#oh wait it's because i am the worst overlord to have

[brutal-nemesis]

Seasoned Explorers

Uhh yeah I finally had to turn in my writing portfolio AKA I finished my phat fiction story with a whumpy ending! 

This is a VERY non-canon space pirate AU featuring Castys, Syll, and Erebus, all of whom are mortal and completely human here.

Castys Masterlist

Ingredients: character death, body horror, implied amputation, self harm to escape from danger

“Hey, Castys, I just picked up another old distress signal. And it’s close by, so we should be able to at least pop by and grab some valuables before we need to head back to base,” Syll said, glancing up from her command console.

“This better not be another planet with one of those giant evil apocalypse monsters still roaming around. The scars that fish thing gave me have not gone away yet.” Castys rolled down his sleeve as he said this, revealing a row of puncture marks that stood out on his bronze skin. He lazily examined them while still driving their spaceship. 

“The cool thing about scars is that they don’t go away.”

“Oh hey shut up look at that it’s the planet-wow it’s super white.” Castys peered out the window at the huge white sphere that had come into view once the ship had slowed down. Syll got out of her chair and joined him in front of the main window.

“Is it winter in both hemispheres? I didn’t think this one was far enough from its sun to warrant this much ice. And I can’t see any structures or oceans or anything, everything must have been completely frozen over. It could be how they all died,” Syll mused.

“Well, if we get too cold we can always just stab ourselves with our thousand degree knives.” Castys pulled out his plasma knife and held it close to his chest, which probably would have killed him if the blade had been turned on. “Big toasty~.” He put it back in his pocket. “Anyway, could you go get Erebus up while I land this thing? I’ll do it in the southern hemisphere since it’s supposed to be summer there and less cold is good.” Syll nodded and went to wake Erebus, who was sleeping on the lower deck of the ship.

Castys landed the ship in a field next to a frozen city. The three of them met near the exit hatch, and Erebus checked the outside conditions display to see if the atmosphere would be breathable. It was, thankfully, but there was something else that stood out on this supposed frozen planet. “Guys… I don’t think that’s ice out there. The temp gauge says it’s warm out there. Like above-the-melting-point-of-water warm.”

“For real?” Castys replied, shoving Erebus aside to look. “Wack. Guess I won’t need all this warmy stuff then. Especially since this planet isn’t one where the atmosphere isn’t made of toxic gas that’s going to burn my skin.” He shed his warmer layers, and the other two followed suit.

When they stepped outside, they had to shield their eyes for a moment. Everything was a blinding white as far as the eye could see. Every tree and building was covered in a layer of glittering crystals. Flowers sprouted here and there, unnaturally still in the breeze. The ground crunched as they walked on it, the only sound disturbing the unnatural silence that pressed on their ears. The dead planets they pillaged typically still had some sort of life on them, something crawling or running or flying about, but everything here was completely still. Frozen, quiet, and crystalline.

Upon entering the city, they began to find the people. Their forms had been hard to make out from far away in the stark-white environment, but there were hundreds of them throughout the streets. Each and every one was frozen in time. Running, crawling, fallen to the ground, screaming in agony, in disbelief, reaching out to one another, staring up to the sky. Perfectly still statues with every flavor of pain and fear written across their faces.

“What...happened here?” Erebus had stopped in front of the form of a woman collapsed on her knees, a look of horror on her face as she stared at her own hands.

“Yeah this is pretty messed up.” Castys nudged the arm of a person lying on the ground, but they didn’t budge. “I don’t know if it’s as bad as that one planet with all the mushrooms...well, I’m sure y’all remember, but these guys are just like, perfectly frozen in their, uh, magic crystal death.”

“What does it matter? We’re not here to play detective for a dead planet.” Syll paid the frozen people no mind, weaving past them as she continued to walk down the street, looking buildings up and down. “Besides, there’s no use getting all sad about dead people we don’t even know. We see them all the time, pillaging dead planets as much as we do, and this time’s no different.”

“I don’t think we’ve seen anything exactly like this before.” Syll shot an annoyed glare at Castys and he held his hands up in surrender, continuing, “I get what you’re saying, though, so I’m down to stop staring at dead people and try to find some valuables.” He began walking with Syll, and Erebus reluctantly followed, giving the dead woman one last glance.

The three of them usually tried to find a museum or building of the sort when pillaging planets, since works of art of precious artifacts were worth a lot more galaxywide than the planet’s local currency ever could be. Normally, street signs and maps could typically assist in their search, but their crystalline coating made them impossible to read. Erebus tried to scrape the crystals off, but his efforts yielded nothing but more crystals. Wandering around looking for a museum was all they could do.

However, once they saw the building in the distance, they knew they had found it. It was much shorter than the surrounding buildings and was flanked by impressive columns and statues. The three walked through the open doors hoping there was something of value inside. The lights no longer worked, but huge windows along the walls allowed enough light in to see, even though the glass had been turned into the strange crystals. The situation inside the museum wasn’t any different from the outside. Every single thing had been converted to crystals, from the skeletons to the works of art, a blank white scene of greatness long-gone.

“I don’t think there’s gonna be anything worthwhile in here since it’s all crystal-y. Let’s just call this one a dud and head out.” Castys began to turn back and head outside.

“Wait.” Erebus held his arm out, stopping him. “A lot of museums have, like, a room with different minerals and stuff right? Maybe if this place had one we could go and see if this planet has some weird mineral that, I don’t know, spread all over for some reason? There’s gotta be a sign with information or something.” 

“That would be a great idea except for, oh yeah,” Castys gestured to a large blank sign next to him, “words aren’t real.” There was an awkward pause. “Like reading words. Here. Because of the crystals. If there was a sign we couldn’t read it. Because everything turned into-” Erebus clamped a hand over Castys’s mouth before he could continue.

“Thank you, Castys. Shut up, Castys.” Castys responded in an even more mature manner by shoving his friend back, causing him to trip and fall on his back. “Ouch. Geez, dude. You made me bite my tongue.”

“OH NO! I’ve killed you, my dear friend.” Castys fell to his knees, his hands clasped in front of him as if in prayer. “Forgive me for this grave sin.”

“Would you two stop fooling around?!” Syll yelled from the top of the large staircase on the other side of the room. “There might still be something worthwhile in this place, even if it is made of these weird crystals. So start looking.” Castys gave her a thumbs up and helped Erebus off the ground before beginning to explore.

After about an hour, the three of them met up in one of the rooms on the upper floor. There wasn’t much of a haul since most of the things they would normally steal, like gold and gems, lost their value upon becoming crystal. They did find a few small figurines that would still be valuable since their delicate craftsmanship was preserved and a few fossils that were probably detailed enough to be worth something. As they moved to leave, Erebus motioned for the other two to wait.

“I might know what these crystals are. I stopped by what used to be the gemstone room, and being in there helped me remember some stuff from that geology class I took when I was younger.” He held up a chunk of crystal he’d picked up from somewhere. “There’s one mineral that you can lick it and you know exactly what it is. Give it a try, Castys.” He tossed him the crystal.

“Well, you know I like licking things.” Castys immediately tried it out, much to Syll’s disgust and Erebus’s amusement. He made a face. “Eugh. It’s just super salty.”

“Wait, it’s actually halite? It’s the mineral that’s just straight-up NaCl, one hundred percent salt. I was hoping it was just going to be quartz or something, here, let me try.” Erebus motioned for Castys to give him the crystal back. 

“So you just wanted me to lick a random rock for no reason? Why didn’t you just try it yourself?” Castys replied, tossing it back.

“Every scientist needs a guinea pig.” Erebus smiled. He licked the crystal and immediately winced. “Ouch, yeah that’s halite all right. Which I normally wouldn’t mind licking, but somebody made me bite my tongue.” He stuck it out for them to see the small wound, but where it should have been red, there was a patch of white. And it was growing bigger. 

“Erebus, what is that?” Syll asked, moving forward to get a closer look.

“I-” was all he could say before his tongue became completely encased in the white crystals and Erebus found he couldn’t move it anymore. The spread of the crystals didn’t stop there. The patch of flesh-turned-salt grew bigger and bigger, radiating out from his mouth. He collapsed to the ground, frantically scratching at his skin, trying to get the rapidly forming layer of salt off. Castys and Syll looked oh in horror as every gouge he made in his flesh quickly changed from red to white, drops of blood only coloring their bleached surroundings for a moment before turning completely into salt. 

“Erebus, Erebus!” Castys grabbed his hand, trying to do something, anything, to help his friend. “What the hell is happening?!” He yelled desperately.

“I-I don’t…” Syll felt rooted to the spot, like she was the one turning into a statue. All she could do was watch as Erebus’s movements became jerkier in his last act of grabbing Castys’s hand tightly with both of his own. And then he was still, completely encased in the same crystal as the entire planet, immortalizing his final moments of agony.

There was silence. Castys and Syll stayed perfectly still, as if they were waiting to see if the same fate would befall them. 

“I-” Castys looked up at Syll, tears brimming in his eyes, “Syll, this is all my fault, I-I made him bite his tongue is that what killed him oh god I-”

“We don’t know what for sure, Castys.” 

“Well then why aren’t I made of salt now too?! I licked it and nothing happened, but Erebus…”

“Hey, hey Castys, it’s okay, you didn’t know, there’s no way you could have known.” She knelt down and wrapped her arms around him, feeling him shake with sobs. She was too much in shock to cry now, it still didn’t feel real. But there was no way Castys could deny Erebus’s fate. His left hand was still tightly clasped between both of Erebus’s. He couldn’t stop staring at his face, one that was laughing and smiling a minute ago, now frozen in an expression of terror. 

They weren’t sure how much time had passed, but when the light coming in from the windows began to dim, Syll stood and offered a hand to her friend. “Come on, Castys. Let’s...let’s go home.” Castys nodded wordlessly and started to stand, but when he tried to pull his hand out from Erebus’s, it wouldn’t budge. He tugged and tugged, but he couldn’t free himself from the dead man’s grip.

“Syll, Syll, my hand is stuck. He won’t let go.” He looked up at her pleadingly, the grief in his eyes beginning to mix with fear. 

“Uh-I-I don’t…” She had an idea immediately, but she hated herself for thinking of it. She looked around checking her pockets and her bag for some other solution, but there was nothing else she could think of. Nothing else she could do besides use her plasma knife. “Hold still.” She turned the knife on, the superheated blade flickering into existence, and positioned it near one of Erebus’s wrists. “I’m sorry, Erebus.” The knife cut through the salt easily, melting it before it even came in contact with the blade. When she was done, Castys lifted his arm, hand still clasped between the disembodied salt ones. He began to try to pry them off, and Syll joined in once she had turned her knife off. One of the hands snapped with an audible crack, fingers breaking off and leaving behind jagged stumps. One of which sliced into Castys’s palm.

Red blood oozed out of the gash, but that red quickly faded to white as crystals began to replace flesh and blood. “No, no, STOP!” Castys screamed, holding his hand as far away from himself as he could, as if that would stop him from meeting the same fate as his friend. “Stop it please I don’t want to die I’m sorry Erebus I’m so so sorry!”

Syll felt like she was on autopilot as she grabbed his wrist in one hand and the knife in the other. There was no time to think, no time to hesitate. She couldn’t lose them both.

 She turned the knife on and swung. 

There were three severed hands made of salt lying on the ground. But there were two flesh and blood people. They were hurting, to be sure, but they were alive. They could escape. And escape they did, leaving the silent planet of salt behind.

[samstree]

For the reverse trope ask: the soft character comforting the tough character after a trauma

Piece Him Back Together

Part of the reverse trope series.

When Geralt gets kidnapped, it's up to Jaskier to rescue him. Some truths about a witcher's worst weakness come to light.

(geraskier, 2.1k, hurt/comfort, geralt whump, mutual pining, competent jaskier, love confession, mild blood)

read on AO3

"Shit, shit, shit..."

Jaskier lets out a string of curses all the while balancing the weight of two fully grown men with stumbling footwork. He desperately tries to keep Geralt up with a hand on the small of his back but fails to stop the injured witcher from drooping with each step, until, at last, both of them wind up in a heap of limbs by the road.

Geralt lets out a pained grunt and Jaskier scrambles with apologies.

“Fuck, sorry.” The bard shifts Geralt’s bulk with all he can muster and finally settles him on a patch of soft moss under the tree. The witcher hisses as his back hits the bark rather heavily. “Shit, I’m so sorr—”

“You already said,” Geralt interrupts him but there’s no anger in his tone.

“Still. I am.”

Jaskier retrieves a handkerchief from his pocket and begins to dab at the mess of blood at Geralt’s temple, wincing when he finally sees how bad the blow is. Blood oozes from the gash, slower than a moment before. The fabric is soaked through and the skin there is still tender.

It’s all witchers’ weakness.

The temple. A blow to the head.

It messes up all their senses and coordination, leaving them in the most vulnerable state. If Jaskier had reached him any later, this might have done Geralt in.

Jaskier lets out a distressed sound at the thought.

“Stop fussing. We need to go.” The witcher, against all odds, remains level-headed.

“No, it’s all right. I knocked out all the guards and servants, along with the duke and his mage.” Jaskier tilts Geralt’s head for a better angle to press the handkerchief down on the wound. “I may have given the two of them a little more than the recommended dose. The lady at the apothecary warned me about the risk of choking with much sleeping potion, urgh, like I give an ounce of fuck if they die a gruesome death or not. It’d be a favor to the town.”

The venom surprises even Jaskier himself, and Geralt lets out a meaningful hum.

“Rest assured, my dear. No one will be looking for us today.”

Up close, Jaskier can feel Geralt scrutinize him intently as if to burn a hole into his face. He meets the amber gaze, the dark pupils still a little blown wide from the shock, but there’s also something akin to relief flowing in those beautiful eyes.

He revels in the silence, observing Geralt in return for further signs of hurt, but finds none.

The witcher relents first, the tiniest smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “So you drugged an entire castle?”

“Didn’t think I had it in me, huh?” Jaskier teases. “The White Wolf, saved by a humble bard and forever impressed by his wit.”

“Hmm.”

“Well, don’t beat yourself up, oh mighty witcher. I’m sure you only needed the rescue because those villains took advantage of your only weakness.” The bard adds his usual dramatic flair into the last two words.

Geralt blinks. Something shifts in his expression, his breathing picking up and his eyes darting everywhere. If the bard didn’t know better, he’d say the witcher is flustered, which makes it all the more confusing.

“Mocking me, are you?” Geralt drops his gaze and tries to shy away, but the bard holds him in place with the other hand. Under Jaskier’s palm, the frame of the witcher’s ear is heating up.

“How am I mocking you? Geralt, even you must admit witchers aren’t all-powerful beings.” Jaskier frowns. “They messed up your head. I know all your senses get muddled when you’re like this. Seriously, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“What are you talking about?” the witcher snaps his gaze back to Jaskier, a puzzled crease deep between his brows, which only makes the bard scoff with amusement.

“The head wound, of course. How did they get you? An ambush and a blow to the head, I’m assuming.” Jaskier explains. “How else did you get yourself into a dungeon and dimeritium cuffs? What, are you telling me you walk into their trap voluntarily?”

He rolls his eyes at the offhanded joke but the silence from the witcher leaves the mood heavier. Somehow, it doesn’t feel like a denial of what he just said. Geralt is staring at him with an inexplicable look on his face, and these looks are hard to come by these days. Jaskier prides himself in being the best on the continent at reading his witcher, and he has no inclination to break the streak.

“What happened then? Talk to me, Geralt.”

Jaskier removes the handkerchief a little. The gash has stopped bleeding, so he ties it around Geralt’s head carefully to keep the wound shielded, at least until they can wash it properly. His hands stay with Geralt afterwards, waiting for him to open up.

“I—” Geralt purses his lips before continuing, golden eyes meeting the bard in earnest. “They didn’t ambush me, Jask. I walked into that castle unarmed by choice.”

“What?” Jaskier’s jaw drops.

“It’s because—” the witcher scowls. “Because I thought…that they had you.”

It’s like a lightning strike, where their skin connects tingling all the way from the tips of Jaskier’s fingers to a warm pool of fuzziness in his stomach. The air is suddenly too hot so Jaskier decides to put more space between them.

“Oh.”

Geralt chases him ever so slightly before settling back with resignation, his eyes still bare and vulnerable, as if he just revealed the darkest secret when it is only the sweetest thing in a horrible, horrible way.

“A whisper of you being held hostage and suddenly I couldn’t think. Couldn’t remember to check the truth. Couldn’t waste another second.” Geralt hovers a hand near the bard’s face before retreating to his side. “You were right that they got me because of my one weakness, Jaskier. Just not the one you assumed.”

The pounding in Jaskier’s chest is jumping out of his throat. He’s sure he will die within the next minute if he doesn’t speak to ease this ache in his heart.

“Oh.”

He ends up saying dumbly.

“It was too late when I noticed the absence of you. Your voice, your heartbeat, your scent. Nothing. You weren’t in that castle or the cells. All I could hear was silence and all I could smell was blood.” Geralt draws a shuddering breath. “I hoped, when they kept me in the dark, that they were lying about ever having you. That you were nowhere near that damn place instead of—”

The witcher swallows, unable to finish the sentence.

“Instead of,” Jaskier adds for him, “they’d already killed me.”

The tension hangs between them. The bard sits back on the heels of his feet and finds himself at a loss for words for the very first time in his life.

Geralt might be the only person who can force Jaskier through so many firsts in his life. His first time writing a hit song, first time smashing into someone’s face with a lute, first time saving a witcher’s life, and perhaps, first time murdering two evil overlords obsessed with collecting witchers for experiments.

Hmm, it’s not like Jaskier regrets any of these.

Geralt reaches out again, tentative and patient like he’s approaching a spooked horse. This time, Jaskier takes pity and meets him halfway, his thumb rubbing small circles at the sword callouses that he adores so much.

“Say something,” Geralt pleads.

Jaskier swallows a lump in his throat and sniffles to ease the congestion in his nose, his vision blurring in desperation.

“It’s the most words you’ve said in one sitting, Geralt. You’ll have to allow me a moment to figure out what you are saying and, most importantly, not saying.” He lets out a humorless laugh. “It’s you, you know? There’s always something you are holding back and that is often the crux of it. I thought I got good at reading between the lines, but this is…overwhelming.”

With the enhanced healing kicking in, Geralt is looking much better by the minute. The blood dries and crusts over and his eyes almost shining in the daylight, or is it just the emotions within them? Jaskier can’t tell.

“Maybe I can help you. With the hidden words.” Geralt squeezes Jaskier’s fingers reassuringly. He tilts his head in the most endearing way. It happens to be that particular head tilt that Jaskier treasures with his life, the one that manages to always take his breath away.

“I love you, Jask.”

The warm pool of fuzziness in Jaskier’s stomach turns into a bottomless pit, and he’s falling.

And soaring.

“I love you.” Geralt smiles sadly. “In the dark of that cell, it became…ever so clear and so loud that I couldn’t deny it anymore. I love you, in spite of myself. Gods, I’ve loved you for so long.”

Geralt picks up Jaskier’s hand and places the barest touch of a kiss there, his lips chapped but oh so gentle. Jaskier lets out a soft gasp and the tears roll down uncontrollably. The next thing he knows, he’s buried deep in Geralt’s embrace. The sobs choke in his lungs like a dam has been broken.

“I—” Jaskier is amazed to find that their roles have reversed. The witcher has expressed everything but the bard becomes mute. So he takes up Geralt’s role gladly and replies with actions.

Jaskier’s lips are pressed everywhere he can reach: the soft, warm skin of Geralt’s neck, the sharp of his jaw, his cheek, the tip of his nose. He disregards the grime and dirt and kisses Geralt’s uninjured temple, the single most fragile part of a witcher’s body—barring their heart, so it seems. He tucks away a strand of white hair and kisses Geralt’s temple one more time, tasting the salty tang of tears.

When he pulls back, Geralt’s smile is blinding.

He hears Jaskier, even though—

“I still don’t know what to say,” Jaskier croaks, sniffling hard.

The bard rests his hands at the nape of Geralt’s neck and loses himself in the sunlit golden honey, his favorite color in the world and the most beautiful dream that’s ever come true.

“You don’t have to say anything.” Geralt wipes away the wetness on Jaskier’s face with the pad of his thumb. “Master Jaskier, poet, minstrel, professor… Stumped for words and forever impressed by a witcher’s love confession.”

He mimics Jaskier’s phrasing and the bard can’t help but chuckle despite the tears and snout, his hand swatting at Geralt’s shoulder. Jaskier knows he must look so absurd, laughing and crying all at once, but it’s the last thing in the world that matters.

Geralt loves him, and—

“You got hurt because of me.”

The remorse licks up, along with the urge to protect and to care. The sight of Geralt limp and bloody, bound by the wrists in a dark cell is something Jaskier never wants to relive again.

“I don’t care, Jask.”

“I care.”

“Then make it better.”

So he does. Geralt never wavers as Jaskier captures his lips and pours everything he cannot voice into the kiss, drawing a contented moan out of the witcher.

“Does it still hurt?” the bard whispers between one breath and the next.

“A little.”

Jaskier resumes his work and cards deft fingers through silver hair, careful not to nudge the handkerchief. His nails ghost over Geralt’s scalp and scratches gently until a purring sound rumbles deep in the witcher’s chest. The bard giggles proudly.

“Now?”

“Keep going.”

Geralt traps Jaskier between his strong arms devours him with passion, the heat of his body solid and calming.

Jaskier has never thought of himself as a protector, except at this moment with his witcher arching into his every touch and producing those heavenly sounds. The world is too bent on hurting Geralt, too eager to take and take and take from him.

A bard is not a fighter. Jaskier cannot stop monsters from tearing through armors or crossbows fired with ill intent.

But a bard is a lover. What Jaskier can do is heal, is piece Geralt back together with gentle words in the dark and soft lips on the thin skin at his temple.

“How about now?”

They are panting in tandem, the gold of Geralt’s eyes dreamy and out of this world.

“Still dizzy.”

“That’s from all the kissing, you oaf.”

But Geralt begs wordlessly with those wide, puppy-like eyes so openly, and Jaskier’s already non-existent resolve breaks into a million pieces. He kisses Geralt until the witcher melts into a puddle of purring mess, sun-warmed and pliant.

And he kisses Geralt more.

Again and again.

---

Thanks for the prompt. I kind of just rolled with the concept. The twist looks a bit obvious from the beginning, but feel free to tell me what you think. <3

Tagging: @wanderlust-t @rockysstupidity @flowercrown-bard @alllthequeenshorses @mothmanismyuncle @percy-jackson-is-sexy- @constantlytiredpigeon @behonesthowsmysinging @dapandapod @artisanbaguette @birdsflyhome

Please tell me if you want to be removed or added to the list <3

[heretherebedork]

And here we go on episode four and more, more, more! All the way to eight. It's definitely addicting. I wonder if I can actually catch the next episode live... I'd have to be on public transit, but I might be able to actually watch it.

@absolutebl and @clairificusrex I'm keeping everyone up to date because I'm not gonna stop!

Verdict so far? Yup. I'm in love. But I'm also kind of glad it took me a while to get into it because the first episodes were rough. But it just got better and better and now I'm in love with the entire story and the wait for next week is going to DESTROY me.

Predictions and thoughts from my dog walk: I think that all of this is going to include figuring out exactly what's going on with Rit and that it includes organs being sold illegally and that Tol might also be involved in his suicide. Tin has a lot to learn, I cannot wait for more Sing and Gap and Toy and I really do like all the side characters, lol.

Episode 4

Tin is slowly accepting that he's in a time loop and it's going to take a lot of time and he still accepted it faster than Prakan accepted that people die.

The Professor and his assistant (???) are shady AF. Like, shady as standing under a tree on a cloudy day in a single spotlight. Shadier than fuck. The shadiest.

Tin in the time loop is almost enjoyable but I still get this twitchy little feeling every time.

Oh, look, shadier than fuck lol lol lol so shady and so unsubtle.

"Yeah, that kid getting an ultrasound? you better find two kidneys or so help me!" sdgfdg well this time loop is very helpful.

Tin calling Art to try and look out for Tol getting drunk is cute but not gonna work, bae.

But also Art is adorable trying to listen to him. I love all the side characters. Seriously. Also, the fact that he smells like alcohol because it got poured on him and not because he's drunk.

Art also reminds me of one of the actors from GMMTV, the one that played Pai in MGAYG but he's actually Techno from TT and that's unexpected and shows how bad I am at recognizing people.

Oh, the realization that this time he's hurt both boys trying to save one of them. Awww, Tin. And now he knows them and it's hurting him even more. This is like a reverse Prakan, where the death becomes more and more meaningful to him.

I do like the proof that Tol wasn't drinking and driving. That's at least a relief but I did figure something like that. Thailand is pretty good at drunk driving = bad in their shows.

Sakda is just the worst.

Have I been clear about my love of the side characters? All of them are just the best.

What will win? Black coffee, exhaustion, spicy peppers or a tiktok dance?

Sing and Gap are just the best with whatever's going on with them. (It's me, Overlord of the Side Couples!)

Mmmm, hug. I do love a good hug. And the way Tol is looking at Tin is darling. That was a very good moment. Absolutely A+. Big fan.

THE MARRIED BABIES YESSSS LOOK AT HOW DARLING THEY ARE AND HOW HAPPY I WAS WAITING FOR THIIIIS.

Awww, Tin really is attached to Tol now. It's pretty cute. And finding out there might be underlying healthy issues to his death? Ooo. You definitely need more than two days, my boy.

Episode 5

So his memories of the loops aren't perfect. Interesting. They seem to be changing how well they work as the loops get longer.

No denials? I'm into this now. I'm a fan of these boys and I look forward to whatever this leads to. Oh, boys.

"How to trick that cute guy into coming to the hospital so you can check his heart for him subtly" 101 is not a common class but I feel like it could be taught to more people.

Subtle is not Tin's middle name, it's more like the name of his worst enemy.

I love Tin so much for the entire part where he gets to diagnose Tol with his heart issue and then rushes to save Rit and now this is just getting wild. And there's so much left to go.

Tin sitting on the floor with Rit and talking about his suicide attempt is painful but so it watching him try to figure out how to explain his sudden appearance to him.

But also poor Rit. He got blamed for what other people did and it ruined him. Ugh, this poor boy. I just want to rescue him the same way Tin does. Poor boy. Poor Rit.

Mmmm, opinion of Tol just went down a lot.

Tin is a darling and I do like him a lot and how he's being sure to help Rit and being so sweet with him and so worried. But also he probably shouldn't bring up Tol feeling guilty to Rit right after he, you know, tried to kill himself because of what Tol did.

Tin, never get into a relationship to change someone.

Dude, Sadka's... person-dude-thing... is the slimiest person I've yet seen. Seriously. He's so obviously trash it's not even subtle. Oh, Doi. He's Doi. I'll remember that someday. Doi is trash.

Sadka and Doi are trash together and it's so obvious that I want to just sort of laugh. Those two are gonna get fucked over by the end, I suspect.

Mai and her secret side boyfriend are interesting and an interesting twist to their relationship. I already like him.

Doi is the worst.

Awww, Tin's smile when Tol called him.

Rit and Sing! Awww. Rit is just the cutest boy. I want to give him the biggest hug of all time and promise him life is okay and he'll be okay and that life goes on and gets better. He's just such a darling.

The look on Gap's face when Sing spoke to him? Darling.

Tol and Tin are already finding their adorable niche. Too bad Tol is gonna die again and again and again before they can do this forever.

Oooo, cologne sniffing. Can that be a new trope? It's adorable and sweet and adds a very cute shopping trip plus you could absolutely do some really cute callbacks later on in the show.

Tol's turn to stare! Nice. Also, ooo, will everyone start to fell the deja vu of a time loop? I'd be down for that.

And a kiss! A very, very poorly timed kiss that isn't going to save anyone... but a kiss nonetheless.

Episode 6

Paused to get myself some chocolate.

Poor Tol. Tin's had so much time to fall in love and Tol's just like 'wtf?!?!' Awww. But also poor Tin.

Also, the subtitles I found cannot spell disease to save their lives and it's always spelled so it almost says deceased and I am struggling, y'all.

Lip touch!

Tin is trying so hard. He cares about Tol so much but he also desperately wants out of the loop and he wants to set him free and himself free and just... oof.

These posts are also why I don't do true liveblogging, y'all. I am so prone to rambling.

Oh, it's definitely illegal organ harvesting. Called it!

"Just get rid of them" yeah, that's how this works.

How much of the hospital is in on this scheme?

I like secret boyfriend.

Ugh, this is disgusting to watch tbh. Little fuckers.

Oooo, Tol is starting to have more flaashbacks.

And Tol dies in his arms this time. Rough. Especially as he dies starting to remember what's happened before.

Yeah, once he has the heart attack he can't be saved.

I love Sing and Gap so much, y'all. Side couple POWER.

I am worried about Tol still being alive on life support. This is just scary, tbh. Scarier than the time loop, almost.

Of course he knew him in childhood. How could they resist that? No show can resist that.

Mai is pretty heartbreaking to imagine having to date someone in order to afford medical bills and to hide your actual relationship from him to save your mother. Also rough.

Have I mentioned my love of Rit? I love him.

Oh no, they goons have come! I wonder if they work for Kinn. Ultimate crossover, turns out the mafia sells organs!

I like that we got an experience woman doctor, that was nice but surprisingly rare.

Also, have I been clear that Doi and Sakda are trash?

Once Tol has the heart attack, he's doomed. Every time. Cannot be undone.

Bur oof, this is a rough episode that shows all the butterfly effects of everything going on in the show and all the ways everything spirals and all the elements that Tin is going to have to figure out how to balance. You need more than two days, babies.

Jinta's back!

The idea of the length of the time loop being controlled by where Tin sleeps is fantastic, honestly. It's a wholly fascinating way to handle the time he needs and to handle changing what he needs and when he does things.

Episode 7

I do like that Tin is aware that he's taking longer to remember things the farther back he goes. And the slow way he's growing and changing with his memories changing. Very enjoyable. And starting to remember the more distant past as well.

I mean, you know what, it's nice to know that they both have to live in order for the show to end. Like, that's just a nice little guarantee for me.

"Tol must survive to fall in love with me" sjgkl Tin, you're in so deep.

Toy is the cutest. I love him. And I love that he has a boyfriend. Fantastic. Absolutely A+. Thank you for not making him single.

He's not making mistakes. He's stealing organs. I get that you don't know that. But still. Not a mistake.

I do love Fang. She's a very fun character. And very enjoyable. Just... in general.

The 'first meeting for you, I'm already in love' running into each other bit is working kind of cutely for them.

I do adore Tin. This is like... pining but on steroids because Tin is so lost to him despite himself. Time loop pining. Hmmmm. I suppose that's to my advantage.

Tol is a little bit of a brat and a little more of one in other places. I hope Tin can find a way to save Rit from being failed. He needs to save that poor boy so much.

Honestly, meeting Tol post-saving-Art is a lot more charming than he is now. This version of Tol is basically not charming at all. He's such a brat.

Awww, Zebra.

Sing and Gap continue to be fantastic in their own way.

Tin is very, very good at coming across as a creeper.

Tol's tiny worried face about his kitty is darling But seriously, Tin, fuck off with the whole tutoring thing. Don't make this a bribe.

Gap trying to talk to the irate parent while his son lounges around with his phone is just way too accurate. And I love Sing because he's just the Right Guy for the job.

Poor Rit. That poor baby. He deserves the damn world. So much better than they're treating him.

Tol is such a brat right now. You know you're treating Rit wrong. Stop it. Learn to be nice. My good will for you is being sapped away.

I love Gap and Sing so much. I really do. Despite it all, I love them both. They're just so different and yet they could get along so well.

Save Rit, please, make his life so much better.

You know, I know that Tol has to survive to end the loop. And that he has to learn a lesson about his actions. But I'm kind of struggling as we learn more about him and he turns out to be less and less of sympathetic character.

Seriously. All my sympathy is with Rit. Tol and co can just kind of fuck off. Meh.

Episode 8

Dear is adorable and fun. I enjoy having her around. And now Tol is being a brat again for his attention but... why?

I hope Rit gets an actual apology about the whole business thing. Because he deserves it. He's a good boy.

Tin is kind of an idiot. But I guess that works for Tol, so that's all that matters.

Tol needs to learn a lesson about apologizing to people and admitting fault. Because Rit deserves all of that.

Sing and Gap time! Gap is adorable.

Seudam and Zebra time! Why is Seudam in a crate? Let the girl out. And Tin said that he had a kitty who needed a friend!

Teaching someone how to cook is such a good trope. I love it. And it's such a sign of 'this one character is a rich stink' because that's always why they can't cook.

I just need to know what happened with Rit and Tol and Art and Win and Pair and everything. Where's my flashback to that? We already know they framed him for the cheating that he didn't participate in so I kind of don't trust their opinions on this.

Oh, the nightmare and Tin pulling Tol into his arms to comfort him in absolutely my JAM more of this, please and thank you. Everywhere. Just... nightmare comforting and gentle face cradles and being held. Please.

I do like the idea of Tol remembering the loops as well. It changes the dynamic a lot as well as adding a lot more layers to their interactions.

But Tin, you should really be telling him to get his heart checked now, right? Telling him that you'll take him to the hospital and check him? RIGHT?

Also those bed snuggles are good.

Yes, Tol, please talk to Rit. Thank you. Poor Rit, though.

Me, taking either episode to realize that Rit is played by Pure's actor... yep, that's a very me move.

hgfklhdfg If no one stands up for him this time, I will lose my mind.

Look at that, Tol made a better choice this time. And also, wasn't Rit your friend as well?! Why does everyone forget that he was their friend!? And it seemed to be a fairly recent friendship break as well.

JUST TELL HIM TO GET HIS HEART CHECKED, TIN.

Man, Pair and Win are the worst. They can join Sakda and Doi in hell.

I love Sing looking out for Rit and Gap trying his best to look on the bright side and everyone taking care of him. He deserves it. He deserves a good support system.

I love Toy.

Ah, the perfection of drama timing for Tol to walk in right then. And then get the text. I mean, at least he's in the best spot to have a heart attack... I guess?

Oh no, he sees them together when they were supposed to meet!

djgkldfh BOYS.

Seriously, is this the start of another loop? But we got so far. No, my babies!

I mean, there are four more episodes so this makes sense... but still. Rough. We're in nailbiting territory for me. This feels like it should be later in the show than it is.

Tol is my rollercoaster character. I like him and then I don't and then I love him and then I want to smack him and then I want to hug him and he's just up and down and up and down and wibbly wobbly everywhere.

And Tin missing his phone and missing him entirely is so painful because he has no idea. He has no idea what Tol saw or what Tol just found out and just... auuugh. Especially when he calls him later? That's rough.

This is going to end badly. I can already tell.

Yes, yes he did steal your nephew's kidney. You're right. Thank you for saying it.

Oh no, Tol in the clock tower alone with no idea what's happening to Tin and, honestly, no way of finding out until much later. I AM LOST. LOST. Damnit. Poor boys. UGH.

And now I have to wait a WEEK!?!?!

Tol, baby, I'm sorry you're waiting but he's kinda bleeding out right now.

[jaskierswolf]

Hello dearest Overlord!! May we please have a continuation of that brilliant Chicago fic you gifted us? It was SO GOOD I can't stop thinking about it lol

Maya! I meant to have this done for your birthday but life... sorry! Either way! Happy belated birthday! I shall upload to AO3 tomorrow!

Previous

Rated: E

Ship: Geraskier

Summary: After a night of sweat and sex and sin, Geralt knows it's time to apologise for the harsh words. If only he could find the words to say (Yes i'm abusing TAD lyrics... oops)

CW: weapons kink, shaving kink, minor injury, talks of rimming, and general hoeyness.

______

Geralt stared up at the ceiling, counting the cracks in the wall. The room stank of sweat and sex, and a warm spicy scent that wafted from the bard that was curled up on his chest. The night before had been possibly some of the best sex in his long life, but it had been tainted with the worry that it was the only chance he would get. Jaskier was still angry, and rightfully so, but it meant that Geralt wasn’t sure if this was the last time he would ever see his most loyal friend and companion. His fingers were softly trailing down Jaskier’s spine, painting flowers into the bard’s bare skin. Geralt couldn’t bear to watch Jaskier sleep. He was too beautiful, even covered in sweat, drooling over Geralt’s chest. Geralt just knew that if he looked then he would never be able to let Jaskier go.

And he couldn’t keep the bard if he didn’t want to stay.

“I can hear you thinking,” Jaskier mumbled, shifting on Geralt’s chest to press a kiss to the exposed skin. “It’s very distracting.”

Geralt huffed a laugh despite his growing anxiety. “Distracting you from sleep?”

“Mhmm.”

They laid like that for a few more moments, neither quite ready to face the day yet. Jaskier seemed to be trying to fall back asleep but after a couple of minutes he groaned and rolled onto his back. He pouted as he looked up at the ceiling, his hair a ruffled mess from where Geralt’s hands had run through it the night before, and there were dark bruises littered all over his neck, creeping down his chest where thick hair covered the pale skin. A stark reminder of Jaskier’s masculinity despite the way he preferred to present to the world.

Geralt swallowed as his cock began to make itself known. It could easily be excused as morning wood if Jaskier had decided that Geralt’s crimes were too dire to forgive, but he couldn’t help but hope.

“It appears that despite my best attempts, I am awake,” Jaskier grumbled, pushing his hands through his hair.

“Hmm,” Geralt agreed, waiting for Jaskier to pass judgement before he really spoke.

“So… witcher,” Jaskier breathed, his voice guarded and cool, making Geralt stiffen as he prepared for the worst. “I think we can both agree, that was a rather fantastic evening of carnal delights.”

“Hmm.”

“But not even sex with dear Melitele herself would make up for, well, you know,” Jaskier rolled onto his side and peered down at Geralt with icy fire in those pretty blue eyes, “the whole ‘if life could give me one blessing’ thing.” Jaskier’s voice deepened in his impersonation of Geralt and his words were accentuated with a flourish.

“Jaskier-”

“I meant it, Geralt. I want an apology, a real one, or forget it. I can find inspiration elsewhere, and well.. I- you probably weren’t my friend at all if you can’t see that what you did was wrong. I may be a bit of a prick sometimes, but I deserve better, Geralt.”

“I know,” Geralt whispered, wondering when the lost puppy that had followed him for so many years had grown up.

How had he never noticed?

“I’m sorry, Jaskier,” he breathed, struggling to find the words to explain just how sorry he was, but hoping that the bard would understand. “I- I was… I,” Geralt growled and covered his face with both hands, his beard scratching at his calloused skin.

The world felt like it was against him as he tried to gather his thoughts, but before he could, Jaskier’s hands were covering his, gently pulling them off his face. “Breathe, darling.”

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I don’t have the words to put this right.”

“Then show me, dear heart.”

Geralt’s brow furrowed as he gazed up at the bard, shining cornflower blue eyes shimmering in the morning light, his fringe falling down to cover them. He looked beautiful. Geralt reached up to brushed the hair from Jaskier’s eyes but it didn’t work and they both chuckled as Jaskier huffed a breath to try and blow it out of the way. “How?”

“You can start by getting rid of that beard. You look very handsome but my arse itches like a bitch this morning,” Jaskier grumbled.

“You weren’t complaining last night,” Geralt teased.

“Well, I was hardly going to whine about it when you had your tongue up my arse!”

Just like that the ice seemed to have broken and Geralt smirked as he pulled Jaskier into a kiss; the taste was stale and unpleasant on Geralt’s tongue but he didn’t care, he was kissing Jaskier., The bard moaned softly into the kiss, shifting on the bed so that he was straddling Geralt’s hips. Jaskier’s fingers were splayed on Geralt's chest as he rolled his hips against Geralt’s erection, making them both gasp into the kiss. The heat from the night before was back, not blistering and blinding but a slow build of embers as they were once again lost in the taste of each other.

And Geralt felt… happy?

He couldn’t remember the last time he allowed himself to be happy. Perhaps at Kaer Morhen before he set out onto the path for the first time. Before he learned that witchers were no better than the monsters they hunted in the eyes of humanity. There had been some brief moments of happiness when he’d been beside Jaskier on the path, the quiet moments before they went to sleep but Geralt had always been plagued with guilt, worried that he would destroy the fragile being that trusted him.

Of course, his fears had become reality, but in spite of everything Jaskier was still here with him, his lips pressed against Geralt’s neck, hands carding through his hair. So, because of the unfamiliar lightness in his heart, Geralt decided to tease his friend, his love, his bard. He grinned as he captured Jaskier’s lips once more in a bruising kiss, fingers digging into the bard’s hips to hold him close, and then he rubbed his cheek against Jaskier’s.

“Oi!” Jaskier grumbled, sitting back on his heels and glaring down at Geralt.

“What?”

“That beard has got to go,” Jaskier muttered, rubbing at his cheek. “If you really want to do the whole ruggedly handsome thing, which by the way, I don’t hate, then I am showing you how to look after a beard. It’ll be as soft as a baby’s bottom.”

Geralt rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’ll shave.” Jaskier just grinned, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “What?”

“Or…”

“Jaskier…”

The bard winked, his tongue flicking out to lick his lips in a way that really should be illegal. “If you trust me?”

“I do.”

“Then you’ll let me shave it off. I don’t have a razor but my daggers are plenty sharp enough?”

Geralt blinked, staring up at Jaskier as every single thought he’d ever had left his head. He was suddenly thrown back to the bard’s performance the night before. The way he’d moved, the touches to his skin, the frankly sinful way his body had looked in the corset and tights, an outfit better suited to a whore than a Viscount.

And his voice.

Dark, dangerous, calculating.

The same voice that usually held the warmth of the sun, turned to bitter poison as cold steel flashed in the candle light.

Geralt groaned, pressing his head into Jaskier’s shoulder, as the memory of the bard flipping the daggers in his hands with deadly precision, the edge of the blade glinting as he brushed it against his own neck. It was almost too much to handle, especially now that he’d had a taste of Jaskier, knew the filth the bard’s lips sang in the throes of passion.

“Oh, ho, ho!” Jaskier giggled, his fingers stroking through Geralt’s hair, sending a shiver down his spine. “You like that, don’t you witcher?”

“Shut up, Jaskier.”

“Oh no. No, no, no, I am loving this. I mean, I knew you enjoyed the show but I thought it was just the whole-” Jaskier cut himself off with a wave of his hands. “But it was more than that, wasn’t it, Geralt?”

Geralt was in no place to argue. His cock was impossibly hard and aching, trapped underneath his bard as he continued to roll his hips at a torturously slow pace. Jaskier’s cock was also hard as it moved against Geralt’s stomach, leaving a mess of precum on his skin. The sight made Geralt’s mouth water, and he was tempted to forget the whole beard thing, if it just meant that he could get his lips around Jaskier’s cock. Make his bard sing just like he had the night before, but before Geralt could think about manhandling Jaskier into the right position, the bard had leapt to his feet, leaving Geralt weak and wanting alone on the bed.

“Jask,” he breathed, watching the curve of Jaskier’s bare arse as he danced across the room.

“Be with you in a moment, darling,” the bard sang, sweeter than a nightingale.

And Geralt could do nothing but watch helplessly as Jaskier unsheathed the daggers from their holsters. The steel looked sharp and deadly. They were clearly very real weapons, not props, and Geralt felt his head begin to spin with lust. He had to remind himself to breathe, lest he pass out. Jaskier was too busy inspecting the blades to notice Geralt’s predicament, and he ran a long lutist's finger along the sharp edge of the dagger, hissing slightly as it cut into the skin.

“Sharp enough?” he turned to face Geralt, winking as he licked his lips.

Geralt nodded, his tongue feeling heavy in his mouth. It was a miracle that Jaskier managed to still speak so eloquently even in the height of arousal, when Geralt could barely remember his own name.

“Brilliant!” Jaskier beamed, hopping back across the room without a care for the weapon in his hand.

He was a disaster.

Geralt honestly wasn’t sure how Jaskier hadn’t cut his own dick off. He clearly had no sense of self preservation, and yet Geralt was going to let him press that dagger to his throat.

Perhaps he was the idiot after all.

“Come now, Geralt, off the bed, I don’t want to get hair on the sheets,” Jaskier waved him over, flipping the dagger absentmindedly in one hand.

Geralt just scoffed. “I think there’s worse things on those sheets, Jaskier.”

“Sit!” Jaskier insisted indignantly pointing at the stool by the basin in the corner of the room.

There was no arguing with that, although Geralt did wonder if Jaskier would turn the blade against him, even in jest, and that thought had his cock throbbing. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so desperate, probably watching Jaskier perform, the searing jealousy as the fake Geralt and Yennefer lay their hands on Jaskier’s body.

Jaskier took no notice of his inner turmoil, of the raging fire burning inside him. Instead, he hummed an unfamiliar tune under his breath as he readied the dagger for its job. After the passion of the night before, the quiet intimacy was almost too much. Geralt just hummed as he settled into an almost meditative state, letting Jaskier move his head around as he needed to without resistance. The bard pressed his leg between Geralt's, staying still but keeping a gentle pressure on Geralt's cock whilst the blade moved methodically across Geralt's skin.

Every stroke of Jaskier's blade against Geralt's skin sent a wave of arousal through his body. He'd never seen Jaskier as anything more than an annoyance on the battlefield, and the calm stillness of the moment made him see his bard in a new light. He wondered whether Jaskier had been holding back on him this whole time or whether this skill with a blade was something he’d learned in their time apart. Without a witcher to protect him, Jasker had no doubt encountered no end of trouble. He’d ended up in the brothel after all… although it was like no brothel that Geralt had ever been to.

“You still with me, sweetheart?” Jaskier breathed almost silently, his lilting voice cutting through the cloud of meditation. Even in his meditation, his senses were locked onto Jaskier, ready to jump into action at a moment’s notice. It was an instinct he’d never realised he’d trained into being, it happened so slowly. One day he was wishing that Jaskier would finally get bored and leave, and the next, Geralt knew he would defend the idiot with his life.

But now it seemed Jaskier could hold his own, and that was just fucking hot.

Geralt didn’t know what was happening to himself. Everything he thought he knew was turning on his head, and he was somewhat irrevocably in love with the bard, he’d barely admitted was his friend.

By the time Jaskier was done, the blade smoothly gliding across Geralt’s skin, a finer shave than any barber he’d been to in all his years.

“Geralt, dear heart?”

“Hmm…”

“There you are,” Jaskier cooed, cupping Geralt’s cheek in his hands until Geralt let his eyes flutter open.

Jaskier was gazing back at him, his eyes blown wide and his cheeks flushed. The scent of arousal in the air made Geralt’s head hazy with lust. Before he could even think about what he was doing, Geralt knocked the dagger from Jaskier’s hand, the steel clattering as it flew across the room and bounced on the floor. The bard opened his mouth to protest but Geralt had been aching and hard for too long, and he was desperate to get his mouth back on Jaskier’s skin.

With a yelp, Jaskier was pushed back onto the bed, whining as Geralt teased the tight rim of muscle. Despite their long night of sex, Geralt would need to stretch him again, and he couldn’t wait. He’d found great pleasure in taking apart his cocky arrogant bard with both his tongue and fingers the night before, and he knew he would quite happily spend a whole lifetime doing it again and again. There was no better music than the noises Jaskier made when Geralt had his tongue lapping at the bard’s hole.

Without warning, Jaskier lunged to the edge of the bed, distracting Geralt with the curve of his arse so he didn’t notice what Jaskier was grabbing at until it was too late. The dagger was at his throat forcing him back onto the mattress, the tip of the blade hooking underneath that wolf medallion.

“Gotcha,” Jaskier winked, knocking all the air from Geralt’s lungs in less than a heartbeat.

“Jask,” he breathed, his words slurred as he struggled to see through the fog of lust.

“If I forgive you, witcher, do you promise not to throw me away like that again?” the bard’s eyes burned, but Jaskier saw through the mask to the scared little boy, one so frightened of being abandoned.

“Never again,” he vowed. “I swear.”

Jaskier let out a soft sigh and the tension visibly melted away from his body. “Good enough for me.”

And then he pressed their bodies together once more in a burning kiss that would stay with Geralt for the rest of his life.

[dangermousie]

2020 End of Year Post - cdrama edition

This is only going to cover cdramas that aired in 2020; if I had to make a post about all the cdramas I watched this year, I would still be doing it in three months...

Overall it’s been a fairly decent cdrama year (certainly better than the very lacklustre kdrama year.) It’s no miracle that 2019 was (so many excellent dramas!) but overall pretty solid.

DRAMAS WATCHED

(In order of liking from least to most as opposed to pure quality; I am including if I’ve seen enough to make up my mind; yes I realize that’s inaccurate, but that’s my list)

44 The Legend of Jing Yan - the worst cdrama I have seen this year, and possibly the worst drama of 2020, period. The hero and heroine were both uncharismatic, incapable of acting and saddled with such shrilly moronic characters, the only suspense was how they haven’t both perished long since from forgetting to breathe. Nor was anyone in the rest of the cast much better; the screenplay was written by a lower mammal and the cinematography was the best a third-rate wedding cinematographer could offer. Stay the HELL away from this one.

43 Unicorn Girl - the only unicorn about this bland yet irritating piece of pap was the fact that I was supposed to believe the leads are hockey players.

42 Autumn Cicada - I like spy stories, Allen Ren, and Republican Era settings. I can tune out Communist propaganda with the best of them. Yet, the propaganda ate the story to such a degree that there was nothing left; pre magic change Pinocchio was less wooden then this narrative.

41 You Complete Me - no you do not.

40 Skate into Love - the only positive thing I can say about this is that at least it’s better than Unicorn Girl, if for no other reason that only one of them is supposed to be a hockey player.

39 Irreplaceable Love - how do you make a story about fake siblings with a mad mother falling for each other boring? I don’t know, ask the makers of this.

38 Eternal Love Rain - I hate to rain on their parade, but these two actors cannot act, have about as much chemistry as a piece of bread, and are trapped in a story perfect for entertaining the mental abilities of the leads of Jin Yan.

37 For Married Doctoress - ummmm, you could do worse I guess. It only made me break out in mild hives. The sadistic ending did make me laugh though.

36 Dance of the Sky Empire - why you get Xu Kai and waste him in this insipid mess of a story is beyond me.

35 Love Designer - it’s inoffensive except to my sense of entertainment. There is nothing wrong with it but oh God is it bland.

34 Love a Lifetime - It felt like a lifetime watching this, but I didn’t love it. The story is incoherent, the actors have no chemistry and it’s all an epic waste of time.

33 Love is Sweet - so sweet it gave me diabetes. I like Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu, but there is literally no plot. I don’t need to sink into a plotless morass to watch pretty people engage in PG-rated make-outs. I am an adult with access to stronger stuff if I am thus inclined, though to be fair they could get x-rated and I still wouldn’t be able to sit through so many episodes of plotlessness for that.

32 Fake Princess - I love Zhao Yi Qin, but the guy needs to pick better projects. The female lead in this one has the voice and personality that can strip paint but the story is also doing nobody any favors.

31 The Changan Youth - I lost my brain checking this out. I had to go and read a dense treatise on medieval coinage or Mayan farming to try to recover it.

30 My Dear Destiny - kinda cheesy fun. It honestly shouldn’t be as low except it really feels like community theater.

29 Handsome Siblings - why is the Nic Tse version so good and this one so bad? True mystery for the ages. Chen Zhe Yuan is the sole reason this isn’t lower, because that kid tries SO HARD to make this drama bearable and almost succeeds. I can’t wait to see him in Sha Po Lang which actually will give him something to do.

28 In a Class of Her Own - see my comment on The Changan Youth. But at least Song Weilong is gorgeous to look at.

27 General’s Lady - inoffensive, pretty and so utterly pointless.

26 The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion - those two leading actors are a no go to me but at least they considerately acted with each other instead of ruining two dramas for me. It’s very pretty though.

25 Jiu Liu Overlord - it’s a mess and I bailed, but I placed it this high merely due to the fact that Lai Yi finally gets a leading role and he’s sexy as fuck and I am shallow. Whoever styled Bai Lu should never work again except at a circus, however.

24 Cross Fire - not my genre and Luhan will always look too much like my cousin for comfort, but it’s a surprisingly gripping and dark drama. I liked it!

23 God of Lost Fantasy - if you want to watch a mediocre wuxia/xianxia, this is not a bad choice. Probably better than Legend of Fei actually, because at least it doesn’t have an A-list cast to waste and gives us Sheng Yilun himbo and shirtless.

22 Renascence - the insane cuts (it went from 70 eps to 36!!!) made a fairly cheesy story into a total mess. But I had a good time until I finally bailed mainly because of the male lead (Chen Zhe Yuan yet again carrying a not-good 2020 drama on his shoulders; the guy should be nicknamed Atlas) and the insane but in a fun way story. The female lead (both the character and the actress) were not up to par but oh well.

21 Legend of Fei - only this high because objectively there is nothing I disliked it. But there is nothing I liked either. The most uninspired drama on the list. If you could eat cardboard, this is what it would taste like.

20 Ever Night 2 - compared to EN1, it’s a waste of film. On its own merits, it’s not very good (the cast replacements are uniformly inferior and Dylan Wang is so wrong for Ning Que I cannot even put it into words; the script is useless.) But it had some parts I loved so very VERY much (all the shippy stuff was perfection) so I don’t feel too bitter.

19 Castle in the Sky 2 - a lovely if not too complex fairy tale. It is inferior to its prequel because it doesn’t have Zhang Ruo Yun who elevated it, but it’s still a solid bit of fun.

18 The Great Ruler - it’s very high fantasy, very pretty, and surprisingly involving.

17 (tie) Legend of Two Sisters in the Chaos - the secondary couple steals the show but the rest is not too bad if not too involving.

17 Legend of Awakening - a solid bit of fun with a seriously BDSM streak (theme this year apparently - but come on, the lead’s powers only activate when he’s in extreme pain!) It’s a bit generic and the costuming is done by a blind person, not to mention the OTP is a NOTP, but the rest of relationships (romantic and platonic) are wonderful (I live for the found siblings story in this one) and I like most of the characters.

16 Consummation - a rare modern cdrama I liked; a sweet coming of age story (and love story) even if wrapped in a pretty weird virtual reality concept.

15 Oops the King is in Love - this is how you do a low budget, sweet, silly piece of fluff. Our heroine pretends to be a eunuch and crosses paths with a powerless young king and they are adorable, even more so than the drama.

14 Song of Glory - pretty solid, though draggy and I didn’t love the toothpaste filter. But A+ cast, excellent leading couple chemistry, Li Qin being a BAMF and a leading man (Qin Hao) who is actually an adult.

13 And the Winner is love - objectively kind of a mess (and the heroine has the brainpower of a gnat), but the OTP chemistry is excellent and Luo Yunxi fighting and flirting with a fan as finally a leading man is worth the price of admission.

12 Miss S - snazzy and snappy and stylish and whatever else starts with S.

11 Eternal Love of Dream - I don’t know if it would work for you as well if you weren’t a hardcore shipper for this OTP in Three Lives but I was and this was such a darling, wonderful, shippy delight; plus I love this type of high fantasy.

10 (tie) Maiden Holmes - solid and sweet and a wonderful OTP. Proves that functional doesn’t have to mean boring. If you watch one cross-dressing drama this year make it this one.

10 Qin Dynasty Epic - srs bsns history epic. I am not far into it but it’s so good and smart and visually stunning (if you love battles, this one is for you.)

9 Love Lasts Two Minds - I adored this so much more than I should objectively have, but it’s so beautiful (and no I am not just referring to Alan Yu’s face) and the OTP has wonderful chemistry and the story is solid, and the whole trope of her memory being wiped but falling for him all over again while he’s constantly and utterly devoted is a fave; plus he’s in pain and semi-dyng for most of it so sluuuurp (happy ending, don’t worry)

8 To Love - yes, a modern drama is this high! But it involves intensity, tragedy, genuine adults and sexiness that is Lin Gengxin. And there is an actual plot and darkness OMG!

7 Legend of Xiao Chuo - so beautiful, so fun, so full of gorgeousness of Shawn Dou. Plus, Liao is a rare setting for a cdrama and there are a lot of characters and stories I liked a LOT. Less ship content than I wanted but more than I expected.

6 The Romance of Tiger and Rose - so so delightful. I was literally laughing out loud. I have no idea if it will work as well if one isn’t a seasoned watcher of period cdrama/reader of web novels, with bonus for watching/reading Goodbye My Princess, but it was a complete delight for me (and yes, I shipped for real, as well. Best of both worlds.)

5 Twisted Fate of Love - Jin Han gets a leading period drama role! And he’s enjoying it to the hilt, excellent as a smart, twisty bastard who is also charming and so madly in love with heroine. Sun Yi is beautiful and tough and her chemistry with JH is on fire, the story never drags, and it’s so twisty and fun and just awesome.

4 Love In Between - the most underrated drama on this list. It has no big names or big budget, but it’s wuxia that’s clever, driven, tragic, hopeful and so beautifully shot. Three separate (amazing) OTPs, a leading man who is so not typical (a doctor who cannot fight and who never acquires this ability) and who is intense and smart and damaged, a heroine who puts her quest ahead of her emotions, an unhealthy degree of involvement by yours truly. This is a drama Fei should have been.

3 Love and Redemption - such a lovely, addictive, utterly romantic fairy tale. I was obsessed with it for a reason. All the tropes you love and some you didn’t know you did, a star-crossed OTP to the nth power (and a secondary OTP I hardcore love), a twisty yet coherent plot, some insane chemistry and so much whump and hurt/comfort they must have bought blood packets in bulk.

2 Go Ahead - yes, I can’t believe it either. A contemporary slice of life cdrama made it this high on my list. But the way it feels so real, the found family perfection, the characters I love and loathe, the perfect cherry of a wonderful OTP that hits my narrative kinks on top, and just a perfect storm of loveliness all around with this one.

1 The Wolf - is that any surprise to anyone who’s checked out this tumblr for the last couple of months? Tragic, intense and gorgeous; so romantic and angsty and passionate it made me lose my mind (though some of it was gone the moment the camera panned to Darren Wang) - all my favorite tropes and then some; this is a drama that may not be perfect but it is 100% and then beyond perfect for ME.

FAVORITE DRAMA

The Wolf - I have seen objectively better cdramas; even this year. But it has been literal years since I have been this hardcore obsessed, this utterly pleased, this emotionally catered to and devastated at once. A beautiful dark fairy tale that manages to own me despite the storytelling gaps due to censorship, it took me for one of the biggest emotional roller coaster rides of my drama watching career. Visually gorgeous, poetic, intense, and so romantic it took my breath away, this is not just my favorite cdrama of 2020, it’s my favorite drama this year period, and the one cdrama this year to make it into my permanent Top 10 cdramas list.

WORST DRAMA

Legend of Jin Yan - see my write up for it for why as I refuse to waste more time on this stupid mess.

FAVORITE MALE CHARACTER

Wolfie, The Wolf - he is such a haunted, tormented, complex, dark mess; loving and violent, severely damaged and with a hidden yearning softness, longing and aloof. And the amount of charisma and sheer masculine sex appeal Darren Wang brings to the role is insane and not something I see much of in a cdrama. Plus, that character arc with its rapid fall and slow painful redemption is A++++

Runner Up:  Sifeng, Love and Redemption - has a male lead ever loved more utterly and selflessly, suffered more thoroughly and beautifully, and managed to have such chemistry with both his leading lady and his leading man (that his leading lady temporarily turned into) at once? The answer is no.

Almost made the cut - Feng Xi, Twisted Fate of Love, Han Shuo, The Romance of Tiger and Rose, Qing Ci, Love in Between.

FAVORITE FEMALE CHARACTER

Xiao Qian, The Romance of Tiger and Rose - so funny, so much the reason this drama was such a delight. I adore her beyond words.

NEEDS TO BE MURDERED

Murder Daddy, The Wolf - I am sad the censors robbed us of seeing him die on screen. He was fully human but nonetheless managed to be the worst monster in a drama full of literal ones.

Ling Xiao’s Mom, Go Ahead - I hate her so much I don’t want to look up her name. She abused the kid, the disappeared and came back to abuse him some more. I mean she literally gave her child mental health issues. She is the WORST.

FAVORITE SHIP

Xing’er x Wolfie, The Wolf - are you kidding me? Who else could it ever be for me? They destroyed each other and saved each other, sworn enemies and childhood lovers, soulmates and epic messes, they couldn’t live with or without each other. The longing, the passion, the intensity, the angst, the epicness. LIKE THERE ARE NO WORDS!!!!

FAVORITE SECONDARY OTP

Si Yuan, Shen Manqing, Love in Between - I loved them as much and often more than the main OTP. So much angst and passion and a happy ending! She is a seeming sect darling (except the sect is horrible and also sexist so her only worth is as a marriage candidate) and he’s an information broker who is actually one of the members of a destroyed sect that’s blamed for the massacre of her family. That chemistry and yearning is insane. The scene where she touches his face when he’s unconscious was in serious running for my favorite scene of 2020.

NOTP

Legend of Awakening - I have never seen a couple that didn’t just have no chemistry but exhibited actual revulsion towards each other before watching Chen Feiyu and Cheng Xiao try to act as lovers in this one. It was almost entertaining to be honest.

FAVORITE SCENE

It’s a tie and both are from The Wolf. One is a sequence where Wolfie marches to the walls alone, seeking death at Xing’er’s hands and the whole sequence with the battle and rescue follows. The other is the intercut between Xing’er going to her wedding and Wolfie going to his execution, and the auto-da-fe being intercut with her wedding.

BIGGEST CRUSH

Wolfie, The Wolf - Ummm have you seen this tumblr lately, it’s basically a drool shrine to the man.

BEST SCENE STEALER CHARACTER

Yelü Yansage, The Legend of Xiao Chuo - I have loved this actor since The Myth and he continued to competently steal every scene he was in.

NEEDS A SEQUEL

To Love - come out of the coma, dammit!!!!!!!

NEEDS A DIRECTOR’S CUT

The Wolf - duh. It started out as 59 eps and got cut to 49. I reaiize some stuff is never gonna get put in due to censorship, but some of the stuff that got cut got for time reasons because they were deluded and hoping to get a TV broadcast so ep count had to be under 50. I mean I doubt the censors would care if they kept scenes of Wolfie building her a swing or whatever. I really really want a director’s cut the way Goodbye My Princess did even if like with GMP it’s only three extra eps. Hell, I will take extra three minutes, as long as those three minutes are Darren Wang shirtless or with a sword. Ahem.

NEEDS SCISSORS TAKEN TO IT

The Song of Glory - it’s a fairly solid drama but honestly it didn’t need to be as long as it was and kind of got draggy and I got lost interest. (I could have gotten snarky and said all the dramas I didn’t like needed scissors taken to them in their entirety but decided to play nice.)

TOO MANY SCISSORS TAKEN TO IT

There are a number of dramas I could complain about with regard to this (hi there, darling The Wolf!) but this award goes to Renascence - poor Renascence was never going to be a masterpiece, but it had the potential to be a bit of good cheesy fun until it had its run time cut by more than half and became an incoherent piece of insanity.

TROPE THAT NEEDS TO DIE

Dumb shrill innocent heroine who can’t tie her shoes - see basically all the cdramas I didn’t like this year.

FAVORITE TROPE WE’VE SEEN A LOT OF

Male lead torture - I mean it’s always open season on that in cdramas, but between Love and Redemption, The Wolf, Love Lasts Two Minds, Love in Between and so on, it was a banner year!

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Legend of Fei - what a waste of that cast; what a waste of our finite time on this Earth. What a waste of my intelligence to hope for something better and stick with it for a dozen eps. I have had stale wonderbread that had more personality than this drama.There is absolutely nothing that stands out about this drama in any way,  from half-dimensional characters, to actors who are sleepwalking, to a plot that moves at the speed of an arthritic snail, to uninspired cinematography and direction, to lack of any chemistry between anyone in the cast. If paint-by-numbers was done by a group of particularly linear robots, it might come across the same way as this drama.

BIGGEST GOOD SURPRISE

The Wolf - honestly, I did not expect it to come out AT ALL EVER let alone to become my favorite drama of 2020. I was not familiar with the leading man (hahah), I liked Li Qin but wasn’t yet obsessed with her, and Xiao Zhan was excellent in The Untamed but I was hardly going to follow him from drama to drama (and I don’t do SLS any way.) And the trailer was enjoyable but unlike seemingly everyone, I didn’t think it was going to be some epic masterpiece. And then it came out and while it wasn’t objectively an epic masterpiece, it pulled out all the favorite tropes, shippy and narrative kinks from the deepest darkest recesses of my id. And I fell harder than I have in years. 

2020 DRAMAS I HAVEN’T SEEN THAT I MOST WANT TO WATCH

None. Covid Year gave me PLENTY of time

BEST NON-2020 DRAMA I’VE WATCHED IN 2020

Novoland Eagle Flag and Joy of Life - they are in my Top 10 dramas from anywhere now. They are quite different except being smart and giving me protagonists to obsess over.

ETA: Also The Untamed because @idlewilds3 pointed out I actually watched it in 2020 even though I didn’t think so because this hellyear has lasted about three decades.

MOST ANTICIPATED IN 2021

I am gonna limit it to dozen and leaving out ones that aren’t necesarily supposed to air next year (Joy of Life 2, Love in Flames of War, Novoland Princess from Plateau.)

Monarch Industry, Novoland Pearl Eclipse, Silk Washing Stream, Dream of Changan, Sword Snow Stride, Wu Xing Shi Jia, Ancient Love Poetry, Immortality, The Long Ballad, Mirror Twin Cities, The Imperial Age, Fall In Love

[fandom-necromancer]

A step too far

This was prompted by a wonderful anon! Enjoy!

Fandom: Detroit become human | Ship: Reed900 (pre-relationship) (Warnings: Panic attack, guilt)

Nines knew once his daily morning scan of the precinct had reached the breakroom that today would be a good day. Or at least had the potential to have a rather interesting scene in check for everyone who was in clean sight of a rather innocent looking cake. He watched Hank and Connor sitting across the bullpen, starting up their terminals and preparing themselves for another workday. They usually were the first ones to arrive by now. They didn’t even look up as their victim entered through the security gate.

Nines kept a straight face as the Detective sat down in front at him and they exchanged their normal greetings. Inwardly he couldn’t wait until the man would head for his first morning coffee and found free cake completely unsupervised. The whole precinct knew Gavin had a sweet tooth and wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation long enough for suspicion to arise. Nines was curious how this one would go. So, as Gavin walked over for a coffee, all eyes were on him. No one giggled, but Tina was at the verge of losing it, as the coffee filled the Detective’s mug and his gaze wandered over to the cake while waiting. Next to it plates were waiting along with a knife to cut it. His struggle was evident on how his face contorted and Nines smiled.

Then he caved in, taking a plate from the stack and setting it next to it. As he grabbed the knife everyone was on the edge of their seat. Gavin moved in to cut it. As soon as the point of it broke through the frosting there suddenly was a loud bang and bits of frosting flew through the breakroom as it deflated, and the broken balloon became visible from inside. ‘Connor!’, Gavin screamed furious. ‘You phcking asshole of a robot!’ Tina broke into laughter, as did Hank and Miller. Nines smiled and looked over to the accused android, who looked up as innocently as he could. ‘What is it, Gavin? Do you need help?’ ‘Oh, you will pay for this, I’ll make sure of it!’ Gavin picked bits of fake cake from his face, before taking his coffee and stomping over to his desk. ‘Did you know of this?’, he hissed as soon as everyone got back to their workday. Nines shrugged. ‘I expected as much’, he admitted. ‘But I have told you before, I will remain neutral in this battle between you and my brother.’ Gavin huffed at that, crossing his arms. Nines fake coughed and leaned forwards then. ‘Though I know from certain sources that if you drop an egg yolk in thirium, you won’t see it if you don’t search for it. Our filtering systems would discard it before it gets into our system, so… It would be a discomforting experience, but not harmful.’ ‘Interesting what you can learn from neutral parties’, he smirked at that, already eying Connor’s refill bottle. Nines decided his deed was done and began working.

It was a constant back and forth between the two pranking each other. It stayed in harmless territory and as both of them stubbornly refused to make peace it gave them an outlet for their rivalry while bettering their overall relationship. Nines just liked watching them. Seeing how the perfect Connor stood completely dumbfounded (and wet) in front of a faucet that had been manipulated with duct-tape to spray the entire room just made his day. Nearly as much as seeing Gavin rock around all day because all the bathroom stalls were decorated with “Out of Service” signs while still being perfectly fine. His highlight yet was likely Connor manipulating the precincts radio to switch channels whenever some station played a song Gavin despised. It had even made himself chuckle to see the furious man stomp over there and pull the chord once and for all.

Their battle made both drop their defensive walls. Gavin, the tough asshole guy was revealed to be just a regular human who had a quick temper. And Connor, the puppy-eyed know-it-all was repeatedly outwitted. That both were able to laugh it off had led to Nines’ decision to not intervene in any way and occasionally helping each party depending on who needed it most.

He didn’t think much of their spiel as their pranks never hurt the other and only created inconveniences. Until one day.

Nines had come into the precinct shortly after Hank and Connor arrived. He had seen the official looking letter that laid on Gavin’s desk and ignored it. It couldn’t be anything serious else there would have been a mark in the system files.

But as Gavin had arrived, taken his morning coffee and started his computer, he proceeded to open the letter. And immediately Nines’ systems alarmed him of the other’s vital signs. The man had frozen rigid, every single muscle tense and his heartbeat dangerously fast. The hand holding the paper shook and he stared wide eyed at the paper, unfocused and not actually reading what was in front of him. ‘Gavin?’, Nines asked, standing up as he didn’t answer. ‘Gavin! Everything alright?’ He moved around their desks, shielding the Detective from the expecting looks all around. He placed his hand on Gavin’s shoulder, what made him sink back, the paper falling from his hand. Nines picked it up and scanned it over. The further he read it, the more the anger rose in him. He crumped the sheet in his hand and turned around towards a grinning Connor. ‘You took it too far this time!’, he shouted at his brother and hurried to make Gavin stand up and leave through the back entrance.

Outside he helped Gavin lean against the wall. ‘Gavin, it’s alright. It’s fake. Don’t worry, it was one of Connor’s pranks. Breathe. Come on. Concentrate on the now. I’m here, I can help you. Do you need to sit down? How do you feel?’ ‘B-Better’, Gavin stammered, blinking and fixing Nines. ‘Where are we?’ ‘Outside. Smoking corner.’ ‘Oh, thank phck.’ Gavin wiped his forehead that had accumulated a few drops of sweat. ‘I… I am not fired?’ Nines shook his head and as he was sure the man could stand on his own, he produced the crumpled paper from his pocket.

‘Here’, he said, showing him the paper and reading for him: ‘Dear Detective Gavin Reed, you are found to be in violation of the following policy: City of Detroit Personnel Policy Manual Section 69 – Android rights It is the duty of each employee to maintain high standards of productivity-‘ Nines stopped and flew over the next lines. ‘He just copied the work standards section here. Here he edited it again: You failed to provide me with any basis for believing you accepted your new android overlords. I have therefore decided to terminate your employment with the City at this time.’ Nines looked up to Gavin and let the paper sink. ‘It is fake. Connor just wanted to see your shocked reaction, expecting you to recognise it had no real basis.’

Now, Gavin really slid down the wall and came to sit on the cold stone. He rubbed his head and sighed, his breathing finally back to normal. ‘Are you alright?’, Nines asked, kneeling down too. ‘Yeah. Yeah, I guess.’ ‘I will tell him to stop these pranks’, Nines determined. ‘This one caused you to panic. I won’t accept this.’ ‘No, no, he couldn’t have known.’ Nines cocked his head. ‘Why?’ ‘Hey, the idiot doesn’t know me. I… work is all I have, okay?’

Nines kept staring at the man, who lifted his head again not caring that Nines saw the tears in his eyes. ‘Phck, I thought I’d be done for.’ ‘But it is clearly fake, how-‘ ‘I know these letters, okay?!’ Gavin had nearly lashed out at the android, but in the last-minute thought better of it. ‘Got enough of them in my career. All I read was “Android rights” and “terminate your employment”. It looked real. I need this job, okay?’ ‘Of course’, Nines spoke, unsure how to deal with the Detective crying, when he had thought the man unable to. ‘I did a lot of shit to androids before the revolution. And… during it. I’m… Everyone thinks I’m the asshole that nothing can get to. I was quite content with that lie.’ Nines just nodded, continuing to kneel next to him. ‘I… I did wrong, okay? I did a lot of shit I regret now that it finally settled in that you are- that androids are more than just machines. I’m still waiting for the day that shit comes back to bite me in the ass.’ ‘But you changed’, Nines said, not able to follow. ‘I don’t know you for long, but in my opinion, you aren’t any different to the others. Just… more abrasive and happier to throw curses at others.’ ‘Ask Connor. Ask Fowler. Hell, ask anyone. They will tell you all the same thing. It is hard to get something out of someone’s head once they are so sure of it to be true.’ ‘And this paper triggered that fear?’, Nines asked. ‘No, I- Yes. I believe so.’

Nines nodded to himself. It surprised him how easily even the strongest person could be brought to fall if you knew the right place to poke at. Still, hearing – seeing first-hand – how vulnerable the Detective really was if all it needed was a stray comment or a prank gone wrong… It let his protective instincts flare up and made the human all the more endearing to him. He stood up, crumpled the paper to a ball again and threw it into the trash-can underneath the ashtray. He held out a hand for Gavin and helped him off the cold floor. Then he offered him a handkerchief to wipe away the worst of his tears. ‘I will tell him to stop’, he reassured him. ‘I won’t tell him of what you just told me, that is your decision to make. But I will tell him to stop with the pranks, so that something like this won’t happen again.’ ‘Yeah, that… That would be amazing. Thank you, Nines.’ ‘For what?’ ‘I don’t know. For… being there? Helping me?’

Nines nodded politely with a smile. ‘You are welcome. Anytime.’

[monomonomagines]

could you write dr2 boys reacting to learning their s/o is part of the neo world based off of a dead classmate like chiaki after being able to graduate the simulation the intended way or through surviving the killing game ?

Oh my goodness anon I love you for requesting this but I am equally angry that I never even contemplated something like this. I'm going to go with the boys graduating from the simulation the correct way for this ask and used bullet points but if you want me to do it the other way as well feel free to tell me. I won't go on much longer I just had to get it out that this is a great idea. An angsty idea no less but still amazing.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did writing it. If you all couldn't tell already I live for angst. Anyways here's the boy's reactions.

Teruteru

Teruteru had been so glad that you had accepted him for who he really was.

You didn't mind his accent or quirks and loved him for him.

That's why he was elated to graduate from the simulation you were in together after the class had collected all the hope fragments.

It meant that you and him would be able to be together for real. Just him and you with nothing else between you.

As soon as he woke up from the simulation and got to actually explore the real island his immediate goal was to find you but he just seemed to be missing you.

He thought that he'd find you soon enough when Hajime approached him and put a hand on his shoulder telling him about your own demise before the simulation.

He didn't want to be the one to break the guy's heart but no one else would be better at telling him the cold hard truth.

You didn't exist anymore. You slipped through Teruteru's fingers long before they were placed into the Neo World program.

As soon as the words left Hajime's lips it was evident that they weighed on Teruteru.

His smiling face had taken a more solemn expression. He needed to be alone so that he could mourn you. He'd end up bawling like a baby and crying out for you until he'd pass out some nights until he'd force himself to get out of this funk.

Neither you nor his mama would want to see him like this. He needed to honor your memories, not just mope around.

He'd make all your favorite dishes, he'd walk along the beach like you two said you would in the Neo World, and he'd cherish you. Even the you that wasn't real because it was still you that made him feel whole not that simulation in the end.

Imposter/BBB

The imposter never expected to end up getting close to you but with your kindness and tact, it wasn't unforeseen.

You weren't unworthy of his love or anything and you seemed to genuinely enjoy his company like no other person.

You wanted to know his dreams, his hopes, his inspirations, and most of all to get to know him and his heart.

Unlike Teruteru he wouldn't jump up at immediately graduating until after he'd turn to look at you and have you both promise that you'd find each other when you were out of the Neo World.

The only issue is you couldn't promise. The simulation's version of you did just that but you were long gone far before that promise was made.

That was why he couldn't find you.

Unlike Teruteru when everyone else was somehow all there but you, he'd quickly put the pieces together and rush to excuse himself.

He never wanted to get attached and here he was left heartbroken over a simulation.

He'd mourn without showing many expressions around the others. He just wanted to be alone to think, to reminisce as he'd gaze at that same ocean you two would in the Neo World.

Normally then you'd be holding hands but now his were empty as he was alone.

Nagito

Nagito like Teruteru is the type to rush into things.

They both tend to take drastic actions in order to get the things they want most in life so he wouldn't bat an eye at graduating from the Neo World with you.

Only he wouldn't be able to.

The same person that had gotten to know and accept the real Komaeda didn't exist anymore.

They perished long before the Neo World Program began and it fits almost too well with his luck for the person he loved to never have been real.

Like the Imposter, Nagito would wan to be alone for the most part to mourn you, getting snippy and irritable with anyone that dared to interrupt him.

He didn't want anything but you and you were dead. He'd try to laugh but would just end up crying as he remembered each moment he shared with the illusion of you.

He missed you more than anything.

Fuyuhiko

Fuyuhiko only had you and Peko. That was all he needed, he thought.

You two were closer than anything and he couldn't be happier. You never underestimated him. You saw all his capability and appreciated him for who he really was.

That's why he decided he did want to graduate with everyone. He wanted to be with you and Peko. With all three of you together he felt invincible.

However, that invincibility duration was not long. It soon fizzled out as he came to the real island he and his friends were on.

He thought he'd be able to find you but from the look on Peko's face when he asked he knew something was wrong.

Looking as distraught as him she had to tell him why their search for you was unsuccessful. How it was because you weren't real then.

You had been gone for years and you weren't coming back. Not now, not ever.

Fuyuhiko would immediately fly into a fit of rage, taking things out on inanimate objects and lashing out at others but whenever it was just him he'd cry his eyes out.

He missed everything about you. He was sorry he sometimes bitched at you or that he acted ungrateful at times he was sorry so why couldn't you be here with him?

He's filled with far more regrets than most of this cast at the loss of you.

Kazuichi

Like Nagito, Kazuichi's always been a pretty obsessive guy but he'd decide in an instant that he'd want to graduate from this simulation.

He knew you'd end up with him so what was there to worry about?

Apparently, a lot more than he knew because even after running around the whole island a few times, there was no sign of you.

He'd have just kept running on and on simply thinking he missed you if not for Hajime stopping him.

Like with Teruteru, it was better if Hajime broke the news to him since they were so close.

But as soon as he hears what Hajime has to say he goes into denial immediately.

He refuses to listen to reason still looking for you for days on end until the reality hits him like a slap to the face.

You really were dead! You were dead and there was nothing he could do to bring you back.

He'd end up isolating himself like Fuyuhiko and being quite irritable but when he's alone he surprisingly wouldn't cry.

Instead, he'd talk to the sky as if you were there with him right then and there.

Hajime

Once Hajime would leave the Neo World Program to be with his friends he'd be the quickest to piece together why you aren't with them.

Once he's in the real world he is basically Izuru reformed after all.

However, he's able to feel more than Izuru could. He'd know that you were a mere simulation, that you died long before this all began but he'd struggle with accepting it still.

He wanted so badly to see you running up to him to embrace him like you did so many times within the simulation but it was hopeless.

He knew it was true but he would want some time alone to think.

He didn't need to bawl his eyes out but he'd definitely cry those first few nights without you.

It's just that after he'd come to the same conclusion that Teruteru would at a faster speed.

He'd keep your memory in his heart for as long as he was around.

It didn't matter if he was just sitting on the shore watching the sunset or if he was drawing with his fingers in the sand alone because your memory was there with him.

You were still there by his side doing your own thing as he did his. Your memory was real enough for him to still cherish your time together.

Nekomaru

Nekomaru loved your fun-loving nature from the start of your escapades in the Neo World Program and was more than excited to continue to enjoy life to the max with you.

He was definitely would graduate without a second thought, immediately assuming you'd be there when he'd wake up.

But when you didn't he just assumed you were taking your sweet time.

Hahaha, S/o's so funny waiting to graduate.

He'd keep positive thoughts the whole time that you weren't there, arguing with anyone who said otherwise when deep down he realized.

You were like Chiaki, you didn't exist anymore.

You died before he went into the Neo World Program and there was no bringing you with him when left.

He'd have a lot of anger like Kazuichi or Fuyuhiko but he'd put it all into his fights with Akane or when he was training anyone.

He'd try to stay positive for you but some nights he'd find himself looking at the sea and thinking about how things could've been different if you could just be standing next to him right now.

He felt so empty.

Gundham

For someone to infiltrate the Dark Overlord's defenses was an anomaly at best.

He didn't allow others to pierce his walls but somehow your might had completely obliterated them.

That's why you were dating.

You understood Gundham and his eccentricities and even when you didn't you accepted him.

You did more, you loved him. You loved him and his dark devas, him and his poison blood, you just loved him as he was and he couldn't ask for more.

He decided to graduate with everyone rather hastily at the prospect of getting to see you for real but reality quickly caved in on him.

When everyone was there but you, he'd immediately assume the worst but would try to stand tall. Simply asking Hajime as to where you were.

But when Hajime shook his head and put his hand on his shoulder he instantly knew.

He'd barely comprehend those words but at the same time, they'd stick to the inside of his skull.

S/o died long before the Neo World Program started.

He just wouldn't be able to do more than turn into a mere husk of a man.

He wouldn't speak to anyone, not even Sonia. He'd just stand by the shore in solitude, wondering what you'd tell him to do now.

[pip-n-flinx]

Long-Post-No-One-Asked-For

Because I am Tired of seeing Mass Effect Andromeda hate. We’re gonna do an analysis of why its a beautiful successor to the Mass Effect Trilogy under the cut.

Oh also spoilers. Just.... In case that wasn’t clear....

Mass Effect Andromeda definitely has a more ME1 classic RPG vibe to it, so most comparisons will be drawn from ME1 to MEA. However... MEA has the best combat system and character customization of any Mass Effect game. This isn’t entirely fair to the trilogy since its a newer game. But the addition of the jump jets, evades, and the vertical integration of the maps? Stunning. The ability to not only research rare items from the shop, build them yourself and install modifications at creation? Masterstroke. You’re telling me I can start incorporating alien tech into Initiative tech? AND VICE VERSA? Brilliant. You’re character customization can impact other characters in your family/you can customize your twin? I love it!!!! Phenomenal addition to the story telling bits the trilogy was working with.

On to Ryder, and their relative youth n such. They’re a relatively young whippersnapper with family ties to the Alliance. All these are available as options to Shepard. Wishing you could have your colonist background instead? F!Ryder has experience working on digs and can be played to be estranged from her family, in a brilliant parallel to Liara from ME1. Want to be a hardass/bootlicker mission comes first type MC? Take either Ryder twin’s time in the Alliance Military and make them nostalgic about it. Make them angry Alec ruined their career. And here, we have a beautiful Ashley Williams parallel. Want a more tragic backstory yet? Just wait til you finish Habitat-7. If two dead(sort of!) parents and a comatose twin doesn’t strike your fancy, I’m not sure how much more Bioware could have done! Also, unlike ME1 they didn’t break the show-don’t-tell rule of story telling. Shepard’s backstory is buried in the codex, while Ryder’s is out in the open. Shepard themselves is startlingly young to take commando of the SR1 at only 29 years old, replacing Space-Dad Anderson who would’ve been about 46 y/o during the events of ME1. Much like Ryder, Shepard is thrown into a position of leadership that they’re only nominally qualified for (because what could possibly prepare you for the beacon and the Reapers?!) And now both Shepard and Ryder have something of incredibly value stuck inside their head. SAM and the beacon are the initial plot drivers for MEA and ME1 respectively.

You’re first mission, while the game is still teaching you the mechanics, you lose a squadmate, as well as several side characters casualties to a bewildering and alien threat. Bioware didn’t pull any punches with those opening scenes, but I would argue Andromeda does a better job of setting up the Pathfinder team so that it hurts when you lose Kirkland. Certainly I was more attached to the Pathfinder team than I was to the 212 (Sorry Ash! Wish y’all had gotten more screen time!) But it really does a good job setting Ryder to struggle with their command. We know Sole Survivor was traumatic enough to require a pysch write up for Shepard, and certainly losing two members of the Pathfinder team (one of which is your Dad) and with Hayes and Fischer as casualties while also having the worst possible first contact will set you off kilter mentally.

Now let’s get big picture, thematic if you will. Where the Trilogy has set up AI or technology (Reapers) as the climactic extinction-event-messianic-death-cult-supervillain, Andromeda has set up the perfection/genetics-obsessed Kett as your new extinction-event-messianic-death-cult-supervillain. Which is both timely given the resurgence of racist xenophobic rhetoric all round the world (yea political commentary!) but also a classic story telling reversal. Flip the script on the original trilogy, don’t just rehash the same old shit!

Both the Trilogy and Andromeda do a reasonably good job of muddying the moral-tale. Only some of the Geth wish to worship the Reapers and extinguish organic life. The Quarians certainly didn’t give the Geth a fair chance before trying to destroy their creations. Similarly, while the Initiative relies on the SAM’s and the Pathfinder team more broadly, the Fire Fighters are more than willing to destroy their own tool, even when survival is uncertain, based solely on Knight’s experience with Project Overlord. Racial tensions abound in all the Mass Effect games, but Andromeda frequently goes out of the way to expose them as out of date. While the Trilogy does occasionaly subvert racial stereotypes Andromeda has a laundry list of characters who do so. Vetra Nyx, Nakmor Kesh, Sarissa Theris, Nilken Rensus, just off the top of my head. Kallo Jath is a Salarian haunted by the past, and Peebee is finally a good look at a less stoic Asari Maiden. Cora Harper is a great example of a xenophilic human, a stark contrast to the Ashley from ME1 (thank god that girl got some character development. her banter on the citadel doesn’t win her many fans...)

I’ll also never understand why people complained about the update to the Paragon/Renegade system. Bioware has long fallen into the trap of the false dichotomy, especially in their sci-fi games. With the Star Wars games, it can be forgiven because George Lucas and Disney have positioned the Lightside and Darkside as comical caricatures of a black and white morality. Space Opera. We get it. But finally getting and update to that model? I know Americans are brainwashed into binary choice by our two-party system, but surely gamers from parliamentary governments should be able to see that four directions is better than two? Only complaint is they have little in-game impact. And you know what, you got me there. At least ME1 provides in-game rewards for character behavior.

So when some butt-hurt fan says they still don’t like Mass Effect Andromeda, what they’re really saying is they hate how it defied their expectations. I know it exceeded mine. Bioware set out to make a spiritual successor to the Trilogy and I’ll be damned if Andromeda isn’t my favorite Mass Effect game yet. I really hope we get a second game in Andromeda. All of this is not to say I support crunch in the game development sector or that a AAA game released by one of the largest game developers should have visual glitches upon release. If you charge AAA prices, it shouldn’t need a patch for the VFX. I do think people who make that criticism overlook how wonky some of the old graphics in ME1-2 were, but I totally agree we should hold EA at least to higher standards on game release. The whole game industry dropping the ball (I’m looking at you Bethesda) doesn’t excuse it.

[lady-divine-writes]

Kurtbastian one-shot “You Raise Me Up” (Rated PG)

Preparing for a special Christmas exhibition leads to a discussion about life, the universe, and everything in between. (2247 words)

Part 52 of Outside Edge

Read on AO3

When I am down, and, oh, my soul, so weary, When troubles come, and my heart burdened be, Then, I am still and wait here in the silence, Until you come and sit awhile with me …

Sebastian’s eyes follow his boyfriend as he glides across the ice, transitioning from an inner edge spiral to a twizzle, then a swirling spread eagle. The song playing over the speakers around the rink – You Raise Me Up performed by Josh Groban - is slow, lyrical, note after note flowing like a river constricted by the shore into a tight, thin line. It forces Kurt to focus on his edges, maintain complete and utter control over his form. There is no room for error in this routine. A single wobbly blade or wonky foot position will throw his balance off. But Kurt is an athlete - a cheerleader and a dancer aside from being a skater. His form is exquisite, his control superhuman.

Kurt has more control over his body than anyone Sebastian has ever met.

For this song, Kurt doesn’t move like a skater. He moves like a dancer – strong lines, long extensions, pointed toes the audience won’t be able to see within his skates but which help to elongate his body. Skating this routine takes a level of technicality and expertise that Sebastian, with all his years of vigorous (and expensive) training, could never pull of as stunningly as Kurt.

Kurt isn’t simply performing to the song playing overhead. It has seeped into his body and he has become a part of it – one of the many notes flowing down that river of music. It’s almost as if the tune was composed for him to skate to it, the choreography he’s come up with a perfect complement to its meaning. It’s a trifecta rarely seen when a skater takes the ice in competition – nerves and stress interfering with artistry and focus.

But this isn’t a competition piece. It’s an exhibition piece – an opportunity for Kurt to show off his skills without the pressure of being judged.

And it’s the most exceptional routine Sebastian has ever seen Kurt skate.

The twist to this whole magnificent performance is that Kurt hates this song. He hates Celtic-inspired ballads, which he feels have been done to death in the pop music genre. He hates the numerous soulful swells that fake you out more than twice into thinking you’re about to reach the climax. He hates the bizarrely incongruous and vaguely vain video that accompanies the song. But most of all, he hates the religious overtones. As a general rule, Kurt tries to avoid skating to anything that can be deemed ‘religious’ or ‘sacred’, even when it comes to classical pieces. But this isn’t just any exhibition he’s preparing for. It’s a Christmas exhibition thrown in honor of one of Westerville Ice-plex’s most beloved coaches, Coach Amelia Reinhart, and the song was a special request from her.

Seeing as she’s dying of the same cancer his mother recovered from, he couldn’t say no. Not for anything in the world. She’s a member of the two communities that have impacted him the most during his life.

That makes her family.

But they recently found out there’s no guarantee Coach Amelia will be able to see the exhibition in person. So the cast is filming their performances ahead of the exhibition and making her a private copy. Kurt is recording his routine in Sebastian’s private rink.

Sebastian is the man behind the camera.

They decorated for the occasion with tons of twinkling white lights, garland draped along every wall, poinsettia perched in the far corners, and a Christmas tree in the center, decorated in bulbs and ribbons of crimson and gold. Kurt doesn’t usually use props when he performs. His handcrafted (and often over-the-top) costumes are the only bells and whistles he needs. But this time he chose a cream colored pair of pants and a pale pink shirt, understated and elegant, to highlight the candle in his hands – an LED one so he doesn’t burn himself, the stick a slightly darker shade of pink than his shirt.

Both a symbol of breast cancer awareness.

To maintain the idea that the candle is real, Kurt refrains from doing many of his more impressive jumps, but that, too, is an homage. As a consequence of Coach Amelia’s many procedures, she needed to have her left foot amputated.

Since she can no longer jump, Kurt opted not to either.

Sebastian is skating in the exhibition, too. He and Kurt are performing a jazzy, humorous duet to break up the sentimental melancholy. It’s hella upbeat, with lots of physical comedy and visual jokes, and the cheesiest costumes they could find. But during the time he’s watched Kurt practice his solo, he’s thought up choreography for the two of them to this song, with holds and turns and lifts (the lifts are kind of mandatory seeing as Josh sings You raise me up! about a thousand times).

As with a lot of religious songs, the lyrics to this one sound deceptively romantic. He probably won’t tell Kurt this anytime soon, but Sebastian loves this song. The words hold a lot of meaning for him, especially now that he has Kurt. Sebastian isn’t conceded enough to think that Kurt is stronger when he’s on his boyfriend’s shoulders. But Sebastian definitely is.

When they skate together and he lifts Kurt up, Sebastian feels like he can do anything.

The song reaches its final crescendo, and Kurt enters his last sit spin. The routine ends with Kurt setting the candle down carefully on the ice, backing away a foot, then standing with legs slightly spread, gazing up at the spotlight. Sebastian waits a few seconds as Kurt holds that pose, then puts the camera on pause. Once he gets it on his computer, he’ll fade it to black after the song ends, with a dedication in the final frame. He gets choked up thinking about that, about how final it sounds. This exhibition could very well be the last time Coach Amelia sees them skate.

Sebastian has known Coach Amelia his entire life. He’s not okay with that.

“How was that?”

Sebastian turns his gaze from his camera and watches Kurt slide to a stop. He looks like a guardian angel in his outfit, right out of an old, black and white Christmas movie.

Sebastian wipes tears off his cheek with his fingertips. Kurt pretends not to notice.

“You were … perfection.”

“Wow,” Kurt teases. “I got the p word, huh?”

“You earned it. Do you want to see it?”

“Eww.” Kurt chuckles, hiding his own sniffle. “No. Not yet. Not unless we can mute the music.”

“You really don’t like that song, do you?” Sebastian asks, wrapping his arms carefully around Kurt’s waist so as not to wrinkle his shirt.

“I have nothing against the song really, it’s just …” Kurt’s eyes drift down to the pale pink of his shirt and he sniffles again “… it makes me think. And I don’t skate to think. I skate to get away from thinking.”

“What does it make you think about?”

“My mom mostly. Life. The universe. God.”

“That’s a lot of big ticket items.”

Kurt nods, smiling to himself. It’s not a happy smile, but it seems to fit. “Life is so hit and miss. My mom, she’s been an athlete all her life, and she’s been battling cancer since her twenties. My dad eats bacon and eggs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner practically, and his doctor just recently told him that his cholesterol is getting a little high.”

“Yeah,” Sebastian says, “that’s … that’s crazy.”

“I get why people choose to believe in God. It’s nice to think that someone somewhere is looking out for us, wanting the best for us, planning something nice for us when all of this is over. But there comes a time when it’s actually a lot more comforting to believe that the bad things that happen - they’re just random, and not the whim of some temperamental overlord who might decide that the best thing for us is an early death due to a wasting illness, and we don’t get to question why. Seems a lot less … I don’t know … personal.”

Keeping one arm around Kurt’s waist, Sebastian removes the blockers from his blades, then steps on the ice. He glides around the outskirts, taking Kurt with him. “Did you ever believe in God?”

“I tried,” Kurt admits, winding an arm around Sebastian’s shoulders, sliding into waltz position. “When I was little. When my mom’s cancer came back, the one thing people always said was that they were going to pray for her. I began to wonder if that could make her magically get better. So I gave it a shot, because what did I have to lose? I even read the Bible. But the thing is, Christians say that God is their father. But he seems rather unforgiving for a dad. He has so many rules, and a lot of them make sense. But a lot of them don’t. Story after story, it seemed like God was setting people up to fail.”

“I’ve never heard it put that way,” Sebastian says, “but I can see your point.”

“Plus, I’ve always heard that you judge a parent by the actions of their kids, and the Christians I know? They’re jerks! Our cheerleading squad has a couple of real Bible thumpers, and they’re some of the worst people I’ve ever met. They’re hypocritical, they’re mean, they have all kinds of sex …”

A joke along the lines of Why hasn’t anybody ever told me that before? I’d go to McKinley in a second! pops into Sebastian’s head, but now doesn’t seem like the time, even if it might break the tension that’s been building since Kurt first stepped on the ice.

“My dad is one of the best in the world. He doesn’t judge me. He doesn’t dole out random punishments. He doesn’t make me pray to him, or burn oxen in his honor. If I was going to base a religion around a single father figure, it would be him.”

Sebastian tries not to chuckle, but he fails with a snort. “I’d have to agree.”

“What about you?” Kurt asks, leaning into Sebastian’s change in direction. “What are your feelings about God and death and whatnot?”

“I don’t have any feelings about that.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t plan on dying.”

“Ha-ha,” Kurt says drily. “Seriously.”

“Seriously?” Sebastian sighs. This isn’t a question he likes to ponder all too often. Who does? “I don’t think about it. Then again, I haven’t had the reasons you’ve had to explore my thoughts about religion. My family isn’t particularly religious. I can’t remember us ever discussing it. There was the occasional prayer at the dinner table, but those were mostly reserved for holidays. I guess my parents felt it was generally understood that God exists; he’s the good guy; don’t steal, kill, or do drugs; and nothing else needed to be explained. But if I had to think about it …” Sebastian pauses for a long, hard swallow. He’s about to make a declaration out loud that he hasn’t yet resolved in his head, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true “… I’d have to say I agree with you. The Bible and Christianity and God … it’s comforting and all. But it doesn’t really make sense. But if there is a God, I hope he’s as forgiving as everyone claims, and we can just chalk this up to a huge misunderstanding.” Sebastian taps his right fist over his heart, then throws a peace sign to the sky, and Kurt laughs.

“Yeah. Here’s hoping.”

“Only time will tell. In eighty, a hundred years, we’ll know for sure.”

They complete a full circle of the rink, around the tree, past the candle on the ice, its LED flame flickering. Sebastian takes Kurt’s hands and lifts him up, pivots twice, then puts him back gently on his blades. It’s a move that makes Kurt smile every time, the kind of smile Sebastian needed to see – carefree and happy, at peace with the world in the only place he truly can be.

Kurt doesn’t stop smiling after they settle back into their rhythm, flushed cheeks round and red as apples. “One of the reasons I love skating is time doesn’t exist when you’re on the ice. You slip on your skates, you fly down the ice, the cold fills your lungs, and you feel like you’re going to live forever.”

“Yup. People would save a lot of money on cryogenics if they took up figure skating.”

“Absolutely. But the rink would be crowded all the time, so don’t tell anybody.”

“So, did you want to run your program again? Get another take?” Sebastian asks. He’s in no hurry to stop skating with Kurt, but there are things Kurt mentioned wanting to do today. Things he said were important.

Things Sebastian knows are a way to keep his mind off the exhibition, and Coach Amelia.

Kurt slows them down a bit. He slides closer to his boyfriend, rests his head on his shoulder. “No. I just want to keep doing this.”

“For how long?”

“I think … until the candle burns out.”

Sebastian smiles. “But it’s not a real candle.”

“Then we’re going to be here for a while.”

[childofchthon]

✦ Tʜᴇ Oʀɪɢɪɴ Oғ Wᴀɴᴅᴀ Mᴀxɪᴍᴏғғ ✦

↳ ❝I am Wanda Maximoff, and I have not always been the woman who stands before you... I was once troubled. I once devoted my power to the forces of evil. But isn’t that the case with every Maximoff? Isn’t it the case with everyone sired by Magneto? We do bad. We break rules. I assisted The Brotherhood Of Mutants. However, what led to such? What caused beauty and grace to become wicked? Well, I wasn’t necessarily wicked— Moreso confused. Pietro and I were homeless. We needed assistance. We turned to villagers, but they proved to be cruel souls. They were a lovely couple. We had food. We had shelter... Shelter— Oshtur, the word tastes like honey. That honey taste faded because of a lustful beast.❞

. . . . . . . . .

⤷ ❝Thus, we fled. After all, they wanted us dead. Villagers always want us dead... Mutants! Freaks! Sometimes I wish we hadn’t fled so easy. What if we had fought? Equality was so hard to obtain back then— Still is today. The X-Men endure discrimination. Inhumans endure discrimination... Discrimination seems to be inherent in mankind. But I can’t allow that to stop my progression into the future. Never again.. For I am an Avenger! And that has power. I can help those without a voice! I can command my magic to guide the weary youth. After all, I was once weary... Weary and prepared for rest. But rest will wait, because I have a problem.❞

. . . . . . . . .

⟼ ❝Along my way into adulthood— Avenger-hood... I became tainted. No, I was already tainted. It awakened in a way I hadn’t predicted. I channeled elemental chaos in its darkest form. I channeled the demon known as Chthon. At this point, possession and I are synonymous. He used me to enact deeds darker than night. Oh, Oshtur! How could I fall prey to your villainous brother? There’s a point in this little walk down memory lane... I have to return to my roots. How else will I uproot the tree that is Chthon? He is slowly killing me and I can feel it. If I die, he will bring me back up to use as a vessel of vengeance... Unjust vengeance. And I can’t have that. However, I don’t think I’ll be allowing such to even near completion. I’ve began collecting what I need to end his existence. And I’ll use his grimoire to do so.❞

. . . . . . . . .

⤷ ❝The Book Of Sins— Darkhold! It contains ancient magic. Its words are stained with evil. Can I use it to my advantage? Can I use darkness to make light? If I can make chaos into order, then yes... At least I believe so. It’s worth a shot. So far I’ve gathered Vengeance’s Breath, Gaea’s Essence, and Witchcraft’s Tears. If I die, someone tell Strange... He may be the only one who can stop me. He may be the only soul able to contain my darkness. Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme versus Hell’s Overlord. I seem to have horrid nightmares now. These infernal visions are the worst. I see blood raining down. I hear the horns blowing... And... And I see Pietro— Dead.❞

. . . . . . . . .

↳ ❝It’s difficult being strong. Then again, it’s always been a struggle. I walk between the light and darkness. I am an agent of balance. However, you all know me better as The Scarlet Witch. One who is of magical descent. One who doesn’t submit to the demands of evil. Chthon thinks he has won! Everyone always thinks that... And they’re never right. Never look away from me as I am weaving spells! After all, Chthon, I am of your power! Your power will undo your existence! Won’t it? I smile because I’m confident. You hide because you are cowardly. I have loved ones backing me! I have the power of Oshtur behind my wings! Don’t worry— For I will remain unfazed! I will forever be an Avenger!❞

[nautiscarader]

The Dragon Prince - Season 2

It is very rare to see a show which has improved in nearly every aspect, but lo and behold, TDP season 2 delivers more. 

Just... more. 

More drama, more characters, more action, more humor, and more dark, complex, and mature storylines.

Spoilers galore beneath

First and foremost, I am very happy that the animation department has listened to our cries - the choppy animation is no more. The cell-shaded animation is odd, but it certainly no longer distracting from the action. And if you want to watch TDP season 2, then you need to pay attention to everything on the screen, because the things that happen on the screen are marvellous. 

The ongoing story, together with expanded flashbacks are excellent, and make the world believable and realistic. Wars do not happen in one day, they are the effects of years of conflicts, slowly building up, and the show has given us excellent reasons to believe and be invested in them.

Very few shows have created such interesting villains like this one. Soren, Claudia and their father, Viren aren’t just evil. They are not evil overlords and kidnappers - they are properly constructed characters with deep motivations. 

Viren is a pragmatist, who is slowly consumed by the dark magic, thus skewing his morals. His children follow his steps, though themselves start to realise he might be wrong, and yet come to the same reasoning as he did: that power can be used to overcome problems, even if it done in an immoral way.

Our protagonist grow up as well: I was mighty afraid that the show will do the “liar reveal” cliché between the brothers, or between Rayla and Callum, regarding the news of their father’s death, but fortunately, the writers have dodged the bullet on two occasions, because of proper build-up and the mountain of trust between the three (or four, since Claudia delivered it). The lessons they learned were deep, life-changing and not easy to swallow, and I think they accepting them will help kids all over the world. 

Speaking of difficult things to bear: Soren’s kinda-disability. the way it was handled was magnificent, albeit with Soren’s slightly awkward acceptance of it. But Claudia? She reacted just like you would if you were hit with such grave news. Characters in TV shows get slammed all over place without any bones breaking, but here? No, they did not joke. A dragon smashes you into a rock, you get a spine broken. End of story. On one hand, it would be interesting to see his character with the disability, but given he is a part of the cast, it would be problematic, I guess. And Claudia using Bambi’s life forces to revive his ability to walk might have even more dire consequences. Will she have to sacrifice more and more animals to keep him alive? Will the dark magic flowing through him corrupt him? Will Soren have to sacrifice his ability to walk in order to cleanse himself? Who knows, the possibilities are quite vast.  

Speaking of possessions: Callum and dark magic. That was something I wanted to see in S2, and I think it has been handled really well. Callum has potential to be a dark wizard, and while he has discovered his sky arcaneum, I have a feeling he will be tempted to dabble with dark magic in the future, breaking our hearts again.

And on top of that, you have relationships. Callum, Rayla and Ezran have very different connections to Soren and Claudia, as, say, Team Avatar to Zuko and Azula. 

Callum and Ezra were - and arguably are - friends with Claudia and Soren, they do have strong bonds (in case Callum and Clauida something even stronger), since they’ve known each other since childhood. It is not just a hero/villain cliché - they are, once again, well-defined characters, and as a result their relationships are strong, well-grounded and believable.

And the hugs between Rayla and Callum are melting all of shippers’ hearts, I cannot overlook that (but still no kiss, or almost kiss yet, but have almost had “I love you”).

The action is superb. Fight scenes are fast, well-planned, and gripping, exactly what you’d expect from a fantasy series. 

And of course, with a whole new half of continent to explore, as well as half a dozen plot lines in the human half to resolve, new seasons will have tons of opportunities to once again punch us in the gut, make us laugh, cry and be thrilled.

So, are there any negative aspects...?

Well... yeah.

One thing that is kinda unavoidable, are the parallels to Avatar The last Airbender. From occasional jokes and subtle nods, like with the haiku and syllables counting, through slightly more transparent like the animal hybrids, through bloody-freaking-obvious, like Callum being an airbender. Or sky mage, or whatever you name them here. It is pretty weird to see this happening again, since, well, it invokes the parallels to ATLA instantly, and let’s face it, ATLA is still better, so you might not necessarily want to remind us of a show we’d rather watch, Dragon Prince. 

Another one is Ezran’s character. Mind you, he got better in S2, especially with the revelation of his father becoming a spirit birb hybrid dying forever, but he is just a bit bland and too perfect for a 10-year old. I joked about it in my recaps, but he is jesus - he can do no wrong. And that is bloody boring! Look at Callum - he has flaws, he makes mistakes, that’s what makes him complex. And what does Ezran do? He goes off-track and can’t even get himself mauled by a banther properly. Get rekt.

He reminds me of Charlie from Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate factory - that kid was freaking perfect, without any flaws whatsoever, spewing moralistic phrases left, right and center, contrary to the one from the book and the classic movie. 

Plus, his abilities are never explained, and are so damn plot convenient! It is one thing to just having a skill of handling animals - that I would accept - another thing is being able to understand them - that’s a bit too much, but still cool - and something wildly different is TO HAVE A DIRECT MIND LINK WITH THEM. Ezran is OP, pls nerf. And the worst thing is, with just a bit of clever rewriting, they wouldn’t need that. Just move the splitting scene after they cross the moonpath bridge - so that Ezran is still with Zim when he has to fly to save them. Solved.

I guess you can make a counter-argument that he also learns it, just like Callum does with magic, but guess what: Callum makes mistakes, so we see he learns! I would like to see Ezran mistranslating some wild animal’s wish and getting comeuppance when he has to run up the tree. I KNOW! BRING THE TAFFY HIPPO FROM HIS DREAM! YES! HE WILL BE HIS SPIRIT TEACHER! Ekhm, what was I talking about? Oh yeah, Ezran’s unexplained abilities.  

In fact, I think so far TDP kinda delivered a disappointing deus-ex-machina payoffs in both seasons: mind link in S2 and Zim’s magic-breaking teeth in S1 allowing Reyla to have her hand. I was slightly disappointed then, and I was slightly disappointed now.

But I am willing to forgive it. Because quite literally anything else in the series is top-notch. The characters, for the most part, are complex and three-dimensional. The decisions they take are not simple and black-and-white. The villains are superb and blood-freezing, being able to scare you from the screen. They have added just enough Azula and Ozai juice to Viren and Aavaros to make them menacing and entertaining to watch. I love it.

On more than a few occasions the show has caught me off-guard and surprised me with its decisions, and I cannot wait for more of them. 

[sieben9]

“it’s not easy being green” impressions

Well, there's good news and bad news.

The bad news...

Yeah.

The good news is that this episode of "oh look, more pain!" is delivered by the best collection of one-liners since the Cricket Game.

"You're insane!" "Besides the point."

God, I missed this sparkly asshole.

Look, I try to get my joy where I can find it. See how well I managed under the cut.

And the parade of terrible OUaT-parents continues!

You know, I’ve had this theory that Henry’s “you’re adopted” conversation didn’t go too well, but… probably still better than this one.

Also, Walsh is back!

Hi, Walsh

Sorry things went like they did, buddy, you seemed kind of nice. (In an untrustworthy way, I mean.)

OK, Once, we have to talk. Specifically, if you want some sympathy for the devil, maybe wait an episode or three between the painful character death and the tragic backstory. Yes, I know, shorter seasons, but I just checked, and there were ten full episodes between "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" and "The Stable Boy". Maybe you could have found room for two? Also, you know, less of the gloating over the grieving parent. That... may have helped.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think the episode's effect was deliberate. Yes, this was Zelena's "evil isn't born, it's made" story, and it's clear that her awful home life damaged her badly, but still... there was this whole theme about "her insides showing", and while Regina obviously started out as a kind girl who, between Cora and Rumple, got pushed around until she broke and then just kept going that direction, because what would have been the point otherwise, Zelena just... well, whines a lot.

.3 seconds between finding out she has a sister and hating her guts has got to be some kind of record, though

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this is a bad backstory, I was just left with that “cool motive, still murder” impression. I did feel sorry for young Zelena to an extent. It just wasn't a very big one.

Also, this episode was a good reminder why I called OUaT "Dramatic Irony, the series", because each and every interaction between young Zelena and sparkly Rumple had me cringing in my seat. Not because they were bad (honestly, these two are amazing together and seeing them play this entirely different dynamic was a joy to watch), but because uuuugh, it's all about to go so terribly wrong and then it's going to go even more terribly wrong in the future, and everything is awful!

so the guy rejects you and you decide to, take away his autonomy, lock him in a cage, and kill his son? ...yeah, that seems healthy. and proportionate.

Anyway, back in the present, something entirely unexpected happened.

I genuinely enjoyed the Hook-subplot. And I know why, too. He wasn't being weirdly "flirty“ or demanded anything in return for taking care of Henry, he just seemed genuinely concerned with keeping Bae's son out of trouble and honouring his memory by telling Henry a little about his father. It was nice. I seem to like Hook best when he's in the role of "that weird cousin who's not really related to any of us, but we let him hang out anyway". Yes, I know, not exactly snappy.

Anyway, also in the present: witch fight!

Not going to lie, after I was done writhing on the ground in agony, because no, Rumple, this was hands down my favourite part of the episode. And not just because Regina punched Zelena in the face. ...also because of that, but not just. The fight showcased both their abilities and their character very well. Zelena is clearly more powerful, but she works completely alone -- well, there's Rumple, but only under extreme protest. Regina, on the other hand, basically wins this round (alright, "survives" is more what happened), because she could trust another person enough to keep her greatest weakness safe for her. That's some grade-A character growth right there.

I'm not quite sure how this arc will wrap up, exactly, but if Regina (and the ways she's grown as a person) don't play a significant role in defeating her sister, I will be very disappointed. They've already set up all these connections, parallels, and contrasts. Would be good to do something with them.

Oh, and the whole snark off during the fight ("Black is my colour!" or "Never bring your heart to a witch fight")? Pure awesome. Very good and happy stuff to set off all the awful, earlier.

What "awful", you ask? So glad you did! (Nope, no getting out of this, I had to suffer and so do you)

kudos to Belle for NOT getting in there with him, though; good genre-savvy

Turns out even True Love doesn't help all that much against the dagger's control. Damnit. I really had some hope for a while there. Not that he'd get out, because we're not quite there, yet, in the season arc, but maybe some hint that Belle could help him free himself? Just a little one? Ah, well. Guess we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way, after all. And I am glad that they made at least a token attempt at getting Rumple out of there. Mind you, it was motivated by "oh no, Gold will kill us all" rather than "holy crap she's got the guy in a dog kennel", but at least they tried...

(Also, seriously, can't someone pickpocket the dagger away from the woman or something? Not looking at you, Robin, but basically looking at you, Robin.)

I think that's everything. Oh, one honourable mention goes to the best-worst one-liner, because it was so drenched in gallow's humour, I could almost hear the rope creak.

"What, no meat pie?"

I'd tell you not to snark at the unstable lady with your remote control dagger, but honestly it can't get much worse at this point. Snark away

And after all that, we finally know both Zelena’s motivation and goal. Which is... uh... Time travel, huh?

Should... should we tell her about the hat? I mean, no, obviously we should not tell her about the hat, but I'm just saying. You may be making this overly complicated, lady.

Then again, this is not the face of someone who cares about little things like that, is it?

You know, from what I've just seen, the episode title is a complete and utter lie. It's not being green that's difficult.

Also, I just wanted to mention something that's been bothering me on an Evil Overlord List level. There's absolutely no need to keep Rumple in that cage. She could have put him in the guest room and said "stay here", and that would have had the same effect. Yes, I know, not the point, but still. It's unprofessional, lady.

[sun-scorned]

Rhaast Takes a Personality Quiz

“I am not taking that quiz. No way am I giving anyone grounds to compare me to Neon Me.”

“Okay then, I’ll take it.”

“Let’s do this.”

“There’s no ‘tear it to pieces’ option? What a ripoff. Except ripping things off isn’t a choice they have, so I guess it’s punching.”

“Blasting does sound fun, but a no-holds-barred deathmatch sounds even more fun. Maybe I can get some of the other pirates to join in so I can fight them too.”

“Worst case, it’s a trap and we kill them and take their stuff. Best case, they've got something useful to tell us and will give us some of their stuff willingly for saving them.”

“Homegrown cheese? Does that mean the ship has a cow on it? Hell yeah, free milk!  And we can always eat the cow later.”

“That whole ‘overlord’ thing hasn’t worked out so great historically. And why limit myself to only terrorizing the weak? I say find cool stuff on new planets and kill it as needed.”

“I guess you can’t kill everything up close and personal if you’re in space.”

“If by ‘somebody’ you mean ‘whoever stole MY yogurt I had MY NAME ON’, then yeah.”

“Oh, the looks on their faces when they realize I don’t have arms...totally gonna be worth it! And then once they’re on the ship I can get someone responsible to lecture them anyway.”

“Don’t get all teary-eyed, I’m just picking the first option because I literally can’t die.”

“Inner peace? Inner peace!? BWAHAHAHA! Inner...ahahahaha! Oh man, that option went out the window a hell of a long time ago. Yeah anyway, I’m gonna go look at cool stuff and freak out the other shoppers.”

“A famous virus? Huh, I guess that’s one way to classify Darkin. Wait, what do you mean they’re putting me in the responsible role? Dammit!”

“Must be that power of friendship you admitted to.”

“I just picked that because it was the first option!”

“Guess I’ll have to put those friendship bracelets on hold.”

“Oh, please. Even if you could manage to get the thing to not slide off me, it’d get soaked the minute we killed someone. Wait a minute. Kayn. I just realized that a blood-spattered friendship bracelet is my EXACT aesthetic.”

[demyrie]

Prompt: All Might is deaged to his prime at about 30. Aizawa doesn’t need this reminder of his sexual awakening. All Might is intrigued by the scruffy looking teacher that’s avoiding/ignoring him. (YES I WANT SEXY TIMES BRING IT ON)

Thanks honeybun!! I didn’t make it to sexy times but HERE’S TO THE NEW YEAR!! Thank you for hanging out with me guys!! Your comments and excitement give me life, and also y’all are funny and cute and I’m super grateful to be in this cuddly old man fandom

===

Red (Prompt: De-aged All Might and hopelessly crushing Aizawa who is NOT DOING THIS THANK YOU)

===

An unfortunate fact: Aizawa Shoutablushed a lot when he was a kid.

Correction, he blushed a shit-ton andit was somehow naturally wired into his body as a defense mechanism.He was awkward to a fault, especially into his teens at UA, andanything he cared about elicited the same whiplash of reaction: thewanting and the fear of wanting, which hardened to a protectivescorn. The worst part was, even as he had erected a vast andwell-oiled mental mechanism to shutter his feeble nerves and be thepicture of standoffish arrogance in the face of slander and bullying,Aizawa’s body reliably sent gallons of blood rushing to his cheeksand the end result just made him look stupid.

And mostly, that’s what it was: lookingstupid. He got over it.

As his will to demonstrate how verylittle he cared ebbed with the passing years, and in keeping with thelimited fucks he had at his disposal once he started teaching, by thetime it was the winter of his Xth year at UA, homeroom teacher to1-A, Aizawa hadn’t blushed in years. Then he did.

And as with most things, it would havebeen unpleasant but normal and completely non-world-ending if Hizashihadn’t been nearby when it happened.

“So!”

“So,” Aizawa repeated tiredly,keeping his eyes on the sidewalk in front of him, as he walked. Asthey walked, he corrected himself, like he needed to. It was agrand effort to ignore his very peculiar companion, whom he wasleading around backstreets of the neighborhood to avoid being spottedby a passerby and unleashing pandemonium.

No one could see what had happened.That was Nedzu’s strict order and Aizawa never betrayed the Principalfor a variety of reasons, the predominant one being that their rodentoverlord was right 99.9% of the time. The homeroom teacher comfortedhimself that the media would be busy enough with the scene they leftbehind downtown, and so plunged deeper into the old-fashioned maze ofalleyways that made up the residential area around UA.

The two men walked mostly in silence,their booted feet crunching through the flakey, brittle layer of snowalready coating the street as the white tidbits tumbled down fasterand faster from the flat grey sky. Maybe it was his imagination, butAizawa swore he could feel shockwaves from every step of the manbehind him. It was as if the very snow moved differently as it fellaround him, giving him a wide berth or just melting in thesupernatural heat radiating from his herculean body.

It wasn’t usual, to get to see thepowerful, illustrious All Might moving at anything less than lightspeed. It was even odder to see him outshining the very snow in hisphysical prime, a fresh-faced and relentlessly grinning late-twentiesmountain of muscle pacing behind a haggard-looking man dressed inblack and trying very, very hard to politely get his attention.

“So, we don’t know each other,” AllMight ventured at length, timid but maybe the third iteration of thequestion since they started their trek. Aizawa told himself to beunderstanding – Yagi’s mind was likely in disarray after the attackand the man already behaved like a needy canine on the best days, sothis nagging made an unpleasant kind of sense – and closed hisburning eyes, too tired to roll them.

“Not really,” he murmured, too lowto hear. Behind him, All Might made a perplexed noise, and Aizawacould almost see him put a hand to his clean-shaven, perfectlychiseled chin. But he wasn’t going to look, no. Under nocircumstances.

“I could swear I do. Know you, thatis, although I don’t know from where. It’s odd, this whole … thing.Peculiar. I swear just yesterday I was in the country…” Thehorrendously young hero trailed off, then cleared his throat. “IsYakushima still, um, there?”

“Yakushima still stands. This isn’tsome apocalyptic future.”

“Oh, good,”All Might said with a gusty sigh, then prodded a little further asthey scaled a narrow staircase, his deep voice pleasant and oh-socharming. “Have you ever been to see the Yakushima cedars? They’requite beautiful in the winter, covered in snow. Just like now.”

“You were hit with a de-aging Quirkwith a memory component,” Aizawa continued in low, grinding tones,like he hadn’t heard. “That’s as much as we know until we cancontain the attacker. The experts Nedzu spoke to said it wouldprobably be a day a year until you’re back to normal.”

“Oh! That’s hardly anything!” theyoung hero exclaimed with relish, then his voice dropped. “I think.H-how old am I? Now? If I could ask?”

“No idea,” Aizawa said honestly,huddling down deeper into the coils of his capture weapon as theyturned the corner, pausing to scan for civilians. “My guess is thevillain intended to revert you to a child-like form in order tooverpower you, but their attack didn’t fully land.”

“Thanks to you, I’m told!”

“Mm,” he said, disinterested. Hefelt the energy of the man behind him finally, finally flag. He senta small, bitter prayer up to a god he didn’t really believe in.

And that was all, for a while, becauseit had to be. Aizawa walked a little faster, less concerned withreaching their destination than putting a little more distancebetween himself and the stupidly beautiful, perfect specimen of a manfollowing him with unflinching trust and far too many personalquestions.

This was not a good situation forAizawa. At all.

This was actually much more thanleading a (technically injured) ally away from the scene of a battleand into safe custody, because Aizawa really, really didn’t need theholy grail of protective masculinity and his violent gay awakeningincarnate standing there and making curious, flirtatious eyes at himevery time they stopped for a cross-walk signal. Especially when heand the actual Yagi, the troublesome scarecrow of a man he had toldnot to go running off to a random PIN notification from downtown whenthere were a whole squad of responders available to deal with it,were barely on speaking terms.

Yagi had not listened and Aizawa hadbeen forced to follow and deal with the aftermath. All Might, now atwenty-something demi-god, was also the only one of the bunch fromthe melee who had escaped the particular villain’s Quirk with theirlanguage skills intact, so Aizawa mollified himself that he wasn’tcarrying an eerily grinning toddler back to UA. Although, with asbaffled and helpless as young, amnesiac All Might currently was, itwasn’t hard to imagine.

“You look cold,” the idiotcommented as they passed another open restaurant door and Aizawainstinctively paused a minute by the heat streaming out. Pricked, thehomeroom teacher kept moving.

“I’m not,” Aizawa lied, even as hisstiff fingers were shoved in his armpits. He had run out without ajacket to respond to the situation at Nedzu’s request and the fastestway to travel was via his capture weapon, which left him wind-raw andchilled to his bones in this weather. He was fucking miserable andhad been for half an hour.

“You should walk closer to me. Idon’t mind,” All Might added earnestly, giving a short, sunny laughand, god forbid, walking a little faster. Drawing a little closer, tomake his point. “People tell me I’m like a portable heater! It’s areal help in mountain rescues. Do you go to the mountains at all?”

Rather than simply refusing him like anadult male, or telling him off like he would one of his kids, Aizawahissed at All Might.

He did. He hissed, like a corneredanimal. It started as a snort but then his teeth just locked in thecold and he hissed and just kept walking, and that’s when the pricklestarted in his cheeks. Spreading. Reddening. Engulfing.

“Did you just …” All Mightuttered faintly, stunned.

Aizawa was almost running now, like anidiot, although the hero’s long, liquid strides hardly registered thedifference in pace.

“Hurry up,” he grit out, nearlyrunning blind for all the snow clotting his eyelashes. “We’realmost to the meeting point.”

“If you’re willing to be carried for a second, I could, ah, jump us there –”

“I said, move. With yourfeet.”

God, what was he even fucking saying?

When they arrived in the designatedcourtyard, All Might’s famous persistence made one last appearance,apparently just for reputation’s sake. As Aizawa took shelterunderneath an awning, trying not to shiver too obviously as theywaited for their UA contact to meet them, All Might came to a haltbeside him. It was a respectable distance, he would grant the manthat, but Aizawa made the mistake of reflexively glancing up: meetinghis eyes, All Might grinned down at him as if from out of a magazinespread fifteen years ago, golden and handsome and utterly,breathtakingly shy.

For that moment, he was fourteen again,trying to parse the hot, squirming sensation rising in his belly ashe looked at a luxurious full-page magazine spread of a recliningshirtless hero who, logically, should have just inspired his heroicvalues. Aizawa gulped, one breath away from panicking.

“I really appreciate you helping mein that fight, even if I can’t remember it. It’s been quite a day,but I wanted to say … thank you.”

“Yeah,” he said, just to stop him,but it didn’t work.

“And just because we don’t know eachother doesn’t mean we … ah, can’t,” All Might said quietly, oneenormous hand to his neck. His breath plumed out of his chappedmouth, somehow majestic, and Aizawa’s poor frozen body shook just imagining howdeliciously warm his lips would be. “I don’t really know where Iam, or what’s going on, but … I know that I’d like to see youagain. Is that … okay?”

His brain, Aizawa’s entire fuckingbrain, had to reboot. If he wasn’t bright, scalding red before, hewas now, and he was also not doing this.

“If you’re at UA for now, I’ll bearound,” Aizawa muttered once he unstuck his throat, staying firmlybehind the curtain of his snow-crusted hair so this young paragon ofsex appeal couldn’t see his miserable flush. Suffering, dying withravenous resurrected teenaged lust, he added mentally, everytime you turn the corner.

He would most certainly be taking hisfive years of stored-up vacation days this week, and every week afteruntil Yagi, scarecrow Yagi, was back and no longer quite the assaulton his libido. He wasn’t bad, but mostly he wasn’t this. Thiswas awful.

The two heroes stood silently togetherunder the awning and, to all extents, that was it. Aizawa had madeit: he’d managed it and pulled it off, not giving his surrealchildhood crush the barest of hints that such a violent attractioneven existed, boiling underneath his skin. He could even blame anyredness on the snow.

“Hey, hey, hey! What’s the news,dudes? Nedzu said we’ve got a situation on our paws, here!”

Enter: Yamada “Present Fuckhead Mic”Hizashi, perpetual fretter, professional life-ruiner,somehow-still-best-friend.

“Ahhh! Shouta what the hell, did youforget your hat again? It’s snowing!”

It was half situational anxiety andhalf muscle memory that Aizawa stiffened on the spot as Hizashi ranup to them, already scolding him about his winter wear or lackthereof. After a bit of digging in his saddle bag, his best friendunearthed a hat and immediately shoved it on his head. In winter,Hizashi always carried a hat for the very rare circumstance that itwas cold enough to merit messing up his hair, and possibly becauseShouta never carried one. It was like together, they made onefunctional, fully-dressed adult.

That would have been fine, well withinthe kinds of abuse Aizawa was accustomed to, if his friend hadn’ttugged the hat down over his eyes like a jackass and smashed hisburning cheeks in his hands and just kept going.

“Look at you, you’re all red!Christmas red! Yannoe, I keep telling you but with your blood type,you really shouldn’t –“

He growled, tried to shove him off, butthen his best friend’s eyes focused like lime-green scanners,dangerously sharp behind his glasses and for just a second Aizawaremembered that he wasn’t actually a dumbass.

“Wait just a minute.”

“Hizashi,” he hissed,growl-screamed, little more than a desperate gurgle in his throat.

“Are you blushing? Holy smokes,you’re blushing!” he crowed, letting him to only to punch him onthe arm and grin in his face. “You never blush! You see someonecute on the way back, or what? You cruisin’ on the job, yascalliwag?”

“Fucking – Hi-za-shi!”

It was only then, with Aizawaphysically paralyzed by the sheer amount of blood in his face andstaring knives through the so-called hero, that Hizashi actuallyglimpsed beyond the man he’d dedicated his life to humiliating andsaw.

“Oh my god,” Hizashi said, agape.“We do have a situation.”

“It seems we do,” came the chucklefrom behind him.

Steeling himself, blood sitting heavyin his neck and cheeks, Aizawa turned to see the Symbol of Peacestanding tall behind them … looking not at the loud, awfulnewcomer, but square at Aizawa with a knowing glint in his eye and aroguish grin. That kind of look that said someone knew they were hot.Very hot, and it made a kind of sense to Aizawa’s broken,blood-deprived brain: the heat coming off his sculpted, latex-slickedbody was so intense, it felt like spring just standing next to him.

As he watched, All Might reached up andbrushed a fuzzy layer of snow from his stupid hair, making sure togratuitously flex his bicep on the way up and cock his hip like aporn star.

Aizawa gulped audibly. He was utterlyfucked. And that was before Nedzu appointed him as All Might’sofficial nanny for the next two weeks and the de-aging didn’t exactlygo to plan.

[thefatdrunkdragon]

The Worst RPer I have ever met (Nemo Saga Chapter 3)

 Okay, so let’s talk about the first worst RP and my worst Idea first. The Spooky RP.

 This idea should be on the list of unlikely and terrible crossover ideas ever. Simply imagine Spooky’s House of Jumpscares except no 1000 rooms, the layout is more akin to the Arklay Mansion and the spooky monsters that hunt you down are replaced with the Zeds from Killing Floor 2. This was during a time in my life where I had worse ideas in mind, and while I am not fully better, I’m slowly improving the ideas and concepts of something else before I end up doing the mistake of writting the “Life is Eldritch” Fanfiction... ANYWAY!

 The Plot of this RP I told to Nemo was that my Characters had taken over a small abandoned mansion and turned into an a haunted house attraction where an AI would sorta pick what monster comes out while a female character named Kate decides to do the voices to do some kind of a twisted warning about it. I told it to Nemo and he accepted it. Only because it had spooky and he was a big fan of Markiplier. And don’t worry, Markiplier doesn’t make a cameo.

 Anyway, we begin this RP tale in October 30th, where the next day would soon be Velora’s Birthday (yi-fucking-pey). After some random bullshit where some dude through coffee on Velora’s Face for no reason, Everyone goes to the Mansion near the Villa.

Short Explanation: The Villa is a small abandoned “Town” that was half finished and forgotten by the government. The few buildings finished are just the town plaza and the Mansion own by a man who’s name is forgotten. The mansion is the setting for this RP.

 Anyway, they go in, dressed as a bunch of Emo’s and are told the rules. Nemo thought he was being sneaky when he and his mommy sues brought guns but I counter acted this by telling them that the monsters were incapable of harming them and in having a gun, they deprive themselves of the horror of a Haunted Mansion.

 But then fucking suddenly, Anathalia’s Archnemesis, Adelie (Brothel Owner lady), shows up and takes Anathalia. But Nemo then handcuffs her and the police take her away.

This won’t be the last time this shit happens.

 Within minutes we show them the mansion and how it works. While he was trying to push me into having Exposition dumped into my face, I tried to introduce the RP’s Main threat, the Spooky Hologram (I’ll explain what the fuck I was trying to do at the end of the story, because explaining everything here is confusing.) Needless to say, I forgot to mention to Nemo that this RP, while taking the title of Spooky, was a complete diversion from the games but he is still convincing himself he played through this game and it’s nothing.

 So the objective of this haunted mansion thing was to have people choose a direction and try to go through with it. Think of it like an escape room, except you’re trying to escape the house from mutants who can’t fully hurt you but can give you one hell of scare with their wails and hissing. Nemo and Velora chose the Basement while Anathalia chose the Second Floor. And then the games started.

 Then fucking suddenly, Adelie shows up (No details about how the fuck she escaped) and asks around for Anathalia to bring her back the brothel (Because kidnapping a “famous celebrity”, and doing so is more trouble than it’s worth!) and Nemo decided to have Kate (The person that we both created and the voice of the Spooky Hologram) go and try to defend Anathalia. It was there where Anathalia decided to choose Kate as another candidate, but Aiden and Ruby (Aiden being a sort of avatar of mine and Ruby being an obvious nod to an artist I like and a Female Dragon) tried to defuse the situation but Nemo comes and tries to stop the situation by threatening Adelie with a gun (Yeah, dipshit ignored da rules of the mansion and somehow had another gun.) But before anything could go any further, The cops show up and she is taken to a jail in paris yet again. Making this whole conflict pointlessly unnecessary.

 Meanwhile, Nemo and his mommy sues returned to the Maze and he keeps brushing off minor things that aren’t being part of the game as part of the game. I know it’s a sort of method for us to calm the fuck down but he was so smug about how the “escape mansion” was just like the Spooky game. Until he reached the laboratory, where the Killing Floor Zeds were being stored and manufactured. He at first brushed it off, until the lights of the lab came on and he saw them all, these hideous freaks all moving around in their cages, waiting for an opportunity to tear into him like a lion on a gazelle.

 He still continued to brush it off, but it was there where the Hologram made it clear that No one in the control room is doing this, it is now running the show and will now unleash these freaks for its own amusement. But leave it to Nemo to try and deflate the scary moment by adding in fucking “bachata” music (Bachata being a sort social dance music for us latinos). I wanted to go with a sort of dark like tone and he just adds unnecessary BS like this and just ruins it.

 It is after that the spooky AI was going to decide to unleash the monsters on them and he would have to escape the mansion with his life. 

Big. Fucking. NOPE

 He teleports away to safety, ruining the conflict so bad that I argued for a re-do because it was that insulting. I know It sounds annoying but jesus christ! I shouldn’t have done this because all I did was prolong the agony further.

 Anyway, It was there where Spooky had tried to force Nemo and his Mary Sues to pick a path and stick to it. His mary sues had the attention span of toddlers because they ignore everything she says, asks her about what is it like being a ghost (Despite the fact I told him in the beginning it was a Hologram.) and then I decided to pull a Deus Ex Machina out of my Ass and just have her ZAP away their powers. Nemo’s Response?

 Nemo(From the Archived RP I had): Did you know you can't do that to me, right? I'm different.

 Ofcourse he doesn’t want to play fair. Ofcourse, OFCOURSE! He has to act like he’s such a SPECIAL AND UNIQUE Snow flake. I was so sickened by this that instead of teleporting away, he just rushed the scary moments of being chased by the Zeds and then he escaped to the control room. Where the dipshit begins to change the subject to an unimportant side plot about how Adelie found Anathalia. I won’t explain the details, but it had something to do with a Hot Topic employee being a spy for Adelie and such bullshit.

 I broke character as Aiden, so tired of this inane bullshit, decides to grab a rifle, arm Eddie and an unpaid janitor, to go down the basement and take care of the monsters before they get out and then, just because I realized how much of a fucking mistake both the RP and the attraction was, I would burn down the mansion. Nemo gets offended that we were going to destroy the mansion and tells us to leave. So we do, and Nemo then decides that the next logical solution is to MURDER MY FUCKING CHARACTER and throw his body out of the rooftop of the mansion, ignoring all the other characters trying to kill him.

 But it’s okay gais! Because it turns out it was a Demon call Jack, Who was making him do the bad thing and Nemo has the most anti-climatic battle. I wanna take this moment to take another quote from the RP. Because I never noticed it and now that I do, I find it so hilarious

His friends like Ruby, Anathalia and Kate are in shock. What will they do without (Nemo)? They'll never know.

 Well, I can tell you one thing. Ruby would not miss someone who just happened to have Killed their friend in cold blood when there was never a sign of this possesion to begin with!

 So after an anticlimatic battle that could fit in the confines of a tweet, Nemo defeats the Demon and the day was saved. And he swept away all the problems by reviving my character and had all of my characters go “Oh, It wasn’t Nemo, it was a demon! He was the good guy all along.” And then there was a party.

 Aiden, Despite being revived by his “Saviour” has not forgotten his goal. So I told everyone to get ready for a big firework display. And everyone gave their stupid recommendations.

 At first the house had a minor explosion, before the memories of that shitty night were erased in a massive ball of fire. Bringing a huge smile on my face and an angry Nemo on my character’s face. He got into some whiny bullshit about how he would buy the land and rebuild it for the Vampire Clan or some Bullshit, and since the Vampire Clan was so Big and Important to the government, I took it a step further by lighting the flag on fire and telling him “I’ll call you for a war declaration later.” He repeats how I’m offending the vampire overlords but I told him I never gave a fuck. And he just flipped my character off.

 and that was the worst RP I have ever had with Nemo, and it sure as Shit would not be the last.

And now... A brief explanation on what in the actual fuck was the POINT of the Spooky RP:

 The idea for the Spooky RP was inspired by my experience playing KF2 on a free weekend on Steam while also learning about Spooky’s House Of Jumpscares. So I had a thought: Why not have an RP where there is a sort of Spooky Esque character trying to narrate your “demise” while also being chased by zeds. Although not mentioned in the RP, the origins of the Zeds come from the Mansions “Laboratory” level below the Basement, and when Aiden and Eddie first found it, they were stuck down the for a day until they shredded their way out. It was there where Aiden had the bright idea of creating the escape mansion to make a quick buck. But since they can’t just go and kill them, the characters decide that the best course of action is to lead the zeds out of the basement, trap it and try to declaw or detooth them, due to how dangerous those parts can be. As the mansion was built and the AI was already created, the AI went through an “Ultron Phase” as I like to call it, looking through video footage of the somehow working cameras of the mansion and seeing both Eddie and Aiden harming this creatures for entertainment purposes. So it plotted their demise and its plan to release the creatures out into the streets of Puerto Rico just for giggles. How the “Spooky AI” spoke was by replicating a lot of Kates Vocals and then mimicking it in a same pitch and everything. Yeah, it doesn’t make a lot of sense but I tried to atleast come up with a good idea before it got ruined horribly.

I should’ve quit after the SteamPunk disaster but I guess I’m responsible for my own demise when it comes to bad RPs. And like a masochist, I just kept coming for more.

[maqicool]

Get to know me

I was tagged by my robot overlord @serenefreakgeek thank you so much

Rules: answer the questions in a new post and tag 10 blogs you would like to get to know there aren't 10 blogs I'm comfortable enough with tagging, so heh. If you want to do it, Consider this me tagging you

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Age: 19 and turning twenty and terrified

Birthplace: Galveston, Texas

Current time: 1:52 am

Drink you last had: watermelon cucumber sparkling water

Easiest person to talk to: i have 2 for different reasons. Parker bc i saw their dick and there's literally nothing i can ever say that's more embarrassing than that moment. Also they know literally everything about me?? Things I've only ever told my family because they NEEDED to know. Rook bc i just kinda never run out of things to say with them?? The conversation just continues and it can be well into the morning and we're still talking. (Also such a smol bean. Love love love love)

Favorite song: uhhh ok any from Hamilton. But at the moment, because it has my favourite quotes ever, Wait For it. From Hamilton. I mean, "i am the one thing in life i can control"??? "Love does not discriminate between the sinners and the saints. It takes and it takes and it takes and we keep loving anyway.." ?? Luis??? Come on man.

Grossest memory: Before i start, let me tell you that I've been changing diapers since i was seven. My mother was the director of a daycare and i would help out. I was well behaved and i needed something to do after school. I know how to change a diaper. Ok so I'm ten years old and i have a nephew now andI'm changing his diaper bc i know how. ... I was shot in the face. Ok and that's not all. I refastened it and waited until he was finished. Cleaned my face. Went back bc he still needed changing. Hee was done peeing and i was taking it off and i just witnessed a baby pooping and i screamed and the little shit head giggled. I shit you not, he giggled like he knew what he was doing and liked it

Hogwarts house: Slytherclaw

In love: does it have to be an hp character? Bc if so: Ron Weasley. If not, Wade fucking Wilson

Jealous of people: Not really? I don't know what type of jealously it means, but not really. If i see someone has something i want, if i can work to get it, that's what I'll do. If someone isn't getting everything they need from me, i want them to be able to get it from other people. Like-- short of infidelity, idgaf what you do and with who. Just be safe and happy. Prosper and bloom

Killed someone: No, but i did put someone in the hospital for reasons and he knows what he fucking did.

Love at first sight or should i walk by you again: uhhh my demiaro ass is gonna say you should walk by a couple of times and then buy me a coffee, but i can love people platonically way before i get romantic feelings. (And if i get them at inconvenient times, i can literally talk myself out of them)

Middle name: Oh god gross. Ok birth: Char'quelle (idek if I'm spelling it right i never use it and have never written. Just had on papers already there.) Chosen: August

Number of siblings: 15+. I was told there was more. I used to know the exact number, but i forgot it. Yeah. My biological father doesn't know how to use a condom.

One wish: that i can get away. It's selfish, but eh

Person you called last: My mother. She called me and left a 25 second voicemail where she didn't say anything at all.

Question you are always asked: Truth or dare? No jk i don't get asked questions. I'm not that interesting

Reasons to smile: in no particular order, captain America's ass, my friends, Shuri's "WHAT ARE THOSE!?", drarry, fanfiction, gen spiderman fanfiction where it's just really freaking domestic and the avengers are protecting Peter bc he's a literal infant and Tony has a heart and aww, seeing my friends geek out about things they love, Karen's laugh, Thomas Sanders, jon Cozart, Thomas Sanders and jon cozart collabs

Song you sang last: Meant to be Yours from Heathers the musical

Time you woke up: i fell asleep and woke up at like midnight

Underwear color: Blue

Worst habit: I pick at my lips. I tap my fingers to my thumb and just kinda like count?? It's a nervous tick. I also fidget and touch my face a lot typically around my glasses but yeah

X-rays: teeth for dental. Lungs for pneumonia those times.

Your favourite food: I really like quiche

Zodiac sign: Sagittarius

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Tagging: ( you don't have to if you don't want to ) @booknymph02 @magicalxme @o0o-chibaken-o0o @ anyone who wants to!