#on the other hand hes making a real genuine effort to be present in the world around him and appreciate its beauties

[majorasnightmare]

also i never post about it but dirges career path post epilogue utterly delights me. his warlock pact is specifically to find or produce novel information to be witnessed through his eye for his patron, so in return for providing the magic fuel source and after fully deciphering the necromancy of thay, dirge just skips the skeleton and zombies bit of necromancy and gets to the "blurring the veil between life and death" part, and sets about transmuting dead flesh into chimerical abominations animated by necromantic ritual and powered by eldritch strength from beyond the stars. theyre technically soulless, with primitive notochords instead of complex brains, and theyre linked to his will via blood bond, so the risk of having a creation go beserk and kill him is relatively low, and theyre all technically aberrations rather than undead, but despite skirting most moral concerns he can think of (NOT grave robbing OR killing people in baldurs gate! its imported! its not the enslavement of the dead because he doesnt even summon and bind a deceased spirit! theyre not undead theyre abberrations!), the end result is still that most everyone is made profoundly uncomfortable especially because dirge models several features after human anatomy for no real reason other than he likes the look.

but most importantly it means that dirge is TECHNICALLY a healer now, after an entire campaign of being a killing machine, and thats so fucking funny to me because the dark urge healer lines are SO funny. he uses tiefling voice 1 too so they come out really menacing, and hes just out here healing people marcille dungeonmeshi style. dirge holding onto gales severed arm looming closer while gale tries to squirm away to get shadowheart and dirge is just drenched in gore happy to help a friend and gale is praying to every god he can think of because this is legitamate nightmare fuel before dirge is just like "dont worry, ill kiss it better" and forcibly revitalizes and melts the limb back onto gales shoulder, no anaesthesia no painkillers just rawdoggin this shit, reattaching nerves and muscle tendons right there on the street, and gales scream hitting a pitch only perceivable to specific breeds of songbird

worlds worst doctor. youll fully recover but at what fucking cost. walk away with your surgery costs 0 but your therapy bill skyrocketing. dude who got his anatomy training vivisecting kidnapping victims and his medicine proficiency through torture and graverobbing. the only time in his life hes scary on accident rather than on purpose

it goes without saying that minthara takes it like a champ and also thinks his horrible homemade blights upon gods creation is the coolest shit and people should just stop being moralizing losers about it. its also unironically fantastic for his mental health like the fleshwarped blasphemous nightmare creatures are really tangibly improving the state of things for him

[chiyuuchu]

Swap of Hearts <3 (30th July 2024)

Shoto Todoroki x Reader

Prompt! The nonchalant boy and bubbly girl get hit with a personality swap quirk. The class realise that no matter whose personality was who’s, the two are bound to end up together anyways.

Y/N had always been the beacon of sunshine in Class 1-A. Her bubbly personality and unwavering optimism were infectious, and she had a particular soft spot for Todoroki Shoto. Despite his stoic demeanor and cold exterior, Y/N never gave up on trying to court him. She would bring him his favorite gifts—warm drinks on cold days, cool snacks during hot training sessions, and thoughtful little trinkets that she knew would make him smile, even if he rarely showed it.

Todoroki, for his part, appreciated her efforts more than he let on. Her presence brought warmth to his life, but his reserved nature often made him seem closed off. He would acknowledge her gifts with a nod or a quiet "thank you," but never much more.

One day, during a patrol, an unexpected twist of fate occurred. A quirk user from a villain accidentally activated a personality swap quirk, hitting both Y/N and Todoroki. In an instant, their personalities were swapped.

The next day at school, Aizawa had already informed the class of the news and everyone was indeed shocked.

"Y/N," Uraraka asked cautiously, "are you okay?"

Y/N, now with Todoroki's reserved demeanor, nodded slowly. "I'm fine," she replied, her voice measured and calm. "Just... different."

Right on time, Todoroki bursts in the room with a cheerful smile holding a bouquet. Each step was like a mini skip.

Todoroki, on the other hand, was almost unrecognizable. He approached Y/N with a bright smile, holding a bouquet of flowers. "Y/N, these are for you. I hope you like them."

"Whoa," Kaminari exclaimed, his eyes wide. "Did that just happen?”

The class watched in amazement as the bubbly Y/N transformed into a stoic and cold version of herself, while Todoroki suddenly became talkative and open.

The class was stunned. "Is this real life?" Kirishima muttered, rubbing his eyes.

As days passed, the swapped personalities became the new normal. Todoroki, with Y/N's bubbly personality, went out of his way to impress her. He would bring her flowers, write her notes, and openly express his admiration. "You light up my world, Y/N," he would say, his eyes sparkling with genuine emotion.

Y/N, though cold and reserved, couldn't hide her shy acknowledgment of Todoroki's efforts. She would accept his gifts with a quiet "thank you" and a small, almost imperceptible smile. The class, initially bewildered, began to embrace the new dynamic, even if it was a bit disorienting.

"Who knew Todoroki could be so charming?" Mina giggled, watching him present Y/N with a handcrafted bracelet.

"And who knew Y/N could be so... cool?" Jiro added, shaking her head in disbelief.

Despite the swapped personalities, it was clear to everyone that the feelings between Y/N and Todoroki were genuine. The class groaned collectively, realizing that no matter whose personality was whose, the two were destined to end up together.

"It's like watching a romance movie in reverse," Sero commented. "But it's still a romance."

After several days, the effects of the personality swap quirk began to wear off. Y/N and Todoroki reverted to their original selves, but with one major complication: they had no memory of what had happened during the swap.

"Wait, what do you mean we swapped personalities?" Y/N asked, her eyes wide with confusion.

"You don't remember?" Midoriya asked, exasperated. "You two were practically inseparable!"

Todoroki looked equally puzzled. "I don't recall any of that."

The class groaned in unison, frustrated by the progress of their romance seemingly resetting to square one.

"Great," Kaminari sighed. "We're back to where we started."

Despite the setback, Y/N quickly resumed her bubbly pursuit of Todoroki, bringing him his favorite gifts and showering him with affection. Todoroki, back to his stoic self, acknowledged her efforts with quiet gratitude.

As the class watched their interactions, they couldn't help but reminisce about the swapped personalities. "It was fun while it lasted," Mina said wistfully. "But I guess this is just how they are meant to be."

"Yeah," Kirishima agreed. "Their love story will end up the same, no matter what."

In the end, the class accepted that some things were inevitable. Y/N's boundless optimism and Todoroki's reserved nature created a unique dynamic that, despite the ups and downs, would ultimately lead to the same conclusion: a love that was unwavering and true.

And so, as Y/N continued to brighten Todoroki's days with her warmth, and Todoroki silently cherished every moment with her, the class couldn't help but smile. Their love story, filled with quirks and complications, was a testament to the fact that some bonds were meant to withstand anything—even a swap of hearts.

[viatamoarta]

Surprisingly, (actually not) Ferid is always the most fashionable out of all the people in the manga.

Kagami may not focus on the clothing choices of his character, but I'm gonna analyze his outfits anyway because I've observed that some of his clothing choices have a deeper meaning.

Let's start with his 'usual' outfit from the anime.

His choices in clothes are always fancy and classic, yet he adds things to it which makes his outfits look out of the ordinary.

— In conclusion, his clothing style represents him. (Well, to be quite frank, our fashion choices always represent who we are directly or subconsciously. So, it's not like these 'theories' of mine r out of the ordinary.)

People in general have always considered him odd, but his own kind specifically considers him eccentric because of his unusual 'emotional' behavior which makes him have a human-like personality, since vampires cannot feel anything besides the strong desire for blood. He, as a human, would be seen as pretty normal. (this would be before they get to know the real him)

His personality has traits which makes people fall for the fact that he's a genuine kind and simple person, yet, as his clothing style, he makes sure that even those people will get some suspicious of his true nature.

He has a deal going on in Sanguienem with the kids there. Ferid drinks their blood or they serve him and in return they receive their necessary supplies. From this deal, he might make kids fall to his tricks easily, as it is seen specifically with Mika and also, with other children in the light novel. Despite this, his reputation is known even to those kids as being kinda off-putting. The kids hear rumors about those who serve him going missing, so these rumors and his (sometimes) suspicious behavior makes people think that there might also be something fishy going around him.

— His vampire noble uniform is classic, yet has outstanding elements to it like: ribbons, high heeled boots, red earrings and purple long nails.

— The effort that he puts into his daily appearance can be easily seen, which signifies his obsession with putting on a facade around people. He's not a fancy, villainous, charming and aristocratic man as he shows himself to be. From the new chapters, it had been obvious even for other uninterested people that Ferid was actually a broken soul, with no love and care shown for him through his life, which made him the 'frustrated' and monstrous man that he's today. The abused becomes the abuser. Yet, he still clings to his childhood and old wishes because he doesn't want to be completely lost, like the other vampires, like other people which failed to achieve their wishes and died by their own hand. He's a complex, intelligent and simple man if you look at it that way. Yes, complex, yet simplistic.

— Something that I've observed in all of his outfits is that he tries to hide as much skin as he can. It's not because he's insecure, but because he's hiding the real him beneath a fancy surface. Unlike other characters which show their skin more through the manga (even vampires), he is never wearing an outfit which reveals much of his skin.

— His obsession with wearing collars (even through his childhood) signifies his suffocating from all of the others' expectations and even from his own expectations.

— On the other hand, his obsession with ribbons, is another sign of his surface, which makes people think that he's just a fancy, careless guy (like a ribbon from the wrapping of a present iykyk)

This outfit now:

(Gonna try to write this shorter cus I'm writing a whole book of his outfits atp)

— Once again, he's wearing a classic outfit which looks out of the ordinary only from his vampire cape.

— He's wearing an outfit with a collar again, yet through some manga chapters his hair is finally down. His tight ahh ponytail may be another sign of his constant internal suffocation.

— Honestly a true classic slay if i were a modern vampire i would wear the same thing

The new official art:

— Honestly, this outfit truly gives so many details about him. Even if Kagami's intent wasn't to put on a deep fashion show, his outfit could still signify so, so many things. Atp I think he did it intentionally since Ferid is his favorite character to write so ofc even his outfit in the art would be significant (cus Kagami's ass is obsessed with giving us small clues)

— First of all, this is the first outfit of his which reveals more skin, which therefore means that through the newer manga chapters he has finally completely revealed to the audience his true intents and his nature.

— His skirt is way bigger than his actual size, which therefore reveals that he's no longer putting on a facade, suffocating himself with a fake mask. Yet, his skirt is held in place by his belts, which means that he still wants to keep in control some part of himself. However, his progress through the manga can also be seen through this outfits which get more and more relaxed.

— He's wearing pink sunglasses, which is an obvious sign that he might feel carefree, like a free soul without worries, enjoying a vacation on the beach. On the other hand, it could also be interpreted that he wants to see the world through a pinkish tone now, he has a desire to see the better in life unlike his past self. His glasses have a necklace kind of thing (with those gold things, i forgot its name) which gives an old-fashioned look to the glasses, making me think that his happiness isn't gained by simple foolishness and ignorance, but by wise and hard-working things.

— His ribbon is completely gone WOW and even in his latest new outfit there's no ribbon on it, which signifies the slow vanish of his surface.

— Underneath his clothes, we can see at the waist that he wears a red shirt?? which looks like women's sexy lingerie LMFOAO I don't know what this means tbh. Their current outfits were inspired by their old ones so this mf probably has some red underwear with black lace...💀

— He's wearing flared pants, which remind me of the 70s, a decade which was all about being carefree and childish with the rise of hippies. Either way, his pants which now are not tight are another further implication in his new happier style. His outfit here actually reminds me of the 70s and the hippies.

That's all the yapping for today

[charalysis]

Darksiders: War

So, I may once again reference real world disorders as a launching pad for discussion about behaviors and actions. I will reference both games and book. Thank you!

To begin, let's talk about War's baseline characteristics.

War is certainly more, shall we say, heroic of the Four. He is loyal, lawful, and regularly tries to be by the book, methodical, and overall tries to be good. Maintaining Balance in the universe is his main goal, the thing he strives for. He wants things to maintain order, regardless of who's messing it up. Admittedly he had a bias against demons, but that's not to say he likes angels.

In his efforts to be a lawful individual, he also strives to be a better person overall by trying to be kinder than other Nephalim where he can. He seeks connection and even affection, with Strife in particular.

Throughout Genesis, War and Strife can stop and talk and often these conversations drift towards the emotional and hard to discuss. Charged topics that Strife has genuine difficulty addressing.

But War helps him work through these emotions and topics, giving him his own perspective and trying to ease his mind, even if it fails or they disagree. No matter what, War seems incredibly willing to stay by Strife's side.

This loyalty and desire to help and seek connection is also present in Abomination Vault, when he goes to help Death handle the crisis, despite being told no and even threatened. He is eager to help the eldest Horseman, and he is even angry at himself for nearly dying/dying, thinking he's failed Death some how. He doesn't even question it when he's brought back by Death, he just rambles about his failures and saying Death should have let him die.

And with Fury, he shows he cares for her. When Fury is summoned to handle the Seven Sins, War is already bound by the Council. She's surprised by his state and the accusations, but ultimately is dismissive for the moment. War, on the other hand, speaks to her. He tries to warn her to be cautious, tell her something is acting against them and trying to hurt them, showing he very much cares about her well-being and safety.

War is repeatedly shown to be caring, in his own way, with his brothers. He worries about their safety, tries to assist them as needed, and tries to comfort them in their grief or anger. He is exceptionally loyal to them and doesn't seem eager to betray or harm them.

Loyalty, while being a fantastic virtue, is ultimately one of his biggest flaws too.

From Genesis and a good bit into the first game (canon's timeline wise), we hear him constantly say that he doesn't think he or the others should question the Council. He's the biggest believer in the Balance and is the most eager to maintain it. He is unwaveringly and unquestioningly loyal to the Council, which is ultimately why he doesn't suspect them directly of screwing him over until much much later on in game one. His loyalty blinds him to the notion of betrayal from the Council.

However, whenever he finds out his loyalty has been betrayed, he is far from afraid of going scorched Earth and enacting revenge. He, with Uriel's assistance, kills the Watcher for his treatment and for being a pawn in the clearly corrupt Council's machinations against the Horsemen.

And revenge/vengeance is apparently something War isn't unknown for. He's clearly displayed enough "eye for an eye" behavior over the centuries for the Council to note its a perfect motivator for him. Thus, he became their scapegoat and was thrown to Earth to prove his innocence. And Samael later points out that he "knows a quest for vengeance when he sees one". Samael's semi-Omniscience aside, he isn't wrong in just making the assumption. War was absolutely aiming to make Abbadon, Straga, and anyone else in his way pay for their actions. I do find it interesting that, ultimately, he chooses to spare Ulthane and Azrael.

Granted, Ulthane does help him more than hinder him despite being antagonistic. And in the case of Azrael, War realized he needed the angel's help, then also saw the immense regret within him. Of course, War is also fully aware that Azrael is a powerful archangel, adept in illusions. He also likely wouldn't have risked a fight with Azrael lest he die, or he actually kill the angel and lose out on valuable information. All this to say, War's intelligent and isn't a stranger to variables, despite often acting on emotions.

Despite popular belief, War is not hot headed or temperamental. War is actually extremely level headed and calm. He thinks through his actions and possible causes. He tries to account for all outcomes, and the consequences of his actions. If he can gain a tactical advantage.

Because he is an embodiment of war itself.

Wars are brutal, bloody, violent... But it's not about whos weapon is better that wins. There's strategy, planning, and a lot of luck.

War himself strategizes a fair bit when it comes to who he can keep alive and who he can get away with killing. Who can be his ally and who he can sacrifice as a foe. He measures who he can take on and who's not worth it.

Its why Samael and Vulgrim don't die, despite War's bias against demons.

Samael, even in a weakened state, is too powerful for War to take on alone. Samael, though, offers assistance if he himself is helped first. War isn't stupid enough to reject help from someone he a, can't kill, and b, is offering their powerful assistance.

Vulgrim had the benefit of Council endorsement at first, but War certainly realized the value he got from dealing with the merchant. Vulgrim offers him health shards, weapon and magic upgrades, and of course, Serpent Holes.

The value of these two cannot be understated in the first game, especially since War is utterly alone otherwise. They're who we spend most of the game with, aside from the Watcher.

Now onto my favorite topic! Symbology!

Similar to Death's mask, War's got a hood obscuring most of his face, particularly his eyes. In fact, he often has to adjust how he's looking around to properly see sometimes.

In terms of symbology we can infer this to be representative of his own clouded and obscured view of things. He has to shift the facts into just the right order and perspective to see the truth of what's happening to him and what happened to cause the apocalypse.

Another piece of symbology is which arm of his his prosthetic.

The left.

Biblically speaking there's a few things to address, as Darksiders is heavily based in Christian and Jewish mythology. I am wildly unfamiliar with Judaism and their symbology, despite lengthy research attempts, and thus am uncomfortable addressing the possible symbology on that side if things. However, I am familiar with Christianity.

In the Bible, the hands are referenced a few times, but the right hand is referenced about 100 times, where as the left hand is mentioned maybe 25, all negatively. However I wish to focus on one particular passage.

Matthew 6 says, "Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. [3] But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: [4] That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly."

This essentially says, "don't tell everyone when you're being generous. Don't brag about generosity or your righteous deeds, for that's not righteous or virtuous. That needs to stay between you and God".

In the case of War, he doesn't often hide what he's doing when he's been told to do it by the Council, often announcing it to those he deems allies. He's not exactly subtle or easy to miss. Nor is his prosthetic.

He's obviously a Horseman, he's obviously on a mission when he's seen out places he's not normally. Everyone knows something has happened, or going to happen, when War shows up. War isn't keeping his service to the Creator secret in any way.

Outside of Christianity, and into more occult and spiritual circles, the left hand is symbolic of dark magic, darkness, and weakness.

War's left arm is the one he was wielding Chaoseater with when Death cut his arm off.

Since that, hes worn a almost demonic looking, magical prosthetic that basically has a pocket dimension I think.

When his arm was cut off, it was in a moment of emotional weakness, and he just so happened to run Death through, a far stronger opponent. So his weakness was cut from him in a way and replaced with the stronger, and useful, prosthetic gauntlet.

Bad segway: War's also not taken as seriously by the other Horsemen. He's the baby of them, likely the last of an entire generation of young Nephalem. Often it seems the other three don't take him seriously until he proves them right. Strife though seems more willing to hear him out, but that could be because they're pretty close, even able to laugh together.

Tl;Dr: War is intelligent and loyal, even kind, but lacks the ability to see passed his ambition or goals until its almost too late. He's also surprisingly impulsive.

[gaoau]

Be Me, Be You, And Be

It hurts, a pain he doesn't know if he can keep. He's allowed to be this and more.

pairing — Cheng Xiaoshi x male!reader word count — 1.9k note — *blows kiss to sky* for ren

Xiaoshi doesn't understand why, if he's so kind to the universe, the universe doesn't have it in itself to be remotely kind to him; why, despite his best selfless efforts, he still gets nothing but pain in return. He's been blessed with a power that he never wanted, but one he's managed to make great use of. He employs it to the best of his abilities, making sure every client that comes his way is satisfied. Every time, he's putting in one hundred per cent of himself for success in others' happiness. Then why, why does this keep happening?

It's not wrong of him to ask for better treatment—at least, he doesn't think it is. He's not helping people out of selfishness, he's genuine when he says he wants to help people achieve their desires. He just wants to help. Really. He really… Of course, he's no messiah nor does he claim to be one. He's certainly not the purest soul on Earth. He thinks it's funny, the way his brain goes back and forth with these ideas. Lu Guang tells him not to get emotionally invested with the issues in the lives of the people he becomes. He thinks it's funny, the way he wonders if there's any way to switch with Lu Guang, let him be the one to shoulder all those feelings he can't handle. Immediately, he backtracks. He couldn't bear shoving that pressure on somebody else.

Xiaosi repeats his friend's warnings in his mind for too long. How is he supposed to not get emotionally involved? He's there, he feels their pain, he experiences their tragedies, he suffers their conflicts, he's them. He is all of them. Every person whose life he intrudes in, whose body he steals, whose mind he rips through, Xiaoshi is all of them. Xiaoshi is none of them. Today again, he's facing that reality. He's neither the puppet nor the puppeteer; he's the audience that sympathizes too much. He's been blessed with a cursed power.

It hurts. He can't help all of them. He's failed more times than he can count. He's disrupted the past and modified the present, even after being told not to. Of course, he knows he's not a hero, but he should be able to help them. And he can't. And it hurts. He thinks he's doing good only to find he's been playing a corpse of the past all along. It's so unfair, the things these people go through, the fates they meet. It hurts to see it all unfold and meet no reward. It hurts to know he's too late.

If he's meant to help people, if he's meant to see through their eyes, what is he when he doesn't do any of that?

Who is he?

It hurts. His head aches. His eyes sting. His throat closes up. He doesn't want to cry. He's glad Lu Guang isn't here to judge him. As he curls up against his pillow, hiccupping into his knees, he's glad he's alone. It's in moments like these that tears not meant for him to weep become too much. He's become a lie for himself. This life shouldn't be his.

Xiaoshi doesn't know how long he's been estranged inside his own mind. It happens more often than not. When he's left to his own devices, when he's left all on his own for too much, his vulnerability bursts forth where no one else can see. He spirals and spirals and spirals, down and down and down. There's no one here that he has to make happy. There's no one here that he can help. Is he awake or is he just stupid? Is he dead or alive?

No. He knows he's alive because there's a warmth brushing on his body, seeping through his skin and embracing the marrow of his bones. He knows he's awake because he can distinctly see the seconds on the clock ticking to the rhythm of a heartbeat that isn't his. He knows he's stupid because he always forgets he has [Name] by his side. [Name], who is very much real and very much a truth, who with his hands cradles Xiaoshi's face and wipes his tears away, who with his eyes tells him he's Cheng Xiaoshi and no one else.

[Name] himself knows what it's like to live wrapped up in a purposeless life. Words that don't need to be spoken for Xiaoshi to understand. They have both felt it, the instant they slip away from their own bodies and forget they are real. "It's okay…" [Name] hums in the softest of tones. The gentle timber of his voice floods the room and shatters through Xiaoshi's fragility. No, he doesn't have the power to invade other people's lives, but he barely has the power to stay in his own brain. "This is your body, Xiaoshi. These are your feelings." Is he of use when he's not helping others? Is he even real at this point? He's helping Xiaoshi, though. He's very much real.

He holds onto Xiaoshi, letting him cling to his clothes with clenched fists, his face on the crook of his neck. He's squeezing this poor idiot so tightly, tears that aren't his falling like rain on his shoulder. It doesn't matter how much it takes for Xiaoshi to recompose himself, to come back, to understand it's okay. [Name] waits patiently until he can handle the whirlpool of impotence brewing inside his mind. He sniffles to find the words to accept he exists. He manages a single, broken sound out of his throat, "Sorry…" Slowly, he pulls away to let [Name] know he can release him. He tries to blink back to reality, struggling to focus on the boy before him. Although blurry in the haze of his breakdown, he can make out the twisted grimace he's wearing.

A grimace that quirks up into a tight simper, lips pressed shut. It makes [Name] want to laugh in his face at his unnecessary apologies. He's always doing this—feeling other people's feelings and apologizing for them. He always gets mixed up in what he is and what he's not. Looking into his red-rimmed eyes, [Name] palms his shoulders for comfort. "Don't be, Xiaoshi. You're allowed to cry." He's allowed to feel his own pain every once in a while.

He isn't sure these are emotions he's allowed to keep, though. His gaze averts. "I don't want to bother you…" Another sniffle.

"Oh, come on," [Name] giggles this time, albeit involuntarily. It makes Xiaoshi smile at the sound of his laughter. With a roll of his eyes, [Name] cradles Xiaoshi's face in his hands, joking, "If anything, I'm the one who bothers you constantly."

There it is. A puff of a chuckle. A quiet, almost dubious laugh. Sounds like Xiaoshi is only now remembering how to laugh. "You never bother me, [Name]." How could he when he's the only person who understands? It's funny, Xiaoshi thinks, how [Name]'s feelings aren't ones he imposes on, because they're one and the same.

"Neither do you, dumbass." Gently, ever so softly, with the loveliest touch of cotton, [Name] flicks his finger on Xiaoshi's forehead. He flinches in surprise. "I'm always hanging out here, I'm sure Qiao and Lu Guang are getting tired of me."

In a second, Xiaoshi has him trapped in his arms. [Name] doesn't even realize when he successfully flips him around to have his back planted against his chest. "Too bad, you're not going anywhere." They share notes of laughter that pierce through the turmoil of pains Xiaoshi can't wrap his head around. They are both very much real and very much in their bodies. When silence settles, it's okay. It's not loud, it doesn't hurt, it's actually quiet for once.

After a moment of peaceful stillness, it seems Xiaoshi's brain has come back to grasp reality. [Name] leans further into his chest to make himself comfortable. He ponders over his next words. "Do you wanna talk about it?" It's almost an inaudible whisper, afraid it might shatter Xiaoshi into a billion shards of pretense if it were a bit louder.

With a shaky breath, Xiaoshi tries to reassemble his thoughts into a coherent picture. He'd forgotten for a second what had pushed him over the edge to burst into tears again. "There was a woman…" There's always someone else. "I went into her memories and she was… she wasn't doing too well. Her life wasn't… Her life was really tough, I could tell…" He can always tell. The lump in his throat is nowhere to be found, but his voice drowns in sorrow. "I tried to—Lu Guang told me she was already dead. I wanted to help her." As always, he just wants to help. It's like he doesn't have a purpose unless he's giving others a hand. It's like he doesn't exist unless he's being the person he needed when others abandoned him.

[Name] pulls away from him to turn and look him in the eye. His brows are bent in a grimace, making Xiaoshi want to kick himself for speaking too much. It's never too much with or for [Name], though. "Who helps you, Xiaoshi?" he asks as if he held all the truths in the world. If they're for Xiaoshi, then maybe he does hold all the truths, just to share them with him. Silence hangs in the air for a little too long. "When are you you? Why can't you just be in peace?"

Xiaoshi, who is always entering all these bodies and feeling all these feelings, who doesn't know what to do with all the weight on his back, who can't handle the pressure of failure on his palms. It's not failure. It's not his fault. It's time and events he can't change. It hurts. "…You do," he mumbles, staring into [Name] so he doesn't miss the furrow in his brows when he tilts his head in confusion. "You help me."

He blinks. Once. Twice. "Okay." Only for a moment, [Name] purses his lips. Then airy chortles slip from his tongue and flood over the room. "That's good." Blood rushes to his cheeks as he throws a pathetic punch towards Xiaoshi's shoulder. "I'm glad." Another punch and mirthful chuckles, this time onto his chest. "That's great." And one more, one that makes Xiaoshi sway backwards and join his laughter with a bright grin. "You stupid, stupid idiot."

Sharing weightless smiles, he brings [Name] closer for another hug. Xiaoshi knows he's stupid. As [Name] giggles away in his arms, he hopes he doesn't leave him. There's no way [Name] is leaving him when he already knows how stupid he is. Because he knows he's Cheng Xiaoshi and no one else, and that's who [Name] wants to be with. That's who Xiaoshi wants to be.

—あごす (agosu) • 2022

[neurunique]

reader x ram, overwatch sort of university, post-war, peace is somewhat achieved, overwatch and null sector have a peace treaty, not much detail will go into this though. ramattra is offered a job in a higher up role teaching at a "hero university" (no this isn't gen v don't worry) where reader attends/other heroes may be teachers too. class could be like omnic education/history etc

It had been quite some time since the end of Null Sector's invasion of Earth. While the world was not entirely in agreement, but then, would it ever be?, humans had accepted Omnics as equals to them, and provided equitable changes to their lives via parliament. Hate crimes occurred less, it was safer at night, and omnics were treated with more respect as a whole. Human and omnic friendships were more common, etc... (I'm terrible at writing this part).

Ramattra had been promised many things from both Overwatch and political leaders as a result of his efforts. Rewarded would not be the correct word, however he had certainly been mostly satisfied with the outcome for his people. Of course, he still had goals, he still had problems, and fury - but life was just a little bit more tolerable. Each day he saw something that would make him smile inside, and it wasn't of a violent nature. Infact, he had found more wholesome discoveries quite enchanting; simple things like people holding hands walking by, omnics and humans getting along, etc.

He was well looked after, living in a penthouse apartment (with what furniture who knows honestly), and regular income and access to technology/upgrades at no cost. He had many teams available to him, need he only ask. His status was that of a highly respected omnic, however unlike before he was not invoking terror on anyone he saw. Omnics and humans around the world eventually felt empathy for the Null sector leader, understanding where he came from, and even more so, expressing appreciation for the outcome.

About a year or so after peace had been achieved, a university had been started up in (fuck knows where? England? near Overwatch etc) London, with intent to educate more people in the defenses, in the areas of tech and fighting, omnics and humans, and hero abilities. Of course, any university starting up would need well established teachers - mentors, leaders - to get people to actually sign up. Ramattra had been surprised to receive a letter offering him a job as head of History at the university. He would be in the position of lecturing students - humans?! How fun, he thought - as well as omnics, should the university attract them.

Of course, this would mean he would no longer be as secluded in his daily life; the most of his socialisation was with his cats, Meowttra and Catnyatta, and an occasional caffeine run down the road. He had grown very comfortable to a lifestyle such as this. And now, if he were to accept... this very generous offer, he would be forced to speak with the likes of Overwatch agents, past present and future; regular humans; and scientists. Part of him felt genuine excitement, as his research and ideas could potentially be broadened; however, he felt an immense sensation of fear - him, fear? - of teaching others. His method was simple: order, discipline, or congratulate; the latter rarely occuring. But if his job was mostly lecturing and organising class topics, he couldn't see too much of a problem.

The thought of creating strong values, not hateful ones, but fair ones - in a whole fresh generation post-war, also made him feel a spark of hope. Perhaps this war could've been avoided, had there been more resources for the public before - but there was no use thinking like this now - he had a chance, a real chance, to embody himself as a leader and role model to others. To start them off right, and possibly prevent the reoccurence of discrimination; or at least, more realistically, educate enough people to take a stand, omnic or human.

You were never one to be naive, so you thought - you believed you had all the wisdom one could have at your age, all the awareness it could take to *have* what it takes, to be that one percent to rise above the rest. Even though you had your moments of doubt, you would often reassure yourself that, if you tried your best and stayed as consistent as possible, you could truly do anything you set your mind to.

And the day you saw an advertisement for (UnNamed) University, your determination that had been long gone for some time now since finishing High school had returned. You'd always looked up to Overwatch, always aspired to be a great leader, or be lead by one - always wanted to do more, see more, help more. You received above average grades in school, topped one class even - but once the stress of it all ended, you struggled to hit that motivation kickstart that each day brought when forced a certain schedule.

Sitting up from your slouch in your tiny apartment couch, you found your laptop and started searching the university.

UNIVERSITY OF OVERWATCH

ENROLMENTS OPEN NOW

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE

ACCOMMODATION INFO COMING SOON

After clicking around for what felt like forever, you finally find the apply button. Like navigating a digital maze you sat, trying not to be flustered at the complexity of this damned thing, a headache starting to form from stress - you could do this, this was only the beginning, and if you couldn't make it through this beginning step, you wouldn't make it through the first DAY - and soon enough, you had finalised your application.

YN

Interested in:

x Nanotechnology and Science

x Medicine and Healing

x History and Strategy

x Engineering and Machinery

Sitting down more comfortably with the stress off your shoulders, you look back to the tv and snack on some cheap popcorn, knowing that this boring life may change soon, and that you may finally achieve what you always wanted.

Look I'm just going to skip some fucking time here because I Don't want to ruin my creativity, here's a gap jump.

Day 0one of university, reader has received a JUST enough scholarship to study and live near the university (accommodation still being built but reader has been offered a suite as they are very valuable). Reader, and no students, are aware of who the teachers are, this is the first day...

Sitting in an assembly hall, Tracer etc announcement welcomes everyone...

Lots of people humans AND omnics fill the room...

Introduces the teachers...

Some familiar names...

"And, our head of history, lecturing all history classes offered and occasional electives, Ramattra," Tracer says into the microphone, and Ramattra, standing at the back of the stage near his other coworkers, gives a small wave to the audience. (*Tries not to imagine using the annihilation ultimate in the assembly hall*)

You sit in your seat, and freeze. You hadn't even noticed him there, in the shadows of others, even though he is so *damn tall*. His posture was surprisingly relaxed, considering his original "purpose" in life; you guess that the war outcome had truly changed things, for him and the world he wanted to create. A feeling of joy and warmth swims around in your chest, reaching its way up to your throat and you quietly clear your throat. You try not to beam - even though you've obviously never met Ramattra, or anyone here, only some local omnics and friends who were passionate about the cause, you just can't help but feel pure joy, empathy and pride for the positive outcome achieved. You simply couldn't wait to experience this university, and learn from a variety of people. Learning was always your favourite part of life, and making change within yourself and watching others change and flourish always gave you a feeling inside, like a beautiful spring garden blooming, filling your chest with a fresh perspective of life.

Inspirational people always made you feel great faith.

You snap out of your daze and realise you have been staring in Ramattra's direction for an *awfully* long time, and you pray he has not noticed, but then you wouldn't know, would you? You weren't even thinking of HIM - just life itself, the future... You hope that if you have him as a teacher, he will not remember you for staring at him for a solid 3 minutes. That would not be a great start...

The assembly concludes, and people start to shuffle out, some looking at their timetables, others checking their phones. On the stage, you notice some staff talking amongst themselves, walking around a little and introducing eachother; you smile. and while you cannot see Ramattra anywhere, you hope that he's there too, getting along with humans...

"I cannot *imagine* Ramattra as a teacher," a voice says as you walk out of the auditorium door. It wasn't staff, just a random student - and as you look at them closer, you are surprised to see its an omnic?! "Just... don't you think he's a bit too abrasive?"

"You talk as if you've met him," another student said in response.

"Well, I know enough about him to take a decent guess. I mean he despises humans -"

"He did," you interrupt quietly, but much to your surprise, you were actually heard - "erm... I mean, he did hate humans. He hated their actions. And now that's changed, right? So I don't see any reason for him to be... aggressive... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."

"You're fine," The omnic smiled and held out their hand. "And you're right. I still don't see him as being very warm. I mean, he is male after all, I don't think I've ever had a *warm* male teacher..."

The door shuts behind you giving you a startle.

"Alright ladies," a bright british voice says, belonging to none other than Tracer; "And gents, and whomever - how about we make a move, yeah? I'm sure you all have classes to get to."

You wonder if she heard what you had been talking about, but you say nothing and smile at everyone there. "Catch you later everyone, nice to meet you all."

You swear as you walk away you see something move in the curtains of the corner window, and it reminds you of how Ramattra had been on the stage, hidden but visible; a shiver runs down your body and a slight cooling of the temperature affects you. You shrug it off, and walk to the nearest cafe (luckily, there were many), assessing your map at the same time.

(Maybe end of chapter? Coffee make brain go fast, coffee make brain go nervous if too much. Nomnom coffee tasty.)

PART 2

HI GUYS THERE IS SO MUCH MORE THAT IVE WRITTEN this is just the first part I hope you enjoy! I would love some feedback! 💜❤️

[wow-thisismylifeiguess]

So so, amnesiac Soap who doesn’t remember a large chunk of his childhood. Maybe even up to his early teens. Doesn’t remember that he met Ghost when they were kids and that it was the best summer of his entire life.

As adults, Soap meets Ghost for the first time…as far as he knows. Ghost, of course, recognizes Soap immediately. He replays those memories of the cute little Scottish boy he’d met during the few occasions he allows himself to reminisce.

When Soap acts like he doesn’t know Ghost at all, it hurts just a little bit, but it’s been years, right? Maybe that summer wasn’t as memorable for Soap as it was for Ghost. That’s fine. Really. It’s /fine/.

Ghost tries to keep his distance the way he does with everyone he’s ever met but Soap worms his way in despite Ghost’s best efforts. It’s almost exactly the same as when they were younger, the way a young Johnny had seen a young Simon sitting alone in the park with bruises on his arms and instead of asking about them or poking fun, he simply tugged on Simon’s wrist gently and asked him to play.

Soap likes Ghost immediately. He’s an odd guy, definitely, and the way he stares is heavy on Soap’s skin, but there’s this itch in the back of his head that makes him feel like he’s known Ghost for a lot longer than he has. It’s not an unfamiliar feeling, there’s been odd moments of deja vu ever since the incident that caused his memory loss, so he doesn’t think about it too deeply, just prefers to live in the moment and appreciate the relationship he has with Ghost.

Finally, while taking a break after returning from an assignment that took several months, they’re outside smoking together, trading w cigarette back and forth. Soap asks about Ghost’s childhood and it makes the bigger man freeze.

“Ah, sorry sorry. I know that’s a tough question. Shouldn’t have asked.” Soap backtracks, and Ghost is quite for a while. There’s slight tension between them but nothing to make either of them leave. Ghost breathes out a thick cloud of smoke.

“Not great. Abusive dad, a mom who couldn’t do anything to protect herself, and a younger brother who would do anything to not be the target so he shoved the attention onto me instead.”

It’s Soap’s turn to be quiet and Ghost doesn’t blame him. It’s probably not the answer he thought he’d get.

“I’m sorry, Si.”

Ghost shrugs. “It’s fine. They’re all dead now.” He blows out another lungful of smoke and turns to look at Soap. “What about you?”

Soap gives him a wry smile. “Wish I knew.”

Ghost’s eyes go wide. “What?”

Soap shrugs before turning to look up at the sky rather than meet Ghost’s eyes. “Was involved in a real bad accident in my teen years. Anything about my life just,” he waves his free hand in the air, “vanished into nothing. Forgot everything and not a single thing’s come back to me ever since.”

“Johnny…” Ghost chokes out. It makes sense, suddenly. Why Soap never joins in when the team gets into one of their reminiscing moods, why he always asks questions instead of sharing his own stories even when given any other opportunity to talk their ears off, he takes it without hesitation. It also makes sense why when he saw Ghost, he’d looked at him like he was a stranger. Ghost feels something heavy in his gut.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that. We’ve both had a rough time, LT. Just happy we’re both here in the present, yeah?” Ghost nods because he can’t do or say anything else. When Soap smiles, it’s genuine and warm. The sergeant pats him on his shoulder. “Glad you agree.”

[look-mom-percys-on-the-tv]

Ep 5 reactions

spoilers beneath the cut for s1e5 and minor spoilers for most of the books, but I censored the traitor's name. mostly positive tone.

ANNABETH SAW THE FUCKING FATES

"Im the last one to realize this aren't I" A LITTLE BIT

I love Percy admitting there he was really ONLY in it for Sally. Poseidon does ONE good thing and all of a sudden it's "wait I think the conspiracy to start war betten the gods is... important?" SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU MEET REASONABLE PARENTING EXPECTATIONS? A certain god could be taking notes, specifically the patent of [REDACTED]

go off Percy with the emotional intelligence. A for effort

and an A PLUS to Annabeth for the sharing important info and being vulnerable.

I see that coat covering the bike seat. there's human skin on that thing, isn't there?

LIVING the portrayal of Ares as man-baby who starts twitter fights. average maturity level of anyone who likes war.

"there's no fear in you, is there?" STAWPPP

THEY KEPT THE MANHUNT PLOT🎉🎉🎉🎉 also the Gabe is Gabe-ing. Manipulate mansplain manwhore on the most literal level. except disney probably cut the womanizer bit.

the whole "Im immature as shit but my threats are real, I hold all the cards" THE GOD OF WAR IS GODOFWAR-ING

"can I walk them to the door" IS HE GONNA RUN FOR IT? they're really letting Grover miss out on this quest, huh? I mean I guess it makes sense. PLUS it means more Grover-exclusive scenes! MY BOYY

that's a lie. there HAVE to be corny movie nights at camp, right?

ALSO botl movie date, anyone?👀👀👀👀

is that? a JOKE I HEAR??? poking fun at Percy? a little. Genuine? ALSO TRUE. If you told me that "amusing" line was Liften from the book and I've just forgotten about it all five million times I read it, I WOULD BELIEVE YOU

Annabeth who complimented Circe's loom when Percy got cursed🤝 Annabeth who complimented Hepheastus when Percy got trapped

the way she says push before telling him what it is😭😭😭

WE'VE MET BEFORE. I'M 24. A FAN!? GROVER WHAT ARE YOU PLAYING AT

songs about feelings that was PERSONAL

*insert Coach Hedge talking about nature*

Annabeth asking what Ares need the kids for if he wants the bolt/thinks their quest means nothing🤝 Grover gaslight girlbossing : doing detective work under Percy's nose

OOOH good detail with Percy being caught up with all the "3000 year-old goss" because HIS MOTHER TOLD HIM hi sally i fuckign love u

"don't even try to tell me not to be weird about this" we love an honest queen. While I kinda miss book Annabeth being a bit stompy and whiny at this part, I do think that the show version suits its own characterization of Annabeth, saying whatever she thinks needs to be said.

this whole show, I've been able to see everything. episode five DO NOT be the one to let me down! PLEASE!

THE SONG omg i wasnt expecting that. miraculous movie flashbacks fr.

W CONVO. DOUBLEYOU CONVO. nothing to add. perfection.

Also. don't shoot but the song choice unironically fits Hephaestus's story.

SWIMMING

is that a giant gold naked statue of Hera? to taunt them for cheating on him? hypocrite.

"they like to ignore what doesn't fit their narrative" [REDACTED] APOLOGISTS TAKE NOTES.

also, SMOOTH AF

okay there's no way Annabeth doesn't know that story. there's ONE way to take a god's power and she doesn't know it? at least let them tell it in tandem! a little "Yeah I recognize the chair, what of it?" THEN let the touchy-feely boy present the bargain. AT LEAST.

SHE'S NOT LEAVING WITHOUT HIM

"do you need some help?" "FUCK OFF" that's Annabeth

in the one hand, I am not a fan of depriving Annabeth of her super wisdom hero moment. on the other hand, placing responsibility to fix things on the perpetrators instead of those kids from Season ONE queen shit, and showing people can change. slay, but PLEASE let Annabeth do some more puzzle shit!

THE SHIELD LOOKS SO BIG IN HER HANDS

THESE FUCKIGN TWELMVE YEAR OLDS

OH so [REDACTED] and Ares conspired to make sure the trio never makes it there, not just using the magic things that activate at a certain place, but also by DIRECTING THEM TO THE TIME FREEZE ON PURPOSE

TO SUMMON WHAT

that interaction. SO THEM

YOU KNOW WHO WHATTED THE WHAT

[survivalove]

Is it just me or is “I personally would forgive a boy for violating my boundaries so it’s ok for Katara to be portrayed that way” the same logic as “I personally want to be a hot guy’s arm candy so fire lady Katara is an empowering trope”? Like idk, I can’t get behind either ship for Katara. Neither one gives her character genuine power and the fans of both still fall back on the same stupid “she chose it so it’s feminist” fallacy that’s in vogue rn. I feel like both sides of the “ship war” are women projecting on Katara and the only difference between them is which variety of toxic masculinity they’re attracted to

I wouldn’t say the logic is necessarily the same, since these statements seem to be on very differing levels…

for the first one, i don’t think anyone’s projecting because as you said that is how she is depicted. i can’t say how i would react if i was in katara’s shoes because there’s no way I can imagine myself in that specific relationship or in her literal shoes. i personally haven’t seen anyone try to rebrand her forgiveness specifically as feminist even though I’m sure there are people doing that out there, but I agree it’s not.

let’s establish that not every choice a woman makes is feminist. that’s the problem I have with choice feminism which is what you’re talking about. women and girls these days are trying to spin every choice they make as feminist or empowering. just because something personally empowers you, doesn’t make it inherently feminist. there is nothing feminist about women marrying men in general, but women do and make other choices based on whatever circumstances that that led them there.

what i will say is i don’t typically police women and girls for not having the reactions they “should have”. does that mean that i think the reaction is feminist or that the choice is the right choice? nope and I don’t. again, not everything a woman does is feminist and you don’t have to agree with or support everything a woman does, real or otherwise.

feminism is a critical political movement with active conscious choices being made. on the other hand, there are women who autonomously uphold patriarchy, so no not every choice a woman makes is feminist.

that being said, if you don’t want to ship kataang that’s fine. i know a lot of katara stans that don’t ship either and i myself was like that for quite a few years growing up.

now the second statement seems to be downplaying a LOT (like zuko is way more than a “hot guy” and the fact that you kinda left out that he also violated katara multiple times makes me a bit skeptical of this ask) but i’m gonna respond anyway. all i’ll say is that this would actually be projection considering katara has no inkling in canon of wanting to be with zuko or to be fire lady. she even hates the idea of her own father living in a palace after the war. so it takes a very conscious effort to ship this and say “this is what katara would want” when this is just simply not what is presented to us at all.

compared to kataang, we see this is a choice (of course made by the mostly male writers) that katara makes over and over again in the series. katara kissing aang on the cheek, touching him every 5 seconds, showing attraction to him, getting jealous of other girls that are attracted to him, kissing him and kissing him back, even after EIP. is any of this feminist or moving women forward? lol no it’s a het romance in a kids’ show but I don’t see how one would have to project on to katara to enjoy the ship as it’s depicted.

do i like kataang for katara, yes. am i attracted to aang, ABSOLUTELY NOT. do I think katara could have achieved everything she achieved post canon if she wasn’t in a relationship with aang, of course!!! does me, a woman, liking any het ship make it feminist, negative.

[phussenartzzz]

Excerpt from my Fanfic

THE RESULTS ARE IN AND I'M GONNA POST THE FANFIC EXCERPT!!! (Sorry to the 7.7% who didn't want this but majority rules in my book)

Okay so we all read the title and I just wanna get some things across first and foremost.

I'm posting this for feed-back purposes. I just wanna see if this seems like a good enough story to post because I started thinking about it and realized that reading fan-fics (Saiouma one-shots on Wattpad mostly in this case scenario) have given me ideas for my own one-shots that I wrote down but wasn't confident enough to start typing because I didn't wanna be seen as "cringe" or a "terrible writer". I've seen so many good ideas from people on here like @thelemoncoffee and was like," Imma start publishing my ideas". Please consider commenting feedback or if you think it's worth it; reposting this. And so, with further a-do, my bros, brosephines, and broskis, I present you with an excerpt from:

The Prince and the Amethyst Dragon

"Well, well, well, you really shouldn't be out here roaming these streets alone ya' know~. You could be mugged, kidnapped, or worse, killed." Kokichi's facial expression turned dark and full of all kinds of malice. "And to top it off it could be by anyone, even me." Shuichi felt like his heart was in his stomach, but he had to find a way out of this. "W-well you wouldn't dare lay a-uh, a finger on me. I am Shuichi Saihara; son of the king himself." Shuichi exclaimed, feeling a little bolder now; standing tall above the other male trying to intimidate him. However despite his best efforts, Kokichi wasn't intimidated but his facial expression changed from malice to an almost child-like awe. Saihara gradually yet painfully realized that in revealing who he really was; he'd messed up. "Wow, just, just wow. A real life prince!" Kokichi lowered himself to a bow and reached his hand forward to take Shuichi's and gently kissed it while simultaneously looking up at him and winking."It's an honor to meet you, your highness.~" Shuichi's brain felt scrambled; this guy just threatened his life and now he's "honored to meet me". What was this guy's deal?

"Ohhh come on now, that was an obvious lie. I'm not gonna kill you silly, you gotta read in between the lines Shumai." S-Shumai?! What was this guy on? Whatever it was Shuichi didn't need any more parts of it. He needed to make it back to the castle before he got in trouble for sneaking out; he didn't need any more trouble than he already had. Kokichi trailed alongside him and then said, "So don't you have like- a magic carriage or something waiting for you? All this walking has me bored out of my mind." Shuichi sighed and calmly replied "Well, I do this every Friday night so I'll be fine." Kokichi still followed Shuichi, the sounds of the night filling the void of silence. Then Kokichi had an idea. He walked in front of Shuichi; now walking backwards, and announced his idea. "Hey Shuichi, I've just thought of a waaayyyy better idea that I'm sure you're gonna like." Shuichi doubted he'd like the idea but let the boy go on anyway. "I'll take you home but- in exchange, you gotta give me a kiss~. Nehehehe," he said smugly looking at Shuichi with his finger to his lips. Shuichi was clearly flustered by this and it showed on his face. "What are you trying to say, that you know a short-cut?" Kokichi pondered for a bit then said "Yeah sure, a shortcut or whatever call it what you wanna call it. Just follow my lead and I'll have my beloved prince back home, safe and sound in his castle in no time flat!" He then added, "Also the whole thing about you having to kiss me was a lie" Of course it was a lie Shuichi thought, but then proceeding to lightly blush seeing the child-like grin on the other boy's face. "Umm, so might I ask what's the plan then?" Shuichi asked clearly confused."Follow me."

Kokichi beckoned him towards a dark woodland area. Shuichi really began to question why he was here genuinely following him considering all that happened between them tonight, and yet here they were. Kokichi stopped abruptly and turned around. He looked both ways nervously like he was trying to see if there was a dangerous entity in the dark out to get him. "Okie dokie, Imma need you to wait riiiight here for me please. I'll call out when I'm done." Just as he was about to turn and vanish into the woods he turned around one last time and said, "I need you to not tell a soul what your about to see, I don't normally do this type of stuff for strangers but tonight I'm feeling nice. However, if you do snitch, I'm gonna have to kill you for real, and we both don't want that to happen, now do we my beloved prince?" Not again with the death threats. "Okay no need to put my life on the line again, I promise." Kokichi nodded his head and was consumed by the darkness of the woods. Shuichi stood there anxiously waiting. Minutes later he heard something from the woods "Your safe Shuichi, come on." Hesitantly Shuichi stepped forward and into the woods. "Kokichi?" He cried. "Come closer, you're almost there." Was the reply he got, but he still didn't see him.

"Kokichi can you not mess around right now, where-" Shuichi stopped dead in the middle of his sentence and his tracks. He saw two glowing eyes staring at him, one a golden yellow color and the other, a mythical purple. Shuichi was like a deer caught in headlights with fear and astonishment. He didn't know what to do, and contemplated running away from the beast and waking up in his bed at home safe from all this chaos knowing it was all just a bad dream. Then the dragon cooed to Shuichi, "Come closer, my beloved; believe me, I won't bite."

So that's it so far :) I hope you enjoyed this excerpt and like mentioned prior PLEASE feel free to comment your thoughts/criticisms or drop a question in my ask box. Thank you good citizens of Tumblr for allowing me to be myself, and sharing my interests with y'all :) Stay tuned for more Shuichi x Kokichi content

Thank you once again for your time <3

[onesemesterfilmstudentta]

Pulse

I don't watch a lot of horror movies and most of the ones I do are tied to some awful evil or crime made incarnate as a monster. Sadako, Chuckie, and Jason are all examples of horror I'm used to. Therefore, the existential horror, the epidemic of loneliness, presented in Pulse was incredibly thought-provoking and closer to home in a way that makes it more terrifying. I admit I don't think I was touched by this movie as other people would be because of some unique experiences. Despite that, I genuinely appreciate how the film sensitively depicted the crushing despair and resignation that loneliness causes. Loneliness is both the creeping sense of total despair and fear of an inevitable future (whether it's true or not) and the depressing resignation - as if the world has just ended - as you decide it's totally hopeless. When I'm thinking about this film, I adore it.

Initially, I thought the screens depicting people wandering around their rooms or killing themselves were "ghosts" of people or memories they left behind that continue to haunt the living. This includes both the people who care about them and the strangers stumbling upon these relics of dead people. It's like seeing old forum posts from years and years ago and wondering where those people might be or if they're even alive. To see these screens, along with the "help me" plea, seemed just like cries for help and I don't think I'm entirely wrong. Everyone in the film, the best example being Harue who seems to have scrawled "help me" over the walls of her bedroom, want to be helped from their loneliness. They always fail to feel connected to someone no matter how much time they spend with someone else in person.

This failure to connect with people is obviously tied to technology in some way. In the beginning, Taguchi seems locked to his room. The mood change is instant when we move from what is a cloudy day outside, full of people and plants, to his room that seems like it's always night in there. The curtains are drawn, the lamps are on, and there's a coffee cup on the table that implies he's been living all-nighters every day and every night. Initially, I thought the film might have shown its hand too early: People seek the internet in order to connect with people because they can't reach people in the real world. It turns out that these connections are just as fake and in despair we flee the world of the living. Therefore, the true answer is that we have to grit our teeth and stay connected to the real world, you know? After all, you can't ever reach anyone by phone either and even if they answer, they can only ask for help without trying hard to receive it or they just shrug you off. Just like real life. Do you remember the boss of the flower shop saying something similar? Friends say wonderful things during the good times, with the best of intentions, and it only hurts the people they're trying to reach. That is, the message seemed exceedingly pessimistic not only about one's own effort to stay connected but also about technology. I'm… still not THAT wrong in the end.

That's why I feel conflicted about the possible reason for the disappearances was "ah, you see… the other realm is just overflowing with ghosts. It can't be helped, you know?" Not only does it sound like a conspiracy theory but it's one that turns out true as people disappear the world over. An actual apocalypse caused by ghosts! However, it does seem to tie in neatly with the idea that through technology, people (or in this case ghosts) take advantage of other people's loneliness. It's a common story. Catfishing is just one example.

About the real world crisis, the segment in which a TV is naming all the people who have disappeared hit me the most. Not only young or middle-aged people but the elderly and kids are named too. No matter the age or reason or past, loneliness can affect anyone. Loneliness is an epidemic. Of course I don't disagree. Just saying "we all die alone" is a terrifying statement generally and there are people who dream of dying surrounded by loving family. Not just loneliness but death too is a topic people feel strongly about.

That seems to be the core of Kawashima's narrative. Throughout the film, he refused to confront death to the point that he blabbered on about being able to live forever once people make a miracle drug to Harue. He doesn't want to think about death he says repeatedly. Then he is forced to confront death in that forbidden room, made to hear Death speak to him, and to touch it physically. That is, death comes for us all and we have no choice but to confront it. If we are lonely in life, we are lonely in death, Kawashima only got so far because he never seriously considered death and always ran away from it. I have to be honest. I think everyone in this film is a bit cowardly. No one confronted death properly but instead focused on their despair and fear. Depression is a serious issue and whether you're depressed or not it takes serious dedication to remain optimistic and dedicated to enjoying your life. It shouldn't matter if you're alone or not, if you're lonely or not, because life isn't just people. However, I admit that there is no one-size-fits-all, "proper" way to confront such an amorphous, unknowable thing. Anyone might say the world over just hit its limit and couldn't take the loneliness anymore.

[flashbic]

@fritz-valentine i did it i answered the ask game for the other two!!

2. Favorite canon thing about this character

Cartouche: One bit the show doesn’t lean into enough imo but it's there is that he’s overconfident! Dude is self-assured to a fault! He can make an effort to plan things sometimes, but usually he doesn’t like to bother unless he made a first attempt beforehand and fucked up. He runs into fights unarmed all the damn time! also the bit from the first ep where he’s being smug at Galichon like “of COURSE this is the door to the exit, I trust my instinct on this one, I just KNOW” and they open the door and it’s like. the guards break room asdfgk it’s funny ok

also his whole deal with Isabelle!! His dumb crush is showing at all times, he’s not as smooth as he thinks he is, i just think he’s cute heehee

Falconi: MY BOY HAS ANGER ISSUES. It's so funny how he's presented as the cold, quiet, calculating bad guy… but actually he's fucking seething all the time. He's got that anger always bubbling up right under the surface, and not only is he massively pissed off, it makes him so fucking stupid too, it's great. 

I love his sad backstory, but also love that the whole thing happened over 10 years ago and it doesn't excuse any of the shitty things he does through the show, like, at all, except for the multiple murder attempts on le Lorrain. 

(also the fact that they had to nerf him for the hero-villain team-up episode is never not funny)

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

Cartouche : He argues with Isabelle when she calls him a bandit, but look, the guy didn't learn to commit crimes by being nice and never breaking the law, right?? My headcanon is he used to be a whole lot less nice, but ended up being swayed into helping people as the situation in Paris kept getting worse. He’s a good dude in the end, but he did grow up on the streets with no one to rely on! You can’t blame a guy for enjoying a bit of crime, i think… 

He is very good at card games, and actually taught himself how to count cards! He used to gamble a lot but has generally put that all behind him these days and only plays for fun with his friends. Without cheating, for the most part. Honestly he's infuriating at most luck-based games.

Absolutely thinks of his friends as his family. He'd do anything for them <3 But out of all of them, le Lorrain is the one he most consistently on the same wavelength with. Le Lorrain is the one who joined the gang most recently, but as far as Cartouche is concerned that doesn't matter at all: they just get each other!

Falconi: When he first arrived at the academy, for a brief moment he really thought he’d be able to fit in with the other students and kinda hoped to make friends! When the whole friends thing didn’t pan out (the most popular guy around and his friends deciding they don’t like you will kinda do that, but he struggled to connect with people who weren’t hostile too), he kinda gave up on that to focus on training, which had always been the most important thing to him anyways.

My other headcanon here that kinda ties with the previous one is that there was never any real possibility of him ever marrying Anne de Montsirac, but he genuinely let himself believe it might happen. He was lonely and didn’t know how to fit in with all these rich people, and she was gentle and kind and pretty, and he fell so hard for her… She did like him back, but her feelings didn’t run as deep as his, and in the end her family never would’ve let any kind of proposal happen anyways. It was never going to happen, but everything went so badly that Falconi never quite stopped convincing himself that everything could've been different if he'd been able to propose first.

The bonus Falconi headcanon is he absolutely has a hands kink. He just does.

[maquisro]

does anyone share my conspiracy theory that netflix’s most recent account sharing crackdown is actually just thinly-veiled retaliation for the WGA and SAG successes?

here is my presentation:

a) this is the first sharing crackdown that has successfully prevented me*, who I will call a “leech user”, from accessing my family’s netflix despite active effort on my part (as someone who is, shall we say, 🏴‍☠️moderately acquainted with dubious maritime conduct🏴‍☠️)

(*the rest of my argument relies on the assumption that my experience is somewhat representative of the wider leech user demographic — I assume at least one person will reach out if that is not the case)

b) the method by which they’re preventing sharing (2-step verification but both devices have to be on the same wifi network) is too simple for them to have just now figured out how to implement it

c) therefore, I propose that netflix has known how to do this for a while, and have simply not had any real motivation to actually pull the trigger — the incessant whining about the burden of account sharing and wringing of their pathetic little hands when their “efforts” “fail” to kick out that many leech users, is all, to some extent, an act*

(*to what end? science has yet to find the answer. “probably shareholder related”, he said, confidently, as though he were on Succession)

d) HOWMSTEVER — if netflix now has to deal with paying residuals each individual time something is streamed, suddenly all the streaming done by leech users is now Actively An Issue. so. crackdown.

e) so fewer individual streams = fewer residuals = less lost profit on netflix’s part — sounds like the kind of business decision that makes sense to the world of capitalism! but like. it’s inherent. this is the same business decision netflix was making before, the one that caused strikes in the first place, and to sneak right back into it after making a public show about how they’re “no longer” going to be screwing artists over, is absolutely a retaliatory action. referencing their “ongoing” “issue” with account sharing as plausible deniability is ridiculous and insulting

f) side note: the timing is also sus

g) if I were a cartoonishly evil corporation, I would create a MUCH longer gap between the new union contracts and my retaliation — it is NOT well-disguised right now

h) however, what all of netflix’s “attempts” to prevent account sharing have in common is what appears to be a fervent and genuinely held opinion on netflix’s part that booting leech users will somehow cause them to convert to paying account holders. they seem to be so invested in this goal that they’ll hold onto it even when it seems to contradict their other goals

i) now comes the timing thing — a few weeks after kicking the leech users (so as to let the tempers cool off), now we have the new A:TLA live action trailer + release date. very well-loved show, very active fanbase for a 3 season kids’ cartoon that recently turned 18, broad appeal to fairly disparate groups of people who are likely to be in the leech user demographic. I could go on but I’m tired

j) so if netflix is convinced that it’s vitally important to convert leech users into paying users, it makes sense to boot them right before hyping material that might ACTUALLY cause them to convert. I, for one, would seriously consider subscribing in order to watch it if I wasn’t certain that life will uhhh… 🏴‍☠️find a way🏴‍☠️

l) this is the part of the theory where I claim that netflix bumped up the timeline of their union retaliation to work with the A:TLA trailer release so that they could piggyback another use onto the method of their madness

m) and this is the part where I realize I’ve gone through half the alphabet. this is all speculative, these opinions belong solely to the blogger and are in no way representative blah blah blah. I have not re-read this draft ok goodnight*

(*this post written at 3am and queued for a more reasonable time)

[theshadowsong]

Profile

Name: Rem Amber (real surname is lost in time)

Age: about 40 (frozen in ice for almost 5000 years)

Nameday:  1th Sun of the Fourth Umbral Moon

Race: Viera (modified)

Height: 178cm / 5’10″ (idk if I did that right US sizes are weird)

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Bisexual

Patron Deity: Rhalgr

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Birthplace: Mor Dhona

Current Residence: Revenant's Toll

Family: none, Scions

Occupation: Botanist, Adventurer (Summoner/ Black Mage/ Dark Knight)

Basic Informations

Positive: compassion, protective, curious, honest, thoughtful

Negative: insecure, impulsive, no social skills, blood hungry

He was an Allegan experiment as part of a project called the "Amber Project". Rem's was subjected to the Allegan Empire's Amber Project. As part of this experimental endeavor, various life forms were utilized to harness elemental powers to enhance their combat capabilities against their enemies. Rem himself was infused with the power of lightning, specifically leaning towards Umbral aspects. However, the experiments ultimately resulted in catastrophic failures, with the subjects experiencing severe mutations and developing a destructive and vampiristic nature. Recognizing the danger posed by their creations, the scientists froze the subjects, intending to resume their work at a later time. Unfortunately, unforeseen events prevented them from doing so, leaving Rem confused and awakening in a world entirely different from the one he knew.

Rem's qualities make him a caring individual who genuinely cares for the well-being of others, always wanting to lend a helping hand. His protective nature often leads him to look out for those around him, ensuring their safety and happiness. His genuine curiosity fuels his thirst for knowledge, pushing him to explore and understand the world around him.

However, Rem also battles with a set of negative traits that he struggles to overcome. Insecurity plagues him, causing him to doubt his own worth and constantly seek acceptance from others. This insecurity feeds into his impulsiveness, as he may act on his emotions without fully considering the consequences. Furthermore, Rem lacks social skills and often finds himself feeling socially awkward and uncomfortable in social settings. These difficulties hinder his ability to form meaningful connections. Another negative aspect of Rem's nature is his vampirism, stemming from the experimentations he endured as part of the Amber Project. This characteristic, coupled with his Umbral lightning abilities, presents a potential danger when Rem succumbs to his primal instincts.

To cope with his insecurities and blend in with society, Rem conceals certain physical features. He hides his tail and sometimes his horns using glamor, attempting to fit into a world that might not fully understand or accept him. Additionally, Rem consistently wears gloves and closed shoes to conceal his claws, ensuring that his appearance doesn't draw unnecessary attention or evoke fear in others. Despite these efforts, Rem remains a gentle soul who struggles to manage his intense emotions.

Random facts

Rem has a large scar in the shape of a lightning bolt on his back from the infusion of the lightning aspect.

Has small horns between his ears who also sense vibration (like a bad) which lets him „see“ in the dark very good.

Rem has a fondness for collecting trinkets and mementos from his travels. Whether it be a colorful seashell from a distant shore or a worn-out map from an ancient city, each item holds a story and serves as a reminder of the places he has visited and the memories he has made along the way.

He doesn't really have an eye color, depending on the light it is either white or black.

Despite his lack of formal social skills, Rem has a natural affinity for animals. He has a calming effect on them and is particularly skilled at communicating and bonding with creatures of all kinds, earning their trust and friendship effortlessly. Helps him to attract his prey for feeding.

stole the structure for the character profile from: @the-unending-journey lol

[fanfic-inator795]

I’m really curious about how they’re going to handle Ruben in the rest of TGaMM s2 - or rather, I’m curious if they’re going to go full antagonist (not villain, antagonist) with him, or if he’ll be able to have his mind changed within an episode or two like how Ollie’s was.

It’s just- given that even after his family was tossed around and it was made VERY CLEAR that they could not handle the Frightmares, instead of getting his fam out of there or helping with evacuation efforts, Ruben only cared about finally getting footage of real ghosts in the hopes of having proof and gaining credibility/fame. And like, on the one hand I get, I’m sure it’s frustrating knowing that most of the world sees you as a crazy guy who believes in ghosts.

But also, like... bruh, YOUR FAMILY WAS IN DANGER! I’m also starting to wonder about Ruben’s backstory and how much he actually wants to protect others. Like- was he actually attacked by a ghost, or did he just say that’s what happened to make his story more interesting/attention-grabbing? Is he a ghost hunter because he wants to protect humans, or is he only doing it for fame/notoriety?

Now, to Ruben’s credit, I do believe there’s a part of him who does want to stop ghosts for the sake of protecting the living and who is genuinely worried about the dangers that ghosts could present... but I can’t completely tell if that particular goal is necessarily his priority. Again, just the fact that he cared SO MUCH about getting footage even after being attacked makes me think that him being a ghost hunter/humanity’s ‘hero’ isn’t something he’s doing for completely selfless reasons.

If this is the case, it could certainly cause friction between Ruben and Ollie later in the season, though I’m sure that eventually, Ruben would come to the conclusion that ghosts don’t deserve to be destroyed and that the safety of ghosts is more important than his chance at fame.

[j-graysonlibrary]

Fort Heaven Chapter 1

Title: Fort Heaven

Author: Jay Grayson

Word Count: 69K

Genres: Suspense, investigative, drama, LGBT+

Available on: Kobo and my website

Synopsis: Some call it a hoax. Others claim it’s a cult. But, to Evon and his friend Yasmine, two online journalists, Fort Heaven is the subject of their latest story. Along for the assignment is cameraman and not-so-secret crush of Evon’s: Russet. With a drunken, murky night in their recent history, things are especially tense between them but, of course, personal matters take a backseat when the interviews start. The trio speaks to ex-members of Fort Heaven and, while some of the accounts are shocking, the job remains just that: A job. That is until one of the women they interviewed, along with her daughter, goes missing. It soon becomes clear that not only is Fort Heaven a real threat but Evon and his friends are being watched. And what started as a simple cash-grab article is now a matter of life and death.

Full Chapter 1 under the read more

Chapter 1

Blue light from the computer projected onto the face of Evon Sparks as he stared, blankly, at the digital clock waiting for the numbers to change. The second 2:23 turned to 2:24, he let out an exacerbated sigh. He’d been in his small, shared office space for three hours and still he was left with nothing—not even an inkling of an idea.

Genuine Tales was the name of a popular journaling company that came into fame because of its success on the internet with fad blogs and self indulging quizzes. Most writers in the company spent one or two weeks working on one piece and the more experienced writers worked on something new almost daily.

Evon had a deadline that he needed met. He needed at least an interesting topic to present by the end of the day and, depending on the topic, he’d get a week or more to complete it.

Under normal circumstances, he’d find this easy—even fun.

However, things had been stressful for Evon for some time now and it was clouding his creativity. He was sure his bosses were getting suspicious and possibly even thinking of firing him.

His eyes kept to the screen as another minute passed by. When he shifted focus, he could vaguely see his reflection and he could see the bags under his eyes. With a sigh, he looked to the side and shook his head a little forcefully in an effort to bring some sort of focus back.

For the past six months his older sister, Trinity, had been staying in his townhouse with him. He had nothing but love for his sister and while his stress was stemming from her, he still didn’t blame her or resent her. She needed him and he had faith in himself that he could juggle his work life and take care of her.

Trinity broke her foot quite some time ago and what seemed like an easy fix turned into a long stretch of doctor visits and ongoing lawsuits. Nothing was set in stone with the lawsuits though the legal aspect was out of Evon’s hands. It was too much for him to take on, his sister had told him.

With her jewelry store temporarily closed and medical bills piling up, Trinity had no choice but to move out of her apartment and stay with her brother.

Evon rubbed over his eyes before letting his body go limp, halfway sliding out of his chair. There he was again—thinking about personal issues instead of focusing on work.

The cycle had been relentless since he started to notice a decrease in his money. He was completely dependent on his stories being successful and—if he wasn’t writing anything good—he was losing money.

With a low grumble, Evon sunk further down making his jacket slip up and off of his back. His arms stayed up by the arm rests while most of his lower body was crumpling onto the floor.

He heard the sound of footsteps but made no effort to move. Anyone who worked with him would expect a scene like that.

“What in the hell are you doing?” The deep, almost raspy voice of his best friend and co-worker echoed through the small room.

Evon moved to look up and he met her eyes. Yasmine towered over him, casting a rather large shadow, and placed her hands on her hips. She’d always been taller than him but from that angle she seemed like a giant. She certainly had the power of one and wasn’t nearly as gentle as most hoped.

Luckily for Evon, Yasmine had a soft spot for him.

She reached her hands down and, slowly, he grabbed onto her. Despite holding on, he made absolutely no further effort to stand which led to him being pulled the rest of the way onto the floor and partially dragged.

“Oh, come on,” Yasmine scolded—or at least tried to. It was hard to take her seriously when she started to laugh.

“I don’t want to be an adult,” Evon said with a pout causing her to shake her head.

“Do I look like I want to?”

She raised a good point. Just a year older than him, Yasmine didn’t look much like a woman in her mid to late twenties. She didn’t look much like a teenager either though. Her height and build both showed her adulthood while her face and hair looked adolescent. There weren’t many workplace rules about appearance and she took full advantage of that and wore a new hair cut and color almost monthly.

This month she had shaved sides and a bright pink tuft of hair sweeping down just to meet her brow. She had a few piercings but rarely wore them all at once and that day was no different. Other than a nose ring and earrings, she was without any jewelry.

Evon envied her confidence in that area since he’d thought of doing something dramatic to his appearance since he was a teen but never had the courage to follow through with it. He didn’t even have a piercing despite constantly being told that they aren’t necessarily permanent.  Then, the one time he went into a parlor for a tattoo he ended up running away before the artist could even convince him of a design.

It was the idea of something irreversible that bothered him although, according to Yasmine, it was because he was a crybaby and couldn’t handle pain.

“Do you have anything…?” Evon asked once he actually cooperated with his friend and stood up. He let go of her hand and straightened out his clothes.

“Actually,” she started with a growing smirk, “I think I do.”

Her tone made him perk up—she sounded pretty sure of herself. “Oh? Tell me, tell me!”

Yasmine chuckled and raised a finger before retreating back into her side of the office. She didn’t go far before walking back with a small stack of papers in her hands.

“This.”

“What is it?” Evon asked and stepped closer.

“I found a conspiracy theory online,” she began and scanned over the page, “I think it’s a good foundation.”

“Conspiracy?” He reeled back, unsatisfied with the answer. “So you want to just rip off of other people’s material to make a story?”

Yasmine dramatically rolled her eyes before continuing, “No, it’s not ripping off of anyone’s story. There is only a small following behind the conspiracy and most people who have seen it think it’s completely off the wall crazy. So, if we do a paper breaking down everything about it—especially for those interested who want all the bulletin points in one article…”

It was clear she was excited by the idea but Evon wasn’t sold. He was hurting for ideas, sure, but he didn’t want to do anything that would cheapen his career. Even if most of his stories were ridiculous in nature, he still stayed away from gossip and pointless theories.

“What’s it about?” he asked despite his negative feelings.

“Okay so,” Yasmine took a breath and started to paraphrase the document, “You remember Ford Hyland? The scandal with his wife?”

“The weird cult stuff from five years ago?” Evon questioned with his confusion clear in his voice.

The musician Ford Hyland was well known as a rock star before the scandal five years ago. It almost entirely ruined his career and turned his name into an automatic association to a somewhat underground cult. When he and his wife divorced, his wife publicly made statements about the weird, religious organization that her husband was in and divulged into some rather odd stories.

She said there had been blackmail, imprisonment, and she even alluded to possible murder.

Some were empathetic to her tale but others saw it as just a way to stay in the spotlight after splitting with her famous husband.

For the most part, no one talked about that old, used up story so the fact Yasmine seemed so sure of it’s success was a little odd. Usually she was even more up to speed with the moment’s trend than he was.

“Yes!” The woman explained and waved the papers around.

Evon countered her excitement by calmly sitting back at his computer desk. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe in her but he just was not feeling whatever it was that she was.

“And then Ford went on TV saying he didn’t have anything to do with Fort Heaven and it was just a stupid cult that losers from the eighties still clung to. Remember that?”

“Uh huh.” Evon looked to Yasmine with a curious expression but she ignored him in favor of divulging further. “The real Ford was ASSASSINATED and replaced with a doppelganger that people believe is named Gerald Walters—”

“Wait,” he stopped her mid-breath so she couldn’t get a chance to keep going, “how do these people know who the doppelganger is?”

Yasmine lowered the pages and her mouth remained ever so slightly agape as she searched her recent memories for answers. When she came out blank, she admitted, “I don’t know.”

“It’s clearly clickbait bullshit,” he remarked with a dry laugh before spinning around in his chair and returning to his laptop.

That didn’t stop Yasmine from following him and stepping into his line of sight again. “That doesn’t matter,” she said as she passed the papers over to him whether he liked it or not. “It’s interesting. It will get hits—and that’s what we need, man—HITS.”

“You don’t even buy into it, do you?” Evon asked as he glanced up at her. All of her energy was going toward the issue they both were stuck with. They needed money.

“It doesn’t matter what I think,” she said and relaxed her shoulders. “If we can get some interesting anecdotes or an interview with Ford even…”

“Think he’d even agree to that?” Evon laughed as he asked, already imagining how well that would go over.

Yasmine shrugged as she leaned against his desk. “What the hell else does he have going on?”

He nodded slightly in agreement though he still didn’t believe the man would ever take an interview with them. Especially not about the event that ruined his career—even if it was to, ironically, revive his career.

But it was worth a shot.

“Better this than nothing,” Evon surrendered. As far away as the piece was from what he would like to do, it was still something.

His friend pumped her fist in the air. “Yuss!” She whipped out her phone, tapped the screen a few times before placing it on the desk.

Evon leaned forward and read the name ‘Gavin McKeen’ on the screen. He was their direct superior and, naturally, the person who approved of their pieces or denied them.

Gavin didn’t own the company but he was friends with the creators so talking to him was, sometimes, no different than talking to the CEOs. A lot of the writers—especially part time freelancers—were terrified of him for some reason. The man had a lot of reason to be smug and demeaning but he wasn’t and, rather, tended to encourage and root for newer writers.

“Heellllo?” Their boss drew out. The sound of wind was in the background, letting both Evon and Yasmine know that he was driving.

“Hey Gavin,” Yasmine took the lead, “I think Evon and I have got a pretty good joint piece…”

“Joint?” he questioned immediately.

“Yeah,” she replied, “if it’s approved it might take a little bit of time to complete. We’d have to conduct at least two interviews so…”

“You can’t just research?” Gavin asked, sounded a bit taxed.

“We could but the story would come out flat and pointless,” Evon answered, “there’s gotta be new information that only we can provide.”

He and Yasmine traded glances before they both looked back to the phone. Their boss was taking a suspiciously long time to answer.

“…Sir?” Yasmine called out after another second.

“Pitch it to me,” he got straight to the point.

Evon caught his friend’s gaze again and she looked as though she wanted him to explain. He shook his head and vigorously pointed to her and then to the phone. She let out a silent sigh and agreed while Evon continued to urge her to speak.

“Alright,” she said, “Not long ago, Ford Hyland was accused by his wife of being in an insane cult which he denied. He even smeared the ‘church’s’ name and some people suspect that the church had him killed and then replaced him. There are accounts showing the physical differences between the Ford then and the Ford now and his singing changes—everything.”

When she finished there was silence.

Evon didn’t look away from the phone and didn’t dare breathe. Whether he liked the plan or not, he still didn’t want to be rejected.

“Well…” Gavin finally spoke, “it’s a strange thing to write about…but many blogs and journalists are bringing back old topics and rehashing things. That’s the cool new thing to do and many of our readers and subscribers probably haven’t even heard of this story before.”

Both leaned in toward the phone and Yasmine asked, “So…is that an approval…?”

Another agonizing few seconds passed before their boss said, “Yes. I approve.”

“Yes!” she yelled and threw her arms up as Evon stood from his chair to high-five her.

“Don’t celebrate just yet,” Gavin interrupted them, “I’ll give you a week to convince me it’s going to be good and then we’ll talk real deadlines. If you two don’t get a good one this time…I may have to bump you down to part time.”

“We won’t disappoint,” Evon assured with a grin. “Promise.”

The man laughed. “Well alright. See you in a week.”

When the line went dead both Evon and Yasmine let out huge sighs of relief. Then, as Evon really soaked in what just happened, he froze.

“What?” Yasmine noticed right away.

“Why did I promise that?” he asked in a low voice, “Why did I promise that it was going to be good?”

“Cause it is,” she remarked and nudged him with her elbow. “You never break your promises, Evon.”