he’d get the courage to ask you out. 

“Stitches!” Thank the stars she was here. Things were getting awkward with Vino. 

“Hey, Good morning.” She winked at you as you stepped around Vino and back to your island. She walked across the room and elbowed her friend's brother. “Vino. Don’t you have a shop to open?”

“Right.” He nodded to you sweetly. “See ya later? I’ll let Chai know you’re coming over.” 

“Sounds good. Thanks again, Vino.” You watched as the man waved bye to Stirches before leaving. You shook your head as you stepped around the counter and back to the slowly forming tray of food. Already you could tell that Stitches was going to tease you. The basket of goodies was placed on the counter while you checked on the caf. It was almost ready. Just five more minutes. You could see into the small crate that Stitches carried. Six containers of food sat neatly within. “Hope this wasn’t too early for ya.”  You tried to avoid the teasing that was no doubt coming. 

“I was heading to the school to get Omega enrolled so I’ve got some time.” She walked over and placed the crate down while smirking. “So you and Vino, huh?” 

“Don’t start.” You hated how awkward things were between you two now that you knew he liked you. “Wish Chai had never said anything.” The goodies of your basket were pulled out and placed on the counter. The kalathaki looked amazing with its golden crispy crust. You pulled out a knife and cut two pieces from the cheese-based pie. A few more slices were cut and placed into your fridge before you packaged the rest up for Stitches. 

“I think it’s cute.” She watched as you sliced a few pieces of the sourdough bread and placed it on the tray. Now who were you making all of this for? “He’s like a little puppy with the way he does things for you.” She reached over and plucked an amygdalota from the basket. The almond cookie danced on her tongue as she took a bite. “Ugh, Chai definitely made these.” They tasted just right. Nice and firm on the outside but chewy on the inside with just the right balance of salt and sugar. 

She moved over to your conservator and pulled out a few pieces of mixed fruit as well as some olives. “Wow, good haul from the merchant ships. Was Dion working?” Out of all the merchants, Dion liked you the most, and thus he always gave you a great deal. She placed the items on the counter next to you. 

“Yeah.” Once again there was another man who crushed on you. None of them fit that fairytale romance you wanted though. You wanted someone who would listen to what you had to say and understand it. Someone who looked at you like you were everything to them. Someone who you could care for but would care for you as well. That perfect relationship like yours, and so many others, parents had. 

“So which one of them is it? Who's the lucky clone getting this amazing-looking tray of food.” She watched as you placed a few of the almond cookies onto the tray before turning and grabbing the eggs from the water. Stitches was quick to help you by grabbing a bowl and filling it with ice and water.

 You deposited the eggs into the water to quickly cool as you finished filling the tray. All you needed was the eggs and then the caf. Already your inn was smelling amazing and no doubt the other clones would be up soon. You tried to ignore her question but as usual, your friend wouldn’t let up. 

“Can’t be Hunter, he’s too rugged for your taste. Remember Ienzo? You hated his ruggedness.” She grabbed an olive and popped it into her mouth. The salty brine burst in her mouth. She hadn't eaten before she left and it was catching up to her. 

“Ienzo’s beard was too long and had stuff stuck in it. Not to mention his hair was too greasy. I don’t think I’d call that rugged. I’d just call that gross. From what I’ve seen, Hunter is far from that.” But still far from your type. You grabbed the caf from the brewer and poured it into the two cups. It took a lot of willpower not to down your cup right away. 

Stitches shook her head as you rolled your eyes. “Ok, well it can’t be Echo. He’s far too pale for you. Remember Ansem?” 

You placed a few pieces of cutlery on the tray before looking around for some napkins. “Ansem couldn’t even step outside without burning. I can’t be with someone like that while living on a sunny island. From what I understand, Echo is recovering from some serious shit and hasn’t regained his color. Just as Crosshair is.” 

As soon as you said his name she knew she’d got you. “So it is Crosshair.” She giggled excitedly. “You and Crosshair. I can’t believe it!” Wrecker had folded her very little about Crosshair. Just that he was Tech’s twin and had been the one to make the call that sent them on their rescue mission. 

“Will you keep your voice down? Honestly.” You shooed her with one of the cloth napkins you’d found. “It’s not like that. He’s struggling with something. I just want to try and help him through whatever it is.” Having someone moping around your inn wouldn’t look good for you. Plus he was too cute to be sad. 

Oh. Oh no. You found him cute. 

No, you couldn’t fall for yet another customer. Not after the last one. You’d made a deal with yourself that you wouldn’t date another customer. You were just helping him because you felt bad for him. Yeah. That was all. Not because he had soft eyes filled with emotion or a cute butt. No, it was just because he was sad and you were trying to be nice. 

“Doll? Doooollll.” Stitches waved her hand in your face to draw your attention once more. 

“Huh? What?” You hadn’t realized you’d zoned out. You waved her hand away from your face before walking over to the bowl of ice and pulling out the two eggs. 

“I asked if you’d be making him this special meal every day?” If you were then she could cut back on one of the meals she made every day.

Sighing, you shook your head. “Just today. I’m trying to make him feel comfortable here. It can be hard going from one planet to another, especially when dealing with the death of a brother.” Or so you’d heard from passing customers. Back before the Empire took over you had all manner of customers come through your inn. Families, vendors, bounty hunters, and lone wolves. You’d seen it all and heard it all. You may not have experienced hardship like those around you, but you understood it enough. 

“Right.” She clapped her hands together and hugged you quickly. “Well I expect to be the first to know when that fails and you end up married to him.” 

“Oh, my gods. Why are you this way?” You hugged her before shooing her once more. “I can guarantee it won’t come to that.” 

“Whatever you say, Doll. Whatever you say.” She gathered her portion of the baked goods and bread into the basket. She took a moment to think about something before speaking in a more serious tone. “Don’t force him, or Chai, to talk about what’s wrong. You know as much as I do that’ll just push them deeper into themselves.” 

Your lips formed a thin line as you nodded. “I know.” There was a moment of hesitation between you two before you continued. “How are they? Wrecker and Omega?” 

She hummed in thought for a moment. “It’s day by day. They both still have nightmares and Omega barely eats right now. But I think getting her enrolled in school and back around other kids will help.” Stitches checked the basket for everything to distract herself from worrying too much about her little family. “Give Chai my love?” 

“I will.” You nodded while resting your hands on the cool countertop. “I’ll stop by after I talk to her. ‘Kay?” Your friend nodded before turning and leaving your inn. Only once the door was shut did you move around the counter and begin to pull the containers of food from the crate. You’d quickly get these sorted before going up to Crosshair’s room. Hopefully, he was done showering by now. 

-*-

Crosshair sat on the edge of his bed in the darkness of his room. He’d showered after his walk and reluctantly put a fresh pair of pajama pants on instead of simply laying on his bed in a towel. He wasn’t back to normal, it would take a lot longer for that to happen, but he did feel a little bit better. 

A soft knock on his door drew his attention. Standing, he walked over to the door and pressed his ear against the cool metal. 

“Crosshair? I brought you a little something to eat.” You spoke just barely loud enough for him to hear. Not wanting to wake his brothers up or draw attention to you two. 

He paused for a moment before opening the door with the intent of taking the tray of food from you and then going back into his room alone. It seemed you had other plans though. With a sweet smile at him that shook his entire body, you stepped past him and into the room he’d holed himself up in for two weeks. He barely caught sight of the tray but it was far from ‘a little’. From what he’d seen it was a lot, the tray was full. “Umm,” What was he supposed to say? Get out? What are you doing? You look nice in that dress. 

Wait. 

You’d worn a sundress countless times before, it seemed to be your preferred outfit, so why did he think you looked nice this time? He stood in the doorway watching you closely as you moved to the desk and placed down the tray. You stepped over to the window and in one swift movement the curtains were pulled back and the morning light flooded his room. The dress you wore was light blue with white stripes running down it multiple times. You had a pair of heeled strap sandals on and your hair was down. You looked just like you did nearly every time he’d caught a glimpse of you. So what was it about this time that made him feel this way?

“Don’t worry, I won’t be charging you extra for the meal.” You smirked at him before turning around and staring at his window. It was a little musky in here. With a cute humph, you unlatched the window and pushed it open happily. The crisp morning air blew into the room instantly and fluttered your dress making you laugh lightly. 

Crosshair practically swooned at your smirk. When the wind blew your dress around his knees nearly gave out. You were the most stunning creature he’d ever seen. “Huh?” Wow, he was not great at speaking to you. 

You fought the little chuckle that bubbled its way into your throat. “How was your walk? Did you make it to the seawall?” You’d been fussing with the tray of food until you heard the door shut. Good, he wasn’t running for the hills. Smiling, you looked up at him and watched as he walked across the room to you. It was only then that you noticed he wasn’t wearing a shirt. Your cheeks flushed at the sight of his surprisingly toned body. Hunter had told you that he’d been a prisoner for a while but that didn’t seem to have affected him too much. 

The morning sun enveloped you like a halo of orange and yellow as he stepped across the room. Seeing you like this, looking so beautiful, it seemed to loosen his tongue. “I did. It was nice.” He looked down at the tray of food and felt his mouth water. Everything looked so good, even the eggs. 

Picking up one of the mugs of caf, you passed it to him. “Did you see Chai? Her brother told me this morning that she’s been going out at night.” 

“I did.” Her brother? He didn’t realize she had a brother. There wasn’t much he knew about the girl, only that Tech was interested in her. This morning? It had only been a few hours since he’d seen the girl. Was it normal for men to come to your inn so early in the morning? Why did that make his heart twinge? “Didn’t say much.” He took the caf from you and waited for you to pick up the one intended for you. 

“Did she seem okay?” Your hand hesitated over your cup. 

You really cared for the girl, didn’t you? “She was quiet. Told her the code for the datapad.” 

Picking up the caf, you chewed your lip. “So she still hasn’t looked at it?” Echo had explained that there was something on the device that Tech had wanted her to see. What it was no one seemed to know. It was all just part of the contingency the clone seemed to have had. 

“Suppose not.” If she couldn’t even unlock the device then there was no way that she’d seen what was inside. 

You couldn’t let this get you down, not when you’d come in here with a plan. The cup in your hands was held out to him in cheers that he seemed reluctant to return. Never dropping the smile that you forced back onto your face, you took a sip of your caf and hummed happily. It was just the perfect level of sweetness with a small bite of bitterness on the tail end. “I’ll check on her later.”  You watched Crosshair carefully as he downed the entire cup of caf. He made a face that let you know that he didn’t care for the sweetness of the drink. It made you chuckle. “Sorry, wasn’t sure how you liked your caf.” 

You were so happy and peppy. Usually, that would annoy him but on you, it looked great. It almost made him want to smile and forget about everything. Almost. “It’s fine.” 

Well, it was the thought that counted. “Well, I think you should try the kalathaki next. It’s from the baker, they’re the best on the island when it comes to the pies.” You picked up the plate holding a slice of the cheese pie, it smelled delicious. 

Crosshair looked down at the tray of food and felt his stomach ache. He’d barely been eating these last couple of days. It all looked good too, you truly knew how to make a meal. But his mind and body pulled away from the food. He couldn’t bring himself to eat. Shaking his head, he lived to step away but heard you clear your throat suddenly. 

You watched the way he turned from you. Oh, he thought he’d get out of eating? Clearing your throat, you picked up a fork and cut a small piece of the pie. “Try a bite?” You gave him the best puppy dog eyes that you could muster. 

“I” he let out a long sigh. How could he say no when you looked at him like that? You’d gone through all the work of making the food for him and bringing it up to his room. The least he could do was try a small bite. Crosshair allowed you to slide a small piece into his mouth, the smile on your face pure as he did so. 

It tasted amazing. Better than anything he’d had before. The flavor burst in his mouth making his tongue sing. His stomach practically growled at the introduction of delicious food. He’d only been snacking on small pieces of bread or the rolls that came with the meals she dropped off. This was on an entirely different level. Before he could process the first bite you were already cutting another piece. He should step in and say he was able to feed himself but you seemed so pleased with yourself and honestly? He was tired. 

You let him chew the piece in his mouth while you set the plate down. Moving behind him, you grabbed the chair and placed it behind him. Without a word, he sat down and stared at you. You could see how tired he was, but that was okay. You’d take care of him. 

-*-

Thirty minutes later he took his final bite of the food. It had been a slow process for you to feed him, he didn’t seem too excited to eat. It wasn’t a lot that he’d eaten, small amounts here and there from the different items on the tray, but he’d at least eaten something. 

You stood from the spot on the floor that you’d slid into. It had been silent in the room since you’d started feeding him. You didn’t mind too much. Yes, it was odd at first but you didn’t want to press him too much. You were lucky that he’d let you in and do this much for him, pressing your luck could prove futile. He could easily lock back up and not let you in again. 

“Come on.” You whispered while extending your hand to him. 

The last thirty minutes had flown by in a blur as you fed him. He’d felt like a child at first but slowly he’d felt something else. Gratefulness? Lust? Desire? Someone as beautiful as you had been hand-feeding him. He didn’t deserve it. He didn’t deserve someone like you taking care of someone like him. Every moment and bite was savored as you worked around the tray. All of it had been delicious, but the pie had by far been his favorite. 

You stood and offered your hand to him and without hesitation he took it. He was easily pulled onto his feet and into your body. “S-sorry.” Came from him as he realized how close to you he was, you smelled amazing. 

Oh. He was warm. Your hand rested against his muscular chest for a moment as you repositioned him. You intended to lead him to his bed so he could get some sleep but you realized it was messy and deeply slept in. No doubt it smelled as bad as it looked. “Follow me?” 

Follow you? Follow you where? He’d trusted you so far. He continued to hold your hand as you led him from his room. “Where are we go-“ 

“We’re going on an adventure.” You squeezed his hand gently while leading him down the hall and the stairs.

 In the dining area at the table sat Hunter and Echo. Both men were distracted in a discussion over information Rex had found on some Republic medical staff prisoners. The stairs creaked under the dual weight of you and Crosshair as the two of you walked down them. Hunter looked over to say good morning to you and was surprised to see your hand wrapped around his vods. You paid them both little mind as you rounded the stairs and stepped through the door marked private. Hunter tried to wave down Crosshair and ask what the hell was going on but the man seemed just as lost as he was. The door shut with a gentle swoosh leaving Hunter and Echo to ponder what the hell they’d just seen. 

Crosshair looked around your small apartment in surprise. He was in your private space right now. The space that no one was supposed to see besides your friends. What did that make him? He’d only known you for two weeks and you’d barely spoken to each other. You walked into a side room and pulled him in behind you. The bed made it clear that this was your bedroom. It smelled of flowers and fresh linen while your bed looked incredibly comfortable and inviting. 

Finally, you stopped and motioned to your bed. “Please, get comfortable.”

“But it-“ you raised your hand to him quickly and shook your head. 

“Your bedding needs to be washed. None of the other rooms are set up for guests right now. So the obvious choice was for you to use mine.”  Stepping over to the bed, you pulled down the white floral print duvet and matching sheet before motioning for him to get in. “Don’t worry, I won’t watch you sleep.” 

“I didn’t think you would.” Maybe he did a little but you’d never know that. He walked over to your bed and carefully sat down on it. It was so soft and comfortable. 

“Oh, he’s snappy.” You winked at him while walking back around the bed and towards the door. “I like that.” You stood in the doorway and watched as he laid down and got comfortable. “Refresher is over to the left and there’s a pitcher of fresh water on the bedside table. Get some rest and I’ll see you at dinner.” 

“Why are you doing all of this?” He asked as he rested his head against your soft pillow. Now this was a nice bed. 

“Because we all need a little help sometimes.” Whether it was getting out of a rut or seeing the bad that others already could see. “Sweet dreams, Crosshair.” 

He turned his head and watched as you stepped out of the room. “Thanks” came as a whisper that only he could hear. 

Crosshair lay in the bed for what felt like an eternity, sleep eluding him for the time being. His mind raced over the events of the morning so far. First, he’d sat with you outside, then he’d met Chai and sat with her, you’d actually fed him and now he was lying in your very large bed. How had he gone from the sad darkness of his room to the light happiness of yours? He looked around from the warmth of the bed and picked up on a few things. You kept a datapad that was designed for reading next to your bed as well as a box of tissues. Your balcony led to the garden where the smell of flowers was coming from and your closet could be seen from the bed. There was, in fact, a large amount of sundresses within. There were also a few trophies on your wall surrounding a vanity with a large mirror that was directly across from the bed. It was a nice room. The scent of your perfume hung on the pillow pulling him from his thoughts and finally, after countless sleepless nights and an hour of laying in your bed, he fell into a deep sleep.

Taglist:

@rndmpeep @sarahskywalker-amadala @queenariesofnarnia @idoubleswearimawriter @bambambunny @ravenclawbitch426 @jupitersaturnapollo @mzjakao @heylosers06 @dangraccoon @impala1967666 @andrakass2 @ducks118 @motte-the-goblin @rintheemolion @merkitty49 @jediknightjana @onyxtides @moon-wrecked @mssbridgerton @griffedeloup

Want to be added to the Taglist? Let me know!

[awakened-dreamers-blog]

Soulslikes, just like any genre of media, obviously aren't for everyone. However, they often seem to resonate with trans people in particular (or, at least, they did for me), and I've figured out what one of the bigger psychological reasons for that may be.

If I asked a bunch of different people what one word they most associate with the genre, most of them would probably answer something to the tune of "persistence." These are games about throwing yourself at seemingly insurmountable obstacles and failing. A lot. Until, eventually, you succeed. And you will succeed, no matter what, as long as you are willing to put in the time and effort and just don't give up.

Every time you try to get past a boss or a tough group fight in those games, you learn something. You get experience. Even if you don't actively realize it at the time, you are closer to achieving your goal, simply because you tried and failed. But at least you tried. And, when you eventually put all of your accumulated knowledge and skill into beating the fight, what once seemed like an insurmountable obstacle is vanquished, rewarding you with a nice [noun] [verb]ed screen, some levels, and maybe a weapon or something.

So you persisted, even though it seemed insurmountable at first? Isn't that the definition of insanity? Well yes, because you'd have to be insane to actually enjoy those games, but also no.

Because soulslikes bosses are a very practical example that perseverance can work.

Sure, you'll die a bunch. Maybe even spend 4 hours on a single boss like I did when I killed the first Tree Sentinel without doing anything else. But the first few times you die, you'll notice that the boss's health bar is a little hit more empty than it was the first time. After that, you'll probably plateau as you work out the moveset and the dodge timings and all that, but at least you know it's possible. And once you do beat that first boss, that rush of dopamine is even more confirmation for your brain that trying (and failing along the way) does eventually lead to success. So at the next obstacle, you're lore than willing to throw yourself at it and learn and grow until you win because you've already seen that it will work and that it's not fruitless. And, when you come back to that boss on subsequent playthroughs, I bet it'll be a lot easier now that you've already overcome it

Now, to bring this back to trans people, you can probably already see where I'm going with this. If you can't, allow me to explain with the metaphor that led me to this realization in the first place: voice feminization training.

At first, it seems impossible. You'll never sound as cool or as pretty or girly or whatever as the people that have already mastered their girl voice and been using it for years. But those are the speedrunners. The people that have already mastered the game's mechanics and can no-hit bosses faster than you can beat them normally. But you aren't an expert on the game yet. In fact, you've just started, so you shouldn't fee bad about not being as good as they are. If anything, all it should do is serve to prove that your goals are attainable, as long as you put in the effort.

So you try. You're never gonna get it your first try, unless you have a really good build and crazy skill, which, if you do, then good on you, I guess. But for the vast majority of us, you're going to fail at first. That's fine. Resurrect at the nearest bonfire, grab your runes, and keep on saying "heat from fire, fire from heat."

Yes, it's uncomfortable and dysphoric, and yeah, maybe you need to take a break and come back the next day because it's too uncomfortable to have to pay so much attention to the voice you've been avoiding for years. But simply in the act of trying, you've gotten closer to your goal. Literally just by playing with your voice and seeing what happens if you x or y, you have gained experience and knowledge that will get you closer and closer to your goal. It'll probably take a while, of course, but as long as you keep trying, the voice you dream of someday having will eventually end up being the voice you use to order coffee and chit chat and mundane crap like that.

Eventually, you'll be the one no hitting social encounters with your relaxed and flawless girl voice. It'll be so commonplace for you that it won't even seem notable that you didn't slip up at all.

Anyway, all of this to say that trans people like soulslikes because they show us that working towards a goal is the most important step in achieving that goal. They teach us that failure is just a step in the path of learning and that anyone is capable of doing things that seem impossible to them, as long as they try.

Father Gascoigne will never be put to rest if you don't get curb stomped by him a few times, and, I'm sorry to say, you won't ever wake up with the feminine voice of your dreams. You have to work for it. And you'll fail along the way, which is unpleasant and sucks major ass. But you beat everything Miyazaki could throw at you, goddammit, and you can beat your larynx into submission too!

[dailycharacteroption]

Retrograde Revision 4: Armor Master

(art by ArtofTy on DeviantArt)

And of course, due to the way that alphabets work, our next revised entry is also armor themed, this time with the fighter class!

(I just checked with the original entry and completely unbidden I also poked fun at my alphabetized list then as well. The more things change, the more they stay the same, I suppose)

In any case, it only makes sense that a class focused on everything martial would have an archetype dedicated to mastering every aspect of mundane combat would have a specialization dedicated to armor and shields.

However, while the armored hulk spends a decent number of it’s abilities simply negating the movement penalties of heavy armor, these warriors instead master the more defensive aspects of armor, becoming the very picture of an armored defender.

They achieve this by truly understanding the tolerances of their armor and what blows they can turn aside and which ones they can take head on without harm.

So if you plan on playing a tanky defender, this archetype may be for you, so let’s take a look at what it has to offer!

Normally shields and armor do no good against magic that merely has to make contact to be effective, but these warriors learn to use their shields to deflect at least some of these attacks in both ranged and melee capacities. (Though this only offers a better chance of protection, not true deflection.)

An armor master knows the toughest parts of their armor, helping them to reduce incoming damage even when an attack manages to slip in. What’s more, this compounds with the toughness of adamantine armor, making such armor the perfect fit for this archetype.

They even know how to use the armor to better protect their vitals, making critical blows increasingly unlikely.

This improves later so that they become totally immune to critical hits while in armor, and said armor is protected from being sundered by their skill in turning aside blows from both their vitals and the weaknesses of the armor itself.

With a defensive build like this, having both a reach weapon and a close-range weapon is a must here, as is quick draw and all manner of defensive combat feats to better protect themselves, as well as punish those that try to get out of reach, such as step up. Also, look through the advanced armor training options for fun stuff to further improve yourself. Try to also pick up a few offensive options though to round things out, and play with durability and inescapability in mind. Additionally, options that slow your foe down are a good idea.

Naturally, armor master usually arise from among the most elite front-line troops, as well as honor guards to nobles and royals, and other positions where staying alive to protect others is very important. Indeed, such figures are almost always very well respected, because who would not respect someone that stands tall between the enemy and those behind them?

Vernand Solia is a wandering warrior. His armor is outdated, but he has been seen to withstand blows that would kill men in the strongest of plate mail. He has become a local legend, many young warriors challenging him. He has become weary of both these and the assassination attempts of less honorable warriors. He would be eternally grateful to anyone who can find a way to escape his own legacy.

Rumor speaks of so-called walking bastions, dwarves wearing heavy stone plate, marching ahead of their armies on the battlefield, their bulk and armor blocking below, while their polearms forming a lethal fence for giants and other creatures large enough to otherwise bypass them. Some claim that the most elite wear modified stone golems, carved with the faces of their greatest heroes.

Rusttongue is an unusual goblin mercenary with a highly unusual fighting style. He wears hand-crafted mithral armor that allows him to leap into the battlefield with his blades spinning, trusting the armor to keep him safe. The most gruesome feature of the armor is the helm, built with a separate section for his jaws, hooked to piecing that are drilled into his very bone, allowing the bladed edge of the helm to add to his already painful bite.

[ladykailitha]

Oh For a Muse of Fire! Part 9

This is the last of the grim!dark chapters. The healing starts here. TW: mention of attempted rape, mention of violence, homophobic slurs.

Wherein I combine Billy Hargrove and demobat wounds.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6  Part 7  Part 8

*

They went for coffee at the same shop from before. Eddie with his black coffee, Steve with his caramel macchiato.

They sat down at one of the tables and stared at their drinks for a few awkward moments.

“I’m sorry I hit you,” Steve murmured, his hands clasped under the table on his lap. “I hate it when it gets that bad. I have no control over my body. And at least with the seizures I know what causes those and can avoid the triggers. But the panic attacks can be triggered by such small things. I–I’m sorry.” He looked up him. “Robin said you had to go to the hospital, I hit you so hard?”

Eddie let out a slow breath. “Yeah. You dislocated my jaw.”

“Shit, shit, shit!” Steve muttered, his hands flailing in distress. “I’ll pay for the cost of the visit. I don’t care if it’s been years. I’ll beg for the money from my mom if I have to. I’m so so sorry.”

Eddie grabbed Steve’s hands and held them tightly. “Hey, hey. Calm down. It’s okay.”

Steve shook his head.

Eddie began to rub circles into Steve’s wrists with his thumbs. “I need you take a deep breath for me. You’re starting to hyperventilate.”

Steve gasped, taking in air.

“There we go,” Eddie continued. “Now hold it for a moment and then let it out slow.”

He did as Eddie instructed and after a few tense minutes, he was breathing normally.

“Sorry about that,” Steve murmured, picking at the top of his cup. “But I’m serious about the money though. You shouldn’t have had to pay for that.”

Eddie shook his head. “Nah, it’s okay. I was still on my uncle’s VA insurance at the time, I didn’t have to pay a cent.”

“Are you sure?” Steve asked softly, looking up at him. “I still have some money left over from the hate crime reparations.”

“No, man,” Eddie said gently. “That’s yours, you keep that. You want to tell me what happened?”

Steve took a sip of his drink and then nodded. “This guy, Billy Hargrove had just transferred from California. Big, tough guy. Wanted everything he had out in Cali without having to earn it here. Started throwing his weight around.”

Eddie nodded. “I remember him. Real asshole.”

“After school one day,” Steve continued, “I caught him and couple other jocks pushing Robin around. Calling her a fag and telling her that all she needed was a good fucking from a real man and she’d be cured right quick.”

Eddie’s eyes went wide and he leaned forward in shock. “They were going to rape her?”

Steve shrugged. “I have no idea if they were only talking shit, but it wasn’t a risk I was willing to take.”

“Yeah, no,” Eddie agreed. “Good on you, man.”

“So I decked the ringleader,” Steve said. “Hauled off and hit Billy square in the face.”

“Score one for the little guys,” Eddie said with a smile.

Steve laughed bitterly. “Too bad the score ended up one hundred to one.”

Eddie let go of Steve’s hands to take a sip of his coffee. “Did his friends jump you?”

Steve nodded. “One of them had a rope with them, more evidence that they were planning to do something to Robin,” he said wincing at the memory. “They wrapped it around my neck and tied it to back of Billy’s motorcycle. He got about fifteen feet before a teacher spotted him. He cut the rope with a pocket knife and gunned it out of there. Leaving his friends to deal with the aftermath.”

Eddie shook his head. “Should have pegged him for being a coward. Most bullies are.”

“The thing is,” Steve said, voice strained, “I thought I was bisexual until the news painted me as gay. Gay fits the poor, picked on teen better than a bisexual does or whatever. I thought I liked both, but the more the media talked about how gay I was that I started thinking about it seriously for the first time and realized that they were right.”

Eddie took one of his hands again. “I’m sorry you went through all that. I’m even sorrier I didn’t know.”

Steve nodded.

“Let me make it up to you,” Eddie said softly.

Steve let out a surprised laugh. “That’s my line!”

Eddie grinned, giving his hand a squeeze. “Looks like we both have a lot of things to make up for.”

Steve squeezed Eddie’s hand back. “I’m willing to call it even, if you are.”

Eddie’s grin softened to a sweet smile. “I’d like that.”

*

Eddie looked at the call sheet for the songs they were going to play at the Queen’s Crown and tapped the pen to his lips. He loved the finale. The Jester and the King was the best song to go out on. It was raw and it was emotional and it was all a lie.

The King wasn’t cruel. He was broken and hurt. He was sad and lonely. The jester had failed to notice that King had grown tired and worn. Willing to replace his crown of gold and jewels for a crown of thorns and thistles.

Thorns and Thistles...that had potential.

Hear the wind as it whistles... You traded your crown for thorns and thistles... Your once valiant sword broken The life you held so dear taken From you, my dear Those you loved now turn in fear

Yes. That’s good. Eddie continued to work on the song.

Once the lyrics were tight, he pulled out his acoustic guitar and began nail down the bridge. He wanted it stripped down. He wanted it heartbreakingly beautiful.

He looked up at the clock and cursed. The song was done. But it was after four in the morning. He tucked the completed song into his guitar case and changed into his pajama pants. As he drifted off to sleep he realized that he felt lighter than he had in days. Years even.

He really should have talked to Steve sooner.

*

That Friday Steve got a call from the auto body shop saying his car was ready. Which considering when he called last week when it first broke down they didn’t have a time line for him because they were backed up, but they would get to it as soon as they could.

So the fact that it was ready now was like a dream come true. And he hoped on the bus and was at the shop as soon as he could manage. He walked up to the receptionist and gave them his name, and said he got a call saying his car was ready.

The man behind the counter nodded and told him to sit down and wait. They’d pull it out front for him.

Steve had barely sat down when an older man came out, hands covered in grease, a stained rag wiping them off.

“Steve?” the warm, friendly voice called.

Steve looked up. He recognized that face, but it took him a moment to realize from where.

“Wayne?!” he cried. He was on his feet in an instant. “Oh my god. It’s been years. How are you?”

Wayne gave him a hug, which Steve gladly returned.

“It’s good to see you, kid,” Wayne said with a smile. “What are you up to these days?”

“I’m finishing up art school,” Steve replied. “I’m going be teaching it to middle school students.”

“Art school?” Wayne said. “That’s amazing, kid. I’m glad you’re doing well.”

Steve looked around the shop. “So you left the plant to become a mechanic? That’s awesome.”

Wayne grinned. “Not just become a mechanic. This shop is mine.”

Steve’s eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. “That’s incredible. So the Hellfire Shop is yours? Wow. Wayne, that’s just so...wow.”

Wayne chuckled. “My nephew named the shop. From one of his comic books he reads.”

Steve snapped his fingers. “From X-men, right? I don’t read the comics, but I saw the movie.”

Wayne chuckled. “Then you’re already a step above me on that one, kid.”

“So...I wasn’t expecting to get my car back so soon,” Steve said. “I was told when I called that you guys were backed up with a lot of other cars ahead of mine.”

Wayne grinned and pointed out the front door. “That’s because he came in and fixed it for you.”

Steve followed where he was pointing and saw Eddie get out of the BMW and start wiping it down.

“Eddie?” he breathed.

Wayne chuckled. “He’s damn fine mechanic, my nephew. But he was always built for bigger and better things.”

Steve huffed out a surprise laugh. “Eddie’s your nephew? Oh, my god. It’s such a small world.”

Wayne gave Steve’s arm a squeeze. “Go on, then. Go get your baby.”

Steve looked at him in a amusement, because the look on his face said that the older man wasn’t talking about his car.

He walked out of the shop just as Eddie finished wiping down the hood of his car.

“Hey, Eds,” Steve greeted softly.

Eddie turned around with the biggest grin on his face. “She’s all fixed up for you, big boy.”

“That’s amazing,” Steve gushed. “Thank you so much. Your uncle was telling me that you did it all by yourself?”

Eddie nodded. “I know my way around an engine.” He blushed. “I just didn’t want you to get caught in another storm.”

Steve’s eyes lit up. “Thank you,” he breathed. “Let me take you out to dinner as a token of my appreciation.”

Eddie grinned. “I’d like that.”

“Well um...since we live in the same apartment complex,” Steve suggested, “why don’t we met in the center courtyard at 7pm on Sunday?”

Eddie’s grin grew bigger and his face dimpled. “I’ll be there.”

Steve got into his car and pulled down the visor to grab the keys. He waved at Eddie as he pulled away.

*

Wayne walked out to stand next to Eddie and they watched as Steve drove off.

“You writing songs about him and fixing his car,” Wayne said with a cheeky grin, “am I to be expecting a wedding announcement soon?”

Eddie turned to him, scandalized. “Uncle Wayne! It’s not like that.”

Wayne raised a single eyebrow.

“You know how much of an ass I’ve been to that man?” he defended.

Wayne nodded and cocked his head. “True. But you didn’t see the look on his face when he saw that you had fixed his car.”

Eddie tucked his chin in in confusion. “What’s that supposed to mean? What expression?”

Wayne walked off and waved his rag at Eddie as he said, “That same doe-eyed dopey expression you’ve got on your face just now.”

Eddie stared after his uncle in shock. Steve wanting to hook up or at least be more open in his appreciation of his naked body was one thing. One that Eddie could handle and keep locked away. But fond looks and doe-eyes were bordering on affection or even outright love and Eddie didn’t think he could handle that.

*

Eddie sat down in front of the Corroded Coffin boys with his acoustic guitar in one hand and the song in the other.

“I want to add one more song to our lineup for next Saturday,” he explained.

Gareth rolled his eyes. “There is no way we can learn a new song in a week, man. It’d kill us.”

Jeff nodded. “I’m going to have to agree with Gare on this one.”

Eddie smiled. “Look, you won’t have to. It’ll just be me and this baby,” he held up the acoustic, “and I’ll put it after Silent Killer but before we ramp it back up to Louder, Louder.”

Gareth and Jeff shared a glance.

“But we’d have to drop a song if we do that,” Jeff protested.

Brian cocked his head to the side. “It depends on how long this new song is. So go on then, Eddie. Show off.”

Jeff buried his head in his hands. “Don’t encourage him, Bri.”

Eddie just grinned. “You want to hear it or not?”

Gareth sighed. “Yeah, go ahead.”

“Betrayal!” Jeff howled.

Gareth just shook his head. “He’s never going to let up until we let him play it so we might as well get it over with.”

Jeff’s shoulders sagged. “Yeah, all right.”

Eddie placed his guitar on his knee and began to play.

Roughly three and half minutes later there wasn’t a dry eye in that tiny garage where they practiced.

“Holy fuck, man,” Jeff croaked. “Where the fuck did that even come from?”  

Gareth threw his arms in the air. “We have to play it. This song come mean the difference between getting the record deal or not.”

“So what do you think, Bri?” Eddie asked after a few minutes of shocked silence.

The other man just stared at him a moment. “Dude, I don’t care where that song came from, that was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard. Gare is right, if we don’t let you play it, we might get the record deal. If we do, it’s a sure shot. They’d be fools not to.”

Eddie grinned. “To answer Jeff’s question; I have a new muse.”

Part 10  Part 11  Part 12 Part 13  Part 14  Part 15  Part 16  Part 17 Epilogue

Tag List: @artiststarme @allbymyselfexceptformycactus @spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @swimmingbirdrunningrock @gregre369 @itsall-taken @m-owo-n @zerokrox-blog @runyousillydetective @grimmfitzz @wonderland-girl143-blog @sapphirecobalt-1 @scheodingers-muppet @victor-thee-corvid @apricottree @bookbinderbitch @sleepyboosstuff @biatcgh @pixiefallingupthestairs @grtwdsmwhr @thepainisspicy @carlyv @eboyawstenn @bisexualdisastersworld @bidisastersworld @abstractnaturaldisaster @evix-syne666 @nerdsconquerall @lololol-1234 @goodolefashionedloverboi @chaoticlovingdreamer @a-little-unsteddie @val-from-lawrence @i-must-potato @elluminis @tailsfromthecrypt @danili666 @plyerice27 @alittlegreyfish  @n0-1-important @no-upper-limit-to-stupidity @maya-custodios-dionach @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @heaven428 @thedragonsaunt 

[iamchaos1234]

Why not? Hunter headcanons, let's go! (TW mentions of blood, gore, death, bullying, etc)(holy shit that's a lot-)

Since he is a grimwalker that has a few affects on him. In the dark his eyes glow faintly blue, which he hates since it reminds him of Belos.

Another affect of being a grimwalker, since one of the ingredients to create one is Stonesleeper, Hunter's ears are very sensitive and ticklish. Willow loves to scratch him behind the ears, and it helps him sleep

Last grimwalker thing I'll address right now, his hair grows much faster than most. His canines are also a bit more prominent and large, causing a bit of a fanged look

He couldn't die, per se, unless the galderstone was directly damaged or all energy was drained from it too fast, such as using very powerful spells or bleeding so much it spent all its energy and had no time to recover

Hunter got hardly any sleep back as the golden guard as his only time with no duties was after hours, which was a very small time frame at night. And often times instead of sleeping he would research how to help Belos's curse, so at most he normally got 2-4 hours.

In addition, even after he ran away from the emperors coven and even in the human realm, he felt guilty for sleeping more than he used to, thinking of it as a waste of precious time.

He sleeps way better when with Willow or Luz

Hunter, after the events of Watching and Dreaming, went back to the human realm with Luz. He needed time to recover from everything, and went with Luz to help with repairs. After a couple years he returned back fully, staying with Darius. He considers himself both a Noceda and a Deamonne

He 100% got obsessed with video games in the human realm. His favorites were Zelda, especially BOTW and TOTK. He also loves animal crossing and pokemon sword. His favorite pokemon is Zacian.

Hunter hates eating in front of others. He has extreme food guilt and starves himself temporarily as a punishment to himself if he makes a mistake. This stems from the fact Belos would cut off his food if he messed up, as well as water.

When he upsets others he will often hide in the basement in a closet. Hunter feels removing himself is the best solution to most problems. Gus is the only one who really knows this, though Luz finds out later.

Panic attacks got more common after Hollow Mind, though he did have a few before then. Every time he would lock his door and curl up in a corner. He didn't want to show weakness.

After Hollow Mind he would have very strong reactions to certain triggers, and it only got worse as things continued. His eyes glowing was one of them, as well as when his hair got too long. Emperors guards also made him panic, worried they would take him back. Even Belos's name would make him start hyperventilating.

The scar across his cheek is from Belos, who got mad at him when he snapped at Belos from concern about the curse. He blamed himself fully.

The nick on his ear however, is from a particularly brutal training session. His ear was sliced almost in half, and it bled a lot but he kept fighting. He won.

Hunter has so many scars its hard to count. Some from Golden Guard training, which was vigorous and brutal. Others from taking hits for his friends in the final battles. There is one scar on his upper arm he got from tripping down a flight of stairs in the emperors palace. He isn't proud of that.

He feels guilty for letting Luz get a scar. He doesn't want anyone else to have to live with it like he does. He has a hard time not tearing up when he sees it.

Hunter went to school with Luz at her human school for the years he lived with her, saying he was a brother who had been in a boarding school before. He was very protective of Luz but ended up being a target for bullying as well.

Despite look tough to others he is very sensitive. He would sometimes come home with tears in his eyes from those bullies. Luz beat the shit out of them the very next day. Eventually they just stopped since Luz started fighting back

Hunter hates crying. He only really cries in front of Luz, but anyone else he finds it incredibly stupid and embarrassing. It's just a weakness he should hide is what he thinks. So he normally does. He had to back as the golden guard, so why not now?

Multiple times when training he almost died. One time his stomach got ripped open by a slitherbeast during the venture up the knee. That scar in particular he avoids looking at

Hunter is very strongly bonded with Luz. They act very much like true siblings, often annoying each other on purpose and wrestling, but both know when to stop and both are very comforting and protective of the other.

His connection with Vee is a bit less strong, but he did punch a bully hard enough to knock out a few teeth when they were messing with her. So that's something.

Hunter apologizes to Vee almost constantly for being one of the people to imprison her. He offers to have her punish him, which absolutely horrified her. They are chill now, and like to binge watch shows together

He 100% has a fursona which he is very proud of. Hunter would never admit it but he considers himself a furry. It's one of his ways to express himself, and Luz is very supportive of this, helping him design the fursona

At human school Hunter managed to get placed in the same grade as Luz, but he was older than everyone in the classes. He struggled a lot in math, but loved ELA and science. They took him out of class during social studies after he had a severe panic attack during class when the topic reminded him of the whole disaster with Belos

Hunter likes to draw in his free time, at first heavily picked up from Luz. But he eventually gained his own art style, which was a bit more sharp and edgy

He loves musicals and will always stay up to watch them even if everyone else already fell asleep.

Hunter likes rock music, but also enjoys most pop songs. He loves to dance along with Willow to love songs. He hates country music with a passion.

He considers Gus his closest friend. The two absolutely love having sleepovers in which they binge cosmic frontier and share about what's going on in the different dimensions.

Willow ends up asking Hunter out the day he moves back to the boiling isles. He ended up running away, feeling like he was being taunted and that it was some sort of illusion. Willow goes to find him, and he ends up accepting.

It takes him time to get used to dating Willow, but he is very affectionate. Willow loves picking him up.

As a younger kid, Belos was a bit more nice to him and would sometimes play around with him. This was purely to gain his trust, but Hunter still wonders if he ever really cared.

In his time during the human realm after everything he visits Darius like, every other day. They become very close

Hunter definitely has a sweet tooth

My hand hurts but that's all for now lol. Wanna here more headcanons for TOH? Tell me who you want next in the comments, thanks for reading!

[bullet-prooflove]

BlackIce!Series - Part Three: Check In: Frank Castle x Reader

Companion Piece to Black Ice & Ice Pack

Tagging: @purrrrfect @juliannatryon @beardedbarba @crazy4chickennuggets @wooshwastaken @justreblogginfics @anime-weeb-4-life @pleasurebuttonwrites @annetje @adaydreamaway08 @est1887 @multiflixshelves @thanossexual @bonsaijoons @spookyboogyuniverse @ankhmutes @spaghettificationandpretzels @trublu2u @nu1freakshow @thebaileybugle @kmc1989 @withakindheartx @skyesthebomb @viridianphtalo @yezzyyae @casa-boiardi @lulawantmula @vermillionwinter @trublu2u @lauraaan182 @ghostslillady @@xo-zeze @@destielsdaugther  @anoverwhelmingdin @marshmallowflufffox

Black Ice Series:

Part One: Black Ice - Frank rushes home after hearing you've been in a car accident.

Part Two: Ice Pack (NSFW) - Frank loves you for the first time in months.

It’s been almost two months since you last laid eyes on Frank, since he slipped from your sheets whilst you were sleeping and disappeared into the night. It’s not unusual, the real surprise is that he stuck around for six weeks this time. Normally it’s a night or two, no longer than a week.

You’re out for a run in the park when someone falls into step alongside of you. You know it’s Frank, you’d know his presence anywhere. The two of you have a six sense when it comes to each other.

“Castle.” You huff out his name between breaths, keeping your gaze fixed on the bench right straight ahead of you.

“Knee’s holding up pretty well Lieutenant.” He remarks as you slow to a jog.

The truth is it’s aching already. You’ve been pushing yourself lately, trying to get back in the field because being behind a desk is killing you.

“Physio’s helping.” You tell him as you stop alongside the bench, the one where the two of you had sat all those years ago. You’d been a Sergent back then, reading the morning paper and sipping a cappuccino when The Punisher had sat down alongside you and told you Lou Beretti had put a hit a out on you for killing his son during an undercover op.

The two of you had been exchanging information for a couple of years by that point. He got the jobs done that you couldn’t. The law wasn’t infallible, far from it. Sometimes bad men walked free, they went on to kill again, to rape and torture, that’s where Frank came in.

“It was him or me.” You’d told him, pulling up your sleeves so that he can see the scars that transect your arms. He knew what they were, defensive wounds from a knife, he had a couple of his own. “I chose me.”

Kyle Beretti had a reputation for beautiful women and blades, the two interests intersected more frequently than his father cared to admit. You’d seen the bodies, so had Frank.

“Look,” he’d said. “I don’t want to see you dead.”

You’d laughed then and that laugh…

It lit something up deep inside of him, something he hadn’t felt for a very long time.

You weren’t just someone he swapped information with, you were someone he trusted, and humour was the way you dealt with shit when things got tough. The fact he knew that about you was just a testament to how close the two of you had got.

“I’m gonna take care of it.” He’d assured you.

You’d given him that look, the one he’d come to know so well. You were stubborn, you always had been, it’s one of the reasons he’d liked you. You knew who you were, and no one was going to change that.

“I don’t need you to do that.” You’d told him forcefully. “I can take care of it myself.”

It’s an age-old adage he’d heard a million times before and it always ends the same way, with a bullet in the brain. What Lou Beretti had planned for you was much worse, he’d wanted to take you apart piece by piece until you begged for mercy and even then, he wouldn’t end it. He’d keep you alive for days, recording every second of your terror, your agony until your body gave out. Frank couldn’t let that happen.

He'd tried to explain that to you in every conceivable way but you, you were a pain in the ass. You wouldn’t go into protective custody, you wouldn’t take a few vacation days and disappear for a while, you wouldn’t listen to any of his suggestions. It goes round and round until you get up from the bench and walk away.

They come for you that night. You manage to take down two of them but the third gets the jump on you, it ends with a concussion and a spiral fracture in your left arm before Frank gets his ass in there. He has to say he’s appreciative of your work. You’d used the riot shotgun on the first two, gone hand to hand with the third.

When he catches up with Beretti he makes it last, he does the exact same thing the crime lord was intending to do to you. When he’s finished, he sends a bouquet of brightly coloured daisies to your hospital room with a card that says, ‘Rest Easy – F’. That’s how you know he’s taken care of the problem.

“Look.” Frank says interrupting your reverie. “I just wanted to check in.”

You tilt your head towards him. The stubble that lined his cheeks the last time you saw him has flourished into a closely cropped beard. His dark hair’s grown a little long, strands escaping from underneath the charcoal-coloured beanie that’s perched on his head. He’s wearing a grey zip up hoodie over loose running shorts and leggings. The same attire he used to wear to your meet ups.

“The knee is fine. I’m fine. People are still doing stupid shit, so the job is fine.” You tell him, taking a sip from your water bottle. “I think you’re all caught up.”

“Angel…”

He sees the way your jaw clenches at his use of the word. You give him that look, that fierce stare of yours. It causes a pang in his chest because he knows he’s hurt you, and he fucking hates it.

“You know I couldn’t stay.” He says gruffly, tucking his hands into the pockets of his hoodie.

“That’s not the part that gets me.” You tell him, using the back of your hand to wipe the water from your lips. “You stay, you go, it’s part of who you are. I accept that.”

You do, you always have. This thing between the two of you has been going on for a couple of years now, you’ve never once chastised him. It’s the other thing that’s cut you deep, the thing he didn’t do, the thing he normally always does.

“I didn’t say goodbye.” He says quietly, his gaze lowering as he scuffs at the tarmac with his sneaker.

“Yea.” You say, replacing the cap in your water bottle with a click.

He always says goodbye, he has ever since the night he slipped up and called you angel in the throes of your love making. That’s the way he thinks of you, his beautiful, battle-scarred angel, the one that gives a shit about other people, who tries her best to do the right thing. You are the one person he doesn’t disappear on, you may not know where he’s going or what he’s getting up to but he never leaves without kissing you on the lips and telling you goodbye.  He opens his mouth to explain but the words, they just won’t leave his throat because that means coming clean, admitting that he’s vulnerable.

To you his silence speaks volumes. You laugh and it’s a harsh, bitter sound that stabs into his chest like a knife.

“I don’t need an explanation,” You tell him, your attention diverting to the path ahead. You have that look in your eyes, that faraway distant expression. You’re withdrawing from him, shutting down. “I think I got it loud and clear. Now if we’re done, I need to finish my run, my shift starts soon.”

“I started to settle,” He says abruptly, reaching out for your hand and clasping it in his. “I started to settle, and I didn’t want to leave.”

“Frank...” You begin but he shakes his head, cutting you off.

“The first thing I did when I heard about your accident was get in the car to drive here, I was in Minnesota. It took me almost twenty-four hours to get back to the city. I couldn’t get through on your cell and I just kept running all these crazy scenarios in my head. When I saw you, I was so fucking relieved, you have no idea…”

Those dark soulful eyes of his meet yours and you are completely captivated, because you had no fucking clue. You remember that night, how calm he was as he stood before you when you opened the door, how tender he had been in the aftermath.

“All I wanted to do was stick around and take care of you, do you know how nuts that is?” He asks you; his hand comes up to clasp your face, his thumb ghosting over the apple of your cheek. “I don’t do that kind of shit and it makes me realise just how crazy I am about you.”

His kiss is soft, tender. It says a thousand things that words just can’t.

I love you; I want you, you’re everything I’ve hoped for, everything I need.

The two of you are far from perfect but you don’t need to be.  

It’s messy and it’s complicated but its yours.

At the end of the day that’s all that matters.

“Let’s get you home.” he whispers against your lips. “That knee must be killing you.

Love Frank Castle? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[astrorabby]

I beat Pikmin 4 with no upgrades

Over the past couple weeks or so I've been playing Pikmin 4 again. First a normal playthrough, which reminded me of how much Oatchi invalidates what the game throws at you.

So I figured, what if I didn't upgrade Oatchi at all? Then I took it a step further and decided not to upgrade my explorer, whomst I named Terri, either. [I DID have to buy the scorch guards to enter Frozen Inferno but I unequipped it right after I entered] I hardly bought any items, just a few bombs for some concrete walls, and, admittedly i had bombs to kill the Empress Bulblax in the Cavern for a King. I can't kill her properly even WITH an fully powered dog, I'll admit.

The results were disappointing. I knew the early game wouldn't be much different, but later wasn't much harder either. The only treasure past a pup tunnel is early on and only has a weight of 3, Oatchi's default strength. I was legitimately looking forward to, say, spending twenty minutes rushing into a 4 weight treasure over and over again to push it off a ledge, but alas no such obstacle occured.

The only parts to give me trouble were later dandori chllanges, the later night missions, and the Ancient Sirehound.

The dandori challenges were interesting, the early ones were easy sure, I platinumed the first one at least. Some, like Hefty Haulway proved quite difficult; not being able to use Oatchi to pick up some slack on that crimson banquet makes it hard to even get a bronze. Cliff-Hanger's Hold requires a lot of Oatchi's abilities to smoothly take on the upper level. Even a midly upgraded Oatchi comes in handy in Oasis of Order to immediately move the love nugget behind the start to get some extra whites, or to get the poison bulborb and/or the foolish fruit across that small creek, freeing up the wingeds to get the materials ASAP.

Speaking of whites, I actually used White Pikmin in more than one spot. I typically buy the poison armor for Oatchi ASAP, making whites very redundant, and with the onion confined to a special challenge unlocked after beating another special challenge, I often don't want to risk my white min. Since I never got the poison armor, I had no choice but to use the whities liberally; I was still very careful with them. Often restarting a whole floor upon losing just one.

The Night Missions weren't too kind. The early ones were fine and really no different, but the two in the Primordial Thicket were tough. Particularly the very final one, Autumnal Gully. Oatchi cannot glowmob, and with no upgrades, his rush doesn't stun. And you can't leave Oatchi alone for long, he will still autoattack, and with no armor or HP upgrades he dies near instantly upon a lumiknoll attack. Plus, one of the progg eggs seems to be inaccessible so I'd have to take on that progg no matter what. I resolved to collecting as many pellets as I could, getting to about 70 glow pikmin, leaving Oatchi on the blue lumiknoll and Terri on the orange. Terri being on the orange was imperitive to stun the baldy long-legs that approaches it. With plenty of spicy-spray it turned out not so bad, but it took way more concious planning than any night mission did with upgrades.

Then came the Ancient Sirehound. As I always do, I abused glow pikmin for this fight; glowies for the hazards, purps for the tail. The ice phase always give me trouble, trying to run to his tail with those snowballs rolling is a pain. But the breath wasn't a problem, until now. Get rolled into the breath and your pikmin are frozen, Oatchi is frozen, you're…not frozen. It does enough damage to kill an unupgraded explorer in one hit. Oatchi just barely survives.

The electric phase is a lot tougher, you can't just mosey on through the beams, you gotta dodge and jump them while making sure your glow pikmin go where you want, which with targeting isn't usually a problem until it randomly auto-targets the Sirehound, but many people have [rightfully] griped about the auto-target in this game so I'll spare you.

Fire phase was pretty normal. Even with the scorch guard i'd instinctively jump over the waves of fire…only this time it matters if I miss. But that didn't happen much.

Progg phase is always frustrating. The lack of HP and armor upgrades doesn't make a difference, sure you die in fewer hits but touching that stuff always kills so many pikmin its basically always a reset, anyway.

I didn't platinum the dandori challenges. I may attempt to but it may not be possible for some. Oatchi throating the banquet in Hefty Haulway seemed imperative for that one when I platinumed it, for instance. I didn't do the Sage Leaf because it's impossible to avoid Moss upgrades in the shipwreck tale, though I may do it for the sake of it. Who knows, maybe I'll find a way to do the shipwreck tale without even discovering Moss.

[pathfinderunlocked]

Armored Necrogunner - CR14 Undead

Don't put TOO many holes in 'em. We need 'em for parts.

Artwork provided by client.

"The thing about this power armor is that it gets grafted directly onto your flesh, and seared in place as the machinery overheats. Tends to make the person wearing it really complain a lot. So we switched to horrifying undead abominations; they don't mind as much since they can't feel pain.

Also, when it dies - well, it's already dead, but you know what I mean - the whole thing explodes into a swarm of rot grubs. Usually you can see those wriggling under the skin, but the armor hides it. Genius design, really."

- Necrocraft R&D Department Notes

This is a commissioned monster. Its hit points seem low at a glance, but the rot grub swarm that spawns from its corpse has another 85 HP. It doesn't precisely follow the necrocraft building rules in Bestiary 4, which require higher challenge rating creatures to be extremely big; a CR 14 necrocraft would normally be Colossal-sized. This creature uses construction points and the giantblooded template by Green Ronin Publishing to reach CR 9, but it has bonus hit dice and unique abilities to augment that, and I altered the Metal Armor necrocraft ability to match how armor actually works in Pathfinder a little better.

Although this creature can fly (flavored as a jetpack, not magic or wings), its automatic weapon is most useful if it's on the ground, since it's generally impossible to get multiple enemies in a line from the sky.

Armored Necrogunner - CR 14

Bolted directly onto the flesh of this undead giant are numerous interconnected steel plates, cords, and tubes. What's visible of the creature underneath the armor looks like a dozen different creatures stitched together. It's carrying a massive machine gun, and using a jetpack to fly.

XP 38,400 Unique advanced giantblooded necrocraft NE Large undead Init +2 Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +2 Aura stench (10-ft. radius, DC 23, sickened for 1d6+4 minutes)

DEFENSE

AC 30, touch 11, flat-footed 28 (+2 Dex, +11 natural, +8 armor, -1 size) hp 126 (12d8+72) Fort +9, Ref +6, Will +10 DR 5/slashing Resist cold 5 Immune undead traits

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (clumsy) (40 ft. without armor) Melee 2 claws +17 (1d6+9) Ranged mwk gatling gun +9/+4 touch (8d6, 200 ft. line, see text) or rock +10 (2d8+13) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks rock throwing (120 ft.), quick clear

STATISTICS

Str 29, Dex 15, Con —, Int —, Wis 14, Cha 21 Base Atk +9; CMB +15; CMD 25 Feats Toughness Skills Fly -13; -7 armor check penalty to physical skills Languages Necril (understands only; cannot speak) SQ Construction Points (additional movement [fly], mostly zombies, stench), grafted armor, rot grub infestation Gear gatling gun (see text), grafted armor (see text), 800 bullets (enough for 80 attacks with gatling gun)

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Gatling Gun An armored necrogunner uses a gatling gun that is permanently grafted onto its body, and cannot be removed without destroying it. It can be sundered as normal, and has 10 hardness and 10 hit points. This is a masterwork modern firearm with the automatic weapon quality, which deals 8d6 damage. When attacking with the gatling gun, the armored necrogunner rolls a single ranged touch attack roll with a -2 penalty against all targets in a 200 ft. line. The armored necrogunner can make multiple such attacks as part of a full-attack action.

An armored necrogunner's gatling gun misfires if it rolls a natural 1 on an attack roll. A misfire gives the weapon the broken condition, but further misfires do not cause it to explode.

A single attack with the gatling gun uses 10 bullets. The gatling gun has a chamber size of 160 bullets, and thus can make 16 attacks before needing to be reloaded; it's a move action for the armored necrogunner to reload the gatling gun to its maximum capacity.

Grafted Armor An armored necrogunner wears heavy armor that functions like half-plate except that it is permanently grafted onto the armored necrogunner's body, and cannot be removed without destroying it. It can be sundered as normal, and destroying it deals 5d6 damage to the armored necrogunner.

Quick Clear (Ex) An armored necrogunner can remove the broken condition from its gatling gun as a move action, if that condition was caused by a misfire.

Rot Gub Infestation (Ex) When an armored necrogunner dies, it explodes into a swarm of rot grubs. Creatures within a 10-ft. radius, and any spaces below that radius (for example, if the armored necrogunner is flying when it dies), must succeed on a DC 21 Reflex save or be infested with rot grubs.

On a failed save, the infested creature takes 1d4 points of Constitution damage per round as the rot grubs burrow through and consume its flesh—this effect continues as long as the victim remains in the swarm and continues for 1d6 rounds after it leaves the swarm. Any energy-based attack (including damage from negative energy) that deals at least 5 points of damage to the victim automatically destroys all of the rot grubs infesting it, ending the effect prematurely. Additionally, any effect that removes disease instantly ends a rot grub infestation. Immunity to disease offers no defense. The save DC is Charisma-based.

A rot grub swarm is left in the armored necrogunner's space after it dies. If the armored necrogunner dies while flying, the rot grub swarm falls to the ground and takes falling damage as normal. Swarms take normal falling damage.

[dropintomanga]

Manga I Enjoyed in 2023

It's been another great year for manga. And I don't think we wouldn't have it any other way, right?

I got to read a bunch of manga, old and new, this year. But these titles stood out to me the the most.

Honorable Mention: Kindergarten WARS by You Chiba - This was something I needed, post-Assassination Classroom. A school filled with rich kids protected by assassins who have nowhere to go fighting against assassins trying to kill the kids. Not only that, the main female lead is desperate for a boyfriend and will date anyone who looks hot. But if they have certain peeves, the bodies will hit the floor. This is a really funny series with fun characters and a lot of action. It also has one of the best gags of the year.

Favorite Ongoing Weekly Manga: Akane-banashi by Yuki Suenaga and Takamase Moue - Akane-banashi continues to impress me every week. I absolutely love how every chapter continues to be impactful. Akane is still a refreshing protagonist and I love how it feels that even though she can win rakugo competitions based on sheer determination, Akane knows that she has a lot to learn. This is a stand-out manga that is excellent for teenagers.

Here's my top 5 manga of the year!

5.) A Home Far Away and The Yakuza's Bias by Teki Yatsuda (tie) - Once I got into K-Pop, I had to check out The Yakuza's Bias. I enjoyed a lot of the humor and the gags are well-done. It's a title that really showcases what it means to take a deep dive into fandom when you're new at it in hilarious fashion. But Yatsuda's debut work about 2 boys on the run is one of the best things I've read all year. It's truly a heartbreaking LGBT romance that will touch a lot of emotions. Also, Yatsuda's art is absolutely gorgeous and I can't wait to see their new work being licensed in the future.

4.) ZOM 100: Bucket List of the Dead by Haro Aso and Kotaro Tanaka - The only zombie manga story I read was Kengo Hanazawa's I Am A Hero, but I gave this title a follow because people were telling me about it due to its messaging. ZOM 100 stands out as an upbeat zombie apocalypse story that speaks to the resilience of people in tough times. I think we all forget that we can do great things in times of adversity if we all get support. There's some great moments in this series worth talking about. I never felt bored reading it. I'm glad I gave this manga a chance because I really think depressed people need to be told that while it's okay to feel the way they feel, they can still try and people shouldn't shame them for it.

3.) Kowloon Generic Romance by Jun Mayuzuki - Hong Kong nostalgia at its finest, in my opinion. This is one of the most fascinating stories of 2023 with regards to finding your identity and reconciling your past with your present. I have this high up because I really like how the central love story is slowly tying into a bigger mystery on why the world in the manga seems very off. People struggle so much with their pasts and I feel that this manga resonates with those folks. Especially me as I find myself longing for past moments that I dearly miss despite having not-so-pleasant experiences I would like to forget.

2.) Chainsaw Man Part II by Tatsuki Fujimoto - I absolutely adore this series. Fujimoto pulls no stops in telling the story he wants to tell. I love the new female characters that have all shown up and the return of a very notable one. I like Denji's development as he really doesn't know what he wants despite being granted a frightening power that continues to be a target to those who want to use him. This is the story of a "hero" who doesn't have the resilience to be an actual hero. It's also a story about people having their emotional needs warped into desires in the worst way.

1.) The Summer Hikaru Died by Mokumokuren - I normally don't read horror manga, but this manga is phenomenal. There was so much hype about the manga being released here in the U.S. and it has delivered in all cylinders. The art is great. The usage of sound effects to convey a sense of dread is top-notch. The interpersonal dynamic between the two main characters is frighteningly realistic. This manga, at its core, about dealing with a relationship that should've ended, but didn't. As much as we talk about needing relationships with people to survive, they have to end sometimes. There's a lot of horror and dread over how to talk about a relationship ending and good god, the manga delivers on displaying that. I also love the subtle reminder that bad relationships have serious consequences for everyone else. In real life, we've seen how abuse and interpersonal trauma trickles down from the victim into other parts of life and other people. All of this makes The Summer Hikaru Died my top manga of 2023.

I hope you all enjoyed my top picks. There's been a lot of fun reads that I probably missed out on, so let me know what you guys enjoyed. 2024 is probably going to be another great year for manga and there's already titles I'm looking forward to.

See you all in 2024!

[rainyfestivalsweets]

11/11/23

Made the mistake of weighing today.

As Hagrid says, shouldn'ta done that.

204 point something.

Surprised? After 4 meals out this week, not really.

BUT I am not working overtime and I have had great workouts, even if they have been mostly cardio.

I am also trying not to let myself fall into the Fall Pit of Despair that invariably lasts all winter.

I did a 5k on my lunch break (pictured) then added a cooldown (also pictured... not separate workouts).

I relieved myself of the responsibility of giving my friend a birthday gift and got him cash instead. He is broke again... our relationship is strained since I quit drinking and all he does is gamble and work. I also talked myself out of buying him a cake or vodka... because I thought he would much more appreciate the cash. If he is smart he will buy his own gift with it. But more than likely he gambled it last night.

I went to the thrift store before dinner to browse. Bought a hungry girl book and a verilux happylight. Which I was thrilled to find because I was just talking to my cousin about those. I almost bought a paid of size 14 Maurices jeans, but I didn't. Was thinking maybe I should wait to get jeans for a size I don't fit yet. To stop the never ending "must clean out my closet" brigade. Yet I want to go shopping. Dumb, I know... but good choice yesterday. I have to trust that I will be able to find clothes I like when i actually am that size.

I hit the gym for some tanning and stairs after the dinner.

Dinner: Realized that although there were years that I would have loved to go to that restaurant.... I do not like it anymore. Any future meals there will have to be a No from me. It just isn't worth it. I went too ham on the chips and salsa.... even though they weren't good. I was nervous and basically stuffing my face as an unhealthy coping mechanism. Ugg.

I didn't eat the wraps or sour cream. The meal was too much & not enough. I had some bites of rice and it sucked. It just sucked. 2nd sucky meal this week.

The workout was good tho. 8 min in the tanning bed feels like it might have been too much so I will only do 6 mins next time.

60 mins on the stair meal.

Wearing shorts! The nice shorts from Constantly Varied Gear. I am pushing myself to wear things out of the house that would normally scare me. 😱

I wanted a protein bar all day. It is dumb. Do I really whimsically eat 200 calories of anything else? 🤔 Not really yo.

After the workout I took but CBD gummies and lathered myself in a CBD muscle rub. Had 4 no sugar suckers & those low sugarpeach candies.

I need to work on savoring those candies and spacing them out better.

This morning I slept in and missing my 10 am healthy cooking meeting, dammit. I have been slow rolling the morning.

Finished the Jeannette McCurdy book. It hit on so many tough and relatable points in my life.... I loved it.

I won't be happy when my mom dies... my dad was the issued parent for me. But I still have alot of stuff to deal with, at 43.

[afarcryfrommymain]

Oc Interview questions! Tagged by @adelaidedrubman and @simplegenius042 thanks yall!

(doing this like he's the one awnsering- no bombs au moment, imagine Sharky in the background like one of those animals that soothes horses)

Name: "Aphid Hernández"

Nickname: "Oh gosh- people call me Aph if that counts? And of course, Rook, but I don't know if I'd say I'm much of a Rookie after all this, Joey says it's habit now, but I think she finds the look i give her funny.

Gender: "boy- uh man? But I also like they/them pronouns as much as he/ him - pick ya poison there"

Star sign: "Taurus, I think." (He's right)

Personality type: "I'll be real I don't know this one- I did this test like 5 years ago because a buddy wanted to know but fuck if I remember the results" (it's ISFP)

Height: "5'7" last i checked." (yes, i made him shorter.)

Orientation: "Bisexual, I think, but I'll date whoever if we dig one another enough. I'm also poly, but it's not like anyone's able to match Sharks at the moment - also, if a single person in Hope County gives me shit they will find my shovel in their stomach."

Nationality/Ethnicity: "Mexican-American"

Favorite fruit: "oh- that's a tough one- I think I like kiwi best though, weird little things, taste good too."

Favorite season: "waiting for it to cool down and for fall to arrive - ain't this place the mountains? Why am I still sweating when I walk outside? (Long pause) "it's Fall"

Favorite flower: "My tattoo says it all, the gladiolus, cool flowers, I looked up the meaning a long time ago, but it's kinda left my brain since"

Favorite scent: "can't beat a barbecue but I'm partial to most fire-associated smells- Sharky stop looking at me like that."

Coffee, tea, or HC: "oh- coffee for sure, iced tea is good too though."

Average hours of sleep: "Okay. So I know 8 hours is what you're supposed to get- but you think 4 is acceptable? 5 when I'm lucky? Sharky seriously stop-"

Dog or cat person: "lord don't make me pick, not when I got Boomer and Peaches around,"

Dream trip: "tent near a place far away from civilization, by a river, just me fishing and hunting for as long as I can stand to be alone, then I leave."

Favorite fictional/real character: "oh- Ramona Flowers was my gay awakening, she's top of the list for that reason alone.

Number of blankets they sleep with: "Normally, there's a small pile of various blankets under me, and then there's a big one over top like I'm in a nest. Real cozy, I highly recommend it."

Random fact: "oh I hate being asked to give a fun fact uh- I play dungeons and dragons- or I did but I kinda don't have anybody to play with anymore so ya know if anybody in Hope County wants to play hit me up. I cook, too - is that a fact? I feel like people should cook in general, but ya know."

I do NOT know who to tag, and I think most have already been tagged - if you haven't, this is ur tag now. I better see u on my dash soon (/j)

[paleparearchive]

Thoughts Written in A Letter

Bazille's initial 4★ story (1/3) ( 1 - 2 - 3 )

Location: atelier 3 (morning) ; museum hallway (morning) ; Renoir, Monet, Sisley & Bazille's room | Characters: Bazille, Courbet, Rembrandt, Gauguin

Bazille: Alright, after this, I'm going to finish the painting…

Rembrandt: Aaah, it's Bazille-kun. Did you come here to paint toooo?~

Bazille: Ah, Rembrandt-san… Wait, what's wrong with your head!? It's covered in blood!

Rembrandt: Hahaha, I fell down and fell head first into a stone statueeee~ I broke the statue, I wonder if Michelangelo-kun will get mad at me again? I'll have to apologize to him later.

Bazille: What are you talking about so casually with your head bleeding!

Rembrandt: What am I talking about… It's normal for me to get injured, you knooow~

Bazille: Indeed it is, but... Anyways, you need to be patched up. I'll get a first aid kit right now…

Courbet: If you need a first aid kit, I have it here.

Geez, you're always getting injured. Put yourself in the shoes of those who have to patch you up all the time.

Rembrandt: Sorry as always, Courbet-kuun~

Courbet: This guy isn't sorry at all.

Bazille: Courbet, I'll help, too.

Courbet: No, could you go check on Gauguin instead, Bazille?

Bazille: Gauguin?

Courbet: His stomach hurt and he was feeling quite dizzy. I'm concerned about that guy as well, but this bloody one should be my priority.

Bazille: Yeah, surely that bloody one comes first. So, where's Gauguin?

Courbet: He was in the cross hallway.

Bazille: Got it, I'll be right there.

Rembrandt: Bye byeee~ Tell Gauguin-kun I said hi.

Courbet: Stay still, Rembrandt!

—

Gauguin: Uuugh… My stomach…

Bazille: Gauguin, are you alright!?

Gauguin: Bazille… Aaah, my stomach hurts…

Bazille: You almost collapsed. What's wrong?

Gauguin: Kuroda gave me some advice about painting. But he hit me right where it hurts... and then…

Bazille: Kuroda-san never says anything wrong, but he's a man who says things clearly. So that was an extreme amount of pressure, right?

Gauguin: R-Right…

Bazille: I'll take you to your room for the time being. Here, I'll lend you my shoulder. Can you stand up?

Gauguin: Sorry… Uugh…

Bazille: I'll walk slowly. If it gets too tough, let me know.

—

Bazille: Sigh… I finally settled down…

(I went to check on Rembrandt-san after that and saw that Courbet was treating him properly. Gauguin has been put to bed and will recover after a good night's rest. I was going to finish the painting, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it… Guess I got no choice, I'll just write a letter for a change of pace.)

…

(Rembrandt-san is covered in blood every day, and Gauguin is frequently sick. In Rembrandt-san's case, he has no choice but to be careful… But Gauguin has neurogenic gastritis. It's not something that's going to go away anytime soon, given the guy's nature.)

(Before I got here, I was told Courbet was taking care of both of them by himself. That guy complains as well, but... He's kind of a good caretaker. Nowadays, when Courbet can't keep up, he brings them to me. It's nice to have someone depend on you, but... When I'm treating them, I think of my mother and father.)

…

(How would Mom and Dad treat Gauguin and the others…? … They are both excellent doctors. I'm sure they would treat Gauguin properly in a different way than I did.)

(I… I chose to be an artist. I can't help but think about this stuff…)

But if I had become a doctor–

–Heck, I wonder if my parents would be fed up if I kept writing about these guilty feelings of mine.

[cowandsistrum]

Epagomenal Day 4: Aset

03/08/2023

Today marks my first direct, one-to-one meeting with Aset, in all my years of being a practicing Kemetic. In many ways, it was exactly what I expected, and in many ways, it was exactly Not.

I was kind of bracing myself for the necessary chaos that tends to accompany Set days, but it decided to grace me on Aset’s birthday instead. My alarm didn’t go off this morning and I ended up sleeping nearly half the morning away. While my attendance at uni doesn’t actually have set start and finish hours, I got there far later than I liked and wasn’t feeling too great about it, which kind of clouded the rest of the day. My eye has also been playing up again, which made it hard to read, and the lab was unavailable to be used today. In lieu of all these happenings, it at least freed up my time to use on other things which I’ve been neglecting, and I did get another job opportunity despite it all, which I’m also pleased and grateful for.

Shrine for Aset was the most formal I’ve been so far for the epag days. It was a full Senut, with special prayers dedicated to Her throughout, and offerings of high quality milk chocolate and French vanilla Earl Grey tea, which I’ve noticed tends to be a hit with Kemetic goddesses, and has kinda been my go-to fancy offering for Them lately. Aset seemed pleased with it too, though there was a formal coolness and distance throughout the whole affair.

Aset has always been one of those Names that intimidate the hell out of me, which is why I’ve never approached Her directly and on my own before. However, I can tell She listens, and She’s very direct, which I like. The iru I got Her as was Great of Magic, Queen of Heaven, and She of Ten Thousand Names, who weaves heka in Her words; no less intimidating than I expected, but She wove Herself throughout my mind and I could feel Her presence in there and around, stern and ironclad, but calm. Her wish for this year is to work on myself, be more confident, and also take responsibility for my actions and words. I think it’s apt at this point in time.

The card She presented to me today was Mother (Queen) of Wands, reversed. In it, the python normally pointing downwards now appears to be pointing upwards, climbing higher along the wand she holds, but straining to hold onto the three eggs in her clutch. The warning of burnout and juggling too many things here is very real, as I’ve been in a period of burnout since June, though am slowly climbing out of it. Some much needed tough love in Her direct way. Dua Aset