#could get there she was killed by the monsters leader or so we thought i managed to restrain who we thought did it heat helped bht as we

[blluespirit]

okay first three episodes thoughts

good

bending is cool as fuck

sozin’s actor does an amazing job at full crazy but calculated

scenery is STUNNING

monk gyatso made me cry. idk why i just saw him and wanted him to give me a hug so bad

APPA ACTUALLY LOOKS GOOD AND NOT LIKE A LITERAL MONSTER

i wasn’t sure how id feel about them showing the air nomad massacre but i think the importsnt thing is that they showed it was a massacre - and that although they can defend themselves, they don’t have the ability to fight back like an organised army would bc they’re pacifists! they attacked a peaceful group

the abandoned fire nation ship in the southern water tribe looks so fucking cool

ARTIST ZUKO???!!! LETS GOOO

Dallas does an amazing job at getting across Zuko’s intense desperation

I actually ended up loving all the Sokka and Suki interactions sm it was so cute and wholesome

Katara is perfect i will kill and die for her

Azula’s opening scene being her manipulating those people trying kill ozai ultimately leading them to getting burned alive by him and smiling - literally so fucking good. she is the best villain in history of forever

really good move having the mechanist (Sai!) and Teo be in Omashu imo. having them destroy the northern Air Temple so carelessly always pissed me off

THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS ARE LITERALLY PERFECT I AM SCREAMINGGGG

I was wondering how they were going to introduce the Mechanist and Jet in a limited amount of episodes but I like how they combined the two stories

Also Sokka absolutely nerding out in the Mechanist’s home is so important to me

Zuko getting has ass beat by that lady for fighting Aang is literally so funny and reminiscent of the goofy aang vs zuko fights we see in season 1 (to be clear: i adore zuko. this is NOT hate on him)

Zuko losing shit about his notebook and trashing his room and then outing himself as a fire bender in Omashu is so perfect. god i love him so much. it’s very season 1 zuko. it’s giving I DONT NEED ANY CALMING TEA!!!

things i was not a fan of: (some of these are a little pedantic i’ll admit)

Exposition is a little is a little janky but i’ll forgive it i guess bc at least it isn’t egregious as The Movie That Shall Not Be Named

Aang leaving just to get fresh air/clear his head and intending to come back is a silly change to me. all i keep thinking about is the storm where we got those epic Zuko and Aang parallels which now doesn’t really work and also takes away a lot of Aang’s depth. A good change adds to the story, but personally this seems to take it away

WHY would they not make Katara the one to bring him back from the avatar state? just seems like a strange choice to me? not saying this from a shipping point at all but that moment is a big step to their bond/friendship especially since they have only just met

Still don’t understand why they made the head of the village Suki’s mum. like i don’t think it’s a terrible choice but they still could have let them have a mother/daughter bond but still let Suki be the leader without any implications of nepotism. it mostly seeems silly

tl;dr - really enjoying it so far!

[gremlingottoosilly]

Omg I was just thinking about how you said in the monster au that you can buy the reader at a pet shop so like could we get a backstory about how the reader is in the pet shop was she like born into it or was she kidnapped and what was her life like in the pet shop before price bought her or even a story about price buying her lol I know it's a lot but you have me obsessed

Price never wanted a house pet. Always thought he is too damn busy for anything like this - besides, having three other monsters on his back as part of the pack also makes everything much, much harder. He doesn't want to pick up a girl from the street because all Human Resistance members are making really bad pack mates - you'd probably kill yourself and hurt one of his boys before he would settle you with cubs. He doesn't want anyone raised after the monster outbreak because you'd be too fucking young and he doesn't need that. He wants some meat on your bones and, preferably, some brain in your head. So, when he finds lil' ol' you, all curled in the furthest corner of the cage that serves as a house for captured humans, he can't help but break down in that warm, adorable smile of his. He listens to the monster that was selling you - something something, you were born before the outbreak, which doesn't make you exactly old - there were barely even ten-ish years after the revolution - but it makes you sweeter. More experienced. He wants to have you in his arms because you had a life before, and he wants to take it away. Give you a new purpose - take care of you as far from this place as possible. Price likes himself a pretty pet from the shop because you're sleepy and lazy and you don't fight him too much, but you have that weird sense of humor that makes him snicker. You'd do well with his boys - maybe, you would even be able to bear children from them too. You still remember the life when monsters were nothing more but fairytales, living in shadows - and you still can't believe that you're actually part of the pack now, a breeding mare for their leader. You're deadly fucking terrified of werebears, you don't want to be pregnant and you certainly don't want to be shared between four different monsters. It's better than the pet shop, you try to tell yourself. Price allows you to speak your mind about things, Gaz gives you shiny gifts and massages your tummy when eggs become too much, Soap likes to dress you up and Ghost is...not much, which is already a blessing. It's better than being with other humans because they are fucking psychos who are killing anyone who has ever been touched by a monster - and it's better than being with monsters from other companies. You fucking saw poor thing clinging to a hooded guy's tentacles and you don't want to be like her.

[vi-arcanes-left-biceps]

Spoilers for Arcane S2 Finale❗❗

So, i keep thinking about Arcane's last pieces of dialogue and though they sounded kinda funny when I watched the end at the first time (in a 'really? This took 27h to write?' way), the more I think about it, the more I like it.

I think it has a ton of layers to interpret and I'm still missing a few of them.

Please forgive my multiple tangents while I try to gather my thoughts.

First, how Caitlyn finds Vi: no bandages, a glass of alcohol in her hands.

No bandages means many things for Vi: she's vulnerable -both because of what she's going through and beacuse she can allow herself to be vulnerable for the first time in the show, with Caitlyn-, and her fight is over, she doesn't have to fight anymore (Re: Ep7 Powder saying Vi fights because she's scared of losing everyone, and she has lost everyone). (Everyone but Ekko and Caitlyn, who have repeatedly proven they can fend for themselves and are leaders on their own right, I'd love to say Vi is in a point where she's able not to feel responsible for them too, though this is something I'm not so sure about). Bandages were also an important part of her character design, of herself, so this gives a sensation that she's lost a part of her identity too. Who is she, if not the big sister, the protector, the brawler?

Alcohol is another small details that just says she's not okay. We've seen her drink herself senseless for, presumably, months, in Act II, to cope with all that happened in S1 and particularly S2 Act I: accepting the loss of her sister after the attack on the council, becoming an enforcer even though she was completely against it because she still feels responsible for ending Jinx, recognising her sister again for just a glimpse and gaining faith that Powder is still there (with the realisation that she almost killed her sister -not the monster she convinced herself jinx was, her sister) falling in love with Cait and seeing her become a completely different person out of grief.... So after everything that just happened in Act III, where she saw that many people die, either strangers or friends, and where she lost her sister and father AGAIN, of course she's considering getting back to drinking. So much happened to her in the span of few months that she's considering drowning the pain away again.

Caitlyn's question: "Are you still in this fight, Violet?"

The line delivery is incredibly soft and intimate, and Cait calling her Violet is the cherry on top. She's knows Vi is not okay. She's knows she's going through a lot right now.

Caitlyn's question seeing this is really, at least, three questions:

First and clearest is a check-in: "How are you?" "Will you be okay?" "Do you want to talk about this?"

Second is "Are you staying?" Vi could leave to be alone as she did at the beginning of Act II, could go with Ekko to Zaun... I can also see an "Are you staying with me?" After everything that happens, after the little time that they've had to be together and to solve the many things between them, her asking "Are you still in this fight" can mean both "hey, are you holding up" and "Are we still together in this?"

Third would be "So, are you up to face this, solving things between Piltover and Zaun?". I know some people have criticized the lack of resolution in the Zaun/Piltover conflict. I'd argue, as much as I'd love for the class conflict to be expanded, it is not the core of the series, and both the writers and the characters know that a conflict like this cannot be solved in such little time. The series was not going to solve it. What it does is solve it's main plot and character arcs, and leave a space for this theme to have the start of a resolution. Piltover an Zaun joined against Ambessa's army, and the ending gives us a glimpse of the will to change the relationship between topside and bottom (e.g. having Zaunites in the council). It's not a perfect ending nor it is a resolution for Zaun's class struggle -I'm pretty sure that was never the intent, though I would have liked for both cities' relationship to be more comented upon in this season-, it's the opportunity to advance towards a resolution. So Cait is asking Vi if she is willing to deal with that too. "Are you still in this fight?" can also have an implication to mean fighting to make things better. This also means fighting for them to be together.

Then, Vi's answer: "I am the dirt underneath your fingernails, Cupcake. Nothing's gonna clean me out".

Now, I like this because it sums up to Vi saying "I'm not going anywhere" but the line itself and the delivery gives it a few more layers of meaning.

First of all, Vi is clearly not okay. She's very emotionaly scarred and considering an unhealthy coping mechanism. She looks incredibly sad. And she's deflecting with humour to the question because she's probably not ready to talk about it. So her delivery here, plus the strange joke/comparison and calling Caitlyn "Cupcake" (which she's only done when she's teasing her in a flirty or funny way or deflecting the conversation by doing so) is telling Caitlyn that she's not okay right now, but that she isn't going to leave. "

I interpret "Nothing's gonna clean me out" as her basically saying "I'm tough, I'll get through this" to Caitlyn's "How are you?" and saying "You're not getting rid of me" to Caitlyn's "Are you going to stay?"

Furthermore, calling herself "The dirt underneath your fingernails" has an obvious implication about her being a Zaunite and Caitlyn being from Pilotover. I've seen some people saying this is insulting to Vi's character and to Zaun's storyline.... I don't think so at all. Yeah, I can get to see a layer of self-depreciating humor, but for me this is Vi using her humour as well to reinforce herself and her identity as a Zaunite (which arguably she left aside/lost sight of during Act I) while also teasing Caitlyn for being a topsider. I like to interpret this as Vi saying "Yeah, Piltie, I'm sticking with you and I will keep bothering you". The tone and calling Cait "Cupcake" reinforces this as a tease as well. Reinstating her identity as a Zaunite also gives insight on Vi's position on the Zaun-Piltover new relationship: yes, she's willing to help out manage this, always from the position of a kid from the Lanes.

Zaun and Piltover are also stuck together after the ending - they've fought together against a common enemy and that has also forced Piltover's elite to sit and listen to Zaun's demands. For sure Piltover's aristocracy still has to get their heads out of their asses but this is how I like to read the phrase in regards to Zaun-Piltover, layered upon what Vi is saying: I am the dirt underneath you = I (Zaun's state and problems) am a consequence of your (Piltover's) actions and I am not going anywhere. (You will have to listen).

Anyways, lots of rambling and I'll still be missing stuff!

Another thing is, native spanish speakers as I am use the phrase "Nail and flesh" to say that two people are inseparable, and this has enough similarity to that for it to feel like Vi is also saying they are inseparable. So yeah

[calisources]

IN LOVE AND WAR, EVERYTHING GOES. a sentence meme based around the subject of allies, enemies, war and enemies to lovers and more of the same tropes we all love. change pronouns, names and locations as you see fit. these are all scrambled around.

“Friends ask you questions; enemies question you.”

“You can live safe and be protected by people just like you, or you can stand up and be a leader for what is right.”

“Where do we find allies?"

“War created bizarre allies, while peace itself could be divisive.”

“I promise you, nothing will happen to you.”

“I choose my allies carefully and my enemies more carefully still.”

“People fight wars over ideas.” 

“Wars begin when you will, but they do not end when you please.”

“I was raised in hatred, Roma. I could never be your lover, only your killer.”

“We were enemies, no matter the truths. No matter that I loved him.”

“He’d set fire to the world around him but never let a flame touch her.”

“She's not the type to swoon for pretty lies.”

“The feud keeps taking and hurting and killing and still I couldn't stop loving you even when I thought I hated you.”

“These violent delights have violent ends."

“Men without morals are dangerous beasts.”

“The spiteful, little stars.”

“Death is real. Death is inevitable. Death comes when you're not ready for it. Be ready.”

“I was alive, but I wasn’t living. You took things from me. My soul―my heart.”

“You’re supposed to keep your enemies close. Therefore, it stands to reason that your sworn enemy should be kept closest.”

“When will you see I'm not your enemy, but your weapon. Wield me.”

“Can’t even get out of my grasp? Or is it because you secretly don’t want to?”

“Why are you confessing all of your crimes?”Are you trying to get hit?”

“You're a hero and I'm a monster. There's only one way that story ever ends.”

"Tell me you came to find me. That you changed your mind."

"How--how can you even say such things,on an evening you are meant to choose another as your bride?"

"My sweet nemesis, how glad I am that you returned."

"I hate you so much that sometimes I can't think of anything else.”

“The road for hell for me is paved with everything I would do for you, and that list never ends.”

“You have consumed my thoughts since the moment I met you."

“You have no idea what I could give you."

“If you mean to take me captive, you need only ask. I would come willingly.”

“I see you truly for everything you are and everything you will be and I claim you as mine.”

“I don't think I've ever met anyone as vexing as you."

“Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.”

“A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends.”

"We're on opposite sides, you know."

"You're the one claiming we're all villains. There's no black or white, only gray area. We can coexist somewhere in the middle, can't we?”

“A man with no enemies is a man with no character.”

“I smile to myself knowing that they may be dead.”

“I like your savage brutality."

"That's a poetic observation, coming from such a savage creature.”

"And you are mine, Victor Nox. whether you agree is irrelevant.”

“Bitter people are not interested in what you say, but what you hide.”

“Enemies can't break your spirit, only friends can.”

“In order to know your enemy, you must become your enemy.”

“Such a pretty face, but so weak and emotional. Just a regular man, after all.”

[quack-quack-snacks]

Time Will Tell - Chapter 1.29

My Time Will Tell Masterlist

My Cha Hyun-su Masterlist

My Navigation and Masterlist

The Time Will Tell Glossary

Warnings: Fighting, gunshots, not very detailed gore. Word Count: 1,309

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“I like you, so what do you say?” The leader of the invading group asked Eun-hyuk after they found his blueprints of the place and found out he performed the surgery on Eun-yu. “Will you abandon them and join me? Or will you… just die?” He proposed the two options. 

Eun-hyuk took a minute to think it over before eventually walking over to their side. You weren’t entirely sure why everyone was so surprised by him walking over considering the other option was death, but you didn’t say anything.

The leader laughed. It sounded like wheezing or a heavy smoker’s laugh. “Good choice, hmm? Smart guy,” he praised.

“Sir!” The man with the red bandana came rushing over. 

“Huh?”

“There’s a monster here.”

They laughed and the man wrapped his arm around Eun-hyuk’s shoulders just as he did with Ui-myeong. “Let’s go kill some monsters, shall we?”

With that, they walked off. You couldn’t help the fear that rose in your chest at the thought of the monster. While you hoped it was just some random monster in the building, something in your gut made you know it was Ms. An. 

It was barely a few minutes later when you were brushing Su-yeong’s hair away from her eyes and wiping the tears that tracked down it, that another gunshot sounded in the distance. Hyun-su shot up from his spot and you instinctively reached out to grab his hand and pull him back down. 

He looked down at you as you tugged and his gaze turned thoughtful. You looked away and hugged your sister tightly with your free arm when she started letting out small crying noises. After a few more tugs, he sat down again and pressed his leg against yours. It was a simple comfort but one that you needed desperately in the moment. 

“Unnie,” Su-yeong cried. “I’m scared,” she leaned in to whisper in your ear. “What about Yeong-su?”

“It’s okay, everything is going to be okay,” you reassured before pulling her closer so you could whisper back to her. “Yeong-su will be fine. He’s most likely still hiding and he’ll be okay.”

You weren’t sure if you believed yourself but you needed to in order to convince her. 

“-really doesn’t suit our group,” you heard someone say in the distance. The volume of their voice increased with each word as they got closer.

You looked over just in time to see a man - not the one you heard - get shot in the head and fall to the ground with a thump. The room echoed the screams that erupted from everyone and you ducked down with Su-yeong in your arms to avoid getting shot as the thugs started shooting at whoever was responsible for killing the man. Hyun-su placed his chest over you, keeping you down just in case and protecting you with his body.

When the shots stopped and two men ran after the culprit, you both shot up to look around. You handed Su-yeong off to Jin-ok, who sat behind you, and stood to look and figure out what was going on. 

“Cha Hyun-su! Now!” Eun-hyuk screamed as he wrapped his arms around the leader and restrained him from all mobility. 

The boy beside you wasted no time rushing forward and knocking the guy in the red bandana over, sending his gun flying across the room. He pushed the one he was fighting up against a pillar, not seeing the one creeping up behind him. You couldn’t stop yourself when you rushed forward to help despite your side flaring up with pain. You attempted to completely knock the guy to the ground but were only able to kick his weapon away. He pushed you back rather easily with your weakened state of being and you ended up knocking into the main leader who had managed to throw Eun-hyuk over his shoulder and placed a heavy foot on his chest to keep him down. The man wrapped an arm around your neck, locking you in a chokehold that didn’t really restrict your breathing but rather restricted your movements. You struggled - especially when you saw him shoot Hyun-su in the chest - but he wouldn’t budge. 

“Everyone, stop!” The leader yelled over the chaos. Eun-hyuk looked up at you with worried eyes and you would have laughed if you weren’t in this particular predicament. It was ironic how he was the one on the floor but he was worried about you. “Let them go,” he said slowly as he held the gun in his hand up to your temple. You didn’t stop struggling even with the cold barrel pressed against your head, but you could tell Eun-hyuk and Hyun-su both wanted you to. “Or I’ll just blow their fucking brains out,” he threatened, quickly gesturing his gun to you and the boy beneath his boot. 

The residents did as he said, not wanting to see either of you dead on the floor, and the members of his group limped over. 

“Sir,” the bandana guy said, pointing to the approaching figure behind him. When he saw her - Ms. An, who was supposed to be dead - he let you and Eun-hyuk go immediately, backing up behind his group to get out of the way. 

Coward. 

You helped Eun-hyuk up just as the once-dead woman’s hand speared through the neck of the man shooting her. She kept approaching, walking towards you and Eun-hyuk while getting ready to strike. 

It all happened so fast: Eun-hyuk pushed you behind him where you landed on the floor, Hyun-su jumped in front of Eun-hyuk just as she struck, and then he choked her to death, sobbing the entire time. You would have gotten up but you were paralyzed in shock. 

He fell to his knees when she fell to the floor, still crying and shaking with guilt until he passed out. The shock wore off and you leaped forward, rushing toward the boy to check on him until you were stopped by none other than, you guessed it, the leader of the other group. He grabbed you by your collar and yanked you back, choking you in the process but not caring one bit. 

“No! Hyun-su!” You protested, still trying to get out of his hold and run to the boy you loved. “Hyun-su!”

The leader laughed in aggravation and then sighed. He threw you back and you were quickly caught by the bandana guy in another chokehold.

Goddamn, these men love their chokeholds.

You watched in horror as the leader kneeled behind Hyun-su and stuck his hand into the wound made by Ms. An piercing through him. “You have secrets, huh?”

“Sir, he’ll recover soon,” one of the men said.

“We should kill… all monsters.”

The men worked to cover Seon-yeong’s body with gasoline before lighting it on fire. You sobbed as you watched it and your struggles died down from exhaustion. 

However, your energy sprung back up the moment the men started dragging Hyun-su into the elevator. “No! Fuck! Don’t you fucking touch him!” You screamed, completely disregarding your well-being as your anger took over. 

The leader laughed and walked up to where you were still being held in place by bandana guy. His lips jut out into a playful, mocking pout and he skimmed a finger down your cheek. You cringed away but he didn’t care as he roughly grabbed your chin. “Let’s bring this one along, too. The monster seemed to care about her so she might be good leverage.”

He didn’t wait for an answer as he walked into the elevator and you started getting dragged along with him. You heard Su-yeong screaming for you and watched as Eun-hyuk tried to stop them from taking you, but got stopped with a gun to his face. You reassured him silently with a mouthed sentence neither of you believed. 

‘I’ll be fine.’

~

Taglist <3

@hyeon-yi

@haowonbins

@mythical-mushrooms13

@visualconcern

@yomsy

[howi99]

Son of the blue lion chapter 2

In the middle of the night, someone is entering RWBY'S dorm

*poke poke*

Yang: Mghn.... zzzzz

*poke poke*

Yang: *mumbling* Ruby, stop it, it's too early-

???: *whispering* Yang, i need your help.

Yang: *still half asleep* ... Jaune? Why are you...

Jaune: You got a motorcycle, right? I need to use i-

Yang: *now fully waking up* Woah there! Bumblebee isn't something that i- mfhm!?

Jaune: *placing his hand on her mouth, making a silence gesture* Don't wake up the other.

Yang: ... *Slowly nod*

Jaune: *removing his hand* Now, i know Bumblebee is like your baby, and i wouldn't ask you for help if i didn't have to leave but-

Yang: *aghast but still whispering* You are leaving!? W-why?! *As her eyes get used to the dark, she can see that Jaune is in his complete armor.* Does it have anything to do with what happened yesterday?

Jaune: *looking away* It's... nothing any of you should be worried about. I don't want anyone else to be hurt.

Yang: ... *Shaking her head* I can't just let you go alone, just wait for me and-

Jaune: *fear in his eyes* No!

RWB_: *Waking up from the sound*

Ruby: *looking at the source of the sound* What the... Jaune?

Weiss: *taking her scroll to get a bit more light* Why are you here!?

Blake: *take one look at him* ... You know, if you wanted time alone with Yang, you should have told me.

Jaune: ... Shit.

_____________________________________

Team RWBY is now looking at Jaune, who is now sitting on a chair

Weiss: *massaging her temples* So let me get this straight; you enter into our dorm in the middle of the night in full fighting gear so you could get Yang motorcycle to go fight an evil man in Vale... *Look at Blake* Ever got an impression of déjà vue?

Jaune: *sigh* That's the best i can say, yes.

Ruby: But why don't you want our help?

Jaune: ...

Yang: Wait... Is that man..?

Jaune: *looking at the ground* He was one of them, yes.

Yang: *eyes glowing red* And you wanted to go fight him alone!? Didn't you warn Blake of the same thing?! That she would get killed if she tried going against the White Fang by herself?

Jaune: *shaking his head* It's not the same, nothing is the same.

Blake: Ok, that will be the kettle calling the pot black, but what do you mean it's not the same? I almost died at the dock and against the mecha. Had it not been for my team...

Jaune: We don't have the same goal at all. *Getting up* You want to stop the white fang, yes? Well, what *point to himself* ""I""wants is to murder the sons of bitches who tortured my best friend!

The room turn silent

Ruby: ... Murder? But... You are one of the kindest guys I know!

Jaune: *Turn to Ruby* Well guess what? I'm not! I'm a monster and all of you already know! You just all like pretending i never spoke about my past and what i did!

Blake: You were forced!

Jaune: Forced? I was forced to see a bunch of kids die while they drained me of my blood for that damn crest! But when it came to killing the slavers, you think i hesitated?! When it comes down to killing a man in cold blood, i highly doubt any of you could deal with the guilt! And look at me! I'm perfectly fine!

Yang: No you are not! You told us how awful you felt after killing them even if it was to save others!

Jaune: *punching the wall, leaving a hole* CAN'T YOU SHUT UP!?

Yang: *flinching, then goes to say her piece of mind before stopping, as she sees him cry*

Jaune: *trying to wipe his tears* I CAN'T LET YOU GET HURT DAMN IT! I-I CAN'T PUT ANYONE IN DANGER! I... I WON'T LET ANYONE ELSE LIVE THROUGH WHAT I DID! I... I...*Looking at Yang, tears falling slowly* i can't live with the thoughts of my friends getting hurt or killed...

???: *sigh* And what about us? Aren't we allowed to not see you hurt?

RWBY+J: *turning to the door, seeing the rest of team JNPR*

Pyrrha: *crossing her arms* Imagine how horrible WE would feel if anything happened to you.

Nora: *sniffling* I don't want to see more people go...

Ren: And even less our fearless leader.

Jaune: *sigh* Guys- *get slapped*

Ren: *looking at Jaune in the eyes* You really thought you were the only one who had it rough during the years? I saw my village get destroyed, the few survivors getting either kidnapped or killed. You think i... No, *point to Nora then himself* WE never wanted to avenge them? Nora also has a crest, what do you think we had to do so she wouldn't get caught?

Jaune: ... *Sigh* I just... I just wanted to protect you guys-

Pyrrha: *shaking her head* No, you wanted to die a hero, try redeeming yourself by fighting someone who is far above us in terms of power.

Jaune: ....

Nora: *goes to Jaune, hugging him* Please... Let us help...

Jaune: ... *Look at everyone, then back at Nora* Tsk, way to make me feel bad. Fine! You all win! I won't go get myself killed.

Nora: *hugging him tighter* That's not what we asked...

Jaune: ... *Sigh* Everyone, i need help.

Nora: *now looking up at him, still hugging him* Now we are talking!

[megamindsecretlair]

A Taste of the Divine, Teaser

Pairing: Yakuza!True Form!Sukuna x Black!Fem!reader/ plus size reader

Warnings: 18+ only, MINORS DNI. Angst. Plot with filthy smut. Mentions of violence against women. Kidnapped reader, dark elements. Monster fuckers unite. Consensual but power imbalance.

Summary: Sukuna is the mysterious leader of the Itadori Clan. When he gets his hands dirty, striking against a rival clan, he runs across a woman held captive. He cannot strike her, so he takes her to his apartment to learn what spell she has over him.

Word Count: 892

A/N: Zooted hours will always get me in trouble. I blame (affectionate) @westside-rot for my brain rot. Chuz she showed me a fanart and now I need to exorcise this from my mind 😩

Taglist: @browngirldominion @iv0rysoap @amethyst09 @ciaqui @we-outsiiiide @thecookiebratz @harmshake @umber-cinders @00aijia00 @judymfmoody @multiversefanfics @tvchi

Like he's the boss, obvs , but he's also a boogeyman in near future Japan, so high tech a bit with an old school flavor. He takes care of his enemies by eating them. He planned ahead for one of his enemies, but the enemy had the nerve to step into Sukuna's territory without a word ahead for permission. He follows this enemy to a normal house where he ambushed his enemy but notices a random woman already locked up, blindfold, etc. Sukuna is curious, first time in a while, so he spares the girl and brings her to his place.

Over the course of some weeks, he asks this girl who she is and she just keeps saying nobody. He's frustrated but for some reason, he doesn't want to kill her. A new one for him because on anyone else, he'd have lost his patience and killed them.

Also over the course of these weeks, he's drawn to her, to her stories, to the fact that she doesn't look at him like a monster. Not that she can see past the blindfold. But she's scared and yet brave enough to touch him, talk to him, demand nothing of him. Not even her freedom. She's too accepting. Too nice. Too sweet. And he wants to stamp that sweetness out. He wants to snuff it like the wick of a dying candle.

Every night he enters the room intending on ending the morbid curiosity. He cannot live like this. Not when he's trying to expand his empire. Become a king amongst peasants. He cannot be beholden to a nobody. And yet, every night he is stopped in his tracks by the sight of her shy but kind smile. The way her head tilts towards him like she's expecting him. Like she's...excited to see him.

And he finds himself revealing things about himself, about his life. And he allows her more freedom. He lets her bathe often, let's her get a little sun, feeds her better. He learned his lesson about leaving her hungry too long.

He wants to know everything about her. Every thought, every wish, every dream at night. He fantasizes about kissing her, to the point of distraction, to the point that he attends his meetings and can't hear anything over the sound of his heart, miles away, tucked into his apartment and she doesn't even know what he looks like. It's maddening. It's frustrating.

Does she think as he does? Does her heart beat faster when he's near and slow down while he is away? Like a string that somehow connected them both. He had to end it. He had to get rid of the problem.

Get rid of her and his nightmare could finally end. He would bow to no one, dream of no one, be consumed by no one. He rushed to his place, hellbent on carrying out this dastardly deed. He had to exorcise her from his psyche. Cleanse himself of this witch who surely cast a spell on him. She controlled his mind somehow, that's why his mind often turned to thoughts of her.

He entered her room. She popped up in fear and curiosity. Hell, he could smell her interest. Smell her blood too. He didn't know whether he wanted to eat her or eat her.

He pulls out his gun and brings it to her head. His finger is a whispers breath away from the trigger. She cried out, calm instead of scared. Hell, could she be more stupid? Why wasn't she angry? Why wasn't she crying or begging for her life? Why would she accept this? Who is she? What hell demon spawned her to burn him alive with?

All she does is smile at him and accept this. This cruel, cold ending. This inhumane, brutal end to a nobody. It should be fitting. It was more than she deserved. A final smile and a hand on his arm. He flexed his hand, watching her fingers dance across his skin with the movement.

It's okay, she told him. It's okay.

For the first time ever, Sukuna's hand shook and he lowered his arm. To kill you was like chopping off his own arm. He could do it, but he'd be hollow after. He placed his forehead against hers and asked her what spell she put on him.

And she answered with a soft voice, none. I wouldn't dare bespell a king.

No sooner had it left her lips did he kiss her. Giving in to the pounding of his chest and the burn in his throat to get to her.

Feel her, consume her. He ripped at her clothes and tossed her onto the bed. He fucked her, hard, punishing. The severe snap of his thighs against hers, pushing into her body with precision.

Stupid, pathetic girl. He could snap her in half and pick his teeth with her bones. And she was willingly taking him, welcoming him in her tight, dripping heat. And he'd never heard a finer symphony than the cries of her moans. He'd never tasted a finer meal than pressing his lips to hers and drinking her cries.

And afterward, when he was still around after, holding her, palm to palm, brown skin to his, he stared at the ceiling and finally understood what it was to feel fear.

Whewwwwww. Yeah ima need a series with this 😩🙌🏽The Secret Sukuna Files

[felassan]

Thoughts on the latest companion feature. (this post contains spoilers from the August 30th dev Q&A).

This feature/these blurbs were fun hh. I know these features were more like a fun and light-hearted thing rather than sth we should like overanalyze for character backstory info or read too much into for details and stuff, but I still cant help but kick my feet and think about the blorbos anyways 😊

Emmrich: I felt like art makes total sense :D Nevarra is renowned for its art, even its gardens, food and arrangements for the dead are pieces of art. this blurb combined with yesterday's Q&A had me wondering if any of the companions would like pieces of art like paintings as their personalized gifts. that reminded me of Sten and his paintings in DA:O, which was nostalgic. :') the IT bit of his blurb had me thinking about how Emmrich & Taash don't see eye-to-eye on necromancy. like obviously as a necromancer he doesn't have a problem with it. I wonder what Taash dislikes about it? is it its reputation (per Josie in DA:I)? Solas freed the weak spirit the Mortalitasi in Tevinter Nights had bound to stir her drink. maybe Taash doesn't like the binding part, the servants part?

Neve: I loved that leadership was the top vote for Neve ^^ finding the issues, testing and finding solutions, solving problems.. I wanna investigate a crime scene or case or something with Neve so bad. I also like the idea that Neve, Davrin and Harding could all lead teams of their own in their own right (with Rook as the Veilguard's leader, it reminds me a bit of the Shadow Broker's dossier on Garrus.)

Bellara: Bellara is a renaissance lady fr 🙏 a genius, good with her hands and at building things, magically talented, creative, and also apparently great at cooking! multi-skilled.

Lucanis: "mastermind at piecing things together", like Detective Neve! I'm really curious to hear their banter and see how they interact. with them both around you can't hide anything from the Veilguard!! "Assassination is an art form, and his work is beautiful" made me curious to hear Lucanis and Davrin discussing their respective artforms. Lucanis kills people, Davrin kills monsters. different targets and contexts, but for both of them it's like an artform and a very honed skillset. I think it could be cool if they talked about their varying approaches :) and this one "Lucanis lives off of coffee and hides in the dark" just sent me, like Lucanis pls 😭

Taash: for some reason I kept thinking about Taash sending all the bugs back not only with a grin but also by hitting them back over with a racket or something like it's some kind of ball game hh. I loved "bombastic yet subtle" coming up as a descriptor related to her ^^

Davrin: In a previous blurb we learned Davrin was raised in a Dalish clan, and craved excitement and adventure. reading this new one, I thought that leadership because you can count on him to step up when things get tough sounds like a great quality for a Warden to have. that made me wonder whether he set out from his clan specifically to join the Wardens, or whether it was more like he set out to go on adventures, then established himself as an adventurer, and then was recruited by the Wardens due to his reputation as an adventurer. like what the sequence of events there was like. and I wondered about Assan's in-game noises - like whether it's audio effects or sounds made by an actor. ^^

Harding: leadership here made me hark back to Harding's previous life as the Lead Scout of the Inquisition. "she works hard".. punny :D

[thataddylady]

Analysis: 'To Sir Phillip with Love' What do Philoiseers love about Eloise x Phillip?

So on to the final part, what do we like so much about this pairing and this book? This book has the vibe of Persuasion by Jane Austen, Charlotte Heywood x Alexander Colbourne from Sanditon, or Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock in The Lakehouse.

This is for the late bloomers who thought they needed to give up because there was no chance of finding their match and ended up finding the love of their lives.

Eloise was a character I related to. From the strong personality, the rambling and the anxiety about life passing me by, to the prank war with the kids that eventually breaks the ice. I saw myself in her. Eloise is a character with a high opinion of herself but she is very aware that it's not a shared opinion. Which is isolating. Her family loves her but her brothers avoid her and her sisters don't share her interests. No one has the stamina to keep up with her. She's looking for peace and companionship over love.

But then she meets Phillip. He's isolated, has been mostly ignored and passed over most of his life. He is an untapped mine of humor, intellect, tenderness and love. He is desperate for help with his children and his life, it's true, but he is also touch starved and desperate for someone to talk to. he reaches out to Eloise because through their letters to each other he thinks they could find friendship and companionship. Ultimately they want the same things.

What they both end up getting is a champion in their corner who sees them, understands them and appreciates everything they bring. Phillip is a character who has never really had anyone take an interest in him or his interests. Eloise is a person who has always been told that she is too much, too pushy, too talkative. Neither of them are a good fit for society life.

It's the fact that Phillip loves listening to Eloise talk, and genuinely adores pretty much every aspect of her personality. He loves and values how bossy and opinionated she is, he loves how she expresses herself. He loves how intelligent and expressive she is, he loves how capable she is. He is not cowed or put off by these very strong parts of her personality. When her brothers make a joke at her expense he is the first to tell them to knock that shit off, despite the fact that they nearly killed him when they first meet. He loves the color and noise and energy she brings to his life and he nurtures it in her. This is something Eloise has never had with anyone else, not even her family.

For Phillip, Eloise is able to give him a clearer and healthier perspective on his life. The first time anyone tells him "No your father was a monster and I wish he was alive so I could thrash him." is Eloise. The first person to say "I don't think anyone or anything could have made Marina happy," which is a fact (it was beyond his ability as she was clinically depressed with severe postpartum depression) is Eloise. She is the first person he is able to talk to about his marriage and lift the weight of bearing it alone. Eloise is the first person to tell him his children need him and miss him because they love him.

It is something you think is obvious, but he legitimately doesn't realize it. If you look at his history, it makes sense that he would also see his children as people who are stuck with him because there was no one else. His life has also taught him that no matter how hard he tries, he will never be enough, never be what someone needs or wants. When he marries Eloise, he thinks he's gotten them the parent they always deserved, someone better than him. The idea that they genuinely want to be around him as well is not something he has considered.

His children, who are super clever but mischievous and adorable think Eloise hung the moon and basically agree to make her their leader.

Essentially, Phillip and Eloise both become more of themselves but better in a very supportive, loving, wildly passionate relationship. Like they are having sex on the regular. If you think Colin is obsessed with Penelope, buckle up because you haven't seen Phillip Crane. Their love story is the adage that 'everything about you the wrong person couldn't handle is the exact thing the right person has been waiting for'.

The critique I hear a lot is readers wanted Eloise with someone more exciting who challenges her. Phillip isn't a reformed rake with rogueish charm and toxic masculinity who needs a loving touch from the right ball buster to remind him to be human. And I can see the appeal for that kind of hero, especially for Eloise. But would that hero be a better match for Eloise, or is it simply a more entertaining story with a flashier hero for a flashy heroine?

The truth is Eloise is surrounded by people who challenge her. What she lacks is acceptance vs tolerance and genuine appreciation for what she's been told are flaws. Her brothers hate shooting with her because she's too good. Phillip doesn't care, he loves to see her be her awesome self. Her brothers find her too domineering, Phillip loves that she always has a plan and an opinion to share. Phillip isn't a pushover incapable of standing up to her. But he isn't going to fight or argue with her for the sake of it. He'd rather help her do what she wants to do and then make love to her all night afterwards.

Eloise is a person who is in constant battle with the world, with opinions and forces she cannot control but certainly would like to. Does she really need someone to challenge her at home or does she need someone who sees her as she is and accepts her fully, giving her a warm soft place to land? Does she need a sparring partner or a quiet champion who adores her, nurtures her, and is ready to step up to smooth her way when she needs it?

That's all I got folks.

@whatsaweekend this is it!

[cb-writes-stuff]

I just had a thought.

What if “Scylla” is from Scylla’s perspective? Think about it. We hear Scylla singing in the beginning, but neither Odysseus nor the rest of the crew reacts. Because she’s watching them, they’re sailing through her lair.

“You know that we are the same.” … “You hide a reason for shame.” She’s observing Odysseus, seeing that he’s the leader, that he knows what’s up, and that he’s willing to make sacrifices.

“Leaving them feeling betrayed, breaking the bonds that you made,” … “There is no price we won’t pay.” She does horrible things to live, snatching men from passing ships and consuming them. “We both know what it takes to survive.” She had to cross lines and learn how to survive, and she recognizes the need for the same in Odysseus.

“We only care for ourselves.” She recognizes that all that matters is their own—for Scylla, that’s herself, and for Odysseus, that’s his family.

Here, the music recedes a bit, and Scylla sings the line differently than the others. She heard Odysseus give the order to light six torches, and what she’s only been assuming thus far is confirmed. “We’re lonely demons from hell.” Until this point, Scylla only sang in one voice, with one head, showing a human-like appearance. But now she sings in several voices with all her heads. She reflects what Odysseus did by giving that order, showing who she is “Deep down”—a monster—and bringing it to the surface.

As indicated by Eurylochus’s line, “Captain. Something approaches,” she starts approaching the ships. Before, no one noticed her; she observed unseen, hence why no one reacted to her singing. She then greets Odysseus almost politely, as one would a peer or an equal. “Hello.”

Odysseus shouts at the crew to “Row for your lives!” Scylla pursues, claiming the sacrifices one by one, as can be heard throughout her verse. She sees that Odysseus is running, failing to completely be the monster that he is. So, while she feasts, she tells him what it means to be a monster, but also gives him advice on how to live as a monster, how to live with himself.

“Drown in your sorrow and fears. Choke on your blood and your tears. Bleed ‘til you’ve run out of years.” Essentially, she’s saying “Go ahead, cry about it.” She says those things rhetorically, presenting them as options neither of them actually have, because “We must do what it takes to survive.” As monsters, they must survive. Giving up is not an option.

“Give up your honor and faith.” She stopped caring about right and wrong. She sees that Odysseus is a soldier with strong moral values, and that he must do the same and abandon those values. “Live out your life as a wraith.” Life is hardly worth living anymore, for her. But she’s come too far to simply let herself die. So she’s become an empty husk of herself, surviving for the sake of it. Odysseus will inevitably need to do the same. “Die in the blood where you bathe.” A reference to her transformation into her current state. The old Scylla died in that moment, leaving only the monster. War is sometimes called a “bloodbath”, and Scylla suggests that Odysseus has already killed so many that his journey could be considered one. He must undergo a similar transformation, letting the old Odysseus die (which he has not completely done yet) and embracing the new monster. She then reinforces the reason for doing these things: “We must do what it takes to survive.”

Finally, she talks to Odysseus directly. “We are the same you and, I.” Odysseus responds, harmonizing at “I”, meaning he can hear her. He can’t bear to admit what he is, since he still hasn’t fully become the monster he declared himself to be, which is why he doesn’t harmonize for the entire line.

I am such a nerd for this musical. Still, I don’t get everything right. Feel free to add anything or correct me in the comments.

[crazyyluvr]

Could you do like a Jason Grace x gf!reader where the reader and him get into a small argument so they end up competing in opposite teams during capture the flag, to sort of avoid eachother, but the reader gets injured during the game and jason is super worried, and they make up afterwards? Gosh im sorry if this is too specific, I just thought I'd be cute haha

Stop Being Nice to Me, I'm Supposed to be Mad at You

pairing: jason grace x gf!reader

summary: in which Jason gets in an argument with you before a Capture the Flag game and you end up avoiding each other... until you get injured, and Jason couldn't let the previous argument stop him from checking up on you.

wc: 1.9k

content: argument, she/her pronouns, set in camp jupiter with some made up characters, jason and reader are in different cohorts for plot purposes, reader uses a spear, reader is a cohort leader

note: i’m so sorry that it took me so long to do this anon, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!

short oneshot under the cut :: not proofread

"You —" Jason started, but stopped himself when he noticed that his tone was getting too aggressive. "You could have gotten worse injuries, both you and the newbie."

You sighed, rubbing your temples for the nth time that day. "I know, okay? I dealt with the situation before it could escalate."

You were on patrol with a fellow probatio cohort mate the night before, and an enormous warthog suddenly appeared, wanting to ram the entrance to camp.

You, of course, had to cover for your cohort mate's ass by pushing them out of the way to avoid the warthog's tusks. Your arm almost got skewered in the process, but the fight ended in your favor — a fight that consisted of you screaming bloody murder in the warthog's face and pushing the newbie out of the way constantly before they could get murdered by the large animal.

The only wound you got from that fight is a cut on your cheek. It wasn't that bad, but the fact that it was on your cheek (which is full of blood), it caused quite a red waterfall.

The cut was almost healed by now, the white patch of bandage on your cheek just a precaution to fight off infections. But of course, Jason took it upon himself as your boyfriend to worry excessively over your wellbeing.

Speaking of Jason, he wasn't satisfied with your previous answer. "Either way, you shouldn't have compromised your safety like that. You may have killed the monster before it could get worse, but that still doesn't change the fact that you could have died."

"But I didn't, because I dealt with it," you scoffed. One thing you hated was when people treated you as if you couldn't take care of yourself. You've been able to support yourself on your own for a good while before you discovered Camp Jupiter and got claimed by your godly parent.

You appreciated the blonde boy's concern, but that doesn't change the fact that he thought that you were reckless. I mean, yeah, you kind of were, but that's besides the point.

Jason opened his mouth to protest further, but a horn blaring in the distance interrupted him.

"Hey!" Someone called your name, and you were grateful to have an excuse to look away from Jason's intense blue stare. "We have to strategize for Capture the Flag. You're leading us, remember?"

You spared one last glance at Jason, whose expression was clear: we aren't done. You scoffed again, turning back to your cohort mate — Paul, you think his name was — who happened to be the probatio you were on guard with last night.

"Okay, I'll go with you," You responded, jogging away from Jason. You could feel the heat of his glare at the back of your head, but you couldn't bring yourself to care all that much. Capture the Flag was a fairly new game in camp, but that didn't stop it from rising in popularity from how you could be as violent as you want as long as you don't severely hurt anyone.

It was the perfect opportunity for you to let out some steam.

"Did I interrupt something?" Paul asked, worried that he had upset Jason, the son of Jupiter and one of the strongest demigods in camp.

You shook your head. "No, it's fine. Let's just get this show on the road, yeah?"

Paul nodded, the nervousness on his face fading but not entirely as you both jogged towards the assembly of cohorts in the hall.

Reyna, one of the camp's praetors, started the briefing. "Cohorts one and four will go against cohorts two, three, and five."

The people in your cohort — cohort four — groaned at the disadvantage they were given, making Reyna put her hand up to silence them. "We drew lots, so those who got the shorter stick have to utilize everyone they have to turn the odds towards them."

You cracked your knuckles, your fingers itching to get your hands dirty. Your trusty Imperial Gold spear was strapped onto your back, and you were impatiently waiting for the opportunity to bring it out.

Reyna went on with the usual warnings of no killing and maiming, which made you zone out. You felt eyes on the back of your head again, but you ignored them, knowing that it was Jason's doing. You weren't going to give him the satisfaction of eye contact with him.

"Good luck, and let the games begin," Reyna concluded, making the people around you roar and bang their weapons together.

They all jogged out of the hall. The ten minutes of preparation had begun, and you along with James from the First Cohort led your big group into the building that was constructed the night before just for today's Capture the Flag.

"We're based here, while the other group is based in the forest," James said. "They outnumber us, but we have the higher ground."

"Three teams," you continued. "A group of three at most to get the flag, a big group to distract the other group on their home turf, and a small squad here to guard the flag."

"We're spreading ourselves pretty thin," James noted, sounding worried. "Are you sure about this?"

You nodded. You mulled this over in your head while Reyna was briefing them all on safety precautions a few minutes ago, and you're confident that this is a good strategy. "We put Halley and Taino as part of the people left behind here. You and me will infiltrate with one other person. The rest... cause some mayhem."

"Alright, you heard her! Let's go win this!" James roared, charging out of the building with you by his side, your other teammates' footsteps thundering behind you, cheering as they ran. You all moved as one big group, all of you trained to move coordinately and orderly even in something as messy as war.

Let the game begin, you grinned.

—————

Capture the Flag ended in your team's victory, thanks to you and the probie coming in clutch and swiping the flag while running away from Hannibal the war elephant.

However, one of the children of Vulcan had left an experimental trap that you unknowingly fell into, leading to your only major injury during that game.

Twelve pins sticking into your leg was not how you envisioned this game to end, but hey, at least you won, right?

Paul the probie was the one who escorted you to the infirmary. It seemed he was feeling guilty about your patrol shift the night before and how you kept having to cover his ass and wanted to return the favor somehow.

"I'm fine," you repeated yourself once again to the Apollo kid who looked at your leg in concern. Too much concern in your opinion. "It's just a few pins."

"That were basically shot into your leg," The Apollo kid retorted, shaking their head and sighing. "Those Vulcan kids got some nerve to put an unstable trap in a game. You could have gotten worse injuries if those pins landed anywhere else. If worse came to worse, you wouldn't be able to use your leg again if they hit the wrong spot."

You shrugged. "But they didn't, so let's just be grateful and get them out of my leg, yeah?"

The Apollo kid started the process, with you occasionally groaning in pain as they pulled pin after pin out of your thigh. After the fourth pin, the infirmary doors slammed open, revealing a winded blonde, purple camp shirt slightly tattered after the Capture the Flag game around half an hour ago.

"I — I heard what happened," Jason said, his voice breathy with exhaustion, like he ran all the way there. “Are you okay?”

You observed him blankly before turning your head away slightly to cut the eye contact with him. The annoyance you had felt towards him didn’t quite cool down yet. “I'm fine. Not like there’s needles in my leg or — anything.”

The last word came out strained as the Apollo kid pulled out two needles at the same time. Your body jolted unexpectedly at the sudden pain.

“Grace, keep your girlfriend still, will you?” The Apollo kid retorted, not even bothering to look up from their work to address the son of Jupiter properly. “She’s twitchy.”

Jason took a few more steps towards you, but he hesitated. He knew you were still angry at him, but he wanted to help you. He wanted to do anything to relieve you of the pain you were in right now, no matter how many times you'd say that you were "fine" or that the pain was "bearable."

Jason looked at you, silently asking you for your consent. You sighed, looking away again, but the expression on your face was calmer than how it was before. The blonde boy took it as a sign to continue, gently placing his hands on your shoulders.

Now that there was someone restraining you, the child of Apollo showed no mercy. They started pulling pins out consistently, going as fast and as careful as possible so you don’t bleed out.

“Oh shit,” you winced, a hand instinctively going up to clutch Jason’s wrist tightly as you tried to bear with the pain while making as little noise as possible.

Jason did his job well, keeping his hands firm to prevent you from flinching too hard. His own face was slightly contorted, like he felt your pain too.

Well, maybe he did. Spiritually…?

The last of the damned needles was dropped into the metal container with a clang. “Alright, now I can bandage.”

Even though it was no longer necessary, Jason didn’t let go of you. His hold on you became more gentle, but his hands remained on your shoulders, as yours remained wrapped loosely around his wrist.

Despite your (now lesser) anger towards him, you appreciated his presence. Him just being there was enough for your heartbeat to steady, your breaths to even. That was the kind of effect only he had on you.

“Done,” The Apollo kid exhaled, snipping the bandage. They stood, stretching. “I’m gonna leave you two here, but Grace, don’t let her leave. I’m not discharging her until later.”

Without another word, they slipped away, leaving you alone with Jason.

Jason finally let go of you and slowly sank into the chair beside you, studying you with attentive and concerned eyes. You found yourself missing the warmth from his palms. “How are you feeling?”

You shrugged. “Fine. The pain is bearable.”

Jason nodded. He fidgeted with his golden coin, sliding it along his fingers.

When he finally gathered the courage to say what he wanted to say, he looked up at you and held your gaze. “I want to apologize for my behavior earlier today. I don’t doubt your ability to protect yourself, but I just… worry about you.”

You exhaled, smiling slightly at him. The warmth reached your eyes. “I appreciate the concern, and don’t worry about it. I’m just petty sometimes that I hold grudges against the most worthless things.”

“But I love you anyway,” Jason chuckled, genuine love dilating his pupils and stretching his lips to a grin.

You laughed, looking at him softly. Your thigh was throbbing, your head felt funny from a small headache, but your heart soared because of the blonde boy you grew to care for more than you cared for anything and anyone else. “And I love you for loving me anyway.”

[aita-blorbos]

AITA for indirectly causing my friend to get turned into an abomination?

I (50F, E/TM) am an advanced mage. As of late, I've joined an adventuring party at the request of my old classmate and friend F (23F, TM), who is the sister of the party leader L (26M, TM). Everything was going pretty well... until we came face to face with a dragon. F teleported the rest of us out of the dungeon we were in, but she got eaten.

The good news was:

- People who die in the dungeon can be revived with magic (which I know how to do) if enough of them is left.

- Apparently dragons hibernate and digest their food pretty slowly, so if we could kill it, we might be able to retrieve and revive F.

The bad news was:

- Two of our party members, N (61F, D), and Sh (26M, TM) ditched us.

- L decided the best course of action to save on costs while we get back down there is to eat gross monsters, and he met this weird dude Se (middle-aged?M, D) who's encouraging him!

- The only person who's being normal about this is the picklock C (adult?M, HF), and he's a jerk.

Unfortunately L was also probably right, so I had to eat weird monster food the whole way back down to the dragon. But this isn't about that.

This is about the part where we found the dragon, but it was not hibernating and we all nearly died trying to kill it and it had digested all of F except for her bones.

But, being the accomplished mage that I am, I came up with a plan: using F's bones, the meat of the dragon, and some ancient and unfairly-deemed-illegal magic, I could bring F back to life! L agreed to it, so I cast the spell, and it worked like a charm!

...So I thought.

Apparently the evil mage who rules over this dungeon (???M, E) put a spell on that dragon that attached its soul to its body. When I used its meat to revive F, the dragon's soul got mixed in with hers.

Said evil mage apparently was unhappy about his dragon getting killed, so he turned F... back into a dragon, sort of. A dragon-human-hybrid-monstrosity. And Sh is mad at me because he had a crush on her, and C says that's what I get for using illegal magic, and it's a whole fucking mess but how was I supposed to know the dragon had a spell on it?

I'm exhausted. This is the end of this post. Bye.

-M

[EDIT: YES I know "mortality is inevitable you should have accepted it blah blah" but what if it doesn't have to be???]

[jumpywhumpywriter]

Living Weapon Whumpee part 4

Warnings: forced living weapon/fighter, captive whumpee, memory loss, reluctant killing spree, murder, conditioning

One single thrust forward and she'd be dead, and his mission would be complete. He could go home.

Whumpee hesitated. The girl wasn't even facing him -- he wouldn't have to see the life leave her eyes, wouldn't have to see her cough and choke on blood. So why was it so hard to follow through on his mission?!

But the strange memory had rattled him, and he needed to know more. Perhaps this girl could trigger more of his memory to return, if she'd already done so once. He quickly sheathed his blade when the girl turned back to him, completely oblivious to the fact that he'd been about to take her life a second ago.

"Do you have a name, sir?" The girl asked shakily, shuffling closer to him -- ironic, that she'd seek shelter with the very beast that had ripped her family apart.

"It's... I'm Whumpee," Whumpee croaked hoarsely. He was fighting his conditioning and training so hard he thought he might split in half from the effort.

Fight, it whispered to him, kill.

"I-I'm Myra," the girl breathed. "What's happening? Why is everyone dead?"

Whumpee flinched hard, thankful that Myra didn't catch it. "...Because some very bad people are enemies of the civilization your town is associated with," he answered slowly, deliberately. "There's a war going on, and this place was unfortunately caught in the crossfire."

"S-Should we run away if there's danger close by? My mom told me what to do in case of an invasion -- though she never told me why I needed to know it." Myra's voice was barely above a frightened whisper.

Whumpee thought carefully about how to answer. "...No. It's safe now. The monster's gone." He choked on the words, heart shattering further with guilt and raw despair.

The sun was starting to go down, and Whumpee knew he should be heading back to Leader's base to give his report on the success of his mission, but he couldn't bring himself to leave, not yet, rooted to the spot.

Myra's brow creased with worry and anxiety as she glanced to the darkening horizon. "I-I think we should get somewhere safe for tonight." Whumpee was too surprised to pull away when the young girl grabbed his hand -- still covered in innocent blood -- and tugged him down the street. And Whumpee just followed, too baffled to do anything else.

He wasn't used to kindness, but Myra's hand on his was gentle. He was being touched, and for the first time, it didn't hurt. Whumpee had learnt that physical contact always meant pain, and avoided it at all cost. Because the only people who ever got close enough to touch him were always enemies trying to kill him, or Leader's soldiers harshly beating him in the name of ‘training’.

He wanted to cry all over again, ashamed at how badly he missed being touched with gentleness -- he wasn't supposed to remember that, Whumpee realized. He shouldn't be able to think about his 'before' life. It was one of those 'distractions' Leader had drilled him into forgetting.

But the feeling that washed over Whumpee following the strange half-memory was pleasant, and he clung to the sensation with everything he had. There was a time when he'd been touched gently before, he was sure of it, he just couldn't remember the details surrounding the moment he knew existed somewhere in his history, long before a weapon was made of him.

Whumpee limped stiffly after Myra, warily letting the girl lead him to one of the houses he'd forced his way into earlier. A small one, one of the smallest in the town.

"T-This is my house," Myra said, and without hesitation she tugged Whumpee inside, inviting the weapon into her home. Whumpee was relieved to find he'd already dragged the bodies out of this one. No need to traumatize the girl further.

No, why did he care? He wasn't supposed to care. He was supposed to complete missions, no matter his own emotions. He wasn't supposed to make choices on his own without instruction. He was breaking so many of Leader's rules right now, and his mind was screaming at him to obey, fall back in line -- but he ignored the voice in his head, just this once, to see where it got him.

"Um... Can you help me put something against the door?" Myra asked shyly, fidgeting with the edge of her shirt. "It would make me feel safer in case the monster comes back."

Whumpee paused, frozen. It sounded like an order, and he was only supposed to take those directly from Leader himself. But... he moved anyway, walking around behind a large dresser and bracing his shoulder against it, easily sliding it across the floor to bar the door. Inhuman strength was one of the gifts he'd been given to fight with.

It made his wounds ache as his muscles coiled and worked, but he did it. He was used to pain by now, every mission always left him stiff and sore. It had become a background noise that never went away, a weariness that clung to his bones at all times, even long after he was physically healed. He'd learned to tune it out for the most part.

"Thank you," Myra whispered, wrapping her arms around herself with a shiver. She turned and walked into a room, and Whumpee took it as his sign to follow, coming into a tiny, undecorated bedroom with two small beds against each wall. There was almost nothing else besides that, a few toys and drawings scattered across the floor, but everywhere else was devoid of anything useful or entertaining.

"My family is pretty poor," Myra stated, reading his face. "I make the most of what I get."

Whumpee remembered telling himself that same thing not too long ago -- he'd killed men on the battlefield, and found a tiny toy horse in one soldier's pocket, probably a sentimental object from home. He'd snuck it back to Leader's base with him, a little slice of joy and excitement in his world of blood and death and chaos.

He'd been delighted by it, hiding it under his pillow each day before he was sent off to war, because it was his. Something to call his own, no matter how insignificant an object. It meant a tremendous amount to him.

But he only managed to keep it a secret for a week before it was discovered, and then he'd been severely punished for it. He never brought back souvenirs from the battlefield again after that, painful lesson learned. It had taken him a while to recover and heal from that one.

Whumpee felt inexplicable tears prick his eyes. He couldn't even own anything without Leader's approval, and even then it was always terrible and useless things. Whumpee had eventually stopped bothering to ask for rewards for his work. Another part of him broken.

He blinked numbly, jerked back to the present when Myra suddenly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, barely tall enough to reach his midsection.

Whumpee stiffened in alarm for a second before recognizing the lack of threat.

Hugged. He was being hugged. He was never allowed comfort before, and he wanted to fall apart all over again.

He awkwardly patted Myra on the back, not sure how to respond. But he was so, so careful with the movement, afraid he might forget his own abnormal strength and hurt the poor girl. She seemed so... fragile, compared to his raw power and brute strength.

"Thank you for helping me," Myra choked out, stepping back with a sniffle.

Whumpee unconsciously leaned toward her slightly as she left him before catching himself, craving even that basic contact.

Myra pointed sheepishly as the bed against the left wall. "You can sleep there, if you'd like. There's another room where my parents used to sleep, if you’d prefer, but... after tonight, I'm kind of scared to be alone. Do you think you could... stay with me, maybe?"

Whumpee was stunned into silence before nodding eagerly. Someone wanted him to stick around? It was unheard of. Even the allied soldiers at Leader's base were terrified of Whumpee, and went to great lengths to steer clear of him at all costs.

Myra nodded and climbed into her bed, pulling a ragged blanket over her shoulders.

Whumpee took the other, though the bed was so small it could barely fit his powerful form, and his feet ended up hanging off the edge. But it was one night away from Leader's base, and he was content with that. It wouldn't be suspicious, as some missions took him longer than expected to complete, and he sometimes had to sleep on forest floors or make use of whatever shelter he could find before continuing work the next day. He wasn’t allowed to return until he was done. One day away from home couldn't be too bad.

Whumpee stayed awake for a long time, guiltily mulling over the events of the day, before finally drifting off.

That night was the first time his dreams didn’t torture him with darkness, he saw something different than broken bodies on the battlefield for once. Brief flickers of images, too faint and far away for him to hold on to for long, but they seemed familiar, he could see someone he distinctly knew – though at the same time, he didn't remember them. He saw a young girl with blond hair running away from him, but not in fear – she was laughing, like it was only a game that Whumpee was chasing her, right behind her. In a meadow full of flowers and tall grass. Serene.

Then the memory was gone, slipping through Whumpee’s grasp as he slipped into a deeper sleep.

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

Whumpee jolted awake to the feeling of someone roughly shaking his shoulders, and he sprung out of the bed, ready to fight. Myra stumbled back from him, her face pale with fright.

Whumpee’s gut twisted sadly, even though he was used to that reaction – but he couldn’t have expected what came next.

“I-I think the monsters came back,” Myra whispered shakily, voice tight with fear. “They’re going to kill me too, aren’t they?” Her voice hitched on a scared sob.

Oh. So it wasn’t Whumpee she was afraid of, it was something else.

“Where…?” Whumpee frowned in confusion, following Myra’s gaze as she glanced out the window – and his blood ran cold when he saw five military men marching into town. And he recognized the colors of their armor.

⏪️ Back Next ⏩️

Masterlist

@scoundrelwithboba @lumpofsand @isikedmyself878 @iamheretohurt @fleur-a-whump

@ay5ksal @otterfrost @sausages-things @i-don't-know-sal @togzy

@whump-till-ya-jump @cravesunconditionallove @whumpwritinglover222

[siblingskissing]

Ronance headcanons?

Ronance Headcanons

I have had the BIGGEST brain rot about these two, you guys don't even know, so please excuse my rambling session in this post. As always- feel free to share your headcanons, opinions, thoughts ideas, just be kind <3

-Robin is the biggest simp to ever exist. Nancy mentions liking a color? Guess who's suddenly adding it all over their wardrobe! A favourite food? She's already learned how to cook it. Allergic to something? Robin will destroy it with her bare hands and make it go extinct to protect her girl.

-Likewise, Nancy would and will kill for Robin (come on Robin tell her to kill for you she wants to)

-Their favourite dates include them sitting in one of their rooms, a movie or music playing as they discuss conspiracy theories or whatever story Nancy is working on

"There's been a ton of missing items from farms in the areas. Animals, tools, bales of hay-"

"could it be aliens?"

"Alie- Robin it's not aliens!"

"What? Interdimensional monsters are real but aliens aren't?"

-Many people assume Nancy would get annoyed by Robins carefree joke centered attitude but actually she calms down whenever Robin tries making jokes.

-She doesn't like when people don't take things seriously, but she knows Robin is taking it serious, but using humour to make sure they don't spiral with the problem

-their relationship definitely started off rocky but with some time, understanding and surprisingly really deep conversations they learn to appreciate the little things about one another.

-Robin loves Nancy's drive and her leadership skills. She makes sure that everyone takes her seriously and if the kids complain about Nancy being a hard ass she brings them back to listen.

"Nancy's not our boss!"

"No, but she's the one keeping you dipshits safe- she knows what she's doing so listen up and quit complaining"

-They kids listen to Robin more and so when she follows Nancy with no complaints, the kids unconsciously follow suit.

-When Nancy gets stressed/aggravated Robin will be there to lend her a shoulder. They're very much leader/Right Hand man coded to me.

-Nancy doesn't know much about queer culture so when she does eventually come out Robin is happy to talk to her about it and share what she knows.

"So we use Blue violets because Sappho used to describe women wearing garlands of them,"

"Sappho?"

"... Do you have a spar 3 hours so I can explain Sappho and Greek poetry to you?"

-They take all kinds of cute little Polaroids that they keep at Robins place

(examples of said Polaroids)

-Robins family is more supportive so often Nancy goes over there to spend the night

-when college comes up in discussions Robin mentions that she enjoyed investigating with Nancy, the research was fun when they didn't have death looming over them.

"Yeah, learning Russian to break the code was awesome- the torture kind of ruined it though-"

"The WHAT?"

-Nancy asks Robin 1000X if Robin is sure she wants to go to the same college/same field and Robin promises her that she isn't only going because of her.

"I'd follow you anywhere, but this is also for me- if I have to do one more customer service job I might kill someone."

-They love movie nights, curled up under a blanket watching whatever film they can find. Robin always finds the oddest ones and sometimes some really deep indie films. Nancy also enjoys the foreign films she can find and let's her choose.

-on nights Nancy chooses- she likes care free fun films. Nothing too heavy because she likes the simplicity

-Theyre a gross matching couple- but in a new fun way.

-Mat hing colors in their respective styles, using each other's clothes and making it go with their personal choices, matching patterns/designs.

-They also shared shoes sometimes

-On the 90s Nancy gets a more "Rachel from friends" style like this

-Robin eats it up like no one is watching and often has to hold back from just kissing her 24/7

(also I badly wanna do a look book of the characters so Please someone ask for that because I love fashion)

I definitely probably have more but here you are!!

[profounddefendorcrusade-blog]

Starlo's personality

I'm still confused about this man's 'true self,' gotta admit. How much of 'himself' IS there in 'North Star'?

What we know about real Star:

He's a nerd/geek obsessed with westerns; that's where he got the inspiration to build WE

He looks different than with the hat on and used to wear braces

Was shy in his teenage years around Ceroba (no idea how he acted normally) + couldn't confess to her

His mom (after killing him) says how he's never been the one to follow rules. I wonder what she meant by that. Rules, like, you're supposed to hate humans like everyone else or rules, like, no sneaking off to practice your shooting and lasso skills? Both?

Ed describes the 'old him' as a fearless leader and as a monster who could 'make his own fun in the little things' (you mean he used to be more humble but at the same time remained an ambitious risk-taker?)

Is insecure about where he comes from and what he looks like

We don't have enough info to know what he was like as a kid. I'm curious if absolutely everything about North Star is the opposite of Starlo (I don't think it is); both are kind and protective. Still, I can't help but wonder if the Starlo after Showdown, in both routes, is the real him or not. Maybe 50% yes and 50% no

Just from the end credits, the only thing I got about him was that he's kind and friendly and optimistic and charming (North Star is this way too, but more exaggerated). Nothing new

So maybe Starlo IS North Star, but more modest (aka not as exaggerated)

I'm curious about your thoughts guys.

Also I forgot to mention how he wanted to plan a PARTY for Kanako, in neutral says that the PARTY in the saloon was great (and the letter he sent was pretty charming), wants to accompany Ceroba in the Steamworks, is open about how he feels (immediately openly confronts Ceroba and calls her out; he's assertive), not afraid to get physical if it means protecting Clover & Martlet, can be pretty loud (like when he spotted Clover after sparing him in neutral, he was like "DEPUTY!!!"

I'm left wondering if all this is the real him or not. I think it is. Just maybe toned down a bit :) It's the only explanation for the fact he's been doing all this for a really long time and never showing signs of wanting to stop/that it exhausted him

[marybeatriceofmodena]

hey! I was going through ur tag for the grishaverse and I was wondering if ur thoughts changed at all?

tl;dr No not really lol

Long answer: see I think the problems boil down to Le!gh Bardug0... starting this series during the Obama administration and her just essentially being a white liberal/center-left lady.

Like I see so many people dismissing any criticism of this series as "lololol shadow daddy apologists" but like. There is a basis for that "apology". I'll tell the truth and say that I don't think book!Darkling is super interesting (not talking about the TV show in this ask at all for several reasons), because he's essentially a) a cautionary tale on two legs; b) an aesthetic. One of his inspirations is Raistlin Majere, and Raistlin runs MILES around him, because he's allowed to SERIOUSLY mess up, the narrative acknowledges it, and the narrative still manages to make you kinda root for him because the narrative is allowed to be **complex**, and guess what, NOBODY DIED IN REAL LIFE

And when I say cautionary tale, it's that I REALLY hate that somehow women need to be told that rooting for Shadow Daddy makes them a dumb bitch, especially when the other option is Mal, who could honestly be based on the lady from Ballerina Farm's husband and quite frankly? Shadow Daddy ain't real. Guys like Mal sure are lmao.

(And again, I love stories where the lady gets to tell Shadow Daddy/the villain to stuff it, AND she doesn't lose her integrity. See: Christine Daaé, Liz Sharp in the Miss Sharp's Monsters series, Galadriel in the Rings of Power TV series. Heck, in some cases, they're even allowed to show compassion, they can be deceived, but it's never, EVER put on them as a mistake that puts their intelligence into question.)

But even then, if I had to be honest, I don't think Alina and the Darkling are well-suited to each other anyway, because what Alina really needs are a) hobbies; b) friends who are not Mal and who are removed from the political situation; c) self-esteem classes. And at the end of the day, Darkl!ina is more of an aesthetic. People who go all "BUT THE AGE GAP BECKY" are missing the point, and Alina is such a nothing of a character it's easy to self-insert as her, and it's easy to use the Darkling as a Ken doll, as he's also a) an aesthetic; b) a very flat cautionary tale on two legs, making it pretty easy to turn that aspect of him on its head. And mind you, I don't *actually* have a problem with that (that's what fanfic and transformative fandoms are for), and my general answer for age gaps in stories is usually the following: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKZX23fHL64

(And I know I'm going to have people replying to this video: "BUT IRINA! THE GRISHAVERSE BOOKS ARE YA!!!" Ding ding ding, correct! But YA is mostly read by adults nowadays and publishing houses are knowingly appealing to that demographic! That is also the reason why New Adult became a thing! I hate capitalism :) )

*

But like, I spent so much time talking about Darkl!ina when I don't think it's really the problem with the series, and it's more that... Le!gh Bardug0 doesn't seem to understand that she wrote about an oppressed minority, that we are not meant to see as an oppressed minority, and that aspect of her books has aged like milk in light of... pretty much everything that has happened since the end of the Obama administration.

If I had to be honest I'm honestly concerned people don't realize she wrote about an entire people that are meant to be Jewish-coded, and their leader is the... shadowy advisor who manipulates the King, and personally that makes my antisemitic alarm bells go all Kill Bill but what do I know Brenda. (And if you want to sit down with me and calmly explain to me why I'm actually wrong about this, please do, because sometimes I feel like I'm going crazy with that realization and I don't understand how no one talks about it)

And I'm honestly not mad if you decide to have your book series end with a) the monarchy still firmly in place; b) the Grisha still being an oppressed minority, because such is life and people are shitty. The issue I have is that the basic message of it seems to be: "Well the Grisha should have kept asking nicely instead of rebelling and causing havoc xox. Look at Alina, she's the Token Good Minority, her boyfriend is a Real Strong Ravkan Man and she knows her place xox". And I'm writing this as of January 2025, and to anyone reading this, all I'm gonna say is: kings and health insurance company CEOs don't give a shit if you ask nicely.

You will not convince me, not in a thousand years, that the Grisha somehow had privileges in Ravka. Because no, being recruited into the army because of who you are, no matter how well you are treated, is a violent act. It is a violation of your human rights. It is a clear statement that your life belongs to your country, and that your country can see fit to use you as cannon fodder if it is so inclined. Yes, I am aware that Ravka is a crapsack place, but seeing people IRL use the good treatment of the Grisha as an army as an argument against their grievances is ignorant AT BEST. I will also kindly point out the U.S. Army tends to recruit and target marginalized communities.

If anything, you could say that the Grishaverse books are about violent authoritarian regimes forcing more and more of a violent response from the oppressed, leading to moral compasses being thrown away, only for the oppressors to come out of it victorious because they have the privilege of foregoing moral compasses, but of still being upheld as a moral center as they present attributes of "morality". You can get away with anything as long as you keep reminding people at every turn you're a husband and father, right? RIGHT?

Like, this book series is essentially about how the ENTIRE SYSTEM is inherently violent, we have a heroine who basically caves in and upholds said system, sees those who had the nerve of rebelling against it punished one way or another (no seriously WHAT DOES LE!GH BARDUG0 HAVE AGAINST GENYA), and then she basically buzzes off to her cottagecore dream life with her shitty boyfriend who got a personality transplant, so she can be a housewife and take care of orphans (something she did not show any interest in doing prior - remember what I said about Ballerina Farm?)

But yeah sure Shadow Daddy and the BookTok girlies are the problem, I guess

ETA: Look I don't think Le!gh Bardug0 is the devil or anything, at the end of the day, she's one fantasy author, but I think that a) attitudes like hers towards fandom have made the next few generations conservative in ways that they don't even realize, with extremely poor media literacy skills - she's not THE problem, but she's part of it whether she likes it or not; b) given how Rule of Wolves turned out, I'm not really inclined to give her much grace because lecturing your readers because of themes you fumbled yourself is not a good trait to have.

Full offense but it's not normal for someone like Chappell Roan to get the backlash she got for saying that politicians are failing their voters and need to step up their game. When you're in politics, you're serving your people. You are not supposed to be dangling a carrot you can snatch away at every moment. Gen Z and Gen Alpha are conservative, partisan and lack critical thinking skills and it's honestly concerning. Whatever the girlies on BookTok are into should be at the bottom of your list of concerns.