#input from people with what they're representing

[anti-transphobia]

It sucks that what people typically call out Plushie Dreadfuls for (being "ableist" by having plushes themed around various disorders) is incorrect and a lot of thought and care goes into them and that misunderstanding needs to be corrected when people bring it up. But also the company is still ableist (utterly horrible stigmatization of ASPD, NPD, and schizophrenia)

[just-a-ghost00]

General messages for the collective

Group 1

2 of pentacles, 2 of swords, King of cups, ace of cups, page of swords, queen of cups, back of the deck 7 of pentacles

You lack clarity and balance concerning a person that you love. This is a romantic interest that holds a lot of importance to you, considering they are represented by a King. This person may have played hot and cold with you, either voluntarily or because of their life circumstances. Their actions and words got you confused and you may have thought that this person wasn't truthful or reliable. Soon, you will gain clarity on this person's point of view and experience. You will be able to understand their stance better and there may be a renewal in your connection. Because clarity has been made about feelings and expectations for the connection. Either you or they communicated clearly how you felt about the situation which will enable both of you to heal and regain balance in the connection. That could either mean that you will receive an apology from this person and explanations about their behavior which will allow you to move on from them or the conversation could bring you closer and help you move on to a new step together. With the Queen of cups also being present in the reading, I get the feeling that this person considers you an equal and values your input. It is at least very obvious that they care about you and do not wish to cause you harm. With this set of cards, I don't sense any ill will coming from this person. This isn't to say that their actions haven't had a bad effect on you but this person's first intention was never to bring you down or make fun of you. The ace of cups is at the center of the deck. So the heart of the matter is compassion, love, understanding. This card can symbolize a new start in a connection, the will to open up to another and share feelings. It's the blossoming of interest and the expression of a genuine care. The 7 of pentacles at the back of the deck suggests patience and caution, taking the time to assess the situation and leave up to fate a part of the outcome. The 7 of pentacles indicates that has person has done what was necessary to set their goals into motion and have reached a stage where there is nothing more that they can do to ensure a positive outcome. The ball is no longer in their court.

Possible confirmation signs : repeating 2s, water signs, letters P, C & S

Group 2

7 of pentacles, 8 of swords, King of cups, 9 of cups, 9 of wands, page of cups, back of the deck 8 of wands

You may have felt drawn to group 1 as well. If that is the case, I suggest that you check that group too. Because the third card is exactly the same and the 7 of pentacles was group 1's back of the deck. So your energy and group 1's seem to be linked. I have the energy here of people that feel like they gave a situation their everything and are running out of options to make it progress. Yet, they haven't given up on the idea of succeeding, because this situation matters a lot to them. This is something that they are deeply emotionally invested in. It is a dream of theirs, whether that dream is in the form of a project or a person, maybe even both. This person is determined to fight for that dream no matter what but they're at a loss at what to do. They feel like they tried everything, used all the tricks up their sleeve and thought about it over and over again. Yet, they can't seem to find a solution that allows them to get the desired result. They feel like they're in a dead end and they have no emergency exit or detour route that they can take to get where they want. They feel stuck and exhausted, discouraged but still adamant on trying their best until their last breath. I get a feeling of urgency, like "if I don't act soon enough I'm gonna lose my dream", "I will lose the opportunity and I don't want to miss it". I get a "now or never" kind of vibe from this spread. It's like they wish they could jump straight away to their goal because right now they feel like they're in a maze and if they keep walking in it they're gonna miss the exit and will never see the end of it. It's like a lion in a cage, running in circles trying to find ways to be free and find their home. I saw the card that was hidden behind the 8 of wands and it was the 9 of pentacles. And it gave me the feeling of someone trying to save money to travel. The 8 of wands calls for quick action and swift communication. It's also an encouragement to move. So if there's a particular goal you have in mind and you feel like you're not making any progress, you are encouraged to make a significant move towards that goal. There's a need to take a risk and get out of one's comfort zone once and for all.

Possible confirmation signs : repeating 8s and 9s, fire and water signs

Group 3

10 of wands, 10 of pentacles, 2 of swords, 2 of pentacles, King of cups, King of pentacles, back of the deck 3 of swords rx

These messages seem to be more career oriented but that doesn't have to be the case necessarily. I pick on the energy of someone feeling burdened with their responsibilities and overworked. Yet, they are sucessful in their career and projects. That doesn't seem to satisfy them. There may be a feeling of boredom or lacking visibility on the future. I also pick up on the energy of someone that is in a period of doubt concerning their life in general, but also concerning two people or two instances. There is an energy of pondering, decision making, reevaluating one's priorities and goals. There's also an underlying fear of being disappointed, hurt, abused. These energies are weighing on the mind and creating an extra pressure. There's a need to take time to process information and analize what is going on. I looked for a clarifier for the 3 of swords rx and got the page of pentacles. Studying, investigating may be the key to an important step on your journey. This page of pentacles could also represent a younger person, possible an earth sign, that could help you on your journey. I am also picking up on reading, research. Organization is also important. Anticipation, task managing, being open to new ideas and unconventional ways of proceeding. All of these elements could be useful resources in your situation. I'm also picking up on the energy of two people that are circling around each other and testing each other. Neither of them are willing to make a step and risk being vulnerable. Both are testing and trying to assess the intentions of the other. If one has a very practical approach to the situation, the other has a very strategical approach. And I feel like this has been going on for a while. This in a way feels similar to the energies of group 1 and 2. So there may be a lot of people that are going through a similar experience of going back and forth with something or someone. There's a need hear to clearly assess one's intentions to be able to decide on the appropriate course of action.

Possible confirmation signs : repeating 2s, 10s and 14s, letters K and P, Scorpio, Taurus, fixed signs

[astriiformes]

Okay, fun question time. One of the various multimedia elements of the LotR Road Trip AU story is that I am planning on making playlists for each member of the Fellowship, the idea being that they're supposed to be snapshots into everyone's music libraries for when they have the aux cord in the car.

My music taste is pretty all over the place, which helps with a project like this, but I can't claim it's as broad as I would like when trying to represent the music tastes of nine different people. So I would love to solicit some ideas from people--genres, artists, even specific songs. You name it.

Here's generally the vibes I've been curating so far, though I'm not entirely married to all of them:

Frodo -- Indie, acoustic, folk? Probably some instrumentals. Chill beats to carry a cursed artifact to.

Sam -- Generally pretty upbeat. For sure some really traditional folk influences but also like. Folk rock. Should be an extremely feel-good playlist.

Merry -- Nerd music, to put it simply. Folk and filk, as well as some of the found-filk folks out there like Hank Green, probably.

Pippin -- Pop music! He's here to have a good time. Would especially love some input from the Gen Z crowd here since my pop knowledge is a little dated for the youngest member of the Fellowship. What Chappell Roan song would be his favorite.

Boromir -- He is puzzling me. I am keeping in mind that he should have some like. Elder millennial vibes. Currently have Green Day, etc on there but I'm trying to decide if that works.

Aragorn -- Dad rock, plus some modern rock. Think about your dad's road trip playlist (I know mine has several) and you're getting the right picture.

Legolas -- Pop and some indie/acoustic songs. Also a little musical theater. I'll be honest I'm making his eclectic on purpose. Definitely a little cheesy, aro/ace jams encouraged.

Gimli -- Metal, industrial, classical. There is no bigger Trans-Siberian Orchestra fan. Possibly also some labor songs, though I'm thinking more like metal/rock covers.

Gandalf -- Prog rock and other wizard music. I am doing something very dumb and silly and putting classic rock songs with meta references to LotR on his (ex: Led Zeppelin's Misty Mountain Hop), but other suggestions are good too.

Please feel free to totally contradict some of these vibes though. Ideally some of these playlists with be a little more all over the place than I would usually lean towards, since the idea is to represent someone's music taste, not make a true character playlist.

So! Help me out here. What do you all think each Fellowship member would listen to?

[that-left-turn]

What do you think romantic canon would do for viewership?

I just read a screen rant article that said it would be bad if they made carol and daryl romantic because it "lumps them in" with stereotypes and bullshit like that.

It's obviously a load of shit. Adding romance to their already deep bond isn't going to reduce their relationship because it doesn't change the foundation of who they are to each other and the current strength of their dynamic. BUT I know some people ignorantly think like that. So, I can imagine some people tuning out, particularly if zabel does it using a book of tv tricks, instead of in a way that's authentic to caryl.

But just wondered your thoughts. Do you think it would be good or bad for viewership if caryl became explicitly romantic?

When a writer formulates a pitch, they need a conceit which will draw a dedicated audience. "Find your way home" is a weak story engine and so is "seeing what's out there." As a show (or franchise) gets older, it needs to 'reinvent' itself to find new viewers and to excite existing fans again. There's only so much that can be done with walkers in this universe before it starts to feel gimmicky. If the writer digs into the origin story of the virus, they're changing the scope of the show/franchise—going from one kind of horror to a different one. They also run the risk of getting bogged down in implausible fake science and losing viewers over it. What appealed to TWD viewers in the first place was the survival aspect. Putting the pieces back together again.

Kintsugi.

Caryl has always represented hope, of putting broken things back together again. Making them stronger, giving them a new kind of beauty. Middle-aged relationships are not well-represented on TV. They're usually supporting characters providing a foil for the actual protagonist who's in a different phase of life. Caryl is also not your standard middle-aged TV couple in that they are abuse survivors who've never let their guard down with other people and their social class usually gets the villain arc in dramas while being the butt of the joke in sitcoms. Explicitly romantic Caryl is an opportunity for this spinoff to find its hook and to differentiate itself from the rest of the offerings, on TV and in TWDU.

There's nothing stereotypical about Caryl.

But, I don't think Zabel has the sensitivity or the skill to deliver on that. He doesn't know the characters and he's deeply misogynistic. He doesn't know how to plot an emotional arc that will resonate with Caryl fans or any kind of abuse survivors. His idea of a "mature relationship" is Peter Pan and Tinkerbell. His female characters are all manipulative and cruel—irredeemable, which alienates women in the GA. The thought of how he'd twist both Carol and the bond between Caryl to fit his idea of a Caryl romance scares me. I'm not sure there's a way to claw back the characters if Zabel attempts romantic canon in S3.

So, I guess my answer is that under Zabel's leadership, explicitly romantic Caryl would be bad because it would drive the remaining audience away. If the show had a showrunner who knew how to plot and write in-character dialogue, and who valued the input from those who care about both the characters and the fans, then it could be just what the show needs to get better ratings.

[wraith-caller]

I;m thinking about thos Death Knights.

Amber Medallions +3:

These medallions, of the largest variety, were conferred to Godwyn's inner circle of distinguished golden knights.

Death Knight Helm:

The decayed golden wheel that adorns it represents their unbroken loyalty to Godwyn, he who became Prince of Death.

Death Knight Armor/Gauntlets:

Golden armor of the Death Knights, adorned with an antiquated depiction of the Erdtree. These knights, once Godwyn's personal guard, quested to find their transfigured master's cadaver surrogate—for the coming age of the Duskborn.

Death Knight's Twin Axes/Longhaft Axe:

The knight, once the personal guard of Godwyn, was also the protector of the Prince of Death's cadaver surrogate.

So what does this all say? First, these knights were some of Godwyn's most loyal knights. They served him before his death, and remained loyal to him even after he 'died'. They sought to find and protect Godwyn's "cadaver surrogate". In Japanese, the term used instead is "divided corpse", which is a little more comprehensible. As it stands, 'cadaver surrogate', to me at least, implies a corpse that died in someone else's place. Which IS what Godwyn's soul did, dying in place of Ranni's. However, the context it's used in in the descriptions is weird because they refer to it as GODWYN'S surrogate corpse, when, if it is a surrogate of anyone's corpse, it's Ranni's. Granted, I am but a simple fool, and may be misunderstanding completely. However, divided corpse seems quite straightforward given that yes, his corpse IS dividing and growing and blooming into deathroot, pieces of his body scattered over the Lands Between, with several more fully formed copies of his corpse appearing in the crypts of the Shadow Realm and Stormveil castle.

Anyway, back to the knights. The idea that they have some insight into Godwyn's will beyond his death is hard to grasp. For one, how does seeking these copies of his corpse help their cause? If they know of him as the Prince of Death, why protect and defend the copies instead of the original? In the base game, the only person to refer to him by this title is Fia, all others calling him 'the Golden'. So how many people even know about what's happened to him and what he's become? And how do they expect this Age of the Duskborn to even come about if they aren't...doing anything to help make it happen lol What were they waiting for? How did they KNOW to wait for anything to begin with? Where do they get the idea that Godwyn has any presence of mind to want to become this anyway if they aren't even interacting with his actual corpse but these diminished copies of it?

There are also some questions to be asked about when and why they went to the Shadow Realm because of this. It is of course a place where 'all forms of death wash up', but Godwyn's deathroot is already sprawling all over the Lands Between, and is even growing beneath Stormveil's castle. Why make the difficult trip to this sealed off realm when there is plenty of Godwyn to be found here in the lands they're from? They can't have been there before it was sealed and then left trapped there - the "wrath from afar" incantation mentions the people of the shadow realm also feeling it when the Elden Ring was shattered. If they were still part of the Lands Between at that time, there'd be no special reason to mention that, so that indicates to me it was sealed off before Godwyn's death. And his loyal knights were probably not there.

Personally, I read their undying loyalty as less about confirmation that Godwyn has an intention to become the Prince of Death, and more about their devotion to him being such that they will continue to serve him, no matter how twisted and grotesque he's become. That is their lord, and he still 'lives', albeit in this horrific, unnatural state, so they don't consider themselves relieved of their duty.

I do not think it's a coincidence that there is NO input in the entire base game or DLC from either Godwyn or one of Those Who Live in Death, while others around them make big claims about what these voiceless people want. Fia says they want to be uplifted and a permanent mainstay of reality, the Hunters call them vermin and claim they're perverting the Order, these Knights insist on the return of their beloved lord that they served so dutifully that they can't let him go, Miquella wants him to die a true death, and Fortissax does their best to stave off this infectious half-death. But from Godwyn, and the dead, we hear nothing.

[hannahp0calypse]

Falin?

something i really like about falin is her existence for the majority of the story being entirely via what other people tell us about her. i'm pretty sure that's classic well-written "haunting the narrative" type stuff, but it still really appeals to me. it's fascinating seeing the various facets of a character represented almost entirely by how other people remember them - with the character themselves having little to no input on the way they're remembered and talked about.

an obvious point of comparison, to me, is rose quartz stevenuniverse - a character whose death and absence defines the narrative, presented as almost ridiculously perfect initially, and is slowly revealed over time to not be the simple, perfect "loving damsel" deal. obvs falin's deal isn't about slowly being revealed to be a very harmful person and the cause of almost all of the pain in the setting, but you see the comparison.

one part of falin's flavour of "haunting" that stands out to me is the way that the two characters who know her best - laios and marcille - both knew completely different parts of her life. this is part of why i bring up rose quartz - in SU, we learn about her the same way steven does. everyone else has mostly complete information about her, though obvs not 100%, and it's almost entirely about steven's discoveries. meanwhile, laios and marcille both have very incomplete pictures of falin because they both knew her at completely different stages of her life. they learn more about one of the most important people in their lives from each other, and grow closer to each other (and her!) as a result. it's really cool.

there's another element to it, but it touches a bit on endgame dungeon meshi spoilers, so

particularly interesting to me is how falin has an entire character arc while spending the majority of the story being dead (literally or spiritually). and that arc ties into the entire idea of her being this dead character, absent from the narrative and from her own agency.

falin's arc is about learning to take up space, to want and to need, to be open about her desires. it's kind of similar to how the inciting incident of the story allows laios to be open about his desires and interests in a way he hasn't been before, but stretched over the story's timeframe. part of why the characters learn about falin from each other is because she lived her life closing herself off from people to make herself more palatable. it's why the inciting incident is her own self-sacrifice for the people she loves!

but so much of dungeon meshi is about learning to open up to others, to share parts of yourself, and to share in parts of others. it's about eating, and choosing to eat, and how eating is living, and choosing to eat is choosing to live, and choosing to be eaten is choosing to die so something else can live.

it's why at the end of it all, falin revives because she chooses to eat, and chooses to live. chooses to take up space, and to make herself a presence in the world. just think about how she dresses and carries herself at the start of the story, vs how she does so at the end/in post-story materials.

i like falin :>

[housewarningparty]

Thoughts on Faith and Dawn? They’re dynamic is so interesting to me

Talked a little bit about this one time (with input from @coraniaid)

It IS a really potentially interesting dynamic! There's so little of it on screen, which is a shame. What we do know:

-by s7 Dawn still (understandably!) resents Faith for trying to kill Buffy. She makes some protective comments about it. Actually I watched "Dirty Girls" last week and iirc she's the only one to call Faith out directly in that episode over that

-I think it's fair to extrapolate from what Dawn chooses to call out in that moment, that Faith's violence was never turned directly on her

-Despite this, Dawn does seem to warm up to Faith fairly quickly after she's back. They seem to be getting along in "Empty Spaces" and Dawn and the Potentials leap to Faith's defense when those crooked cops go after her at The Bronze. She essentially goes along with overthrowing Buffy and making Faith the leader in the confrontation that ensues (let's put aside the characterization choices for now and just focus on the fact that she is willing to allow Faith that level of authority)

-In early s3, all of Buffy's friends respond really positively to Faith showing up. I'm sure Dawn (young and impressionable) would be no exception. I talk a little about it in the post I link up there but it's really easy to imagine a situation where Dawn is really impressed by Faith in a way that her Baby Sisterness prevents her from manifesting towards Buffy. Especially since part of Faith's narrative role is to threaten Buffy's relationships in some way, I'm sure there was a bit of hero-worship to get Buffy feeling unexpectedly jealous.

So, there's tension between Buffy and Dawn in late season 7. Despite the initial shot Dawn takes at Faith over rejoining the team ("hotels that take Tried-to-kill-your-sister-types") she doesn't put up too much protest. Buffy at this point is being harsh and withdrawn from the team and her friends. Faith, meanwhile, is showing an interest in people, putting an effort into connecting to the girls, and generally being pretty mellow and non-judgemental. Aka, she's doing stuff that's pretty close to the classic big sister shit Dawn is no doubt missing.

Treating the girls (Dawn included) like people, learning things about them, crucially NOT being the woman cracking the whip that they're all pretty sick of, generally being more relaxed and less uptight, taking them to the Bronze and letting them underage drink instead of locking them in her busted ass living room and giving them speeches about how they're gonna die soon - yeah! Okay! You can really see how Faith becomes super popular just by being a little more chilled out and not being Buffy.

Given Dawn's comments earlier in the season (teasing but still) about feeling smothered by Buffy sometimes, I think there's something interesting in how Dawn seems to respond so much from being treated like someone mature, a little more hands off, but still with positive attention - it's easy to work back from there and imagine what kind of relationship she had with Faith in earlier seasons, why it worked, and why it hurt so bad when Faith betrayed them anyway.

Dawn and Faith have an interesting overlap in being used at various times to thematically represent different sides of Buffy. They're almost polar opposites that way - Dawn being Buffy's childhood, her innocence, Faith being her dark side - so to me there's always going to be something inherently interesting in the ways they relate to each other.

In conclusion: damn dude I really wish they had more scenes together idk

[amybizarre]

Wings lol

Inspired by avian fantasy concepts I went ahead and designed wings for most of the Welcome Home cast. While doing so, lore and worldbuilding kept running wild in my head. So consider this as a bit of an introduction to an AU?

Yes, I know, there's quite a few winged Wallys out there already (all very cool!), but I wanted to make sth similar too.

Also, scopophobia warning for Home's wings, lmao. They're the first under the cut.

Home

Home is a seraphim like being. Half deity, of sorts. Yet they are very much part of the physical world. They are the ruler of the Featherfolk, who reside in their kingdom of floating islands. The Featherfolk has developed a rich culture and beautiful architecture. Sadly, Home isn't the greatest leader, with ruthless tendencies and only truly caring if something benefits them themself. Thus things like slavery and brutal punishments for breaking the law are still a thing. Not good- No one, not even Wally, has ever seen Home's face, for it is always concealed by a plague doctor like mask. Home's soldiers and guards are also required to wear such masks as part of their uniform.

Poppy

Poppy is a being very close to Home. (I just haven't made wings for her, cause she basically already has them). Personality wise she's the polar opposite of Home. Rumors have it she used to rule the Featherfolk before Home did something terrible to her and took her place. But Home quenches any rumors like this at the root. People spreading information about how Home took over the throne, are met with harsh consequences. Besides, it's been so long ago, no one living remembers the incident. What Home doesn't know, is that Poppy is still alive and hides from them.

Wally

Wally used to be an orphan on the streets. At a very young age, he was taken in by Home, who raised him as the prince. Despite Home's input, Wally is a very kind and easy going individual. He treats his subordinates with care and empathy. Barnaby made sure to teach him that. He usually mingles with the common folk and is the friendly representative face in public for Home. He has yet to learn that Home is flawed. But when he does, he will do what is necessary to ensure the best for his people.

Barnaby

Barnaby doesn't have wings. He used to be part of the Furfolk living on the groundlands, before slave hunters caught him. Back then Wally was still very young and needed lots of care. So Home acquired Barnaby to do exactly that and be his male nanny, basically. Despite Barnaby's social situation, he maintained his mirthful attitude, although his jokes have the capacity to be very critical and cut deep. As Wally grew up they became the best friends. To this day Wally holds the highest respect for his old friend.

Frank

Every growing child needs a teacher. This was Frank's role. He was the royal teacher for young Wally and still is his most trusted advisor. He much more serious and calculated than Barnaby. They used to get into arguments back in the day whenever Barnaby distracted Wally from schoolwork too much. Frank likes to display a stand offish and grumpy demeanor, but he means well. Married to Eddie.

Eddie

Royal messenger and delivery boy. Married to Frank. Eddie takes his duty very seriously, although he has a tendency of getting dragged into shenanigans and forgetting was his initial mission even was. Nevertheless he is protective of his friends and loved ones, even defending strangers on the streets, if he sees them treated with injustice. His only setback is his fear of heights, which renders him nervous and fiddly at the thought of flying. Which is... Part of his daily life-

Sally and Julie

Sally and Julie work and travel together. Sally performs as an actress and multitalent on any stage that hires her and Julie travels with her as her loyal musician and helping hand. Most of the time they perform together, delivering the finest emotional tension and entertainment. The emotional tension between them transcends the stage, but it's nothing official yet.

Howdy

Howdy has his butterfly wings in this AU. Not really part of the Furfolk, not part of the Featherfolk either, he doesn't really belong to any group, because his kind has become so rare. He makes the best out of the situation by being a traveling merchant. His wings aren't the best for long term flying. They're more something for short bursts of flight. Because of that, he owns a fluffy dragon, both to do the actual traveling and carrying the goods.

I'll leave ve it up to you, where your place in this universe is. My initial idea was that you're Howdy's apprentice or business partner or mercenary, who he hired to protect him on his travels,since it would give you the opportunity to explore the realm and meet all of the other characters.

[the-motif-deck]

The Motif Deck is now available on Game Crafter!

Thank you, everyone, for your interest in this deck and for your input on its final touches. The Motif Deck is now available for purchase at The Game Crafter.

(Marker for scale)

What is The Motif Deck?

The Motif Deck is a unique cartomancy system where the images have no inherent meaning, and so its up to the reader to assign significance.

The cards consist of seven objects interacting with each other: hand, candle, rose, feather, key, string, and cup. Each image consists of one or two of these items on a plain colored background.

There are four colors: red, green, blue, and yellow.

Each image appears in the deck four times in different colorways, for a total of 112 cards.

These images were designed to be meaningless- they are just objects. What gives them meaning is the combination of color, frequency, placement, and interpretation from the querent and the reader.

I want the reading to allow a back and forth with the reader and the querent- be able to ask 'what does the cup represent to you? or 'who does this red key represent in your life?'

Who is behind The Motif Deck?

My name is Lee and I have been a tarot reader for more than ten years. I am the author and artist of The Sweeney Tarot, which has been my go-to deck this whole time.

As I became more skilled in reading, I learned that I had a unique reading style: rather than having specific spreads and card placements, I let the cards decide for themselves what order they're meant to be read in. I allowed myself to gravitate towards specific cards and read them like a story.

I have always been a fan of stories told through objects, and I thought about the symbolism of everyday items was powerful in that a key can mean so many things to so many people. And from there I began thinking about those objects and how a thread can symbolize love but it can also symbolize struggle. And I thought that was beautiful.

On occasion, I will be doing a tarot reading for a stranger and they will have a different interpretation of the cards than I do. I always encourage this- the querent knows who they are more than anyone. And I wanted to make something that made space for that.

Is there a guidebook for this deck?

There is a simple guide book that comes with the deck, that gives a sample reading as well as some approaches to the reading, some potential meanings to individual colors and objects.

However, I have been (and will continue) posting a weekly spread and asking people to give their interpretations. There are no wrong answers, and you can find them in the 'sample reading' tag.

Thank you, once again, to everyone that egged me on and gave their opinions. I hope you have as much fun with this deck as I have had showing it off to strangers for the past month.

[nikitricky]

These are 50 triangles "learning" themselves to mimic this image of a hot dog.

If you clicked "Read more", then I assume you'd be interested to hear more about this. I'll try my best, sorry if it ends up a bit rambly. Here is how I did that.

Points in multiple dimensions and function optimization

This section roughly describes some stuff you need to know before all the other stuff.

Multiple dimensions - Wikipedia roughly defines dimensionality as "The minimum number of coordinates needed to specify any point within it", meaning that for a 2-dimensional space, you need 2 numbers to specify the coordinates (x and y), but in a 3-dimensional space you need 3 numbers (x, y, and z). There are an infinite amount of dimensions (yes, even one million dimensional space exists)

Function optimization - Optimization functions try and optimize the inputs of a function to get a given output (usually the minimum, maximum, or some specific value).

How to train your triangles

Representing triangles as points - First, we need to convert our triangles to points. Here are the values that I use. (every value is normalized between 0 and 1) • 4 values for color (r, g, b, a) • 6 values for the position of each point on the triangle (x, y pair multiplied by 3 vertices) Each triangle needs 10 values, so for 10 triangles we'd need 100 values, so any image containing 10 triangles can be represented as a point in 100-dimensional space

Preparing for the optimization function - Now that we can create images using points in space, we need to tell the optimization function what to optimize. In this case - minimize the difference between 2 images (the source and the triangles). I'll be using RMSE

Training - We finally have all the things to start training. Optimization functions are a very interesting and hard field of CS (its most prominent use is in neural networks), so instead of writing my own, I'll use something from people who actually know what they're doing. I'm writing all of this code in Python, using ZOOpt. The function that ZOOpt is trying to optimize goes like so: • Generate an image from triangles using the input • Compare that image to the image we're trying to get • Return the difference

That's it! We restrict how long it takes by setting a limit on how many times can the optimizer call the function and run.

Thanks for reading. Sorry if it's a bit bad, writing isn't my forte. This was inspired by this.

You can find my (bad) code here:

https://gist.github.com/NikiTricky2/6f6e8c7c28bd5393c1c605879e2de5ff

Here is one more image for you getting so far

[msfbgraves]

The first Godfather movie is on Y*utube for free now! I rewatched it and it was just as great as I remember, so on to Part 2. But then I went on redd*t to check out some Godfather threads, and was disappointed to see so much discourse on who was hotter, Apollonia or Kay. And why there is so much hate against Kay, mainly because she is “too feminist” and “educated”, doesn’t “obey or support” Michael, and that she’s not as beautiful as Apollonia. All in all a disappointing experience. I didn’t see any male characters reduced to how handsome they were or were not : /

Let me help you there, then, Nonnie - of course Michael was destined to become the new Don - he is far prettier than Fredo, Sonny or Connie. And Vito was prettier than Don Fanucci all along! 😎

All this "Kay isn't good enough for Michael" discourse - he pursued her. Both in film 1 and 3. And the only time I felt Kay was weak, was when she said yes when he returned. Imagine, here is your war hero boyfriend who says he wants a clean American life... and then he shoots two people, leaves the country, ghosts you for a year, tells you he has become a career criminal and then proposes marriage. She should have said no, she really isn't open to this, but is this man, who she knows has people killed with no repercussions, a man she can refuse? As little as Vitelli could really refuse Michael's request to court Apollonia. The first thing Michael says to him is: "If you don't do what I want, I will kill you, and what I want is meet your daughter."

But alright maybe love isn't rational. Maybe they loved each other still. Kay really wasn't suited to mob life and that is on Michael. He knew who she was and it didn't matter, he wanted her. He had barely a clue who Apollonia was, her with no English and he with broken Italian. It didn't matter, he wanted her. Kay would have been perfect for Michael Corleone, aspiring senator, which is what he was when they met. But he didn't care Kay was not suited for who he was now. Why didn't he grieve Apollonia and find another mob wife? Why didn't he remarry after their divorce? Even when he proposes Kay is already reluctant and Michael pushes and pushes and pushes. She must represent something he actually does want, still.

But it's always the woman's fault when relationships don't work out, isn't it? No Kay wasn't a good mob wife. She didn't want to be one. She got out with her children - that is something Michael never managed. And Apollonia is something many men imagine they want, but when they have it, they get bored. I am not saying Apollonia wasn't intelligent, but if you get told to completely erase yourself into motherhood, which means you can't offer more than comfort and sex - that's not enough for a lot of people. And it's not like these women wouldn't have had more to offer but everytime they try they get shut down. And what you get then is Carmella, which may have suited Vito - that man who craved domesticity above all else - but even Sonny and Michael needed more input from her than she could give. So Michael fell for the total opposite. And maybe Apollonia was a fierce presence who might have become to Michael what Connie became, but we can't know. We don't know what she and Michael talked about. We know she was very beautiful and made Michael laugh, and she may or may not have had a slight independent streak. That's it.

I feel that they might have worked because they clicked emotionally and Apollonia knew the life. But Michael didn't look for someone like her again. He looked for Kay, again and again and again.

If she doesn't suit him - and no, she doesn't suit a Don - Michael should try to figure out what itch he was trying to scratch with her. Oh, and that obedience shit - in my experience, boys who go on about that are deeply insecure about something. They couldn't get a well trained dog to obey them, let alone a person!

All these men who think they're owed power while being unwilling to do what they'd have to to obtain it, always want women to fawn. Men who have what it takes to gain power, should they aspire to, usually spend time honing a skill. They rarely throw their weight around putting others down. No matter where they start, the bottom or the top - they put the work in. Michael did, Sonny did, and Fredo mostly complained. As much as we see anyway. If Fredo had done a good job with what he was given, or would have found himself an opportunity, he would have won Michael's respect. Not position,but respect, like Tom. Instead Fredo demanded respect for his position as an older brother.

That's the type of man who whines about having women obey him.

[bellaaldamas]

I just wanted to say, thank you and the other fans from this part of the GoW fandom.

In a place full of trolls and gamerbros who turn characters that they deem annoying into irredeemable, useless bitches (Freya, Angrboða) and characters they do like are reduced to either prize for someone (Thrúd, Sif and somehow, Freya again) or into their masculinity idol (Kratos, whom they only accept as the testosterone caricature godkiller and his development seen as creators turning him soft. This claim is at it's peak with Ragnarok, but it was there back in 2018 such as wanting Kratos to beat or even kill Atreus for "acting like a brat". What a horrible mindset!) - It's nice to have a side with people who are welcoming, creative and genuinely fun to interact with.

Your analyses - both fandom and in-game inputs - are a delight to read. They're beautifuly written, intelligent and well formulared, I always feel smarter after reading them.

Apologies if you prefer to discuss this in DMs, I wanted others to read this too.

I wish you a wonderful rest of your day/night 💛

Thank you so much for this message, this kind of feedback truly makes existing in this - and, admittedly, other fandoms - worth it. Your summary of my ramblings genuinely took me by surprise as I haven't been "conventionally" active in the fandom intentionally due to negative past experiences with other fandoms. Those occasional inputs I do come up with are mainly hastily written bursts in broken English.

I don't make a secret out of the fact that in my experience all fandoms, definitely not just Gow(R), are toxic to varying degrees due to trolls employing the very same tactic everywhere they go. For one, it's creating the illusion of dominance of their opinion in terms of quantity (as they have no arguments to back up their stance other than canon twisting nonsense they clearly realize that "quality" is not their strong suit). To attain that, they resort to a number of other tactics typically used by abusers both online and in real life.

As such, whenever trolls see intelligent and thoughtful people refuting their "points" they know they cannot come up with a single canon compliant rebuttal. Therefore they dog-pile in droves as to wear down the opponent who inevitably has to stop responding to them at some point. Because a logical person who dedicates time and thought to formulate an argument, fact checks and brings up evidence and quotes from the source material simply cannot withstand a wave of unhinged trolling coming at them left, right and center. They certainly cannot respond to each ridiculous one line statement of the trolls (such as the types of statements you bring up, in the vein of "Freya is a b1tch, she should've DyEd instead of He**d*all!!11!!") by typing out a thorough and researched response each time. As it would require not just spending hours on it but repeating themselves numerous times over.

The above behavior from trolls is what caused me personally a burnout from the fandom culture overall and led to my taking a distance. When I engage with people in online communities I tend to avoid blanket statements and try to always back up my points with examples from canon. Trolls don't need any of that and always dismiss those points or, at best, make it look like they acknowledge them (by quoting back). But instead of replying with canon facts they resort to Strawman Arguments or Ad Hominem.

In Gow(R) and other gaming fandoms there's also the matter of the trolls looking for "backup" in the form of big bloggers/reviewers who express, in some respects, a view of the plot and characters similar to them. Which trolls use as another "proof" their opinion is supposedly held by the majority. But the uncomfortable - for them and those reviewers - truth is that YouTube community (a cesspool of trolling as of now) represents hardly even 1 percentage of the general audience (one that pays actual money for the games). Which at most passively watches some of those videos, mainly when they have a click baiting title.

A prime example is that "viral" video with millions of views about Atreus supposedly "having a crush on Thrud". Looking at the comment section it becomes obvious that the people leaving humorous and lighthearted remarks don't take the video or the title statement seriously. Whereas the actual trolls who consider Atreus a "selfish little runt" (c) but somehow good enough to be a prize/reward for Thrud (whom they either sexualize or treat as their girlboss self insert); and who deny that Atreus and Angrboda is the only canon budding romance arc in the series are the same four or five people/nicknames. Who can be observed under other Atreus/Angrboda videos with their nonsense.

Furthermore, trolls actively participated in making the "Atreus and Thrud" piece viral in the comment section for at least one Atreus/Angrboda tribute video by mentioning the AT video and the amount of views it has. And openly insisting it somehow "proves that the fans want" Atreus and Thrud as a romantic arc for Atreus - the very same character they consider unworthy of being a secondary protagonist let alone becoming the main lead of the series or having his own spin off. But, as noted, they believe him to be acceptable enough to become a trophy man for their preferred girlboss.

That in turn brings us to another issue of male characters absolutely also being susceptible to objectification and being reduced to love interests and plot devices for female characters whom fandom minority treats as a part of their personal power fantasy. Atreus hating trolls originally didn't even deny they hated Angrboda "by association" with Atreus - thus even they initially admitted she was intended as his potential romantic partner by the narrative - because women to them are just men's extensions/accessories. But when they realized this argument makes it very easy to dismiss them for the bitter misogynists that they are they changed the tactic (also classic troll pattern) and started to distort canon in order to invent "arguments" to justify not just their Atreus hating but also their Angrboda hating stance.

To "warm up" they originally started calling Angrboda a "woke points character" which I cannot stress enough is utterly laughable when coming from Atreus/Thrud shippers. Because if there is a woke points or fan-service character in GowR it would be Thrud and Heimdall, respectively. They're the only ones who could be either removed entirely (Thrud) or replaced/have their screentime reduced to one or two scenes and the story would've been exactly the same. Thrud's Valkyrie aspirations have no influence on the plot whatsoever and are a complete filler. I'm saying this not because I dislike either of them but because it's an objective fact that smashes troll arguments flat.

Then there is the matter of the trolls being unable to stand the fact that interactions with Angrboda is Atreus's healthiest and most positive relationship in the story. It especially challenged them that Angrboda always valued Atreus's personal choices and didn't once question him (even when she disagreed with his train of action), his moral character or his right to take his own independent decisions (on the contrary, Thrud questioned his every move and deemed him untrustworthy the moment he made one, genuine mistake with Garm - and the trolls deemed it admirable because "finally someone put that little runt in place"; they don't actually ship Atreus and Thrud, they ship their own aggression and disdain towards Atreus projected onto Thrud).

Angrboda let Atreus exercise his agency (another troll nightmare as they cannot stand the very idea of Atreus having any) even when his actions went directly against her mother's words about the giant marbles or against the prophesy itself. That is, despite Angrboda considering the prophesy which killed both of her parents her lifeline. And believing that delivering said prophesy and the giant souls to Loki was her one and only mission in the existence full of loneliness (years of not speaking to another person, per Angrboda's own admission). As well as full of hard labor she had to engage in daily at a strikingly young age (purely out of love and sense of responsibility for every living thing in Ironwood) because there was no one around to help her (Atreus understandably expressed astonishment and admiration at that which Angrboda appreciated but - which is no less important - pointed out they're the same age; implying that she knows and acknowledges Atreus/Loki has gone through a lot himself and fared well). Even Angrboda's grandmother broke due to challenges that only made Angrboda more caring and compassionate.

Which is another point worth addressing about fandom culture because it tends to put down gentle and vulnerable girls and women as "unfeminist". Modern "feminism" has little to do with woman empowerment or rights and is a repackaged patriarchy that praises women/female characters as strong and independent only when they take the aggressor and conqueror mantle from a man.

Kratos fell a victim of a similar thinking on part of both the gamebro AND the "progressive" segment of the fandom. I realize Tumblr is not ready yet for that conversation, but masculinity is not inherently toxic and neither is femininity. What both gamebros and woke types cannot handle is that Kratos's development and Angrboda's character represent the type of masculinity and femininity, respectively, that isn't imposed on them by the sexist society but that is based completely on their free will and life experience. Moreover, Thrud is the one who was heavily influenced by the toxic environment she grew up in. Therefore considering her a "feminist icon" is both factually wrong and unwise (even if we discount her "treacherous ex wife" comment in regards to Freya because that was ALSO a part of Odin's toxic influence that she can now, hopefully, work through and move on from).

But the most delightful part is that none of those troll views and arguments have proven to matter at all. GowR developers went on to do literally every single thing trolls dreaded. Freya was not made into a "big bad b!tch who deserved to be killed by Kratos for being a less than perfect mother" (even though not only was Kratos the furthest thing from the father of the year in Gow18 but as you note, the very same people wouldn't object to physical violence against Atreus at his hands). Kratos continued to work towards healthier existence and carving a better path. Angrboda remained an emotionally mature, loving, caring and independent person with a potential of her relationship with Atreus going further in the following installments. Atreus is clearly set up to have his own spin off or remain a secondary protagonist or even become the main protagonist next game. That in and of itself is a prime example of how irrelevant trolls and their entitled demands are in the grand scheme of things.

That being said, as I always point out, we should keep in mind we cannot control media we consume, only our experience with it. A healthy emotional distance from it is the only way to avoid stress if/when the writers come up with decisions we might not like or find offensive. Mental well being should be our priority and media created by others should never define us.

Thank you again for this positive and inspiring message. Have a great and fulfilling time yourself <3

[a-killer-obsession]

Wavelengths [Killer x Reader, Heat x Reader]

🔞 Minors DNI 🔞

A search for a rumored Vegapunk weapon leads the Kid Pirates to an unexpected new crewmate, with a bloodlust that rivals their own and an incredible power.

CW: Please check AO3 for all current warnings, but general warning for smut, slow burn, serious gore, and really dark themes. AFAB reader, she/her pronouns.

Masterlist || AO3 || Chapter 1

Chapter 28 - On Pranks and Pregnancies

Plans are hatched to handle your discontent, and Kid has a discontent of his own.

WC: ~4.5k

Taglist: @h0n3y-l3m0n05 @tremendoushorsepatrolgoth @iggy5055

“Alright lads, what's the plan,” you slapped down your hands on the table in the middle of the navigation room. Surrounding it, sitting in the chairs or leaning against walls, were the rest of the commanders, except for Double, who had told you that he didn't want a part in whatever shenanigans you were up to, and Kid, who was busy with your mask and had purposely not been invited to this meeting.

“Plan for what?” Wire asked, looking at you dubiously.

“For the newbies, obviously,” you huffed, “surely you can't all be on board with this ‘no being tied to the mast’ bullshit? We know its all cos he's trying to keep his new squeeze off the mast”

“Just be thankful your room wasn't next to his over the last days,” Mohawk mumbled.

“Kid said they're not going on the mast,” Killer sighed, “we can't just go against his orders”

“But there has to be something we can do to test them,” you pouted, “this is unfair! I'm calling my union representative and I'm filing a complaint unless they have as deservedly miserable of a first week as I did!”

“We don't have a union rep…” Wire mumbled, to which you quickly shushed him.

“What about pranks?” Heat suggested. You stroked your chin as you thought about it.

“I'm listening,” you replied in a slow, methodical tone.

“That's all I got,” Heat admitted with a shrug.

“You guys are useless,” you flopped into your chair with a groan, “am I gonna have to do this all on my own? Come onnnn, someone must have some prank suggestions. Don't tell me ‘invisible whoopie cushion’ is the best the crew can come up with”

“Well, initiation is usually seven days,” Mohawk pondered, “and there are seven of them. What if we give each a day to make them fucking miserable?”

“Now there's the initiative I'm looking for, thank you doctor,” you pointed excitedly at Mohawk. He was close enough to press his palm against your finger and move it so it wasn't pointing at him anymore. “Now, I have many useful abilities when it comes to pranking - invisibility, changing colours, making sounds - but I'm gonna need some input. Kil and I only met them last night so I think the rest of you will have a better idea of what would work for each person”

The conversation quickly erupted in to many devious ideas, and over the course of the next hour while Kid was still distracted, you were able to come up with a plan to make each new recruit's given day fucking miserable. But first, you needed your mask back. And there was a scary conversation to be had.

After the meeting Killer took your hand and led you to his room for a last minute pep talk before heading to the lair of the beast. You were both nervous, to say the least. You'd both been a bundle of nerves since you woke up, and the prank meeting had been a nice distraction, but outside of it people had been commenting that the two of you seemed more jittery than normal. It wasn't so bad for you, people knew you were jittery sometimes, but Killer was a clear mess, short tempered and agitated, so far from his usual calm demeanour, and it was making the other commanders more than nervous. Whenever they'd asked though, he'd just respond with “you'll find out soon enough, but I need to talk to Kid first” which did nothing to soothe anyone's minds.

In the end, Killer had decided to take on the beast alone. You'd get your mask, you'd leave, and you'd hope that Kid didn't immediately come charging out to throw you overboard. You walked hand in shaky hand to Kid's workshop, having given him more than enough time from what he said he'd need to finish your mask, and Killer knocked on the door for both of you. It opened on its own, thanks to Kid's devil fruit, and you both took one last anxious look at each other before entering. You did your best to stay calm and not give off nervous energy, but you could barely stay still, you felt like you were in fight or flight mode.

You cleared your throat and did your best to feign confidence. “Is uh.. is the mask ready?”

“Yup!” Oh good, Kid was in a good mood today. Can't wait to ruin that for everybody, you thought to yourself. He swung around on his chair, holding the mask and giving it one last polish with a cloth. He gave it one last inspection before holding it out for you to take. “Good as new, I hope. Give it a go, we won't know if I got the settings right unless you try it”

You took it with a shakey hand and slipped it on, flipping your seastone pendant and playing with the dials on the mask. Switching through the sound functions seemed fine, all good on that front, but you hadn't been very worried about them to begin with. The headset part had taken minimal damage in the storm, it was the visor you were worried about. It was definitely a little shorter, no longer smooth and level across the bottom edge, it was a tiny bit higher and now had a small bump in the middle near your nose, more like snow sport goggles. It was still more than enough coverage for what you needed though, and there didn't seem to be any impurities in the glass that could affect your vision.

Flicking through the mask functions now, you were relieved to find the default setting seemed to work perfectly, and you rotated through the other functions. It was hard to tell for sure given it wasn't pitch black in the workshop, but for the most part they seemed fine. The x-ray function was a little fuzzy though.

“Mmm, sound is good,” you noted, “and all the visual settings seem to be working okay except this one, its the x-ray function, it's just a little fuzzy”

Kid grunted and stood beside you, using his devil fruit to open up the headset and tinkering. “Tell me when it looks right”

You waited for a moment as the visor adjusted back and forth, the shade of green changing so slightly you weren't sure a normal person would even notice, till it finally looked clear and you could see through things without any hint of blurriness. “Right there!” You told him as he hit the right spot. He used his fruit to close it and you scanned through all the functions again to check nothing had been negatively affected by the tinkering, finding everything to be in order. “Looks good Captain, thanks”

“Good, put it in a fucking drawer or something next time we have a storm,” Kid grumbled, “it cost a fucking arm and a leg to get that glasswork done”

“Looks like it only cost an arm,” you pointed at his metal prosthetic, “did you skimp on the bill?”

“Harr harr,” Kid rolled his eyes. No longer distracted by the mask, he finally looked at Killer and noticed how jumpy he looked. “What's your fucking problem?”

Killer looked at you and pointedly stood aside for you to leave. You gave Kid a quiet “sorry,” in advance, squeezing Killer's hand on the way past before leaving a very confused Kid behind. As soon as you were outside you fled to the crows nest, relieved to find Heat had taken the afternoon watch. He raised an eyebrow as you landed in the nest and hid behind him, anxiously peering over his shoulder at the door to Kid's workshop.

“Do I dare ask what you did?” Heat asked curiously.

“Oh don't worry, I'm sure the whole ship will know in about five seconds,” you laughed nervously, clutching his shoulder from behind.

“SHE'S WHAT?” Kid roared from inside the workshop. You swore you felt the whole ship rattle, and you squeaked and hid yourself fully behind Heat. The workshop door opened with a hard slam and Kid came stomping out, scanning the deck, no doubt looking for you. Killer rushed out behind him, running in front to catch his attention before Kid could catch you.

“It was an accident!” Killer had his hands up defensively, “Mohawk did all the checks, but we had her age wrong, we couldn't have known it was expired!”

Heat turned and raised an eyebrow at you, but quickly faltered when he saw the fearful tears rolling down your cheeks. He scooted around on his butt till he was facing you and took you in his arms. He didn't know what had happened but he knew you were scared and that was enough for him. He stroked your back soothingly as Kid continued to yell and you whimpered at the sound. It had become painfully clear to Heat in your time here that despite how strong you were, nothing terrified you like authority figures being mad at you did.

“I DONT GIVE A RAT'S ASS HOW IT HAPPENED,” Kid barked at Killer, now right in his face, “WE HAD FIVE FUCKING DAYS ON THAT ISLAND FOR YOU TO GO GET IT TAKEN CARE OF SO WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T YOU?”

What should be a private conversation was now a very public argument as henchmen and officers slowly appeared on deck, curious about the uproar.

“BECAUSE I WANTED TO KEEP IT,” Killer shouted back, “YOU KNOW THIS IS SOMETHING I ALWAYS WANTED, WHY CAN'T YOU JUST BE FUCKING HAPPY FOR ME FOR ONCE? I'VE DONE NOTHING BUT FOLLOW YOU AROUND ALL THESE YEARS, CLEANING UP YOUR FUCK UPS AND THROWING AWAY MY DREAMS FOR YOURS, I HAVE BEEN UNWAIVERINGLY LOYAL, WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LET ME HAVE THIS ONE THING?”

“So what? You don't give a fuck about my dream anymore?!” Kid was still barking at his normal volume, but had at least lowered it a tiny amount from the full on yelling after noticing all the curious eyes on him, “How the fuck do you think this is going to go Kil? We're fucking pirates, this is no fucking place for a baby!”

Heat stiffened at that and looked down at you. You didn't know what to say, so you just wiggled out of his arms and curled in on yourself. Your arms were wrapped around your legs, pulling them tight to your chest, and he shuffled forward to place his hand on yours. He ran his thumb over the back of your hand reassuringly and you looked up at him. He said nothing, but he made sure you knew he was there for you, and he was in your corner. He didn't need to understand why you had decided to have a baby on a pirate ship, it wasn't his job to understand, it was his job to just make sure you felt loved and supported.

“WHERE THE FUCK IS SHE?” Kid shouted again, “AND WHAT ARE YOU CUNTS LOOKING AT? GET BACK TO WORK”

The crew scattered other than the commanders who had gathered as well at the commotion. A few of them had seen you go up into the crow's nest, but nobody was willing to rat out a pregnant woman to face Kid's wrath. You appreciated it, but you couldn't stay hiding forever, so you took a deep sigh and stood. Heat gave your hand a supportive squeeze and you forced a smile for him, before swinging over the railing and jumping down to the deck.

“I'm here, Captain,” you sighed. His head swivelled towards you so fast you wondered if he might snap his neck, and he bolted towards you. Killer was faster though, and he put himself between you and the raging bull.

“Don't you fucking touch her,” Killer growled.

Kid sighed as he came to a swift stop, pulling his goggles down to hang around his neck so he could run a stressed hand through his hair. He turned a few times, pacing on the spot as he tried to organise his thoughts. “Just, fucking let me talk to her,” he finally grumbled. The anger seemed to be dissipating as he saw the way Killer protected you, like his best friend had genuinely thought he would hurt a woman with child, let alone his best friend's child. He was pissed, he really fucking was, but that didn't change the fact that Killer meant everything to him, and it stung to think Killer thought he was going to hurt you, especially after how hard it'd been to get you to feel safe with him in the first place.

Killer looked Kid in the eye, using his haki to determine if Kid had any ill intent towards the mother of his child. He looked at Kid with careful scrutiny, before finally conceding and stepping to your side, a protective hand pressed to your belly as he stood tall beside you. Kid looked at the way Killer held you, his fingers splayed over his future child, guarding against Kid. It stung the captain a little to feel so untrusted, but he realised that given his reaction it was probably warranted. You looked absolutely terrified, your lips quivering as you tried to keep a brave face.

Kid let out a heavy breath and took a step towards you, mentally flinching when he saw you take a step back in fear, Killer following you closely, never once letting his hand leave your stomach. “I'm not going to hurt you,” Kid said uncharacteristically softly, “I just need to know that you understand what this means. We can't protect you just because you're knocked up, we can't guarantee your baby's safety. The sea is dangerous, I need to know you understand how risky this is”

You intertwined your fingers with Killer's over your belly and looked at his mask for reassurance, seeing his blue eyes watching you closely through the holes. There was fear in his eyes, scared that Kid's words would finally sway you against keeping his baby. With fresh determination you turned back to Kid.

“I can take down entire ships with a single attack, destroy armies of strong men, melt a man's heart without ever touching him,” you said proudly, “I don't need you to protect this baby, I can do it my damn self”

Kid gave you an accepting nod, glad that you'd found your spine. There was real strength in your words, and he had no doubt now that you would do whatever it took to protect your child. He thought back on his own mother, he couldn't even remember her face. He thought of what Killer had told him of his mother, who hadn't had the strength to protect Killer. This baby would be blessed, he thought, to have such strong, capable parents, so ready to burn the word for them when they hadn't even come into it yet. He ran his hand through his hair as he stood tall again and returned his goggles to their rightful place.

“And you want this?” He asked quietly. “Regardless of what Killer wants, do you want this?”

“I do,” you replied confidently. Killer rested his mask on your shoulder, he felt like he was about to break, and the only thing holding him together right now was you. He hated making his friend angry, he hated going against his captain's wishes, but he just so badly wanted this one selfish thing for himself. The one thing he always wanted and never thought he could have, always so far out of reach, but now resting mere centimetres under his hand.

“I'm guessing you want to stay on this ship then,” Kid asked.

“She's not going anywhere,” Killer growled as her raised his head again, his grip on you tightening possessively. Kid sighed and nodded.

“Okay then,” he resigned, “but don't come crying to me when this goes wrong.” He frowned at the other commanders and stomped away, returning to his workshop and slamming the door behind him.

Your legs gave out underneath you, unaware of just how much stress you'd been under, but Killer was quick to steady you. He was mindful of the other commander's eyes still on him.

“What the fuck are you all looking at?” He shouted at them. His tone quickly changed as Wire stepped forward, placing a hand on Killer's shoulder and squeezing.

“Just wanted to say congratulations,” Wire said gently. Killer's posture relaxed as he realised he meant no harm, “I know how much you've sacrificed for Kid, even if he's too stubborn to admit it. You're allowed to be selfish sometimes. And I know you'll be a good father, you had no resources when you raised Kid but you still managed to make a good man. This one will be different, and you have all of us this time. Kid will come around, you know what he's like”

Wire pat the shoulder his hand had been resting on, giving you a nod of recognition before walking away. The other's quickly cleared out as well, except for Heat who was still up in the crow's nest, still unsure of what to say but happy for the two of you anyway. It was unexpected, but to him it made sense. He was just glad you'd cried before he got a chance to finish with you, a thought he never thought he'd have, but that was too close of a call for his liking. He made a mental note to buy more rubbers, he didn't feel like spinning that roulette wheel again any time soon.

“Kil, can we just hide in my room till dinner?” You near whispered, holding his arm tight for support.

“Yeah, absolutely, fuck,” Killer let out a deep, relieved breath, before taking your hand and leading you to his room. He didn't even think twice about it, you'd said your room, and he'd just gone auto pilot and led you to his. You giggled as he closed the door behind you both, and he took of his mask, running his hand through his hair to loosen his bangs before looking at you questioningly.

“What?” He asked.

“Kil, I said my room,” you smiled as you removed your own mask, “and you brought me here”

Killer looked around the room then back at you, registering what you were saying. “Oh… sorry, I didn't mean to assume,” he scratched the back of his neck as a cute blush spread over his face, “we can go to your room if you want”

“Kil,” you slid up beside him and wrapped your arms around his waist, “if you want me to move in with you, I have no problem with that. Your kid already moved in without asking, this seems like a fair exchange”

Killer snorted and wrapped his arms around you, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. “I apologize on behalf of my child,” he half laughed.

“Mmm, I'm gonna need a better apology than that,” you hummed, slinking out of his hold and stalking your way to the bed, climbing on top of the covers and beckoning him with a come hither motion. You squealed as he charged at you impossibly fast, pouncing on top of you and pressing kisses all over your face between playful sorrys. You were having a full on giggle fit as the kisses made their way to your neck and chest, and he made little growls as he nipped at you, which only served to make you laugh harder. The laughter quickly changed to moans as he sucked on your neck, running his hands up your thighs and pressing his straining clothed erection against your center.

“Kil~” you moaned, as he ground against you, “want you~ please~”

“Needy today are we mama?” He smirked, licking over your neck where he'd been marking you. “Are you up for the whole way or do you want me to avoid that?”

“Mmm,” you pondered, running your hand through his hair and watching the golden locks fall around his face. You'd fooled around plenty at the inn over the last five days, but he'd been anxious to go the whole way with you when he knew you were still healing. Not to mention the unfounded anxiety he had about somehow hurting the baby if he were to fuck you too hard, despite how much you explained that the baby would be perfectly fine. You were surprised he'd even asked, but he was feeling possessive today, he wanted to claim as much of you as he could right now. “I want you inside me, but I'm not sure if it's gonna be too much. I was so hyped up on adrenaline last time”

“I'll be gentle,” he kissed your tummy lovingly as he lifted your dress away and you moved with him to pull it over your head, “just tell me if you want me to stop, I'll go slowly”

“Okay,” you whispered as he kissed your inner thighs, working his way up them till he reached your panties, hooking his fingers under the waistband and pulling them down. You arched off the bed for him to do so, and he kissed from your ankle all the way up your leg as he settled back between them. Your fingers threaded through his hair and scratched his scalp pleasantly as he nuzzled his nose against your folds, before finally running his tongue between them, finding you wet and sweet. He moaned into you as he ran his tongue over your pussy, lapping up your silk before focusing on your clit. He eased you into it slowly, his hand running over your stomach and chest to caress you, and once you were moaning and writhing he brought a single finger to your entrance, circling it before slowly pushing in. It hurt a little, but nowhere near as much as it had the first night he'd taken you to his bed after treasure island.

He looked up at you for assurance and you nodded eagerly before throwing back your head in pleasure as he added a second finger. He pumped them slowly, letting you stretch comfortably around him before moving them any faster. He could feel the way you fluttered around him as your orgasm drew close, a slow buildup from his painstaking efforts as he devoted his whole self to making you feel good. He added a third finger and curled them, hitting that spot inside you that felt so damn good and sucking on your clit till you finally screamed his name and came on his fingers.

He continued to pump you till he was sure he'd worked you through it, lapping up your release and groaning against you. He swore you tasted sweeter now, maybe it was just his imagination, or a placebo at knowing you carried his child inside you. You pulled at his hair as you came down from your high, beckoning him to climb up your body, clamping your thighs around him and pulling him down to kiss you as soon as he was close enough. You could taste yourself on his tongue, intermingled with his saliva, moaning into his mouth as aftershocks of your orgasm rocked through you.

“Want you, now,” you panted, pulling at his shirt to try and get it off. He sat up and quickly removed the offending fabric, and you watched hungrily as he stripped his sash and unbuckled his belt, kicking off his shoes at the same time. You bit your lip as he finally pushed down his pants, his large, needy erection springing from his underwear. He smirked proudly as he watched you biting your lip, pumping himself slowly as he kicked his pants the rest of the way off.

“This what you want princess?” He purred. You nodded as you laid back against the bed, spreading your legs and biting a finger as you waited impatiently for him to fill you. He ran his thumb up your slit, rubbing circles on your over-sensitive clit, and you cried out and reached for him. He let you pull him back to you, and he looked deep in your eyes as he hovered over you and pressed his tip to your entrance. You stared back with a half lidded gaze, your fingers finding purchase in his hair again. You whimpered as he slid inside you, the stretch slightly painful but not unbearable. He could see the sting of pain in your expression and he stilled, letting you adjust until the expression melted back to pleasure before daring to move again. He was patient and gentle, only entering an inch at a time, letting you adjust before moving again, when he was sure you were okay. He let out a grunt as his hips finally met your thighs. One of your hands had fallen back against the pillow, and he threaded his fingers through it, holding your hand as he began to move slowly. It was just like the dreams you'd had during your fever, after the crew had rescued you, with just as much love and adoration in his eyes as he watched you carefully. Your breath hitched as you waited for the inevitable drop of the hat, waiting for the dream to turn to a nightmare, but instead he just continued to make love to you, slowly and carefully till you were both moaning and panting and needy for more.

Your legs were hooked over his thighs and you used them to beg him wordlessly to move faster, and he was eager to give you what you wanted, craving it as much as you were. He held your hand tighter, his forehead resting against yours, his bangs sticking to your sweat as he thrust into you at a new desperate pace. Your body rocked against the mattress and the bed made strained noises as he penetrated you hard and fast, and all you could let out was half baked whimpers as you panted hard, entirely lost to the pleasure while he groaned in your ear. You opened your eyes that had long since closed from the overwhelming sensations and saw his deep blues staring down at you intensely, and it was enough to make the coil snap. He felt you tighten and quickly kissed you, hot and messy, swallowing your moans as he released inside you, filling you with his thick load that dripped out of you as he kept up the hard pace until he was sure you were sated.

He collapsed on top of you, careful to keep his weight off your delicate stomach, panting hard into the crook of your neck. His hand was still in yours, his thumb running over your thumb as you both tried to catch your breaths. His other arm shook from holding his weight, so with a groan he pulled out of you and rolled to your side, pulling you close and burying his head in your shoulder again. You scratched his scalp and pressed your face against whatever you could reach of him, your chests flush to each other and your legs tangled together as you both still breathed fast and hard.

At some point you both fell asleep like that, content in each other's warmth on top of the blankets, till the dinner bell rang and woke you from your pleasant dreams.

[NEXT CHAPTER]

[soaps-mohawk]

I'm working on another piece, this popped up in my head just now, my questions are, (I'd like your input on this) would an Omega be allowed to get tattoos from a parlor, or piercings?

I'm asking you about it because I read one of your QnA one shots about the guys getting another omega added to the pack, I did read the part where the omegas would get along well.

I'm using an OC of mine for this because she has tattoos and piercings. The tattoos she has are representing her background. And why she got them.

If that makes sense. Again I'd like your opinion on this for this AU. I'm so curious about it.

Thanks! Take care of yourself lovely! 💜💜

I thought this was so funny that I got two similar asks in my inbox in such a short amount of time lol.

But yes!! Omegas can get piercings and tattoos, with their alpha's or a beta's permission of course, since the alpha or beta is the one that has to pay for it. Of course, depending on what age they present, they could get them as pups, if they could find a tattoo artist that would tattoo someone underage. Piercings of course, I know a lot of people get them young, so that's up to the parents, and if they want them later, then it's just up to the alpha or beta paying for it.

Tattooing and piercing is one of those fields where they're not quite so discriminating against omegas, so long as there's someone with money that will pay for it (since omegas don't usually have money of their own). I'm sure there would even be like underground artists that would tattoo an omega without an alpha or beta present, so long as the omega could afford it.

[wingsmadeforflying]

OKOK. I have yet to watch the PJ show. BUT. I have seen the clip between Grover and Ares.

I am. Constantly. And forever. In love with how Father Rick writes the gods.

They are moulded by society constantly. Aphrodite changes her appearance for everyone who looks at her, Mt. Olympus is now in the fucking Empire State Building because Greece is no longer the hub, the Greek and Roman variants flicker and get headaches and split. The gods are fickle and exist because of humans and are sensitive to every change, every societal shift.

So. The mention. From Ares. Of "No one talks about those anymore", and how his demeanor immediately shifts, and how Grover refers to the wars as "[his] works". The gods are everywhere at once, they are the entirety of what they represent, their bodies are basically just where all these things happen to collide.

I love. How everything shifts. Ares starting fights on Twitter. Persephone calling Demeter annoying because of her choice in food being whole grain.

It's such. Genius. It's simple, but it's genius. To have them behave differently than they do in the myths we know, in Homer's works, in different media. Because they are creations of humanity, whether the gods want to admit it or not. Without humans, without some group believing in them? They're nothing.

So of course, as humanity and society changes fundamentally, the gods do too. And they even change from the books! I presume, based on the Twitter comments, and Percy flossing. This is meant for Gen Alpha, late Gen Z. For now.

I just love. How he characterizes the gods. And myths. And outs a modern, witty spin on everything. Because telling the same myths the same ways gets repetitive, boring, and completely lost in translation. We don't care about the things ancient Greco-Roman people cared about, not in the same way. So myths aren't going to carry on forever.

I just love the way he does this. And how his whole project branches out to different cultures and mythos, not just focusing on the major mythos. But getting direct input from people in those cultures, who've studied those religions, to use his name and brand to spread the love of them. The love of these stories that our kin used to get by. To try and explain this confusing as shit rock we call home.

It's so fucking important to me. And I love him for opening it up, giving people opportunities to share their stories, giving the next generation to find hope and joy in these neurodivergent kids. To find a sense of home and belonging when it's so fucking lonely out here. It's so fucking special.

Thank you, Rick.

[albontology]

would you be willing to explain the geochalex tag on the angel/fae/machine rules post. i am assuming george = machine rules but i don't know about alex or charles and i am interested

oh yeah great question!! thank you for asking, i'll say tl;dr: in my mind, george = fae rules, charles = angel rules, and alex = machine rules. reasoning and extreme yapping under the cut o7

first massive disclaimer is this is rpf-goggles equipped i dont actually know shit and am making half of this up. naturally. so from there.

so what initially drew me to think of that/tag the post as geochalex is because of the inherent disciplinary quality of being a driver: not only do f1 drivers have to abide by a multitude of rules, but they're often one of two representatives of a mass of people and a brand, and further they have to be in control of their bodies at all times. so in this very flowery sense, the figure of the driver is one defined in relation to the rules they have to abide by both in the established system and in the larger expectations of the industry. following that, the way that i matched geochalex to their respective alignments has to do with this framing of relationship of driver to authoritative power, the 'rule-arbiter'

the first and immediate association to me was george with fae rules because of his status as gpda prez and resident rulebook consumer. this has recency bias, ofc, but in particular, think back to all the posts on how george being called to the stewards is just an exercise in his memorization of the fia rulebook. george respects the rules and abides by them, but does not take them for face value, and is more than willing to flex his expertise with them to augment his own position in relation to them. there's also the association here of fia rules-fae rules as a power tied up in the nuances of class and society, though that's more tonally tenuous. the more important aesthetic consideration is those massive and haunting baby blue peepers of his. they must be borne of some sort of otherwordly magicks.

second is charles and angel rules. ofc, here, 'god' is the religiously fervent spirit of ferrari. was there ever any question. coming from a very catholic slant, the components of love, awe, and fear as necessary motivators to follow the rules are key. charles loves ferrari, and, i would say, does fear it in the christian sense of the word. to disobey ferrari, or to vocally express his displeasure with it (or its extensions i.e. engineers), is not necessarily disallowed, but like.. you can feel how those rifts kind of marr this massive tapestry of ferrari lore and how charles is woven into it. how do i express this?? the "irreversible consequences" of the og post has to do with how the entire ecosystem, legacy, and history of ferrari are tied up into how charles represents them, and how 'rule breaking' is not only a transgression but a betrayal.

finally is alex and machine/ai rules. alex, i love you, but this was a bit of a shoehorn to complete the trifecta. still, i think out of all three this one fits alex best, because, in the system of dynamics we've established, alex is the one that doesn't have this single entity to be set in opposition to. in the ai-allegory, alex is a cumulation of information he's gathered from various experience, and the rules he has aren't necessarily prescribed by a single creator, but instead are a self-imposed disciplinary practice that runs embedded into his every behaviour. this to me is very alex!! as the media-designated 'personable funny guy on the grid', alex is constantly receiving input from all directions on how he should behave, and in my view has baked into his being the need to be highly functional, agreeable, yet disciplined in every regard. if he intentionally transgresses upon this model, it fundamentally shifts who he is (largely by reshaping how people perceive him). also, the idea of willingly breaking one's self to surpass their limits, while equally applicable to many other drivers, really resonates with alex's story to me given how much he's been through and sacrificed.

the final meme in the original post, where representatives of fae, angel, and machine come together in a meeting of the minds to discuss what the fuck god's problem is. that's what they're talking about in the driver debriefs. among other things, like the shanghai good boy collar and when in your career is too early to get a full-back tattoo.