#but i am learning about animal defences so

[neon-zoologist]

so rude of this fire alarm to interrupt bloodsucking zombies from outer space

[saintsenara]

honestly is there a single competent teacher at Hogwarts? Any teacher I can think of with more than 10 lines of dialogue is a pedagogical disaster. Very shippable disasters though, for which I am grateful because your page has made me giggle all week.

maybe Sprout.

honestly, anon? no.

that school is a basket case and the older i get the more my sympathy for cornelius fudge increases. imagine getting the call where dumbledore says "heyyyyy... so, i hired what i thought was an ex-auror who was retired from the service because of serious ptsd, gave him no teacher training, let him perform illegal curses on children for fun, and then it turns out he was an escaped convict trying to resurrect the dark lord all along. lmao."

i'd have devoted myself to trying to discredit him too.

and so, for fun and profit, i think it's only fair for us to establish an official competency ranking of the teaching staff at hogwarts during the period 1991-1998... points on for having a basic grasp of the material, points off for anyone who nearly dies in your class.

1. wilhelmina grubbly-plank, care of magical creatures

genuinely, professor grubbly-plank is the only person we meet in all seven books who seems to be an uncomplicatedly good teacher. she's got a series of well-defined lesson plans which feature a mixture of guided and independent study and which work in a tangible way towards exams, she has clear authority in the classroom but is never unreasonable or cruel, she's demonstrably able to lead a practical class which involves wild animals which might behave dangerously or unpredictably without there ever being any concerns about student safety, she takes an active pastoral role [such as when she helps heal hedwig's injured wing, reassuring harry enormously], she's collegial [she shares her lessons plans with hagrid in goblet of fire, and she refuses to criticise his teaching to umbridge], and she's admired by all of her pupils except harry [who is nonetheless begrudgingly forced to admit that she's incredibly good at her job].

plus, her aesthetic is iconic.

=2. filius flitwick, charms; pomona sprout, herbology

in joint second place, we have these two.

both sprout and flitwick spend canon seeming to be pretty good at their jobs - they have interesting lesson plans which seem to balance theoretical and practical work well and which prepare their pupils properly for exams, their pupils like them and enjoy their lessons, they're both excellent at the pastoral side of their jobs [sprout's gentle encouragement of neville is really lovely], and they're adored by their colleagues.

they lose marks for lax classroom discipline. harry, ron, and hermione are constantly yapping away in both charms and herbology - with harry and ron frequently failing to understand what they're supposed to be learning because they were too busy have a chat.

=4. remus lupin, defence against the dark arts; septima vector, arithmancy

two teachers here who earn their placement on the list by having one pupil who considers them life-alteringly inspiring.

for lupin, this is dean thomas - whose constant state of readiness to throw hands to defend his honour is one of his greatest character traits. for vector, it's hermione.

obviously, they're both well-qualified, well-prepared, engaging, and [at least in lupin's case, but i can't see why it wouldn't also be the case for vector] well-regarded by their colleagues.

they don't rank higher because lupin loses marks for endangering his students by not disclosing his knowledge that the presumed-to-be-a-death-eater sirius has a means of entering hogwarts without detection [i understand why he does this from a characterisation point of view, but it's inexcusable from a safeguarding one] and because vector teaches an elective subject which is implied to only attract bright, engaged pupils - and therefore has an easier time in the classroom than someone trying to get a student like crabbe through their exams.

5. minerva mcgonagall, transfiguration

in comes minnie mac at number five.

unsurprisingly, her solid curriculum, excellent classroom discipline, high-regard among her colleagues and pupils, support of student extracurricular activities, and investment in helping her pupils pursue the careers they want all give her points.

she loses marks, however, for the fact that she is so casually disdainful of pupils who aren't instinctively good at her subject - which suggests that she doesn't know how to adapt her material so it can be understood by every student she teaches. like dumbledore, she seems to have an identifiable favouritism for brilliant students - who she seems to permit to get away with much more than students she considers average or dull - which probably doesn't endear her to anyone who doesn't get that treatment.

on her pastoral approach, though, i don't think that it matters too much that she's not particularly nurturing - even though she's a head of house. she seems to be good at responding to genuine distress and managing genuine crises with empathy, and the "pull yourself together" vibes she takes in response to more trivial dramas is because she's a presbyterian scotswoman.

6. severus snape, potions & defence against the dark arts

the one on this list that i imagine will be controversial...

because snape is a dick in the classroom - not denying that - but he's also, in terms of his pupils' exam performance, clearly the most successful teacher in the entire school. he can fill his newt-level classes despite only admitting those with outstanding grades, and he expects every pupil he teaches to pass owl-level potions and seems not to be disappointed. hermione reveals that he does teach the theory of potions and the discipline's wider application - harry and ron just don't listen - and that she thinks his lessons are interesting.

snape loses marks - obviously - for his general vibe, although i think he should be allowed some leeway for his dickhead behaviour since potions is clearly a subject in which not paying attention and not being able to follow instructions properly is dangerous [hence why i've been a trevor hater since day one].

i suppose he should also be allowed some leeway because it's a genre requirement for a school story to have a theatrically evil teacher. but he's not getting it - since he clearly enjoys the role so much.

7. horace slughorn, potions

marks on for encouraging independent thinking and for clearly being able to hold a classroom's attention. marks off for not learning the names of pupils he's indifferent to, getting his favourite pupils drunk, and for having no follow-up questions to "hello, sir. i'd like to commit some murders."

8. charity burbage, muggle studies

entirely because i think it's genuinely admirable - and, indeed, far more admirable than the fact that the order of the phoenix all happily keep working for the state following voldemort's takeover - that she publishes an article in the daily prophet, to which her real name is attached, explicitly refuting blood-supremacist rhetoric when she must know that a blood-supremacist government is about to come into power.

marks off because the fact that even wizards who've taken her class appear to know fuck all about muggle society means that she can't be particularly good at her job.

9. firenze, divination

marks on because his pupils love him, marks off because that's a tremendously low bar to clear given... trelawney.

him telling his classes that divination is a bullshit, made-up subject is iconic, though.

10. "alastor moody", defence against the dark arts

i think it's genuinely impressive that he manages to go from being imprisoned under the imperius curse for a decade straight into planning a full year's lesson plans [which his pupils love] and doesn't have a breakdown.

marks off because of literally everything else.

=11. all the miscellaneous teachers: aurora sinistra, astronomy; silvanus kettleburn, care of magical creatures; bathsheba babbling, ancient runes

they seem fine.

14. rolanda hooch, flying

full respect to her for managing to wangle a full-time salary out of an annual workload made up of teaching one lesson [badly] and refereeing six quidditch matches.

15. quirinus quirrell, defence against the dark arts

all the proof those of us who hate professor riddle stories need that voldemort would have been a dogshit teacher, if he can't even get his meat-puppet to inspire a room full of eager eleven-year-olds in a subject which is about the coolest ways possible to kill people.

=16. cuthbert binns, history of magic; sybill trelawney, divination

they're terrible, obviously, but the fact that they remain in their jobs despite being so clearly incompetent is entirely dumbledore's fault. are you not giving the staff performance reviews, albus? come on now.

18. dolores umbridge, defence against the dark arts

umbridge deserves to be in prison, but she did at least bother to plan out a curriculum.

=19. gilderoy lockhart, defence against the dark arts; rubeus hagrid, care of magical creatures

both victims of dumbledore's "lol this will be so funny" era of hiring practices. both deservedly regarded as completely fucking incompetent by all but one defiant brownnoser. both possessing jazzy taste in textbooks.

21. amycus carrow, defence against the dark arts

he beats his sister simply because his pupils do appear to know how to perform the unforgivable curses correctly.

22. alecto carrow, muggle studies

literally nothing positive can be said.

[luna-loveboop]

I started playing Wind Waker! Y'all want some thoughts?

-Why is the first thing I learned how to do with Link crawling on the ground like a sneaky sneak?

-Why is the SECOND thing I figured out how to do Link sidling along a wall like a sneaky sneak?

This kid is a sneaky sneak sneak!!!!

-Why is Link instantly jumping on people's tables? Get down please sir

-Wind and his family are so sweet I love them so much- and Aryll got kidnapped noooo TT

-Tetra has shot Link from a catapult

**I'm just gonna keep editing this post and adding random thoughts as I go does that sound cool? I wanna do that @hero-of-the-wolf

-Tetra's winking at Link has my heart forever she's so cute I swear

-love the glowy blue talking rock btw yesss stalker pirate girl

-Link why do you yell so loud every time you jump this is a sneak mission I thought you'd be good at this

-the game grumps on YouTube saved my life tho bc im a coward and get way too nervous in places like the forsaken fortress and watching someone else swear through the area before I do it helps ok

-Wind is such a gremlin but he's actually so polite? Like he instantly bowed to the sword trainer and then to the guy on windfall island after paying for breaking his pots- before running out of the house at breakneck speed. He's such a sweet and polite boy you can tell he's grandmas kid- yet he's such a menace what a wild yet polite lad ridndkkfkdg

-the people of windfall island are way too judgy stop being condescending to Link he's my baby. 'The Tipsters' girls have my heart tho because they.. they... well they give you tips. Tip you off you could say

-I think the King of Red Lions just legally adopted Link

Ok so small rant section but this game is so tragic. Like the art style is so goofy and fun but it hits you so hard that these are KIDS. Link is freaking twelve and his sister was kidnapped on his birthday, leaving him to follow in hot clothes because of higher defence I'm guessing (new hero clothes are more suitable for an adventure than casual loose ones but still!). But he's literally like half the height of DOORKNOBS- he has to stand on his tiptoes anytime to open doors. He is so very small.

My mom was like 'I love this animation style - does it help with your nerves that it's lighter?' And I was like 'honestly it makes me feel more deeply the tragedy of what should be a happy childhood being torn apart' but she's used to me saying weird shit like that so it's fine

-I think we as a fandom are severely underestimating how much of a gremlin Wind waker link can be and that's saying a LOT

-I got the Wind Waker!

-WHY IS IT SO HARD TO CONTROL DONT YOU LECTURE ME ON RHYTHM IM LITERALLY A MUSICIAN WHAT THE HECK

-K learned the Wind Waker

-Ok I like got to dragon roost island on the first day and FINALLY got an empty bottle my beautiful baby where were you??

-I cleaned- like actually fully dusted and cleaned- my wii u for the first time after it was inactive for years and holy mother of improved game pad controls

-is it wierd that I'm more excited about the empty bottle than the wind waker?

. . . .

-ya know in hindsight gabon looked pretty shady. I mean he was standing in the shade but what kind of asshole stands there and tells a giant bird to throw a child in the ocean

-I think ganodonk is dumb I can't wait to get the sword and bitch slap him

-'we cANt set SaiL aGain Until you geT a GLowY thiNgy' well mr boat man sir have you considered that I realised there was most definitely a heart piece or two I forgot on windfall island and I'm doing another dungeon with three hearts? At least I got a bottle ig

-why am I trading with rats for potions this doesn't seem hygienic. I know rats are in fact very clean animals but this dungeons isn't and why do the rats want rupees anyways?

-WAIT WHY CAN LINK TALK TO RATS

-so there's this like steamy glowy pot that teleports me to the start/end of the dungeon? I'm questioning all existence in this world why is that a thing. Honestly think Twilight princess's bald teleportation chicken made more sense but whatever

. . . .

-I saved the dragon! By riding on his tail? What a boss fight that was fun. Got a shiny thingy Yayy

-So the wind waker! I learned to change the direction of the wind which is so cool and also to change whether it's night or day. Which is wayyy too much power for this kid how come no one told me he could change night and day?

-That said I love how musical Link is. Like when he looks so happy waving the baton playing to the wind it's just really cool

- Why is the God of Wind a like. Toad surfer dude. Whatever, I like him.

-So apperently there's these little dudes called fish-men who are talking fish who fill out your sea chart- I am still questioning why link can talk to animals but that's fine

-I missed out on pawprint isle before apparently, so I'm gonna do that before whatever the red lion king tells me next

-Also I love Beedle in this game so far he hasn't threatened me like the other beedles in games I've played

. . . .

-I GOT MY SECOND EMPTY BOTTLE

-Sailing through the ocean is really fun

-I went back to windfall and got a 'swift sail' that lets me go faster but I still like the blue one better

-I reached the great deku tree! He had monsters for pimples and I couldn't figure out how to get them off 'what are you doing?!?! go help him!!' IM TRYING ADOPTIVE BOAT FATHER. Turns out I needed to roll into him and not use the grappling hook which makes sense but still

-He. Grew me a leaf. A magic blowy leaf. Which is great it's an awesome gift and means a lot but the Deku tree grunted and grew a leaf for me and that's kinda wierd right?

-Reaching said leaf was a PAIN and I am very impressed with Wind Waker Link.

Hang on rant session. Bro's tiny little grandmas boy but flipping through the air to reach an unspeakably high up leaf is chill. He flipped through leafy child cannons a billion times to reach the Deku leaf and didn't get dizzy or give up even after falling. And that's saying nothing of how he picked up a sword for the first time and swings his way through EVERYTHING thrown at him. Gosh he's so cool I love this Link

-I HAVE MAGIC NOW!!!!! With like a little meter and stuff tidkkfdjfnkdjfkd I'm very excited that I have magic

-Reaching this high shelf with my path forward was a pain but I have to save and quit rn so if it puts me back at the start of this room I will be. Upset.

-It put me back at the start of the room.

-I ordered a game guide! I'm gonna try and play through with it- this'll be my first time using one. But I haven't updated for a few days bc I'm waiting on it :)

This whole post is a bunch of random thoughts jumping around which my adhd self appreciates- that said I really love that we can grab an enemies weapon and use it against them. Increases my respect for ww Link even more- when he had no weapon in the forsaken fortress he grabs a literal wooden stick from an enemy and kills it with. A big twig. Kid's brutal and does what it takes which is so crazy. Also using an enemies sword is great hehe shiny

. . . .

-Got game guide. Yayyyy

-The forbidden woods are scary but they remind me a lot of the forest temple in twilight princess. A lot. The mechanics are also very similar. I love Zelda games

-Maybe it's because the only time I've had free to play rn has been at night, but I find myself constantly thinking this game is creepy. It's so unsettling for a cartoon style- the boko babas freaking eat link! And chew on him like no!! Fisnfjskfkfk *shudder* aaaanyways I am NOT looking forward to redeads in this game but that's a later problem right?

-I figured out how to get the treasure chests from the sea!! And got a piece of heart :DDD

-Ok game guides are really helpful

-Apparently the 'warp pots' are a consistent thing- I guess that's just how Link teleports in dungeons in this game. The second pot is generally hidden a bit but then you can teleport to the beginning of the dungeon and back- then the third pot is near the end... I think. This is only my second dungeon in this game with the pots but it's going great! I'm learning a lot hehe

-I love the grappling hook so much. I can farm spoils/materials from monsters with it before I kill them and I love that. Also it makes me feel cool swinging it.

-WDYM I CAN GET FREE BLUE POTIONS FROM A KOROK USING EASILY ATTAINABLE (with the grappling hook) MATERIALS FROM BOKO BABAS THIS IS JOY THIS IS LOVE IT GIVES ME HEALTH A N D MAGIC FJDKFJFK

-Also the title screen theme and animation play around outset is very satisfying. Watched it replay three times tonight before starting the game. Time well spent.

-I appreciate the items so much. The Deku Leaf is great like I can F L Y with magic and also blow wind at enemies and make them look silly <3

-The look of Link's spoils bag has grown on me and I love it. Purple.

. . . .

-I got the boomerang!!! Oh my gosh it's so cool I love it.

-I've been trying out the switch mechanic for targeting rather than hold. It's going interestingly bc I've only ever held for targeting before. But I think I like it

-The evil flower ate Makar- the Korok I'm TRYING to save GIVE HIM BACK

-That was the prettiest boss fight ever. I couldn't even be intimidated, I don't think I've ever been more relaxed during a boss fight lol. They should make all of them purple and blue sparkly- it was legitimately beautiful.

-I finished the forbidden forest dungeon!! :DD yayyy

-Link's hopping up and down in celebration after the boss fight was so cute he's so happy!!

-Have I mentioned I'm excited about the boomerang

-Makar is so cute?!?! I love him with his little violin and- the Koroks oh my heart that was the cutest ceremony ever

. . . .

-Ok so I went around the great sea, for now avoiding the big octos I am uhh terrified interested to meet, went to a place that got 'corrupted by gannorks power' so now I'm following the pirates back to windfall island

-The pirates are stealing bombs and I think this is illegal.

-My girl Tetra's here!! :D also doing illegal stuff! And Link is just watching them rob the bomb shop lol these cutscenes are the best sometimes also I love the pirate banter

-Tetras little smile and wink when she saw Link was so cute I love her. Also the little hints that she was concerned about his island and not just treasure?? Sweet

-I stole the bombs that the pirates stole from the pirates. And getting there was a PAIN with swinging on the ropes the tiny pirate (Niko) made Link do

-TETRA is a STALKER she was watching Link through the glowy rock thingy- probably cause he was just sneaking around watching her rob a shop but still that thing scares me sometimes when her voice just comes screaming out of it

-Btw why do the pirates want the god pearl thingy anyways? Just cause it's really shiny orrr

-ok we're headed to outset! I'm so excited to get back to Link's home hehe. Also I think Tetra just dared Link to a race bc she was like 'we'll get there first we still have bombs' so yeah anyways she's spending the night here tho so I'm sure it'll be fine.

-I don't like the great sea as much when it's raining and thunderstorming all over :/ I hope it doesn't stay like this? Because that would suck

-I got sucked into a cyclone and was panicking cause it threw me across the great sea BUT then it threw me onto outset!! :D so that was uhh. Handy I guess.

-Ohhh ok so like. time is frozen from ganad's current curse, which means it's gonna stay night for right now, so tetra won't be coming in time to get the treasure from the god dude first. Nice.

-The Lion King just kindly told Link to visit his family and chill for a second and check on his island?? Sobbing yes thank you sir

-Grandma's sick oh no this is the saddest thing I've ever seen ima cry. I healed her with a fairy but she was so sad link and aryll were gone im- and then grandma blamed herself for not being there for them like no it's literally cold and rainy all the time it's frozen right now you have every right to get sick- and then she made Link soup and she'll remake it for him which is great and I LOVE LINKS GRANDMA SO MUCH it was so sad she was sick I'm glad I could heal her :))

-Link smiled and nodded so enthusiastically when Grandma told him to stay out of trouble/stay safe like Link you are a liar I just watched you steal from pirates

-I sparred with Orca and I like him. It's cool how he trains Link on his home Island with like formal training because Link definitely needs it with what he's facing

-Controlled a seagull for the first time. That was fun they can fly for such a long time like. Forever?? Idk I eventually stopped

. . . .

-Ok so I talked wait no. The king of red lions talked with this guy who's a god named Jabun (I think that's how it's spelled I'll check) and he gave us a THIRD glowy thingy. I'll give more thoughts on that conversation later I gotta look up the translation. The sea is back to being sunny :))

-I spent a bit just sailing around. I need to place the shiny pearl thingies from the gods in special places marked on the map to 'reveal the place where my courage will be tested' or whatever

-I have found several great fairies and gotten my rupees and wallets upgraded twice. I like the fairies in this game.

-I FOUGHT A BIG OCTO I'M SO PROUD

-it was scary.

-But my magic meter has been doubled!!! :D *slaps wind waker link* this bad boy can fit so much magic and blessings inside of him

-I've placed two of the fancy shiny orbs. Its wierd... I put them in old looking statues and they glow. That's fine I guess.

-the fishmen are my best friends. Kind of. Every square on the map I go to one is there and they'll give me lil hints and tips while they fill out my map. Nice guys.

-beedle sent me a beedle chart! :D which. Is a map of where his shop appears so handy!

-there's these maps called 'treasure charts' everywhere that mark places in the sea with rings of glowing light that I can bring up treasure from. Generally a purple rupee but a lot of times other things :)

-there's this one square with beedles shop ship that has an empty bottle and heart piece and treasure chart for sale 00 I got the empty bottle immediately ofc (now I have three!!) and saved up the money and got the rest :) it was all like. Five to nine hundred rupees each yeesh

-Link sure does rely on maps and charts a lot in this game

. . . .

-THE GODS JUST FURKIN YEETED LINK ACROSS THE BIG BLUE OCEAN WHAT THE SHELL WAS THAT

?!?!?!?!

Ok (storytime) so I was placing the last pearl of the gods that I've been collecting in the ancient statue and a cutscene starts right?

So Link places Farore's pearl and the ancient statue starts glowing. and Link kinda startles and runs away, but then he comes back and the statue EXPLODES with light and Link goes FLYING like Farore just bitch slapped Link with power across the ocean WHY?!?!

And so you have this big dramatic cutscene where the ancient statues become really pretty and form a map of the triforce on the ocean and a big freaking TOWER comes rising out of the water and it's really cool- and then at the end Link SPLATS INTO THE FREAKING TOWER AFTER BEING SENT FLYING INTO IT LIKE GIVE THE KID A BREAK ALREADY

Of all the things I was expecting in wind waker, a cutscene of Link being sent hurtling across the world to slam face first into the literal 'tower of the gods' was not it. like forget a concussion how is Link ALIVE?!?!

-k so anyways. I'm good. Wasn't expecting that. This 'tower of the gods' is the place the King of red lions keeps telling Link he'll be tested/have to prove himself to the gods as a hero or something

-Oooo this dungeon seems cool so far! Riding in, it's just risen out of the ocean, so I'm entering the dungeon on my boat dad

-so it's like we can do it together! Not really, but King Red is how I get around the first bit at least. It's crazy how Link doesn't have a companion for in dungeons. Boat dude has just been dropping Link off at dungeons like a kid at school.

-So the tides come in and out of this dungeon. The floor will be filled with water when it's up and I'm only able to walk when tide is low and the waters gone. This is dangerous because Link, although he can survive being yeeted across the sea, can in fact drown.

-also I've just realised I haven't died so far in this game yet!! Go me :D

[nkogneatho]

Hi, Pasi! I'd love to hear more about your Kafka thoughts if you don't mind c:

i have so many kafka thoughts i won't lie. when i was watching the anime, i was so happy to learn he has a teddy bear body. i am glad they didn't show him with fine abs and shit and just a normal uncle in his 30s.

so it immediately made me think how good his hugs are. like his chubby arms engulfing you in his embrace. faint hint of citrus emerging from his body. he's kissing your head, humming sweet words as you bury your face in his chest. he is obviously at time insecure because everyone in the defence force is so fit with an amazing body and he looks like a dad who drinks beer every afternoon and watches sports. but when he is lying on the bed, you settle between his legs and start peppering kisses on his tummy. he giggles because it tickles, yet the warm fuzzy feeling in his heart doesn't go unnoticed. he feels so safe with you. you make him feel like he's so handsome. and he is. he is your pretty man.

[the-al-chemist]

Happy Worldbuilding Wednesday! As you've written a fair bit about Charlie, I'm sure you've thought a lot about dragons by proxy. Are there any headcanons/ideas you have about dragons in your world (that Charlie is likely to talk about at length to people)? - @hphmmatthewluther

Well, look who is here asking me about things that I love to talk about. Dragons? Yes please. Charlie Weasley? Even more yes please.

So, I had a good think about dragons when it came to Learning to Fly. I’m a stickler to canon, so I knew I wanted them to be completely wild animals, but I needed to have Norbert(a) able to interact with Charlie. So, I based my “characterisation” of dragons on a few things, some of which made it into the story, some of which remained unpublished.

Until now.

I’m so sorry, you hit my nerdy/hyperfocus spot. This is such an essay of a response. I’m leaning into it with picture examples and everything…

Anatomy/Physiology

Firstly, I used birds as an inspiration. This is an obvious one, sort of. Generally, you have two different dragon appearances in recent western fantasy: either they have four legs plus a pair of wings or their wings are their front limbs. In the Harry Potter films, they use the latter. It’s less cute, but makes more sense in terms of them actually being able to fly.

All the terms I used to describe Norbert(a)’s body parts were anatomical terms for these body parts in birds, e.g. the keel. The keel is the breastbone, and in birds the muscles used for flight all attach here in order to keep the centre of gravity low on the body for flight. There are tendons that then extend up through a loop of bone and act as pulleys for their wings, the bones of which are actually very similar to our own arms, if you look closely.

As well as their flight mechanisms, birds have a bellows system of air sacs that I wanted to borrow for my dragons. Birds use these for respiration (think about oxygen at high altitudes during flight), but for my dragons, they have another purpose. Because, what else needs oxygen? What is it that dragons are most famous for? What is responsible for those burns on Charlie’s arms?

Fire.

I am not much of a reptile expert, so I didn’t take much in the way of inspiration from reptiles when writing about my dragons. I do, however, have the headcanon that, like all reptiles, dragons are cold-blooded. Most physiological adaptations have more than one purpose, and so, my dragons don’t just use fire for hunting and defence purposes — they use it to keep themselves warm. They produce the flames in their thorax, where there is a good oxygen supply and the blood can be warmed easily due the proximity to the heart, and the muscles and thick bone of the keel are able to protect it.

Behaviour

I used more elements of dog behaviour when writing Learning to Fly than anything else, for the simple reason that it is the animal body language I understand best and that I thought most readers would understand best. However, I would argue that dragons are far more like cat species than dogs in regard to their behaviour, so I included some cat-like tendencies as well.

Dogs are social creatures, and most of their behaviours have evolved in order to maintain order within a pack. They hunt in packs, roam in packs, raise offspring in packs. Other than lions, cats are usually solitary creatures, only joining together as adults to mate. There are exceptions, of course, but this is usually the rule. The same goes for dragons, from what we see in canon. Therefore, their behaviour will largely be based on avoiding conflict in order to avoid injury to themselves, and on solitary hunting. I did put this in with Norbert(a) — in one of the final chapters, she engages in play behaviour by mimicking hunting, like a cat.

I also took a lot of inspiration from orcas, mainly in respect to the ethical arguments surrounding their captivity. If you haven’t seen Blackfish, you should definitely do so. I headcanon dragons to be immensely powerful and intelligent beings with wide roaming ranges, who do not cope well in captivity. In canon, it is known that dragons are too dangerous to keep as pets, and judging by the treatment of the Gringotts dragon, the ones that are kept in captivity do not lead happy and fulfilled lives.

I have written several times that dragons kept in captivity suffer from severe impairments to their physical and emotional health, to the point that they have reduced length of life as well as quality of life compared to their wild counterparts. Most of that has been in the form of dialogue from Charlie.

Three guesses what is the thing he really won’t shut up about…

[whxre-bxby]

“Devil's Bait”

Summary: Na’vi Y/N and Sully’s kids have been used for one of Bridgehead’s experiments. The Sky People are trying to get to know and team up with the Ash People, but to do that they must find out how big of a threat they are. To test their theory, they use them. But Quaritch isn’t happy about that. 

(This is my interpretation of the Ash People so far)

WARNINGS : ANGST, violence, guns, shooting, tears, death 

SIDE RANT: IF QUARITCH OR LYLE AND THE FEMALE LEADER OF THE ASH PEOPLE BECOME LOVE INTERESTS I AM GOING TO FUCKING CRY.

Masterlist

Word Count: 4800

(Songs fitting to this that helped me imagine the scenario: brutal - Olivia Rodrigo, Dog Days Are Over - Florence + The Machine, Run Boy Run - Woodkid)

I was told hell was not a place on Earth or Pandora. That it was somewhere further down and one could only go there when one wasn’t alive. 

But now, I’m starting to think the Sky People have brought it with them and it's slowly swallowing Pandora, like a never-ending void. 

As kids, we were all told stories of the Ash People. They were malevolent creatures with no sympathy or joy in life. They were the demons of Pandora, other than the Sky People and were so-called outsiders. The Ash People did not have the connection to Eywa and Pandora that all other Na’vi had. They were almost lifeless beings filled with hate and the urge to harm and destruct. 

No Na’vi would ever want to encounter an Ash Na’vi. Death and torture would be certain. Luckily, the clans had large masses of land distancing them. 

Returning to hell, the fighting never stopped. After that one battle between the Sky People soldiers and the water clan and the Sullys, Pandora was still not calm. 

Kiri, Lo’ak, Spider, Tuk and I were never allowed to go anywhere unsupervised by an armed adult. Jake and Neytiri wouldn’t let it happen and there was no questioning it. Especially after what happened to Neteyam… 

It seemed as though our entire family had been put on their kill list and we were never truly safe. 

After about a month, the fear had died down slightly and we were allowed to leave the village up to a certain area. 

Today was one of the days when we would go hunting for a smaller animal or just gather fruits and herbs. Kiri was learning healing with Ronal and Neytiri, so she stayed home. 

Lo’ak, Tuk, Spider and I left the coastal area and were in a forest again. This forest was still far from our old home. 

What had changed was that we were no longer carrying bows and arrows. When we left, we had to have guns which were horrible, destructive tools but they were more efficient when it came to self-defence against Sky People. Especially because they had them too. 

I had one, carrying it sideways because it was big and heavy while an ammo belt rested around my shoulder. Spider and Lo’ak each had one too. I held Tuk’s hand as we walked, talking about whether we preferred Ilu’s or Ikran’s. 

Then, I was the first to pick up a strange noise. It was a very distant rattling coming from above the trees. I froze, letting my ears focus on figuring it out. Lo’ak heard it too and Tuk held me tighter. 

“What is it?” Spider asked. We all stayed quiet for a minute, listening as the noise became louder. 

“Something’s coming.” I say, not taking my eyes off the sky and the crowns of the trees. 

“Do you think it’s the Sky People?” Spider asked again. Tuk gasped and I wrapped an arm around her. 

“It’s a machine, that’s for sure.” I answer and Lo’ak nods, stepping in front of us all and looking around. In the distance, we see how the leaves on the trees start to shake and flay around. 

It was one of their helicopters, approaching us. 

“Stay quiet.” Lo’ak said. “Maybe it doesn’t know we are here.” 

That theory did not last for long. The helicopter stopped moving forwards once it was roughly above us and ropes were thrown down. We stepped away and saw how Sky People in machines were getting ready to leap down.

Without hesitation, we started to run in the opposite direction with the instinct to distance ourselves from the danger. 

I pulled Tuk behind me and Lo’ak gave Spider a push while we ran to take cover in the dense trees. However, the machines had reached the ground and we knew they were following us. 

Luckily we didn’t have them on our heels. 

Another helicopter emerged, sending us in a slightly different direction. 

After a few more minutes of running, we noticed the trees were fading away and after a few more steps, there were no trees in front of us. We must have left the forest. Now, we were looking out on a large plain of grass and small plants. There was a nearby hill and in the distance, even the greenery was gone and it looked like stone and mud only. 

Running into plain sight of the helicopters wasn’t a good idea but since they were behind us, we had to run from them. So we did, letting our feet take us through the grass until we were roughly in the middle. 

I looked back, gasping for air and noticed the aircraft hover above the forest only. No doubt were they watching us, they had the machines facing us too but they didn’t follow. In fact, they retreated, not flying away but giving us more space. 

Lo’ak and I exchanged confused looks. What was the point of that?

Tuk sat down, wrapping an arm around my leg and steadying her breathing. Spider joined her while Lo’ak and I looked around. The plain was huge but it was still encircled by forests. 

“What the hell was that?” Spider asks, breathily. I sigh, not liking the fact that we didn’t understand what they were doing.

When you are being chased, it is simple. They want to get you and you don’t want to be caught, so you run. Flee from them. 

But now they were just watching us and I didn’t know how to work against them here. 

“I don’t know.” I reply, turning away and patting Tuk. 

“You okay?” I whisper and she nods while I adjust my chest piece and ammo belt. Lo’ak keeps staring them down. 

“It makes no sense.” he said, looking at me. I nod, thinking. 

“Why chase us all the way here and then stop?” he asks, not expecting an answer from me. 

“I don’t know. Let’s wait it out. What we need to figure out is how to get back when they are blocking the way home.” I say and Lo’ak nods, sitting down with us. 

We were all a little tired, so we sat in a circle on the soft grass which dried out the further north one went. It was weird. An hour went by of us talking, pulling our strands of grass and glancing back. The helicopters had not moved. It was past weird at this point. 

The whole time, I was trying to figure out what was happening. I know the Sky People don’t do things without reason. Which meant they had a plan, to drive us away from the forest and into the open. But why? Why did they want us here?

If they want us here, that means something bad is approaching. And since we don’t know what it is, we can’t plan against it. Concluding, we must leave.

“I think we should go.” I say, tapping Lo’ak’s shoulder and getting up. 

“How? They’re still there.” 

“We can go around, that way we will be home before the eclipse.” I say and Lo’ak hesitates before nodding. 

We all get up and walk back to the forest but not to where the helicopters were. Now, there were three of them and as we started approaching the other side of the trees, one aircraft started moving forwards and hovered over the area we wanted to go through. 

I stopped in my steps. The message was clear, they didn’t want us to leave. It worried me. Not knowing what is to come and not being able to escape it. 

Suddenly, a single shot was fired from one of the helicopters. The bullet hit the ground a few feet away from us and we flinched at the loud noise. 

I guess that meant that we should turn back, so we did, walking back to the circle.

...

The Colonel was standing amongst other soldiers and scientists, with Wainfleet and the General. Everyone was watching the operation. The helicopters were pointing their cameras at the group of Sully's kids while the soldiers on board were describing the situation. They had herded the kids out of the forest and into the open plains.

Now, they could proceed with phase two of the plan. Bring in the predators. 

“What exactly is the plan here?” Lyle asks, directing his question more to the General than to Quaritch. 

“We’re waiting for the hostiles to take the hint and come pick up their bait. Based on the reactions of the bait and the actions of the hostiles, we can determine how dangerous these savages actually are.” she said, taking a sip of her coffee. 

Quaritch nodded, keeping his arms firmly crossed over his chest. 

Lyle wasn’t expecting the Colonel to sacrifice the kids. Especially when Spider was there. 

“Sir, your son is there. Are we lettin’ ‘em die?” Lyle asked and only Quaritch heard his question. 

“No, just testin’ the waters.” Quaritch replies, not taking his eyes off the screen. Any minute now, they should emerge and this whole operation can finally be over. 

The location wasn’t far from Bridgehead, so the helicopters had no trouble keeping connections with the Towers. One helicopter had picked up distant movement and informed the Quarters that the plan was being put into action.

...

Another twenty minutes passed and I started to have a bad gut feeling. I’ve felt it this whole time because something was seriously off here but now it seemed to get worse. 

My head was spinning and my ears were twitching around, to pick up any danger. 

That’s when it happened. Another distant noise. Far different from the sounds of the machines. These were echoes. 

Echoes of voices and screams. They sounded like war cries and I immediately jumped to my feet. 

Lo’ak flinched, starting to curse at me for startling him but then he heard it too. We all froze, just listening and looking at the hill where the noise was coming from. 

My heart was thumping in my chest, my head was aching and my ears were ringing. Adrenaline was building up in me and I felt completely restless.

Within the next few seconds, there was a small movement on the hill. Then another and soon we could make out a few figures. They looked like Na’vi, but they were grey. They were making all the violent noise we heard and they also happened to be running towards us. More and more of them were emerging from the top of the hill, which was distant, but still way too close for my liking.

“What are they?” Tuk asked, panic flooding her eager voice. Everyone was on their feet now.

Lo’ak helplessly looked at me as all emotions were overpowered by fear and panic. 

“The Ash People.” I whisper, my breath getting caught in my throat. All went quiet for a second until Tuk cried out and the noises got louder. 

“Load the guns!” I yell, cocking my gun and checking if it’s fully loaded. Spider and Lo’ak quickly comply, even though their movements stutter a few times.

I whip my body around. The helicopters are still watching. 

I then give my attention to Tuk who looks absolutely terrified. 

“Tuk-” I say, grabbing her hands and turning her to face me. “Tuk everything will be okay. We have weapons, okay?” I say, guiding her behind Lo’ak and Spider. 

She nods but I can see the tears forming in her eyes as her lip begins to tremble. 

“Don’t look okay, turn around, hold this. You look at the pretty trees and focus on not dropping this, okay? We are right here with you.” I say, handing her a water bottle. If she focuses on tightly holding it, it may be easier for her to block out the noise. I made her turn around because I knew this was going to get bloody and she shouldn’t have to see that. Neither should we to be honest. We were still too young for this kind of violence but life hit us with new terms and conditions when Sky People arrived. Now, we have no choice but to defend ourselves. 

Killing when it’s not hunting is unusual for all Na’vi except the Ash Na’vi. I knew that if we wouldn’t start attacking them we would be done for. More of them kept emerging from the hill and we were outnumbered by far. 

I let go of Tuk, turning around and walking next to Spider and Lo’ak who are aiming their guns at the approaching danger. The Ash Na’vi are now full-on sprinting towards us and the scene looks like one of our worst nightmares. 

“Remember, their blood is not on our hands. If we don’t do this, we’re all …” I say, motioning the universal sign of dead by fake cutting my throat. I didn’t want Tuk to hear.

They nod. 

“We're doing this for our lives. For Tuk. For life, peace and… for Neteyam.” I say, knowing very well that the Sky People were part of the reason the Ash People were here.

Now they look more angry than scared and I nod, aiming my own weapon at them. 

“Open fire.” I shout and immediately, bullets are soaring through the air. At first, they hit the ground around the approaching targets but after a few seconds of getting used to the weapons, the Ash People in the front line start falling to the ground as our bullets penetrate their skin.

...

“They’ve opened fire first,” a voice from the screen told Quaritch and the General. The Colonel nodded, intently watching the screen. He took note of how you acted. That you took care of Tuk before talking to his son and the other Na’vi boy and that you were the one to give them the green light to open fire while you yourself joined in. 

Leadership skills. 

The room was silently watching the scene. It shocked everyone that your group opened fire first. Or that you opened fire at all. They expected the Ash People to talk to you and worst case scenario take you with them, but your actions changed their minds about them. Knowing Na’vi in general were not actually violent made them conclude that you must know that they are dangerous. Killing them was an extreme form of self-defence so the Ash People must be serious threats. 

...

I clenched my jaw, while Lo’ak screamed out his own war cry. The light emitting from the front of my weapon each time a bullet fired out was making my eyes hurt. Our ears were going numb and I paused to reload, handing Lo’ak and Spider more bullets before shouting to Tuk that she was doing well. 

We kept firing, watching in horror as the bodies kept dropping but our instinct to survive was beating that down. 

More Ash People kept emerging and I reloaded my gun again, handing the rest to Spider and Lo’ak. After this, we were out of ammunition. There were only so many we could kill. 

I glance behind me, starting to walk back as they started coming closer. Spider followed and I yelled at Lo’ak that we need to retreat. I grab Tuk’s arm, pulling her back with my steps while I continued to fire up the enemy. 

Lo’ak stopped firing, pressing the trigger until he realised he was out of bullets. Soon after, Spider had the same issue. 

“Back!” I yell and we start running. Occasionally I turn around, shooting down the fast ones that were getting close to reaching us. I knew I only had a few shots left so I used them wisely.

Tuk was crying and I was now focusing on helping Tuk and getting us all out of here. 

...

Quaritch’s eyes widened when he saw how you began to retreat. You must have run out of ammunition and could only flee. 

He adjusted his posture and clapped his hands. 

“Alright, that’s it. Get ‘em out of there or fire up the others. Your choice.” He spoke calmly. 

The experiment was done. They got your reaction and it told them that the Ash People were the worst of the worst. Now they needed to just solve the problem of you all being hunted. 

The General turned to him, raising an eyebrow.

“Get ‘em out of there?” she scoffed, shaking her head and sipping from her cup again. 

Quaritch froze for a split second. Was that not the plan?

“No, let’s see what they do to ‘em. Then we can call the mission off.” she spoke and Quaritch grimaced, not understanding.

He thought they agreed on getting you all out of the scene after reactions were studied. 

“I’m not sending my men in there. It’ll turn into a battlefield.” she added, chuckling with one of her colleagues at the absurd idea. 

That was it. Quaritch had enough and was slowly starting to panic. Lyle had picked up that the situation was taking a wrong turn and became restless. 

“No, we agreed that we would dissolve the fight once we have what we needed. I think we got that.” he spoke, walking up to the General. 

“My son is there!”

“That’s not your son.” she snapped back. 

“Do I have to remind you that I am in charge of this mission and that you will not interfere with anything unless I say so.” she spoke like a snake spitting venom. It was menacing to Quaritch and he realised now that he did in fact not look up to her. 

He wanted to shout at her and argue back but he knew the consequences would be harsh on him. While he couldn’t change her mind, he could still do his own thing. 

He snarled before turning away and quickly exiting the room. Lyle immediately followed. 

“What’s the plan?” Lyle asked, glancing back at the General before facing his Colonel. 

“We’re getting ‘em outta there.” Quaritch furiously snarled again. Wainfleet grinned, liking the rebellion. He himself never liked the General. 

...

The helicopters were still hovering but we had no choice but to run to the forest. We avoided directly running under the aircraft. The start of the forest was still very far away. I attach the gun to my belt, yelling at the boys to follow me. I then wrap my hands under Tuk’s arms, who was struggling to keep up and almost tripped a few times, launching her from her feet and onto me. I was slightly taller than Lo’ak so I was able to hold her while she wrapped her arms and legs around my body. We were all sprinting away, knowing this was another life-or-death situation. Maybe the worst one yet.

Lo’ak was helping Spider while I led the way with Tuk in my hands. When we were getting close to the forest, the helicopters were not shooting or blocking the way. I glanced behind me, gasping when I saw how close the Ash Na’vi were. They were much faster because they were all adults. The looks on their faces we so hate-filled I was beyond terrified. Their eyes were demonic and it seemed as though all that mattered to them was catching up with us. 

I face forwards again and almost scream when I see that some Ash People have started emerging from the other side now too. We were being closed in from both sides. Next to us was the forest but that’s where the Sky People were before. 

I slow down, turning to Lo’ak. 

“Go through the forest! Take Tuk!” I shout and he nods before giving me a confused look. 

“Come then, let’s go!” he shouts back, ready to run in between the trees.

“I can’t! They will catch up easily if we all go there.” I say, putting Tuk back on her feet and giving her to Lo’ak. He holds her as I did and angrily looked at me. 

“I will not leave you behind!” he shouts, grabbing for my arm but I move out of the way. 

This made me feel like I was a stupid character in a stupid movie, making it more dramatic by sacrificing myself to help the others even though usually they would make it anyway. But this time, I knew they would follow and kill us all in the forest. If I didn’t lead them away from my family we would all die. 

“There is no other option!” I yell and Lo’ak knows that when he sees how close the Ash Na’vi are. 

“Time is running out. GO!” I yell and he nods before they all take off. I curse, even though I’m glad they listened. Tuk screamed out for me, tears streaming down her eyes as her sore legs dangled around Lo’aks waist. Spider looked back before running with them. 

“Your ‘son’ is out of danger now, Colonel. Return to base.” The General spoke over a monitor in an almost mocking tone. 

Both men slightly grimaced at her voice, while sitting in a helicopter which they took. The pilot was threatened by the Colonel to listen to him and now they were in the air, approaching the area you were in. 

Quaritch looked at the screen, feeling a little relieved when he noticed Spider was in the woods and was no longer being chased. Then again, he and Lyle were both restless when they saw exactly how close the savages were to you and how you were slowly failing at keeping your previous fast pace. 

They exchange eye contact before the Colonel puts the holo-pad away.

...

“We’re gettin’ her outta there too. She helped Spider.” he said and Wainfleet nodded, starting to arm himself with the present weapons. 

...

I really hoped this wouldn’t be the last time I see them. I turn around, aiming my gun and shooting another Ash Na’vi before continuing to run in the direction we were before we realised there were more enemies in front of us. I left the forest behind, sprinting into what I thought was going to be the death of me. I was spinning around, constantly shooting down the Na’vi that almost got within my reach. 

They had forgotten the others and were all chasing me down. I kept firing and then my heart sunk deep in my chest when I realised that I too was out of bullets. 

My legs were starting to give out and with each leap I took, my knees wobbled more and I was reaching my limit. 

They were really close and all my exits were blocked off now. 

I was giving up all hope, throwing my gun down and ridding myself of any unnecessary weight holding me back. But it was becoming difficult to breathe and my legs were trembling. 

Just as I was about to let my body give in, a loud mechanical noise erupted from above me. I knew it was a helicopter by the way it created a strong wind around it. It was descending in front of me and kept a rather big distance. The sides were open and in it, I could recognise Na’vi in military clothing. I knew very well they were Sky People.

The thudding noise of footsteps behind me was just a few feet away and I forced myself to keep running, knowing the Ash People were right behind me.

The two Na’vi on the helicopter were shouting something at me but I didn’t understand. Everything seemed to move in slow motion and all I was able to hear was the footsteps behind me and the shouts of incoherent angry voices from the enemy. 

The helicopter was still hovering above the ground and I noticed the Ash People from the other side were getting close to it too. 

Suddenly, bullets were flying through the air and I was about to take cover and throw myself on the ground when I heard a loud thud and one of the Ash People behind me got hit with it. While falling, their extended hand scratched my heel. That’s how close they were. 

I ran as fast as I possibly could, not fearing the soaring bullets as they flew right past me. 

I was almost there. The helicopter started to rise again and I panicked, not wanting them to leave. One of the Na’vi’s hands extended out, reaching for me but it seemed out of reach and I didn’t trust it. The last few steps became lunges and once I took the final one, I leapt off the ground, extending my arms to the front and gripping the bottom pole the helicopters use to stand on. 

It kept rising into the air as I hung from the pole and when I looked down the Ash People were right where the helicopter was before. When I leapt forward, one of the jumped after me and just barely missed gripping my ankle. 

I watched them in horror while holding on for dear life as they shouted and stomped angrily that I had escaped. They truly were demons. 

I heard voices from above me and when I looked up, both Navi men were peering down at me while I swung with the movements of the aircraft. 

“Take my hand!” One shouted through the noise. I recognised him. 

As much as I hated them, anything was better than being tortured to death by the monsters down there, so I accepted, reaching for his with one hand while the other kept its tight grip. 

He tightly clutched my hand and heaved me up into the helicopter with them. 

I was on my knees, gasping for air while holding onto a seat. One of them was sitting while the bald one aimed a gun at me. I didn’t have the strength to worry about it. The one sitting scanned over my body before waving the other off.

“Not armed.” he said and the gun was put away. 

I look at both of them, recognising the faces. 

The one sitting was Quaritch. Or the Colonel as Jake said. He was the reason this was all even happening. Next to him was a man who I think was called Lyle. He killed Neteyam...

I hated them both equally. 

While calming my breath I glared at them, my ears pinning back before I looked outside. Maybe I should just jump off and hope I land in the water. 

“That was some runnin’ you did.” Quaritch said with a sly smirk, thinking I was thankful for them being there. I was but I also wasn’t. 

“What’s your name?” he asks but I ignore him. He instantly notices that I don’t want to be there and that I’m not comfortable with them. 

“Hey, we saved ya. If it weren't for us, you’d be dead. You might as well talk to us.” he added. I felt like shit, being rescued by the other enemy. 

“You’re the reason we were even there.” I snarl at him and he is taken aback by my attitude. 

“And you’re the reason we were only four.” I add, hissing at the soldier next to him. If Neteyam were alive, he would have gone with us.

Lyle sits still, processing what I just said. Quaritch shuts up too. They knew the damage they had caused. 

But Lyle didn’t know he killed a kid. Quaritch did. 

It was reason enough for me to not talk to them and they understood, not bothering me anymore. 

“Here.” Lyle said, handing me a bottle. I glance between him and the water before hesitantly taking it, avoiding eye contact with my brother’s killer. 

The rest of the ride was silent. I was too exhausted to care where we were going but I knew I wasn’t being given a ride home. My body had reached its limit and I fell asleep on board. 

(This is a ONESHOT Imagine and not a series. I will not write a part 2 because there is no way I can turn this into a smut with either Lyle or Quaritch. This version of Y/N hates them both too much to hook up with them. Also, how could she? They took her away and killed Neteyam. It wouldn’t work, so please don’t ask me to do it.

There are more ideas to come, some maybe still include the Ash People while others are just filthy smut.)

Tag List:  @drinking-tea-and-be-obsessed

[acti-veg]

keep falling into the trap of thinking that if i just Explain why this person is wrong in plain english they will Realise they are wrong. obviously a foolish thing to think. every time they initially respond somewhat positively but with some obviousl flaws, and i point out the flaws! we're so onto something here! then they. they just repeat the same thing? and i point out...the same.....flaw?? and they repeat the same thing and omfg. i want to forcibly inject the words i am saying into their brain because obviously something is getting lost in translation!

like omg i just pointed out that someone's training advice was probably not appropriate since it advocated for punishing a fearful animal for biting. and they Could Not understand what they were doing was punishment. like dude...if something is decreasing a behaviour, it Is Punishment no if ands or buts...and they kept going on about how effective it is, like yeah because YOURE PUNISHING THEM, if it's actually decreasing the behaviour that is literal proof it is punishment! and after like 2 days of comments they left off with 'and idk why you kept going on about punishment' like wtf. were we not even? reading the same book like what did u think we were talking about....

i figure you have a lot of experience with this shit lol...ik WHY like obviously they really didn't want to confront the fact that they maybe did a bad thing but how on earth we managed to talk for so long while being in straight up different conversations...nuts. i didnt even think to ask if they knew what punishment was cos like oooobviously they know what punishment is but. i guess not!

honestly just wanted to rant i hope thats ok...this is such a minor thing honestly like it's not even approaching killing or eating animals but...frustrating, lol

This is something we all run into when trying to advocate, I think. A different context remember so clearly when I first found out about the horrors of animal agriculture as an example, and was utterly convinced that all I had to do was show people what I had found and they’d be as horrified as I was. Sometimes they were, but it didn’t usually help.

Over time I learned that cognitively knowing something is harmful, and lining that harm up with your own behaviour and working to change it are very different processes. I’ve been trying to figure out exactly what leads to that elusive ‘making the connection’ moment for over a decade but I don’t think I’m much closer to understanding it now than I was then.

People get entrenched in their existing beliefs, and often it becomes more about being right than taking the right stance. Often they do end up revising their views, but they will almost never credit that to you or your conversation. Very few people are willing to be wrong in front of someone else, because our defences kick in and our ego gets in the way.

Just know that it is still worth speaking up for all animals, and you just never know what seeds you’re planting along the way. I’ve influenced people I only found out about years later, and sometimes it was something as simple as them seeing my order a restaurant, or me giving a pretty unremarkable answer to why I don’t eat dairy or something. It is always worth speaking up, not only because we owe it to animals, but because we miss out on a lot of hidden opportunities when we don’t.

[deusexlachina]

Wannabe Warden Part 4 (Anders, Fenris and Isabela): Make good impressions by setting half my friends on fire

In which I exploit my police connections to safely recruit fugitives so I can get strong enough to convince a Grey Warden to come out of a retirement he wasn't allowed to have in the first place.

With Other Aveline in charge of the police and in my pocket, she gives me a bag of money and looks the other way to the numerous very illegal things I am about to do, all to get the muscle needed to get into the Deep Roads and become a Grey Warden. I take the money and tell her I look forward to working with her.

I use the money to pay a visit to Xenon the Antiquarian, an apostate with eternal life but without eternal youth, so unfortunately he cannot help me in my quest. At least, he can't accompany me. In fact, he helps me tremendously. In exchange for Other Aveline's "thank you money" to fund anti-aging research so he can not be a husk, he sells me the Anderfels Cleaver, an axe that deals fire damage. I don't mean it has some bonus fire damage. I mean all of its damage is fire. That means it's not affected by armour. Conventional defences mean nothing to the Anderfels Cleaver. Best of all, mabari are immune to fire, so me and my obscenely large hurtbox can safely swing away without killing my own dog. (Nightmare Ultra mostly doesn't have friendly fire, except for allies - only your squad is safe!).

I hear my mom's family home is now a front for Tevinter slavers, so I serve them an eviction notice in the form of the Anderfels Cleaver. Slavers are not immune to fire - in fact, they take extra damage, I guess because racist people can go burn in hell. All their heavy armour just serves as a shell to cook them in. Having cleared the slavers out of the family home, I scrounge up every penny, getting over 7 gold - a 140% return on the axe. This makes the Anderfels Cleaver a sounder investment than venturing into monster-infested tunnels and hoping to find treasure instead of monsters and diseases. But I'm not in this for the treasure. I'm in this to become a Grey Warden.

I invest the new gold into Maker's Sighs, a potion that resets all a character's skill choices so you can give them good ones instead of the literal garbage they were saddled with by default. I ditch Pommel Strike to get Cleave, a balanced skill that nearly doubles your damage for ten seconds on a twenty-five second cooldown. Bethany becomes a deadly ice mage. Other Aveline gets sick of tanking for me and goes offence by jumping on the Cleave bandwagon. Varric learns how to hit things when he shoots. My squad is an efficient fighting force, armed to the teeth and with Antivan Crow-level tactics. Unfortunately for Anders, he isn't part of my squad yet, so he hasn't learned to STAY OUT OF THE WAY OF THE MAGIC AXE THAT SETS PEOPLE ON FIRE. Anders Cannot Die Here because he is animated by a demonic version of Justice, which is good because otherwise I would have burnt him to a crisp several times over.

Anders' boyfriend, Karl, was already made Tranquil, which is like a whimsical equivalent of the lobotomy. Anders' possession by Justice temporarily unlobotomizes Karl, suggesting that there may be a cure for Tranquility. However, Anders unilaterally decides that There Is No Choice But To Kill Him, and Karl agrees, because being Tranquil falls in that Thedas euthanasia threshold between a stomachache and immediate death.

After this harrowing ideal, I flirt with Anders, hoping that being a Grey Warden can be transmitted sexually. He's impressed that I'm brave enough to flirt with a demon-possessed mage who just killed his last partner.

Unfortunately, he's not impressed enough to immediately induct me into the Grey Wardens, not least because he quit being a Grey Warden after they made him give up his cat.

To be clear, you're not allowed to quit being a Grey Warden. You're so not allowed to quit that Duncan stabbed a guy to death when he backed out in the initiation. This doesn't stop Anders from quitting, just as it doesn't stop Alistair from quitting if you hire Loghain, who doesn't attempt to quit the Grey Wardens despite his being recruited at least partly out of sheer spite for previously trying to kill them all.

In any case, Salrokka! Anders is back in the game. And with a Grey Warden in the party, replacing currently-weak Varric, things are starting to go in our favour. I help Fenris, a fugitive from Tevinter who was enslaved until sometime after his master infused his skin with powerful lyrium enchantments that make him a living superweapon who is especially resistant to magic, because sensible people don't own slaves in the first place. To put it mildly, Fenris has had a hard life, so I give him some shiny dark armour like he has in Blue Wraith. It's the least I could do.

With my help, and with Guard-Captain Other Aveline pointedly looking away, Fenris storms his old master's house to try and kill him. Unfortunately, instead of metaphorical monsters, all we find is literal monsters, who are not as cathartic to skewer. Because Fenris joined my squad, he is coordinated enough to stay out of the way of the friend-slaying Anderfels Cleaver. He is KO'd anyway because there's an Arcane Horror, but I save the day.

With Fenris, my squad is even stronger. I meet Isabela, who, just as she did years ago, single-handedly defeats several armed men in a cutscene. This is a nod to how overpowered she is. Trained properly, she's extremely deadly but also difficult to hit. Just like Good Queen Morwen.

Isabela has more mods than any other companion, but in accordance with Sturgeon's Law most of them are for making her white, because they were made by the real-life equivalent of Tevinter. Fortunately, you don't mind digging for treasure through piles of literal garbage like Hawke & Friends, you can find some neat stuff for Bela. One of my personal favourite looks is a combo that makes her heavier and armoured instead of her default look with a corset and a buttflap. ("That's just silly," I say, one run after making yet another goth girl PC) I could be sly and argue it's to reflect her amazing potential as a tank, but honestly, I just think this look is rad as hell.

Isabela is challenged to a duel by another pirate, but she expects him to cheat, so she hires me to protect her. This I sort of do. She is attacked, and I do engage her attackers, but she is not safe at all because I am using the Anderfels cleaver and repeatedly set Isabela on fire, with the Anderfels Cleaver, in the Chantry. I could make some laborious joke about Isabela being hot, or the fires of hell, but this is not a blog that makes cheap jokes. This is the caviar of Dragon Age 2 Let's Plays. You and me, we're refined people, and you deserve better. We don't laugh at cheap puns. We laugh at Isabela getting hit with a flaming axe and set on fire again and again and screaming and still not thinking to move away from the fire.

Isabela is a jolly good sport about this, perhaps because she lives in a world with powerful healing magic, making full-body burns the equivalent of a sprained ankle. After discreetly leaving the mass grave with a roast pirate aroma the Chantry has become, Anders patches her up and, I assume, gives her a sympathetic "first time?" smile. Who's to say he doesn't? I'm telling this story, and I can embellish as much as I please. I see why Varric does it. It's addictive.

[darkicedragon]

Fanfic: Found in the Forest

Fandom: Noblesse Summary: There were rumours that a silver monster was stalking a village. Frankenstein goes to investigate and finds it, just not in the way he expected. Rating: PG Genre: General Word count: 4,753 Status: Complete

"Where are you going after this?"

As far as greetings went, it was rather abrupt, even for Frankenstein after travelling for months alone. "Is there anywhere you would suggest?" he said, setting his bag down. He'd happened upon the village by chance, seeking news or rumours he'd missed.

The old woman grimaced, deepening her wrinkles. "Doesn't matter, so long as it's not into the forest." She jerked her head to the side.

The forest, hm? Frankenstein gazed at the treeline just visible over the tops of the houses nearby. "What's wrong with going that way?" He'd had no intention of going, but now he was warned against it, he wanted to investigate.

"It's haunted."

Ah, of course it was. "By what?" Was this a true meeting with something supernatural or something created through superstition and fear?

"A werewolf," the villager said, still eyeing forest with a narrowed gaze, as if saying that would summon one right then and there. Nothing appeared after a pause and she looked back at him.

"Has anyone seen it themselves?" Frankenstein asked.

She nodded. "Lukasz the woodcutter was attacked by one a few nights ago."

Interesting. It was more than someone seeing something in the distance. "Has he been seen by a doctor?" Was there actual proof?

She scowled at that. "The doctor refuses to see him, in case he catches the curse - same with the other villagers."

From what Frankenstein had learned from his own altercations with werewolves, it wasn't something that could be passed onto humans with a bite like the myths portrayed, but Frankenstein kept his quiet smile firmly on his face. "I myself am a doctor and if it would be all right, I could check over Lukasz."

At that, her eyebrows raised. "You're not worried about catching it?"

"I am a doctor," Frankenstein repeated. "I wouldn't want someone to suffer when I have the ability to help."

Slowly, she nodded.

Now to get to the bottom of this.

* * * Frankenstein exhaled as he left Lukasz's house, hearing the door lock behind him. As information gathering went, it had been rather unhelpful. Mild scratches that seemed far more likely from branches than from claws or a bite, bruises from falling. Nothing that could definitely point towards an animal, let alone something supernatural. The description had been vague as well: silver fur, large, wolf-like.

It may as well have just been a wolf on a dark night, or drink had been involved.

Frankenstein had cleaned the wounds, promising Lukasz he noticed nothing strange about them.

He would keep an ear out, but he doubted there would be anything else that would offer more definite proof.

* * * Frankenstein jolted awake, senses straining. Not a Union attack, no crunch of approaching feet, but a howl of a wolf in the distance that was still going.

Far closer he heard the flurry of windows slamming shut and hushed whispers.

He hurried outside, seeing Bogna who had greeted him into the village in the dim moonlight, her eyes towards the forest with a knife in her hand.

"I'm surprised you aren't hiding away like the others," Frankenstein noted, stopping next to her.

"Feh, I've lived a long life - I'm not going to be scared away by just a few howls." She peered at him. "What about you, doctor? I wouldn't have expected you to jump to our village's defence, especially without a weapon."

Ah. He had Dark Spear ready to summon if he needed them, but she didn't know that. "I wanted to see what was causing the commotion and I'm better equipped to treat injuries when they happen, rather than the injured be brought to where I am." And potentially doing more damage when the person was dragged across dirt and other things.

That seemed to appease her, Bogna's attention going back to the forest, and Frankenstein settled down to wait with her.

* * * "For a doctor, you don't seem to have much sense," Bogna told him, face set in a disapproving frown.

"I've helped what I can with everyone's injuries here," Frankenstein as he shrugged on his bag. He had been able to teach the local doctor in more effective treatments, and had learned some of the local medicinal herbs. "I do want to check for other signs of werewolves. Prevention is better than cure, in my mind." He'd heard the howling a few days prior, but it had sounded like a wolf to his ears. He would either find something supernatural and deal with it, or he didn't and the fear of the forest would keep people from looking for him. It was a preferable situation no matter how it turned out.

"Then you'd best make sure you prevent losing your own life."

Frankenstein smiled. "I will."

After checking he had brought everything, Frankenstein headed off in the direction of the forest.

* * * There had been nothing of interest so far, but it had only been half a day.

Saying that, while Frankenstein hadn't found any evidence of what Lucasz might have seen, he'd found lots of samples of plants he could test and study, so it wasn't a complete waste.

* * * It was darker further in the forest, not just because it was later in the day, but because it was denser there, the trees older and thicker, far more undergrowth for Frankenstein to wade through.

He exhaled, adjusting his bag as he took stock of his surroundings. He would have to start building a shel...

Hm. There was a break in the foliage to Frankenstein's right, like something large had passed through it. Something far taller and wider than Frankenstein by the shape of it. He eyed it and then approached it, listening out for anything that was out of place from the forest sounds he'd become accustomed to.

Something shone on the edge of a broken branch and Frankenstein narrowed his eyes at it, the clump of white fur easy to see against the dark green.

He'd heard tales of white moose but never seen one with his eyes yet. That would explain the size of what he was looking at, but this fur was too long, almost the length of his forearm. It was thinner too. Almost like it was human hair.

Frankenstein rolled the fur between his fingers but that didn't give him more information.

There were tracks leading away from where Frankenstein was standing and he crouched down to inspect them. They were paw prints, not hooves, and when Frankenstein spread his hand out over it, the paw print was wider than his own. It didn't looks like a wolf paw print he had ever seen though, the paw pads too spread out, almost as if...

He sighed, staring at the evidence in front of him.

Almost as if the paw was human shaped.

Like a werewolf.

Well then. This was the first promising proof he'd seen so far.

But it also lead to more questions. Why was a werewolf so close to a human settlement? They either kept to their packs away from humans, or they attacked the human settlement. Staying close for a prolonged time wasn't something they normally did.

Something was off.

He peered at past the canopy at the darkening sky. He was a distance away from the village, yes, but it could be easily crossed by a werewolf in a short time. He could make a shelter later on once he found more details.

Straightening, Frankenstein followed the tracks.

* * * Frankenstein squinted at the darkness, but he could only see to the next tree in front of him and no further, even with his eyes enhanced as they were.

As much as he wanted to, he wouldn't be able to track the werewolf further. He would have to wait until sunrise again, as much as he was loathe to admit it. If he kept going, he could travel away from the tracks instead.

Now he would just have to find somewhere to...

He paused, hearing something moving ahead. It didn't sound right though, leaves hissing and bark creaking too often. Like something was caught and struggling against it.

Frankenstein crept forward, the forest opening up into a clearing. Inside it was a silver werewolf with long limbs caught in a trap, rope tied around its snout along with its wide front paws under it as it dangled from a tree branch. The ground around it was disturbed from claw marks, but it must not have had enough purchase to pull itself free or to use its claws or fangs to slice the rope.

Seeing the size of it, it seemed young. Large enough that it would be taller than Frankenstein standing, but small compared to an adult werewolf.

The werewolf must have seen or heard him, because it started struggling with renewed vigour, whining.

Not exactly a scary monster, but for an unenhanced human seeing it at a distance...

"It's all right, it's all right," Frankenstein said in his most soothing voice as he set his bag down. Definitely not something that was aggressive. "I'm here to help you." He drew his knife from his bag but tucked it into the waistband of his trousers at his back - werewolves seemed to react badly to Dark Spear and this time, he didn't want to spook the werewolf.

The werewolf stilled, staring at him with eyes wide and ears flat. Frankenstein got close enough to see the blood seeping dripping from a wound, though he couldn't see where from.

He tracked the rope upwards, and it looked like it was attached to a branch, not looped over, so he would need to do a bit of climbing to get it down first.

The werewolf didn't try to move away, the tip of its tail wagging as he passed.

"I think the rope is tied to the branch, so I need to cut it from there." Rather than trying to climb up the werewolf to get to it.

"Hnng."

It was a response. Frankenstein found the tree and it was old enough that it should hold his weight. The bark was cracked enough that gripping it was easy and he used that to guide his way as he climbed up in the darkening forest.

His fingers brushed against something that didn't feel like bark and as he ran his fingers over it, it twisted in a circular fashion.

He peered down and saw the werewolf directly under him, almost glowing with its silver fur compared to the darkness. "How were you supposed to hide?" he muttered to himself as he drew his knife. But then, what did werewolves hunt that they would need to hide from? They could catch up with anything they wanted to and didn't have to ambush their prey either.

He gripped the dangling side of the rope and it only took a few swipes of his knife to cut through it.

He was able to hold the werewolf's weight enough to lower it down to the ground before letting go. The werewolf didn't catch their weight, falling over - though Frankenstein mostly only heard that rather than saw it has he tried to keep his hold on the branch as the tree righted itself once it was free of the werewolf's weight.

The werewolf hadn't run off by the time he jumped down, still trying to shake the rope off.

"Let me-" Frankenstein ducked as the rope cracked over his head like a whip. "If you hold still I can take it off."

The werewolf paused, ears pricked towards him.

"Just lower your head towards me, please." As tall as he was, the werewolf was still taller than him. The werewolf would probably be taller than him even on all fours.

The werewolf stepped closer to him, bringing their head near to Frankenstein.

Frankenstein slid his knife between the gap between the werewolf's snout and a paw. The paws dropped away but the rope didn't. That was strange and Frankenstein suspected -

He grimaced as the werewolf grabbed the rope and yanked it, accompanied by the sound of ripping skin.

Yes. The werewolf healing must have attached to the rope while trying to heal the damage.

He waited to see what the werewolf would do, if it would run or-

Frankenstein grunted, hands grasping and finding the werewolf's ears as he was headbutted in the chest hard enough to shove him back a step before he braced himself.

[Kill it. Feed us,] Dark Spear whispered, Frankenstein's skin tingling as he pushed away their voices. [It's trying to kill you.]

He rolled his eyes as he heard the start of a whimper from the werewolf, arms circling him but claws only pressing in, not breaking skin. The werewolf was a child and had shown no signs of aggression at any point. It wouldn't attack him.

The werewolf clung onto him like he might disappear, and well. That may have been what happened to their pack. Frankenstein didn't know much about werewolf family dynamics, but wolves tended to their young and stayed in family packs.

"Did you somehow get lost, hm?" he said, running his fingers through the werewolf's fur.

Another high whine, the werewolf pushing harder into him.

Or maybe it had gotten caught in the trap and left behind somehow.

"Let's see if we can find your pack then," he said as he patted the werewolf's head.

The werewolf's head jerked up to stare at him. They had more human-like eyes, the sclera more visible.

"You can't talk, can you?" Which would make his estimate of their age even lower. Well, it would be like talking to another scientist and trying to make sense of what the scientist was trying to say, so Frankenstein had a lot of practice.

"I'm Frankenstein," he said, dipping his head.

The werewolf dipped its head, mirroring him and then lunged forward to lick his face.

"Hello to you too." Frankenstein tried to say that anyway between the licks. "I'll call you 'Pup' in the meantime." It was that or some play on 'Wolf'.

Pup didn't seem adverse to that name and Frankenstein petted their head again. He found the open wound on the snout that had been rubbed raw by the rope, his fingers wet and sticky. Hm. Fast healing for human, but still slow by werewolf standards.

"Let's clean this, shall we?" The wound should close soon, but that could make things worse if it wasn't cleaned out.

"Hng."

"I have water in my bag," Frankenstein continued, taking a step back, and the werewolf followed him.

His bag was just a dark shape on the forest floor but he found his flask by touch and uncapped it. "This may be easier if we're both sitting." More comfortable for Pup so they weren't as hunched over.

He sat cross-legged on the ground with a tree at his back and Pup followed him, laying their head across his lap.

Perfect.

Frankenstein soaked a handkerchief with water and wiped it over Pup's snout, feeling where it started over Pup's lip and cut upwards.

There was enough light to see it appeared cleaner by the time he was done and he wrung the handkerchief dry.

He tried to stand up, expecting Pup to move back, but they didn't, watching him from his lap, tail flicking left and right.

"If this is where you want us to rest, I should make a shelter."

Pup huffed, still watching him.

Should. Frankenstein wasn't as affected by the elements compared to unenhanced humans, and with their fur, werewolves didn't have to worry about the elements either.

"All right," Frankenstein said, relaxing back into the tree. "I can sleep like this."

He'd slept in worse places.

Pup's tail wagged harder as they shuffled closer to Frankenstein.

* * * Frankenstein woke up warm. And his legs tingled like...

He opened an eye a crack, seeing a mound of silver fur in front of him.

Ah. Right. That's what had happened last night.

Pup appeared to have moved even closer so they were curled up around Frankenstein rather than just their head, which explained why his legs were currently dead.

He wriggled his way free, not disturbing Pup and climbed up the tree to jump off so not to wake them.

Time to make breakfast.

* * * Starting the fire was easy though Frankenstein peered at what he'd brought with him. It would sustain him, but it certainly wouldn't be enough for Pup. They would have to do some hunting once Pup was awake.

As if on cue, one of Pup's ears perked up and then Pup was on their feet, whirling around until they saw him.

Frankenstein side-stepped the charge, making sure Pup wouldn't run through the fire. Pup span around and lunged at him.

"Yes, yes," Frankenstein said as he caught them, "I'm here. I didn't leave you."

It definitely seemed like Pup had only recently lost their pack. Were they the one howling a few nights ago?

Frankenstein went back to the fire and held out a bit of the meat he'd been cooking. Pup looked at it, and then at him.

"It's yours," Frankenstein said, holding it closer.

Pup's tail wagged and it took the meat from him, the meat disappearing immediately.

Yes, there definitely wasn't going to be enough to feed them.

Frankenstein eyed the rest of his breakfast, and then held it out towards Pup.

Pup studied it, sniffing before looking at him with a low growl.

"I ate yesterday - did you?"

Pup's ears flattened. As Frankenstein thought. With Pup distracted, Frankenstein could see the wound over Pup's snout had healed over, leaving a scar. Hm. Fast healing, but not yet at the level of an adult where they could heal without scars.

"So eat this to get your strength up and settle your stomach," Frankenstein said, waving the meat under Pup's nose. "We can hunt later to eat something more your size."

Pup gently took the skewer from Frankenstein with a paw, and then ate the entire thing. How long had Pup been hanging there for...?

* * * "Have you been hunting before?" Frankenstein asked. He'd set up a more stable shelter while Pup was distracted watching the flames of the fire and left his bag there. If all went well, it wouldn't be long before they returned back to camp.

Pup shook their head.

Additional proof Pup was just a puppy.

One of Pup's ears flicked to the side and they dashed off. They'd heard something? But if they hadn't hunted something before... Oh dear.

And if they ran away like that, was that how they got separated from their pack?

Frankenstein followed after them, which was pretty easy since Pup had just crashed through the forest.

He found Pup a short distance away, ears flat and shoulders hunched, staring further into the forest.

"Did it run away?" Frankenstein asked, trying to keep his smile from lips even as Pup nodded. Maybe that was how werewolves hunted - it certainly seemed like that when they attacked humans. "Ah well, we can try again with something else." It seemed to help distract Pup in the very least.

Slowly, Pup's ears perked up again, and they nodded, following Frankenstein.

* * * Pup was rather excitable and distractable, chasing after whatever they saw or heard. They didn't go too far before turning back, and Frankenstein wondered if that was because they were worried about losing him.

It was how Frankenstein settled on fishing instead, since the fish were less likely to run away, as it were.

Of course, as soon as Pup saw the river, they dived in.

Frankenstein exhaled, smiling as he shook his head. Such a puppy. Maybe they could scare some of the fish that way. The surface of the river was definitely more active.

It didn't take long to craft a spear and Frankenstein waded in.

Pup splashed across on the other bank and Frankenstein stabbed down, seeing a flash reflecting off scales.

Yes, this would be fine.

* * * There was a decent pile of fish by the time Frankenstein paused and checked on Pup.

Well. Pup looked like they'd had a full wash in the river, their fur laying flat against them as they watched the water.

"Do you think that's enough food for you?" Frankenstein said, gesturing to the pile.

Pup perked up at the sight of them and bounded over, spraying Frankenstein as they passed. If he had managed to stay dry while fishing, Pup had ensured he was wearing the river now.

Pup was making their own miniature river on the bank from how much water was running of their fur. Frankenstein certainly wouldn't be able to-

Pup shook, fur and water flying everywhere.

Frankenstein swiped a hand down his face, flicking the excess water off his fingers. Right. He didn't have to worry about drying Pup.

* * * Pup finished all the fish, and when they were done, they settled into Frankenstein's side again while he sat on the bank.

"Feel better?"

"Hnnng." Pup nodded.

Werewolves had to eat differently as they aged - otherwise humans would have noticed their presence earlier with how much they ate, or humans might not have thrived in the first place because werewolves had hunted everything else first. He couldn't ask Pup to check though. He really should be taking notes... It was a wonder he hadn't started yet, but Pup's needs had taken precidence.

"Are you able to howl again?" Frankenstein wondered idly. Would that make a difference if their pack hadn't heard them before?

Pup tilted their head at him, a questioning grumble in their chest.

"In case your pack can hear you," he added.

A headtilt in the other direction.

Maybe werewolves called it something else. "Like this." Frankenstein leaned back and tried to do an as best approximation of a wolf howl as he could. It wasn't quite the 'something is being murdered' sound, but he hoped it would still be recognisable to Pup.

Pup slammed into him, knocking him over, whining and licking his face. Not a response he was expecting or wanting. "I - hey - if you - gah - can do it."

Pup sat back on Frankenstein's leg and tipped their head back and howled.

...Hm.

Frankenstein narrowed his eyes as he listened.

That wasn't the howl he'd heard before. That howl was lower in the range and, well. More experienced. It could carry far as evidenced by hearing it from the village.

Pup's howl was thin, breaking up in places and not very loud.

He still smiled and petted Pup when they finished and looked at him. "Yes, like that."

He'd found Pup hanging from a trap, their mouth clamped shut - he should have reasoned the one he'd heard wasn't Pup, though Pup could have howled and then gotten caught in the trap.

So then where had the other werewolf gone?

He listened out but he couldn't hear an answering howl. Maybe the pack had moved out of range already? Werewolves could move that fast...

He couldn't make any judgements since he didn't know what this particular pack was like.

"All right then," Frankenstein said, wringing his top free of some water before getting up. "Let's get going. We won't find your pack just waiting around."

* * * They had been walking for a while but when Pup slowed, staring off in the distance, Frankenstein paid attention. It didn't seem like something to hunt or else Pup would have chased after it already.

"What do you hear?" he murmured, trying to listen past the bird song, insects buzzing and wind. It sounded the same to him.

Wait...

There was a regular thumping approaching.

Like something was charging directly towards them.

"Is that someone from your pack?"

As soon as Frankenstein said 'pack', Pup barked, wriggling and being more energetic than Frankenstein had ever seen them.

It seemed the thumping was more spread out, but getting closer.

Disturbed birds flew off in the distance, and hm. The hints were pointing towards something large if not a werewolf was coming straight for them.

They could be wrong and it was something else and Frankenstein took a couple of steps away, to allow him more reaction time. Just in case.

Pup glanced between him and the forest. If it really was their pack, they should have ran off already.

Unless Pup thought he was their pack?

He'd taken too long pondering, whatever was charging upon them.

Pup disappeared from his view in a silver blur, and Frankenstein span, trying to find them, already hearing high pitched yelps and scuffling.

Not part of their pack!

There was a whirl of fur and claws behind Frankenstein and he dashed in, grabbing whatever he could grab first and yanked, Dark Spear singing in his veins, screaming to be called adding to the confusion of noise around him.

Not yet. He didn't know who he was holding. He could hurt Pup.

He hefted whoever he had up-

And was met with a snarling face from the werewolf he'd pulled them away from.

A sharp pain to the side and the world whirled until it stopped suddenly when he crashed into something. Maybe a tree.

Frankenstein had enough time to draw in one breath, more and more of Dark Spear's voices adding to the buzzing in his ears.

Just enough time to call Dark Spear, forming in his palm to dig into the throat of the werewolf as it slammed into him. Blood poured over Frankenstein's fingers, but the werewolf didn't seem to notice, still pressing closer, their fangs so close to Frankenstein's face he could feel their hot breath, their claws digging into the wood behind him.

"What were you doing with my pup?" the werewolf demanded.

Oh. The surprise loosened Frankenstein's hold and the fangs got closer before he pressed back again. "Nothing," Frankenstein said through gritted teeth, feeling as he was slowly crushed, like the air was being squeezed out of his body. "I found him in a trap and I helped free him."

He was aware of barking in the background but seeing Pup's face appear so close to Dark Spear, purple tendrils reaching for them, made him hiss and release Dark Spear.

He ducked to the side as the big werewolf's face lunged towards him, but he was caught between the werewolf's paws and snout. He was trapped.

The other werewolf didn't snap at him, and Frankenstein regained his breath as the pressure eased, maintaining eye contact with the big werewolf. Peeking through the fur under their left eye, Frankenstein could see a healed scar. They had long fur that almost looked like a mane behind their head. Was this the werewolf he'd been tracking before?

The werewolf relaxed, pulling their face back. "My pup says you helped him."

That was what Frankenstein had said, yes. He could understand rage stealing all attention though and only concentrating on the threat. "I did."

"Hrr."

Pup was still trying to get between them, licking the bigger werewolf's snout, tail a flurry.

"Apologies," Frankenstein said. "I thought Pup was being attacked."

"'Pup'?" the other werewolf repeated, laughing that sounded more like repeated huffing. The werewolf's blood was already browning and flaking off their fur, Frankenstein not seeing any fresh blood coming from the wound.

Ah. "That's what I was calling him, since-"

"He's a pup." The werewolf took a step back and then scooped up Pup, growling as they rubbed their forehead to Pup's.

The other werewolf was so large they could cradle Pup like a child, twice as wide as him, torso and limbs covered in scars.

Pup continued whining, the bigger werewolf letting him lick their snout as Pup wriggled.

"We, ah, made a rather bad first impression," Frankenstein said. "Would you want to start over again?" It was a rather optimistic ask, but Frankenstein would have never learned anything if he'd been hesitant.

Pup glanced at Frankenstein, and then barked, the bigger werewolf sighed. "Min-gyu doesn't want to leave just yet."

Frankenstein perked up, a grin spreading across his face unbidden. "Well, then. I'm Frankenstein. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Muzaka," the other werewolf rumbled, nodding. "An' this is Min-gyu."

Min-gyu launched himself from Muzaka at Frankenstein, who caught him with a laugh.

This was certainly not what he'd expect to find in the forest, but he wasn't complaining either.

__

Inspired by this conversation.

[peppermint-chocolate-cherries]

Some Analysis of LietBela

I’ve been thinking about making this post for quite some time, but I also knew I’d be explaining my side of things in essay form.  Well, I finally wrote the essay.

Full disclaimers, I am a Canadian who was barely taught anything about Eastern Europe in high school.  My knowledge on Lithuanian, Belarusian and Polish history is from spending a few hours clicking through Wikipedia as I wanted to learn more about Lithuania once the Hetalian became my newest muse a few years ago.

Hetalia’s Lithuania was really an afterthought at best when I joined the fandom. When I wrote my first story, Absorbing the Deck, he appears as a side character in the last couple chapters driving the Clubs carriage.  At that point in my fandom experience, he was still just Russia’s lackey, and that’s how he was until I planned out The Nefarious Mathilda Jones.

I don’t recall what the change was this time, I think I just wanted to give Ivan a familiar Hetalian to be working with as one of Mathilda’s nefarious henchmen.  Even in the original D&D alignment chart (good vs evil, lawful vs chaotic) I made for the characters in the story, Tolys was never specifically assigned an alignment.  I even considered putting him and Antonio into a side fling, but that didn’t pan out.  Over time, since it took 2.5 years to write the last 10 chapters of the story, I was able to think about the nefarious quartet’s motivations a lot more, and develop backstory for them that would cover ⅔ seasons worth of a television show.  That is when Tolys’s POV became so important for me, as a voice of reason to rationalize Mathilda’s decisions in the last year of the story.

And that is when I fell in love with the character of Lithuania, and looked up his history.  Turns out that Lithuania was already an Eastern European powerhouse in the 1200’s-1400’s, before joining up with Poland to create the renowned Commonwealth.  There were many instances during their union where Poland wanted to cooperate more with other kingdoms, such as Sweden and France, but it was the Lithuanian faction that opposed this.  I realized that this made for an interesting dynamic between the two of them: Poland was the politician, and Lithuania was the warrior.

Then we have Belarus.  The young child was bounced around a lot between guardians, along with Ukraine and Russia.  The rise in power of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 1200’s was all about taking over land from the Mongols and from the former Kievan Rus when opportunity struck. At that time, he controlled territory all the way from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, including large sections of what are now Belarus and Ukraine.  As such, both sisters would have technically been under Lithuania’s charge for some time.

So, this is where this complex relationship starts, with Lithuania as Belarus’s guardian.  In the Hetalia strips and anime, we see that Belarus is quite young around this time, as this is also when Russia is a child struggling to make friends while also fending off the Teutonic Knights (aka Prussia).  While not much older, Lithuania definitely has the advantage in this power dynamic with Belarus. Although I did read that the Lithuanians did allow the Ruthenians a bit more economic and cultural autonomy in exchange for on-call military support.

During these centuries under Lithuania’s control is where Belarus grew up into a young lady, in my humble opinion.  Perhaps it was the autonomy while under his control that allowed her to do just that.  Even when Poland entered the mix and the Commonwealth came to be, Belarus remained firmly under Lithuania’s control and was not shared with Poland.  Perhaps it was Lithuania, or even Poland, that taught her how to use daggers in self-defence, should the two of them ever be unable to protect her.

Meanwhile, through all this time, Belarus kept an eye on the welfare of her siblings.  While Ukraine was also subject to Lithuania’s rulership at times, Russia was not.  He eventually found his own footing and path to imperial power, eventually becoming a fascination and a threat to the rest of Europe.  The inheritance and control of Kievan Rus, the former territory that was home to all three siblings, was becoming a hot topic of debate again, and now Russia had the power to make the move.

And so he did.  Not only did he bring his sisters back under his wing, he also dismantled the Commonwealth and claimed Lithuania for the Russian Empire as well.

Lithuania had all his former power and glory stripped away, and was reduced to following the orders of someone else.  Sure, he had to work with Poland for centuries, but that was a relationship of equals.  For the first time in centuries, Lithuania no longer had his autonomy, and now had to answer to the Russian empire.

The only trace of his former life was having Belarus at his side in the same position.

This is where I think their relationship becomes more twisted and complicated.  Belarus is the only constant that Lithuania has left, she’s the only one here he can technically still trust.  This is likely where he starts projecting his affections on her, believing that she still cares enough about him to watch his back.  Meanwhile, Belarus is embracing her role in the Empire, enjoying her people’s return to Slavic cultures and traditions, and more than happy to serve her brother instead of Lithuania.

When the Russian Empire collapses, and everyone becomes independent after World War I, Lithuania and Belarus both find themselves suddenly fighting with Poland and Russia to reclaim the territories surrounding Vilnius.  There were even a couple attempts to work together, first as equals in a Lithuanian-Byelorussian republic, but then with Belarus still a part of Lithuania.  Ultimately, her land got split between Russian control and Polish control, while Lithuania had to cede control of Vilnius to Poland.  Nobody was getting along during this time, let’s just put it like that.

World War II comes along, and they both get conquered again, bouncing between Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia a few times before they both ultimately become Soviet states after the war.  Finding himself in the same position as before, Lithuania is desperate to make amends with Belarus and rekindle the allegiance they once held to each other.  Even if the times of conquering lands and controlling territories was no longer a thing, Lithuania still deeply cared for her.  However, Belarus was once again happily embracing Russification and rejecting Lithuania at every turn.

This is where I ultimately think their relationship became toxic.  Lithuania is pining for her beyond reason, and she wants nothing to do with him.  It’s hard to say who is more at fault here. While Belarus breaking his fingers in the Hetalia strips is certainly a very extreme action, Lithuania also did not have the wherewithal to take off his rose-coloured glasses and see that she was genuinely not interested in his advances.

It’s not until the fall of the Soviet Union, when Lithuania and Belarus take their separate paths to independence, that I think Lithuania finally sees the light.  He’s making all these efforts to join the European alliances and economy, and earn his places in the UN and NATO.  He’s working with the other European countries to find ways to bolster his own economy and provide for his own people, now that everyone has agreed to stop invading each other and work together instead.

On the other side of the border, he can see all too clearly now how stuck Belarus is in her own ways.  She struggles to make ends meet for herself, she does not seek aid or alliances with the rest of Europe, and she ultimately resorts to being a puppet state to now-capitalist Russia.  It troubles Lithuania greatly, since he’s watched her for so long as she grew to be a nation only for her to take this path that opposes his own.

He does still have to cooperate with her on border issues, and he still has to pay attention to anything she or Russia might be up to.  Lithuania still cares about her fate, but I think in modern days he’s come to accept that he cannot control it for her.  One day, Belarus will have to remove her own rose-coloured glasses and see where she has allowed Russian influence to take her.

On that day she comes to her senses, she might realize that it’s already too late to avoid becoming entirely Russian and fading away into the history books.  On the other hand, she might wake up in time to resist that fate, and forge her own independence.  She might finally call on assistance from the West to break free from Russification, to reclaim her own culture and language that were nearly lost.

Lithuania still awaits the day where she’ll come to his doorstep asking for help, and he will always keep the door open for her.  But now he realizes that it’s up to her to ask for his help, when and if she is ever ready to.

I found Hetalia in 2015, at which point there were already thousands of stories posted to Livejournal, Fanfiction.Net and AO3.  When looking through the tags for LietBela (as well as RusLiet), there is a LOT of toxic relationships in there.  Early fandom really went hard with the “Lithuania pines, Belarus breaks his fingers” aspect of the manga and wrote some very dark and abusive tropes into their stories for Tolys and Natalya.  I only needed to read a couple of these stories to figure out that this is definitely not my cup of tea.

However, I cannot overlook the historical context between these two characters, and what events would have led to their relationship becoming so toxic and complicated in the first place.  These are two characters who have known each other for 800 years, who grew up together and forged their identities alongside each other.  No doubt they used to respect each other when Belarus was under Lithuania’s rulership, perhaps even admire each other’s strengths.  But that loss of Lithuania's power led to their relationship becoming incredibly strained and violent.

In my headcanons for the modern day nations, Lithuania is still recovering from the anxiety and paranoia he developed under Russia’s control, and part of that journey is accepting what has become of his relationship with Belarus.  He has learned to move on, to work on himself instead and to find happiness in other ways and with other relationships.  But he still holds onto that hope that, someday, Belarus will come to him and ask for his help.

And he will answer that call gladly.

[littleapocalypsekitten]

In defence of silly matters...

So, I've been on the tumbles too much today and have had to get off of it after a while when it was making my head hurt... So, I wasn't into the Super Bowl today. I'm not much of a sports person, but I didn't even bother watching it for the commercials. It was all "Meh, none of our teams are playing and I'm not so big into either Usher or Swift." And, of course, it's not like the commercials cannot be seen later online. Instead, I was all "Ooh, Cartoon Network is running reruns of Adventure Time and Futurama!" and I was reading fanfictions that people had put up for a fanfiction challenge in one of my fandoms that I am a part of. But browsing tumblr.... just outrage-post-after-outrage post over the ongoing Gaza genocide and lots of "why aren't more people outraged at this?" "How dare Americans be distracted by a football game when this is going on?!" and... it's just... *Sigh.* News of the latest series of atrocities... definitely enough to cause compassion-fatigue and I do not *want* to stop caring. I want to continue doing what I can (which is not much, mostly complaining to people online and in real life. I wrote my senator, but while he's progressive on most issues, he's identical to the fiercest Republican on this one and has been known to taunt pro-Palestinian protesters. You've probably already guessed who he is, haven't you? Basically a progressive-traitor). My rep's a Republican (despite my personal vote) and isn't gonna do shit. And this is really the boat most of us are in. And I'm at a place where I simply cannot be aghast and outraged all the time, or it will overload my system. So, yes, I am going to turn away from the news and from people telling me to be aware and outraged at all times to watch a damn cartoon. And this is why I defend people watching and enjoying the Super Bowl. Maybe it's trendy to be ANGRY! THAT! AMERICANS! ARE! ALL! ABOUT! SPORTSBALL! when the Horrors are happening, but I think that maybe enjoying the sportsball and the musicians is just a thing that many people need right now. They can't really do anything, so cheer on a team, beer and snacks. I learned last year, before all of this happened, on a very personal level just how important distraction is just to keep you from losing your mind or laying down and dying: I lost someone very close to me last year to an unexpected, sudden death. A lot of what kept me going? Trigun: Stampede (a reboot of an anime that was pretty much my entire life in the 2000s. I have a fanblog for it now, fandom renewed), and acquiring The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and playing it every day for about two and one half solid MONTHS after I picked up my pre-order. I did these things while being heavily involved in memorial / funeral planning, a task I had never done before. My nephew's memory was a "more important" thing. Gathering his friends for a memorial service / party was a "more important" thing. Getting his last affairs in order was a "more important" thing. But enjoying a damn anime and a damn video game were also important. And so I don't condemn people for taking a frigging BREAK. We can always continue holding our leaders' feet to the fire and screaming out into the void about the utter injustice present in our world.... But we've also gotta self-care. (And yes, I get mad when I'm finding a boss-battle in a video game to be too hard. It doesn't mean I do not care about more serious matters in the world at the same time).

[neuxue]

Just got to Fei Du's totally normal response to Luo Wenzhou asking why he didn't keep the cat all those years ago:

他抬起头，一侧的眉梢轻轻地动了一下：“没准是我还有虐杀小动物的爱好呢？控制不了自己，又怕跟陶然没法控交代，只有敬而远之，骆队，你觉得这个说法合理吗？” // He looked up and lightly raised one eyebrow. "Also maybe I enjoy torturing and killing small animals. I couldn't control myself and I'd have no way to explain it to Tao Ran, so I could only keep a safe distance — does that sound like a reasonable explanation to you, Captain Luo?" (ch41)

And that reminds me of the various other joking-but-also-maybe-not-entirely-joking things Fei Du says: “比如现在，你和我待在一起就很不安全，如果我是坏人呢？”// "Like right now, it's not safe for you to be with me; what if I were a bad person?" or “你放心，我肯定不会动刀捅人，买凶才是我们的风格。” // "Don't worry, I definitely won't stab anyone; my sort tend to hire assassins" or listing off the advantages he'd gain if he killed his father, to name just a few.

And then there are things like how he describes strangling someone to death as akin to sipping tea (a way to savour the act), or his How To Physically and Psychologically Break A Person Into Full Dependence On You And You Alone In 3 Easy Steps speech back in ch21, and I can't help but wonder, how did you learn this, exactly? And if it was learned firsthand... on which side of the equation?

And Fei Du saying “知道害怕是好事，因为美好的东西就像瓷器一样 [...] 对它们来说，最危险的往往不是在房间里乱跑的猫。[...] 是瓷器自己没有意识到自己易碎” // "It's good to know fear, because beautiful things are like porcelain [...] To them, the greatest danger isn't a cat running wild in the room. [...] It's that porcelain itself doesn't realise how easily it can be shattered" and how that lesson could be learned either as the shattered porcelain or as the one standing empty-handed amidst the shards.

I think about Luo Wenzhou wondering, once, how Fei Du can understand 'these people' so well, and it's not entirely clear whether he means the criminals or the victims.

I think about the way other characters note how perceptive he is, how well he reads others' expressions and emotions and the thoughts behind them. How exquisitely, alarmingly in control he is of his own. I think about the kinds of environment that can engender such a combination — and about his dream-flashback in which the threshold of his own home always filled him with dread, and in which his mother's corpse reaches out to him and asks, “你为什么不救我？” // "Why didn't you save me?"

I think about Luo Wenzhou's description of Fei Du's expression the first time he saw him, 好像压抑着许多未曾宣之于口的求救和期冀 // As if suppressing unspoken hopes and cries for help, and how now, all these years later, no trace of that remains. And I wonder what exactly that naked pleading vulnerability was buried beneath... and what the plea was for: to be saved? to be stopped? to be seen?

Because I think about how easy it would be, for the understanding he displays of monstrous deeds and the patterns of thought that underlie them — however exactly that understanding was gained — to become the conviction that I can think like a monster, therefore I too am monstrous.

I think about “我要是挨个碾死他们，会算防卫过当吗？” // "If I ran them down one by one, would it be considered excessive self-defence?"

And I wonder if the question this is leading to is: what has it cost you, Fei Du, to save yourself?

[jvstheworld]

The Buffy Re-watch: S2E15 (part 2)

Phases

Folklore lesson with Giles. Xander actually manages to land a joke with Giles too. First time for everything.

'Typical male' - predatory, aggressive, acting on instinct an no conscience. Unfortunately, there are plenty of men in the world who do act like this, and with the rise of certain types of men making content on the internet aimed at getting others to believe that these behaviours are acceptable, it is only getting worse. Wile Buffy might be generalising here, the problem remains that there are too many men falling into harmful thought processes and actions because they have nowhere else to turn to validate their idea that they are entitled to more and better, without actually working on themselves to be decent and likable humans that don't see relationships, women and sex as commodities and transactions. Women might generalise because it is never clear who are the ones believing this 'alpha male' bullshit. We can't tell who might cause harm, because it could be anyone and too many men do it. Also, we just saw Buffy get sexually harassed and assaulted by Larry, while he might be behaving this way to cover up his homosexuality, he doesn't get a pass from being called out and dealt with.

Buff more interested in people cheating than finding the werewolf. People like drama when it doesn't involve them.

Cain is disgusting with his comment about Giles and Buffy. uncalled for and gross. He's sexist too.

Cain is played by Jack Conley how also appears in Angel as the demon Sahjhan, and he appears in the Supernatural episode 'Yellow Fever' as Sheriff Britton. Yes, the episode where Dean screams at the sight of a cat and mines along to Eye of the Tiger.

Angelus is stalking women, this time Theresa from the self-defence class Poor girl, this won't end well for her.

Willow and Cordy bonding while talking about how Xander is not capable of being present with them and is obsessed with someone else, and when they call him out on it, he is completely unware he did it.

Okay, I'm guessing the werewolf came in through the roof, but there is a balcony above Willow and Cordy, so shouldn't someone have seen the wolf before it laded in front of the girls?

Can we kill Cain, please? I really hate him.

I appreciate the use of practical effects for the werewolf. It's debatable whether it holds up now, but I'm glad it's not CGI.

Vampires and werewolves aren't friendly, who new?

News reporters got there quickly to get the story on Theresa.

Oz is our resident werewolf, and all he says is 'Huh'. That checks.

Poor Oz, having to hear that he is suspected of killing someone and people want him dead.

Xander forgetting that he told everyone that he didn't remember his animal possession days. And it is never brought up again. if you want to know my thoughts on it, I have a whole post dedicated to it.

Oz thinking that Xander is on to him being the wolf is probably the most expressive he is in the show.

Oh you'll get a confession from Larry alright, just not the kind you're expecting, Xander.

Buffy can see that Willow is trying and wans more for her and Oz.

Xander and Larry are having two very different conversations, leading to a very big misunderstanding. One that continues into season 3. I am glad that Larry accept his part of himself, but that does not excuse his earlier behaviour. It is good that he learns and grows as a person and does better, even going so far as to help the gang fight the Mayor at the end of next season, before he gets eaten.

Oz being away from Willow is him trying to protect her and others from his wolfiness. He likes her and doesn't want to jeopardise this new relationship.

I ended up writing 10 pages of notes for this episode so it is being split into 3. The last part will, of course, be tomorrow.

[bellewintersroe]

Hi!! I was wondering if I could have a BoB ship?

I’m pale, sort of auburn-blonde, green grey eyed, 5’6” and fairly slender but with big boobs and hips.

I'm very passionate, always smiling, empathetic, sarcastic, smart, and easy going. I hide behind my humor so people can’t get too close, and I overcompensate my shyness by talking to everyone, so no one believes I really am. I’m riddled with anxiety and massively self critical and can be stubborn and proud. But I try to always put others first, and I like to challenge myself. I’m fiercely loyal once I let someone get close to me. I’m a nurse, and I’ve been told that instead of being like “work wife,” I’m “work jester” because I just go around trying to make everyone laugh.

I love animals, especially dogs (I have 9, plus 1 geriatric cat and 8 chickens). I also love learning about anything and everything; I spend a lot of free time listening to lectures or watching documentaries. I’m an avid traveler and reader. Music is very important to me, and I listen to just about every genre from every era. Drawing and painting are my catharsis, but I love doing anything creative.

Thank you in advance! 🦊

Thank you for your request, sorry for the long wait!!! <3

I ship you with… Don Malarkey!!

Ahhhhh I was so torn on your request of who you’d match better? I definitely went for the more tender hearted, lovable, less in your face kinda guys????

When you mentioned how you used humour as a defence mechanism and also your selfless nature, I definitely leant towards Malarkey.

When you mentioned how you used humour as a defence mechanism and also your selfless nature, I definitely leant towards Malarkey.

I think Malarkey would definitely think you’re absolutely beautiful when he first lays eyes on you, let’s say somebody introduces you to one another and he goes all soft and shy??? He’s usually very playful, and maybe he is around your other friends, but around you he gets all nervous and a little awkward. It’s cute though.

lovesssss your hair, he thinks it’s such a unique and stunning colour that his eyes fixate on your fingers whenever they run through it.

Because you’re empathetic I think you could spot Malarkey’s shyness from a mile off, however because you’re so laid back and alwayssssss smiling it puts him right at ease.

adores your smile OMG, the two of you are grinning like Cheshire cats when you’re around each other and everybody can see what’s going on between the two of you.

I think you’d start out as besties who are secretly pining for one another and then one day (maybe after a couple of drinks) he kisses you and you’re shocked- he’s shocked too- but everything seems to work out perfectly from there.

he’s astonished by how beautiful you are and that you have the same feelings about him- most definitely asked ‘how are you this gorgeous’ and you’re literally like ummm idk that’s the 577th time you’ve asked me that.

Plays pranks on you the more comfortable you get with each other.

They progressively get meaner.

gets sad if you’re not smiling, really feels your emotions so he’s a super understanding guy.

he definitely doesn’t believe you when you tell him you were shy when you both met. Nothing could be as awkward as he was.

if you’re ever self critical or looking the slightest bit down, Malarkey notices this almost before you do.

he’d throw an arm around you and walk the two of you out to the most comfortable spot and kiss your forehead- ugh I’m so weak.

maybe if you’re working on rounds in the aid station and he can see you exhausting yourself, trying to boost morale, he’s the one that tells you, you need to rest.

in Bastogne he’d give you his hat and scarf- he’d never ever ever ever have his girl going cold or hungry or anything.

Very attentive, would ensure you’re not getting burnt out- and if you are then he’d talk you into just sitting for a good 30 minutes to rest.

doesn’t like you being in Bastogne, it scares the shit out of him- your relationship definitely becomes more mature??? Serious?? After this.

you’d be such a huge support for him after he looses Muck and Penkala. Seriously, just go give him a hug, he needs it.

after Bastogne you can see both your sarcastic, fun loving attitudes coming back. Of course it takes a while, but I think Malarkey really thanks you and is grateful for how truly amazing of a support you were to him and all the other boys, especially in Bastogne.

calls you Angel, love, my love.

Gets defensive if anybody is too nosy about your relationship- didn’t really think of it much, but after the war he’s really, deadly serious about marrying you and spending your lives together.

accidentally would mess up one of your drawings or paintings and almost cries- even if it’s a doodle on the back of a book or something.

sooooo soft and loving, like I said, always checking up to make sure what he’s doing is okay- this applies to during sex, I think especially after they’re finally moved off the line he’d be so attentive and caring.

those biceps, omg I’m blushing. Secretly loves it when you hold them. He’s not egotistical in the slightest so it makes him go all red.

loves animals just as much as you, it excites him the thought of you bringing home another animal, I think for a while he’d love having this as an escape after the war, whether it’s taking care of chickens or walking your dogs.

leaves you to your own hobbies in peace when you’re drawing or painting, but sometimes gets super involved and has drawing competitions.

you always win lmao.

gets surprisingly good at drawing???

You play music alllll the time in your house, and at first he acts embarrassed when you try to get him into certain songs and genres, but maybe a week later he’s humming along to the song, then the day after he’s singing it in the shower.

every song you play reminds you of him, so when you’re away he’d play them just for the comfort they bring.

misses you when you stay over at your friends for a night.

Would want lots of babies with you, he’s seen how good he can be at taking care of tiny, baby animals, so he gets more confident in his abilities of becoming a father.

would cry when his children are born, he’s super sentimental, and he’s a lot more open with his emotions with you than he’s ever been before.

family life is healing for Malarkey, the fact you’re such a patient and upbeat lover is super important to him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I ship you platonically with… Babe Heffron!

Like you, Babe can get a little shy around new people especially, but he hides this well with how upbeat and chatty he is.

you both would click instantly, being a nurse you’d be a lot more accepting and caring of the replacements, so you’d get to know Babe pretty quick.

let’s say you’re attached to 2nd platoon, it makes sense that you’re closest to who you spend the most of your time with.

people like you are so important to have in the army, and out on the line as your bring morale up whenever it’s at its lowest.

babe see’s how much you hide behind your humour and worms his way in, probably asks you a million questions whilst you’re trying to sew up some poor guys forehead.

if you’re anxious I don’t think Babe would understand at first? He’d get a little worried and flustered and start hollering for Malarkey, but you assure him you’re fine.

Would just sit with you sometimes in silence, it’s the most comfortable and comforting thing for you both. Especially after Julian dies in Bastogne.

Constantly laughing together, talking about all kind of nonsense.

I think because you’re pretty creative you’d come up with fun little games to pass time, whether it be a new card game, or whatever else, Babe would LOVE to play.

I think you both bring out each others inner child.

asks you loads of questions about Malarkey, and Malarkey loads of questions about you.

both so loyal to one another, you’d definitely keep such a close eye on one another after the everything.

[konveeart]

Actually “living” something

There might be nothing of value here but just me being emotional this monday evening. And with this, here I go, wordvommiting. I ramble for a second and then I’ll go grocery shopping. 

I watched Steven Zapatas’ video this morning and then went through the comments (didn’t scroll much but they were pretty interesting to read). I don’t have anything to contribute but what describes my POV in this matter was CosmicSpectrum’s comment, and I want to expand on it with my own experience here (continuing from my twitter thread).

I’ve had a conversation with my friend about “you should play this game, you’d love it”. God I know i would. I’ve made lists of books, games, series, comics, anime I should watch, read, listen, breathe and I’d love. Or not. But those lists are everywhere, twitter bookmarks, myanimelist, in my notes, in my notebooks, post it notes, post-it-notes on my mac that are waiting to be categorised; artist recommendations, instagram profiles, music albums, all the stuff I should at some point be aware of.

I know I would. But it wasn’t a coincidence I spent 150+hrs of gameplay in DeathStranding before even finishing the main story.

Now wait, what does this anything have to do with AI art? On the matter that it’s sucking us dry to make stuff, nothing. On the new constant stream of content that both sucks us dry to produce things faster, it does. It’s all about making content, making more money (no, artists won’t be making more money, people who already have money will), getting things done faster. I am not as eloquent or knowledgable/ updated to add more than what I know to this subject, but the point I am trying to make by poorly writing this to get it off my chest is, nothing can replace our time making/ interacting with what we love.

Our time is our highest-in-value currency. I don’t play game after game, read book after book, finish drawing after drawing to reach a quota (in my defence I’ve tried it in my teens and it was cool but I don’t remember 3/4 of the anime/ games i’ve watched/played and i was depressed). I am appalled by this constant stream of content, I’ve always been and I always make circles around it because everyone moves on so fast and we can’t talk about what’s not hot if we want to be relevant before society or the algorithm punishes us for it. (Society because people move on to the next big thing and who remains to brainrot with, or sometimes even being judged for not being up-to-date with what’s hot right now, the algorithm because it’s the algorithm and if it’s not mainstream, you’re not making them companies any $$).

I want to boil in things I love. I play one game a year if I am lucky, I am living with it, it’s part of me. I’ve read and re-read one piece of fiction and I can’t stop loving it every time. My library is so tiny, it’s wonderful. Things I can carry with me every year to the next one, others remain in the past but they stayed long enough to be remembered (or not). Replaying. Remembering. Moving on or staying with what I love, I make this choice for myself and it’s such a relief, finally.

I wish I could encourage someone to do the same, if that’s up to how they’d like to live. Draw the things they love, write about them, talk about them without the fear of being irrelevant. The lifespan of media (art, music, series, comics, movies you name it) has drastically shortened online and it’s very visible and sad. Our attention to things breaks easier, chasing what’s new instead of truly learning about something interesting. But we are human, and I hope we realise that sooner. We cannot *live* anything faster. That’s just getting distracted, the same lie with “multitasking” (grind culture GTFO).

Value your time. We’ve been fed that end-results matter, but that’s because we choose to ignore and devalue the process.

But it wasn’t a coincidence I spent 150+hrs of gameplay in DeathStranding before even finishing the main story. 

So there are things I just won’t get to be aware of on a personal lvl (living them/ playing them/ reading them) and that’s fine. Those *opens hands and points at all the things I have to show you* are the things I know and make me happy. The things I remember and think of fondly. They are not necessarily what make me as a person, but they surely are things I love and made part of my life in whichever way I chose or happened to be.

--

Anyway, get informed at your own pace about AI art, get their asses and don’t let corporations do as they please. And do read/ listen/ watch/ play what you love, for you first and foremost. Fuck “consume”, fuck “content”.  Live it. For you.

[benevolentgodloki]

15 questions, 15 people.

Stole it from Stark. @youknowwhoiamaskblog

Are you named after anyone? Not that I am aware of. Normally it's others who are named after me.

When was the last time you cried? Laughing at Strange failing to cheat at cards.

Do you have any kids? No. Put that book of Norse Mythology down.

Do you use sarcasm a lot? I've never used sarcasm in my life.

What’s the first thing you notice about people? I'll go with Stark's answer on this — how others react to my presence. If they haven't noticed my presence for one reason or another, I notice what activity they are doing and the expression on their faces. Honestly, this is a contextual question. If you walk in when someone's bending over, you're going to notice their arse first, aren't you?

What’s your eye color? Blue, although I do enjoy making them green when I shapeshift.

Scary movies or happy endings? I lean toward the latter, but not too sickly sweet. It depends what you define as 'scary movie'. Thrillers, suspense, crime etc. will always win out on a fluffy happy ending with me, but I am not interested in dull gore and so-called 'slasher' films. I've been in enough real battles not to find viscera that entertaining.

Any special talents? Many. Let's categorise them all under mischief, shall we?

Where were you born? Jotunheim.

What are your hobbies? Acquiring knowledge, irritating Strange and the Avengers. Note to self: annoy more of them. I like reading, watching whatever shows I can sneak on Strange's Netflix account, and I am very fond of theatre, although I have not had the chance to go yet.

Do you have any pets? Does Stephen count? I'm joking. Don't revoke my internet access. No, but I do miss my horse.

What sports do you/have you played? Does hunting count? And no, I don't mean the pointless chasing down of lesser animals with hounds who do all the work or needless cruelty. Beast and monster hunting in the wilds of the realms. I'm not too familiar with Midgardian sports, considering I burn enough energy training or fighting Sanctum threats with the sorcerers. Perhaps someone could introduce me to something for fun?

How tall are you? Six foot two in my usual form.

Favorite subject in school? I didn't really go to 'school' per se. I suppose Asgardian Language and Literature was my earliest interest along with courtly intrigue. My favourite subject wasn't part of my early education. Magic I learned as an extracurricular.

Dream job? Sorcerer Supreme? King Avenger? Once again, joking. Gods. In all seriousness, I suppose a master of the mystic arts and an ally in defence of Midgard. A trusted one, at least. I know it will take some work, if it is even possible.

Tagging anyone who hasn't answered this who is bored enough to.