#like the premise is so good and the vision was there but it just wasn't well executed

[naylor]

some people are so mad with the changes the tv show has made to daisy jones & the six but i honestly like the show better than the book 🤷‍♀️ like, the characters and their motivations are actually fleshed out and comprehensive here; and daisy and billy are actually a sympathetic characters now because in the book they really just came out as selfish assholes most of the time

[unearthly-doting]

the wind will guide you home

a/n: idk idk i just really like the anemo characters soso much. kept it pretty vague i think so you can decide if the reader is willing or unwilling. no faruzan or lynette bc i couldn't think of anything for them :(

includes: aether, lumine, venti, jean, xiao, kazuha, sucrose, heizou, and wanderer.

premise: you wandered a little too far away from your partner for their liking. maybe you were trying to escape, maybe not. but don't worry, they'll find you.

warnings: mdni, yandere content, gn reader, implied/referenced kidnapping, overprotective behavior, possessive behavior, obsessive behavior, implied drugging, stalking, unhealthy relationships, vague mentions of dependency, uh whatever the fuck is happening in wanderer's section.

AETHER — is immediately panicked the moment he realizes you aren't by his side anymore. he never lets you travel with him, it was dangerous and you were safer tucked away in the little area he kept you in, safe from the dangers of this mysterious world. it was his fault, really. he had forgotten to lock the door the last time he visited, having been in such a hurry for one reason or another. you, for some reason, had decided to leave even though he had told you time and time again that it was dangerous. he wouldn't waste any time looking for you, hurrying outside, and using everything he had to his advantage to search for you. if you have a vision, he's definitely using his elemental sight to track you down. and when he does find you, he's immediately latching himself onto you, clinging to you and breathing a sigh of relief. he was completely oblivious to the horrified look on your face, just glad to have you in his arms again. "let's get you home. it's not safe for you out here."

LUMINE — would more than likely notice immediately when you vanish. she keeps you at her side at all times to ensure that she can protect you, so you're rarely ever away from her. the moment she sees that you're gone, she's abandoning whatever it was she was doing to find you. it doesn't matter if it was a commission or some important task that will help her get a better understanding of this world. you were more important than that right now. you needed to be back by her side. her tracking skills were incredibly good, so you wouldn't get far before she had you in her sights again. it doesn't matter if you were trying to escape or if you were just distracted and wandered off, the grip she had on your wrist was tight once she caught up to you, and she refused to let you go until the two of you were back at whatever inn or camp you two were staying at. she'll bind your hands together and tie the end of the rope to her wrist if you try arguing with her. "i can't keep you safe if you refuse to stay by my side."

VENTI — is honestly the only one here that will find you like almost immediately. even if he isn't paying attention to you and instead wowing a crowd with his amazing bard skills, the wind will tell him the moment you're gone. he'll stop midstory at the news, politely excusing himself and promising to be back later with an even better story. he'll let the wind guide him, listening to the whispers as he hurries down the streets of mondstadt, picking up pace when the wind tells him you were heading for the main gate of the city. if he uses his powers as the anemo archon to cause a harsh gust of wind to knock everyone away from the gates of the city just so he can catch up with you, then... well... it's not like anyone will know it was him. other than you, of course. and the moment you recovered from hitting the ground, venti was at your side and helping you up. he let you keep your freedom, most of it at least, but he didn't want you to leave the city if he wasn't at your side. he doesn't let go of your hand as he drags you back, an upbeat smile on his face as he playfully spoke, "you're missing my performance! you know i can't perform without my biggest fan watching me." you miss the tightly concealed desperation in his eyes as he stared at you. you can't leave him. he won't let you.

JEAN — is so busy with work that she rarely has the time to keep track of every little move you make. honestly, she probably won't realize you're gone until kaeya or amber drop by and tell her that they saw you wandering outside the city, seemingly heading in the direction of liyue. she's immediately abandoning whatever paperwork she had been looking through, hurrying out of her office and rushing past the citizens in the city to get to you. her mind was running wild trying to figure out why you would even think about leaving the city, let alone leaving without telling her. she's almost out of breath by the time she finds you, the sun starting to set as she crashes into you in a tight hug while rapid-fire questioning you on why you were leaving mondstadt and if she did something wrong and what she could do to make it better. it isn't hard to calm her down, cutting off her questions and explaining that you were simply going to visit some family in liyue and that you had left a note for her at home because you didn't want to bother her when she was so busy. whether or not that was the truth, she didn't care. she was pulling you back in the direction of the city, shaking her head. "no, i can't focus on anything when you aren't here. i need you."

XIAO — felt a little hurt, finding you gone. he was one of the hardest to get away from, always at your side unless the traveler called him away or something happened that required his attention. he thought you had gotten used to him by now, seeing as you never shied away from him when he was around anymore. so yeah, he was real fucking hurt when he returned to the inn and found your room empty. not even verr knew where you had gone. he isn't the type to immediately panic, but he is tense and will gradually get more agitated the longer it takes to find you. if he finds you quickly, the most you'll get is a cold glare as he drags you back to the inn. if he finds you after searching for hours upon hours, he will cling to you as if you would disappear if he let go. his breathing would be heavy, his face buried in your neck as he grounds himself. you were back in his arms, and either way, he wasn't going to let you leave his sight until he was sure you weren't going to pull a stunt like this again. if you want to wander around, then just ask and he'll go with you. "don't ever do that again. don't... don't ever leave me like that."

KAZUHA — would feel torn. while he understands the need and desire to roam the world and take in all that one can process, he also felt uncomfortable when you weren't around. a sick feeling budding in his chest, wondering if maybe you weren't wandering off but instead trying to leave him. he wants to trust you, and most of the time he does, but... you've tried leaving him before. many times, actually, that he's lost count. so, as much as he would love to leave you to your own devices, he just didn't trust you enough. he would ask other travelers if they'd seen you by chance, and some would point him in your direction while others would shake their heads. no matter, he took any and all help given to him until he finally spotted you. his approach was quiet, and you were startled when you had finally noticed him. he didn't say anything for a moment, just staring at you. there was something about his gaze that felt more intense than normal. it was like he was studying you, deciphering your actions. it didn't last long, because the look was replaced with a soft smile as he held his hand out, beckoning you to take it. "let's walk together."

SUCROSE — also didn't immediately notice. similar to jean, she can get pretty busy with work and gets so invested that she'll often times forget her surroundings. it's only when albedo or noelle make a comment on you not being by her side that she snaps to attention, looking around with a puzzled expression. when had you left? how long had you been gone? when she had last spoken to you, the sun was high in the sky. it was dark now. she would stutter out a quick departure to whichever friend had told her you were gone before scurrying away to try and find you. she would have the hardest time finding you, nervously approaching strangers on the street and asking if they had seen you or not. one person mentioned seeing you at the barbatos statue, and she immediately darted off in that direction without sparing the informant a second glance. and she was damn near tears when she found you. she wouldn't understand why you had left without telling her first, wondering if maybe she had done something to upset you. she'd be apologizing, telling you she was sorry if she made you mad, and begging you to come home. given how you two were in public, you felt a bit out of place so you agreed just to stop having people look at you. she would hug your arm the entire time, refusing to let go until the two of you were back at her home. and then she'd offer you something to drink! as an apology! and, well... if she puts a little something in it to tire you out, then that's too bad. "o-oh, you feel sick? maybe you should try to rest... don't worry, i'll be here to take care of you."

HEIZOU — would be the second one to find you quickly. he's a detective, so obviously he'll be able to track you down with ease! your attempts at trying to cover were tracks were adorable but futile. he had found you probably a mere hour after you had gone off, though he didn't immediately make his presence known. he was curious as to why you had left so abruptly without telling him, wondering if maybe something had happened or if you were, perhaps, trying to leave him. but you wouldn't do that! right? either way, he's following you in secret. some may call this stalking, but he calls it... lovingly admiring from afar. this'll go on for hours, more than likely. he's not in any rush to drag you home, and he gets to partake in his favorite pastime! so, by all means, continue walking. he'll probably do a few things here and there to startle you, making noises by shaking bushes and branches or throwing rocks. he likes seeing you on edge; he thinks you're cute when you're constantly looking around, searching for him. of course, once you get too close to ritou for his liking, he'll bring the fun to an end and finally make his presence known by hugging you from behind, a cheeky smile on his expression as you tense up. "caught you!" he hums, pressing a kiss to the back of your neck as if to prove to you that he was actually there. maybe he'll lock you up at home for a few days just to keep you all to himself. y'know, as his prize for catching you.

WANDERER — thinks it's amusing, honestly, that you think you can sneak off without him noticing. he'll let you go off on your own and let you think you have the freedom of doing so, but only because he has other pressing matters to attend to. he'll take is time too, going about his tasks at a languid pace, not at all worried about where you may be or where you might go. some people may ask about your whereabouts since you're usually almost always with him, and he'll just offer them a smile that... well. it puts them on edge, to be honest, and it makes them drop the topic. he'll even occasionally take breaks, enjoying a drawn-out lunch with nahida and even deciding to indulge the traveler a bit and walk with them through the city. but the moment he finishes all of his tasks for the day, he's going after you. you've had enough freedom today, and he wants you back at his side. it's where you belong, after all. he won't lie, it's exciting, searching for you like this. he wonders if you know whether or not he's after you. maybe you've been looking over your shoulder the entire day, wondering if he'll be right behind you. the thought alone fills him with an almost gleeful joy. and when he does find you, he's not wasting a single second before grabbing you, lips twitching upwards slightly at the startled shout you let out. "did you have fun?" he'll ask, though it would be hard to tell if he wanted a serious answer or not. he doesn't really care, in all honesty. you're back in his arms, right where you belong. his prized possession.

[senblades]

Hi :)

I love your art and your writing, and you have such a great grasp of these characters that I was wondering if you have any fic recs? Rating doesn't matter ;)

boy do I! (and ty for the compliment <3 <3 <3)

[cracks knuckles] alrighty:

The Dissapearence of Goro Akechi by Kupowonders - Probably my favourite fic ever, honestly- it's like. derailing the plot of persona 5 post-medjed thanks to the persona 4 accomplice ending years prior. (So, spoilers for p4 in that, too) it's. very good.

Marigolds by Colbub - Akechi gets ng+'ed to right when he started working for Shido, and has to take a good look at the future to come and be like "Aight how the fuck do I fix this". Fun times!

Daredevil, You've hit the wall by ez_cookie. Essentially, p5 Strikers but Sumire and Goro get to be in on the fun, too. And, there's a direct sequel currently being updated that's a similar premise for p5 Tactica. very very good stuff

A Tale of Two Tricksters by Zoe2k8 - Murder boyfriends! ...sort of? Angst! Angst and murder boyfriends! An oversimplification, obviously, but I'm not kidding when I say this fic is amazing and is also over a million words holy shit-

Throw away your mask by MollyPollyKinz - Another ng+ situation for Akechi, but this time the poor guy gets thrown all the way to 2009. You can imagine how well that goes (For the audience, less so for Akechi himself.)

The Crow Cries at Midnight by Dorked. hehe this one is very fun. Basically, a series of coincedencs causes Akechi to get thrown into the plot of persona 4. No time travel here! Just a grumpy 12/13 year-old Akechi trying to solve a murder mystery

The entire Tales of Chaos series by Eternalmomentss (The first one is called Like sand between your fingers) Very very good stuff! Something of a character study, I would say, of Ren and Goro. Plus, all the funky plot stuff that comes from trickster-typical bad luck and poor descision making. I really love this series hehe

uhh this post is getting very long I need to make this less wordy- lightning round?

Hunger for a life by Leonawriter - do you like vampires? I sure do! Mix that and the p5 plot and you get shenanigins. [evil laughter] a lot of shenanigins

Fishbowl by KivaEmber - Akechi has a terrible time in Maruki's reality. And I mean a terrible time

You have a beautiful smile underneath that mask by Saposaki - Akechi has a crush on Akira and Joker has a crush on Crow. No one is aware of the other's secret identity. Dramatic irony and hilarity ensues.

MASTERMiND by StumblingBlock - No Metaverse au where Akira really doesn't want to follow in the footsteps of his crime family, and fails miserably

Rose and Rot by SixteenJuniper - Read this!! I'm serious!! "A fun fantasy adventure" don't listen to Juniper. You'll be in tears by chapter two. (/pos, of course) (Seriously this fic is incredible)

Redressing the Balance by Convocated - ...almost a ng+? Ng+, in the sense that shuake are getting funky visions that are very quickly derailing the standard plot of p5r. This causes problems of the "Someone get the popcorn and maybe the tissues" variety

She's got a heartbeat full of lead (And she's aiming straight for the head) by Dots - This fic haunts me, often. In the best way possible, of course; but seriously, read it

Cracked into by SydneyHorses - Ren makes bad descisions and it becomes Akechi's problem. 2/2 timeloop, perhaps most notably featuring HaruGoro friendship! Love love love this fic

Okay that wasn't as "less wordy" as I intended but it'll do

Aaaand that's a wrap! Sorry for the long post.. and this is by no means all of the fics that I've ever loved (nor are the ones here in any particular order) but I swear we'll be here all week if I keep going HAHA

ty for the ask (and again for the kind words), anon! Hope this was helpful and to your tastes! (I... hope you like Shuake HAHA it's present in most of these- I assume you do, since you came to me (points at literally everything shuake I've made) of all people, but uh. Some of these fics are gen if it's not to your liking?)

[zer05trange]

Roaring Sea

000. Prologue

⋆｡°✩ (childe x fem!reader)✩°｡⋆

⋆｡°✩ premise: When Ajax stumbles across a humble bakery with his brother, he has no idea the new fight he'll have to win. Because though the Fatui Harbinger explored the waters of many nations and many different conflicts, he knew nothing about the dangerous sea of relationships.

⋆｡°✩wc: 2.1k

⋆｡°✩content warnings: none for the prologue!

The premature coolness of Snezhnayan autumn is nothing to Ajax and his brother. It’s comforting, in fact. It reminds him of an older, easier time when his soul wasn't tainted by the horrors of this world. Often, Ajax thinks of what it would be like to be normal, to have a normal social life.

If his work could possibly permit it, he would've loved to meet someone with whom he could share his heart. But thanks to his plummet into the abyss, and the years he's worked for the Fatui, he doesn't have a heart that could be given to someone.

The part of his heart that hasn’t faltered is for the love of his family. And that’s why on a more lax week of work, he finds himself walking down a city street with Teucer by his side, glancing at different shops and places that interest his little brother. Their destination was one shop that his brother kept talking about, one that he needed his big brother to try out.

“Big brother! We have to go,” Ajax remembers his brother exclaiming just a few hours earlier. The young boy continued to ramble about a bakery he often frequented, with a kind, yet strong-willed owner that would never fail to make time to converse with his little brother.

Almost the entire stroll to the destination, Teucer spoke of when the owner; the time she slipped Teucer extra pastries free of charge for his other siblings, showing him how to make his favorite items on the menu, or never letting him venture out into the cold without some sort of hot drink to keep him company.

“This one’s it!” He hears Teucer pipe up, stopping in front of the row of shops. It was two stories, fitting with the rest of the line of stores. It was cute, and shockingly modern looking on the outside. He can see the soft illumination on the inside, with a sufficient amount of booths and tables for its size. Teucer goes running into the shop, leaving Ajax to catch up to his little brother. 

By the time he enters the shop, Teucer is already chatting away with someone behind the counter, peering up at the woman who’s smiling down at him. 

“ if you give me a few minutes, your favorite is just about done baking, and it’ll be nice and hot for you, all right?” He hears her say.

Oh, her voice is much younger and brighter than he imagined it would be. He looks up at her, and she was not what he thought she’d look like as well. Young, sophisticated, and positively gorgeous . He straightens up his posture a bit before walking toward the counter. 

“Good evening,” She says, “You look a little like someone I know.”

“Y/N, that’s my big brother! The one that got me that toy I showed you a few days ago!” Teucer responds, jumping up and down with his hands on the counter. 

Y/N. Fitting, Ajax thinks. 

“I have heard about you. The toy maker, yes?” You turn to him and he nods, “I’m Y/N.”

“I’m Tartaglia,” He says in return, “You have a lovely bakery, and the food here looks delicious!”

You laugh, and Tartaglia feels his smile widen ever so slightly as his chest tightens up. He thinks he may be dying.

“Thank you, pick whatever you’d like, please,” You say back to him.

Though you were expecting Teucer to come into your bakery, since he hadn’t been in a few days, you were not expecting to see his striking, tall, and slightly intimidating brother. 

This Tartaglia was an odd one. From what you’ve heard from him he seemed to be a caring, loving, and attentive brother. But you struggled to find a spark in his eyes, and that sent a chill down your spine. 

He’s donning an oxblood colored long sleeve button up and white pants, and you don’t fail to miss the hydro vision on his waistband either. He has the same deep gingered hair, blue eyes, and freckles that his brother has. However, he’s very tall and muscular, with a sharp facial structure adorned with a pretty-boy face. You’d make a bet that he’s nothing but trouble. 

His overall energy is intense, ominous, and foreboding. But he's friendly to you, at least, and his body language was a little more than friendly, but you shrug it off. It’s not every day that a handsome customer takes an interest in you.

The two brothers found their seats a few minutes ago, so you go back to preparing other baked goods and taking care of the few customers who are also in your store. However, you don’t fail to miss the glances Tartaglia keeps making at you. 

He looked awfully familiar, and not just because he was the brother of your most loyal customer, but you couldn’t exactly pinpoint why he was so recognizable. You hear Teucer call your name and you perk your head up to see the little boy calling you over. No one was ordering, so you come from the confines of your counter and over to their booth. Walking over to their area, you see Tartaglia’s eyes go straight from your face, to your hip. You glance down for a moment, wondering what in Tevyat he could be looking at. 

Ah, you think, as your own eyes find the soft glow of your vision. But you shrug that off, you already saw his vision that resides on his waist. 

“Yes, Teucer?” You say as you look down at the younger boy. 

“Did you put something new in your frosting?” He asks, with his eyebrow cocked up.

“I did, actually. I added more sugar as an experiment. Do you like it?” You respond, stunned at how he would’ve figured that out, especially because it was such a miniscule amount of sugar.

“I really do,” He says as he takes another forkful into his mouth. 

“Ms. Y/N,” you hear the other brother, “Are those moon pies?” He points to your display case. 

“They are. I try to have a little something from each of the nations, it’s a good source for variety,” You respond as you look back at your assortments of goods, most of which were taken by earlier customers. 

“And you make all of those?” He asks. You nod your head, letting out a quaint ‘mhm’ with a proud look on your face. 

“Well what I’ve had is delicious so far, I need to come back to you and try everything!” He exclaims, beaming up at you with a wide smile and a wink.  

You chuckle awkwardly before a couple walks into your store, unknowingly becoming your saving grace. You rush behind the counter, feeling his eyes burning into your back as you walk away from him. As you serve the two customers their order, you notice how the two were looking at each other lovingly and how the man pulled out the chair just for the woman to sit down. The way the two treated each other pulled at your heartstrings, though a normal reaction when one witnessed romance, there was a tinge of jealousy behind the feeling as well. 

Sure, you thought about entering the terrifying world of relationships, but you're way too focused on your blossoming business to have yet another stressor on you. But, more often than you’d like, you imagine what it would be like for someone to sweep you off of your feet, to spend time with, and battle the cold of the nation by being bundled up together. You always reason with your thoughts, because it is simply not the wisest thing to do, no matter how bitter the lovey-dovey couples make you. 

You bring yourself back to the present, the couple already left, as have many other customers. It’s getting later in the evening, and you look over at the remaining two customers that reside in their booth. A small smile makes its way to your face when you see how engaged Tartaglia is in his brother’s rambling. It wasn’t often that you saw siblings this close, even in a nation where family is treasured. 

The two look over at you as you finish cleaning up for the night, their mugs empty and their saucers clear, except for a few crumbs. You call them over to your display case, and they follow suit. 

“Pick whatever you’d like,” You sternly demand of them, “They either go to me or my dog, so take however much you want. Maybe some for your other siblings?” 

Teucer’s eyes brighten as he frantically starts studying the case, pointing out a multitude of sweets before you can even reach for the tongs. The entire time, Tartaglia switches his eyes from his brother to you, both in admiration.

You can feel his intimidating gaze and although he's never spoken to you until today, he's taken a liking to you. His energy toward you has been… interesting, to say the least, in the few hours you've known him. But surely it’s completely harmless, and you doubt that any of his weirdly flirty intentions were something he was going to take seriously.

So why not just let it happen?

“It’s getting dark, Teucer. let's get on our way so Ms. Y/N can get home,”  Tartaglia says while his eyes stay focused on your face, a sly smile pulled on his lips. 

“Oh it’s no big deal, my house isn’t too far away,” You point to above the shop, where you reside upstairs, “I’m much more worried about you two getting home before you freeze.”

Tartaglia laughs at that, causing you to look to the side awkwardly. Did you say something that hilarious? You brush it off and hand the two their large bag of assortments. 

“Get home safe, you two,” you say as the two prepare to leave the bakery, “I can’t have my favorite customer and his older brother frozen to death!” 

As they leave, Tartaglia turns around and waves to you with a wink, making you scoff and roll your eyes as you walk toward the door as well. You lock it behind you, and switch the OPEN sign to CLOSED. You watch the two walk off, Teucer still chattering on and on as they disappear down the city.

Walking over to their booth to clean it up, a velvety blue bag catches your eye. It must be a mora pouch, next to a napkin with wording on it. 

You have to teach me how you make such an excellent apple cake! I’ll be back soon, Лапушка.

                     P.S. Thank you for treating Teucer the way you do. 

     —Tartaglia ;)

You scoff and roll your eyes, yet again, this time without him there to see your reaction. What is this guy’s deal? You open the pouch and almost drop it, shocked at what is inside. It has to be thousands of mora, too much to be considered a tip. If this is how he’s trying to harmlessly flirt with you, it’s not working too well. Instead, it freaks you out as to what to do with it. A customer shouldn’t be tipping that much, you think, so you plan on returning it whenever he comes next as he promised.

You eventually finish cleaning up and rush upstairs to your apartment, much like most nights. But tonight, your cheeks feel more heat in them than usual.

As Ajax walks his brother home, his mind fills with more emotion than he's felt in a long time. The fact that you could bring out a little crush within him stunned him. In all his travels, even his life before his corruption, he never felt anything romantic for anyone. 

Why was he yearning to see more of you, though he just met you? Was it the way you took such care for his brother, your kind attitude, though you were slightly austere to his dumb advances? Was it the vision, the sigil that proves you’re a warrior? Or was it your beautiful eyes, your skin, your hair, your lips, your—

No. A Fatui Harbinger should not become weak in the knees for one person. One person he just met an hour ago? Absolutely not. His job called for his time, his body, and his everything. And he doesn’t have the time to become so attached to anyone. 

Though maybe, a microscopic part of his mind was scared. Scared of having feelings for anyone. 

Because though the Fatui Harbinger explored the waters of many nations and many different conflicts, he knew nothing about the roaring sea of relationships.

⋆｡°✩translation: Лапушка— sweetheart, darling

⋆｡°✩a/n: thank you so much for reading! this work is already fully--written so updates should be every few days or weekly!

[sneakyparsnipslicer]

The Cult Of Knives

[Sorry it's been a while folks, hoping you've all been OK. This came to me in a lucid dream. I've captioned all the photos so you can imagine what each character looks like, enjoy!]

It's an age old mistake, you've seen it in movies no doubt. One thing you never, ever find yourself doing is going within five metres of an abandoned cabin in the woods.

It all began late one afternoon, I'd left my apartment to go for my daily jog. It was a standard part of my daily routine by now; finish work, jog around town, go home. Plain and simple. Work kept me on a little longer that day so it pushed my jog a little further ahead. It wasn't so bad when I started, but soon enough the sky began to darken. On the outskirts of town is a field that leads to a bridge, and near the other side of the bridge is a forest. I used to go camping with my friends back in my school years, but now at 27 I don't really hear from them anymore. They all went off to do their own thing.

Anyway, as I got to the forest, I was relieved. I'd forgotten to go for a piss whilst at home and at least in the forest I could piss in a secluded area. I jogged a little way in, found a bush and did my business. When I'd finished I looked around, remembering those good times with my friends. I decided to have a look around for old time's sake. It's funny how places like these can hold so many memories for certain people. Right there by the river, that's where we all sat blaring Panic! At The Disco in the dead of night, that's where Charlie and Jeanette had sneaked off to have a little… fun. We were barely of the legal age back then, so funny looking back at it now, thinking we were giving the middle finger to society. And of course there it stands, The Old Murder Cabin.

The guys used to tell stories about this cabin, full of bullshit of course, used to scare the girls. Stories of there being an axe murderer living there who cut people up to sell as meat on the market. I remember once me and Paul had dared to break in there one night. It was empty, so it's safe to say the stories fell a bit flat after that. Shane never did forgive us for ruining that for us all. Still, it was like time had stood still here, like I was 18 again.

It was beginning to get darker now and I was thinking about heading back home when I stopped in my tracks. For a moment I could've sworn I heard voices. As soon as I started to pay attention they stopped. Had I imagined it? I cautiously crept along the wall towards a window, holding my breath I peeked in. Inside was the long abandoned kitchen, nothing seemed to be inside. I heaved a sigh of relief and chuckled, just my imagination. Though looking back in again I did notice that the table and chairs had been organised. When Paul and I had gone in years ago it was all slumped against walls and the chairs were upturned. Maybe someone had been living in there at some point. I felt like I shouldn't investigate and decided it would be wise to head home, that's when a huge hand with a cloth swooped out of nowhere, covering my mouth and nose. An arm tightened around my chest and though I tried to break free, the chloroform made short work of me.

'Knew I could see someone down by the river, like a moth to the flame!' someone laughed.

'You reckon he'll do?' asked another. I felt a foot sharply kick me in the side of my stomach and that's where I woke up coughing and spluttering, gasping for air.

'Transpierce, Sabre, restrain him' ordered another voice. Next thing I knew two blurry figures were hoisting me onto a hard surface and were busy on either side of me, fastening belts around my wrists. As my vision began to return to me, I could see that I was tied to the kitchen table inside the cabin. On either side of me stood two burly, hairy and muscular men. The room was lit by candles so this whole premise felt very unsettling and dreary.

'What's going on?' I asked, looking around for answers.

'Looks like you picked a bad night to stumble into the woods kiddo!' said a voice ahead of me. There stood another man built quite similarly to the two either side of me. I couldn't help noticing they were all shirtless, showing off their pecs and abs.

'Sorry, I thought this place was abandoned, I didn't mean to interrupt you all' I said, looking between them. The one ahead of me shook his head and folded his arms.

'Well to be fair it was until about a month ago, that's where I stumbled upon this place' he explained.

'Ah, love what you've done with the place!' I said, laughing nervously. At which they all chuckled in unison.

'He seems rather sweet doesn't he lads?' he asked the other two, to which they both nodded.

'Oh definitely!' said the man on my right.

'A perfect match!' said the man on my left.

'Good, I think so too. Transpierce, go and get Mateusz would you?' the man at the front asked as he moved over to take over his post. The man to my left, Transpierce nodded and walked off to the other room.

'Transpierce, that's an unusual name' I said, looking nervously into the man's eyes, I could only assume he was their leader.

'He chose it himself, we all do. I'm Bayonet, and our friend over there is Sabre' said Bayonet, moving his hands to examine my shoulders.

'Bayonet, that's a kind of knife, right?' I asked him. Bayonet smiled and nodded.

'Intelligent too! I appreciate a man that knows his knives!' he grinned, looking deeply into my eyes. I was feeling really uncomfortable by this point. We seemed to be getting along, but why was I still restrained? He looked up and down my body and sighed.

'It's a pity, you'd have been welcome to join my little Cult as you are, but there are certain… requirements I must enforce' Bayonet said. He left my side and walked over to the doorway that Transpierce had left through.

'Transpierce? Mateuz? What's taking you two so long?' Bayonet demanded.

'Just a moment Boss, he's almost ready!' called Transpierce from the other room.

'Good!' announced Bayonet, satisfied. He turned back to look at me.

'It's always a special occasion when we acquire a new Suit'.

What did he mean, suit? I was in my t-shirt and shorts, and they sure weren't wearing any suits. Bayonet turned his attention to a wooden chest in the corner of the room and pulled out a satchel containing various tools. As he searched the satchel, Transpierce returned to the room accompanied by a skinny-looking guy, either he was drenched in water or covered in some sort of gel that glistened in the candle light. I had to assume this was Mateusz.

'Alright then Matty, this is your moment. Your induction. In your own time' said Bayonet, turning around, holding a syringe and a bottle of glowing green liquid. Mateusz nodded hesitantly and made his way over to me. Our eyes locked and we regarded eachother for a moment. Not gonna lie, he was pretty cute, though he wasn't built and muscular like the other guys. He placed a greasy palm on my left leg and I shuddered. It was cold and strangely felt like a cut to the skin. He moved his hand slowly up my leg to my groin and the others stood back and watched.

Mateusz licked his lips and placed one hand on the table, hoisting himself on top of it, standing above me looking down, he gently lowered himself to sit on my crotch. I'm not usually into twinks but this guy was doing it for me somehow. He moved both of his hands along my arms to my restrained hands and filled them with his own, locking fingers with me. He moved to lay down on top of me and began to kiss me. This guy was good, tonguing my mouth and exploring, I could feel his hardening shaft grinding into me. He pulled away and I moaned. Whatever this guy wanted to do to me, I was his. He sat back up and began to pull his boxers off, letting his erect dick spring free. It had to be 7 inches long. I licked my lips, was I about to get to taste it? He moved to sit on my chest and he cupped my jaw in his hands, staring silently again. Then he moved to position his dick into my mouth and began to face fuck me. I so wished I could hold his body but my hands were restrained. As if they could read my mind, Sabre and Transpierce approached and undid the belt buckles, allowing me to put my hands on his bubble butt. I wanted all of that inside me. Mateusz continued to fuck, panting and groaning, eventually he came in my mouth and I swallowed his thick, creamy load. He pulled himself off me. I gasped for air as I laid down on the table, unable to take my eyes off Mateusz. Him unable to take his eyes off me, he caught his breath and began to smile, chuckling.

Assuming it was my turn to repay him the favour, I moved to pull my t-shirt off, but he stopped me, shaking his head.

'I'm not done yet, that was foreplay!' he said winking. I looked at him bewildered, face fucking was foreplay to him?!

It was at this point Bayonet approached with his syringe and injected the green, glowing substance into Mateusz's arm. It took a moment, but his skin began to glow green and the gel he seemed to have been coated in made him appear to turn rubbery. It was like he was now a hot, humanoid version of Flubber.

'Oh we're going to enjoy this!' Mateusz said, glowing before me. He squeaked and squelched as he moved and returned to sit atop me. He kissed me again, but this time his lips got sucked in, then his head began to get sucked into my mouth, squeaking as it went. I placed my hands on his shoulders and they ran down his slick body as it gradually began to suction into my own. As his torso, ass, dick, arms, legs and feet began to slide into me, my stomach began to balloon out and glow green under my clothes. The other men whooped and cheered. Underneath my skin, I could feel Mateusz repositioning himself, arms into the correct places, legs where they should be. My own skin was beginning to balloon out too, as muscle began to build, my clothes began to rip to shreds. I began to grow pecs and abs just like the other guys, my hands belonged to Mateusz now and he moved them below what remained of my boxers and began to pump our expanded dick. Both of us moaning in unison. I could feel my load getting ready to shoot and that's the last thing I can remember.

Mateusz groaned in pleasure as cum shot out from his new dick, two thick strings and then excess green liquid spewed out. He looked to the ceiling, sweat glistening on his new chiseled body. His friends surrounded him and smiled proudly at him, they'd been masturbating as they watched his merging with the captive jogger and moaned as they emptied their loads over him, christening him a new man, rubbing it all into his skin. Panting, Bayonet helped him to his feet and kissed him.

'Speak your new name, Brother!' he cried. Mateusz thought for a moment.

'Call me Machete!' he decided. Transpierce, Sabre and Bayonet looked between eachother and nodded approvingly.

'Very well! From this night forth you are complete, you are our beautiful Brother Machete!' said Bayonet proudly, hugging him tightly. Now they had four complete members to their ranks, in time their ranks would grow and the Cult of Knives would amass many more followers, but for now it was time they all got some action from Machete!

[lizzychanstuffss]

Remembrance: Love and Deepspace AU 3

Au premise: So, what if mc actually remembered everytime she's reincarnated, and what if she regrets the choices she's made in every single reincarnation and is finally using this timeline to try and fix it once she realizes this might be her only chance. But she is entirely unsure if the boys remember their past lives with her, so she must navigate all these feelings along with judging if they remember too. AN: Raf time, I may not be a ref girlie but god this man has such good lore I am very invested from what I have seen. Also, shout out lads lore girl Ellie! I legit wouldn't know enough about the guys to write this if she wasn't doing those summaries on tiktok. Also, this might be shorter than the others I actually have no idea I just end them when I feel like it's at a good point.

Rafayel x mc | Rafayel x Y/N | Angst | Some comedy | Just insert a vine boom anytime either of them say something sus about the past | Route: Rafayel | Other Routes

Chapter 3: Rafayel Prologue

Scrolling on your phone while you were at home, looking at different posts and videos that came across your feed. That was until a name and face crossed your feed that you hadn't expected to see. 'Rafayel's new exhibit in Linkon opening!' And as if a ghost took hold of you, you clicked on the post to look at the details. And to your surprise, it was opening today. There was a part of you that said you shouldn't go, it would hurt to much. But then there was another that desperately wanted to see and be involved in anything he was doing. So before you knew it you were getting dressed and heading out the door to the art exhibit.

You wore something simple but nice, you blended into the crowd of people coming to look at the masterworks. In truth, you had never seen any of Rafayel's paintings. Considering that he wasn't exactly a painter in your past lives. You continued deeper into the exhibit you didn't even bother looking at what type of paintings would be on display. There was a part of your mind that told you just to leave, what if you saw him? What would you even do? Spill everything instantly?

He has every right to hate you.

Letting out a soft sigh you were about to head out until something caught your attention out of the corner of your vision. It was a lone small painting. No one was really stopping to stare at it either, so against better judgment you walked over to get a better look.

The colors were beautiful you could tell he had painted this one with a different kind of care than the others. Of course taking in the full image you knew it was a painting of Lemuria, the kingdom under the sea you spent a time in. Closing your eyes as you thought back to your time together, as you thought more tears threatened to escape from you. But you simply opened your eyes and wiped away the salty mist.

"You have good taste" A familiar voice spoke to you from the side. Slowly you turned your head to see purple hair and the face of a youthful man.

You blinked a couple times before finally replying to him obviously he was eager for one. "T-thanks..." You looked back to the painting before asking "That's the kingdom of Lemuria right?" You asked even if you already knew the answer.

"Yes, no one else has been able to figure that out" He moved a bit closer to you. You just stared at him raising an eyebrow.

"So then do you study Lemuria in your free time then?" You began to ask. It was a question that depending on the answer you knew would change some things.

"I suppose you could say that, what about you, are you a scholar or something?" He playfully asked, clearly, he was treating this meeting like a game.

You always wondered if your first meeting would have always gone something like this. Trading jabs and jokes while he sassed you, you had the chance to find out before but you were to much of a coward back then to do anything about it. You even passed him in the hallways of your college a couple times. But honestly, you hoped he didn't remember those times, even if you counted every single one hoping that one day he would call out your name again and embrace you like he had before. That the two of you would run off into the sunset and elope. But that wasn't this, this was instead a sassy merman questioning your knowledge about a ruined kingdom.

"Actually I'm a hunter, I just have an interest in Lemuria" You smiled at him, it was a really fake and shitty smile, but it was a smile.

"uh huh..." He seemed unconvinced by your words gaining an eyebrow twitch from you.

"What don't you believe me?" You scoffed.

"And if I don't?" He crossed his arms a playful smirk on his lips. You could tell that he was enjoying this quite a bit. Which made you wonder.

Could he... remember?

"Let me prove it then, why don't we get coffee and I can show you my collection of books on the topic" Crossing your own arms now certain he wouldn't turn down something lik-

"Nah, don't wanna" You instantly deflated at his answer.

"Oh...." You stayed silent a moment unsure where to take this conversation after that awkwardness. "Well, I should go home then" Begining to turn around you almost walked away before Rafayel grabbed your wrist. Slowly you turned back to him waiting for his next words.

"I still want you to prove it to me, but not with some book collection" His words were slightly desperate, a slight plea in his tone. You bit your lip but slowly moved back to stand slightly closer to him.

Were you always this weak for him...maybe not but it certainly feels like it when he does something like this.

"Alright sure, but how exactly?" You raised a brow and he looked to the side pondering before he slumped his shoulders in defeat.

"I-....I don't know"

Feeling bad for the dramatic fishie now you patted his shoulder comfortingly "It's okay, so then why don't you tell me the real reason you wanted me to not leave"

He looked at you with puppy dog eyes, trying your best to contain how much this actually pulled on your heartstrings you gave him a weak smile.

"You said you were a hunter right?" He asked his cheeks puffing up slightly as he obviously was planning something. You slowly nodded.

"Well then, I'm in the market for a bodyguard"

"Will you pay me or is this a volunteer gig?" You raised a brow as you spoke, as much as you would drop your entire hunter career to be his bodyguard, you knew that wasn't exactly a smart choice fiancely especially if he didn't remember you.

"It can be" He shrugged a bit.

"Either you pay me or I leave"

"Deal" He gave you those puppy dog eyes again almost as if he needed this as much as you did. Sighing you nodded.

"Alright, well I guess you have a new bodyguard on your payroll Rafayel" You winked at him unable to stop from teasing the man. His ears turned red as he puffed out his cheeks.

"You can go for now then...come to my studio tomorrow and we can work out the details" He crossed his arms as he spoke before walking away before you got to ask where his studio even was.

"Welp...see you later Rafayel" You smiled to yourself before turning to leave the exhibit.

[bennie-jerry]

My Beef with Wanda Maximoff - An MCU Rant

Sorry not sorry, I will ride the Wanda-ain't-shiitake train till the wheels are worn out. I do not care what her fangirls say. And if you're legitimately going to be so overly offended just from me disliking a FICTIONAL character, I highly suggest you click off, make some tea, and watch a Ghibli movie.

How many times does it need to be said? Just because someone suffers from some form of (small or big) trauma, IT DOESN’T GIVE THEM A PASS TO DO EVIL SH—

I really REALLY sincerely hope there's lore or bits I'm missing here (and if so, PLEASE tell me because I WANT to be wrong so BAD). But from what I know and remember, I feel as though I have every right to be disgusted with who Wanda is as a person.

It frustrates me so much how this carmine-colored narcissist will whine about people being scared of her, but she does stuff only a scary person WOULD do.

Purposefully setting the Hulk off so you could use him as a wrecking ball on innocent civilians in Johannesburg during Age of Ultron? Seems scary as heck.

Literally warping the universe itself to hunt and kill a teenager who did nothing to you during Multiverse of Madness? Seems scary as heck.

Brainwashing an ENTIRE town JUST so you can live in delusion about your man not being dead during Wandavision? Seems DOUBLE scary as heck.

Don't even try to defend what she did in Age of Ultron. Even if she supposedly didn't INTEND to have civilians killed, she sure as HECK didn't seem all too sorry that it happened. She wasn't ‘regretful’ that she did it. She was only ‘regretful' when Bruce confronted her on it. She has the nerve (the utter AUDACITY) to hate Tony Stark for the same CRAP that she does (if not worse, which let's be honest—it’s worse).

At least Tony Stark DIED out of an effort to save everyone, whereas Wanda usually tends to only help others when it benefits HER.

Wanda is nothing more than a Multiversal brat with a god-complex and no one can tell me otherwise. If something does not go 100% her way, she completely acts out and throws a reality-warping tantrum.

“Oh, but she tried to fix everything in Wandavision!”

Yeah, only after finding out she was BRAINWASHING people!

How the FREAK do you reality warp an ENTIRE town (especially at the large radius she used her magic) and expect NO one to be under mind control? Would you NOT try to fly around the premises to see if ANYONE else was there?

Once again, even if this was an example where she didn't INTEND for it to happen, then that proves another great flaw that she has.

Wanda hardly (if ever) thinks through her actions. And then when her actions bite her in the butt, she has the nerve to be surprised. Wanda almost never (and I'm being generous here) considers how her actions harm or affect others until it turns around and affects HER.

She did not deserve Vision, he was too good of a man for her, sorry not sorry.

Just the stuff she did BEFORE Multiverse of Madness ALONE is enough to not like her.

Let's not even get into the fact she never ACTUALLY apologized to Bruce Banner for everything she put him through. All she said at most when he confronted her is, “I know you're angry…”

Oh wow, REALLY? I couldn't POSSIBLY understand why Banner would EVER be angry at you for essentially brain-raping him (going into his mind and memories without his CONSENT) and using his worst fears against him to trigger Hulk so you could use him like a personal killing machine, further lessening the very few support systems he already HAD. She should feel grateful Banner didn't immediately throw her through a wall upon seeing her.

“But she became an avenger and helped them in Endgame!”

I could not give less of a DOOKIE about the fact she did that. Wanda fighting Thanos was literally the ONLY option she possibly had if she didn't wanna turn into dust along with the other half of the population. Sure, she also did it because she was forced to kill her boo BECAUSE of Thanos, but let's be honest—she would've had to fight him regardless. Her handing Thanos’ butt to him (while a very cool scene) doesn't prove JACK about her character.

The fact she ever BECAME an avenger after effectively traumatizing the MAJORITY of them is mind-boggling to me.

“Oh, I'm sorry I weaponized all of your traumas against you for my own personal gain because I wanted to work with a genocidal robot, can I join you guys?”

“Sure, Wanda! Come into the team and we'll pretend like you didn't do a darn thing!”

(The fact this isn't even ALL that she's done is absurd, I can still keep going—)

Don't even get me STARTED on Multiverse of Madness. And before anyone tries to say, “She did it so she could have a reality with her children!”

BRO, HER KIDS WEREN'T EVEN FREAKING REAL—

Wanda Freaking Maximoff wanted to murder a TEENAGER all for some children that were not even ACTUAL people. And when she did have them, didn't she make them FIGHT against the military in Wandavision or am I mistaken (which I VERY MUCH hope I am because what the he---)?

I do not care whatsoever what her reason is or what trauma she went through. Attempted murder of a minor (ESPECIALLY in this case, a minor who didn't even do anything) is inexcusable to me.

There is no way in frog fingers you guys are ACTUALLY trying to justify and/or downplay a grown ADULT trying to murder a CHILD (because that's what America was—a CHILD).

(Her and Miguel O'Hara would get along GREAT, when's the collab--)

And by then, she had ALREADY brutally murdered a whole bunch of people and probably corrupted the multiverse even FURTHER than she already had.

It wasn't until an ALTERNATE version of her (who ACTUALLY had her kids) told her to sit the [BLEEP] down (I'm paraphrasing here, but you get my drift).

Wanda is NOT a victim. Is she a good villain? Yes. But this witch isn't a victim. Not anymore at least. She doesn't apologize for her actions. She doesn't take responsibility. She doesn't reflect on what she does.

And even when she DOES finally do ANY of those things in ANY capacity, the damage is already done. In fact, it's not JUST done, it's also BURNT inside the oven causing smoke to go everywhere.

There is no rhyme or reason you could pull out that will convince me to be anything short of angry with this character and I'm so tired of her fans trying to defend her just because she was a lab rat and lost her man.

Once again, it's not bad to like a character that does awful stuff. But please, for sanity sake, STOP acting like they're a lost little angel BECAUSE you like them. I know they say "hurt people hurt people" but that still doesn't justify doing bad stuff just because bad things happened to YOU.

[voidsteffy]

Kalki 2898 AD thoughts (spoiler-filled and long af)

Ok so.... I watched it in Telugu, and 3D. 3D wasn't that special methinks cz only the huge jaguar jumping scene in the start got me. Nothing much 3D-wise.

Now, watching it in Telugu........... Um... Even the dubbing sounds like wonky Telugu and I didn't like that.

Time for points I liked and didn't like--

Liked:

1. The idea of that world: how Kaasi is the first city and now the last city of this Yuga. Priyanka Dutt really headed a dedicated team. I loved the tarot scene because it reminded me of Godavari and made me want a Shekhar Kammula cameo too👀😭

2. I liked how the Vyjayanti logo took us into the world. And the whole premise it started off on. Love the Pareekshit and Ashwathhama Athah...! Kunjarah premise references

3. Loved how the Shiva Linga Ashwathama is meditating near is most likely The Kaasi Viswanath Lingam

4. The CGI with Mr. Amitabh Bachhan

5. Bujji. Unpop opinion maybe, but I liked Bujji more than Bhairava. Was I the only one who wanted Bujji to be the genderbent preserved consciousness of Bujjigaadu (Bujjigaadu: Made in Chennai reference 🤭)

6. How the flames give way to the bearer of Kalki avataram while just a Yuga before, the sea gave way to Vasudeva - the carrier of Krishna avataram. Nice nice. Probably the thing I liked most about this movie.

7. The cameos (will talk about this later)

8. The scale of the vision.... HATS OFF. I want into that man's head istg. All 3 movies: Yevade Subramanyam, Mahanati and now Kalki 2898 AD are three distinct visions and superb visions. I'd love to even see all the concept art for this movie!!!!

9. Call me silly but APRIL ONE VIDUDALA REUNION!!!! (iykyk)

Didn't like (hyper spoilers ahead):

1. Bhairava's character needs more depth. A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL PROLLY TEASE ME/ DISAGREE WITH ME ON THIS POINT. But he does. He's shown as a selfish mercenary whose aim is to settle in the Complex. (I have dreams like you no really a little less touchy feely. But they mainly happen where it's warm and sunny. On an island that I own tanned and rested and alone surrounded by enormous piles of money). He's got debts all over Kaasi and he uses all his money for things like building Bujji and automobiles and thrusters and stuff. But what makes him tick (other than scratching Bujji who he abandons half the time)? What is he scared of? I feel like it would have worked better if Bhairava didn't go to the Complex at all and was banned from it. It gives his hope to see the Complex a touch of whimsy and desperation.

2. Disha Patani's character. The story just forgets about her after the party song which is the most pointless song of the movie btw. I feel like even Nag Ashwin didn't want it there on first thought.

3. SRI KRISHNA DID NOT REMOVE ASHWATHHAMA'S MANI!!!! It was Arjuna who did it as far as I know. After causing the death of Abhimanyu and fellow warriors and family members by unfairly means, Ashwathama almost faced the wrath of Bheema after being dragged to the Pandavas' tents However, Krishna couldn't let the Pandavas commit a sin to revenge a sin. He said, though Ashwathama caused the death of unarmed unaware Kshatriyas, he himself is a Brahmin by birth and thus killing him would be an unforgivable sin. Therefore, completely cutting his hair and taking his mani would be comparable to death. So it was Arjuna who took out the mani on Sir Krishna's advice. (As far as I read and heard from pravachans since my childhood) I disliked how the story started with this inaccuracy and it took me out of the flow. Or maybe Nag Ashwin wanted to change this part of the story to include the curse and pave the story's base? Dk

4. The fights never stop (not in the good way): Bhairava's first fight was SO. LONG. Actually, Bhairava's every fight was so long. Most unnecessarily so. His fights with Ashwathama go on for so long I actually started wondering why the all powerful giant hadn't killed our hero. I'm mean, I know, but I get annoyed by such drags.

5. Late emotional connect: Mrunal Thakur's character dying didn't even pinch. Because I had no emotional connect to even feel the horror of what had happened. But yes, I did cry when Rajendra Prasad's character died soon after bcz that meant the death of the one character who spoke the best Telugu in the movie.

6. As I mentioned, I watched the Telugu version and was disappointed by the lack of diction, even in the dubbing!😭

7. The main point: Almost every scene reminded me of a different movie. A lot of people keep saying it's Dune + Star Wars but here, all I've got to mention -> Loki morphing into many Lokis, Sakaar's neck electrocution thingy (EXACT SAME), Troy: Legacy and Aagardian vehicles with the flying vehicles of that 5000 units bounty hunter. Coco wrt to the city's inner infrastructure (resembles the city in the afterlife, except make it sepia tone). Star Wars with the jedi light saber that Bhairava's dad teaches him to use. Bujji = JARVIS without the English politeness. Prince of Persia: sands of time and John Carter wrt the setting and vibes of the outdoor fight sequences. Mariamma's light rope handles??? From Iron man 2 as well as Wonder Woman. When Sumati imagines everyone dead at her feet it gives Tony from Age of Ultron. The Complex looks a lot like the Singing kingdom from The Marvels. There was an episode of Nebula in Marvel's What If? Animated series -> the concept of the complex or dystopia and the bar seems a lot like it.

8. Ashwathama and Karna weren't friends per the Mahabharatam. "Ashwa uncle" keeps calling Karna "sodara" (pure telugu word for brother) and not "mitrama" (pure telugu word for friend/ally) and it sort of irks me. Also, I think Sri Krishna's voice could have been sweeter (the pitch, Krishna could melt mountains with his voice. Here Krishna's voice sounded something like what we could match to Balarama)

Ok done with that.

Now, cameos..... I mean it's a Nag Ashwin movie and I went in expecting cameos after my experience with Mahanati tbh.

Ones I liked: Malvika Nair as Uttara (that was how I had imagined Shakuntala to look like in Shaakuntalam btw), DQ as Captain/Pilot, Brahmi garu as the fed up landlord, Avasarala Srinivas as gambler (missed him in Mahanati), RGV as the food vendor, Rajendra Prasad bcz the man speaks the best Telugu in this movie (as I mentioned before)

Ones I found Meh: Mrunal Thakur as the pregnant lady (only bcz there was no emotional connect, didn't know anything abt her character except that she's pregnant), Faria Abdullah as the showpiece-angel-dancer??, Disha Patani

Ones I wanted to question: Vijay Devarakonda as Arjuna (like........... I feel like Rana would have been the perfect Arjuna despite that opinion originating from his KVJG days. But maybe Tarak? Maybe you could have CGI-ed NTR sr and reminded us of Nartanasala!!) I have nothing against Vijay Devarakonda, but he just didn't fittttt

Overall: a beautiful effort and a mindblowing idea but the lagging screenplay, some music choices and slight misinformation reduces its impact. Liked it and would recommend bcz this is all people would be talking about and you wouldn't want to stay uninformed on a global phenomenon.

[kyouka-supremacy]

Atsushi for the ask game.

ATSUSHI HERE WE GO THANK YOU FOR HEARING MY PRAYERS

Favorite thing about them: HIS SELFISHNESS. It's so so delicious to explore. Can you imagine a protagonist that saves others not out of simple good will, but because of egoistic self-preservation motives? It just feels counterintuitive for me lmao, and I found it quite messed up when I first watched the anime, but now it's so compelling to explore. His whole “everything I do is in order to gain the right to live” is crazy fashinating. Because lol, that's entirely nonsensical to me! There's no such thing as “gaining the right to live”; all humans, every person in the world is inherently deserving of life. All. No exception. So there's no level of “weak” or “worthless” that would make you lose that right. The fact that's it's a vision so distant and absurd from mine, idk, it just makes it very compelling to explore? “What if there was a little fucked up guy who believed the right to live had to be earned” just sounds like a very interesting premise.

Least favorite thing about them: When I first watched the anime, I think I found him low-key annoying? I just... Don't do very well with self-deprecating people and people who complain a lot in general, I usually suffer in silence and tend to (wrongly) assume others should do the same (this probably makes me sound pretty mean, I swear I try to be understanding irl). However, it doesn't bother me as much anymore, I simply think it's more of a distinctive trait of the character that makes him multilayered and unique. As of now, I can't think of anything I don't like about him if not the fact that I wish he'd rely on Dazai and others in general a little less. I know that has to do with his lack of self-worth, so maybe it makes sense,, but as of now he feels kind of stuck. I just wish we'd see him grow more on that front.

Favorite line:

There may be better ones, but I really like the delivery of this one.

brOTP: KYOUKA AND ATSUSHI they make me go insane. Already talked about this in the Kyouka post but just to reiterate: in my headcanon Kyouka really is the only person Atsushi feels genuine, selfless affection towards. It's very sweet. They're siblings. Kyouka's happiness is really important for Atsushi. They really do have that feeling of people who got out of an abusive environment learning what normality is supposed to be like together. I also really like how they compensate for what the other lacks, be it decisiveness and coolhead for Atsushi and empathy and positivity for Kyouka. Although plenty shipping them romantically, I really like platonic sskk and atsulucy as well.

OTP: I really like sskk eheh. I think they're neat. There's a thousand and one reasons why I find them pretty great. They're objectively the only reason why I got invested in bsd as well as the only thing that has me keep up with the franchise to this day. Right now, I feel like the one thing I really appreciate about them is how you can be the worst person in the universe and still somehow be loveable to someone. I think it's sweet. I also find it very fun and enterataining to explore their various soulmatism antics. They're both very complex and multilayered characters with something deeply wrong with how their minds work that makes them very fun to analyze both by their own and in the complexity of their relationship. Their collective story arc and canon relationship progression is extremely engaging and nice to follow, too. I love dazatsu and atsulucy as well!! Both were ships I wasn't particularly invested when I read the manga for the first time, but really grew in me in the last six months or so. I really dig akuatsulucy as well!!

nOTP: Nothing?

Random headcanon: He really likes reading. There's some real meta-analysis to be made here I actually had written this is probably not the right place to talk about, but in a work that's all about literature, he's the character who reads.

Unpopular opinion: He's the hardest character to write / characterize. That's why people should probably go easier on other fans when they mischaracterize him. He's just very multifaceted and genuinely hard to get. I keep seeing people being like “Stop babyfying Atsushi he's an independent adult!!” then turn around to say “he can't be shipped with Dazai because there's too much unbalance of power :// [somewhat implying Atsushi can't make free decisions for himself]”, or “Stop making of Atsushi a soft baby who never did wrong in his life!!!” then turn around to say “Atsushi is the happy puppy of the agency who gets treats and pats from everyone ^^ ” like. At least to me, a lot of people's arguments sound self-contradictory all the time; but that doesn't mean people should stop having fun and characterize the characters as they like! Just, let's stop being mean to each other and try to be a little more accepting towards others' takes, shall we? And yes that also includes letting people find Atsushi annoying if they find him annoying (although like, I've NEVER found anyone call Atsushi annoying ever, so really, what remote fandom spaces is everyone visiting? Why are you looking for clothes (good takes) at the soup store (Tik/tok I assume?) ).

Song i associate with them: Common World Domination by Pinocchio-P, HIBANA by DECO*27, Ghost Rule by DECO*27, so on and so forth.

Favorite picture of them:

Favourite panel from the manga:

Favourite illustration: Look, there's too many beautiful illustrations, I can't chose. Here's a very good one though.

Favourite illustration in the anime art style:

But also:

Favourite Mayoi card:

Send me a character?

[biblio-smia]

scrapes and bruises — two

masterlist | requests are open!

pairing: spiderman!ethan landry x gender neutral reader

[one.] [two.] [three.] [four.] [five.]

"no—" ethan protested, jumping up and back from you, guilty eyes looking anywhere but you, the premise of his promise forcing new, nervous words out of his mouth.

"how.... how'd you know?" ethan asked desperately, arms crossed over his chest as his shoulders slumped; he wasn't able to keep the one secret that mattered.

you could've said something mysterious or introspective. you could've said that you picked up on little habits or shifts in ethan's voice, even behind a suit and a voice changer.

"your closet door's open."

ethan cursed as he finally noticed, feet moving quickly to reach the door of his small closet. his hand was on the doorknob and then you were there, hand on his, gentle look in your eyes and his grasp slipped.

"let me see," you said softly. you opened the closet wider, bending down to examine the suit thrown down in a hurry. there was spots of blood if you looked closely and a slice in the suit that needed repair on the left thigh.

you wondered what needed tending to underneath ethan's long sleeves and pants.

your vision blurred as you picked up the mask, the one you'd been speaking to earlier that night.

"ethan..." you turned to face him, voice shakier than you'd expected it to be.

ethan could not gauge your feelings, tears falling with a emotion he hadn't seen you express towards him before.

it wasn't anger, which ethan would've preferred. anger eased with time — but the worry written so clearly on your face would only get worse. and that, ethan could not fix.

and ethan's heightened senses told him to drop to his knees and hold you tight. and the care you felt towards ethan was too strong to admire the man he was.

"you don't have to do it," you said quickly.

"what?"

"you don't have to save everyone."

ethan pulled away, just to see your face. your eyes wouldn't meet his but your grip on him was tight.

"but i do," he said softly, a hand coming up to rest on your cheek, guiding your gaze to focus on him. "if i don't, no one else will. if i have the chance to save someone and i don't, that's on me."

ethan's voice was strong with conviction. you desperately wished he wasn't so good. but ethan landry was who he was and there was nothing you could do to help it.

you could've refused. you could've severed ties with ethan and let him live the albeit heroic, dangerous life he lived while you lived yours.

but then you looked into ethan's warm, brown eyes filled with desperation and you could almost hear his heart pound, watching as the thought crossed his mind, too.

but... who would take care of him if you didn't?

and so you rose with ethan, arms still wound around each other. your hands settled on ethan's shoulders before trailing down slowly.

hesitantly, they pulled at the hem of ethan's pajama shirt, a faded one that told you of a math competition he'd probably won.

"take your shirt off," you said softly.

ethan's expression was mystified but he complied, carefully rolling off his shirt with a light groan.

the yellow lights defined the toned muscles of ethan's chest, freckles and moles littering his skin in constellation-like patterns. his abdomen was tainted with spots of reds, purples and yellows, untreated bruises highlighted by ethan's pale skin.

your fingers hovered then retreated, walking back to ethan's bed to pick up the less-effective ice pack. carefully, you placed it against the freshest bruise ethan sported.

ethan winced, but he didn't stop you, muscles on his arm flexing with strain. your eyes flickered from ethan's wounds to his face, his eyes never leaving yours. you cleared your throat.

"you're supposed to ice them as soon as you get them. helps with the swelling." you motioned to ethan's cheek.

ethan hummed thoughtfully.

"these... aren't going to stop," ethan began. "as long as i'm spider-man... it'll be this all the time, or... worse." ethan finished softly, voice alluding to the worst.

you swallowed thickly. you knew the implications as you moved the ice pack to ethan's face again. he didn't like it, evident by the groan and shutting of his eye, but you would do what you could.

"i know." you muttered and you could see the hope spread in ethan's eyes. "i know." you said, more confidently this time. it didn't accurately reflect all your weakness or worries and as you leaned in to kiss ethan, properly, his lips on yours gave you the reassurance you needed. he was here, and he was yours.

you could get used to it, eventually.

you had to.

[chaifootsteps]

While I do understand why Hazbin and specifically Charlie now gets described with the premise of "a Disney princess in hell", I do feel like it takes away from some of her genuine character that I felt she had prior to this moniker being given. Charlie was a denizen of hell, and a princess, but overall just felt like an odd outlier; an excited young adult trying to do a job she believes in with that charming naivety and optimism in between that. Like she was a silly little goofball. I just don't really get that same vibe from the Charlie we have seen so far for the show. She feels a little more artificial. Like there is now the expectation she is meant to be a parody of a Disney musical but just in hell than being her Own character. And while the premise is good, and one that could be easily built upon, I feel like it being added on to Charlie after-the-fact kind of takes away from Charlie's character. Her looking more like Rapunzel rather than the bubbly shapes she had in the pilot doesn't really help either... She is still cute to me, but overall I just feel like something was lost in translation with her from pilot to show.

Agreed completely. I miss when she wasn't a Disney princess, just Charlie, Princess of Hell. When she was that round-faced, short, optimistic little goofball with a surprisingly take-no-shit tough streak.

I think you're right, that she's lost that in the course of Viv's ""vision.""

[befuddledcinnamonroll]

Pit Babe - final thoughts

Normally I write out my thoughts on a show a day or so after it ends, while it's all fresh in my mind. But I was having a really busy week, and I told myself that's why I hadn't gotten to this yet. But now that I sit down to do it, I'm pretty sure I've been dragging this out because I just don't want the show to be over.

I love that we have such an abundance of BL right now (and hopefully GL soon), but I do have to admit that the majority of shows are either just so-so, or cute in the moment, but they don't stick with me.

Thus when a show hits that sweet spot, right in my heart, it's really hard to not feel a sense of loss when it's over.

So, yeah, clearly I loved this one. Heck, I wrote a three piece essay on what made it so special. I don't even want to do a pros/cons thing, because though it wasn't perfect, I feel like even the flaws played an important role in the beautiful authenticity of this show.

So much of what gets created these days is soulless, just a copy of some other previously successful piece of work; an attempt to capture part of a market share. And a lot of this stuff is successful, and I'm happy if there are people who honestly enjoy it. But for me, I need more.

This was a series that 100% unabashedly knew exactly what it was and what it was doing. And everyone, cast and crew, was aligned in this vision. You can take the wildest, most batshit of premises, but have that alignment, and things are going to click.

Add some smushy heart moments, some found family, give me good characters, a bit of chaos, some sexytimes, and I'm all in.

Here's to hoping for more creative chaos with love and heart in our futures.

Now back to manifesting a special episode to ease my sadness.

[darcylightninglewis]

Good morning!!! Sorry to bother but since you are the most knowledgeable person I know about Hellcheer can I ask you if you have ever read a fic where Chrissy survives Vecna and then joins the group to defeat him? Thanks in advance and have a great day!!!

Okay, first off, you're never a bother, ever.

Secondly, I am honored by your ask. Sorry for the delayed response, it's...it's been a weird emotional exhausting few days but we're back!

Where my brain immediately went to

Chrissy and Eddie’s Infinite Mixtape by @little-scribblers-heart

What may be (to my reading knowledge) the most epic rewrite of S4, really can't recommend LovelyThings enough.

(sooner or later it comes down to fate) i might as well be the one by @majicmarker

Another great one and one of the best stream of conscious Eddie writers I've ever come across. Their fics always make me laugh.

someone reaching back for me by @enoughtotemptme

Okay, this one is gonna make you sad, but eventually very happy too! It was the first groundhog style fix its fics I read for season 4 and introduced me to the writer's work who I also can't rec enough.

EDIT

OMFG, I CAN'T BELIEVE I DIDN'T INCLUDE @hangon-silvergirl!! Thank you for pointing out my mistake, @majicmarker <33

Bonus Tracks by @hangon-silvergirl

Everything by her is amazing and this is no exception. I love it when folks use things we learn from con's in fic (like Chrissy's would be Vecna song), superb. A WIP, but off to a killer start.

Now below these are ones that have been on my Marked for Later list because I'm just in need of pure uncut fluff these days but come highly recommended.

the pleasure, the privilege, is mine. by melodicvinyl

I just love the starting premise of this one, I can see it being a thing Eddie does to make her smile or it's actually his mundane superpower that finally comes in handy. Also love their other fics too.

Linger by CircusBones

Hawkin's High 10 Year Reunion! Class of 86! Chrissy Cunningham has built a life in California, far from the demons of her youth, from her mother to Vecna. There's people who were always good to her, though. Healing might have taken her away from them, and coming back has its own challenges. This story moves between the events of 1986, and Chrissy experiencing Hawkins ten years later.

I've read their shieldshock fics and love them so I'm sure I'll love this too.

like hands that tick on a clock by theredhoodie

What if Chrissy Cunningham wasn't Vecna's first victim, but she survived instead? How would that have changed things for everyone? A ST4 shippy rewrite.

aesthetic chills by sloelimbs

"aesthetic chills" is the literal translation of frisson, which is the feeling you get when listening to a really good piece of music.

put your lips close to mine, as long as they don't touch by Percyjacksonfan3

Here's the thing about Chrissy Cunningham: she actually is the straight laced dependable good girl that everyone thinks she is. She's also, until she starts having these weird visions that make her feel like she's going out of her mind, insanely bored. Or, alternatively, the fix-it AU where Chrissy doesn't die and she and Eddie try and figure out what the hell is going on with her. And with them. Also, the usual gang is there. Eventually. Because these two need some serious help fighting demons and figuring out that they are not just friends.

If I missed an author's tumblr name please forgive me, I'm preeeetty brain dead. If I missed any fellow Hellcheerios, please drop them in the comments as I'm sure this isn't an exhaustive list. But hopefully enough to get you started babes!!

Hellcheer to canon:

[lesbianincelsnape]

some books I've read recently, attempting to become horny

rated on: narrative kinkiness, sexual horniness, completeness, non-stupidity. The last two are different aspects of overall quality. Completeness means: did it live up to the shape of what it wants to be as a book? Non-stupidity is, is that shape stupid or not?

10/10 completeness means it completely lives up to its own vision, elicits no desire in me to mentally rewrite it. The actual best books for horny/creative purposes are around a 5/10.

10/10 non-stupid means that the vision is actually good and not idiotic. Low score might mean the characters behave nonsensically, or that the conflict is resolved with deus ex machina, or that the AI who has been keeping world peace gives up its monopoly on violence for moralistic reasons and this is played as anything other than a catastrophe for mankind.

The Scholomance by R. Lee Smith

Erotic horror. Very erotic and very horrifying, but more effective at the latter. Telepath enters a rapey and murdery school run by demons to find and rescue her friend.

Narratively kinky: 6/10.

Horny: technically 9/10 but it didn't work for me because the characters' sexualities are so violent and alien (this works within the worldbuilding though) so 3/10 for me personally

Completeness: 9/10. It could be shorter but I'm glad it wasn't. I liked all the mucking about.

Non-stupidity: 7.8/10

The Last Hour of Gann by R. Lee Smith

Sci-fi with alienfucking. First half is torture because the main character has the same 100-page conflict with two people but for 400 pages. I did not care about the lizard man she falls in love with. I did care about the worldbuilding, and the reveal at the end about why the world is shaped that way. Solid prose of the kind I aspire to – descriptive, competent, neither too sparse nor too flowery.

Narratively kinky: 4/10. It was fine I guess.

Horny: Technically 9/10 but for me 4/10. Higher than the other book because I liked the long dancing around alien genitals.

Completeness: 6/10. Docking a lot of points for the repetitive first half.

Non-stupidity: 8/10.

The Tied Man by Tabitha McGowan

Famous painter gets blackmailed into being a painter in residence for a wealthy sadist with a male sex slave she pimps out for other sadists, who is wooed and rescued over the course of the book. Man, this should have been up my alley but I just did not like the ship. I liked it as a thriller but not as a romance.

Narratively kinky: 8/10

Horny: 8/10

Complete: 7/10

Non-stupid: 5/10

Its sequel, Unbound by Tabitha McGowan

The recovery arc, where the 85:15 hurt/comfort ratio flips. Ehh. I didn't care for the rescued guy's family drama, nor the previous antagonist's son stepping into her shoes. I'm not going to remember anything about this book in a year.

Narratively kinky: 2/10

Horny: 4/10

Complete: 5/10

Non-stupid: 5/10

After the Storm by a variety of authors

Guy traumatized by his previous job reenters an old job where everyone is nice and there is no conflict except for his own anxiety. If that's your thing, and it's nonzero mine

Narratively kinky: 5/10, because of the premise and the thing where he's descended from supersoldiers who weigh 300 pounds and no one understands how much he needs to eat and keeps hurting him accidentally via underfeeding

Horny: 7/10 technically but they were cheerful and bantering and cloying during the sex, so, 2/10

Complete: 6/10

Non-stupid: 7/10

Dark Rise by CS Pacat

uhh there's a reincarnation of a dark lord except he doesn't want to be dark lord. And there's the reincarnation of the dark lord's sex slave. And then there's the other stuff which should be like 65% of the book but is 95%. Horrible!

Narratively kinky: would be 9/10 for the ship but it gets very little pagetime. You know what gets pagetime? The most phoned in YA induction into a secret magical society ever. So, 2/10. Anger.

Horny: 1/10

Complete: 2/10

Non-stupid: 3/10. All of these ratings would be higher if the author had gone hard in on the ship. The book is a weird hybrid; they seem to be trying to capture the YA market and also please their hardcore D/s readership from the previous series

Its sequel, Dark Heir

Narratively kinky: 6/10, there's more of the ship, which is by far the most interesting thing going on

Horny: 3/10

Complete: 5/10

Non-stupid: 5/10. Still nerfed by trying to be generic YA

The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow

In a war-fractured post-climate-apocalypse world, an AI takes all the world leaders' children hostage and executes them if their parents start a war. Also nukes cities sometimes. The hostages are the main characters.

Narratively kinky: 5/10. I like hostages. I like the weird little world they have – many of these kids are celebrities and future world leaders, but they're also on a little low tech farm school, doing farm chores and fearing for their lives. It's a unique atmosphere.

Horny: 1/10. There's a tepid f/f hookup. It's fine. The character's sexuality is very secondary in her own interests. She wonders if she's queer but it's really not a priority to figure out

Complete: 6/10. I'm conflicted as to which metric to dock points from for the extremely annoying secondary protagonist. I've concluded it's execution not vision.

Non-stupid: 8/10

Its sequel, The Swan Riders

It gets kinkier when the MC gets uplifted into an AI (still in her own body though) and she's having a new peer relationship with the dictator of the entire world who is losing touch with his humanity. And it's kinky when one of the bodies hosting that dictator AI gets its connection permanently severed, so there's a copy of that AI newly mortal and figuring how to exist. While they're on a roadtrip with some people who might or might not want to kill them. It's a great idea. Unfortunately, the factual mystery of the book is resolved in a stupid way, and the ethical/political dilemma is resolved in the stupidest possible way ("maybe it's bad to be a dictator, let's try global anarchy" – are you shitting me). So.

Narratively kinky: 7/10

Horny: 0/10

Complete: 7/10

Non-stupid: 3/10

[goodluckclove]

Hi! Have you ever felt ashamed of yourself because something made you feel like your taste in books/film/music wasn't diverse enough? I'm here to tell you that having that be the case does not necessarily mean that you're a bigot that hates minorities!

I mean, if you only read books by cishet white men specifically because you think they're the only good kinds of books - yes, that is sort of indicative of a problem in your perspective.

But most people don't pick books because of the author's background. Most people don't even know the author's background. Sometimes you just read books you think are good, and it isn't until you look back and notice the lack of a certain voice and think "huh, that's weird that I haven't looked into that".

That's okay! There are many brilliant minority authors that you might not have a way to know about unless you search the right term or have someone tell you. This is not a moral failure on your behalf, but an opportunity to see just how vast your favorite genre is.

Consider science fiction, or speculative fiction as a whole. Philip K. Dick has a deeply specific type of science fiction influenced by his gender, the era he was born in, and his rampant and intense schizophrenia (look up The Exegesis, it's wild). Kurt Vonengut has an entirely different take on the same genre that was heavily, heavily shaped by being a literal prisoner of war and being in the Dresden Bombings of World War Two. He was, I believe, also rumored to be on the schizophrenic specturm.

But let's widen the scope! I have only read a few books of Octavia Butler and wasn't as impacted by them as other books I've read, but I definitely noticed a major shift in atmosphere in a narrative world formed by a black woman. The air tasted different. It was a truly remarkable way to expand my vision of what the genre can do.

There's also Yoko Ogawa's The Memory Police. I have a complicated relationship with this book. I read the first chapter, loved the environment of an Influenced sci-fi dystopia, but then immediately realized this premise would destroy me and stopped reading. I still have it. I'm going to read it, it's just a tough subject for me.

If you want to widen your scope of art consumption you can do it as easily as taking a book or movie you like and seeing what art influenced it or what art was influenced by it. Websites like Tastedive are great for that. You can also look for lists of minority authors that have written in your genre of choice and see what sounds appealing.

You also shouldn't do it all at once. I don't think a minority artist would appreciate that you rushed through their work solely because someone on the Internet told you you're a bad person unless you experienced every oppressed perspective immediately. You have time.

A while back I did research and made an effort to read more female fiction. I looked at my bookshelf and saw that a majority of the women I read were either nonfiction writers or retro lesbians. So I bought a few short story collections by women writers that I found online, because I was also inexperienced with that. It was great. I really enjoyed it. My next goal is to gather more perspectives on experimental fiction, my favorite genre. I've read mostly Western, czech, Italian, Spanish and French. Some women, mostly men. I would like to see what else is out there.

Also if anyone has a suggestion for a book on black existentialism other than Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, I sure am hungry for it. Invisible Man is one of the most painful and beautiful books I've ever read.

I'm rambling. Art is exciting, is what I mean to say. If you feel the way you take in art is missing something, instead of scolding yourself for that it's actually a lot more effective to do a lil' bit of internet searching, get a new book or movie, and see what it makes you feel and think. I'm pretty confident that's the ideal viewing experience in the eyes of the minority creators who made these pivotal works.

Consider race, sexuality, era, disability, gender identity - all of that and more changes the way a person makes art and it's truly enlightening to explore!

[thehollowprince]

It's lovely to see someone talk so openly about the acolyte while bringing good points to their critique, not just hating it because it's a trend on the Internet.

I wanted to love it but the story has to be patched up a lot to make sense, and even then it wouldn't.

I never understood Mae's motivation? In episode 3 she seems to hate Osha because she doesn't want to do the ascension, is not like her, likes the jedi and later decides to attempt killing her. She still hates the jedi and sol after all these years, knows her master will Shish kebab her but she is stupid enough to tell Silly Qimir her plan?? She isn't thinking that her master has the means to find her somehow?

And Qimir too, he gets hopeful Mae will kill sol after Osha mentions her vision and forgets about wanting Osha as his acolyte?? What? This just makes him look like he'll switch sides for his benefit instead of caring about Osha and having feelings for her.

I try my best to be critical of everything I watch, and this show was no exception. I wanted to like it, I truly did. I know some people won't believe that, but despite Headland's repeated remarks in interviews hinting at her stance on the Jedi, the show had an interesting premise. A murder mystery set in the High Republic. But that wasn't what we got. We solve who's committing the murders in the opening scene of the show and know what her "motivations" are before the end of the second episode (which aired simultaneously to the first).

And that's where this show really falls apart. I know I've talked about this before, and I'm not the only one, but the lack of motivation for the characters' personal choices made no sense. They just did things, not because it was a natural progression from who their character was portrayed to be, but because the plot demanded it.

Why did Mae turn on Qimir and decide to turn herself into the Jedi?

Because we needed to set up all the Jedi standing in a row so that the "Sith" could come up behind them and initiate a lightsaber battle.

Why did she then decide to resist the very arrest she just wanted ten minutes before?

So that we could get a cat fight between her and Jecki.

Why did she decide to switch places with Osha at the end of that episode?

So that we could get Osha alone with Qimir and show how she was really the evil twin the whole time.

And that's just one character in one episode! (And yes, I do consider Day and Night one episode. It was just split in two so that Disney could squeeze another week's worth of subscriptions out of people). The flashbacks show us Mae trying to kill Osha, and then the present day shows us her trying to "rescue" her. She wants Sol to be turned into the Republic to face justice for his crimes, but then just stands there while Osha kills him. And like I said, that's just one character!

Sol seems dead set on rescuing Mae, which we only got a reference to in the penultimate episode, only for him in the finale to be really concerned with the Vergence, despite no prior indication of that fact.

Qimir himself was determined to kill Mae for betraying him only for him to go out of his way to engage Sol in combat. He then literally just stands there the entire scene while Mae, Sol, and Osha talk. Same thing with Day/Night, where he "had" to attack the Jedi because he needed to protect his secrecy, despite the fact that none of them even knew he was there.

Characters just did things because the plot needed them to so that they could get to the next thing that Headland imagined. This show was a poorly connected, almost schizophrenic, series of moments inspired by other media that they slapped the Star Wars aesthetic on and called it a day.

This show had its good moments, to be sure. The action was the best we've seen in Disney Star Wars, and this show did (albeit unintentionally) confirm that the Jedi are these compassionate people really just trying to better the Galaxy and the Dark Siders are completely selfish and concerned only with their wants (even if the showrunner tries to pass that off as a good thing.)

I'll say again as I close this off. I wanted to like this show. It had so much potential. But it was all squandered in the most ridiculous of ways.