#cause other people that had that image also turned out to be really awful people and I'm starting to see a pattern here

[takakuras-left-ball]

꙳¤٭⁎﹡꙳＊ "𝗗𝗼𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗱, 𝗜'𝗺 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹…

…𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲?" ＊꙳﹡⁎٭¤꙳

Dividers from @uzmacchiato

Kaji Ren x reader

Warnings: violence, kinda hurt/comfort

Note: the image at the end is what caused this, from the creator @beesleeps ! I was gonna have like a super angsty ending with this that matched the image more but I am too emotional for that today maybe next time.

Kaji really never intended to end up in this situation, and for a while he genuinely believed he could prevent it. Saying it now, it seemed stupid. After all what did he expect? He was a member of Bofurin, and on top of that he wasn’t exactly unknown outside of that either. Still, he really never wanted you to have to see him fight. But here he was, a handful of assholes surrounding the two of you. The way they circled him, it was hard for him to keep you away from them, but he could feel your hands tightly gripping the back of his jacket, your voice trembling as you softly spoke his name. He knew you were safe. He had pulled down the headphones around his neck, but still carefully pushed the candy around in his mouth, the paper stick shifting across his lips before speaking. His voice was strong and direct and his eyes swept over the people he could see without turning too much. “If you’re looking for a fight, you picked the wrong time. I’m busy.”

“Aw, c’mon man, don’t be a buzzkill.” One of them grinned with undeserved confidence. “Don’t worry, your friend back here can get a little action too.” The second voice came from behind him, his eyes sharpening instantly at the words as he went to turn, but it was just a second too late. He could feel your hands get ripped from his jacket, a startled cry of his name was the last thing he could make out before his mind just…went blank. He hated this feeling, he worked so hard to learn how to keep himself under control, diligently working to improve himself for his team, his friends, and for you. Especially for you. He’d been so careful, and now it was happening again. And with you right there too. You…

Your broken voice finally pushed through the cotton in his ears, the muffled sounds finally slowly clearing up. He knew it wasn’t over, he could feel someone grabbing him before the red had cleared from his vision, but he wouldn’t let any of these bastards keep him from you. He’d heard you say something, but things were still so muffled when he’d heard your voice. But he was sure it was probably…

Your mind was racing, these people were here to fight your boyfriend, you knew that much. It could be something related to Bofurin, but you also knew that Kaji had a bit of a past. You didn’t know much, and it really wasn’t important to you. What was important was that you stayed close to him. Of course, that Idea was promptly ruined when you heard the words from the guy right behind you. “Don’t worry, your friend back here can get a little action too.” You felt the bruising grip on your arm and in a split second you’re being yanked away, only able to shout out his name as you lose your grip on his jacket. You think you hear the crack of his lollipop between his teeth mix with your voice. You started to panic, but your mind didn’t even have time to. It just looked like a blur, then the hand on your arm let loose. As you stepped forward, turning to look back at the same time, you spot Kaji. But he seems off, his teeth bared and eyes wild, you can see the glint in his eyes as two other guys charge at him, but in seconds they’re on the ground. His fists are merciless, it’s nothing like what you’d seen from his fighting before. He didn’t let you watch, and on the rare occasion he didn’t know you were nearby, you’d still never seen him fight quite like this. It was feral, unrelenting fists and feet flying faster than perceivable. But still, you know it is your beloved boyfriend, and he’s doing this to protect you. Telling yourself that didn’t stop the way your body trembled, your eyes locked onto the fight like watching a train wreck in action. He grabbed one of them as some of the others began to run off, the boy’s shirt balled tight enough to turn his knuckles white, though through the tattered skin and blood you couldn’t see that. It was the boy who’d first grabbed you. You really weren’t sure if Kaji even knew that, though. You watched his other fist raise, and heard the sickening crunch under each blow, one after another. You had to stop him, you knew Kaji wouldn’t want this if he was in the right state of mind. You rushed forward, reaching out to grab his arm, hoping to stop the next blow from landing. “Ren, please stop!” Your arms wrapped around his as it was lifted, and you watched the hand holding the other boy’s shirt loosen and allow him to fall. But something wasn’t right. When your eyes met his, it looked like they were looking right through you, and you felt your blood run cold.

“Ren!” He heard you clearly that time, your voice desperate and frightened, crackling with tears he could hear before seeing them. You sounded so close, like you were right there. Finally, for just a moment he paused, his fist wound tight, ready for the next blow. Though as the clouds of red finally faded from his vision, he felt frozen. This was all wrong. Your hair, tightly clenched between his fingers as his fist that was meant to protect you was only moments from striking you. The tears cascading down your cheeks poured from eyes filled with terror. 

That look. The look in your eyes right now, he was far too familiar with it. The way people looked at him before, waiting for him to snap. But he was never supposed to give you a reason to look at him like that. And now…

A sharp inhale cut through his thoughts, releasing you suddenly as he watched your body crumble to the ground, curling up to yourself, soft sobs of relief slipping past your lips and into his ears. He felt his chest clench. He stared at you with wide, horrified eyes. Taking a moment to finally move, shifting slightly closer to you, his voice trembling as he went to call your name, but his words caught in his throat as he caught the slightest motion. You flinched, you flinched away from him. He didn’t dare move again, but he felt so lost. He wanted to comfort you, to tell you it was alright, that you were safe. But how could he do that when he was the reason you were so afraid? He almost hurt you with his own hands when he’d promised to always protect you. His thoughts were interrupted when his eyes met yours, wet and fearful, but a glimmer of hope behind them that made his heart ache all over again. “Rennie…?” Your voice was so soft and fragile, like if he moved too suddenly or spoke too loud you would just fall apart. Maybe that’s why his voice came out so quiet. He could blame that instead of the tears in his own eyes. “I’m…so sorry-” He didn’t get to finish yet again, this time because of the way you lept to cling to him, unable to reach his arms with him standing and you on the ground, so you latched onto his leg, small choked sounds and sniffles still slipping out. 

He could never forgive himself for this, how could he? And how could you possibly still cling to him like he was your lifeline? Like you could still possibly love him after this? He knew you were forgiving, but your kindness had to have limits! He didn’t move, unsure of what to do, what he should do. When your words finally broke him from the spell he was under, he was shocked to find it was possible to feel worse. “It’s okay, Ren. It’s not your fault, I shouldn’t have grabbed you in the middle of a fight, I’m sorry.” How could you possibly think to apologize to him? After what he did, and after what you saw, you should be screaming and running from him. And he definitely shouldn’t be crouching down, pulling you into his arms as tears begin to fall from his own eyes. And he shouldn’t be hiding his face in your neck, begging for your forgiveness on the ground of this dirty tunnel surrounded by bodies. But he was, and you with your own tears and body trembling hold him tightly. After some time has passed, at some point you had ended up in his lap, his body completely shielding you from view and elements, arms securely around you as he still hides his face in your neck. You decided to break the silence finally, a shaky smile finding your lips. “It’s okay, I’m not mad, Ren. I know next time-” “No.” You were almost startled by how quickly he interjected, but his voice was still soft and quiet, making an effort clearly to be less frightening for you right now. “There won’t be a next time like this. I won’t let it happen. You can be mad, or scared. Whatever you need. I’ll understand.” He fell silent again for a moment more before hearing you sniffle again, though somehow your voice seemed stronger than before. “I was scared… But, I’m not scared of you, Ren.” He didn’t understand why you were so understanding with him, why you were so gentle and forgiving. Or even why you loved him. But he’d be forever grateful you did. And he’d make sure to make this up to you for the rest of your lives together. He’d make sure to keep getting better, to keep learning how to control that part of himself. He never wanted to see you look at him like that again, and if he had anything to say about it, he wouldn’t give you a reason to.

[pedrettilov3r]

Darling Part Two

Pairing: Remmick x Female!Reader

Warnings: Vampires, violence, smut, blood sucking, language, death.

a/n: Part two is here! Thank you to everyone that reading this, it has really got me back into writing fics. Let me know if there are any prompts you have for Remmick fics! My characterization is a little different from the ones I have read on here, I feel like he has more of an awkward charm and I thought it’d be interested to have him with a bolder reader. And I was listening to Father Figure while writing this 🙏 Sorry guys I was ovulating when I wrote this

You walked with determination outside and towards the group that was currently playing a song together. You would be lying if you said you weren’t a bit anxious about approaching them. You knew you could hold your own, you grew up with the twins after all, but something about this group was off and it sent chills up your spine. Their song was eerie and they kept singing even as they watched you walk up, you had to admit they did sound good, in the same way that sirens sounded good. Remmick with his gravelly voice especially caught your ear, you knew your voices would pair beautifully together. You made your way towards him and took a sit next to him on the log he sat upon. He stared longingly, almost hungrily into your eyes as he sang to you, his face lingered dangerously close to yours and you could feel his breathe on the side of your face as he sang. Something about the way he was looking at you made you even more attracted to the man. You didn’t know what you were thinking this was not the time for distractions, you simply had to get information from him and then be on your way. You couldn’t lie, the way he was looking at you like he wanted to drink you made you want to do unspeakable things to the man, but you knew the twins would kill him if they knew he touched you. They would be suspicious if you stayed out here too long, but something about him made you not want to leave.

They ended their song and you gave them a round of applause chuckling “Wow that was amazing! Maybe I could join you in your next song?” He smiled at your kind words, now it was his turn to blush. The man had such an awkward charm to him, he was bold and smooth but also awkward and seemed nervous at the same time. “Why thank you darling. You looking for a some of fresh air?” He asks. “I just come to apologize for the way the twins rejected y’all like that. They can be a bit aggressive at times but I promise they don’t have bad intentions, you understand? And I wanted to see if y’all was good people.” You smiled at him. “Aw darling, that’s so sweet of you. We most surely are.” You knew there was something more that he wasn’t saying but you guess that went for the both of you so you couldn’t really judge. “And y’all got money to spend” you questioned. He chuckled at your forwardness “Oh yeah, plenty of money. You wanna see?” You inched closer to the man, “Well yeah I wanna see.” The other man pulled out two coins of solid gold and placed them in your hand. You scoff in surprise at what you’re seeing, this kind of money could change everything for the twins right now. “What type of money is this?” You question suspiciously. “The solid gold kind darling.” He smirks whispering into your ear. You feel like your skin is on fire at how close he is. You have to take a deep breathe to stay focused. “Where is this from?” You question “It’s from a different place and a different time but it spends just the same.” His hand wraps around yours and closed your hand on the coins “You can have it.” You look at him confused as he continues “but it’s no good to you.” The woman beside you echoes his words sending chills up your spine. “Yeah and what makes you say that?” You ask, your confidence coming back to you. He looks at you with a look of seriousness “Cause you in some deep deep pain. That money. Can’t fix. Am I right?” You look at him surprised, how could he possibly know that? Images of your mother flash through your mind. “You came over her for fellowship and love.” The woman echoes him again and you stand to your feet “Okay cut the bullshit. I came over here to talk you,” you say annoyed at his distractions and he looks a bit surprised “so can we have a conversation..alone please.” You say looking at his companions. He chuckles at your annoyed manner and stands to his feet, handing his banjo to the other man. “Of course darling”

He places a hand on your lower back and takes you to a clearing in the trees where the other two can’t see or hear you. “This better?” He questions scanning your face, “Yes, thank you.” You huff letting your annoyance leave your body, he doesn’t miss this and a smirk creeps onto his face. “What do you really want?” You question suspiciously. He slowly steps closer to you “What do I want?” He chuckles and you don’t miss the suggestive undertone of his voice as he continues walking closer to you. Your breath catches in your throat as your back presses up against a tree. He isn’t stopped by this as he continues to slowly move closer to you, teasing you, until his mouth is pressed against your ear. You’re waiting desperately for what he will say and he seems to enjoy this because you feel the smile that forms on his lips. His breath dances in your skin as one hand slides onto your waist while the other makes it way into your hair. Your breath has caught up with you now and he whispers softly into your ear “I want you darling.” That awkwardness you were first met with has been replaced by a quiet confidence that makes you want to let him do whatever he wants with you.

You want this. You want him. Your hands find his hair and pull his head from your ear to look into your eyes. He has that smirk on his face and that desperate look in his eyes that you find irresistible, and you swear you see his eyes flash red for a moment before you pull him into a passionate kiss. It’s messy and heated at first from your haste, but you both find your rhythm as you melt into the kiss. Both of your hands roam and he pushes you into the tree as his knees finds it way in between your legs. “Remmick” you gasp at the friction and his hand moves from your hair to around your throat “yes love?” He whispers. His voice is dangerous to you right now, you find him so irresistible you need him desperately. Your hands pull his suspenders off and desperately move to his buttons to begin undoing them. He watches you fumble with his buttons and a smirk grows on his lips, “You that desperate huh?” He teases you and you shoot him a glare, “just help me.” He chuckles but you see his eyes grow dark with desire for you. “Yes ma’am” he quickly unbuttons his shirt and throws it on the ground. His bare chest almost leaves your mouth agape as you take it in. Your hands quickly find themselves foaming his chest as you pull him into another kiss by his hair, he moans at the tug and you smirk into the kiss. He moves his lips down the side of your face and down your neck as his hands slip under your dress and to your breast. He rubs your nipples between his fingertips and a moan escapes your lips. His lips make their way to your chest and then to your nipples taking your breast in his mouth leaving a trail of love bites as he makes his way down. He drops to his knees and pulls your dress up to your thighs. “What are you doing?” You ask, no man you’ve been with has ever wanted to do that. He smirks and looks up into your eyes basically pleading “I just wanna taste you.” You nod, speechless at how badly he wants you. He disappears under your dress and you feel his mouth begin to kiss up your thigh. He throws your legs over his shoulders and you gasp in surprise. The slow kisses teasing you and making your stomach tighten from anticipation “Remmick please” you cry and hold onto the tree behind you. You feel him hum onto your thigh in response as he licks his way up to your cunt and takes a good taste. “You taste so good darling” he whispers in his gravelly voice and continues to lick and suck on your pussy. You can’t take it anymore, your hands reach for him and pull him from his knees and into a messy kiss. You taste yourself on his lips and your hands make their way to his pants pulling his belt off. “I need you,” you beg. You unzip his pants and let your hands slip under, finding their way to massage his cock. He moans at your touch “bend over” he demands, and you look at him surprised. He turns you to bend over on the ground and his hands find your hair, you moan at the tug. He teases your entrance with his cock before slowly siding it into you. He feels so good inside of you. He thrusts deep inside of you and you can’t help the moans that escape your lips. “Shh baby we can’t have anyone hearing us.” He demands. You place your hand over your mouth to quiet your cries. You can feel he is close and so are you as he continues to thrust into you. “I’m so close” you cry and he moans at your voice. You are both nearing the edge and you’re both breathing heavy and as he pounds deeper inside of you. You feel yourself tighten, you’re so close. He leans down his lips kissing up your back and all the way to your neck as he thrusts into you. “Yes right there” you scream as you feel yourself finally release and you feel something sharp sink into the back of the back of your shoulder, it’s his mouth. His thrusts become sloppy as he finishes and you ride out the high together. Your body is feeling high from the moment and you swear you felt yourself black out for a moment as you finished. You let out a shaky breath, your heart is pounding and your skin is still burning from his touch. He slides out of you and lays down beside you.

“You taste so good darling.” He breathes out. There’s an undertone to his voice that you haven’t heard before and you turn to face him. Your breath catches in your throat when you see him. His mouth is covered in blood as he licks his fingers and lips. His eyes glow that same red that you swear you saw earlier in them. He looks at your slightly frightened and confused face and gives you a reassuring look. “Sorry I had to hurt you love but, you’re all better now I promise.” He kisses the spot where his teeth had sunk into a moment before. For some reason you didn’t mind, something in you had changed but you didn’t know what. You stare at the man beside you “I’m hungry.” He chuckles at that and he brings his mouth to your ear and whispers “I know how to fix that darling.”

@horror-moviehoe

[spookymystery67]

I Wish I Could Walk In Heels

AN: Long time no see. This took way longer than I had hoped. I guess life is really kicking my ass right now, so apologies. I really appreciate all the support from everyone who reads/comments/likes my story. It really helps with motivation when I feel like my writing is awful. I hope you all enjoy this chapter! I'm hoping that now that we're moving on to the actual game story line that it will be easier to get chapters out now that I don't have to rely fully on my imagination. It's lacking right now lol. Enjoy!

-2004-

Chapter 19:

“You'd think you and I would have learned our lesson by now.” 

“Just help me get down, you lunatic.” You grumbled once you could look at her properly, as you were finally done spinning in uncontrollable circles.

Ada couldn't keep her composure any longer and let out an amused laugh at your predicament. She tried a few times to stop and regain her breathing, successfully doing so before she looked back up at you, only to begin laughing harder once more when she caught your unamused glare. 

She couldn't take you seriously when you were hanging upside down by your left leg from a beam, struggling to get yourself free from the tangle of wire as you growled at yourself over your failure. Your growling was turned to aim at her when she had made no move to help you down and her laughter showed no sign of slowing down.

“Ada, my love. Please stop laughing and get me down from here.” You said as sweetly as possible through your irritation. You were becoming more and more lightheaded the longer you were stuck up there and your leg was going numb from holding all your weight.

Ada had to brace her hands against her knees to stop herself from falling over due to her laughter throwing her off balance. She stood to full height as her laughter slowed down to a stop, looking at you with fondness and love in her expression.

“Of course, my love.” She moves to help carefully untangle you. “You know, maybe it's time you give up on the grappling hook. It's only ever caused you pain and embarrassment.”

“True, but it also brings you amusement.” You pointed out. Ada nodded in agreement.

“Definitely. But I don't want to see you get hurt, dear. Plus, it's been six years. It's just not meant to be if you haven't got the hang of it by now.” Ada said as she finally untangled you. She quickly caught you as you fell, placing you gently on the ground and holding you steady as you tried to get over the dizziness that nearly made you tumble to the floor of the abandoned warehouse building you both chose to practice in.

You huffed in disappointment. “But I don't want to give it up. It's cool.”

Ada smirked. “Only when you can actually use it correctly.” You playfully shoved her away from you in response to her teasing.

“Well, apparently not everyone can be as cool as you.”

Ada shook her head in amusement as she wrapped her arms around your waist, pulling you in close. “Oh hush. You are cool. Just in your own, unique, way that others may not fully understand.” She cooed.

You raised a brow, unimpressed with her teasing attempt to “comfort” your bruised ego. But, you couldn't resist her soft smile and beautiful brown eyes for long. 

Your face broke into a smile and you gave up on being fake angry with her. “Fine. I give up. Clearly the only people that can use grappling hooks are you and Batman.”

“Does Batman use grappling hooks?” Ada questioned, having no knowledge on comic book superheroes.

You shrugged. “How else does he get on top of those tall ass buildings to stare out into Gotham City and brood?”

“The elevator?” Ada sassed.

The mental image you conjured up of Bruce Wayne dressed up as Batman trying to ride an elevator to the top without being seen by civilians makes you let out a cackle. Ada looked as proud as she always did to get that reaction out of you from her stupid jokes.

“So, I was thinking.” Ada started, still holding you in her embrace. “Maybe we can take a break from work for a while. Have a little vacation for a few weeks and just enjoy each other's company.”

You looked back up at her with surprise. “Ada Wong, the most workaholic person I have ever known, wants to take a break from work?” 

Ada raised a brow and squeezed your waist tighter with a smirk. “Is that not what I just said? Do we need to get your hearing checked?” She said as she lightly flicked your ear.

You swatted her hand away with a fake glare. “Well excuse me for being skeptical. Any breaks that we've had over the last six years were the result of me whining and begging you to submit due to sheer annoyance.”

“I was never annoyed with you. I just like to play hard to get.” 

You looked at her in mock confusion. “Hmm, you weren't that hard for me to get.”

“But if anyone asks, I was. I have a reputation to uphold here.” Ada teased. She playfully booped your nose just to see it scrunch up in reaction. Her smile widened as your brows furrowed in slight irritation from the gesture. “So… is that vacation a no?”

You quickly shake your head. “No! Not a no. I wouldn't mind taking a breather. Any place you have in mind?”

Ada shrugged with a smug smirk. “I have an idea or two. But it's a surprise.” 

You had a love/hate relationship with surprises. Under normal circumstances, you hated not knowing what “surprise” someone thought up involving you. But with Ada, you tend to love whatever surprise she had for you. She never did anything that would make you uncomfortable and always took note of whatever interested you and kept them in mind for said surprises in the future. 

“Hmm, alright. Knowing you, I wouldn't hate it.” You accepted.

Ada goes to respond when a voice from behind you interrupted, making her freeze for a moment as she looked over your shoulder.

“So this is what you have been up to these last six years, Ada. Playing house.”

You quickly turned to face the intruder as Ada moved to subtly stand slightly between you and the unknown man. He looked vaguely familiar. But you couldn't quite put a finger on it.

Though judging by the way Ada was immediately on guard, you could easily assume the stranger was bad news.

“I quite honestly never pegged you as the type to settle down. You always seemed to prefer to be constantly on the move.” The man said.

You observed him as he walked closer to the two of you. His demeanor screamed professional and dangerous. The type of guy with a no nonsense and straight to business attitude. He seemed completely unbothered by your presence, or by the gun in your hand that you took out and had pointed at him as you moved to stand by Ada. So she wouldn't be in the crossfire.

The man had blonde, slicked back hair and pale skin. His age seemed to be around his thirties or forties from what you could tell. He wore dark, professional clothing and donned a pair of sunglasses that covered the color of his eyes. 

The sunglasses kind of reminded you of when Ada had worn hers back in Raccoon City, as they were completely pointless in the dimmed lighting of the warehouse you and Ada had deemed appropriate for training.

“Yeah, well, I'm full of surprises.” Ada purred dryly. Her guard was up. Her mask on. Unbothered. Toeing the line between professional and flirty. She nudged you slightly, her way of telling you to put your gun down. You listened, trusting her to know how best to handle the situation.

“I'm fully aware. Don't think I have forgotten that you had backed out of our deal, Ada. You're lucky I have more important things to concern myself with other than wanting you and your little girlfriend dead.” The man said. 

Oh. 

You should have known.

This was Albert Wesker. That's why he looked familiar. You had seen a picture of him six years ago when you were snooping through files just before Raccoon city fell. You also, very clearly, remembered that this man had wanted you dead and for Ada to do the job. You wondered if that was still the case, but decided to keep your mouth shut for the time being.

“Why are you here?” Ada questioned, wanting nothing more than to get you away from the man. But, she had to engage in conversation with him. She already knew that fighting your way out of this would be pointless and needlessly dangerous for the both of you. 

She could handle this without endangering you.

“Business. I have a job for you. One that requires your particular skill set. Despite your previous failure,” Even with his sunglasses on, you could tell from his tone alone that he was giving you the side eye. “I am willing to give you another chance. And you will be paid, of course.”

Ada raised a brow as she swayed closer to shield you once more. 

“That doesn't sound like you. Giving people second chances.” She skeptically stated. Though, it sounded almost like playful teasing with her mask on. You saw right through it.

“You're not the only one who is full of surprises.” Wesker deadpanned. He seemed bored of the entire conversation.

She smirked. “And if I refuse?” Ada seemed to already know the answer to this question, but asked it anyway.

“Simple. I will kill your little girlfriend here.” He pointed toward you, before turning back to Ada. “And then I will kill you. But you already knew this. Don't waste my time with idiotic questions. Now, what will it be?”

You didn't really like being so casually threatened. But you stayed silent.

Ada glanced back at you, who was quiet throughout the conversation, debating. While you felt you both could take him in a fight, you still had to consider the alternative. 

Umbrella wasn't at all as powerful or influential as it was six years ago. Both you and Ada had a part in that downfall. You had a feeling Wesker knew this. Was he even a part of Umbrella still? Neither of you knew for sure.

But you had to assume that he still has some influence in whatever he was a part of. Meaning he had numbers. Meaning he had back up. Of course he has back up, he's not an idiot. You likely wouldn't make it out alive if Ada refused and tried to fight him off. 

All the more reason to accept his threat/offer.

You gave her a single nod, knowing she had a similar thought process as you. She knew the best way out of this situation. She knew him better. Yet she still paused for your input, making a warm feeling pool in your chest at the fact she cared about how you felt in the situation. You forced yourself to brush it off.

Now is not the time to get distracted by the love of your girlfriend.

Ada turned to face Wesker. “We're a package deal. I won't go anywhere without her.” She said, referring to you.

Wesker looked unimpressed, but accepted nonetheless. “Very well. The payment I have in mind is more than enough for two. But if she interferes with the missions in any way, you both will regret it.”

You didn't appreciate being bad-mouthed like you weren't even there in the room to listen. You spoke up for the first time since Wesker had made his presence known.

“Don't worry, I won't sabotage the mission.” You affirmed. You had a lot more unpleasant words you wanted to say in mind, but chose to not risk the situation turning into more of a problem.

Ada nodded in agreement. “I trust her more than anyone to help me get things done.” Her sincerity shone brightly through the mask she donned for Wesker. You weren't sure he even noticed, or cared to.

“Wonderful.” Wesker deadpanned. “Shall we discuss the details.”

—

You and Ada had to endure hours of debrief from Wesker. To sum it up, the mission was to take place in a village in Spain called Los Iluminados, where you were both to obtain an object called the Amber by someone named Luis. 

You've also both figured out that Wesker is part of the Organization Ada works for. And, by extension, you. The fact that for the last six years, Wesker knowingly and purposely spent the entire time staying out of your radar left you uneasy. If he wanted you dead before, why didn't he just kill you himself? He had the power.

Not knowing exactly what he was planning left you both feeling extremely uneasy. You only had educated guesses based on his past actions to go off of.

“Hey, you know everything is going to be fine, my love.” Ada voiced after you both searched the hotel room for hidden wire taps or anything that Wesker could use to spy on you with. It was clear. You could speak freely.

Her mask was off. The true Ada you know and love returned. Sincere and loving as always, worried about you and how you felt. She could sense your unease from a mile away and wanted nothing more than to comfort you.

You took off your jacket and tossed it on a lounge chair, before facing her fully. “I don't like it, Ada. I really don't.”

She nodded in agreement. “Believe me, I'm not a fan either.” 

“The fact that this entire time we have been together, Wesker knew and did nothing? It worries me.” You said.

“Well, we both suspected he was fully aware of everything. Why is it so surprising?”

“Suspecting and knowing for sure are two, very different, things. I had a small peace of mind when I was oblivious. Now I want to know what the hell he is planning.”

“The only person who knows Wesker is Wesker. Not even his closest 'friends’ know him well.” Ada said. She walked over to the loveseat placed in the very large hotel space. She sat down and encouraged you to sit right next to her.

“Still, six years and not a peep. No threats. Then suddenly he needs you.” You ranted as you sat beside her, on her right side.

“It could be a test. To see if I can be trustworthy.” Ada stated a possibility.

You paused, thinking for a moment. “He sees you as a means to an end. This mission is dangerous. It's very similar to Raccoon City. If you fail, if you die, he'll just send another.” 

Ada smirked, knowing you were right. It does seem like Wesker. “Sounds spot on, my love. He was saving all of his threats until we were needed for a suicide mission. He is sending all of his untrustworthy people first. If we die, which he could think is likely, then his problem will be solved.” She said to you as she placed an arm around your shoulders, pulling you closer to her.

You lay your head upon her shoulder with a sigh. “What if we don't die and we succeed in getting the Amber? Will he actually pay us or will he kill us?”

Ada paused. “I'm not entirely sure. Though, I am willing to bet that he won't just let us go without issue.”

“So, we won't hand it over?”

“We'll decide that when the time is right.” She shrugged.

“I don't know how I feel about going to this village. From what Wesker said, it's a little too similar to Raccoon City for my tastes.”

“I agree. But we won't be there for very long. Plus, we'll be right by each other's side throughout the whole thing. You have my back, I got yours, right?”

You nodded sincerely. “Of course. I've got you.”

Ada smiled, “And I've got you.” She pulled you even closer to her, if that was even possible. While you always felt safe in Ada's arms, she always felt the same way in your own. It was a mutual comfort.

You turned into a more comfortable position to return the hug properly as you both sat there in a comfortable silence.

“Guess that vacation will have to wait, huh?” You muttered quietly into her shoulder. She hummed with laughter as she held you tightly.

“Seems like it. Don't worry, I'll make it to you eventually.”

[laurark]

2023 Wrap Up

A strange year that was both long and short. The main lesson to learn from 2023 is the same lesson I have been learning every year since I was 6 years old: Things happen if you try!

 I spent a lot of time this year hitting my head against a wall, or rather healing from an RSI that caused making art to become really fraught. I could bear the wrist pain in order to do my favorite thing (drawing!!!) but then the pain stuck around after I had clocked out for the day and was making dinner. It would go like this: I want to make pasta sauce using canned tomatoes, but using a can opener is so painful now that maybe I should just do something else. The onions and garlic are already cooking in the pan though, what can I pivot that to? I felt like the biggest dunce in the world. I worked my way into being cursed, I deserved it.

I have this craving to just commit to a big art project, like a graphic novel, and keep my head down working on it. Having all my time devoted to work feels a bit like doing penance, like earning my bread. But I look at the world and I know I cannot draw my way out of this. I can’t write my way out of this. I can’t post my way out of this. I am unprepared for what I need to do to earn a better tomorrow. But I am prepared to learn.

I changed up my desk ergonomics and my wrist healed. Thank you to the huge desk easel that I stole from my parents’ house. It’s ugly, heavy, stained, and I keep banging my elbows on its sharp corners. It sucks but it saved my life. Do not resist making your workspace uglier if it might help you! 

Making The Influence and participating in the ShortBox Comics Fair was a huge work highlight this year. I’m so grateful I can make a work with dark themes and have it be understood and appreciated. The encouraging response to The Influence did a lot to kill the bad faith reviewer in my mind. Things are possible if you try!

I started painting again and I really love it. I’m trying to just follow the image-making. Painting is play to me and I want it to remain so. I feel myself itch to turn it into some kind of profitable thing, to make it palatable, but I’m trying to resist so it remains a place of experimentation. 

I also wrote a short novel. It’s awful. I just re-read it and it’s so bad, but reading it makes me happy. It needs serious reworking to be a proper novel, but I did technically cross the finish line and write the whole story. It was very refreshing and informative to branch out like this, even if I don’t think this particular example is fit for human consumption. Earlier in my life I was so stubborn about ONLY working in comics but now I’d like to pursue whatever path I can to have a creative career. If you try!

I had a great time tabling at Short Run this year. Two different people came to my table and told me they came to the show specifically to see my table. One person said Bug Boys was responsible for facilitating “many special moments” with them and their niece. I don’t want to forget about moments like this. It means a lot to me. 

It occurs to me as I type out this year’s accomplishments, they’re mostly things I did at home alone. I haven’t rejoined the world after COVID in a meaningful way, the way I hoped I would during lockdown. It comes naturally to me to make up excuses to stay home, keep my head down, watch how things play out before joining in. That attitude does me a disservice. It isolates me. When other people are only in the screen, they become hypothetical. It’s not right to live this way, but it’s comfortable to me. It feels “safe” after COVID, even though it’s not safe. I know I need to change this. 

It feels sick and strange to be blogging in my safe little apartment during a time of bloodshed. To flip through my planner and think of my future while others starve is obscene. My entire life was obscene in this fashion. It’s my responsibility to sit with this feeling and do something with it.

Here’s to a better 2024. We can do it, we can try. 

In love and solidarity, 

Laura K.

[tgrailwar-zero]

Hey, Thrud, Adamant and Mr Guiseppe? We called in for backup. The best backup there could possibly be, a real powerhouse of a Servant. The great goddess that saved the Nameless City, let's get some hype going for her! Our most beloved Servant and friend, Invader!! (I forgot who here knows about her True Name, so I'm playing it safe)

After some debate (and the fact that you got the feeling that she was incoming regardless of your choice, though it was nice for her to get an affirmative even if her mind was made up), you heard a familiar sound of something incredibly fast moving towards you.

Like a shooting star, it cut through the sky, starting from the cityscape closing in like a homing missile. It rocketed towards your position, the others quickly trying to step out of the way as it made impact right in front of your group. You watched as KUKULKAN calmly stepped out of the crater, dusting off her jacket with a grin.

ADAMANT: "A goddess!"

THRUD: "A sun goddess, yes."

KUKULKAN: "Oye~ Incluso sin Xochitónal, solo eres una pequeña alborotadora, ¿eh?"

For the first time, you saw the ALTER-EGO look afraid.

ALTER-EGO: "You… you're that light that killed Draco… you… you, you, you…!"

You watched as, also for the first time, the ALTER-EGO seemed rather tongue-tied, stammering nervously. As far as memories go, the first and last time she met KUKULKAN, she had turned into a giant body made of pure energy and obliterated DRACO with a single swing. It was a rather unforgettable sight for her allies, so for it to be burned so dramatically in the minds of her enemies.

As if remembering something akin to a picnic instead, KUKULKAN giggled.

KUKULKAN: "Yes, it's me~! You remember! That makes me so happy, and this so much easier! I heard that you were causing problems. Does big sis need to teach you a lesson? It's not nice to threaten people, you know?"

KUKULKAN cracked her knuckles, taking a step forward, her smile never faltering for a second. You watched as the Alter-Ego took a halting step back, as if the jade-haired goddess wasn't a mere fraction of the titan's size.

ALTER-EGO: "A-As if you're one to talk! Stay back! I-I'll crush you! I'm not scared of you!"

KUKULKAN: "Aw… you're not? Do I need to give you a reminder, then? I don't totally know how Servants work, so you might have forgotten, but since we met when I was alive, I remember 'you' pretty well."

The goddess took another step forward. The giantess continued to back away, her footsteps heavy.

KUKULKAN: "…Still, considering how you're backing up, maybe your body remembers that it's a bad idea to cross me, yes? That, and you saw what I did to Draco, ¿verdad?"

One final step, and the giantess crashed down on her butt, the ground shuddering from the impact and dust kicking up underneath her.

ALTER-EGO: "No way… no way, no way, no waaaay…!"

THRUD: "…Seeing her like this… Lord Sigurd was right, she really is the spitting image of Lady Quetzalcoatl..."

You watched as KUKULKAN skipped back over to you, still smiling.

KUKULKAN: "I think our friend is ready to use her words, Masters."

With a solid opening, you went for the aulos, not entirely sure how to play it. It looked like a pair of twin pipes… so 'blow into it' was probably a fair start. Starting with one for simplicity's sake, it sort of… melded with your shadowed face, before you managed something approximating lips, and exhaled- or at least started pushing air into it somehow. It took some time, but then you were making noise, and after that you saw a few sparkles of light appear over some of the holes as you blew into it- magical finger guides.

A light drifted from the autos, magical energy forming and melding with the ALTER-EGO's body.

You saw the ALTER-EGO put a hand on her chest, sitting in a more managable position as she glanced away.

ALTER-EGO: "It doesn't hurt as much…"

She cleared her throat, before scowling.

ALTER-EGO: "Wh..what'd you do that for, you gnats? A pitiful attempt to get me to spare you? Not a chance! It's not like I'm grateful or anything!"

ALTER-EGO: "Don't you idiots know what you did? You powered me up! Hah, you dummies! Now I have more than enough strength to squish you!"

KUKULKAN: "…"

ALTER-EGO: "I-I'll do it later, though! Later!"

GIUSEPPE: "…What a terrifying woman Invader is..."

ADAMANT: "I know, she's lovely isn't she? I think I'm falling in love…"

GIUSEPPE: "That's… not what I said."

[fizzytaste]

You think you know someone - KINK CONTENT

An idea that I've had for a while. The other skaters finding out how good Cherry is at burping.

The restaurant was empty except for Cherry and the other skaters, but Joe would hardly call them clients. The teenagers and Shadow had been engaged in light conversation for some time now and both Cherry and Joe were barely listening, Cherry because he found it uninteresting and Joe because he was too busy closing the restaurant, but he came to them when he was done, to kick them out and also see what they were talking about that was keeping them so entertained.

“That's gross, Slime” Miya wrinkled his nose in disgust.

“But It's cool, isn't it?”

“Maybe, if you knew how to do it” Shadow said.

“Do you, old man?” Reki challenged.

“Don't call me that! And knowing how to burp the alphabet isn't exactly a top priority at my age”

“He says, like an old man”

“I know how to burp the alphabet” Joe said suddenly, surprising everyone, they haven't even notice him. “It's not so hard. I'm done closing the store, so” he made a gestured like he was shooing a dog.

“Wait, you do? Can you teach me?” Reki looked at him full of expectation.

“Only if you guys leave after that”

“That's fine by me!”

“Ok then.” Joe sat down. He saw from the corner of his vision Cherry rolling his eyes. “It really helps if you know how to do it on command. Do you?”

“I'm working on that”

“That's fine, I can show you, it's simple, you just have to swallow some air until you feel an air bubble form in yout throat…” Joe did as described and Reki followed. After some effort, Joe let out a pretty average burp, not bad, but not too long or deep. “And then you just let it out.”

Reki tried to copy, releasing a burp so small it wasn't much better than a hiccup, but that enough for him, at least for his first time.

“Cool!”

“You’ll get better at it with some practice”

“You're as disgusting as you're pathetic. Don't go around teaching others when you don't even know what you're doing” Cherry snickered from where he was drinking his tea.

Everyone turned to Cherry, they also forgot that he was there. Joe raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

“Feel free to show how it's done if it bothers you so much”

Cherry scoffed.

“No, thank you, unlike you I'm not a savage.” If they were alone he would not hesitate to put that man in his place, but here, in front of everyone, he had an image to uphold. Joe would need much more than some childish provocation to get to him.

“Then don't go around complaining when you can't do better.”

“I don't have to know how to do it to criticize you, just like I don't have to know how to cook to say that your cooking sucks.”

“You can criticize, yeah, but you can't win the argument.”

“Sure I can”

“I think you’re just making excuses cause you'll never be better at burping than me. And a bunch of other things.”

Fuck the image he had to uphold.

Cherry turned silent and it took Joe a little too long to realize he was swallowing air. Then, Cherry opened his mouth and released a deep belch that did not look like it came from someone as delicate and dignified as him.

“That's how you do it” he said at the end of it, keeping direct eye contact with Joe “So I guess I win the argument”

“Yeah, but I win the war” Joe said with a satisfied smirk and that's when Cherry understood that he fell for his trap.

“Good one, Cherry!” Reki complimented, very impressed.

“I didn't expect that from you” Miya, on the other hand, was utterly shocked.

“That was loud.” Langa stated and it was hard to tell how he felt about it from his neutral tone and expression.

“You think you know people…” Shadow said more to himself in a mix of awe and shock.

“You wanted that, didn't you? Satisfied?” Cherry turned to Joe, trying to keep his composture after being defeated.

“What's wrong, don't you wanna show off your talents? Lemme tell you guys, our delicate flower here never lost a single burping contest he was on.” Joe turned to the others and pointed to Cherry, covering his mouth with his hand like he was telling a secret.

“That's so freaking awesome!” Cherry liked Reki, he did, he was a good kid, but he didn't want his approval with something like this.

“How did you learn it?” Langa asked the question his boyfriend was too excited to ask.

“I didn't really learn it, I just always knew how to do it.”

“He's a natural!” Joe raised his arms in celebration

“Shut up, you idiot. This is all your fault.”

“Oh, I'm sorry, am I supposed to cover for the guy whose idea of fun is burping in my ear?”

“I don't do that anymore!” at least not very often.

“Cherry, teach me, please, please!” Reki begged, giving the older skater one of those abandoned puppy eyes.

“No, that's beneath me. Why don't you ask Joe? I'm sure a savage like him would be glad to help you with that.”

“But you're so good, I don't think I've seen anyone as good as you! Please” Cherry wasn't sure if the boy's flattery was on purpose, but it was working.

“I can think about it”

[ohwell-itsme-but-danganronpa]

Scary bosskichi (ousai/saiou) AU

Kai: does anyone have any au ideas where Kokichi is some sorts of scary legend/boogyman? i love aus where his image and actions have been warped into something terrifying and evil over time and people fear him while he's just chillin in his own corner of the world i have done so many renditions of this i've lost count and i'm kinda hoping someone can bring something to spice it up just to name a few- i've done thief, pirate, secrete org leader, gang leader, cult leader, magic user (high fantasy), magic user (modern), god, cryptid, curse victim, exile, super villain, and various monsters

me: my brain opened a secret container and pulled out an ogre out of org without trying also, corporate boss, the obvious issue is why would he choose that, maybe he really needed the money, maybe he felt obligated in some way bc of his family. But the part of being rumoured to be monstrous is easy there, whenever co-workers haze a newbie they tell all kinds of stories about how awful he is, watch out for that guy, stay out of his way, I heard he killed somebody to get this job, he made the last secretary cry Shuichi, the new secretary, who hates rumours, but hasn't seen the guy yet: Ouma fuels the rumors and plays the man behind the curtain because he hates the job, doesn't want to get dragged into unnecessary boring office life stuff, and people breathe easier when he doesn't show up to bonding events or break rooms or most meetings really, his presence is mostly e-mails to people who micromanage. He has a second gig that makes way, way less money (or none until completion which is on the long horizon) that he spends most of his time on because it's his secret passion project Kai: aw he's so miserable in his job he scares his employees Ves: secretary shuuichi trying to get himself into a webtoon ass scenario while bosskichi is Suffering Free him he was not built to grind Let him do his silly litol passion project Beez: hes marching into his office with two hours of sleep and a vaguely threatening aura and his workers are vaulting desks to get out of his way he can tell whether u used 1% or 2% milk in his coffee /j Ves: Bro has the Do It For Her poster except it's pictures of DICE Apollo: The other staff make him take coffee to Kokichi and he's expecting an annoyed scary boss but Kokichi's half awake, the sounds of pokemon sounding from under his desk because he tried to hide his switch but forgot to turn the sound down Kai: Bosskichi seeing Shuichi for the first time is like neuron activated Apollo:

Shuichi: Here's your coffee

Kokichi: Thanks

Kokichi internally, having expected another loser:

Kai: he now has a reason to smile and that scares the people who are usually terrifyed of him cause why the fuck is he smiling so much that's creepy what is he planning atop Kokichi being seen as this horrifying boss, Shuichi is now seen as some sorts of beast tamer because holy shit the boss is nice to him and smiles in his presence??? they think they can get away with abusing Shuichi's affect on Kokichi by sending him to interact with the boss in their place, but Kokichi catches on and chews them out for it cause Shuichi does not deserve to get all this extra work thrown on him cause they're all a bunch of cowards Beez: hes really nice if u have blue hair long eyelashes soft eyes and are named shuichi saihara Apollo: DICE is bullying Kokichi. He does not care. Kai: imagine the horror of everyone in the office if someone found out Shuichi had a crush on the boss "i know he's nicer to you but WHAT?! there's no way anyone could see anything in him!" "he's just stressed, he's a wonderful person once you get past his hatred for this place" nevermind Shuichi's kinda into his meaner side Shuichi tries to lessen the fear of Kokichi in the others by talking about some casual things he's learned about him (hoping to humanize him a little) but the others simply cannot wrap their heads around a not horrifying boss Apollo: The ayo toothless kinda hot meme but it's Shuichi confessing his crush to his workmates while drunk I can't believe the audio is (apparently) from a minecraft thing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN-b99u48n4 Kai: office party i can only assume the confusion of "who's that" in the Shuichi crush confession comes from him having used Kokichi's first name instead of his last Apollo: Kokichi hears the yelling from the other room and is trying not to giggle Kai: he's having so much fun now that he's got himself a guy he enjoys being around at work the reactions from everyone are priceless

Apollo: The office lose their shit when the pair eventually get together Kai: they find out because they caught them smooching when someone walked into Kokichi's office to drop off a some paperwork the whiplash of having to hype yourself up to go talk to your scary monster of a boss and hand him some papers, only to open the door and find said boss with his back against his desk and the weird secretary pinning him down while trying to kiss him breathless Apollo: Just an awkward moment of standing there before you drop the papers on the floor and close the door. They don't even notice you Kai: Kaito should definitely work there, he'd be the one yowling about wtf Shuichi's into the boss??? Apollo: I mean…I normally bully Kaito (/aff) by making him the one to walk in on Saiou kissing so imagine if it was him. He tried taking the new secretary under his wing and now he's just caught them making out Beez: that would also imply hes scared of kokichi . which . is fucking hilarious to think about actually Apollo: Like points for confidence Shuichi for being the one to pin Kokichi but HOLY SHIT DID YOU HAVE TO GO FOR OUR BOSS? Kai: Kaito is less scared of and moreso hates Kokichi's ass, he's like 50% of the reason Kokichi is so scary he's the least favorite worker and ends up as an example of what not to do for everyone else he's still highly creeped out by Kokichi tho, due to the unnerving aura around him Printer: KIIBO SHOULD WORK AT THE COMPANY Apollo: Robot Kiibo or human Kiibo who is interested in robotics so Kokichi 'bullies' him (light heartedly but it doesn't come across that way) by calling him a robot? Kai: he is terrifyed of Kokichi ngl i tend to prefer human kiibo yes this is no ultimates, but even in hpa aus i tend to prefer human keebs because it lets me do more with him and also ult lucky student keebs is funny Beez: kiibo should be the one to walk in on them actually witnessing the guy ur terrified of get pinned to his desk by the new dweebish secretary changes a person he walks out with a thousand yard stare Printer: rantaro should also work here but he's really chill and also constantly out of the office bc he often works with overseas branches Kai: bro's oblivious to the Kokichi thing he knows people fear him but he's never around enough to know why grumpy but he gets that Printer: miu also works here. she talks a big game but everyone knows she's also terrified of kokichi Apollo: Kokichi sneezed near her while she was whispering insults about him and she freaked out He wasn't even paying attention to what she was saying because he was too tired. She's internally freaking out thinking she's going to get into trouble for shit talking him Printer: Kiyo could also be there and he's just the other office cryptid who's usually there, but you don't notice him until he appears behind you to regale you with anthropology facts Apollo: I love the idea of Kiyo just appearing. He's also one of the few who isn't scared of Kokichi. He wishes to study him like a bug instead Printer: Like logically he must be there all day right. But no one ever sees him walking anywhere. He's just. Places you're standing by the coffee machine and feel a Presence. you must resign yourself to hearing all about the defenestrations of prague for the next 23 minutes Apollo: You're trying to fill out a crossword and you get stuck on a question. Suddenly, you look up and he's here

I kept this one in the drafts for a bit, because I thought it had a nsfw part later, but I was mixing it up with some unrelated ones, so I'm going to just try and add a special treat from myself

The office romance starts out with little awkward flirts but quickly builds up frustrations with the lack of privacy, interruptions and catching brief moments alone only raising the tension. Too late for learning to lock the door now, they've already got caught kissing so making anyone knocking or calling wait would be suspicious now, so they need to take it outside of work.

Worry not, Kokichi has an even nicer desk in his home office, just the surrounding books aren't about economics and marketing anymore, but ignore that, where have we left on?

And sometimes he plays along with the little fantasy Shuichi presented, be mean to me too, use your belt, make me cry

but other times they come back to what first made such an impression on him that he handed over his heart without complaint and he waits for Shuichi to make the first move, come and take him if he wants to, all he has to do is look at him, really look at him, as he is, say what he wants like he means it and then it's all his to do with as he pleases.

Being rough is fun, and he loves indulging Shuichi's ideas, but Kokichi really truly melts at being simply wanted for who he is, leaving the personas at the door and relaxing for once, the only reason he gave this relationship a chance is that Shuichi saw the different sides to him and didn't focus on viewing him as an intimidating boss with money who's also hot, he got to know the nerd loser worried about his clowns and liked him, shown that he cares and this isn't about the money or fulfilling the sexual fantasy and nothing else. Kokichi will spoil his partner, but he needs in turn to be taken care of too.

[rinfarts]

As you know, 2024 will be the Year of the Dragon according to the eastern horoscope. This beast is noble and powerful, inspiring awe. Blank doesn’t particularly inspire anything other than a good mood, but, as Taranee would say: “there are also small dragons.”

(English is not my native language, so there may be mistakes. Please be understanding)

This costume and the image itself are taken from a series with the play (“Ambush at Torus Filne”). In it we learn about how the crystal appeared, giving the guards strength. The legend of compassionate dragons who relieved people from drought overlaps markedly with another legend. From Earth.

"The Jade Emperor Yu-di organized a race among the animals to determine the order of the zodiac signs. Such a powerful and energetic beast as the Dragon had every chance of becoming the first. But when he was close to the finish line, he saw a village that was suffering from drought. He flew over clouds and caused rain to help starving people.

The dragon continued on his way, but saw another village - it was threatened by flooding. He took pity on the residents, swallowed the water and only then continued on his way.

Just before the finish line, the Dragon saw that the Rabbit was being chased by the Wolf. To save the Rabbit, the Dragon let him go ahead. And so it happened that the strong and powerful creature finished fifth in the race, after the Rat, Ox, Tiger and Rabbit."

In the "W.I.T.C.H" version, four dragons representing the elements were imprisoned in the mountains because they dared to help people without asking permission from their Emperor. It turns out that in both legends the Dragon suffered from his own kindness?

This is partly true. And in fact, this is not the worst moral, although at first glance it does not seem so. By helping someone, you may actually miss an opportunity or get into trouble. No matter how much we wish that life would encourage noble deeds more.

But altruism should not be idealized. There's nothing wrong with being aware of the risks. Belief in a “just world”, where everyone is rewarded according to their actions, very often leads to disappointment and the thought “if something bad happened to me, I probably wasn’t good enough.” And to devaluing other people's troubles.

There is no kind of universal justice in the world and no clearly working karmic slaps on the head. However, there are other people, good and not so good. What you do may resonate with them. For example, a good deed performed in spite of any difficulties. And then real magic can happen, accessible even beyond the boundaries of legends.

I sincerely wish you to find a common language with yourself, to love yourself (within adequate limits). Find a solid foundation of confidence under your feet. And then no difficulties in life will become insurmountable for you.

If after this you find the strength and time to support other people, to inspire them with your example is wonderful. If not, this will not make you a bad person. Healthy selfishness is a wonderful thing. And good deeds should not be forced. __________________________

In addition to references to the symbol of the year, the art contains intersections with a recent answer in the ask. Anyone who read the accompanying post knows.

Caleb, one might say, is preparing a festive buffet. But the bull doesn't really want to be the main dish :D

I have long been attracted to garlands with dried orange slices. They are so warm and cozy. I wanted to add them to at least one of the New Year's arts :3

This idea later developed into the concept of natural Christmas tree decorations. Still, the Middle Ages reign on Meridian. It is unlikely that there is such an abundance of plastic toys there as we have now (the main thing is not to wonder whether there are citrus fruits in this fictional world).

But I still added a garland and balloons, I couldn’t resist. Maybe the girls brought it from Earth (making sure that everything would run on batteries) :D

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

[infinitethree]

A meeting is once again being held in one of the Welcome Wagon's orientation rooms.

This time, though, it's Theo up at the front.

He took a cue from Daz and Aster and enlisted Raine to illustrate what he saw, and also to get the images on the screen.

Once everyone has turned up, he takes a deep breath. No sense in sugar coating it. “I met the Scribe.”

The group's expressions are grim, and understandably so.

The Showrunner had been harrowing for Daz and Aster– oh, and Innit– to meet.

He flicks the screen on, showing the visage of the god he's been doing the bidding of for years.

“I requested a meeting. I…wanted to make a deal.”

He takes a deep breath, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment.

When he opens them again, he confesses, “I asked for Dad's immortality to be revoked. He'll age n’ die like normal now. In return–”

His words falter a moment. He has to take another deep breath before he can say, “I was– I was given knowledge…n’ a fuckin’ geas. I can’t– the two things I learned, I can’t speak of ‘em. If I try directly, the words die. Indirectly…they said it'd cause me pain.”

Daz’s mouth twists further into a frown. “Can you be very vague about who they affect?”

Hah. Of course he's the one who wants to test it. “First one– affects everyone. N’ once other people figure it out…they can't fuckin’ talk about it, either. Not unless it's to others who know. Has to– everyone has to fuckin’ figure it out on their own.”

Aster’s eyes go wide. “Is it dangerous?”

A loaded question. “Not…directly. Could be, in certain circumstances. Definitely fuckin’ bad for our peace've mind, though.”

Vio's tail flicks in a sign of anxiety. “Is there anything we could do about it, if we knew?”

A shudder goes down his spine at the idea of anyone doing anything about it.

“No. S’ not for us to fuckin’ meddle with.”

The words sting as they come out in a warning that he's verging on triggering the punishment.

Quickly, he refocuses on the other part. “Second one is– uh, directly affects only a few fuckin' people. It…could have some– real fuckin’ far-reaching consequences, though. Uh, like– fallout wise.”

His gaze goes to Aster. What would happen if the bombshell snaps Daz in half?

His best friend is already in pretty damn deep. Aster has twined his fingers with Daz's, likely for support.

They think they'll have a kid together– a kid who they're getting attached to. 

What happens when they realize that kid won't ever be theirs?

…What if Daz spirals because he gets too deep into a relationship on false pretenses? What if he tries to kill himself again?

Would Aster be able to live with himself? Would Theo?

Fuck.

Daz's gaze is sharp. “Could the fallout endanger Sanctuary?”

Hah. If only he knew. “...Technically. It– those people're…”

The words feel worse and worse as he speaks, so he ends the sentence.

He looks away. “That one, though, s’ not under the geas. Others can talk about it once they know it. Once enough fuckin’ people know, I'll probably have that one lifted entirely.”

Aster squeezes Daz’s hand. It's hard to tell if he's giving or seeking support. “Which one is the bigger threat to Sanctuary?”

He has to think about how to answer. “...Second one. But neither– not fuckin’...immediately. The first one is– we really can't do shit about it. Real fuckin’ scary to think about, though. It rec–”

Theo winces from the harsh sting of that word. Too close, then.

He wants even one person who is aware of this truth. Someone to share this awful burden with– even if that's a selfish desire.

Cassandra and Echo. His words aren't that strictly limited, but he’s still on a pretty short leash.

All he can do is hope that someone will put the pieces together.

With another deep breath, he says, “When I get too fuckin’ close to indirectly saying it, the words– they hurt. S’ sharp n’ sting-y. I can’t…”

He feels his face screw up and his wings tuck in close. “If I decide to break it, I wanna be sure it's real fuckin’ deliberate.”

Day looks sad Of course he's sad, Theo is upset! I still wanna know what the secrets are I mean, we'll figure it out eventually If we work together it should be easy!

Theo huffs softly in amusement at them. The Fates always know how to cheer him up.

Then again, they've been with him for well over a decade. The Fates have been his eyes and the momentum behind his fighting– to the point where he doubts that Theseus Was-Taken, The Blue Death would exist without them.

For as much as they tease and poke at him, he knows they care.

Daz studies him for a long moment, then flicks his attention to the screen. “So, tell us about the Scribe. As far as I'm aware, nobody but the T3 have interacted with them at all.”

Vio corrects, “Jacobs and Styll were contacted to build the portal, then served as conduits to give us the marching orders. Otherwise, I think you're right.”

There's no doubt that Daz would like to ask more. He just recognizes that doing so is a dangerous game.

…If there's anyone who can figure out either secret, it'll be Daz.

Theo sighs softly, using the large console to show the strange location he had been in. “The Scribe's domain is an endless library in a white void. Real fuckin’ unsettling for a void to be white. Uh– saw lots've books, obviously.”

Aleph seems intrigued. “Did you read any?”

“Fuck no. I didn’t get permission n’ I was in the domain of a fuckin’ god among gods. I wasn’t gonna piss ‘em off by touching their work! More titles I saw, more fuckin’ obvious it was that I was being tested, too.”

He shudders at the thought of what might have happened if he was more ignorant.

Wings flicking anxiously, he continues, “The Scribe is named real fuckin’ fittingly. Arms spun around ‘em, writing in books that shrank n’ grew over n’ over. Editing on the fly, maybe. So…they probably wrote all those books themself. N’ their mask–”

He flicks back to the illustration of them. Raine is an excellent artist, having captured the imposing nature and subtle details of the god.

“It shifts. Subtly, usually, but when I asked for– for Dad's immortality to be taken…eye turned into a mouth.”

He goes to that slide, goosebumps rising at the sight. “They speak slow n’ deliberately. They like when people're clever. I can’t say for sure, n’ definitely can't speak for ‘em…but I got the fuckin’ impression that they don't feel real fuckin’ interested in stepping into shit here. At least, not for the moment.”

Chewing on his lip a moment, he adds, “If I had to guess? Scribe is busy with other shit. Showrunner is the one we'll interact with the most. Showrunner also seems like the one who deals with the Observers.”

His Dad leans forward, bracing his arms on his knees. “...Do you think the Scribe would help us, if we asked?”

“Not freely. Might make things worse, if the wrong person asks the wrong fuckin’ way. I don’t…trying to interact with ‘em is a real fuckin’ risky move. I don’t even wanna say how I got my audience. I don’t even fuckin’ know if I could get it to work again,” he answers.

With a grimace, he adds, “You know how fuckin’ little we get told when doing their bidding as it is. Just their fuckin’ laugh felt…wrong. Felt– eldritch. Things no fuckin’ mortal should ever know burned on my fuckin’ tongue. We don't wanna fuckin’ test ‘em. I amused ‘em, sure, but I don't think they're any fuckin’ kinder than the Showrunner.”

Daz leans just a little into Aster’s side, even as he pulls his hand away. Gaze sharp, arguably the smartest guy in the room asks, “Why did they laugh?”

“Like I said; I amused ‘em. I did something unexpected, bold, n’ clever. That has diminishing fuckin’ returns. Assuming they answer at all, repeated attempts to make deals may just piss ‘em off. N’ this–”

He scrubs a hand down his face. As much as he doesn’t like admitting this…

He confesses, “I was trying to find a way to become immortal. I didn’t wanna leave Dad alone with no fuckin’ end in sight. When I learned that Time was the Scribe…I saw a way to do the fuckin’ opposite. N’ it's not fuckin’ like I wanted to live forever. Not for its own sake, anyway.”

Aster is suddenly in his face, throwing a punch at his throat.

For once, Theo is caught off guard enough that he can’t defend against it.

His friend yells at him, “You goddamned idiot! Why do the people around me– stop trying to fall on swords for others!”

“Hey, I never tried to be a martyr,” Raine protests. “Some of us do our therapy right,” Khons agrees.

Annoyed, Daz says, “Stop being vague, everyone knows who you mean.”

Aster pinches the bridge of his nose. “Daz.” “Yes, dear?” “I–”

An odd look crosses Aster’s face. “Dear?”

Eyebrows raising, Daz answers, “We’re dating. Pet names are normal…I think.”

After a beat, Daz rolls his eyes. “It’s not like anyone here knows better, at least. I see more couples than anyone else.”

They're dating.

Aster and Daz have started dating, and that means–

Fuck. What happens if Daz goes supernova when the truth comes out?

If Aster has agreed to date, then he would be devastated if it happened now.

The longer it takes them to realize, the worse it could be.

“Worst possible way to phrase that,” Raine snarks, unaware of how Theo is scrambling for stable footing.

Daz shoots back, “I can think of worse ones!”

Hands press on his shoulders. 

His attention is pulled back to Aster, who seems concerned. “Theo?”

“I didn't realize you two started fuckin’ dating,” Theo answers. He shrugs, rubbing his throat despite barely feeling it. “Just– caught me off guard. Would've been fuckin’ nice to hear personally, Aster.”

With a wince, his friend apologizes, “It’s been less than a week. You've been kinda busy, so…”

Not like he can argue.

Daz’s eyes narrow. He drapes his arms over the back of the seat he’s sitting on, one leg resting on the opposite knee.

The pose is imperious, like this is Daz’s castle and he's a king about to pass judgment.

“I wasn’t aware you had an opinion on our love life. Also, you know we get married, so. This was inevitable.”

Immediately, Aster tells Daz, “If Raine, Khons, and Aleph found out just now, they'd be mad, too. Just like you got pissy that I didn't tell you about the earrings–” “Still not over that, by the way.” “--Theo can be upset his best and pretty much only friend didn't tell him about getting into a relationship.”

It takes him a moment to decipher what the fuck the two of them are talking about.

He holds his hands up defensively. There is no way in hell he's getting on Daz’s bad side. “I mean– yeah, just feels…I dunno, I just didn't realize things got that far! I'm not– gonna fuckin’ object to you dating or some shit.”

Mostly because there's no way to do that without explaining why.

Daz huffs, even as Raine pats his arm. “At least Aster is learning to communicate with most people.” “I was the one who told all of you.” “A trait that will either rub off on him or you'll train him into.”

Naturally, Aster is offended by that. “I have great communication skills! Also, the fuck am I, a dog?”

Cheerfully, Daz answers, “You can give orders, dear, that’s not the same thing. Also, everyone is trainable. You’re not special.”

Aster inhales, and then looks baffled. “He made you pay when you swore? That's why you don't do it as much?!”

Theo squints. “...Daz had a fuckin’ swear jar?”

“It was to teach me self control, because he was unaware how short of a leash I put myself on by following his own stupid fuckin’ ethos.”

Aster’s brow furrows. “Didn't you break a ton of his rules?” “I followed the spirit of leveling the playing field. Not my fault he thought I wouldn't spy on everyone, him included.”

Concerned, Day straightens up. “Spy how–”

Daz rolls his eyes. “Nothing that can't be done easier with tech here. Not that I bothered, because I literally don't have enough time to utilize that properly. I'm not saying more, for hopefully obvious reasons.”

Despite nobody looking at him, Lucid makes a face. “I'm not dumb enough to take away something that makes you feel safe. I like my bones on the inside, thanks.”

“You’re surely not implying that I need Aster to fight my battles for me,” Daz warns.

“My mind being broken too is kind of a given. It's a two for one deal.”

Tone flat, Vio tells them, “I have to stitch him up after anything you do. Don't give me more work.”

Aster points out, “We've eliminated countless fires before there was any smoke. Even if Lucid fucks around, finding out a thousand times won't budge the scales.”

“What’s this we? I had to bully you into doing the barbecues. You hate socializing,” Daz complains.

When Aster gives his…boyfriend? A long look, Daz rolls his eyes. “It’s a valid point!” “You still need to stop picking fights.”

“Children, can we focus,” Day complains, snapping his fingers a few times.

He’s given a death glare by both Aster and Daz, neither of whom Theo would really want to talk to like that.

As much as he loves his dad, and as much as Aster is his friend, the idea of snipping at him feels wrong.

Then again, maybe he’s just on edge because of the dual bombshells he has no choice but to sit on.

Theo worries at a few of the beads in his hair, trying to draw comfort from the familiar textures. “I– I dunno if there’s really anything else, though. It’s…I mean. Hopefully this never fuckin’ matters.”

Wait, fuck. He almost forgot.

“No– I fuckin’ take that back. Scribe said one thing, when they were laughing. Invoked someone they called the Overseer like we’d invoke Prime. I didn’t ask anything else.”

Daz’s irritation vanishes. “Someone exists above them, then?” “Sounds like it. Dunno who or what they are, or if we’ll know more, but…s’ probably good to know they apparently exist.”

A shudder goes down his spine and through his wings. Given what the Showrunner and the Scribe can do, he dreads the thought of knowing what the Overseer is even capable of.

He preferred when gods were beings trapped within the confines of a story. Having to interact with them as much as he does…

Having someone so far above him makes him uneasy. It was already bad enough that he met them every so often when traveling, but adding the Showrunner’s meddling on top of everything else grates at him.

Especially now that he knows that it’s not just watching.

What gets written, and who decides what is described? Whose perspective is it from?

Fuck. He never properly appreciated his Dad’s stance on the mind being a sacred place that nobody else could or should peer into.

Now that he’s facing the idea that his thoughts might not be as private as he assumed, he’s suddenly a hell of a lot more worried about what he’s thinking and how it might be taken.

…Can he knock on wood in his own head? Do either of them even care?

Not like he can ask, even if he wanted to.

[the80srewinders]

Syscourse has affected us a lot, and after a break from Tumblr to do our own research and let us work out our feelings, we decided we are endo neutral.

We don't want to deny someone's experiences, but what we've seen from endogenic systems is... confusing. There's so many people who thought they were endogenic and turned out to actually have DID or OSDD instead, or singlets who had psychotic disorders, personality disorders, or medicalized normal aspects of the personality, usually because the endo/pro endo community convinced these people what they experienced was endogenic plurality. Some endos say DID is possible without trauma, it isn't. Trauma is a requirement for all dissociative disorders. I (host) was downvoted for calling out that misinformation. There's been a small amount of misinformation on DID/OSDD in the pro endo community. There's been some cultural appropriation as well- calling God a system, "Jesus Christ's three day dormancy" and using the term "tulpamancy" which is a closed practice and has nothing to do with creating your own headmates. In our personal interactions with endos, we met a few who glorified having two or more headmates of the same fictional character (something real DID/OSDD systems struggle with) and glorified in system pregnancy in headmates under 18 (this happens in DID/OSDD systems as an expression of trauma.) We also saw endos with headmates whos pronouns were offensive (aw/tism) and had inappropriate topics as their pronouns.

The whole reason we were pro endo is because the anti endo community has a lot of toxicity- hate, bullying, baiting endos who truly didnt do anything, fakeclaiming real DID/OSDD systems, making standards for them that aren't based in reality, and whining about having DID all the time, no positivity, no hope. It was toxic for us. But we never really saw how endogenic plurality was possible, we just went along with the whole thing because endos seemed nice enough on the surface...

We learned in this past week that you have good people on both sides of syscourse. There's good anti endos, and there's bad ones. There's good pro endos, and theres bad ones. There's good endos and there's bad ones. It isn't who's side your on that makes you bad; its what you do, how you treat others. Syscourse is ruled by black and white thinking on both sides, and black and white thinking never got anything accomplished- it just causes more confusion and mental pain. There isn't enough brain imaging to prove endogenic plurality is real, but there's also never been any brain imaging to prove such. Compared to DID, there's been enough brain imaging to prove its real. We don't want to doubt anyone's experiences especially ones without studies to prove them. But so many "endos" find out they had DID/OSDD all along or that they were singlets with other disorders at such a high rate that we find it nearly impossible for endogenics to be real. Again, we don't 100% think its impossible. We just aren't sure. But we have left the pro endo community because when we interacted one-on-one with them, they appropriated DID/OSDD terms, a cultural term, glorified aspects of systemhood people with DID/OSDD struggle with, and we unfortunately ran across the "cutesy quirky" endos. We basically ran into a lot of toxicity in the pro endo community too, appropriation and mocking mostly.

We're happier now. We're doing better now that we don't have a side in syscourse. Please don't send hate our way.

[mihohonemarurp]

Miho's backstory and character information/intro

This post is entirely OOC and there are trigger warnings for it and the rest of the blog in general, those being of bullying, abuse, child neglect, attempted murder of a child and a lot of talks of medical stuff. of course all these issues will be treated seriously and respectfully by me, while unlikely if any jokes are made about this in character please know that it is not me treating the topics like jokes. If any of this is triggering you don't have to read, it will all be under a read more section.

★。------ ＼｜／------。★

Character ref images:

sorry for not having a real full drawn ref! i havent made one yet :c

★。------ ＼｜／------。★

Ever since she was a young child Miho was very weak, being in and out of hospitals since she was a toddler which caused her parents to slowly resent her as she cost them so much money. this got worse until, one night her parents tried to suffocate her because she had become too much effort and money for them.. of course this lead to her being put in a child care program and while there her life was hell, as a lot of the other children there used her as a punching bag, especially the older boys who would hurt her the most, finding it funny as she got hurt far easier than anyone else and couldn't fight back even if she tried.. some people did care about her, but most didn't as she was unable to do most things without getting tired or sick..

While she was kept alive and technically taken care of, the staff at the place she stayed were awful, with them not having the proper money or care to actually be able to help her, and several simply didn't bother with Miho in the first place, figuring that she was going to die anyways and it wasn't there problem to help her.. others did take care of her, but her complaints about being hurt, were left alone, "she was just being sensitive" they said.. and she didn't have the heart to fight back, she didn't want to cause problems.. after all her parents had already grown to hate her.. and she didn't want it to happen again.. she'd rather just disappear than that..

There was one time where the abuse went too far, with one of the boys hurting her so badly that one of her ribs broke and pierced her lung.. after that she was rushed to the hospital, where as they were treating her they found far more things wrong with her body, with one of the nurses wondering how she'd even survived this long.

Since then she's been stuck in a hospital, never being able to leave or make friends that stayed around, with the few she did make always leaving the hospital after a while.. her treatment is expensive, so she's had to pick up something to do to make money, so she's picked up poetry, which people pay her enough money for either because they like it, they want her to write something for them, or sometimes they want to actually see her read it live, which the hospital rarely allows much to her disappointment.

★。------ ＼｜／------。★

Alright other details time! First her quirk!

Dove: Fairly self explanatory, she's able to do most things a dove could, with the exception of flying, as her body isn't strong enough to have her grow proper wings. her quirk is also the cause of the bird wings she has in place of her ears, she can still hear out of them about as good as normal ears tho.

★。------ ＼｜／------。★

General Info about her and what to expect when interacting

Miho's info: She's 22/23 (22 at the start of the series, and around the middle of the series she turns 23), she's a demigirl and uses she/they, she's biromantic and demisexual, and her favorite hero is Hawks.

When interacting

No nsfw, i am a minor

Miho isn't great at talking with people, she's generally a bit odd and nervous as she doesn't really talk with people outside of the hospital staff, however she will try to talk with anyone, even villains as she's not super aware of a lot of stuff that's happened with them

she gets attached to people very quickly if they're nice to her, and doesn't fully understand a lot of how she's supposed to feel about things

they don't like speaking about their past unless they're close to someone, and speaking about what she's been through is generally very triggering for her

she admires heroes more than anything and wishes she could be one too as they think it's the most wonderful thing someone could do, but of course she's not able to due to their illness

most of her knowledge on how the world works is from movies or the bits of the news she's seen, meaning sometimes she'll say stuff that comes off as super odd or just slightly concerning, especially since she's seen a lot of horror movies

★。------ ＼｜／------。★

anyways!! have fun with this blog! and if you like it i have others (feel free to ask what they are!!)

[abyssembraced]

Headcanon Generator Meme

((Except that some are reacted to ooc and others are in character))

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

Ghost:

"If Ghost likes someone, they will give them a pretty rock."

((Yeah, I could see that! Headcanon accepted. Their mindset is along the lines of: they know that Giving Gifts is a Good Thing that People Like. But they don't know what actually constitutes a good gift. They know that many people like receiving flowers and that Ze'mer's flowers are especially precious, but they don't know why that is. They also know that most bugs like Geo, which are basically shiny fossils and rocks. So maybe this other rock is also a Good Gift? Here you go, Friend!))

"If the source media was a musical, Ghost would be the one character that asks why everyone is singing."

((I think that'd fit them really well actually, yeah! Not a verbal question, of course, but just a silent wondering! It fits in with them slowly becoming more conscious and 'alive' throughout their journey in Hallownest. They're not familiar with their own genre, so they wonder why everyone's singing! But over time they eventually come to understand or at least accept that That's How Things Work.))

"Ghost does not know what sleep is."

((Mmm. While it's true that they wouldn't really Need sleep after obtaining Void Heart, on account of becoming fully Void, they are familiar with what sleep is! And they're also sort of capable of it in at least some capacity.))

"Ghost will go feral. Watch out."

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

Meta Knight:

"Meta Knight speaks only in meme references."

((I mean Honestly if we're talking about Kirby Right Back At Ya's Meta Knight, I could absolutely see a YTP featuring that. But! My Meta Knight is Not That, save for a couple details I took from it, so Nope asgshfhf. I could see Magolor doing that for like a day or something though just to annoy the others.))

"Meta Knight can hug you, but won't."

"Correct." Save for a select few people who might be able to force one out of him, anyway.

"Meta Knight is awful with kids."

"I am inclined to say so, yes, but... Kirby seems to insist otherwise." Surely he was just an outlier, however. A unique exception, solely due to the fact that they were each the only other member of their species that either of them had ever met. ...Why are you pointing at Sailor Waddle Dee. Stop That.

"It would not take much for Meta Knight to turn evil."

"I believe the strength of my will is powerful enough to resist such corruptive forces." Though as much as he might like to, he couldn't deny that the stray Dark Heart had gotten the better of him some time ago. Not to mention whatever it was that had happened to his mirror counterpart...

"Meta Knight likes to eat straight coffee beans."

"Though I do prefer my coffee black, I... Fear the raw beans may be too bitter, even for me."

...He was lying about even drinking his coffee black. He would always dump tons of sugar into his drinks. Straight coffee beans would be a definite 'no' for him.

"Meta Knight had an emo phase."

((Absolutely hilarious mental image that I will neither confirm nor deny, lmao))

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

GLaDOS:

"GLaDOS knows the lyrics to every Hatsune Miku song by heart."

((Technically correct, but only because she's a robot and can just search for all the lyrics and download them if she desired. But I don't think she'd even know who Miku is unless she was prompted to research her.))

"GLaDOS will remind others in the midst of chaos how good *she's* being."

((. Yeah I could totally see this ashsdgwgdvf. But it'd have to be something specifically said to Chell while other people are Causing Problems and not her ((for once)). I don't think I could see her saying it to anyone else.))

"GLaDOS is in your house."

((If you live in the Aperture building then she is your house lmao))

"GLaDOS is a very good singer."

((So Very True <3))

"GLaDOS is going to hell."

"We would once again like to remind you that here at the Aperture Enrichment Center, Android Hell is a real place where rogue androids will be sent at the slightest hint of dissent."

"Unless you can turn on the neurotoxin emitters quickly enough. Which you don't have."

"GLaDOS is awful with kids."

"I don't know, I would consider my performance at the Aperture Science Bring Your Daughter to Work Day to be a great success. Though I do work better with cats."

"GLaDOS is constantly singing for no reason."

"And you are constantly bumbling around like a useless idiot for no reason. What do you think of that?"

"GLaDOS can't make the voices go away."

"I did, actually. But it involved me being betrayed and murdered by a friend that I trusted, so I can't say I recommend my method."

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

Tagged by: @bladesfromthedark (thank you!)

Tagging: @distrxst , @tazmilyxfamily , @musescfmusic , @quillheel , @hopeful-hugz , @pri-rp , @legalbrats , @galacticnova3 (I know you've already done it for your Lor blog, so. Maybe one of your other ones if you feel like it?). Just. Tags Everyone again so no one can feel left out dgsgsgf. And once again, feel free to do it for any blog(s) and muse(s), not necessarily the specific one I tagged!

[burnwater13]

The Armorer speaking with Din Djarin and Paz Vizsla (out of frame) in the forge room of the Mandalorian covert on Nevarro. Image from The Mandalorian, Episode 3, The Sin. Calendar by DataWorks.

Grogu could appreciate the Armorer’s words. Secrecy had helped him over the years. It had been a key to his survival. He had hidden himself away and stayed out of view and endured many hardships in order to evade the Inquisitors and their ilk. But it had also been boring, lonely, and generally awful. Since he’d experienced being found and being lost, he’d take being found any time. 

Yes, Grogu had used his abilities with the Force to save the Mandalorian and Greef Karga and Bo-Katan and a bunch of other folks, since the Mandalorian found him on Arvala-7. That wasn’t what put him back on the radar of the former Imperials. His mere existence had done that. How they knew he was a live and still worth pursuing was a mystery and he hoped to solve that one day, but until then, he was glad to spend the time with Din Djarin and dodge whichever ex-Imps still roamed the galaxy. 

He wondered how Mandalorians even managed to hide. It’s not like their armor or their attitudes helped with that. They stood out wherever they went and even with their flight packs you couldn’t ignore them. If you spent enough time with them you could probably learn to deal with their personalities. 

Some were abrupt, like Paz Vizsla. Some were touchy; Koska Reeves and Boba Fett came to mind. Others pouted. But they did all those things in a manner that only Mandalorians would use. First, it seemed like part of their Creed to never apologize for anything. Then, they didn’t cut each other any slack to recognize their differences. Nope. They just fought with each other, which honestly, everyone around noticed, whether they wanted to or not. 

Then there was the whole un-hideable problem of their history. Grogu had a chance to investigate the Children of the Watch and other Mandalorian groups and given the size of the galaxy, it just didn’t make sense to think that they needed to hide, per se. Din Djarin had been brought to Concordia to live when he was rescued from Aq Vetina. Concordia was Mandalore’s moon. That’s not exactly hiding. Not when there were billions of other star systems in the galaxy, many with habitable planets. 

Sure, the Great Purge was pretty awful, but that’s not why the Children of the Watch were on Concordia. They were there because of the Mandalorian Civil War. One of any number of Mandalorian civil wars as Grogu found studying their history. They had tried to over turn the then government of Mandalore and got banished from their home world. Paz Vizsla knew that. He was related to Pre Vizsla who had caused a lot of the trouble. With help from someone else they all knew. Bo-Katan Kryze. Uff. 

What a mess. No one could trust anyone else and they all turned on each other. Which didn’t really seem to be in keeping with the Creed. Grogu wondered if it was more like a guideline and less like a code. But in any event, Mandalorians were still on Concordia, Kalevala,  Krownest, Ordo, Concord Dawn, and any number of planets that weren’t part of the overarching Mandalorian Protectorate. So pretty much not hidden at all. 

Bo-Katan and her people, like Axe Woves and Koska Reeves, didn’t seem all that concerned about people seeing them walking around in Mandalorian armor. And not just walking around, but fighting people who tried to harm him and Din Djarin. No one Trask seemed to care about them. They were kind of no big deal there.

Eventually, the Mandalorians had come back to Nevarro and settled there and didn’t spend anytime in the covert (sewers under the city, yuck) any more. Then some of them went back to Mandalore and discovered that other Mandalorians had survived the Purge and were still there. Grogu didn’t think that counted as hiding. Even if they were hiding, how effective was that in a langskib? That ship was large enough to be picked up on sensors. They were more like people who were marooned, rather than people in hiding. They just didn’t have a way to get off planet. 

Now that they were found and the Mandalorian diaspora was returning to Mandalore (after kicking Moff Gideon and the other Imp remnants off it permanently), Grogu wondered if they were going to go back to doing things in secret? It was hard to imagine that lots of people weren’t going to be paying even more attention to Mandalore in the future because of what had just happened there. The Imp Remnants were likely to do that. And the New Republic. And the syndicates. And anyone and everyone who ever had a grudge against Mandalorians. That seemed like a pretty big risk, but he didn’t think secrecy was going to help them manage it one way or the other. 

They were just going to have to be like him and his dad. They had a nice place on Nevarro and Grogu enjoyed running around outside, chasing butterflies, and catching frogs and just sitting by the pond hoping that a new episode of Diggle and Daggle the Fish that fish would come out soon. But when it became necessary, he and Din Djarin would jump into the N-1 and go after which ever trouble maker their friends around the galaxy flagged for them. A Mandalorian and a Jedi. No one would expect that and that was a secret that kept itself intact, thank the Force. Peaceful, but prepared. This was the new Way.

The Armorer speaking with Din Djarin and Paz Vizsla (out of frame) in the forge room of the Mandalorian covert on Nevarro. Image from The Mandalorian, Episode 3, The Sin. Caption reads: Our secrecy is our survival. Our survival is our strength.

[paragonrobits]

When i think about the discourse that really bothers me, it often leaves me feeling that the sort of people causing this discourse are... not exactly chronically online, because I don't think that's the most useful way to describe. Insular; yes, absolutely. Living in a small selected bubble where only the most inoffensive and affirming thoughts cross your experience until that becomes the whole of your personal universe, and anything outside it is an ideological threat.

It leaves me feeling that these people often haven't suffered that much, or know what genuine struggle and fear are actually like. They've almost certainly had in their lives, sure, but probably on a more minor level, and they're so wrapped up in their own image of heroism that they consider every minor inconvenience to be a horrifying nightmare the likes of which no one can compete with.

I see these people online, turning shipping arguments into a massive flame war and moralizing over ships and I think 'could you please get some ACTUAL problems instead of acting like a victim over something this petty?'

And I see their works; it's similarly vapid. It's always low-stakes, it always resents the idea of fantastical things outside of being an escape fantasy, and the idea comes up over and over that all they want to see is things that affirm what they already know or believe.

Deliberate discomfort in art, of exposing you to tragedy or horror or compelling you to question yourself and your beliefs (even if the answer is 'I believe what I started out believing, I now can give a defense of it'), seems foreign to them. Sometimes they suggest that the CONCEPT of discomfort is inherently evil.

Let it roll around in your mind a bit, the things you dislike about their works; its almost static, and character stasis seems to be a virtue to that mindset. Ignore the implications of the term 'redemption arc' and instead consider that a character arc is about change, whether they DO change or retain their stance; either way the point is that they move and flow with a world, but in these works, a Character is an unchanging stone; any kind of change, or contemplation of it, is an act of violence.

(This may also be why we see discourse positing that a character was Always Good; it supports the idea of built-in character and morals, in the same way that a character who becomes an antagonist is supposed to always be Ultra Turbo Bad. Change is unwanted to this perspective, and instead they have to ALWAYS have been Good or Bad.)

And finally this makes me think about a line from the Exalted tabletop RPG, in a supplement covering the Infernal Exalted; those empowered by the malicious, inhuman and fundamentally broken titans of the setting, chosen to be the rock stars of Hell, given monstrous powers and horrific mutations to empower them.

The Infernals are a far cry from the Solar Exalted, the golden champions of the setting. They don't burn with holy golden light; they radiate the awful, cold flames of the hell realm that empowered them. They don't just punch things, green fire ignites from their fists to blast their foes into a radiation-riddled corpse, blazing in a fungal bloom. Coppery exoskeletons rise through their skin, alit with runes that tell the story of the maddened universal emperor's descent into hell. Their bodies swell with infernal power as they become grotesque and monstrous, their blood turns acidic and blasts into the faces of their enemies.

They are monsters, and they are heroes too. Chosen from the lost and the damned, from those yearning to tear down a system that hurts them, from people who almost had a chance to be a hero but turned from it at the last second and are consumed by the shame.

Like many other Exalted of that edition, they have a unique martial art style derived from their instinctive combat powers. Their's is known as Infernal Monster Style; they turn rage into a tool, overwhelming a foe with nightmarish power and extreme violence, smashing a foe into bloody paste, being both Hulk and Hellboy, an untamed apocalypse of raw power.

Their power comes from rage. It's a deep anger, a real anger.

I honestly doubt that the kind of online moralizers really know what that kind of anger is. They might think they do, but I wonder if they've ever looked up into the sky in a moment of despair, felt the sun beating down on them while their whole families abandoned them and thought: "Today, I'm really going to die."

Lack of hope makes anger swell up. It gives real anger a place to live and lets it sit there for years and years, to simmer and wait.

Now, I think of the Infernal Exalted again, and their Infernal Monster Style. Each such style has a sutra associated with it, and a story underlying its philosophy. And their's tells the story of a maiden, trapped in a stone cell. So, she punched the wall with her bare hand.

(Sometimes you don't need a pretty affirming story.)

She punched it until her blood splattered the wall.

(Sometimes you want something ugly and violent and monstrous, because it speaks to the horror in your life, or a horror you can understand.)

She punched it until her bones broke.

(Sometimes a low-stakes slice of life coffee shop AU is insufficient, or meaningless; violence, sorrow, despair, questions about "do I have to be a monster" and "what is the price of my vengeance" are more important to you.)

Still she punched at the wall.

(Purity means something being entirely a single thing, unalloyed or marked by anything else. Singular; alone. But alloys make something stronger. Something that has never known sickness or violence is easily killed by those things when it inevitably finds them.)

The wall shattered.

(Purity and wholesomeness are not virtues; they are sought after, so much, by people who consider your existence a crime. Purity is weakness.)

Survival is fury, said the maiden.

[eclecticgladiatordelusion]

me and my girlfriend were out for a smoke(weed) at the park as we usually do, at like 1:30am, and we live in a very quiet privileged area of a suburb, so occasionally there's wannabe cops (public security) that drive by the park. we've been smoking there for like a year but tonight was the first time something eventful happened.

we'd each already smoked and i was quite stoned when we get jumpscared by a flashlight and "hey, what are you doing?" and its one of the public security officers. i immediately freeze and get utterly terrified bc i've always been an absolute rule abider in every way and i've always people pleased to hell and back to not have people in positions of power dislike me even in the slightest. and i, in my fear, had forgotten about how little power "public security officers" have compared to cops, so i was thinking of him like he had that kind of power

while i'm frozen my girlfriend starts talking to him and he immediately starts grilling her, what are you doing? do you have ID on you? what's your name? and she remains allll cool and collected, we're just smoking, no i dont, i am not required to give you my name. he says the park is closed after 11 and she says oh really? and he goes (and i immediately knew how the interaction was going to when he said this) "are you joking?" and starts ranting about how we should have read on the website, if we live around here we should know the rules, this is illegal, etc. then he starts grilling her on how much weed we have, and she opens our jar of empty weed baggies while he goes on about how we have so much, and then he tries to scare us with a fake number on how much weed is legal to carry on our person. and my girlfriend is not buying it and is like "oh really? interesting." (the actual legal amount is like 25g or smth, and he said it was 0.8g???) and he keeps going on power trips about how he can arrest us (he literally can't?), he interrupted my girlfriend mid-sentence for unnecessary chatter on his radio (just saying like the name of the street and "i've got two individuals here"), he talked about how "i was in the police last year" (which i, even in my terror, thought was kinda funny and pathetic, image being a cop and the next year you spend your nights patrolling parks in the most quiet neighborhood ever). he also was like "you know who i work for?" and my girlfriend went "the city?" and he talked over her to say "i work for the government" like. okay way to make yourself sound important lol. he also said like "i'm friends with the police you know" and yeah he talked about the fine for smoking in a public park and told us to smoke at home in our backyard and if he sees us in any of the parks around here after 11 he's going to fine us. then he was like "okay you can leave now", my girlfriend lead the way as we went on a little detour and i cried a bit cause thats the first time i've ever had something like that happen and i was so scared, and when we got near where we live, the cop was waiting for us, so we turned and walked down the main road instead. he drove past us, then turned around to face us and i was worried he was going to ask what we were doing and where we were going, but we'd already turned around and we headed down a residential street before heading home.

im a very, very privileged person. i live in a big city, i'm white, i have access to all sorts of resources and i have a family that supports me and has good values overall.

i know that cops are bad, and cop-adjacent jobs too. i know that, i believe that, i've had my anti-cop mantra i say in my head when i see a cop for several years now. but i have never personally witnessed/experienced something like that. i thought it was like "cops suck because theyre really good at being racist/ableist/etc etc" and that i wouldn't have a reason for a cop to be awful at me because of my privilege. and yet.

im sure this isn't that bad compared to other things and there was very low risk, but i cannot stress how i have never experienced anything like that. and it's a lot to process, and it makes me aware of a lot of things :

- how privileged i really am

- how stigmatized weed is

- how earnestly awful cops and fake-cops are, for no reason at all

to end on a lighter note

he was a short guy with a very trendy mullet and he had a thick french accent that my girlfriend found hard to take seriously, as she told me after the fact. on the walk home we were talking about how he just looks like a gay twink, "i've seen that man topped in gay porn"

wild. we will not be smoking at that park anymore. ACAB

[percontaion-points]

Delicious Monsters chapters 13 & 14

Today's review might be difficult for some; reader discretion is advised

Click to see the rest of the snark & image descriptions

Click here for the rest of the series!

Chapter 13

We’d come all the way out here for this house. This beautiful, amazing house where Mom had spent those elusive summers she’d never thought to mention. But I couldn’t go in by myself. 

’Cause that made sense.

I bit the inside of my cheek. 

There was something in there that she didn’t want me to see. A secret. Something she wanted to keep hidden like everything else in her life. That was the only reason that tracked. 

In Brittany’s POV, they’re talking about the Daisy of past-tense, who murdered several people in the house.

But from where I’m sitting, Daisy is a victim of years of abuse and neglect from practically every single person in her life. 

His hair was in its usual style, curls popping and juicy…

She says “his usual style” as if this isn’t the second time she’s seen him. 

“What’s a four-wheeler?” 

King openly laughed at me. Like my question was the most hilarious thing he had been asked in a while. I was suddenly glad that I hadn’t also asked what a Ski-Doo was. Once he’d composed himself, he smiled. Bright and shiny. Like a magazine cover. “You’re really like born and bred Toronto, eh?” 

“Yeah, well.” 

“It’s like… It’s hard to describe. Google it.” 

It’s honestly not that hard. It’s like a motorised dirt-bike with four wheels. 

Maybe I shouldn’t have. The dog would have loved me back.

Chapter 13 summary: Later, Daisy goes to the greenhouse, which is mostly dead from neglect. As she looks around to get started, King shows up with a wheelbarrow for her to use. He offers to help, but she’s randomly nasty towards him for no real reason. (It’s the years of systematic abuse talking.) He says that the house is dangerous, and that it’s why his family wants to get in and “cleanse” it. 

He leaves, so she gets to work clearing things out. He comes back after a bit with some trash bags for her, so she asks him to help her clear out on the other side. As they work, she asks him about how his family claims to be psychic. From her perspective of being able to see the dead, it’s an awful lot like Harry Potter with his real magic looking down his nose at Harry Houdini for his stage magic. 

King explains to her that when the family first came to the area two generations ago, it was a quick way to get involved in the community. Now, the family wears the traditional Nigerian garb because they think that it’ll add legitimacy to their claims. Their real surname isn’t even Okeke, but they adopted it in an effort to try and reclaim their roots. However, King scoffs over the idea, since none of them know if they’re even from Nigeria or not. 

Daisy is only impressed that they can pretend so well. Her own grandmother came over from Trinidad as a child and immediately shucked all of her prior culture in order to fit in. 

She asks if he’s going to continue the family tradition, but he says no. Asks if she does everything her mother asks her to do. She says no. That the only thing she’s ever wanted to do is to care for her plants. 

She then tells the readers that when she was 9, she asked her mom for a dog. Grace got her a monstera plant instead, with the idea that if she could keep the plant alive, she could get a dog. It died. So Daisy got another one, which she researched heavily on how to keep it alive. That turned into multiple plants. Grace then said that Daisy wasn’t going to have time to care for her plants AND a dog, but Daisy said that she no longer wanted a dog. 

Chapter 14

“We’re really not going to go inside the house?” 

“If necessary, we will. And it’s not currently necessary.” Mom let out an exasperated breath and leaned back on her stool, balancing on the back legs. “I’m not going to have this conversation with you over and over.”

That isn’t a fucking explanation. 

“I just don’t understand how we’re going to run this whole operation like this.”

 “You don’t have to, Daisy!” she cried. Her voice was strained. “I’m the adult. Let me worry about it. All you have to do is manage the garden, go to school, and… you know. That’s it. Just be a kid.” 

This was not how this was supposed to go. 

There were the plans Mom and I made, and now, apparently, there were alternative plans that she made on her own. Ones where I was less of a helper and more of a bystander. Leaving her the sole responsibility of making this business work.

It’s not so much that I disagree that children should be allowed to simply be children. Even 17 year old children. 

But at the same time… This entire situation is super suspicious and terrible. Daisy is right to be on edge. 

“This isn’t like Toronto. I don’t need you to support me. I’m going to handle this.”

You can’t go for the first 17 years of somebody’s life expecting for them to take care of you. And then do an about-face and suddenly tell them that it’s not the job of the child to take care of the parent… Only to be surprised that you’re getting push-back from them about it!

I woke up the next morning with the distinct feeling of an itch on my scalp, and when I reached up, something moved under the probing of my fingers. Goose pimples danced over my skin. I should get up. Needed to get up. I had to check. But at the same time, I couldn’t, wouldn’t, didn’t want to. 

[...]

“Is there anything on my head?” I whispered. 

“Stop it!” she shouted. The sound was too loud in the small space, echoing through the high ceilings. “We are not going to do this again. Get it together. You know what’s real and what’s not, don’t you? Because if you don’t, then we can leave right now and skip over you imploding.”

Grace: Her psychotic break came out of nowhere! There were no signs leading up to it at all!

But then again, King could kiss my ass. He would probably enjoy it too.

Chapter 14 summary: Daisy and King wrap up in the greenhouse and start to leave when they come across Grace returning with some groceries. King leaves after Daisy makes it clear that he is no longer welcome there anymore. Inside the guesthouse (I refuse to call it a “bunkie”, in the same way I refuse to call it “chicky nuggies”), Grace tells her that she’s arranged for a local farmer to have orders of food ready to be picked up; the new house is too far away for delivery. 

Daisy and Grace get into an argument over why they aren’t to set foot in the actual house. Grace insists that now is the time for Daisy to be a child, and to let Grace “handle things”. However, the parentification and adult-incompetence is immense; Daisy is scarred from a lifetime of needing to pick up the slack from her mother in order to avoid late fees and overdraft fees. Ugh. 

The next morning, Daisy wakes up to the sensation of a maggot moving around on her head once again. Grace comes in to say that she’s going to go smooth over the butthurt feelings of their neighbours. While she’s gone, the photographer will likely show up, so Daisy is to let him into the house without Daisy herself going in. The entire thing is beyond stupid. 

Daisy asks if there’s anything on her head, but Grace gets beyond angry at her. Tells her to separate fact from fiction. She then leaves. 

After a shower, Daisy starts to walk to the greenhouse when she sees a ghost who’s heading for the main house. Daisy decides to take matters into her own hands, so she sticks her hand into the woman’s chest. With her hand in there, Daisy can hear the ghost’s thoughts, which are about I guess the ghost’s (presumably still alive?) baby. Daisy freaks out, and then realises that another neighbour girl, Ivy, had witnessed the entire thing.