#but then he has to go on the run because the council frames him for killing Praxis

[radioactivepeasant]

I think Jak should be allowed to take Praxis's sword for himself. For the dramatic irony.

[ramblings-of-a-chaotic-neutral]

Seeing as how my last au idea, where reincarnated Merlin finds Camelot again, got a ton of support, here's a continuation of that au! You can find part one of this au here.

EDIT: You can find part three of this au here!

Note: Translations for the Old English are at the end!

As a recap, in this au, Merlin died at Camlann and his magic made everyone in Camelot immortal, but they all eventually fall into a comatose state until Merlin returns. Merlin's reincarnated without his magic or memories and winds up as an archeologist working at the site of the ruins of Camelot. While exploring with his colleagues, Merlin accidentally awakens Arthur, whom he thinks is some sort of undead creature, and Merlin is captured by Arthur and the knights along with his colleagues. Arthur and everyone else speak in Old English, so Merlin's got no clue what's going on and assumes that these undead creatures are going to kill him, while Arthur and the knights assume that Merlin has just returned from Avalon and still has all of his memories and magic.

So, without further ado, on to the new stuff! I figured that it would be better to see the next part from Arthur's POV!

For Arthur, waking up had always been a struggle. The morning sun had always been his enemy, mockingly telling him that his time being warm and comfy in his bed was over. But if he had looked forwards to seeing a certainly lanky frame throw his curtains open and wake him up with whatever cheery, inane greeting he had come up with that morning, then that was Arthur's business and Arthur's business alone.

However, when had Arthur sat down in his seat at the round table, barely able to keep his eyes open and knowing that this was the last time he would be conscious for hundreds of years, he was thoroughly looking forward to waking up again. Because when he awoke, his centuries-long wait would be over! His love would be back where he belonged, by his side, and they would have all the time in the world to grow close once more!

And when that glorious day finally came, when Arthur's mind awoke and his eyes opened again, it was to the best sight Arthur could have imagined. Merlin, here in front of him, whole and healthy! Oh, Arthur had dreamed of this day for centuries before his long slumber! Those long centuries without Merlin were grim, with a phantom pain of Merlin's absence lingering within his heart and his life, and the pain was only slightly lessened with the assurance of Merlin's eventual return.

But now Merlin was right here, within his grasp, and they could be together once more! Arthur slowly got his arm, stiffened by centuries of disuse, to move, trying to reach out and touch Merlin, to prove to himself that Merlin was truly here and was not some desperate illusion conjured by his mind. Looking into Merlin's wonderfully familiar eyes though, Arthur knew deep down that this was real.

Before Arthur could get his arm to cooperate, however, four oddly-dressed strangers ran up to Merlin. Merlin yelled in surprise, probably at seeing the strangers running at him, and tried to dodge them, but wound up clumsily falling to the ground instead. Arthur would have laughed at his lover's antics if he heart wasn't pounding with rage at the sight of those intruders grabbing ahold of Merlin and dragging him away!

Arthur finally got his legs to work as the intruders dragged Merlin out of the council room, and shouted as soon as his jaw would allow it, "Gripan híe! Híe syndon fandian to niman Myrddin!"

The others at the round table were startled awake at his shouting, and looked around the room confused. As joyous as Arthur was at seeing his brothers in arms and his lovely wife again, Merlin's abduction was a far more pressing matter. Their long-anticipated and happy reunions would have to wait until after Merlin was rescued from those strangely dressed invaders.

Despite the awful situation, Arthur had the urge to smile at Merlin's situation. It was just like Merlin to get himself into trouble only mere seconds after reuniting with Arthur. Arthur had been so afraid that Merlin would be different when he returned, but it seemed as though that wasn't the case! He was still the same old Merlin that Arthur was so devastatingly fond of, finding trouble anywhere he went!

Still, regardless of Arthur's nostalgia, Merlin was in danger and needed to be saved! After a few seconds, Guinevere and the knights had all woken up properly and had registered what Arthur had shouted, sharing in his panic. However, these intruders were in Arthur's castle, where he had the advantage.

"Hwæt, Guinevere, far to þæm wæpnedhuse and find hwæt wæpnedu sindon gód in þæm stæde. Leon, far and wec þa oþre cnihtas. Hæbbe hí ceorfan of þæm unrihtwisan fleon. Oðer ealdras, fylgað me!"

After shouting out his orders, Arthur pulled Excalibur from its sheath and took off in the direction of the intruders who had stolen Merlin, moving as quickly as his stiff legs would allow. He could hear Percival, Elyan, and Gwaine behind them, their weapons at the ready.

It didn't take long to find the intruders, as they were clearly not familiar with the layout of the castle and had no sense of stealth whatsoever. If they were spies or thieves of some sort, whoever hired them deserved their money back. Arthur just had to follow the sounds of their rapid footsteps echoing off the ancient stone of the hallways.

As Arthur came around the corner to a long corridor, he caught sight of his prey, about halfway down the corridor from him. As they turned back to look at him, he could see the fear etched onto their faces.

Good, Arthur thought, they deserved to be afraid of him after what they had just tried to do. The group of thieves made it only a couple more steps before Leon burst into the hallway from the other side, flanked by about a dozen more knights and cutting off the intruders' escape. The knights made quick work of apprehending the inept thieves and freeing Merlin from their clutches.

Anger welled up savagely in Arthur's chest as he looked at Merlin, who looked rather frightened by this failed kidnapping. He might still be in pain from his injuries at Camlann, and these fools would have no doubt injured him further while they dragged him along with them, sprinting through the castle!

Arthur grit his teeth as fury rolled over him in waves. If he lost Merlin a second time due to these intruders, then there would be hell to pay.

"Hū darrst þū āsceacan hine from mē! Iċ hæbbe bīdode ofer þūsend geara for þisne tīman, and þū ātēowedest tō nīefre hine from mē stelan! Þū scealt āgildan for þis!"

It felt nice to release even the slightest bit of his rage onto these thieves, but Arthur had to keep his priorities straight. Punishing these fools could wait until after he knows more about Merlin's current condition.

Arthur turns his gaze to Merlin once more. Oh, how he had missed his dear Merlin! If only his Merlin's face wasn't marred by fear, but that would change after his would-be kidnappers were safely locked away.

"Nimðað þa ungewelwieras to ðære cyrcan cwellan, wē magon dēmian mid him æfter. Gwaine, nim Myrddin to his geardas and hafa Gaius locian ofer hine. And be mildheort, he sceal hæbbe geferod eft fram Avalon and mæg swilc bēon in pinunge fram his wundum! Gecyða eft to mē mid Gaius's gemetungum þonne hē geendod hæfð."

As hard as it was to part from Merlin's side now that he had just gotten him back, there were still other matters that Arthur had to attend to before he could truly give Merlin the attention he deserved. Still, he knew that Merlin would be in good hands with Gaius and Gwaine, and Arthur would rest easier knowing that Merlin was whole and healthy.

After ensuring that the intruders were securely locked away in the dungeons and awaiting punishment (which would solely depend on how uninjured Merlin turned out to be), Arthur retreated to his study. Now that the whole castle was waking up, he needed to sent out scouts to see how the land around Camelot had hanged, to coordinate with the council to arrange a full head-count of who was awake and see if it matched the last census before everyone fell asleep, to meet with the cook and arrange for their emergency food supplies (which were thankfully also preserved by the same magic that kept them immortal) to be distributed and hopefully keep everyone from going hungry until the next harvest, and to draft a speech to address everyone and get everyone on the same page. The last thing that they needed right now was for chaos to break out, so hopefully keeping everyone well-informed of the situation would allow them to keep everyone's fears at bay.

During his paperwork, one of the guards reported to him that the prisoners were shouting loudly, but in a language that none of them could understand, and they didn't seem to understand anything that the guards told them. Arthur told him to gag them with some cloth for an hour if they got too loud, but otherwise don't bother with it. They could work out some way to get information, like who they worked for and why they had dared to target Merlin, from the prisoners later.

Near the end of the day, had received a report from Gaius that Merlin was completely healthy and unhurt, which abated most of Arthur's fears. However, Gaius also included in his report that Merlin seemed to not be speaking, which Gaius theorized would have most likely been caused by the lasting trauma of his death. A deep pit opened in Arthur's stomach as he read that. He had been so focused on having Merlin back and physically healthy, but he hadn't considered if Merlin would be mentally healthy upon his return. Arthur steeled his resolve that, no matter what condition Merlin was in, he would support his dear Merlin and help him heal from whatever lasting scars his death had left. Merlin had died for him, it was his solemn duty to see that Merlin would recover from it.

As if on cue, Gwaine burst into his chambers, without knocking of course, and gently set Merlin down on the ground. With a teasing wink and a genuine smile, Gwaine closed the door, leaving Merlin and Arthur alone together. Merlin flinched at the sound of the door closing, and Arthur wondered how deep the scars on his mind must be if Merlin looked so frightened even here, in Arthur's chambers, which should be the safest place in the world for him.

Arthur stepped closer to Merlin's shivering form, concerned by the way Merlin pulled back from him. Still, Merlin obviously needed comfort, so Arthur pressed forward and pulled Merlin into a hug, the warm, sappy kind that Merlin had always tried to coax out of Arthur.

Arthur couldn't help the words that spilled out from his mouth next. "Oh Myrddin, hwǣr eart þū bēon?"

Arthur could feel Merlin stiffen in his arms at his words and immediately knew that he had just messed up. Merlin had, of course, been in Avalon before his return, and if Arthur knew Merlin at all, Merlin had probably spent all of his time in Avalon trying to escape, to get back to Camelot and return to Arthur's side. Arthur should have known that Merlin wouldn't like to be reminded of his time being dead!

Quickly, Arthur released a tense and still wordless Merlin from his hold and guided him towards the table, lightly manhandling Merlin into the seat next to Arthur's. Dinner had already been sent up by the kitchen, but Arthur hadn't had the chance to eat any of it yet, so there was plenty of smoked ham and vegetables for Arthur to pile onto Merlin's plate. It was doubtful if there was food in Avalon for the dead, so Merlin's probably starving!

"Ēat, Myrddin, and þæt is ān bebod! Þū eart ǣac þinra þonne ic þē lǣstan gesēah! Þū scealt nū hungor hæbban, swā þū ne eart fēor þæt þū þæt disc fullfremed hæbbe!"

Merlin simply blinked at Arthur and looked at him with painfully blank eyes. Worse yet, his fear was still present on his face. Why was he still afraid? Was Merlin even mentally present, aware of where he was? Or was he stuck in some sort of nightmare conjured by his own mind?

Concerned, Arthur stepped closer to Merlin. However, Merlin still didn't even look at the food on his plate, his eyes stuck to Arthur's face. Arthur tried to move slowly, like he was guiding a particularly skittish horse, and took hold of Merlin's hand to guide it to the fork on the table. Luckily, Merlin seemed to be aware enough to know what to do, as his fingers grasped at the fork and picked it up.

Arthur gave Merlin a smile, hoping to coax him further back into reality. He then guided Merlin's hand, now holding the fork, back towards Merlin's plate, where he led Merlin's hand to stab a nice-sized piece of ham, and then guided his hand to Merlin's mouth.

Merlin seemed to get the hang of it from there, taking the piece into his mouth, chewing, and swallowing. After a quick glance at Arthur, Merlin started eating through the food on his plate of his own accord, which Arthur counted as a victory. Merlin was already showing so much progress!

By the time Merlin had finished the plate, the fire in the hearth was burning low, and Arthur knew that it was time for him to go to bed.

As Arthur stood to walk over to his changing screen though, he heard Merlin speak, which sent his heart jumping up his his throat his surprise and joy.

"Please, what do you want from me? I don't understand."

Arthur whipped around at the sound of Merlin's voice, a sound that time had cruelly eroded from his memories, and he couldn't contain his excitement.

"Hwæt wæs þæt?! Myrddin, hwæt sægst þu? Ic bidde þe secge me!"

Merlin flinched back at his outburst though, stopping Arthur dead in his tracks. Speaking slowly and gently, Arthur tried again.

"Myrddin, hwæt sægdest þū? Mihtest þū āgēan sprecan for mē, þancie?"

Merlin blinked at him again, his eyes filling with tears. Oh no, what happened? Arthur hadn't meant to upset Merlin, he had only wanted to hear him speak again! Before Arthur could try to comfort his distraught lover, to his amazement, Merlin spoke once more.

"I don't know what we did, but please let us go! We'll never come back here again, I swear! Just please let us go!"

Arthur blinked as he tried to make sense of what Merlin was saying. He didn't recognize any of those words. Had Merlin come back from Avalon speaking another language?

Well, Arthur knew that languages changed over time, perhaps Avalon sent Merlin back speaking the language of whatever century they were in now? That would make the most sense after all.

Wait... a minute, if Merlin couldn't speak their language... then that meant...

Arthur frantically set his hand on the table, just a few inches away from Merlin's arm, and spoke as clearly as he could.

"Hwæt, Myrddin, gif þu me understandan mæg, þonne set þin hand on min."

Arthur's heart pounded in his chest as he waited for Merlin to move his hand. He waited and waited, but Merlin just kept looking at him with those painfully blank eyes.

Eventually, Arthur lost his tenuous grip on his grief and rage, and he grabbed a goblet and hurled into the wall with a shout. Why?! Why had Avalon done this?! How could the fates be so cruel as to return his love to him, but place this barrier between them?!

Arthur took a few deep breaths to get himself under control again. He looked over at Merlin, where his lover as practically shaking in his seat. Poor Merlin must have been so confused! To return home only to find that he could not understand anyone! It was no wonder he was so frightened, he had no idea what was going on!

Then, an idea struck Arthur. If Merlin couldn't understand his words, then he would surely understand his actions! Arthur was a man more suited for actions rather than mere words anyways.

Keeping a keen eye on Merlin, Arthur made his way across the room towards a locked chest, one that had not been opened for centuries even before everyone fell asleep. Arthur could not bear to look upon its contents, but he needed to keep them for Merlin's eventual return.

Arthur carefully unlocked the chest and opened the lid, revealing Merlin's few material possessions at the time of his death. It had saddened Arthur deeply, even in the fog of despair that had surrounded him in those days following Merlin's death, to realize that all of Merlin's possessions could barely fill a chest halfway. Even when he was the beloved consort of the wealthiest king in Albion, Merlin lived as though he was still in the poverty that he had grown up in.

Inside the chest sat a few articles of clothing, a couple books of magic, a carved wooden dragon, a few bags, some letters from Hunith and Lancelot, and two gifts from Arthur. Arthur had only been able to give Merlin one of those gifts during his lover's lifetime, but he kept the second gift safe in the chest, ready for Merlin's return.

Carefully, Arthur pulled out his mother's sigil and a delicate silver crown from the chest and made his way back to Merlin.

Merlin was looking at him confused again, so Arthur held up the sigil and, keeping is movements very clear, pressed the sigil into Merlin's hands. To his dismay, Merlin looked at the sigil like he'd never seen it before in his life.

Oh god, were his memories warped as well?! What did he remember?

A thin, hurt voice whispered treacherous questions in his ears. Did he remember Arthur at all? Did he remember the love they had shared, or did he only see a strangers face when he looked upon Arthur's?

At this point, tears were silently streaming down Arthur's face as he swallowed back wailing sobs. He had just gotten Merlin back, and yet he still remains lost to Arthur!

Arthur let out a gasping breath and, desperately hoping for some sort of response, he placed the silver crown on Merlin's head, as he should have done centuries ago. Still, Merlin only looked at him with confusion, and no recognition was sparked in his eyes.

Unable to bear it any longer, Arthur lurched forwards towards Merlin. If absolutely nothing else worked, if this was the only thing Merlin knew of Arthur, then by god let it be how much Arthur loved him.

Closing his eyes, Arthur softly pressed his lips onto Merlin's. Merlin, unsurprisingly, did not respond, likely too shocked at the stranger kissing him. After a couple seconds, Arthur pulled back, not waiting Merlin to get too uncomfortable, and dared to look at Merlin's eyes once more, hunting for any sort of recognition, but only one thing caught his attention.

Merlin's eyes were gold. They definitely weren't golden before.

Arthur stood, frozen, as Merlin seemed to go through some journey within his own mind, his face changing expressions every few seconds. Slowly, though, the golden light began to dim from his eyes.

As his eyes returned to their usual lovely blue, Merlin let out a loud gasp, and looked around Arthur's chambers as if he was only just now becoming aware of where exactly he was. Ever so slowly, his eyes drifted back to Arthur, and Merlin, through the tears that had now gathered in his eyes, let out a gasping laugh.

"Þū ne miht gān ymbe cyssende folc butan gewarnunge swā, þū dolop heafod! Þū ēac næarwe mē ġefēngest þæt mīn heorte ġeswenced wæs! Būton þām, hwæt wōd þīn lufiende gemǣra, þā hērde þone cyning cyssende folc on ætǣlum!"

Then it was Arthur's turn to laugh, to excited and relieved to do anything else but kiss Merlin again, with his love back where he belonged.

SOME TIME LATER:

Arthur yelped as Merlin punched his arm as they were both laying in bed, his lover giving him a somewhat scathing look, the same one he wore when Arthur ordered him to mucked out the stables.

"Hwæt wæs þæt for?"

Merlin huffed at him indignantly, but his eyes held the barest hint of mirth in them.

"Þæt wæs for þrowing mīn ġeweorċiend in þā ġeolu! Hīe wǣron ġeþēodende tō ālȳsene mē, and þæt is hū þū þancast hīe? Nā mā cossas for þē oþ þū lǣte hīe faran!"

Arthur rolled his eyes but complied with his lover's wishes, getting out of bed and calling over a guard and telling him to release the prisoners. Really, how was he supposed to know that the intruders were just Merlin's coworkers? They had looked like kidnappers from Arthur's perspective!

Huffing with amusement, Arthur made his way back over to the bed, softly kissing Merlin as he climbed back in, ready to sleep for the night. Before he closed his eyes though, he called out to Merlin.

"Beheald þū mē þæt þū beōn hēr þonne ic āwacige?"

Merlin smiled gently at Arthur and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"Ic behēte."

TRANSLATIONS:

Gripan híe! Híe syndon fandian to niman Myrddin! = Catch them! They're trying to take Merlin!

Hwæt, Guinevere, far to þæm wæpnedhuse and find hwæt wæpnedu sindon gód in þæm stæde. Leon, far and wec þa oþre cnihtas. Hæbbe hí ceorfan of þæm unrihtwisan fleon. Oðer ealdras, fylgað me! = Guinevere, please go to the armory and find whatever weapons are still in decent condition. Leon, go wake up and gather the other knights. Have them cut off the intruders' escape. The rest of you, follow me!

Hū darrst þū āsceacan hine from mē! Iċ hæbbe bīdode ofer þūsend geara for þisne tīman, and þū ātēowedest tō nīefre hine from mē stelan! Þū scealt āgildan for þis! = How dare you try to take him from me! I have waited over a thousand years for this moment, and you've attempted to steal him from me! You must pay for this!

Nimðað þa ungewelwieras to ðære cyrcan cwellan, wē magon dēmian mid him æfter. Gwaine, nim Myrddin to his geardas and hafa Gaius locian ofer hine. And be mildheort, he sceal hæbbe geferod eft fram Avalon and mæg swilc bēon in pinunge fram his wundum! Gecyða eft to mē mid Gaius's gemetungum þonne hē geendod hæfð. = Take the intruders to the dungeon cells, we can deal with them later. Gwaine, take Merlin to his chambers and have Gaius look over him. And be gentle, he must have just come back from Avalon and could still be in pain from his wounds! Report back to me with Gaius's findings when he's done.

Oh Myrddin, hwǣr eart þū bēon = Oh Merlin, where have you been?

Ēat, Merlin, and þæt is ān bebod! Þū eart ǣac þinra þonne ic þē lǣstan gesēah! Þū scealt nū hungor hæbban, swā þū ne eart fēor þæt þū þæt disc fullfremed hæbbe! = Eat, Merlin, and that's an order! You're even skinnier than the last time I saw you! You must be hungry now, so you're not leaving until I see that you've finished that plate!

Hwæt wæs þæt?! Myrddin, hwæt sægst þu? Ic bidde þe secge me! = What was that?! Merlin, what did you say? Please tell me!

Myrddin, hwæt sægdest þū? Mihtest þū āgēan sprecan for mē, þancie? = Merlin, what did you say? Could you try to speak again for me, please?

Hwæt, Myrddin, gif þu me understandan mæg, þonne set þin hand on min. = Merlin, if you can understand me at all, then put your hand in mine.

Þū ne miht gān ymbe cyssende folc butan gewarnunge swā, þū dolop heafod! Þū ēac næarwe mē ġefēngest þæt mīn heorte ġeswenced wæs! Būton þām, hwæt wōd þīn lufiende gemǣra, þā hērde þone cyning cyssende folc on ætǣlum! = You can't just go around kissing people without warning like that, you dollop head! You almost gave me a heart attack! Besides, what would your loving consort think, hearing about the king kissing people at random!

Hwæt wæs þæt for? = What was that for?

Þæt wæs for þrowing mīn ġeweorċiend in þā ġeolu! Hīe wǣron ġeþēodende tō ālȳsene mē, and þæt is hū þū þancast hīe? Nā mā cossas for þē oþ þū lǣte hīe faran! = That was for throwing my coworkers in the dungeons! They were trying to save me, and that's how you thank them? No more kisses for you until you let them go!

Beheald þū mē þæt þū beōn hēr þonne ic āwacige? = Promise me that you'll be here when I wake up?

Ic behēte. = I promise.

And that's a wrap! Man, this thing quickly spiraled out of control. What was supposed to be a short and sweet prompt evolved into this beast of a post. Well, I hoped you liked this au!

And, as always, thank you for reading through my ramblings! :D

Also, here's everyone who asked for this continuation (and if I forgot to tag someone, I am so sorry, there were a lot of you who asked for a part 2 and I couldn't really keep track of them all 😭): @valiantkittenwitch @gaiussleechtank @laundryandtaxesworld @ath99 @dont-know-how-this-works @young-skam @authenticblob @regulusrules @linotheghost @olidun @championrevali @lil-gremlin-things @hopeaha @mitoconniedria @candlemouse @starlightdreams-blog @todolist-nothing07 @princess-of-morkva @mortalmab @livewondrousss @araevenn @shesthewindandsea @that-ghost-bitch @myself-being @queencutl @hakka84 @asagijing @izzymizzyofficial @thedollopheadofcamelot @lostinthe--stars @larluce ( <- also I'm a big fan of your au's so thank you so much!!) @allisnotfairinloveandbooks @arthursbubblebutt @rain-dragons @ofqueensandwitches @ramadiiiisme @righteous-scamp @cwilbah @merthurogies @merlinrepost @once-upon-the-earth @fluffy-loves-chocolate @lightoftheemeraldstar @tansruduri @avixenk

Also, a shoutout to @theanishimori, who inspired the "true love's kiss" element of the ending!

I'll see you all again soon with a new au idea!

[frostbitebakery]

Loud.

part one two three four five

“Why are you buttering me up, Master?” Obi-Wan signs, taking another careful sip of the cookie shake.

Master Tholme unfolds his hands on the table, cane resting against his leg. “Because I understand that you might not want to participate in this mission,” he signs back. It must be one of those days where he doesn’t want to talk. Obi-Wan understands and lets the silence engulf them. “But the Council and I feel that this is where you need to be.”

.

“Master,” Obi-Wan signs and bows.

“Hello, Obi-Wan.”

It’s not the first time he’s seen Qui-Gon again after Melidaan’s parting gift almost killed him. Of course they’ve seen each other. Qui-Gon had been there for him while he recovered, had hovered over Master Tholme’s shoulder like a shadow.

“A particularly annoying shadow,” Master Tholme had commented drily back then. “Which is funny, considering.“

Obi-Wan opens his arms and Qui-Gon’s tall frame closes around him. Maybe a queezing too tight but… but that doesn’t matter. “How are you,” he taps on a broad shoulder.

He’s abruptly let go. Not pushed back, thankfully.

“I am well, thank you.” Qui-Gon falls silent.

Obi-Wan has forced himself to stop trying to make the awkwardness between them less uncomfortable by the time he turned sixteen and Master Tholme sat him down to explain why he should let Qui-Gon come to grips with everything that has happened between them on his own until Qui-Gon reaches out to him.

“How are you?” And the caring and heartbreak lingering in Qui-Gon’s eyes is too much.

“I feel prepared to accompany you on this mission.”

It had been Qui-Gon who had taught him sign language in different iterations useful across the galaxy, before and later. Tholme has taught him tap code, after.

“Then let’s not waste any time,” Qui-Gon says, eyes on his long padawan braid.

.

Meeting Anakin feels… weird in the Force.

“So you don’t talk? Ever?”

Obi-Wan shakes his head, amusement crinkling his eyes.

“You don’t want to or you can’t?” the boy asks before his eyes widen. “Both are fine!”

“Cannot,” he signs carefully, settling on an Outer Rim dialect.

“Oh, ok!”

It’s the beginning of a never ending nightmare. Tatooine. Naboo. The desperate attempts to stop a war from happening.

He keeps to the background, inconspicuous and invisible.

Which is the only reason he ends up in the plasma refinery complex.

.

“It’ll be alright, little one,” Qui-Gon murmurs, gentle fingers wiping tears away before they reach the mask. “Just squeeze my hand.”

“Master,” he taps, hiccups threatening to disrupt something in his throat.

“Take care of the boy.”

.

So he does.

He brings Anakin back to the Temple, watches over his nightmares in silence.

He kneels as Master Tholme cuts his braid.

He explains to the Council what he thinks.

Anakin is bright. Smart and a beacon in the Force. He’s older than usual, granted. But his connection to the Force is palpably vast and potentially dangerous if he isn’t trained to handle that connection. He’s safer in the Temple where they can watch over him and teach him.

The Council agrees.

.

He introduces Anakin to Depa.

Her dry wit has the boy relaxing. Her no-nonsense attitude is a guiding light, a steady framework he can lean on and count on.

Depa delights in showing him the Temple, the opportunities to learn and try out new experiences.

.

Shadow work piles up and suddenly Obi-Wan is running around the galaxy trying to put out fires.

When he’s slumped in the back door of an abandoned factory in the shady part of an Outer Rim planet, struggling to breathe and feeling like he’s dying, lightsaber in a death grip, he makes the decision to return to the Temple. The mask has to change or he will die because he is out of breath. Unacceptable.

The technicians look at him chagrined and apologetic, explain that this is all they can do at the moment, maybe he can take it a bit easier?

“No, you need to adjust the valves on—“ a small voice peeps up from behind his shoulder.

Obi-Wan has been aware Anakin is clinging to his back like a monkey bear. He’s ignored the looks he’s gotten on the way to the tech complex.

“Have at it, then,” he signs.

Anakin looks at him like he’s personally chosen every star in the galaxy as he hands over the mask.

.

“An order.”

“A strong suggestion,” Mace corrects.

“Call it what it is,” Obi-Wan signs, cutting through the air with his hands he’s so furious. “Chancellor Palpatine has no business wanting to spend time with Anakin.”

Mace sighs, leans back in the chair. “I’m aware, Obi-Wan.” He taps his fingers against the armrest but he’s releasing energy, focusing his thoughts, not code. “How are you feeling?”

The renewed esophagus has him out of the mission count for a bit yet, he’s slowly weaned off the artificial nutrition. Overall, he’s starting to feel a bit restless.

“Perhaps you want to enjoy Coruscant’s scenery while you’re here?” Mace asks, a twinkle in his eye. “Though I beg you to not get into trouble,” he adds with a frown. “Too much trouble, I mean. I forgot for a second who I was talking to.”

Spying on the Chancellor is not on Bant’s list of approved activities but what she doesn’t know…

Obi-Wan touches his chin and brings his hand forward.

.

“So you can either sign in the dark or write tap code with these gloves. You can adjust the brightness and still sneak around.”

“Thank you, Ani.” It’s one of the best gifts he’s ever had the honor of receiving. It solves a lot of problems on missions. He hugs the boy close and feels swept up in the thoughtfulness. “I don’t sneak.”

“You totally do and it’s so wizard!”

.

“You were supposed to be my Master!”

[abattre]

It's actually so disappointing that Naruto's narrative took the route that it did. Kishimoto created an incredibly interesting world and premise, and ruined it by having everything amount to a shallow message of forgiveness that undermines almost every meaningful element in the story. And it's like,, I want to appreciate the world outside of the plot, but the moral framing of the story makes it virtually impossible because of how disingenuous it is. It completely undermines the audience's understanding of the tragedy and horror of the world so that Naruto becoming Hokage and being the most powerful person in the world by the end doesn't come across as distasteful as it actually is.

Like it's made abundantly clear throughout the story that the village system, and Shinobi society as a whole, is incredibly flawed. Kishimoto goes out of his way to show us that Konoha's council is made up of objectively horrible people. We see first hand how the council's short-sighted ideas of what 'protecting the village' means results in devastating tragedy for people both in Konoha and outside of it. It's clear in how Danzo and the rest of the council act that their atrocious behaviour is them just blatantly abusing their power to maintain their authority. The council has no remorse in anything they do; human experimentation, genocide, slavery, and blatant exploitation is all fair game to them if it preserves their status quo. And instead of maybe, like, addressing Konoha's skewed morality in a sensible way and setting the village up for reform, the narrative just tries forcing the audience to perceive Konoha's genuinely heinous actions as necessities. Which, you know, will work when you're like 8, but once you've grown up and developed some reading comprehension and critical thinking,,, it just feels annoyingly manipulative.

At its core, Naruto is a story that attempts to deconstruct morality. Like this is abundantly clear in how Kishimoto is constantly paralleling the dichotomy of good and evil literally every chance he gets. In the end though, this dichotomy just doesn't work in the context of the Naruto story because the narrative framing of the village being the good guys is just hysterically ridiculous. Konoha is an awful place, that does awful things, and is run by awful people that refuse to change anything because it benefits them for the village to remain awful forever. To anyone with a developed sense of media literacy the village cannot in any way be framed as morally good, so when the story resolves itself with Naruto becoming next in line to govern Konoha under the same unchanging authoritarian regime, with the same council supporting him because of his sheer physical prowess and complete dedication to their twisted ideology,,, it's honestly just an incredibly underwhelming conclusion to a story that made itself out to be more profound than it actually is.

If I had to guess, I imagine Kishimoto just didn't think through how negatively the world he created would reflect on the plot. Ultimately though, you can't write a moral story that's so deeply entrenched in real world social inequity and decide halfway through that because you don't know how to fix these things your story's going to have to be about how they're actually okay to be doing and perpetuating,,, like that is awful and also a terrible lesson to impart on an audience of children. With how serious the issues are in Shinobi society, trying to resolve things with the power of friendship was always going to fall flat. These broad scale injustices can't be brushed aside in that way without undermining their severity and diminishing the understandable impact they had on the characters that experienced such extreme oppression. That's essentially the trap that Naruto's conclusion falls into though, and so the story just ends up feeling incomplete and unfulfilling because none of the issues brought up are actually addressed or discussed with the gravity they deserve.

[gwenllian-in-the-abbey]

what do you think of the rumors about Aemond's possible betrayal of Aegon in Ep4?

Oh do I have a lot to say about this one! So here's the thing. A possible Rook's Rest betrayal situation has been a long running theory among F&B readers even before the show. In the book, Vhagar slams into Sunfyre and Meleys from above while the two are locked together fighting, and they all crash to the ground. It's unclear whether Aemond slammed them both because Vhagar was too big to maneuver in a precise way, or if he was intentionally trying to harm his brother. It's ambiguous, but when Aegon is badly injured, Aemond becomes prince regent and declares the crown looks better on him than it ever did on his brother. In Aemond's favor, he did not declare himself king, but it's also the case that in the book, Aegon had a second son, so Aemond wasn't his heir either. Declaring himself king would have been a direct usurpation of Maelor even if Aegon himself died. We also know that at the end of the Dance Aegon wanted statues made of both his brothers, Aemond and Daeron, so Aegon himself likely did not believe Aemond was responsible for his injuries. But it is ambiguous, and book!Aemond does turn out to be not very smart and not much of a team player, so in and of itself, I don't actually mind the betrayal theory so much. But I would prefer it remain a theory, that is, keep it ambiguous, but even if it is an outright betrayal, it's the execution and motivation which concern me.

In the show, Aemond has a very clear second son syndrome. Whether it's true or not, he certainly thinks he's smarter, better, more dutiful, and of course on top of all that, he has the largest dragon. Show!Aegon, on the other hand, is insecure and struggling with depression, alcoholism, and a big case of imposter syndrome. He's impulsive and reactive, wasn't properly prepared to be king, didn't particularly want to be king, but now that he is king, he's desperate not to fail. In the events leading up to the war, Aemond kills Luke in a moment that seems more rash than calculated, and this ultimately leads to Aegon's small son being decapitated by Blood and Cheese in revenge, throwing him deep into grief and rage. On top of that, Aegon is feeling undermined by his council, including Aemond, and Larys is planting the seeds of mistrust between Aegon and his brother. It's absolutely reasonable for there to be some resentment between the two and some unresolved issues that might manifest on the battlefield. Would these issues lead to an actual attempted murder? Eh, I tend to think that, in the spirit of leaving it ambiguous, Aemond might have the passing thought that he could totally "accidentally" allow Aegon to come to harm. He might even hesitate just long enough that Meleys is able to seriously wound Aegon or Sunfyre before he joins in, causing him to feel a great deal of guilt. This is my preferred scenario.

The problem I have is with how the show is framing it so far. I've never been a fan of the way the bullying storyline seemed to humanize Aemond at Aegon's expense, but it now appears as if it's being used as a motivation or justification for Aemond betraying Aegon at Rook's Rest, as well as his general shift to a darker character, which I find cliched and disappointing. At this point Aemond is a grown man by all Westerosi standards, and despite their issues, we've seem Aegon display loyalty towards Aemond more than we've seen him "bully" him. They're siblings, they're going to fight and bicker and tease, but we've seen nothing from Aegon so far that would justify murder. Maybe if your brother is going through the worst thing a person can possibly experience, losing his son in a murder that, while not your fault, happened as a retribution for your actions, perhaps you could grant him some grace, even if he makes some obnoxious comments in a brothel. I've seen so many takes which basically amount to "Aegon had it coming" as if we haven't seen Aegon absolutely distraught over the death of his child, receiving no emotional support from his family, least of all Aemond himself, and spiraling back into alcoholism and reckless behavior. Now is really not the time to get pissy about teasing. It's not about you, Aemond. A child is dead.

And in fact, we've seen Aegon be supportive of Aemond on screen in ways that we generally haven't seen Aemond support Aegon. Aegon speaks up on Aemond's behalf, inviting him into the council when Alicent wants to shut him out, and we've seen him support Aemond's battle plans, even though we know Cole and Aemond have been planning behind Aegon's back. In S1 we've seen Aegon have Aemond's back at dinner with Rhaenyra's family, and going even further back, we've seen Aegon allow Aemond to throw him under the bus about the bastard comments, taking the fall even though he was not the culprit. There is certainly jealousy and rivalry there from both sides, but as much as Aegon is an ass, it is clear he loves his brother.

Also, I think some fans, perhaps because the well was poisoned against Aegon in S1 in ways that his character has struggled to recover from, tend to read everything Aegon does uncharitably and ignore some of Aemond's more questionable behavior, granting him grace that they do not grant others. I rarely see critical analysis about Aemond the way I do about Aegon, so I'm going to be frank here for a moment. Aemond is only the "good" brother to Aegon's "bad" brother because we haven't seen him at his worst yet, but the potential is there for him to be so much worse than Aegon could ever be. Show!Aemond is thin skinned, self-centered, and a bit of a "can dish it out but can't take it" type. Aemond's assholery is more subtle (for example, Aemond's patronizing little "that's a brave thought" to Aegon in council), whereas Aegon's is loud and obnoxious, but Aemond knows how to make his insults pointed and hurtful ("Strong boys" toast, you will die screaming in flames like your father). And look no further than his reaction to Blood and Cheese to see his egotism in action. In this moment when he's supposed to be showing some level of vulnerability with the madame, he's talking about how honored he is that sempai Daemon noticed him. Mind you, this notice is what resulted in the death of his four year old nephew. His "remorse" over killing Lucerys amounts to "I do regret that business with Luke," while immediately following up with his justification, citing how they used to tease him for not having a dragon. Sincere remorse involves examining your own actions without immediately justifying them or centering yourself, and in that moment I felt no remorse from Aemond, or even sympathy for what his killing of Luke might have unleashed upon the family. Aemond hasn't even mentioned Helaena once post-B&C, and you'd think that even if he doesn't feel sorry for Aegon, surely he'd show some sympathy for his innocent sister? And yet, nothing.

So while I can't say it would be necessarily out of character for the Aemond they've been giving us in S2, I don't really like this take on Aemond at all, and I just don't find this supposed grudge against Aegon a particularly compelling justification for attempted murder. While the bullying storyline humanized Aemond in S1 as a child, keeping it going now, as a motive for harming his brother and his brother's dragon, which, lets be clear, would absolutely fuck over his entire faction, is ridiculous and unnecessary, and really kind of saps any goodwill I might have had for Aemond. I don't have any sympathy for someone who was rather mildly teased and decides his brother deserves to die for it, and it makes me feel incredibly sad for Aegon who is just getting dumped on by his entire family to the point where it's honestly kind of hard to watch. There is plenty of drama inherent in the situation already as-is. If this happened because of tensions over Storm's End and Blood and Cheese, it would still be stupid for Aemond to do, but Aemond has never been as smart as he thinks, and it would frame the betrayal in the context of the ways Aegon and Aemond have hurt each other. However, if it is framed as Aegon's comeuppance for being an asshole, Aemond's Joker moment where he goes fully dark in some sort of bullying revenge plot that he decides to enact in the middle of a war? Honestly, forget building gigantic gold covered statues, I'd be burning effigies.

[solivagantshenanigans]

Touch of Relief.

TBHK— Aoi Akane x GN! Reader

– He's comfortable to be himself around you, too comfortable. He always drags you to somewhere alone to be with you whenever he's stressed, though he knows you don't mind it.

(Might be OOC)

----------------------------------------------

"Can't get enough of me, huh?"

You chuckled. Opposed to the usual, Aoi-focused, stern and sarcastic vice president, he had dragged you to the student council room (again). His arms currently wrapped around your waist with his face shoved on your shoulder, hugging from behind.

"Shut up..." he muttered, too tired to respond with a better comeback. He kept on mumbling, however you didn't care enough to listen.

Days like these, he would always come to you whenever he's in a dampened mood; whether he's feeling tired, sad, angry, anything negative. Whether the reason he did was because of another rejection from Aoi, handling the president's torture, or stressed from all the workload.

He comes to you for comfort so many times that you jokingly asked him once if he had any feelings for you.

Though the moment your words came out and he heard it, he didn't really take the 'joke' that well...

You didn't really mind it, actually. Sure, it may be bothersome at times. But the fact a person like him only does this to you was not something you can brush off now. Especially knowing that he's the #1 loyal simp for his crush.

You liked the fact you're the only person who does this to him, suppose that's the summary.

... Sighing, you only stayed in your seat. Except the action was proven difficult do so because of the chair's stiff structure that didn't exactly help you relax, and you knew you'd eventually have to get up to avoid getting an ache on your ass. Sometimes, you always forget about the cons of being 'Akane's cuddlebear' before you actually deal with it.

Feeling your shuffling, Akane noticed the movement and started to move your legs. He holds you for a moment, oblivious of your widened eyes, before gently positioning you on his lap. Wrapping his arms around your form again and snuggling his face to your midsection.

You tensed up, shocked at his uncharacteristically bold move. But from his lack of movement, you decided to stay quiet about it and reach to play with his hair. His strands were soft on your fingertips, and as you continue to run your hand through his hair, Akane hums in delight at your touches. He sighs as he can feel the built-up tension releasing, his shoulders becoming slack, and he feels himself feeling more relaxed as the seconds go by. Too busy shoving his face on your figure, he wasn't aware of a pleased smile forming.

Tensing up again since you're getting a little ticklish from all his gestures- you roll your eyes at his clinginess, a slight concern growing along with uncomfort from the glasses he has placed on his head.

Without a thought, your fingers tangled themselves in his hair before pulling it gently to retrieve the glasses.

His head was yanked up slightly as a choked up groan escaped from his lips. His face lightly scrunch up- not from any pain- but from being taken aback. Ignoring his wincing, you took his frames by the middle and placed them on the table. Akane was about to ask you why the hell did you do that before staring at the square frames‐ the words disappearing as he gave you a halfhearted glare .

"You could've just told me to take them off." He certainly didn't like having his hair pulled.

Huffing, you smiled smugly at his reaction, "Don't be a baby. You should've removed it earlier."

Reaching to the pockets of your clothing, you took out your phone and turned it on. Planning to ignore him for the remaining time he cuddles with you, you missed the way his eyebrows furrowed.

With a sigh, he begrudgingly accepted not having your attention as he returns to hugging you. The act of embracing you, with each other's figured close like this was soothing. It wasn't even anything intimate‐ just the quiet company of yours was already enough to shoo his worries away. It's like you always know what to do to get him to be eased, regardless if you did it on purpose or not.

With your warmth against his own, he was only focused on the feeling as he breathed in your faimilar scent that he had gotten used to.

A faint pink tint of blush coloured his cheeks. The fact that no one seems to be barging in or interrupting seems to only add to the serene moment that includes only you two, despite being in school grounds.

A sigh escaped past his lips, this time it was louder and you can tell he's more than happy to be in this moment. The repeated drooping of his eyes is getting more frequent- and he resists the incoming feeling of drowsiness to avoid accidentally falling asleep.

...this feels nice...

Time had passed. You didn't know how long though, but you can guess it was a couple of minutes.

Out of curiosity, you checked the time on your phone. With just one glance, your face turned into a look of grimace. The clock was nearing, and you needed to go home 'less your parents get mad at you for being late.

Without warning, you removed his arms around you and get off his lap with ease. Effectively waking up Akane to the fullest, blinking in a micture of confusion and dissapointment.

Akane gives you a look. If you were to describe the expression he's doing, it was something akin to a cat after they had their headpats withdrawn from them. He asks you first before you can speak. "What are you doing?"

Retrieving your school bag from the table, you looked at him with an indifferent gaze. "I need to go now. My parents need me to patroll the house while they attend a birthday party of one of my cousins..." You shrugged, you didn't even know about that relative's existence until yesterday. Akane was silent at your response, and you couldn't pinpoint what it is that he's feeling right now.

He pursued his lips, fixing his sitting position and clearing his throat. He pretends to be nonchalant, ignoring the disappointment rising in his chest at the fact you're leaving so soon. "Okay then, see you tomorrow."

It's funny how he's acting professional around you yet acts so clingy in private. You only nodded at his words, "Yeah, good luck on your paperwork, Aoi-san."

Your use of his last name didn't sit right with him.

"You can call me Akane-kun, it's fine." Averting his gaze, his eyes land on the papers sprawled on the table. The activities that he should've been doing instead of cuddling you like a bear. But if he had a say in his defense- he needed it.

Blinking in suprise, your eyes widen slightly before a corner of your mouth twitches up. You raise your eyebrow in a mix of interest and amusement, watching as he analyzes the papers. "Huh."

Akane didn't hear you, so you shrugged with acceptance and opened the door. Before leaving, you turn to face him, giving him a lazy wave and a lopsided smile. "See ya tomorrow."

His eyes raced up, Akane wasn't able to reciprocate the gesture since you were already out of the door. With no one but him and the load of work in the student council room, he slumps on his chair with a low sigh, rubbing his temples in irritation.

Not to you, but to himself.

"..."

A faint blush decorates his face when thinking about earlier. He grumbles a few incoherent things, "What am I even doing?"

-----------

If you think this is very OOC for him (and tbh its understandable) I do believe theres a possibility for him to act like that when given the right scenarios and events, and also depends on your personality ykno

Sorry if this IS really OOC I had a vision except when I actually wrote it I can see how people might not actually see him like this 😭

[tina-mairin-goldstein]

Hannibal Dash Simulator Season 2

🔍iwishididn'thaveatwin reblogged

🐈‍⬛team-sassy-science

Me and @ autopsyguy going to get some drinks after work.

@ teamsassyscience Why wasn't I invited? And who took that picture?

13 notes

#friends #who i will forgive for not inviting me drinking this one time

🌸flowers-in-bloom reblogged

I know this is a stretch, but has anyone seen my dog? He keeps running away and I haven't gotten the chance to microchip him because of this. If you see him, he answers to Winston, and my address is on his collar (he's the one on the upper left, this is the only picture I have).

🌸flowers-in-bloom

Never mind. I found him. Thank you to everyone who tried to help. He is now microchipped.

🌸flowers-in-bloom

Winston ran away again. The microchip is not 100% accurate, so please, if you see him, let me know. I'm afraid he might get hit by a car or attacked by a wild animal.

821 notes

#dogs #dog #missing dog

🔍iwishididn'thaveatwin

Okay, something happened at work, and I am currently OBSESSED. Just have to share this with you guys. This article is the best. I set up the link, so just click the picture.

174 notes

#bees #apiary #honey production

🔥Sponsored

_________Verger Meat Packaging

Fresh, high-quality meat. Perfect for any occasion. Pork, beef, and chicken from a variety of breeds, available for all budgets. Professionally raised on one of the oldest farms in the state.

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0 notes

🍷are-we-not-made-in-his-image

Petition to save local songbird habit from complete destruction

Local Baltimore City Council Sheldon Isley brokered a deal several years ago to turn the habit of endangered songbirds into a parking lot. Recently, there have been discussions going on further developing what little remains of these birds' home. More information and links below the cut.

_______________________Keep Reading

7,843 notes

#birds #petition #songbirds #wildlife #baltimore

🐎animal-lover12233

4 notes

🦅lonesome-hawk reblogged lonesome-hawk

Just LOOK at him.

🦅lonesome-hawk

Yes, I know he's on trial for murder. But if you had been following the trial like I have, you would know he's being framed. Now shut up and leave me alone. I'm disabling comments.

843 notes

🌸flowers-in-bloom

😶‍🌫️Anonymous asked:

Aren't those @ dogsandflyfishing's dogs?

Yes, they are. I am taking care of them for him while he is unable to.

2 notes

#ask answered

📸tattlecrime-official

Coming soon!

The REAL story of Will Graham and how his peculiar mind works, and how he was tragically framed to be the infamous Chesapeake Ripper.

Click on the links below to subscribe to TattleCrime.com for official updates and exclusive snippets.

-------------------------------Keep Reading

365 notes

#tattlecrime #official story #will graham

🐻prehistoric-predator

I'm partial to the Cave Bear myself, but a Dire Wolf is also a good choice. Before you vote, I've got some studies and info in the link below and some general information so you can make informed decision.

I'm curious to see what you guys think; I'm having to make a really tough decision right now.

Reblog for larger sample size

_______________________Keep Reading

69 notes

#cave bear #dire wolf #poll #polls #my poll

🐕dogsandflyfishing reblogged

🍷are-we-not-made-in-his-image

Lomo Saltado

Recipe below cut.

_______________________Keep Reading

37 notes

#recipe #cooking #lomo saltado

🐕dogsandflyingfishing

Everyone who is asking about Buster in the last picture I put up, he is okay. He got on the wrong side of a wild animal, which happens from to time when you live in a rural area. He needed stitches, but he will be fine. Stop accusing me of mistreating my dogs.

12 notes

#ask answered

😷autopsyguy

I've been going through a hard time lately. A friend of mine recently passed, @ teamsassyscience, and I've been thinking about her a lot. Two other friends of mine, @ dogsandflyfishing and @ flowers-in-bloom, along with my boss, are currently in the hospital and things don't look good. I'm really worried

Not what any of you wanted to hear, but I just needed to vent and didn't know where else to do it.

Here's to Beverly, and hoping that Will, Alana, and Jack pull through.

73 notes

📸tattlecrime-official

EXCLUSIVE!

A Red Dinner

Today, the entire city of Baltimore was rocked by the shocking revelation that renowned psychiatrist, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, is indeed the true Chesapeake Ripper. According to sources, Lecter very nearly took the lives of three people, and killed a third. Will Graham, once accused himself of being the Ripper. Dr. Alana Bloom, his lover. And Special Agent Jack Crawford of the FBI, a man Lecter has worked with closely in recent months. The one victim who was DOA is reportedly none other than Abigail Hobbs, who has been assumed murdered for months now, previously by none other than Will Graham. And what's more, it turns out he isn't just a serial killer, he is a cannibal as well.

Click Here for the rest of the story on TattleCrime.com

7,651 notes

#tattlecrime #official #hannibal the cannibal

[somewhat-insane]

Okay, so, I know a lot of people were discouraged after the LMK S5 trailer. The art is different, yes, but remember there are still people working behind the screen; passionate about this story they're trying to tell. To rebuild faith and re-spark hope, I'm going through the trailer frame by frame and sharing anything cool I find. (There is some (what I hope is) constructive criticism in here, but I would like to reiterate something other fans have said. DO. NOT. HARRASS. ANYONE. WORKING. ON. THE. SHOW. They're doing their best with what they have available to them. We're lucky Wildbrain decided to pick the show back up because if they hadn't, we may not have gotten the rest of the story.)

They've been brought in front of the council to discuss their car's extended warranty. ALSO WHERE IS MK'S JACKET AND BANDANA? THEY WHOLE ASS PROBABLY SNATCHED THIS POOR BOY OUT OF HIS BED WHILE HE WAS SLEEPING

Don't worry, babygirl, I still think you're pretty ^3^

Okay, they gave him his clothes back, phew.

Hehe, tiny monkies.

At least our child is still adorable.

Synchronized heart attack.

He is so traumatized, lol. Someone brought up how this design for the circlet wasn't the previously established design in the show, but it COULD be based on the design used on the cover of the Journey to the West novel (as seen below)

It's not exactly the same but the shape is similar.

Anyway.

WUKONG ANGST WUKONG ANGST WUKONG ANGST

I'm realizing while doing this that Wildbrain doesn't use as many smear frames as Flying Bark did. As funny as it is to pause and see something like this in season 1-4:

It makes the animation look a LOT smoother and more energetic. Flying Bark also seems to use more frame-by-frame while Wildbrain probably uses more tweening. I suppose it makes sense though because Wildbrain is more used to 3D animation and the 2D animation they have done in the past is more paper-doll-like and doesn't need as much bounce and action.

Back to the trailer, no need to dwell.........

MO. HANG IN THERE.

MONKEY ANGST MONKEY ANGST MONKEY ANGST aposhdgpafoshdfosfapsdofpa

Oooh, wait, this frame actually kinda goes hard. I'm kinda hyped... I should draw this.

NO BRO DON'T MAKE ME CRY JUST BECAUSE OF A TRAILER

You know what this makes me think of...? Did any of you guys ever play that game called "Journey"?

It's a beautiful game with beautiful music. Y'all should play it if you haven't. Oh, and sometimes if you're playing at the same time as someone else in the world, your games will merge and you get a little play buddy :3

Genuinely love how distressed he is here.

SHADOWPEACH ANGST SHADOWPEACH ANGST

Looks like we're still gonna get cool backgrounds and background character designs!!!!

This looks like it may be some kind of storybook or memory sequence like when Chang'e was talking about how she found the ring in S3 or when LBD was talking about Macaque's death... what memory do you think we're going to be exploring this time?

This goes pretty hard. I would paint this on a wall or something.

Mk is flabbergasted.

Yay!! Mk has the support he needs. ALSO MORE SANDY

They're mortified. Probably because they just watched a giant dragon and white tiger fucking evaporate.

Hehe bord

I can't wait to see fanart of him. I'm so excited!

SHADOWPEACH SHADOWPEACH SHADOWPEACH

He's thinking about kissing him, honest.

I think he's purty

MORE PIGSY-

I've run out of room for pictures, but I hope this helped get y'all all hyped again for the new season! Have hope, stay strong!

[thequeenwechoose]

Hotd 2x06 My Thoughts

Lets start with Daemon. Can someone please get him out of this castle? He is so helpless now haunted by his visions. Him clawing at the door was really heartbreaking to watch. And in his paranoia he attacks Simon. Who really wishes him no harm.

The scene with Viserys standing next to a dead Aemma could almost count as an deleted scene. Except that Daemon wasn't there in ep 1.

Daemon was always someone who had problems comforting people who are sad. But he was never runnig away like Alys said. He went to Dragonstone because he was exiled and didnt want to return to his wife. He went with Corlys to war because he got nothing else to loose and to prove himself. He went to Pentos with Laena because he could not marry Rhaenyra and his brother exiled him again. Viserys had his reasons but he always pushed him away. Mostly under influence from Otto but still. He went to Harrenhal to recruit an army, he didnt run away. At this point i dont understand why he is framed bad for everything he has done. Also the show suffers a The Woman Are Always Right Complex.

Seeing him crying really touched me and it made me sad. Bonus Point for Caraxes for calling to him in the Alys scene to get the hell out of there. I had hoped the plot would speed up but it did not. They are pressing too much in the last two episodes i think. The peacing is too slow. It's not that nothing happens but it is not particulary interesting. For example the scenes with the small folk were not really necesary. It would have been enough to show them attacking Alicent and Haelena. It worked in Thrones too. With Joffrey and Cercei in Season 2.

The dragon claiming scene with Steffon Darkling was very stupid in my opinon. He didnt have to die. Rhaenyra successfully robbed herself of another kingsguard and a formidable protector and swordsman (How many kingsguards has she left?). And she showed zero remorse about it.

Another episode of Jace asking his mother to do something, Rhaena sitting around and pittying herself because she has no dragon and Baela was somehow nowehere to be found.

Rhaenyra is getting on my nerves. Does she ever stop whining? She is becoming paranoid. Which is a bit early. Why would she trust Mysaria of all people she has known her for like a week. The writers say she is looking for a woman to get close to. That could have been Baela. Also slapping her council members for telling her that she has made a mistake is just a no go. She said you have forgotten to fear me but i cant remember when they have ever feared her in the first place. It's Daemon they fear which is why she needs him. He is her sword that was part of the reason why she was marrying him. But i guess that doesnt matter now because she is an independent girlboss who doesnt need anyone and is always right.

Aegon and Haelena have my sympathies. And it was kinda delicous that Alicent got stripped of her council position by her own son. (You reap wat you sow.) Daeron gets mentioned a lot theese days i wonder if he and tessarion will make an appearance.

Crispy is of to Harrenhall and will not return. (Unless they change that too.)

The Addam Seasmoke claiming scen was very strange. It might be the first time that a dragon chases his future rider. But if we had got a ordinary dragon claiming scene with first patting and then a flight it would have been just boring. Also seasmoke looks a lot like drogon.

This episode might be the worst of the season for me(yet). It was just boring.

[sankta-starkova]

THE OUTSIDERS

010 | take a zebra to vegas

previous chapter | next chapter | masterlist

summary: the one where daisy returns to camp from college and is blinded by her love for him, even as the world ends

wordcount: 2.1k

The camp was getting bad. She had never seen this level of fighting before.

Every day, someone else was clashing. There were cabins turning against one another and all because of Clarisse and her gang.

They were spreading these rumours throughout camp that the war was going to get worse between the Gods and that at some point, the campers were going to have to fight with them.

This had cause tension and Daisy and Luke knew that they had to get some sort of help.

They went into the Big House. Chiron was out dealing with a fight and they needed to see what Mr D could do about it or if he was even back from his war council with the other Olympians.

They split out. Luke went into Chirons office and Daisy searched upstairs - although she steered clear of the attic.

"Luke?" Someone asked and he turned around, confused as he saw a rainbow beam on the wall.

"Annabeth? Percy?" He questioned, looking at the kids through the iris connection, "Are you okay?"

He turned around and the kids watched as he searched around for someone else.

"Hey, Daisy, come in here!" He called out before turning back to the message.

Annabeth and Percy looked at one another, "We're okay, Where's Chiron?"

Daisy ran into the room, slightly out of breath. She gasped when she saw the two on the screen. She had been so nervous about the trio and it was good to know they were there.

"You're okay? We've been worried sick," She said, stepping into frame so she was shoulder to shoulder with Luke..

"We need to talk to Chiron," Percy repeated.

"Chiron is holding the Fort down. The campers think we're going to war so the cabins are taking sides," he explained.

It had been a difficult couple of days. Everyone had been arguing and fighting. Some cabins had stopped talking to one another, couples had broken up.

That's when she heard a yell outside. "I should go sort that, I'll be right back kiddos,"

Luke watched as she ran out of the big house and he could hear her commanding some of the kids around, a smile on his face.

"We think we know who stole the bolt," Percy stated with upmost certainty

Luke tensed up. He was nervous and it was obvious.

"How do you know?" He asked, a shocked look on his face.

"We ran into Ares and Grover got him talking and realised Ares knew who the thief was and is covering for them," Annabeth explained, "So who would Ares cover for other than-"

"His favourite daughter, Clarisse," Luke stated, shaking his head. He relaxed as he realised who they thought it was, "She is the lightning thief,"

"Chiron has to arrest her. Find out what she knows. There's more to this than just the bolt. Don't ask me how. You just have to trust me," Percy continued, an ominous tone to his voice.

"We trust you, keep yourselves safe out there," Luke said, smiling at them.

"Sorry, I'm back. They weren't trying to hang that kid," she said, running back into the room.

Luke grabbed her hand and pulled her into his side, he seemed really relaxed all of a sudden.

"So, you met Ares? What was that like?" Luke asked, the conversation sounding more civil.

Percy shrugged, "Compared to the Chimera on Monday and Medusa on Sunday, could've been a lot worse,"

"Medusa was Saturday," Annabeth said, giving him a look, "No monsters on Sunday. Monday you died in a river,"

Daisy's eyes went wide, they seemed to have just said that he died in a river. They glossed over it and she just stared at them in shock.

"Right. So Medusa on Saturday," the two preteens shared a look as they nodded at one another.

Her and Luke turned to one another. As they listened to Percy and Annabeth, it was like watching their past selves bicker.

"What is this?" Daisy asked, looking at the duo with an amused smile..

"What?" Annabeth questioned. She didn't know why the teenagers were looking at her like that.

"When did you turn into an old married couple?" She replied.

Luke chuckled to himself, "When did you turn into us?" He asked.

They had smiles on their faces but through the iris message, they could see the kids were not entertained and seemed almost embarrassed.

"Not to change the subject but, we could use your advise on something. We're heading to Las Vegas to talk to yo-" Percy started to say and it cut out

"You think they're okay?" She asked, turning to him.

He knew how much she cared about them. It was that caring instinct in him that he loved.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "They're fine baby, we have to make sure the campers here don't kill themselves first,"

"Did i miss anything? Did they have any news?" She asked.

He was silent for a second before he put a smile on his face, "They didn't say much, just that they're doing good," he explained.

She grabbed his hand, "There's a big fight happening out there, the Ares cabin are getting mad," she explained.

He nodded. This was the last thing he wanted, they didn't need the entire camp to be fighting against one another.

They walked outside of the big house and that's when she saw the first semblance of a fight.

"What's going on Travis?" She yelled out after him as she saw him running towards the amphitheatre.

He turned around, stopping in the middle of the path and looking at the couple, "Clarisse just challenged Lily to a fight,"

Lily was one of her best friends and she had just been elected as the Head of the Aphrodite cabin.

To have the Ares Cabin and Aphrodite cabin at war with one another would cause the biggest rift within the camp.

She looked at Luke, both of them sharing a worried expression on their faces before they chased after his younger brother Travis to the amphitheatre.

When they got there, they saw the true extent to the problem. Clarisse was in full battle gear, the remaining half of her father's spear tucked into her belt.

She was with some of the other Ares kids and in front of her was Silena and Lily, both of them weaponless.

She saw Clarisse pull her sword out, ready to strike. Daisy didn't even hesitate before she ran in between the two of them.

She felt the sword brush against her cheek but there was no pain, she must have missed.

"Get out of my way!" She yelled out and Daisy held her hand out, pushing her back.

Luke rushed over as soon as he saw Clarisse swing. He had to hide the anger bubbling up in his chest, "Lets all calm down,"

"There's a war that's going to happen out there," Clarisse spat out, taking a few steps back.

"We don't know who stole the bolt, we can't choose sides," Luke said.

Luke had been told about who the kids thought was the lightning theif but he couldn't tell anyone, not yet.

"You're naive both of you. it matters," she spat out, being cheered on by the other Ares kids, "You need to pick your side because when this happens, we will fight,"

"Percy can find a way to stop this," Daisy said, her hand resting on the sheath where her dagger lie.

It was a matching one. Luke had given it to her two years ago before their quest. It was a paired one to his and it had all kind of features - like glowing when the other person got near and dimming completley if they died.

She didn't think she would need the weapon right now but she didnr know where this fight would go.

Clarisse scoffed at the idea, "Percy? I doubt he's even alive," she stated.

"Can't we all just stop this, its not fair on anyone," Silena said as she took a step forward to stand next to Daisy.

Before the couple had gotten there, Silena thought that her best friend was going to try to fight her.

"If there is a war between our parents, they will be expecting us to fight alongside them," Clarisse replied, her voice softening as soon as she saw Silena.

"Our mother does not believe in war," Lily interjected. Everyone seemed to have forgotten she was there.

There was a crowd gathering around them as all the campers wondered if this was the official declaration of who's side they were on.

Everyone was on edge with the idea of war and as Daisy looked around, she could see how scared everyone was. Nobody wanted to fight.

"Come on guys, no need to keep arguing. The younger campers don't need all the heads of cabins arguing right now," Daisy said.

She looked around. They were all looking to their leaders for some sort of guidance.

"You want me to give you another nick on that pretty face of yours?" She questioned.

Daisy reached a hand up and that's when she realised that the blade had cut her. It was a tiny cut and she didn't know how she hadn't felt it.

Luke looked at her, a a hand going to her jaw so that he could get a good look at the cut on the other side of her face. He was furious now.

"You better watch your mouth Clarisse," Luke said, a hand going down to his sword.

The camp was silent as they realised that two of the strongest sword fighters may be duelling.

She went to lunge at Luke but Chris grabbed onto her, pulling her back before she could attack him. She let out a guttural yell as he held her back, struggling in his grasp.

Daisy reached down and grabbed Lukes hand. He was tense. She could feel him calm down at her touch and he looked at her, shaking his head.

He couldn't deal with this fighting. This was not the plan, the campers should not be having to fight against one another.

"Break it up children," a voice said and they all recognised it quickly.

They turned to see Chiron walking towards them and everyone knew that they were in trouble.

The groups of younger campers started to disperse and Clarisse just gave Luke one final glare before rushing away with her cronies.

"What happened here?" Chiron asked.

"She's trying to get campers to pick sides, you know the drill," Daisy said, trying to make it lighthearted.

Her boyfriend scoffed, "This time she hit you. Chiron, do you mind if we discuss this later, I should get her a bit of salve for that wound?"

Chiron nodded. He had a suspicious look in his eyes as he watched the couple walk away.

"We forgot to tell him that Percy and Annabeth sent him an iris message," she said.

He led her towards the Hermes cabin and walked over to his bunk. The room was empty, everyone else doing activities and training.

Luke shook his head, "Worry about that later baby, you just sit there for a second," He said, gesturing for her to sit down.

She looked at his bunk, smiling to herself for a second. She traced her finger across the picture board at the head of his bed.

They were mostly pictures of her, one of her by the lake in a bikini, one of them before the quest (she could tell by the lack of his scar) of them laughing.

Her favourite one was the one that her and Annabeth both had a copy of. It was the two of them, her head leaning on Lukes shoulder. Annabeth was standing in front of them, looking up at them with a smile.

She felt the bed dip and looked to her side to see Luke. He had a ambrosia salve on his lap.

"I'm fine honey," she said and he shook his head.

"Let me help you," he said and she nodded.

He leaned up, swiping the salve across her cheek and she could feel it getting better already.

Luke leaned up and he pressed a kiss to her forehead, "Feel better?"

She hummed in response. She lay her head against his shoulder, "I don't want to go to war," she muttered.

He could feel her fear, her fear about what power the Gods hold. The whole point of this plan was that she would never feel that fear again. That she would be on control.

"We'll be fine," he mumbled, leaning his head down against hers.

Taglist:

@b3bybunny @inejghafawifesblog

[lollytea]

Okay so when Willow and Hunter first kiss, Willow totally wraps them in vine with orange and pink flowers blooming and she panics a bit and tries to undo it, but of course it just makes them closer, and Hunter looks her in the eye like, “but I am complaining??” Willow doesn’t blush often but this time she does (Hunter blushes too after realizing what he said)

LOVE THIS!!! GIGANTIC BRAIN!!!!

I headcanon that Hunter's flash step can be really annoying sometimes and it takes him years before he has total control over it. So, for the duration of Hunter's teenage stage, he has a really obvious tell for when he's uncomfortable. Because he will just randomly blip himself out of a situation. It's really embarrassing for him when he first starts attending Hexside and tagging along on those "Rebuilding the Isles" council meetings. If he gets nervous enough, then his heart will be like "oh girl we do NAUGHT wanna be here <33" which forcibly ejects him from the room. He then proceeds to burst back in through the door a few seconds later, red faced and frantically apologizing. Like he knows he has an obligation to be a part of things. He can't be running away from his responsibilities. It's just very hard to control a power that's linked to the flippant impulsive whims of the heart.

Meanwhile, I imagine that Willow's emotions are a lot bigger and way more intense than she outwardly expresses. And I don't mean just her negative feelings. Girl is obsessed with Hunter. In an aggressive, possessive, starving rabid animalistic kind of way. Yknow. As teenage girls tend to be. But she's desperately trying to not come across as insane because she doesn't want to startle him, so she's adopting a far more detached approach. Rehersed calculated flirtation, always maintaining her poise and grace. She definitely slips up a ton of times but she's doing her best. But it's her magic that's always giving her away.

Willow allows more vulnerability when it comes to Hunter but that doesn't mean she wants everything inside of her spilling out. She's still trying to be cool for Titan's sake.

And then they finally kiss, soft and gentle and that's supposed to be the end of it. But no! Willow's inner lunatic is acting up and now there's relentless vines roping around the shape of him, declaring Mine! Mine! Mine!, blinding them with bursts of bright vibrant blossoms, messages of adoration written in the colours. All mine!!

Willow is mortified.

But when she panics, she makes everything worse. If Willow had just remained calm, she could have managed to get control over the vines and make them fall limp. But she makes the mistakes of worrying and that directly effects the plants' clutch on her boyfriend.

She let the thought cross her mind that this was going to freak him out and she might lose him.

And now the vines are in a frenzy. Lose him? Lose him? Lose him? No, no, no, keep him, keep him, keep him!!! and are now twisting protectively around Hunter's frame, stitching his chest against hers.

It's weird. It's awkward.

"I'm sorry," Willow blurts out, still attempting to undo her mess.

Hunter's face is bright pink. He's clearly aware that this is a flustering position to be in.

"But am I complaining?" He asks.

This is what brings the flood of heat to Willow's face, as it slowly sinks in that Hunter is still here, tangled up with her.

He might be just as embarrassed as she is, but if this was truly too much for him, he would have been involuntarily snapped six feet to the left.

His heart has no problem with this.

[freetobeeyouandme]

Chapter 10: The World's Most Awkward War Council Convenes

The chapter I had the most displeasure of writing/editing is finally done, so I hope you enjoy it a little more than me! The party forms an uneasy alliance with El's sister, Lucas does some lying, and Mike considers some hypotheticals.

Tags: M, Graphic Descriptions of Violence, Fantasy AU, Canon Typical Violence, Canon Typical Horror, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn

Summary:

Mike Wheeler hates High School, so when he almost dies and falls through a portal to another world, he’s not going to complain. Especially not when that world does not only have swords and magic but seems to work exactly according to the rules of his favorite tabletop role-playing game. But his euphoria might be short lived because the party of adventurers he falls in with turns out to be the target of an evil god and the fate of the world might rest on their shoulders. So, exactly like his games of D&D. Except the wanna-be Paladin soon realizes that being a hero is much harder in real life than it is in-game. - Or, Mike gets isekai’d into a world where D&D is real.

An excerpt and taglist below the cut:

Excerpt:

El and Mike lead the way to the Sleeping Blackbear while Kali and her friends follow, grumbling. Mike feels a little exposed turning his back on them, but as they make their way towards busier side streets he keeps catching glances of Erica on the balconies and roof tops. From the way Kali keeps glancing to the sky, so does she, and it seems enough to make her think better of attacking them or running away.

It’s still a tense couple minutes, and Mike is glad when they finally catch a glance of the people still celebrating – and even more glad when they make it to their destination. Erica manifests from the shadows just as they approach the front door and steps in front of them, one hand on the door handle, the other held out towards Mike.

He hands her the dagger back and steps through the door she pulls open for them.

While the streets are loud and bright with the merriment of a spring fast approaching, the inn feels eerily deserted. In the bar on the ground floor a couple of revelers are drinking, but most patrons will only end their night there – and the evening is far from over.

Max leans over the balustrade on the first floor, watching them approach. She slides down the banister when they’re about halfway up, greeting Mike with a silent nod before she does and then falling into step beside El, who has taken up the rear with Erica.

In his hurry to make it back to the rest of his friends Mike hadn’t even noticed her slip from his side, and now the distraction of Max’s arrival and the irritation at being left alone leading their more than hostile potential allies, he stumbles over the steps. He manages to catch himself before he falls on the stairs, takes a quick step up the next one, and dusts off his hands as if nothing has happened, but Mike doesn’t need to look back at Kali to see that she’d caught him. It only makes the small hot thing in his chest flare brighter, and so he stomps up the stairs, not checking if the rest of them are following.

The door to the girls’ room is open, and as he steps onto the landing, Will appears in the door frame, pacing the length of the room. He pauses when he spots Mike, a smile splitting his face, and waves.

Unofficial Tag List (aka you interacted with my posts about this fic, please tell me if you want me to not tag you in the future (or want to be added)): @smalltownwheeler @wheelerpilled @wrong-energy @foodiewithdahoodie @doggo9 @gardenfairie @beelikesbyler @beverlysclown @yickarus @sourdough-el @hessolivagant @hesquietoday @oldfashionedmorphine @total-serene560 @bylersrise @hawkinsunderground @generalstorecashier @snixx @camel-casing @bylersbear01 @turningsoft @casatoan @maru-chu @mid13s @goldentrunks @bunnybylerfangirl @willbyersenthusiast @letterstomichelangelo @drowninginideas @fluffyfangirl @artsyna @absolutelynotyouidiot @bymarara @unknowmiau @are-you-reddie @elherself134 @longtallglasses @kennahjune @easilyentertained99 @bylerschapter @eli-being-silly @bylerina

[blighted-lights]

i wanna ask abt beastformers deadlock. i wanna ask aby beastformers deadlock so bad

YOU!!

(thank you sm for asking, deadlock has been rotting in my brain for weeks you have no idea. as a treat, have some sketches of him as i try to figure out his design!)

putting this under a read more because it's kind of a lot but; lore time!

(sudden change to proper grammar!)

Drift was forged as a feline beastformer with an entierly different name. He was forged at a time when the Functionalist Council's political power was at its highest, and as such, was subjected to the same extreme prejudices as others with animalistic forms were. He spent the early years of his life struggling; resorting to all manner of dangerous jobs in order to make ends meet. With no education or stable place to live, Drift was desperate for a way to escape the situation that was unfairly put upon him due to his altmode.

Drift was eventually approached by someone (an OC made out of convince who has since become the boogie man of several different stories by this point) who was willing to give Drift a new chance at life... so long as he was willing to give up his beastformer altmode, be put into a new frame, and change his name. Drift agreed out of pure desperation. He renamed himself Drift and underwent the frame change; going in as a beastformer and coming out as a speedster. The mech who "compassionately" took Drift in became his patron and funded his life as a racer, and for a while, Drift lived comfortably. (If you can call being exploited for labor, being turned into a product, barely seeing any of the profits he makes, and feeling disconnected from himself and everyone else around him as "comfortable".)

However, this arrangement only lasted a few short decades. The life of a racer was a difficult one, and Drift coped poorly with the change. While he initally had a very successful run, his performance slowly began to worsen over time. He was costing his patron more money than he was producing, and after a devastating "accident" on the raceway resulted in Drift completely wiping out with extensive damage, his patron decided to cut his loses and try again with someone else. Drift was casted back out onto the streets with zero support and lingering damage from his accident, and the next bit is pretty much as we know it in canon.

Drift ends up in the Dead End, meets Gasket and the rest of his group, and struggles on the streets for many years until he is eventually picked up by Megatron and renamed Deadlock. He fought alongside the rest of the Decepticons against the corrupt, oppressive society that the Senate and functionalists promoted, and finally thought he found a place to belong.

After the deaths of the Senate, followed closely after by the hunting down of the Functionalist Council, Deadlock received the chance to return to his original altmode. He was initially hesitant to do so; he felt so disconnected from his original identity that the idea of returning to having a beastformer altmode was intimidating. He'd grown comfortable with being a speedster, as he associated it with the saftey and comforts with his brief life as a racer. Eventually- with some subtle coaxing from others, namely Ravage- Deadlock agreed to undergo another frame change to regain his original altmode. He got lucky; he was able to keep both his speedster alt and the addition of his feline one. Deadlock woke up as a triple-changer, and from that point on, his beastmode was deeply tied into his identity as a Decepticon. He believed it was the Decepticons who gave him the ability to be who he truly was (as well as the ones who enabled him to get sober), which was something Deadlock felt so, so rarely in his life. Deadlock was a speedster, yes, but he was a beastformer first. It became impossible for him to seperate being a beastformer, a Decepticon, and Deadlock.

So when he left the Decepticons and eventually joined the Autobots as Drift, he pushed his identity as a beastformer away once again. Not only because revealing that he is a triple-changer risked others being able to link him back to being Deadlock, which only Autobot High Command knows about, but because his identity as a beastformer is so deeply tied in with being a Decepticon that he didn't know how to fit it into being an Autobot, if that makes sense. Drift still has the ability to transform into his beastmode and there are other Autobots who know about it, but he only does so if a situation absolutely requires it of him. He associates his identity of being a beastformer with being a Decepticon, and some of the guilt and shame he feels for his actions as Deadlock bleed over into how he feels about his altmode as well. Its a mess of complicated emotions and identity issues. As if Drift didn't have enough of those already 💀.

(and hey, if you made it this far, this is for you 🌸)

But yeah! Those are the super basics of my Drift/Deadlock being a beastformer lore. I love talking ab the Drift that lives in my brain sm tho, so if anyone had any more questions, feel free to ask!! I've considering writing fanfic for this version of Drift/Deadlock but 🤔 I'm not sure if I will, yet. He's mostly living life as a roleplay muse for now lmao

[palfriendpatine66]

For the ABBA prompt list! :D

8. and my destination, makes it worth the while

(With obikin please? Either platonic or romantic)

Still slowly answering ABBA song lyric prompts!!

This got away from me, and involves way more Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon than I initially intended but I hope you still enjoy it.

Xxx

He was dreaming.

Obi-Wan sat up slowly, eyeing his surroundings. The last thing he knew a blast had rocked his speeder and the world went black. The lack of wreckage and destruction, no sign of enemy forces or restraints were all fairly good indicators that he was not still in his last location. Had he been rescued he’d be in a medmay - which this wasn’t. The nondescript room he found himself in could have been a meditation room in the Temple, but there was no way he’d gotten there. Whatever was happening right now wasn’t grounded in reality.

But he didn’t need any further convincing. He immediately knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was dreaming because the calming presence he had missed for twelve years was at his side.

“You’re dreaming,” Qui-Gon informed him with a smile.

Obi-Wan snorted and rolled his eyes. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

“I can’t. It’s your dream.”

“This is making my head hurt already,” Obi-Wan grumbled, feeling himself fall into the familiar pattern of interaction, regardless if he hadn’t been a padawan for over a decade, had had an apprentice of his own for just as long, and was now a Master in his own right.

“That’s probably the head wound. You took quite a hit back there. Shouldn’t you have been wearing a helmet?”

“I hate flying,” Obi-Wan muttered, running his hand over his head and finding it uninjured and whole in the dream state, as Qui-Gon laughed.

“Not much has changed there.”

“One of the only things that hasn’t,” Obi-Wan mused.

The twinkle of amusement in Qui-Gon’s eyes dimmed. “Do you want to tell me about it?”

“Yes,” Obi-Wan breathed, feeling relief in every fiber of his being. He still wished he could turn to his master for advice, even after all this time. Qui-Gon stretched his long frame and gestured for Obi-Wan to continue, it was all the invitation he needed. “In the beginning I did all the time, you know. I imagined conversations with you, tried to figure out what you would advise. I meditated for hours on end hoping to remember your words, to let your wisdom guide me.”

“And did it?”

“I did my best,” Obi-Wan whispered.

“I know evasion when I hear it, Padawan,” Qui-Gon chastised. “The full answer, if you please.”

Obi-Wan thoughts turned to Anakin as he rolled his eyes, of how much more sympathetic he felt to the young man that treated any suggestion that he felt bordered too closely on the invisible border it shared with instruction as a hostile assault now that he was a Knight and a General and not-your-padawan-anymore, Master.

A declaration that always made him smile in spite of himself, current instance included.

“I was terrified. I wasn’t ready to be a master to Anakin—I still needed my own. I didn’t know what to do, how to be what he needed. So I tried to be you.”

“And how did that go?” The corner of Qui-Gon’s beard twitched and a hand smoothed over the bristles to hide his smile, a move which Obi-Wan realized with a jolt of surprise, that he had adopted as his own.

“Well despite what Anakin might think I’ve never been as fond of meditation as you.” Obi-Wan shot a sideways glance to the man who had seemed to exist on a steady diet of fresh air and meditation throughout Obi-Wan’s hungry teenage years. “Although he is as frustrated by my adherence to protocol as you once were, even if the council is constantly chastising me otherwise.”

“Adherence to protocol? Obi-Wan Kenobi, we are not about to pretend you were a rule follower, are we?”

“Compared to some,” he sniffed.

“Ah I think that's closer to where my frustrations lay. Critical judgment and a lack of appreciation for creative flair.”

“What?!”

“Well you certainly don’t hesitate to disregard the rules that stand in your way. You just get huffy when things don’t go as you have anticipated.”

“Now you sound just like him!”

“Who?”

“Anakin, of course!” Who else?

Qui-Gon smiled an infuriatingly self satisfied I-have-just-reached-my-point-and-you’re-about-to-hear-about-it sort of smile, and Obi-Wan once again experienced a strange stab of sympathy for Anakin’s continued suffering. “It always comes back to Anakin with you, doesn’t it?”

“We were talking about him,” Obi-Wan frowned dismissively.

“No, Padawan,” Qui-Gon corrected gently, his eyes twinkling. “We were speaking of you.”

“Yes,” Obi-Wan drew out the one syllable slowly, not sure what his former master had difficulty understanding. He might not have been present for the events of the past twelve years but his last act had been to bind Obi-Wan’s life together with the young boy as it had been ever since.

Surely Qui-Gon understood how his life had come to be defined by Anakin when he had promised to train the boy, repeating the vow that had been so important to his master that he had used every one of his last breaths to secure it. Obi-Wan had stayed there as the weight of the promise sank in, long after his master’s presence had left the body that grew heavier in his arms when it should have been lighter, no longer filled with his presence. “But so were we the last time we spoke. Master.”

Qui-Gon nodded and hummed in understanding. “I didn’t have the time, Obi-Wan, to say all that needed to be said. I don’t regret entrusting Anakin, or his training, to you. That was the most important thing to see to in those moments. But I wish there’d been time for more. You were a good apprentice Obi-Wan. Even now, so young, you are a far better Jedi than I could ever hope to be. And yet I foresee you will become even greater still—one of the very best of us all.”

Obi-Wan found he didn’t know what to do or say in the face of such praise, but was saved from responding as apparently Qui-Gon wasn't done making up for all that had gone unsaid. “No,” Qui-Gon continued sadly, “I regret not being able to ease the burden of such a monumental task. In fact I fear I made it worse.”

“I don’t understand.”

“That you are so intertwined; your fate so defined by his.”

“You believed he was the chosen one. Do you still?”

“Nothing has changed that view.”

“Then…aren’t all of our fates defined by his?”

“Well said,” Qui-Gon smirked. “They don’t call you The Negotiator for nothing, do they?”

“I don’t regret it,” Obi-Wan murmured, ignoring the ribbing smile. “Entrusting him to me gave me a reason to keep going, through it all. Purpose. Something I can’t lose sight of, to hold onto, despite everything that has happened. Everyone lost. This terrible war that I can’t even imagine your reaction to.” Obi-Wan had begun to wring the fabric in his hands but stopped when he realized it and smoothed it out once more. “But seeing Anakin through it all - I can’t lose sight of that. And my destination makes it worth the while.”

“And what destination would that be?” Qui-Gon prodded gently.

“Pushing through the darkness,” Obi-Wan answered bewildered. Qui-Gon was the one who had bought into the prophecy, the one who had declared Anakin the Chosen One and altered the course of his life - their lives- forever. “Balance,” he concluded, more to himself than his former master watching with a soft, content expression.

Peace, he thought.

For the Galaxy.

The Force.

Anakin.

“A noble goal, yes”, Qui-Gon rose suddenly, towering over Obi-Wan with an inscrutable expression. “But don’t lose yourself Obi-Wan. There’s more to you than—”

“Anakin?” Obi-Wan interrupted, whirling to look around the room, so sure he could feel the other’s presence close by, burning in its intensity.

Qui-Gon seemed farther away, some of his words lost. “…you can take the future, even if you fail…”

“Will I see you again?” Obi-Wan didn’t know what made him ask, only that it seemed they still had unfinished business.

“You’ll know when the time is right,” Qui-Gon was even further still, for one of the walls to the room was now open to the outdoors. Qui-Gon had paused at the edge of a stream bathed in light. Qui-Gon raised his hand but his parting gesture disappeared in the light growing brighter and brighter still. His lips had opened but his last words were drowned out by a sudden roar that Obi-Wan felt reverberate down into his every bone.

The glare was agonizing as it burned into his eyes and sent the pain of a thousand knives stabbing cruelly into his skull. “Anakin?” He was separate from the agony that was his body as the fiery presence that was Anakin washed over Obi-Wan, bathing him in his warmth.

“Master,” Anakin breathed. “You’re going to be okay.”

I know, Obi-Wan wanted to say, but couldn’t make his body obey. You’re here.

[sknmannn]

Tokyo Revengers: Vanta—The 1st Iteration.

Disclaimer before you go through my near endless amount of complete nonsense all for a passion hobby of world-building for my Tokyo Revengers OC World, Known as Tokyo Revengers: Vanta or their shorter name, TRVanta or just Vanta:

This is the first iteration of Vanta lore that I have worked on and refined within a 2-month time frame and some lore may or may not be changed in the future. Also, some parts of the lore may not be in chronological order or there for extra details and tidbits to give my OCs more life to them.

Aside from that, time to start the yap fest.

+STARTERS+

For an Introduction to our dear Main Character of the series, Shimamoto Koji. He seems like your run-of-the-mill teen going about in his middle school year, being the president of the School’s Infocomm club and pretty harmless aside from his sly and playful demeanor with a tinge of a dog’s carefree attitude…Well almost, besides the fact that he’s pretty noticeable yet invisible. Looking like a mummy all wrapped up in gauze with an eye and strands of his messy hair sticking out. You may ask him what’s under that bandage of his but until now no one knows what goes on under there.

And then we have Yamakawa Hisora, Koji’s best friend. Pretty popular half-gaijin schoolboy—A mix of Japanese & Canadian blood and a knack for theatre acting. Of course, he’s in the drama club, no surprise. But it is surprising how the schoolgirls fawn at the “exoticness” of being a mixed blood but meanwhile, Koji’s out here being an Okinawan & American mix. And yeah, Hisora being the extrovert just decided to befriend Koji and now they’re the best of homies.

(Fun fact: Hisora was Koji’s first-ever friend)

Yeah okay enough of the slice-of-life crap, this is a Tokyo Revengers OC world, reminder. Those two are gang members in the upcoming gang Tokyo Manji Gang. Under the 5th division led by captain Yasuhiro Muto and vice-captain Haruchiyo Sanzu. I thought that it’d make the most sense because I intentionally sort of “manifested animals in a human form”, so Koji’s aggressive behaviour during gang hours mirrors that of a dog, specifically a K9 police dog unit. Hisora being based on falcons, I found out about a thing called Falconry which it sort of has the same outcome as police dog training in the sense of sniff out the bad people or traitors. And the traitor thing? Well from my research the 5th Division is like the public morality council where those under that division can just whoop people’s asses and even fellow Toman members to without repercussion.

Keeping it brief here so in layman terms Muto is the pet owner and Koji and Hisora are the pets that attack when Muto goes “sic ‘em” if yk what I mean.

+ON THE LINE; ON THE LEASH+

On top of having to settle gang stuff, Koji’s always on the phone. It was because of some that had been keeping poor Koji on a tight leash. “S-san” or as the man behind the phone calls himself. Getting his little lackey Koji to sniff out the wanted in the delinquent world with his investigating abilities shown unintentionally by Koji when he had accidentally solved a murder on a message board, 2chan.

And with the recent slew of wanted people and higher demand by S-san, Koji isn’t gonna be able to track them down by himself, he’s gonna get some help with good old friends of his—The Pharaoh’s Kids.

+PHARAOH’S KIDS+

Koji and Hisora aren’t the only animal-like ones in the gang world that other delinquents know about. They actually made a name for themselves in a group the other delinquents lump a group of exceptional peers in—Nicknamed “Pharaoh’s Kids”, They’re a set of 6 animalistic fighters that are assigned and thus represent a respective Egyptian God.

The first two as you already are familiar with, is Koji, who represents Anubis and Hisora, who represents Horus, under Toman to keep it short and sweet.

The other 4 include, but not in order of power:

Miyazaki Junshin, representing Set/Seth. Valhalla member.

Fujita Hitsuto, representing Khnum. Black Dragons member.

Furutani Arakawa, representing Sobek. Tenjiku member.

Saratani Seki, representing Bastet. He’s not under a gang, refuses to join one despite exceptional fighting skills.

EXTRA OFF-TOPIC ISH NOTES:

The reason and workings as to why the represent the Egyptian god they represent, here’s what I wrote over on discord:

>Koji: Canines, and sometimes police dogs.

~E.g. fights on all fours, heightened sense of “smell”, overall dog-based behaviour.

>Hisora: Falcons/peregrine falcon (that’s how Hisora has his colour palette)

~E.g. like falcons, Hisora dashes (more to “diving” to target and aims for the head for maximum stun

>Junshin: SPECIAL CASE, not a certain animal, but based on certain nocturnal species due to “set animal” being an unidentified animal that resembles a few modern animals REFER TO IMAGE 1 AND 2

E.g. functions way more at night, can sense things like Koji, stubborn asf in battles in general (stubbornness is depending on who you are/your strength)

>Hitsuto: Sheep, goat, ram, sometimes horses are used as refs

E.g. thick head, so uses his head to bash into people. Horse kicks a lot aside from fighting in a choreographic manner. May cause broken bones.

>Arakawa: crocodile

E.g. Grasp strong enough to break turtle shells, TANKY AS HELL, usually remains still and eventually attacks in a single swift swing.

>Seki: Cat, any feline in general

E.g. has rings that work as cat claws to “scratch” or flank opponents as a means to weaken them, also ambushes without notice by making use of his “lack of presence” sometimes.

(Author’s note: if there is “>” it’s lifted from my discord chat logs unless stated otherwise.)

Back to the topic in hand. If you did also question why they’re lumped in together despite them all in different gangs and looking like they just won’t want to interact with each other because, well, rival gangs, is actually because they USED to be in a gang together, excluding Seki, who formerly was identified as a female during the time and is an acting “external help” which made Seki part of PKs (Pharaoh’s Kids).

~The PRE-storyline (part 1)~

>Rei (Seki before he realised he’s trans), was on the verge of getting SA’d, by the gang leader of the gang Koji, Hisora, Junshin, Hitsuto and Arakawa were in.

>Koji did NOT accept it and got really mad and went haywire, resulted in the gang leader in the ICU due to how hard Koji bit down on the jugular, partial skin was ripped out by just his teeth

>So he was sent to Juvie as the rest watched—It was before Koji decided to play a “little game” with the rest of the PKs, calling one by one to tell about his idea and ultimately telling each and every one to start “hiding”, like hide and seek but by joining an existing gang. Hisora ofc, wanted to wait for Koji and the two talked again and discussed it a few times and both settled on Toman.

+BOUNTY HUNT+

Keeping it as brief as possible, these wanted delinquents that S-san has assigned Koji to seek the head of was Zwischenzug, a polar opposite of the Pharaoh Kids yet two sides of the same coin with are Yuichi, who just keeps coming back non stop despite being caught, Mamoru, Setsuna and the Abe Brothers.

(Author’s note: There is a major change between Zwischenzug and Pharaoh’s Kids’ dynamic. Do not use the current Zwischenzug lineup as lore ref until U update it. And reminder, Like the PKs, Zwischenzug is not a gang/group of delinquents that made a gang BUT a just a ‘category’ other delinquents decide to lump them in to. Will also elaborate on the captures in future iterations.)

+HIDE AND SEEK+

In a watered down version, Koji now has to go “seek his hiders” who were told to seek refuge at the gangs of their choice (or not). The order of getting each Pharaoh’s Kid does not really correlate to the order of the major gang fights shown in the OG series. Excluding Hisora since he’s already been on Koji’s side through his Juvie time, it’s Hitsuto, Junshin, and Arakawa in that order.

Hitsuto’s a hard head hothead, who started to vow his loyalty to Black Dragons (not really) recently but Koji managed to talk through his thick skull. He’s still in Black Dragons (up until Christmas Conflict Arc where he’s outed as a traitor and his ass got jumped)…despite Koji somehow surviving non stop headbutts and bludgeons. Guess Koji was too stressed and pissed to die.

Junshin was a LONG fight. The day before Bloody Halloween, Junshin was easy to get convinced to meet up with Koji but only at night, since Junshin’s is more active at night and he could sneak out of his mansion more easily rather than in broad daylight. Junshin gets pretty pissed at how suspiciously pushy Koji was and it snowballed into a fight under the highway. These all stretched through the night and until sunrise. Remembering that they need to take part in a gang fight without a drop of sleep, they meet again at the abandoned car lot only to fight their tired asses off (again). Koji of course, has a higher disadvantage because he isn’t used to chronic lack of sleep like Junshin. It was a stalemate, but Junshin gave in to help Koji out due to the influence of Baji’s death and Kazutora’s arrest.

Just as Koji thought “hey, I have more people on my side, maybe I get get Arakawa in no time”, him and Hisora gets jumped AS WELL for vehemently refusing to do what their ‘Master’ Muto said, resulting in a leg fracture on Koji and an arm fracture on Hisora. Lmao, that costed the two an arm and a leg (mb I had to). AND YET THESE STUBBORN MFS went against their superiors wishes and still showed up to the Tenjiku fight anyway. For Arakawa obviously.

Arakawa…OH ARAKAWA... He may be a dumbass but he isn’t stupid. He’s way more stubborn and stronger than the previous two. From what seems like just a rough play to him while taking down weak Toman members down one by one. He’s pretty much like the only one who takes the least seriousness in this situation. That of course costed him A LOT when he went overboard in beating and choking the living hell out of Koji.

And what do you know, Arakawa had awakened the full extent of Koji’s anger that manifested and clouded Koji’s mind, stripping Koji of his last bit of humanity and bringing the animalistic manner to the max…Arakawa accidentally got Koji to repeat the old incident. Feeling true fear of a prey when Koji’s bite outnumbered Arakawa’s exceptional tanky body and arm strength. If it weren’t for the interruption of the Blue Ogre, Koji would have just have killed Arakawa and lose vital information Arakawa may have held. This arc was the moment Koji’s mauled-up body was shown on full display, scar covering a good quarter of his body.

And at the point? Where’s Seki? Well, no one knows where Seki is…yet. Hold on. Seki starts with an S. Could he…could he be THE S-san?

Rather thought-provoking for the bandage-faced boy. Maybe if he finds Seki whom he suspects as S-san, not only he can catch more wanted people, he can finally reason with and get answers from S-san!

+TIGER HELPER+

Oh Koji wasn’t just a background character inside the juvie walls, no. Don’t believe it? Ask Kazutora Hanemiya. He seems to recognise the dog boy well, or “Nikuman”, he calls Koji. They came across each other at one point.

(Yeah this section of the lore is all made because of one shitpost idea I did)

PRE-Storyline (part 2)

>ANYWAY BACK TO MAIN THING, Juvie was where Koji came across Kazutora, the two were acquaintances. They’d just talk to each other when they happen to pass by each other YOU GET THE DEAL. Then the way Kazu was the first to saw Koji’s feral mode was when a fight broke out due to inmates bullying him about the biting, gagging and taunting about it, etc.

>Kazu was at the corner and watched SHIT GO DOWN and saw the whole thing, even aftermath where he saw bite marks on hands, legs and even the damn NECK bite.

>Aftermath resulted in Kazu being lowkey scared of him but still tried to talk to him

> Wasn’t enough because Koji was bailed out by his adoptive mom (that Koji always sees as his actuall mom and openly calls her mummy, WE LOVE YOU MRS. SHIMAMOTO) after Hisora and the rest convinced her || mom and openly calls her mummy. WE LOVE YOU MRS. SHIMAMOTO!!!) after Hisora and the rest convinced her.

This all happened during the Valhalla arc of the original series and Koji & Hisora bumped into one of the Toman. However after the Valhalla Arc which got Kazutora in Jail, that didn’t stop Koji from squeezing some leads and information out of him. Of course it’s for a price still, you’re not gonna get info that easily from Mr. Hanemiya.

In order to get that sweet reward, Koji has to defeat banchous from schools around the hood—One school banchou defeated will get Kazutora to gain respect for the legitimate strength rewards Koji with tidbits of info in tiny crumpled up/folded papers that Kazutora will sneakily slide through the glass pane. All of these infos pieces together will reveal whereabouts about a certain someone that knows a lot about Seki. This person is Ian Rivera ( @chejirevv’s OC), and as it turns out, had been trying to get Seki into Valhalla but it was like herding cats all until Valhalla was destroyed.

+OTHER EXTERNAL HELP+

Arakawa has heard of Jou Moriatsu (a mutual on discord’s oc) and told Koji that he set up a meeting with him on behalf of Koji and yeah, Koji now has more help but he did that by surprisingly, promising Moriatsu to be his friend. Hisora was NOT too happy about it, jealous even.

+CAT GOT YOUR TONGUE?+

As it turns out, once the final PK was found, Seki is ultimately not S-San due to contradicting views and personality that Koji thought, which led Koji to a dead end. From the news of S-san, Seki decides to make a somewhat exception and helps out Koji. Now with the PKs back together and Koji’s growing skepticism towards the man behind the screen, S-san with each capture of the wanted delinquents, Koji now has a NEW bounty hunt on his hands—finding the identity of the man who tormented him and put him on a leash for all of his teenage years.

+S-SAN IS WHO?+

No development in this lore yet but the rough walkthrough is that S-san is actually a guy named Satoshi Kimura who hated delinquents because of a major event between (holy fucking shit) Satoshi’s and Koji’s older brothers and the fact that Satoshi was blamed for his older bro’s death. He just lead Koji on and turn his head on him and get Koji himself accused and get kicked out of Toman, Hisora too because he’s “in cahoots’.

And then Satoshi gets defeated.

+YAKUZAS???+

No concrete lore yet for this part too but during the time frame between 2006-2008, it was finally the time Koji had some damn peace and the PKs being art students get in the same art-centric High School (except for Junshin who’s in University and Arakawa, who’s taking a gap year.)

JK Satoshi was petty enough at Koji to join and gaslight the Yakuzas to be on his ass but Koji pulled an uno reverse and Satoshi is finally killed.

OOOKAY I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT SUMN IMPORTANT GUESS WHAT?

That’s right, the thing Koji has for Mitsuya.

Ending the 1st iteration of Vanta’s compiled lore on a lighter (and fruitier note), let’s get to it.

+LAVENDER CRUSH+

It was fine at first, just the typical nice classmate who’s, deservingly, the president of the Home Economics club who just sits in front of Koji. They didn’t talk much besides when the Home Economics club needed some aid from the Infocomm club for photo taking, up until they recognised each other when Mitsuya was trying to find the bathroom and came across Koji next to a tree without the Kitsune Mask that he constantly wears during gang hours, recognising that gauze-covered face of his.

So then the two began talking more often than not, sharing artistic interests. Koji began to just felt something different in him, mistaking it as his intuition telling him that Mitsuya was “using” him in a sense, he just hates him at how much Mitsuya began to get “distracting” to him. It was eyebrow-raising for the lavender boy at how strange and sudden Koji’s hospitality towards him changed, but still staying with him.

On Koji’s side, it didn’t occur to him that there even was a term to describe how he sees Mitsuya the way girls see him until he found the term. He was skeptical as usual at first, thinking about the time where he went to a middle school event where all the girls were dressed in cute maid outfits and charming the other boys (excluding Seki, or “Rei” at the time), but Koji just wasn’t swooned by the actions one bit, just seeing it in a platonic manner or “just a strange girl thing”.

“Gay? Ew, I’m not that.”

Then he began to think of that word more and more in proportion to Koji now realising the strange feeling towards Mitsuya was actually Koji crushing on him and he, for the lack of a better word and sorry for being corny, became a Tsundere. Even if his frisked cheeks aren’t visible because his face is covered, his left ear sticking out was a dead giveaway to blushing because Koji’s blush can spread from his cheeks to his ears.

Yes Koji at one point got really emo because he thought he was out of Mitsuya’s league after accepting that he’s gay and that Hakkai would win but yeah turns out Mitsuya wasn’t even into Hakkai and that Hakkai and Hisora was in cahoots behind his and Mitsuya’s back tryna get the two together.

It’s getting kinda long but basically their relationship is slow burn-y, and with their gang life being in the mix between the two. A few angst here and there where Mitsuya gets really pissed at how Koji keeps pushing away yet he’s body language is yelling and begging for safety and assurance.

This is where, aside from Koji’s mom, before(?) the Tenjiku Arc where Koji’s strutting around without the gauze rolls and slightly after the a Christmas conflict, Koji has no choice but to reveal his mangled look to the boy he likes and surprisingly Mitsuya took it well and they had a heart-to-heart talk, leading to the two getting WAYYY more close.

They eventually confess on 26/08/2006 but the angst does not end there with how they’re now also hiding their relationship because they’re in a delinquent world and not some sunshine and rainbows world.

(Author’s note: Good lord Mitsuya x Koji is literally either

OR

And ESPECIALLY the second one in terms of slow burn and angst and no Koji and Mitsuya didn’t break up they’re just angsty as fuck)

+EXTERNAL LORE+

Too lazy to type so have discord and insta story screenshots

Total Yapping word count: ~3232 words

Aaaand with that I end my yapfest here. I’m done…for now lol. Sorry if it’s rushed, I did this in 3 days and 1 hour per day because I just started my year 2 and there’s already homework *cries*

The compiled lore is purely written on my trusty iOS notes app mb y’all and double mb because the lore is LONG long imo.

Tysm if you took the time to read it, I really appreciate it because I have been working on the lore seriously for 2 months and polishing things here and there!

TAGGED~

@star2fishmeg @chejirevv @anemptypuddingcup @sharpkiwislayer @kayjayxx @w975x

Dm for add or removal!!

[cjcroen1393]

Since I finally fully colored these, I'd like to at last formally introduce you all to my new characters for yet another new concept I've been developing in my head -- a monster school story!

My working idea for this story is that the protagonist, Jason Hunter is the son of two monster hunters, part of an organization of similarly minded hunters. Unlike his family, Jason has developed a fascination with monsters and wants to bridge the gap between humans and monsters. To this end, he asks to be enrolled in the country's biggest school for monsters, something the organization initially refuses, but relents when they believe this could benefit them.

Once there, Jason is (maybe understandably) treated with suspicion by most of the monsters, but fortunately, he finds a group of friends who trust him. So, for the full list:

Jason Hunter: As mentioned, Jason is the son of two monster hunters who doesn't hate monsters. I picture him being kind of like a mix of Charlie from Hazbin Hotel and Hiccup from How to Train Your Dragon, being an upbeat guy who actually likes the "evil" things his family is fighting against and seeks to be the one to bridge the gap between them. He has researched monsters for years, intended by his parents to teach him their weaknesses, but instead it simply gave him a lifelong fascination with them. That said, knowing monster weaknesses and talking about them, his friends tend to be mildly creeped out by this. Also, he's trans.

Elmarie Adlawan: A manananggal and one of the first friends Jason makes. She was originally going to be just be a regular European vampire, but then I was like "Hang on... I'm Filipino... I'm brainstorming a monster story... I may never have an opportunity like this again..." so I made her a manananggal instead. She's a friendly girl who's also a bit clumsy, and she's very fascinated to see that a human has enrolled in the school for the first time. I like to think there'd be a bit of a running gag where she splits herself without meaning to when she gets excited. Her name means "Gentle Daylight", because I love irony.

Atlas Theodulf: The obligatory werewolf and another one of the first friends Jason makes. Atlas is a bit of a himbo, but he's also a calming presence among the group. Do not mistake his kindness for weakness -- if you mess with his friends, the fangs and claws come out. He was also born a werewolf, so he can transform whenever he wants (except on the full moon, when he temporarily loses control) and he keeps his human mind every time he transforms.

Boomer Colton: The obligatory witch. Boomer is the group's mellow, nature-loving hippie, as a nod to how witches are often strongly associated with nature. He's a little lazy, often either skipping class or missing it because he slept through the day, and preferring to fly everywhere on his broom than actually walk places. I didn't draw his eyes, but I like to think they look kind of frog-like, since I like the idea of him having a bit of a frog/toad motif (since witches are often depicted as having green skin and warts).

Kara O'Braonain: A banshee and our ghost rep of the main group. So far, Kara's the least developed and the one I'm having the most problems with, but I tend to frame her as the grumpy one who's also a big screamo fan ('cause y'know, banshees scream!). She wants to start a rock band someday, where she'd obviously be the lead singer. She's the easiest one to color because she's pure white.

Inanna Prescott: A succubus and both the demon and genderfluid rep of our main cast. Despite expectations, Inanna is a bit of a goody two shoes and the student council president. This is partly because, after they were abandoned on Earth as a baby, they were adopted by a religious family who sought to "raise them right". While they are genuinely nice, Inanna's position means they have a tendency to be a bit of a stickler for rules. They especially tend to bicker with Boomer about his slacker status (they also might have a crush on him though).

I have more characters for this that I'll upload soon, but right now, I wanted to focus on the "core six" characters. As you can see, most of their designs have already been subject to change (I'm especially fond of how I altered Inanna's design, and I also bulked up Atlas a little) and might change more. Also, the concept still doesn't have a title.

The school uniform designs are DEFINITELY not finalized, I still need to figure out what I want with that.

All these characters, plus the art, belong to me.