#but hey! lucky

[kazimakuwabara]

Knit

Summary: A demon out for Hiei's life finds himself at the mercy of one... old, knitting, man.

***

When Tallo burst into the front of the human shrine, he had been expecting many sights, but not the one he was greeted with.

He had expected to find Hiei, who he had tracked here, and engage with him in battle. If he could kill him, he would present his head to that damned Mukuro. Perhaps the shock of her general's head would make her easier to kill. If not Hiei, Tallo has expected at least some meandering humans. Didn't humans visit temples like these? If there were humans, he was going to eat his fill, and face Hiei with a full stomach, and fully charged reserves.

Instead, the sight that waited for him, was an elder human in a soft powder blue sweater, with fly-away white hair, and large glasses.

The human was knitting, or maybe it was crocheting. Tallo wasn't one to be able to tell which thing he was doing... but the human was sitting on the porch of his temple, his eyes cast down as he worked on weaving some purple and gray yarns together. A long stretch of silence passed between the two, Tallo waiting for some sort of reaction, and the human just... quietly sitting there. Not caring for Tallo's presence.

Tallo opened his mouth to speak, but the human heaved a dramatic sigh, "Damn! This is so fussy!"

"Human-"

"Don't shout!" the old man interrupted again, "I know you're there. But I was trying to get this done before I had to deal with you." The elder set down his knitted things, and flexed old boney fingers that were surprisingly steady.

"The scarf is becoming triangular... I'll have to ask Kurama where I messed up... he'll know. He's better at knitting than me," the human announced, lifting up his other hand and flexing his fingers.

Tallo took a step forward, his hackles raised, and his teeth bared as he prepared to roar at the foolish old pest who didn't seem bothered by him. But after that step, a ripple of intense energy poured out from the human. Like a slow heat, a wave of human Reiki washed over him, and Tallo winced at the might of it.

"You know I started crocheting first, but I thought I'd try knitting. I don't get why I'm struggling more with it. I began to practice to help keep my hands limber and steady... it's good if you're a doctor you know," the human rambled.

The bespectacled man looked at Tallo, his eyes slightly obscured behind his glasses, "Not that I'm sure you care for that. But I'm sure you'd like to know, you've stepped into my territory... and you can't leave until I let you. This is my space... and there are rules within it."

A chill was running up and down Tallo's spine as the human's aura continued to spike. He needed to get out of here... or at least he needed to step back, and give himself room to charge. Tallo took a step backward, and the human smiled, his sagging flesh stretching with his grin.

"Ah... gotcha."

The human's hands, still flexing in front of him glowed, and too late Tallo realized around every finger was a thread of energy. The thread stretched out, all the way to Tallo, to just beneath his feet. And beneath his feet was a loosely knit weave of Reiki. The human closed his hands into fists, and tugged.

The net at his feet closed around Tallo, and he screamed as he was hauled off his feet. At first, he struggled, but the thread cut too easily through him as he moved. He lost a few fingers, and half a foot before he had enough sense to stop. With effort, he remained still, caught and helpless within a glowing orange net of Reiki that was biting into him like the sharpest of blades.

Breathing hard, the old man approached Tallo, staring at him with a scolding look. Like he was a child.

"What is this?!" Tallo demanded, recoiling at the own terror in his voice.

"Well, this is a trap," the elder explained, shrugging a little. "A friend of mine warned me he planned to lead you through here so I could finish you off. You're a small fry he doesn't have time for."

Tallo felt a consuming rage burn like acid in his stomach, "I, am a small fry?! I, the breaker of human spirits? The terror to even demons! I am Tallo, the one who will be the next king of Makai, and with my kingship, I'll end pathetic little lives like yours!"

The old man grinned, suddenly looking boyish as he stifled a chuckle, "You? The next king? Please. You're not even in my league. Well... anyway. Goodbye. I promise it's quick. I don't like to make others suffer."

"Wait!" Tallo shrieked as the old man raised his fists, "Who the hell even are you!?"

"Kazuma Kuwabara," the elder answered patiently, "Someone before your time. Goodbye."

He pulled his hands over his shoulders, and as Kuwabara promised, it was quick. Tallo was gone before he was aware of pain.

As a mess slopped on the ground, Kuwabara released his threads of energy. It was a nice little trick... his own special ability he'd figured out some thirty years ago. He shuddered and tutted at the pile of Tallo on the ground, "Diced meat. Gross."

Tucking his hands behind his back, Kuwabara stared at the bloody mess for a few seconds longer and shook his head. Perhaps if could make the net, while also slicing up another dimension with his Jigen To, he wouldn't have to worry about cleanup. Maybe he could test that at another time. Turning over his shoulder he called out, "Hiei... will you clean this up? I'm too old to do this!"

Hiei appeared, flitting in front of Kuwabara like a shadow. Hiei smirked a little, "Your spiritual awareness is as good as ever I see... you knew I was here."

"Of course! Only my hearing is going, thank you very much!" Kuwabara sniffed, nose stuck in the air.

Hiei pointed at Kuwabara's glasses without a word.

"...Okay so my eyes are bad too. Be a friend, and help with this mess!" Kuwabara pleaded, his voice pitched in a way that made Hiei remember a young teen in a blue school uniform.

"You took care of the nuisance for me, so fine. Though you should just get a dog. Or a demonic beast. They could clean up the scraps," Hiei advised.

Kuwabara turned back towards the shrine calling over his shoulder, "If it's not a cat, I don't want it!"

"What are you knitting anyway?" Hiei asked, fire curling around his arm as he prepared to obliterate what was left of Tallo into ashes.

Kuwabara picked up his knitting, and held up a long stretch of woven together black and purple yarn. Kuwabara smiled, "A scarf. For you... But I think I missed a row."

Hiei wrinkled his nose and muttered, "If you think I'll wear that..."

"Oh, you will, spiteful little thing! You will!" Kuwabara grumbled, and then sat back down on the porch to resume his knitting.

End

[bigfatbreak]

In the changeling au, what does “keeping” mean? I know there’s the whole thing about faeries tricking people into “giving” them their names, but what actually happens in this au? Like what would the actual consequences be in a practical sense?

(And I assume nothing happens if Adrien just learns the names through other means bc they have to “give” it to him?)

it means that people who's names he has are susceptible to his illusions and persuasions, even if neither party knows it

they can't perceive what he doesn't want them to, and they're more likely to agree with what he asks, even if its wildly out of character for them. he doesn't know he has this power, he just thinks his friends are really nice to him

and yeah, if he learns someone's name secondhand, it doesn't count. it has to be a direct interaction, and it has to be comprehensible

[ministarfruit]

lucky star because I was feeling nostalgic

[sleepsucks]

[autisticaradiamegido]

day 169

this is it, the dynamic

[artgroves]

Things you can find on the fridge at Avengers Tower, probably

For the @dayoffzine

[almightyshadowchan]

After a fight 😚

[sunny1927]

Just a sneak peak of my animatic that I’m currently working on …

(I apologise for not uploading much, it’s because I’m mainly focusing on this project rather than other stuff)

Anyway, let me know what you all think! 💙

[batwynn]

Listen. The moment you get an older than 45 queer romance going in media I’m thrilled and I just don’t gaf if it’s sad, ‘Bad Rep’, light and happy, plot B, not ‘serious enough’, ‘too serious’, Can’t Happen Because One of Them Only is in Love With the Other Inside a Mind Split Work Place, Not Safe For Work, etc. I don’t care. I want it to exist and I will thoroughly enjoy it.

I grew up hearing about all the friends my mom lost in the queer community. I grew up knowing that those people would never have a romance that aged with their bodies. That they’d never have these kinds of stories. That the people who did survive still face hatred and violence just for holding hands in public even after living through this shit for so many years. So, yeah. I want to see the older queer couples in love, ok? I don’t care if it’s not the Young People Aesthetic or ‘Good Representation’ or wtfever. I just don’t care. They deserve to age, and love, and be messy, and be real people, and have stories told about it.

[that1notetaker]

Shitten post now. She found her dad's old stash. I'm calling her Camellia

[delicate-sketch]

saw a post about how people want will solace to have a gun because they don’t recognize the value of his healing powers which can be true but also

the whole thing in pjo is that for demigods fighting = autonomy and independence (which is why percy screams at the begging IT SUCKS TO BE A DEMIGOD) the idea is that the camp makes demigods safe (by teaching them how to fight) and any other type of labour isn’t that much valuable because they > don’t teach them that it is < / > they don’t live enough to need them <

The Harpies are the ones cleaning instead of themselves, the Ambrosia will heal instead of actual doctors (which puts a hell of pressure on Will when the ambrosia is not enough because he needs to treat those who are severely injured AND the light injured who already took way too much Ambrosia)

And I don’t think this was on purpose RR was just like “oh shit someone and something needs to do this boring stuff”

I think the camp should have an equilibrium going on like teach those kids valuable life skills (what is safe to eat in a forest how do I cook make themselves clean the dishes how do I treat an injurie without ambrosia ((this one for wills sake too)) how do I guide myself without a gps) and also what kind of fighting suits you because yeah in a world where monsters want to kick your ass you need to know how to defend yourself not because this is what makes you valuable but because it what makes you SURVIVE

[pepperf]

There are so many things to be annoyed about the TUA s4 debacle, and I am exploring every one of them. This is not a particularly joyful thing for me, I don't run on spite, but I guess I just need to work my way through this.

TODAY'S ANNOYANCE! Read at your own peril! Dead dove, do not enter, I'm venting about both fandom's and Five's attitudes towards Lila.

I remember how much vitriol and pearl-clutching there was about Lila after season 2. Fandom at large HATED her: she was manipulative, she lied, she drugged Diego, she tried to kill them all, blah blah blah, god it was like people had never watched TV before.

This shifted to a somewhat grudging acceptance after season 3, "Well she's going to be a mum so maybe her claws have been clipped - but OH NO SHE'S STILL MANIPULATIVE, SHE PUNCHES FIVE AND FAKE-DRINKS AND EATS SUSHI?!" (If it's bad for babies, apparently someone forgot to inform the entire nation of Japan).

But now - now that Five "loves"* her, now she's been portrayed as a saccharine shadow of her glorious self, a living mannequin for your favourite blorbo to fuck - NOW you like her? Go fuck yourselves.

If you can't handle Lila at her most chaotic and weird and destructive and terrible, you don't deserve her. Let's be real, it's not about Lila at all. It's not about the character we've seen for the past two seasons. You don't want that Lila, you want some kind of Stepford wife to make Five happy. Which, hey, was apparently what he wanted, too!

For the record, and to stave off some of the flames I may be provoking, I think this version of Five is equally bullshit and feels like they twisted the character to fit the plot they wanted, rather than following what he'd been like previously. I mean, I do think he has control issues, he's forever telling people what to do, but he's not, in general, an emotionally-stunted manchild, and he's definitely better than this.

*Tell me, gentle readers, is it true love to lie to someone for six months about something that you know is vitally important to them, and then claim you know what's best for them, and then fucking sulk about it when they turn you down, or is that being an emotionally-stunted manchild with control issues? And some people think that is the height of romance! Are you on crack? Are you in a cult? Knock three times if you need help!

[corvid-ghost]

The in story reasons of Odysseus and Penelopes namesss

Odysseus, named by his grandfather, someone so fueled by hate, he named his only grandson "he who causes pain". He named a child after suffering because, in his eyes, the whole world suffers.

Penelope, who was born to "Arnacia", but renamed after swans/ducks saved her from her own father. Her own father tried to kill because she wasn't who he wanted.

[kitamars]

and love, you were the sun, you were the rain

[thethiefandtheairbender]

endless list of otps: (remake) Callum and Rayla, The Dragon Prince

To have that kind of strength, it's not enough to love someone. You have to trust them to share the burdens you carry. [...] Callum, there's a... burden I'm carrying, and I've kept it a secret. And maybe that's part of what's made things weirder with us. But I think—I know that I trust you to help me carry this. If you're okay with that? Rayla. We've been through a lot together. And a lot has changed. Well, some things have changed—but not everything: I would do anything for you.

[kayvsworld]

the custom arc-reactor-shaped saw from the couch scene in im1 is really i think a nicely condensed representation of obadiah stane as a guy. here is a thing that comes out easily if you gently press and turn it. and he has a custom doohickey built to brute force it out of the chest of a person he's known since they were a child.

a guy who has his best under-the-table customers executed via firing squad and tries to have the dude who Builds All Of His Tech killed by blowing up the entire convoy of humvees he'll be riding in. just a man who is taking the most batshit cruel route possible to solve problems largely stemming from his own blinding greed and ignorance

i was worried about killing the golden goose, but then it laid another egg! anyway time to kill the golden goose