#i was away improving my shi

[ningyousaiban]

"one simple doodle before bed", I said at 12am

[natsmagi]

Different anon! But I have also spammed your account multiple times😭 BUT LIKE...The art is so good and it still stays true to the characters personality and appearance in my opinion. I need more NATSUMUGI and I need more WOMEN!!!

OHGUH THANK YOUUUUU 😭💕💕💕💕 im obv gonna be more critical of my own stuff as its my creations at the end of the day BUT IM GLAD PPL THINK EVEN MY OLD STUFF HOLDS UP...........heres to more years of drawing natsumugi and women ✊✊✊✊✊✊✊✊

[trans-leek-cookie]

seeing ppl shipping marcille n chilchuck just makes me. Okay this sucks man. Like these r the least 2 compatible Dungeon Meshi characters chilchuck is a full hater of magic and elves and shit and like. Yeah he can grow out of that but marcille should not have to deal with this idiot. He already lost one wife he doesn't need to be inflicted on more women

[lady-raziel]

here is my optimistic take re: the biden news. i think this should be an absolute motivator to vote blue as much as possible in november. while having a new candidate may slightly improve chances, harris will have to be selected outside the traditional candidate-choosing means-- meaning regular people didn't get a say.

while winning is vital to stopgap the changes the republicans want to make, this whole situation with biden and harris offers enormous leverage to demand reform to the party process and compel the democrats to take up policies that they've shied away from.

this situation explicitly came about because of a 25+ year history of the democrats favoring elites and not listening to the wishes of their voters on policy and candidate choices-- this all can be held up as a means to force the party to change and reform.

this is THEIR fuckup, and we cannot allow them to sweep it under the rug even if the democrats win in november.

[blowjob-horseguy]

Steve opened his eyes and above him was a pale man with long curly hair. It fell like buoyant curtains of ringlets from either side of his head, obscuring their surroundings. The man frowned down at him with a fierceness that made Steve think for a second they had met in a tavern one night and Steve had done something to slight him.

Steve opened his mouth to speak and felt a sharp edge be pushed harder onto his throat. Steve's vocal cords froze. Whatever he did, it was really bad. Steve runs through a quick memory catalogue of all the men he's slighted recently and how, so he could know what to start apologizing profusely for.

Did he sleep with his woman? Did he sleep with his man? Did he win too much money from him? Did he lose too much money to him? None of those seemed right.

He considered briefly that he perhaps slept with the man himself but quickly dismissed the idea. If he had bedded anyone with hair like that and this passionate a disposition, he would not need to search for the memory.

He looked closer at his features. Hair so long it could easily be a maidens, and so dark it was almost blue. Thick, furrowed brows and lips thin and white, pressed tight together, sandwiched by dimpled cheeks. His skin was pale enough to look sickly and almost green in hue. Steve definitely would have remembered this face had he seen it before.

"You are awake" said the man.

His voice dragged like wood over coarse sand: like he wasn't used to speaking outloud. Steve got a glimpse of his teeth, Sharp and thin, unlike any other human teeth he had ever seen.

A chill ran down Steve's spine as he realized why.

This is no man; this is a Merrow!

Steve's mother had told him tales of these creatures.

When Steve answered the call to the sea, his mother warned him; beware of the sea maidens they may seem beautiful on the shore, but when they lure you to their home you see their true colors. Green skin and scaley behinds. Teeth sharp enough to tear through flesh, and claws the same.

The men are said to be even uglier, with the faces of hogs and catfish, and they drag sailors down to their dens to enslave them for eternity.

Steve has always been cautious about these monsters; avoiding the bright red cap that was the telltale sign of a merrow. The others on the ship have always ridiculed him for it, and now here he is in one of theirs's clutches.

and it's not... unattractive. Strangely.

"Speak" The merrow demanded

"Please let me go" Steve spoke, his voice breaking embarrassingly.

"Go where" the merrows eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Back to my ship."

"You will attack me."

"No, I won't I promise. I'm a peaceful man, very peaceful. Couldn't hurt a fly, me. Wouldn't even know where to start."

The jagged thing at Steve's neck pressed into his skin a little harder, Steve tried to lift his chin as far as it could go to get away, but he felt a small sting as the device broke his skin.

"All men lie."

"I'm not lying, I would never lie" Steve lied.

While far from the swashbuckling type, he has never shied away from a fight, especially when it comes to protecting his fellow crewmates. He's only been on the ship a few years, but he has improved his fighting form considerably from the naive nobleman's son he once was.

While he's not going to say it out loud, he probably would attack the thing, if given the opportunity.

The merrow didn't respond, just bored dark pools of black into Steve's soul. Steve silently pleaded back with his own eyes, just wanting to get out of this situation alive.

"Release me, I beg of you. I will cause you no trouble."

"I do not believe you, you will leave this place and call fleets of your men here to hunt me down." The merrow said panic evident in his voice now.

Steve's own panic subsided for a moment and he realized this creature did not seek to kill him for pleasure, but to avoid being killed itself.

Steve took a chance and lifted his hand to touch the pale arm that held the merrow aloft above him in a gesture he hoped conveyed comfort. He did so slowly, as not to startle, and gently so the merrow knew he had no intention to harm. The merrow eyed him wildly and with fear, but it allowed itself to be touched.

It's skin was cool to the touch and droplets fell from its skin as Steve wrapped his hand around its wiry forearm.

Steve tried to reach for his signature charm, the one his father swears he learned from him.

"I promise, I mean you no harm. I have no fleets of men. Half my fellows are so foolish they could not hunt down their own behinds" Steve said.

The merrow stared at him, eyes shifting about, looking him up and down for any hint of deception.

"I will not hurt or attack you, please just remove this device from my neck."

The Merrow seemed to steal it's resolve for a moment. then slowly the pressure was removed from Steve's neck. and the merrow slunk into water.

Steve sat up on the rocky shore. Without the creature's hair blocking out their surroundings, Steve saw he was in some sort of watery cave. Dark grey walls surrounded him as far as he could see, and a vast black lake stretched out in front of him. If only Steve could remember how he got here.

He looked back at the creature and saw the object that had been held to his neck was a jagged, broken shell that hadn't yet been worn smooth by the ocean. The merrow still held it nervously as it bobbed in the water at Steve's feet.

Even with half of it's body submerged, the merrow was nearly eye level with Steve. So either the water is shallow here, or the creature is of substantial size.

"Does this mean I'm free to leave?" Steve asked.

The merrow shook it's head. Black curls shaking out droplets of water with the motion.

"I cannot be sure that you won't return with weapons or more men" it said, "I searched your person while you were asleep, I took the dagger that hung around your middle, and the one on your leg."

How long had Steve been unconscious?

"Did you steal me away from my ship?" he had to ask.

The merrow looked offended at the suggestion.

"Steal you away? You intruded onto my home!" it said as it started rising out of the water. A jet black tail emerging slightly from the grey ocean.

Steve shrunk down and put his hands up in surrender.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know. I have no memory of arriving here."

The merrow was taken aback at that and shrunk down into the water again.

"You don't remember?" it asked

Steve shook his head.

"You washed up onto my shore. No man has ever seen my shore before. Your treasures wash up here when your ships crash in the sea outside, but no man has ever washed up with them before." it said, clearly at unease with the idea.

Steves heart fell. Does this mean his ship crashed? Is he the lone survivor? he doesn't think he can take the thought of being left without the friends he's made on that vessel.

"Did- did anything else wash up with me?" Steve asked.

The merrow shook its head.

"There hasn't been a wreck near here in months."

Steve felt his spirit lift. That could mean his crew mates are alive and well!

But then how did he end up here? Steve tries to remember. His head aches something fierce.

"Why does your face look like that?" The merrow asked.

Rude.

"My head hurts"

The creature cocked its head to one side.

"You creatures are strange and delicate. Have you hurt yourself?"

"Hurt myself? I only just woke up! It's more likely you hurt me, than I hurt myself!"

Steve clutched his head in one hand and gestured at the creature with the other. He feels rather helpless in this situation.

"I did not hurt you! I removed you from the water. You creatures are not supposed to be in there!" The thing pointed towards Steve with its shell, as if illustrating what 'creatures' it was talking about.

"Well then, however I got to be there is how I hurt my head" Steve explained, aggravated by this easily excitable monster he's found himself with.

The creature frowned at him for a moment and then faster than anything it dove under the water. It's tail following behind it in a lithe arc like a sea serpent.

Perhaps it is a sea serpent. A strange shrill sea serpent with very soft skin.

Almost as fast as it left, the thing burst back out of the water.

Steve flinched away from the splash.

"Hold out your hand" the merrow demanded.

Steve held both his hands closer to his body.

"Why?"

The merrow lunged forward and grabbed one of Steve's hands.

Steve yelled, startled, his feet scrambled at the stones beneath him trying to get away from the shockingly strong and clamy hand that held his arm tight, but his leather soles slipped on the wet rock and Steve stayed put.

And then something slimy and oddly coarse fell into his palm.

The merrow shoved Steve's own hand towards his face.

It was seaweed.

"Wh-"

"Eat it."

Steve's eyes shot up to meet the merrow's.

"Raw?!"

"It helps me when my head hurts. It will help you."

Steve grimaced at the yellowish-brown pile in his hand.

"Is it medicinal in some way?"

"It is food."

"Ah."

The merrow starred at him expectingly.

Steve starred right back.

"I'm not going to eat this."

"Then your head will continue to ache."

"I don't think the lack of edible gunk is the cause of my headache, I believe it to be the same thing that's causing my amnesia" Steve said shaking the offending object out of his hand, "I must have hit my head when I was washing up on your shore."

"Like I said; you are strange delicate creatures," the merrow reached out his unoccupied hand towards Steve, "come into the water."

Steve leaned as far away as he could manage.

"So you can drown me?"

The Merrow rolled his eyes. It looked remarkably human in that instance.

"So I can heal you"

He doesn't know if it's delirium or blood loss, but Steve grabbed the pale hand in front of him and slid gently into the water.

The creature wrapped one arm around his waist and pulled him closer to it. Steve felt the scales of it's tale press against his thighs through his trousers as he was held aloft in the freezing water. His feet dangled and he couldn't feel a bottom to the lake, nor to the creatures tail.

The merrow threw the shell that was in it's other hand away somewhere and grabbed a handful of the black water. It brought it's hands up, dripping the water onto Steves head. The cold shock seemed to ease his pain. Steve closed his eyes at the relief.

He felt an even pressure on the top of his head. A tingling sensation washed over him, trickling from the point of pressure down his neck and over his shoulders. It sent Steve's body shivering.

He opened his eyes and was met by two dark eyes staring back at him. The merrow was less than an inch from his face. one of it's hands was firmly planted between his shoulder blades, and the other was atop his head emitting the magical sensation.

"You had a bump on your head."

"Had?"

"I rid you of it."

Steve felt the hand trail down from the top of his head through his hair- still wet from whatever circumstances lead him here- and down his shoulder.

He does not understand why a monster would heal him of a headache, but as he is held steady in its strong arms and feels it's breath against his lips he doesn't think it wise to ask too many questions.

"Thank you." He said.

The merrow let go of him, and Steve pulled himself back up onto the shore.

He heard a wet thunk beside him and turned to see the merrow had joined him on the rock. Its body was facing Steve and it's tail was splayed out in front of it bent at the midpoint as if the thing had knees.

It's tail alone was twice the length of Steve's entire body and it tapered along its length until exploding out into 2 wide tail fins that had the jagged edges of burned parchment.

Suddenly the creature unbent it's tail, laying it across Steve's body and curling the end slightly around his waist. it was surprisingly heavy and the large scales had the texture of smooth river stones against his abdomen.

Steve looked bewildered at the creatures face, who had the same fierce and angry look as when Steve first woke up.

"So you will not run away." it explained.

"how many times do I have to tell you, I will bring no harm to you, even if I escape."

"I cannot take that chance."

"How long will you keep me here then?"

The tail wrapped halfway around Steve's waist constricted slightly, almost causing him lose his balance. The creature beside him leaned in menacingly.

"You will stay here until I can be sure you can be trusted." it said.

"And when will that be, hmm? What could possibly convince you?" Steve asked.

The creature looked down at itself for a moment, seemingly thinking of a solution.

"I- I don't know. I will. I will know it when I know it."

"Oh! You will know it when you know it. Thats fantastic." Steve spat.

"Well you have done nothing to prove your trustworthiness to me thus far" The creature spat back.

"Exactly! I have done nothing! I have not attacked you, I have not tried to escape, I have made no attempts on your life. I have been a model captive! Whereas you, foul creature that you are, have threatened my life, stolen my belongings, and tried to feed me muck from the bottom of the ocean!" Steve had snapped, pushed to far by this infernal creature and it's damp dank lair "And now I find you have no plan for my release. You know, my mother used to tell me tales about you creatures, but she neglected to mention just how stupid you are!"

The creature just looked at him, dumbstruck by his outburst.

It uncurled it's tale from around Steve's waist and moved it back into the water. It slid it's body so it was sitting beside Steve, instead of facing him.

"What is your name?" the merrow asked.

"What?" Steve replied

"What is your name?"

"Is this some kind of trick?"

"No. You say you have been a model captive; I wish to be a model captor. What is your name?" it looked at him with pleading eyes.

Steve sighed and ran a hand over his face. What has his life come to?

"Steve, my name is Steve." He said.

"And you do not eat seaweed, Steve."

"I-" Steve groaned, "I eat seaweed, of course I do, I live on a ship. I just don't eat it raw and fresh from the bottom of a pit is all."

"So how do you eat it." The creature asked.

"You let it dry and cure, you boil it over a flame. Do you know what flame is?" Steve asked.

The creature rolled its eyes again.

"Yes, I know what flame is. If I build you one will you eat?"

Steve was taken aback. The monster is worried about him eating?

"I- yes, I suppose" Steve stammered, "do you also have a pot to boil water in?"

"A bucket washed up last month, will that do?"

"Why yes that will do greatly" Steve said.

The creature quickly disappeared into the water.

Steve sat back on his hands; confused and... oddly touched by the gesture.

Despite the creature's constant suspicion, Steve hadn't even considered just swimming out of here. Mainly due to the fact that he has no idea where he is, if there is land near here, where his ship is, or even how to find the opening to this cave in such dark conditions.

He is tired and befuddled, his wet clothing is sticking to his skin uncomfortably, he is chilled by the air and sore from the hard rock, and now that he thinks about it, he is near starving. So, he truly does appreciate the Merrow's offer to build him a fire.

The merrow reappeared holding a rusty bucket aloft the water's surface. It handed the bucket to Steve, who found dry wood, flint, and a knife at the bottom of it.

Steve smiled.

"Where did you find all this stuff?" he asked

"Treasures wash up here after shipwrecks, I told you that before," The merrow said pulling itself back onto the rock, "now would you like to build the fire yourself, or shall I?"

.....

Steve started the fire, closer to the cave wall than to the edge of the water, and set the bucket, now full of water, carefully in the middle of the flames. It will take awhile before the water boils, but that just gives Steve time to lay his clothes out to dry.

He rid himself of his trousers first, the wet denim was the greatest offender to his skin, and his white linen shirt came after it. He laid them both flat in front of the fire.

He looked around, the creature was still gathering food. He's grateful, he feels oddly modest about being in the nude in front of the merrow.

Steve was crouched down warming his hands in front of the flames when he heard a telltale splash from behind him. He covered himself with his hands and whipped around to see the merrow had returned with 2 handfuls of seaweed and a small fish caught in its mouth.

It looked Steve up and down from its place in the water and then released the fish from its jaws onto the rock.

"Your clothes are gone," it pointed out.

Steve gestured with his chin to where they lay in front of the fire.

"I'm drying them."

"Ah," it said lifting itself by the elbows up onto the shore, "come take this stuff from me, I can't get over to you, it's difficult to move across land in this form."

Steve walked over to the merrow and grabbed the fish and seaweed from it.

"You say in this form; do you have another?" he asked

The merrow eyed him oddly.

"I thought your mother told you of us?" it asked.

"Well, yes, but she also told me the men of your species have the faces of hogs. As you clearly do not look like a hog, I figured she may have gotten some things wrong."

The edges of the merrows mouth twitched upward. It- it's smiling!

"I have a legged form as well. I could get my cap and join you for dinner?" It said.

So, she was right about the caps too. At least Steve hasn't been paranoid about nothing.

"Thats not necessary." Steve said, though he must admit he was curious.

Steve walked back to the fire and dumped the fish and seaweed into the water that had started to form small bubbles. They still had a while to go.

Steve turned back to the merrow, who was sitting on the rock, splayed out, scales and all, like some kind of ancient stone carving. It looked up at Steve, waiting for him to say something. Steve felt the need to cover himself again, the gaze of this creature is just so insistent, but he thought the act would just draw more attention to the area. Instead, he decided to ask something that had been nagging at him.

"Do you have a name?"

The merrow was taken aback for a moment before it answered.

"I was called Edward once."

"Once?"

"I was banished by my people to this cave, I haven't been called anything since then." it said, eyes going sad for a moment before snapping out of it.

"Edward the Banished" Steve mumbled.

"I suppose," Edward said squirming uncomfortably.

Steve hadn't expected him to hear that.

"I left my home to follow a friend onto a pirate ship that I quickly found was made up of novices who had never seen the inside of a ship before."

Edward raised his eyebrows at that.

"I see. 'can't hunt down their own behinds' indeed."

Steve breathed out a small laugh.

"I wasn't lying."

"Hmm..." the creature's mouth flattened into a thin line once more.

It doesn't believe him, not entirely.

No matter! Steve is just glad that it calmed down enough to allow him food and freedom of movement.

When the food was finished cooking Steve brought the bucket over to where Edward was sitting, or laying... where Edward was beached.

It frowned at him.

"You are sharing with me?"

"You caught it for me," Steve said taking a bit of meat from the fish.

It was saltier than he prefers it, but at least it was food. Which reminds him.

"Did I still have my water when I arrived here?" he asks.

"The bladder you had around your belt?"

Steve nodded.

"Yes, I took it along with your knives, I thought it had potential as a weapon," The merrow said, gnawing on seaweed.

"How long was I unconscious?"

The merrow frowned at his food.

"I'm not sure. The sun was just starting to set when I found you by the mouth of the cave, and it was fully dark when you awoke."

That means it could be as little as 5- 10 minutes.

"Do you need me to bring you your water?" Edward asked still gnawing.

"I would like that yes, but where is it that you go to fetch these things."

Edward looked him in the eye, squinting to see any hint of devious intentions on his face. Steve is getting tired of the scrutiny.

"I'm not going to tell you where your knives are, but I will bring you your water." the creature said slithering away into the depths once again.

Steve sat there, bare as the day he was born, and wondered what it would take to get this thing to trust him enough to let him go.

When the merrow came back with his bladder of water Steve tried not to drink it all in one gulp. It was so refreshing, and he was so thirsty, but he doesn't know how long he will have to be here, so he needs to ration.

"I have decided how you will earn my trust." Edward said out of the blue.

Steve nearly spilt his drink in his excitement. He put his water down and wiped his chin.

"What is it?" he asked.

"You will tell me more about your ship, and I will go out in search of it to see if the stories you tell are true." it said tapping its tale against the stone it sat on in no particular rhythm. it looked nervous about this plan.

"You'll find my ship?" Steve asked, amazed at his own luck.

"You will come with me so I know where you are, and I'm not giving you back your weapons, and I will keep tight hold of you, and if I find your ship and it is not the novices you said it was, I will leave you stranded on a sand bar," it said sternly.

"Okay! what do you want to know first?" Steve asked leaning forward, excited to get the process started.

"Tomorrow, you will tell me about your ship tomorrow. Now it is time to sleep" it said and then swam away.

It is a strange and confusing creature.

Still, Steve curled up on his clothes in front of the fire and eagerly laid down his head to rest. He at last sees hope of escape, and he can't wait until tomorrow.

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Idia Shroud - Room Relaxation Vignette

"Happy Birthday"

[Mister S's Mystery Shop]

Idia: …Hrrm, I can't find the 15th Anniversary special Star Rogue diorama.

Idia: I told Sam-shi I'd look for it myself, so I wouldn't have to deal with him talking to me, but… There's way too much stuff here to look through!

Idia: And I came all this way 'cause I wasn't fast enough to get it online.

Idia: I can't go back empty-handed after telling Ortho that there's no way I wouldn't get my hands on one as a number one fanboy!

Idia: Oho? This shelf over here has a ton of specialty figures and other hobby stuff… EEHHHH!?

[products fall of shelf]

Idia: OUCH! OW OW OW!!

Jack: Woah!? That was close! Some of the falling goods almost scraped by my nose…

Idia: I-I-I didn't do anything! They just fell off on their own since they were thrown haphazardly onto the shelf!!

[Idia runs away]

Jack: Huh? No one said it was your fault or nothin'…

Jack: …What the, he's already gone! Idia-senpai… He looks slow and frail, but is he secretly actually pretty nimble?

Jack: Oh, man, and he just left everything on the ground. Ugh, I guess I'll have to…

Jack: …Hm? Isn't this box the one Ortho mentioned today…?

[Ignihyde Dorm – Idia's Room]

Idia: …Haah. And in the end, I just ran away… Without a Star Rogue diorama…

Idia: It's all because they sold it first-come-first-serve, instead of pre-order... Not my fault what happened earlier…

Idia: If I went back now, that terrifying beast of a man from Savanaclaw might still be there. I'll try again tomorrow…

Idia: K. Now that I've decide that, time to get all the annoying dorm work stuff done!

Idia: Uhhh, so, the notices I have to give the other dorm students are… Oh, right, the equipment replacement schedule, and the AC inspection time.

Idia: Just in case, I'll add "Important", "Good News", "Response Required", and "Read Immediately" to the subject… K, sent.

Idia: It sure is hard work bein' a Housewarden. Thought it's not that bad since I implemented a chat app once I became Housewarden.

Idia: Efficiency above all! No face-to-face meetings! Conserving my own energy is the best way to do things!

Idia: Finished all my Housewarden tasks, and even took a shower, as annoying as it is. I'm awesome. I'd give myself 100,000,000 points out of 100.

Idia: Nice, so… It's finally me time!

[Ignihyde Dorm – Idia's Room]

Idia: Ah, I got a message from Ortho… He's spending the night in the first year rooms, huh.

Idia: Then, I guess I can just game all night by myself! Fheeheehee!

 [beep, beep!]

Idia: Hm…? What's with this reminder…? Man, right when I was getting into things.

「Survey on Quality of Life Improvements for the Student Body」

Idia: Ugh.. Right, that was a thing. You don't really see paper surveys anymore. Let me think, it should be around… Yep, here it is.

Idia: Uhhh, so what, they want to know what I'd like improved? I mean, kinda late to ask a third-year, isn't it? I can't really think of anything.

Idia: Sides, there were stuff I used to not like about the dorm, but I already made upgrades to all that stuff.

Idia: We soundproofed the walls and floors, installed commercial-grade AC, and the dorm-wide servers are of my own technical specs.

Idia: To live the perfect shut-in life, we can't not have walls that can't take loud shouting, or ACs that can't keep overclocked PCs cool, so～

Idia: …Ah, wait a mo'. I just thought of one issue I got. "There's not enough electrical outlets"!!

Idia: This kinda stuff needed specialized qualifications to do, so it's not like I coulda bought the parts and DIY it.

Idia: I'm using a power strip for now 'cause I have to, but I hate how the wiring just looks like spaghetti. Even a master wiring tech like myself can't stand a sight like that!

Idia: Oh, I just thought of one more thing. "I want to have the low-capacity breaker replaced"!

Idia: It's so weak that the breaker flips just 'cause I try to have 4 computers, the server, a 3D printer, microwave, and electric kettle all plugged in at once!

Idia: I mean, I'd set up a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) system in case of emergencies, so my computers and server was fine, but...

Idia: Because of that, my plan to add an AC unit and a refrigerator in my room went out the window. That was a nightmare. Oh, and…

Idia: …Dyehehe. I said I couldn't really think of any, but it's hilarious how the ideas keep flowin' out.

Idia: I'll attach some of the numbers we have on the cost of estimated damages by having Ignihyde students continue to use those useless breakers.

Idia: The Headmage is pretty much influenced by profits, so. If I explain how it's necessary to get better equipment, then he might listen to improvement suggestions.

Idia: Nice, mission clear. Time to watch some new anime episodes while grinding levels in my gams.

Idia: See, nothing beats watching anime while mindlessly leveling… Ooh, I pulled a rare one!

Idia: I thought I'd be bored of this anime 3 episodes in, too, but it's actually starting to get interesting!

Idia: Well, now that the mood's getting good, I just gotta let loose! TIME FOR A SNACK PARTY!!

Idia: …Huh? I'm out of my favorite snack. Ugh, I completely forgot to re-order some more when I ate all of it last time.

Idia: If only the Mystery Shop had 24-hour delivery service… Maybe I should add that to the survey?

Idia: Nah, nevermind, I should just focus on the anime. NOTHING'S GONNA BRING ME DOWN!

Idia: Woah, the animation's clean…! They're all movin' so smoothly… Maybe the production team changed this week?

Idia: I'm getting pretty into the main theme song, too! Heehee, fheeheehee…!

[Ignihyde Dorm – Idia's Room]

Idia: Urrghnn… Aaarghh…

[～♪]

Idia: Gah! Urgh, what's that noise…? What time is it right now…?

Idia: Urk! Everything's so bright, I can't see anything… How's it morning already…? Wait, before that, where'd that noise come from…!?

Idia: Huh…? Ortho…? Weren't you spending the night with the other first years…? Oh wait, is this just a message…?

Idia: "HAPPY BIRTHDAY"…? Oh, right, today's my birthday! I completely forgot, since there wasn't anything to look forward to…

Idia: I'll just write back… Thanks, Ortho.

Idia: Urp…! But now I feel a bit sick…! And my whole body hurts…!

Idia: I fell asleep running my games, and I'm just stiff all over. Can't I just go move to my bed and go back to sleep?

Idia: Nah, if I end up crashing and forget to login and get all the birthday login voice lines, I'll never recover. Gotta wash my face or something…

Idia: Woah, I can see how crazy my bedhead is reflected in the monitor! I think this every time, but why does my hair end up this bad whenever I fall asleep at my desk?

Idia: Kinda looks punk, but that's totally a different vibe from my usual, lawl.

Idia: Meh, my hair can be whatever. Not like anyone looks at me, anyway.

Idia: It's a pain to go all the way to the washroom… I'll just use magic like I normally do. I'll chill the water, then.

[splash!]

Idia: WHEEEEW, THAT COLD WATER HITS JUST RIGHT!!

Idia: Normally, I'd just leave it here, but… My face feels so dry after pulling that all-nighter.

Idia: But I'm all good. I'm a functioning nerd, so I know how to fix it.

Idia: Ta-da～ I don't really get it, but here I go with the number one most popular all-in-one cream～

Idia: Putting on lotion and moisturizer one at a time is a waste of time. Just plap it on, and ta-da, done. Next is my clothes…

Idia: Nah, nevermind, I'm not gonna change. Now all I have to do is to jump into all my games and collect the birthday login voice lines. Fheeheehee.

Idia: Perf, I've gotten them all for now. …Huh? There's another message from Ortho…

Idia: …HUH!? HE GOT THE 15TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL STAR ROGUE DIORAMA!? SERIOUSLY!?

Idia: "I was planning on picking it up in the Mystery Shop after classes, but if you can't wait, you can go pick it up whenever"…?

Idia: Well, I gotta go right now, then! That means I have to finish getting ready.

Idia: I don't really wanna go outside, but… I can't keep my poor Star Rogue waiting! Hyah!

[Idia magics hair and clothes]

Idia: K, bedhead fixed. And now, onwards, to the Mystery Shop!!

[Main Street]

Idia: Fheeheehee…! Look at this craftsmanship…! It looks just like the scene I imagined as a kid!

Idia: Ortho… Did you look for this Star Rogue diorama because you knew I was sad I didn't get it?

Idia: Wheew～ The best thing in the world is a little brother who thinks the world of his older brother, and is really good at search functions～!

Jack: Hm? Is that… Idia-senpai? Good morning.

Idia: GYAAAAAA!? J-Jack-shi…? Why are we making contact two days in a row…?

Jack: I mean, it's not really anything, but… I heard from Ortho yesterday that today was your birthday, is all.

[Idia runs away]

Jack: Happy Birthday. So, uh, did you get what you were looking…

Jack: Huh, he's already gone! Ugh, I don't get him at all.

Requested by @farfalla049.

[tired-truffle]

Even the Gods Cry For Us

A Viktorxfem!reader fic

Chapter Word Count: 3k

Part 6/17

Tag list: @im-just-a-simp-le-whore @potatointhedirt (if anyone else would like to be tagged with future updates let me know!)

"I am not a creature that was born. I am a fire that was set." - Amy King

Warnings: Descriptions of throwing up.

Masterlist

“Could you…remove the Hexcore?” 

You lifted your head, unsure if you’d heard him correctly or if your ears were playing tricks on you, again. 

“What?” 

“If it was absorbed, theoretically it could be extracted. Though it may require specific methods, it could be worth investigation.” He rubbed his chin, his gaze focused on something unseen. 

“I…guess so, but I have no idea how. And then I couldn’t use it to heal you.” 

“But it would not be putting you at risk,” he countered, hands folded together in his lap, legs stretched out. You’d bundled yourself in blankets as the evening chill set in, that he was so unaffected was…strange, but not necessarily bad. 

“I’m not trading my safety for yours.” The argument was tired, going around and around in the same circles, neither of you willing to budge after your bout of sickness. Viktor remained convinced that it was magic-induced and outright refused to allow you to try again. That he was entertaining anything to do with you and the Hexcore was a welcome improvement, but you didn’t love the direction it was heading. 

A spark hopped across the ground and disappeared into the leg of his pants. “It is entirely theoretical.” He pulled the spark out of his pant leg, setting it down on his knee where it seemed to happily glow. “But given our current, hm, situation, I thought it worthy of suggestion.”

You worried your bottom lip between your teeth. “I wouldn’t even know where to start.” 

“Neither would I, but we can think about it, yes?” And when he tilted his head, his eyes wide and curious as he smiled softly at you, a warmth bloomed within your chest. 

“Nothing wrong with thinking.” You grinned, the sparks jumping from your shoulders and bouncing around the blanket, shrieking their approval. Or disapproval, it was difficult to tell. 

Thinking…well, even if the Shimmer had turned your brain into mush, keeping your emotions in check and your magic at bay was a constant distraction, requiring active thought and supervision. While you tried your best to dedicate time to figuring out how to remove the Hexcore from your body, the moment you acknowledged its existence, the whispers would begin again. 

The sun had set and risen again, making a full day since Viktor had broached the subject - and you were no closer to solving anything.

Each time you tried to focus on it, your mind shied away. Your frustration grew with each passing moment, feeling like a helpless child struggling to grasp a concept beyond their understanding.

And when you were frustrated, so too were the sparks. They jumped and darted around, buzzing like bees and radiating bright light as they tickled and bothered both you and Viktor. He seemed unfazed by their antics, his curiosity piqued instead. But for you, the sparks were aggravatingly close to pushing you over a precarious edge that you had been desperately trying to avoid.

When a spark all but slapped you in the face, it took one blink for the floorboards beneath your feet to shatter with a deafening bang, splinters and shards flying in all directions.

Where you had once been standing on solid ground, open air had taken its place. Time seemed to freeze as you found yourself suspended in space, like a character in a cartoon who had unwittingly run off the edge of a cliff. But this was no slapstick comedy – you had shattered the floor beneath you, leaving behind a gaping hole that offered no hope for you to grab the edges. 

Time resumed, and you fell like a ragdoll, too shocked to shriek. The ceiling may not have been terribly high, but it meant that you had limited space to brace yourself and no time to react, landing hard on your side with a definitive thud. In an attempt to shield your head, you managed to get one arm beneath you, but it offered little protection against the impact. Like a vacuum had sucked the air from your lungs, the force of the blow knocked the wind out of you, leaving you gasping and struggling for breath, back arched as your body strained. And fuck, did your side ever hurt. Though thankfully it was on your unburned side, the wounds from before still pulsing with raw sensitivity. Despite their miraculous healing, you knew it wouldn't be good for them to be tested so soon. But the pain radiated up your ribcage, through your arms, and down your legs, protesting the abuse you’d put it through, however accidental. 

“Milá!” Viktor’s head popped over the edge of the hole, eyes wide with concern. “Are you alright?”

You groaned your response, dizzy from the pain, your tongue thick and unable to form a coherent response. Footsteps creaked along the floorboards - the ones you hadn’t destroyed - as Viktor hurriedly made his way to you. 

Out of the corner of your eye, you could see the sparks crawl up your body, making mournful noises as though this was not their fault. But it wasn’t fair of you to blame them entirely, if you hadn’t gotten frustrated it wouldn’t have set them off, and if you’d had better control of your magic, you wouldn’t have blown a hole in the floor. 

Viktor was kneeling beside you before you could decide whether or not you wanted to flick the sparks away in petulant punishment, brushing the hair from your face. Such deep concern filled his features, and you managed to weakly flop your hand onto his legs in what was meant to be a reassuring gesture but felt more like the death throes of an injured fish. 

“I’m okay,” you wheezed as air returned to your lungs, your body gulping it down greedily.

His eyes narrowed, unconvinced. “I will believe that when I see it.” 

“Fair enough.” The wheeze had lessened, but as you picked yourself up off the floor, Viktor adding your efforts with gentle hands, it refused to abate completely. “If I don’t lose my mind on my own, these things are gonna do it for me.” 

Your eyes shot daggers at the sparks, their tiny, flickering forms illuminating your grimace of pain. Your glare proved effective, and the sparks scurried away, seeking refuge within the folds of Viktor's cloak, emitting faint whimpers of fear as they went.

“They did not shred the floor, lǎsko.” Though sweet in his reminder, you could hear a hint of amusement in his voice. How rude, you’d fallen through the floor and he was trying not to laugh at you. 

“You sure lǎsko doesn’t mean clumsy idiot? Seems apt, in this case.”

“You may be clumsy, but you are no idiot,” he said, holding your hand tenderly in his. 

You huffed, ignoring the slight blush that accompanied his touch. “You have two, technically three, names for me but I don’t have any for you.”

“I do have a name, you know,” he said with a cheeky grin that had you rolling your eyes. 

“Yes, Viktor, but not a pet name.” 

“That is good as I am not an animal one keeps in their home for companionship.” 

You choked on a laugh that stuck itself to the back of your tongue. “You know what I mean.” 

“I do,” he conceded, “but I enjoy hearing you say my name, there is no need for any others.” 

Your lips parted, eyes widening a fraction as you stared at him. As if your blush hadn’t been bad enough before, surely you looked like a ripe tomato now. 

“Um…” You blinked heavily. “I, uh, thank you?” 

“You are most welcome, lǎsko,” he said with a lopsided smile that made your heart race. “How are you feeling now?” 

The change in topic had you crinkling your nose, your mind spinning out of orbit as it tried to grapple with the question. 

“What do you—“ You cut yourself off, understanding dawning like the sun rising on the horizon. “Ah, right, my fall.” Assessing yourself, poking and prodding at your limbs, you said, “I’ll have some bruises, but otherwise I think I should be fine.” 

Clicking his tongue on the back of his teeth, he placed the back of his hand on your forehead. “I am not sure, you seem to be quite warm. Another fever?” 

You slapped his hand away, leaning forward to hide your embarrassment in his chest instead. “Shut up,” you grumbled, no bite to your tone. Even at his most annoying, you would hang onto his every word, for you never knew which could be his last. 

The Undercity was never without its dangers. Even on the edge of it as you were, you should have known better than to have expected otherwise. Sure, you’d heard or seen the odd person wandering through the streets, but as far as you’d been aware, none had seen you, or bothered to enter the house that belonged to the glowing, ghostly apparition of a woman with twisted scars and vibrant pink eyes. 

But loud noises often attract the curious, malicious intent or otherwise, and in this place of kill or be killed, it was most likely the former. They came at night while you slept - as far away from the hole as possible - wrapped in your blankets together. The other room had a broken window, and while it was less of a danger of rolling into and falling out of in the night, the draft was less than ideal. 

A sharp creak pierced the night's silence, jolting you awake. Heart pounding, you reached over and shook Viktor, his eyes snapping open. "What's wrong?" he whispered urgently, sensing your distress.

"I heard something. Downstairs," you hissed back, straining your ears.

Another drawn-out creak, closer this time. Unmistakably coming from the staircase. Your stomach twisted into a cold knot of dread.

You and Viktor lay frozen, scarcely daring to breathe. The darkness pressed in, smothering and opaque. Seconds stretched into a taut eternity.

Nothing. No further sounds. The house settled back into eerie quiet, floorboards no longer protesting under unknown weight.

You started to relax fractionally, shoulders loosening. Maybe it had just been the old building groaning and shifting on its ancient foundations, noises distorted by your hyper-alert senses.

Then - a splintering crash as the door burst open, slamming against the wall. Three dark silhouettes filled the doorframe, blades glinting in their hands. Malicious intent electrified the air.

Pure, visceral terror turned your blood to ice. It clawed its way up your throat, as sharp and bitter as bile. The most primal parts of your brain screamed Danger! Run!

But there was nowhere to flee. You were trapped, at the dubious mercy of these armed intruders who had stalked through the cover of darkness to find you defenseless.

Hideous scenarios flashed through your mind in the stretched second before anyone moved - those wicked knives slicing into vulnerable flesh, hot blood spilling across the floor, Viktor's body lying motionless.

A choked whimper fell from your lips. Sparks crackled to life, dancing across your skin in frantic agitation, reflecting your skyrocketing fear.

Viktor's hand found yours, gripping tight enough to hurt. The small pain grounded you, keeping the threatening panic at bay.

Drawing a shuddering breath, you forced yourself to meet the cold eyes of the man in the center. His dead gaze made your skin crawl, promising only cruelty and suffering.

"Hiding away quality material like that in an abandoned hovel." His voice was a dark rasp, scraping over your frayed nerves like rusted nails. "Looks like it's our lucky night, boys."

Cliche and overused as it was, the other two snickered, an ugly sound. They began to advance into the room, floorboards whining under their heavy tread. The door swung shut with a hollow bang, sealing you in with the intruders.

There would be no escape. Fight or surrender were the only options…and you had never been one to give up easily. Power crackled through your veins, gathering in your palms, ready to lash out.

A piercing shriek tore from your throat as the men lunged forward, blades flashing. Terror turned your blood to icy sludge in your veins. Viktor struggled to rise beside you but you were faster, adrenaline flooding your system. You flung out your hands, raw power surging through you in a crackling wave.

The men slammed against the far wall with sickening crunches, pinned like moths in an entomologist's collection. Knives clattered to the floor. Savage satisfaction warred with the gibbering panic still tearing at your mind.

But your control was tenuous at best. Fear cracked it wide open, and something far more sinister rushed in to fill the void. The Hexcore pulsed to malevolent life within you, seizing on your wild emotions like a starving beast. Whispers snaked through your head, dark and seductive.

“Yessss…let go. Embrace the power. Make them pay for daring to threaten you.”

Oily shadows unfurled from deep inside, foreign and familiar all at once. They wrapped around your magic, seeking to bend it to their will.

“Surrender. Stop fighting your true nature and burn them to ash. Take what is yours by right!”

Violet light flared beneath your skin, pulsing in time with your thundering heart. The shadows pushed, clawing for freedom, straining against the weakening barrier of your willpower.

Distantly, you heard Viktor shouting your name, sensed him struggling to reach you. But he seemed impossibly far away, reality fading behind a haze of fear and the Hexcore's growing influence.

“I will feast on your terror, gorge myself on destruction until nothing else remains.”

Dread turned your stomach inside out. Tears burned your eyes, blurring your sight. The core's insatiable hunger gnawed at your soul, spurring your magic to new heights without consent.

Helpless, you could only watch in horror as amethyst flames roared from your outstretched hands, engulfing the paralyzed men. Their agonized screams raked like molten claws down your spine. The stench of charring meat assaulted your nostrils.

Then, abruptly, the screams cut off. The flames winked out. Nothing remained of the intruders except piles of grey-black ash and a few smouldering embers. Their life force hung heavy on your skin, a pall of released essence.

With a surge of vicious delight, the Hexcore ripped it asunder, devouring the men's fundamental energies and weaving them into itself. Its triumphant laughter reverberated through your skull.

You crashed to your knees, doubling over as violent nausea seized your gut. Bile scorched up your throat and you retched, emptying the meagre contents of your stomach onto the floor. Tears streamed down your face, mingling with the sweat beading your brow.

The horrific scene replayed in your mind's eye - the men's bodies consumed by searing flames, flesh blackening and peeling, inhuman screams of agony torn from their throats before they crumbled to ash. Just like Sky. Butchered by the same unholy power now pulsing beneath your skin.

Oh god, what have I done? The thought reverberated through your skull, edged in hysteria. You squeezed your eyes shut but couldn't block out the gruesome images seared into your brain. The scent of charred meat lingered, cloying and rancid.

Another wave of nausea crashed over you, stomach heaving. Nothing came up but thin strings of acid that burned your raw throat. Hacking coughs wracked your frame as you fought to breathe past the choking revulsion.

With a shaking hand, you swiped at your mouth, smearing bile across your lips. The back of your throat felt scoured raw. Shudders rolled through you, aftershocks of disgust and self-loathing.

How could you have lost control so completely? Allowed the Hexcore to puppeteer your magic, twisting it into something so destructive and cruel? Guilt crushed your lungs until each breath was a laboured wheeze.

“Did you think it was over?” The Hexcore’s voice slithered into your ear, wiggling towards your brain, sending your balance off kilter and you fell to the side. “You’re mine.”

It purred, shadows twining sinuously up your arms. Its power crashed into you like a freight train, obliterating any sense of control. You were nothing more than a conduit for the violent torrent of energy, a helpless leaf tossed on the wind.

Unbridled purple lightning crackled across your skin as the Hexcore's power surged through you, wild and ravenous. It sank barbed hooks into your magic, wrenching control from your grasp with ruthless glee. Inky tendrils burrowed deeper, piercing your mind, your soul, until you couldn't discern where you ended and the Hexcore began.

Agony exploded behind your eyes, whiting out your vision. Your skull felt like it was splitting in two as the Hexcore's malevolent presence expanded, devouring your consciousness bite by bite. Razor-edged shadows shredded through mental barriers like tissue paper, laying your most intimate thoughts bare.

Distantly, you felt your body convulse, back arching as unholy energy ripped through you. Your mouth stretched wide in a soundless scream, vocal cords paralyzed.

Reality splintered around the edges as the arcane storm raged, warping your perceptions. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, each second stretching into a small eternity of agony.

“What would you do if I drained him too? Turned him to ashes, sucked out his marrow.”

Desperation lacerated your heart. You couldn't lose him, not like this. Viktor was your anchor, your safe harbour in the storm. A lifeline tethering you to your humanity as the Hexcore sought to supplant your identity. Without him…

You didn’t know where he was, couldn’t sense anything outside of the Hexcore’s influence, but you fought for him all the same. Clenching your teeth until your jaw ached, you rallied the last tattered shreds of your willpower.

"No!" you screamed inside your mind, the word reverberating through your skull like a war cry. "I won't let you have him!"

The Hexcore snarled in fury, shadows lashing against your mental defences like whips. Each blow felt like a red-hot poker stabbing into your brain, but you refused to yield.

Pouring all your desperate need to save him into a burst of sheer stubborn will, you rallied your power and slammed it against the Hexcore's invasive presence like a battering ram. Something cracked and splintered, unholy energy sparking along your nerve endings.

"Get. Out. Of. My. Head!" you gritted out through clenched teeth, punctuating each word with a vicious mental shove.

Push, push, you kicked, you bit, you raged against its hold. You would not be controlled, it would yield to you.

Push, push, and - your vision blacked out, your body went numb and your screams were drowned out by the roar of power as your magic exploded.

Next Chapter

A/N: Next chapter will be out tomorrow!

Join us on Discord for memes, edits, good times, and updates!

[shakytailstudios]

The Dueling Fates of the Guardian Neos & Lady Glasswing

In a world familiar yet strange, tragedy and a gifted Butterly pendant sends a child on a dangerous and destructive path in a bid to undo what was wrought.

While circumstances and the will of the Kami see a very different child granted an opportunity to be something she never truly thought possible, a hero.

These designs are for an AU, I have outlined but only written a fraction of, where in Marinette and Chloe oppose one another as the mysterious Lady Glasswing and the fiery Neo Guardian of the Kwami.

Thematically, its centered-on idea relating to "good victims" and "Bad victims" and how that status impacts victims. How systemic and social failures can lead to destructive and harmful behaviors while support and guidance can serve to correct and heal.

Both would serve as sort of mirrors to one another, spoilers below:

Chloe was a "bad victim" in response to emotional and psychological neglect and abuse. Which largely caused her to act out in harmful ways and be rejected, only reinforcing her behavior.

Marinette was a "Good Victim" after a tragedy. She didn't make waves or lash out, didn't try to cause trouble & so didn't get the support she needed & began spiraling as a result.

Thanks to the support of the Kwami and a growing team of people who refuse to be chased away by her temper as well as an outlet that sees her getting positive feedback, Chloe begins to heal and improve.

Meanwhile Marinette's increasing alienation from people born of systemic and social failures, exaggerated by the Butterfly's use see her becoming more destructive and callous in her isolation.

Thematically and narratively, the idea would also be for Chloe's attitude to steadily shift from "Spite/defeat Lady Glasswing no matter what" to "Save Marinette from herself the way others saved me."

Notes:

Glasswing is also a type of Butterfly and rather fitting as Marinette comes to believe her Akuma are forcing people to show their true selves. She also has to Akumify Caterpillars into cocoons to get butterfly's.

Chloe starts out constantly swapping between Kwami and so doesn't have a "Designated" Kwami, but she trends towards Sass for the Second Chance theming and Roaar for the combative outlet, her suit adapts its colors to her Kwami.

The team is loosely made up of:

Adrien - Horse & Ladybug

Sabrina - Fox & Turtle

Zoe - Black Cat & Dog

Kagami - Dragon & Peacock

Fei Wu - Mei-Shi & Mouse

Lamb & Rooster are indetermined, & I'd be using my 12/15 Kwami Lore, seen over on my main blog.

Lila would have Trixx at the start but lose him due to irresponsibility in the field due to fame-seeking. She ends up wielding the stolen Prodigious on Marinette's side while beginning to realize she is in over her head.

Ironically, with no Gabriel to ruin her life, Fei's much more well off but wants the Prodigious back.

[cconfusedkat]

I think the reason why I have a tendency to draw new things every few months is bc im Still relatively new to digital art and always wonder how much i improve in months

So mainly it's for my sake because im like Oh wait ive been drawing this character differently recently ?? And then Boom i take my eyes away for one second and theres redesigns

Plus instead of making clothing so complex i decided to go w my heart and base their clothes off of how id characterize them If That Makes Sense ,, i figure kallamars is the most obvious one for him being a tailor for example

Whereas shamura is the (main) undertaker , Leshy and Heket are the two missionary party leaders , and Narinders isnt very obvious but hes considered the gladiator :-3c

Lamb and Goat (Allure & Giuseppe) are the two leaders of the cult!! (Allure main leader, giuseppe co leader) As time went on and giuseppe settled in allure's cult , the name changed from just alluring lamb to the cult of death and wisdom ,,, Ram (aaliyah) isnt a very repetitive person that shows up at the cult since she has her own cult to run (within another universe , a war cult specifically) but she likes to show up every so often just to check in with her brother [giuseppe] :>c

And ofc how could i forget wilt lol- i forgot to add giuseppes cape here Woops ,, But its what giuseppes main clothes r in the other cult

And well i kinda wanted to incorporate the healed designs ,, another thing i wanted to add is that i constantly yap about them all being rlly strong (minus Narinder however- i believe he wouldn't be able to go on crusades or missionaries due to fibromyalgia) but its not too obvious either ,, id def say that leshy and allure are probably the strongest out of everyone else (leshy can summon roots from the ground and uses his body as an advantage, where as to allure their main weapon is withholding a heavy axe ,, but that shit is Not Easy so both leshy and allure are bottom heavy cuz of that- their back muscles and legs carry shit for the both of them HELPP)

Shamura isnt exactly a battlefield person though, they're probably the only bishop to not wanting to fight ?? Those days r Way behind them ,, Kallamar can make himself taller due to Allure reserving some strength left of the blue crown as apart of a compromise they were forced to make with kallamar to stay within the cult-

One thing in common Giuseppe and Narinder have is pacifism ,, narinder is a pacifist because of seeing allure so ill and he didnt actually like seeing people in pain- whereas Giuseppe is pacifist because hes a god of wisdom nd prefers to take things with a lighter approach. The complete opposites of those two are Allure and Aaliyah, theyre both aiming for any type of genocidal route because of what they went through for both the lamb and goat genocides occuring in different worlds of theirs ,, giuseppe doesnt rlly like crusading with allure for that reason 😭 even though aaliyah is Much worse since shes a god of war- its just the way that bloodthirst makes giuseppe incredibly uncomfortable,, to see such a shy lamb act the opposite on their crusades is Lowkey what terrifies him lmao-

Herrmm ,, heket and kallamar are pretty similiar in the stances of not rlly gaf-ing about fighting and crusades ,, heket is good at stealth and kallamar just aims right for the target because shi's just Impatient-

Okay thats all the yapping i have left in me fur now i also have these to share

The only decency here is giuseppe lmaooo 😭🙏

Oh one last thing is heights :-3

(Shamura is 4'7, Ram is 5'1, Lamb is 5'5, Narinder is 6'0, Goat is 6'1, Kallamar is 6'3, Heket is 6'6, and Leshy is 7'2 ,, Idk why i put sozo there but maybe bc its fur my own reference)

[pekoposting]

peko pekoyama fic recs (part 1 maybe?)

want to read more about our favourite shitty self-image swordswoman? i have scoured the peko tag a lot, but if i gave all of my recs we'd be here all day, so i mournfully cut it down to ten fics (mostly character studies)

(note: fuyuhiko is also here for a lot of them because their characters are so entwined)

mason jars by thewildwilds (6k words, canon compliant character study, hurt/comfort. comprehensive)

You are seven and a half when the strange men come and shove you and Peko into the back of a van.

She’s always been there for you when they tried to take you away.

notes: if you are going to read only one fic on this list, let it be this. one of my favourite dr fics ever, it is so comprehensive yet so beautifully written that it's a single, poignant one shot

absolute zero by thewildwilds (9k words, canon compliant character study, angsty coming of age. pre-canon)

She swears she is nothing but a sword, a shield, a cog in a machine.

Peko Pekoyama. The name of the girl who became a tool.

notes: second part of the series containing mason jars, honing in on a specific yet pivotal off-screen event in it. notable for being one of the few fics which depicts pekoyama as choosing to become a tool because of her care for fuyuhiko rather than purely being abused into it (a depiction which kodaka's own tweets agree with)

blossom in the dark by venusiancarbondioxide (3.6k words, character study, hurt/comfort. pre-canon)

Thirteen-year-old girls were not meant to be assassins.

Chen Shi knew this.

The problem was that nobody else seemed to get the memo, least of all the assassin herself.

note: has probably one of my favourite HCs for what yakuza tattoo pekoyama would get

brace for recoil by mithrigil (20k with 5 chapters, dark. canon hope's peak)

Peko didn’t fall into despair: she descended, one blind step at a time.

notes: the best pekoyama despair descent fic i've seen. it was written years before dr3. a minor consequence of that is that natsumi's actual name wasn't known, and so she's referred to as nabiki

absolute lithops effect by venusiancarbondioxide (5k, character study, existentialism with a happy ending. non-despair hope's peak)

In which Peko goes on a shopping trip and tries to grow into who she always was.

notes: finally, something more happy. another great character study

woven by sunbrights (3.7k, character study. pre-canon)

On the thirtieth of June, she is thirteen, and her hair is past her collarbone.

notes: examines peko's relationship to her hair. so good that i had to cite it when trying to do analysis of the symbolism of peko's ribbons

brick by brick by sunbrights (30k, 5/10 chapters, UNFINISHED AND DORMANT. character study, bleak recovery with pinpricks of light. post-canon)

They meet again, after the Neo World Program has torn them to their foundations: hope, despair, and the yawning debt of their history, waiting to be answered. It's up to them to rebuild, from the ground up, no matter how difficult the work or unfamiliar the tools.

No one can lay the mortar of your recovery but yourself.

notes: best post-canon peko (and fuyuhiko) recovery fic i've seen. still absolutely worth it for the fascinating questions it raises about fuyuhiko and peko's relationship. how does the inflection shift when peko realises that something she wants is something fuyuhiko wants? especially if what they both want is a romantic relationship? heads up, this is tagged 'unhealthy relationships'.

Takeo Pekoyama by PekoIsBaby (3.8k, some angst but overall fluffy. non-despair but backstories the same and they're roommates)

It's Peko Pekoyama's birthday, and Fuyuhiko's set up some plans.

notes: one of the greatest looks into the gap in fuyuhiko and peko's relationship where they know they're romantically interested in each other, but they have to improve themselves before they can have a healthy romantic relationship. also they get a cat :D

growing pains. by alighting (3.9k, 2 chapters. angst with a happy ending. post-canon)

Peko has never had a mother of her own, and so when the time comes for her to raise her own daughter, she's not sure what to do.

Companion fic of sorts to such great heights.

notes: summary applies to the first chapter. the second chapter focuses on the pov of a grown kuzupeko fanchild, who has to figure out why older kuzuryuu clan members keep using such a weird and specific insult for her mother.

Cupboard Children by shsldespair (1.8k, angst-tipped retrospective character study. right after natsumi's murder.)

Natsumi Kuzuryuu is not technically Pekoyama's charge, but the grief hits just as hard. It's unbefitting of a tool.

[falling-star-cygnus]

mmmm ok but what if i sobbed? openly and violently? what then

Dead Link : a link that no longer leads to its desired target webpage; this can occur when the domain been terminated, changed, or renamed

A Link Click Noragami AU pt.1 | In Which, Cheng Xiaoshi Has Many Names

“Have you ever used any regalia?”

Lu Guang pauses.

He looks down at the camera in his palms, one that was rough around the edges with daisy, bellis, and ginkgo embellishments and scuffs. It felt… a little like holding his shinki’s hand, to be honest.

Though, privately, he wondered if so many reincarnations had an effect on a spirit’s brain cells.

“Besides me, I mean,” Shi Ái clarifies, his voice sheepish in the god’s head.

Ah- well… that was a bit harder to answer. To [hopefully] buy himself a little more time, Lu Guang returns to looking through the scope. It was another busy day, where the streets and sidewalks were clogged with mortals, so the two found themselves atop a rooftop- test running Shi Ái’s shinki form. 

“Why do you ask?” he deflects, taking care to keep his tone curious and light.

“Just wonderin’, I guess. The other gods we’ve seen, most of ‘em have tons.” 

“So, your actual question is why I only use you.” It’s not the first time Lu Guang has had this conversation, so he doesn’t bother masking his accusation, “Or is my company not enough for you anymore?”

He can tease though. The sound of Shi Ái’s sputtering is delightfully familiar, even if it reduces everyone under the camera lens into indistinguishable blobs of color. 

“Focus, Shi Ái,” Lu Guang gently reminds, a pleased smile twitching on his lips when the world zeroes back in- as clear as a wind chime’s bell. He was learning faster and faster each… 

His mirth fades as he weighs the question on his mind. The disappointment radiating from Ch- Shi Ái was palpable, enough that it made the god’s chest clench up like he’d been shot. But the shinki didn’t answer. Hm.

Was Shi Ái lonely..? Was that something Lu Guang could afford to fix? 

The lens focuses in on a girl with mousy brown hair, and professional looking clothes- Wu Lihua, is her name, though she wears a badge that reads Emma- biking somewhere in stiff heels. 

She looks harried. And tired of existing.

Lu Guang can relate.

“You’re an asshole,” his regalia huffs, effectively bringing the god back to the conversation at hand,  “I just meant- like… why? You know? Why just me?” 

Because Lu Guang never wanted anybody else.

“It’s dangerous to not have one at all, even for those who do fight.”

Lu Guang never wanted to be a god at all.

Shi Ái perks up, his curiosity thrumming through their bond. His worry.

As much as Lu Guang hates to admit it, the feeling warms his chest a little bit- almost smothers the previous sting like a thick blanket. He pushes himself to keep explaining.

“Without a shinki, gods are unable to purify or defend against ayakashi. If one were to attack, my best course of action would be to run away or risk getting blighted. As you can imagine, as a god, that’s…” 

“Embarrassing?”

Ugh..

 Sometimes he hated his pale complexion, especially when it made the blush tainting his cheeks and ears that much more obvious... 

Even as a human, Lu Guang had never had.. the best stamina. You’d think that’d improve with immortality, and countless lifetimes to improve it, but apparently no. Lu Guang was doomed to get winded standing for all eternity. 

“...quite.” 

Shi Ái’s amused laughter rings through his head, bright and pleased and alive. 

The wind picks up, tousling the god’s hair and kicking up wayward leaves.

“The regalia I used before you was named Lu Xiao,” he offers, hoping beyond hope that it’ll be enough to sate his shinki’s curiosity, that he wouldn’t ask the obvious, “and the one before that was named Charles.”

Confusion, more curiosity. The lens loses some of its clarity and then resharpens.

“Those seem.. like drastically different naming groups. Don’t most gods stick to ‘clans’ or something?” Shi Ái asks, ever annoyingly and endearingly observant about the wrong things, “Ah-! That one god, Yu Xia, she called them families!”

Lu Guang cringes.

Of course that was the detail that would stick with Shi Ái. Even subconsciously, existing without any of his memories, he was longing for something he hadn’t been allowed. Was.. Lu Guang being cruel by not taking on more shinki..? Could he take on more shinki, with everything he’s done? Could- should he take the risk of exposing what he’s been doing? 

Deep down.. Lu Guang knows that he doesn’t have any other choice. That the burden he carried would be lighter if he did. And he knows that he shouldn’t be greedy and hoard Cheng- Xiao- Lu- Charl- urgh.. 

He takes a breath. 

Lets it out silently through his teeth. 

He shouldn’t deprive Shi Ái of something he deserved.

“I’m not most gods.” 

But he was so goddamn selfish.

“I don’t stick to name groups because I don’t usually have more than one shinki,” he explains further, loading on more information to hopefully steer his dark haired regalia away from the topic entirely, “If I were to name another… they’d probably be ‘Shi’ too.”

They wouldn’t. Lu Guang would never name a stranger something so close to his name. Not in a million years- not when the sky fell and not if he was cast out of Heaven. 

Cheng Xiaoshi’s name was his.

It’s quiet for a few seconds as Shi Ái digests the information- his lens focused on a stark white cat napping in a sunbeam. 

“Eh… I can’t really see you enjoying the company of so many people, though. You’re not very social..”

Lu Guang lowers Shi Ái, carefully cradling the ornate would in his palms.

And holds him out further from the edge of the rooftop. 

“HEY, HEY, HEY- IT’S NOT A BAD THING!” he immediately, predictably starts screeching, the camera strap twisting around the god’s arm like one might a hand, “LU GUANG-! LU GUANG, PLEEASE- I’M SORRY! GUANGGUANGGG!”

The fair-haired god allows himself a smile. 

“Idiot.”

“You’re an asshole. A handsome, evil asshole.” Shi Ái whines, back when he’s safely back in human form- his feet on solid ground and his hands wrapped around his god's bicep.

As if he would ever let him go.

[biconickyoshi]

Okay y’all… I was very critical of eps 3 & 4 (especially 4) of NAtLA. Then all of a sudden eps 5 & 6 kinda slapped me in the face with how much better the show suddenly got.

Spoiler-free thoughts first:

Zuko, Iroh, and Aang have cemented themselves as the best parts about this adaptation - which is really funny considering I’m currently writing a longfic AU where Zuko and Iroh discover Aang in the iceberg right after Zuko is banished at age 13 and end up becoming the first members of the Gaang (albeit reluctantly at first lol). Episode 6: “Masks” (the Blue Spirit adaptation) was so good, I’d venture to say that it actually improved and fleshed out some things from the original series.

Episode 5: “Spirited Away”, while not as good as E6, was not as bad as I heard people say it was going to be. I think that the changes they did make didn’t bother me nearly as much as the changes they made in the last episode, and it was actually entertaining.

There were several scenes that made me cry in both of these episodes (moreso in episode 6, which I’ll get into further down in the spoiler section). These are the scenes that I feel like really tapped into the heart of the original show rather than feeling like a soulless remake.

Now for my in-depth thoughts (INCLUDES SPOILERS):

EP 5: “Spirited Away”

- Staring out, I was bummed because I had just rewatched the first two eps of the original animated series lol.

- It was an interesting choice to have all three members of the Gaang get stuck in the Spirit World, but I think it worked.

- Wan Shi Tong just showing up randomly was a bit unnecessary, but I suppose it will be kinda interesting to see him again in S2 since he’s already met the Gaang

- Hei Bai plays a much smaller role in these eps, but I strangely didn’t mind that either?

- Seeing Katara’s last memory with her mom was devastating, especially the fact that she had to witness her death and hide in the igloo with Kya’s charred body :(( she definitely has severe PTSD.

- Even Sokka’s memory made me tear up a bit

- Koh being the villain and a soul-eater or whatever was a bit of an odd choice, but I guess I can see why they did it. I do prefer him just being an asshole who steals ppl’s faces lol

- Appreciated the Fog of Lost Souls reference from the LoK lore

- Aang reuniting with Gyatso made me cry. I know some people didn’t like him being in the Spirit World, but I really liked it. Also, the fact that Gyatso was the first person to tell Aang that it wasn’t his fault the Air Nomads died, and that if he had been there he would have died too? THANK YOU! My poor boy has been berated enough for “abandoning” the world.

- We got some interesting lore about the afterlife for humans from Gyatso and Aang’s convo, which we’ve never gotten in AtLA media before. Idk if it’s just for Air Nomads, but Aang mentions that Gyatso stayed behind instead of “seeking enlightenment”. I know that the end goal in Buddhism is to reincarnate until you eventually achieve nirvana, so I wonder if that’s what they were alluding to (I’m not an expert on religions so pls correct me if I’m wrong)

- Oh yeah, I forgot June is here lmao. As a queer person I loved her (bc beautiful goth woman) but I didn’t like the weird choice to make her hit on Iroh - I guess to contrast the Iroh being creepy towards her thing in the OG series. I wish they would have just had them interact normally tbh, no weird “flirting”

EP 6: “Masks”

- Here we go y’all. The best episode in the show so far and probably the best the show is gonna get this season. I’m still pretty shocked at how good this one was.

- I think the decision to include flashbacks to Zuko’s Agni Kai was a good decision here. It felt like an appropriate episode for them and the flashbacks were very well done.

- In general, Dallas is doing a phenomenal job at portraying a Zuko who is angry and aggressive, yes, but also so very sweet and compassionate at his core. I love when little inklings of his true self shine through.

- Roku was… not what I expected. He was very much more of a lighthearted and jokey person… I didn’t hate it, it was just unexpected lol. I wonder if they did that to contrast him with Kyoshi. Which, speaking of, I’m glad Roku clarified that Aang doesn’t just need to be a merciless warrior (and that he didn’t berate Aang for “abandoning” the world like she did). But I still am annoyed about the mischaracterization of Kyoshi in general.

- RIP Shyu :/

- Thought it was kind of strange how June captures Aang at Roku’s temple lol. Like how did she get on and off the island??

- Zhao continues to feel like a completely different character to me lmao. I think this version is pretty funny, but it’s so weird to see Zhao being portrayed as so goofy and incompetent when he was such an intimidating force and the main villain of Book 1 in the OG series. Just a weird direction they went with his character.

- The Yuyan archers look cool as fuck. 10/10 no notes

- Still not sure how I feel about Azula already being this insecure and jealous of Zuko. I think it makes her feel a bit more realistically like a child, but the whole point of Azula’s character is that she is really good at maintaining this cool and calm persona on the surface, which she uses to scare and manipulate people. I can see her maybe getting to a point later on to where she hardens herself into that though. We’ll see.

- Baby Zuko asking Iroh how he looks and his little smile 😭😭😭😭 I had a physical “aww” reaction to that. THAT’S MY SON (me and Iroh shouting in unison)

- War Room scene was handled very well. No complaints. I like how Ozai tried to test Zuko with battle strategies.

- Blue Spirit break out scene was extremely close to the original, and it was really good. They adapted it almost shot for shot with all the important parts.

- Here’s probably my favorite part of the episode: Zuko and Aang’s talk inside the abandoned house after they escape from Pohuai!!!!!! Gahhhh I could gush about this scene all day. I love how they expanded it to be an actual friendly conversation between Aang and Zuko. Like we get to see Zuko’s true self coming through - the sweet, kind boy we know he is. Zuko and Aang just have such great chemistry as well, wayyy more than Aang has with either Sokka or Katara. Like I adored them bonding over painting and caligraphy!!! I think this is the best acting we’ve seen from Gordon so far, and Dallas did a phenomenal job switching back to that hurt, angry version of himself (of course a trauma response). And the fact that Aang said “sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you” when he blocked Zuko’s firebending attack??? My sweet boy 😭

- The final flashback to the Agni Kai was really well done too. I’d already heard Zuko fights back, which I wasn’t sure I’d like, but I actually didn’t mind it. I really liked that they showed Zuko’s hesitation whenever he did actually have an opening, and that was what angered Ozai the most - Zuko showing compassion, “weakness”. Daniel Dae Kim is of course doing a phenomenal job (no surprises there), and I really liked that Iroh actually attempted to stop Ozai at one point. It also looked like young Azula had tears in her eyes, which I again actually liked because it humanizes her.

- I loved that Aang was still there when Zuko woke up on the boat 😭 he wanted to make sure he was okay!! I full on started crying when we got the “do you think we could have been friends too?” lines from him. Again, Gordon killed it. I love how you can tell that Aang knows Zuko has been hurt and that’s why he acts the way he does. He doesn’t blame him for any of it. 10/10

- the last flashback to Zuko in his bed recovering from the burn… god the tears just kept flowing. I really liked the choice to have Ozai almost give Zuko a chance to like… idk understand why he did what he did, and how compassion is “weak”?? And then Zuko’s response to give people a chance 😭😭😭 as if I couldn’t love him any more!!! And then of course Ozai gets pissed. But seeing baby Zuko just cry in his bed UGH I’m dehydrated at this point

- Of course I can’t finish this review without mentioning the 41st division. What an incredible way to expand upon the source material by making them Zuko’s crew!!! It shows just how much Zuko truly cares about others and it moved me so much (once again to tears).

I don’t have high hopes for the last two episodes, but honestly, if this is what the live action can be, it gives me a bit of hope (at least for future seasons). I really think that Dallas, Gordon, Paul, and Daniel were the stars of this ep and are a big part of what made it so good.

[vera-deville]

Hi! Could you please write Luka Couffaine x fem. reader who has trouble talking about their feelings? Writes him letters, love poems or plays the drums for him because it's easier for her to show her feelings like that? Sorry for my English it is not my first language.

02/28/2023 - 03/29/2023

Pairing: Luka Couffaine x Reader

Word Count: 867

Warnings: Nothing that I can think of!

Gender: AFAB

In which Luka has a significant other who has a hard time expressing her feelings.

Luka Couffaine absolutely adored Y/N. The girl had captured his heart, mind, and soul, and he had no trouble expressing it. However, the same could not be said the other way around.

Other people labeled Y/N as someone cold and uncaring, but only a select few knew of her true nature - she simply could not express herself in the ways others would. And Luka understood completely.

Y/N had a small group of friends (most of whom had never even met each other, but knew the existence of). She wasn't one to stick to one particular friend group after all. A good friend was a good friend. Nothing more, nothing less.

And two of her very good friends were Juleka and Rose. Originally, Y/N had only Juleka (since she went to the same school as Luka), but quickly became acquainted with Rose as well. And for that, Y/N thanked whatever lucky stars she had.

The whole process of confessing to Luka was already gut-wrenchingly terrifying, seeing as she had no idea how to go about it, whether Luka would return her affections (even though Juleka said he would), and if she was actually dateable material.

But after the confession, a lot of her worries were put to rest. Luka was the sweetest boyfriend she could have asked for, and she was extremely grateful for having met him.

Luka was someone who was fairly affectionate (not like some of the couples she's seen walking in Paris being overly lovey-dovey), but he also never shied away from letting her know what was on his mind.

If there was a particular moment where Y/N was caught up doing something and was quite focused on it (such as homework), Luka would find himself simply staring at the girl, absolutely in awe of the work of art he had the honor of calling his girlfriend. (Yes, he's tried sneaking some photos of her when she wasn't looking).

And when he was caught, Y/N would ask, "what're you staring at?"

Only to be met with, "just caught up in the ethereal masterpiece in front me."

To which Y/N would feel her face heat up and a warm sort of buzz envelope her whole being. She'd become a little flustered and brush off his oh so charming and teasing self, but looking at him once more, she realizes every time that Luka wasn't teasing at that moment. He meant every word.

So when others meet her and find out she's in a relationship with Luka, they wonder how on Earth the relationship works. Luka was pretty well known and well-liked. But Y/N wasn't like that. She stayed to herself for the most part, and she'd never initiate any sort of PDA with her boyfriend.

And some of these people would take to whispering about this behind (or so they thought) Y/N's back.

She'd feel bad about it, but not to the point where she'd find herself spiraling down a rabbit hole of self-hate and whatnot. But that didn't stop her from wanting to improve. And what better way to improve than by asking two of her best friends?

"Aww, it's so cute that you want to be more lovey-dovey with Luka!" Rose gushed. Juleka had a slight smile on her face, finding the situation slightly humorous. The involved parties were her brother and one of her closest friends. How could she not be entertained? Especially when said close friend was going on a tirade vaguely reminiscent of Marinette's tirades about Adrien.

Rose suggested making a perfume for Luka, and Y/N thought that it was such a good idea that she'd probably do that for his birthday. "What if you write him a letter?" Juleka asked. Pondering over the idea, Y/N decided that it indeed was a good idea.

But what to write?

And so some amount of days passed, and Y/N finally ended up finishing her letter to Luka. It wasn't anything elegant or pretty or anything of the sort. It was goofy, filled with her typical sarcasm, and most importantly, it was heartfelt. Now, the only thing left was to actually give the letter to Luka.

Which was still quite hard surprisingly.

Y/N assumed that once the letter was finished, she'd just hand it over to the turquoise-haired boy and bada-bing bada-boom, romance!

Apparently it doesn't work like that.

Apparently you pour your heart out into the letter, but then you feel nervous to actually give the letter to your oh so accepting boyfriend.

But somehow Y/N pushed down her anxiety and gave the letter to Luka when they sat down after getting their ice cream. Opening it, Luka's face gradually morphed into one of extreme joy (and if Y/N didn't know any better, smugness), before he pressed a chaste kiss onto Y/N's cheek.

And from that day onwards, Y/N would (every once in a while) gift Luka letters, love poems, and even play the drums for him as means of physically showing her affection for him. It was their own little dynamic and some may have found it odd, but to them, it was perfect.

Author's Note: Once again, I'm really sorry for taking so long to complete this fic. I hope you enjoy it (if not, feel free to request again, since I honestly don't feel like I did my very best with this one).

I'm still in the middle of trying to find a specific fic format to stick to. I've tried looking at a bunch of other fanfic writers' profiles and the format they use to write their fics, but I'm still not 100% sure if what I'm doing right now is what I want to continue doing.

[howlingday]

The Phenomenal YANG

Adam: Something attacked us in there, and it wasn't a Grimm. If Xiao Long knows what it was, I'm going to find her and then I'm going to shove my sword down her throat, and then I'm going to ask her.

Ironwood: That was Xiao Long.

Adam: Could you explain that?

Ironwood: Xiao Long's task was a tangent of bio-tech. Your suit is our engineering solution, and Xiao Long was working on a biological one; improve the huntsman and not the weapon.

Adam: You're telling me she becomes that thing on her own?

Ironwood: I don't have to answer that, Taurus. Xiao Long is tough, definitely a fighter, but she's not a soldier. Not like us.

Adam: Then why not hand the data off to someone else?

Ironwood: Because she IS the data. And as far as I'm concerned, that woman's body is the property of the Kingdom of Atlas.

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

Cardin: What the hell was that? Whatever it is, we're ready to-

CRDL: (See Yang) OH SHI-

YANG: (Tackles CRDL off building)

Cardin: (Stands from the rubble) Ngh... Let's see which one of us is the strongest.

YANG: YANG STRONGEST THERE IS!

Cardin: Not if me and my boys have anything to say about it!

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

Blake: Yang...?

Blake: (Runs up, Hugs her)

Yang: It's alright...

Blake: When did you...? How did you...? Are you...?

Yang: I'm alright. Sorry I didn't- Look, I don't have time to explain it right now; do you still have your dad's old research?

Blake: I'm sorry, but... General Ironwood took it all already. Then he wiped every computer we had after getting it.

Yang: No...

Blake: But I was able to get in there before it got hauled off. I thought that it might help us later.

Yang: Blake, I... I don't know what to say.

Adam: Do I have permission to take the shot, sir?

Ironwood: Negative. You might hit Belladonna's daughter.

Yang: !

Adam: Damn! She spotted me!

Yang: Blake, go.

Blake: What...?

Yang: Get out of here. You need to get as far away from me as you can, right now! GO! (Runs)

Blake: YANG!

Ironwood: XIAO LONG, YOU ARE SURROUNDED!

Blake: (Charges Ironwood, Caught) Leave her alone!

Ironwood: Get her out of here now!

Blake: Ngh! H-Hey! Get your hands off me!

Blake: YANG! RUN!

Yang: Let... her... go...!

YANG: RAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!

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

Ghira: I think we've done it, but... there's still the risk that this procedure might kill you.

Yang: Trust me, Dr. B; if it doesn't work, I'm better off dead.

Soldier: I have visual on the target, General.

Adam: Let me in there, General; I can take her now.

Ironwood: Negative. You're a last resort, Taurus.

Adam: No, what I am is sick of waiting.

Soldier: Sir, wait! General Ironwood, sir, Lieutenant Taurus is on the move!

Ghira: Please, try to understand; even if this does work, and we do induce an episode, it doesn't mean that it will cure you. Best case scenario, it's an antidote to suppress a specific flare-up.

Yang: ...!

Blake: Yang, stay with me!

YANG: RAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! RGH! RGH!

Blake: DAD! NOW!

Ghira: (Types into computer)

YANG: AAARGH! RAAAAAGH! AAaaagh...

Ghira: (Walks over)

Blake: ...

Yang: Did... Did it work?

Ghira: Perhaps. It seems we permanently neutralized the cells, though it's also possible that we only suppressed the event. Honestly, I'd be willing to bet on the latter, but we don't know since no prior subjects survived.

Yang: ...What test subjects?

Ghira: Your condition, it's- It's a medical marvel, to put it lightly, and something this astounding couldn't simply just waste away! So, we concentrated the experiment to develop more.

Yang: We need to destroy all of it!

Ghira: But... this gift-

Yang: This GIFT is a lot more trouble than it's worth, Doctor B!

Ghira: Even with the antidote developed?

Yang: Atlas doesn't want an antidote, Doc; they want a weapon, and if they get it... NGH! (Collapses)

Blake: YANG!

Ironwood: (Walks in) Escort the asset and Ms. Belladonna to the bullhead and confiscate everything. Dr. Belladonna, we expect your full cooperation. Welcome to the Atlas Military. (Exits)

Ghira: ...

Adam: (Enters, Draws weapon)

Ghira: What have I done to deserve this hostility?

Adam: It's not what you did; it's what you're going to do.

Adam: Give me everything you got from Xiao Long.

Ghira: ...You look like you already got some of her in you already.

Adam: And I want more. You saw what she was like, didn't you? Make me that.

Ghira: But... given what's already in you, there's no telling what the side-effects could do! The mixture could make you... It could make you more BEAST than man.

Adam: (Presses blade)

Ghira: Er, I was just making sure... I need an informed consent, and you've clearly given it.

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

Blake: How could you do this to innocent people?

Ironwood: Be quiet. If you weren't an asset of your father's, you'd also be in hand-cuffs!

KABOOM!

Pilot: SIR, XIAO LONG IS IN THE STREET!

Yang: (Holds up hands) But... I'm right here!

Ironwood: Get me a visual! Turn this bullhead around!

ADAM: (Tanking tank fire, Tossing mechs)

Ironwood: Dammit! It's Taurus!

Yang: You can't stop it. You have to kill it!

Ironwood: SIT YOUR ASS DOWN!

Yang: (Opens hangar door) I'm the only thing that can stop it!

Blake: Yang, it's too dangerous! It's crazy!

Yang: I know, but I have to try! Sorry... (Falls out of bullhead)

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

ADAM: (Unconscious)

YANG: (Looks up)

Blake: (Flinches)

YANG: B L A K E . . .

YANG: (Bounds away)

Blake: ...Goodbye, General. I hope it was worth it. (Leaves)

Ironwood: ...

[aemondtargaryen]

HELLO i haven't finished yet the netflix show but what are your thoughts on young Úrsula? I read the book a couple of times but it was looong ago. I remember Úrsula as someone resigned to the inevitable. I certainly don't remember her so deeply in love with José Arcadio, and even less willing to have sex. I don't remember her as a sexual creature at all, despite the book having no problems getting into that.

I didnt like her that much the first part but i think her characterization improved a ton when she got older and switched actresses.

Also do you think they managed to achieve that magical realism feeling? Personally I don't think so and that makes me a little sad but despite all it was definetly a good show. Maybe the bar was too high probably.

I loved Aureliano though! Adult Aureliano was very Aurelianesque 10/10. Amaranta and Rebeca were excellent too!!

Im finally on my laptop yay!! Also when I got this ask I hadn't yet finished the show so now I can give a better answer (you probably also finished it too anon because I took years to answer lmao)

I actually liked young Ursula. She felt like I always imagined her, more than resigned, resilient. She always found a way to make things go her way, even when her husband wasn't present, she always pushed through (which is a pretty common situation in latin american households, women many times carry the burden of the house but in a tacit manner and thats how I think Ursula was portrayed). About the sex thing tbh I never got that reading from her. There's definitely some characters whose stories revolve more around sex but thats not what her story is about. However I feel she loved her husband all through her life and it shows in differents manners than just steamy sex scenes like Rebeca's.

On the magical realism I think you're right, some scenes could be perceived as being only inside the character's head for non book readers, when the purpose of magical realism is that they really are experiment those crazy phenomenons in their reality. I think they shied away a bit from it but many of the more iconic "magical" moments are still yet to come so there's hope.

Now my real pet peeve was the delivery of some of the lines. I think theres a lot of the dialogue that should have been said with more force, specially young Jose Arcadio and Ursula. They felt so calmed when I always imagined them if not yelling at least angry. Latinos are usually louder, or at least we venezuelans are. Maybe colombians aren't but I would like to think we aren't that different, so the flatness of the dialogues felt off sometimes. This too goes for the narrator.

Aureliano!! Aureliano IS 100 años de soledad so there was a lot of pressure both on the writers and the actor. Physically I think he's perfect. Also hot enough to pull that moustache lmao. Again I had some problems with the delivery of some lines at first where he just seemed too passive, but as soon as he became the Colonel everything changed (and maybe that was the idea now that I think about it). Although I gotta say the last couple of episodes made me realize that he kinda became a terrorist in the end and I hadnt caught up that in my readings (which were a lot, ive read that book like 5 or 6 times) and in my mind he always fought for justice but now seeing it again I can see he was just as corrupted by violence and power as Arcadio in the end. It did besmirch my perception of him a little, because it reminded me of whats going on currently in Colombia and the armed conflict and how he would fit right in with people from groups like the FARC. Sidenote: I think his relationship to Remedios was done masterfully, we know she's a child but the scenes were carried in a way no child actress had to be intimate with the actor.

Amaranta was great, I love how they managed to show Amaranta's two sides, the conniving vengative damaged soul, along with her maternal, calm, also damage soul lmao. Rebeca I think is the only casting that looked completely different to how I imagined her physically, but the actress did a good job portraying her.

All in all I think it was a really good adaptation, particularly for such a loved book and one with really high expectations. I think it was done in the best of moments because it was done with a high budget but with colombian actors and setting (looking at you Casa de los espiritus). Theres some things that could be improved but most of them are personal preferences. Its a really good show and I can't wait for season 2!

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

What a fool

Using the @flashfictionfridayofficial’s prompt #FFF257 Count the days, I have written Wakamiya/Nazukihiko’s POV of the terrace scene. Thank you Flash Fiction Friday for this opportunity.

Fandom: Yatagarasu: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master

Characters: Wakamiya/Nazukihiko, Yukiya, mention of Lady Azusa and Shiratama

Word count: 919

Warning: if you haven’t seen the 10th episode let me tell you that there are a couple of spoilers ahead.

LIKE everything else, Wakamiya could sense it when someone was in the Main Shrine. The palace had become a part of him akin to a heartbeat that he knew it at once if there was an intruding presence.

Carefully treading the wooden steps to the rooftop terrace, he caught a glimpse of a figure wearing a sky-blue kimono lounging on the railing. The way it leaned on the bamboo terrace was familiar. It still surprised him that Yukiya willingly went up there without any qualms. Something bothered the boy.

“Yukiya,” the prince softly called his attendant’s name lest the pubescent would think of jumping to the ground and injuring himself in the process.

“Your Highness?!” Yukiya’s big midnight blue eyes shone in the pale moonlight. They fascinated him.

“Did I startle you?”

“You did and I was ready to run away!”

Wakamiya did not know why but he found the statement so funny that he let out a half-suppressed laugh. He knew the many times Yukiya would love to hit him in the face. Too bad for the boy because he knew how to defend himself.

There was brief silence between them when he remembered Lady Azusa’s letter of request if he could give Yukiya a few days off to celebrate his 14th birthday coinciding with the Lunar Festival.

One of the princesses, Shitarama, Yukiya’s cousin, turned 14 when she arrived at the Sakura Blossom Palace to join the rite. However, it was strange to refer to Yukiya as a mere child when his cousin was already regarded as a woman when their birthdays were only a few months apart. Unbeknownst to everyone, the girl already had a lover back home.

“Cannot sleep? Is everything all right?” This was unusual. Staying up late was not on Yukiya’s routine since he started working for him.

“My mother asked me to visit them for the moon-viewing in a fortnight.”

Ah. Of course, the only thing he must do is ask me. Or better yet, tell me in my face that he is going to visit them without expecting if I would give my assent or not. Why is he so reluctant?

“It is also your 14th birthday. It is only proper to grant the Lady Azusa’s request even if it means you are going to leave me for a few days.”

He could not help giving off that sadness on his voice which made Yukiya turn to him.

“Your Highness?”

The prince shook his head. At the age of 14 he was somewhere else away from Yamauchi because every day he had to be mindful of his life not to be in danger. Once when the Empress called his audience, a few minutes seated before her, he sensed the numbness on his fingers and toes, was sweating and could not stand up. Breathing became laborious. He asked to be dismissed at once. When Natsuka found him in his bedchamber, he noticed that his little brother did not look well.

The cause of it all was the karon incense that the Empress was so fond of. Calming at first, but deadly with the large doses if the human body was not used to it. For years, he developed ways to withstand the sedative effect of the incense that could only be imported from the Southern Territory.

Yukiya then looked at him with the pain in his eyes that the Crown Prince could not discern if it was pity or affection.

“You need me,” the boy said. For now, there was a change on Yukiya’s vocal cords. A slight one, nonetheless. His physique gained a bit of muscle mass as his sparring with Sumio became more intense wanting to know if there was anything else to improve. He observed the boy practise every day, who never shied away from what he was capable of. He knew that if another attempt again would ever happen, he could rely on Yukiya to defend him or fight with him on his side.

“I do,” he said softly. Suddenly, the urge to reach for him, to touch the boy’s face, was so strong but the way he looked at him with so much intensity stopped him from doing so. Alas, their kimonos touched. Wakamiya counted the days until he could ascend to the throne. It was a requirement that Yukiya as his kin’ju to move in to one of the rooms in the upper floors of the Main Shrine, close to the emperor’s suite, like it had always been thousands of years ago.

A thought came up to him: What a fool to put all his trust to one person.

He wanted to tell him how in diverse ways he was important to him. The teenager, on the other hand, turned red on the face and leaned his arms on the handrail.

And now you are hiding away from me.

Wakamiya’s left hand was an inch closer to Yukiya’s hair. He heard the boy whine softly as if in pain.

“Your bed is calling for you,” Wakamiya could only say.

“I will come back per our agreement,” Yukiya assured him.

“Of course. I expect you to.”

The boy wished him good night and headed toward his bedchamber.

As the sound of footsteps slowly ebbed away, Wakamiya started to shiver as the biting cold filled his lungs. He then inserted his hands inside his kimono sleeves to warm them up and let out a sigh that he was keeping for so long.

He waited for the sunrise to come.

tbc

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So enamoured of the Yatagarasu universe I don’t blame everyone who’s enchanted by it. This is Yukiya’s POV. Full AO3 link here.