#now i am mad that this isn't a thing. who wants to pitch in a bunch of money and make stab caesar happen

[alalumin]

ΟΚΚ I am posting this before I go back to asleep and forget everything about it, but my dream today was so coool.

My dream was about this old 70s-80s sci-fi/fantasy franchise called "Stab Caesar" (lol amazing) because that was the name of the institution involved in most of the movies and series. The plot either followed a bunch of scientists or the children of some of them depending on the movie. It reminded me a bit of Star Trek the original series I think?

There were a lot of paranormal things that had to be dealt with, I think one the "movies" was called "Stab Caesar: The whale incident" and followed the kids as they escaped a practical effects whale as it made its way ON LAND eating pedestrians. One thing about this franchise was I think that there was a big kill count in every plot? And it got really grim and depressing at times but it was still played like it was all wacky. Like lol the lieutenant's father got possessed by an alien and after multiple failed experiments they realised he couldn't be brought back and had to be sent to the Empty Realm? Lol hilarious.

There were some recurring monsters too like an old witch the stole books from the children. Also just because I remember multiple plots doesn't mean I was in my dream watching entire movies and series, it was all kind of jumbled together but sometimes a title card played.

[rebeltombraider]

We're All a Little Mad Here (One-Shot)

Rating: M for the Warnings in the next line. (M is a very slight thing in this imo, but figured it suited best just in case)

Warnings: Some Language, Some Dark Humor (in the form of a threat that amuses Agatha), and Plot threads from Agatha All Along (SPOILERS)

Description: Agatha shouldn't have been surprised that the only other surviving Maximoff sibling was just as unhinged as Wanda had been. But this? This turned out to be the other side of the Maximoff coin that Agatha had been looking for in Westview. Now to find a way to get her to join her Coven without promising things she can't give. Should be easy enough, right?

Based off of a larger fic I'm working on! Possibly an AU of it <3 Features a Named Reader (mostly because using Y/N throws me off and I gotta get used to it still, so going with a Comic name this time!)

Second one-shot on Tumblr and third one-shot ever, so I apologize if it's rough D:

"No."

"No?! But you haven't even heard our pitch! Hell, we haven't even said anything to you yet!"

Agatha watched Teen look between herself and the woman gathering supplies to purchase for some trip, she could only assume.

Sokovian accent out in full, the witch drawled her reply, "I did not stutter." Teen's distraught huff had her rolling her eyes, "Listen, my brother was the one who always wanted to help people and my sister was the one who just wanted to live in peace. Look where we are now. One of us is dead, one is missing and presumed dead, and one remaining only cares for those of hers that are gone." She looked up from the small pile of items in front of her to her left where Agatha and Teen still stood, "Guess which one I am. Walk whatever your damn road is yourself that your mind is all but screaming about. I have a sister to find."

Realizing the Maximoff was walking away, Agatha groaned in realization.

'Fuck... alright, here we go. Buckle up, Harkness, you've got an untrained terror to recruit from that list.'

"You'll never find Wanda."

Teen took a few steps back and stood behind Agatha at the threatening aura the woman gave off at those words.

"What did you just say to me?"

"She's dead. But you know that, don't you? You felt that thread snap just like it did when Pietro died. Based on the look in your eyes that you've probably had long before we approached you, all three of you had some sort of accidental connection when Wanda and your magic began to show while with HYDRA. A shredded connection that has all but shattered whatever sanity you had in the first place. Not that Wanda had any, either."

Dark blue magic began to rattle shelves and foundation, a sure sign of slipping control.

"Uh... how 'bout we not piss off the witch who can probably kill us very slowly and very painfully?"

"Hush, Teen, little Maxi won't do anything to us. After all, how will she get to where Wanda really is without us? I'm one of the only people to ever walk the Witch's Road and return."

Agatha smiled when the shaking around them ceased immediately, 'Got you, sweet cheeks. Knew little ol' Wanda had to have been dropping you hints in your dreams to where she's stuck at. That thread isn't gone yet, is it? Just strained by the distance.'

"Speak."

"Not here. Meet us at my place in a few hours. I'm sure you know enough from Wanda's own memories of Westview where you can find me. Come on, Teen." Stopping just as she turned to leave the isle, Agatha looked back at the still unmoving Maximoff, "What's your name, by the way? Wanda talked about a sister but never said any specifics beyond named after some grandmother? She was ridiculously protective of anything about you."

"Natalya. Call me Nat and I will feed you your own innards."

"Then we'll see you soon, Natalya Maximoff."

"See you soon, Agatha Harkness."

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

"How did you know she'd listen to you like that? I thought for sure she was gonna turn us into paste or something!" Teen laughed breathlessly as he drove back towards Agatha's house.

"I didn't. At least at first."

"Wait, what? That was just a shot in the dark?"

Agatha rolled her eyes at his surprise, "I'm honestly surprised she let me get more than a few words in without being tossed about the shelves like a wrecking ball, but..." Seeing Teen turn down the road that lead to her house, she decided to show him a little bit of what she noticed, "Natalya was desperate. She might seem like a murderous ball of rage right now, be it her normal state or not, but she reeked of it. It looks like little Maxi's been trying to find a way to Wanda ever since she... ended up there."

"... and you might be her only chance to get to Wanda."

"Right in one."

Putting the car in park, Teen turned his full attention to Agatha, "How do you know she'll follow through with the risky chance of her not finding Wanda on the Road?"

"Because I know Wanda's there and if anyone will be a strong enough tie to bring her back here easily, it'll be her remaining triplet. Those siblings really did end up in some deep magic. It's one of the things that drew my attention to Wanda and her Hex in the first place."

Both unbuckled and climbed out of Teen's car, "This all seems so insane. Cool, but insane."

Strolling up to her destroyed front door, Agatha called over her shoulder to Teen's scrambling form catching up with her, "We're all a little mad here."

'Now to get this bus of crazy cats loaded up and moving before the Seven get here.'

[after-the-end-times]

Continued from here

Trent finally sits back from his laptop, stretching his hands out in front of him. He'd been writing and editing for hours, using the quiet time while the team and coaches were out training on the pitch.

He spins idly in his chair.

Ted's chair his brain helpfully reminds him. He thinks he should get up and check out what fruit they have stocked in the other room before the team comes back in.

It's only been a couple days since his gaffer- the gaffer left to go back to his family and Trent's been feeling off ever since. Maybe he's just hungry. He gets up to go in search of a snack, hopefully that'll quell the squirrely feeling in his belly.

Ten minutes later he walks back to the coach's office, tossing the two clementines he successfully found back and forth in the air pretending to juggle. He was doing pretty good, if he did think so himself, until he entered the office and dropped them both.

"Ted"

Ted, who's standing there by his their? desk, like he'd never left and looking at all of Trent's things scattered everywhere.

Trent had tried to limit his footprint on the desk, not wanting to look like he was moving in too fast. But now Trent sees what Ted sees and a blush spreads across cheeks.

His laptop sitting center stage with notebooks piled up to the side, white printed pages with too much red ink scattered and balled up, his bracelets, rainbow mug, and so many pens. And the single photo of his daughter he allowed himself to bring to work.

It looks like it's his desk. And now Ted's back. And will probably want his desk back.

With his blush deepening he rushes forward to start packing up his things. He just wishes Ted would move out of the way so this wasn't so awkward.

"What're you doing?" Ted asks with a quizzical smile. not moving away.

"Oh! I'll get this all moved. I wasn't- This isn't- Beard said I should sit here for the moment until- There wasn't enough- With Nate back-" He doesn't know what's wrong with him.

Part of his job for 20 years was to be able to eloquently put sentences together into thoughtful paragraphs and now here he is not able to finish a single thought.

All Trent knows is that he innocently went to get a clementine and now he's panicking because feels like he betrayed Ted...for the second time, his brain again helpfully adds

Ted is still standing in front of him, arms crossed, hip resting against the desk, not letting him snatch up all his stuff and run.

Trent finally looks at Ted, instead of looking everywhere but him.

Oh. He doesn't look mad, Trent realizes. He kinda looks- Great, now he can't even finish thoughts in his own head. He mentally gives himself a baleful side eye.

"I wanted it to be you", Ted says. He has a slow smile spreading across his face as he looks at Trent.

"And here I heard you preferred Sleepless in Seattle" Trent responds with a small smile, proud of himself for finally successfully bantering back.

"And while that is true, and I am still correct that it is the far superior Nora Ephron film," Ted glances over at Beard's desk as if continuing a on ongoing silent argument, before looking back and holding Trent's gaze, "Miss Kathleen Kelly and Joe Fox have the right scene for the job here"

Trent's breath catches in his chest, "Oh?" He can't seem to pull his eyes away from Ted's, heart on display for anyone looking.

Trent stands frozen as Ted reaches up, cups his cheek, and swipes his thumb under his eye as if dabbing away a tear that might be there if this were a movie.

"You're the only one I want to share a desk with", Ted's smile turns a little rueful, his hand slipping into Trent's hair, pushing it back from his face before pulling away. He pushes his hands into his pockets and sways toward Trent.

Trent's sure his eyes couldn't get any wider and he's horrified to realize they really do feel teary, "So you're staying? But what about-"

Ted sways back a bit, "Yeah, so I went home. Thought that was were the story was always leading me to. Turns out not so much. The moment I got off the flight in Kansas, ready to start my life over there, I-," He cuts himself off looking out to the locker room, collecting himself, "God, Trent I just about started bawling I missed you all so much."

He turns a crooked, slightly sad smile back to Trent. "Michelle and I are gonna work something new out. Not sure exactly what yet, but she agreed this wasn't working, that it wasn't fair to me or to Henry," He takes a deep breath. shoulders relaxing as his smile turns sweeter, less sad, "So yeah, I stayed a few days to catch up with some friends, family, and then got the next flight out."

"To come back for the team?"

Trent's trying really hard not to read too hard into all of this. He couldn't handle it if all of this, the quote, the thumb brush, the hair tuck, if it was all for the bit by a man so wholly obsessed with rom-com moments. He'd heard about Ted's Notting Hill moment with Roy.

Ted looks at him with a look that says he knows what he's doing.

"Sure, the team, Beard, Rebecca, heck, my whole street that sometimes feels like walking out into Cheers." Ted takes a half step forward, bringing him inches from Trent so he now has to look up slightly to meet Ted's eyes.

Ted's so very gentle as he slowly brings his hand back up to cup Trent's cheek again, his fingers tangling in his hair.

"And I came back for you. You have to know, Trent," he leans in those last few inches, lips almost meeting, "I came back to you."

And finally, finally Ted kisses him.

~Fin~

[marciaillust]

Hey! I just wanted to say I’ve been following you forEVER now, and that your art has been inspiring me since i was a teenager. I was wondering if you could share a little about your rendering process? How did you improve it over the years, what did you learn you wish u knew sooner, stuff like that?

(Thanks anyway, and definitely getting myself ur new comic)

Hi! oh wow thank you so much for the kind words!

My rendering process hmmmm.... I will try to sum up the thoughts that come to my mind as I'm writing this, though I might be missing some proper vocabulary

The first thing that surfaced in my brain is exposition within a picture. This is what the picture focuses on - things in the light, or things in the shadow, and how much details each of these two receive rendering wise.

It's basically like taking a photo with a phone - if you click on a bright thing (say, a window), the phone will automatically adjust the exposition and all the other bright things will be visible(lotta detail), but the shadows will become turbo dark (no details). Alternatively, if you click on a dark shadow, all the dark things will become visible (details) but the hypothetical window will become blown out and turbo white (no details). You can basically have one or the other but never both. (or I guess you can who am I to tell anyone how to make art yanno no rules up in this house)

anyway, so for example, this pic^ focuses on the things in the dark, meaning everything in direct light receives no details.

and this pic^ focuses on the light and so all the cast shadows are pitch black.

One other thing that I learned a longass time ago was that edges(and shapes) are arguably the most important part of an object within a picture. Clean edges immediately call for focus, while softer or vague edges allow things to fade in the background and communicate the idea of a thing rather than showing you the thing itself. On a related note note, clean edges also make work in progress appear about 25% more finished.

I guess this all has to do with contrast and contrast can be created in many ways - edges (soft/sharp), colours (eg. red fish in a blue sea), spacing (objects being grouped vs. a single object), the amount of detail per object etc etc etc. and all of these can be controlled to solve specific issues within a picture.

In short, if a thing is important aka the focal point, make it stand out - sharp edges, details, specific colours and a lighting situation that make it pop. And if a thing isn't too important leave it vague, communicate the idea of it rather than focusing on drawing it.

On the note of things being sharp, a thing that I always swore by is, if there are eyes in the picture those eyes better be d-o-n-e. Pristine. People will look at the eyes, eyes communicate 90% of emotion, the eyes are the it girl of the picture forever and always, nobody will look at the wonky foot, they will look at the eyes and judge the quality of the picture. If the eyes are shit the picture is shit. (I'm exaggerating but fr. eyes are a big deal.). They don't have to be turbo rendered or physically mad sharp but they need to be done. Whatever that means, take what you will from my word soup.

One thing that I've become a big fan of over the years is the concept of wear and tear. This has to do with texturing things in pictures and I looooooooooooooooove thinking about ways items are used in order to create bumps and scratches that can be featured.

It always makes things look like they belong to someone?? It makes them real? Like the tip of that bone. that bone has been places. That belt has seen use. That bag carried things. Like yanno?? I looove things that chip and have nicks. Give me wood and I'll put a dent in it I swear.

And I thing the latest thing that I'm trying to incorporate within my art, though I haven't had much time or opportunity to do it in personal art because of work, is colour variation within each element.

Like his face. His skin is obviously "beige" but you will see red, and blue and yellow and green in there too. Stuff like that yanno? I'm quite interested in taking this further in my future paintings. I'm still learning how to push what, where and how but ayyy issa journey I'll happily embark on.

And of course apart from all that it's the usual jazz, working on anatomy composition perspective doing it a lot over and over again babababababa and so on and so forth.

I haven't had much opportunity to paint since I started working on the comic last year but it had it own set of challenges for me. Linework is a completely different kind of rodeo and I've improved in different departments a lot and I'd be happy to bring those things into my paintings when I have the chance. I feel like I'm at a point where I know a lot more than what I've had the opportunity to put on paper, it feels exciting!

I hope at least some of my ramblings were of interest to you!! Again, that you for the nice message and have a nice day :)

[yril-writes]

— DADDY'S LITTLE PRINCESS

synopsis ; growing up is something a parent is afraid of apparently, since they don't get to spoil their little princess now that she asks to be treated like a big girl now.

scenario ; an alternative universe wherein, these characters are the reader's dad and that reader is their little princess daugther.

type ; headcanon

include/s ; ushijima & bokuto

pairings ; dad character & daughter reader

genre ; fluff, comedy, and a mountain full of corn

USHIJIMA WAKATOSHI

Ushijima isn't the doting type of father, since he isn't much of a fan of children. He thinks that they are noisy and can totally drain his energy, Ushijima isn't a fan of children especially if they are crying and being all loud and all.

But Ushijima is likes to spoil his daughter, seeing his daughter happy gives him the satisfaction. He would buy anything his daughter wanted.

But a day like this, Ushijima didn't expect that his daughter suddenly changed, turned matured even.

"Daddy! From now on you'll call me by my name and my name only! I'm already 9 years old soon to be 10 this week! I am a big girl now!" she says in a high pitched voice as she pumps her chest with her hand in a fist. What a breakfast to start a day hearing this, Ushijima grinned and gave a low chuckle setting aside the spoon and fork he was holding and crossing his arms looking at his daughter beside him removing the vegetables piece by piece from her dish. He immediately thought, that the sight he witnessed is too cute to handle, despite saying that she is a big girl now, like a kid she still does not like to eat her vegetables. "Well, princess. If you're such a big girl now. Why not eat those vegetables you missed?" using his chin to point at the plate, she immediately covers it using her hands. "But you know that I hate vegetables, and I told you to call me my name, Daddy!" pouting almost like she is turning into a red tomato, crossing her arms and looking away was her best and last resort to avoid eating the vegetables. "I guess my princess, is still my little princess." Ushijima shrugs and gives out a disappointed sigh, copying her daughter by looking to her side avoiding eye contact from his daughter. "Daddy, m'sorry are you mad?" trying to get Ushijima's attention by these words didn't work at all, he was determined to ignore her and she was impatient. It didn't take long when she started taking a bite on the vegetables on her plate, nibbling on the pieces she looked like she was about to cry from eating it. Mumbling apologies as she eats all of what's in her plate, until Ushijima decides to turn back to her to see her mopping and snot dripping down her nose. "Daddy, I ate all the veggies...are you still mad?" though tears still fell from her eyes, Ushijima stopped the act and cleaned her face up. "My, my, what do we have here. I guess my little princess is still a crybaby after all." Ushijima wipes her tears away, and gives a small peck on her forehead as he starts to comfort her. "There, there. My little princess don't you dare grow too fast now or I won't have to spoil you this much."

BOKUTO KOUTAROU

Bokuto is too energetic for his own good, compared to his daughter she is a lot calmer and less energetic as her.

He is the supportive dad any kid could ask for, but unfortunately his daughter as of now, claims that she is old enough not to be treated as a baby by her father.

It was time for another night to watch a horror movie, since it is their tradition to do so, like how they bond.

"Daddy! I will sit alone! Here in this chair! Since I am a big girl now, I can watch these horror movies without sitting next to you!" she claimed the chair as if it was her property then covered herself with her favorite blanket. Bokuto who is in the urge to cry because felt as if her daughter is growing up too fast. "But this is a scary one, princess. And I know you don't like scary things..." with a tone of like a kid begging, Bokuto even gave the puppy eyes to his beloved daughter, but she flat out rejected him. "No, I told you I can handle this! I can even watch it myself without you, Daddy!" proudly saying those words out loud was enough to know Bokuto's pride down. (Ah...tell me I misheard what she said...my little princess...) shedding a tear on his eye, Bokuto proceeded to put the channel on to the scary movie. As of the moment, he is sitting beside his daughter only because she chooses to sit a little bit apart with the other chair. Bokuto who is totally in sync with the movie, didn't even flinch when the jump scares came up, except when it came to his daughter muffled screams were heard from her. "Honey, you know that you can sit here with me right?" He pats on the empty space of the couch, trying to tempt his daughter to sit next to him. But she still insists on sitting alone in the chair, trembling with fear as if she is about to cry if there was another jump scare going to pop from the television and it did. Making her shriek then soon enough tears soon built up in her eyes. "Daddy...!" she is basically bawling her eyes out now, shoving herself in the blanket. Bokuto immediately carried her into his arms and sat right back in the couch, holding her in how you hold a baby infant made him feel nostalgic. "You know, I used to carry you like this when you were still little. I miss carrying my little princess like this." he snuggles his daughter tightly into his arms and gives her a kiss on the forehead. "But you can still carry me like this, Daddy..." she says in a shy tone of voice and then gives out a soft grin. "Of course, you are still, Daddy's little princess."

a/n ; yril here! I opened my ko-fi account! Basically I'll do commissions for my needs since I'll be studying away from home, I want to earn even just a little bit to help myself!

taglist ; @sammushy

masterlist

[crayonurchin]

A reminder to my fellow OCD lovelies

Your OCD does not like it when you're happy. Your OCD takes moments of happiness as an opportunity to flare up with old obsessions or new ones. This can make you nervous of happy moments, because it's like waiting for the rug to be pulled out from under you.

Let me tell you what just happened to me.

I have had a great day. I got a bunch of cleaning done and my bedsheets are freshly washed. I got to cook a delicious dinner and paint my nails, watching some Toy Story and even exercise for the first time in forever. I felt great.

And 20 minutes ago, my reoccuring Gender OCD/ T-OCD showed up way stronger than it has in months in a way I THOUGHT I was over.

Now I'm getting mad at myself for daring to have a good day, because CLEARLY I was inviting this OCD into my head and giving it permission to pitch a fit. And clearly, my precious method of NOT doing healthy and good shit to better my life IS the right choice, because it prevents the OCD from having an In to hurt me.

My lovelies. This is a form of OCD.

You obsess over OCD hurting you for living a good life, so you don't do those healthy things, to compulsively 'prevent' a potential flare up.

And if you've done therapy for this disorder, you already know what you have to do.

Keep up the trigger.

OCD is a screaming brat who wants things its way and nobody else's. It's going to shriek in the shops, kick all the tins onto the floor and go red in the face to get its way.

It cannot keep up that energy forever though. You gotta keep living your life, not giving in to its demands, no 'one last times' or 'special treats'. Let it bitch and cry and make a scene until it's exhausted. Eventually, OCD will learn that tantrums won't get it what it wants. And you're not going to give in.

If you're happy, OCD isn't. And want want OCD to be unhappy. It doesn't deserve anymore of your energy, joy, happiness- none of it.

I had a great day today and I feel good. My brain is screaming that I'm wrong about my gender identity and if I don't cut off my breasts and go by They Them right this second, I am dooming myself to a depression suicide.

I'm going to make a hot chocolate and read a book now, with my brain screaming all of these things. Maybe I'll have a biscuit to dip in the hot chocolate. That sounds nice.

[aita-blorbos]

Am I the asshole for accidentally getting my friend nearly killed? (Original Characters and story)

I feel HORRIBLE for it and he says he isn't mad but I want others opinions

I(23F) and my friend (24M, I'll also call him M) went hiking out in the trail in the woods in town, and he was getting tired so I was looking for an area for us to stop for a rest, and I found this weird warehouse out in the middle of no where... I thought it seemed like a pretty cool area that we somehow never heard of, and it was! Until uh,, he fell through the floor

I had run off to check out the rest of the inside, and I thought M was just gonna stay at the front, but the floor broke under him, thats when I heard him yell... I ran to him but by the time I got to him it was too late and he had fallen down the floors

I found the stairs and ran and after afew floors i ended up falling myself...

To keep a long story short, met a lot of people who were trapped in there and some had helped us both get out alive and we got them all out including ourselves, the Warehouse collapsing in on itself

M had gone into a comatose state for awhile and some friends from there helped keep an eye on him, and after a day or two he woke up finally, but hes physically been changed from it, essentially one of his hands turned into a giant claw thing and when stressed now he turns a pitch black like dark soot... a half? shadow person type beat ya know?

i feel horrible for all of this, sure we saved a lotta shadow people from down there but M's also changed drastically,, he says he doesn't blame me because i tried my best to find him again, but i cant help but feel terrible! He got hurt because of me..

[apocalypticavolition]

Let's (re)Read The Great Hunt! Chapter 33: A Message from the Dark

The Dark is R-- Wait, wrong book series. Never read that one. Don't spoil it for me, and I won't spoil Wheel of Time for you. Unless you want the whole series, this book and every other, spoiled. Then click Keep Reading. Also I don't actually care about spoilers myself so tell me whatever. It means nothing to me!

This chapter has what is technically a new icon. You'd be forgiven for not really noticing, this icon is pretty much the same as the leaves on a line from book one, but there's no more vine. Also the leaves have been rotated 180 degrees. It carries the same associations as the previous icon, which will never appear again.

“Lord Rand, they didn’t come out again. They must still be in there.”

We readers naturally know that this just isn't so, thanks to Loial's statements last chapter.

“They all pretend to be so proper, but. . . . Lord Rand, every one of them says he’s loyal to his master or mistress, but they all hint they’re willing to sell what they know, or have heard. And when they have a few drinks in them, they’ll tell you, all whispering in your ear, things about the lords and ladies they serve that’d fair make your hair stand on end. I know they’re Cairhienin, but I never heard of such goings on.”

The nobility of Cairhien neither encourages loyalty as a virtue (they'd all kill Galldrian and take the crown for themselves if it were so simple) nor do they behave like people who are worth being loyal to. A common flaw in the upper classes is the inertia of respect, which is another reason Rand needs to upend the system by conquest.

They kept asking me if the Ogier were coming back, and if Galldrian had agreed to pay what was owed. It seems the reason all the Ogier stonemasons left is because Galldrian stopped paying them, except with promises. I kept telling them I didn’t know anything about it, but half of them seemed to think that I was lying, and the other half that I was hinting at something.

It's always fascinating how the intricacies of the Pattern present themselves. Galldrian is a failing ruler, Rand and Loial need to be in Cairhien without being separated, and so the two are tied into each other.

“Rand is not mad, Mat,” Loial said. “The Cairhienin would never have let him in here if he were not a lord. They are the ones who are mad.”

Loial is of course missing (or not engaging with) Mat's actual meaning and rather hilariously summarizing the state of the world instead: it's gone mad, so a madman is going to have to set it straight.

Darkfriends leaping out of the night would not be much better than Trollocs.

Under the circumstances, they'd be quite worse. Even Barthanes wouldn't be able to argue with Rand killing Trollocs in his back yard if they were there, but killing his loyal retainers would be something else entirely.

But how long before he tells somebody what I am, not even meaning to? He could not believe Mat would betray him on purpose; there was that much of their friendship left, at least.

Eh, he's definitely thinking about it right now. But mostly in a grumbling to himself kind of way.

“You humans are always so rash and hasty. And now you have me doing it. Elder Haman would speak to me severely, and my mother. . . .” The darkness hid his face, but Rand was sure his ears were twitching vigorously. “Rand, if you don’t start being a little careful, you are going to get me in trouble.”

Loial is approaching Nynaeve & Mat levels of critical lack of self-awareness. Boy is already in trouble and virtually all the new trouble in his future will be that of his own choosing.

The space between the opening gates was a black so dark it seemed to make the night around it lighter. The pitch-blackness oozed out between the still-moving gates.

Well okay besides Rand trying to let Machin Shin out of its cage. This is an interesting echo of how Rand's plans to break the seals are premature but that's clearly unintentional. And of course all of this with Rand trying to use magic only to be hint with its corruption is very thematic for what's happening right now.

He hurled it all at the black bulge, standing out a full span from the Waygate, now. He did not know what it was that he hurled, or how, but in the heart of that darkness bloomed a coruscating fountain of light.

Well it's probably not balefire. I hope it's not balefire. It's horrifying if it was! Rand's probably using something much more simple though, since it keeps building up. I'm not sure if we see this particular technique again later; I think it's interacting with Machin Shin weirdly enough to be hard to ID.

The One Power roared through him; he rode it like a chip of wood in rapids. The void began to melt and flow; the emptiness steamed with freezing cold.

Really, this is a great illustration of how far Rand still has to go as a channeler. If he's like this under his own power, he'd burn himself out in an instant trying to use the Choedan Kal right now.

He was a pool of the One Power. He trembled with it. He could smell the grass, the dirt beneath, the stone of the walls. Even in the darkness he could see each blade of grass, separate and whole, all of them at once. He could feel each minute stirring of the air on his face. His tongue curdled with the taste of the taint; his stomach knotted and spasmed.

Well, here's Rand trying to do plot-convenient ultra-heroin in small doses at parties. Let's see how long he goes before his next hit.

“I only found the leaf and put it back,” Loial said, shrugging. “It seemed that if we could not get the Waygate closed, it would kill us. I am afraid I’m not a very good hero, Rand. I was so afraid I could hardly think.”

Silly Loial, that is bravery.

Rand suddenly wanted to laugh; to find the Horn and the dagger—if they could be found, now—he had to go back to the Aes Sedai. They had let him loose, and now he had to go back.

Little bit paranoid there since y'all are way, way off of any script Moiraine or Siuan had in mind, just saying.

And I say this is the last time I go running back and forth with messages. If you want to say something to somebody, you can talk to them yourself from now on.

I don't think this lasts very long for Mat at all. It's also certainly meant to be setting up his role as intermediary with the Seanchan which... yeah that doesn't pan out, does it? But he does a few other messages in between.

Verin shook her head. “We must go, Lord Barthanes. I’ve not been in Cairhien in some years. I was glad of your invitation to young Rand. It has been . . . interesting.”

I wonder what she and Barthanes talked about offscreen. He must have been upset about Fain, all things considered, but did he blab or what?

He says he will wait for you on Toman Head. He has what you seek, and if you want it, you must follow. If you refuse to follow him, he says he will hound your blood, and your people, and those you love until you will face him.

Funnily enough, this is effectively foreshadowing for Fain attacking the Two Rivers next.

“We will speak of this later,” Verin said, so firmly that no one spoke at all on the ride back to the city, to The Great Tree.

I feel bad for Moiraine. She's all "Don't steal cursed gold," and "Stay inconspicuous while we're in town" and the boys treat her like it's opposite day, but Verin gives one non-instruction and everyone takes a vow of silence on the spot.

“No one knows exactly what Machin Shin is,” Verin said, “unless, perhaps, it is the essence of madness and cruelty. It cannot be reasoned with, Mat, or bargained with, or talked to. It cannot even be forced, not by any Aes Sedai living today, and perhaps not by any who ever lived. Do you really think Padan Fain could do what ten Aes Sedai could not?”

Well objectively speaking, he did. And it's funny because Mat says that the Black Wind is of the Dark One before Verin corrects him, but... her correction isn't really a correction, knowing what we know. The Dark One is the essence of madness and cruelty. Machin Shin is very much what it might look like for an unconstrained avatar of the Dark One to inflict itself upon the Pattern. And Fain is imbued both with that original darkness and the human I-Can't-Believe-You're-Not-a-Darkfriend variant that would let him order Machin Shin around in the same way that Rand purges the taint from saidin.

But how long before he decides I’m not coming? Why did he set that guard if he wants me to follow?

Or perhaps Fain didn't so much order the Wind to do anything as corrupted it with obsessive thoughts in turn and he has no idea that the Black Wind is following Rand.

“There were certain things left in the dungeons at Fal Dara, writings that indicated a connection between what happened that night and”—she gave Rand a quick glance under lowered brows—“Toman Head. I still do not understand them completely, but I believe we must go to Toman Head. And I believe we will find the Horn there.”

Verin's not even trying to be subtle. It's a good thing that the boys already know about Rand's channeling and Ingtar is so monomaniacal or somebody might have figured it out by now.

Stedding Tsofu lies not far from the city, south and east. It is a young stedding, rediscovered only perhaps six hundred years ago, but the Ogier Elders were still growing the Ways, then.

So this clarifies the timeline of the Ways a bit more. We know they started darkening around the War of the Hundred Years but that Machin Shin wasn't observed until sometime after. Presumably it took four hundred years for the darkness to reach the point where the trees and plants died.

She did not speak, and he walked away from her, but when he turned to take the stairs she was still watching him, dark eyes sharp and considering.

Verin's got to be wondering how far into the prophecies he can get before he stops denying everything, but luckily for us his denial time is almost over.

Unluckily, the chapter is over. Next time: Thom and Fain cause trouble in very different places.

[writebethany]

20 questions for fic writers

Just because i saw it and wanted to 😂

How many works do you have on ao3?

138

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

2,336,801

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Started with Warehouse 13 and bering and wells, then wandered into OUAT and Swanqueen, then DWP and Mirandy, then a stint in Pitch Perfect 2 specifically for Becommissar because mmm Kommissar, a blip into Supergirl some for Supercat, more for General Danvers (tangentially also Supercorp but that's more for the fact that I run the chirstmas exchange than anything, love those kids, not my usual ship), and a crossover or two with Legends of Tomorrow with Supercanaary in there too in that same era, two seconds in ot3 shipping in The Greatest Showman because Jenny Lind mhm, one fic in Steven Universe because poly!diamonds, then into Harry Potter for anything to do with the Black Sisters and Hermione and occasionally Lucius which is still on going, but a bit backburnered because I've also fallen into writing fic for The Librarians this year centered around some pairing of Cassandra, Eve and Jenkins for the most part. Basically. It's a lot, and a lot of bouncing around between larger eras in specific fandoms lol.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Ask me No Questions (I'll Tell You No Lies) [HP Hermione/Narcissa/Anathema], Heaven When We're Home [HP Hermione/Narcissa], By All Accounts [Supergirl, Supercorp (apprciate you guys but I'm still confused by that😂)], Coffee Shops and Vigilantes [Supergirl/Legends of Tomorrow, Supercanary], Sincerely Yours [HP Hermione scores a hat trick]

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to as much as possible, especially in smaller fandoms. Sometimes I get a bit overwhelmed at it falls by the wayside, but I come back eventually.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Uhhhhhh there's usually one in every fandom I stay in for long enough where I just go full nuclear angst and no happy ending. Probably the worst of the worst Offenders is "I Hate to Kill You (I Hate to Die)" for obvious reasons if you've read it, but "of all the things I never told you" and "Halfway Through the Woods" are also up there and in probably last place but still *very* angsty is "Better This Way"

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Hard to pick. Save for those fics I'm a happy ending hoe. Probably the most rewarding happy ending will be for "The Sun Must Set to Rise" but that isn't published yet. I'm actually procrastinating the wrap up that story right now by doing this 😂😅

8. Do you get hate on fic?

Out right "you suck" hate? Once or twice. But there has been whining in the past on my stories about how I never finish anything or that I update too slow and why am I like this. *Those comments get responded to with some lessons in manners*

9. Do you write smut?

*looks at the tab beside Sun Must Set to Rise* I have no idea what you're talking about. But yeah, some pwp but a lot of smut as the pay off in long fics to put that cherry on top of them.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Have before, though they aren't my main thing, and unclear if Supergirl/Legends counts since like. The shows actually did that themselves once a season 😂

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I think I ended up on a scraping website that people posted about on tumblr all of once. Not mad about not having to fight that lol.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I've had people ask before, but they're on different databases than ao3 so I haven't really checked on how that went for them.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Several! Two of my closest fandom friends have cowritten with me and one IRL friend. Some of them got finished, others did not, but it was fun along the way.

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

??????? I know there are people out there who have stuck in one fandom and only one fandom for longer than I've been writing and they definitely have the answer to this, but I have ADHD and doooooo not. If I had to pick at gunpoint, I'd probably say Harry Potter Hat Trick, but unless you point a gun at me I'm not answering.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but probably won’t?

Probably "Sometimes it's Soft Hands and Mailing Envelopes" it was a big part of my life in 2015 and I obsessed over it and wrote it and its sequel at such a fast pace, especially for going into my senior year of college. But I've reread the prequel and it's cute and I started reading it over again and just went 'I know where I wanted this to go, I can see how I would get there, I don't want to do that though' because it's a very slice of life story about moving in with your girlfriend and both you and your girlfriend navigating a new job/grad school and I've lived both of those experiences now, and especially I do not want to relive grad school, but also I don't usually write long slice of life things anymore. Sci-fi/fantasy and plot heavy for lyfe lol. But I do wish I had finished it at the time.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think over arching plot, like I'm good at fitting the pieces together where they need to go to make a believable story, which is good when you tend towards writing more mystery-esque 'solve a problem' fic. Also dialogue as a secondary. There is no struggle here to make these bitches say words.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I have DEBILITATING wordy bitch disease. This could be managed if I edited stories before posting them, but I don't. I'm doing well to edit my original work, thanks. So it leads to a lot of fics that are probably 20-50k too long and drag on the point for a bit. I *have* gotten better at it though. The White Queen is probably 100k too long oh my god, I try to forget she exists, even if it's one of the most popular fics I've written.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I have before, mostly in Pitch Perfect since Kommissar is German. It was a good experience. I probably wouldn't do it again unless I either knew the language or it was made up. In text notes so the reader gets what was said are the most awkward thing to deal with in the history of ever.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Warehouse 13. I hadn't known about fic for that long before starting to write for it. I also hadn't realized that I was a big ole homo, which in the late 00s/early 10s fanfic was the only fucking way I was going to see two ladies kiss and by god I was going to leverage the award winning writing skills I had gained writing terrible, original, teenager ficition to do it.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

I think for a long, long time it was Of Cats, Giraffes, and Mice. It's just so very soft and caring and for a long while I could just feel that care and sink right into it and it just felt like the best thing I'd ever written. Rereading it now, it's still a very good fic, but I'm starting to see the little holes here and there as I grow as a writer. It's still good! I love it to death, and to talk about favorites without it would be incomplete, but I think that it's important to mention that even your best work eventually loses a bit of shine, no less dear, a huge stepping stone in the right direction, just not the top one anymore.

I think now my favorite is Heaven When We're Home. It has all of those hallmarks that Of Cats, Giraffes, and Mice did, if shorter, and there's a lyrical note to the writing and word choice in it that I have NO idea how I did (not being sober when writing probably didn't hurt) and I'm still chasing that sort of writing even now 2 years later.

[leohttbriar]

7, 12, 16, 18, 20 - that's a lot so take your pick, I just always like seeing your opinions

right back at you! was secretly hoping you would reblog the game :)

7. what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them?

never really encountered this phenomena before cobra kai except for the vaguest hint of an aversion to samwise gamgee after everyone kept calling him the "real hero," but that aversion never took, and i'm ashamed to admit such weakness even now.

johnny lawrence was one of my favorite characters in cobra kai season one and then i logged onto tumblr and now i just Do Not Get It. a feeling i think from pre-season 3, even, when he was still a good and consistent character in the show. another character was robby. predictably, he was a bit babygirlified and he got soooo much more attention than sam and tory and even miguel and tbh, that made me pout massively. like. i don't care about him :(

i could be intellectual about this (and, okay, clearly the root of this petty hate is that particular sort of frustration that comes over a girl when all the boys in her fourth grade gym class get mad at her for being faster than them and then they refuse to let her play in their recess soccer game even though she's the best player--and it then sticks with her for the rest of her life) but in a vacuum i probably wouldn't feel the way i do. like, my ire is definitely in response to how other people feel about the bully character from 80's sports movie karate kid.

12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

you can bet that any female character that has ever been called annoying is at the top of this list. feels like girls like that are always popping up and torturing pop-culture consumers. the only one i can name right now is sam larusso, since that's the most recent model.

but also i read pride and prejudice in seventh grade. didn't get a single word of it, but i did understand that mrs. bennett was extremely annoying. then i read it again a few years later and have been her fierce defender ever since. female characters with high-pitched voices and anxiety: i adore. if you don't like those characters, in my head im thinking you're only as intelligent as me at 13.

16. you can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

any sort of portrayal of spock as someone who is violent and angry and just holding it back constantly bc he hates being half human--i do Not Get It. any sort portrayal of an alien species on star trek in which the aliens learn to embrace their humanity, or something. like, i can't stand it.

i want spock to be super-duper logical and stoic. i want that to be a good thing. i want all alien characteristics to be embraced and explored. i want the weirdness. new trek just isn't doing weirdness enough! and if human morality and social structures are so universally important, stop being cowardly and explain whyyyyy.

this also applies to fanfic which is, in fact, disastrously worse on this subject. especially fanfic based on the 2009 star trek movie.

but okay it's like---the roswell conspiracy is really fun and stuff cause it is really just the government stoking some nonsense so the russians can't figure out all the special-stupid weapons and spy-equipment they're making. and then it means that everything in roswell, nm is alien themed: little green faces everywhere, three-fingered hands waving at you on billboards, "greetings earthlings," 50's era space-art, and so on. I am very into that aesthetic, especially in the middle of nowhere southwest desert with not a mountain or forest for hundred of miles. of course people were looking up and being like "there must be Something out there. look how big."

all good, yes, and silly. but people really believe it and they really believe that the aliens look the way they do! the way the "witnesses" described little looking men with big ol eyes in a big ol head and extra long arms. sweeties! that's a primate! that's an earth-creature! there's no imagination! there's no weirdness! what if the aliens didn't have a face. what if they didn't have eyes! what if they were made of a chalky substance that molted every few minutes to maintain a needed basic pH and their way of observing electromagnetic radiation was not light projected thru a lens but like little pores of mucous all over their body like the one's on sharks (ampullae of lorenzini) that absorb electromagnetic radiation and also give the creature poles which means they can block all visible light with special mind powers and maybe photosynthesize or something.

i realize that fanfiction is largely concerned with two attractive men going at it, but for all that people claim to be "monster fuckers," that really hasn't borne out in star trek fanfic. explore eroticism with the weird, with the actually alien. i want that. that'd be great. i know octavia butler and others already Did That but i want to see a star trek go boldly, you know what i mean. also, i want something more like eroticism for the sake of the erotic--not as metaphor about feminine subjugation or something (no offense ms. butler).

even if that doesn't happen, would love to read a fanfic or watch a tv show in which, for example, spock's journey is not about how oppressive being a vulcan is, or whatever.

[bitter-sweet-coffee]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25046521/chapters/60661000

You know, I shouls've enjoyed this, because its content of my fave, Shadow, but now I'm just mad. Don't gemme wrong, I LOVE Infinite, but seeing him interact so romantically with Shadow... made my blood boil!!

I honestly feel like this would've worked MUCH better with an shadow x fem!reader. Fake marriage tropes are lit but having it be with Infinite is unrealistic? Because Shadow's straight (I know i date him regularly >//<)

Just imagine it!! Shadow's worried for reader-chan, ans when he tells her he loves her the staff thinks they're married and she gets to meet Sonic and Infinite can even be there!! Then everyone is happy. :)

Sorry, I'm just so disappointed in this fic. Shadow isn't ace or gay he's straight lol

hi anon! thank you for the review of my fic, i know i haven’t updated it in a while but i always enjoy people interacting with my works :)

i’m sorry you didn’t enjoy the fic because of the ship, but that’s why i tagged it as shadow/infinite! i’m not sure how often you use ao3, but anything with a / tag is a romantic ship. hopefully this will help you avoid things that genuinely upset you in the future because that is never the intention of any author.

you are absolutely 100% free to ship shadow with whoever you want (which includes yourself!) but that freedom of interpretation applies to everyone, including ships you may not like such as infinadow. i for one am personally not a fan of x reader fics because they require bland enough writing to make the reader character realistic for ANY reader, and i’m the type of person who likes little details hehehe

anyways, you are definitely 100% free to consume whatever content you want, but unfortunately it won’t come from me because we have different tastes and that’s okay!

one last thing: i’m not sure if you’re new to tumblr or are part of the twitter migration, but do be cautious about sending messages like this to people (anonymous and highly opinionated about fanworks). that’s not how we do it on tumblr, and you will very quickly get written off as a troll, get ignored, or get awfully strong responses from (rightfully) angry people. people make fanworks for free that are often deeply personal to them (like how you care about shipping yourself with shadow) and something like this is considered very rude and will upset a lot of people!

i personally don’t think you intended to be mean at all, and i’m not mad whatsoever since i try to take asks in good faith. you seem really sweet and passionate about your character interpretations! just try to be open minded about other people and their opinions too, okay? some of my besties and a lot of my mutuals on here have contradictory lore and opinions that rarely overlap with my own, but it’s never about “being right” since everyone has their own interpretations, which can all coexist.

if your fic pitch makes you that happy, i fully encourage you to try and write it yourself! even if it isn’t my cup of tea, i always support people in their writing endeavours and i’d love to see where you go with this :)

i am always happy to receive asks, so hopefully this won’t discourage you or anyone since that’s never my goal! people can always review my stuff, respond to my takes, and even pitch ideas like this one here. i might not personally create any of it myself, but i do enjoy seeing other people be happy and excited while gushing about something that means something to them 💕

[bonesandthebees]

TAGD Ch15 Analysis- 1/2

Crimeboys. I love them. So much.

Wilbur offering to guard Tommy while he cleans himself is both ironic and adorable. It's so sweet to see how much he already cares about Tommy. At first he doesn't even consider how silly that sounds. He just wants him to feel comfortable and protected

And ooof Wilbur doesn't like his eyes. That may seem like a small thing compared to everything else he's been through but I mean that's just so wrong. I'm so mad at the people that did this to him I want them gone Bee. Dispose of them>:)

It's so cool to see how far he's come. He wants to see how the temple has changed him. Maybe he'll see more behind his appearance eh????

Oh boy Phil. I think I like Phil? Well maybe not. He and Techno still frustrate me but I think I'll need to put their poor decisions aside to appreciate the other aspects of their characters.

So Phil. He really cares about Tommy. I feel kind of bad for him. Tommy is going to their prisoner for comfort rather than him or anyone that would make sense. Phil must be very confused. I felt bad when Tommy snapped at him. It was like he was accusing Phil of something terrible.

It's so funny to see how biased I am. When Phil said he wasn't going to lock the door anymore, I mentally gave him a point on the scoreboard lol I am just so completely on Wilbur's side

I am very curious about Phil's thoughts on the Wilbur. On one hand, he is the Pythia, a political figure who is supposedly close to Schlatt and helps advise the direction of the nation. And on the other, he is a traumatized kid who has spent nearly half of his life isolated from the rest of the world and used as some kind of trophy for Schlatt. And Tommy has taken to him so quickly which is very strange considering Wilbur also tried to kill him a while back.

I'm sure everyone in the temple is confused by him

love this fic bee i'll be back in a minute for part two!!

-🧭

hi compass anon!!!

I mean in total fairness wilbur's offer to guard tommy isn't unfounded considering what happens literally like an hour later. of course jack didn't mean to hurt wilbur. but he did mean to hurt tommy. the bathhouse is pitch black and since people bathe in there, they're usually not carrying any weapons or anything for self defense. but yes it does sound a bit silly since we know wilbur probably couldn't throw a punch without fucking up his hand.

yeah wilbur doesn't like his eyes :( I actually mentioned that at the very start of the fic. right after wilbur wakes up from his vision and goes to the bathroom to splash his face with water, I made sure to mention he flinched when he looked in the mirror. of course it was gonna come back eventually

phil and techno are complicated characters in glass which makes them very fun to write, although i'm sure it frustrates the readers with how to feel about them.

phil loves tommy so much. that's his kid. but he's so busy with all the other stuff going on, and also the consequences of his own actions (deciding to kidnap an oracle with no long-term plan for wtf to do with them being one thing) that he hasn't been able to focus on tommy as much as he used to, and now he's seeing the results of that. he doesn't understand when tommy and wilbur got so close, but it's obvious that there's genuine care there, so he's not going to try and stop it. he's more just confused than anything.

regarding phil's thoughts on wilbur, he still really doesn't know what to think about him. at this point though he's gotten a decent idea of what wilbur's life as the pythia was like, and the answer is not great. techno also told phil what wilbur said about schlatt never listening to him, so phil knows that wilbur claims to have had no political power of his own. he also still doesn't know how old he is, but the more he interacts with him, the more he keeps shifting his age guess down.

but yeah, so phil has a lot of sympathy for wilbur at this point, but he doesn't know how to express it or even how to have a normal conversation with wilbur. but he also recognizes that a lot of his thoughts are just guess work at the moment, and he'll need to hear things from wilbur himself before making any concrete assumptions.

the fact that tommy literally won't tell anyone shit about wilbur certainly doesn't help the confusion

[sappygentlemen]

Part THREEE to basement dweller :)

I love these two, so im prepared to see this series to the FINISH LINE. before valentines day :D so lock in, for some horribly bitter Yandere Declan x Yandere Sam <3

TW: DARK, GORE DESCRIPTIONS, TOXIC RELATIONSHIPS/ATTACHMENTS/BEHAVIORS. PLEASE READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION ☝️‼️

Here i am, standing in Quincy's bedroom. He is Declans darling younger brother, my little man. The first person to guide me to my beloved....so now, i'm up here, banished to his room, like a bad dog who chews their owners shoes. I don't mind Quincy's company, in fact i encourage it, and i'm not one to ignore a direct order from my lover. but right now, there's nothing i want more then to be with Declan and kill that bitch ."Austin" the man who dropped Declan off two nights ago, has been coming over repeatedly. Tonight was no different, as i heard their laughter echo in the house, bouncing off the walls that i thought housed our love. Declan had never banished me to the basement for my crime. the murder was supposed to bring him closer to me. however, i felt more alone then ever right now. despite Declans pampering, his touch, the words he spoke to me. No amount of reassurance was working.. i knew i had to do something, but Declan seems to get.. upset.. when i mention my anger towards Austin. he protects Austin... hes supposed to protect me. Austin simply isn't worthy of his love, only I am. he is mine, and i am his.

On another note. Quincy had been quite sad recently, id discovered that the whore I killed last week, was actually the single father of a very close friend of Quincy's, and since his "strange disappearance" his friend was forced to move away. This caused Quincy to be upset. i hated when Quincy was upset. i always wanted to make sure he was happy, after all, anything with Declans DNA, is precious to me. I'd organized for them to meet up sometime soon. Making sure i used Declans credit card... only picking the expensive flights. first class. I was hoping would get mad. would punish me. would hit me. anything, just to make him look at me again, without feeling so... far away. Of course, I had kept the trip a surprise from Quincy, I thought it might help a bit. However, as i sat here in this room with Quincy, all i could focus on, was the noise downstairs.... then it began to slowly die down. until, eventually... the house was silent. I guess i didn't realize how fast time was moving. Quincy lightly snored on his bed next to me, and i could hear Austins snore from downstairs....it reminded me of Declans snores.. i always loved his little quirks......but its the one thing i cant hear. one thing i cant hear is Declans snores. .... maybe he left?.. i decided to investigate...maybe he was waiting for me, waiting for me to see him, waiting to cuddle with me... i always loved his sly little hints, though he hasnt done this in ages? maybe hes more loyal then i thought, i knew i should have more faith in him. in my beloved&lt;3

As i walked down the hall in the dark pitch black house, walking as quietly as i could, creeping up to the steps. i saw one thing.

Declan.

Declan was standing halfway up the staircase. with a knife in his hand... a clean knife.. his.. special knife.

Declan was going to kill me. that stupid "Austin" must have gotten into his head. mustv'e manipulated him. must've brainwashed him.

my poor poor baby

I gently walked up to declan, who was frozen in shock, obviously not expecting me to be awake. as i walked closer to him, stepping down the stairs till im one step above him. as i got closer, i put a soft, gentle hand on his left hand, inching closer, a hand on his neck as i cooed at him, in a soft tone, used for toddlers. I gave him a swift kiss, as i walked us backwards down the steps. when we reached the bottom of the stairs, i still hadnt stopped kissing him. As i saw the glow of the moonlight against the basement doorknob, i began pushing his wrist down.

Swiftly

The knife plunged into his stomach, carefully avoiding any major organs. I didnt like hurting my baby. but as Declan always said, and as im saying now, barely in a whisper as i smiled, my face only slightly visible in the moonlight. My poor darling couldnt even make a sound. only eyes wide in pain and shock. obviously not suspecting a punishment today. or ever in fact.

"If youre not well behaved, i must punish you<3"

His words being thrown at him must not have felt very good. It must have stung. hopefully it stung more then seeing your soulmate ready to kill you. ready to give you up even when you were so obviously what was best for them. I hope it stings as much as its about too.

I opened the basement door, shoving him inside, like he did me, as I began to lay out the supplies for him to treat his wound. Declan never healed my wounds when i was being .very. very. bad. so, he would get the same punishment. Despite his begs, and pleas. his whimpers and grunts as the blood pooled around the knife, and he tried to patch it up, while simultaneously begging me to stay, finally saying all the sweet words id wanted to hear. He even pulled out the knife, stabbing me in the leg,.. a failed attempt at stopping me. but it wouldn't work now. now i was upset, i need him to learn. the hard way. and i planned to teach him. swiftly peppering his sobbing face with kisses, before gracefully leaving the basement. Locking and shutting the door behind me.

I would tell Austin that Declan got uncomfortable with his annoying manipulative presence, and had retreated to my loving arms last night and wished never to speak to him again. Id have my beloved back. id have Declan all to myself finally.

An hour and a half later

I've been staring at my leg for an hour and a half. Declan felt so angry with me. I was so cruel. i deserve a punishment.. but without Declan here.. there's no one to give me one. staring at the knife, blood seeping out of the wound in my leg. i decided. I would take on a punishment just like i was giving Declan... just to be fair.. just to be good.

As swiftly as i could, i pulled the knife out of my calf, a towel in my mouth, preventing me from making noise, and waking anyone up. I swiftly dug the knife into my leg, repeatedly. until finally, it was gone.my entire calf and foot were separated from my body. The blood pooled around my bathroom floor. i could see my severed bone. i could feel the burn of the metal, the weight of the steel hammering into the place right below my knee, which was now missing..My body could barely process that it was missing before i began swiftly using my medical knowledge to properly bandage the wound. It was painful, and i sobbed though my face showed only pain, no sadness or remorse for my actions. as i stood on a very old pair of crutches, from when Quincy sprained his ankle. i hobbled myself to bed. hoping Declan would be much kinder in the morning.... my darling Declan.. he'll learn soon.. he'll learn. And im more then happy to teach him.

[themanbexl]

i am shocked manu has signed a new contract but i’m not as mad as some people like im seeing the people who want roebuck and misa at arsenal want maun gone even tho both of them are either worse or the same. if you’ve been watching arsenal since manu have been there then you know what she’s like in form, at the beginning of the season it was like arsenal didn’t have a set back 4 and it was changing every game and that’s not gonna help anyone when your trying to build connections on the pitch but arsenal have that now and it’s gonna come together. and if i’m being honest most of the goal we’ve conceded haven’t even been manus fault it’s been the defence. people always use goalkeepers as a scapegoat when things go wrong and it’s really annoying. for example the spurs game in the wsl people where so quick to blame manu for the loss when the front line had 31 shots and none went in and watching spurs goal back it’s should never of happened, the midfield gave them a lot of space and the defence just let it happen it was like no one was marking Martha Thomas, yeah manu could’ve done more but if the midfield/ defence did better the goal never happens and i stand by this the front line cost us that game, and it’s the same for the liverpool game and others, the city game manu played very well and even the west ham game, dose manu make mistakes- yes but so dose every goal keeper, can she improve- absolutely, i’ve even seen some people say that manus 28 so she should be in her prime but then for example mary earps it took her till she was like 28/29 to come into her prime,

Nonny, one of the things you've said is we've seen what Manu is like in form and we have which is why everyone is so exasperated with her performances because she's not in form now and hasn't been for a while now, and yes Mary took until she was 28/29 to get into her prime but that isn't the standard for all goalkeepers and let's not forget Mary very nearly quit the sport all together, they aren't the same and their paths aren't the same.

I understand you wanting to defend Manu and like I have said she isn't solely to blame for all of the errors this season but she is an undeniably big part of the issue and with her being as inconsistent as she is that's going to cost Arsenal a chance at the titles.

The people saying Roebuck to Arsenal imo have been saying it solely because they feel bad that she has been dropped seemingly without cause and they want her to get playing time, personally I think it would be a mistake to get in someone who hasn't played all season to suddenly be a replacement for your starter keeper, which is why I think the move to Barca would be good if it materialises because she can get training and some playing time without being first choice. Her situation is definitely going have caused some confidence issues which will take a while to iron out and I hope she does make a move even if it's not to Barca then at least to somewhere that will give her a chance.

As for the Misa comments honestly I belive she has the potential to be a really great keeper but my god does she need a better defence than what she's working with at RM especially when she clearly is working her ass off. Plus she is young only what 24 or 25 she has time to mature and develop into a great keeper and if she were to leave RM the a move to Arsenal would be interesting in terms of development but that more than likely wouldn't happen, especially since people were mostly commenting that her personality would fit with Arsenal's squad and they are right, I don't think anyone genuinely believes it would happen.

Lastly you spoke about the Spurs goal, that goal was a goal she could have saved if she tried, she didn't there was no effort whatsoever from her she watched as it rolled past her and not even at speed either. Our attack in that game were shit and our finishing needs work we all know that but that doesn't take away from the fact that Manu yet again did nothing to stop a shot on goal she just stood there watching. Keepers make mistakes yes but at least other keepers try to stop goals which Manu is a see how she feels kinda keeper right now one day she will dive and move and do everything she can to stop goals and others she just watches the goals happen. That is the part that is killing Arsenal because how can your outfield players play to their full potential if they can't trust their keeper to try and show up. We've seen more than once this season the backline doesn't trust Manu like they did and if that carries on it will only hinder the team.

Thanks for taking the time to send the ask Nonny and I hope you don't mind the awfully long reply and that I don't agree with you on many points. I will agree that Goalkeepers are used as scapegoats and I will add that they get a lot of hate for things out of their control but at the same time they aren't above criticism or being called out on poor performances which is a lot of what Manu gets, there are people who are hating just to hate no doubt but not everyone is hating some are just frustrated.

Have a good day or night Nonny

[bread-gobgob]

god im gonna regret this in the morning.

i made this playlist the week leading up to your birthday. i'm going to make another one this year. here is how my night is going.

my best friend who i usually call when i'm this upset is out on the town having fun. he always calls me when he's down. he calls me to tell me about batman and jesus christ superstar and lord of the rings. he was going to bring me along to the fun as a plus one, but i'm not eighteen so i can't go clubbing. i'm still just seventeen. I'm the same age you were when we met, Eni.

I'm seventeen and I'm gonna be eighteen soon. Are you proud of me?

I have a million emotional triggers. Some are much more severe than others. tonight, i can't place what exactly has set me off. maybe it's that once again i'm too young for something. maybe its the fact i've been locked up in this god-forsaken room all day. maybe its the fact that i left my phone in my boss' car and haven't had it all day and won't have it again until monday.

do you miss me? i miss you. i miss having something constant in my life. there is venom behind my feelings for you, but there is also so much hurt. i think the only real reason i'm mad is because you left me and didn't say a word. i had to get my girlfriend at the time to message you about it.

i miss you. i miss you and i am so vulnerable right now. it is late at night, my room is pitch black. i don't use discord the way i used to anymore. im not fifteen anymore. i'm not fifteen anymore, oblivion.

can you believe it? i'm not fifteen. i'm not fifteen! it's been so long since I was fifteen. oh god how wonderful it is to no longer be fifteen. oh god how horrible it is to still be seventeen.

i've been drinking a lot lately. i work a bar. i have adult friends. vodka is my best friend but i haven't had it in a while. i went to a party, and at it i drank something that tasted like mentholated spirits. i pulled all my friends aside and apologised for being so bitter. i told my best friend i loved him. i kissed a boy i know so many times he giggled and held me tight and god, i don't know who i am anymore, oblivion.

i try to throw myself into my writing - my most recent chapter is about Gadina, who's been repurposed, and who I was originally going to write as aromantic but there's this girl, Ivy, who she's the knight of and they're in love. They can't be in love because they're girls, but they also can't be in love because Gadina's brother was murdered and Gadina is seeking revenge on all who live in the castle.

I think maybe you would like it.

I try and throw myself into my friends - i talk to them about their interests and their past experiences, and i tell them i love them because I do, but I feel as though i'm not enough for them. i fear that one day they'll see me, this broken thing you couldn't love anymore, and they'll leave the same way you did. without a goodbye. begging me to let go.

i think maybe you would like them, too.

im trying to rediscover myself, oblivion. im trying to map out what exactly i am. my whole identity was you, and that's my fault. i was obsessed with you - you were older, wiser, had more experience than me. i thought you were so cool and I remember thinking, in the earliest days, that I wanted to be your friend so bad. Now you're not here, so I have to find another identity.

alcohol isn't an identity.

do you miss me too? sometimes i hear running out of roses or everything or stuff we did or hero, oh raven, my love is sick, forever drunk, all the songs on that playlist, really. and I think, this isn't possible. how do you recover from a bond so insanely important.

I hope you never see this message. Your Honey Bee.

[alena-reblobs]

Trigun Bookclub Trimax Vol14 Part 2

Vol01: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3  | Vol02: Part 1 | Part 2

Trimax: Vol01 Part 1Vol01 Part 2 | Vol02 Part 1Vol02 Part 2 | Vol 03 Part 1 | Vol03 Part2 | Vol04 Part1 | Vol04 Part2 | Vol05 | Vol06 | Vol07 | Vol08 Part1 | Vol08 Part2 | Vol09 Part1 | Vol09 Part2 | Vol10 Part1 | Vol10 Part2 | Vol10 Part3 | Vol10 Part4 | Vol11 Part 1 | Vol11 Part2 | Vol12 Part1 | Vol12 Part2 | Vol12 Part3 | Vol13 Part1 | Vol13 Part2 | Vol13 Part3 | Vol14 Part1 | Vol14 Part2

Review for chapters 3 - 5. I'm emotionally dragging myself through these last chapters.

Chapter 3:

Ugh, this looks like an arm or a leg hanging out from the inner part of the plant? I wonder if in Knive's raid to collect all plants, some might have even got hurt? (and, not all plants are in Knive's custody, though a lot)

Yes clever bastard! You know I'm kinda rooting for Knives here. As smb else already said in their post, the earth guys can't just come out of nowhere, meddle with this conflict and solve it deus ex machina! (and I do love that drawing of Knives here. He looks so cool)

Yucky. I don't think I want to know what came out of the tube the other times.

I also read another post about this scene though I can't recall what it said anymore, I think it might have been another emphasise for the whole plant telepathy thing. And that's what's happening here! The lost girl gets contacted by the feather, and as a result, her thoughts are being transmitted to the people around her. It's such a cool concept! That one time Meryl was stuck in Vash's feathers, obviously she got overrolled with memories and feelings and the impact was much stronger, it was a steady contact with the feathers and the entity itself (Vash). So the feather alone, or maybe specifically the feathers by the dependant plants, can transmit thoughts (and mabe feelings?) of the being they touch to the surrounding areal? It could be purposefully done by the plants as a means of communication, so maybe the feathers don't always do that, just in this case. Hmmmm so many thoughts!

Trigun Mad Max style

And Knives is obviously feeling something, but he can't trace it...interesting. Does he feel as the plants scatter their feathers to the planet below or does he feel impressions from the feathers on earth?

These pages with all the different impressions that plants had are so so cool...I especially loved how there are even kindergarten kids/preschoolers that were brought to the plant facilities to learn about them! That is so cute! Then, Kuroneko! And the other image of these two guys, it kinda looks like Nightow might be wanting to make a hidden cameo of someone? It's not super fitting..but I headcanon these two guys to be from Lupin 3rd.

What an epic showdown though. On the one hand we have the inhabitants of the planet, trying their best for a peaceful out, and it looks like their efforts might bring them somewhere, because we have this beautiful montage of plant impressions. And then we have the earth fleet that just threaten to eradicate everything our protagonists ever fought for, despite them being kinda on the same side of the battle. Though who am I kidding, there are no real "sides" and no real good and bad people in Trigun.

Chapter 4:

Can I just post these images in a row...in this unconscious dream, Vash is seeing all the people he lost...first the terror of the last life he took, then Wolfwood..(he's smiling! Not judging him, but smiling at him!) and then people from home, from July...and his shocked eyes are breaking me. And even more hurtful is him reaching out to Rem, to his mmother...but he cannot touch her or any of them. Because it's still not his time to follow them. And he looks so done at the end but it's here where he finds his resolution to go on and to keep staying in this world for now, isn't it? A pitch black unknown future on one side, and his lost and loved ones where he cannot yet follow on the other.

The plant amalgamation is giving me either nge or final fantasy boss vibes

So many evil decisions to make for so many people in this series...!

Thanks for explaining because I wouldn't have understood any of what happened just now!

Truly, his own kind of angel.

You tell him, girls!! I love how they are the perfect example of the people of this planet that no matter what, get back up again! And I'm sure this is all thanks to hard work and lots of tough experiences through Vash. At the start of the series, maybe they would have acted another way, but meeting Vash changed them so much, and gave them so much hard earned hope and belief that now there's nothing that can easily bring them to their knees!

And he gets back up!!!

Chapter 5:

Maybe I was a bit fast with saying in the last chapter that was were he made that decision? Cause it looks like..it was parts Meryl talking, part the barrier, and part Knives yell that woke him up and had him keep going. Anyway, the first page here :( What's there left to see? Aw baby.

I like how the plants start to question what they're doing...maybe not directly with thoughts but in their plant way, they are sad about what they do, sad because they did not only have bad moments on earth, and especially sad because I'm sure they don't want to hurt anyone.

Aaah he's scared of making the connection

And rightfully so. That looks painful!

Beautiful beautiful ethereal page

Knives too, literally breaking apart...and cutting the literal last string of hope!

I have never read a series that was so much about hope and transporting the theme so well as Trigun. In this moment of reading you really really hope together with Vash. Incredible how much these last chapters of Trigun had me as the reader in their grip.

Probably 2 more posts for the lat 3 chapters...only 3 more!