#em does stuff (shocker)

[anoopsiedaisie]

Fionna and Cake episode ranking

First tangent post

Simon Petrikov - I love this episode, absolute favorite of the 4 so far. The song drives me mad and so so sad, and just Finn showing up, hall of egress reference (my favorite adventure time episode, yeah its basic and popular) his coping mechanism clearly not matching what Simon really needs just UGH, fantastic

Prismo the Wishmaster - the start was a shocker yet such a good introduction to the main antagonist, he feels like such an adventure time villain, serious but not too serious. Everyone still bashing Simon for his sorrow of losing Betty and not being Ice King is kinda annoying (same with Fionna and Cake being surprisingly rude to him about being sad and his life in general)

Cake the Cat - I love seeing Ooo again, specifically more outside of it like usual than just the Candy kingdom and the human settlement, the forest kingdom (I am guessing) is so nice to look at, something to gnaw on was also a funny song and it being just like how a real cat would act made me laugh. The little hints of stuff too like Cake turning a hotdog knight into a normal hotdog was interesting

Fionna Campbell - Sadly in fourth is this episode, just don't like it as much as the others in comparison but that does not make it bad at all, I love all the human designs, I love all the references, I adore Cake's reactions, overall a really fun and exciting episode (since its the 1st) I think my favorite designs though were human (possibly) Fern, and Marshall. Marshall just has my heart for how he is, I cannot WAITT to come back to this universe and see him and Gary being cutie patooties

closing thoughts, love this series, I might make more post about my feelings, do reranks, or just average ratings where I score em (first pair is 20/20 and second pair is 19.5/20). I've never posted something this long and idk how Tumblr receives these but I hope it was good and I really want to talk about Adventure time or this series so much more with people

[asktheoger]

LAV!!!! 😭 Lav I'm so sorry I missed the mask festival stuff. It looks so fun and everyone made such cool designs for their Characters. And missed your 1year mark too 🥺 Congrats on reaching it and you have become what I consider one of the amazing members of the pokeask community. With fun blogs, cute art and such a welcoming attitude 💜

Em, as for an actual Munday ask. I'm curious how the dad trio views Ghost type Pokemon 🤔

No worries, Vall! <3 I totally get it, lol. I would like to host another event sometime in the future, perhaps after the story for the ATO ends- this isn't your only chance, is what I'm trying to say! ^^

And thank you!! ;; I can't believe it's been a year already, it's so crazy to me...Thank you for all your kind words and support, you're an amazing member of the community yourself, and it always makes my day seeing you around!! <3

And, ooh, good question...All three dads are a little wary of them at first, due to some bad experiences in the past and just their general upbringing, but they do their best to keep an open mind! Tomo, however, is the most suspicious/wary out of all of them (big shocker, I know, lmao) and it does take him a good bit to warm up to them.

[gravesung-moving]

soft character drop (again) — saeris fel'era lavellan

she/they, 5′9, 24 at start of inq

fel for short. mostly. fel’era also acceptable (FELL-uh-raa), saeris also acceptable from very specific people (clan members).

dalish elf (shocker)

storm mage -> knight-enchanter or rift mage depending on verse

60% leg but slightly short arms

very direct. very solemn. neurodivergent

friends with a valor spirit that can access/influence the world through her staff

holds bug funerals

more info below!

- dirthamen vallaslin because she had a knack for stepping quietly, sneaking up on people without meaning to, and eavesdropping.

- saeris means “unending dream”, but mostly she goes by her middle/matron name, fel'era (final dream) because: 1) she misses her mama  :[ 2) they named her saeris hoping she would carry the clan forward into a new age of alliance with the world outside their insular culture, and after the explosion at the conclave, they felt pretty disheartened about their ability to actually do that v_v  3) weirdass dreams. YES i’m that basic motherfucker who wants to explore a dreamer inquisitor. let me live

TEMPEST STAFF / VALOR

- so there’s a temple in the western approach where you find a bunch of people fighting around a staff that’s been frozen in time and space. you can get the staff, it’s a cold-damage artifact called Tempest with a skull in it.

- basically one thing led to another with some late night discussions with an rp partner many years ago, and the hc was born that the staff exists both in the material world and in the fade simultaneously. bridges the veil.

- it houses a spirit of valor that gives fel'era strength and helps out with their social + performance anxiety. 

- she’s already fairly open-minded to fade stuff, so getting the staff and communicating with valor felt pretty natural. she just. tells absolutely no one (except maybe solas) about it because she saw how the fuckin place reacted to cole skjdhfdksj 

- BUT YEAH — valor is free to roam between the fade and the staff, so it’s not trapped and chooses to help its friend for funsies and fulfillment!

- it felt like as close to legal as something like this could get without veering into anders territory, because valor isn’t trapped in the material world or really in the material world at all, it’s just sort of got a window through which it can help influence the person wielding the staff (which could lead to very bad things if the staff is put into the wrong hands obviously)

- fel hangs out with valor in her dreams, but does not at all understand what that means because she’s not really Studied. figures that it just has a connection to her and can enter her mindspace, not that she’s literally hanging out in the fade when dreaming

- queen is just out here learning from nature and trying to do her best

likes amimals.  

lets spiders live in their room, thanks them for eating other bugs, and whispers secrets to them at night. 

pet nug. :) nugs are JUST as valid as halla and you cannot change her mind

also loves halla tho. they stinky but she loves em

learned how to climb by imitating goats

[sanityshorror]

Do Julius or Killian have any hard moral lines? Like, hypocritical or not, anything they refuse to do/look down on

Oh boy... NOW THIS IS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!! Alright.... extreme horror... LET'S FUCKIN GOOOOO!!

!! Undercut due to nsfl stuff, 18+ !!

Warning that this is gonna get.. Dark.. But I still didn't get graphic.

Let's start with Killian.

I'm sure nearly everyone who's aware of Killian's canon info 101, knows that his one, absolute red line: never harming children. He's actually very protective of small children when around them, and has even thrown himself in front of a child, and taken a bullet to save their life - on two occasions (this was as a human). Killian was beyond horrifically abused in every imaginable way since (quite literally) the moment he was born.

(TANGENT: no this isn't for shock, unfortunately, this happens FAR TOO OFTEN in the real world and people need to stop pretending these things don't happen because you are just telling victims to shut the fuck up.)

HOWEVER.. You really think the man is asking for ID? And if someone says they're 18.. Despite even if they look younger... Yeah... He is gonna say "fair game aha". KILLIAN IS GROSS AND FUCKED UP, Don't act surprised

Killian is also not okay with racism, point blank, end of story…except when it comes to Italians. He really hates Italians. (Killian was born in Ireland and immigrated to Boston at age 20). So.. European on European racism 😭

Another one of Killian's ' absolutely the fuck not ' red lines is - well first context: Julius has OSDD and one of the 6 alters is an extremely childish, young one. Killian absolutely refuses to engage in any sort of sexual activity with Julius when that alter is fronting (nor does Killian have any sexual attraction to Julius when, despite still having an adult body, is basically a young child mentally and behaves/acts like one). Killian tends to just put movies on and cuddle him. Though, that alter doesn't front often. It only happens when Julius has a horrific flashbacks for extended periods of times, repressed memories come back, and his brain just can't handle it. (To be clear, this is an alter and not the same thing as age regression, Julius doesn't do the latter.)

Killian also is not okay with queerphobia (he will shoot you, or worse). Basically, he's against all discrimination…except for when it comes to women. He's beyond misogynistic.

Buuut…anything else? Well, to quote Killian, "Careful sweet cheeks, ya ain't gonna like the answers about the shit I fuckin goddamn happily do…I'm one sick fuck and goddamn fuckin' proud of it! Let your mind fuckin' wander to the nastiest shit…I goddamn LOVE that fuckin stuff."

.. Yeah, Killian is…oof.

If you really want, send another ask and Im willing to disclose a few absolute shockers of things he's done that will make you fall

Now, onto Julius….

Well, he hates and avoids kids. He beat absolute fuck out of his own though.

He's not racist (he doesn't understand it at all, just is baffled over the entire thing.. Being a thing…same Julius, tbh).

But uh

Yep, that is it! 👍

You'll find out just how absolutely horrific he is on December 24…try to enjoy your Christmas dinner after reading this one 🗿

Uhh.. I'll add, though Julius and Killian are not related- this applies to 'em both...

Sweet home necrobama..

[rosewritesstoof]

My Life With my Vampire SO — Sleep Tight (Bite Bite)

Having a partner who is also a vampire is a… unique experience, to say the least.

Now don’t get me wrong — I love ‘em to the moon and back. I’m forever thankful they came into my life and decided to stay. Just imagining going about my days without them beside me is something I rarely entertain. But, just like with any relationship, there are gonna be some… things you gotta get used to.

One of said things sometimes occurs when we’re sleeping. Now, contrary to popular belief, vampires do not sleep in coffins. I know, shocker. It’s a commonly held stereotype about them based on the aesthetics of old generation vampires. Well, my partner did have this goth phase, but that’s their story to tell.

Anyway, as such, they usually sleep in a bed. Specifically, our bed. They used to have their own room with their own bed, back when we first moved in together, but you can imagine why that quickly changed.

Now, I love sleeping next to my partner. One of my favorite things to experience is waking up next to them in the morning. If I could live through one moment from our time together for the rest of my life, I think I’d choose that. The thing is, my partner likes to move in their sleep. Sometimes, it’s your average stuff, like flipping over, spreading their arms and legs, that kind of stuff. And sometimes…

Well, take the first time, for example. We went to bed, as normal, no problems. However, I wake up at some point — it’s still dark — to this prickly sensation on my left arm. I’m groggy, since I just woke up, so it takes me a bit to fully realize where I am and what’s going on. I look down at my partner and, uhhh…

Yeah, they’re, uh, they’re nibbling on my arm. They’re still clearly asleep, eyes closed and all that, but I guess they’re either hungry or eating in their dream, ‘cause they are just nomming down on it. Not enough to break the skin, thankfully. And I’ve gotta admit, they look so cute — holding my arm in their hands, their face almost pressed into my skin, making these slow mumbly sounds. However, the feel of their fangs poking my skin is not the most pleasant sensation. And I kinda want to go back to bed and all, so that ultimately means waking them up.

“Honey?” I asked, gently patting their head to try and rouse them from their slumber, “Sweetie? Love of my life? My cutie pato—”

I think my partner has a sixth sense for overly mushy pet names, even when they’re asleep. The mumbles turn to grumbles, and eventually their eyes flutter open to look at me.

“What?” they asked, irritated. Well, I’m 95% sure that’s what they said, since their mouth is still full. They seem to realize the situation too, and quickly unlatch themselves from my flesh.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” They whisper-shout, covering their eyes with their hands. It’s something they do when they’re embarrassed, like they can’t bear to look at the source of their embarrassment. It’s the cutest thing ever.

“You’re fine, you’re fine,” I assure them, gently prying their hands from their face to hold them in my own. “Let’s just go back to sleep, okay?”

They pout at me, worry swimming in their eyes. “What if I bite you again?”

I think about it, then begin shifting down, bringing them with me, until we’re lying face to face. I caress their hair, guiding their head until it’s resting on my chest.

“Well, there’s no threat of nomming this way, right?” I ask, raising my eyebrow and grinning down at them, even though they can’t see.

My partner makes an unsure sound, but eventually relaxes into me, breathing deeply. I knew they couldn’t resist the sound of my heartbeat; it always works to calm them down.

We fall asleep like that, and don’t experience any more problems for the rest of the night.

And yeah, that’s how I usually work things out whenever my partner gets a little toothy at night. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s an easy fix. And it’s something I’m willing to go through, deal with every time, because I love them.

Loving another person isn’t always easy. I know there’s gonna be ups and downs in our relationship — it’s normal, and hell if we don’t have our fair share. Sometimes the issues can be solved quickly and neatly, like with my partner’s sleep-nomming. Other issues… well, they aren’t so easy to fix, and it can take awhile for things to truly settle down. I know all that, and I knew it when I accepted I was in love with my partner and wanted to be with them for the rest of my life.

But I guess that’s the magical thing about love, huh? You’re willing to go through anything, do anything — even if it’s hell, even if it would normally be impossible, even if it could hurt or straight up kill you. All so that you can sleep next to them. Wake up next to them. Hold their hands when they try to hide. Wake them up when they’re going to town on your arm in their sleep.

Maybe it’s less magical, and more scary, now that I think about it. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

[apple-grass-and-smiles]

Hi! So I got tagged here by @meandmyechoes, who is infinitely cooler than me, to make a Piccrew picture/avatar/whatever the proper term is for them, which you can do here. So, here’s my contribution to this tag, featuring the palest skin color they had:

I’m tagging all my usual suspects, but there’s zero pressure to do so. @marthaskane, @brvceselina, @clara-oswin-oswald, @gothamstreetcat, @the-wingway, and @ironwingblog. I love you all!

[memeingovermemes]

the blackout club -- sentence starters ( ii ) :

feel free to change titles / pronouns / places where appropriate !

❝  can we go already?  ❞ ❝  come on! before i lose my nerve...  ❞ ❝  game faces... let's do this!  ❞ ❝  if you guys need me, i'm there.  ❞ ❝  i'm ready. i mean... reluctantly.  ❞ ❝  ready, you guys ready?  ❞ ❝  ready?  can we please do a cool slo-mo walk this time?  ❞ ❝  while we're young, maybe?  ❞ ❝  can't do much, but i can aim.  ❞ ❝  i best not miss.  ❞ ❝  i am the night! ...kinda. i'm... night flavored.  ❞ ❝  sure. i drank three sodas and climbed a rope... once.  ❞ ❝  what?  i like heights.  ❞ ❝  i want the shocker... heh.  ❞ ❝  stun gun's rechargeable, so...  ❞ ❝  club's calling, y'all.  ❞ ❝  focus, guys, new mission.  ❞ ❝  new message from the club.  ❞ ❝  gotta catch my breath...  ❞ ❝  (panting) hang on! hang on, hang on... ❞ ❝ h-hold up! ...i'm wrecked...  ❞ ❝  i gotta' rest a sec...  ❞ ❝  i'll be -- i'll be okay...! i think...  ❞ ❝  two seconds... okay, ten seconds...  ❞ ❝  knock it off!  ❞ ❝  flashlights down! i'm gonna' take that thing away!  ❞ ❝  get that light off me!  ❞ ❝  hey! you're lighting me up!  ❞ ❝  don't wanna' die down here. just give me a nice... breakfast nook!❞ ❝  how long did it take them to build this place...?  ❞ ❝  how far down are we...? never mind. don't tell me.  ❞ ❝  i know this place...  ❞ ❝  i love this, just loving this! the darkness, the dirt, and cold. it's like an evil spa.  ❞ ❝  i'm not scared... just living my best life.  ❞ ❝  it's all real. this is... real.  ❞ ❝  it's like a real life dungeon...  ❞ ❝  i've seen this before... dreams, but... not mine...  ❞ ❝  looks like a... what does it look like?  ❞ ❝  sleepwalkers built this? how in god's name...  ❞ ❝  the place feels, uh... familiar.  ❞ ❝  this place... why with this place?  ❞ ❝  wonderful... back down here.  ❞ ❝  stuff happens, parents worry, that's how it works. haha.  ❞ ❝  c'mon, mom, the rule is, my music in my room, right? haha. and i love this song.  ❞ ❝ for my hour of tv this week, can i please just watch the news with you, mom? i miss you.  ❞ ❝  I'm just gonna' practice my 3-point shot, dad. Jeez. It's like the perfect summer day.  ❞ ❝  okay, mom. i won't do it again. dad, you know i respect like, 99 percent of your opinion. haha.  ❞ ❝  that's a great joke, dad!  can i post that online?  haha, see what i did there?  ❞ ❝  the sun looks amazing today. not sure why i never seem to notice. just look at it. i mean, wow.  ❞ ❝  yes, dad, i've been studying. hah, no, maybe not as much as i'm supposed to, but i'm only human.  ❞ ❝  i saw one of the bad kids, mom! make them leave!  ❞ ❝  make them go away, dad! they have a bad attitude! ❞ ❝  those bad kids are back! help!  ❞ ❝  my dad is going to call your dad!  and then you'll see!  ❞ ❝  you guys are in so much trouble! get away from me!  ❞ ❝  and... i'm back. am i back?  ❞ ❝  it's you! you brought me back... i owe you one.  ❞ ❝  that... was not good. thank you.  ❞ ❝  you... you saved me.  ❞ ❝  damn it, no! not you too... ❞ ❝  i'll tell your folks... i'll tell 'em... something. ❞ ❝  no... goddammit, you weren't supposed to...  ❞ ❝  oh jesus... this could be any of us!  ❞ ❝  shit... shit. i am so sorry... ❞ ❝  he was our friend! now he's...  ❞ ❝  that was a person... oh god.  ❞ ❝  this is too real...  ❞ ❝  creepy enough?  yes.  ❞ ❝  okay... file that away...  ❞ ❝  you getting this?  ❞ ❝  and what's the club got to say?  ❞ ❝  cool. so what was next?  ❞ ❝  good, right? texting hq.  ❞ ❝  hey! look at us! technically competent.  ❞ ❝  man, i wish i could post this on... something.  ❞ ❝  i'm the best that's ever been.  ❞ ❝  we came, we saw, we... still need a catchphrase!  ❞ ❝  wooo, woo, woo! woo, yes!  woo, woo, woo! you're the best! woo!  ❞ ❝  over there!  ❞ ❝  that way.  ❞ ❝  mine now.  ❞ ❝  dibs on everything.  ❞ ❝  strongbox! what's in it?  ❞ ❝  but stealing is wRoNg.  ❞ ❝  don't mind if i do!  ❞ ❝  evidence of spooky conspiracy. confiscating.  ❞ ❝  someone forgot to pick up their toys.  ❞ ❝  it's locked.  ❞ ❝  who's got lockpicks? oh yeah. me.  ❞ ❝  another door.  ❞ ❝  doors are my nemesis.  ❞ ❝  quiet! sleeper!  ❞ ❝  remember. sleepers could be family.  ❞ ❝  sleepwalker.  ❞ ❝  they're not evil... just hypnotized.  ❞ ❝  lucid here.  ❞ ❝  camera. stay out of the light.  ❞ ❝  they got cctv.  ❞ ❝  it's that stalker kid!  ❞ ❝  stalker! stalker!  ❞ ❝  there's that creep!  ❞ ❝  body here. still alive.  ❞ ❝  just sleeping. don't touch 'em.  ❞ ❝  get down!  ❞ ❝  quiet!  ❞ ❝  i have such savings to offer you...  ❞ ❝  oh-oh! evil corp's calling!  ❞ ❝  personal call to work. shame, shame.  ❞ ❝  prank calling... now!  ❞ ❝  i can't believe that worked!  ❞ ❝  target neutralized!  ❞ ❝  that's for bells, asshole!  ❞ ❝  bad guy down!  ❞ ❝  wow, that worked! really well...  ❞ ❝  got that little shit!  ❞ ❝  how's it feel, shithead?  ❞ ❝  i got 'em! uh, what now?  ❞ ❝  okay! holding this one... for now!  ❞ ❝  see how you like it!  ❞ ❝  stay down, stay down...!  ❞ ❝  that's right! how you like me now?!  ❞ ❝  angel coming!  ❞ ❝  close your eyes! close your eyes!  ❞ ❝  guys, please! not the angel!  ❞ ❝  it's after me! oh god...  ❞ ❝  it's here for me!  ❞ ❝  no! not the shape!  ❞ ❝  the angel! i'm the target!  ❞ ❝  angel's gone... i think.  ❞ ❝  it left me... it left.  ❞

[azurityarts]

Your Pmd OCs are really cool! I know one is called Skye and one is called Brooke, but what are all their names?

Daily Doodle #77

An Improper Proper Introduction

I spent. Way too much time on this.

MEET THE GANG!

Rescue Team

Arcas

Liselotte (Lilo)

I'm going in order of the games, but I actually played Explorers before Rescue Team! Gotta say, I absolutely loved the Friend Areas; they definitely made the world more engaging and expansive!

As for my team though, Arcas was actually an adaptation from a D&D character I made; a Dragonborn monk iirc. I don't quite remember where I got the name Lilo for a Cyndaquil from, though I recently retconned it to be a nickname of sorts. Names are fun!

In terms of playtime, Rescue Team is definitely the lowest for me. That being said, I've gotten more attached to these two little shits over the course of my doodles and shitposts than I ever thought I would.

Explorers

"Silent"

Arina

Explorers was my first ever Pokemon Mystery Dungeon game, though not my first exposure to the series. Specifically, I managed to pick up Explorers of Sky some years back, and that copy holds as my oldest PMD game.

And the fact that it's "old" helps explain my team's names; unlike my other teams where my initial goal was turning them into characters, my Explorers roster was just named after me and my old best friend. I just put our old usernames, but I still find it ironic that my old name is still appropriate given the "silent protagonist" trope PMD games usually run. Due to personal reasons though, both are now characters!

Explorers holds the title for the time I've sunk into PMD games, and it isn't even close. Incredible story, postgame, music, characters, and more; there's a reason why Explorers is considered the best entry in the series. Over 70 hours I've put into the game, and I don't intend to stop anytime soon!

Gates to Infinity

Brooke

Axdrew

Gates to Infinity was my first exposure to PMD? Is this a shocker? I'm not actually sure, but yep, the first time I had set my eyes upon this series was Marriland's playthough of GTI. I loved his voices as a kid, and I'm very happy to have finally gotten to play the game I idolized as a kid.

I had originally planned for Brooke to be another "quiet type" protagonist, but I noticed that the hero in GTI talks a lot more than in previous installments, and is also a bit sassier? Really glad I got the opportunity to give someone a more lively, snarkier personality that I don't often give my characters. Axdrew was a name given by a friend, and I've recently considered "Drew" as a hypocorism, but I'm still debating on that one.

Gates to Infinity gets so much flak, and maybe I'm just biased due to my history with the game, but it does NOT deserve the amount of hate it does. (There seems to be a theme with Gen 5 getting bashed before getting beloved tho...) I've sung the praises for GTI in old posts, so I won't be going on another rant (this is already the longest section here), but even if everyone pulls up with pitchforks and torches, I'll still hold this game close to my heart.

Super Mystery Dungeon

So, uh, this is awkward? I haven't actually played through PSMD yet. ^^; Between school, life, art, and other stuff going apeshit recently, I haven't had the time to start a new game. I'm excited for when I do though, since it apparently links all of the previous installments together. (Although I am still particularly upset that nicknames for recruits aren't a thing anymore ;-;)

Bonus!

Skye

Azure

Original OCs anyone? Yeah, I'm not too sure anyone's that interested in a random Absol or the 3817th Umbreon OC, but I've had these two for the longest time, even before I started playing Explorers! I guess it doesn't count to include them in this list, since they're not explicitly PMD-related, but I've been trying to write a story of sorts with 'em for a while now (though I've not got a clue if it's any good lol). Both of them have gone through a lot of changes and tweaks over the years, but they're definitely here to stay. :)

If you've made it to the end, thank you for reading! I've been meaning to introduce these fellas for a while now; my original plan was to showcase each of them individually through reference sheets, but that stuff takes way longer than I anticipated. ^^; I've always been nervous when it comes to really explaining the who for my OCs, but I'm really glad this ask came through to push me to make this. Thank you! If anyone's interested, y'all can ask my OCs things! I've seen a bunch of different PMD ask blogs and they're really cool- I'm completely new to this kind of stuff, but I'm willing to experiment! :D

Credit to Nicely Olo for the PMD Badges used in the background!

[twoidiotwriters1]

Written In The Stars CXV (Harry Potter xF!Oc)

A/N: I like my book and I’ll write the plot however I want but at the same time I want everyone to like my story pls like my story -Danny

Words: 3,849 

Series’ Masterlist

Previous Chapter // Next Chapter

Listen to: ‘No Goobyes’ -By Dua Lipa

Chapter Thirteen: Dumbledore's Army.

As soon as she sat down next to Ron, a head popped out of the fireplace.

"Sirius!" Ron and Mel exclaimed together.

"Hi," He smiled.

"Hi," They all responded, kneeling around the fire.

"How're things?"

"Not that good," said Harry. "The Ministry's forced through another decree, which means we're not allowed to have Quidditch teams —"

"— or secret Defense Against the Dark Arts groups?" said Sirius.

A second passed.

"How did you know about that?" Harry demanded.

Mel pulled Grey away from the fire while Hermione kept Crookshanks far from it as well.

"Who didn't know about that?" Mel said grumpily.

"You want to choose your meeting places more carefully," said Sirius, his grin only getting wider. "The Hog's Head... How's your Grandad, Mel?"

Ron and Harry, who had no idea of what that meant, turned to look at her with confusion. Mel let out another groan.

"I had to play dumb and pretend I didn't know him," She looked at the boys with a tense expression. "The bartender's my grandad."

"What?!" Ron and Harry asked at the same time.

"Well, it was better than the Three Broomsticks!" said Hermione. "That's always packed with people —"

"— which means you'd have been harder to overhear. You've got a lot to learn, Hermione."

"Who overheard us?" Harry demanded.

"Mundungus, of course," said Sirius laughing. "He was the witch under the veil."

"That was Mundungus?" Harry said. "What was he doing in the Hog's Head?"

"What do you think he was doing?" said Sirius. "Keeping an eye on you, of course."

"I'm still being followed?" asked Harry in outrage.

"Yeah, you are, and just as well, isn't it, if the first thing you're going to do on your weekend off is organize an illegal defence group."

"Why was Dung hiding from us?" asked Ron. "We'd've liked to've seen him."

"He was banned from the Hog's Head twenty years ago, and Mel's gran' got a long memory. We lost Moody's spare Invisibility Cloak when Sturgis was arrested, so Dung's been dressing as a witch a lot lately... Anyway... First of all, Ron — I've sworn to pass on a message from your mother."

"Oh yeah?" said Ron fearfully.

"She says on no account whatsoever are you to take part in an illegal secret Defense Against the Dark Arts group. She says you'll be expelled for sure and your future will be ruined. She says there will be plenty of time to learn how to defend yourself later and that you are too young to be worrying about that right now. She also advises Harry and Hermione not to proceed with the group, though she accepts that she has no authority over either of them and simply begs them to remember that she has their best interests at heart. She would have written all this to you, but if the owl had been intercepted you'd all have been in real trouble, and she can't say it for herself because she's on duty tonight."

"On duty doing what?"

"Never you mind, just stuff for the Order," said Sirius. "So it's fallen to me to be the messenger and make sure you tell her I passed it all on because I don't think she trusts me to."

"What does my mum says about it?"

Sirius smiled again.

"She said 'Why do I even bother?' "

Mel snorted.

"So you want me to say I'm not going to take part in the defence group?" Ron said sadly.

"Me? Certainly not!" said Sirius, raising his eyebrows. "I think it's an excellent idea!"

"You do?" said Harry.

"Shocker," Mel replied sarcastically.

"Of course I do! D'you think your parents and I would've lain down and taken orders from an old hag like Umbridge?"

"But — last term all you did was tell me to be careful and not take risks —"

"Last year all the evidence was that someone inside Hogwarts was trying to kill you, Harry! This year we know that there's someone outside Hogwarts who'd like to kill us all, so I think learning to defend yourselves properly is a very good idea!"

"And if we do get expelled?" Hermione asked.

"Hermione, this whole thing was your idea!" said Harry.

"I know it was... I just wondered what Sirius thought," She shrugged.

"Well, better expelled and able to defend yourselves than sitting safely in school without a clue," said Sirius.

"We won't get expelled," Mel rolled her eyes. "Not as long as my uncle is Headmaster. He won't throw us out knowing we're being hunted. We're safe as long as we learn how to play our cards."

Sirius gave her a funny look.

"You've been practising your skills, little Em?"

Mel winked at him.

"So," said Sirius, "how are you organizing this group? Where are you meeting?"

"Well, that's a bit of a problem now," said Harry. "Dunno where we're going to be able to go..."

"How about the Shrieking Shack?" suggested Sirius.

"Hey, that's an idea!" said Ron excitedly, but Hermione clicked her tongue.

"Well, Sirius, it's just that there were only five of you meeting in the Shrieking Shack when you were at school, and all of you could transform into animals and I suppose you could all have squeezed under a single Invisibility Cloak if you'd wanted to. But there are about thirty of us and none of us is an Animagus, so we wouldn't need so much an Invisibility Cloak as an Invisibility Marquee —"

"Fair point... Well, I'm sure you'll come up with somewhere... There used to be a pretty roomy secret passageway behind that big mirror on the fourth floor, you might have enough space to practice jinxes in there —"

"Fred and George told me it's blocked," said Harry gloomily. "Caved in or something."

"Oh..." Sirius frowned. "Well, I'll have a think and get back to —"

His eyes widened slightly, and he turned his head to the side as if hearing something.

"Sirius?" Harry asked quietly. Sirius' head pulled back abruptly. "Why did he — ?"

A hand had appeared amongst the flames, groping as though to catch hold of something; a stubby, short-fingered hand covered in ugly old-fashioned rings...

The four of them stood up and ran, Mel and Harry both stopped and looked back at Umbridge's hand in the fire. Both frightened, wide-eyed, before disappearing into their rooms.

"Hermione," Mel whispered so Parvati and Lavender wouldn't wake up, closing the door behind her. "I talked to Erick today."

"About what?"

"I think we solved the communication problem," She said, pulling out her watch and handing it to her friend. "But I'll need your help."

"Silencio!" said Hermione hastily, pointing her wand at Harry's frog, which deflated silently before them. "Well, he mustn't do it again, that's all. I just don't know how we're going to let him know. We can't send him an owl."

"I can send one to my mum," Mel objected, silencing her raven with one swift wand movement.

"I don't reckon he'll risk it again," said Ron. "He's not stupid, he knows she nearly got him. Silencio!" Ron's raven only sounded louder. "Silencio! SILENCIO!"

"It's the way you're moving your wand," said Hermione. "You don't want to wave it, it's more a sharp jab."

"Ravens are harder than frogs," said Ron. Mel gave him a look as she held her mute raven.

"Fine, let's swap," said Hermione. "Silencio!"

The raven stopped making a sound.

"Very good, Miss Granger!" said Professor Flitwick. "Now, let me see you try, Mr Weasley!"

Mel snorted, earning a nudge from Hermione.

"Wha — ? Oh — oh, right," said Ron. "Er — Silencio!"

He poked the frog in the eye; it gave a deafening croak and jumped off the desk.

"I already told you I'll help you with charms!" Mel exclaimed, trying to aim to Peeves, who was floating above them and attempting to throw an ink pellet at the students.

It was raining hard outside, so they were left to hang out inside the classrooms with little to do.

"Like you helped me last week?" Ron asked bitterly.

"I said I was sorry, all right?" She rolled her eyes. "Lost track of time..."

"You didn't want to help me," He argued.

"Don't be silly," She retorted. "Watch this..."

She flicked her wand and shot a splash of ice-cold water towards Peeves' butt. The Poltergeist yelped and turned around, but Mel had hidden her wand and was now looking at Ron, pretending to be focused on the conversation. Peeves left the classroom fuming, once gone, they erupted into cackles.

"You shouldn't taunt him, Mel," Hermione warned her. "He can be cruel if he wants to."

"Me too," The girl smirked.

"I've got permission!" Angelina ran into the classroom. "To re-form the Quidditch team!"

"Excellent!" said the boys.

"Yeah, I went to McGonagall and I think she might have appealed to Dumbledore — anyway, Umbridge had to give in. Ha! So I want you down at the pitch at seven o'clock tonight, all right, because we've got to make up time, you realize we're only three weeks away from our first match?"

She left as quickly as she had appeared; Peeves flew back in, his arms carrying a bunch of new ink pellets to throw at them. Mel felt the slightest sting of worry.

"Hope this clears up..." Ron said looking out the window. "What's up with you, Hermione?"

"Just thinking..."

"About Siri... Snuffles?"

"No... not exactly... More... wondering... I suppose we're doing the right thing... I think... aren't we?"

Harry, Mel and Ron looked at each other.

"Well, that clears that up," said Ron. "It would've been really annoying if you hadn't explained yourself properly."

"I was just wondering," She said, clearer this time, "whether we're doing the right thing, starting this Defense Against the Dark Arts group."

"What!" said Harry and Ron together.

"Hermione, it was your idea in the first place!" said Ron.

"I know, but after talking to Snuffles..."

"But he's all for it!" said Harry.

"Yes! Yes, that's what made me think maybe it wasn't a good idea after all..."

Peeves floated above them, all four lifted their bags to cover their heads.

"Let's get this straight," said Harry, once again in a bad mood, "Sirius agrees with us, so you don't think we should do it anymore?"

"Do you honestly trust his judgment?"

"Yes, I do! He's always given us great advice!"

"You don't think he has become... sort of... reckless... since he's been cooped up in Grimmauld Place? You don't think he's... kind of... living through us?"

"What d'you mean, 'living through us'?" Harry retorted.

"Oh, yeah he's definitely doing that," Mel admitted. "But what's wrong about it?"

"I mean... well, I think he'd love to be forming secret defence societies right under the nose of someone from the Ministry... I think he's really frustrated at how little he can do where he is... so I think he's keen to kind of... egg us on."

"So what?" Mel frowned. "It's still the right thing to do, him having no power over his life it's exactly where we are as well. The difference is that we have a chance to do something, and he wants us to take it."

"But there's so much at risk!"

"Sirius is right," Ron said in disbelief, "you do sound just like my mother."

Hermione didn't speak to them after that.

The next day Harry told them all about Dobby's visit in the middle of the night, waking him up after falling asleep in the common room by accident. He told them he'd found a room where to hold their meetings, which was great news, considering the girls had figured out a way to communicate without being too obvious.

The walls were lined with wooden bookcases, and instead of chairs, there were large silk cushions on the floor. A set of shelves at the far end of the room carried a range of instruments such as Sneakoscopes, Secrecy Sensors, and a large cracked Foe-Glass that Harry was sure had hung, the previous year, in the fake Moody's office.

"How wonderful!" Mel walked towards the bookcases.

"These will be good when we're practising Stunning," said Ron, looking at the cushions.

"And just look at these books!" said Hermione standing beside her. "A Compendium of Common Curses and Their Counter-Actions... The Dark Arts Outsmarted... Self-Defensive Spellwork... wow... Harry, this is wonderful, there's everything we need here!"

There was a brief moment where Mel and Harry looked at each other, both with the same excited expression. Harry was about to say something when someone knocked on the door. Ginny, Neville, Lavender, Parvati, and Dean had arrived.

"Whoa," said Dean. "What is this place?"

Harry explained everything to their classmates as more started to arrive. At eight o'clock the place was full, every cushion occupied. Harry closed the door and turned the key. Everyone looked at him and Mel. Hermione set her book aside. Mel got up and stood next to Harry, feeling strangely out of place after all that time away from him.

"Well," He said. "This is the place we've found for practices, and you've — er — obviously found it okay —"

"It's fantastic!" said Cho.

"It's bizarre," said Fred. "We once hid from Filch in here, remember, George? But it was just a broom cupboard then..."

"It changes depending on what you need it to be," Mel shrugged. "It became a toilet room for my uncle once."

Many laughed at her statement.

"Hey, Harry, what's this stuff?" asked Dean.

"Dark Detectors," Harry moved towards some objects. "Basically they all show when Dark wizards or enemies are around, but you don't want to rely on them too much, they can be fooled..."

"Well, only the sneakoscopes, really," Mel added. "The Foe-glass is harder to trick, only if you know your way around technicalities..."

"Well," The boy looked at her carefully, then moved his gaze to the group. "I've been thinking about the sort of stuff we ought to do first and — er —" Hermione raised her hand. "What, Hermione?"

"I think we ought to elect a leader."

"Harry's leader," said Cho at once. Noticing the way some stared at her, she blushed and added. "Mel too, of course!"

"Yes, but I think we ought to vote on it properly," said Hermione. "It makes it formal and it gives them authority. So — everyone who thinks Harry and Mel ought to be our leaders?"

Everybody put up their hands.

"Er — right, thanks," Harry blushed madly. Mel scolded herself for thinking how cute it was. "And — what, Hermione?"

"I also think we ought to have a name! It would promote a feeling of team spirit and unity, don't you think?"

"Can we be the Anti-Umbridge League?" said Angelina.

"Or the Ministry of Magic Are Morons Group?" suggested Fred.

"I was thinking," said Hermione, "more of a name that didn't tell everyone what we were up to, so we can refer to it safely outside meetings."

"The Defense Association?" said Cho. "The D.A. for short, so nobody knows what we're talking about?"

"Yeah, the D.A.'s good," said Ginny. "Only let's make it stand for Dumbledore's Army because that's the Ministry's worst fear, isn't it? And after all," She smirked at Mel. "A Dumbledore is our leader."

Mel grinned, a couple of students laughing along and agreeing with Ginny.

"All in favour of the D.A.?" said Hermione. "That's a majority — motion passed!"

She grabbed the parchment with all of their names on it on a wall and wrote DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY at the top.

"Right," said Harry, then he turned to Mel, "shall we get practising then? I was thinking, the first thing we should do is Expelliarmus, you know, the Disarming Charm. I know it's pretty basic but I've found it really useful —"

"Sure," Mel shrugged. "Could do it in my sleep..."

"Oh please," said Zacharias Smith with annoyance. "I don't think Expelliarmus is exactly going to help us against You-Know-Who, do you?"

"I've used it against him," said Harry sharply. "It saved my life last June. But if you think it's beneath you, you can leave."  

No one left, of course.

"No objections then," Mel continued, "stand up, hope you brought your wands with you, otherwise it'll be a very boring night..."

"Okay," said Harry. "I reckon we should all divide into pairs and practice."

Mel was kind of used to being listened to at that point, after all those weeks being the centre of attention of her new group of friends. Harry was a whole different story, he would usually try to hide and be quiet when he didn't want to be noticed, and she could tell he was having a hard time being the boss. She took the matter into her owns hands and paired everyone up, Neville was the last one standing, so Harry and she took turns with him.

"Right — on the count of three, then — one, two, three —"

Glancing around he thought he had been right to suggest that they practice the basics first; there was a lot of shoddy spellwork going on; many people were not succeeding in disarming their opponents at all, but merely causing them to jump backward a few paces or wince as the feeble spell whooshed over them.

"Merlin..." Mel was divided between shock and amusement.

"Expelliarmus!" Neville yelled without warning and Harry's wand flew out of his hand. "I DID IT! I've never done it before — I DID IT!"

"Good one!" said Harry. "Listen, Neville, can you take it in turns to practice with Ron and Hermione for a couple of minutes so Mel and I can walk around and see how the rest are doing?"

Mel took one side of the room and Harry the other. For a group of beginners, she thought they were doing all right. Harry and Mel met halfway and stopped to watch everyone side by side.

"What are your thoughts on this?" Harry asked her.

"I think you should've let the twins mess with Zacharias Smith a bit longer, he definitely needs to be humbled down..."

"We have weeks to do so," He replied casually.

"Ginny's doing great though, she did it in her first try!"

"I suspect Michael is only pretending to suck."

"If he is, he's doing the wrong thing to impress her," Mel smirked. "Anthony tried to show off when I walked past and he threw his wand directly at Smith's face!"

"Sometimes I want to throw a wand at Smith's face.."

Mel laughed, locking eyes with Harry. Her chest tightened at the sight of his silly old grin, and for a moment she felt like maybe not all hope was lost. Maybe they could find a way to be friends again.

"Er," She cleared her throat. "We should give them new directions now."

"What? Oh, right. Okay. Stop!" Harry shouted a bit clumsily, turning to look at their classmates. "Stop! STOP!"

"There," Mel nudged his arm and pointed to the whistle on the bookcase next to him. Harry took it a blew it.

"That wasn't bad," said Harry once they all stopped, "but there's definite room for improvement. Let's try again..."

As they continued to help around, Mel noticed he was letting her take care of Cho and Marietta. This, of course, reminded her that even though she was still having a hard time getting over him, Harry had long moved on from their... thing. So she avoided the pair until Harry had no choice but to go to them.

"Oh no," Cho blushed furiously as he approached. Mel lingered a few feet away, pretending to examine the Creeveys' techniques. "Expelliarmious! I mean, Expellimellius! I — oh, sorry, Marietta! You made me nervous, I was doing all right before then!"

Mel rolled her eyes at that. It wasn't that Cho was annoying, it wasn't even that Cho deserved to be disliked, but Mel was barely keeping it together every day and now she had to stand there and watch as Harry flirted with his crush twice a week.

"That was quite good," She heard Harry lie, after a second, he corrected. "Well, no, it was lousy, but I know you can do it properly, I was watching from over there..."

Marietta looked at them with exasperation and turned to leave. Mel watched as Cho leaned closer to whisper something to Harry's ear and that's when she decided she'd seen enough. The girl turned around.

"Hey, watch it!" Someone yelled at her.

Mel drew out her wand and stop the projectile before it stabbed her in the eye. She picked up George's wand from the ground and handed it back.

"You guys are doing great," She teased.

"Thanks," Said George. "Fred's enthusiastic."

"Talking about enthusiasm," Fred discretely pointed towards Harry and Cho with his head. "What's that about?"

"I don't care," Mel replied, making a face. "As long as it doesn't distract him from what we're doing here..."

"He looks distracted already," Fred raised a brow. "Want me to bring him back to earth?"

He waved his wand as if to jinx Harry, Mel grabbed his arm and moved it away, giggling.

"I'm afraid you're not allowed to hurt your teacher," She replied humorously.

"If you're done flirting, it's my turn to practice!" George called out.

"We're not, actually," Fred put an arm around her shoulders and pointed to George with his wand. "You're going to have to kill me first!"

"No killing tonight!" Mel laughed, stepping away from Fred's grip. "Stop fooling around, keep practising!"

"Sure thing, Professor!" The twins replied.

Ten minutes later, when Harry and Mel finally called it a night, everyone looked flushed and tired, but happier than they'd looked in months.

"Well, that was pretty good, but we've overrun, we'd better leave it here. Same time, same place next week?"

"Sooner!" said Dean.

"The Quidditch season's about to start, we need team practices too!" Said Angelina.

"Let's say next Wednesday night, then," said Harry, looking at Mel for her approval. She nodded. "And we can decide on additional meetings then... Come on, we'd better get going..."

"You all were brilliant," Mel smiled. "Hope to see you all again next time!"

"That was really, really good, guys," said Hermione when they were finally the only ones left in the hall.

"Yeah, it was!" said Ron. "Did you see me disarm Hermione?"

"Only once! I got you loads more than you got me —"

"I did not only get you once, I got you at least three times —"

"Well, if you're counting the one where you tripped over your own feet and knocked the wand out of my hand —"

"No bickering tonight, guys!" Mel said brightly. "The whole point is for everyone to learn and be better! I'm really proud of everyone– Neville especially, he looked so sure of himself!"

Mel glanced at Harry and found him staring at the Marauder's Map, his finger hovering over the dot with the tag 'Cho Chang'.

Next Chapter —>

Taglist.

@dee123ksha @vampiregirl1797 @siriuslysirius1107 @stardusthigh @mikariell95 @vernon-dursley @thesuitelifeofafangirl @tomshollandz @kylosleftbuttcheek @reverse-hxlland @bloodorangemoonlight @omiwashere @t-rexs-world​ @sarcasticallywitty15 @21bruhs

[sanstropfremir]

it's a shame that it's one's vocal performance ended like that because i actually liked it better out of the two :c i'm in love 3000 with junhoe's voice for that song, god i need a full cover from him or i will die. i have no real thoughts on the mayfly vocal performance, i'm not interested in ballads and i don't particularly care for any of those guys (except eunkwang he's funny asf but vocal positions are lowkey boring IM SORRY feeling controversial)

i liked ikon's pretty savage cover for the hype aspect of it only. weirdly enough i also loved junhoe the most there too, his opening line was charismatic and catchy enough to get me interested. bobby didn't stand out that much this time in terms of energy/presence but damn if that bit of acting "scared" (that's what i'm getting from it anyway, lisa is supposed to be the queen of the jungle so that's bound to get one intimidated in this context lol), anyway that little portion of mock acting was so absolutely entirely precisely incomparably perfect and funny and cute i just about replayed that part fifteen times. admittedly lisa could've done more but at least she was there ig. the ending part of the performance didn't pack the same punch as their previous grandiose (?)(idk english) finales but i'm fine with it.

skz was fine, i was confused about the whole deadpool and ant-man thing, not because i don't know what their deal is but because i couldn't understand if they were supposed to reference both of them or only one of them. also i always forget if deadpool is supposed to be dc or marvel. i'm a huge marvel fan but i didn't like deadpool (shocker!) and i never know shit about him. ant-man though, ant-man i fuck with. anyway.

so far, i found skz's performances to be kinda forgettable. like you watch them and it looks nice ig, but nothing really sticks. the stage i actually liked most from them was the rap collab stage and that wasn't even them as a whole group but it had the most straight-forward concept and narrative imo. the remix also wasn't the best i think, even fan-made mash ups on yt can be better than this come on 😭 the gun use was fun but extended longer than necessary. all in all a pretty tame stage i'd say based on all the crazy shit we've seen so far

the only reason i liked mayfly's vocal stage more is because of eunkwang and i am not ashamed to admit it. i like 'em funny and talented, what can i say. also how on earth do you spell june/junhoe's name???? the subs on the episode say june but everyone in my asks is saying junhoe is this a stage name thing??? somebody help me i just want to get this man's name right!!!

the fact that bobby does not care enough to bother with any of this is honestly getting me through. im still laughing at his 'oOoH nOoO' (dramatically puts head in hands) when they lost the rap stage, the man does not give a single fuck. i love it.

i got a lot more of people's personal opinions this time around and it's interesting to see that the structural problems that i notice when i do these analyses are also noticed by other people; i know that other artists/designers/people who think too much about these things will know what im talking about but there's always a part of me that's like "....does this actually affect the experience for normal people or am i just crazy" and the answer is yes i am crazy but also people do notice! even if there's a difference in articulation. but yes, both these stages had some structural issues, which is what made them not as gripping as some of the other stuff we've seen so far. also yes grandiose is a word you could use there haha.

this is the catch with using a preexisting property, you're gonna confuse people no matter what! there's definitely a way they could have kept the comic book/superhero theme without actually implying existing characters, especially with the glut of superhero content im pretty sure everyone and their mother could probably guess from bright spandex outfit. it also could have been a fun place for there to actually be aome original design work! im likely to be in a hate-hate relationship with the jype styling team because come on!!! you can do so much better!!!

none of these stages have replay value for me, so im just here sitting on my hands fidgeting and waiting for next week. ok that's a lie i have a lot of sewing i have to do but metaphorically im sitting on my hands.

[agathaarts]

Spidersonas forever!!!!!! Though she’s become less of a Spidersona and more her own weird spiderspinoff at this point, complete with a name change.

Some more Itsy stuff outta basically nowhere! Her spider-human hybrid form is where she’s most “comfortable” and ultimately where she winds up resting most of the time, though she’s still a pretty competent were-spider-shapeshifter-sort. She has a number of different and modifiable outfits, perks of living with a seamstress, and....I also wanted to draw a bunch of her, uh, rogue’s gallery together, though admittedly the Black Cats could be considered friends before long. Or at least, associates.

This is far from all of them, but these are the guys I have concrete looks for at least! Maybe I’ll do one of her allies soon. As is, most of her issues stem from the monsterous OZCORP, the company that not only created her, but continues to create it’s own forces, meddling in the nature of reality to do so!

Tiny blurbs below the cut for each of them, and if you’d like to know more about any of ‘em...let me know! I have an unfortunate amount of ideas for this AU!

ITSY-BITSY AKA SPIDER-WOMAN aka Aggie Appleton. While working for the unscrupulous OzCorp, unlucky intern Aggie Appleton is caught in the backlash of an experiment that fuses her with unstable realmatter and the test subject- a hyper-adaptive spider created using the same unstable realmatter! Now, she fights to protect her city from OzCorp’s increasingly dangerous experiments and the beings created by their experiments as ITSY BITSY aka THE INCREDIBLE SPIDER-WOMAN!

THE GREEN GOBLIN aka Norma Osborne. The CEO and leader of OZcorp, Norma Osborne has sacrificed everything for her company and their work, being a gifted and brilliant scientist in her own right. It has cost her family ties, friends, her social life, and now- her sanity and stability of form. Able to transform into the corrosive GREEN GOBLIN, she becomes a destructive force of chemical reactions and decay, with no more limits standing in her way! At least, until that annoying spider shows up...

THE KLYNTAR, represented by units VENOM and CARNAGE ~ Inter-dimensional beings, symbiotes (or, perhaps, parasites) who feed off of living beings, the KLYNTAR are horrors from beyond who’ve made a deal with Norma Osborne: a place to stop and feed in exchange for OzCorp to poke and prod and take samples to use their unstable realmatter forms to create new techniques and horrors! Of course, once mold gets in....it’s almost impossible to get it out, even if said mold is far more than anything native to Earth!

BLACK CAT is a mystery. A force of corporate espionage, a cat thief, a rumor, and mystery, a funny joke to poke fun at unsolved thefts and leaked information- of course, it’s very hard to find Black Cat. They slip in and out of secure warehouses, files, and companies with nary a trace, virtually impossible to spot. Especially unless you know they’re not one person, but three. At least, that Itsy-Bitsy comes to know of...

THE BUGS are a group of ne’er-do-wells who took up an offer to be bonded with biotech armor by OzCorp, all for their own various reasons, and now they’re beholden to OzCorp...and on an impressive payroll, that motivates being guards, bullies, and thieves as necessary.

SCORPION aka Mac Gargan. Once a private detective of disrespectful status, Mac Gargan was hardly in a place to turn down OzCorp’s offer after befalling tragedy and desperation. Unlike his fellow bugs, he tends to question a lot of his commands, and is well aware of the quote “hinky crap” going down behind the lab doors of OsCorp- but the pay grade is nice. And the benefits, well, the benefits are killer. Besides, he’s gotten to know the personality of his symbiotic armor well...and wouldn’t abandon him back to OzCorp’s nonexistent mercies by quitting.

BEETLE aka Abby Jenkins. Previously an engineer with white collar criminal aspirations, Abby Jenkins was hardly in a place to turn down OzCorp’s offer after befalling tragedy and desperation. Having bonded well with her symbiotic armor, she’s enjoying the steady work and respect she finds with OzCorp, and gets to spend her spare time tinkering with projects amongst brilliant inventors she’d have never had a chance to rub elbows with before!

FLY aka Richie Deacon. A career small-time criminal, Richie Deacon spent most of his life in and out of prison, halfway houses, and shelters, and was hardly in a place to turn down OzCorp’s offer after befalling a particular tragedy and desperation. Now they don’t care much about the work they do, happy to do whatever OzCorp asks in exchange for living a cushy life, even if it means having to wear the gross symbiotic armor. Still, small price to pay to fly!

SHR- i mean -SHOCKER aka Herman Schultz. Another career criminal, Herman Schultz worked as muscle for a few crime families in various cities, before getting bounced out of almost all of them and directly into OzCorp’s loving arms. No tragedy or desperation needed to convince him to get into a suit of powered armor (even if it’s more or less a giant lobster as far as he’s concerned) and start breaking things at a whim! Besides, everything at OzCorp is so damn weird, he’s never been more entertained anywhere in his life!

ELECTRO aka Max Voltage. Once one of OzCorp’s many test animals, an electric “eel” cobbled together out of various types of electric fish and a hodgepodge of other animals, Max taking on human traits was, well...an accident, but a happy one. Now settled into a form distinctly human, with intelligence to match (though some would argue otherwise) Max is capable of incredible feats of electrical manipulation and sensitivity beyond any creature in it’s creation!

DOCTOR OCTOPUS aka Octavia Otto. Respected young researcher and lead scientist of many OzCorp projects, Octavia Otto was caught in the backlash of an experiment that ultimately fused her with a number of test subjects, hyper-adaptive octopuses...except she’s continued to mutate and change, in ways nobody else can quite pin down (but it’s okay, she’s keeping rigorous, detailed notes on the process! For science!) and has assisted OzCorp’s goals since, happy to have a constant source of supplies and test subjects to work with. Her and Aggie Appleton had...history, before this all went down, too, so that’s not awkward at all!

RHINO aka Aleksei Sytsevich. Arriving in America as Anna Kravenoff’s bodyguard, Aleksei found himself out of work before long as Anna hastily shucked her father’s protections of her and kicked him unceremoniously out of her life. Once OzCorp decided he’d make a fine test subject, well, he’s been a professional mook for most of his life and didn’t have many complaints about the improved size, strength, and toughness. Aleksei may put on a blithe, dopey exterior, but he’s far too controlled to be an actual fool...which makes him quite dangerous, even if he only does as OzCorp asks.

THE SPOT aka Joon-Woo Ohnn. The Spot’s creation is a sort of mystery, even to himself and to OzCorp. An experiment, a failure, and...Dr. Ohnn is still certainly alive and aware, but some sort of bizarre 3D shadow cast by, well, wherever he is. While unable to speak, Ohnn is still fully capable of serving OzCorp, with his ability to function as a series of wormholes and perform strange acts of teleportation.

MYSTER.IO aka Mysterio aka thecrystalball aka The Mystery aka ??? aka aka aka aka aka..... Myster.io is a digital character- either a face for someone distant and anonymous, or many someones, or perhaps some sort of self-aware AI, Mysterio’s story changes every time he tells it and that’s just how it should be! This bizarre digital being pops up on people’s devices and is an information gatherer and peddler, always happy to tweak reality to better suite someone’s needs for a price.

KRAVEN the HUNTRESS aka Ana Kravenoff aka Kraven Jr. aka Lady Anastasia Kravenoff. Kraven the Hunter was a star, a legend- a man who battled beasts and travelled to impossible places and rose to reclaim an ancient family legacy, he was famous and infamous alike, and regardless of if you loved or hated him- he was a household name across the globe. Ana would like that. Ana might have been shipped off to America to live a carefully tailored “normal” life by her father and his estate, but Ana has aspirations that greatly outstrip those of her brothers and a goal to match her father’s infamy someday! But until she can secure a show, she hunts monsters for YouTube and enjoys her modest cult following- especially since she’s found a way to attend college in a sleepy Midwestern City that just happens to have a lot of monster-related issues. Her current target? Spider-Woman!

[choicesreal]

About me.🗣

🗣Well, first of all..I was born on 30th of October. It’s a pretty boring and uneventful day lmao. I’m not going to say the exact birthdate, however it’s in the 2000′s.🤸🏽‍♀️

🗣My pseudonym’s Silsha, and my real name also starts with a “S”, I’m just keeping it secret ‘cause I want to keep that mYsTerIoUs vibe going on, is it working?🥺

🗣I’m from the Philippines, born and raised. I am also full Filipino (or at least I think so? My mom said we have a lil bit of French blood in there, so..🥐oui 🥐 ).. I was actually supposed to be raised in the US, but my mom’s visa got declined. She went to US last year though! (not me getting jealous but ok.)

🗣I’m an ambivert. There are times where I’m shy as fuck, and times where all the nastiest in this world’s dictionary comes outta this big ass mouth. There are times where I grab any opportunity to keep away from other people and just stay in my room with my trusty book and earphones, while there are times that I go out with my friends and go to the mall or chill in their houses. (ofc, before COVID happened.)😷

🗣I’ve played Choices since early 2018, and boy, if my past self would look at how addicted I am to it now, past self would run screeching to the ends of the Earth.  🏃🏽‍♀️ 💨

🗣My favorite books from Choices are Open Heart (this is the one fucking reason why i’m stuck going crazy over one blue-eyed spoiled child diagnostician called Ethan Jonah freaking Ramsey), The Heist Monaco, A Courtesan of Rome (the main reason why I’m OBSESSED with ancient Roman history, and why I want to go there on my birthday.), Platinum, A Royal Masquerade, Perfect Match (though I wasn’t able to finish it..) Blades of Light and Shadow (my bb Tyril 😿) Distant Shores (FUCK YOU PB, FUCK YOU.) Queen B,(yeah, I know it was such a mess, but I kinda liked Ian ;-;) and last but certainly not the least is....Most Wanted!

🗣The other games that I’ve played and stayed for a while was Romance Club (please, please, please support and check this app out! It’s really worth it and won’t disappoint you!) and Chapters (this was the game that I’ve also been obsessed about too! Aside from Choices, when I took a little time off of Choices and went inactive with this account, this was my only safe haven then, with all of those schoolworks pouring in, it was really hard to take a breather.)

🗣What does Choices mean to me? It means the world to me, the absolute world. Hell, because of it, I got to meet so many nice and appreciative people here on this platform itself.(Thanks, Tumblr. I’ll make sure to give you a five star rating if I don’t forget it again😭) I got included in a community that I felt really comfortable to be in, and most importantly, it made me happy. I consider it as my safe haven, from being depressed and anxious. I’ve never really acknowledged myself as one, but it’s noticeable, even to myself. I just don’t show it. Our education system here sucks, just..no words.

🗣My favorite singers are (internationally): Sabrina Carpenter, Camila Cabello, Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Adele (queen, please come back🕊),The Weeknd, and many more that I can’t remember. 

🗣My favorite songs now are: (pls try to listen to them if you have the chance!) Skin by Sabrina Carpenter, Earned it by The Weeknd(yeah no actually, every song of his is my favorite, sorry not sorry.), Tango by Abir, This City by Sam Fischer, Safety net by Ariana Grande (all of her songs in her newest album, no actually all of ‘em!), Loves Control by Camila Cabello (another artist who’s powerful enough to make me love all her songs.) and so many more LMAO i’m just lazy to type all of it, it’ll go on for decades.

🗣I almost forgot- I’m a she. It may come of as a shock to others, some not, but yes. LMAO. I think it’s pretty obvious from how I talk online.

🗣I’m a pretty chill not chill student. (not me lying to myself to make me feel better.) But really, I don’t put that much effort when it comes to education, and I didn’t even review when it comes to quizzes and exams back from 1st-6th grade. What changed? Well, the fact that became older and became more self-conscious about it (my grades). But, I still don’t give it my all partly because of my belief that we should enjoy our youth. Studying too hard may hinder that. And so, I did just that. I’m not particularly a naturally intelligent student. I’m just observant and can be pretty hardworking if necessary (groupings for school projects and stuff.) I’m not the type who goes and becomes a leader in one group cause I can’t handle the pressure and I don’t give enough authority vibes to be listened to (I can though, if y’all push my buttons too far.), however I act as an assistant leader, who also helps in anyway I can and handles all the research (’cause I love learning new things online, and I love to research.) And so, I kinda became a With Honors type of student. (sHocKer.) And honestly? I don’t regret putting a bit of effort in school, because I get to see how proud my parents are for me.

And if you’ve made it this far...you’re a complete sTalKerR!! Nah, just kidding you’re cool. LMAOO. Thank you for reading this short-filled information about me, or also known as @choicesreal. It’s been really fun to type this out, because I might come off as kind of a closed book around others in the community. This is a text to let you learn a few bits and tiny details about me! Part 2? Maybe. It really depends KDJHAKDJH. And now it is time for me to end this post as my eyes are stinging.

With that, Paalam muna. (From my native language, it’s translated as “Goodbye, for now” in English.)

[halflingkima]

mid-year book freakout tag

I was tagged by @flitwickslittlebrotha – thanks!! 💖 (sorry it took me so long to see this in my mentions 😓)

Best Book You’ve Read So Far in 2021      The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe; it was the first new book I read this year and I think it ruined me – I havent had another 5 star read since :// Best Sequel You’ve Read So Far in 2021:      #murderfunding by Gretchen McNeil was some good, campy fun, and far surpassed the previous book. Honorable mention to The Heart Forger by Rin Chupeco, bc I really haven’t read many sequels. New Release You Haven’t Read Yet, But Want To:      All Kinds of Other by James Sie. But I also don’t pay all that much attention to new releases, so I can list them all lol: Tell No Tales by Sam Maggs & Kendra Wells, The Captain (Tales of the Wendy #3) by Erin Michelle Sky & Steven Brown, and Peaces by Helen Oyeyemi. Most Anticipated Release For Second Half of 2021:      Out of Character by Annabeth Albert – it comes out July 6th, and since I’m typing this in the wee hours of July 5th, it qualifies :P Biggest Disappointment:      On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers; I bought this book back when potc4 came out and finally got around to it and it was NOT worth waiting 10+yrs for lmao. Honorable mention to The 2000s Made Me Gay by Grace Perry, which is a good book, but didn’t meet my (high) expectations. Biggest Surpise:      Again, The Knockout Queen, but runner up is Squared Away by Annabeth Albert; I’ve read most of this romance series, so I thought I knew exactly what to expect, but then a demisexual main character threw me for the biggest loop in the best way. Favorite New Author:      Rin Chupeco is the only new author I’ve read multiple books (2) by, and I do love her writing. Rufi Thorpe and Torrey Peters are gonna be faves soon, but I’ve only read one from each of them so far. Newest Fictional Crush:      Kate Kane (Iron & Velvet), Jas Singh (Girl Gone Viral), Kalen & Khalad, (The Bone Witch trilogy), and don’t @ me about this – James Hook (Tales of the Wendy trilogy)      [me: i don’t crush on characters anymore      also me: no no, they could get it] Newest Favorite Character:      Maybe it’s just because I read it so recently, but Reese, Katrina, and Ames from Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters really stuck with me. They felt so real and complex and true, like they were neighbors I could go visit. Book That Made You Cry This Year:      The Knockout Queen (again) and Detransition, Baby (again). Normally, I cry all the time – happy, sad, overwhelmed, etc, but I do think The Knockout Queen truly ruined me. After I finished it, I closed the ebook and just wept in the dark for a solid half hour. The only thing that’s come close since was Detransition, Baby, which was more overemotional/‘choked up’ than actual tears. Book That Made You Happy This Year:      The Wendy by Erin Michelle Sky and Steven Brown exceeded my expectations and was a fun adventure story, and again, Squared Away giving me a demi character in a romance novel made me practically giddy lol Favorite Book Adaptation You Saw This Year:      Does The Irregulars on netflix count? I don’t think I’ve seen any this year. Inversely, I’m reading The Princess Bride by WIlliam Goldman and enjoying it just as much as the movie. Favorite Review You’ve Written This Year:      Shocker: The Knockout Queen. But I’m also gonna be salty bc I think I’m better at writing 1 star reviews, so I’m also partial to my review of The Wishsong of Shannara by Terry Brooks and The Loch by Steve Alten. Most Beautiful Book You Bought So Far This Year:      Radio Silence by Alice Oseman; I haven’t rly bought any books this year and when I have theyre either gifts or ones I’ve already read. This I bought w a xmas gift card lol What Books Do You Need To Read By the End of the Year:      Starsight by Brandon Sanderson (I’ve borrowed a copy I should eventually return lol), and aside from the stuff i’m in the middle of, I’d like to get around to Wicked by Gregory Maguire, Radio Silence by Alice Oseman, and Maurice by EM Forester. Those are soft goals though, I think I’ve actually gotten through most of the books I’d wanted to read this year.

damn that got long lol. uhhm who reads? I’m tagging @sp-aced-out, @alianvna, @waynedrake, @kimabutch, and @sunflowremoji (feel free to sit out if you don’t wanna!) And anyone else, if you see this and wanna participate, do it & tag me! I’d love to talk more books!

[maple-writes]

WHG 14: Post Games 1

whg tag list: @ratracechronicler (Rebecca and Elvira) @concealeddarkness13 (Nesri, Lynne, Shine), @nightskywriter , @rhikasa-archive , @the-moving-finger-writes , @aeslin-writes @knmartinshouldbewriting , @pen-of-roses (Rowan, Lynn) @timefirewrites 

this was really run to work on together :D 

###

According to Nesri who’d heard it from someone else who’s name I couldn’t remember, there was going to be a special, extra, interview put on by the capitol to celebrate the ending of the games. As much as I wanted to stay in bed, to curl up and go back to sleep, curiosity got the best of me. Most of the others were already gathered around the TV set. Cirrus got up when he noticed me and ushered me to take his seat in the corner of the couch. He disappeared somewhere, but I didn’t think to look where he’d gone.

The interview didn’t look like it was on yet, still playing reruns of the highlights from the games. It was strange, and made my stomach turned when I recognized some of the faces from training. A lot of them hadn’t made it. They were gone now. I had to look down when footage of the deaths started to play. I knew what it felt like to die. Countless times I’d relived someone’s last moments, their last breaths as I tried to help them move on, to give the recognition and acknowledgement they needed. I knew what it felt like to die and I didn’t need to see it like this. Not so soon. Not when it could have been me.

Cirrus reappeared by my shoulder, holding out a gently steaming mug. “Here. It’s hot.” He made sure I had it before taking his hand back and leaning against the back of the couch, his head by mine.

I mumbled a thank you and held the mug between my hands. It smelled nice, like some kind of tea. The reruns ended and the interview started with the traditional music and overdone images and Ceasar’s overhyped smile. I swallowed. I could almost feel it on my own face, pulling unnaturally at my cheeks until Nesri threw a piece of popcorn straight to his teeth.

"This Hunger Games was full of surprises. It was one of the longest Hunger Games ever, and the excitement was spread out to keep the tension high! We were so disappointed to see some favorites go, but we don't have to say goodbye to all of them yet..." Nesri threw a second popcorn, this time smack between his eyes. "We have a surprise for you, one that the Capitol made happen to make everyone happy! Two tributes have miraculously survived, and here they are!"

Lynne and Lynn walked on stage, dressed up and acting like it was the pre-games interviews all over again. I stole a glance at Rowan, stiff and scowling at the wall. They held their arm too tight. Lynn was their friend. Their friend. My heart fell. This couldn’t be easy to watch.

Sprawled out in every direction on one of the other chairs, Rebecca growled. “Disrespect. If he starts making jokes about their names, I’m kicking his kneecaps up to his throat.”

Cirrus grinned in the corner of my eye, mirrored by Nesri as she gave a thumbs up.

“I would gladly help.” Rowan agreed with a half-hearted laugh.

On the screen, the two of them sat down on stage as Ceasar begun his interview. “So, could you describe how the Capitol so graciously saved you from the arena?”

Lynne smiled, almost as fake as Ceasar. “I was about to freeze, abandoned in the cold of the arena, but the Capitol graciously came and saved me, pulling me out from the hell of the arena and into the lesser hell of the--" She grimaced.

“I believe I was in almost the same situation, near death in the snow, such fond memories,” Lynn took over. “And of all people, my dear sister appears to, as you said, ‘graciously come and save me.”

“She stopped.” Elivra, one of the ones who’d joined us after we’d left the arena, pointed out. “Why so sudden? Why the face?” Good point.

Rowan’s eyes stayed glued to the screen. “If Lynn’s sister is involved, I can only imagine where exactly they were taken after being pulled out.”

Nesri looked down at her phone. “Shine says they’re both wearing shockers, and that’s how the Capitol is policing what they say.”

“Electric shockers?” Cirrus frowned. “Seems like overkill to me.”

Shockers? I hadn’t heard of anything like that before, but I ignored the questions that were slowly starting to come up and twisted around to look at Rowan. “Wait, you know where they are?”

“Not exactly, more just, from what Lynn’s said in the past. He was involved in something that we thought was only in our district that was hurting people.” Rowan sighed, running a hand through already wild hair.

“Oh.” My shoulders fell. “That’s too bad.” So much for that route.

Rebecca made a face. “The Capitol’s adherence to human rights knows no bounds. So they get shocked if they say something Snow or Caesar don’t like?”

Shine, one of the pirates I think, nodded, and Nesri shrugged. “I guess so. Shine’s the one who knows about this mechanical stuff.”

Ceasar carried on. “What did you think about leaving behind those you cared so much about when you went into the arena?”

“I had to.” Lynne looked straight into the cameras, straight at us. “I didn’t want to, but I had no choice. I’m sorry.”

Rebecca pointed at the screen. “She’s talking about us.”

Lynn spoke next. “Well, I had hoped they would understand when I volunteered for someone so young. Of course, never dreamed one would follow me in there.” His face twisted in pain and I grit my teeth. “I hope they’re okay.”

I gripped the edges of my mug harder, knuckles turning white as I glared at the screen. They were hurting him. Hurting him and putting him through hell for what? For what? To parade them around like broken trophies? To show them off to anyone who’d hear them and put them out to rust? Hadn’t they put everyone though enough? Enough? Anger flared hot from the center of my chest. And in front of Rowan. In front of Rowan and everyone else who’d ever cared about him, who wouldn’t, who couldn’t, who couldn’t do anything to save them. Could only watch. Watch as, as…

“How dare he.” I snarled. How dare he put them through this with a smile and a laugh like it was nothing, like they were worthless, like they were both nothing. Nothing. Nothing. “I should have killed him.” Should have bitten through the thin edge of his soul right there on his exploitative stage and put and end to it. Should have gone through with my threat, should have spilled his overrated blood. “I should have…”

Cirrus shot me a look with quick tap on my arm, slight enough I wasn’t sure if anyone else noticed but enough. Enough. I shook my head out, letting my eyes drop down to my tired reflection in what was left of the tea. Not now. Not now.

“As much as I agree with the thought,” Rowan spoke quietly. “I’m afraid of how much worse the games could have been after if you had, on top of it you wouldn’t have survived the interview, and personally I’m glad we’ve all made it this far.”

Nesri held her bowl up like a champagne glass toast. “Cheers, I’ll eat to that.”

“It gives us all a chance to right what they’ve wronged.” Elvira added.

I nodded down at my reflection. They were right. They were all right. Even if I had, even if I hadn’t held back, and if they’d let me survive I didn’t know how I would have lived with it. To do away with a demon was one thing, but a human? A person, no matter how hated, that was different. That was different.

Ceaser’s stupid laugh through the speakers brought my attention back to the interview. “We have a surprise for you as well!” He gestured at something out of the frame, and two people I didn’t recognize entered the stage to a whispered curse from Nesri. “Alastair and Laurel! Two people close to Evelynne and Lynn!” The crowed cheered as Lynne and Alastair embraced and Lynn didn’t seem to know what to think. “We’re going to let them have some time alone…” He winked at the crowd still in hysterics. “But look forward to more surprises throughout the week, with a big surprise being announced at an interview at the end of this week! Have a good night and may the odds be ever in your favor.”

And that was it. The tributes were corralled off the screen and were quickly replaced the usual outro. Gone.

Nesri devoured the last of her popcorn and leaned back. “So, what are we going to do about this?”

I swallowed. Do about it? Was there anything we could do about it?

“I’ve seen enough.” Rebecca stood, grabbing the sword she’d refused to be separated from since leaving the arena. “I’m ready to go get ‘em now.”

Cirrus eyed up the sword in her hand. “Where the fuck did she get that? I want one.”

“You don’t even know how to use it.” I whispered back.

He blinked, half surprised and half embarrassed that I’d heard him, like he hadn’t meant to actually say any of that out loud.

Nesri got up with a laugh, blocking her path. “As much as I’d like to say I’m with you, it would be suicide to get them now.” As if it wouldn’t be any other time? “We’ll have to figure out a time when they’re under less security.” She glanced down at her phone, then at Shine with a quick nod. “The most pressing thing right now is figuring out how to get rid of the trackers.”

Rowan took a deep breath, seeming to force their eyes open. “Alright, does anyone actually know how those things work or could possibly make them not work?” Even from the couch I thought I could see them shaking, shaking and trying their best to hide it.

Cirrus clearly did not. He shrugged. “Take the battery out?”

Shine rolled his eyes and started to type something into his phone. Cirrus scowled but thankfully kept his mouth shut.

Rebecca sat down again. “Maybe we can just slice them out like we did with our trackers?”

“That would require getting close to the person without raising suspicious, and it sounds potentially harmful,” Elvira pointed out. “They’re likely wired differently than the trackers. They must be controlled remotely. If we can destroy or steal whatever triggers the shocks, those who should be safe. Well. Safe-er.”

Nesri looked down at her phone, reading off Shine’s text. “I can figure out how they work and how to make them stop working, but someone’s going to have to s teal one for me. I don’t know what the Capitol would have put in for security measures. I’m not sure where they would be keeping them, however.”

Rebecca jumped in. “I know a guy who might be able to help us narrow that down for you—he’s a sucker for a good cause. Which is why he quit. And I’m sure more than one of us are good for sneaking into places we shouldn’t get to.” She cast a pointed look towards Nesri and I faintly remembered some disturbances back at the training center that I’d done my best to avoid at the time.

Nesri gave her wink. “I’ll totally back you up.”

But that was the training center, and this was different. We didn’t know what we were up against. What kind of place they’d be keeping their technology, what kind of security measures they’d be putting in place. Surely they had to know that we weren’t dead, they had to with no bodies, and they’d be afraid of us finding out what they were doing. It might not be so simple this time. Might not be so harmless.

I took a deep breath and looked up from my tea before I could think twice about what I was about to say. “We might not have to do much sneaking.” I glanced at the others. “If we can get close enough to someone who works there I could swap them with one of us. Take their soul our and put someone else’s in the body and you could use it like your own.” They could just walk right in like nothing was wrong, putting aside how it would break every ethical guideline there was. But Ginger would never have to know, right? And besides. She did tell me I could do whatever I needed to before I left, didn’t she?

Rowan shifted uncomfortably, grimacing. “I’ve had an experience a little too similar I the past to be the one for you to do that with, sorry.”

“Oh, that’s fine.” I nodded. “It’s a lot if you’re not ready for it.” To say the least anyway. “If we don’t need to do it all the better, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they have this stuff under a lot of security.”

“That works too!” Nesri grinned. “That’ll be our sub-heist!”

“So that takes care of the trackers, but what about actually getting both of them out?” Cirrus stood up straight and crossed his arms. “Sure you’ll have a field day dissecting some overcharged computer but that doesn’t do anything if we can’t get them free.”

Rowan glanced from Cirrus to the others. “Are we including the two they brought out on stage as well in this recue or do you think they were just there as a way to show the Capitol’s power to those two during the interview, if it could even be called that?”

Nesri shrugged. “Why not? More of a challenge and more of a ‘screw you’ to the Capitol.”

"Are they innocent? They're not working with Caesar, are they?" Elvira asked. "It seems like they were being used as a threat. If we abscond with Lynn and Lynne, Snow will have no use for the other two. I, for one, would rather not have that on my conscience if we can help it."

I tried to keep up, the fuzzy edge starting to creep back into my head and slowing my thoughts.

“I can’t say anything about the other, but Laurel is innocent, she’s family or as close as myself or Lynn have.” Rowan sounded certain.

Nesri shook her head. "Alastair was working with us to begin with, so he won't be working with Snow. He's offered to help us get into exclusive events if it will help us get them out."

Rebecca perked up. “Exclusive events? Like what?”

"His father is a close Snow advisor, but he's not infatuated with Snow like his family is. Triel made sure," Nesri said quickly. "He has access to tickets to parties and other events that are exclusive to high-ranking officials."

Cirrus raised his eyebrows. “Sounds fun.”

Of course he’d like that. He’d probably feel right at home at one of their fancy parties.

Nesri grinned along with him. “And Triel has the best disguises, if we need them.”

"So, we wait for the Capitol to host something flashy to show off their new trophies, find ourselves with invitations, and leave with these four in tow, shockless and safe?" Elvira asked

I nodded, buying time to pick out my words. “I’m in.” So far it made sense. So far it sounded doable.

"It'll be so much more dramatic!" Nesri’s phone buzzed and she read something off of the screen. "So, it turns out the Capitol stole all of the tributes. If we can find a way to steal all of them from under the Capitol's nose, we can show how little the Capitol can control." She looked up at the rest of us. "And just when we were getting things accomplished. How about we save that conversation for later when Triel's back, so she can explain more about what she learned?"

Agreement rippled through the others, and I leaned back into the plush of the couch. Good, I didn’t know how much longer it would be before I’d start falling asleep again. The others started going their own ways, talking in smaller groups or going off alone. I stayed put, setting my cup down on the table and stretching out on the now empty couch. How long had we been here? A few days? I curled up, wrapping the blanket around me a little tighter. Hopefully it wouldn’t be much longer before I’d be back at least partway alert. Partway coherent. At least it was warm. We were inside. We were safe enough. We were out and I hadn’t hurt anyone. Now I just had to rest. I could figure things out later, like whether or not I bit Zenith and whether or not I owed him an apology.

I opened my eyes and propped myself up enough to look around the now near empty room. Where was Zenith? He’d made it out hadn’t he? For a moment I thought of getting up, trying to find him, but the weight in my limbs and the sleepiness behind my eyes changed my mind. If something had happened someone would have told me by now, that or I would have noticed something wrong.

[meteor752]

Lotr dragons

So a while back I made a post about The Dragon Curse, aka a headcanon I have about what happens if you kill a dragon. And if my followers know me, they know that I overthink a lot of small details, elaborate on them, and then write them down. And anyone who knows me personally knows that I really like dragons, so I’m surprised it took me this long to make a post about it.

In the Lotr wiki, there are basically only two types of dragons, those who breathe fire and those who don’t, and I’m going to completely ignore all of that. This is my universe, I do what I want!

Also, for more backstory about dragons, read the first part here

So here we go!

Fire dragon

When people of Middle earth speak of dragons, it is mostly fire dragons they refer to. Fire dragons are the fiercest, strongest, and the most intimidating dragon, and when it comes to dragon attacks, it is mostly the work of a fire dragon. A fire dragon is large, with often dark red scales and fiery orange eyes, and sharp teeth and claws. Despite the name Dragon, a Fire Dragon is actually a wyvern, with incredibly strong and fast wings, that can reach speeds up to 600 mph. The most distinct part about the fire dragon is of course it’s fire, that can reach up to almost ten million degrees Celsius if so desired, though most of the time the dragon chooses not to use its fire’s true heat as it can be destructive.

Water dragon

Water dragons are more common than people think, as they are mostly left alone in the deep and can therefore procreate at a normal speed. Water dragons mostly desire to be left alone, and is rarely seen up at the surface among the people of middle earth. Just like a Fire Dragon is technically a Wyvern, a water dragon is technically an Amphithere. The Water dragon can not breathe fire as most dragons are capable of, but despite common belief they can’t "breathe" water either. Their way of defending themselves relies on the venom in their teeth and spikes, which can take out even the toughest person in a heartbeat. Luckily, they are quite docile and prefer to collect items like pearls or lost weaponry than gold. Water Dragon’s come in many different colors, including Cyan, Lilac, turquoise, rose, periwinkle, lapis, and indigo. A Water Dragon is rarely just one single color, and their scales often glimmer in a combination of the colors.

Ice Dragon

Ice dragons have always been the rarest of dragons, as it has only ever been one. Moln was one of the original dragons that were created out of the greedy village, and is therefore really, really, old. Moln mostly keeps to himself in the whole of his chunk of ice, mostly collecting ice crystals and gems. He’s rather large, with glimmering white and ice blue scales, and the coldest eyes in all of middle earth. Just like the water dragon, Moln is incapable of breathing fire, and can instead freeze whatever he so desires to freeze. Moln is actually quite passive, and many people who have encountered him have come out alive, unless they would try to steal his treasure.

Forest Dragon

Forest dragons are some of the smaller dragons, only being about five feet tall and 25 feet long. Forest dragons are, just like fire dragons, a threat to the people of middle earth, but in a much lesser kind. They are a bit like raccoons to a Fire Dragons wolf. Just like their name might suggest, a Forest dragon mostly stay in a chosen forest, protecting their territory fiercely from other Forest Dragon’s. They mostly stay in the trees, jumping between branches and eating the birds and squirrels that they find, since because of their small size and dull teeth and claws they can’t exactly take on any big animals. Despite being able to breathe fire, a Forest Dragon often chooses not to as it can set their precious forest ablaze, leaving only ash behind. Except for The Ice Dragon, Forest dragons have the fewest cases of hatchlings, as they rarely interact with their own species unless it is to battle ‘em to the death for territory. A new Forest Dragon is only really created through dragon slayers, which makes them quite rare. A Forest Dragon only really comes in one color, dark green, as it makes it easier for them to blend into the woods. The Forest Dragon’s teeth and claws are quite dull and non-threatening, and their tail completely spikeless. Their true strength is their quick speed, reaching up to more than a thousand mph which makes it the fastest dragon, and their sharp eyes. Unlike other dragons who value treasure like gold and jewels, a forest dragon finds and collects pretty rocks and plants that they like, and hide them in hollow trees for safekeeping. 

Spike Dragon

The spike dragon is probably the dragon there are the most of, just simply because they are hard to find and that they live in packs, so Hatchlings are common. The Spike dragons are the smallest dragons, with only being about a half foot long and just a few inches tall. Just like the Fire Dragon, a Spike dragon is a wyvern, but a quite small one in comparison. The name Spike Dragon comes from the fact that this dragon has, and be prepared cuz this is a shocker, spikes! The whole thing is covered in ‘em, making it not the most petable thing out there. Despite being about the size of a person’s hand, the Spike dragon is quite vicious and full of rage, and just like the forest dragon very territorial. They stay in small packs, helping each other to hunt and take care of the tiny hatchlings. The Spike dragon can mostly be found in very dry areas like a desert, as their sand-colored scales can easily blend into the background which makes it easier to sneak up on prey. Despite their size, Spike Dragons are hunters, and their main diet consists of stuff like fenneks and possums, but if they’re lucky they can manage to take down a man or an elf. The Spike dragons treasure mostly consists of small golden coins found on one of the men/elves/dwarves they kill, and they protect it fiercely from the other members of their species. A Spike Dragon can breathe fire, but it’s a fairly small flame that doesn’t do much damage, so it usually uses its sharp spikes or teeth to attack.

Mountain Dragon

Aside from the dragons we do not speak of, mountain dragons are the largest dragons there is. A fully grown one can reach around about three mountains and manage to bite its own tail if it would desire to do so. This is why mountain dragons aren’t so common, as most people don’t want to kill them, so there are not many mountain dragon slayers. The mountain dragons have dark grey scales, and silvery grey eyes, that make it easy for them to blend in against the mountain rocks. The Mountain dragons mostly prefer solitude, and usually dig a hole in their mountain that they stay curled up in with their stolen treasure, napping, only coming out when needed to. Which is good, because these bad boys are very dangerous, with their enormous size and brute strength. Just like most dragons, it breathes fire, but it usually chooses not to when in battle, as it’s a sign of weakness for them, to not being able to rely on its strength alone.

Sky dragon

Sky dragons are basically the elves of the dragon types, beautiful and peaceful, but boy do they have a bloody history. The Sky dragons are fair, with pearl-like scales that shines in the sun, see-through strong wings and eyes blue as the sky, hence the name sky dragon. The Sky dragons don’t have a treasure like the other dragons, but instead only has one chosen pearl they protect fiercely. The bigger and more beautiful the pearl, the better the mate. The pearls however are not just found on the bottom of a lake or something. No, the Sky Dragons deep into the ocean, find a Water dragon, slay it, and then takes the most beautiful pearl it can find in its treasure. Most Sky dragons live on top of mountains, aka as close as the sky you can get, but not in stuff like caves like mountain dragons. No, they live out in the open, which risks them being killed in their sleep, but a Sky dragon’s scale is hard as a diamond so it’s pretty safe. A Sky dragon egg is very valuable though, because of the beauty and hardness of the shell, so they have to be careful protecting those. Sky dragons breathe fire, like many other dragons, though their fire is blue and quite elegant.

Swamp Dragons

Swamp dragons are said to be pretty closely related to Forest dragons, as they both are about the same size and almost have the same color. The Swamp dragon does not move much, unless someone would be entering their territory, where it would just go and snack on ‘em, so it’s very common for it to be covered in moss. Just like the name suggests, A swamp dragon lives in a swamp, and mostly keeps to themselves. Just walk around their swamp, and you’ll be fine. It doesn’t really care about animals either, like a squirrel can use its body to jump up in a tree, and it wouldn’t even care. Most Swamp dragons are unable to fly, as they barely use their wings and therefore don’t develop them so much. These boys are pretty lazy, and would rather just sunbath than go hunt or fly. This is also the reason most Swamp dragons don’t even have a treasure, as they don’t bother stealing it. Some do, some collect it from some random person that just stumbled into their swamp, and it keeps it in a hollow tree like the Forest Dragon, but some just don’t bother. Despite the laziness, a Swamp dragon can be pretty darn dangerous, as while it’s not the biggest, it’s very heavy and has a pretty bulky tail that can kill you with a single hit. Its Fire is not the strongest, since it mostly lays in a swamp all day, but it can kill with it if so desired.

Venom Dragon

These are the real hazards. Venom Dragons are not the largest dragons, they are not the fastest dragons, they are not the strongest dragons, but they are the second most dangerous after the dragon we do not speak of. Almost everything about this type of dragon is poisonous, from its spikes to its blood to the acid it spits. It even looks dangerous, with its large body, it’s dark purple scales and it’s glowing purple eyes. In reality, it’s just a huge puppy. Just the sweetest boy. Venom dragons are pretty much the opposite of spike dragons, as they are small and full of rage, while the Venom dragon is huge and full of love. Unfortunately, everyone is afraid of it and they are quite rare, so it doesn’t have anyone to cuddle with :(. But if you would cuddle with this thing you’d probably die, as again, everything about it is poisonous. It’s treasure mostly consists of the bones is people and animals it has accidentally killed, since it wants friends.

The Dragon we do not speak of

The name is pretty self-explanatory, we don’t talk about this one. Its species is dead, thankfully, but just the thought of it returning is pretty traumatizing. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m of course speaking of Ancalagon’s species, aka the most terrifying thing anyone has ever encountered. In the myth of the greedy village and the sorceress, it is said that the master of the village was turned into The Dragon that we do not speak of. Not much is known about this species, as most people who encountered it fucking died, and the ones who slew one of these bad boys killed themselves pretty quickly to not have any more of the fucking apocalypse happen.

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Yeah, this is as far from canon lotr lore as you can come. But, I’m making my own universe here, and no one can stop me. Suck it Tolkien.

Also, thank you @a-e-g-g for helping me with the venom dragon, who both of us now wish to hug even though we would die.

Also, thanks again to @lunaishtari for creating the idea of the dragon curse, that then turned into fricking this. I have gone too far

AU Masterpost

[apple-grass-and-smiles]

So, I got tagged by the darling @sojipicard to make a moodboard. The challenge was to go to Pinterest, search “(your name) + core + aesthetic” and to make a moodboard out of te pictures provided.

I’m tagging: @ironwingblog, @the-wingway, @brvceselina, @gothamstreetcat, @electricbluebutterflies, @claraaoswald, and @marthaskane. If anyone else would like to be tagged, please take this as your invitation.