#fact fiction & turquoise

[thevanillerose]

LEATHER | DABI x BLIND!READER | MY HERO ACADEMIA

~ WRITING COMMISSIONS ~ ~ PATREON ~ ~ KO-FI ~

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I do not own anything except my own writing. All properties belong to their respective creators.

Coarse. Soft. Plush. Hard.

Your world was defined by these words. It always had been. Blind from birth, you were used to being steeped in darkness, but because you had never known anything different, it wasn't something that made you feel bad. If anything, you weren't sure why people felt so sorry for you. Why they would express such pity towards you when they found out about your affliction.

You were getting on just fine, right? So truly...there were people out there who were far more deserving of their well meant concerns than you were. You didn't need anyone to worry over you.

Perhaps the only thing you wished you could have sight for was to know what you looked like. Somehow your parents were a perfect image in your mind, it was as if you could envision them anyway, despite your own impairment. When it came to you personally though, well...you didn't have the faintest clue.

Were you ugly? Pretty? People always claimed it was the latter, but how were you to know if they were lying or not? There was truly no way of telling.

So that was maybe the one thing that did bother you. The rest of it though, you could deal with. You would be alright.

In fact, you were so brave with it that you would walk home alone at any time of night, no qualms about it. Sure, there had been talk of a mysterious killer on the loose lately, but the most you had heard were vague rumors that you strongly doubted held any actual water.

Like hell you were going to get scared!

Once again, you were out in the early hours. Your senses were always on max settings anyway, so if someone happened to be pursuing you, you would pick up on it in a split. However, it wasn't what lay behind you that you needed to worry about.

A few steps forward, and suddenly you bumped into something. Staggering backwards, you immediately registered that it was a person, and instantly doubled over into a respectful bow of apology. “Sorry! Excuse me...I didn't see you there...” It was quite amusing to use a line like that, given that it was rarely so literal.

The fellow turned and cast his piercing turquoise eyes upon you, observing you in silence. The air was immediately tense.

Dabi hadn't been expecting you to run into him out of nowhere. The streets were usually quiet at this time, he'd go looking for trouble in certain spots sure, but those were usually the obvious ones, like your sketchy backwater nightclubs and 'massage parlors'.

One look at you, and he was confused. “...What are you doing out here alone?”

Male...I figured. Judging by his voice...he's probably around my age...

 “I...I usually come out at any time, really. I was just picking up some supplies-”  You held up the plastic bag filled with goodies from the 24 hour mart. He stared at it for a moment, before letting his eyes flicker back to you again.  “It's dangerous.”

 “Well-” you lowered the bag and shrugged, “-I know that's what they say but...if I stayed inside just because I was scared, it would be like handing over control to whatever bad guys are out there. It would be like they were already winning.”

 He quirked a black brow. Interesting take.

 “...You're brave.”  You heard him take a few steps forward, around your side, behind you. Shuddering, you could sense his fingertips gliding ever so lightly against the back of your shoulder, across the nape of your neck and to your other arm.   “How do you know you've not just run into an enemy though?”

 Well now you were really wondering.    “...Because...you're standing out here on the pavement, right by the road. People like that usually lurk in the shadows...”  “It's dark enough out here though.” he stated, as he circled around to your front again, and you could sense him standing closer than before, “There's nobody else around...no cameras watching...just you and me. I could get away with anything.”

 Now the fear was setting in. He was certainly talking like a killer...so could he really be? You swallowed uneasily and tried to step around him, but his hand caught your side and pushed you back, prompting you to drop the bag as you jolted. Those cartons of chocolate milk you'd bought were scattered.

 “Please, I don't want any trouble!” you insisted, and he tilted his head.  “Maybe you should have watched where you were going. Maybe you shouldn't have been walking out alone at night.”  “I-I'm entitled to!”  “So am I.”

 “...You're the killer they've been talking about?”  “Maybe.”

 This was insane. Even you felt like you were being reckless now. However, you needed to find some way to excuse yourself or run from him. You'd worry about calling the police when you were somewhere safe.  Then again, what would you even tell them?

 “Look...I...if you let me go I won't say a word...” you promised, but he simply scoffed.  “Yes you will, don't lie. You're going to file a police report at the first chance you get.”  “No! No I won't because, because I wouldn't even be able to in the first place!”  “...And what is that supposed to mean? You've seen my face, my location, I basically admitted to you that I'm the killer. Of course you can file a report.”

 “...” Telling him this seemed like as much of a bad idea as a good one...but you would do it.

 “...I...I don't know what you look like. I can't see you.”  There was a long pause. Dabi stared at you, blinking a few times, before leaning in just a little bit.  “...Excuse me?”  “I-I said I can't see you. Because I'm blind.”

 That threw him for a total loop. He hadn't been expecting it. Though now that he really looked at you, he supposed that your eyes weren't really focusing on anything in particular, and they certainly weren't looking at him. So, well, he believed it.

 What now?

 “...Okay. So you're blind. I suppose that...removes the problem for me.”  “A-are you still going to kill me?” you dared to ask, and there was another frightening pause, before he sighed.  “...No...There's little point in it. Just another mess I'd have to clean up.”

 Instantly you were almost bowled over by a wave of relief.  “Th-thank you!” you gasped out, and quickly crouched down to find the items you'd dropped. Dabi watched you fumbling for a moment, your hand patting the ground as it tried to find what it was looking for.  

 He didn't quite know why. Perhaps there was just something tender about you, either way, he ended up crouching down to pick up the carton.

 At the very moment he reached out though, so too did you, and for a split second, your knuckles brushed.

 Instantly you recoiled and gasped. What you'd just touched, it was unexpected.  “What was that??”  “Hm? Oh right...you can't see it.” Dabi sighed and put the carton back in the bag but remained crouching there in front of you, examining his own hand. “...My skin isn't really what you'd call regular.”

 Admittedly, you were curious. He seemed to be behaving more calmly and rationally right now too. Would it really be so bad if you asked?

 “May I...touch it again?”    “Huh?” Dabi quickly looked at you, brow furrowing. “...Why?”  “Because I...I suppose I'm just curious. I won't if it bothers you...I've just...never felt anything like that before.”

What am I doing? What am I doing!? This guy's a killer!!   ...Why am I being nice to him?

 Perhaps the better question would have been vice versa. For Dabi actually conceded, brushing your hand with his again and allowing you to gently run your fingers up his wrist. You didn't even know his name, and yet you were crouched on the ground with him, caressing his arm and feeling how rough, tight the skin was...like it had been burned to a crisp.

 “...What happened to you?” you had to ask him, noticing there were hard staples plastered in there too, as if he were some zombie that had been stitched up. Your curiosity got the better of you, and you reached up with both hands this time, laying them gently against his cheeks and cupping his face.

 His jaw was much the same. It felt similar, like he was damaged. But you could tell his face wasn't unpleasant. He had a good structure, you could tell-  “What are you doing?”  His voice suddenly sounded, a little sternly so, and his hands took your wrists just to guide them down again. Hesitating, you lowered your head.

 “I'm sorry...I act a little rash sometimes...”  “...It's fine. I can tell.” he uttered, but he hadn't let you go just yet. “...But I think I'd rather know about you. How did you become blind?”

 This was such an odd situation to be in. Confessions on a dirty pavement, and confessions to a supposed killer no less. What if you said the wrong thing and he just ended you right here and now? This scarred man did seem to have a cold disposition...but for some reason...you wanted to open up to him anyway.

 “I didn't really 'become' blind, I've been like this from birth.” you explained, and though you couldn't see it of course, his eyes widened.  “...Oh?”

 “Yeah, so...hah...I don't even know what I look like. Sometimes I imagine I must be the scariest thing walking around out here.”

 Dabi's hands slowly slipped away, making you worry. He laid them in his own lap, and watched you. The concerned emotions flickering across your face, like you were suddenly fearful you'd admitted too much. You were obviously nervous around him, but it was like you didn't want to deter him either.

Is he really the killer? I want to run, and yet...I don't.

 His hand slowly extended towards you again. That unmistakable touch against the skin of your cheek, as he let it rest against your face. You could feel his thumb, gently rubbing in a circle. Your hammering heartbeat slowly calmed. You found yourself sinking against his palm.

 “You're a curious one. A bit of a weirdo.” he added, and cracked a smile you couldn't see. Maybe you somehow knew it was there regardless.

 “But...you're pretty too.”

Like my writing? I can write for you! Check out my WRITING COMMISSIONS!

[amateurvoltaire]

I went to Puy du Fou (1) and watched  'Le Dernier Panache' (2), and needless to say, I've got a few things on my mind. But before I gather my thoughts into something coherent, there’s one pressing issue I need to address: there was NO “extermination” policy in the Vendée.

Is it clear enough for everyone? I sincerely hope so because yesterday, I was among an audience of about 5000 who were shown a scene depicting Robespierre (in yellow), Saint-Just (in turquoise), and Barère (in purple) arguing for the complete destruction of the Vendée… for reasons…

In plain terms, were they advocating for genocide (3)  in the Vendée.

This didn’t happen. In 1793, the idea of a distinct Vendéen identity wasn’t a real thing. The Vendéens were not recognized as a specific regional or ethnic group, not by themselves or anyone else.

Do you know what was real? Brigands rebelling against the first French Republic. What were the policies of extermination targeted towards? Those Brigands. What do you call that? Civil War.

On 1st August 1793, Barère delivered an inflamatory speech (4) that many use to argue the Committee of Public Safety's alleged genocidal intent. His words were indeed unhinged, typical of the era’s rhetoric.

Barère did say, "No more Vendée, no more royalty; no more Vendée, no more aristocracy; no more Vendée, and the enemies of the republic have disappeared," but this infamous line follows a crucial preamble: "We will have peace the day the interior is peaceful, that the rebels are subdued, that the brigands are exterminated. (5)" It’s disingenuous to interpret this as a call to wipe out an entire region (6).

Moreover, this speech was followed by the "Décret relatif aux mesures à prendre contre les rebelles de Vendée", which includes an article (the 8th) stating: "Women, children, and the elderly will be taken inland. Provisions will be made for their subsistence and safety, with all the consideration due to humanity" This directive was actually enforced as evidenced by the 20,000 to 40,000 refugees who the government supported in cities like Poitiers, Orléans, and La Rochelle.

The conservative right in France has been peddling this genocide narrative since the mid-1980s, but no amount of dramatic cursive text with melancholic violin strains will convert fiction into fact.

What happened in the Vendée was horrific. Were there war crimes? Numerous. Was the region scarred by the violence? Undoubtedly. Should we acknowledge that? Of course!  But pushing a theory that is not true detracts from recognising the violence, learning from it and ensuring it will never happen again.

It also cheapens the heroic acts and sacrifices of those who fought not for the narrow political agendas of the 21st century but for causes they truly believed in. The counter-revolutionaries in the Vendée and throughout France were driven by a deep commitment to protect their communities, faith, and way of life. They were not merely victims of a systematic extermination effort but active participants in a struggle to defend their political and religious beliefs (7). Admittedly, I'm not an expert on Charette, but I suspect he would be disturbed to see his legacy so grossly misrepresented…

Notes

(1) Puy du Fou is a historical theme park in the Vendée known for its elaborate live shows that recreate historical events. It has faced criticism for potentially exploiting history and is managed by the Puy du Fou Foundation, linked to its founder, Philippe de Villiers, a French politician noted for his conservative and nationalist views.

(2) This particular show focuses on François Athanase Charette de La Contrie, a Vendean general.

(3) Genocide is defined by the United Nations in the "Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide", adopted on December 9, 1948, as acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group.

(4) The conflict in the Vendée began in March 1793, prior to Robespierre's association with the Committee of Public Safety. Danton was the one who was instrumental in shaping the initial response to the uprising and was the president of the Convention during Barère’s speech. Weirdly enough, Danton is nowhere on that stage…

(5) The full qoute is "Nous aurons la paix le jour que l'intérieur sera paisible, que les rebelles seront soumis, que les brigands seront exterminés. Les conquêtes et les perfidies des puissances étrangères seront nulles le jour que le département de la Vendée aura perdu son infâme dénomination et sa population parricide et coupable. Plus de Vendée, plus de royauté ; plus de Vendée, plus d'aristocratie ; plus de Vendée, et les ennemis de la république ont disparu. "

(6) This type of rhetoric was not unique to the Vendée but was also directed at other counter-revolutionary hotspots across France like Brittany, Lyon, Marseille, Avignon, etc.

(7) I'm not a particular fan of those beliefs but I can respect the courage to stand up in defence of a lost cause.

[leohtttbriar]

Someone brought an overhated character poll to my dash about Kai Winn and im literally so sad about the responses. I knew there were people who hated her but it's really baffling to me how maybe 10 people tops acknowledge her past and the reasonings behind her choices, they just see a space Karen.

oh dude, i'm sorry that sucks. and "sad" really is a simple but fairly complete word when it comes to the character of winn adami, huh.

like. i think a lot about how she's the most normal-looking woman on the show. she is also, simply, normal. she is faithful and political and appears and acts in ways far more familiar to us than most characters. even the fact of her alien-faith hardly serves to alienate, given that she is faithful in the way we might be--without true expectation of ever meeting the divine in this life. while kira can seem more like a fictional character when she speaks of the prophets, due to her proximity to them, winn sounds like the person accosting you on a street corner to talk about the rapture.

that's the thing, though, isn't it. about the "karen" phenomenon in general. there is nothing uniquely bad about middle-aged white women--nothing that makes them uniquely ungovernable in social spheres in ways men aren't. in ways everyone isn't, in some way. (merely anecdotal evidence, but my own experience in the service industry made me far more wary of men in their 30s wearing patagonia vests over dress-shirts). winn adami is a normal sort of frustration to people. one they encounter in the day-to-day. the political conservative who stands outside of planned parenthood and tells girls not to throw away their everlasting souls. the pentecostal women speaking gibberish in church, gesturing to the heavens with their out-of-fashion french manicures, who brought a tater-tot hot dish with extra kraft cheese to the pot luck. the women with cross-walls. with like. so many crosses. the women with leathery tans on the aging skin of their arms and neck. the women who quietly walk into voting booths around the world and choose "safety" over anything else, whether or not that "safety" is real.

at least. that's who people think winn is. setting aside the fact that most people don't truly know the kinds of women listed above, that it's unlikely they've spared a single ounce of pity for women like that ever in their entire lives, winn is not exactly pitiable in this way. she is awash in power. she is intelligent. she thinks. she would stand in a voting booth and choose "safety" (whether or not it's real) but she's not the lady wearing a t-shirt that says trump could grab her pussy if he wanted. she's not one of the many blonde women on fox news. she's not even sandra day o'connor or any other female conservative intellectual. because she's a metaphor.

we don't know her real-world politics because she's a fictional character in a fictional universe leading a fictional world. we know she's a conservative because fights very very hard to maintain the status quo regarding her bajoran religion and its teachings. but we don't know how any of that can be truly allegorized to conservative policies in the real-world. the main tension being: conservatives in the real-world base a lot of truly evil policy on a made-up divine figure interpreted through thousands of made-up hermeneutics and it is materially all Not Real. in ds9, the prophets are actual beings who affect reality. winn's said and done things on the show that sound like something an annoying woman with a turquoise-cross around her neck would say at a utah city council meeting about creationism and "inappropriate books." she also says things that a woman would say at a protest against the racist and paternalistic policies of the british museum. all we know of her as a political figure is that she is conservative. and like, power-hungry and desperate, but those aren't essentially related. she wants to conserve. and that encompasses more than one thing.

which means that people, when they see her, simply aren't thinking. they react to a woman who looks as she does. who speaks like a politician. who makes decisions that are unfair. but, exactly as you said, the show grounds her. they give her a past. they richly flesh out so much about her. they have her acting too rationally sometimes for someone of her professed faith. they have her acting completely irrational as her gods reject her again and again. all while she clings to them with a faith that endured actual torture at the hands of violent imperialists who yet attack her planet and yet attack her and yet she has to speak with as the leader of bajor.

and it's hard to see (beyond the obvious) why this character receives so much vitriol when you have characters like garak and dukat and kira who all are considered charming and beloved in some way or another, while still being as complex as they are. (and i don't even think dukat is all that complex.) even sisko has some moments that, if i lived in his world, i would be somewhat repulsed by--like when jake begs him to let the prophets go and sisko embraces the cosmic over the request of his son. (again: the prophets are real though, so my "repulsion" is more a reaction against people i see as priests, who i find in the real world, as a rule, awful.)

so. it's definitely sad. because the level and kind of hate bestowed upon this character really does seem to be a symptom of a much larger issue: of course, misogyny.

also that people don't tend to think.

[naomi-nana]

: promise me?

doctor!albedo x fem!reader

cw: ooc, two dense people in love, mention of death, angst, grammar mistake.

a/n: ik this ain't realistic but cmon its fictional so hehehehhe

what are the most wonderful things in this world? if you were to ask any other people in this world that question, i'm certain that their answers would be different. i'm pretty sure that their answer would all be fascinating, but not to a certain doctor. each time he is asked that question, the answer remains the same. "that patient for me is the most wonderful thing that has happened to me." he looked at his colleague with a straight expression on his face. "what's so interesting about her anyways?"

he stayed silent. no one knows. even he doesn't know. why does he care that much about her anyways? she is just a patient. oh, but the way she smiles when he entered the room. the way she greets him with such gentle tone that it would make anyone fall for her. "good morning, my doctor."

"i've told you to stop calling me that." he narrowed his eyes. "just call me by my name." she laughed at him. he only stared at her face in awe, the way she laughs and smiled sincerely at him. her laugh makes him feel all warm inside. he doesn't know why, maybe it's an incurable disease. he's been drinking all sorts of medicine to stop that feeling but it still came, weirdly enough, it only happens when he is with her alone. "well, apologize for my rudeness, sir albedo." he looks at her with a straight face, as if he hasn't been repeating the way she called him.

his name sounds nice when it's said by her.

"what a pity," she mumbles, "it's only a week left before i'm gone from this world." ah. he forgot about that. having spent most of his time trying to cure her disease makes him forgot about the time left. "may i ask something to you?" his ears perk at her question. "ask away."

"will you please stay with me until my death?"

----

he doesn't know why, but he agreed. it's been 2 days after that promise with her. he is now standing besides her bed, listening to her talk about random stuff. "you know, i'd really like it if you made me one of these.." she spoke, as she plays with the little stuffed animal that he made by hand. "i love the designs." she smiles, slightly pressing the eyes of the stuffed animal. "you're complimenting me too much. it's only a stuffed animal."

"but you made it by hand."

"well, yes. but it's not that much of a deal for me."

she sat up and grabbed his hands with hopeful looks in her eyes, "make it for me, pleasee??" he squints his eyes. he wants to decline but, looking at her hopeful eyes makes him feel all..ah. maybe it's worth a try. "..sure. but, promise me something." she smiled in excitement. "what is it?!"

"don't die before i finish it."

---

it's been 3 days since that promise. he is walking over to her room just like usual. he brought little gifts for her today though. "eh, really? this is for me??" she looks at him in awe. the fact that he is willing to go out of his way just to give her a necklace is really heartwarming. "yes. do you not like it?" he ask hesitantly, the nervous feeling started to bubble up. he is scared, for some reason. he is scared to see her feel disgusted by the random gift he gave. "i love it! you are the best, albedo!" ah, there it is. the warm feeling again. maybe it really is an incurable disease at this point.

he took the necklace gently from her and put it around her neck. "you look pretty.." he mumbled. ah, he accidentally let out one of his thoughts. before he could cover his mouth in embarrasment, she chuckles lightly. "thank you." his eyes slightly widened at the sight before him. the sun shines through the window and illuminates her, she looks ethereal. the gold necklace with a turquoise pendant hang nicely around her neck.

oh, how pretty.

---

it's been 4 days since that promise. the stuffed animal she requested is not done yet. he decided to bring it with him to her room today. "you seem to look much more ill than the last few days." he spoke, catching her attention. "ah, maybe i am. who knows," she touched the pendant gently and smiled, "this pendant may be the only thing to keep me alive." she continues. he stopped sewing midway and pursed his lip.

"that's nonsense." he replied, making her chuckle. "oh, you and your hopelessly dense heart." she smiled. he is not dense, he thinks to himself. he just thinks that a pendant can't keep someone alive.

"maybe you'll understand someday, albedo."

---

it's been 5 days since that promise. her state seems to have worsened throughout the days. it made him worry. "you should eat your pills more." he gave her an advice, but she only smiled as she gaze towards the sunset, "it's only a matter of time before i'm gone."

"what's the point in trying to be healthy again? i've lost hope in my life."

"that's not true." she broke her gaze on the sunset and stared at him instead. "how so?" she asked, he pursed his lips. "you still want to live."

"if you hate life so much, why still go through the trouble of eating everyday?"

---

it's been 6 days since that promise. the stuffed animal is almost ready, it just needs a little more sewing. "that's so cute!" she stared at the stuffed animal in awe. "you are so incredibly talented! why choose to become a doctor like this?" he narrowed his eyes at that question.

"that's an incredibly rude question, but i'll answer." she laughs awkwardly at his reply. "i just like alchemy and it's stuff." she blinks her eyes at him in doubt, "that's a really bland reason." he grumbled at her reply. "but you are a really bland person too, so it's okay!"

"how is that supposed to make me feel better?"

---

it's been 7 days since that promise. he finished the stuffed animal already, and his work is all done by afternoon. his routine is always this way, do work till afternoon, and look after his dear patient. he walks over to her room with the stuffed animal in hand. as he opens the door, the bed is empty. the windows are opened, and the wind blew the curtains gently.

ah, he remembers now. she passed away at midnight. he remembers vividly what happen back then. the way she calls for his name and finally let out her last breathe made him feel all empty inside.

there is no one in this room now. all he can see is a room full of memories.

naomi-nana. do NOT repost, do not use,(with or without permission), do not reccommend or talk about my works outside of tumblr.

[kachowden]

I am already in love with the pink lemonade cowboy 🥰😍

Vampire!Cowboy! Yandere x GN! Reader

——————-(<3)—————

A/n: I do not condone yandere behavior, this is purely fictional. This will be a short series. If you want to see what our yandere looks like you can see him here <3 also this technically isn’t a slow burn but the juicy stuff will show up in part 2

Part 1

——————————————————-

The rain thudded dully against the roof of your old rusty car. Your windshield wipers squeaked across your windows, flinging off thin sheets of water that blurred the dark road in front of you. Puddles reflected in your single headlight.

You’re grandfather was a cruel man.

As sweet as honey, you loved your grandfather dearly. He was always especially generous on the holidays.

But he was cruel. Because while he was on his “retirement vacation”, he left his massive farm in your care.

You! The grandchild who hadn’t done a lick of farm work in their entire life! Hell the closest thing to a farm you’d ever been to was a petting zoo when you were- what 6??

How were you expected to do anything remotely useful! In fact you were 90% sure that these crops and animals would be dead and gone within a week under your care.

But ohoho! Lucky you! You grandfather has a helper on the farm! A complete Fucking stranger who you’d never met before was going to be sharing a house with you for the next 6 weeks! Thank you grandpa! Love you SOO much!

You did love him. But you were irritated and you felt like you had a right to be so! He dropped this bombshell on you, not even asking if you had any plans!

Which you didn’t but that wasn’t the point!

Plans could’ve popped up at any moment!

With a very stressed sigh you pulled your beaten up car into the drive way of the rustic red farm house. Your engine wheezed with exhaust as your wheels rolled to a bumpy stop on the wet pavement. It took about 5 hours to drive to where your grandpa lived. Which meant you couldn’t just stay at your house and visit everyday to water the animals and feed the crops or whatever.

You physically had to stay here.

I mean it was a paid vacation but come on! You’d rather be working at the café than on a farm! At least you knew what you were doing there!

You let your head fall softly against the steering wheel, sighing again at your circumstances.

“Whatever. No use in complaining now.”

“Probably not kid.”

“Holy Sh-!”

The violent sound of your car horn scattered birds and animals for miles. Though there were few to begin with in this dreary weather. The stranger who had peered through your open window winced, covering his ears with a snarl.

“Oh shit- i am so sorry you just- actually- no what the fuck you scared the shit out of me!”

Typically you weren’t one to point fingers but you were in a particularly bad mood today so you felt that it was justified. Plus he did scare you!

The strangers lips twisted into a grimace, and you felt your body sending various warning signals when his turquoise irises narrowed down on your figure. Jeez this dude had a judgmental stare. You prayed this guy wasn’t your grandfathers “help”.

The mystery man clicked his tongue. “You the old mans grandkid?”

Fuck

You glared deeply at the totally not gorgeous cowboy, “..and I suppose you’re his “helper”?”

The stranger didn’t seem to take very kindly to your attitude, what with the way he leaned his head a little further into your car window to stare you down.

You had half the nerve to try and close it on him but the dumb thing was a window crank and you wouldn’t have gotten it up in time anyway.

“The names Micah. Your pops calls me Mickey. It’s either Micah or Mic to you, kid.”

Asshole!

“I’m pretty sure we’re the same age Mickey.”

He didn’t respond to that, merely pulling himself out of the car with a deep exhale.

He backed up slightly from the vehicle, you assumed to wait for you to get out, but when he lifted his boot up you got a little more worried

“Hey what’re you-“

With a sharp kick, Mickey smashed his boot into the lower side of your car door causing it to shoot open like a spring lock. Aka causing you to flop out onto your ass with a loud cuss.

Crying out you scowled deeply at the cowboy who didn’t even bother to send you a snarky look in return.

You could feel the water drizzling through your hair and clothes.

Looking painfully disinterested, the redhead(?) began walking away from your slowly soaking form. Leaving you to bring in your luggage. In the rain.

“I thought cowboys were supposed to be friendly or something..” you growled somewhat pitifully into the empty cold rain.

Glancing down at your wet knees you sighed, beginning to pick yourself off the ground, in hopes to spare a little of your own dignity.

Though it was for not when you felt your non grippy shoes slide against a stray patch of mud.

You didn’t have time to do much more than gasp when you felt yourself fall forward, only to land into a surprisingly secure and- kinda cold, set of arms.

Your breathed deeply for a moment, pulling back to stare at Mickey, who’s own eyes peered down at you from the brim of his now spotted hat.

You didn’t want to acknowledge the size of his forearms, or how you could feel practically everything under that flimsy wife beater he wore despite the weather.

You swore you heard him mumble something along the lines of “city folk”, but you became too distracted when noticing the purple spotted umbrella that now shade the two of you from the rain.

“Oh..”

You think you finally saw a small smile on the cowboys lips.

“Still thinkin I ain’t nice?”

You flushed, mostly in embarrassment at the fact that he heard you.

“Ah dip, you heard that?”

His laugh was fucking hot dude.

“You’d be surprised on how much I can hear, Kid.”

“Creepy but okay.”

Mickey laughed again though a bit shorter this time before propping you back up. You swore you heard a deep inhale, but you weren’t sure due to the sound of rain pelting the umbrella and car.

“Why don’t you head inside. I’ll grab your luggage.”

“Oh no, I can take care of it-“

The man glared at you, though you felt it was considerably less hostile than it had been originally.

“Just get in or else the foods gon’ get cold.”

Food?

“Say less!”

You had half a mind to be embarrassed when Mickey laughed at the sight of you practically skipping up to the porch and through the rustic door.

—————————————-

There was a loud and aggressive knocking at your door.

You decided being cruel was a country thing.

Because while Mickey had been sweet enough to make you dinner last night and breakfast this morning, he also rudely woke you up at the ass crack of dawn and kicked you out into the field to help with the chores.

Now mind you, typically you were a morning person! A go-getter of sorts! But the sun wasn’t even awake yet! So why were you out here picking peas, tomatoes, squash, peppers and so on, when you could be sleeping peacefully, cozied up in the slightly itchy and heavy wool sheets of your guest bed! Something about “the morning dew” apparently.

You weren’t even sure how Mic got in your room after you didn’t respond, seeing as you were once again, 90% sure you locked the door. Then again, the food he made practically sent you into a coma once you were done.

You weren’t sure if it was coincidence or not, but Micah had made all your favorite foods that evening. You wanted to assume your pa had told him, but you didn’t believe for a second that, that rude cowboy would go out of his way to make your favorite foods for you.

Especially considering he didn’t eat any of it.

All he had was this weird cup of, what you could only assume was wine or cranberry juice and a few pieces of a steak he popped in the oven.

This guy was weird.

“Hey kid! You done pickin or are your city hands to sensitive to finish the job?”

Speak of the bastard and he will come! Unfuckenfortunately

Your scowl was probably noticeable from a mile away, and especially from where the tall country man stood, given his smug grin as he walked over to examine your work.

He whistled mockingly, freaky blue-green eyes scanning your baskets.

“Not bad, for city folk anyway. But here.-“ crouching down in front of you the, ginger(?) reached his rough hands out and softly pulled the baskets from your arms.

“You wanna keep your herbs separated from each other. Some of them are harder to tell from others and you don’t wanna go mixin them up.”

You watched quietly, mostly in your own mental brooding, as he carefully separated the different herbs and spices from each other. His hands were large, but you noticed how precise he seemed to be. He had to have been working here quite sometime, cuz you couldn’t tell much of a difference between half of the things he was organizing.

“There we go.” His voice was soft this morning. Blending in with the sound of the faint winds, and the after rain dripping from the gutters and into the soil. It was still too early for the birds to be chirping. The sun still had yet to rise but the stars gave just enough light to see the gentle gaze the farm boy had set on you.

This moment of silence was odd for you. Especially given the two of you bickering since your arrival yesterday. This guy before you made no sense. Like a switch, he was harsh and snappy, and then gentle and calm. Caring almost. At times he almost acted like he’d known you for years. Though that seemed to mostly happen when he was doing something around the farm.

Caught up in your own thoughts, you missed the way Mickeys eyes were burning into you. They moved languidly over your figure, taking in your attire, dressed more warmly for the morning chill. Nearly every part of you was covered.

Except your neck. You had forgotten to pack a scarf apparently.

The pale man’s jaw clenched tightly, his shoulders tensing before he scowled and stood up, interrupting the once peaceful atmosphere.

“Get up. We still have work to do.”

His tone was cold and biting like the morning. Your breath came out in foggy puffs. But his didn’t. At least you couldn’t see it from where you were.

You watched with furrowed brows knit confusion as the cowboys boots carried him into the farmhouse, right as the first rays of the sun stretched over the country side and bled into the fields.

What was his deal?

For the rest of the day, Mickey seemed to be adamant about being as big of a thorn in your side as possible. Barking at you to hurry up. Scowling at you when you slipped or did something even slightly wrong.

Perfectionist asshole.

He also seemed to be avoiding looking at you.

At least directly. Every time you turned to yell at him, or glare, his back was always turned or his head was to the side, seeming adamant on not meeting your eyes.

Moody much?

The only time he did look at you was when he thought you weren’t looking. ‘Specially when you were moving heavy objects and you had to take off your jacket so you wouldn’t drown in your own sweat.

To some extent you prided your self on your work. You weren’t lazy by any means, and actually considered yourself a fairly hard worker, if the muscles of your forearms were any indication. You weren’t ripped. But it was something right?

You assumed that Mic agreed, though granted he could’ve just been comparing yours to his own massive forearms. But with the way his eyes were trailing all over you and zoning in on your barren arms and shoulders, You were almost flattered!

Almost. If the same guy who was checking you out wasn’t also being bloody ruthless with the chores. You got a few scrapes and bruises by that time noon, and you practically fell into the rickety kitchen dining chairs.

“Holy fucking shit I’ve never moved that much in my entire life..” a pain groaned poured from your lips as your aching muscles strained with your body heaving itself upwards.

Mickey let out a soft scoff at the sound, though still considerably gentler than he had been all morning, as he placed a very aesthetic sand-which In front of you.

Your stomach growled particularly loud at the sight, and with new found energy you picked up the scrumptious food with a grateful thanks and began eating.

Mickey, once again, without a lunch of his own opted to watch you openly instead. His belt buckle jeans pressed into the kitchen counter top, muscular arms propping himself up against it.

He watched quietly, and you would’ve been freaked out if you weren’t so damn tired.

“There’s still more to do. We haven’t gotten to the animals yet. And the roof on the barn needs leak repairs.”

You choked.

Hacking violently you smacked your chest before unlodging the piece of fresh bread from your throat.

Gulping water quickly you exhaled and turned to look at the cowboy in what you hoped was a glare, but was more accurately a very pathetic frown.

“I-!” You opened your mouth to argue before closing it softly with a tired sigh.

You’d complained enough today.

Mickey had been doing this kind of work for who knows how long, and he was going out of his way to accommodate your pace, though not by much, and was even making you food. It felt rude to comparing at this point.

You just hoped that if you died from exhaustion Mickey wouldn’t use your body as fertilizer.

So with a resigned groan you sat up after finishing your delicious sandwich. “..Yeah, okay.” You mumbled, getting ready to move to the trash can and toss out the crumbs and paper, but a large pale hand forced you back into your seat, without much pressure given how tired your body already was.

You gazed at Mickey curiously.

The tall cowboy looked down at you firmly, his expression odd as he scanned your bruises and sweaty face. Sighing completely inaudibly before reaching into his back pocket and placing a tube of some kind of muscle cream and a pack of wraps.

“Go upstairs and run yourself a warm bath. You stink and the water will help relax your muscles so they wont hurt as much tomorrow. You can spend the rest of the day doing whatever you need to do, but I expect you down here and out at the gate by 5 to bring in the cattle. Got it?”

You were stunned. The smile that worked its way on your face seemed to embarrass the farmer slightly as he turned away from you with folded arms and a grumpy frown.

“Don’t look at me like that, I’m only letting you off because at this point you’ll slow me down more than anything. I don’t need a clumsy city kid messing up my work.”

You chose to ignore the bastards insults in favor of gently placing your arm on his lower bicep.

“Thanks Mic.”

You missed the deep inhale and weird glow of the cowboys eyes that followed you up the stairs and into your bedroom.

“…..”

It was good to see you hadn’t changed much.

[redwinewhiteroses]

Get to know me!

So I wanted to make a post about some random facts about me 😙🕊️

Nickname : Alexa

Zodiac sign : ♊

Age : 21 and a half lol😄 (I was born in 2003)

Pronouns : she/her

Favorite colors : Shades of blue, teal, lilac, turquoise, pastel blues and greens🪻🩵🍃

MBTI : INTP (But I used to be an INFP for the longest time. I just think I have both INFP & INTP traits🫠 I have a special love for INFPs🥹🩷You guys are the best!😇)

I used to have an obsession with the 16 personalities a few years ago😆😂 I'm over it now.

Favorite food : I absolutely love salads and vegetable soup😅 (Call me boring but I love fresh vegetables🥗🥬 and fruits🥭🍉) It's a different kind of joy😊

Favorite music : I listen to many genres of music. I honestly appreciate and love music a little too much. I love rock music and bands. I also love country music🍀🤠 I also listen to worship music😗🥳 Some of my favorite songs are,

Power of love - Gabrielle Aplin, All of me - John Legend, Iris - Goo goo dolls, Under your scars - Godsmack, Those eyes - New West, Fire on fire - Sam Smith, A little braver - New Empire, Eyes off you - Prettymuch, Sweater Weather - The Neighbourhood, Mirrors - Justin Timberlake, Astronomy - Conan Gray, Riptide - Vance Joy, Folklore and Evermore albums by Taylor Swift, Back to December - Taylor Swift, Reflections - The Neighbourhood, Sleep on the floor - The Lumineers, Idol Eyes - Common Saints, Die with a smile - Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga, Safe and Sound -Taylor Swift, Something about December - Christina Perri, Delicate - Taylor Swift, Out of the woods - Taylor Swift, Running with the wolves - Aurora, Slip away -Ruelle, 2U -Justin Bieber, I love you 3000 - Stephanie Poetri, Daddy issues - The Neighbourhood, Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince - Taylor Swift, Pray for me - Weeknd, BTBT - B.I, Him & I - Halsey, Minefields - Faouzia &John Legend, You don't know - Katelyn Tarver, Moth to a flame - Weeknd, Monsters - Katie Sky, Come thru - Jeremy Zucker, I'm yours - Jason Mraz, In return - Breakbot, Royals - Lorde, Something in the Orange - Zach Bryan, Sailor song - Gigi Perez, Other side - Emorie, немерено - лампабикт, Dark paradise - Lana del ray

( I'll probably keep on adding and updating this list so I don't forget my favourite songs 🙃🤧 and yall can discover new music too🙈🤗 )

Favorite movies : Pirates of the Carribean, Ghosted, Purple Hearts, My Fault, Grand Budapest Hotel (I can't think or remember all the movies I've watched😭)

Favorite kdramas : Hit the top, Empress Ki, Love in the moonlight, Reborn Rich, Business Proposal 🩷

Favorite series : Prodigal son, Doctor-X: Surgeon Michiko Daimon, Legend of the Seeker, Avatar the last Airbender (I have a list of series I wanna watch, but I'm too good at being bored to watch those🫠 I wanna watch Peaky Blinders and GOT)

I absolutely LOVE sitcoms😭 Is there anyone else??? Some of my favs,

Young Sheldon, 2 Broke Girls, Friends, Mike and Molly, Two and a half men (Haven't completed watching all the episodes in any of these🫣😭but loved them)

I love cooking and baking shows too🧁🍲

Favorite crystal : Aquamarine 💎🌊💧🫧

Pet peeve : Emotionally unintelligent people🥲😶‍🌫🙅‍♀️

Hobbies : I love reading books. I first got into reading when I was in my early teens. I read Harry Potter⚡and next thing I know reading books became such a fun thing to do. I love fiction, fantasy, romantasy and self-help books. I love ACOTAR, it's well written imo and it got me out of a terrible reading slump. And I love poetry. It's so romantic and speaks to my soul❤️‍🔥❤️‍🩹

I absolutely love cats🐱🐾️ with my whole heart. If you don't like cats, we can't be friends😑

I've struggled with depression for a couple years during the lowest phase of my life. It's so much better now🌞🌈️ It gets better, it always does🩷

I loved fantasizing about stuff when I was a kid. I was a huge daydreamer and very imaginative. I blame my 12th house stellium for that. 😄

I love cooking🥳 and sharing with others. It's a love language❤

I love learning about different cultures and foreign languages. I'm a very curious person. I just know a thousand random things and I'm very scatterbrained lol🤭😁

I'm an introvert now but wasn't always one.

I haven't watched a single horror movie in my entire life🫣 I've only seen glimpses when my sister watched them and I was traumatized by them if you can't tell🥲I hate horror/thriller so much. I've never attempted to watch them.

I looove video games🎮 Mostly farming🐄🐷 and world building games. I love Stardew Valley🐓🐔️, Aground, Kingdom Rush🏰⚔️, Sims♦🏠👨‍👩‍👧 and many more.

I'm the youngest in my family so I got to be a little kid for a very long time. I think because of that I'm very young at heart and can't take my life seriously most of the time😆

I love miniature things🧸🎀🎁 Soo cute!🥰 I absolutely enjoy making miniature furniture.

I'm a very non-judgemental person. I'm very tolerant of differences in people. I find joy in celebrating and accepting the little things that make us unique🤍

I love being hopeful and optimistic about everything🐣

This was an unnecessarily long post😅 but if you read till the end you have my whole heart 🥹💝

I hope you share fun/interesting facts about yourself in the comments. I'd love to hear from yall🥰

Hugs and kisses 🩷

[heart-star]

Have you thought that even fictional characters have successors, not only for their worlds but for us also?

I thought that Sonic the hedgehog may have both Bluey heeler and Dogday from the smiling critters as spiritual successors, one is similar physically and the other is kind on the inside like him.

So I made a poster parody for Dogday, specifing his breed as well, I heard he's a spaniel so I can tell others as well.

I also thought about the fact that Bluey foreshadowed (or maybe it's a coincidence) the fact that a turquoise mane unicorn fell in love with an orange dog so i've drawn Craftycorn watching in amazement Dogday, turned in Bluey's style somehow.

[nightlight-writes]

Chocolate Cake (Mysta Rias x Reader)

Fluff

No Warnings

Author’s Note: I was having vacation last month. It was quite fun, if you ask me.

DISCLAIMER: All characters and events depicted in this work are fictional. They are not intended to represent the RL personas of the streamers concerned in any way.

Mysta wasn’t sure how to feel about the amount of gifts he was currently holding. He had spent a large chunk of his savings on procuring only the finest gifts for his friends and family, and the money left in his wallet wasn’t enough for any sort of meal or drink. You had already spent a lot on gifts as well, so asking you to pay for a meal would’ve been incredibly rude.

“Mysta! Mysta!”

A light smack landed on his right cheek.

The escalator had reached the ground floor. A crowd of shoppers was waiting for you and your boyfriend to

A groan escaped the detective’s lips. “Alright, alright, I’ll get off.”

You tightly gripped his hand as you got off the escalator. Suddenly, Mysta started laughing loudly, causing some of those passing by to give you looks of confusion. To solve this problem, you placed a finger between his lips.

Speaking softly, you told him, “Shh, there’s people here.”

“You see, it’s funny beca-“

The sound of Mysta’s rumbling stomach interrupted your conversation, saving your dignity.

“God, we better get back home this instant, or I’m gonna starve!”

“But we haven’t even eaten yet!”

“Who the fuck cares about dining, I can just cook dinner at home!”

Normally, eating at home would be a sound idea. But there was a problem: Your boyfriend absolutely sucked at cooking.

Luckily for you, there was a bakery located nearby. Ordering a meal from there wouldn’t fill your stomachs for long, but it would give you time to find a proper meal. Still holding your boyfriend’s hand, you suddenly rushed towards the bakery. Shocked, Mysta let out a loud yelp.

The detective’s mouth watered upon looking through the window; among the many desserts on display was a fluffy chocolate cake with whipped cream on top. His turquoise eyes were practically glued to the cake, not particularly caring about the price tag. As soon as you reached the pastel blue counter, Mysta had only one request.

“I want that chocolate cake over there!”

“Sir, a slice of that cake will cost you 250 pounds.”

The man started shaking his wallet, only to hear silence. A dejected look then appeared on his face; if even one slice of chocolate cake cost this much, he would definitely have to cook dinner at home. Yet, you were always apprehensive about partaking in his cooking, once remarking that his meals ‘tasted like wet socks’… Then again, neither of you had tasted wet socks as far as he knew, so you surely had to be exaggerating.

You then brought out your credit card at the speed of light, casually paying for two slices as they were just another item on your shopping list. As soon as you received the cake, the two of you sat on a table outside.

“Well, we could’ve just eaten at home, but thanks.” said Mysta as the ears on his hat perked up.

As soon as he took a bite of the scrumptious dessert, all of his worries had been washed away. The sheer bliss on his face, the little noises he made while chewing… you thought your boyfriend looked absolutely adorable.

“Hey, why aren’t you eating?”

You giggled. “Well, I was just distracted by how cute you are!”

“I’m not cute!” Mysta loudly exclaimed, “Well, you better start eating, because that cake isn’t gonna finish itself! And no leftovers!”

Just before taking your first bite, you took note of his pink, puffed-up cheeks. But your slice was almost about to get cold, so you had no time to waste. It tasted very sweet and sugary, a bit too sweet for your tastes in fact. But this was meant for the two of you, and if this meant being able to see your boyfriend’s smile, it was absolutely worth it.

[mariagreenwoodart]

Tell me about Maya and I'll tell you about Gene :3 (oc blorbos)

Her story is a little cringe since I made her in 2020, but I've learned to embrace the cringe.

So this is Maya McKenna.

She's pretending to be half cat to hide the fact that she has a golden touch, because cat people are more accepted in starlake heights (the fictional city where my main roster of OCs are from) than people with curses. She's seventeen years old, and she's the founder and captain of starlake heights's tennis club. She's also in a relationship with her childhood best friend Rose Rivers.

(I drew these pictures yesterday when I was in a bit of an art kick.)

I also have a "main colour" for all my OCs. So Maya's main colour is turquoise and Rose's is red.

[bagelrites]

Have you ever had a fanfiction idea you knew was great but didn't have the time/courage/patience to write ? What would be the backbones of it and what scene in particular would you still like to see written one day ?

So my problem is that when I think of a fan fiction idea even if I have 20 other wips I still somehow think I will do it someday. There is one big fic idea that I had that I have pretty much given up on though, and that's the Squid Game AU. Obviously I thought of it when the DTeam were playing in the Squid Game tournament, and the premise would be that George and Sapnap are contestants who very early on become friends and form an alliance, and Dream is a guard who keeps somehow ending up in situations where he has to talk to George, and they start falling in love. There'd be a lot of complicated feelings, but in the end George escapes with Dream because in that final game he doesn't actually get shot when he loses (I think Dream would have gotten some of the other guards on his side,) but he plays dead until the field is cleared and then Dream comes and whisks him away and they escape on a boat together. George is kind of sad about leaving Sapnap behind, but he has a feeling he's going to win, and he's right of course.

I don't think I'll write more or a shortened version or anything one day. I had so little of it written, in fact, I could actually share everything I wrote here right now, so I'll put it below the cut :)

This was the opening:

George liked the blue hue of his jumper. He’d been told it was turquoise, actually, but it looked a grayish blue to him, cool and muted, like the still face of a lake reflecting the sky. The white stripes could be clouds, perhaps. The numbers over his heart the ripples of a fish flipping from the water, or perhaps the pearly feathers of an egret in flight.

And yes, technically it was a prisoner’s uniform, but George felt it was important to find comforts even—or perhaps especially—in circumstances such as these.

The dormitory was spacious, in its own way. The beds were stacked three layers high, but the mattresses weren’t terribly thin, and there was a wealth of free space opposite the bunks, plenty of room for all two hundred competitors to mingle together, or else find some corner to sulk in alone. The white walls were bright, too, and the ceilings were high.

George supposed if this was the room he was destined to sleep his last night in, at least it was clean and airy. Better than rotting away in a cramped prison cell, right?

He rolled from his side onto his back, staring up at the cross-beams holding up the mattress above him. It had been about an hour or so since they let the competitors into the dorm, and so far there was no word as to when the games would begin. George had been trying to nap in his bunk to wait it out, but everyone else was being far too talkative, and the din of voices kept him awake. Finally, he got antsy enough to get up, deciding to take a stroll around the room and scope out his competitors.

Not that he really thought it would help him win. He didn’t quite plan to do that. Didn't see the point in trying, if he was honest. If he won, he won. If he didn’t…

Then I had a few scenes of dialogue jotted down. First George teasing Dream:

“Why did you say that?”

“Say what?”

“That you trust me.”

“Oh. I don’t know. You’re fun to mess with.”

Dream looked away.

“George, you don’t even know me.”

“You could change that.”

“George—” Dream sputtered, and George giggled. He sounded so cute when he was flustered.

“You’re already talking to me. That’s a step in the right direction.”

Dream froze, and didn’t make any reply. George wished he could see behind his mask, see if he was angry, or scared, or just flushed from embarrassment. He was betting on the latter. “Oh, now you’re all quiet.”

And then here's George seeing Dream's face for the first time:

“Wow, you’re—” George paused, face flushing. “Nothing.”

“I’m nothing?” Dream chuckled.

“No, I mean—I mean you’re, um…” his mind raced for the right word, the least embarrassing word. “Handsome?”

“Oh, I am?” Dream leaned closer, smirking, and George covered his face with his hands.

“No, I meant hot! You’re hot!” he said, muffled into his palms.

Dream just laughed, the sound light and lovely and adoring, and George melted under the warmth of it.

And finally some George + Sapnap dialogue:

“Why do you think you’re gonna win?”

“Because I have to. I have to think it,” Sapnap said. “If I don’t think I can win, then I know I’ll die. You know?” 

George hummed.

“I think you might actually do it.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, I don’t know. I just… have this feeling that you’re gonna go all the way,” George said.

“Well, then I want you to go all the way with me.”

George smiled and couldn’t help snickering a little at that.

“What? I mean it.”

“Oh, c’mon. You know what that sounded like.”

[aorticsims]

AORTiCSims Numbers CAS & Shell Challenge (for TS2 and TS4)

I'm going to kill two birds with one stone and create a CAS challenge and a shell challenge. There's no deadline to this, I'm just doing this for fun.

CAS Rules

Below are the descriptions of ten different subjects and their respective colours. You must create one or more of the subjects and can interpret the descriptions of each subject in any way you see fit.

You can use CC and defaults.

Feel free to rename the subjects and give them a family/pets.

Build Rules

In the downloads folder I have provided two things: a TS4 tray of the number shells, and an empty TS2 world with the same shells recreated (all of them are on a 3x2 lot and on a foundation).

Typical shell challenge rules. Add interior walls, platforms, fences, foundations, change wall height etc., just don't touch the original walls.

You can add a second floor if you want, but its shape cannot overshadow the original shape of the shell e.g. a la the museum from Get Famous

If you decide to create a family for one or more of the subjects, their house must cater to each member accordingly.

Other Rules

You don't have to upload it to the gallery. You can just tag me on here. or use #aorticnumbers

Meet The Subjects:

Subject One (Colour: Brown)

"The oldest of the bunch, Subject One was born with a singular neat point. Though they can appear dim-witted and lackadaisical, they often hold high spirits and are mostly down-to-earth, save for the odd incoherent conspiracy theory here and there."

Subject Two (Colour: Hot Pink)

"Subject Two may seem as your typical ditzy shopaholic blonde, but what they lack in spatial awareness they make up for in their expansive knowledge of written media, especially historical fiction. They are also best friends with Subject Five, and has been giving glances at Subjects Four, Seven, and Nine."

Subject Three (Colour: Yellow)

"Generous as can be, Subject Three is quite literally the golden child of a long line of deeply religious culinary prodigies. They believe that everyone can make a positive impact on the world regardless of how terrible some people are, which ironically puts them at odds with Subject Six."

Subject Four (Colour: Turquoise)

"To say that Subject Four is the adventurous type would be a pretty big understatement. They want to experience the world and all it has to offer, even the potentially lethal things."

Subject Five (Colour: Periwinkle)

"It's a known fact that Subject Five suffers from an inferiority complex. Some say it's due to them being the youngest of the subjects and lacking worldly experience, others say it's some of the other subjects *cough* subject six and seven *cough* giving them a hard time. When they're alone or with Subject Two, they indulge themselves in arts and music."

Subject Six (Colour: Maroon)

"As a child, Subject Six had faced several different foster families, which mellowed their violent childhood outbursts into a nihilistic outlook on life. Their apathetic and often hedonistic nature are enough to sour even the most sweetest of faces. But interestingly, not Subject Nine."

Subject Seven (Colour: Orange)

"Subject Seven believes they were built for the spotlight. They also believe they were built like a heavy duty brick (they're moreso built like a calcite crystal, but that's neither here nor there). Along the years, they've gathered a rather impressive though quite superfluous itinerary of skills, ranging from DJing at an up-and-coming nightclub to free climbing a mountain."

Subject Eight (Colour: Lime)

"Subject Eight was a young valedictorian who had their fame and prestige forcefully stripped away due to a bitterly distasteful rumour that made its rounds in their hometown. Deep down, they desperately want retribution from the people that first spread it, but for now, they'll just keep working diligently and one day they might receive some well-needed justice."

Subject Nine (Colour: Black)

"Meticulous and mysterious, Subject Nine is an enigma. Nothing is really known about their life, and they seem fairly indifferent to it. It's almost as if all their memories had been wiped."

Subject Zero (Colour: Light Grey)

"Subject Zero lovingly enjoys the afterlife. They enjoy walking through walls and not having to dress up for Halloween parties. The thing is though, they're not actually dead, they only believe they're dead."

Link to the World (TS2) and Rooms (TS4) on SimFileShare

[the-myth-rider]

I have a question to ask. What draconium colour is the Leo/Lyon class dragons?

Also, I wish I can speak to StormRyda about being able to use the Leo/Lyon class dragons in my own fan-fiction, and also because I want to have my own OCs commissioned/drawn by her, please?

Nearly a year late, but here we are!

I'm afraid I haven't seen StormRyda draw something since 2019, even privately she hasn't posted any new art. I'm not sure if she draws anymore, if she still does it must be personally kept cuz I haven't seen it.

I will say, though, that while she made the templates the Class itself is my original class. StormRyda made the templates for me so those belong to her, but the Leo-Class was all me and she helped a lot with elevating my concept like she did. So while it's been way late by now, for the sake of you and anyone else reading, feel free to utilize the Leo-Class if you ever want to.

Their draconium color is Cyan, because if Light Green and Light Blue can be a thing, and also White, Grey, and Black? Cyan is just Light Blue but with a touch of green, so one would argue it's between LB and Turquoise, lol.

In fact...if I haven't done it already, I should share the characters I devised for the Pride of the Dragon Crew, the street crew of the Leo-Class. And if I have already posted them, I should reblog them and get them circulated again.

Maybe with how much I've improved at art the past couple years, I should even draw them for once since they're all still templates rn.

[valerie-aib]

dash game: get to know the mun

Tagged by: @prosopagn0sis (realised I tagged the wrong person, blaming it on the fact it's nearly 5 AM)

⸻ what's your phone wallpaper? Niragi lmao

⸻ last song you listened to? Peregrine by Mako

⸻ currently reading? nothing presently

⸻ last movie? Tokyo Revengers I think? either that or Rurouni Kenshin

⸻ last show? Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

⸻ what are you wearing right now? pajama bottoms with bulldogs on them, nothing else bc I'm in bed q.q

⸻ how tall are you? 5'4"/164cm, am smol

⸻ piercings/tattoos? sixteen piercings in total (medusa, snakebites + labret, both sides of my nostril pierced + septum, eyebrow, tongue, three left ear, one right ear, nipnops, and bellybutton), and one tattoo (flowers on my wrist: chamomile, wood cranesbill, sunflower, and Tudor rose)

⸻ glasses/contacts? I've got a pair of glasses but I don't wear them

⸻ last thing you eat? Japanese milk tea flavoured KitKats

⸻ favorite colours? red, purple, mint green, and turquoise/teal

⸻ current obsession? uuuhh quite a few things, but probs aib

⸻ do you have a crush right now? I def do on one of my mutuals 👁️🫦👁️

⸻ favorite fictional character? currently faves are Niragi (AiB) & Khada Jhin (League) bc when I ask to be taken out, both on a date or with a sniper is acceptable

⸻ last place you visited? the UK, before that was Finland & Sweden, though I spent a few days over the last week in Seattle, Washington

[penguinwithagrenadelauncher]

Some Trivia About Mageth

Just some facts I've put together that I wanted to get out of my system.

Mageth has two moons, the red Sula and the yellow Lasu. The Goddesses Mayla and Kirno are currently imprisoned in them for starting the Einkan Civil War as a form of divine grounding.

The Gods are generally chill people who respect each other and the free will of mortals, and will usually only step in if they feel like something is very, very wrong. Ysalia's Divine Intervention, in which the nature Goddess channeled her in Karen for the righteous cause of preventing faunans from polluting Mageth with fossil fuels, is an example of such.

Part of the reason Ysalia was able to convince faunans to give up on fossil fuels is that magical technology allowed things like solar power and wind power to be invented long before they were on Earth.

Putting your hand over your heart is a sign of respect, usually reserved for government officials.

On the flipside, officials being forcibly removed from power by the populace is not unheard of. "Forcibly removed" ranges in definition from "peacefully protesting until they stepped down" to "a bunch of people actually physically dragged them out of the government building." The former is more common, and the latter has only happened once, because the official in question was a lunatic who could have actually started a third Great War.

A symbolic form of love confession is to give your beloved seven items in the colors of the rainbow, as the rainbow was made as a gift from the Sun God Calwen to the Rain Goddess Melua. Replacing indigo with pink or turquoise is not uncommon.

Instead of black and white, couples typically wear light and dark purple at weddings.

Relatedly, "purple" is a slang term for cool, awesome, or neat.

The slang term "Stay fly" is either given as a well wish for the person to stay alive, or as a warning to remain constantly vigilant.

There's a sitcom about a large extended family living in the equivalent of rural east coast US that has been going on for long enough that the characters who were originally young children now have children of their own. It also went through a dark age and then came out of said dark age because it went on long enough that the people involved in causing said dark age left the show. This fictional sitcom is called "We're All Family" if you care.

Most houses in Mageth are built out of stone rather than wood, because accidental magic surges can seriously fuck up a wooden house, and they're pretty common in babies. They fade as one gets older but even as an adult surges are a possibility. Plus, magic allows stone to be easily transported and carved.

[pharaohbean]

thanks for the tag bee!!!!!!! <3

name(s): i've had a lot over the years (makes me sound old lol) but the ones i respond to are zero and k!

pronouns: she/they (preferred she/her but responds to they/them)

no. of siblings: two older brothers, hex (younger) and higro (older)! fun fact about them is hex is computer design (i think) and higro is becoming a prosthetist!

no. of pets and their names: one dog named scruffy (m); joy has two, gypsy (f) and josie (f)!

fandoms: yu-gi-oh!, ace attorney, the case files of jeweler richard, project sekai, genshin impact, and honkai: star rail!

favorite color: TEAL/TURQUOISE

favorite song: "someone new" by circusp!

hobbies: writing, playing games, dnd, karate, uhhhhh idk im not very interesting lol

favorite fic type: hhhhhh i always like comfort no hurt.... hurt/comfort is also good, but i think generally i go back-and-forth between very long fics of fluff and angst and one-shots of fluff!

favorite holiday: halloween! christmas would be first if it weren't so STRESSFUL

partners: god i wish i had one

fun facts:

i am aroace and uninterested in a romantic relationship! platonic partners my beloved (doesnt have one)

i have very strong hyperfixation periods where i do smth super crazily for 2 weeks and then. Nothing. for a While.

all of the fictional characters i like are the moons in their favored relationships (exception is childe)! i think that says smth about me lol

no-pressure tags: @lwy-0009 @toyaneko @razzmothazz @akitoyatism and anyone else who wants to joy!!

I got bored so here's a little get-to-know-you tag game I think could be fun :3

Name(s)

Pronouns

Star sign

# of siblings & fun facts about them (if you have any)

# of pets & their names

Fandoms

Favorite color

Favorite song

Favorite author (of anything readable-- books, fanfics, zines, webtoons, whatever!)

Hobbies

Favorite fic type

Favorite holiday

Do you have any partner(s)? (romantic, qpp, anything!)

Fun facts about you / anything extra you wanna share!

────────

Name(s): Loki (highly preferred), Elye

Pronouns : they/them mostly, he/she okay too

Star sign: Pisces

# of siblings: I've got 2! An older sister and a younger sibling. The fun fact about them is that they're also both queer; in fact, my mom is too. The only non-queer person in my immediate family is my dad.

# of pets: 4 cats! Phoebe & Frankie are our girls, Lenny and Murray are our boys :3

Fandoms: MCU (kind of), BSD, OFMD, Ranboo (does his fanbase count as a fandom?)

Fav. color: Don't have one

Fav. song: Aurora Borealis by Lemon Demon

Fav. author: Alice Oseman

Hobbies: singing, acting, drawing, writing, procrastinating

Fav. fic type: Fluff, definitely. I am a sucker for well written coffee-shop and flower-shop aus, too. Smut's fine, but only if it's romantic. I can't do angst if there's no comfort.

Fav. Holiday: Hanukkah or Halloween! I love autumn and winter

Partners?: Yes! I have a girlfriend (queerplatonic) who I love very much, and a boyfriend (romantic) who I love very much :]

Fun facts:

- Even though I'm a cat person, I really, really want a dog.

- I actually used to play sports. Because I don't do gendered leagues anymore, I don't play, but I've been looking for mixed/gender-neutral/queer sports teams. Baseball and basketball specifically!

- I started questioning my identity in 2019; I'm no closer to finding a label now than I was then. The difference is, now I don't want a label. I just am. :]

tags: @neonganymede @cha0ticlesbian @x-chiara @exceleo @brinnybee @autistic-katara @gandalfthemorallygrey @ohboyanotherlokiblog @roachandrenfri @ourflagmeanslokius @exceleo @edettethegreat @swiftlyspidey

[tehuti88-art]

3/31/23: r/SketchDaily theme, "Your Cozy Place." I don't really have a cozy place, our house is garbage. Here's this instead.

...

This week's character from my anthro WWII storyline is Lance Corporal Indigo Rat. He's one of the members of the original unit that was incorporated into the battalion; he opposed the new leadership at first, but settled for a position as a medic helping out the chief surgeon. There'll be more about him later in my art Tumblr and Toyhou.se.

Regarding his design, hm, he's a bit plain, maybe he'll be tweaked in the future; unsure.

TUMBLR EDIT: Although Indigo is an older character--not one of the original original characters, I think he dates to the intermediate, circa-2000 reboot--I know relatively little about him, as he isn't a MAJOR character and despite me gently poking at him he hasn't revealed any extensive backstory yet. I'll just tell what I do know.

Indigo is Australian. This fact was an iffy, unexplained one in my original version of him; I think the implication was that he was actually a member of the Australian military who ended up recruited into the Marine Corps (what the Trench Rats started out as, thus the lance corporals--but they must be a completely fictional military branch now, as the Marines apparently don't have medics, who are an important part of the Trench Rats so I can't eliminate them), but this no longer stands--he's an American citizen, in the American military. So he must have immigrated to the US for some reason. Unless it has some bearing on his backstory (leaving Australia why?--Turquoise's recent ancestors had departed from Ireland, for example, following the famine), I guess it doesn't matter much, people immigrate all the time.

Another detail that survives from the earlier version is he has a fiancée, so is engaged to be married when he heads off to Europe; aside from my feeling that the two of them got engaged shortly before he shipped out and this was the reason why (i. e., "Come home to me safe and we'll get married"), I don't know anything about her or the nature of their relationship. I figured she's also Australian, and perhaps immigrated along with him, but on second thought, what if she's American and he met her here? I guess it's possible, and for some reason I find it more intriguing. I have no reason to suspect anything hinky about their relationship--she's not his beard or anything, like Lt. Wozniak and the woman he marries--but like I said, I honestly don't know anything else, she's a mystery. There's always the possibility a citizenship aspect could be involved though I doubt it, Indigo is apparently settled enough to join the US military, he probably doesn't need to get hitched to a citizen in order to stay. *shrugs*

In the previous reboot, Indigo was established as both an "intern" to Burgundy (I think medic is probably a better term, though I'm unsure--he's not a total newbie, he has decent basic medical experience, but isn't skilled at it like Burgundy--he does assist Burgundy with surgical procedures, so maybe he's training?) and as a field medic, as well as being the one in charge of handling the animals (raptors and dogs) the Rats use for transport and rescue. This latter point is an aspect I don't discuss much as it's kind of odd though it still stands. In the Trench Rats universe, there are both anthropomorphic canines (an entire half of the cast) and what I guess are known as "ferals," non-anthropomorphic canines. I haven't explored the talking dogs having non-talking dogs as pets/service animals yet--I suppose for example hunting characters like Dobermann or Heidenreich could have hounds, while camp employees like Dannecker or Franke could have attack dogs--though so far this hasn't entered the plot. Only the rodent characters, specifically the Trench Rats, employ birds and dogs as service animals. (I haven't explored the Axis characters making use of them yet, it seems to be implied the Rats came up with this idea on their own.) Nowadays I focus more on mechanical transport--motorcycles which existed in the original storyline, trucks, cars, tanks, trains obviously, even airplanes (an older character I need to develop more, Adalard von Staden, is a pilot who crashes at the beginning of the storyline and is captured by the Rats, so presumably he flies a plane)--but the Rats do still make use of their raptors (in this reboot, Corporal Drake complains about the training he and Sergeant Camo go through learning to use the birds, and refuses to engage further, saying God intended for him to keep his feet on the ground), and especially of their dogs--these latter are most often used to transport rescuees and injured parties in a sort of saddlebag/side basket setup which the dogs wear while the Trench Rat perches high up on the dog's neck to guide it via a harness. Burgundy is the one who makes the most use of this technique, which means Indigo is closely tied to it as well. In the previous reboot he was sort of the "animal wrangler" in charge of the stables where they're kept; I have no reason to change this detail.

A brief aside here to better describe Indigo's personality; he's a bit of a contradiction. He's a big, tall guy, well built and quite strong, and usually has a vaguely brooding look on his face so he often gives the impression of being intimidating and a bully--an impression he sees no problem taking advantage of when it suits him. Piss him off for the right reasons, and he WILL mess you up. I get the feeling he's been in a lot of brawls. He's not really a jerk, for the most part, though; to those on his good side, he's quite friendly and garrulous, the loud-laugher, smack-on-the-back type. (In the weird imaginary "animated series" version of this I briefly mentioned in Turquoise's entry, he's Irish rather than Australian, and rather than Indigo is nicknamed "Galoot," and this is kinda funny because looking this up now "galoot" may in fact have Irish origins?--I didn't know that till now.) He needs a strong sense of compassion in his particular job, and he does not have a hair-trigger temper--notice I said he'll mess you up if you piss him off for the right reasons--most of the time, if someone tries to pick a fight with him, he'll just laugh it off as he's not easily offended, personally. HOWEVER...get on his bad side, and he's someone quite different. He shows this side most often when dealing with the Nazis, who are the main targets of his spite. He doesn't often take offense himself, but he DOES get offended on behalf of others, especially those he considers victims. Bullying and injustice infuriate him, and so he bullies the Nazis right back, an "eye for an eye"-type behavior he feels is perfectly justified. The other Rats know it's best to keep him away from German captives they get as he doesn't make any real distinction between the ones who are Nazis and the ones who aren't (he's antagonistic toward Ratdog and Klemper when they interact with the Rats, for example, despite them both despising the Nazis themselves), and he has a tendency to rough them up if he gets the chance. Of course this is in direct conflict with his role as medic, and he often is reluctant to treat injured German prisoners, an obvious prejudice of his. I don't know at the moment if he's still alive or not (I don't think he is) when camp commandant Major Klaus is taken into custody, but if he were I know he would smirk rather than show concern for the sorry state Klaus is in (broken rib, smashed knee, face beaten so badly his eyes swell shut) when he's treated in the Rats' medical ward. Burgundy, who despite his own pissy attitude is able to set aside his personal prejudices (well, except for when he and Dr. Kammler meet face to face--when Kammler appeals to him as a fellow doctor, Burgundy punches him, twice), is frequently at odds with Indigo over his behavior but can't do anything to change it.

A newer development which I mentioned above is that Indigo's involvement in Germany predates the Trench Rats: He's one of the handful of American soldiers who are sent overseas technically before the US enters the war (which starts earlier in my storyline and follows a somewhat different course) to spy on Nazi activities. The US military has received word of suspicious matters including some kind of camps, and something called "Projekt Weltuntergang," literally, Project Doomsday. I haven't ironed out all the details of why Indigo and the others in his group are selected to go, though I'm suspecting it's rather random, they're just the guys who happen to be present when an official closes them off and takes them into his confidence to outline the mission. The vastly differing personalities and motivations of the parties involved are what lead me to suspect they were basically drafted for this, rather than volunteering; Silver and Teal, for example, are mostly opposed to the idea of getting involved, Turquoise and Copper feel compelled to go, and most of the others are neutral. Nobody refuses, however, and they ship out. Indigo is one of this group that sets up in a dugout behind German lines and participates in limited excursions and spying activities, reporting back via radio, until the Germans finally catch on. One of their number, who is later nicknamed Doomsday due to his forced involvement in the medical project (all of their nicknames come later on, I have yet to determine their original nicknames), is captured by the Nazis and the rest are subjected to constant gunfire and attack on their little dugout; they manage to hold their ground, but their food supplies and ammunition start to dwindle, and their radio battery starts to die, making contact with American authorities near impossible. All the Germans have to do is wait them out. They manage to get the finicky radio working one last time and establish contact with a British outpost, outlining the capture and their desperate situation, but the battery dies before they can give their exact location, and they're unsure how much of the info got through. All they can do is sit tight and wait and dimly hope.

Some days later, by which point they've almost given up hoping for any sort of rescue, they're startled when a corporal literally drops into their dugout; after quickly establishing that the grubby, famished group are the ones he's looking for, he introduces himself as Corporal Drake, and says a battalion known as the Trench Rats has arrived to relieve them and with hope to rescue their captured comrade. They manage to escape the dugout, Trench Rat forces fending off the Germans, and are brought to the hastily constructed Trench Rat Headquarters, a system of trenches, tunnels, and rooms being dug and fortified in the east German woods. Indigo and his group are fed and introduced to their new unit, for it's been decided that they'll be joining. Most of them are too exhausted and confused to raise much complaint, but Indigo and Silver object to the plan; they're the two among the original group to have the most authority and time in, so they reason that they deserve promotion to corporal or sergeant themselves--why should they take orders from Drake and Sergeant Camo, who've only just arrived and whom they barely know? (Teal has his own reasons for not wanting to take orders from Drake, but keeps this to himself and doesn't buck for a leadership role like they do.) Camo resists their demands, which rankles them quite a bit; throughout most of the story, Silver carries a heavy grudge against the Trench Rats' corporal and sergeant, no matter who carries the ranks.

Indigo, however, fares somewhat better, as he's offered an alternative: The chief surgeon, Burgundy (who it turns out outranks all of them, but defers to the sergeant and even the corporal, as he made serving solely as battalion surgeon a condition of his joining the Trench Rats), needs people to help him out in the medical ward and in the field. Indigo has medical experience, so he gets the job. (Others who end up in this role are British nurse Lyndsey Skye, and, later on, Lance Corporal Amaranth Rat.) It isn't quite what he'd wanted, but he finds himself so busy with the job, plus with handling the service animals, that he soon enough forgets his spite over being snubbed for a promotion. Additionally, he's given command of one of the companies, so it's not a bad deal. (Silver is given Echo Company but never really gets over his grudge until very late in the storyline when Sergeant Black Rat is killed, Corporal Gold assumes his rank, then promotes Silver to corporal--a move that catches Silver off guard, as he'd spent the entire story being quite pissy toward Gold.) Eventually he gains enough medical experience to tackle various procedures on his own, unsupervised, though he never becomes a skilled surgeon like Burgundy.

Indigo plays a major role in the final story arc, Ultima Thule, which takes place a year or so after the war's end. Toward the end of Reunion, he saves the life of another Rat (I seem to recall it's Mahogany), getting struck by shrapnel in the process; he manages to ask the other Rat, "You all right?" and, hearing the affirmative, says, "Good," then passes out. He bleeds out before any of his fellow medics can arrive to help him. The sudden and unexpected death shocks the rest of the Rats; Amaranth is hastily assigned his position, and word is sent to American authorities to inform his fiancée. What's even more shocking is that Indigo's body somehow goes missing, so they can't even give him a proper burial or send him home. It's a horrible apparent breach of security, and embarrassing as well; nobody can explain it. (Even I can't explain it yet, unless Indigo is carried off while still in the field, before he can be returned to HQ; haven't ironed this out yet.) Exactly what happened is never explained in Reunion, but the bizarre explanation arrives in Ultima Thule.

In the epilogue story, several of the Trench Rats and allies still remaining in Germany, including former Wehrmacht lieutenant Ratdog and former SS captain Otto Himmel, catch wind of Nazi holdouts continuing Project Doomsday in the Alpine Fortress; they head into the mountains to look into it. The person in charge of the rebooted Project Ultima Thule turns out to be another SS officer, wearing a strange white replica of the previous black Allgemeine-SS uniform; Himmel, stunned, explains to the Americans that this is his former boss, Major Ludolf Jäger, who was also the one in charge of funding for the original project, which Himmel personally supervised (while privately sabotaging it from the inside). He mysteriously went missing toward the end of the previous story, along with his wife and children, as well as a large number of Projekt Weltuntergang files and documentation. The Allies quickly determine that the Nazis had a backup plan to continue their medical experiment even after their potential defeat, and Jäger is the one to take up the mantle. They also soon enough learn that the nature of the project has changed, from conferring superhuman strength and intelligence, to conferring immortality itself; the first evidence they get of this is when they run into Indigo, also dressed in a weird white SS uniform, and once again very much alive. His eyes have an odd bluish glaze to them now, though, and he doesn't seem to recognize them--he attacks without warning and they can barely fend him off due not only to his size and strength, but also because the serum has of course drastically increased the latter. Return blows have barely any effect on him and the others end up having to flee since they can't subdue him. They try to think of a plan to restrain and get through to him but nothing works, it's as if he's brainwashed.

Himmel has a run-in with Jäger, who attempts to recruit him; he explains the purpose of the project, to create a true Übermensch the way the Nazis had tried but failed. Jäger isn't the typical bad-guy Nazi: He genuinely believes in "bettering" humanity to help it achieve its true potential, though this of course involves breaking a few eggs to make an omelet. He always thought the original Nazi plans of exterminating the Untermenschen and focusing solely on race were flawed and doomed to failure; rather, segregation of the races is an easier goal, and instead of suppressing learning and scientific advancements as the Nazis often did, he believes that embracing such things is the way toward achieving superhuman status. Project Ultima Thule, named after the legendary land such superhuman ancestors were believed to have originated from before becoming corrupt, is the key to all this, picking up and perfecting where Project Doomsday left off. Jäger even suggests that in the new Fourth Reich to come, there'll be room for Übermenschen of various races--although they need to remain segregated for the time being, the end goal is a single superior race which will supplant all the rest, incorporating only the best qualities of all of them while leaving the lesser qualities behind. In short, humans (well, dogs and rats) will basically become God.

Jäger is so sincere and impassioned in making his appeal to Himmel that it's clear he believes in every word he says, and he hopes Himmel will join him. Himmel, however, is even more horrified than he was before--despite all of Jäger's lofty ideas, he knows what "bettering humanity" means in this case--just as with the old Nazis, it entails killing off the "flawed" aspects, whether through accelerated evolution or outright extermination. Himmel's own son Kolten was born disabled, the reason he tried so hard to sabotage Project Doomsday; he doesn't agree with Jäger's ideal society where all faults and differences are eradicated and everyone is flawless and exactly the same--to him, this is a nightmare. And yes, he understands, from past experience, that the implied death toll involved has been greatly underestimated. He rejects Jäger's proposal. Unfortunately, Jäger is just as steadfast in his beliefs as Himmel is, and no attempts at persuading him otherwise work--he accepts that Himmel won't be joining him, and regretfully declares them enemies. If Himmel and the others won't help him achieve his goal, then he'll fight back until one or the other of them is eliminated for good, no matter what the cost. Himmel finally has the proof of something he'd suspected all his years in the SS: Jäger is a fanatic.

Himmel and the others learn a few things from Jäger and their own searches of the Alpine Fortress, however, primary among them that the effects of the serum are at least partly reversible. It has different effects on the subject depending on whether they were alive or dead when it was first administered--yes, the project has made use of deceased persons, meaning the serum has the ability to literally resurrect the dead, albeit with certain caveats attached. The brain of the deceased party has to be intact (making people who died from gunshots or other injuries to the head useless as subjects)--and so pretty much the only way to permanently defeat a test subject is to destroy the brain. The main difference in live and resurrected test subjects, however, is their personal autonomy: Live subjects such as Jäger (yes, he took the serum) maintain their ability to think and act independently, whereas those who were given the serum posthumously act more like zombies, emotionlessly and mindlessly following orders from their handlers. This explains why no efforts to get through to Indigo make any difference. They discover, however, that a sort of tentative "antiserum" can be used to reverse at least these effects, even if not the rest; this is intended for use at a future point in the evolution of the Übermenschen, so it's still highly experimental, yet the Rats set out to find it and use it. Indigo is the first test subject. Burgundy and Ratdog barely manage to administer the antiserum during a fight, and the effects are almost instantaneous: Indigo cries out in obvious pain--his first acknowledgement of anything any of them have inflicted on him--and collapses, writhing and twitching. After several excruciating moments, he falls still. When the others draw close to check, Indigo takes a breath and opens his eyes. They still have that odd blue glaze, but they also have something they've lacked the entire time he's interacted with the others--awareness. Indigo slowly and painfully sits up and looks around, obviously confused.

He has no clear memory of anything following when he was wounded, though there are a few very vague sights and sounds and sensations he recalls. For example he has a hazy recollection of being somewhere after his wounding and before he woke up here, but what he's able to describe doesn't match any location he might have been in in the interim. Most of the others conclude this must have been a dream image he experienced while dying, though the peaceful feeling he describes convinces Turquoise and Himmel--both of whom come from religious backgrounds, and have had various spiritual experiences--that it was something else entirely: possible evidence of an afterlife, from which Indigo was pulled back when the serum was administered. Ironically, the Nazis, in their efforts to become God, may have inadvertently confirmed the existence of Heaven. They have no time to dwell on this, however--ending Project Ultima Thule is the utmost priority. Their success with Indigo gives them the knowledge to help "deprogram" others recruited into the project without their consent, which on the canine side of the story enables the other characters, similarly exploring the Alpine Fortress, to deprogram Lt. Hesse and PFC Helmstadt, who were also given the serum after their deaths. (Hesse, who'd been ready to turn his back on the SS but didn't get the chance before being shot, defects to the Allied side; Helmstadt, who never even belonged to the Nazi Party, just doubles down on his Aryan fanaticism and fights all the harder against them.)

Indigo of course aids them in their efforts, and he's seriously needed, given the increased strength and stamina of the enemy. He, Ratdog, Kolten, and Doomsday, the latter two of whom were part of the original Project Doomsday, do most of the heavy work fending off the chemically enhanced Nazi forces while the others focus on gathering info to sabotage and destroy the project. They manage to plant explosives throughout the Fortress with the intent to bring the entire thing down. I'm not sure of all the details yet, such as who takes over immediately afterward, but Jäger ends up killed in a rock collapse after a confrontation and the others narrowly escape. They briefly take cover when they hear multiple gunshots in the distance, but continue when nothing else happens. Ratdog, walking point, soon after makes an awful discovery and tries to hold them back, Himmel in particular, but his insistence that they don't need to see what's ahead just makes Himmel more determined to look--a decision he instantly regrets. In the area within are Jäger's wife, Magdalena, and their nine children...all deceased. From the looks of it, Magda and Jäger had made a murder/suicide pact in case of failure, and upon learning of her husband's death, Magda, just as much a true believer as he was, followed through; she dosed each of their children with a sedative, laid them all down in a row from oldest to youngest just as they always went out in life, and shot each one in the head before similarly taking her own life. Judging from her own body, she was crying the whole time; also, she was pregnant. Himmel, who loves children and had always wanted a large family of his own before his wife died giving birth to Kolten, breaks down at this sight, clutching Magda's hand and staring at the Jäger children; they'd often swarmed him looking for candy back when he was in the SS, and despite their obvious ideological differences he'd considered Magda a friend. "Why? Why do this?" he cries; "I would have gladly taken them." It's almost too much for him to take to understand that this was Jäger's plan all along, and if he didn't survive, then Magda and their children couldn't, either.

Both groups escape the Fortress and set off the explosives, destroying what's left of Project Ultima Thule and its adherents. They aren't joyful or exultant about it afterward, however; the losses are far too high (on the canine side, they lose Hesse and Dobermann), so they're quiet and subdued on their way down from the mountains. Indigo takes a moment to speak privately with Himmel, who he remembers only as an enemy; seeing his grief over the Jäger children hit him a bit hard. Although he still isn't sure if he believes that what he experienced was supernatural or spiritual or a dying hallucination or what, he tries to offer a bit of comfort in the thought that perhaps the children will experience the same. Indigo isn't religious--he doesn't really know what to make of it. He can tell that Himmel appreciates his effort, though, and Himmel wishes him luck returning to his fiancée for a second chance.

Indigo's fiancée, of course, had been notified previously of his death and the loss of his body...so Indigo's return is expected to be rather awkward. The Rats who choose to remain behind in Germany wish him farewell and he returns to the US. The military does send his fiancée a notice ahead of time, though the details make no sense and seem like a cruel joke; nevertheless, she's waiting there when Indigo's ship pulls in and he disembarks. The two of them stare at each other for a moment, he warily, she in disbelief with her hands over her mouth; she slowly approaches to look him over before embracing him and he returns the gesture. "They told me you were dead," she whispers; unable to think of anything else to say, he haltingly replies, "I'm here now. I'm not leaving again."

[Indigo Rat 2023 [‎Friday, ‎March ‎31, ‎2023, ‏‎5:00:46 AM]]