#no longer battling it out

[a-novel-addiction-2022]

By learning to truly love someone else, you learn to love the world. And yourself, which may be even harder.

Luna McNamara, Psyche and Eros

[bfdifan26]

what the hecky

[fistfuloflightning]

I’ll never get there, but if I put the work in, maybe I’ll get close enough that I can chase just behind perfection — and have a front-row seat as you achieve it.

Chapter 20, Cultivate by @neonghostcat

[kat1nkulta]

I can’t stop thinking about Loop. Imagine doing everything, anything, to get out of a traumatic situation but the price is you. Your body is gone, your name is gone, your family doesn’t recognize you, you feel like most of your memories of them are gone too anyway. Suddenly you’re denied your identity. It’s like YOU never existed… and someone else took your place. You, whose biggest fears are forgetting and being forgotten in turn. You, who’s hesitant to change and now you’re forced to. You can’t even really blame anyone else because you did get your wish, right?

It’s explained clearly in the game, but the implications of it just hit me extra hard sometimes. Siffrin is as much of a study of Loop as Loop is of Siffrin. They share(d) their fears too so mal du pays words essentially becoming the truth to Loop is just… 🪨🪨🪨🙁🙁🙁💥💥💥💥

What do you do when all you have is ripped from you, all your worst fears come true, and youre forced to just… come to terms with it?

[ratwithhands]

I had this AU archived off my accounts for a few years, but I'm thinking about it a lot more these days so I'm digging it up for sketches.

This is Kudari from Codebreaker, functionally the starting antagonist for the story when Emmet accidentally collides with him and takes parts of his body.

For a little debrief, the main idea of Codebreaker is that Emmet discovers that he exists in a false reality, and that there is a parallel plane where all of the instructions for his reality exist. He finds his way to this plane by accident after walking back from another lonely day at work, and is hellbent on learning how to manipulate it in the hopes that he can recover Ingo with that knowledge. Kudari is his own set of instructions, who he partly dismantles, allowing him to actually interact with the code. This leaves a hollowed out shell that starts trying to find his own way to get his body back from Emmet.

I'd been thinking about the Beta Submas leaks which lead me to sketching him again. Here's the first rough warmup sketch I did with a fight between him and Emmet.

From there I just started reworking his old design to be worse 💀

Let me know if you guys want more of this freak, he's honestly really fun to sketch.

[dawnleaf37]

hey yeah i had another bad idea . for eucerin

[runawaycatwalker]

Part 30. The Return

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Description below the cut

Nathalie scrolls through photos on her tablet.  The pictures of Adrien have all been replaced by a white void.

Nathalie (internally): Aside from a few unprofessional photos, it seems Adrien has been wiped from the record.

Nathalie looks off to the side, frowning in anticipation.

Nathalie (internally): Gabriel won't be pleased.  Any moment, he's going to burst through that door and—

Gabriel bursts open the doors to Nathalie’s room.

Nathalie (internally): Nathalie!

Nathalie (aloud): *sigh* Yes, sir?

Gabriel: I need you to arrange an immediate flight!

Gabriel prances about in dancing delight.

Nathalie: A... flight?

Gabriel: My akuma found Adrien!  And then she immediately lost him, but I have my son's last known location now!  And!  We went near that area when we were all travelling the world!  It'll just be one quick trip to grab him, and he'll be back where he belongs!

Nathalie revolves what she knows around her head before coming to a decision.

Nathalie (internally): So, Adrien is retracing our footsteps?  He knows something about Emile, so is he just looking for answers?  Or is he seeking something we missed that could help her?  Regardless...

Nathalie (aloud): I'm coming with you.

Gabriel waves his hand indignantly.

Gabriel: Absolutely not!  You aren't fit for the expeditions we used to go on anymore!  You can't jeopardize your health traipsing up mountains!

Nathalie looks at him with steely resolve.

Nathalie: It's Adrien.  I'm coming, Gabriel.  You're going to have me there at your back whether you like it or not.

Gabriel adjusts his jacket in defeat.

Gabriel: Fine.  I won't waste any more time arguing with you.  You may come.

Nathalie: Very good, sir.  I'll make the call.

Gabriel looks down at Nathalie appreciatively.

Gabriel: Your loyalty is truly admirable, Nathalie.

Nathalie: ...  I do what I must.

Cut to the rooftop where Chat Noir once prepared a candlelit surprise for Ladybug.  A “Find Adrien” billboard is on display there (the spot where Adrien was once depicted replaced with white void), with all the lights that would illuminate it broken except for the one on the end.  At the dark end of the billboard, Chat Noir sits on the ground, waiting.

A close-up of Ladybug’s feet ‘plop’-ing to the ground.  Chat Noir turns his head to look behind him in excitement.

Chat Noir: M'lady!

Ladybug holds up a warding hand and holds tight to her yo-yo, making Chat stop his attempt to greet her in its tracks.

Ladybug: Stay back.

Chat Noir: M'lady?

Ladybug grips her yo-yo in her hands.

Ladybug: I need to know that you're not some sort of trick.  I need to know you're you.

Chat Noir looks at Ladybug with a need to fulfill her every request.  Ladybug’s head is shown from behind as the free parts of her hair blow in the wind.

Chat Noir: What do you need me to do?

Ladybug: I need you to remember.

Ladybug, eyes still obscured by blowing hair, holds up yo-yo defensively.

Ladybug: What conditions did you give the Celestial Guardian for relinquishing your miraculous?

Chat Noir: Hmm.  I don't remember giving him my conditions.

Ladybug: That's your answer?

Chat Noir holds out his hand invitingly.

Chat Noir: Well, I don't count telling Su-Han to 'come and get it'.  You're the one I gave my conditions to: That if I have to give up my miraculous, I will.  But only if you ask me to.

Ladybug rushes Chat Noir with a hug, throwing his arms around his neck, as he embraces her with a smile.  Images of them together are shown in the background: Ladybug smiling as she hugs Chat and he nestles his face in her hair; Chat holding Ladybug up in the air in front of him as she holds his face in her hands; Chat Noir swinging Ladybug in a circle as she grabs onto him and lets her legs fly outwards around them, Chat smiling as he holds Ladybug close.

Ladybug: That's right, Chat.  And I never asked you to.

Chat Noir: You would have.  I know you've given other heroes exceptions before, but me?  You'd never.  I knew it the moment Mayura recognized me: I'd have to go.

Ladybug and Chat cry in each other’s arms.

Ladybug: But I never even got the chance to say goodbye.  You were just gone and I had no idea if I'd ever see you again. I’ve missed you so much, Chat.

Chat Noir: I’ve missed me too.

Ladybug boops Chat’s nose with a teasing glint in her eye.  Chat gives her a playful grin.

Ladybug: Hold on... did you just say you missed you too?

Chat Noir: Hey, I'm very missable!

Ladybug: Ha!  You dork...

Chat Noir: Always your dork, m'lady.

Ladybug take’s Chat Noir’s hand and pulls him towards the railing, pointing behind herself at Marinette’s balcony.

Chat Noir: But shouldn't we be getting out of the open?

Ladybug: I'm already ahead of you: Marinette Dupain-Cheng is spending the night with a friend, so she’s letting us use her room.

Chat Noir pulls his hand out of Ladybug’s.

Chat Noir: Wait.  What are the odds that Marinette is actually Mayura?

Chat Noir looks away in panic, grabbing at his bell with one hand and touching the back of his neck with the other.

Ladybug: What?  None.  She can't be.

Chat Noir: 'Can't' in that you wouldn’t have expected it of her?  Or 'can't' as in you’ve seen Marinette and Mayura in the same room together?  And there wasn't a chance of it all being an illusion or a fake or—?

Ladybug: Kitty!

Ladybug holds Chat Noir’s hand in front of her (interlocking her fingers in his) and looks directly at the viewer with complete reassurance.

Ladybug: I am 100% paws-itive that Marinette is trustworthy.  Yes, she's not allowed to be a temporary hero anymore.  But she's safe.  I never would have entrusted her with saving our kwamis if I wasn’t absolutely sure she was on our side.

Chat Noir collapses into Ladybug’s arms as she looks at him with concern.

Chat Noir: Thanks for reassuring me.  I never wanted to doubt her.  It’s just... hard to go back to trusting people when I know I'm wrong about somebody.

Ladybug touches Chat’s face and shoulder comfortingly.  He holds onto her arm with both hands and looks into her eyes, comforted by her support.

Ladybug: I'm glad you still know that you can always trust me.  You ready now?

Chat Noir holds up the trapdoor to Marinette’s room, following Ladybug down as she holds his hand with both of hers, smiling up at him.

Chat Noir: After you, m'lady...

Below is the same image as above, only without text:

[otaku553]

My brother recently got into Demon Slayer so I wanted to make a kny oc for him since I did it before with both me and my sister and never got around to my brother :)

But I started by refreshing my own design because wow?? It’s been 4 years since I first made my kny insert character and a lot of things are now outdated! Not to mention my art has improved a lot, I hope. More details under the cut!

Meet Ebisu Koharu: youngest of the Ebisu family and physically the weakest. They only barely passed Final Selection by hiding for the entire week and surviving off tips from their older siblings. Nonetheless, they still want to contribute, which is why they hold onto a thick, leather bound book that records every demon they’ve ever met in precise detail, with labeled diagrams and scribbled calculations in the margins of different strengths and weaknesses.

After spending a few years on the job, and properly seeing their data contribute to the successes of other demon slayers, they’ve come a bit more into their own as a competent researcher and fighter, though they still do tend to request paired missions with friends and family to act more as a support role rather than a fighter.

The Ebisu family is one of scholars. The eldest daughter Kaoru is a doctor, and the eldest son Shougen is a chemist. By nature, fighting is not necessarily their strong suit, which is why their family breathing style and techniques are all poison-assisted. Of the three, Koharu is the weakest and most averse to combat— they wield a short half-length blade, with more of a smooth ceremonial hilt and sheath than any practical weapon.

[nymphilily]

"The Knight Of Dawn being a near exact copy of Silver is lazy!" You absolutely think the curtains are just blue, don't you?

[bonefall]

Just wanted to sneak in and say the idea of Riverstar x One Eye would immediately become 100x funnier if one were also to ship them in Better Bones

Here's the God of Summer. He eats people and hates everyone except his RiverClan bf and daughter /j

Quick shout back to you to tell you I'm trying to provide room for it

I love OneRiver too much to not give some kind of opportunity where they could have had some sort of positive relationship, and it's just a genuinely cool idea. That Riverstar was able to see the mysterious stranger before he revealed his true colors, and always felt... odd, about his peculiar energy.

A friendly tenseness. A mutual parting where neither one quite knows what to make of the other. The feeling in Riverstar's gut is like locking eyes with a tiger, just before it turns away.

So what I'm thinking is that in Thunderstar's Justice, after the carnage at the First Battle that summons the God of Summer like a dinner bell, One Eye comes to peruse. He visits each Clan, spends a short amount of time there, and then moves onto the next. He finally stops in Skystar's Clan, but it would give him some room to hang out in the River Kingdom.

Since it's Thunderstar's story though, he would be getting this information secondpaw from his ally and old friend, King Riverstar. One Eye would have a very... tense, predatory feeling to Thunderstar.

Like he's tracking something very powerful and very dangerous as it prowls through the undergrowth.

In truth, One Eye is scouting. He's looking for what was responsible for that delicious smell on that sticky, sweltering summer day. His stops in each group to understand them better, see what sorts of things they want and what they're currently doing, but finds that none of the other Four Founders are the warlord he's looking for.

A wise, ancient, well-spoken being, he was interested in Riverstar for a little longer than the others. Not as his target. Just as a curiosity.

What a poetic story, this peaceful prince had. Desperate to avoid the stressful responsibilities that would be thrust upon him, he sought friends where there should have been enemies, and made peace in spite of tyrants. But his nonchalance became carelessness, and he was made hostage by his underestimated enemy.

He ended up sparking the very battle he had sought so hard to avoid, his father's heroic death to save his son landing the crown upon Riverstar's head. A tragedy. A tale of inevitability. To a God of War, it's a wonderful story to hear.

[blueskittlesart]

do u have any navi thoughts from your oot replay

i've been waiting to answer this until I actually beat the game in my current playthrough because navi is another one of those characters that i think of in like a "set" with several other characters who serve relatively the same thematic purpose; in this case that purpose being the "mother" character, and i wanted to have all the characters in that set fresh in my mind. it's notable that while oot shows us very clear and consistent instances of the ways in which the adults of hyrule fail to protect their children, there ARE several adults who DO go out of their way to both oppose ganondorf and protect and nurture the children under their care. All of these characters are adult women, and all of them explicitly help the children out of some sort of parental responsibility or sense of duty towards them. in this group I include link's late mother, impa, nabooru, and navi.

all 4 mother characters, despite being adults or adult-coded, reject the inaction mentality which characterizes other adults in the game. they become either direct supports or shields to their children from the conflict the world has to offer them, and they are always explicitly punished for their interference--link's mother is killed trying to protect her son, impa's village is burned, nabooru is brainwashed. The mother's fatal flaw is that she will protect her child above all else, even in a world in which children cannot truly be protected. however, with the exception of link's mother, these characters manage to persist even in the face of her punishment, and this is where I think navi becomes the exemplary character.

Navi, after a lifetime of being link's only support system, the only adult in his life he could truly, consistently count on, receives her punishment at the hands of ganondorf--in the final battle, she is pushed out. she is unable to reach her child. she cannot protect him. However, BECAUSE link has grown up with her at his side, he is strong enough to take ganondorf down. and when ganon rises again, navi is there to support link, promising not to leave his side, and the intuitive targeting of that battle (a mechanic which navi is inherently tied to!!) makes it a cinch to win. Navi, and the other mothers we meet, are a reminder to the player that the world doesn't HAVE to be the way it is. Their persistence when punished, their insistence that their children ought to be protected, is a reminder that good adults do exist, and that good adults raise good children. link and zelda are able to win in spite of the adults who refused to help them, but also BECAUSE of the adults who DID. It's a reinforcement of the core theme of oot--that childlike idea that the world SHOULD be good and fair and if it isn't, it should be changed until it is. The mothers of oot are examples of what the world COULD be, reminders that it is possible to grow up without losing hope or growing bitter, and they are examples of the next step for the children they've raised to change the word--to continue fighting even in the face of punishment, to refuse inaction, and to foster that same hope and persistence in the generations to come.

[roboyomo]

this took longer than expected eughwhdhwe. (mimicking @trainingdummyrabbit's artstyle Again ^_^ thamk you for permission pik,, o7)

alt text version cuz i felt like it

[lumberwoof]

AU where Franka doesn't get approval for the transfer and instead has to cut and run to Rhodes Island alone. Liskarm just misses finding out and isn't able to follow. and then they reunite some years down the line for whatever reason, Franka happy at Rhodes Island but still a little lonely and Liskarm saying she's fine but being at Blacksteel for so long has made her colder and harsher and just plain miserable.

(it isn't all bad, she at least has Jessica and Vanilla, but they can't get under her skin the way Franka could. Liskarm swears that Franka would get under skin sometimes just to dig out the bad feelings.)

(and Franka has people. she's surrounded by people she cares about. operators cut from the same cloth as her, that will charge headlong into battle beside her. colleagues who will nag her about sleeping and eating and training and mission parameters. friends who will rag on her for her choice of reading material. but Liskarm was all of those things rolled into one. and she is not here)

[bagelqaq]

i thought this fits them pretty well hehe

[ragnarlothcat]

Im on my knees begging you, please 🙏 please, por favor, 🧎for you to continue writing nothing compares with you 😔😭🙏🙏

😭😭😭 can I join you in floor begging? I don't know why that WIP was beaten out of my brain but I haven't been able to write a single word for it in over a year, easily. I had this idea that I'd finish one of my longer WIPs and doing so would unlock the ability to finish all my WIPs. As my posting history this year would suggest, this has not come to pass. I'm not sure what my logic was (why would one complete fic lead to more?) and indeed I failed at even finishing the single WIP I picked to focus on. So, idk. Once I accept the gravity of my hubris and/or failures and give up entirely (or I guess uncover a font of hereto undiscovered willpower and inspiration) I can make some kind of post laying out the rest of the plot maybe? If that would help? I don't know what people do in these situations other than invest in a hair shirt.

[syrcus]

FFXIVwrite 2024 Prompt 5: Stamp

Non-WoL OC. Set during Shadowbringers, spoilers for 5.0 story. Either the beginning or middle of the Thancred/Denh ship depending on how hard you squint at it. 1562 words ao3 link

The arrival of the Warrior of Light is rarely a quiet affair.      The Rising Stones' main door slams, their voice bounces seemingly without end off the stone walls, amplifying itself. Denh ignores them. After all, she has a job to do, though it may drain and vex her. Whatever business brings Quoye Mhoros to Mor Dhona can remain their own, as far as she's concerned.

     She retains her focus with intent, channelling aether from the environment around her, into the pit of her heart, turning it over and allowing it to flow down through her arms and to the hand she holds. Her fingers tingle with the warmth of it, and perhaps a little with inactivity, but over the past weeks this particular aetheric manipulation has become a speciality of hers. How many days has she spent, lately, sitting in this chair immobile, doing naught but preserving the empty husks of the people she loves?

     Her gaze glides over her current charge, a knot gathering in her core.  Thancred was once one of her closest friends, almost more, and yet.  And yet, in recent years she has avoided him, treated him with pointed indifference whenever their paths were forced to cross.  She has been cold, she has been immovable, and now that he's gone it shames her.

     "Denh!" Even through the thick wooden door of Dawn's Respite, Quoye's distinctive holler is barely muffled. "Anyone seen Denh? Somebody point me at- Oh, is she? Should've known." And with that, the door bursts open, and the Warrior of Light through it. Denh's breath leaves her in a weary sigh. She doesn't look at them, or even otherwise acknowledge them; she keeps her eyes on Thancred, committing his face carefully to memory. Even the most minor change could bode ill for him, in this state.      Were his eyes always so sunken? she wonders. Is this a worrying sign, or did I simply fail to notice? Gods, when is the last time I truly looked at him? Nobody had expected this, of course. She could never have been expected to know, all those years she spent angry and hurt, how easily the people she loved could be taken from her. She'd thought she had more time.

     Quoye's footsteps echo against the walls, quick and excited, far too upbeat for a room like this. The candle on the dresser by Thancred's cot sputters, flickering in the disturbed air as the Warrior of Light draws to a stop beside her.

     "Hi Denh," they chirp, sounding altogether too pleased with themself. Quoye's energy is infuriating at the best of times, even moreso now. She sets Thancred's hand down atop his chest and turns to them.

     "What do you want, Quoye." What are her odds, she wonders, of successfully setting them on fire? She'd never let it show, of course, but she's considered the question more and more often of late: Hydaelyn's Blessing may protect them from primal influence, they may have bested some of the world's strongest in combat, but surely a fireball to the face would take down even this vaunted hero? Some hero, anyway. What good have they done for Thancred and Shtola and the twins?      Quoye grins impishly back at her and laughs, bright and clear, blissfully unaware of the resentment Denh holds for them. Too bright for a room filled with such stagnant misery.

     "I've got something for you," they reply, in quite possibly the most aggravating singsong tone Denh has ever heard, brandishing a sheet of carefully folded paper and wiggling it above her head. "I think you'll like it." She considers snatching it, but Quoye is considerably taller than she is and could easily pull it from arms reach - which, she realises, is likely exactly what they're hoping for. She squares her shoulders and fixes Quoye with a level gaze. She will not embarrass herself for their amusement.  They can give her the note or not, it makes little difference.

     "Then hand it over and be on your way." She keeps her tone brusque, matter-of-fact, and for added effect extends an open hand. The intent is clear; put it in my hand and get lost. Quoye blinks a couple of times, perhaps surprised she didn't rise to their bait. Her tail flicks with irritation. "Now, Quoye. As you can see, I am busy and I am tired."      Hearing herself speak, she sounds tired. More than she'd expected. When is the last time she held a conversation that wasn't just a brief exchange, updating Krile on the vital signs of her closest friends? Quoye visibly deflates, apparently realising, at last, that this is neither the time nor the place for such gleeful behaviour. What thoughts exist in that empty skull? Denh finds herself thinking.

     Quoye sighs, looking vaguely ashamed, and places the note on a nearby table. "Sorry. Wasn't thinking, see… Everyone's fine, Denh. I was just talking to 'em all and they're fine, so I didn't…" They speak quickly, rubbing awkwardly at the back of their neck as they do. They look around at the lifeless Scions, their ears a little more lowered than usual. "Anyway. You'll want to read that soonish, I've gotta get back and he didn't say as much but I reckon he was mayhaps hoping for a reply- Not to rush you!" They wince. "Slightly to rush you, 'cause like I say I can't loiter long. I'll be out front. Sorry."      And they leave as quickly as they came.

     Alone again, or as alone as one can be in a room filled with empty bodies, Denh regrounds herself. She tries to ignore the note on the table, retrains her focus on Thancred; poor Thancred, sickly and grey in the candlelight. She breathes in deep, closes her eyes, drawing the aether back around her ready for use as she has done so many times.  It's delicate work, sustaining someone's corporeal form without them inside it, with little margin for error, but in recent weeks it has become as natural to her as breathing.      Today, though, when she reopens her eyes, they float unbidden back to that note on the table, and the aether she's so carefully collected fizzles and dissipates.  She tries to draw it back, but the unknown hangs in her mind like a bad omen.  Quoye hadn't mentioned the sender by name; had she imagined it, or had their gaze lingered on Thancred when they'd said 'he' was hoping for a response?  She quickly shakes that thought free.  Hope helps nobody, she learned that one young.  Hope leads to disappointment, hope lets one down.      That settles it.  I have to read that hells-damned letter.

     "Sorry, Thancred," she says quietly, almost a whisper.  "I shan't be away long."      She leaves the room in a few determined paces, grabbing the note and stuffing it into her shirt for safekeeping on her way out.  She passes Krile in the main foyer, hurriedly asks her to take over aether-sustaining duty for a little while without giving any excuse for her own abandonment of it, and skitters off up the stairs.      The dormitory hallway has never felt so long, nor had she ever realised before just how far down it her own room lies.  Try as she might to keep it away, by the time she reaches her door a small, irritating hope has settled in her chest.      She locks the door behind herself, and only once that's done does she pull the paper from her shirt and really look at it.

It's folded neatly, carefully, though now slightly crumpled.  A small drop of wax seals it closed, pressed flat with what looks, from the imprint, to be a one gil coin.  She flips it over, and sees her own name handwritten across the front in spindly, vigorous cursive.  Her breath catches.  That is, without a doubt, Thancred's handwriting.      She sinks to the floor, picking free the wax seal absentmindedly.  What could possibly be so important for Thancred to write to her from across the void, and send the hero of the realm to deliver it?        Perhaps he can offer some insight on his, and the others', condition.

     She unfolds the letter.

          Denh, Truth be told, I am not wholly sure you will welcome this correspondence.  You were, if I recall, not entirely pleased with me when last we spoke.  Would you believe me if I were to tell you that it feels like a lifetime ago? In some ways, I suppose it has been.  I have had more time to think since my... "collapse" than one may imagine, and it is my - perhaps vain - hope that you might wish to become acquainted with the man I have found myself to be. I am deeply sorry.  For all I've had you endure. If you are not averse, I should very much like to hear back!  How are things at the Rising Stones?           Sincerely,           Thancred. p.s.  You may wish to employ a wax seal of your own, should you choose to reply.  Quoye showed an unnerving degree of interest in the contents of this letter when I asked them to deliver it.

     A lone droplet of water lands upon the page as she reads the last line, smudging the ink.  Another quickly follows it.  She blinks, brings a hand to her eyes, and is almost surprised to find that she's begun to cry.