#like clearly Scout is flawed

[gravitytrips]

You are so right.

massive amount of tags below but have some good thoughts

We’ve all heard the “Scout gets too much attention” rants in the fandom but I also want to say: Scout gets too much hate.

Like, he’s decidedly NOT a coward. I have no idea where people get that from. His entire backstory is that he got fast to that he could run into danger before the fight ended. He’s got voice lines pleading for his life, but every character has voice lines where they’re weak or losing.

He’s also not that annoying to anyone but Spy (besides the people he’s killing). I’m easier on this though because it comes from gameplay habits.

Also, Scout is strong. Maybe not physically, and certainly not as much as the rest of the team, but he’s quick, acrobatic, and whip smart about surroundings. He did single handedly take on a Heavy. Sure, it was his meet-the and everyone is overpowered but still. He puts up a fight. (My favorite subversive moment of the ‘scout gets wreaked by everyone automatically’ is in Mann Swap where we see him use his skillset to match with heavy’s strength.)

It’s hilarious to punch the punching bag, ofc. But Scout is my least favorite of the main nine and it still kills me to see him in “serious” tf2 fan media with only his joke traits.

[imagineitdearies]

~ A Flawed Eternity ~

(AKA drabbles set in the Perfect Slaughter universe.)

In which Tyrus has some trouble with the whole drinking blood thing. Content warning for unspecified eating disorder and mention of SA.

~

Tyrus stared down the corpse of a feral street cat, his stomach aching at the sight—and yet his mind recoiling in disgust and fear.

“Freshly killed,” Astarion said, overly cheerful as he sat down next to him on the bed. “Found it rummaging in the rubbish bins outside the kitchen door of the Elfsong, darling, just a few minutes ago. No diseases, not even that bad-smelling.”

“Thank you,” Tyrus said, putting on a smile.

But Astarion didn’t nod and move away. He was trying but failing to act nonchalant—picking at his nails, casually crossing his legs, but clearly waiting for Tyrus to drink. Watching to see if Tyrus could prove everything was alright, after he’d failed to hide the rat he hadn’t drunk from a night earlier.

Maybe if he did this for Astarion, Tyrus bargained with himself, he’d be able.

So he picked up the carcass . . . and felt all at once nauseous, terrified, and disgusted with himself, the moment it touched his lips.

“It–it smells off again,” Tyrus tried, the same excuse he’d given about the rat, though he remained a terrible liar. When Astarion just gave him an incredulous look, Tyrus sighed and lowered the carcass. “Maybe there’s something wrong with my stomach. The thrombophilic blood still affecting it, or . . .” he shook his head. Or there was just something wrong with him, Tyrus didn’t finish.

Astarion gave him a very displeased look. “Just try a taste, love,” he scolded. “I’m sure your appetite will return to you.”

Tyrus held in a shudder. “Maybe later?” he offered.

But later came, and Tyrus still had no appetite. He blamed it on the blood being too cold, promising to not wait too long next time. Astarion only frowned at the excuse.

For the rest of their tenday in Baldur’s Gate, Astarion didn’t press the issue at least—but he did make pointed remarks about all the new animals and occasional criminals he was tasting, and suggested multiple times that Tyrus join him once they figured out that Polymorph could allow them to go out together. Frowning, every time Tyrus just nodded or gave a noncommittal answer.

It wasn’t until they were down in the Underdark, on the trail of the spawn horde, that Tyrus’s starvation became a liability.

Astarion had always been faster. But with the little rest his mind allowed him, and more than two tendays since he last drank—from a thrombophilic victim, no less—Tyrus was slowing them down terribly. His feet were quick to stumble and make noise, his magic was harder to access. Back at the palace, there were plenty of times he’d been much worse off than this, but few situations where it mattered. Now, in one of the most dangerous terrains in Faerun, he was a liability to them both.

So Tyrus felt a bit of hope, when Astarion went off to scout around the hollow they’d found for the night and came back tugging a deep rothe carcass with him.

“I drank half,” he said with a wide, blood-smeared smile. “The rest is for you, love.”

Tyrus quickly finished his Tiny Hut casting, kneeling over the creature with surprise and interest. The blood smelled rich and strange, but good. Certainly like nothing Tyrus had tasted before.

And yet, when he lowered his lips towards the bite mark Astarion had already made in its fur, Tyrus felt his insides twist with revulsion.

He thought of the rat Leon had used to trap him, that Cazador had spent tendays beating him over. He thought of the larger, festering one he’d hid in the drawer, that had put him in a tomb for a year. Worse, he thought of the rabbit, limp and twisted and deformed in his grip as Cazador raped him. He could still feel it almost, the blood curdling in his stomach the moment he realized what he’d paid for it.

And, much too viscerally, Tyrus thought of the gingery thrombophilic blood resting like lead in his undead limbs, clotting in his lungs, splitting pain in his abdomen and head.

Tyrus heard Astarion let out a small exhale of disbelief, as he pulled back without so much as wetting his lips. But he couldn’t do it. He needed to—but he couldn’t.

“I don’t think I’m hungry enough yet,” he murmured, sitting back up. “You finish it, love.”

When Astarion didn’t immediately answer, he made the mistake of fully looking at him—and felt his soul crumble at the confusion, worry, and heartbreak in his partner’s eyes. Things Tyrus had never wanted to see on Astarion’s face again, and all of it because of him.

Tyrus felt tears build in his eyes in return, and he buried his head in his hands before his face could fully twist with despair. It seemed like all he could do the last two tendays was cry or make problems. Shouldn’t he be happy, not a broken mess? Shouldn’t he want to drink all the blood he could, as he’d dreamed of for so long?

Couldn’t he at least force it down now, for Astarion’s sake?

“I don’t know what’s wrong,” he whispered, just before he felt familiar arms come around him, pulling him into his partner’s chest. Tyrus collapsed into it, letting his tears soak into the ruffles of Astarion’s new silk shirt. “I know it’s fine now, and I’m hungry, I should . . .”

“Shhh,” Astarion hushed, holding him just a bit tighter. Kissing the top of Tyrus’s head, before he murmured, “You’re alright.”

After the tears passed, Tyrus shook his head. Sighing as he admitted, “I’m not. I’m slowing us down—we’ll never catch up to them, at this rate.”

Astarion gently pulled back from their embrace and met his eyes with a rather serious expression. “I don’t care when or if we ever find them, Tyrus,” he replied, reaching forward to wipe at his tears. “I’m worried about you. Is there something you would like? Or think might be easier to try, at least?” Astarion let out a sad chuckle, adding, “I’d track down a dragon for you, love, if I knew you’d drink it.”

That cracked a smile on Tyrus’s face as well. Then he sniffed, glancing down at the large creature. “It smells good,” he admitted softly. “Different enough I thought I wouldn’t . . .”

“Recall a bad memory?” Astarion guessed correctly.

“Many,” Tyrus nodded with a sigh—though it wasn’t just the memories, he knew. More accurately, it was all the terrible associations the memories had given him, compounded into one deep aversion.

An aversion he simply couldn’t afford.

“I’ll try again,” Tyrus tried to convince himself, pulling away fully to lean down towards the bovine creature. Focusing in on the differences he could smell in the dead animal’s cooling blood than anything he’d drunk before—more earthy and herbal, for a start.

“That’s it,” he heard Astarion sigh with relief, a hand grounding on his lower back as he pressed his lips over his lover’s bite and forced himself to try. And Tyrus felt a small thrill of happiness, both as the first taste warmed his tongue and when he heard Astarion continue to praise, “You’re doing so well, darling,” already pulling back Tyrus’s hair before he could brush it out of the way himself.

And for a while, he was doing well. Tyrus felt his hunger take over quickly, his instinctive need overriding the crackling static of fear and revulsion in the back of his mind. He couldn’t swallow it down fast enough, near choking with how fast his mouth pulled it in.

Then the carcass twitched, when he needlessly tightened his grip.

All at once Tyrus’s mind catapulted back in time again, now to the day Astarion had tried Polymorph to be fed from, and Tyrus hadn’t even been conscious of how much the lion was fighting him as he greedily drank, taken over by bloodlust for so long before he came to his senses and allowed Astarion to scamper away, bleeding and crying . . .

Tyrus pulled away from the carcass just before he gagged, blood revolting halfway to his stomach—choking out a large portion of it onto the ground.

“That’s alright,” he heard Astarion still soothing him, hands still grounding on his back as Tyrus huffed and gasped then stared blearily at the pool of blood he’d wasted.

But not all of it had been lost. Tyrus could feel his head clearing a significant amount, his focus sharpening, his limbs lightening. This harrowing memory couldn’t hold him for long—Astarion was right here, after all, free and healthy.

So Tyrus sat up straighter, licking absentmindedly at his lips as he turned to Astarion and murmured, “Thank you.”

Astarion gave him a feigned look of confusion. “For allowing you a small taste? This was nothing, darling—I could go and fetch us a whole second beast if this is what you can stomach—though perhaps cattle from the surface might go down smoother for you . . .“

“You are wonderful, you know,” Tyrus laughed, before leaning in and kissing him.

Astarion froze in surprise—and then he let out a pleased moan, kissing back with enthusiasm as he tasted the fruit of his labors on Tyrus’s tongue.

[bengiyo]

Cherry Magic Anime Ep 12 (Finale) Stray Thoughts

Last week, the boys made a right mess of themselves. Adachi went to visit Nagasaki to scout out the new position, and send a letter to Kurosawa while he was there. Thankfully, Kurosawa is a simp, and the letter accomplished its job. Kurosawa went to Nagasaki to see Adachi, and finally got to hear Adachi express clearly how much Kurosawa means to him. We left the two of them in bed, and Adachi likely no longer has his powers. Meanwhile, Tsuge tried to support Minato from a distance, but Minato chased after him and the two properly connected.

Thank you, Cherry Magic Anime, for confirming that Adachi could hear Kurosawa’s thoughts during their first encounter.

I like that this version dwelled in the loss of Adachi’s power, and what it meant for Adachi. I especially like that he asserts that it has little to do with the definition of a virgin and the physical realities of sex, and instead has to do with Adachi’s willingness to be open and vulnerable with Kurosawa.

My man Kurosawa is crying because he knows he’s loved and it’s what he deserves.

Okay, Adachi saying that Kurosawa’s warmth and scent are stronger now that he’s not hearing his thoughts is such an excellent detail. Good job, Cherry Magic Anime.

Hell yeah, Adachi! You should take on this new project that excites you, and also accept the inherent promotion! So happy that he’s serious about trusting Kurosawa and speaking openly about how excited he is about this opportunity. I like that he recognizes that his relationship with Kurosawa has made him braver.

Very funny that Adachi forgot about the power and that’s how Tsuge found out. I also like seeing Tsuge be impressed with Adachi taking a major step forward before him.

I have missed Fujisaki. I’m glad we got a little bit of her.

Oh boy. Adachi is being worn out from all of the difficulties that come with his new responsibilities.

I love Adachi going back to Tokyo to talk with Kurosawa about his anxieties. Recognizing that something bad could happen to either of them and no one would know about them is actually so frightening, and a genuine gay reality.

Adachi saying they should live together and Kurosawa putting a ring on it feels like the right balance for them.

Look at that splash of domesticity for both couples at the end as a treat.

They got married!! Fujisaki won!

What a lovely stinger at the end.

Final Verdict: 9, Highly Recommended. I really like this version of the entire cast. They’re far more flawed in a way that makes them a little less likable, but it also makes me empathize with all of them a lot more. I like that Rokkaku was such a dick early on to Adachi, so it lands when he finally starts to respect him properly and remember his name. I love how mundane Cherry Magic as a story is, despite the magic power. I absolutely loved this version, and it and the Thai version will stay on my recommendations list for a really long time. The Thai version may be the best show of the Cherry Magic stories, but this one has my favorite versions of the characters.

[selfaware-bungou-stray-dogs]

How would the characters react(before they get into our world) if teruko from the hunting dogs was the readers favourite character and made it very well known by praising ever scene she's in

Totally not taken from the fact that I do that.

(also I have a completely platonic admiration for her)

Here you go. Hope, you like it.

My favourite (Teruko edition)

Self-Aware! Teruko Okura x GN! Reader

Description: Their Guiding Light have a favourite character. The Vice-Captain of Hunting Dogs.

Warning: OOC. English is my second language. Soft Yandere.

"Wow! Teruko is in this chapter! Great!"

Teruko felt, how Little Light curled on her head and start purring. Familiar warmth surrounded her. Happiness and respect. Their Guiding Light were glad to see another scene with her in the manga.

Teruko also felt, that other characters were jealous of her. You were openly admiring Teruko. And some characters were jealous because of that.

Of course, it doesn't mean, that you hated other characters. Quite the opposite, they were fond of all of them and have something nice to say about them. But in case of Teruko, you were very vocal about their love for her.

"Heh. Teruko is quite a fun character."

"Teruko's ability is so unique and strong!"

"Teruko is the best BSD character!"

There were some accidents.

For example, Teruko was a little bit nervous. She was afraid, that her more sadistic side would scare you. Especially, after Teruko and Sigma red about their battle in Sky Casino. Would you change your opinion about Teruko? Thankfully, it wasn't the case, and you didn't like Teruko for been violent. When you were discussing BSD with your friends, characters heard your reasons for liking Teruko.

"My favourite BSD Character? Teruko Okura, of course! Why? Well, because she's an interesting character. She is a warrior. A ruthless one. A warrior, who can do terrible things. But for the better cause. Teruko is protecting civilians. She may be sadistic, it's true. But she is not a terrible person. She is a person, who has flaws and who embraced them and use them for the better cause."

Since then, Teruko promised to herself, to do everything in her power, to be the best of your protectors.

Teruko feels happy. Their Guiding Light's love wasn't bad or awful. You really respected her and liked her.

Teruko smiles. Today will be the day she joins the Rare Scout. And your team.

When Ango, Katai and Fyodor hack the app and find a way to add new cards and seasons in game, they start adding cards of the "new" characters.

At first, they add everyone from Season 3. Even this strange French guy, who, Teruko was sure, died many years ago. If Teruko understood Tachihara's report clearly, others made a leap of faith and add the photo of stage French guy into the Rare Scout as new card. Somehow, it brought him back to life. Completely normal and not harmed.

After characters finished with Season 3, they moved to Season 4.

Now, they were in the process of adding Hunting Dogs cards.

Today, it's Teruko's turn. She braced herself.

Today you will get new card. SSR Card [Gasp of the Soul] Teruko Okura.

The purple moon shined above Yokohama.

"Oh! New SSR! Who I got this time?"

"..."

"YO! Teruko's card! It's so pretty, it's so cool! Let's level you up, let's test you! Best day ever! Best scoot ever!"

Little Light was circling around Teruko, purring.

Teruko felt so much happiness. You really were happy to get her card. Teruko grinned. She needs to send you a few notes later.

Teruko herd Jounou's scoffing.

"You are a lucky one, Teruko. Been Our Guiding Light's Favourite. Are you sure, you would carry your duty as one of your guardians, when we finally met them?"

Teruko only hums in return.

"Keep your jealousy for yourself, Jounou. Of course, I would. I won't do my job poorly. Moreover, I would try even more now. I can't let them down. No matter what, I will protect them."

Teruko Okura looked at the window. Right at the fake sky.

"They are counting on me."

_______

Earlier today, you got another note in the Gift Box.

"[Y/N], I am so glad to finally be a part of your team! I promise, that from now on I will protect you. Hope, that one day, we will become friends. Teruko Okura"

You laughed.

"I would be so happy to become friends with you, Teruko."

Teruko Okura smiles again. She also, would be happy.

[sleepyfan-blog]

Phantom

Author’s Note: Sirass part three! I hope you enjoy :D

First.

Previous.

Next

Tagged: @egrets-not-regrets @kit-williams @bleedingichorhearts @the-pure-angel@whorety-k 

Warnings: none

Summary: Sirass and Pollux go to the afflicted reef to scout how many fellow Astartes they’ll need to destroy the burgeoning garden of rot. What they find surprises them.

“We’re going to have to burn all of the samples the humans took of the diseased wildlife and plants.” Pollux muttered, swimming back and forth in agitation as he waited impatiently for Sirass to finish gearing up.

“I know that, you’ve left instructions and warning for the blue stylus pushers to handle that, right?” Sirass snapped, rolling his eyes beneath his helmet as he continued to check over his gear, wanting to be sure that none of it had any flaws before they went diving into a territory defiled by Nurgle’s Worshippers. “We’ll need to check the machinery as well.”

“... But the Plague-bastard’s curses and afflictions only affect the living. Metals rust and decay but don’t fall sick.” The Imperial Fist spluttered, eyes going wide under his helmet.

“Clearly you’ve never had the dubious misfortune of having to deal with Glitchlings.” Sirass huffed, shaking his head a little “... When were you brought from?”

“Mid M-32, why?” Pollux asked “What the fuck is a Glitchling?”

“My bastard Primarch decided to cut a deal with the Plaguefather for… I’m not sure why… Some time in the past as I know it, after you were brought here. The ritual he used to seal the deal fused Machine Plague and Warp Bullshith together to create Glitchlings. They’re Nurglings, but for machines instead of living creatures. They delight in the corruption of machines and twisting them into horrific monstrosities.” Sirass explained “I heard about it from some of my Chaos brothers in passing and the knowledge stuck with me.”

“Oh fuck that entirely. They aren’t going to be thrilled about having to purge the data.” Pollux sighed. “And don’t call the Ultramarines stylus pushers. They do far more than that and you know it. They’ll likely handle the data as well, and explaining why fire and destruction is the only safe path forward.”

“... True enough.” Sirass sighed, reassured that his gear was in perfect working order. “I’m ready to go.”

“Finally! Remember, this is a scouting mission, as neither of us can deal with a full Rot Garden, we don’t have the kit to do so. There are Salamanders inbound, but it’s going to-” Pollux stated.

“It’s going to take them a few days to get here. Yeah, I know. This isn’t the first shit-awful mission I’ve been on, and I doubt it’ll be the last.” Sirass finished, cutting off the Imperial Fist. “We need to have a rough estimate of how many Death Guard are making this fucking thing, and whether or not they’ve managed to corrupt any humans into worshipping their shit-ass deamon-god. I remember the briefing protocols for something like this, I don’t need to be reminded. Let’s get going.”

Pollux grumbled under his breath, and Sirass pretended not to hear the bitchy bastard as they swum swiftly over the deceptively beautiful waters, diving in.

~

“... Wasn’t the garden bigger, the last time we were here?” Pollux asked Sirass over vox, sounding as perplexed as Sirass felt.

“It was. I helped with the last survey of the afflicted reef two days ago. Something’s changed… I could almost taste the Chaos in the water, but that’s faded somewhat too…” Sirass murmured, scanning the area more closely. “The densest bit of fuckery is this way. I haven’t seen any signs of Death Guard here today, what about on your side, Pollux?”

“No signs of Death Guard on this side of the Garden, either. Maybe they’re deeper in, or off on a hunt?” Pollux offered. “I… Suppose we should push further into the territory.” It went without saying that they should touch nothing in this cursed place unless they absolutely had to.

The signs of decay and illness were still very much present in the plant and animal life, but it wasn’t nearly as dire as it had been a couple of days ago. Some of the fish were actually moving at close to their normal speeds, doing their usual behaviors. The numbers of parasites in the waters had gone down according to Sirass’ scanners, and the amount of chaos taint had plummeted precipitously, now that he knew to look for it, knew what the signs were.

This was true even as the two mer cautiously swum deeper into the garden. Signs of healthy life were beginning to appear, and the dead were no longer crawling or moving in a parody of life. Sirass stilled completely as he reached the middle of the garden, eyes widening beneath his visor “What… Who?... Why?”

Before him was the crawling vine-rose things that marked the heart of a plague garden. It’s tendrils should be glowing and pulsing, trying to reach for anything that wasn’t tainted by Nurgle in order to consume. The center mass of the foul creation should be undulating and hard to look at without nausea and pain ripping through his body and mind.

Instead, the thorn-covered vines were a dull grey color. Lifeless and unmoving. The center mass looked like it had been ripped or slashed apart by something large and pissed off. Clearly someone else had killed the heart of the this Rot Garden, which was what helped to perpetuate Nurgle’s curses and diseases. They hadn’t completed the job, and if left unattended, the Plague Heart would come back to life and start causing problems if it wasn’t thoroughly torched in Promethium-based flames and torn out, roots and all.

But it was an excellent start. 

“I have no idea who did this… I didn’t think there were many Astartes in this area, apart from the group who lives with the humans nearby. None of them reported in, attacking this and they really should have…” Pollux muttered to himself. “We should retreat from here. It may be dead for now, but it’s still dangerous… And the Death Guard could come back. They’ll get nasty as they’ll assume we did this.”

“Mh, let’s get going then.” Sirass agreed, nodding shortly. Agreeing with an Iron Fist felt very strange and vaguely wrong… But Pollux was correct in this instance. The two of them took turns flitting from cover to cover around the periphery of the slowly shrinking Garden of Rot for the four days it took for the Salamander Flamer squads to arrive. Not a single Death Guard, nor any cultists appeared in that time.

Once the Salamanders had arrived and began the task of purifying the area with flames and psykery, Sirass and Pollux left after being checked and cleared for corrosion. The Ultramarines attached to the humans’ ocean preservation group had indeed purged all of the Nurgle Shit from the area, including information and explained why.

Sirass’ human sprinted over to him as soon as he cleared the ocean water. You hesitated for a couple of moments asking “You’ve been through decontamination, right?”

“Yes, my love I have been. The area is being purged by experts.” He explains with a nod.

“Good… It’s going to be a lot of work to restore that area, but it’ll be worth it. I’m glad that… That you’re okay. The… The stories they told us about what those twisting-illnesses can do to a person were awful!” You shudder, running up to him and hugging him tightly.

Sirass smiles a little, holding you close. He nuzzles you lovingly as he takes off his helmet, attaching it to his belt and giving you several loving kisses all over your face “I apologize that you were frightened for and worried over me, love. But I am fine. If you’d like to thoroughly check me over once we get home, I won’t object~”

You blush at his tease but nod, going up on your tiptoes and giving him a loving kiss “Yes please.”

He grins as he scoops you up, swimming through the air towards your apartment.

[lilliesthings]

I saw it as Gideon feeding is own ego, with a protege of his own after being one to Max. He definitely was someone who could read people well (i mean he was a PROFILER). He found a young gifted man who didn't have anybody and paid attention to him and convinced him to join him in his career. I believe he tried to do the same with Ethan since they mentioned he was at the academy at the same time, but Ethan dipped to become a jazz musician. Gideon had the power to push Reid through the processes of joining theBau and Reid was essentially his pet project. Reid got someone who wanted him around and Gideon got praised for scouting him and their department running smoother than ever. Ultimately Gideon didn't really help Reid through anything, and then abandoned him with a letter instead of actually saying goodbye to him. He KNEW how much that would hurt someone like Reid and did it anyway. He set up a chess game and never showed and made him seek him out. (tw for MCD) Though, to be fair, it is surmised by some that they changed the script at some point, possibly due to Mandy's demands at the time. It's been said the original intent was for Gideon to have committed suicide and that Reid was supposed to have found him there along with a note. Which would have been WORSE, obviously. That all playing out just as Reid was also finally sober and had no other parental figures in his life, it would have been even more devastating.

I'm not looking forward to them bringing back someone with a connection to Gideon on the show, and without Reid being there who was arguably the closest person he had in the seasons he was on seems kind of dull. Then have Rossi bring him up, someone we only ever saw him talk to in flashbacks of their youth. He left the show in 2007 and died in 2015 I'm tired of Gideon. Are they going to just rehash Gideon drama forever?

Tbh, to me, it was Gideon assuaging his own guilt towards Stephen.

Gideon is a flawed flawed man, and a running theme they seemed to have with him is that while he takes those actions, with no malicious intent, he can't foresee their terrible consequences : the 6 agents, Elle in the Fisher King, Reid in Revelations, and in the grand scheme of things, bringing Reid into the FBI thinking he's doing right by him, which didn't turn out so good depending on how you look at it. When the consequences really catch up to him, he seems to be in way over his head and can't follow through. He didn't show up for his son to the point where Stephen thought he wasn't wanted (and was quite detached at the news of his death, in a striking contrast to Spencer). But Gideon is also compassionate and he genuinely cares, he bought Reid these tickets for his birthday, he walked him through that (not) date, through his first kill, told him he was proud of him. For me at least, the reason they gravitated toward each other is that for awhile they filled a void in each other's lives of the absent father and the distant son, and it was his way of compensating for abandoning Stephen. But I also think he cared nowhere as intensely about Reid as Reid cared about him, and even that too was not out of malice (which makes it kinda more sad)

He was right to leave, and he was wrong in the incredibly convoluted way he did it. He could have answered Reid's calls, he could have sent a text saying that he's safe but he's leaving, hell he could have MAILED that letter, because people loved him and were clearly worried for his well being and whereabouts at this point. But to make someone doing the whole guesswork of going to a cabin in the middle of the woods to fetch a letter? That looked bad. I would have had a heart attack. 

I admit liked him a whole lot as a character, I particularly enjoyed seeing him walking in circles in Hankel's bathroom telling himself that he did the right thing. I genuinely like watching character's fuck ups play out, but I agree that Gideon at this point seems so detached from the show, and without Reid there either to act unhinged at the mention of him ... eh ..... we'll see I guess.

[historynerdj2]

Others: If you were asked to write for the 5th Valkyria Chrinicles game, how would you write it?

Me: As a mixture of the Burma, New Guinea, and Borneo campaign.

Others: … What?

Me: Well, the Valkyria chronicles franchise has always liked toying with some degree of moral ambiguity, with an empire that is clearly in the wrong, but the side you are fighting for, while better, still has glaring flaws. Furthermore, the fourth game implied and talked about the idea that nations within the Federation has colonies, and while I am skeptical of how much of what the Imperial soldier stating that claim is stating established facts or state propaganda, that could be an angle to explore plot wise.

Think about it, perhaps the Empire launches a naval invasion to try and take over these resource rich colonies, and are banking on creating a narrative that they are liberators to the indigenous population, just like how the Japanese did during their initial pushes into Southeast Asia.

This could also mean a new perspective of what I shall dub for the sake of this post, the “Commonwealth”, who draws inspiration from mainly British colonial forces and Commonwealth, more specifically, Indian and Australian forces, with a heavy side of Gurkhas. Where you have to manage and combat this narrative, between members of your squad that are descendants of Edinburgh Federation settlers (Australians), indigenous peoples (Indians, Indonesians, Malaysians, and Nepali Gurkhas) and those actually from the Federation (British).

Not to mention, this could also be interesting to explore in the context of why they are siding with the Federation. Those actually from the Federation might view the conflict through the lens of ideology, and preserving the Empire Federation. Meanwhile the settlers might not care about the broader Federation, but they do care about their home being threatened. Finally those who are indigenous might have negative feelings about their current Colonial overlords, but be even more skeptical to the Imperial claims, or maybe even be exposed to the actual Imperial treatment that is far worse than anything the Federation have done.

And the Darscen can be explored in an interesting lens, as the Federation-native members might have the most amount of anti-Darscen soldiers, while settlers might still talk about them using offensive terms, but otherwise treats them better due to the need for the skill sets often associated with Darscens being particularly useful and valuable, while the indigenous members don’t have the context for the hate, and as far as they’re concerned, it’s someone else’s problem.

Gameplay-wise, the door is open to a lot of creativity. Jungle warfare can open the door to a lot of new mechanics and tactical situations. Maps could be very claustrophobic due to the thick jungle. Closer engagements could lead to having classes be more flexible, such as the inclusion of melee, bonus equipment like flares for the Scout class that helps to boost accuracy within the zone, or even new skills like engineers being able to build emplaced weapons.

Then there are the tanks. Tanks could play an interesting role, as tanks were used in far more limited numbers and roles compared to the European fronts, but I can easily see an interesting exploration in this world about smaller more compact tanks that function like anti-infantry roles, like how the Australians use Matilda tanks in the liberation of Borneo.

I could also see the dropping of the lancer class (iconic as it is), but the adoption of a new class that I would dub the “point man”, who would act as a mix of the scout and the shock class, having high movement range, but armed with more short ranged weapons like submachine guns and introducing shotguns to the series.

And the enemy can be interesting as well, with perhaps less use of the traditional image of the Imperial forces within the series, but instead more like naval troops and sailors and marines, perhaps their own colonial forces, and maybe even native people who side with the Imperials, deeming the Federation too irredeemable.

Finally, aesthetic. I think people are too obsessed with either the German, Soviet and/or American WWII aesthetic, but I personally find British commonwealth and colonial forces too be an awesome aesthetic, and also because I believe people often overlook the actions and achievements of British imperial forces.

Personally, I think people might be intrigued with playing characters inspired and based off Sikh, Malay, Gurkhas, Australians, and even British forces. Slouches hats, Bren guns, Owen guns, and Kukri knives, honestly it would be cool to see and use.

Besides, what could be cooler than siccing a fantasy world equivalent of a Gurkha or Aussie on an unsuspecting Imperial?

Others:… Go back to having the shower thoughts be about Genshin.

Images from top left, clockwise: Australians during the Borneo campaign; Gurkha, unknown location; British soldiers crossing a river during the Burma campaign; Australian Matilda Tanks during the Borneo Campaign; Soldier of the Malay Regiment; Indian Sikh soldiers, Burma campaign

[theghostbunnie]

How do you see Max and Nikki’s relationship?

As siblings

I know that's like sometimes what ppl say when there's a straight pairing popular ship (makki) vs a gay popular one (maxneil) and they don't really mean it they just mean they have a uncomfortbilty or hatred towards one of the ships, but in my mind they're literally twins/hj

I have AUs where they're twins, half siblings, step siblings. I love them sm..There's even a line in one of the end credit rap songs that goes something like "we may not have the same color skin but imma treat em like my twin" and I'm like ah yes,,, something to feed into my delusions/j

((on a more srs note I feel like more ppl should look into the end credit lyrics alot of it seems specifically written to fit Max and might give people a better insight into his characterization))

But enough of my fannon delusions n self indulgence they're obviously not actually siblings they're best friends BUT they didn't start off that way no matter how sweet the "you now have three little bastards to deal with" line is bc in the first season, earlier episodes he's more of an asshole to her bc they're still getting to know each other.

He broke her instrument, quicker to basically tell her to shut up on multiple occasions, ect.

Back to the first episode, Max operates BIG on first impressions. Off the bat he's touching Neil's shoulder, he's impressed by his disrespect to authority, he wants to hotwire the bus with him. But Nikki? Hardly addressing her. Even says "why would you help us?" Bc despite biting him, she appeared to be just a 'little more violent, mini-David.' THAT was his first impression of her. Nikki didn't have his attention or respect technically until he learned her willingness to seek and cause chaos near the end of the episode. There's times at later points where she's clearly getting on his nerves.

I'm pretty sure I already wrote out a whole in depth thing about how Max has issues getting attached to people and will fight it off and deny it once it happens even at the cost of their feelings (points at camp corp episode) where as Nikki is a social person who has been denied a real friend til she came to camp campbell same as Neil, who is NOT a social person. They both start off clingy towards Max for this but Nikki works past it and makes 2 other friends while Neil doesn't.

So recap: Max builds a team of two other kids he can just share a common goal with at first, is a bit of a jerk to Nikki initially at times, but she grows on him and now he really values her as a friend n cares for her deeply.

But now onto NIKKI'S POV: She'd been bullied before, it was a traumatic experience for her yes but that's also the ONLY information we have on any past relationships she's had with peers, kids her own age. Any other time she's talking about someone she knew it's often just her mom. sometimes her dad (often not painting a good picture of him but through a childhood innocence lense) or an animal she knew.

So when she makes her first friend group in camp campbell her only prior experience with one is in the flower scouts. Nikki picked up bad habits from them bc she's a kid and doesn't have the emotional maturity to analyze her every behavior.

So when Max is being the type of person who was being quick to shut her down, who (in her own words) was micro managing her, and only ever seemed like he was having a good time when they were doing what HE planned to do, ofc she's gonna start harboring some complaints. Nikki isn't gonna sit down and talk about her feelings to him like an adult she's gonna do what the flower scouts taught her and you talk shit about the problem to OTHER friends.

This isn't to say she secretly hates him, no I firmly believe she deeply cares about him too but they're both flawed people so their friendship has flaws too that doesn't make it void of care for one another.

You can't unbiasedly hate on Nikki for that scene she's mocking him if you're not even taking into consideration WHAT her original issue was. Nikki shit talks, Max has control issues.

As episodes progress I think they really seem to work past it and become better people AND I THINK THAT'S RLLY SWEET I LOVE THEIR FRIENDSHIP ❣️❣️

The way they interact with each other throughout the series really shows that their differences might cause some clashing but they have FUN together and I think their differences and problems just make them more interesting characters

[captivemuses]

Comfort food(s): If I'm going purely sweets then I'm going to say Thin Mints. I did Girl Scouts for a large portion of my childhood and those were and still are my absolute top tier favorite Girl Scout cookie and I'm not even kidding saying I could polish off an entire box in one sitting and regret nothing.

Comfort drink(s): Hot cup of coffee. Granted I normally drink iced coffee during the summertime for obvious reasons but hot coffee is still my favorite.

Comfort movie(s): Pirates of the Caribbean. More specifically the first three because I heavily prefer those to the fourth and fifth installments. I don't mind the fourth one and I'll willingly watch it if I'm in a mood to binge the series again but I wasn't in love with the fifth one and I just wish certain elements of the movie had happened in earlier installments instead. But I just love the cast as a whole and the soundtrack and I can have it on as the best background noise while I'm doing other things and just be happy. I also have the first three soundtracks at work to use as naptime music and my daycare kids genuinely love the music.

Comfort show(s): Yuri on Ice. I always do an annual rewatch of the show and have done so every year since the show came out in 2016. I'll probably keep doing so just because I'll always love the series even if MAPPA clearly doesn't because the suck-- /gets yanked off stage to not go on an anti MAPPA tangent again

Comfort clothing: Pajama pants. I wear those as much as I humanly can because they're stretchy and comfy, and ngl I'm extremely guilty of wearing them to work a lot only because I'm allowed to wear what I want as long as nothing's stained or ripped or having anything offensive or inappropriate for kids on it. I'm here for comfort not fashion when I clock in to take care of threenagers all day rofl.

Comfort song(s): Anything Lady Gaga. I'm not super familiar with her newest album Chromatica as I am with the previous ones but I'm still a huge fan of hers and I'd 100% go see her in concert again if the opportunity arose, she's worth every penny imo.

Comfort book(s): I don’t really have a set of comfort books to share right now. I might update this in the future with some, but the only memorable story is “You”. I prefer it over the show for sure. The exploration of a man so psychologically twisted that when he finally “settled” and had a kid, he would abandon a son, purely out of disgust, knowing that he would turn out just like him. Also, Guinevere Beck is my favourite. I just perceive her as a human character, somebody with flaws that are outlined clearly, and it was an aspect I really enjoyed. I might even reread the first book, just for her. Side note: the cage is such a cool concept, and I will be taking notes. kidding. not really.

Comfort game(s): Either anything Harvest Moon or old school Pokemon (think Johto region, that's always been my favorite). Those are old school nostalgia for me growing up and you'd have me be happy having to go restart the original Gold/Silver for the 15th time or go start a new save file on Harvest Moon (which speaking of I want to pick up the remake again once I'm out of icon hell and don't have to drag my laptop to work all the time). They're just relaxing turn my brain off games that I love.

tagged by: @iceiclehorned ty for the tag!!

tagging: @gildedsplendors @protectivemuses @reflective-muses @weltenwxndler @ofhope @galactia @crimsononiarataki and anyone else who's been good and hydrated today (and if you haven't you should so you can do this and say I tagged you!)

[agbpaints]

Today I figured I'd rant about a mech that's dangerously, frustratingly close to being good. In the winter of 3049 as the Clan Invasion crashed into the Draconis Combine, Coordinator Takashi Kurita demanded the Combine's remaining manufacturing bases make good the losses the DCMS had suffered fighting again the extra-spheroid invaders. Enter one Nimakachi Fusion Products Limited, a Free Worlds based dropship and light battlemech manufacturer with a significant presence in Combine space. Nimakachi ramped up their Spider production lines significantly to meet the DCMS's demand for new mechs, but the company also saw an opportunity to expand and produce a new design in-house that would serve as a more combat oriented version of the venerable jumping scout mech. To that end, they designed the Venom

5 tons heavier than it's original inspiration and model code namesake, the SDR-9K Venom is an attempt to answer a fairly frustrating problem posed by newly discovered lostech- namely the range issues of inner sphere pulse lasers. With half the range of their clantech equivalents, ISPLs end up frequently underperforming even their standard counterparts at anything more than absolute shoved-down-your-throat, see-the-whites-of-the-enemy-mech-pilot's-eyes ranges. Now, Namikachi clearly decided that made them perfect for attaching to their bulked up Spider chassis, using its impressively quick 8/12/8 speed to rapidly close and find chinks in the enemy's armor before jumping away to cover. Unfortunately, despite their extensive use of lostech in their new mech's design, NFPL appears to have poached a couple of engineers from Luthien Armor Works, because when they were building a cooling system for the Venom they chose to sabotage their new design with three words: single heat sinks.

Reader, the SDR-9K builds 16 heat on an alpha strike, 24 if it jumps, and every turn it sinks 12. A venom pilot must choose to either seriously expose herself for at least one turn every time they fire their weapons (something she's unlikely to do, considering the mech's paltry 3.5 tons of armor), or more likely spend 2 or 3 turns away from the fight every time they dive in for a strike simply cooling off as they jump around. Attemping to find a bright spot here- the weapons all being located in the center torso makes the design reasonably handy as a light fist fighter, meaning that even when it's blazing hot it still has some means of defending itself up close between dives at someone's rear torsos.

Despite this serious cooling flaw, a mix of the DCMS's existing homicidal tendencies towards its pilots, the efficacy of the Venom as both a rapid response and hit and run platform with low maintenance costs, and likely a healthy does of 'any port in a storm' mentality, the Combine was elated with the design and ordered them by the company in 3050 as pirate interdiction mechs on the fringes of their territory.

Now, despite the deeply troubled original design, the Venom does have some variants that might make it better, so let's run those down really quick. The SDR-9KA takes out one of the torso lasers and replaces it with two tons of armor. While no longer capable of delivering a PSR on its own, this variant does beat the original at least *somewhat* in heat management while also being able to take a PPC/Clan Large Laser to any component before needing to take a crit check.

The SDR-KB is more of the same, but it lowers the heat load even further by adding in a 13th heat sink (yay!), pulling 2 of the jump jets (boo!), and replacing a pulse laser with a machine gun, a ton of ammo, and a ton of extra armor. While this does mean we finally have a variant capable of firing all its guns and moving without burning out the pilot, the presence of the massive torso bomb in conjunction with the slower air speed and thin armor means that this variants staying power is likely wasted in most engagements where it will be more easily disabled or killed.

Finally, because it's a Combine adjacent design, we have the SDR-9KC which is a c3 design. Similar to the 9KA, it pulls a pulse laser for some extra weight to play with, as well as upgrading the chassis to endosteel to make room for the telemetry computer. Unfortunately the cuts don't end there, as Namikachi's mech also pulled out one of the mech's precious double heat heat sinks for even more additional armor. Wait, double heat sinks? Hallelujah yes! Someone finally made the really obvious choice and gave the Venom proper freezers, meaning after 16 years it's finally capable of regularly firing all its guns and jumping. The final 7 tons of armor means the 9KC is also surprisingly tough for its speed and weight, capable of shrugging off most weapons short of a gauss rifle to any off its components with armor left to spare.

Sarna tells me there's another variant, the 9KE, which is armed with an ER laser, ER flamer, mine and remote sensor dispensers, and a partial wing, but Flechs doesn't have a nice sheet for it and dark age tech scares and confuses me. If you want a kooky little scout for your missile carrier company that can annoy attackers with mined roads, this might be it but YMMV.

Despite my ragging on it, I quite like the Venom as a design and an idea. Pulse laser jumpy boys are a favorite niche design type of mine, and when given the cooling they need to succeed, they can be fairly menacing little bastards. It also just looks plain cool with the pointy Ming the Merciless-esque shoulder bads and vectoring fins. With even the 9KC coming in comfortably well under 900 bv, they're cheap additions to the cavalry/exploitation arms of your lances to run alongside things like Wolverines and their bigger brother, the Wraith. Definitely worth a try at keast once if you own a Spider and play in Civil War or later!

[tf2-oneshots]

perhaps this is a little niche, but could i please get a one shot where scout takes pauling over to his family’s house just to hang out and pauling meets his mom and has a gay awakening? thinking it could be a little humorous. thank you in advance!

Lesbian Pauling for the win!!

Warnings: none!

Rating: General

“Okay, heads up, my brother Robbie is a bit of an asshole. Don’t leave your purse alone with him. Oh, and Parker is a mega vegan. Like, the kind who guilt trips you everyday.” Scout warns Miss Pauling as they drive to his house. The two had taken a long break from one another after she gave a violent ‘No’ to Scout asking her out for the 80th time.

It was awkward, hell, painful even for Scout to hear her voice for contracts. The voice that, in a fit of frustration, very clearly pointed out every flaw in him. From the surface of his mediocre appearance to the depths of his narcissism, Pauling had to be absolutely sure that Scout would finally stop hitting on her. A rant she apologized for a few days later before they agreed to keep anything between them strictly professional for the time being.

Its a few months later now, and the two carefully built a friendship. No ulterior motives, no briefcase alarms being set off for dates, just two people existing as friends. It was a massive relief on both of their ends. Scout was finally able to meet a girl who was head over heels for him, which was evident by the photographs filling his wallet. For Pauling, she was able to hold a real conversation with the man without fighting to not sound too friendly.

“Oh, I’m well aware. I did an extensive background check on your family before you were hired. You have a third cousin in Nantes.” Scout, having no idea where that is, simply nods and takes out his wallet to admire his beautiful girlfriend.

Pauling parks along the curb seeing how crowded the driveway was. Cars ranging from neat business class vehicles to a sunflower oil hippie van to a beater on its last legs fill the pavement and pour into the road. Walking towards the house, neither of them have a chance to knock on the door before it swings wide open.

“Germy’s home!!” Robbie loudly announces with his younger brother, Hunter, jumping onto his back. While the two move aside to wrestle by the stairs, Parker steps into view. His wool sweater, up-cycled jeans, and sandals are the same from when Pauling did her background check. As in, stalking every family member to insure that no one would cause any trouble if Scout was hired.

“Well, you must be Miss Pauling. Tell me, do you think animals are—“ Before Parker can finish, Hunter is thrown onto him. The two crash to the floor, one laughing and the other groaning in pain. It was Robbie who threw Hunter, and now he looks at them in his tattered hoodie and stained jeans.

“Pauling? The girl that said she wouldn’t date you ever? Never ever? Not even if you were dead? That Pauling?” An obnoxious laugh. Scout grumbles, shoving past his older brother as they walk into the house. He’s immediately met with Robbie stealing his hat and grinding a knuckle into his head.

“Lighten up, loser! I’m just messing around. You’ve always been a sensitive little baby.” Ever since Scout was added to the massive family, he was known as the crybaby. Always ready to throw a tantrum and run into mommy’s arms because, as the baby, he should be comforted the most.

“Ma! Robbie’s bullying me again!” Scout bolts towards the kitchen, ready to play his role. The youngest sibling who can do no wrong and is always doted on. While Robbie runs after him, Pauling is guided to the living room where the remaining siblings are. Each one she recognizes in an instant.

Lawrence sits in a neat suit; the one he typically wears for out of office parties or when he wins a lawsuit and wants to celebrate. Dean is next to him in ironed slacks; the ones he wore during the most recent school faculty picture day. The last brother, Carter, was sketching a coastline using a Smooth Art brand pen to ink the graphite. Some of the majorly useless information she had gathered, but Admin wanted every detail documented.

“Ow, ow, ow!” And here comes Robbie, ear pinched between two vermillion almond nails. Next to him was Scout, tucked against his mother with a pout on his face. Pauling can even see fake tears. That’s when she gets a look at Scout’s mother. Her eyes go wide, shocked to see such a gorgeous woman.

Seeing that Spy’s relationship with her resulted in Scout, Pauling didn’t have to divulge into her personal life as intently as Scout’s siblings. Everything had already been done by Spy, neatly documented with the name Caroline printed onto the file.

“Robert Bennick, apologize for being rude in front of our guest.” Caroline orders, head turning to kiss Scout’s forehead. He had bent down for her to do so, which also allowed Caroline to brush his hair. A red kiss mark was left on Scout, and Pauling desperately wishes she was the one getting kissed right now.

Over the years, Miss Pauling assumed herself to be a non-romantic person. She was never one to seek out a love interest even as far back as her childhood. Head always stuck in a book or admiring pretty ladies in science magazines, which was probably an indicator back then, her love life was simply nonexistent. Something she was content with until this very moment.

Caroline has an hourglass figure beneath her low cut red dress. Her red lips are plump, perfectly kissable as they shine from the living room light. Hooded brown eyes with shaped eyebrows give Robbie a disappointing look as he mutters out an apology. Her manicured nails finally let go of his aching ear.

“Very good. I swear, you boys always find a reason to tease my little Slugger.” Cue seven faces of surprise and shock at the audacity of the statement. None vocalized their disagreement, however. Not when their poor, helpless little brother was still being coddled by Ma.

“Oh! You must be Miss Pauling. You can call me Caroline. I’m so glad you and my baby patched things up.” She approaches and drags Pauling into a tight hug. Her glasses are pushes askew from the squish, and Pauling is struggling to form words. The smell of lavender perfume fills her nose.

“Haha, um, I-I—oh, I forgot something—my phone! I forgot my phone in the car!” Freeing herself from the hug, she hopes that the sweat on her forehead isn’t too visible before running out of the house. As Pauling bolts to the car, Scout is quick to catch up with her.

“Dude, why’d you run? You never forget your phone.” Said item was currently tucked into the front of black purse held in her hands. Scout rubs the back of his neck, afraid that the chaos of his home scared off his friend. Sure, they’re a messy little cluster, but they all love each other!

“I ran cause-cause your mom-your mom’s pretty—I mean hot—I mean pretty hot!” Okay, maybe she should stop talking! Pauling really needs to shut up right now. She puts a hand in her hair to push the messy bangs out of her face.

“What?! Oh, my god! That’s my mom, dude! What the heck?!” Scout stands in horror. How could she say that? He’ll admit, growing up, he got the plenty of annoying milf comments about his mom. Enough to make him break noses and never bring guy friends over for years.

“I don’t know what happened! I just—I got all warm and sweaty, and she smells so nice!” Did she mention how soft her skin was? Those gentle hands had caressed her arm when they hugged. In her effort to explain the sudden infliction, it made Scout cover his ears.

“Lalala! Not listening! That’s my Ma! Not listening!” Scout groans, sinking to the curb. God, why does this always happen? Maybe Scout needs to just never invite anyone over to his Ma’s house again. Might be the only way to keep everyone from trying to date his mom!

“Sorry. Uh, can we go back inside?” A nervous chuckle. Pauling fixes her hair, trying not to look like she just had a gay awakening. Maybe she can sneak another hug from Caroline.

“Fine, but don’t hit on my mom.” Like that can stop Pauling. She has the house’s phone number, address, and Caroline’s work schedule. She can call her any day of the week to set up a date. Hell, Pauling will do it the second she gets home!

I love women -H

[slacktivist]

New Zealand Fucking Sucks and Why I'm Leaving

Even though the entire political spectrum is trash, I'm at least glad for my UKers that Rishi Sunak and the UK conservatives won't spend another term in govt. I still find it weird that our news in NZ spent a considerable amount of time blaming Nigel and the far-right for the conservative loss. Clearly even with the conservative votes split, the UK labour party was still a clear majority. I can't say the same for my own country though.

Anyways, I'm moving to the UK in a few weeks from NZ and I'm excited even though I'm giving up my very small amount of life savings to do it. It's going to be a pretty big and busy world for a tiny island gyal like me. But New Zealand is honestly really affecting me negatively and I need to know what the fuck is going on in the western world. I have questions like 'what the hell did we get colonised with?' and 'what inspires count binface to do his job?'

My boyfriend also lives in the UK and I miss him so much. Long distance sucks really badly and I'm definitely not in a healthy, confident mindset to emotionally support the relationship long distance AND long term. I know that other-side-equals-greener-grass mentality is flawed and unrealistic. But take it from me as a second generation immigrator, the grass is greener where you feed it.

Take this from me also: NEW ZEALAND INFRASTRUCTURE SUCKS AND WE SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED A DEVELOPED COUNTRY.

The least we can have are working busses, maybe even a train? No. We don't have them. 2024 NZ fucking sucks and I'm ashamed of my country as a nationalised concept. Im proud of tino rangatiratanga, I'm proud of pan-pacific and poly-pacific identity, I'm proud of my generation & the ones before that grew up in the hard neighbourhoods, us working class families, we got nothing in return for generations. So fuck you New Zealand government and middle+middle upper classes. Ya'll were truly the lazy, untalented & uninteresting ones who let the rest of us down 👍👍👍 I'll be back anyways and hopefully you sorted yourselves out when you're done mountain biking/freedom camping/soul searching. My extended family needs another scout, so they know that this place is merely an option when it's leaders overlook them.

[innerpalaces]

THE PRINCESS WEI YANG - 173 PART 2

CHAPTER 173: Old Friends Reunited

When the nun heard that the princess was leaving, she was immediately surprised. She was worried that this golden goose would never come back and her nunnery would lose its biggest financial support. She immediately came to dissuade her, but Princess Yongning had already changed into a gorgeous dress. She said coldly: "Okay, no need to say more, I have made up my mind."

"But princess, you clearly said that you would recite sutras and pray for him here, so that he can be reborn into a good family..."

Princess Yongning's eyes fell on the broken white jade Guanyin. She suddenly walked over, raised the incense cauldron beside her, and smashed it at the white jade Guanyin like crazy until the Guanyin was completely shattered, as if what she had broken was her belief. The nun next to her was horrified. Yongning sneered, threw away the incense cauldron in her hand, and said: "Even if I read here for a hundred years, he will not come back to life. And that person will still live happily and carefree. Tell me, how can I accept this ..."

Strong hatred burst out in her eyes, making the nun even more frightened...

In the busy bustling city, several luxurious sedans stopped at the entrance of Tianxiang. A group of noble men in bright clothes entered the theater. The leader was extremely young, wearing a gorgeous scarlet robe, with slender phoenix eyes, red lips, a thin nose, and delicate facial features so perfect that no flaw can be found. Who else could he be except Yuan Yu?

As soon as Yuan Yu entered the main hall, the troupe leader rushed over after hearing the news. His voice was filled with unbelievable ecstasy: "To think that Grand Prince Yan would honor us with his precense, it really make this commoner too happy."

Yuan Yu didn't even glance over when faced with such a respectful attitude. He took a cold look at the surrounding environment, and there was already a servant beside him scolding: "Hurry up and prepare the best private room for His Highness!"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" The troupe leader grinned, "Please go upstairs, I will prepare immediately." In fact, he was very uneasy. Today, a third-rank official invited Wen Xiaolou to celebrate his mother's birthday. The main star is not in the troupe, and others can easily be fooled. But what will happen when His Highness Prince Yan comes? After thinking about it, he slapped his thigh and came up with a plan.

Next to Grand Prince Yan, Yuan Yue, in addition to Xue Gui, the son of the Minister of Finance, who always liked to visit the theater, there was also a tall and straight young man. With just a glance at him, his pair of eyes emitted a sharp, cold light that caused people to tremble with fear. He stood among the group of people and although they were all dressed in rich clothes, they were equipped with long swords, making them look out of place.

As soon as Yuan Yu sat down, he listened to the sound of gongs and the play began. This play told the story of the most famous dancer in the previous dynasty who admired a general, ran to take refuge with him, and finally became his legal wife. Yuan Yu came here specifically today to scout a theater troupe for Empress Pei's birthday party. After observing more than ten troupes, he had already seen enough. At this moment, he was just trying his best to keep his temper under control. A beautiful young actress had appeared on the stage, moving lightly, and the musician was playing behind her. The actress had just sang a few words, but Yuan Yu suddenly threw a silver coin from the elegant room, and it happened to hit her: "Stop babbling. If you don't have anything new, I will destroy your place!"

The actress was stunned for a moment, then she lowered her head to look at the silver, thought for a moment, and said a few words to the troupe leader. After a while, she changed the song. Originally, this was a literary drama, and they were all singing. At the start, the tune was very slow, but she began to dance gently without any big movements. She only lightly waved her sleeves, and then took a few steps, looking like a weak willow in the wind or a hibiscus in the water. After a burst of light, weeping gongs and drums rang out, and the drums began to beat loudly, striking at the heart. The actress's movements on the stage immediately changed speed, and she began to use her water sleeve technique, spinning non-stop. The unfolding train floated in the air like a colorful cloud, sometimes rising and sometimes falling, sometimes rising and sometimes falling, making people dizzy.

The performance on the stage was extremely lively, and the son of the Minister of Finance, Xue Gui, who was sitting next to Yuan Yu, smiled, "What do you think of this girl? I have already asked about her. She is a young actress who has just arrived in Dadu. If Your Highness has this intention, Hehehehe..."

Yuan Yu smiled. This young woman had excellent skills. Not only was her voice beautiful, her figure was also very graceful and gentle.

"Call her up!" Yuan Yu tapped his palm with his fan.

In the private room on the side, Li Wei Yang frowned: "Where did Wen Xiaolou go? How could it be Xiaoman? Where are the other actresses?"

Zhao Yue said in a low voice: "Boss Wen went out today, and those people went out drinking. The troupe leader said that only Xiaoman can sing this play so vividly..."

"Nonsense!" Li Wei Yang threw the teacup in her hand heavily on the table.

Zhao Yue didn't expect that she would suddenly become angry, and was startled, saying, "Miss, what's wrong with you!"

Li Wei Yang's face was heavy and she said: "Yuan Yu is a lustful person. If Xiaoman is seen by him -" Her mind started to spin rapidly. In fact, if she borrowed Xiaoman, she could accomplish her goal faster. But Xiaoman——is not that kind of person at all. Thinking of Xiaoman and Minzhi's smiling faces when they were playing around, Li Wei Yang suddenly stood up and said: "Zhao Yue, you have to do something for me."

Zhao Yue looked at Li Wei Yang and became more and more confused.

The troupe leader forcibly pushed Xiaoman to meet the guests. Xiaoman used to have few opportunities to go on stage and rarely met people. Now when she heard that someone wanted to see her, she didn't think much about it. She didn't have time to take off her stage makeup, so she put on patch makeup on her forehead and applied some powder which made her look even more attractive, and her exquisitely carved beauty immediately stole everyone's attention.

The troupe leader handed the wine glass to Xiaoman and said: "Go and toast His Highness Grand Prince Yan." Xiaoman frowned, but she thought of the ingot of silver, such a heavy reward, so she couldn't turn around and leave. She lowered her head and went up to pour the wine seriously, but Yuan Yu did not immediately reach out to take the wine glass in Xiaoman's hand, but stared straight at her face, his eyes flickering.

Xiaoman was naive, but not a fool. When she saw this look, she immediately felt bad and quietly took a step back. Unexpectedly, Yuan Yu stood up and took a step towards her. She didn't know whether it was intentional or unintentional, but he stepped too far and stepped on her shoe, knocking off the beads. Everyone laughed, and cold sweat broke out on the troupe leader's forehead. It is inevitable for those who perform in operas to entertain guests on occasion, but this girl Xiaoman is too simple, and he's afraid she cannot bear it.

Everyone was laughing, and only the handsome and indifferent man from before was watching this scene with a trace of ridicule in his eyes. He played with the wine glass in his hand, half-smiling but not smiling, as if he was observing a good show.

Xiaoman took two steps back, and Yuan Yu laughed loudly. Just as he was about to reach out to grab her, he saw a guard coming up in a hurry: "Your Highness, there is a fire at the back of the theater!"

When Yuan Yu heard this, his expression suddenly changed. He looked back and saw that there seemed to be fire behind the room. He snorted "What a disappointment" and then walked away. When other people saw this situation, they also left.

Xiaoman breathed a sigh of relief.

In the private room next to them, Li Wei Yang sneered as she watched Yuan Yu leave quickly. But at this moment, she suddenly saw a very familiar figure among the young men in fine clothes. She took a few steps forward and stood by the window, her eyes slightly narrowed: "You are indeed here -"

When Zhao Yue heard this, she looked at Li Wei Yang strangely: "Who did the lady see?"

Li Wei Yang sneered and said: "Jiang Nan."

"Jiang Nan?" Zhao Yue was even more surprised, "He's not—" Then, she suddenly realized.

"Understood?" Li Wei Yang looked at her with a cold glint in her eyes. After the deaths of the old madam and Tan Shi, she had been looking everywhere for famous doctors to treat Minzhi, but there had been no improvement in half a year. At the same time, she was also wondering who the murderer was. She had no clue at first, but then one day, she suddenly remembered the scene before Jiang Hua's death. He smiled very strangely at that time, as if to say, Li Wei Yang, you thought you won, but you didn't really win. She knew Jiang Hua so well that she immediately thought that Jiang Hua might have anticipated this massacre. But if Jiang Hua is the mastermind, then after his death, such a tragedy will not happen. The only possibility is that Jiang Hua borrowed the help of others to kill her relatives. The one she left with them was a top-notch master who could kill everyone effortlessly without even leaving traces of the fight. There was only one possibility, a secret guard from Yuexi.

But the secret guards of Princess Anguo were already dead, and the only surviving Hui Nu, Li Wei Yang followed the original agreement and sent him away. In this way, there was only one possibility: the murderer came from Yuexi. Besides Yuan Yu, who else has this kind of hatred towards her? But if he had the ability to command a large number of secret guards, he would not be fooled by her in Dali. Then - there is only one person at the head of the spear: Empress Pei. She was in Yuexi. Logically speaking, it was impossible for her to know about Princess Anguo so quickly, let alone act immediately. Therefore, someone must have told her. And Jiang Hua is that person. But he has been living alone in the Jiang Mansion, pretending to be crazy and acting foolish. Who is going to guide him? Li Wei Yang had been thinking about this, but when she saw this figure today, she suddenly understood.

Jiang Nan was forced to lose everything by her and faked his death to escape, but he could never come out again. But what if he changed his place and his identity? However, she didn't expect that the dignified young general would actually get involved with the debauched Grand Prince Yan, Yuan Yu. This is truly walking in iron shoes and finding nothing, but suddenly the shoes break and you find things with no effort. (t/n: A chinese proverb which means that sometimes, unexpected opportunities or solutions can arise when you least expect them, or that the best things often come when you least expect them. The logic is that shoes made of iron should last a long time, so the day they break is really an unexpected day.) The more reknown a place was, the easier it was to gather the most useful information!

In the evening, Xiaoman came to the other courtyard to take care of Minzhi again. Li Wei Yang looked at her smiling face and said: "You will leave Dadu early tomorrow morning and never come back again."

Xiaoman was startled when she saw Zhao Yue handing a package to her. She frowned and said, "What's wrong?"

Seeing that she was still ignorant, Li Wei Yang said: "The money here is enough for you to see a doctor. Leave with your brother, as far as possible, and never come back to Dadu again."

Xiaoman was even more puzzled, but seeing Li Wei Yang's serious expression, it didn't look like she was joking at all, so she said: "My brother has just established a foothold in Dadu, he will not leave easily."

Li Wei Yang sneered and said: "It would be fine if Wen Xiaolou came on stage today, but it is you. Grand Prince Yan always has to get what he likes. Although you were lucky enough to escape today, can you still be so lucky next time?"

Xiaoman was not stupid. She guessed the key points immediately and asked in surprise: "Did you set that fire?"

Li Wei Yang nodded and said: "Yes, I set it."

Xiaoman knew that Li Wei Yang was trying to save her, but she didn't expect that the matter would be so serious. She hesitated and said: "Okay, then I will discuss it with my brother when he comes back."

Li Wei Yang looked at her, and a slight fluctuation slowly appeared in her eyes: "You don't want to become a canary in Prince Yan's palace, do you?"

Xiaoman was startled and said quickly: "No, no, I don't want it!"

"Then leave here as soon as possible." Li Wei Yang reminded, "Don't hesitate."

Xiaoman thought for a long time and looked back at Minzhi reluctantly. She still owed Li Wei Yang her life, and she was leaving before she could repay her. Now that she was leaving, she didn't know when she would be back. What should she do? Li Wei Yang had already stuffed the baggage into her arms: "Okay, it's time for you to go."

Xiaoman pushed the bag back, but Li Wei Yang shook her head and said: "Without money, your  brother will not leave."

Xiaoman thought for a while and realized that this was indeed true. Her brother worked hard to make money just to treat her illness. Without this money, he would not agree to give up such a prosperous theater troupe... However, she already owed Li Wei Yang so much, and it was Wei Yang who paid for the troupe to become popular. If she accepts gifts again now, she is afraid that she will have uneasy conscience for the rest of her life.

If her brother refuses to leave, she might as well leave by herself! Xiaoman made up her mind and walked to the door with the bundle in hand, but suddenly stopped and put the bundle on the table. She stood there and hesitated for a long time, but her eyes were red. Li Wei Yang looked at her strangely, not knowing what was wrong. She saw Xiaoman take out a string of Buddhist beads from around her neck, kissed them, and then handed them to Li Wei Yang and said: "I have been a performer since I was a child. I'm not educated, and I can't speak well. I'm a lowly person, and there's nothing of worth on me. This string of prayer beads was hanging on me when I was thrown away. It's not a valuable thing, but I'll give it to the lady."

Li Wei Yang was startled and took a look at the Buddhist beads. They were indeed very ordinary rosewood beads. She shook her head and said, "This string of beads is of no use to me. You might as well keep it."

But Xiaoman smiled and said: "If I just leave like this, I will be uneasy for the rest of my life. These prayer beads...please accept it. I hope it can bless the lady to fulfill her wish and have a safe life."

Li Wei Yang saw that she looked reluctant to give them up, but she was sincere. After thinking about it, she said: "Thank you very much."

Xiaoman had tears in his eyes, but she smiled happily. Then, she walked to Minzhi and touched his face. Minzhi still lowered his head but did not look at her. Xiaoman was not disappointed either. She smiled slightly at Li Wei Yang and turned away.

Zhao Yue glanced at the baggage and said, "What a silly girl. I'm afraid she doesn't know how much money the lady gave her."

Li Wei Yang touched the smooth beads and said: "Not everyone in this world loves money." These prayer beads felt very smooth and was obviously Xiaoman's most precious thing. She said that this string of beads can help her in fulfilling her wishes. I hope so, Li Wei Yang thought in her heart, and wound the string around her wrist.

Under the candlelight, this Buddhist beads shone strangely with a faint light, as if the brilliance came out from inside the beads, but Li Wei Yang did not notice it at this moment...

Early the next morning, Minzhi had a fever, and Li Wei Yang did not go to the theater. Originally, she made the troupe famous in order to be able to meet Princess Yongning. Now that she has met her, there is no need to get involved with them too much. But that day, she discovered that both Yuan Yu and Jiang Nan were at the theater, so Li Wei Yang immediately became interested. Although Wen Xiaolou left, it didn't stop her from using the theater troupe to get more useful information. However, when she arrived at the theater in the evening, she saw a group of people huddled around, craning their heads to see inside.

"Go through the back door." Li Wei Yang ordered.

The carriage entered the back door of the theater, only to see that the stage was not set up and there was not a single guest inside, leaving it completely empty. Li Wei Yang usually wears a veil, so the actors and guests don't see her at all. Only a few people have seen her face: Wen Xiaolou, Xiaoman, and the troupe leader. As soon as the troupe leader saw her coming, he immediately came up to her with a sad face and said: "Miss, how come we have encountered all the bad luck in the world! People say that glass is fragile and good dreams are difficult to make real. Why is God so cruel? How could the heavens be so foolish, and cause all those wonderful people to die! A good girl went to sing for a concert, but she disappeared like that!" He looked distressed.

Li Wei Yang's heart sank and said: "Who are you talking about?" Like a flash of lightning, she suddenly thought of something and walked quickly to the backroom. When she saw the scene there, she was stunned. Wen Xiaolou was holding Xiaoman, and he looked like a wooden man. Xiaoman was covered in blood, and her exposed pale arm was covered with bruises and wounds...

Li Wei Yang turned around suddenly and said sternly: "What on earth is going on!"

The troupe leader looked at Li Wei Yang's pair of dark eyes and felt the coldness was overwhelming. He shrank a little and said, "Xiaoman quietly came to say goodbye to me before, saying that she did not want to involve Wen Xiaolou and wanted to leave the troupe alone. I... I told Xiaoman that I spent a lot of money on her medical treatment and told her to sing for the last time. From then on, she would have nothing to do with the troupe. Who knew that she was just going to sing at a gathering, but somehow she was taken away by Grand Prince Yan? But she refused to obey. The prince was also a sinner. He actually gave her to the palace guards to toss her to death. When she was brought back, she barely looked like a human being... I was afraid that she would not be able to bear it so anything sharp was removed, but who would have expected that this girl actually broke the tea cup, slit her throat, and then beat it with her hands until they were covered with blood. Then, without caring about anything else, she held the porcelain piece in her mouth and swallowed it..."

Li Wei Yang raised her hand and slapped the troupe leader so hard that his mouth was filled with blood. The troupe leader looked at Li Wei Yang in surprise and was almost speechless.

Li Wei Yang's voice was infinitely cold, and she was completely different from the amiable wealthy daughter of the past: "Whose gathering was it?"

"Lin'an... Princess Lin'an's Mansion..." The troupe leader was dumbfounded and frightened.

Princess Lin'an, that is Empress Pei's eldest daughter, how could Prince Yan not attend her banquet! What a bastard!

－－－－－－Digression－－－－－

Xiao Qin: Today someone left a message asking why I wrote so much about Xiaolou and Xiaoman carefully, and said they were useless (‵′). In Xiao Qin's writing, even a nail is used to its full potential! 

Editor: (⊙o⊙)...nails are useful

Xiao Qin: Either pierce the enemy's feet or pierce the enemy's head!

Editor: o (□) o

Get up to 30 advanced chapter parts on Patreon

[pico-digital-studios]

Into, Across and Beyond! Cast: The Prower Kids

Origin: Sonic Archie Comics - 25 Years Later

"Make that twenty! We're gonna help save the land in honour of our parents!" - Melody Prower

"We may not have mom or dad anymore... but I want to do them proud, no matter what. C-Could you help me?" - Skye Prower

Dimension ZONE-YL-2058, a distant future where a lot has changed for the Sonic crew. In this future 25 years on, the least I can mention was a time when Tails and Mina, both married with a family, had moved away to Downunda for some time away. While Sally and her two kids were there to see the family off, concerningly, Sonic didn't spare the time to wish his buddy the best out there.

The kids Tails and Mina had were Melody and Skye Prower respectively. Melody is quite polite and outgoing, and possesses her dad's adventurous spirit. Skye, on the other hand, is pretty shy, like his mom was, especially in large crowds, and though he's inherited some of his dad's intelligence, he lacked experience with machines and computers to put that into practice.

One day, however, tragedy struck. When Mobius was threatened with destruction due to alterations in the time-space continuum, the Tachyon Displacement Chamber was utilised to send someone back in time to get information that would help save the planet. Tails picked up that something was going to happen, so he made a device that would keep Mina and his children safe from being erased and maintain their memories from the old timeline.

But a problem with the system triggered that blasted Melody and Skye, all alone, out of the dimension to fend for themselves as it collapsed and was wiped clean. Skye was clearly heartbroken from losing his parents, and Melody was there to comfort and protect him while they tried to look for a place to be safe at.

During their trek, the two ended up getting separated in different realms, Skye in particular winding up at Dimension BL-2017 where OMT!Tails was at the time (during Cosmic Discoveries). Thanks to this, Skye ended up finding our star protagonist as he was trying to adjust to what he had become; an actual cosmic entity in some form thanks to some of Crimtake's energy mixing with his own.

After a greeting, OMT!Tails was happy to take Skye under his wing while in a bid to help the kid get back home, the two kids unaware of what became of the dimension. During their time together, Tails helped Skye improve his flight capabilities, and even taught him a bit in computing and machines. In a way, those two became like bros during their time spent together.

Skye also took a liking to Blitz!Tails and Blitz!Milla, their care towards him reminding him of his parents. He even imagined the idea of potentially getting adopted by them if they and Melody were okay with it. Once they made the necessary preparations, they headed off to scout for Melody to get the two reunited.

During their quest, Skye crossed paths with Mobiverse Tails, who reminded him a lot of 25YL!Tails from the clothes, despite being a teen version of Tails. That said, MV!Tails was pretty impressed, and even considered the possibility of naming his son Skye when he grew up with his Cream.

OMT!Tails was completely understanding of Skye's shy nature, especially around girls, even though Melody was finding it a bit annoying. Nevertheless, the two were there to stand up for Skye when anyone pointed out any of the kid's flaws. After all, nobody can be truly perfect, not even in a film fic like this one.

Due to Skye not being great with crowds for a bit, OMT!Tails started off letting him meet the Blur Gang gradually, which helped him gradually overcome his shy and timid nature around strangers. To help put trouble right, Skye and Melody allied with the crew as honorary members of the Blur Gang, even if they wouldn't join permanently.

However, the Gang soon learned the hard way that Skye and Melody's home was long gone. As it happened, LM!Sonic, STILL adamant on his ideals of canon events, let that world die in his thoughts that it was meant to happen. He soon revealed a harsh truth; HE vandalised 25YL!Tails's machine in a bid to stop him from tampering with destiny, which indirectly caused the dimension to collapse in on itself. He had also outright abandoned seeing himself as some hero, not caring anymore if lives perished, as long as "the stars aligned".

OMT!Tails, in a tranquil fury fashion, confronted him for that, demanding that he bring that world back, lest he wished literal hell to come down on his world. Tails even threatened to unleash the EXEs, including OMT, into his universe and keep them there to tear it apart if that's what the rogue blue blur appreciated, though Skye cooled him off from that. As a matter of fact, trying to force people to stick to a defined "destiny" could cause catastrophe to occur, and they witnessed it first-hand.

During that clash, OMT!Tails utilised his newfound powers to take on LM!Sonic and give him a lot of pain. However, the moment LM!Sonic had the gall to threaten Skye's life, he brought wrath down upon himself at the hands of both OMT!Tails AND Melody, who were not going to let him harm their brother (surrogate, in OMT!Tails's case). Blitz!Tails was ESPECIALLY in a bad mood seeing one of those he'd grown to care for in danger.

After all was said and done, Skye gave LM!Sonic a harsh scolding, the blur now having nothing to lose due to his actions. And when he made one final attempt to mock Skye for trying to help his newfound companions... that was when he was left to rot in one of his Eggman's old airships, never to see the light of day again. Oh, yeah. And shortly after that, Mobiverse Tails followed through on his promise to erase the fallen hero from existence, due to him expressing intent to do his misdeeds to the Mobiverse as well.

Without their home to go back to, Melody and Skye were now stumped for choices. Thankfully, OMT!Tails and OMT!Mina were more than happy to help them get new friends in the multiverse, and Blitz!Tails and Blitz!Milla welcomed them into their world for a place to live at, even seeing them as their new surrogate kids from the experience. It's definitely been a happy ending for those two after all they went through.

[cloudbattrolls]

Vitiation

This drabble happened at the same time as The Way of Things and is followed by Rule of Law.

Panzen Roscur | Selatak | Two Perigees Prior

The sun beats down like a highblood’s blow, pouring its rays on the sweaty, sunblock slathered skins of the Day Howler crew currently perched on the top of one of Selatak’s many tall buildings. A fear of heights is not a good thing to have in this gang.

Especially if they want to be able to follow their leader. 

He is dressed in light, fitted active wear, as are his lackeys; all of them ready to flee at a moment’s notice.

Yet Panzen Roscur is still for the moment, his face unmasked for once, catlike nose showing.

Some trolls take issue with this or his other mutations when they first join. For a few moments.

A few agonizing moments.

Right now he is silent, watching the conflict unfolding below in the streets he’s cleared, white eyebrows raising as Hazard Ailaht confronts his ancestor and he sees -

“Shit, so he’s poisonous.” Says one gang member in mild awe, peering over at the screen in front of them proving a feed from their shielded drones following the pair of ceruleans. It’s an older model, set up on a stand placed from Panzen’s sylladex, but the quality is good.

“Venomous.” Panzen corrects, not that the man cares, nor do most of the trolls on this roof. The majority of them didn’t finish schoolfeeding - not that most lowblood schoolfeeding even deserves the title. 

“S’what I said.” The brownblood sniffs. “Anyway, who knew Ailaht’s kid had it in him? That bastard can’t be, he’d have been way more of a fucking issue, eh? Mutation, I bet. How fuckin’ ironic.” He mutters.

“A little.” The goldblood murmurs, still focused on what’s happening.

Good. Hazard is dragging Goh Tat back to a building, though the librarian clearly isn’t doing well after his stab wound - a very good thing they’ve cleared the streets.

“That what we’re here for, lah?” Asks an oliveblood woman, wiping her forehead clear of sweat. “The venom?”

Panzen’s floppy ears flick.

“Yes.” He answers, which did become true once he witnessed it. It is materially more important. Hakket will be pleased.

“We taking him?” The olive asks, eyes gleaming with eagerness. “Grabbing the Ailaht boy while he’s weak?”

Panzen sighs deeply, his scaly tail flicking back and forth in barely concealed impatience.

“Baeyam. That’s a blueblood. He’d be missed. Why do extra work when we can have it done for us? He’s going to need treatment.”

The woman scowls, pointing an accusing gloved finger at her superior.

“Aiyoh! You so boring, legis would never find us. He doesn’t have quadrants, not so atas he’d be missed, only low blue. Not like a purple.”

Some murmuring comes from the other gang members, and Panzen lets it fade into silence as he stares at them with gray and white psiionic’s eyes. People call them creepy; what matters is that they get trolls to listen.

“Ailaht has befriended some influential people lately.” He states, low in volume but hard in tone. 

“He has friends who would come looking for him. Ones with resources beyond your understanding.”

He could hardly believe it himself, but it explained Kharak and the way the mercenary always seemed to conveniently have a hyena around he could swap himself out for. 

Some people didn’t believe a mutant like himself existed either until they saw him, disbelief in their eyes as they took in his scaly tail and white-gold hair. 

“Oh?” Baeyam jeers, her sharp chin jutted out as she points at Panzen. 

“You soft on him? Big fat blueblood who’s never worked hard in his life, never suffer - ghhhhk.”

The olive’s blood turns into leaves in her throat, cutting off her air supply as she writhes and chokes. Panzen stands there calmly for a few seconds, then releases his power before she dies. 

Hakket won’t like it if she’s down a grunt for no reason, and for all her flaws, Baeyam is a useful scout. 

She collapses on the hard tile of the flat roof, gasping, eyes full of pain and confusion.

He ignores her and addresses the others.

“We’ll break into the hospital after he’s treated and steal the sample the doctors take. Is that a cool enough plan to satisfy everybody?” He says, dry voice emanating sarcasm. “Should I add some gratuitous stabbings and explosions?”

Several of the gang members look very much like they would like both of those things, but are wise enough to hold their silence.

Gang trolls. So few of them appreciate the value of subtlety. But if they did, they’d probably be in different careers, or smart enough to be a problem for him.

A delicate balance, finding rank-and-file with enough intelligence and assertiveness to get things done without excessive bickering and posturing, but not so much that they’d get any bright ideas like turning on him and giving his corpse to the clowns for a reward.

In Selatak, every dead mutant was a good mutant. He’d be worth a lot of money laid out on a scientist’s slab - or worse, locked up and made to participate in a circus’s freak show.

Gripping iron bars from the inside was not on his top ten ways to pass the time. The food was terrible and his scales flaked.

“What’s the venom for, anyway?” Asks the brownblood, Lychun, piping up again as he avoids looking at Baeyam. 

Everyone avoids looking at Baeyam, heads turned any way but hers as she gurgles and struggles to sit up. The thin woman waves her hands in agony from contact with the hot tiles. Even with gloves, she might have sustained minor burns.

Too bad. She shouldn’t have challenged him.

If it had been only the two of them, he wouldn’t have had to do that. He could have let her off with a minor punishment and a warning. 

Instead he had to make an example of her or more Day Howlers would try the same bullshit.

That was the real problem with being a mutant, as much as people wanting you dead. The way they questioned and argued and whined, making everything harder, and you couldn’t exactly kill every idiot who had a bone to pick, because it was a waste of time and culling.

“I know this might come out of left field, but it’s for profit.” He deadpans. “Take a moment and remember what my power is, Lychun.”

To his credit, the brownblood gets it after only a few moments’ puzzlement and his stubbled face brightens up.

“Ooooh, I got it! Clever, boss.”

Most of the others still look confused; Panzen sighs.

“Once we know what color that venom is, I can make as much of it as we need.” He explains in flat tones. 

“Ailaht’s kept it a secret all these sweeps; the exact chemical makeup will only be on record wherever he gets treated, and we can destroy that. Eventually the information will get out anyway, and the value will drop once anyone can reproduce it, but before it does…”

He looks down at the city below, baking in the light of the red sun. His eyes sweep across the various clown sects’ tents and buildings, where indigos and lower caste trolls alike come to gawk at what - who - they have on display that night.

Even at this hour, a few trolls come and go first rom the vast striped and spotted canvases. Their bright colors gleam like jewels in the sun.

The sects all compete for attention. Power. Converts. The rarest mutants for their shows. They can’t war openly, so they do it as quietly as possible.

The rest of the Day Howlers follow his gaze. Eager understanding dawns in their grins and their approving howls as he speaks again, loud enough to cut through the noise, hands on his wide hips.

“We make a killing.” 

[thatstheproblemwithnapkinman]

I TAKE THIS AS A PROMPT TO TALK ABOUT THIS COMIC

just don’t-

i saw a tiktok from DinoMightyMiranda about this book and it was what i would describe as “dis-recommended” like it wasn’t unrecommended, but it heavily critiqued

and nothing gets me more excited for a comic than being told it’s bad

so i bought it and OH BOY is it something

so spoilers for robins: being robin

it’s a book on my shelf

that’s literally the best way to describe it

miranda talks a lot about the gauntlets and i agree with those points so i’m not going to reiterate them (it’s 4:33, just go watch it) but i do want to talk about another plot point im not a fan off

the lives bruce believes dick, jason, steph, and damian have if they’d never become robin

so, starting with steph, she becomes the leader of the teen titans which i’m actually a fan of, the idea she gets to be a hero and a leader of her own is something i really like, especially as she’s often the forgotten robin so her getting her spotlight i love. bruce thinking she’d have the capability to go on to become her own hero and a leader is just so cute and i love it

robins (2021) #5

jason’s is also quite fun, he’s a race car driver that donates his winnings to a rehabilitation charity in his mum’s name to help people with addictions. he’s doing something he loves AND helping people, very on brand for him (although i’m a big “jason becomes an english teacher or tutor” person purely for my own enjoyment) and just love that this is what bruce thinks he’ll be doing, still being a good person even if he isn’t a hero/antihero (red hood)

robins (2021) #5

damian’s is nice but unlikely, he’s a monk working on finding inner peace and harmony. which yes, is cute that bruce thinks he’s be doing this even if he would still be fully in the league because becoming robin is what helped him go away from killing and so it’s flawed but cute nonetheless

robins (2021) #5

and then there’s dick

who becomes agent 37

i’m not even kidding

robins (2021) #4

i-

NO

ok like i am very much of the opinion that if dick hadn't been taken in by bruce, hadn't become robin, he would've been taken and trained to be a talon

y'know the whole "gray son of gotham" thing

he wouldn't've been a cop scouted to be a spyral agent

i-

and i know why that was picked for him, well there's probably 2 reasons

they needed a way to break everyone out of their little trance thing right? what's the easiest and fastest way to do that? hypnos. it's easy and quick and makes sense for the story but is infuriating given it could've been done over multiple issues but it was a mini-series so fair enough

it was written by tim seeley, who wrote grayson, the time dick grayson became a spyral agent, and nightwing (2016)

yeah, that's literally it

tim seeley knew dick as agent 37 and so easy for him to write (not saying it being easy is a bad thing btw)

tl;dr

the comic is a thing that exists

great concept, mid execution

and to echo miranda's words, it's more of a batman story than a robin and dick is clearly the favourite character (which makes sense given he wrote so much of dick)

honestly, don't go out of your way to read it, it's a bit of fun but if you don't know the characters well enough you should steer clear of it

having said that

i love that jason gets a lichtenberg scar, love that sm

the covers are so absolutely gorgeous