#i love these sinister water dogs

[toadalled]

Clouded Leopard Seal

[tbko111]

Covet

⊱ contents: yuta x fem reader, post-relationship, smut, dubcon elements, yandere, jealousy, fingering, classroom sex, possessive behavior ⊱ wc: 1.5k ⊱ synopsis: Your boyfriend Yuta is perfect; lenient and secure. He trusts you more than anything. So why do his palms get sweaty when you talk to your friend Yuji?

"Hahaha! That's so dumb." You nudge Itadori with a giggle, him laughing back. He had stopped you for homework, which had now escalated to unrelated chatter.

Yuta smiles along, patiently waiting for the conversation to cease.

Eventually you wave Itadori goodbye, continuing your walk through the school hallways.

“I didn’t know you two were so close.”

“Yuji? Yeah, I guess we started getting along.”

Your boyfriend scans you up and down, in a way that betrays the nicety of his smile.

This was only the beginning of Yuta’s water torture. Every other day he’d see you talking up your newly established friend, and each time it came close to dismantling his well-mannered front.

With every playful gesture the two of you exchanged, it became hard for him not to stare possessive holes into you. Like he could capture you if he’d stared hard enough.

He was better than this; he was a good boyfriend. No, you’d even promote it to perfect. He knew this, and knew the bearer of such title wouldn’t throw a jealous fit. So on went his unbothered charade, suffering in silence.

The more he internalized it, the more it nagged him. Like a bad song stuck in his head. Why were you laughing with him, and not your own boyfriend with as much ease?

Yuta would be lying if he said he wasn’t starting to get frustrated with Yuji at least a little from his density. He was always too friendly; something Yuta viewed as good up until now.

It was now that when you’d offer him small pecks, he’d pull you in for just a moment longer with a sinister longing welling up in his deep blue eyes, confining your reflection.

Even after a few months his secret wishes went in vain, evident in the way that just today, you had agreed to hang out with Itadori outside of school.

Truly you thought nothing of it, but Yuta was having an anxious fit. His jaw even hung open for a moment at the news before quickly composing himself.

Even if he trusted both of you, even if it was in a public scene – It was eating him alive.

They say people tend to fill in blanks with pleasant imagery, but the opposite was true for Yuta.

His love for you was ugly; it whispered paranoia into his ears. The groundless prospect of you sharing flirtatious looks with another guy clouded his better judgment.

Looks soon turning to touches, touches escalating to kisses, kisses leading to…

He stops there. Lest losing the remnants of his sanity.

It was after school around 5, the two of you having fallen victim to cleaning duty.

“Can you follow me?”

His shift in mood was quite noticeable ever since you dropped the bomb on him, and that long silence was interrupted by his abrupt request.

You tilt your head inquisitively, but comply. The delicate hold he takes on your hand fails to foreshadow what’s to take place.

He leads you to your empty classroom. The dusk sky had dimmed all too soon, painting the scene with a mellow orange hue.

You sit half-perched on a nearby desk, resting your palms on the edge.

“What is it?”

“Are you doing this on purpose?”

Yuta looks sad, like a dog, aching for a morsel of your undivided attention.

You answer his question with a quizzical look, blinking in ignorance – only until the pure, searing jealousy in his eyes burns through any confusion you may have had a second prior.

The realization kicks in, in the form of a quiet “oh”.

Of course. You wince, doing a mental facepalm.

Soon, his shadow envelops you snugly, making you shrink back and slide up the desk to sit fully.

Your feet swing above the ground, leaving you at his mercy. Nowhere to run. Furthered by how you were now caged within his arms, warm hands dearly holding yours.

You feel his breath against your mouth, eagerly closing distance until he kisses you as if running out of time, his grip grows more firm. Clumsy, even. You gasp as a tongue is shoved into you, fevered to explore every inch.

The kiss lasts nothing short of an eternity until he pulls away, desire only inflamed rather than satisfied.

You whisper out his name, slightly overwhelmed.

Yuta breathes softly onto your neck, bordering on animalistic.

"If you were trying to get a rise out of me, it worked."

You whine, trying to push him away weakly but failing miserably. 

“I wasn’t.” you stammer.

But seemingly nothing you say will salvage the situation now.

"I don’t want you to go."

It was a soft plea, but the demanding undertone sent shivers up your body. Such selfish requests were a novel concept coming from Yuta, but the delivery alone helps you realize they were underlying all along.

And now, that it consumed him.

He slides his left hand onto your shoulder to keep you still, the other inching inwards your thighs. Instinctively you wriggle away, but only end up falling flat on the desk assistingly.

“Wait… we’re still in school.” he holds back a laugh at how your flushed face was forsaking your prim act.

Yuta looms over you with little to no composure, hooking over your leg with his arm, holding your thigh. What was to come was unavoidable now, your heart racing miles per minute.

You squirm as he bunches your skirt up and his fingers graze over your clit, slowly pressing against the fabric like playing you for reactions.

And correspondingly, you flinch and let out a small noise. He rubs circles around you, grinning to himself at how quickly he got you soaked.

He keeps up until you whine – in his head a plea for more, which he’s more than eager to satisfy.

Wasting no time, he reaches into your panties, teasing you more before the roughness of his calloused hand invades your velvet walls, making you tighten them shut.

"Relax..." He chuckles shyly, failing to hide the damn near perverted pensiveness he wore.

It inches in slowly. Your insides felt so hot and inviting, and your thrilled face was driving him crazy - his love for you heightening to almost destructive. His breath gets caught in his throat in delirium.

His pretty fingers dip in and out leisurely, the cold of his ring making you twitch with each deep thrust. 

They quicken before he knows it. Oblivious to you, his patience had worn thin long ago.

"Ah, mngh... Yuta, slow down-"

To think the careful hands that would never overstep small loving touches, could fuck you like this, was baffling to say the least. Especially since his upward curl on your sweet spot was making it hard to think at all.

"Feel good?"

"I... I dunno,"  Yes, God, it felt amazing but you couldn't tell him that - unless to die of embarrassment.

But he knew nonetheless. It was impossible not to with the way your mouth hung open, eyes struggling to do the same. But he wanted to coax it out of you himself.

Yuta gives your head a small kiss - like a feigned apology for how he soon presses you down, one knee now touching your chest, welcoming his digits deeper against your will. Startled, you gasp for air both from the sensation and the compromising position.

He maneuvers his fingers like he has your body all figured out, curving to a spot you never knew you could hit with fingers alone. The uncouth feeling makes whatever dignity you clung onto get knocked out in bliss.

His pretty black locks hang over you as he smoothly leans down more, both worsening the feeling and making his voice vibrate quietly in your ears.

"How about now?"

"Mn, uh, yes..." It spews out of you, as if your body spoke for itself disregarding any rationale. The way you were in shambles from his hand alone made him sigh in anticipation. Just how you'd look when he stuffs you with something more…

“Will you stop talking to him?”

You can barely grasp what he’s talking about, and just nod automatically. He looks contented, kissing you as a prize.

For a moment his movements slow from your stiffness, but he subdues it easily. The pace unrelents, and humiliation doesn’t begin to describe what you feel in being so powerless over a few fingers. The overwhelming weakness of your limbs almost has you convinced that he must have sedated you.

You cling onto his white uniform with noises slightly resemblant of words, and he gets the hint. He laps his tongue against yours, continuing to toy with you.

Soon a firework erupts in your brain, blurring your surroundings, even your thoughts. Your shameless, muffled noises spew into his mouth.

You shiver as it slowly dies down, leaving you twitching and gasping.

Yuta pulls back to look at you pleased, and you reciprocate – only more dazed.

His fingers pull out steadily, as if sad to be parting with you.

He licks them clean, then meets you with a warm smile. Such a filthy act done so casually.

Through hazy vision you can’t help but see yourself in his dim eyes again, staring back like she’s trapped in his pupils forever.

“Let’s go back to my dorm.”

♡ ao3

[totheblood]

true blue. (four)

pairing: modern!ellie williams x reader

summary: ellie has a crisis

warnings: suggestive themes, drug/alcohol usage, cursing, descriptions of abusive behavior (neither ellie or reader engages in these behaviors)

a/n: MORE ELLIE JOURNALING.. this is the final part! i won't be writing any more true blue i apologize i didn't realize how emotionally taxxing this would be for me. also the ai audios are at the bottom! hope u like them THIS IS NOT PROOFREAD - I apologize. I would greatly appreciate any reblogs, comments, asks you have about this chapter. thank you for supporting me through this journey!

read the first three chapters here from the masterlist!

Ellie was on the verge of breaking down.

This pain was becoming all too familiar to her and the weight of it only grew each second she spent with you. Her fingertips had grown numb as she sat across from you in the restaurant as she wrapped them around the base of her glass. If she thought the heartbreak of Cat would take her out, she knew that the heartbreak of you would move her existence to a different plane of existence.

If she was really honest with herself, she didn’t really love Cat, but rather how Cat had made her feel. It was all-consuming, over the top, mushy love. The love you see in movies but never expect to happen to you, but it was all just words when it came down to it. The fact of the matter is, if you tell someone they’re your soulmate ten times a day they will start to believe it. 

It wasn’t oxytocin that Ellie felt around Cat, it was pure adrenaline. She was always looking to reach that high with her again as she pulled away from her, but as the rush died out and Cat continuously degraded Ellie, she found herself accepting less than she deserved or wanted. She wanted Cat to want her again, but Cat never wanted her. Cat never wanted anybody.

But it wasn’t like that with you. For starters, you didn’t tell Ellie you were in love with her on your second date. You didn’t try to convince her that she was made for you. You were just there with your sickly sweet smile and long eyelashes that made Ellie’s heart pound in her chest. You were good.

Or so she thought. 

She couldn’t quite explain why, but Ellie believed Cat. Cat was a manipulator and a bitch, but she wasn’t a liar. Plus, the way her face filled with joy at the chance to tell Ellie that her current fix hated her was too real. The sinister laugh was fucking genuine.

So here Ellie sat across from you at the dinner she had planned to ask you to be her girlfriend at, a sick rage burning in her chest. She didn’t know why she didn’t cancel but she didn’t know why she was doing a lot of things these days.

“Tell me about your day.” You spoke, breaking Ellie out of her trance.

“My day?” She questioned, eyes flicking up to you.

“Yeah, silly. Anything interesting happen?” You asked, the smile on your face stirring something evil in Ellie’s gut. You looked so fucking good today it’s almost if you knew she was planning on asking you out. 

“No.. not really. Ran into my ex actually.” She said simply, playing with the fork in her hand. She studied your face closely and watched as it slightly faltered at the mention of her ex. If she didn’t know you, she might’ve not caught it. 

“Oh, really?” You questioned, sipping your water and toying with the chain around your neck. It was a tell tale sign you were nervous. “You don’t really talk about your ex.” 

“Yeah, she was the worst so I don’t like thinking, or talking, about her all that much.” Ellie knew her tone was coming off harsh, but she didn’t care. The way your demeanor changed told her all she needed to know about you.

“Yeah… that makes sense.” You were obviously uncomfortable with how the air shifted but you were trying to keep the peace. “My day was good, I went to that thing in the Student Center. The therapy dog thing. It was so cute I almost died. Do you want to see a picture of me and the dogs?” 

“Not really.” Ellie replied, leaning back in her chair. The way your face fell would have made her put together heart break.

“D-did I do something?” Your voice was shaking a bit but your gaze remained steady. Ellie needed to leave.

“No, baby, I’m not really having the best day so I’m just going to leave.” Before you could even protest Ellie threw down three twenties, grabbed her jacket, and left. You didn’t chase after her, nor did you call that night, and Ellie knew it was sick of her, but that really bothered her. 

D: idk i don’t think pookiana would do that

E: Pookiana?? Seriously? This isn’t funny, Dina.

D: i know it’s not funny but are you really trusting cat

E: You should have seen her face when I said I ran into Cat. Plus Cat was too happy to tell me. It’s true, D.

D: well u should still talk to her about it, just abandoning her at a date is not cool

D: it’s cat behavior

E: Don’t do that.

E: I need to do something. I need to be out.

D: there’s a house party tomorrow? you could join

E: Will there be girls?

D: ellie what r u doing 

D: don’t do this don’t self destruct

E: Yes or no?

D: there are always girls 

E: I’ll be there.

The following night Ellie found herself taking several hits off her pen for courage. Deep inside she knew she wanted to be with you tonight, wrapped up in your comically large blankets watching a dumb movie or Planet Earth, but she couldn’t do that to herself. 

Plus, you hadn’t contacted her since the date and it was driving Ellie crazy. At this point she had assumed that you knew she caught onto you and had decided a fight wasn’t worth your time. So she decided not to care, an ability that seemed all too new to her.

The party was as fun as you could imagine, skins slick with sweat and the air dry and humid. Ellie was feeling adventurous and, for once in her sorry life, she didn’t stick to the side of the wall for the entirety of the night. She was socializing, laughing, and even dancing. On the outside she appeared happy and carefree.

On the inside, however, Ellie was beginning to panic. She knew escaping the reality of her life would only be a brief relief from the things that plagued her everyday mind, but she didn’t expect the high to die off so quickly. Her mind was telling her, run run run, but her feet stayed planted and her body continued to sway. 

In the dark of the party and the high still hanging over her head, she almost didn’t realize the girl dancing in front of her. She began to grind on Ellie, shaking her hips to the music and causing Ellie’s brain to short circuit. 

It felt wrong, mostly because it wasn’t you. Fuck fuck fuck, her brain rang again as it did many times before, but this time Ellie wasn’t stopping. Not only did she not stop the girl, but her own hands found her waist, holding on as Ellie pulled her in and swayed with the music. Ellie hated to admit it but she was turned on. Her touch-starved and emotionally rotting brain needed skin to skin contact to bring her back down to Earth, she needed to be held by someone. 

Unlike last time, however, she refused to find solace in crying on Dina’s lap again. No, this time she was going to find it in the lips of another. So as she danced she began to press sloppy wet kisses on the girl’s neck, making sure to take her skin in between her teeth. She was trying to elicit a response, any response that would tell her how good she was doing. And when she got that, a moan from the girl in front of her that rumbled across Ellie’s chest, she held her back to her chest and connected her lips to hers. 

It felt good, it felt foreign, and for a brief moment in time Ellie’s mind was completely silent. She wasn’t thinking about the name of the girl she was kissing. She wasn’t thinking about Cat. She wasn’t thinking of you. The only thought that consumed her at this moment was how her tongue was in a random person’s mouth and how amazing it felt. Until, she was being ripped off of the girl and met with your tear-stained face.

“What the fuck are you doing, Ellie?” You cried out, the person Ellie was just intertwined with now slinking off into a corner. The party went on, but others stopped to watch the scene you were beginning to make.

“What does it look like I’m doing?” She spat, anger written all over her face. Her heart was aching in her chest at the sight of you. She wanted to reach out to you, kiss the tears off your face and tell you everything was okay, but she didn’t have it in her to do that.

“It looks like you’re cheating on me.” You fumed, eliciting a gasp from the party goers. Dina pushed past a group of people to find the two of you staring down each other. She frantically ran up in between you and Ellie, grabbing both of your arms before pulling you up the stairs and outside. 

The air outside was cold. Under the streetlights you could see the tip of Ellie’s nose turn red, but what you now noticed was the red rim around her eyes. She had been crying but it was masked by the seemingly unprovoked rage she had for you. 

“I’m not cheating on you because I’m not with you… you are not my girlfriend.” She pointed out, her anger looking more like sadness. 

“I’m not your girlfriend… but I mean something to you, right?” You pleaded, letting your tears fall freely. 

“You meant something to me. Not anymore. I’m not doing this with you. I won’t be able to survive it if it’s you.” Ellie was almost sure she wasn’t making much sense, but her head was pounding and Dina was standing on the porch staring at the two of you with her arms crossed. All Ellie wanted to do was run, but if she ran she had a feeling she would be running from you her whole life.

“What did I do? Just tell me that. I thought we were happy.” You were sobbing, but everytime you took a step towards Ellie, she took a step back.

“Did you know about me before we met?” Ellie asked with a straight face.

“Wha-” You began.

“Did you know who I was before we met? It’s a simple question.” 

“Yes… but-” You were trying to explain yourself but Ellie wasn’t having it. For some reason you confirming her suspicions hurt more than she assumed it would and she was already turning around walking back towards the house. 

“Ellie, stop! Let me explain.” You pleaded, chasing after her hot on her tracks. She whipped around to turn back to you, her speed almost knocking you off your feet.

“No, you don’t get to explain. I trusted you. I liked you. I fell for you for fucks sake. I was going to ask you to be my girlfriend after swearing that I would never let that happen and it was all what? A joke to you? This isn’t fucking funny, this is my life. And you… you made it good for so long and to know that it was all fake? I’m not coming back from this.” Ellie was speaking without thinking at this point.

“You think this is a joke to me? Are you fucking serious? When were you going to mention that we shared an ex? Huh? You want to be mad at me for what? Not liking you 2 years ago when I didn’t know you? When my ex told me she was leaving me for you? This hasn’t been some revenge plot Ellie, it was two years ago. I moved on. Did I think I was going to move on with you? No, but I did and I can’t change that, but you don’t get to treat me like this for not sharing that piece of information with you. You don’t get to reduce my love for you down to that. Down to Cat.” Your tears had stopped flowing but your eyes and face were still puffy. 

“I didn’t tell you about it because I had decided to put it- Wait… you love me?” Ellie stopped herself, not realizing what you had said. 

“What? I never said that.” You argued. 

“You just did. You said, “You don’t get to reduce my love for you down to that.” She said, mocking your voice. 

“I don’t fucking sound like that, and we are having a fight right now. Can we get back to it?” You reiterated, but something in Ellie’s eyes had shifted. It was almost like she was expecting you to be the evil thing she thought you were, but you weren’t. But as the realization that you were, once again, innocent dawned on her, so did her guilt. 

“I just… I assumed you were doing this… dating me… to get back at me. Honestly, it’s because that’s exactly what I would do. But you’re not me, and I’m sorry. I don’t think I have ever felt this way about a person in my whole life. It was already freaking me out and then Cat told me that you hated me and my mind went to the worst. I’m just… I’m sorry.” Her voice was steady but she was panicking. All you did was stare at her with your puffy eyes and red lips and all Ellie wanted to do was kiss you. Give you a bath and rub your back till you forgave her. All she felt like she was doing was causing you more pain, and she wanted it all to stop.

“I love you.” It came out of Ellie’s mouth so quickly. Almost as a plea, but she knew she meant it. She knew she meant it a while ago but the idea of it becoming real terrified her. She watched as your eyes lit up then quickly dimmed again. Suddenly there were tears in your eyes and her confession felt more like an assault.

“Don’t do that. Don’t say that to me if you don’t mean it. I’ve healed from my shit with Cat but it still hurts, this hurts. Being led on. This back and forth. If you are saying you love me you have to mean it and you have to stay.” It was you saying this that made Ellie realize just how unfair she had been to you. She knew you had healed from Cat, but it was becoming painfully obvious how much work Ellie had to do. For fucks sake you had to watch her dry hump another girl just to have this conversation. And you were still here. You hadn’t left or avoided her, but rather gave her time to breathe. This was healthy. This was good. And Ellie felt like she didn’t deserve any of it.

“I do mean it. I love you. I love all the beautiful and weird things about you. I love you and I will say that until my face turns blue. I love the fuck out of you. I know I don’t deserve you, I know this is hard but I’m trying to grow. I want to stay. I want to be there for you, but I think I need help learning how. I’m not like you, I’m not there yet, but I want to be. For you.” Ellie was fidgeting with her hands, it was obvious she was extremely nervous and expected you to reject her.

What she didn’t expect was for you to close the gap in between the both of you and press a gentle kiss to her lips. 

“I’m going to stay, but if you grind up and make out with another girl again I’m leaving. No questions asked. Okay?” You were smiling a smile that said ‘I’m fucking serious’ and that made Ellie fall a little more in love with you.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t want anyone else’s lips except yours.” She smiled leaning down to press another kiss to your lips, then your cheek, and then your neck.

“Are you guys done? Can we go back to the party?” Dina yelled from the porch, having watched the whole scene unfold. Ellie just ignored her as she pressed another gentle kiss to your neck, her arms wrapping around your waist pulling you as close as possible to her. All you could do was laugh and allow Ellie to slightly lift you off of the ground with how tight she was holding you. 

“Real classy, you guys. I’m going back in.” Dina called out one more time, not knowing you and Ellie would never make it back inside.

One Year Later…

Excerpts from Ellie’s Journal:

My girlfriend is a saint… well obviously cause she’s dating me but she did the whole last part of our project. I was totally lost that whole class but my genius girl got us an A.. She did fail her pottery class. She’s so fucking bad at that shit.

I took her to a cat cafe for her birthday… she cried so much hugging the cat’s that we got asked to leave… we got asked to leave because my girlfriend was squeezing the cats so bad and crying into their fur. The barista said she was causing them emotional distress… I gave them one star on Yelp.

She came and visited Jackson over winter break… Game night with her and Joel was a complete nightmare, they are both so competitive. I had to hold her back because she tried to physically fight Tommy… God, I love her so much.

She got me a guitar pick with her initials on it for Christmas. Told me now I had to play for her, she didn’t know that her gift was the song I wrote her. My sweet little baby cried. It was so precious.

She’s so fucking talented with her fingerhiuoiji

We’re roommates next semester… I’m never going to get any fucking sleep. It’s fine because I like the trade-off but my grades are about to plummet.

I drew her when we were sitting together in the park today. It’s just getting warm again and she’s wearing shorter skirts… I know I sound like a perv but she looks really hot is skirts… anyways, I drew her and she cried.. Again. She’s so sentimental that it makes my heart ache.

I’ve never imagined in my whole sorry life that I could be this happy with someone. It’s easy. Whoever said love was hard wasn’t in love with my girl because it is by far the easiest thing I have done in my whole life. I sleep better at night, I smile more, I feel content. She has put the stars in the sky for me. I don’t know what I was so afraid of. Love is good. She is good. I love her.

It’s our one year anniversary and I can't believe this freak hasn’t killed me or herself yet (accidentally). She got a job at Bean and brings me home ice tea every day. We’ve started reading books together and she strokes my hair when she knows I’m tired. She knows me better than I know myself. I’ve learned things about myself while being with her. She encourages me everyday to grow and to try new things. I feel like a new person, but I still feel like me. Like the me who loves this girl with her whole heart. 

ai audios:

ai audios links:

what does it look like i'm doing?

did you know who i was?

you meant something to me

wait you love me?

i love you

yea yea

[steelsartcorner]

If you wouldn’t mind sharing your secrets, can you drop a quick tutorial for the hades art style? You seem to capture it very well!

Hey anon! Thanks so much, I’m flattered you think so!

To be honest there's really no secret, just a lot of trial and error. I am an amateur, but I’ll point out a few of my observations of the amazing Hades team’s work that I attempted to incorporate into this Astarion drawing, especially SuperGiant Games art director Jen Zee. Everything below is just my layman’s observation of her much, MUCH better work. You should check her out yourself!

First off, here’s a simple split out of the whole process (this will be long, more below the cut:)

POSE & PERSONALITY

Hades art is full of personality so the first challenge was to pick a pose that illustrates just one or two aspects of the character. For example, Dionysus from Hades 1 below has a languid, draping pose that reflects his chill-guy party vibes. Just looking at him you get an immediate idea of his personality.

And as much as I love the later wet-cat version of Astarion as he matures as a person, for the purposes of illustration in this style I chose a pose and expression that leaned into his early, less complex, more wily self. The dagger, wink, jaunty hips and head tilt are meant to communicate, without additional context, that he’s both trying to be appealing and is not trustworthy. 

LINEWORK & SHADING

Next is the linework and blocking! The Hades art team tends to use a combination of near-mono-thickness black lines, where exterior lines are thicker and interior lines are thinner or have no lines at all. They will often forgo an interior line to communicate form via color blocking instead. The style also makes heavy use of absolute black for the deepest shades, especially on more sinister characters or spooky aspects of a characters design. (See: Zagreus’ three dog head skulls and his red eye perpetually cast in deep shadow.)

It took some back and forth to find the right balance of black shading for Astarion. Too much and he looked too sinister and not approachable enough. Too little and he looked too innocent. 

Picking a strong light source helped with determining the direction and placement of the shadows so that just enough was obscured/revealed. It also helps in differentiating forms from each other so that, for example, the arm doesn’t disappear into the chest and become unreadable.

Using heavy black shading was a particularly useful trick in Astarion’s case, because his camp clothes color palette is fairly monochromatic between his light hair, pale skin, and white/cream shirt. That much light color can easily blend in too much and become boring: the flats I used were slight variations of white, from a warm reddish-peach to a yellowy cream to a cool light gray for the dagger.

COLOR & LIGHTING

Last is color! In Hades 1 and even more so in Hades 2, the lighting schemes are deceptively complex. There are often multiple light sources and use of bounce lighting to add a lot of visual interest. For example, check out this lighting on Polyphemus from Hades 2:

Not only does he have a cool moonlight hitting him from above, he also has a warm orange rimlight lighting him from the left, AND cool lavender bounce light bouncing off the ground and hitting him from below. All these combine and layer on top of one another to help emphasize the forms of the cyclop’s musculature and the textures of his sheep wool coat. 

I don’t think I was as successful in my own lighting scheme, because I’m an amateur, but I determined that the scene in which I was placing Astarion has a high sun and was outdoors. This means that the light hitting him from above would be a light, warm yellow and the bounce light hitting him from the left would reflect the nearby water and blue sky of the environment. 

To achieve this, I made use of different layer modes in my art program (Clip Studio Paint) to apply purple shadows (via the Multiply layer mode) and highlights (via the Soft Light layer mode) in a light sky blue and a light yellow for the primary and secondary light sources.

I ran into trouble with the blade, because it was also a light metal in an already light-color-heavy color scheme. At first, it was blending in too much and hard to read. So I decided to give it a bit of a magic teal glow to help it stand out, which meant adding a few specks of magic light reflecting back onto the face and clothes as well. 

INTEREST & DETAILS

Speaking of, Hades style art makes extensive use of adding little speckles of high-saturation color to add visual interest and cohesion. See this Zagreus portrait which is primarily made of grays, a tan bone-color, and reds: 

But sprinkled in are neon teal and magenta that don’t relate to the lighting at all. It’s just there to break up the blocks of color, bring unique colors like his green eye into the rest of the portrait, and direct the viewer’s eye. These highlights are slightly less bright in Hades 2, but still there, such as in this depiction of Apollo, who mostly glows with a warm sunlight but also has random pops of sky blue and green flecking his armor and hair.

The pops of color are often placed more centrally on the figure to keep your eye on the important parts of the portrait, like near Apollo’s face and on his armor. The color pops aren’t as frequent at the extremities; too much on the arm and your eye would be drawn away from his face.

I took a similar approach where I grabbed some of the brighter colors (like Astarion’s red eye, and the teal glow of the dagger), to add dabs of color that normally would not “make sense” from a lighting perspective, but add a little visual interest:

Also I totally studied their approach to Apollo’s curly hair to create the impression of Astarion’s curls!

Anyway, I think that's all I got for now, I hope this helps! There's more but this is already REALLY long so I'll stop here. In the end, it's really just a process of observation and replication of things you love in artwork you admire. Give it a try, it's a lot of fun :)

[allwormdiet]

Shell 4.1

As much as I wish Taylor could ride this high forever, unfortunately looks like it's back to school

Taylor. Honey. Dearheart. You keep being really complimentary about your bullies' physical looks, and this does not in any way undermine the hurt they've done to you or your resentment thereof, but it does muddy the waters a little bit as to whether resentment is the only thing you're feeling

The back-and-forth actually feels so refreshing compared to every previous interaction with the bullies, like. My god. Did Taylor just have to rob a bank to get the confidence she needs to not worry about these fuckers? I never thought that John Dillinger therapy would take off but maybe there's a future in that

Better the devil in plain sight than the devil you can't see at all.

John Dillinger therapy! This is what I'm talking about! Let's go Taylor, show that inner strength! Shed the burden!

I mean hell, maybe, or maybe this is an upturn where she finally gets sure enough in herself to get these jerks off her back forever. We'll see how it plays out, right?

The idle speculation on Mr. Quinlan is a little wild but well in keeping with my own experiences. Sometimes teachers just passively generate rumors around them.

This one stupid bit about John Dillinger therapy keeps paying off, this is great, real joke investment opportunity

Honestly Taylor I think you can feel bad about it while also living with it, I'm not gonna pretend to be some expert on morality or philosophy or whatever but I feel like you're allowed a certain number of felonies after enough suffering in your life

Technically not a career boost for the Undersiders, at least not as far as public renown, but making your enemies look like clowns is just as good if not better. Like yeah, those tools on the other side are getting their pay docked because of that bigass hole in the roof of the bank, and you're way richer from the same event

Expanding our understanding of the city a bit more, and honestly this sounds dope as fuck. I'd love to visit every once in a while and just soak in the culture, although not if it meant living in Brockton Bay. That seems. Bad.

Ugh, these kids

Honestly I'm not quite this hardcore but damn if it isn't a mood. I've yet to see proof of Rachel being wrong

Yeah I know she had her dogs attack Taylor, Taylor's an aspiring snitch, it's okay to maul a snitch

I think I knew this part already but honestly I'm more excited to have Rachel lore than anything

I wonder how much leniency can be provided for crimes that happen in the immediate aftermath or because of a trigger event. Maybe not a ton, or maybe enough to get away with murder. I'd be curious to learn more about that, if it ever comes up.

And uhh, yeah, that'd fucking get you dead bodies alright. Wonder if that's why she's so hardcore about the training, making sure that never happens again. Entirely for the dogs' benefit, or only mostly and then there's some part of her that thrives with that kind of control?

Alec you cheeky little shit, you're endearing yourself to me

Honestly Taylor, just try and breathe easy for a little bit, I don't think you've been able to do that in over a year. Take your time, enjoy your walk on the wild side.

Maybe I'm biased but I love these two interacting on their own, so I'm fully in favor of this plan Lisa

Well I'm sure if Lisa ever killed anybody they deserved it, or if nothing else she arranged circumstances so that they ended up deserving it after some mild provocation

it's fiiiiiiiiine

Current Thoughts

This story has such good slice of life, I want more of it every time and every time I get cut off before I'm satisfied. Is that on purpose? If that's on purpose Wildbow might be a more sinister intelligence than I'd thought.

School segment was so blissfully short and Taylor managed to fight Emma to a standstill so this is a huge improvement over every other second she's spent at school

If Rachel ever kills anyone on purpose they deserved it, and if Rachel ever kills anyone on accident it's okay bc everyone makes mistakes

Honestly I'd be willing to accept any of these kids as having a good reason to render someone cadaverrific. Brian and Lisa have good heads on their shoulders and at this point I'm starting to suspect that the lazy gamer thing Alec has going on is like, at least partially a front for a deeper personality, and he's trying to be shallow on purpose, so idk what that means for him being a killer but I somehow doubt he's a fucking Hannibal Lecter type when we're not looking

...Actually come to think on it the only two members the Protectorate has info on is Grue and Bitch, right? Tattletale is an unknown and Regent has almost nothing about him. I'd suspect Grue to be the second killer but I'm not sure if that's a red herring.

Find out eventually, I guess.

...I might have another chapter in me before sacking out for the night. We'll see.

[mad3lyncline]

𝑪𝑨𝑷𝑬 𝑬𝑳𝑰𝒁𝑨𝑩𝑬𝑻𝑯 𝑺𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑪𝑬 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑺 . starters from the 2020 ep 'cape elizabeth' by noah kahan .

𝒂 𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅

if you could see it through my eyes , you'd understand my fear of everything in sight .

i'd quickly sell my heart for some advice on how to ease a troubled mind .

my brain's a dog asleep that i cannot let lie .

cloudy head but i can't find a single silver lining .

guess there is no hope for me in sight to ease this troubled mind .

i worry for the sun , oh i worry for the snow .

i worry i'll die young while i worry i'll grow old .

i worry for the time i spent worrying alone .

i took a bus down to the city where you live .

the past just amplified my fear .

i started counting all the times i saw you last year .

you were sadly making sense .

𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒅

i think i found a fear of mine ; that you might love for no reason .

you know i worry only luck brought me to you .

i'm half awake most of the time .

it's just the timing of the seasons .

you know i worry that you're all i have to lose .

i should change this way of thinking ; that all my fears are facts of life .

i could die tomorrow ; you'd be close behind .

i live my life in years to come to prepare myself for sorrow .

i won't worry when i crumble at your feet .

it's something sinister to love without regard for dear tomorrow .

to search for worry is to love without deceit .

𝒈𝒍𝒖𝒆 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒔𝒉𝒖𝒕

you used to be scared of the water .

you're safe by the side of your father .

your sense of the world lay in your little home by the harbor .

you've always felt small in the city .

you think that last fall you were with me .

all of your old clothes are still in the hall of my building .

you never asked once .

you never asked why .

you'd wear yourself thin and accept every sin .

if i glue myself shut , you would find your way in .

we gambled our souls to the summer .

we watched every sunset until we got sick of each other .

you've always said fall was your season .

it only feels real after raining .

hearts only heal after breaking .

i stare at the tree line and notice the leaves aren't changing .

does the wind blow in cape elizabeth ?

love was a deadline ; spend the rest of my life fuckin' missing it .

𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒘𝒂𝒚

you've made a mess .

honey don't worry ; nobody's angry at any of this .

darling , be patient . stare into the vacancy . take a deep breath .

it's like when you're tired you're someone else .

honey don't worry ; i'll do your laundry , covered in dirt .

it's easy to break beneath the weight of the earth .

i'll wait for sharp glass when you break .

i'll be the light that you can't make .

i'll be your eyes ; you be my face .

darling , i get scared for you .

i'm not busy anyway .

today you looked older than me .

does it get exhausting ? have you gotten sleep ?

you said you were sorry that you hadn't called me in over a week .

i hope i ain't the last of what the world left you .

𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒆

was your soul rediscovered ? was your heart rearranged ?

are you still taking pills in the morning ?

did you lose that longing now ?

this town's just an ocean now .

you don't hate the summers ; you're just afraid of the space .

i miss this place , your head , and your heart .

my dad still tells me when they're playing your songs .

if only baby there were cameras in the traffic lights ; they'd make me a star .

i wanna go to maine .

tell me , lover , once you've had a change of heart .

we're no more than the fossils at crescent beach state park .

used to sing along to church bells on sundays .

can you even hear 'em from the subway now ?

i hope that we make you proud .

[solidwater05]

So this dream starts in Minecraft as usual

I can't remember exactly what happened, but I was with at least other 2 people exploring an abandoned underground... thing. The section we were exploring looked like a mineshaft but I know it was some sort of bunker or facility. It seemed very sinister. The walls were white and it had irl lights. That place was not a mineshaft, and god knows why it was hidden underground. Me and the rest of the group discovered that the lights still work, and we decided to go investigate, but we stopped. I don't remember why, I think it got too dark as we went further in and it was creepy as hell

The entrance to that place was a hole in the surface. It was a huge drop and it was hard to see the bottom from the surface, so you couldn't actually know if there was water at the end or not. If the lights underground were off, it was like looking into the void.

Then the scenery changed

I was in a village, it looked like one of the old ones but it was during a raid. I was hiding in a brick house because I had like no equipment whatsoever and there was a ravager outside

Despite having no armor, I had a maxed out bow for some reason, and I was one-shooting all the raiders (I have a maxed out bow in my main world, you can't one-shot a pillager even with strength 2)

So I was doing well until some guy from Clash Royale will a rocket launcher hit me, made a giant hole in my roof, and left me at half a heart. I immediately retreated

My brother, who was helping me fight, also hid in my house. On the floor, there were four oak trapdoors, looking inside was like staring at the void. It was that underground place

My brother and I decided that it would be safest to hide there. We jumped and started planning how to survive. We didn't have a lot of resources and the place wasn't super habitable. We also decided to remove the water from the entrance so any enemies that dropped down would die

Exploring the place, I assume that we eventually got to the next scene. My brother was no longer there

It was in an irl place, I'm not sure how to describe it. There were two sections- one where you could sit down to eat, and the other that was huge and mostly empty. One of the bathrooms was accessed through a long thin hallway. Two angels came out of this bathroom. Here starts the next scene

It was a play telling the tragic tale of two sapphic angels, I can't remember how it went but I remember at least one of them dying. I also remember it being a bittersweetly beautiful story

The story emphasizes how the remaining angel chose to remember her lover's love and beauty, and she made an artwork depicting her as a constellation embraced by the night sky

The audience was very moved by this.

At the end of the play they showed some sort of painting with both of the angels

The one on the right, who is the one who survived, was surrounded by two circles resembling snakes. This was unrelated to the devil disguised as a snake, they were just there because snakes are cool. One of them was copper, and the other one was paper white.

The angel was trying to reach out to the left, with tears running down her face.

The angel on the left, the one who died, was standing facing away from the audience with her arms behind her back, with her head turned to the right, in the direction of the other angel. Her eyes were closed and she had a gentle smile. She had long brown hair, very pale skin, rosy cheeks and lips, and a white dress. She was surrounded by trees, vines and bushes, and she was outlined with light.

After the play ended, I was talking with my cousin. Someone in the background said that the play reminded them of something Mr. Incredible said about cubone??

Uh, anyways, my cousin said something about roleplaying an OC she made, and suddenly I was interacting with that OC who was the justice kid from Undertale. He had a gun, of course, and a chihuahua with a spiked collar. He mostly shot people who were assholes to dogs

[pinehutch]

Was I even going that fast?

summer friday afternoon, you seventeen, you speeding past me on the right, you promise of the rest of the summer ahead. summer friday afternoon and you, little black car, spoiled and custom-spoilered and spoiling for the fight against inertia. summer friday and I’m older, so I could be your mother (I couldn’t), or I could be your mom’s weird friend (better), so I can drive my own sedate sedan steadily and let you overtake me in a rush of choices.

It’s all I’ve got, man.

and I can watch you (not you but what you’d call you, where you’d place yourself in this story) hit wet sand and gravel at a little too fast and then you’re spinning down the off-ramp and you’re not getting to the highway with your tire at that angle and your back end hovering over the ditch and you facing the wrong way while a transport comes. (and we, you’re not the only one here, we get you off the road.)

My fucking car, it’s all I have.

I could be your mom’s weird friend, and you know it when you tell me that four weeks ago this little black car with its freshly bent axle and its scraped-bare front bumper was in impound and it wasn’t your fault. you need me to know this: it wasn’t your fault. it was only that you were on the highway, and someone else was, and sometimes you are seventeen and your blood tries to sing its way out of your body and life is blinding bright and richer than you’d imagined and risk is a plastic and moldable concept. you spoke like you’d been hunted.

when the deer run switchbacks through these old hills, can you call that stunt-braking?

I’ve got nothing left

oh kid even my evening’s just started; you’ve got days and days, years, whole eras. you’ve got your mom’s number in your phone. you’ve got this nice couple with a dog looking at your tire. you've got a tow-truck coming. no one is laughing at you too much. you’ve still got this car (maybe don’t drive it yet).

here: you’ve got a bottle of water and someone to remind you to breathe.

here, you’re connected all together in your selfness.

here, you’ve got the horrible gorgeous long future scraped out in front of you, rubber in reverse.

(you have, almost certainly, decades. you will drive recklessly again. i hope you don’t kill anyone, but people — generally — will die, and you’ll mourn them. you’ll love them, and so you’ll pay the grief-price of it that we all do. you’ll succeed and then you’ll fail, again and again. sometimes the success will feel as inevitable as making your turn. some failure will come from an impossible direction.

you’ll sit on your kitchen floor some nights and sob to yourself that you’ve got nothing left. you’ll be wrong then, wrong again.

you will have summer friday afternoons, and rainy tuesdays in november. you will, eventually (i hope, i hope) laugh about this. you’ll move out of your parents’ house and live in a place where people walk to meet their friends. maybe you’ll have a favourite place to meet them. maybe you’ll take a little more time: you have it. you have so much more.)

I’ve got nothing left. oh sweetheart, oh fool. come around me to the right again; let me, sinister, instigating, chase you off the side of this road into the next.

[salieri27]

For the love of chocolate chapter 3 for @chocolatecak3

Patty Jeb Nigel and Sam arrived at NIMH

"Ok we go down the vents" said Patty

They all went down the vents and landed in a room

"I think I hear something" said Sam

Three cats and two dogs marched in a straight line

"Whoa those are the biggest animals I've seen" said Sam

"Keep an eye out for more" said Nigel

Just then a spotlight fell on the agents Otto and Eric,Patrick's henchmen arrived

"what have we here" said Eric

"I think the boss wants a word with them" said Otto as he led them to a room

"Here you go boss the agents you asked about" said Eric

Patty and Nigel gasped

Patrick was on his makeshift throne he looked terrifying

"ah so good of yall to drop by" said Patrick

"What are you up to this time" said Nigel

"Its really simple I've asked Dr Valentine to build a device that can freeze time so that way I can take over the world before anyone suspects Nigey I ask one thing from you your hand in marrieg" said Patrick

"No I wont your just a pathetic man who wants nothing but power" said Nigel

"Lucky for me I have this potion I made" said Patrick he held it up

"Please Patrick just stop I love you I really do" said Nigel

"GUARDS TAKE NIGEL TO WHERE DR VALENTINE IS THE REST OF THEM TAKE THEM TO THE CELL TO AWAIT THERE FATE" yelled Patrick

So Patty found herself in a cell with Jeb and Sam

"You were right Jeb Patrick is crazy" said Patty

Patrick went to were Nigel was held

"Here is some water" said Patrick

"Pat why are you doing this" said Nigel

"Becaues I love you all this is for you my sweetest chocolate" said Patrick

Nigel blushed a bit its been long since Patrick has called him my sweetest chocolate

Patrick left and Nigel took a sip of water

Nigel broke out into an sinister grin he began to laugh maniacally

Evil Nigel was back

I added @chocolatecak3 headcannon that Patrick calls Nigel My Sweetest Chocolate (its just cute<3)

[ananke-xiii]

Form and Void... and Hands and Hearts.

Intro.

I really like "Form od Void" from S11. It's one of my favorite episodes and it enrages me to no end that it was Andrew Dabb who wrote it. Sometimes a girl just wants to be a hater. But I don't have it in me :(.

Talking about H-A-T-E...

The episodes starts with this word:

H-a-t-e. It was with this left hand that old brother Cain struck the blow that laid his brother low. L-o-v-e. You see these fingers? They're arched. These fingers has veins that run straight to the soul of man. The right hand, friends -- the hand of love. Now watch, and I'll show you the story of life. These fingers, dear hearts, is always a-warrin' and a-tuggin', one against the other. Now watch 'em. Old brother left hand -- left hand hates a-fightin'. And it looks like love's a goner. But wait a minute. Wait a minute. Hot dog! Love's a-winnin'. Yes, siree. It's love that won. And old left-hand hate is down for the count.

This little monologue here is taken from "The Night of the Hunter" by Charles Laughton, his first and only movie. Laughton was bisexual and I'm telling you this because it's relevant to the usual queer stuff happening in SPN and to the point I want to make in this post.

The title of the episode, "Form and Void" , refers to the Genesis but it contains a meaningful omission. The King James version reads:

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Earth is without form, and void. This changes everything because the subject of the sentence is the earth but here we're talking about "form and void" as nouns, not attributes. It's a brilliant call-back to the Genesis (therefore to the beginning of time and the beginning of SPN) and to the dichotomy of God and Amara but it's a smokescreen. The episode abounds with biblical references but there's more, at least to me. There is a secret.

If we look a little beyond Christianity the terms "form and void" are used in one of the most important sutras from Mahayana Buddhism. The Prajñāpāramitāhṛdaya, "The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom", or simply called "The Heart Sutra".

I think you know where I'm going with this. The heart of the Heart Sutra is the following: "Form is emptiness (śūnyatā), emptiness is form". Sūnyatā is such a vast concept that I cannot possibly even IMAGINE of summarizing it here. Just for the sake of my argument I'll say that it's often translated as emptiness, vacuity, void... without form. Very broadly (and I'll go to different kinds of Hell in different religions just talking about this stuff in relation to fucking CW Supernatural LOL) it means that ultimate reality is EMPTINESS because there is no FIXED reality, no STABLE self and EVERYTHING is connected and dependent on something else. Therefore form is emptiness and emptiness is form.

You undestand that in this light "Form and Void" is no dichotomy, thefore the episode is telling us to subvert how we view things. And it starts with that quote from "The Night of the Hunter".

Little useful background: the movie is about a fake preacher who preys on two children to get to their father's hidden treasure. He's the big wolf in disguise, a hunter wearing a preacher persona. So we need to take what he says with a grain of salt and he says a lot.

Right hand vs left hand: the preacher/hunter says that the right hand is the hand of love and the left hand is the hand of hate. This follow a well-know misconception regarding everything associated with the left as "sinister" and satanic. It's a Christian view of the world. He also says that Cain killed his brother using his left hand while the right hand has "veins that run straight to the soul of man". This man is conning people.

Notoriously, the hand that has veins that run to the heart is the left hand. This is the reason why people put their wedding rings on their left hand's...ring finger. It's an incredible old assumption that has been debunked by science but we don't care about science here. We care about symbols. And symbolically-speaking the left hand is the hand of the heart and love, not the right hand.

Now where in the hell does this idea of right and left hand? And am I crazy for seeing hints of Buddhism in a story about the Christian God? No.

The left-hand and right-hand paths are two approaches to magic and Western esotericism in general. They're called this way because people in the '800 got interested in Tantrism and translated the sanskrit terms "vāmācāra" and "dakṣiṇācāra" respectively "left-hand path" and "right-hand path". I'm not gonna go into details but I think you understood by now that the "left-hand path" was the "evil" one, the one with sex and other Very Bad Things, while the "right-hand path" was Good and Sexless and Serious and Real. In other words, the right hand represents White Magic and Controlled Sexuality while the left hand represents Black magic and Uncontrolled Sexuality. Practitioners of black magic were evil AND gay.

LOL.

Let's go back to the serial killer preacher: he says that Love wins and that it's the right hand that triumphs over the left hand. All these fingers connected to the soul that are always tugging and warring and getting entwined and hot dog! it's hot in here! But, remember folks, he's conning people. So what he says it's the opposite of what we should understand.

the preacher shouldn't be talking about this stuff in front of children. but then again, he's a predator.

Wait there's more: do you want to know if you're left-hemisphere dominant or right-hemishpere dominant? All you gotta do is to weave your fingers. If your right thumb goes over your left one then you're LEFT-dominant. If your left thumb goes over your right one you're RIGHT-dominant.

Confused much? As you know left emisphere controls controls speech, comprehension, arithmetic, and writing while right hemisphere controls creativity, spatial ability, artistic, and musical skills. It's the opposite of what we might think (because of the stupid assumption according to which left is Bad and Evil. Well, ACTUALLY left is rationality and control so the joke's on you, stupid assumption).

The dear preacher over here is right-hemisphere dominant. It may possibly mean that he's LEFT-handed and thus this image is a huge foreshadow of his "evilness" and his eventual demise. It also means that what he's saying is bullshit.

So to sum it up: in this episodes there are hunters and preachers that aren't really hunters and preachers, there are innocent children who might be seen not as innocent, left hand and right hand are subverted and they mean the opposite of what they should mean thus actually meaning what they mean, the title refers to something AND to something else and this something is very much related to hands and love and hearts...

In just one fucking scene we are told the whole episode and I H-A-T-E-that Dabb wrote it, have I mentioned it?

[rhazberriquartz]

I wonder what would swap!Rosie's relationships be with other swap AU characters (´,,•ω•,,) You don't have to write out them all, just the ones you consider to be important or fun

Oh man. I have a few thoughts so let's get into it. It's a lot.

Rosie's most toxic relationships would be with Nadia and Asra. To the point if given the chance she would absolutely eat them. Nadia and Asra managed to capture her inspite of her best efforts. Which is not an easy thing to do. And I'm sure it's due to Asra draining the magician that it's possible. Nadia treats her like an attack dog and keeps her away from anything that will boost her strength. Water, sunlight, prayer, and even has Asra put on a collar that silences her (she can only speak when spoken to by Nadia or Asra specifically.) AND dampens her Magic. So, there's a lot of turmoil there.

She cares about Ilya and Portia a lot. But also know that at this point they're both a little too far gone for her to be able to do anything on her own. So, she lends her help to MC to free these two. Though if she can save them she will she just needs help. Portia and Ilya try to be kind to her. But, Asra often reprimands them for doing so. I like to think Ilya has told both Asra and Nadia that she's let her own death into her home and it won't end well.

Muriel is a little easier to break through to on her own. And being their both in a similar spot (Rosie's used for war.) They're very kind to each other. This depending on route would be one where Muriel does break out of his mindset with MCs help and becomes an ally.

Vlastomil has some vague clue about what's going on and has tried to help her and failed. This incarnation definitely views her as a friend. And he tries to help her communicate to Count Montag what's happened to no avail.

Valerius, she loves to annoy him. Being an incarnation of The World she watches him garden in amusement. But, she never judges. Sometimes she'll help by over correcting a mistake he made. (His sweet potatoes have invaded his house before.) He gets annoyed, but it's quickly forgotten when he sees how big his fruits and vegetable are. Nadia keeps them apart as much as she can.

I haven't thought about Andrea and Agata. They probably don't interact with her a whole lot. But like her company.

Devarshi... oh man. If anyone has read my story Thistles and Thorns - you know why this one hurts. In this AU Rosie managed to make the deal with Death, but unlike Vlademar made damn sure Devarshi would live a normal life. Death happily let them be reincarnated into the life they have now after time passed. As both a show of good faith and to rub salt into her wounds. It's hard for her to look at Devarshi. But everyone does note how protective she is of them. Devarshi doesn't know and probably never will. But enjoys their time together and has learned a great deal from her. She seems familiar and they don't know why.

Count Montag. This blessed well meaning goober. He thought Nadia and Rosie were friends for a time. And before the plague and ritual is when he realized it wasn't the case and something sinister was going on. But if the AU follows the original to some degree well... *motions* he forgot and doesn't pick up on what's wrong until it's almost too late. He does end up asking for her help and freeing her.

And depending on the route MC takes. (My partner in this case.) Would depend on who she ends up with. If you chose Andrea she's with Montag. If you choose Nadia it's Valerius. And there's probably one where it's Devarshi or even Ilya by some miracle.

It all depends on who you like her with most. Rosie's core nature never changes, but her situation does. Which speaks volumes considering the plot of The Last Deal. She's just a deity like figure MC and Lucio call upon for extra support. Where here she's treated and used much differently. Being forced into whatever Nadia and Asra wants.

[felixcloud6288]

Fullmetal Alchemist Chapter 29

I feel this is a good chapter to bring up how much I love Arakawa's reuse of characters throughout FMA. Even if we don't know their names, we can become familiar with several minor characters throughout the series because they aren't just one-scene background characters. Including the ones with any prominence, Greed has around 13 particular subordinates who have shown up in multiple scenes throughout this arc and a few of them never spoke a word.

On a similar note, the women in the bar during the first page of this chapter are the same women with Greed in chapter 25.

The alcohol bottle we see when Ed is thrown into a crate is branded "Stray Dog" and I'd assume the logo is a reference to Arakawa's first manga One-shot of the same name. The eyepatch on the logo even covers the same eye as the protagonist of the chapter. This is also the same brand that one of the miner's offered Ed in chapter 3.

Since we get some prominent shots of Alex Louis Armstrong's gauntlets this chapter, I figured I'd break down a few details here rather than making an addendum to the chapter we first saw them.

Armstrong's transmutation circle contains a smaller one inside it and a triangle whose points touch the outer circle. One point of the triangle points to the fingers while the opposite side is parallel with the wrist. Between the circle are three symbols placed so they are each aligned to the center of a side of the triangle. There is some Hebrew-esque writing inside the triangle and there's German written around the circle. On the wrist part of the gauntlet is a cross.

The first concern I have is what the circle's orientation is because the triangle has a different meaning depending on that. In chapter 53, the word on Armstrong's gauntlet comes up in an different context and Ed says the word is "God", but it's upside-down in that context similar to the image. The writing around Armstrong's gauntlet should be read when "God" is upside-down though. So I'd assume the correct orientation appears when you raise your hand upward while wearing it.

In that case, the triangle represents fire (If it was the opposite orientation, it represents water instead). As for the three symbols between the circles, starting at the one nearest the wrist and going clockwise, we have mercury (as in the metal), sulfur, and a symbol that I assume is salt. From some quick reading, I found that mercury, sulfur, and salt are the three principles of creation and it was believed in some fields of Alchemy that all metals were some ratio of the three. So Armstrong's Alchemy revolves around using the Three Principles to modify substances by altering the ratio of mercury, sulfur, and salt.

According to the FMA wiki, the writing on Armstrong's gauntlet is "Laufet Brüder eure Bahn Freudig wie ein Held zum Siegen" which Google translate says is German for "Run your path, brothers, joyfully like a hero to victory".

This is the first chapter we see Bradley as anything other than the jovial man he's been in all other appearances. Bradley is the man who held a festival cause he wanted to see Ed and Roy fight. He snuck into Ed's hospital room and gave him a cantaloupe. He snuck off to Dublith in a vacation outfit and gave Ed a watermelon. He laughed at seeing Armstrong and Sig become friends, and his hands shook at Hughes's funeral.

Every scene here paints him in an utterly sinister light, particularly his ruthless and efficient dispatch of Dorchet, Loa, and my favorite goon. Armstrong's fight with Loa and Ed's fight with Greed follow the more theatric idea of an action manga where everything has to have spectacle and flair. But with Bradley, we just have slaughter and brutality. He even told Alex to stop showing mercy and that his orders were to kill them.

And then we get the big reveal.

This is an almost mind-breaking reveal. A new reader will have been given a very particular idea of who Bradley is prior to this chapter. Then they would start becoming unsettled by his actions because they don't match the character they think he is. Finally, they are slammed with the proof that they were completely wrong about who Bradley is.

It's like getting suplexed while you're already dizzy.

back

[drinkthemlock]

NIGHT AT THE TAVERN

VI - LAST KISS OF LOVE

The end. Translating this took me over a year. I was in a very different place in my life when I began this project and I’m so glad it stayed with me along the way. Three cheers for weird goth boys from the 1800s!

Text by Álvares de Azevedo, translation my own.

TW: this chapter contains murder and suicide.

[revised August 2024]

VI

LAST KISS OF LOVE

“Well Juliet! I shall lie with you tonight!”

SHAKESPEARE - “Romeo and Juliet”

It was late into the night; the party was over. The fellows slept in the shadows, satisfied.

A light flashed through some cracks on the door. The door opened. A woman in black entered. She was pale; and the light of a lantern, which she held in her hand, poured onto her features and awarded a singular twinkle to her eyes. Maybe once she had been a typical beauty, one of those images that make one blush with desire in boyish dreams. But now, with her livid skin, her alert eyes, her purple lips, her marble hands, and her dark clothes, dripping wet from the rain, one might say instead: “the lost angel of madness”.

The woman bent down: with the lantern in her hand she looked, one by one, for a familiar face amongst the sleeping ones.

When the light hit Arnold, she knelt. She went to kiss him, puckered her lips… but an idea detained her. She rose. When she reached a sleeping Johann, a smile paled her lips, her gaze became sinister.

She knelt down next to him, then placed the lantern on the ground. The faint lumen of the lantern hitting her clothes cast a shadow over Johann. The woman leaned in and her hand fell on his throat. A husky and muffled sob followed. The stranger rose. She trembled; and upon holding the lantern a piece of metal clinked in her hand… It was a dagger… She threw it to the ground. She saw that her hands were red; dried them in Johann’s long hair…

She came back to Arnold; shook him.

“Wake up!”

“What do you want from me?”

“Look at me… can’t you recognize me?”

“You? Is this not a dream? It is you! Oh! Let me hold you, now! Five years without seeing you! Five years! And how much you’ve changed!”

“Yes, I am no longer as beautiful as I was five years ago! It’s true, my blond lover! It’s that the flower of beauty is like all flowers. Nourish them with the dew of virginity, under the wind of purity, and they’ll be beautiful… Cover them in filth… and, like the falling fruit that plunge into the waters of the sea, they’ll be enclosed by an impure and brackish encasement! Once I was Geórgia — the virgin —, but today it is Geórgia— the prostitute!”

“My God! My God!”

The man put his face in his hands.

“Do not curse me, no!”

“Oh! Let me remember: these past five years were a dream. The man from billiards, the point blank duel, waking up at a hospital, this depraved life which desperation pushed me into, are all a dream! Oh! Let us remember the past! When winter darkens the sky, let us close our eyes; poor dead swallows! Let us remember the spring!”

“Your words hurt me… It’s a farewell, a farewell kiss and separation that I come to ask of you; on earth our bed would be impure, the world has tarnished our bodies. The love between the libertine and the whore! Satan would laugh at us. It is in heaven, when the grave has washed us clean, that our loving dawn will rise…”

“Oh! To see you only to leave you again! And didn’t you realize, Giórgia, that it would've been better for me to have died, devoured by the dogs in that empty street where I was carried from, covered in blood? That it would’ve been better if you’d murdered me in drunken sleep, rather than point the wandering star of good fortune to me and then wipe it from the sky? Didn’t you realize that, after five years, five years of fever and insomnia, of waiting and despairing, of living for you, of longing and agony, it would be like hell to see you only to leave you?”

“Have mercy, Arnold! I need this farewell to be as long as life. See, my fate is grim: there’s a vile stain on my memories… today! The venal bed… Tomorrow! I only long for the berth of the grave! Arnold! Arnold!”

“Do not call me Arnold! Call me Artur, like before. Artur! Won’t you listen! Call me that! It’s been so long since I’ve heard anyone call me by that name! I was a madman! I wanted to drown my thoughts and wandered the towns and the mountains, leaving tears everywhere I went… in the lonely caves, on the silent meadows and on the wine-stained tables! Come, Giórgia! Sit here, sit on my knees, nestled well on my heart… your head on my shoulder! Come! A kiss! I want to feel again that perfume which I used to breathe in your lips… let me breathe it and die! Five years! Oh! Such a long time waiting for you, dreaming of just one hour on your breast… Then… Listen… I’ve so much to say to you! So many tears to spill onto your lap! Come! And I will tell you my whole story! My lover’s illusions and the damned nights spent in lasciviousness and the boredom that the cold mouths of the whores that kissed me inspired in me! Come! I’ll tell you all of it, I’ll tell you how I desecrated my soul and my past… and let us cry together… our tears will wash us like the rain washes mud off the leaves!”

“Thank you, Artur! Thank you!”

The woman drowned in tears and the young man murmured in between kisses and words of love.

“Listen, Artur, I came just to tell you goodbye! From the door to my grave; and then I’d close it, content… Artur, I’ll die!”

Both were crying.

“Do you see,” she continued. “Come along: do you see that man?”

Arnold took the lantern.

“Johann! Dead! God protect me! Who killed him?”

“Giórgia did! He was a scoundrel. It was he who left a young man he slapped at a gambling den for dead. Giórgia, the whore! Has avenged Giórgia, the virgin! He was the man who ruined her! Ruined her… she, his sister!”

“Horror! Horror!”

And the man turned his face and covered it with his hands.

The woman kneeled at his feet.

“And now goodbye! Goodbye, for I’ll die! Can’t you see I’m turning pale, that my eyes turn glazed and I tremble… and faint?”

“No! I will not go. If I were alive tomorrow, there would be a horrible memory in my past…”

“And are you not afraid? Watch out! It is death that’s coming! It’s life at its twilight on my forehead. Can’t you see this sliver in between my eyebrows?”

“Why would I care about the sleep of death? My future tomorrow would be terrible: and inside the corpse’s rotting head no memories echo, death seals its lips; the grave is silent. I’ll die!”

The woman retreated… retreated… The young man took her in his arms, nailed his lips to hers… She cried out and fell from his hands. It was horrible to look at. The man took the dagger, closed his eyes, punched it against his chest and fell onto her. Two moans were muffled by the sound of a body hitting the ground…

The lamp went out.

[junglefurytrash]

For no particular reason just because I felt in the mood to make these: Pokemon Teams but for Power Rangers Jungle Fury. Because I’ve done Pokemon teams before for StEx so why not do it for my other long-term hyperfixation of 10 years.

Casey’s Team: Arcanine because it’s got stripes like a tiger, Litten and Meowth because they’re little cats (Litten is literally a baby tiger), Kommo-o and Garchomp because cool strong dragons he’d probably like (Kommo-o has scale armour that makes me think of the Strike Rider armour), and Passimian because Master Rilla.

Lily’s Team: Persian because it’s close enough to a cheetah, Jolteon because fast (and a doggo), Oricorio and Emolga because cute cheerful Pokemon (and Lily used to be a cheerleader), Cinderace because its a fast and active Pokemon (and Lily cannot sit still to save her life), and Eiscue because Master Guin.

Theo’s Team: I struggled on this the most for some reason. Shinx because it’s close enough to a jaguar (there’s no actual jaguar Pokemon), Alolan Persian for the same reason (also it has an ego), Sawsbuck because its close enough to an Antelope like Master Lope, Zebstrika because that’s also close enough, Sawk because it’s a blue fighter, and Crobat for Master Swoop.

RJ’s Team: Mightyena and Lyanroc because they’re close enough to wolves, Alcremie, Tatsugiri and Dachsbun because he loves to cook (cooking buddies who help him! :D), and Quaquavel because sassy dancing water duck who fits their vibe perfectly (RJ likes to dance, water relating him to Finn, and also the sass).

Dominic’s Team: Rhyperior and Aggron because they’re rhinos (sort of), Kangaskhan because it apparently has kaiju elements and it gives me Rhino Warrior Mode vibes, and Dundunsparce, Spinda, and Clodsire because they’re goofy and silly little fellas like Dominic.

Jarrod’s Team: Pyroar because it’s a lion, Shiny Luxray because it resembles the gold and black lion spirit, Absol, Umbreon, and Masbostiff because they’re strong and seen as sinister but they’re actually sweet and loyal, and Lycanroc because loyal doggo (Jarrod seems like a dog person).

Camille’s Team: Kecleon because chameleon, Zoroark due to illusions and disguising, Lilligant and Roserade due to being powerful feminine Pokemon, Salazzle for the same reason but make it more sinister (referencing her past with Dai Shi’s clan), and Volcarona because it’s the closest thing to a phoenix without just outright being Moltres or Ho-Oh (Volcarona apparently saves people and Pokemon from freezing and supposedly their fire replaced the sun during darker days and is considered a deity).

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (20-26 Aug 2023)

my absolute fave line in all of heartstopper, so glad they left it unaltered

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

😍 how a resurrection really feels (LiarsandThieves22) - 176K, steddie - post s4 fixit with a timeline merge - just brilliantly executed, lots of great emotional moments as well as even more laugh out loud ones. Big, big rec.

🙂 The Wedding Bait (Golden Years #1) (Adele Buck, author & narrator) - novella; cishet romance but MCs in their 50s, which was a nice change

😊 Murder at the Village Fair (Miss Underhay Mysteries #13) (Helena Dixon, author; Karen Cass, narrator) - Matt & Kitty are on a sort-of delayed honeymoon & get involved in murder in Yorkshire while visiting his aunt

😊 here there be dragons (theundiagnosable) - 66K, original hockey fic - epitome of sunshine/grumpy - POV char has extreme anxiety/anxiety-induced paranoia/anger outbursts due to fear etc - he gets better & it does end very happily but first we gotta watch him train wreck everything & suffer (to be clear, I did enjoy reading this! but it's a lot!)

🥰 Lemon Meringue Lies (Nejinee) - 111K, technically stucky modern no-powers AU but honestly such an AU that it's really more of original fic WHICH ISN'T at all bad - best friends to lovers, lots of oblivousness, pining, angst, emotional dumbassery but also a really great external setting & compelling supporting characters (who just all happen to have names/physical traits as MCU characters) [reread]

😍 if I'm gonna get back to you someday (napricot) - 46K, post Endgame fixit with "a clusterfuck of Steves" from different multiverses [reread for stucky bookclub]

😍 Golden Handcuffs (seekwill) - 70K, Good Omens human AU where they're both professors at a small Scottish university - brilliant fic, great characterizations, solid story development, absolutely loved it

💖💖 +246K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

Mandatory Fun (One-EyedBossman (desert000rose), SecretFandomStories) - MCU: stucky, 39K - Part 11 of Differently Okay Local Idiots; Bucky & Steve go suit shopping with Natasha & together navigate another bump in their road

To the Waters and the Wild (rainbow_nerds) - MCU: magical shrunkyclunks, 23K - selkie!Bucky finds Captain America frozen when he's 10 years old, but no one believes him; ~15 years later, Cap finally thaws out

To Kiss the Tender Inward of Thy Hand (circ_bamboo) - Band Sinister (KJ Charles): Ned Caulfield/George Penn, 32K - beautiful backstory of how Ned & George met

Sit (fandomfluffandfuck) - MCU: stucky, 21K, Part 1 of You Can('t) Teach An Old Dog New Tricks - modern, no powers AU - promising start to a series about older/old guard dom Steve & newbie dom Bucky

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Game Changer - s2, e1-4; s3, e5-8; s5, e9

Make Some Noise - s2, e6

Um, Actually - s8, e11

Heartstopper - s2, e1-8

Only Murders In The Building - s3, e4

Harley Quinn - s4, e7

What We Do In The Shadows - s5, e8

D20: Mentopolis - "F For Freezer" (s1, e3)

D20: Adventuring Party - "We Are Feeling Machines That Think" (s14, e3)

Much Ado About Nothing (Wyndham Theatre 2011) {Tate/Tennant version}

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

Re: Dracula - August 20: We Shall To-night Play

Re: Dracula - August 21: Goods are Delivered

Vibe Check - A Special Conversation with Emily King

Ed Zitron's 15 Minutes In Hell - Episode 3 - Taylor Lorenz, The Washington Post

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Embracing Adventure in Fayetteville

⭐ Shedunnit Book Club - Murder-on-Sea

⭐ Switched on Pop - Wonders: "Stacy's Mom" and Adam Schlesinger

⭐ 99% Invisible #550 - Melanie Speaks

Vibe Check - Did AI Write That Song?

Re: Dracula -August 23: Ominous in His Calm

ICYMI - How to Make Millions Playing Dungeons & Dragons

⭐ The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Mysterious Sinkholes of Mt Baldy

Twenty Thousand Hertz+ - The Voice Inside

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Arthurdale

Re: Dracula - August 24: Some Terrible Shock

Strong Songs - "Soul Vaccination" by Tower of Power

Dear Prudence - My Wife Goes Braless Around Our Teenage Sons. Help!

Re: Dracula - August 25: Another Bad Night

What Next: TBD - TikTok's Shady Deal with the U.S.

Into It - Did Taylor Swift Curse Scooter Braun? And Will Fyre Fest Fool Us Twyce?

Endless Thread - PARKS! Pt. 4: Death Sea

⭐ Smart Podcast, Trashy Books - 577. Killing Folks with Deanna Raybourn

Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me! - WWDTM: Mark Ronson

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

Soft Rock Ballads

'80s Soft Pop

Relaxing '80s Rock

Unreal Unearth [Hozier] {2023}

'80s Training Montage

Tower of Power

Presenting The Doobie Brothers

Presenting Steely Dan

Presenting Electric Light Orchestra

[highwaytothedangerzone502]

Ghost Story - Chapter 35

Pairing: Rooster x Female OC

Word Count: 1747

Warnings: None

Summary: No one will miss a ghost. It'd been a running joke for as long as anyone could remember, something Ghost herself started, and she always said it with a smile on her face or with mirth in her voice. The untouchable stealth pilot in every sense of the word, no one could've predicted the depth of her turmoil over recent events, nor the extremes she would go to in order to protect the man she loved, not even those closest to her. Now, all that was left of the young aviator for Maverick, Hangman, and Rooster were the memories of the past, which would slowly fade with time. She'd come into their lives and made an unforgettable impression, and then, like a ghost, she was gone... Then again, ghosts can't die a second time.

Notes: The chapters/large parts in italics are flashbacks.

Chapter Songs: You're Where You Belong/Give 'Em Hell Champion

****

Ghost

Maverick's crestfallen, almost downright despairing expression when Ghost announced him as her lead spare nearly broke her and made her recant her decision, but then she reminded herself of why she'd gone that route and held firm. Still, it haunted her dreams, and before her alarm went off, Ghost found herself already dressed for the day and eating a small breakfast, not wanting to aggravate her already upset stomach even further. She couldn't drink enough water either, her mouth constantly feeling dry. Ghost had never felt this way before a mission, nor had any of these symptoms occurred, so why were they happening now? 

A sinister voice in the back of her head had the answer: Because you're not planning on making it out of this alive.

The harsh truth nearly made Ghost hurl. She chucked the remaining breakfast in the trash, unable to eat any further, and allowed her feet to lead her to a destination unknown, needing to just move. They inevitably brought her to the main hangar. She could hear the commotion above of the crew ensuring everything on the top deck was ready for launch.

"This is it, Ghost," she whispered, staring out over the empty ocean and oddly calm waves. She took a deep, steadying breath and gripped her dog tags. She ached for the comfort of her mom and the optimism of her sister because Ghost could've used a hefty dose of both right now, but most of all, she missed her dad. Nathan Winchester had always recognized what his daughter needed to hear in order for her to get the job done. She'd found ways around it since he passed, remembering the old adages and advice he used to give, but none of it worked for now. With the critical nature of the mission, this was unlike anything she'd faced before, and Ghost needed him now. "Talk to me, Dad."

"I was wondering where you were," Maverick said, coming to stand beside her. He stared out over the ocean with her, hands clasped behind his back. "How are you feeling?"

"Nervous," she admitted, dropping her hand from her dog tags. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing okay."

A silence fell over them, and the look on Maverick's face when she chose him for her lead spare burst into her mind. Guilt flooded her chest at the sudden epiphany of why he reacted the way he did. She felt the need to clear the air. "Look, it wasn't personal why I chose Rooster over you. On paper, you were the best candidate, and in training, you and I were undefeated. For all intents and purposes, you were the one I should've chosen as my wingman, but I didn't because if something happened to one or both of us up there, I didn't trust Rooster and Hangman to push aside their egos and work together. They listen to you, and I need a spare leader with that ability. And I promise I'll bring Rooster home. Nothing will happen to him as long as I'm up there."

"I'm not worried about that," Maverick said quietly, shaking his head ever so slightly. "I'm worried about you."

Ghost snapped her body to face him, unnerved by his statement. "You don't think I can do this?"

Maverick's eyes widened, and he turned to look at her. "No, no, that's not what I meant. I could've phrased that better," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "There's no doubt in my mind that you'll succeed with the mission-"

"Really? Because your expression says otherwise."

He offered the smallest of smiles, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come. "I do believe in you, but I'm worried about what you'll do to make sure Rooster gets home. He's the last bit of Goose I have left, that's true, but you're the last bit of Charlie I have left, and no matter what happened between your mom and me, no matter how much we fought or how much time passed, I loved her."

"Mav-"

"I need you to come home, Ghost."

She frowned, her nervousness shifting to concern. What had gotten into Maverick? "What brought all this on?"

"Because I see so much of myself in you, the good and the bad, and that scares me, Ghost, more than anything. You and I are phenomenal fighter pilots, the best of the best, but we have self-destructive tendencies, too, that are amplified when we are emotionally invested in the outcome of the mission. Your decision to choose Rooster as your wingman was a logical one, but I know you still love him regardless of the fights you've had with him recently, and you can't push those emotions down when he's in danger, believe me."

Ghost nodded, a weight settling on her shoulders as she realized Maverick was afraid of her perishing on the mission. "I don't plan on dying today. That being said, if something does happen to me up there, I need you to convince Rooster to return to the carrier instead of hanging back to save me because I know he would try. You're the only one he'll listen to about it. You're the only one he'll prioritize over me."

"Ghost-"

"Please, Mav. Promise me you'll get him home if I can't."

Slowly, he nodded. "Fine, but on one condition. You promise me that if you have to eject and land in enemy territory, you will fight your way back to us, do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir," Ghost said, slightly taken aback by the sudden passion in his voice. "I promise."

His shoulders sagged in relief at her words. "Thank you."

"Of course." She looked him up and down. "Hey, are you sure you're all right? You've been acting strangely since we left port."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good." Maverick smiled warmly at her, his green eyes full of adoration. "Come here."

To her utter shock, Maverick opened his arms and pulled her into a tight hug. She willingly returned the embrace, burying her face in his shoulder and thinking it hadn't been words of advice she needed but a simple gesture that screamed, "I love you, I care for you, I've got you."

****

Rooster

Ghost and Maverick were already in the hangar for the training when Rooster and Hangman arrived. They lined up for the briefing, and Cyclone wasted no time getting everything started. The screen visualized the target run and area as Warlock began speaking. "Your mission today is to eliminate a terrorist base deep in Russian territory. With the fragile relationship with the country, we cannot send missiles for assistance to destroy most of the base ahead of time, as they would risk being seen. Therefore, we are having two F-35s fly low through the ravine to avoid detection since you will be shedding your stealth capability for the max ammunition capacity. Once through the ravine, you will arrive at the enemy base nestled in a shallow valley. The buildings are tightly clustered together, so your bombs, when dropped, should eliminate multiple targets at one time. This part of the mission should be relatively easy. However, your biggest threat will be enemy fighters, so we recommend destroying these buildings-" Cyclone pointed to four hangars on the left-hand side of the map- "first to avoid having enemies launch. Be mindful that some may already be in the air. Once all targets are destroyed, you will return to the carrier through the ravine. Any questions?"

Maverick, Hangman, Ghost, and Rooster shook their heads. Cyclone nodded. "Very good. As a reminder, because of the location of the enemy base, if you are shot down, the chances of us being able to conduct a rescue operation will be almost impossible due to the location and nature of the mission, so make sure you come back home."

Rooster hung his head at the admiral's words, unable to shake the sinister sensation creeping up his spine. Judging by Hangman's pained expression, he was experiencing the same. With the briefing done, the four pilots strode to the elevator and took the short ride to the top deck. Their F-35s waited for them. Reaching the first plane, Rooster and Ghost faced Maverick and Hangman, and the latter said, "Take care of each other up there, and you give 'em hell."

He clapped them both on the shoulder, lingering a little longer on Ghost's, then strode off. This left Rooster and Ghost alone with Maverick, who told them, "Whatever happens, make sure you two get back home. Some destruction and having you both return is better than complete decimation and having you both dead."

"Understood," Ghost said. "We'll see you soon. Bye, Mav."

"No, no, no, don't say bye. That's too final."

"It's a temporary goodbye. Ghosts can't be killed a second time." Smiling playfully, Ghost started walking off, Rooster at her side, when Maverick called out their names. They turned around. He wore a proud smile when he said confidently, "You've got this."

Rooster nodded appreciatively at the encouragement, the nervousness settling in, but he reminded himself of the words that had helped so much last time: Don't think. Just do.

Rooster escorted Ghost to her plane and shook her hand, barely refraining from pulling her toward him and crashing his lips onto hers because, for all he knew, this might be the last chance he ever got to kiss her. What if she didn't make it back? Or he didn't? Or-

"Hey," Ghost said, snapping her fingers in front of his face. "You with me?"

Rooster blinked, clearing his downward spiral of thoughts. "Yeah, I'm with you."

"Good. Looked like I was losing you for a second." 

"No, no, I'm here. I-" Rooster paused, so much he wanted to say with no time to do so, and saying I love you hardly sufficed for everything he felt for her. Instead, he went with, "I'll see you up there."

Without another word, Rooster stalked off toward his plane, glancing around at the commotion surrounding him. Crew members ran around and shouted in preparation for the launch, the sun shone brightly down on him, and in the distance, Hangman- wearing a pensive expression- watched Ghost climb into her plane. 

Rooster slid into his jet and put on his helmet, checking everything was functioning correctly, and then put down the canopy. When it sealed shut, and he could hear only the roar of his engine, the reality settled in. It was time.

****

Tags: @supernaturaldawning @shanimallina87 @polikszena @lgg5989 @callsign-milano @bradshawsandbridgetons @harper1666 @shadeops21 @double-j @copaceticwriter @rotating-obsessions @sharkprestige @thedarkinmansfield @lapilark @mickeyluvs @starshipfantasy @bennypears00 @mandowife221b @the-navistar-carol @getmyprettynameoutofyourmouth @carmellasworld @0hb0llocks @nicangelinee @summ3rlotus @3picklesinajar @magentamistress @the-other-hawkeye @elisha-chloe @emilymarie105 @persephone11110 @luckyladycreator2 @boogdleyboo @k0k3 @bibissparkles @lilmonstrjedi @stinkyrat09 @cocoag19 @suburbzchick @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @goodstuff28 @georgiasimpson95 @horselovers2016 @tanithpriad125 @davidshawnsown @sowolfstudentme @agagafafa @callmemana @sec17 @brxklyn15 @h0ppy0the0sheep @tomanybandstolove @abigailannz @mini-bee-bee

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