#i say fully renegade

[dutyworn]

on that note, if anyone remembers my Big Plans to do a renegade shepard kaidan/thane/kaidan romance run (since i've never done ME3 kaidanromance before)

about that

so

ME2 turned from thaneromance to "flirt with everyone and string everyone along as far as possible and the last minute let thane down and romance jack instead on a whim"

so there is that

[mikodrawnnarratives]

hc time: Maggie left the renegades bc of Callums death yes, she's convinced herself that "well i've tried out the hero thing (tried in HEAVY QUOTES), didn't work out, im better suited to villainyyy" and in another post i've talked abt how her tossing the helmet to Callum, and that resulting in Callum's death must have been.. a lot

But also, the idea of that kind of event cementing to her she shouldn't work with others. She's better off by herself, retreating into being selfish, but she also won't directly hurt anyone like this. Last time she worked with someone else she cared about? Welp look at him now. Six feet underground. Because of her

So imagine she doesn't want to work with others for that exact reason, last time it ended badly. Imagine her growing close to Max, but entirely refusing to fight with him on the field. If he's gonna throw himself into danger on his own, fine. (its not fine but) No blood on her hands. She's not the reason a partner gets injured or potentially dies

And that would be lots to unpack, anyone she partners up with KNOWS THE RISKS and its not her fault that callum died, but in a potential arc for Maggie im not sure i'll ever write based on all my hcs for her, thats something that would be hard to change her mind abt

Cuz like.. she was eleven when Callum was murdered. Right in front of her. And if that isn't addressed in the next book(s) Marissa Meyer writes I will write it myself godDAMMIT

She'd probably occasionally partner up with ppl, she can't do EVERYTHING by herself, but i'd imagine its only with ppl she doesn't give a SHITTT ABOUT

speaks volumes

[purplephloxpress]

Another year, another Fanfiction Writers Appreciation Day!!!! If you are a writer of fanfic, please know just how appreciated you are!! Fandom would be such a different space without your creativity and labors of love. 💜

Holidays are all about making traditions, and the bookbinding friends with @renegadeguild once again came together to bind copies of fics for their authors as a show of our appreciation. This year I had the absolute joy of binding Emergency Help Wanted by the wonderful @piyo-13 and even got to collaborate with her on some of the design elements! It's a Modern AU Jiang Cheng/Lan Xichen fic that starts with a "help wanted" ad.

EMERGENCY HELP WANTED

I lied when I got my job. I told them I had a kid so I could leave early from work to pick him up from daycare, take him to doctor's appointments, and occasionally miss a day when he's sick. Long story short, I'm in too deep. I didn't think it through. Looking to rent a kid for bring your child to work day. Must be a boy ages four to six, longish dark hair, likes soccer. Must also be artistic as the macaroni noodle paintings I made seem a little advanced for his age. Also, I will pay extra for someone willing to play the role of husband when dropping him off. He's a prosecuting attorney who often brings his work home. Message me for further details. Serious inquiries only.

Ok. So. I may have gone a little feral with this one. Online "help wanted" ad spiraled into loading wheel scene dividers, spiraled into fake Google search result headers, spiraled into FULLY committing to those authentic looking text messages. In full color. (There are so many. I typeset in MS Word. It was SO worth it, but god what a struggle at some points.) And don't forget the "recent searches" title page! Or the computer cutout on the cover! (It's bluescreening, just like Lan Xichen through this entire fic!) Also that cover/title page image that I just kept adding details to. (It's supposed to be Lan Xichen's desk, so it simply didn't feel right until it had sticky notes on the computer, #1 dad on the mug, scissors and measuring tape, scribbles on the sticky notes) Did I have a ton of fun designing this one? Perhaps. Couldn't say. Maybe just a tad. (This is a lie I had an ABSOLUTE BLAST!)

Historically, I've waited until I finish at least the typeset before reaching out to the author, but not so with this one! I got the idea for the fake google search results from Piyo's authors notes, teasing the contents of the next chapter. But! Those didn't start until about chapter 4! So I reached out and asked if we could collaborate and I'm forever glad I did! Not only does this have teasers for each chapter, I also got to bounce design ideas off of her, including what shade of blue and purple for the text messages. Because my friends, that is a serious matter and changed SEVERAL times throughout the process.

Also shoutout to all my Renegade friends who gave input and encouragement over the past year while I worked on this (what endpages to use? how to make this shade of green perfectly Nie Huaisang? how do we feel about this text message design? or how about this one?) - I love you all dearly and appreciate you so much for putting up with my nonsense at all times.

Binding details below the cut!

Fandom: The Untamed/Mo Dao Zu Shi

Pairing: Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin / Lan Huan | Lan Xichen

Bookcloth: Aqua/Purple Dubletta from Colophon Book Arts

Endpapers: Craft Consortium Ink Drops - Ocean pack

Textblock paper: short grain cream from Church Paper

Titling: We R Memory Keepers foil quill

Endbands: leather cording core, DMC embroidery floss for the bands

Body Font: EB Garamond

Title Font: Berlin Sans FB

Text Messages: Roboto

Additional fonts: Times New Roman, Kunstler Script, Magis Authentic

Title page image from Rawpixel and designed in Canva

Various computer graphics from The Noun Project

Tumblr insists on eating and doubling text in this section at its own whim, so if there's something missing that you're curious about, feel free to DM me an ask!

[cevansbrat0007]

Back to Sleep

Summary: Ari has the perfect cure for your insomnia.

Warnings: Smut, Ari Being A Menace, Mentions of Insomnia, Brat!Reader, Spanking, Unprotected Sex, Soft D/s themes, Hand Job (implied), Discussions of Punishments, Bondage (mentioned), Manhandling, Cursing, Minors DNI

A/N: Part of my Sweet Renegades Series. Not beta'd. All mistakes are my own. Likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!

“Could’ve sworn I had it in my hand when I walked out.” You mumble as you creep to the edge of your man’s bedroom. Using the flashlight feature on your phone, you scan the room, hoping to see where you’d left the charger for your Kindle.

You eventually spy it laying on the floor next to the nightstand. Holding your breath, you tiptoe back inside, taking special care not to make a sound. The last thing you wanted to do was wake up your bounty hunter. Especially since it had taken you so long to extricate yourself from him and that bed in the first place. 

As much as Ari Levinson said he wasn’t the cuddling type, his actions led you to believe otherwise. When that oversized menace wasn’t sleeping practically on top of you, he was taking up all the space - leaving you with hardly any. 

When you’d pointed that out the other day, he’d simply shrugged and mumbled something about sleeping better when he knew where you were. And then when you responded with it didn’t mean he had to take up the entire bed with you in it, he’d just shrugged again and said: “Well Bird, I reckon the safest place for you to sleep might be right here in my arms then, huh?” 

Stunned, you’d been left with virtually no other option except to agree with his logic. And the smug grin that slid across his handsome features let you know that you’d just lost a pretty major battle. 

But deep down, you really hadn’t cared as much as you might’ve let on. Maybe it was okay for you to like sleeping beside this sweet beast of a man. Especially since you seemed to be doing an awful lot of it lately.

However, that didn’t mean sharing a bed was without its downsides. In fact, you were in the midst of experiencing one right now. Because while Ari appeared dead to the world after a long day of chasing cold leads, you were wide awake. 

Which was unfortunate since you were the type of girl who loved her sleep. And now it looked like you’d be lucky if you got any at all tonight. Well, at least you’d had the forethought to bring along some reading material just in case. 

Maybe in the morning you would ask Ari if he was okay with you leaving a couple books at his place. While you suspected he wouldn’t be thrilled at the prospect of having a stack of romance novels taking up space on his nightstand, you also doubted he would say no. 

If anything, he would more than likely view it as a sign you planned to come back. You were too attached to your books to just abandon them with a man who would never be able to fully appreciate them.    

Once you manage to snag your charger, you quietly make your way back to your man’s sparsely furnished living room. Just the other night you’d brought up the fact that the cozy space could seriously benefit from a splash of color, along with a couple of throw pillows for the surprisingly comfy sofa. Ari’s response that time?  

“Have at it. Credit card is in my wallet. Take the silver, not the blue. Let me know if you wanna go to that one mall the next town over. I hear they’ve got better stores.” He’d said all of that without so much as batting an eye before returning his attention back to his laptop. 

Meanwhile, you'd been so shocked that somebody could’ve knocked you over with a feather. You were starting to find it annoying every time Ari Levinson rendered you speechless.       

You settle on the couch with a soft sigh, your body sinking into the plush cushions as you curl up with your beloved device. While it could never replace the feeling of holding a physical book in your hands, it did still serve a purpose. And right now that purpose was providing a healthy distraction from your anxiety-inducing bout of insomnia.

Powering on your Kindle, you immediately select the first book in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander Series that also went by the same name. It was one of your favorites, which explained why you were currently in the middle of a much needed reread. 

Before you forgot, you make sure to lean over and hook up your charger. And then you clear your mind, allowing yourself to get lost in the magic of Gabaldon’s highlander epic, set in 1743 Scotland. You immediately pick up where you left off, with James Fraiser on a crusade to rescue his wife who was being held prisoner by the infamous Jonathan “Black Jack” Randall. 

And even though you’ve read this part multiple times, you find yourself getting swept up in the details of the dreamy highlander’s daring plan to save his Sassenach from her twisted captor’s clutches. 

You’re so engrossed in the chaos unfolding on the pages that you almost don’t hear Ari calling for you – your name fading into the chaotic background of the fictional raid on Black Jack’s stronghold. 

“Bird?” 

This time your head snaps up, your mind abandoning the antics of The Dunbonnet and his crew. You adjust your position on the couch, craning your neck as you listen out for whatever it was Ari needed.

“In here.” You reply, your teeth nibbling at your bottom lip. After a moment or two, you’re treated to the sight of a sleepy and disheveled Ari as he comes ambling around the corner sporting nothing but a pair of black silk boxers that left very little to the imagination.

He didn’t know this, but they were quickly becoming your favorite pair. 

“Got worried.” His voice comes out rough as he approaches, squinting as his eyes work overtime to adjust to the light. “Thought you might’ve left. Roads are dangerous this time of night.” He runs a hand through his tousled locks, attempting to brush them out of his face so that he can get a better look at your lounging form. 

Assuming that your oversized Harry Potter t-shirt and panties counted as pajamas. 

“Nope. I’m right here.” You tell him, offering up a sheepish smile. “Just me and Jamie Fraser. Doing our thing.”

“Who?” Ari levels you with a confused gaze, clearly not understanding the reference. “Sweetheart, I’m not gonna pretend to know who that is. But this Jamie guy needs to go find his own woman since it’s high time for mine to come back to bed where she belongs.” He informs you, scratching at an itch along his muscled abdomen.

“But I’m okay right here, Ari.” You do your best to reassure him. “Plus, I can’t sleep. Stupid insomnia. And the last thing I wanna do is keep you up after you’ve had a crazy long day.” You let out a yawn as you innocently stretch your arms overhead, missing just how quickly your bounty hunter’s attention shifts to your breasts as you arch your back.

“Bedtime, Duchess.” He holds out his hand to you, raising a tawny brow when you don’t immediately acquiesce. “Now, please.”

“But I just told you that I couldn’t sleep!” You protest when Ari plucks your e-reader from your grasp and sets it aside so that it can continue charging without interruption. Later, you would appreciate how gentle he always seemed to be with your things. But not right now. 

Right now, you wanted to pout.

“And I heard you, baby. Loud and clear.” He smiles indulgently before leaning down to lift you into his arms, his thick biceps curling around your body as he begins to carry you back to his bedroom. “But as your man, I happen to have the perfect cure for even the worst possible case of insomnia.” 

Winding your own arms around his neck, you decide to give into temptation and bury your face in the crook of his shoulder. Breathing him in, you find yourself reveling in the clean, masculine scent that was all uniquely him.

Ari presses a tender kiss to the top of your head, loving how it makes you giggle. You didn’t know this, but your sweet little laugh was easily becoming one of his favorite sounds. Almost to the point where he often found himself willing to do just about anything to hear it. 

Christ help him when you realized just how much of a sucker he was becoming for you. Some days he felt like he was falling hard and fast without a parachute. Which meant he was bound to be a goner. 

But until then, he was going to do everything in his power to bring you down with him.

Once you both have safely reentered the bedroom, he kicks the door shut with his foot without so much as a second look. He was a man on that mission. And nothing could be allowed to get in the way of seeing to his woman, who was apparently in desperate need of a good night’s sleep.

“I got you.” Ari gently places you down on the bed, ensuring that you don’t bounce too hard or anything like that. Once you’re settled, he makes quick work of relieving you of your top, freeing your breasts to his hungry gaze. 

His rapidly hardening cock twitches inside his boxers as he watches them bounce, your sweet nipples practically begging him to taste. But he stops short of giving-in when he gets a good look at what else you’ve got on beneath that damn shirt.

“What the hell is up with these?” He growls, his fingers finding their way into the waistband of your pink, cotton panties. “And why are you wearing them in my bed?” He cups your chin with his free hand, the pad of his thumb brushing across the softness of your lip. “Did you forget the rule, sweet Bird?”

You feel the blush rising to your cheeks, even as you bite your tongue. Because of course you hadn’t forgotten this particular rule. Although, it would serve him right if you had – especially since he always seemed to have so flipping many of them.

“Well?” Ari asks again, his grip tightening just a fraction. “What’s my rule?”

“No panties in bed unless they’re absolutely necessary.” You rasp in time with the goosebumps springing up along your heated flesh. 

“And are they necessary?” His commanding tone has your nipples pebbling with desire. Whether you liked it or not, your body was slowly training itself to respond to his special brand of dominance. “Or were you just feeling a little disobedient? Hm?”

“I…th–the second one, maybe.”

The look on your man’s face let you know that he’s far from pleased. But perhaps he might at least be willing to allow points for honesty.  

“Take them off and hand them to me.” He temporarily relinquishes his hold, giving you the chance to obey. 

You watch with baited breath as he graciously accepts them before bringing them to his nose and inhaling deeply. A strangled groan escapes his throat as his eyes threaten to roll back in his head, the erotic sound making your increasingly slick pussy flutter with need. 

You force yourself to remain silent as he repeats the action once more, before finally tossing them over his shoulder and returning his attention back to you. 

“Now, be a good girl and turn over on your belly.” 

Pulse hammering in your ears, you only briefly hesitate before doing as he asks. But it’s not until you’re finally in position that true understanding finally dawns. Less than a minute later, you feel Ari’s hand collide with your upturned ass.

“Ow!” You shiver as a delicious wave of heat blooms across your vulnerable cheeks, your hands fisting the covers in preparation for the next blow. Your hips jerk when his hand connects for a second time, your traitorous body growing more and more excited as the anticipation builds. 

And of course you knew what was expected to come next. Your handsome bounty hunter was waiting for an apology. Because it wasn’t enough for you to simply acknowledge your flagrant disregard for his no-panties policy. Oh no. Leave it to your Beast to take things a step farther.

“I’m not hearing anything, little Bird.” Ari lands another smack before pausing his sensual assault in favor of removing his boxers, allowing his heavy cock to spring free. A sight you would’ve been permitted to enjoy had your man not thought it was more prudent to punish you first. “Speak now, unless you’ve made your peace with having a sore ass.” 

Ari had no problem continuing on with your spanking. He could watch that sweet booty of yours dance for hours and still not get tired of it.

“I’m sorry, Sir.” You whimper, rising up to welcome the next slap. “It won’t happen again.” 

Except you both knew that it would. Maybe not necessarily in the form of you wearing certain undergarments when you shouldn’t, but Ari was convinced that it was only a matter of time before you decided to test him again. And when you did, he vowed he’d be ready.

Satisfied with your response, you only have to endure one final blow before he finally sees fit to end your punishment. “Thank you, sweetness. You think you’re finally ready for that special remedy I promised you?”

“Uh huh.” You breathe, feeling grateful when he helps you sit up. By now you can practically feel the sticky wetness seeping out from between your thighs as your core spasms - your empty walls clenching around nothing. You didn’t need to turn on the lights to know that you were making quite the mess. “I promise I’ll be on my best behavior.”

Of its own accord, your hand reaches out to grasp his straining cock, eliciting a sharp hiss from him. He was so fucking big that it was damn near impossible for you to wrap your hand around his impressive girth. Not that your man was complaining or anything. 

In fact, Ari was always so unbelievably patient whenever you took it upon yourself to satisfy him. A true gentleman in every sense of the word. Well…until he wasn’t. 

“You had better.” He grits out as you continue to work him up and down with unhurried, measured strokes. “Otherwise next time I might have to tie you up. Maybe teach you a lesson that way and see if it sticks.”

His head falls back onto his shoulders as you focus on tracing one of his manhood’s more prominent veins with the edge of your thumb, loving the way he shudders beneath your touch. He lets you have your way for a few more minutes, until his skin is flushed and a thin sheen of sweat dots his brow.

That’s when he puts a stop to things, if only because he’s not ready to cum yet. And even if he was, he was the kind of man who believed in putting his woman first. Brat or not. 

“I still think it’s a shame, but whatever you say, Ari.” You giggle, feeling more than a little playful when he gestures for you to get comfortable in the middle of the bed. He soon joins you, the pillow-soft mattress sinking under his weight. 

“Damn right, Duchess.”

Ari doesn’t stop until he’s looming above you, his big body blocking out the moonlight. Right now he looks every inch the predator – from the feral gleam in his eyes to the wolfish grin on his lips. There's little doubt that he plans to leave you deliciously sated by the time the sun comes up.

“Are you mine, Bird?” The question comes on the heels of a seductive purr. Before you can respond, his head dips to take your lips in a gentle kiss. You grant him full access to your mouth after the first brush of his skilled tongue, content to let him take the lead. 

You could be in charge another night.

“Yes.” There was no use in arguing that particular point anymore. You belonged to him for the foreseeable future. And you were okay with that. “But only if you’re mine too.” The unexpected phrase all but leaps out of your mouth before you can think better of it.

Ari immediately pulls away, his eyes darkening with a passion so intense it robs you of breath. “You want me to be yours?” The vicious sound rumbles out from somewhere deep in his chest. “You thinkin’ about keeping me like I am you?”

“Maybe.” You whisper as one of your legs hitches itself around his trim waist, pulling him down on top of you with a slight "oof". “That a problem?” You do everything in your power to keep your tone light, bordering on challenging.

But somewhere deep down you knew that if this moment didn’t go your way, it just might shatter that delicate thing inside you. That part of your spirit that was a little more fragile than you were actually willing to admit.        

“Nope.” Ari responds after a beat. “Perfectly fine by me.” And just like that, you can breathe again.

This time when his mouth finds yours there’s nothing sweet or soft about it. The kiss is a frenzied gnashing of teeth and tongue, with both of you fighting for dominance. One of Ari’s hands dives into your thick curls, wrenching your head back so that he can lavish attention along the curve of your throat, marking you up the way he’s been dreaming about since he walked through the doors of your shop that fateful day.

Ari Levinson was well aware that a woman of your caliber deserved fancy things like flowers and candy and fucking sappy poetry. All things that he was going to do his damnedest to give you. But until he calmed down enough to string a couple sentences together – or at the very least Google some Shakespeare and Bronte – you’d have to settle for a more savage kind of love.   

He grinds his cock against your drenched pussy, both of you groaning in unison as it slides through your messy folds. “Is all this honey for your man, baby?” You feel him smile against your neck before he goes back to gifting you with more love bites before moving on to toy with your pouting nipples. 

Thank goodness you owned a damn good concealer, otherwise you’d have a hell of a time explaining away your new, soon-to-be hickies to your nosey customers. 

“It’s all for you, Beast.” You gasp, as you buck and writhe beneath him. “Need you inside me, please. Want you to fuck me.” It was almost as if you couldn’t stand being without him for even a minute longer. 

That’s all your man needs to hear. Ari pulls away briefly, his breathing slightly labored as he lines himself up with your weeping entrance. “Well, since you asked so pretty.” One quick thrust is all it takes for you to welcome him home, your greedy walls clamping down around his shaft and refusing to let go. “Fuck!”

“That’s it.” You whimper, urging him to move as your heels dig into the small of his back. “Fuck me. Fuck your pussy, baby.” Your bounty hunter is all too eager to comply, pumping in and out of you with several shallow thrusts. 

Eventually, he decides to take pity on you and give you what you really need. Every single incredible inch of his thick, perfectly built cock.   

One of his hands reaches out to intertwine his fingers with yours. Meanwhile, he uses the other to maintain his balance so that he can go deep the way you need him to, letting you feel every sensual movement of his hips.

“Mine.” Ari snarls with each fevered stroke. “All mine, Bird. Just like this tight little cunt.” Your toes curl as he adjusts the angle so that his dick hits your spot just right. Fucking perfect. It’s so good you’ve got fireworks dancing behind your eyes.    

“Ooh!” You cry, raking your nails down his back. Because fuck it. It was only fair that your man bear your marks too. “Oh God, Beast!Please!Oh God, baby.Yes!”

“Never lettin’ you go.” Ari rears back slightly, but he doesn’t stop fucking you. He doesn’t even slow down. Instead he becomes hyper-focused on your connection, seemingly enthralled with the way you accept him every time surges in and out of your wet heat. “Always fuck that sweet ass back to sleep.” He slaps your flank hard, his bruising fingers digging into your thigh. 

“S’close, Ari.” You mewl as the pleasure continues to build, your mind slowly threatening to come undone. “Don’t–don’t stop!”

Thankfully, your man couldn’t…not even if he wanted to. And he really, really didn’t want to. But even as you feel that red hot coil tighten in your belly, you knew he was only just getting started. 

Honestly, you’d be lucky if either of you got any sleep before the night was through. But that was also fine by you. Because you were always ready to go a few more rounds with your man. 

And who knows? Maybe this next time, he’d even allow you to be on top. Or not. Although, you supposed it never hurt to dream. With or without a good night’s sleep.

END

Informal Tag List:

@daykrisr99

[kiryoutann]

𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐃! 𝐀𝐔 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬 ::: 𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐀

LOST AT SEA MASTERLIST (COMING SOON). GENSHIN IMPACT MASTERLIST.

Reincarnation should be a good thing, right? A new chance in life, to become yet another soul chosen to navigate the world once again. Until it isn't.

In the first life, mermaid! reader meets a prince charming. They call him "Ajax" - you learn this after eavesdropping on the mortals' conversation from behind a rock.

Of course, your siblings have warned you about those two-legged landlubbers - that they are cruel, they are merciless and greedy.

"By Poseidon, sister – don't you dare go to shore again. They'll catch you like they did Ariana! They'll descale your fins and take your heart for who knows what!"

When one of your sisters said that, you just nodded pretending to understand. But, well, someone's gotta be the Ariel of the family.

Because it was impossible that Ajax could be the same as those cruel humans.

I mean, don't your brothers and sisters see how he treats animals? That slobbering furry thingy that always follows him every time he wants to go sailing? Mortals call him "Boris". That Boris creature.

Somehow, fate brought you two together. Even the sea and land cannot separate the two of you.

"He promised to marry me, sister!" you said to one of your sisters.

"And you believe him? How will you make sure he will keep his promise, sister? Oh, don't tell me… you've given him that?"

For mermaids, love is not a luxury, but a precious resource. They are said to have just one chance at love in their lifetimes.

When they foolishly give their hearts to a renegade, fate decrees that they shall forever dwell in a state of limbo, torn between the land and the sea. This means that they cannot survive for long on dry land, nor can they venture too far into the depths of the ocean. Instead, they are forced to live on the edge, forever caught between two worlds, no longer able to fully commit to land or sea.

But, Ajax wouldn't do that, right? He is too good, and loves you too much to betray you.

Wrong. Because the night before your wedding, Ajax betrayed you. With another woman.

Every land has a history. The modern era Blue Lagoon is no exception.

In each wave that washes upon its shores holds within it tales of the past, a silent whisper of the countless stories that have shaped the present.

Someone said, before becoming an island exclusively for old money and celebrities, the land once saw the great fury of mother nature.

The storm was so cruel that an entire kingdom was wiped out without a trace. On the other hand, people full of fairy tales say that it was the work of a broken-hearted mermaid.

And when actor! Ajax moved to the said island after breaking up with his cheating girlfriend, he almost laughed from how stupid it sounded. In fact, local people here believe it enough that some people in his circle constantly discuss the existence of a mermaid amidst the champagne and celebrations.

"I think the people here are quite creative. Should submit a script, maybe a director will accept it for a movie." he says. His way of making conversation in his first meeting with the highest paid model of the century - you.

But, when this is Ajax's second life, it is not yours. These cruel centuries have destroyed many but your grudges - your memories.

People are talking about lost kingdoms? About mermaids? As you sipped your champagne and smiled fakely at Ajax, in your heart you knew the truth.

That, indeed, there was an empire before it crumbled. There was love before betrayal. There were mermaids before humans.

And now, caught between land and seas - as a supermodel, you stand before the very vessel that once belonged to your former treacherous lover.

SUPPORT ME THROUGH KO-FI! CHECK MY WRITING COMMISSION.

[cerastes]

FNAF but you are a Rhodes Island canteen staff on a night shift trying to prevent Ceobe from raiding the kitchen .

It's a late night at the Rhodes Island canteen, the Elite Operators have an early deployment, and supplies are looking adequate... That is, as long as no incident occurs. Unfortunately for whoever is on shift, Rhodes Island is well known for its late night incidents, incarnated in nefarious individuals whose gluttony eclipses even the most furious of Catastrophes... And the Elite OPs are not going to be happy campers if they can't get their calories for their arduous missions...

--Five Nights At Rhodes!--

Your objective is to protect the delicious ingredients in the pantry from morally bankrupt evildoers that would greedily consume all they can get their hungry little pizza fingers on! Play as one of four culinary heroes to keep those fiends away from the Elite's caloric intake, or face the crushing guilt of seeing Rosmontis go hungry with a rumbling tummy!

The Centurions of Flavor:

Gummy

"The sign clearly says 'Ceobe not allowed', why are you still coming in!"

Known for world-class fried eggs and a healing enthusiasm, this Ursine Defender isn't just a soothing smile to have around, and can use her very own Reinforced Door to fully restore and strengthen one of the doors to the pantry! No means no!

Matterhorn

"Ethan, seriously, you can just ask for a sandwich... You're messing our inventory of available ingredients if you take them on the down low!"

Bodyguard, enforcer, butler, and renowned chef, Matterhorn works with the finest Kjerag ingredients, and knows a thing or two about keeping unwanted company out with his Sublime Sandwich, which can temporarily distract would-be interlopers with its peerless taste and aroma!

Kal'tsit

"If you want something done right, sometimes you have to do it yourself... Especially when the would-be crisis jeopardizes the stock of instant noodles in such dire and relentless a fashion."

The boss always has your back in Rhodes Island, and this emergency deployment is no exception! Any logistic is an important logistic! With her Spinal Assistant, Kal'tsit can order Mon3tr to hold one door while she holds the other one! There's no getting a fast one in on this Feline!

Just A Canteen Staffer

"I literally just work here."

With no special abilities to speak of, well... It's going to be a long, long night.

Crooked Adversaries:

Ravenous Hellhound

The nefarious nibler, infamous for her indignant disregard for signaling, reviled for her Indomitable March: What she lacks in tricks, she makes up for in pure perseverance, relentlessly trying to force her way in no matter how many times she's repelled. The countless signals that say "Ceobe Not Allowed" are said to be a ward against the Hellhound. A useless ward, that is.

Renegade Interloper

He moves like the shadow of a ghost, a feared culinary assassin that will make your ingredients and food vanish into the misty night, leaving behind no trace. This Persistence Predator will oftentimes camp outside a door almost completely invisible, waiting for your guard to grow lax. If one pays close attention, however, one might discern small ripples in space where there should be none, or hear a faint music from the Interloper's treasured earbuds...

Prowling Miscreant

The hunter's creed is that a mighty beast is only as strong as its weakest point, and her eye is already trained on the canteen... And the habits of its handlers. You'll be Drawing Dead the moment you think you have a leg up on the Miscreant, as she'll first observe your habits, and then continuously attempt entry from the routes you neglect the most, usually by syncing up with the advance of other Adversaries.

The Ghost of Babel

Feared for their truly wild consumption habits and seemingly unmatched ability to find their way into the pantry, this hooded enigma's wiry, fragile frame betrays their supernatural wiles. This unique Adversary doesn't move in the same way as the others, instead wandering the Area seemingly randomly, concocting their Magnum Opus by collecting all sorts of information and intel that we can't even begin to comprehend. If this is completed, then the Ravenous Hellhound will turn into a creature only known as "Golden Ceobe" and become completely unstoppable. Due to their timid nature, however, they can only work towards the Opus by being in a calm state of mind, achieved by not being observed for a period of time.

The full game COMING SOON to all stores in Columbia, Victoria, Great Yan, not Gaul, and Leithanien! Don't miss out on all these Centurions and Adversaries! Preorder now and get a code to an early download of the DLC Centurions [Fiammetta Who Aggressively Doesn't Want To Be Here] and [Just A Canteen Staffer the Holungday], as well as early access to the challenging DLC Adversaries [Scary Guy] and [D.I.D.I.]!

[trappedinafantasy37]

Let's talk about Shadowheart's newest evil ending.

Honestly, I think it looks pretty cool! I do like the way where it portrays Shadowheart as simultaneously pulling on the power of Selune and Shar at the same exact time. At first you might think this would be exclusive depending on the Nightsong choice. But, according to Dame Aylin, what belongs to Shar also belongs to Selune. Neither god can exist without the other and their powers are inverses to each other. Where there is darkness, there can be light, and Shadowheart has every intention of taking full advantage of it. I also like the little explanation as to how encapsulating the powers of both goddesses and forging her own path outside of them makes her feel whole as she otherwise would not be.

I also like that it demonstrates the absurdity of the centuries long fight between the two sisters by making it a mortal problem. The people we see are just killing each other solely because of their perceived allegiance to the "wrong god". And it's reminiscent of the petty conversation between Shadowheart and Isobel (the entire interaction is actually much more petty in the Shadowheart origin). These two characters had no justifiable reason to dislike each other except for the fact that their gods don't like each other.

To sum it up, Shadow is essentially pulling in the powers of both gods to become her own god and form a new church in her name. Instead of wasting her time being faithful to other gods, she is going to flip them off and make others be faithful to her instead. Thanks to her prior relationship with the Sharran cloister, she knows exactly what she needs to do to make people faithful to her and she will definitely lean into that Sharran training.

I have pulled my previous saves and can confirm that the ending is the same regardless of whether or not Shadowheart is a Dark Justiciar, and I don't think it should be. Before I really dive into it, her evil ending is out of character regardless of which path she goes down, although I think it makes more sense for Moon Shadow than DJ Shadow.

Dark Justiciar Shadowheart

I did see a complaint the other day on TikTok that DJ Shadow should say "in Shar's name" when she claims the brain similar to how Durge claims it in Bhaals name. I'm kind of on the fence about this one because Shar and Bhaal do not want the same things about the Absolute. We know that Shar does want the Absolute destroyed. So for DJ Shadow to claim the Absolute, she is renegading against Shar which is wildly out of character. And if she is renegading against Shar, she would not be claiming it in Shar's name but her own.

We all know and joke about how much of a terrible Sharran Shadowheart is, even as a DJ. But this is someone who has chosen their path and is fully dedicated to Shar. She has decided she will enact Shar's will to the letter and won't stray. Sure, maybe Shadow would stretch the rules over little and trivial things (like still having a situationship with her romance partner after Shar told her not to). But claiming the Absolute is way too big of a deal and I don't think DJ Shadow would do it. Essentially the most evil ending does not suite an evil Shadowheart cause it's not the right flavor of evil.

However, if DJ Shadow were to claim it in Shar's name, it would not at all be the ending we got. She would not use the Absolute to cause a civil war between people, nor would she become a new god in her own right, nor would she use an ounce of Selune's power (especially since DJ Shadow would not know how intertwined the sister goddesses are). DJ Shadow is a very dedicated and faithful servant of Shar and would never think to elevate herself to Shar's level. Shadowheart became a Dark Justiciar, not because she wanted the power of one, but because she wanted to be a better servant to her god. She would do the same with the Absolute. She would specifically use the Absolute to drive the world into Shar's "endless darkness". She would fill the people with hopelessness, despair, grief, loss. She would inflict all of Shar's doctrines on the world. She would bring people into Shar's embrace, not turn against Shar at the eleventh hour after everything she sacrificed just to get there. I can even see DJ Shadow using the Absolute to expand the bounds of the Shadow Curse if it isn't resolved. That is, if Shar would allow Shadowheart to claim the Absolute at all.

Moon Shadowheart

One of the things that is really easy to miss is that Moon Shadow never fully embraces Selune, which is why I have a hard time calling her a Selunite. Selune is most certainly stretching her arms out to Shadow, ready to embrace her, but Shadow has not taken that step yet. When she first rejects Shar, Shadow knows deep down that she is being empowered by Selune instead (because what belongs to Shar belongs to Selune) but Shadow is in active denial about it until Dame Aylin kind of forces her to accept the truth. One of her default endings is of her still calling Selune the "Moon Witch" and doesn't feel particularly drawn to her just yet. But she spends all six months attempting to learn about Selune, learn about herself and her past and see if maybe she can be drawn to Selune. All that is important to her is that Selune is not like Shar and will allow Shadow to forge her own path, even if Selune is not happy with it.

As ironic as it is, this is the version of Shadow that I can see taking the Absolute for herself, albeit still a little OOC. Moon Shadow will actually have the freedom to claim the Absolute for herself cause what is Selune gonna do? Stop her? Pfft, she didn't even lift a finger to save her own child from being tortured for a century (although not because she didn't want to but because she's following Ao's rules). Considering how Shadowheart's personal story line ends, I feel you could easily squeeze some evilness out of it. Now, this is a little headcanony to try to make some sense as to why Moon Shadow would claim the Absolute (even though it is all OOC).

In the event she kills her parents, Shadow gets thrown into grief, loss, and guilt. Despite the fact that she rejected Shar and is supposed to have been "embraced" by Selune, she is still experiencing all the same things as when she was just as devoted to Shar. So, she rejected Shar for what? She lost her god and she still feels like shit, she is still in pain. Sure, she could learn to get past this, but she may not. While holding the stones and on the verge of godhood, she realizes she has been nothing but a toy between two gods who don't know how to settle their issues maturely. One god has actively tormented her her entire life, while the other god knew it was happening and did absolutely nothing to help. Shadow betrays the Emperor and claims the Absolute to become a god. Using all her lessons from her time in the Sharran cloister, she could show Shar how it's really done and demonstrate to Selune what happens when you become too passive. And this Shadow knows about the entanglement between the two goddesses and could still call on Shar's endless darkness if she needed to and would use Selune's light as a method of torment rather than guidance. I honestly feel like she would purposefully imprison Dame Aylin again out of pure spite. As powerful as she may be, the aasimar is nothing against a god.

A Shadowheart that spares her parents is probably the least likely version to claim the Absolute, but I still think you could make it work. This version of Shadow is content with the curse tying her and her parents together because they have all agreed that whatever happens they will do it together. But perhaps she realizes that it doesn't have to be that way and she and her parents don't need to suffer. To endure the pain is to please Shar, and she is tired of pleasing Shar. The most daunting part about chronic pain is that it does have a habit of driving people to madness and Shadow is aware this. Shar would gladly enjoy watching all the Hallowleaf's eventually go mad in the end. And it's not as if Selune is really doing anything to help either. She cannot rely on the gods to help her, and to become a god is to free herself from a gods curse, or at least give her a fighting chance to get rid of it. Forming a new church and becoming a new god will only strengthen her, give her enough power to loosen whatever grip Shar still has on her. But this Shadowheart is directly attached to Shar and would have no problem using it. If Shadowheart cannot get rid of the curse herself, then perhaps she can give Shar incentive to let her go.

Conclusion

Shadowheart actually should have gotten two different evil endings similar to Durge and a Moon Shadow should have had slight variations depending on the state of her parents. Shadowheart's personality, motivations, desires, and goals are all dictated depending on how dedicated she is to these gods and the endings should reflect that. The ending that we did get I feel is the most fitting for Moon Shadow who did sacrifice her parents because she did everything she was supposed to do, and yet she still suffers and she is still alone. This version of Shadow I can see becoming enraged and vengeful against Shar and Selune and wanting to bite back.

Don't get me wrong, I like this ending. But it also demonstrates one of my biggest gripes with how BG3 depicts evil and it seems like evil cannot exist in this game without it being comical. It cannot exist without it being in your face that it is evil, otherwise people might "miss it". Sadly, this means that characters are forced out of character to shoehorn them into evilness as there is often very little narrative explanation or build up as to why that character would choose the evil option. Sure, I think if you stretch it enough you could argue that the ending you get for Shadowheart is fitting regardless of whichever path. I mean, this is an RPG and we all come up with our own reasons as to why certain choices and outcomes make more sense over others (hells, I just did that in this post!).

Either way, I am glad that we did get these new endings. Even if I feel that some of them are OOC, I still appreciate them and I am grateful for the free treat Larian did give us.

[epitomereally]

psalm 40:2 by unicornpoe

Dean meets an angel who says he's from the future. It all gets a lot more complicated from there. Supernatural, Castiel

Here is my bind for @no-name-publishing in a Renegade Mini-Exchange! This is such a wistful and tender story about learning to accept and love yourself, even when you feel unlovable, and I was absolutely ecstatic when I peeped it on his wishlist.

Lots of firsts for me this bind: first time working with leather, first time CHISEL-TRIMMING (:elmo fire emoji: insert here please), only second time power sanding (which I love tbh), first time BEADING a cover. I absolutely loved working with leather and the effect of beading, and wish I could take a video to show how sparkly the beads are in the sunlight! I also used ~ * f a n c y * ~ endpapers by Claire Guillot that I just knew I had to have for this bind the second I saw them, and will absolutely be returning to her for future binds.

All the typesetting choices are inspired by the 1611 King James Bible, as well as the beading which forms a cross when the book is fully opened. It's my first Supernatural bind—what's a girl to do besides make Biblical references? (jk, @clovenhoofbindery made a totally non-Biblical bind of the same fic and I have been LOSING MY MIND at how perfect and gorgeous it is)

Materials:

Leather: Siegel leather pre-pared leather in espresso

Title font: KJV1611

Body font: Adobe Jenson Pro

Dropcap: Goudy Initialen

Decorative images: King James Bible 1611 (Wikimedia Commons)

Some more details, just for fun :)

[lanitalay]

Renegade  Eris x Rhysand's sister!reader

Summary: inspired By big Red Machine and Taylor's song Renegade, Reader can't stand to see Eris suffer.

Warnings: canon typical mentions of violence and injuries

There was nowhere for me to stay but I stayed anyway.

The High Lord’s sister wiped the tears from her eyes before they had a chance to fall. “Eris, please” she’s been pleading with him for so long. He continues pacing “the timing isn’t right, y/n.” She’s not surprised to hear him say that. The promise to overthrow his father so that they could finally be free was something he had said to her the moment the bond snapped, years ago. She looks away from him and out the window.

“It will never be right.”

Eris stops his pacing when he hears the telling quiver in her voice. “My love, I am trying to do everything right so when the time comes you’ll have a stable Court to call home.”

Snow is falling, covering the path to the small cabin near the Winter border. “If you are doing this for me then let me help you.” He walks over to where she is and wraps his arms around her waist. “It’s too dangerous,” he says softly, as if it would make his words less infuriating.

“You need help Eris, you can’t do it all on your own” she turns in his arms and continues “I can ask my brother for back up, Beron won’t stand a chance against half of Autumn and all of Night.” He rests his forehead on her shoulder “you forget he’s allied with Kier and the Court of Nightmares.”

She sags, and this time the tears fall freely. “Eris, I don’t know how much longer I can watch you kill yourself for him” she turns fully and brings her hand to his face. Today he has a gash on his cheekbone, it is already healing but when he showed up the blood covered half his face, flowing down his neck like a fountain. She ghosts her finger over the coagulated blood. “It hurts me more than you know.”

His eyes are closed. Soaking up her touch and wincing at her words. “I am getting closer every day” she retracts her hand at the empty promise.

“I need a timeline.”

He shakes his head “at least another year.” 

She was making soup on the crackling wood stove when Eris came in, dripping blood.

Beron was violent but never like this.

He tumbled in and collapsed on top of the kitchen table. Her stomach turned as she saw hundreds of jagged pieces of glass embedded in the skin of his back.

“Eris, stay awake. Tell me what happened.” She quickly got to work. Finding tweezers and a bowl to begin to take out the shards. “He was going to execute a farmer for stealing grain from the Court’s reserves and I stepped in,” he coughs, “later he called me to his office and he had a bed of broken glass waiting for me. Before I could block his attack he threw me into the pile.”

She cursed loudly. If she knew anything about how Beron deals out his punishments she was sure that once eris was on his back and rendered defenseless his sadistic fathers kept him down, stopping on his stomach with a heavy boot.

“I’ll be fine, love. Just get the glass out so it can heal”.

She takes out a piece so long it takes extra effort to not throw up. “It is not alright Eris, that male is a monster. I’ll kill him myself for this.” He winces as she pulls out another shard.

“You can’t.” She huffs,  “I can and I will”. Half an hour later she has removed every piece of glass from his back, she brings over a disinfectant tonic and gives him a rag to bite down on as she pours the liquid over his raw flesh. His groans of agony twist her heart in and she promises to herself that she will have Beron’s head.

Eris passes out half way through her stitching the bigger wounds shut so they heal faster. She packs snow on his back to help with the swelling and irritation of the trauma and sits down next to him. Running her fingers through his long, red hair and counting his freckles until the sun comes up and he wakes up. His back is better in the morning and he can move around with only a bit of soreness. She helps him bathe and put on fresh clothes.

He kisses her “I’ll be back.” Her hand grabs his before he can winnow “you need help Eris, last night was too close. If you hadn’t had the energy to winnow here you’d be dead or close to it.”

He kisses her hand and says “it was a mistake, but I’ll be fine” squeezing her hand once before leaving. 

The next time they see each other Eris thinks he will die. She was at the Forest House. He could barely breathe. Barely keep his mask on. Watching in horror as she is escorted to Beron's private quarters. Her gaze never meets his as she walks right in front of him and into the lion’s den. 

She had sealed off the bond, just like he had a million times before.

An hour after arriving, she left. 

That night, Eris winnowed to the cabin and found her leisurely reading a novel, he scoffed. “Are you insane?”

She doesn’t look up. “I’m reading.” He picks up the book. His eyes were raging with fire. “What was that?” She shrugged. “Y/n I’m serious, you could have a price on your head.” She yanked her book out of his grasp “I handled it.”

He pales. “What?”

“I handled it, by morning you’ll be High Lord.” He grabs her shoulders and looks in her eyes, hoping to see the glimmer of a lie. “It wasn’t time yet.” She rolls her eyes.

“Eris, he was going to kill you. You didn’t see just how close the glass had come to severing your arteries. He had no intention in keeping you around for long and I was not going to stand by and watch it happen.” She grabs his hand and brings it to her chest “you aren’t alone in this, I’m here. I’ll help you every step of the way. Your burdens are mine, remember?” Knowing that bridging their vows up would soften him. A reminder of their commitment to each other. “You’re not the first person to need somebody.” She kisses him and pours all her love down the bond, flooding him with it.

By morning it was a new age for the Autumn Court. News of Beron's death had spread like wildfire.

The villagers were saying he was cursed by a witch. Only y/n knew that his organs were torn up and ripped apart by a million microscopic shards of glass.

[monodramatic-cannibal]

Renegade!Cross

Info post about the au

(If characters seem OOC ((Out Of Character)) it's beacause I'm going off of my own interpretations/headcanons/fandom versions. So please be aware of that)

More info under the cut (Info is subject to change at any time. Info may be added to as well)

(TW: Child abuse I don’t go into too much detail, but I will warn for it anyway)

-Jobs in the group: Protection of the base, fighting Wraiths, scouting 

Weapons of choice: Great sword (like monster hunter levels of big ass sword), duel blades

-Head canon voice: ???

-Uses He/Him mainly, but also They/Them, identifies as a Demiboy

-Didn’t have the best childhood, and a lot of things carried over to his adulthood. He was also raised alongside (X!Tale)Chara. They were both raised by (X!Gaster), but don’t consider him a parent figure, as they both know he doesn’t deserve that title.

-Before the apocalypse he was a royal guard, and when the apocalypse started he travelled around on his own for quite a while. He was able to survive as he is highly trained in combat. He got by with what little he could scavenge.

-He wears the leg armour of his royal guard outfit, as that was all he grabbed of that outfit when he left the area when the apocalypse hit. He’s always debated on going back for the rest of it, since having armour would be nice, but he now doesn’t want to  leave the group and his home is quite far. 

-The wounds/red eye on him were caused by an incident as he was working as a royal guard. Happened when he was more of a rookie. (Xtale!)Chara a bit after the fact makes fun of him for the wounds, mainly just so they could make light of the situation.  

-Has some abandonment issues, it has gotten better for him as he’s grown up, but he still can get attached to people quite quickly. To add to this, when the apocalypse hit and he got separated from (X!)Chara it made him panic and spent a lot of his time trying to find or get in contact with Chara, later on he found the group. He still hasn’t forgotten about Chara, and keeps his phone fully charged and on him at all times just in case Chara gets back in contact with him. 

-Nightmare was the one who found him first from the group, Nightmare ended up stumbling upon him, at first they both were on guard, since they hadn’t expected to run into anyone. But Dream ended up breaking the situation as soon as he showed up. He and Nightmare must have had a stand-off for about 20-30 seconds before Dream butted into it.

-He got pretty attached to Night nearly right away, he liked Dream as well. Thinks Night’s mellow but goofy attitude is better suited towards himself though. He also at first saw Night as weak (though he’d never say that to him), so got a sense to protect him due to Night being very small and not much of a fighter.

-Will hide food, normally food that's in packets. This is partly due to his bad childhood and it's a habit he can’t stop, since he was denied food in his childhood as a punishment. Tends to hide food in places he frequents, e.g. his own room, Nightmare’s/Dream’s/Blue’s room, and a few places around the living areas and on lower levels where the others don’t frequent.

-Wakes up at an ungodly hour, started when he was a kid, so he could get ready and be out the house to get away from (X!)Gaster, but continued to adulthood due to his job as a royal guard. To add to this he goes to sleep quite early as well. These habits have continued even in the apocalypse.

-Is kinda awkward and shy, though how awkward he is normally overshadows his shyness. Since he didn’t interact with too many people growing up, and as an adult his job didn’t really have him talking to other guards other than on break or for a task he still hasn’t really figured out how to interact with others. Everyone else in the group also has degrees of awkwardness too, so he’s lucky in that regard that most in the group won’t call him out on it.

-Has the strength to lift up a bus (like how he can in canon). But is aware of his strength so is always extra gentle when physically interacting with people. 

-A weeb, has started hoarding manga, movies, etc that is anime/manga related. This also includes stealing any anime/manga merch he sees too. Will often bother the others to help him take stuff back or find stuff for him while they’re out.

-Is dyslexic,can get frustrated if his brain isn’t computing with the words. Didn’t have any interest in reading as a kid, so it’s something he has to work on in adulthood. Will often use translated manga to practice reading.

But when it comes so subtitled anime he gets a little annoyed because he can’t read the subtitles quick enough most of the time, so tries to look for dubs, even if he doesn’t like the voice acting.

-Scared of cows. Has once screeched loudly when on a scavenging mission with a few members of the group and he ran into a cow statue that was around a corner. No one will let him live it down now.

-Has basically been riding off one compliment for most of his life. Will explode if someone gives him a compliment/praise. Also seems to get spooked by compliments/praise too, because he’s not used to it. 

-Talks a lot, is a professional yapper. Hates silence and has to fill it with random thoughts that come to mind, may accidentally tell things to people that he doesn’t want them to know, e.g. accidentally told Dream he has a crush on Night. If he thinks someone wants him to shut up he will go completely quiet and not really say anything. If someone actually tells him to shut up it's the same idea, but he gets super awkward and will refuse to speak for a few hours.

-Has fangs, and almost dog/shark like teeth. He used to bite people when he was a kid, is still willing to bite others as an adult. Has once bitten someone as an adult, during combat, nearly took a chunk out of their arm. 

-Will pet any stray dog he sees. Has probably nearly been bitten several times. But he can’t help it, he likes dogs a lot. Has never considered getting one though.

-Is pretty open to wearing whatever clothing. Normally prefers something that's tight on his arms though, which he uses his gloves for that. So when choosing what to wear he likes to make sure he can wear his elbow length gloves.

-Also has to wear some form of gloves since he has a habit of biting his knuckles, so having gloves protects his hands somewhat. He just bites his hand subconsciously. 

-Keeps regular upkeep on his weapons and what pieces of armour he has. Basically does this every day, even though he doesn’t really need to, as it’s not like those things are being used everyday, but he still does it anyway, as he doesn’t like deviating from his routine. 

-Shit at cooking, he does have a few things he can make, and what he can make tastes really good, but everything else is terrible.

How they feel about:

Nightmare: His emotions are a bit all over the place when it comes to Nightmare. He does adore him though, and has a crush on him. But is unsure about this crush since he’s unsure if Nightmare feels the same. Often wants to protect him and not really leave his side. But knows Nightmare won’t be able to cope with him being so clingy so does make sure to give him time to himself.

Dream:  Likes him, and gets along well with him. Appreciates the fact Dream hasn’t told Nightmare about his crush on him. The two often hang out together, and he will often help Dream out with things if he isn’t busy. Half the time when they do hang out Ink and Blue are included, or they hang with Nightmare, on rare occasions they all hang out together, if they can convince Nightmare to be social.

Blue: Knew him before the apocalypse, as Blue was training to be a royal guard. Helped him train whenever he had time.Can get along with him well. Blue would also share food with Cross sometimes, since Cross is kinda shit at cooking. They often still train together even during the apocalypse, to keep their skills sharp.

Ink: Gets along with them and is often trying to make sure Ink doesn’t get into any trouble/harm. Thinks Ink needs to think more before they do stuff. Ink keeps trying to teach him to draw, but he sucks at it, tries anyway. Ink is always telling him he needs to loosen up a bit and just go with the flow of things. Which Cross always tells Ink that’s a terrible idea.

Dust: Super unsure of him, knows he’s killed people, and doesn’t really like him for that fact. But Nightmare also gets along with him, BUT he’s worried Dust might hurt Nightmare. Just super unsure and conflicted with how he feels about him. Dust has also done nice things for him, such as gifting him anything anime/manga related he finds while out. Which puts Cross’s feelings to being even more conflicted about him.

Horror: Unsure of him but prefers him to the other two in the MTT. Horror is relatively chill and polite, and will sometimes give leftover food to him (Cross) whenever he’s made a lot of food. The food is winning Cross over to liking him. Bonus points that Horror also has a cute kitten.

Killer: Doesn’t like him. Killer is often teasing him any chance he gets. Which annoys Cross. Killer will also steal food from his stashes, which annoys Cross to no end especially if it’s chocolate that's stolen.  Killer also teases him involving Nightmare into the teasing one way or another, either it be teasing Cross on how protective he is over Nightmare, or trying to keep Nightmare from Cross. Cross also thinks Killer is the one most likely to hurt Nightmare out of the MTT.

Error: Unsure on Error, can sort of get along with him when he’s (Error) in a good mood, but often times them interacting consists of Error asking what he wants from him then telling him to go away. 

Lust: Gets along with them. Lust helps him repair clothing if it gets ripped. Will often bring little gifts for Lust such as jewelry as thanks for things Lust does for him, since Lust doesn’t leave the living area so doesn’t get to collect things outside. 

Fell/Edge: Doesn’t mind him but has snapped at him once, he just doesn’t like Fell’s attitude. He did apologize eventually about snapping at him, but also held a slight grudge that Fell didn’t apologize for his attitude back. Just thinks Fell needs to watch what he says and he’d get along with him just fine.

Geno: Doesn’t understand Geno. Is unsure why Geno even sticks around the group, since Geno appears to not get along with many people. Just concludes Geno is sticking around strictly for survival. Geno towards him is sort of okay, wouldn’t call them friends, but not enemies either.

Outer: Hasn’t really interacted too much with him, but what little interactions they’ve had he’d say that they get along. 

Sci: Hasn’t really interacted too much with him, but what little interactions they’ve had he’d say that they get along. Can’t wrap his head around half the stuff that comes out of Sci’s mouth though. 

Reaper/Death: Is genuinely confused when it comes to Reaper, he can understand why Reaper is there, but also doesn’t understand why he’s here at the same time. Like just kill Geno and get it over with??? But like at the same time he doesn’t really wish death upon Geno, so it’s like he doesn’t want Reaper to kill Geno. Just thinks it’s wild that a literal grim reaper is hanging out with everyone.

Fresh: Hasn’t met him yet, but has been warned by both Dream and Nightmare to try not to be around him, their reasoning is he gives off a bad vibe, won’t admit it to the twins, but he’d give Fresh a chance, since yeah he's also weird, who isn't at this point.

Gans/Echo: Has only met him twice, once when Dream and Nightmare were showing him around they stopped by the radio room where Echo was, and another time when Outer asked him for a favor, and it was to drop some stuff off at the radio room for Echo. Both times went well, but he has a feeling Echo isn’t too interested in him.

Chief: Has met him before the apocalypse, due to Chief being in the royal guard. When they met again in the group they ended up catching up, they get along and may sometimes train together. He thinks Chief can be a bit bossy and rude though, but other than that he sort of gets along with him, he wouldn’t call them friends though.

[thewertsearch]

AC: :33 < sorry to bother you again! AC: :33 < is AC: :33 < um [...] AC: :33 < he available? [...] TT: What is the name of this mystery fellow you seek? AC: :33 < aaaaa youre just teasing me now! AC: :33 < i f33l bad about bugging you about it [...] AC: :33 < i miss pounce a lot :(( AC: :33 < and talking to him reminds me of her

Aw, Nepeta. :(

Still, there are ways to solve this. Maybe Rose could give her the code for Jaspersprite's pendant - or just give him his own computer, like Davesprite's iShades.

You won't need it anymore. It served you well. You suppose there are a lot of things you've outgrown, now that you think about it.

...his own computer, Rose! I said his own computer!

Rose is abandoning her primary communication device. Obviously she has others, but her attitude here is still making me nervous - especially considering how heavy-handed her phrasing is.

Who or what do you think you've outgrown, Rose?

JASPERSPRITE: Did you learn to play the rain rose? ROSE: Not yet, Jaspers. ROSE: It's a little complicated, but I believe I've embarked on another quest, one which surpasses the scope of the objectives local to this planet.

I'm on record as being fully on board with Rose's skepticism about her Quest - but she should be equally skeptical about her new quest. Both are sponsored by suspicious entities with unclear motives, and I'm not sold on either of them.

ROSE: I'm saying there's something more important to accomplish now. Something more important than creating a universe. JASPERSPRITE: Oh thats ok rose i wouldnt want you to feel obligated to do that.

That's a strange sentiment, coming from Jaspers. Sprites generally echo the game's expectations for its Players, so it's odd that a game centered around fate, destiny and temporal obligation would tell Rose that her ultimate goal is optional. After all, she was made to create a universe.

Maybe Jaspers just loves Rose so much that he's on board with her rebellion, even though he doesn't understand it.

JASPERSPRITE: I think that winning this game and getting the prize is up to you and your friends. JASPERSPRITE: You get to decide whether or not you feel its right to do that and what kind of prize you want to make!

Is Jaspers implying that Sburb's prize doesn't have to be a universe? That winning the game can mean something else, instead?

Rose thinks her only options are to submit to the game's whims, or fight it tooth and nail. Perhaps that's a false dichotomy, and it's possible to fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum - some sort of alternate win condition that saves their doomed session.

Perhaps the game has recognized that Rose is a renegade, and it's trying to show her that things aren't so black and white. Maybe Sburb is signaling that it's willing to negotiate.

JASPERSPRITE: Its part of becoming who youre supposed to become i think.

Damn it! Just as I'm starting to wonder if Sburb is more flexible than we thought, it tosses this line at us.

I don't like this sentiment. It stinks of Alpha, and it's exactly the kind of thing that will piss Rose off. She's rebelling against what she perceives to be her destiny - the last thing she wants to hear is that there's someone she's 'supposed' to become.

JASPERSPRITE: I dont know i hope im not being too pushy rose its not my place to be im just your cat! JASPERSPRITE: But the thing that made me how i am now seems to really want me to say this to you. JASPERSPRITE: Your quest is really important for you to do. JASPERSPRITE: Not really because thats how to get the prize. JASPERSPRITE: But because its what you need to do for yourself!

This isn't about the universe, says Sburb.

This is totally bizarre. I thought it was all about the universe, and the game's Players were just the mechanism for creating them. Even the Quests are just extended tutorials on how to terraform planets.

Do the Players have another role to play?

JASPERSPRITE: I love you rose! I always have even when you were a little girl and i was an alive cat. ROSE: Thanks, Jaspers, that's nice to hear. ROSE: It's hard to remember, but I'm pretty sure I felt the same way back then. JASPERSPRITE: It was fun getting to be your cat again rose even if it was just for a little while and also while being a princess ghost. JASPERSPRITE: Bye rose! ROSE: See you, Jaspers! ROSE: If you see my mother in the course of your travels, tell her I said hello.

Alright, let's hit the pause button on the lore speculation. I need to grab some tissues :'(

[drowning-in-webnovel-chapters]

Sonic Prime is a perfect intro show for new Sonic fans and annoying for anyone who pays attention to the plot

Sonic prime shows off Sonic characters in a way that is digestible to new fans without dumping an entire legacy's worth of lore on them.

In the beginning we are told directly by Sonic what his relationship with each character is, showing us the characters from his perspective, while giving us a brief understanding of their background and how they met Sonic.

And I know what you're probably thinking, the original versions of the characters (other than Sonic and Shadow) are barely in the show at all, how could they be shown off if they're not in it? And of course, you're right, they're not in it, but that's the point.

The different versions of the Sonic characters are not just separate characters entirely; they are the same character in a different situation that caused them to change. And this change is what makes the show so perfect for new fans, because each variant shows off emphasized parts of each character.

Take Knuckles for example, in New Yolk Renegade is shown to be extremely determined to single mindedly complete their one goal and is very consistently loyal to Rebel while being unwilling to trust anyone else easily. He's also shown to be very brave and strategic in battle; All traits that Knuckles Prime exhibits but exaggerated to a larger extent to help get the point across.

In Boscage Maze Gnarly is representative of Knuckles naivety, showing how he can misinterpret things or be misled; often thinking with his fists or his stomach instead of his brain. And again, exaggerated to get the point across.

Now Dread is where they really shine, Dread perfectly shows off Knuckles' obsession with the Master Emerald, without even mentioning or showing the Master Emerald at all; Using the prism shard as a stand-in for the Master Emerald. It shows off how far he'd go to get it back, it shows how often he doesn't care about how his actions will affect those around him as long as he gets it back. Dread shows us how Knuckles will isolate himself to keep the master emerald/prism shard safe. He fully introduces us to Knuckles' relationship to the Master Emerald without having to explain any of the lore that comes with it.

Each of the variants have examples like this, of introducing a main facet of the original character in an extreme and unsubtle way. Thorn Rose shows Amy's anger at anyone who harms nature, and her tendency to refuse to change her mind and be stubborn if she believes she is in the right. Rebel emphasizes Rouge leadership skills when leading the rebellion/team dark, and ability to be strategic inside and out of combat regardless of her own emotions. And Sails represents Tails' loyalty and belief in his friends. (Im not gonna touch on Nine bc there's a million and one analyses of his character already)

All of this, plus the ghost versions that straight up tell us their core values, and using the concept of "going through different places to find magical rocks" makes for a show that perfectly introduces new Sonic fans to the characters and basis of the world without spoiling or overloading them with lore and explanations.

Its enough to get us intrigued by the characters, while leaving plenty to still be explored and learned about in which ever way we want.

The movies are also an intro to Sonic, but they lose a lot of points by being separate from the canon Sonic universe, introducing a lot of rules and concepts that aren't true in the canon Sonic lore, that it leaves people feeling confused or misled when trying to get into the rest of the series.

I can say that cuz its exactly what happened to me. I watched the movies, got interested, looked at the rest of the fandom, got confused, and decided to interact with only Movie Sonic content. Until I watched Prime.

Prime introduced me to all the original main characters (unless u count Silver or Blaze) and their aspects and relationships, as well as the canon universe. (and the ships which may have been a driving force for me joining the fandom but just ignore that)

If you want to get someone into Sonic id recommend two methods based on my own experience.

1. If they're hesitant about it/feel like its too cringe, start them with the movies, then a game that's fun to play but not story driven, and then make them watch prime

2. If they're not too hesitant/already in fandoms similar, show them prime and your personal favorite game, let them chose which one they want to do first and boom you got a new sonic fan!

[plate2]

Sometimes I'll just think of insane crossovers with characters I like despite fully knowing no one has read any of these combinations of books, nor would they ever interact. Like, I could go on and on about the similarities between the Bailey and Sorenson siblings (Land of Stories and Favlehaven) or I could go on about three different Jacks from different books (Half Upon A Time, Mighty Jack, Jack Blank). I could look at Nova Artino and Alex Knight (Renegades and The Cloak Society) and while they're for very different ages there's similarities. Alex from Alex Rider and Carson from Codename Zero would likely never interact but by God do I think about it. I could name so many: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, Seven Wonders, Revenge of Magic, Beyonders, The Lies of Locke Lamora, etc, etc, etc. I am going insane over so many different books that have little semblance of connection, saying they each have pieces of one another within. And these fanbases (if there are even a fanbase for each of these books) would rarely ever interact.

So I'm just left here, reading books in my pajamas, deranged

[sequenceshift-blog]

SequenceShift Starlo

It's been a while since I've put out anything for SequenceShift. So, I decided to start rambling about my depictions of Undertale Yellow characters in my AU. I decided to go with Starlo, mainly due to @profounddefendorcrusade-blog and their posts about him.

So, what's the deal with Starlo in SequenceShift?

Sorry for a lack of pictures btw.

Well, like UTY Starlo, he was childhood friends with Ceroba and the Sheriff of the Wild East. For a time, he was pretty much almost entirely identical to how he is in vanilla UTY.

Until the massacre of the Wild East.

Basically, a Renegade human (NOT one of the six souls) made their way underground, falling into the Barrens, and started laying waste to the Wild East. Almost half of its inhabitants were killed and Starlo cracked under the pressure, with Dina being the one who brought down the assailant.

This basically mentally broke him. He had believed in Western culture without any of its actual drawbacks, only to have to come to terms with the harsh realities of lawbringing. Now many of his friends were gone and the community he worked so hard to build was shattered. However, he eventually started to take this as a learning experience into becoming an actually responsible and competent lawbringer. He swore himself into Ceroba's service, trained to become a deadly combatant, and was eventually made Chief of the newly formed Royal Rangers. Rather than just pretending to be badass, he genuinely became badass with the goal of making sure nothing like the Wild East Massacre happens ever again.

Unfortunately, this came with its own flaws.

He and the Feisty Four started to grow distant from one another, despite them being core members of the Rangers. This was a mix of trauma and their new jobs. Eventually they started seeing each other less as friends and more as coworkers, with only Moray and Mooch truly sticking together. This didn't really help Starlo, who devoted himself even more to Ceroba.

At his core, he's still the same kind-hearted, dorky farmboy who's looking out for his friends and community, which ties into his main motivation. He wants to make Ceroba, his best friend, happy again. However, he is willing to go to drastic measures to accomplish that, even if he knows it's wrong.

On a Pacifist/Light Neutral run, he still shows off that cowboy persona of his. He still wears his poncho and sheriff's badge over his Ranger uniform and holds a lot of the same demeanor, even if it's not as prominent. It's used as a coping mechanism (with him still yearning for that escapist Western fantasy he was living out) and to help cheer up those around him. He keeps up this persona, hoping to be able to willingly bring Clover to Ceroba. He only drops it at the end of the Barrens, where he (reluctantly) attacks Clover after they show that they aren't going to just go with him.

However, cracks start to show in his persona the more monsters Clover kills. He starts simply being passive aggressive, but the more ruthless a neutral run is, the more hostile he becomes, showing more of that darker anti-hero side. Should go without saying, but it becomes especially apparent if Clover kills any of the Feisty Four. This reaches its lowest point in the Vengeance/No Mercy route, where straight up ditches the poncho and badge, instead wearing his Ranger uniform on full display, showing that he's fully embraced his role as a ruthless lawbringer.

However, on a Pacifist run, he can be convinced to see the error of his ways. His version of Undyne's Friendship interactions has Clover and Dina bringing the Feisty Five back together, which definitely improves Starlo's morale and mental state. This eventually leads him to take a stand against Ceroba, not because he's disillusioned with her. Rather it's because he still cares for her as a friend (no matter how much wrong she's done) and knows that by continuing to collect human souls for Project Integrity, she's only digging herself into a bigger hole.

Tl;dr: Starlo in SequenceShift has the same cowboy persona, but hides a more ruthless antihero side beneath that. However, even that's a mask for the same kind-hearted, dorky farmer who just wants to make his best friend happy.

Thanks for indulging in my ramblings. It's good to be talking about my AU again. If you wanna hear more about any of the other characters (or if I missed something about Starlo), feel free to hit me up!

[002yb]

r and r hehe

The mercenary's gaze shifts to take in the mess of battered bodies around them, sweeping over the carnage he wrought before stiffly turning to look at Jason.  For a long moment, he stares and Jason swallows thickly as he waits and braces.   What the hell is going on?  The Titans are all better than this.  They’ve faced tougher guys than this.  Just a few months ago they all fought an actual devil, so what the fuck is happening? Jason grits his teeth, a bloody snarl, and stands. It’s easier to fight alone, Jason realizes.  Easier to focus, easier to think.  All Jason has to worry about is himself and though his body hurts something fierce, it hasn’t given out yet so he persists.  There’s something familiar to the back and forth of the mercenary and him trading blows – the hits not so wicked in their strength or speed.  It makes Jason wonder if the mercenary has tired himself out.  It’s about fucking time.  Jason just needs to dig deep - he can do this.  He can win– But all at once, Jason gets turned around.  Chasing what feels like an afterimage of the mercenary because like fuck they aren’t going to finish this fight after everything.  Before Jason fully turns to throw down again though, the mercenary pulls Jason back by the cape - a forceful jerk followed by a bullet rushing past him and then a deafening, damning bang. Stillness follows.  Jason looks at where a bullet has lodged itself where he had been standing not seconds ago.  His heart hammers in his chest, ears ringing loud loud loud. Stiffly, Jason turns to look off to the side. Everyone else stares, too.  Wide-eyed and with bated breath as Deathstroke jumps down from his vantage point, striding past wasted Titans to his protege.  No one else seems to matter.  Maybe they don’t.  The only one of them Deathstroke ever cared for was Dick and Dick – he isn’t here. “What did I say about playing around?”  It’s a warning.  Discipline or threat?  It’s hard to tell the difference.  There might not be one.  For as long as it’s been, the sound of Deathstroke’s voice still strikes some amount of anxiety in him.  With how they’re positioned, Jason stands between the two of them – Deathstroke and… and who?  Deathstroke doesn’t see Jason though.  There’s no acknowledgement, no attention spared.  The man is cold when he says, “Take this seriously or I will.”

This is a follow up for another story I wrote way back when. Where dickjay are a little starcrossed. Dick goes missing, Jason puts up with a lot to find him, and Dick is confronted by just how far he'll go if it's Jason on the line (ft. Renegade!Dick. (*꒦ິ꒳꒦ີ)♡)

WIP Game

[gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan]

In the Sea of Glass

Author's Note: More of Catius in Living Waters AU. Thank you to @sleepyfan-blog for letting me borrow Cedric.

Summary: Catius is glad to reunite with Cedric, although he wishes he hadn't met that really scary and grumpy Chao Death Guard.

Warnings: None as far as I know. Let me know if you need me to add anything.

Past =-= Next

Tagged: @barn-anon, @bleedingichorhearts, @c-u-c-koo-4-40k, @egrets-not-regrets, @kit-williams,

Tagged continued: @sleepyfan-blog, @whorety-k, @ms--lobotomy @bispecsual @thevoidscreams

Tagged continued: @i-am-a-dragon34, @gra93fruit-blog

Being menaced by a really large Death Guard had been… anxiety inducing- he was glad that Cedric had come swiftly to help patch him up and take him away from the scowling Chaos Marine. There was an undercurrent of menacy and sickly sweet decay coming from the Nurgle Chaos Marine that had him cling closer to Cedric. Who thankfully held him just as closely, mostly carrying him to a safer location.

He listens as Cedric tells him that he'd met up with Claude- and once the Raven Guard Primaris Scout appears he gives him a grateful smile, "I'm glad to see both of you once more."

"It's good to see you again." Claude says, carefully giving him a hug- mindful of his injuries as he helps Cedric get Catius into a more comfortable position.

It will take a while for his wounds to heal- and he's to "stay put and rest." Those were the firm orders he'd gotten from Cedric who had used his Apothecary Voice on him.

As he doesn't have anywhere to be, and no orders or missions to do, he'd agreed easily. He'd help organize the cave that Claude and Cedric were sharing, counting supplies that they had pooled together and creating a list of supplies that they needed, supplies that they have, supplies that were nice to have, but not necessary.

He learns from Claude and Cedric that he's on Ancient Terra- and that while there are shoals of various chapters, Loyalist, Renegade, and Chaos alike. Not all of them are from the same time. They seem to come from all parts of the time line, from just the end of the Unification Wars, to their most current time, which is after the Primaris Roll out.

It takes a while for him to wrestle with that information and fully understand what that means. The implications of it, he gets to greet and inform Ramiel of when and where they are as well. Who- from the wounds on his chest- and accross his body, he'd come to Ancient Terra as he died in Cedric's arms.

Catius bows his head and prays in thanks to the Mercy of the God Emperor for bringing back Ramiel, and his treacherous, greedy hearts wonder if perhaps some of his brothers that were with him in complete and utter hell, that they would be able to be found and rescued. He is determined to recover- and help Ramiel recover.

He tries not to get too hopeful with his fellow Primaris Ultramarines abandoned by Captain Sicarius in the Warp will be found in time. If they have also been given this blessed second chance. He scratches one of his cheeks as he continues doing what he can, while stuck in a cave.

It's very boring, this recovery business and not having paperwork to help whittle away his time. He does use his time to watch over Ramiel, who's mostly sleeping off his wounds and making sure that Ramiel doesn't become feverish, and doing his best to make sure that Ramiel doesn't hurt himself in his screaming nightmares.

Catius is glad when Jophiel, Claude, and Cedric come back with stories of what they've been doing out of the cave, bringing him supplies to double check the quality of add carefully add to the supplies list that he'd created and updates. Making sure to carefully label and put things in its proper place.

When Jophiel starts talking about Lenora and Erriox- and how they were treating him, he's both glad and worried. Glad that his brother's gotten some guidance from older folks, who seem to be kind. Catius had heard the excited rants from Jophiel about "the Adoption ceremony that he'd gone through a couple of months later with Erriox and Lenora, and how he'd felt so loved and safe- and how Catius and the others should really, really come meet them. They are amazing and wonderful and lovely and safe."

"I'll think about it," Catius had told, mostly amused with Jophiel's antics.

When Cedric started talking about a couple of older Black Templars that he'd met- at first Catius had been alarmed and concerned. But the longer Cedric continued to meet with them, and how no wounds, mental or physical appeared on Cedric, the more cautious optimistic he'd become. Especially once Ramiel and he fully recovered and started to go out to hunt and gather things for their squad.

Ramiel also started to talk about Arnault and Roland and how Amazing they were and how he really should meet with them he'd pointed out, "I'm an Ultramarine- and most Older Black Templars, for reasons both sensible and not don't like my Chapter- what with certain… bad blood between them. I don't want to upset them… Or make them demand of you an 'us or them' scenario."

"I don't think they'd do that," Cedric protested.

"… Let me think on it," Catius replied- he'd had several protests and words he'd like to say, but now wasn't the time to get into an arguement and upset Cedric and Ramiel about potential conflicts that could be avoided by him not meeting Arnault and Roland.

Hopefully Cedric and Ramiel will drop this line of thinking. Although, he knows exactly how stubborn his brother-cousins can be, and know that they will back off on this issue for a while, before pestering him about it again. Jophiel had gotten Claude, Ramiel, and Cedric to meet Lenora and Erriox.

The things he heard about the adoptive parents of all them, had him amused and glad for them. He'd been concerned at first when they'd told him that Erriox is an Iron Warrior- but as he's a loyalist and in the ensuing months, none of them had been harmed by the First Born, tenatively he decided that Erriox could be safe.

He'd be able to get more of a full measure of who he is and what he's about when he meets Erriox and Lenora, as well and Roland and Arnault when he meets them personally. But for some reason his hearts race and his helmet tries to lock on for potential threats when he thinks about meeting any of them for some reason. He needs to find the source of this weakness and purge himself of it.